The fall in Provo provided lots of struggles for me. I had to say goodbye to a really good friend of mine which really hurt and I wasn't quite sure how to handle it. At that time I also started a new job working with a 3 year old little autistic boy named Jaden. It provided a challenge and was a little emotionally taxing sometimes...especially when I saw him struggle and get frustrated with the tasks we were working on. So that provided some stress. I was also contemplating going on a mission for the church, but struggled with when to go and knowing for certain that the answers I was getting were from the Lord and not from me as a form of escape. And then in early October Grandma Bainbridge passed away and it was really hard to say goodbye to her. But thankfully the Lord sends angels to pull us out of our hard times. Sometime in the fall I asked for a blessing from a friend of mine and one of the things that was said was that I needed to turn to my roommates, to look to them as sources of comfort and companionship so that's what I did. Jenny, Ariel, Serena, Lacey, Jessica, Michelle, and Kari helped to get me through some dark days in the fall. And of course the Lord sent others to lift my spirits as well. One person was Allen, I don't think he knew it and I don't know that he does now, but he really helped pull me out of a lot of sadness and frustration that was consuming my life at the time. He's just one of those people that is so incredibly ridiculous that you can't be sad when you're around them. Some other important people for me in the fall were Cody, who always willing to help me when I needed it, and Rulon Baily and Craig Bierdneau who provided many entertaining moments in their own unique way.
The winter provided some changes. Rulon and Craig were no longer in our apt complex so the amount of time spent goofing off with them significantly decreased. But then other people moved in as well and they provided their own unique spin to life. In the beginning of the winter Cole moved into my apt complex. Cole was a friend I had met about a year previously through a mutual friend of ours. I also had a new roommate move in in the winter, her name is Allie. Well, Cole started hanging out at my apt quite frequently and he and Allie really hit it off and now they're engaged. Kind of strange, but life happens. Colin was also a pretty important person for me in the winter, I had met him in the fall during a D&C class that we had together. He and I sort of became friends and then in the winter he started asking me out on dates pretty regularly. When it came down to him asking me to be exclusive with him I realized that I didn't really feel that way about him, but he's still a good friend of mine and he doesn't know it but he did a lot to help make me feel wanted again, which I hadn't in a really long time. So the winter semester passed in relative ease....at least compared to the fall. At the end of the winter semester Ariel and Lacey both moved out which it was hard to see them go because I really feel that I have learned a lot from both of them, but it was what was best for them.
That pretty much brings me to this point in my life. I was signed up to take classes all Summer, but about a week into the semester I realized that I was burnt out and completely sick of and unmotivated towards school so...I dropped all of my classes, postponed graduation until the fall, and am taking the summer off. I'm currently looking for work, but so far no dice. I have decided recently that I need to be more social in my ward so that is something that I have been working on a lot more lately, just putting myself out there. I think it's actually working quite well I think. I have made a lot of friends so far this spring and I'm realizing that people may think differently and look differently, but you should never underestimate their ability to make you laugh your butt off! haha I've also been hanging out with Gianina Bruno quite a bit, she is so stinking funny it baffles me why we weren't better friends before. I'm also currently interning at the Children's Justice Center in Provo, they work with children who have been sexually abuse it makes me realize that I really want to go into a profession where I can help people. That being said, I'm graduating in December, and from there I'm looking into going into either a master's of social work program or law school so we'll see. So there you go, that's an update on my life.
