How time flies

So, remember how I completely adore Bri? And how it's my dream to be able to write like her one day? Well, I saw this on her blog and thought it looked so fun that I couldn't resist:

Twenty years ago I...
1. Got my first sister-in-law
2. Was still bald and chubby
3. Was a living, breathing doll for my sister


Ten years ago I...
1. Moved to Rexburg
2. Had my first piece of writing published (thanks, Scroll!)
3. Had seen every episode of Saved by the Bell at least a dozen times and persisited in the habit. It may have been unhealthy.

Five years ago I...
1. Was Sophomore Class President
2. Got braces (long after all my friends had gotten them off, mind you)
3. Got myself a State Championship Ring in softball


Three years ago I...
1. Met LeaDawn (yay for taking chances on roommates and getting SO lucky!)
2. Went to Disneyland for the FIFTH time (I know, I'm the luckiest girl alive, right?)
3. Discovered The Office (life has never been the same ... in a good way)

One year ago I...
1. Met a nice boy named Ryan when a friend invited me to go country dancing
2. Climbed Mount Borah (that's the tallest in Idaho. Yeah, you should be impressed)


3. Was in love with David Cook and sincerely believed David Archuleta would baptize him so I could be the next Mrs. Cook (OK, maybe it wasn't a SINCERE belief ...)

So far this year I have ...
1. Produced two magazines (look for Academic Guide, still on stands at BYU-I! It's my favorite of the two)
2. Made a happy agreement with the above-mentioned adorable country dancer


3. Been to New York City (thanks, Mom and Dad)


Yesterday I ...
1. Finished designing wedding invitations
2. Ate dinner with the future in-laws (thanks Bonnie!)
3. Put gas in the Beetle

Today I ...
1. Proposed a messaging rubric in a meeting (yes, it's every bit as exciting as it sounds)
2. Ate for free at Johnny Carino's (thanks again, Bonnie!)
3. Bought a book I've been dying to read. You should read it. And read the others in the series. I promise you won't regret it.

Tomorrow I will ...
1. Go to Natalie's wedding reception (yay for Natalie! And yay for weddings!)
2. Fold patterns for Cotton Way
3. Take a long lunch with a girlfriend. So fun.

In the next year I will ...
1. Get married (I. Can't. Wait.)
2. Graduate from college (thank you, thank you)
3. Live an entire year in the same apartment with the same roommate. *sigh of relief*

What a difference five years can make

Today while I sat at Sonic Drive-in waiting for my $3 order of cheddar bites, I found myself thumbing through my wallet. It's fun to do sometimes — I'm a bit of a pack rat.

I found my Dependent I-Card from when I was 16. I found my MHS Activity Card from senior year. I found an old iTunes gift card and a new one I haven't redeemed yet. But somewhere between my Delta SkyMiles Card and a Paul Mitchell business card, I found a small slip of paper that said this in faded ink:

Beehive Federal Credit Union
Date: 12/14/03
Time: 12:11
Location: 65 South Center
Rexburg, ID
Withdrawl: $60.00
From Savings
Current Balance: $120.58

I laughed a little when I saw "$120.58." I am a poor, starving college student. But — I strained to remember — was there really a time that I was that poor?

That got me thinking. Dec. 14, 2003, was only five years ago. I was just starting high school. I was sophomore class president and worried about putting together an awesome dance. I couldn't wait to be old enough to date, and it felt like 16 was decades away. I didn't worry about money or time or what I was going to cook for dinner.

Another five years before that, I was 10. My parents were building a house and I didn't want to move to Rexburg. I was afraid the other kids would be mean to me or that I'd get a bad teacher. I was trying to learn how to do my own hair — and failing.

Now that I'm older, I move at least twice a year. I've done my own hair thousands of times and I can hardly remember what it was like to not be able to date. But I worry about having enough money or good enough grades. I worry about where I'll live next semester. I worry about choosing a good man.

How much, then, will I change in the next five years? Ten? Twenty? Where do I see myself? Sonic was particularly busy today, so I had a lot of time to think about it. I have a plan, but if there's one thing I've learned in the last five years it's that life rarely follows even the best laid-out plan. I do know a couple things, though. I see a few specific things coming:


Internships ...


... graduation ...

... the Temple ...

... a family.

I think the best is yet to come.