Recent Changes

So, I haven't written in here for a long time. I thought I might write about recent events in my life.

My winter break was fantastic and really long. I am not used to having a month long break so I didn't know what to do with myself. The first part of my break, right after finals, I spent way too much time watching Netflix. I would just lay there in my pajamas and enjoy doing nothing. When you are really busy, it is nice to do nothing at some point. After getting bored of doing nothing, my brother came home for Christmas time. We had lots of family time just talking, playing games and catching up. I experienced one of the most beautiful days in San Francisco. We went hiking in Marine County and looked over all the bay. It was absolutely stunning and brought a lot of new perspective. I love being outdoors because the perspective from nature reminds me of God's love for us.

I had a friend from BYU visit for New Years Eve week. I have told her all about my hometown and finally she was able to meet all my friends. We had a good time talking about grad school, boys and making life decisions. We went to the Sacramento YSA New Year's Eve Dance, and I actually had fun. I didn't think I would, but we had fun goofing off and meeting new people.

I subbed as a paraeducator for a couple of days when I wasn't in my internship. I start my internship a couple weeks before school officially starts. I was so glad to be back at my internship. I wanted to go back to having some responsibility to feel like I am contributing to society in some way. It was a good time to further develop my relationships with clients. I started a couple new projects at my internship. I primarily am in charge with the caregiver support group, but I was able to work with different clients doing case management and individual therapy.

One of my favorite moments was going to DISNEYLAND. It was amazing. I have been wanting to go since I left the Disney College Program. It had been 4 years since I had last seen Mickey Mouse.I went with a friend last minute on a spontaneous trip. We told our friends that we were going and they were like...this is random. Disneyland is never random. Right? We got a two day one park tickets. We went to Disneyland and then California Adventures. I finally saw Cars Land and it was everything people have told me. I don't know how many times I said, "this is adorable" in one day. Too many times. The Radiator Springs ride was my favorite. I really felt like I was in the movie.

I was reminded of the Disney magic and then I didn't want to leave. I forgot how much I have been in Mickey withdrawal. Being in the park is all that I need to be happy.

 On the way home, we stopped in Hollywood to hike up near the sign. It was absolutely beautiful to overlook the LA area. I haven't really spent time in LA before, so it was kinda fun to spend time there besides Disneyland. I didn't like driving in LA, they were very aggressive. The Hollywood sign itself wasn't spectacular, but the it is so iconic that it was fun to hike up near the sign.

I went to Yosemite for Free National Park Day. It was absolutely beautiful. I drove up with some friends and we went through Jackson. It was a really foggy day but gorgeous to look through the drive. If I could put into into words, I would say a "horror movie" kind of beautiful. I wouldn't want to go on a long walk by myself but it's nice to look out the window though.

 Yosemite wasn't too crowded, so it was a great day to visit. We saw the Upper and Lower falls, Yosemite valley and sequoia trees. Who would of thought that a bunch of rocks and trees could form such a beautiful national park? It is so close to me that I really should go more often. I really want to hike Glacier Point this summer, since I've already done Half Dome. Half Dome was a incredible hike but I wouldn't want to endure the physical and emotional pain as you climb up Half Dome again.

Then school started once again and now my social life goes away. It was a great break because I actually got to hang out with my friends before I went back to no-fun time. I am really excited to start the semester once again. I feel like I will learn and grow a lot from my classes. I am taking my social work practice, substance abuse, research methods and theory class. Once I am in school, I am busy with my internship and classes, but I feel like the learning is integrated.

One exciting update is that I was offered my "dream job". I met a educational psychologist while subbing at a high school. We ended up talking and I was telling her about my interest in school social work in the special education program. That is exactly what she does, she told me about her agency. I want to intern at her agency next summer and fall, so hopefully it works out. I think I am going to do a summer program to get my PPSC, which is a school social work program. I have always enjoyed working for the school district, so I think school social work is where I will eventually end up. There is still a lot of things up in the air, but I feel very confident in my decision.

Other than that, these are most of big changes that has happened. I will try to write in my blog more about things I am learning and doing. One thing I have definitely learned is that God is aware of me in my process of figuring out who I should become. I would have never imagined myself enjoying graduate school in social work at Sacramento State living at home. The thing is that I have found joy in my life. My life has come together from what I thought was chaos. When I look back at previous events in my life, I always questioned why I wasn't getting what I wanted. Now that I am at my current stage of life, I understand why everything happened the way it did. It's easy to trust in Heavenly Father once you understand the purpose but hard to trust in the moment of confusion.

So to those who are struggling with their current moment in life, continue trusting in Heavenly Father. Your life may be different than anything you ever imagined, but it will be what you need.