Our Story: The Dream

A few weeks after meeting Ryan in the lobby of my work, I had a dream. And it freaked me out. I had only met this kid once, he was awkward and taboo.. a companion of a boy you dated...you just don't got there.

In my dream, we were sitting on my couch being playful and talking. He kissed me like it was a normal occurance, held me hand and we continued our playful banter. I remember looking over at him and thinking to myself "I am so in love with this boy."

And then I woke up.

Happy Thursday!

Whirlwind Year.

January:

• Made one of the best decisions thus far and moved to Thailand for four months, meeting and loving four new girls, 20+ students, and countless friendly Thai people. 
• Learned that congealed duck-blood is sicknast and I would never like to try it again, ever. 
• Kissed countless Thai baby faces and loved every minute of it. 
• Sweat more in a week than I have in my whole life. 
• Missed my family, but grateful for their love and support. 
• Found out CJ and Ang were going to have a baby! 
• Met someone, hit it off with them...spent a few days getting to know each other... moved to the other side of the world...all in one week. 
• Kept talking that person. Missed that person. Felt a weee bit silly for missing that person. 
• Was so happy. So, so happy. 

February:

• Continued adjusting to teaching, the heat, bugs, each other, the culture, doing our own laundry, the heat, the food, the heat, riding bikes everywhere annnnd.....the heat. 
• Made our first trip to Chiang Mai
• Fulfilled a bucket-list item--BUNGEE JUMPING! Terrifying. 
• Completed another bucket-list item and road an Elephant. 
• Experienced our first sleeper-bus....and all the joy that comes with it. 
• Had the best Valentines day to date, spent it with the most adorable children loving on us all day long. 
• I'm pretty sure this was the month we discovered Swensons ice cream, and it was all downhill from there. 
• Found out Nathan and Amanda were going to welcome baby #2 shortly after CJ and Angie!

March:

• This month started off a bit rough when I found out Grandma K had passed away. 
• Being away from home was really, really hard this month. I just wanted to be surrounded by my family, but grew closer to my small Thai family and found comfort in them. 
• We got to venture out of Thailand over to the country of Laos for a few days! We had a blast and it was so neat to experience ANOTHER country for a little bit. 
• We made our second trip to Chiang Mai, this time renting scooters to see more of the city, meeting some new friends, and cuddling with Tigers! 
• Tang got married this month! We got to experience our very first...and probably last Thai wedding and it was incredible! Literally, something I will never forget. 
• Kept in touch with friends at home, and grew more anxious/sad/nervous to go home knowing I only had one full month left in my new home. 
• I had a lot of personal changes going on this month, I was unsure about a lot of things and was doing my best to figure it all out. 
• I accepted an offer to go to CHINA fall 2013 as a head teacher with ILP! I was excited, but a bit uneasy at the same time. 
• Got some sort of weird sickness for a few weeks where I would be nauseous almost every night...completely fine during the day, disgustingly nauseated during the night. Weirdest thing ever.
• And of course, fell even more in love with my Thai babies.

April: 

• April was INSANE. 
• We were so busy in our last month at the school and in Phichit. We took time to appreciate every day, knowing we wouldn't have much longer. 
• We took lots of bike rides to get lots of treats--the ones that we thought we would miss most. 
• Spent lots of time laying out at the lake and the Garden home. 
• Jared came to visit for Semester check-ups. 
• We started home visits with our students and loved getting to see them at home and meet their sweet families....even if sometimes they were a bit lengthy. 
• Packed up, and headed off to our 10 day vacation in Bangkok and Phuket! Best. Vacation. Ever. Met so many fun people, lounged on the beach for days and Hey, even ran from a Tsunami.... can't say that happens every day! 
• Wrapped up teaching and started packing up our belongings for our journey home... heartbroken always. 
• Saw a movie in Thai, finally ate at Hotpot, ate a lot of Swensons..
• My email also got hacked this month...so I had a difficult time communicating with home, and could not blog at all. Quite inconvenient. 

May: 

• May was probably one of the more challenging months of the year. 
• I was so anxious to go home and see my family, but I was also sick to my stomach about leaving. It was a weird few days. 
• We packed and said our goodbyes, and headed off for our last short trip to Chiang Mai before heading home to the US. 
• Had literally one of the best days of my life our second-to-last-day in Thailand. It is something I will never forget. 
• When our plane landed in SLC, reality set back in for a sec, and when we came down the escalator and saw our family and parents--I cried. My time in Thailand was over, it was time to come home. I was ready, but I wanted so bad to get back on that plane. 
• I took the rest of the month to adjust and get back into the groove of things. 
• May 26th, I met somebody who I thought would not impact my life in any significant way--boy was I wrong!  
• Went camping for my 20th birthday with Katelyn, Spencer and Clay! 
• Realized feelings for some had changed significantly. Scared me.

June: 

•  I started working back at the Marriott at the beginning on this month. It was good to be back! It felt good to be working again, and surrounded my people I missed and loved.
• Went to my first Angels game with the family! So fun.
• Began talking more to that friend I met on the 26^th. Made plans to set him up with some of my friends.
• Sheela came to visit! Had fun doing random St. George activities and attempting to play match-maker.
• Spent a lot of time by the pool—typical summer.
• Tried getting pumped up to leave for China in August—wasn’t sitting right.
• Finally realized my uneasy feeling was the answer I was waiting for.
• Declined China. Decided to move to SLC with Shayla. Went up to look at apartments, found apartment, came home, was offered scholarship to Dixie for journalism. Changed plans again and decided I needed to be in St. George for whatever reason.
• Began dating casually cute boy from high school, went on a lot of fun dates. Enjoyed time spent with him. Made plans for upcoming 4^th of July…. 

July:

• 4^th of July was perfect and spent working, and then with family, and then with cute boy. Best yet.
• Four days later finally planned “Scrubs” marathon with Ryan! Got goodies ready….definitely did not go as planned. I’m not even mad.
• Realized things with high school boy were not going anywhere, civilly went our separate ways after a semi-awkward lunch date.
• Had my last first kiss. 
• Got ready for fall semester. Got a little excited.
• Started spending any and all free time with Ryan. Went on our first date. He played his guitar and sang for me—I was smitten.
• Realized just how much my smitten-ness complicated things. Started to stress quite a bit.
• Watched CJ kick some major booty in the Utah State Am. Tournament. Enjoyed spending the day on the course with ALL my siblings. That never happens people. It was such a great day.
• Bugzee ran away... 
• Enjoyed a lot of spontaneous work visits from Ryan. Tried reallllly hard not to like him as much as I knew I was about to.
• Quit the Marriott and started working at Sterling Court as a CNA, loved it! 
• Started making plans to move out with friends into the Condo in town. 

August:

• School started and I was ridiculously busy with work, editing, school, and everything else I had to balance out. 
• Went and saw "Fun" with Marci, Shayla and Ryan. Kenz and Nate met us there too! SUCH A GOOD CONCERT. I died. 
• We decided I would drive....bad idea. Got a flat tire and got stranded in Vegas for the night. Missed my 12 hour shift the next day. It wasn't all that bad though ;) 
• Changed a lot. Unintentionally hurt a lot of people. 
• Had to figure out how to move on without closure.
• Spent every free minute with Ryan. Family finally started warming up to him. Finally. Got really close with Ry's family. 
• Focused on school and work. School and work....
• We also welcomed baby Cohen and Lexi!! One day apart! 

September: 

• Work and school picked up--life got a bit more hectic. 
• Parents went out of town for the weekend and left the funniest note. 
• Finally got Ryan to play the guitar and sing at Jazzy Java, some of his family came to watch and Kenz and Nate did too! He did fantastic. Such a hottie. 
• Katelyn and I went to a NASCAR event with her Dad and Matt...that was....interesting. 
• We welcomed Nate and Amanda's second, Baby Lincoln! 
• Ryan and I spent a lot of time at Tuacahn... for some reason we always ended up with tickets to the shows...ended up seeing each show twice! 
• Started playing on a Kick-ball team with Ryan and his family. So fun. 
• Moved out with friends into the condo in town! Ry was a champ helping me move for a solid week. Finally got settled and loved it! 

October:

• I woke up one morning with this insane pain in my side...naturally I called my mom bawling. She took me to the Dr. where they then sent me to the ER...spent the next 4+ hours in the ER.... and after two ultrasounds and one CT scan.... kidney stone! 
• Surprised Ryan with tickets to go see Thriller! ....I'm tellin ya, we just can't get enough of Tuacahn. 
• Katelyn got engaged! 
• Worked for a few hours on Halloween dressed as a Cat then spent the rest of the night with Ryan and his family. 
• Got another flat tire....that Ryan fixed. 
• Celebrated Danielle's 21st birthday! 
• Went to the Grand Canyon for the first time with Ryan and his family. 
• Watched cute nieces dance in the Hunstman Senior Games opening ceremonies. 

November: 

• Again, stayed busy with work and school. 
• I feel like I got sick a ton this month. Flu, cold...you name it. 
• Celebrated Thanksgiving with my most favorite family! Tay and Darren came down with baby Cohen and anxiously awaited the arrival of baby Reid! 
• Ryan applied for, and landed a new job! He was all set to start at the beginning of the year. 
• Two days before Thanksgiving...Ryan and I became parents to two beautiful boys. (At least we are assuming they are boys) Turtles!! Michael Angelo and Squirdle. I love them more than words can say. Easiest pets evvverrr. 
• Ryan and I made a little day trip up to Pine Valley to play in the snow and just get out of St. George for a few hours. 
• Started talking about future plans. Exciting, unreal and nerve-wracking all at the same time. :) 
• Not a whole lot else happened this month...just prepared for the holidays coming up, enjoyed extra time spent with family and prepared to finish up the semester.

December:

• December was a fantastic month! 
• School ended...praise the heavens. And it was time for some fun!
• Welcomed new baby Reid Shane Moffitt to the family!!
• Got to go spent a whole week with Dartay and babies. Loved it. Got a litttttle bit baby hungry. Stopped being baby hungry once It was my turn to wake up with them. Cried when I left. Sweetest little boys ever. 
• Spent a weekend up in Pine Valley at a Cabin with Ryan and family. 
• Ryan and I made a trip to Vegas for some Christmas shopping. 
• Finally got to go see the Nativity at Tuacahn... an annual tradition. 
• For the first time in THREE years I had both Christmas Eve and Christmas day off! 
• Spent Christmas eve in the most perfect of ways, as well as Christmas day. Ryan and I bounced between both families activities on Christmas day, and Ryan surprised my mom by playing and singing one of her favorite songs of all time. 
• Briefly got together with some of my Dance girls from high school for a bit! So good to see them. Then in the same night, got together with Ryan and a bunch of his high school friends.... including married ex-girlfriends... that was......fun ;)
• Realized how much I miss living with my parents and decided to make plans to move back in. 
• Ryan's best friend Alec got married! Ryan was the best man...in suspenders. Totes Adorbs... ;) Such fun to be part of their big day. 
• December 31st, headed back up to the Cabin with Ryan and his family. Despite me being miserable with a killer head cold...spent the most perfect new years with that boy whom I adore. 
• Finally got my first ever New Years kiss.

I couldn't have asked for a better year. I am seriously so humbled as I reflect back on how blessed I have been. It's funny how much can change in a year, how much YOU can change in a year. At the beginning of the year, I would have never thought I'd be where I am right now--but I'm so glad I am here. 2013 is already a month in, and so far it's had it's up's and of course some downs.... but as I look toward the future just a bit... I literally can't contain my excitement for what is to come.