It Didn't Go As Planned, and That's OK.

I have always been fascinated by the stars and the cosmos. When I was young, they taught us the 9 planets within our solar system (RIP Pluto), and for a VERY long time, I would thank God every single time I prayed for the planets, by name, in order. It might be one of the things I am most famous for among my immediate family. Catherine came to Houston this weekend and we went to the Johnson Space Center where we saw the Space Shuttle and dozens of other artifacts that have actually been in space. It was so cool! One of my favorite parts was a timeline they had set up of every single launch and what significant improvements came as a result. They had a quote hanging on the wall, “Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.” Interesting implications for my own life and the way I see those around me.

I also attended a pool party over the weekend. It was slightly different from the pool parties we had in Utah, where it was debatable whether or not it was going to be hot enough to actually get in the water, and if we did get in the water, we would get out and immediately start shivering until we had dried off. In Texas it turns out, you have to keep dunking yourself in the pool to not get heat exhaustion, especially if you’re the unfortunate soul at the grill. This is yet more evidence in support of my theory that Texas is inhumanely hot and humid in the summer. I don’t have a ton of empirical evidence, but I believe the “show and tell” portion is sufficient.

So . . . I turn 30 this week. I’ve honestly been preparing myself for this birthday since I turned 27 and felt like I had officially hit my “late-20’s.” One of my co-workers was trying to convince me to join the gym she goes to because “they give really great discounts to people under 30.” In preparation, I’ve managed to complete a few last minute 30 Before 30 goals (a different post on those coming later this week). This birthday just feels big for so many reasons. One of them . . . well, because I’m turning 30. And I suppose any decade birthday feels significant. It's also partly because I was 15 when mom passed away, so sometime between my birthday and April 16 of next year, mom will have been gone for half of my life. And mostly because this is not at all how I envisioned my life at 30.

Let me be completely clear: I LOVE my life. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities and blessings I have, and I recognize fully that they have come in abundance. I know that most of them have come undeserved. I also know that its human nature to feel dissatisfied and to be looking for the next thing to come, no matter what state our lives are in. Things just haven’t happened the way that I always planned they would.

As I've reflected back on my last 30 years, the overwhelming impression I've had is this: thank GOODNESS my life hasn’t gone according to my plans! I would have made a royal mess of things if they had gone my way. Granted, there are days that I wish it would have, but I have been overwhelmed and amazed at what life has given me instead. So, as cheesy as this is, in honor of my first 30 years on earth, here are 30 things that I’m grateful for today.

Anyone reading this. Yoga pants. Ice machines. Musical theater. Headphones. Mountains. Stars. Diet Coke. Hiking shoes. GPS. Books. Curiosity. Music. Macaroni and cheese. Indoor plumbing. Cell phones. Air conditioning. Pianos. Excedrin. Crock pots. Education. 10-keys. Excel. Fingernail polish. 401K’s. Inspiration. Cameras. My friends. My family. The gospel of Jesus Christ. Here's to my next 30 years!!

Adventures of An Intern - Weeks 1-3

I thought was nervous packing up my car and driving to Arizona, but I confess it was nothing CLOSE to the anxiety I felt about coming to Texas. I very carefully planned to arrive in Houston the day before work started, because I couldn't handle the thought of hanging around staring at the walls. Going through huge changes in my life essentially makes me question every decision I've ever made, and long for normalcy. Luckily, my first weekend of work was also our family reunion in Nauvoo.

Keep in mind that any kind of intense emotion, good or bad, makes me cry. I've been looking forward to this family reunion since we started planning it a year and a half ago, and especially with all the changes lately, I couldn't wait to be with my favorite people. In spite of a very rough start, including a canceled flight (and the guy in front of me was missing his own wedding because of it so . . . I really didn't have a good story), flying into a completely different city and paying $800 for a rental car, it was a perfect weekend. I've included a bunch of my favorite pictures, but it's a safe bet that at any given time during the weekend, I was crying. These people that make up my family . . . I could never say enough good about them.

I cried embarrassingly as I drove away to another week of work. I'm really enjoying my project so far - it's the perfect combination of analytics and process improvement, although it's still taking some time to get my feet underneath me. My team is fantastic and really kind. It's been an interesting experience working in a company as big as Chevron, and with an intern program that's really well defined. Lots of fun lunch and learns and great networking.

Catherine got my name for Christmas, so a week ago I got my gift - a weekend in San Antonio!! It was absolutely amazing. She had written out an itinerary for every day, with a few options on how we could change things. We ate amazing food (including one meal VERY high up in the air), walked through beautiful areas of the city and parks, and even knocked another item off my 30 Before 30 list. It was so much fun to spend the weekend with Catherine - she is such an incredible woman, and such a great example to me.

Overall, my first few weeks here have been very challenging, both emotionally and intellectually. This internship is going to be very challenging, but I'm grateful for another growth opportunity to learn and be a big girl. :) More to come on future adventures!