January: I finally gave up on the blonde hair, and went back to dark. The hardest semester in school started, and I thought I would never make it through. One of my best friends, Mariah Whitten VanOrden, got married and I got to go see her. It had been years since I'd seen her, and it was so exciting! Seeing her with her husband gave me a refreshed hope that someday I will be able to find a guy and be as happy as they are. I also went with my family indoor skydiving, indoor "surfing", and indoor rock climbing all in the same day. That was such a blast!
February & March: These months were busy as ever, and I spent most of my time studying for my anatomy class. I can't believe how much work that class was, and with my 19 credits, I barely had time for anything besides school and work. For the Honors Program at UVU, we had a Zombie Prom that was great. We all dressed up as zombies, and it was a huge dance party. Before the blink of an eye, these two months passes.
April: One of the most difficult and best months. The end of school was nearing, so finals were majorly stressful! But, after I was done, I was able to graduate from UVU with my Associate's Degree. The best part of this month was when my hip hop class did an outside performance one night. My hip hop and jazz class were the only classes that had kept me sane during the semester, and it was so exciting to be able to perform hip hop again in front of an audience!
May: This month I had my last competition with Maximum Dance, and it was great! I still remember those dances that we learned last year, because I had so much fun performing them every time. I ran the Color Me Rad Race, which was a fun and messy race. :) I spent most of May preparing to leave for Peru. I had to get shots, pack, and be ready!
June & July: I left for Piura, Peru, and my life was changed. I had the experience of a lifetime, and I met people that are still apart of my life. I love the people and the culture there. It went by so fast, it almost seems like it never happened. Towards the middle of July I had the opportunity to go to Machu Picchu, which was such an experience! One of the best parts of the trip was when I got to go inside the Lima, Peru temple and do baptisms for the dead. That was one of the best and most spiritual experiences that I have had in my life! I learned so much about myself while serving the people of Peru.
August: I got home from Peru, and I made a very hard decision this month. I decided to transfer to Utah State University. The University had a Pre-Physical Therapy major, which was perfect for me. There were so many pros and cons to transferring. I had an amazing job at the South Jordan Recreation Center that I would have to give up, and USU does not have a dance program. But, I also felt like I needed to have a college experience where I was farther away from home so that I wasn't tempted to go home a lot. I think that being away from your family is a very important part of growing up. You have to learn independence and for me the best way to do this was to be in Logan. It was just far enough away, but just close enough at the same time. So, I moved my stuff up to Logan (with the help of my parents and best friend, Cierra Bell).
September: My classes at USU began, and I joined Kappa Delta Sorority. Just as I had at UVU, I had to learn all the building names and get used to a new school. But, I was okay with that, because I love change. I went to a lot of football games, and I got involved in the strong school spirit that is here. USU has a great college experience, and I have loved it! Besides the fact that there aren't enough dance classes, this is an amazing school!
October: I found out Laura Gunnell was my Big (my mentor) was in Kappa Delta, and I was so excited! I got to help volunteer in a PT clinic for a day, and it was fun to see how great being a PT would be. My great friend Alexis Parker and I drove down to SLC to watch a men's USU soccer game, and I had such a blast talking with her and watching soccer. I volunteered at USU's HOWL and the Delta Sig's Haunted House this year with some of my friends, and that was a lot of fun too.
November: I went with a group of people and my friend, Debbie Stauffer, to Las Vegas, and we ran the Ragnar Race. This was such a blast, and I want to run Ragnar again! I just need to find people that want to run this year with me. Kappa Delta had a Dad's Day, where my dad got to come to USU and I showed him around. We were supposed to go to a USU Basketball game as well, but I had a ballroom performance that night. And, being the wonderful father that my dad is, he said he would rather watch me dance, so we went to my performance. For Thanksgiving, I went with my family to Las Vegas where I watched my brothers play tons of soccer games!
December: Studying, studying, studying, finals. And then the fun began! I went home for the break, and I got to hang out with my family and friends. I went bowling with a bunch of my friends and old co-workers. My roommates and I had a date night at the temple, and Jake, my date, was great! It was fun to see all the roomies too, because I hadn't seen them in a while. I made a huge fort with my brothers, and had a wonderful family Christmas. New Year's Eve, my friends and I made cheese and chocolate fondus, and it was super delicious!
WOW!! That was long, and I know there are still many things that I left out. Anyways, looking back on the year has been great. One of the most important parts of life is the people around you. I am so luck to have people in my life that care about me and that I care about. I have met so many people in 2012 that I can't picture my life without. 2013 is going to be even better, and I can't wait to see what the year brings!! :)
Thanks for the post Emily! It's fun to hear how you're doing!
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