here goes!

so I labeled this 'new beginnings' because it is a new beginning for me. It's the beginning of a blog and the beginning of another year (academic year, yeah training starts in less than a month!). I can't believe how quickly time flies. Two years ago, I was moving across the country to start a new job, and here I find myself, going into my third year as a hall director (and still enjoying it)! I never, in my craziest dreams would have thought I would have ended up in small town Texas, never. But God has quiet the sense of humor! I can't believe it was two years ago I was moving in, and now I look back and realized I've learned so much from this experience. I thought I had done a lot of growing prior to this change, boy was I wrong! :) I look back on myself and who I was two years ago, and I'm different. Yes, I'm the same person with the same strong will, stubbornness, perfectionist, determination, and spirit, but I've grown, and I've changed. My character has been tested, my patience tried, my heart broken, my body bruised, my thoughts challenged, and my strength stretched. Yet I am stronger, smarter (hopefully), more content, more joyful, and more determined to be and make the most of this life that God has given me. And not all of these last two years have been difficult, I've had tremendous times of joy, laughter, hysteria, and memories that will travel with me wherever I may go. God has been faithful in bringing me through the difficult times and I know and trust he will be with me as I continue through this next year and the many years to come!

so, speaking of laughter and memories, I just returned back home from a trip to Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming. I flew into Colorado, met up with my old roommate and a couple other friends and drove to see Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, and the Grand Tetons. Two less states to visit. Oh, I've decided I would like to see all 50 states (I had yet to visit South Dakota and Wyoming). Below are a few pictures from the trip! It was a wonderful trip full of so many laughs, such beauty, and Gods handy work! :)

This picture is the group of us girls who traveled from Colorado to Wyoming together. Two of them (Kristel (to my rt) and Jenny (below me)) actually started out in California, Britney (left) and I met up with them in CO. Ps, I just love this picture of us 1. we are so cute, and 2. it was just us goofing around with the camera. :) Here is part of Mt Rushmore, it's suppose to be this grandiose thing, and it is (but look, I could squish his little head!) :)Look at us! You think they'll carve a mountain with our faces on it next? Ha! For Britney, Jenny, Shannon, and Kristel, you think?

so this may look random, and, it is! Remember those laughs and memories?! We drove through a city called Chugwater, and we just had to pull over and take a picture of us...chugging water! :) We also came across a sign that said Crazy Woman Creek, we regrettably, don't have a picture from that place. :(

Here is the picture of us at Old Faithful, which really is both, old, and faithful. They (someone, somewhere) predicted that she would go off at 12:21 and sure enough, 12:22 came and she was off! Just a really cute picture of us :)

So after seeing Mt Rushmore and Yellowstone we headed to the Grand Tetons. This was probably my favorite stop on the trip! This Mt range in incredible! I wish I lived closer b/c I would visit frequently. This picture if from our hike. We stopped at Jenny Lake and took a boat from one side of the lake to the other. They let us off near the bottom of a trail to 'hidden falls'. It's a short hike but a magnificent view of the falls (the picture to the left is not the magnificent view, just me very happy that we got to do more hiking!)

And lastly, here is a picture of the Grand Tetons themselves! Aren't they incredible, and what a beautiful day we had!

Other things we saw included: Bears (both Brown and Grizzly), Deer, Elk, a man playing in a band with two female manikins (it's a long story), Bison (walking in the middle of the two lane road), and so many other fun and 'interesting' things. Well, I hope you our adventure, we sure did! :)

ps I have had a difficult time with picture alignment and such. I ended up deleting them b/c they were left justified and having to start over, rearrange again and again. If anyone knows what I did wrong, or how to help, please let me know for future postings, thanks!