The Right Time and Place.

My mother swore that when she and my dad decided to have children she would 1. never move to Utah, 2. never drive a minivan. A little green minivan now sits in our driveway at almost 13 years old and was the first vehicle my parents were able to afford in order to drive and settle in Utah. Isn't it  funny how a little persuasion can change a whole lot of "no way!" into "sure, ok!"?

My family and I were living in Payson, Arizona with my Grandmother who was very sick. A little while after my grandma had passed, my dad received a phone call from a friend that lived in Utah who was looking for a trustworthy associate to help him in his business. Even though it was a tender time for us, eventually we packed up our few bags of clothes into the cutest little green minivan you ever did see, and shipped ourselves to Utah.

 When my dad's buddy called, it seemed like the perfect time for our little family to have a fresh start. His friend truly cared for the needs of our family and promised to help us get started if we decided to move. We knew that even though my mother would have to sacrifice her "let's not live in Utah" dream, God was very aware of our Kairos, and put the right person in our path to persuade us all to move to Utah.

                   *****Pretty good depiction of my reaction of my first Utah winter*****

I've found that with my family it doesn't take eloquence or grand gestures to convince us to do something; Rather we trust in the people who we love and have had our backs throughout our lives. Here we've been able to have the some of the greatest opportunities in work, school and the arts; And it's all because of that one simple phone call. We knew moving to Utah was the right thing to do, and sure enough it has been the biggest blessing in our families lives ever since.

Hike, Ski, Breathe, Repeat

Last winter my brother came to visit me in Provo, and being in Utah he of course wanted to go snowboarding. I love to ski, so I went with him and a group of his daredevil friends. I was the only girl, and had never been to Canyons Resort before, so I didn't realize how far up the mountain we were going until it was too late. We took three ski lifts to the very top, and by the time they started taking off their boards (and I my skis) to hike up past the "you can die" signs, I realized I was going to immediately regret this. It was my fault for going with a bunch of crazy boys, but up we hiked.

After a ten minute hike up snow-shaped stairs, I was completely out of breath. Hauling your skis up a snowy hill while wearing ski boots is not fun. The view, however, was breathtaking. I had never felt so removed from the chaos of school and life. My brother and his friends hiked another 20 minutes across the ridge, but I went down my own way through a powdery face. It was challenging, and the boys still beat me back to the lift, but there was something very empowering about getting down a mountain alone. What made it so powerful was the silence that enveloped me. All around me was white. White powder below, white powder above, white walls to my left and right. I tumbled and fell and even lost my pole a time or two, but I made it down. The only thing I could hear was my own breath. While it was frustrating to be alone and feeling like a failure for not getting down more quickly, it opened my eyes to the incredible power of nature.

In the day to day rush of school and to-do lists and commitments, it's easy to forget about the mountains and lakes and rivers that surround us. I learned that as we stumble through our many challenges, it's okay to stop and breathe. We'll all make it down the mountain eventually.