turning pages, faking glances, longing gazes, taking changes

2012 was a pretty swell year, if i do say so myself.  let's step back in time and take a gander at some of the adventure that were had:

spent the first 4th of the year as a full-time sister missionary!  

returned home on april 19, a great birthday "surprise" for my dear mother

spent the summer with family, catching up with old friends, making new friends, and attending weddings.  i swear, everyone got married this summer.  

worked as a personal assistant for aimee mcconkie all summer and enjoyed a successful venture outdoors festival: my 6th one!  just can't get enough!! 

our friend, millie millcreek - i was the voice of millie all summer on her blog!

took my family back to the mission for a wonderful week and a half in alberta, canada!  we packed in visiting with people i love, the 100th anniversary of the infamous calgary stampede, banff hikes and canoeing adventures, visiting all the best restaurants, then a few days up in edmonton visiting parker's mission.  we hit up the west edmonton mall, the beautiful canola fields, leduc oil reserve, and the street performers convention.  it was a LOT of driving but totally worth it!  my heart is still in calgary! i never wanted to leave.  

the highlight of the trip for me was visiting some of the people i love the most (not all pictured...)

the palmers

ishani, shenuk, and mickila

the ingoldsby family

of course, bill! 

the hartzlers 

between sterling visiting utah, the mission reunion in october, president archibald's homecoming, and sister riley and hill's weddings, i had plenty of opportunities to see my mission loves, not to mention the dates and "flings" with a few of the elders from the mission.  (totally not ashamed...) 

 tony and erin's wedding: san diego

president archibald's homecoming: st. george

mini reunion when sterling came to town: orem 

ran into president archibald after a work convention: park city

date to bees game with keith, krys, and allie: salt lake

mission reunion around conference: provo

nyssa's wedding: st. george 

speaking of dating, here's the 2 significants since being home!  

(it's been a year of learning for sara! ha ha....)  

the famous keaton gelwix

and our dear thomas call 

[looking at these pictures i just realized they kinda look alike, don't they.  interesting]

sent my two best friends on missions this summer.  i miss allie and jen dearly, but of course wouldn't have them anywhere else.  with the mission age changing now, even more sisters are going out, and i love that!  i may be biased, but i think ALL sisters should go.  best decision i ever made, anyway.  

allie is in washington dc north mission spanish speaking, jen in costa rica san jose mission. LOVE getting these girls' letters :) 

fall came too quickly and i moved back to logan for my final logan semester at utah state university.  scored a sweet apartment on darwin avenue with the best roommates i could've asked for.  by far my favorite place to live and favorite semester of college i've had yet!  

happy canadian thanksgiving! 

happy halloween! 

audrey, me, shannen, and jenele.  imma miss these girls!! 

between jam sessions, dance parties, dates, movie nights, sport events, frosty runs, betos at midnight, campus events and concerts, we packed in all the fun college students should and slept way too little. huzzah for aggieville!  

2012 brought the baptism of a dear friend yerin lee, the passing of our sweet grandpa ence and cousin brian condie, and most excitedly: the arrival of little ruby marie ence!  i'm an aunt! 

the girls at the big gnome benefit concert for brian

the little angel

a large part of my semester was my practicum experience at adams elementary in mrs. scheele's fifth grade class.  came to love those little munchkins, though i realized i am much more suited for the younger grades.  or maybe i just love their innocence more than 5th grade independence.  ha ha.  either way, can't wait to student teach in first grade :)  mrs. scheele was an amazing cooperating teacher and helped me grow a ton professionally.  i will always be grateful to her and the amazing experience she helped me to have in her classroom!  

--

spent the whole year as a ward missionary.  got called this summer in the ysa ward, then again in logan, then again when i returned home this december.  favorite calling EVER.  never want a release.  grateful i've had the opportunity to work with and for so many great people: ferny and yerin, especially!  

ferny and me at general conference (my first time attending in the conference center!) 

between cabin adventures, holiday celebrations, temple dedications, utah games, and concerts, it's been a wonderful year spending time with those that matter most to me, my family!  

brigham city temple dedication

the piano guys concert

 baby shower for laci

happy batman birthday, parker 

whobilation!

ruby's blessing

it's been a rough couple of months health-wise, but i'm hopeful (very hopeful) that they'll figure out what's going on with me soon :P but even with a few setbacks, i've been SO blessed this year. the tender mercies of the Lord are over me every single day.  since coming home from the mission, my goal has been to find God in all things, and that's been so easy because He is in everything.  

2012 has been one of the happiest years of my life so far.  they just keep getting better and better.  which is why i am excited for and hopeful about 2013.  some great things are to come, i just know it.  of course, there's always good things to come for those that put their trust in the Lord.  

here's to a happy 2013!

how can we make it when you're walking away?

i'm kind of in love with christmas.  i feel like i'm rediscovering it this year, and i love that.

ugly sweater partay tonight for ysa.  i borrowed one, which i'm sure hadn't seen daylight since 20 years ago at least... it smelled like moth balls, and i don't even know what those smell like.

whobilation was a success.  love that family tradition.

i hate facebook.  and some of the things people say on there.

i didn't take my chocolate countdown to christmas calendar to logan, so now i get to eat at least 2 a day.  mm.

i discovered some jon mclaughlin songs i haven't ever heard before.  this is better than early christmas!!  my husband WILL play piano.  and sing.  i'm charmed.  

finally finished unpacking and reorganizing everything in my room.  that was a chore and a half, let me tell you.  the room's got a new look though, and i did some serious dejunking!

in love with little ruby marie.  she was so attentive and happy last night :)

the more i learn about this connecticut shooting, the more my heart hurts.  i've cried more in the past few days than i'd like to admit.

met my new first grade class today. they are DARLING.  i can't wait for january!!

that being said, i actually CAN wait for january.  this christmas break is definitely needed.  definitely needed.  it's great to wake up and have absolutely nothing to do.  bliss!

i needed to read this today when i came across it: "just because you miss someone doesn't mean you need them back in your life.  missing is just a part of moving on."

gonna miss this place and everything that went with it:

p.s.

p.s. i FREAKING need to sell my contract.  aaaaah.

let it be told, let it be written.

sad to be ending my fifth grade practicum experience at adams elementary.  i've grown quite attached to these little ones!  the other day we were practicing for the christmas program, which is tomorrow.  at the end of "we wish you a merry christmas", all the kidlets are supposed to shout "happy holidays!"  and nothing more.  during song practice, this one kid couldn't get that into his head.  after happy holidays the first time he said, "and a happy new year!"  the teacher was upset and made them practice the whole song again, with the "happy holidays" at the end.  again, at the end, he said, "happy holidays... from adams elementary!"  the teacher wanted to be furious, but just chuckled it off.  he's pretty cute anyway.

later that day i was helping the same kid with math.  he's struggling with place value for decimals.  we've been trying for weeks to get it through his head, and just can't seem to help it stick.  as i sat at the table with him, suddenly it hit me: football.  in my limited football knowledge, i related all the place values to positions in football.  we talked about how the quarterback will always be the quarter back, and he will always stand behind the center to get the snap when the ball is in play.  We talked about how the ones place will always be on the left side of the decimal.  how the number in the ones place is just like the quarterback.  about five minutes later we were again looking at a number problem.  i pointed to the number 7, in the ones place and asked, what place is this in.  he shouted "quarterback!"  ha ha... close... at least he's starting to catch on ;)  kids are funny.  i'm going to miss the funny stories from this class, but know i'll get many more in the classes to come!  (1st and 6th here i come...)

today i walked into the living room and audrey was playing guitar, like usual.  she was playing a song she plays often.  a song that i love.  a song called "another lonely day" by ben harper.  today i laid on the couch and listened to the words, and was surprised to see how relevant it feels for today. "yes indeed, i'm alone again, and here comes emptiness crashin' in.  it's either love or hate, i can't find in between... it wouldn't have worked out anyway.  so now it's just another lonely day."  life.  brings you ups and downs.  sometimes we don't understand why things happen the way they do, but i absolutely know God is always always always in charge and never leaves us hanging.  thank goodness for that!

closing up my final chapter here at utah state.  it's a sobering and sullen occasion.  i keep thinking in terms of lasts.  "this is my last tuesday here... this is my last basketball game here... this is my last aggie ice cream run here..."  logan has been good to me. very, very good to me.  so i'm sad to see it go.  they say when one door closes another always opens, and i believe that... but for the first time in my life, i don't have a next step.  i don't konw what the next door will be.  sure, student teaching in the spring and graduation in may, but after that?  beats me.  my life is an open book, just waiting to be filled.  so, let it be written.  mmhmm.