Nostalgic...

Every once in a while I get kinda nostalgic and start looking back on past years of my life and how so many good things happened...

I'm in one of those moods right now. A friend of mine, Matt, posted a picture of two of my past roommates from 2012-2013. The four of us (Melissa, Katelyn, Laryssa, and I) all were able to go through the temple within a month and a half of each other... that goes from the first girl to the last girl. I was the only one not going on a mission though. We are all serving the Lord, but they have the name tags and are scattered around the globe.

I have loved all of my roommates, but there is something about the three of them that was special to me. I had gotten the last apartment available at the Villa for girls that year and knew that I would not know any of my roommates. I was the first one to move in. I was alone the whole first two days, until late that night of the second day at about 10:30pm. I was skyping Chad when there was a knock on the door. I went and got the door and it was my friend Laryssa! We said hi and she looked surprised. I asked if she lived in the ward. Her response was perfect when she said, "I am in this apartment!" I was so happy!!! She knew the other two girls from her last ward and one of them (Katelyn) had been her roommate since their freshman year. Their mom's had been great friends in college. She was in town and unfortunately didn't have the code to move in because the office was closed to check in for the day. I am sure glad I was there to keep the door open for her so she could start moving her stuff in that night. She told me that night about the other girl, Melissa. Melissa would become my roommate once she got back from France, where she was doing a study abroad and an internship.

Of course there were issues every now and then, but so does a close and loving family. However, we all had a blast with each other and I have never been so happy. There are so many wonderful memories from that year. They were my roommates when Chad was in New York all the way until just weeks before my wedding. They really liked Chad and that meant a lot to me. They were there for me to cry on when I was depressed about being back in Utah after my trip to see Chad and meet his parents. They went gaga over wedding ideas with me. We had fun cooking together. All of the good by far outweighs the bad or hard or frustrating.

If I had not gotten married and they had not gone on missions, we would have lived together again. I'm sure of it. We would have stayed there in that ward most likely too.

Laryssa gets home from her mission first. She left June 5 or 6 last year (2013). Katelyn left a week later on the 12th or so. Melissa didn't leave until mid July. I love these girls and think of them often. I cannot wait to see them again! I hope the best for them. I need to write them... Really bad. I think I will do that today at some point.

There are so many things and people to be nostalgic about, but these girls, that year... they remind me of how wonderful life can truly be. It was a really hard year for me, but pushing the crazy anxiety aside, I was incredibly happy with many other things. School was the downer of the year. The people in my life and the wonderful experiences I had with them made it one of the most memorable times.