Montana!

It's been a long time since I've posted and this new format is tripping me out. I have lived in Montana for almost two months and it's been two of the hardest months ever. I could go into the 9,849 reasons why,but what's really important is what I've learned. I have to constantly remind myself that the Lord needs me here. I find that when I look for opportunities to serve his children that it really helps me keep closer to Him. Because I don't have friends here yet I've really had to depend on my relationship with Him and it has been a beautiful thing. Do you watch American Idol? I don't but I heard this song from the winner as my roommate was watching it.

I feel like if the Lord was going to write me a song right now about Montana, it would be this one. Its definitely on repeat all the time in my life. I'm gonna make friends, I'm gonna love it here, and I will meet people that need me in their life and vice versa. 

Grown Up Stuff

Now that I've accepted the job and the start date is set (April 4th,) I'M FREAKING OUT.

Cody is getting keys to his house this week.

Justin is getting married next week.

The week after that I get health insurance and a retirement plan.

And I'm freaking out.

When did we get to all this grown up stuff?

5 years ago my biggest priority was how late I could stay awake and if I could wake up for class.

I'm moving to a town I've never been to. I need to buy a bed and find a bank.

And I'm freaking out.

But then I remember when I was here:

This is Alex Jones, I'm obsessed with her, and she is where I was three years ago.

I've moved to a town where I didn't know anyone before, I found a bed, and I got a bank account. I figured out what I want to do with my life and in two weeks I get to start doing just that.

He brought me this far, He can get me to my grown up job.

I know that no matter what, the Lord will be with me.

But just in case you're still scared and confused about being a grown up, here's a really good article:

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/whole-life/features/25956-11-things-to-know-at-25ish

I GOT A JOB!!

It's official!! They offered and I have accepted the position as the Events Coordinator for the Office of the President at the University of Montana!

I start two weeks from tomorrow and am beyond excited.

Adventure? I think so!

This morning before I accepted I went for a really good bike ride through the fields and thought back about how I got here and how much I love SUU for getting me here.

Did I mention University of Montana is in the Big Sky Conference? SUU Football travels to Missoula on October 13th and I'm already counting down the days.

I have never been to Montana and know one person in the whole state, he conveniently lives in Missoula, where the university is, so it will be nice to at least have one friend going into this. So if you know anyone in Missoula or know any fun facts about Montana, I'm all ears!

Thunderbird Nation

It's going to come as no surprise to anyone that I love Southern Utah University. What amazes is me is how my love continues to grow. It truly is a nation, a family. This week the former Associate Dean of Students just happened to be in El Centro, which all in and of itself is a miracle, and we went to dinner. Now we didn't ever work together, we were really just mere acquaintances, but she made the effort to contact me. We could have stayed up all night talking about how amazing SUU is. In retrospect I often ponder if my experience at SUU was an anomaly, but talking to this women who had attended and worked at so many universities, I knew, SUU was just that marvelous.

Then, two days later I found out that the parents of a good friend growing up, people I respect and love very much, are SUU Alums!! We talked about The Utah Shakespeare Festival and Manzanita and Juniper. That same night two current Tbirds were down for Spring Break and we talked and laughed for hours. We talked about ways for them to get involved, and what will make their time there the best for them.

On top of all those reminders, I have a second interview tomorrow for a job I really, REALLY want, and I have had so much support from former employers at mentors at SUU. I am gone and they are still so invested in me, they want to see me succeed and they are doing everything so that that happens.

I love me some Thunderbird Nation.

Bragging

How cute is my nephew?

On a side note, since moving home my I've been trying really hard to teach my brother how to clean. Today he came in to ask me where something goes. I told him and then asked why. "I'm cleaning the living room and figured I should put things where they go." He decided to clean the living room all by himself. This is the boy who's idea of cleaning 6 months ago was shoving toys under the couch. I almost started crying.

I Like Goals

I'm that person that puts things I've already done on my to do list just so I can check them off. I love the feeling of being productive at the end of the day. I like making goals, just so I know I can accomplish something. In a life so expansive and crazy as ours, it's comforting to know you can accomplish things.

My life post Cedar has been full of mundane goals just for the sake of having something to check off: do dishes, write so-and-so a letter, apply for X amount of jobs today, etc. It's all I can do to keep myself from going crazy in this transitional phase of my life. My to do lists use to look like this:call so-and-so agent, schedule venue, finish paper, meeting, class, next meeting, and that was just before noon. At the end of the day I was exhausted but I felt like I'd made a difference.

I haven't felt like that in a long time--until today. Today I went and helped out with my high school's Mock Trial team. I was in Mock Trial all four years of high school and absolutely loved it. I worked with the kids on smoothing out their speeches; diction, pacing, parallel structure, and keeping a unified voice through out their arguments. I could really tell they were not only understanding it but also understanding why these skills made them stronger public speakers. No matter what they choose to do with the rest of their lives, these are valuable skills.

Tonight as I'm crawling into bed I feel like I made a difference and I forgot how rewarding it is. I realize I'm making a difference down here, and I know my family appreciates how much I help out, but I don't think I put as much importance on it as I should. So my new goal? Before I go to bed every night, really take the time to ponder the differences I've made that day. I think that not only will I feel more fulfilled but that I'll challenge myself to do more. I just love goals.

P.S. I realize in my earlier post I sounded like I would be blogging all my tender mercies, which was my original plan. They're becoming a lot more personal than I expected, so from time to time I'll put some up here, but for now they're going in the journal.

It's Halftime America

I love football. Like A LOT. Most people with my love of football loved yesterday, they were all about the Superbowl, but for me, it was all about the ads. I can't stand either team that was playing so I just recorded it on my parents DVR and fast forwarded through the game to the commercials. Call it the Comm Major in me but I've always had a sincere respect for good advertising. Most of the time they're funny, sometimes moving, but life changing? Not really. This one however, came really close. My eyes may have misted a little.