Steinbeck

Montanan’s think Montana is a pretty big deal. The funny thing is, not many people outside of Montana care, and none of the Montanans know that. When I first moved here it really bothered me, now it’s just kind of tender. John Steinbeck once said “I’m in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection. But with Montana it is love.”

I don’t know if I would ever go as far as Steinbeck but over the last six months I have learned to respect and admire Montana. Who wants Steinbeck as there spokesperson anyways? I’m sure if I were the kind of person who enjoyed strapping on a backpack and wandering through the wilderness for a week that I might find that love.

It really is beautiful.

And I’ve met a few good friends that I’ll miss.

That’s right, miss. Did you catch that?

I’ll miss them because today is my last day at The University of Montana and tomorrow I move to Arizona. I realize I haven’t blogged that much or really at all since moving to Montana but that’s what happens when you don’t have internet at home.  It was a really hard transition when I moved here, harder than I could have ever imagined. Picking up and moving to a town where you know no one for school is completely different then picking up and moving to a town where you know no one for a job, and I didn't know that before Montana. I did find a groove here, and while it wasn’t the groove I imagined, I figured I would be here for a few years.

Then Mindy Benson, life mentor extraordinaire, sent me a posting for job at Northern Arizona University. Not just any job. THE job. The job I imagined this one to be. The job I wanted. The job I couldn’t not apply for. The events are more my style, the pay is better, and it’s significantly closer to my family. I didn’t plan on missing my family as much as I do. Living at home for the six months before this reminded me how great they really are.

So when NAU offered the job, I couldn’t say no. It was hard telling my supervisor here because she’s kind of amazing but as soon as I got over that hurdle I knew it was the right choice.

Monday morning I start as an Events Coordinator for NAU Alumni Relations. Did I mention I start on their homecoming week?

So here I go again: new town, new co-workers, new ward, new roommates. Let us pray that I don’t have to do this again for a long, long time. 

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.