I remember turning twenty. I was at an extended family reunion at Martin's Cove. I remember my family managed to get cake an ice cream to the middle of nowhere, and they did a good job of making me feel special in my pioneer bonnet and skirt. I also remember going to my tent the night of my birthday and just thinking, "I can't believe I'm 20 and I still haven't figured out so much of my life. I thought by now I would have had a better idea of who I am and what I can do."
It was a sobering, almost sad evening, but a very powerful one for me. I wanted to become the person I thought I would have been by 20, and I left that vacation feeling very motivated. I tried to be very proactive over the next decade, and live life "on purpose". I think that it worked, with the help of a loving Heavenly Father who helped me to accomplish many of my goals. Here are some things I did while in my twenties:
1. I determined that I would study Elementary Music Education
2. I decided to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I served for 18 months in South Africa, which was a huge life-altering experience for me.
3. I met and married Chase. The biggest blessing and best decision I'd ever made.
4. I graduated from BYU with my degree.
5. I taught for a year as an Elementary Music Specialist in a school in American Fork. Such a challenging, wonderful, growing year that was, too.
6. I had my first three children: Mckay, Logan, and Claire. They have shaped and molded me incredibly well, and I love them beyond what I can ever hope to express.
7. I taught piano and raised our kids while Chase finished his undergraduate and graduate degrees in business. The pursuit of his education took us from Provo to Orem to Salt Lake, to Plymouth, Minnesota. In the six years (almost) that we've been married we've lived in 6 places, served in 3 wards, and met many wonderful people from whom I've learned so much!
Interspersed with these major milestones, there have been many highs, several lows, and a lot of day-to-day life. Now that I'm 30, and have left this decade, I can't help but see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's hand in every major decision and event. I know that the good I did was only through His help, and the trials I faced were only overcome with His assistance. The many mistakes I made were erased as I tried to change and repent.
So I am entering my thirties with a sense of gratitude and peace, knowing that by the end of this decade I will have a new list of milestones, events, accomplishments, victories, and tragedies. My 4 gray hairs that I have right now will probably be closer to 40 grey hairs (if I'm lucky), but I'm optimistic that the memories I carry between those hairs will be worth even last one.
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