a 5.10a, a hand-caught fish, and some chocolate ice cream

What a day. It's been pretty dramatic for more reasons than one, but I will say that it ended much better than it started, and the good began at about 3:30.

Jessie and I recently acquired (and by acquired I mean paid for) memberships at the rock climbing gym. Awesome. So today we met up and did some climbing! I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could still climb the levels of climbs that I did before my mission. Not that I was any good, but at least I didn't get worse! So today the level I climbed was a 5.10a and I also took down a 5.10b, which, I was satisfied by.

The fish! Brock and I were walking by the Provo River and saw a bunch of people fishing, and he made the comment, (or maybe like 20 comments) about how much he loved fishing and wanted to go. Next thing you know we are knee deep in the water, hunched over with our hands open, poised and ready to grab these fish with our bare hands. It was ridiculous, the water was disgusting, and it was incredibly fun. I think the best was us trying to be quiet and hold still so as not to scare the fish. I can only imagine how we must have looked. So, after some stratagem, I have my hands open and ready in the water, Brock scares a bunch of fish towards me, and I grab one! Haha I have never touched a fish before, so while I was really excited to have caught one, I wasn't prepared for how squirmy the fish would be, or how slimey. So I screamed, and threw it straight up in the air. I am not sure how much longer the little guy lived, considering it spawned, and I probably gave it some sort of heart attack, but even though it ended up back in the water, I still consider myself a success. I have caught a fish with my bare hands. You've got nothing on me, Smeagol. You either, Pochahontas.

And, because three fun things in a day are better than two, I thought I'd mention the chocolate ice cream I bought today and shared with my roommates. Except it was more than chocolate- it's a BYU flavor called Earnestly Chocolate- chocolate ice cream with swirls of marshmallow and carmel, and little chocolate carmel cups. Delicious.

Ooh and my Banana Republic cardigans came today. That was like Christmas on its own. 

I had to google myself to find this but...

I'm quoted in an article!

http://universe.byu.edu/index.php/2012/04/24/trend-324-barefoot-is-back/

So maybe we were seeing what google could offer us when it came to our crushes, when my roommates and I decided to google ourselves. That's where I found this little nugget- I sound like some sort of pro!

Week in Review

Here are a few highlights of the past 7 days. I have loved:

1. Rainy autumn days. The air is so crisp and clean and fresh- mmmmmm!

2. Running on rainy autumn days. What better way to experience cool air than to exercise in it?

3. Roommates and old roommates. I am never lacking when it comes to lunch dates!

4. Best friends who, even though their bedroom is right next to yours, still see the need for a mid-week sleepover.

5. A class where we talk about a little figurine magnet from Chiuhuahua, Mexico and how politically incorrect it is for a half hour.

6. 12 missionaries who either drive me insane or make me laugh every day. Usually both.

7. A fellow teacher that makes everything hilarious, and puts things into perspective.

8. An apartment of boys playing Risk on Sunday afternoon, even if they united to destroy me. At least I was a formidable force at one point.

9. A best guy friend, offering all sorts of good advice and insights on demand.

10. Indoor rock climbing while catching up on dating stories

11. Joico conditioner that starts every day with true happiness. How can you be in bad mood when your hair smells so good?

12. A best friend who comes to visit from Boston, and because she is married, only wants to hear about my life. What's up- being single = still having drama = Caitlan is center of attention

13. A scarf that adds instant class to any outfit. Thank you American Eagle.

14. A bestie that gives me advice on how to teach the Gospel more effectively as he cleans his hand gun and I cuddle with a giant stuffed dinosaur.

15. A friend letting me borrow his scriptures more than once in a day, but instead of just a regular hand off, turns it into some sort of detective work with clues and secret meeting places on campus.

What a week, and what a funny/fun life I have.

Simple Goodness

I loved this video. It was a good reminder let the past be past, for myself, and for others.

There is something so healing about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And yet, while it heals, it also inspires us to be better. We can let go of old scars and also look forward to a future of change and progression. It is so great!

 As I've taught at the MTC the past few weeks, my weaknesses have certainly come to the forefront. I feel like I just watch myself struggle as I try to teach these missionaries something I was never sure I had gotten right. However, I'm coming to understand the Gospel in new ways and also in ways that I knew, but needed to be reminded of. I also feel like I'm reminded fairly regularly that I have nothing on these missionaries- this is just as much, if not more, a learning process for me as well.

I guess the main point of this post is just to express gratitude. I'm grateful for our Savior, and for how His Atonement completes all that I lack (which, as time passes, seems to be a growing list). I'm grateful for the opportunities I have to learn and grow, and for a Heavenly Father that gives me those opportunities. Life is difficult, (and I haven't even experienced that much of it- woohoo 23!), but I feel like refinement is priceless.

Since When?

I'm not exactly sure how, or why, but somehow over the past year I keep finding myself in situations that really belong on a TV show. Except in this TV show of my life, my character keeps getting placed in situations that don't really correlate with the type of person she is.
I don't consider myself a diva. I like myself for sure, but I really think I'm pretty average. I'm nice enough, some people like me, some people don't... overall my place in a social situation is fairly unobtrusive.  So tell me why yesterday, more than once, I found myself in situations that screamed, "You, Miss Caitlan, are a jerk."
Per Exempio: A boy crossed my path as I was walking to my car, and stopped to say hello. I said hi back, and then asked where I knew him from (assuming he was wondering the same). He looked mildly surprised, but then politely responded that he had taken me on a date a little while back. The memory came back to me, and I really had no redeeming response.... I'm a chamipion!

It would be acceptable, nay- tolerable, if this hadn't happened more than once. I've felt like a tool multiple times in my life, but not recognizing someone I've gone out with is probably the worst. This and other similar events keep occurring-- where I don't remember people I have spent significant time with, I can barely tolerate a conversation with someone that I find annoying, or- I get chastised by an elderly employee of BYU for muttering, in less refined words, how cheated I feel by the bookstore (be it known that I still consider the bookstore and student housing the most prominent examples of monopoly and extortion in my life).

...Caitlan, the underqualified diva, at your service

Life Gets Better

I can't recall another time in my life where the reason I didn't do something was because I literally did not have time. Usually the reason is that I wasted time doing other things, and then when it came to it, I no longer had time. In the past few weeks, I haven't journaled, blogged, or even called people back because I literally could not. This was because of work.

I never intended to have more than one job at a time, and somehow wound up with 3 for a bit, and then for a few days actually had four. It was just the way it worked out, where I got less hours than expected from one job, then the same occurred with the second, and then when I went to apply for the third and tried to quit the first, my boss wouldn't let me! (What a treat- she pretended she couldn't hear me, even though I was standing right next to her. We ended up compromising at one shift a week) So, I was working these three jobs when the impression that now was the time to apply at the MTC came. I thought, "Ok, I've never felt a desire to work there, and I have enough jobs so..." But, a job at the MTC is fairly sought after and I know about 10 people who tried to get the job for every 1 that works there, so I figured I had nothing to lose.

Through no qualifying effort of my own, less than two weeks later I was offered the job. It was then that I allowed myself to be excited at the idea of working there. I teach at the MTC! Every day is a spiritual experience as I get to know these missionaries better and we learn about gospel. It is so neat! And it is fun- right now I have a group of 12 elders and they are so funny. I find random objects in my backpack every day after I leave (today it was a pair of scissors, yesterday I discovered a total of 8 plastic and metal spoons throughout) but we also have some of the most profound experiences. It is such a privilege to watch them grow and become better.

Anyway, I went from three crummy jobs to one fantastic one, almost overnight! In the same week, we also moved, and oh- what a blessing from above. I will post pictures, but we moved from a tiny 6 person apartment (3 bedrooms, 2 bath) to a glorious townhouse. Two floors, three bedrooms, a laundry room! Oh it is the best thing ever.

Between the new job and the new place, I have been a pretty happy camper. I'm looking forward to a good year. I hit my one year mark of being home from the mission this past Sunday, and all I can say is that it can only go up from here! And it's starting off right, I feel.

Funny