You know that quote “Day by day nothing changes but you look back and everything is different?” That’s sort of what writing this feels like. A lot has changed in the past few years, so here’s a brief synopsis of what that has entailed.
I moved to College Station, TX in 2012 and started my degree. I discovered my interest in osteology and learning about past peoples from the remains they leave behind. I continued to study this concept in my osteology, bioarchaeology, and dental anthropology classes. If you get me started on bones, I won’t stop — it is SO fascinating. I graduated with a BA in Anthropology in August of 2015.
I met my husband, Josh, in January of 2014 while we were both studying at Texas A&M, but we didn’t begin dating until September. From there, it was a whirlwind. We were engaged by the middle of October and got married at the end of December in Dallas, TX. It was super fast, but it just worked. I don’t really know how to describe it; we just clicked and knew that we wanted to get married, so why wait? Josh is from Amarillo, so we grew up near each other but never met until we were both at A&M. His parents still live there, so it gives me a good excuse to go visit West Texas every once in a while and feel the dusty wind on my face.
There’s all sorts of stigmas against getting married young, but I think it’s awesome. We’ve had so much fun in the first year and a half of our marriage. It hasn’t always been easy (like when my husband went to DC for a 3-month internship 6 months into our marriage and I was stuck in College Station), but it is definitely worth it. It really is an adventure and I love being on my adventure with Josh! And that internship gave us the opportunity to spend enough time in DC to fall in love with it.
Josh graduated with degrees in Economics and Spanish in December of 2015.
For the next 7 months, he struggled to find a job in his field. We probably filled out a hundred applications and he had lots of interviews but none of them stuck. None! So we talked about our options and prayed for guidance and in late July Josh decided that he wanted to go to medical school. It came as quite a shock to a lot of people, given his degrees, but he’s always had an interest in medicine and we really felt like it was right. Unfortunately, given his degrees, he had next to none of the pre-requisites required, so currently we are in the 1st of 5 semesters of pre-reqs for him (if anyone is a physics whiz, please let me know!), followed by medical school and residency. Oh, and he also works full time (he’s kind of amazing). Your prayers for us on this journey would be greatly appreciated!I am also collaborating on a book right now. Last year I was approached by my bishop, Tom Baca (a scientist and author), to help edit a book he was writing. The book is about suffering, why we suffer, and how to make the most of it. I ended up co-authoring the book with Tom and another amazing human being, Melodee. She is definitely the rock and foundation of the book. Working with them and with those whose stories are in the book has humbled me and made me so grateful for the circumstances that I live in. Currently, the book is in publication, but don’t worry, I’ll let you know when it’s released for sale! In the meantime, here is a link to our blog.
Recently, I’ve been getting my foot in the door at The Theatre Company in Bryan, TX. My parents moved down to College Station in June of 2015 (which has been great!) and almost immediately got involved in the local community theatre, which has led me to get involved as well. I participated in our theatre program in high school, so it has been really fun being involved again. Right now we are doing The Little Mermaid. My mom is the head costumer for this show and I am (sort of) her assistant. It has really been a blast. We have an amazing cast and amazing people working behind the scenes. The show will open September 30 and run every weekend through October 16. Come out and see The Theatre Company’s production of The Little Mermaid! I promise you won’t be disappointed!
I have also (very) recently become a consultant for Rodan+Fields. I am super excited about this opportunity, and the outreach and support from others has already been remarkable. If you’re interested in learning more about our products, feel free to contact me or visit my website.
I am still a practicing member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This doctrine influences my life and my thoughts in a big way, but I am also open minded and willing to see things from a variety of perspectives. Mostly I just try to live the way Christ would have me live. I have also become an advocate for the anti-pornography movement. I have very passionate beliefs about this. If you want to learn more, here are some sites to visit:
That pretty much sums up the main points! I’m excited to get back in touch with y’all and I hope to hear from you!
Reality as it Comes 