Adapting to being home

9/1-7

Monday was Labor Day. I spent a good portion of the day with my parents and some family friends, Cary and Barbara Jenkins. We all drove up to Sundance Resort to go mountain biking. Before my missionary service I was very much one to seek out opportunities like this, but today I struggled with possibly being the biggest wimp I've ever met. The first ride down the mountain was rough, it didn't take long for the tears to emerge from my eyes.

Adjusting from the missionary schedule and routine is harder than I thought. It's hard to explain, but I'll do my best:

The emotional rollar coast is intense. When I left Korea I was sad to leave, but excited to come home. Being home I have been at a loss of what is okay and what is not (most everything goes btw). I have been scared and stressed for a variety of reasons- one of which being on a bike with loud breaks, flying down a mountain trail that I've never been on before, and following my father who is yards ahead of me. I did my best to keep up and managed only to fall twice. All of these emotions running though my body, coupled with adrenaline and fear cause my eyes to swell and tears to fall haha. Looking back, that was a good activity to just allow me to deal with and get rid of most of the self-inflicted emotions. After lunch we went for a second run and it was much better. I actually enjoyed myself. On our way home we stopped for dinner- a traditional American hamburger on this holiday weekend. It was awesome!

For the evening, I spent time going though some of the storage that I had left behind at my parents house. I picked up my dear friend, Sister Bagley- my sixth missionary companion. She has some health problems which caused her to come home early and hopefully temporarily. Now that I understand the value of getting out of the house to deal with emotions, I decided to invite her over. While it was probably boring for her to watch me sort my things, as we sat we were all in good company and entertained by my bickering family haha.

Tuesday was a full day! My mother wanted me checked from head to toe by every doctor available. It was productive but a long day spent in doctor's office waiting rooms. My mom and I enjoyed each other's company though and were able to catch up. It was nice. To end the evening, I was asked to dinner by an old friend, Lib Montoya. It was weird not having a girl or companion around but thankfully it didn't last too long.

Wednesday was another productive day of doctor appointments- including a much needed mani-pedi. By the evening time I drove to Provo to visit an old roommate, Sarah Reid- now Sarah Christiansen, and her husband Gunner Christensen. They made a gourmet meal of waffles and strawberries as we talked about out my mission and their lives. It was a lot of fun. Again, it was weird seeing and hearing all about how people's lives have changed, including mine.

Thursday was just a day at home. My mother had to run some errands and I was asked to look after my 3 year old nephew, Issac. He is THE smartest 3 year old I have ever met. He was getting pretty rowdy so I suggested we go for a bike ride. That kept him entertained for maybe 30 minutes. Next, he wanted to sit in his wagon while I pulled him. It was fun until his series of directions got us lost haha. Maybe 75 minutes later he exclaimed that he was hot and tired, yeah tell me about it haha. We found some shade near some horses and while we rested we fed them. It was fun. Once I regained my energy and he was itching to leave, I more or less ran home so he couldn't be distracted by anymore animals or plants on our way haha.

When we got home, I handed Isaac off to his dad, Scott Homer (my older sister's new husband). To end the evening, we ate a yummy dinner made by my momma. After, we helped clean the kitchen and the rest of the house since, we were leaving for the weekend tomorrow. Also, my little sister, Danielle, came home from work to give me a professional, hour massage. It was AWESOME! She just graduated from massage therapy school and is working some pretty sweet gigs- I am so proud of her, and grateful for the family benefits hehe.

Friday we all woke up early to get on the road to St. George in preparation for our big hike in Zion's National Park tomorrow. In our car we had my parents and nephew. Isaac is currently potty training so our four hour drive turned into more like five with all the emergency stops haha. It was hilarious because he would either tell us quietly, "I have to pee pee" or scream "Ouch!! I hate when my pee pee gets long! I have to pee now!!" Haha poor kid. When we finally arrived, we dropped Isaac off at his Grandma Sherie Homer's house (per Alise's request) and then checked into our hotel.

Once we were settled, my good friends Chelsea and Quentin Kantaris arrived so we left to eat dinner together. It was so fun to catch up with them and my parents. They have been my good friends since high school, while they are the same they are also pretty matured and adult-like nowadays. How do people's lives continue without me? Haha is that selfish? We ate Thai food and stopped to eat custard for dessert. It was all delicious. Little by little I am adjusting to American-styled food again. Before heading back to our hotels, we stopped at the grocery store to pick up snacks for our hike- even that was fun with Chels and Quen. I have missed them. As an excuse to spend more time together we hoped into our bathing suits and went to the hot tub. Slowly I am getting back to normal with normal human situations where people are in bathing suits haha. It was pretty awkward at first, but I think I'm alright now.

Saturday was the day of our hike. The cars were packed and everyone piled in (The Sloans- James, Derek, me, Danielle, The Homers- Scott Alise, The Kantaris- Quentin, Chelsea, and Kailey McBride, and Maddy Allen). It was a fun bunch. We did the 9.5ish mile hike called 'The Subway.' It was rough but awesome! There was mostly hiking but also some swimming through freezing-cold water, and repelling down some tall cliffs. It was quite the variety! As we ventured through the park, it gave ample time to hear all about people's lives and how they've change. I had a lot of fun! By the end we had been separated based on everyone’s different paces. The end of the trail was hard to identify so Chels, Quen, and I stayed back to make sure our whole group knew where to turn off. Once we informed Derek and Kailey, the three of us were off to finish the hike. Unfortunately, we thought we found a trail up the mountain, but it turned more into our own... It was super dangerous and unfortunately there was a group of young Boy Scouts that decided to follow us up as we just about scaled the mountain... Whoops haha. It all ended well as we finished the night with pizza, more hot tubbing, and nice hot showers. It was a great day!

Sunday was a nice morning because we were all able to sleep in. Just about everyone was sore and moving in slow motion as we all got ready for church. Luckily it was fast Sunday (because we didn't have time for breakfast anyway) and church started at 11AM. It was a great testimony meeting. There was one boy in particular that touched me. He is probably a senior in high school and he recounted an experience he had this passed weekend.. Him and his little brother went elk hunting and on their way out of the canyon they got lost. Immediately he felt the pull to get him and his brother to safety before the sun completely set. This young man left his brother with their packs as he quickly climbed a mountain to see where they were. On his way back down he heard he brother crying and praying to God for help. It was a learning experience for this young man to remember that he is nothing without God and His power. Obviously they made it safely home but it made him think about his priorities. Me too, it was a good reminder to remember to ask The Lord for help before relying on my own strength and abilities. Of course He gave us our brains and abilities for a reason but more often than not, His power will be shown as we invite and welcome His help.