One Year... and Counting

Happy one year anniversary to me! One year ago I boarded a plane in AZ with my one way ticket to Minnesota. My car and things had already been packed and hauled off so it was just me, two suitcases, and a coat. It doesn’t seem like it has been that long… usually. Other times it feels like it has been FOREVER. The first few weeks were, well, torture. I’ll be honest. I hated it here. I usually describe it as a love/hate relationship. I don’t hate it anymore, in fact, outside of winter, I really like it here. I just don’t know how long I’ll last here. So, in celebration of my one year mark, here are just a few highlights from my year in the frozen tundra, in no particular order except the way they came out of my brain –

• Learned how to water ski (yes, I finally gave in and tried and I actually like it) and spent nights on the lake way past when it was legal to still be out there. Luckily we never were caught.
• Survived ultra sub-zero temperatures without succumbing to frost bite.
• Spent time exploring two cities & suburbs (Minneapolis & St. Paul) that I knew nothing about.
• Lakes, lakes, and more lakes…. And more lakes.
• Town festivals and fireworks.
• Warm summer nights swinging on the park swing.
• Trails everywhere – I never knew that towns could have so many walking trails.
• Made amazing friends who have helped shape my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
• Became a temple worker at the St. Paul Temple. I love it there!
• Downtown Minneapolis with the shops, restaurants, shows, people, skywalks, etc.
• Gigantic mosquitoes... and downey sheets.
• Twins games and T-Wolves games and after hanging out with Mark, realizing that professional athletes are just normal people.
• Museums, art, cathedrals, history, capitols.
• Sunny skies and -35 degrees at the same time!
• Historic farms (where I learned how to make cane molasses by hand!)
• Overcame (mostly) my anxiety of driving in snow and ice. Except for last week when I almost slid into the back of a mini van and some of that anxiety returned momentarily… oh yeah, and the time two weeks ago when I started sliding through an intersection… huh… at least the anxiety part is getting better.
• Learned that I have a greater capacity to love than I realized.
• Post FHE Tivo viewing of The Bachelor/Bachelorette with some of my new friends. Mindless entertainment, but the commentary in the room is priceless.
• Cross-country skied again after YEARS from my first trial when I was at BYU with Elizabeth & Kristi.
• Rock Band with the Shy Violets.
• Riverboat rides on the Mississippi River.
• Seasons again after 6 years of AZ summer/winter! Although I wish winter was a LOT shorter here!
• Cooking lessons with Paul… I make rockstar potstickers now.
• Writing and directing a road show with 40+ youth… the end is in sight (this Saturday) but I’ll miss working with some of them every week.
• There’s so much more… but I’ll leave it at that for now.