I Can Tell That We Are Gonna Be Friends

So I'm just chillin' in Rexburg this fine Sunday evening. We just enjoyed a roommate dinner of Shepherd's Pie. We all contributed ingredients. I donated potatoes... again. I have a 20 pound bag, so I also made some fabulous mashed potatoes last Sunday for our pot-luck roommate dinner. Last week we had pot roast w/ veggies, mashed potatoes, garlic knots, lemonade, and caramel pecan brownies for dessert. We're pretty much Sunday dinner professionals. I shall use this post to introduce you to the Abby Lane Manor 102 Crew!

Beginning on the left is Jessica B.- 19 yrs. old. She's an art major from Upstate New York. She's very talented in the kitchen and her favorite color is lime green.

Next is Allison G.- 21 yrs. old. She's from Colorado Springs, CO. She's an English major- professional writing emphasis w/ clusters in French and Figure Drawing. She's got an awesome sense of personal style.

Erika W. is third from the left, 23 yrs. old. She's from Boise, ID studying elementary education. We're very kindred spirits and have lots of fun together. She writes great poetry and loves going to the temple as much as I do.

Camille E. is next, also 23 yrs. old. We are room-roommates. She's a University Studies major from Portland, OR. Her minors are in Humanities and Geography. She has some sweet cross stitch skills and is a joy to have around.

Last but not least, is Mary J.- 20 yrs. old, also from Upsate New York. She's engaged to Jessica's brother Mark and will be getting married in December. She's studying elementary education and has a great sense of humor.

I feel very blessed to live which such fabulous women!

Life's a Dance You Learn as You Go

As of yesterday I've officially been a returned missionary for two months! Is it a little nuts that I'm an RM? That label actually applies to me? Yes. But it's a good thing. I wouldn't trade my mission for anything! I loved it SO much, and even though it was so hard- it was so simple and wonderful. So how do I feel about my life right now?

-It's far more complicated than my mission. My focus is now divided in a hundred directions and I have to strive for balance instead of having one very clear

focus.

-I'm so incredibly blessed. I started working right after I got home. I have amazing friends, a wonderful ward, and an AWESOME family :)

-Dating is ridiculous. Not really... it's good... just exhausting and frustrating sometimes. At least I'm going on dates and having fun w/ it :) It's just so complicated.

-It's nice to be able to spend time working on healthy habits now that my time is a little more "mine". I bike to and from work almost every day. It's nice that I get to choose what I eat most of the time (not that I always make wise choices). I love doing yoga, random video workouts, and hiking when I get the chance. This morning- I fell in love w/ Zumba.

-Being a "grown up" is hard- dealing w/ medical bills, large purchases like my new laptop, and replanning out my schooling, etc. ... I get pretty overwhelmed by that stuff. I may be 23, but w/o my mom I might just explode w/ stress sometimes bein

g an "adult".

-I'm so grateful for the gospel. Life may be complicated, but the gospel of Jesus Christ is simple and true and I love it.

This post isn't necessarily clever or well written

or possibly even interesting, but it's past time for me to start blogging again. So welcome back to Stardust and Sparkly Stuff my friends! Stay tuned for more interesting stuff!