J-Squared: Life in this Crazy World

My friend Alyssa posted on her blog the 10 Happiest Moments of Her Life. I really like the idea, but want to modify it a little, to 10 Amazing Memories in my life. I don't know that I could pick the happiest moments in my life. I have been blessed in far too many ways to pick just 10, however, I have had some great experiences, and they're fun to remember. I'm excited for all the years ahead to create 10 or 100 or 1000 more. Good memories really do make life more fulfilling. Here's some that I can think of:

1. Summers in Washington at The Homeplace (my grandparent's house)
2. Playing tennis and volleyball in high school

3. My best friend Kirsten4. Teaching English in Russia for 2 semesters

I haven't spent much time on this blog talking about my boyfriend, Bill, except a brief mention here and there. It's high time he gets a little face time, particularly because as of last Friday we've been dating for 6 months. I'm not that big a fan of calling it an anniversary, I just think that's weird when you're not married, but it was a happy day, and I'm happy that he's in my life. He's quite an amazing guy and I feel blessed that he's in my life.

So for those of you that don't know, Bill and I got set up on a blind date back in February when my ward was doing a dinner/dance where all the guys asked all the girls out, based on getting matched up in this random computer program. One problem: we didn't have enough guys, so we (me as the activities co-chair and the Elders Quorum activity guys) went recruiting. Bill was in the other ward in my complex and one of the guys recruited him. We decided we were fated to meet each other because he definitely wouldn't have said yes to a random blind date like that from a guy he didn't know normally. On my side, I was really frustrated and angry about the whole thing because I wasn't having the best dating experiences at the time and it didn't help to feel like the odd man out that the computer program didn't match with anyone. I didn't really want to go, but with being semi in-charge of it, I tried to be a good sport. I did make my opinion and feelings abundantly well-known to our EQ President. That part is amusing because the leadership in my ward has kept close tabs on our developing relationship ever since. They are never going to let us live it down that we got together after my bad attitude. :)

So back to the date. I didn't have a problem with going with Bill, I was just frustrated with the process. Secretly, I was actually excited about the chance, but was too annoyed to admit it. Talk about pride...Anyway, it seems to have worked out okay, as we had a fantastic time together and that started the ball rolling on an amazing relationship.

I had a conversation with one of my friends at work yesterday about our jobs and what we really would like to be doing professionally and it really made me think about where I'm going in my life. She's a commercial interior designer but is working as an administrative assistant currently because the housing industry is so volatile and she and her husband need at least one stable job between the two of them. I am the office manager of a little company, which means I do everything from event planning to HR to IT stuff to project management to whatever else needs to be done. I'm closing in on 2 years working here. Somehow it's not where I expected to be right now. I got my degree in Recreation Management and Youth Leadership, which I thought would put me on track to be running a recreational company at some point. It doesn't really seem like I'm getting there. I spend 8-9 hours a day in an office setting, mostly at my computer. It's quite the struggle for my somewhat ADD personality. I just don't know that I'm best suited for a desk job. Of late I've found myself daydreaming all too often of what it would be like to do something i actually enjoyed. What would it be like to want to go to work every day? Now, if I only had a clearer idea of something I would actually enjoy, that would help! I really liked my job for the first year, but this second one has been slowly killing me off. It seems such a waste to spend so many hours doing something just because it brings in a paycheck. By the time I get home, it seems like so little time is left to do things I actually enjoy.

So here are some of the things I've contemplated doing to change this situation I've found myself in. If any of you that actually read my blog want to comment on which path you think I would most enjoy, or have any ideas that I haven't thought of, please let me know!

1. I could go back to school for an MPA. This would give me more business experience, but potentially put me back in an office situation. Not that I hate that, but I definitely want the subject matter of my job to be more interesting to me than the current medical IT research subject of my current job is.
2. Do the Family Recreation masters offered at BYU with the intent to teach, probably at the JC level and maybe later do a PhD and teach at a university.
   
3. Get a job at this very cool company I know, called Aspiro (http://www.wherehealingstarts.com). I would be a wilderness guide and be out guiding groups for 8 days and then of for 6. It's quite the crazy lifestyle, but potentially I could work into the management levels because of my other job experience and maybe the schedule would change. I really like this idea, but I can't seem to reconcile how that would have any positive affect on my dating relationship and that's really important to me. Yet, it'd be so much fun!
   
4. I could stay at my current job and just ride the storm and hope it gets better over time. Maybe the roller coaster interest level in it is normal. I make decent money and like the people I work with, so it's not all bad by any stretch of the imagination.
5. I could look for a whole new job in...well, that's the big question, in what? I'm roped to Utah County at the moment and that doesn't give me a huge list of options. Any ideas of good places to job hunt? I'm not having so much luck in the places I've looked.

Aaahh, sweet, sweet victory! Last night's game was AWESOME!! Everyone on my team played really well and we just had the best time. I hit a triple and a few single base hits. We had a bunch of home runs from the guys and solid base hits from all the girls as well. Pretty much we just went out there and played our best game and just dominated. We ended the game half an inning early because we were ahead. It was great!


A couple entertaining highlights:

1. I was playing 2nd base and a girl hit her pitch high and infield. Our defensive pitcher and I both ran to get it. It didn't come quite as far as I expected, so I caught it, but with my glove about a foot from the ground and on the run. I was looking at the pitcher when I caught it, more worried about colliding with him than about the ball, so I was almost surprised when it hit my glove. Thank goodness for confidence in my ability to catch!
2. Every game several of our guys hit home runs with the bases loaded. They go blazing around the bases, way faster than those already on base. We usually bat guy/girl back-to-back, so what always happens is the guy that hit the home run is chasing down the girl ahead of him coming from 3rd to Home. I don't know why I find it so amusing, but it's just hilarious to see my girl teammates running more to get out of the guy's way than to actually get to home. It's awesome!
3. My teammate Mike is probably our biggest hitter. If he makes good contact, that ball is gone. The poor other team has no chance. In the 4th inning, Mike came up to bat and swung as usual at the pitch. He made contact, but not what he expected. The ball slammed into the dirt right in front of home plate and stuck. He was as surpised as the catcher, who had to scramble to get the ball out of the dirt as Mike sprinted to make it to 1st base. So funny!
4. I was playing 2nd base again in the 5th inning. A guy hit a smoking grounder right at me. I reached down to get it, with all expectations of easily picking it up and throwing him out at 1st. To my shock, I missed it by about half an inch. I think I didn't get my glove all the way to the ground and it slipped right under it. The thing that made the play funny was when my boyfriend Bill started laughing at me from the sideline where he was watching. I guess the look of shock on my face was so pronounced he could see it from halfway across the field and it cracked him up. Not my most shining moment, but so very funny!

I'm a little competitive. Okay, I'm a lot competitive. What can I say? I find immense satisfaction in coming out on top of the pile. I can't explain it, but it just does something for me that is incredible. I've lived in Provo for 7 years. That's right, 7 years!! Give it a few more and I'll have lived longer in Utah than anywhere else. Scary! Now, in that 7 years I've competed in a lot of intramural sports. Tennis, racquetball, innertube water polo, flag football, ultimate frisbee, and now softball. Not once in all those 7 years have I come close to an Intramural Champions T-shirt. That is, until now. Tomorrow night is the night. It's time to end this streak. And of all sports to be ending it in, softball is it. My team is undefeated in the tournament as of last night. If we win tomorrow night, the t-shirts are ours. I'm so excited!

Now, I've had some success in other sports, particularly running. I've amassed a few trophies and awards in the last few years in that sport. It's quite the rush to cross the finish line and find out that I've come in at the top of my age division. I'm a fan of my 1st place trophy from the Top of Utah Marathon in 2007. Who wouldn't like a black moose mounted on a slab of wood, if nothing else than the absurdity of it? My medal from running the Boston Marathon in April has a prominent spot in my little collection of awards. There's just something about finishing a marathon and feeling how my body is completely spent, how I've used up every reserve and every bit of energy and will I have to give that is incredible. Yet, it's an individual sport. It's a game within my own head. I use the other runners to help me push myself harder, but it's mostly mental.

Rising to success in a team sport has a completely different feel. When I graduated from high school, I couldn't wait to leave it all behind and get on to bigger and better things. That is, I wanted to leave everything behind save one thing: tennis. I LOVED playing tennis and particularly my tennis team. I still love to play, but now it's an individual sport. Back in high school I got to play with 10 other players and we were all pulling for the same goal. My win could only give one point towards our overall victory, so I did the best I could, but then went to cheer my teammates so hopefully we all came out on top together. And it was possible for me to lose my match, but our team still to win. It wasn't ideal, but at least it lessened the pain of losing.

So to come full circle from where I began this post, I'm playing on a coed softball team again, which I absolutely love! It's taken me back to the days of playing volleyball and tennis in high school, and I love getting the chance to feel the togetherness and challenge and fun of everyone working together to reach a goal. We're playing our championship game tomorrow night, and if we all pull our weight together, we are going to win and it's going to be amazing!

If all goes well, one of these is going to be in my possession:

Woohoo!!!