The end of a decade

Since 2011, I have done an annual year in review on the last Sunday of December (or on January 1, when it falls on a Sunday). So here we are. Time to review 2019.

January. I wrapped up my job at the Sundance Film Festival, and then I got to attend with the ten free tickets I got (that spilled over into February). I spoke in sacrament meeting, thereby missing President Nelson speaking in my home ward.

Apollo 11 was the first film I saw at the Festival, and it was a good one.

February. After the Festival, I had lots of free time, so I began spending time at the Church History Library to do research for my Pioneer Day book. I spent a week in California with my nephews, who were on a February break.

March. At the end of the month, I accompanied my parents to various state parks, national parks, and national monuments in southern Utah. The season began at This Is the Place, but I had helped out there for weeks, doing field trips, cleaning, scheduling, and other things.

This was the first time I saw Delicate Arch.

April. I saw P!nk in concert with my sister, niece, and cousin. I got my copy of The Saints Abroad, the book I coedited, but it officially came out in May.

On the day before Easter, I wanted to run up Mueller Park Canyon. I got a mile up the trail and had absolutely no desire to finish the run, which is not characteristic. Turns out it was the beginning of a sickness, and I had to take off an entire week of work. I usually don't get that sick! I spent some time purging myrtle spurge from the Wild Rose Trail.

May. I did my second Splash 'N' Sprint Triathlon, and my time was worse than last year, but I was recovering from sickness, and the bike route was much harder.

It was an unusually cold and rainy (and snowy) May, which meant I often got off work early from This Is the Place, which gave me more time for research. But I did have to work late on May 10, the sesquicentennial of the transcontinental railroad.

June. I went to see the Mormon Miracle Pageant in Manti for its final run; it was a kitschy performance, and I understand why it's ending.

I decided I should apply for grad school, so I bought a GRE practice book to study at work. Near the end of the month, some Tongan kids got overheated on a day trek at the park, and the EMTs told them they couldn't push handcarts anymore, so all of us employees had to go get them. For my mom's birthday, I took her to see a cat circus. And on June 30, I wore my American flag suit to church, while my friend Shane wore his Canada suit.

July. I camped with my family at Lake Washington in the Uintas.

This Is the Place dedicated a monument to pioneer children, but I had to direct traffic. It was a miserable day, but it got better when I attended the Tabernacle Choir Pioneer Day concert featuring Sissel. On Pioneer Day itself, I tried to find a Pie 'n' Beer Day event, thereby learning that it really isn't a thing. On the last day of the month, I went with my parents to camp at Moosehorn Lake, again in the Uintas.

August. I hiked with my dad up Bald Mountain in the Uintas.

I received a free sample of Zombie Skittles to review. And I fed the sister missionaries, giving them tomato zucchini cobbler and grape bread, some of my favorite summertime dishes.

September. I took the GRE and did very well on the verbal part and OK on the other parts. I turned thirty-one. On the day after my birthday, I got bit by a leashed dog on a trail, further cementing my general hatred of dogs.

October. I enjoyed running through the autumn leaves.

This Is the Place had Little Haunts, and I played Alice the Dragon a few times. My work there wrapped up for the season, but I started back at Sundance Institute on October 30. On Halloween, I invited friends over, and we watched The Mummy.

November. I enjoyed running on certain trails in Park City (and North Salt Lake) before the snow stuck around.

I saw Holiday Inn with my grandparents and made sweet potato pie and mincemeat pie for Thanksgiving.

December. I attended three Christmas concerts: JD McPherson, Tabernacle Choir, and the Lower Lights.

JD McPherson's Socks is one of best Christmas albums ever.

I worked lots and lots of overtime, but the craziness subsided right before Christmas, allowing me to enjoy more time with family. I age out of the YSA ward.

But this is not an ordinary year. Not only is it the end of a year, it's the end of a decade. (I know some of you pedants are out there saying it's not the end until the end of 2020, but we refer to decades by their digits, so for all practical purposes, it's a new decade.)

Ten years is a long time, and I certainly have changed. I think I worry less, and I'm more confident. I'm more athletic, with much more impressive calves, but I'm also more obsessed with seasonal junk food.

Anyway, it's time for a review of the entire decade as well.

2010. As a socially awkward, freshly returned missionary, I started my studies at Brigham Young University. I declared a major in English language (linguistics, not literature!) and a minor in editing. I joined a dinner group, and I took up running so that I wouldn't gain back the sixty pounds I lost on my mission. During summer term, I took a Dinosaurs! class, and I got to go with my professor on a dinosaur dig in the days before Pioneer Day.

This was during the Great Recession, and try as I might to get a job in Provo, I couldn't find one. So I took the fall off to find a job at home. It took two months of applying before I got a job at the Church Distribution Center, where I put orders in boxes. It was a good thing I took that fall off. If I had attended that fall, I wouldn't have had a scholarship, but with the way scholarships worked in those days, I got one because I took the fall off. (And I didn't even know that at the time!) My youngest nephew, Nathaniel, was born in January, but I didn't first see him until December.

2011. In winter semester, I got a job cleaning up after sporting events. But I don't think my boss liked me, and I wasn't invited back. (Good thing I don't want to be a janitor!) In the spring, I got to go to Disneyland for the first time with my family.

My niece, Allie, at Disneyland

On May 1, I started this blog! During summer term, I had no roommates, and my air conditioning was out for six weeks. I declared a geology minor, but I didn't have any geology classes that year. In the spring, my dad had to work in Chicago, and then he was laid off. Since funds were tight, I once again took fall semester off, and I got back my job at the Distribution Center. And then my dad got another job and all was well again.

2012. For some reason, 2012 seems to be one of the most memorable and important years of my life. When I think back on things, I often think, "When was that? Oh, 2012, of course it was." I feel like I really became who I am in 2012. I made many friends, including some whom I referred to as "horses" after I had a dream about a horse that took a liking to me. I took my first real editing and geology classes, including one that took me on a field trip to Death Valley. In April, I fainted while running and ended up scraped up. The next week, I got an editing internship with BYU Studies, which changed the direction of my life. I was obsessed with YouTube singer Jan Terri. Even though I took classes every semester and term, I had an enjoyable August, during which I spent some time with my nephews, who had recently moved to California.

This is my youngest nephew, Nathaniel, or Qi-en, but we called him Baby at the time. I absolutely adore this picture of him.

2013. This year wasn't quite as memorable as 2012, its twin, but it's still a major year in my memory. On January 24, we had freezing rain, and I slipped and landed on my teeth. They were chipped and cracked, and I had to get a root canal. That initiated a tremendous fear and hatred of ice, which persists to this day. (At least I no longer have recurring nightmares about ice.) I had a relaxing summer term because I only worked part-time, with no classes, and I got to go to Disneyland with my family again, but my nephews were not impressed. I took many memorable classes, including geology of planets, structure of English (all about ambiguity), the editing capstone, groundwater, swimming for non-swimmers, and Old English. But most memorable of all was geology field studies, during which time we spent two weeks camping, making geologic maps, and exploring the rocks of Utah.

I didn't shave during those two weeks, because when else would it be acceptable to have a beard in a BYU class?

2014. When I think back on 2014, I think of it as a sad year, even though good things happened. On Valentine's Day, I went home to visit, only to witness my mom destroy her leg on the stairs. On Mother's Day, my sister's husband left her. Even the good things were bittersweet times of transition. I got a job with the Church History Department, but that meant I had to leave BYU Studies. I worked for the Church remotely from Provo for a few months after I graduated, but then I moved home in August, bidding Provo and the life I knew goodbye. I began to explore trail running, and running thereby became a hobby rather than simply exercise.

The first and last time I hiked the Y was the day I graduated.

Our cat Jenny sleeping in an interesting position

 2015. This really wasn't a very interesting year. I kept working at the Church History Department, but I transitioned to the team that worked on the book that ultimately became At the Pulpit in 2017. This was the first year I formally celebrated Pioneer Day.

2016. The book A Historian in Zion, which I had coedited, was published. 

 In the summer I went on a family trip to several national parks in California and Oregon. In the fall I was called as executive secretary. And I got my reviewing gig over at The Impulsive Buy.

2017. While 2017 wasn't as fantastic as 2012 or 2013, it was still a wonderful year, because I made it that way. I made bucket lists for every holiday, which led me to do things I wouldn't otherwise do. When I turned 29, I began completing a bucket list of things before I turned 30. So I bought a car (2017 Toyota Rav4 hybrid, which is now paid off!), ran a half marathon, and did other things. In July, my family went to New York City. On July 10, we had to put down our 15-year-old cat Jenny. That was the last time I cried. On October 21, I adopted an 8-year-old cat and named him Jimmy.

I just adore him!

 My job at the Church History Library ended.

2018. I spent months applying to jobs before I landed one at This Is the Place Heritage Park, a job for which I am vastly overqualified.

Here I am with my niece and nephews on the Fourth of July in the print shop.

 As part of my bucket list, I visited all 29 county seats in Utah while I was 29. My family visited New York and New England in June. On Halloween, I began working for the Sundance Film Festival.

2019. I attended the Sundance Film Festival after my job with them ended. I resumed my job at This Is the Place, began spending lots of time doing research for my Pioneer Day book, took the GRE, and applied to grad school. I returned to Sundance Institute in the fall.

In June, I got my copy of The Annals of the Southern Mission. I spent the summer of 2014 making sure every handwritten word was transcribed correctly. It finally got published, so I added it to my shelf of books I've worked on.

"It's the end of a decade.
In another ten years' time,
Who can say what we'll find,
What lies waiting down the line
In the end of [twenty]-nine?"
—ABBA

Six months later

February is over now, and February marked six months since I left Provo, moved home, and began working on site in the Church History Library.

Six months is half a year!

I've liked living up in North Salt Lake more than I expected. I was sad to leave Provo with its close-knit wards, Rock Canyon, and Rooftop Concerts. But six months later, I don't really miss it that much.

While running to Rock Canyon was spectacular, there are plenty of enjoyable trails near my house. And when I run on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail (usually in the evening when it's getting dark, since that unshaded trail stays light for longer), I can see the Salt Lake Temple (which I also see at work every day) and get a beautiful view of the valley.

And paradoxically, I think my current ward is closer than any Provo ward I had. I loved my last Provo ward, especially the bishopric--Bishop Taylor, Brother Jensen, and the various young married second counselors they had. But I love my current bishopric too (although perhaps not as much as the last one--sorry, guys). I think the North Park ward is more cohesive, despite the fact that we don't live on top of each other. Not only are we more spread apart, we are more diverse. There are college grads, like me, of various ages and from different schools. There are those who are currently in school, at the U, SLCC, LDSBC, and even Weber. And there are those who haven't done any school after high school. And the ward list actually includes inactive people. Thus we are widely ranging in terms of age and intelligence. (Really. There are some very intelligent people in my ward, but others are not so smart.) But somehow we are closer.

And I sometimes missed living on my own with roommates. But it's been nice to spend time with my family again. Also, many of my roommates decided they were too cool for the rest of us, so I don't have to deal with those jerks.

When I moved back to NSL, I didn't know how long I would have my job. I was informed that I would be able to work until November, but then I would meet all the hours I could have. Then I was told I could work through the end of 2014, but then I was on my own. And then I was allowed to work until my internship hit a year on February 28. Now my internship status is over, but I still get to work at the same job for six more months. Who knows what will happen then?

On an unrelated note, this morning I found that my top sheet was on top of my quilt, with my quilt next to my body. And not only that, the top of the sheet was at the foot of the bed!

#ProvoRocks

Well, it was my first week working full time.

And it's nice working from home. I don't have to worry about getting up in time to get dressed. I like to get started in the morning, but if I sleep a little late, I can even get a large bowl and eat breakfast while I start working, since my work mostly consists of reading through things and checking for errors.

But after eight hours (with an hour break), I am a little sick of sitting in my chair. Nevertheless, I have enjoyed working. It's easy, but I feel like it's meaningful, and it's the best paying job I've ever had. And it's only an internship! A while ago I got an email from the editing department advertising an internship with Deseret Book. My internship pays more than twice as much as Deseret Book.

This is the very first spring term in which I haven't done classes. I have to figure out what to do, now that I don't have anything looming over me that I need to get done. Last summer I didn't take classes, but even then I knew I needed to prepare for Geology 210. Now I'm completely off the hook. So I've decided that at least once a day, I need to interact with other humans outside of my apartment. Spring generally seems to be the best time to do that, anyway.

On Friday, the Rooftop Concert Series started again. And while I didn't like the concert atmospheres for Andy Grammer, Mideau (even though I loved the music), and Harry and the Potters, I love the atmosphere of the Rooftop series--probably because it's outside. And this time I went with some friends, unlike last August and September. We could see the Angel Moroni on the new Provo Temple, and I wondered if future Rooftop Concerts will interfere with the quietude of the temple. They have three bands each time. The first was called Strange Family, a rather slow rock band. I found them a bit boring. The second was a folk group called the National Parks. I liked them enough to buy their CD, and they were my favorite group, but it's hard to go wrong with folk. Then the headline group was called Desert Noises. I think there's "they're good for a local band" and then there's good. Desert Noises was just good for a local band; I don't think I'd otherwise listen to them. The National Parks was better than that.

The Rooftop Concerts have had some really big musicians. I think even Neon Trees played there in the past. This week I learned that their drummer, Elaine Bradley, joined the ranks of Brandon Flowers in having an "I'm a Mormon" video.


At the Rooftop Concert, Provo was giving out free t-shirts with anthropomorphic animals on them, provided you "liked" their Facebook page. I got a shirt with a cowboy bull on it (because they were running low when I got one). They were promoting a new campaign called #ProvoRocks. After my Structure of English class a year ago, I've become accustomed to analyzing different meanings for things. "Provo rocks" could be interpreted as a sentence meaning "Provo is great." It could be a sentence referring to the rock music played at Rooftop Concerts. And it could be a noun phrase, referring to the rocks of Provo--made more significant by the fact that Provo just bought Rock Canyon--a place I have only been to for geology field trips but a place I should go to more often.

If I were to guess, I would say that I will be gone from Provo come fall. I don't know, but that's my guess. Provo really is a great city. I will miss it.