I Do Hard Things So That I Can.... Do Hard Things

Today, a girl in relief society said that.

And it stuck.

It's so true isn't it?

Remember my first week in Peru? It was HARD.

I was sick the entire time. I was exhausted. We had black mold carpeting our ceiling. I couldn't understand anyone. I shivered myself to sleep every night and woke up at least 6 or 7 times each night out of discomfort, frozen-ness or bugs biting me. We didn't know where or how to buy food. We didn't have a refrigerator or carpet. We didn't have washers or dryers. We didn't have hot water. We didn't have an oven. We didn't have family close by. Most of the days we didn't have running water or electricity. Gosh. It was hard.

At the end of that first week, I told my parents that I was booking my first flight out of there because this was just too hard.

Well, I stayed. And it was still hard, but it got easier. We learned to do with out and make do with what we had. We learned to love our living conditions and those around us. And after a HARD first week, I had three of the best months of my life.

That really hard first week and those challenging three months have prepared me for this next chapter of my life.

See if you can find the parallels.

I know nobody in Riverton, thus I was searching anxiously for a place to stay. Last minute, I found a family who was renting a room out of their basement. So without any further questions, I loaded up and drove to Riverton to move in.

I moved in and was put in a room in the basement...with carpet!! Looking good so far right? I have a place to live! Well not really. Because they weren't planning on having somebody move in so soon, so they weren't really ready for me.

I had no refrigerator to put my food. No oven or stove to cook my food. No sink to rinse my vegetables or wash my dishes. No counters to prepare my food on. No toaster, microwave, toaster oven etc. Essentially no kitchen. I also had NO money. I spent every last penny in Peru and couldn't even afford to pay the $20 bucks a month they were asking to use the laundry room. So I was without a washer and a dryer as well.

But guess what? This was nooo big deal to me! My mom  kind of wanted me to move out of there asap and find something a little bit more suited to my needs, or at least the needs of a normal person... but I had spent the last three months living in such uncomfortable circumstances that a few weeks with out any means to keep/cook/wash/prepare my grub seemed like cake. And it was!  Eventually, the so called "necessities" started popping up, a fridge here, hot plate there. I'm still without a sink or running water, but hellooo that's what the hose outside is for right?

I did those "hard" months in Peru, so that I could do these "hard" weeks in Riverton. So grateful for that prep.

Here's another one.

Remember how we shipped ourselves off to a foreign country where we did not speak the language? Yeah I do. Ohh how my head would ache as I'd desperately try and understand what these people were desperately trying to communicate to me. It expended my brain power like none other I tell you.

Well guess what. I just started a job in a building of 1300 people who speak a completely foreign language. Servers, Oracle, Beach Picture Apps, Remedy,Configuration Items... and don't even get me started on the acronyms! SM, DTE, NPS, EIM, KPI, DSA, CAB, COB, EDDI. Seriously, I almost wish that they were speaking Spanish.

Lesson Number One in ICS lingo

It's hard. But I was totally prepared for it by my time in Peru. I'm used to that "Oh my gosh, they're saying something important, and I'm trying really hard to understand it.. but I'm totally lost" feeling, and I know that I'm a fast learner and that I'll catch on to the language in time.

So everyday as a new "hard" thing comes up...(i.e. My car is a goner so now I'm living and working in this brand new city...with my two feet as my only means of transportation..) I know that I'm doing them in preparation for... more hard things. You can look at that as a downer... my whole life is and forever will be hard, or you can look on the bright side. Either way, the hard times keep on comin'.

So perhaps the fact that I have to wake up an hour and a half earlier than usual so that I can walk to work in the chilly mornings (tomorrow it's supposed to rain... not sure how that'll work out), is simply preparation for another hard time coming.  I'll be ready for it.

Love, Noelle

Why Aren't We Laughing?

Remember how on Pinterest the following saying was being posted like crazy? You may not recall, but I do. And here's why:

I remember it partly because I didn't like it, and mostly because I didn't get it. I can pretty much not relate to this quaint, little phrase one bit!

I've made plans my whole life. I remember at a young age (maybe 10 or so) hearing the word Valedictorian for the first time, and making a plan at that moment that I was going to graduate 8 years later with that title.

I made plans to get involved. To be an efy counselor. To work in the Kimball building. To memorize documents that are important to me. To learn Spanish. To get healthy.

Eight months ago, I made a huge plan that (to be honest) I didn't really think would follow through. I decided that I wanted to travel and do humanitarian work, and I decided that I wanted to intern for the church. These were two things that I have dreamed about for a long time, but they just didn't seem in my reach. 

But, I planned on them anyway. Lo and behold, those dreams became plans, and those plans became a reality. Here I am, living in Utah, interning for the Church after having just spent three of the best months of my life serving in Peru.

I have my graduation plans all lined up. I have a plan for another internship. I have plans for exactly where I want to work when I graduate. I have plans to marry in the temple and raise the cutest little family that you ever did see. I have plans to run a marathon. I have plans to make a difference. I have plans to see more of the world. Oh do I have plans....and I tell God my plans.

 And you know what.... I'm not hearing much divine laughter.

Love, Noelle

Quote-a

There are tons of great, cutsied up quotes on Pinterest that I adore looking at. It makes me really want to have cute, inspiring quotes hanging up in our new apartment in the Fall. A nice home-y touch is just what we need to go along with Claire's fantastic, hanging, wall clock that sings to us every 15 minutes.

So with that idea in mind I created the following. These are some I threw together real quick to get a feel for the different fonts and what not. Hopefully they'll improve in time.

I simply adore these quotes.

What are some of your favorite quotes? I'm always on the look out for some keepers!
I'll post more here and there as I make them. Feel free to take and use them however you please.
No Copyright Nazi here :)

Love, Noelle