Decision Made
So...decision made. I announced it last night on facebook if anyone read the last part of my status. Sorry about that people. I was so exhausted from Silverwood and having to drive both ways (Matt), that I just posted the status and hit the pillow, only to get up 4.5 hours later to get ready for work. So, after a long nap today, I feel like I can spell it out for everyone who is interested :).
First off, I never chose Utah. It was chosen for me. For all of you who don't know, I lived and went to school in Utah for about 3.5 years. It was a great experience, but by the end, I was ready to move on with my life. I had my degree and was ready to get out there and use it! The only problem was, it is the wrong degree to have a career with. I have found that I like History, but I don't love it. It is not a passion for me. But I felt I was stuck with it and was doomed to be unhappy in my professional life forever because of it. A couple years back, I started losing weight and learning all I could about weight loss and exercise, and I just soaked it up. I loved it, and I loved telling people about it. I found I wanted to help all of my friends and people kept coming to me for advice, which I freely gave, but I was still unhappy with my professional life. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, I just don't feel fulfilled with it. About a year ago, I was running on the treadmill in my little gym, just feeling blue about my life and I prayed. I didn't know what or where I wanted to be with my life. Do you ever feel like you're in the middle of the ocean and any direction could be land, you just have no idea which one will be right? So, I said, Father, I will go where you want me to go. And just cleared my mind and almost immediately it came to my mind "You need to move back to Utah." WHAT?! Perhaps you didn't know this, but I've already been there, done that. Eh? "You need to move back to Utah." I kept running. Slightly confused, but knowing it did not come from me because, no offense anyone who lives in Utah (and you know it can't be great when a sentence has "no offense" in it), but it is not my first choice. I wasn't even thinking Utah. It was outside of my realm of possibility. Utah, to me, means a place to go to school and leave...which I did. Oh, well. I guess I was going back to Utah. But when and for what reason followed about 11 months later.
I was having a bad day at work. If you've been reading some of my status updates on facebook, you might have noticed me using the word mojo in some of them. As in, I lost mine. I love my job, but I had lost my mojo for it. I was incomplete and it was starting to show. I felt, as my boss put it, that I was in limbo. Just floating, waiting for something to happen. It was after this, that I could have smacked myself in the face with what I really wanted to do and what my life had been leading up to for these past two years. Hello? What did I soak up? What was my life evolving in to? And how could I use this passion to help other people? I started just to research what it would take to become a Registered Dietitian. If I was going to do this, I wanted to do it right. I didn't want to fluff around with my life anymore. Then, panic hit. I am 30 years old! I need to be in a stable job and continue saving for retirement. I would only have, what, 30 years in my career if I started over. Wait. 30 years? That's a long time. I could do this. It would be hard for a few years, but I could do this. I went back and forth for almost a month. I researched schools and found that no matter where I went, I would have to move. The moment I clicked on "find schools" on the eatright.org website, and all major schools in Utah had the program I wanted, a light went on. Aha. But the place I really wanted to go was the University of Utah. (Shush all my BYU friends and family :)) So, in order to go there and not pay an arm and a leg, I have to move to Utah and move soon (lease ends end of August) to get residency and hopefully be able to start school in the fall of 2011. I plan to do it right this time. Be involved in ALL of my classes and actually use the help that is provided by the University. I know I will have a greater desire to study because this is what I actually WANT to do with my life. This will allow me to learn greater things and then pay it forward with the knowledge I gain. To leave my legacy. Oh, and the mid-singles program looks much more enticing there...not that it had anything to do with my decision, but I'm just sayin'.
So, there you go. I'm moving to Utah...again. I am very, very excited to be near Jenna and Sara and Matt and all of my family down there, but I will miss my family here. I am sad that just as soon as Melanie and her family moved back all of this happened in my life. I will miss them terribly. I am also going to miss my mom. I don't think it has hit me yet, but I am going to miss her so much!! This family also included my B&N family here, too (hopefully, I will get to transfer because school is not free!).
Wow. Writing it all down has made it real. I'm doing this. Now, I just need a place to live and a job/transfer....
Oh, and I have a goal for the next two months. I want to lose 40 more lbs. by time I travel down there. I can do it. I have all the tools I need, I just have to put them into practice. :).
First off, I never chose Utah. It was chosen for me. For all of you who don't know, I lived and went to school in Utah for about 3.5 years. It was a great experience, but by the end, I was ready to move on with my life. I had my degree and was ready to get out there and use it! The only problem was, it is the wrong degree to have a career with. I have found that I like History, but I don't love it. It is not a passion for me. But I felt I was stuck with it and was doomed to be unhappy in my professional life forever because of it. A couple years back, I started losing weight and learning all I could about weight loss and exercise, and I just soaked it up. I loved it, and I loved telling people about it. I found I wanted to help all of my friends and people kept coming to me for advice, which I freely gave, but I was still unhappy with my professional life. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, I just don't feel fulfilled with it. About a year ago, I was running on the treadmill in my little gym, just feeling blue about my life and I prayed. I didn't know what or where I wanted to be with my life. Do you ever feel like you're in the middle of the ocean and any direction could be land, you just have no idea which one will be right? So, I said, Father, I will go where you want me to go. And just cleared my mind and almost immediately it came to my mind "You need to move back to Utah." WHAT?! Perhaps you didn't know this, but I've already been there, done that. Eh? "You need to move back to Utah." I kept running. Slightly confused, but knowing it did not come from me because, no offense anyone who lives in Utah (and you know it can't be great when a sentence has "no offense" in it), but it is not my first choice. I wasn't even thinking Utah. It was outside of my realm of possibility. Utah, to me, means a place to go to school and leave...which I did. Oh, well. I guess I was going back to Utah. But when and for what reason followed about 11 months later.
I was having a bad day at work. If you've been reading some of my status updates on facebook, you might have noticed me using the word mojo in some of them. As in, I lost mine. I love my job, but I had lost my mojo for it. I was incomplete and it was starting to show. I felt, as my boss put it, that I was in limbo. Just floating, waiting for something to happen. It was after this, that I could have smacked myself in the face with what I really wanted to do and what my life had been leading up to for these past two years. Hello? What did I soak up? What was my life evolving in to? And how could I use this passion to help other people? I started just to research what it would take to become a Registered Dietitian. If I was going to do this, I wanted to do it right. I didn't want to fluff around with my life anymore. Then, panic hit. I am 30 years old! I need to be in a stable job and continue saving for retirement. I would only have, what, 30 years in my career if I started over. Wait. 30 years? That's a long time. I could do this. It would be hard for a few years, but I could do this. I went back and forth for almost a month. I researched schools and found that no matter where I went, I would have to move. The moment I clicked on "find schools" on the eatright.org website, and all major schools in Utah had the program I wanted, a light went on. Aha. But the place I really wanted to go was the University of Utah. (Shush all my BYU friends and family :)) So, in order to go there and not pay an arm and a leg, I have to move to Utah and move soon (lease ends end of August) to get residency and hopefully be able to start school in the fall of 2011. I plan to do it right this time. Be involved in ALL of my classes and actually use the help that is provided by the University. I know I will have a greater desire to study because this is what I actually WANT to do with my life. This will allow me to learn greater things and then pay it forward with the knowledge I gain. To leave my legacy. Oh, and the mid-singles program looks much more enticing there...not that it had anything to do with my decision, but I'm just sayin'.
So, there you go. I'm moving to Utah...again. I am very, very excited to be near Jenna and Sara and Matt and all of my family down there, but I will miss my family here. I am sad that just as soon as Melanie and her family moved back all of this happened in my life. I will miss them terribly. I am also going to miss my mom. I don't think it has hit me yet, but I am going to miss her so much!! This family also included my B&N family here, too (hopefully, I will get to transfer because school is not free!).
Wow. Writing it all down has made it real. I'm doing this. Now, I just need a place to live and a job/transfer....
Oh, and I have a goal for the next two months. I want to lose 40 more lbs. by time I travel down there. I can do it. I have all the tools I need, I just have to put them into practice. :).
Hurray! I know you will be super busy with school but it'll be fun to have you closer. Congrats on taking the leap of faith. Once I took a similar leap in my life one door has opened up after another. I'm proud of you!
ReplyDeleteAs for going to the U, we all know that BYU was your first love and first loves are always the best! (Will you be getting a masters or another bachelors?)
Wow, Stef. When you decide to do something you really go for it. I wish you luck in all your goals/plans for the next few months. Let me know if you need any help with anything. Both Marianne and Dave's mom worked at U of U for years and Heidi has a degree from there that she got just a few years ago (she graduated the same day that Sara & Dave got married) so they could have some advice for you on the move and admissions and everything. Let me know. I'm excited for you! Hopefully it will be just what you need to get your mojo back and have the life you've always dreamed of. :)
ReplyDeleteStef, don't worry about choosing U of U over BYU. I'm completely neutral. I never went to either one. Dave goes to BYU, and his whole family are U of U fans. So, I choose to not get involved. But, I'm excited for you to move here! We aren't sure where life will take us after Dave graduates, but at least we'll be here a year. Maybe Melanie was meant to move back to WA so someone would be close to mom when you left. I'm so happy for you. It'll be a good experience for your life.
ReplyDelete