School is over! And the best part is...I passed all my classes! Not only did I pass my classes, but I am proud to say that I ended the semester with a GPA of 3.64. Dang straight! Just shy of a 4.0! Those who know me know that this is a huge deal for me. I suppose the older you get, certain things become more important to you. School was one of those things for me. I really enjoyed going to school this semester. Although it was difficult and very time consuming, it has proved to be worth it. I only took three classes; Career Exploration, Intro to Human Communications, and English. My favorite class was English. I absolutely loved everything about this class. To be honest, I took the class simply because I needed to cross it off the list for my generals. I have always enjoyed English but I always knew I would be a writer and that journalism was the path I should take. However, after completing this class, I have learned that perhaps Heavenly Father had a different path in mind for me. After spending a lot of time on my knees, I have come to the conclusion that an English degree would serve me well later in life. So now my next step is actually declaring my first ever major. Yay for finally having a goal in life!
As for the future Mr. and Mrs. Shaw, we have finally found an apartment. I am very excited about it, as is Brian. It was actually very interesting. Brian and I had been looking around but, with our price range, only found very, VERY small one bedroom apartments. When I say small I mean like the size of my current living room size small. To me, the thought of being crammed into a tiny 400 square foot apartment sickened me. However, I finally realized that I would have to sacrifice in order for us to be financially okay throughout the first year of our marriage. To be honest, I was becoming very discouraged with the whole apartment thing but it was Brian's faith that I continued to look at these tiny places. While in class one day I was browsing craigslist when I came across a small entry with no photos of a larger one bedroom, one bathroom basement apartment with washer and dryer. (The washer and dryer were one thing Brian and I were not willing to sacrifice on due to the fact that we have been paying for our laundry for quite a while.) When I saw this ad, I immediately told Brian, even though I thought it was a little sketchy. Long story short, when we pulled up to this house, Brian and I looked at each other and knew, before we even went inside, that we needed to get this place. It is located on a corner lot with a huge yard right across the street from a park in a quiet neighborhood right down the street from BYU campus. When we walked inside the first thing that caught my eye was the HUGE kitchen! It was amazing. And for a basement apartment, it was extremely bright and happy.The living room and fairly big as well and had a great washer and dryer. The bedroom and bathroom were a little smaller but just the right size for us. We loved it and jumped on it right away. After a couple of days deliberating with her husband, Emily (the owner of the house) texted me to tell me the apartment was ours if we wanted it. So exciting for us! This was the first step to our new life.
May marks the 3 month mark to my big day. It's crazy to think that in just 3 short months I will go from having temporary roommates to having one eternal roommate for the rest of my life. Yes, every time I think about it I get nervous. The thought of being a wife really scares me! Cooking, cleaning, doing the laundry....all while going to work and school full time?! Well, I am not sure how to do it yet, but I know that I will learn. I am lucky to have Brian who couldn't be more helpful and supportive. All my life I have been taught to prepare myself to go to the temple and to be a good homemaker, but I never understood how important that is until now. Even though the wife thing scares me, I am so incredibly excited to be Brian's wife.
I also get to go through the temple for the first time to receive my endowments. To me, this is a huge deal. To be honest, if you were to ask me what goals I had 4 years ago, I assure you the temple probably wouldn't have been on that list. It has been a long road to get to where I am but I am so happy to be at this point in my life. The temple has become such an important beacon in my life. It has become not only a symbol of the person I want to be, but it has become a place of peace and serenity in my life as well. I can't believe I finally get to go. When I look back, the road to get here was such a small moment and I am so excited to reap the eternal benefits. To my family: Thank you for always being there for me, even when I made bad decisions. Best family ever! To my friends: If you feel like I abandoned you or left you behind, I am so sorry. Just realize that I did it simply for my own happiness and I needed to make certain changes for myself. I think all of my current and past friends are amazing people and all have amazing hearts and I have been so blessed to even have you guys in my life. Thank you!
Perhaps some reading this don't understand the importance of my faith's temple in my life. Here's my favorite clip on the temple that has helped me understand a little bit more about why Mormon's have temples.
Meanwhile, Brian has started a new semester. It seems like he is non stop school all the time. It's tough because by the end of the day he is super worn out and tired. But I know that it will be worth it. By taking classes this semester, he will be able to graduate in April with a degree in Advertising...which I can't complain about. Go Brian! He also received a promotion at his job and went from a writer to a creative director. He got a nice $2 raise which we are very happy about. Between work and school, I get to spend a few hours with him at night before I have to leave so he can get rested up for the next, long day. I am definitely looking forward to when I don't have to say goodbye to him at night.
As for me, I also just received a raise at work. Because of the decrease in hours that In N Out has had to give due to a new law, they have decided to give everyone a raise to hopefully compensate for a loss of finances. Thanks In N Out! Unfortunately that means a raise in prices for the rest of you, but just know that I am grateful for your business because it is you who pays for my paycheck! :) Also, I have been working really hard to get my next level which will give me another dollar raise. So I will go from making $12.50/hr to $14.25/hr. We could definitely use that!
I have to say that during this stressful, yet exciting time in my life, it is very hard being away from all my family. Some of Brian's family is near and they help me as much as they can with wedding plans, but there's nothing like a mother's touch. Since my mom is not around, it would be nice to have my step mom near by and even my sisters. I am grateful for all the help they have already given me and hopefully I haven't stressed them out as well.
Kristin's words of wisdom...
Never give up. That's the secret to life I guess. When you get lazy, opportunity passes right by you. Work hard. Whether that is at your job, at school, or simply in life. Thing's usually aren't handed to you. You have to work for them. If you want to find true happiness, you have to work to find that happiness. What's it worth to you? To me, it was worth giving up a lot of close friends and even moving to a different state. After a lot of perseverance and hard work, I have finally reached a point in my life where I feel really happy. Inside and out. And no, it's not simply because I am getting married (although, marrying your best friend definitely boosts your happy level). It is from the past three years of being dedicated to what I believe in.
Some people call me crazy for making some drastic changes. Heck, maybe I am. But isn't it better (and more fun) to be crazy than nothing at all?
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