20!

There are a mere 10 days left of my twenties.  As such, I will take each of those ten days, to review the last ten years of my life.

So today, we review year 20.

Year 20 was the calm between storms.  My second year at BYU, when I was 19, was tough academically and socially.  My fourth year was a turmoil of all sorts of emotions.  But my third year at BYU, my 20th year, was pretty amazing.

me and Shawn

I was dating Shawn Patterson on my 20th birthday.  I didn't really like him all that much but my roommate of the previous two years was sick of me pining over Greg so thought I should date Shawn.  He was nice enough but he smelt weird.  We broke up shortly after my birthday.  I was not sad.  I also dated a boy named Matt Brownell that year.  I threw a shoe at the wall when we broke up, but we over it when he called me to make up a few weeks later.  And there was Jed.  He told me that the heather flower makes you pee if you crush it up and drink it.

Me, Amy, and my forever roommate Julie

In fact, that year, my 20th year, was one of my most fun years.  I was in my third year at BYU and living at Foxwood Apartments with my roommate from the previous two years, and three other random girls--which meant relatively few roommate issues because we didn't hang out too much.  I'm still friends with a few of those girls though.  Most of my friends from my previous two years at BYU were either on missions or I had dated all of them and we had moved on, so I was on the prowl for new friends.   I made several new friends from lots of different circles, which meant that I had something to do every weekend and lots of options.  I spent every weekend of that year on a date(s) or at a party.  For once, I was the popular girl.  I was also obsessed with Metzner that year--my very casual friend's band.

I also bought my first car that year--1987 Toyota Camry for $1000 from one of my dad's cousins.

Me, Kristi, and my sister Amber at a football game

School was also pretty easy that year.  I had been accepted to my major and started in the Education program at BYU.  My classes were super interesting with the perfect degree of challenge.  Week days I was on campus by 8 am for class, then alternated between class, tutoring at the PS 100 lab, holding office hours for History 202, and with my new boyfriend, Harold B. Lee (that's the library--the boys who wanted to date me all called the library my boyfriend because I spent so much time there).  I got home from campus around 7, ate dinner, then went running with my friend Pierce.  We'd then shower--separately--and be back on campus by 10pm, then we'd study until midnight and leave the library with the music every week night.  The super nerd in me loved it.

Pierce, Greg's sister Andrea (who I stalked just a little bit), me and my sister Amber

When school got out in April, I left for a service abroad in Ecuador.  After spending a year learning about colonization and multicultural practices, I was a little messed up academically when I got there.   I wasn't sure how to respond to the different cultural practices.  Nevertheless, I had a great time.  I spent nearly 3 months working in several orphanages all over the city of Cuenca and picked out a few babies to adopt.  The last week of my stay in Ecuador, I went to the Amazon River Basin for some touring.  I ate the best chocolate of my life there and got super fat in just the few days I was there.  Not to worry, I soon lost the weight and some because...

My group in Ecudaor

My roommate in Ecuador--Marissa Payne.  Great girl.

Just before I came home and just before my 21st birthday, Greg got home from his mission and a year of angst and uncertainty began.