An Ode to BYU

I have to admit, I am definitely one of those sentimental people that loves hanging onto "meaningful" scraps of paper and souvenirs that represent some happy moment in my life. This has never really been a problem until I married someone who has the same bad habit and then tried to move all of these "meaningful" things across the country without going crazy with the mess and extra space they take up. Watching us pack was probably pretty amusing. I worked up the courage to go through my sentimental things, threw away a lot of it, and narrowed it down to one box. When I tried to help Nate do the same, it didn't go as well. I would attempt to throw away stacks of his papers that I thought were a waste of space, and he would dig through the trash and collect them all. After awhile we stopped trying to organize it all and just threw it into various boxes hoping it would sort through itself. His next project, which he will probably never get to with the coming baby and the starting of dental school, is to organize all of the papers and things he wants to keep into files. I've decided he can keep as much as he wants as long as it is organized. Marriage is all about compromise after all :)

Anyways, being as sentimental as I am, I can't move on from one of the most meaningful times in my life without some sort of way to immortalize the memory. Instead of keeping all of my old schedules, maps of the school, concert and activities tickets, etc. from my time at BYU, which take up way too much space, I'm going to write down my memories in a semi-poetic form. We'll see how this goes lol :)

An Ode to BYU

First things first, 

This is no normal place

Good isn't just good

And great isn't just great.

You have to find your

Own purpose here,

Something more meaningful

Than just being the best,

'cause that's a goal

you're not likely to get.

When picking a major,

choose wisely, but 

always be open to change.

You never know when

something way better

will come along and

sweep you away.

I could've been a 

dietitian, or maybe

even a doctor, too.

But when it came down 

to what was most 

meaningful for me,

I found any BS would do.

What's most important

is the wisdom I gained

from hours of study

and hours of play. 

FHE group freshman year

Me and a group of friends about to go heart-attacking

Festival of Colors

I learned from my time

spent on the various

couches on campus

how for the mind

sleep is very precious.

I learned from my 

work with catering

the true art and delicacy

that we call eating.

I learned from my

seemingly endless 

chemistry classes that

a person can survive 

any torture to the mind

if they look at it as

a chance to grow and thrive. 

I learned from my 

fun but sometimes

painful dating days

that love is much 

simpler when you

choose to be yourself

and step out of the haze.

Nate and I going to the homecoming dance.

Nate and I at festival of colors.

I learned from my

roommates that there

are times when those 

that are most different

from you can bless your 

life beyond compare.

The doughnut game

Emily, Allie, Aubrey and I

Me and Aubrey

San Diego beach :)

San Diego Temple

Sea World in San Diego

Me and Susan

Temple trip

Provo Temple

Allie, me and Julie

I learned from my religion

classes that God loves

all His children and 

wants each of us to be happy. 

I learned from all of

my classes that God is

in every field and every

science, and that all truth 

points to the same great

truth: God lives. 

I learned many times

that letting go of grudges 

and choosing to love 

is always the better road.

I learned to ignore the

stares and judgement

of those who didn't like

the way I dressed or 

did my hair. College isn't

a fashion show after all.

I learned that two is 

so much better than one.

Nate brought a joy to 

my life that I never 

could've imagined. 

Every sacrifice since has 

been way more than worth it. 

You'll notice I'm losing my

rhythm and time, which

brings up another thing

I learned: I'm way better 

at prose. So I'll end with 

the most important thing 

I learned at BYU:

No one knows better than

God what is best for you.

His plan is the plan of 

happiness. Your plan is

and will always be second

best. So when the call comes

down the line of prayer

to change a major,

to get married, to have 

children, or to move

halfway across the 

country, ignore anything 

that's telling you you're

crazy, and follow the voice

that is never wrong. He has

never failed me. So thanks 

BYU for teaching me

so much, and most of all, 

for building my testimony.

-Kamie

Just the Beginning :)

Nate and I are at a time in our lives when a lot of things are coming to an end. We both graduated from BYU, and we are in the process of moving away from Utah (probably for good). For me, that means saying goodbye to a lot of family and friends who live in Utah. I will miss them like crazy! It means leaving the safety of our little Zion community in Provo and moving (next year) to Seattle, one of the most liberal cities in the country. And, for me, it means moving on from the one thing that has always been the major consumer of my time: school.

My family :)

Nate's family :)

Nanna Doc got to be a part of the big day! :)

Nate and I in front of our Wymount apartment for the last time.

I've moved a lot in my life, so I'm hoping this move will be a totally manageable adventure just like the previous ones. However, I haven't gone a year without school for about 15 years now. I know it will be WAY different being a stay at home mom, but it will not be any less meaningful or important. Actually, I would argue that it is a much more meaningful and important role :)

I've been blessed to have lots of support from my family and Nate's family. Everyone is so sweet, and Baby Emma couldn't have a more loving family. Nate's family threw me a wonderful baby shower! And we had a blast at my combined baby shower and Ashley's bridal shower with my side of the family! Emma definitely got spoiled! :)

We just got to Washington yesterday. Now it's time for apartment shopping and getting ready for baby. Nate is starting up a window washing company with his dad in his last few weeks before school. If all goes well, it'll be a fun project for him that will hopefully help lessen the amount of student loans we will need to take out. The less the better! But we are getting so excited for him to start school. I know it'll be a hard for him, but he will love the challenge! He's always been a hard worker and has always pushed himself. I am so proud of him for getting into UW!

Even though I've thought about it a million times and have tried to picture what life will be like in a few more months once dental school starts and the baby comes, I know that I really have NO idea what is in store for me. Excitement and anticipation aren't really the right words to describe what I'm feeling, but they are the closest I can find. It's sort of like how I felt the summer before I started middle school. I knew middle school would be hard, but also that it would be fun and that I would learn a lot. Mostly, though, I was worried about all the things ahead that I hadn't done before. That first day at lunch in middle school, trying to find who to sit with. Or the first time trying to figure out how to open my locker. Oh, and trying to remember where all of my classes were. I could spend hours and hours going over it again and again in my head making sure I wouldn't mess anything up. But no matter how much you mentally prepare, there will always be surprises in store that you have no idea how to handle in the moment. However, after a month or so of the awkward "figuring it out" stage, you get the hang of things and middle school becomes a very manageable and even enjoyable situation.

That's how I'm feeling about being a first time mom with a husband in dental school. I'll be on my own most of the day, and there are bound to be lots of first times and surprises when there is a baby involved. Hopefully I will be able to figure it out though :) I'm lucky enough to have lots of family members who have gone through similar situations and will hopefully have good advice. I'm sure the first few months will be like the awkward "figuring it out" stage in middle school, but once I get the hang of things, I'm sure it'll be one of the happiest and most enjoyable times in my life. So, while I know it will be hard, I'm also sure it will be a fun learning experience.

Wish us luck! 

-Kamie and Nate