Ambiance: New Living Space

Hi, my name is Carly Springer, and this is my crib.

As you can see, there's plenty of space for me to do some yoga, throw a party, or take up carpentry.

This is where I would put my bookshelf.

And there's plenty of space for my absurd amount of clothes. I especially like that one rack seemed to be made specifically to hold all my lovely scarves.

While my personal digs don't have much in the way of furniture or decor, the rest of the apartment has been meticulously designed to be aesthetically pleasing.

My roommate Rachel is kind of a boss when it comes to interior design and art from around the world. 

It's all beautiful. Even this doll, though it kind of freaked me out when I looked up and noticed its surprisingly-violent face. I feel like everything I ever knew about stacking dolls being cute and friendly was all a lie.

UPDATE: Rachel has informed me that this doll was a symbol of communism back in the day (Russia. With fangs. Makes sense, I guess.) She got it at the Museum of Communism in Prague and wants me to get her a T-shirt of it when I go in September. :)

But seriously, this place is great. So far it's all perfect for me. It's in a great location, with a grocery store across the street and my grandparents just a few blocks away. It's along a busy road but it's not too noisy, and it's a new enough complex that the walls and floors are thick and I never hear a thing from our neighbors.

My roommates are amazing and are already inspiring me to be a better person and a responsible adult. Rachel is a civil rights lawyer, and she totally has her life all together. She's very active, so she's quickly becoming my exercise buddy. I'm planning on buying a pass to the gym she goes to. She took me as a guest yesterday, and the kickboxing class kicked my butt but it was AWESOME.

Liz is so my type of person. We both love books and movies and writing, and her friends are the kind of people I love to hang out with. She invited me to meet them on Sunday night, soon after I arrived. We watched Prince of Egypt at another house and I met five or so members of my new ward. Every single one of them seemed cool. I hope we hang out a lot in the future. Liz and I went back there last night to have a writing group meeting with our friend (well, her old friend, my new friend) Heather. A writing group meeting!! It was so fun, and it got me writing fiction for the first time in months. 

I can't wait to meet the rest of the ward. I'm a little disappointed that our meeting block is almost the same as the one I just came from (1:00 to 4:00pm. Ew.), but from what I've seen it's a great bunch.

Stay tuned for shenanigans as I get into my new life as a responsible adult!

Freewrite: Graduation Week

This past week felt like the longest week of my life. So much happened, and I want to remember it all, so I'm just going to kind of write it all down without worrying too much about embellishments. We have tons more photos, but they're all on my sister's camera, so you'll have to check out her blog if you want to see them. http://elegantklutzblog.blogspot.com

Wednesday I was sick as a dog with the worst flu of my life. Actually, in hindsight, my sisters and I think it was probably food poisoning. (They were very involved in my recovery, because they didn't want to get sick when they came to visit me). Basically I went to bed at 10:00pm Tuesday night with a little knot in my stomach. I ignored it, but then at midnight I woke up with terrible nausea. I tried to just drink some water and go back to sleep, but twenty minutes later I was in the bathroom emptying my stomach.

And you know how when you have the flu you feel sick until you throw up, and then it all feels better? Yeah, that didn't happen for me. There was hardly any warning beforehand--I felt fine, and then all of a sudden I had to run to the toilet. And I didn't just throw up once and feel better. My stomach kept cramping and I kept heaving over and over again, even when there wasn't anything left to come up. It was disgusting and painful, and it happened every half hour until 5:30am.

But then I didn't throw up again after that. I'm thinking it really must've been food poisoning because my system just flushed itself out all night, and then I was fine. I was shaky and weak and had a killer headache, but I didn't throw up again all day. I just wasted all of Wednesday trying to sleep after such an awful night.

I'm just glad I didn't get sick until AFTER I'd finished all of my finals, but it was still inconvenient. It was supposed to be my last day in the Bio Department, and I had things to finish and people to see. I had to miss out on all that.

Then of course I woke up Thursday and felt completely fine, like nothing had ever happened. Wednesday was just weird.

But I managed to say goodbye to my work friends after all, and then at around 10:30 I met up with my family on campus. My parents and Ashley were there from Arizona. It was so good to see them. I'm so happy that they made the effort to come up for my graduation. My grandma and grandpa Chamberlain were also there.

We went to the Sacred Gifts exhibit in the MOA. It was much more crowded than the first time I went (all by myself, in January, I think), but there was still a heavy sense of reverence in the museum despite the amount of people there.

After we emerged with a greater appreciation for art, we went to lunch at Kneader's. Then my parents and sister came back to my apartment with me, where I frantically packed to move and they helped me get things ready. They were especially eager to iron my very wrinkly robes (which had been in a package for who knows how long and had seriously awful creases). After Mom gave it a go, Dad made me go find a proper ironing board, and then all three of them went to work on it.

This is Dad's way of showing how important properly-ironed robes are.

I am glad they did that. I felt very put-together, and I'm grateful I wasn't one of those people who looked like they just barely got their robes at the Bookstore and threw them on at the last minute.

Commencement started at 4:00pm. I found a group of editing friends, and we all walked over the Marriott Center bridges together.

It was a nice ceremony, with beautiful speeches and an amazing musical number put on by a quartet of trumpeters. But honestly I don't remember much about it right now because at the time I was so stressed out. I still had to pack and do my cleaning check, and I'd left my phone with Ashley because I had no pockets, and my family and I hadn't coordinated beforehand where to meet afterwards. I felt very lost. I had no idea where they were sitting, and they of course couldn't find me in the sea of blue robes. But I borrowed a friend's phone and made contact with them during the trumpeting, and enjoyed the rest of the ceremony after that.

(It's supposed to be "BYU")

I successfully found my family, and we took a few pictures, then left the main Provo area (where everyone and their dogs were getting dinner) to eat at Subway.

We went back to my apartment and changed our clothes. Then we left Mom at my apartment with my laptop, and Dad, Ashley, and I went to the volleyball semifinals.

It was Ashley's first-ever volleyball game, which blew my mind. Volleyball games were one of the highlights of my childhood. Dad used to take me and my friends all the time. We would run around the track and play in the back court and get sick on hot dogs. Good times. It was very nostalgic, being there with my dad again. The last time we went to one of those games together, I was in elementary school. Now I'm graduating from the Y, and it's all thanks to him. He instilled a love for this university in me very early in life.

And Ashley had fun, too. She quickly fell in love with the hot volleyball players, and she and I hung out in the student section for a little bit. 

(We won the game, by the way.)

At the end of the day, my parents and Ashley piled a bunch of my stuff into their car and took it up to Salt Lake for me. Meanwhile, I spent the next three hours frantically trying to finish packing and cleaning the apartment. I didn't get nearly close to finishing, so I set my alarm for very early and tried to get some sleep (which was very hard to do, because my roommates weren't as stressed and so they stayed up all night celebrating the end of the semester).

Friday started super early for me. I tried so hard to finish my cleaning check on time, but in the end I didn't. I just said, "screw it" and gave up my security deposit. I honestly didn't care anymore, I just wanted to leave.

I only had about a half hour after trying to finish cleaning to do my hair and make-up, but I somehow managed.

And I managed to get to Convocation on time, despite the fact that my family forgot I had to be there an hour early. Good thing I called to check where they were, or I would've been waiting forever. As it turned out, all I had to do was run outside in my cap and gown and call down the street to a neighbor. He gave me a ride willingly. :)

Convocation was great. I ran into lots of editing friends again, which was fun. But again, I barely remember the ceremony. I was just too exhausted and stressed still to pay much attention. I did, though, have a moment of sadness and gratitude. It was when they had the faculty stand up, and we applauded them for their teachings. None of my professors were even there, but it still made me tear up and finally realize that I was leaving this amazing university.

After the ceremony, I met up with the family again and we took tons of photos for the next three hours. Again, Ashley has all of them, so hopefully she posts them soon and you can see them. Here's the only one I've got.

After we wore ourselves out taking photos, we packed the rest of my many belongings and went to Salt Lake. I threw away three garbage bags full of stuff, and gave another three bags to D.I., yet I still have so many things. It was frustrating.

But we managed to get it all moved to my new apartment, after a few hiccups. It was just Dad and me at that point. I got lost a little bit trying to find my new apartment, because somehow I completely forgot which building I was in. I tried to use my key on the wrong door, and the person living there freaked out a little bit thinking I was trying to pick the lock. When she realized it was just a misunderstanding, though, she was really nice. :)

That made me feel like kind of an idiot, and then I got to feel like a hobo when we found a grocery cart in the building and used it to transfer my stuff from the car to my new room. It was really funny. Dad and I kept laughing at ourselves as we used our stolen grocery cart.

Then we laughed at ourselves much more when we remembered that our gas tank had been empty when we left North Salt Lake. Somehow we'd made it all the way to Millcreek township, gotten lost, and even gone all the way to Shelli's house without the car just giving out on us. We joked that it would die right when we made it to a gas station, but nope. It was completely fine, for which we were grateful.

When we got back to North Salt Lake, we had a Chamberlain family dinner to celebrate my graduation. Not everyone could come, which was sad, but hey, I'll be living much closer by now, so I'm sure we'll see each other enough in the near future.

My family gave me some amazing graduation gifts. Aside from the money (which I had been hoping for and SUPER appreciated), I got a block quote by President Monson ("The past is behind us--learn from it; the future is ahead--prepare for it; the present is here--live it."), a biography of President Eyring, and a coffee-table book of President Packer's art. I felt so grateful that they would choose gifts that would uplift and inspire me to be a responsible, more-spiritual adult.

When it was all over, Dad and Ashley tried to stay up to greet Amanda, Chase, and Sarah when they finally arrived. I barely managed to stay awake long enough to greet them, and then I crashed. I was so exhausted--emotionally and physically--from the last few days.

On Saturday I got to properly spend time with my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew. Mostly, though, I hung out with my mom and sisters. They took me on a post-graduation shopping trip, where we spent four hours just finding a bunch of amazing clothes for me to wear in a professional workplace. Here are some of the outfits I've worn so far (they don't accurately represent the professional stuff we found--these are the more casual pickings):

After we shopped for way too long and I spent WAY too much money, we had a Springer family dinner at the Mandarin. It was delicious, as usual. I haven't been there in so long, but that place has great memories for me. That's where we had my big 12th birthday celebration with the Springers, too. It was weird not having the McConkies and Andersons there, though. Our Springer side seems so small with just us and the Jenkins.

Since it was my family's last full day in Utah, Ashley really wanted to just go on a drive around Bountiful. So she, Mom, and I piled into the car and went around to the Bountiful temple, and to just drive around the chuchi neighborhoods and look at the insanely big houses. We saw lots of deer along the way.

And it was COLD. It was so warm the past few weeks, but right when my family came here we got an insanely-freezing cold spell. But Im sure they loved it, after Arizona is already so scorching hot.

For the rest of the night together, we all just chilled. We watched the volleyball finals (which BYU won by a long shot), just chatted for a while, and then watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty until we were too exhausted to do anything else.

Which brings us to the last day I'll write about (see I told you this was a super long week. We did so much stuff!!)

Sunday, I got dressed in some cute new clothes and tried not to get depressed about my family leaving. That wasn't my only overwhelming emotion, either. I was also panicking about being on my own so soon--having to be completely independent and not have any more milestones besides working and saving up for furniture and a car.

But I did get some good quality time with my family that morning before we all parted ways again so soon. My parents, Sarah, Ashley, and I went to Temple Square and took tons of photos of the gorgeous Spring flowers. We even ran into Elder Christofferson.

Then my parents and Ashley left, which sucked. I miss them so much already. Poor Ashley's an only child at home again, and my parents didn't get nearly a long enough vacation.

Sarah and I went to Grandma Springer's house and just talked together until the grandparents got home (I let us in with the house key they gave me). We went for a brief walk around the neighborhood, too, and caught up and bonded a bit. I love that kid. I'm glad I got some alone time with Ashley, and then with Sarah. I don't get enough time with my sisters on an individual level anymore.

We worked on Sarah's homework a little bit, too, and I had a funny moment of panic when she looked through her planner. I thought, "Oh no, what do I have due this week? Am I forgetting something??" And then I remembered, I don't have anymore homework. EVER. AGAIN. It's both very liberating and very scary.

Grandma made us an amazing chicken and asparagus dinner. Amanda, Chase, and Jackson joined us, and we had a great time together, especially just watching Jackson hobble around and explore the world. He loved playing with beanie babies, with Grandma's flowers, and even with his own reflection in the door. :) I got to hold him a lot. He's such a sweetie and growing so fast. I really felt like an aunt today, now that he really recognizes people and is so interactive. I wish I got to see him more. I was so sad to see him and my other siblings go at the end of the evening. It was really hard for me.

But then it was time to go to my new apartment and settle in. I don't know why I was so nervous about it, but I was. Everything was just so unknown, and it was a bit overwhelming. But once I got here and knew I was here to stay, things fell into place just perfectly.

I'll post about the actual apartment and my roommates tomorrow (you've had enough for today, I'm sure. My sisters probably never even read this far.), but let me just say that I think it's gonna be great. Sunday night my roommate Liz invited me to watch Prince of Egypt with some of her friends in the ward, and they were all so cool and so welcoming. I had a great time with them. They seem like my kind of crowd.

Conclusion: I'm graduated now, and the future seems pretty overwhelming, but things fell into place this last week despite all the goings-on and the stress, and I know that everything will work out in the future, too. 

Deadlines: Oh wait! I have no more deadlines!

FREE AT LAST!!

Today, as of 9:15am, I am completely done with all schoolwork.

Forever.

I just had this moment in the women's restroom after my last final, where I looked in the mirror and went, "I did it. I actually went to college and finished. I'm getting my degree."

It still seems surreal. In some ways, I've learned so much. But in other ways, I'm sitting here like,

There's still so much to learn out there in the world of responsible adulthood! I'll have to...like...use dry cleaners and buy my own furniture and....*gasp* pay electricity bills!

But man it feels good to not be a student anymore. It's like I'm lifting off to a higher level of living. If this were "The Game of LIFE", I'd be at that little STOP square, waiting to leave that initial phase of the game and really get going--winning Nobel Peace Prizes and having kids and paying insurance at random times.

(Of course, if this were LIFE, I'd already have a car, and the next STOP sign would be "Marriage", which is always just five spaces away and ALWAYS happens in every game. I don't really know how far away that next phase of LIFE is for me.)

It's really exciting. Aside from our Europe trip in October, I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen in the next few years. I literally just have to take it one day at a time and see what happens.

It's thrilling.

My way of thinking has even changed a bit. I don't have college as an excuse to slack off anymore. I'm going to work full-time, but it's a sedentary desk job that ends at 5:00pm and doesn't include weekends. What excuse will I have this summer to be tired or slack off or eat crap food?

None.

So I'm facing this summer with the determination to be the best, most well-rounded person I've ever been.

I'll cook meals, exercise, take up hobbies, be social, and of course

And hopefully I'll have realistic enough expectations to avoid the "guilt spiral" that Hyperbole and a Half talked about (and where that meme image originally came from).

Things are really looking good for me right now. I can't wait to have my family in town this weekend, and graduate of course! I picked up my cap and gown this morning, and now I'm just bubbling over with anticipation.

Let's do this thing!!

Book Review: Heroes of Olympus #1--The Lost Hero

I was about to copy and paste a synopsis of this book for you, but the one I found on Goodreads was FULL of spoilers. I mean, sure not HUGE spoilers, but I had lots of fun just diving into this book without having a clue what it was about. If you read the synopsis, you'll go into it already having an idea of where the characters are coming from, so you won't be surprised.

So all I'm going to tell you is that this was a good book. I really liked it. It was, as I predicted, a bit more mature than the Percy Jackson series, though it still retained most of the elements that made that series fun--great humor, interesting retellings of classic Greek myths, and characters you'll quickly fall in love with.

I especially liked that he pulls us into the exact same world as the Percy Jackson series (and even the same time, really, which was a surprise to me), but he shows us a different side to it. Percy and Annabeth are still around, but in this book they were the older mentors, with these new, younger heroes trying to figure things out from the other side of the conflict--the side where most other half-bloods in the books are. 

He shows us what different kinds of heroes are capable of. I think he specifically targeted two of the cabins that really didn't get much attention in the original series--Aphrodite and Haphaestus. They were mentioned before, but not really given any depth. In this book, though, they got plenty of screen time. The characterization in general was much improved, I think.

This is fan-art, not mine. I just like it. Aren't they all adorable? 

I must say, though, that I'm a little tired of Rick Riordan's plot device. If you've read the books, you know exactly which one I'm talking about--the one where the main character realizes that people aren't telling him something important. They exchange a knowing look. They avoid his questions. And then, right when someone's opening their mouth to fill him in, BOOM! A monster appears! The subject is changed! The main character has to wait another 100 pages for another chance to learn the truth. I mean, really. He's used it in every single story so far. That's how Percy Jackson started every book--he'd show up at camp, Chiron would say something cryptic, Annabeth would exchange a look with Chiron, then say she'd explain to Percy later...only for things to spiral out of control, leaving Percy in the dark for no reason other than to lend mystery to the plot.

But aside from that, I like these books. A lot. They're ridiculously clever. Every book presents a new cast of characters from different Greek myths, and it's brilliant how Riordan incorporates them into the real world. I'm curious to see which ones he brings up for the rest of this new series. How many Greek myths ARE there...?

So if you haven't started either Percy Jackson or this series yet, you should sometime. It's a fun read. Not the BEST (I set it down a lot and read it slowly over the course of a few weeks, so it didn't keep me glued to my seat or anything), but it's enjoyable. This is one of those series I definitely want my kids to grow up on.

* SPOILERS FOLLOW *

The ending of this book was seriously great. I thought it was going to end all happy, and of course there would be a plot twist because there's ALWAYS a plot twist. But with the Percy Jackson books, none of those plot twists ever made me gasp and really worry until I could read the next book.

THIS plot twist DID make me gasp out loud, though. I mean, Percy was missing the whole time, and then the last line not only says where he is, but also shows the reader just how dire his predicament is. Even though Percy himself wasn't seen the whole book, we got to see exactly how it affected his counterpart, Jason. When I learned that Percy had had his memories wiped and been sent to the Roman camp, I was like, "Oh no!! THAT'S where he's been? Poor Percy! He'll be a fish out of water (ha ha, Poseidon humor), just like we saw with Jason! And he won't remember Annabeth when her frantic search finally comes to an end! Oh my sadness!!"

I'm really excited to see the Roman camp side of things, though. Jason's actually pretty cool, so I'm interested to see a ton of other people like him, with Percy being the more mild-mannered outsider. Does anyone else get the sense, though, that Riordan really just wanted to do Camp Half-Blood differently, so he decided to throw in this random Roman camp that's the same set-up, just different characters and attitudes? It's like reading about an alternate universe conflicting with the one we already know and love.

Also, why does Jason need a pegasus? We already saw Percy get a cool pegasus. Yeah, I know, Percy can talk to his, so it'll be different, and Jason's pegasus is actually a storm spirit. But really, Riordan has created SO MANY other creatures. Why would he repeat the pegasus when he has so many other animals to choose from? Is he just trying to make Jason that much like Percy? I can see why some fans don't like Jason--it does kind of make him seem like he's infringing on Percy's coolness sometimes.

Festus was awesome, though. And Leo's whole character is amazing. SO clever. I totally saw Piper's heritage coming a mile away, but I'm glad that Riordan gave the Aphrodite kids some depth.

Okay, that is all for the spoilers.

Sunday Soliloquy: Easter Sunday

It's been a while since I did a Sunday Soliloquy, which is indicative of my overall state lately. I've been in kind of a slump, thanks in part to bad shoes making it hard to exercise and school stress killing my happy moods.

But now school is just about over for me forever, and on this Easter Sunday, I'm looking ahead with a "brightness of hope".

I'm so grateful for the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This holiday isn't celebrated nearly as enthusiastically as Christmas, but Easter is undoubtedly more important.

Today is the celebration of when Jesus Christ took upon Him all our sins. He suffered the punishment Himself, so that when we feel remorse for the mistakes we've made and do our best to change our lives around, we can escape those punishments.

The laws of justice say that someone must suffer for sins, but by doing all the suffering Himself, Jesus Christ fulfilled the conditions for a law of mercy. Now, if we do all we can to change, God can forgive us. His Son saved us from the eternal torment that so many of us have deserved at some point in our lives.

As if that weren't wonderful enough, Jesus Christ then went on to give His life and take it up again. He essentially took the law of physical death and broke it, so that all of us will live again, with perfect bodies, with our families, never to suffer physical pains again.

Today as I'm reflecting on that gift that God gave us, I'm sad for all the sins that Jesus Christ had to suffer for because of me. I keep making mistakes, retroactively putting a heavier burden on His shoulders.

And I'm so amazed by the fact that He did it not because He had to, but because He wanted to. He loves me, even when I keep falling. He knew how many sins I would weigh Him down with, but He submitted to the Atonement anyways. He is all-forgiving.

I'm so grateful that He would do that for me. Now, because of Him, when I look back on my mistakes, I can know that those mistakes don't define me. They don't cripple me forever and condemn me to eternal torment. Because now I'm changing my ways and moving forward as a new person.

Jesus Christ made that possible. He made it possible for us to put aside the natural man and change for the better, despite the mistakes that we've made in the past. He ensured that death is not the end. We have a glorious future to look forward to if we do what's right, accept His help, and thoroughly repent by never going back to where we were.

Right now I confess that my scripture reading has been superficial, my prayers kind of hurried, and my priorities skewed. I wasted too much time this last semester. I now weigh more than I have in almost four years.

But all that can change, thanks to my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Every choice I make that brings me a step forward puts me in reach of His help. He carries me through the challenges whenever I turn to Him. And I fully intend to turn to Him more and more each day, now that I'm leaving college life behind and facing a future as a responsible, spiritual adult.

I should have made this change a long time ago, but I'm grateful that it's never too late. I can keep smiling, despite my past, knowing that I have a bright future ahead of me.

On a side note, I have the best grandparents. I decided last minute that I was going to spend Easter weekend with them in Salt Lake, and we dyed Easter eggs last night. Then I woke up this morning to find that they'd even put together an Easter basket for me. So sweet! I'm really glad I decided to spend this wonderful holiday with them, instead of staying at home where it would have just been like any other Sunday.

Freewrite: Country Dancing

I have a confession. I am really insecure when it comes to dancing.

Dances are probably my least favorite social events. I'm the kind of person that likes playing games with a small group, where we can laugh and talk together and really get to know one another.

See doesn't this look fun? I bet one of those girls gets engaged to that guy by the end of the day. 

Dances are the exact opposite. It's crowded and loud and sweaty and so shallow that you never really get to know new people. At least, not unless you leave the dance hall and talk somewhere quieter.

"Oh sorry, I thought you were my friend. Have you seen my friend? How do I get out of here? What'd you say?"

Plus, random dancing just isn't my thing. I don't know what to do with my arms. Or my hips. Or my feet. I just kind of jump up and down and whip my hair back and forth and hope that by at least moving and pretending to have fun I'll avoid detection as "The Girl Who Can't Dance".

But I've always loved the idea of really learning how to dance. There's nothing quite so mesmerizing (to me, at least) as a couple who can just get together and dance so gracefully, it's like they've been practicing their whole lives. Swing, salsa, country, waltz, hip-hop--it doesn't matter what kind of dance, I would love to do it if I just knew how.

Of course, learning how to do it requires dance classes. Which involve dancing with strangers. And showing everyone that you can't dance. So... I've never taken a dance class. As much as I love the idea.

So when it turned out that a guy I like loves going dancing every week, I was both extra attracted to him and extra insecure.

The first time he asked me to go swing dancing with him and his friends, I was an idiot and said no because A) I really did already have plans, B) I psyched myself out and convinced myself that I wasn't sure if he really liked me, and C) I can't dance.

My friends gave me a super hard time for not going (because that really was stupid of me, and really I could've changed my plans), and so this last week I decided to avoid the same situation.

I knew that he and his friends were going to go dancing again on Tuesday night, and I knew that if I was home, they would come around and invite me, and I knew that I wouldn't be in the mood again.

So I did the cowardly, passive-aggressive thing. After dinner, I went back on campus and stayed there until 9:00pm, specifically to avoid the dance-goers.

"Please don't see me. Please don't see me. I'm not home."

I know, I know, I'm an idiot. And I'm really only posting this because I know any friends who would tease me about it don't follow my blog.

Thankfully, Heavenly Father must have also thought I was an idiot, because He arranged an intervention.

It was 9:10pm, and I thought, "Okay. They leave the Colony at 9:00, which means that if I go home now, they'll already be at the dance. I'm safe." I packed up my things and headed for home.

To my horror, as I was exiting the building, the dance group was entering.

Keep in mind, I was in the JKB, which is a Linguistics and English Language building. There's no dance rooms there. So it was the most divine-intervention-y thing that when their swing dance club was canceled, they decided to clear a classroom in the JKB and country dance there instead.

I mean really, what are the odds??

"You guys will not believe what happened today."

They were so happy to see me, of course, and immediately invited me to join them in some country dance. My first thought was, "Oh well at least I've been studying all day. Now I have an excuse to go home."

That's exactly what I told them, too. They were disappointed, but they said goodnight and I headed on my way.

I made it to the bottom of the building steps before something made me stop.

It was the weirdest thing. I just stopped short before I even thought to. Something inside me said, Carly, you need to go back and hang out with them. Come on, girl!

"No," I told the voice. "I was specifically trying to avoid this."

I took another three steps, and then stopped again. This wasn't an accident. No way. This is your chance to get to know those people better. And really, what are the odds that you'll hate it? You might have the time of your life! Get in there!!

Still internally protesting, I found myself turning around and running back into the building, hoping I hadn't lost the group.

"Okay, okay, I'm going."

They hadn't gone far. I found them in an empty classroom, where they'd pushed and stacked all the desks against the walls and used the classroom computer to play a country music station on Pandora.

As expected, they were super surprised when I came dashing into the room, saying, "I changed my mind. I'm tired of studying. I want to do something fun tonight."

They were so happy to have me! Everyone quickly paired up and started dancing to the music. For about thirty seconds, I hung back by the wall, watching how coordinated they were and hoping I would be included and have fun.

Enter Greg. Definitely the resident expert in Country Dance, he immediately asked me to dance with him, then walked me through some basic dance moves.

He was the perfect instructor. I barely even had to think about what to do. He just took my hands and pushed or spun or pulled so smoothly that I always knew what I was expected to do. For probably the first time in my whole life, I felt like I was dancing.

It helped that the footwork was so simple. Aside from a two-step, the rest of the time it's just what you do with your hands that matters, and that was easy because we were holding hands the whole time.

It was perfect! It was awesome! I had an absolute blast!

Even more fun than these people are having!

The only downside was that I wasn't wearing good dancing clothes. I was wearing only a tank top under a jacket, so when we got moving and it got hot I couldn't take off my jacket.

Also, I wasn't wearing a good sporty bra, and the dancing involved a lot of reaching your arms over your head. So... everything kept falling out of place, if you know what I mean.

Thankfully my jacket hid enough of it, but there just came a point where I had to step back and say, "Okay whoa I need to step out for a minute and readjust." Of course that was the instant that the guy I like asked me to dance with him.

I hope he didn't think my crestfallen expression was because I didn't want to dance with him. I just told him I needed a second out in the hallway for some fresh air. I ran out there and fixed my clothes a bit, and then as soon as he was done dancing with another girl I asked for my turn with him.

I think I smoothed everything over, but you know, I'm insecure so I'm trying not to convince myself that he now thinks I hate him and didn't want to dance with him.

Long story short, I learned a lot of super fun country dance moves. I successfully had a positive dancing experience where I felt completely competent. I got to know new people. People I already knew saw me as more fun and spontaneous. And I had a wonderful time.

So I'm pretty thankful to Heavenly Father for setting that all up. I thought I could hide my cowardice from my roommates and my dancing friends, but of course I couldn't hide it from God. He was just watching me pretend to study on campus for four hours, thinking, "Oh no, this won't do. We need to get this girl to do something fun." Then he set it up just perfectly for me to run into the very group I was avoiding. In a building it made no sense for them to go to for a dance party. So that I could have a very enjoyable night, when I'd been planning on being a loner.

Isn't life awesome?

Enjoy some more photos. Because this post didn't have enough already. These ones are actually of my friends. I'm not in any of them, and my camera phone fails at action shots, but try to enjoy.