My life is a chick flick

Well, the inevitable happened... I'm single again. It happens I guess, part of life is experiencing sadness and heartache and growing from feeling those emotions. I will say, I must be bound to have a lot of daughters some day and I will definitely be able to show an emmense level of compassion when they go through the heartaches that most teenage and young adult girls experience. I am grateful that the Lord loves me enough to give me experiences that will ultimately make me a better person.

Being single can be quite fun sometimes. You really never know quite what to expect. At any moment your life can change through a brief meeting or interaction. I have been asked out at the most random moments, and it definitely makes life interesting. Listed below are the top five:

5. Rock climbing at Momentum
At a stake activity about two weeks ago, I was walking from one group of friends over to another, and this guy stopped me and said, Nicole, that is a lovely name (I was wearing a name tag...typical LDS single's activity). He then proceeded to tell me that he had been working up the courage for the last 15 minutes to ask me out. He was a bless your heart kind of guy, and I had barely been dumped 3 days earlier, so I was in no mood to be hit on or go on a date, but his intentions were so pure and it was obvious that he was incredibly nervous. So I gave him my number.

4. BYU-I library
Ok, so if you knew the atmosphere at the library at BYU-I, this really wouldn't be that weird, but the whole situation was awkward so I couldn't help putting it on the list. I was working as a library aide and it was slow so I was reading the Ensign. This guy walked up to me and asked me if I had plans for the next evening. I did already have a blind date lined up, so he encouraged me to come play soccer with a group of friends if my date and I couldn't find anything better to do. He told me they were playing with the biggest soccer ball in all of Idaho, but we had to pay $2 and sign a waiver...(yeah, I don't get it either). He then asked me if I'd like to go on another date. It took a minute to register that he was asking me on a date. I agreed. He called me the following Monday to set everything up, and we made plans to go out Tuesday evening. Tuesday morning, I saw him in the library and stopped him to say hello. I'm not lying, he looked at me and said, how do I know you? I couldn't believe it. I reminded him that we had met last week, we had talked the night before, and we had a date for that evening. Needless to say, the date was awkward. Come to find out, he was trying to fit in 100 dates during the semester.

3. Walmart
I decided to make a pit stop on my way home from work and pick up a few things at a Walmart not too far from my house. As I was waiting to check out, I noticed the guy in front of me was looking at my right hand, on which I wear my CTR ring that is in spanish. He was hispanic. He struck up a conversation with me about how I knew spanish. He then checked out and stalled a bit after going through the line while I paid for my items. I walked right past him and went to my car. However, lo and behold, he was parked next to me and we met up again in the parking lot. He asked me on a date right then and there.

2. Airplane
It not only happens in movies, but in real life! On my way back to SLC from visiting my parents over Thanksgiving, I had a connecting flight in Las Vegas. On the flight from Vegas to SLC, I sat across the isle from a young man who appeared to be about my age. After I got settled in my seat and the plane was getting ready to take off, I got out my Book of Mormon. I read a couple versus when he looked over and struck up a conversation with me, noticing that I was also LDS and...single. We talked the whole plane ride (about an hour) and he got my number at baggage claim. He then called me the next Sunday and we went to the First Presidency Devotional together. Romantic, isn't it?

1. Trax stop (no lie)
The first month I lived here I used the public transportation system to get to work, also known as Trax. I was reading a book called Amour, by Elder Kim Clark, one morning as I was waiting for the train to arrive, and a guy that obviously attended the U of U struck up a conversation with me about the book, where I was from, etc. We boarded the train shortly after the conversation began, and sat in separate areas on the train. We got off on the same stop, and he caught me before I walked off, told me that he and his friends made a goal to ask a girl out to the upcoming Jazz game, but it had to be a girl they had never met before. He got my number, we went out, and he became my first friend here in Utah.

So, while none of these random encounters have developed into anything, one of the days, I may just meet my prince charming while waiting in line to buy postage stamps. It could happen. And when it does, I'm writing a script and selling it to make a major motion picture.

The important topics of life: Love, politics and religion

Life is good. I have been really happy lately. That may partially have to do with the fact that I have been dating a wonderful guy, who honestly treats me so well and just inspires me to be a better person. We have a lot of fun together.
His name is Rob Garside and we met dancing about a month ago. He asked me to dance twice, and after the second dance told me that he would kick himself later if he didn't ask me on a date. So he got my number, but was hesitant to call and took a week and a half to call me up. But, since our first date, we have spent a lot of time together and things are going really well. One step at a time, but for now things are great!

The election has come and gone. While I tell people that I am moderate, I truly am more right winged than left. And the thought of having Barack Obama as a President left me a bit nervous, because of his policies that I struggled with. However, I am confident that the Lord will bless him these next four years.
I realized something recently. I think we sometimes forget really where we need to go to find a solution for the problems in this world. We forget who really is in control. While it is our responsibility to vote for the best candidate and be involved as much as we can or desire... ultimately the right answers to resolving the problems in this world and in our country will come from inspiration from our Father in Heaven. He is in control, and He knows more than we or any President-elect will ever know. My prayers will be directed towards the leaders of this country, and that they will have the humility to turn to the One that really is in control and can inspire them to do what is best for this country.

God Bless America, and those who serve.

Bring on skiing season... I'm staying here!

So... I made my decision to stay here in SLC. I actually was planning on taking the job in New York, I was looking at plane tickets, getting moving quotes, and processing in my head all the things I'd have to do before Nov 1st. So, I went in and talked to my boss and told him that I was in final negotiations for a job in NY with my old employer, and he was in shock. He really didn't want me to leave, and we spent about a half hour talking about what my future holds with the company. It was a great talk, and I felt great to hear that he really values me and has been impressed with my work so far.

I really honestly love my job here, and I didn't like many things about working for Coltrin. So, after debating longer and weighing in the raise that my boss offered me to stay, I decided to turn the job down and stay here. And I feel so good about the decision.

If I were to go to New York, one of two things would happen. I would get wrapped up in the NY lifestyle, and completely forget who I am, or I would remain the same old Nicole and be completely miserable out there. I love the company I'm with, and I have a lot of potential and a lot to learn, and I'm looking forward to it all.

Life altering decisions...

I recently had a long conversation with my previous employer, who asked me to come back to the firm. He wants me to come back and manage some great accounts, take responsibility for them and be in charge of developing and moving forward on strategic initiatives for each of these accounts. This is a major opportunity for my career. The only thing is... the position is in New York. I previously worked in the Salt Lake office, but he wants me in New York. And he's willing to make it worth my while. Tomorrow, we're talking again and he's going to let me know how much they're willing to offer me.

I'm overwhelmed. Career wise, I'd be stupid not to take this offer. I love my job right now, but business is at a standstill and there is no way that I'll be promoted anytime in the near future. I'm scrimping by with my salary as a recent graduate. I want to pay off my student loans as soon as possible, I really need to get myself financially stable, especially with the economy in the state it is. This could be the answer to all that.

But... my career isn't the most important thing to me. I am so excited to be a wife and mother. Moving to New York would mean being in a culture where work is your life. There are few LDS members, much fewer than here in Utah. My social and dating life would be completely different. However, I can't just chill here in Utah and wait for prince charming to come my way and ask me to marry him. That's just stupid.

I guess I can't make any decisions until I know how much they are willing to offer me, but in the mean time I continue to run through my mind the pro's and con's. New York...how amazing that would be. I'm young, very young, and this is an opportunity that is hard to come by. I have nothing holding me back, the world is at my fingertips. However, I LOVE my life here. I have so many wonderful friends, people that have come to mean SO much to me. People I truly care about and it would break my heart to think that I may never see them again.

I don't know where the Lord wants me to go, and I'm not ready to ask him until I know all the details of the situation, but I pray that I'll have the faith to do what he wants me to do. I never pictured my life to be like this. I never thought I'd be faced with these types of decisions. I'm so grateful for the influence and guidance of the Holy Ghost.

I'm an aunt and a future mother :)

I'm an aunt! I had the best weekend visiting my sister, her husband, my mom, and my beautiful new nephew, Nathan James Johnson. He is the most beautiful little boy in the whole wide world... not that I'm biased. It was so great, there really is nothing like holding an infant. He was a week old on Thursday, and just the tiniest thing.

I was reminded how being around a small, innocent child can be such a spiritual experience. As I sat there holding him, humming and rocking him to sleep, I couldn't help but feel impressed upon the great potential of Nathan. I thought about where he came from, and all that lays in store for him. Its so easy for us to forget who we really are, and I'm so grateful for that reminder.

Life has been fun for me lately. I'm single, graduated, and I have a great job. I have the freedom to do what I want, when I want. My life is simple and I can live quite selfishly. I know that will all change once I get married and children are everything that my life revolves around. I still have looked forward to that, but I won't deny that I'm relishing what I have now.

But after spending a few days with that little baby, it reminded me how I would be willing--not just willing but excited--to give it all up. I can't wait. :)

Backpacking in the Uintahs... Definitely worth it!

This last weekend was an amazing experience. I went backpacking in the Uintahs for about 2 days. I've never been backpacking before, and I went with four guys that are outdoor experts. They could all probably be left in the forest with nothing but a knife and survive, quite comfortably. I was proud of myself for keeping up with them, although I'm sure they slowed down a bit for my benefit.

The first half of the hike was all pretty much uphill, and the muscles in my legs and back burned continuously. I'm not accustomed to the thin air, so breathing was definitely a struggle. As I put my body through this abuse, it was hard to remember the reasons I decided to come on the trip. All the guys talked about how much they loved backpacking and how great it was, and at the beginning, all I could think was how crazy these guys were. But after opening my eyes to the scenery all around me, I realized what a great experience this was. I was completely away from busyness of life and just enjoyed the beauty. I haven't seen such beautiful scenery since I went to Maccu Piccu. We spent several hours hiking, and I had a lot of time to just think. It was a great blessing.

It was definitely hard, and there were times as we were hiking where I wondered if my body could actually handle this. My legs are scraped up and bruised, I'm pretty sure almost every muscle in my body is sore, and I hardly slept at night because I was so cold and uncomfortable. But after it was over, I decided that it was all worth it. The guys I went with were so great, they were so nice and considerate. I was definitely taken well care of. Chris was so great about making sure I was warm enough at night and staying with me pretty much the whole hike. Tony carried my tent for me so I'd actually survive the hike. And Ben taught me how to fly fish! It was great.

Definitely a memorable Fourth of July!!!

Family reunion fun

I just got back from a family reunion, it was so great to see my family again. We went up to Island Park, and there were so many people there. I saw my immediate family for the first time since Christmas, which was so great. It was a bit of a hectic weekend but it was wonderful to be with them.

Families are such a blessing, and I am realizing that even more so now since I'm living so far away from my family. I've usually had extended family living close to me, but out here I'm pretty far away from them all. It is so amazing to think that I can live with my family for all eternity. I can't wait for that, I love and miss them all so much.

This weekend has also been a strong reminder to me that I am slacking a bit in the area of dating/marriage. I am the oldest female that is not married on both sides of the family, and the only male that beats me is my brother. It can be awkward when everyone in your family that you used to hang out with at reunions are now married and have two or three kids. I have realized that I have been spending most of my time just hanging out, and probably not putting myself out there as much as I should be.

Life is great, and I can't wait for it to get even greater! :)

Camping at Bear Lake

This weekend I went camping at Bear Lake with a great group of friends, it was a blast. I have to say, though, my generation is SO technologically addicted. When we arrived at our campsite, Grant was already there and had a fire going. He also had his ipod all set up on that dock thing (whatever its called, I don't have an ipod...) and music was playing. Then Cara got out her laptop, found a wireless signal, and checked her facebook and email. Mulitple people got on their cell phones and were talking to friends, etc. I just sat back and watched with a smile on my face.

It was a great trip, we camped one night and spent Saturday at the beach. Friday night got pretty cold, down into the 30's and I barely slept because I was freezing all night long. All the girls were in a tent, but we all were still freezing. The guys decided to sleep out under the stars, and they claimed they were as warm as ever. We did get some sun on Saturday, I am quite burnt. After spending the weekend in the sun and camping, it certainly makes you grateful for things, like a bed, shower, clean clothes, and aloe vera. :)

I am so grateful to have such good friends with good standards. I love being around people that encourage me to be my very best. My friends are one of my greatest blessings at this point in my life.

And they say PR people are famous for spinning the story...

So a little background for all you viewers that are unfamiliar with the field of PR and the media in general. Public Relations professionals, among many things, are responsible for representing their clients to the media. One of my key responsibilities in my last job was to call reporters and tell them what my clients were up to, what was newsworthy. Getting our clients name in the news is a huge deal...its free advertising and its more credible since it's coming from a supposedly unbiased, third party.

I have developed some un-Christlike feelings for reporters, I must say. I am working to overcome those, so please don't judge me on this.:) Reporters act all interested, say they want to interview your client, you set up the interview, monitor it, and your client gets their hopes up.

And then the article comes out.

And the reporter digs up dirt, focuses on other things, and completely turns the story around. And you come out looking like the bad guy. My new job in advertising is more and more enticing as I see articles come out recently that I landed for clients at the firm I worked with previously.

Anyway, I just had to vent on that. I'm sure reporters are wonderful people deep down, but professionally, I can do without them.

Let's try this again...

So I created this blog a long time ago, wrote once, and I haven't written since. I've decided to try it again.

I got a new job, and I love it. Its so great to have a job that you love, to be excited to wake up in the morning. It has been such a huge blessing. Its been a challenge to understand and fit in to the dynamics of the office. But I love it.

I've been taking a break from the dating world, too much disappointment and a long series of bad dates put me on the bench. I am awed at the fact that people actually find each other in this world. They make commitments and are happy. I would start to think its actually all a fairytale if all of my friends weren't getting married. I swear, I get a wedding announcement about once a week. I promise I'm not bitter, just confused.

Anyway, that's my boring blog post for now. I'll try to have some fun story for next time. Until then, chao.