Sunday of Gratitude

Sunday in Nashville was crazy. Right before we were about to check out of our hotel, Kersti and I got emails saying our flight was cancelled and they had us on flights for Monday afternoon to leave Nashville. We were still on hold when Reed came and picked us up to go to the conference so that I could present my second poster. I was wearing a pencil skirt since we were going to a sacrament meeting right after the presentation, and as I got into the car the skirt ripped right up the seam in the back. Awesome. When we got there, I changed into the dress pants I had in the back of the car with lightening fast speed and we walked into the conference center, all while on hold with the booking company. I bet it was quite the sight. (Sidenote: I was wearing a brown skirt and undershirt but my pants were black, so I was annoyed that I was wearing black and brown the whole day. Cause I'm weird like that. Kersti just laughed and told me it was European.)

The poster presentation actually went surprisingly well. There weren't a ton of people there, but the ones I talked to found the project really interesting and we had some enlightening conversations. Plus, I think I did an okay job of not acting totally frazzled, even though I totally was because we still hadn't figured out the flight thing.  Dr. Braithwaite was there too, and he was so funny about our cancelled flight. He was very concerned and was coming up some ridiculous ways to help.

Reed was in a different presentation that went a little longer than the poster session, so Kersti and I decided to make ourselves feel better and laugh by taking pictures next to the tree and in Santa's chair. After that we booked it to the car and drove to a church. It was kind of strange to see a church on every corner, but it not being an LDS one. I'll admit, by the time we got there, we were all pretty frustrated. 

Don't worry though, I felt thoroughly chastised by the time Sacrament meeting was over. As it was the Sunday before Thanksgiving, all of the talks and songs were centered around gratitude. I realized that I had a lot of things to be grateful for, even if I was frustrated at the moment. After church we went to the airport and managed to get on a flight to LA that left a few hours later. Luckily Kersti's family lives near LA, so they agreed to come pick us up at the airport and take us back about five hours later for our flight to Salt Lake.

Nashville Airport

LAX

Since we had quite the wait in the airport, I decided to start writing a gratitude list. Here are some of my favorites:

1.  Getting to come to Nashville: I’m so blessed to have the opportunity to present my hard work to other people and meet and learn from new people.

2.  Live music: There is even live music playing in the Nashville airport. Definitely Music City.

3.  Knee problems: God’s hand was in all of that. The friends I made when I switched from dance to music have changed my life. And having the surgeries when I did set everything in motion. I enrolled in Dr. Braithwaite’s class for the fall instead of taking it during the summer. All of my opportunities have come from that.

4.  Hayden: He didn’t blink an eye when I cried on his shoulder for so long and helped me to find good perspective.

5.  Anne: This girl would do anything for me. And I’m so grateful for that. She was so great to jump up and immediately try to take care of me when I got the kidney stone. She’s my rock. I don’t know what I would do without her.

6.  Spencer: He is generous and an excellent cook. I’m so grateful that he was willing to wake up super early and drive me up to meet Alicia. He always says to call if we need anything and I know he would do it. I also love that he is my friend, not just Anne’s boyfriend. It means a lot to me.

7.  Haley: She brings so much light to life. She is the most loyal person you will ever meet and has an incredibly sensitive heart. Everything about her is big, except physically. She’s delightfully short.

8.  Emily Camero: She has shown so much concern for me. She definitely has her own struggles and concerns, but she is willing to sacrifice for those she loves. And she has given me more rides places than I can even count.

9.  Brittni: I want to be just as honest and genuine as Brittni someday. She cares so much about everyone. And she can always make me laugh.

10.  Emily Cummings: Even though she’s thousands of miles away, I love this girl. I have learned so much in the little over a year since I’ve known her.

11.  Karen: I am continually blown away by her ability to have a ton of fun and still be one of the strongest and most caring people I know. She’s incredible.

12.  Jack: He cares so much about everyone else. Even if he wouldn’t want everyone to know it. Despite the fact that he’s been struggling a lot lately with his health, he checks up on me and tries to do anything he can to help me out. Plus his hilarious blogposts always make my day better.

13.  Kate: Even when I don’t talk to her for a while, I know I can always count on Kate. She gets me in a way no one else does. She knows exactly what to say or do. She is my kindred spirit.

14.  Ryan: He is one of my heroes. He has tried his best to take care of me from day one and I know that he would do anything in his power for me.

15.  Shannon: She is so supportive of me in anything that I do. I love having her close the past few months because I get to feel like I am more a part of her life. Also, she was more than willing to take me to the hospital early on a Saturday morning. That’s some serious sacrifice.

16.  Jeff: Very few times in my life have I ever met a more thoughtful person. I love his random jokes he texts me. Already I know he’d do anything for me.

17.  Derrick: He inspires me. He works so hard and is not afraid of it. He is the one in the family who is far away, and I miss him so much. But we have had some seriously awesome bonding time in the past few years that I would never give up for anything.

18.  Alicia: Even being eight months pregnant, packing up her house, and going on like four hours of sleep, she dropped everything to come get me and take me to the doctor. She’s amazing and is going to be a killer mom.

19.  Peter: I’m grateful for the relationship I have with Peter. I feel like I know him better than most of the rest of the family does and I’m glad that I have that connection. He is just so good and wonderful. He works hard and is going to be an awesome, albeit nervous, dad.

20.  Mandi: She tries hard to ensure she is involved in everyone’s lives and wants to be close to all of us. It means a lot that she is willing to sacrifice for all of us and spend time with me. And that she came and picked me up from the airport.

21.  Nate: He can make anyone feel special, needed, and loved. He tries hard to unite the family and support everyone in everything possible. And he works so hard to do what is right.

22.  Dax: Boy this kid makes me laugh. He’s so goofy and wonderful. He truly is Daxton Lavel Keddington Superhero.

23.  Porter: Having a new baby in the family is such a nice reminder of what is really important. He is so pure and beautiful and you can just feel a peace whenever you hold him.

24.  Spencer: I love my big brother. Our family is the way it is because of him. He’s hilarious and an amazing father. He always steps up to the plate and takes on any responsibility that needs done.

25.  Amy: Few people can pull me out of a bad mood like Amy. She also provides the best practical advice for life. And she’s always willing to take any baby off your hands for a little while.

26.  Abby: Princess Abby is so wonderful. She is so sensitive and kind. She always know just when I could use a hug. She’s a great big sister and takes care of everyone.

27.  Lyla: Bug is my little buddy. I’ve always been her favorite Aunt and I love that special connection we have. She’s so determined and smart that I just can’t help but admire her.

28.  Max: He’s a crazy person. I love his obsession with sports and BYU. His cute smile just melts my heart every time, even if he keeps calling me Shannon.

29.  Connor: He’s getting so big and is always on the mood. He’s a determined little guy and I love that he is working so hard to be independent.

30.  Mom: The number of phone calls from me my mom has had to put up with the past few months is ridiculous. She has been so understanding and supportive of me through the whole thing. I know she has faith in me and that makes a huge difference. She and Dad came home early from Provo when I went to the hospital and she called about a thousand times when Alicia and I were at the doctor. She cares so much and I can never explain how much that means to me.

31.  Dad: He is my hero. He has the best heart. I know he was nervous about having his baby girl go off and travel by herself and I’m grateful to know he will always be there to protect me. I love it when he gets goofy and does weird walks and dance moves. I don’t know anyone who has more of a tender heart than he does. He is a quiet sacrificer and would never ask for anything in return.

32.  Nick: Having him in 4 of my 5 classes has been a saving grace, especially the past couple weeks when I’ve missed class so much. We’ve become such good friends and I love that we can talk about pretty much everything.

33.  My Jobs: I am so grateful for my ALS job. It is exhausting and frustrating, but it is a good job. I love my students and all my baseball boys. They make me smile, laugh, and remind me that it is worth the hard work in the end. And, I love being a TA. This job is where I figured out where I belonged at BYU. Teaching and interacting with students has been amazing.

34.  Kersti: She’s taken me under her wing during this trip for sure. She has been more than willing to share her wisdom and help me out whenever she can. This morning especially, when I was on the phone and trying to change and get to the poster session she took a lot of my stuff and put up my poster for me. Sounds simple, probably but oh was it helpful. Also, taking pictures in front of the tree and in Santa’s chair was delightful and lighthearted.

35.  Dr. Braithwaite: I would not be here in a million years without him. He gave me my first shot at everything. He has been encouraging and has pushed me to do better always. He took over a couple times today while I was trying to get the flight figured out, too, which was awesome. He was so concerned about us and was trying to come up with ways to help. Going out to dinner with everyone last night was so fun. I love getting to know people on a more personal level and seeing him with his baby was so fun.

36.  Good tasting water: Choking down nasty Nashville water for the past few days has been awful.

37.  Clean public bathrooms: I’ve had to use them a lot lately (what with all the water drinking).

38.  Nashville airport announcements: They’re all done by Country Music stars. Hilarious. Also, the “walk” signs for the street corners play country music too.

39.  My home ward girls: Kira and Kelsey bring so much happiness to my life. They are always so excited for me and are both living their lives in such amazing ways. I love them!

40.  Mary and Lizzy: Lizzy is such a great mom! She’s always been there for me. And I don’t know what I would do without my weekly chats with Miss Mary!

41.  That the Church is the same everywhere: The people, talks, and music may have a slight variation, but the Spirit is the same. You can feel at home almost anywhere.

42.  Small complaints: The only thing I’m still struggling with is that I have black and brown on still and can’t really do anything about it. Much worse things in life.

43.  Pride and Prejudice: No matter how old I get, it will always be the same. And it never fails to cheer me up.

44.  Friendship with Chris and Allan: It’s had its ups and downs, that is for sure. But I love both of them. They make me laugh, are supportive, and are great to talk to. Plus, I will forever be grateful for our perfect summer.

45.  The Gospel: I’m so blessed to know the truth. There are so many things I don’t have to worry about because I know God and I know the way he wants me to take.

46.  Commandments: They keep me safe. They truly bless my life.

47.  GPS: Man we would have been lost a lot without our GPS.

48.  Our taxi driver: He was from Africa and had an unfailing belief in the American Dream. Pretty awesome in this day and age.

49.  Singing: It connects me to other times, places, and people. I love that it is a family trait, too.

50.  Christmas songs: They bring back so many choir memories. Good and bad. But mostly good.

Eventually we got back to Salt Lake. Mandi came and picked me up at the airport with her two little cuties and I got to go to lunch with Nate and his family before heading back to Provo. Of course, Thanksgiving was later that week, so I was only in Provo for less than 48 hours. Like I said, completely insane couple of weeks.