A beautiful light over the horizon

Yesterday was one of those days that just sits well in your soul.
Do you know the days I'm talking about?

I think it had something to do with the fact
that the air was clear
and the sun came out from behind the clouds.

It's getting lighter.
I have seen a sunrise two days in a row now.
And the mountains echo gloria.

Besides light, there was love.
It was my last day at work,
and I could feel how loved I am there
and how I will be missed.

It is a nice thing to know that you are missed.
Bittersweet, I suppose.
But still
to know that I have touched a heart
and to know
that there will be a small
Meg-shaped hole
and that my heart will have a small hole
where that person was
is sweet and beautiful
and the way that it is supposed to be, I think.
We are supposed to live together
in friendship and love
so that it is hard to leave.

And I know
that when the time comes
I will miss Salt Lake.
It's funny.
I didn't think I would.
But now--
well, I had a friend tell me
that she believes
that "home is wherever God leads you."
And I feel that to be right.
It feels right to me.
And Salt Lake
has become home to me.
I am grateful to be here
I am grateful for my experiences here
I am grateful for my friends here
I am grateful to love and to be loved here.

[view from the top.]

if you do it right, you'll love where you are. 


Song of the day: "93 Million Miles," by Jason Mraz

something there is that doesn't love a wall.

Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out, 
And to whom I was like to give offence. 
Something there is that doesn't love a wall, 
That wants it down. --"Mending Wall," by Robert Frost

[Pieces of the Berlin Wall, Berlin, Germany]

[Peace Walls, Belfast, Northern Ireland]

 something there is that doesn't love a wall. 

[For the entire poem, go to this link.]

That D.C. life

About a week ago (was it really a week ago? time is a strange thing), I went to D.C. I figured that I should probably post some pics of the trip because it was a pretty great trip overall. (And I also figure that I'll let the pictures do most of the talking on this one.)

First of all, the memorials at night are just so beautiful and so peaceful. Love love love love love.

[D.C. at sunset. Simply stunning.]

I got to see so many friends in D.C.! Like Beth and Jonathan. And Sam (obvi).

[Sam and I with Beth and Jonathan at the magical land of Shake Shack.] 

And sooo many museums. Which was fun. This is me chillin' with Louisa May Alcott at the National Portrait Gallery.

[Oh haiiii, Louisa.]

[And Rothko at the Phillips Collection! I totally had a moment while I was there. I love Rothko's work. I just do.]

[ROTHKO.]

[Library of Congress. Not exactly a museum, but there are lots of old books there, so I figure it counts in this category.]

We also saw a bunch of darling neighborhood libraries. Which are always fun.

[Sam posing with a library. As one does.]

We also strolled through Georgetown, which is a wonderfully-charming area of D.C. We also went to Georgetown's campus, and it was also beautiful . . . and kind of neat/weird to see my "sister life." The thing I could have chosen. It kind of felt like "It's a Wonderful Life" type of moment, and that truly is a gift. And even though D.C. is wonderful, I'm so glad I chose Oxford. 

[Lovely Georgetown.]

[Georgetown's campus.]

[GEORGETOWN CUPCAKE.]

We also made sure to swing by the Ukrainian Embassy. Because, you know. I love Ukraine.

[Sam: You know, if you touch the embassy, you're legally in the country.

Me: Well, I'll have to touch it then, won't I?]

Overall, great trip, great company, great conversation, great people. 10/10 would definitely recommend.

two wings.

Just some thoughts applicable today and every day:

"The world of humanity is possessed of two wings: the male and the female. So long as these two wings are not equivalent in strength, the bird will not fly. Until womankind reaches the same degree as man, until she enjoys the same arena of activity, extraordinary attainment for humanity will not be realized; humanity cannot wing its way to heights of real attainment. When the two wings . . . become equivalent in strength, enjoying the same prerogratives, the flight of man will be be exceedingly lofty and extraordinary." -- Bahai'i Faith, "Two Wings of a Bird"

["Climbing a Very Small Mountain Together," by Caitlin Connolly]

/via/

Quick recap on the entire reason I moved to Salt Lake in the first place

The past few months, I've been working in Salt Lake City for LDS Church Magazines. It's been a great opportunity and experience. 

Some of my favorite things about the internship include the commute . . . not the driving part, but the walking from my car to the Church Office Building--I love seeing the Salt Lake Temple in the early morning, and it was fun to see the lights on Temple Square come up in the evening. 

I've had some really neat experiences while working with the Church, from interviewing Dutch Hunger Winter survivors to writing meaningful articles to interacting with incredible people, including my fellow interns. 

[Wonderful, wonderful, talented women.]

[The intern band at the Christmas Party.]

[We all really wanted a hippopotamus for Christmas. So it was only fitting that we sang the song. I was on kazoo duty. Kazoo duty is the best duty.]

There's too much to recap about all of my experiences working for the Church the past few months, but I am happy that I chose to come. It is a privilege to work with high-caliber, talented people with a desire to be good and do good. 

Gatherings.

Just some recent gatherings of a handful of some of my favorite people. Not all of my favorite people are pictured, of course. But here are a few.

[So many incredible people in my life. How do I get so lucky?]

Tomorrow I start in a new direction

I always seem to bite off more than I can chew with New Year's resolutions.

I just have so much that I want to get done, so many books I want to read, and so much I want to become.

So that always means that January is a hodge-podge of piles of books, unlistened-to podcasts, and unspoiled planners.

Maybe my real New Year's resolution should just be to prioritize.

But there's so much to do! Read all the books! Sing all the songs! Burn all the calories!

Ah well. At least New Year's means that I get to use the really cute planner that I bought specifically for the purpose of hoping that it would help me be more organized.

In other news, I saw La La Land the other day and I loved it. So good. I've been listening to the soundtrack pretty much non-stop. I'm listening to it right now as I write, actually. Ah. So good. If you've seen it, let's discuss.

In other-other news, my hair feels incredibly healthy today. Not that you needed to know that, but now you do. You're welcome?