BYU-Idaho: the Road Less Traveled.

The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

*Warning: REALLY long post about my life (my thoughts and dilemmas)... as usual.

For many of you, hearing that title might make you think, "What? There are a ton of people I know that go to BYU-I." Well, that's probably true. But, the fact of the matter is, more people attend BYU in Provo than BYU-I.

As many are heading back to school (myself in included- I head back to Idaho on Monday), many of my mission friends have headed to BYU. Also, interestingly, a great number of people from my mission are attending Utah State University.

Now, let's be honest, I sometimes feel left out on the party being up there in Idaho when so many people are down in Utah. However, I chose to be where I am at. It's it's important to choose to do what the Lord wants you to do. For me, he wants me in Idaho. And don't get me wrong, I do want to be there too.

The other day I was reading through one of my old journals. The date was November 16, 2003. I was a senior in high school- a critical time for deciding where to attend college. I quote:
"Some people have tried to talk me into going to BYU-I, but I don't think that would work for me. If I go to BYU or UVSC I can still frequently see my family, yet have some freedom as well. I've never really had the desire to go to BYU-I. I'm sure it's a great school, but I don't think it's for me."

How FUNNY! I think the Lord has been giving me nudges and hints for many, many years. I do think I was supposed to be going to UVSC and living in Provo at that time in my life. I had a lot of good experiences and made a lot of friends.

So, fast forward to my mission. The Lord started nudging me again. It always happened through other people. While I was on my mission my sister started attending BYU-I. Then, my friend I lived with in Provo (who had attended BYU-I before her mission) returned to school in Idaho. My mom told them they should talk to me about going to BYU-I. I just thought it was kind of funny and had no desire to make important decisions like that until after my mission.

The "after" came and I had a hard time figuring out what to do. I think part of the problem was I was denying the fact that I knew I needed to go to BYU-Idaho. I remember when it hit me. I started moving forward and things fell into place.

So anyway, that's just something that's been on my mind lately. When the Lord tells you to do something you do it. It's not always easy, but in the end it's always right. The hard part is that most of the time we don't know why. I still don't fully know why I am needed up there in Idaho. But, I am grateful for the opportunity to be there. I love being at a church school.

As a side note- I am currently wondering why I am in the apartment I am in. I thought a lot about moving somewhere else, but in the end I hate moving so I decided to stay. It'll be interesting to see how this semester goes. Also, I recently totally re-did my schedule, as I have felt strongly the need to look for a job. I've been vigorously looking, and am wondering how this will all work out. It's a very hard time to find a job, especially in Rexburg where it's small and there are so many students competing to get employment. I was on the BYU campus in Provo recently and happened to walk by their employment office. There were pages and pages of jobs available. I couldn't help but think: "Well, gosh, maybe if I went here I'd have a better chance of getting a job." But, I have to keep reminding myself to have faith and that things will all work out.

Satan works very hard on us to get us to doubt decisions we have made. But, the Lord does not work through doubts. If we have felt it is right, then it is right. I know I am where I am supposed to be and the Lord is in control.

P.S. I am off-track winter semester and was originally planning and hoping to do an internship in a warm place... like Arizona. It doesn't look like I will be doing an internship at all, I still have one or two classes I have to take before I can. Also, it appears that many internships are unpaid. Therefore, I need to earn some money to be able to live while interning. Right now the plan is to get a job in Rexburg this semester and continue working next semester. We will see....

You know, when it comes down to it, I think I am just a good girl who is trying really hard to do what the Lord wants me to do with my life. It's a struggle to align our will with His. I just want to live a happy, successful life. I think as long as I have that mindset and work hard, the Lord will bless me.