January 13, 2015 I returned home from Indiana, with very mixed emotions. Excited to see my family, sad to leave so many wonderful people, longing for my comfy bed, dreading having to take off the tag...and looking forward to that first bite of Cafe Rio in 18 months! Even with the mixed emotions of coming home, coming down that escalator and seeing my family waiting for me was a sight I will never forget. I realized in that moment how much I had really been missing them!
At the of January we took a family trip to California, specifically Disneyland!! There was a point before my mission where I told my parents I wanted to go to Disneyland and they said when you get back we can go, so the week before my birthday, the 6 of us piled in dad's car and drove to the Happiest Place on Earth! I turned 21 in Disneyland, wore a Happy Birthday button and made my family wear a celebration button! We watched the sunset on the beach, raced through Radiator Springs, visited the Twilight Zone, visiting Central Perk, and most importantly were all together! It was the best Disney trip yet!
I worked and occasionally played. One of my best friends got married, a month later another one of my best friends came home from her mission! Life kept rolling along, a little faster each day!
In June, my mom, Megan, and I took a road trip to Northern California to visit my grandma! It was so nice being able to see her again, it had been about 3 1/2 years since I had seen her! We had great times talking and listening to stories about her life and her parents. I also got to spend some time hearing my mom's old stories and visiting family! Sadly in July, my grandma passed away from a heart attack so we took the drive back to California with dad, Nicole, and Megan for the funeral. It was the first time in a long time that so many Hunt cousins have gotten together. I realized during this time how the Lord always knows the bigger picture. It was such an amazing miracle, one that I will always cherish, being able to go visit with and listen to my grandma just a month before she would pass away. I also gained a stronger testimony of the plan of salvation and temple work.
Also in July I had the opportunity to return to Indiana with my parents to go to the temple open house! It was such an amazing experience to be able to return to my mission 6 months after leaving. I got to see so many wonderful people who have impacted my life without even realizing it. I was able to go to places my dad served 30+ years ago and swap stories with him. I was able to tour the temple and think about specific people I've met who will be greatly blessed by this sacred building.
The last bit of my summer consisted of trying to have as much fun as possible! I went to the Imagine Dragons concert, so great, went on night drives and snow cone runs, worked, $5 Tuesdays at the movies, staying up way to late because I'm 21...might as well be young and reckless while I've got the chance! :) At the end of August I moved back down to Cedar City to start my sophomore year of college! Being back has been great! I got lucky and have the best roommates, a great ward, good professors, and a nice apartment that's been home for the past 3 months! Classes are going well, my mind is blown that the semester is nearly over with only 7 days of classes left before finals! Post mission life has definitely not been easy, then again when has life ever been easy? Life is about finding adventures in everything you do, which is why this gal is always searching for new adventures!
