Top 10 of 2006

Okay... I know I never post anything on here. But here's something. I was for instructions to remove my radio and I saw on someone's blog a list of the best things of the last year, so I thought I would give it a try and make my own list. I was surprised at what I came up with. So, here it is, in order of occurrence, the Best of 2006--my accomplishments, favorite times, etc.

1) After returning home from Russia, I got to spend some quality (albeit short) time with my family and with my friend Tanner, who drove up to Utah with me and put up with my poor selection of music and near-death car.

2) I got a job that I really enjoy working for BYU IT Office. I do computer support for employees in the north area of campus. I like my boss and coworkers, the pay is good, and it is flexible enough to accommodate someone like me.

3) I went on a blast of a river trip with my dad and Tanner. We did the Green River from Colorado down into Utah. It was a four day trip (I think) and I had a great time. You can see pictures here.

4) Summer break! I have to admit, it was hard for me to adjust to living at home, but I really enjoyed it. I got to spend time with my family and be back in my old room. Chelsea and I hung out and went on the Price is Right (she even got picked!). I also setup her new computer. I got in touch with friends from my home ward and generally enjoyed the time off.

5) I got to spend a relaxing 10 days in Minnesota with my dad's parents. We went fishing, watched movies and the news, watched the birds, and I fixed their computer. I also used the time to start studying for the LSAT again. It was a great time to relax and spend time with my grandparents.

6) Aleks and I competed latin in two weekends of competitions. We didn't win anything, but we had a great time performing the routines we had worked on for so long. The videos are coming online shortly. And we will be back at it again this year.

7) My roommate Jonathan got married in Hawaii and I got to go to the sealing in Laie, not to mention spend a couple days in Hawaii!!! It was so much fun. I loved being able to drive around in my rental car and go wherever I wanted on the island. It was incredibly beautiful. The pictures are on facebook.

8) I finished all my applications for law school! (That means I took the LSAT prep, took the LSAT, got all the letters of recommendation, wrote my personal statement, I got it all done right before/during finals week so I didn't have to worry about it during the break. And I have already heard back from BYU--I'm in!!! You can follow my progress here.

9) When I first got home from my mission, my GPA was a 3.69. After my first semester, it was up to 3.74 and I was able to get a half tuition scholarship for my last year. And after spring and fall terms, I am up to a 3.79. YAY!

10) And I think this was partly due to the fact that I had all my application in and didn't have any school stuff to worry about... I had the best Christmas break ever! We had a ridiculously full house... 11 people, which included my family, my sister's family (2 kids), and my grandparents from Minnesota. I didn't get much sleep on the couch with the early-rising kids, but it was great. I got to help out a little with some home renovating projects. There was lots of quality time with the family, we went to the beach and Disneyland, and I got a very nice Christmas/early graduation present which I used to drive back up to Utah.

So there it is. I am sure there is some stuff that got left out, but that was the list I made a couple weeks ago when I first saw the idea. I am so grateful for the past year! Happy New Year!!!