My Three Year Plan

Warning: AUGH LONGEST POST EVER


Well, I'm getting back into [web]logging. Sometimes I avoid it cause it tends to be addicting. Plus no one EVER reads mine. My roommates (yes, you), Beth and Kaeli have been doing their own [web]logs lately and they'll probably read mine too. They're excited that I'm getting back into it. Maybe I'll print these out one day and put them with my journals or something. The best part about thinking that no one else reads these, is that I can write about whatever I want. It's kind of fun.

Alright, so here goes! So, I'll preface this entry with a little something first. I like to think I'm a spontaneous person. I do like to do crazy things, and I'm not afraid to live life and try new things and be open minded. So now I'm sure you're thinking, "Laurel, if you just made a three year plan for yourself, you're clearly not spontaneous." So... maybe I'm more of a "spontaneous planner." I like to make crazy plans[!] and then follow through with them. I love those people that will actually follow through with plans that we make! Debbie (my sister) usually does, and Beth always does. Yep, that's why I love her. And numerous other reasons. But really. When I say I want to do something, I mean that I want to do it, and I will, nearly always! I mean, I'm jumping out of a plane! ... Uhh ... sorry, I got ahead of myself.

Yes... I like to be spontaneous, but sometimes I like an idea of how things are going to go. In fact, when it comes to the "big" stuff, I hate not having a plan. At least some sort of idea of what is going to happen. I recently quasi-dated someone who is ridiculously spontaneous... and I loved and hated that about him. I admire the ability to just take off, but I do like to have some sort of plan. I wonder if it's just something that comes with time. But hey, planning can be the funnest part of it all (I'm turning out just like my dad after all...)! I am having some pretty amazing experiences, either way. I think I'm pretty good at living life.

To commemorate my embracing life, I came up with a 3 year plan to help me stay organized (so I like to be organized... no big). 3 years really isn't that long, especially in consideration of what exactly is filling up that time for me. I feel great! I love having a plan! I'm 98% sure that this plan is going to completely change (can't remember the last time that anything I planned past a month actually happened), but maybe I'll get a good laugh in a couple of years.

My Three Year Plan

April 2009
It is my 6th semester of school, and it's ending! It went by so fast. This is a sad time for me; it's like graduation practically. I've made some amazing friends here, and I don't know when I'm going to see any of them again after this semester ends. No, my friends, I'm not done with school yet. I will be back in 2 years to complete my education at BYU-Idaho. By that time, my dearest friends and associates will have left.

[Road Trip] My dearest friend Beth and I love to go on adventures. Last November, in the middle of the afternoon, we said to each other, "wanna go to Mesa Falls?" And just took off and drove all the way to Mesa Falls, took tons of pictures (a reenactment of our adventure last year around the same time), and visited places we've always wanted to go. We take off to go take photographs all the time.
And now, we're taking a road trip to California! And not just any road trip. I'm telling you, this one is going to be great. We're leaving Rexburg, going down through Utah, seeing our families, having good food, shopping at a real mall, and then spending Saturday at Zion, driving down to Vegas and spending Easter at Beth's Grandma's, going to Riverside to hang out with Tessa, Suzanne and Kaitlyn, driving down to Oceanside to hang out with Joe and Chris, and then L.A. to go to Hollywood (among other things), and then we're taking the 1 up the coast! We're stopping in SLO and seeing Liz, and then we're driving the rest of the way home, with the ocean to accompany us.

That's not the coolest part, though. We're stopping at all these crazy tourist stops, like shoe trees and giant oranges, and fire hydrant graveyards and wine fountains... anything we can get! It's going to be an epic trip for us. She's going to hang out with me around home, and then
WE'RE GOING SKYDIVING!! Over Monterey Bay!! I'm stoked. Okay, so that's that.



May 2009
[Backpacking Europe] So then, Debbie and I are taking off for Europe. We're bringing a backpack each, and traipsing around Europe for a month. We have a couple of set destinations, but for the rest of the time, it's more like... "Hey, this is a great country, but I'm bored. Lets go to Prague!" And we hop on a train and go.
Some choice areas: Dublin, Prague, Italy, San Marino, Switzerland, Greece














September 2009
I'm going on a mission!!! Okay, so my availability date is September, so I might not be going till later, but I hope I leave soon! I can't complete my papers till June, so I don't even have a call or anything, but that's my plan so far. I'm really excited.


March 2011
I'm back from my mission! I have a month before I go back to school (I'm going summer), so I'm going to travel or something. Maybe I'll go visit Beth (and Kaeli, if they're both in Seattle!).


April-July 2011
Summer session at BYU-I

September-December 2011
Fall semester at BYU-I

January-April 2012
Semester at the Jerusalem Center (if my application is accepted)--I have wanted to go to Jerusalem for a long time. I didn't think that I would have enough time to go with the school program, but now that I'm extending my schooling a little bit (to get some more graphic design/photo classes in), I might as well avoid a Rexburg winter and go somewhere I will love to be. I really want to do this.











April 2012-July 2012
My last semester at BYU-Idaho! Graduation, baby!!!


Wow.... I will be so ready to be done. It's THREE YEARS AWAY. I don't want to be in school for three years! Well, that's the way it goes. Now that I know what I want to do, and that I want to study graphic design for longer, I'm just embracing the idea of being here for much longer than I ever anticipated.

I said that all my friends will be gone, but I will still have my design and photo teachers. They truly are great friends, and they'll become even more important to me after I get back from my mission.

Okay.... so that's that. I think I'll stick some pictures in here to make this all a little more interesting...


love love love, Laurel (p.s. I love love!)


We may or may not be insane.