Other Oregon Friends

So, other than the ones I have already mentioned, I have also met a ton of other great people here in Oregon.

At my job I became friends with this guy named Paul - he is funny and very addicted to running. He would ride his bike to work even though it would take him an hour. Then there was Jon - he would take whatever challenge came at us with a smile on his face, telling us to calm down. Skyla was always very precise. These people have all moved on to bigger and better things. I also met Whitney, who still currently works with me. She and I have similar opinions about a lot of things and we have been working together so long that we can practically read each others minds. We can finish each others sentences and determine what the other person is thinking when she can't articulate clearly. We work together seamlessly and even when we are stressed out we manage to have fun (at least for the most part). We both try very hard to make sure the other person isn't put out or stressed out too much, and that is one of the main reasons we work well together. If one of us was a giver all the time and the other was a taker, it wouldn't work, but luckily that isn't the case.

I have also met other great people at church. There is Cec and Laura who I love to get together with and talk about fangirl stuff and watch silly shows and movies and just laugh and laugh and laugh. I feel like I could tell those girls anything and they would never judge me about it - at least not to my face. They always have my best interests at heart and they never hesitate to give me advice, and more importantly, confirmation, when I need it. I also have gotten to know Rachel, Molly and Joanna pretty well - they are in our Relief Society presidency. We have meetings every Sunday morning, and as much as we get important stuff done at these meetings, we also have bonded. I also got to know the old RS presidency really well - Jenny and Heidi are great girls.

I have met so many great people here in Oregon that it would be impossible to go through and list everyone, just like it was impossible to do about all my friends in Utah. I think the important thing to know is that I value the friendships I have had with all of these people - no matter how well I know them, or how little, and no matter how strong or weak those friendship bonds are, I enjoy every moment spent with those other people. From every person that I come across in my life I have learned something - either about myself or about human nature in general.

I learned that all kinds of friendships can occur, seemingly out of nowhere. I learned that connections can happen anywhere - it really is a small world. I learned that an important part of having a good time somewhere or with someone, is the attitude you approach that event with. If you go somewhere expecting it to suck, it probably will; whereas if you go expecting it to be fun, you can usually salvage something from the event. I learned that sometimes, you have to learn the same lesson more than once for it to really stick. I learned that all people have redeeming qualities, and that everyone deserves a second chance.