Midnight train to Georgia...

The other night I spent some time with my sister and it was nice. We didn't do anything special, we just went and ate and then watched CSI together- but it was enjoyable to laugh at stupid things with her and be all into the show together and just talk. After she left, I went to bed and I got to thinking about the day and it's happenings and how I missed Ryan because I only got to see him for a total of 5 minutes for the WHOLE day! (I know, sad isn't it??!) I had the window open and I was all snuggled up in my comfy, warm blankets and as I was thinking I started to listen to the sounds coming from outside. I could hear the crickets and frogs... frogs.
I decided in that moment of listening and thinking that I really like the sound of the frogs, as long as they're not TOO loud. I feel that it can be a soothing sound. Now, I'm from the West where there aren't a whole lot of frogs to be seen or heard for that matter. The only thing that even resembles a frog that I remember seeing in Flagstaff, Arizona were Horny Toads. Yes they are similar in that they are both amphibious, but the two are NOT similar in looks at all!! And horny toads don't make a chirp like the frogs here do. Here's one in case you were wondering what they looked like. I used to love catching them when I was little.
Anyway- moving on with my story... My next train of thought after this momentous realization of me liking the sound of frogs was that I would have never pictured myself living in Georgia someday. I knew that Georgia was a state, and I'd flown through it one time on the way to Europe- but I didn't really think of it as a place where people lived and had a culture of their own!! I didn't know about grits, or that some people consider Mac & Cheese to be a "vegetable" or that people could drive so horribly!!! Probably just like people here have never really thought about Arizona, and if they do- they most likely think of it only as the desert with rattle snakes and cacti and all that stuff. Which is quite the contrary to where I grew up. Flagstaff is a small beautiful town in the Northern part of Arizona only about 70 or so miles away from the Grand Canyon. The elevation is 7000 feet and our landscape consisted of LOTS of Ponderosa Pine trees and the San Francisco Peaks. It snows a good amount just about every year and there are hardly ANY cactus there, unless someone decides to use it in their landscape! A good portion of the people I've talked to that have actually been to Flagstaff got caught in a snow storm there! You learn something new every day! Unless, of course, you already knew that...
The difference between the way life is in Flagstaff and in Atlanta is huge (except for the pine trees!) and it has taken a lot to get used to. Being in the midst of VERY tall highrise buildings was and still is at times overwhelming. I almost feel that I am used to it all now and although I do miss Flag a lot- I really like Georgia. Someday I'll get used to calling it "home"!
I think of my life and where I've been so far and how I've gotten to each place. I know that where I've been the last ten years I was supposed to have been for one reason or another. I have had many neat experiences and seen so many cool things and most of all learned TONS about myself. I also feel really grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost and it's small and sweet whisperings and promptings. I feel that had I not listened to those promptings that I wouldn't be here in Atlanta. I wouldn't have grown the way I feel I have, I wouldn't have become closer to my sister like I have in the last two years, I wouldn't have met the friends I have, and I know that I couldn't have found a better man than my Ry-ry.

I can't wait to see where I am going to go next in life! There is so much ahead of me that I am so excited and ready for and it's good to know I'm not doing it alone! I feel so blessed, I feel like I'm one of the luckiest girls in the world and completely undeserving of it.
All in all- I realized that life is a crazy unsure thing. That you NEVER know where you'll end up- even if you have a "plan" in mind, things can always change. And if you don't have a plan in mind- you may never expect what lies ahead of you! Who would've thought little Heather would've ended up all the way in Atlanta, GA? Not me!
"No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for."