Summer Lovin'

So we've already been back in the school business for a couple weeks now, but I thought I'd give you all a look into our fabulous summer we just had. There are way too many pictures to sift through, so I complied a few of the favorites in an effort to cut your scrolling time in half :)

Needless to say, it was a dream getting to be with my husband all day everyday for a month. I will say it took us a few days to figure out how to be around each other again for more than 2 hours a day, but we pulled through. We apparently still like each other, so no worries!

(I realized I already put half of these pictures on facebook, so if you want to scroll through quickly, I'll never know!)

We stayed in KC for a week after school ended before heading to Utah for the rest of the summer. And I, like many of my friends out here, put my study-free husband to work on a project I've been waiting for months to accomplish! We refinished our coffee table and we were pleasantly surprised with how well it turned out! After our week of DIY and partying with our fellow 1st year families, we headed to the mountains.

Sure missed this beautiful sight!

Over the 4 weeks we traveled up and down the entire state a couple times, but it was well worth it. We were able to catch up with wonderful friends and family. Cam just enjoyed being able to "watch" hours upon hours of golf without feeling guilty about not studying!

I left Cam to a week of watching golf and helping with projects in Logan, and headed to another fun filled week of Be The Best You Girls Camp - the 8th year in a row! My heart is so full every year after this week of laughing, serving, and being with the most incredible ladies who love the Lord and live it.

So grateful for Barbara, her example and legacy! 

 I hope someday I can be the kind of profound influence in someone's life as this lady has been in mine. If you want to get to know the Savior better, just become friends with Sara Allen. 

 Oh how my heart loves them. Some of the greatest examples in my life are in this picture :) Living testimonies that trials in this life make the most beautiful women when you turn to the Savior. I'm so lucky to be part of this incredible team of coordinators! 

 Really though, at the end of the day.. all we are is just a bunch of crazies who love a good dance party and late night fast food runs! 

Sadly I had to leave BBY a few days early this year, but I was grateful for the time I did get to be there. Towards the end of the week we headed up to Silver Gate Montana (near the North entrance to Yellowstone) for Cam's Grandpa King's celebration of life and memorial. He passed away a few months ago, and it was neat to come together with family and friends to celebrate his life and legacy.

I hadn't been to Yellowstone in years! We were complete tourists with our excitement about the bison! Loved hanging with these cute littles for a few days as well! 

After our mountain adventures and 20 hours of driving in a car for 4 days, we stayed in once place for a while with my family. It was Fiesta Days time, so much of our time was spent flipping hot dogs at the rodeo and celebrating July 24th! Cam even went and sold water in the stands - what a good sport :) 

I really can't believe my family has been running the Key Club concessions stand at the rodeo for 10 years now! 

Starting her young! 

Cheered on the little sister as she sang in the SF's got talent. She did a fabulous job!

Hiked/walked up to Bridal Veil Falls~ Cam got a little wet :) 

Celebrating the 24th out at the reservoir! Was it a blast? Yes! Did I get the worst sunburn known to man on my legs? Yes. Wear sunscreen kids. It will save you a lot of tears. 

So proud of this girl's decision to be baptized :) 

Uncle Cam playing pretty princess :) He's such a good sport

Adventures with the Lucy bear! If you need a good music video filmed, she's your girl! Also.. apparently she doesn't believe in King family nap time anymore. Thus we had netflix time instead :)

I was probably the worst wife ever, but I sent Cam back to start school again while I stayed one more week to play with my family. I was so sad we missed our Tanner reunion at Snowbird last year, so I took full advantage of soaking up some more memories and loving these pretty mountains :) 

Don't ask me why we decided to hike in the rain.. but we did!

The same hike in the sun :) & our annual cousin pictures! Love these girls! 

Other adventures of the week! So glad Hillary could come up with her littles and play with us :) 

I also taught my family how to play pickle ball - a sport I have come to learn and love being a member of the King family! 

Hanging with our favorite little person at the park :) 

It was a much needed break from the real world, but we were also grateful we had such an incredible home and friends to come back to. Here's to some very fun summer memories with the people I love with all my heart! 

A Bit Of My Heart

Well my friends, tomorrow is the last day of the school year for us! Cam will take his last final tomorrow morning, then he will officially be a second year. Hooray! These last 6 weeks have been killer, but we see the light! I'm ready to have my husband back for a bit:) 

I apologize for the very long break in posting on here. You see, I kind of got to this place where I didn't have much to say, I felt like I wasn't doing much with my life, and didn't care for the entire internet world to know. 

But I want to catch up because I'm excited for summer with Cam and the fun adventures we're going to have over the next month. I have had many and multiple drafts of this post, but I think I finally organized all my thoughts how I want them this time. You see, it's been a very growing year for the both of us. It's been tough and rough, but all the while I've endured, sometimes with a better attitude than other times. I wanted to share a few of the lessons I've learned over the past little while, whether by choice or not, and hopefully this will make up for the absence of my writing.

1- Base Hits

So.. I kind of lost myself a bit this year.
Over the course of a few months I slowly let the adversary in, and didn't even realize it until it was staring me in the face. There were too many tears and feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy. I got to a point where I started doubting my strengths because my greatest weaknesses were being exposed, and I had no outlet for what I considered my strengths to be. I was called to serve in a church calling that is quite far out of my comfort zone. Work turned out to be different than I had imagined. I ended up quitting my job, then kind of lost all motivation and determination for anything. Satan crept in slowly like smoke, and it's taken a lot of conscious effort to force him to leave. Part of me wishes I could rewind and try again with the mindset I now have. However, it is always better to look forward and meet life head on. So while I feel like I lost myself for a bit there, I've spent the past little while trying to find myself again and figure out who I am now with each of these experiences and more.

I know exactly who I want to be. That's not the issue. For me, I've known what I've wanted for a very long time. My problem was, I wasn't sure just how to get there. Especially now in a new place, with new people, and my timid shy personality.

There was a night a few months ago, where Cam and I had a conversation that was kind of a turning point for me. Cam sat me down at the kitchen table after dinner, and we had a chat about baseball. We are after all, in the home of the Royals.

We're the best of friends who knows the other's hopes and dreams, so my husband and I give each other daily pep talks. He explained things like this: A baseball team can't rely solely on home runs to win the game. Mostly because they are very rare. Instead, the team works together to get on base- 1 base hit at a time. You build up enough base hits, you get a guy home. This is a more reliable way to win the game.

Now, I never had too many sports analogies growing up - nobody in my house really stuck with sports. We were artsy folk - dancers, musicians. But I did understand this one.

He went on to explain: We need to figure out some base hits you can swing for that will help you achieve your winning score. It's better to swing for a base and win the opportunity, then to swing so hard every time for a home run - because those are very rare.

So that day I started to look at my plans and myself a bit differently. I came up with a list of base hits for every dream I have - and I have a lot. I needed to stay busy enough to keep Satan out of my head, and accomplish enough to feel like I'm really contributing to society, the Lord, and my dreams. I made a schedule for myself of everything I need to accomplish each day in order to keep moving forward. And slowly but surely, every day I'm now working towards base hits. I don't give myself a lot of downtime anymore, and have kept my netflix watching to a bare minimum :) And while I haven't won any specific game yet, I'm a lot happier. I have tiny successes that I'm proud of instead of constantly looking at the home run wishing that could be me.

Lest you think the solution to my problems was just about making a schedule and a baseball pep talk, I also needed the Lord. He is so patient with me. I make the same mistake over and over again of thinking I can handle this mortal life by myself. Well newsflash, I can't. We are a team, and I will never make it without Him. If you've ever heard me testify that it's the little things we do every day that make a big difference in the end, know that this knowledge comes from the deepest parts of my soul. I know for myself that scriptures, prayer, regular temple attendance, tithing, fasting, fast offerings, and fulfilling our callings are what will truly save us every day. I've learned this so many times over the years. With all of this, I am reminded of this great counsel given by such a humble servant: "The adversary succeeds when we relax our commitment to the Savior" - Elder L. Tom Perry. How true this is.

So it's taken a while. Change really did a number on my thoughts this past year, but I'm still me. Passionate, sincere, and wanting to change the world one song at a time, me.

If that wasn't all enough for your Rebecca dose today, I did learn some other lessons this year :) Here's just two more that are fun:

2- Humidity.
The humidity can do crazy things with naturally curly hair. But I am proud to say I have mastered my hair out here. I have learned to work WITH the humidity as straightening my hair is a lost cause. So curls all around!

3- Family is more than blood
When we moved here last year we had no idea what kind of social situations were waiting for us. All we prayed for was that we would be able to find good friends. Well, our prayers have been answered tenfold. We are part of the most incredible ward I've ever been in; and somehow the Lord knew that we needed that. In addition, Cam has wonderful friends at school that are a huge support to each other, and I'm so grateful for the support system that is built in to this med school adventure. We have discovered family here. It's the people who help you eat your birthday cake, the people you celebrate holidays with, the people you have scary adventures with, the people who you talk for hours with, the ones who serve you, the ones who let you serve them, the ones you cry and laugh with, and the ones who pick you up from the airport at midnight. Most importantly though, it's the people who are there for you when your blood family is too many miles and hours away. 

It's been a crazy year, but Heavenly Father is so good to us. He knows our hearts, and He is taking care of us. Whether we like it or not, change is inevitable. What we can control however, is how we react, and who we turn to when it's tough. I'm grateful I have the greatest friends and family a girl could hope for, both here in Missouri and back in Utah. Here's to the little things that make a huge impact, and happy summer 2015!!

A Moment.

As I got off the hospital shuttle after work today and walked to my car in the ghetto parking lot in downtown KC, I had such an overwhelming feeling come over me that Heavenly Father is completely aware of me and my life. It came out of nowhere. It was a very short, but very powerful and personal moment with the spirit in which very specific moments and feelings were brought before my eyes. These moments were coupled with the feeling that He knows, He understands, and He has placed me in certain situations in my life not because I want to be in them or asked for them, but because He trusts me to do His work. He knows I can be better, He knows I want to be better, and He knows the way.

The moment was quick, as this post will be. But it was needed. I get so overwhelmed some days with all that is on my emotional plate. And this was almost like a quick text from my papa saying, "Don't worry, I know. Just trust me, because I trust you."

I quickly remembered that I already know how to be happy. I already know how to find and feel the purest feeling of peace. And that all this time, I was never meant to do anything alone.

He knows. He is aware. And it's all because He loves us.

Change

To make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of something (or someone) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone. 

The literal story of my life these days.

When we first moved here, I picked up a small intriguing journal at TJ Max. The cover of it says, "Do one thing every day that scares you." I bought it with the ambition to really do something simple every day that terrified me - whether it was going to the ward's playgroup and making new friends, calling or texting a new friend, going and looking for a job, etc.. anything that would stretch me and motivate me to do more than be a hermit in my new home and new city. I'm not quite as ambitious at physically writing the scary things I do in the journal as I hoped I would be, but I think the Lord took my ambition and is running full speed ahead with it. If I wrote in that journal religiously, every day would have a list of my scary accomplishments of the day. 

We've been here in Kansas City for 3 and half months, and during this time have experienced nothing but change! Sometimes it's been awesome, other times it's been more than difficult, and all the time it's making us stronger, bringing us closer, and somehow molding us into the people we're ultimately supposed to become. I haven't written on here for quite some time, so let me fill those of you in who don't know already, on some of these adventurous changes that are molding our lives currently!

1. At the beginning of September, after only literally one month of being here in KC, I was called to be the relief society president in our ward. (For my non-member friends, I explain this position as being the leader of all the women in our church congregation.. big job!) You are probably thinking to yourself, "Are you kidding me?!", which truthfully are the same exact words I said to the bishop when he extended the calling to me :) You can imagine that no one, including myself, would have picked this baby-faced 25 year old girl with no children out of the crowd to be the new RS president of a family ward, but that's what happened. And you don't really say no to the very humbling responsibility extended to you by a servant of the Lord. So that's one of my new adventures right now! 

This new responsibility has it's definite challenges, roller coaster of emotions, unexpected time consuming events, but with the difficulties come the humbling experiences of being an instrument in the hands of the Lord. It's one of the hardest things I've ever been asked to do. And because of that, I know that by the end of my time serving, I will hopefully be a little closer to becoming the person my Heavenly Father knows I can be. I am extremely humbled by the trust He has put in me, my testimony, and my gifts and abilities. I am relying more on the enabling power of the Savior's atonement, because I simply can't do this on my own. And as hard as this is, and as hard as the adversary continues to work on me and my self esteem every single day, I am grateful I don't have to do it alone. I'm grateful for the blessings I've seen in my own life already, and in the lives of the wonderful people I've been blessed to serve. The Lord's work is remarkable.

So yeah, shocker? Don't worry, it was for me too. I think I'll have the hang of it just in time for me to be released :)

2. Another change is going from binge watching netflix shows every day, to being able to practice my music therapy again :) At the end of August, a part-time music therapy position opened at the children's hospital here in KC. Now, for anyone who knows me knows that my internship at Primary Children's Hospital was one of the best things that has ever happened to me and my music therapy career. I was ecstatic about the possibility of this opportunity. I was sick of sitting around my house, and needed a purpose to my being in Missouri. 

So I applied for the job end of August, then..... never heard from them. I waited, and waited. Finally after 3 weeks of waiting and thinking they had already hired someone else, I received a call about coming in for an interview. Woot! So I went, showed my stuff, then waited some more. After another month of waiting, and for sure thinking this time they had found someone better, I got the call that I had received the job. I think Cam was more excited than me! haha I don't know how to be happy for myself sometimes. But alas, I was excited :) So here I am, working in a children's hospital again providing music therapy to the kiddos. It's definitely different than I imagined, but I'm grateful to be contributing to society, and grateful to be using what I know to help my amazing patients.

I am working part time, which is perfect for my new church calling, and med-school wife status. It's different than I imagined as I primarily work in the rehab clinic providing procedure support to the patients receiving botox injections. I know what you're thinking, and no, these kids don't have wrinkles already! I primarily see kiddos with cerebral palsy or other issues with muscle spasticity, who need the injections to loosen up their very tight and contracting muscles. The injections are extremely painful, and the anticipation waiting for the procedure can be killer as well. I get to spend a good chunk of time with the kids and families decreasing anxiety before the procedure, then try to really work my magic as they're receiving the painful injections. So I'm back to singing "Old MacDonald" and "Wheels on the Bus" all day long, and happy about it!

3. If you've made it through this entire novel, I congratulate you! I can reassure you my next post will be more exciting as I have to document the week I ran away to Cancun with my family last month :) Until then, the last major change we're working through is learning how to be in medical school. There's not too much to say, except that it's not always easy, and not always fun. BUT, we have started to find our groove, have made some incredible friends, and we're just learning as we go! We have an awesome ward, where we truly have a wonderful support group of friends. There are so many med-school families in our ward, all at different stages of the med-school process, so it's been nice for us to see that people do survive. They even have happy families and cute children through it all :) So we're grateful for them, and for our other friends Cam has made at school. These 2 shy introverts are all around grateful to have nice people in our lives! It's different though. I see Cam for the few minutes every night we eat dinner together, and other then that it's a grand show of "hello, goodbye, have fun studying!" He's doing so well though, and I'm extremely proud of him. He's still the best listener, still makes time to watch our silly shows together, we still go on little dates and have FHE, and he still makes me laugh when I've had a tough day (which is like every day ha). 

So... change. It's difficult. But it's the only way we grow. And I don't know about you, but even though I'm not a fan of it, I'm also not content with remaining stagnant and complacent. So in the end, I'm grateful for my little journal that reminds me that change and scary things are for our benefit in the long run.

Survived Week 1!

So we survived Orientation week and the first week of med school! Last week we were happy to have Cam's parents with us for the week. Just before they came we had some adventures of our own.. Like I said in the last post, we had to move out of our first apartment because of the smoke smell, and so two days after I got back to Missouri, we were loading up this truck to move to our new apartment. Thanks to the angel missionaries and other nice guys in our ward, we moved everything on literally the hottest and most humid day of the year. That's how we roll :) ha. 

 Then just so happens, that evening when we went quickly to grab some dinner to bring back home, we discovered we had locked ourselves out. Smooth. So this is Cam, breaking us into our own home :)

We were living without a dryer for a few days, and needed to wash everything because it all smelled really bad from being in our smoky apartment :/ Thus instead of paying for a dryer at the laundromat, cam strung a string throughout the house and we air dried everything. My husband and his third world country living skills!

 For the bigger items.. comforter and all of our blankets we used for packing, we did indeed take a trip to the sketchy laundromat. For the record, I was brave enough and went by myself. But when Cam called after orientation and found out I was alone there.. he came and sat with me. Which I'm grateful for :) 

 So here are some pictures of the new place! 

Keep in mind I'm still unpacking/organizing, but here is the majority of it :) 

 Cam's parents came during orientation week, so while Cam was in class all afternoon, we went on some adventures:) 

We discovered the Steamboat Arabia Museum downtown. It was amazing how many artifacts were recovered and restored from the sunken steamboat! 

Thursday night the school treated everyone and their families to free tickets to a Royals baseball game, my first professional game of any sport ever :) haha yep. And for starters, our tailgate was so far away from the field, the nice golf cart man was awesome and gave us a ride to the field!

And it was fun! I kept asking Cam when all the cheers would start (I'm more of a basketball fan).. but we endured until the 8th inning, then decided we had had enough fun :) They won, so all is well! 

 

Friday was family day at orientation, so we joined Cam on campus for some introductory lectures etc. Let's just say it was an adventure, and that I'm glad I'm not the one going to med school :) 

 Saturday morning was the white coat ceremony. It was basically like a graduation, where each student had to say their name "Student Doctor..." and then walked across the stage and had their coats placed on them by one of the deans. I was very proud of Cam, and the beginning of the adventure was finally real and starting! 

 

And yes, it was matchy matcherton day! :) haha we had no idea we matched until we were ready to leave. But hey! We made it on the school's twitter page!

We are lucky enough to have our church building share a parking lot with the temple :) So although it was raining on Sunday, we hopped out of the cars long enough to take a quick pic before we drove Cam's parents to the airport.

 

It was great to have them here, and go on some adventures with people other than myself :) We are so grateful for family, and grateful his parents could visit and share in the beginning of this adventure with us. Now it's just me and Student Doctor Cam King! 

Gotta have your first day of med school pic!

So that's us right now! This past week was the real jump into what will become the next two years of our life. Cam's at school from 8 until about 4 every day, then comes home and just studies until it's bed time, taking a break for dinner of course. I sneak cookies and milk up to him, and try to be quiet as he studies :) I don't brag about him ever.. but he is one of the hardest workers I know, and although it's been probably one of the most stressful weeks of his life, I have no doubt that he's going to succeed.  

That's about all the excitement on this end. So keep your fingers crossed for us that we can sell our first apartment's contract, that I can find a job so I can feel like I'm contributing to society, and that Cam can pass his first midterm on Tuesday! 

Happy Sunday :)