This calls for a blog post.

Last night something exciting happened. I was minding my business, doing homework and eating brownies, when I walked into the living room, where two of my roommates were sitting.
It was 12:01
"Chels," Lindy said, "it's been a year."
Lindy and I got home from our missions on March 29, 2012. As of today, I've been home for a year.
Usually it would be appropriate to insert a comment here about how it feels like a lifetime away and yet feels like it was yesterday. But it actually just feels like it was a lifetime away.

 
Sometimes when I tell stories to the missionaries part of my brain is going, was that really me? Did I really do those things? Are we sure it was me having those adventures?
Yesterday my missionaries were practicing contacting. One of them had contacted me and was asking for my phone number, and I blanked. How many numbers are in a French phone number? I thought. Do they say them one number at a time, like we do? Or do they give them in 2's or 3's? I ended up doing it in threes. Turns out that was wrong.
Haha, oops...

Moments like that make me sad that I've forgotten.
But other than that, I'm happy about where I am.
In this year since that day,
I have almost graduated from BYU (3 weeks-ish to go!)
I have applied to graduate school
I have sent my sister on a mission, where she's been amazing
I have seen my brother receive his mission call and go through the temple

I have been set apart as a temple worker
I have taught about 70 missionaries
and tutored a couple dozen more
I went to my roommate's baptism
I found out about the baptisms of several people I taught (woot woot!)
I turned 23
I went to my 5 year high school reunion
I backpacked up Mt. Timpanogas
I fell in love
I went to Arkansas for the first time
I tried on a wedding dress for the first time
I found my dream dress
I got dumped
I got set up on a bazillion blind dates
I went to Zions National Park

I camped out in a Chick-fil-a parking lot for 24 hours and won free Chick-fil-a for a year
I tried to grow my hair out
I chopped my hair off and LOVE it
I bought my first pair of skinny jeans. Bright turquoise ones, thank you very much.
I shook hands with Elder Clayton of the seventy, and Elders Ballard, Oaks, Scott, Hales, Christofferson, and Anderson, all in one night. Which pretty much made my life complete.
I started a barbershop trio with my roommates and we like to jam 
I learned some Haitian Creole
I tried Sri Lankan food
I painted
I made new friends!
I kept the old ones around too :)
I had dance parties
I laughed, I cried, it moved me Bob.
I was reminded every day that my Heavenly Father loves me and knows me.

All in all, it was a pretty good year. As I said to a friend with whom I was chatting last night, I'm not where I thought I'd be. But I like where I am.
I like how the Persian poet Hafiz put it,
"this place where you are right now, God has circled on a map for you."
Who knows where I'll be next year...can't wait to find out.