The last week has been super crazy. I spent the first half of the week interviewing for a job I didn't end up getting, followed by some wandering around a career fair in Logan, introducing myself to countless employers who wouldn't even talk to me. I made my trek home in a blizzard, arriving just in time to make my appointment with the bishop of the YSA ward. This meeting was supposed to be a "get-to-know-you," but it resulted in an additional church calling and some terrifying decisions to make.
Near the end of my meeting with the bishop, he told me I should pray about going on a mission. I've never particularly wanted to go on a mission, but I figured if it was something I was meant to do, I'd suck it up and do it. I hadn't prayed about going in a really long time, honestly because I was afraid of the answer. I'm a selfish, technology- and media-reliant person and I didn't want to leave everything behind for a year and a half. Regardless, I decided to actually pray about going a mission. I read some friends' mission blogs and conference talks (to see what General Authorities have actually said about women serving missions), and prayed a whole bunch. The rest of the night I was panicking a little and couldn't get the thought out of my head.
Then I pulled out my patriarchal blessing. I read through it a few times and it made me feel so much better. Nothing in it was blatantly pointing toward a mission, but it said a lot about education. The first thought that occurred to me was Geez, what was I thinking? Of course I'm not done with school yet!
The next morning I woke up feeling really great about not going on a mission. Instead, I started researching grad programs and schools. I decided that getting a Master's in Library Science sounded like a genius idea. I also decided I'm going to specialize in Archives and Preservation. There are three main schools I've been researching, all back east. They're all tied for rank #10 for library schools in the U.S. Fortunately, none of them require the GRE for admission (because I graduated from USU with a kick-A GPA!), so I've just been able to start my applications. One particular school would theoretically let me start as early as this spring! Otherwise I'll have to wait for about a year and a half to start the program. I'm freaking out a little about all this. It's all pretty sudden and overwhelming.
Anyway, I thought I owed my blogstalkers an update. I'm not quite ready to announce this to everyone on facebook yet, so consider yourself privileged!
