Moving Forward

When I saw "Meet the Robinsons" for the first time, I was smitten by the words that come onscreen at the end:

 "Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious. ... And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." --Walt Disney

I was in college, just leaving home for the first time but not sure yet what I was working toward. I had dreams -- a lot of them -- but I wasn't sure how I'd see them through. I wasn't even sure if they were possible, or if they were in the plan God had for me. I tried to find the balance between working toward my goals with faith and mentally preparing for the unexpected. Those words rang true to me.

That was five years ago. Just last week I was walking to the car from the library at BYU after working on my book for another few hours when I realized: I was living my dreams. Five years ago, I'd dreamed of working as a writer. I hoped I could write books. I'd dreamed of getting married and hoped I could have children. I'd dreamed of writing in my spare time while taking care of my children full-time. In short, I'd dreamed of doing precisely what I was doing in that very moment.

And there's still room to move forward. There are more books to write, more children to raise, and more job opportunities for Ryan ahead. But we are getting there. I have come a long way since I first met the Robinsons. So now all there is to do is, you know, keep moving forward.

When Ryan learned he had an official full-time job offer with PepsiCo in Dallas, I felt we had come to the end of an era. Leaving BYU feels like the end of the "newlywed" chapter of our lives and the beginning of the "young family" chapter. But it's a welcome change. When I see all the 18-year-olds on campus (including my niece) and as our pool of local friends dwindles and they scatter across the country, it feels like it's about time to move on. No, to move forward.

So a few days ago I did a Google search for master's degrees in creative writing, or English, or journalism, just to see what was out there. I probably won't start my master's degree for a few years at least, but setting new goals and looking another five years ahead is exciting to me.

Ryan kissed me for the first time while we were watching Meet the Robinsons. When we got married, I thought how funny it would be to tell our children their father first kissed me during a Disney movie. But now, it seems appropriate.

Keep moving forward.