An outlet

There wasn't just one reason that I moved to Utah. Here's a few (in no specific order):
- to get out of Alaska
- to go back to school
- to find a husband
- to recreate myself
- to live on my own
- adventure

When I decided to move here, I didn't know anyone. I didn't have a job. Or a place to live. I didn't research Dixie State University before applying (although I thoroughly researched the 5+ other universities that I was applying to).

When I announced on Facebook that this is where I'd be moving to, things started falling into place. I was offered a place to stay until I found an apartment. Half a dozen or so people I knew said they lived within 10 minutes of me. It was little things that helped me see that this was the right move (literally;).

I had one heck of a time trying to sort everything out. This time last year I actually drove through Saint George; I was driving to Salt Lake from Las Vegas. At that point I knew that I wanted to move by the end of April. I thought that I'd be moving to Rexburg, Idaho though. Or perhaps to Arizona. When I made a pitstop at the Visitor's Center of the St. George LDS Temple I had no idea that in 7 months I would be living just a few blocks away. Isn't it funny how that happens in life?

Now that I'm here, I'm trying to validate and fulfill the reasons that I moved here.
Get out of Alaska. {Check}
Go back to school. {Check}
Live on my own. {Check}
Adventure. {Daily :)}
Find a husband. {Sigh.. not actively working on this. Giving myself time to regroup.}
Recreate myself. {Daily. This is why I decided to write this post.}

When I came home from my mission (November of 2014), I feel like I didn't have much of a personality. Because of various circumstances, I decided that I needed a clean slate, a fresh start. I loved being home with my family and friends. However, I would do things for them. When we hung out, I'd tell them that we could do whatever they wanted to do. (If I ever had any objections, I would let them know.) But I lacked hobbies and interests. I just went with the flow.

I didn't consciously acknowledge this for quite a while.. But when I did, I knew that I needed to do something about it! When I moved I had a fresh slate. I wanted to try out new hobbies.

I had only been here for a few days.. when an old interest begged to be used! Writing. A few weeks later a new interest emerged. Putting those words to music.

Music has been my main outlet since moving here. Previously I'd jotted down lyrics for a few songs. But, recently, I've put them to music. And written even more! Last week I put 2 more songs to music. I've got about another dozen to work on.

Never underestimate your potential. Or the power of encouraging words. Putting my lyrics to music is something that I've wanted to do for quite a while! But it wasn't until one of my friends encouraged me to set aside time to put them to music that I actually did. I know that eventually I would have gotten to that step, but I'm glad that I listened to Tyson and just made it happen! I texted him after I finished my first song; I was so ecstatic! Seeing one of my songs in print was THE BEST FEELING EVER.

So, now I'm not only a writer, but I'm also a songwriter. I always knew that writing was a release for me, but I didn't realize what an impact it had on my life until recently, when I went through a break up. I put my feelings on paper and something beautiful emerged. It was a really hard, crummy time and my lyrics express that, but acknowledging those feelings and using them to create something beautiful and positive was the best way to move on and the most important step in the healing process for me.
{Due to the sensitive nature of the songs that came from my break up, I'm not going to post them here. However, I am willing to share them! Either leave your email in a comment below and I'll send you a copy or I can be reached at: akdjsnickers@outlook.com}

Love,
D. J. Lathrop