what kind of mormon are you: a memoir

usually the first thing people in ohio ask me is WHY IN THE WORLD DID YOU COME HERE FROM UTAH?

and then i tell them things like "the social work program here is really good!" or "because i like new adventures!" or "i wanted a more diverse educational/career experience!"

all of those things would be mostly true, but the real answer is I HAVE NO IDEA, EXCEPT THAT GOD TOLD ME IT WAS A GOOD IDEA.

so after they look at me like i'm crazy for moving to cleveland by myself (although everyone here claims they love it), they usually ask/assume that i'm mormon. and they are right.

yesterday a girl said to me: WHAT KIND OF MORMON ARE YOU?

"what do you mean?" i responded.

"i mean, like the warren jeffs kind, or the other kinds...it seems like there are a lot of different kinds."

then i knew i will likely spend 2 years talking a lot about polygamy.

so. what kind of mormon am i?

i guess i'm the kind that skips the last day of grad school orientation because sitting through a class about time management seemed hilarious. obviously, i will continue to watch netflix documentaries and go to the zoo whenever i please - grad student or not.

i'm the kind of mormon that eats breakfast for almost every meal of every day. and i will hate pickles forever&alwaysAMEN.

i'm one of those mormons that leaves utah as a single almost-25-year-old. (but not without some amount of kicking/screaming/clinging to the red rock and illusion of hoards of dating options, admittedly) maybe it is because i am insane or brave. i feel like they are synonymous most of the time.

i'm also the kind that finds peace in trees, rocks, mountaintops, and everything else in nature (besides mosquitos). also yoga. 

let's not forget the fact that i'm a mormon who loves learning and push back and different viewpoints (also mutual respect). 

i'm a mormon who believes that God's children are all divine/important/valuable, that we have the sacred privilege of receiving divine guidance, and that truth should govern our lives. i believe the He is infinitely compassionate, patient, charitable, and knows/understands us perfectly. i'm a mormon who believes in the redemptive power of the atonement of Jesus Christ and the miracle of the restoration of His gospel through prophets and apostles on the earth today. 

go team cleveland mormon world, etc.

i live here

i study here

i eat ice cream here