A little story for ya...

When I was 12 years old, I wanted to be a figure skating coach.
Good start to a story, right? I've got you hooked now...
I took lessons for about a year and a half, and even though I had (have) no athletic skill, I loved it. It always took me longer to learn the tricks, but I loved the feeling of being out there on the ice. Plus, my skating coach made a ton of money. So, career decision: made.
There was only one problem: a "serious" skater can only go so far before they have to take the dreaded tests. The tests took tons of time and preparation only to show 3 judges that you knew the basics and could move on. (Ooh, I sense a reality show brewing here...) Most skaters took the tests so they could compete on certain levels. My coach finally convinced me to take them, because I'd need them if I really wanted to be a coach. 
So, I started preparing. There is no rink in Brigham, so my mom was driving me to Ogden or Logan every day of the week to practice. After months I finally had it down; there was no stopping me. So we scheduled the test, and I sat back and relaxed, knowing that I was prepared.
But the day of the test, everything went wrong. It was already scheduled over an hour away at 7:00 am, and on the way there we got lost. Once we found the rink I was still supposed to have plenty of time to warm up, but my coach told me they had moved my test time forward and I had to get out there and take my test now. So I laced up my skates and got on the ice, but I was shaky. The rink was smaller than the ones I'd practiced in, so it threw my whole routine off. And the 3 angry looking judges watching my every move didn't help either.
Still, I felt pretty confident. So a few minutes later when we got the results back, I was shocked to see that not one but all three of the judges had failed me. So, twelve year old Anndee burst into tears right in front of everyone. My always-professional coach told me I was being very unsportsman-like and made me feel even worse.
Although I still regret it to this day, I never took another lesson after that.
Sad, right? The end!
Just kidding.
Turns out, this sad story has a very happy ending that I'm only just now figuring out! So keep reading...
That day, I went home and laid in my bed and cried for hours. It seems overly-dramatic now, but give me a break, I was twelve years old and all my life goals had just gone down the toilet. At some point that day, I got a call from a family friend asking me if I'd be available that summer to tend her kids. She wanted someone Monday-Friday, from early morning until 4:00 or so. I had always loved to babysit, but this was practically a full time job, and how could I pass that up? So of course I said yes, and for the next two summers I watched her kids nearly every day, and I loved it.
Flash forward a few years, and this same friend's mom was looking to hire someone at the daycare she ran. I hadn't even applied for the job, but she knew me so she asked me to come in and hired me on the spot. I worked there for a year and loved that job, so I was devastated when we were told it was going to be shut down.
Here's the fun twist!
The daycare was run by the owners of Maddox. Our boss felt bad for shutting it down, and told us if we ever needed a job, we'd have one there.
Flash forward a few more years, and I'm completely broke and going to college. I had a nanny job and worked for an afterschool club, but I could barely afford all my bills. (And a girl's gotta be able to do her McDonalds runs, or else what is college for?) My mom called one day and reminded me of the promise my old boss had made me that day, and suggested I put in an application there. I laughed, figuring it had been years and he wouldn't remember me. But I called that same day, and he told me he remembered me and that I didn't even have to interview, and then asked what position I'd like at the restaurant.
All of this is great, but it gets better. Hang in there.
I started there at the end of November. Caleb came home from his mission on my birthday, December 6th, and started working there again right after that. We met right before Christmas, and now, a year later, we're less than a month away from getting married.
You can say they're all unrelated, random events. But I know that day, I was being watched out for. I have always had this tendency to think I have my life all figured out, and Heavenly Father likes to show me that no, in fact, I do not. But I love to think that even as a little girl, even years and miles away from the mere idea of Caleb, he was watching out for me and guiding me to exactly where I needed to be. And he let me decide the entire way.
So, I don't believe in destiny. But I do believe we're given outstanding opportunities, and they are what we make of them. And sometimes, those opportunities come in the form of failures, disappointments, or frustrations. Sometimes those things lead to the best opportunities you'll ever have.

(And this is the ONLY picture you get cause I'm not uploading twelve year old pictures, no way!)