Graduation

I graduated. Does it feel real to me? Not yet, but I am getting there. Once college kicks in, I will feel like I actually graduated, but right now only feels like another summer break.

I have had to make choices lately. Anyone who knows me very well knows that I don't like making decisions. I will if I have to, but I don't like to. These choices were even more scary because they will affect the rest of my life. Think about it. I chose Purdue University in INDIANA! That is across the country! I have been excited lately, but it is also very bittersweet. I chose to leave my greatest friends behind. I chose to leave Camille and her sincere, kind, thoughtful advice with a hint of eccentric fun. I chose to leave Abby and her crazy obsession for cows. I chose to leave Sami who is my Once Upon a Time buddy. Who else am I going to talk to about that show? I chose to leave Meghan who has been my soul sister through thick and thin. Believe me. It hasn't always been easy for the two of us, but we resolve problems between us as quickly as possible.

I chose Purdue out of the SIX universities that accepted me and wanted me. Why? I prayed. I fasted. For a long time. It felt right. I felt I had the makings of a Boilermaker (yes my friends make fun of me for that). My choice will affect many decisions later down the road. It will affect new friendships and who I will meet. It will affect where my new home will be and what ward I will be in. It will affect who my eternal companion will be.

Will I be sad and depressed when I cross that state border line knowing that I won't return in a few weeks? Absolutely. Despite Utah and its bipolarity, it has been my home for about nine years. This is where I found friends who will last a lifetime. This is where my mom and I became best friends. This is where I felt I was a part of something. Yeah. Maeser grows on you despite all the sleep and social life it costs you. This is the first place that felt like home. And I am going to miss all of it.

I don't know why Indiana. But I do know it's where God wants me to be right now. So I will go. I will leave behind all I could ever dream of when I was child. I will cry. I will question if I was right. But I will go. Because I know that God has a plan for me and needs me in Indiana right now.

So goodbye to all my friends and family here in Utah. Thank you. You mean more to me than you will ever know and I appreciate each and every one of you with all my heart! I don't know when I will be able to visit, but I will do my best to try to make it down at least once every two years. There is no guarantee though. I love each and every one of you! You will always be a part of my heart! <3

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. ~ Proverbs 3:5-6

Pics of my family and friends:

Me and Grandpa :)

Grandpa, Me, and Mom :)

Camille and I :)

Sami and I :)

Meghan and I :)

Abby and I :)