This summer has been a whirlwind; it's included a wedding, working two jobs, finishing BYU independent study classes, new friends, rodeos, and many, many laughs and good times. There's also been a healthy dose of reflection and personal growth.
After all that transpired last fall, when the 2014-2015 school year ended, I was literally counting down the days until I could return home. I was both physically and emotionally tired, and I wanted to come home. Home to my mother, who would cook for me and take care of me, home to the friends I had grown up with, and where all the painful things that had happened would become distant memories.
Being home has been great, but ready or not, it's time to go back to school.
I have mixed feelings about returning to BYU; I know it's where I belong and I have a lot of goals I want to accomplish now that I'm in a better place emotionally, but there's still a degree of anxiety and apprehension.
At the end of the day, I consider myself very lucky because I won't be alone; I'll have these guys to fall back on when things get hard:
This band of hooligans is my tribe, my second family, and together, we have some of the best good times anyone in their early 20's could hope for. I thank God for putting these punks in my life.
With that, it's on to classes, late nights, papers, stress, BYU Ballroom Dance drama, tears, good times, exams, and whatever this coming semester has in store for me.
