As I Graduate

This past Thursday marked the day I officially finished the requirements to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education.  I finished my very last day of student teaching yesterday morning.  I officially graduate on July 22, but I am done with all of my graduation requirements.

Last semester as I finished all I could think about was getting done and moving away from here.  However, as I finish and get closer I can't help but be a little bit sad.  Rexburg and BYU-Idaho have been my home for the last four years.  I started here in September of 2007 and am leaving July 2011.  Almost exactly four years.  I have changed a lot in these last four years, and BYU-I has seen it all happen.

I came to school so excited and nervous.  It was my first time ever being out on my own, and I didn't know anyone here.  I was nervous about living with girls, because let's face it, girls in high school weren't exactly what I'd call great friends. Luckily, I was blessed with some great friends and roommates!

Of course there was drama along the way.  How can you put 6-12 girls into a small space 24/7 and think there was never drama? HA.  But mostly we had fun and I have come away with some great life-long friends.

And then there was the dating.  Dating in college was much different than dating in high school.  I was afraid to talk to boys my first semester because I thought they would instantly think I wanted to marry them. Hahaha.  I had a lot of fun going on dates and dating a few guys.  But of course, you can't go to "BYU-I Do" without finding your one true love.  Here at school is where Juston and I added to that stereo-type!  We were in the same FHE group, only officially dated a month, and got married at the end of the next semester.

BYU-Idaho is the place we had our first apartment together.  It is where we learned to really be a married couple.  It is where we decided, and struggled, to start a family together.  My time with Juston is definitely my favorite memories from BYU-Idaho.

So as I finish my time here I can't help but think about all of the great times I've had here.  I think back to my friends, roommates, dating, and classes.  I think about all of the amazing professors I have had.  All of the teachers who have taught me how to be a teacher.

As I leave here, there are definitely things I will miss.  I will miss the friends we have made, the professors who have taught me so much, at times...living in the bubble, being able to sleep with the window open during summer, and the beautiful fall scenery.

And of course, there are also things that I will NOT miss.  I won't miss having to change out of my flip-flops to go on campus, driving around all of the dumb pedestrians, driving around dumb college students in general, how long it takes spring/summer to arrive, and being so far from my family.  I would say I won't miss the winters, but honestly I don't really mind the winters.  They aren't exactly my favorite (really, who likes to be THAT cold?) but I don't mind them.

This little place has become my home.  It is bitter-sweet to be leaving permanently.  I am extremely excited to see where life takes us from here.  We are learning that plans never work out as we hope, but that's okay.  Sometimes that makes life more interesting right?  So, I would say we have plans from here, but we really don't.  So all I can say is, off we go!