Oh, Nostalgia

            As I prepare to leave Rexburg for the fourth time as a college student, I can’t help but feel nostalgic. On September 5^th, 2012, I left Washington to come to Idaho as an 18 year old. Sydney and I sat in a car for many hours listening to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Sherlock Holmes audiobooks. I spent that first week trying to figure out how to acclimate myself with the Rexburg culture and within a month, I felt like a pro. Tomorrow, I leave Rexburg two years older and with a heart heavy. I’m going to miss Rexburg these next 6 weeks… And if you told me two years ago I’d feel this way, I would have laughed at you.

            I sit here now, looking back at that version of me. I was still magnificent, but there was so little I understood about being a college student. I still don’t have it all down, but I feel like I fit in. I have found my niche here at BYU-Idaho. I have made friends, found new hobbies, and learned how to do things on my own. I can’t help but feel so grateful to my Heavenly Father for putting me in the right places at the right time to have these incredible experiences.

            I’m so grateful that I was put in an incredible apartment Spring 2013. Because of that, I have made life long friends. Two of them graduate tomorrow and I don’t know what my life will be like with out Becca and Candice. Becca is full of passion and spunk. She’s also a spiritual giant; she’s 6 feet tall, and a powerhouse when it comes to the gospel. Candice is a rainbow. She’s happy, kind, and loves to watch ridiculous rom-coms with me. She also is a lean mean cleaning machine who has no problem scrubbing kitchen counters, while she’s in 5-inch heels. Becca, Candice, Katie, Madi, Sydney, and I have created some of my favorite memories. Many nights have been spent staying up late and talking. We’ve eaten multiple concretes and bottomless fries at Nielsen’s while sitting in our booth. I’m going to miss our apartments a lot, but we all have incredible things in store for us and different people to bless.

            Sometimes, I forget that I am actually a college student. I’ll be walking on campus and get this realization that I’m in college. I was accepted to a university and I’m here, on my own, attending classes and living the life of a college student. It seems so weird to me that I’m in college… it’s something I just can’t fathom.

            This past semester has been different than the others. It’s been incredible, but it’s been filled with constant busyness and stress. I’ve struggled in my classes and in other areas. But I’ve come to understand the gospel more. I’ve seen how as long as we stick to living righteously, we will be blessed. Our Father in Heaven doesn’t want us to be miserable. And it’s when you realize that that things start to get a little easier. Life is still going to be hard, but the gospel will brighten your days.