Back at BYU.

I'm back at BYU tonight. JD's busy throwing Jeff's bachelor party (he gets married Friday!) and I needed to study for my big test in two days. I've been cramming so much the past few hours and my brain is starting to hurt from thinking too much. I feel so strange being in this library- on this campus really. I still have to pinch myself every few days. . . am I really a college graduate? Where did the time go? I must've missed my life. It feels like only a few weeks ago that I made my dad pull over at the "Welcome to Utah" sign for a picture on our way up to Provo with all my stuff for college.  Just weeks ago, I swear, I was dressing up for dance parties, seeing a counselor about what to do with my life, flirting with boys I didn't like to try and get over ones I really did, carving pumpkins, taking aerobics, spying on the guitar-playing neighbor boys across the street, and dreaming of being an EFY counselor and serving an LDS mission. And then, oh! The glorious summer. Wasn't it just weeks ago? I was serving queso with my favorite girls, staying up late to watch the stars, jumping on the trampoline, receiving flowers, letting my heart learn to love again, soaking in the sun with my sisters, and sharing my faith with someone new. Weeks ago, really, I was moving in with 5 new girls, having roommate basketball wars, discovering a profession that totally intrigued me, fighting my head for what I knew in my heart, going country dancing, dressing up in themes for Halloween, inviting a boy home for Christmas, and accepting a marriage proposal. My life plans changed. I was pushing my emotional and physical limits working with a hard population, planning a wedding, fighting my fears, living with my future in-laws, and preparing to go to the temple. Weeks ago, I was making a promise, using a passport for the first time, painting furniture, seeing a boy in the nude, managing bills, adjusting to having a new family, and cooking meals for two. Oh! how the time has flown! I am back at BYU tonight and my thoughts are skipping and dancing in and out of old memories. The test I take the day after tomorrow is the capstone of my academic growth and learning at this university. I'll get a degree in the mail in the next few days. Hopefully, I'll get a license to practice what I've learned. But more than anything, what I'll take from BYU is a deeper, more powerful understanding of my Savior, a stronger faith in Him, a handful of friends who mean more to me than words can express, a collection of experiences and life lessons to buoy me up in hard times, a strong work ethic, and a profound appreciation for God's hand in my life. My BYU experience didn't turn out exactly how I imagined it, but it was beautiful and wonderful nevertheless. And, tonight, my heart is full.