what went down

I have spent a lot of hours travelling in these past two days. It seems like my life has been a constant shuffling between cars, trains, airports, and buses ... with a lot of waiting sprinkled throughout. However, this exodus back to Rexburg has been full of adventure and life changes.

The beginning of my journey was bittersweet. Every day, I am more and more excited to return to Rexburg and continue my studies. A love of learning and progression is a discovery that I was able to make this past semester and I hope to be able to continue developing that love through my studies. I am excited to be participating in extracurricular activities that I love like Spanish tutoring and to encounter other activities that will help me to stretch and grow.

But at the same time, it is always sad to leave my family. My dad was saying the other day that we are like our own exclusive club. I would totally have to agree. Everyone in my family gets along so well. We joke about everything, talk about everything -- it is one perpetual party, characterized by the too many to count inside jokes we have. I think that is the hardest part about going back home ... is that I know that eventually I have to leave. It breaks my heart every time.

This time, leaving was especially difficult for everyone in my family ... because my sister Savannah left on her 18 month mission. Savannah is going to Bakersfield, CA, and when we said goodbye to her at the airport, I felt as though it could have been on the other side of the planet. I remember being in her exact position vaguely, but I feel as though saying goodbye to her was way harder than leaving myself. Of course, that sadness was balanced out nicely by an immense feeling of gratitude and excitement for her decision to serve. It will be such a blessing in her life!! She will grow and stretch in ways she never could have envisioned. I know all of these blessings await her, which makes the prospect of not being with my best friend for the next year and a half a little more bearable.

After saying goodbye to Savannah, I got on to my own plane headed in the general direction of Salt Lake. Because I chose to buy the cheapest ticket that I could find, I had a couple of layovers in Denver and then in Grand Junction. It was really fun to see the different airports and to talk to the other passengers that were waiting for their flights. It only takes a little bit of travel to be able to open your eyes to all of the possibilities that the world has to offer. It is amazing that adventure can be a plane ticket away or just outside your window.

While I was waiting, I started pounding away homework that I was missing by travelling a couple of days late. I decided that my sister leaving was far more important than any first day lecture that I would have about a syllabus (sorry any teachers that read this!!). I feel like it was the right decision to make. Taking advantage of the fact that I was already skipping some school, I also decided to knock out my EFY interview out of the way. That is a story in and of itself (which I will write later).

I am now in the Salt Lake Airport waiting for a bus that is going to take me back to Rexburg. I really love to call Rexburg home now. Each leg of this crazy journey that I have been on, I have felt a joy in going back. It is a constant confirmation to me that Heavenly Father loves me and puts me where he wants me to be. I am hopeful for what's in store this semester!