Growing

My thoughts were wandering today. They journeyed back to the day when I found out about my BYU acceptance. My sister worked at the IT building then and she knew right when the acceptances were posted so she called my dad to tell him that I made it. I happened to be in the room and heard her say "She made it" even though she told my dad not to tell me. I simply smiled like a giddy child and then proceeded to run around the house yelling the news to everybody there.
Back then, it was unfathomable to me what I would experience here. Today, as I sit at my desk at work accessing the databases and looking up information about myself for a project, it triggered my memory to think back to that day and see the change has taken place. It seems so long ago. It WAS a long time ago. I can follow my life since and see growth. I remember pure joy that day and see that now I should implement that same joy into the real deal. This. Into every day that I spend going to class and doing my oodles of schoolwork. The people I am able to associate with. The ward I can form a new family with. The late nights. The pathetic things I call meals. My roommates who I can form a relationship so close that I can really know them. This college experience where my life is continually changing. This time is a transition from childhood to adulthood and completely different responsibilities. Up to now, my life was preparatory. Now everything takes a turn for the rest of my life. I've been changing. How I think, act, work, even how I look. I have even been thinking about the future, which I try my best not to do on a normal basis. I have been growing up. And I relish in that fact. It's like a young 14-year-old-or-so from my ward said when I returned home this summer. "She left a girl and came back a lady."

Well this lady has thought about her future and is getting giddy with more excitement. I feel the same excitement I had when I was looking forward to BYU and that new experience ahead of me. Now, I look forward and see Vienna in Winter 2013. I see pounding out my General Education credits and being all Computer Science gung-ho upon my return. I see a more poised "lady" strutting her stuff with confidence that I couldn't imagine back in grade school. I see visiting teaching with enthusiasm and creating baked goods left and right. I see going camping and hiking just because I want to.  I see sewing this and that and perhaps a white dress eventually down the road. I see following my passions and dreams and walking into tough times with my hands on my hips and a sparkle in my eye (the stance of a lady ready to kick that challenges rear end). I can also see new self in a brand new pair of confident-laden heels. That sounds like the perfect way to herald in this new revolution. I already have my eye on a fabulous pair. (Hello Christmas gift??)

I'm raising the white flag. The white flag to immaturity. So long childish tendencies. So long teenage girl. Tomorrow I say hello to 20 year old self. Hello new, confident, ambitious, giving, diligent lady.