So I'm back in the dorm after spending a week off school for Thanksgiving. It was quite a nice Thanksgiving. I'll always be eternally grateful (/thankful given the holiday) for all that Lauren and her family have done for me. However, I must admit that I have been missing my family back in Pikeville. It's difficult knowing that I'm so close to seeing them, and yet still so far, with exactly one month to go today. I'll be back in Kentucky for a week, which is a small amount of time after six months away. And it's an even smaller amount of time when you consider the fact that I have no idea when I'll be back. It may just be Christmas of 2012. Who knows? I certainly don't.
The past week is actually kind of a blur. The semester is so close to being done (two weeks, plus one week of finals), that I was just antsy to get back and get it over with. It's nice to be back. I spent time in both Kirksville and Hannibal, had turkey, had leftovers, hung out with mah peeps, went to a Lutheran church service . . . all that fun stuff. There's a tremendous amount of stress placed upon me that won't ease until finals are over, and I won't get into it, but let's just say it's got my pulse rocking. We'll see what happens. I'll do my best, and after that it's no longer up to me. I'm determined to kick next semester's ass, that's for sure. As soon as finals are over on the sixteenth of this month, Kat and I will be whisked off to St. Louis, where we'll be seeing the Trans-Siberian Orchestra perform. YAY. I'm excited.
It's actually kind of crazy when you realize that, not only the semester, but the year is almost over. I mean, at the beginning of this year, I was finishing up college applications for three schools: Brigham Young University-Idaho, Morehead State University, and Truman State University. As time slowly progressed, BYU-I and MSU faded into the background completely, and I found myself dreading the prospect of having to go to one of those schools, both for different reasons. I still remember with perfect clarity the moment I received my letter from Truman. It was still fairly early on February 7, 2011. I saw the letter from Truman in the mailbox and knew exactly what it was. Heart hammering unceasingly, I stumbled back to my bedroom and opened it. I fell to my knees to moment I saw the "Congratulations!" It still amazes me that I've been accepted. I told my mother and promptly burst into tears, I do confess. I called Lauren and Kat and made it sound like I had been rejected at first, before telling them the good news.
I'll never take for granted my fortune of being here, of being surrounded by so many wonderful people who influence my life. My life certainly hasn't been a walk in the park up until this point, and I was fooling myself by thinking that it would all come so easily to me in college just because I knew I deserved better than what I had had. I know I need to continue to work hard for everything, to not just coast on by. This semester has definitely been difficult, filled with amounts of stress I didn't even know existed. My best friends and I have argued, we've given each other the silent treatment, and I can't count the number of times I've sobbed on my bed. Yet I wouldn't trade any of this for anything in the world. After years of people believing that I would not amount to anything, I'm finally taking the path necessary to be more than anyone dreamed was possible for me. So even though I'm definitely not the biggest patriot on the block, I take this month of Thanksgiving to reflect on my eternal gratitude and thankfulness to all of those who have helped me, have loved me, and have believed in me. My first and second family, my friends, I love you all. And despite the fact that I didn't intend this post to be mushy, I mean it. Thank you for everything.
Ashlee
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