I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go

Sometimes, things don't turn out quite the way you expect. In fact, sometimes they become the exact opposite of what you originally intended.

Every year, there are birds that nest right underneath the shingles of the roof of my house. Mother birds are not very motherly, I've discovered. Every year, we find several dead baby birds on the sidewalk, because their mothers have pushed them out of the nest far too early. Lucky for me, I don't have parents like this. Even when I jumped out of the nest early all by myself, and barely made it back alive, they still welcome me back with open arms until I'm ready to take off again. This time with stronger wings.

Let's recap, shall we? My college-life plan in a series:
Freshman year of high school: Dixie for two years, then BYU.
Sophomore year of high school: Dixie for two years, then BYU.
Junior year of high school: Dixie for two years, then BYU.
Beginning of senior year: Dixie for two years, then BYU.
Two months before graduation: Utah State University. Wait----WHAT?! How did that just happen?!

Freshman year of college: Hey! Logan's pretty nice! This might be cool, maybe I could stay here for four years!

Driving away from Logan at the end of freshman year: Why does it feel like I'm never coming back?

Summer between freshman and sophomore year: Well, Dixie could be okay for a semester! But then I'm going back!

Month before sophomore year: Well... I guess Dixie would be okay for a whole year... Anyway, I could save money for AFRICA!!!

Three weeks into sophomore year: Okay... the Africa group jacked up the prices... Maybe I'm not going to Africa... So, instead....

ECUADOR?!

Stay tuned, ladies and gentlemen. The Lord is teaching me another lesson in flexibility. What does this mean? This means I have no idea where I'll be in eight months, let alone 3 years! But that's okay! I've decided I kind of like it that way. (All right, I don't love it. But I just said I kinda liked it. So I'm not lying.) It definitely makes life more of an adventure, I'll be honest. Isn't adventure what I'm looking for, anyway? 

So... Whether I'm in Africa, Ecuador, or Kentucky this summer, I really will be happy with it. Because at this point? I feel like I'm pretty good at figuring out where I need to be, and where I need not be. (However temporary my confidence in that decision is.)

Author's note: Kentucky is not, nor has it ever been, on my list of possible adventures. If I have jinxed myself to Kentucky-hood with this post you are allowed to laugh at me for the rest of eternity.

Luckily, I have the most supportive parents in the whole world. Seriously. Throughout this whole process they've been there giving me quiet encouragement, drying my tears of frustration, and telling me not to turn my back on things too quickly. When I first decided to go to USU, my parents were not happy. But when they found out how excited I was, they helped me out. And when I started having a hard time? They were there for me then, too. When I, their youngest daughter, told them I wanted to go to Africa for a few months on a humanitarian trip, I could tell that they thought (and desperately hoped!) that I would give up the idea soon enough. When they figured out how much I really wanted to go, they pretended to be excited for me, while still stressing like crazy on the inside. This week, when I cried because I figured out there would be no way for me to raise all the money for the much more costly Africa trip? They told me not to give up. "Don't turn your back on it yet. And keep looking for other things. You'll find something." With parents like mine, I know I'll learn to fly someday. I'm just a slow learner.