here we go!

I'm sitting in my spacious master bedroom in our beautiful Salt Lake home, staring at the empty shelves and bare walls... the day has finally arrived -- I'M OUTTA HERE! I don't mean for that to sound overly joyful, but I have been eagerly anticipating this day for quite a while now. The past few weeks have been quite the whirlwind... lots of work and preparation in order to move my life from Utah to Maryland. It hasn't felt like reality though, even now with my car sold and my possessions packed into bags and boxes. I don't think it will hit me until I'm sitting in my new apartment in Baltimore, trying to figure out how I could have possibly been so blessed with such an amazing opportunity. I truly am grateful for this chance to study at such an incredible university, and build a strong foundation that will support me through my profession. Only a week and a half left until I will be sitting in a classroom, overwhelmed by the amount of information that the professors will be bombarding me with. I am ready to take on the challenge though. I am ready to soak this all in. I am ready and willing to do what is necessary to achieve what I have set my sights on.

With all that said, I will definitely miss life here in Utah... I didn't want to acknowledge that I would miss it as much as I know I will. I have only been here a year and a half, but my roots reach down pretty deep. I have developed some long-lasting friendships, for which I am most grateful. Even though I may be relocating to the east coast, I know that these relationships will stretch across the many miles. Looking back at the past year, I recognize the reasons why I needed to move up here, and I feel so blessed for the opportunity I had to gain a greater understanding of myself and my place in this world. I will take these sentiments with me as I begin this new phase of my life, and I will never forget the wonderful people and the fantastic life I had here in the SLC. But this chapter has ended, and I must focus my attention on the road ahead... So here goes nothing! Wish me luck... :)