From Baylor Bound to Sac State Sent

As the first semester of graduate school comes to a close,

 I can't help but think back on how I thought my life (and my college experience) was going to pan out.

You see, going to Sac State was never in my thoughts...

and certainly not my top choice.

I was 100% Baylor bound.

My mind was made up sophomore year of highschool.

I never looked anywhere else.

The deal got even sweeter when one of my best friends, Kayla, was going to transfer 

there her junior year when I would go in as a freshman.

We were going to live together.

And have waffles on the weekends.

And love our lives together as Baylor bears.

Is the campus not seriously breathtaking?

Summer 2008 (before my senior year) I went on a Mexico mission trip, Kayla and I and met Hanna who was interning with the ministry...and she was currently a Baylor bear!

I remember talking to her and just being sooo excited to go to Baylor.

One night, we even all wore our Baylor stuff!

Me, Hannah, Kayla (Mexico 2008)

I applied and was accepted on November 12th! 

I literally cried when I got my beautiful acceptance letter (they make it look like an award, too) in the mail. It was the first time in my life I had cried for joy. That's how stoked I was about it. I quickly called Kayla, who had gotten her acceptance a few weeks before me.

Everything was falling into place.

So what if I had applied to other schools...I didn't need a backup!

I was in and ready to go!

Let's get back to Sac State for a moment now, shall we?

I remember my mom taking me on a tour of Sac State sometime that year. She was really excited to take me on a college tour and since it was close, it was easily affordable at that time.

I was a total brat.

I pouted in the back of the tour group the entire time.

I screamed at my mom in the car ride there.

I had worked too hard in high school to just go to a state school...

especially Sac State. 

I honestly don't remember anything about the tour. 

When they offered to take people to the Res Halls for tour,

I refused.
I ruined the whole day.

Spring 2009 came along with many other acceptances into universities.

My mom decided that if I was ready to pick-up and move to Texas,

I might as well visit the school.

So spring break, my mom took me to Waco.

She was always pushing for me to stay close, save money, and go to Sac State.

Why was I so against it: one word...

One ugly word.

PRIDE. I

 was top of my class and the logical step in my brain was to go to a big university, with an awesome football team, full of tradition, known...

One night on our visit, Hanna took me around and showed me all the cool things Baylor students do.

She took me to Common Grounds, to her apartment, the HEB, and we threw tortillas off a bridge!

It was awesome! My mom and I took a tour of the campus, met my advisor, explored the city, and just soaked it all in. 

My mom remembers us meeting with a professor from the Communication Disorders department. When I said I was from Sacramento, she said, "Oh, have you heard of Sacramento State? They have a good program, too." Apparently my face went blank.

I don't really remember this conversation...but I'll take my mom's word for it.

So there I was in Waco. At my dream school, seeing student life, soaking in the beautiful campus...

One of the last nights we were there, I distinctively remember laying in bed...I undoubtedly had the perfect visit but something just wasn't right. There was a feeling I had that told me that maybe I had this all wrong.

Thank you Holy Spirit, for that gentle reminder to trust God's plans instead of my own.

On our trip back home, my mom said, "Ya know, I really can see you fitting in here.."

What?!

After all that time her lobbying for me to go to Sac State, visiting Waco showed her how I could fit in...

and visiting Waco had me questioning my plans.

For the next month, I wrestled with God...and let me tell you...I put up quite the fight.

College decision day was coming closer.

One Sunday, my mom and I sat down to make the decision.

We made a good-ole-trusty-pro-con-list.

I cried...a lot.

I layed face down on the floor crying because I felt like I couldn't make a decision.

Thank you, mom for all your patience during this process!!

I chose Sac State.

I could get everything I wanted out of Baylor at Sac State.

I was going to live in the halls, do speech pathology, have opportunities to study/travel abroad, and I would figure out how to get connected to a Christian community.

My friends definitely did not understand. There I was graduating seventh out of a large class...

and going to Sac State.

Regardless of others' opinions, I knew it was the right choice. 

God flipped my plans upside down and I felt so at peace.

A few weeks into freshman year at Sac State (the night before my 18th birthday).

Would I have had a great college experience had I gone to Baylor?

Absolutely.

Guarantee it.

But I certainly wouldn't have had the experience I've had a Sac State.

And I wouldn't trade it in for the world.

I have met some of my best friends.

I've literally traveled the world.

I grew leaps and bounds in my faith.

And I have ridiculous amounts of pride in Sac State than the average student.

Stingers up!

It may have taken me a few years to figure out why I was here.

But it's pretty clear to me.

This is exactly where I was meant to be.

Thank you, Lord for being in control of my life. Thank you for breaking my plans and allowing me to see that You are what matters, not my pride and what I think I deserve. I love being a Sac State hornet and am so thankful for everything that I have experienced here. 

What area in your life are you refusing to let go?

What would happen if you let go and trusted God to guide you through His Holy Spirit?

Go ahead...I promise you it's worth it.

Thursday Three

It's Thursday.

It's time for a Thursday Three.

Enjoy this little glimpse into my life lately...

as shown through pics on my iPhone. 

#1. It is ridiculously cold outside today. It's currently 45*. Yeah, I know that this is much warmer than a lot of other places...and my friend Lexi is suffering through 4* weather right now. But. Today dropping below 50* means it was time for me to bundle layers on layers on layers. Top layers include a cami, v-neck, sweatshirt, and North Face fleece. I have on tall Christtmas socks that go up to my knees. And I topped it off with a knitted headband that Laura gave me for my birthday! Here's the funny thing: as I walked to class, my whole 5 minute commute (I LOVE living on campus) I was seriously warm...almost hot. Felt like I was taking a nice relaxing walk on the beach. As soon as I got to class, you bet I shed my sweatshirt and North Face. Ha. [Side note: I think my hair is looking longer? yay!]

#2. Let me let you in on a little secret. The tabs on bread actually mean something. Luckily, my dad has worked for Sara Lee for a long time so I've been all caught up on this info. Thanks Dad! Each day of the week has a different colored tab which tells you which day the bakery baked it! This allows you to choose the freshest loaf of bread. If you're interested in the knowledge of bread tags, read up about it here. I was grocery shopping late (thanks Safeway for being open til 1am) with Lydia. These were on the back wall of the bread area. Apparently bread men these days need a little extra help with these visual cues? I don't know. But, you're welcome for this knowledge that will change the way you choose your loaf of bread. 

#3. It seems like Kim has been making appearances in my Thursday Three posts regularly but I can't help it if we always seem to have fun. Last weekend, I went with her and her family (husband and son) up to her sister's house in Camino (Apple Hill) to chop down a Christmas tree! It was pretty anti-climactic in my opinion. But hey, that's ok! The rest of the night was a whole bunch of fun. More of their family joined us at her sister's house. We ate pizza together and then set off on the great task to decorate her sister's family's tree. This is a system and a process people! Luckily Kim's niece, Katie, filled me in on the details. 

Here are the rules: 1) Bulbs go on first 2) Small ornaments go on top...bigger ones on the bottom 3) Don't place ornaments of the same color and/or design too close to each other 4) Don't be offended if someone moves the ornament you put on

It was just a lot of fun meeting people that Kim talks about all the time! :)

Well, that's it folks. Stay warm. Choose the freshest loaf. And enjoy this holiday season!