Graduation and Kitties

Ah, High School. The sweet smell of success. Alright... I don't actually have my diploma but all my class requirements are finished and I'm done with it! Now it's just relaxing and breathing and I'm in a gap year.

I would've taken off immediately after I finished my classes, but we had our first wedding in August. My brother Grant married the most beautiful girl and the best FIRST sister I could ever ask for. And even though it was hard, and not a lot of our family was there. I could feel dad with us on this very very special occasion.

I can't stop getting called to baby sit babies and animals. My reputation is strong in the neighborhood. Haha. I get paid well enough that I can't complain. But on a gap year I just want to relax and have fun and read books. And I am, I really am. I just want to travel. My first trip is coming up. Emily and Jarod, I'm coming to visit you and harass your dog and your cats. I'm so excited. OREGON HERE I COME SOON!!

I was asked to baby sit my brother's cats while he's away on his Honeymoon. And I'm living in his apartment in Downtown Boise and it's just amazing. These cats are so sweet, precious, and I really do love them to the point where I would totally steal them if I were allowed to steal cats and bring them home. But they're Grant's kitties and they love him. They're just adorable and ugh. So so cute.

October is going to be a crazy month for me. I'm literally gone the whole of the month with few recovery days at home. The first week I'm in Seattle, the following I'm in Texas, and for the last two weeks of the month I'm staying with our family friend Kamee June (an amazing photographer) at her home in California. I'm super stoked and a little nervous to fly alone all by myself. But it should be excellent. It'll be my first taste of an adventure by myself. And I'm a little nervous I'll never want to come home and just spend the rest of my life traveling.

I guess I really am suited for Flying if I love to travel so much.

The rest of the year and next year is going to be fantastic. I am really stoked about it. Just gotta stop getting random ear infections and nausea once in a while. And the next check up I have, in December, I'll be officially two years off of Chemotherapy. That means instead of coming in to get tested every 3 months, it's every 6 months. And that is so amazing to me. Has time really gone by so quickly? Geez.

But at least now I'm no longer stressed and very, very happy.

Graduation Realities

It’s weird to say that I’ll be graduating in exactly four months. 

Do you know how scary that is for me?

I’ve lived in Idaho for 12 years. And so much has changed in my family.

Military campaigns, my brothers all of a sudden growing up, medical issues, death happened.

I’ve realized I’ve never had the chance to be a proper kid. I lost that privilege in 5th grade. And because I was never a kid I both lost friends and gained new ones. But it’s so scary for me.

Because I’ve always wished that I’d grow up one day. But I didn’t realize how quickly that came.

And now here I am, five months from being a legal adult and what am I doing? 

I don’t have my act together at all. I try not to let the cold reality slip in for me to realize that I am an adult now that deals with adult things.

I have to start a career soon, go off on my own and discovery myself, make big life changing decisions of who to marry or what studies I want to persue.

And it’s incredibly terrifying.

I still feel like that young six grader who was ready to leave her world of elementary school for junior high but was reluctant. Because that was a big step.

And this one is even bigger.

But before I go off to college my mom and I agreed that I’d take a year off. 

I’ll get my drivers license, pilot’s license, get physically fit for ROTC AirForce, and apply for USU.  

I’ll read all the books I wanted to read, travel to all the places I’ve longed to see and the places my heart has always longed to go back to. I’ll finally make big decisions for myself and see how life treats me. 

All I know is that in a year I’ll be a kid again for awhile. I’ll finally be the kid I’ve always hoped to be.

And I’m excited and scared at the same time.