As One Door Closes...

I'm graduated!!

It's so weird, on one hand nothing really changed.. but on the other, my whole world has just shifted a little. All I've ever known is school, and not to say college isn't school, but I see higher education as a more voluntary, free (in the sense of 'I'm an adult and can do what I want' kind of way) experience quite unlike the past 13 years of my life.

Now I'm considered a real adult.

I'm graduated.

Done

Finished

Out of

Never have to go back

High school.

Its a good feeling. Amazing actually. And yet so nerve wracking at the same time..

The ceremony was long and a tad stressful, seeing as I had absolutely no idea what was going on. Mom, Dad, Amber, Bailey, Nikki, Annika, Karin, Marc, Julie.. thank you all for coming and sitting through all that. Although I must say, I quite enjoyed texting during the musical numbers..

The barbeque was awesome :)

Quote of the day goes to... somebody who would murder me in my sleep if I said his name ;) "You should see me in my Wranglers, then you can really see my legs."

All in all, a fantastic day.

Thank you everybody for making it special :)

"I need to find a man thats worth a damn that treats me well." 

-A. J.

Haha, sometimes Sunday night consists of bashing on boys and singing Gives You Hell...

Its actually quite therapeutic :)

Free :)

4 years ago I made a bet.

No kissing/ getting kissed until graduation.

Why would I do this you wonder??

Easy.

A car.

Uh-huh. And guess what. I got me a 2007 Hyundai Elantra and I'm absolutely lovin' it :)

Was it worth it?

Heck yes. Most definitely.

Would I do it again?

No. Probably not..

Honestly though, I think the memories alone have made the past couple months and years worth it. That and just the experience as a whole. I can without a doubt say I have learned a ton about myself. And you know what? I'm happy with what I see. I know that I can do anything I set my mind to, I just have to make it a priority. If I want something bad enough I can make it happen. 

That's what I learned :)

"You learn that in life you gain some

and you lose some."

Love you Dad

Close Call

2 weeks ago my perception of life changed.. I guess realizing that life can end in one unexpected moment can do that to a person.

The car fishtailed, we went in a ditch and flipped. I will always remember holding the door handle when the car turned, my head hitting the roof, feeling my neck crunch and looking at Bailey. A poof of dust when the glass shattered so thick I couldn't see her anymore. The pull as I still held the door, then completing the roll. 

Every second was minutes. An absence of sound and noise.

A moment of stillness as the dust cleared and the initial shock wore off. Bailey yelling my name, checking me for injuries, me simply happy she was talking and alive.

Crawling out my door, because hers was stuck. Assessing both ourselves, each other and the car.

Then walking home. 3 miles to be exact.

We had a lot of time to contemplate life and what had happened. We were lucky. Very lucky. No major injuries. Luck? No. Blessed.

Life is to be lived. In a single instant, life as you know it could be over. What if one of us had broken a limb? Back? Died? Life would never be the same. 

In the words of Channing Tatum, we are made up of moments of impact.

This was definitely one of them.