This, my dear friends, is life.

Many of you have been asking what all I did in Alaska, and my response is typically "What DIDN'T I do??" Flight there:7 hours. Painfully long to sit still :( The guy I was sitting next to either didn't speak English or didn't like me..either way, he wouldn't talk to me! Day 1:Found a quaint coffee shop in Anchorage called Kaladi Brothers Coffee that was the best coffee I've ever had. I was then walking around by myself and I couldn't figure out why all the shops were closed. It was still light out, so I asked someone what time it was, and it was about midnight haha. Getting used to the long days was pretty challenging. Day 2:Went on a 5 hour train ride. Again, painfully long, but saw some BEAUTIFUL sights, including a sweet lady that I started talking to. Her name was Betty. She was retired from General motors and has been on about 15 cruises, and plans on traveling until she dies because "Life is too short to do anything other than wh...

Well, here I am. I just completed my last final in high school. The moment that I've been working up to for 15 years now (I went to 2 years of preschool.) is here, and I'm sitting here in disbelief that it's actually happening. The feeling is surreal. Honestly, I'm just sitting here thinking that I'm going to wake up and do this whole "school thing" again tomorrow. I think what makes this so bittersweet is that anything that you spend time on, you value. 15 years is a pretty large chunk of time. Senior year was the BEST year of my life. Just to recap: I started out the summer before senior year deciding that I would no longer drink because we had just gotten a new soccer coach that was STRICT on alcohol. So, I stopped drinking, which proved to be a very difficult battle, but it was a war worth waging. As senior year underwent, I was blessed with an amazing second family that truly turned my life around. I had intended on either graduating early or droppi...

At some point in life, I gained the unique ability to step back, and truly see what was happening. As in, I would completely remove myself from the situation, and view it as if I were a new person walking in. Now, this ability is somewhat difficult to explain to friends, for the sole purpose that it is, indeed, a unique ability. Most people my age get so caught up in the moment, that they are not able to do such a thing. Psychologically speaking, it's just how we're wired. Here recently, it was applied to my life. You see, I was so caught up with all the typical "Senior stuff" that I wasn't allowing myself to enjoy things. The things I've waited 18 years for were passing by my eyes. I was so incredibly stressed and burnt out on life itself, that I was just ready to be done and out of here. The things I once loved such as my job and youth group were now tasks that I grumbled all the way through, and actually considered quitting. It wasn't until I had a c...