Confidently In The Direction

In case you missed the memo: I'm baaaack!!! That's right, I'm home. I'm not going to lie, it was weird at first. In many ways it felt like I never left but in other ways, I felt like a stranger. That being said, being a stranger quickly faded. I mean this is my home! So much of who I am stemmed from all that I encountered, learned and experienced here. Carlisle is my home. Carlisle will always be my home. Since being back, a lot has happened. For starters, I launched my "Alumni of the Year" campaign for CPYB. This was a huge step of "just going for it" for me. Usually, I like to plan out exactly how everything will work but this has been different. I've had to go into this campaign without any expectation and hope to make a difference. I still have 5 weeks left and a lot of money to raise but I'm proud of myself for simply giving it a shot.  About two weeks after being home my family took a vacation. Usually we vacation in August but beca...

May 15, 2016. I remember sitting back home last August and marking this day as "Last day in Austin" in my phone. I was so worried, how was I going to make in 9 months in Austin...alone? That would be the longest 9 months of my life. Here we are though. May 15th, 2016 and this season is coming to an end. I think part of me is still in denial because while this year was probably the most trying thing I've ever been through, it's probably been the most beautiful. In so many ways, I've grown. I've grown as a dancer, undoubtedly, I've grown as a person, I've grown as a daughter, I've grown as a sister, I've grown as a friend and most importantly, I've grown as a Christian. In all areas of my life I have grown. There were definitely points in this year where I just wanted to go back. Go back to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, back to high school, back to my friends and family and the life I've always known but I'm so glad I didn't or rather...

"Here goes nothing."  That's been my motto for the last three or four days. Leaving home on Wednesday was bittersweet, mostly bitter but still bittersweet. I packed up everything in my room, except a little vanity that holds some picture frames I couldn't fit and I said goodbye to my family. Saying goodbye to my family was excruciatingly hard, especially because the longest I've ever had to say goodbye for was six weeks. First I said goodbye to my three younger brothers. It is hard for me to know that I will be missing a huge year in their lives. For Tyler and Thomas this year, junior year, will probably be their hardest year yet and I wish I could be there. I wish I could be there to offer advice, wisdom and tips to help them survive this year because I've been there, I've had the similar classes and I know how this year will be trying. For Coby this year, freshman year, is a huge year of change and I wish I could watch all he becomes but I can't...