An Aggie?

Well hey there folks. It's been awhile since we've last met. This Christmas break was a much needed one. I have relaxed as much as is humanly possible and have therefore not even thought about homework. Don't tell me to do it yet, you'll burst my bubble.
I've had lots of time to think and reflect and stew and be frustrated. And time to make decisions and have Satan come back at me to doubt them all. That's what a testimony is for my friends, to be able to throw it all back in Satan's face and say, "Nice try LOSER!!!" A wise man once said, "You know where Satan lives, tell him were to go." Touche, right?
People change, circumstances change, nothing is the same forever. But that is what is so beautiful and wonderful about life. People make mistakes. Learn from their mistakes.
We're not on this earth to prove that we're perfect or to be better than someone else, but to make mistakes and stumble and fall and be embarrassed. THAT'S THE POINT.
I've been doing it right all along!
Anyways.
In the middle of a very stressful time in my life called "Into the Woods", college applications decided that they were going to be do. So it turns out that I'm not the smartest person in the world and I thought my chances of getting into BYU were pretty slim. I have a 3.9 GPA, but my ACT score is less than perfect. Last year I figured I'd just keep taking the ACT, do my best, and apply for BYU summer semester. There were a couple of things that I knew for sure.

1. I did NOT want to go to UVU. Don't ask me why, I just knew I wasn't going there and I wasn't going to apply there.
2. BYU Idaho didn't really seem that great either. Just not my cup of tea...hot cocoa...
3. I want to become an elementary school teacher.
4. I was, without a doubt going to apply to Utah State.

I did some asking around and found out that Utah State has one of the best Elementary Education departments in the state. Not only that, but they are great for specializing in something in education. For example, Music Education, Deaf Education, etc.
I did some asking around for BYU as well. BYU, in the past has had a pretty crappy Elementary Education department, but recently has been building it back up and they aren't so bad anymore.

NOW these are all things that I heard from people, so I have no idea how valid or accurate they are. But they seemed to be the same from multiple people so that's the information I gathered.

Back to application time. Utah State started to have this pull for me. It sounded right, it felt right, I knew for a fact that I would get in, etc. Because of this, I eagerly started the application and had it finished before the deadline.
About 4 days before the deadline, I realized I hadn't even looked at the BYU application. I realized I needed to get an ecclesiastical endorsement FAST and I hadn't even given thought to the essays. As I said before, this was right in the middle of opening "Into the Woods." So the night before we opened, I left rehearsal to be interviewed by a member of the Stake Presidency. I didn't know what to expect, my mind was racing and I knew that I had to get back to rehearsal as fast as possible.
The interview was horrible. I felt dumb, I felt stupid, I wasn't prepared for the interview and in all honesty, I had already made up my mind that I didn't want to go to BYU.

I left in tears and started to think. Why even was BYU one of my college selections? It's close to home so that was good. It's cheaper than most colleges since I'm a member of the church..etc. Unfortunately my biggest reason for applying was that everyone else was doing it and I thought I was obligated to as a member of the church.
That night I talked to my mom and dad. We had a pretty heated discussion about my current circumstances and about the future. There were plenty of tears and plenty of snappy remarks. It was really hard for me to hear stuff that I already knew but didn't want to admit to myself.

So I didn't end up sending the BYU application in. I can still apply, I just have an even more slim chance of getting in. But a few days ago, this little Christmas present came in the mail for me.

My acceptance letter from Utah State :)
Everything felt so good at that moment. I was at peace and was very content. So at this moment in time I can honestly say that I'm an Aggie.
My plan is to attend Utah State in the fall and complete a full year. I'm considering a mission right now, but that decision requires a lot of prayer and fasting and I still have time to work on that.
So there you have it. College is scary and growing up is scary, but that just how it goes. Life goes on and I guess I'll keep moving. :)
Merry Christmas!!