I Made The Right Decision...

For those of you who are not aware, I am currently pursuing my higher education, here:

It really is a great place. Although very few people outside the state of Utah have ever heard of my tiny and seemingly insignificant university, I will argue until the cows come home (did I really just use that phrase?) That it is among the best places to be in all of the world. As a senior in an all girls, catholic, college preparatory high school, we were required to apply to a certain number of colleges. I applied to ten. This was the list in no particular order:

1. University of Seattle
2. Brigham Young University Idaho
3. Brigham Young University Hawaii
4. Portland University
5. University of Puget Sound
6. Saint Louis university
7. Southern Utah University
8. Regis University
9. Metro State College
10. Oregon State University

My heart was set on #2. My best friend was already enrolled and loving it. That was where I was going to spend the next four years of my life. I was accepted to the schools in green. Obviously, my plans changed. I have never been good with change. Issac Asimov once said, "The only constant is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today". I can't count how many times someone has quoted Mr. Asimov in an effort to comfort me after a big change. I know. I still don't like it. Thus, when the absence of an acceptance letter to my top choice school changed my plans for me, I had a little bit of a breakdown. What was I to do now? I did the only things I knew how to do. I cried. I prayed. And I begged my wise mother to tell me what I should do with my life. Unfortunately, my wise mother has always the one who encourages me to do what I feel is best for me. When I, the good little Mormon girl, wanted to go to the Catholic school because it was an academic dream, she smiled and helped me fill out the application and study for the entrance exam. My wise mother has always taught me that I need to work hard for what I have in my life, and even harder for the duty of being happy. I knew that she was there to support me no matter what my choice, but that in the end it wasn't going to be her that made that decision.

Alas, the choice was mine. Fairly quickly, I ruled out #5, #6 and #10 for the simple fact that I didn't want to be paying off student loans for literally the rest of my life, and #8 and #9 for being too close to home. I knew that if I was close enough to be able to go home on the weekends for some home cooked meals and laundry, I would never actually be at school. I needed to be far enough from home that I was truly on my own. I had it narrowed down to three. Seattle University, Portland University and Southern Utah University. I still had no idea where I was headed. I had really only applied to SUU because I got the application in the mail and it was a free application that didn't require an essay. It was mostly to fill the application quota...until one Sunday.
My Sunday School teacher in 2005 was Brother Kirby. I don't even know his first name. One Sunday, he asked what schools I was applying to. I replied with the three that I had narrowed it down to. "GO T-BIRDS!" That was all that came out of Brother Kirby's mouth. Awkward....Okay. He put his arms down (he had thrown them above his head in excitement) and explained that he had attended SUU and loved it. I replied with an awkward "thanks" and didn't think much more of it. Yet, for the next days, weeks, months...SUU stuck out in my mind like a blinking neon sign. So, this is an Ode to Brother Kirby. Thank you. I truly never would have thought twice about that SUU acceptance letter...your enthusiasm and upraised arms somehow triggered and inner sense that SUU was where I needed to be....
I have very little reason to think that Brother Kirby would be reading my blog, but if any of you know Brother Kirby, of the Wash Park Ward of the Denver Colorado Stake, please, point him in my direction...or at least the direction of my Blog.
Now that I am in my third year at SUU, I know more than ever that I made the right choice. The things I have had the opportunity to do, the faith I have gained, the people I have met. They all let me know every day that I made the right decision.
To the opportunities, the faith and in particular, these people:

Thank you.