Oh the places we will go! Sorry for the absence - back for the New Year!
Recently in my life there have been a lot of lasts... My last football game as a Texas Longhorn student, my last test ever in college, my last day of my internship, the last time I will have to take the city bus to school (new car!), my last day of college ever. For those of you who have been around me, you know I have taken every opportunity to make sure everyone is aware of all these lasts and has allowed me to sulk in it.
At the same time, there have also been so many firsts recently that it has been hard to dwell on all the lasts. I graduated from college, my parents bought me my first car, I made it a year with my first boyfriend, I took my first big girl job in Austin, TX and now for the first time I have to pay ALL my own bills.
At this very moment I am in the new car (black Kia Koupe with a cute Rhinestone license plate in case you are looking for us on the road) with Papa Gatz at the wheel East bound I-10 for 15 hours to Austin, TX. Four years ago my mom, dad and I made this very same drive to drop me off to college for the first time... I swore to myself I would never drive that miserable, never-ending stretch of two lane highway ever again. Here I am, about one hour in. And just like four years ago, I am bawling like a baby as I waved goodbye to the Gatz family! I went to Texas for college and had an amazing time, but I always knew in the back of my head that I would graduate and move back home. I am in such a weird state of mind realizing that is not happening. My dad just handed me a tissue and rested his hand on my shoulder to tell me, "you have a lot of new, exciting and positive things happening in your life right now and you're going to be great!" I shrugged him off with tears of being so far from my family but I know he is right. This is everything I could have ever asked for - how lucky am I to have a good job right out of college and to be ready to take on whatever comes my way without being tied down in any way shape or form. How lucky am I to have amazing parents and a wonderful family to love and support me in whatever I choose to do (even though mom is heartbroken I picked Texas). How lucky am I to have a boyfriend who would do anything to keep me happy and laughing and a solid handful of friends who will be there forever. How lucky am I to be healthy and alive!
My best friend gets annoyed with me because she claims I am the luckiest person she knows and she comments that I always get what I want. (most recently this was discussed in Vegas when I had a good stroke of luck) but honestly I am a believer in hard work, treating those the way you wish to be treated, and knowing that everything happens for a reason. Sounds cheesy, I know. But truly ever since the fifth grade I have believed everyone is right where they are supposed to be - I was the only one out of all my friends who didn't get on the same little league team as everyone else - but the team I was on beat out my friends for the championship! Because you see - some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted, but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see it is what you would have wanted had you known.
So, "For each petal on the Shamrock, this brings a wish your way. Good health, good luck and happiness for today and everyday!" - Irish Blessing
Love, n
