Thoughtful Thursday | 10,000 Views!

I just want to thank everyone who has made a contribution to this blog. Whether you've commented, shared it online, or simply read my rants and raves, you are awesome! Three days ago was the two year anniversary of All Roads Lead To Nowhere, and just a day after that it hit 10,000 views. This is incredible to me!

Two years ago, I started this blog, purely out of boredom and a need to exercise my writing abilities, as a freshman at BYU. In my very first post, "Roma Capitale", I said, "It's understandable to not know where you are going in life. As long as you know where you are right now, you might as well take in the beautiful scenery and simply conclude that today, all roads lead to nowhere." 

Even today, this still holds true. Over the course of two years, I have changed my path so many times and still don't have a clear idea of where I am going. But this blog has taught me to simply enjoy now. This small advice to myself has resulted in the best two years of my life. Though I still don't know where my road is taking me, I have been able to travel this country and enjoy every minute of the ride.

So for all of you who are reading my blog for the first time, or for those who have persevered for my frequent extended leave of absences, thank you!

21-Day Challenge | Week 3

Boy do I have some explaining to do... Remember when I ran that five miles last Sunday? Well I haven't exercised since then. But you can't blame me, I'm right in the midst of finals week, and you know how grueling that can be. However, I did stick to eating well all last week, which was a plus! However, seeing as I have four exams ahead of me, I have allotted myself four days to splurge, because when I'm stressed and need ice cream, I'm willing to indulge if it means I can calm down and continue studying. Today is the last reading day where we don't have classes, and tomorrow is the first day of finals.

Only one of my finals are actually scheduled, and it's tomorrow at 8 am... Wonderful. The rest of my exams are a free for all. The way BYU organizes final exams is that you have a week to take them. When you're ready, you line up at the testing center anywhere from 7 am to 9 pm to go in and take your test. I love this because this allows me to take all four of my exams by Saturday night so that I can fly home sooner. My flight for Seattle leaves early Sunday morning, and I am so excited to be able to spend a week there before heading off to my internship!

Once finals are over, I can promise you that I will start working out and eating better again! But for now, bring on the ice cream, root beer, better cheddar's, and easy cheese.

Growing Up

Like most other kids, I was continually anxious to become an adult. I mean, that is what everything in my life was culminating towards. Fourteen years of sports, hundreds of tests and exams, numberless honors and advanced placement classes, hours of volunteer work, and more extracurricular activities than I could handle. Nearly from birth, I was working to develop skills and gain knowledge that would get me into a suitable university.

Ok, I made it. Now what?

Almost two weeks ago, I walked into the College of Fine Arts and Communications here at BYU, and walked out not three minutes later with a different major.

Last year I was making money dishwashing. Last semester I was making pizzas and frying chicken nuggets at Walt Disney World. Now I’m sitting in a small cubical typing away at my keyboard, writing updates and small articles for BYU Magazine.

In August I flew out of Seattle, not fully comprehending that it was the last time I would live there for any extended period of time. I dropped everything and moved as far away as possible within the country: Florida. And after five short months, I am settled once again in Utah.

Faster than we know it, everything is changing. Before I could even understand where my life was taking me, I was already there.

www.naijastories.com

Today I decide to take a few short minutes to step off of this high speed train and simply watch it as it shoots past me in a blur. I look around at my life, not entirely sure how I got here, and with no idea as to where the train will take me next. Yet despite all of the confusion, I am satisfied. Even though it may travel through a few dark tunnels, pass over some extremely tall mountains, endure through storm after storm, and stop to drop off a few loved passengers here and there, I feel assured that I am going to love where this train takes me. And who knows, maybe we’ll pick up a few straggling travelers in a stop or two, with the hope that some of them will stay on this train until it reaches its final destination.

Yes, I am growing up. Yes, I am traveling on a train moving at a dangerously fast speed. No, I do not know where it is going. So now what?

I look up to see the train slowing to a halt. Before it takes off without me, I step off the platform and into the coach. I find a seat next to a kind stranger, and look out the window to see the vast landscape roll by once again.

Hello, Internet!

It's been three long months, but I am finally sitting comfortably in front of my computer screen once again. My adventures at Walt Disney World have sadly come to an end, and I have returned to BYU for the semester. It has definitely been a struggle, going from the happiest place on earth to a world of homework, exams, and more homework. However, I am confident that I will be able to cope with this change as long as I have Hulu, Netflix, and an huge supply of hot cocoa and coffee at my disposal (which I do)! If you are dying to hear more about my time working for Disney over the last five months, visit my Disney College Program blog HERE. On that blog, I will reflect on my program, detail my various adventures, and provide information about the DCP in Walt Disney World. On this blog, I don't plan on talking about the program as extensively, but I will provide a brief reflection on the program and how I am holding up at the moment. Now, with that said...

The Disney College Program was the greatest experience of my life and I absolutely do not, in any way, regret picking up and moving to Florida for a semester. 

It doesn't get any simpler than that. I spent every waking moment surrounded by my coworkers. To some of you reading this, you may think that sounds like a nightmare, but I assure you that it wasn't! It didn't take long at all for those people I worked with to become my family. When we were working at Pinocchio's Village Haus (PVH), would go out for dinner after work, or spend our days off in the parks together, I was having the time of my life. Heck, we even got together and had thanksgiving dinner on the apartment floor (once we all got off work, of course...)! We went out at night all the time, traveled to New York, and spent every bit of money we made at Disney - together. 

I cannot tell you how hard it is to go from that, to nothing. No PVH. No Disney Parks. No Universal Studios. No beaches. No clubs. No one.

Though the BYU campus is crowded and bustling with chatting students, there are moments when everything is quiet, everything is calm. And I am alone. In those moments, I think about the Magic Kingdom filled to capacity at almost 100,000 people. I think about working 14 hour shifts during the holiday season. I think about the music pounding in my ears at House of Blues. I think about the fireworks going off every night like clockwork.

And all too soon, I am pulled back down to earth as my phone notifies me that I have an essay due tomorrow and two exams next week. Right now, this is my reality.

But one day, I will go back.

Emotions, Emotions

I am long overdue for a post about my Florida adventures, but this one is going to be more of a type-until-I-figure-out-my-emotional-problems post. So feel free to scroll on past this if you so desire. Headphones are in, All Time Low is playing in my ear, and I have a half hour until I leave for work. Let's do this.

The past few weeks have been amazing! I love experiencing new things, and I can definitely say that I have accomplished that. The Disney College Program is a very different environment than that of BYU, which has always made me seem like I was in a giant bubble, cut off from the "real world". I've had a good time, and I've constantly been surrounded by my friends down here. Honestly, sitting in my room here blogging is the most alone time I've gotten in a long time. And it barely counts as alone time because my roommate is sitting on her bed across the room. Honestly, I think I'm scared to have some real alone time. Being around people for two or three weeks straight, day and night, has allowed me to push aside and successfully ignore problems at home, missing all my friends, and increasingly frequent issues concerning my anxiety and depression. How am I going to feel when I don't have anyone or anything to distract me from all of this? I'm not even completely alone and I'm starting to feel it. I'm just glad that, for now, I have a great group of friends to distract me from all of this.

But I think that's enough emotional vomit for one sitting. You all have a lovely day, and I can promise you that my next post will be filled with smiles and adventures!

Vacation

Everyone deserves a vacation at least once a year. That would make me long overdue for a carefree get-away, but not anymore!

Vacations are hard to come by, especially as the college semester is winding down and the homework is piling up. So where did I decide would be the perfect vacation spot, you may ask?

Rexburg, Idaho.

Not the first place anyone would think to travel to, but there was an awesome group of friends here that I so desperately needed to visit! The only odd thing about the trip was the journey here...

Step 1: See post on facebook day before trip about a seat available. Destination: Rexburg.

Step 2: Respond to post without considering the heavy amount of homework you have this weekend.

Step 3: Meet the driver and the passengers you don't know ten minutes before departing.

Step 4: Drive five hours, watch a movie, and make jokes about how you just met the driver.

Step 5: Meet up with the guys in Rexburg, then crash at their girlfriends apartment, who you have only met once before.

To the average reader, this may not sound like the safest process, but I was very confident in my safety. Just don't try this at home, especially if you don't attend BYU. I cannot guarantee your safety in that case...

Have fun and happy travels to you all!