I have anywhere from three to five planners around me, as well as a Google calendar app and a dry-erase calendar on the wall. Everything is strategically color-coded and it may lead a person to believe that I am an insanely organized being that has all of the things together. Ha! Maybe it's a fake-it-till-you-make-it mantra. The majority of my life has been last-minute and not thoroughly planned out. I think that some of the most beautiful things have happened that way. Attending Montana State University, becoming a mother, and last-minute road trips are a few examples of events in my life that might not have necessarily been entirely thought-out, but have changed me in the most beautiful of ways.
Why MSU?
So, to begin this story, we have to go back to my senior year. A lot of my other peers had plans for college or entering the workforce after high school. I knew I wanted to continue my education, I just didn't know how, what, or where. I took a few college courses through LCO and Northland. One of the classes at Northland was Introduction to Outdoor Education - it was phenomenal. We literally hugged trees the first day, as well as practicing appreciative listening - with classmates, not the trees. One of the more memorable moments in that class was when the professor was talking to us about a program that she had worked at in Montana that sent inner-city, "troubled" teens into the wilderness. She told us the moving stories of the lives that were undeniably changed in that program. I was stuck. I couldn't get it out of my head.
Later that evening, I was on a computer and couldn't remember the exact name of the program, but I wanted to learn more. I went to the Google Search Bar and started typing, "Montana..." and the first Google recommendation finished the thought with "State University". Slightly intrigued - I clicked on it. Up popped this beautiful campus, located in a bowl of mountains. I selected the website that took me to MSU - Bozeman and found the application. On a whim, I filled it out and sent in the paperwork. A few weeks later, I received my letter of acceptance. I had also gotten accepted to Gogebic Community College (yes, I was going to be that girl and follow Alexander), as well as Auburn University (where Cam Newton graduated from, I honestly don't believe I had any intention on actually attending).
Also, I'd like to take to take this time out to thank younger me. I am extremely thankful to have the family that I have now and how things worked out. Alexander and I were able to find each other again. Maybe we would've stayed together if I would've just followed him to college. But, I will forever be thankful for my decision to choose what I wanted - even being in the trance of teenage love. So, if any young readers happen to stumble upon this post, I want to speak directly to you - you get multiple choices in life and make sure that you base those choices on your desires and what you want. It's all too easy to get caught up in the moment and make decisions based on pleasing other people. Sometimes, it isn't all bad, just make sure you reflect on what you want.
Anyway, fast-forward to August after graduation. Mom and I took a road trip out to Bozeman to tour the college. I was awestruck. I couldn't imagine going anywhere else after seeing that campus and I wanted to stay. I was too late to enroll in the fall classes, so I decided to take a semester off and start in the spring.
January 2014 - I set off in my 2001 fire-red Grand Am. I spent most of the 16-hour drive re-tuning my radio to whatever upbeat station was in range and chugging the gas station Starbucks vanilla frappuccinos. Finally, I turned on the road and I saw the towering 10-story building where I would be living for the next few months.
(this is not my dorm building, but the one on the left is South Hedges, North Hedges is on the right side, just out of sight, looks just like South Hedges though)
As I got closer and closer I could feel my heart racing faster and faster. When I got to the four-way stop sign, instead of turning left toward the dorms, I turned right toward a raggedy looking building. I pulled behind it, put my car in park, and it all hit me. I cried, I laughed, and I cried. I thought about how I couldn't even order my own sandwich at Subway or make my own appointments, but here I was - a few states away from everyone I knew and loved. I think it was the most beneficial experience of my life. If there was anything to force me out of my anti-social shell - that was it. I only spent one semester out there - again, I'm going to address this to the younger readers, this is where procrastination can be a bitch. I didn't plan ahead, so I didn't have any scholarships or money and I stuck myself over $12,000 in debt for that one semester. I still believe that even this one semester helped me grow as a person and I would not change it. Wait - the one thing I would change would be the fact that I hardly went off-campus and didn't get to discover all of the fabulous coffee shops that Bozeman has to offer, that upsets me.
I shared my journey to MSU because it is one of those things that spiral from the tiniest little thought. It could've gone so many different ways, but I'm so thankful for how it all worked out. My Google search that turned into a college application, which then sent me on my first solo road trip way out of my comfort zone.
Miigwech for reading!