Kim is Leaving to Chase Her Dreams

I have a tissue box sitting next me, and it's not just because I'm fighting a cold. I know by the end of composing this post I will lose my composure and tears will soak my cheeks.

Kim leaves this week to move to Virginia to attend the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences. Her classes begin in one week! I have no doubt that she is ready for this next chapter. She has the drive, determination, and passion to make her dreams of becoming a physical therapist come true. She is super intelligent.  She is willing to challenge herself to work hard because she expects the best out of herself. I have deep admiration and respect for the woman she is and the woman she wants to become. I believe her in her dreams!

Out of all of my sisters, Kim understands me the best. She may be younger than me, but there is a maturity to our relationship that I don't have with other family members. We can be brutally honest with each other and still respect each others' opinions and advice. We can disagree without raising our voices. More importantly, we can disagree and still actively listen to what the other one is saying. I value her perspective on life. We are always there to support each other. I love hanging out and talking with her and I equally love sitting in silence with her. She has the best smile and the most additive laugh I've ever heard. She makes me a better person. When I grow up, I want to be like her.

I'm going to miss her like crazy. I compare this feeling to mourning my good health and Taylor moving away. I know life will go on, but I also know it's going to be different. There's going to be a void, there's going to be an adjustment, and there's going to be a period of feeling lost without her.

I am so proud of Kim for being fearless in chasing after what she wants out of life! I think she is going to blossom during this next chapter of her life, and I'm excited to see her become the woman she wants to be! Go kick ass, baby sis! I love you and remember... https://youtu.be/5tepYJno7rU

Dreams, Goals and Plans

A big struggle of mine has been planning and setting goals to reach my dreams. Heck, I tussle with dreaming in general. I'm more of a visionary today than I was five years ago, but I'd still like to improve my ability to think and plan for the future with imagination and wisdom. A wish of mine is that more people in my life would challenge me to challenge myself and encourage me to strive to dream, set goals, and plan to reach those dreams. I'm addicted to routine as much as anybody else, yet somehow my fear of failure has been replaced with a fear of settling where I'm at. I've not yet reached my potential.  I used to think dreaming was scary because the future used to scare me. However, now I'm more afraid that my present will be my future and I want to dream big enough to make sure I'm not in the same place in five years. So, my three year dream is as follows:

2015:  Graduate from U.C.F.

2016: Work at a corporation with a career ladder to climb; where I can be constantly learning and growing my experience in the industry. If I ever become a stale employee, I will look for other opportunities to further my career. Experience is my top priority.

2017:  Be ultimately independent and move out of state for the ultimate adventure of my life.

The only dream I have a concrete plan for is to graduate in 2015. The other two need blue prints. At least I know what I'm working towards. My 2017 dream has gotten some criticism, but I have faith I will figure it out in time with the help of my bowels. Details aren't really my forte, so I have to work especially hard to work them out. 

The End is Near

           The first month of the new year is almost over! It seems like 2014 is already flying by. I'll be another year older next month and I've never been more focused on my future than I am right now. I believe they call it the "senior itch." I'm ready to be done with school  As long as I pass my three classes this semester I'll only have six classes left to take in order to graduate with my B.S.B.A. in Finance! I am beyond ready to be finished with school and begin the next chapter in my life.

           When class registration opens, I'll be able to register for the last six classes I need. One of the benefits of having a G.P.A. higher than 3.5 is that I get to register for up to three semesters out while others can only register for one. Most of the classes I have left to take are electives which range from real estate, advanced international business, business negotiations, etc... so I'm flexible in that I'll have many class options to choose from that will work with my schedule. My goal is to register for three or four classes in the summer and two or three classes in the fall so that I can graduate in December 2014! I'm ready! I just hope that I can get all the classes I need when it comes time to register in order to graduate in December.

             As for the next chapter I've been throwing around two ideas. The first is finding a decent entry level job in a field related to finance. The second is moving somewhere out west. Obviously, the major reason I went to college in the first place was to become more employable in order to better support myself in life and pursue dreams of adventure. Now that the end is in sight I am craving an adventure of a lifetime! It's like I'm homesick for a place I don't even know that exists yet. I have gotten feedback from friends and family about me moving across country. There are natural concerns and things to consider before committing to such a huge decision, but more on that in another post. I was pleasantly surprised at how much positive feedback I received. Others were as excited as I am about the idea of a true adventure! If not now, when? I think the answer to this question is likely to be never.  Last year as I was flying home from Las Vegas I looked out the window of the plane to see the sun setting behind me and the Grand Canyon under my feet.  The day was over and I felt like I was leaving a world of  unknown adventure behind me. It's hard to explain, but I don't get that feeling where I call home now.