monday & 2013.

1 mid-morning email conversation with my best friend.

2 episodes of Gilmore Girls. 

3 institute classes.

4 photos in a photobooth with roommates.

That sums up my first Monday of 2013 in Cedar City. 

& it feels good to be back. 

you have stolen my heart.

Dear Cedar City,

You have stolen my heart.

I never could have guessed that four years ago when I first visited campus as a high school senior that you would eventually play such a HUGE role in my life. I remember sitting for a presentation in the Starlight Room & looking out at the red rocks surrounding this little place.

A distinct thought came to me: "This is where I'm going to school."

What? No. I shook it out of my head. That wasn't my plan. BYU. That's where I planned to go. Yet, time and time again (3 times to be exact), I visited campus & left thinking, "I really liked it again, dang it." I was upset that where I was supposed to go was somewhere down south in a town I'd never heard of in between Parowan and Kanarraville (which I'd also never heard).

 Now, I have less than a week of class. Just three finals. And I'll be done with my degree. An SUU graduate in communication & Spanish. Wow.

Time really flew these past 3.5 years. I can't imagine my life without the dear people I've met at SUU in it. My best friends. The professors who chat with me on the way to class, in Walmart, who take my class to IHOP for international pancake day, sing Christmas carols while horseback riding, or write a special note on my test because I didn't do as well as they knew I could.

The roommates (and non roommates who practically are roommates) who have become my best friends ... who have seen my SILLY, crazy, weird side & still spend time with me (SHOCKER). The people who have given me rides to countless places due to my lack of transportation, endured an hour in the grocery store with me so I could price match ads, who invite me to Taco Tuesday, Krave, and St. George Temple trips.

I thought I was a pretty outgoing person in high school, but even that changed in college. I shared my talent (and had friends who would listen, offer feedback, and encourage me to continue writing music) at SUU Idol, open mic nights, SUU's Got Talent, Miss SUU, backyard concerts and ward/stake talent shows.

I tried new things. Newspaper. Editing. Presidential Ambassador. Certified tour giver. Tele-counselor. Department representative. Intern. Radio show host. Horseback rider. Rock climber. Graphic design wannabe. Traveler.

I fell in love for the first time at SUU.

I fulfilled a dream of studying abroad, which influenced my decision to minor in Spanish.

I could go on for hours sharing memories of this town, this school, these people who have impacted me so greatly.

But, I think I have made my point -- how glad I am that a silly high school crush convinced me to attend an event at SUU. If he hadn't been an ambassador, let's be honest ... I might not have even given a thought to going on a campus tour. But he was, and I did.

Cedar City, a little town, holds a very big spot in my heart.

**I also posted a blog about SUU that has some favorite photos on the tbirdnation blog. You can read it here.