When life became real again.

My past few months have been spent in a pitiless daze. Nothing seemed to matter at all. How I spent my time did not matter, who I saw did not matter, at least it seemed to be. Gradually at first and then rapidly, life came flooding back to me.

On Thursday and Friday, a couple of marches made my graduation from BYU more of a reality than the paper diploma ever had. And I began to remember why it was that I had fallen in love with BYU in the first place and why I wanted to keep going to school. I got to shake the hands of two of my favorite professors who taught me wondrous things about life and literature, and why any of it really matters.

Then I began to remember (and frantically realize) that I was about to go on the grandest adventure of my life. Tomorrow morning, I will be on my way to Scotland where I will begin to hike throughout the United Kingdom with a swell group of incredibly talented and artistic young people. I am sure my feet will begin to be characterized by the blisters that will soon inhabit them, I will more than likely get severely sunburned (even in the rain), and eaten alive by mosquitoes who cannot resist my sweet, sweet flesh. I could not be more terrified or excited, and I promise to come back with stories of all sorts (and just maybe a Scottish or British husband).

Though this is all and good, I have had to say goodbye to some of the dearest people in my life. Not knowing when our paths will cross again is heart-wrenching, so the past week has been mingled with many a tear. One just never knows what sort of people you will come across, which ones you will hate and which ones you will love; but by leaving Provo, I am leaving more people that I have loved than the opposite.  To all my dear friends: I love you so much, and thank you for all the great times. May the Lord bless you and keep you always.

And now I am off and away! Until two months time!

-KB

P.S. You may follow along my group's adventures
at the following: http://englishwanderings2013.blogspot.com/