Where does the time go?

Well, here I am on the second floor of the library, with rain and hail beating down on the huge skylight, contemplating how it came to be that I have just started my last year at SUU. I still remember my first day here vividly: moving into Cedar Hall North with three girls I had never met, being nervous I would get hopelessly lost on the way to my classes, and feeling really small in a really big world.

Now, I'm a senior and my time is waning in this place I have learned to call home. I now know the best time to get Tiki Shack to avoid the lines and the easiest place to enter the sheep tunnels. I know not to go camping at Three Peaks when it rains and where to get the best chapstick in town (hint: True T-bird night). And I know that my third and final year in Cedar City is going to be the best one yet.

I spent the summer in Cedar this year instead of going home to northern Utah, and it was endless amounts of fun. Between shifts at work I snuck in trips to Southern California and Salt Lake City, soccer games, and hikes on hikes on hikes. I'm going to let you in on a little secret: there's nowhere better for hiking than southern Utah. With Zion, Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks, Snow Canyon, Kanarraville, and Kolob Canyon all practically in my backyard, I never ran out of adventures. I highly recommend that you use what's left of the warm weather to get out and explore some of these places!

Kanarraville Falls

The C Trail

Zion National Park

The Narrows

It was kind of weird when school started, to be honest. There was no big "move-in day" like in years past. One day I was just hanging out around town, and the next day school had started. I could not have been more excited! The first day of class is always a little nerve-wracking, whether you're a freshman or a graduate student. I spent an embarrassing amount of time picking out my First Day Outfit and then taking my annual First Day Photo.

I couldn't wait to be back at school and see all my friends again, and meet all the new people who are experiencing SUU for the first time. I was pumped to start a long-awaited Harry Potter marathon with my roommate and best friend who I met freshman year in Cedar Hall and have lived with ever since. The thought of riding my Razor scooter around campus made me grin from ear to ear. I was eagerly awaiting wearing red on Fridays.

Then, suddenly, school was in full swing. I've had papers to write, quizzes to take, chapters to read, Welcome Week activities to attend, people to see, places to be. It can get overwhelming pretty fast. Which is why I'm here, in the library, already in the second week of school, taking a deep breath and thinking about how I'm going to make this year incredible. I know there's nowhere else I would rather be and I can't wait to see where it will take me. Hopefully you feel the same!