Final Days of Fall

It seems that every month just goes by faster and faster.  October and November were no different.

The changing colors of the leaves around campus set the stage for what was an amazing October.  My friends put on a fake 21st birthday party for me since many of us were gone last fall.  Reminiscent of my birthday celebration two years ago, a red velvet cake was baked for me topped with candles.  Soon after that, I went home for the first time this semester for fall break.  While I was home I got to go to the State Fair of Texas with my family where I of course consumed as many different fried foods as possible ranging from fried PB&J to fried cheesecake and also got one of the final glimpses of Big Tex before it burned down a few days later.  Also while I was home, I got to tour the newly constructed Lewisville High School.  Although still mildly in shock about my high school being torn down, it was good to see new facilities being built that will serve future generations of Fighting Farmers.  Soon after I got back to Fayetteville, it was time for my real birthday, my last one I will celebrate as an undergrad, and I was 22 for 22 in having another great birthday.

In what seemed like a blink of the eye, October had ended and it was November already.  The first weekend I went to Norfolk with my family to go to my dad's last Change of Command ceremony.  After almost 30 years of service to the Navy, he is now done with his final command post and will officially retire in the spring.  While in Virginia, I got to visit William and Mary Law School which is one of my top picks.  It was a gorgeous campus and I could easily see myself going there next fall.  November also brought about my church's Veteran's Day Concert that I performed in.  Despite Thanksgiving Break blindsiding me and many others because it fell so early this year,  I was able to go back home and spend time with the family. Although I will never forget last year's Mexican-themed Thanksgiving I celebrated with friends in London, it was nice to have a real Thanksgiving with my family.  Over Thanksgiving Break, I had some time to submit my first wave of law school applications to the following schools: Duke, UT, Houston, USC, UCLA, Georgia, William and Mary, and Arkansas.  I still have a few more that I'm trying to finish up and I will submit those shortly.

This fall I saw both great beginnings and beautiful endings. Wrapping things up here in Fayetteville and trying to set a new path for next fall has brought its own stresses, but successful planning now should allow me to reap benefits in the future.  Although I know I have seen my last fall here in Northwest Arkansas, a great winter and spring awaits.