Catching Up...

 "We knew we had to leave this town, but we never knew when and we never knew how we would end up here the way we are, of all the things I still remember, summer's never looked the same, years go by and time just seems to fly, but the memories remain" --Daughtry

This last month has been a whirlwind. School and getting everything ready to move is enough for a girl to have to deal with all at once, not to mention everything I've had to do to get ready for graduation and other personal things I've been dealing with. I think the first time I posted on this thing I said graduation was in 7 weeks and 2 days. Now it's in only 2 short weeks. It's so crazy how time flies....

I'm sitting here in a basically packed up apartment, and my mind can't escape the memories of the last 3 years in this town. If anyone had asked me 3 years ago if I thought I'd be where I am right now, the answer would be no. For one thing, I didn't think I'd be leaving after only 3 years. I didn't think I'd meet so many people--some great, some not so great-- and learn so much about life in this short amount of time. I didn't think I'd learn so much about myself either. That's what makes this process of leaving here the hardest I think. I started this journey on my own 2 feet, the strong, stubborn, independent Krystal you all know. But somewhere along the way, I feel like I've lost that. I never thought I would allow people to get the best of me as much as I have in these last 3 years. I never thought I'd learn so much about patience and trust, love and heartbreak, acceptance and compromise, hard work and disappointment. The experiences I've had and the people who have been a part of my life have all contributed to these things, and for that I'm grateful. I have the greatest support system a girl could ask for and I don't feel the need to be so strong and stubborn anymore. But at the same time, I've been finding myself praying that I haven't completely lost those things either. I've had some of the lowest days of my life in the last year or so, and there were days I thought I had lost them, but I'm happy to finally say that in the last month I've really been getting back to me. I don't feel as naive or cynical as I once was and I'm more cautious about who I trust. As much as I hate to leave this town and the experiences it has brought me and the wonderful people in it, I feel prepared to move forward and see what God has in store for my life.


With that said, I want to take a minute to do something that I don't do nearly enough. I want to thank my parents. I could never have accomplished all the things I've accomplished without their support the last 21 years. As proud as they are of me, I'm just as proud of them. I've come to know people who unfortunately can't say the same about their parents, and I think it's really sad. I'm so blessed to have the relationship that I do with my mom and dad. There have been countless times that they have done without, or with less, for the sake of my sister and me, and even though my dad will probably never read this, I felt like this was an appropriate time to say thank you. I'm grateful for the opportunity to get a college education, but I'm even more grateful to know that someday in the near future I will be able to do more for them than just say thank you to show my appreciation for all their sacrifices. They deserve it.

I'm moving out Monday, moving to Tuscaloosa next week, graduating in 2 weeks, and starting a whole new chapter in my life in 5 weeks. I may be moving away, but I'm definitely not moving on. Auburn will always have my heart <3

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles..." Isaiah 40:31