Mother (& Father) Knows Best...

I did it Mom & Dad! Despite the fact that you literally had to pry me out of the car to get me here 4 long years ago, and I came the whole way kicking and screaming. I did it. 

Today was my very last day as a student at BYU-Idaho! I'm student teaching in the Fall so I'm not technically done...But I consider student teaching to be the beginning of my career just not being paid for it. (Which isn't ideal, but it's fine.) 

For those of you who know me well, you know I can tend to be overly sentimental about things. The majority of my day was spent holding back tears as I walked through campus, presented a final project, and took my last few finals in the testing center. Yes, I actually had to hold back tears thinking about the fact that it was my very last test I'll ever take in the testing center, the place I loathe most on campus.

This just goes to show how wonderful my experience here at BYU-I has been. Now, I'm not going to tell you it was all rainbows and butterflies. My first semester here, I spent countless nights homesick missing my friends and family. It was a difficult adjustment to become used to such a monocultural environment. I had some questionable professors and met some peers with differing perspectives (something I know I'll find everywhere.) But,  I'm proud to say that despite my time spent here in this Mormon bubble, I did not become a crazy, self-righteous, perfection seeking stereotypical Mormon girl like I'd thought I would if I stayed here for too long. I mean sure, I did what you all said I would do, but never thought I would, and got married at the ripe young age of 20...But I'm okay with the fact that I upheld that stereotype because it turned out to be the best decision of my life.

This little town of Rexburg Idaho has surprisingly been one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. Here, I found the love of my life, friends that I will have forever, gained a wonderful education, and learned so much about myself. 

These past three semesters were the most influential & stressful of my college career. Note to students- going three semesters back to back taking 18 credits is never an ideal situation, EVER. But you know, because I was so engrossed with my education I found myself learning in much more depth had I had more time on my hands. I could not have made it through though without my awesome professors. You know, that is my number one favorite thing about going to school here. Every professor you have knows you by name. They know your strengths and weaknesses and go above and beyond to help you in whatever ways they can. 

Anyways, I could go on and on about how much I loved my time here as a student...(wow, high school senior Katie would never think those words would ever come out of her mouth.) I am thankful for parents who had my best interest at heart and gave me the extra push I needed to become the person they knew I wanted to be. 

Turns out, Mother & Father really do know what's best...fancy that. 

Well said, Eleanor.

Recently I encountered a situation in which my beliefs (particularly my beliefs in the Mormon church) were criticized (surprise, surprise.) At first, this left me feeling offended and angry. But then with time, I realized the importance of being questioned in what you believe, because it helps you to either become more firm in your beliefs, or realize that maybe you need to reconsider some things. For me, I became more firm in what I believe as I thought critically about what it is and why I believe it.

Now, I do not want this to be a post preaching what I believe and why. But rather I'd like to share a "fancy that" moment I had from this experience. I came to realize that no matter where I go or what I do with my life, there will always be someone there to say "Hey! You're not doing it right." No matter if it is religion; choice in occupation; how you raise your children; your political views; the way you spend your money; the type of food you eat; the sports team you support; etcetera, there will ALWAYS be someone there to disagree. And the fact of the matter is, who cares? I believe it is healthy and important to engage in debate to reassure yourself of what you believe and why. However I do not believe in forcing what you believe on others. 

How lucky are we to live in a world (especially here in the United States) where we are able to make decisions for ourselves and to live the way we choose; the way that makes us happy. For those of us here in America, I feel this is something often taken for granted. We spend so much of our time fighting for the changes we want to make, or to keep things the same, that we forget to step back and be thankful for the fact that we are able to engage in these debates. We are all entitled to our own opinions and have the right to share them (not to force them upon others.) 

I could not have said it better than Eleanor herself. "Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you will be criticized anyway." How true this statement is. I believe that we should all live the way that we feel in our heart to be right. Because there is no happier way to live. I can't imagine living a life where I felt in my heart I was doing the wrong thing. I hope that nobody lives this way because I imagine it is a very unpleasant and empty way to live. At the end of the day, don't worry about living in a way to just please the views and opinions of others. Maybe you don't all believe in a God. And that is okay...but I do. And I believe that God does not want us to live unhappily. As for me, I feel that the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are true. It is what makes me happy, it is the way I choose to live, it is what I feel in my heart to be right. 

PS: I finally figured out how to make the text larger, so no need for the magnifying glass this time friends. 

Dear Virginia,

Lately I've been quite homesick for you. Not because I am unhappy here, I have really grown to love Idaho. It's beautiful here. There's lots to do, the people are wonderful. (& I met the love of my life here.) We have awesome adventures together. We go on hikes up in the mountains and camping trips where we see the craziest wild life. I've been on countless cabin trips. Oh, and the fishing here is great (according to Dave.) But nothing compares to your rolling green hills and the depth of history found everywhere you go.

I miss the people, (especially my family.) I miss summer nights eating dinner on the deck with the sky full of stars and fireflies. Gosh, I miss fireflies. I miss bonfires & barbecues. I miss taking the back roads everywhere, especially on drives through Middleburg. I miss driving past the beautiful wineries. I miss malls, real malls with stores I actually like to shop at.  I miss days spent swimming at the Redding's pool, & game nights at the Kidds.  

And the museums... I think I miss D.C. more than anything else. No matter how many times I've visited, I learn something new every time I go. 

I'm convinced that there is not a prettier place to be than you during the Fall. With all the trees, it's the most beautiful thing in the world. I love your winters too. The perfect amount of snow, not too much, but we always get at least one snow day. Your seasons in general are just perfect. I mean, you could ease it on the humidity...but other than that you're perfect.

While I miss all of those things & more, I am happy here. It took time, but I eventually grew to love Idaho. 

(Hiking beautiful Palisades with my Dave)

(Enjoying an Idahoan adventure with my sister, Meg.)

What I've learned my past four years away from you is that you can find beauty and happiness wherever you go. It is truly up to you to choose whether or not you want to love where you are. You'll always have a special place in my heart, Virginia. I hope to see you again real soon. 

Love always, 

Katie 

PS: Virginia, you also have the best state moto ever:

I'm a Blogger, fancy that...

Hello blogging world! (Insert "can't believe I jumped on the blog bandwagon" cliche introduction here...) I've found lengthy Facebook statuses to be something I would like to avoid & sometimes I have more than 140 characters worth of thoughts, so I decided to give blogging a try.

I wish I could tell you honestly that I came up with the name for my blog all on my own without any outside inspiration at all. But that would be a lie. You see, as I began my blogging journey I was listening to Iggy Azalea's "Fancy" (shamefully on repeat.) And I thought to myself, "oooh let's incorporate the word fancy in there somehow!" And thus, "Fancy That" was born. I want my blog to be full of interesting facts about myself & the world around me. Facts that make you think "hmm, fancy that!"

Wish me luck as I begin this blogging journey! I'm sure it will take me time to figure this all out. In the mean time, here's a little Iggy for you to enjoy...

IGGY AZALEA--Fancy