I am three days away from my first month of summer being over. It has flown by! I have enjoyed being home with my family and not having to worry about whether or not I was going to have a good supper at night. 🙂 We have made multiple trips to my grandparents house, attended a few concerts and a Mudcat’s baseball game and just relaxed around the house. Amongst all of this I have found that my relationship with God hasn’t really been a top priority. This led to another realization (one I think of quite often) that I was lucky enough to have a pretty awesome first year of college. This leads me to my point. When most people think of college they think very stereotypically – that may or may not be an actual word –  College is supposed to be the time when you made stupid mistakes, do all these rebellious activities you will no longer be able to do once you graduate and enter the real world, right? My experience didn’t revolve around those things or really much that I thought it would. Developing the deepest relationship with Christ that I have ever had didn’t cross my mind.

The first week of school my roommate and I received numerous papers slid underneath our door from various organizations. One caught our eye. This was the Cru Women’s Bible Study in our building. At the time I had no idea that this is how I would meet my best friends. From then on, every Monday night consisted of Bible Study and fellowship with the sweetest girls and inspiring leaders. Don’t forget the weekly Bachelor viewings, Cookout runs and tons of laughs. Through late nights and beach retreats we all grew closer to Christ as we grew closer to each other. I have grown up in a Christian home since I was born and I accepted Christ into my heart my sophomore year of high school. It wasn’t until this past year that I really realized how badly I needed Him in my life. It wasn’t something my parents, pastor or anyone but myself could teach me. I finally found a good circle of true friends to surround myself with, I let go of things in the past and I surrendered my life to him: giving up “my plans” and trusting in His plans for me instead. 

Not having my weekly study with my girls since I have been home has definitely put a damper in my relationship with Christ. My mind seems to be filled with summer school and how many more days until I get to do the next exciting summer activity. How lucky are we as Christians to have a God that still continues to love and care for us even when we drift away from or disobey him? God has reasoning behind everything. He forgets our past, the stupid mistakes we make and the times we drift away and then find ourselves running back to him. He’s forever there with open arms. God blessed me with time to spend with family, hot summer days by the pool or at the beach, the ability to take summer school online so I can stay in my pajamas until 2 o’clock and a beautiful life he continues to shape and mold in his timing. The least I can do is get back into reading my Bible as much as I used to and praying even more. Instead of putting Christ on “hold” over the summer, I am making it a goal and priority of mine to get back to and strengthen the relationship I had with him a month ago. 

So shoutout to all my “Heilman B-Stud” ladies: I love and miss every one of you very much. Thank you for the influence you had on me this past year! I can’t wait for sophomore year and hope we can all come back to Meredith in the fall as close to each other AND Christ as we were when we left a month ago. 

As the 2013-2014 dance season comes to a close I have come to some realizations. Going into this season I was a little bit disappointed honestly. This would be my first season that I would no longer be a student at the studio I had been a student at for eleven years and had been a dance student in general for fifteen. Even though I am dancing at Meredith, I knew the entire season would be a little “weird.” No more spending over ten hours a week at the studio, teaching classes, competing at competitions and don’t forget managing school work and other extra-curricular activities on top of all that. It was now time to focus on college and teaching. It took me a while to realize that I am actually right where I need to be.

I am no longer dancing in twelve numbers every show, speeding through quick changes or struggling to find the energy to make it through my last dance. I now get the privilege to watch my students shine on stage in their beautiful costumes, dancing their hearts out. Throughout this past week there have been so many moments where I found myself not being able to stop smiling. My heart was full of joy as I walked into a dressing room full of my students and having fourteen precious little girls run up to me saying “Miss Brittany I am so excited to dance on the big stage!” followed by numerous hugs. I cannot count how many times I have been asked why I do what I do. Why do you drive home once a week just to teach kids how to dance? Why do you want to deal with children all the time? Because it’s what I love. It’s my passion. Even though there are many challenging days – it seems that everyone’s shoes come untied and everyone needs to go potty at the same time – there are many, many more rewarding days. Days like when I had a horrible day at school and then a students comes in and says “Miss Brittany, you look very pretty today!” or “Look I brought you this flower from my yard!” It’s all the artwork I receive and keep in a folder to look at when I have days I second guess that I am doing a good job. I’m pretty sure being a dance teacher is the only career that allows you to never really grow up. I can have fun and jam out to my Disney classics without feeling embarrassed because the kids are singing along with me. It’s feeling like a mother of forty and having the best form of birth control at the same time. If you would have told me three years ago that I would have tears in my eyes while watching four year olds dance on stage I would not have believed you. Seeing how much my students grow over nine months and all their hard work pay off on stage is worth all the stress and worry I have throughout the year. All the moments where I had choreographers block in my dorm room or had an entire class burst into tears at the same time do not matter. 

This year has made me realize even more what I want to do with my life. I have been given an amazing opportunity to be an influence on children’s lives. I hope that I can make each of them feel important and beautiful by sharing my love of dance with them. I hope they feel as accomplished as I do when they finally point their toes while doing leaps across the floors. I do not get to perform as much as I used to but I feel just as happy (if not happier) when I am teaching as I did when performing on stage and I never thought I would say that. Who cares if a dance teacher doesn’t make the list for the highest paying careers? Obviously the people making those choices are only counting the dollar amount they get paid and not the priceless memories you make from being a dance teacher. 

My students bring so much joy and laughter into my life. I am at my best in the studio teaching my sweet babies how to point their toes. I am learning life lessons and gaining experience for my future every day I am with them. My students have been one of the biggest blessings in my life. I strive to be a good role model and the best teacher for them. They will never know how much each and every one of them means to me. I see myself in them as they work hard to perform their dance on stage. So this post is to my students. Thank you for making me a better person, always making me laugh and helping me realize that I am right where I need to be – on the side of the stage watching each of you shine. 

I have had the privilege of growing up in North Carolina my entire life. As much as I love NC I always hear people saying they cannot wait to move away or constantly complain about it. I may be a bit biased, but I think NC is the best state in the country. Maybe it’a because it’s in The South and I do not think I could survive in any other area of the USA. Maybe it’s because we were First in Flight. (probably not a huge reason why I love it because I am afraid of flying…) The fact that we are known for both our beautiful beaches and gorgeous mountains says a lot. Whether you want to visit the Biltmore Estate or Kitty Hawk, both are within hours of each other. Maybe it’s because I can go out to dinner and order “tea” and the waitress knows without thinking that I want it sweet. Or March Madness meant watching the ACC Tourney during class. How much I love sweet potatoes and Krispy Kreme doughnuts may have to do with NC being the number one producer and founder of both. Maybe it’s because my favorite author, Nicholas Sparks, was born and raised in NC and all of his books and movies take place in areas I have known. It’s because I love the looks people give us like we are crazy because we have a “Tobacco Free Campus” sign up at the entrance to our schools that are either across the street or beside a Tobacco field. We are displayed on the news for “freaking out” when the slightest bit of winter precipitation falls and then complain when that first day of blazing hot, humid, air hits us in June. If you haven’t had that disgusting red mud on your shoes after working out in the yard consider yourself lucky. Maybe NC is the best because of the people that become famous that were born here. People like Billy Graham who is such a role model to the world or Andy Griffith who brought laughter to families lives. The famous sports figures like Michael Jordan and Dale Earnhardt – I still remember watching my mom cry watching that Daytona 500 race in February 2001 – who have so many fans from NC and beyond. Don’t forget the famous country music singers like Eric Church, Jason Michael Carroll and Scotty McCreery that QDR plays on the radio daily. North Carolina is the place where you can be best friends with someone until game day when you talk trash to them for the entire game. Whether you’re a Carolina fan – there’s a reason we are called the Tarheel state 😉 – a State fan or a Duke fan, if you’re from NC you stand by your team like a true fan does (unless you want to join the bandwagon during playoffs when your team “had an off year.”) This is the state where you could be out somewhere not paying attention to anyone until Wagon Wheel comes on and every NC-Native bursts out into song when “If I Die In Raleigh, At Least I Will Die Free” comes up. NC is the place where the tea is sweet and the girls are sweeter. There are lyrics like “She feels like Carolina, looks like California” and “Sweet Carolina Girls” to prove it. There are so many things that I may take for granted living in The South or North Carolina in general. Maybe it’s the little things like seeing a Cardinal (our state bird) on the side of the road and wanting to help it or annoying the drivers in a hurry behind me when I don’t pass a tractor driving down the road. Maybe it’s getting homemade ice cream from Porter Farms and taking the curvy back roads to my grandparents house with the windows down. Maybe it’s actually having a backyard that’s full of green grass instead of steel and seeing where the Tarheel Traveler on WRAL travels this week that makes me so thankful that I have been born and raised as a North Carolinian. I never see myself living in a big city considering that even Raleigh was a bit of a “culture shock” to me after being in JoCo almost my entire life. I am so blessed to attend such an amazing college just 25 minutes, depending on that famous I-40 traffic, from my house. Some people may want to escape the Old North State once they graduate but me, I’ll always agree with Eric Church on this one and say, “Oh, Carolina, You Keep Callin’ Me Home.” 

So I have officially been done with my freshmen year of college for five days. Don’t get me wrong, I am so happy to be home spending time with my family, but I miss my MCG’s so much. Since I haven’t blogged in a long time – the end of the semester took over my life – I decided to do a recap of the things I learned my freshmen year at Meredith. So if you’re interested in a post about the stereotypical weight gain of fifteen pounds by a college freshmen, this isn’t it. Here are fifteen things I learned or came to realize over the past ten months. 

1. Family is everything

Yes, I have known this for a while, but it became more apparent while I was at college. Not having my mom to talk to (in person) late at night when I couldn’t sleep, my dad to ask life questions to (in person) when I was confused or my little sister to annoy me (in person) was disappointing at times. I know I was only a 30 minute drive from home, but I’m still not home. So even though I loved every second spent on Meredith’s beautiful campus, there was nothing like coming home to my family and spending time with them in person. 

2. New friends are so important

Making new friends was probably one of the things I am most thankful for this year. My roommate and I joined a bible study within my dorm building. After a few weeks we became so close to the girls in our bible study. It was always a blessing to have a group of girls to turn to when you were having a bad day. Other than these girls there are so many others I am thankful for. I have a great Big Sis and so many awesome people in the Dance Department that I have made memories with as well. I know these girls will be my closest friends not only through college but for the rest of my life. I may not have any clue who I will marry one day, but I definitely have a few bridesmaids picked out. 🙂

3. Never take a home-cooked meal for granted

This shouldn’t take much explaining. The dining halls stinks, fast food gets boring (and causes the freshmen 15), so a home cooked meal becomes a delicacy real quick! Here’s to cooking on the grill all summer!

4. Organization is key

If you know me at all you know I have to stay organized. In college there’s not someone over your shoulder telling you to do this assignment or go to this meeting everyday. In order to keep track of all my assignments or just life in general, I tried my best to stay organized. Even though I would get picked on for my color coded Lilly Pulitzer agenda and huge collection of highlighters, pens and – my favorite – sticky notes, I feel as though I did a good job staying organized this year. 

5. It’s okay to have fun

Yes, college is meat to learn and prepare for your future. But, college is also the last four years of your life until you go into the “real world.” So, I believe it’s okay to take a break from my studies and go out and do something fun for once. Whether it be taking a walk and seeing all the strange critters walking down Hillsborough Street, go out with my friends and even just hang out in a tiny dorm room with six other girls watching movies and wasting our time on Pinterest, college is the only time when it’s okay to have your life together at one moment and cramming for that exam the next. 

6. Take chances 

Because of the overly prepared person I claim to be, sometimes taking chances is difficult for me. Whether is be getting an odd flavored milkshake from cookout or trying out for a dance company, I learned that you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. 

7. You’re in charge of your future

For once in my life I get to make all of my choices. I get to choose my own classes, what time I have them and how well I do in them. It feels good to know that I am one step closer to having the career of my dreams after finishing one year of college. 

8. Drama is pointless 

I’ve never been one that enjoyed drama unless it was on Grey’s Anatomy or The Bachelor. In college, a lot of the stupid drama was eliminated. I was honestly a little worried about this since I would be attending an all girls school. No one cares if Sally is wearing the same shirt as you today, it doesn’t matter who cheated on whose boyfriend last weekend (unless it’s your boyfriend), and no one actually cares who is top in the class anymore. We aren’t in high school anymore, so it’s nice to finally have people who think drama is as pointless as it really is. 

9. Don’t be afraid to let go

College is a fresh start. It’s the perfect time to let go of all the mistakes you may have made in the past and move on to bigger and better things. Some things are meant to be left in the past so you can move on to a bright future. Starting new and making goals for yourself is never a bad thing. 

10. Nothing prepares you for college

Every single high school teacher I had claimed they were preparing us for college. I can honestly say nothing did. Nothing could have prepared me for crazy Raleigh drivers, late nights studying or dealing with being homesick. These are all things I had to learn on my own throughout the year.

11. Sleep is actually necessary 

Since I started college I can only recall two times that I went to sleep before midnight. This is fine when you don’t have to wake up at 5:30am for school anymore. Even though my “bedtime” was later I began to realize that sleep was so important. If I had a long week I would always find myself taking 3 hour “naps” on Sunday afternoons. Although I haven’t pulled an all-nighter yet, I am thankful for the little amount of sleep I would get on the nights I stayed up late talking to my friends or studying. 

12. Having a good roommate is key

You always hear of the roommate horror stories. On move in day I wasn’t really concerned that I would be able to tolerate Alli. We had known each other since elementary school but just weren’t ever really that close. Little did I know that in a matter of weeks we would be best friends. We did everything together this year. If one of us was alone we were constantly asked where the other was. I cannot remember having a single argument. We both knew when the other was in a bad mood and eventually figured out if they wanted to talk about it or not. I know I would not have survived my freshmen year without her. 

13. College itself is a learning experience

I haven’t only learned valuable lessons in the classroom. Some of my most valuable lessons have come at 3 o’clock in the morning in the dorm room. I need to make sure I never take for granted the amazing opportunity I have to go to school at Meredith for the next three years. 

14. Growing up stinks

As much as I love college, I would give anything to go back in time when life was much simpler. It seems like just yesterday all I had to worry about was what outfit my Barbie was going to wear on her first day of school and now I have to start worrying about what I am going to do after graduation. A few years ago I couldn’t wait to grow up. Now it’s scary and I want life to slow down. 

15. It goes by way too fast

This kind of goes along with #14. I am still in shock that my freshmen year is over. After seeing all the seniors in their caps and gowns in Dorton Arena, it hit me that that will be me in three short years. I would love to just spend the rest of my life at MereCo, experiencing everything. As excited as I am to get a little sis, live in the apartments and best of all get the gorgeous Onyx on my right hand, I know it will all fly by. I never thought the same place I was crying at as my parents drove away in August would be the same pace I crying at as I drove away in May. As fast as this year went by I am so thankful for it. Thankful for a beautiful place where I can Go Strong towards my future and find my wings to fly.