2 days. 2 full days left in Minnesota. That’s technically 48 hours to soak everything in… My final moments spent at home and in my own room. My last minutes in a space of more than a thousand square feet before I transition to an apartment room of roughly 600. My last summer memories being made surrounded by family and friends and hearing my siblings’ roaring laughter that seems to fill every space I go. The last few nights soaking in lake sunsets before I trade my views for city skylines. It’s with a full heart that I leave, but it’s the full home that I’ll miss.

Lasts are hard, but new beginnings in a city you adore are so exciting and once in a lifetime. It’s all the firsts I remind myself of when things get bittersweet: the first time I walk into a dream internship, the first day of new classes at The King’s College, the first time I meet my roommates and make new friends, the first time I get lost on the subway (it’s destined to happen at some point). New, new, new. It’s wild. I’ve been craving something so different and God continues to open new doors.

The people back home have helped shape me into who I am. They have influenced me, taught me, and encouraged me so much. My parents have been the best and so sweet through it all. I’m so thankful to be surrounded by people who push me to follow my dreams. They’re why I leave for NYC ready and ecstatic… but also a bit scared as hell. Am I really leaving everything I know and packing my life into luggage for an almost five-month trip? It’ll be a whirlwind adventure. There is so much to experience in the heart of Manhattan in 120 days, it’s overwhelming. The time of my life is about to get so real.

So here’s to the many opportunities in New York City that are awaiting my arrival, I know they’ll only continue to enrich my world. Endless thank yous to everyone who has reminded me the last few days how much I am loved in Minnesota. For now – goodbye Twin Cities, and hello NYC.

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