i trust her...she's strong.

It's already been a week since Sierra first stepped foot into her dorm, and after meeting her roommates and their parents I am so not worried. Sierra couldn't have been blessed with better roomies. These girls are beautiful in every way and they all have one thing in common...The Lord.

They are all christian, and even though they are of different faiths they understand each other, and it is a comfort to know that.

Jessica is from Singapore, and Emily is from New Hampshire. They are both dance majors, and are the sweetest girls. Jon and I immediately hit it off with both their folks, and it looks like they are going to have a great first semester living together.

I have to say that I am extremely grateful that she is just across the bridge because let me tell you...we did a lot of things at the last minute. Had she been going to school across the country I know she'd, we'd have been better prepared. It didn't help with the spontaneous road trip we took returning home close to midnight the day before she moved in! I know...crazy huh?

A last minute lunch date with one of her friends took place an hour before the move. Having Steve with us the entire day was helpful, and we didn't mind the good company. I am just wondering if he'll ever want to hang around us again. I adopted him for the day, and it was so much fun having another boy hanging around in the mix of all my girls.

We spent all day moving her in, and luckily for us UARTS fed us really well that evening.

It feels weird not having her here, and I miss her. Although she is across the bridge, it feels as if she's thousands of miles away. I guess it's just really hitting me now, and those tears have been coming down like a waterfall. I'll go into her room which Chelsea has taken over, and rummage through her desk. There are back issues of American Girl, and New Era magazines on her desk that should be recycled, but don't want to. Luckily I have another teenager that is putting them to use, and Lexie has already read a few.  I'll even come up to Lexie to tell her how much I miss Sierra, and burst into tears. She'll console me, and tell me that she's not far away. She knows how much I miss her sister. I miss her so much that I've been calling Lexie "Sierra" more than I should. I know she's just a text, and a phone call away, but I don't want to smother her too much. I know it's going to take some time to get used to not having her around to play me some Downton Abbey on the piano, and hearing her laugh. 

One thing for sure...the singles ward in Philly, and the staff at UARTS are lucky to have her.

Church...oh how I was so looking forward for her in attending Relief Society with me, but that's okay. She committed herself to staying in the young women until the day she left for college, and I thought that was awesome. She even did some visiting teaching with me as well. I am especially grateful that her testimony is firm enough to attend church on her own. She knows that life without the gospel would be hard. She has already made friends in her singles ward, and although she was a little nervous to enter inside the doors of a singles ward where she is literally the "baby" of the group (there are more 20 year old's in church) she stands strong. 

She has accomplished so much to get to where she is today both academically, and spiritually. I hope that she will remember all the principles that has been taught to her in the gospel throughout her life. Attending a college in the city in Philly can be scary for some, but because of Sierra's solid testimony she knows where her standards are, and where she stands in the gospel, (and how to defend herself-thanks to pepper spray.) 

One chooses their own destiny, and I'm praying for a lot of successes in her future. 

I only pray that she won't make the same mistakes I did, and that she will do a lot better. 

A lot better...and I believe that she will.