Your first pair of boots...

Do you remember what your first pair of boots looked like? Mine were black leather, with white stitching, pointed toe, and a slight heal. Those boots were one of my favorite Christmas presents of my childhood. (Those along with the pink bath robe and fishing pole that I was proudly photographed with on that Christmas morning.) Throughout the years my style has changed depending on the trends, my friends, boyfriends, etc. But I've always come back to cowboy boots.

As my life is going through a transitional time, I am finding it more and more important for me to know and stick with who I am. In eleven days, I will be moving away from the home that I have cherished for the last seven years. Laramie, WY, has meant a lot of things to me. I came for college, but feel that I learned so much more outside of the classroom walls. I've learned about true friendship, the art of packing/moving (8 times in those 7 years), heartache, all of the words to Cowboy Joe, the wonders of a magical place called 3rd Street, and so much more. As I move on, here are some the things that I have discovered about myself and life in the last seven years:

• I am now and will forever be a Wyoming Cowgirl
• I can survive pretty much anything
• I am much stronger than I realize
  
• That incredible things happen when I open myself up to new friendships
• That out of all heartache comes growth and rewards
  
• Best friendships can be born out of the hardest moments ~ even standing in an avocado green kitchen, crying over a broken dream
• That these boots...have seen the world and have incredible stories to tell
  

And so with that, I will pack up all five pairs of boots and move on to the next chapter with the hope of new friendships, lessons, and endless possibilities. Through it all I will remain who I am...in These Boots.