Duke

One day and counting...

At seventeen, my life plan consisted of graduating from high school, going to Utah for school, getting married and making babies. That was it. And then I found myself at a lacrosse tournament in Annapolis, Maryland and my whole "plan" changed. From that small tournament I started getting recruited by Ohio State, UNC, Duke, Loyola and Georgetown. All of the sudden my life became a Choose Your Own Adventure novel and I had no idea which path to take.

Initially, my first choice was UNC. I loved the coach, the athletic tradition and the school. And then, I went on my recruiting trip, and after being told by the team that I wouldn't fit in because I didn't drink, UNC was no longer on my list. After UNC, I went on more recruiting trips and each time I walked away just as disappointed. Ohio State was too freaking big, Loyola was too freaking small and Georgetown was too freaking urban. All that was left was Duke, and from the first phone call, I was convinced this was not the school for me. Yet, once I stepped on campus, met the team and hung out with my coaches I began to realize I was supposed to be in Durham. So, in April, right before I graduated, I signed the official papers to go to Duke and began an entirely different life plan.

I chose this story as my last because this decision affected me more than any other moment in my life. For example, I would have never gone on a mission if I hadn't spent four years being a missionary. I would have never experienced playing a Division I sport with some of the greatest people. And more importantly, I wouldn't have met the love of my life. (A side note...a year after I left Duke, Jorge (name has been changed to protect the privacy of my husband) was headed to Michigan for law school, but decided in Kentucky to head south instead and go to Duke. There's not a doubt in my mind, (and by every fiber in my being) that we both were supposed to go to Duke so we could meet. (And for our sister-in-laws to be there to set us up.) I'll always see Duke as the decision that took my blinders off and changed my life forever.