Wow. A recent conversation has reminded me of just how much things have changed for me this past year, and how ignorant I've been of the changes. Moving to Oshkosh has completely changed my life, moreso than staying with may parents and commuting to school could have ever hoped to.

I am more confident in myself now. I've met people who haven't let college change a thing about them, and I've met people who have let the entire experience change them for the better. Let me tell you, the people who've changed are more fun to be around. Realizing that you don't have to be who you were in high school, and you have no one's expectations to live up to but your own is extremely liberating. I finally feel like an adult.

I've fallen in love. For the first time, for the right reasons, I am truly in love. I never would have suspected that leaving Mayville for here would allow me to meet someone so perfect for me. I knew I'd find more interesting people, more people that want something better than to live in the town their grandparents grew up in, but I never suspected to finally meet a woman who appreciates the person I am, accepts me without question, and loves me as much as I love her. I have never been this happy with another person, and the feelings have yet to fade; if anything, they've grown stronger with each passing day. I finally accept myself as I am.

I still mourn my grandfather's death, and not a day goes by that I don't wish I could see him one more time. But I'm filled with a new drive to become the man he would have wanted to see me be, a man he would be proud of. I've made a lot of mistakes this past year, but I've paid the consequences, and they're fading away with time. I finally have a chance to make him proud.

I have everything I could want, short of petty material concerns, and I appreciate it all. I love my family, my girlfriend, and my friends. I have Puckaway now, and I will pick up where Grandpa left off. I'm finally happy.