An Update on My Life

This summer has been SO busy for me. I've spent more time in hotel beds than my own. I started off my journey at Misericordia University in Dallas, PA. I went there for a Discover Speech Pathology program. I want to be a speech pathologist. I have had so many terrbile ones that I want to be the light that people who stutter need. I don't want to fix them or try to hide their stuttering but I want to build up the confidence in them that I never had. This past year is when I found my confidence. Anyways, I came home from that and the next day I left for Virginia Beach. Talk about a LONG drive. Okay so it wasn't too bad but I can not sit still in a car for 6 hours. The beach was beautiful and my sister and I got hit on by cute spanish boys who invited us to play beer pong with them. Don't worry, we declined. I came home from the beach and that next day I left for Cleveland. This has been my favorite adventure so far. The National Stuttering Association Conference was held there. That night, we (Our Time) had a performance. Yeah..that was interesting. I just learned the song that we sang the previous night. Needless to say that my confidence on stage was non existant that night. We also had to read a poem. I have NEVER talked in front of that many people before. It was crazy. I could go on for years about the conference but obviously that would take up too much space. I have never met so many people who stutter before. I then knew that I am not alone and that I have a family who will always be behind me. Anyways, the conference taught me a lot about myself. No matter how badly I stutter or how miserable I feel, I have this new family and new friends that know how I'm feeling. I will not let stuttering hold me back and I will not let it define who I am. I am not alone. Nothing is wrong with me. It is not because I have "social issues". It is not because I am stupid. It is because God made this way and he has blessed me with this gift that I can share with others. Stuttering has made me unique and it has made me more compassionate. I feel blessed to be a person who stutters because I met so many amazing people because of it. Yes, I will have days where I want to cry and I am miserable. But in the end, I know that it is not a curse but a blessing. My next adventure takes me to Chicago. I'm leaving on Thursday. The FRIENDS conference is being held there. Friends stand for something, I just don't remember what it is but it is a stuttering conference as well. I am PUMPED! Then after that, Camp Our Time is here. I have been waiting for this since I joined Our Time in March. My summer has been crazy. I'm living my dream. I'm traveling, singing, and meeting others who stutter. This is the best summer of my life.