Hello, friends! I’ve realized it’s been a while since I’ve shared an update about what’s been actually going on in my life. These past few months have been totally hectic, but unforgettable to say the least. I wanted to share with you what has been going on in my life lately! I mentioned recently on snapchat that I officially have an internship, so I thought I would finally let you know what my plans are for this upcoming summer & a big decision I recently made about my senior year of college. I apologize if this post is something of a novel, but I have to procrastinate studying for my upcoming exam somehow!

As a lot of y’all know, I recently studied abroad at the London School of Economics this past summer. LSE had been my dream school for the longest time, and I was grateful to have the opportunity to take a few classes there. The months that I spent in London were some of the most incredible weeks of my entire life, filled with amazing memories and friendships. I cried the entire flight home back to Dallas this past August. Though I had missed my family and friends, I wasn’t quite ready to leave London just yet.

In January, I made the bold decision to apply to the London School of Economics again. Except this time, it was not just for the summer. My advisor told me that it was a very 50/50 shot of getting accepted this time around, but I decided I had nothing to lose. After writing application essays and rounding up several letters of recommendations, the only thing I had left to do was to wait and see what God had in store for me. I picked out ten clubs I would join if I got accepted (yes, even the bee keeping club. Not kidding, y’all.) and started dreaming of the places I would travel to on weekends.

About two weeks ago, I received an email notifying me that I had been accepted to LSE for 2016-2017. I should have been jumping up and down, gushing with excitement, but instead, something felt different. Something just wasn’t there, and for some strange reason, it just didn’t feel right. My head and my heart were pulling in two different directions, and I decided to spend a little time really thinking through this huge decision. My family was incredibly supportive and encouraged me to make the choice that would be best for me. For the next few days, I thought almost constantly about this important decision in front of me. I weighed the pros and cons, trying to make the best choice. There were far more pros of me heading to London, but my heart still felt heavy and divided. I had just been accepted to my dream school, why was I not more excited? What was wrong with me?

After praying about it and really listening to my heart, I turned down the opportunity to spend my senior year in London. Even though I was torn about this challenging choice, I realized that my heart just wasn’t 100% into it like I thought it would have been. I had been beyond excited when I applied over two months ago, but I had to trust the conflicting feelings that were now washing over me.

Right after updating my advisor about my LSE decision, I received an amazing email. I had landed my dream internship at Oracle in Redwood City, California, not too far from where I grew up in Palo Alto. Receiving this email was definitely one of the highlights of my semester, and I literally started happy dancing around in my best friend’s kitchen (I’m going to be slightly embarrassed later that I am writing this on the internet, but hey, landing the perfect internship is exciting!). When I received that email, everything made sense. I was not even slightly hesitant about this new opportunity. It all felt completely right, and I knew it almost instantly. My heart was 100% 1,000% there.

 For once in my twenty years of life, I finally feel as though things are finally starting to come together. I’m so enthusiastic and optimistic about this new chapter of my life that is about to begin. I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me next! This month, I’ve really learned that life can totally take you by surprise. Those unpredictable moments, challenges and changes that we experience are what make life anything but boring. Sometimes we just have to be patient and trust that things have such a way of falling into place.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

[Jeremiah 29:11]

I also just wanted to say thank you for always encouraging me and caring. Your comments, emails, and tumblr messages honestly mean to world to me and you truly inspire me daily. I am so grateful and blessed to be surrounded by so many people that make life so full. I hope that you are having a happy Tuesday!

xoxo,

Mackenzie Kendall