Postcards

An Instagram post I wrote 2/17:

This is a postcard I picked up at an antique store (at least I think it was) when I was 14 years old. I have wanted to attend the University of Oxford for as long as I can remember knowing what it was, and I kept this postcard in every trapper-keeper, binder and notebook through high school and college to encourage hard work with the end goal in mind.

When I was a junior in high school, my American History teacher (who did not like me at all) was teasing me about this postcard. When I told him that someday I will go to school there, he laughed at me in front of the whole class, and I quote: “No you won’t. You’ll get married and have babies and never leave Utah.”

I am proud to say that yesterday I had the email confirming my acceptance to the Faculty of English at the University of Oxford, and my Certificate of Offer should arrive shortly. I have never been happier in my life, it rivals the day Eloise came home from her 7 months in the hospital. I am eager to prove that I am worthy of the opportunity, to prove I will not disappoint! It’s an unbelievable chance, and I keep pinching myself to make sure I am not dreaming!

I think the best part of it is being able to look at my daughters and tell them that with dedication, hard work, prayer and a bit of luck and kindness, dreams can come true.