Things always have a way of working out, whether or not the end result is visible from the beginning. I would argue that it is the hardest part of life, letting God lead us down the paths designed for our own success.

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind for me because my life is about to get a heck of a lot busier. I leave to start my new job at the end of the week, and I'm equal parts terrified and overjoyed that I have this opportunity.

As you avid readers already know, my mind constantly races. I like to try and plan my life out years in advance, which does not necessarily work. However, the flip side to my neurotic ways is that I have now set hefty goals for myself for this year. It has lessened the terrified parts of my being to make way for even more joy.

I think for this year, I need to be structured in my daily life and focused on the tasks at hand. As my departure creeps closer, I feel myself clinging to those around me, siphoning as much quality time out of them before distance creates a chasm between us. And this ladies and gents leads me into the events of the last few weeks. Let us start at the beginning, shall we ...

Mr. Know-it-All and I, of course, had a high stakes one-on-one basketball game. I think we all know who managed to crush who, but it's totally fine. I'm over the embarrassing amount of times he blocked my shots and lumbered around me as I tried to make it in for a layup. I was forced to attempt three-pointers, and I'm not very good at those.

We also raced and arm wrestled. I left the competition with a whopping 0 wins, but no matter. I take the cake when it comes to bowling; so, put that in your pipe, and smoke it. And now Mr. Know-it-All's sayings are rubbing off on me.

After some friendly competition, it was finally time to make the 12-hour drive to Chicago to witness my sister graduate from Navy bootcamp. However, before settling into the hotel completely, we had to make a pit stop at O'Hare International Airport to pick up a little surprise.

My older brother decided to make the trip home from South Korea to see my sister finally reach a milestone she'd been fighting for for over 2 years. While my older brother and I could not physically attend the ceremony, we proudly watched the festivities on a live stream and awaited her arrival at the hotel.

When she entered the lobby she ran at us and accepted the surprise I think she needed. When you grow up familiar with the military, you understand how difficult it is for someone to make and fight for that sacrifice. It was a beautiful moment.

For me, the entire experience was an emotional concoction I'm not entirely sure how to explain, but here it goes. I felt unimportant, and I don't mean that in a selfish way. I merely mean that I felt as if my path in life was not as important or meaningful as the paths of my siblings.

It was one of those moments where I was so happy for my sister; but, for some reason, I felt as if the joy I expressed for her was taking away from the joy I typically feel when I think about my job. It felt like the only way to be happy for her was to lessen the way I feel about myself.

It sounds crazy, I know. But, this is genuinely how I felt in the moment. I was having flashbacks to adolescence when I was constantly left behind or left out. I felt like I should have maybe taken a similar path as my siblings. And then, in a crowded restaurant, my mom and I had a heart to heart because somehow she knew exactly how I was feeling. That moment turned the sadness into happiness once again after a quick sob in Buffalo Wild Wings.

I had a similar discussion with Mr. Know-it-All the week before about how I always felt insignificant as a child and into young adulthood. I never thought that I would amount to anything or that anyone noticed me. Shifting from that perspective into my ultimate reality is like the world being lifted off my shoulders.

I am somebody. I am worth it. It doesn't matter what career you choose or how much money you make. All that truly matters is whether or not you're happy with and in the choices you've made. Do you accept yourself and strive to be a positive impact? If you can recognize happiness and the good in yourself, then you're set in this thing we call life.

Like I said, it's been an emotional few weeks. My departure date is racing at me, full speed ahead, and I'm not ready to say "see you later" just yet. And even though I'm not necessarily ready, I know I have to take a leap of faith and let Him guide me through the next year.

In preparation for the 300 mile trek, I've put my creative genius to good use to craft a special gift for a special someone. While it may be cheesy, it showcases just how much I appreciate having someone in my life whom I can count on.

If this were a gift giving competition, I would take the gold; however, there is no competition in the works. For now, I'm just looking forward to all the weekends spent with the person I now realize I don't want to live without.

As always, coffee has gotten me through the summer. Lately, more than one cup has kept me afloat. Stay tuned for my adventures as a high school English teacher. It's going to be the realest ride. Until next time ...