So, Sadie and I went to Conway to Bear Facts Day at UCA.  This is one of Sadie's choices for colleges.  Sadie has been torn on her decision between UCA and OBU.  Decisions such as these are really hard for Sadie.  Cameron is going to UCA, so that makes Sadie really want to go to UCA.  She really loves the Psychology Department at OBU, so that makes her really want to go to OBU.  I had decided that she would be fine and do well wherever she went.  Both schools are good educational colleges.  I told her I was not going to make the decision for her, even though she really wanted me to at one point, and that she would know when it was time to know.

She had already closed the door to OBU a few months ago and was preparing for college life at UCA. She had applied, been accepted, found a roommate, and was getting excited about it. We planned a day to go visit the campus again.  That's where the goofy pictures come in...

Then one day out of the blue, she received an email from OBU informing her that she was eligible for big scholarships there and that they really wanted her on campus there.  She really was caught off guard.  They had already offered her a decent scholarship.  OBU is just so much more expensive that it was still going to be super expensive to go there.  

She saw this opportunity as guidance from the Lord.  She felt that she was being led there regardless of how she tried to make UCA fit her plans.  She decided to apply for the Presidential Scholarship, which was full tuition for four years, and pray about her decision.

A few weeks after she submitted the scholarship information, we were notified that she did not get the Presidential Scholarship, but that she did receive a couple of more scholarships that made the costs comparable to UCA.

OBU has always been her first choice since the first time she had been on college campuses.  She was scared of not being able to afford it and scared of being miles away from Cameron while going to college.  She tried to change her path, but she felt that God was leading her to OBU for a reason.  So, after much prayer and careful decision making, she decided that she is going to be a Ouachita Tiger.

I am glad that she made her decision based on prayer and not on boyfriend emotions.  I think she will be more involved at OBU than she would have at UCA.  I secretly publicly wish that she didn't have to leave me at all to go to college, but I am glad that she will be closer to home.

I dread the day we pack her things and leave her at college.  I know there is so much to look forward to in the future, but I will miss the little things.  Like the little notes that she leaves me on my desk when she comes by after school sometimes...