Two years from now, in a perfect world...

...I would have already graduated at the top of my class.  I work hard for this.  That would be MY moment.  I don't want anyone there to screw things up.  With that said, only my dad and my sister are invited from Nor Cal.  There.  I said it.

...I would be going to a prestigious med school/grad school program.  (Let's go, Caltech, let's go!)  My housing, tuition, healthcare, fees, etc. would be completely paid for... AND with a stipend, to top it all off!  In a perfect, perfect world, I would be in a legit MD/PhD program... yeah yuhhh!

...my dad would have a more stable job.  I would be living in my own apartment with my little sister, because I so desperately want to rescue her from that hell hole that she lives in now.  My family would be so much happier and free from drama queens and complications that make our lives even more stressful than it already is.  (Lemme tell ya... those Disney fairytales about the evil stepmother?  They exist.  No lie.)  In a perfect, perfect world, we'd all be together.  Who cares about money or material things?  I mean this when I say family is more important than all of that.  We got along just fine before--no money, not much of a house, just each other.  In many ways, much better than how things are now, that's for sure.

...my sister would be going to Bishop Amat High School, where I went.  I would be helping put her through school.  It'll be tough, but one way or another, we'll do it.

Sooo... that's just a rough draft of what my personal goals and dreams are for the near-ish future.  Only God knows how my life will actually play out.  Looking back at just the past three years, it's been such a crazy, insane roller coaster!  Life never turns out quite exactly how I planned or imagined it, but in a lot of ways, reality was actually much better.  

I wanted to finish high school as a valedictorian, just as Mama and I dreamed when I was little.  I was named Salutatorian, even though I did get the top GPA of my graduating class (weird selection policy...).  

I wanted to go to a big-name college as a pre-med student.  I didn't even want to apply to Mount St. Mary's College, but they ended up giving me a full-scholarship.  Now, I switched my major to Biochemistry with a minor in Philosophy, and I can't believe I now want to ultimately be an MD/PhD.  I have to admit, I've fallen in love with the school and everything about it, and I cannot imagine being anywhere else and having a better college experience.

These are just a few examples... but the point is, though my life hasn't played out exactly as I've envisioned it, where I am today still maintains the essence of the goals and dreams and visions for myself.  And if the future is anything like how my life has been so far, it's gonna be one heck of a rough ride, but at the end of the day, I'll still be able to fulfill the essence of these goals and dreams in the future.  Who knows, right?  We'll just have to wait and see!