This may seem unstructured, but I figured I'd try to share some realizations I've made here.

God is good. He provides for us even if it's in ways we didn't fully expect. I had really really high expectations for college, and had forgotten that I had been praying for struggle, for challenge. It seems a little crazy, even to me, to pray for such things. But there is a method to the madness. I always have struggled with complacency: coasting, being lukewarm, lacking passion, especially when it came to my faith.
And complacency is a terrifying thing, when what you say you believe is in a life of full surrender and complete humility, following in the footsteps of Christ, who was absolutely radical. Once I realized my own complacency I asked for a wake up call. Maybe the fact that I was asking for a wake up call WAS one in itself, but nonetheless, I prayed. Now, this story is not very dramatic, but I do see my experiences thus far in the collegiate world as an answer to this prayer that I had.
Don't get me wrong in any of this, I am loving it here. It is different than anything I've ever experienced, and that is absolutely exciting, but I have really struggled with putting myself out there. Making new friends? Never done it before. At least not on this scale: there's always been someone to lean on. There's always been a physical human being to latch onto, to find comfort in.
Here there were thousands of people, but all I had was God to latch onto.
And what a great lesson. To be thrown into this mess of people obsessively trying to make friends with whoever is coolest, whoever knows where the best parties are. I was feeling lost in this insane rush to build relationships, and He was there the whole time.
Relationships come. They happen. God puts the people you need in your life when he knows you need them. Whether or not we see what he is doing is irrelevant. If we knew what He was up to all the time then trust would go down the toilet, and challenges wouldn't seem like challenges. I'm thankful that he has tested me in this area of being real, of building relationships. It's a work in progress, just like myself. And fully trusting in God to provide the community I need is difficult, but in the end I know I'll be right where he wants me, and that is unendingly encouraging to me at this point in my life.

Belmont Bruins. Nashville Hipsters.

Here's what I've learned about my new home in the past few weeks.

1. The shops in Hillsboro Village are home to more cute stationary than I've ever seen in my whole life.
2. Bongo Java occasionally plays host to a famous person but you will most likely never be there when it happens.
3. You should not walk down Wedgewood past 12th too late at night without a protector because it gets pretty sketch.
4. Nashville is more obsessed with "Go Green" than anywhere I've ever seen.
5. The Wright Hall lobby is usually so full of people the windows fog up.
6. If you want good fruit you have to drive ten miles to the Whole Foods, because they don't believe in serving good, fresh fruit in college.
7. If you buy organic raspberries they will most likely taste just like wine.
8. Most everyone looks cute all the time, and there are tons of people here who have embraced the so-called "hipster" fashion to a tee.
9. The Caf has a great salad bar, but they ruin it by also having an amazing dessert bar. Curse them.
10. Belmont Blvd. is a great place to be inspired to start jogging more often.
11. The most popular grocery store here in Nashville (and apparently everywhere further east of here) is Harris Teeter, or, as we so fondly call it, Harry Teets.
12. Belmont musicians use a movable do and count using a system called Takadimi. Hmph.
13. There's a lot of fun local designers that sell their stuff in the shops close to here.
14. Jack White's wife owns the vintage store right next to Bongo (as in, a block from where I live). We're waiting until he's not on tour and then we're going to stalk the place.
15. Mosaic is an awesome place.
16. My Camelbak water bottle has proven to be the best thing I brought here. EDIT: I have since lost it. Sad, sad, sad day.
17. The fact that we aren't allowed to have coffee pots in our rooms may lead a person to use a whole meal just to fill her thermos with coffee.
19. Chicago should definitely take a hint from Nashville and do Shakespeare in the park.
20. Everybody here has very firm opinions on what is good music, and can most likely play some form of music.
21. Going off that, it's not odd to see the gazebos full of people jamming.
22. The Greek life here is not cliche. This fact, however, could never get me to rush.
23. EVERYWHERE YOU WALK, YOU WILL BE WALKING UPHILL.
24. It's pretty easy to tell a Vandy kid from a Belmont kid.
25. Lipscomb is our arch enemy, but...I don't think I really care.
26. Roommates can be amazing.
27. Everything on campus is named after the same 5 people.
28. A good chunk of the kids here went to private schools.
29. I can be a G.
30. Professors can be amazing. I like every single one.

Anyways, that's all I want to write now, maybe I'll add some more later :]

On the Boulevard.

So I'm here. I'm sitting in my dorm room at college in one of the coolest cities I've ever explored. I'm having a great time, of course. But I am ready to get some structure. It's been meeting a thousand people each day, doing ice breaker activities, going to meals in huge groups and more. But I'm ready for the structure of a class schedule, to meet people in the same program as me, to start going to a college group with the awesome people we met at the ministry fair. I'm just so anxious for tomorrow.

On the other hand, today has been really great. We got some convo credits in (sort of like going to required chapels, but there's community service opportunities, speakers, etc.), chilled at lunch, walked in the heat to get the greatest popsicles I've ever had. I have to explain. There's a little shop on Kirkwood and 12th called Las Paletas and they sell homemade popsicles. I'm talking things as crazy as chocolate + chili and avocado flavored popsicles to things as simple as strawberry and watermelon. All homemade. Good stuff. There's a big freshman festival going on outside my dorm that I'll probably head out to soon.

God has been super nice to us: the past few days have not been much hotter than 80 or 85 (sometimes much cooler!) and hardly any humidity. So that's good. We've just been chillin' and jammin' and learning about the city. Life is pretty goooood. I'll catch "y'all" later.

Goodbye Waves and Driveways

All I can say is that I'm absolutely grateful to have so many good things in life that they make leaving a monotonous town like Lake Villa very difficult.
I also need to say that having a Monday "official goodbye" has made these last two days even harder. I've been busy: packing, running last minute errands, being on the phone 24/7 with Belmont trying to fix my registration. And as important as all of those things are, I am selfishly wanting someone else to do it all - I mean, it's keeping me from my friends (who are still home, but just as busy as I).
It's been such a bittersweet week. On one hand, I'm insanely excited. On the other hand I'm very sad to leave all the people I love and have to start from scratch. On yet another hand I am nervous about having to handle my own life. I sometimes fail at that. But than I remember. Ah! Yes! I have someone else on my side.

"I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11.

A bit cliche, it's true. But also very comforting. I can go in full confidence, and that makes me feel infinitely better.

University Woes

It's not a good day when, one week before you move into your first college dorm, you get a letter from said college informing you that they have cancelled your registration due to lack of payment. My heart plummeted into my stomach and every good feeling I had once felt about Belmont University flew out the window and overseas.

I failed to continue reading the letter, however, which went on to say that if we call the office of financial services and pay the designated amount they would happily reinstate my schedule.
This didn't do much to lift my spirits.
No matter how many times I hear "it's going to be okay" it doesn't make me any less freaked about being "that student" who forgets to pay for her higher education and gives the administration a hard time because of it.


Maybe I'm overreacting. I usually am. It's just gnawing at my very soul and until I can fix it tomorrow morning I will not sleep soundly.

Ah, college. Here I come.

I am not...

a blogger.  I'm not really sure how this works, what I'm supposed to say, or if what I do say will matter at all.  So why do I have a blog at all?  I created it simply in order to voice my opinion on the blogs of other, more accomplished writers.  However, I've decided maybe I should try my hand at this 21st century phenomenon.  I mean, I do have things to say every once in a while.  

Now is not one of those times.  So keep a lookout, maybe my mind will do a 180 and begin spurting amazing fountains of thoughtful blog-ready material.  For now, I'll leave you with some thoughts from the mind of Pete Mitchell: 

"And every now and again

Though I sometimes fail to notice
Life sneaks up and kisses my cheek
And all I want is this..."