Ending The Summer

Well, this is it, I'm back at school and classes start in the morning. I realize I left a big gap between now and my last post during the summer, and looking back I guess I could have written a bit more, but overall I wasn't doing anything that seemed worth mentioning, just staying at home and relaxing, reading, writing, watching old movies, just being in the house and soaking in the scenery. The summer was so long, and I could have handled a lot more time as I was, but I don't mind being back. In fact, I love being here. ACU is such a great fit for me, it's just the traveling time and packing time in-between that I could live without.

My trip back to school was uneventful, no accidents or traffic stops or cops pulling me over (I never once went over the speed limit this time :), and I managed to get to school in 6 hours and 14 minutes exactly, even with a 15 minute break. I pulled into a parking space right at 2:00pm and started unloading some stuff, and the first person I met was Lorie, which made me happy. It was nice to see her again, and then I got into the room and Alex had already set up her side of the room. I eventually was able to see (and hug) Kristin, Janille, Mary, Darby, and Stephanie, and get a little caught up. Apparently I wasn't the only one who changed her hair color over the summer, so it was cool seeing everyone's new looks, and peaking in on their rooms. As expected, Mary and Darby have a very comfortable, homey space, just like their last room, only bigger and better able to hold all their stuff. :)

I really like my room, it feels a lot like my old one in McDonald, except there is a little more space to fit an extra person. Otherwise it's pretty neat, clean, organized, simple, just the way I like it. Alex is so sweet and down-to-earth, I think we'll get along great (which is why I was so happy she agreed to be my roommate, I had a good feeling about her...). I really hope all of us who signed up together are able to stay close. It feels weird not having the lobby right outside our doors like we're used to having, so I hope that doesn't keep us from getting together a lot. I miss McDonald, but Sikes has a lot of good qualities. It feels so much like a hotel, including having our own bathrooms in each room. That should be a nice change, not that having community bathrooms bothered me, but it'll be nice to not have to walk down the hall anymore just to use a toilet in the middle of the night. And Alex brought a TV with her, so there's a TV in my room this time. That'll take some getting used to also. But whatever. It's nothing to complain about really, just something different.

I think I'm going to like my schedule this semester, it's a lot like last semester, except I have two classes on Friday instead of one (oh darn, isn't that just awful??? :P lol). I hope my Film Appreciation class on Monday nights will be more endurable than Lifetime Wellness was. I'll be watching movies instead of doing physical activities from 6-10. And hopefully I can survive slam poetry at the beginning of my Poetry Workshop class, I despise public speaking, but it's just something I have to do I guess. Lord, give me strength and courage... It's actually supposed to be something that gets everyone revved up and excited, but for me it's terrifying. I'm more of the silent-writer type.

Besides classes I have a lot of things to take care of, getting paperwork for scholarships and insurance and that kind of thing. I'll find time for it, I just wish I could get it all done in one day, but I know there will be some waiting involved. Oh well, what can you do? Just have to take things as they come. I'm really praying that I can be calm this semester. I mean, it'll be weird not being stressed all the time - I feel like that's wired into my personality - but I at least want to be able to be excited and happy about what I'm doing and not just worried that I'm not doing it well enough. I want to be able to live like today is my last day and really enjoy each moment, like those people with terminal illnesses. I want to see all the little things and have my priorities straight, and do all the things I want to do without worrying about doing things I feel I "have" to do. I really feel in my element when I'm writing, that's when I am the most comfortable, so I want to be able to write for a living, even if it doesn't seem like the "best" job to have, I love the feeling I get when I just sit down and start typing away, and I would do that for the rest of my life if I find the opportunity, even if it didn't pay large amounts of money. Isn't doing what you love more important than that? That's what I keep hearing. I don't want my life to turn into one more mistake or regret or missed opportunity. And if that's going to happen I have to stop worrying about everything. I have to trust God, trust that He will provide and take care of me no matter what, even when I'm terrified I have to cling to Him over everything else. In the end, He is all I have, and I need to remember that. I need to trust Him, listen to Him, love Him, and live for Him. That's all I can do. I just need a lot of help doing it, because I can't even do any of that without Him.

Ok, well, that's all I have for tonight. Tomorrow starts my life's next chapter titled Sophomore Year, The Adventure Continues.