Changes

It has been entirely too long since I have taken the time to sit down and hash out some of what my life has been these past few months.  So much has changed.

For starters I finished my freshman year of college at Samford University and it was wonderful! I survived Chemistry, loved Anatomy, and tolerated my Cultural Perspectives class.  I even got 49 out of the required 60 convo credits taken care of.  I applied for and was accepted to be a RA on campus and ended the year on cloud nine.  Then summer came.

I went home for two weeks before I went to North Dakota for six.  I had a job with a childcare facility aligned for my six weeks in the arctic north.  They had informed me that I would be able to work full time and I was super excited! However, when I arrived I was informed that there were only four days that they might possibly need my help.  WHAT?! Only four days when I had been promised full time? Incidentally they never got in contact with me again.  I guess they didn't actually need me for those four days after all.  I did end up getting a job though.

The job I got was at a bird shop.  I know, I went from supposed to be working at a childcare facility to cleaning poop off of bird cages! In the words of Emily Finlay, "That would only happen to Lauren."  And thus is my life.  The job wasn't all bad.  My boss was great and the hours were flexible.  I'm just being dramatic.  The next huge change of the summer came soon after.

I had a sit down chat with my parents and we came to the realization that continuing to attend Samford was no longer financially possible.  I was devastated!!  Samford had become my home!  What would I say to all of my friends?  Why was this happening?  All I can say is that I had to trust that God's hand was in this change and trust that he would sustain my life like He had proved faithful to do in the past.  The next step was to find a new University.

Now in Bismarck there just so happens to be a University up on the hill above the house here.  I went in for a tour and decided that it would be the best option for the continuation of my nursing education.  This decision meant that I needed to enroll in a two week CNA program and move from sunny, delightful, humid Florida to freaking North Dakota! Who does that?  Oh yes, that's right, Lauren does.

So that's what I did.  I packed up my life in Florida, notified Samford and all my friends that I would not be returning and enrolled in a new University and moved to North Dakota.  Now I'm about to start my fourth week of classes and my friend count is zero.  I just haven't really had any opportunities to meet and talk with people and form friendships.  I'm not going to lie, it kind of sucks, but I know that it will just take time.

I found a church that I really love and am trying to get involved there.  I know that God has His hand in all this and that brings me great comfort.  My life is nothing like I ever would have thought it would be at this point, but the only way to go from here is forward. And that is what I fully intend to do.  I'm still working at the bird shop and I'm still trying to do my very best in all the courses I'm taking.  Just one day at a time and one foot in front of the other, that's my game plan.

The Never Ending Break (Only It's Almost Over)

So here we are, the last few days of winter break are upon us.  So much has happened this break, and at the same time I feel like hardly anything has happened.  It's been a while since my last update so let's begin with coming home.

It took ten hours and three stops for gas but I made it home.  Christmas was a  pretty wonderful event.  It was very relaxed uneventful and wonderfully warm just like it should be in Florida.  From Christmas we move on to New Years which was spent with a bunch of good friends and included a dramatic reading of the lyrics of Auld Lang Sine and altogether way to many incessant fireworks. Fireworks and I have this thing, you see, I don't like them and they are loud and terrifying, so I guess it's actually a one sided thing.

After New Years I got to sing during the 11o'clock service at church again and Kyle told me that he had resigned.  And as a matter of fact he just lead the service for the last time this past Sunday.  It was a bitter sweet time.

I also went to Ohio with my favorite Emily to just hang out with her during her first week of the spring semester at her university, and believe it or not I'm actually thinking about transferring there next fall.  Nothing is set in stone, I haven't even finished my application, but I'm more than willing to see where it leads.

As I previously said it's almost time to go back to school.  I'm so ready to see my friends again, but at the same time I do NOT want to leave home.  I thought that by the end of the break I would be chomping at the bit to leave, but honestly I feel like digging in my heals and refusing to go.  I don't want to go back and start classes and be away from home until March, but I'm sure that this is really a normal feeling.  It's just tough.

In Which I Just Ramble About December Plans And Such

O hey December, fancy meeting you here at the end of November!  I really cannot believe that December is here.  It's gotten unrighteously cold here in Birmingham and I'm loving it! If only it would snow.  As of today there is only a week and a half until the end of the semester and a gloriously long Christmas break.

So since we last chatted Thanksgiving happened.  I got to go home for the first time this semester and it was so good!  I got to ride everyday, see two of my best friends, and all of my family.  I didn't realize how much I missed home until I got there.  Still though it was good to come back to campus and get back into the routine that I have formed up here.  You know the typical college student routine: class, nap, class, eat, sit around wasting time, study some, waste more time, eat, study a little more, vow to go to bed early, find something so fun you could not possibly live without doing it (ie. spending an hour laying on the floor of your friends room laughing while trying to guess what words mean in a language you have never taken), realize it's already midnight, waste more time, collapse exhausted into a very brief night sleep,wake up, and repeat.  So yeah, that's how I spend my life.  And it's awesome

As I said it's almost time to head home for Christmas and I am so excited for the ten and a half hour drive by myself.  I've already started preparing a roadtrip playlist for my trek.  It's going to be so good to just get home.

Also I've recently taken up painting and I left all my supplies at home (because I couldn't bring them with me on the flight back to school) and I am just itching to get back to them.  I have so many ideas floating around and I want to get them out of my head so that I have room for more.  I've just been feeling really, really crafty lately and I love it.  I'm pretty positive that my whole break will revolve around making things and sleeping.  It's going to be sooooo gooooooddd!!

Now that I've just rambled for a while I'm going to call it a day.

Gather Round You Guys! It's About To Get Thankful Up In Here!

It seems that the only time I ever have time to get my but over here and lay down some fat beats is when I'm either about to go on or am on break.  And by 'have time' I really mean that I have about a million things to do before class tomorrow and before break.  Oh the life of a college student.

Can I just start out by saying that I absolutely love where I am in life!  I have made so many wonderful friends, I love my classes, I love Birmingham, and believe it or not I love my classes and will be very sad to see them go at the end of the semester.  It's really difficult to believe that my first semester as a college kid is almost over.  It's bizarre really.  I wouldn't trade the experiences that I've had for anything.  I mean, mind you, classes have been tough, there have been mental and emotional breakdowns as well as a constant lingering pain in my knee that is only helped, I'm sure, by the billions of stairs on campus, but life is so good.  Even on one of my worse days I am so incredibly blessed it's ridiculous!!

One thing that God has really been teaching me this semester is to not just be content with where I am but to be joyful in every situation, no matter the circumstances.  Moving away to college has really taught me to rely on Him more fully than I ever have.  I mean essentially I am on my own.  Yes it's true that my family is just a phone call away, but I never really realized how much I relied on them from day to day until they weren't within an arms reach.  It's been tough to say the least, but it has been so incredibly worth it!  And now I'm just speaking in cliche's, so that's good.

I finally get to go home for the first time this semester tomorrow and I am so stoked!!  Emma called me the other day to tell me that she had bought a new lego set and was waiting till I get home to put it together because that's what we always have done, put lego's together, together.  When she said that I literally almost started crying.  It's little things like that that make me realize how much I miss home and how wonderful my family is.  Also just thinking about all the food that we'll be making for our Thanksgiving feast is making me realize how many foods I have not had since moving up here.  Lately I have really been craving avocado, greek food, and pizza (not all at the same time cause that would be gross).  I mean the food in the Caf isn't bad, but it's not the same as home.  But I guess that would be the same anywhere you go.

Another thing I've missed is animals.  Yeah, sure we have squirrels and chipmunks on campus, but they are all a little psycho and I don't think that they would like it if I tried to hug them.  I miss being able to just walk outside and there's Tucker, or go down to the barn and be able to just hop on and go for a ride. Believe it or not I even miss mucking out stalls.  Am I crazy, probably but honestly I just needz some animalz time!!  I already have trail rides planned for every single morning over Thanksgiving break.  I am so excited!  I've been jonesin for a good hard ride for so long!

That's really all that has been going on with me recently.  Life is good, and I really have no room to complain about anything.

Fall Break! Woohoo...

And by woohoo I mean, "I am still on campus while everyone else is at home because I live too far away to go home and because I'm driving to South Carolina next weekend."  So my fall break is really, really exciting.  So far I've watched five movies, washed all my dishes, painted my nails, and cleaned my entire dorm room including the bathroom.  I'm just having so much fun I don't know what to do with myself.  I think I might go mad if I don't come in contact with some other humans soon!

This is really complainey, and I'm sorry, but I just can't handle myself right now.  I really want to be at home and it's starting to bum me out.  Tonight I do have a Skype date and I really can't wait for that, so I think I'm going to stop feeling sorry for myself right now and maybe make some crafts till then.

You Know, Just Living It Up...College Style

Oh, hey again! So a lot has happened these past couple of months.  I moved to a new town where I knew no one, started my freshman year of college, met some really incredible people and last night, had my first official college meltdown.  To say that life has been a crazy would be an understatement.

To start with, I'm officially a college student! Hooray! It's here!!  And I've got to say, for the most part it's been really excellent!  My roommate is alright, I mean we don't have much in common, but she's nice.  I love the girls on my hall and my RA.  All of them are so sweet and I know that they have my back.  I've made some really good friends on the second floor, and to say that we spend pretty much every waking second together would be quite accurate.

My classes are all going well.  They can be a bit stressful at times--hence last night's melt down--but they are ultimately good.  My favorite would definitely have to be psychology.  I'm really happy here and I feel like this is where God called me to be.  The weather has turned fall-ish and it is beautiful.  I broke out a scarf today, and yesterday I literally spent five hours outside on the quad.  And actually, as I'm typing this, I currently am in a friends hammock soaking in the beautiful outdoors.  It is excellent!  I've found a local church that I really love, and the ministries on campus are really great too.  Really I'm just so happy to be here.

There have been a lot of prospies (prospective students) touring campus lately and they are presh!  It makes me so excited to see them touring and thinking of going here that I nearly can't handle my self.  Also the wildlife on campus is so great! There are tons of squirrels and chipmunks, and as a matter of fact, yesterday I saw a squirrel fall out of a tree!  Literally he was up in some of the high branches of a huge oak tree, and I guess he got in a fight with another squirrel because it sounded like there was a scuffle going on.  Then next thing I know, there is a squirrel falling out of the air!  He landed with a thud and a squeak and then ran right back up the tree.  It was ridiculous!  I wasn't the only one who saw this either.  Two guys were walking by right as it happened and saw the whole thing too! Craziness, this is what I have to live with.

This weekend is fall break, and I may be going home with a friend.  Otherwise I'll just be here enjoying the emptiness of campus.  Next weekend I am planning to go visit some family in South Carolina, and my family is driving up there too, so I'll get to see them for the first time since August 25!  It's crazy how time flies.  It's already October.  I mean what is my life, where did the time go?

Also today the caf served soup...So it's a good day!

A Summary Of These Past Few Months

I've been meaning to write another post for quite a while now, but I just never got around to it.  So much has happened in these past months that I don't even know where to begin.  I guess I'll start with June because nothing of much consequence happened in May other than graduation.

On June 4 My mom and I left for Israel with SLU 401.  It was such a phenomenal trip.  We went everywhere and saw everything.   There would be about 4 or 5 things on our agenda for the day, but by the end we would end up doing 10 to 12 things thanks to the amazing Dr. Jay Strack.  I met some wonderful people who I truly love to be around.  I can really only say good things about this trip.

A week after getting back from Israel I headed up to college orientation.  It was a blast! I met some really nice folks and got all the classes I need at the times I wanted, so I'm pretty pleased with that.

July brought a whole host of things.  I ended up getting violently ill on the 2nd and was not well enough by the 4th to participate in any patriotic activities.  This is the second year in a row that I haven't gotten to celebrate the 4th.  Last year I was flying to London and this year I was puking my guts out. Hopefully this doesn't become some kind of horrid tradition!

The Last week of July Dori, Amy, Emily, Chloe and I spent a week up in the mountains in Georgia.  It was way too much fun! I hadn't seen Chloe since last summer and it was really great to spend time with her again.  We did so much while in Georgia.  We hiked, swam in waterfalls, rafted down the Chattahoochee River, went to a fair, and spent the afternoon on a boat in the middle of a gorgeous lake surrounded by mountains.  Not to mention we watched Pearl Harbor three times and fended for ourselves quite well.  It was a really great week.

August, thus far, has been a month of late nights and goodbyes.  This month I have been cramming as much time with my friends as humanly possible.  I have already had to say goodbye so many times a people head off to various states to begin their college adventures.  I'm the last of my friends to leave and let me tell ya, it's killing me!  I have one week left to pack up the last 18 years of my life and move into my dorm to begin my adventures.

That's pretty much all I've been up to.  We'll see if it's another four months before I get to this again.