Loving This

Where can I even start? I have absolutely loved this year. Don't get me wrong, last year was great. But this year I feel like I actually have a life here!

I love my church here so much! I missed hearing Pastor Jon speak and the energy/excitement my church has about ministering to the city. My small group leaders moved back to Austrailia and I miss them a lot. I'm hoping to get plugged into a new small group soon.

My classes are incredible. All of my classes are very hands on and practical. I will be applying for my practicum in December which seems unreal. I have some wonderful friends in my classes and I'm so glad that we are experiencing this together. My practicum will be this summer followed by my two semester internship. Then...graduation!!!! Yay!

The RA life is never dull, and I have made some great friends. Most of them are traditonal undergrad students, but there is one undergrad student in his 40's and one other grad student who is a couple of years older than me. For the most part though, I've become the "momma" to the group. I have really come to love these guys. We've been together everyday for the past 6 weeks and have become a sort of family.

Again, I'm surprised at how sheltered my life has been up to this point. I have experienced more and gotten a bigger picture of the "real world" in the past few weeks than I have in my whole life. I've been challenged more than ever and really seen the importance of unfailing love and support. I'm hoping that these experiences will not only make me a better school counselor, but a better person.

I'm heading home on Tuesday afternoon for the arrival of Carrie's daughter, Piper Lynn. I could not be more excited! It's also going to be nice to just be home for a few days. I've really been missing my family and friends the past few days. That's one thing that I don't think will ever change. As much as I love this city and the life I've made here, I still wish I could combine Chicago and Nashville.

Settling In

Well I am back in Chicago and all moved in to my new apartment! I absolutely love it here! For those who don't know, my school, Roosevelt University, finished building a new 32 story building in the middle of the Loop this past spring. One of the challenges of being a school in the middle of downtown Chicago is the lack of space. Roosevelt tore down an old residence hall and replaced it with the beautiful Wabash Building.

This new building has a dining hall, fitness area, lots of office space, new classrooms and labs, and the top 17 floors is a residence hall. This is my new home for the year. I'm an RA on the 16th floor. We've been in training for a week now, and I have loved it. I'm one of two graduate students working as an RA, so most of my co-workers are younger than me. What else is new? :-) Our team gets along really well, and I'm so excited to see what the year holds.

Here are some pictures of the inside of my apartment. Outside of training, I haven't been up to a whole lot yet. I'll update when things get a little more interesting!

Oh yeah, I did have a pretty awesome view of Lollapalooza! Here's a picture I took of the entrance before it started last week.

Summertime

I've always loved that Will Smith song. Anyone else? It instantly puts me in a chill mood and makes me long for the days of hanging out by the pool with friends. Sometimes I wish we could experience the joy and freedom of the summers we had as kids with the knowledge and responsibility we have as adults, you know? I know I would have appreciated those summers so much more!

Anyway, I have no idea why I'm longing for carefree days like that now. This will easily be the most laid back summer I've had in years! I'm in Chicago right now taking two summer courses. Both of them are shortened, so I'll be done completely on June 30. My fantastic aunt and uncle are putting me up at their house in Geneva, a fantastic suburb west of the city. Seriously, I am so grateful for them. They have been so kind and supportive, and I won't be able to thank them enough.

I'm finishing up week 3 of a 6 week Ethics course. It's been really interesting and really frustrating all at the same time. The more I learn about Ethics, the more I realize that there are no black and white answers. This Saturday I start a 5 week class on Youth and Exceptional Children. I have to complete 25 observation hours for that class that I am planning on completing in a couple of weeks. The class on Saturday is all day: 9:00--5:00. Yuck! It's also out at my school's suburban campus which I have never been to before. Luckily, one of my friends from the Chicago campus is also taking it. Hopefully that will make the time go by faster.

I'm planning on going back home to Nashville for the month of July. I haven't heard any new information yet about when I need to be back for RA training or which building I'll be living in. I'm looking forward to hearing soon. It will be so nice to be home for a few weeks. The one thing Chicago doesn't have is my friends and family, and I miss them all so much. My sister teases me that I'm home all the time. Maybe that's true, but I'm sure with me being an RA this year, that won't be the case. I'm trying to take advantage of it while I can!

The Right Thing is Seldom Easy

First of all, I knew that I would suck at this blogging thing. I just realized my last post was in October! How lame!

A very brief catch up: I finished my first semester here at Roosevelt with a 4.0 GPA. I was quite proud of myself I must say! I stayed in Chicago for Thanksgiving with my aunt, uncle, and cousins (and their babies!) and had such a great time. Then I was lucky enough to enjoy a whole month home in Nashville for Christmas. It was a great time to just be with my family and my friends and enjoy the stress-free time of no work and no school.

Second semester brought a couple of changes. I moved apartments at the end of January and gained 2 new roommates. They have super sweet, but it's been quite an adjustment for someone who lived alone for so many years. I also took an extra class this semester which has brought it's own stresses. My class load has been difficult, but I'm still loving it. *End catch up portion*

Spring Break was last week. Instead of heading to the beach to spend a week filled with partying, I went home to Nashville. My sister joked with me that it doesn't feel like I moved away because I'm home so often. That may be the case, but it sure is nice. As always, I felt like I didn't have enough time to do everything I wanted to do or see everyone I wanted to see. The last 24 hours felt rushed and I was stressed.

My last day in town I went to see "my kids" that I used to nanny for. We played for a bit and I hugged on them as much as they would let me. When it was time for me to leave, those two sweet kiddos stood at the edge of the sidewalk and waved at me, blew me kisses, and kept yelling "I love you!" as I drove away. That did it for me. The tears started coming. Before I knew it I was bawling like a baby. That day was the first day that I just didn't want to leave. I didn't want to get on the bus and come back to Chicago. I wanted to stay with what was comfortable and familiar. What was safe.

Don't get me wrong. I still have no doubt whatsoever that I'm in the right place. I love school. I love the friends I've made here. I love the church I'm attending. I love this city. But I would be lying if I tried to say that this isn't scary. It's been 7 months since I moved here, and it's still scary. I miss my family. I miss my friends. I miss the kids that hold such dear places in my heart. There are days that I know life would be more comfortable if I fell back in the old routine of living in Nashville.

I feel like most people think I always have it all together. One of my friends told me the other day, "You are just so brave!" Truth is, I'm a big wuss. I know I'm in the right place. I feel such an overwhelming peace about it. But the right thing is seldom the easy thing. I'm thankful each and everyday for the support and the love that so many people give me, and I'm grateful for a God who guides me and comforts me. Even on the days I want to hide.