Yes, this is the first blog post in a while... school is back in session now, and I have had to say goodbye to carefree days, days of shorts and tanks,  days spent with mom and my family, days spent sleeping in, days spent reading fiction for fun, days spent doing whatever, days spent with Kinzie, days at the fair, days at Crossing, and days spent blissfully in summer.... Instead I had to say Hello again, to school, to new transfer leader friends, to orientation weekend, to new students and their frantic parents, to the crazy move-in rush, to people all over my beautiful campus, to lines to get into chapel and lines in the caff and lines at the post-office and just generally lines everywhere, and going to mandatory new student meetings which i never thought I would have to do again, to crazy transfer events, to school actually starting and bringing with it homework and books and papers, to working and making money again, to getting to know new roommates, to starting an internship in which I need 400 hours before May, to making many new friends and connecting with old ones, and I said HELLO! to Senior Year..... all of this and more I have said hello to again in the last 3 weeks.
I was dreading coming back here. I had this amazing great summer, where God showed up and He blessed my life way more than I even deserve, and I grew in Him and in my faith and in my church, and in my friendships and I didn't want to leave all of that behind. But I also knew that God knew what He was doing and I knew I had to come back. It was only another year right?
And the most amazing thing about all of it was that God showed up here too! I don't know why I didn't think He would, or why I thought my time here would be of any less value than my time spent at home. But I have been incredibly blessed since coming back to APU. Everywhere I look I can see the hand of God in my life and the crazy part is that so much of it was set in motion last spring and was only waiting for my arrival.
This semester I am a transfer leader for new transfer students, and while I was happy to be one i wasn't jumping up and down for it. But I got here and the leader went on a retreat up in Big Bear (amazing place) for 2 days and it was so inspiring to develop those friendships and then when move-in day came getting to help all those new students move in and get them through orientation and all the events that happen and all the craziness of a new school reminded me of when I was in their shoes only a year ago and it was like God was saying "see look this is why you came back, this is why I put you here" and I love being a transfer leader and being that person for my transfers if they need.
This year I am living in a special living environment called the Discipleship House. And basically I have 20+ new people to call my friends and we are walking through life together. Which means once a week dinners and other events together and spending time in different spiritual disciplines and learning how to be a better follower of Jesus. Right now we are on meditation, and really it's no easy feat.
Plus I have 3 amazing roommates who I know are going to bless my life tremendously in this next year. I love them already!!
And now after 3 years of school, I get to say that I am a Senior!! One always dreams what it will be like to say that, and honestly I feel no different than if I were a sophomore or a junior. Its hard to envision that in only 9 months I will have my Bachelors in Social Work and that I will all of a sudden be an adult in a way. WOW!! I am not so sure I am ready for that. One part of my is super excited to graduate.... and the other part of me is really sad to have to say goodbye to all of this life and all of these friends, cause actually it's a pretty great place to be and a pretty great life.
ALSO, I started my internship last week. I am working with developmental disabilities and working on getting them paired up with the right services they need. I think I will like it and I am really excited to see where it goes....it's just the getting there that is hard for me. But 16 out of 400 hours down!!
And yes I had a birthday and yes I am another year older.... but more on that later....
Right now it's off to Senior Chapel...another Yeah and bonus for finally being a Senior!!!

Grace and Peace!!