My oh my has it been a while since I've posted anything on here! (Typical...) It is already the END of September. WHAT?! Where has the time gone. Life is moving at a fast pace lately. Here's a little tid-bit on where I currently am with life:
• I am a sophomore studying Elementary Education at the University of Minnesota, and am loving it! My classes are not too strenuous this semester (don't worry mom, I'm still learning lots). I have the exact same schedule as my best friend Ashley which is extremely helpful (and makes learning fun). Last spring I had the flu the week we were registering for class, and Ashley came to my rescue and registered me for all of the same ones as her (we have the same major). What a blessing that girl is.
• I live with 3 adorable, caring and fun roommates; Anna, Mickey and Leah in a cute little, 2 bedroom apartment (which, I might add, is within a 5 minute walk of all my classes). We share one bathroom, and it hasn't been a problem! Surprising, right? Four girls & one bathroom would most likely end in battle scars from the war going on in apt. 322. But, lucky for us, we share the space peacefully.
• I got a job at an adorable little restaurant called Tony's Diner 1.5 blocks away from my apartment. They serve breakfast all day and serve 2 for 1 beers "all day, every day". The diner is a local favorite for Gopher game days, and now Viking game days, resulting in me running around like a chicken with her head cut off. Customers order food off a giant menu hanging on the wall, right when walking into the restaurant and pay after ordering and take a number to a table where we bring out their food. I am not a waitress, or a busboy (girl), or a cashier, or a dishwasher. I am all of those. I take orders, deliver the food, make the side salads, bus the tables, sweep and keep the place looking clean, wash the dishes, stock everything, and of course smile. A lot. The job is exhilarating, especially on those game days. My feet ache. I smell like greasy, fried food. I have hairs flying out of my pony in every which way. But I smile. And continue to smile. And smile and smile and smile and the day goes by fast. I have worked every weekend in September - which comes out to 22.5 hours a week. (I don't have class Mondays or Fridays). It's a lot, I'll tell you that much. But I feel like a rich lady with all my tips!
• I have been attending a student led Christian group on campus since the fall of my freshman year, and it has changed my life. The group is called Cru and is on campuses all over the nation. The weekly meeting I go to is called Shift and is held on Wednesday nights at 8pm. It's glorious. Over 100 students come to worship and listen to a beautiful message speakers deliver. I am so blessed to have met my current roommate Mickey, who took me to Shift the second week of college freshman year. It has opened so many doors. Introduced me to so many beautiful people. Brought me closer to the Lord in so many ways. I come home from Shift feeling full of love and fulfilled with singing for the week. Mickey and I went to Bethel University on a Sunday night two weeks ago, and joined at least 400 people in worshiping the Lord with beautiful songs that filled the air. It was fun singing with that many voices. Bethel is known for their musical ability and I definitely noticed that night. It was beautiful. I have surrendered myself to God, pouring myself into his Grace.
• I'm working on budgeting the money I earn and the money I have left in my savings - dang that is tough. I am working on spending my money (after thinking deeply about the purchase I might make...) on experiences rather than things/objects. It's a habit I'll be working on for the rest of my life, that's for sure. But I'm getting better. I think about the price of something as how many hours it takes to earn the money at work now. And it's quite depressing how many hours it takes just to buy a cute sweater from Forever 21. Goodbye shopping habit.
• I am dating a handsome, loving, ambitious, hilarious, six-foot-three, encouraging, dedicated, faithful, romantic, thoughtful guy named Luke. *Attention: if you don't like sappy paragraphs about young girls who are in love... you should probably stop reading... :) Luke and I have been dating since September of 2014 (that's one year for all the talented people who aren't good with math like me) and it has been an incredible journey. We graduated from the same high school, were in the same friend group, share a lot of the same memories in our friend's basement, yet knew hardly anything about each other before we started going on dates last summer. We were having a beautiful, carefree summer, going on dates, until it was the day before he left for college and we were sitting in the bed of his truck stargazing (of course we were stargazing... we are cheesy and we like it). We were laying there in silence, waiting for the other to start talking when finally Luke said something about how if both of us were single next summer, we should pick up where we left off. The next day rolled around and Luke was on his way to St. John's. A few hours into the day, I got a picture of his dorm room with a message saying "I can't not share this moment with you" and so we kept on texting here and there, sharing our new college experiences. The third week of school, we decided I would go up and visit him @ school. We started dating that weekend and he came to my mom's wedding the next week, and here we are - a year later, happy as two clams in love (I really don't think that is a saying but I'll use it).
• Life is good. I am happy. I am blessed to be surrounded by beautiful people who love and care about me. I have been working on living a healthy and organic lifestyle - physically and emotionally. I am thankful to be in the arms of the Lord, giving my life to him has been the best decision of my life.
xoxo
(below are a few recent photos)
•• Last weekend together - Luke's cabin in August ••
•• 3/4 of the roomies ••
•• State Fair // early September ••
•• Long time since I've been to the state-fair ••
•• Welcome Week leaders // the beautiful Sofia ••
•• Visited Luke last weekend @ St. John's ••
•• Surrounded by beautiful girls ••
•• Game day with the one and only Ashley ••
•• Emily, Anne & me ••
•• Mickey and I in front of our apartment ••
•• The beautiful Anna Cushing (Roomie #2) ••
•• Cousin Mel - New Gopher! (Grad School) ••
•• New donut shop opened up near apartment - uh oh ••
•• Annie Harwell's birthday dinner tonight! ••
(Headed to Annie's Parlor for some late-night birthday celebration malts)
