well well well.

here i am. back at school. back at Houghton. back to class.

i don't want to be here.

sometimes the worst part about going to college is going to college. i know that i will have fun, that i'll get over it, that it won't be so bad not having any close friends in the dorm anymore. i know judy and sam are the floor below and that makes me happy. my roommates are both really nice and i know it'll be a good year. but i still wish i was home.

i wish i was getting ready to crawl in my bed after a good day full of church and ashley and relaxing. i wish i had to work tomorrow at the barn, and be able to ride my pony. i miss him.

in other news...i need to stop feeling sorry for myself and wake up to the fact that chem is at 8 in the morning. please pray for me!

my last few days at home were really really good..i spent friday with the ridley's, which was wonderful because i got to see Dave for a long time. we went to the beach and played soccer (oh excuse me...football) and rummy 500 and just layed in the sun. it was very enjoyable. then we went back to their house and had my favorite dessert ever (Pavlova) and i painted anna's toenails and watched Master and Commander of the Seven Seas. i love my second family.

saturday i had a craaaazy day but it was a good crazy. i woke up at 9:30 to bake Swedish Butter Cookies for Jesse, then ran ran ran to the post office to mail his guitar + cool stuff package before it closed at 12:30. i left my house at 12:20. it was awesome. then i went to walmart, hallmark, and the barn to ride my pony for the last time. we played outside and went for a trail ride and played with the hose. it was a good last ride till thanksgiving. after the barn, i ran to the romine's to pick up my shirt i'd left, then ran home to take a shower, eat dinner (steak and baked potatoes) then...dum dum dum.

i got to see joshua!!!!!!!!!!

it was so so so exciting and the best thing i could've done on my last night home. i went down to his house and met him, then went to panera bread and he ate dinner and i had british breakfast tea. then we went back to his house and i met his roommate and helped him unpack like the good helper that i am. i am the t-shirt and sock master. after that we just hung around his house talking and laughing and then went to the store to get tums for my tummy. i have an ulcer. but that's another story. we basically just sat around and talked for like 6 hours. it was awesome. i was so happy to see him and hear about dive school and see the picture and his new insignia and everything. i was so happy that he came home yesterday instead of driving home. i miss him.

today was moving in day...my mommy and i left at 5:30 this morning and made it to HC at 12:30. we stopped 3 times cause we had Sally with us. aaaannndd...when we got here, billy came as a surprise and helped me move in! i am very thankful that he came because i had lots of heavy stuff. he also stayed and played frisbee with us on the quad to jump start the season. i'm glad he came, it was good to see him, and as always, disc at houghton wouldn't be the same without him.

well...my brain needs resting for chem and genetics and calc all in the SAME DAY. mmmmrrrrmmmrrrr.
i miss Ashley!

10\2 dreaming of you.

my mom reads my blog. amazing.

had a relaxing day today. church was good and then after the Mates, the Angerosas (minus Pastor cause he's in Haiti) and my family went out to eat at Pacific Buffet. so good. Jarod Mate is my new boyfriend..i love him so much (he's 4). He insisted on sitting next to me to eat, and then declared that he is coming to college and is going to sleep in my bed with me. he would share things on his plate for lunch, tell me to save his spot when he went to go get more food, and would randomly kiss my arm and say "Gotcha!". he is my favorite...his smile lights up the room.

after lunch, i came home and hung out with Ash all afternoon. i packed most of my clothes while she went Scripture hunting in my room, then we relocated to her room and she cleaned and used her creative skills and i promptly fell asleep on her bed for 45 minutes. she got ready for work and i left for the barn. Spot got his shoe on yesterday so i was able to work him again today. we horsed around (ha) for a while outside and i cleaned his stall. i then went to the easiest babysitting job in the world. the triplet's house, but they were in bed already when i got there and never heard from them the two and a half hours i was there. it was awesome. i watched tv, called Benjamin and left a message, talked to Jesse for 45 minutes, and napped for 30. so cool. and i got paid for it.

so here i am after a profoundly relaxing day. the week will start to get crazy tomorrow, but hopefully not so crazy that i can't just chill out before classes start next week. the Schmitz children are coming to ride Spot on Tuesday (wow Bailey on a horse), work, tutoring, horse-sitting for Mrs. Wittman, and trying to say goodbye to everyone. yaaaay for time management skills!

hope you are enjoying God's blessings on your life as much as I am!
10/4 out the door.

only 9 more days till i'm back at Houghton!

sometimes it seems crazy that the summer is almost over, but 4 months is a long summer i suppose. a lot of stuff has happened in these 4 months.

this summer has been one of discovery, renewing, laughter, love, tears, joy, sorrow, loneliness. there have been nights and weekends of endless celebration and lots of people, and nights of relaxation and solitude. friends have come and gone, a few have visited and one has stayed. (i <3 Ashley)

i've said goodbyes to many more people than i expected. my three best friends in the entire world all left this summer. benjamin is in north carolina, jesse is in Iraq (my knight in desert camoflage i say), joshua is in florida (my favorite Navy sailor). My heart aches for each of them, for the trials and battles they are all facing in their own way. I rejoice in the joy they have in each of their circumstances. I laugh at the stories they have to share. but it only makes me miss them more each day.

i've come to realize this summer that my parents really are cooler than everyone else's. i have laughed, watched movies, shared problems and triumphs, and generally just loved on them more than i did when i was still living at home. they are truly God-honoring people and i'm blessed beyond belief to have them as parents.

i am excited to see what the coming school year is going to bring, the challeges i am going to face (CHEMISTRY), the new friends i will make, along with the memories.

here's to the nights we felt alive
here's to the tears you knew you'd cry
here's to goodbyes, tomorrow's gonna come too soon.

*8 days till i see Josh! unless boat duty calls then maaayyybbeee not till thanksgiving. but maybe till christmas :( oh in case you were wondering...he's rocking out the dive school. and he totally killed the bay swim. about a dozen times.
*4 months till Jesse comes home for leave!! and 293 days till he comes home for gooooood.
*10 months till my triathlon. eeeee need to get on the working out thing.
*9 days till Houghton
*8 days till David Ridley
*1 hour till Ash gets home from work
*30 seconds till i bite into a hot slice of bacon pineapple pizza. mmmmmm.

10/1 on the run.