Why did Grant not throw the clock out the window?

...because he didn't want to see time fly.

I can't believe how fast it's going! Whoosh.
_________________________________________

Some updates:

-Life is crazy busy (see above). So much to do and so little time!

-My classes are very enjoyable, but chock full of work that hangs on my conscience.

-There are a lot of exciting possibilities for what I could be doing next summer.

-I am feeling approximately 947,493,256 times better than I was about 8 months ago.

-October 22 just became one of the best days of my life, or at least in the past 8 months or so

-This weekend was one of the best weekends I've had since I've been here.

-For the first time in a while, I feel known.

-God is great and has been since before time began (this is not an update, it's just the truth)

-I have almost settled on a church - we'll see.

-I know I've mentioned this before, but although fall used to be my least favorite season, it is now really making me reconsider.

...and that's all I can think of right now. Maybe I'll add more later.

sleep

Fall Breakin' It, and Breakin' the Fall

I am a huge fan of these people.

I went to New Orleans with these kids and had a sock rockin' time.

It's so weird how life runs its course. I remember sitting in Geography of the United States and Canada last year at Samford when my professor, a New Orleans native, spoke about Katrina. I remember wondering if I would ever travel to New Orleans again, because I had only been once when I was 14. At that very moment in class I had no idea that I would be transferring to Belmont where I would make really good friends in just a couple months and then go to New Orleans with them. Crazy.

I'm so thankful for God's unique plan for our lives and how mysterious yet awesome it is.

Zu Hause und Nach Hause

friends at the best restaurant, ever

went on a drive with Luke

took a walk through the park

I went home this weekend. It was great; I was glad to have quality time with friends and family. However, I think if beforehand I had really stopped to think about how short it would be and how much I could have accomplished if I had stayed here in Nashville, I probably wouldn't have gone, but I was grateful for the time at home nonetheless.

I can say it honestly: Nashville is my second home.

I was never able to say it last year at Samford, but I can now at Belmont. I feel a sense of belonging here that I never had last year.

I'm learning. I'm growing. I have friends. I have community. I have the right mixture of familiarity and unfamiliarity.

...and I've got joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart from the One who gives it fully and freely.

Things I've learned in the past six weeks, in no particular order:

1. It's hard to be patient and stand there for half an hour to cook something when you're already starving.
2. It's weird to grocery shop and then cook for one person when you're used to doing it for three or four.
3. My room can get really messy in the course of a week.
4. When your first class isn't until noon, it's hard to get up for any other event occurring before 10:00.
5. Nashville rocks my face off.
6. Belmont rocks my face off.
7. I'm better at some things than I thought I was in the past, and I'm worse at some things than I thought I was in the past, but it's all good.
   
8. I'm a lot lazier than I want to be, and it's the toughest flaw to overcome, because I'm too lazy. Not lazy in a physical sense, but lazy as in I'm lacking in the discipline to get things done and do them well.
   
9. You can make really good friends in the course of six weeks.
10. You can make really good friends in the course of one day.
11. I really like my friends here. I really like my friends back home. I love them all.
    
12. We're not always as unique as we'd like to think we are, but that's totally OK. We don't need to waste our lives trying to be different than everyone else because really, the more we all try to be unique, the more we become alike. Belmont seems to be the perfect example of that. I love it anyway.
13. Weekdays here are crazy busy.
    
14. Weekends are expensive.
15. I wish weekends were less expensive.
    
16. I love weekends (it was quite the opposite at Samford, ironically).
17. Even though I've been clean-shaven for most of my life, it was really startling to see myself without a beard after having one for three months.
18. Some of my classes are easier than I expected them to be, but some of them are a lot harder than I expected them to be.
19. Lost is an amazing show.
    
20. I'm learning to take less for granted.
21. It used to be my least favorite season, but I'm beginning to appreciate the fall.
    
22. I'm so glad I came here.
23. God is always good (I already knew this, but I thought I'd put it here for the heck of it, because it's true.)

_______________________________________________

In other news, I had and awesome weekend (refer to #15 in the above list) I went and saw Derek Webb at the Rutledge! Thanks to an acquaintance (who became a good friend over the course of Saturday), I was able to help Derek Webb's band set up the stage for the show! The show itself was awesome. And when I say awesome, I mean like really awesome. After the show, I kind of lazily helped pack/clear up the stage, and then I got a picture with Derek Webb himself! In short, it was a crazily ridiculously awesome day (It's too late to think of any unique adjectives...and it doesn't even matter - refer to #12 in the above list).

Here comes bed, and another wild and crazy week. Bring it on.