What I Miss

I recently moved to a new town for one of my teaching placements and I can count the amount of people that I know on one hand. I am in my senior year of college, but am not living on campus with the rest of my friends. While the majority of my friends and peers will be experiencing their last year of school with each other, I have entered the real world early and am learning how to start my career. This semester will be a season of firsts and new experiences, and I am quite ready for the challenge. While I am embracing the change up ahead, I can't help but to look back at what I'll miss.

What I miss...

• Sunday night grocery store adventures with my best friend
• The college atmosphere and how friendly everyone is
• Turtle dancing on the couch with my roommates
• Midnight milkshake runs
• Football games (but not actually for the football, I mainly only go for the marching band #bandnerdforlife) 
• Jesus talks with close friends
• Movie nights
• The beautiful quad in the fall 
• Narrating my roommate's life in song (and them telling me that I annoy them, but the fact that they secretly enjoy it)
• Singing in the gospel choir and all the crazy shenanigans we get into
• Being a part of the MASAI mentor program and seeing the success my mentees have had in college
• Wednesday afternoon cuddles in a huge bed
• Scheduled days of fun with my roommates
• The Sweet Corn Festival in Uptown Normal (because I freaking love corn on the cob)
• Being a part of Students Today Leaders Forever and going on the Pay It Forward Tour
• Going on cool service trips with really neat people
• Touching windmills out in the country

Now I could easily dwell upon all the things that will be different about this year and the things that I will miss while living in this new place. I have made up my mind though however to make a list of the things I am looking forward to and excited for.

What I'm excited for...

• Making this new apartment my home for the next 6 months
• Inspiring my students to learn and have fun while doing it
• Going to bed before 10 o'clock. Eh, a girl can dream, can't she? 
• Getting to know my new lovely roommate
• Joining a new church family
• Having time to read books for fun, maybe...
• Exploring this new town I am in and going on adventures
• Working really hard this semester and seeing it all pay off
• Learning a ton from my cooperating teacher
• Making new friends and keeping up with old ones
• The quietness that is there when you live in a residential apartment rather than an apartment complex filled with college kids
• Having a small, but functional kitchen to cook and bake in
• A walk in closet that holds all my teaching clothes (and the fact that the number of teaching clothes outnumbers the amount of regular clothes #teacherproblems)
• Getting to know my neighbors and hearing their life story

There are so many things for me to look forward to during this semester. While I will miss my friends and activities that go on at school, I am ready for this new adventure. Let's see where life takes me this semester. Readyyyyyyy. Set. Gooooooo! 

I will choose to enjoy the journey that God has set before me.