A Summary (or perhaps, A Conclusion of "Change")

I am two weeks into the fall-'07 semester and could not feel further from myself. Never have I gone through several changes at once like I have this August. Somewhere in the midst of these changes I have lost my familiar self.

My sister, as you probably know, moved to Indiana August 9. That was an emotional time for me and many others. I am experiencing life without my sister for the first time in a long while. I am adjusting.

The first day of classes here at MBU was August 20. Coming to terms with the reality of summer break at its close is a big enough switch... but it gets bigger. I worked with my new boss for the first time August 20 as well. She's pretty cool. I knew her as a friend, through my sister, before she became my boss. We are getting along great!

Since the 20th, I have lived in the North Hall dorms on campus. My roommate, Katie, is awesome, and we have much in common. My suitemates are from the Bahamas. That's pretty cool. The food in the cafeteria is surprisingly tasty. (Don't pay attention to the negative reports that commonly go out about MBU's cafe food.) I get my wanted and needed walks in from walking to and from the main part of campus almost every day. I usually enjoy the walks because Dink Marler's pretty, especially with *NICE* weather. Also from living on campus, my social life has increased, making it difficult to leave the cafe at suppertime to work on homework or clean. I enjoy my circle of friends.

The most drastic affect of moving to the dorms (hence the separate paragraph) is the increase of quality time I have with a particular gentleman--I am sure if you are one of my on-campus readers you know who it is. News of our relationship status is spreading like wildfire, so my reserve in mentioning it via my blog has declined. This major change possesses so many sub-changes and details that I could write a post devoted wholly to it.

The last major change is in church service. My previous posts called "Change," parts 1-3, explain the events surrounding this one.

The past few weeks have been an emotional roller-coaster, full of good and painful experiences. Throughout most of it, I feel as though I am, to some extent, going through the motions of living. I do not recognize myself inside. I have lost some confidence; I am a little unsure. I truly believe that this semester will bring more new things--good things. I am not going to be the same, maybe never again.

I hope the MBU students, new and returning, are having a great semester so far! Keep it up! I remember you in my prayers to God and the Lord Jesus Christ.