For the love.

On this exact day for the last five years, I was in Iowa beginning a new semester of classes. Meeting new people. Living with friends. Reading massive numbers of books. Thinking. Conversing. Debating. Learning.

Now, here I am. At home. On the couch. With basically the exact same job I had in high school.

And, I find myself missing the former.

I miss classes. I really do! Expanding my mind. Learning about the world and all the wonderfully beautiful people who live in it.

I miss living in an apartment with three to five other girls. Sharing one bathroom. Dancing in the living room. Talking. Always talking.

I miss the unconditional acceptance that I not only felt but truly believed was there for me. The wholehearted, carefree manner in which I could be myself - truly myself - and know that, despite every one of my inadeqacies, I would still be loved and valued.

I miss you, friends! You changed my life for the better.

Life.

My life finally has some sort of direction. Employment has arrived via good ol' Kidstop once again. This time I will be an assistant preschool teacher with a group of 14 4-year olds. It's bound to be an exciting adventure, to say the least! And, it will hopefully give me a good 9-12 months to figure out my next move...whether that be teaching or going back to school. For the latter, I am looking into school counseling. We'll see where God takes me over the next year; it's certain to be one exciting trip!

As for my summer jobs, I have come to realize that I learned a lot over the past 3 months...

1. How to iron perler beads so that any and every shape comes out in one piece!
2. How to tell if a student has really put sunscreen on his face. Or has actually washed her hands.
3. How to smell if milk is sour and then explain why it happened even though that particular carton doesn't expire for another three days!
4. How to cheat on Rock Band to open all the songs! Oh, yeah!
5. How to 'chip' and do 'trick shots' in bumper pool.
6. How to effectively wear a field trip t-shirt three days in a row.
7. How to get sick of the Jonas Brothers really fast: listen to 'Burning Up' on repeat for a billion hours straight!
8. How to wake up with White Tea!

There's so much more. I'll have to write a sequel to this list as soon as I've been able to more thoroughly process this summer.

So, life moves on. One day at a time. And, I find myself wishing summer would never end. Reminiscing about college. Missing my friends. Wanting to live closer to Alex. Wallowing in apathy. Procrastinating summer camp plans. Needing a solid routine. Freaking out about loans and bills. Wanting to enjoy the beautiful things in life. Praying to see God again like I used to.