Getting closer

I can't believe I leave for São Paulo in less than a month! I am getting really excited but also a bit overwhelmed at leaving my friends. I had to say goodbye to a dear friend in December, and that brought me to realize that I have to do that so many more times. Crazy!

Well, right now I'm in Amarillo, Texas at a Super 8 Motel. We decided to spend the day here instead of trying to drive the rest of the way to Kansas City today. The snow was coming down pretty heavy and the entire I40 is having storms today. So.....looks like a relaxing day catching up on some emails, reading, maybe a movie....it's not too hard to wait another day. : ) It's pretty crazy how I have no idea when I'll be back in the States again. I'm actually ok with that part, it's just all the people I don't know when I'll see again! Especially because so many of them are spreading around the world in a year or 2.

I had an interesting and very fun Christmastime. I got to see my Grandma, brother and sister-in-law, aunt, uncle and cousin! We had a BLAST! We did a "Christmas pageant," did some lip sync (soooo much fun!!!), and ate so many goodies. We counted how many kinds we had: 20!!!Since it was a bit warmer in Arizona, it was a wonderful relief from all the snow and freezing winds of Chicago and we went on walks and runs. One thing that happened though was my Grandma ended up having to go to the hospital a couple days after Christmas. She has some lymph node problems, and was having a lot of pain in her arm and a fever. She is still in the hospital and they found out she had torn her rotator cuff in her shoulder and may have some infection also. We would appreciate prayer for that situation. She's somewhat discouraged about having to be helpless for a while.

In comes the New Year!! I pray it will be one that brings glory to God's kingdom! There seems to be so much craziness in the world right now and it's hard to stay focused....it's so important to remember that each year that goes by brings us closer to seeing Him!!!

Sorting and packing and Romans papers

And so it comes to a swift close, this college life of mine. Last night I wrote papers for a few hours, then went back to my room and packed for a couple of hours. It is funny to go through all of my stuff and find such random things....seashells from vacations past, bracelets some little girls made for me, old rocks from the river I swam in for 5 years in Flexal, and so much more. Letting go of some of these things has been good for me, because in the end, what will they matter? Not much.... :) The people I experienced these memories with are so incredibly special and I don't need rocks to remember it.

So, I will probably not miss the long hours of research and writing in the library, but I have certainly learned a lot through all of my different papers. Looking back, I have written about so many different topics, including post partum depression, abortion, existentialism, Eastern mysticism, repentance, and the effects of divorce on children. I do not regret a single topic I chose.

Praise God for running! I'm off to do that since I just finished one of my papers. My thoughts are so scatterbrained right now and I'm ready for a break!