ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.....

(you know that david bowie song is going to be stuck in your head now...)

alright....so. trying to pick up where i left off here. partly because i haven't written consistently on this thing in way too long, and partly because i'm procrastinating my homework. typical sunday afternoon!
why the "changes" blog title? that's a good question. so many things have changed in the last couple of months, i'm still trying to wrap my brain around some of them. if you would have asked me 6 months, even 1 year ago where i would be today, i could not have told you. looking back over the last year, i am so proud, excited, and happy about all of the things that i've done. and looking into the future, i'm scared, nervous, and excited about all of the things i will attempt to accomplish. let's recap.

in the past 6 months........
first: 
i studied abroad in london fall quarter. HA....as if you didn't already know that. best three months of my life. i am so so so happy i chose to just do it, instead of dreaming about it. hands down the best decision of my college career. i recommend it to anyone...seriously. you will be so happy you did. i met so many awesome people, saw places i'd only heard about, and just learned to slow down and enjoy life for awhile.

second:
since being back in america, i've started school and moved into a house of 8 girls (including me), only one of which i've known already. it kind of takes me back to freshman year of college, when you are suddenly thrust together to live with people you don't know. but that's okay, because some of my best friends are from floors i've lived on. so far, it's so good....all of the girls are really funny and nice. AND beautiful -- i live with some hotties.
i'm excited to get to know them even more.

third:
you can probably guess this one by now. it starts with a 'boy' and ends with a 'friend'. a year ago - even 6 months ago - i NEVER would have seen that one coming. but that's the fun of it. i think in my head i just assumed that i just wasn't going to date in college.....and i was well on my way. i definitely didn't plan on it happening, it just did. and i couldn't be happier.

fourth:
i am less than 6 months away from turning 21. 21. i just.....wow. 
(feeling old yet, family?)

even as i reflect and write about the above, it's hard to believe so much has happened in such little time. college is such a time of growth and learning and moving. nothing stays the same for long - both good and bad - which is hard to deal with sometimes. i wonder if later on in life when i think about college if i'll miss all of these changes and moments of growth, or if i'll be happy that they're over. or both? it's hard to say.
even so - it's not over yet. i still have 14 months (aka 3 more quarters) until i graduate. THAT is crazy. i know i will be a different person then as i am today, just as i was different 14 months ago.

my housemates have all put up their new years resolutions in our living room and encourage the rest of us to do it. but i don't roll that way. (homie don't play that.....chelsea??) i don't like new years resolutions. mostly because i feel like i am setting myself up for failure because i'll feel pressure to achieve something that might never happen, or might not be the right time in life to do. 
so instead.....i have this:

one: 
to keep growing. to never stop learning. to realize and accept that it's okay to struggle. it's normal. to understand that God's timing is better than my own in every area of life. to be kind. to be intentional in my friendships and relationships. to love. wholly and deeply. to be a good friend. sister. daughter. girlfriend. citizen. and to quote Henry David Thoreau: "go confidently in the direction of your dreams & live the life you've imagined."


withLOVE;
C.