T-Minus 2 Days!

I leave for Rome in 2 day! AHHH! I am getting really excited about it! I am getting board in Memphis and am very ready to start the semester and my European adventure. I have spent this past week gathering everything I must have to live for the next 4 months. My mom was kind enough to take Thursday and Friday afternoon off and not only run errands with me but also foot the bill for all of the stuff I need to buy! I love my mom and was great-full to have her company (and her wallet), this week. I think I have figured out everything I am taking. Tomorrow I will figure out how I am going to pack it all in my one giant duffel bag and large back pack. For those of you who know me well and I have seen my closet should be impressed that I am only taking about 8 pairs of pants, and about 25 shirts for 4 whole months.

Well the next time I write will probably be from Rome! I cant wait for the adventure to begin!

Small Town Girl

As you all know I am back in Memphis for about 2 weeks before I leave from Rome. While I have only been back about 4 days it is very clear that I am not the big city girl that I once was. Perhaps it is just my deep deep love for Fayetteville, but I am proud to say I am a small town girl. What makes me say that I am no longer a big city girl you might ask? Well let me just share a few stories/ facts about the last few days. While all of you from Fayetteville get a bit nervous about my aggressive driving, I have apparently lost my touch when it comes to driving in the big city. Apparently when you are driving in Memphis you are going to slow if go the speed limit and if you aren't half way through the light the second it turns green you are crazy. Lets just say I have been honked at a lot, and in my opinion for no reason. Second, over the last few days I have had several appointments and lunch dates with friends and family, and lets just say I haven't been on time to a single one. Now, I am typically a punctual person, but I am not use to it taking a half hour to get everywhere. This long travel time is really cramping my style. I mean heck, church is the only place that it took me more than ten minutes to get too in Fayetteville, and that because it is in Rogers! Also, I just hate the traffic and all of the drivers are unfriendly. Thirdly, while North West Arkansas News reporting is arguably sub-par at least it isnt all bad. In Memphis the entire new report is on one of 3 topics; murder, rape, or King Willie (Memphis' crazy former mayor who is addicited to crack, resigned so that he could run for senate but is now running for mayor again to "save the city" as he says).

Anyway, I am definitely not a big city girl anymore and am very excited to move back to Fayetteville one day. (Carter if you are reading this "one day" does not mean the spring)

Fall is Back in Fayetteville...

...and I wont be there to enjoy it! Kamp is over and I am spending a few days in Fayetteville before heading on to Memphis. As I drive through Fayetteville I can just feel the buzz of fall, and while I am excited to be going to Rome, it makes me want to stay here! I love this place. I love the people, the town, the atmosphere, the football, the restaurants, the Dickson Street, the University, my church, and everything else that is great about North West Arkansas. But I know that it is only a matter of time (only a few short years if I have my way) until I return here to live. I can think of no other place I would rather call home and raise a family than Fayetteville, AR.

God has blessed me with an amazing summer. He has used the summer to confirm in both my heart and my head that I want to work in Student Affairs the rest of my life. I loved the internship that I did the first half of the summer. I got to see the business side and the people side of Student Affairs and loved every minute of it. Then I had the opportunity to serve in a leadership role at kamp where I served as a UC. As a UC one of my primary jobs was to work with the counselors by serving them and helping them to do there job better. This further affirmed that I love helping people succeed and feel successful.

That's all for now. T-Minus 18 days till Rome!