December 3

14 days and counting until my return to alabama! :)
i am so excited about coming home for a few weeks for break. i really hope that i have time to fit everything in that i want to do, but i also know that i need to be realistic about how long i will be there! i have not laid out any plans yet but i am hoping to get to see everyone at least for a bit since after this i honestly will have no clue as to when i will be back in town.

i hope everyone had a great thanksgiving! mine went pretty well. i worked a good bit that week and then on thanksgiving melinda and i both cooked some stuff and watched a bunch of movies so it was nice to just relax for a day! then i had the pleasure of working black friday! it actually went a lot smoother than i was expecting so that was definitely a blessing! :)

school is amazing! i honestly cannot believe that this semester is almost over. it has gone by so fast, almost too fast. i am just in shock that i am already studying for finals. i feel like i have learned so much and grown so much over the past three months. God has taught me a lot and really showed me areas of my life that i need to work on that i never thought about before. again it has been truly amazing and there is just honestly no other word to describe this experience. God is awesome and i will forever remember the things that He has taught me this semester. i know that He will continue to lead and teach me, but this semester has gone beyond anything i have ever imagined and i won't ever forget the lesson in patience, obedience, trust, and comfort He has showed me these past few months.

oh yeah i forgot to tell everyone that our small group served dinner down at the raleigh rescue mission. i served at one of the rescue missions in ny when i went last year but it was different here. just having it so close to where i live and there were many more women and children at this one than there was in ny. it was such an eye opening experience and really made me think about the complaining that i have been doing lately about a job and money and everything else. man how selfish can i be. i have a roof over my head, food in my house, and people who support me financially, emotional, and spiritually. and here is a room full of people within 30 minutes from my home that don't have that. it really humbled me and opened my eyes to how good i have it! it was also great getting to hang out with four other members of my small group in order to cook the dinner. we had a great time and again God is blessing me constantly through the wonderful 18 friends i have made through this small group and i can't wait to see how God continues to allow us to grow together :)

well that is all i got for now. i am going to go and finish watching pirates 3 with melinda and then do a little bit of studying before hitting the bed to get ready for a weekend full of working :) hope everyone has a great weekend and for my alabama friends reading this i will be back in alabama on the 17th, two weeks from today!!!!!