the good times, and the in-between times

Well, school is in full force now. We started mid-terms this week. Now, for all you Californians, I know that must sound crazy because most of you just started school last week. I've been in school for a month and two weeks now!! Anyway, my schedule is pretty settled and it's nice to have routine. Bible study is all set up and going extremely, extremely well! There are 2 nurse-graduates, me and Chelsea (seniors), and 4 junior transfer students, and it's amazing!! After Bible study and before Navs, we hang out and get grub somewhere, and it's just amazing to see God moving in their lives, and through me. Last night one of the girls started talking about relationships (something I love to study and talk about), and she wants to keep meeting one-on-one :D Thank you, Lord! I finally feel that I'm in my place in school, Navs, the house, life, and with my walk with God. The only thing that's missing is family :/ I'm starting to get REALLY homesick, and I won't be able to go home until Christmas. I miss hanging out with aunts and uncles every weekend. I miss being able to hang out with my dad and go to sports or the movies or the beach. I'm missing out on my cousins' lives. Two of them are under the age of 4, and I've seen them maybe 3 or 4 times since they were born. Colorado sure is amazing, and I believe it's where God wants me, but it sure is getting hard thinking about the future without my family nearby.

One comfort, though, is my Michael. Yesterday we celebrated 10 wonderful months of dating :D He cares for me, cherishes me, communicates with me, and treats me absolutely great. He's smart and funny and outdoorsy and creative, and tall, dark, and handsome ;) with glasses (for now)! I can even wear heels and he's still taller than I am! What a treat! I laugh sometimes when I think of how far we, and I , have come. Almost exactly a year ago, a friend called me up and asked if I wanted to go to dinner. A bunch of us from leadership always went to dinner together Tuesdays, so of course I said sure. We decided where we wanted to go, and when, he said he would pick me up, and then he hung up. GUlp. I always drove myself, and other people! It was a date. It totally was. I couldn't cancel because he was a really good friend. So, I tried to think about other things, and tried to stall conversations as soon as he picked me up. When we sat down, he told me how wonderful I was and how much he loved spending time with me, and waited for my response. I was sort of waiting on another guy at that point, so I told him that. Ouch. 2 months of extreme "we can't be friends" to "we can't be good friends but I still want to know how you are" to "its ok to hang out in groups, just not small groups" to "maybe you should reconsider and get back to me" to "okay, Michael, I'm open to trying it" after much conversation and soul-searching and deliberation with God. And here we are today :D almost 4 months total of us individually in Asia (him over Christmas to visit his sister in Taiwan, me in Japan the whole summer) and we're going strong. :D Oh man, I could go on for days about this man.

God is good, in the good times and the bad. God reigns.