Not gonna lie, I have really been missing the familiar lately. Between all the fabulous pictures I've seen of ArtPrize (extremely bummed I can't see all of that beauty, by the way) and the updates from my fabulous roommates that I've been getting, it makes me a little bit sad that life has moved on.
I know I've said this before, but every once in a while, the fact that I am a fourteen hour car ride away from everything I've ever known decides to just slam me in the face. So please bear with me as I make myself a little list.
I miss:
*my roommates (all 6 of them) and every interaction, planned and unplanned, that living in a house with 6 beautiful, funnay (yes, not just funny), talented, powerhouse women entails.
*other friends that saturate my memories from the last four years (the hope house, vassar boys and girls, rossman girls, almont girls, just to name a few).
*grand rapids. downtown. reeds lake. kava house. having the mall close by. mom and dad scholten and vanderlaan's houses. the derb. queen's pub. wolfgangs. marie catrib's. pita house. wealthy street bakery. calvin college. the campus store.
*ada bible church. pastor jeff's sermons. anne ferris and the rest of the DV team. the kids and their enthusiastic participation in their favorite music! DV:FX and my brief foray back into acting.
*the general feeling of being at home and the sense of belonging and comfort.
*the beauty of fall in michigan. the changing leaves. the crisp air. enjoying michigan football games (go BLUE!).
Needless to say, I loved living in Grand Rapids and thoroughly enjoyed the four years I was there. I really just wish I could somehow combine that experience (well, mostly the people) with where I am at right now. That would make life just wonderful. But, instead, I am working on loving Colorado, Greeley, UNC and loving the memories that I got to make in the center of the mitten state. :)
As I sat down to write this, I realized that I have been living in Greeley for a full month. Time has flown by! School has been in session for three weeks. We've mostly gotten past all the intro/review work in our classes and we're finally starting to dive into new material. I'm definitely still working on getting back into the school/homework mindset. It's been a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, mostly because a lot of people that I know are not back in school and doing homework.
As a whole, graduate school has been a bit of a mix between what I expected and not at all what I expected. I decided not to get a job right away because I wanted to make sure that I could get this new schedule under my belt before I added more to the mix. But, after working along with my course load at Calvin for 3 years, I feel like I have a ton of time on my hands. I really like it but it's definitely different to get done with class at 12:05 or 1:45 (or 8:50 on Wednesdays :D) and not have anything to do.
I'm also still working on getting used to the fact that I'm in Colorado, halfway across the country from anywhere else I've ever lived. Even though I did the drive myself, it's still not quite sticking. Just this week, one of the girls in my program was talking about finding some Michigan State gear (her husband is a fan. gross.) in the local Wal-Mart. In my mind, that was not strange at all. I'm used to seeing UM!/MSU stuff in stores all the time. I didn't get it until one of the other girls started laughing about how far away we are from Michigan. That kind of rocked my mind a little bit.
Speaking of the girls in my program! They are beyond awesome. We are all quite different but I've connected with a group of them that I think I'm going to become really great friends. This weekend, a bunch of us went up to one of my professor's cabins in the mountains and had a great time hiking and hanging out. Although, I must admit, the more I hang out with them, the more I realize how much I miss everyone from back home (both MI and IL). I was homesick for the first time this past weekend, especially after I remembered that I couldn't just make a quick drive to see my family or my friends. So, know that you are all missed sorely.
But, don't take that to mean that I wish I wasn't out here. Like I've said before, I really feel like this is the place for me. I am absolutely in love with this city and this state. I'm doing my best to get involved in things and see as much as I can. That way, when you all come to visit me (hint, hint), I will be a fabulous tour guide. :) Seriously though, I have an air mattress that is just begging to be used. Come visit!!
