What I'm Grateful For on September 18

 It's odd, but I feel as if nothing has really change.  In reality, life has been a whirl of activity lately, leaving me with little idea as to what has been happening.  That is why I enjoy times like this when I can sit down and review-- take inventory-- of where I'm at.
     I was really grateful for an awesome getaway with my mom this past weekend.  We had a blast in Chicago (RELATED: Shedd Aquarium: A Must See Attraction) and I took plenty of pictures (Click HERE to see some more).

Here's some Chicago fun from this past weekend.

     In many ways though, I am feeling much more homesick lately.  Having a couple of days with my mom-- and a super comfy hotel bed-- made it very hard to come back and get back into the swing of college life.  The change in weather has also brought out a bit of nostalgia.  For the first couple of days, it seemed that everything reminded me of home.  It makes sense though, because I've spent the first 18 Septembers in my life surrounded by my family at home.
     Classes are finally picking up, and while I'm finding my workload has increased (Two hours of math homework this morning...yuck!), I am handling it quite well by operating on a "work" schedule from roughly 9-4.  This allows me to get most of my work done, and causes me to be very grateful for the work ethic that's already been instilled in me.  I know I'm very well off in that area compared to many!
     Overall, I've been keeping plenty busy with classes, Bible studies, cross country rehab and training, and trying to sleep enough!  Today is my busiest day, but I'm handling it a lot better than last Wednesday, for sure (RELATED: Crazy Wednesday)!  On a side note, tomorrow I plan to go back to the fresh fruit market.  While I'm there, a couple of friends and I are going to go on the high ropes course we have on campus (Yes: it's pretty awesome!) which I'm super excited for!  I'm hoping the cold weather from early this week doesn't return, or it'll make for a chilly adventure.  On the bright side: I've been able to enjoy my tea more :)  I'm really grateful for tea, like: REALLY grateful!
     My success of the day was jumping right out of bed at 6:10 to go to practice for core, then go straight to swim, go to the trainers, than quickly ride my bike to statistics class.  It was a busy and successful couple of hours.  I'm gearing up for my Wednesday night craziness of dinner, Spanish class, study tables, and at 10 p.m. meeting.  But God's got it and I'm determined to find the joy in every moment!