On My Last Night

Here I am, sitting in my quaint apartment looking at all the boxes I have packed up and reminiscing about my past three years here.

When I got out of college, I wanted to get my own place immediately, but the full time job didn't come immediately, so neither did my own place.  I ended up moving back in with my parents and then at the end of the year, once I got my full time job, I got my own place.

I remember sitting in my room the last night at my parents house and I had been rushing around, so excited about the new place, that I hadn't taken time to realize that this was my last night in my parents house.  It was actually a little bit sad.  I love my room at my parents.  It's big and spacious.  It's comfortable, it has memories.

So now I sit in my little apartment and I kind of feel the same way.  I've been so excited and crazed about moving into my new place, that I haven't thought too much about all the great times I've had in my own little place.  I'm not really sad per se, I know I'm moving on to a great house that will be filled with great girls. 
But I do feel like this is the most opportune moment to produce...

a Top {Five} List...so here it goes...

Here are my Top {Five} Memories in My First Apartment
(I know "Top" lists are supposed to be in order...but these really aren't in order, they're just the five I remember best)

5. Move in day- I remember lying in my bed the first night taking in deep breaths and realizing that this all means I'm an adult now.  I have a job, I have a place of my own, I was officially grown up.

4. Valentine's Day SND- A couple of years ago, SND fell on Valentine's Day.  Well, knowing that the majority of us would not be out with the loves of our lives, I hosted Sunday Night Dinner for the first (and only) time.  It turned out great!  The crowd that night was small enough to fit into my apartment, but it was still a good number of people.  It was also the night I introduced cake balls to everyone.  You all can thank me later.

3. Dinner Parties-I have had various girls over for dinner parties at my house.  I usually end up experimenting recipes, and if you know anything about my cooking, you know my meals usually come with asterisks.  However, along the way I had some successful ventures.  I made Pioneer Woman's pot roast and I've made Giada DeLaurentis' Orzo Stuffed Bell Pepper recipe, I think both turned out very well!!

2. Tuesday Nights with Maggie and Stephanie- I loved spending my Tuesday nights with Stephanie and Maggie.  We would get together, eat dinner together, and then watch "The Biggest Loser" and/or "Glee".  I liked these nights because I got to spend time with these two girls who are so wonderful!

1. Christmas Party with the {Five}- I have four special friends from college who were all able to come to my apartment for a small Christmas party together the first year I lived here.  Of course, it being my first place, I was all excited to have them over.  Now, with all of us being so busy all the time, I'm just grateful we found time to all be together because any time I spend with them is considered precious to me!

{Bonus Memory} Snowmageddon 2011--Four magically snowy days that I spent couped up in my apartment. As you see from previous posts, it was both wonderful and terrible! However, I did love that I got to play in the snow and go on a snow walk with Stephanie, it felt great to get out of the apartment (even if I did slip and fall on the ice).

I'm excited to move on to the next chapter, my next place.  I know that living with other girls, my "Top" list will probably increase and I'll have way more than five special memories that stick out. I'm ready to get into the new place and ready to unpack all my stuff!

On Change

I realize that I haven't blogged in a few months (terrible, I know), so I decided now that my life is in a complete whirlwind, it'd be an excellent time to blog!

You see, I'm moving out of my very {first} apartment (seen below) and into a house with a few roommates.

I've lived in this apartment by myself for {three years} and for the first two years, I definitely wasn't ready to have a roommate. But throughout the course of the last year or so, a little desire to live with others has sprouted in me. So, luckily for me (or just the Lord's plan), the Lord worked things out so that I will now be moving in with some other fabulous girls! Where are we moving, you ask?? Well, that's the fun interesting part...

I have to move all my belongings from my current humble abode in exactly one week and we don't have a house yet. You may be asking, "Aren't you stressed out?" The answer to that is yes...and no. Overall, I'd say not that much, but I've had my moments. I called my apartment complex to ask if I could stay longer in case we don't have a place and was kindly told no. I subsequently hung up the phone and started laughing hysterically and then crying hysterically, followed by some more laughing. It was very weird. Overall though, I'd say that I know everything is going to work out because I know that the Lord has a plan. And I should've known that everything wouldn't be on my time table...after all, when has anything ever been on my time table!

So regardless of our house status, things will be changing for me in a major way in the next couple of weeks. Because eventually we will find a house and we will get settled in. In addition to that, I'll be starting back up with school stuff, a new year, a completely new schedule, and a new crop of girls to work with. I've also decided to train for a {triathlon} (I know, I know, I'm crazy), so implementing vigorous exercise into my daily life will be another change (though I suppose this is not a bad thing).

I'm not usually one for change. I like change I can control, for example, I like to rearrange my furniture a lot. It provides the change I crave, but it's within my own control. I don't usually take to change that I cannot control. My typical reaction is to hate it at first, then slowly grow into it, it becomes the norm, and then something else changes and I go through the same process again. I do think, however, that the Lord uses all the changes in my life to grow me and stretch me.

So here's to {change} , here's to not knowing what comes next and fully having to rely on the Lord to provide, which he will. So I welcome you change, maybe not with my arms open wide, but hey, they're open...and, hey, that's a start.