(You) got to have faith!

This is my entry from Monday. I am currently writing an update for today. I had to get around the firewall on campus and so now I finally did that and I am trying to get the formatting right. Such is life. Always leave yourself extra time to do everything you need to. :) PS. I LOVE THE CAMPUS! And I can't wait for classes to start.

Well, I am now living two and a half hours away from everyone I have ever known. And it is an extremely weird feeling. My parents and Anna drove me up here today and they watched me unpack everything. I felt like I brought so much stuff. But I have fit almost everything into my room, except for my office supplies. I need to purchase something to put them all into so that they will not be in view at all times. Other than that, I am perfectly settled into my new room.

So far today, I have written five letters to people that I have been meaning to write to and if you write to me, then I’ll promise to write back. So ask my parents or siblings for my address, email me at fharr@umd.edu, or call me if you know my number.

Mrs. Franklin gave me a loft of bread and it smells absolutely delicious. I sat it on one side of my desk so that I could smell it all the time. I told John yesterday that since I am now sort of my own family unit, I should get my own Christmas loft of bread from the Franklins. Haha.

And on the other side of my desk sits my flowers from Jared just because he loves me. Well, they were actually for our eleventh month anniversary. How exciting is that?!? Anna took pictures of the room, but not when it was all put together. So maybe I will ask Jared to bring up his camera and be my photographer for the day once I put everything together. But then the flowers will have died by then and it won’t look as cheerful in here. However, my closet is extremely cheery. I opened the door to hang up my skirts and dress clothes and I noticed immediately that the door is purple and black. I love it! It makes me smile every time I open it. I also have many brightly colored pairs of flip flops on the floor, so it makes opening my closet quite exciting.

I miss home, in that this is so different. But at the same time I am really enjoying having it being so quiet around here (and as I wrote that sentence Mrs, Howard started to practice the piano… haha). But even still it is a different kind of noise. Does that makes sense? I don’t mind it at all. It makes me sort of wish that I had practiced my piano more and stuck with it and learned how to play really well. It is still quiet and still around the house. There are not people running in and out of doors or up and down the hall. I am not hearing parts of many different conversation and trying to figure out what is going on in everyone’s lives. I miss the noise of a full house with my siblings. But I also love being able to sit back and think and read and write letters to people that I have been meaning to and not being distracted. I am extremely thankful to be here. It is an amazing blessing to have a house to stay in, with a family, instead of an apartment off somewhere by myself. I would be so homesick and be miserable if I were in that situation. Thank God that the Howards are kind enough to let me stay here. And they feed me too! Thank God for a room over my head and good food and people to talk to.

I feel like I am living out someone else’s life. It doesn’t feel like my life yet. I can’t wait for school to start. Is it wrong for me to want to do homework? Ha. I can’t wait to start learning! I know, I know, a few weeks into the semester and I will be tired of it. But right now, I am ready to go and I want to start. I want to be challenged. I was understand things that I have never understood. I want to know things that I didn’t even know existed. Think of all the lessons to be learned and professors to make like you. Think of all the hours spent studying for exams and redoing homework and thinking for a solution until your brain hurts. As much as I complain about it, I really do enjoy it some days. Right now I miss it. It keeps me busy. I like to be busy. I wonder why that is? I need to take my contacts out. I am going to go read some. I’ll have to post this tomorrow because I can’t seem to find a decent internet connection around here. More thoughts to come. Believe me, you will hear many thoughts of mine. Look for updates on Tuesday and Fridays. Those will be the days that I have room in my backpack for my laptop. I might be able to find a computer lab on campus to use the other days. I don’t know yet. Check in and use my links to other people’s blogs. I can’t wait to read how all the rest of you are.