Why does growing up happen so fast?

It seems like just last week I was listening to the 30-45 minute long procession of fireworks in Sofia, Bulgaria. Yet, it's almost been an entire year, and I find myself at the brink of a new decade in Kansas City, Missouri. It's so weird to think of 20...10!!! How is it possible?

So many things have happened these last few months, but they've flown by so quickly I didn't take the time to document them. So as a recap: I've finished my first semester at NTS here in Kansas City. I am liking it much more than expected although I would enjoy it much more if I had some mula to spend in some cool places. However, there are several things to enjoy for free (or really cheap), and I've made some terrific friends that don't mind eating and enjoying time in someone's home.

I've also a new addition to the communal family... her name is Elli. She is my/our dog. Elli is a communal pet between me and two other friends who live down the road. The pay for whatever she needs, and I house her. It's a nice set up because they also come over and play with Elli when I get overwhelmed with her hyperness. Elli was a stray that a neighbor found, so we think she is around 18 months and a lab/border collie mix. She is adorable, and she has really enjoyed the many inches of snow we got over Christmas. My parents came out to KC since I had to work so close to the holiday. We had a great time, and it was wonderful to be with them even if only for a few days.

Again, I'm just stunned at how quickly time has flown by. This year's end was a bit more predictable than last year's, but who knows what this next year will bring. I'll still be in school, but hopefully I will find a fitting (good enough paying) job. And I am sure I will get myself into some adventures. So clinging onto these last few days, I thank God for 2009- its joys and tears, its high points and crap times. It's been a year of trials, lessons, and relaxation. I don't know what to entirely expect in this next year, but I'm optimistic and excited. Welcome 2010!!!

November, really?!?!

Somehow October is already over. I don't know how that really happened. Life has been filled with things to do, and most of that has been homework. Two weeks ago was R&R week (reading and research, let's not kid ourselves). While I had a little bit of fun, most of the time was spent doing reading and researching. So this last week has been a friend labelled R&R Hangover week. It really does fit the feeling of this last week where not much got done. :) I am hoping to be more motivated this week. I start my new job this week. It's nothing super exciting, but I will be working at Macy's for this season. It'll be a lot of EARLY mornings until January 17th. I'm still looking for a more permanent job, but I thank God completely for providing this job right now.

While October happened in a blink of an eye, it was packed with so much. School, new job, and other such things. Halloween was fun. I dressed up as Rosie the Riveter. :) And now, it's November. It's just crazy!

Never Really Home Again

The trouble with going overseas for an extended amount of time is that you are never really the same again. This is great in many ways; I certainly do not regret any of my travels or any of the lessons I have learned during and after them. Nonetheless, life is not any easier with or without acceptance of this fact. Of course, things get better with time, but you have your moments of "I don't think I belong here anymore."

Nothing spectacular or outrageous has happened to bring on these feelings, so I wondered why I was feeling kind of down lately. Then, I realized it has been 4 1/2 months since I've been back in the States. While the major transition stuff is over (nothing actually major in this transition), I have experienced re-orientation and now once again feel that longing of countries on the other side of the ocean... specifically Bulgaria right now. There's not an exact thing I'm missing, but I just miss it in entirety. (I did make myself a shopska salad for lunch today though to reminisce of Bulgarian days. It was delicious.) Of course, it is nice being able to communicate to almost everyone here, but as I said before, there's never really a permanent settlement once you are overseas for a longer period of time. Then again, even when overseas, there is still not any perfect peace because it's not your original culture. With all of the magnificence of travelling (and I truly do love it- don't get me wrong), you just kind of screw yourself over when you immerse yourself into a foreign culture and then return to your origins.

Such added longing to be away somewhere is further initiated by the pile of homework that must be accomplished this week. I am glad to be in school, but boy, I did not miss all of this. The homework will lessen a bit, but right now, it's kind of overwhelming.

To be reassuring, I am so glad to be in Kansas City. I feel this is where God has called me to be, and I have even found a church in which I can be a part. I am also just trying to get through this natural slump of "further down the road" re-entry.

Chicken in Falling Leaves

It’s still warm and sunny, but leaves are already falling off their branches. Pilar, my dog, is here in Kansas City with me, and every time I take her outside, I hear the crunch of leaves underneath my feet. It is one of my favorite sounds, and I will not lie- I go out of my way to step on fallen crunchy leaves. Sometimes a falling leaf scares Pilar while she is sniffing out a good spot on the grass though. :)

I’ve officially started the regular semester of grad school here at NTS. I am slowly getting used to it. It was kind of scary and very much overwhelming to move out here, but I am glad that I did. The main difference that catches me off guard after so many years of school (and even my two week module class) is that each of my classes only meets once a week. I have to train my brain that I don’t go back every day. This is quite nice in that I have more time to complete assignments, but it also leaves me with some extra time to find things to do. I am still looking for a job, so hopefully, some of this extra space in life will soon be filled with work that earns me money. On a happier note, I found a roommate. This means that I will no longer be alone talking to my dog. (We all do, admit it.) And it also means that rent and utilities will be that much cheaper. Yeah.

I did go out to hand out some resumes today. I didn't have a plan and figured I would just walk into stores and see if they were hiring. Well... I drove around some stores, but then I got really nervous and chicken out. This then led me to driving around in circles around various parts of the city. I gained some locational insights, and I also had no idea where I was much of the time. Obviously, I made it back. So now, I am going to make a plan of possible places to go. I hope that having a bit of a plan when thus empower me to park my car tomorrow. :)

Nothing else extraordinary has happened lately. However, due to the extraordinary help from some amazing friends of mine, I will be going to Idaho for Thanksgiving. These wonderful few days will be filled with lots of laughter and fun, and I most excited to see all of my Idaho-ans (and those also coming to visit that are not living in Idaho). :) Ya ya!

Missing Road Signs

Today was orientation day at NTS. It was a good ol' time, but I was definitely feeling overwhelmed with information and just regular anxieties of moving to a new place and starting school. Orientation included breakfast and lunch as it started at 8 am and ended a little after 2 pm. NTS seems to be overran by NNU-ers this year although there are several other colleges represented. I have high hopes for my time here although I know that greatly depends on how much I put myself out there.

Later this evening, I got an invite from some friends to have dessert at the Cheesecake Factory. I wasn't going to go for financial reasons but decided I needed to make a sacrifice in order to be social. I got directions and was on my way. As far as how I got there, let's just say that I returned home much more quickly compared to how long it took me to find the restaurant. I blame it on the fact that the first street I was supposed to turn right on was broken off. This mistake was followed by many others. I added to the situation by making u-turns in the form of going around several blocks rather than just turning around on the same street. I never got frustrated though; I was able to just laugh at myself and hope that the next street or the next turn would take me to where I needed to go. And so, I did eventually get there, and I had a good time. And now, I know the efficient way to get from the NTS-area to the Plaza. :)

I have always said that if there is a wrong turn to be made, I'll make it (at least once). But that's how I learn the roads. It also brings back memories of all of my outing adventures in Sofia. Oh man... it keeps me humble.

We drove through Kansas today, Todo

I began the day in Colorado, and I ended it in Missouri. Most of what happened in between we call Kansas. The drive wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. If I had to choose to drive through Kansas or Wyoming, I would definitely choose Kansas although driving through the state in the winter months may change my opinion.

I completed the 9ish hour drive by myself and several cds. My highlights of the drive were definitely the billboards. If I wasn't in such a rush to get to KCMO, I would have stopped to take pictures, but I have put it on my something to do in the future list. My highlights aren't listed in order of amazingness but rather in order as I saw them.

Highlight 1: World's Largest Prairie Dog along with the Russian boar.

Highlight 2: A picture of a wheat field with a rather large and disturbingly mis-proportioned head of Jesus popping out of the wheat next to the also large and disturbingly mis-proportioned hand raised and clenched with wheat. Only the head and hand were visible out of the otherwise normal looking wheat field.

Highlight 3: Several billboards of a glowing and well-primped Jesus with the caption of "I trust you, Jesus".

Yep. Someday I would like to stop and see the prairie dog and the five legged cow which I once heard was there. As for now, I will be busy trying to figure out how this new chapter of life will go. I am sure as I begin to navigate around the city I will again experience my awkward moments as I did in Bulgaria. At least this time I can ask for directions personally, and they can answer in the same language. :)

Credit goes to...

So a year ago today I was packing my bags and getting ready to leave for Bulgaria in the morning. Crazy!!! That was a year ago. I didn't know much then. I had two suitcases and one carry on of belongings. I knew the missionary family I would be joining in Sofia, but I didn't know where I was going to live or how long I'd live there. I had enough money to last me to March/April depending on how much I wanted to eat each month. Slava na boga because God provided my living expenses and so much more! I made some money at an international school that I gave some time to, but I don't really know how things worked out so well. It's just amazing when God stretches things out even when the numbers don't really add up. I was able to pay an outrageous amount of money for my visa (and deportation), stay until May, and had money left over which helped get me to General Assembly this last June. God is a miraculous provider, and I realized that I don't say it enough.

So now on this momentous day, I am getting ready to leave again. I'm not packing yet because I'm not sure when I'm actually going to move. I'm pretty much in the same boat I was a year ago in the sense that I'm not sure where I'm going to live or how I'm going to afford living anywhere. I haven't gotten all of those details, but I am registered for classes at NTS. So... I'm going. I have been freaking out a bit lately, and thoughts are still on my mind. However, I finally smarted up and gave all of it to God. I've been saying that I trust God and know things will work out, but I never actually surrendered all of my plans and such until a few days ago. Once I did, I finally felt that peace that is so beyond comprehension.

So I give God the credit, and I continue to ask for help as I move on to the next step. If you'd like to be a tool of God and you have connections in KC (housing or job wise), feel free to give me a call. :)
Oh, and I think I'd like to start up on a suggestion of a friend and call Kansas City "KFC"- as in Kansas freakin City. It's kind of catchy! ;)