They say everything comes full circle, but no one could've guessed we'd end up here. ... And after all I'd been through with my friends, relationships, and career, I was ready for a big change.
- Lauren Conrad, The Hills
After a nearly nine month sabbatical, I have officially re-entered the blogging world :)
I'm assuming this is good news for most of you - more like for all five or less of you ;) - who care enough to read about what's going on in my life ... mostly because you're reading this right now. So, I'll do my best not to disappoint ;)
I use the word "sabbatical" because the past nine months have been such an incredible learning process and experience for me.
By now, you've probably realized that I've started a new blog and that I'm no longer posting under southeasterngirl.blogspot.com because, well, I'm no longer a "Southeastern girl." And I must say, that out of all the "shocking" things I've done, I think this is the biggest ... mostly because I can't think of anything truly shocking that I've done before :P And, to be honest, I don't think anyone really saw it coming; in my wildest dreams, I'd never imagined quitting Southeastern.
I'm not going to talk too much about Southeastern or my lack of Southeastern, though, because it was just one of the amazing things that have happened to be over the past nine months. I know that there are rumors going around that I got kicked out of Southeastern, so I'm only going to say this once, just to clear things up: After several months of difficulty and tears (and there were definitely good times, too) and after a few days of serious deliberation, I decided that I wasn't going to return to Southeastern to pursue a degree in missions. It was a very difficult decision for me to make and while I didn't fully understand at the time, I can now look back and say with one hundred percent certainty that God has used what some people might consider as a failure for good and that He is good. Instead, I felt God leading me elsewhere ... perhaps to East Carolina University, but almost definitely to pursue a degree and career in some type of education.
So there you have it. I've applied to ECU with the hope of getting my degree in Elementary Education and with the desire to minor in some sort of Special Needs Education.
Now, for those of you who know me really well, I know what you're thinking. ECU seems like the last place on earth I'd go; it certainly has a reputation for being a "party school" but, rest assured, I'm still the same Lauren you know and love and I still love Jesus and my values have not changed and will not change.
But, you know what?
I just lied to you.
Because I'm really not the same Lauren that I've always been. But, I think it's a good thing. As Dylan once said, I think it's a good thing to look back, months from now, and say that you're not the same person. It's good because it shows that you're changing and adapting to new people and new experiences. Actually, I think it's called growing up :)
I'd be lying if I told you that I don't miss Southeastern because at times, I do. I miss my friends and my classes and my professors. Most of all, I miss my amazing roommate Jacky and my "sweet mates" Sam and Savannah :) (If you guys are reading this, I love you!) My time at Southeastern wasn't always easy, but it was worth it and I wouldn't trade it for anything. If I could do it all over again, I'd still go back and make the same decision to go to Southeastern because I know that God called me there ... I just didn't know it was only for a year :P
But enough about Southeastern. I'm excited for ECU. It's big and has a whole lot of room to run around and it's known for it's teaching programs. Best of all, it has some really amazing girls there :) I'm excited about it, too because as you can imagine, it's such a huge mission field! God's definitely moving on that campus and I want to be a part of it!
One of the best things about Southeastern, though was this amazing boy that I met :) It's crazy to think that a year ago this past Tuesday was when everything really began with us. He's so amazing and I love everything about him. And I wish I could tell you just how incredible he is (and he just now called me, in fact (: ) and how much he means to me, but I don't think there are words that would do him justice.
Anyway, I've been writing for some time now and I'm tired and you're probably tired of reading this. I'll be posting a lot the next few days, filling you in on what's been going on in my life since my last post back in February. And, before I forget, I'm hoping to put up pictures from Greece this past summer in an online album soon, so be on the look out!
Cheers!
I mean really though, what's next? ...To be honest, for the first time in a long time, I don't really know. It's kind of nice not knowing what I'm going to do next.
- LC
