Day 1 Class 1

So much information. That's my first class in 3 words right there. Just so much!! I'm already overwhelmed with papers and projects and field trips and lab notebooks already! I'm excited though. My professor is so nice and passionate about herpetology. He likes to nickname them herps...it makes me think of STD's every time he says it however. He says it a lot so I'll have to get used to that. 

Ahhhh information overload! 

Finally!

Ok, I'm here!! It had taken a while, but it's worth it! I'm so glad to be out of that car. It took well over 7 hours to get down here to Ocean Springs. Unpacking everything is a nightmare, obviously. I just randomly threw things in my suitcases and hoped for the best. That has bit me in the butt...

I'm so excited about starting my Coastal Herpetology class tomorrow! It'll be fun to meet new people and experience new things. I'm ready. 

That's the view of my driveway ;) jealous?

1 Day

"For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse. For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude...They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen." Romans 1:20-21,25

2 Days!

Guys...

2 days. I'm leaving in 2 days!! I'm just getting butterflies saying that. Wow. So much craziness. My head is going a million miles an hour trying to remember all of the stuff I still need to get, but I have most everything packed. 

God is so good. Isn't He? I'm finding myself thanking Him over and over and over again. And then some more. He is the reason I'm doing this. He gave me this passion for His glory and I am the luckiest girl ever. I mean, really. He could've given me the passion for accounting. Or working at a daycare. Or being a trash man. But no, I got marine frickin biology. How awesome is that??

I know you're laughing at me; it's whatever. Anyways, in short I'm just joyful. Please pray for the opportunities I will get down there to make new intentional relationships. There will be people there from all over the United States. This will be my mission field. 

Also, please pray for me to stay focused on why I am there. I worship the Creator, not the creation. Creation is just the reflection of its Maker. I don't want to get caught up in things and not praise Him for all He has made. 

"The heavens were made by the word of The Lord, and all the stars, by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into a heap; He puts the depths into storehouses. Let the whole earth tremble before The Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it came into being; He commanded, and it came into existence." Psalm 33:6-9

Half and Half

I'm so at war with myself. 

Half of me is giddy and excited and pumped and thrilled beyond belief that I get to go on this adventure this summer. The other half is in despair because I won't get to see the ones I love for what seems like the longest time. I just want to scream at myself and say, "Pick an emotion!" Sometimes I hate being a girl for that reason...

I know which half of me is the better half. Obviously the positive one. But it's so much easier to be pessimistic! I guess that's just who I am. I always think about the sad things or the terrible things. I worry. I have a doubtful heart. I don't trust that God will help me get through this. And that's stupid. 

"I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." Isaiah 42:16

Why am I so pessimistic about this adventure when I have a God who says He will be with me through it all? It's funny how easily I forget all the wonderful ways God has penetrated my life with His love time after time. I think back to when I just got back from my trip to Australia and how I absolutely hated the thought of staying in Tennessee and not getting to see the ocean for a while. I think back to when I cried myself to sleep for who knows how long because I couldn't take the pain of being away from what I loved. I think back to when I struggled through parts of school just because of how consumed I was in wanting to be near the ocean doing what God had called me to do.

So how can I remotely even consider being sad about this trip? Seriously. I would have killed for this opportunity a few years back. I should be crying tears of joy for this gift God has given me. And I sometimes do. I need to appreciate these moments in life. Not just focus on the bad. 

How blessed am I...

I look like a hick

Like my waders?? I'm borrowing them from the extremely generous biology department for the summer. I'm pretty sure I look like a total hick...but I'd rather take these than be without them when I'm wading through the Deep South's swamplands. I won't be the only one wearing these incredibly attractive things. 

9 days!!!

The Countdown Begins

Guys. I leave in 10 days. 10 days!! How has this crept up on me so quickly?! I mean, it was January just yesterday. This semester has just flown by. 10 days...wow.

I have a lot to do. I haven't even started packing! That's no good. This isn't just another little trip to the beach. No, this is only the journey of a lifetime. The culmination of my dreams. The physical reality of my desires. But, yeah, I guess you could say a trip to the beach, too. 

My first class will be Coastal Herpetology. My latest email tells me that we will be taking 2 mini-trips to state parks to explore and do some night sampling of reptilian species in the area. How awesome does that sound?! I am a tad nervous, however. Handling reptiles means no bug spray. No bug spray in the hot Mississippi summer holds in store for me some terrible consequences that I don't even want to imagine right now. I make such a sacrifice for science.

It's starting to settle in now. The nerves. The butterflies. The jitters. Whatever you want to call it. It's good, but nerve-wracking. I'm gonna miss Cookeville a lot. And I'll miss all the people in it. And of course I'll miss my family, too. I'm trying not to be sad about leaving. It's only 6 weeks anyway. This is a positive situation. There's no room for pessimism. 

Now, let's start packing...