I don't even know where to begin...
It's been four months. Four crazy, busy, terrible yet awesome months. So much in my life has changed - I went from undergrad to grad school, having two jobs (and incomes) to being unemployed, living in Allendale with my best friend to living in Mount Pleasant with 3 strangers, knowing all the backroads to knowing one route (at first), being at the top of my classes to working my butt off just to pass... Yes, it has been crazy, busy, terrible and awesome.
I miss my best friends - the girls who know what I'm thinking just by looking at me, who I can lay around and do nothing with yet still have a blast, who know exactly who I'm talking about if I use people's names, who have lived life with me for the past four (or more) years. I miss being a half hour from home and being able to go there to do laundry, eat a good meal and get a good night's sleep in the peace and quiet of country living. I miss living less than 10 minutes from my brother and sister. I miss Allendale sunsets. I miss laughing with girls at work about dumb guests - heck, I miss working. I miss walking around campus and seeing friends every other minute. I miss having multiple friends' apartments that I could walk into without knocking because they felt like my own. I miss having two malls in easy driving distance. I miss the Allendale Biggby. I miss Grand Rapids.
But, even though I miss all of those things, and so much more, there are good things happening here in Mount Pleasant. I am in a program that I love - that challenges me and is teaching me the information and skills I need to know in order to be a successful PT. I am two miles away from my grandparents, who, even though I hate to admit it, are getting older faster than I would like - spending more time with them is such a blessing. I am making new friends - people that make me laugh until my eyes are watering and abs hurt, people that don't think I'm weird when I start talking about cadavers or science-y things, people that keep me sane amidst the insanity that this program brings. I am learning to enjoy Mount Pleasant - even though I will always hate the ridiculous traffic, how busy the Meijer is here and how terrible my 3G coverage is - being in a "college town" after four years of living in Allendale is actually pretty fun. I am learning, like I did after high school, who my real friends are - who is putting forth the effort to keep in touch even though I am two hours away and crazy busy. Calls, texts, Facebook message and cards from friends at home help keep me going. I am (still) learning that change is good. Even though it has made me want to cry on a practically weekly basis, and has totally and completely rocked my world, I constantly remind myself - change is good.
