Late Nights and Revelations

Another thing I've started to notice down here is that the entire college world seems to be on a different time clock than the rest of the world... On a weekday, the normal bedtime (for those I'm around, at least!) is between 11:30 and 1. On a weekend, that bedtime normally falls back between 2 and 4 AM. It's oddly amusing in a way to make contact with those who are still in the normal realm of time... for example, Saturday night I was on the phone with my father and told him that he should get off the phone so he could go to bed early. He said, "Sarah, it's already 10:10! I should've been in bed a while ago!" It never even occurred to me that 10:10 would be late for him... and the realization made me smile. I definitely need to make a conscious effort to improve the quality of my sleep though, or at least the quantity.

But the thing is, it's worth every ounce of fatigue just to be able to spend time with these people! I can't even tell you how lucky I am. It doesn't even matter what we do or where we go - we make our own adventures, and wherever we end up, I feel so alive. It's not something I can fully describe, but I feel like now I'm getting the chance to do things I always hoped for but never dared to anticipate. During the week I get the opportunity to question what I know, to seek understanding and grow and learn from incredible and intelligent people whom I admire. I keep busy and study and work hard, and then by the weekend I'm able to take a step away and free myself of the stress. My friends and I do the most random things, but we love it! Wandering in an open field on a clear night, all of us singing loudly and looking up at the stars. Playing pool and having "lightsaber duels" and chair races. Ice skating and wandering and talking about our dreams for the future and the highlights of our pasts... embracing our time here, and the time we have to get to know one another. I have the chance to get to know some of the retired sisters too, and I love the stories they share. My faith is just as large a part of my life as ever, and I while I know that there are going to be plenty of ups and downs, I know that I'm where I belong.

I've also discovered that I love a much broader range of music than I ever could have predicted. I'm starting to love classic rock, like Boston and the Who and the Eagles and Rush. The kind of music my Dad likes! Maybe that's part of the appeal of it to me down here, that it reminds me of my daddy... it just feels like home. I also love classical music more than I appreciated before. I miss playing piano a lot. I still sing constantly, more than before actually, much to the amusement of my friends.

In essence I haven't changed at all. I'm just me to a greater degree... if that makes any sense. I'm the person I've always been but I'm growing and evolving every day. I'm in a good place mentally, emotionally, and physically. (Well, at least I hope so on that last one - I'm fighting a fierce battle against the freshman fifteen! But the cookies here are really good, so they're a large weakness of mine.)

So yes. Life is beautiful! I get to go home in just two short weeks, which will be nice. I'll see my family, the kitties and Willbo and Kiwi, and hopefully some of my new baby cousins! (Quinn Nathaniel and Vito Anthony, hopefully I spelled those right?) I'll get to see Shaina and hopefully Spice for a day, yay! And I'll probably work a little, if possible. I am, after all, a woefully poor college girl. But for the most part I just hope to spend some time at home with my parents, making apple pie or carving pumpkins or watching old movies. I'm looking forward to it. :-)

But now I have to really get moving on these readings... bye!