It's Gonna Be Alright

I'm sitting on my bed looking over the various suitcases I've just packed, and wondering what's in them. Emilie and I are catching a train up to Edinburgh today to visit Scotland, and more importantly Miss Susan Crisler. I can't wait to see Scotland again, since I first set foot there as an 8th grader I think it's been my heart's home. It is always a thrill to see how it changes to me as I grow older, like visiting a friend you haven't seen in many years.

Only 3 weeks remain to me here in Oxford. I'm not sure where the time has gone, but I am certain it has been well spent. I will treasure this experience all my life: the little nooks I have discovered, the people I have met, the study, the coffee, the rain, the flowers. I will miss looking out my window and pondering about the tiny church steeple cross that just peeks over the rooftops behind the garden. It's the tiny little intimate details of Oxford that have won me over irreversibly. Like Marietta, or Chattanooga, I think this place will always have a hint of home for me.

Since the last time I wrote on here, more things have happened then I could possibly record, but some of the highlights have been:

• Participating in Cuppers with the Keble Ballroom team. I danced the Jive with a wonderful girl named Kashmali (I got to be the man... which was an interesting experience). We actually did much better than we expected (4 rounds!) considering that neither of us had ever danced the Jive before and we only danced together a few times before the competition. It was quite a laugh for us... Anyway, I had an absolutely wonderful time dancing and hanging out with the team. Keble's A team won the competition, and we all had curry and celebrated. Not only did I get to enjoy Indian food for the first time, but I got to chat with Amy and Shantha who have quickly become two of my favorite people here. Shantha is from Edinburgh, and Amy from somewhere near Manchester. I'm currently trying to convince them to come visit me in the States. Amy says she wants to see Lookout Mountain. :)
• The Dedication of the UGA house was last Tuesday night. Overall it was a nice ceremony and a pretty good night. But that's another story for another time...
• Visited the Mannheims in Tetbury. It was SO refreshing to just drive around the gorgeous Cotswolds with Emilie, and we had somewhat of a Jane Austen nerd weekend, having tea in the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, visiting Dyrham Park and watching a new mini series of Sense and Sensibility. I love my spare family!!

God has been teaching me about boldness and being open and genuine. He has been teaching me about the comfort and love He provides. He has been teaching me that He can carry me through anything, including essays. ;)

"It's gonna be alright.

It's gonna be alright.

I believe you'll outlive this pain in your heart,

And you'll gain such a strength from what is tearing you apart,

Oh, I believe, I believe that

It's gonna be alright."

~Sara Groves (I was getting a little tense about my schoolwork last night, but Sara told me that it's gonna be alright. I appreciated it.)

I love you all!!