Begin

In honor of classes starting this week, I thought I'd post this picture of one of the buildings on campus. Up until this point, I have spent most of my time at the University in this building, however, from this point on I will be spending most of my time elsewhere. This building houses the international office and has been helpful in helping orient and introduce me to life as a student at the university of Heidelberg. After orientation last week, I am extraordinarily excited to start classes on Tuesday (I don't have any classes on Mondays). Everyone I have met in the history department has been simply wonderful and I am excited about the classes that I will be taking this fall. I also got to get to know a few people at orientation...always fun to make new friends! More on my life in HD to come! ~love~

color

Every year I dread the coming of fall, and every year it dazzles me with its beauty. I love the crisp, fresh air, and the beautiful colors. The green of summer gives way to golds and reds as the trees shed their leaves in anticipation for the winter. In spite of my dislike of the cold, I can't help but find the crisp air and invigorating compliment to the crisp leaves falling from the trees. I am secretly in love with fall. ~love~

carnival

So, something that I really love is the fact that practically every other day and at least every weekend, I accidentally stumble upon a festival, carnival or celebration of some sort. This one was after the Karlsruhe-Baden marathon came through Karlsruhe that Sunday morning. (truthfully, this picture is from something like 2 weeks ago...) The prayer during church was suddenly interrupted by loud rumbling and music...it was the festival and marathon outside, don't even worry about it! Another day, there was a kids carnival/festival outside the theater - complete with cool costumes, theater-related games, music and of course food! All over the city, and especially in the greenest areas (castle park) there is always fun to be found. I love the way it feels like walking into a surprise party every time I hear the music and see the tents in the distance...what a fun life! ~love~

The Sky is Falling

Fall is in the air. The air is crisp and dry. The leaves are turning from green to yellow and red. A perfect season except for one little glitch...acorns. I am in constant fear of being pegged by a falling acorn. The problem is that they fall from way up high and hit leaves on the way down, like a little countdown timer. As I was sitting in the woods the other day, this little fellow missed me by about 2 inches!

I have mixed feelings about fall. I am no real fan of being cold, but something about the cooler weather is energizing. Maybe its just the beginning of fall that I like: the days are still relatively long and warm, the trees are beautiful and diverse and it smells like fall! I hope you all are enjoying your fall! ~love~

A dear friend of mine decided awhile ago to be intentional about documenting her life through photos. Inspired by her journey, I have decided to try to take more "every day" pictures of my life in Germany and post at least 3 times a week with a photo and an explanation. That way you, my loyal readers, don't have to wait until something earth-shattering happens in my life to get an update, and I have a little motivation to document my daily life. Hopefully I will not lose readership with the mundane details of my life (hence the photos...motivation in case my words bore...) I have no idea how long I will be able to keep this up, but I think that beginning is a good start. That being said, here is my photo for today:

The weather here has been simply beautiful for the last week or so. I went on a long bike ride through the woods on Sunday and had a chance to sit, read and write in my journal for awhile. The power of nature to convey the presence of God never ceases to amaze me. I just had to sit in wonder at the strange path that my life has taken thus far and trust that the path ahead of me will continue to shape and mold me in a purposeful and beneficial way. I am excited for what lays ahead. ~love~

Safe and Sound

I am back and exhausted and ready to get the ball rolling with everything. Thank you for all of your prayers and support! I love and miss you all!

aaaaaahhhhhhhh

I leave on July 28. I still have to give a big presentation, take two exams, write a 12 page paper, close my bank account, work out complications with my health insurance, tell the authorities here that I am leaving, etc etc (I think you get the point). I am mostly frustrated that I can't enjoy my last week and a half here but am instead running around like a chicken with my head cut off. So...if you try to call and can't get ahold of me, if you are wondering at the lack of blogging, emailing, etc, please know that I love you all sooo much and I am so excited to be seeing you, talking to you on my american cell phone in a closer time zone very soon, I just don't have time to think about that right now :) ~love~