So in case you haven’t heard, I moved! It’s something that’s been in the works for a while now. I decided last fall that I wanted to attend Truett Seminary after I graduated from Hendrix, and now the time has finally come! I’m all moved in to my new apartment, and I’m set to start classes next week. But before I get swamped with studying theology, I wanted to take some time reflect on the big move and what I can learn from it.

Until about a week ago, moving to Waco was just an idea inside my head. Sure, all the plans were made, but as far as I was concerned, it was never really going to happen. I was going to stay in Greenwood with my family and work at the church forever, or at least so I thought. I think we all do this from time to time. We get caught up in what we’re doing, and we assume that it’s never going to change. But suddenly, it was my last day of work, and I realized that things were about to be changing very, very soon.

And change they did. Wednesday night at church, everyone was wanting to say goodbye to me. I didn’t like it at all. It felt way too permanent. Too real. Every time I said goodbye to someone, it sunk in a little more that I was really leaving. I couldn’t ignore it any longer. I had to face the fact that the time had come.

My Thursday was dedicated almost entirely to packing up the stuff I would need for my apartment, and I had grossly underestimated how much I would be taking. I figured I would fill a storage tub with the essentials, throw my clothes in the back seat, mount my bike, and be done. But I was way off. I ended up filling my entire trunk and back seat to the brim with clothes, dishes, cleaning supplies, bedding, and all sorts of other fun stuff that I didn’t realize you needed when you have your own apartment. That day, I learned the consequences of underestimating just how big a project could be. It was humbling.

Friday was the day of the big move. I wanted to leave as early as possible because I knew the drive was going to be rough. So I said goodbye to my mom, had a quick breakfast with my dad, and headed for Waco. The first few hours weren’t bad at all. After I passed the halfway point, I started to get restless. The final hour was torture. I thought it would never end. I was so overwhelmed with excitement and homesickness and so many other things all at once, and I was just ready to be there. Finally, after what seemed like forever, I made it to my new home in Waco.

Unpacking was hard work, but I didn’t mind because it was exciting. I got to pick out where everything went and rearrange my room to make it exactly the way I wanted it. It was fun. I can already tell that I’m more invested in this place than I was anywhere I lived while I was in college. This is going to be my home for a while, and it feels good to accept that.

Since then, I’ve mostly just been settling in. I bought groceries, explored campus, and checked out the local movie theater (twice). Sunday, I attended Antioch Community Church, which was great, but also felt weird because I’m so used to being at my home church. It’s going to take some time before Waco truly feels like home to me, but I’m getting there one step at a time. This is a totally new phase in my life, a new adventure, and I’m so grateful for it. Thank you guys for your support as I take this next step. I’ll keep you posted. For now, I’m just saying hello to Waco and seeing what happens next!