New Beginnings

The time has finally come! I moved into my new condo! Not only did I get to move into a new place (a definite upgrade from living in tiny, cramped dorm rooms for the last four years), but I got to move in with my best friend!

Keys to our new apartment

We are so excited to finally be able to have our own place together and to decorate and make it our own!

Moving in

 Using our muscles to hang up some pictures

The kitchen, complete with dinner, cookies and my new KitchenAid mixer that I got for graduation.

The dining room (previously we were sitting at the dining room chairs around the tabletop that was on the floor without the legs attached...this works much better). 

The living room

The living room again

Anyway, this is a new season of my life, officially being moved out of the home I grew up in. I mean, I have technically been moved out for the last four years since I have been attending school and working during the summers, but I have always gone home for breaks and holidays. Now this is my new home. My very own place.

My life is changing pretty drastically. And moving into my own condo is not the only big life change happening right now. I have finished school and am entering what all us college kids like to call "the real world." The real world consists of bills and jobs and making a lot more of my own decisions. It also continues to consist of school (but when will it ever not consist of school since I want to be a teacher).

My heart is a little torn since I am close with my family and it seems like such a big deal to be living on my own now. But at the same time, I am filled with overwhelming excitement!

I get to cook my own food!

I can buy Oreos and they will not be consumed before even taking them out of the grocery bag! 

I can put things wherever I want in the house!

I get my own room! 

I have a kitchen sink where I can wash dishes! 

Even better, I have a dishwasher! 

I don't have to put quarters in a slot to wash and dry my laundry! 

I have an entire closet to myself! 

I have a covered parking spot! 

I have a ceiling fan (let me tell you, I love ceiling fans)! 

I have a TV in my living room! 

While those may seem insignificant to most of you, they are very exciting to me! These are all new experiences. And it makes it even more exciting since it is my first place on my own.

I have been seeing new beginnings all around me, too.

My parents recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary

  

My baby sister graduated from 8th grade

   

My brother graduated from high school (and of course, he won't take a normal picture...and yes, we do, in fact, love each other, although the pictures above don't seem to show it).

  

 

This pretty lady got married

God is constantly reminding me that I am entering a new season in my life. He is showing me that life is changing - I've moved into the condo, my siblings are growing up and changing schools and choosing careers; my parents just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary; so many of my friends are getting married; close friends are having babies; I'm getting ready to student teach and finally be doing what I have always wanted to do. God is leading me out of the difficult, emotional, complicated season of my college life and is bringing me into a new season of growth in ways I can't even imagine! I am so looking forward to seeing what God does in my life in this new season! I'm so thankful that I can rely on Him and trust Him to lead me!

So, here's to new adventures!