One year.

One year.

It's been one year today that I got in the moving truck and began my journey back to LA...away from my life in KY. I remember it well. I felt like I was being torn part inside. My last 6 months there were such a roller-coaster. I graduated in May, along with some of my best friends. One moved away right after graduation, starting cryfest 2006. A few months later, April, my roommate of 5 years, moved to Texas. It only made sense that I should move on too. That's the thing about school. Someone is always moving on to their next adventure. It's just hard to let go sometimes.

Moving home was definitely not my first choice. I remember waking up the next day and being greeted by a huge fight with my dad. I spent my first morning back home crying in the shower, questioning why God had called me to move back here. There were certainly the obvious pros...family, Claire (my childhood best friend) was pregnant again with her first girl, saving money... Of course I had it all planned out. I would live at home no longer than 6 months and then possibly move somewhere else or into my own place. I would transfer to the Starbucks here until I found a more permanent job. I would look for jobs elsewhere. A year later I'm still with my parents, but moving out is on the horizon...maybe in January! I did transfer to Starbucks but it took 3 months to get hours there. In June I was offered another part-time job at my home church working with the children's ministry that turned into a full-time job doing Christian Education in September. I definitely never would've guessed I would be doing that! Claire had Avery in May and I'm completely in love with her! I've made new friends at church and at Starbucks that I love. If only there were more people my age and single! That's probably my biggest struggle. I miss having girlfriends that understand where I am in life and make being single a little more bearable. Thankfully I've been blessed to travel to TX to visit April several times and other places to see other friends so that's helped. I found out not too long ago that another good friend of mine, Shannon Steed, is getting married in KY in February so I'm planning to go to that. God is good in that he knows our desires and provides when we least expect it. He has been the glue that continues to bond me to my incredible friends and even when I don't see them or get to talk to them as often as I like, they are a part of me. I have no idea what the next year holds. It looks like Ruston will be my home a little longer.