To everything, there is a season

So it's finally registering. The end of my final pre-adult summer has essentially ended. I daresay I've learned some things over the past few months and stand poised for chapter: Graduate School.

Lessons learned:

J.K. Rowling can write a whole lot better than I wanted to believe. Any aspiring author must read constantly--a fact voiced by every successful author I've had the opportunity to meet/hear speak. Reading the Potter series was pretty eye-opening in the sense that I was awakened to the caliber of writing one must produce to earn a fortune comparable to that of J.K. Rowling. Strange that reading something so enjoyable can also be considered research as well, no?

If you're going to paint a house by yourself during the dog days of summer, it's best to do so either in the morning or in the evening. Duh. What did I do most of the time? Painted during the middle of the afternoon. At least I can boast being a darker shade of Caucasian.

Adulthood is freaking expensive. When you move into a new place, there's a deposit or some other type of fee for everything. I had a conversation this afternoon with one of my undergrad professors about "good" debt and "bad" debt. Luckily, student loans qualify as the former, she said. She advised me to find a trust-fund baby wife in Abilene. In all honesty, though, I'm elated to be doing something I anticipate to bring me much fulfillment and joy. I can't do Corporate America...sorry. For all those who share the end goal of fulfillment/making a difference in the lives of others--as opposed to getting rich--I salute you!

Jet skiing is fabulous.

Misery usually doesn't last, though there are times we cannot possibly see any hope of respite. I suppose the same can be said for happiness. I do believe my faith developed a bit over the summer, and I try more and more to allow God to do what is best for me, for "the best schemes plans of mice and men go oft awry" indeed. I feel like I could write a novel on that last sentence, but that Steinbeck guy already did. Suffice it to say that trusting God (and surrendering your own "control") is one of the most difficult things to do. I hope I'm getting better.

I believe I'll insanely miss my mother's cooking. But...I do have a crock pot to work with. And a George Foreman grill...

I'll be happy to report on the grad school scene in Abilene soon. I make the trek early tomorrow morning, and will be interested to see if this place is the desolate wastleand I've envisioned through the descriptions of various Texans. I have this picture of Luke Skywalker's home planet of Tatooine in my head...hope I'm wrong.