Finishing Strong
As I write this I am sitting outside in the courtyard, enjoying the 70-degree weather that we've had recently in Nashville. The tulips are blooming and the sun is shining - it's a beautiful day. I can't believe that in just two short weeks my mom will be here and we will be preparing to load up my little red Mercury Sable to make the nine-hour drive back to Kansas City! I still remember move-in day like it was yesterday; I remember meeting my roommates for the first time, spending hours unpacking and organizing, and just wondering what my first year of college had in store for me. The past two semesters have been wonderful, and I really can't wait to come back this fall.
Speaking of this fall...housing selection was this week, and since I transferred in several college credits, I was able to register on the first day!! One of my current roommates (Raychel) and I will be living in Thrailkill next semester and our room has a perfect view of the Nashville skyline. Isn't that exciting?! 
Thrailkill has two-person rooms and suite-style bathrooms. One of my good friends, Laura, will be living in the room next to us so that should be a lot of fun.
The next few weeks are actually not going to be as crazy for me as I thought they might be. I am working on a persuasive speech and finishing up a paper for my writing class, but other than that, I really don't have too much to do besides just studying for finals. The classes that I took this semester were great. Although they were stressful at times, I feel like they helped me grow - especially as far as public speaking goes - and they were all really interesting. I was in a Linked Cohort class this semester (Mass Media and Speech) and it was one of the best experiences that I have had here at Belmont so far. There were about 20 students in the class and, since we saw each other every day, we all got really close; we even have a group on Facebook! It just felt like such a community and I'm really glad I got to be a part of it. I will miss not having my Linked Cohort classes next semester.
Next Saturday is the Country Music Half-Marathon!!! I'm very excited, but a little nervous. The farthest that Laura and I have run so far is nine miles, but this Saturday we are going for ten! We've both trained so hard, and I think we will be ready to take on the 13.1 miles by April 26th. 
One of our favorite Bible verses for motivation is from Hebrews 12, verses one and two: "Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Those words bring us much peace and encouragement. I can't wait to cross that finish line! Yesterday was our last five-mile run and after we finished Laura said, "What are we going to do with all of the free time we'll have after we finish training?" That's a good question.
I will really miss not seeing my friends from Belmont over the summer! I'll get to see Raychel, and hopefully I will be able to meet one of my other friends, Ateia, in Chicago, but I'll have to wait until August to see everyone else. I'm ready to go back home to KC for a while, but I know that I will also be ready to get settled in again here at Belmont in the fall.
