Yes, that day came all too fast, and I find myself back at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College.  Some things are just as they were last year:

--the roof leaks on the 4th floor,

--wireless internet only reaches to half of the dorm rooms,

--the freshmen look really young,

--the milk in the dining hall tastes weird,

--the door of one of the stalls in the ladies bathroom in Kelly Hall is missing,

--the weather is cooler here than at home (thankfully!),

--I have 19 credits, and,

--Walmart is the most exciting place in town to hang out on Friday night.

There are a few changes, though, mostly for the best:

--I'm a senior, thus, I get to park in the front parking lot every day ::hysteric cheering::,

--several friends got engaged over the summer,

--I have a room mate with whom I actually enjoy sharing a room,

--I have a room mate who will keep me accountable in eating healthy, exercising, and taking vitamins,

--I'm going to be a prayer group leader,

--I'm NOT a floor leader,

--I'm teaching 10 piano students instead of 2, and,

--I have wireless internet access in MY dorm room!!!  ::more wild cheering::

That's all for now...

...sea breeze in my hair, sunshine on my shoulders, and saltwater in my mouth--yummy!  I love the beach!  We spent the morning on Matunuck beach on the coast of Rhode Island.  The water was kind of cold, but, praise the Lord, it was the first sunny day for over a week!  I put sunblock on my upper arms while I was wearing a t-shirt, but forgot to put it on my back when I went swimming, so I have some really strange looking sunburn lines on my back, shoulders, and lower arms.  It's like red, white, red.  Once again, I mess up the perfect opportunity for a nice, even tan/burn.  But anyway, after we finished at the beach, we had lunch at a genuine seafood restaurant--Captain Jack's.  I ordered swordfish and clam chowder, which were good, but the highlight of the meal was the appetizer--steamed clams.  Eating them is an adventure.  You open the shells and scrape out the little grayish splotchy colored clam.  When you pull off the skin, what's left is a little "neck"--kind of like a short black worm--with the body--a squishy blob with little unidentifiable organs in it--dangling on the end of it.  You dip this into the communal dish of water to wash off the sand, though usually you end up crunching a few grains.  Then you dip it in the communal butter sauce dish, and maybe sprinkle on some salt.  Then you close your eyes, hold your nose, and pop it in your mouth.  It's kind of like chewing on rubber, with a fishy taste. Actually, I liked them a lot. 

We have also been to Niagra Falls, NYC, Philadelphia, Boston, and Providence since I last posted.  We also spent some time in beautiful upstate New York, Pennsylvania's Amish country, and hilly, wooded New England.  I've decided to move to the east when I grow up, but I just haven't decided if I'll live in NY, PA, MA, or RI.

We're in a posh hotel tonight, and we're going to watch a movie, so I have to go... 

:)

Yes, we will officially be on the road as of tomorrow.  We will spend one more night on campus sometime next week, but besides that, the bridge is burned, no turning back, and all that jazz.  The trailor that we pull behind the van is going to be so full, as will as every seat in the van.  Thank the Lord, I have my own seat to organize or disorganize as I please.  I envision it being a very large mess before a fortnight is passed. 

This weekend will find all of us girls at Bethany's house, where we will be enjoying her family's swimming pool, and at a wedding on Saturday. After our Sunday services, we will begin the trek out to Colorado, where we will be for most of the week.  Then, after stopping back in MN for a wedding next weekend, we will proceed east, to New York.  We will be in that region (NY, PA, MA, NJ, RI,) for several weeks before we head back out west.  And when I say west, I mean west, like Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho.  I'm sure I will have many excing adventures during the next 8 weeks of travel, but I probably will not be able to post very many of them, as I probably won't ever have internet access.  I'll be back at the end of July, so I hope you can survive without me until then.  I'm sure your lives will be incredibly boring, but, I would encourage you all to take up a new hobby this summer, like croquet, or woodcarving, or tatting.  Have a good and productive summer!  Love to you all!