A little catching up

Hello friends! I hope you're having a wonderful evening - one of the last days of 2011. Isn't it incredible? This last year has been so long in some ways, but it has also just flown by!

Since it's been more than six months since my old blog friends have heard from me, and since some people may never have heard of me at all - well, listen to me, pretending I have more than 1.5 readers! - I thought it might be good to talk a little about what the last year has held for me. Nothing too major, of course. I don't want to bore anybody.  :-}

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And those asterisks represent almost a half-hour of trying to decide how to describe my life without describing any personally identifiable details!  :-O  I think my Internet paranoia is getting worse ...

I've made it to the four-year college, and I love it! It's lived up to my expectations of being a wide-open place full of intellectual growth, leadership opportunities, demanding professors, and hard work; and it's given me a few surprises, like peaceful walks down tree-lined shortcut paths, buying hot cocoa or pastries from shivering students in the snow, lazy afternoons hanging out at the library or bookstore, and surprise run-ins with other Christians in unexpected places. I'm doing well in my classes, working several fun jobs, and meeting lots of different and interesting people. I feel very thankful and blessed to be here! I'm trying hard to be a positive influence where God has placed me.

I left my last blog, Give Me Jesus, struggling to determine a life's purpose for myself. Quite dramatically, I admit. *blush* That issue, too, has been resolved, at least for now; I've picked a major and mapped out a plan for myself in it, all the way through a Ph.D. I want to be a professor and researcher in my chosen field. I'm not going to spell it out exactly because it's pretty obscure, but it's something that I will be very good at and very content in, and in which I could really make a difference in helping other Christians. I'm committed to working hard in it and pursuing a career in that area, unless the Lord does something shocking to convince me to do otherwise. Which He has been known to do.  :-)  But the way that affects you is - no more whining and storming about finding a life's purpose. Yay!!

So basically, I am doing well. My family is doing well, too; all of my brothers and sister are in various levels of schooling and doing fabulously, getting all kinds of recognition and honors.  ;-)  We had a lovely Christmas together as a family, staying up super-late to wrap presents and popping up early again to unwrap them with the little ones. We've watched a lot of great movies for the first time, like Random Harvest (1942), Roman Holiday (1953), Tangled (2011), and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). I'm sure I'll be posting about them in the future!

Aaaaaand, it's getting pretty late, so I guess this is enough for tonight ... I'm sure I'll remember other things to tell you about later, but I just wanted to catch you up on some of the things that happened while I was gone. I've been following all of your blogs off and on, and I'm glad that y'all are doing so well. Keep the lovely posts coming!  :-)

Have a wonderful evening with your family and friends!

Love in Christ,
Vicki