4th semester of college....

Dear friends and family....
If you would like an update on the past 1st month of my 4th semester of college, here is a short little summary....

The day before I flew back to Michigan, I (for a winter change) I dyed my hair dark, weaving my natural blonde into the mix on top so that when it grows out, it won't really need a touch up. So far, I've received a lot of compliments from the Michiganders on my new do. (I've actually had quite a few people tell me that they like dark hair better on me than my natural blonde. I'm happy with it, however I think I'll stick with my blonde when it's all said and done) I haven't really taken any pictures (of my hair) or of anything/anyone actually, but as soon as I do I'll post them up for ya'll to see.

I'm taking a 15 hour credit load (due to the softball season in the spring) instead of the 18 credit hours that I take during the fall. I'm only taking one general education course this semester and it is my last science credit. I'm taking it as an online study. The rest of my classes are all for my family life program, and I'm enjoying them immensely. For my preschool-aged child development class I have to observe 3-4 year old children at a nearby elementary school (it has a full time day care for infants and toddlers - which I observed in last semester - and 4 different preschool programs) The children are adorable. After two visits, there is one particular boy (who has a lot of issues developmentally (emotionally & mentally - he has a rough home life situation) and he has completely stolen my heart and holds it firmly in his hands. He is such a little sweetie and I just want to adopt him and take care of him and give him all the attention he needs and desires.
Softball is also going well, the schedule is starting to pick up and become more intense as we approach February 27th, which is the day we leave for Clairmont, FL for a week long spring break tournament. I have the honor as a sophomore (along with my roommate Jeni from last year) of being 1 of our team's 4 captains. The other two are seniors.

This past weekend, our team held a softball clinic. We had the great opportunity of having Cat Osterman (She played for Texas, and was a phenomenal pitcher for the U.S. Olympic softball team - I had the chance to talk to her which was wonderful, however I chose not to get a picture with her, or her signature - I've never really been that type of fan) along with Samantha Findlay, a first baseman who graduated from UofM (which my coach is also an alumni of) and currently holds the team's homerun record. They were both great to work with, definitely athletes that I would look up to for their skill, dedication, and discipline for their sport. I had a recruit from the clinic stay with me for the night afterwards. I'm not much of an entertainer (especially for strangers who are shy), thankfully I had a couple of my freshman teammates help me out keep the girl occupied so she had a good experience on our college campus.

So far, I don't really have any complaints. I'm approaching everyday with the knowledge that God has blessed my life in many many ways, and instead of worrying about things that are out of my control, I've been focusing on the things that actually matter in the long run. What I've been saying to myself when an issue arises, "Is it really gonna matter when I'm 80 years old?" I've been very exhausted, but I can't really say that I've had an actual 'bad' day since being back in MI. I'm loving life, and thanking God for every breath He gives me.

Until next time, God bless!