Two days away

Two years ago I thought this day would never come, and now it is only two days away. In two days I'm moving across the country-- temporarily, at least. I'm moving to Washington, DC for a summer internship at The Heritage Foundation, a public policy think tank. Sometimes when I tell people about my summer plans, it feels as though I'm talking about someone else. Reality hasn't exactly set in yet, evidenced by the empty suitcases and incomplete paperwork sitting at home.

As thrilled as I am to have this internship and to experience the DC lifestyle, I'm also trying to keep my expectations in check. Ideally, work will be fun, I'll meet tons of great people, join a dynamic church, take full advantage of the gorgeous stainless steel appliances in my kitchen, and suddenly perfect my time-management skills so that I can work, study, socialize AND sleep in any given 24-hour period. Oh, and my hair will remain unaffected by the frizzing effects of east-coast humidity. The last one might be a little too ambitious.

In all seriousness, I'm trying to expect that God will do great things without predicting how that will play out. I want my job to be fun. I want my classes to be easy. I want to enjoy the company of friends. I want to look like a fabulous young professional every single day. But more than that, I want my job to be challenging. I want to learn something in class. I want to be a blessing to the people around me. I still want to look fabulous every single day. And I want God to use me in all of it, even if that means certain expectations must be surrendered.

Already I've been getting hints to expect the unexpected this summer. And to just roll with it. Like today, I learned that my original roommate decided to not participate in the program, which meant that I would be assigned a roommate. Obviously, this was not part of the plan. Correction: this was not part of my plan. Lindsey, my new roommate, and I apparently have several mutual friends, plus our apartmentmates-- Kristi and Sara-- couldn't be better ladies to live with. They are two of the kindest, smartest, most beautiful and fun people I know. (If you know them, then you know that I'm not "just saying that.") And from what I've heard, Lindsey is too. So basically, we have a fantastic apartment and a great opportunity to become closer friends. I couldn't have planned it better myself.