maple scholars and other tidbits

Music: Another One Bites the Dust by Queen Yesterday I packed up my items and with the help of my parents moved into Kulp 111. For the next 2 months this will be my home while I participate in Maple Scholars. I realized how much fun it can be to move in and rearrange your own little dorm room. I have never lived by myself on GC campus before and it is fun to have complete control over how my room looks. Plus I had never realized how much a nice rug and some plants can make your whole room look so nicely decorated. Plus I have a south facing window that is edged in vines and a comfy red leather chair and reading lamp. So overall I am quite happy with the arrangement. Today I met with my advisor Jan for the first time and I am really beginning to get excited about my research this summer and getting to really flex my mental muscle per say. I also have really been enjoying being able to use my own computer with a T1 internet connection. Yah for being online again! It really is amazing, once I get a good internet, my spider solitaire addiction seems to just fix itself. :) As for the rest of my life, I am reaching a ever wavering but growing sense of contentment. I think a large part of that is due to my increasing tendency to see God as a larger part of my thought process and also by allowing myself to have greater levels of hope in things to come in my life. And since I never did get around to blogging about my road trip to Laurel. I will tell the brief story of our Arby's Quest. Around noon on our first day (Goshen to Hesston, Kansas) we decided that we should probably stop in the near future for some kind of meal and narrowed our choices down to Subways, Arby's and a possible Wendy's. We continued our drive, but eventually decided around 2, just as we were passing west of St. Louis that Arby's was where we really wanted to stop. About this same time, Arby's disappeared off the face of the earth! As we drove past exit after exit with only lowly McDonald's, Burger Kings and Subways, we grew more adamant in our desire for Arby's. We would not give in to the wily ways of Kansas, we were determined. The afternoon slowly slipped by and soon we saw 6pm drawing near and still no Arby's! Finally at a exit, there it was! The beloved large red hat that bears the noble name of Arby's. Ecstatic we pulled off and followed the arrow, delighted to finally fulfill our quest. But alas, we were too eager, for the sign lied to us. Raised our hopes then crushed them to the lowest, low. The promised Arby's was not there! We searched so hard that we actually ended up at the next on-ramp for I-70. Sighing, we decided that Arby's was not in our destiny for that day, so we consoled ourselves with a third place Wendy's, but not before vowing that we would continue our search on the third leg of trip.* *dear reader, you will be glad to know that on the third day of our road trip we did indeed find and dine at a lovely Arby's just outside of Flagstaff Arizona.