December 1st!!

It is December 1st, meaning... I GET TO START EATING THE CANDY FROM MY ADVENT CALENDAR!!!

Okay, so I´m not just excited about treating myself to a piece of chocolate every day, I just love this time of year. Though it is really different this year to be here instead of home, and really hard to think that I´ll still be here for Christmas and New Years, I still love this time of year. This is probably going to be one of the hardest Christmas´s ever, and yet I will probably remember it for the rest of my life. You know, one of the hardest parts of being here for Christmas instead of home is going to be missing the Christmas Eve service at my church, missing reading the story of Jesus´ birth with my family before we open presents Christmas morning, missing making desserts with my mom to take over to my grandparents´ house.. Okay, so I guess I´m going to miss a lot. And it will be hard. But I´ll make it through, and I get to have the awesome opportunity to experience Christmas in a new culture and to participate in the traditions and customs of my host family. This is just another step in my life to help me grow... meanwhile the chocolate pieces every day will help, because chocolate solves everything, right?

When did growing up become so hard? As much as it is amazing to see where God leads me in my life, it is hard too... I mean, I trust that He is guiding me, but I´ve never liked change. And the change never ends. Once I come home from here, I just get to deal with more change, only this time I´ll be speaking English.. Hmm.. I think I´ll try and make friends with Peter Pan so I can fly off to Neverland.