The first step of a long journey

Since I've been home from college I have been getting asked ONE question constantly:
"So is there a guy in your life?" I just want to ease the minds of my loved ones and let you know that if there were a guy crazy enough to be with me, I would let everyone know. 

Okay, so that's not the most frequently asked question, but I do get asked it a ton. The question I get asked the most is, "How was your first year of school?" I know I shouldn't, but I hate getting asked this question. It's not because I'm like a spy or something and every time you ask I have to give you my cover story... it's because I feel like I can never give the answer my year deserves. So usually I reply with something along the lines of "It's great, I loved it, I'm definitely going back." It hits everything the asker is wondering, so they leave the conversation feeling happy and well informed. Yet I wonder just how much is condensed down into that short statement. So yes, Cedarville is great and yes I love it,  but I feel like unless I sat down for an hour I could never do my year justice. I decided that it would be great to give a recap of my Cedarville University love story for everyone wondering.


Tough Stuff: First off, let me answer the questions that everyone (sometimes not-so) secretly wonders: Yes, I got homesick. Sometimes I would just sit on my bed listening to country music (something about country feels like home), thinking about all the things I was missing at home. Yes, my sisters missed me a ton. Sometimes they would cry and call me asking me to come home. Sometimes I seriously wondered why I picked a college in the middle of the cornfields of Ohio. Honestly, it is so hard to miss out on so many milestones in my sister's lives, but someday I want them to be able to say "You know what, my sister took a risk and because she made it, I know I can make it too." Yes, it was the hardest thing I've ever done, but Yes, it was all worth it. Once my parents saw what I fell in love with, they understood why Cedarville was where I needed to be.

Picture Perfect: From the second I stepped onto campus for the first time, I knew it was where I belonged. First off, the campus is beautiful. A large lake in the center, gorgeous buildings, and fields filled with tractors everywhere. Second off, by September it truly felt like home. I remember going for a bike ride and run one day when it just hit me "Home is where you make it to be." I realized that if I spent too much time thinking about how it wasn't Maine, I would miss out on what makes Ohio a pretty neat place to live. So no, it's not Maine, but it can be my home for now.

People: The professors really care. I once met with a professor (that I don't even have) at 5 o'clock on a Friday night for him to answer some questions I had for a speech project. Sometimes they invite us into their homes for meals, and I have heard more than one hilarious story about my each of my psych profs. They give you book recommendations, career advice and life lessons, all without a single complaint. They share in your victories and mourn in your sorrows. As my mentor once said "Someday I hope to be sitting in my rocker at an old folks home and have a nurse come up and say 'You remember that Taylor Hobbs girl? Well look at everything she has done!' And then I'll know that I poured into you so much that you became more than I could have imagined."
     The people who work all over campus absolutely love the place. From the maintenance guys to the store clerk in town, everyone loves and prays for the students on campus. I was blessed enough to score an awesome job in Admissions this past semester, and I don't think people realize how much those people care about them. We regularly pray for our prospective students to follow God's path, even if it doesn't take them to Cedarville. Love is at the center of every call we make, email we send, and card we write.
    Finally, I met a ton of great peers. From Day One I met so many upperclassmen who were willing to grab lunch with a freshman to answer my questions and give me advice. So many great friendships and opportunities came out of these lunch dates. Also, having so many diverse classes meant that I quickly became a part of the school, someone who could wave to a majority of people as I walked by. Honestly I think the nicest thing was not being a minority because of my morals and beliefs. It was great to not have my beliefs questioned, but understood.

Opportunities: Since I've been at Cedarville I've had the chance to some pretty great opportunities. During my first semester I wrote for the school paper, which meant I had the chance to meet and interview a ton of interesting people. Even though the people were all so different, they shared two common loves: God and Cedarville. I joined a gospel choir because there were no auditions required. It's incredible because God really opened doors that I didn't even know existed. Some people may know that I will also be graduating a year early. That's such a blessing and I seriously can't believe it all worked out.
I figured it would make a great story... especially considering everyone that knows me well enough knows I can't carry a tune. Every Monday I ate with the French club which meant I learned some Parisian french, and they learned some Canadian french. Next year I will actually be serving as the VP of the club. PKT is not a sorority, even though the letters look Greek. Just thought I should get that out there. It's actually the org (like a club) for Psych majors. I also got a spot as a tour guide and I'm on the Student Academic Advisory Board as the Junior Psychology Rep.

   Campus life is also great and though I didn't go to a party on campus (not even a little sad about that), I zip-lined, ice skated, slid, laser tagged and met a ton of famous speakers and singers, all on campus.
   Also Cedarville is located with in an hour of 3 of the most popular concert spots. This means that almost every big band's tour comes within an hour of campus. So, I got to have a front row spot to see Switchfoot for free, great seats for the Reliant K 10 Year Anniversary Tour, and met Phil Wickham.

Lessons learned: The great thing about going to a Christian college is that the overwhelming majority of the learning doesn't come from a textbook, but from the Good Book. While professors want to make you into good professionals, they are more concerned with making you a disciple. They help you explore your beliefs and teach you how to build your beliefs into your career. While I have learned so much about psychology from the few courses I have been able to take, I have learned so much about myself through learning about my faith. I have learned about the power of prayer, and about the danger of trying to fix something before asking God to help. I've learned how to think more humbly and be more patient. I fell in love again with God's Word and my prayer life grew to an intimacy never before experienced. Hopefully, I have learned to be a better friend, sister, and human.

I hope this post did a little bit better of a job at telling you how my year went. As you can see, it really was great and I did love it... but there is so much more to it than just that.

My next blog will be about the direction I feel God is calling me to go as far as my career is concerned, so be on the lookout, it's pretty interesting.