Slinga da ink and pusha da pen

My senior year was the greatest year ever. I was in a great relationship, my classes were awesome (two core classes and five or six music classes? Yes.), my job was easy and fun, I carted my friends around in my Ford Aspire (The Easter Egg, aspiring to be a real car, etc, etc), I went to New Mexico, New York, and San Diego on music tours, I was the president of my choir, and thanks to Mononucleosis and a collapsed lung the previous summer, I was skinny and finally comfortable in my own skin. I had enough scholarships to last me a year and a half at the State college in my hometown, and two of my friends were planning to attend with me. The only bad part of that year was that my sister was serving as a missionary for a year half way around the world. It was my first Christmas without her, and she missed
all my performances and my graduation.

When she returned from overseas, we all went to a family reunion before she went back to Lincoln, Nebraska to start working and to take some summer classes at Union College. Every time we talked, she told me she was praying that I would go to Union. She also had the entire music department on my case. The band director treated my mom and me to brunch and the department chair called me twice. I told them thanks, but I already had plans to go to the State school, which was so much cheaper and closer to home. Besides, I had been to Union twice, and HATED it. The first time was in the blazing hot summer before my sister's freshman year, when the temperature and humidity matched each other at about 90. The second time was for her January birthday, when you could spit and an ice block would hit the ground. No mountains, miserable weather, and the Hot Topic in the mall considered Matchbox 20 hard rock. No thank you! I would rather spend my weekends skiing than cow tipping in some lame corn field.

But, I missed my Seester terribly, so I drove myself out to Lincoln one summer day to visit for a few days. I don't know what, but something about Union just felt different this time. It could have been the friendly atmosphere, it could have been the delicious vegetarian cafeteria food (... cue crickets chirping ...), but the thing that impressed me the most was that the dorm rooms had built-in desks, drawers, and bookshelves. Odd, I know, but the dorms at my college of choice had crappy WalMart desks and almost no storage. Practicality, people!

Anyway, I filled out an application. I told my sister that the only way I would go was if I didn't have to pay anything while I was there. I said a prayer, telling God the same thing. I was basically on my own for college expenses, and I could definitely not afford tuition plus room and board at a private college.

I went back home to continue preparations to go to the state school. I was fairly certain that my grades weren't good enough to earn enough scholarships to attend Union, so I was pretty confident that my plans wouldn't change. Then my friends who were both planning on attending with me each called me and told me they were going to other schools. I prayed some more. My sister worked with the Financial Officer at Union to find a way to get me there. She called me every day to tell me they had found yet another scholarship. I remained skeptical, but kept praying.

Then, a week or two before school was scheduled to start, I got a call. My sister said that my loan application had come through, and that with scholarships, loans, and on-campus work, I would not have to pay anything out-of-pocket until I graduated. God had worked it out, and I had better start packing. I turned in my resignation to my job and said goodbye to my family, friends and boyfriend. I still had to take my ACT since Union did not accept SAT scores, so without studying, I took the ACT when I got to Union, and I did a lot better than I expected.

So began four years of amazing classes, amazing friends, and amazing worship experiences. In fact, I'm still an Adventist because of Union College. College life was tough, and I missed my friends and family at home ALL THE TIME, but the great experiences I had there made the sacrifices worth it. I studied music, became a vegetarian, fell in love, spent endless hours talking with friends, learned how to play Rook, rehearsed and practiced four (or more) hours a day, swam many miles in the pool, explored Lincoln on my bike and rollerblades, attended hundreds of concerts, watched the Twin Towers fall, and changed my major six times. And never once did I go cow-tipping.