we are the same person

so today was the first day of orientation. i met a lot of people from all over the country and the world. i tell you, it's tiring. i was ready for bed about 2 hours ago...it's currently 9:46 and i'm on my way there. BUT being there and seeing the people i COULD be living with (even though i did meet many wonderful people) made me EXTRA thankful for who my roommates are...but one in particular.

here's a few things about her that i find interesting...

- she is a Christian! [in this atheist and liberal region that is SO RARE]

- her undergrad degree is international business and spanish

- she studied in spain

- she worked in her university's study abroad office

- here, she is studying international education

- she wants to advise/direct study abroad programs

- of the dvds that we own, i would say 75% of them are the same

- she's doing a running plan out of women's health [just like me]

- she wears a sleep mask. enough said.

let's see.....who does she remind you of???

a barefoot day and a conquered fear

surprise, freaks!

no gladiators or galoshes for me today! my first whole day in vermont was, instead, a carefree and relaxed barefoot day. it is very unusual for me to not have things to do, places to go, and people to see, and i think God knew that i needed some time like this just so i could be in rest and be me.

i DID, however, unknowingly conquer a fear. this is the fear of running outside where people can see me. you see, i'm not exactly the cutest when i run. my face gets all red and my breathing gets really loud...and the embarrassing part is that i run slowly so my red face and hard breathing hardly seem earned :) however, when i woke up this morning i didn't think twice about putting on my running shoes and jogging down main street, cutting through people, grinning a good morning, one person even asked me for the time! my final destination: the food co-op.

i didn't think twice about being all hot and sweaty...i just felt like an appropriate fit amidst the organic foods. the unaware observer would assume that i am both athletic and a healthy eater...we're working on the validity of that assumption :) although i did panic as i stood in the check-out line - it's a food co-op, everyone else was carrying their eco-friendly tote bags. i didn't have one. picture this: newbie food co-oper jen hiking up main street carrying individual plastic bags of produce, 1 lonely avocado, 2 granola bars and an odwalla. yeah, quite the sight. i think i breathed an audible sigh of relief when the man started to bag my groceries (in a plain paper bag, of course, which i am greenly using as my garbage can to make up for my lack of a personal grocery tote).

all this to tell you that it wasn't until a few hours later, when i was talking with my roommate about my running plan (because she has the same one from the same magazine!) and i casually mentioned that my run today was down main street that she said, "oh so you're one of those confident runners who doesn't care who sees you when you run". it caught me so off guard i didn't know what to say - because i guess that, now, i am! goodbye, irrational fear of people judging me while i [try to] run and helllloooooo confident running!

my first night in my new home

well here i am, in my cozy little bed in my cozy little room on my very first night away from everything and everyone familiar, near, and dear, on the very first night of my brand-new adventure.

after a late, late night of packing and tying up loose ends, a tearful early morning airport farewell, 2 delayed flights (having a delay due to the effects of a hurricane is a new one for this midwestern girl!), an airport transfer and 4 new states later, i arrived at my new home.

i knew i was on the east coast when, in philly, i had to awkwardly sidle in between two people to get a seat on the airport shuttle, i had several large bulky bags that had no choice but to bump into the man next to me as i tried to make myself as small and unobtrusive as possible. i apologized, and he looked at me and said, “no, you don’t have to be sorry”

i knew i was on the east coast when my airport transfer got out of the van and he was a short, bearded old man wearing suspenders, a plaid shirt and a newsboy cap. kind of like a leprechaun, but new england style.

i knew i was on the east coast as we drove through the hills and into my town, and beautiful old houses lined the streets....we passed one, and my heart sank. i had hoped that was mine. but then....we turned around and it was!

an overgrown patch of sad-looking yet somehow cheery sunflowers greeted me through the foggy afternoon sun, and this dazed little girl was lucky to finally see a face and hear a voice to make her feel welcome. throughout the afternoon i unpacked my things, slowly making my room my home. as i write, i realize that today, i have been living a dream. not living THE dream, as some speak of. rather, this doesn’t seem real. here i am, a new state, new roommates, a town i have yet to step foot in, a new school and new schedule...but for some reason, it just hasn’t set in as real. when will it? i don’t know. but i know that today i was wearing my gladiators, doing the things that had to be done through a daze of lots of change. the faces of my friends and family from home are smiling down on me from my martha stewart photo craft, but i am not going to see them again in the flesh for several months. and when i think about it, it’s awful. but then i think about everything awaiting me, the new people, experiences, adventures, learning opportunities.....well, i guess it’s kind of neutral right now :) was it worth it? trading that - people who love me and who i love - to follow the passions that God has put in my heart? i don’t know....but God does, and i trust him.

and already, i feel His presence and His blessing on my life here. #1 blessing is indeed my roommates....i know it’s only the first day, but i can already tell that it is going to be good. they are both so caring and sharing and willing to chat and to help...in anything. it’s weird making a home with people you have never met, hanging out in each other’s rooms talking, but not really having much common to talk about. they aren’t 336 or d2 by any means...or anything even close....but it was just one little piece of the puzzle that proves that God is taking care of me.

#2 blessing is kind of a weird one....because it’s kind of backwards. but being here, and missing my life there, is showing me what AMAZING people i have in my life, and how blessed i am to have them. yes, that means you! all of the parties and last-minute visits and dates before i left, the fun times just relaxing and laughing with my family, and all of the texts, calls, messages and blessings i have received since i have left mean the WORLD to me....more than you know. i thank God for you, my friends and family (and some of you are both) every single day. and thank YOU, too.

an introduction...

hello to my friends and family and everyone else out there who happened to stumble upon my new blog...i am honored that you are taking the time to read about my life. my life is a new life now, as i have traveled across the country and in just a few short days will embark upon a new academic adventure.

some may be wondering about the title of my blog....why did i pick gladiators and galoshes?

just a few reasons...

(a) it's catchy, isn't it?

(b) i wanted a title that will let me continue blogging forever (if i'm up for the challenge), not just for this one new year

(c) gladiators and galoshes are 2 of my favorite kinds of shoes...

(d) and they are very different kinds of shoes:

some days you have to go, see, and conquer. that's when you wear your gladiators. other days you can wear those trendy gladiator sandals when you want to say, "hey world, here i am!" galoshes are used more rarely, but just because it's raining doesn't mean that you can't have fun. puddle jumping, laughing, running in the rain...every day in this adventure i call life, i wear a different pair of shoes...and sometimes there's a costume change halfway through the day :)

these two different kinds of shoes portray something that i am always learning how to balance in my life: work and play. some days, you have to put on your gladiators and plow through. other days, you put on your gladiators and strut your stuff. and other days, you put on your galoshes, throw your cares to the wind and laugh and play. hopefully, as you read my blog, you will see me wearing both gladiators and galoshes (figuratively, of course) and making the most out of every second in them.