this gift basket

April of my senior year of college has seriously been the best month of my life.  It consisted of bucket list items being crossed off, two very full days hanging out/presenting at the Psi Chi Symposium, senior night at large group where the sophomores on leadership dedicated the night to us, IV leadership and senior parties, happy hour with the professors, and going to the Virginia Psychological Association (VPA) Convention with all of the 491 Research Teams.

my research team! :) [Dr. Stebbins, Chelsea, me, David]

VPA was by far the best experience I've had academically in undergrad.  We rolled up 50 deep to the convention with students and professors, spent the night in the hotel, presented our research and went to other presentations, went out for food/drinks (basically all paid for by UMW hollaaa), and gained new friendships while strengthening the familiar ones.  Please tell me how it is possible to make new friends during the last week of classes?!

Since getting back from VPA I've been reflecting so much on all of the wonderful experiences I've had in college.  Somehow I fell into being a psychology major here and learning about the subject quickly became such a strong passion of mine.  I am so lucky to have gone to UMW for undergrad because we have an amazing psych department that emphasizes research, other out-of-classroom experiences, and mentoring relationships.  We are truly such a tight knit family.  Also in these four years I had the pleasure of serving on IV leadership with an awesome group of students and getting to watch and participate in lives being transformed.  I've grown academically, spiritually, and learned so many vital life-lessons here.  My relationships with psych peers, IV friends, professors, and staff workers are ones that will be a part of me wherever I go in life.

I just can't help but feel so blessed.  I'm so elated as to how everything just sort of fell into place.  God placed me on this campus for a purpose and shoved me into Chandler to declare a psychology major when I had no idea what I was even signing up for.  He also shoved me into InterVarsity without me having any idea what I was getting myself into there, either.  Now both of these experiences are engraved on my heart.  Forever.

This week wrapped up four years as perfectly as possible.  I can't tightly package these memories into a box and so these past seven days lumped them together into a unique gift basket with a pretty bow on top:  a mix of people and experiences and places.  The last few pages of this chapter were scribbled with heart-to-heart conversations, an IV large group where Jess gave one of the best talks of the year, going out dancing at night, hugging people that I love and I never want to leave, and watching a year of hard work with research come together in one climactic conference.  Laughter and tears.  Academic challenges and Jesus expanding my heart.  IV friends and psychology friends.  Dancing in a club and deep conversations in a stairwell.

It all fell into place perfectly, not in a confined box but in a care-package bursting with love and joy and warmth.  Bursting with a sense of home.

I've been blessed beyond what I ever dreamed up for these college years.