Holding My Own, Knowing My Name, and Going My Own Way

Well, I never thought I would see this day, but I have officially become a blogger. Crazy, I know. My good friend, Ali, said that I'd start once I got to college but I never believed her, until now. It just seems to make sense for keeping track of everything new in my life and keeping the people I love updated on my goings on. Being in college has made it much harder to stay connected with everyone, especially back at home, so I thought I'd give this a shot. I'm not promising brilliance here, it'll most likely be full of ramblings and I'll probably rarely ever update it, but we'll see what happens.

Well, it's been over three months since I moved away from the beautiful town I've known my whole life to the windy city of Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan and so much has happened since then. I'm nearing the end of my first semester of my freshman year at Loyola University and I still can't believe that I'm here. This whole college experience still hasn't fully sunk in yet. I remember seven or so years ago when I watched my amazing older sister, Molly, go off to college at DePaul and thinking she was so brave. The thought of college scared me to death, I couldn't imagine living on my own and so far away from everyone I loved. Well, when the day finally arrived for me to follow her lead, I can't say I was any less scared than I was seven years ago.

This semester has been a whirlwind of activity. It's been full of meeting new people, finding my way around campus, exploring the city, learning how to do laundry, and the occasional homework assignment or two (or lots). It's amazing how quickly the weeks go by here. I think part of it is having a different schedule everyday and almost always being busy. So far, I'm really happy with the people I've met and the friends I've made here. While many of them are very different from my friends back at home, I was surprised by how quickly I was able to open up to them. My classes have been pretty enjoyable so far. As of right now I'm planning on majoring in Marketing with a possible minor in Spanish. However, I've also thought about potentially majoring in International Business, so we'll see where the year takes me.

I'm definitely glad to see the semester coming to a close (minus all the papers and finals and stress) because it means that I'll soon be spending some quality time back in beautiful Minnesota. It's amazing how being away from the land of 10,000 lakes has really instilled a great amount of Minnesotan pride in my heart. It has never been more apparent to me that I want my life to return back there someday. There's a good reason why it's the state with the highest percentage of returning citizens.

Anyways, it's not just the state that I miss. Of course I miss being in my house, sleeping in my big bed, showering without wearing flip flops, eating real food, and driving my car, but more than all of that, I miss my family and friends. I hate not being home for family dinners and hearing about everyone's day. I don't like that I'm missing out on my mom's and Molly's crazy teacher stories, or Steve's stories of being on the road. I hate the fact that when January rolls around I won't be going to the father/daughter dance with my dad. All these things in my life that were constants for so long have now completely ended, and that's something that I'm still getting used to.

Needless to say, I've been counting down the days until Thanksgiving break (only 5 more to go!). This year will be especially exciting because nearly the entire Seidel family (all 40 something of us) will be staying up at Trapper's Landing on Leech Lake. We're pretty much renting out the entire resort so it's appropriately been dubbed the Seidel Family Trapper's Turkey Day Takeover. I can't remember the last time so many of us were all in the same place at the same time. I've never been so excited for a holiday in my entire life! It'll be so great to see everyone again and spend some serious family bonding time with them.

Well, that's enough of my ramblings for one night. Besides, I've got stuff to do before the midnight premiere of New Moon (the second installment of the Twilight saga, for those of you who are unaware)! I'm sure I'll have more to write in the near future but until then, all my love, Kate.

P.S. If you're wondering about the title of this post, it's loosely based on the song "Details in the Fabric" by Jason Mraz ft. James Morrison. If you don't know it, you should definitely check it out.

P.P.S If you're wondering about the title of my blog, "The Heart of Life" by John Mayer is one of my all time favorite songs and is definitely worth a listen.