How NOT to settle in to a new city...

I would not suggest, my dear friends, that you welcome yourself to new surroundings by wrecking your car. For the record, some stop signs in Nashville are not in fact four way stops like they might appear to be. Tuesday was a rather stressful day, and it's looking like I'll be car-less for a couple weeks, but no one was hurt, so it definitely could've been far worse. And having gotten past the really scared oh-#$&*-I-just-wrecked-my-car phase of the experience, I've been thinking a lot about the ways that the Big Guy (or Girl?) Upstairs was looking out for me throughout the whole thing. There's the obvious one, that no one got hurt, and then there are the littler things. Like all of the people I met or talked to that day, for most of whom I never even learned a name. There's the nice businessman that gave me his handkerchief (don't worry, it was clean) and told me to stand in the shade, the random guy who told me which phone number to call, the kind policewoman and the friendly tow-truck man who helped get MB where she needed to go to be fixed. There are the facts that I have a boss that was willing to come get me from the car place, that my co-workers and fellow YAVs are willing to drive me around, and that my parents aren't too mad about me for messing up my car. (Or if they are, they did a really good job of hiding it during the multiple it'll-be-ok phone calls.) And I think the worshiping and dinner-ing of PSF was just what I needed that night. So to all of the people that helped me that day whether they know it or not, thanks friends.

Despite the aforementioned dramatic events (yeah...aforementioned), the week wasn't all bad. I had my first couple appointments with students (if you ask me, the word "appointment" makes it sound super formal/kind of awkward, but they were neither of those things), which involved delicious food and coffee. For real, I think Bongo Java and I are going to become good friends in the next 10 months. Next week should be good too, because I'll be starting our every-Monday lunch in the Commons (Commons is to Vandy as the DH is to Furman...dining hall) for any PSFers or others that want to join. Coloring books will be present, along with my Crayola 120-pack. Admit it, everybody likes coloring every now and then, and every college student can use some stress relief! Also on Tuesday, Holly (div school intern at PSF) and I are heading to Luke 14:12 one more time before we start taking students every week. And by "one more time" I mean the first time was supposed to be this past Tuesday, and we all know now how that went for me...Holly made it there though.

TOT (Theology on Tap) happened again on Thursday, as it does every week, and the Live on the Green concert downtown this week was The Wailers! In the company of some of my fellow YAVs and some new friends too, it was pretty awesome. (And I mean, after the past few days I'd been having I think it was good to hear some happy reggae guys sing that "every little thing is gonna be alright...") For "community night" last night we all went out to dinner to a place called Copper Kettle, and it was aaabsolutely delicious. It's a meat-and-three type place (I'd never heard of this meat-and-three concept until I got here...) and I had fried catfish with mac n cheese, green bean casserole, and some other veggies. Mm mmm good (Campbell's Soup blessing, anybody?).

So, things have been looking up since Tuesday, that's for sure. Church in the morning and my second handbell practice tomorrow afternoon! Hopefully some more YAV bonding tonight too. :) But that's all the news for now, friends.

Love,
Allison.

P.S. - Furman 31, Citadel 14. Despite the fact that football and sports in general are pretty far down on my list of priorities in life, it's still pretty fun when your alma mater wins!