Welcome to Tennessee...

Yesterday morning I rolled out of bed and into my little, white Honda Civic.  With my sister Hannah beside me and my family packed into the Suburban attached to a U-HAUL, we hit the road headed for Nashville.  An hour into the drive, Hannah and I were dying to get out of the car… and we had 7 hours more to go. We stopped in Clemson to pick up some furniture and it was a bit bittersweet driving passed my favorite coffee shop and my old apartment.

It was Cow Appreciation day at Chic-Fil-A apparently – everyone in the place was dressed up like a cow to get free food. Out of place and eager to get to our destination, we dived into lunch during our drive.

We arrived to my new apartment and had a few surprises greeting us. The next few hours were overwhelming, frustrating, and maddening, but good at the same time. We grabbed dinner from a fabulous local Mexican restaurant and chatted with a few college friends from Nashville, blew up the air mattresses, and hit the bed.

I tossed and turned for forever in my tiny twin bed and new room.  I was tired, so tired, but I couldn’t fall asleep. I passed out sometime after midnight, but my eyes popped open at 6am. I gave up on trying to go back to sleep about 30 minutes later, and had a few minutes with Jesus before everyone woke up.

 CS Lewis once said, “Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms.”

 This thought echoed in my head this morning. The night before I had taken up arms in frustration and anger – and I had a million valid reasons as to why I was justified in doing so.  As I poured out my frustration and hurt before the Lord, the truth was a clarifying moment and a tough pill to swallow. You be Jesus and let Me be God.

The day followed by exploring the area around my apartment – budgeting is going to be so hard with so many of my favorite stores a couple miles from my new home. Target, World Market, and Publix are just some of the shops nearby. My parents were wonderful and generous and my brothers were incredibly flexible today.  We borrowed a hammer from some delivery guys and put together some furniture and then the dreaded goodbye came.

In some ways it wasn’t so bad – because I’ll be home next weekend for a wedding. Still, there was that sinking feeling knowing that I was going to be by myself in a foreign place.

Dad cried. Mom snapped a few pictures. We all hugged and then said goodbye.

Jesus it’s just me and you.

I managed to amuse myself for a bit and then my doorbell rang (yes, I have a doorbell!). I had to grab the step stool to look through our peep-hole, but it was just black. Something to add to that list of broken things, I thought. I opened the door to my family – all holding Starbucks cups.  They drove back to pray for me.

I cried. Dad cried more. It was so incredible to have them come back and pray for me, pray for my roommate and over our apartment.

I went grocery shopping – washed some dishes – made dinner and poured a large glass of wine – washed more dishes – cleaned the bathroom – took a nice shower – and tuned into a movie.

Here are a few things I’ve learned about TN in the 30 hours I’ve been here:

1.       There is an entire section of BBQ sauces at my local Walmart but no hummus, and only one type of Teriyaki sauce.

2.       There’s a little girl who lives upstairs. She has a Barbie bike right outside my front door. I’m excited to get to know my neighbors.

3.       People move a lot slower here. They walk slow and talk slow. I feel like I have a sign on my forehead that says, “I’m a new kid.” As I moved quickly through the stores, I felt like a Yankee on a mission, not a girl who’s lived in the South all of her life.

Today was a good day. The encouragement, prayers, and truth spoken over me by close friends and family have been so appreciated and welcomed. Even in this empty apartment, I’m not alone.

I start work Monday. Prayers craved. He provides all that I need.

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