Deminishing Stress Levels

20 days until I go home for Thanksgiving. 45 days until I'm home for Christmas. 98 days until Homecoming. 124 days until NASPA. 190 days until I have a Masters Degree (officially).

Baby Steps, friends, Baby Steps.

I just returned on Tuesday from the National Orientation Directors Association Conference (NODAC) in Dallas. The picture on the left is of the hotel where the conference was located (the big glass building). Additionally, the Reunion Tower (the big tower with a ball on top) is attached to the hotel. I have always been fascinated by the Reunion Tower every time I've driven through Dallas. Imagine my excitement when I actually got to go up in the tower and see it!! I spent about an hour and a half with one of my favorite people walking around the tower, checking out the city of Dallas and catching up on life. It was such a great night.

NODAC was great. I stayed at my good friend Becky's house and I was so grateful to be able to spend time catching up with her. Catching up with people seemed to be the theme of my days in Dallas. I was able to see my mentors from Belmont, Matt and Holly, and my friends from Baylor. I was actually sad to see the conference end because it meant that everyone had to go back home. :(

Then, after a brief stop in Waco to grab coffee and pick up a student, I headed back to College Station. I brought a Baylor student back to College Station with me and we had a great conversation about life and love in the car on the way back. Times like that truly feed my soul!!

So now I'm back and trying to get everything ready and completed before I leave for Dallas again on Saturday morning. This time I'll be going to the Southern Association of College Student Affairs conference (SACSA). I will be seeing some more old friends this weekend, at a different hotel in Dallas.

This past weekend was very refreshing and gave me a renewed since of hope about the future. I'm so excited to see where God leads me over the next few months. And, I'm grateful that there is starting to be a much brighter light at the end of the tunnel.