Old and New

Wow, I am really behind.

Here is an update on my Rocha-cha adventures.  So far things are good.  Somedays I feel like I am barely keeping my head above water, but on the whole not too many complaints.  The heat has come on in my building.  I have to say, having a radiator has been an...adventure.  The first time it clicked on the pipes were SO loud.  I thought some one was in my apartment, and it kind of freaked me out.  And for the first few days the whole building smelled like a hot curling iron...with hair on it.  Not the best smell in the world.  On the upside, the smell has gone away and I've found that if I put a cup of water with some cinnamon and vanilla in it on top of the radiator it heats up and smells delicious!  I also tried putting my scentsy on there today, and it totally works. (That puppy gets stinking hot!)

Anyway, enough about my radiator...

I have been making a lot of new friends.  The people in my cohort (the other first year psych students) are great!  We cook diner together just about every weekend and help each other with our homework.  There are 8 of us, and about 5 of the 8 live with in walking distance, which is nice.

There are also some awesome people in my branch.  Some of the new people in the branch get together and commiserate about being in a new place, away from our families.  It's a sort of new kid support group.  It is fun!  (This is a tangent, but I have to admit that I am still having a hard time with the whole singles thing.  I am trying really hard to gain a testimony of it, but I don't like it.  I feel like separating some members of the church from others, just because of their marital status, and lumping them with people in a similar phase of life really limits learning opportunities, on both sides.  Divisions aren't good, and diversity leads to learning.  Plus, none of the activites that go on in my branch are very geared towards my needs anyway.  For the last 3 FHE's they have played Mario Cart for pete's sake.  I appreciate the social support that knowing other young single adults provides, but it could still be provided with out putting us in our own branch. I just miss interacting with the variety of people that a family ward provides...but I am honestly praying to gain a testimony of this program.)

I have also been 'adopted'!  One of my moms neighbors has a sister-in-law who lives about 30 minutes away, in Palmyra.  Her daughter lives next door with her husband and kids.  I have been going out to have diner with them almost every Sunday night since I've been here.  I absolutely adore them!  They are just so good and kind.  They have opened their home to me and taken me in.  It keeps me from getting overwhelmingly homesick.  I spent pretty much the whole weekend with them this weekend, watching General Conference and hanging out.  It was so nice to be with a regular family!  Conference was something that my family always did together...mom would make soup and usually bake something yummy.  We would lounge around all day and hang out together.  I really was not looking forward to Conference this year, because I was going to miss out on all that.  But my new adopted family took me in and let me have that experience with them.  Of course I still missed my family at home, but it would have been so much worse with out my new 'family.'

So that's the new part of this post.

The old is that my Aunt Tara and Uncle Blaine came to visit!  Well, actually they were here doing some family history research, but they came to see me.  I took them to Panera bread and on a driving tour of Rochester.  It is a really pretty town, and it is nice that now they know a little about where I live and what I'm doing.  New friends are great, but it's nice to be around people who you have a history with and who really know who you are.  I felt like I could really relax.  Plus they are my family and, unlike friends, can't get rid of me even if they want to!  I am so grateful that they got to come hang out for a while.