Happy Labor Day!

Hello everyone!

Labor Day is amazing. Right now it's my favorite holiday simply for the fact that it's allowing me extra time to study for my music history test and finish my first draft for my Jr. Comp class. Wooooot for Labor Day!

On Friday, my friend Graham called me and told me that our friend Julia was visiting from Portland. He took us both the the City Museum in downtown St. Louis. Any of you who come visit me here simply MUST go there with me. On the way there, Graham was trying to explain to us what it was. He said that it was an old abandoned shoelace factory and people used to break in and make sculptures there. After a while, it became a legit operation and now it is a labyrinth of sculptures and art that you climb on and touch and really experience firsthand. It's so amazing....there are little tiny passageways and mirror rooms and a 10 story slide in an elevator shaft! Seriously, when you go here you should wear long pants and close toed shoes, and don't wear a white shirt like I did.

Here's a picture of the portion of it that's outside:

Here's one of the smaller and more intense portions inside:

Graham also made some vegan chocolate chip cookies, which were very, very wonderful. He even gave me some to take back to my dorm.....but they didn't last very long. Thank you Graham! :)

I also got several HUGE packages on Friday! It was just like Christmas! Thank you Mom and Aunt Sue....you are amazing! Just these few simple things make me smile every time I see them, like the rug for my floor and the piano mug. I am so grateful and I think of you guys often. The silverware I am especially thankful for. I didn't bring silverware with me, and the only silverware I had up until then was a plastic spoon that I had happened to save from the day I went to ice cream with Theresa and Cortney. That plastic spoon got a LOT of mileage, let me tell you! (College really brings out your ingenuity....I've been using paper clips as key chains and safety pins as tacks to hold up pictures as well.)

Saturday I walked to the library and got my St. Louis County library card! I'm pretty excited about it because the library at the college doesn't have hardly any classical CDs, or at least not string quartets.

Here's a picture of my friend Emily and I. She is the cellist in my string quartet this term, and we're getting to be pretty good friends.

And while I'm at it, here's a picture of Graham calling for directions because he got lost, and a picture of me and Julia in the car occupying ourselves while Graham is taking note of said directions:

As I've been in Missouri longer and have been finishing up the important first few weeks sorts of things, I've been settling in and getting more into regular college life here. Before now, I have been pretty busy taking care of things that I needed and concentrating on getting those done, but now that that is almost over, please pray that I take my eyes off of myself and really have eyes to see and ears to hear where God is working on campus and how He wants me to be a part of it. Also, please pray that I will be a faithful light and will be given words to answer when I am asked about the hope within me. All of you who have been praying for me, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am so grateful for all of you!

Alright.....I guess I should probably end my study break and write some more on my paper. :)

I love you all, and hope you have a most wonderful Labor Day!

with hope,

Maren