Week 1 of Savannah!

This week starts off my newest adventure - living and working in Savannah! I moved into a cozy room in a quaint neighborhood on Sunday, and my amazing family was so sweet and drove down with me to move me in :) 

As soon as we finished packing, it was time to find the nearest Starbucks...which is only 2 minutes away! Cafe Espresso Frap for the win! Love spending time with my family over some coffee :)

It was nice to spend Mother's Day with Mom in Savannah. She also rode in the car with me on the way down...we talked so much that we did actually miss one of our turns (and there are only like 4 turns the entire way there...). That night, we found a great, local seafood place on the water! Pearls Saltwater Grille was delicious.

Emma is lovin' some she crab soup at Pearls Saltwater Grille.

Monday, I started my internship at Arizona Chemical. I am working in technical service in the area of adhesives (I've always loved stickers, lol). No, but really, I get to make tape! It's a lot harder and time-consuming than it sounds, but we get to develop and test different mixes to make better tape for our clients. Pretty neat. Monday night I found the mall (pretty essential task for week 1) and thank God it has a Barnes & Noble! I love me some good books!

Tuesday was the first day that I got to do hands-on work in the lab! I was able to pH adjust a polymer sample and run particle size and % solid analysis. Our amazing HR and S&T manager took us out to Tequila Town for an entry luncheon and the Mexican food was sooo yummy. I also went to Latechurch's CollegeAge group that evening! 

At The Corner (where Latechurch has their evening group meetings and hang-outs), they even have a huge Connect 4!

Wednesday, got to work more in the lab. My mentor is super awesome and has done a great job of showing me how to use the equipment. I am able to run some of the tests now with minimal supervision, and I learned how to test the viscosity and how to find the acid value, softening number, and color of the resins. Some of the resin samples look like honey...I really love honey...but I keep telling myself, they won't taste like honey! LOL :)

Friday night was the BOMB! Tybee Island has an annual Beach Bum Parade, which is a mega water gun fight!

These guys and many others lined their trucks so that they would have a steady source of water for the fight! You see those long poles? Hand-made super soakers! And yes, they do super soak (personal experience).

Madeline and I were prepared for battle! We still got completely drenched every time we attempted to cross the street...

On Saturday, I woke up at 6:15am to my alarm clock. What would entice me to wake up this early on a weekend? The Girls on the Run Celebration 5K, of course! Before the race, we danced to the Cupid Shuffle and the Wobble with all the middle school girls, and then we ran :) 

Love going on adventures with my fellow interns! Maeve and Madeline are the best :) :)

We even got massages after the race (yep, now you're getting jealous!). It was a blast.

Stay tuned for the adventures of Week 2! Thanks for reading, and make sure you comment below if you have suggestions for more fun things to do in Savannah!

A NOMAD's survival pack:
So, from all this traveling, I've found that there are some items that come in handy, no matter where I live. Here's a few...

1. Yogi Bedtime tea. This tea puts me sound to sleep. The cute little tea tags have nice sayings and quotes on them...just like fortune cookies! Or Dove chocolates! I have fond memories of drinking Bedtime tea while hanging out with my DC roomies in our comfy kitchen, as well as drinking it while looking at the Istanbul skyline from my balcony, even when the air was freezing cold and I would stand shivering as I looked out at the Bosphorus Bridge. When I'm at home with my family, a cup is always in my hands as I sit in the evenings with my Mom. And, my habits have continued in Savannah, where I end my nights curled up with a good book and my favorite tea.
2. Fingernail clippers. These are so handy! I always forget scissors, and fingernail clippers are amazing for cutting annoying packaging and even tags off of new t-shirts.  
3. Thumbtacks. So perfect for hanging banners and posters to brighten any room. Plus, they are multipurpose! I've used a thumbtack to poke new holes in a belt, and you even can use them when boiling eggs in order to poke the hole in the end of the egg.  

A Time for Everything

Last week I was at a memorial service for a dear friend. Her brother-in-law read from the book of Ecclesiastes. It's one of my favorite books of the Bible, although before this time I would have had a hard time explaining to you why. "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the sun: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,..., a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,..." (Ecclesiastes 3). As I was reading my study Bible this morning about the book of Ecclesiastes, it noted that this book of the Bible reads like a personal journal. And I realized that this may be why I like it so much. It reflects what I feel in my own life. I go through times where I can see God's plan so clearly. Other times, the daily tasks seem monotonous, and I'm left asking God what the point of all this is. Is life meaningless?  My study Bible puts it so well:

"According to the Teacher [author of the book of Ecclesiastes], life doesn't make sense outside of God; it will, in fact, never fully make sense to us because we are not God. But God has also "set eternity in the human heart" (Ecc 3:11). We feel longings for something more; pleasures that will last forever, love that won't sour, fulfillment in our work."

When I think about how I would be surviving this part of my life if I didn't have God, the picture of a drowned rat comes to mind. I don't think I'd make it, at least with any ounce of sanity left. I've lost many close friends and family over the last few months. Saying it has been hard is an extreme understatement. How do you do normal life again when this world is missing vital parts of it? This is where I find comfort in these verses. Life isn't always going to make sense. It will never fully make sense. But I know the Truth that runs this world, and as long as I keep HIM as my focus, it will all be okay. Although happiness can be hard to grasp, joy is plentiful through Christ. I know that HE died for me and felt more pain than I can ever imagine. And I know that HE overcame death because HE is more powerful than death. And I know that HIS kingdom is where I long to be. That is what gives life sense. It's all about HIM, and for HIS glory. 

If you've been wondering about life, get a Bible and sit down to read it. I've heard John is the best place to start, but anywhere will do. Just read it. I pray God shows you the Truth through it and that the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart. If you want to talk about it, let me know. If you would like to comment below with questions that you have had, or things that you have found in the Bible that you would like to share, please do. Everyone wonders about life, its meaning, why we are here. It is your job to make sure that you search for the truth. Your life depends on it.