First Hope then Expectations

If there is one thing that I have been learning as of late it is that expectations are fickle things. As great as they may be at times, their size has no bearing on whether they will be fulfilled, abandoned, or forgotten. This is what makes anchoring and informing my expectations by HOPE so important. Through HOPE in the promises of God I am able to maintain an eternal perspective that, in a way, detaches me from my expectations and attaches me to God through trust in his sovereign plan. In this way I am enabled to live knowing that whether my expectations are met or thwarted I'm still getting the best end of the deal. It is LOVE from a Father to a child: LOVE that gives and withholds, with only the best in mind. HOPE in LOVE.

That being said, here are some thoughts on/expectations for Spring Semester:

~This is going to be a great semester for music. Wilco show in seven days. Avett Brothers show in 14 days. Add to those the discovery of bands like Dawes, J. Tillman, Langhorne Slim, and the Everybodyfields, and well, I've got some happy ears.
~This semester is going to kick my butt academically. I'm actually keeping a day planner for the first time in my life. For those of you that know me, you know how mind blowing that is.
~Winter is not nearly as depressing as it seemed last year, but at the same time I think I am more excited for Spring this year than I was last year. Spring means hammocking, hiking, and barefeet, which in my book is a recipe for awesome.
~This is the semester that my dorm room becomes handicap accessible. Kyle tore his ACL and needs more accessible bedding arangements.
~Road trip to CO for springbreak anyone?
~Journaling has become a therapeutic outlet for me and will continue to be so more and more I think.
~LOST will end and TV will be worse off for it. As if TV wasn't crappy enough as it is.
~God will continue to be a wellspring of JOY for me, faithful as ever, growing me in ways that right now I can only imagine.

*A short anecdote: Tonight Trevor, Nick, Hootch, and I went to a donut shop to grab a dozen. After we had bought our donuts and were enjoying them at the counter, we noticed the girl throwing all the old donuts into an empty flour bag. Nick spoke up and asked if she was going to throw them out, and if she was if we could have them. I think she thought we were making fun of her at first, which we surely weren't since we're college students and a bag full of free donuts is about on par with winning the lottery. In the end we walked out of that place with a flour bag full of over a hundred donuts. Free makes everything better.

Song of the day: Peace in the Valley by Dawes