5 Days In...Real or Not Real?

Have you ever read the Hunger Games? Well...I have...more times than I really want to fess up to, and I tend to think in "scenes"...so here goes. At the beginning of the third book, the main character wakes up confused. Her whole world has changed, and she is trying hard to get her bearings. So, she decides that she will just remind herself of things she is certain of: 

"My name is Katniss Everdeen. I am seventeen years old. My home is District 12. I was in the Hunger Games. I escaped. The Capitol hates me........”  (Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins)

I feel a little bit ridiculous saying this, but I sorta feel like I get a bit of what old Katniss is feeling. Clearly I am not channeling the whole fight to the death, incite a revolution thing, but the waking up to a whole new world thing--I totally get that. For the past 5 mornings, I have woken up in this new apartment thinking to myself...

"My name is Jess. I am 28 years old. I used to live in Johnson City, Tennessee. I now live in St. Louis, Missouri. My husband was a teacher. Now he is starting seminary. I worked for Young Life. Now, I work at Starbucks. Real or not Real?" (yep "Real or not Real" another HG reference...confirmed...I am a colossal nerd).

We had been talking about moving, preparing to move, and grieving that move for so long that the actual move has felt...surreal ("Surreal but nice?" Anyone? Notting Hill--anyone?) . It honestly feels like Peter and I are just on a trip with all of our stuff. I am driving around this fantastic city and having to remind myself that I live here. I miss Tennessee. I miss my friends and family. I miss our crazy, slightly shady street. I miss my front porch swing and Firehouse BBQ. I miss our church, and I miss my Young Life team and girls.

However, in the midst of all the missing...St. Louis is actually pretty great. The folks that I work with at the downtown Starbucks are really fun--and very patient. For all of my coffee bravado, learning all of the SBux recipes is pretty wild. You can see The Arch from our store and Busch Stadium (where the Cardinals play) is right around the corner. While on a walk with HoneyBear (our dog) through Forest Park, we stumbled upon a free outdoor musical theater called The Muny. I seriously think a light shone down from heaven upon it when we realized what it was. There is an old, artsy theater called The Tivoli that shows both Independent and old classic movies in an area called The Loop just a few miles away. And, of course, there is the STL Zoo...Peter's favorite because of the penguins. Best of all, we have discovered that good ol' southern hospitality is not lost on our St. Loueyans (St. Lousians? mystery). People are SO nice here! No "metro face" needed in STL...make eye contact and smile. 

Our apartment is starting to look like an actual home, and I think we are really going to like living in this little Seminary Community. Although, I am still grieving the loss of my big, beautiful kitchen. We have met a few of our neighbors, and although friendships take time to build, we are feeling confident the Lord will take care of us there. 

P.S. To all of our dear, sweet friends and family who helped with all the packing, moving, trasporting, and comforting. We could not have done it without you. Love! 

Apricots and Honey,

Jess