The last week has been intense. Trying not only to get to know ten other people but also how to live with them has taken a lot out of me. BUT having said that, I am totally amazed by these kids and am really enjoying each one, with their quirks and idiosyncrasies. They are absolutely fantastic and so much fun to be with. We told them all tonight how boring it is when they all head to school and how we just can't wait for 3:30 pm to come each day so we can see them again.

Let me give you quick rundown: Naomi eats us out of house and home but is the size of "large bug". Monay is downright crazy - she makes us all laugh. Abbie is sweet and studious. Eric is a born leader with good insights. David, our weight lifter, has the heart of a teddy bear. Daniel, the youngest in our bunch, is a true boy who, at this age, is allergic to showering. Santi is a tease ten times over. SeRa is friendly and waves to everyone on campus. Jon is kind, caring and thoughtful. Kirsten gives 110% to all she does and is a great friend to the others. We have yet to add Marigan to the mix - her flight comes in late tonight - and it will be interesting to see what she will add to Chandler dorm.

We had a great dorm meeting tonight. I bought fried chicken pieces and heated them up for snack. The "hot chili" ones went first! We had great discussion about responsibility, respect for others, some rules that were being stretched (or maybe interpreted differently!), church attendance and kitchen use. Tim and I made a decision that affected everyone and it wasn't very popular. We have decided that, instead of everyone running around crazy getting ready for school in the mornings til they blast out the door at 8:10 a.m., we would meet to pray together as a family at 8:00. A lot of "ughs" and sighs were heard and some who barely make it to class on time now were shaking their heads. A few thought it was a good idea.

We explained that living in community means give and take and that we are here to be their "parents" first and friends second. We also told them we believed this was a necessary habit to instill in them and that we strongly believed their parents would support this decision if they were here. They started to come around and by the end, were OK with it. Kaleb even weighed in with his opinion, saying that he really appreciated how we used to meet as a family for devotions every morning before school. He said it started his day off right. So tomorrow morning we'll all begin our day together asking for the Lord's blessing and guidance. I know in my heart it is the right thing to do.