needed update

I admit, it is a lot harder to keep up with this than it was this summer. I never came back to finish sharing about the end of my summer and beginning of the fall semester.
After being back for a few days, on August 23rd, we heard that my grandfather, H. Owen Roberts, went to be with the Lord. That weekend, the whole Roberts clan from Texas flew up to upstate NY. We had a wonderful time together, full of joy! The memorial service was very special, I am very proud of my Dad for speaking with such strength and the Lord used him to share a good message. Despite the sadness, it was such a wonderful experience to see the impact my grandfather had on the lives of so many (of all ages, races, times of his life, beliefs, etc.). I also had a wonderful time with all my extended relatives. It was the first time all of us had been together in years.
I came back to College Station having missed my first two days of class. I definitely hit the ground running.
This semester I am taking 13 hours of class and am working several different jobs. I currently work about 15hrs/wk at Kohl's (department store), 5 hrs/wk as a babysitter, and about 3-5hrs/wk at the church office in the missions department. That definitely keeps me busy!!!
I decided to not be a Bible study leader this year so that I could work to save money for my study abroad in France. I had been hoping to go in the spring, but I didn't get the financial aid I hoped for, mostly due to matters with time of acceptance and scholarship deadlines. However, now I am aiming to go next fall. I will be working next semester, trying to save money so I won't have to take out any additional loans. That is something I feel the Lord is leading me away from. My acceptance with this study abroad program has been deferred, and so far, things seem to be running much smoother than expected.
I am looking forward to this Christmas break. Not only will I have a break from school, but my friend Johnny's parents are flying me up to Indiana, where I will spend a few weeks with him, and at least 5 more friends that I haven't seen since I lived in Costa Rica. We are all so excited to spend some time together again. It has been over 4 years since I've seen some of them. This will be so exciting!
Until then, I am going to have to work hard and plod along this whole school and work business...haha!
I hope this was an adequate enough summary of some things going on around here.