Day 1 - Arrival and Orientation

Hey everyone!
Today Ian arrived to pick me up at my house at 8:00 AM and we left for Joni and Friends International Disability Center at 9:30 AM arriving at about 11:30AM. We were then given directions to get to California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks where I would be staying. When we got into the dorm we were surprised because it was amazingly spacious and it is basically a 4 small bedroom apartment! Everyone gets their own room! We soon found out though that in order to go onto the internet as a guest you must pay $50 to get a guest log in! But it's okay because in their Student Union Building there are four PCs with internet access and that is where I currently am.
Ian and I took a drive to Target to get some last minute things that I realized that I needed and then we went to Baja Fresh where we shared out last meal together for the next three week. :[ We returned to the campus and I met one of my roommates named Katrina. Ian and I left the dorm and went for a walk around campus to spend out last hour together. :[ It was really nice to see the campus but it was also very difficult for Ian and I to part. When I walked him to the car I told myself that I wasn't going to cry but that definitely did not happen. We almost made it but then I started balling. I let him go and he drove off. I soon stopped crying but then I would think about it and start back up again. It was time for us to get picked up to go to the IDC (Internation Disability Center) so I had to try to calm myself down.
They met us behind the dorm and I sat in the back seat with one of the men who is only there for one week to do the intensive course. He was asking about me and I eventually ended up telling him that I just had to say goodbye to my fiance and that we hadn't not seen each other for more than a year. He then told me a story about one time when he had to leave his fiance because he was working for Campus Crusade for Christ. He said that there was also some marriage counseling thing going on and he saw all of these couples walking around holding hands while he was missing his fiance. He said he knew exactly how he felt.
When we arrives at the IDC we were given a short intro and were then taken on a tour of the facility. After the tour we ate an amazing meal of filet mignon, mashed potatoes, green beans, and an amazing desert (I can't remember the name of it right now). All of the interns sat at one table and I was very surprised to learn that there are only 3 of us and that the rest of the people are only there for the 1 week intensive class! He then told us where we would be interning and that was when he told me that he thinks that I am placed in the founder's office. And if you do not already know, Joni Earekson Tada IS the founder of Joni and Friends! He said that it is subject to change but he said that since we are both artists that he felt that it would be a good fit for both of us! He said that I would be doing some practical things for her, like typing. Even so, that is so exciting!!!
After dinner we had a brief orientation to the week and to our speakers and each other. There is a large variety of people who are there including senior pastors, special needs pastors, occupational therapists, physical therapists, people who want to be therapists, special ed teachers, parents of children with special needs, a music therapist and individuals with special needs themselves.
I arrived back at the dorm room and called Ian first thing. I was so excited to tell him about my day! I can not wait to see what God has in store for me this week, family retreat week, and internship week! Please be praying for me to start building relationships with my roommates, the other girls, and all of the other students in general. Thank you all so much for providing for me to be a part of this!