Weekend Adventures

Is it really Sunday? This week seemed to go by lightning speed. I couldn't believe it was Friday, but now it's Sunday!?!

Friday, I went to Highland's 5th quarter. It was fun hanging out with all the youth, and Maggie and I were able to have a really good conversation. Football is a huge event here in Texas, and 5th quarter goes until 12:45. I am a grandma. 12:45 is a late hour in my book. I am normally not up at that hour. Needless to say, I was extremely tired and somewhat delirious when I left. I wasn't the only one, though. Lara and Hanna were also delirious. It made for a pretty interesting ride back home. We did make it home safely, and I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Saturday, I woke up feeling like an elephant was sitting on my chest. The cold that 2 of my AWANA kids had, finally caught up to me. However, I still had things to do and places to be. Oil change. Wal-Mart run. Lunch with Angeli and Patrick. Study Spanish (gross). I did manage to take a three hour nap, but that was mainly due to my medicine (It WAS a nice nap, though). I stayed in Saturday, watched a movie and drank some hot tea (because I sounded like a man, dumb cold). It was pretty relaxing compared to these last few weeks (Note to self: do this more often!). This week won't be any better. I have two exams, three quizzes, and visiting a school in order to see how it is run (welcome to the life of an education major, come on in!) along with the rest of my weekly activities. Ain't life grand!

Anyways, Sunday is always a great day. Church this morning was awesome as always (have a listen). I have really enjoyed the series Kyle has been doing. It's something that everyone needs to hear. Tonight I have h2o with my little 8th grade girls. I'm really praying that the Lord would use me to be a good influence on these girls since they are going through an awkward time in their lives. Oh, middle school, what wasn't awkward?!? (middle school dances, anyone?) All of them are precious, and I can't wait to see how they grow this year. Being with them does make me miss all the girls back home. I can't wait to see them again. But, I am here and they are there, so while I am here, I will pour into the girls here. This just makes the pull between home and Waco even greater. I'm torn between two places.

Alright, enough sad, sappy stuff.

I'm off to study more Spanish and grab some food before h2o. I hope everyone's weekend was swell :)

(Swell? Yep, I said it. What are you going to do about it?)

Busy Wedesdays, Slow Thursdays

Wednesday is my busiest day of the week. I have learned time management is key in order to get through the day in one piece. It all begins at 7:30(and a strawberry pop tart with a cup of "joe", see a trend yet?). Biology. Spanish. Lunch. Change books. Grab tennis shoes. HP (human performance aka physical education aka I'm in 6th grade again). 30 minutes to shower, get ready, change books and grab AWANA stuff. Biology lab lecture. Biology SI. AWANA. Dinner (By this time it is normally 9 p.m., you heard me... 9.). Homework. Bed. Good morning sun! It's 6:30! All of this "action" is sequential. I am always surprised by the end of the day that it IS the end of the day. However for me, if I wasn't doing a lot and if I wasn't involved, I would be bored and feel completely useless. So, I am busy, and I'm o.k. with that.

AWANA is the best part. Those little four-year olds make a bad day better. Last night was spent trying to get them to stop playing with my hair. (Note to self: Never wear hair down again.) They also decided it would be fun to grab onto my legs when I was trying to walk. It was entertaining...for the other leaders and them. I did laugh, though, at my own stupidity. My new boy, Christopher, is beginnning to open up some (The first night he wouldn't talk!). My other three kids are doing fine. Noah has not bumped his head yet (a new record!), Olivia always wants to be held, and Jack always has to hold my right hand when walking from story time to our room (he's very predictable). Then I have other kids that join mine, Viktor and Keaton are the funniest. Viktor has told me, "I have decided to change my game time color. I am no longer on the red line. I am on the blue line. I'm in your group now." His leader had the hardest time getting him to go to her room. Keaton just likes to see if he can jump on my back and get to my shoulders. It always proves interesting. They are sweethearts.

After that exciting day, I get to Thursday. I usually get out of classes early, so I have longer breaks than what I should, which is nice, but I would much rather be going all day than constantly stopping. Right now, I still have 2 hours until my Biology lab. Oh well, I'll use it to get ahead on some homework and listen to some podcasts (This week's Highland sermon can be found here.) So, I'm off once again.

Have a Happy Thursday!

P.S. Grey's Anatomy tonight!

Tuesday

Tuesday is always an awkward day. It comes right after the dreaded Monday and before Wednesday aka "Hump Day". It isn't special like Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Thursday would be the same except Grey's Anatomy comes on, so it's special in my book. So, it's just...Tuesday. It's just there. Stuck. Nowhere to go.

Tuesday for me is about as exciting as the day is itself. Not at all. Chemistry. Spanish. Lunch. Teaching. Shoe change. Chemistry Lab. Dinner. 90210 (I know...drama, drama, drama). Homework. Bed. WooWee that's an exciting day if I ever saw one! ...not really... The best part of my day was finishing chemistry lab and watching 90210. Chem lab was pretty ridiculous today. It lasted for over two hours. My head is still reeling from inhaling copper sulfate and magnesium sulfate. Actually, I always have a headache after leaving that lab. Chemicals...bad for brain cells.


I did get to go study by the bear habitat today. Yes, you read that right. Bear Habitat. On campus. Real bears. Ballin'. Joy and Lady (look at them in their little habitat! They always make me laugh) were roaming around then one of them decided to take a swim! It was adorable. A family had come by and were watching. The two little boys were so excited to see the bear swimming! I wish someone was videotaping their reaction. It would have made for a great home video that could be brought out in 15 years and embarrass the poor children. (Thanks Aunt Mary, you always make me feel special (I know you still have my chicken pox pictures too, I haven't forgotten)).

During my break today, I was also able to check up on Pioneer Woman. If you have never heard of The Pioneer Woman, you should be ashamed of yourself! I'm addicted. Well... that is only the tip of the iceberg. She's pretty much wonderful. She posts recipes, which are always fantastic, photography, blogs about life on the ranch, renovations she's doing, tips and tricks she has learned, and her love story, black heels to tractor wheels. I love it! Mechetner introduced me this summer, and I was instantly hooked. Go here: www.thepioneerwoman.com. You will not be disappointed.

Now, I must study Spanish. I have an oral exam on Friday, which means Profesor Dooley will make fun of my inability to roll my "r"s correctly. Oh, well, at least I try, right? I hope the counts for something!?

Goodnight, Goodnight, parting is such sweet sorrow...

Alright, that's enough.



This is The Pioneer Woman aka Ree and her "punks".


Seriously, go to this website!

Good Golly Miss Molly

I don't have words to describe this past week. I have been all of the place, and I should be bald from all the times I wanted to pull my hair out due to frustration. However, I am not bald, and the week is over now. So, onto better things.

On Saturday, I went to Austin...again (I'm pretty much in love...with the city...just clearing things up) This time Angeli and Ian came along. It was a blast, especially when we went to Buffalo Exchange. Some of those clothes (and shoes) should not be there (like those to the left. I mean, really?!?). It was entertaining looking through the racks and wondering who wore it before making its appearance in the store. Sometimes, we just didn't want to know. Some items were a little scary (exhibit a. have you seen those shoes?!?)


We started the day at Spider House, which is a local coffee shop. I'm pretty sure Amy Winehouse's sister served us (no joke). We roamed around Austin, mainly sticking to Guadalupe. I always love going to the local art markets there because you can always find some great things. We ate at South Congress Cafe (DELICIOUS!) and ended with cupcakes from Hey Cupcake! (an adorable airstream trailer on Congress that sells the most amazing cupcakes).



The drive back proved quite interesting with Angeli serenading me and Ian videoing the entire thing (It will probably have a showcase on facebook, oh dear). Oh, how I love them. Angeli also managed to squish the cupcakes while serenading (I have to keep an eye on her. She forgets her meds occasionally). We did make it back to Waco in one piece and abs of steel from laughing so much.

Sunday was great, as always. That night we started H2O, which is the youth Bible study on Sunday nights. This year we are making it into a more of an accountability group, but the youth can sign up rather than being forced into it. I have 3 eighth grade girls. They are dolls. I'm pretty excited to see where the Lord takes this group over the year. Afterward, Lara, Hanna, Maggie, and I went to Panda Express and relaxed over some Orange Chicken. It's nice to be able to relax and laugh with some great friends.

Today was a busy Monday with class and SI. I do have Connect Group on Mondays (small group Bible study) and that is a highlight of the day. So, now I'm off to bed 6:30 comes to soon.

Haha, Funny

Hurricane Ike.. ha! We got all of 2" inches of rain, maybe, and some wind. Baylor went over the top with its precautions, but I guess "better safe than sorry". It's not like it prevented me from doing anything today. I was pretty confined to my room studying (gross...). Mike and Angeli did keep it amusing though with our occasional side tracks. We went from talking about prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells to The Last Samurai. Yeah, I have no idea how that happened. We also started talking about guys and their view on the world, which was entertaining (Thanks for your input Mike-y-poo!), but those massive side tracks didn't overwhelm our study time. We did get a lot done, which is good considering the amount of exams I have next week. Angeli and I did venture out tonight, though. We went to Common (an AWESOME coffee shop right off campus) got some coffee, and we listened to Judas' Feet. It was their CD release tonight, and they were pretty amazing. I suggest listening to them (http://www.myspace.com/judasfeet). You won't be disappointed. So, that's pretty much all for today. Nothing exciting. Church tomorrow :) I love Highland.

Adiós, mis amigos!

Hurricane??? Really?!

Yep, Hurricane Ike is coming. He's not only hitting the Gulf Coast of Texas, but he's coming to Waco. For those that haven't seen a map lately, or have no idea where Waco is. It is right....there.
The big red dot. Now, also take note of how far inland we are. And, we...Waco, TX, are supposed to be included in this Hurricane Ike business. It makes no sense. They moved our football game to tonight, canceled every event this weekend, everyone must park in a parking garage, buildings are closed, and elevators are all off so no one gets stuck in one due to a power outage. I mean, really... This is half-way...no, fully ridiculous. Dallas is even supposed to get effects from it, and it is 100 miles north of me. There is also a possibility of evacuation if the flooding becomes a huge issue. There are also possibilities of tornadoes. I have never been a part of a hurricane, nor do I want to be a part of one again. It stresses me out...I know I'm being ridiculous now, but it is all a part of what makes me, me.


Now, in other news, I dominated my first exam (That's what up), but I must now study for two more, biology and biology lab. My weekend is going to be fun and exciting with a capital NO. Oh, well, it's not like I can do anything with this hurricane coming. Yesterday was a lot of fun, though. That is after I was done with class at 6:30. Lara, Angeli, and I ate at Memo, and we were able to catch up, laugh..a lot, and talk about how weird it is being on campus. A lot of inside jokes were said, and my lovely laugh/hiccup came out thanks to Lara being silly. I love both of those girls. Lara and I also talked about going on the Tanzania, Africa trip during spring break! How awesome is that! Angeli is planning on going to Juarez, Mexico during spring break! How awesome that we all serve the same Lord. LOVE IT! Today was a short day, my only one for the week. Angeli and I went on errand runs, and I parked my car in the garage, ya know...for hurricane purposes...(?!). Now, I'm about to go eat dinner with some of the girls tonight. Oh, college life...




In preparation for a hurricane, you must compile supplies. SO, my supply list includes:

Peanut Butter (I love this stuff! Sam's massive jar is a must)
Water (You can't go long without that)
Clothes/Shoes (No nakedness in a hurricane!)
IPod (Gotta have the jams)
Cell Phone (Because you can't live without it)
Study Materials (Note: I have 2 exams next week despite there being a hurricane)
Magazines (For study breaks)
Wallet/ID card (I have to get back into the dorm, and money is an international language ha!)
Flashlight w/ Batteries (In case of a blackout)
Blanket(s) (I get cold easily)

Yep, that about covers it.

I am not an expert in this hurricane business. I have no idea what is going on, what to expect, or what to do.

That is all. Thank you for your time and attention.

Four-year Old Kids Have a Smell

This is something I have noticed every Wednesday at Cubbies. Cubbies is a part of the AWANA program which encourages children, beginning at the age of three through 6th grade, to memorize Scripture. It is amazing to watch these little ones get excited about Scripture memory! I certainly wish I would have had AWANA when I was little. Anyway, back to what I was saying. I have noticed all four-year old kids have a certain smell to them, and I don't understand why. I usually come home smelling like them because they must think I'm a human jungle gym. Tonight, for instance, I had 5 kids sitting either in my lap, on one of my legs, or my feet, and then two were trying to climb on my back seeing who could get on my head first. Let's just say Cubbies can get interesting sometimes. One of my kids fell during play time and scraped his elbow, so he was attached the rest of the night. Him along with my favorite (I know, no favorites...) little girl, who always wants to be held, made tonight a balancing game. One of the leaders, Ms. Kelly, was out tonight, so her kids joined with mine, and one of John's kids decided he liked me more and wouldn't go with him. Poor John... John helped me, though, when one Ms. Kelly's kids wouldn't behave, but he got him to listen to me (eternal thanks!). I had quite a group this evening. Wednesday's are pretty hectic, but I LOVE being with these kids. I also love the other teachers and leaders that help. It's a great little community that can get a little crazy at times, but it is worth at the end of the day.

Now, it's time for homework. I have a chemistry exam tomorrow at 8 a.m. so I'm off to review some more. That's all for tonight :)

Spanish Soap Opera, Anyone?

After having a lazy afternoon, I paid for it that evening with homework aka Spanish. I left my Bio SI around 7:15 (last class of the day). I was pretty content with how it went. I knew most if not all of what she was talking about, and I was able to explain more to my group (That's always good considering I'll be teaching Biology in 2.5 years, right? (2.5 years?!? That's ridiculous!)). Angeli and I decided to stop by Penland (gross boy dorm cafeteria, but the only one open), grab some food to-go and watch The Hills (I know, I know, fake reality drama, yada yada yada) in my room. It was a nice long "dinner" aka neither one of us wanted to do homework. After the show went off at 9:30, I knew I had to watch Destinos.

For those that have never heard of Destinos (Spanish for destinations), you are lucky. There are poorly shot, instructional Spanish videos (total of 51!?!) that follow Raquel on her search to find out if don Fernado's wife he thought died in a bombing during the Spanish revolution, that apparently didn't die, had their son. Don Fernado can't do this because he is sick, and his brother and his 4 children, none of whom knew about this woman, want to leave his bedside. Raquel has to travel to investigate while everyone back home is dealing with don Fernando's secret as well as their own personal problems (drama, drama, drama). All of the episodes are 30 minutes long (aka 30 minutes of my life I can't get back), and at the end of the episode Raquel pulls out her little notebook to review what happened. Since I am such a wonderful Spanish student that never procrastinates in her work, I had to watch 3 episodes last night (gruesome). So, after 1.5 hours of crappy Spanish, as well as other Spanish homework, I finally retreated to my bed just to wake up 6 hours later for my Chemistry class. Let's just say, I knew some of what he was reviewing (in between nod offs...) for our exam on Thursday (eek!). After my Chemistry nap, I jetted to Spanish (favorite class, let me tell ya about it...). We reviewed more verbs (porque los verbos son muy importante! I'm going to go rip my hair out now...), and then we took a Destinos quiz. Now, I'm here about to go grab some lunch before my education class then I'm off to my Chemistry lab.

I have a feeling it is going to be a long day.

Note to self: No more procrastinating on Destinos.

Random Happenings

On Friday, I decided that Saturday would be a perfect day to escape the Baylor bubble and head south to Austin. So, I stayed in and did homework (nerd, I know) in order that I could fully enjoy my day without having to worry about when I needed to get back. I invited my roommate, who has never been to Austin before (CRIME!) to go with me. I love Austin. It's a wonderful city, full of interesting people and really cool places to hang out at. I went to one of my favorite restaurants (Shady Grove, always get the noodle salad with Thai grilled chicken and a Hibiscus Zinger tea...heaven!). After my wonderful lunch, I traveled down to Guadalupe for a little shopping. I also stopped at this little marketplace (Well, it's kind of a marketplace...) and browsed around to see what the local people were selling. I really think the guy I bought a bracelet from was high when I was talking to him (Did I mention interesting people??). Later while Abby and I were walking back to my car, we were stopped by an interesting fellow. He asked us if we could spare some change so he could buy weed. Yep, that's right, weed. We looked at each other then kept walking, wondering if we heard him correctly. After safely making it back tot he car (no more "weed man" encounters), we decided we wanted a little dessert. So, I drove down Congress, over the bridge where the bats come out at night (it's pretty awesome I recommend going to see them come out at least one time if you are ever in Austin), and to Hey cupcake!. It's an Airstream trailer that sells cupcakes! The normal ones, like my fave The Standard (Chocolate frosting on a yellow cake) are only $2, and the other special ones are $2.50. Not bad, if I say so myself. AND, now you can get a shot of whip cream in the middle for FREE. Yep, that's right a delicious cupcake made even better with whip cream exploding out of the center (Did I mention I love Austin). After all the fun and excitement, we headed back to Waco and the Baylor bubble. Abby and I decided homework (Well, her homework. I finished mine. Nerd...) could be put off some more, so we watched a movie. It was a great day. Sunday was great, too, but you already read that.

So, onto today.

Oh, Monday, Monday, da da, da dadada.... Sorry for the music, I apologize. Anyway, my day started off like any other day. I woke up, showered, ate a strawberry pop tart with my coffee, and got ready for class. First class of the day, Biology 1306 aka Bio 2. We are currently discussing meiosis and mitosis, which can be pretty bland, but my professor makes it funny due to his odd comments said during lecture. Today, for instance, he began telling a story about his sister giving birth to his nephew when she was 42, which is risky when you begin speaking about genetics and cytokinesis (Sorry, I want to teach this stuff, and it has some pretty sweet words). Continuing, at the end of the story, he goes on to say he was a healthy boy and was now 19 shacking up with some girl in Louisiana. Why we needed to know this information, I have no idea, but we all laughed and he gave his funny little smile. After his class, which continued with more odd comments, I jet across campus to go to Spanish. I despise Spanish. According to the Education Department, it is the ONLY foreign language. Gross. So, I suffer through Spanish sounding like an idiot because I cannot properly roll my "r"s. Profesor Dooley does try and keep it entertaining by making jokes and asking funny questions, but I am still the first one out the door.

In other news...
Today, I was determined to get my package from the mail room. It has been there since August 23, but they keep saying they don't have it. This time I came prepared. There is no one in line and I have my tracking number printed directly from my email, so she can't say that it "doesn't exist". Twenty minutes later with 5 people waiting in line behind me, I walk out a proud woman, package in hand. Why did it take twenty minutes, you ask, because they mixed up tracking numbers and switched mine with some other persons. Silly, mail room.

After having my proud moment of the day, I ventured over to Memorial, got my lunch to go (Broccoli and Mushroom Pasta with Alfredo sauce, a spinch salad with Balsalmic Vinegrette, and a cookie cone... yumm...), I came back to my dorm, ate, and watched E! News. I got on Facebook (because that is what college kids do), then I talked to Olivia! Oh, how I love my best friend, who happens to be 20+ hours away from me. Sad, I know. We had a long chat about everything that has been going on in our lives since we have returned to college. It is refreshing to hear that she is going through the same thing I am right now. Our chat had to end though, homework for both of us, and I have class and an SI left for the day (Oh, how I can't wait until it is 7 when my day finally winds down).

So, nothing out of the ordinary, just the average life of a college sophmore. It's insanely hot outside today, though. I'm really looking forward to October. THEN I can go outside and have a retreat under my favorite tree or sit on my favorite swing. October can't come soon enough, but by the looks of it, the cool down won't happen until November. Silly, Texas...

¡Hasta mañana!

Oh, Glorious Sundays

I love Sundays. Many people view them as the last day to get everything done before the week starts, but they are more than that.

For example, this morning I got up at 8:30, took a shower, ate a strawberry pop tart with my coffee (a daily must), listened to one of my favorite mix's (Thanks, Mechet!), and got ready for church. I love my church home here in Waco. There is something special about 250+ college students coming together to worship the Living God. This morning was a special time because we moved into our new (actually, old. The adults moved into the new sanctuary) sanctuary. It was pretty awesome. It also seemed like Kyle had been "reading my mail", as KShrum would say. His sermon will be something I'll be pondering over this week as I'm reading and going about the "average" college day (HA! what's average in college life?!?). Afterward, lunch then a nap. Sunday is the best day for naps. It should be scientifically proven. I think I'll start working on that. But, my nap was rudely ended by a fire drill. Thanks, Baylor... I then decided that I would like another round of coffee, so my roommate and I moosied (I love that word!) on over to the BU Starbucks. I then came back to the dorm, worked on some Chemistry (just keepin' it real), Angeli and Ian came for dinner (macaroni with hot dogs, I'm definitely a college student), and then mindless minutes spent on Facebook.

Many would say, wow that's a boring day, but it was actually enjoyable. If only it was cooler, then I'd be outside, under some tree, reading (Yep, you heard that right...reading, for fun. nerd.). I look forward to Sundays. It is a relaxing day, not a hurried busy day, before a long week (and, oh, will be a long week!).

Oh, Monday, the bane of many people's existence.

That's all for now.

Yep, that looks like a good tree to read under.