My Caravan

A prayer of Sir Francis Drake

2009-10-31T11:33:00.000-07:00

Disturb us, Lord, when We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

Repeat

2009-06-18T18:35:00.000-07:00

This summer has provided a lot of time to catch up on some wonderful podcasts. I'm currently working through The Village Church. (If you have not subscribed, shame on you. Do it now.) I was just looking through the list (correction: LONG list) of sermons yet to be listened to. As I was reading the titles, one stood out: "Sincere Love".
I listened to it.
I listened to it again.
I'll probably listen to it a third time. Maybe more.
It's an awesome, kick-you-in-the-face sermon.

The big questions: Are living in a way that shows non-believers that you could only love that way because there truly is a God? Have you realized that God gave us love that is gospel-centered, a self-sacrificing love? Are you so filled with the love of God so much that you can't help but sing the praises of Christ? Is your hatred for others blocking your encounter with the Living God? Do you want to be a sincere lover of others and of God? Are you growing in love daily? Are you making to time to be loved by God in order that you can translate that to others?

Listen to it. See what the Lord wants to teach you.

Rare Artist

2009-06-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of things left to do for my apartment decoration wise. Whether it is to make a blank wall interesting, or to cover something I don't like. One of these things is an ugly medicine cabinet in my bathroom. It's ugly. I mean really ugly. So, tonight I was artsy, which if you know me, isn't the case.

So, in honor of the rarity that is my artsy nature, I thought I would share:

1 Thes. 5:17

60 Sweaty Hours

2009-06-09T08:56:00.000-07:00

Last weekend's project: Move furniture into college apartment.

Task: Hauling my furniture from Nashville, help Lara move her furniture from old apartment to new apartment, and assembling apartment so it actually looks like an apartment.

People: Lara, Mrs. Jane (her mom), Dad, Uncle Charlie, Aunt Mary, and me

Time: 12 hours driving to Waco, 60 hours moving and unpacking, 12 hours driving back to Nashville

Other Items: Show the aunt and uncle Baylor, stop by Campus Visits, eat lunch with TK, and kidnap some guys to help move furniture

Results: The apartment is all set up.

Well, when I say set up, I mean I have furniture and there aren't boxes lying around making it a cardboard jungle. I still have pictures to hang up and other little decorations to put in different places, but I'll wait until I'm back in a few weeks.

Summer in Nashville is rapidly coming to a close. I have three weeks left, one of them being spent at camp. I've been getting a lot of questions lately about missing Nashville, missing "home", but Nashville doesn't feel like home anymore. It's where I grew up, where I went to high school, where my dad lives, where the church that taught me to be a woman of the Lord is, where I met great friends, and have tons of memories, but it's not home. Home is Waco. Home is Baylor. I still have amazing friends that I am able to see and spend time with family, but after being gone for two years, everything has changed, including myself.

Since being back in Nashville, I have only wanted to go back to Waco. The 60 hours that was spent was not even close to enough. I just wanted to stay. Well, that, obviously, didn't happen. Here I am in Nashville, counting down the days. Until my drive back, I want to spend my time with close friends and family, working at church, and making memories with my not-so-little-anymore youth girls.

Sounds like a plan.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven...
Ecc. 3:1

How 'bout that update...

2009-04-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

Yeah,'bout that...

Well, here it is:

Easter: Can be summed up in one word: WONDERFUL. Why you ask?

A. I love the drive. It is a perfect time to think things through. It's pretty wonderful. I get more things done driving for 12 hours than sitting at my desk.
Subnote: Traffic in Memphis leads to a dance party which leads to creepy 18-wheeler drivers staring which leads to way to much laughter. Oh, life. You're funny.
B. I love, I mean, I LOVE my friends back home. They are some of the best people I know. You should meet them, you'd be hooked too.
C. Inglewood Baptist. Just walking in the door puts a big smile on my face. I love my church family. I love hearing RevKev preach. LOVE IT!
D. I got to take the roomie around Nashville and play tourist. It's just fun to go in all the tourist shops. There are some crazy, funny lookin' things in them.

That's basically all for Easter.

After getting back to the wonderful world of Baylor, I went to class, went to work, had Highland Leadership Retreat, went to church, had youth Bible study, went to my Connection Group. Basically, I stayed busy. I'm still busy. I think I'll be busy for the rest of my life. Is that good? bad? indifferent? *tap tap* this thing on? anyone out there? HELLO??!!

My sincerest apologies...

Anyways... for now, I like being busy. We'll see what happens when finals come around. DEAR GOODNESS! Finals are NEXT week?!?!?! How in the world did this semester go by this fast? I mean, it was fun, a hoot, a joyous adventure. However, I'm ready to be back in a school teaching. I think that is why I didn't care for this semester. I wasn't in a classroom doing what I love. Next semester is going to be a crazy adventure, but I'm ready. I'm ready to see what the Lord is going to do this next year, this summer, my life in general. I'm ready. I'm excited. Let's get the show on the road y'all.

Slacker

2009-04-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

That's how I have been feeling lately, especially in regards to school. I have loved just being with friends, whether at work, church, small group, late night games, impromptu tortilla tossing, the usual. I have four weeks left in my Sophomore year, and I simply do not care about my classes anymore. Awful, right? Hopefully, Easter break will be a nice little breather before I come back...finishing strong...hopefully. Obviously, I am not just slacking with school..."hello, non-updated blog".

So, let's recap the last two months, shall we?

1. I believe February was an incredibly slow month. It's the shortest month in the year, but it felt as if it would never end. Nothing exciting happened. Of course with it being Texas, it was in the 70s. I have tan lines from January/February. This weather still throws me off. You can proceed to be jealous now.

2. March went by lightning speed. I think this is because I was SUPER busy.

a. Spring Break Ski Trip. This was super fun. I mean, doesn't this look like a postcard? The line at the bottom is a joke from the trip. Walking in ski boots takes talent, and ends in a lot of pain. My toes were bruised for awhile.

I think this picture is just plain funny. Thank you, Lara, for documenting my graceful nature.

Needless to say, the trip was eventful. Not only with my gracefulness, but Lara injured her knee pretty badly. Sweet little thing is on crutches and has a knee brace. She's still waiting to see if she'll need surgery this summer.

After the ski trip, I came back to good ol' Waco to work for the rest of Spring Break. It was only Lara, Matt, JStep, and I along with all the adults. It was probably the best week of work.

b. The week following Spring Break was complete madness. I worked 27 hours at Campus Visits. It seemed like the whole state of Texas was on Spring Break and all the students came to Baylor. We gave 5 tours a day with 68 people, and there were still more coming into our office. Admissions and Financial Aid set up a tent outside the Visitor's Center. It was a complete circus. Work as well as having 17 hours of school along with all of my other activities, who knows how I made it through that week.

c. March also brought six of Lara's friends from home to visit. It was a lot of fun to hang out with all of them. I'll get to see some of them again when I got to Birmingham this summer.

d.The rest of March was filled with studying (kind of...), hanging out with friends, work...

3. In other news, a lot of opportunities have been opening up for me and other opportunities have been closing, but I have seen how the Lord is working through it all. I'm just glad He is in control and not me because I have no idea even where to begin. I'll update more once some opportunities are more than opportunities and more realities. You know how it is.

4. Thursday, my roommate and I will be making the twelve hour drive to Nashville for Easter break. It'll be nice to be back for a little while to see everyone. I promise pictures and good stories (hopefully, around the same time the trip is...not a month later. oops).

That's a condensed version of what has been happening right now in my life. Some things are funny, others are serious. As good ol' Forest Gump said, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

Welcome to the party, make yourself at home. But, please, don't eat the chocolate.

Please Turn Red

2009-02-01T14:08:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting in my room listening to Andy Davis' song "Please Turn Red" on Pandora Radio (it's a pretty ballin' free radio on the internet p.s.). Even though Andy is definitely speaking about traffic lights turning red so he can spend a few more moments with a girl, I feel like I want my life to come to a "red light" if only for a moment. I can't believe it is already February 2009. I keep myself so busy that time flies and wham it's February! What in the world....

So, to catch up on the past month of life:
1. I made the journey back at the good 'ol Baylor. Oh, how I missed it. I came back early, so I was able to get everything organized and ready for classes on the 12th. I picked up the roomie from DFW. That is story unto itself. Let's just say I have never been more confused in my life. I'm avoiding that airport for the rest of my life.

2. I started classes. 17 hours, woo!
The Breakdown:
-Aerobics: Two thumbs up for Human Performance classes! 7a.m. MWF. It's intense, but good.
-American Educational Thought: Basically, an educational philosophy class. It is about as exciting as it sounds. 1.5 hours of sheer torture. Kevin, Lissa, Rachel, Steven, and I in the back wondering if the clock is broken or if we really have 1 hour left.
-Genetics: I have a funny Korean teacher. I don't really understand him, but that's o.k. He wants us to read the book and do the problems; it's more effective than listening to him. I can agree with that statement.
-Genetics Lab: Someone please show me the nearest wall so I can bang my head against it. Yep, that's how I feel about this class.
-Golf: Two very enthusiastic thumbs up for Human Performance classes! I've always wanted to learn, and the class opened up. It also means after this semester I'm done with all my HP credits, woo! Also, golfing with the uncle this summer, pumped!
-Intro to Music: Requirement for all Education Majors. It's boring. Music histoy is not the most intriguing subject.
-Political Science: I have a nerdy, adorable, young couple teaching this class, and it's with Lara. I also have funny frat guys behind me. They always provide amusement.
-Spanish 3: I want my teacher to be my grandma, no lie. She winks at everyone. It's hilarious. It's my last semester of Spanish (Hallelujah!).

3. I started work at the Campus Visits office. It's the best. I work with some of the funniest people, and I have great bosses. I also get to tell everyone how ballin' Baylor is. This weekend we had Winter Premiere (more like Spring Premiere considering it was 75 and I got a farmer's tan). It was great helping all the high schoolers find their way around campus and answer parent's questions about majors and admissions. Needless to say, I talked and stood for about 9 hours. I had no voice at 5 p.m. I LOVED it!

4. Cubbies and Youth Bible study started back up. I missed all my little kids. They're the best.

5. Disciple Now at Highland. A great start not only for the youth, but for all of the leaders as well. I loved being with my ninth grade girls. They always provide amusement.

6. CG started again. I missed the group. It's a great way to start the week, taking a break for 2 hours on Monday night just to get in the Word with other believers.

7. College ministry at Highland. Oh, Kyle Dunn, how I love you and your sensitivity to the Spirit and the hearts of college students.

8. Prayer and Host Ministries in the College Ministry. I was elected to be on both of these teams. I'm pretty pumped. The first is obviously involving prayer. I'll be one of the ones that you can pray with during our prayer time on Sunday morning. The second is basically a welcome-wagon group. I get to go around and just talk to people. Fits me, right???

As, you can see, I keep myself busy. I like it. I'm never bored and life is always an adventure! However, it would be nice to slow down for bit once in awhile. I guess that is what Sunday afternoon is for. A nap outside sounds nice, anyone got a hammock???

I'm Back!

2009-01-12T12:21:00.001-08:00

Christmas break is over. It was good. I was able to catch up with old friends and just relax for awhile. However, despite it being a good break, I was ready to be back in Waco. I was actually ready after about a week. Nashville is becoming more and more like a vacation (I lived out of a suitcase over break, I mean really...) and Waco is becoming more and more like home. I'm not the only one with this feeling though. Lara, great friend, co-worker, sister in Christ, and future roommate came to visit over the break and she shared the same feelings. Waco is wonderful despite its interesting past (interesting...yeah...'bout that...) and Baylor is the best university to be at. Many may object to this, however, it is the truth, and the truth hurts. Why do I love Baylor and Waco so much?

1. Campus- It is B-E-A-UTIFUL. No, really...it is.
2. Church Family- Highland's love of God, Christ, His Word, and His people, whether here in Waco or in a foreign land, is why I go and serve there.
3. People- I have met some of my best friends in the last 3 semesters. We not only have fun and enjoy the time we have in college, but we look for ways to help spur each other on in our walks with the Lord. What can be better than that?!?
4. Professors- Many colleges have huge classes where students are a mere name on a list. Not here. I have spent countless hours going and talking to my professors about anything and everything. They truly care about their students and want to get to know them as a person. Dr. Holmes, my biology professor last semester, is a prime example. He loved when we came by whether to ask a question or have a chat, which would usually last atleast an hour just because you would get so caught up in the conversation. Angeli and I even baked brownies for him because he was that wonderful.
5. Suspension Bridge and Tortilla Tossing- I LOVE tortilla tossing off the bridge. Did you know, that a tortilla is much like a frisbee? Combine 1 part tortilla with 1 part bridge and 2 parts random concrete stands in the river add 85 ducks and you get a whole lot of fun. (Welcome to Waco, we throw tortilla frisbees off bridges and call it a sport)
6. Taco Stands- mmm... $1 fresh tacos made when you order. So stinkin' good. All you need is a little Spanish knowledge (atleast enough to order food: Dos tacos. Carne asada con todo. See, not that bad, right?) and you are good to go.
7. Teriyaki Park- spicy california rolls 10 for $5. 'nuff said.
8. My bed- 2 foam pads, 4 pillows, and a down comforter. Sheer bliss.
9. Story time with the roomie- It always ends up in large amounts of laughter.
10. Library- You always find someone to study with...or get distracted with. Even in the wee hours of the morning.

That is only the tip of the iceberg.

Oh, Waco, how I love thee, let me count the ways...

Oh, dear, I have lost it and it's only the first day of classes...

I Should be Studying... Part 85

2008-12-13T10:05:00.000-08:00

Well, not really part 85. It's close enough. I have less than two hours before my chemistry exam. So far, I have completed four finals, three projects, one presentation, and a job interview. I still have three finals left. Can anyone say,"Brain exhaustion"? It will be wonderful to have this semester's classes behind me. I have been gradually turning into a recluse due to the amount of studying I have done over the last few weeks. That along with reading has been my life. The workers at Barnes and Noble know who I am (Is that bad?). I just love books. I have room for maybe three books on my shelves, maybe. Last night, I bought two. I hope they will last until I leave on Tuesday (Yes, you read correctly, Tuesday as in three more days. I know, it's ridiculous). I already finished 200 pages of the first one... I might need to go back... At least I'm addicted to reading and not something harmful (just looking on the bright side of things...). Bookstores are one of my favorite places to go to, especially ones that are not national chains. It has that new book smell, it's quiet, it's...wonderful.
On a second note, I have deemed tonight, "I AIN'T STUDYIN' NOTHIN'" Night (obviously, all the reading is not helping my English...). I was thinking about staying in my room reading, but I think some social interaction that isn't revolving around polyatomic ions, mitosis, or verb conjugation is needed. Instead, it will be movie night at Hanna's. That sounds better. However, before I get to my "I AIN'T STUDYIN' NOTHIN'" night, I have chemistry.

Hello, polyatomic ions...

I Should be Studying... Part 2

2008-12-09T18:09:00.000-08:00

Studying has taken over my life. I have three finals and three projects left before my twelve hour drive back to Nashville. I'm looking forward to that drive. Most people gasp when they hear I, a girl, drive that far. However, I love it. Yes, it is long. Yes, Arkansas is the worst state to drive through. Yes, there is traffic in Dallas and Memphis. Yes, I only stop once, so my body is practically numb when I get home. Yes, there are dumb drivers and a lot of tractor trailers. Yes, I have heard it all before. But, I still love it. There is nothing like turning the music up and just driving. It clears my head. I am able to process more in those twelve hours of driving than I am sitting at my desk. It's something about being alone that I love. Of course, I am not a recluse that refuses social interaction (seriously?!, have you met me??), but it's nice to be alone for that stretch of time. So, I am looking forward to my drive.

However, I still have a week left of massive amounts of studying and coffee consumption. I'm actually drinking coffee as I type this. Oh, caffeine (I have had more coffee in the past week than any normal human should consume. I blame my favorite study place, a coffee shop. Correction, the BEST coffee shop.). Today was a Dead Day and tomorrow is one as well. I don't have an exam on Thursday, but I have my exhibition and all my projects due Friday at 6:20. Saturday I have chemistry. Monday is biology, and Tuesday wraps up finals with Spanish. I will be singing hallelujah when Spanish is done. Next semester will be my last Spanish class. Hallelujah, amen. After next semester I will be officially done with every non-teaching and non-science related class. (Yay, science! How I love you so. I promise that's normal... I think...)

This past week has not been completely academically focused. I have had three Christmas parties, Christmas on 5th Street, a job interview with Campus Visits, and random adventures with Lara. This week will be marked by studying, buying Christmas presents, and signing the lease on an apartment for next year. Yay for off-campus living. Lara, Angeli, and I are signing on Thursday. That means my distraction times have been consumed by figuring out how I'm going to decorate my room and bathroom, furniture shopping, and just plain 'ol excitement about getting off-campus. I'm looking forward to living with those girls. They are pretty much wonderful.

Well, now I must go back to studying. Oh, projects how you take over my life. No Common Grounds tonight, though. It's supposed to snow, and I already got pelted by hail when I was walking back from dinner. This weather makes perfect sense because it was 75 degrees outside two days ago. Oh, Texas and it's silly weather...

I Should be Studying...

2008-12-02T17:28:00.000-08:00

But, I'm writing a new post. I should also change my blog title from "Daily Life of a College Student" to "The Never Daily Life of a College Student Because She Fails at Daily Posting", but I think that is too long. Oh well, at least I try, right?

I'm currently sitting in my favorite coffee shop in the world, Common Grounds. It's ballin' to say the least. I have my favorite holiday coffee, Peppermint Mocha, and I'm pouring over my first love, biology (Yes, love. It's perfectly normal, I promise...). Well, I was pouring over my biology then I got distracted. It happens. Life since getting back to Baylor has been extremely busy. It's the last week of classes, so it's everyone's last efforts to make a good grade. I think everyone is behind after Thanksgiving break. I have two finals this week and one on Monday before they officially start next Thursday. It's crunch time. I'm not too worried. This weekend will be loaded with studying and working on my teaching projects (e-folio is the bane of my existence). Thursday is Christmas on 5th Street, which will be a nice reward after completing my chemistry and biology lab finals earlier that day. Friday is Christmas on the Mountain aka Christmas party at Hanna's apartment. Yesterday was my Connect Group's last meeting of the semester so we had a Christmas party: food, white elephant, and Elf. It was a nice treat to begin the week. But, alas, it all must come to an end in order to prepare for finals.

Well, my distraction time must come to an end. Off to hit the books!

Pictures of this week's adventures/studying woes to come soon!

Nationwide Gluttony Day

2008-11-27T17:37:00.000-08:00

Otherwise known as Thanksgiving occurred today. It was also a big football day, Titans, Cowboys, and I'm currently watching the Texas vs. Texas A&M game (I sound like a boy...). I'm still overcome by the massive amounts of turkey, and I decided I should stop being the worst blogger and share a little about my life.

Is it really November 27th??? Goodness gracious. Well, it has been over a month. School is still going. There will be a great rejoicing once finals are over, especially Spanish (gross). I have one more week of classes then the finals begin. It has been a good semester, challenging, but good. I have two more nights with my Cubbies. One more youth Bible study. One more college Bible study. Things are coming to an end. Spring semester will be great, though. I will be taking my last Spanish class (Can I hear an "Amen!"), and I’m getting closer to my intern year, which I am super excited about. I finished tutoring before Thanksgiving break. It was a bittersweet good-bye. I enjoyed working with them and seeing the light bulb come on, but hearing about their lives and what they were going to do as soon as they were rid of their parole officers was heartbreaking. Next semester, I won’t be tutoring. I’ll have my educational thought class, instead. I will, hopefully, be getting a Campus Visits job. I’m saving up for mission trips later on in the semester. I’ll be busy, is another way to phrase my life. I like it that way, though.

My birthday has come and gone. I am now a twenty year old (eek!). It still sounds weird to say. Lara, Hanna, and Angeli surprised me with a party with good friends. It was a lot of fun. I looked like I had stolen a five year olds birthday, though. I was complete with Barbie balloon, light-up wand, party hat, and a “Princess AK” castle cake with “Darbie”, our fake, ghetto HEB Barbie. It was hilarious. We ate at Olive Garden, watched the new Bond movie, and then went tortilla tossing at the Suspension Bridge. It was an unforgettable night.

Other things have happened over the month. Halloween was funny. Angeli and I made cavewoman costumes for “Trick-or-Treat” night. It proved to be a crowd pleaser, even though one dad asked if we were wood nymphs (yeah… I have no idea where that came from). The election came and went, but that is a whole different story. Baylor sent in 3rd string and still won against Texas A&M! That was a good game. I surprised everyone by coming home four days early. If only I had a camera every time I saw someone. And, now I’m here.Those are the main things that have happened. I promise to try and not be the worst blogger. But for now, the game is calling me.

Oh, Junior High Days

2008-10-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

Don't you remember those days? You stayed up late, ate a lot of pizza, drank too much caffeine, talked to friends all night, and never slept.

This sums up my Friday night/Saturday morning. It was Hoop Dee Doo here in Waco. It is an excuse for parents to leave their children with college students and youth ministers for an evening/morning to get away. It is also an excuse for kids to eat way to much pizza, drink coke all night, and hang out with their friends under the supervision of "cool people" instead of their parents (that's right, I'm a bonafide "cool person"). It was an adventure. It all began at 10 p.m. We met at Woodway Baptist, the church my church partnered with, and registrered, got t-shirts, waited on people...ya know, the norm. We had a worship time, and the jr. high youth minister for Woodway led an invitation time. It was pretty awesome to see all the jr. high kids worshipping (Love it!). We then headed to the buses. All of us filled up 6 school buses! (Last year was 10!?! Good grief, that's a lot of jr. high kids!) We made our way to Poppa Rollo's Pizza(yummmm...). It has the BEST pizza in Waco. The kids filled up with pizza and coke aka they were bouncing off the walls. The college leaders on the other hand had to go about staying up late in a different way.

Josh brought us Monsters... Never again will I drink a Monster. Gross. It did, however, keep me awake.

It was about 1:30 a.m., when we left Rollo's and headed to the movie theatre. The kids had a choice of seeing The Express or Beverly Hills Chihuahua. I refrained from the movie and stayed int he hall with Ronny, our fearless leader (ha!), and some of the other college students. We had some funny conversations due to delirium. The movies ended around 4 a.m. and we were off to the skating rink!

We laced up and hit the floor! (Oh, dear, I haven't recovered from delirium yet...) It was fun. I definitely felt like I was in jr. high again. So, we skated from 4 until around 5:30 a.m. And, then we were off again. This time to the bowling alley. By this time, the inner grandma was screaming "SLEEP, GIVE ME SLEEP". The awful Monster drink had worn off, skating had plum-tuckered me out (inner grandma speaking...), and it was 5:30 a.m. and I had been up almost 24 hours. I wasn't the only one, though. When we got the bowling alley, Lara, Hanna, Josh, and I found the nearest table to sit at.

And, here is the result: One of our lovely jr. high girls took this. We weren't truly asleep just resting our eyes... We were tired, but sleep was soon to be had. At 6:45, we loaded the buses for the final time. We returned to Woodway. The parents were meeting us back at 7 a.m. The jr. high kids could have gone for a few more hours, but the college kids and youth ministers were ready to fall over. Hanna, Lara, and I drove back to Baylor. I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, and I didn't emerge from my coma until 1:30 that afternoon. I ate lunch, and fell asleep again (I blame the inner grandma).

It was a lot of fun, though. However, I am not a jr. high-er anymore, and the inner grandma calls for sleep.

Hmm... nap time, anyone?

Happy sleeping :)

So Much to Do in So Little Time

2008-10-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

I will be twenty years old in 49 days (Sad that I know the exact number. Thanks Angeli...). I will no longer be a "silly teenager", but I will be an adult, I will be a twenty year old, I will be...(I think this is getting to me...) This transition of 19 to 20 has been the topic of discussion among Angeli and I for quite some time now. This transition not only means the rambling that I spoke of, but it also means we are one step closer to graduating and entering the "real world" [enter dramatic music]. Next year, is when I take my PPR TExES and GRE (the first for teaching certificate, the second for graduate school, which I am still contemplating) and Angeli takes the MCAT (my silly little physician). The following year we end our four years at Baylor (EEK!) All of this brought up by changing from 19 to 20, who woulda thunk it?!
So, in honor of this change, we have been thinking of things to do before we turn 20. The list is random and has no point, just something funny to do. When making this list, I did not realize it would include an emergency room visit. Yep, that's right, this little Tennessee girl had to go to the emergency room. I have never, let me repeat NEVER, been to the emergency room for something that has happened to me. This was truly eventful. So, why did I go, you may ask. Well let me tell you...
I have been sick lately, coughing, sneezing, and whatnot. Well, yesterday my left ear started bothering me, but I didn't think that much of it. This morning, however, I woke up with NO hearing in it. None, zip, nada, nothing. Let's just say, I was slightly freaked out. I took a shower, not better (I don't know why a hot shower would help, but I don't really understand my thinking all the time). I got ready, nothing changed. At 2:30 this afternoon, I was convinced I was going deaf (Well, wouldn't you if you couldn't hear?!?) It is the weirdest feeling. Someone would talk to me on one side, and I had no idea what they were saying, but the other side the words were coming in clear. I didn't know what was going on. I called my dad freaking out. He began freaking out. It was official, I must go to the emergency room and see if they could fix it.
Angeli and I drove to Hillcrest, and I signed the 896,857,463,276 papers that you must fill out (somewhat of an exaggeration...). Then we sat and waited. During this time, images of me in hearing aids were going through my head. Angeli didn't know what to do with me except sit on my good side so she could talk to me. During this waiting time, I halfway heard about the ordeal going on with the people next to me. Apparently, a dog was sent to attack their uncle for knocking on someone's door (Oh, emergency rooms, how I never want to be in one again...). Finally (aka 2 hours later), I was called to see the doctor. They asked me what I was coming in for (for the 400th time), the nurse left, the doctor came in, yada yada yada. He then asked me what was wrong (are you kidding me?!?! I think you should know by now.) He then looked at my good right ear. Then he saw my left. He kept repeating, "Oh, oh dear. Well that's not good." (Now my already overactive imagination went into overdrive!) He then began explaining what was wrong. Bubbles.

Yep, I have bubbles on my ear drum. These bubbles house bacteria that have infected my ear causing hearing loss. He said it was a rare kind of infection, but it could still be treated. (My imagination was calming down at this point) He wrote me some medication for pain, told me to wait for them to pop, and I would be have full hearing in 2-3 days. I walked out, explained to Angeli what was going on, and we both were bursting with laughter. Bubbles...on my ear drum... seriously?...SERIOUSLY?!?! I love how random things always happen to me. We went to Wal-Mart to get my medications. Angeli and I were still laughing. This whole situation was ridiculous. Needless to say, I am not going deaf, but suffering from hearing loss due to bubbles... Oh, dear. I guess I can cross emergency room off my list...

All that to say, I'm turning 20.

That's scary.

Weekend Adventures

2008-09-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-25T12:18:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-23T18:24:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

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?!

2008-09-12T15:28:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-10T19:41:00.001-07:00

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?

2008-09-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-07T19:38:00.000-07:00

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.