I write before I think

Some questions for the coming month.

2012-01-31T14:55:00.001-06:00

Dear February,

Are you going to bring cold weather to central Texas? It's in the 60s every day and I'm not complaining, but I'm a little thrown off after four Kentucky winters in a row, especially last year's.

Did we ever figure out what we're calling the decade that ended in 2010? The zeros? The two-thousands? The double-oh's? I know it doesn't have anything to do with you; I've just always wondered.

How many more television shows am I going to get into? Thanks to Netflix, I have gotten hooked on a lot of TV shows that everyone else already knew were awesome but that I didn't ever watch, for some reason.

In previous years I was a Gilmore Girl from a Modern Family who was Lost in The Office of 30 Rock, but now I'm among the Mad Men in the Parks and Recreation department of Downton Abbey and I just want to know How I Met Your Mother so I can have my Happy Ending.

I know it sounds like a ton of TV, but don't worry, I've had to improve my time management skills a whole lot because I'm also swamped with school. Speaking of which...

How many darn prospectuses are you going to make me write, February? Actually, you don't need to tell me. The answer is three. Three very large, work-intensive projects that are all a large portion of my grade. Thanks for that, 2/12.

Will you tell me what my summer plans are? I am applying to internships, mostly in Atlanta and New York, and I'm hoping that when you end I'll at least have narrowed it down considerably. I don't like having so many options. I feel like a high school senior again.

I'm still not sure where February 29th is coming from. How does that work? I heard it explained by Eugene on Adventures in Odyssey one time, but that was a considerable number of years ago, so I'm a little fuzzy on the logistics. We add on an extra day to you every four years and magically our calendar works? Sounds fishy, February. And kind of rude, if you ask me.

Christmas Break 2011

2012-01-16T03:44:00.000-06:00

Pardon the length of this post! The past few weeks have been quite eventful. Each of these deserves its own post, and I really want to be that kind of blogger, but these highlights will have to do until I can move to D.C., have a cute baby, and be a Full-Time Internet Mormon.

December 9: Celebrated the victory of Robert Griffin III's Heisman with all the patrons of a very busy Waco steakhouse. It was smoky, it was loud, it was the perfect place to celebrate a hometown hero over some biscuits and sweet tea. I'm proud to be a part of Baylor, and I'm also pretty sure Robert's the most famous quarterback I've ever had two classes with.

December 12: Flew home to Atlanta. The next few days were filled with Resident Evil movies, which for some reason James and I had been telling ourselves we needed to watch since summer of 2010, doing a huge puzzle at home, and watching a lot of Arrested Development.

December 16: Cam formed a Christmas Break Bucket List late one night from random snippets of the conversation we were having at the Marietta Diner over gyros and chicken parmesan subs (very diverse menu). It contained 44 items, and some were ironic and silly, and some were very fun ideas. Somehow we got it in our heads that we had to do all of them, whether or not they were 1) Fun, 2) Practical or 3) Possible. In a way, the Bucket List set the tone for the rest of the break.

Those two photos make it look like two of the things on the list were, "Do aerobics in non-exercising clothes" and, "Pick up the biggest gourd you can possibly find." Alas they weren't on the list. If they had been, we would have beaten it! (We checked off all but two.)

December 21-22: Mom and I baked up a STORM for our big Christmas Extravaganza on the 23rd! I wish I had a picture of everything. Lots of people came all dressed up in their festive best, and it was marvelous. Apart from, of course, Jesus coming down to save us from our sins and humbling himself for us every day starting at his birth in a stable, I think parties capture the essence of Christmas.

When Mom poured the caramel over the cake, I yelled, "Eat that Johnnie Gabriel!" And yes, we made Anna mop the floor for a party she was a guest at. It's how we roll. She's basically family anyway.

December 24: Celebrated Christmas Eve, aka Jesus' birthday, at Grandma's house, complete with Funfetti cake and singing Happy Birthday to Him.

December 30: Went to the High Museum of Art to see the Picasso to Warhol exhibit. It was truly one of the most educated things I've done in a long time (which is pretty sad, all things considered). Duchamp, Mondrian, Pollock, Picasso, Warhol, Matisse! So much culture! I absolutely loved it.

December 31: Celebrated a truly wonderful New Year's Eve with friends from Marietta and Asbury. We played Just Dance, shared our resolutions, climbed mountains, and laughed a lot. Worlds collided, friendships were made, inside jokes were formed, and everyone came away feeling refreshed.

The NYE '11 Crew

So much friendship.

January 3: Welcomed Harrison and Taylor home from Bangalore, India! It was a wonderful little reunion!

Didn't get to hang out with them for long, because...

January 6: Flew back to Texas. And I shall write more on that later! Probably much later.

First Down

2011-12-04T15:56:00.001-06:00

When I decided to come to Baylor in April, I kept myself from having any expectations of what Waco would be like, or whether I would like it or not. April and May were busy enough without me adding to the life changes going on, and the summer is never a good time to think about school. I preferred to make peach pies, float around in the pool, and go to King's Island and Braves games.

So for better or worse, I specifically remember that during my 16-hour-long solitary road trip to Waco, I thought about it fully for the first time. By the time I crossed over the Mississippi, I was about 50% of the way there, and 90% freaked out.

Almost four months later, I have moved myself into an apartment, lived with two girls I didn't know, gone to church alone, been part of the winning trivia team at the local pub, written and revised three research papers, befriended some hilarious people, gone to a few great football games, eaten at some awesome local restaurants, and gotten lost one bajillion times.

I've also made some mistakes, failed a lot, and felt really stupid about half the time I've lived here. But, considering I started from scratch, I don't think I should have expected any differently.

Anyway, as of Tuesday afternoon (or whenever I decide to do my take-home final), this semester will be over.

Was it fun? Most of the time (especially at first), no. Was it easy? Considering I didn't know anyone when I got here and am doing graduate-level work in a field I have never studied, absolutely not. Was it like college, just in Texas instead of Kentucky? It was probably the furthest experience I could have had from Asbury while still being on a Christian college campus. Listen, you're asking all the wrong questions, Imaginary Interviewer.

Did you learn anything important? There we go. YES. It would be impossible, and a little bit too personal, to share everything that I've learned, discovered, and finally begun to believe in less than four months. God has done some serious work on me and I'm different than I was six months ago. I'm still a weird, random, sarcastic, Dave Barry fan who loves milk too much. But I'm also a weird, random, sarcastic, Dave Barry fan who loves milk too much and really needs Jesus on a day-to-day basis, and sees more than just my immediate circumstances. That has been the key to learning to enjoy my life here: Perspective.

I also learned that my family are the best people I know, that my friends are much more dependable than I deserve, and that you cannot leave your stuff on the cafeteria table while you go get your food (consider yourselves lucky, Asburians).

So... Was it worth it? Well, it was no picnic or trip to DisneyWorld (I've been there!), and I know people who have dealt with transition much more gracefully than I did, and with far fewer freakouts over Skype. But—and this is something else I've learned—I think that's OK. So you know what, Imaginary Interviewer? Yes. Yes, it was.

First down, three to go.

Learning about the DPRK

2011-11-20T09:59:00.001-06:00

Over the past few months, I've been reading a lot of articles from journals about communication, different theories of communication, and the history of communication theory-- it's about as interesting as it sounds. When I have time to read on my own, however, I have stuck to one subject-- North Korea. The political and humanitarian situation there is, from an objective, scholarly point of view, completely fascinating and one-of-a-kind, and from a Christian perspective, it's completely horrifying.

The handful of people who have noticed that I'm so obsessed with knowing about North Korea are surprised, because I'm not really the type of person to all-of-the-sudden take on random interests in this fashion, especially socialist Far Eastern countries. The primary reasons that I've been so interested and captivated by this nation are, first of all, a conversation I had with a widely respected woman who is on the board of a ministry that takes food and medical supplies into North Korea, and has been there several times. She explained to me briefly (as much as she could to someone who knew nothing) what is going on there. I was ashamed that I didn't know that all this was happening, and from that moment on I wanted to know everything.

The second reason is this fascinating documentary. I highly recommend it-- It's not too long, and I think it's a great introduction into the situation over there; the personality cult, the famine, the deception, and brainwashing that the North Koreans undergo, leading them to worship their president as a god. One of the most interesting things to me is that they truly believe that they are better off than all the other nations in the world. In fact, they are brought up being told that South Koreans are extremely poor and all have to scrounge for scraps on the streets. The defectors who escape to South Korea are shocked to realize that South Korea is one of the most booming economies in the world, and are often overwhelmed about how much they were lied to by their government.

Since September, I have read quite a few books on North Korea. For the most part, I've stuck to the most well-known works. Here are some great ones:

Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag. A memoir of a boy whose family was arrested and thrown into a concentration camp for having ties to North Korea's hated neighbor Japan, and his eventual defection to South Korea. He has since become a well-known speaker and advocate for human rights.

Somewhere Inside: One Sister's Captivity in North Korea and the Other's Fight to Bring Her Home. The story of a journalist taken prisoner by North Korean police while doing a story on the Chinese border. This book was even more fascinating when I realized that her sister was the same woman in the National Geographic documentary I linked to above. This book speaks to the power of the media and the importance of diplomatic relations between countries-- read it and you'll know what I mean.

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea. This has been my favorite so far. Written by an American journalist who covered the Koreas for years, she compiled the stories of real defectors to give a holistic view of what life is like there, and gives a really good look at the famine of the mid-1990s.

Letters to My Life

2011-11-14T09:42:00.001-06:00

Dear Waco,

I'm tired of getting lost driving around you. And please make 4th street a 2-way so I don't get super confused every time I come home from Jimmy John's.

Dear Baylor students,

I now understand Asbury's dress code. Please wear some real clothes. And just because it's November, that doesn't mean you can wear Uggs when it's 84º.

Dear Cowboys,

I want some of your boots. Please stop costing $400.

Dear 4 1/2 year old Macbook,

Please don't give up on me. I know you're about 75 in computer years, but I need you to help me with grad school. (Grad student – computer = sad + unproductive)

Dear Texas,

Your outline is very recognizable, but I don't know if that's a good reason to make buildings, crackers, and furniture in the shape of it.

Dear Texans,

There are other states besides Texas.

PS.Don't get me wrong, I love Texas as much as the next non-Texan, but there's a whole 'nother 49 states out there to discover! Although, you do have a pretty awesome one. So really, I don't blame you.

(I stole this idea from Dottie)

Life After College

2011-11-06T00:49:00.000-05:00

Despite what Asbury wants you to think, schools outside Wilmore are actually just as awesome. There are other colleges with really faithful alumni who love their schools just as much as Asburians love the little pocket of wonderful tucked away amid the beautiful horse farms of Kentucky.

Among those schools is Baylor University, tucked away amid the dry, yellow fields of Texas. Their homecoming is insane. After being semi-present for the events of this weekend, I'm envious of the alumni really having something be proud of and make the journey back for.

From what I can tell after a lifetime of being related to them, Asbury alumni love their alma mater because of what it meant to them, how it changed them, and the nostalgia of the campus, etc. Quite understandable--that's inevitably how I'll end up as well.

But Baylor Bears come back to Waco for all that and football games, parades, bonfires, concerts, Sing (it's a sorority thing-- as almost everything around here is), and more. The entire campus is abuzz with activity, everything is draped with green and gold fabric, and everyone is in a good mood--except the homecoming committee; I'm sure they'll be sleeping for the next several weeks.

With all the joy, school pride, and excitement, I was almost wishing I had graduated from here, until I realized that in a year and a half, I will. (Not quite the same, I realize--but true nevertheless.)

Before you accuse me of abandoning my Eagle pride, let me assure you that I am AU through and through. In fact, I have been keeping up with the men's soccer team, which is doing awesomely well this season. I even went to an away game when I was there a few weeks ago.

And you can be sure that, even if it's not quite as entertaining or flashy as Baylor, I will be at my Asbury reunions until I am a white-haired widow who doesn't remember anyone anyway so it's no longer worth it to make the trip all the way from my villa on Lake Como.

But I guess what I'm saying is that Asbury doesn't really give you the typical, Division I, more than 1500 students, spend tons of money on yearly events, use a fog machine to usher the players out on the field, sorority/fraternity, college experience. So even though I would never trade my Asbury years for four Baylor years instead, I'm grateful I get to supplement them.

And after talking to some former Baylor students, I get the sense that they love Baylor exactly they way that I love Asbury. "There's just something about where you do your undergrad," remarked a woman I talked to this week. "It gets inside of you and the next thing you know you're dragging your husband and kids back for silly weekends like this."

Ok, so maybe I'll be the old widow dragging her 70-year old kids back to Kentucky with her.

2006-2011

2011-10-31T22:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, so this isn't the big post I had planned. I was working on a little "greatest hits" type post, giving a sort of timeline of the past five years according to this little part of the Web.

2006

But, as we all know, life sometimes gets in the way of our blogging plans, and I instead needed to focus my writing attention on a film theory paper that, frankly, I don't understand. Which is tricky, because I wrote it, but such is grad school. I used big words and expressions like "semiotics," "narrative hermeneutics," and "phenomenology," so I'm hoping that will be good enough.

Anyway. I will most definitely (maybe) do the Greatest Hits of Marie-Claire's Online Life at some point, very soon (at some point). (When I have time.)

Suffice it to say, for now at least, that my life is very different than it was on October 31, 2006...

2007

-My hair was much longer, for starters.

-Neither Asbury, Baylor, nor any sort of big geographical transitions were on my mind. I was livin' large as a high school senior, and loving every minute of it.

-I had zero friends who were married. (Now I have at least eight, if you count brothers.)

-I drank a lot more loose leaf tea.

-Only about four people in the world called me Marie.

-I was toying with the idea of not going away to school.

-I didn't live in Texas. Nor would I have been able to take that idea seriously if you had suggested it.

...And very much the same:

2007

-I still have the best friends in the world, though the category has shifted around and expanded to make room for some great people. Though, as you can see, some of them have stuck around...

-I'm still just as sarcastic.

-I still hate change just as much. I respect it; but I don't like it.

-I understand more of who I'm made to be, and I'm excited to see what this grad school nonsense has to do with it.

2005

Happy 5th birthday, Blog... We've both come a long way since that night at Caroline's that Annie talked me into making creating you. You've been a sounding board, a place to vent, a way to stay connected to people, a good receptacle for my terrible jokes, and an important step in realizing how much I love to write. Here's to five more years of random posts about finals week, procrastination, and the occasional heart-felt thought.

A Trip to my Recent Past

2011-10-20T15:19:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, I flew up to Wilmore to visit. It was a mostly impulsive decision, sparked by a five-day window of time in my schedule and the discovery of a coinciding affordable ticket. On the way, I had a layover in Atlanta and James drove to the airport to see me. It had been a few months, what with him being on a ship in Sierra Leone and all. We tried to get a good picture together, and ended up taking 20 mediocre ones because I couldn't stop laughing. If you know James, you understand. I think they're pretty hilarious, so I've been haphazardly posting them on Facebook.

Disclaimer: James and I are not in love. Apparently no one believes that.

I ended up spending time with over 15 people I care about which, if anything, made me realize just how invested I ended up being in a bunch of people who happened to live in the same little town in Kentucky for the same period of time, for whatever reason. My parents still talk about their Asbury era, and I know I'll be doing the same thing 30 years from now (with a little Baylor mixed in, I'm sure).

I got to catch up with a few friends I haven't seen since graduation, meet some new people, and hug the ones I normally only see via Skype. I ate some stellar food, watched some excellent volleyball, and enjoyed the perfect weather. I'm glad to be back in Texas, however, which is just more proof that I'm really supposed to be here. I love it up there, but while I was there I just had a peace about my impending departure, and it became clear-- it's not where I belong anymore. Six months ago, I didn't think I'd ever feel that way. What a testament to God's grace.

I kept marveling at the fall colors (Texas doesn't really do Fall), and loved seeing the windy Kentucky roads once again.

On another note-- I was standing in line for security at the Louisville airport on Sunday, and had snapped the handles of my bag together and looped my blue coat through them, so it was sort of hanging from my bag. It was on the floor, next to me, and at one point I reached in my purse for my cell phone. Suddenly, the woman behind me left the line, and it took me about 15 seconds to realize that she had swiped the coat and disappeared. It was surreal. Who consciously thinks they have the right to do that sort of thing? I didn't make a fuss because 1) I didn't particularly care for that coat and 2) I'm afraid to cause scenes in airports. Whenever that happens in movies they always get escorted outside or taken to a room in the back for questioning, neither of which were worth my coat or my time. Keep it, lady. You obviously need it more than I do.

On the way back my flight was delayed and I missed my connection to Killeen so I ended up staying overnight in Atlanta, in a hotel in lovely College Park, and Emily-Cathryn drove from Athens to spend the night with me. It was a frustrating experience made awesome by the fact that I unexpectedly saw one of my best friends. You can't beat that feeling. I missed some work duties, but I'm not fired. You also cannot beat that feeling.

Courage

2011-10-04T21:47:00.004-05:00

Not much to report at the moment (or rather, not much time to report), but if you want a more serious look at my transition to Waco, and want to see me write about something other than iguanas or how far I park from campus, check out my friend Annie's blog post from today.

I had the honor of being today's guest writer in her October blog series about courage. I am looking forward to the rest of the month, because the topic is something I've (clearly) been thinking about a lot. Plus, it's Annie. And she's awesome. And she never does anything half-heartedly. Or sub-par. So it's bound to be awesome.

More soon!

Friends

2011-09-24T17:57:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I flew home to celebrate and participate in the wedding of one of my dearest friends, Ashley. She was absolutely beautiful, and is so freakin' in love with her husband, who is pretty crazy about her and calls her things like Beautiful, so I'm a big fan of him. It was so awesome to be a part of it and get to see her so happy. Now they live in Minnesota. It's not close to Texas.

I didn't take any pictures, because I was really busy rocking my olive green bridesmaid dress, trying to balance my bouquet on my hand, laughing hysterically and inexplicably at Alex when I walked down the aisle, seeing people I haven't seen in years, and dancing with H, Beth, Emily and Mr. and Mrs. Tompkins. It was fantastic.

[Update: Griffin uploaded a few shots to her blog (including the one below), and they're absolutely beautiful.]

(griffingibson.com)

The other really fantastic part was getting to see virtually ALL of my very best friends in one weekend--one of whom surprised me by riding down from Wilmore with Anna, just to hang out with me (that's like gold to a Quality Timer like me). It was the best, most unexpected thing ever. I cried when I saw her. It was weird.

We were all together (except Ashley, who had just gotten hitched) on Saturday night and it was like three worlds colliding. Here we are after eating at Chicken and Waffles:

Molly (from my Marietta High School days): She is brilliant, introduced me to Wicked and Arrested Development, is the kindest person I know, and was the best thing to come out of 10th grade. We have way too many inside jokes.
Emily-Cathryn (from my awkward days of listening to Weird Al and brushing my hair): She is a wise owl, and she has Furby eyes. If I had to choose the person I know who is the best at being a friend, it would be her.
Anna (from my days of only being 11 days old. Which is when she was born.): We both love the movie Clue and sending really dumb text messages to each other. She's forever tan, and always smiling.
and DJ/Dottie (from Asbury): We roomed together for three straight years. She remembers everything, except all the times I've been an idiot. She's the one who surprised me. She rules. (And she's getting married, too!)

As cliché as it is to say, I'm so blessed. I love my friends. I can't wait to be in lots more weddings! As long as you don't make me be the front of the conga line again.

It's Still Really Hot

2011-09-12T17:09:00.000-05:00

I'm ready for fall.

A is where I park on most days since I don't have a parking sticker. B is where I have class, and where my office and the library are.

It's only about a 0.7 mile walk but it feels like 17 miles, especially on days like these.

It is 105º outside today. I finished being a T.A. for the day and left my office to go back to my car, and had to stop and take a break at the Science Palace (right across from McLane--the big round building), because it was too hot to keep walking, and (mainly) because they sell Chick-fil-A. So that's where I am now. Cooling off. Hydrating. People-watching. Blogging. Procrastinating.

I just saw a guy in a Bulldogs shirt and I said, "Go Dawgs!" He looked back at me and said, matter-of-factly, "We lost," like girls are incapable of knowing these things or something. Dude, I know. Sheesh. And what happened to team spirit in the face of adversity?

Who loves friendship?

2011-09-09T21:11:00.008-05:00

Today, in an effort to be more inspired, I drove to Panera Bread and planned to write for several hours.

Instead, I talked to Cam on the phone.

If you don't know Cam, I feel sorry for you. He's been one of my very best friends since my senior year of high school, and we have stuck together despite his going to Africa for six months, and my going to Kentucky for four years. He is the greatest.

Somehow (and those who have ever talked to Cam will understand), we ended up talking about Guam. I don't really know anything about Guam. Having grown up in Europe, I can tell you where Croatia is but I have no concept of where Montana and Arkansas are located. So don't even get me started on Guam.

I was asking Cam about Guam, and he didn't know much either except that a) it's not close to Waco, and b) it has a big tourist industry.

Then I innocently asked, "Are there any iguanas there?"

To which he instantly responded, "No, but there are iguamas."

It was all over from there. I laughed for about two straight minutes. People were staring at me over their coffee cups.

Cam laughed, mocking me. "Wow. You... loved that one."

I guess I'm just a sucker for iguana puns.

In Case You Were Wondering

2011-09-01T17:04:00.005-05:00

So I've been in Texas for about two and a half weeks. It feels like I've been here for months, considering the emotional upheaval/onslaught of information I've been trying to process.

I have, however hit a little bit of a rhythm, and though I haven't quite found an exact weekly routine yet, I pretty much know what my day-to-day life will look like for the next 9 months.

Here's some things I have been seeing a lot the past couple weeks.

I am the TA for two huge public speaking classes, which meet twice a week in a classroom that would have fit the entire Fearless class quite comfortably. This is a terrible angle. Just think of any movie that takes place at a university, and picture those huge classrooms. It's like that.

I have taken to exploring campus whenever I have an opening in my schedule. Almost every building on campus is pretty much like this one-- big and beautiful. This is the BSB, i.e. the Baylor Sciences Building. It's definitely the most impressive.

Occasionally, I go to my own classes. This is film class. Anyone know what movie we were watching? Hint: It's incredibly depressing.

The building in the background is the communication building, where all of my classes take place. I took this from the Starbucks in the library, which just opened this Fall, making it the closest place to get something to snack on between classes.

(Also, their Passion Tea Lemonade is so, so good. Especially when it is literally 108º. Do yourself a favor and get one and then go enjoy it in the hottest place you can find.)

Last but not least, I had been warned about these, but didn't see one until the other day: along the Bear Trail (the running path through campus), there are water fountains for not only people, but--you guessed it-- dogs. It makes me want to have a dog just so I can use this wonderful little feature, one of the many that make Baylor so awesome and over-the-top.

Grad School Battle

2011-08-24T22:42:00.007-05:00

As of tomorrow I will have finished my first week of postgraduate studies. Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are. I almost believed the voice telling me that I don't have what it takes to do this for two straight years, and what am I doing here pretending that I do, and I should probably make an appointment with my program director to discuss the least embarrassing way I can leave. Once he realizes how little I know, I tell myself, I'm sure he'll agree that I should just move home and work at Sears.

Instead, mostly because I can't afford the gas to get back home, I stuck around and went to class and listened to the discussions and tried to form an opinion. But then I remembered that I don't know what semiotics or ontology or Lacanian theory are, so I just sat out the first few rounds. But I'm sure they'll start to make more sense as the semester progresses. Except possibly for the Freudian stuff.

The point is... I'm surviving. I mean, of course I want to be thriving, learning, loving school, plunging deep into the wellspring of knowledge and having enriching conversations about Marxist theory and the way it affects postmodernist film theory over a latte, woohoo, three cheers for the academic life!

But of course, I'm getting ahead of myself. I've been here less than two weeks. Before I start having debates about communication theory and how it relates to rhetorical studies in the coffeeshop of the library, let me 1) find the library and 2) make sure I'm in the correct one. (I have a crazy idea, why don't we just put ALL the books in one building? Sheesh.)

With all the getting lost and not knowing anyone and feeling totally inferior in class, I have been struggling with feeling like I'm really supposed to be here. Did I pray enough about coming here? Am I being foolish? Is this a waste of my time? What if some signals got crossed and I heard someone else's purpose and plan?

Then I read a blog post written by James, who is one of my best friends from high school and Asbury (who am I kidding--you all know him), and part of it was so relevant that I just copied and pasted it below:

In the midst of my minor temper tantrum, God spoke to me more than clearly--"James, was I not the one that made the way for you to be here? Was I not the one who ordained this entire trip, this entire experience? Did I not provide all of the money and funds (PLUS some) in order for you to be sitting where you are? Do you think I am somehow letting your time here accidentally slip out of my fingers? You are exactly where you are supposed to be. I love you, shut up."

After I read it, I marveled again at God's ability to speak to us in the weirdest ways--television commercials, secular songs on the radio, and now: blogging. This was word for word what I needed to hear-- and what I will need to remind myself of pretty often, I'm sure.

The Lord is amazing and good. I'm letting that be enough for now.

First Few Days

2011-08-17T19:22:00.013-05:00

I packed up my car (my Dad packed it. No way I would have gotten it all in myself), hugged my family goodbye, said a prayer, and drove away, never to be seen again... for five whole weeks when I will come home for Ashley's wedding. So I realize now it felt a lot more dramatic than it sounds.

I drove through Alabama and stopped in Madison, Mississippi, to stay with my friend Maddi. We watched Never Let Me Go, which was one of the more depressing movies I've ever seen, albeit an interesting concept for a story. You gotta watch some weird, sad movies sometimes. It's just part of life.

I drove through the rest of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Northeastern Texas, and moved into my new apartment on Sunday afternoon and started my week of orientation/ TA training yesterday. All of the professors seem extremely kind and want us to succeed, so they are brutally honest. Here are a few things I learned in the two days of orientation so far:

I WILL be best friends with the people in my cohort (i.e. the people in my program--19 in all), because a) I won't have time to meet anyone else and b) doing grad school full-time is so hard that you need people to complain about it with who already know what you're talking about.
You will read! A lot! You will hate it! But you have to read it ALL, or you will feel stupid in class. (I told myself I think that will be happening anyway. But I didn't say anything.)
Reading "a lot" means at least 200 pages every week... per class. And I'm taking three classes. I haven't done the math in my head yet, but I'm pretty sure that's more reading in a semester than I did in four years of Asbury.
Speaking of my undergraduate years, filled with social interactions, weekends away, hanging out with boys (not for research purposes), and fun-filled randomness --that's what college is for. One professor said, "Grad school is not about the experience--it's about the degree." Oh boy.

As Dave Barry would say, I am not making any of this up. So. Should be a lot of fun. See you in 2013.

On the bright, nonacademic side, there are a few really nice people in my program, who told me they would show me around the area. Most of them are from Waco, or at least graduated from Baylor, so they were all shocked once I conveyed to them that I had literally never been to Texas before Sunday. I have learned and observed a lot about this giant state already, but that's another post in itself.

I've spent a lot of time alone the past few days, because I simply don't know anyone. It's been a drastic change, but it's been a good time of trusting and praying (and skyping). I know the Lord has me here on purpose, and He knows, of course, that I don't know anyone. I know he came here ahead of me and is already working on it-- I actually caught a glimpse of it today. So I'm just making the most of this season and waiting on His timing. As I had to learn for myself this summer, it's always perfect, every time. Transition, process, change, discomfort, unfamiliarity--all words that I would rather not deal with, but then I guess I would never grow. And that just wouldn't do.

Adieu

2011-07-12T20:26:00.004-05:00

Two weeks from today I will be driving to Marietta, and a month from today I will be driving to Waco.

Thus (given my track record) it's safe to say that this will be my last post before I leave Asbury, and possibly before I get to Baylor.

It's strange to say goodbye to a place that has indirectly changed me and determined the rest of my life. Without the people I met here, I wouldn't be quite the person I am today, and wouldn't have applied to Baylor, and so on and so forth.

But now, this big, Baptist future is ahead of me, and I don't quite know what to make of it. I'm finishing up my job here on campus, moving back home, and two weeks later I'm putting all of my stuff back in the car and driving it to Texas, which I have never been to, and moving into an apartment I have never seen, with three girls I have never met.

For me, change is not scary. I'm not afraid of my circumstances being different from what they are now. What's terrifying to me is the uncomfortable, initial adjustment period that comes with any big step in life.

The growing pains, if you will.

For example, I love making new friends. But I dread the initial introduction--first of all because my name is impossible to learn on the first try, but most of all because meeting someone new is scary. This person could end up being my close friend for the next two years, but they could also be just an awkward homeschooler from Oregon whom I will never talk to again.

The unknown. I hate it. When you don't know anyone and you don't know which Mexican restaurant is the best and you have no idea where your class is meeting, and you feel like an outsider.

I don't know if there are any homeschoolers in the graduate school at Baylor. But I will definitely keep you posted.

The point is, I just want to skip ahead about five months, to when I know where to get good queso and I can give other people directions to their classes. Wouldn't that just be so easy and great!?

But, of course, I opened My Utmost For His Highest the other day, and a passage stood out towards the end of the paragraph:

"Thank God that He does give us difficult things to do! His salvation is a joyous thing, but it is also something that requires bravery, courage, and holiness. It tests us for all we are worth... And it is always necessary for us to make an effort to live a life of worth and excellence."

You would, Oswald.

When I was 14 and moved from France to Marietta, I doubted whether God could give me as good of friends as I had in middle school, and when I was 18 and moved from Marietta to Wilmore, I doubted whether God could give me as good of a life as I had in high school. And now, as I prepare to turn 22 and move from Wilmore to Waco, I am convicted by the same doubt: There's no way God will bless me with the same caliber of friends and community as I had in college. I'm just stubborn, I guess. And I think He loves to prove me wrong.

So I'm choosing this time to lean and trust and hope and wait and expect and make a furniture wish list from the Ikea website.

And I'm just kidding about the Baptist future. As far as I know.

Summer Slow-Down

2011-07-01T20:57:00.012-05:00

"Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language."

--Henry James

One of my favorite things about summertime is the pace of life.

In a month and a half, I will re-begin the usual thinking, writing, reading, meeting, grading, researching, sleep-deprivation, and replacement of meals with Ramen, which I don't even like (but for 35¢, who can say no?). The highlighting, memorizing, note-taking, and general momentum of the school year will once again be the prominent theme of my weekdays. I will gladly don the role of student for nine straight months.

But until then, I have adopted a whole 'nother lifestyle. Instead of textbooks, novels are my literature of choice. Today I finished Cold Sassy Tree, a novel about a small town in Georgia in 1906. It was fascinating. And the best part is I didn't have to learn a single theory or principle from it. I didn't even highlight anything. I just read it. Crazy, right?

The other day, I sat on the wooden swing by my old apartment and read for over two hours, and I wasn't even procrastinating. It was weird.

When I feel like I should go to the library and read Shakespeare, I actually have nothing better to do than to go watch The Bachelorette at a friend's house. So I go. And I eat junk food. And I enjoy every minute of it. About ten of us gather to watch the weekly train wreck that is Ashley, and basically, we just sit and yell at the television for two hours. Nothing is off-limits. Her shoes, his tie, her dress, his hair...

We pick apart everything everyone on the show says, and make ridiculous judgments and predictions about future episodes. It's the most entertainingly ridiculous two hours of my week. Not to mention that it's an excuse for me to yell dramatic things like, "YEAH, THAT'S WHAT THEY ALL SAY, YOU CRACKPOT" or, "YOU'RE PATHETIC, GO BACK TO SALT LAKE CITY!" It's completely uneducational which, if you haven't caught on, is the theme here. Actually, it's probably making me dumber. So it's perfect.

The rest of my time is quite taken up with daytrips to Louisville (main thing on the agenda--lay under a tree), driving around with the windows down, admiring the combination of the greens and blues (and white fences), and working a job that mainly just involves a lot of laughing. I don't know how I manage to fit in working out, going to movies, and having campfires.

In related news, I have been at home for two days and have already spent a combined 11 hours at the pool. Not mad about that, I can assure you. And as you may have guessed, I am not sitting out there doing journalism or business management (or communications). In fact, today I spent an hour floating on an intertube, using my brain only to identify the song on the radio, pushing myself away from the edge of the pool before bumping into it, and occasionally spotting rabbits or ducks in the clouds.

It was glorious.

But first, Summer 2011.

2011-06-12T13:49:00.002-05:00

Even though I'm so excited to head to Texas in August to start grad school, I am trying to take advantage of every moment I have while I'm still here in Wilmore. I love this place, and I'm terrified and sad to leave it in a month and a half. I'm so blessed to be able to spend more time here with some of my closest friends before we all go our separate ways in the fall.

While I'm here, I'm working for Asbury's Summer Conferences department, living in my old dorm and serving as a kind of dorm director whenever people are staying there. It's a pretty good gig. It's perfect for someone like me-- an introvert who isn't afraid to "deal with all kinds of people." We'll see how that part goes.

When I'm not working, I've been eating ethnic food, exploring the arboretum, seeing movies (some pretty good, some pretty bad), sweating, watching the Bachelorette, cooking a little bit, and reading a lot. If all goes as planned, the rest of the summer should include some road trips, a day at King's Island, and a Braves game on my golden birthday! In other words, a good summer to look forward to before I go so far away.

And if I ever feel like I'm moving too far, I just remember that my brother and sister-in-law are moving waaay overseas in just over a month! I'm thrilled and proud that they are following God's voice so fearlessly.

The Rest of My Life

2011-05-10T17:40:00.010-05:00

A lot has changed for me in the past few months/weeks/days. I won't go into too many details, but I'll just say that several big parts of my life were very unforeseen.

One thing is, of course, that I am definitely moving to Waco, Texas, at the end of the summer for two years to get my Master's.

Go Bears!

So far I'm still just excited and I'm trying not to think about the distance.

But sheesh. Talk about picking up and starting a new life.

In the meantime, I have also commenced for the second time in my life.

It's weird that they call it Commencement. I don't care how many motivational speakers (even if they're awesome) tell me that this is a beginning. "You have no right to be sad! You're embarking on the biggest adventure of your life! Go out and begin!"

To me, it sure feels like an ending. Sorry if that's wrong.

Graduation day, as Kate said, was as if Asbury was trying to give us something to pinpoint when we think back to the end of college. A stage, a handshake, a tassel, a packed gymnasium. A certificate telling us we did a good job and that, if we've done everything right, we'll get our diplomas this summer.

But when I think back to the end of college, I think I'll choose instead to remember the people involved: the emotions, the smiles, and the cheesy moments. I'll always remember who I sat by (and in front of, of course) during the ceremony. I'll think of the last few moments we had as college students, walking up to the Luce and laughing at each others' funny-looking caps and gowns. I'll remember my family who traveled so far to be there for me on that day.

After the class photo, our (rather large) group of friends gathered on the lawn and took one last picture together before the big moment.

As Shakespeare might have said, "What's in a diploma?" I don't think that an extremely expensive piece of paper will have taught me nearly as much as the people I have met in my pursuit of it.

College does crazy things to you, like give you an addiction to Easy Mac and force you to trust people.

I'm grateful for my college experience. I love Asbury University. I always will. But no amount of classes, professors, or buildings could have done that.

It's my friends who have made this place mean so much to me.

Thought Booth

2011-04-06T16:31:00.006-05:00

I have been in the library a long time.

I can't focus on anything for more than 4o minutes at a time, tops.

(This does not bode well for grad school.)

A lot of times I end up daydreaming about warm weather, thinking about the fact that I am definitely moving to Texas next year, or watching what is going on out on the semicircle.

Then I feel creepy, so I stop eventually.

So then I'll put on Someone Saved My Life Tonight and sing it, rejoicing in the fact that I am going to see Elton John in less than two weeks!! (It's on my bucket list. Booyah.)

Then I text someone. Probably Anna, and probably something completely irrelevant to anything.

Instead of texting, I need to be learning about King Lear.

But he intimidates me. It's a saucy play,

filled with insanely complex characters (some are just plain insane).

Sidenote:

Whenever my Photo Booth is open, I always end up fixing my hair.

Sometimes I actually get something finished, and I celebrate on the inside!

But then I look at my to-do list, and I am angry again.

Sometimes I wish there were two of me.

But then I realize that that would be weird and confusing

for everyone but me, so I just wish I was here.

Or here. I wouldn't be mad.

But I mean, I'm not complaining. My life is awesome (truly). I am blessed beyond comprehension.

This has just been one of those days, I guess.

Not My Usual Monday

2011-03-08T12:29:00.005-06:00

When I told you to "stay tuned for my future" a few posts ago, I wasn't kidding. I just didn't know I wasn't kidding.

Yesterday after lunch, DJ and I and a few others walked into CPO because DJ wanted to check her mail on the way to class. So I checked mine too, just because I was there, and noticed that I had an envelope in my box. I thought it was Real Simple Magazine trying to get me to renew my subscription, or Asbury reminding me of how many tickets I am allowed for my family at graduation.

When I pulled it out, I saw the Baylor University logo on the return address, and my friend Taylor, who knew I had applied there, looked at me.

"Is that the...is that it?" he asked.

"Uh... No, I don't think so. I don't know what it is."

So I opened it without any kind of emotion or apprehension, and the first thing I saw was the last line of the letter, "We wish you every success in your graduate studies at Baylor."

Confused, I pulled out the whole letter. My thought process has always been painfully pessimistic; I'm incapable of making the jump to good news very easily. So then I looked at the top, and I saw that it said "Congratulations!"

And then I fainted.

Just kidding. But I did have my mouth open. For a long time. My friends were screaming, telling the news to strangers, and taking pictures of me. It was totally surreal.

I got into grad school!

It was surreal because it was literally not on my radar at all. I really wanted to go to Baylor, but I'm really good at not getting my hopes up about these things. So it was not on my list of things I was expecting to find out that Monday morning.

All day I was asking, "Why?" I don't know why or what it means. I do know one thing. I can't take credit for any of this. It all belongs to my parents, brothers, sisters-in-law and grandparents for praying, my friends for encouraging me, and especially the Lord for paving the way and blessing me with this opportunity. So thank you, all of you.

As my friend Kindra said later, "I guess that Jeremiah verse applies right now, huh?"

Yeah, I would say so: "For I know the plans I have for you... plans to give you hope and a future." Jer. 29:11

So, all that to say that I will probably be moving to Texas pretty soon to become a Bear.

How To Live

2011-03-05T14:29:00.004-06:00

Being at a coffeeshop always makes me feel introspective. Especially when I listen to indie music and drink hot tea.

So I guess being introspective means I want to blog. I don't know if that's a good thing or not.

I graduate from college two months and two days from today. Between now and then, a lot will change, including the weather, my address, and the people around me.

An acquaintance that I ran into my sophomore year of college once said to me, "Stay in college as long as you can," with a serious look on his face and an even more serious tone. I thought, "Wow, real life must be awful for him."

I think he meant it literally, as in, "Don't start your real life and career and responsibilities until you absolutely have to."

But recently, I've been thinking about his advice differently, more along the lines of, "Don't end this part of your life before you have to, by worrying about the fact that it is going to end. Enjoy it until it does."

Stay in college as long as you can. Wherever you are, be there.

There are people walking around everywhere who have graduated from college and lived to tell the tale. So, I'm trying to think of these remaining eight weeks (including spring break!) as the rest of a great, wonderful, fun, enriching, yet not all-encompassing, nor hopefully the best, part of my life.

Thank you for bearing with me.

Things I Love: Part V

2011-02-22T14:17:00.007-06:00

I haven't talked about things I love recently, so I thought I would tell you now about our new obsession.

In the fall, Orange Leaf opened, and seemingly all of Lexington has been in that little froyo place ever since. Whenever we go, no matter what time, it is crowded and lively, the bright orange and green walls representing the joy and laughter people are experiencing from eating the wonder that is self-serve frozen yogurt.
The first time I went, I thought I would capture the moment. I uploaded it to Facebook and we all said, "Aw, we're cute," and kept eating/inhaling the contents of our bowls.
Then I took one the next time I went...
and sort of got into the habit of taking one every time I went.
Which, compared to some people, actually, isn't that much. But I've amassed quite a collection by now, so I thought I would share.

I do love the yogurt. The cheesecake, coffee, and peanut butter varieties, with butterscotch chips and strawberries on top, make any Saturday night one thousand times better.
The main thing I love, however, is all the wonderful people that I have enjoyed it with. I love Orange Leaf because it tastes so good and because saying, "Let's go get froyo!" always means a good time. I know I don't have unlimited time left with these people living in this place driving on these roads and going to these places. I don't know how to make time slow down, so I just write about it.

The Day Irony Punched Me In The Face And Got Away With It

2011-01-24T17:00:00.006-06:00

I went running today.

Now, running is normally a humiliating experience for me.

But today was especially rough.

Let me explain.

The entire baseball team was in the weight room.

It's a large group of guys; honestly, there seem to be more of them every day.

And I was just there, you know, out of breath, flushed, wheezing after having run barely two miles. Similar to all the other times I've been.

I finished, victorious, and stepped off the treadmill. I was done. Vindicated. I am awesome. I am fast. I am exercising! Watch me sweat!

So anyway, I turned around to get some water and then go pass out in the women's bathroom or something, and

THUD.

I collided with the shortstop. (Or the second-baseman. I'm not sure. He's somewhere on that side of the diamond.)

Startled, I took a step backwards.

And tripped over the machine I had conquered only moments ago.

I was left sitting on the treadmill.

He stared at me.

I said, "Oh."

It was very eloquent.

And I stood up and walked away.

I thought being a senior meant I didn't have to deal with this sort of thing.

Christmas Break

2011-01-06T15:32:00.006-06:00

My last major college break (except for SB'11, OBVIOUSLY) was a major success. It still is, since I'm not done with it until tomorrow. It has flown by, in a good way, because I was busy, but also not too busy to spend most of the day for a week watching two (2) seasons of Gilmore Girls. That's right. So that alone could qualify my break as awesome, but I also spent time looking for jobs, freaking out because I will never find a job, fine-tuning my résumé, reassuring myself that I will find a job (even if it's as a bank teller...), and spending time with friends and family, including an evening at Caroline's, which, despite its brevity, was good for all our souls.

Elliott and I enjoyed our annual Christmas shopping afternoon (it's supposed to be a whole day, but it's so hard to get out of bed), and I successfully convinced my family to open presents on Christmas Eve, since Harrison and Elliott and their respective wives had to leave on Christmas day.

My persuasive skills have no end. Not to mention Hillary was on my side. Elliott pretty much does what she tells him.

I also hung out with this guy a lot and had a post-Christmas Christmas movie marathon at his house while his parents were away.

and saw these people (a little, not enough).

One of the highlights was going to spend the night with Harrison and Taylor in Dahlonega. They taught me how to play their favorite game, Settlers of Catan, which was really fun. I wasn't very good, so I resorted to building various structures with my pieces:

And after being an hour north of Marietta, I am at this moment an hour south of it, in the cute town of Griffin, Georgia, to meet a friend for dinner. I stopped in at a coffeeshop to kill time and drink some tasty Chai tea.

Basically, it's been great. If I had blogged more, I would have included posts about other stuff I did, like late-night trips to J.R. Crickets, or New Years at James' house. But suffice it to say that I had a lot of fun.

Now, on to my last semester of college.

Stay tuned for my future.

Finals

2010-12-13T20:59:00.006-06:00

This week, as you know (you probably don't), is finals week at Asbury University. Which means everyone is going around banging their heads against the wall, flash cards falling out of their pockets from the impact, and snow melting in their hair.

That's right, snow. This semester, our finals are mixed with the most Christmasy weather I've experienced since living in the States, and it's laughing in our faces:

Snow: Ha! Look at me! So fluffy and white, I am everywhere! Play with me! You don't have those fancy snow boots for nothing!
Finals Week: YOU MUST STUDY. YOU HAVE FOUR DIFFICULT FINALS.
Me: I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO! HELP! WHAT'S THE EQUATION FOR AVERAGE INVENTORY TURNOVER?

Finals Week thought it had me until last night. After (hardly) deliberating (at all), I decided I needed to stop studying Christian Theology (no offense) and go out in the three inches of powder and roll around for a little while.

A few touchdowns and one regrettable mouthful of extremely powdery snow later (I was parched- terrible idea), we came inside, sweaty but satisfied, short of breath from both exhaustion and laughter.

To prevent any more procrastination, Jenelle changed my Facebook password so that I can't check it until tomorrow night at midnight, which is when I will be done with finals officially. So because my main source of time-wasting has been eliminated, I have had to find other ways to procrastinate (take that, Jenelle), and have come up with the following:

Painting my nails (twice) (in one day).
Eating Sour Patch Kids
Tackling DJ into the snow and getting her pants dirty
Blogging (exhibit A)
Doing the dishes
Reading chapters of my Finance book that will not in fact be on the exam
Straightening my hair
Watching an exorbitant amount of movies
Playing games on the Sour Patch Kids website (seriously)
Playing snow-football
Singing Christmas carols with Katelyn at the top of our lungs
Cleaning my room
Looking out the window

Aaaand, of course...

Photo Booth!

This minimal sampling is by no means representative of the vast amounts of photos that we have taken of ourselves. The entertainment of it is (apparently) endless, especially when you have something else you need (have) to be doing.

And all this in the past three days alone!

So anyway, as you can see, I have been extremely productive.

Better go take one more picture. Then I will study.

Right after I paint my nails.

I Wouldn't Mind...

2010-11-18T12:50:00.004-06:00

I had a vivid dream last night about a trip I have never been on.

My dad, Anna's dad, DJ, Anna and I were on a huge sailboat in the Pacific Ocean.

The only part I can remember in detail is my dad asking me where I wanted to go next.

I said, "Borneo." And he laughed and said, "Sounds good," and went off to tie some ropes or hoist some sails or whatever it is you do to get a boat moving.

Either way, it was sunny and fun and watery and free and carefree (and probably expensive, but in dreams that never matters).

My life is nothing like that right now (except the expensive part).

But hey, a girl can dream.

Thankful

2010-11-10T22:50:00.005-06:00

My friend Becki has been updating her facebook status everyday lately, telling of something she's thankful for.

Tonight I am thankful for:

Asbury professors who love their students

Peppermint coffee creamer

Newfound motivation

Pumpkin Krispy Kreme donuts

The girls in Thacker

Fall leaves

Katelyn's back massages

and

The fact that no one knows what's going to happen to me next year except the One who controls it.

You can't teach a non-blogger to blog.

2010-11-08T22:02:00.002-06:00

I tried. I couldn't do it!

I just don't have enough interesting things to say. I tried to think of things, but I couldn't. Sorry.

But I will attempt to blog a LOT over the remaining days in November. That's all I can do.

Everyone who jokes about everyone at Asbury getting married to each other really isn't kidding. There are so many engaged people in our class, it's insane. None of my friends, however, which makes me even more confident about my ability to pick the right friends. I can't have all my friends leaving me in the middle of the year for some college guy. College is strenuous enough without your BFFs getting hitched all the sudden.

That's just my two cents.

#6

2010-11-06T18:46:00.002-05:00

Last night after the soccer game, I was all ready to go to midnight hockey at UK (I have no idea why they play all their games at midnight, but it makes it really interesting to go to games), when I got a text saying that instead of hockey, everyone was going to see The Shining at the Kentucky Theater at midnight.

I don't like horror movies, but in an apparent moment of hysteria I agreed to go. I thought, How bad could it be?

For effect, insert shriek of horror here.

So the night started off well, with a pleasant drive to downtown Lexington. I was a little apprehensive when we got there, but it wasn't until we were sitting down that I realized: I'm about to watch one of the creepiest movies ever made.

I watched almost the entire movie from behind my fingers. Every single scene has some sort of creepy element, whether it's a certain sound effect or an ax or a corpse or just Jack Nicholson's eyebrows.

Seriously. I can't believe I sat through the whole thing.

Bottom line: The Shining is evil.

The only "But" I would add is that it is very well made. Every line, shot, angle, and sequence is a culmination of horror and fear and evil and twistedness, demonstrated by the fact that I was absolutely terrified when I got back to my room and could not stop thinking about it. So mission accomplished, in that sense. But goodness gracious, it is scary.

This morning I had to walk across campus in the dark to unalarm the doors of Sarah Johnson and I was positive I saw a man with an axe in one of the bushes.

He didn't get me.

#5

2010-11-05T22:07:00.003-05:00

"All good things must come to an end."

Who came up with that? Someone needs to hit them in the head with a Kleenex box.

But it is kind of true, I guess. For four years, I have been going to Asbury soccer games, and tonight was the last one I will see as a student.

A few of my friends were on the team, and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching their wins and losses (and ties... lots of ties, this season). Having someone you know out on the field, who really cares if you show up (or at least claims to), makes it much more interesting.

Soccer is as big as sports get at Asbury, so it's sad to see this part of my senior year come to a close.

This small "last" is the first of many, and it's strange to think about Asbury just keeping on going after the Fearless class leaves. Shouldn't they shut down the school or something?

Anyway...

on with baseball season!

Oh yeah, and basketball.

#4

2010-11-04T22:42:00.004-05:00

I don't have a lot of time to blog tonight, because I have a giant Christian Theology test tomorrow afternoon. I will leave you with one of my favorite parts of my notes from this section:

Justice is getting what you deserve.

Mercy is not getting what you deserve.

Grace is getting what you don’t deserve.

#3

2010-11-03T20:34:00.007-05:00

I have been hungry literally all day. Thankfully I don't live at home anymore, where there are chocolate cakes just laying around everywhere, and my mom saying, "What can I make you?"

So today, when I was in class, I happened to be flipping through the pictures on my phone and realized (because I was so hungry) for the first time that there is a definite trend in what I take pictures of.

Namely, food.

I mean, some of them are understandable.

Apple pie is photo-worthy, right?

And, I mean, taking a picture of chocolate chip pancakes is pretty normal.

Blizzards are never wrong to document.

But some of these, I really don't see what possessed me to photograph:

Chick-fil-A is good.
I made corn and bean nachos.

I love guacamole, but that doesn't necessarily mean it needs to be preserved forever.

This next one, however, merited a picture. Remember when I complained all the time about the fried food in the cafeteria?

This side-dish at dinner a few weeks ago would have made Freshman-Marie scream.

Truly, we tried to look as closely as we could, but no one could figure it out.

I took it in stride, though. I am a senior, after all, and have matured to the point where I'm no longer offended by deep friers.

Yes, that's a chocolate muffin the shape of a mug.

Spanish corn.
The makings of peach pie.
Pre-baked apple pie.

The answer to life's questions.

#2

2010-11-02T14:02:00.004-05:00

I knew I hated Tuesdays.

This morning, I woke up extremely happy. The reason I was happy is because it was 9:30 am, which if you didn't know is the best time to wake up. Not so early that you want to fall on the ground and then drink one thousand cups of coffee followed by a two-liter of Diet Dr. Pepper, but not so late that you get up feeling like a worthless bag of lazy who has wasted an entire day of their life, and then you feel depressed because everyone else was productive and you were just asleep.

So anyway. I got up at 9:30. Then I

read for a few minutes, enjoying myself immensely, thinking I would enjoy a slow morning of cereal and television.

Then it happened.

My roommate came into my room and said, "Do Dance With Julianne with me."

"NO!" That's what I thought (I have very good instincts about these things).

Foolishly, I said, "OK."
Julianne Hough is a two-time Dancing With The Stars winner, and is a huge jerk.

At least that's what I was thinking the whole time she was telling me to do the routine four more times.

Somehow she can do the monkey, the bird, and the snake and still smile (all with her hair down). She makes me angry with her peppiness.

So now my abs hurt and I am mad at someone I have never met.

You would, Tuesday.

#1

2010-11-01T22:32:00.002-05:00

I will have to work up to posting good blogs...for now, something sub-par will have to do.

I have not, however, had a sub-par evening.

I had a delicious dinner prepared by the lovely Katelyn Nichols, and then enjoyed the wonderful company of my friends DJ and Anna and laughed really hard.

We went to get frozen yogurt (second time in two days), and Kate arm-wrestled a complete stranger (I was pulling for you, Kate).

It was exciting.

Then the employee gave Lauren a dirty look for bouncing the table up and down and we left indignantly. Boycott! Yeah right. I'll probably go back tomorrow.

Then Anna hit a possum on the way home. It was five girls in the car: Panic, screaming, and much sadness for one of God's perfect creatures ensued. We heard it hit the bottom of the car. It was awesome.

We'll see how this goes.

2010-10-28T21:48:00.002-05:00

Freshman year is the only year, thus far, that I have been able to successfully complete NaBloPoMo.

Stupidly, I am going to try to do it again, because then I will get less death threats concerning my lack of blogging and hopefully will get back into the habit of writing more often.

I just read some of my posts from freshman year... I wouldn't recommend doing that; I wasn't a very good writer. Hopefully I've improved a little bit... Don't answer that. I know it's not technically a question. Whatever.

Hopefully I will get a prize from Katelyn whenever I blog.

College is the only time when it's normal to be studying with two of your friends and someone suddenly makes an obnoxiously loud honking noise. The two friends will then respond in kind with an equally obnoxious honking/cawing/grunting noise, and then you may share a chuckle or two before once again becoming completely serious and going back to writing a Spanish paper or studying anaerobic phototrons. Protopods? Autobots? Chemotrophs? Something like that.

Questions

2010-09-26T22:56:00.003-05:00

Why did I eat chocolate cake and then go running?

How did it all of the sudden turn into fall?

Should I be taking the GRE soon?

When is that paper due, again?

Why do I drink so much milk?

Who left a watering can in our apartment that no one can identify the origins of?

When I graduate, how are DJ and I going to decide who keeps the fish?

How does a microwave work?

If I take the GRE, does that mean I should go to grad school?

Why am I still up at midnight on a school night?

Why is midnight on a school night late for me now, when last year it would have been relatively early?

Why can't I be best friends with Dave Barry?

Where am I supposed to live after graduation?

What makes coral a mile under the sea so pink?

Such color out of nowhere, and for no one's enjoyment, except God and plankton.

Visual Aid

2010-09-16T13:45:00.012-05:00

Sorry I haven't been doing much blogging lately. I think I should just rename my blog, "Don't Hold Your Breath."

...That's actually not a bad idea.

Anyway, I would like to present to you a little taste of the past several months, brought to you by the iPhone.

So here's a chronological (but not at all topical or relevant) representation of what I apparently deemed worthy of pulling out the ole' camera phone for:

First, I took a road trip to Savannah, Georgia, and saw this cloud.

Then I went to Nashville to see Annie and had the most authentic Nutella crèpe this side of the Atlantic and the best iced chai I've had, at The Perch:

Then DJ and I made quesadillas. I think I took this because it was funny to me that Deej was sitting waiting for the chicken to be done:

Then I went home. Elliott got married!

Then I went back to Kentucky. We threw a surprise party for Abby:
We got her good.

Then it was my birthday! My mom told me I couldn't open my package by myself so I made DJ open it for me while I drove her to the airport:

Also I ate cake with James and Kindra in downtown Lexington outside of a closed Starbucks at midnight. You know, the typical 21st birthday celebration.
Then I went to a Hillsong concert for free, just for working at the merch table! It was fun:

Then I got addicted to 30Rock...
I watched one episode and never looked back. I was hooked.

Then I went to an Indian restaurant with some friends and saw this:
LOL, right?

Then it was Deej's birthday! Birthday cake donuts from Starbucks are always appropriate.

Then she made Pioneer Woman's chocolate sheet cake. I'm not exaggerating: it's one of the best chocolate cakes I've had.
Deej is so happy when she's eating chocolate cake.

Then I went home to this:
My new (very old) room! I love it.

Then I went back to Asbury, where an unexplained smashed bottle of Ale-8 ended up in our freezer. This is exactly how I found it. We still have no idea where it came from.

Then round two of RA training began. We did a little bit of this kind of training:

And a little bit of this kind:

Yes that is, in fact, a replica of Dr. McKinley built of styrofoam plates and cups. Next to him is my dear friend Olivia.

Then I went to work one Tuesday morning and found that this had been made for me:

So now people will (sort of) know what to call me when they blame me for their checkbook not balancing.

Then, for Labor Day, we had a cookout:
And I made fondue:

Then, we went to Old Navy and Kate fell in love with the mannequin:

She insisted that he was a good listener and very dependable, but thankfully we were able talk her out of it.

Then, a couple days ago, I video chatted with my wonderful brother and sister-in-law (caveat: this is a screen shot, not an iPhone picture)

Like I said, these pictures are technically chronological, but there are some huge chunks of time missing. And they don't really represent my life very well...but there you have it. I wanted to make use of some of the silly photos I take.

Things I Love: Part IV

2010-08-31T09:08:00.025-05:00

In this month's segment of Things I Love: The Creek

Not any particular creek. Just "the creek." I don't know why putting it in quotes seems to help.

Ever since my Freshman year, I've been going to various creeks around Jessamine County. I don't claim to be as much of an aficionado as my friend James, for example, who goes out in the wild as often as he can. But I have definitely developed a fondness for the outdoors that was virtually nonexistent after I moved away from la forêt and until I moved to Kentucky.

Kentucky, speaking of which, has some of the best lazy afternoons you could ask for. The fields of horses, the white fences, the rivers and rope swings, Shaker Village, and (of course) the sunsets, all make for great weekends.

This past Sunday, I went with Anna, Kindra and a bunch of other people out to James' newest find, Hickman's Creek, to float. We bought a bunch of pool toys to lay on, waded down the river, and let the current take us away. It's a very slow creek, much like the 'Hooch at White Water, only less crowded. And probably cleaner... Actually, nevermind.

The boys were standing on the bank, looking under rocks for snakes and screaming like babies whenever they found one, while we girls just floated on top of the sleepy creek, chatting and hoping for a tan. The sun was shining and the trees, with their yellow leaves drifting lazily down into the water around us, reminded me that there won't be many more days like this.

I think today's Dictionary.com Word of the Day about sums it up:

Beek: –verb. "To bask or warm in the sunshine..."

Anna and I have been beeking together for a long time.

Which is pretty awesome.

Better than nothing.

2010-08-25T15:34:00.011-05:00

The other night, I had a dream that I was bitten in the forearm by a baby alligator. Yep. In my parents' new house. I don't know what the darn thing was doing there, or how exactly it happened, but there you have it.

In the dream, my mom was screaming and everyone was crowded around looking at the blood coming from my arm. I think one of my brothers stepped on its head, which reminds me of that verse in Genesis.

And the only thing I could think in the dream, in which the alligator bite was extremely real and serious?

"Man, this will be awesome to blog about."

So, instead of coming to you with an actually interesting update on my waking life, or even a real story about actually being attacked by a real-life vicious reptile, I only have a semi-story about a silly dream in which I apparently need to reprioritize my thought process.

Sue me.

Don't say it...

2010-08-15T15:17:00.003-05:00

You know, there's nothing quite like the beginning of the end. We try to drag it out, while at the same time looking forward to what lies ahead, and trying to pretend we're not terrified of being separated, poor, and unemployed.

That is how I feel now. This is the last time I'll move in to the dorm, the last big after-summer reunion with Lauren and friends, the last first day of school, you know what I mean.

At the same time, I'm enjoying the prospect of being a senior and intimidating the small freshman boys who look like they should be sophomores in high school, or being able to have company over in my apartment and make dinner that is not deep-fried with my friends. Things like that (Kresge, I will truly miss you. Your community-building ways will always have a place in my heart. But I just love all the SPACE in my new abode. Storage everywhere!).

I know this year is going to go thooper dooper fast. But right now, during the big calm before the freshman move-in, I'm just going to enjoy RA training week, hang out the people I know so far, try to meet some new ones, and live it up for the next eight months.

Oh yeah, I guess there will be some classes mixed in there too. I'll let you know how that goes...

Things I Love: Part III

2010-07-07T07:36:00.009-05:00

In this segment of Things I Love: Weddings. And apparently, really long blog entries.

Weddings are the perfect combination of food, tradition, joy, good-looking groomsmen, and the feeling that this event will, in some way, change the lives of everyone closely involved. In my case, I gained a sister-in-law and sent my dear big brother off into Marriedom, the magical land of eternal love and house payments. Enjoy it, Elliott. Write me a postcard. If you can afford the stamp.

We all know, however, that along with the most lovely and pleasant of things come the annoying and frustrating things. But in this life, we take the bad with the good, knowing that if (for example) we never lost receipts for anything, then we probably wouldn't appreciate the times when we need one and actually have it, stuffed in our wallet between the Kroger Plus card and the Macy's card (don't worry Dad, I've never used it). Life's simple pleasures wouldn't mean anything if they were just life.

At least, that's what I told myself while waiting for the police to arrive.

Just kidding. It was actually the fire department.

The day of the Big Day, I went out with Taylor, the second-most-recent addition to the DJ fam, to do our bridesmaidly duty of getting stuff that no one thinks about until that second. Since I'm more familiar with the area, I drove Taylor's car, and after looking everywhere for a garter, we gave up and drove way out of the way to the David's Bridal on Barrett Parkway.We were in a big hurry by that time, trying to be as quick as possible, since we were really hoping to shower and change clothes before taking part in any kind of ceremony where people might be looking at us. I almost hit a car, forgot how to change lanes, and got honked at twice.

Flustered, we arrived, and rushed out of the car to make our purchase and hurry home. I got out and slammed the door, heading toward the store. I looked back and saw Taylor standing by the passenger door.
"Do you have the keys?"
"Uh," I said, eloquently.
"I locked the door."
"Uh."
"The engine is running."
"Uh."
"You're an idiot."

Haha. Just kidding. Taylor didn't call me an idiot. She just laughed, while I called 911.

By the way: The operator, after hearing my sob story, asked me if I was stuck in the middle of a road. Now. I may not have the best track record at this point, but I do think that I am above locking myself out of a running car that is still on the road. In what scenario would that even be plausible?

Anyway, Taylor, who had been asked by her favorite groomsman to buy a couple other things for the wedding, went to look for them in the other nearby stores, while I fervently stood watch.

While she was gone, help arrived in the form of an enormous firetruck. The fireman, clearly unhappy with his duty of having to rescue a stupid woman driver, not from an uncontrollable roaring fire, but from being unable to get into her car due to complete nitwittedness, told me while making a point to frown, that he had to have the signature of the car's owner. Oh boy.

So there I was, sprinting down the sidewalk of the strip mall, looking into every shop window hoping to see Taylor, yelling her name and trying to guard what was left of my sanity.

When I found her, I yelled something composed and logical such as, "ThebigmeanfirefighterneedsyoursignatureandIcouldn'tfindyouandnowIcan'tbreathe
becauseI'moutofshapeandnowthatIthinkaboutitIprobabablycouldhavejustforgedyoursignature."

Taylor, being an RN and used to dealing with insane people, took it all in stride and ran back to the car, thanked the fireman, and laughed about the whole situation, not mocking me one time. It was then I realized just how blessed Harrison is.

She even let me drive home, after all that.

From then on, everything went pretty much swimmingly. I wish I had pictures, because it was one of the most beautiful weddings in the history of matrimony. For now, you can look at the ones on the photographer's blog. Frank is pure photojournalistic genius.

I love weddings because they bring people together, for a weekend and for a lifetime.
Not to mention, they are great blogging material.

Wilberry

2010-06-22T22:57:00.004-05:00

I work at a bank in the "middle" of "town." It's like in the old TV shows, when the title character is walking down the street while talking to a friend about the family business and knows the name of everyone that passes going the other way:

"Good day, Mrs. Jones. How's your nephew, is he feeling better after that cold he got last week?"

"Hello there, Mr. Wallace, yes Bertha's just fine. I'll tell her you inquired. How is that new car of yours running? Good, good. Those new models of Chevrolet sure are swell."

"Good morning, Officer, how're things? What's that? No, no I don't think I'll be needing you to come over to remind Davey Junior to stay off the Newtons' roof anymore. The one time worked just fine. Thanks, though, and tell Rhonda that her pie was delicious."

...Or something like that.

That's how it is in Wilmore. Not in 1943, not in 1957. In 2010. I promise! Today, the grocer came in, and my coworker asked about his wife, who has cancer. While he was answering, the postman came in and handed us our mail, listening in on Mr. Fitch's update on Ms. Emily. So he stopped to listen. While they were in there, Dr. Murphy, D.M.D., came by to cash a check and asked Thomas (the postman, haven't caught a last name yet) how his fishing trip went.

I live in TVLand. Sometimes the police officer will come by just to say hi because we haven't accidentally set off any alarms lately. That, and also because he probably has nothing better to do. Who would commit a crime in a place like this? (Well, except that one time the bank was held up and they never caught the guy.)

Things I Love: Part II

2010-06-04T22:37:00.005-05:00

This week in Things I Love: Crossword Puzzles.

I am a second generation Crossworder on both sides. Ever since I can remember, there has always been a crossword in the bathroom at my dad's parents' house, and a crossword dictionary next to my mom's dad's recliner.

I did them occasionally with my dad and brother before college and when I came home, but it wasn't until about a year and a half ago that I started doing them every day. Now, among my friends, I am known for it. People tease me, but eventually, they're' the ones who end up glancing at it, becoming intrigued by a certain clue, and sit with me for an hour, helping me. Then sometimes they will text me hours later telling me that they thought of the answer to 56 Down. Ha! Another one bites the dust! Mission accomplished!

Anyway.

Although there are many different daily crosswords, my favorite is the USA Today. The New York Times is much more clever but also much too difficult on Thursday and Fridays (the difficulty increases throughout the week, you see). I hope to one day be able to do the NYT Friday (But don't talk to me about the KenKen).

So, every weekday during the school year, I wander into the Student Center and find an abandoned newspaper, flip to the Life section (sometimes Money, which always throws me off) and take out the Games page. Then I usually crumple up the rest of the section and throw it back on the table in a big editorial mess.

The best is when you figure out the answer to a really good clue, such as:

"Remote Ancestor?" (Knob)
or
"It definitely isn't fast food." (Escargot)
or
"Unable to part." (Bald)

You have to really think outside the box! It's so satisfying. I just am amazed every day at how someone figured how to make all those words fit together.

That sounds nerdy.

Oh well. Let's call a spade a spade.

Personal Crossword Policy and lessons I've learned:
Have some self-confidence: always do it in pen.
The only resources are my mind and the minds of the people in my company.
Don't do yesterday's crossword. Move on.
It's a marathon. Not a sprint. You have 24 hours. Don't rush it.
Do not attempt to do the Wall Street Journal Crossword without Dad. It's depressing.

Things I Love: Part I

2010-05-23T20:17:00.005-05:00

Maybe if I have a topic to stick to, I'll write more often.

Today in Things I Love: Road Trips

Most recently (as in Friday), three friends and I went on a roadtrip to the beach. On Monday, we were at a coffee shop in downtown Lexington, deploring the rain that had been coming every day, and wishing we were somewhere sunny. The result of the conversation was a 36-hour trip to Savannah, Georgia, 18 of which were spent in the car. When you've been in a landlocked place for two months straight, sometimes it's worth it to drive to the coast and lay in the sun for a few hours. We swam in the Atlantic, laid on South Beach on Tybee Island, and explored downtown Savannah (we even found the Forrest Gump bench...although the original is gone, unfortunately). After dinner by the river, we got back in the car and drove back to Wilmore. The conversations, the soundtrack, the company, and the destination were all excellent.

But I have been on other wonderful road trips, of course. To the Midwest, for the wedding of a friend, and to really cool cities just to visit another. To Hilton Head, the classiest of all summer getaways, and to Panama City, a close second. Whether it's a quiet trip home or a busy weekend in Washington, D.C., I love them all, because they all involve people I love.

Besides, there's nothing better than a road trip to foster a whole new batch of inside jokes and great conversations: Call it... OK, OK...uh, Harvest Cheddar! Why are we following a bus?! It's the 11th hour. If we were broken down by side of the road, who would come get us? AroundMe lied to us! A.N.T.E.L.O.P.E. There IS no Chick-fil-A! It's a hospital! I love your accent, are you from Britain or England? Is that a chicken? Oh, it's bread.

Company over and out.

Randomness

2010-05-11T23:28:00.003-05:00

Another year of college is over. It seems foolish to say "another," as if they are unending and I will get as many as I want. Nope. I only get four. Well actually, I only get one. I've used up three, and I keep asking myself if I've done them "right." Did I have enough fun? Do my grades matter? Am I friends with enough people? I only have one year left to really be a part of the Asbury community; did I give back enough? And honestly, I don't know the answer to any of those questions. Senior year seems as though it will last forever and I will always live within twenty feet of anyone I might want to see at that moment.

This summer, I am living at my friends Abby and Aaron's house in Wilmore, who have graciously allowed me into their home and lives for a few months. I never thought I would want to stay in Wilmore for the summer, wondering what in the world people do here from May to August. But given the right combination of people, even Jessamine County can be fun, and so far, it has been. The real test is whether I will still be saying that a month from now.

I am working at Kentucky Bank in "downtown" Wilmore. The people who work there with me are really nice, but perhaps a little too honest.
Me: Hi, I'm Marie-Claire, I'm here to shadow you today. I'll be working here after I'm trained.
Coworker: Oh hello, nice to meet you. Have a seat right here. You know, my first day shadowing the bank got robbed. Guy just comes in here yelling at me to give him all the money, threatening to shoot me if I didn't.

Um, excuse me? Why did you tell me that? I didn't need to know that! Do I look like someone who doesn't get freaked out by that kind of thing? Because I am! Sheesh McGeesh.

Now every time a customer walks in, I automatically calculate the chances of him being an armed robber. "Trench coat, but no sunglasses, 24%... Jeans and a t-shirt, 9%....Leather pants and bandana on head, 36%..."

DJ just snored in the bed next to me. I am now going to join her in that activity.

Lauren

2010-04-22T17:58:00.004-05:00

Lauren bought me coffee in the library. Thanks, Lo.

Anyway, she went back to get more creamer and when she was on the way back she saw that I was sipping my coffee with a bitter look on my face, and proceeded to throw a packet of creamer from about thirty feet away. As I was unable to catch it from across the table, the French Vanilla creamer exploded on:

her homework
her bookbag
the table
her cell phone

We proceeded to laugh and laugh. There were people around.

Sometimes things are funny.

No excuses

2010-04-09T09:58:00.002-05:00

I have no reason for never blogging anymore. I'm moody, OK? You can ask anyone who knows me. And I can't make myself blog when I don't feel like it and have twenty-three other things to do.

Speaking of being moody, I have been thinking about that and how many other things I have learned about myself in college. For example:

I can hardly ever fake emotion.
Sad and lonely freshman (after waking me up): "Um, are you the RA on duty? I am locked out of my room and I need someone to let me in or I will be late to my class and plus I have no friends and I hate college."
Me (at 8:30 am): "Oh."
Sad freshman (looking extremely uncomfortable): "So... can you help me?"
Me: "Um."

I have no self-discipline.
None whatsoever. All of my goals end up in the toilet: Half-marathon, reading the Bible in a year, not eating so many Oreos, running four times a week, blogging... I only have one word to say to regularity: HA. I like to think of it as "freedom from a rigorous schedule." But I know deep down that it's a terrible habit. I should work on that.

I am a serious pessimist.
"Marie-Claire, how did you do on your test today?"
"Oh, I felt pretty good about it. But I probably failed."

"Hey Marie-Claire, what a beautiful day, huh?"
"Eh, it'll probably rain later. Look at that cloud over there."

"How was your job interview?"
"Mmm...It went OK but I'm pretty sure I won't get the job."

Seriously. What is wrong with me? I need to spend a weekend with Pollyanna or something.

I am seriously introverted.
I knew this before college, but it was never put to the test as much until I came here. Even now, I am in my room alone while four or five of my friends are in the unit Building Community. When I go home, I often lock myself in my room to recharge for going back to school where I have to be extroverted most of the time. Consequently, my parents do not see me except at meal times. And my poor friends here have to put up with my introvertedness and moodiness, sometimes at the same time (bless them). Which brings me to the next thing I've learned...

I have the best friends ever.
I do. Even though some of them have moved out of their rooms and into the computer lab to do homework for the rest of their lives, they are always there to sleep in the lobby with me when our room is too hot, to go swinging with me at the elementary school, to laugh at the things only we think are funny, to color with me, and to put up with my crazy cross-wording habits.

Jesus is so faithful.
The fact that I am still at Asbury for the sixth semester in a row, and that I have such an amazing family, and that I have so much to be grateful for, just goes to prove that He won't ever let me down. I could go more in to this and how He has patiently proven it to me in gigantic as well as teeny-tiny ways. But basically, he's so, so faithful and cares deeply for me. That's actually the only thing I really know for sure.

See you next month. Just kidding. But maybe not. I can't force myself to do anything, remember?

Spring Break

2010-03-19T22:23:00.000-05:00

Panama City Beach, Florida: Where No One Cares. No one cares if you're wearing any clothes, if you're not interested in hearing their life story in the elevator, or if you're trying to sleep. It's also the people-watching capital of the world.

Number of sunburns after three days of laying out: Three

Number of girls who clearly forgot part of their bathing suits back in their room: Too many.

Amount of Coke Zero consumed: About eight liters.

Amount of homework done this week: Ha.

Number of movies we have watched this week: At least 8

Number of hilarious encounters we have had with Springbreakers: Well, let's see...How many times have we ridden the elevator? Here are a few examples:

Our first time in the elevator on the way to our room, one rather large college-aged guy asked the 15 or so people in the elevator if any of us were from Kentucky. After yelling at him we lived in Kentucky from across the elevator, he and his buddies broke out the C-A-T-S cheer, which we all of course enthusiastically joined in on. Then they kept cheering after we got off.
Last night, when I was by myself waiting on an elevator, the doors opened and a girl standing on a luggage cart greeted me by trying to card me. "Club 'Vator," she yelled (as in Club Elevator, I figured out eventually), "are you 21? Show me your ID". I had to climb over the luggage cart to get in the elevator. She told me to "have a good one" when I got off. As far as I know, she's still there now, riding up and down the 20 floors, trying to make sure no minors get into that elevator.
Tonight, on our way to get ice cream, a guy joined us while waiting for the elevator. He was shirtless and shoeless, but clearly had a problem. He was squinting hard, and didn't really seem to know where he was. He told us his name was David and that he was from Dallas, Georgia, but that he knew we didn't really care. We had to console him and tell him we did care. I hope he made it back to wherever he wanted to go.

Number of times a bunch of intoxicated guys on the beach have chosen to pass the football right over us as we are laying out: Three

Number of times I have been hit in the face with a football thrown by an intoxicated guy on the beach: One

Number of times I yelled at the intoxicated football throwers on the beach after a lame apology: One. It was satisfying.

It's official!

2010-03-06T19:02:00.006-06:00

As of Friday, we are now students of Asbury University. Everything was literally switched overnight. It was amazing.
President Gray and the chairman of the board Mr. Crouse unveiled the new sign that will replace the old one at the corner of campus. Israel Gaither, the Savation Army guy in charge of the entire United States (there's an official way to say that, but I don't know it 'cuz I'm not a Sallie) gave a great sermon. I enjoyed it. The whole thing was very exciting.

After chapel, we went out and took a huge group picture of everyone who was wearing the shirts everyone got Wednesday.
It was a good opportunity for a friend photo, too.
That one is awkward. But it's hard to self-photograph with an iPhone. And Kate looks awesome. As she said herself, "Well, at least it's my good side."

Then there was a fancy reception in the student center. The Board of Trustees was there, looking very important of course. Even the food was fancy-looking.I've never seen Asbury so decked out. It was a beautiful day, too. So it was perfect.

Also, Anna and I went shopping on Saturday. She bought flowers. It was fun.
The weather here is getting better, slowly. I'm afraid to say spring is here, because as soon as I do it will snow again. Although, either way, I'm going to the beach on Monday. Yay.

Asbury University

2010-03-04T09:10:00.004-06:00

As soon as Sandra Gray shot the first Asbury University t-shirt out of the compressed air gun into the audience of Hughes, we knew it was going to be a good transition.

Starting tomorrow, all the admissions calls I make will start out, "Hi, my name is Claire, and I'm a student worker at Asbury Colle--University. I was calling about your application..." I use Claire because it's just not worth the trouble of explaining my name to complete strangers.

Also, the Board will be in town tomorrow, "helping us to transition." How are a bunch of wealthy, middle-aged alumni going to help us transition to a University? I don't even know what that means. I say to help us transition they should bring in a moon-bounce to put on the green. Then I would feel really great about suddenly attending a university. But that's probably just me.

Anyway, that's the big news these days.

PS my hair is straight today. It happens every 1.5 years.

And yes, this is the face I make in every picture. It's my signature sheepish/I-don't-know-what-shoes-to-wear-today/deer-in-the-headlights look.

Done.

2010-02-28T22:52:00.014-06:00

I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. Thank you for still reading my blog even though I'm not a very good blogger.

This week was TERRIBLE. I mean it, it was horrible. I had to deal with/turn in/study for a(n):

Paper for Microeconomics
Accounting Project
Magazine Writing article rough draft
Biology Test
No roommate
Another paper for Microeconomics
More dumb snow
Magazine Writing Test
One last Microeconomics paper
No shredder with which to destroy to my Microeconomics books
Microeconomics test

ALL within the span of five days. Can you believe that? I couldn't. I was in a mild stupor all week. Plus my head hurt from staring at my computer screen too much.

But I'm finally DONE with this week. Now I can let myself look forward a great week to the warmer weather, enjoy time spent with friends, and get excited about the fact that there are only 13 days until Spring Break.

Plus, DJ just walked in :). So I'm gonna go talk to her now.

Oh dear.

2010-02-18T18:14:00.006-06:00

I went THREE whole days without updating. I think I have been suffering from blog insecurity because DJ blogs about the Olympic Torch and being really legit and everything. But that's ok, my life is interesting too...right?

One thing that is kind of interesting is that any day now they are going to blow up Old Phys Plant... it's all gated and taped off to prevent anyone from getting blown up as well. Whenever I leave Kresge and am walking toward it, I am terrified that it's going to explode at any second...to which I would probably react by screaming loudly. I thought about doing a before-demolition and after-demolition picture...but then I realized that it's really not that big of a deal. Next.

Ok, next is the fact that I don't have to sit in the senior section in chapel anymore! Until now, I have been sitting in the back of the senior section, with the five or six married couples who are still students... Man, that was real fodder for blogging, even though I never took advantage of it. Sitting amidst them made me feel 1) extremely single and 2) extremely awkward. Especially when the one guy wouldn't stop blowing in his wife's ear. In chapel. During a sermon. For 50 minutes. Anyway... Now I get to move to the other side of Hughes to sit with my beloved Fearless class. Only single (or at least unmarried) people as far as the eye can see.

Happy V-Day, I guess.

2010-02-14T22:50:00.000-06:00

So my friends and I went to a candy shop in the mall. It was fun. We were like kids in a... well you know.
I felt like I got a pretty good assortment.
And I came across, in one of the millions of tubs of candy, little mini gummi bears. I don't know if a piece of candy can be cute, but if it can, this is the one.

After dinner, getting candy, and wandering around the mall picking out engagement rings, we went to see a chick flick and then sat around talking about love and stuff. It was a typical, awesome, Saturday night.

Blogligation

2010-02-14T02:42:00.003-06:00

(blgl-gshn) n. The force binding you to an agreement to update your blog at a certain frequency (e.g. weekly, daily) in order to appease someone's (i.e. Katelyn's) love for said blog until he or she comes back. Not to be taken lightly. Blogger's block will inevitably ensue. Avoid blogligation when possible.

I'm not much use right now. If you're looking for something of substance, you might try this podcast of last Wednesday's chapel in which two of my fellow Asburians gave their amazing testimonies. It broke a lot of silence about issues like the one discussed. The beginning of it cuts off the first guy's name, which is Matt. He got a standing ovation when he was done. Anyway, you should just listen to it. Picture two very good-looking, clean-cut guys (one's a sophomore, the other one a senior) looking their best and sharing their hearts with the entire student body. It was awesome. Ever since Wednesday, Asbury has been abuzz about it, in a good way.

My own room

2010-02-12T10:20:00.003-06:00

Some things about having your own room when you're not used to it:

1. You don't have anyone to quote Saturday Night Live with.
2. You can sleep on two beds at once.
3. You don't have to feel bad for leaving your coat and backpack and scarf and running shoes in the middle of the floor. Though you will trip over them later. Trust me.
4. You end up talking to your fish way too much.
5. All the little anecdotes from your day (that aren't really good enough to be "stories" that you go find someone to tell, but are still kind of interesting and/or funny) go untold and, for the most part, forgotten.
6. You feel a lot creepier when it's only you staring at people out the window instead of someone else doing it with you.
7. You don't have anyone to unconsciously guilt you out of taking two naps in one day.
8. You can watch Gilmore Girls until whenever you want.
9. If you don't take out the trash, no one will. So no one does.
10. You may mistake a Tuesday for a Wednesday and go to the wrong class, and realize it when you're almost there. The worst part is that you could have gotten an entire extra half hour of sleep.

To nap or not to nap?

2010-02-11T22:56:00.000-06:00

Such a question. When I come back from my classes on weekdays, I invariably want to take a nap before dinner.

Pros of napping:
1. Most forms of sleeping (nightsleeping, napping, group napping, dozing in chapel) are good.
2. Sleep is good for the body and teens and young adults need it more than anyone else. Except maybe our dog Truman who apparently needs about 16 hours a day.
3. Napping is planning ahead for being in the library and doing two homework assignments in five hours.
4. Napping prevents you from sleeping in Accounting class when your professor is talking about the Cost-Adjusted-to-Market Method for the 7th class period in a row.
5. "Naps often" fits in perfectly with the list of college student stereotypes, right above "Too opinionated" and just under "Poor."
Cons of napping:
1. Some forms of sleeping (oversleeping, movie theater sleeping, falling asleep in the shower) are bad.
2. Napping prevents me from going to bed at a decent hour and enables me to stay up late blogging about inane things like sleep.
3. Sleeping is antisocial. Some times I take a nap when everyone else is out in the unit having a grand old time being awake together. It's hard to build community when you're unconscious (which I suppose could also be an argument against drinking).
4. Napping ruins your natural sleep patterns. I just made that up. But it probably does something like that.

So you see my dilemma. No... actually I'm sure you don't because none of this makes any sense. It's probably because I didn't take a nap today.

Oh look, it's still snowing.

2010-02-10T10:17:00.004-06:00

Today's mistake #1: looking outside before getting out of bed.
Mistake #2: Getting out of bed.
Mistake #3: Going outside and not looking where I was going for a split-second. My tailbone still hurts. This morning I fully explored the dangers of texting while walking on an icy sidewalk.

In other news, Katelyn's surgery is in about an hour and a half. A few of us are going to Hughes in about an hour to pray for her surgery to be successful in more ways than one and for the Lord to be sovereign in this situation.
We're all praying for you Katelyn! And Jesus is interceding on your behalf right now. And if God is for us, who can be against us? I hope that one day we will be able to clearly understand the reason for all this, but even if we can never do that, we know that somehow it is for the good of those who love Him and he is getting glory out of it somehow.
You are such a joy to be around! I can't wait to see you again!!

Micro, Macro...same thing.

2010-02-09T09:21:00.005-06:00

I got up this morning to find D.J. panicking at not having heard her alarm (this is nothing new, if you know her at all). However, this day it's especially bad because she was supposed to leave in thirty minutes for the airport.

It wasn't so bad, however, because what happened next was worse: her flight to Chi-town was canceled. We went to bed with it snowing hard, and woke up to another white Wilmore...It must have been at least as bad in Chicago. No flights were going in all morning.

Long story short: Deej went to Houston and then to Vancouver. She should be there around midnight tonight and starts work tomorrow. I don't envy her the next 24 hours.

I'm sitting in Microeconomics right now learning about Average Variable Cost, Total Fixed Cost, Total Revenue and every other combination of those six words (and don't forget the god of microeconomics: profits). It's quite exasperating. It's turning into a 10 x 8 table of numbers. I'm thinking it must be a joke. Dr. Charalambakis is at any moment going to laugh his big Greek laugh and point at the class, mocking us ignorant American students for thinking that any of this is in any way relevant to anything.

Anyway, I don't have much time to write anything deep right now, so I 'll leave you with Dave Barry:

"What I do, first thing every morning, is play with dolls. The dolls belong to my 15-month-old daughter, Sophie, who likes to start the day by giving her dolls a toy bottle. She has a strong nurturing instinct, although it is not matched by her hand-eye coordination, so often she sticks the bottle into a doll's eye. The dolls don't mind. They're always happy. They talk in perky, squeaky doll voices.
"Hi, Sophie!" say the dolls. "Cough cough cough!"

The dolls cough a lot, because I provide their voices, and it is not easy to sound perky and squeaky when you're a 53-year-old man and it is 7 a.m. and you have not had your coffee. You have to struggle to get yourself into a doll-voice mood, and you find yourself wondering what all the other 53-year-old men are doing at that hour. You suspect they're doing manly, grown-up things, like baling hay, or preparing a sales presentation, or burping. They're probably not lying on the family-room floor, speaking for a Barbie doll.
Anyway, I don't mind playing dolls with Sophie, but it has been an adjustment for me. When my son, Rob, was that age, he played exclusively with trucks, so when I played with him in the morning, all I had to do was make a truck sound, BRRRMMM, which was virtually identical to snoring. And before you accuse me of giving my children gender-stereotyped toys, let me stress that I got Sophie a truck, a big studly one. She uses it as a baby carriage. Sometimes she gives it a bottle."

Dear Katelyn,

2010-02-08T10:30:00.005-06:00

Today is the first day of too many that I will not see you. Although you are far away, prepping for surgery, perhaps this small corner of the Internet will help you feel not so distant. Although I know I am the worst at regularity, I hope that knowing you will be reading it faithfully will cause me to be a constant blogger.

Today I am wearing the socks you gave me despite the fact that they do not match my outfit whatsoever.

I didn't do very well on my Biology exam, though I scored one point above what I had predicted. I got the cytoplasm confused with the cell membrane. Silly me.

Deej leaves tomorrow, leaving me two best friends down. The frequency of people being in my room will go down about 60%, since you are my most frequent visitor and she lives in there.

Right now, Prof. Witherington is talking about how Gregor Mendel, in his genetic research, must have eaten "thousands and thousands of pea dinners," and how the other monks were probably sick of eating peas and hearing about genetics. But still, he did come up with some pretty important conclusions about dominant and recessive alleles and stuff... Either way, Witherington is nuts and she loves science way too much.

Enjoy your last couple of days of not being in surgery/recovery. Eat some Marietta Pizza Co. or something awesome today before they make you stop eating. And know that I will be a little bit sad until you return. The only good thing about you being gone is that I don't have to walk into my room and look in my closet to see if you're hiding in there, waiting to terrify me. We're all praying for you and we all love you. Especially me.

Love,
Marie

I'm busy.

2010-01-30T01:01:00.009-06:00

Really busy. I don't have time to blog.

All my time is spent sleeping, filling out Excel worksheets, phoning prospective Asbury students (my part-time job), trying to understand something, anything, from my accounting textbook, watching the Bachelor, interviewing people for articles, and running. In the cold.

Speaking of which, it poured snow all night, leaving us with about two inches on the ground this morning. It's quite pretty but not so convenient for walking to the gym or the library.

A couple weekends ago, nine of us went to Washington D.C. We walked 10 miles in two days. We saw about nine monuments/museums/attractions. We took a lot of ridiculous pictures. We didn't get much sleep. The Holocaust museum was hard to go through but really well done. Everything in D.C. reminded me of Europe. Except cleaner and cheaper. It was definitely worth the ten-hour drive.

Will took presidential candidate pictures of some of us in front of the Capitol.

Georgetown, where we had dinner on Saturday night. I loved this part of town.

Inside the Library of Congress. I could have stayed here for hours.

As for school, my classes aren't that awesome. I'm taking Bio (I put it off till now, thank you Liberal Arts for making me take this), Magazine and Feature Writing, Accounting II, and Microeconomics. That last one is as fun as it sounds.

My roommate is leaving next Tuesday for Vancouver to work at the Olympics for almost three weeks. I'm excited for her, jealous of her, and sad for me that I'll Deejless for so long. She'll be a liaison officer, whatever that means, for the sliding venue (bobsled, skeleton, and luge):

Whistler Sliding Center

Skeleton. Doesn't look like the safest thing in the world.

So that's mainly what's going on right now. Also, I'm counting down to spring break. 41 days.

Parenthood

2010-01-14T10:41:00.004-06:00

Well, I came back. That's all I have to say about that on here for now.

DJ and I, having successfully lived together without fist-fighting or screaming at each other for over a year and a half now, decided to take the next step in roommatehood:

This is our adopted betta fish, Toby Wan Kenobi Ennis-DeJarnett. He's a little camera shy. I found a picture of a good resemblance of him so you have a better idea of what he looks like:

He's very happy-go-lucky and appreciates our humor a lot. He's a good listener and likes the same music we like. So far, having him live with us has worked out great. DJ and I feel like mommas whenever we come in from a long day of classes and see his smiling face peering up from his bowl. I know he likes living with us. Plus, living in our room he sure gets a lot of visitors. Which I think he likes. He doesn't say much, but I know he'll open up eventually. And hopefully start eating.

"I got troubles, yeah, but not today."

2009-12-24T00:45:00.001-06:00

Tonight

I rode in a convertible
with a blanket over my head to stay warm
eating french fries
with four of my best friends
looking up at the stars through the trees
enjoying a moment together
laughing so hard my stomach hurt
and it was pretty awesome.

Tired.

2009-12-18T23:28:00.003-06:00

I have not felt this tired in a long time. I have gotten a combined 12 hours of sleep in the past three days and spent a much longer time traveling home today than I had planned. And I took finals. And I had to say goodbye to all my friends and pack up everything and leave school for a long time. Not to mention I have been eating way too many Crunchwrap Supremes lately, if that's possible.
All this to say that I have had a rough week.

So instead of saying something deep and insightful, I will talk about Garfield the Cat.

Sometimes when I get home from school, my mom puts something welcoming in my room, like flowers or a note. Tonight, however, was a treat because, you guessed it:

He's even more excited about Christmas than I am.

Good one, procrastination!

2009-12-13T18:35:00.007-06:00

My roommate and I say "Good one!" a lot. We use it in dozens of different situations. For example:

Sitting in traffic during evening rush hour: "GOOD ONE, Harrodsburg Road!"
or
Walking around the cafeteria on a Sunday night looking for something to eat and resorting to eating grilled cheese, chili, and mini corndogs: "Good one, Doug Howland!"
or
Getting dismissed from Principles of Management one minute after getting there, after waking up from a nap and forcing ourselves to go to class: "Good one, Prof. Kinney!"

Good One! is a salute to all that is ridiculous or baffling in this world, from awkward student center couples (Good one, codependency!), to everything in Lexington being named after a horse, to Dr. Gray's hair looking so perfect every single time, to the fact that the high in Yellowknife (population: 18,700) on last Thursday was negative 27 degrees (Good one, Northwest Territories!). By saying Good One! we congratulate the given situation on giving us a good story for later, or just for being obnoxious or noteworthy.

It's easy. You should try it.

Yes, this blog was meant to put off studying for just a little bit longer. Good one, finals week!

"I'm Kurt. I'm incorrigible."

2009-12-07T01:59:00.005-06:00

Tonight I watched The Sound of Music in my room with Katelyn (and a few others, intermittently). We drank regular Coke out of the 2-liter bottle, sang along blissfully, and discussed the wonder of the Age of Musicals, and the miracle that is Julie Andrews. If I could hang out with one person alive today, it would be her. Did you know that?

During the film, Katelyn pointed out that it must have been sad for Captain Vonn Trapp to sing Edelweiss on stage in front of Herr Zeller and all the other Nazis when he knew his country was about to change dramatically. I don't consider myself much of a patriot, but he was. And he had to flee to Switzerland to escape being forced to become part of the Third Reich. That'll ruin your day. At least he had Fraulein Maria and co. to go with him.

I was also thinking how sad it must have been for the Baroness to leave the Vonn Trapps' house after graciously excusing herself and telling Gay-org to go after "a certain girl who I'm sure will never be a nun." She gets a lot of grief for how she treats Maria at the beginning (middle) of the movie, but what would you do if your soon-to-be, highly attractive, wealthy fiancé was falling for the nanny? In the end, she realizes what she has to do. But still, she was in love with him and he wasn't. That'll ruin your day, too.

I don't know why The Sound of Music is so good,
why we drank almost two liters of Coca Cola,
why Hitler and the Nazis got away with so much,
why my friends serenaded me with "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Marie?"
or why I have to wait until 3 am to feel like blogging.

But all of them sure beat doing Accounting homework.

Not another Manic Monday

2009-11-23T20:49:00.004-06:00

Today I got out of bed at 11am.
I went to lunch and sat with my friends whom I love.
Then I went to the Middle of Nowhere, Wilmore, and shot a gun for the first time in my life. It was a thrill. I wasn't half bad at it, either. For a girl.
Then I went to my room and hung out with Lauren. We ate cinnamon rolls. Then we took a nap.
Then I got up and talked on the phone, and went and met my roommate for dinner.
Now we're watching a movie in our matching footie pajamas.

Even for a Saturday, that's pretty good. So given that it's Monday, it was fantastic.

I think all Mondays should include friends, cinnamon rolls and naps. I think if they did, everyone would be a lot happier.

Higgins, you old goat!

2009-11-21T17:42:00.003-06:00

Today my roommate and I were fortunate enough to go to the UK basketball game. They won, of course. I don't think I've ever seen that good of a team play in person. It makes me sad for Asbury. But it was really fun to go.

My dad told me when we drove into Kentucky my freshman year that we were in Wildcat Territory... I thought, "Well, duh... just like Atlanta is Yellowjacket Territory and Athens is Bulldawg Territory." Well, yes, technically. But believe me, Tech and UGA fans got nothin' on Cats fans. I found that out soon after I had been at Asbury a little while.

But today, at Rupp Arena, I understood way more of how insane UK fans are. It was a nothing team; I don't think UK was ever less than 20 points ahead. But that didn't stop the old guys in the stands from screaming at the refs every time a foul was called against us, and clapping along enthusiastically every single time the fight song played.

I sat next to a perfect example of a UK fan. Uptight the whole time, extremely knowledgeable about the players, angry when the other team scored (even when the score was 57-24), and always yelling some kind of advice or assessment of the previous play. Rebound! Defense! Good pass! He's wide open, can't you see he's wide open?! You know what I'm talking about. Typical stuff.

The man next to me, though, had a specific vendetta against one of the refs:

"You're useless, Higgins! You've been no use to us ever since you ripped us of that Carolina game 20 years ago!"

I did some minimal research to try to figure out what he was talking about, but since I don't know which Carolina he was talking about, and '20 years ago' is pretty vague, I was unsuccessful.
He kept encouraging him to retire, too:

"Cash in your social security check, Higgins! You're 95 years old, get off the court!"

I am not making any of this up. When the announcer listed off the UK sponsors, and said Papa John's, he booed loudly, and yelled, "HUGE Louisville supporter! Can't we get another pizza provider, for goodness' sake!"

His wife, bless her soul, was always angry when he was angry, and had some good quips of her own to go along with all of his, like, "You've scored 25 points for them tonight, Higgins!" I liked that one a lot, I thought it was creative.

I liked the guy a lot because he was really nice to me and never said a single cussword. He just really loves the Cats and couldn't help showing it.

And really, who could blame him?

Terrifying Thoughts

2009-11-21T01:24:00.005-06:00

I am most of the way done with college.

Cockroaches can live without their heads for seven days. I'm not sure if the actual number is seven days, but I know it's something crazy like that.

Ten years from now I may quite possibly be a mother. That should scare more people than just me.

Those are the only ones I can think of.

Recap

2009-11-18T15:42:00.002-06:00

In the past six months I have...

Traveled to Cincinnati, Louisville, Morehead, Mt. Sterling, Nashville, St. Augustine, Zirconia, Hilton Head, and Covington.

Learned way too much about the Civil War, real GDP equilibrium, and workplace ethics.

Been a bridesmaid for the first time (and gained a sibling); it was so much fun.

Slightly lowered my GPA... It happens.

Still not been to Disney World.

Made quite a few new friends...some of which have already faded away, some of which are just gettin' started.

Entered my third decade.

Come to love 9 year old girls.

Fallen in love.

Just kidding.

Discovered that I am not all that bad at accounting... no one saw that coming.

Developed a love for cheesecake.

Become an avid iPhone user and supporter... Couldn't get through chapel without it, somedays.

Stretched my patience muscle. Some people...

Blogged too much.

What a Tuesday.

2009-11-17T12:26:00.003-06:00

It's raining.
I tripped in the cafeteria because I noticed my shoe was untied and wasn't watching where I was going.
Good one.

I have to read four short stories by tomorrow. "Short story" basically means "shorter than a novel but not by much." So I have a lot of reading to do.

On a completely unrelated note, I leave you with Dave Barry:

"Until I became a parent, I thought children just naturally knew how to catch a ball, that catching was an instinctive biological reflex that all children are born with, like knowing how to operate a remote control or getting high fevers in distant airports. But it turns out that if you toss a ball to a child, the ball will just bonk off the child's body and fall to the ground. So you have to coach the child. I go out to the yard with my son, and give him helpful tips such as: "Catch the ball!" And: "Don't just let the ball bonk off your body!" Thanks to this coaching effort, my son, like most of the players on [the Little League Ages 6 and 7 Division team], has advanced his game to the point where, just before the ball bonks off his body, he winces."

Mirror Studies

2009-11-16T17:57:00.002-06:00

I often find myself in situations where I am giving advice, or at least thinking about the fact that (according to me) I know what a given person should do in a given situation. I have the answer to everything, it seems. Easy as it sounds. If a breaks your heart, then b to get over her. If d doesn't work, then you need to move to e. When c is bothering you, there's clearly an issue in your relationship with g.

Logic. This leads to that. And that's what you should do. It's overly practical. It ignores the stubbornness of humanity, the delayed reaction of our emotions, and the cloud of confusion that all boys carry around with them. Nonetheless, I always know what the sensible thing to do is.

But lately, I have been put into a place of needing advice, and have, therefore, sought wisdom from friends that I trust. But whenever I talk to someone, I already know what I need to do. I guess I'm just looking for someone to echo what my conscience is already telling me.

It takes me forever to do what I need to do, however. Right now I am still in the process talking myself into doing things that are necessary. Key word: process. I am thankful for the relentless patience of Jesus.

So, after all this, I have been realizing how hypocritical it is for me to give so much advice and not be able to take it myself. And is so-called advice really what is called for most times?

When we honestly ask ourselves which persons in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent...who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.
--Henri Nouwen

So true.

Sick of blogging.

2009-11-15T15:54:00.003-06:00

I'm over it, and I'm only halfway. And I missed yesterday. Not a good sign.

By the time I get home for Thanksgiving, it will have been over three months since I've seen my parents, and over three and a half since I've been home. This is the longest I've been away from home in my life (I think), and I can't think of a time when I've gone three solid months without seeing anyone in my family (unless you count my two handsome cousins).

So, I'm excited to go home and lay around for a few days. And eat some pie.

Although it would be way better if Upsa were going to be there.

Oh, the irony.

2009-11-13T21:39:00.003-06:00

If you were having a sleepover and you and your friends were playing Truth or Dare, and you were dared to go into Target and steal something in order to be in the In Crowd...Could you do it?

Cuz that's what I did tonight.

On accident.

We weren't having a sleepover, and we weren't playing Truth or Dare. We were just in Target. And I wanted a jacket. So... I walked out of the store without paying for it.

I got all the way back to campus before I realized it.

The weird thing is, it was so easy. Do people steal stuff from Target all the time? I could take whatever I wanted, as long as it didn't have the little plastic security thing on it.

And also, something I would be terrified to do on purpose, I did on accident.

Life is so weird sometimes.

I Love to Burp

2009-11-12T20:33:00.002-06:00

It's 9:30 and all my homework is done! Almost. How strange.

I promise that tomorrow I will blog about something interesting and introspective and intelligent and enticing and entertaining and... interior?

The Asbury Soccer team won the conference championship and they get to advance to the next round but I'm sad because my friends are leaving again, for Mississippi (or Alabama). It's a catch-22, really. If only all the games could be home games.

My throat hurts. And I'm achy. I hope I have swine flu.

You heard me. That's how stressful school is right now. I would rather be quarantined in my room and be likened to a pig than have to go to classes and do everything required of me.

We're listening to "Under the Sea" and Anna was paying attention to the names of the fish that Sebastian talks about, and she asked a very good question:

"What's a sturgeon?"

Well, my friends, it seems that a sturgeon is (ahem) "the common name used for some 26 species of fish in the family Acipenseridae, including the genera Acipenser, Huso, Scaphirhynchus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus."

In other words, it is a terrifying-looking fish that I would not want to encounter at ALL if I was snorkeling. According to the song, he and the ray "get the urge an' start to play." As for myself (and for the sake of the rhyme scheme), I would get the urge to swim away.

"If you forget to blog one day,

2009-11-12T07:43:00.002-06:00

blog twice the next day."

Isn't that how the old adage goes?

I really don't have time to say anything except that I'm not giving up on NoBluPhoMer (as someone once called it) just because I missed one silly day. Who cares about November 11 anyway? I'm just kidding. I love the Armed Forces. And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free.

I have an Econ test in 45 minutes. So a toodleoo until after that.

Group Naps

2009-11-10T22:52:00.003-06:00

Ever since Deej and I rearranged our beds, we have had several group naps.

Naps are an essential part of the college experience.

Being with people is very important for the soul.

Combining the two is just plain therapeutic.

Waking up to the faces of your friends after an hour-long snoozle, and steamrolling them until they all wake up, and then saying, "HEY, let's watch a movie since we don't have any homework or anything else to do!" That's just a perfect afternoon.

Not that it will ever happen, since I am quite overwhelmed with schoolwork and other things right now. But, one day it will. Right?

Also, if any of the Dixie Chicks are reading this, your music consistently makes me feel better. Long Time Gone (do you italicize song titles? I'm mad at myself for not knowing) chases away my college blues every single time.

That's probably not what I should say. I'm probably supposed to say that when I feel bad I listen to It Is Well, or some Jeff and Kibbie hits like All Around The World (which I recently and proudly discovered I know every word to) and All My Praise, but that would be a lie. There is a time and place for those. But Heartbreak Town, Easy Silence and There's Your Trouble are my feel-good music.

I want to to go to sleep.

2009-11-09T22:00:00.003-06:00

This day failed as a valuable part of my life. I could have gone without it and been very happy. Even for a Monday, it was pretty rough.

I have nothing redeeming to say, except that there is only an hour left in this day. And I have really good friends who know how to make me feel better.

So there.

Oh, and we're having a sleepover tonight. Those are fun. College is fun.

Except for today.

Day Eight

2009-11-08T22:36:00.004-06:00

I really wanted to give you guys a good blog to keep you coming back, something inspirational, something hilarious, something thought-provoking. But alas, I have a story due for Fiction Writing tomorrow, and it has sucked all the proverbial juices out of my creativity.

It's true though, that even if this class hasn't improved my actual creativity, it has definitely increased my ability to channel what little creativity I have.

I feel like the only thing I talk about on my blog is not having anything to blog about, and this class. Let's change the subject.

I do not recommend going to a small christian school if you were sick of drama in high school. Sometimes, I still feel like I'm surrounded by sixteen-year-olds.

And now I bring you a segment called:

Random Pictures From My Phone

Last night, my roommate and I rearranged our room at one am. Unfortunately, the way we put our beds didn't leave us enough room for us to actually sit at our desks. But it didn't stop my studious roommate from doing homework...

Just kidding. That picture was staged. Gotcha! We moved them into a more feng shui position. That's not how I wanted to spell that, believe me.

I tried to convince Jenelle to buy this attractive shirt at Goodwill...
She said no. She had the perfect belt to go with it, too! She may or may not have used the handicapped fitting room.

This is my friend Taylor. She's from Georgia so we get along. She hurt her ankle and had to ride one of these things around Wal-Mart.

It was funny.

My friends and I did a photo shoot. Needless to say, this picture is not from my phone.

The ginkgo tree at the Seminary is perfect for taking girly posed pictures. And my friends are perfect for taking pictures in general. So it works out.

Fall Variety Show

2009-11-07T15:30:00.002-06:00

I'm sitting in Akers Auditorium right now, waiting for my turn to rehearse for the show tonight. Right now the only screamo band at Asbury is doing their run-through, and it's really funny to see them in all their glory, shredding their guitars and banging all sorts of cymbals and making all sorts of yelling noises In front of... the organ pipes. Yeah, you can perform scary punk music at Asbury, but you sure can't look cool doing it.

I think a girl is about to lip-sync to High School Musical. That's more like it, Asbury.

I'll let you know how the show goes. It's James and I together, so how bad can it go?

Oh gosh.

Cinemark

2009-11-06T22:46:00.003-06:00

I'm sitting in the lobby of the Fayette Mall movie theater with Katelyn right now, waiting for our other friends to get out of their movie. We saw Where the Wild Things Are and they saw The Fourth Kind. I think I'm going to get a lot more sleep than them tonight.

Katelyn came with me to the movie just so I wouldn't have to go alone. What a good friend.

Did you know that the moon never changes size? It's an optical illusion. It just looks bigger when it's closer to the horizon.

Anyway.

Assessment Day

2009-11-05T22:39:00.002-06:00

Today, all classes were canceled due to Assessment Day.

The College (soon to be University), in an effort to measure the spiritual growth, involvement and satisfaction of the student body in regards to Asbury, emailed us surveys to take.

They told us it might take up to two hours to complete and, to make up for the potential length, gave us the day off as an incentive to actually take it.

Well, it took fifteen minutes. And the whole day felt like Saturday.

And, two of my three classes are canceled tomorrow. I'd say that's a good way to end the week.

The thought of doing this for 25 more days is daunting.

By The Way

2009-11-04T16:08:00.003-06:00

I am a very severe procrastinator. I blame my french upbringing. I don't really know if the French procrastinate much more than Americans do, but it seems like a good thing to blame it on.

Sometimes (i.e. today) I still don't know if I picked the right major.

I really want to sing on Broadway. That has nothing to do with the previous statement.

I don't like peanuts except when they're mashed into a spread and put into a jar.

My favorite cookie is a white fudge covered Oreo. I just finished off a box I bought last week.

I have visited 11 countries but have never been to Disney World, Oklahoma, or Dollywood.

I went to see Phil Keaggy in concert last weekend and could not believe what he could do with nine fingers and a guitar.

I am taking a fiction writing course this semester and it has taken away my ability to write freely. I am constantly questioning my sentence structure and telling myself that my stories are predictable. Show, don't tell! Break expectations! Develop your character more! More! More! Ah.

I have not had time lately to do things like organizing, laundry, or pleasure reading.

I also do not have time to give you a post that more clearly demonstrates that I do not have ADD. My apologies.

JUST IN TIME

2009-11-03T22:57:00.003-06:00

I totally forgot about this until Katelyn reminded me, three minutes before midnight.

Thanks, Katelyn, for saving NaBloPoMo.

I've been studying accounting all day. So nothing happened that is blog-worthy. Unless you count my increased knowledge of gas logs and asset attribution, and high intake of KitKats.

But, I know you don't.

So until the 4th, this is all.

Peach Pie is Always a Good Excuse

2009-11-02T20:52:00.007-06:00

Earlier tonight, I studiously passed on watching a movie with some of my favorite people in order to study accounting. I was feeling very productive and proud of myself for not having fun and going back to do schoolwork instead.

When I was dropped off at the dorm, my friend Anna was also being dropped off, bearing gifts made by Ryan. A gift from Ryan, in my experience, never disappoints, so I was excited.

Anna and I went into my room and sat on the floor and ate peach pie from scratch a la mode and homemade pumpkin spice hot chocolate. It was the best thing I've had to drink in a while.

We didn't have a serious conversation, or sit there for very long. In fact we both had things we needed to be doing. Nonetheless, we sat there on the floor and ate pie together and laughed.

It was nice.

NaBloPoMo

2009-11-01T20:22:00.002-06:00

Is this the third time I've done this? Fourth? Either way, I don't think I've ever succeeded except for maybe once. And even then I think I cheated.

If I'm to have any hope of accomplishing this task of blogging every day for thirty days, I will have to pace myself. I have all sorts of deep things to share with you, of course. But I must refrain and save some for tomorrow, or else I won't have any material for November 2nd.

Along with NaBloPoMo, today inaugurates NoShaveNovember and the countdown to Thanksgiving break. Three weeks to wait for three whole days off. A bit anticlimactic, but at least I get to eat some pie.

Today I went to Kings Island in Cincinnati, which I just recently learned to spell correctly. Today was the last day it was open and there were no lines anywhere. It was a roller coaster lover's dream. Ironically, my friends and I went to the park last year on the first day it was open. So I sort of bookended (if you will) the 2009 season.

Until tomorrow.

I did say Maybe

2009-10-24T15:37:00.003-05:00

Last night at eleven p.m., two friends and I decided to go all the way to Richmond Road to get Krispy Kreme, and when we drove up, the Hot Donuts Now sign was lit up. At that point, the trip was already worth it.

We walked inside and, after the sight and smell of the baked goods took away all self-restraint, we decided to get a dozen for $7.50... Makes sense, four donuts each, we give two away, no one feels guilty for eating two donuts, right? Right.

Well the boy behind the counter, apparently being so taken with our charm, told us our second dozen would be free. Well, that would be silly to turn down. We have friends, they would love a midnight donut. Who doesn't? (Exactly.) The hardest part was deciding which donuts to get. Cruller, chocolate glazed, iced with sprinkles, etc.

Well, the very nice boy behind the counter just handed us the two laden boxes and said, "don't worry about it." I don't think he'll be working there much longer if he keeps that up.

So anyway, we walked out of there, giddy, with twenty-four free donuts. What in the world are three college girls supposed to do with that many donuts?

Ha.

Relearning Consistency, Maybe

2009-10-06T00:49:00.003-05:00

Who am I kidding, I've never been a consistent blogger.

But I am trying to blog more often now. So far so good. It's only been five days. And if I'm gonna do NaBloPoMo, I gotta get back into bloggy shape.

I have a macroeconomics test tomorrow, so yes, I am in fact procrastinating by writing this instead of sleeping and/or cramming. Did you know that in the 1930s people had to will their suits to each other? These days, we all have tons of suits so we don't have to will them to anyone... This is an example of the fact that the GDP per capita in the US rose enormously (600%) during the 20th century.

And that is basically all I know about macroeconomics. Good one, college.

I watched Singin' In The Rain for the first time this weekend. How was I ever happy at any point before watching that movie? I'll never know. The tap dancing and singing is incredible and Gene Kelly isn't (wasn't) a bad looking dude. Very charming.

My roommate and I are friends. Not everyone can say that, so I feel privileged to be able to. Deej, you rule. Thanks for listening.

Tonight I auditioned for something and it was fun. I like performing. Especially with someone else who believes in you. Hmm.

Anyway.

Today

2009-10-01T00:19:00.002-05:00

7:50 Alarm goes off. The sound of a bell tower invades my dreams, and I'm suddenly in the end of Back to the Future, when Doc is hanging off the clock, trying to get Micheal J. Fox back to 1985.

8:10 I sit up and debate over whether to go to class.

8:11 I decide to go.

8:53 I leave for class with my jacket half on, hurriedly putting on chapstick. So preoccupied was I in this task, that on my way out the front door of the dorm, I ran right into my boss, almost spilling her coffee. Awkward.

8:58 I sit in my assigned seat in Principles of Accounting. (What kind of college professor gives assigned seats?) I got my test back from Friday and was preeetttty pleased with myself.

9:59 I sit in my assigned seat in chapel, C3 (I'm on time today). For some reason, the entire row in front of me decided to organize a mass chapel skip day, so I have plenty of leg room.

10:45 Chapel (which was great today) is dismissed. I walk to CPO and then to lunch with Lauren, who, on an average day, makes me laugh more than most people I know. At lunch, someone said something very nice to me and it made my whole day better.

2:00 I take a Principles of Business Management test. Normally in that class, I do the crossword puzzle and sometimes take a nap. It's a really interesting class.

2:16 I finish taking the test. It was pretty basic material:

[Define 'teamwork'.
a. Swine Flu
b. Sandra Gray
c. A group of people working together to achieve a common goal
d. The Cornerstone Project]

3:00 I sit down in Fiction Writing and prepare to critique three of my fellow classmates' stories. It was very interesting. I like picking apart and analyzing fiction more than I care to admit. Even if Dr. Hurlow always keeps us in class longer than she's allowed to.

4:47 I go around to all the rooms on my hall to check that the smoke detectors are still working. All systems are go. I don't know if I used that expression correctly just now.

6:30 I go to Walmart with Abby, DJ and Lauren to buy stuff to make my mom's awesome pumpkin bread. It turned out good, though I thought it was a little too moist in the middle... But it still tastes awesome. I was proud of it. And I got to hang out with a few of my favorite people, which made it even better.

11:00 I decide to paint my fingernails. End up sitting in the unit for an hour and a half, listening to stories of break-ups, stigmata (has anyone ever heard of this?), surgeries, boys and one just plain story being read aloud. My mom always told me to be still several hours after painting my nails, so I considered it my duty to just sit there and listen, laughing, sighing at appropriate times, blowing my fingernails gently.

1:03 I decide to blog. This is the narcissistic, non-proofread result.

Perseverance (Or, James 1:4)

2009-08-27T16:31:00.007-05:00

Caramel corn is good. I like to eat it. I'm eating it as I type.

My grandmother brought me a bag of it. My grandparents are awesome, and do things like give me caramel corn and love me a lot. Plus, they hail from Indiana, which has a really great State Fair with really good caramel corn (that part I just discovered) and probably (unfortunately) some fried Twinkies, if it's anything like the North Georgia State Fair. If you've ever had a fried Twinkie, 1) I'm sorry and 2) you probably know that it is a completely unsatisfying, fried experience.

Anyway, so I've been graciously sharing the popcorn with my friends, and we have enjoyed it immensely. Thanks, Mama.

This is the thing I noticed about the caramel corn: Not every piece is good. Some are a little bit too crunchy, some are way to caramelly, and some have little to no caramel at all. Well then, you ask, why would I say that I like it a lot?

Even if you didn't ask, just humor me.

I like it because most of the pieces are good. The good pieces completely outweigh having to deal with the (relatively) bad ones. And every so often, you get that one, perfectly sized, well-shaped kernel of popcorn, perfectly coated with just enough golden-brown glaze, with a satisfying crunch and an that ideal sweet-'n'-salty combination. These pieces are the ones that keep you coming back. They're the ones that keep the caramel corn stand in business.

One bad day shouldn't keep you from giving up on the rest of the week, and one bad week shouldn't allow you to quit your job, or transfer schools, or even just "put up with it" while taking on a bad attitude. Not understanding "Why" doesn't mean that I should give up on following the Lord's plan for me, and I shouldn't assume that I misheard.

Negativity never did anything productive for anyone. Things that are difficult are healthy for the soul. Sure, getting some caramel corn stuck in your teeth may slow you down, but is that a reason to just throw in the towel and tie the twisty thing around the bag, leaving it for later? No way! Just get a toothpick, and pick up where you left off!

Moral of today: Don't abandon the caramel corn in search of the fried twinkies of the world.

It's a New Year

2009-08-16T09:54:00.008-05:00

In a new room.

On a new floor.

With some new friends (but mostly old).

And some new goals.

A different view out my window, and a new perspective on what's out there.

I have new things to look forward to

and some to really pray about

(and some people to really pray for).

I don't do well with change. Which is probably why it is so prevalent in my life.

This summer was full of challenges.

I was thrown into an already-existing community of self-sufficient, hilarious, busy, people who didn't need me or know me and had their own inside jokes, and I dared myself to become "one of them." And you know what? I failed miserably.

Thus I was challenged with failure. What does it say about me?

Then I was back home and faced with a huge (albeit wonderful) change in the family. After that it was hard not to park in my comfort zone and fall into an everyday rut of routine friends and habits. And excessive sleep. But is that wrong, for three weeks?

Then I was taken back to camp, with its beautiful mountains and bugles and council fires and flag assemblies, and put in charge of nine 9-turning-10 year old girls. A co-mother for two weeks.

Brush your teeth. Yes, you have to put on clean underwear. Take that lizard outside. Make your bed. Let's have a dance party. Goodnight. No, I can't turn down the volume on the crickets.

They were absolutely precious. Even the one who sobbed every night and went home early.

So I was faced with my "dislike" (aka discomfort) of children. There's no way to escape attachment. And so, I believe I like kids now (ah, more change). Well, I don't know about boys. It's hard to tell when you work at a girls' camp.

I'm also learning to deal with the fact that Jesus likes me no matter what I do. I can't understand the super-natural simplicity of it, in a punishment/reward-based world.

It's a new year. And I'm learning a lot.

Free Fallin'

2009-07-14T13:59:00.008-05:00

My entire life is in a state of disarray.

~I can't find the little box containing all my favorite earrings, and if you know me you know that means more than just "I can't find some of my favorite earrings." It means I now have no motivation to put on a cute outfit in the morning, because why do so without the perfectly matching pair of earrings that I have, but idiotically misplaced?

~I haven't done a USA Today Crossword in ages. I think my brain is turning into cheese or creamed corn or something due to a serious lack of intellectual stimulation. Summers... They'll get ya.

~My oldest brother has been married (to someone terrific and beautiful) for three days; it's always weird to lose/gain family members. Change is hard. Even though he wasn't home that much (neither am I), it's just difficult to know that it won't ever be the same again. It will be better, actually, but sometimes our simple minds can't really see the difference between positive and negative change. We'll get used to him being a them and we'll look back and tell stories, prefacing them with, "Before Harrison and Taylor were married...," and it'll seem weird to us that there was ever such an era... right?

(east main photography)

~My room is a mess, and I just cleaned it, like a week ago. I think the mess may have something to do with the fact that I can't find my earrings. I hope so, rather than it being that I left them at the house I slept at the night before wedding.

~Speaking of which, weddings are exhausting. Source of disarray #5.

~Unlike at Asbury, I'm not consistently around people who make me laugh really hard... Some of you know what happens in that case. I'm hoping my trip to Nashville this weekend will help that some.

I haven't written anything in so long I could go forever. Sorry Lauren, for keeping you waiting for so long. Lauren guilt tripped me into blogging, and as you can see, it has proven to be quite therapeutic.

Thanks Lola. You're one of my favorite people.

Camp Life

2009-06-05T22:09:00.004-05:00

It's a different world here at Camp Greystone, where:

-Females outnumber males 100 to 1.

-Instead of an alarm clock (or even a watch), you have a bugle to wake you up in the morning. It's called Reveille. If you can guess how it's pronounced, I'll send you a Greystone postcard.

-Everything is pre-planned, scheduled, and/or organized, down to how to clear your table after meals (don't even think about taking your bread board to window 2), which bed the counselor sleeps on, where you sit when you give a devotion to your campers, and how long you have to brush your teeth for.

All the organization is extremely overwhelming. Is that an oxymoron?

We have sat through at least 10 combined hours of meetings in four days and I am now prepared to deal with bee stings, bedwetting, homesickness, bats, thunder storms, and seizures.

Thank goodness. I was nervous that I wouldn't be ready to deal with the girls wetting their beds, considering I'm "Out of Cabin" staff... That'll be useful.

Ahem.

2009-06-01T22:47:00.002-05:00

Dear readers,

I am going to Camp Greystone tomorrow to work as a counselor (www.campgreystone.com).

I am quite certain that there will be things there that will be worthy of blogging about, but I can't be sure that I'll have the opportunity to do so.

So, if I don't update until mid-July, it's because I'm basically busy until then, and not because I have taken a not-so-rare-for-me break from blogging.

But, maybe I will have plenty of time to update. Who knows. Let's hope for the best. You can pray for me while I'm at camp that I will have energy, patience and joy. I'm excited about serving and making friends while getting paid to do it! Not to mention that one of my best friends is coming with me. Not a bad set-up, really.

I have to finish packing now.

Sincerely,

Marie-Claire

"Chad? Who's Chad?"

2009-05-22T15:58:00.005-05:00

Three weeks ago today, I was done with classes and was in the process of blissfully ignoring the imminent arrival of finals week. I went to a concert, chatted in Subway, ate Wendy's, watched That Thing You Do and didn't study at all.

Two weeks and one day ago, I was arduously packing all my stuff into an Oldsmobile. Stuffing is probably a more apt term. We also did some yelling (sorry Deej) and some whining. And we totally destroyed an electrical outlet. But I digress...

About four hours after we had planned to get on the road, my roommate and I finally headed south, leaving behind Kentucky and another year of college. We drank one of those energy shot things that probably shouldn't be legal, and got into Marietta at 1 a.m., after a 6-hour debrief of our sophomore year. It was a great way to get the summer started.

Now, I feel as though all that was months ago... Cramming for finals, saying goodbye to old and new friends, telling everyone you'll keep in touch and sometimes meaning it, checking your CPO one last time, and looking forward to the summer with X amount of anticipation.

I have nothing deep to say, except that it's weird how quickly half a month went by, but how long ago all of that seems. Funny thing, the passing of time.

Braxton Bragg Was Terrible

2009-05-04T22:03:00.004-05:00

Since everyone is blogging right now, I figured I should too. It's one of the finest means of procrastination, and I have been in the library for a combined total of 10 hours today. So I think I deserve to waste time.
Well, actually that's not true; I'm only hurting myself by being distracted. Students (Ahem--me) have this false mentality that studying is something they are obligated to do, and get really mad when they finally realize they have to. Studying is always a good idea (there are exceptions to this, of course--I, for example, studied very little for my French exam this morning, and did very well). But come on, it's not the worst thing in the world to have to review a semester's worth of knowledge. I mean, you could be forced to turn eight-hundred socks inside out, or eat an entire set of plastic cutlery.

I've been sitting here too long.

Study Break

2009-05-02T22:18:00.006-05:00

Yeah right, I haven't studied today.

It's a Saturday night and I'm sitting here eating junk food and drinking flat Sierra Mist.

Katelyn is giving us a biology lesson. I don't think anyone really knows what she's talking about, and I have a feeling if we did, we'd regret it

I have one final on Monday and three finals on Tuesday: 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Who thought of that? Probably the same person who thought of Spongebob Squarepants, paper cuts, and middle school.

Lauren is sitting next to me sketching DJ, who is on the other bed, posing on top of the giant stuffed turtle. Next to her is Anna, who is braiding Katelyn's hair, whose head is laid contentedly and sleepily on her lap.

A week from today I'll be at home.

Or will I be away from home?

Ok I think I know what she's talking about and I wish I didn't.

Speaking of things that I like...

2009-04-21T23:33:00.005-05:00

This is Giverny.

It definitely should have been in my last post. It's one of my favorite places in France. And it still looks exactly like that, though perhaps not as blurry.

I'm going home this weekend for the wedding of a good friend. This is the first time one of my friends, close to my age, has gotten married. It's strange to think about. And it's even stranger to think that most of my friends will be married in 7-10 years. Make that 2-3 years, for the Asburians. Just kidding. Not really.

This is an impulse post. I apologize.

Also, college is weird. You make friends, and you love them, and you hang out with them every day, and develop tons of inside jokes, and memorize their birthdays and siblings' names, and then...you separate. What?
...Who decided that was emotionally healthy?

44 Things I Like

2009-04-14T23:02:00.006-05:00

People who open the door for you
James Longstreet
Gazebos
Elton John
Creamed corn with Caroline
Crossword puzzles
Weddings
Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion
Gap
My roommate
Boys with good manners
Earrings
Dave Barry
Concerts
1 Corinthians 15
Roller coasters
Corndogs
Blog comments
Dr. McKinley
Family rounds of Rummy (in moderation)
Texting
Rooibos Sweet Lemon Cream
Beating people at Mario Kart
Useless trivia
The Braves
Brennan Manning
Hands
The writers of www.shirt.woot.com
Chicken and Waffles
Praying with the girls on my bed
Dr. Gray
Naps
annieblogs.com
The smell of that bush on the way to Kresge
Billy Crystal in Princess Bride
Good listeners
My quilt
Forgiveness
Fudge-covered Oreos
Quality time
Musicals
19th century French poetry
Dang Nails
Purple

This feels narcissistic...but it's my blog, right?

Referrals

2009-04-05T18:37:00.009-05:00

So I should have done this a while ago. I have some blogs to link to because I'm thrilled that I'm not the only person at Asbury who has a blog now, that I know of.

This is Jenelle. She's one of the most vivacious people I know. Read her blog because she has a way more exciting life than I do right now, studying abroad in Spain for a semester. In Sevilla, to be more exact, which is one of my favorite places in Europe.
This is Kate. She made her header and I think it's incredible. If you knew her, you would say, "It's so...Kate." And it is: well-designed, clean-cut, pink. Read her blog because she's a great writer and thinks of creative things to talk about. And because she's a Georgia native. And because she is a Photoshop queen (in fact, she made my new header, which I think is fab).
This is Lauren. She is the one of the coolest people I have met at Asbury and we hang out a lot these days, and I'm not mad about it. Read her blog because last semester we dressed up like thug homies and wrote a rap and she went and rapped it to some of our friends while I beat boxed.

Lauren, Jenelle and Kate--A little outdated because we haven't seen Jenelle in a while.

It's cool that three of my closest friends have blogs now, and I don't have to feel like such a weirdo.