Class Overview

I have no experienced all of my classes (except for physio lab), so I decided to give an overview on my impressions on them so far.

Physiology (MWF 9:00): Same professor as last year, so I know how he teaches. I also know that reading the chapters before class are going to be rather helpful. Probably moreso this year, because this class requires a lot more understanding and a lot less memorization. I am somewhat looking forward to it, because it should be much more interesting in general. However, it is still going to be ridiculously hard... but I will be praying for God to sustain me through this.

Sociology (MWF 11:00): I have a feeling this will be the class that sneaks up on me! As I said in my last post, this class will probably be interesting (simply because people are interesting) and a bit controversial at times. I don't think I will have a problem liking this class... but it is going to be very time consuming, which is hard because all my other classes are so difficult. We will see though, I think if I just do the work and not put this class on the back burner I will be fine.

CIV (MWF 12:00-1:50): Yep... the infamous Civ! This class is SO intimidating. Seriously, I internally freak out at the thought of this class. It is more work than I have ever had in my life, and I am convinced that the professors genuinely believe this is the only class we are taking! For tomorrow's class I had close to a hundred pages of reading to do... and that is a regular to light day. Bah. This class scares the poop out of me. Plus, I find it hard to get all my reading done because there is just so much and it makes me want to sleep. Ha.

Development and Nutrition (Thursday 2:00-5:00): So, today was my first experience with this class. I have mixed emotions. It is two classes combined into one (we even have 2 different professors). It is also three hours long... with only one 10 minute break. And we were informed today that under no circumstances will we be getting out of class early. Bah. I think the subject matter (at least the nutrition part) is very interesting, though. The problem is, neither one of the professors are very clear on their expectations or instructions... and we have quite a few projects in there, and of course tests. It just makes me really nervous because I am not entirely sure how to prepare for that class. I still haven't made up my mind entirely about this class.

Tonight a group of us went out to dinner for this girl Danielle's 21st birthday. It was fun because I was at the end of the table with the people I know and get along with the best. We went for mexican food... which is always a bad idea in Oklahoma. It is gross. Danielle ordered a margarita with her meal in celebration. It was so strange to be there. Ha, most my friends here are a year older... so they are all turning, or just turned, 21! Ha. I am not used to it.

After dinner, we headed to Ford music hall to pick up our friend Luke. He was in there practicing piano. He started playing and singing Phil Wickham and I was just in awe! He is so incredibly talented. We also got fake married. I was the bride, he was the groom, Kacie was the preacher, Amanda was my MOH and Kristin played the wedding march on the piano. It was sufficiently awkward, but very funny.

After that we headed to Spotlight on Shawnee. It is this thing in downtown Shawnee where all the local businesses and such come out and set up booths and give away free stuff. It is always nice to get free things! It was super hot though, and we were very impatient, so we didn't stay too long. It was good though. I got a bunch of free spirals and plastic cups and pens. Ha. I also got some cookies and a dr. pepper. It was a worthwhile trip, I must say!

Tomorrow is another long day of class.... but then it is Friday! Yay! I am so ready for the weekend... and I have so much work to get done.

Sophmore Year: And So It Begins

So, I meant to post this last night, but did not get a chance. ha. So, the first part will be about day 1 and 2 back, and the second part will be about my first day of class.

So, it is my second day back at OBU, and I must say, it is all still very surreal to me. I think I am going to just stick with a bulleted list format for my next few posts so that I can organize my thoughts a little better.

• We made it to OBU in about 7 and a half hours, which was really good time considering that we made a few stops along the way. When we crossed the border and I saw the big Oklahoma sign, my stomach turned a bit. I still don't feel like I am ready to be back here. About and hour and a half or so after we crossed the border we were on campus. It is really strange because you can see the chapel from about 10-15 miles out. Anyway, we pulled up and unloaded. My RA from last year, Kaitlyn, was waiting to greet me with a big hug! That was so needed. She even helped move some of my stuff up to my room. Getting everything unloaded proved to be the easy part.
• I spent a while yesterday just sitting on the top bunk, staring at all my junk wondering how on earth I was going to unpack it all. Slowly I started unpacking all my clothes and making some progress. My roommate, Casie, and I rearranged all of our furniture and I think I got a nice set up going. I like it. We can always change it later if we need, but so far I am totally satisfied. (I will put pictures up later, rather than trying to describe how it looks).
• Last night, I decided to be social! I went to my friends Amanda, Kristin and Kacie's house for a little get together. It was pretty chill, but fun. Their house is adorable! It is so exciting. I got to see most everyone from last year, so that was nice. I talked a bit, but I still found myself just observing everyone for a good part of the night. I will work on it, though. It was nice to have some familiarity though. I even caught my friend Parker cuddling with my vera bradely bag. It was unintentional, of course, but still rather funny. I finally got back to my room, but didn't get to bed until 2!
• When I attempted to sleep last night, I realized that my room was like -50 degrees. Seriously. It is SO cold in here. Plus, our window doesn't close all the way, and my bed is right under it. This means, I can't sleep with my face facing the window, or I will freeze out. Ha.
• Today, my grandparents took me to Walmart to load up. I bought a tv (yay) and a bunch of other much needed items. I am pretty set, at least for a little while. I then had to go pick up my remaining books from the bookstore and get those put away. Then we went to lunch, and back to Walmart to get the missing screws I needed for my tv stand. It was a pretty busy morning. I then came back to my room and decided to get some more unpacking done! I hung Zach's painting, first and foremost! It was so exciting. I hung up a painting Jessie made me, and my bulletin board with pictures. It is coming together nicely. Ha, but I still have quite a bit to do!
• I finally got a nap in yesterday! It was so perfect. I love naps.
• My grandparents took me out for dinner, since they were going to leave in the morning. It was good. I couldn't eat much due to my whole stomach junk, but it was nice. I am so grateful to have my grandparents, especially considering my dad is not someone I have easy access to.
• After dinner, Kristin, Amanda and I went to Walmart so they could do some grocery shopping for their cute little house! After that, Julian, Lucas and Justin longboarded over and we watched "I Love You Man." I do NOT recommend this movie. It was so crude I could hardly stand it. I need to stop agreeing to watch movies before I know what the movie is. It was fun, but I got back to my room much later than I would have liked. I quickly took a shower (ps: having our own bathroom is so nice) and went to bed.

Now for the first day of classes:

• I woke up at 7:20 this morning! I got dressed, brushed my teeth and went downstairs to say goodbye to my grandparents. I almost cried, but I didn't it! Ha. I am just going to miss them. They were so good to me this summer. I then came back up to my room and did my quiet time (I really like doing it in the mornings I have decided), fixed my hair, ate some cereal then headed to class.
• I have physiology with one of my suitmates, so we walked over there together today. My professor (who was also our anatomy professor) grew a beard over summer... it was very strange. All we did in class was go over what the class will entail and such. Our first test is September 11... over 6 chapters! Yikes! Luckily, I don't have lab today :)!
• I then went to chapel! I saw JG on the way (finally) and got to talk to him a bit. We shared an awkward hug thanks to our backpacks, but it's cool. It was good to see him. He told me a bit about kamp and then we headed to chapel. I started to freak out when I got there because I didn't see anyone I know... then I hear Amanda, Kristin, Kacie, Julian and Lucas shout my name in unison and I was so relieved. Chapel was alright... the best part was that they sang Sing Sing Sing! :) wooo!
• Next was sociology. That class will be interesting (and controversial), but it is so time consuming. And, all of our sociology tests are the same day as my physiology tests! Ugh.
• Then it was time for CIV!!! This class lived up to all the horror stories I heard. It is SO much work. I am not ready! Ha. Seriously, I got so overwhelmed. This will be a really long semester. I am really, really nervous about it!
• The good news of the day: I met this girl named Amy on Monday night when we all got together. She is a sophmore nursing major and just transferred in. We didn't really talk Monday or anything. Well, today I realized WE HAVE ALL THE SAME CLASSES on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (except, she has lab Monday and I have lab Wednesday). We realized this while in Civ and agreed to sit by each other in our classes. We were both really overwhelmed by everything, so she told me "Hey, we can study together... and cry together!" Perf. I am glad to have someone with me. She seems really nice and even talked to me about medical missions today. I am hoping we can become friends!

I am terrified for this year in terms of school. If you would, just pray that God would sustain me and renew my strength. This is going to be a draining semester, mentally, physically and emotionally. I am hope to remain disciplined in my quiet times this semester... which will be much needed!

ps: I REALLY miss home and all of you guys. Just sayin' ;)

I am not ready

I still don't feel like I am going back to school soon. It is seriously so surreal. I am just not connecting with the fact that I am headed out of state on Monday. I don't really want that reality to set in, though. I am not looking forward to it at all. I realize some people can't wait to get back, and that is great for them, but I am not one of those people. This is my home, and I love it so much! Plus, the coming years are going to be so very different. I am just not ready for all the change. But, I can't think about that just yet. I am trying so hard to live these last few days in the moment, just enjoying every ounce of time I get to spend with the people I love.

This year is strange because I honestly feel like I am going to be a freshman all over again. I am going into a situation where I don't know my roommates, and I don't really have any friends. I think I blocked last year out. Not in the sense that I don't remember anything from last year, but in the sense that looking back, it all just felt like a dream! It is so weird.

Although the reality of school has yet to hit me, the fact that I have to say goodbye to people has suddenly become all too real. Zach's party was very fun last night, but it was also the setting of my first official "goodbye" of the summer. I stayed strong through the party, and had a blast, but when I got home I just had to cry a little. I was surprisingly ok with it. I am going to miss so many people. This summer has been great, and I have really gotten a lot closer to a few people I didn't expect to! As hard as it may be to leave them, I wouldn't trade it for anything! I feel like I might be a tad emotional on Sunday... but oh well.

I am going to enjoy these last few days with everyone! I will try and remain positive about it all, but I will also cry when I need to. I think it will be a good balance.

Now I am off to La Ha with the besties. :)

Quick Update

I am BEYOND exhausted and in desperate need of some sleep before I head to Austin in the morning, so I am going to just give a quick, bulleted update of this week. Enjoy.

* Monday I had lunch with DG, which was wonderful of course. We hit up the last appetight and then did a little shopping with Molly.

* Monday night was the last bdbt. Gosh, I can't believe it is coming to an end. I hate this time of year. I ended up spending the night at Sterle's after everyone else went home. It was great! Lots of good conversation.

* Tuesday Andrew and I went to lunch at Panera. It was yummy and we had a good time catching up. We then went shopping at Goodwill... definitely a new experience for me. Ha.

* Tuesday night I went to Molly's grandmas house and had a wonderful dinner with Bethany, Callie, Molly and Kate. It was so fun! We ended up spending the night (well, not Kate since she had to work). Molly's blog goes into a little more detail about the fun we had... so I won't get into it here. But, I will say I loved staying up and talking with Molly! :)

* Wednesday I went to lunch with Lauren, Jeremy, DG and Riley. It was very enjoyable. We then got back to the church and started setting everything up for summer in the zone. It was a BLAST! We had so much fun getting everything ready! It rocked.

* Wednesday evening Zach and I went to Del Pueblo! Yummm. We also went to starbucks, but were a little disappointed with out smoothie choices... but, mine was free and his was 50% off so it was no real loss.

* Roadside was wonderful! Gah. Molly and Andrew did a wonderful job with worship, and Bill brought a great lesson! I seriously got a lot out of it all. Afterwards was bitb, which was fine. My lack of volleyball playing makes for a boring experience, but I did have a wonderful phone conversation with Jessie that kept me occupied!! :)

* I leave for Austin tomorrow and I am back on Saturday! I am definitely looking forward to the family time... and I love Austin.

* Zach painted me this thing for my dorm room... and it is WONDERFUL! I secretly wanted to cry when I got it because I loved it so much. haha. I can't wait to hang it up! Thanks Zach!

"Hope is coming for me"

My goodness, summer has flown by! I can't believe it. Where did the time go? I am so not ready to head back to school...

I found out my rooming situation Thursday! I will be living in Howard (which is the dorm I wanted). It is suites, so definitely a step up from where I lived last year! They are older, so they are the same price as where I used to live... so that is definitely a bonus. However, I am really nervous about the whole situation! The three other girls (who are bffs) have decided to put all the beds in one room and make the other room a living room kind of area. This is nerve-wracking for a few reasons. 1) I don't know these girls at all 2) I now have 3 roommates, not just one 3) Privacy is something I will have to kiss goodbye 4) Sleeping schedules will probably be rather different 5) We will probably need to buy a lot for our "living room" and I have no money! Yikes. I am praying this turns out well... or at the very least bearable. I am definitely nervous though.

Danielle, Lauren, Danica and I (we missed you Jessie) had a girls night in the Woodlands. It was fun getting dressed up and going out. I think that is nice for girls to do every so often. Ha. We had some interesting encounters with some waiters while at dinner. It was terribly awkward, yet very funny.

I haven't really started packing yet. I am just so deep in my denial I can't imagine packing. Plus, I need to UNpack all my stuff from when I moved home in order to REpack in a more organized manner. It is pretty overwhelming actually. Ha. I can't bring myself to throw anything away... so I have so much more stuff than I will ever need. So far all I have managed to really pack is my bedding and my coats and sweaters. Not much of an accomplishment, but it is something.

This week is going to be a good one! :)

Monday: Lunch with Danielle (and hopefully LG)

LAST bdbt! Gah. This is actually really sad... but I am just going to enjoy it while I can!

Tuesday: Lunch with Andrew!

Dinner with Molly and her Mama (as well as Bethany and Kate). Ha this sounds fun!

Wednesday: Dinner with Zachary! :)

Roadside/BITB

Thursday-Saturday afternoon: AUSTIN! I love going to see my family in Austin.

Goodness, there is a lot of food in my future! I hope my poor stomach can handle it. I also plan on taking a lot of pictures this coming week... and the one to follow. Let's hope I hold to that. I want to leave with as many documented memories as possible. Haha.

Coming off of a very rough week, I am reminded of one of my go to passages, so I will leave you all with that:

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

So we do not loose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

A Quote

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." C.S. Lewis

Hmm. I have had this quote playing over and over in my head the past 2 days. Just thought I would share. :)

Freak Out!

Summer is ending. OH NO!!!! Say it ain't so!! I am dreading going back to OBU. I mean, I am in prayer about it, and will approach this year with a positive attitude, etc, but I still have no desire to go back. I want summer to last forever.

I started organizing my boxes and trying to neatly repack all my belongings today. However, I quickly got really sad and had to take a break! Plus, I started realizing how many things I still need to do before I go back! I have been in total denial about school... and now my to do list is a mile long. Oops. I am sure I will get it all done though, but I definitely have to stop avoiding reality.

I ordered my last 10 books today. Whew. What a relief. I love amazon... it has saved me SO much money it is ridiculous. I have a total of 20 books for this coming semester. A handful of them are novels... but still! It is absurd. Sheesh.

As much as I don't want to get back to school, I love school supplies. I have had a fun time organizing my pens, pencils, spirals, notecards (plain white as well as multicolored), and my lovely hilighters! Yay! Being nerdy is so much fun sometimes.

There are some fun things I need to do in preparation:

-Pick out new pictures for my dorm

-Organize all the cards//letters I received last year

-Get together things that remind me of home

-(I am still looking for something special for my dorm room. I realize this is vague... but I want to be able to have something with meaning to me)

Speaking of dorm rooms... I STILL DON'T HAVE A PLACE TO LIVE! or a roommate!!! Bah. This little fact is starting to really stress me... but hopefully OBU steps up their game soon and fixes this little problem.

I realize this post is really scatterbrained... but that is how my mind is right now, so I can't really help it. Going back should be easier the second time around... but it is definitely not. I want to say it might even be harder. I have gotten a lot closer to some people this summer that I was not expecting. I am definitely glad, because I love genuinely getting to know people and having close friendships, but it is not making leaving any easier. I also know what I am going back to at OBU, at least initially, so I am pretty sad. I am just going to miss summer, and miss home, so much. I am becoming an emotional wreck... but it's ok! I have accepted this is how I will be for the next 3 weeks or so... then my routine will take over and I will adjust fine.

To make this year a little more bearable, I want to keep writing letters!!! It seriously helped me so much last year. So, if I don't have your address, or if it changed since last year, give it to me please! :) Mine is:

Marie Evans

500 West University

OBU Box 60415

Shawnee, OK 74804