Weekend Wrap-up

This has been a rather uneventful weekend, but I can't complain. Ha.

Friday I was so mentally drained from completely my civ test (I wrote 9 pages this time... I think I am actually learning how to write faster now). I cam back to my room, watched some general hospital and just chilled. It was needed. Then I went to the girls house... and that's when my weekend went downhill. We built this incredibly insane fort in their living room. In fact, we turned their entire living room into a fort. It was pretty epic. However, I really hurt my back. It has been bothering me for a couple of weeks now, but Friday night it got to the point where I just couldn't take it anymore. I called my dad bawling like a baby because I just didn't know how to make it stop. I was sick to my stomach from the pain and just couldn't find any relief. When Saturday came, I couldn't even move. It was horrid. So, I have been laying down, or sitting propped up by pillows, all weekend. I had to miss out on a lot, but I really needed the chance to rest my back while I could. Plus, I definitely value my alone time more than most people here... so I am actually rather grateful for that! I was able to lay in bed all day. I skipped church... which ended up being a good call, but more on that later. I woke up and listened to a Matt Chandler podcast. It was very good... I certainly got a lot out of it. Then I just laid in bed, with my heating pad, and did homework/watched tv all day. It was so nice. I finally watched Glee online, and it was wonderful, as usual. I even got to see the last 10 minutes of the Saints game. They definitely came back with a big win today! I was thoroughly impressed. They always win when they wear their black jerseys. I got a lot of civ reading done, and some physio. Boring, sure, but it needed to happen.

The reason skipping church was a good idea is because I was in too much pain to handle it. Also, the medicine I took last night made me so tired I wouldn't have been able stay awake anyway. I ditched my diet tonight and went and got food with my roommate, and after being in the car and sitting up for 5 minutes my back starting killing me. There is no way I would have been able to last the 40 minute car ride to church, the hour long service, and the 40 minute ride back. I hate missing church, but I think I made the right call for the day.

I am about to head to bed (yes... this early) because I think my medicine is kicking in. Looooooong day tomorrow.

ps: did I mention that the Saints won?! mhmm. 6-0! and they play next Monday night. I love football so much.

Hugh Laurie and strange dreams

This week has been crazy! I am SO ready for Friday. Nutrition/development test today and Civ test tomorrow. Yikes! But... my roommate showed me this video today... and suddenly my stress was replaced by laughter... so enjoy!

In other news, some of you recall last semester when I experienced a few recurring dreams involving a particular subject matter/people involved. Those dreams lasted a while and each one was kind of a continuation of the last. Well... they are back! Sheesh. I must say, the most recent is the funniest of all. We will see how long they last this time ;). Dreams are a very strange thing.

Day 4

Well, this is it. Tomorrow is the last day of fall break, and I must say I am actually relieved. Don't get me wrong, I was super appreciative to have two days off of class... but I have not particularly enjoyed being alone for the past 4 days. I think it was necessary for me to be alone in order to get all the work done that I did, but at the same time... I am so ready to actually have a conversation with another human being! I will be giddy when everyone comes home tomorrow. :) This is what my day consisted of:

1. Woke up and finished my civ paper! :) Victory! I will probably need to do some more work on it later and make some changes... but I have over a week. The point is that I got it done!

2. I was able to watch all but the first quarter of the red river shoot out... and Texas won! It was awesome. It is even more fun to actually be in Oklahoma and have them win! Haha.

3. Speaking of UT... I watched the "I am second" of Colt McCoy, and I must say... I totally fell in love! No joke. Sigh.

4. During the game I decided to get to work on some more physiology reading... but I only lasted a little over an hour before my brain couldn't take it much longer. Blah... oh well. At least I got something done.

5. I watched Center Stage Turn It Up! I stinkin' love this movie... and I think today was my 4th time to see it. It is absolutely ridiculous... but I don't care! I can't get enough. Once you accept that the acting is truly horrid, the movie is rather enjoyable. :)

6. I did some more civ homework for a while. It is pretty much never ending. I have a test Friday... and I am SO unprepared. Yikes.

7. I made some dinner and watched Say Yes to the Dress. It has been a marathon like all day... so that was awesome! I am hooked on this show. The Duggars where even on an episode... go figure! Ha.

8. Next up, Moulin Rouge. This movie was so weird... but I think I totally loved it. I even got a tad choked up, I am not going to lie. I am glad I finally got around to it!

Since I can't go to church tomorrow, I am going to wake up around 10 and listen to a podcast. I am actually looking forward to it. I rarely find time to listen to any these days... so it will be fun! Then, I am not doing ANY homework! I have been doing homework nonstop since I got out of class on Wednesday... I figure I am allowed to have at least one day of fall break... right? :/ anyway... the Saints and Giants play tomorrow... and I actually get to watch it! Words cannot express my joy. I finally have a Sunday off and there is a game on that I am deeply invested in! (Go Saints ;)!

Well, I am going to reapply this heating pad and pray that my pain subsides enough so that I will actually be able to move tomorrow.

Day 3

I must say, today was not nearly as productive as I would have liked, but such is life.

1. I woke up to a phone call from my dad. Not my favorite wake up call in the world, but hey, it happens.

2. After a long talk, and A LOT of money, my dad booked my tickets for thanksgiving! I am flying in to Houston on Monday November 23 at 8:30pm and flying out Sunday November 29 at 3:30pm! I get so much time off and I couldn't be happier! I need to be home.

3. Once I got off of the phone I decided to go ahead and finish my nutrition paper. Success.

4. Next, I got started on my Civ paper. Sheesh. I didn't get particularly far, but oh well... at least I started. I keep justifying it considering the fact that it is not due until a week from Monday. I will hopefully get a lot done tomorrow.

5. I did a good amount of physiology reading as well. I am not sure I retained much... but I did it! :) This class is KILLING me this semester... I need to do all that I can to survive. I am so nervous

6. I ended up going to my great uncles house to have dinner with him and his "wife." They are not technically married, but they have been living together for like 20+ years... so I tend to just use the term wife. Anyway, they are that awkward family that none of us really like to see... but at the same time it is my grandmas brother, and he does take me to the airport, so I need to be polite. It really isn't horrible... just weird, ya know?

7. Once I got back to the house I decided to order some jewelry... and I am super excited. nothing too special, just a necklace and some earrings.*

8. As per the usual of this break, I picked a movie to watch for the night. I chose... He's Just Not That Into You!! :) I absolutely LOVE this movie. Seriously though. Can we say story of my life?! Yes. haha. If you have seen it, think about the character Gigi... now picture me. Pretty much one in the same. This is somewhat sad, but very true! Gosh. I can't wait to watch this again over Thanksgiving break with DG. Perf.

9. Tomorrow holds another day of paper writing and physiology reading. What joys await. Sigh. But, I have decided to not do any homework on Sunday... so I have something to look forward to. I am so burnt out on school.

10. Have I mentioned how ready I am for Thanksgiving break?! Seriously! I need a break from school, and need the taste of home! Fall break has been a good opportunity for me to get some work done, which has been needed for sure, but it has made me extra homesick. I have had a lot of time alone, which definitely has its benefits, but I am ready to be around people again! Ha. I miss BD like crazy!! I am ready to be home!

*Ok, so buying this little bit of jewelry is part of my attempt to become more of a girl. It might be a loooong process, since I hardly have a feminine bone in my body (at least when it comes to my appearance), but I have some moral support and 'guidance' from a certain bffae of mine. Haha. Oh my, don't judge me.

Day 2

Alright, I know everyone has been waiting in anticipation for my day 2 post. Now, I can barely stay awake at the moment, so I don't know how exciting this will be (sorry DG...I hope you can forgive me).

1. Woke up around 11. Beautiful.

2. Immediately got to work on my civ homework. success.

3. Took a lunch break and ate one of my WW meals. I think the chicken alfredo ones are not particularly good... but don't worry, I persevered.

4. I continued working on my nutrition paper. It is quite the project, I must say. I definitely underestimated it. I gave up around 6 because I simply got tired of doing it. Don't judge me... it is fall break after all. Looks like I will have some more homework waiting for me when I wake up in the morning.

5. Next was my daily wife training aka cooking dinner. Tonight I made some baked pasta and texas toast. It kind of turned out to be a mini lasgna type of meal, because I made a meat sauce to go with it. It was really yummy I must say... and I have lots of leftovers! Ha.

6. I watched a ton of tv. Bones, Greys Anatomy and Private Practice! :)

7. I APPLIED TO SKY RANCH! I had been meaning to do this for a long time, but the application was rather extensive and I just hadn't had the time yet. I am so excited and I am praying that I get this! I just think that it would be a great opportunity for me this summer.

8. I watched 27 Dresses. Can we say wedding fever?! Sheesh. I forgot how much I actually liked that movie. Haha.

9. I still have SO much homework to get done it is ridiculous! I am trying to get everything done before Sunday though because I want to just have one true day off. Plus, I think the Saints play on national tv... and I have yet to see an nfl game this year. I would love finally see a game!

10. This house is pretty creepy at night. No lies. :/

Day 1

I decided to give a day by day update of my fall break. Trust me, it won't be very interesting, but it gives me something to do. Today marked the beginning of fall break. It couldn't come soon enough.

1. We got out of civ 35 minutes early!

2. I bought 5 bottles of cranberry juice on my way back to my room. I might be getting a kidney infection. not good.

3. I made an 80 on my physiology test. you have no idea how big a deal this is. PTL

4. I came to the house and settled in. Amanda left. Then Kacie. Then Julian.

5. I did dishes for an hour and rocked out to music.

6. Worked on my nutrition project for a little over an hour. I still have a ways to go.

7. I cooked some homemade chicken strips and made some salad. It was rather tasty, if I do say so myself. practice, practice, practice!

8. I watched Glee. It was wonderful.

9. Did the dishes I acquired during cooking dinner.

10. I watched Hairspray for the first time. It was tight.

11. Talked to my bffae for a while.

12. Looked up some aprons online. I love being a girl.

13. Now I am watching scrubs and getting ready for bed.

It is definitely weird being here alone... and definitely lonely... but I am looking forward to just relaxing and getting a lot done (hopefully)! well, be on the lookout for more riveting posts in these next few days ;).

Fall Break

So, fall break begins on Thursday. Actually, I mean it pretty much starts tomorrow at 1:50 when I get out of civ... but the official days are Thursday and Friday. I am not looking forward to it because I am the only person I know staying in Shawnee, so it is going to be ridiculously boring and lonely. However, I am staying in the girls house... so at least I get to cook for myself! Here is my to-do list for break. I don't think anyone cares.... but it will help me organize/plan for this 4 day weekend.

1. Do my nutrition self assessment project and paper

2. Start studying for my development and nutrition test

3. Read Canterbury Tales for civ and do copy book questions

4. Start studying for my Civ test aka outline my 20+ pages (front and back) of notes

5. Write my Civ Lit paper (intense!)

6. Keep up with my reading for physiology

7. Beginning learning my definitions for the next test (we have 100 this time... :/)

8. Potentially look at the assignment for my next sociology paper (do some research?)

9. Work on my proposal for my Civ history paper (topic: BLACK DEATH!)

10. Write some letters

11. Finally watch Moulin Rouge

12. Skype!

13. Do some serious cooking

14. Clean the house a bit... especially the kitchen

15. Wake up Sunday and listen to a podcast since I won't be able to get to church

16. ...and most importantly, SLEEP!

I am sure I am forgetting plenty of stuff that I need to do... but these are the main things. Sheesh... this isn't going to be much of a "break."

Plans for us

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Jeremiah 29:11-14

House of God Forever

So, after reading Molly's blog in which she listed out some blessings in her life, I was greatly inspired to make a list of my own. So, enjoy!

1. Best friends

2. Cooking dinner for my friends

3. Doing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen for a very stressed Amanda, sick Kristen and working Kacie

4. Surprise parties (Happy birthday, James!)

5. Cookie cake

6. Juba (Johnny's puppy)

7. Cancelled football games ;)

8. Days without class

9. Life lessons... lots and lots of them

10. Random, and epic, handshakes in the hall

11. Making civ jokes with Johnny

12. Hope beyond all reason

13. Getting an excellent education (even when I complain so much about it)

14. Pen pals

15. Encouraging emails

16. Hugs

17. Phone calls with people I love

18. A God that has been sustaining me

19. Opportunities to practice/work on my "woman skills"

20. Chances to serve others/show them my love

21. Unanswered questions

22. Care packages (coming soon, so I am told)

23. Awesome grandparents that I am so close to

24. Skype

25. Forgiveness

26. New/growing friendships

27. Being able to look at a breathtaking skyline

28. Pictures

29. Optimism

30. Going home for Thanksgiving

God is so good. I am so blessed. I pray that when my own pessimism wants to take over, I can stop and look at all the things God has given me. He is so faithful, I am so undeserving. What a beautiful thing Grace is.

I think I am in love...

With Matthew Morrison... aka Will Schuester on Glee. Seriously. This weekend I watched all 5 episodes of this wonderful show, and with each one I fell more and more in love with this man. He is precious! Seriously. Plus, his voice in incredible. It makes me melt every single time he opens his mouth. Bah. If you don't watch Glee, I highly recommend it! It never ceases to put a huge smile on my face. :)

Girls Night!

Tonight, we had a massive girls night. About 85% of the time, I complain about being a girl. Let's face it, being a girl can be tough! But, the other 15% of the time I absolutely love being a girl. Like tonight, it was great!

You see, girls will declare and official "girls night" for a variety of reasons. Here are a few:

1. Someone has just gone through a breakup (luckily, that was not the case tonight)

2. The girls involved haven't seen each other in a while, and want to reunite

3. The girls have just completed an incredibly stressful week (the stress could be from many sources)

4. Someone needs some serious cheering up

5. Everyone involved needs an excuse to eat a lot of junk food and not feel bad about it

Of course, there are many other reasons for holding a girls night, like frustration with boys (yep, it happens), a sudden desire to watch chick-flicks, dance, talk, laugh a lot etc. All of these reasons are valid for those of the female persuasion. Tonights girls night was held for a few reasons: stress relief/relaxation, junk food, not wanting to go out or look nice for anyone. I think it was needed by all. Our night consisted of:

1. Chocolate covered strawberries

2. Milk shots

3. Dance Party! (which also included the hoedown throwdown)

4. What Happened in Vegas

5. Pictures

6. Girl talk

7. Sweaters and leggings

All in all, it was very enjoyable! I like nights like these. It makes me miss BD all the more, but it was definitely fun. Being a girl definitely has its perks at times.

The moon and the stars declare who You are

This has been an exceptionally good week. Seriously. I don't know what happened, but I am so grateful to get to experience times like these. It has definitely been a chance to shake off the past week and be renewed, ready to take on whatever is next. God is so good. He is so faithful. I hate how easily I loose faith in that sometimes.

I have been blessed to have a week that is test free! Gosh, that is so rare this year. Unfortunately, I have been lacking some motivation to do my day to day homework this week, but at the same time I am just trying to soak up these moments while I can. :)!

Yesterday we had a Civ reading. We started Dante's Inferno in Civ, and as tradition, the professors take turns reading (and sometimes acting) out the poem for us on random nights during the week. I went last night with Johnny and Julian. I found it to be rather enjoyable and helpful... plus it forced me to actually read the poem, not just sparknote it ;). I enjoy it, which is really rare for me with Lit. Then, I got back to my room and got to skype with Molly. I must say, one of the most fun skype experiences to date! Haha. Love you Molly!

Today was nice because, as is the norm this week, the weather was perfect. I got out of nutrition early (PTL!) and got to sit on a bench outside with my friend Julie and chat for a bit. I also called Zach for his birthday, and we had a sufficiently awkward, yet humorous, phone call! Zach, you are welcome ;). Then I went to Old Navy with Amanda and Kristen and I actually bought a dress!!! I never buy clothes, so it was a big moment for me. I like it! It is black, and fairly simple, but a good investment I think. On the way to Old Navy, Andrew called me. It was lovely. Certainly put a huge smile on my face! After I got back and did some more Civ homework, I went out to our football game. We won 27-0. We have played 4 games since preseason ended, and a team has yet to score on us! Woop. Then I came back to my room and got a wonderful phone call from Eric! Very enjoyable. I am glad we got to catch up a bit. I also talked to my dad today like twice on the phone discussing some summer stuff (more on that in a bit) and I also called my gma today so we could catch up. It has been a day of phone calls for me. I like it! Haha.

Now, for my big news: This afternoon, I interviewed to work as a counselor at Sky Ranch this summer! It is so crazy how this has all been happening. I had really been thinking about working at a camp this summer for a long time. I initially thought about it last semester and continued to think about it through this summer, but thats as far as it went. Well, lately (like the past week or two), I have been thinking about it A LOT! I started researching various camps on Sunday. I looked at a few, then came across Sky Ranch. It is in the Tyler area, so immediately it had some extra appeal. I looked at the website and read about the camp and all that. It quickly moved to the top of my list, but I was still going to look at some more. Well, I walked into the GC today to check my mail and grab some lunch and what do I see... a table set up with people from Sky Ranch recruiting!! Seriously?! I got so excited and decided to go over and talk to them. They were very nice, of course, and we talked a bit about how I heard of this camp and what got me thinking about working at one. Then they asked me what my schedule was like for the day because they were going to be doing interviews. I explained that I had class from 2-5 so I wouldn't be able to interview in person. But then, the guy sitting there looked at the schedule and was like, "Actually, we have ONE spot open for an interview right now. Would you be interested?" So I said YES! Ha. So out of my comfort zone, but soooo cool. So this girl Tamara walked over with me to these couches and we had an interview. It lasted a little over an hour. It was so cool. I felt like we related really well, so although it was an interview, there were a number of times when it just felt like conversation. So cool. I think it went really well! She took my picture (unfortunately I looked GROSS today) and then I went on my way. I still need to actually apply to this camp, but I felt really good about the interview today. Gosh, I am definitely praying for this. It is such a good opportunity for me. She even told me today, "we are not a sports camp... we are much more focused on relationships." Umm... PERF! haha. I am just SO excited about it all. Plus, I only work for 6 weeks. So, I still get to go see my dad and go to Houston. It is most certainly a win win win for me. :) I will keep you updated.

PS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZACHARY! (now I have covered all my bases. mhmm)