"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

John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

This verse has been on repeat in my head this past week. Only tonight have a sat down to let Holy Spirit speak to me through that verse. I won't settle for anything less than the abundant life Christ has promised.

Favorites

My life has consisted of a lot of late nights these days (Oh the joys of summer). Tonight I have decided to just list out some of my favorite things in an attempt to put myself into a positive mindset. There is no order or organization to my list.

prayer bracelets. best friends. dancing. late night cereal. weightwatchers ice cream. tan lines. white v-necks. what not to wear. wedding dresses. rootbeer from the bottle. house. p&p. law and order: svu. daydreaming. chacos. nike shorts. chick-fil-a. pictures. hugs. good conversation. singing. surprises. dark chocolate. plastic spoons. selfless gestures. tanning. snowcones. tie dying. gymnastics. pedicures. macbook. journal. one on one time. sunsets. sleeping in. stargazing. camping. sunny days. hammocks. naps. mashed potatoes. chick flicks. boys that cry. smoothies. planning. cake. pianos. acoustic guitars. e-mails. letters. stationary. down comforters. toms. lyrics. bread baking. bonding. the human body. hiking. porch swings. family. compliments. hot chocolate. blankets. watches. hymns. medical terminology. marriage. taking care of people. being nerdy. orange. haircuts. baking. hoping. being loved. loving.

Laminin

I may be a little late on discovering this video... but good ole DG introduced me just moments ago. I am simply blown away. All I can say is WOW! Our God is an awesome God. I love science the more and more I study it, because I get to see God so present in it. That may sound strange, but this video will probably help support my case. Enjoy!

In what other areas do you see God present? What are some God stops you've experienced? Please share!!

I love Travis Wall

A few forewarnings:

1. This dance is probably not the "cleanest" of routines to ever be performed on sytycd, but it is for sure in my top 5 of all time.

2. This video is ridiculously long, so just go ahead and skip the first 2 and a half minutes.

3. I am so in love with Travis Wall, who choreographed this dance.

4. Enjoy!