home sweet bunkie

you're looking into my heart.

i'm coming back to the heart of worship.
and it's all about you.

Today was a good day. Yes, I am finally out of my slump. There was nothing spectacular about today. But there was also nothing terrible about it. Which makes it great! Well. I did get an A on my sociology test! Yes, you heard me. An A!

Can I still complain a little? I am so sick of fast food! On days like today, it's all I eat. If I need to study during lunch I get lunch and bring it to my room. If I am at praise band late, then that's all that's open. I am going to be so fat!

Speaking of getting fat. I am not exercising. Ever. Who has the time? I talked to some girls today who survived their freshman year. Well, them and an extra 20 pounds of them. That makes me nervous. 20 pounds. That's not okay. So I am trying to eat a little healthier. Instead of Taco Bell for dinner, I bought a salad. A really gross salad. I am eating rice cakes and granola bars for breakfast and walking everywhere I go. I guess we will see where this goes.

So you are talking to a very content and optimistic girl. Tomorrow will be even better. i just know it.

Facebook bumperstickers make me laugh. These are some of my latest.

King of endless worth..

no one could express how much you deserve.
though i'm weak and poor, all i have is yours.
every single breath.

So wanna hear about another one of those days? Maybe it's just going to be one of those weeks. I'm not really sure. Today started out great. I got to sleep in and did great on my Kinesiology lab. Now the trouble starts. Honors 2000. Why was this class even invented? To make little girls cry.

We have to sign up for volunteer hours. One of the professors (we have 4) gave me a clipboard of a schedule of available times. Surprisingly most of the times are taken up by her students. While I am trying to figure out a time I can work, she takes the clipboard and gives it to one of her students telling me "He didn't get to sign up for his hours." NEITHER DID I. Jerk. I had a test in 5 minutes. I left and cried. I went to take my sociology test. 250 people saw me walk in crying. The test was really hard too. Not so sure about it.

On top of it, I have a test in organic chemistry. Funny story. I'm not taking an organic chemistry class. For somereason my biology professor thinks it's ok to use other classes' curriculums. News flash. It's not.

My new favorite web site is www.mylifeisaverage.com. It's way better than fmylife.com.

Examples:
Today I was using eye drops for an eye infection. I missed my eye with the second drop, and reached up frantically to wipe it away, afraid it would run into my eye. Then I realized that's the whole point. MLIA
Today something touched my toe while I was in bed. I was about to jump out when I noticed that it was just my other toe. MLIA
Today we got our math tests back after being graded. One of my answers I knew was wrong, so I had drawn a stick figure next to it with the caption "this is a ninja in disguise. He is here to guard my answer from the Red Pen." Next to my answer my teacher wrote "you need a new ninja." He had graded my test in blue. MLIA
Today, me and my friend were walking around our high school looking at all the campaign posters for student council. we saw one poster that announced "Free drinks on me!" with an arrow pointing down at the drinking fountain. I know who I'm voting for. MLIA
Today in speech class we had to give a speech about our role model. The teacher proceded to shoot us with a nerf gun everytime we said um, ah, etc. Best teacher ever. MLIA

it's hard to believe that i couldn't see...

So, if you know me at all, you know I really want one thing in life. To get married and raise a family. That would be my dream profession and position in life. Please don't tell me I am too smart to be a housewife. If we had smarter mothers out there raising their kids instead of working 12 hour days, our society might be in better shape. By the way, this is a picture of my lovely family group.

Well, lately I have been coming to grips with the idea of being single. For a long time. Let me explain.

I have a very strong heart for youth. I know that God has called me into this ministry. I also have a strong heart for missions. Did you know that you can combine the two? There are missionary's kids all over the world that go to church and have no youth ministers. What a tragedy! Well, in order to do something like this, I will have to consider the possibility of being single for a long time. Unless I can find a man whose heart is also in missions. They are few and far between. They do exist though. I hope :)

Speaking of boys, another cutie in the laundry room. I feel like doing laundry every day just to see who I bump into. Except I will be broke. In like a week.

No car updates. My poor old dinosaur is still immobile.

Tips for 2010:

Girls, the MRS degree can wait. At least until your junior or senior year :)

Boys, be men!

Buy a corkboard and hang your jewelry on thumbtacks. It's cute and practical.

If you have bed bugs, wash your sheets. It makes them go away.

"Your money, your singleness, marriage, talents, your time. They were loaned to you to show the world that Christ is divine."

i will come to you in need.

Today would be qualified as one of "those" days. Wake up for church. walk about 10 minutes to my car. Car will not start. Ugh. I have no idea what's wrong. But it sounds like the battery. Whatever. Luckily Casey decided to come with me today so we just took her car.

Got back and decided to go to the Union for lunch. Also decided to ride my bike for the first time since I've been here. Really for the first time ever. Turns out, the back tire wobbles profusely. Also, cut my foot on the pedal. Ouch. I'm super glad Iget to walk all over campus tomorrow. Also, my key broke off in the lock. Really?

Meantime, Casey and her car genius boyfriend both think it's the battery. Fast forward. My friend Michael comes over to try to jump it. The only problem is there are cars on either side of me. And it's not like I can just move my car. I decide it's time to call in the pros. Introducing Uncle Danny and Uncle Jim. My wonderful uncles who bought me a new battery and drove all the way out here to save the day. They put the shiny new battery in. Turns out. It's not the battery. Yeap. No joke.

So now I have no car. I am never touching my bike again. And my foot hurts. What a day right?
But you are talking to the eternal optimist here. Tomorrow will be better. This week is going to be great.

Things that made this day great:
My wonderful friend Michael who tried his best to help me out.
A Cosby Show marathon on TV.
Pastabilities.
My best friend Chris sending me a video of a talking parrot.
Feeling prepared for my test tomorrow.
The best uncles in the world. Even though my car is still immobile. Thanks guys. :)
My roommate yelling that she just got a butt cramp. Then yelling at me for laughing, which made her laugh, which made the cramp worse.
LSU moved up to number 7 in the rankings.
Colbie Callait and her infinite wisdom.
Coming up with ways to explain why it looks like I got punched in the face. (Removing a temporary tattoo just doesn't cut it)

the land of the free and the home of the TIGERS!

you deal with things that you don't have to

Tonight was not as bad as I planned. I didn't study from 4:30 to now, as planned. Instead I got home around 4:45 and laid down for... not sure. Meredith woke me up to invite me to the BCM to play boards games. Temptation! Me, being the studious (and very far behind) girl that I am, I declined. Until she told me she was going to eat. My stomach reminded me that the dining hall is closed. And hey, girl's gotta eat. We're running low on Spaghetti-O's in the dorm.


So we met up with Sweet Nathan (That's my nickname for our friend who lives across the street. Chalk it up to being in Ukraine I guess.) and went to the Union for some Pastabilities. My new favorite place to eat. You get to pick everything you want in your pasta and then they cook it. And it's always wonderful. But, apparently everyone else on campus agrees. It took forever!


By the time we got our food, Meredith and Sweet Nathan have to be at the BCM. Not in the mood to eat in the dorm, I decided to go with them for a little while. We went. We ate. We played Ultimate Ping-Pong. The sun started to go down.


Now I have to decide if I'm going to stay for game night. If I don't leave within the next 10 minutes, it's gonna get dark and I'm going to have to wait until someone comes home. BTW, its 12:17 and Meredith still isn't back. Good thing I left when I did! I was the responsible adult and came home to study. And that I did for many long hours.


Tomorrow is football so I can erase the awful memory of all this studying. Ick. Too bad I have to do it again on Sunday. Expect a video tomorrow. Maybe this time I will leave out Hey Fightin' Tigers. :)

New Additions to GameDay Playlist:
I Gotta Feeling - The Black Eyed Peas
Livin' On a Prayer - Bon Jovi
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
Halftime (Stand up and get Crunk) - Ying Yang Twins
Party in the USA - Miley Cyrus

she can't walk but she's trying

What will I be doing this weekend? Well, of course the LSU game has my full attention and excitement. How could it not? But that's just one day (literally, I will spend all day Saturday tailgating and at the game).

What will I be doing Friday and Sunday? Will I be at the volleyball game for priority points? Will I be visiting family nearby? Will I be out exploring all the random things Baton Rouge has to offer? Will I be watching movies and eating ice cream with the girls? Nope.

Instead, I will be studying. Reading. Writing. Exciting right? Not. But I am catching up. The closer I get, the faster I read. I am very excited to be done with Jared Diamond and his theories. Yes they are theories, not facts. Why we are studying them in school, I wish I could tell you. Regardless, I am almost done but not quite yet.

So, this weekend has been designated catch up weekend. Plus, first test studying. The flash cards have been made. The coffee is ready. The dance party playlist has been set. Really, how can you study for hours without occasionally breaking out into dance? Gotta keep that blood flowing.

But Saturday will be good. I can feel it in the air. The RVs will be here tomorrow morning. How can you not be excited? I can usually hear and see them from my window. It inspires me to study faster. :)

Tips for 2010:

When you are in a discussion class and nobody is discussing, chances are, you are not the only one who did not read the book.

Do your dishes immediately. Or at least rinse them out.

Don't bring Uno cards to work. They will get confiscated by your psycho boss.

i miss patrick...

Patrick Swayze died. Oh no. Who's going to get Baby out of the corner now? I'm distraught about this. Patrick and Heath. It's tragic.

I took a nap today. That's right, I spent an hour of free time asleep. I wasn't reading, studying, writing, or running around. And let me tell you, it was blissful. Until my phone vibrated and I was rudely woken up to go to class. Unfortunate. But that one hour was fantastic. I'm going to be looking into more of those in the future.

Two weeks from right now I will be writing to you from my own bedroom. I can't wait. I am loving LSU more and more every day. But I am also missing home. It's a weird inverse relationship that I don't really understand. I think it's healthy though. Imagine if I got here and never missed home and never called my parents and never reminisced about high school. Heartless? I would imagine so.

However, I do love my family. I do miss my own bed. I also miss my home church, That's a big one. I can't wait wait to go home and sit in the same place I always have with the same people I always have. But enough of that for now. It's still two weeks away.

Tonight I am talking to a friend about losing a family member. I am listening to the Black Eyed Peas. I am having mini dance parties with my roommate. I am reading a book about the collapses of societes that haven't actually collapsed. Tonight's a good night. But, in case you thought I had forgotten, it's almost Saturday night again. Yes the phenomenon that we call Saturday night at Death Valley is coming back around again.

People you should call once a week:
Your parents
Your grandparents
Your best friends
Your friends that are sad
Your siblings
Friends with swine flu (or any flu I guess)
Family you have on campus

I know that's a lot of phone calls. But life is short. People are worth it. I'm being mushy. I know. I'll control myself better next time.

sorry... again...

So I'm sorry again for missing a post. But I'm a little behind in reading. Really a lot behind in reading. Honestly though, really? I am so sorry Honors 2000 and Dr. Rouse but you are not my only class. 200 pages of reading in four days is not okay.

So, it's Tuesday. I am exhausted already. This week is going to be more hectice than the others. My first test is next Monday. What's more nervewracking than that? Maybe my second test being next Tuesday. Yea. It's that kind of week. But it's all going to be okay. Somehow I know that for sure.

So remember how we talked about overscheduling and priorities? Well I have officially demoted myself from praise band singer to praise band power point operator. Less hours. The same ministry opportunites at youth groups every week. I feel like this is going to be a much better fit for me.

Things that haven't changed since I got to college:
I am still seeking God.
Hello Beautiful by the Jonas Brothers is still my favorite song ("I could go across the world and neve be satisfied if I couldn't see those eyes" come on!)
I still have my traditional New York Yankees calendar.
I am still barefoot at inappropriate moments.
I still never wear makeup.
I still love my best friends at their schools around the country.
I am still dead set on returning to summer missions (probably in Ukraine).

Tip for 2010:
Grow up in college for sure. But don't change too much!

i got a feelin'

do people camp out at your school? i think not.

Tonight is Friday. Tomorrow is Saturday!

Just to enlighten you, I am not the only one freaking out about this. There are a trillion RVs parked all over campus. They are just waiting for tomorrow. The only difference between me and them, I live here!

Tonight I hung out with some of the best people in the whole world. Emily and Christine are by far the most enjoyable people I've hung out with yet. We went to George's in Baton Rouge. It's like this little hole-in-the-wall place where they don't have waitresses. The menu is on the wall and you write your own order on your ticket and give it to the bartender. It's pretty cool actually.

Getting back to the car is another story. It's one of those under the interstate kind of places. This just adds to its appeal. Have I mentioned it's been raining for 3 days? Well, a small lake has formed next to Emily's car. Me and Emily clear it fine and are waiting for Christine to jump. She does. It's a mistake. She lands in a huge mud puddle, spashing all the purities of Baton Rouge water all over us. Now she's trying to climb onto a divider to get over. It's hopeless. We are all laughing so hard, nobody can help her. Finally she gives up and walks through the puddle. Best part? The drunk people outside of George's watching us, thinking we're just as drunk as they are.

Then, after being thoroughly stuffed by the best meal I've had in awhile, we needed something else to do. Cold Stone anyone? Duh!

That only lasts a little while. Now we are faced with a decision, fight through TigerLand to go hang out with a bunch of drunks? Or go home. TigerLand consists of three bars and one huge parking lot. Let me just tell you, none of us drink. TigerLand is only fun if your sober, when there's a bunch of you. Three... not so much. Also, we drove past TigerLand. Packed. No joke. There was a line of cars from here to Lake Charles, waiting to get into a parking lot that was packed solid, just to have to wait in line for an hour to get into a crowded bar. No thank you!

So they went to Christine's sister's house. I decided to come home and rest up for my big day tomorrow! I did just receive a text that made my day "We decided that we love you :-) you are by far the easiest person to hang out with!" Um future besties? I'm feeling it.

Gameday Playlist:
LSU Hey Fightin' Tigers - Golden Band from Tigerland
Louisiana Saturday Night - Mel McDaniel
Put On (the clean version!) - Young Jeezy
LSU Rhapsody - Golden Band...
LSU Tiger Rag - Golden Band...
LSU Pre game and Touchdown - Golden Band...
Callin' Baton Rouge - Garth Brooks
LSU Geaux Tigers Cheer/Chinese Bandits - Golden Band...
Turn My Swag On - Soulja Boy
LSU Drumline Cadences - Golden Band...
Hey! Baby - Bruce Channel
Down at the Twist and Shout - Mary Chapin Carpenter

His joy comes with the morning!

Tomorrow is Friday. The next day is Saturday! FOOTBALL!


I'm so unnecessarily excited about this football game. But let's get real, I had the time of my life in the Sterlington High School baseball and basketball student sections.


In less than 48 hours, I will be in Tiger Stadium. Death Valley. In the student section. For the home opener. With 92,000 of my closest friends. I'm at LSU, guys. This is for real!


The lights were on at the stadium tonight. I swear you can see them from miles away. It doesn't even matter that you have homework due tomorrow or work in the afternoon. The lights are on in Tiger Stadium. Everything's gonna be OK :)


How very "We Are Marshall' of me.

Today we made our weekly trip to Wal-Mart. The unhappiest place in the world. I really just want to fight someobdy and their grandma every time I go in there. That's beside the point. You know how when people get out on their own, they go crazy and do all the things their parents wouldn't let them do? Well, I'm going through that.

No, this isn't going to be about my first binge drinking experience. I am going through this rebellious thing with the food I'm buying. Smores Pop-Tarts. Pizza Lunchables. Popcicles. Spaghetti-os.

These are things I wasn't always allowed to have as a child. Now, being the adult that I am, I buy them all the time. It's a problem considering I get zero exercise. But really, who has time to run down to the UREC every day? All those people who don't go to the BCM obviously. Pagans.

I'm just kidding guys. I also bought some undergarments today. Boys, cover your ears. Did you know they come in size numbers instead of sm, md, lg? Not me. I had to call my mother, in Wal-Mart to ask her what size underwear I am. This is your genuine, authentic, big girl right here.

Tips for 2010;
Know your underwear size! In numbers and words.
You can eat whatever you want now, just make sure you don't gain the freshman 15, 20, 30, or more.
Ellen Degeneres is the new judge on American Idol. Not a tip. Just an awesome fact!
You probably won't have much time for TV watching. Even if Ellen is on more than once a day now.

all she wants to do is DANCE DANCE DANCE!

How to stay busy in college.

Go to the BCM. It's simple. You will also become very experienced with filling out paperwork.

Steve Masters has this crazy way of making you the busiest person you have ever been. And you will never see it coming. When I started going to the BCM, a ministry of over 300 people, I did not expect what is happening now.

I sing in the freshman praise band. I am working with an upperclassman to learn how to sing harmonies. (Funny how you get volunteered to do things you don't know how to do) I was just a member of the Transitions Team (this is a team that minsters to high school juniors and seniors before they come to college). Now I am leading it. I'm in a Freshman Family Group. So amazing!

Crazy right? That's not including Freshmen Council and TNT on Tuesdays and all the other random things that pop up. Kudos to Steve Masters for not allowing me to sit on my butt this semester.

I know what you're thinking. OVERBOOKED!

But here's something you don't know. I'm flexible. Not in the human pretzel kind of way. In the, I'm not too proud to step down from something kind of way. I've made my list of priorities. If something starts to get too stressful, the list just gets smalller. It's that simple. I really am sticking to this plan for this year. I tend to get so busy living life that I don't have time to just live life. That's one of my goals for college. Take time to stop and smell the roses. And the garbage.

Oh wait, I can't smell the garbage. Because they collected it. At 1:30 AM. AGAIN. I still don't understand this stupidity. Who told them that is OK? I'm writing up a mean note to leave on the dumpsters. Not even joking. I'll take a picture of it before I tape it out there.

Also, my parents are coming to see me tomorrow! Don't tell, but I am so excited! I'm not going to lie, I miss home. Not in the homesick way. Trust me, I don't have time in the day to be homesick. But it will be very nice to see them.

Tips for 2010:
Get involved. Not too involved though. Be careful. Know your limitations.
It is one hundred percent OK to wish it was Saturday night at Tiger Stadium! Even if it is Sunday morning.
Sometimes, doing the reading just isn't worth it.
Prioritize. Prioritize. Prioritize.

i know the sun's still shinin' when i close my eyes.

So a ton of stuff happened today. I'll keep it short.

Surrendered to ministry.
Joined a praise band.
Signed up to work my first DNow.

Good enough? Not for me.

I realized today that I am supposed to work with youth. My heart is with youth. God has given me the ability to understand the heart of teenagers. God wants me with youth. This is so incredible to know! I finally know just a little bit of God's plan for my life. How incredible!

I spent about an hour talking to a female youth minister today. This is so important because I am still trying to figure out how women fit into the ministry. This women is incredible. She was in youth ministry in a time when women weren't expected to be. Women were supposed to be pastors' wives. Not pastors. She helped me a lot and reassured me that God would bring more of His plan into focus as time goes on.

She also signed me up to work my first DNow. Yay! What a way to start my career on youth ministry. I am so excited for this. I really feel like God has given me a lot to offer high school girls especially in light of the last month or so.

And now I'm in a praise band. It's a freshman praise band. I'm really excited. Our main focus is ministering to youth. (I didn't know this until after auditions tonight. Anyone else see God working?) It's an incredible opportunity to use my gifts for Him and His Glory.

Also, my scab fell off of my burn. This is just icing on my good news cake.

Tips for 2010:
DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE FUTURE! I promise you it will take care of itself. Especially if your faith is in the God of the universe. Hello! He's got this! Don't freak out about majors or colleges or careeers. God is going to reveal Himself in His time.

"And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

back to reality. oh there goes gravity.

Roomie's home. Weekend over. Class tomorrow.

Funny story about last night. Apparently around the age of 18 you lose the ability to stay up all night and play ping pong. That's me. The lock-in didn't even start until 1. Me and my ride left at 1:45. We're ancient. We know.

A little background info: at LSU your TigerCard is everything. It's your debit card, your student id, your meal plan, and half of your key to get into your dorm. Well, I couldn't find mine yesterday. Not wanting to keep my ride waiting, I left without it figuring someone would be able to let me in.

I got back to the dorm around 1:50 and knocked on the front door. The girl at the desk politely let me in, thank goodness (they really aren't supposed to do that). I still need this card to get in the stairwell. I ask her if she can let me in. Turns out, she doesn't live in our dorm and has no way to let me in. Call my RA. Phone's off. Roomie is out of town. Great.

The girl at the desk has apparently never run into this before and has no idea what to do. She tells me my RA works the desk at 6 and can let me in then. Um. 6 AM? Yeah, right. Finally I remember that one of the RAs on the first floor goes to the BCM. We call her and Claire saves the day. Imagine for a second though, me sleeping in the lobby.

Spent the evening with a girl from my family group and a bunch of her friends. That was a lot of fun except for the part where I had to come home to find a parking spot. OH MY GOODNESS. I drove around for half an hour trying to find a spot. Not by myself though. Me and half of LSU were on the scavenger hunt from Hell. Also, my gas light came on somewhere in that. Great. I'm going to run out of gas looking for a parking spot.

I finally resort to parking in communter parking. I call Campus Police and ask them if they have any better suggestions. Guess what. They don't. As I'm getting out of the car I look across the street and notice one empty spot. In front of that is a sign that says Residential Parking Only. That's me! I consider that a gift from a very understanding God.

Tips for 2010:
On Labor Day, when everyone is coming home from break, leave your car in a good spot.
Never, under any circumstances, leave your dorm without your student ID.
Don't be afraid to talk to the cute guy in the laundry room. It's very Ross and Rachel.
Be careful not to shrink your pillowcase in the dryer. Not a whole lot you can do about that.
Stay away from your floormates with any flulike sympotoms at all.

family time

So I was up late last night for the game. And I was up early this morning for church. Told you I would be. Trust me, it wasn't easy. I was exhausted this morning and didn't feel all that great. I think it might have to do with the lack of sleep plus all the crap I've been eating. Not that I didn't appreciate all the food Mrs. Pam had for us last night. :)

Anyway, I drove to New Roads today to see my family. No, not my parents. My PawPaw, some aunts and uncles, and some assroted cousins. It felt kind of moveish to be getting together on Sunday for lunch with the family.

I'm not going to lie, it was nice to see my family today. Three of my cousins are at LSU and we still haven't run into each other. But now I have their numbers so maybe lunch in the Union?

I did some free laundry and ate a lot of real food. Just stocking up for the week I guess. I even got to surprise one of my cousins with my "all-grown-upness." We haven't seen in each other in basically forever. So when he asked me where I was living these days, he was surprised as anything to find out it was LSU. After some couting years and figuring out dates, I convinced him that yes, I am actually in college. As if you can't see it all over my sleep-depreived face.

Tonight is a lock-in and youth rally for high school seniors. Yay for never being bored. This will be my first encounter with youth ministry since being a college student. I'm nervous and excited. Maybe I'm way cooler now that I'm in college. :)

Tips for 2010:
Visit your family all the time!
Watch the Disney Channel even though you're an "adult". The Jonas Brothers are still cute. I promise.
Naps are your best friend. Especially when you've been up all night and then have to do it again.
Cafeteria food is still cafeteria food. It's nice to eat homecooked food every once and awhile.
Don't buy a mesh laundry bag. They rip.

geaux tigers!

Funny story about last night. I am fast asleep in my room. My roommate is awake on her phone. All of a sudden I hear a noise that sounds like a building collapsing. I jump and ask my conscious roommate what it was. Any guesses?

The garbage trucks.

Any guesses on what time it was?

One AM.

What the crap? When, in the entire history of the world, has the garbage man come at 1 in the morning? Who does that?

Of course our windows are right above the dumpsters. How ridiculous. And of course it takes them forever to dump an entire dorm's worth of garbage. Did I mention this is 1 AM? In the middle of the week.

My dorm has signs posted everywhere warning us the electricity will be turned off tomorrow between 6:30 and 10:30 AM. Who cares? I promise. Nobody will be awake.

So it's labor day weekend. Awesome keg parties!

Just kidding.

But, I do have my entire dorm room to myself. It's pretty crazy. Basically, my entire campus went home this weekend. Not I. I am spending tonight watching Disney Channel and just relaxing after a crazy week. (you should know I paused here to take a quiz on Moodle that I almost forgot about) Tomorrow is homework day, despite misleading advice from a well-meaning junior. Tomorrow night I'm going to watch the game with my BCM peeps. Sunday is church and then Paw-Paw Don's for lunch and laundry. Both free. Sunday night we will have a lock-in at the BCM for high school seniors. Monday is another relaxing day, probably after not much sleep. Then back to the daily grind.

Amazing that whole paragraph is fitting into one weekend. My room is such a mess. It looks nothing like the picture at the bottom of this page. It's the thought that counts right? Maybe I'll insert a cleaning spree somewhere in that paragraph.

tips for 2010:
Schedule a light Friday. You'll thank me later.
Take advantage of quiet nights alone. They don't come too often.
Don't think you're a loser for sitting home one night on the weekend.
Go to bed early when you get the chance.

me and ally want to get married. to boys...

Fuuny things I've seen that make college interesting.

A man riding a bike with a dog on his shoulder.
A person on a unicycle.
Bales of hay in the quad.
Multiple people singing. Out loud. With their headphones on.
High school students at the Union pretending to be in college.
An old man in the Union. Either asleep or dead. Really can't be sure around here.

I'll keep you posted.

This weeekend a bunch of people are going home. Not this lady. Nope. You are encountering a genuine, authentic, big kid.

Actually, I just don't feel like making the drive. I appreciate that it's a long weekend. But it's a pretty short visit if you ask me. Plus, there's so much to do around here this weekend. One thing I have planned is to chaperone a high school lock-in a the BCM. You know what this tells me?

I'm not in high school anymore!
Yes. It's actually true. My professors no longer feel the need to tell us about assignments. They just post them on Moodle assuming we'll run into them. It's a problem. Because sometimes I don't check Moodle until right before I go to bed. Then I find out I have a project due tomorrow. Great.

A good reason not to Facebook in class. Your teacher might have a bonus quiz at the end. Even if you were kind of paying attention, you probably won't know the answer. Luckily, the kid next to you might look it up and announce it to the room. Not that this happened to me or anything :)

By the way. The weather has been exceptionally nice since I have lived here. This almost certains that I'm going to be unprepared for the next torrential downpour that gets us. Who needs umbrellas? Not this big girl!

Tips for 2010:
If you think you might have some infectious disease on your leg, go to the student health center. It's free.
People watch often. Especially at a big school. It's fun.
Don't tell your mom that you and your best friend want to get married within the year unless you specify that it is to boys. You might concern her.
Volunteer! It keeps you grounded.
Clorox everything. All the time. Especially when swine flu is making its way down your hall.

let's be professional guys

I'm taking Honors 1007 which is a natural science class. It's sort of a joke, but whatever. Anyway, we had to make a powerpoint about an article we read last week. Today we had to present them in class. The kicker, we had to dress up. Like adults.

No joke. I spent the whole morning being a normal college student in shorts and a tank top. Then around lunch time, I evolved into a middle school principal. Thank you Ally George. :) Where would I be without the girl who has an outfit for every occasion?

I was not expecting this at all. I guess in a public speaking or business class this would make sense. A science class? Dumb. I got to look nice and professional for a little while though. Not something you always get to do on campus.


Speaking of acting like adults. I was watching a table of guys at dinner today. Creeper, I know. They were playing something like beer pong. Except, no beer, or pong. Just rolled up napkins and the cup of the guy sitting across from you at the table. I'm telling you. Boys never grow up.


Not like us girls in our pretty pencil skirts.


Tips for 2010:
If you have to dress nice, carry your heels and walk in flip-flops.
Ignore the stares from other students in their PJs. They'll be in your position soon enough.
Buy a salt shaker. (with salt in it FYI) Easy Mac is not that great by itself.
The walls are thin in the dorms. Everyone can hear you whistling in the hall.

By the way. Poli Sci = my new favorite class.

your glory goes beyond all fame

So, if you haven't figured this out, I'm really involved in campus ministry. I love everything to do with my God and finding ways to serve Him. I love to sing too. So naturally, I love to lead worship. There is a part of me that would sit back and watch people worship for hours. Then there's a part of me that would have to be involved.

So tonight, I "interviewed" for the freshman/outreach band. Steve uses the term interview. i'm not sure what's wrong with the word audition. But that's very Steve. They rotated singer and musicians for like an hour. A lot of my time was acutally spent on stage. Hopefully that means something.

But I want to tell you how nervous I was when I got on stage the first time. Here I am, an unnamed freshman about to sing with a group of unnamed freshmen in front of more unnamed freshmen and the TNT band. The TNT band is the nervewracking part. They are a group of juniors, a former freshman praise band. They're pretty legit too. That picture is some, not all of them.

So here I am, super nervous. And then I realize, they have all been in my spot before. They were all unnamed freshmen on that stage with other unnamed freshmen in front of more unnamed freshmen and an intimidating TNT band. They get it. They aren't judging me. They want me to do well.

What did I get from this? I love upper-classmen. Especially the ones at the BCM! They are so intent on loving freshmen and making us feel at home. It makes the transition a lot easier. Also I have a really cool neighbor across the hall. Despite the post it notes.

Tips for 2010:
Don't be afraid of upper-classmen. They were you once!
Always plot revenge for in the dorm pranks.
Don't Facebook chat in class. You miss a lot.
Pay attention! Your Athletic Training proff might call on you out of spite.
Find out where your friends live. It might be in your backyard!