i've had the time of my life

and i wonder

if you still think Bono writes his songs for you
-Diffuser I Wonder

I am making my way ot of a two day funk. I'm not really sure how I got in this funk, but it's a pretty frustrating one. It's a funk of "I don't know what I want to do with the rest of my life and I have no motivation to do anyhting else until I find out". But today I went to class. That's a huge step towards caring about stuff.

I can't say I did any homwork though. It's a good thing that we have an away game this weekend, because I will be spending the entirety of these next few days buried in homework. It's okay though. I'm sort of looking forward to having something to do.

I am also fung shuing my room this weekend. What exactly does this mean in a dorm room? No, I am not buying a waterfall. I am turning my bed so it is not up against the window. I am keeping shades open during the day and closed at night. I am keeping the window open during the day too. all closet doors stay closed at night. The room is staying clean! The TV is covered at night. I might even get a plant. But I have to keep it away from the window or it will suck all the chi away from me.

No, I do not believe in chi and positive light energy. Me and my roommate just feel like redecorating. Why not go with a centuries old style? Who knows? Maybe it will suck the funk right out of here.

but i've heard it all before

now i'm needing something more
a promise is no good if you can't keep it
-Deana Carter Count Me In

Today was a beautiful fall day. It was almost too perfect. I understand that all you anti-cold weather people probably did not enjoy it. But, it was kind of a nice change of pace from shorts and t-shirts to sweaters and scarfs.

Today I also had a major realization. Literally. It was about my major. In my reluctance to leave the training room today, I realized that if I continue this course, in two weeks I will have taken my last sports medicine course ever. That hit me like a ton of bricks. I am absolutely not ready to quit athletic training. I love it so much!

So now I am praying, fiercely. I want nothing but God's will for my life. If that means admitting I was wrong about my future, then I am okay with that. I know that I still want to minister to youth. But thinking back on my days at SHS, Doc constantly ministered to the athletes (youth) at our school. I still very much believe that my heart lies with youth. I have no doubt that I will work with them forever. I am willing to admit that I missed the exact direction that I thought God was pointing me in. That's OK though.

So for now I am praying and seeking, much more carefully this time. Your prayers are appreciated.

So again, today was beautiful. God is really good. My friends and family are great. I am ridiculously blessed.

what's going on inside of me?

i despise my own behavior
this only serves to confirm my suspicions
that i'm still someone in need of a Savior

Well today was pretty boring. Class. Monday Lunch. Class. Class. Graduation Present. Rain. Awesome Family Group. So I'm going to talk about yesterday.

If you think it's hard to entertain a group of college students, you're wrong. All you need are some beach balls, eggs, and jelly beans and you have a happy group of campers. Yesterday we had Freshman Field Day and it was definitely one of the most fun things I have done in awhile. We played simple games like "Keep it Up," "The Human Knot," and "Over Under." But somehow, even a simple egg toss can turn into a lot of fun. Especially when you have friends like mine who think it would be fun to catch an entire egg in their mouth. It exploded. We all almost threw up.

I also found out that my family group brother, Walker, is kind of a beast at cathcing jelly beans in his mouth. we had a jelly bean toss and he caught nine in a row. Never missed one. Jordy and I, on the other hand, were not even successful once. Oh well.

I got to prove my strength in a wheelbarrow contest. I also got to play a give up your body version of Keep it Up. While the other team stood in a circle and lightly tapped their beach ball in the air we were diving and running just to keep ours from hitting the ground. We had way more fun than they did too.

I'm a simple girl. I like simple things. I don't need anything extravagant to make a day incredible. Sunshine and fresh air are good enough for me.

There is a meteor shower tonight. I won't be staying up to watch it. God speed to all of you who do.

we were made to live forever.

we will live forever...


This weekend might qualify as a top 100 weekend. One time Clint Sheppard told me that of all the days you live, your top 100 must be pretty great. I mean really, think about how many days you are alive. Your top 100 must be amazing. Maybe even the top 500.


My incredible friends from high school came to visit. Erika, Emily, and Elizabeth to be exact. Yes I planned for my best friends' names to start with E. They came in on Friday night and left this morning. No tears this time. Just a "see you in a week and a half!"


Friday night we rolled down the Indian mounds, went to see the invisible Mike the Tiger, went to Coffee Call, and saw the Michael Jackson movie. In case you were unsure, he was an odd dude. It was fun. Kind of random but just like old times.


Saturday was all LSU football. Erika, Casey, and I ate free lunch at the BCM and then hung out at the gate. Way later than I am used to of course. And the rest is pure, unadulterated LSU football. Needless to say they all had a blast at the game. I mean really, who wouldn't? Even Emily, the dedicated Bulldog that she is, enjoyed herself. After the game we went to Rebecca's for tacos and acoustic guitar.

Tomorrow I am cooking. Pray for me. Mostly pray for the people who are eating.

bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy

when all of a sudden i am unaware
of these afflictions eclipsed by glory

I changed my major today. I know. It's a big deal. I am officially a Communication Studies major. As excited as I am, it was a fairly anti-climactic process.

After getting out of Honors 2000 an hour early, I decided it's time to find 150 Allen Hall and ge tthis over with. I inhaled deeply and pushed open a heavy glass door. I was greeted by a computer cordially asking me to sign in and wait around the hall. Ok....

I sign in, round the corner and let out a little "whoah". Crowding the hall before me are about 25 students. Sitting in chairs or on the floor they all look about as excited as I do. Apparently, it is fairly common for students to change their majors. Who knew?

While waiting on the floor for 45 minutes, I managed to finish a large portion of my biology research project. After I am about ready to leave and try again tomorrow, I hear a vioce call out "Ashley." I look up to see a small blonde woman disappearing into an office. I quickly pack up and attempt to follow the voice into what may or may not be the correct office. Good guess.

I sit down and inform this counselor that I would like to change my major. She asks me my ID number. I quickly recite it, proud to know the nine-digit number by heart. She then asks me what my intended major. I poudly announce that I am going to be a Communication Studies major. She types a few letters and says Ok. That's it? No celebration for a newly directed future? No balloons dropping from the ceiling? Not even a printed piece of paper to document my acheivement? Nope. That's it. Doesn't matter. I'm still excited. Unenthusiastic blonde women can not rain on this girl's parade.

What can, you ask? The red warning at the top of my degree audit say I may or may not graduate in four years.

i will dance, i will sing

to be mad for my King

nothing, Lord, is hindering this passion in my soul

Today I got a little sad. Long story that involves a great friend. But in my sadness I tried to think of who would be best to go to. After careful contemplation of who would best understand and empathize with me, I realized that my Jesus is always ready to listen. Crazy, huh? We spend so much time searching for someone to understand our feelings that we forget about the one who is right there with us.

Tonight I watched the CMA's. I'm not going to lie. I love Taylor Swift. I love how much fun her music is and how much truth she speaks, especially to young girls. But, Entertainer of the Year? Female Vocalist of the Year? Album of the Year? I almost understand the last one.

Did anybody pay attention to her performance at the beginning of the show? How strange that the Entertainer of the Year gave the worst performance of the night. I did appreciate the Kanye jokes. My favorite line from the night:

"Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be Kanye. Because cowboys have manners and don't interrupt."

Today was good. The rest of the week will be incredible. Promise. As promised, pictures from Splatter Beat:

don't wanna grow up

i wanna get out
hey, take me away

I love the way plans change. I love the way that living on your own and on campus gives you a million ways to spend your day. For instance, today I was planning on studying, alone, all day. Of course TNT was part of the plan. But I had no idea of anything that would actually happen tonight.

First of all, my solitary studying plans were interrupted by two consecutive texts. One from Blake and one from Emily. Emily asked me if I wanted to study Poli Sci before TNT. Blake asked me if I wanted to study after TNT. Answer to both: YES! I love studying with other people. Especially Poli Sci. Classes like that are so in depth and analytical that it's great to find out how other people understand different ideas.

So me and Emily meet to study in the lobby. Meredith (my lovely neighbor) sits by us and asks me if I want to go to Splatter Beat. I had been wanting to go to this event for a long time. I wasn't sure what it was but i knew it involved paint and white t-shirts. Sold. The three of us decided to go and do Splatter Beat and then go to TNT.

Splatter Beat was incredible. Picture at least 100 college students in white t-shirts. 20 garbage cans with the lids turned upside down filled with paint. Sticks with tennis balls at the end of them. Loud music. Pure joy. It was like we never even left third grade. There was no restraint. People were throwing paint, banging the cans, slipping and sliding, and having a ball. After about 20 minutes of this, we decided to chill. A group of about 10 of my friends were there. We went to TNT covered head to toe in paint. Pictures to come.

After TNT I studied with Blake. I feel really prepared for this test. Let's hope so, considering it's midnight and I am down for the count.

I love my life. I love my school. It's nights like tonight that make me wonder why I even applied to another school.

you're the God of this city

you're the king of these people
you're the Lord of this nation
You Are

I listen to this song and am reminded about God's goodness. In the midst of hurricanes and war and poverty and hunger and shootings and heartache and death and sickness and loss and grief and pain and darkness. God is good. He is always good. Add all of that stuff up and multiply it by infinity a trillion. God can still overcome it all.

How do I know this? What could possibly bring me to this conclusion? Well, I have told you about God revealing Himself to me in so many ways. But tonight I am seeing God through His people. I see Him in my pastor who dedicated his life to a church that could have failed. I see Him in a group of students worshipping Him in a barn. I see Him in a group of moms cooking for a hundred people in an average sized kitchen.

I also see Him in my family group. Do you need to be reminded that God's people are alive and at work? Do you need to see His hands and feet moving on this planet? I have never been so proud to be a part of any group besides this one. Tonight after eating a scumptious meal at Inga's (new fave) we made our way to Wal-Mart. we then proceded to spend between 30 and 50 dollars each to fill a shoebox with toys. As a family group we committed to participate in Operation Christmas Child. Let me just tell you, college students are broke. I was so impressd to see my family willingly give to support those in need. Sometimes as "starving' college students, we forget about the real starving people around this world.

After we bought our supplies, we spent about 30 minutes outside of Wal-Mart collecting shopping carts to put them back where they belong. A small act of service done to show God's love.

All of this was done without a worry or care in the world. One of my brothers had an opportunity for extra credit but chose to stay and keep his B. I have an amazing family here. I have an amazing family in general. But my family group is something else. Funny story. None of us knew each other before joining this group. It was all by chance. Or it was really just all God's plan. I would not trust my future best friends to chance. Never.

Things College Students Still Get Excited About In The Toy Aisle Of Wal-Mart:
-Bop It
-Cowboy Hats
-Foam Swords
-Moon Sand
-Wooden ducks with pull strings
-Old school Woody and Buzz dolls
-Transformers

i've been convincing myself that i'm worthwhile

cause i'm worth what i'll convince myself to be

I love Relient K. I love their new album. I love that song.

This weekend was incredible. Short version: I spent all day Saturday on a ranch in Mississippi with a group of high school and junior high students.

Long version: (You had to know it was coming)

Our band went on a youth group retreat with First Baptist Denham. I drove two other band members our there. We were told to meet at First Baptist Denham at 9:25 sharp so we could leave at 9:30. So we got there at 9:25. However, in true youth group fashion, we left at 10:45. We had a caravan of about 10 cars, vans, and trailors. Stopped at a Pilot gas station. Got kicked out of said Pilot for blocking exits and entrances. Half of our caravan left while the other half gassed up. This proved to be a mistake. You see, this ranch was in nowhere, Mississippi, also known as Magnolia. And when our half of the caravan left, we left the only person who knew where we were going. End result? We ended up getting lost in the middle of the woods on a dirt road. The only thing missing was a flat tire and a serial killer.

We ended up at the ranch at around 1:30 AM. Went to bed and spent a wonderful with a really great group of kids. I was reconvinced that youth ministry is where I will spend the rest of my life. I have such a strong heart for teenagers. I am slowly realizing that I will never be happy doing anything else.

Did I mention our band performed in a barn? This barn actually. It was legit.

arise my love

the grave no longer has a hold on you

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Thursdays? They are basically my favorite day of the week, aside from Saturdays for obvious reasons. Despite waking up at the oh-so-unforgiving 6:30 AM and going to work for four hours, Thursdays have still made thier way into a special place in my heart. Today was an escpecially good one too.

After work, the roomie and I went to Highland Dining for lunch. This place is definitely LSU's best kept secret. After that we still had an hour to kill before class. How did we spend it? I took a nap. Naps are a college student's favorite extra-curricular. Sometimes you just need a little boost in the middle of the day to keep going.

Class was class as usual. Before I forget, did I mention the Yankees won the World Series last night? Oh yes. I sported my Yankees earrings and a big smile today. After class, I headed back to my dorm. Was I skipping my late class? Nope. Cancelled. I'm telling you, today was great.

The afternoon was spent the way all afternoons should be, with an hour of Ellen to start them. Then came some laundry. I planned to watch an old Greek episode while waiting for some clean clothes. I was very rudely interrupted by the most obnoxious fire alarm ever created. Yes, we had our first drill today. It could have been worse. I've heard of 3 AM drills and drills while people were in the shower.

After all that chaos was over, the roomie and I went for another wonderful meal at Highland. The rest of the night, spent watching America's Funniest Home Videos. I would count today as a success. For sure.

The components of a balanced college meal:
-Fried Rice
-Veggie Pizza
-Salad
-Tomato Soup

Lord i'm amazed by You

how You love me


This week has been exceptionally roller-coasterish. Best part? It's only Tuesday. No, this is not Kingda Ka, the rollercoaster that ends before you've even realized it's started. This one is more like an old wooden coaster with a ton of hills that you slowly creep up to and then go plunging down.


The high points of this ride are incredible. TNT and church on Sunday night were great. Also, Biology has been cancelled for the entire week. And, Sociology was cancelled for Thursday. what does this mean? I have three classes for the rest of the week. Three.


The low points? I have a rough draft of a research paper due on Thursday. I'm finding it harder than expected to research my topic. I also have a research paper due in the near future. It's a group project. Enough said?


Tonight I realized that I am on track to having some of the best friends I could ever ask for. As I looked around the BCM tonight I realized how many incredible people God has placed around me. No, I have no best friends just yet. But I will be here for four years (or more) and I can't wait to spend those years with such awesome people. However, I feel I am losing one or two friends from the past. Tip: Do not allow someone to continually hurt your feelings. That is an unhealthy relationship.


Would you like a few things to distract you while you are supposed to be working?
-Facebook. Did I even have to mention it?
-MyLifeIsAverage.com - Always a fan favorite.
-StuffChristiansLike.net - A new favorite of mine.
-Solitaire
-The Sims.

what's that playing on the radio?

why do i start swaying to and fro?
i have never heard that song before...

This blog is dedicated the wonderful Ally George. That girl has my heart.

Today was a very balanced day. I wasn't too busy, too stressed, too distracted, or too lazy. After a fairly extended nap this morning (yes I did say morning) I bucked down and did some homework. Not even kidding. I read, studied, and took a quiz. Don't be too surprised. The semester is ending soon. Grades are kind of a big deal right around now.

However, after all my hard work I got to spend some time with my Savior. Later I watched Holes. Hey, it's the Sabbath. You wouldn't want me to work too hard. Also, Holes is one of my favorite movies of all time. Who doesn't love Shia Lebouf?

Then it was time for church. Amazing, as usual. The Ring just keeps reminding me how good God is. In my opinion, if more churches were like The Ring, less people would be confused about God.

After church I got to watch my Yankees win Game 4 of the World Series. I say my Yankees because I have been a fan since I was 13. How did a sweet southern girl become a dedicated follower if the "Evil Empire"? Well, in 7th grade I met a very cute boy. He loved the Yankees. Wanting to have something in common with him I watched a game of the 2003 ALCS. Aaron Boone hit a walk-off homerun in 12th. The rest is history.

Since that day, I have been to countless Yankees games. I was an employee of Derek Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation. I even got to meet Derek and his entire family. I also get some legit bragging rights if they win this World Series. Did I mention this will be my first time to see them win the World Series as a true fan? Nick Katz, if you read this, thank you!