Probably the best gift I could have gotten right now:
Thanks, roomie!
Today was better I suppose, in regards to my cold. I'm coughing a little more than I was, but I'm not quite as stuffed up. Praise! That's my least favorite part of being sick, having to blow my nose all the time. Eww! I know it's gross; it kind of makes me want to apologize to everyone around me who has to see it. Haha.
I spent a good chunk of my day at the Fishbowl with Hannah and Brandi :) We hung out in the living room for a few hours before it was actually time to get ready for the day. The three of us went to Carrier around 3. Always fun, right? Erin and I took an Oceanography team test together (yuck!). Hannah got interviewed by Jess, and Brandi had to watch a movie in the basement (also yuck!). Hannah and I ended up just kind of hanging out at a table for a while until Brandi's movie was over, and then it was off to the SAO dinner/meeting. Not much to day about that; it was good.
And now, Brianna and I are watching the Cowboys/Eagles game on TV. We're rooting for the Eagles, and I think we picked the winning team. The Cowboys did just score, but they're still down by 27 points in the fourth quarter... Not looking too good for them. Sorry! (And just so you all know, I am not a huge football fan, but I like to root for a team every now and then!)
Also, I'd like to take a moment and say how much I love this girl right here:
Kelly, thank you for being there for me to talk to today. It really meant a lot :) Your little loves you bunches! I can't wait to hang out with you soon! :)
Yeah, last time it snowed in October was 20 years ago. Crazi-ness! But yeah, today didn't consist of much (given the weather and my stuffiness). I got brunch with Brianna, and basically spent the rest of the day in my bed. I have this book that has to be read for my social welfare class by Tuesday, and I didn't start reading until today. Well, I finished it in its entirety! Yay! And I did so before dinner time :) Brianna and I got dinner together, and afterwards I stalked this blog, "Cakies," for a while. It makes me smile :) I did, however, discover that you are not supposed to eat sushi while you're pregnant...
Can I just tell you how sad that made me?! I was telling Brianna the other day that I specifically wanted that to be my crazy prego-girl craving! And not having sushi for nine whole months?! What am I going to dooooooo?! Okay, maybe it seems like I'm being a little dramatic, but nine months is a long time. And I love my sushi. Well, I guess I'll leap over that hurdle when I get to it!
And now, I'm spending the night at the Fishbowl with Hannah :) We just watched Hocus Pocus while sipping on hot chocolate and cuddling up under blankets :) Tis good stuff indeed!
Seeing as how there is snow falling from the sky, temperatures in the freezing range, and my immune system is sub-par, I thought the Eeore onesie was appropriate :) I can't wait to get some sleep, today has seemed extremely long due to my not feeling well. I've felt essentially drained of energy all day. It was mostly physical, but emotionally too I was still a little tapped out from yesterday. But no worries, I have a feeling I am embarking down the path to recovery! I had three mugs of hot tea today, I decided against going to the IV Halloween dance party, and I spent a lot of time resting.
After vegging out in TDU for a while (where I got to see Hannah, my Little (who is also Hannah!), Nicole, and Megan!) I decided to go back to my room. I didn't volunteer today; I told them I was under the weather. I did some studying and took a test for my social welfare class from the comfort of my bed, so I was satisfied that I was still able to do something productive.
I should have probably taken a nap, but I didn't. I had a 3o minute phone conversation with Stephanie whilst she was driving home, and at the same time I got ready for/had dinner. By the way, my lunch AND dinner both consisted of soup. I am so glad the dining halls had good flavors today. Not gonna lie, I was worried. But yes, I finished up there and then went to Jenna's house with Taylor for a Disney movie social. Hannah and Brandi joined us later. We watched Beauty and the Beast :) Such a good movie!
Like I said, I didn't go to the dance part. Instead, I lounged in my bed and watched The Nightmare Before Christmas on YouTube and drank hot tea. It was probably a good life choice for me. But yeah, that about sums it up. Goodnight all!
P.S.- I need a way to differentiate between Hannah (my SAO sister that I have mentioned on here countless times)...
(Stolen from Hannah.)
and Hannah (my Little)...
(Taken by Jess.)
Blogging about the two of them at the same time is complicated! Haha. If you have a suggestion for how to go about that, please let me know! (I'm trying to avoid using last names.)
Today was rough. I don't know how else to say it. Unexpected stress, physically not feeling well, and being emotionally drained just added up to a breakdown or two...
That being said, I want to express my thankfulness for having people who love and support me when I need them the most. Steph and Hannah, you two are incredible blessings! You lift me up when I fall to shambles, and I could never thank you enough. I love you girls so much!
Eeeep! Tonight was our Big/Little reveal for SAO, and I am so excited that I can officially (and publicly) call Hannah Flanders my Little!!!
Haha, okay. So this is practically the only picture I have of the two of us right now (at least until pictures from tonight are posted). But I find it phenomenal because this was from the first night of recruitment week. We did not know each other at all, and we were partners for Birdie on a Perch :) So great!
I wish I could adequately express to you all how excited I am to have a Little, especially one as awesome as Hannah! Ever since I was left big-less, all I've wanted is to have my own Little and be the Big that I never had. So this is my chance! My goals: 1) Be available for her essentially whenever she needs me. 2) Never neglect our relationship. 3) To have a relationship that is long-lasting and far beyond superficial. It's going to happen, all of it :) I am determined!
"I can do all things through Christwho strengthens me." {Philippians 4:13}
(^^Our family verse!)
And this is mostly for me to look at later in life and remember, but I'll share it with everyone :) During the period of anonymous gift giving, these are the things I came up with to give Hannah:
A little silver Christmas tree (complete with lights and bulbs).
A box filled with some of her favorite snacks/drinks.
A bag of assorted goodies (a dove scarf, confetti poppers, rainbow stickers, fake mustaches, and Christmas socks.... haha. Don't judge me!).
A gold necklace with the dove charm I found at 10,000 villages. (I have one to match!)
I just love her :) And yes, she ended up knowing it was me as of last night, but it was a good run! Haha. After the reveal we had a Stizz date :) Twas lovely! And we were visited by J. Blair; she actually knows him also! All n all, tonight was just so good :) Hannah and I actually have another coffee date schedule for 11 AM tomorrow morning too.... YAY! Haha.
Yeah... Haha. That was a quote for Garret, a boy who decided to come and join Stephanie and I at our table in Carrier. Haha. He wass pretty humorous. In addition to guessing our majors/years/hometowns, he also read us his list of Ke$ha, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga songs that he had on iTunes. He also asked us to hang out with him at a later time/date, and asked us for our phone numbers.... Yeah, it was an interesting mixture of funny and awkward! (And for those who weren't sure, we did not give him our numbers or agree to hang out with him outside of random Carrier run-ins, haha!)
I had my interview with Lauren (Delta) today, and that was lovely! She is so sweet :) We also ran into Kristen and Sarah (also Deltas!), and that was pretty neat. I didn't have social welfare, so I decided to nap instead of being productive. It was glorious! Truly. You know what else was great? Getting out of oceanography an hour and forty five minutes early. Holla! I was so happy, you don't even know. From there I got a delicious chicken philly from Top Dog and was off to Carrier with Stephanie. Good times.
Stephanie showed me this last night, and I think it's pretty epic:
I wish this was my house right now. Haha. And this song has been playing in my head ever since. I know it's creepy (because let's face it, the movie totally is) but I really like the sound of it. Does that make sense? I don't know, it just has a really nice flow and tone for what it portrays. Maybe I sounds really weird right now.... Haha, oh well :)
Oh yeah, let me not forget to share this random tidbit: I locked room key and JACard in my room today, and I realized it as soon as I shut the door to leave for class. Epic fail. That is the second time this year that I have done that. Thus, I had to piggyback into my dorm (which was a stroke of luck because I got out of class 45 early), and I had to get my RA to get the spare key to let me back in. It was only mildly embarrassing, but they charge you if you go to the RA 3 times or more to get let back in. Needless to say, I need to step it up. Haha. Goodnight all!
Greetings from Stephanie and I's 2 AM Carrier endeavor!
You can tell I'm thrilled to be here, right? Well it hasn't been too terrible really. I'm just tired.
I didn't have class today, so that was good. Sleeping until 10:10 was a nice and much needed. I opened up my devotional book for the first time in far too long, which is something I really need to get back in the habit of despite my chronic sleep deprivation. I got to get lunch with Steph today :) That made me very happy! Also exciting was the fact that we were able to sit outside and enjoy our meal in pleasant weather! Too long have we been cursed with rain and/or super chilly days, for real. It's not supposed to be winter yet! Haha.
I hung around the Fishbowl for a spell before having Hannah take me to Boys and Girls Club. The assistant director of the Teen Center, Cory, calls me Ke$ha, or Ke$h, or $tepha.... Haha, who knew that telling him my music interests would lead to a permanent name change? (Not really, but you know what I mean.) Haha. Hannah picked me up and brought me back to campus, where I quickly sped to small group. In my way, I saw more people taking pictures of the rainbow in the sky than I had ever seen before. Haha. Literally, everyone I passed had their phones out! Granted, it was gorgeous. I just thought that was humorous.
Small group was very good. We discussed judgement and how we each struggle with/encounter it, especially at this point in our lives. I'm glad I was able to go, because I have not been able to in approximately 3 weeks! Afterwards, I grabbed some dinner and proceeded to have a 2-hour skype date with my lovely bestie, Heatherrrrr!
I love her, so much :) She makes my heart extremely happy :)
And since then I have been here, at this Carrier tall table. And now, it is time for departure and sleep! Goodnight all!
I couldn't stop thinking about him tonight-- about how much I wished I could call him on the phone, talk to him about life, give him a hug... All the things I cannot physically do anymore. I thought about the way he used to say my name in this excited voice he used to do; his voice would get all high pitched and everything. Thanking about that always makes me smile, but it upsets me too, you know? I just want to hug him. I know it would be one of those really good hugs too, because he was over six feet tall and I just know his arms would kind of swallow me in a really comforting way. He always provided some sort of comic relief, and he really loved his little sisters (regardless of how much we may have annoyed him in our younger years, or in Candice's case: regardless of the scars she had given him). I wish I had him in my life right now, and I wish I could call my big brother when things got tough.
I love you Matt, and I miss you so much. Your little sister still thinks about you often. I hope I'm making you proud.
Sorry for having neglected the blog last night! I stayed at the Fishbowl (aka my future house), and I did not bring my laptop with me. Ready for a recap? I'll keep it brief :)
Last night [Friday] was the Halloween dance for SAO!
Lauren and I: the fairies! (Specifically, she was Tinkerbell.)
My future housemates! (Fishbowl 2012-2013!)
We can flyyyyyy :D
There were some of the cutest pairs ever!
Lizzie McGuire and Miranda anyone? :)
Rapunzel and Flynn Rider! So precious!
Self explanatory :) Leslie and her boyfriend were so cute!
(Photo cred: Steph)
We jammed out to 90s music, bernied, dougied, danced like fools, and took lots of pictures :) I just love my dove loves! After the dance, I spent the night at the Fishbowl. Hannah, Brandi, and I watched Stomp the Yard (such a good movie!) before finally calling it a day.
As for today, I spent between the hours of 8:00 AM-4:00 PM in this building:
Yes, today was Driving School... Dun dun dun! Luckily I wasn't by myself, though. I had Mina and Sarah to keep me company. We all passed the final test; yay! No more court drama/threat of an expended license for us! Holla! Haha.
As for the rest of my evening, I got dinner with Hannah (Delta), and that was lovely :) We stayed and chatted in E-hall for about an hour and a half about all sorts of things. I love that girl :) A little later, I ventured over to the Fishbowl to hangout with Hannah and Brandi :) We didn't do much, but that is totally fine with me! Like I told Brandi, "I don't need to be entertained. I am perfectly happy by being in good company." It's so true :) As long as I'm with people I love, I am good to go!
Speaking of people I love... Some of my not-so-sneaky sisters (cough cough Rachel and probably Taylor) wrote all over my car windows. I love things like that, truly. Unfortunately, my car is going in the shop this week, and there is a good chance that the big "Your love is my drug" that's written across my back window will cease to exist very soon. Why? Because I'm pretty sure my back windshield is getting replaced. Rough. But I appreciate the gesture :) Haha.
We finished watching this movie in my intro to social work class today, and it was definitely interesting. Take a look at the trailer:
So okay, the main reason I mentioned this is because of Shelby's pastor, Ed Ainsworth. If you couldn't tell from the video, the things he say are cringe-worthy, and Shelby ends up being in opposition to him on more than one occasion. It may be able to go without saying that my classmate weren't huge fans either. Being a Christian is not about being intolerant. Christ loves everyone. And yes, pre-marital sex and homosexuality are considered sins (so are dishonesty and disobedience... just saying), but Jesus hung out with sinners onthedaily! He loved them. (He loves us!) And since when has love been intolerant?
"4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.5It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." {1 Corinthians 13:4-7}
Yes, I just whipped out what is probably the most cliche/advertised passage in the Bible, but I think it lays it all out there very nicely. I should also point out that all sins are weighed equally, so the "guilty" people Ed points his large finger at are in no way worse off than he is. The thing that irks me the most is that this image is what we are up against as Christians. People outside of the faith look at us and assume that we are going to judge and condemn them by not accepting who they are! Now this documentary was made about 6 years ago, but there are people just like that who are in the lime light today. So how do we respond? By following the model that Christ left for us in the gospels of His life. No mere human can get it right, but we are fortunate in that we have God's son to turn to as our role model. My intro professor jokes that if Jesus were alive, He would be a Democrat. (He even has a shirt that says that.) And in regards to Ed, this girl in my class put it pretty nicely: "I feel like if he met Jesus, he wouldn't like Him."
It's definitely something to ponder, because I think sometimes the things we cay can contradict the model that we have been given. I'm not saying we should promote sin, but I firmly believe that we should be tolerant and love our brothers and sisters. We certainly don't have it perfect, but here is a challenge for you: Think about who you were before you knew Christ, and then think about how he has transformed your life. He can do the same to your neighbor :) Let's not hinder it!
"11Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—12remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ." {Ephesians 2:11-13}
But only because it has so many gosh-dern buttons on the touch screen!
Today was Day 2 as a cashier at my job in Market One. It did go much better than last week; I didn't need someone over my shoulder the whole time! It still makes me anxious, though, when I don't know where to find a certain item or my line gets really long. Suzanne says speed will come with time. I sure hope she's right! Also, I always feel a little awkward when I see people I know. Haha. I saw quite a few people today, and something about standing there with a tucked-in purple polo with my hair pulled back and no jewelry just feels odd. Haha. I don't even know if that makes sense.... Anyways!
I got to get lunch with my good friend, Taylor (aka my middle school bff!) today :) I'm so glad we finally got to get together, because I haven't gotten to really hang out with her in about two months! I love her :)
I signed up for driving school today. Yay? Well, the good news is that I will be taking it with my friends Mina and Sarah from my small group! That should make the time pass in a less panful fashion :)
I'm going to be a fairy for Halloween :) Yes, I went to cutsie route, but I'm okay with that! I'm just glad I have something to wear! Haha. (And it only took a little over an hour for me to make up my mind... Rough.)
I grabbed dinner with Stephanie before going to a CR event for SAO :) We made little boxes to put our prayers in, and I'm pretty excited to use it! I would post a picture, but I unfortunately left it in the cup holder of my car. Fail. I'll jump on that ASAP.
I interviewed with my RA, Lizzie, tonight. She is really nice, and I'm glad I got to chat with her for a little while :) Brianna and I were googling things and came across a picture that made us laugh until we both leaked. I won't post it on here though, because it is just THAT awkard. Haha. I miss having big laughing sessions with my roomz. Hardly ever seeing each other has hindered the available time we have to partake in things like that. Maybe that will change soon! Once my schedule gets a little less hectic...
Well loves, I am quite tired, and my bed is calling my name! Goodnight :)
Haha. It's okay, I love them anyways :) Very much so in fact! I cannot wait to be living with them next year :) Midnight dance sessions, YouTubing ridiculous videos for hours, watching old Disney movies while cuddling on the sofa, heart-to-hearts.... It is going to be phenomenal :) I've actually been thinking about that a lot this past week. And the more I do, the more excited I get! Eeeeep!
I got to nap today! Praise! And I got out of oceanography an hour early! Erin and I were so stoked, you don't even know. I was able to make it to Bible study on time because of that, and for that I was very happy :) We talked about Joshua and the Battle of Jericho, a story I had never heard before. It's amazing how God is so faithful and never once breaks a promise. Moreover, Joshua's diligence and obedience are humbling to me. He did what God directed him to do, and he did so without questioning. I need to get on his level. This Old Testament series we're doing is going to be good for me, having not grown up in the Sunday school arena. I feel like there is a lot I have yet to learn (about the Old Testament in particular), and I'm pretty excited to dive into it :)
On another much more random note: I have no clue what I'm going to be for Halloween. Why am I worrying about this right now? Because the SAO HAlloween dance is this Friday. I need to jump on that. Goodnight loves!
"What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you thanked God for today?"
Just something to think about. When I heard this, I thought about all of the things that I take for granted, that I never really thank God for, and would not be able to live without. Do I thank God daily for my ability to breathe, to walk without fear of stepping on a war explosive, to mention His name freely in public, to have clean water to drink, to have a roof over my head, to have an opportunity to receive an education, to have food available for me whenever I need it, to have adequate clothing? My answer to all of these is no; I do not thank Him daily for things such as this.
The one thing I would have when I woke up would be all of you-- my amazing friends whom I count as some of my greatest blessings. Thank you all for keeping me grounded. Thank you for loving me and being there for me whenever I've needed you. I never take you for granted; I have never felt entitled to have you in my life, which is why I always remember to thank God for you. He is so good to me, to all of us. We have so much to sing praises for, and we should do so with thanksgiving and unending gratitude.
"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done."
Hello all! Today was good :) I got to go to WEAG Sunday service for the first time in about two months! It was so great to be there with my amazing church family :) The worship was amazing (Nikki and Anthony were making Jesus proud!), the guest speaker made me really want to go on a missions trip to Africa, and I just loved seeing so many people that I know and love! Service was followed up with lunch at Chipotle with Kathryn, Missy, Heather, and Tim :) Lovely times, indeed! Then, after a short parking lot chat with Kathryn, it was time to get ready to come back to school. Steph and I hit some really bad traffic on the way and had to detour, but we made it. Our business meeting went well, as did our worship night afterwads. I love my sisters :)
And now I just want to share some things that make me smile and/or laugh:
1) "I don't use my blog because I was annoying myself; all I did was complain. That's what twitter is for!" -Missy :)
2) My roommate hit herself in the eye with her closet door.... 'nough said ;)
3)
4)
(I wish I could tag Joni in this! Abandon reference? YEP!)
5) Aly & AJ Christmas music! I was jamming out to these three songs this weekend :) I need to download more; they just make me so happy inside!
6) Being a Big :) It is SO fun thus far! Am I a creeper-stache? Maybe.... :}D
Nope; no I will not. And I did not :) Sorry Heather! I do admire your determination, though :)
Today was wonderful, spent with some of my favorite people on earth :) I got to church a little before 11, and I was greeted so warmly by so many of my loves! In addition to those I got to see last night, I also got to Alex, Chelsea, and Heather! It was so very wonderful! Attack hugs? Of course!!! Heather and I got lunch at Whole Foods, and sat outside while we munched, drank our respective teas, and talked about life. Twas lovely! Afterwards, we took a stroll around Short Pump, complete with trips to Urban and Teavana :) I wish I could express on here how nice it was that I got to spend the afternoon with my best friend; we haven't been able to really do that in approximately two months! I do love her (even if she does yell at me for be indecisive... Haha)!
When we got back to church, I got to see even more loves! I was so happy to be able to see/hug Kaitlyn and Nikki :) I have missed them so much! Juliana, Kaitlyn, and I watched Nikki and John's choreography sesh for a little while. Those two are so great, for real :) Before I left, I sat with Marin and we talked for at least half an hour. She is such a sweetheart, and I love her to death! We talked about school, family, church, technology, why the theory of evolution is false.... Yeah, we covered a lot of topics :) I am definitely hanging out with her more often when I come home! She's great :)
Upon returning home, my mother and I addresses my car's defective rear-defrost. We may have figured out a way to ghetto-rig it, but we'll find out for certain tomorrow. I went and grabbed myself some dinner (everyone else had eaten), and Kelly came over soon after I got back to my house :) After I hung up my numerous laundry items (it took a while), we went upstairs to YouTube Jenna Marbles and watch John Tucker Must Die. Good stuff, haha :) We paused mid-movie so that I could talk to Luke (aka Kuz-Kuz) on the phone for a little bit; it's always nice to hear from him! Elsbeth came over a little later, and the three of us laid on my bed and just talked for a good while. Like I mentioned in my previous post, I love those girls :) We can talk about light, serious, stupid, or humorous topics, it doesn't matter. I love that about them.
And now, I am sitting here at 4am typing this when I have to wake up in about 6 hours. Yay.... I love that I come home and don't get any more sleep than I do at school. Haha. Eeeeep! I am so excited to be going to my WEAG SUnday service tomorrow!!! It has been far too long! Goodnight all :)
Hello loves! I hope you all had a marvelous Friday! Mine was pretty swell :) After my class, lunch with Hannah and Kristen for a little bit, and volunteering at the Boys & Girls Club, I was ready to come home! I picked up Steph and Kimberly (a freshman that Stephanie knows), and we were RVA bound! We got here around 5:30 :) Yay!
First order of business:
Start the laundry. (I've already done three loads; I'm not done yet.)
Second:
Dinner with the fam. We got Thai food, but unfortunately the Thai tea was not good.
Nothing planned after dinner... What to do?
It's GCN season, so driving to church automatically equals socializing opportunities. I got to see Elizabeth R., Marin, Juliana, Lisa, Briana, David R., Annemarie, Thomas, Cara, and Julia :) I love my church loves!
It's only 10:00, too early to call it a night...
Chiller with Juliana and Chandler at their casa! Those two are so great :) Hanging out, laughing at silly television shows, YouTube browsing... It's the simple things :)
Okay, so it's after midnight, but the night's still young, right?
Join in on the slasher-movie sesh at Kelly's house with her, Katie, and Elsbeth! Yay for the original Nightmare on Elm Street! (I must say, the original Freddy was not as scary as I thought he would be. I think it's the striped sweater that keeps me from taking him seriously. Another thing, the ending to that movie was so vague; I'm curious if the director even has an idea of exactly what happened at the end. Are we supposed to get it? My guess is no.) Following the movie was some convo time. Discussing various and miscellaneous topics is always fascinating with Kelly and Els. I love talking to/hanging out with them :)
So far, being back home has been wonderful :) I love my Richmond loves! Goodnight all :)
And I tried to do her a favor by suggesting we leave at 12:15... Silly little love of mine :) Her 8 AM is going to be a dragggg! (Hey, I tried!) But anyways....
I got to sleep in today since my 9:30 was canceled, so I woke up around 10:45. I took my online SOWK 287 test and went to SOWK 288 as per usual. Class was pretty intriguing; our discussion on poverty continues to remind me how blessed I am to have been born into the class/family I'm in. We had to try to budget for a family scenario we were given at random, and here was my group's info: Two African American homosexual males with a nine year-old daughter. We were of the Lutheran faith, had an old beat-up looking truck that looked like it came straight out of Twilight, and each man only worked 20 hours a week on minimum wage. Oh, and we got "a twist" thrown in there.... Ours ended up being that the female in our family got pregnant. (Yes, that means the nine year-old daughter.) I'll spare all the details, but we ended up with $0 left at the end of each month after paying for necessities. And that was before the pregnancy twist... Rough. I am so thankful that these poverty simulations are not my reality. It's a blessing I often take for granted.
I grabbed some lunch for myself before taking another much-needed nap in the giant Festival bean bag chairs. (Those things really are incredible.) Once my alarm went off, it was time to get ready for work. I was in the deli again, and things went much smoother this week. I got to talk with some of my co-workers, and one of them is actually a junior social work major! So that was exciting :) The time went by pretty slow, but that's alright really. I can't complain. I mean shoot, I'm employed! That deserves a praise!
As for the rest of my night, I went to Stephanie's apartment with Hannah and Rachel :) We watched "Music and Lyrics" (such a cute movie!)....
...and YouTubed for hours afterward!
(I wanted Lizzie's pants SO badly when I was a kid!)
Well that gives you an idea of what our YouTube endeavors entailed! I do love my sisters :) And I love you all! Goodnight!
It was so. Haha! (I just humored myself. Please don't judge me. Haha.)
But seriously, it rained all day, andI forgot my umbrella. That meant a soaking wet book-bag, jacket, and jeans for me. It was a little rough. I am not particularly fond of liquid precipitation, and they are calling for it again tomorrow starting at 1 PM until Friday afternoon.... Superb.
Aside from the weather, I enjoyed today! I got lunch with Hannah (Delta) today, and that was wonderful :) We sat in D-hall and talked about all sorts of things. I love talking about people's lives, so I thoroughly enjoyed our lunch date/interview :)
At work, I was trained on how to be a cashier. Scratch that, I started my training on becoming a cashier. That machine has so many buttons, and JMU's methods of payment are so numerous that it gets to be very complicated. Once I know it, I'll be all good though, and the woman training me was SO funny! Her name is Suzanne. She's an older woman, but she is super sarcastic and extremely blunt. Luckily for me, she considers me to be a competent individual who will actually be of some use. Haha! No joke, she actually said that to me. If I get to work with her every Wednesday, I might just be alright :)
The rest of my day was spend running errands, grabbing dinner in Festival, and coming to Carrier to do work. I sat with Brittany for a good while, which was nice. (As some of you may have read last night, I prefer to have company in the library.) A girl from my social welfare class stopped by so we could tie together some loose ends on a project we have due tomorrow, and luckily that is all taken care of now. She also informed me of the additional assignment we have due tomorrow. I'm so thankful she did, because I don't even remember that being assigned! I just submitted it about ten minuted ago. Crisis averted! Phew :)
In regards to my little, I love her :) I cannot go into any details on here, because that would not be smart with this being a public blog and all. But I am SO excited I cannot even tell you all! Being a Big is so much fun! EEEEEP! Now I just have to wait until she can finally know who I am! Bahh!
(JOY!!!!!!!)
I will be Richmond bound in approximately 39.5 hours! YAY :D
I took a nap in one of the giant bean bags in Festival today, and it was glorious. Seriously, those things are so comfortable! If I can just get one of them in zebra print, I'd be good to go!
This morning I participated in a poverty simulation for my social welfare class. We were trying to see if we could make it through the month in an impoverished scenario. It was pretty hectic, I must say. People were running to wait in line at the Quick Cash and Bank, yelling at the people in social services, taking loans out from other "families," and even stealing from people! I was a nine-year old child, so most of my "month" was spent in school. However, my family forgot to take the 1 year old (simulated by a baby doll) to childcare and left him at home.... Well, the police came by and took him away to be held in a detention center, and my sister got charged with child neglect ($85 to get the baby back). It sounds crazy and a little bit silly, but it was so hard to get everything taken care of that we needed to! Lord, I pray that I never have to face that as a reality. Life would be so incredibly difficult.
I got interviewed by Ginger and Mina today :) I do love those girls. They are both so incredibly sweet, and I am so happy they're candidates. They make me smile :)
The girl that I got into the accident with this summer texted me today about paying them back for their towing fee.... ROUGH. They are not supposed to contact me about that stuff. That is for my insurance company to handle... It's okay, my broker said just to not reply to it and if she calls me to redirect her parents to him. I really thought this was all settled, so that stressed me out a little.
Random, but I am SO glad I have Erin to sit next to in oceanography. I have no idea what I would do if I was stranded in that classroom for practically 3 hours with no one to talk to or work with. She keeps me entertained :) And she shared some words of wisdom with me that someone had shared with her, and it is this: "There will always be enough time to do the good things that God wants you to do, but there is not enough time for everything." I loved that :)
I've been in Carrier for the past 3 hours by myself. I don't like being alone in here, but I didn't have much of a choice. I think I actually work better when other people are here with me. I got stuff done, but I definitely could have been more productive. Oh well. I am too excited about other things to be doing all of these assignments! Bahhh! (For you fretters, do not worry, I will make sure all of my work gets done.)
I'M COMING HOME IN 3 DAYS! EEEEEEEP :D Goodnight all!
It's so easy to have set "expectations" when it comes to our picture or concept of God. If we're being honest with ourselves, there is no way that we have it right. We just don't. He can't be compared to anything on this earth, because nothing here is close enough in greatness to even be considered for comparison. And I know it is easy for us to say that we know that God loves everyone, but take a moment and really mull that over. He loves that person who said rude things to you throughout your entire high school career. He loves that person that took your loved one away from you. He loves that parent that left you. He loves that sex offender you saw on the news. He loves the cyber bully, the traffickers, the "johns," the bombers, and the traitors. God is love. You be sitting there and thinking, "Those people do not deserve to be loved by God." Well, dear friends, the truth is that we don't deserve it either. We are so blessed to have a Father whose love is unending and unconditional. One day we will be in the presence of that Love, and oh what a glorious day it shall be!
AHHHH! I am so excited! However, I cannot post anything about her on here yet, because she has no idea who I am; and with my luck she will stumble this blog any it would ruin the whole surprise! Haha :D For now she will have to settle for anonymous messages and whatever else I throw her way :) All she knows is that she will find out who her Big is by Christmas. HAHAHAHA! I cannot wait to be the best Big ever! (At least, that is my goal.) I never really got to have an awesome relationship with my Big (and I actually ended up being a Big-less Little), so I plan on making up for what I did not have and putting everything into my relationship with my own Little! Eeeep! This is going to be so fun!
Today was nice and relaxing, filled with fun times with people I love dearly :) I got brunch this morning with Brittany and Brianna (two of my favorite twins!), and that was lovely. I killed a little time in my room before going over to the Fishbowl! Brandi, Courtney, and I watched the Lizzie McGuire Movie together, which made me SOOOO happy! You don't even know. Even better, Brandi and I sat there and youtub-ed/talked in the living room for about two hours once the movie was done :) Eventually, though, it was dinner time, so the two of us took a trip over to E-hall. (Granted, we had to drive basically around the whole campus to get there, but it is what it is.) I am so glad I got to spend time with Brandi today! I really have missed our time together!
Once I dropped Brandi off back at the house, I went over to Stephanie's for a bit :) We conversated and watched Law & Order as we snuggled on her couch. Twas grand. I even somewhat tackle-hugged her right before I left... EEEEEEEEEEEEP! That's all I can say about that.... Haha ;)
I also got to see Addie tonight! She was visiting Harrisonburg this weekend, and we got to get together at Sweet Bee! I seriously had not seen her in forever, and I'm so glad I got to hug her at catch up on what's been going on in her life. We also got to reminisce on our crazy endeavors of yesteryear, which made us both smile :) I'm just so happy I got to see her! I miss my Adelaide.
And now, here I am. I've been sitting at the computer for far too long, and my eyes are feeling a bit droopy. With that, I shall bid thee farewell! I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday as well! Goodnight :)
Well today great! Praise God for Fridays. There seriously are the sweetest of blessings after a long and stressful week! Today was good though. It was a nice mixture of excitement, fun, and relaxation :)
I signed my lease today! I am officially living in the Fishbowl next year with these three lovely ladies:
I do love them! Eeeep! I am so excited :) I cannot adequately express it on here, but they just make me oh so very happy :) Next year is going to be crazayyyyy (in a wonderful way, of course)!
Also, tonight was H20! Everything went SO smoothly! Chris Winter from Living Water International gave a great talk on the global water crisis, and a lot of people came out! So far, and this is purely the work of God, we have raised $2,500 towards building a well in Rwanda! HOW CRAZY IS THAT?! Keep in mind that this is only after one night--approximately 2 hours to be exact. We still have a lot of "H20 packages" to be sold, and our donation jar is going to still be available for about 10 more days (not counting the fundraising spirit week at Chick-fil-a). I am so stoked. I just know that this event touched people's hearts, and I have a strong feeling that a well WILL be built for the people in Rwanda! Eeeep! MASSIVE PRAISE IN ADVANCE!
To celebrate H20 further, there was a dance party at the Jolt House! It was really fun dancing and being silly with Brittany and Brianna :) Well, that was until the party got shut down. You see, we had gotten NINE noise complaints. Haha. I guess we can say we went out with a bang! And they played this really awesome remix of the Lion King "Circle of Life" opening! It wasn't this exact remix, but it went a little something like this:
We all went nuts. Haha. It was phenomenal! People were being picked up everywhere :)
Once the party was officially over, Brittany, Brianna, and I went to Walmart to pick up a DVD/VHS player (I've been meaning to get one) before coming back to Bri and I's room for a movie night. We ended up watching a Disney Classic, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It was good, but I never realized how dark of a movie that was until tonight! Oh my goodness! I'm surprised it didn't give me nightmares as a child, seriously. But I will say this, Esmeralda is legittttt!
She is pretty awesome. She knows how to defend herself, stick up for others, and isn't afraid to speak up about what she believes is right. I know she's a fictional character, but I had quite a few "you go girl!" moments while I was watching the movie. Haha. (No worries, I refrained from literally shouting it out.)
I suppose that's all for now! Brianna just woke up (yes, she clarified that she was completely awake) and said, "Didn't you say something about a final wish?"..... For those who were wondering, no I did not. Haha! Clearly that question had some relation to her dream. I do love my roommate :)
Oh my gosh.... BAHAHAHAHA! While I was looking for a picture of Esmeralda, I came across this:
Is someone kidding?! Hahahahaha! Anyone who used to be as avid of a Sailor Moon fan as I was, you understand my reaction to this. It's just too funny. Who would think to make this? Too much spare time? Maybe. Goodnight all!
I apologize for the lack of real blog title. I was trying to think and came up with nothing....
Well! Today was my first day of work at Market One! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Sure, I burned myself on the panini maker. And yes, my uniform does kind of smell like the deli... But the time went by quickly and people were nice to me :)
The Justice Team event, H20, is tomorrow!
Kudos to my friend and fellow justice team member, Zach, for putting these videos together! He is awesome!
We're all pretty stoked. I cannot wait to see everything come together! I really hope that God's presence is made known in that room, to both Christians and non-Christians. And I pray that this crisis will stir in people's hearts so that they would be willing to step out in faith to help us build a well in Rwanda! That is our goal, and all things are possible with God!
Also, I was being interviewed today by Jess, one of the lovely Delta candidates, and I was asked what my favorite Bible verse(s) is/are. This is something I have not thought about that in a long time, and scripture is so great that it's hard to just pick one! But I think, presently, Psalm 100 is a favorite of mine-- mostly because it serves as a reminder to me that: 1) I need to praise God with a joyful heart. 2) God made me, and I am His daughter; His creation. 3) I need to be thankful for the countless blessings in my life. 4) No matter what is going on in my life, God is always good. 5) God is faithful.
"1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs. 3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name. 5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations."
There is a part in this song where Psalm 100 is recited, and it's probably my favorite part. Whenever I listen to it on my way to class, I feel so encouraged. Hopefully, you do too :)
Well, today was the ever-anticipated traffic court date. I just need to complete driving school and I am good to go. PRAISE! No fines for me! And even though I was 30 minutes late for my court time (I thought I was 30 minutes early... I need to read better next time.), I was lucky to have not missed my case being called, which was also a hug praise!
Aside from all of that not so fun stuff, today was very good! I got to sleep in my big comfy bed until 11:30, and I got to see Jennifer for a little bit while she was transitioning schools. After court was all settled, I got boba with my darling Heather! I am SO glad I got to see her while I was home! I love being able to hug my best friend in person! Sometimes skype just isn't enough.
Upon getting back to school, I got to talk with a group of my SAO sisters a bit before getting dinner with Kirsten and calling it a night. Brianna showed me this video, and it is so great! I don't necessarily think a girl this young should know all of the words to a Nicki Minaj song (and she certainly be using that language), but she's too precious!
Also, I was jammin' out to the Lizzie McGuire Movie soundtrack on my way to JMU, so I thought I'd just share this with you :)
Someone PLEASEEE watch this movie with me ASAP!
And, as a closing tidbit, I will leave you with this picture I came across a few days ago.
Dawwwww! I know he looks like he's about to cry, but just look how cute he looks with that mustache! It made me "awwww!" :)
...but being in this house has never felt more like home! Seriously, I walked in the door and felt like it was part of the holiday season (not sure how to explain that exactly). Just being in Richmond feels so amazing right now with all of the stress I've been dealing with. The lighting in my house makes me calm, my doggy greeting me in the kitchen made me all happy inside, and even just being in my room is like a sigh of relief--with the insane Twilight wall, paisley bed sheets, various pictures, artwork, notes, and childhood remnants everywhere... it's just home :)
So yeah, tonight's endeavors have been confined to my house and include catching up with the family, trying (and failing) to convince Jennifer to go on a food run with me, having a kitchen talk with Jenn (I've missed those!), watching the first two episodes of New Girl (LOVE that show! I need to keep up with it!), and watching some Ninja Warrior :) It's been wonderfully relaxing, which is great because tomorrow may not be. (Yes, I am going to traffic court for the ticket I got from my accident. Womp!)
Other exciting news from today.... OH! I am going to start volunteering with the Boys & Girls Club in Harrisonburg for my social work hours! Even better, I'm going to be working in the teen center! Score! They originally were going to put me with 5 year olds..... I am so glad I mentioned that I was used to being with middle and high schoolers. Haha. The guy in charge of the teen center is so awesome, and he's from the 804! Woop woop! (I should also mention that he was pretty stoked to have another 804 rep in the building, haha!) I just can't wait to hang out with the kids there and invest in their lives! I have no clue what to expect, but I am excited to find out! I may even be helping out with a lock-in they're doing this weekend :) Eeeep!
By the way, I'm really sorry for the tone of my past few posts. These past few days have just not been good at all. I'm sure how many time I cried exactly, but it was quite a bit, and my stress levels were getting the better of me. That on top of my school work and other commitments was just too much for me to handle. But alas, I am hoping that I will be able to plunge through this new hectic schedule with a level head and solid dependence on God. Believe me, I'm going to need it. My schedule, starting next week, is going to look a little something like this:
Monday: class/Boys &Girls Club/small group
Tuesday: class all day
Wednesday: class/work
Thursday: class/work/Justice Team
Friday: class/Boys &Girls Club/large group *Sprinkle in SAO events/candidate interviews.
Please pray that I am able to maintain my sanity! I have a lot of good things going on; I'm just afraid it may overwhelm me. Peace is what I'm going to need. I will get through it though! I shall persevere :) And on that note, I shall bid thee goodnight. Love you all!
Today has just been rough. I'm sorry for having two "bummer boots" posts in a row, but I just got so stressed out today. It's probably going to be that way for a while. That's not to say that all of my posts are going to be this down, but right now I just need to sleep. I have an anthropology test in the morning, not to mention a lot of other things that will need to be done in the afternoon/evening/night. 2 AM Carrier night on the horizon? Probs so.
My car got towed... Yeah, it kind of sucks. I cried. But at least it's not stolen I guess... Oh well.
Everything else about today was good though, which kind of makes the tone of this post a little unfortunate. I'm not in the best of moods right now, so I think I'll post-pone the writings about today's Homecoming festivities.
I know that there are so many people who are stoked for the start of October! Everyone is excited for it to "feel like fall." Now personally, I'm horribly decisive, so I do not have a favorite season. However, I am really excited to do things like pumpkin picking, dress up on halloween, wear my peacoat, and watch all of the leaves fall in an ever-so picturesque way :) The more I think about it, I suppose I'm pretty pumped for legit autumn as well :)
I got to get lunch with Brandi today! I was so excited because it's only the second time I've gotten to hang out with her one-on-one this year. I just love her so much :) I want more of her in my life. There was an SAO hangout in TDU for both sisters and candidates at noon, so we went there after we had enjoyed our meal together :) There was lots of laughing, a little bit of singing, and some wonderful fellowship :) There was this live performer, so at one point all of TDU was singing along to "Sweet Caroline!" Haha. It was so great.
Now, if I told you that I had been productive and done some work after that, I would be lying to you. Instead, my trip to Carrier was a social hour. I saw/talked to Ally, Nicole, Lauren (Delta), Hannah, Brittany, and Jenna up until it was time for SAO Bible study, which was very good :) Taylor did a splendid job putting it together! Our theme for this semester is going in depth to the "Sunday School stories" people learn as children, but never really learned how to apply them. This is a very good thing for me, because honestly, not having grown up in the church, my knowledge of the Old Testament is subpar to say the least. But yes, that was good. Then from there it was time for the pep rally on the quad (...and taking a break to run and pick stuff up from my madre)! That was fun :) Exit 247B Flat was very funny, and I got to see Ashanti perform with the cheerleaders! She was my flyer for three years at the Herm, and seeing her flying and tumbling and just everything really gave me this "proud parent" moment :) It was awesome.
After the pep rally was officially over, the DJ was still playing music, so we kind of stuck around for a bit. Well, this guy starts dancing by himself in front of the DJ booth by Wilson steps, and he is really good... To make this brief, he started popping his booty. So, in a moment of spontaneity, I go up to him, tap him on the shoulder, and we proceed to do the salt shaker/booty pop together in front of whoever was still around. Haha. My sisters went nuts, and apparently a guy from Young Life was surprised that we were the Christian sorority. Haha! (Not in like a bad way, he was just kind of shocked I guess!) So that was great :) To conclude the night, a bunch of us went back to the Fishbowl to watch Bridesmaids and just hang out, which was lovely :) I love my sisters! Eeeep! (And the fact that I'm going to be living there next year also makes me very very excited!) We also got some entertainment from Lauren's fiance, Josh. Just take a look :)
He is too funny :) Well, on that note, goodnight all!
I'm Stephanie. I love everyone, and everyday I am amazed by the blessings God has bestowed upon me. I have an amazing family of friends that I share my life experiences with, and I have a crazy culmination of thoughts that clutter my cranium. I have passions and dreams, opinions and questions. I blog to share these things with others, and for my own personal relief at times. My hope is that someone, somewhere, is interested enough to read about it. If not, that's okay too :) I just enjoy the opportunity to set my thoughts free!
