Horrible "bad day," Wonderful day overall :)

Okay, so today started off rough. Bad day + sickling status = Shambles! With that being said I want to say right now that I am so thankful for:

• Hannah's patience, comfort, and willingness to supply me with meds.
• Stephanie's heating pad, generosity, and hospitality.
• And for both of them for being so kind and loving to me!

Hearing that I felt terrible, Stephanie invited my over to her house, where I have been all day. We talked, enjoyed some tea, watched/are watching an America's Next Top Model marathon, and enjoyed a delicious KFC dinner (plus sweet tea, green beans, and applesauce supplied by Steph)!

So much more better than soup!

She has been so good to me, and I am happy to report that I feel a million times better! I'm really happy that I didn't spend the day alone in my dorm room; this alternative was so much more enjoyable even despite my lack of health :) I am a grateful girl!

Goodnight loves!

A beautiful song,

one that actually brightened up my time at work today. It played twice!



It's just so pretty :) A perfect little pick-me-up when you're working and want nothing more than to lay down and nap. You see, I've been feeling the symptoms of pre-sickling status today. But never fret, I have hot tea with honey and Ibuprofen! Huzzah! And while I don't have anything of great interest to post about the happenings of today, I want to share a few smiles via retreat pictures :)

(Poto credit: Hannah Harrison)

 Anyone who knows Jenn knows how incredible this picture depicts her, and our love :)

I'm so happy to have Mina in SAO :) Getting to see this little love more and more outside of small group brings me joy!

 The spontaneity of this situation just makes me smile :) And I love that Brandi just turned to me out of nowhere and said, "Be my arms!" Haha. She truly is my little ball of sunshine :)

 Meet the 2012-2013 Fishbowl...

... aka my future housemates! My love for them is a smile of it's own :)

And this girl...

I'm going to break away from the caption for this one, because this might get lengthy. I kind of love how she's basically my other half, and not just to my Steph-squared :) I don't know who else could be the brand of crazy that we are together, with me. Even as I'm writing this, we are arguing via text over who's more sick, and who makes people smile more. Bear in mind that we're each defending the other Stephanie.... We also had a dispute over who loves the other more, and I still think I win, but she'll never see my side of THAT one :P

Well loves, it's time for teeth brushing, Bible reading, and sleeping :) Goodnight!

Y'all gon' make me lose my mind!

Up in HERE! Up in here!

Oh hey. Haha. So I'm tired and in the beginning stages of being sick, but other than that I'm good! Both of my dance classes today were fun, which out me in a good mood to start the day :) In improv we got to visit exercises we haven't done since the beginning of the semester, and we all definitely enjoyed it! TDU filled my gap between classes and work. I'm not just saying this to complain, but work was miserable. I was SO happy to be out of there; Wednesdays are always unnecessarily chaotic....

Anyways, small group was good tonight! We found out that Lauren and Paige are going to be leading us for the next two years, we went over our vision as a small group and the scripture verses that said vision is grounded in (listed below), and we got to really go through and pray over the needs of each other (my favorite part!).

"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."
{Matthew 24:35}


"And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
{Ephesians 5:2}


"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile."
{Romans 1:16}

Yay small group!

Also, as of tonight, I am officially registered for SAO National Convention! WOOP WOOP! Stoked? Yes. It's going to be AWESOME! So far, I know Taylor, Kirsten, and myself are going :) Look out South Carolina, Alpha Alpha's bringing the party! Haha :)

Yeah, that's it! Haha. Goodnight loves!

Accepted!

Well, it's official! I have been accepted into the Social Work program! WOOHOO! I must say, I am surprised to have heard back so quickly, and I am beyond relieved! Now I just have to tackle these upper-level courses.... HUZZAH!

In other good news, I skyped Heather today for the first time in weeks! I miss our weekly skype dates, so these things need to happen more often!

I have loaded my shopping cart in preparation for Fall 2012 registration. Here's to hoping that I don't run into the "every class is full" issue!

My sore throat leads me to believe that I am getting sick... I know this has to do, in part, with my lovely sorority sisters and the germs they could not help but share on retreat. It's okay though; who better to get a sickness from than someone you love? Besides, it's an excuse to keep hot tea in my system!

I got a 101 on my second exam for abnormal psyc!!! That makes my class average a 100; HOLLA! I will gladly take that :)

Also, it looks like I'm going to National Convention for SAO! I think it will be an amazing opportunity to learn, have fun, and grow closer to sisters from across the country :)

Well, I am quite tired, and the pillow is calling my name! Goodnight loves :)

Baby sister is coming to JMU!

Although I wish it were under better circumstances (for Jenn, not me), I am so happy and proud to report that my dear little seester will be coming to JMU next year!!!! Harrisonburg, brace yourself for this loveliness:

But seriously, I am so BEYOND proud of Jennifer, and I could not be more excited to have her here at school with me next year :) I only hope that her time here will be as wonderful as mine has, and that she will truly love it! I may not have been her plan A, but if I learned anything from my own college application process, it is that God steers us where we are meant to be. Everything has worked for my benefit, and it will be no different for my lovely sister :) I'm going to share with her the same verse that was shared with me when I faced my "wait-listed" letter from UVA:

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"
{Jeremiah 29:11}

And for those who take interest in the run-down:

• Both of my classes were canceled! Hoorah!
• Lunch with my small group leader, Melissa.
• TDU chillin' with my sisters.
• Bible study led by Nancy :)
• Twas wonderful indeed!
• Quick trip through Stizz with Steph.
• PR meeting.
• Dinner date with Hannah :)
• Shower/homework time.
• Watched The Voice at the Fishbowl :)

And now, I am currently keeping Hannah company as she edits/uploads pictures from retreat and such! But alas, it is getting late and I am ready to call it a night. But before I do, I am going to share an embarrassing picture of myself dancing...

to this song...

Haha! Goodnight loves :)

Scraps of Life

This weekend, I got to experience a lovely retreat with my beautiful SAO sisters :) Our theme, as the title of this post suggests, was "The Scraps of Life." We discussed how God has our life planned out/assembled in a scrapbook of sorts, and that He uses even our greatest sorrows and struggles for His glory. Everything in our lives is made beautiful in His time, and there is indeed a time for everything in accordance with His plan :)

"Record my lament;
   list my tears on your scroll—
   are they not in your record?"

{Psalm 56:8}


"¹ There is a time for everything, 
   and a season for every activity under heaven:

 ² a time to be born and a time to die,
   a time to plant and a time to uproot,
 ³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
   a time to tear down and a time to build,
 ⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
   a time to mourn and a time to dance,
 ⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
   a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
 ⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
   a time to keep and a time to throw away,
 ⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
   a time to be silent and a time to speak,
 ⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
   a time for war and a time for peace.

 ⁹ What does the worker gain from his toil? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has laid on men. ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. ¹³ That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. ¹⁴ I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him."

{Ecclesiastes 3: 1-14}

"The LORD will watch over your coming and going
   both now and forevermore."

{Psalm 121:8}

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'”

{Isaiah 30:21}

We had such amazing discussion as we delved into God's word, and we lifted songs of praise up to our Father via acoustic worship. We broke down barriers that made way for vulnerability, and through that we were able to establish deeper bonds of cohesion, both within our sisterhood and with our Father. I believe this song in particular, which we sung a'capella, struck a chord in all of our hearts.

I feel so blessed to have this family in my life. And truly, they are my family    my sisters. God had them in my scrapbook long before I knew that I would be where I am now. He has brought me through obstacles and turmoil, and has turned all of it into beauty beyond anything I could fathom. Praise the Lord, for He did not give me what I wanted, but instead gave me what I now realize I needed.

(Photo credit: Jess Beltran)

I am beyond blessed, and I am so incredibly grateful :)

"I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!"

Now please just imagine a random guy standing up and yelling that in front of the entire movie theater while a woman is trying to read off a Hunger Games trivia question.... HAHAHAHA! It was so funny, y'all!

Alright, so let's talk about today :) I had my GSCI midterm, which I think went pretty well! We'll see though, because I thought the same thing last time and got a 72.... That was a disappointment. But anyways! I spent my afternoon hanging out with sisters in TDU, taking a nap there, and working. It was Employee Appreciation Day, so I got to wear jeans and this spiffy free shirt that we got :) I realized that I really like the people I work with on Thursdays, which is what makes them so much more bearable than Wednesdays (even despite the longer shift). And today was extra special, because I had three of my sisters come and see me to get food! Taylor, Lauren, and Courtney were such pleasant surprises :) I just love them.

After work, I participated in a scavenger hunt around campus with my sisters :) It was quite a lot of running, and my feet will not be my friends tomorrow, but it was fun! My team (Lauren C., Courtney, Jenn, and myself) ended up winning by 1.5 points! Close call, huh? Then, I had a quick turn-around to get picked-up for the Hunger Games midnight premiere!!!! I had a little bit of an issue actually picking up my ticket, but once that was straightened out I was good to go! Brandi, Brittany, and I were in the same theater :) We got to experience the incident mentioned at the beginning of this post, as well me finding out that my friend Kristina was the one who got called out by the trivia woman for having a "hair salon" session in the middle of the theater. Haha!

The movie was incredible! Of course things are left out/changed a bit, but that's unavoidable. The characters were played out very true-to-book, and overall I was impressed!

I lost a tear at this part... So emotional.

 I'm so happy that I got to experience another exciting midnight premiere, and that I got to do so with my sisters :) Dove love all around!!! Which reminds me!.....

This will be my last post until Sunday. Tomorrow (technically today), I leave for a weekend retreat with my SAO loves :) I am so excited!!! I cannot wait to see what Jesus has in store :)

Goodnight loves! Sleep well :)

Nard.

I had no clue what to title this, so I went with the name of Courtney's cat... Haha!

So here are my "happys" for the day:

• I got called-out in modern today for doing something well!
• She had me show the whole class a specific part of our across-the-floor combination!
• I wish I could explain how excited this made me. I'M DOING SOMETHING RIGHT!
• My professor wrote in my improv journal that she was proud of me!
• The words "so proud" were underlined and everything!
• TDU chillin was full of sisterly love :)
• I'm getting a raise at work!
• I successfully completed my Bible study on gossip!
• I got positive feedback, which made me feel good :)
• I helped Courtney study for her psyc test tomorrow.
• She's a smart cookie; she's got it :)

And the "womps" that don't even begin to outweigh the "happys" are these:

• Work was shambly today... I don't even know what was up.
• I have a GSCI midterm in the morning... BOO HISS!

On the plus side, I'm golden after tomorrow! I can do this!

Goodnight all!

I AM gonna get through this!

Well, I made it y'all! Even with less than five hours of sleep, I was able to make it through the day sans-nap, effectively study for my psyc test, and feel really good about how I did on said test! YAYYY! I wan't expecting to feel as confident as I did, and truly I just feel a great sense of peace about it :) Praise be to Jesus! Oh! And I also just successively finished my paper for modern! AND I was able to have a social life tonight! Man, that is winning at it's finest :)

Tonight, after my test and some dinner, I went over to Jenn's house :) We watched some Spongebob, playing N64 Mario Party (old school!), made Thai tea (YUM!), and watched Dance Moms together :) It was a really nice way to finish this stressful day, and who better to enjoy that time with than a sister I love so dearly? Twas wonderful!

On a random side-note, the floodgates opened up on JMU today while I was trying to get from Dukes to my dorm... My TOMS are still soaked and currently drying in the hallways, and my jeans have been hanging for hours but still aren't completely dry. It was crazy-ness! I just hope all the rain has been worked out of the clouds' system, because I miss my sunshine! Haha.

Please continue to pray for peace for me as I go into tomorrow. After my long day of classes and work, I have a Bible study to lead and a midterm to start studying for. I know God will get me through it, but a prolonged sense of peace would be much appreciated so as to avoid a breakdown due to stress. Motivational thinking: only 3 more days until SAO retreat! YAYYYY!

Goodnight loves :)

Dollar dollar bill, y'all!

True story:

Jenn's quoting of my story from today via Twitter.

My pictorial evidence of said event.

And in other news...

• I wore my pink and green today in loving memory of Hilda<3
• I met a new friend named Dan via Brittany who was extremely nice :)
• There was a prayer walk tonight with my sorority sisters; twas a lovely time!
• I am so beyond grateful for Courtney, who spend hours studying abnormal psyc with me.
• I have my test tomorrow and I'm quite scared.
• I am going to get close to no sleep tonight... Fail.

Goodnight loves!

You just called me influenza!

Oh hey there! Today wasn't too shabby, and it ended on a great note, I think.

Church at Rise was good this morning! I won't go into the whole sermon or anything, but I do want to share this line from one of the worship songs:

"If you're loved by someone, you're never rejected."

TRUTH BOMB!  And I know you may read this at first and be a little skeptical, but hear me out. If you love someone, and I mean truly love them as Christ does, would you ever reject them? Would you walk away from them or abandon them when they come to you with need? No; the answer is no. Because true love turns away no one, for any reason. God loves us unconditionally and eternally. That is what love is. He is our model, because He is love.

After service, I got E-hall brunch with Hannah (my little) and Renee, which is always lovely :) Hannah and I got to have a mini heart-to-heart sesh outside before going our separate ways. I ended up taking a 2-hour long nap before finally getting some work done. Not much was accomplished, though, before my business meeting. The meeting went well, as did the worship night that followed :) I do love my sistas!

Oh, Hannah, Courtney, Brandi, and myself fessed-up to Brittany about messing with her car last night...

(Sticky-notes and saran-wrap, nbd.)

I wanted to keep it a secret, but I was convinced to do otherwise. Everything was out of love, though :) We can all laugh about this soon I'm sure :)

Then, I concluded my night with 2+ hour-long car chat with my dear Stephanie :) I love this girl so much, I won't even begin to try to explain it right now. Yes, she compares my life-coping mechanisms with illnesses and looks at me like I have a third-eyeball when I say things that are preposterous... But lesibhonest, it's pretty well-deserved. Haha. And she does it out of love :) I love the other half to my Steph squared! Without her, I'm not sure who I could be embarrassing/awkward/crazy with on a regular basis! It would be tragic, I'm just sayin'.

And now that I've showered, finished my improv journals, and am wrapping up this post, it is time to call it a night. Bible time and sleep, here I come! Goodight world :)

Composure.

Sharp in.
Hold. Collect.
Calm out.
This is not severe;
no, not even a war.

{source}

This is but an X
on this list of things you've prayed for.
Tis a feat indeed,
but for whom is not certain.
Pride swallowed and suppressed;
it has no place here.
Confront that love;
remember to be patient, kind,
and reasonable.
Yes, maintain rationality.
Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise,
for who, but He, is wise?
Focus hard, and brace,
for the outcome is uncertain to all.
Bow gracefully; be humble.
Boldly embrace acceptance.
Stand firm; Stand tall.

"Pride goes before destruction, 

 a haughty spirit before a fall."

{Proverbs 16:18}

"When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
   but with humility comes wisdom."

{Proverbs 11:2}

It's 4 o'clock in the mornin'....

And, well, it's not that the conversation got boring, but Steph realized it was 3 AM and we decided it would be best to bring me back to my dorm. Haha. (I'll get back to that in later, though.)

Alright, so HOORAY for Friday! That means no classes for me, and sleeping until 11:15! Holla! And by the time I got myself ready and presentable, it was time for lunch. To my luck, I ran into Lauren and Ginger (who were waiting for Mina to arrive), and the four of us got lunch together! Those girls are too funny; love them :) Fast forward past my trip to the bank and a rather productive PR meeting for my sorority, and that brings us to my dinner date with Steph! First, let me preface this with saying that we had not seen each other in two weeks... TOO LONG! I was so happy to see her face and giver her a hug, you just have no idea. Over our dinner, we got to talk all about our spring breaks (including her stories from California!) and the life-happenings that we each needed catching-up on. Two hours and fourty-five minutes later, I came to the conclusion that I was not going to large group. So, naturally the two of us ended up at the mall browsing at hats, shoes, and fancy dresses :) Neither of us bought anything, but it was fun just the same! Upon returning to her apartment, we talked while Steph put dishes away, and we eventually ended up at the computer    facebook stalking each other, checking out a youtube video or two, and even going through a bunch of Stephanie's old pictures that she had saved :) An adorable little child, she was! Oh, she also diagnosed me as be anemic.... I mean it's fine. I told her I'm not going to the doctor until I pass out or something, cause otherwise I'm doing alright! Haha. But yes, we sat there talking on her sofa until 3 AM. Twas a glorious 10 hour-long date! I mean, I can never have too much Steph squared time, ever :)

So now I'm sitting here, showered and ready for bed. But I have this question gnawing at me: Is it better to bring up a question to someone now because it's lingering in your mind? Or is it better to wait and find out on your own since you're going to find out eventually anyway? Same conclusion, different methods of getting there... Decisions, decisions; I'm awesome at those. (Right...) Blah! You know what, I'm just going to pray about it. I mean, who has better insight than God, right? My guess is no one, and when I say guess I mean that I know it's true. That being said, goodnight all! (Or rather, good morning! Shooooot it's 4:45 now!) Time for Bible and prayer! BYE :)

Little determinants.

The major application in turned in.
The long group paper for research methods is turned in.
The tedious GSCI homework has been completed.

With these things off of my to-do list, I can breathe a heavy sigh and embrace the weekend. I have to tell you, it astounds me how it's the little agitations and inconveniences that end up ruining your day. Truly, I was a wreck this morning. Or rather, I was forcibly hold myself together to prevent a wreck, despite my completed assignments. Little bumps in the road send me to Angry Annie/Debbie Downer status. Rough stuff, right? Well, the good news is that even the simplest of joys can successfully brighten your mood. Getting a paycheck that was more than you anticipated instead of less, laying in the sun, watching puppies/giant dogs galavant across the quad, playing Draw Something with people who are sitting right next to you, singing along to Wicked songs, letting your friends use you as a pillow, catching up with your best friend from middle school that you haven't seen in quite a while, dancing in a circle with sisters, realizing that you have the same signature song that you did in high school, hugging dear friends, quoting each other repeatedly and still finding it humorous.... All of it :) For every stress or frustration that exists in my life, I have a plethora of positive things to counter and overwhelm it. Perhaps that will be an approach I test out in the coming week. Remember the mirths, dwell not on the burdens!

Goodnight darlings :)

Let's focus on the fun,

because if I don't this will just turn into a post where I do nothing but vent/complain about this crazy group paper I'm writing and the fact that my advisor hasn't given me feedback on my personal statement for my major application that's due tomorrow...

Okay! So my highlight of today was my improv class, because we got to do site-specific work! Oh yes my friends, we were set free to go outside and roam and choreograph! So let me just give you an idea of where I went. Take a look at this picture:

Do you see that circle area? (Yes, where the arrow is pointing.) Okay, that is where I was dancing! Haha. Keep in mind that this is a 4-way intersection (on the quad) for students walking to/from class. And here I am laying in the middle of the circle, rolling around on the ground, jumping up on (and off) the mini-walls, running back and forth... In the words of my professor, "Way to make people feel uncomfortable!" Haha! She said that in a complimentary/encouraging way, which made it all the better :) But I had so much fun exploring that space and getting to work in that kind of setting. That is something that I have actually never done before, and I surprised myself with how little regard I had towards what passerbys may have been thinking about me. Instead I found myself smiling and laughing; I enjoyed myself :) Now I just have to remember it until next class when I have to present it... Bahh!

That's all for today, I think. Goodnight loves!

Quad day + sunburn= WIN!

I know most people wouldn't consider sunburn conducive to "winning." However, burn turns to tan, and my sunburn is not generally painful. Thus, I am excited!

I spent a good 4.5 hours on the quad today with my beautiful sisters! We tanned, we sang, we laughed, we sipped Starbucks, some people skipped class.... Haha! We're such bad influences on each other :) It wasn't until my class at 5 that I finally gathered my blanket and re-entered the reality of school.

After my psyc class, Jenn and I grabbed some dinner before going back to her house to make some Thai tea (which was DELICIOUS!) and watch Dance Moms (so intense, SO entertaining)! I love Jenn, and our rare one-on-one times :) Tonight was very good, very good indeed. (Photo cred: Jenn via Instagram)


Unfortunately, upon returning to my room, the onslaught of my workload hit me right in the face... It's a good thing I enjoyed today, because it's the last real relaxation I'm going to get until Friday. Blah. LEt me read my Bible and sleep before negativity and stress really settle in. Boy, am I ever praying for peace!

Goodnight loves!

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
{John 14:27}

No solitude, thank you.

I learned today that I differ from many people in this respect: When I'm upset/frustrated, the last place I want to be is by myself; being alone only fosters more pent-up feelings of hostility. Sometimes I just need to vent and get it out of my system so that I can move on. Other times I'd rather not talk about it but just want to cuddle on a couch somewhere with a friend who loves me. Today I got my midterm grade back for my modern class, and I did less than stellar. All I wanted to do was throw myself at a punching bag, but instead I had to try and meditate and find relaxation because it was a yoga class... Of all days. Then, I had to go to my improvisation class, with the same professor, and take instruction and once again relax during those exercises. Can I just say how difficult it is to "let go" when you can tangibly feel agitation welling up inside of you? (Also bear in mind that I am not good at masking anything in the realm of anger... It reads all over my face.) It didn't help that I got my improv grade back and received full points, because despite being extremely happy about my score, I knew that meant that I was capable of doing better in modern. Again, a punching bag would have been awesome. I will say, though, that I am incredibly grateful for my loving sisters. They're always there to listen to me vent, make me smile, encourage me, put things in perspective, and just be the kind of support system that I need. Oh I just love them :)

Let's run-down!

• Classes.
• TDU chillage!
• Quad hangout with Hannah and Jenna :)
• Bible study.
• Led by my beautiful Little :)
• It was on Eve, and I loved our discussion and analysis!
• Dinner with Hannah, Hannah, and Taylor :)
• Finished my personal statement for my major application.
• Went to the Fishbowl to watch The Voice and The Bachelor.
• Those girls bring me joy :)

Goodnight loves!

When I was a babe :)

I do love old pictures :)

Quick run-down of the day:

• Church!
• Youth choir sang in service    SO GREAT!
• Juliana turned 14 today :D
• Chipotle lunch.
• Finished packing/loading the car.
• Boba with Heaths :)
• Drove back to JMU.
• Hung out at the Fishbowl :)
• Finished unpacking.

Goodnight all!

Oh hey last full day of spring break...

The fact that I have to go back to school tomorrow kills me. It's just because of all of the work that needs to be done this week. Add the fact that I lose an hour of sleep tonight due to daylight savings, and I am just plain stressed. Or rather, I'm trying to fight off the stress that will inevitably hit me at full-force come tomorrow evening. BAHHHHH!

And calming down...

Today was pretty chill. I got lunch with Jenn and my dad at Panera, and afterwards sifted through some old pictures to find a few for my sorority retreat. (They're pretty cute! I might scan and upload them on here once I get back to school.) Then, after hanging around my house for a while, I got dinner at Vietnam One with Nikki, John, and Mrs. Kelly :) Twas a lovely dinner indeed! Since then I've been trying to round-up my laundry and get my life somewhat in order for going back to school tomorrow. Oh spring break, WHY AREN'T YOU LONGER?!?!

And on that note, I'm going to bed. Goodnight loves!

Changes.

It makes me sad when things, that used to be so seemingly perfect, are no longer the way they used to be. The sense of detachment is awkward in the sense that I don't know how to maneuver around the differences and maintain the heart of what once was. Perhaps I'm too quick to cling to the past, but it's only because it brought me so much joy. Growing up is hard, especially if it includes different directions. But roads can converge as easily as they fork; certainly nothing has been eternally lost!

Sidenote: I love Owl City's version of this song!

And now, the run-down:

• Hangout time with madre :)
• 821 and apartment chillin' with Kathryn and Austin!
• Traffic so terrible that it took me and hour to get from Cary Street to Short Pump.
• Dinner with my darling, Ashlee :)
• I love our Bdubs dates/heart-to-hearts; she is such a lovely girl!
• Hung out at the casa for the remainder of the night.

Goodnight my loves. Pleasant dreams!

Girl, you rock that up-do!

Sorry, I just had to throw that line out there. Haha. Today I actually did sport an up-do, which is something I rarely ever go with. I think it turned out alright, though. And even though the pictures aren't the best quality, I promise I didn't look quite so bald in person. Haha.

In addition to Kelly's birthday festivities (please see previous post), I also got to grab dinner with Same and Addie at Casa Grande. I even got to go by Addie's house and see Father David, Jennifer, and Emily :) I haven't seen them in forever, so it really was a treat! I enjoy catching up with people who have meant so much to me; it brings me a unique sort of happiness :)

Lastly, I finished the Hunger Game series today. I will not leak any spoilers or anything, but I do want to have a tiny tangent. Okay, so books one and two blew my mind. It was all I could do to put them down, and as soon as I finished them I darted to Target to purchase the next one. Unfortunately, the ending of Mockingjay left me discomforted and no where near satisfied    kind of like how I felt at the end of the Notebook. I just wish that what led up to ending was more developed, and that I could have gotten a greater sense of the characters' emotional mind-frames. Also, I guess I just really wanted there to be a sense of happiness underlying the ending scenario, and there wasn't really. Truly, I felt a little disheartened... I'll go ahead and stop now. I am in no way suggesting that the book was ill-written, and I do realize that these books are fictional. Haha. I just tend to get wrapped up in series like this that leave me hooked. Laugh if you want, I won't be offended :)

Also, the Twilight wall no longer pervades my room! There are still a few posters, but their presence isn't overwhelming as they once were, haha. I might post pictures tomorrow, we'll see! Goodnight loves!

Happy birthday, Kelly!

HOORAY! My dearest Kelly is now 19 years old, and we kicked off the celebration last night at midnight with a late-night trip to Waffle House!

She had never taken such a trip to Waffle House before, so what better time to go than your birthday right?! Gary hooked her up with whipped creme for her chocolate chip waffles, and the VIP that Dolly even signed :) There was love in that place last night. So great :)

Then, after Kelly got out of class today, we enjoyed some Carytown Cupcakes before a rendez-vous through Maymont!

 Chai Latte and Chocolate Mocha!

I love this girl, SO very much! And I'm beyond happy that I got to spend so much time with her on her birthday :) She's a doll, she is!

Happy 19th year, Kelly! 

I love you!!!

Kony 2012

By now, I'm sure at least a few of you have heard about Joseph Kony and the efforts our generation is putting forth to end his heinous crimes against our brothers and sisters in Africa. For those who may not know, please take the next 30 minutes to watch this: (I promise, you won't regret it.)

This man is forcing children into soldiery, girls into sex trafficking, and nations into a life of fear. I stand firm on my opinion that everyone who learns who this man is can agree that he needs to be arrested; he needs to be stopped. But like it says in this video, you cannot fight to stop what you do not know exists. Many know the term "invisible children," but few know the name of the man behind it. Well friends, take note: His name is Joseph Kony.

Share this knowledge. Share the name. Join the cause. Help 2012 be the year that Joseph Kony is arrested and convicted. Regardless of background, political stance, etc., this is something we can agree upon    something we can unite over. Help bring justice into the world. Let Kony's infamy spread like wildfire; let that contribute to his demise. Pray over these efforts, both your own and that of your brothers and sisters around the world. Of this I am certain: The Lord's strength, power, and provision will be necessary in our mission. Let us seek such things from Him in our pursuit of, and may these efforts be blessed according to His will.

"Learn to do right; seek justice. 
   Defend the oppressed."
{Isaiah 1:17}

"This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place."
{Jeremiah 22:3}


"Open your mouth, judge righteously, 
And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy."

{Proverbs 31:9}

Yellow ribbon and a parking lot chat.

I got to watch Juliana at her gymnastics meet today, and she did beautifully! She competed on bars and beam, and came away with a third place ribbon overall for beam    receiving the highest score on her team!



I was/am so very proud of her! And to follow up her meet, we enjoyed some B-dubs medium wings and sweet tea :D

I made it to 1822 in time for the tail-end of worship and the talk, which was really excellent, I think! It was about the parable of the wise and foolish builders.

“²⁴ Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
{Matthew 7:24-27}

I have never really taken the time to analyze this parable before, but I thoroughly enjoyed her take on it. Even when we build our houses on sand, which we have all done at some point, we can take that crash and allow God to guide us in building our foundation on solid rock. After all, He is our Rock.

After 1822, I had a nice long parking lot chat with a good friend. We discussed a lot of things in the 60+ minutes we spent out there. One particular topic, however, it left me wondering... Apparently, as it pertains to my future romantic relationship(s), I'm not going to to really give anyone a chance because my tendency is to laugh off their pursuit as if they're joking. I won't lie to you, I've done that before    because it's an easier way out than the alternative. But then, I have to wonder if I'm going to stand in the way of my own potential happiness if I make that a habit. Ugh. Add that to the fact that I don't know how to handle male attention and I guess that makes me kind of a hot mess. Haha. But you know, I'm not too concerned. Whoever God wants in my life will be able to pervade through my awkwardness and, by the grace of Jesus, form a mutual loving relationship with me :) Hashtag(#), BOOM!

Goodnight loves :)

Happy birthday, Mama Tobz!!!

I love my second mom, to bits and tiny tiny pieces! Therefore, it was only right that I at least get her a little something for her birthday. I decided to get a little crafty :)

I also gave her some tea-light candles to be placed and lit inside the jar :) It isn't much, but I wanted to remind her of how much I love her    which is more than I can begin to adequately express on this blog.

Happy birthday, Mama Tobz! 

I love you :)