The [much] better part of my day.

Forget this whole thing:

That's not really worth blogging about. I do, however, want to share pictures of my time at Maymont today with my dear love, Kaitlyn :) We went after our lunch date, and it really was a splendid time!

I love her so much! She truly is a blessing :)

As for my evening, I was very happy to have a dinner date with Nikki. I love spending time with her, and she just makes me oh so very joyful inside :) Then, quite some hours later, Elsbeth saw my tweet and asked me if I would like for her to come watch Tangled with me, and boy did I! Despite the fact that it was almost 12, she came right over to my house. If today has taught me anything, it is that I have an amazing support system of friends that truly care about me. From my best friend who picks me up when I'm broken down, to e-mailing me to make sure I'm okay, to simply spending time with me, they are all the most beautiful people imaginable. I love them with every inch of my heart. I am so blessed, and I am so thankful. There are certainly things to be upset about, but I have so much more to be glad about. Praise be to Him :)

Well... this certainly can't go on facebook! Haha.

Tonight, for my friend Samantha's birthday, we surprised her with a pole dancing class at Studio X downtown. She had no idea, we even blind folded her; haha :) I'll admit, I was a tad skeptical about the whole endeavor, but I am so glad Taylor and Laura convinced me to do it. It was actually a lot of fun! And I think I would do it again if the opportunity were to present itself :) Anyone interested? Haha.

We even danced a little to this song! I instantly recognized it, since I am indeed a True Blood fan (it's the theme/credits song):

(All photos were stolen from Laura!)

I hope y'all don't think I'm too crazy after reading this, haha. I don't make a habit of doing things like this, but like I said, I really did have a great time :)

WANTED: fuggs

And yes, that is my term for fake Uggs. My old pair has super worn-down soles, and they need to be replaced. I'm too cheap to buy real ones, and, let's be honest, no one's judging me for wearing knock-offs. If you know of somewhere that sells decent fuggs, please let a sister know :) I went searching for two-and-a-half hours today, and to no avail. Needless, to say, it was frustrating. Oh well, it's certainly not worth throwing a fit over, that's for sure.

Dinner with padre was good. We simply enjoyed some leftovers while talking about going back to school, his upcoming vacation, and future employment possibilities for me. I do enjoy talking to my dad (most of the time; naturally we have have some conversations that are completely sour). He offers some very sound advise, and he can be very good at putting things in perspective. It's quite comforting, really.

As for youth group, it was great! John gave his testimony, and I really think he is going to do an incredible job as the new high school director. He definitely radiates a heart for the youth and the ministry as a whole :) Great things are on the way! (Sidenote: we did "Be Bold" tonight! So crazy!!! I have missed that :D) Afterwards, we were Chick-fil-a bound! Two lovely individuals **cough Evan and Emily cough** got kicked out. Haha. To borrow John's term, the staff thought they were causing too much of a "ruckus." They really weren't that loud, and we made up about 88% of the people in there. So I'm wondering which of the three other customers supposedly lodged the noise complaint... Oh it's fine, we're just going to find a new spot. Sorry 'bout it Chick, your Wednesday business just got drastically reduced. It's too bad though, because we've enjoyed going there the past few weeks. Womp. Oh well! Again, definitely nothing to throw a fit over.

The parking lot hang out that followed lasted until probably 10:45. I love talking and spending time with my darling youth friends :) They are some of the most amazing individuals. And I don't know if they will ever truly realize how much they mean to me, but I love them with all of my heart and then-some :) I am truly blessed to have them in my life!

"I was in the chess club in elementary school..."

-Something Heather actually did not know about me until today! Haha.

Today was the last day I'll ever have to say memory verses for internship! HOORAH! Guess who didn't lose any money? Me! Praise :) And despite having to make 240 packets worth of copies, we finished an hour early today! So, naturally, I hung out and chatted with Mama Tobz for an hour until Heather arrived at the church :) We had a lovely boba date complete with a game of checkers and much laughter :) I do love my best friend! She always brings a smile to my face, always :)

After being dropped off at my car, I picked Miranda up and we headed to Jenna's surprise going-away party! There was a lovely turn-out, and it was really fun to just see and talk with everyone-- even youth I've never really had a conversation with before! And Jenna was just too precious; I am certainly going to miss her darling face when she moves to Florida. But knowing her and her social-butterfly personality, she will definitely make a lot of wonderful friends there :)

In other news, it is dawning on me more and more that I have less than 10 days before I go back to school... This is utter craziness. I need to start planning dates with people, right now. Goodnight all!

Love language.

So, tonights season finale of Teen Wolf was absolutely epic! I loved it! (Spoiler alert!) I was SO happy because Scott and Allison ended up staying together!

Now I realize that a televised couple is in fact not real, but their on-screen relationship just makes me feel giddy inside! So it got me thinking about my love language-- I think partially because love languages came up in conversation about two weeks ago at Scoob's house. After some thought, I've come to the conclusion is physical touch, or so I think. And I think the love language I'm most receptive to (from a significant other, I mean) is affirmation. (For a friend relationship, I'd say it's quality time.) Funny how a TV show made me think about that, haha. My friend asked me what my love language was a few months ago, actually, and I had no clue! Anyways... Let's move on!

Tonight I led middle school Bible study, and it went smoother than I had anticipated! The kids were participating, and I don't think words can express how much better that made me feel about the whole endeavor. Haha. I won't lie, I was rather anxious. I'm afraid of saying something even the slightest bit off, because it's the Bible! Haha. Messing that up, especially when you're teaching it, would make me feel so awful. But Nikki told me afterwards that I did well, so that definitely made me feel better :) No scriptural mistakes to my knowledge! Praise :)

Well, there wasn't much else about my day that was interesting, so I'll leave it at that. Goodnight, all!

A letter to myself.

At the end of last semester, our small group leaders had us write a letter to ourselves that they would mail to us towards the end of summer. I received mine yesterday...

Stephanie,


This year has certainly been a growing period for you, whether you were always aware of it or not. You came in only knowing a hand-full of people. Despite your initial interest in IV, you saw how easy it was to get distracted in your faith. On more than one occasion, you sat in your dorm room and cried-- all the while trying to figure out how you could return to the feeling and faith that you had in youth group. Look at you now. You have learned so much about the Word, and you have a greater understanding of the importance of maintaining faith and trust in God through small group. Through Justice Team, your heart for service had been challenged. Through SAO, you have established the closest relationships you have at JMU. You are a part of a Christ-centered sisterhood. They love you and have built you up in your faith. You have become so much more willing to share your struggles with others-- no longer just the bearer. You've seen the importance of investing in your community of brothers and sisters. You have been truly blessed. AS you go into sophomore year, know that friendships may change and you will continue to be challenged, but Jesus never leaves you. With Him, you will continue to grow and prosper in your faith. Keep grounded in your Father, always.


Sincerely,
Stephanie

My new addiction....

WORDS WITH FRIENDS! (I know I'm late on that, but still.)

I am currently in 16 separate games... I have no life. Haha. But seriously, I've just been doing this all night. Mostly with Jennifer, which makes it even more lame because we were right next to each other the whole time. Haha! Whatevskies :)

Speaking of Jenn, TODAY (the 14th) WAS HER 17TH BIRTHDAY!!! Yay!

That cake was the bomb. It's one of the Carvel ice cream cakes, but the fact that it looks like a cupcake just makes it that much more legit :) We had dinner at dad's with the grandparents, and I found out that I have no clue how old my dad or my grandparents are. Child/grandchild fail? Maybe. Woops!

As for my morning/early afternoon, it was filled with Echo Sunday School, third service, and Boba with Chandler (not pictured)! Holla!

Okay, I'm sleepy now. Goodnight!