My Life... I love it!

2010-03-30T23:19:00.000-05:00

The past few days have been good days which has been nice, because it's been an up and down semester for me. This weekend I was productive and finished a book for a class, and as a bonus I was able to sit outside, enjoying beautiful weather, while finishing it.
Sunday we had a little different sunday school for the kids I work with at church. Normally the 3rd-5th grade meets together then breaks up into their sunday school classes, but this week they stayed together the whole time and we talked about passover and the crucifixion with them. It was a neat service. I feel like I'm starting to connect more with the kids now, which is nice, but kinda stinks at the same time because I won't be here the next 2 sundays and then I'll only have a couple more sundays left in the semester. I plan on continuing to work with the 3rd-5th graders next semester though.
The "big church" service, as I've grown up calling it, was also good. It was cool that the sermon connected to the sunday school class I went to. Both were talking about commitment. I also was able to meet someone I didn't know in church, and she seemed pretty cool. Hopefully I can get to know her better. We've started sitting with some people who are around our age, to try to meet more people. I'd really like to get to know more people at Highview, especially people my age.
Another positive thing is that I've seen something I've been praying about lately being answered. It's cool because I started praying about it in a different way after we talked about prayer in my spiritual disciplines class. I started praying for God's glory to be shown in the situation and praying specifically for blessings upon someone else, and I'm seeing my prayers answered. It's kinda hard to explain fully because I don't want to go into details, but I think changing the way I was praying has changed my perspective because obviously God hasn't changed. I'm trying to look at things in a new perspective lately. I've been really convicted that I've just had a bitter attitude about a lot of things lately. Anytime I catch myself thinking something negative, I've been immediately trying to turn that thought around and find a way to praise God for whatever it is that I was viewing negatively. It's not always easy, but it does wonders for my attitude and mood.
And to end this post on a final positive note, I get to go home friday, and I'll be home all next week! I'm so excited! I haven't been home all semester and I miss it. It's supposed to get up to 80°, I get to eat crawfish, see my friends and family, eat at one of my favorite restaurants, have a photography day with my parents, play tennis with Bets, see my puppies, rest...yeah I'm pretty excited. :)
Oh and to add one more thing in, I got my camp newsletter the other day which made my day and got me really excited for this summer. I think it's going to be a great summer for my camp. I feel like I have so much I'll be able to share with people this summer because I've been learning so much this semester. I just feel like God is going to move in some awesome ways at camp this summer, and I can't wait to experience it. -Allison-

Thankful for the steadfastness of God

2010-03-24T18:38:00.002-05:00

I have a love-hate relationship with emotions. So glad God is beyond our emotions.

"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of god, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish ever disobedience, when your obedience is complete." 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:4-8

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

Christian Cynics

2010-03-22T09:28:00.002-05:00

Last night I got to thinking about cynical/pessimistic Christian views of the world. I know people who have this type of view and while I agree with the ideas behind the thoughts, I've come to the conclusion that I don't really agree with the approach. There are horrible things that happen in our world everyday. It is terrible, but maybe I'm just the optimistic type who likes to try to see the beautiful and good things as well. I'm not saying at all to ignore the ugly. But I think both things should point us to God. For example we had a gorgeous day here in Louisville a couple weeks ago on the same day that I heard about hundreds of Christians being killed in an African village. I think it's possible to enjoy the beautiful day and see how that points to God's glory, while also mourning the loss of so many Christians and seeing how that shows how we are totally deprived, awful people who need God. It's hard to explain my thoughts fully here. I was talking to my mom about this just now and she encouraged me. She told me I had a beautiful heart and that I've always tried to see the good in things. I'm glad she understood what I was trying to say. Sorry if this doesn't make total sense. I gave my mom a very specific example that I don't want to share on here, but if you want to talk to me more about it let me know. :) -Allison-

Emotions...

2010-03-14T22:35:00.002-05:00

...are frustrating. I hate how my emotions can go from one extreme to the other in a day. They did that yesterday. Ugh. I hate being emotional sometimes. I hate thinking I'm over something, and then realizing I'm not. I know things will get better, and they have been, and that God has great plans for me and isn't surprised by anything in my life, but sometimes my emotions and my head just don't get along. ha
On a better note, I feel like I've been learning so much lately. Things are just clicking in my classes and it's wonderful. I can't quite put into words yet everything I'm learning. I'm just seeing things in new ways. That happens when you start really trying to know God. The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know. It can be overwhelming.
On another positive note, I've got several friends coming to visit me this week and that makes me really happy. I just wish It wasn't midterm week, but it's ok. I think I'll be able to balance my time. Speaking of balancing time, it's time for some sleep so I can wake up for a full day of studying. Fun stuff.

The Missionary Call

2010-02-28T21:57:00.004-06:00

I'm reading this book for one of my classes, and I absolutely love it. I'd recommend it to anyone whether or not they're considering missions. I just want to quote a paragraph of the book that really stood out to me and spoke to me.

"God teaches us in His Word that we should be wise in our choices and how we invest our lives. However, we should rest in the sure knowledge that He is sovereign over every detail. Proverbs 16:9 teaches, 'The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.' When we need guidance the path of wisdom is to trust Him, not our own devices. Proverbs 3:5-6 states, 'Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.' The wisdom in God's Word gives great guidance and great peace in the process of seeking His will."

I've been learning what it means to really trust God, so this paragraph just really spoke to me. I love the verses he quoted here. There's not much more I want to say really other than you should read this book. Seriously. -Allison-

Praying through Scripture

2010-02-27T22:21:00.003-06:00

We've talked about praying through Scripture in my personal spiritual disciplines class the other day. Dr. Whitney encouraged us to pray through a Psalm each day. You don't have to get through the whole Psalm, but if you do and you want to keep going all you have to do is keep flipping pages. He said to just go line by line and pray anything that comes to mind. It gives a whole new depth to prayer. To choose a Psalm to pray through he gave us a method where you look through 5 Psalms and choose one to pray through. To get these 5 Psalms you start with what day it is and add 30 to that number. So today is the 27th so the Psalms would be 27, 57, 87, 117, 147. Dr. Whitney said it's uncanny how one of those Psalms will be just what you need that day and I can testify tonight that he is right. Psalm 147:3-5 really stood out to me tonight.

"He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure."

Those verses are just so fitting for me right now. I've been experiencing a broken heart. It's rough, but it is wonderful to know that the God who numbered the stars and gave them their names, cares about me, and that his understanding is beyond my measure. Wow. Great is the Lord is right. -Allison-

2010-02-18T19:04:00.003-06:00

Don't know what has possessed me to write on here again. It's been a while, and a lot has happened since I last wrote in here, but if you know me, you probably know what's gone on in my life over the past year, and that's not why I'm coming back to this anyway. I just feel like writing and sharing some things I've been learning with whoever may stumble back upon this and decide to read it.

I'm taking a class here at seminary this semester called Personal Spiritual Disciplines (I recommend Dr. Whitney's book Person Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life) and it is such a great class for me. We've been talking about meditating on Scripture and having a good Bible reading plan. It has been really beneficial to me, which is kind of a "well duh" thing to say. Of course that's going to be beneficial, but I've struggled with being disciplined in my Bible reading. i hate that I have, and I hate admitting that, but it's the truth. We also have to have an accountability partner in this class and I love that.

One of the things we're supposed to do with our accountability partner is read through a Psalm. Yesterday when I met with my partner (Jamie), we read through Psalm 77. For some reason this Psalm just resonated with both of us. It's kinda long, but this is my blog, so I'll type it all out anyway.

1 I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.
3 When I remember God, I moan;
when I meditate, my spirit faints.
4 You hold my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old,
the years long ago.
6 I said, "Let me remember my song in the night;
let me meditate in my heart."
Then my spirit made a diligent search:
7 "Will the Lord spurn forever,
and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?'
10 Then I said, "I will appeal to this,
to the years of the right hand of the Most High."
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
you have made known your might among the peoples.
15 You with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph.
16 When the waters saw you, O God,
when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
indeed, the deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
the skies gave forth thunder;
your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lighted up the world;
the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the sea,
your path through the great waters;
yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

I want to mention a few verses that stood out to me. First was verse 2, "In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted." I feel like I can relate to this. I know what it feels like to pray and ask why, but yet my soul just hasn't been able to be comforted. Sometimes things are just beyond my understanding. It's hard to accept. And slowly I feel like my soul has been able to draw comfort from seeking to understand God more. I've been learning not to be so me focused. A hard lesson to learn.

The next verse (well verses) that stood out was verses 12-14. "I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples." I thought it was pretty cool that meditating was mentioned here, when we've been learning about meditating on scripture in class. This set of verses just makes me want to shout "Amen!" and I'm not an "amen" shouter. ha But seriously, what god is great like our God?! God is for sure the God who works wonders. I have seen him work so many wonders in my life. It blows my mind. I don't deserve the blessings he has given me. I'm so unworthy of his love, yet he chose to love.

One thing I was telling Jamie about is that once again I've been learning that I need to be ok with being myself. I struggle with self confidence. More than I care to admit. But once again God has been smacking me over the head that he made me the way I am. He gave me the talents I have and I need to use them to glorify him. This may sound weird, but I'm thinking too highly of myself and too little of God if I think my talents are good enough for God to use. I'm not saying I don't need to improve, I'm just saying I need to stop thinking so little of myself and my abilities. God can use me in my weaknesses. In fact, if I'm weak, it shows just how much greater he is because he used me in spite of myself. I know this, but sometimes my head and heart have trouble connecting. I hope some of this makes sense. This is just a little glimpse at some things that have been on my mind lately. -Allison-

Wrapping Up

2009-04-27T01:03:00.004-05:00

Wow it's been a while since I've posted. Sorry about that for any who do read my blog.

Tonight was our last Swannanoa meeting of the year and therefore the seniors' last meeting. It hit me that this is really the end when we were singing "I Love You Lord" like we do to close every meeting. When I finally let myself think about the fact that this is the end and how much I really am going to miss everyone, that's when the tears came. I couldn't finish singing at that point and I know my hands were quivering holding hands with the girls on either side of me. I know my posts this year have had a lot of reflections about the end being near. Well it's really here now and while I'm excited about the future, at this moment I'm sad to be leaving...gah I'm pretty much bawling right now.

These four years of my life have definitely had their ups and downs, but overall it's been one of the best experiences for me. I've made memories that will last a lifetime. I'm going to miss so many people here. I know we'll keep in touch but it won't be the same. Being with people pretty much 24/7 creates a bond like none other. I have friends here who are like family to me now in the best and worst of ways. ha You know who you are and I'm going to miss you all more than you know.

I can't believe it's pretty much my last week. I can't even let myself think about the goodbyes. I hate goodbyes.

Spring Break is here!!

2009-03-13T10:29:00.002-05:00

Yay, spring break is finally here! I'm headed to Atlacomulco, Mexico for the week for a mission trip with my college ministry. It's supposed to be a safe area but still keep us in your prayers.

60 days!

2009-03-10T23:40:00.003-05:00

60 days until graduation! That's exciting and scary because I have so much to do before then. I'm slowly getting things checked off my list though. I'm ready for summer. I can't wait to be at camp again. We've been getting to enjoy some nice weather here for the past week and it's been amazing. I love being able to just sit outside for a while. That's one of many reasons I love camp...practically living outside. It's great. I wore shorts and a t-shirt today and wasn't cold. It was wonderful. I sat outside for about 2 and half hours tonight and caught up with some people over the phone and through facebook chat. :) It's supposed to be kinda cold again tomorrow so I had to make the most of this warm weather. On a completely different note, I got some awesome new converse shoes today and I love them! I love shoes a bit too much. They're a definite weakness for me. Well, just thought I'd give a little update. Time for bed. Must have sleep to function.

Growing up is a bit scary...

2009-02-24T23:50:00.004-06:00

...but exciting at the same time.

This year is going to be full of so many changes. As I said, growing up can be a bit scary and weird. Two of my best friends are getting married this year and I won't be surprised if more of my friends get engaged over the year. That's awesome but so weird at the same time. It's hard to believe I'm old enough to have friends getting married. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that I was graduating high school and now here I am in my last semester of college. By the way senioritis isn't just for high school seniors, it's striking me again. It's hard to want to do work when I just want to spend my last semester making the most of this time with friends.

Speaking of this being my last semester, I finally know for sure what I'm doing next year! I found out on my birthday (feb 4) that I got into Southwestern Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas! I'm so excited but scared at the same time. I just haven't let it sink in fully that I'll be moving about 7 hours away from my family and closest friends. Thankfully I do have friends in Texas and I know I'll make more, but starting over again and far away is a bit frightening. I had no idea going into my senior year that I was even going to apply to seminary, much less get in! I never would have guessed that. I'm glad God knows the plans he has for me even when I have no clue.

I realized this week that I'm going to have about 1 week home after I graduate. I graduate May 9th and have to be at camp the weekend of May 15th for leadership training and camp ends August 15th. I then have a mandatory orientation at Southwestern August 18th and the semester starts the 20th. Wow. I know God knows what He's doing, but I can't help but be scared about having to make such a quick transition. Goodbyes are so hard for me and I'm going to have to say so many hard goodbyes this year. I know I'll see my friends again and I know it will be ok, but it makes me cry just thinking about having to say bye to so many of the amazing friends I have here and moving so far away from my family. I know I've taken for granted how close I am to them. I haven't let myself really think about it until now because I knew I'd cry and I did. Moving on to the next stage of your life is hard. It's both thrilling and sad at the same time. I never knew I'd be so happy and sad about the same thing. ha This is definitely a huge step out of my comfort zone and I'm excited to see what God has in store for me. Please pray for me this year as I make so many changes and have to say hard goodbyes.

To all my close friends my prayer for you is Philippians 1:3-11:

3I thank my God every time I remember you. 4In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
7It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. 8God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Bleh

2009-02-12T12:29:00.002-06:00

Ugh I have been stinkin emotional lately and I hate it. I hate how busy I am. I want my friends back. I've been feeling a bit lonely lately and I hate feeling lonely almost more than anything else. I need my friends. I don't care what on earth we're doing, I just want to hang out. I don't mind my intership, but I wish it didn't have to take my afternoons away. I just want my friends to call me instead of me feeling like I'm always the one trying to get people to hang out. It makes me feel pathetic and unwanted. Being a senior isn't always the most fun because a lot of my friends have graduated or they've just become apathetic and don't seem to want to do anything anymore. Sorry about the depressed sounding blog, my emotions have just gotten the best of me this week. On a positive note I'm loving this weather. It feels amazing.

Spoons...

2009-01-20T08:04:00.003-06:00

...is a very violent game when playing the version where you have to run across the room to grab a spoon or wadded up piece of paper in this case. I had a chair thrown at me. ha We're intense when it comes to card games. Anyway not really the point of this post.

I've been learning even more about trust and listening to God lately. I'm not one of those people who has had a definite moment where I suddenly knew what I was called to do. I think God knew that he was going to have to give me little pushes to guide me considering a lot of things He's directed me to do are things I either said I wouldn't do or couldn't do in the past. I'm learning not to say I can't or won't do things anymore. Usually when I do I think God laughs and says wanna bet. I never thought I was one of the people called to do overseas missions, but more and more it's looking like that might be something in my near future. I don't think I'm called to be an overseas missionary forever but being part of a media team overseas has been on my heart since I went to Greece last spring break. Another thing I didn't know I'd ever do was go to seminary. I just didn't think it was for me because for one I didn't know they had anything in seminary to do with my field. Turns out I was wrong and I just finished my application the other day. I also never thought I'd get to fulfill my dream of being a camp counselor that I always had when I was younger and attending camps, well that got to happen last Summer and it was amazing. I said I'd never take a leadership position at camp...well like I said I should learn not to say never because I very well may be taking the photographer position this Summer which I can't help but see as God's timing. I mean I'm looking into going overseas and doing photography and what happens, God places a job in my hands that can help prepare me for that and couldn't be a more perfect Summer job for me. Wow.

I'm not nearly as scared of graduation as I was at the beginning of the year. Yeah, I'm still sad to be leaving my friends and I think that will probably hit me really hard at various points throughout the year, but I'm seeing more and more that God has a plan for me. I mean I knew that, but it's different to know that and to really trust that. When I started college I had no idea that I'd be where I am now. I used to think I wasn't good enough to do missions. I told myself I couldn't do something like that and I couldn't do leadership positions because all the people in those positions seemed so much better than me. Gah. I'm so glad I've gained confidence since those days. I still struggle, sure, but I'm learning. Sometimes it just takes a beating over the head for some things to sink in with me.

The other day the lyrics to an Avalon song struck a chord with me. It's not even my favorite song of theirs but when I was listening the lyrics seemed to be very fitting for me right now.

I've had a world of possibilities
Slip through my hands
And prayers that went unanswered
That I couldn't understand
There's a faith that can move mountains
But I never let it move me
I only trust in things that I could see

So much frustration in trying it alone
I've had the revelation I can't make it on my own

Deep in my heart
Deep in my soul
There was always something missing
Now you've got my full attention
I give you my life
Surrender control
I finally learned to listen to the call
I give you my all

There are moments in the journey
Where I wonder where you are
And sometimes I forget
That you live inside my heart
It's then I hear you whisper
"I've been here all along"
And I'm in the hands of mercy where I belong

A silent conversation when you speak to me
It's the sweetest inspiration and all I'll ever need

Burnout

2009-01-13T23:35:00.002-06:00

I don't know if burnout is the right word for this funk I feel like I'm in or not. I love MC, but I wish I had more time to do what I want. I feel like so many of my relationships with people have been slipping away. I'm not sure if it's anyone's fault really but it makes me sad. We're all too busy. It seems lately that Alex and Molly are my main friends. Which I'm ok with but I wish all our other friends would hang out with us more. It's my last semester and I want to make the most of it. I'm really excited about this Summer but I'd like to be able to enjoy the here and now too. I miss the late nights of last year. There are a lot of things I don't miss about last year, but we had some really good times last year and I miss it. A lot. Can we all just hang out again? Please? Maybe part of this funk is God helping me prepare for the change that is going to come with graduating. I don't know. I just know I don't like feeling this way and I need my friends.

Time for change

2009-01-12T00:03:00.007-06:00

In the morning I have my last first day of classes ever at MC. That's so weird to think about. I can't believe I'm in my last semester at MC. Wow. It's so weird to look back on the past years. I never knew I would change so much. I'm so glad I did though. I will miss this place a lot. I think this Christmas break may have flown by faster than any other. It was a good one, and for once I was sad to have a break end. I'm usually incredibly bored by the end of a break but I kept pretty busy this time and had the most amazing last week of the break I could really ask for seeing as I got to go back to camp for reunion. Oh how I miss that place. I know people get tired of hearing about it but no one can really understand unless they've been there. It was just such a good refreshing time with friends from the Summer and with a beautiful environment. We saw the prettiest sunset ever over Lake Travis. I need to enlarge my picture of it so anytime I'm have a rough day I can look back at that sunset and be reminded of how amazing God is. Wow. Pictures don't even really do it justice. The weirdest part of being back at camp besides the fact a lot of people weren't there was having Alex and Derek there. It was like I was kinda combining my two separate worlds. Even though Alex worked there the Summer before me it felt weird being there with him. He agreed. It wasn't a bad thing, just weird.

Speaking of camp, one more way this year is bringing about change for me is that I was asked to think about being the camp photographer this Summer. I'm excited about the idea, and I think I'll take it, but I never thought I'd accept a leadership position because I love being in a cabin so much. There are a lot of things I love about camp that will be different being on leadership. I've been going over the pros and cons constantly. This seems to be God's timing though. I mean photography is one of my passions and I'm graduating this semester so having a higher up job would look better. The timing just couldn't have been more of a God thing. I just couldn't say yes right away because it's hard to give up some things about camp that I'll have to give up being on leadership such as having a cabin, I'll have to be neutral in team comp (harder than you think. ha), being in a department...the pros seem to outweigh the cons. I guess I'm just afraid I'll lose some of those bonding moments that the things I have to give up bring, but if I'm intentional with people I can still bond, and I get to go to every activity and be with everyone. So really it's a winning situation. It will be hard to be neutral in team competition because I absolutely love team comp. You better believe I'm bringing my all during counselor week if I can't the rest of the Summer because that's one of my favorite things about camp. Lonestar for life! ha Anyway just pray for me in all the changes I'll be going through this year. I think it will be a good year, but change is never easy.

The sunset we saw over Lake Travis:

Year End Reflections

2008-12-26T23:50:00.005-06:00

So as the year comes to a close I think it's time for my year summary. I was reading back through my summary of last year which you can see in this post: and it's so weird to think of everything that has happened since I've been at MC especially in the past two years. wow. I've had an amazing college experience. It's weird to think that I only have one more semester. That still scares me but I'm coming to terms with it. I think more than anything I'm just sad to be leaving my best friends. There's just no better bonding time than college. I can't imagine not having these people around me all the time but I know that God has good plans in store for me and I'm excited to see what those plans are, but yes, nervous at the same time because I really don't know what those plans are. I've decided that I have to live this semester to the fullest. I want to do any and every crazy plan my friends have because I don't want to miss out on fun opportunities with them my last semester. I mean nothing too stupid or anything. ha I've been truly blessed to have some of the best friends a person could ask for while I've been at MC...gah I'm starting to cry as I write this. ha I can't help it. I'm really going to miss all the late nights in the church activities building, all the random road trips, the functions, everything basically. ha Thank you to all of my friends for being such great friends. 2008 has been another great year and I'm going to make the most of this last semester. Anyway, after all that rambling, here's my year summary. (Btw if it weren't for pictures I would have a lot of trouble remembering back to what happened all the back in January. ha)

January
• Hung out with Erin, Nance, and the guys for New Years

• Bets and Alex came to visit at my house before the break ended.

• School Resumes

February
• Had a fun night out with Bets

• My 21st Birthday
• Spring Rush

• Passion Conference in Dallas with Erin

• Started job as an office assistant at M.A.C.

• Intramural Basketball begins...Killer Rabbits!

• ST/Shwareth Flag Football Swap

March
• Pre-Greece Mission Project (Cleaned up at Calvary)

• Interviewed and got the job at Camp Balcones Springs for the Summer!

• ST/Civitan Broomball Swap

• Vision of You tour at FBCC (Shane & Shane, Bethany Dillon, Starfield, David Nassar)

• Greece!!!
- Spent a week in Athens on a mission trip.

- Was on a small team walking around inviting people to a coffee shop thing we were putting on.

- Got a little lost...Meredith and I now know the difference between two of the squares.

- "You are my heart."

- Souvlaki and Crepes. Yum.

- Went to Corinth and saw where Paul preached.

• Grab-a-Date Dodgeball

April
• Went to Birmingham with Linds and Lolly for a Dave Barnes concert.

• FBCC Beach Retreat

• ST/KT Crush Party

• ST Informal

-Mitch needs to watch shoving the crippled. ha
• Stacey's Wedding

• Fun night out with some ST girls

• ST/Shawreth Crawfish Boil

May
• Late night trip to New Orleans.

• Semester comes to a close.

• Last late night hangout at the activities building.

• Goodbye for Summer breakfast at Chic-fil-a with Lindy and Lolly.

• Kidnapped Alex with Bets

- yay classic old movies such as Milo and Otis, The Great Mouse Detective, etc.

- Mmmmm hot krispy kreme doughnuts

• Many late night discussions with a good friend over the computer.

- Discussions led to our friendship becoming stronger and very much brother/sister like. lylas! ha

- Are we ever going to write that book? ha

• Deep discussion with one of my best friends about who I am.

- Challenged me to be more confident.

• Erin's Birthday

• Lindsey's High School Graduation

• Head to camp for to begin work week and orientation!
- Found out I'm on ropes and went through intense certification training.

- Became a Lonestar! 5 Bullets Baby!!! (won counselor week)

- Found out my 1st term co is Audrey and we're in Goodnight Cabin with girls going into 6th grade.

- Started the most amazing Summer of my life. :)

June
• Term 1

- C Compound, Goodnight Cabin with 8 going into 6th grade girls and Audrey as my co

- Challenging but fun.

- Went to get dessert with some girls for Morgan's birthday on my 1st Selah.

• Term 2

- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! A is for what...Awesome! A Compound, Parker Cabin.

- Laura is my co. Enough said.

- Sweet girls but a bit crazy at times. Who pees on another girls luggage? I mean really?

- Substitute camp photographer

- Tough term, but loved the atmosphere of A Compound.

July
• Term 2 Ends

- There was some definite relief.

• Term 3

- Found out I have the best co ever aka Morgan!

- Also had the best group of girls ever in Hogg Cabin which is the youngest C Compound Cabin. Absolutely loved them!

- Jumped off the power pole

- Amazing Term.

August
• Term 3 and my time at CBS Ends. :(

- Best Summer of my life.

- Cried when saying by to my term 3 campers.

- Cried more when saying good by to counselors.

- Blew a tire on the way home.

- "I, I, I want you to know I need you!" "CBS the place for me!!!!"

• FBCC Wired Leadership Retreat

• Linds and I stayed a night at Alex's house.

- Discovered the delicousness of greasy goodness at the Kozy Kitchen. ha

• ST Officer Retreat

• Erin is engaged!!

- Wedding is June 13th and I'll be a bridesmaid.

• Senior Year Begins

September
• FBCC Retreat at Camp Wesley Pines

• Rush/Rush Skits

• Tailgates

• School starts getting crazy busy.

October
• Squeal Night-Yay awesome new pledge class! Love them.

• Rush Stuff

• Family Weekend

• Fair

• Fall Break trip to Texas!!

- Got to see Morgan, Amanda, Camille, Lauren, Edgar, Nance, Tessa, and Kiki.

- Went to Dallas and Waco

- So much fun.

• Homecoming

- Follies

- Parade

- Tailgate

- ST Mother/Daughter Tea

• Began to live in the activities building almost as much as my dorm.

• ST/Shawreth Halloween swap

November
• Lindsay's Birthday

• Mystery Date

• Sent in reapplication and contract to work at camp again this Summer!

• Went down to Southern with a group of girls for a free Dave Barnes concert.

• FBCC Thanksgiving Feast

• Alex's Birthday

• Formal in Memphis

- Turn LeFt

- "There is no straws" at the Memphis Zoo

- Crazy fire alarm wake up call

• Started running and decided to register for a half-marathon

• Thanksgiving Break

December
• Lighting of the Quad

• FBCC and ST Christmas Parties

• Insane amount of school work.

• Went crazy studying for exams.

• Survived the semester.

• Christmas Break

• Erin's Graduation

• Roadtrip with Molly to Carrollton to visit Alex

• Christmas

It's been a good year and it definitely flew by. It was a busy year. This next year is going to be a year of change. I'm graduating which is crazy. It's true when people say college flies by. It most certainly does. I've loved it. I've had my good times and bad times, but overall I've loved it. It should be interesting to see what's in store for me this upcoming year. I'm starting it off with a half-marathon and a trip to Texas. Should be fun. :)

YAY CHRISTMAS BREAK!!!!!

2008-12-16T10:40:00.003-06:00

I survived!!!!!!!! I made it through my toughest semester to date! Yay! It feels so good to be done! I can't believe I only have a semester left. Weird. I'm gonna miss this place. P.S. If you're bored and want to waste about 9 min of your life you should watch the video that has recently been tagged to me on facebook. It shows how crazy my best friend, Alex, and I go when studying for Greek. We made it through the semester though and I'm done with Greek because it doesn't work with my schedule next semester so I get to sit back and watch the rest of my classmates who are sticking with it go crazy. woohoo. ha It's so nice knowing I won't have to take finals next semester since I'm a graduating senior. yay! Yay Christmas Break! You're finally here!

Almost There...

2008-12-12T23:49:00.002-06:00

Greek exam monday, Art for Children lesson plan presentation monday, and Illustration project due and quiz on Tuesday...so close. Tuesday is almost here. I don't think I've ever wanted a break more. Counselor reunion is in less than a month as is my half marathon. I need Christmas break.

Christmas Break Can't Come Soon Enough...

2008-12-04T23:06:00.004-06:00

1 webdesign project and presentation, a French skit and collection of stuff about French culture, 1 art for children lesson plan and presentation, 5 portfolio projects, 1 illustration project, and 4 exams to go until Christmas break. I need this break. This has been a crazy, stressful semester. It hasn't been bad just stressful. Good news...I have an intership for next semester! I'm nervous about it but it's going to be really good experience! Pray for me when you think about it. I'm so ready to be at camp this summer where while I'll be dealing with some stress it's completely different and I can't wait. I need camp.

Emotional Extremes

2008-11-30T19:15:00.003-06:00

How is it that I can go from one emotion to the opposite emotion in the span of oh 5 min? Ugh. I'm so, so happy for all of my friends right now. Most of my best friends are dating great people now and I'm really happy for them. I think they've all made great choices in who they're with. Then it hits me that I'm pretty much the last one in my group of best friends who is still single. I'm ok with that, but does it have to be pointed out that I had a chance. Don't you think I know. I know I'm picky. I don't want to settle. I refuse to settle. Don't you think I've thought about and prayed about it, well I have. Words hurt you know. I don't need my flaws pointed out. I do it enough to myself. You know I could hurt the person who just hurt my feelings with words really bad if I wanted to but I'm not going to do that. It won't do any good and I don't like to fight. I just wish that people wouldn't prick at the sensitive areas in my life like that. Anyway, to my best friends, I love you all and I'm really extremely happy for you. Good choices all around. Now if you know of any guys for me...jk. It will happen. I have faith. :) -Pidge-

Home

2008-11-29T15:32:00.003-06:00

Coming home makes me sad sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I love my family. What makes me sad is that I just sit at home not hanging out with anyone because my friends from home don't have time for me anymore if they even come home anymore, and most of my friends from school live too far away. We're all just too busy for each other and it stinks. I'm all about quality time. A lot of my friends don't seem to get the fact that I don't care if we're doing anything all that fun and exciting I just like hanging out. Just spend some time with me. That's all I ask. I'm fairly easy to please I think. Why do my closest friends have to live in places like Monroe, Carrollton (yes you're from Carrollton face it), Florida (geez move to MS please!), West Point, etc. Oh and I can't forget my camp friends, they live in TX and OK! gah. Ok enough whining. I just want my friends. That's all. But without the school work that generally accompanies being with them. If only. oh well.

2008-11-25T23:14:00.002-06:00

I'm so thankful for friends who take care of me. It's not fun getting sick at school where you don't have your mom there to take care of you and provide sympathy, but some of my friends were there for me when I got dehydrated and threw up last night and it meant a lot. So thanks, Sarah Grace, Molly, and Alex for being there for me. :)
I'm glad it's Thanksgiving break. A break from school and chance to sleep is nice, although I will be doing a lot of work over the break, but at least I can do it at my own pace with less pressure.
I can't believe this semester is almost over. It's flying by. I feel like I've just been trying to keep up this semester. It's been crazy. I'm almost halfway through my senior year. wow. I might be going to seminary next year. I'm praying about it. I'm not sure yet, but it's good having some set options. No matter what I do, unless somehow I wind up staying in Clinton, I'm going to miss my MC friends like crazy. They're like family to me. I at least know my Summer plans. There are going to be at least 5 of us from MC working at camp this Summer. I can't wait to go back. I miss that place like crazy. It's going to be fun getting to work there with Alex. Working with one of my best friends will definitely be fun.
Random Fact: "There IS no straws" at the Memphis zoo. haha
Formal was this weekend which was fun. We had a somewhat random but fun group. We were rudely awakened by the most obnoxious alarm ever in our hotel sunday morning. That was interesting. Overall it was a pretty fun weekend.
OK so i'm watching tv and I'd really rather not see commercials about male enhancement. I mean, really? gah. "You have nothing to lose but a lot to gain." Really, really? I don't want to hear that when I'm watching tv. Kthanks. gah.
Sorry about this rambly post. Just felt like writing. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Refreshing

2008-10-21T00:22:00.004-05:00

This weekend was refreshing. I love being outdoors. I think seeing the night sky full of stars is a good way to bring back perspective on life for me. I realized I need to take time to relax and get my focus right more often. I let myself get distracted by business often and don't give God the time He deserves. This has got to be fixed. I was in my element this weekend sitting around a fire outside praising God and relaxing with friends. It made me miss camp. I really think camp brought out the best in me because I was in my element being outside and around kids all the time. I knew I had to be a leader for those kids and so I stepped up to that postion and it was exactly what I needed. I'm sure a lot of people get tired of hearing me talk about camp, but I can't help it. Unless you've experienced it firsthand it's hard to describe how great it was for me and hard to get people to understand. I actually enjoyed being cut of from the world for a little bit this weekend by turning off my phone and spending time focusing on God and the friends I was with. Sometimes being disconnected is refreshing. I think it was just what I needed. The only downside of the weekend is that I think it might have brought on sickness. boo. I've been running a slight fever which is no fun. Hopefully I'll be feeling well again soon.

2008-10-18T13:21:00.002-05:00

So Fall Break was amazing and went by so incredibly fast. I knew I missed my camp friends but I don't think any of us realized just how much we missed each other until we saw each other again. Such a fun, refreshing break. We hung out in Dallas, ate good food, had good quality time together, went to a random runway show, went salsa dancing, got to see two campers, drove down to Baylor, and just had a lot of fun. I love Texas, and I miss camp so much still. I'm pretty sure I'll always be missing camp except when I'm there. ha I can't wait until reunion when we get to see even more people from camp. Since it's probably going to be at the end of Christmas break we'll most likely go over to Dallas early to hang out with people before we go down to camp. I wasn't ready to get back to the real world of school this past week when we got back but at least it was a short week. I can't believe this semester is already about halfway over. geez. I don't like to think about how fast it's going. Too bad I can't stay in college with my friends forever. haha It's just weird to think about the fact that several of my friends are getting married and that we'll all be finding real jobs soon. Why does college have to fly by so fast? Well, time to be packing for ST campout. I hope I don't freeze to death tonight.

:)

2008-10-09T10:57:00.002-05:00

So I'm not leaving until saturday morning now, but that's ok because now I get to go shopping with my mom tomorrow and eat my dad's cooking at home! yay! We're leaving saturday morning driving to Dallas and hanging out with Amanda and Morgan and staying with Amanda. Sunday we'll stay at Nancy's apartment and probably see some other camp people. Then Monday we're driving down to Waco to see Paige and Tessa and staying there monday night then tuesday morning it's back to MC. I'm super excited! It's going to be a very fun break. I've missed my camp friends a ton and the break from school will be nice. Thankfully my business has slowed down a little. I don't mind being busy but it had gotten a little overwhelming a couple weeks ago. While I abosultely love being around people and going constantly, I'm an introvert by nature so I need my me time to just sit down, relax, and read a good book. Reading is my escape. I love it.