milk and honey.

today we had our first section 3 event to milk and honey.

there were 8 students, which i'm pretty stinking happy about!

we had a great time talking and getting to know each other more.

first day of class went really well and i don't have much to do yet.

but i know i need to enjoy it cause that will change so fast.

have lots to do this semester and am a bit overwhelmed but trying to stay calm.

i only had 2 classes, and only 1 tomorrow.

and this time tomorrow i will almost be 21 years old.

how crazy and how fast did this happen!  

my mother is a bit irritated that i am going out with friends to get a drink.

but i have no intentions of getting drunk, so i don't see the issue.

we did some room re-arranging today. room looks good.

annnnd i have an awesome professor.  dr. miller is awesome.

he is my history prof and i strongly dislike history--but so did he.

i'm hoping he will make the class super fun and worth every minute.

he runs mega races {100 miles!} so i like him already!

{and a flashback to the student olympics....me covered in whipped cream}

i feel so loved by friends and it's not even my bday.

it's going to be a good year.

flashback and elizabeth.

here are some pics that were just posted from our retreat.

i almost forgot these things happened!

{we had a corn eating contest.  sara stomped them}

{me and jackie!}

{hiking}

{more hiking}

{we went hiking.  and got a small group pic.  kinda dark but whatever}

and today was elizabeth's 20th bday!

we went to an amazing restaurant for dinner called gervasi.

it's absolutely gorgeous and i can't believe it is in ohio.

then, several of us went to taggarts for ice cream.

i am so blessed by this woman and love her more than words express.

here are some pics of the day.

{colleen, eliz, me.  wowzers!}

 

{again}

{candid}

 {sexy ladies}

then tonight sean g. and i went to the verge--a worship service on campus.

it was pretty good but went a little long.  i know that is mean to say but i mean it in the nicest way possible.  they had some people share what was on their heart (which is awesome) but takes a while sometimes.  

i can't believe tomorrow starts junior year.

hoooooly cow.  how did this happen?!

i only have two classes tomorrow, so that's not horrible.

pray for me as i embark on this junior level journey.

God is so good and i know He will get me through it all.

{hello there}

elizabeth, you are such a blessing and i love you so much.  i am so blessed that you are my suite mate and i can't wait to get to know you even more this semester.  i can't wait to see the fun adventures that we embark on this year.  it is going to be crazy fun, and i'm ready for every bit of it! you're the best and deserve nothing but just that.

but for now?

peace....i'm out.

last day of orientation

well, toady was the last day of orientation.

this morning one of my students told me that she was out at a club the other night and woke up not knowing where she was.  so she got tested for date rape and has been dealing with that. 

wow.  was not expecting that.

pray for her in this tough time.

then there was a slip n slid at chaos day and we got muddy.

it was so fun, and my first time participating.

then there was the main event in the quad.

sean and i had to run the slide for an hour and just talked about life.

throughout the main event, sean and i played about 10 rounds of corn hole.

and can i just tell you that i improved drastically throughout the night.

i was horrible at first and was getting pretty good by the end.

and by pretty good, i mean i would put the bean bag in the hole when we had 20 pts.

for those of you who don't know, that puts you over 21. and if you go over, you go back to 13 pts.

so that's NOT a good thing to do.  oops. 

the first time no one even told me that because they didn't think i would get it in and didn't want me to worry about it.  so i showed them....just kidding :]. 

its the last event as CAs.  

we also splatter painted today but i'm going to miss them.

i surely hope to see them all again so so soon.

i can't believe tomorrow is sunday. meaning the day before classes.

so not ready for this to begin.

p.s....pics of all these events will be up soon.  i have none so i am waiting for them to be posted so i can steal them!

into the streets.

this morning 2 of my students didn't show to a seminar.  uh oh.

was worried it was a rough start, but they joined us later.

i found out one of my students has a child.  but it's not his....it is his gf's and he has been the father figure for the last year.  the child is not quite 2. and if you ask me, i'm beyond impressed with this 'dad'. to take that responsibility willingly?  man.  good stuff.

then about half of the class got lunch together!

i was so overjoyed because i thought no one would show.

what a fabulous surprise.

today was into the streets and we scraped and painted a house.

i lead a group and i was so worried we would get lost.

so go figure, i couldn't get the seat to move up. 

then, i was not sure where to go.

luckily, they were all good sports about it and someone had a GPS on their phone and was able to get really clear directions that way.

thank goodness for technology!

once we were there it was not too bad--but several of the students i had didn't do much work at all.

and someone took a nap. how embarrassing is that.......SUPER.

but i met a new friend (lots actually) named kyle r. and he is pretty nice.  he would work while i spotted his ladder, then we would switch.  we had a good system going on.

and i got to talk for a while with a student named nathaniel {he is one of marcia and avery's students}.  he is autistic and one of the sweetest young men.  he did a great job holding conversation and it was unbelievable to see how willing he was to work hard--much harder than most of the others!

then the palace showed cars 2 for the movie tonight.

a  bunch of the CA's went together and alex s. joined us.

i'm so exhausted that i couldn't even follow a disney movie.

i probably asked a million questions...for a pixar movie...that has very little plot!

pathetic, i know.

flashback: here is a pic from the orientation weekend.

someone just posted on fb and i wanted to share.

i'm willing to place money on the fact that this was during the game pterodactyl.

you have to say 'pterodactyl' without showing your teeth. and if you make a screeching dinosaur noise it reverses the direction which the game goes.  it's stinking hilarious. 

i'm pretty sure this is right after abby did a stellar screeching noise.  i wish i could reenact it.

sean commented that tonight was our last event together {dinner at chick-fil-a before the movie}. 

it made me slightly devastated.

i hate this time. training ends. school starts. we don't see each other very often at all.

but i'm trying to savor it. and hoping to do a better job at getting together with other CA's throughout the semester.

also, sean told me his trip to zimbabwe might be delayed due to some governmental uproar. yikes.  they were crushed.

not to mention, i was hoping to do my cross cultural trip with them.

pray for everything and everyone in the situation.

i get to sleep in tomorrow. 

and hopefully get more than 7 hours of sleep. 

MAN.

bring. it. on.

section 3: camp gideon!

today we went to camp gideon.  

we did the blind polygon, and they ROCKED it.

then we did the web, the wall, and some rope courses.

it was pretty good--a couple of the girls were red lights and that was frustrating that they seemed to not be pushing themselves at all.  but i tried to be sensitive to that.

i love getting to know them more and more and hope to continue the process.

here are some pics to enjoy.....but first, a pic of last year....in honor of my section 25!

{CA class, 2010}

{blind polygon}

{the web! catherine going through}

{the wall.  all completed!  in 25 short minutes}

{some ropes course with summer}

{section 3!}

{nik, carl, josh, maurice, matt, logan, brandon, mike, scott, me, emily, catherine h., melissa, catherine m., carissa, summer, haylee (my favorite so far--not that i have one!), and kadi!}

into the streets tomorrow.....i'm exhausted.

it took every ounce of me to not fall asleep during our meeting.

we went to chipotle for dinner then had karaoke tonight.

we did 'all star' (as in, hey now you're an allstar, get your game on, go play) and it was a blast.

i'm sure we looked ridiculous but whatevs.

i can't believe it is already thursday.  the days are flying by!

section 3: new student olympics!

so today i met the class...and it was fabulous! 

they all did great connecting and i can't wait to see how the semester goes.

tonight, we had new student olympics and here are some pics.

i would like to point out that we got 3rd in the first event {marshmellow passing on a spoon} and 2nd in the egg toss.  yes, i was able to throw and catch an egg across a huge field.  i was just as impressed.  although, it did drop and roll several times--but it never broke!

{well, hello rachel!}

{big shoe pile!}

{cup with holes, going into bucket=one wet CA}

{my awesome roomie}

{full group...minus chrissy.  joey, ryan, brittan, sean, peter, mat, kayleigh, becca, hannah, nicole, akash, julia, joe, rachel w., jenny, avery, luke, kara, abby, me, julia,  sara, jackie, alivia}

{silly faces--with chrissy!}

my group is awesome....really.  

we head to camp gideon tomorrow and i'm excited to bond more.

by the way, my eyes still burn from the whipped cream....just in case you were wondering!

off to see my ex-suit-ie rach!

thrift bowling and my freshmen come tomorrow!

last night was thrift bolwing.

we all had a theme and then had $20 to spend at goodwill.

lots of photos, not much talking today.

{peter, abby, britt, julia, kayleigh--holiday!}

{me, matt, chrissy, joey, rachel--cavemen!}

 {kara, luke, sean, hannah, ryan, jackie--saved by the bell}

 {joe, sara, akash, nicole, jenny, avery--80's}

{roomie love!}

we split into different teams for bowling.  

{my teams score. julia, joe, akash, me.  we won! and got an extra cherry at the ice cream place for the prize. score. i'm sad to say i'm the only one not over 100 (sigh).}

{me, sean, julia--some of last years small group!}

{the winning team!  me, akash, julia, joe!}

{getting ice cream}

{one half of the group}

{the other half}

people tried to tie cheery stems with their mouths and it was very entertaining.

i gave up cause it was taking so long.

my students come tomorrow.  

carissa, brandon, haylee, logan, emily, matthew, summer, catherine, h., joshua, scott, michael, catherine m., melissa, katherine, and maurice.

i'm praying for them all as they get ready to embark on this journey.

i can't wait to see how we all interact.  i'm so giddy!

if i knew what going on a 1st day was like, my guess would be that this is it!

i hope i feel comfortable and confident.

1 day till my class comes, 1 week till my bday.

holla.

retreat complete!

wow.  lots of thoughts going on and so much fun is being had.

i'm so tired and can't wait to write about it all (i'm afraid i'll forget!).

today we did thrift bowling and had a blast. 

those pics will come tomorrow.

here are some pics from earlier in the week.

{my awesome small group.  kelsey, for some health reasons, is no longer with us.  our new CA is in the works.

matt, rachel, chrissy, joey, kelsey and i}

{us gals at the pond: kara, jackie, hannah, sara, rachel, abby, chrissy, jenny, kayleigh and i.}

and at one point, julia, joe, kara, brittan, ryan and i were in the pond and jumping off this big log in the middle.  dives, flips, and what not.  it was awesome. 

and this was hilarious.  peter was cold.  so naturally he used his shoe to stay warmer.

i wish i could write more.  cause i'm sure i have missed so much already.

i'm losing track of the days....my students come on wednesday!

soo excited.  a class of 15. should be a nice number.

retreat weekend

off to retreat we go!

kinda looking forward to it, and kinda not.

things going good so far and i'm so much less nervous than last year.

it's great to be a 'returner!'

and today at lunch i caught a goldfish in my mouth for the first time.

heck yeah!

day one of training!

day one of training...complete!

and can i say that i have the BEST small group ever.

me, rachel w, matt m, joey f, chrissy s, and kelsey c.

God is going to do amazing things through us, i can just tell.

everyone has already been so raw and open and i love it!

i' exhausted and have to be up early to do it all again.

prayers would be amazing right now.

i'm leading a small group and a bit un-sure of all i'm doing!

but tonight, the guys walked me back to my dorm cause i'm the only one in blossom {the dorm}.

how precious is that?!

well bed is calling.

some friends are sleeping in the quad tonight {mainly RA's} but i need to pass.

the whole sleep thing needs to happen more.  and i need work on that!  

happy wednesday world!

move in: junior year!

so long gville, hello malone!

yesterday i left home and arrrived at school.

yesterday morning lindsay stopped by to say goodbye, and it meant the world to me.

how kind of her to think of me and come say goodbye.

i will miss her and her fun personality so much.

move in took a while but we're all settled.

elizabeth had a sleepover last night, and julia's shelf kept falling during the night.

i slept horribly...these beds are NOT the same as a house bed! LOL.

this morning started training and for some reason i am super nervous.

i feel there is a lot of pressure and i worry about everything.

this morning we had a debate about whether you would find out the gender of your baby.

i said i would....and that was not a normal answer haha.

oh well.

my life for the next two weeks will be ka-razy.

i'm praying that everything goes great and God's purpose is shown in it all.

meetings in a few.

hope to be back soon!

yes and no.

today was my last day home for the summer.

i have lots of thoughts going through my head.

most prominent....where did this summer go?!?

yes, i am excited to be back and see everyone.

yes, i am ready to be away and on my own again.

yes, a bit of me is ready to forget that the family that means so much to me never wants to speak with me.  {cause here, i'm constantly reminded of that.}

yes, i look forward to the fun things that college students do and new adventures that will come along.

BUT

no, i am not ready for homework.

no, i am not ready to live in a teeny tiny space with no personal room.

no, i am not looking forward to having a limited amount of home cooked meals.

no, i am not looking forward to stress and everything that comes with another semester.

lucky for me, it's not my choice as to whether or not i can go back.  for i am.

today was rough day cause i owed my parents for their payment they made for school.

well the money just isn't there.  i'm short.  several thousands of dollars.

talk about a humbling and horrifying experience and conversation.

never have i felt so embarrassed.  that might be an overstatement but you get what i mean.

then, i got to say goodbye to some people here and that's always hard.

i have to keep telling myself that i will be back and it will (hopefully) go faster than i think.

i hung out with the ortens and they got me hooked to the Bachelor Pad.

man...i'm such a sucker for these shows!

jenny listened to me about the family issues and helped me process things.

it was sooo helpful to have another adult's opinion in the matter.

i also had one more round of chocolate chips and cheese-its.

i will miss them more than most.

now, if you'll please excuse me....

i need to go spend the last night in my big, comfy, bed.

surrounded by love.

today was rough but got better.

after last night and knowing it was my last day at church for a while.....it took a toll on me.

but i am so blessed beyond what i know or deserve.  

leona and brook had my back all morning when they found out about my convo the other night.  they know how much this hurts me and how much i needed support.

i can never thank them enough!

but the day progressively got better.

tonight there were baptisms at the church.

it was amazing to be able to welcome my new brothers and sisters in Christ.

then, kelsi and i got dinner and chatted for a good 2 hours.

she is like my soul mate: doesn't eat vegetables, has a HORRIBLE sense of direction...yada yada yah. 

but i got to talk to tyler again tonight for like 3 hours.

no joke.

she listened to me for hours and i got to hear about her time in buenos aires.

she is living the dream!

tomorrow is the last day to pack before i head out.

wish me luck!

big mistakes.

we blog about life, right?

the good, the bad, the ugly.

cause life is not always pretty.

and not always fun.

and not always rainbows and butterflies.

and not always what we think it will {or should} be.

tonight, i was reminded of all this.

i spent the night in tears. lots and lots of tears.

the family i nanny for and i had a rough conversation (i'm not ready to blog about it yet).

i unintentionally messed up.  and i am paying for it now.

i'm not even sure i will see them ever again--or only very sparingly.

but thanks to my friend kg, i feel a bit better.

i called her hysterical and said i needed to come to her house. 

cause going to my house was not a good option.

she listened to me for hours.  3 to be exact.  and i left after midnight.

i tell you.  i say it often...but i have the BEST friends.

and honestly?  it's nights like these i wish i was back at school.  away from (somewhat) real life.

where school is my focus. and friendships are thrown in for the ride!

i received this txt an hour ish after i left their house:

'just wanted to let you know that tonight sucked for all of us and i hate that'

to which i wanted to respond with some smart a** comment, such as 'well it didn't see like it!'. but knew better. much much better. and responded that i was sorry, again.

my heart hurts so much. and my head hurts just about as much.

i want to go crawl in a hole and die. 

bed will have to do.

{p.s..on a lighter note. today, em and i did tie dying as an early bday gift to me!  we had fun.  see for yourselves.  she is such a sweetie!}

{our shirts in their bags....tomorrow will reveal the final product!}

{me and em!}

feathers are for birds! and my hair.

remember yesterdays post?

about being a good daughter?  well i spoke too soon.

i tell ya, satan sneaks in at ANY chance he can get.

today....was BAD--to some degree.

it was great becuase i had a hair cut and a massage {which was amazing!}

bad? because mom and i went at it.

i won't go too into it because i know this is all one sided.

let's just say there were lots of tears, and i'm not a crier.

i tell ya.  it was one of those days where i couldn't do anything right.

mom was feeling like she is sacrificing everything (which she does!) and then i go get a massage.  but it's not a regular occurrence.  however, she thought i was being disrespectful because i had a hair appointment in columbus and she wanted to come, but i had to be back for this massage.  she interpreted it differently than i meant it to come out.  she was hurt and mad that she couldn't come with me and thought i wasn't working with her. i was trying, but i just had other appointments. she was also mad i didn't get a massage with a man at her church who is struggling financially.  i honestly didn't even think of him.  then she was mad that i have to go on a mission trip for school.....and she just bought me a car. she said i can only go if i reimburse her.  i'm hoping she was just having a rough day. a 'pitty-me-cause-i'm-a-mom-and-do-nothing-for-myself' kinda day.  that's what i'm praying. cause i'd like to leave on a good note for school.

my mother made me read about Jethro {moses' dad-in-law} and how moses listened to whatever he said--pointing out parental submission. i'm praying about how i am in the wrong. and need to have more convo about it.

my aunt leslie and her new bf are in town so we went to gma's and gpa's for dinner.

mom didn't talk to me ALL day//afternoon//car ride//evening.

but my grandpa is a whopping 84 years old.  he is still one handsome guy!

 while there, my sibs and i plotted on how we're going to go out for my bday.  and i'm super excited. they will go crazy, and i won't. they actually will probably enjoy themselves more than i will.  but it will be awesome to have a fun night out on the town!

and lastly, the other day, people were talking about the new 'feather' fab.

these feathers go into your HAIR. kinda like an extension.

i told someone: 'feathers are for BIRDS.  not my hair!"

today? i got feathers.  two of them to be exact. and they're blue!

and honestly?  i wish they were thicker!

i am bored with my hair, but not crazy enough to dye it, in case it turns out bad.

the feathers are fun.  not sure it was worth the price i paid for them, but whatevs.

{driving and taking a pic.  i DONT recommend. but my friends insisted. so i caved.}

{linds and kelsi got them too!  i made them send me a pic.}

they're adorable...i know.

my last weekend home starts tomorrow. yikes!

i'm bracing myself for my last bit of home for several weeks. which, honestly, home is not looking too hott on the radar.  days like today make moving in a taaaad bit easier, if you know what i mean :].

convictions of a college student

today i had my last bit of babysitting for the summer.

weird, huh? super bitter sweet. as hard as it is, i know i'll miss it like crazy.

today the kids made me some pics to put in my room at school!  

then, tonight was the womens b.s. and it was great.

we discussed miriam--and i realized i did not know much of anything about her!  

what an amazing woman of God who totally dealt with jealousy and other human emotions.

lindsay, (her sis) kelsi, cassie, and i all stayed late and had some ice cream with chocolate syrup. friends who eat together, stay together!

so at church on sunday, i had a convo with 2 moms.

one is the mom of a friend i graduated with {mrs. hosler} and the other i had just met {sean--brooks mom actually!}

well we got to talking and i was asking about olivia h. and her mom said 'well....we don't see her much'.

and somehow, we got on a convo about being a college student and how parents often feel we only come home when we want something.  and that they expect to see us tons when we're home, and then get disappointed when they dont see it. and how they feel they give and give and give....yet give nothing (but they both clarified that they know part of their job is to give with a joyful heart). 

now i know this seems like common sense. but for some reason, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

all this time i feel i've been a horrible daughter. never caring about much and only taking.

and i felt HORRIBLE. like, instantly felt convicted and knew i was supposed to hear this very thought.

yes, my mom and i struggle so much. 

but how much does she give for me? everything. 

and here i work all the time and then am out at bible studies and other events on my 'spare' time.

little of that is given to my family. and how sad is that?

i know i mean a lot to my parents, but hearing it changed everything.

hearing that we still do have a part of our parent's hearts and they still care so much....wow. my parents don't say that much. maybe that why i have continued going on the way i do.

but i want to encourage//challenge other college students--and challenge myself.

be attentative to our parents.

i made it a point to go on a walk with my mom that night. i was tired and didn't want to, but knew it would mean more than anything.

i know it's late in the summer (and almost 21 years late), but better late than never.

i'm trying to make more time for my mom this week. wish me luck!

big girl license.

today, i got my big girl license!

yes, i FINALLY got my horizontal 21st license. 

also, when i got my license it was the old 'white and red' ones. a couple months later they changed it to be pink and sparkly. so double points here!

since i'll be at school when it expires--and you can get them 30 days before--i went today.

don't worry, i still can't drink.  but at least it won't get expired.

and i would post a picture, but i'm pretty sure that would be totally unsafe of me.

let's just say my pic turned out really good for a license photo...score!

today i was productive and i can't believe i have to bbsit tomorrow.

now that i've been off, i'm liking the break.

tonight i ran into a good HS friend of mine, leah f.

{and by ran, i mean she lives around the corner and she was on her porch when i walked by!}

we used to have long talks on her porch about anything and everything in life.

we also used to watch grey's anatomy weekly together.

tonight we talked for a couple hours and it was so refreshing.

sometimes i feel i need to talk to those i've known for a while.  they just know me in a different light and i can recall many childhood things and they just get it.

it makes me sad that its been so long since we've done that.

i started thinking about my plan of action for packing.

the action will start here shortly.

but not till i get my hair cut, have a couple coffee dates, and get a massage :].

happy wednesday. the weekend is drawing near!