Katie-Gail has a blog! I'm excited! Give it a look sometime. She's a way-cool girl, so I'm sure she'll have some good stuff to say at times.

been doing my research...

I was reading up on Scott's posts the other day cause I've been lagging behind a little lately. One in particular got my attention. It mentioned a few things about the Catholic church and some different points of view concerning it. As I read the post, I was reminded that I am not totally sure how I feel about Catholicism. Today I decided to do something about that. After my devotions this evening, I pulled out the two books I have about various denominations and started "doing my research." It has been very informative and thought-provoking for me. I don't want to get started on it tonight for fear that I may stay up far too late writing, so I will share the details of my search tomorrow. Until then, sweet dreams.

sitting down...

Today was my first day back at work. It was good, but seven and a half hours of standing on your feet takes some getting used to. All went well, though. I remembered all my necessary cashieer skills! I'm glad I'm off tomorrow because that ensures that I can go to church tomorrow night to hear Danny speak. Thursday night the girls are supposed to be taking Erin out for her "bachelorette" night. Then the wedding's on Saturday. I'm really excited about that. I know it's going to be beautiful, and the reception should be a blast! That's about all the new news for now.

THIS is what I will be seeing in a little over two weeks! I can't wait!

13 days...

"Come away with me" by Norah Jones

Come away with me in the night
Come away with me
And I will write you a song

Come away with me on a bus
Come away where they can't tempt us
With their lies

I want to walk with you
On a cloudy day
In fields where the yellow grass grows
knee high
So won't you try to come

Come away with me and we'll kiss
On a mountain top
Come away with me
And I'll never stop loving you

And I want to wake up with the rain
Falling on a tin roof
While I'm safe there in your arms
So all I ask is for you
To come away with me in the night
Come away with me


14 days...

i'm getting bored...

I've been home a little more than 48 hours and I'm bored! I know that's about to change though, because church is tomorrow and then I start work. I don't work on Monday, but I've got to go in and fill out paperwork. Since I'll be at the mall anyway, I might do a little shopping. Work officially starts for me on Tuesday. I actually shouldn't be as bored as I am; I hung out at Allison's on Thursday night, and she and I went to the Nutcracker on Friday night with Eric and Andy. Between those two events, I did some running around with Mom, which included a trip to Target where I got a way-cool sweater and a pair of track pants. Today I went to Wal-Mart with Mom, which is nice, cause I just throw stuff in the cart that I want to get and she winds up paying for it! That's always nice. I got this awesome 8-hour lipstick... it's INCREDIBLE!! Seriously, I put it on in the car on the way home from the store, which was at like 1:00, and it still looks fresh at 10:00! I'm so excited! Smudge-proof lipstick... possibly the best purchase of my life! Andrew, you should be happy, too! (Whoa... that comment was a little out of line for me! LOL!) Anyway, the Christmas program is going on at church this weekend. I'm sad that I'm not able to be in it this year, but it just was not possible for me to learn all the music ahead of time and then make it to the last rehearsal before the performance. But I am really anxious to see it tomorrow night. I'm sure it'll be awesome. That's about all the exciting news in my life for now. Updates to come.

16 days till NY trip!!

home...

I've been at home for less than four hours and I already miss everybody. It's not the four hours, it's the month that lies ahead. But luckily (if that's what you want to call it) I'll be working for most of the break, and being that I work in retail and this is the holiday season, I'm sure I'll be staying busy. That, at least, should make the time pass a little quicker. And on the bright side, it's 18 days till our trip to New York!! YAY!! I am so incredibly excited! Anyway, I'm going in to meet with my manager tomorrow, and I should be starting work on Monday. And once again, work will be the story of my life for a while.

To all a good night!

PS I forgot to mention that I just got done watching the saddest movie ever made: "Riding in Cars with Boys." It's honestly heart-wrenching. If you've never seen it, watch it and then vow not to let yourself ever become like the characters in it.

a week has elapsed...

Yeah, the semester's flying by (or should I say flew by) and posting has not been top on the list lately. So for those who care, I'll start with the latest updates. Hmmm... where to begin... Well, for starters, life is crazy at times. There has been immeasurable amounts of drama at points here on campus and elsewhere. Most of it hasn't directly involved me, but I definitely heard about ALL of it. On a better note, Laci and Greg are dating, and Andrew and I are dating. We all went out for a double date on Friday and had a really good time. The weather's finally decided to turn cool here. I'm enjoying that so far. Oh, and the best news EVER... I get to go to New York City for New Year's Eve!!! I'm soooo excited! Krissy, Christina, Andrew, and I are taking a TRAIN up there and meeting Erica (cause she lives in Jersey) and we're staying at her house. I can't wait! Other than that, finals are this week and then I'm going home on Thursday. I'll work most of the break, other than the week of our trip. That's about all my news for now. If I think of anything else to write about I'll try to get a chance to post this week. Bye for now.

random quotes...

A mistake is evidence that someone has tried to do something.

You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts.

Better to let 'em wonder why you didn't talk than why you did.

Tact is the ability to close your mouth before someone else wants to.



I didn't intend for there to be a common theme among these quotes... they were just all from the same section of a book!

good times...

It has turned out to be a good week! Mostly everything has been wonderful. Today I only have one class, and after lunch I'm headed home for Thanksgiving break. That should be nice. Anyway, not much else to say today, except that I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving tomorrow. Later.

Torment. Excitement. A mixture. Anticipation. Fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of messing up. Excitement about the possibilities. Nervous about whether or not it's "right." Nervous about whether or not it's real. What if it's not real? What if it's an illusion? What if it is real? What then? What if I'm not making it up, not imagining? Then we have the real issue. Then I have to come face to face with a million other things. Maybe not a million. Maybe two or three. But they're huge. Huge like a million. Huge "other things." Are they worth the fear? I'm not sure. But until I have to face them or until they go away, the fear will remain. Patience. My advice to anyone else would be "have patience." I wish they would tell me that. "What are you going to do?" they ask. Do? I'm not going to do anything. I'm going to be me. I'm going to let life happen. I'm going to let things happen as long as I'm comfortable with them happening. When I become uncomfortable with things that are happening, I will take the necessary steps to alter the situation. It's not my place to "do" anything right now. It's my place to have patience. Patience to wait. So, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to wait. I'm going to be me and I'm going to wait and I'm going to do what I think is right at the right times.

And waiting is far harder than anything I could ever "do."

yay!!!

I'm having a particularly good day and just thought I'd share that. I usually have one class on Thursdays, but it was cancelled for today, so I got to sleep late. I got up, took a shower and stuff, and went to lunch. I hung out in the room for a little bit, and then went outside to enjoy the BEAUTIFUL weather and read my Bible a little. Brenna called me to find out where I was, and then she came and kidnapped me and we got smoothies and sat by the fort. It was wonderful... I haven't gotten to have a real conversation with her in FOREVER. I'm about to go lift weights with Krissy and Christina which I'm really excited about. Then, it's off to the Intramural soccer game to watch Andrew and his buddies. I like soccer games. I used to go during high school and shiver in the cold... good times. I've only been to one of the "real" soccer games here... it was pretty good. Tonight will be "just like old times" though because the weather's nice and cool. Okay, gotta go now. Later.

other quotes...

Let us realize that what happens round us is largely outside our control, but that the way we choose to react to it is inside our control.

The really happy man is the one who can enjoy the scenery when he has to take a detour.

Blessed is the man who digs a well from which another may draw faith.

Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.

All sunshine makes a desert.

quotes on love...

Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.
-James Baldwin

Restraint without love is barbarity.
Love without restraint commits suicide.

It is as absurd to pretend that one cannot love the same woman [person] always as to pretend that a good artist needs several violins to play a piece of music.

We like someone because. We love someone although.

Love is the passionate and abiding desire on the part of two or more people to produce together conditions under which each can be, and spontaneously express, his real self; to produce together an intellectual soil and an emotional climate in which each can flourish, far superior to what either could achieve alone.

second random post of the night...

I was just thinking about how in college you wind up becoming friends with the most random people. Not that the people in particular are random, it's just that you have no specific "reason" that you became friends with them. In high school, you are friends with the people who have the same interests/activities as you, but in college you meet people who live on your hall or eat lunch at the same time as you. It's rare that you actually are involved or interested in the same things, yet you become friends anyway. And it's a blast! How does that work? I'm not sure. But I'm glad it happens.

a little random and not thought out...

Okay, so I was thinking at the concert the other night about what non-Christians think of Christians. The typical stereotype is that we have no fun at all and we're quiet and reserved all the time. YEAH RIGHT!! And if asked to make an analogy of the Christian life, most non-Christians would liken it to something similar to a monastery. Honestly, however, I think my Christian life is a lot more like a rock concert! "Rock Concert Christianity".... that's what I'm gonna call it from now on! Seriously, though... if you think about it, true Christians who honestly believe what they say they believe are going to be excited/passionate about their faith. That doesn't mean we're going to bash people over the head with it; it just means it's the central aspect of who we are and we're going to be excited and passionate about it and enjoy it. Just like somebody's favorite rock band. If your favorite band is coming to town in a month, you basically count down the days till the concert and get more and more excited about it as it gets closer. Then, when you're actually at the concert, you're the most obnoxious you've ever been in your whole life 'cause being there is the most exciting thing you could possibly think of. You're passionate and excited about your favorite band because you (obviously) believe they are THE BEST in the world. And when you hear that someone else doesn't like them, you can't comprehend why not! Okay, I'm not going to try to connect every point of this to my analogy, but the basic point might be summed up in the last two sentences of it: you're passionate and excited about it because you believe it's the best and you can't understand why someone else wouldn't be. Furthermore, you want to expose them to it in hopes that they might gain the same level of excitement as you have.

I don't know if this made any sense to anyone, but it was in my head, so I wrote about it. As usual, it may only make sense to me, but I'm okay with that! Later.

WOO HOO!!!!

Guess what today is........ THE DAVID CROWDER CONCERT!!!!! It's the Passion concert with David Crowder and Chris Tomlin. I'm soooo excited!!! It's going to be incredible! It'll be a little different because I'll be with St. Augustine people and Jacksonville people at the same time, which doesn't usually happen too much. It'll be cool though. I'M SOOOO EXCITED!!! Did I say that already?!

Anyway, the first part of my week was a little hectic. My big case study paper was due on Monday and my huge classroom management plan was due on Tuesday. I was up till 2:30am Monday night. But the rest of the week has been particularly good. Wednesday most classes were cancelled for registration. I still had ASL at 4:00, but it was even a short class because we got to leave after our test. Speaking of registration, I got all my classes perfectly organized for the rest of my time here at Flagler. I just hope I actually get all the ones I signed up for because if I don't, that'll throw everything off. AND (this will mean absolutely nothing to most of you) Grammar Theory will count for a Social Science! That's exciting news! Fusion was awesome last night. Jill spoke. She's so good. Very powerful message. I hope she speaks again this semester. Today was a good day because I got to wear Krissy's cool pin-striped pants to my classroom observation. Then, when I came back I actually found a parking spot! A decent one! At Flagler, that is cause for excitement. For those who don't know, we get very creative with our parking here. A common statement is that if you don't feel like a contortionist when you get out of your car, get back in and try the parking again... you've got to get closer. Literally, you are only allowed to use 75% of a parking space here. If there are not 4 cars to every 3 spaces, something is wrong! Anyway, enough about Flagler's parking problems. I'm back to thinking about the concert tonight and how awesome it's going to be!!! And then, tomorrow Krissy, Erica, and Andrew are coming to my house! Yay! It'll be a fun weekend. That's about all for now. Tune in later!

Two songs...

"DELIVER ME" by David Crowder Band (words and music by John & Helena Marsh)

Deliver me out of the sadness
Deliver me from all of the madness
Deliver me courage to guide me
Deliver me Your strength inside me

All of my life
I've been in hiding
Wishing there was someone just like You
Now that You're here
Now that I've found You
I know that You're the One to pull me through

Deliver me loving and caring
Deliver me giving and sharing
Deliver me this cross that I'm bearing

(chorus)

Oh, deliver me



Jesus, Jesus, how I trust You
How I've proved You o'er and o'er
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus
Deliver me



"NO ONE LIKE YOU" by David Crowder Band

You are more beautiful
Than anyone ever
Everyday You're the same
You never change, no never

And how could I ever deny
The love of my Savior
You are to me everything
All I need forever

How could You be so good?

(chorus:)
There is no one like You
There has never ever been anyone like You

Everywhere You are there
Earth or air surrounding
I'm not alone, the heavens sing along
My God You're so astounding
How could You be so good to me
Eternally I believe
(chorus)

A funny story...

Allie e-mailed me the other day telling me about her week and this was the concluding story. I laughed very, very hard. (Hope ya don't mind me sharing it, Al!)

the weekend was good. friday night i ended up going to the fall festival and helping out with the college "booth" which mind you, it turned out to be this 20 ft. blow up slide which ran by a generator. well i was at the top yelling "go" for the kids to go one at a time and jamie was at the bottom of the slide helping the kids off. all of a sudden - i look over and the blown up stairwell that all the kids are climbing up starts deflating ! megan, it felt like a Titanic experience... we started sinking ! the sides the of the slide starting folding over the kids so i was literally picking the kids up and throwing them down the slide that was not yet deflating. the next thing i know. the only thing between me and jamie and the parking lot is the deflated slide. megan- it was SO scary- hahaha but now that i look back it was hilarious ! the generator had went out and WABAM - there we all went.

Thanks for the laugh Allie! I hope the rest of you enjoyed the story as well.

Wow! It's been a whole week since I posted last! Where does the time go? This week has been VERY busy and long. Stuff that happened on Wednesday seems like forever ago. I'm playing in the orchestra for the theater production that's going on currently here at Flagler. It's been fun but time-consuming. It occupied EVERY night of the past week for me... practices Monday through Wednesday and shows Thursday through Saturday with a matinee show this afternoon. Actually, I skipped out on rehearsal on Wednesday so I could go to Fusion. And I'm glad I did 'cause we had game night and it was way fun! Thursday was a rough day for me, but Thursday night after the show it was all better and I went to the Halloween "Midnight Breakfast" which was pretty good. There were three or four movies on the lawn this week that I missed out on, which I'm a little sad about, but that's okay. Friday night (Halloween) Krissy, Erica, Christina, and I went to All-Stars for a little bit: Erica & I as cowgirls and Krissy & Christina as... well, that's not really important! (haha!) All-Stars was a little to hectic for me though... Halloween's probably a bad night to go anyway, especially at midnight. So we left there and went to Steak-n-Shake, where there was a group of obnoxiously drunk people. But the food was good, so we were happy. Saturday was wonderful because I got to catch up on my sleep! Then Krissy and I took a trip to Wal-Mart and then to the Lincolnville Festival where we were told we looked like sisters...?... and we bought cool beaded bracelets. Then I colored her hair. Then we went back to the festival to get some yummy food. Of course I had to leave earlier than everybody else to go to the show. Church today was really great. I enjoy it there so much. So that's a recap of my week.

In an effort to say something that might be somewhat worth reading, I'll try to sum up some of the things that have been on my mind lately. It is vitally important to be REAL with people. Nobody needs a fake. No one profits anything from us being fake with them. And as far as Christian/non-Christian friendships, if we want the non-Christians to come to understand the importance of the things we say we believe, we HAVE TO live out our faith. In fact, I would almost go so far as to say that it's NOT faith UNTIL you live it out. "Faith without works is dead." To say you believe one thing and live something different from that is not true faith or even true belief. Non-Christians are often searching for something to fill "the void" in their lives -- whether or not they will admit that -- but preaching your faith to your lost friends often will not cause them to come to accept it; it must be lived out on your part. They honestly just need somebody to love them with a real love... real, unmotivated, Christ-like love... and somebody who will accept them just as they are. I mean, that's what Christ does for us, so we should be willing to do that to others. Just a thought.

Moons...

I was thinking about the words to the song I posted yesterday (stars) and I really like the message it has. We are like the moon. (Allie, I'm sure that excites you!) The second verse of the song talks about how the moon reflects the sunlight. Later in the song it says And how could such a King shine His light on me... And I want to shine, I want to be light... 'Cause I've got nothing of my own to give to you but this light that shines on me shines on you. All we are are reflectors of God's glorious light. It's funny how God makes everything work together because this morning at church Pastor Ron preached on being the salt of the earth and the light of the world. One of his main points was that we are reflections of God's light and not our own light. When people look at us they will see the light of God rather than seeing our light (for like the moon, we have no light of our own, even if we think we do). That's exactly what this song is talking about. So that's all I wanted to say tonight. We're moons! Go out and reflect God this week.