The 25 most recent

Long time, no post. What can I say...the semester is almost over and I'm a college student. I had a great weekend though. On Friday, I decided last minute that I was going to the Danville Corps to play volleyball and eat pizza. I did both of those things but I also learned a new game. A game called Texas Hold'em. I didn't do to bad for my first time playing. I actually won a few hands! I didn't make it to the end but I had fun regardless. Don't worry we didn't actually bet money just plastic chips.
On Saturday, I slept in and spent most of the afternoon reading books for class off and on while getting sucked into a lifetime movie. Please know it wasn't one of those sappy, "oh, he loves me" (please gag me) movies. It was about a kidnapping that resulted in a murder. The movie took place in the late 1980s. I found myself thinking that the majority of what the police and forensic expert did would have never happened on CSI. Granted we have more technology but I felt like the crime busters went by what they felt and tried to get the evidence match their personal opinions. Trajic. And I decided that I have watched a bit too much CSI lately.
Anyway, on Saturday evening I went out to dinner at Cheddar's with a great group. Then, my friend Gretchen and I went to Triangle Park...where the Global Night Commute was being held in Lexington. This was being done in approxamently 130 cities over the USA on the same date. The goal was to bring awareness to our government and other citizens about the Invisible Children of Northern Uganda. In short there is war going on in Uganda. The Lord's Rebel Army (LRA) abducts children and brainwash them to kill people in their army. In order to avoid being abducted children from surrounding villages commute into the city at night to sleep. Some sleep in parks and others flock to the verandas underneath the hospital. The good army (not the LRA) stand guard in the cities at night. So while they are doing something, it's not enough because children are still getting abducted. And the war continues in this country. While, I'm not sure how successful the event was, I was glad that I participated. We had the opportunity to write letters to President Bush and to our state Senators. We could also make a piece of artwork with our picture on it. The artwork is going to be published in a book that participants will have an opportunity to purchase in the near future.

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And now what I am sure you have all been waiting for. I thought I would include a list of the most recent 25 songs I have downloaded off of itunes.
1. Glory Days- Bruce Springsteen
2. Flashdance (What a Feeling)- Irene Cara
3. Hungry Eyes- Eric Carman
4. Hitchin' a Ride- Vanity Fare
5. Build me up Buttercup- The Foundations
6. Fishin' in the Dark- The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
7. I'm Already There- Lonestar
8. Long Black Train- Josh Turner
9. Unchained Melody- The Righteous Brothers
10. Zambra- Willie & Lobo
11. Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus)- Chris Rice
12. One Thing- Charlie Hall
13. If I Have Not Love- Matt Redman
14. You Must Increase- Matt Redman
15. Manic Monday- The Bangles
16. The Luckiest- Ben Folds
17. Nothing but the Blood- Joel Engle
18. The Battle Belongs to the Lord- Petra
19. I'll Fly Away- Alison Krauss
20. Down to the River to Pray- Alison Krauss
21. Cry Out to Jesus- Third Day
22. Brown Eyed Girl- Van Morrison
23. He's A Rebel- The Crystals
24. Duke of Earl- Gene Chandler
25. Sugar Sugar- The Archies

Question of the Day: How would you feel if stirup pants and side pony tails came back into fashion?

Me: Other than running in the opposite direction my hard earned cash flow would not be spent on a new pair of stirups. And I have nothing against those who choose to wear those type of pants or hair stlye...it's just not for me.

Change: the good, the bad, and the ugly

Spring is in the air in Kentucky. We have been blessed with some incredible weather on top of ridiculously loud thunder storms that have kept me up for hours. I am quite a deep sleeper but thunder storms always seem to wake me up. Anyway...Spring is a sign of change from winter to new life. Which is good.

I am not one that naturally adjusts to change well. I have learned to actually not mind changes in schedules or plans. I credit six summers working at camp for this. I am have even tackled hard changes in my personal life. Although I initially resisted...I realized that I was going to have to deal with it. And I am a healthier person from dealing.

However, change is coming my way again with the end of the school year a few weeks away. And this change I don't want to take place even though I know that it has to. I do not do very well with good-byes. Several of my friends will be moving on come mid-May. Some of them I may never see again. And that saddens me. Because I am a better person from meeting some of them. And I've had some great memories too. I know that God will use these people in great ways. I know that just because a friend moves does not mean that the friendship is over...but it takes a lot of work to maintain friendships over distance. And then there's the whole idea that some friendships are only for a season...I have a hard time with this one as well.

Realistically, I know that change has to happen and ultimately the majority of changes are good ones. Maybe this change in several friendships will not be as ugly as I am anticipating. I know that it will not be easy...but maybe some of the adaptiveness that I have picked up in other types of changes will come in handy in a couple of weeks.

Question of the day: Would you rather have ice cream or a popsicle on a hot day?

Me: I prefer ice cream...preferably anything that combines chocolate and coffee.

I'm in Awe

Here's the summary of the weekend trip home! By the way, those of you that pray for my family...you should know that there is some positive change going on!

Thursday: I come home and order pizza. Mom and I hang out.

Friday: Shopping. I found an amazing skirt on sale and a sweater to go with it! Mom actually made a home cooked meal...something I had been wanting considering that an opportunity for a home-cooked meal is rare.

Saturday: I slept in a little, did some errands, and put together my support letters for India. Relaxed during the afternoon but spent some quality time with my Easter Message and dance. Mom took me to a movie which was enjoyable. We came back and I finished my message for the next morning.

Sunday: An early morning but incredibly wonderful. I was a tad bit concerned about giving the message. But it went well. I also went to my corps for their service. I figured out my ride to get to Comissioning. What can I say? I have great officers! Afterwards, my family successfully had a meal together. My mom actually said a prayer before eating!!! I relaxed and napped for most of the afternoon.

Monday: Went to breakfast with my friend Brenda. We had a great conversation and the food wasn't too bad. I finished packing my stuff and left to meet Nicole (my ride). Nicole and I made great time today on the road. In fact, we actually ate lunch in Wendy's instead of just getting it to go. For some reason, I decided to bring in my purse to the restaurant. However, I left it there in Ohio. I didn't notice it was missing until Nicole and I stopped at a Wallgreen's in Lexington, KY. Our pit-stop was 3 hours back. Nicole had her cell though and with the help of the internet and Nicole's parents we figured out the phone number for the Wendy's we ate at. They had my purse!! Relief. Getting my purse was going to be the tricky part though. We called Nicole's parents back to see if they could give us a phone number for a Salvation Army pastor/officer in the area. The handy dispo (Salvation Army phone and address book) provided us with someone. We called the pastor/officer and he went down to the Wendy's to pick up my purse. We called the Wendy's to tell them whom to expect. My purse is being mailed tomorrow! I'm very lucky that my purse wasn't stolen and that someone was able to get to me.

Well, I have a paper to start that is due on Wednesday from my experience in Washington, DC. All I can say is good thing I took notes because that trip was a while ago.

Question of the day: Which activity would you rather do at night: watch the stars in a quiet place or go skinny dipping?

Me: This is a hard choice. I love watching the stars on a clear evening. However...skinny dipping is a bit of a risky choice, and that sparks my interest. So skinny dipping it is! Maybe one night I'll actually do it and the stars will be out in all of their glory too!

To everything there is a season...

I spent this past weekend in Lexington and hung out with the Bible Bowl teens. It was fun and my highlight of the weekend was what one of the teens said to me. "You look like a freakin' Hispanic with your hair cut that way!". He really ment that as a complement. I found it funny and slightly ironic. While I think hispanics are beautiful people. I do not look like one by means of skin tone. I am incredibly white and my tan has a reddish hue to it. I got my hair cut last Thursday by the way. I needed it. My hair was getting too long and it's starting to warm up outside. I've gotten lots of nice complements on it, including the above. Some people thought I had dyed it again. Which I didn't. I guess the red is more noticable now.

This week is holy week and in my history of religion in the USA class, we are talking about the holiness movement. Ironic or what. Easter is actually my favorite holiday. It wasn't always that way but in the last few years it has become my favorite. I will be speaking and "dancing" at my family's church for their sunrise service. Regardless of where my church membership has been I have always participated in this service. So if you all think of it please be praying for me as I prepare to share.

I'm finding myself in this place where I really don't want to be studying the subjects I'm taking here. I'd rather be studying and doing other things that are up on my priority list. I'm really trying to not slack off especially since the end of the school year is coming up so fast. However...my incredible procrastinating skills have been shining through lately. I still have to write a 10 page minimum paper by Wednesday. :sad:

Question of the day: When you did Easter egg hunts as a child did you look for plastic candy filled eggs or real ones?

Me: The plastic candy filled ones were a part of my Easter egg hunting past. At home we've gotten into this tradition of dying real eggs on Saturday night. They're on display for Easter and then my mom does something with them.

Jersey Trip

I just returned from a weekend in New Jersey. I was there because it was the Orientation Weekend for my summer mission team experience in India. I am so excited about the summer even more so now! While I was incredibly intimidated at first mainly because I knew no one on my team or on the other team going to Bolivia. You may be thinking that everyone else was in the same boat. No. Actually, everyone else knew at least one other person in the room pretty well except one other guy. So maybe you can see why I was intimidated. My team is nice and i think that we will work well together. We all have different giftings. I'm looking forward to getting to know these people better. I learned that I will get to wear a sari (spelling?) as my uniform for the trip. I got to try one on...it will be an interesting experience. And the women will be wearing a pants and tunic thing that women wear as well. I'm excited about the clothes, I won't lie. I'm going to have to get into the habit of doing squats with weights again. Aparently the restroom in most places will be a hole in the ground. And this one is going to be the real challenge. People in India only eat with their right hand and I am left handed. They generally don't use utensils so maybe it will be easier than I think. We will be working with children a lot too and helping them with English.

I also learned today that on the way back from India we have a long lay over in London, England. It was originally only for 8 hours but since everyone agreed we're going to stay for a day and get to see London!!!! I am really excited about this one if you can't tell by the 4 exclamation marks. I've never been there before and I've always wanted to visit at least once. Hint, hint: Tim I don't know where in London we'll be but it would be great to see you, Jamie, and Lyv if possible.

Question of the day: Do you like thunderstorms?

Me: I actually used to be a afraid of them. They used to be the only thing that could wake me from a deep sleep. But now I've grown to appreciate them and don't mind watching them...however you won't see me frolicking around in them anytime soon.