Momentous, I guess…

This is my 100th blog post, but it’s taken me a while to get this many. So in one sense it’s momentous, and in another, not that big of deal.

I get to go home in 17 days!

I spent my first Thanksgiving away from home this year. It was strange… it almost feels like I “skipped” the holiday, yet I know I didn't. My family missed me, and I missed them, but there were so many new experiences and new people and new kinds of food that I almost forgot that it was Thanksgiving and I am more than 2000 miles away. Weird, huh?

I get to go home in 17 days!

My BFF posted a list of things that she has done or not done, and I feel a) somewhat inspired by it, and b) bored and uninspired to do anything else! Haha!

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightening at sea 14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child {SOMEDAY!!!!}
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing {indoor}
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight 46. Been transported in an ambulance 47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business {haha, a lemonade stand!}58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies {Do tee-ball cookies count?}
62. Gone whale watching {it was unintentional… the whale came to me}63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt 73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone 78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person 80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s {eternal} life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant

I go home in 17 days! Can you tell I’m excited???

God has been highlighting recently how blessed I am. My family loves each other, and we don’t have any big problems or issues. We can get together for the holidays and not even think about getting into a huge family fight. We've never had to worry about putting food on the table or turning on the light switch. There have been things that we've not had so that we could have something else, but those have usually been convenience items, not necessary requirements.

I've never realized until recently how blessed and full my life is. The thing that I’m really wrestling with is this: I didn't do anything to deserve this life, and it’s not a matter of God loving me more than other people. If it was a matter of deserving, I would have nothing. If it was a matter of God’s love, there would be no want or worry. So I guess I’m learning to trust God about this, too, that He has the perfect plan for my life, including what I have or don’t have, and He is in control. Not bad for my 100th post, eh?

What’s New?

God is so good! No, that’s not really new… He’s always been good, but this week it seems that He is showing His goodness to me more than ever. Now, I’m not saying that this was the best week ever, because it wasn’t. Kinda far from it, actually. But I realized that it was God using circumstances to show me His goodness, and helping me choose Him over other things (like stress, sleep, friends, homework, etc.).

This weekend I have not that many assignments, but lots of things to do. I have a test on Monday over 5 HUGE chapters (thank God for the study guide that narrows it down!), and I have a 12-15 page paper about monasteries in the Middle Ages, due Tuesday. Yeah.

I’m so grateful for the ability to exercise and read simultaneously. It really helps me get my nervous energy out while not wasting time by not studying. I love the elliptical machine! Textbook, water bottle, and elliptical- perfect!

Also, well done Pixar on the movie Up!, and specifically to the soundtrack team! It made reading those chapters a bit more fun!

Can I just say that I love popcorn… it’s the best. I know it’s going to kill me one day, but I don’t have it as often as I used to, and is there anything out there that won’t kill me? :)

I’m sooooooo excited for Thanksgiving!!!!! My roomie and I are going to spend it with one of my newly-adopted families, and then she’s going to see a movie and come back to the dorms, and I’ll spend the rest of the weekend with the fam… I’m especially excited because AJ asked me if I wanted to help her decorate the house for Christmas!

Woot! BEST part of the year! My roomie and I have already been listening to Christmas music AND we put up Christmas lights in our room… they are SO cool! Too bad we can’t have candles in the dorms; otherwise, we would totally have Christmas-scented candles in the room to make it smell yummy!

I go home in 24 days. I’m so excited! My dad called me yesterday to tell me that he and my sis put the bunk-beds together so I have a place to sleep when I come home! Woot! My sis even washed the sheets for me! I can hardly wait to sleep on them! And my MC class is having a Christmas party the weekend after I get home, so I get to see almost everyone! I just counted… there will only be 6 people that won’t be there… that means 75% of the class be there! Whoa!

Well, I should go write that paper and enjoy my popcorn… hey, one more post until 100! :D

Bummer

Well, I emailed the people in charge of credit for ASL. They said no.

I’ll admit, I cried. I was disappointed. Were the past two years of overloads a waste? What was the point of my taking 20 credits for over a year? Why didn't they understand? Was my email not clear? What more could I have said?

But I talked to my dad, and he reminded me that God’s plans are higher than mine, and those years weren't a waste. I’m fluent in another language! And I’m going to learn how to belly dance!

Also, I should make an amendment to my previous post. I was contradicting myself when I said that I was going to strive for excellence but not freak about this paper. I AM going to work excellently, and I DO care about it. My work is a representation of who I am in Christ, and so I will do all things to the glory of God.

Holy Canoli, Batman!

So I was reading my friends’ blogs, and I realized that it has been almost a MONTH since I’ve updated you! This should not happen! So let me tell you some fun and not-so-fun highlights from the past month…

My friend joined the Marine Corps (SO proud!) and I was kinda bummed because when I left home, his “D-Day” (D meaning departure) was in February, so I was going to be able to see him and say goodbye to him over Christmas Break. Well, the D-Day changed. To like the middle of October. As in, October when I’m still at school. As in, won’t see him at Christmas. As in, BUMMER!!!!! I was still really excited for him, because I know this is where God is calling him and he was uber excited to go, but I was still a little sad.

Then, the day he left, I checked my email and there was something from him! Happiness! I read it, and was kinda tearing up because I knew that as I read, he was getting on a plane, and then I read something that made me jump for joy- his secondary training is only 2.5 hours from my school!!!!! Ahhhh!!!! I would get to see my friend here!!!! I am so excited! I don’t know when he comes, but I’m definitely taking a road-trip to see him, or vice versa.

My mom won’t be able to come out to spend Thanksgiving with me, which is a bummer. However, my roomie and I are going to spend Break with a family that I ADORE, and I’m really excited that (a) I’ll be with a family (instead of just staying in the dorm), and (b) my room-mate and I will be able to spend some good quality time together. Only another couple weeks till Break!

Speaking of Break, I have to write a 12-15 page paper on monasteries in the Middle Ages… BEFORE Thanksgiving!!!! Augh! I’m meeting with the teacher tomorrow to go over the outline, so I feel a little bit better about that. But last night I realized that to some extent, it doesn't matter what grade I get on this paper, or even in this class. For one thing, this class is NOT a part of my major AT ALL. The other thing, no one will care or even remember my GPA in a couple years, or even months after I graduate! While I know that I will still work diligently on this paper, and I will strive for excellence, it’s really freeing to not have such an immense pressure hanging over me. I know that I put too much pressure and too many expectations on myself, so this revelation was really quite liberating. The only bad part? I still have to write this paper!

I love Pandora!!! I think my favorite station is Michael Buble… omg, I love that style! If I lived in the 1950’s, I’m pretty sure I would have a crush on Frank Sinatra!

I registered for classes yesterday. I was planning on taking an overload, but then stuff went wrong with the system, and I’m on the waiting list for one of the classes, and when I went to my boss, who is in charge of stuff like that, she made a phone call and then told me to email these two people about getting credit for ASL. The class that I was on the wait list for would fulfill my International Perspective, and I’m hoping ASL will fulfill that and then I won’t have to overload! I just sent the email this morning, and I believe that God is going to give me favor and I’m going to get credit. Amen, Lord, amen!

I love college! It’s stressful and busy and challenging, and I love it! Sometimes I hate it, but most of the time I love it! And it’s really funny- sometimes I can’t believe that I’m going to be DONE with COLLEGE in another year and a half…whoa! I’ll think of my elementary school years, or even of two years ago, and realize that back then, when I thought of “now,” it never looked like this! I love that God is so cool and mind-blowing!

I GO HOME IN 34 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope that this update satisfies for a little while… please pray for me when you think of me, and I hope to see you when I’m home for Christmas!