A Busy Life...

School is in it's last month for this semester and I am stuck with group projecs, tons of papers, final exams, making out my schedule for next year, applying for graduation,etc...I am really bogged down with lots to do. I think I should start taking it one moment at a time though or I might just go crazy. There is always lots to do at the end of school.I have a lot hanging over my head to get done right now. I hate that feeling. It was worse last semester though and I am trying to remind myself of that.

New York City is less than a month away! That will be a lot of fun I think!

Me and Ashley have taken up an aerobics class at the YMCA on monday nights. I have only gone twice. It is a really good workout if you can make it through it! I know tomorrow I won't be able to move AT ALL!

It will be good next year when I am off the full meal plan and I can cook my own food. It will be a lot healthier that way!

There isn't much to say. I have just been extremely busy. Our internet is out right now so anytime I want to use the internet I have to go to the library or the computer lab. We had a really bad storm here on Saturday morning and anytime the wind blows really strong our internet gets cut out.

here are the pictures I promised from Spring Break.

As Spring Break Comes To A Close....

So, spring break is over and I am headed back to Toccoa this evening. I have to say I am not in the least excited about going back. I am really unenthusiastic about this semester and the subjects I am taking. Life is pretty boring. And, if you know me you know I pretty much like to always be doing something. I like being entertained all the time. lol.

The end of my Florida trip went well. WE went to Island of Adventure and Universal Studios on Monday. That was pretty fun! I love Orlando. I wish I had all the money in the world. I would have loved to gone to Epcot or something along with Universal. We went on a day that didn't have many lines. That was definitely a plus! And, the temperature was about 75 in Florida. It was amazing weather! I came back home to discover that it had not yet warmed up. In fact, it was SNOWING this morning! That is just plain wrong! I am ready to pull out the summer outfits and do my homework out in the sun!

On our way home we did run into some car trouble and we were driving about 80 miles per hour when Sam's tire blew out. AAA was of no use, but luckily the HERO team came and helped us out. we were left driving about 50 MPH the rest of the way home!

That led into my whirlwind trip to Mississippi. I was thankful for a second time this year at seeing my family back home and just getting to enjoy being there. However, it went by way too fast and it almost feels like it never even happened.

The first two nights I didn't get much sleep. And, turns out my aunt and uncle had the flu and couldn't make it up to see us! That was kind of disappointing but we still got to see my nanny and pa.

At Gran's we dyed Easter eggs, ate steaks,had milkshakes, celebrated my Gran's birthday,and just goofed off. Yesterday we finished with an easter egg hunt. I realized I am getting really bad at that kind of thing. I think I am too distracted and impatient to really find many eggs!!! I enjoyed doing it though. And, I wondered when I will hit the age where I will not enjoy dying easter eggs and doing things like having an easter egg hunt. I concluded that I will most likely always like doing things like that! I still have a child likeness in my heart that will most likely never die. College helps kill it sometimes though with the reality of how old I am and how I am now going to have more responsibility. Life just doesn't slow down!

It was sad leaving my family after not long at all with them! But, I think I will get to see them all again before I go to the Philippines! That will be nice!!! This time they are coming to Chattanooga though. WHich is nice, because I was really sick of being in the car by the end of last night. If I totaled it up I would have to say "I have spent about four days of spring break in the car. lol. Oh well. I had fun!

With each day there is something new that will spark the reality in my mind that I really am going to be going to the Philippines. I am starting to get a little bit excited. With the prospect of Africa pushed out of my mind for now I am settling into the idea of Asia. And, looking back I can see how God has prepared and given me a heart for Asia for such a time as this summer. I realize he was working on gearing my heart towards it long before I ever knew it was where he wanted me to go and where I would end up for my internship. Some missions majors at school are already carrying aroudn their huge backpacks in preparation. I have to say, I am not that "hardcore" about it. I will wear the huge backpack in good time. Every once in a while if I stop to think about it I will get excited.

I am learning more and more of what I will most likely be doing from the missionaries blog. Looks like I will be sleeping in the room with all the kids. And, I will be waking up around 5 every morning and getting them all bathed and ready for school! lol. How cute is that? I mean, the 5 AM thing definitely might not be so mcuh "fun" however, I think it would be cute to get the Filipino kids all dressed and looking adorable for school! Appaprently I will get a break everyday from 2-4. Not too bad. I hear it is really exhausting though. i guess I can imagine. I am trying to prepare my heart and mind to take on that kind of a task every day for two months. Thank goodness I have a big reason for being there and a BIG strength to get me through.

WEll, that is all for now. Later I will post pictures from spring break!

Spring Break...

It's Spring Break!!! Thank goodness. I have needed a break from the monotony of school and my everyday schedule. This has been the most boring semester for me academically and I am finding more and more I just want to be graduated already!

For Spring break I am doing my two favorite things in the world: spending time with friends and family doing some fun things! The first part of this week (till Wednesday) I am down in Satellite Beach, FL with my room mate Amber Lyons and my RA Samantha Morrow. Sam's grandparents own a house down here. So, we are just hanging out here eating homecooking, soaking up the sun by going to the beach, and relaxing. I LOVE the beach. I wouldn't mind living at the beach. I never get sick of it.

It is prefect outside here! The temperature is in the high 70's which makes being outside all day bareable and makes it feel like spring time! The water is FREEZING though.

We drove all night to get here and arrived at 7:30 in the morning! We were supposed to get here at 4 but had a couple setbacks. We hit traffic that got us behind for 2 hours. Also, once we got to Jacksonville, FL we had some car trouble. We were passing over a bridge and noticed this hunk of metal in the road (we still don't know what exactly it was. IT looked a bit like a car jack or a fuel tank or something). Anyways...we were driving along at 80 mph when Sam noticed it coming up. She was about to hit it and so she was seeing if she could get over into the other lane real fast. However, at that moment an 18 wheeler was passing by so we couldn't do it! We ended up hitting it head on. It made a horrible noise and we immediately pulled off to the side of the road. Had it not been 5:00 in the morning I would have thought of taking a picture of Jacksonville because it is a BEAUTIFUL city at 5 in the morning!!! We checked everything out and realized the only thing with damage was the muffler. So, we drove the rest of the way with the car sounding like a motorcycle. haha. IT was horrible. The car is really loud now. Hopefully Sam will be able to get it covered under her insurance.

When we got here we went to bed around 8:00 and slept till about 12:30. We ate lunch, got ready and then went to the beach. We got to go to the beach on the military base since her grandad is in the air force. IT is supposedly better than the other beaches around here. Me and Sam built a crab sand castle. We took lots of pictures. It was nice! After that we came back to the house. Her grandmother had made us a homecooked meal of chicken, macaroni and cheese, squash, broccoli and cheese, rice, green beans, sweet potatos and stuff. It was so amazing. Also, her grandad took the time while we were out to make sure the hot tub was all ready for us when we got back. So, after dinner we got to just relax in it for a long time. They also have a Super Target here that we got to shop at after all of that was over with. Now we are relaxing and watching tv.

Tomorrow we are going to her grandparents condo in Cocoa Beach, FL. We will spend the whole day there. Monday we are headed to Orlando to go to Islands of Adventure!!! I couldn't be more excited. I LOVE the beach. I sure have missed it! I am hoping to get somewhat of a tan! Lol.

The last part of the week I am going with my family to Mississippi for Easter. We haven't spent Easter with my family in Mississippi in a LONG time!

This is a good spring break! It is definitely a good change from the normal!

It's raining...AGAIN! Only this time I didn't bother to fix my hair. Which, makes it a little bit better. lol. I guess I should be thankful for the rain considering we have been in a drought. I heard the other day that Georgia and Tennessee are in a dispute over the Tennessee river. After all these years Georgia is getting stingy and wanting to claim their rights over the whole thing. I guess it's because we are running out of water in Georgia and so we want to take it away from Tennesse? The border of Georgia would officially change to extend past Chattanooga. Meaning, if Georgia won the argument the city would become: Chattanooga, GA. Sorry, but I am not in favor of changing the shape of our states. I can barely recoginize and name them as they are. I don't need any added confusion. But, apart from that...I just think it's ridiculous. But, that is the way life goes. We get stingy and selfish a lot of the time when things aren't going our way.

Life is really busy lately. IT wasn't supposed to be so busy this semester. IT was supposed to be relaxing with the amount of hours I have! Oh well. I guess it happens! I am becoming more and more tired lately. I was so tired in choir yesterday I was literally on the verge of falling asleep. I had to take a break and go take a walk around the building. That is sad!!! And, it has never happened to me before!

I am ready for the weekend. I take that back: I am ready for a BREAK! Everything is getting on my last nerve lately. I hate that! I am completely losing any patience I have (if I had any to begin with). And, I am finding I am generally just disenchanted with all things. haha. I think that is a signal that I need some time off! I feel I am getting the same information in my classes that I have gotten the past three years. I am ready to graduate!

Despite how disenchanted I am getting with this world and the things that go on in it. I am becoming increasingly aware of how amazing God is. LAtely it has been blowing my mind.You know when you go through seasons of life and you know God is there, and things are good. But, then there are times when you really hav ea passion for Him and you just enjoy Him. Sad to say that life isn't always like that day in and day out. Because it should be!!! But, I am glad that God is teaching me so much lately. I am also just becoming more and more comforted that He is by my side. No matter what I face. I can always know that it is going to be ok! Thank goodness that we never have to worry about anything. We always have a reason to be joyful and that He is loving and patient towards us.

I don't think I will ever get it right this side of heaven. I wish I would. IT would make my life easier on others and myself.

I am so glad to be singing River God next Friday at the recital. I think it will be good for me to sing something that means something to me. I realized I hate standing in front of crowds and singing dumb songs about love or something. I just want to sing to God. That is where I am most comfortable. Because it comes from my heart. Plus, the song means something to me. Hopefully I will do better than I did last time. If I could just pick a song for recitals that means something to me, I would do a lot better I think.

Anyways...I get to see my parents tomorrow night!!! I am glad it is the weekend. It has been a long week. And, I am so worn out. I am ready to sleep in!

I Must Befriend The Rain...

I wish this week would go by quicker. It seems that with each new week I just get more and more exhausted!!!

Spring Break is just around the corner and me, Sam, and Amber are headed to her Grandmother's house in Florida! I think we are planning a day at Islands of Adventure (because Amber nixed Sea World). haha. We are also going to get to enjoy the beach. I MISS the beach!!! I can't wait! I also can't wait for the end of Spring Break. Because my family is going to MIssissippi for Easter. I don't think we have gotten to do that in about five years or so! It seems like it has been forever. We normally only make it to MS about once a year! It will be so good to have a longer time there this year. It sso funny that I still haven't outgrown easter egg hunts.

I have been busy lately with tests and homework. Also, I have to practice for my recital. Up until about two days ago I still couldn't sing (because of the flu). But, now that I can I have been practicing like a mad woman. My recital is next Friday. I actually get to sing a song that I enjoy this time though. If I could get the rythym down everything would be good!

I recieved an email from my aunt. She apparently gets the news letters from the missionaries I will be working with this summer in the Philippines. THat was nice. BEcause, there is also a semester missionary that has a blog that I can go visit. IT is interesting to hear her stories and see what she, as an american, is having a hard time adjusting to! I enjoyed reading it! But, realized that there will be many things to adjust to. She said the men there love her because she has pale skin and light hair. She said all it takes for the cat calls is for you to be american and have these features. I was like,"Oh brother, I need to get a tan!" haha. She said guys will follow her around and she hates talking to them because you can tell that they are hitting on you (even if it isn't in the same language that you speak). I have to say I am not excited about that aspect of things. IT is good to have a heads up though!

Yesterday it was pouring down rain here. And, it made me realize how much I hate the rain. But, then I realized: This is my summer. The Philippines is HOT. I mean, agonizingly hot. And, it rains (torential rain) there a lot. I think I am going in monsoon season too! So, I realized I am going to have to learn to befriend the rain!!!

I want to recommend to anyone out there who likes movies to go see Vantage Point. It was really awesome :)

Today is Molly's birthday. My parents are coming down here this weekend so I can celebrate with Molly! I am sad I have to miss it! But, I am glad I get to see them this weekend! Even if it isn't because I get to go home!

Also, I haven't given you guys pictures in a while so I wanted to include some from the past couple weeks!