"O, come let us...

...adore Him."

-Unknown

Wellll...I'm HOME AGAIN! Yay. But in more eventful news, my older sister graduated from COLLEGE on Saturday!! SO AMAZING. I am so proud of her. I just cannot believe it. AHHH, SO AWESOME. Anyhow, we decided to drive back from school at 5am in order to make it back in time for the last Christmas service at our church at 11:30am. We made it. HA.

Finals week for me was....reasonable. I just love my school...

And as odd as it sounds, I kind of wanted to stay at school with all my friends and just all stay there for a week and THEN go home. But alas, I must follow the ways of the world. Haha. Not really.

I can't think of much to say, except the fact that I would like to see my GPA and/or my grades for the semester. I would ALSO really like to go to sleep. Too bad I took a three-hour nap at four o'clock and then I ate some coffee ice cream. YAY ICE CREAM!

Aaaaaanyhow. I've been sitting here by myself watching recorded episodes of a television show I never really got "into" because all the episodes of my favorite television series have been deleted. :|

NOT. COOL. Hahaha.

Alrighty, well I'm going to head out now. Hopefully go brush my teeth and then really sleep. :)

peace.

-2:50am

"Those Christmas lights...

...keep shining on."

-Coldplay

Welllll, I have quite a bit to review. However, I would first like to observe the fact that one of my roommates and I are listening to this song right now (the aforementioned song) and we turned all the lights off except the Christmas lights in our room. Tehe. How fun. :)

Anyhow, Thursday, at about 11:45am, during class, a friend of mine turned around and asked what I was doing later that night. I didn't have any plans, so she asked me to go to the opera with her. THAT NIGHT. So...I said I could probably go. The entire night was just a beautiful thing. The entire event was just completely last-minute, yet so relaxed and enjoyable. Haha. I didn't know any of the details until right before I needed to...which is absolutely NOT how I normally operate. Haha. We borrowed our friend's 2009 Mustang (silver, leather interior and a button to control what color shines on your feet and in the cup holders--HA!). We drove into the city and looking all dressed up and whatnot, we just enjoyed the night. However, there is some comedic irony within this....she was told the opera started at 7:30pm, so we got there in plenty of time for that. However, as we approached the door, we realized that on the ticket it said 6:30pm. HAHAHAHA. We only missed the beginning of the first act, however. Lohengrin, it is called, and it is a three-act play. Just over FOUR HOURS. Ha! I had never been to an opera before, but I was more the pleasantly surprised with my first experience. I was just blown away by the endurance of the players and their voices were just absolutely incredible. I can't really put it into words. My friend had gotten the two tickets (orchestra seating) for free. Why? Because her voice teacher really wants her to be an opera singer and thought that if she went to an opera, she might give it more of a chance. Her teacher got the tickets for free because she knows someone involved in the opera, but she couldn't go, so she gave the tickets to my friend. Welp, it worked. Because after that she was definitely considering it. :) The whole night cost me a whopping $13. Which is NOT bad at ALL! For orchestra seats at an opera, gas for a Mustang and parking in an over-priced parking garage. Very worth it.

Then yesterday night (Friday), my roomie and I went and watched a movie in our guy friend's room. It was called "Repo Men," and beforehand, I was pretty sure it was rated R, so I took my computer just in case. OH MY GOODNESS. It was AWFUL. I literally had to leave the room because I thought I was going to throw up. So much blood. So much gore. So much of a boy movie. Hahahaha. Then we played foosbol. Then some people decided they were hungry at midnight and five of us walked to a nearby Mexican food place. I am reeaaaaally trying not to spend real money, because I have so many meals left and dining dollars. Ha. So I got nothing. Then we came back and hung out outside because we have a curfew for boys to be in girls' dorms and girls to be in boys' dorms. I turned in approximately 2:20am, and that's all I know of.

I think I finally finished my music project today...I'm not positive, though. It's pretty crazy how much you can do with equipment that's so easily accessible. It's pretty pretty amazing. Anyhow, I'm very satisfied with the instrumentation and not-so satisfied with my vocals. Because of COURSE I would have a bunch of phlegm and coughing issues when I really need to sing for a music project. Ha. Whatevs. I've put so much time into this project...like, literally 24 hours, probably.

And here I sit, while I have two papers due tomorrow. One, being ten pages. The other, being two pages. So...it shouldn't be so bad....*cough* I should probably go and start on the two-page paper. So....yeah. Alrighty, buh-bye! :D

peace.

-1:37am

p.s. my sister is graduating COLLEGE on SATURDAY! I CANNOT BELIEVE IT!! O_O

"More than words...

...to show you how I feel."

-Extreme

It is far beyond words to describe how horrifying this is. HA! O_O

Well, you know how I skipped that class on Tuesday to write that huge paper and missed a quiz? On Thursday, after class, I went up to my professor and was fully willing and expecting to take a zero on the quiz because I missed class. But my professor told me that I need to take it, so I had to go into his office the next day. He asked me if I had class before 11am, and I don't have class on Fridays until 1pm. So he told me to come in at EIGHT O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING. Ohhhhhh my. It was not pleasant. Haha. But then I was on my way back to my dorm when I ran into a fellow classmate of mine. A kind soul, he decided that we should sit and eat our breakfasts outside. It was lovely. :)

All the choirs are putting on this giant Christmas concert at a nearby church. I am SO privileged to be a part of this. I LOVE IT. I REALLY REALLY LOVE IT. There are only two performances and the first one was Friday night. Sooooo much fun. AGH. I just love making people happy and seeing the different expressions on people's faces when something happens that they don't expect. :) The next and last one is tomorrow (Sunday). Ahhhh...then DEAD WEEK. JOY.

Back to that huge Bible paper I had to write. I was supposed to have a meeting with my professor the day I turned it in (that's just when I happened to schedule it) so he could read it over and give me some feedback. Everyone has to do this. My appointment was scheduled one time increment directly after my friend's appointment. My neighbor received a text message that morning that her appointment was cancelled. Then, I asked my friend when her appointment was so I could double check the time of mine...she said that the meetings were cancelled that day, so I just figured I didn't get the text message for some reason. Then, my neighbor asked me one night if I got the email to reschedule the meetings that were cancelled. I had not received this email. At this point, I just thought my professor wanted me to fail, exemplifying such poor communication skills with me. Haha. So I sent a secret-sass email to him explaining that I never received an email about the cancellations OR the re-schedulings. He replied simply, "Actually, yours wasn't cancelled.....etc., etc..." I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped. I FELT AWFUL. There I was being all secretly sassy and whatnot, and I'M the one at fault. So I rescheduled for today (Saturday) at 4pm. I left at about 3:35 to walk over to the other campus. I got there just about ten minutes early, and then just kind of chilled on the empty campus and soaked up the beauty of the hour and time of day, and whatnot. It was beautiful.

Then I finally got my appointment (subtopic: my friend completely forgot about her rescheduled appointment, missed it, and had to rush over to the meeting slot right before mine because the scheduled person did not show up. How ironic. Hahahaha!) and expressed my apologies again, but he seemed very merciful and gracious. :)

I feel that I had a lot more to say, but this shall suffice for now. Alrighty, my eyes are gettin--

--wait, I remember now. For my final project in one of my music classes, I'm recreating a song that's already done, and it's kind of exciting to hear it! All I'm doing is listening to the instrumental version of the song pretty much 990823657615928350883746582 times and choosing one instrument to focus in on to master and then figure out on a small keyboard and then play into my computer using MIDI keyboard and then choosing the instruments, etc. It's fun, but it's a process. Today, the keyboard, organ and drums are all done. Tomorrow comes the actual hard stuff. Haha.

Alright, for real this time. My eyes are quite heavy...I guess the Sand Man has paid me a visit! ;)

peace.

-3:01am

(aaaaand of COURSE it would be past 3:00am. Hahahaha.)

"Everyday oughta be...

...a bad day for you."

-Darwin Deez

Welp, my Thanksgiving went very well, I'd say. I surprised my mother and came home with one of my roommates at 10:40pm Tuesday night. She screamed. I'm surprised she didn't wake the neighbors. ;)

And break was absolutely lovely. I loved every part of being home, I think. And we wandered into this random record store's basement where they keep allllll the records. It was so cool. I posted a video on youtube singing a song in there. Haha. Here's some documentation I took:

'Twas a good time...a good time indeed. So I had that exegetical paper due today that I had worked on a while back. And I tried for literally six hours to write it last night, until three o'clock in the morning. By that time, all I had added to the paper was one paragraph, for a grand total of three paragraphs. So...I finally decided at 3am that my mind wasn't going to function any better at that time, so I went to bed, woke up around 8:20, took a shower and head over to the theological library yet again. I was in there from about 9:45am until 12:45pm. Three hours. And I finished my paper just about two minutes before it was due. So, we shall see how that goes. HAHA.

There are a bunch of tiny little annoying gnats in our room. We don't know where they came from, but they were here when we returned from break. >:( So we decided to empty all the trash bins. I hope that helps, because I've killed at least five with my bare hands and they just keep popping out of nowhere. I have an 8-10 page final paper for one of my classes and the prompt is very vague. But I only see that professor once a week, so I guess I'll have to email her. OH. Strange happening for the day! I need to switch into a different music theory class, but the status of the class is listed as closed, so I emailed the professor to try to appeal and get added to the class. He said he would add me once the spring semester started, but then added that I should send him a headshot so he can put a face to my name. I thought that was a little strange, so I called my mom and asked her. Hahaha. My friends were making fun of me. But whatever, I guess I'll send him a pitcha. I don't have much else to say as of right now. But happy Christmas time, fellow internet users! ;D

peace.

-8:37pm

"Clouds of sulfur in the air...

...it's heartbreak warfare."

-John Mayer

There is one extremely awesome picture here. It was a terribly rainy day and it was at the peak of a severe downpour. This picture is wonderful, but it reminds of an extremely dark day...and that's what I feel like on the inside right now. :(

peace.

-7:07pm

"I wanted to say to you...

...we've come a long, long way."

-Good Old War

Well, I have an exegetical paper due the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and I had yet to start it until today. I just now settled in my room after around three hours in the theological library. Let me tell you a little story: I live on the east campus of the school. The theological library is on the west campus. Which isn't really that far, except for the fact that when we left is was literally POURING. I may be able to post a picture later, but seriously...the ground had about an inch of water on it. And I was wearing sweatpants, fluffy socks and converse. NOT a good combination. My feet were soaked by the time I completed my fourth step and my pants were especially heavy form all the water they were harboring. I borrowed my roommate's umbrella, so my head was dry, but that's about it. DRENCHED. It was just...so uncomfortable. Haha. Anyhow, I just got back from that, then we walked back and stopped in the coffee shop and I got a mocha almond fudge muffin--warmed. :)

Then I tidied and vacuumed the room and turned on yellow lights only. Put my iPod in and am enjoying a relaxing afternoon. Except I'm sore...and didn't sleep very well. Which is another story....that I will tell you now. Hahaha.

So, I mentioned in a previous post that the shirt I purchased was knowingly too small for me (size-wise). HOWEVA, I refused to not wear it. When I tried it on it was like....awful. HAHAHA. It was really funny. Anyway, last night I was watching a scary movie with my friends (on my computer because my screen is the biggest) and then I decided that I could not continue on watching it. I just couldn't handle it. Haha.

So I returned to my room and realized that I had hardly anything to do without a computer, so I turned and saw my t-shirt sitting on my bed. I took it into the community bathroom, and turned the water on high/hot. I completely soaked the shirt (and my hands got ever so slightly burned!), then I wrung it out a little so it wouldn't be dripping on my way back to the room. I proceeded to take my towel and wrap it around my pillow and put socks in appropriate areas to fashion myself a dummy. I somehow managed to squeeze the shirt around it, and began to blow-dry it. Hahahaha. So I blew it dry as much as I could before I reluctantly went to see Harry Potter 7 with a bunch of boys. Haha. I left it on my bed with the fan directly facing it and when I got back, I didn't want to take it off, so I left it on the "dummy" for the night and thus did not have a pillow. So, I didn't sleep that well last night, and the moment of truth came this morning. I removed the shirt from the dummy and things looked promising. I put the shirt on aaaaannnd.....IT FITS ME! BWAHAHAHAHAHA. WIN.

I think I win at life now. I am so happy that I don't have to NOT wear this t-shirt. Haha. :D

Anyhow, that's pretty much it. I can't think of anything else clever to say, so...I'm mostly just happy that I got some work done on my exegetical paper and that my shirt fits. and it's raining. and I am just perfectly content. Alrighty.....

peace.

-4:21pm

"I'd rather be with you...

...say you want the same thing too."

-Joshua Radin

Welp...tonight was the final point of releasing stress in the week. It felt like Friday. It was beautiful. Except I still have class tomorrow. Haha. I got to see one of my favorite bands in concert tonight, and it was wonderful. Then, after the concert I got to meet them. YEEUH. :D

And I had casual conversation with the lead singer, and a different casual conversation with the guitarist/vocalist. Ahhh, wonderment. I went with two of my guy friends; they're fun, and I think it was just an overall good experience for all of us. The venue was gorgeous! Probably one of my favorites that I've ever been to because it was the perfect size for a good audience and it was just so intricately designed and furbished. I really enjoyed it. Except I think someone started smoking a cigarette inside during the concert...that was obnoxious. HA. I was dead center and pretty close to the front, so I definitely made eye contact with a lot of the peeps up there. ha.

I bought a shirt that's too small for me... :( But I'm hoping to stretch it. I have a plan. Mwahaha.

I slept through a class for the third time ever...the same class. HAHA. Buuut, it's a class that doesn't REALLY matter and it won't affect my grade that I wasn't there. This morning when my alarm went off, I woke up and LEGITIMATELY thought it was Friday, and so I thought to myself, "It's Friday, I don't need to be up this early!" Hit the off button, rolled over and went back to sleep. Only to shoot up out of bed at 10:43am and realize that I had been sleeping through my class. Hahaha. And I had class at 11:25, so I had to get ready for that. Initially when I woke up, I thought I had missed that class, too. Which would have been awful. O_o

Anyway, that's pretty much it. After the concert, my friends and I went through a drive-thru and then ate our food in the car and listened to the band we had just seen and reminisced and planned for the future concert endeavors and whatnot. It was great fun. Also on the way home (I was riding shotgun), I turned to my friend driving and said, "Take me home. Like really HOME home." And we all decided that it would be really fun, and it was a very feasible plan, except for the fact that his mother needs the car Saturday morning. So that was sad. Hahaha.

Sorry, Mama. :(

Anyhow, I shall talk with you later.

peace.

-3:29am

p.s. notice this blog was not even STARTED before 3:00am. My sleeping pattern is officially, totally and completely wrecked. HA! :/

"Test me, try me, prove me...

...refine me like the gold."

-Misty Edwards

God is just doing such amazing things around these parts. I got the opportunity to attend an event called "The Student Call" this past weekend. It was purely amazing. I was so passionate about the prayers we were praying and the songs we were singing; I wanted to sing literally louder than my vocal folds will ever allow, I wanted to stomp on the ground so hard the ground would start breaking beneath my feet, I wanted to jump through the cathedral ceilings, I wanted to smile from ear to ear, I wanted to by SUPERhuman. Haha. :)

But seriously, it was incredible. I was praying so loud a few times that my voice actually cracked. Hahaha. Whatever, it's all worth it. Basically we were there from 2pm-10pm worshipping and praying and worshipping and praying some more and worshipping some more, etc. without any breaks or food or water (in my case) and it was just so good. Originally, I had planned to leave early with some other people I know so that I could work on some homework, but right when we walked into that room, the presence of God was so eminent, and you could just tell that the Holy Spirit was moving--right then I knew there was no way I was leaving early. Ha. So that was Saturday.

This week is an extremely stressful week. In fact, I really should NOT be writing on this blog right now, but it's my way to unwind. (Sorry, Mama.) I had two papers due for the same class on Monday along with other various homework assignments, and I had 34 chapter summaries of the book of Deuteronomy due today along with other various homework assignments, and a study session tonight that started at six, and then we had our hall worship night and tomorrow morning I have a test at 8:20am that I am not compleeeeetely comfortable with. I have stayed up until three o'clock MINIMUM that past3-4 nights and as I glance at the clock right this moment, it looks like here's another one to add to the list. GAH.

I feel like there was something really inspirational I wanted to share, but I can't remember it. Maybe I should just sleep...I probably will.

HAHAHA. I just looked over and one of my roommates is doing abdominal workouts on the floor. IT'S TOO LATE FOR EXERCISE!! She is desperate to discover this blog. But I refuse to tell her anything about it! HMPH. Roomie, if by some miracle, you're reading this: .....INTERESTING.....hm.

alrighty, I'm peacin'.

peace.

-3:02am

HAHAHA. It WOULD be past three right now..... -_-

"If you said goodbye to me tonight...

...there would still be music left to write."

-Billy Joel

Welllll...I have been informed by my dear mother, that I have not written on this thing in over a week! I can't believe it's been that long...honestly, time flies when you actually have more important things to do than write on your blog. Hahahaha. Anyhow, God is moving...so much on my campus, and in me and all around, it's just so exc

iting!! :D

Ahhh...He is so good. Annnnd, I finally wrote a letter to my friend who goes to school out-of-state! She was happy, I think. Haha. :)

Anyhow, those lyrics were inspired by something I did tonight. SO COOL. So my friend wanted to ask this boy she knows to our girl-ask-guy dance. And she wanted to serenade him in front of the men's chorale...she chose the song quoted above, and we all practiced and were ready to go. Until the day we had planned to pop the question, the m

en's chorale director decided to give the guys a day off! Haha! Ooooof course. So we just did it tonight. In the middle of the cafeteria. With everybody watching. I was SO DARN NERVOUS. Hahaha. But it went well and he said yes. :) HE HAD NO IDEA. I was one of five back-up singers...and we were all eating together on the other side of the caf. Then we all started snapping and walking over to where they were eating...he had a semi-confused look on his face, and then she stood on a chair and he knew what was happening. Hahahaha. SO GREAT. People were cheering, and videotaping and just all this fun stuff. I am so happy to have been a part of it. :)

Welllll, I have class at 8:20 tomorrow morning, so I should probably head to bed...soon. HA.

Alrighty, goodnight.

peace.

-1:25am

"Sometimes bombs...

...fall quietly."

-Jason Reeves

Soooo...today was the infamous Halloween. And I, as a college student, did absolutely nothing crazy. And I'm actually quite satisfied with how my day went. :)

One of my choirs (the mixed choir) had a performance to

day in which I had to wear all black AND make-up. Hahaha. I didn't like the way my black pants were fitting so, I borrowed some from one of my hall-mates. I didn't like my cardigan, so I borrowed one from a another hall-mate. I borrowed one of my roommates' headband. And blush. All that was mine were the shirt and shoes. Hahaha. It's pretty great. So that performance went well, I loved the music, so that's just the best. And then after that, I got back to my room around 5:55pm in which the faculty's children were to be trick-or-treating on our hall at 6:00pm. And in my all-black attire I rushed to try and figure out what to be that would not require me changing. Using my noggin, I decided to cut out stars and tape them on myself to be the night sky. Bahahaha. This is how it turned out:

not bad, eh? I was quite fond of it. Haha. :) And after that I rushed over to a dorm to finish up the Giants game. I'm happy that they're doing so well. YEE. Then I ate for the first time since noon. And watched some of my friends leave for a dance party...and one of my roommates is headed to a military base...alright. Hahaha.

Then some friends I met just the other night came by and reverse trick-or-treated on me! BWAHAHA. SO GREAT. I'm in my room by myself and all of a sudden I hear, *knock knock knock* "TRICK OR TREEAAAT!" So I opened the door and there they stand, with a cute little bag full of candy! We ended up hanging out for a while sharing awkward stories and watching Julian Smith videos. That guy is a genius. :D

I'm going to work backwards and talk about my yesterday now. Yesterday, I ate brunch with my roommate and two of her friends from high school who also attend the same college as we do. Then on a whim we decided to head to a thrift store in a nicer, nearby town. So we went over there and I bought a nice scarf for only $3.50! SCORE. I was happy about it. Especially because I am now realizing that I left all of my scarves at home. :/

Then we went to the "old" part of that town where there is really good shopping in stores that I can never afford, but would absolutely love to wear. Haha. Then we got back and I watched the Giants game. And I had a major headache that was unpleasant. UGH. Then I ate dinner, then headed to a classical performance for credit in one of my classes. It was two hours long....they played THREE PIECES. THREE. Hahahaha. It was tough for me because I had a headache, but I didn't want to be rude and sleep. Haha.

Friday my roommate and I went to our other roommates' band concert. Which I ALSO got class credit for. Shweet. One of my classes was cancelled, so I only had one class. It was preview weekend here at school when prospective students come to spend the night and check out the school, so my choir (which was the one class I had that day) just had a performance after we had sectionals. That was a good day.

I'm really liking my friends here. I love them. They're funny, witty, and just so much fun to be with. That's all. I should probably do my homework now. I just...didn't want to and I knew I hadn't updated this blog in a while. Haha...

aight,

PEACE.

-11:40pm

*note: I was not writing this all in one sitting. I got up and traded cardigans back with my hall-mate, browsed facebook a bit, etc.

"Lalalalalalala-life goes full circle...

....lalalalalalala-life is wonderful."

-Jason Mraz

Ahhh. I just talked to my best friend via electronical/cyber video chat. It was absolutely wonderful. I love her and miss her a lot, but it was just so good to c

hat with her!

AND, on top of that, I just discovered two new bands that

I LOVE. Buuuut...I have quite a bit of music that I would like to obtain and add to my library, yet I have not near enough iTunes money. :(

Anyway, right about now, with this new music, and this weather, and with no homework, and having spoken to my bee-eff-eff!, this is how I feel:

Hehe. I have nothing super awesome to tell you right now; I'll talk about the hospital visit and church performance another time. But I must take a shower right now and get ready for my 8:20am class tomorrow morning. WOOT. :P

peace.

-1:21am

"Who doesn't long for someone to hold?...

...who knows how to love you without being told."

-Natasha Bedingfield

Wellllll, I just finished up my week splendidly. I got out of class, hung out with my sister, went to a fifty cent barbecue, came back, then found out that my roommate and I had been planning to go out with our neighbors all week! (Which I had heard nothing about until recently, of course. Haha.) Anyway, we started getting ready because we were going to a nicer outdoor mall place with a hotel and Cheesecake Factory and all the lovely stores that I could never afford. Ha. So we all got ready to go, left around eight o'clock and got back around ten forty-five-ish. SO MUCH FUN. We went to the Cheesecake Factory, and of course, I ordered the "Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake." MMMMMM. So good. I have only ever had Cheesecake Factory once before in my life...in which I ordered the very same thing. Bahahaha. Anyhow, we were seated outside and it was just a lovely evening. We walked around and perused in some stores afterward.

Then I got back and was planning to brush my teeth and then head to bed, but of course...why would I do that?! HA. I got a call from my friend to hang out, so I did. But only for about forty-five minutes because I'm trying to be responsible. Anyhow, I just really love these people...they're so much fun. And don't make fun of me for being awkward. :P

I'm trying to be responsible because I need to wake up at seven tomorrow morning to take a shower. I need to take a shower because my hair is in that weird stage where it's not really dirty, but by tomorrow afternoon it will be...so I need to take a shower before then, stage...haha. Aaaaand I will be on a bus tomorrow morning by eight fifteen in a looovely (slight sarcasm) black choir dress. I'm actually really excited for tomorrow. We're singing at a church, and it will be televised to this nearby hospital, I suppose. And then after that, we're going to actually change into our polo uniforms and go into the hospital and sing to people in there (if they don't mind)! I'M SO EXCITED. I'm just...not sure I'll be able to make it without crying, depending on the unit of the hospital my group is assigned to. Anyway, a great time it shall be!

Mom, I *meant to call you tonight and tell you that, but I never got around to it. Haha. Also, the small envelope was from the same incredible human being who built me a box. :D

alllllrighty.

peace.

-12:34am

*corrected the spelling brought to my attention by my intelligent younger sister 1:22am, 10/25/10

"I've made up my mind...

...no need to think it over."

-Adele

My roommate just told me that my blog should be about how I'm not taking a shower. Well...there. I just integrated it. Anyhow, I WILL take a shower, just not right this instance. I've been meaning to post a blog since Tuesday night, I just have not had the time. Tuesday night, my roommate and I led our third weekly worship night on for our floor. Not too too many people came from our hall, but girls from OTHER floors came! It was one of the best so far. It was really good. Our RA told us that she wanted to have communion that night as well, so we chose songs that went more along the lines of our Salvation and whatnot. It was just....powerful. I think God brought all that people that needed to be there, and the people who wanted to be there. My roommate and I went to the prayer chapel afterwards in order to pray about how it went, and how to improve on worship nights to come, and how we are available and longing to be part of the revival on our campus! AHHHH. SO GOOD. I am so blessed with great roommates. Plus, we're getting all high-tech for our worship nights, and our neighbor has an iMac monitor she brought, so I type up the lyrics on my laptop on Powerpoint and then they are displayed for everyone to see! Hahaha. AND I have a remote that I can change slides with...it's pretty much awesome.

Two of my guy friends and I bought tickets to a concert of two great artists and the tickets came today! WOOT. SO PUMPED. Then I told them that I will keep them...otherwise, they will be lost. They agreed. Haha.

Aaaand I decided to check my mail just about every four days, so as to not upset myself every time I see an empty metal box and I always tell my friend about this (one of the ones I'm going to the concert with). So this evening I finally made the effort to check my mail today and I unlocked that little gem, and wha-BAM. TWO THINGS IN THERE! One was a letter sent from someone in the school...I opened it and it's this little card...

HOW SPLENDID!! I just thought that was one of the sweetest things...he's a really great friend. Aaaaaand the other thing in my box was a GOLDEN TICKET. Here at school, I say golden ticket and I mean...golden. ticket. If you find one in your box, it means that whatever you received was too large to fit on the box! Mine is marked, "small envelope." I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS! I haven't ordered any books, that I can recall...but the post office was closed by that time, so now I sit. and stare. and wait. and think. and imagine what could possibly be in that small envelope. Hahaha. I shall find out tomorrow! :D

It's probably something really anti-climactic, with my luck. :P

But really, I'm just happy to get anything in my box. Hahaha.

Ooooh! Oooooh! I met this really really suuuuuper funny guy. He is seriously...one of the funniest people I've ever met. I JUST NOW MADE THIS CONNECTION. SERIOUSLY. He reminds me of Michael Cera. It's his voice. And sort of his build...and everything that comes out of his mouth is like it's from a sitcom. He is hilarious. But it's not like he's cracking jokes all the time, he's more along the lines of awkward funny. Which is right up my alley!

And I'm establishing more guys friends...which is really good, because I was missing mine from home. Haha. There is a solid group of about three guys that I honestly, just HAPPEN to run into at eateries around campus. We're always eating at the same time, so we just eat together! Haha. And then I have other guy friends who are super cool, as well. So...finally getting more naturally comfortable than I have been since I've arrived here.

Anyhow, I think that's about all I have for you tonight. Haha. I'll be seeing you....in all the old, familiar places...

peace.

-1:32am

"Lights will guide you home...

...and ignite your bones, I will try to fix you."

-Coldplay

Welllll my day is finally coming to a close! Whew! What a long day. I didn't end up heading to bed last night until 3:10am because of that dumb paper. I really, strongly dislike that class. Then I woke up at 7:35am to get ready to go to my midterm exam thing in my 8:20 class, then I skipped chapel to do homework for my next class. And then I had a break in which I SHOULD have been reading the novel I've been putting off, but instead took an hour nap and went to eat lunch. I had quite the lovely lunch, though! Then I had a choir practice, a recital to attend, and another break in which I dedicated myself to read the book. Before I go on, you must understand this one thing: I DO NOT LIKE TO READ. Up to that point today, I had read only thirty pages of the 322-page book due by 7:30 this evening. Also, mind you, our professor sent us an email saying there will be an actual test on the book past midnight the night before class. So...obviously not the most preparatory teacher in the world. Anyway, I BLASTED through the book and I actually finished it! In about an hour and a half. I...still don't really know how I did that, though...I was pretty much ultra-skimming the pages, but I walked away with just enough solid information for me to take the test and carry on conversation about it in class! Haha. Wooo! So I got to class tonight and it just dragged oooooon and ooooon...it's my least favorite class, by FAR. The teacher talks really slow and soft, and it just irks me in so many ways. If you're the professor, you should have prepared something to say to us before you just showed up to class. And she kept getting the character names mixed up, which was also just adding to the aggravation on my part. It's a three-hour class, but we get out early and it still feels like seven hours. Seriously. It is the WORST. I REALLY DON'T LIKE IT.

After that, I hadn't eaten dinner yet, so I went to an eatery on campus, met up with my sister, met some of her friends, came back to my room, hung out, did nothing, chat with hallmates, walked over to brother hall for three minutes, came back to sing happy birthday to girl on our hall at midnight, went back over to brother hall, walked to the coffee shop, and hung out until about two in the morning just sitting and laughing and having a grand ol' time outside in the wet, gloomy air. I LOVE IT. Some of these people...are just SO SO funny!! There's this one guy...and when he talks it's just like he's spitting out a sit-com from his mind. His delivery, timing and tone are all just spot on. I love it. He is ridiculously hilarious to me! Bwahahaha.

Anyway, I'm not tired right now, but it's slowly catching up with me! Agh....like now.

Alrighty, I suppose I'll head to bed now. Thank you, Jesus for endurance for the day!

peace.

-2:58am

"You make beautiful things out of dust...

...You make beautiful things out of us."
-Michael Gungor

Ahhhh....one word: stress. Another word: void. And one last word: fill.
Point being, I should be really stressed out right now, but I'm not. I have to read an entire novel by Monday (it's 320 pages long and I've read 30 of them), I need to read another story and write a four to five page paper on it, I need to study for a midterm I have, also on Monday, and do other classwork that I have coming up along with becoming familiar with many pieces of music that I'll be performing in various choirs sometime in the near future. Yet...I feel nothing. Haha.
I really need to buckle down on this, though, because tomorrow, I'm planning to watch the Star Wars trilogy with the Community Advisor's roommate who happens to love Star Wars more than I AND live on my floor. WIN. Complete with Yoda Soda and Wookie Cookies AND Hanburgers. ;D So...that starts at approximately 2pm and will probably last until around 10pm, I'm thinking. AGH. Soooo...that pretty much blocks out tomorrow in its entirety to work on something productive. But I'm thinking about maybe missing the first episode. Luke is especially whiny in that one, anyway. HA.
Of course, I SHOULD be doing my homework right now, but I seriously just cannot find the motivation to do so. Just like my Genesis notes...I can't remember if I mentioned them on here before. But, I was supposed to read all fifty chapters and write a summary for each one...I only did eleven of those chapters prior to the night before. However, when it WAS the night before, I was so efficient and quick it only took me like...three hours.
AKHGLUHAHVGKILAGYEQAHDGLSVNJAUDEF.

FOCUS. FOCUS. FOCUS. FOCUS. FOCUS.

Wellll...I have successfully wasted a few more precious moments of my life not doing what I should be doing. I've literally been in my room for at LEAST two and a half hours trying to do my homework...and failing miserably. FLABBERSHOOPEN. 0_O

Anyhow. I should really try to get to work. WAIT! I remembered something else I can randomly share. I thought I had lost ALL of my syllabi, but as it turns out, I'm just more organized than I think I am. I had them all in a box on my desk the whole time. Ha...gee, isn't that great!?

alright,

PEACE.

-9:46pm

"Melt the clouds of sin...

...sin and sadness, drive the dark of doubt away."
- ? (Beethoven's Ode to Joy?)

Today was our first women's choir concert/performance, as I mentioned earlier. And...we did surprisingly well! Despite the half an hour delay in departure time, I'd say our overall performance was pretty good and the elderly people of the convalescent home really enjoyed it. (As they voluntarily informed me after the service.) The MC kept saying the nicest things like, "Wow, I think the angels in Heaven have some competition!" Or, "I think this is the closest thing to what it will sound like in Heaven!" Hahaha. Anyway, there's this thing we have in choir called "secret sisters," which is pretty much your year-round secret Santa. Which...if you ask me, is asking a little much from a poor college student such as myself. They're expecting us to get them something for just about every occasion, including this morning in which call-time was 7:30am. And last night, my neighbor and I had completely forgotten about our secret sister's gifts, so we ran to the store and grabbed some stuff. My sister wrote that her favorite candies are Reese's Pieces and Haribo Gummy Bears. I saw a small box of Reese's Pieces at a nearby grocery store for $1.99 and I was absolutely appalled that they would try to sell that to me for such a ridiculous price. So I walked over to the next store and I got a packet of Reese's Pieces AND a bag of Haribos for $1.88. WIN. Haha. My sister baked me a plate of chocolate chip cookies...just what I need in the morning! ;D Hey...I'm not complaining. They were really good. :D
I got back from the performance around 12:30pm and I was DEAD tired. But instead of sleeping, I decided to eat because there would be no other time for me to eat seeing as how I had been planning to go to this free concert with a bunch of indie/alternative bands for the rest of the day. And so I ate, then took a nap, then decided to leave for the concert!
Funny thing is, this whole time I was planning to go, I just kept feeling like I was supposed to ask my mom. Hahahaha. An adult, college student feeling like they need to ask their mother to do something - sad? NO. RESPONSIBLE. HA. Anyhow, so I finally decided that I would just call her and tell her what my plans were. And she was fine with it. Thankfully. I mean, there's not much she could have done about it, but still...I just felt so extremely rebellious not telling her.
Anyhow, the concert was off da HOOK! Okay...not really. But it was super fun! I got to hear a looooot of great music! AND it was free! The only downside that comes with this kind of music is the target audience...hahaha. That was the closest I've ever been to actual weed being smoked. And there was a lot of it. I did not enjoy it one bit. Haha. But still...the music was great and wonderful. So that was a plus. :)
Then I came back and had a meeting with my alpha group and we are all bonding so much, I LOVE it! :D Today, we had a discussion about how all the boys try all these different pick-up lines and how all the girls respond differently to them and whatnot. It was just a fun growing experience, I think...for all of us to be so candid with each other. It was a good time. :)

THEEEEEEN, I finally ate dinner around 10:20, came home and found out that my 8:20am class tomorrow morning is cancelled! WOO! But...only a half-woo because my professor is sick. :(
FIRST COLLEGE COURSE CANCELLED EVER! WOOOOT. Ha.
We'll talk more later.
But for now, "Let's make like fabric softener and Snuggle." HAHAHAHA.

peace.

p.s. I could really go for getting more mail every once in a while. Haha.


p.p.s. Also something I've noticed is that the post doesn't publish what time I actually post my blog, but rather, the time I start typing. So I'm going to start including my actual post time so you can see how much time I actually waste on this thing. HA.
-12:49am

"For Thine is the Kingdom...

...and the power, and the glory, forever."
-The Lord's Prayer
Welllll, I'm a college student and currently sitting at home by myself doing absolutely nothing. Hahaha. Tonight is the homecoming dance, themed to dress as your favorite decade entitled, "the bring it back dance." But I'm not there. Dances....aren't really my thing. Haha. However, tonight was my hall's first brother hall activity. I live in an all-girls dorm and so we have a brother hall from the all-boys hall with whom we do fun activities and silly little date things and whatnot. Tonight was the first one, and it was a "dinner date." I actually had a lot of fun. :)
My date was pretty much my opposite. Kind of shy, quiet, and isolated. Seriously...we were standing in a circle talking and he was sitting on the ground...RIGHT NEXT TO US. And I kept trying to engage him in conversation, but he never got really into it! Haha. I confronted him and asked, "Why are you being os anti-social?" And he says, "I'm not...you guys are just....crazy." HAHAHAHAHAHA. I thought it was pretty funny. Anyway, he was a sweet guy, just not up for my energy level, I think. It was fun, though. After that, some of us decided to walk over to a nearby frozen yogurt place in which I met some people whose parents are seriously involved in the music business. Like...I was BLOWN. AWAY. I didn't even really know what to say to them. So...hopefully I'll keep rubbing elbows with them, seeing as how I am an aspiring musician. :P Of course, I really liked them as human beings, as well...those are just pluses.
I bought some store brand pop-tarts from the local grocery store as well...probably not the best idea. And this weekend is the women's choir's first concert! Singing at a convalescent home about an hour away...it should be interesting. It's parent's weekend here this weekend, so we had a run-through performance today, and it was...a little rough. Ha. So...hopefully we'll get a little more familiar with this music. And we're singing "The Lord's Prayer," so that is how I chose it for my title. It's just kinda sorta completely stuck in my head. :P Except for now, because I'm playing lovely tunes from my iPod player. YEE.
This past Wednesday, one of my great friends from home came to tour the school (she's a senior in high school this year) and it was SO GOOD to see her beautiful face. I was really missing my buddies from home who know me, and know about me, and understand me fully...and that familiarity. I mean, I wasn't about to cry about it, but I was just noticing that lately. Anyhow, she as just what I needed. And she said it was her favorite. :D
AAAAAAND, she literally built me a box. And collaged it. With great photos and stuff. SO COOL. I love her. Here's a picture that does not do justice:

Ahhh...welp, I can't think of any other pertinent information that I would ever need to share with the internet. HAHAHA. I'm peacin'. Hoping video chat with my best friend later tonight!




peace.

"Nobody said...

...it was easy."

-Coldplay

Welllll, I haven't written on here for quite some time. I had the best intentions so many times, to post on this, but I just kept forgetting. I got through my first couple collegiate quizzes, hot thunderstorm AND sickness. Haha. My quizzes were fine, as far as I can tell. The thunderstorm was kinda crazy...it was hot, it's been hot, and all of a sudden, a storm decides to come on in and it's all gloomy and dreary and it starts pouring rain. And then lightning and thunder starts happening everywhere! AND THEN...there was a GIANT one, right next to the building I was in!! IT WAS SO CRAZY. INTENSE. And then within the next few minutes, it was all clear skies and got HOT! Ahhhh...this whether is so random. And lastly, there is definitely a little bug running wildly around the dorms. I thought I would be immune because I never get sick and I have an immune system of STEEL. But alas...I fell into the trap. :(

Anyway, we did service projects today and I absolutely LOVE helping old people out! Granted, they could probably do most of it on their own (if you saw them, you would understand) but I just love making them feel loved and whatnot. Then a group of us was just standing in the road and this random woman who lives there was walking around and randomly says to us, "Thank...you....thank you so much....for all that you do..." She was just so sweet. Precious.

Choir is awesome. My roommate and I got a third roommate and it shall be interesting. It's just kind of weird to get another roommate added into the mix this late in the game. Eh...I think it will be okay, but I don't think it's quite as ideal as it was when it was just the two of us. Mind you, I have absolutely nothing against her, it's just going to take some adjusting.

Um...I can't really think of anything else to say. OH! An RA on my floor got engaged tonight!! SOOOOO ADORABLE!! LOVE IT. Ahhhhh...perfect.

Anyway, I'm tired. I shall proceed to head to bed now. I shall leave you with this...this is one of the most relatable things I have found on youtube in my life. SO HILARIOUS.

goodnight...

peace.

"I want to take Your Word...

...and shine it all around. First help me just to live it, Lord."
-Keith Green

Ahhh...I am in two choirs here at school. One is a women's choir and the other is for all music majors. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the women's choir, but...let me tell you. I am SO HAPPY BEYOND BELIEF that I am in a choir with some men! There's something about the purity of sound in a women's choir, but there's also something about the BEAUTY of the blend in a full choir. I LOVE IT. I LOVE IT SO SO MUCH. AGH. I get chills when I hear us...as I'm singing, I just look around and think...none of us really know each other that well, but through music we can all connect and sound SO GORGEOUS. AGH. I want to sing with them everyday! Hahaha.
Also, I got my first piece of mail today from my best friend! WOOOO! FINALLY.
I have been trying not to check my mail too often because I kept getting rejected at my mail box...seeing nothing but an empty metal, cold cube. :( But alas, I have received my first piece of mail. And I have given my address to a few kind souls whom I hope will go forward and take action in sending me something. I am a poor, lonely (not really), college student. I need contact form the outside world.
Aaaaaanyway. I have had QUITE a few laughs today, and my head is pounding. I should probably sleep. Or eat. Or do something nurturing other than sit in front of the computer screen. Plus, I have an 8:20 class again tomorrow. AGH. Yay for eleven classes.......NOT. Alrighty, I'm out. I shall leave with another beautiful photo. I did not take this. But I like the landscape of it all. :)

Pages for Justice.

Pages from Father's House on Vimeo.

DO something.

"Stayin' alive, stayin' alive...

...ah. ah. ah. ah. Stayin' aliiiive."

-Bee Gees

I successfully went through my first half week of college. Then I added three classes. And now onto a whole week of college. WOOT. I'm kind of apprehensive, to be honest. I should be sleeping now, as I have an 8:20am class. I'm taking eleven classes, for a total of seventeen units. Yaaaaay. I only have three classes that are more than one unit and two classes that are zero units. WOOT. Again. Hahaha.

I have five classes tomorrow, and they go until 10:30pm. Ha...yaaaaaaaaaay. Again. I had a movie night with my Alpha group tonight where we watched "Mulan." YES. I brought my own movies just in case I didn't want to watch any of the movies that they had there, and I'm glad I did. I LOVE THAT MOVIE. Also, my leader...a boy...made us pizookies! It was crazy! So, he and one of his roommates (whose alpha group was also there) actually baked the cookies and then served us all little mini pizookies! I was kind of shocked that they would do that. Hahaha.

My schedule is crazy, and I've already spent $180 on books. If I buy from the bookstore, I'll have to spend somewhere around $500 more. HA. NOT. COOL.

But then I was so unsatisfied and found that figure so unacceptable that I checked half.com and found all the books I need for just about $275. YEAH, BOI.

I think I should probably go now. Plus, I can't really think of anything else too exciting to talk about now. If I'm still alive tomorrow evening, I might be able to find a minute to blog about my excruciatingly long school day. Just maybe.

....OHHH! I forgot to say...I went on a 5am sunrise hike with my hall yesterday (Saturday) up a pretty hefty mountain. It was great. Here are some photos I took:

peace.

"This could be the start...

...of something new."

-High School Musical Cast

So, as much as I HATE quoting High School Musical, I really could not think of anything else that was clever or that had to do with new beginnings. Haha. Buuuut...Saturday night, we drove halfway to my college, then Sunday morning we finished driving down. I'm in the women's choir at my school, so I have to be here a week early for choir camp and whatnot. So we performed a song for the parents and all that jazz. But mine are coming again this weekend for orientation. It's been fun, sort of. I've never sung so much in one day in my entire life. It's kind of crazy. And I'm so busy, I don't even have time to go back to my dorm after the meals. Ahhhh...and I'm thinking this whole "friends" thing is going to take time. I feel this is always the case with me, though. :/

I'm really missing my people more than I thought I would! I mean, I've been away from home waaaay longer than this before, but I think it's just the knowledge that I won't see them for a long time that makes me a little sad. :(

It's weird...I want to talk on the phone to people I never would have thought I would want to talk on the phone with before (because I hate phone conversations and I feel I'm an awkward phone-talker). I don't know...and I'm really missing my guy friends, too. Because they're GREAT. I love them! And I feel like, as for now, all these guys are pretty much superficial just trying to get to know girls for fun. I JUST WANT GOOD FRIENDS. GIRLS AND BOYS. Is that too much to ask?

But I'm thinking that once my classes start up, I'll get to know all the actual cool people. :P Especially since I'll be wearing a Chewie t-shirt...pretty excited about that. Hehe.

Anyway, I'm really tired. Tonight, was a very uncharacteristic night for me. I decided to come back to my dorm at like...nine o'clock because I was just tired of being with people who aren't my best friends. Ha. I just wanted to watch a movie, and so I watched "Mulan" with my awesome roommate (yes, we sang along!) and I'm so tired. Breakfast starts at eight tomorrow. Woop. :|

I really want a good night's sleep and just to feel like I fit riiiight in. But I know that's not just going to happen overnight...although it seems like it has for most people. Haha.

Mom, if you're reading this, don't freak out. :) I'm fine, and ready for bed and tomorrow is a new day. I don't know the end of my story.

Alrighty, I'm out.

peace.

"It's been six months, eight days,...

...twelve hours since you went away."

-3 of Hearts

I had to bid adieu to three of some of my best friends yesterday. So another friend and I decided to have a sleepover and wake up in the morning and do things. Bad. Idea. We did not go to sleep until 3:20, then we woke up at 5:20 because we wanted to make cinnamon rolls for one of our friends leaving at sic o'clock. So we made the cinnamon rolls, quickly ran by a local coffee shop and purchased a hot chocolate and surprised our friend in the morning with aforementioned items. Needless to say, it was a sweet goodbye. ;)

We got back to my friend's house probably around 6:20 and had talked about wanting to make brownies for another friend that lives nearby because we haven't hung out with them ALL SUMMER. And that makes us sad. Haha. So we popped in the brownies around 7:00am after mixing them and whatnot. And then we decided we wanted to watch Moulin Rouge. So my friend finally found it and we started watching it on the computer on a couch. I fell asleep faster than I thought I ever could. Woke up when the brownies were done and various times between...then finally GOT up at 9:30am. For a grand total of about 3.6 hours of actual sleep. We were supposed to go to another friend's house and eat breakfast because they also left yesterday, so we started getting ready for that. My friend went and picked peaches from the backyard and flowers and all that jazz to take. I cut the brownies and put them on a plate, then started peeling peaches. WHICH, by the way...I had my first peach in LIFE from their backyard the other day. It was deeeeelectable. Okay, so I'm peeling the peaches, etc. So everything is pretty much taken care of circa 10:20am. We drove over to the brownie-house and left a note saying how much we miss said friend. Then found out that the little bouquets--

WOOOOOOW. A friend of mine just dropped by to borrow my iPod and so I was going over to the door to give it to them. My dog was laying in the walkway, so I attempted to step over him. Apparently, he's a lot taller than I thought, so m foot clipped his ear/head, he let out a little yelp, and I FLEW across the room and landed on my knee. Quite funny...he was smarter enough to move now. Hahaha. And now my knee is red. But anyway...

--that we had put together were still at the house, so we just HAD to drive back and pick them up. ;) So then we went to our other friend's house to eat breakfast as she texted me and made sure we were still coming because the pancakes were cold. Haha. We got there circa 10:45ish. Then ate pancakes, had our last little shindig with her, watched (500) Days of Summer because she had never seen it and left circa 2:30pm. Still running on approximately 3.6 hours of sleep, and I was scheduled to sing at youth group, so I had to be there at 5:15pm. But my little sister, Grace, had a soccer practice at 5 across town, so I decided that I wanted to drive everyone there. NEVER. AGAIN. I HATED IT. Too many people trying to tell me how to drive and you could just feel the tension in the car. Noooooo thank you. Then, I went to church, which was the last time I would see one of my best friends who is going to college pretty much across the country. :( But youth group was literally OFF the HOOK and went on until about 9:30pm. And then had plans to hang out with some people I hadn't seen in a long time, so we met up at a local frozen yogurt place. It was a good time. I got home just past 11 o'clock (an extremely early night, considering). I realized that I hadn't really eaten dinner, so I ate some pasta and watched some television. Finally went to bed around 12:45am. Haha. Woke up at 10:30 this morning and am scheduled to babysit at 3 o'clock this afternoon.

Apparently, I can have a full day with sleep equivalent to that of a nap. Hahahaha. :P

God is amazing. ;)

peace.

"Chillin' in the summertime...

...not a cloud in the sky."

-Jonas Brothers

Hahaha. So...as dumb and juvenile as that sounds, I REALLY love this song from their television soundtrack "Jonas L.A."! I just think it is so much fun and such a feel-good song. :D

My summer keeps improving as the end draws nigh. Go figure. Ha! And three of some of my best friends are off to college tomorrow! :(

One is going out-of-state, to a very far away land...one is going to a nearby major city's state college, and the other is going somewhere I've only ever been for soccer tournaments. And I didn't like it there very much. Haha.

Then my sister is leaving to go to school on Monday...then I'M leaving on the following Saturday night! AHH!

My sister and I both have birthdays in the month of August and we're both departing in the month of August as well, so we decided to combine four parties into one. Birthday/going away parties for both of us in the same day. BOY, was it a party! It started at one in the afternoon, and I didn't get in bed until circa 4:30 am. Hahahaha. But, that's a typical summer night for me. Staying up extreeeeemely late. I don't know how it's phys

ically possible for me to do that, but somehow I manage.

Two of my friends gave me one of the most creative things I've ever received. But before I tell you what that is, I must explain to you that...I LOVE STAR WARS. Get it? Got it? GOOD. Yes, I love Star Wars very much. Greatness. Anyway, they walk in with a cardboard box and tell me to open it...and what's inside?

THESE BABIES:

Anyway, I loved them SO MUCH that I didn't allow anyone to eat them. I didn't know what I wanted to do with them other than petrify them and save them forever. So, it was really dumb of me to not let anyone eat them because now I have quite a few cupcakes left that I have to eat. Normally, this would not be an issue, but we have no milk in the house. Therefore, this causes issues. Haha.

Well...I don't really know what else to say...so have a lovely day! :)

peace.

"I think I'm...

...I'm givin' up."

-Relient K

So, I fiiiiinally got my permit yesterday morning! I was the first one to pass all day. Haha. And so I've been trying to make my behind-the-wheel appointment for my birthday so that I can leave my house with a license and whatnot. Online, I tried to schedule an appointment in my town, and in all the surrounding towns with DMVs and they all said, "Sorry, no appointment is available at this office." So I decided to call the eight-hundred number. After about five minutes of talking to an automated voice, I got put on hold (for the first time in my life) until I could talk to a real human. I was on hold for fifteen minutes. Then, finally, someone answered and I talked them through what I was trying to do. Then they decided to share their political ideas and personal opinions as to why I couldn't make an appointment. "I'm sorry, there are no appointments available in ________. I've checked, _____, _____, _____, etc. but there are no more. It's all because of the furlough Fridays."

Me: *pity chuckle* "Okay, I just thought I'd try to schedule one through people, because I wasn't sure if it was just a problem with the computer or something."

Person: "Oh, no...it's not your fault, or the computer's fault, or my fault, it's the GOVERNOR'S fault. He doesn't have any idea what he's doing."

Me: "Heh-heh...uh..."

Person: "No, I'm serious!! His brain must be messed up from all the steroids, or something..."

Me: "Ha..." (clearly, I was NOT egging him on, here.)

Person: "He doesn't know what he's doing. The problem is, that he keeps making all the furlough Fridays and we don't even have a job here, I have to have two jobs and I can't even say I work here." *giggles in the background from a fellow co-worker*

Me: ".............."

Person: "Yeah, so it's just because of all the furlough Fridays and we have to close the offices. [at this point I'm thinking, really? Do you think it's because of the Furlough Fridays? I thought you were just incompetent.]"

Me: "Oh, okay...even though I want to make an appointment on a Thursday? That doesn't make it better?"

Person: "No, because with the Furlough Fridays we have to close down and so we're not having enough appointments available."

Me: "...well...alllllright. Thanks..."

Person: "Alright, sorry hon, but you could try to call back another time."

Me: "Alright, thanks."

Person: "Buh-bye."

*hang up the phone*

Pardon me, but I was not asking what you cared or thought about the fact that I can't make an appointment. I just want a freaking appointment! I just feel that that was not the right place nor the right time to go about spewing about political emotions and going on and on about what you think should be changed. Save it fo' yo MAMA. Anyhow, it was not a good experience overall. Hahahaha. But I find it semi-entertaining in retrospect. :P

peace.

Hm.

peace.

"I love You...

...all of my hope is in You."

-Marty Sampson

So, uhm...I know I'm late on this but, how about that World up final?! Hahahaha. It was alright...I thought it could've been better and more intense. I mean, nothing really exciting happened in the first half. Boo Salim. Ha! Anyhow, congratulations to Spain for taking home the first EVER World Cup Title!! ¡VIVA ESPAÑA! Hahahaha.

Also, I have searched high and low, near and far, and yet cannot find my

camera connector cord thing to my computer. This is very troubling news, as I have probably 400+ pictures on my camera that have yet to be put on my computer. I haven't uploaded pictures since the second week of JUNE. HOLY MANILOW. Haha. So to improvise using my problem-solving skills, I decided to put my memory card in my sister's camera and use her cord to upload them to my computer. Success! :D

And also today, my family and I got very involved in playing Wii Sports Resort. Like...we were acting like we were playing real sports that would affect our future lives. At least some of the crazy people in my house were...not me...no...never...*cough* hahahaha. But I think I'm really starting to develop some sort of strain in my shoulder/arm from swinging around so much in order to defeat my opponents in table tennis. Hm. hehe. :) My father straight up looks like he's fighting someone when he plays table tennis. He takes swift, powerfu

l strikes and approaches the television screen. We've had to establish a "danger zone." Yuuuup.

Aaaaand lastly, here's just a little something that makes me smile...I hope it can do the same for you. The inquisitive, yet cautious minds of children. :)

peace.

"Happy birthday...

...to YOU!"

-random human being

So it was my youngest sister, Grace's, birthday today. She turned another double-digit number. Haha. And whilst we were all merrily discussing age and whatnot, she spouted out, "You're gonna be OLD, Mom! That's one of the ages...in the range for life insurance!!" BAHAHAHAHA. Ohhhh my. I thought it was slightly hilarious. Also, Spain v. Netherlands?! WOOO! I'M PUMPED. And the Germany v. Uruguay game should be fantastic as well! :D

At this point, I'm not rooting for any particular team, but a great game. I just want it to be super even and intense. I'm EGGSHITED. ;)

Um...I feel like there were many things that have happened which I thought were blog-worthy at the time, but never had the opportunity to come to the computer. haha.

Anyhow, my little sister had been begging and plea

ding for a Wii and our parents would politely decline. Haha. So guess what...they got her one! PSHAW! WHAT HAS THIS WORLD COME TO?! hahaha. I'm kidding...sort of.

Alright, I'm tired and we just set up the Wii, so I have a feeling we'll be up even later enjoying this fun deal!

^Amsterdam. Let's go there, please.

peace, love and prosperity. :)

"Olé, Olé, Olé...

....Braasiiiil (is no more)!"

Well, I can't say that I didn't call it....meaning I called it. Haha! For the most recent FIFA World Cup match, Brasil v. Netherlands, there was yet another upset in the defeat of the Brazilian team! Bwahahaha. Really, though...when predicting who would win the match, I thought that it was more likely and believed that Brasil would win, but I figured that since this World Cup has been full of upsets thus far, why not one more! And boy, oh boy...I was right!

To the Dutch: well played. I appreciated your game and you all played really well!

To Brasil: you're kinda sorta sore losers...well, some of you are, anyhow. I

mean, really Felipe?! You're losing so you're just going to stomp on Boulahrouz?! Yes, that's definitely the way to settle your frustration. And go ahead and get yourself a red card. That was classy...ha! And as the captain of the team, you should be able to keep your composure, remain calm and serve as an encourager when your team is losing, not as an outburst of anger taken out on the other team! PSH.

To the Referees: I appreciated your officiating this match. I thought it was a pretty fair game. (That also goes to the teams & players who played. Aside from the obvious, good job not playing dirty.)

On another note, that bumps my prediction of the championship game being Brasil v. Argentina. I still have one shot, though! I wouldn't mind a NED v. ARG championship. Anything, at this point will be interesting...but I'm kind of rooting for the Dutch now!

Aaaand the Uruguay v. Ghana game is juuust about to start! WOOP! Should be good. :)

And one last random thing to say...

they have shake weights for MEN?! BAHAHAHAHA!

Anyhow, I'm going to tune in and pay attention to the game now. I DON'T WANNA MISS A THAY-YAANG! ;)

peace.

"We're off...

...to see the Wizard!"

-Various characters of The Wizard of Oz

Well, today my father

, my two sisters and I will be headed off to go camping for a few days. It should be interesting. And I think it'll be relatively fun...I'm looking forward to it. :)

The only downside? We'll be missing some of the World Cup games! Eventually, I will get over

it. hahaha.

So bye, errybuddy! Be back in a few days--wish me the luck of no insect or bug having the urge

to bite me! Bwahahaha. :P

peace.

"This is...

...the end, if you want it."

-Relient K

Welp...USA, we had a pretty good run. It's too bad we had a bit of a déjà vu there in the end. A loss to Ghana, 2-1. AGH. Nice goal again, Donovan. The team overall, I'd say did pretty well...we just ran out of steam, I think. Ahhhh...I don't really have words. I'm just super bummed.

I can't wait another four years to root for our team! We should just have a rematch. Or change the World Cup to once every three years, maybe? I think yes. By the next World Cup, I'll be able to go into a sports bar and watch the game...that should be fun. :P

On another note, I chose Brazil and Argentina to play in the championship game, so we'll see how that goes! But still. Still heartbroken. I can't imagine what the players are thinking...

After that epic video I posted of a compilation of all the different reactions to Donovan's goal, I got super pumped and decided to decorate the house. And the way I figured it, if the USA got eliminated (which has become a painful truth), then at least we'd be ready for the Fourth of July!! hahaha. And I guess we are now... :(

I got about nine hours of sleep. I want to take a nap. Is that oversleeping? It seems to happen all too often that whenever I get a good amount of sleep I want to take a nap later in the day. Hm...anyhow, I'm super bummed. I feel like the World Cup is completely over...but I guess I'll just find another team to root for. :/

peace.

"Oh, how He...

...loves us."

-John Mark McMillan

I received this as an email from my dear grandmother. I really don't usually like reading these things, but I actually enjoyed this one. hahaha.

'Let me explain the problem science has with religion.' The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand. 'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?' 'Yes sir, 'the student says. 'So you believe in God?' 'Absolutely.' 'Is God good?' 'Sure! God's good.' 'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?' 'Yes' 'Are you good or evil?' 'The Bible says I'm evil.' The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible!’ He considers for a moment. 'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?' 'Yes sir, I would.' 'So you're good...!' 'I wouldn't say that.' 'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.' The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Can you answer that one?' The student remains silent. 'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax. 'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?' 'Er..yes,' the student says. 'Is Satan good?' The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.' 'Then where does Satan come from?' The student falters. 'From God' 'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?' 'Yes, sir..' 'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?' 'Yes' 'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.' Again, the student has no answer. 'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?' The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.' 'So who created them?' The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. 'Who created them?' There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. 'Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?' The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.' The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?' 'No sir. I've never seen Him.' 'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?' 'No, sir, I have not..' 'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?' 'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.' 'Yet you still believe in him?' 'Yes' 'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist... What do you say to that, son?' 'Nothing,' the student replies.. 'I only have my faith.' 'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.' The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?' 'Yes.’ 'And is there such a thing as cold?' 'Yes, son, there's cold too.' 'No sir, there isn't.' The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. 'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit down to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.' Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer. 'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?' 'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation.. 'What is night if it isn't darkness?' 'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?' The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?' 'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.' The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?' 'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains.. 'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.' 'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of lif e is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.' 'Now tell me, professor.. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?' 'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.' 'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?' The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed. 'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?' The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided. 'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.' The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter. 'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all d ue respect, sir.' 'So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?' Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable. Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I Guess you'll have to take them on faith.' 'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?' Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it Everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in The multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.' To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.' The professor sat down. PS: the s tudent was Albert Einstein. Albert Einstein wrote a book titled God vs. Science in 1921... So there you have it. Enjoy your day. :) peace.