In Which I Just Ramble About December Plans And Such

O hey December, fancy meeting you here at the end of November!  I really cannot believe that December is here.  It's gotten unrighteously cold here in Birmingham and I'm loving it! If only it would snow.  As of today there is only a week and a half until the end of the semester and a gloriously long Christmas break.

So since we last chatted Thanksgiving happened.  I got to go home for the first time this semester and it was so good!  I got to ride everyday, see two of my best friends, and all of my family.  I didn't realize how much I missed home until I got there.  Still though it was good to come back to campus and get back into the routine that I have formed up here.  You know the typical college student routine: class, nap, class, eat, sit around wasting time, study some, waste more time, eat, study a little more, vow to go to bed early, find something so fun you could not possibly live without doing it (ie. spending an hour laying on the floor of your friends room laughing while trying to guess what words mean in a language you have never taken), realize it's already midnight, waste more time, collapse exhausted into a very brief night sleep,wake up, and repeat.  So yeah, that's how I spend my life.  And it's awesome

As I said it's almost time to head home for Christmas and I am so excited for the ten and a half hour drive by myself.  I've already started preparing a roadtrip playlist for my trek.  It's going to be so good to just get home.

Also I've recently taken up painting and I left all my supplies at home (because I couldn't bring them with me on the flight back to school) and I am just itching to get back to them.  I have so many ideas floating around and I want to get them out of my head so that I have room for more.  I've just been feeling really, really crafty lately and I love it.  I'm pretty positive that my whole break will revolve around making things and sleeping.  It's going to be sooooo gooooooddd!!

Now that I've just rambled for a while I'm going to call it a day.

Gather Round You Guys! It's About To Get Thankful Up In Here!

It seems that the only time I ever have time to get my but over here and lay down some fat beats is when I'm either about to go on or am on break.  And by 'have time' I really mean that I have about a million things to do before class tomorrow and before break.  Oh the life of a college student.

Can I just start out by saying that I absolutely love where I am in life!  I have made so many wonderful friends, I love my classes, I love Birmingham, and believe it or not I love my classes and will be very sad to see them go at the end of the semester.  It's really difficult to believe that my first semester as a college kid is almost over.  It's bizarre really.  I wouldn't trade the experiences that I've had for anything.  I mean, mind you, classes have been tough, there have been mental and emotional breakdowns as well as a constant lingering pain in my knee that is only helped, I'm sure, by the billions of stairs on campus, but life is so good.  Even on one of my worse days I am so incredibly blessed it's ridiculous!!

One thing that God has really been teaching me this semester is to not just be content with where I am but to be joyful in every situation, no matter the circumstances.  Moving away to college has really taught me to rely on Him more fully than I ever have.  I mean essentially I am on my own.  Yes it's true that my family is just a phone call away, but I never really realized how much I relied on them from day to day until they weren't within an arms reach.  It's been tough to say the least, but it has been so incredibly worth it!  And now I'm just speaking in cliche's, so that's good.

I finally get to go home for the first time this semester tomorrow and I am so stoked!!  Emma called me the other day to tell me that she had bought a new lego set and was waiting till I get home to put it together because that's what we always have done, put lego's together, together.  When she said that I literally almost started crying.  It's little things like that that make me realize how much I miss home and how wonderful my family is.  Also just thinking about all the food that we'll be making for our Thanksgiving feast is making me realize how many foods I have not had since moving up here.  Lately I have really been craving avocado, greek food, and pizza (not all at the same time cause that would be gross).  I mean the food in the Caf isn't bad, but it's not the same as home.  But I guess that would be the same anywhere you go.

Another thing I've missed is animals.  Yeah, sure we have squirrels and chipmunks on campus, but they are all a little psycho and I don't think that they would like it if I tried to hug them.  I miss being able to just walk outside and there's Tucker, or go down to the barn and be able to just hop on and go for a ride. Believe it or not I even miss mucking out stalls.  Am I crazy, probably but honestly I just needz some animalz time!!  I already have trail rides planned for every single morning over Thanksgiving break.  I am so excited!  I've been jonesin for a good hard ride for so long!

That's really all that has been going on with me recently.  Life is good, and I really have no room to complain about anything.

Fall Break! Woohoo...

And by woohoo I mean, "I am still on campus while everyone else is at home because I live too far away to go home and because I'm driving to South Carolina next weekend."  So my fall break is really, really exciting.  So far I've watched five movies, washed all my dishes, painted my nails, and cleaned my entire dorm room including the bathroom.  I'm just having so much fun I don't know what to do with myself.  I think I might go mad if I don't come in contact with some other humans soon!

This is really complainey, and I'm sorry, but I just can't handle myself right now.  I really want to be at home and it's starting to bum me out.  Tonight I do have a Skype date and I really can't wait for that, so I think I'm going to stop feeling sorry for myself right now and maybe make some crafts till then.

You Know, Just Living It Up...College Style

Oh, hey again! So a lot has happened these past couple of months.  I moved to a new town where I knew no one, started my freshman year of college, met some really incredible people and last night, had my first official college meltdown.  To say that life has been a crazy would be an understatement.

To start with, I'm officially a college student! Hooray! It's here!!  And I've got to say, for the most part it's been really excellent!  My roommate is alright, I mean we don't have much in common, but she's nice.  I love the girls on my hall and my RA.  All of them are so sweet and I know that they have my back.  I've made some really good friends on the second floor, and to say that we spend pretty much every waking second together would be quite accurate.

My classes are all going well.  They can be a bit stressful at times--hence last night's melt down--but they are ultimately good.  My favorite would definitely have to be psychology.  I'm really happy here and I feel like this is where God called me to be.  The weather has turned fall-ish and it is beautiful.  I broke out a scarf today, and yesterday I literally spent five hours outside on the quad.  And actually, as I'm typing this, I currently am in a friends hammock soaking in the beautiful outdoors.  It is excellent!  I've found a local church that I really love, and the ministries on campus are really great too.  Really I'm just so happy to be here.

There have been a lot of prospies (prospective students) touring campus lately and they are presh!  It makes me so excited to see them touring and thinking of going here that I nearly can't handle my self.  Also the wildlife on campus is so great! There are tons of squirrels and chipmunks, and as a matter of fact, yesterday I saw a squirrel fall out of a tree!  Literally he was up in some of the high branches of a huge oak tree, and I guess he got in a fight with another squirrel because it sounded like there was a scuffle going on.  Then next thing I know, there is a squirrel falling out of the air!  He landed with a thud and a squeak and then ran right back up the tree.  It was ridiculous!  I wasn't the only one who saw this either.  Two guys were walking by right as it happened and saw the whole thing too! Craziness, this is what I have to live with.

This weekend is fall break, and I may be going home with a friend.  Otherwise I'll just be here enjoying the emptiness of campus.  Next weekend I am planning to go visit some family in South Carolina, and my family is driving up there too, so I'll get to see them for the first time since August 25!  It's crazy how time flies.  It's already October.  I mean what is my life, where did the time go?

Also today the caf served soup...So it's a good day!

A Summary Of These Past Few Months

I've been meaning to write another post for quite a while now, but I just never got around to it.  So much has happened in these past months that I don't even know where to begin.  I guess I'll start with June because nothing of much consequence happened in May other than graduation.

On June 4 My mom and I left for Israel with SLU 401.  It was such a phenomenal trip.  We went everywhere and saw everything.   There would be about 4 or 5 things on our agenda for the day, but by the end we would end up doing 10 to 12 things thanks to the amazing Dr. Jay Strack.  I met some wonderful people who I truly love to be around.  I can really only say good things about this trip.

A week after getting back from Israel I headed up to college orientation.  It was a blast! I met some really nice folks and got all the classes I need at the times I wanted, so I'm pretty pleased with that.

July brought a whole host of things.  I ended up getting violently ill on the 2nd and was not well enough by the 4th to participate in any patriotic activities.  This is the second year in a row that I haven't gotten to celebrate the 4th.  Last year I was flying to London and this year I was puking my guts out. Hopefully this doesn't become some kind of horrid tradition!

The Last week of July Dori, Amy, Emily, Chloe and I spent a week up in the mountains in Georgia.  It was way too much fun! I hadn't seen Chloe since last summer and it was really great to spend time with her again.  We did so much while in Georgia.  We hiked, swam in waterfalls, rafted down the Chattahoochee River, went to a fair, and spent the afternoon on a boat in the middle of a gorgeous lake surrounded by mountains.  Not to mention we watched Pearl Harbor three times and fended for ourselves quite well.  It was a really great week.

August, thus far, has been a month of late nights and goodbyes.  This month I have been cramming as much time with my friends as humanly possible.  I have already had to say goodbye so many times a people head off to various states to begin their college adventures.  I'm the last of my friends to leave and let me tell ya, it's killing me!  I have one week left to pack up the last 18 years of my life and move into my dorm to begin my adventures.

That's pretty much all I've been up to.  We'll see if it's another four months before I get to this again.

BEDA #30: Last Day Of BEDA/Prom

Today is the last day of BEDA, FINALLY! This has been a good experience it's just that I feel more like it has been a chore, especially in these last days, than a fun challenge.  I feel like I might just be getting the hang of this blogging thing.

Today is also prom.  I'm quite excited.  My dress is dark turquoise and I got some really cute silver flats to wear with it.  My hair appointment is pretty soon so that's why I'm blogging in the morning as apposed to late in the evening.  I'm sure tonight will be fun and then tomorrow two of my bestfriends and I are going to spend the day a spring just having a blast.

That's all I really have to say.  I wanted to go out of BEDA with a bang, but I guess that's not going to happen.

BEDA #29: IHOP And The FREAKING ROYAL WEDDING!

I had my first IHOP experience today.  I'm not sure if it was a success or not.  I really don't like pancakes so I decided to get an omelet with a waffle.  The omelet was good.  And I'm sure the waffle was good, I just couldn't tell, because of the four different syrups I tried, I did not like one of them.  Maybe I'm too picky, but they were just nasty.

And HOLY CRAP, THE ROYAL WEDDING WAS TODAY!!!!!!  Kate was gorgeous in her wedding dress! Simply breathtaking.  And William looked dapper in his suit.  All of the pomp and pageantry was splendid.  The British sure know how to do a wedding.  And seriously I want Kate's dress.  The lace was gorgeous as was the embroidery along the bottom.  She just looked so elegant and regal today.  It was incredible.  I wish I could have seen it in person.

BEDA #28: Impromptu Piano Concert

I have been thinking about what I was going to talk about all day today, and finally I have something to say.

I had some plans to go to an awards ceremony with my friend but had to cancel because I was just feeling overwhelmed about homework and such.  Not long after my mom got a call from my PaPaw saying that the Curls (some very dear friends) were taking him out to dinner and that there would be a piano concert by Lucy Pat afterwards.  Needless to say, my mom and I had to say yes to that.

Now when I said concert I said it for a reason.  Lucy Pat is the best pianist I have ever heard.  She has played professionally for many, many years and can play anything in any key.  When she plays it is like you can actually see the music.  It leaps into the air and is almost tangible.  It goes deep inside you and touches every heart string so that you experience every emotion, individually and all at once.  It is breathtaking and beautiful does not even begin to describe how she plays.

The reason for this gathering is that tomorrow is the third anniversary of the day my grandma passed away.  Bill Curl has been one of my PaPaw's best friends for years and years, and Lucy Pat, my grandma's.  They called up PaPaw this afternoon and told him that they were going to take him out to dinner and have a concert afterwards, as I have previously said.

I really cannot get over how incredibly Lucy Pat plays.  I never get tired of listening to her play.  She could play for hours and hours, and when she stops it feels like only moments have passed by.  She played quite a few of my grandma's favorite songs tonight, including Clair de Lune, Great Is Thy Faithfulness, and I sang along as she played Amazing Grace.  My grandma sang all four verses of amazing grace the day she died when she heard that she was coming home from the hospital.  I cannot even begin to say how honored I am to have sung it tonight, especially alongside Lucy Pat.

The Curls are just some of the most special people that anyone will ever meet.  They have been missionaries all over the world and now, in their retirement, they minister to the missionaries who are actively serving all over the world.  I remember when I was in AWANA as a little kid one of the pages in my Sparky's book included an activity in which you prayed for missionaries and wrote them a letter.  I chose the Curls.

I do hope that someday I can be like them.  I would love to live in the UK as a missionary (which they did for many years in Wales).  Mr. Bill even got to meet the Queen by some providential chance.  I really can say nothing but good things about them.

Days till Israel: 37

BEDA #27: Today Was Just The BEST!

Hello again interwebs.  I very nearly forgot about you to night, but hark I did not.  

Today was just the best day ever!  I am officially done with highschool classes, I had a fantastic time getting coffee and a Chipotle burrito.  Then I went to church and got to just have the best time with some of my favorite people ever, and lastly I went to Bible study which was just wonderful!  Basically today was just a party.  I have not laughed so much for so long in quite a while.

Going to my last highschool class today has really got me thinking about how different it will be next year when I am away at college.  I hadn't felt truly sad about leaving until today.  But at the same time today has been so wonderful that I haven't  had time to feel sad really until right now.  I'm going to miss the fantastic car rides with all my friends and the wonderful conversations we have.  The good thing is I don't have to give it all up right away.  I still have this summer to continue to forge these bonds that will hopefully not be broken.  That last sentence was way cheesy, but that is really how I feel.  I think I'm going to be done for now before I get all weepy up in here.

Days till Israel: 38

BEDA #26: Oh The People (And Creatures) I Wish I Could Meet

I wish I was a hobbit.  Or at least that I knew one.  The way Tolkien describes them makes me want to find one and sit down and have a chat.  I deeply wish that these little creatures were real.  They just seem so endearing and fantastic.  I think that most of all I should like to meet Bilbo, Pippin and Merry.  They have always been my favorite of the hobbits introduced in LOTR.  Don't get me wrong, Sam and Frodo are great too, but I just feel that the other three would be more interesting to talk with.  Especially Bilbo with all his adventures and tales to tell, and I think that Pippin and Merry would be fantastic for a laugh.  Why couldn't I have been born in Middle Earth?

I would also love to meet the Weasleys, Arthur and Molly especially.  The Weasleys are my favorite characters in the whole HP series.  Well except Percy, of course. He's just a prude.  But to spend a day with Fred and George, or Charlie, or Arthur and Molly would be truly fantastic.  I can just imagine how my sides would ache after a day laughing with the twins.  And to hear of the places and things Charlie go to do with dragons would be thrilling.  I would love to discuss the functions of silly muggle trinkets with Arthur and hear stories of the trouble the children got themselves into from Molly.  JK Rowling sure did something right with the Weasley family.  That is until she killed of Fred.  I don't think I'll ever forgive her for that.

Now as for Narnia, I would like to meet Aslan, Mr. Tumnus, and Edmund.  Aslan really because he is just Aslan.  I mean seriously he is freaking amazing!  I feel like the conversations with him would be truly remarkable and always satisfying.  Mr. Tumnus has always been one of my favorite characters.  I would like to have tea with him and hear him play his flute.  I feel like he is the kind of friend that everyone should have.  Edmund has always been a favorite of mine as well.  The way he was redeemed and truly changed after the mistake he made is remarkable.

I wish I could visit these realms and magical places, but I guess that's what books and imagination are for.  So until I can visit I will just read about them.

Days till Israel: 39

PS I just found out today that I got into the nursing program at the school I am attending in the fall!!!  I have been waiting for forever to hear back and could not be happier!

BEDA #25: 40 Days

Today I wasted gas.  This morning I left the house as usual for physics  only to get a call when I was about halfway there telling me that it was canceled.  Then later tonight I got all the way to church for band rehearsal only to find Aaron walking out of the building, guitar case in hand.  I rolled down my window and it seemed that we were the only ones to not get the message that rehearsal was canceled.  So I made my way back home and decided to do something productive with my time, namely play Lego Harry Potter on the Wii.

When mom got home I read some of The Hobbit to her as she sorted laundry and tidied up a room.  I do like reading aloud and will probably be doing it with increased frequency these next forty days.  I say this because today marks forty days until I get to got to Israel this summer.  I decided to give up TV and movies as sort of a lent type thing in the forty days leading up to it.  My mom is giving up soda for this time.  Let me just tell you today has been pretty tough.  All day I've been wanting to watch something, it's probably mostly just because I have resolved not to.  It's going to be tough, but I know I can do it.  So here goes nothing.

I think I will end today with some more of The Hobbit and then if I finish that I'll move on to No Limits, by Michael Phelps, which I found in my sisters room when browsing her bookshelf.  I'm not infatuated with him, I mean he is a phenomenal athlete, but I'm not a screaming fan girl, I just thought it looked interesting. Now when it comes to JRR Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Winston Churchill, I go into major screaming fangirl mode.  I really just can't help myself.  They make me giddy.

And there I will leave this little blog for today.  Perhaps I will go more into my love for those three men tomorrow.

BEDA #24: Easter

Today is Easter.  I got to wake up at the ever pleasant time of 5:30am this morning to get ready for church, which I was at from 7:30 to 12:30.  I was singing in both of the Easter services today and they went really well. Everyone did a fantastic job.  My whole entire family came over for a little Easter celebration.  We had so much food and I ate way too much.  I spent a good portion of the day sitting on the couch, wearing my snuggie, with my light saber, reading the Hobbit.  If that does not equal major nerd I don't know what does.  My cousins made fun of me, but hey, if they can't appreciate the finer things in life it's their loss.  Once everyone had left my sisters, mom and I cleaned up the leftover food which took a surprisingly short amount of time.   Then my mom and I watched Anger Management.  Neither of us had seen it before, and it was pretty good; not as funny as I had heard it was, but it was still good.  Today altogether was a good day.

BEDA #23: Naps And Cleaning.

Today I hard core snuggie napped again.  I don't know what it is about that thing that makes me so sleepy, but is a wonderful napping companion.  I started reading the Hobbit again in anticipation of the movie release, and because Alex Carpenter started reading it in one of his youtube videos and it gave me a hankering for some Tolkien.  Tomorrow is Easter, and I am singing in at church for both services.  Then family is coming.  It's going to be a long day.  My day was pretty dull aside from a wonderful nap and lots of cleaning.

BEDA #22: Light Sabers, T-REX, and Snuggies! Oh My!

Today my lovely and wonderful friend, Emily, and I built our light sabers.  It was great fun and also super confusing.  I'm not sure if we made it more difficult than it should have been or if it was really just that hard.  Either way it was fun.  My light saber is purple and hers is a double blade one like Darth Maul's.  When hers is fully extended it's taller than me, and I'm 5'7".

After we built our sabers we went to lunch at T-REX.  It's basically the same thing as The Rainforest Cafe, only instead of jungle creatures it's full of dinosaurs.  We got to sit right next to the fish tank, and experienced a meteor shower every 15 minutes.  It was great fun.

On our way back to the car, we stopped to watch a dance company from NC preform.  They were all pretty young, and in my opinion weren't very enthusiastic.

Today is also my littlest sister's birthday.  She turned ten today, so we had the dinner she picked out and lemon cake.

I have felt terrible all afternoon and I took a pretty decent snuggie nap.  But even that could not make me feel better.  I am so over being sick.

BEDA #21: Sick, Sick, Sick

Ugghhh (insert giant squids of anger tantrum here).  I am so over being sick.  Today I have had the most intense sinus pressure ever.  I have never, ever had sinus pressure with a cold, so I'm a bit worried that I may have a sinus infection.  The only good thing I have found that comes with a cold is that when you breathe you sound like Darth Vader.  Other than that, it is pure misery.

Now I don't just want to be a Cathy Crankypants, so I figure that I should mention that I did get my senior pictures done today and it was pretty fun.  I had my ponies in a bunch of them, and my dog joined in the fun for a few.  Altogether it went well, and I got some pretty great shots.

Unfortunately I still haven't been able to go out and buy cold medicine, so I have to suffer yet another night of not being able to breathe.  I think I am going to attempt sleep I just a little bit, so I will leave this here for now.

Oh yeah, I nearly forgot, tomorrow is the day that I get to go build a light saber with my wonderful, and oh so Star Wars obsessed friend Emily.  I cannot wait!

BEDA #20: An Off Color Day

Today I have felt a bit off color all day, and not just because I have a cold.  I'm not sure what it is but I just haven't felt like myself today.  I really don't feel like bloging today, or really doing much of anything. But at the same time I've been feeling restless all day.  As soon as I get some place I wish I was somewhere else, and once I get to that place I wish I was back where I had just been.  I don't know, it's just been a strange kind of day.  Here's hoping tomorrow will be better.

BEDA #19: I Caught A Cold

So I don't know if anyone else does this, but whenever I start to feel like I am getting a cold or sore throat I try to convince myself that I am not getting sick.  I'll tell myself that it's just allergies, or that I'm making it up.  I hate being sick so much that I try to trick myself into being well.

Why am I writing about this?  Well I have been feeling a bit almost sickish for the past couple of days, and finally, today I had to give in to the fact that I do have a cold.  There is just no getting around it.  I have caught a cold and I'm just going to have to wait this thing out.  And the real bummer is that there is no cold medicine or decongestants in the house.  Now I'm not usually one to take medicine for pain or headaches and the like, but when it comes to colds, I take a rather aggressive course of action.  I take as much allowed as often as possible.  So tomorrow I plan to go out and buy some Niquil and probably a Neti pot and scare this cold off with as many remedies as I can get at my disposal.

BEDA #18: Ten Annoyances

So today is going to be another list day, because I really have no news to speak of.  Plus I'm feeling lazy and I don't really want to put in effort tonight.  In no particular order, here is a list of things that annoy me.

1) The sound of someone scratching.  I really don't know why I hate this so much, I just know that it makes  me cringe.  

2) People who don't know how to use their turn signal.  I mean seriously,  do not turn on the signal at the very last second and slam on your brakes only so I can have a heart attack and almost hit your car.  If you do this I will kick you in the face.

3) People chewing/talking with food in their mouth.  This really doesn't need any explanation.

4) 'That's what she said' jokes.  I have always hated them.  I find them to be immature and frankly, not very funny.

5) Licorice.  Licorice flavored anything.  It is gross, smells awful, and tastes even worse.  I think it should be banned from the world.

6) Mosquitos.  Again this one is self explanatory.

7) Shy people.  You know the folks who are too scared to even say two words.  I was a shy kid, but I had to buck up and get over it.  Just because you're uncomfortable with being around or talking to new people doesn't mean you can just hide away from the world, and only talk to people you know.

8) Hypocrites. Self explanatory.

9) Cats.  They are the most condescending animals ever created.  The sound of cats meowing is one of the most annoying sounds on the entire planet.  I really hate cats.

10) Delayed flights.  If the plane is supposed to leave at 7:30, then lets leave at 7:30.  Not five hours later.

So there, again in no particular order, are ten things that annoy me.  

BEDA #17: Snuggie Naps=The Best

Today was a good day.  Pretty uneventful, but good.  My best friend got me a snuggie for my birthday and gave it to me today.  Best present ever!!! I have been wearing it basically all day since I got home from church.  I even wore it during Sunday school.  I was doing homework this afternoon and totally just fell asleep in my snuggie.  It made for a wonderful nap.  However I had a few weird dreams that didn't even make sense while I was dreaming.  I think I must have been overwhelmed by my new acquisition of snuggie powers.  Did I mention that My snuggie has a pocket? Because it does.  Just a big ole pocket to hold my valuables.  Seriously I think this is the best present I have ever gotten.

Today I also got to have lunch with a couple of friends and one of my favorite Greek restaurants.  It was delicious.  I love me some gyros.

BEDA #16: Formal And College

I had so much fun last night at the Spring Formal.  The food was delicious, the music was great, and dancing with my friends was wonderful.  I thoroughly enjoyed making a fool of my self, just dancing around in a way that only someone who cannot dance at all, yet insists on doing so, could even begin to understand.  If last night was any kind of an accurate glimpse of how college will be, I can surely say that it will be all kinds of wonderful.  

I've already gotten registered for orientation this summer for college, and I am so stoked.  In the fall I get to go to my dream school.  Not only am I beginning college in the fall, I'm going to one out of state, so I will be totally on my own for the first time.  I am super excited and really nervous at the same time.   But I guess that is a pretty typical reaction that most incoming freshman share. 

BEDA #15: Clean, Clean, Clean

Today has really just been a cleaning day.  I cleaned and vacuumed my room and vacuumed all the floors in the house.  Tonight I am going to help out at a BCM spring formal with two of my best friends.  Amy's dad is a campus minister at UCF and tonight is their spring formal, so we are going to go to take tickets and serve desert and what not.  I'm pretty excited.  We helped out last year and it was tons of fun.  Then Dori is going to spend the night.

Again this was a vaguely interesting entry.  Hopefully tomorrow will be more exciting.

BEDA #14: Today Was Icky

Today was just an off day.  I got super stressed out about one of my classes and ended up crying for about and hour and a half.  I never cry.  My mom sat with me and we talked it out, but still, I just feel like I have  this suffocating weight on top of me.  I need to relax, but there is just not time to with exams and graduation coming up. I really don't feel like writing anymore today.  I think I just need to go to sleep and wake up to a new morning.

BEDA #13: Just A Blast

Today was wonderful.  First things first, I got to have a lovely brunch with my very best friend, Dori.  We just caught up on the happenings of what has been going on with us and talked about/made plans for prom.  It was a fun time.

Then tonight I sang with the youth group band.  Gosh I love those guys, and Katie.  Every time I sing with them I just have a blast.  Tonight was no exception.  We got into all sorts of shenanigans and had a couple of just random dance parties.  It's just like we're one big family that actually likes each other.  It's really just one big party when we are together.

After youth group I went to Bible study, which as usual was wonderful.  Emily rode there and home with me and we watched a few hilarious youtube videos.  Gosh I love that girl.  We always have the best time together.  Next friday we are planning to go make light sabers! I am so stoked!!!!!  

Well, that's all for tonight.  Tune in next time to see Lauren talk about something that may or may not be vaguely interesting.

BEDA #12: Migraines Are A Pain

Today I spent literally all day in bed with a head splitting migraine.  I swear, days when I have migraines come far to often and are hardly bearable.  Anyone who gets migraines knows how it is.  Due to this fact I do not have anything fun or exciting to talk about.  I have been getting migraines for about two and a half years.  It is terrible.  I have tried four different medications, all with the same result.  It works for a little while, and then without warning it stops working.  So the neurologist ups the dose, and that works for a little while and then stops helping.  That cycle goes on for months until I switch to another medication and the pattern begins all over again.  It is miserable.  And now without further adeu I am going to bed to try and sleep off the pain.

BEDA #11: Technically It's The 10th Entry, But Who's Counting Anyway

So I failed BEDA.  Last night I was watching a movie, I had started it around 8:30, and I fell asleep on the couch about half way into it.  I woke up only to find that it was 3 AM and I realized that I had not blogged at all yesterday.  But what can you do?  I set out this month to blog every day and just because I missed yesterday does not mean that I am going to quit for the rest of the month.  I was going to talk about my prom dress shopping experience yesterday, and since I didn't, I figure I will today.

After church yesterday, my mom and I went dress shopping.  We ended up going to three different malls and about six different stores before I found one that worked.  My dress is a dark teal halter top with a  bow and a big ruffle going down the side. I absolutely love it.

Then while we were walking through one of the stores a dress on a mannequin caught my eye and as we were passing I said it was cute.  My mom then stopped and said I should try it on, and I did.  It fit perfectly.  It is a gorgeous, knee length floral patterned dress.  It's all bright and springy and it is wonderful.

So, now I have talked all about dresses; something that I don't do often.  And thus concludes my thoughts for now.

BEDA #9: Pink Bandage Foot

Good grief.  April is nearly one-third of the way done.  How does this happen?  It seems like time is just flying by with no regard to whether I'm ready for it or not.

It's really quiet in my house right now, which one would think would make it easier to think and type, but it is just the opposite.  I'm sitting here stumped as ever because the things that I did today aren't really interesting at all.  That is unless folding laundry while watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (and then falling asleep in the middle) is now an extreme sport.  Because then I would be on the front page headlines.

Other than laundry and a little bit of homework I took care of my neighbors horses.  One of them, Ranger, has a pretty big cut on his leg, and his bandage was falling off, so I rewrapped it.  It was pretty gnarly looking.  Now he has a pink hoof.  I feel kind of bad about that, but it was the only vet wrap we had.

Well, I think I will leave this harrowing adventure that is my life here for now.  Tomorrow is an early day, and I need to get some shut eye.

BEDA #8:

Today seems like another good list day, because really all I did today was do homework and take care my horses, as well as a friends horses.  So this list will be my 5 favorite kinds of nuts.

1) Pecans
2) Walnuts
3) Almonds
4) Macadamias
5) Brazil Nuts

I don't like peanuts, or cashews.  I think they are really gross and always pick them out of trail mix or anything else that may have them.  I will eat peanuts though, but only if they are in M&M's or a Snickers,  that is the only way it'll happen.

BEDA #7: Places I Would Like To Go

Today I had a migraine and was in bed till early afternoon, so there is virtually nothing to talk about.  So I figure I will do another list of favorite things.  This one is the top 10 places I would like to visit.

1) England.  I have been to London, Oxford, and Windsor, but I would like to go to the English country side, and spend a couple months at a B&B or living as a farm hand.

2) Ireland.  I would love to experience all that Ireland has to offer.  I have wanted to go there ever since I was little.

3) Australia.  It would be amazing to see kangaroos, dingos, and koalas just doing their thing in the out back.  I would also love to go to Sydney and see the great barrier reef.

4) New Zealand.  I absolutely love sheep, and New Zealand has so many.  It would be phenomenal to get to experience a sheep farm.

5) Germany.  On my bucket list is to experience Oktoberfest, or just go to Germany and taste some of the different kinds of beer.

6) Alaska.  I've heard that it is beautiful and would love to see all the wildlife.  I also think it would be really cool to see the iditarod.

7) Hawaii.  I would love to go there, really just to say that I have been.

8) Greece.  I don't really have much of a reason to go there.  I just think it would be cool.

9) Russia.  Again I just think it would be cool to go.

10) Africa.  I would love to go on a safari and see the beasts of the African plains.

So this concludes my list of the top 10 places I would like to go.  Tune in next time to find out what I'm going to blog about.  Thank you and goodnight.

BEDA #6: What a Wonderful day to Become an "Adult"

So it's my 18th Birthday today, and let me just say it has been splendid!  I guess the greatness started while I was asleep.  I had a wonderful dream in which I legally bought cold medicine, and a giraffe print snuggie.  Great first thoughts of the day?  I think so.  I also got to have dinner with my older sister to celebrate our birthdays together (hers is the 11th April). Then one of my best friends, Emily, brought an entire red velvet cake with chocolate icing (complete with candles) to church tonight because she knew it was my favorite.  Oh how I love that girl.  She is so sweet.

Then, later tonight, at Bible study tonight five of us nearly finished that cake right off.  We ate a solid half of it.  Because we eat like men.  I absolutely love going to Bible study.  The leaders, Megan and Haley, are so fantastic.   They're hilarious, wonderful, and genuinely love God.  Honestly it is one of the highlights of my week, every week.  This week we are going to begin studying Hosea.  I'm really excited to start this book.  

This first day of being 18 really has been wonderful.  I cannot wait to see what this year will bring and what God uses me to do.

Cupcake count: 2

Slices of Cake: 2 (but really they were equivalent to about 5 small peices)

BEDA #5: Pandora has been Fantastic Today

I am right now sitting on my bed surrounded by books, binders, notebooks, various writing utensils, and a large bowl of popcorn.  Really what I should be doing is homework that these articles hold, but I don't want to.  Besides I need to get in a blog for today.

My Pandora playlist has been fantastic today.  Currently it is playing something from the LOTR soundtrack, and earlier I listened to part of the HPSS soundtrack.  Now I'm just waiting for the Imperial March and my day will be complete.  Or I might explode due to an overexposure to fantastic.  Speaking of Star Wars, sometime within the next couple of weeks my friend and I are planning to go to Downtown Disney to build our own light sabers!  I am so stoked!!  It will be one more fantastic addition to my collection of nerdy, for lack of a better word, trinkets.

BEDA #4: A Nothing Blog

I really have nothing to say.  How sad is that.  It's only four days into April and I have run out of things to talk about.  Well, today I was looking at some of my friend's pictures she took while in Israel a couple of weeks ago.  While looking through them I got so excited about going there this summer.  I really cannot wait till June gets here.  I really don't have anything else to say, so I guess I will end this one here.

BEDA #3: An Unexpected Treat

This morning before church I got to split a delicious muffin with one of my very best friends.  Until today I had not seen her for two and a half weeks, so this was a very special treat.  We chatted about her trip to Israel and the two weeks I spent alone because everyone I knew was out of town.  I really, really enjoyed our muffin time.

On a different but similar note, I also got to see all my friends who were out of town tonight.  It was so wonderful.  I am so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life, being without them really made me realize that.

BEDA #2: Top 5 Favorite Childhood Movies

I don't have much to talk about today, so I figured I would do a Top 5 Favorite Childhood Movies.  So here we go:

1) The Lion King: I cannot even begin to count the number of times I have seen this movie.  When I was real little I would watch it on a loop, and when I was 4 years old my favorite song was 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight.'  I had an almost life-size  Sarabi that came with a tiny baby Simba.  Honestly The Lion King is still my favorite Disney movie, perhaps even my favorite movie of all time.

2) Bambi: I watched this one a lot.  Some people might say it's too sad, but as a kid I'm not sure if I really understood what happened to Bambi's mother.  I never fast-forwarded through that part; I liked the way the deer were all different colors when they were running from "Man."  I did however fast-forward through the storm. That part scared the pants off of me!

3) Fox and the Hound:  I just loved (and still love) Todd and Copper.  I mean who couldn't?  They were two adorably precious baby animals who were best friends!

4) A Day with Horses: I watched this one on a loop as well.  I just loved Clip Clop and all the adventures he had.  Watching it now, I don't really understand my infatuation with it.  The acting was terrible, and on top of that I've had horses since I was little so I knew everything they were talking about, but I still watched it over and over.

5) Babe: Baa Ram Ewe. Baa Ram Ewe.  To your fleece, your sheep, your clan be true. Sheep be true. Baa Ram Ewe. My older sister and I watched this one all the time.  I mean, who doesn't love talking farmyard animals, and a pig that thinks it's a dog? 

So there you have it.  My top 5 favorite childhood movies, and all of them include animals.

BEDA #1: What a (n Awful) Start to April

I've decided that this year I am going to participate in BEDA (blog every day in April) and seeing as it is April First, this would be a good day to start. So here we go:

Today as I was leaving my house to go for a run I came across some road kill. Now this is not uncommon out where I live, I see the poor animals and feel sad but I have never gotten emotional about them.  However today was different.  What I saw was not one life lost, but five.  Someone had hit a pregnant armadillo and the force of the impact caused the three tiny fetuses growing inside her to be thrown from her body.  And as I passed them, and saw their tiny pink bodies, umbilical cords and amniotic sacks still attached, I lost it.  I wept, I just could not handle what was in front of me, and I lost it.

Once I regained my composure, I tried to run and clear my mind of the gory image, but low and behold, not even halfway through my run I came across a poor squirrel who had been hit crossing the street.  I nearly just curled up in fetal  position.  I learned that running while emotionally compromised, with asthma is not a good idea, ever.  Today was not a good day.

Sleepiness Explained

Why is it that at the end of the day, or when you get tired your brain feels fuzzy?  Perhaps I'm the only one who gets that way, but it seems the harder I try to focus on whatever it is that needs my attention, the more impossible it gets to think clearly.  Maybe it's because there are little people inside your skull who jump up and down on your brain all day.  Then at the end of the day your brain is numb from all the stomping it received and therefore struggles to keep a continuous, coherent stream of thought.  Now I know what you might say, what about when you wake up feeling groggy?  The answer is quite simple. The little people did not stop bouncing throughout the night while you were sleeping, ergo your brain received a bruising all night, making you less alert in the morning.  A simple remedy for this is caffein.  It works for those little folks in the same way as chloroform does for us.  And when it wears off and the little hoppers begin to stir you feel sleepy, groggy, or fuzzy again.  Just a thought I had.

A Whirlwind Evening

Tonight was quite a whirlwind.  I went out with a few friends to celebrate one of their birthdays and it turned into quite an adventure.  Our original plan was dinner and a play.  However before we got to dinner we got lost.  We took quite a few wrong turns, got stuck in five o'clock traffic going the wrong way, and were the subjects of much honking and hand gestures before we reached our destination.

After a delicious dinner filled with laughter it was time to see our play.  Originally we were supposed to be seeing Pride and Prejudice but upon arriving at the box office we were informed that it was sold out.  So instead we saw a one man play, my first in fact.  However to say it was a play is not quite accurate.  It was more of an extremely elaborate and dramatic storytelling of the epic of Beowulf.  At first I was a bit skeptical and turned off to the idea of a one man play, but I can honestly say that it was a fantastic experience. 

So that was my night.  Stress, hilarity, disappointment, and finally enthrallment.  Sometimes I couldn't be more thrilled than when some plans fall through. 

The Beginning

I've decided it's time to get some of my thoughts out of my cluttered brain, so I figured this was a good place to start.  I actually meant to begin this blogging adventure in January but, not surprisingly, that did not happen.  But hey, better late than never.  Besides, all months are equal.  Why should January be the only one in which resolutions begin?  So here we go, lets see where it goes from here.