This summer has been a difficult/long one. I'm not talking the heat index we've had here of 112+ for several days in a row. Summer school has worked me over to the point where I felt emotionally exhausted at the end of June. Not only have I had to deal with new surroundings, I've had to adjust to the new way of doing things here at State. This university is NOTHING like North Central, and I've had to remember that each and every time I walk into a classroom. I certainly realized it during Trigonometry (more on that later), and I've realized it pretty much every day since. I've also had to get used to the thought that I'm kind of on my own. A LONG way from home. This summer/coming year will mark the first time I've ever lived away from home and out of state. Ah! I've had to deal with being the minority in my dorm (not that it's a bad thing...it's just different and hard to get used to), and I had to deal with a roommate for 5 weeks whose rhythm wasn't quite matched up to mine. Back to my school subjects, I thought trigonometry would nearly kill me!!! But surprise, surprise, it didn't. I even eked out a B (I still think there was some sort of mix up! haha). Physical science I passed with a C, but all that is required of me is to pass, and I figure if I can do all that and end up with a C or a B, I've done well. Currently, I'm 3 weeks into taking Earth Science (geology), and it hasn't been too bad yet. My lab is much harder than my lecture (my lecture tests are SUPER easy :) ), but I'm hopeful I'll be able to pass it with flying colors. These courses have absolutely nothing to do with my major; however, as long as I get the credits I need, I won't complain. I'm just really looking forward to the fall to see what all is in store for me!
On another front, I've been extremely blessed in these last 7 1/2 weeks. I've made some friends through church and Bible study that I probably wouldn't have made had I not said to myself, "Get over your shyness and meet people. God doesn't drag people to you, nor does He drag you into a meeting." So, I had to overcome my own shyness and self-consciousness to be willing to try something new, and the effort I think has paid off. I really enjoy my Bible study group, though I'm still getting used to the church; I'm so used to things being done a certain way that it's hard to get used to anything else!!! I also will admit that I'm still biased in preaching (my dad is a preacher after all ;) ), and also in music directing (Miss Mona is still the best one, in my opinion!). Leaving behind the familiar and everything you know is as hard as they say. I had a really hard first 2 weeks, and I won't deny that I cried plenty of times during those 2 weeks. Then again, nobody said that growing up was easy or enjoyable, and if any kid comes to me and says they can't wait to grow up, I think I owe it to them to tell them that growing up isn't carefree, nor is it something you should want so badly that you neglect what you're going through right now. I used to think it'd be fun to be an adult, but now I don't know! Being an adult has certainly helped me see more of who I really am, and taking responsibility for myself is a much bigger job than I imagined even 2 years ago.
While home will always be where my parents are, I think that God can use that separation as a time for testing my own faith and self. I've felt myself tested to the point where I said, "I really want to go home." During the last 2 months, I've been reading through the book of Psalms, sometimes journaling and sometimes not. I noticed that when I was having the hardest time(s), I would read a Psalm that talked about how God is always on my side, and how He never abandons us in troubled times. There are so many of those Psalms in the Bible, but I found it funny how I read them during the times I needed to hear them most. Not an accident, in my opinion.
This will probably be it for a long time...not like I blog often anyway, but I hope that I'll be super busy in the fall. :)
Friday, July 15, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Playing Some Catch-Up
I haven't felt much like blogging. I even bought myself a journal and I haven't written a thing in it since March or April. I'm TERRIBLE at doing things like this! But regardless, here's a little update.
First, May 12th I finished out my 5th and final semester at NCTC. It's really hard to believe I've been out of high school for two years...and honestly, every time I look over old papers it's hard to believe it's been that long since I wrote them! While I haven't received back all of my grades, I do believe I made it through with 3 A's and a B. I was really hoping for an A in chemistry, but *sigh*, I could only pull out a B, which is actually okay with me. I was making a B in the middle of the semester (!), and so I knew that regardless of what I made, I could be happy with the work I did.
May 13th I had surgery to remove all 4 of my wisdom teeth. Some people were saying, "Friday the 13th? Isn't that a bad day to have surgery?" I didn't think so. I don't put stock in things like that, as I don't believe Christians should be afraid of so-called "bad luck". The surgery went fine, except the recovery has been kind of rough. Yesterday was probably the worst, as I had taken pain medication on an empty stomach, which resulted in severe stomach cramps, which then resulted in everything coming back up. As I type this, I still am wearing an ice pack around my face because I'm running a slight fever and my mouth is still somewhat sore. I can't wait for the day, though, when I get to eat normal food again and am able to chew like everybody else. So far my diet has consisted of ice cream, pudding, jello, and the like, which normally wouldn't be bad, but when that's the majority of what you can eat, it gets really tiresome!
That said, I'll be glad to have this all behind me since the next two weeks will be super busy! Summer classes start June 1st, and I have to be in the dorm by May 30. That's only about 2 weeks away, and I'm beginning to worry I won't have a thing ready! This week will be full of packing and deciding what to keep and what to leave home. I've had countless people tell me they wish I wasn't going away, but as my parents have always told me, I have to spread my wings eventually. People ask me if I'm excited to leave, and in a way, I am. It's always exciting to move on to the next step in life, but also a little nerve wracking. I mean, it will be the first time I'll be living away from home, and it's not like I can go home for the weekend. For 10 weeks, I'll be in school nearly 5 days a week, and those classes last nearly all day. So I doubt I'll have time to feel homesick much (or so I've been told; I don't really believe it. ;) ). I did get accepted into the veterinary tech program, and I'll be part of the 2nd graduating class of the program! So far I've had to take 2 rabies pre-exposure vaccines, with a third and final shot to come this week. And I've been told countless jokes about THAT as well. No matter, it's all in fun. The program will no doubt be tough, but I am going to make it. I've come way too far to just throw in the towel now.
that's about all of my update. I doubt I'll be blogging much through the summer, but maybe here and there I'll post a little something. :-)
First, May 12th I finished out my 5th and final semester at NCTC. It's really hard to believe I've been out of high school for two years...and honestly, every time I look over old papers it's hard to believe it's been that long since I wrote them! While I haven't received back all of my grades, I do believe I made it through with 3 A's and a B. I was really hoping for an A in chemistry, but *sigh*, I could only pull out a B, which is actually okay with me. I was making a B in the middle of the semester (!), and so I knew that regardless of what I made, I could be happy with the work I did.
May 13th I had surgery to remove all 4 of my wisdom teeth. Some people were saying, "Friday the 13th? Isn't that a bad day to have surgery?" I didn't think so. I don't put stock in things like that, as I don't believe Christians should be afraid of so-called "bad luck". The surgery went fine, except the recovery has been kind of rough. Yesterday was probably the worst, as I had taken pain medication on an empty stomach, which resulted in severe stomach cramps, which then resulted in everything coming back up. As I type this, I still am wearing an ice pack around my face because I'm running a slight fever and my mouth is still somewhat sore. I can't wait for the day, though, when I get to eat normal food again and am able to chew like everybody else. So far my diet has consisted of ice cream, pudding, jello, and the like, which normally wouldn't be bad, but when that's the majority of what you can eat, it gets really tiresome!
That said, I'll be glad to have this all behind me since the next two weeks will be super busy! Summer classes start June 1st, and I have to be in the dorm by May 30. That's only about 2 weeks away, and I'm beginning to worry I won't have a thing ready! This week will be full of packing and deciding what to keep and what to leave home. I've had countless people tell me they wish I wasn't going away, but as my parents have always told me, I have to spread my wings eventually. People ask me if I'm excited to leave, and in a way, I am. It's always exciting to move on to the next step in life, but also a little nerve wracking. I mean, it will be the first time I'll be living away from home, and it's not like I can go home for the weekend. For 10 weeks, I'll be in school nearly 5 days a week, and those classes last nearly all day. So I doubt I'll have time to feel homesick much (or so I've been told; I don't really believe it. ;) ). I did get accepted into the veterinary tech program, and I'll be part of the 2nd graduating class of the program! So far I've had to take 2 rabies pre-exposure vaccines, with a third and final shot to come this week. And I've been told countless jokes about THAT as well. No matter, it's all in fun. The program will no doubt be tough, but I am going to make it. I've come way too far to just throw in the towel now.
that's about all of my update. I doubt I'll be blogging much through the summer, but maybe here and there I'll post a little something. :-)
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Do Hard Things-My Thoughts So Far
I don't know how many of you have heard of Alex and Brett Harris. Ever heard of www.therebelution.com? Well, if you haven't, you should check them out. Alex and Brett are the younger twin brothers of "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" author Josh Harris. Their book, "Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations" has been out for a while, but I received it when I graduated from HS in 2009. I started to read it, but quickly lost interest in it and never picked it back up until recently.
I don't know why I picked it back up; something inside me just really wanted to read it, to see what it had to say to me. I can say that I'm very glad I listened to that little voice because it's been a rewarding read. I haven't yet finished it (I'm to part 3), but it's said some things to me that I've taken to heart. I was reading it when I volunteered at one of the vet clinics in town in 2009, and the technician asked me what I was reading. I showed her the book and her response was, "Hard Things? I don't want to do hard things!" If she only knew.
Doing hard things can be small things. One example I love that they gave in the book was "drudging along through chemistry". Boy, I can certainly relate to that! I didn't think I would make it through my first semester of chemistry, but I did. And with a B. *Yeah I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw that on my transcript*. Chemistry was certainly a hard thing for me to do, and in the big scope of things, it wasn't all that important! I mean, it must not seem important to most people. It was to me. I had an inner drive to do my best at that course because I didn't want to fail. I stumbled and fell a couple of times, but I didn't fail. Even with the death of my Papaw, and even before then, with his failing health, I was able to focus on my ultimate goal: making the best grade I could on the final that would raise my grade to a B. I don't even know how I stayed focused during finals. Inside I was an emotional wreck; I had a friendship coming to a screeching end, one of the men I loved the most was dying, and I wasn't sure if I was going to pull through the semester with a C or not. The hard things that I find hardest are pretty small. College is a "hard thing" that I have to adapt to; I have to learn to adjust how I study, how I work, and that doesn't stop with the first semester. Every week I have to re-adjust a schedule, or how I do things....and sometimes it's infuriating.
I don't know why I picked it back up; something inside me just really wanted to read it, to see what it had to say to me. I can say that I'm very glad I listened to that little voice because it's been a rewarding read. I haven't yet finished it (I'm to part 3), but it's said some things to me that I've taken to heart. I was reading it when I volunteered at one of the vet clinics in town in 2009, and the technician asked me what I was reading. I showed her the book and her response was, "Hard Things? I don't want to do hard things!" If she only knew.
Doing hard things can be small things. One example I love that they gave in the book was "drudging along through chemistry". Boy, I can certainly relate to that! I didn't think I would make it through my first semester of chemistry, but I did. And with a B. *Yeah I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw that on my transcript*. Chemistry was certainly a hard thing for me to do, and in the big scope of things, it wasn't all that important! I mean, it must not seem important to most people. It was to me. I had an inner drive to do my best at that course because I didn't want to fail. I stumbled and fell a couple of times, but I didn't fail. Even with the death of my Papaw, and even before then, with his failing health, I was able to focus on my ultimate goal: making the best grade I could on the final that would raise my grade to a B. I don't even know how I stayed focused during finals. Inside I was an emotional wreck; I had a friendship coming to a screeching end, one of the men I loved the most was dying, and I wasn't sure if I was going to pull through the semester with a C or not. The hard things that I find hardest are pretty small. College is a "hard thing" that I have to adapt to; I have to learn to adjust how I study, how I work, and that doesn't stop with the first semester. Every week I have to re-adjust a schedule, or how I do things....and sometimes it's infuriating.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Returned
Well, I haven't blogged in several months...for good reason, but now I'll try to blog every now and then. Here's a quick update of everything that's gone in in the past few months:
One, I'm finishing up my second (and final) year at community college. Where am I headed to after that, this fall? Mississippi State! Yup, I'm moving 12 hours away to a school I've never seen, much less attended. My sister and bro-in-law will be there though, along with my niece (due in February), so I'll be in good hands should I need somebody. I'm very excited, but also very scared at this new opportunity that God's given me. We haven't yet figured out how we'll pay for the tuition, but if He wants me there, He'll work it all out the way He needs to!
Actually there isn't much that's happened since I last blogged; I did finish Lady in Waiting, and of course I've read a lot of books since then! One book that I'm currently reading is called, "Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion against Low Expectations" by Alex and Brett Harris. It's really said some things to me that I can't argue with, but I'll post my thoughts on it later!
One, I'm finishing up my second (and final) year at community college. Where am I headed to after that, this fall? Mississippi State! Yup, I'm moving 12 hours away to a school I've never seen, much less attended. My sister and bro-in-law will be there though, along with my niece (due in February), so I'll be in good hands should I need somebody. I'm very excited, but also very scared at this new opportunity that God's given me. We haven't yet figured out how we'll pay for the tuition, but if He wants me there, He'll work it all out the way He needs to!
Actually there isn't much that's happened since I last blogged; I did finish Lady in Waiting, and of course I've read a lot of books since then! One book that I'm currently reading is called, "Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion against Low Expectations" by Alex and Brett Harris. It's really said some things to me that I can't argue with, but I'll post my thoughts on it later!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
For Now...
Well I know I haven't posted about chapter 10, but I've decided not to blog very often/at all. I don't feel like it does much good, and nobody reads my blogs, so there's no point in it really.
As they say in middle-Earth, Namarie...or Farewell.
As they say in middle-Earth, Namarie...or Farewell.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Lady of Conviction
Here is Chapter 9: Lady of Conviction. This chapter was a good one, as it hammered on not lowering your standards to get married or even to date. I want to start this off with this funny quote: "Ruth's choice to wait for God's best resulted in her union with a Boaz rather than a Bozo." I don't know why I find that funny, but think about it: what happens when you run ahead of God's timing/plans? You usually end up either hurting yourself and/or hurting another person. If you run ahead to get a Bozo when you could've gotten a Boaz by waiting, think about all the regret you'll have. "Ruth's wise choices resulted in her experiencing God's overwhelming goodness." One thing I really liked about this chapter is how it emphasized NOT lowering your standards for any man. I often think my ideals and standards are too high for anybody to reach. Yet, as Josh Harris said in "I Kissed Dating Goodbye", you should set your standards so high that not even you can reach them. Harris was referring to a standard of purity, but I think that setting your standards so high that nobody can reach them, then you might be less willing to compromise on your beliefs or standards.
For instance, I have a set of standards that I desire in a boyfriend/future husband. He cannot drink. Whatsoever. I just will not tolerate it in a boyfriend. That is a standard that I'm not willing to compromise on because I don't drink and I don't want to be with a boyfriend who does. I don't care if he tells me "I'll quit drinking for you" because generally they never follow through with it. "You cannot make good choices without proper, biblical convictions. Don't carelessly leave your dating/relating standards to chance." And yes, I know that people in the Bible drank wine, but in reality, the wine of the time was little more than strong grape juice with little-no fermentation. You'd have to drink a ton of it to get drunk. We're told that our bodies are a temple for/of the Holy Spirit, and we should treat our bodies accordingly. Drinking, smoking, drugs and promiscuous/pre-marital sex is abusing the temple of the Holy Spirit, so I don't stand for any of that in a future dating relationship.
They gave a list of example standards that would be good for anybody to model.
Qualities of Mr. Right:
1. Spirit-controlled Christian
2. Jesus is #1
3. Broken and fully dependent on Jesus
4. Ministry-minded
5. Motivator; man of vision
6. Sensitive spirit for others
7. Understands the responsibility of a husband to his wife
8. Humble enough to be teachable and teach others
9. Man of prayer
10. Family man
Most of my guidelines for Mr. Right are not far from this list, but I think that I'm going to adopt this list as my own. Sound too good to be true? You know, if God can number the hairs on your head, and watch the sparrows, don't you think He'll bring you His best if you're meant to get married? Of course He will, if it's in His ultimate plan. So, before you go out on another date, or you're asked to date somebody, consider your standards. Will that person make you compromise, or will you stand firm on your beliefs and not budge an inch?
Chapter 10 is tomorrow, and though I've already read it, I've got a lot of thoughts on it!
For instance, I have a set of standards that I desire in a boyfriend/future husband. He cannot drink. Whatsoever. I just will not tolerate it in a boyfriend. That is a standard that I'm not willing to compromise on because I don't drink and I don't want to be with a boyfriend who does. I don't care if he tells me "I'll quit drinking for you" because generally they never follow through with it. "You cannot make good choices without proper, biblical convictions. Don't carelessly leave your dating/relating standards to chance." And yes, I know that people in the Bible drank wine, but in reality, the wine of the time was little more than strong grape juice with little-no fermentation. You'd have to drink a ton of it to get drunk. We're told that our bodies are a temple for/of the Holy Spirit, and we should treat our bodies accordingly. Drinking, smoking, drugs and promiscuous/pre-marital sex is abusing the temple of the Holy Spirit, so I don't stand for any of that in a future dating relationship.
They gave a list of example standards that would be good for anybody to model.
Qualities of Mr. Right:
1. Spirit-controlled Christian
2. Jesus is #1
3. Broken and fully dependent on Jesus
4. Ministry-minded
5. Motivator; man of vision
6. Sensitive spirit for others
7. Understands the responsibility of a husband to his wife
8. Humble enough to be teachable and teach others
9. Man of prayer
10. Family man
Most of my guidelines for Mr. Right are not far from this list, but I think that I'm going to adopt this list as my own. Sound too good to be true? You know, if God can number the hairs on your head, and watch the sparrows, don't you think He'll bring you His best if you're meant to get married? Of course He will, if it's in His ultimate plan. So, before you go out on another date, or you're asked to date somebody, consider your standards. Will that person make you compromise, or will you stand firm on your beliefs and not budge an inch?
Chapter 10 is tomorrow, and though I've already read it, I've got a lot of thoughts on it!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Lady of Contentment
After reading this chapter, I'm beginning to wonder if it really belonged in the front of the book! This chapter focused on being content while you're single. Do you know how hard it is to be content while single? Now, I would say that I've been pretty content since I was 13. I suppose it comes from not being in public school and not feeling a lot of pressure to date, though I do get funny looks from people when I tell them I've never dated and I'm 18! But discontentment isn't just for single women; did you know it is a situation for everyone? Who knew?! But in regards to singleness, if you don't start becoming content with your singleness, it'll seep into your marriage as well: "If you are presently discontent as a single woman, you can count on being dissatisfied as a married woman in the future." Okay, so that does sometimes apply to me...but for the most part, I'm content to be single. Being able to wait has to do with not only your character, but the character of those around you. All of my friends encourage me to keep up my standards and to keep doing what I'm doing; i.e. put my future in God's hands because they're on the same road I am.
I don't think this chapter would have been complete, or perhaps this book, without mentioning the ways that guys unintentionally lead girls astray. What I'm about to say is not intended to offend, but come on, most guys are pretty clueless when it comes to us. *Can I hear an amen from the girls? :) * Sometimes, you don't realize how what you do affects us...but girls, let's be honest, sometimes we get carried away. I love the example they gave here: a guy wrote a letter to his friend (who was a girl), beginning it "Dear Sunshine." Think they were dating? Think again! They were only friends. Now first of all, the guy was not smart to call her Sunshine. Now if it were in jest (like REmember the TItan's 'Sunshine') then maybe it'd be okay. But no! Unfortunately, they didn't tell how the girl felt about this...but I can imagine what she did feel. And for us girls, we all know what that was, right?
And sometimes, we girls can lead ourselves astray. Ever found yourself having "visions" of a future together with a certain someone? I know I have. Never was I told that it's wrong! Ouch. This part really hurt my toes because it pointed a finger directly at me. If you fantasize yourself with someone while you're single, you'll do the same thing after you're married. So what's the solution? Every time you start thinking about those things, immediately hand them over to Jesus. That's what I'm going to try to do anytime I'm tempted to daydream.
Last, we need spiritual monitors; a person or persons to tell us not to let our expectations of guys get ahead of God's plan. They need to tell us, "I'm glad for you, but don't let your heart get carried away. Remember it's in God's hands, not yours." Truthfully, it may hurt sometimes because you don't want anybody bursting your bubble, but in the long run, wouldn't it be for the best?
I'm going to close with a couple of quotes: "Singleness does not produce lack of contentment any more than marriage provides contentment. Lack of contentment is the result of the terrible burden of wanting life on your own terms."
"Dating is not a reward or a prize for living for Jesus. A Friday night without a date is often a night of 'being spared' by an all-wise Umpire (God)."
I don't think this chapter would have been complete, or perhaps this book, without mentioning the ways that guys unintentionally lead girls astray. What I'm about to say is not intended to offend, but come on, most guys are pretty clueless when it comes to us. *Can I hear an amen from the girls? :) * Sometimes, you don't realize how what you do affects us...but girls, let's be honest, sometimes we get carried away. I love the example they gave here: a guy wrote a letter to his friend (who was a girl), beginning it "Dear Sunshine." Think they were dating? Think again! They were only friends. Now first of all, the guy was not smart to call her Sunshine. Now if it were in jest (like REmember the TItan's 'Sunshine') then maybe it'd be okay. But no! Unfortunately, they didn't tell how the girl felt about this...but I can imagine what she did feel. And for us girls, we all know what that was, right?
And sometimes, we girls can lead ourselves astray. Ever found yourself having "visions" of a future together with a certain someone? I know I have. Never was I told that it's wrong! Ouch. This part really hurt my toes because it pointed a finger directly at me. If you fantasize yourself with someone while you're single, you'll do the same thing after you're married. So what's the solution? Every time you start thinking about those things, immediately hand them over to Jesus. That's what I'm going to try to do anytime I'm tempted to daydream.
Last, we need spiritual monitors; a person or persons to tell us not to let our expectations of guys get ahead of God's plan. They need to tell us, "I'm glad for you, but don't let your heart get carried away. Remember it's in God's hands, not yours." Truthfully, it may hurt sometimes because you don't want anybody bursting your bubble, but in the long run, wouldn't it be for the best?
I'm going to close with a couple of quotes: "Singleness does not produce lack of contentment any more than marriage provides contentment. Lack of contentment is the result of the terrible burden of wanting life on your own terms."
"Dating is not a reward or a prize for living for Jesus. A Friday night without a date is often a night of 'being spared' by an all-wise Umpire (God)."
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