You can always count on me...

...and my friends to have a good time.

Seriously, it doesn't matter whether we're in Richmond, Harrisonburg, or Lynchburg we always find ways to entertain ourselves. This weekend's festivities included carving pumpkins, eating at the melting pot, taking lots of pictures, hitting up a Halloween party, running 8 miles, etc. Instead of boring you with all of the details, I'm just gonna give you my weekend in pictures. :)

Getting ready for the Halloween Party

My favs

Getting started

My Pumpkin

Melting Pot

Dinner

This pretty much sums up my weekend.

Struggle or Triumph? I'm still not sure.

When you think about knowing Christ, it can really be an overwhelming tendency. I find that each day I come to Him is a journey in itself. I read His word, come before Him in prayer, and seek His guidance/will for my life. Each day with Christ, is a new realization. To come closer to the King, I must die to myself; I must give up my worldly desires and gratifications. Each day is a struggle for me. I don't doubt my faith nor my beliefs, but I find myself insecure and without confidence. Why are these things such a constant battle? I know that only through Christ do I stand firm, am secure in His mercy and love. Each day I learn more about how much I am in love with my Savior, I also find out that there is more about me that must change. Don't get me wrong, I want to change my life; I want to be come fulfilled and satisfied in Him in a way that doesn't exist in anyone else. I am so overjoyed and relieved that I have God who loves me so much that He has saved me for a better world than this. I am blessed to see the Holy Spirit work so hard on my behalf! I couldn't ask for anything more in my life.

I just know that each day with Christ is another day of learning how unworthy and undeserving I truly am. And even though I will constantly fail to meet the standards or hold myself firm, I am forgiven and sent grace. And that's why I am thankful for each and every morning. A new day to spend with my Savior; a new day to do better.

A Fall Adventure

I've had quite the adventure these past two days. Friday after class Sarah D. and I went hiking. not an ordinary hike, but an intense all afternoon at least 4 hour hike. It's about 8 hours and is really deceiving. For instance, the trail starts out going up hill as any normal trail does. Shortly into it, rocks and tree roots are scattered throughout the walkway - not to mention all of the leaves the are slippery. Hiking up was great. We had made great time, despite some of my hesitation. If you've never been, the trail turn into using your whole body to scale rocks. Fun in theory, scary in reality. Especially when there's a gap you jump over where you literally could fall far. The rock scramble is by far the hardest part - you're literally pulling your body up and round this rock. There's really no way to scale it alone. You almost have to have someone there to help pull you up. And definitely make sure you wear the most stable shoes you own.

The way down - well that was another story. We had an hour of daylight as we started the decent down the mountain. We still had an hour left and were left in the dark. There were some creepy people behind us while hiking in the dark therefore we decided we needed to be as quick as possible. Not to mention the deer/coyotes that ran past us which is when we decided to run. Running down a mountain is hard, not to mention in the dark. Sarah and I probably both sprained/rolled our ankles repeatedly but once that adrenaline gets pumping you just can't stop.

There were actually some other scary encounters that evening but to make a long story short, we both had never been so scared in our lives. We also had never been so relieved to see the car as we were Friday night.

Then today, I cleaned and got a lot of homework down. I went on a small hike with Ashley and Megan at Sunset, followed by a Chinese Buffet with Jo. The best part about this weekend is that we have Monday off and I finally feel like I'm getting a break.

Two days of hiking, amazing company, deep conversations, fun friends, and good food? Well, my life is truly blessed. :)

Skyline

Old Rag

Crazy couple of weeks

I'm not gonna lie, this week has been absolutely crazy. For the past 3 weeks, I have had a ridiculous number of group assignments and midterms. While group work is okay occasionally, this year our professors decided to put us in permanent groups. For example, I'm in a group with Sam and Lauren. I got really fortunate because there are some groups who really aren't compatible out there. For the most part, the three of us get along really well. The only thing is, we are not allowed to change groups or have in any say in our groups at all and we are with them all semester. While my group does get along, it can be frustrating to juggle so many schedules. So coordinating 1000 + assignments with your group can be extremely exhausting.

Not too mention those three midterms. They were spread out over 3 weeks which is convenient - if you plan on studying. However, my technique is reviewing only a few days before since a lot of tests are ones that no matter how much you study, you'll never be prepared. So yea, it was like 3 weeks of doom and gloom.

So finally tonight, I had a chance to relax. After getting out of class at 12, Whitney, Joanna, and I headed over to Woodgrill to stuff ourselves. I ran errands, met a great friend for coffee, and then came home to a home cooked meal by Whitney (which was yummy!). We watched the Walking Dead (which is quite possibly one of the best shows on television) and discovered that we get a lot of the on-demand channels which totally brightens my weekend. We're finishing up Monte Carlo and my laundry and then I'm heading to bed so I can be all rested for my fabulous hike tomorrow. There's plenty of school work to be thrown in, but you it's all about the give and take.

The one with all the sacrifices

Lately, I feel like I've been running on empty. It's probably due to the mass amount of commitments I make each week, including school, research, study groups, bible study, church, sleeping, running, prayer meetings, etc. And while each of them are important to me, I have to admit, this semester I really looked deep, figured out what I wanted to be committed to, and then made sacrifices for it.

I mean, obviously these sacrifices are nothing compared to the greatest sacrifice ever made (See Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John), but for me, they do seem pretty significant. For instance, I've made a pretty big commitment to running this year. And while adding on one more hobby doesn't seem like a lot, it is a huge time commitment. For instance, on Saturday alone I ran 9.6 miles which takes me at least an hour and a half. It can be rather difficult to commit to such a task especially when most days I run I'm out the door between 6-7 AM just so I can get back in time to get ready for class.

Thus, the sacrifice of sleep. I'm usually asleep by 10:30 and get up around 6 or so to run, hit the gym, read my bible, finish any school work, etc. that I may have before the day really gets going. On top of that, Bible Study just started up (which I absolutely love) but it's at Sunday nights starting at 7:30. Add that into an already jammed pack week and I'm feeling a little strained.

I'm sure my professors would also tell you that my grades/schoolwork have also been sacrificed. I've had to take a little bit of time away from them just to maintain good sleep/study/social practices. Not to mention the social life that I no longer have - mostly because I don't have the time, but also because I have no non-OT friends at JMU anymore.

The biggest sacrifice I've made this semester is my me-time. I used to take a little me-time and relax by watching tv, reading a book, or doing something relatively fun that was nowhere school related. Instead, I've really been reading my Bible and journaling about all of the incredible things that God is doing in my life. Worthwhile? Absolutely! But instead of making it about me, it's all about Him. This has also caused me to re-evaluate some other aspects of my life as well. For example, being so busy, I have no time to watch tv or hang out with friends. The great thing about it is, I honestly have no desire to catch up on any tv shows.

I have had to switch my morning routines up a bit so that I can get everything in. On a day when I don't have class until 12:15 (like today) I get up at 7 and start my day. I make it a point to get ready and read my bible before class because it only gets that much harder throughout the day. Between the group meetings, class, quick lunches, and constant prayer, I'm exhausted when I get home. And then it just repeats itself.

It's a crazy, beautiful life.

A little perspective

Last year during my mental health semester in the OT program, my professor told us to watch this video called "If I should have a daughter..." by Sarah Kay. Our professor has given us A TON of videos to watch (and most of them turn out to be irrelevant). However, this one is really amazing. I'm not sure what it is that always leads me back to this poem, but here I am yet again during another stressful week of midterms watching it. I think it has something to do with the familiarity we all face during hard time, good times, stressful times... Anyways, it's great. And here's the link.

http://www.thebrazenraisin.com/2011/04/if-i-should-have-daughter-by-sarah-kay.html

My favorite line is: " this life will hit you hard in the face, wait for you to get back up just so it can kick you in the stomach. But getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air. "

Seems like I need to be reminded just how good that air tastes.

My thoughts on life today

Christianity isn't an instant solution to all your problems. It's a constant reminder that we ARE the problem and need Jesus daily.

Just a thought I had during my quiet time today.

More about this later...

Oh the Irony

Just a brief note based on my quiet time today. For those of you who don't know, I've been reading through parts of the New Testament on a regular basis. It has been both rewarding and convicting in my life. In addition to my Bible journey, I have also been reading a book called Lady in Waiting. Now, this may sound a little corny, and maybe it is, but this book focuses on becoming a woman after God's heart. Instead of putting all your hopes, dreams, and desires into this world, it focuses on the growth needed to enhance your relationship with your Savior. This is, of course, much harder than it seems.

I have to admit, reading the book has been a slow process. Not because it's a hard read, but for one thing I'm in grad school reading 50 bajillion books a day and for another thing, I'm really trying to reflect on my life and determining what areas I need to change.

So far, one of the coolest thing that I've learned (and there are sooo many amazing things that I've learned about myself) is the irony of God. For instance, I used to think being single was so sad. I mean, so many people look down upon that and there always seems to be pressure on finding the special someone and living happily ever after. And I used to think that once I found that perfect man, that I would find contentment in my life.

Wrong.

I don't know why it's taken me so long or how it even happened, but being single is literally the best time of my life. Just think about all the endless opportunities out there! Not only do I have the ultimate capacity to serve God in whatever direction He calls me to, but I have endless amounts of time to spend with Him each and everyday. The best thing is, if God calls me to Mexico, I have no limitations, no commitments stopping me. And if God calls me to Harrisonburg, again, no commitments to consider. I can just get up and go. How cool is that?

I guess the ironic part is, I thought my life would really take off when I settled down. But in reality, I've never been happier in my life than I am right now, being single and serving my God.

Jeggings, the almost skunk, and a groundhog scare

Yes, folks my life has become quite the interesting story within the last few days. I know you're just jumping up and down with excitement.

First things first, jeggings. What are jeggings you may ask? If you don't know, consider yourselves one of the lucky few who don't have to witness the "legging" epidemic seen here currently at JMU. You know what I'm talking about right? Some girls, no names, (but mostly sorostitutes) have decided that wearing a shirt with no pants is acceptable attire for class. Instead or wearing pants, they wear leggings. Somewhere, I missed the memo that jeans and khakis were being replaced.

Most of the outfits look like this:

However, when you wear leggings, you are supposed to wear them 2 sizes too small to get the full effect.

Anyways, on to the jeggings. Jeggings, therefore are Jean-leggings. Yes. Well, Tuesday before fieldwork I purchased a pair of skinny jeans that show off my fossil boots. I cam home and tried them on for my roommates to get their opinions. Everything was fine until I took off the jeans and noticed on the tag they were "Jeggings". The horror! The good news is that they are not tight and are actually made of jean, so where the jeggings came from, I'm not sure. But believe it or not, I am the proud owner of this new fad. Where can someone purchase an item of such caliber? Your best bet is H&M or American Apparel. Just remember do subtract two regular sizes from your jean size so they fit in all the wrong places.

As for the skunk, well, on an early morning adventure (and I use that term loosely) to the gym, Whitney happened to come across the furry creature blocking our path. One minute we're just walking, the next minute, we're frozen in fear. Who was more scared? It's a toss up. The skunk scurried away in mere seconds while Whitney and I took the long way to the gym. Crisis Averted.

Last, but not least - the ground hog scare. There is nothing scarier than taking out the trash and coming within mere inches of a wild animal (see skunk story above). Well - maybe seeing Ghetto Gangster boys at the dumpster - anyways, at the last second I saw him and he saw me. He came towards me (this is the ground hog mind you) and then scurried into the hole. Nothing drastic or incredibly excited, but what is it with these wild animal encounters? I'm thinking I'll skip hiking this weekend just so I don't take any chances with a bear.

Until next time, no news is good news.