Taking a Deep Breath.

I've always loved the Holidays...but this year I have been especially grateful for Christmas and all things involved with this season.  The LIGHTS (the white ones. i've never been a fan of colored lights), the FOOD- snacks, candy, good homemade meals- all free of calories, of course! And being around friends and family is definitely the best part of it all. Being so far away from home has been one of the best things I've ever done for myself- not being able to call my parents for every single thing like I was able to do for 22 years of my life...I was forced to "grow up" and learn to figure things out on my own, ask other people around me to help (a humbling experience for sure) and ultimately, I was forced to find out who I really was, apart from everything and everyone I've ever known. What a wonderful experience it turned out to be! I have made friends that I will remain close with for the rest of my life, I have learned what will (and what WON'T) make me happy in the long run... and I have learned that sometimes, you need to put your WHOLE heart into certain things- not knowing what it/they will give back to you in the end. In my opinion, there is no point in living life half-way..."Go Big or Go Home." But seriously, life is way too short to not take some risks. So you get hurt or may not succeed sometimes...well, isn't that what friends are for- to help you back on your feet and remind you why you went "all out" in the first place? I am talking about school, jobs, friendships, relationships....anything that is important enough to be willing to put it all on the line. I feel like I have done that with several things in my life this semester- some have turned out fabulous, others have been a disaster...and some are still very much up in the air. But regardless, I know Jesus came to give me life "to the full"...and I am going to take complete advantage of that fullness! And what a better time of year to be reminded of all the reasons Jesus came to earth for us than right now. 

Speaking of fullness, I guess I should update everyone on some of the events that have happened the past couple of months in my blog-absence! Well, I had a birthday.  23. I dont know who said all birthdays suck after 21, but I dissent! (ah, legal terms) This birthday was BY FAR my favorite birthday I have ever had. Maybe it was the people, maybe it was the week-long birthday events, or maybe it was just the break from law-school misery for one weekend, but whatever the case...it was AWESOME. Harris flew into town for the weekend, and we celebrated her arrival with a couple of friends that night, then the next day- Harris came to class ALL day with me- and one of my girl friends brought a birthday cake for me to class (my law school section loves to celebrate), we had a big mexican birthday lunch with friends, and then a big cookout that night at my best friend James's house with all of my close law-school friends- cake and all. But it gets better...

The next day (my ACTUAL bday), me and harris and Bri (by FAR the two most fashionable girls I know) went shopping all day and then that night we celebrated at cute little Italian restaurant for dinner and finished the big weekend 

with KARAOKE- my favorite activity (besides dancing). Of course, everyone LOVED Harris and it was so great to have my best friend from home along with my new best friends from Va.

Along with celebrating my birthday, I also celebrated Thanksgiving this year in North Carolina with my friend Katie's whole family. She has a legit beach house that her family always goes to for holidays, and we spent the weekend there-hanging out w/ her cousins and eating ALOT. It was sad to be away from my home for Thanksgiving for the first time..ever...but being with her family was definitely the next-best thing! 

Although I was able to participate in a couple of fun activities this semester...real-life hit HARD and fast after Thanksgiving break. Law School is "special" in the sense that we only have ONE test per semester that determines our entire grade in that class, which comes at the end of the year. A week after thanksgiving, our reading period began for a few days before our first final. Finals lasted two weeks (one test every other day) and I definitely think we kept Starbucks, 7-11 (Super Big-Gulps!), and chick-fil-a in business for those few weeks. It was the longest two weeks of my ENTIRE life, but I finally made it through the first semester! Now, only 5 more to go. I wont find out my grades until the first of January, so I am taking a break from all things Law School during the break. I have NO idea how I did on any of my tests, but I do know that I felt SUCH a peace during each test- due to the massive amounts of prayer by my parents, friends, and professors during each final. I especially love how the Dean of the Law School personally stopped me in the hall before one of my finals to let me know he would be praying for me during that test. Wow, what a blessing.

I apologize for the extremely long post...but that's what happens when I don't have time to post during the semester....hopefully more posts will follow soon!!

yes, i am still alive. i think.

first, let me apologize for my prolonged absence from the blogging world. the good thing is, since i got to go back home for fall break and see most of the people who read this anyway, some of you are still semi-caught up on my life here in Va...but for those that aren't, where do i even start?! 

The last month has been nothing short of WILD. in every way. School started kicking me in the butt- repeatedly....and then on top of the normal hundreds of pages we have to read every week- we have had legal memos due in Legal Research and Writing that we are unbelievably confusing, long, and we cannot discuss them with anyone until after they are all turned in! And you know me....NOT talking about something is probably THE WORST part of the whole thing!! Our main memo for the semester was due yesterday, and I did not sleep more than a few hours the whole past week. Needless to say, when I laid down after class to "take a nap," I didnt wake up until 10am this morning. And my body is still retaliating against me- i'm pretty sure i am getting sick. But enough about school...because honestly I just dont want to think about it for a few more hours. 

I have become really close with a few other girls in law school, and it has been so great for us to be able to share the same struggles with classes, the juggling act of trying to have a life/relationships with school, and still sharing a desire to have a relationship with God and edify one another in the midst of the craziness. I have found that it is so easy to get caught up in my own schedule, problems, relationships, etc. and put God and even others on the back-burner, and these girls have been a steady reminder to me of how God got us to law school in the first place and what our true purpose in life is- to love Him and love others. What a blessing. 

As for Fall Break, being home for a whole week was so good for me. I got to see pretty much everyone I wanted to at some point of the week/weekend, and having my brothers both home for the weekend and football game was so fun. I know Mom loved having us all together too, especially since I wont get to come home for Thanksgiving this year. And you know I hit up all my favorite restaurants in Starkville while I was there- Bulldog Deli (3 times), The Grill, OVPC, Obys, Harveys....and of course some good cooking of MOMs! Before coming home, I had really been eating healthy, working out everyday, etc., and I definitely came back to school after that week 5 POUNDS HEAVIER! i am not exaggerating. Obviously, I enjoyed myself that week.

I have missed Starkville SOO much since I've been back, especially as it gets colder and colder up here and the boys here start pulling out Pea Coats instead of Carhart or Northface jackets...I sure do miss those Southern boys and their style. I can't really explain it, but the boys are so different here. Not in a bad way, just different. 

Speaking of boys, that subject has been a roller coaster in itself the past couple of months. I wont go into details- a little too personal for a blog in my opinion- but I will just clarify for those that know what I am referring to, that I have no longer have a "significant other"- from the past or the present! I have decided that I just want to focus on strengthening my relationships with my friends, both here and back home, and treat my relationship with God as the most important in my life. And besides, who am I kidding, I dont have time to get serious about a relationship right now- I can barely breathe I am so busy these days. 

So there is a semi-brief update. Who knows when I will post again...but just know that I haven't died or anything. (although finals are coming soon). Now, back to the books. its OUTLINING day! 

oh yeah- my computer crashed earlier this month. (2 DELL computer to crash in one year). so i got a mac. and i am obsessed in every way. if you are considering getting a new computer, please let me convince you to buy one of these bad boys. 

i'm still here.

so I haven't blogged in a while...or called anyone back in weeks...I have been SO busy with school! We have started to get our writing assignments on top of our normal reading for classes...a tiny bit overwhelming, but so far, I have remained strangely calm. I remember Steven telling me one time this summer (when I was super stressed and overwhelmed about camp/lake stuff-which seemed to be ALOT) that God was just preparing me this summer so that I wouldn't freak totally out when the stress hit in Law School. One of the most insightful comments I've ever heard...he was so right.
I still can't believe I am about to start the FIFTH week of Law School...the material is PILING on fast, and I must admit, I couldn't be more confused about what it takes to form a contract!! However, I LOVE my Civil Procedure, Torts, and Christian Foundations classes...and property is becoming bearable at least. So that's good. I feel like the weeks have been flying by...I live for the weekends these days- and they have NOT disappointed so far!! I never really have known what it means to be "workin' for the weekend"...until now. Admittedly, there wasn't much pressure on ANYTHING in undergrad-academically at least- and even "school-nights" usually felt like the weekend. If anyone is reading this that is still in undergrad....DON'T TAKE THAT FOR GRANTED!! I barely have time to run errands or do laundry anymore...it's a crazy life I am living these days, but I wouldn't want it any other way. One good thing about working so hard during the week to get to the weekends is that we try to make the weekends as fun as possible. That means our HUGE 1L group of friends going out to dance, sing karaoke, etc. and doing anything BUT talk about law for a few hours. Saturdays are not technically weekends for me- I have to use that day to study and make my outlines for classes- but I take Saturday nights off and Sunday is usually a pretty chill day too...speaking of Sundays...we are moving into our NEW BUILDING tomorrow for church!! There is a massive prayer meeting tonight in the new bldg. and I am SO excited about seeing it..it may be overwhelming at first, but I am ready for something bigger- it just means more room for God to move.

Since I seem to be using this to update many of y'all rather than call/email like a good friend would, I have a few other quick updates since talking to many of you. I have FINALLY found a wonderful group of GIRL friends! Since I moved here, I have really been praying for God to connect me with some other strong and Godly girls here, and he has (of course) been so faithful! I have a very close group of girls at school and another group of girls that are my guy friends' wives/gfs/friends and they are all SO awesome and uplifting...and we have all started hanging out together on the weekends, which is so fun! Also, about the "boy situation"...well, I guess you will just have to call me for that information. ;)

On an ending note, I can't believe the weather here lately. It feels like straight up FALL. No, not Mississippi fall, where if you blink you miss it all together...but more of a constant breeze that lasts all day and all night. Everyday has been BEAUTIFUL this week...it makes studying inside almost impossible. Hopefully it will stay around awhile.

back to the books now...I have a theory about Law School that I will share with everyone as soon as I get another free minute to post...I know you are on the edge of your seat about it already....

several updates.

1. First and foremost..Sarah Palin is my freaking ROLE MODEL. now, I know women all over the world are saying this, but having the extreme amount of confidence that I do (some would say its a fault of mine...whatever.) I REALLY honestly believe I could do what she is doing!! (one day, far down the road of course) I have an immense love for [conservative] politics and I want to eventually run for public office, AS WELL as having a big ole' happy family (imperfections and all..because we all know, NO family is perfect) at the same time. But until my day comes, I will live vicariously through my girl Palin....you go, girl. She's sassy, classy, and a true conservative CHRISTIAN leader. Who wouldn't want to be her? Good job, McCain. A true Dream Team if you ask me. A strong and steady grandfather and a hot mom running the Country. Call me crazy, but I am totally ok with that.

2. Law School is getting way harder....fast. But I am still taking it one day at a time...so far, so good. I just have to remember to breathe every once in a while. Thank the LORD for my wonderful boys (my law school buddies) that keep me sane. I wish everyone could meet them. They are freaking amazing....and their girlfriends/wives are even cooler. score.

3. I have some VERY EXCITING things to look forward to coming up! My friend BALEIGH is coming to see me the first weekend in October (I plan on convincing her to move here next semester and live with me, we'll see how that goes over) and then the very next weekend, all of my Regent friends and I are going to DC to a Christian Legal Society Nat'l Conference...we even get to skip class for it...YAY! I already can't sleep I'm so excited about it. AND I plan on meeting my husband while there. Keep your fingers crossed for me. ;) Then a couple of weeks later, I am coming HOME for a whole week!!!!

4. I started Weight Watchers last week. Keeping track of stupid points SUCKS, and I am ALWAYS hungry it seems, but I needed to get in a habit of eating better to stay healthy for school, and I have had heard great things about this program. We'll see.

5. Welp, thats all I got time for. I miss everyone SO much. (Had a small breakdown Saturday when I thought about everyone celebrating in the Junction after State's victory over who-knows-what team. But I got over it eventually. I'll be home for Homecoming AND The Egg Bowl...so I guess I can hold out until then!)

"the mind is a terrible thing to waste"

I should definitely be catching up on some much needed sleep right now, but due to the fact that I do not have to go to school tomorrow (YAY for Labor Day!) means that I have some extra time to catch up on here while I wait on some new songs to download and laundry to finish drying.

I want to share with you something God has been stirring in my life since I moved to Virginia and it is truly a revelation that has yet again, changed my life. Life with God just keeps getting BETTER and BETTER for me. I spent way too many years of my life without this intimate relationship with Him, unfortunately, so I am definitely making up for lost time these days!! Let me just say first and foremost that being a Christian is SO much more than a religion. I am amazed everyday when I talk to (and about) God at the DEPTH of the relationship that there is to be had with Him, and how much of that I completely MISSED- even growing up in church and with amazing spiritual influences all around me my entire life. It wasn't until I had an indescribable ENCOUNTER with God a year ago in California (visiting Jack at Bethel) that I truly begin to realize the depth of God's LOVE and purpose for my life and what He wanted to be to me...which was everything. After that realization, I have never been the same. My desires have changed, my relationships have changed, my plans for my life even changed...and what amazing plans those are turning out to be!!! All that being said...I will move on to the point of what I want all of my wonderful friends/readers to realize, something that is transforming me lately.

WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT IS EVERYTHING.

I have realized that 90% of my problems lie not in situations themselves, but what I am THINKING about those situations. Our thoughts have the power of life or death, and Solomon says it best when he sums up thinking: "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he..." (proverbs 27:3) I have found that when I am thinking positive thoughts about myself, situations, other people, etc...my attitude improves drastically. Thinking positively, to me, means focusing on things that God says about me. It is important to remember...The voice of God ALWAYS encourages. (and the voice of the devil ALWAYS discourages) I have been reading Joyce Meyer's book, Battlefield of the Mind, and she talks a great deal about this principle in her book, as well as her ministry in general. As if God wasn't speaking to me enough through the book, a visiting pastor spoke on this very subject tonight at church! I KNOW God is revealing all of this to me because he knows that my mind is where my struggle has been the majority of my life. I am being set free of so much spiritual bondage in this area of my life, and I just want everyone to feel as liberated as I do about this subject!! One important thing that the pastor I heard tonight say is that God gives each of us a "thought-monitor" within us...and that is our feelings and emotions. HOW TRUE! It is impossible to be thinking good and positive thoughts, and be feeling bad. Likewise, it is impossible to be thinking depressing and negative thoughts..about yourself, situations, whatever..and be feeling GOOD! I have seen direct results in my life the past couple of weeks... in my outlook on law school and this new chapter of life away from everything I have ever known and loved...by changing my attitude about it all- beginning with how I think about this new chapter. It IS God's plan for me, and it WILL be a good and fruitful season. Has it been easy? of course not. Anything good takes work. But OH FRIENDS, it is so worth it!! This is the first time in my life that I truly feel CONTENT...something I have ALWAYS longed for...and it has come largely just by changing what I choose to think about on a DAILY basis.
As Paul encouraged the Corinthian church to do, so I encourage you to do when negative thoughts start to manifest themselves in your life..

"we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up AGAINST the knowledge of God. We take EVERY thought captive to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Cor. 10:5)

God created us with PURE thoughts about ourselves and who we are in Him. My desire is to get back to that mindset that I was originally created with, so that I can be emotionally healthy and productive for the kingdom of God. God is calling me to a higher standard...one that I believe we are ALL being called to...and the only way I can get there is to BELIEVE that I belong there, as a daughter of the King, and to take captive every thought along the way that would try to tell me otherwise. I hope you will join me in this EXCITING journey, as we renew our minds everyday to align them with the word of God. I will leave you with a verse-mix from J.M.'s book that will begin to get our minds on the right track of what we should be thinking/believing:

I believe God.
I believe He is working in me, no matter how I feel or how the situation may look.
The Lord has begun a good work in my and He will bring it to full completion!
(philippeans 1:6, 2:13)

procrastinating.

i should SO be studying right now. but golly, i have been in class/studying since 7:30 this morning...I need a little break! I am waiting on dinner to be ready (yes. that is right...i am learning how to COOK! spaghetti tonight...not too exciting, but definitely one of my FAVORITES) so while I patiently await my noodles to be ready, I will copy one of LT's latest blog posts and try this little one word game. As you well know, lists are my favorite. so i am pretty pumped about this. (I will also note that as I write this, I am listening to the new Hillsong United CD..."This is Our God"...which is freaking amazing. I don't know if it has come out in the United States yet- seeing as I have the hookup b/c I go to a Hillsong church- but if it is, i HIGHLY recommend buying it!!)

ok. the point is to answer all the following with ONLY one word. this could be interesting....

1. Where is your cell phone? desk.

2. Where is your significant other? stop.
3. Your hair? curly.
4. Your mother? role-model.
5. Your father? manly.
6. Your favorite thing? laughter.
7. Your dream last night? ryan.
8. Your dream/goal? nation-changer.
9. The room you're in? kitchen.
10. Your hobby? wakeboarding.
11. Your fear? loneliness.
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? texas.
13. Where were you last night? church.
14. What you're not? shy.
15. One of your wish list items? mac.
16. Where you grew up? Starkville.
17. The last thing you did? class.
18. What are you wearing? tshirt.
19. Your TV? off.
20.Your pet? allergic.
21. Your computer? necessity.
22. Your mood? fulfilled.
23. Missing someone? everyone.
24. Your car? awesome.
25. Something you're not wearing? pants.
26. Favorite store? forever21.
27. Love someone? friends.
28. Your favorite color/shade? brown.
29. Last thing you ate? trailmix.
30. When is the last time you laughed? today!
31. Last time you cried? saturday.

one day down.

well, after my first REAL day of law school, I am still alive and kicking...and surprisingly really enjoying myself! I came into the week very prepared for classes, so I feel ready for anything. i LOVE that Regent has prepared me so well to begin my classes! I have decided that the KEY to my success this year is going to be keeping a positive attitude and outlook of my study-load and circumstances. In celebration of getting preparation for class tomorrow done early, I have decided to write one of those bandwagon posts about things I can't live without...and since I have been doing alot of "figuring out" who I am lately, I think I could be pretty exact with this list. Here goes!

1. my phone. i just got a new blackberry. i am obsessed. that may be an understatement. i do not go anywhere without it. (i do NOT however, believe in using it at restaurants or in the car with other people...because that is just rude. but that will be for another post, another day) i can't say enough about the goodness of blackberry messenger, getting emails instantly, and of course the good ole' text messaging and phone capabilities. the only downside: i have NO reception in my apartment. therefore, i HATE at&t (at least in virginia). but when it DOES work..it is a glorious thing.

2. diet carbonation. pretty much any kind. here are my favorites, in order. 1. diet sunkist (in a 20 oz. bottle preferably) 2. diet coke (fountain drink. duh) 3. diet dr. pepper (the can version wins here) 4. diet mountain dew (bottle) 5. diet sprite (last resort...but still a good one)
i am trying to limit myself to one of these a day (one total..not one of each. i wish.) and today was actually successful. we'll see how long that one lasts. (haven't i said this MULTIPLE times before??)

3. splenda. what a jewel. if there is no splenda in the sugar packet container in a restaurant, i get very irritated. i cannot drink coffee without it (or "sweet" tea) and those just happen to be my two favorite drinks (besides above mentioned drinks, of course). Lucky for me, my parents get the little packets by the box (its a BIG box too) for Bops, so I have at least a years supply at my apartment right now..for all things sweet.

4. my journal. it's my release. i write in it every night before i go to bed...its more of a prayer journal, but i LOVE going back and reading past entries and being able to plainly see how God has blessed and been there for me through so many ups and downs since I began journaling. it helps alot that i love love love to write.

5. pandora. how did i EVER live without it? if you don't know about this...well I am about to introduce you to the best thing that will ever happen to you! (ok maybe not that far, but it IS good). it is an online radio station (completely FREE with no downloads attached) that lets you CHOOSE exactly the kind of music you listen to...you can sort the songs by certain artists, types of songs, genres, etc. For instance, I have a "Hillsong United" station for worship music (while getting ready for the day and at night), a "Jason Mraz/Amos Lee" station for after class when I just need to wind down for a little while, and a sweet "Rhianna/Chris Brown/Lil Wayne" station for getting ready to go out! See for yourself. It has completely changed my life. (Harris, you know what I'm talking about)

6. my camera. Have you seen my facebook profile lately? I think I have somewhere around 50 albums these days. And thats not even all the pictures I have taken, its just the ones that will fit on facebook. Thank goodness I just bought an external hard drive to back up all those precious memories. Unlike last summer when I lost ALL of pictures from freshman to mid-junior year. STUPID LAPTOP. i LOVE having my memories captured, and I have come to be known for always having a camera handy. I can't help it...all of my pictures are what have gotten me through some pretty rough nights up here by myself the past few weeks.

7. notepads. Anyone who knows me well knows how much I like to make lists. I used to get caught by my friends for making lists of boys I liked, why I liked them, pros and cons, etc. etc. (it was like high school, come ON.) Although I have pretty much grown out of that category, I still make lists about pretty much everything else. To do lists are EVERYWHERE in my apartment. Not that I will ever get to 86.4% of the items, but there is something about crossing stuff off a little at a time that just makes me feel SO PRODUCTIVE. so for that feeling, I have LOTS of note pads and notebooks (and my magnadoodle, which currently contains my "to-do" list for this week) dedicated JUST to lists.

----this list will have to be put on hold due to the fact that i was A.D.D. in making it and now its past my bedtime. will return....sometime.------

faithful.

We serve a MIGHTY God. I know most of my readers know this, but my personal experience of so much of God's faithfulness and favor has overwhelmed me this week. I will share a few (of MANY) examples just from this week.

First...my car suddenly QUIT working last Sunday night on my way home from church. Although it was a terrifying experience for me-being 15+ hours away from home-God's goodness was immediately apparent. I just HAPPENED to take a back road home from the church- one that was not very crowded-instead of taking the interstate, which I have done EVERY other time I've ever come home. Had my car just stopped like it did on the interstate...well, I would probably have gotten plowed over b/c cars go extremely fast out there. So, my being on a less crowded street was not only a blessing, but I also just HAPPENED to be on the phone with my parents so they could be there with me and help me not to totally panic. Then, two cop cars pulled up right behind me (b/c I think I may have stopped in the ghetto??) and immediately started to help me figure out what was wrong with my car. The two cops (who I swear were my age...or younger) got in my car, looked at it for a while, and got it started back up so I could get back home. The next day, my car started back up just fine and my wonderful daddy called the Volvo dealership in town and got me into their service dept to fix it right away. The service was great, and my car was fixed and ready within a few days...and in the meantime, my WONDERFUL new friends offered to give me rides anywhere I needed to go. What a blessing!

Another possible frustration that God helped me with involved my student loans and the amount of money I would be getting back. I found out at the beginning of the week that I would not be getting hardly ANY money (to eat, live on, etc.) back for this semester because I had not asked for enough. How was I supposed to know...we have never done this loan thing before!? Not only that, but my books for the semester were $1300!! WHAT!? I guess we didn't really plan on that one either. Fortunately, the financial aid lady was SO helpful and it all got worked out...just in time, because living here is WAY more expensive than good ole' Starkville, MS!

I have also been having anxiety about beginning the semester and being deligent about studying, etc. but I have been prepared through the ASP program and I know what I need to be doing to succeed..now it is just a matter of DISCIPLINE, which I have been praying for for quite a while now. And I KNOW God will help me with that if I take the step of actually sitting down and committing to studying everyday. Please keep me in your prayers as I begin on Monday! Pray that I remain DISCIPLINED in my schedule and study habits.
This verse has meant alot to me lately (thanks Will Haynie, for sharing your favorite verse with me!) and I hope it will encourage others as well.

The Lord says, "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you". So I say with confidence, THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. -Hebrews 13:5-6

I have been so blessed with some extra time this week to hang out with my law school friends alot and get more plugged into church. Thursday night, I went with a few people down to North Carolina to our church's youth camp and attended one of the services and stayed for baptisms at the beach-front of the camp. (It actually looked alot like the beach at Camp Ozark...made me feel kinda weird at first) It was AWESOME to see SOO many kids so passionate about God and what he is doing in this area. (the youth is HUGE at Wave...I cant wait to get involved next semester when I get the hang of school, time management, etc.) I also went BACK to the beach yesterday, and I am planning on going to a friend's house tonight right on the beach to hang out once I get all my studying done. So I guess that means I should begin practicing diligence NOW and hit the books! I will try to update on the weekends, or whenever I get some time. Until then, pray for me and don't stop being my friend just because I haven't called. I will get to everyone as soon as I get some time to talk!!

Becoming "Local"

i had my first true "beach experience" with the east coast beaches this weekend. It was predicted to rain all weekend, but me and a few other of my new friends decided to just pray that it wouldn't rain so that we could enjoy our last weekend of "freedom" before classes and studying take over our lives...and what do you know...God was faithful! (duh.) One of my friends decided he should maybe be a weatherman instead of a lawyer since we prayed for no rain both Friday (so we could go to the pool after our test) AND Saturday and it was beautiful weather,despite strong forecasts saying otherwise, on both days!I assured him that maybe it was simply God revealing his power more than us being really good at proving the current weatherman wrong.

But back to the beach. All of our group met up at dinner Friday night and then went back to my friend James' house- he has a really cool house on the river with a sweet back porch and patio that looks right out onto the water. you KNOW i spent the whole night outside...He even has a floating dock that I spent big chunk of the night sitting on and having some solid heart to hearts with some people...I have decided that there is NOTHING BETTER in life than a good conversation-especially one about God and His nature- accompanied by a good glass of wine while sitting on a dock all around the water. Perfection. But again, BACK TO THE BEACH. The next morning, we all woke up and threw on our bathing suits and after spending way more getting stuff ready than probably necessary for just a day trip, we finally headed (like 6 MILES) to the beach. One of my friends has lived in Va Beach for about 2 years now, so thankfully he knew where the less crowded beaches were in the area so that we could get some good spots on the beach. We stayed all day-I got a NICE little sunburn on my stomach because unlike the rest of my body, my stomach has been hidden from the sun ALL summer (b/c of the one-pieces I got to wear everyday for 3 months) but other than that...a VERY successful day. I can't wait to go back...I have one more weekend of semi-freedom before the study load gets rough, and I am planning on making one more trip-since i am so close now! I definitely got giddy on the walk to the water just thinking about the fact that i LIVE AT THE FREAKING BEACH! As most know, I have always had a passion for the water, but this is the first time I have lived so close to some...and I plan on taking as much advantage as possible of it. Visitors of course are welcome anytime!

lifeguard stands- new to me at the beach!?
(this was from another area of Va. Beach, but same beach)

how many hours are in a day??

I just got done filling out my schedule for this semester...no, not the one that says what classes you have when so you can tell how late you can sleep everyday and when to schedule lunch dates and naps around those semi-important classes that you will actually make it to on a regular basis. No, no no friends, this is a BIG GIRL schedule that we are required to fill out that will regulate and utilize my EVERY waking moment for the next semester. To say that it is an intense schedule is an understatement. I am overwhelmed just writing (and thinking) about it. My day begins every day, Monday through Friday, at 6am, which I have allotted one solid hour to working out (ok, and showering). That may prove to be the ONLY flexible part of my schedule, in the event that I don't "feel" like working out one (or more) days. Hopefully, once I get into a routine, the whole work out thing will just kinda follow behind. I'm keeping my fingers crossed...and my running shoes somewhere in sight just in case. The next 12 or so hours are devoted solely to the study of law. The studying varies from reading/briefing cases for class, to actually attending lectures, and then post-class reviews of the material. sheesh. It is suggested (pretty much required) that a 1L study 3 hours for each credit hour a day...making a total of around 64 hours a week of study time...plus outlining time, which then bumps that number up significantly. whew. I knew that law school was time-consuming, but I am slowly realizing that it is more LIFE-consuming. I did manage to work my daily schedule out where I would have one day a week, Sunday (my favorite day!) completely free to do whatever I want or need to do. Pretty pumped about that. I am trying to get all of my errands, housekeeping business, etc. out of the way this week before "the real thing" begins next week...I am planning on making a beach trip this weekend while I still have a Saturday somewhat free. I am excited about getting started, but I am feeling a little overwhelmed with all of it after making that schedule. Maybe I should just lay down for a little while to take it all in...while I still have time to lay down.

New Town, New "Life"...and a New Look!

Where did the summer go?? I apologize for the long delay in blogging, but today is the first time I have had a few minutes to even sit down at the computer and collect my thoughts as to what all to blog about! SO much in my life has changed over this summer..even the past week...that I don't even know where to begin.

Beginning with how the rest of the summer went....well, it was definitely the most challenging and amazing summer of my life thus far. I learned so many things about being an effective leader, what servant-leadership should look like from watching my amazing "co-workers", and most importantly, i learned a TON about myself. I have so many people to thank for that, and they definitely know exactly who they are. ;). Not only did I learn alot, but I had a TON of fun!! From late night boat rides w/ solid heart-to hearts, cook outs, early morning wakeboarding, laughing so hard that I cried at the extent we could wear out a good joke, painting kids with paint-rocks at the beach, playing football, solid conversations with top staff girls about life, boys, and camp...the good times were a constant. Sure, I had my moments...days when I was worn out by the sun and frustrated with something that happened at the lake and just wanted to give up, but those were the exact moments that God was so powerful in reminding me the purpose of my job at camp and gave me the strength and encouragement to continue. What a wonderful Father we have.

Camp came to an end for me about a week and a half ago. Wow, I cant believe it's only been that long since I left..it feels like forever ago!! I left camp on July 30th and drove back home to get ready for the big move to Virginia. I had a day and a half to unpack everything from camp (which still hasn't really happened...most of it is laying in the floor of my room at my parents house-sorry mom!) and RE-pack my car and my parents Tahoe with everything I would need for the next 3 years of my life. I spent all day the day before we left running around town with my mom...changing phone services and getting a new number (and a new phone...a blackberry curve, my new obsession), going to the dentist, getting my hair cut, going to walmart, etc. Talk about a CRAZY day. We left Starkville bright and early the next morning headed 16 hours to VA. We finally rolled into Va. Beach around 3:00am (we made quite a few stops along the way...wouldn't be a Holland road trip without 'em) and unpacked just enough to have something decent to sleep on that night. We spent the next two days getting everything settled and set up in my new apartment (which looks so cute thanks to my mom's great decorating ability...i posted a picture of the living room area to give you an idea of what it looks like) and began to navigate the booming metropolis that is Virginia Beach. Seriously, the area is HUGE. I get lost at LEAST once a day around here, even with my new GPS on my phone! We went down to the beach, ate at some good restaurants, and even went to The Hillsong church that me and my parents had found when we visited at Easter.

My new "Life" began officially on Monday, when I started Law School at Regent Law. I am in an intensive 2-week program called the "Academic Success Program", which Regent offers to certain students to provide them with tools and help for succeeding in law school by taking the participants through what actual classes, exams, and the general law school schedule will be like. In the past week, we have had to brief cases, take notes and begin to outline those notes as a study tool (apparently the only way you will make it through law school is if you do an outline for all of your notes and briefs), and apply all of that on a final exam. The class I have been in is Civil Procedure, which basically deals with everything you can and cannot do as an attorney under the Federal Rules. It has been fascinating, but an OVERLOAD of information already. I guess I will just have to get used to that. The classes have been hard, but fun at the same time. My civ. pro. professor was hilarious, so of course I loved him. Both of the professors I have had so far in this program went to Harvard Law School, so they are brilliant and have a TON of experience with the law. I have heard that is the case with most professors at Regent...what a blessing! My favorite part of this school is the fact that we have a devotion everyday at the beginning of the class, which the professors lead and discuss with us, and then they always pray for us at the beginning and end of class. It's SO encouraging to know that they have our best interests at heart and TRULY desire for us all to succeed in school here.

Aside from school, I am having a GREAT time so far in my new town. I have met a bunch of cool people in our ASP class, and we have been hanging out a lot this past week. I went to Wave Church Wednesday night and ran into several of my classmates there and I have really enjoyed spending time with so many people that have similar beliefs and goals. It is also very nice to be able to talk to each other about the nervousness and anticipation we are all feeling at this point! We all went out last night to celebrate making it through our first exam in law school...what a fun night! (some of the group is pictured here) So, so far...so good. I will definitely keep you posted as the next few weeks unfold!

By the way, how do you like the new look of the blog? I thought it was about time to change it up alittle and be more "bloggish." I think I like it!

Update: camp is so great!

i LOVE the new lake crew...13 boys and only 1 other girl besides myself for the first few sessions...but it has been SO fun! The crew is SO solid and I have NEVER in my life laughed as hard as I do with this year's group. (and i laugh ALOT, so that is really saying something) It has been a little overwhelming at times leading so many guys and being so close to the same age as most of them, but I know that God is preparing me for something through this position as Lake Crew director. Luckily, I am not totally alone in my position...the other Lake director, Steven, is amazing. He is on permanent staff, and although he is new to the lake program this year, he has been at camp for a long time and has a ton of experience in relating to counselors, etc. and has been great with all of the guys.

There has been alot of activity on the lake the past couple of days...the wind has been out of control and making huge waves on a normally very smooth lake, and a sailboat turned over two days ago and the mast snapped as it turned over. luckily, all of the kids on the sailboat were saved and are all ok...God was definitely protecting everyone out there. Also yesterday, because of the strong winds and massive waves, the floating dock began to buckle on top of the other dock peices and some of them snapped in two! Again, thankfully, this happened about 5 minutes after all of the children had gone up the hill for lunch, so no one was injured, and the Lake Crew got right to work fixing the remaining dock pieces and making a makeshift dock so that the kids could go back out in the afternoon since it would be their only day at the lake...it was stressful, but watching all of the LC boys stepping up as leaders and figuring out how to re-rig the docks was so awesome to watch. They are definitely showing me qualities that I am looking for in a husband one day!!

Being on Top Staff at camp has been fun too...i love the other top staff and I have made some awesome friendships with some of the other TS girls. It is alot more work than I ever realized it would be coming into the summer, but I have enjoyed the responsibility I have been entrusted with and I am excited about the opportunity to serve as a "counselor" to the counselors at camp and to encourage them throughout the summer.

gone baby gone.

i am officially moving from starkville in the morning. i am headed to camp for the summer and then will be breezing back through starkvegas just long enough to grab my entire life and begin the journey to VA. the past week has been a roller coaster. i have been ready to leave one minute, miserably sad about leaving the next...and every emotion in between. not to mention my best friend got married over the weekend and most of my other friends left town right after graduation. luckily, I got to see my friends Lee and Stuart earlier this week when we all took a trip to see ole' Dick Chaney (again) in Southhaven, and I spent a great night with some other great college friends last night at our old hangout, the OVPC. To top off my Starkville experience, two of my most LOYAL and closest friends, Jake and Jenn, came out to my parents house to say goodbye and make some smores on my mom's new firepit. Jenn was out of her element big time, but i think she enjoyed it, nonetheless.

I have so many pictures from the events of the last couple of weeks, but i am in too big of a hurry to wait for them to upload and decide where to place them in this post...after all, it is almost 1 am and I am STILL not all packed and finished with my things to do before leaving in the morning. I will post at camp, hopefully...until then...if anyone wants to hear from me or just wants to make sure I am still alive and kicking, you can WRITE ME at camp!!

Lori Holland

155 Camp Ozark Dr.
Mount Ida, AR 71957
(that was from memory...impressive, huh?)

I....I.....I.....

ok, so i only made it H in the alphabet game. I have been told on more than one occasion that i lack the ability to commit, and although I think it has been said in context to relationships, it apparently really is true in this case. I couldn't think of a good "I" and I have WAY more to talk about lately than random things I like...so there it is. "I" quit.

A BUNCH has gone on in the past week and a half..hence the lack of blogging. I know my sporadic blogging makes it hard for those *few* committed readers to keep checking back in on me everyday, just to see if maybe I have resurfaced yet...but HERE I AM! I am sad to say that I will not be blogging much at all from May 16th-August 8th-ish...becuase I will be at Camp and then moving to Virginia Beach! But once I get settled and start Orientation, I promise to come back full force to keep everyone updated on life on the East Coast.

So what has been up, you ask? (even if you didn't ask...you know I am going to talk about it anyway)

***Campus Adventures***

A bunch of our college friends met up last Thursday night before graduation to go all over campus to places that have been memorable to us over the past four years at State. We started out at the Sigma Chi house (some good memories, both from high school and college..we get started on college life a little earlier than most people, being from Starkville and all). After we all got there, we went to the Hump...although we couldn't get into the actual coliusuem, we DID manage to get into the boys locker room, where several of us proceeded to put on Charles Rhodes' jerseys, took pictures, and snooped around the entire locker room/lounge area--that is, until we ALMOST got busted by security (or the janitor, we couldn't really tell)--we had to high-tail it out of the room and leap into the already moving truck to escape without incurring criminal charges. That was fun. After that, we went to Hunter Henry and waded in the fountains. That was cold. Then we went to the Davis Wade Stadium, climbed the fence, climbed another fence, and walked right out onto the 50-yard line. We played in the stadium for a while, took some pics, and then left (some of the group got caught and got written up for trespassing...oops). We walked from the stadium to the Chapel, where we all went in and sat and talked for a while (me and Baleigh attempted to play the piano....heart and soul was as good as we got) and then made our way back to the Sigma Chi house through the Junction. It was a night I will always remember...mainly because I have about a hundred pictures to document the night.

***GRADUATION***

I mean what can you say about graduation. I sat through almost 3 hours of rambling and name-calling (not in a bad way, but the actual calling out of names) all for my one half-minute of fame as I walked across the stage to shake some important peoples' hands and get what appeared to be a diploma...oh but no...it was just a cover for a diploma, filled with not even a blank sheet of paper. I found out today that I am actually still ONE HOUR short of graduating, so that little diploma cover was actually a pretty good idea to give to everyone...for all of us out there that wouldn't have had anything to show if they had really been given out that day. *note: my advisor emailed and informed me tonight that they retroactively enrolled me for one more internship credit for the spring so that i don't have to take anything else. and THAT is why I love my department/major.* The few good parts about walking at graduation...special attention, fun robes to wear, good pictures to take with your friends, and a couple of REALLY good meals with the fam. Oh, and the new President told me and Natalie, who got to walk across the stage when I did, that we "never [need to] loose that pretty smile." What a sweetie. I like him already.

***MOVING HOME***

Who knew I had SO MUCH STUFF??!! Saturday after graduation, my parents and Bo and Emily all came and helped me move my stuff home for good. *By the way, I would like to just say that those 4 people are AMAZING. They sat through hours and hours of graduation activities for me and then came and helped me ALL day* For a slight idea of how much crap I had, we loaded up my Xterra, my mom's Tahoe, My Dad's truck (the F250...so there was plenty of room in the back), AND a trailer behind the truck for all my furniture. Now, when I say we loaded them up, I mean we literally packed every single space of every vehicle there with clothes, shoes, purses, pillows, etc. Not only did it take all of our cars, but we had to come back for ANOTHER load after we got all of that home. AND I LIVE IN/AM FROM STARKVILLE....you would think I could have left SOME of that at home over the years?! But the thing is, my room at home is already full of stuff...so you can imagine how much FUN it has (NOT) been to find a place to put everything in my room upstairs, still manage to walk INTO my room and find anything. And the really fun part comes when I have to sort through everything and decide what goes to camp, what goes to Virginia, and what stays in Starkville...all before I leave next week. WHEW...I get worn out just thinking about it!

H is for....

the HOLLAND home

anyone who has spent time at my parents home knows how special of a place it is. My mom is THE BEST entertainer and cook in the world...seriously. I am not just saying that because she is my mother; that girl could throw a huge party with 5 minutes notice..and make it look GOOD. I have loved being so near to my parents while being at State, it is definitely the best part of growing up in a college town. From Sunday lunches, to dinners with my roommates out there (because of our lack of anything to eat at our house), and every occasion in between, my parents have taken mine and my brothers' friends in as family over the past 8 or so years that we have collectively been in college. My house is my favorite place in the world (besides the lake...if only there was a lake AT my house, life would be perfect) and I always know that when I go home, I will be coming home to two wonderful parents, a fridge full of diet cokes, some candy in the candy jar, and pretty much any other food I could want in less than an hour. My house has seen so many people in and out of its doors night after night after night for as long as I can remember. I grew up that way, which I am very certain is why me, Bo, and Jack could talk to a brick wall and it be an entertaining conversation.

JUST LAST NIGHT, my mom and dad threw me a SURPRISE graduation/going away party at their house. ALL of my college friends came and we ate (and ate...and ate) and just hung out with each other one last time before we all graduate and move off to all different places. The house was SO cute...maroon and white State stuff everywhere, law books, etc. all over the place. It was definitely a night I will never forget. I posted some pictures below of the night and the house, so you can see for yourself why the Holland Home is so special to me.

the front porch (pre-food)

one of the tablesand the other table after dinner

G-unit. ok, no...just G.

i just didn't feel right about blogging about this one until i could see the finish line....but i am one test away...so here it comes....

G is for GRADUATION!!!

finally! i know, i know...i still have three more years of law school ahead of me..but there is just something about having that degree finally under your belt...it feels wonderful. with only one more final to take (and a ridiculously easy one, at that) i can see the end...and it looks GLORIOUS. can you tell i am glad to be finished??

Looking back over the past four years at Mississippi State, I am truly amazed at what I have learned. Mark Twain once said, "I never let school interfere with my education," and I couldn't agree more. Sure, I have learned a thing or two about empirical research and democratic theories, campaign processes and public policy...but the lessons I have learned in my day-to-day life are far more important than any literature poem or spanish verb (that i couldn't even conjugate now...love that memory of mine)

some important lessons i have learned in college worth sharing:

1. you find out what TRUE FRIENDS are in college. you also learn along the way, often through experiencing those friendships, how to BE a true friend. The ones that build you up (and you build up) are the keepers. I also learned not even to waste my time on people who I would leave feeling worse about myself than I did before I was with them. stear clear.

2. Having a solid and REAL relationship with God makes ALL the difference in your everyday life. I would know..I lived on both sides of the fence during college- most of the time riding the fence between the two- and the past year has been the most joyful and rewarding year of my life, because I have let God have control of my heart, mind, friendships, and lifestyle. Trust me..it is better that way. Once again, I would know.

3. ROAD TRIPS are the best thing that ever happened to the college experience. Whether it was football games, a concert, retreat, visiting friends' hometowns, or random trips to the beach for the weekend...you name it, I did it. and very spontaneously most of the time..which is definitely the way to go, in my opinion. Not only are the conversations in the car usually really good, but I will probably be telling my kids stories of the "good ole' days" in college and reminiscing about each road trip in great detail. they were that good. So if you are still in college...GET ON THE ROAD!

4. You feel a thousand times better about yourself when you EXERCISE. I have gone through stages in college of working out 2 or 3 times a day (that obviously didn't last too long) and not working out at all (and let me tell you, once you stop...it's SO hard to get back into it!) I think I have, over the years, found a healthy medium somewhere in there. I have more energy when I go for a walk or run during the day, and I definitely have begun to use that time alone more wisely...i do ALOT of thinking when I work out.

5. Summers should NOT be spent in school!! Unfortunately, this will be my last summer to not have to spend in the real world. The way I see college is, you have to study most of the year, and you for sure are going to have to work the rest of your post-graduation life, so why not take a few months a year in college and do something FUN? I pride myself in never having to take summer school. Did I have to take alot of classes during the semester? yep. Totally worth it. I have spent the last four summers: living/working at the beach in Florida (a brief stay...but a good one while it lasted), working a whole summer on the lake at a Christian sports camp, interning in Washington, DC (it sounds like a real job....but if you know anything about interns in DC, you know what its really all about), and this summer I will be going BACK to camp to head up the Lake Crew. makes me sad to even think about this being my last summer. so i wont.

6. I could probably go on for way longer with this post than anyone cares to read, so I think I will just end at 5. or maybe i will just give a short last one...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE MISSISSIPPI STATE.

if State is not your alma mater....I am sorry for you. truly.
(i am aware that this is not a lesson, but a statement. don't judge me for that.)

F

F is for FACEBOOK

duh.




I seriously don't know what I spent all of my time and energy on before this beautiful invention. Discovered in the early spring of my freshman year, I have seen facebook grow in leaps and bounds in what if offers the mindless college student in entertainment and voyeurism. We have gone from the primitive grey walls where you had no idea who wrote what unless they signed their name to their post and anyone could go in and erase your whole wall at once...remember those crazy things we would post to each other, Harris? Messages from "Mr. Belding" and other has-been celebrities appearing on our walls. wow. Moving on over the years to photo albums, personalized walls complete with a mini picture on each post, the stalker-feed, and multiple opportunities to appear cool by listing the number of photos and friends one has posted below their not-so realistic looking profile pic. Man, that facebook team really knows how to lure 'em in. Despite the slight sarcasm in the sentence above, I really do love the fact that I can easily keep up with my friends that do not live near me and also maintain certain friendships with semi-friends...you know, the ones that a phone conversation would be SUPER awkward to have with, but a nice wall post or FB message is just the right amount of communication. Not only do I love FB for the virtual friendships, but how about the new bumper sticker application?! LOVE IT.

I wish I would have kept a log of the amount of time I have spent on "the book" over the years...actually, it would probably just depress me if I actually realized how much of my life has been pointlessly wasted by browsing my recently updated friend list in search of "relationship status" changes and newly posted photo albums. I am actually deliberating getting off facebook for a few weeks...at least until finals are over so that I can actually concentrate on schoolwork whenever my computer is turned on (it is my homepage, after all). But then I think of all the wall posts, messages, photo tags, and POKES I will possibly miss out on...and any notion of self-discipline immediately flies out the window. Maybe Law School will strike the final blow in defeating my facebook addiction...but until then....FACEBOOK ME (and stick me with a bumper sticker, virtual friend!)

E

E is for EASY SEMESTER!
until now.

yes, that is right...i have had the easiest semester of college this spring, and I feel fully justified in that. I spread out my core and political science classes over the years so that i wouldn't have to have ALL political science classes during a single semester...because that would just be torture with all those papers and research. This semester, I am only taking 12 hours (I also only had to take 12 hours last semester because of my summer internship counting during the fall..THANKS BOSS!) and I don't think I have even picked up a book in 2 of them. The other two have required a little bit more effort, but I have enjoyed the work so it makes it not nearly as bad. HOWEVER, because of the seemingly "easiness" of my semester, I have procrastinated WAY longer than usual to get my final projects and papers finished. I have a 15 page paper due on Thursday (have I even started? Of course not.), another 15 pager due next Thursday...once again, haven't started...and a final brief,2 final exams, and a take-home final due the week of finals. YIKES. Thank goodness its all just at the end though, because I sure loved all those days of NOTHING this semester that I used to just hang out.

D

i have several d's. that is what happens when i go for days without blogging and continuously thinking about what i should blog about. the STRANGE thing about all of the D's that i could think of is that they are all actually DC's. You will see what I mean at the end.

1. DIET COKE.

If you have been reading my blog for the past few months, you know that I LOVE diet coke and that I gave it up for Lent. Not gonna lie...it made me feel ALOT better not drinking it. In knowing that, WHHYYY do I still love and crave a diet coke every morning, noon, and night? I really think it is all pyschological. I must have had some really good memories with Diet Coke over the years and I just cant bring myself to say good-bye. Although I went on a DC rampage immediately following Lent, I have actually not been drinking as many as I was pre-lent era. I try to only drink one a day, and I make sure to savor every drop.

2. DC (literally)

I lived in Washington, DC, all last summer, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I lived with two amazing girls at Georgetown Law (in the dorms on the Hill) along with the rest of the 30 or so Mississippi State and Ole Miss interns. GOOD times. I spent my weekdays in Dirksen Senate Office building from 9-6, with extended lunch breaks almost every day on the Hill. The weekends consisted of lots of sleeping, sight-seeing (with friends that came to visit throughout the summer), and eating HUGE brunches and dinners before going out in Georgetown or Adams Morgan (my personal favorite...PEYOTE kareoke, what what) I don't have the time or energy to even begin to talk about the number and quality of restaurants in DC, both on the Hill and off, but I am certain that I would have gained about 20 pounds that summer had I not had to walk to work and all around the Capitol everyday. I am the most obsessed with the fast-paced atmosphere around the Hill (where the Capitol is and all of the Senate and House offices are located) and I would LOVE to move back to DC after I finish Law School to work. If you plan on taking a trip to the nation's capitol city anytime soon, let me make your itinerary. I want you to love it as much as I do.

3. DC Talk!I know, this is random...but this weekend on our way home from Arkansas, me and the girls I rode there with broke out some old DC Talk songs...What if I stumble, In the Light, Jesus Freak...you know the songs...classics. I had forgotten all about the boys until last fall, when one of the members of the band (Kevin, I think?) came to State for a gospel service with Johnny Cash's sister during the Johnny Cash "Flower Pickin' Festival" in Starkville. He sang "In the Light" by himself, which was good, but it made me miss the rest of the band. Man, I LOVED them. I acutally saw them two years in a row when I was in junior high. Those were the good ole' days. (no, not really). I plan to rummage through my closet at home next time I go there and dig out some of my old CD's. Get ready for a Jam Session.

Delayed...

no, my D is NOT for "delayed"...I have a much better D than that. BUT...due to the fact that I was supposed to be on the road OVER an hour ago headed to Camp for Top Staff Orientation this weekend, I cannot give my D what it deserves today....I will be back Sunday...with plenty of stories and a fabulous D word. In the words of Lee Thorne, a once faithful blog reader..."Y'all be good."

The 3 C's

this game is taking over my life...i spent the whole day yesterday trying to decide what my C's would be. I have three, and I love them all equally. So I'm putting all three. deal with it.

C is for...CAMP OZARK

I think everyone is well aware of my LOVE for this place. I have worked as a counselor at Camp Ozark for the past two summers, and I will be going back in May for one last summer before I move to VA. Not only do I get paid to hang out with some amazing kids everyday, but I also have THE BEST possible job at camp....LAKE CREW. That's right...me and 12 other RIDICULOUSLY awesome counselors are in charge of the Lake Program at Camp Ozark, which is on Lake Ouachita (about a 20 min. drive from the actual camp). I spend most of my summer days driving boats and teaching skiing and wakeboarding, and occasionally we will all switch up duties and I will take kids out on the lake sailing. Ahhh...life is SO good there!! I can honestly say that my FAVORITE memories in the entire world come from camp and being on the Lake. The best part of Lake Crew is definitely the Lake Crew...we are all super close because we spend so much time together away from camp, and we spend almost as many nights at the Lake with each other that we do at camp with our cabins. I am going back this summer as Top Staff, so I will basically be responsible for the Lake Program and for all of the new Lake Crew members. Some of my BEST LC friends are coming back this summer, and it is taking everything in me to not think about it all the time and actually focus on school and trying to graduate!

C is also for CRUSADE

I have become really involved in Campus Crusade this year...I was pretty active my freshman year, but everyone I went with either graduated or just stopped going, and of course I don't normally do things by myself...so I faded out too. Then last semester, I started going again with Peyton Hill and Rachael Kirk (both BALLERS) and found out about a conference over New Years in Atlanta that Crusade sponsors. I was looking for something a little less rowdy to do for New Years this year, so I ended up going with some friends. I talked about it in one of my first blog posts, actually...It was amazing. But that is not the point. The point is, because I went to Atlanta and met Kevin and Missy (the Directors) and some other people involved in Crusade at State, I began to get really involved too. Me, my friends Peyton, Matthew Kimbrough, and Lindsay Bean all started a Crusade co-ed Bible Study called "The Way" this semester, and I LOVE our big group!! Crusade has meant and done more for me spiritually in this one year than anything else in my life to this day. and THAT is why Cru is worthy of recognition in the Alphabet game.

the last C....CHIPOTLE!!

Ahh...Chipotle. I can't even find words to describe my OBSESSION with this restaurant. I first found Chipotle in DC when I lived there last summer, and me and my friend Anne would eat there every week, sometimes more than once a week. If you live near a Chipotle and don't eat there on a regular basis...well, shame on you. I cannot stand it when people try to compare it to Moe's either. WAY BETTER. I mean, I guess it is the same concept of Moe's, but the free-range meat, fresh toppings and various flavors of salsa make Chipotle everything that Moe's wishes it was. To try to describe my love for this place, I will tell you that I drive at least once a month to Tuscaloosa just to eat at the nearest restaurant...I am actually planning a trip for next week. Mesquite grilled chicken, spicy corn, lettuce, sour cream, steamed rice, mozerella cheese all wrapped in a warm steamed wrap...mmmmmm. (i won't mention how many calories are in each burritto..it hurts too much to think about it)

B

**just to clarify how serious i was about taking advantage of my balcony in the previous post, i would like you to know that i am writing this post while sitting out here (and skipping class to do so...it's Spring and beautiful outside, I couldn't help it)**

i have two B's today. is that ok?

B is for BESTIES!

(Besties=Best Friends). I have more BEST friends than anyone in the world, I am pretty sure. My "besties" always joke with me that they don't think the title means very much since I say it about so many people, but I honestly REALLY do feel like everyone I say it about has attained BFF status. I can't help it- I bond with people VERY easily. Sometimes that can be a flaw, because I am also way too trusting of people too soon, but my theory is...life is to short to NOT get close to people you like. I have to give a shout out to my NEWEST bestie, BALEIGH, because a) she asked me to and b) her name starts with a B! I love this girl ALOT...she can see God in absolutely EVERYTHING...what an encouragement. I would love to give shout-outs to everyone of my BFFs individually, but I don't want to leave anyone out on accident, so I will shout-out by states...my two besties in TEXAS, one in ALABAMA, and five in MISSISSIPPI. you know who you are. (well, you better.)

the other B is for BOPS!

that's right. The best ice-cream...excuse me, FROZEN CUSTARD store in all the land. I remember my senior year in high school when my parents told me and my brothers that they would be opening their very own Bops in Starkville that fall. I freaked out....I was, and still am, OBSESSED with Bops. Whenever I hear the words "comfort food", I immediately get a craving for a Bops favorite with cookie dough. or maybe some warm apple crisp with custard. Or do I want chocolate with sprinkles?? SO MANY CHOICES. Imagine getting it for FREE too...let's just say I need to work out ALOT more than I do to burn that stuff off. But there is good news...We have SPLENDA custard now, and I just happen to LOVE splenda! It's really not bad at all...when I remember it, I always get it. I love taking my friends to Bops because it is a way that I can do something nice for them without having to spend money (that I obviously don't have as a college student) and I don't think they mind too much either.

Some of my favorite Bops combinations:

Custard with Strawberry and Cheesecake (called a "Sorority Girl")
Chocolate Flakes and Coconut (my CURRENT favorite..thanks Harris!)
Vanilla with Oreo and Sour Gummi Worms (Dirt and Worms)
Peanut Butter and M&M Concrete
SNO CREME sno cone with condensed milk on top
APPLE CRISP or Blackberry Cobbler (esp. on a cold night)

I could go on and on, but then I might break down and have to leave my balcony to go get some..and I just don't feel like getting up right now.

The Alphabet Game

I have been considering doing this game for a while but wasn't sure if I was a committed enough blogger to do this 26 days in a row...so we may only make it to B or C. But I have a good A, so I guess you gotta start somewhere. (Not like I don't talk about things I love on a daily basis on my blog, but I guess this is just a more formalized way to do it and to give me stuff to blog about)

A is for A1 University Drive!

This is the address of my house in the Cotton District of Starkville. Known for short as A1. Anyone who has spent time at our cute little 3-story house knows the greatness that comes with the huge balcony, cozy living room, great location, and fun neighbors. We are in walking distance to campus, the tanning bed, my two favorite restaurants (Bulldog Deli and the Grill!), and we live smack in the middle of a big area of nightlife in Starkville (not that there are THAT many areas of nightlife in this town at all...but still, the Cotton District is one of the best). One of my favorite things to do is sit on my balcony on a pretty day (see picture to left...that is NOT an example of a pretty day, but it's all i could find) and read or hang out there at night and watch all of the drunk people *attempting* to walk home from the bar...I wish I could remember all of the hilarious conversations/fights we have heard on those nights of watching all of this to re-tell. I will only be living there for a few more weeks, which definitely depresses me...but I plan on fully utilizing that balcony as much as possible until May 1st. Two other great things about A1 are my roommates, Jennifer and Mary Annette. We are all three completely different in pretty much every way, but they are both REALLY good at listening/giving advice and putting up with me throwing my stuff ALL over the house. God has blessed me EVERY year of college with amazing roommates, and these girls are no exception!

A1, during campaign season

our COZY living room