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.