Weekend

I had a pretty busy weekend. Lets start with Friday, I went to class at 9, like a good girl. ha! Then I went to pick up my card for the student pirate club, waited in line for a good 45 minutes, finally got up to the window, handed over my student ID and license. They took them and went to get my SPC card. It took and little while the man came back and said that there wasn't a card printed for me. Wonderful, I had to go in the athletic building and check it out to see if my payment went through. So I willingly went and followed the very kind man instructions, got up to the SPC office and was "greeted" by a very unpleasant lady. She simply told me they had no record of my payment and that I wouldn't be in the SPC this year. Sweet! NOT! There began my bad day until my best friend, Lauren, texted me and said that she had 2 Brad Paisley tickets for Saturday and wanted to know if I would like to go. She didn't have to ask, yes! We were trying to win them the day before. My bad day turned around real quick. I was stoked!

Saturday- I woke up, packed my bag and was on my way back home. I saw my family for a couple of hours and hung out with them. Then was on my way to the concert with Lauren and Kris, her bf. We ended up sitting on the 3rd row from the stage and were able to go up to the front of the stage during the concert. Yall I touched Justin Moore, Darius Rucker and Kellie Pickler's hands and was, literally, TWO inches from touching Brad Paisley, needless I had a blast. I also got to witness and veeery drunk woman and her husband ended leaving her at the concert. Like you know separated after the concert leaving. Sad! Thats what alcohol will do to you I guess.


Anyway, This man made my night!


And this man (Justin Moore) may be my new favorite country artist. And not to mention his pretty baby blues! Oh my!

Sunday I went to church, Lauren and I have been going to a different church here at school and this was our second time at this church and I think we may call it home. So far I love it, but I need to go a little more to know for sure. The rest of the day I have studied and we cooked chicken casserole for dinner. Yum!

Hope everyone else has had a wonderful weekend as well!

Sophomore Year

I'm working on my second day of classes and so far they haven't been too bad. I've had Elementary Statistics and Anatomy and Physiology. A & P was a little on the boring side, thank the lord it's only a 50 minute class. Hopefully, it will get better once we get into the course. Stats was okay, I'm not much of a statistics math person, I love algebra and trigonometry, etc. but statistics is a different story! I took stats in high school and didn't pass the college exam so hopefully round two will turn out better. I REALLY like my teacher. I think she will be really good for me because she has been teaching stats for 21 years! She is also a "mommy-like" teacher, so that's good! I'm excited to go to the rest of my classes, music lecture, psych, and A & P lab. Lab will be fun! Over all, so far so good!

Missing My Family

Today i drove an hour to watch my brother and his team play in a baseball tournament. They played fairly good, won one, lost one, but then it was time for me to come back to my "home." I don't consider this home yet because my heart is still back in my home town, it was so hard to drive back to school when my house was only 30 minutes away. Ofcourse, I could have gone back but I needed to come back to my apartment for myself, to spread my wings, per say. I almost broke down crying at first but then I got a grip of myself because my parents are paying good money for me to be here and make this apartment my home while I make something of myself at college. Why should I be sad? I enjoy being at school and living on my own but my family isn't here and that sucks! I miss them like crazy!

I was thinking while driving, the best time to think because it's quiet and peaceful and at times the only time I allow my mind to slow down, why didn't I get this emotions I'm feeling right now last year? I was a little ole freshman living in the dorm with my car miles down the road from me, all I had was my best friend/roommate (and she lives with me now). I think it was because I was plunged into college life and ready to dive in head first. I also thought that I shouldn't cry because I was a "big girl now" so I held all those emotions in and brushed them off. Now, they are resurfacing stronger than ever and I'm not scared to feel them, they are normal, and everyone feels them just at different times. I'm okay with that this year!

So, tonight I have been a little sad and sentimental because I MISS MY FAMILY, but that's alright!

PS- I also have a horrible head cold including a fever which makes me want my mommy even more.

Pictures of the Apartment

FINALLY! Yes, I'm a slacker, my excuse is we have still been getting settled which is partially true. ha!

My Bedroom

View from the door


The bedspread has a little blue in the leaves that you can't see. I scored this at TJ Maxx.


My desk, still needs a little more organizing. Blah!


The HUGE closet (for an apartment). This was a "selling" point for me.


My jewelry "box." I love it, and it was on sale at Kirklands.


The Bathroom, I know yall are dying to see it!

Not much to it.

The Living Room



Looking towards the back patio. The curtains need a little spicing up.

The Kitchen.


Looking towards the front door.


Our sweet little kitty, Stella Luna or Lu Lu. Awh!

That's our little home! For atleast a year, I hope 3 because I have not one bit of interest in moving again.

Coming Home

I ADORE this place!!!

And I realized when I haven't been going like I should. Lately I haven't been going very much. Why, I don't know? But that is changing from here forward. Why, because I enjoy it and it gives me the burst of energy I need, every Sunday, to go and be the Christian I have been taught to be!

Today I went and sat down in the sanctuary on my normal pew and scanned over the bulletin. Just like I have since I started going to "big church." You will never guess the title of the sermon... Forgetters become Rememberers! What!!! Yeah, basically the sermon was about us, Christians, forgeting what church and the Lord does for you and then you come back and become a "rememberer." The passage was Deut 8. It is saying do not forget to honor and praise your Lord when you have good things come your way and instead always remember the Lord in everything you do and receive for it is Him who gives it to us.

The hymn of commitment was "Lord, I'm Coming Home" this hymn is one that I don't know well at all. I was singing and it hit me, I came back home today, to my hometown church and to Jesus (not that I was ever gone, I just wasn't living like I should and walking the straight and narrow behind him). It was good! I'm going to put the words below.

I appreciate my pastor and all that he does for our church and the congregating along with the minister of music. They meant the world to me today, it was perfect.


I’ve wandered far away from God,
Now I’m coming home;
The paths of sin too long I’ve trod,
Lord, I’m coming home.

Coming home, coming home,
Nevermore to roam;
Open wide Thine arms of love,
Lord, I’m coming home.

I’ve wasted many precious years,
Now I’m coming home;
I now repent with bitter tears,
Lord, I’m coming home.

I’m tired of sin and straying, Lord,
Now I’m coming home;
I’ll trust Thy love, believe Thy word,
Lord, I’m coming home.

My soul is sick, my heart is sore,
Now I’m coming home;
My strength renew, my home restore,
Lord, I’m coming home.

My only hope, my only plea,
Now I’m coming home;
That Jesus died, and died for me,
Lord, I’m coming home.

I need His cleansing blood I know,
Now I’m coming home;
Oh, wash me whiter than the snow,
Lord, I’m coming home.

Random Thoughts Tonight

I have a couple of things on my mind, tonight, some very random. ha! which you will come to find is not rare.

- Tonight my mom and I had a pretty intense talk about being a mom, and the chores that come along with it, more specifically how she is fulfilling (or lack there of, IMHO)her role as a wife and mother. I think we are both on the same page now, and that is a WONDERFUL feeling! Communication is so so important between a mother and daughter and now that I'm not living at home all the time, we haven't been talking like we used to.

- I love laying in bed at night and hearing my parents talking, it's sweet!

- Thunder storms are not my friend, I'm truly scared of them. Like a fear of them, I feel sick to my stomach when they come. My dog doesn't like them either.

- There isn't anything like spending time with my dad, especially fishing on a boat just me, him, and my brother. Good quality time! I enjoy and learn so much from my dad, he is the most Godly man I know, and he is always willing to help someone, whoever it is! Love him!

- It has been extremely hot (in the 100s) the past couple of weeks, like "you start sweating when you walk out of the door" hot! Have I mentioned I HATE sweating! Yeah, I'm ready for winter. North Carolina summers aren't for me!

- I have realized over the summer how much I grew in my relationship with God the past school year, but I also realized how much I can still grow and things I need to do to continue my growth, i.e. - really dig into the word!

- I'm contemplating leading a bible study for college girls this year with a couple of girl friends in my campus ministry?!?!


That's about it... I'll write more later, tomorrow is going to be extremely busy, so most likely it will be Friday..

My Second Family

Little background first- I mentioned that I used to ride horses. Well I started riding at a small barn about 10 minutes from my house and fell in love with the horse and the lady who taught me, although at the time I didn't realize how much she meant to me. As I continued riding, I began leasing the lesson horse so I could ride anytime I wanted to. Eventually, I started taking lessons with a trainer, Grady, because Kim couldn't help me out as much any more. Soon after that Kim had a cerebral aneurysm (bleed in the brain). This was tragic to me, my momma told me sitting at Wednesday Night dinner in the fellowship hall at church and I LOST it. My preacher ended up coming over to the table and everything, of course he already knew what had happened because Kim goes to the same church as us. My world stopped where it was. I went to the hospital to see her, after she recovered a little bit, on Mother's Day. I took a video of the horses so she could see them. I remember watching Kim walk down the hall, assisted, and listening to her say she didn't know if she would be able to ride again because she lost feeling on one side of her body, mainly in her leg. This was gut wrenching to me, she seemed to take it in stride because of her faith in the Lord. She put all her worries in the Lord's hands and let him carry her. (Today is she riding like she never skipped a beat!!)

During this time she showed me what is was like to love, trust and put faith in the Lord! She overcame her troubles because God was by her side, I now can see that plain as day. (PS- at this time I was not saved)

Kim was also there before her bleed when my grandmother passed away. She came and picked me up from my grandmother's house when my family was meeting with our preacher and took me to the barn to ride and clear my mind. She was at the funeral and at the visitation afterwards, she came through the line to get me and take me away from the crowd to the fellowship hall, I was very upset and dry heaving. She sat me down and explained to me where my grandma was and that God was going to comfort me in that time of grief and got me some Coke. ha! She knew just what I needed!

These are just two examples of her love for me and how she has encouraged me in my walk with the Lord. Kim is my hero, my role model, and my momma! I love her so very much.

I also love Chuck and Scott. Chuck is like my second daddy, he is always telling me to buckle up before leaving their drive way, watch out for deer, picking on me about boys, and riding me around the farm in the truck with him. I kept Scotty in the afternoons for two years and during the summers. These were some of my best memories with them and I will always cherish them.

I am writing this because today I realized for the millionth time just how important they are to me and how accepting they are. I can go back to the farm/their house for the first time in months and they still love me like they see me every day. I can hug their necks and catch up on life for hours on end, take Scott to a church pool party and call them up like its my job. I am soo very thankful for this family and what they have instilled in me!

Changes

This past week has been full of changes for me. I moved into my apartment with my 3 other roommates on Sunday which is why there have been no posts the last couple of days. My family has lived in one house since I have been born, so I have never experienced moving before this and boy, it is a job! Bless the people who have to move every couple of months or years. It takes days to get everything in order and just how you like it. And money, I won't even go there.

Back to changes, it is weird having my own apartment, of course with 3 other girls but still, having to grocery shop, cooking lunch and dinner, clean up, etc. How do moms do it? Even if you are a stay at home mom/wife, your day is filled up! My oh my.

I have gotten everything in order but not quite how I like it, I'm very picky. Something still need to be moved around, we need some more stuff for the walls, my bathroom isn't quite right, the wreath needs to be hung, my curtain rod won't stay up on the wall. You know the stuff that will finally get done and then it will be time to move out. haha!

Overall, I LOVE being here and I LOVE my roommates! The apartment complex is really nice, they will wash your car for you for free, they have a zero entry salt water pool, a gym, tanning beds (which I have done good and not been in-an accomplishment in and of itself), and it's gated.

I will get pictures to put up as soon as I get some more batteries for my camera.

PS- only nasty thing about the apartment- when we got here we had to inspect the place and our back patio has vomit EVERYWHERE. Apparently, the cool thing to do in college is throw up in a bag and throw it one someones porch and let it splatter everywhere. Whoever did that was either raised in a barn or was drunk.. Blah!