Winter Break

So I knew this winter break was going to be a lot different than winter break last year.

But mannnn was it fun!

I got to hang out with my family at the beginning of break. I got to chill with my sissies and spend time with them. Baking bread with my grandma is something I look forward to every year, along with baking cookies. I'm actually tearing up thinking about how much I just love spending time with my family and how I will miss them once I go back to Chas. There's nothing like the comfort of home and sitting down and enjoying a cup of coffee with one another. I'll also miss move nights with dad and him making fun of me and how I lost my communicator ringtone. Cruising around with David making him play Hotel California over & over.

My family is amazing :)

Chilling with my friends was interesting to say the least (at least for some nights) but entirely way too much fun. I didn't get to spend that much time with everyone though and certain people I wasn't able to see which I regret but I promise I'll make time to see them when I come home next time. The Charleston trip with morg & tori was probably by far one of my favorite road trips. Venturing around my favorite city and taking so many pictures was just a few crazy things we did. Hitting on the mellow mushroom guy and leaving our phone numbers. Then to top it off, spending the next three days/nights with those two, hahah! Sleepovers at toris are always fun no matter what. Talking oh so loudly why joshua is trying to sleep and all our inside jokes we have but can probably not remember now. (except for pushpop!) Driving around with christopher and the little kid, hanging out at the park like sketchy kids but still having fun doing it. Hearing tori complain about how much she missed her andrew and then finally being with him when he came home and seeing how cute they are, how they have fought and preserved their relationship for the past three years inspires me. Having dance marathons at the bean and making fools of ourselves but laughing at every second of it. Pretty much spending every single second we had free and when we had money at the bean. Getting to meet new friends. Losing my head for one weekend (not in a terrible way, promise) I just sincerely love every single one of my friends and wouldn't trade them for the world and I really thank God for each one of them.

I just really really enjoyed this break and am going to miss it so so so much. I'm ready to get back to Charleston though and start school back. I hope each one of you had a wonderful break too :)

2010, you were here & then gone.

The year has flown by. I think this has probably been the most diverse year I have had in my whole life with so many life changing events.

If I could tell myself some things this same time last year, this is what they would be...

+Don't hurry for the spring semester to end. It will end sooner than you think...and you'll miss it.

+Try & stay civil to your old friends or else you will get to a point where you've been friends for five years, see each other in the street & don't even look at each other.

+Hunger after God. DON'T use him to your advantage. Chase after Him every day.

+Be nicer to your boyfriend. He loves you & you give him too much crap over stupid things. Otherwise you will lose your best friend & you won't speak for almost an entire year.

+Don't tell your parents everything. They always want what is best but sometimes not knowing every single detail of your life is better (as long as it isn't something crazy).

+Try and limit the crazy part of being a girl & getting upset over little things. You will get into too many fights with people that you should have never got into in the first place.

+You're going to have a crazy summer but don't go looking for love in so many places just because your heart is broken. It won't fix it. Only time will & even then you won't forget entirely.

+Do more spontaneous things. They will be the things you remember most about your college days.

+Spend more time with your girlfriends instead of studying. You're going to fail ochem anyway & have to retake it spring semester.

+Don't hold back from revealing what is on your heart. It will help that person even if it hurts them a little.

+Go to more CRU events. Make it a point to talk to more people. Go ice skating.

+Your 7:30am ochem lab will kill you a little on the inside but you'll pull a B out of it.

+Enjoy both semesters & the summer. Don't stress over your heart, it will only make you sick and won't help ANYthing. Just hang out with your girlfriends & let time pass. Time & chocolate are the only things that will partially heal it. Don't be too eager to give it back away either. Let God bring you someone, don't go chasing after anybody, it won't work. Study more in school, don't slack, especially in linear. Enjoy life more but don't always hold back the tears.

I'm looking forward to a new year, a new me :)

Relationships.

No this isn't going to be about my sappy nonexistent love life again. I'm through writing about that because it's being put on the back burner for a longgg time (well until I'm not as stressed with school haha)

I just was reading this girls formspring who is still in high school and I must say I was so surprised by it. She basically said she slept with a guy for the first time because he finally was the guy she was looking for & she's in love with him. It got me thinking. It seems like girls are so eager to "do it" with their "serious" boyfriend once they hit high school because they feel they will be together forever. I'm not writing this to condemn those who choose to go to that next level with their bf/gf in high school. I just feel that you should be wary and consider postponing it until you are financially able to take care of a child in case an "ooops" moment happens. Also, you go through SO much in high school and taking that next step in your relationship almost cements an emotional bond. Things are bound to happen and everybody is still changing so relationships hardly last. If you break up with that person, it will be 10x harder. I'm not saying this happens to everybody but I'm also not saying you are the exception either. From my graduating class (granted I've been out of high school now for almost two years) I know of one couple who dated in high school that are still together now. One. Out of 400 people in my class. I'm not trying to be harsh, just a realist. I chose not to take that step in high school with my relationships and I'm glad I didnt. The relationships didn't last and I know if I had taken that next step, the breakup would have been even harder. I still choose even now not to do it in college just because I know how distracting it would be from school. This entry mainly was just to say please think VERY carefully before you choose to go to that next level in your relationship and even continue if you have already started.

Hope everyone is having a great break!

Christmastime

Christmas has finally rounded the corner and it makes me both happy and sad.

Happy because no more school for three weeks and being able to celebrate the birth of our Saviour with my closest friends and family :)

Sad because it makes me miss last year.

Don't get me wrong, this semester has been great with the exception of ochem killing me a little on the inside.

I just miss certain things that I shouldn't miss and the season makes me think about it more. Plus I just watched a certain movie that brought up some memories.

However, I think I have met the most amazing people this semester at school (or home as I keep referring to it haha) It's definitely not the same as last year but in a way it is better. I love my life simply from the amazing people I've met and grown close to.

Life is really good right now and I don't need to dwell on what I don't have anymore but rather appreciate what's currently in it.

I hope everyone has a wonderful break and a Merry Christmas!

Lying here in Charleston, under the Carolina sky...

I recommend if you ever feel really down, to listen to some Hootie & the Blowfish. They always seem to be able to cheer me up.

So life right now is pretty good with the exception of school. I have NEVER been this stressed/felt so helpless about school. Pretty much, I'm legit failing one of my classes and there seems to be nothing I can do to help. I've tried anything & its so depressing. I'm still trusting God though that He knows where this is going and that there is a reason for it.

Everything else though has been great. This semester has been fantastic. I love my house, love the people in it. I've never been this happy with such amazing people surrounding me. I've met so many new people, especially in CRU. I keep meeting new people every day, it's just awesome. God has truly blessed me SO much. My family is always there to support me, even though I haven't talked to them as much as I did last year. I miss them a lot though.

I've definitely had many ups & downs (non school wise) but it all seems to work out in some way or another. I've felt such peace by putting everything in God's hands and it has helped me so much. I have definitely learned from my mistakes from last year and have found ways of avoiding them and not repeating them again.

I can't believe it is almost Christmas though!! Time really flies. I actually should be in bed right now and it's already 1:30...haha oh well.

Just thought I'd type a quick update since I hadn't wrote in a while. Hope you thats reading this is doing ok too :)

Faith..

...is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

It's been placed on my heart to talk about why I believe in Christianity or why I choose to be a Christian.

Being a Christian is based of faith; of believing in the unseen, putting total trust in something you can not touch, can not feel.

But I do not necessary agree with that.

Many ask the age old question "Where is the physical proof? I need to see something to believe in what you're telling me or else I can't accept it."

Many respond with "Well it is written in the Bible so there's your physical proof."

"But how do I know the Bible is telling the truth?"
Well, let's put aside the Bible as our only physical proof. I'm not saying that the Bible isn't the most important thing but let's talk about some other physical proof.

What?! There's other physical proof??

Yes there is. Or at least I believe there is.

My "physical" proof is everything around me. You look around and see this amazing nature and everything that occurs in nature. The human race. How complicated our bodies are, how no ones been able to create a human out of anything that is not human.

Well yes but evolution/the big bang could account for all of that also.

Yes, I see that but if that is true, why isn't that happening somewhere else? Why isn't there other planets appearing out of a nothing and people evolving?

My other "physical" proof:

Actions. How is it that every Christian that you meet, is super friendly & always willing to help? I'm talking a true Christian that strives to live their life to the best of their ability every day by God's word. Theres nothing in the Bible that says anything negative Christians should do or do devious minded things or to shove Christianity down peoples throats. No. Basically it provides a set of rules that Christians should live by. It doesn't say "Dont have fun" like a lot of people seem to think it does. Christians can still have fun while living by God's word. It isn't an oxymoron.

But that's mainly it, I just wanted to mention a few things I believe in, need to head to bed pretty soon. Good night everyone :)

On Friends & Life

First day of eighth grade, I remember I was so nervous. I knew pretty much next to nobody.

I had taken the big leap of going from small private school life for 13 years to crazy public school life.

And eighth grade? That had to be one of the most awkward grades, no one knew who or what they wanted to be. This is when we all went through the weirdest stages, trying to figure out life. All racing the clock before we started high school.

I met my soon to be four best friends during high school in eighth grade. We all were outcasts in some sort of way, coming from different backgrounds, different places but somehow we found each other. We didn't know it at the time but our lives would stay connected for about five more years.

People change though. I certainly did.

High school proved to be a challenge, but yet a grand adventure. Oh I certainly had those terrible deep down depressing moments, feeling as if my life was just failing, always worrying about grades, whether I would ever find a guy, those sort of things.

But through it all, I had my four best friends that I am so thankful God blessed me with. We were always there for each other. We sometimes would bounce back and forth from being more close to one than the other each year but through it all we all stayed together. I don't think I would have gotten through high school as easy as I did or enjoyed it as much without those four.

Times change though, especially when you go off on your own, making new and different decisions. You always think that you'll be together forever but sometimes it just isn't meant to be. All four of us, surprisingly, went to the same college. I am not being sarcastic because you've got to admit, for four radically different people to all go to the same college is pretty surprising. But we all were different, even after being friends for five years and recognized that the differences outweighed the similarities and we were drifting apart. It's one of those things you wish you could stop and fix but deep down you know it's for the best.

I've met so many new people in college and grown close to quite a few of them. I've even grown closer to older friends who I didn't talk to as much in high school. Each person that comes into your life molds and shapes you in a way. You may not recognize it then but they do influence and rub off on you. And you realize they are one of the main things that get you through each day in this crazy life.

"Who you choose to be around you, let's you know who you are" -Han, Tokyo Drift

Life is never set in stone and who knows what is waiting as you turn the next corner.

But don't rush through it too fast, you may just crash into a fence ;)