I'm calling this post "random stream of consciousness from finals week" I feel like i have made plenty of good points this week. Laura McLachlan agrees. She is currently not drawing pictures of squirrels today, but her productivity is debatable... as is mine. However, I can't document these epiphanies on facebook as is typical protocal, so this will have to do. I'm sure Elizabeth is the only person who reads this.
1. I have made it through an entire semester of Patho, Pharm, MedSurg AND Health Assessment, and I could not tell you what COLDSPA stands for. whoops.
2. The more I see other school's nursing uniforms, the more I appreciate mine. Even the neon white pants. This is Laura's contribution to my list.
3. If I like anything about finals week, it is the profuse availability of free food. everywhere.
4. I've realized that I have spent $8 on scantrons this semester. Am I not paying enough to take these tests already? Another added expenditure r/t nursing school.
5. DID I REALLY JUST USE R/T IN A SENTENCE? Too pathetic to backspace.
6. I am halfway between wanting to jump off a cliff and crawl into bed right now.
7. Today: Pearl Harbor day. Palmetto Health Externship application day. my dog's birthday. It's a crucial day in history.
8. I have typed the word "diarrhea" so many times this week that I not only know how to spell it, but am slightly alarmed.
9. I have worn both of my Clemson School of Nursing tshirts this week. I think this is a subconscious attempt to get to people to maybe not judge me when they realize how rough I currently look.
12.05.2010
Why I Hate Finals, revisited.
Emily Clardy told me if I was going to "waste my time blogging" it better be about her. Pam Lyons told me I had to write about her earlier today. I have very demanding friends.
I would like to reiterate my post from April 28 of this year entitled Reasons Why I Hate Finals. Substitute the SWO Christmas Party in place of general camp, change being done on Friday to being done on Thursday.
Maybe tack "they're ampho-terrible" on as #15.
and that, ladies and gentlemen, is where I am currently at mentally.
Laura McLachlan is sitting beside me on the 4th floor of the Robert Muldrow Cooper Library drawing a picture of a squirrel on her notes. This obviously is a very successful study method for pharmacology, but once again, this is currently where we are at mentally.
"The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them."
I know this is a psalm. I'm not quite sure which one. I found it saved in a word document and I like it.
I would like to reiterate my post from April 28 of this year entitled Reasons Why I Hate Finals. Substitute the SWO Christmas Party in place of general camp, change being done on Friday to being done on Thursday.
Maybe tack "they're ampho-terrible" on as #15.
and that, ladies and gentlemen, is where I am currently at mentally.
Laura McLachlan is sitting beside me on the 4th floor of the Robert Muldrow Cooper Library drawing a picture of a squirrel on her notes. This obviously is a very successful study method for pharmacology, but once again, this is currently where we are at mentally.
"The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them."
I know this is a psalm. I'm not quite sure which one. I found it saved in a word document and I like it.
10.25.2010
my HOPE is FOUND.
http://owlcityblog.com/2010/10/25/my-hope-is-found/
really, this is just amazing.
sometimes i need little reminders like this, as i'm in the library for the millionth time this semester, stressing over a pharm test and a med-surg test this week, muddling through health assessment homework, sulking about having to take another class with a professor who really aggrivates me, making plans to drive to Virginia for fall break, and just being generally overwhelmed with life - that in CHRIST ALONE my HOPE is FOUND.
so many things don't matter.
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him" - Lamentations 3:21-25 (NIV)
really, this is just amazing.
sometimes i need little reminders like this, as i'm in the library for the millionth time this semester, stressing over a pharm test and a med-surg test this week, muddling through health assessment homework, sulking about having to take another class with a professor who really aggrivates me, making plans to drive to Virginia for fall break, and just being generally overwhelmed with life - that in CHRIST ALONE my HOPE is FOUND.
so many things don't matter.
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him" - Lamentations 3:21-25 (NIV)
10.07.2010
actions
I have realized that Elizabeth Hughes is a very wise person. I am also blogging because she has threatened vandalism of my photos, and I prefer to avoid that. Also, I have a difficult time paying attention in Patho and so I need to do something to pass the time other than the traditional rotation of facebooking and tetris.
Nursing... is hard. I'm glad to some extent, because I like being challenged. However, I also like sleep and a social life, both of which nursing school is attempting to squelch out of my life. I've learned a lot about prioritizing, which I thought was a struggle I had mastered last year. But I think the level of business I'm muddling through this semester is teaching me a lot about what is important to me. I say that about every semester, but every semester the need to manage my time increases.
A friend of mine shared this verse with me this morning, and while applicable [side note: my inability to say the word applicable is improving] to the specific situation we were talking about, i think it really speaks to a broader area.
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:18)
Actions speak louder than words, and I'm noticing that not only by the actions of other people, but also in how i interact with others. I need to mean things when I say them. Instead of just saying that I care about people, actually taking the time to support my words by my actions. Especially when I'm struggling to make time for everything i HAVE to do, it's so easy to tell people that I love them and I care about them, but what good is that when I don't actually take the time to back it up.
It's not.
Any maybe I don't do a good job of putting this concept into practice, but I'm trying.
Nursing... is hard. I'm glad to some extent, because I like being challenged. However, I also like sleep and a social life, both of which nursing school is attempting to squelch out of my life. I've learned a lot about prioritizing, which I thought was a struggle I had mastered last year. But I think the level of business I'm muddling through this semester is teaching me a lot about what is important to me. I say that about every semester, but every semester the need to manage my time increases.
A friend of mine shared this verse with me this morning, and while applicable [side note: my inability to say the word applicable is improving] to the specific situation we were talking about, i think it really speaks to a broader area.
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:18)
Actions speak louder than words, and I'm noticing that not only by the actions of other people, but also in how i interact with others. I need to mean things when I say them. Instead of just saying that I care about people, actually taking the time to support my words by my actions. Especially when I'm struggling to make time for everything i HAVE to do, it's so easy to tell people that I love them and I care about them, but what good is that when I don't actually take the time to back it up.
It's not.
Any maybe I don't do a good job of putting this concept into practice, but I'm trying.
retrospect
I realized that I never posted this, even though I wrote it back in August. better late than never :)
I've flipped through my camp notebook plenty of times since I've been back in civilization, each time thinking that I want to somehow take everything I said and thought and wrote and combine it into one long jumble, more for myself than anyone else. It doesn't seem real to me that I've just spent eleven weeks of my life completely removed from my normal surroundings and immersed in an environment that's such a disconnect from reality here. Kathleen and I were talking on the way home, as we passed Oconee Medical Center and saw a powerwalker that reminded us of Nate Evens, how nobody is capable of understanding a summer at Snowbird unless they've personally experienced it. I don't mean this in an overdramatic teenage girl kind of way (and by the way, I am officially free to make teenager jokes now that I have said goodbye to ninteen) but in a sincere kind of way. As much as we talk to our friends about the rodeo, and crack jokes about black hoodies, or complain about cardboard pizza, or attempt to explain Kahuna's analogies, it's simply not something that can be fully understand by people who haven't been with us every step of the way.
I'm really thankful to have people at Clemson, and close to Clemson, who have that shared experience so I don't feel as much like an island this year.
[end rabbit trail #1]
One thing I've come to learn is that I'm a processer. Sometimes I need time to mentally sort through things before I am capable of giving an adequate response to them. One weekend this summer, I went to see Toy Story 3 after having a long, serious conversation with a friend. I don't remember anything about that movie to be honest because my mind wouldn't stop arguing with itself. During camp, there is rarely an opportunity to have uninterrupted thinking time. When I was in Cola, I divided my time between unpacking/packing and trying to squeeze in quality time with a lot of people, and so I'd been continuing in the style of being busy all the time. So here I am, (only?) two weeks later, back in Clemson and finally getting a chance to catch my breath.
[false statement. "real" nursing school has started, and I'm about to start drowning again]
moral of the story: i love Snowbird. and as uncertain as I am at this point about whether or not the summer I just finished will be my last. I am thankful for every part of it, good and bad. And there was definitely a fair share of both of those moments. I know the ministry at SWO is focused on ministering to the students who come each week, but I know I haven't left either of these summers the same.
If I had to choose what I think I'm going to take away from this summer, it could be summed up in one simple but loaded word: LOVE. I wrote about it earlier in the summer, but over the last four weeks, I kept coming back to that same concept. Sometimes it takes me awhile to catch on when God is trying to teach me something. One of the passages that we unpacked in staff church over the last few weeks of camp was Romans 12.
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer"
Loving other people with the same, GENUINE love that's been shown to me is not something I'm good at. I actually don't think there are many, if any, people who can say they've truly mastered that art. But God's love isn't contingent on human attitudes or actions and i know mine is, unfortunately. I think acknowledging that is the first step to attempting to allow the love that God has shown to me to be channeled to the rest of my people in my life. For elaboration, read the note before this one.
One other point that was reiterated time after time at camp was that we may not really know how the summer shaped us until weeks or even months back in the real world. If that's the case, which I believe it is, maybe I'll revisit this in the middle of the semester. One thing that was said to me on the last day of SWO9, that I repeated to my campers almost every week this summer, and am now constantly reminding myself is that the God of Andrews, NC is the SAME God that's in Clemson, SC and to the ends of the earth. Ministry is found everywhere, not just on the busses that came to us every Monday afternoon.
I've flipped through my camp notebook plenty of times since I've been back in civilization, each time thinking that I want to somehow take everything I said and thought and wrote and combine it into one long jumble, more for myself than anyone else. It doesn't seem real to me that I've just spent eleven weeks of my life completely removed from my normal surroundings and immersed in an environment that's such a disconnect from reality here. Kathleen and I were talking on the way home, as we passed Oconee Medical Center and saw a powerwalker that reminded us of Nate Evens, how nobody is capable of understanding a summer at Snowbird unless they've personally experienced it. I don't mean this in an overdramatic teenage girl kind of way (and by the way, I am officially free to make teenager jokes now that I have said goodbye to ninteen) but in a sincere kind of way. As much as we talk to our friends about the rodeo, and crack jokes about black hoodies, or complain about cardboard pizza, or attempt to explain Kahuna's analogies, it's simply not something that can be fully understand by people who haven't been with us every step of the way.
I'm really thankful to have people at Clemson, and close to Clemson, who have that shared experience so I don't feel as much like an island this year.
[end rabbit trail #1]
One thing I've come to learn is that I'm a processer. Sometimes I need time to mentally sort through things before I am capable of giving an adequate response to them. One weekend this summer, I went to see Toy Story 3 after having a long, serious conversation with a friend. I don't remember anything about that movie to be honest because my mind wouldn't stop arguing with itself. During camp, there is rarely an opportunity to have uninterrupted thinking time. When I was in Cola, I divided my time between unpacking/packing and trying to squeeze in quality time with a lot of people, and so I'd been continuing in the style of being busy all the time. So here I am, (only?) two weeks later, back in Clemson and finally getting a chance to catch my breath.
[false statement. "real" nursing school has started, and I'm about to start drowning again]
moral of the story: i love Snowbird. and as uncertain as I am at this point about whether or not the summer I just finished will be my last. I am thankful for every part of it, good and bad. And there was definitely a fair share of both of those moments. I know the ministry at SWO is focused on ministering to the students who come each week, but I know I haven't left either of these summers the same.
If I had to choose what I think I'm going to take away from this summer, it could be summed up in one simple but loaded word: LOVE. I wrote about it earlier in the summer, but over the last four weeks, I kept coming back to that same concept. Sometimes it takes me awhile to catch on when God is trying to teach me something. One of the passages that we unpacked in staff church over the last few weeks of camp was Romans 12.
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer"
Loving other people with the same, GENUINE love that's been shown to me is not something I'm good at. I actually don't think there are many, if any, people who can say they've truly mastered that art. But God's love isn't contingent on human attitudes or actions and i know mine is, unfortunately. I think acknowledging that is the first step to attempting to allow the love that God has shown to me to be channeled to the rest of my people in my life. For elaboration, read the note before this one.
One other point that was reiterated time after time at camp was that we may not really know how the summer shaped us until weeks or even months back in the real world. If that's the case, which I believe it is, maybe I'll revisit this in the middle of the semester. One thing that was said to me on the last day of SWO9, that I repeated to my campers almost every week this summer, and am now constantly reminding myself is that the God of Andrews, NC is the SAME God that's in Clemson, SC and to the ends of the earth. Ministry is found everywhere, not just on the busses that came to us every Monday afternoon.
7.05.2010
love.
I really, genuinely can't believe how quickly this summer has gone by. (I also really, genuinely can't believe how well I am getting internet in the coop right now). Yesterday was my birthday. Two decades, ladies and gentlemen. It was an amazing day and I'm so blessed to be able to spend it surrounded by my Snowbird family. I felt really loved.
I feel like each of my last five weeks here has had a "theme" of some sorts, that has eventually plugged in to the big picture of what I am learning and how I am being shaped by being here this summer. This week was about the LOVE of Christ, and how so often I don't understand it, recieve it, or display it. I don't think I'll ever be able to understand it.
Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not envy. Love does not boast. Love is not proud. Love is not rude. Love is not self-seeking. Love is not easily angered. Love keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. Love always protects. Always trusts. Always hopes. Always perseveres. (1 Cor 13)
I am, more often than I would like to admit, the opposite of all of these things. I'm about the most impatient person you'll ever meet. I have my fair share of pride. Sometimes i get mad quicker than I should. I don't always have the mindset of PROTECTING, TRUSTING, HOPING and PERSEVERING when it's not easy. But through situations that have really made me lean on the hope and love of Christ, I've realized that I give people the love I THINK they deserve, and how absolutely messed up that is.
There are going to be people in my life who are easy to love - and even then, I'm not always goin to love them in the way that Christ loves us. But even more so, I've been realizing the fallacies in my attitude towards people I don't find easy to love. God's love isn't contingent or swayed by actions, attitudes, or personalities. It doesn't matter what I've done, what I've said, who I'm friends with, how I've treated others - it's unconditional and unchangeable.
If Christ can love me despite how often I mess up, how is it so HARD to channel the love I've been given to other people. Realizing the faults in my actions is the first step to allowing Christ to work through me and change that in my life.
This note is probably not very clear, partially because it's quick and staff church starts in three minutes (Luke Lethco just informed me that I am a sinner because I am on facebook during staff church. even though it's not even staff church yet).
Altogether, I'm thankful to be here. I'm thankful for the people God has put in my life to encourage me, love me, teach me how to love others, hold me accountable, and genuinely change me, both at camp, at Clemson, and at home. And I'm not going to take that for granted these last four weeks.
I feel like each of my last five weeks here has had a "theme" of some sorts, that has eventually plugged in to the big picture of what I am learning and how I am being shaped by being here this summer. This week was about the LOVE of Christ, and how so often I don't understand it, recieve it, or display it. I don't think I'll ever be able to understand it.
Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not envy. Love does not boast. Love is not proud. Love is not rude. Love is not self-seeking. Love is not easily angered. Love keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. Love always protects. Always trusts. Always hopes. Always perseveres. (1 Cor 13)
I am, more often than I would like to admit, the opposite of all of these things. I'm about the most impatient person you'll ever meet. I have my fair share of pride. Sometimes i get mad quicker than I should. I don't always have the mindset of PROTECTING, TRUSTING, HOPING and PERSEVERING when it's not easy. But through situations that have really made me lean on the hope and love of Christ, I've realized that I give people the love I THINK they deserve, and how absolutely messed up that is.
There are going to be people in my life who are easy to love - and even then, I'm not always goin to love them in the way that Christ loves us. But even more so, I've been realizing the fallacies in my attitude towards people I don't find easy to love. God's love isn't contingent or swayed by actions, attitudes, or personalities. It doesn't matter what I've done, what I've said, who I'm friends with, how I've treated others - it's unconditional and unchangeable.
If Christ can love me despite how often I mess up, how is it so HARD to channel the love I've been given to other people. Realizing the faults in my actions is the first step to allowing Christ to work through me and change that in my life.
This note is probably not very clear, partially because it's quick and staff church starts in three minutes (Luke Lethco just informed me that I am a sinner because I am on facebook during staff church. even though it's not even staff church yet).
Altogether, I'm thankful to be here. I'm thankful for the people God has put in my life to encourage me, love me, teach me how to love others, hold me accountable, and genuinely change me, both at camp, at Clemson, and at home. And I'm not going to take that for granted these last four weeks.
6.28.2010
halfway
- We hit the halfway point this week, which is really hard to believe
- I worked with Hillside last week and they were awesome
- We had Mandatory Fun Night last night at the pool, and it was also Matt Stephens birthday
- I met my family in Bryson City this weekend, which was nice. They brought me food
- I'm eating a bagel right now and I just dropped a poppy seed into my keyboard. dang it.
- Megan wants me to tell everyone that i think she's awesome and that i'm glad we're friends. this is true
- my friends are coming this week/end. Kelly, Lindsey, Madison, etc.
- My birthday is also this weekend. sweet deal.
- There is obviously more important stuff going on than surface details, but I have staff church in ten minutes.
Camp is going great - there's definitely been some not-so-great moments, but overall i love it and i love being here.
- I worked with Hillside last week and they were awesome
- We had Mandatory Fun Night last night at the pool, and it was also Matt Stephens birthday
- I met my family in Bryson City this weekend, which was nice. They brought me food
- I'm eating a bagel right now and I just dropped a poppy seed into my keyboard. dang it.
- Megan wants me to tell everyone that i think she's awesome and that i'm glad we're friends. this is true
- my friends are coming this week/end. Kelly, Lindsey, Madison, etc.
- My birthday is also this weekend. sweet deal.
- There is obviously more important stuff going on than surface details, but I have staff church in ten minutes.
Camp is going great - there's definitely been some not-so-great moments, but overall i love it and i love being here.
6.13.2010
week two
I had a group from Mississippi this week. They were a cool group and I loved it, but it was exhausting for tons of reasons. Some annoying cold/sinus junk has been making it's way around the staff, and I caught it (but thankfully not until the weekend so I can get some good sleep), I had SWOMP this week (and as much as I love SWOMP, the following day[s] aren't always fun, especially on top of sickness) and I've had some conversations and situations with both campers and staff that have really just been heavy in my thoughts this week.
One thing I'm really worried about right now is being sick, like I mentioned before. I have four individuals next week, which i'm REALLY excited about because one of the girls was one of my campers last year. I'm just worried because if I was to get/still be sick next week, I won't have any backup with my girls.
I think this week I've really just learned how thankful I need to be, and I need to be continually reminded of that. I'm thankful for a family who loves me and who has taught me to make good decisions. I'm thankful for friends who encourage me and pray for me. I'm thankful that God has protected me and kept me from tons of trouble that I could have gotten myself into at some points along the way. I'm thankful for Snowbird and the community of people I'm able to spend the summer with, and how amazing of an environment it is to grow and learn in. I'm thankful for my campers, who probably teach me more than I teach them.
The phrase "Sun Stand Still" has really been stuck in my brain all week as well. A conversation with a friend on staff made me think of a sermon series from Elevation Church that I listened to when I was closing at Coldstone with a girl I didn't like a couple years ago. About having audacious faith and not being afraid to pray for HUGE things from a God who works miracles, like making the sun literally stand still in the sky (Joshua 10). I've found myself praying for the sun to stand still in the lives of a couple people this week - current campers, past campers, staff and friends. It's a cool analogy.
On a more pathetic note, I am terrible at spider solitare. I've played 12 games in the last week (camp internet is lame) and won 0 - I'm a failure.
One thing I'm really worried about right now is being sick, like I mentioned before. I have four individuals next week, which i'm REALLY excited about because one of the girls was one of my campers last year. I'm just worried because if I was to get/still be sick next week, I won't have any backup with my girls.
I think this week I've really just learned how thankful I need to be, and I need to be continually reminded of that. I'm thankful for a family who loves me and who has taught me to make good decisions. I'm thankful for friends who encourage me and pray for me. I'm thankful that God has protected me and kept me from tons of trouble that I could have gotten myself into at some points along the way. I'm thankful for Snowbird and the community of people I'm able to spend the summer with, and how amazing of an environment it is to grow and learn in. I'm thankful for my campers, who probably teach me more than I teach them.
The phrase "Sun Stand Still" has really been stuck in my brain all week as well. A conversation with a friend on staff made me think of a sermon series from Elevation Church that I listened to when I was closing at Coldstone with a girl I didn't like a couple years ago. About having audacious faith and not being afraid to pray for HUGE things from a God who works miracles, like making the sun literally stand still in the sky (Joshua 10). I've found myself praying for the sun to stand still in the lives of a couple people this week - current campers, past campers, staff and friends. It's a cool analogy.
On a more pathetic note, I am terrible at spider solitare. I've played 12 games in the last week (camp internet is lame) and won 0 - I'm a failure.
6.06.2010
week 1!
This weekend, I'm in Clemson with three of the most amazing girls ever, so thankful that I live close enough to be able to come here for a couple days. I LOVE camp, but sometimes it's nice to be able to get away and recharge. Plus, a shower, laundry, Crosspoint and Groucho's are also in the deal which makes it even sweeter. Tonight, we went to Anderson for dinner, went with Elizabeth to get her tattoo (where I took a nice nap on the couch) and went swimming in the Berkeley pool. Such a fun night.
I really enjoyed this week. I worked with Faith Baptist, a church I recognized from last summer but had never really interacted with before, and they were great. This week was undoubtedly a crazy one, but I think it really helped a lot of the staff realize that we are GOING to have situations that are out of our control and that we're not going to make it through the summer by relying on our own strength and abilities.
I've been reading Ecclesiastes for the last three weeks. It's good stuff. It's really applicable to my mindset towards the summer in addition to just being solid truth for life in general. Solomon pretty much talks about two worldviews - looking at things from an earthly perspective and a heavenly one, and how if we're just examining life from a view "under the sun" it's inevitable that we'll fall into the trap of thinking life is nothing more than an endless cycle of repetitive routines... but if we look at it from a perspective bigger than ourselves, we can see that God is constantly working in different ways and makings things new.
That's really important to keep in mind when it comes to something like camp. It would be all to easy to get caught up in the routines of a camp week. Same schedule, same sermons, same recs, even the same meals... but that's the earthly perspective. On the other hand, we have different kids come in every week. Students with different backgrounds, different stories, and different personalities. God is working in their lives in completely different ways, and is going to both teach us and use us in drastically different ways throughout the summer... so really, it's never going to be the same.
Because I'm in Clemson, the fact that I'm in the middle of the summer and in the middle of camp doesn't really seem real right now.
I really enjoyed this week. I worked with Faith Baptist, a church I recognized from last summer but had never really interacted with before, and they were great. This week was undoubtedly a crazy one, but I think it really helped a lot of the staff realize that we are GOING to have situations that are out of our control and that we're not going to make it through the summer by relying on our own strength and abilities.
I've been reading Ecclesiastes for the last three weeks. It's good stuff. It's really applicable to my mindset towards the summer in addition to just being solid truth for life in general. Solomon pretty much talks about two worldviews - looking at things from an earthly perspective and a heavenly one, and how if we're just examining life from a view "under the sun" it's inevitable that we'll fall into the trap of thinking life is nothing more than an endless cycle of repetitive routines... but if we look at it from a perspective bigger than ourselves, we can see that God is constantly working in different ways and makings things new.
That's really important to keep in mind when it comes to something like camp. It would be all to easy to get caught up in the routines of a camp week. Same schedule, same sermons, same recs, even the same meals... but that's the earthly perspective. On the other hand, we have different kids come in every week. Students with different backgrounds, different stories, and different personalities. God is working in their lives in completely different ways, and is going to both teach us and use us in drastically different ways throughout the summer... so really, it's never going to be the same.
Because I'm in Clemson, the fact that I'm in the middle of the summer and in the middle of camp doesn't really seem real right now.
5.29.2010
weekend #2
Weekend #2. Snowbird really makes me appreciate weekends, and it gives a whole new value to the words 'sleeping in'. Week 1 of SWOX kicks off in a little over 36 hours and I can't wait. I'm so excited and blessed to have the chance to be a part of what's going to happen here over the next 9 weeks.
Yesterday Brody called this ministry 'the hardest job you'll ever love' and I think that's so so so true. I love being here but it's not easy. I always idealized working at a camp to be an easy and fun job and that's so not the case... At least not the easy part! But undoubtedly worth it.
Staff training finished up well. Yesterday we went on the river, and it's so true that the Nantahala is as fun as you make it. It was chilly, thunderstorming, and just a nasty day for a trip in water that's already freez... I mean refreshing. It's times like that when having a good attitude, especially when campers are concerned, is SO HUGE, and optimism and excitement can go a long way even when you're cold, tired and could easily be content in being miserable. I really had a lot of fun to be honest.
Every year, we end the last night of staff training by doing something called 12 hour prayer. Each small group is assigned an hour-long slot which is divided between praying together for half the time and then rotating between walking and praying over campus and reading through the Bible out loud from the back porch of the Coop (our main meeting building, not our beloved clemson library). My small group was assigned 10pm, which was amazing since it didn't involve having to wake up at 3am and go back to sleep after. Other than talking and praying in small groups and reading scripture aloud, everything and everyone else is silent.
Today has been an ideal Saturday here at SWO. Slept in a little bit - and on that note, I am still amazed that at this point, I consider 7am to be sleeping in - camp clean up, Kathleen's roommate and some friends came to visit her and I spent some time with them. Thrift store, hammock nap, laptop time, Monte for dinner, walmart with Matt, Bridgette and Philip, a little ultimate (YES that means I played frisbee... I know, I know) and right now, about 10 of us are sitting in the library reading Mere Christianity out loud and just talking. It's a really cool aspect of this community here that people would willingly spend a Saturday night like this.
It's way past my camp weekend bedtime :) next weekend - CLEMSON!
Yesterday Brody called this ministry 'the hardest job you'll ever love' and I think that's so so so true. I love being here but it's not easy. I always idealized working at a camp to be an easy and fun job and that's so not the case... At least not the easy part! But undoubtedly worth it.
Staff training finished up well. Yesterday we went on the river, and it's so true that the Nantahala is as fun as you make it. It was chilly, thunderstorming, and just a nasty day for a trip in water that's already freez... I mean refreshing. It's times like that when having a good attitude, especially when campers are concerned, is SO HUGE, and optimism and excitement can go a long way even when you're cold, tired and could easily be content in being miserable. I really had a lot of fun to be honest.
Every year, we end the last night of staff training by doing something called 12 hour prayer. Each small group is assigned an hour-long slot which is divided between praying together for half the time and then rotating between walking and praying over campus and reading through the Bible out loud from the back porch of the Coop (our main meeting building, not our beloved clemson library). My small group was assigned 10pm, which was amazing since it didn't involve having to wake up at 3am and go back to sleep after. Other than talking and praying in small groups and reading scripture aloud, everything and everyone else is silent.
Today has been an ideal Saturday here at SWO. Slept in a little bit - and on that note, I am still amazed that at this point, I consider 7am to be sleeping in - camp clean up, Kathleen's roommate and some friends came to visit her and I spent some time with them. Thrift store, hammock nap, laptop time, Monte for dinner, walmart with Matt, Bridgette and Philip, a little ultimate (YES that means I played frisbee... I know, I know) and right now, about 10 of us are sitting in the library reading Mere Christianity out loud and just talking. It's a really cool aspect of this community here that people would willingly spend a Saturday night like this.
It's way past my camp weekend bedtime :) next weekend - CLEMSON!
5.26.2010
so far, part II
hey internet. matthew stephens is graciously allowing me to use his laptop while he reads his novel-letter from emily clardy. i had zero motivation to go get my own laptop out of my car.
Our first campers come in less than a week. Last year, i was wondering how in the world they could have two weeks of stuff to teach us in preparation for campers, and this summer it feels like such a time crunch to get everything done! Monday we went on the river to act as dummies for the new guides and we've done a lot of various work and cleaning projects around camp, and had a few solid hours of teaching and training at night.
tonight is SKATE NIGHT. reminds me of those couple nights freshman year when we went skating in Anderson. I miss the Clemson crew a lot. I wouldn't necessarily say i'm homesick, but i think this year i have more of a home to be sick for, if that makes sense. I think having something to look forward to will make it easier to leave once the summer ends, but at the same time, i don't even want to think about that yet - staff training isn't even over!
so far, the tiredness hasn't really hit me like it has a lot of people... but I also think I did better with it last summer than a large chunk of people. Yesterday was probably the worst day so far, but last night i went to bed a little after midnight, woke up on my own at 5 this morning (over an hour before my alarm!) and have had so much energy today. God is an amazing sustainer through the summer in light of our ridiculous schedule and lack of sleep.
those of you who have sent me letters, pictures and cards - you're amazing and i love you guys a lot. Hearing that people are praying for me and my friends here is a huge encouragement.
Our first campers come in less than a week. Last year, i was wondering how in the world they could have two weeks of stuff to teach us in preparation for campers, and this summer it feels like such a time crunch to get everything done! Monday we went on the river to act as dummies for the new guides and we've done a lot of various work and cleaning projects around camp, and had a few solid hours of teaching and training at night.
tonight is SKATE NIGHT. reminds me of those couple nights freshman year when we went skating in Anderson. I miss the Clemson crew a lot. I wouldn't necessarily say i'm homesick, but i think this year i have more of a home to be sick for, if that makes sense. I think having something to look forward to will make it easier to leave once the summer ends, but at the same time, i don't even want to think about that yet - staff training isn't even over!
so far, the tiredness hasn't really hit me like it has a lot of people... but I also think I did better with it last summer than a large chunk of people. Yesterday was probably the worst day so far, but last night i went to bed a little after midnight, woke up on my own at 5 this morning (over an hour before my alarm!) and have had so much energy today. God is an amazing sustainer through the summer in light of our ridiculous schedule and lack of sleep.
those of you who have sent me letters, pictures and cards - you're amazing and i love you guys a lot. Hearing that people are praying for me and my friends here is a huge encouragement.
5.20.2010
so far
It's the morning of the fourth day of staff training. Day Four already? this summer is going to fly by. I know that this is almost certainly going to be the last summer I can spend here, so I'm trying to make a conscious effort to savor every moment of it.. even moments that come BEFORE 7am like this one.
My friend Logan is letting me use her laptop for a few minutes to make sure I'm safe from "Clemson Nursing Crisis 2010" (don't worry - Kathleen and I are both good and still have the schedule we signed up for... PTL)
This summer has been a lot different for me so far for a number of reasons. It's strange at first being with a whole new group of staff. It's making me miss friends from last summer who aren't here now. I'm site leader for-skeet shooting (which we've spent the last three days learning) and I'm also working missions, which we start training on this afternoon. I'm not quite sure what all missions is going to entail, but I'm excited to find out. It seems like I'm working with really great groups. I like my small group a lot too - awesome.
It's been a little awkward to relearn the schedule, relearn the routine, and find a system of doing things that works best for me as far as waking up, getinng ready and the most convenient method of storage (AKA living out of my car again - it's pretty sweet)
If you were here last summer and are reading this at home now - miss you guys. Clemson, I still miss you too. Start off the summer strong wherever you are so you can finish strong, even though that seems like forever away. It'll fly by.
My friend Logan is letting me use her laptop for a few minutes to make sure I'm safe from "Clemson Nursing Crisis 2010" (don't worry - Kathleen and I are both good and still have the schedule we signed up for... PTL)
This summer has been a lot different for me so far for a number of reasons. It's strange at first being with a whole new group of staff. It's making me miss friends from last summer who aren't here now. I'm site leader for-skeet shooting (which we've spent the last three days learning) and I'm also working missions, which we start training on this afternoon. I'm not quite sure what all missions is going to entail, but I'm excited to find out. It seems like I'm working with really great groups. I like my small group a lot too - awesome.
It's been a little awkward to relearn the schedule, relearn the routine, and find a system of doing things that works best for me as far as waking up, getinng ready and the most convenient method of storage (AKA living out of my car again - it's pretty sweet)
If you were here last summer and are reading this at home now - miss you guys. Clemson, I still miss you too. Start off the summer strong wherever you are so you can finish strong, even though that seems like forever away. It'll fly by.
5.10.2010
the final countdown
Staff training starts a week from today! If that's not exciting, I don't know what is. I really am excited about camp, but I feel like over the last week, some of that excitement has gotten overshadowed by how much I miss Clemson.
I like that I miss Clemson, oddly enough. Last year, I couldn't wait to leave. Even after a year of living there, I didn't really have an attachment to the school, the town, or the people there. It couldn't be more different this year, and for that, I'm thankful. My blood really does run orange now.
I spent Friday night and Saturday with Laura when we took our CPR class together, and it was great to spend time with her and be able to talk about Clemson things. Today, Tabitha and I went to Charlotte with our main motivation being to meet Megan, Lauren and Elizabeth at Ikea for some apartment shopping. Ikea is my new favorite store ever, by the way. It was also great to spend time with the four of them, and to be reconnected with the Clemson segment of my life for a little bit.
But, on the other hand, it's been nice to be home. I've gotten some extra sleep, and some home-cooked meals. I've gotten to hang out with my family a lot, even though they eat weird food. I got to eat lunch with Lauren Perry, got to go to the dollar movies with Tabitha, hung out downtown with Brianna Elliott, and went to dinner and Coldstone with Chelsea, Haley and Casey. I have more people on that list to see before I leave. It's been nice to spend time and catch up with the people who are important to me even though I don't see them enough as I would like - they're great.
I probably wouldn't appreciate Lexington as much if I was here for more than a couple weeks.
I like that I miss Clemson, oddly enough. Last year, I couldn't wait to leave. Even after a year of living there, I didn't really have an attachment to the school, the town, or the people there. It couldn't be more different this year, and for that, I'm thankful. My blood really does run orange now.
I spent Friday night and Saturday with Laura when we took our CPR class together, and it was great to spend time with her and be able to talk about Clemson things. Today, Tabitha and I went to Charlotte with our main motivation being to meet Megan, Lauren and Elizabeth at Ikea for some apartment shopping. Ikea is my new favorite store ever, by the way. It was also great to spend time with the four of them, and to be reconnected with the Clemson segment of my life for a little bit.
But, on the other hand, it's been nice to be home. I've gotten some extra sleep, and some home-cooked meals. I've gotten to hang out with my family a lot, even though they eat weird food. I got to eat lunch with Lauren Perry, got to go to the dollar movies with Tabitha, hung out downtown with Brianna Elliott, and went to dinner and Coldstone with Chelsea, Haley and Casey. I have more people on that list to see before I leave. It's been nice to spend time and catch up with the people who are important to me even though I don't see them enough as I would like - they're great.
I probably wouldn't appreciate Lexington as much if I was here for more than a couple weeks.
5.04.2010
my favorite A
Finals are done, I am home, and I miss Clemson a lot already. I'm officially no longer a resident of Calhoun Courts S7G or an occupant of Postal Box #4015. It's quite sad, although I'm excited for camp, and thankful to have some relaxation time at home before the SWOX madness begins, but the result is some weird lag time where I don't really know what to do with myself.
This semester was probably my most challenging one yet. Finals week was a classic case of the end justifying the means. It was long, it was rough, and it involved a very small amount of sleep. I don't think I've ever put so much effort into anything in my life, but i can rightfully say it paid off. I made my first 4.0, with 18 hours, and most importantly - I made an A in Anatomy!
I said pigs would have to fly and hell would have to freeze for me to be able to make that 105 I needed on my final. I wasn't going to bother trying on the final, but thanks to a certain professor, I studied for an entire week. The morning of the test (at 8am, nonetheless - whoever thought that was a good idea was an idiot), I saw a boy wearing a shirt with a flying pig on it, even though i felt terrible after turning in that test, I found that reassuring.
I don't think I've ever been so happy to make an A in anything in my life. I came from a 62 on the first test of last semester to a 102.5 on my final and an A this semester. I kind of saw this class like a game - you have a good run, then a bad run, you earn a few points, you lose a few points, you're winning for awhile, then you get behind, but all that matters in the end is the final score. Mostly I focused on this mentality to keep myself motivated - I love a challenge. I just wanted to win the game and prove to myself that I could make an A and I worked hard for it.
I don't normally differentiate my A's by how much I like them - because that's lame, and really just kind of weird - but I think this is my favorite A ever. At least, it's in very close running with my 92.5 in Mr. Martin's 8th grade Algebra 1 class. I worked harder for this A than any other grade I've ever made. I guess it's more about the sense of achievement because my effort paid off than the actual letter grade.
So, with that said, I am officially halfway done with college. Done with the "easy part" of nursing school, so I've heard. I can't imagine what next year will be like, but I'm really excited for another challenge.
Coming up next - SNOWBIRD!
This semester was probably my most challenging one yet. Finals week was a classic case of the end justifying the means. It was long, it was rough, and it involved a very small amount of sleep. I don't think I've ever put so much effort into anything in my life, but i can rightfully say it paid off. I made my first 4.0, with 18 hours, and most importantly - I made an A in Anatomy!
I said pigs would have to fly and hell would have to freeze for me to be able to make that 105 I needed on my final. I wasn't going to bother trying on the final, but thanks to a certain professor, I studied for an entire week. The morning of the test (at 8am, nonetheless - whoever thought that was a good idea was an idiot), I saw a boy wearing a shirt with a flying pig on it, even though i felt terrible after turning in that test, I found that reassuring.
I don't think I've ever been so happy to make an A in anything in my life. I came from a 62 on the first test of last semester to a 102.5 on my final and an A this semester. I kind of saw this class like a game - you have a good run, then a bad run, you earn a few points, you lose a few points, you're winning for awhile, then you get behind, but all that matters in the end is the final score. Mostly I focused on this mentality to keep myself motivated - I love a challenge. I just wanted to win the game and prove to myself that I could make an A and I worked hard for it.
I don't normally differentiate my A's by how much I like them - because that's lame, and really just kind of weird - but I think this is my favorite A ever. At least, it's in very close running with my 92.5 in Mr. Martin's 8th grade Algebra 1 class. I worked harder for this A than any other grade I've ever made. I guess it's more about the sense of achievement because my effort paid off than the actual letter grade.
So, with that said, I am officially halfway done with college. Done with the "easy part" of nursing school, so I've heard. I can't imagine what next year will be like, but I'm really excited for another challenge.
Coming up next - SNOWBIRD!
5.03.2010
The Last Laugh
This semester, I had some pretty strange professors. Some of them were a good kind of strange, others I wondered how... well, i just wondered. So, I compiled this list for everyone to enjoy the ridiculousness of my semester.
“my biggest beef is with people who insist that Las Vegas, with its 120+ degree heat, isn’t so bad because it’s “dry heat”… well my oven is dry heat and it cooks a chicken” - Cummings
“a sauna is a stove for people” - Cummings
“when I’m cold I can throw on another layer… when it’s hot, I can only get so naked” - Cummings
"Pretty please. Pretty please with sugar on it. Pretty please with high fructose corn syrup and MSG on it. " - Wentworth
"Germs don't cause diseases" - Wentworth
"I mean, of course there's water in your bladder... you don't pee powder, now do you?" - Cummings
"This is what happenes when you have blood flowing for your veins - but of course, this doesn't apply to me because i'm a VAMPIRE and i don't have blood" - Wentworth
"A phagocyte turns into a phagosome, which binds with a lysosome. And when the phagosome binds with a lysosome, it becomes a phagolysosome. That’s about as close to Dr. Seuss as this class is going to get" - Cummings
"My name is William... but i prefer to go by billy beau bob bubba boy of the best and biggest bayous of Biloxi" - Wentworth
"coughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcough...WHOOP" - Mickelsen
"Type 3 secretions are just like a big secret meeting of microbes sitting around to figure out how they can cause infections" - Mickelsen
"There are over SIXTY THOUSAND miles of blood vessels in the human body. So next time you get bored driving to Charleston, just remember the poor little erythrocytes" - Cummings
"it's like eharmony.com... you just have to find the right antigen to bind to and some just need a little extra help" - Mickelsen
"I think Hell is just going to be a lot like Clemson - you just have to drive around forever and ever looking for a dang parking spot!" - Eddie Smith
"One time I had a student who took a whole semester off of school go to live in the same town Charles Manson was from and research his life... I gave him an A just in case" - Eddie Smith
"When you don't have friends and you feel all alone... just remember that your resident microflora will always be there" - Mickelsen
“I grew up (although some people will argue that never happened) in Ohio” - Cummings
"Doing this hurts like heck, but i'm a masochist and i have to prove a point" - Wentworth
"Ahh... the best love stories involve fiery crashes and health insurance" - Wentworth
"Any Questions? Comments? Concerns? Hateful Comments? Wishful Thinkings? Faces you used to make behind your teacher's back in fifth grade? Mean insults you learned in fourth grade? Finger gestures you secretly learned in middle school? Dark Secrets? Dirty Jokes? Speak now or forever hold your peace" - Wentworth
"Evidence based medicine, who needs it? You certainly do not need it if you WANT to kill a few brains, I guess." - Wentworth
"We're talking raw milk here... and I have 2 and a half gallons of the illegal stuff in my fridge right now! - Wentworth
"If you lived back in the 1940's, you wanted to make sure you stayed near the top of your class... otherwise you might have ended up one of those people who has to taste urine for presence of glucose" - Cummings
“my biggest beef is with people who insist that Las Vegas, with its 120+ degree heat, isn’t so bad because it’s “dry heat”… well my oven is dry heat and it cooks a chicken” - Cummings
“a sauna is a stove for people” - Cummings
“when I’m cold I can throw on another layer… when it’s hot, I can only get so naked” - Cummings
"Pretty please. Pretty please with sugar on it. Pretty please with high fructose corn syrup and MSG on it. " - Wentworth
"Germs don't cause diseases" - Wentworth
"I mean, of course there's water in your bladder... you don't pee powder, now do you?" - Cummings
"This is what happenes when you have blood flowing for your veins - but of course, this doesn't apply to me because i'm a VAMPIRE and i don't have blood" - Wentworth
"A phagocyte turns into a phagosome, which binds with a lysosome. And when the phagosome binds with a lysosome, it becomes a phagolysosome. That’s about as close to Dr. Seuss as this class is going to get" - Cummings
"My name is William... but i prefer to go by billy beau bob bubba boy of the best and biggest bayous of Biloxi" - Wentworth
"coughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcoughcough...WHOOP" - Mickelsen
"Type 3 secretions are just like a big secret meeting of microbes sitting around to figure out how they can cause infections" - Mickelsen
"There are over SIXTY THOUSAND miles of blood vessels in the human body. So next time you get bored driving to Charleston, just remember the poor little erythrocytes" - Cummings
"it's like eharmony.com... you just have to find the right antigen to bind to and some just need a little extra help" - Mickelsen
"I think Hell is just going to be a lot like Clemson - you just have to drive around forever and ever looking for a dang parking spot!" - Eddie Smith
"One time I had a student who took a whole semester off of school go to live in the same town Charles Manson was from and research his life... I gave him an A just in case" - Eddie Smith
"When you don't have friends and you feel all alone... just remember that your resident microflora will always be there" - Mickelsen
“I grew up (although some people will argue that never happened) in Ohio” - Cummings
"Doing this hurts like heck, but i'm a masochist and i have to prove a point" - Wentworth
"Ahh... the best love stories involve fiery crashes and health insurance" - Wentworth
"Any Questions? Comments? Concerns? Hateful Comments? Wishful Thinkings? Faces you used to make behind your teacher's back in fifth grade? Mean insults you learned in fourth grade? Finger gestures you secretly learned in middle school? Dark Secrets? Dirty Jokes? Speak now or forever hold your peace" - Wentworth
"Evidence based medicine, who needs it? You certainly do not need it if you WANT to kill a few brains, I guess." - Wentworth
"We're talking raw milk here... and I have 2 and a half gallons of the illegal stuff in my fridge right now! - Wentworth
"If you lived back in the 1940's, you wanted to make sure you stayed near the top of your class... otherwise you might have ended up one of those people who has to taste urine for presence of glucose" - Cummings
5.01.2010
Goodbye, 4015
I'm officially a college junior. i just set up my permanant mail forwarding. My address is no longer 4015 University Station. I think this has made me sadder than anything else about this year ending... so weird.
The end of the school year, like i said before, is such a bittersweet time. being DONE with anatomy forever, a class that i've poured so much and has completely consumed my life for the last year, is a weird feeling. i NEVER have to sit through another of Dr. Howe's tirades about how I need to be caring and compassionate. NEVER again
The end of the school year, like i said before, is such a bittersweet time. being DONE with anatomy forever, a class that i've poured so much and has completely consumed my life for the last year, is a weird feeling. i NEVER have to sit through another of Dr. Howe's tirades about how I need to be caring and compassionate. NEVER again
4.28.2010
Reasons Why I Hate Finals
1. they're stressful
2. they involve a large amount of sleep loss
3. in addition to ME being stressed, everyone ELSE is stressed out
4. everyone ELSE being stressed out + spending a bunch of time together = not a good combination
5. they involve packing up and moving
6. the library is PACKED
7. Even when i DON'T want to study, everyone else is studying so i have nothing to do
8. I especially hate this year because I'm not done until FRIDAY.
9. They're so much of my final grade. Why should my whole grade suffer that much if i have an A.D.D. day?
10. I'm losing motivation because I keep thinking about camp
11. I'm losing motivation just because it's the end of the semester
12. Sara Touchet feels the need to "be the ying to my yang" and make lists about why she LIKES finals week.
13. Then Touchet starts thinking I hate her because I told her i was writing #12
14. even when i take a break from studying, i feel guilty because i should be studying
But really, i hate finals. A lot a lot a lot. Especially since one of my final projects got thrown away the day before it was due when my roommate decided to clean our apartment. I feel like I did a good job of containing my anger.
I have my anatomy final tomorrow. I need to make a 105 to fairly make an A. My professor said to get "as close as I could" and he would try to help me out as much as he could. At first, I was just going to blow it off because I can make a 40 and still make a B, but I'm going for it.
#14 is happening.
2. they involve a large amount of sleep loss
3. in addition to ME being stressed, everyone ELSE is stressed out
4. everyone ELSE being stressed out + spending a bunch of time together = not a good combination
5. they involve packing up and moving
6. the library is PACKED
7. Even when i DON'T want to study, everyone else is studying so i have nothing to do
8. I especially hate this year because I'm not done until FRIDAY.
9. They're so much of my final grade. Why should my whole grade suffer that much if i have an A.D.D. day?
10. I'm losing motivation because I keep thinking about camp
11. I'm losing motivation just because it's the end of the semester
12. Sara Touchet feels the need to "be the ying to my yang" and make lists about why she LIKES finals week.
13. Then Touchet starts thinking I hate her because I told her i was writing #12
14. even when i take a break from studying, i feel guilty because i should be studying
But really, i hate finals. A lot a lot a lot. Especially since one of my final projects got thrown away the day before it was due when my roommate decided to clean our apartment. I feel like I did a good job of containing my anger.
I have my anatomy final tomorrow. I need to make a 105 to fairly make an A. My professor said to get "as close as I could" and he would try to help me out as much as he could. At first, I was just going to blow it off because I can make a 40 and still make a B, but I'm going for it.
#14 is happening.
4.22.2010
scheming
Because Emily Clardy was not in attendance last night, and subsequently unable to document our shenanigans for the rest of us to plagiarize, it looks like it's my responsibility now.
Last night, Elizabeth Hughes and I wanted to play Super Nintendo at BCM. The FCA band was doing auditions and interviews, so we couldn't play nintendo right away, much to our dismay. Sara Touchet and Matt Stephens and I started doing homework like the studious, responsible students we are. Elizabeth convinced me to come outside and water ballooned me, thus checking me off of her infamous "hit list".
Today is Elizabeth's birthday, and since it has gotten to be thoroughly annoying with her not having a cell phone, Megan Addis decided to be gracious and give her an old cellular device. While Elizabeth was distracted with said cellular device, the stash of water balloons was stolen out of her car and her car alarm began to go off. Elizabeth was then bombarded with water balloons when she went to turn off her alarm. Payback.
Our team lines were a little blurry - but after a little while of running around with swords and lightsabers and pitchers full of water, filling up the last few water balloons, locking each other out of the building, and mostly just ME GETTING WET, Megan and I were able to sneak out the back while Elizabeth was distracted. At this point, I think she was carrying around a pitcher of water and a large rock for reasons unbeknownst to us.
We drove off - schemed - called our cohorts and schemed some more - and finally went back to BCM and pushed Elizabeth into the car and kidnapped her to Waffle House (Me, Megan, Matt and Elizabeth - Touchet stayed to do work) where we continued to scheme. Because, see, during this time SARA TOUCHET was not wet, and had turned on ALL OF US. That little smooth talker. So, we devised a plan. We filled the water balloons, hid behind BCM, while Elizabeth called Touchet screaming about us throwing her in the lake and how she needed her to come pick her up. She fell for it.
Then we got her too. glorious. oh, except by this time it was after midnight and none of us had made a substantial dent in our homework.
man i'm gonna miss this.
Last night, Elizabeth Hughes and I wanted to play Super Nintendo at BCM. The FCA band was doing auditions and interviews, so we couldn't play nintendo right away, much to our dismay. Sara Touchet and Matt Stephens and I started doing homework like the studious, responsible students we are. Elizabeth convinced me to come outside and water ballooned me, thus checking me off of her infamous "hit list".
Today is Elizabeth's birthday, and since it has gotten to be thoroughly annoying with her not having a cell phone, Megan Addis decided to be gracious and give her an old cellular device. While Elizabeth was distracted with said cellular device, the stash of water balloons was stolen out of her car and her car alarm began to go off. Elizabeth was then bombarded with water balloons when she went to turn off her alarm. Payback.
Our team lines were a little blurry - but after a little while of running around with swords and lightsabers and pitchers full of water, filling up the last few water balloons, locking each other out of the building, and mostly just ME GETTING WET, Megan and I were able to sneak out the back while Elizabeth was distracted. At this point, I think she was carrying around a pitcher of water and a large rock for reasons unbeknownst to us.
We drove off - schemed - called our cohorts and schemed some more - and finally went back to BCM and pushed Elizabeth into the car and kidnapped her to Waffle House (Me, Megan, Matt and Elizabeth - Touchet stayed to do work) where we continued to scheme. Because, see, during this time SARA TOUCHET was not wet, and had turned on ALL OF US. That little smooth talker. So, we devised a plan. We filled the water balloons, hid behind BCM, while Elizabeth called Touchet screaming about us throwing her in the lake and how she needed her to come pick her up. She fell for it.
Then we got her too. glorious. oh, except by this time it was after midnight and none of us had made a substantial dent in our homework.
man i'm gonna miss this.
4.20.2010
easter
I wrote this easter weekend, and never posted it. until now.
Today I drove home from Clemson. I wasn't really in a driving mood and I was pretty anxious to just get home. I took the toll road. I never take the toll road. I'm still a little mad that they raised the price - a classic reason why i do NOT take the toll road, i'm way too cheap to spend an extra $5 on a round trip just to gain 5 extra minutes.
As i pulled up to the second toll booth and rolled down my window to give the attendant my $1.25, she told me that the car in front of me had paid my toll for me and asked her to tell me "happy easter".
i didn't really know what to think at first. i was grateful that someone was willing to go before me and pay the toll that i owed. But then, I realized, that's what Easter is really about - Jesus going before us and paying our toll.
so, i handed her my $1.25, told her to use it on the person behind me, and drove off.
Today I drove home from Clemson. I wasn't really in a driving mood and I was pretty anxious to just get home. I took the toll road. I never take the toll road. I'm still a little mad that they raised the price - a classic reason why i do NOT take the toll road, i'm way too cheap to spend an extra $5 on a round trip just to gain 5 extra minutes.
As i pulled up to the second toll booth and rolled down my window to give the attendant my $1.25, she told me that the car in front of me had paid my toll for me and asked her to tell me "happy easter".
i didn't really know what to think at first. i was grateful that someone was willing to go before me and pay the toll that i owed. But then, I realized, that's what Easter is really about - Jesus going before us and paying our toll.
so, i handed her my $1.25, told her to use it on the person behind me, and drove off.
I'm not a boring person
Pam told me my blog layout was boring, and since I am "not a boring person" i should change it. I kind of like it though. it's easy to read.
comments from the peanut gallery?
comments from the peanut gallery?
4.19.2010
bittersweet
Summer is almost HERE. three more days of class, two papers, and three finals away from sweet freedom. The end of the semester is kind of a bittersweet time this year. I'm looking forward to having a break from the insanity that is nursing school, but I'm going to miss Clemson a lot.
I'm going to miss my friends. I'm going to miss Megan and Pam and Clardy and Elizabeth and Touchet and Christy and Sam and Hannah and so many of the other people in my life here that I'm so thankful for. I'm going to miss late study nights at BCM. I'm going to miss sporadic trips to Taco Bell and Palm's during those late study nights. I'm going to miss baking cookies for John Cummings, and potentially my love/hate relationship with Anatomy. I'm going to miss Tuesday/Thursday lunches with Laura and hanging out in her dorm. I'm going to miss mapping Kudera's train of thought and tallying how many times he says "um" just to pass the time. I'm going to miss studying at Starbucks with Kathleen. I'm going to miss S7G and my roommates. I'm going to miss BCM on Thursday nights, and I'm going to miss Crosspoint a lot.
but don't get me wrong. camp is 28 days away and I can't wait. I'm excited about camp and spending the summer with Matt and Kathleen, as well as my friends from last summer and the fantastic new staff. I'm excited about starting clinicals in the fall and getting to finally wear "the uniform" along with the stethescope. I'm excited about Tigertown and living with Megan and Lauren.
But at this point, I'm stuck somewhere in between wanting time to speed up and praying it will slow down.
4.18.2010
Emily Clardy
I'm thankful for Emily Clardy. One of the reasons, among many others, that I am thankful for her is for her storytelling ability. Her description of Thursday night is so much better than I think I would be able to do. Mostly, i like being portrayed as the evil mastermind, because i definitely was not. My only role was to propose the idea of switching the evil plan from Christy to Pam, as well as providing transportation to BiLo and self-serve car wash expertise. However, I will let my dear friend Emily tell you the rest of the story:
I'm SO blessed to have the most amazing people on this earth as my best friends! Last night, April 15, 2010 was a night for the books! After a great night of BCM, everybody was standing around talking, enjoying cake and cookies....but evil was stirring in the room in the form of sarah strickland, matthew stephens, elizabeth hughes, megan addis, and MYSELF! ha! For a couple of weeks this group including Pamela Lyons, had been planning to trash Christy Brown's car. Tonight was the night. We had some communication difficulties between all of us and mother goose whose name will be kept in discretion for her safety...but it was finally coming together! Sarah and I ran to Bi-Lo to buy saran wrap and 1200 pretty little post-its! When we got back to the bcm building with the ammo loaded up in Strickland's car, we walked in and encountered a beautiful, smiling, precious Christy Brown. But where was Pamela Michelle Lyons? PLAYING ULTIMATE! She had also supposedly been the mastermind of this project and did not provide us with the information we needed to take down Christy's truck, and now she was playing ultimate? what?! oooooohhhhh no. Sarah Strickland's evil lightbulb got super bright as a great twist to the plot formed in her sweet little head. "Let's get Pam." "Agreed." Well, we got Christy in on it too.
Before you know it me, matt stephens, christy brown, sarah strickland, megan addis, elizabeth hughes, and sara touchet are covering Pam's car in a mess of love! Katelyn Cooper watched us a bit and laughed, and tons of people continued driving by and laughing and being like WOOOOOO YEA!!! but that coulda been the alcohol in them...it was Thursday. Either way...it caused quite a speculation! Sara Touchet had an amazing idea to get chocolate syrup and write "Just Married," on the back of Pam's car, and then tie strings to cups and tie those on the back of the car. Elizabeth filled them with soap so that when Pam touched them they would get her hands slippery! Everybody's little devil had popped out and it was crazy!
Then, as we are in the midst of trashing this car- there comes along the night guard parking police. UH-OH! He says" What's the occasion?" I say, "She's our best friend and we love her." To which he sas, "Hm nice way to show it! Here, (he hands me a parking ticket envelope) place this on her car, that'll make her feel real loved!" HAAAA!!!!! SWEEET SAUCE BOSS! just we needed!
Matthew placed it on the windshield just so nicely! Then after the car was covered in post-its, saran wrap, and chocolate, Matt squirted it down with this ginormous bottle of Palmolive lavender soap...if you've ever washed dishes at the BCM with this soap, you know that it sucks and like clumps up and won't wash off without some good scrubbing. So it was perfect!
WE then all run around here and there, Elizabeth, Megan, and Sarah Strickland walked down to the field where Pammie is happily playing a game of ultimate frisbee. They just did some checking in on her to see when she'd be coming back to see "Chrsity's car." Soon she said.So we all sketchily waited and watched. Creepers. Here she comes! Matt runs to get the people hanging out at BCM. Megan, Sarah, and I ran to hide behind some strangers jeep. She saw us...then she saw the car. Her reaction was odd. Haha, she like slowed down...she was on her phone, and she just looked so very not content! About this time, Christy pulls up in the truck, we run and jump in the tailgate. So we now have Christy and I don't know who in the front seat, and like 6 people in the back, we rode by and snapped pictures of Pam and the car. then we hid behind some bushes and again, being creepers, watched Pam from a small distance. She was still on her phone, and then she saw the parking violoation.....a few minutes later we hear sirens and see blue lights coming up this way and the entire group of us hiding behind the bushes darted and ran off. Hmm, so now we know who runs from the law! Ha! nah, I totally would too! But, Sarah and I realized they weren't coming for us, so we went to help Pam clean it up. Jason Elvington was helping her there too. We all got together and cleaned it up. Matt, sarah and I helped Pam wash the car at the Tiger Bubble Bath....again a soapy wet mess, but fun!!
The night ended on a couple rounds of Taco Bell, and watching the end of the frat and sorority dance off. hahaha! So yes. I love my friends!
4.12.2010
7/28/09
Staff weekend was great. It was strange seeing a whole new set of faces filling up those chairs, and a little sad without the people who made last summer what it was. But I don't doubt that this summer will be amazing as well, just in a different way.
I've been rereading my journal from last summer. it's crazy to see the difference between what i wrote the first week and what i wrote the end of camp. i wrote this the last Wednesday of camp and i think it kind of sums up the summer perfectly (without being personally incriminating) so i wanted to type it here:
I've been rereading my journal from last summer. it's crazy to see the difference between what i wrote the first week and what i wrote the end of camp. i wrote this the last Wednesday of camp and i think it kind of sums up the summer perfectly (without being personally incriminating) so i wanted to type it here:
"This week has not been what i have expected. I know that this ministry is completely shaped by ups and downs but I really wanted to end this summer with a good week. Not that this week hasn't been a good week, but I just don't feel like I have a lot in common with these girls. Maybe Hannah was right when she talked earlier in the summer about always gravitating towards certain types of campers
I can't beleive this summer is almost over. It halfway seems like we should just be starting week 2, and halfway seems like i've been here forever. But i love it. I think back through this summer and all the girls I've had a chance to get to know. All of these girls have come and gone. I wonder how they're all doing since they've been home. Have they stayed consistent in seeking Christ in their lives? Some of them I talk to, other I don't. Some I never expected to hear from and did. Others promised they would email me "every single day" and never did. Camp ministry is so weird.
I was talking to Royce last night on SWOMP about how I know over half this staff won't be back next summer. At the same time, I can't imagine camp without every single one of them. I want to think that I'll be back next summer, but I want to be open to other opportunities and other ways I can serve outside of Snowbird.
I'm thankful for the reconciliation I've seen this summer. Between friends on staff, even when it hasn't involved me. Between campers who bickered all week only to hug and make up and apologize to each other the last night of camp. I'm thankful for reconciliation within my small group. I hate that it took us all summer to finally address whatever may have been going on, but I'm trying to be constant in remembering that nothing happens unless YOU plan it and that you've taught all three of us lessons in what it means to be intentional with others.
I'm leaving here on Sunday morning with Suz. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Five more days here. I'm praying for energy to finish this race HARD. To not stop winding down, but to start running it harder than I have been. I want to make the most of the time I have left here with my campers, with the staff, and with my small group. I don't want to waste this summer. Have I wasted it so far?
I wish I could go back and do it all over again, having already learned the lessons I know now. But I know I'm already starting to feel burnt out, i'm sick, i'm tired, and I doubt I could handle more than another week or two of this as much as I wish i could."
4.07.2010
Elizabeth's Hit List
http://lizzie8968.blogspot.com/2010/04/childhood-should-never-end.html
Elizabeth put me on her hitlist. Shoudl I be worried?
Elizabeth put me on her hitlist. Shoudl I be worried?
3.29.2010
3.04.2010
lately
Various happenings lately:
- I decided to stay away from facebook for awhile. I didn’t want to do No Facebook February or give it up for Lent because i simply didn’t want to be counting down the days until I was “allowed” to get back on. I don’t really know how long awhile is. might be a couple days, maybe a week, maybe two. We’ll see. It’s pretty nice not having it
- Next week I have a group presentation for comm, a resume for business writing, a 4 page paper for MedSoc, a legislative letter, sources for my ethics paper and a test in professionalism, a practical in anatomy lab, and an anatomy test all between Monday and Tuesday. Spring break, hurry up.
- I missed The Office tonight because my roommates were watching a movie. I’d been looking forward to it all day. I’m sulking just a little bit
- Spring Break in a week, Staff weekend in 5, semester’s over in 8, and camp in 10.5. What I wouldn’t give for a fast-forward button.
2.21.2010
wisdom from Eddie Smith
"I think Hell is going to be a lot like Clemson University - you just have to drive around and drive around looking for a parking spot for the rest of eternity."
—Eddie Smith
soon
I see this map on TV almost every day and sometimes it makes me sad. More like, it just makes me wish i had the ability to clone myself and be in three places at the same time. I find it ironic that this map contains the three places that, at one point or another, have been “home” - Columbia, Clemson and Andrews. Three places that I love a lot, and three places I wish I didn’t have to divide my time between. Even though Clemson has had a monopoly lately.
Soon May will be here and I’ll head home to Columbia for two and a half weeks and then up to Andrews for two and a half months. I’m pretty excited.
I also like the Olympics a lot.
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