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.

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.

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.

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?

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. 

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!

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:

"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."

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

Elizabeth told me I had to make a blog. Apparently I'm easily influenced.

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.

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.

race

“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my race and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” - Acts 20:24


It’s so hard not to get frustrated right now. This semester has just been ridiculous and I don’t even know how to put that in any other terms. What was expected of me last year as far as schoolwork and other commitments go doesn’t even compare to how much it’s stepped up this year.

Right now, my race is this semester. It’s anatomy, it’s micro, it’s nutrition, it’s music 210, it’s CI, it’s the clinic, it’s church, it’s friends, it’s time management, everything. And it’s so easy to just forget that right here, right now is where i’ve been specifically placed as my ministry and for that reason, I need to finish it with all my heart. To not get burned out and tired and just give up, but to see this present situation as a gift from God and work at it with that mindset.

easier said than done?

summer 10

I’m starting to think a lot about next summer. Where I’m supposed to be and whether or not it’s at Snowbird, or in Clemson, or at home, or somewhere else I haven’t even thought about. I really hope my place is at Snowbird, but I’m just not sure. I’m the type of person who has to have a plan and right now I don’t and I don’t like it.
I’m thinking about Summerlink Clemson. I wanted to do it last summer in Hilton Head, but so many things made me decide not to. If I did do C-link, I’d be working at my church, living in and impacting the city where I’ll be even after the summer, and the people I live and work with with will still be in Clemson next semester. That’s a huge deal for me.
But Snowbird is Snowbird, and I love it. I know it’s where God put me last summer, and I love the people there and seeing how that place is used in so many lives, including my own. I’d love to spend another summer there as long as it’s for the right reasons. I don’t particularly care that C-link would be more comfortable, that I would get more sleep there or live in my apartment instead of a cabin or my car or my hammock. That stuff doesn’t really matter to me.

fall semester

I have every intention of keeping up with this. It just never happens.
This semester has been a whirlwind. Somewhere between best semester ever and worst semester ever. I LOVE everything about this year minus the actual school part. I have great friends, great roommates, i love my apartment, my church… It’s also been HARD and busy. school is hard. nursing is hard. I spend a lot of time doing homework. On top of that, I have my clinic hours, classes, church stuff and trying not to completely neglect friendships. It’s really overwhelming. God’s been teaching me a lot lately but mostly I’m just too stubborn to give in to it.
This post is about as long as my attention span will last.

oops

I kept my promise and didn’t update this but once all summer. My summer was fantastic, by the way. I’m home now, and although home doesn't really feel like home, in a way, it’s nice to be here. Now that I’m home, I’m so ready for Clemson.
I went to a real church this morning for the first time since may. At first, it was weird to be in a real church service, without sitting in rocking chairs or on the floor, wearing basketball shorts and a tshirt and being packed in like sardines. Actually, I take back that sardines part.  I’ve been in so many different church settings in the last few years. FBC Youth. Crossroads and Youth Remedy. The random church hopping we did for awhile. Gateway Junior year, and Gateway Senior year. I feel like they should be two separate categories. (Awakening Redneck Summer, anyone?) DCF, Newspring, and finally Crosspoint. Snowbird.
This morning, Adam talked about church. How, after being in Chicago for a week, his heart wasn’t in being there preaching to the choir. He said after seeing ministry in action, outside of walls and time restraints and routine, it was hard to go back to real life. I can completely understand that.

home

So. Camp is dunzo. I'm home. (and right now, Rachel Eckard needs to get her butt back home as well, because I miss her a lot)

At this point, i can actually see the trunk of my car. People can sit in my backseat without being eaten by a pile of clothes. My internet is fast enough to not make me want to throw my laptop out the window. Normal hygiene includes taking a shower every day. I don't have to count quarters whenever I want to do laundry. Sleeping in is later than 7am. I can take a nap whenever I feel like it. I can decide to go to Walmart and be there 5 minutes later. Starbucks isn't a roadtrip in itself. It's really, really hot here, and it never rains in this city. Jack Kuenzie is staring at me from the TV screen. Also, did I mention it's hot here? hot hot hot.
Summer is over.

I expected coming home to be really, really weird. But it hasn't been so far. It doesn't really feel like I've been gone since May. I was sad the night before I left Andrews, but once Suz and I got out of the gorge, camp seemed like forever ago. I think I always get sad in anticipation of things like this, but then it never ends up being as bad as I think it will be. It's still kind of crazy to think that life goes on outside of camp. That Lexington has still been moving and changing even though I haven't been here. I should be used to that since I don't really live here anymore, but I'm not.
CVS moved. Alltel is Verizon now. They're building a new Walgreens. Walmart is rearranged (but wait--that was before the summer? Either way, it's annoying. I can't find anything). They tore down Zesto's, which used to be the old Burger King where me and Anna would make my mom take weekly trips to just so we could collect the Rugrats roller coaster toys. I hated Burger King food, by the way. I walked into Moe's yesterday and didn't know anyone working. I went to Coldstone and only knew one.
I don't even know where to start when it comes to talking about the summer. It was good. Descriptive words aren't exactly what I'm good at. I haven't talked or written too much about it, other than the whole "it-was-fun-i-went-canoeing-and-i-hung-out-with-camperes to everyone who has asked me the how-was-your-summer-because-i-haven't-seen-you-in-three-months" question, just because I honestly don't even know where to begin. But just thinking about it still makes me smile, because it was so evident that God is there and working it's crazy.

But I can't imagine having done anything better with my summer. It was definitely a learning experience, and I probably made more mistakes than I can count. But God was and still is sufficient. For the summer, and forever. That's what I've learned, above all. And that's all I need to know.

Someone told me during the last few days of SWO9 that the God of Snowbird is the same God that's in Clemson and in Columbia. I wish I remembered who said that. But they were undoubtedly right and I think that's something that's all too easy to forget as we go back into the real world where we have to seek out ministry and not just have it come to us every Monday afternoon. I wanted to tag all of you, but apparently facebook has limits for those things. dumb.

And finally.
SWO staff.
You all need to transfer to Clemson University. However, I understand this might be intimidating because some of you go to schools like Liberty that love Jesus much more than Clemson does. If Clemson is too heathen for you, transferring to North Greenville would be acceptable as well. Understood?

almost over

Only two more weeks of summer to go. Actually, there’s almost a month left of summer, but I know that once I leave here, it won’t really feel like summer anymore.I really don’t feel like I’ve been here for nine weeks, but at the same time, week one, staff training, the trip here… seem like such a long time ago. The whole time I’ve been here, I haven’t wanted to leave, but in all the ups and downs of the last week, I’m starting to realize that there are still things I miss about home. And about Clemson. And while leaving the community  here, and the “Little town with the Big Heart” Andrews, NC will be hard, I’m growing more ok with it as it gets closer.

It’s been such a bittersweet summer. it’s been hard but I’ve loved every minute of it. First Baptist is coming tomorrow. I’m really excited. The excitement of seeing them has been a good reminder that goes on outside of camp. My little sister has her license now, and I’ll have to remember to hide my keys when I go home. I’ve been in a consistent summer-long game of phone tag with the some of the people I love the most. I’ve almost forgotten that in the real world, most people take showers every day and don’t live out of their cars or all the other things I’ve gotten used to doing here.

Real world, I hate you but i kinda sorta miss you.

staff training

I don’t really like blogging, to be honest. By the time I think to write something down, I usually don’t remember it anymore. Maybe I’ll try to change that this summer. Camp is good. I feel like that’s probably the most generalized statement ever, but it’s basically true.

At this point, there’s no question in my mind that I’m where I’m supposed to spend the summer. After months of replaying all the scenarios in my head and doubting whether or not I’d made the right choice… I think I did. Actually.. I know I did.

Yesterday was our last day of official staff training. Today and tomorrow are just kind of chill days, and  we start getting campers on Monday, which is definitely going to be a new experience, but a blast at the same time. I’m excited.

my laptop battery is about to die. We’ll see if I ever update this again.