#7: Medicine

I just took Robitussin cough medicine, which I haven't taken since I was a kid (even then I've probably only taken it twice). Well, I have been coughing like crazy, so I decided it would be in my best interest to medicate my troubles away. My inner dialogue went something like this...


ME: "I'll just drink a little bit of this 'long-acting' Robitussin and I will be healed and rejoice.
Surely it can't be as bad as I remember, maybe I was just being dramatic.
I should get something to wash it down just in case..."

*drinks medicine of death*

BLEH! Definitely worse than I remember.
Another one of the many reasons I choose not to get sick.


I don't get why medicine has to taste so bad*. I mean seriously, is there is no possible way they could have made it taste better? With all the modern advances in science and technology, they couldn't have managed a better tasting cough serum?!



*If you are one of those wierdo's that thinks cherry/bubblegum flavored medicine is yummy then you can just take a hike because I think you are full of it.

The Standard

Warning: this is going to be extremely sappy.

I'm sure I have mentioned to some of you how much my grandpa means to me. He is the epitome of the perfect man, not in a weird way, but he has always been what has set the standard for me (as far as what I look for in a guy). I know that may sound weird to some people, but it makes perfect sense to me. So after I talked him up this much, I have decided to give those of you that haven't met him (basically all of you) a little insight to what makes him so great.

He is from a really small town of Mississippi but he actually met my grandma at Pearl River Junior College where he was playing football and basketball. He was raised to be a southern gentlemen, in a time when that was the norm, and she was only 16 when they met because she graduated high school early. They hit it off from the get go. Two years later, when they graduated from Pearl River, my grandma moved to New Orleans to work with a few of her girlfriends. Judge me if you must, but it was like something out of a movie when I read the letter my grandpa wrote to her in her yearbook. SO cute. He went on to play more college ball at William Carey and finish his education, and they got married shortly thereafter and had their first child (my mom) in 1956.

Now, I'm sure I'm romanticizing this a little bit, but if you saw the way my grandpa cared for my grandma and looked at her, you would have a hard time imagining it being any other way. My grandma's health isn't the best, so my grandpa spends the majority of his time caring for her. He is so kind and patient with her. I love watching them interact. Especially when my grandma is feeling particularly feisty.

Besides the fact that he is wonderful with my grandma, he also has a great sense of humor. He makes me laugh every time we are together, even if I've heard the story 100 times already. I wish I could have known him when he was younger because I think he would have been a total goofball. His sense of humor and mine match really well, so it's really fun when we get to hang out.

To top it all off, he is and has always been a great spiritual leader in my family. I know without a doubt that he lives his life according to his faith and convictions, and I admire that kind of maturity.

I encourage you to meet him if you can. His name is Henry Elbert Johnson. Look him up. He is my grandpa and my hero and I love him...a lot.

My life is a whirlwind

So this last week has been super hectic, so I'll stick to the highlights...

• 96 on my sociology test :) woop!
• Mr.Big Chief (DBU's annual man pageant) was hilarious
  
• I finished my killer history paper. 5-6 pages on Colonial History= Gross
• I went to the homecoming gala which featured music from Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic musicals (ex. Oklahoma, Sound of Music, etc) SO good and it was worth 2 chapel credits. Totally worth it.
• It seems like all my classes are online..in other words, NO CLASSES last Friday!
• My service project at Grace Temple Baptist Church is really growing on me (maybe i'll post more about it later)
• It was COLD for the first time up here. I got to wear my coat and everything! Super exciting.
• We played catchphrase at church today

That about sums it up. Hopefully more to come. Now that I'm done with homework the world is mine for the taking!

Cold Weather Bliss

Some of the things I love most about cold weather...

1. Cold weather food (ex. soup, smores, hot chocolate, etc.). Mmm.
   
2. Getting all bundled up :)
   
3. Not having to shave as much. ha. (judge me if you must)
4. Sleeping...ESPECIALLY napping (this isn't necessarily just for cold weather, but it's easier to snuggle up when it's cold).
5. Christmas music... It's growing on me.
   

#6: My Favorite Bundles of Stink

Recently on "God's Campus", we have experienced a dramatic increase in the number of friendly neighborhood skunks. We don't normally have a problem with other pests (I am yet to see a roach, rat, opossum, or snake), but for some unexplainable reason, skunks have made DBU their new campus of choice...I'd like to say it is their unexplainable need for salvation that draws them here...but who am I kidding, if animals were supposed to have an afterlife, skunks most certainly would not end up in heaven.

They have tried to combat our fury little friends by setting out traps and such, but believe me when I say these traps are almost worse than letting them run free and procreate. At least once a week students are expected to battle the aftermath of a skunk capture. Not even the fresh "Mountain Creek" air can wash away the sins of our skunk friends.

I guess what I'm saying is "Why skunk-friends?! Why DBU?!"
I just don't understand.

It's Christmas Time (kinda)

You're Welcome.

#5: The "hallelujah" moan

I don't know what it is about DBU, but I have heard more moaning since I've been here than ever before. It's completely ridiculous... and frankly, I hate it. It's not the "oh crap, I don't want to do my homework" moan that you would assume students would make, it's more of a "I agree with what you said/hallelujah" moan. At first it didn't bother me as much. I would hear it during class or chapel and just brush it off, after all, I know whoever moaning has the right to "hallelujah" moan as much as they want. But after a while it started to get to me...

The only time it becomes a real issue is in my Intro to Christian Ministries class. There is this one girl who "hallelujah"moans every 2-5 minutes. At first I thought she was just reassuring the teacher that she was awake, but at this point in the semester I'm convinced that it's a disorder. NO ONE needs to moan like that all the time. Maybe I would understand it better if our professor was preaching about something that was really convicting or powerful, but 98% of the time that is not the case. She is moaning about the history of the baptist church.

You probably think I'm exaggerating, but I assure you, I am not.

#4: Ed Young

For those of you who don't know, Ed Young is a pastor/author/tv mogul in the Metroplex area. He is the head of a very large and "dynamic" church called the Fellowship Church, and last week he was our speaker at chapel. In fact, his church is so popular that it now has around 3 satellite campuses. He's not really my favorite speaker, but I try not to be too critical (especially with our chapel speakers considering he was one of the more entertaining ones).

Anyways, that's all besides the point. What I don't understand about Ed Young and pastors like him, is the need for the "shock and awe" effect. Right now Fellowship Church is starting the Seven Day Sex Challenge where (you guessed it) married couples are supposed to have sex for seven straight days*. This isn't the first time I have heard of challenges like this in these churches, I just don't really understand why they go about it the way they do. Christians are infamous for being prude and closed lip'd about sex, and while that isn't always true, for the most part it is.

I just question the motives behind these "challenges". Is it purely to help strengthen and repair marriages, or is it for publicity? After all, I only learned of this whole shenanigan via the local news. I don't get why some churches have resorted to these gimmicks and attention-grabbers to help pump attendance and enthusiasm...I'm pretty sure the bible speaks for itself. I think that breaking barriers and thinking outside the box is all fine and dandy in theory, I just think that there are other ways pastors could go about this.

Sidenote: I would really like to see the attendance records for the next couple of weeks at that church.



*Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying anything about the challenge in and of itself, just the way the church is going about it.

#3: Balaam

26 Then the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff. 28 Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?"

29 Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now."

30 The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?"
"No," he said.

31 Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.

Numbers 22:26-31

Now, I'm not quite sure what Balaam was thinking, but if my donkey started talking to me, I'm pretty sure my first reaction wouldn't be to threaten it. I would probably try to run away...but maybe that's just me. I just don't understand why he argues with it! If he is gonna stick it out and have a conversation with his donkey, why would he be mean to it? Even if he didn't know God was the reason it could speak, common sense says he should be a little bit worried in this senario. This whole story is crazy (and by "crazy", I mean "stinkin sweet"), but I think the most ridiculous part is that he would threaten this talking animal. Seriously Balaam, what were you thinking?!

#2: Old People

Let me start by saying this, I am not typically an emotional person. I have my moments and my breakdowns, but normally, I'm a pretty private person and prefer not to cry in public.

That being said, the one thing that can pretty much make me cry every time without fail is old people. Whether they are sick and dying or being cute with their spouse, old people just get to me.

Example: On Grey's Anatomy (a show I watched for the first time tonight) there was an older couple that was clearly in love. OF COURSE, the wife dies and the husband is left helplessly trying to keep her alive. It was ridiculous...I fell apart.

I just don't understand what it is about Old People! Clearly I'm not the only one that has a soft spot for them since television producers and writers are exploiting this weakness. I just wish they would post some kind of warning when they do stuff like that. It would probably look something like this: "Warning: Excessive Elderly Cuteness/Heart-Wrenching Story About to Rip your Heart Out and Render you Completely Emotionally Drained". That way I would at least know when to leave the room...

My first/last political post...

Let me start by saying this: this post has nothing to do with my love/hate/indifference towards Barack Obama.

But you've got to give it to him...the man's got charisma.

#1: The "I-want-you-to-know-but-not-really" line

So today marks the beginning of my series about the things I don't understand. It's pretty self-explanatory...

#1. I don't understand why people talk out loud to inanimate objects and then look at me like I am crazy or just plain rude when I ask what all the fuss is about. I notice this a lot with my roomie, she always talks to her laptop (usually things like "Ahhh" or "Oh MY Gosh!", etc.), well I always take this as a cue that she wants me to know what shes gasping over. But when I ask what all the commotion is about, 50% of the time I'm met with a look that tells me I'm being intrusive or I have somehow crossed a imaginary I-want-you-to-know-but-not-really line. It just doesn't make sense to me!

Early Morning

There are many facets of having a roommate that I've had to adjust to over the course of the semester. Since my roomie is a cheerleader here, she has a different morning schedule than I do (cheer practice 3 times a week at 7 am).

Luckily, I'm a morning person. I love to get up early and be ALONE. I usually allow myself an hour and a half (at least) in the morning to get ready for the day, do a devotional, etc. Well even with my hour and a half of "me" time, I still am not up by 5:45.

Meaning I have to incur the wrath of my roommates alarm clock. You see, when I hear an alarm clock go off my first instinct is to wake up...completely. Not press snooze after it has already gone off for 5 minutes, and then listen to it go off in another 10 minutes. It's torture some mornings listening to her alarm go off when I know I am missing out on another 45 minutes to an hour of prime sleep. But I'm learning to deal, and it is probably making me a better person. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.

The odd thing is, lately I have had the opposite problem.

Out of courtesy, whenever one of us is sleeping while the other is getting ready, we typically get ready in the dark (unless turning on the light is a necessity). Over time, I have learned how to choose an outfit, brush my teeth, put in my contacts AND put on make up with only a dim closet light guiding my way. The only problem is, lately I keep thinking she's in bed when she isn't! Today I got completely ready in the dark and didn't even realize she wasn't in there until she told me about it this afternoon! And that's the second time this week!

It's kinda funny to think about. Part of me wonders if God was looking down from heaven and chuckling as I balanced the mirror in my closet drawer and made feeble attempts at applying mascara. I imagine it would look ridiculous if people knew I was the only one in there trying not to wake up my sleeping ghost of a roommate.

Let Your Requests be Made Known...

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

I don't know about you, but it seems like every time the "whats your favorite verse?" question gets brought up, 1 out of every 7 Christians lists this as their favorite verse. I just have to wonder if they are reading the same verse I am... or if all they see is, "as long as I love the Lord, He will have favor on me and give me what I want". The problem is, I don't think that's what the scripture is saying at all, in fact, I think it's saying quite the opposite. If your delight is in the Lord, then your desire will be for Him and to serve Him and follow His will for your life. The desires of your flesh will be crucified in order for His desires to take priority.

You see, I want my desires to be in line with His, and more than anything I want to live according to His word and His will for my life... yet there are always desires hidden beneath the surface that crave the things of this world. Things that are not necessarily "bad", but things that are not promised by Gods word. For me, this has manifested itself as a couple of things...my desire for friends here at school, and my dream of one day being a mother. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think either of these things are condemned by Gods word (or are "bad" in and of themselves), but I know that I have not been promised either. They seem to fall in this "gray area" of desires. I can say confidently that I would rather live in Gods will than have either of these things, but I desire them nonetheless.

Here is where my dilemma begins... what I don't understand is why we need to pray that He will grant us the desires of our hearts if we make His desires our own? I am probably just missing something, but if we are truly followers of Christ then His will should be our own, right? And maybe I am wrong again, but I do not feel like I have to ask God to complete His will. He is God Almighty and I have faith that His will is going to be completed with or without my prayer. However, I try to be obedient and present my requests unto Him, knowing that He hears them, and hoping that they are in line with His will. I just don't know what to do with these "gray area" desires. I know the Lord knows my heart, and since these wants are not a necessity or even a priority, I don't feel like I should bring them before Him. Am I wrong? If my primary desire is for His will to be completed in me, what do I do with these secondary desires? I feel selfish even bringing such petty things before His throne. I wish I could purge myself of these things, but they seem to stick with me. Simply put, He has created me with a passion for people and a love for babies. I know that He is supreme in my life and is completely sufficient, so should I even bother asking for these other things? When Paul says "let your requests be made known" (Philipians 4:6) does that only include the requests that line up with His promises and truth?

I don't know if any of this makes sense, I just wanted to see if anyone had some insight or words of wisdom for me...

It's a Man's World

Here are some fun facts I learned today...

• 75-80% of people arrested are male
• men commit 83% of violent crime
• men monopolize organized, corporate and political crimes
• for every 1 violent offense committed by a woman, there are 6 violent male offenses
  
• males kill other males 86% of the time

C'mon fellas, what is all this about?!

Case in Point

Ernie is on the left, Tony is on the right. They kind of have a little word fumble in the middle...but it is still one of my favorite recordings of this song.

Ernie Halter and Tony Lucca- Whisper

One of those days...

Today has been super stressful and aggravating, so tonight as I sat down in an attempt to mellow out (after a long battle with my online test) I started thinking about the music that calms me down. The songs and artists that I listen to after days like today. After much careful consideration, I decided on a few must have songs on days like today...songs that refresh me and calm me down.

1. Crazy- by Patsy Cline
I could listen to all of Patsy Cline's songs over and over and over again and never get sick of them. There's something about her voice that speaks to me...it's therapeutic.

2. Arms of a Woman-Amos Lee
This song is one of my favorite all time. It makes me forget everything going on around me and focus on nothing in particular.

3. Home- Michael Buble
This one is new to me, so it's yet to lose its "new and magical" appeal. I could (and do) listen to it over and over. The only downside is it makes me incurably homesick, which is not normal for me.

4. Don't Know Why- Norah Jones
Norah Jones is probably my favorite female artist (living). I wish she would get together with Ernie and record an album...even though she is 1000 times more famous than he will ever be.

5. Whisper- Ernie Halter
My love and devotion for Ernie is unceasing. His music makes my heart happy. It's hard to explain, because I know other people don't get it, but his music just does it for me. It makes me want to fall in love.

6. Blackbird- The Beatles
Possibly one of the best songs ever. And I know some of you are going to bash me for this, but Ernie sang this when I went to his show and it made me fall even more in love with this song.

7. Death of Me- Tony Lucca
I have been in love with this song/Tony Lucca for quite some time now. He is one of my favorite acoustic artist, but most people haven't heard of him (surprise surprise) He appeals to my folk-y side.

8. Gravity- Sarah Barielles
This song is beautiful. Sarah Barielles has a beautiful voice. The end.

9. Man on the Side- Ernie Halter
This song is sinful it's so good.

10. Georgia- Ray Charles
Ray Charles makes me wish time could rewind about 50 years. If I could choose to get serenaded by anyone in the world (dead or alive), he would definitely be a contender.

Pinch Me

So tonight on a whim I went with a friend of mine to a mutual friends Indonesian church Anniversary Celebration. It was a childrens musical called "Neck Up Check Up". Pretty stinking cute. I have decided I really want an Indonesian baby...super cute.

Well as soon as I walked up to the church they told me about a raffle they were doing...the grand prize was a laptop. Normally I don't even bother entering these things, but at the insistence of my friend I filled out a name slip.

From the start I kinda felt like I was going to win. I can't explain it other than to say that I knew it would be such a blessing (a laptop wasn't in my budget this year so I was currently working with a desktop, not horrible, but definitely not that great for college life). Anways, to make a long story short I ended up WINNING it! It's super cute (it is a mini so it is pretty small).

I don't know how to explain it other than to say it was totally a blessing. God is good, even when I'm not expecting it. The funny part is afterwards when I was talking to my friend she told me that she kept thinking I would get it too! Anyways, just a super awesome blessing :)

Friends and the Random things I love

Today I was reminded of how much I love my friends. So this post is dedicated to you guys and the random things that I love about you. I'm not going to name any names, but I'm pretty sure you can figure out who you are, or pretend that you are someone else...whatever works.

1. It's hard to explain what I love about you friend...you just FEEL like home. Even if we don't talk for weeks, I know that I can call you up or see you and things will be the same as they've always been. You're so comfortable to be around. I could go months without seeing you and not realize how much I missed you until the next time I saw you. That might not sound like a good thing, but trust me, it is.

2. Oh you, what is there to say about you?! You are the smartest person I know. I wish I had one-tenth the intelligence and insight you have. I never know what you're thinking but I love that about you. You have been, and will always be, a mystery to me.

3. You my friend, are the person I love to fight with. You're wittier and a much better debater than I am, but I never seem to learn my lesson and always come back for more. I love that you challenge me. And even though we never seem to agree on much, I get along better with you than 99.9% of the world. I don't think I'll ever understand our relationship but it just seems to work for us.

4. You are my faithful friend. For some reason, I have never doubted that you would be able to accomplish anything and everything you set your mind to. People underestimate you, but I know you will do things I could never dream of.

5. You make me laugh more than anyone else I know. Not in a way that anyone else would understand, but in a way that is unique to us. Sometimes I think that I am the only one that appreciates your humor and you are the only one who appreciates mine. Every time I'm with you my sides ache. I don't know how you do it, but you always bring out the best/worst in me. You are by far the silliest person I know...and I love you for it.

6. I love that you have so many different types of laughs...there's the laugh when something shocks you (eyebrows raised mouth WIDE open), then there's the laugh when you think something is hilarious (your whole body responds and your nose is scrunched), and the half-hearted laugh which is just a very small version of the "hilarious" laugh. I also love that I have more inside jokes with you than anyone else in the world. You are one of the few people I can sit in silence with for extended periods of time and never feel uncomfortable. More than any other friend, I know that you will stick it out with me till the end.

7. Even though we aren't that close, there are so many things I love about you. You are truly beautiful inside and out. You make me want to be a better person and you humble me with your grace and compassion. You are the embodiment of so many of the things that I lack, and even though you are honest about your flaws, it only makes you that much more lovely.

8. I love that you aren't afraid to call me out and be completely honest with me. Our relationship is a weird one, but I think we're both okay with that. You made me deal with things I never thought I would have to and I don't think you will ever understand how much that meant to me.

9. You are the most awkward person I know. THAT alone is what I love about you. You're also a pretty cool kid.

10. You are everything I expected you to be in a way that I never expected. I had so many idea's about you that were right, but instead of those being negative, they ended up being really positive things. You fit the stereotype and break the mold at the same time.

Cutest. Baby. Ever.

My mom sent me these pictures of my niece (Kaitlyn, 4 months old) today. You can't really tell in these pictures, but from what I hear she's the spitting image of her Aunt Dani :)