The Jennifer Story

Summer 2011: Euro Trip

2011-08-29T17:26:00.018-05:00

This summer was a significant one not just for me (graduating from college), but also for my mom, who celebrated 30 years working at the church in June. Yes, she was 6 years old when she started, thank you very much. ;) So to celebrate our dual major life milestones, we decided to take a trip. A big trip. A really big trip. I don't really remember how we decided on our destinations, but I do know that Mom had been to Salzburg years ago and loved it, and several people had recommended Prague, and so a trip was born! I couldn't possibly cover our entire trip in one blog, so I will just hit the highlights of each destination, and of course include a few pictures (since I think we took a few thousand, that shouldn't be a big problem).

First, the cast of characters: Mom and Ricky, Moppy and Poppy, Sean and "Uncle" Eric, Amber and me. We were neither a small nor inconspicuous travel group. But travelling with some of my favorite people was lots of fun.

Destination Number One: Prague, Czech Republic

I had never really considered Prague a "must-visit" place. But several friends (both mine and Mom's) had been and said it was really beautiful. And now that I've been there, I totally agree. There are tons of old buildings that look like they came out of fairy tales:And an amazing castle on top of a hill:

And, my personal favorite, we got to see the home where Antonin Dvorak lived AND his viola!!! That was cool. But alas, no photos were allowed, so you'll just have to take my word for it.
Prague was definitely different (language, money, food) from the rest of the places we visited. And Czech is not a language you just pick up in a few days. But I really liked it and am glad we went.

Day trip from Prague: Dresden, Germany

While planning our trip, we realized we would have an extra day in Prague. So we started looking at day trips we could take using our rail passes, and Dresden won out. We hopped a train and in a few hours were in Dresden! The interesting thing about Dresden is that it was pretty much completely destroyed by bombing in WWII. But they have rebuilt, and it is a beautiful and modern city! The big church, Frauenkirche, was restored and is gorgeous:

Hey, who are those cute kids? ;)

We also went to an art museum to get our culture on, and that was very cool. Dresden has a beautiful walkway along the river, and it was nice to just stroll along (Well, at least until we decided to try to make an earlier train back and had to RACE back to the train station. I seriously thought I was going to die. But we made it. Hooray.)

View from the riverside.

Destination Number Two: Vienna, Austria

Vienna is a HUGE, bustling city. We only had a few days there, but I still think we were able to get everything in that we wanted to see. Our first day we saw the Vienna Boy's Choir perform. They were incredible, and oh so cute. The next morning we visited Schönbrunn Palace, home to the Hapsburg monarchs and a seriously gorgeous place. The inside tour was nice, but honestly the grounds of this place were so much more impressive.

I mean, come on. People actually got to LIVE here?!?

We took a tour of the Vienna opera house, which is also BEAUTIFUL, and then Mom, Amber, and I went back to get standing-room only tickets for super duper cheap-4 Euro each! And the seats were amazing. We felt extremely cultured, and also fancy.

But my very favorite part of Vienna was the ZOO! Now, you might be saying, Jennifer, you can go to a zoo in just about any city you visit; why on earth would you take time out in one of the most famous European cities to visit a zoo??? I'll tell you why: Pandas. Pandas are my favorite animal on earth, and only a few zoos in the world have them. When I found out that there were pandas in Vienna, there was no doubt we were going. It was absolutely a life dream fulfilled. The pandas didn't do much, and actually spent most of their time with their backs to us, but they were still adorable and it was so much fun.

Me with the pandas! (Well, kind of.)

Destination Number Three: Salzburg, Austria

When I complained to Mom that we had such little time in Vienna, she told me that once I saw Salzburg, I would understand why we needed more time there. As usual, she was right. Salzburg was hands down my favorite place we visited. The setting in the foothills of the Alps and the amazing architecture was beautiful, and the whole being the setting of The Sound of Music thing didn't hurt, either.

We of course took the Sound of Music tour, although honestly so many of the places that were used in the movie are inaccessible because they are privately owned or, you know, a monastery. But my favorite part was going to Mondsee and seeing the wedding church. Mondsee is this adorable little Alpine town, complete with colorfully painted buildings, and it is home to the church where they filmed the wedding scene. Only, when you watch the Sound of Music, I bet you never notice that the church is PINK!

Yep. They did some really clever editing for the movie.

One of my other favorite things in Salzburg was when we went up the cable car to the top of Untersberg mountain. This was when I really felt like we were "up in the mountains", and for this flatland southeast Texas girl, that was definitely a new experience. You could see for miles and there was even still some snow! It was absolutely incredible.

We also took a couple of day trips out of Salzburg, visiting the salt mines and the Werfen ice cave, which was ah-mazing, but the climb to get up there nearly did us all in. It was worth it, though. The ice has created all these amazing formations and it is completely beautiful.

Destination Number Four: Munich, Germany

Now, technically it is true that Munich was our fourth city. As in, we rode the train into Munich, stayed at a hotel in Munich, and all of our tours left from Munich. But if you were to ask me what I saw while in Munich, the answer would be...the street between the train station and our hotel. We didn't spend any time in the city itself. But our day trips were totally worth it. The first day we went to Dachau concentration camp. While it obviously wasn't the most fun thing we did, it was definitely moving and sobering to see where such horrible things happened.

Our other trip out of Munich was to two of King Ludwig's famous fairy tale castles. King Ludwig was a slightly crazy German monarch who built these enormous and elaborate castles in the mountains of Germany. First we saw Linderhoff castle, which was smaller but still beautiful. Then we stopped in Oberammergau, the city where they do the famous Passion play every 10 years. It was a lovely little town. Then on to the piece de resistance, the famous Neuschwanstein castle. They say that Walt Disney based Cinderella's castle on Neuschwanstein, and when you see it you can tell that's true:

It is simply amazing. And the beauty doesn't stop outside. We took a tour inside and the rooms are so ornate and gorgeous. And if that wasn't enough, every room has a view of the surrounding mountains and lakes. King Ludwig may have been crazy, but he knew how to build a castle.

The castles trip was our last day in Europe. In 2 weeks we saw some amazing things that I will never forget. It was the best graduation trip ever!

Summer 2011: Graduation

2011-08-29T17:03:00.008-05:00

So. It has been awhile. My inner bad blogger came out to play, and also, life happened. So before grad school really kicks into high gear, I am going to write a bunch of little posts about all the fun, interesting, or life-altering stuff that happened this summer. Let's start with the event that marked the end of the school year and my career at Baylor: graduation.

My graduation ceremony started at 9 AM, so first thing in the morning I put on my cap and gown and headed to the Ferrell Center.

What's that you say? You are a Baylor fan and don't think that picture was taken at the Ferrell Center? Well, you're right. This is one of the grad pictures my friends and I took a few days before, and it is indeed in front of Pat Neff. I know my mother took pictures on the morning of graduation, but I cannot find them. So sue me, and use your imagination.

As for the actual graduation ceremony, well, it was long. And we, as University Scholars, were the last group of undergrads to walk the stage. And my rule-following tendency was in rare form, to the point that I followed a rule that didn't even actually exist and didn't bring my cell phone or purse to graduation. Apparently, judging from every other graduate in the arena, having a cell phone was not, in fact, against the rules. So everyone else was facebooking and tweeting and texting, while I just sat there. Like I said, it was long. But finally, they got all the way through the alphabet and it was our turn! I didn't trip or fall on the stage, and I even remembered to turn and smile at the camera when I was up on the big screen. I shook Ken Starr's hand and got the big green tube that I had worked, bled, and sweat for the past four years to earn. It was a good moment.

After the ceremony, I met my family at the car. We made that plan to avoid the hordes of people who would be running around after the ceremony, and it actually worked pretty well. Here are the pictures we took then.

My cousin Amber came down, and while it would have been super sweet if she came just to see me graduate, in fact she was going with us to Europe the next day (more on that to come). At any rate, it was fun to have her there.

Basically as soon as these pictures were taken, we packed in our cars and hit the road to Houston. We all ate lunch at Perry's, which was so yummy and very fancy! Then we went home and packed, because the next day we were off to Europe!

It definitely didn't hit me then that Baylor was really over. That didn't come until much later in the summer, when I finally moved out of the Waco apartment. My four years at Baylor were possibly the best of my life, and I will cherish them forever. But now I'm on to bigger and better things, I suppose! Coming up next: European adventure 2011.

When movies say it better...

2011-03-20T12:38:00.002-05:00

I've been looking out of a window for eighteen years, dreaming about what I might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?

It will be.

And what if it is? What do I do then?

Well,that's the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream.

I love it when a movie expresses what you didn't even know you felt. Tangled = 5 Stars.

Belize: Days One and Two (The "Fun Days")

2011-03-15T20:22:00.022-05:00

Last week was Baylor's Spring Break , and I went on a Child and Family Studies Academic Mission Trip to Belize! It was an amazing experience. We worked alongside Teachers for a Better Belize (TFABB), which is a non-profit organization that has been working with teachers in the Toledo district of Belize (the most southern and poorest district) for 15 years. Our professor, Dr. Nuner, has been working with TFABB for about 5 years now, focusing specifically on preschool teachers. We went down mostly to observe in the classrooms to see how preschool is different in Belize than in the States. We also put on two parent workshops to encourage parents to send their preschoolers to preschool, since it isn't mandatory but is very helpful in terms of preparing them for Kindergarten. I absolutely loved my team and the week was wonderful. Now I will attempt to tell our story in pictures!

Our travel day was mostly uneventful, except for a VERY bumpy flight from Waco to Houston that left most of us queasy, and being rushed through the airport in Belize City because we had almost missed our flight to Punta Gorda. We felt like VIPs! Then we emerged on the tarmac and saw the vehicle that was to be our transportation to PG, and were a little afraid:

But it was The Little Plane that Could, because the ride was the smoothest one we had all day! It also gave us some wonderful views of a beautiful Belizean sunset:

We got settled into our hotel in PG (which just happened to be directly next door to the airport-we literally walked!), then went for dinner at Miss Marian's, which was to be our default restaurant for the week. I think we ate there 4 nights, and with good reason-it was delicious!

The first day we were there (Sunday), the schools were obviously closed, so we took a snorkeling trip out to the Snake Cayes.
We saw all kinds of fish and other sea creatures: starfish, jellyfish, HUGE lobsters, barracudas, and a nurse shark (who, thankfully, stayed under his rock!)

But most of us also got VERY sunburned on our backs. It was a fun, but tiring, day.

Monday happened to be a national holiday in Belize (Baron Bliss Day or Heroes and Benefactors Day, depending on who you asked). That meant the schools were closed again, so we took another fun day! We drove about an hour and a half out of Punta Gorda (our base city) to Blue Creek. We hiked out into the jungle...

...and swam into a cave! The water was freezing, so some of us made funny faces:

We had headlamps to help us see in the dark, though (Yes, I'm fully aware of how unattractive this is):

The cave was definitely a "life experience", as Sarah Hall said. I enjoyed it, even though right near the end I slipped trying to cross a big gap and fell about three feet into the water. I smacked my right arm against the wall and it was pretty scary, but our Belizean guide worked some kind of medicine-man voodoo on it (seriously, y'all, he spit on my arm and cracked all my knuckles. In a dark cave. In Belize. Life experience!) and it felt OK. I got a semi-nasty bruise, but will survive.

After our cave-diving adventure, we drove another hour or so to Rio Blanco National Park, where some of us jumped off of cliffs:

Then we ALL followed our guide farther into the park, trusting him not to lead us into danger. Weren't we surprised when he led us to this bridge:

And suggested that we walk across it! It was like something out of Indiana Jones. But we all got across, with varying degrees of excitement and terror. No one fell off, and we were all SO BRAVE!

So that gets us through days one and two. I think that's all I will do for now, because I have actual school work to do! (I know, what's that, right?)

Some Thoughts on Sing

2011-02-18T13:56:00.003-06:00

It's that time of year here at good old Baylor U-the time when girls spend hours curling their hair, boys wear eyeliner, and seeing someone walking around campus in a ridiculous costume is nothing out of the ordinary. Yes, I'm talking about SING. It has been one of my favorite traditions since I came to Baylor, even though I have only performed for the past two years. I am a huge fan of Broadway shows and live performances in general, so Sing is right up my alley!

Last night was the first performance (we will do two more this weekend and then three next week). I thought I would blog what I thought about each of the acts, mostly just so I can come back and look at them later. I will try to be fair and balanced, and not mean, because I know how much work goes into these acts (well, most of them-I'm looking at you, SAE) and no matter how it comes out as long as everyone has fun doing it I think an act is a success!

(These are in the performance order from last night, Club Night)

Unfortunately, we didn't get to see Chamber, Pi Phi, or Pi Kapp, because we were the 5th group and only saw the two before and after us at dress rehearsal. From what I've heard, Pi Phi is amazing and I really hope I get to see them at some point before all is said and done.

Kappa Kappa Gamma-"Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?"

We saw this one at dress rehearsal Wednesday night. I have to say, I LOVE the wolf costumes. They are seriously amazing, and I just overall really like the wolf characters. They're scary and dark, and really set the mood for the act. This act started out really strong; I loved the mixing of 3 songs (To Grandmother's House We Go, Paparazzi, and Every Breath You Take)-it was subtle but it worked. Vocals at the beginning were pretty good. But after a really cool, theatrical beginning, this act just kind of flopped for me. Like I said, the wolves were the best part, but I felt like the song selection was lacking and didn't really help the theme at all. The ending was creative, but dragged on for too long.

Verdict: Possibly Pigskin, also might win People's Choice for Best Costumes

Sing Alliance: "Hip Hip Hooray"

I'm obviously a little bit biased, since this is my group, but I really think we have a strong act. Our choreography needs to get a little bit cleaner, for sure, but with 150+ people on the stage, and with how fast our act is (seriously, it doesn't. ever. stop.) I think it looks amazing. Plus, our energy and joy is almost unmatched, because we all just LOVE SING!

Verdict: Unknown. Seriously, I wouldn't dare jinx us by making any predictions

FIJI: "Murder Mystery"

This is the other act we saw at Dress Rehearsal Wednesday, and then we actually ran back into Waco Hall fast enough last night that we got to see it again. I will say that it was VASTLY improved from Wednesday to Thursday. On the other hand, Wednesday night I watched the entire act and still wasn't sure what the theme was. The music was not bad, I really enjoyed the Pink Panther and "Live and Let Die" (especially the 2nd soloist). But overall, this act was not very entertaining and obviously needed some more theme development (the audience should at least be able to tell what you are doing by the end of the act.)

Verdict: Not good enough for Pigskin

Alpha Tau Omega: "A Case of the Mondays"

I think this theme is really creative. I also think that I would appreciate it a lot more if I had ever actually worked in an office or had a horrible boss. The choreography was clean, especially the part where the boss is treating the employees like puppets. Really liked that part. Overall, it wasn't my favorite act, but I think it will appeal more to the older audience members (or maybe to guys?)

Verdict: Definitely Pigskin, and an outside shot at placing. Possibly a People's Choice for Theme Development

Chi Omega & Phi Kappa Chi: "Bonnie and Clyde"

It is really hard for me not to compare this act to the act Kappa and K-Sig did my freshman year (sailors and girls-like 40's theme). The thing I remember from that act was just the sheer NUMBER of people on the stage the whole time. I imagine it was probably something like people say about Sing Alliance, because our sheer size is just amazing. But while there were a lot of good things going on in this act, it didn't amaze me the way I wanted it to. The soloist at the beginning was AH-MAY-ZING, though, seriously. And I realize that (like with Sing Alliance) having that many people on stage at once makes it really difficult. But we make it work, so these groups should, too!

Verdict: Pigskin for sure, will probably place just based on numbers and really strong vocals. Might win a People's Choice for Best Vocals, too, just based on the opening soloist

Kappa Chi Alpha: "A Kite's Day Out"

I really like KXA personally, probably because I know a lot of girls in the group. They are a much smaller group and don't charge ridiculously high dues like some of the other sororities. Because of this, their resources for Sing are a lot more limited (and I suspect they just have other priorities, to be honest). That said, I really enjoyed this act! It was a huge improvement over last year's Big Apple act. The soloist that sang last year was great again, and I really liked the part where the kite got stuck in the tree ("All By Myself"). Really, I feel like this group has come a long way, and I hope they keep getting better and better!

Verdict: Not Pigskin

Kappa Sigma: "Playin' Around at the Playground"

Let me say first that I really felt like K-Sig was unfairly left out of Pigskin last year-their act was better than some that did make it, in my opinion. I feel like this year's act was even better. Although I was dubious at first about a playground theme (especially from a guy's group), they really made it work for them. The three groups (bully, jock, and nerd) were brilliant, and I especially liked the nerds (the part where the kid pulled out his inhaler nearly killed me. So funny.) The song selection was good, and choreography was really clean. I hope they make Pigskin again, but I know that it might not happen.

Verdict: hopefully Pigskin, but will be fighting it out with several girls' groups so they better keep up their game or even get better

NPHC and Heavenly Voices Gospel Choir: "Dance Train"

This is a new group to Sing this year, and as their name implies, their singing was great. The choreography and theme development just weren't there, though. The dancers looked bored and I think it's probably because the moves were so slow and simple. Overall, a good first effort, and I hope they come back next year even better.

Verdict: Not Pigskin, but could win People's Choice for Best Vocals

Alpha Chi Omega: "Part of Your Balanced Breakfast"

Before we saw this act, I said it could either be really cute or super corny. Well, sorry AXO, but corn is NOT a breakfast food. Changing the words in one of your songs is OK, and even cute, but when you have to do it in every song, it becomes annoying and shows that you didn't really have a manageable theme. People think Sing is all about dancing and costumes, but when it boils down to it, the songs make the act. If you can't come up with songs for a breakfast act, then you don't have a breakfast act. All that said, I thought the costumes were cute and the girls jumping in the "toaster" in the background was a nice touch. I'm just sad that I won't ever be able to hear "Billie Jean" again without thinking about breakfast sausage.

Verdict: Not good enough for Pigskin

Kappa Alpha Theta: "A Golden Afternoon"

A flower act-not really what you would call an original theme. But by adding the weeds and especially the garden gnomes, Theta really did a good job with this seemingly basic, boring theme. I really liked the rose and sunflower costumes (not so much the pansies, couldn't tell that's what they were until the end when the markers came down). The garden gnomes were definitely my favorite, although their dancing was not very clean-a lot like the Tiffany boxes from last year.

Verdict: Possibly Pigskin, but is fighting it out at the bottom with a few other groups

Alpha Delta Pi & Delta Tau Delta: "Don't Stop Til It's Clean Enough"

Now, AXO, THIS is how you alter a song to fit your theme. Do it once, and do it well-then leave it at that. I knew from the first time I hear their title which song would be their "centerpiece", and I thought it was cute. I'm afraid, though, that adding Delt actually hurt ADPi, because I felt like the girls in this act were spot on and really good, but the boys were just bad. The dust bunnies (and "Another One Bites the Dust") were really cute, too. Good song selection.

Verdict: Another one that is on the bubble as far as Pigskin. I really think the guys may have ruined a great act for ADPi.

Delta Delta Delta: "Just Imagine It"

I knew Tri-Delt was going to work really hard this year after not placing at all last year (basically unheard of in recent Sing history). They had a lot more theme development this year, starting off with the little girl and having her mom coming in at the end. That was really well done. I LOVED the peacock costumes, and the monkeys on roller skates were cute, too. I felt like the zebra costumes just looked like re-purposed barracudas from last year, though, which kind of bugged me. Vocals were strong, but choreography was not as clean as it has been in the past. (Of course, last year when we watched them at dress rehearsal I literally was in awe of their clean lines, so coming down from that is not so bad, but still). I feel like they made the choreography harder this year, and then weren't quite able to pull it off at their normal level of greatness. Overall, a great act. I really enjoyed it, even if it was pretty formulaic. It's traditional, pure Sing, and they do it better than anybody else.

Verdict: Definitely Pigskin, strong chance at placing. Possible People's Choice for Choreography, Backdrop, or Costume (or all 3!)

Sigma Alpha Epsilon: "Stay-At-Home Dads"

Since Sigma Chi was kicked off campus last year, SAE is the last remaining group that just obviously doesn't care about Sing and treats it as a total joke. That said, I was actually really surprised that their backdrop was really good! But that's about all I can say in their favor. I mean, they were dancing in boxers and bathrobes, for goodness sake. The rap was amusing, but is kind of old news because they did the same thing last year. Just seems like a waste of space in a show that's already 4+ hours long. Take this one out and give us 15 minutes of our lives back.

Verdict: obviously not going to Pigskin, and they know it.

Zeta Tau Alpha: "Keep On Rollin'"

Aside from the fact that the title of the act is the EXACT same as a Sing Alliance act from 5-6 years ago that is commonly referred to as "The Train Wreck", I really enjoyed this act. First of all, their costumes were adorable-loved that they were not overly girly, since it is a railroad act, but they had a little bit of sequins to add flair. The vocals were strong, especially the a capella trio at the beginning. Choreography was good, if really simple. Theme development was OK, not great but not terrible either. Just kind of "there". Overall, a HUGE improvement over their depressing, confusing act last year.

Verdict: Could make Pigskin, but is fighting for one of the bottom spots. People's Choice for Costume? That's probably just me.

And last, but not least...

Kappa Omega Tau: "The Show Must Go On"

First, I will admit that I built this act up to almost unattainable perfection in my mind before I saw it. Their toy act last year is probably my favorite Sing act of all time, and is about as close to perfection as an act can possibly get. So I was expecting great things. The act is getting great reviews from most people I've talked to/read online. BUT. I didn't like it. Now, let me clarify. As a spectacle, as a performance, as a piece of modern art-it was amazing. But as a Sing act, it just didn't work for me. I know they were trying to push the envelope and do something completely new and different, but for me it was just too far out there. For one thing, the costumes were all completely haphazard (I think there were two of each costume, so probably 30 different ones). This made it look super disjointed, and even when they were dancing well and cleanly, it looked messy. The music was all very rock-and-roll, and I had a hard time understanding most of their words. Also, there just wasn't very much group dancing. I know there is a certain time of group singing that each group has to meet, or we lose points, so I would assume the same goes for group dancing. I'm not sure that KOT had more than 2 minutes in the whole act where the group was all dancing together "Sing style" and doing the same thing. The ringleader character was amazing, and the jester who sang "Circus" was good, too. The blacklight part was incredible, probably my favorite part. But overall, to me it was just TOO different from what a Sing act "should" be, and I can't say that I liked it. I would like to see it again, because I feel like if I wasn't saying "Huh?!?!" the entire time I would enjoy it a lot more.

Verdict: Despite my personal opinion, I'm pretty sure it will place, and probably get 1st. People's Choice for something or several things, I just don't exactly know which.

Wow! If you are still reading, I applaud you. Mostly I just wanted to get down my thoughts before I forget all of them. Here are my final standings:

1st: KOT
2nd: Phi Chi-O
3rd: Tri Delta

Pigskin:
Sing Alliance
ATO
Pi Phi
Kappa
Kappa Sig (what I hope, but will probably actually be Theta or Zeta, or even ADPi-Delt)

People's Choice (Well, MY choices really):
Backdrop: Tri Delt
Choreography: Sing Alliance
Costumes: Tri Delt
Song Selection: Maybe ADPi-Delt? Or ATO? I really don't know on this one. I felt like I didn't know nearly as many songs in the acts this year.
Theme Development: ATO
Vocals: Phi-Chi-O

Counting Down...

2011-02-10T16:06:00.002-06:00

Just a few important dates for ya...

7 Days...until Sing begins!

23 Days....until we leave for Belize!

93 Days...until Graduation!

Life is just flying by, it seems!

Snow Day-Waco Style

2011-02-04T15:54:00.004-06:00

So, the 30 Day Challenge got the best of me. I just don't have the time to blog every single day, plus some of the upcoming prompts were really lame. There are a few that I liked, so maybe I will just use them as ideas for future posts.

But what I really want to tell you about is the SNOW DAY we are having in Waco today! All week it has been miserably cold (I don't think the temperature has been above 30 since Tuesday morning). I have worn about 5 layers of clothes just to keep warm. To this Houston girl, it has been pretty bad! Tuesday was OK, it was kind of a new adventure to have to go to class in such cold weather. Then Wednesday morning everyone woke up to no power because of rolling blackouts due to an energy shortage. Well, everyone that is except for Baylor-we-produce-our-own-power University. Classes were still on. Ugh! So we got ready by candlelight and drug our sad little butts to class. Thursday was more of the same, freezing cold and windy, still having class because unlike the great majority of North Texas, no actual snow or ice had accumulated in Waco. BUT! There was hope for snow on Friday, so that made everything a little more bearable.

WELL. Long ago, my Belize Spring Break missions team had planned for last night to be our movie/pizza/work on making materials night at our professor's house. Which is about 20 minutes south of Waco. Before I left, I knew there was a chance it would be snowing later that night, but I figured the snow wasn't supposed to start until at least midnight, we would be home well before that. So I went out there and we had a great time. Really good team bonding time, plus cupcakes to celebrate Jason's birthday. Around 9 o'clock, we looked outside and realized their deck was covered in SNOW! We all ran out to check, and sure enough, it was coming down pretty hard. I don't think it had started snowing in Waco yet, because I hadn't gotten any excited texts or facebook updates. Soon after that, we packed up and headed out. I had driven myself, thinking that snow wouldn't be an issue. I had never driven in snow before, so I was kind of freaked out, but I figured I would just go really slowly. It was definitely an adventure. The hardest part was stopping, because every time I started again the wheels would have to find traction again. I slid a few times, mostly closer to home, but I made it, and it was actually kind of cool. I can cross "Drive through a snow-storm" off my bucket list. Although I don't really think it was there to begin with.

So I made it home, tried to park my car sort of between the lines in the parking lot which I could no longer see because they were covered up by snow, and walked up to my apartment. But my roomies were nowhere to be found! At first I thought they had all gone to bed, because only one light was on. But it was only 10:30, and I knew they knew it was snowing! I thought they were crazy-for about a minute. Then it dawned on me that they were probably out playing in the snow! So I called them and went back out on campus to meet with them. We spent probably an hour just walking around campus, making snow men and snow angels, and taking pictures. So much fun.

Roomies in the snow

My snow angel!

The only downside was, we still weren't sure if we would have school today or not. Once we got home, I read a few chapters in a book I was supposed to have finished by today for my Religion in America class. It's actual sermons and documents from the Great Awakening, so basically, snooze-fest. I read for a while, then decided I was done, and went to bed. When my alarm went off this morning, to my great joy, my phone told me that we did NOT have school! And there was great rejoicing. Except not right then, because I went straight back to bed. Eventually we all woke up and took another walk around campus, through the now-melting slush/snow.

Gorgeous tree in front of the SUB Snow on our steps-
about 2 inches, I'd say!

Then we went to McAlister's for some yummy soup to warm our cold bodies, and HEB to get supplies for chili and berry cobbler, which we are about to start making. All in all, a great end to a COLD week here in Waco!

Day Seventeen-To Live a Different Life

2011-01-28T12:04:00.003-06:00

Who would I want to trade lives with for a day? My answer to this is probably really weird, but it's always been something I've wondered about.

I would love to trade lives with a trucker for one day. Ever since I was little, I've had this fascination with cramming as much stuff as possible into a little bitty space (like the opposite of claustrophobia).

I've always thought it would be fun to have your whole life in the cab of your truck and just drive around all the time for a living.

Of course I realize there's a LOT more to it than that, and I KNOW I would get tired of it really quickly, but luckily this hypothetical trade is only for one day! After that I would definitely want a shower, and probably a real bed.

Maybe there is a trucker somewhere who would let me ride along for a day (Preferably a nice trucker, though. No creepers need apply.)

Day Sixteen-Me, Myself, Yo, Io, Moi, Etc...

2011-01-27T19:55:00.003-06:00

Another picture of ME? Well, if you insist!

This is my favorite picture that Mom took of me before my senior prom. Which, yes, means it is coming up on four years old. But all that makeup makes me look older, right? Before prom, I really did not have very high expectations for it. I was just going because I figured if I didn't, I would regret it for the rest of my life, and I wanted to be able to tell my kids someday about going to prom. Plus, I had a boyfriend at the time, so it's not like I had to work really hard to find a date (although there was quite a bit of drama surrounding that, too...material for another post). Anyway, I went, and I actually had an amazing time. It was such a fun night with all my best friends, right before we graduated and our lives changed completely. Looking back, it is one of my favorite high school memories, and I'm so glad I went.

Day Fifteen-My Random Music Collection

2011-01-27T19:50:00.003-06:00

First 10 songs to come up when my iPod (in this case, my iPhone) is on shuffle:

Here in My Heart, Martina McBride
How Far, Martina McBride [I love Martina, but really?]
The Girl with the Flaxen Hair, Joshua Bell [hey, I've met him!]
Real Good Man, Tim McGraw
How He Loves, David Crowder Band
My Life Would Suck Without You, Glee Cast [guilty pleasure music]
The Farmer and the Cowman, Oklahoma! 1998 London Revival Cast
Overture, Oklahoma! 1998 London Revival Cast [seriously?!?]
I Don't Want to See You Again, Martina McBride
Something Like That, Tim Mcgraw

I have to say, not exactly very representative. I do have more than five artists/albums on my phone. BUT, I am not one to cheat the system and keep skipping until I get good songs. So there you go!

Day Fourteen-Familia

2011-01-27T19:42:00.003-06:00

Mom's Side-In London, Summer 2009

Dad's side-At Passion, 2008

I love my family!

Day Thirteen-An Open Letter

2011-01-27T19:39:00.002-06:00

Dear Bathtub,

Ouch! You jumped up out of the floor and tripped me. Now I have a big purple bruise on my shin to show for it. That was not a nice thing to do. But since you have mostly been good to me for the last two years, I will overlook your hurtful actions just this once. I just hope you don't do it again.

I hope we can still be friends,
Jennifer

[I am BEHIND on blogging-it has been a crazy week! I'm going to try to catch up tonight, though.]

Day Twelve-Why Blog???

2011-01-23T14:30:00.002-06:00

So...why do I have a blog? What got me started in this whole bloggy world?

I started reading the blogs of a few friends/acquaintances waaaaaay back, probably five years ago. One of those was Nancy, whom I didn't really know at the time except that she worked at the church and was one of those silly Mildred and Gertrude ladies. Ha! Now I'm proud to call her a friend, and still enjoy reading her blog. From her blog, I got to clicking and found a few other people I "knew", and then some people I didn't, but whose blogs I really enjoyed reading. Then reading blogs became a hobby, and I finally decided I should start one of my own so that I wasn't only reading, but was also writing something too.

Obviously, I haven't kept up with ye olde bloggy very well, until now. I really want to keep up with blogging this semester and throughout the year because, as the lovely Lindsay points out, it will be a year of great changes and (hopefully) great excitement! On that note, I really need to quit blogging and procrastinating and go finish my application to Texas Tech. I officially HATE the applications process...but it's one of those things we have to endure, I suppose.

Day Eleven-More Friends???

2011-01-22T13:24:00.003-06:00

Well, had I looked ahead to this day in the first place, maybe I wouldn't have used all my favorite pictures in the first "friends" post. But here is the most recent picture of all of us, taken in December when we drove down to College Station to see Beauty and the Beast.

I love them!

Day Ten-Songs for Every Mood

2011-01-21T17:09:00.003-06:00

I'm not going to lie, this is one of the posts I was most excited to get to when I first started this blog challenge. I love music, and have way too much of it on my computer. So let's try to narrow it down a little bit, shall we?

Music I listen to when I'm:

Happy-"The Best Day", Taylor Swift

Sad-"Fix You", Coldplay

Stressed-"Vienna", Billy Joel

Hyper-"Single Ladies", Beyoncé

Mad-"American Dream", Switchfoot

Confession: this was a LOT harder than I thought it would be. But there you go!

Day Nine-Accomplishments

2011-01-21T17:07:00.003-06:00

OOPS! I definitely forgot to blog yesterday. So sorry. I actually started this post and then got distracted doing something else. That would fall under the category of something I am NOT proud of in the past few days. But here are a few things I AM proud of:

Being ahead of the game (or at least on schedule) with the readings for most of my classes
Having a productive meeting with my thesis advisor (even though I introduced a completely new idea which is proving to be a lot more work than I thought it would be)
Keeping up with my one-year Bible reading plan!

Little things, but important things. What are you proud of recently?

Day Eight-It's Good to Have Goals

2011-01-19T15:33:00.003-06:00

Today, I am supposed to set some short-term goals for this month. WELL. Setting the goals should be the easy part; actually getting them done will be more difficult.

Finish grad school applications. Because I would like to have somewhere to go after May 14th, thank you very much.
Write a third thesis chapter. (AKA What I Was Working On Before I Took A "Break" and Remembered I Needed to Blog for Today)
Master the choreography for Sing. Because right now, it is kicking my butt. (It's probably toning my butt, too, which is actually OK with me.)
Join the CABC choir for the Prison Trip in March. This one I will (barring any unforeseeable emergencies) accomplish tonight! I'm really excited about singing again!
Keep blogging regularly!

So. There are some goals. Guess we will have to see if I accomplished them come February 19th. For now, back to thesis!!! (Fake enthusiasm goes here.)

Day Seven- Impactful

2011-01-18T10:49:00.000-06:00

Day Seven: A picture of someone/something that has had the biggest impact on you.

This is my grandmother. Her name is Moppy. Well, that's not her real name, obviously. But it's all I've ever called her, and actually what a goodly number of her friends call her, too. Moppy has been a constant presence in my life, from my earliest memories. What I think I love the most about her is that she is selfless. If anyone she loves is in need, she will give of herself to help them. I love her so much!(Also, she may kill me for putting pictures of her on the internet, but I don't care. So there.)

Day Six: Favorite Superhero

2011-01-17T14:08:00.005-06:00

I am not really a superhero, comic books kind of girl. In fact, I was fully prepared to find some obscure female bookworm superhero and choose her. But THEN, my roomie Rachel reminded me of this:

Well, YEAH. I don't even think this post need any more words.

Day Five: Somewhere I've Been.

2011-01-16T13:19:00.006-06:00

I love to travel. For someone who is only 21 years old (at least until tomorrow...ahh!), I like to think I've seen a fair amount of the world, whether through mission trips or traveling with family. Here's a list of the places I've been:

USA:
Birmingham, AL
Los Angeles and surrounding areas, CA
Orlando, FL (and other parts of the state, but I was very little)
Atlanta, GA
Chicago, IL
Louisville, KY
New Orleans, LA
Random parts of NW Louisiana
Vicksburg, MS
New York, NY
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Charlotte, NC
Winston-Salem, NC
Greensboro, NC
Outer Banks, NC
Asheville, NC
Guthrie, OK
Nashville, TN
Austin, TX
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
Houston, TX
San Antonio, TX
Waco, TX
Lots of other places in TX, because-DUH-it's the greatest state EVER!

International:
Cozumel, Mexico
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Managua, Leon, and Santa Maria, Nicaragua
Manila, Iloilo, and Boracay, Philippines
Barbados
Dominica
Aruba
Jamaica
Cayman Islands
London, England
Paris, France
Milan, La Spezia, Fezzano, Cremona, Florence, Pisa, Rome, Aviano, and Venice, Italy

See? Not so bad. Now for what the prompt actually said-a PICTURE! I chose a picture from Italy, because it is the place I traveled to most recently (well, not counting North Carolina), and it is the place I have spent the most time internationally (almost 9 weeks this summer).

These two pictures are of Fezzano, the village/town/"comune" where my Italian family actually lived most of the time. It is so much more beautiful than even these pictures can show. When I first got there, I literally felt like I had traveled back in time because of the narrow stone alleyways and old houses right along the water. It's beautiful. So that is one of the places where I have been! I hope to always be traveling and learning more about other parts of the world. What a blessing to have the means to do so.

Day Four: A Bad Habit

2011-01-15T13:53:00.004-06:00

Day four of the bloggy challenge is a habit I wish I didn't have.

My worst and most annoying habit is definitely biting my nails. I've done it since I was little, and though I've tried several times to stop, it's never really worked for very long. Although it started before I started playing the viola, I have to place at least part of the blame on orchestra, because we aren't allowed to have long nails. Case in point: over Christmas break, I actually quit biting my nails long enough for them to grow out somewhat. I even painted them pink! They were so cute! But when I got back to school, I had to clip them for the first day of orchestra, and that was the end of that. My mom tells me that she bit her nails until she was in her 30s, so maybe there is hope for me yet. And there you have it-my least favorite, hardest to shake habit!

Day Three: Friends

2011-01-14T14:48:00.009-06:00

The challenge for Day 3 is a picture of my friends and me. Forgive me if I need to choose more than just one.

First comes my oldest friend. I can't even tell you when I met Rebecca, really. All I know is that she has been there from my earliest memory, and I am so thankful for the encouragement she has been in my life!

See? I'm talking OLD friends!

Growing up...

...into beautiful young ladies, if I do say so myself.

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words." -Unknown

Then of course, there are the friends I've made here at Baylor, who have brought so much joy into my life these past few years. I honestly don't know what I am going to do when we graduate and I have to learn how to live life away from them.

A really early picture of all of us...I think this was sophomore year. Lindsay, me, Kim, Rachel, Amber, Valori

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one."-C.S. Lewis

Christmas 2009. Clockwise from top left: Valori, Me, Lindsay, Rachel, Kim

"Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose." -Tennessee Williams

We laugh a lot, too. Blue Bell Creamery, April 2010.

I'm so thankful for the friends God has put in my life. Whether I've known them my whole life or only a few years, they encourage me and act like family when I'm far from my real family. I'm not sure what I did to deserve them, but I'm not asking!

"Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!"
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Day Two: Why "The Jennifer Story"?

2011-01-13T10:33:00.004-06:00

It's day two of my bloggy challenge, and I haven't quit yet! This is progress, people! The challenge for today is: Explain the meaning behind your blog name.
My blog is called "The Jennifer Story". When I was very little, every night when my parents put me to bed, I made them tell me "The Jennifer Story". The Jennifer Story was simply a record of everything I had done that day, from waking up, to eating breakfast, to playing with my toys, all the way to getting back into bed and hearing the Jennifer Story. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, it would have been, if I hadn't been the detail Nazi of the early childhood world. I'm told that if my parents got even the smallest detail wrong, like what kind of cereal I ate or what pair of shorts I wore, I made them go back and fix it and tell the story "right". My poor parents. So when I started this blog, I wanted it to be a record of my life (although maybe without quite so many details.) Thus, The Jennifer Story! There you go!

Oh, and just for funsies, here's a picture of little me:

(Somehow the spacing on this post got all wonky, and I don't know how to fix it. Lo siento.)

Day One!

2011-01-12T14:07:00.004-06:00

The topic for Day One is: A recent picture of yourself and fifteen interesting facts.

(Wow, I have never put a picture in a blog post before. Let's see if I can figure this out!)

OK, I did it! This was taken last spring when my friends and I drove down to Brenham to visit the Blue Bell factory and see some beautiful Texas wildflowers. Such a fun day.

And now for the 15 facts:

My favorite kind of music is country. I don't care if people think it's corny or old-fashioned, I just love it. Even the older, 80s-era stuff.
I love to fly. And not just because flying means you’re going somewhere new. I actually love airports, airplanes, and lame in-flight magazines. I think it has something to do with the fact that when you fly everything is very orderly, and there are rules that EVERYBODY has to follow, or they just don’t get to fly. It makes my Type-A self very happy.
I kind of wish I could take a few weeks or months and just sit in the library and read any book that strikes my fancy. There always seem to be more important things to do other than read, and that makes me so sad-I really do love to read.
I am for sure addicted to caffeine, and, more recently, I HAVE to have a cup of coffee in the morning, or else I am just all out of sorts. Ironically, though, if I have caffeine too late in the day, I can't sleep. (Apparently I'm also an 80-year old. Lame.)
I'm currently writing my undergraduate Honors thesis on the public perception of placing infants in non-maternal child care. Or something like that. Ask me again in May, and I'll tell you what it really ends up being about.
I love cucumbers, but hate pickles.
I have a serious fear of construction sites. I'm always afraid something is going to come crashing down on my head and crush me, or I'm going to fall straight through the floor.
I really dislike fluorescent light. No one looks good under it, and it baffles me why nearly every hotel in America uses it in their bathrooms. Ick.
I almost have to take a shower before I go to bed at night. I can't stand getting into bed feeling sweaty/stinky/gross in any way.
I really like sports. Football, baseball, basketball, pro, college, high school. I'll watch any of them, and I actually understand the rules pretty well.
Ever since I've lived with a roommate (all 4 years of college), I have slept with earplugs in at night, mostly to block out noise if my roomie stays up later or gets up earlier than me. Oddly, though, when I share a room with my brother at home, I don't wear them.
My favorite color is green. I am a lot more likely to buy something if it comes in green, and I currently own about 2014839 green shirts/sweaters/tank tops because of this.
I don't really believe that 13 is an unlucky number.
I have a Kindle, but for books I really like and think I'll want to read again, I still prefer to have a hard copy. I will say that Kindle's free international internet saved my life in Italy this summer, though.
I cannot parallel park to save my life. This was never really an issue, since I grew up in the 'burbs, but in April we moved into a more urban part of town, and several times when parking is scarce I've had to call someone inside the house to come out and park my car for me on the street. Sad, I know.

So, there you go! 15 random facts about me! Hopefully I will be able to keep up with this blog challenge...see ya' tomorrow!

30 Day Blog Challenge

2011-01-12T14:01:00.003-06:00

So, as much as I have wanted to be a good blogger in the past, I have always failed at that goal. BUT-seeing as how this is my last semester at Baylor (AAH!), I really want to keep a record of the time I have left here. So to get me started, I am going to try to do this 30 day blog challenge that I found on Hannah's blog (I don't know Hannah. But I know some people who know Hannah, and I somehow clicked onto her blog and thought that this was a great idea! So I'm borrowing it.) Hopefully, this will give me something to blog about each day and maybe, just maybe, turn me into a REAL blogger!

Here are the 30 days.

Day One- A recent picture of yourself and fifteen interesting facts.
Day Two- The meaning behind your blog name.
Day Three-A picture of you and your friends.
Day Four- A habit that you wish you didn’t have.
Day Five- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to.
Day Six- Favorite super hero and why.
Day Seven- A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you.
Day Eight- Short term goals for this month and why.
Day Nine- Something you’re proud of in the past few days.
Day Ten- Songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyped, mad.
Day Eleven- Another picture of you and your friends.
Day Twelve- How you found out about blogger and why you have one.
Day Thirteen- A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.
Day Fourteen- A picture of you and your family.
Day Fifteen- Put your ipod on shuffle: first 10 songs that play.
Day Sixteen- Another picture of yourself.
Day Seventeen- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why.
Day Eighteen- Plans/dreams/goals you have.
Day Nineteen- Nicknames you have and why you have them.
Day Twenty- Someone you see yourself marrying or being with in the future.
Day Twenty one- A picture of something that makes you happy.
Day Twenty two- What makes you different from everyone else.
Day Twenty three- Something you crave for a lot.
Day Twenty four- A letter to your parents.
Day Twenty five- What I would find in your bag.
Day Twenty six- What do you think about your friends?
Day Twenty eight- A picture from you last year, and now. What has changed since then?
Day Twenty nine- In this past month, what have you learned?
Day Thirty- Your favorite song.

So-here goes nothing! Day 1 post coming up soon.

Summertime!

2010-05-20T17:12:00.004-05:00

Hey there! Well, I am officially on summer break now, and have been for over a week. So far, nothing too exciting has happened, unless you count watching lots of daytime TV and avoiding studying for the GRE as exciting. I think I'm saving up my excitement points for later in the summer. Speaking of which, I leave for Italy in exactly 20 days! WOW! I'm really excited and still unsure of exactly what it will be like, but I know it will be amazing no matter what.

Tonight is my brother's last KF Orchestra concert, and therefore the last one my family will attend after 11 straight years of them. That is so crazy and I can' t believe my "baby" brother is so close to being finished with high school! I am really getting old!

OK, one more thing (I don't think anyone reads this anyway, but if you do...) you should check out my uncles' blogs. They have the awesome opportunity to travel with the Passion World Tour all around the world; they have been to Kiev and London and are now in Tokyo, with more places to come. Passion is all about making Jesus famous with college students throughout the world, and it is amazing to see what God is doing! It's so cool that there are college students all over the world, just like us, who want to reach their countries for Jesus. So pray for them, and keep up with their blogs if you want! (Links: Jim and Todd)

I am going to get off the computer now (I've only been on it for 5 hours or something today). Dad will be home soon, and we are off to Chick-fil-A (yum!) and Sean's concert! Ciao!

O, Long-Lost and Neglected Bloggie...

2010-05-04T20:50:00.004-05:00

Hello. I should start this post with an apology, because I haven't written in over a year (and a half!), and that definitely makes me a BAD BLOGGER. A lot of times I would think about blogging and then think about having to 'splain myself and then not do it. So I am attempting to get over this fear, and not even offering an explanation (since there isn't one) and I am going to start blogging again! (Maybe. At least I'll try.)

Enough of that. Obviously I won't be summarizing my whole life in the past 18 months in one post, but let me try and hit the high points (in random-very, very random-order):

I'm almost done with my JUNIOR year of college (can you even believe? Because I can't.). In fact, finals start tomorrow. And yet I am blogging instead of studying. Please ignore this fact.
I have somewhat decided on a life path/goal...I am focusing on Child and Family Studies and hope to go to grad school and get my Master's Degree in that field, and then...work with children! I know that sounds kind of lame and vague, but here's the thing. When people say they are going to med school or law school or some other kind of graduate school, there is usually a very specific, defined career goal associated with that. Doctor. Lawyer. Accountant. But with a degree in Child/Family Studies, there is still a lot of latitude with what I can do career-wise. Because of that, no, I still don't have a concrete idea of "What I Want To Do With My Life". But I am OK with that, and actually I think grad school will be a great time of refining my interests and seeing what is out there. Because, if you haven't noticed, children are EVERYWHERE. So that means I could potentially work ANYWHERE. Score.
I spent last summer working as a mother's helper/nanny for an amazing family in Houston who were having a crazy, chaotic time of things and really needed my help. It was so much fun and I miss those kids!
I have a nephew! He is adorable and has brought tons of fun and excitement into the family...we seriously sit around at family gatherings and wonder what we did before Mac was born, because it must have been so boring!
I have made some of the best friends in the world at Baylor. It took a little while, but I think they were worth the wait. We have fun doing random goofy stuff and I sometimes can't believe there are other people in the world who are interested in the same dweeby things I am!
Both of my parents have moved in the last two months...which means that I no longer have any connection to the neighborhood in which I grew up. Not sure yet how I feel about that, but I am really excited for both of them because they love their new places! (I haven't seen Dad's yet, but I am sure it is great!)
I joined Sing Alliance, a group here at Baylor that exists solely for the purpose of participating in Sing. I had always loved watching the acts every year and finally decided to take the plunge and participate, even though I am FAR from being a dancer, and singing is only a minimal part of the show. It was absolutely amazing and I am so glad I did it. We won 3rd place overall, and People's Choice for Best Backdrop! (Go here to watch our amazing act!) Even if we hadn't won anything, it would have been worth it because the experience was so amazing. I can't wait to do Pigskin in the Fall and Sing 2011 next year!
Finally, and possibly the most exciting piece of information (at least to me right now) is that this summer I will be going to ITALY for 8 weeks to be an au pair for an Italian family! I can't say much more than that, because I have been asked to be very cautious about the family's privacy, but I am super excited and also a little bit terrified. Again, this is something way out of my comfort zone (not really knowing what to expect, kind of spontaneous), but I am really excited for it and hope that it is an amazing experience

Obviously, I could go on and on, but I think I will stop here-that is a somewhat sufficient summary of the past 18 months. I have to credit my return to blogging to my BFF (no really, Best Friend Forever) Rebecca, because she started a blog and I had to say "Oh, hey! I have one of those, too! Well, I did have one...a long time ago..." So when she visits my blog I want there to be something more current for her to read than something I wrote when I was 19. Ha. I should probably go study now! Wish me luck, and hopefully I will talk to you sooner than November 4, 2011. =p

Rule Follower

2008-11-15T20:34:00.003-06:00

I am a rule follower. I always have been. OCD, anal retentive, whatever you want to call it...I just like things to be done the "right way", and that includes following the rules. I always thought this was just a part of who I am, but something that happened last night got me to thinking...

My friends and I went to see Quantum of Solace last night (really good movie!). But because our schedule got a little off (read: we were unable to tear ourselves away from the Friends of Waco Library Book Sale in time to make a Wal-Mart run before dinner), we ended up having an hour to kill before our movie started. So we decided to go to Wal-Mart and get some candy to take into the movie theater with us (which is, technically, breaking the rules.) But I was fine with it...I have cousins in NC who are experts at sneaking stuff into theaters and besides, I think charging $3.50 for a box of M&M's is ridiculous. So we bought our (cheap!) candy at Wal-Mart and went back to the theater. As we were parking, Rachel and I wondered if we could also sneak in our drinks that we had left over from dinner. A few moments and some clever purse zipping later, we were walking into the theater laden with contraband candy and soda. Oooh the criminality. All was well until, as we stood in line waiting to get into the theater, I felt a strange wet sensation against my leg. Soon, a drop of Coke fell onto my toe. Yeah-my drink was leaking. All down in my favorite Vera hipster. I high-tailed it to the restroom and tried to dry out my purse and its contents (including my candy), but didn't have much luck. I poured the drink out and went back to the theater. Having a soda in the movie was SO NOT WORTH IT.

So I think this is why I always follow the rules-because when I don't, I GET IN TROUBLE. No matter what. Freshman year of high school, when everyone was sneaking out of their hotel rooms on the orchestra trip? I was in the group that got caught. It is inevitable. I know this is really a good thing, keeps me honest and everything, but sometimes it's just annoying! This is why I am a rule follower. The moral here? Don't try to get me to break the rules with you...it probably won't end well.

In other news, SIC 'EM BEARS! We totally WHOOPed up on the Aggies today, which really isn't saying much because, well, they suck, but it was still fun! And cold-very, very, cold. I think I'm going to go curl up in bed and watch some more football. Sounds good to me. Later people!

What I Know and what I Do

2008-11-04T21:50:00.002-06:00

What I know: I serve a God who is bigger than this election. He is big enough to take care of this country, and He already knows everything that is going to happen in the next 4 years, and beyond.

What I Do: I've been glued to the TV and internet for the past few hours, counting every electoral vote and watching the little states turn blue. And worrying.

"So I find this law at work: when I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!" -Romans 7:21-25

This is so me right now.

Why am I blogging???

2008-10-09T22:50:00.003-05:00

I could list for you all the things I should be doing. Things like studying for a Calculus quiz that's in 10 hours, reading articles for a research paper that needs to grow 3 pages by next week, or even just taking a shower and getting into bed before 11 for the first time all week. Why am I not doing those things? I really don't know.

Here are some random thoughts that are tumbling around in my brain. Please don't expect this to make any sense, because most likely it won't.

I really don't want to get ready for bed, because that means I have to take my makeup off. I so seldom get "pretty" when I'm at school, but tonight we had an orchestra concert and I just wanted to look a little nicer than usual. And now I really want to stay dolled up for just a little longer, just a little longer...I don't really know why.

I had 2 tests yesterday. The one I felt pretty good about I already know the grade, and it's a B. Ick. The other one I was pretty sure I bombed walking out, and realllly don't want to see the grade now.

I am so so very unsure of what path my life is going to take. Sometimes I think not having a real major is a curse, because it has allowed me to sort of slip and slide along under the radar, and I could keep doing that. I just don't want to. I want to have a defined goal, an ambition, a plan! I'm a planning kind of girl! Everyone has an opinion, and I know it's going to be discussed this weekend, and I just-don't know what to do.

Tonight was my first ever orchestra concert that not one person in the audience was there "for" me. I have always had at least one parent, friend, pastor, something there to hear me. I didn't play well, either, my mind was all over the place. It was weird. Also, I don't think orchestra is going to fit into my schedule next semester, which is really sad. But then again, who knows what my schedule for next semester will look like? See above.

I have serious roommate issues. I just want us to coexist, but she thinks that we should still be "BFFs" like we were in high school. If I had it to do over again, I would never have roomed with someone I already knew. At least not someone I knew so well. A roommate should be someone you like, but not someone you really feel compelled to spend lots of time with and spill your every living secret to. Doesn't work, people, and now we're stuck together 'til May, doing this awkward dance around each other's feelings, and I just wish I could get out of it.

My brother is now a licensed driver-that makes me feel so OLD! All my friends are turning 20. In a lot of ways, I feel ready to leave the "teen years" behind, but 20 just seems really up there in age. I know it's not. But it seems that way. 17 always seemed old, too. I guess it's just a matter of perspective.

I have definitely already started listening to Christmas music. It's my favorite. I can't wait for the weather to get cold and stay that way. It's been teasing us the last few nights, but it always warms up in the daytime. I'm so ready to stop sweating every time I walk outside!

Today I ate: pancakes, a banana, hot tea, a cupcake, crackers with cheese, a Coke Zero, a Chick-Fil-A sandwich, waffle fries, a Capri Sun, another cupcake, a piece of wheat bread, and a cheese stick. It was a weird culinary day, and I think my stomach is starting to realize that and let me know how it feels. Urgh.

Whoo, well that was definitely random. I guess I just needed to get some stuff out "there". I think I will go take a shower, and probably wing it on the Calc quiz.

"Glory be to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Alleluia. Amen."

Something to Say...

2008-06-10T22:05:00.002-05:00

So I've been informed that people actually read this blog...really? Why? Oh, I'm just kidding. But I feel bad because I really don't have all that much to blog about. This week is Vacation Bible School, and I have 2-2 1/2 year olds. They're cute, and it's actually a lot easier than my normal preschool job...go figure, right? I've been working switchboard after VBS, too, which makes for long days but at least I'm making some money this week (since VBS is volunteer).

I'm in this weird spot of missing some parts of Baylor life (mostly the people...not so much the food), but still really enjoying being with my family...I know it's weird, but I would honestly rather just sit at home and hang out with my family than go out and do whatever it is I'm supposed to do when I go out. For the most part, anyway. There are some days when I just have to get out, but then I do and I'm ready to come home. But like I said, I miss my Baylor friends too.

It's Father's Day weekend, which means several things...The US Open, so leave Dad alone and let him watch golf, and the banjo show. Ah, the banjo show. My grandfather is in a banjo band (let that sink in for a moment, will you?) and every year they have their big show down in Galveston on Father's Day weekend. I can't say it's my favorite theatrical performance of the year, but we always go because he loves it and we love him. A few years I even performed in the show, but we won't go into that. That's a post for another day. But that's really what these holidays are all about, I guess...doing something that may not be your favorite thing to make someone else really happy. OK sentimental moment over, I'm going to bed because y'all, I'm exhausted. I tell ya, getting up at 7:30 and dealing with babies and phone calls all day will do that to a girl.

Thoughts on a Tuesday...

2008-05-27T16:56:00.005-05:00

-I love my job. I love it more when ALL my babies take good, long naps.
-I'm cooking a Stouffer's lasagna for dinner. I'm pretty excited about it.
-In a little under an hour I will hopefully have won a Vera Bradley microfiber wallet on eBay!
-Tomorrow is my last day of freedom for the foreseeable future...then work starts all the time! Yikes!
-It took over 3 hours to clean my room on Sunday. Yes, 3 hours.
-I started Same Kind of Different as Me today for my Welcome Week assigned reading, it is sooo much better than last year's book.
-I have no more thoughts. Life is good, Houston is hot, and Jennifer is out of here.

Hot Pink Toenails, Service, and Memories

2008-05-21T16:59:00.002-05:00

I have hot pink toenails. They make me smile every time I see them.

Today I went to the Mission Training Center to volunteer with my grandfather (he's there every Wednesday). I didn't really know what I was going to be doing before I got there, sat in on a few of the "counseling/prayer" sessions, and finally found my place behind the scenes packing up bags of food for people who came in. Sometimes I wish I was more comfortable with the evangelism side of things, but I know my gift is service, not necessarily interacting with the people out on the front lines. It was a really fun day, I was the youngest person volunteering by-ahem-several years, but I really enjoyed it and hopefully will get to go back at least the next few weeks before I start working switchboard.

May 21,2005...wow I still miss him like crazy. Ridiculous, no?

I'm auditioning for the church orchestra tonight, so I can hopefully play with them this summer. Wish me luck!

Nostalgic much?

2008-05-15T17:51:00.002-05:00

First of all, I'm no longer going to Honduras. Sadness, I know. There's lots of political unrest and protests going on there right now because the government is apparently refusing to address some pretty important issues with water and hunger and other basic needs of their people. So be in prayer for the people of Honduras, as well as their leaders, that they would turn to God and realize the needs of their people and how best to meet those needs. That was, needless to say, a pretty crazy shift in my plans-from planning to be out of the country for the next 2 weeks to now being home-and really having nothing to do! I'm hoping to be able to start working early, so we'll see.

Today I am-still-unpacking all of my stuff from the dorm. And if I'm being completely honest, I didn't get much at all unpacked today. But I did take the time to go through my bookshelves, since I recently realized that The Baby-Sitter's Club and Amber Brown is Not a Crayon are not exactly my reading material of choice any longer. So today I went through them all, and made a list of some of the books I had. Y'all, I own over 100 books from that series. And while going through them I realized that I have read most of the ones that I don't own-because I would say, "I know I own that book!" but, alas, it was not among my collection. It was fun to reminsce and think about the good old days-and yes, I'm pretty sure that saying that makes me officially old. It's okay. Really. I'm over it.

I also watched Dreamgirls last night (courtesy of Netflix), and it was really good! I mean, it was a musical, so it automatically got brownie points with me. (I mean, who wouldn't want to live in a world where people randomly burst into song and perfectly-choreographed dancing at the drop of a hat? Paradise, I'm convinced.) But the story was engrossing and I really enjoyed it-enough to stay up reaaaaalllly late to finish! I'm creating a really bad habit of staying up well past midnight and then sleeping until at least 10. I realize that's typical of teenagers, but it isn't going to fly once I start work and actually have to act like a responsible adult! Oh well. I'll make it happen. Anyways, I really loved the movie-5 stars from Jennifer! And I downloaded the soundtrack this afternoon---Mmmmm. Those girls (and guys) can sayng! Pretty fun. So that was my day. Too thrilling, I know. I'm going to go check on my Crock-Pot Creation (Yes, Jennifer is cooking people. Be amazed.)

I think I need to leave the country...

2008-05-14T15:28:00.004-05:00

...I spend entirely too much money without the distraction of school. I mean, it's things I *need* for my trip and stuff, but still.

I leave Friday morning to go to Honduras. It definitely hasn't sunk in to my brain yet that it's so soon, but I'm set as far as having everything I need. As far as packing, well....I don't have any room to do it because I still haven't unpacked my dorm stuff yet. I have too much junk and not enough room to put it all away.

On the trip we'll be teaching in a Christian school in Choluteca, while the "Engineers with a Mission" put together a water purification system in a nearby village. It should be fun, I can't wait to build relationships with the kids and teachers, not to mention the other students on the trip! I'll try to update here, depending on what kind of Internet access we have. They say the hotel is pretty nice, so we'll see!

I'm going to go work on unpacking. Or packing. Oh and I have to go pick up my brudder in...like 10 minutes. Oops. I totally didn't, like, forget about him. Or something. Hee hee.

The Class that Almost Wasn't...

2008-05-13T22:53:00.004-05:00

So, the blog. Hasn't really caught on yet, in case you didn't notice. Hee hee. As of today, I am officially done with my freshman year of college! And, as a bonus, I think I might actually have something worth blogging about! So here goes...

One of my classes this semester was PHI 1308-Introduction to Ethics. Yes, people, those first three letters stand for PHILOSOPHY. As in, sit around and talk about Aristotle and Plato and how to be great thinkers like them. Not exactly my cup of shaken iced green tea. But being as how my major has no degree requirements, and being as how I only had 14 credit hours when planning my Spring schedule (in the oh-so-Springy month of October, thank you very much early registration) and being as how I am required by this magic major of magnificence to carry at least 15 hours a semester, I really really needed a 3 hour course that was offered at 9 AM MWF. So I did what any rational person would do. I selected every last department in the online course catalog and went through every. single. course. Baylor offered in that time slot for Spring '08. Here's a sampling of what I came up with:

-Financial Accounting? Erm...not so much.
-American Journalism History...sounds fascinating but I think I'm going to pass.
-Electrical Circuit Theory...well of course. How did I ever miss that in my pre-physical therapy course requirements? *insert sarcasm here. And really after everything else I ever say.*

You get the picture. The pickings, they were slim. But lo and behold (I love that phrase), there sat Intro to Ethics, MWF 9-9:50, Professor X. "Well," said my mom (who was of course helping me pick out my courses because, hello, did you really expect me to act like a grown-up adult person, capable of making her own decisions? I didn't think so.) "Ethics is good for a medical-type person. What if you have to decide whether to pull the plug on a terminal patient? Or what if a father's one chance to live is to transplant his adopted daughter's ex-husband's kindey? Wouldn't you need to know what to do then?" Well, yes, Mom, I guess I would need to know what to do then. And I definitely don't think anyone has been watching too much ER/Grey's Anatomy/House lately. Nooo sir. Anyway. So I signed up for PHI 1308, mostly just to fill the void in my schedule with a class that, surely, couldn't be that hard. I would be fine.

Fast forward a few months. First semester is over, and it's Christmas time. I must have told five hundred people what my class schedule looked like for next semester (Well, really it just looks like a sheet of printing paper with a fancy grid and notes like "Room 206-up the stairs and to the right!" because Jennifer is so not at all OCD or afraid of getting lost on the way to class and being inexcusably late on the first day and making a bad impression and I THINK I AM HAVING AN ANEURYSM JUST TYPING ABOUT IT! She's totally not like that.) Anyway, my answer went something like this: "Well I'm signed up for intermediate Spanish, which I'm pretty excited about, and Biology, Religion, and...Ethics...but I'm probably going to drop that because I'm really not so much a philosophy person."

So I get into class on the first day. (On time and totally not lost, thank you very much.) The prof is a young grad student who made me laugh and seemed to actually like philosophy? Weird. But he did enough in the first few weeks to convince me not to drop the class. We read Geach, Mill, Kant, Jane Austen (loves it), and Aristotle. And y'all, something crazy happened. I actually liked philosophy. It wasn't all sitting around talking about old dead guys and what they thought. It was practical, useful stuff that answered questions I'd always had, and then brought up a whole mess of new ones to think about. Yeah. Now, I'm not going to be a philosophy major. Sorry. But you know what? I ended up with a 98 in that class. A 98! In a college course! Not that it was insanely challenging, but still. That's pretty dang good, if I do say so myself, ever so humbly. And you know that Spanish class I was so "excited" about? Yeah. My first B in college, frustrations without end, and the biggest college disappointment yet.

The thing that really stands out here to me (besides the fact that, I PULLED A 98 IN A COLLEGE CLASS!!!!) is that God really does work in crazy ways. I mean, yes, I know this. I could cite a bazillion stories from my life and the lives of people I know to show you this. And maybe this isn't even a really good one. But y'all, I totally thought I knew what was going to go down in this course. I would hate it, grit my teeth, and make it through, hoping that it wouldn't ruin my GPA (which totally isn't important, just that it's tied to my major and grad school and every last one of my scholarships...). But God took it and did something totally awesome. So many times I shut the door on God, put Him in a box, or whatever lingo-catchphrase-churchy word you would like to use. I like to think that I know exactly how things are going to happen and every detail of what my life is going to look like. Maybe when I do that, I'm missing out on a great semester with a really cool prof, where I learn some important things. Maybe when I'm looking for my awesome Spanish class to make my day at the end of the semester, He really wants to use the Ethics course that I signed up for on a whim. Just a thought. Or two or seventy-three.

Maybe this blogging thing will stick after all.

"'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the LORD." -Isaiah 55:8

Hello World!

2008-04-11T22:19:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog! I've been reading a few people's blogs pretty regularly lately (actually I think "lurking" is the appropriate term), and I've finally decided to try it out for myself. So here I am! Hopefully I will actually be able to come up with things to say on a regular basis-my college life basically consists of class, eating, and studying. That's not entirely true, so hopefully I will have interesting material to blog about. All right, I think that's probably enough for my first-ever blog. Thanks for stopping by!