O, Long-Lost and Neglected Bloggie...

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

Something to Say...

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...

-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

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?

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.)