Gooodbye Blogger

I have had some serious problems with formatting on blogger so I have a new blog here at: http://theinklingsblog.wordpress.com/. So, if I do still have any more readers out there that enjoyed my blog, here is the new one :)

Last tennis night until next semester :(

Just thought that I should post up a few pics from our last night of tennis for the semester. It is getting too cold for them to play so until after Christmas!

Twenty

After watching my family's home video of my 2nd birthday, I am not really too excited about having to spend my twentieth without them :( I have so many mixed emotions about being twenty. Not like there is anything I can do about it. Part of me feels a lot like Peter Pan, I honestly do not really want to grow up, but then there is another part of me that is ready to be grown up. I suppose if you would consider twenty a grown up. I always used to think of it as such an old age. And now that I am here I feel that I need to be so much more responsible and adult. I guess maybe I am still having that adolescent/adult crisis ;0 )

I have lived a pretty awesome 20 years so far, I hope to make the next 20 years even better as cheesy as it sounds :) Thank you Mom and Dad, for blessing me, raising me, and teaching me so much, and for giving me some of the best friends that I have as sisters. Love you :)

I'm 20! :0 )

Life is tough, get a helmet!

This how I currently feel about my life.  Classes are going well, even though half the time I feel as though I am not attending them mentally, at least my physical self is there.  I think that possibly, my reason for feeling a little overwhelmed could perhaps be due to the fact that I will be turning 20 soon.  Is there such thing as an adolescent/adult life crisis? ;O )

My I Corinthians class has given me some wonderful perspective and instilled some trust in my heart.  As soon as things seem to get beyond my grasp, my trust becomes totally effaced. So when I read this the other day, it placed things back into perspective.

"Why do we so often try to assess how well we are doing when we know that all human judgements, including our own are fallible?  Other people's judgements are fallible, so why do we take so seriously other people's criticism or flattery?  What hinders our enjoying total release from such worrying? How can a right balance be reached between self-discipline and "letting go" to leave everything in the hands of God?" 

The basic gist of my reading was that you have to admit how little you know in order that you may begin to learn.  So far this has been an extremely humbling semester, and from the looks of things God is not close to being done with me in that area, which is an awesome thing, but also difficult.  One hilarious thing that my Professor said last week was that many people who do not believe in God accuse Christians of using their faith as a "crutch" to get through life.  He raised his hands and started to laugh and said, "And do you know what I say to that? God isn't my crutch, God is my stretcher!" I thought that was a pretty good one :) I appreciate knowing and learning that wanting, and needing to be dependent is a good thing.

 

Catch-up ;0 )

Biola as of late, has been just as busy as summer was.  I was so thrilled for last weekend to get ahead in all of my studies, but instead my body decided to kick in and say, "Woah there, you just got done working 14 hour days, and now you want to try and make me squeeze 18 units into four days, coach tennis, and a job?! I do not think so!" And so I was sick all weekend :( But its okay, all better now :)

My classes this semester are great, I am just going to need some new eyeballs after this semester because all of my classes require SO much reading ;) I am taking so many different classes, so it makes everyday interesting. I am attempting to make everyday an adventure in my classes, and try not to fall asleep.  I have learned not to sit next to the wall, because my head is too tempted to rest against it, allowing my overworked eyes to feel like they can catch some z's.  

My American Literature class has been by far my favorite class so far.  This teacher that I have is a cross between an old high school teacher I had named Mr. Canning, and  Mr. Incredible.  He dresses just like my old teacher; cool rugged jeans, nice shirt and tie, and crazy awesome shoes, such as; cowboy boots/loafers.  And he looks just like Mr. Incredible.  Its hilarious.  On the first day of class, he talked about looking at writing and reading from a different perspective.  He said, (as he sits on a desk with his feet in a chair) "Isn't neat how God chose to relay His love story to us in a book? God is a poet, and He put it all into a book for us. He could have chosen any way to tell us about His love, and He in His infinite wisdom chose a book!" I had never really thought about the Bible in that way, and it is teachers like him that challenge and encourage us to think outside of the box, that make me so happy to be in college.

I am also in a lot of elementary education classes.  They are interesting and full of information.  And I am taking two Bible classes. My theology II teacher is a cowboy at heart and has the quietest voice I have ever heard from a prof. He took me and a few other students out to Starbucks last week, and I had the opportunity to talk with him and get to know him in an out of college atmosphere which is pretty neat.  My  I Corinthians class is a class full of debaters.  I don't mind mild conversation in the classroom because it does help you to remember the content and it gets you thinking. HOWEVER, I always get at least one of those people in my class who feel that they are the one who should be teaching the class, and feel that they need to make a comment on everything that the professor is saying.  It is kind of hilarious.  

My job is t.a.ing (if that is how you spell it) for Physical Science, a class that I took last year.  I am really enjoying that job.  I need to get used to grading papers and being in front of a class, so it is great practice.   And I start teaching tennis this next monday. I have missed my students and am ready to get back into the swing of things. 

Being at school this year is so different.  Every year comes with a new feeling, faces, learning, and experiences.  This year so far, feels so regimental. It is so jam-packed and unlike any year that I have ever had here.  Old friends are gone, some left completely, and others are only gone for a little while, and there are SOOOO many freshmen.  All of my friends here are really busy with their lives, and some days its like I don't even know them at all, they are just a people who I see sometimes in the cafeteria line.  So this year in many ways is like starting over completely.  Its not a bad thing, it is just really different. For me Biola has held some of the best memories I have of friendship, fellowship, and love, but it also holds with it some of the lowest and loneliest times I have ever known.  So I am excited for this year, I have grown up a lot here and I am curious to see what curve ball God has ready to throw at me next ;)

P.S.

Happy 50th Anniversary to my grandparents! Congratulations! I love you both so much, you are a wonderful example of love and family that I hope to be and have someday :)

P.S.S.

I will add some pictures of life lately soon :)

Back at Biola

Here are some pictures as I promised :) 

My class schedule is packed so far, 18 units and counting, most likely to 21 if I can get an online class. New room and roommates are awesome, ill take some pics of the room tomorrow if I get some time. This year looks like it is going to be a great one :0) I feel so blessed to be here, since I was close to not being able to. It is a little weird, some things have definitely changed, old people have gone, new people have come, which is expected. I guess I am just old fashioned and wish that things could stay the same sometimes.  But the changes keep me on my toes, and really are creating me into who God has designed me to be. 

I miss you all and hope you enjoy the pics :) 

                My roommates and I went to the beach,and had a total blast!

Unemployed

As of 11:15 tonight, after I hung up my apron and picked up my check, I was officially unemployed! Three jobs this summer was really trying on me, cleaning houses and church at the wee hours of the morning, teaching summer school 8 hours a day, and then working all nights and weekends at Cold Stone!  When I walked out of work tonight I wanted to jump and skip and laugh and dance, just to get the full effect of freedom until I head back to school on Sunday. 

It has been a LONG summer. I had all of these goals and plans for the summer, to get back into awesome shape, get better at the guitar, have some better quiet time, spend a lot of time with my family, and get enough money together to buy a car.  I began the summer with my parents telling me that I would not be going back to college for about  a year, and that college as far as financially, was all up to me now.  From there I clicked into work mode, and have been there ever since. I got into 3 car accidents this summer, which cost me a lot. I worked OVER 70 hours every week, some days were 14 hour days.  I worked out on breaks and in the mornings, until I realized that, that was using up all of the energy that I needed on my long days.  I did get to play a little guitar :) I was blessed to hear from Biola last week, and was given a no interest loan, so I am going back!  And I had a few wonderful days of my family and quiet time with God, but for some reason I do not feel as accomplished as I was shooting for.  But thats okay :) 

     Overall, I am so thankful and feel so incredibly blessed that God provided all that work for me, exhausting as it was.  I made some amazing friends, and had the coolest students this summer!  One of them came into Cold Stone tonight to tell me that he passed the English test, and now he is in the new kindergarten class.  We worked so diligently this summer on his English, since his primary language is Spanish, and I am so thrilled that he passed! 

     So I now have one more day before I head back to school :) I will post more about summer, and my family, and things later, on a night that is not so late :)

 

Above is my summer class (minus about 5) after their first day of kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade.