After-Thanksgiving Musings

So I'm not very good at keeping up with a blog. It just feels weird sometimes to post my feelings and thoughts online where anyone can read them. Sometimes I don't want people to know. But I'm feeling contemplative tonight, and I thought I'd update those people who care on events in my life.

Junior year is almost half way over, and college is just flying by me. This semester has been different and difficult in many ways. I only have 4 units of Torrey so I was able to take more classes pertaining to my major and minor. I'm so thankful that I chose to minor in music. I've felt myself improving (and my teacher has also told me so), and it's an improvement that I can actually see and gauge. I'm becoming more comfortable with performing in front of others, which has been a big struggle of mine the past two years. But my non-piano classes have proven more difficult than I was expecting (Basic Conducting and Sight-Singing &Dictation). There's not that many grades in them, so we'll see how the finals go...but I've also been able to take more upper-division writing classes, which has been wonderful. Though it has been a lot of writing, I've felt confirmed in my chosen major and have really enjoyed most of what I've written. My teacher has taught us how to turn a phrase, and also how to search for that phrase in Google and see how common, or uncommon, it really is, which is actually really fun to do! Though I am still unsure how to pursue my career after college, I am happy with my chosen major and what I want to do (at least for the present, haha), which is something I feel is rare in college students. I have also discovered that I will most likely be able to take one or two Spanish classes my senior year, which makes me feel not so bad that I dropped that minor.

My best friend Ashlyn got engaged! I'm going to be a bridesmaid in her wedding in January. It's my first wedding that I've actually been in, and I'm super excited! I'm also excited for Ashlyn, as she embarks on this new journey. It's a little weird, I'll admit, thinking of her as being married. But it's a part of life and I'm very glad I can stand next to her on her special day and continue to support and love her.

The past week and a half has been extremely long...probably because I bought my plane ticket home and have been eagerly counting the days 'til I will return home and this semester will be over. Homesickness has been a different feeling for me this semester. I didn't realize it at first, but about mid-October it hit me. When I left for college, I was only leaving my parents; my sisters had already left. And yeah, that first semester was hard, but I was getting over being homesick - 4 months away from home was no big deal. But now, both Cat and Jen have been back at home, so if I were home I would be with them too. And now that Liz has returned home for her knee surgery, everyone's there but me. It's a different kind of homesickness than before. I can't recall the last time I was the only one not home for more than a week. And now it'll be a month. Which, in the grand scheme of things, isn't that long. But right now, it feels like this semester will never end and December 22 will never arrive. I have so much to do in the next 4 weeks that I just feel like I'll never get through it. Thanksgiving break is supposed to be relaxful, and it has been, but it's also stressful in that you don't get as much done as you want to and should (because you're relaxing, remember?) and thus only feel more stress when you look ahead to finals. Which really only increases my homesickness. And my need to cuddle with my puppy.

But I shouldn't complain. Break really has been fun, and it's been good to just be off campus for a few days. I'm so grateful for Elsa's family, who have accepted me into their family and allowed me to participate in their festivities. They are so filled with God's love and I love witnessing that. It's very encouraging. And they're also a very funny family which is fun to watch. :) We've been staying at an old ranch house, right in some foothills with orange groves and ponds all around, and it's been absolutely beautiful. I'm so amazed at God's creation. And reminded again how much of California is not Los Angeles.

Trusting in God is hard. Especially when it comes to money. I have an opportunity to travel to Cambridge next summer with the honors program I'm in at my school, to study for three weeks and also do sight-seeing and such. It covers 4 units of my classes and would be such a great opportunity. I've never been to England or any part of Europe for that matter. Now is the time for me to travel, right? I wrote a blog about a year ago about wanting to go on one of these trips, but it didn't work out. I didn't get the money. A part of me says now, Why would this year be any different? This summer will most likely be last opportunity for one of these trips, because, though I could potentially go after senior year, I will probably need to be starting/looking for a job then. I so badly desire to travel to Europe and see more of the world. My mom has told me to pray about it, and if I feel that God wants me to go on the trip, to take a leap of faith and pay the non-refundable deposit even though I don't have the rest of the money needed. My only problem is that I want it so badly, how do I know if it's what God wants? I don't want to pay the deposit just because it's what I want, when it might not be what God wants. But why wouldn't God want it for me? I don't know!

Would you please, whoever you are reading this, join me in praying for God's clear direction and, if it's what He wants for me, the provision of the funds needed for me to travel to Cambridge? I don't know where the money would come from. I raised some money over the summer, intending to use it for the trip, but instead had to spend it on fall tuition, books, and gas money for my road trip back to school. So I would greatly appreciate your prayers in this matter.

God is good. And His strength and love have never failed me. As I listen to Christmas music as I write this, I look forward to all that God has in store for me in the future.

Also - puppy. How can God not be good if He creates a creation as beautiful, adoring, sweet, soft, and special as Abby?

Good Friday

The Sacrifice by George Herbert

O, all ye, who pass by, whose eyes and mind
To worldly things are sharp, but to me blind;

To me, who took eyes that I might you find:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

The Princes of my people make a head

Against their Maker: they do wish me dead,

Who cannot wish, except I give them bread:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

Without me each one, who doth now me brave,

Had to this day been an Egyptian slave.

They use that power against me, which I gave:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

Mine own Apostle, who the bag did bear,

Though he had all I had, did not forbear

To sell me also, and to put me there:

                                      Was ever grief like mine?

For thirty pence he did my death devise,

Who at three hundred did the ointment prize,

Not half so sweet as my sweet sacrifice:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

Therefore my soul melts, and my heart's dear treasure

Drops blood (the only beads) my words to measure:

O let this cup pass, if it be thy pleasure:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

These drops being tempered with a sinner's tears,

A Balsam are for both the Hemispheres:

Curing all wounds, but mine; all, but my fears:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

Yet my Disciples sleep: I cannot gain

One hour of watching; but their drowsy brain

Comforts not me, and doth my doctrine stain:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

Arise, arise, they come. Look how they run.

Alas! what haste they make to be undone!

How with their lanterns do they seek the sun!

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

With clubs and staves they seek me, as a thief,

Who am the way of truth, the true relief;

Most true to those, who are my greatest grief:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

Judas, dost thou betray me with a kiss?

Canst thou find hell about my lips? and miss

Of life, just at the gates of life and bliss?

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

See, they lay hold on me, not with the hands

Of faith, but fury: yet at their commands

I suffer binding, who have loosed their bands:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

All my Disciples fly; fear puts a bar

Betwixt my friends and me. They leave the star,

That brought the wise men of the East from far.

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

Then from one ruler to another bound

They lead me; urging, that it was not sound

What I taught: Comments would the text confound.

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

The Priest and rulers all false witness seek

'Gainst him, who seeks not life, but is the meek

And ready Paschal Lamb of this great week:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

Then they accuse me of great blasphemy,

That I did thrust into the Deity,

Who never thought that any robbery:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

Some said, that I the Temple to the floor

In three days razed, and raised as before.

Why, he that built the world can do much more:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

Then they condemn me all with that same breath,

Which I do give them daily, unto death.

Thus Adam my first breathing rendereth:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

They bind, and lead me unto Herod: he

Sends me to Pilate. This makes them agree;

But yet their friendship is my enmity:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

Herod and all his bands do set me light,

Who teach all hands to war, fingers to fight,

And only am the Lord of hosts and might:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

Herod in judgement sits, while I do stand;

Examines me with a censorious hand:

I him obey, who all things else command:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

The Jews accuse me with despitefulness;

And vying malice with my gentleness,

Pick quarrels with their only happiness:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

I answer nothing, but with patience prove

If stony hearts will melt with gentle love.

But who does hawk at eagles with a dove?

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

My silence rather doth augment their cry;

My dove doth back into my bosom fly,

Because the raging waters still are high:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

Hark how they cry aloud still, Crucify:

It is not fit he live a day, they cry,

Who cannot live less than eternally:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

Pilate a stranger holdeth off; but they,

Mine own dear people, cry, Away, away,

With noises confused frighting the day:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

Yet still they shout, and cry, and stop their ears,

Putting my life among their sins and fears,

And therefore wish my blood on them and theirs:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

See how spite cankers things. These words aright

Used, and wished, are the whole world's light:

But honey is their gall, brightness their night:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

They choose a murderer, and all agree

In him to do themselves a courtesy:

For it was their own cause who killed me:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

And a seditious murderer he was:

But I the Prince of peace; peace that doth pass

All understanding, more than heav'n doth glass:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

Why, Caesar is their only King, not I:

He clave the stony rock, when they were dry;

But surely not their hearts, as I well try:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

Ah! how they scourge me! yet my tenderness

Doubles each lash: and yet their bitterness

Winds up my grief to a mysteriousness:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

They buffet me, and box me as they list,

Who grasp the earth and heaven with my fist,

And never yet, whom I would punish, missed:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

Behold, they spit on me in scornful wise,

Who by my spittle gave the blind man eyes,

Leaving his blindness to mine enemies:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

My face they cover, though it be divine.

As Moses' face was veiled, so is mine,

Lest on their double-dark souls either shine:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

Servants and abjects flout me; they are witty:

Now prophesy who strikes thee, is their ditty.

So they in me deny themselves all pity:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

And now I am delivered unto death,

Which each one calls for so with utmost breath,

That he before well nigh suffereth:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

Weep not, dear friends, since I for both have wept

When all my tears were blood, the while you slept:

Your tears for your own fortunes should be kept:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

The soldiers lead me to the common hall;

There they deride me, they abuse me all:

Yet for twelve heav'nly legions I could call:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

Then with a scarlet robe they me array;

Which shows my blood to be the only way,

And cordial left to repair man's decay:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

Then on my head a crown of thorns I wear:

For these are all the grapes Sion doth bear,

Though I my vine planted and wat'red there:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

So sits the earth's great curse in Adam's fall

Upon my head: so I remove it all

From th' earth unto my brows, and bear the thrall;

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

Then with the reed they gave to me before,

They strike my head, the rock from whence all store

Of heav'nly blessings issue evermore:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

They bow their knees to me, and cry, Hail king:

Whatever scoffs or scornfulness can bring,

I am the floor, the sink, where they it fling:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

Yet since man's sceptres are as frail as reeds,

And thorny all their crowns, bloody their weeds;

I, who am Truth, turn into truth their deeds:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

The soldiers also spit upon that face,

Which Angels did desire to have the grace

And Prophets once to see, but found no place:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

Thus trimmed forth they bring me to the rout,

Who Crucify him, cry with one strong shout.

God holds his peace at man, and man cries out:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

They lead me in once more, and putting then

Mine own clothes on, they lead me out again.

Whom devils fly, thus is he tossed of men:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

And now weary of sport, glad to engross

All spite in one, counting my life their loss,

They carry me to my most bitter cross:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

My cross I bear myself, until I faint:

Then Simon bears it for me by constraint,

The decreed burden of each mortal Saint:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

O all ye who pass by, behold and see;

Man stole the fruit, but I must climb the tree;

The tree of life to all, but only me:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

Lo, here I hang, charged with a world of sin,

The greater world o' th' two; for that came in

By words, but this by sorrow I must win:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

Such sorrow, as if sinful man could feel,

Or feel his part, he would not cease to kneel

Till all were melted, though he were all steel:

                                       Was ever grief like mine?

 

But, O my God, my God! why leav'st thou me,

The son, in whom thou dost delight to be?

My God, my God -

                                            Never was grief like mine.

 

 Shame tears my soul, my body many a wound;

Sharp nails pierce this, but sharper that confound;

Reproaches, which are free, while I am bound.

                                              Was ever grief like mine?

 

Now heal thyself, Physician; now come down.

Alas! I did so, when I left my crown

And father's smile for you, to feel his frown:

                                               Was ever grief like mine?

 

In healing not myself, there doth consist

All that salvation, which ye now resist;

Your safety in my sickness doth subsist:

                                                Was ever grief like mine?

 

Betwixt two thieves I spend my utmost breath,

As he that for some robbery suffereth.

Alas! what have I stolen from you? death:

                                             Was ever grief like mine?

 

A king my title is, prefixed on high;

Yet by my subjects am condemned to die

A servile death in servile company:

                                              Was ever grief like mine?

 

They gave me vinegar mingled with gall,

But more with malice: yet, when they did call,

With Manna, Angel's food, I fed them all:

                                                Was ever grief like mine?

 

They part my garments, and by lot dispose

My coat, the type of love, which once cured those

Who sought for help, never malicious foes:

                                                Was ever grief like mine?

 

Nay, after death their spite shall further go;

For they will pierce my side, I full well know;

That as sin came, so Sacraments might flow:

                                                Was ever grief like mine?

But now I die; now all is finished.

My woe, man's weal: and now I bow my head.

Only let others say, when I am dead,

                                                 Never was grief like mine.

I know this poem is long, but I took the time to type it out, so please take the time to read it. I read this poem for one of my classes about two weeks ago, and it has stayed with me ever since. Easter has come and gone every year, but I've never really felt a connection to it - it was just an excuse to buy another dress. And Good Friday. That was just a day I got off from school. The real holiday was Sunday. I never really thought much about Good Friday before. Yes, I knew Jesus suffered and He died and it was a terrible thing. But reading this poem gave me a new perspective, a new way to look at the day. Never was grief like that of Jesus'. Never. Yes, He rose from the grave, He conquered death, He got the victory, but still - Never. I never understood exactly what He went through before. I wish I'd read this poem years ago. But I think God knew I would need it now. A new way to look at Him and think about Easter, especially as I spend my first Easter away from home and not with family. Jesus loves us so much. I know poetry doesn't speak to everyone, but I hope this poem can at least mean to you half of what it means to me. And may you be blessed as you think about Christ's death, as well as His resurrection. He loves you enough to suffer this much for you and experience this grief - He will take care of your problems and troubles too, no matter how big or small. Just remember that this Easter.

Some Personal Things

So God has been teaching me a lot lately, and I thought I'd write about it. But whenever I blog, I feel like I should give an update on my life, especially since the last time I blogged was the last day of last year. So update on my life:

College is wonderful and going by way too quickly. I remain busy, but I suppose that is a good thing. I bought a Disneyland pass this semester! That has been a lot of fun; I've been 3 or 4 times since I got it, and I still don't think I've done everything yet. It's hard to find time to go between work and school (and I got the cheap pass, so I can't go on Saturdays or Sundays). But I don't regret buying it. :) I've been reading Shakespeare for class the past month (Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Richard II, Henry IV parts 1 & 2, Henry V, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Tempest) and I have loved it! I'd only ever read King Lear and Romeo & Juliet before, but I am now a Shakespeare fan. I also read Beowulf for my Brit Lit class and I really loved it, too; so I've kind of been in a poetry-reading, old-English, old-fashioned literature mood of late. If that makes sense ;)

I tried sushi for the first time the other day. And actually liked it. I was really surprised! Haha, but I did get a non-spicy kind, and it had crab in it. I never thought I'd say that I like sushi, so it was a big moment for me. :)

My best friend Ashlyn is coming to visit me on Tuesday, and I am so excited! She's staying 'til Sunday, and it is missions conference week, so I don't have classes. I do have to go to conference stuff, but she can come with me, and I'll still have more time to hang out with her than I would if I had classes. It's gonna be great. :)

Now to what God has been teaching me:

At the beginning of this year, I made myself a goal to fail at something and be okay with it. I didn't know exactly what that something would be, but I made this goal because I am a perfectionist and worry too much about what other people think of me. My brain knows my family and friends will love me even if I mess up and make a fool of myself, but it's not something my heart knows. Therefore, wanting to change but not really knowing how, I made myself this goal, thinking it would occur with something Torrey-related (as in me saying something in session really stupid) or a bad grade in a class or something along those lines.

I was not expecting it to happen yesterday, at my piano recital.

But it did. I even got to practice on the piano I would use for the recital twenty minutes before the recital started, and I performed second in the program. I knew my piece; it wasn't even that long. But something threw me off towards the end. Most likely the fact that I was thinking now don't mess up at this next part, when I came upon the measure that I frequently had messed up on. So I messed up and couldn't get it back; my mind went completely blank, and I had to repeat the same section two more times before I could finally remember the notes to continue and finish the piece. It was a very noticeable mistake, because I paused trying to remember, and I wasn't sure exactly what to due. When I sat back down in my seat, I was fighting tears, but I had to sit through another hour and 15 minutes of the recital. And as I sat listening to the other pieces, it hit me. I had just failed, quite epically too, at something. And I almost laughed out loud. Of course it would be something I wasn't expecting. How else can I grow and learn? My next question to myself was how do I be okay with this? What does that even mean, or look like? My life hasn't changed. Granted, I haven't talked to my piano teacher yet (I will Monday!), but still. I had smoothies with two of my closest friends right after. Last night and today I hung out with people that I haven't hung out with in a really long time. And this morning, I got to babysit kids for two hours at my church. It was wonderful. Life goes on. My family and friends still love me. God still loves me. Am I still upset and disappointed in myself? Yes. Should I be? I haven't quite figured that out yet. But I know God wants me to learn from this. I definitely don't think it was just a coincidence. But I've been doing a lot of thinking over the past 24some hours, and this is what I've come up with so far.

My journey's not over yet...

"You're not alone. I'll listen 'til your tears give out. You're safe and sound. I swear that I won't let you down. What's hurting you, I, I feel it too. I mean it when I say, when you cry, I cry with you."
- Cry With You, Hunter Hayes

Here we go

Christmas break has been wonderful. I've let myself be lazy and sleep in every day, watch tv, read books for fun (the Hunger Games trilogy in 4 days, haha), and play with my dog. I've spent time with family and some friends. I usually don't blog unless I have something that I really want to write about, but I don't this time. I just wanted to blog because it's the last day of the year - and I had seven blog entries last year and only six so far this year so I need one more to make them the same. ;)

I got a Kindle for Christmas! I was not expecting it. At all. But it's pretty cool; I haven't bought too many books on it yet, but I found some free word games haha. I still can't decide what books I want to buy on it and which books I'll want physical copies of. I still love the idea of having a library in my own home one day. But the Kindle is practical - especially because otherwise I have to ship all my school books from California to Georgia. Oh, decisions.

I feel like I should reflect on the past year or something, but I don't really feel like it. It makes me realize, again, how quickly time moves on, even when you're not ready. I waited so long for 2010, and now it's been a year since it ended. Weird.

My best friend is in town. It'd been a year and a half since I last saw her, so it was really good to hang out again. She's also going to be visiting me at Biola in March, and I'm super excited about that. Her sister's getting married this summer, which is weird haha. But it'll probably be a fun wedding. :)

I think God is telling me not to go to Europe. I say "I think" because I still really want to go, and there's a part of me that is thinking if I just accept the fact that I'm not going, then God'll provide the money and I'll be able to go. Like a dream-come-true fairytale. But Biola was my dream, and it's not done yet. I still have to work for it and focus on it. So I really think I should just work all summer to earn as much money as I can to pay for school, and then maybe the next summer I can travel.

On Tuesday, I'm going to start being productive this break. That's when my mom goes back to work so I figure I've had my two weeks of break and then I'll need to do stuff. I want to get to work on my grandpa's story again, and I need to read at least two of my Torrey books for this semester and practice piano. And I'm thinking about reorganizing my room. We put away Christmas decorations today and it kind of got me in a cleaning/reorganizing mood. We'll see.

Well I think this suffices for a decent blog post. Maybe. Happy new year :)

"Hold on to this lullaby, even when the music's gone."
- Safe & Sound, Taylor Swift with the Civil Wars

Two More Weeks

Something I've realized lately - life is never going to slow down. I think my life is crazy now, with school and a job and life, and that once I'm done with college I'll actually be able to do stuff that I don't have time for now. But why do I think my life is going to slow down when I'm done with college? I'll get a full-time job and be just as busy; and life will only get busier and faster until I retire and realize that I don't have hardly any life left. I shouldn't be surprised that it's already almost December in the year 2011, but I am. I keep thinking time will eventually slow down, but it never does. I'm trying to understand how I should live when it comes to random opportunities that life throws at me; I don't want to miss something that I'll never be able to do again, even if I think I'll have more time to do it later in my life, yet I can't do everything, no matter how much I want to. I'm not sure how many opportunities I should watch fly by, even if it's just a random social outing, and how many I should grab by the hand and force to take me along.

This semester has been a good semester; tiring, with many a late night, but good. Friendships have grown, knowledge has definitely grown, and I'd like to think that I've grown. I turned 20, which of course feels normal now, even if it is strange to think of myself as 20. My birthday was tons of fun - I went with some of my closest girlfriends to see Keith Urban at the Staples Center. I've converted them all to like country now. ;) I've successfully surprised three friends for their birthdays (two with my roommate's help, the third was for her!), discovered the joy and pleasure of doing homework in the huge, comfy, and glamorous hotel in Downtown Disney, been to the beach at least once a month, and almost completed watching season one of LOST with some friends (we're attempting a marathon - a season a semester and we'll be done by the time we graduate!). I spent a night at Lake Arrowhead and a weekend in Oceanside at Havilah's house (which is also where I spent Thanksgiving break - so fun!). I've eaten lots of Nutella and dark chocolate with sea salt (so yummy!) and have discovered that I like chai lattes, even though the caffeine makes me crazy. I've also discovered that I like tea when it's mixed with lots of french vanilla cream, or I can just drink the cream by itself (just so you know, I did not think to do that by myself!). I now know what it's like to work an 8-hour day, with half an hour for lunch being my only break. And that's just the fun stuff...

I've read 15 books (selections of some, all of the majority) for Torrey, not including the Bible (Paul's epistles, 7 so far, 6 still to go), learned lots more theology, been thoroughly immersed in American Literature before the Civil War for awhile now, and been reminded of many important music theory lessons. I've stayed up til 1 a.m. writing papers, spent 42 hours and 45 minutes studying the book of Ephesians (4,000 words and 4 chapters memorized so far), and managed to read and discuss six books of the Bible not for class credit (Torrey Total Bible). - All of this is just to prove to my parents that I'm not just having fun out here; I'm actually doing/learning stuff. ;)

I really want to go on Torrey Europe. It's a 2-week trip to 4 different countries in Europe (Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, and Italy) on a world opera tour. I've never been to Europe and I've always wanted to go to an opera. Some of my friends are going, and not only would it be a really fun trip, but I'd get 4 units of Torrey credit, too. And I need the units. However, it's really expensive, and I can't increase my loans to cover the cost. I missed the deadline to sign up for the trip because I didn't want to pay a non-refundable deposit since I wouldn't get that back if I ended up not being able to go. I was hoping they would still have spots available so I could sign up next semester. They do, so God hasn't completely shut the door on this trip for me. I know that He will provide the money for me to go if He wants me to go; my problem is, what if He doesn't want me to go? What if it's not in His plan for me? What if He says no? I know He wants me at Biola, so I know He'll provide for that, but I don't know for sure that He wants me to go on this trip. Like I said, He hasn't completely shut the door, but He hasn't made it clear yet either. I read verses that say, "Ask, and it will be given to you," and how God wants to give good gifts to His children, and I think, how could God not want this for me? So I've been praying, begging, everyday for Him to provide. I'm not sure what to do if He says no, though. I really want to travel this summer, and I've wanted to go to Europe for as long as I can remember.

That's been the main thing on my mind lately. Kind of going along with the life-doesn't-slow-down thought. In other news, I'll be home in time to see my mom's graduation! I'll be landing about two hours before it starts. And that'll be in 15 days! :) I can't wait to go home, and actually be home for longer than a week. That hasn't happened since before I left for college freshmen year. I'll be home half of December and all of January, and I am very much looking forward to it.

I shall leave you with a Christmas song:

"I am dreaming tonight of a place I love even more than I usually do, and although I know it's a long road back, I promise you, I'll be home for Christmas."
- I'll Be Home for Christmas, sung by many people

Count Down to Twenty

I don't know why, but the age of twenty has always seemed so old and responsible, like when I turned twenty, I would finally be a real adult and not feel like a kid anymore. But now that twenty looms over me, I don't want to be twenty. I know that once I finally am twenty, I'll get over it and be fine, but right now, I'm not so sure. It'll be my second birthday away from home, and just so many things have been happening lately that I don't want to even think about turning twenty. But think about it I do. I realized Monday that I had twenty days til I was twenty. Arg, life goes by too quickly. I know I thought that I was busy in high school, but honestly, I don't think I've ever been so busy in my life.Which leads me to stop talking about how depressed turning twenty makes me feel and instead talk about the past month and a half.

As soon as I got back to Biola, I was going non-stop. Torrientation was one of the best weeks of my life, but I hardly sat down for most of it. Preparing all the meals for 150 people was not as stressful as I thought it would be, but that was because I had such wonderful help every meal, and God worked a lot of miracles (mainly with the budget). God was very good to me that week. After being away from a community all summer, it was so great just to be thrown back into it, with everything just falling into place. The downside of the week was that I didn't get to get to know any freshmen really, because I was always in the kitchen. But it was still a fun job, and, even though it wasn't barbeque, I think I lived up to my name :)

Then I started my new job (at the library!) and classes started. First off, I don't want to complain. It really has been a really great semester:  I love my job; it's very detail-oriented and of course with books and it's wonderful. I love my classes; American Lit, Music Theory, Torrey (we're reading the Pauline Epistles and a bunch of theology books), and I'm doing a piano duet with someone for an ensemble credit for my music minor. I've only done one other duet in my life, so it has been a new experience but a lot of fun so far! I'm also doing Torrey Total Bible (where we read the books of Bible that aren't in the normal Torrey curriculum, 6 extra sessions, 3 per semester) and my first session is this Saturday - hopefully it'll go well! And I'm doing a new mentorship program for Torrey women, where freshmen and sophomores are mentored by juniors and seniors. Our first meeting is Friday and I find out who my mentor is! So I'm also really looking forward to that.

However, while it's been good, it's also been stressful and emotional. I was feeling really weighed down by a bunch of different things that were happening to different people, and I kept finding out new things, and I didn't feel like I was doing anything right in Torrey, and my busy schedule wasn't helping me process things (especially an 8 o'clock class twice a week and getting to work at 8 two of the other days). I'm feeling better about that stuff, but now I'm just unsure about how I feel about turning twenty and it's got me in a funk. So I decided to blog about it, because I still can't really process my feelings. I'm also feeling a little homesick, this week especially. My cousin is getting married on Saturday and all my family is in town and I really wish I could be there to see everyone. But I can't. I didn't think I'd get homesick much this semester because of how I felt this summer, but I guess I was wrong.

Anyways, there's more I could say but I'm tired and want to go to bed. I thought I was going to go to bed early tonight, but here it is 11:45 (which is still early compared to when I've been going to bed this week). So good night world :)

"Oh, I'm running to Your arms. I'm running to Your arms. The riches of Your love will always be enough. Nothing compares to Your embrace. Light of the world, forever reign."
- Forever Reign, Hillsong

Summer Adventures

The end of my freshmen year ended with the worst sunburn I've ever gotten. But I suppose it was a good way to end the year - at the beach with friends. My sister Cat came to visit me for a week and a half, and, even though she got a reality check of what living in L.A. is really like - mainly traffic - it was still a great time together. She got to meet my friends, we saw Pirates 4 at midnight together, and we got beach time. Unfortunately, for most of the time she was there, I had to study and prepare for finals, so she had many solo adventures - including meeting the Season 10 American Idol finalists and some of the past winners (including Carrie Underwood and Kris Allen). Yes, I was jealous.

Summer has been wonderful, hot, long, bittersweet, itchy, and a time of growth. The day after I got home from the 3-day trip home, I went to my aunt's house where I've been living during the weeks so I can babysit during the day here in Atlanta. I started my job with a half-peeling, half-swollen face (that sunburn...). I warned them ahead of time because I didn't want to scare the kids on my first day (ages 8 and 6, girl and boy). Thankfully, I didn't and they've actually been pretty great kids to babysit, though a bit spoiled at times. I did that for three weeks, going home on the weekends, and then I had a few days at home before I left for the Dominican Republic.

Throughout those three weeks, I'd been reading old letters that my grandmother had written to her mom and sister throughout her life. I didn't have time to finish them all before my trip (and I still haven't finished), but I did learn a lot about my grandmother through them. For instance, she had a lot of boyfriends. (So did my mother, but the trend apparently stopped with me and my sisters ;) ) I also realized what a brave woman she was. She graduated from Moody Bible Institute, spent a year in Belgium as a single missionary learning French, then was a missionary in Congo before she met my grandfather (who was a widower with three small children), married him and instantly became a mother of those girls, then moved to the Dominican Republic to be a missionary and learn Spanish.

Once in the D.R., the first week and a half I spent with just my mom in the capital city, Santo Domingo. We stayed with a friend of hers who had the cutest little cocker spaniel that I fell in love with. We arrived on a Wednesday; Thursday morning we left for a campground in a city called Maímon, where we went with the team four years ago. This time my mom spoke at a women's conference there until Saturday. I attended the meetings, tried to understand as much Spanish as I could, and ate very delicious food. I also interviewed a few older ladies that went to the early churches that my grandfather started. I enjoyed talking to them and learning about my grandfather - especially one lady who became a Christian because of Grandpa and had five children who grew up in the Lord because of that and her children now have children that have grown up in a strong, Christian home. It was very cool to see that influence and to hear these ladies talk about how much my grandfather influenced their lives.

We left the camp on Saturday and went back to Santo Domingo, staying with my mom's friend. We spent some time with my aunt and cousin that live in the capital on Saturday and Sunday, as well as attending my mom's friend's church. Spanish church services are fun, even though I can't understand much of the sermon. Monday, I spent the morning/afternoon chilling and relaxing at the house, while it poured and flooded outside (they don't have any drainage system) and my mom worked with another friend to prepare for a teacher's conference she was teaching at the next week. Monday night, we had dinner with some of my mom's friends and more people who knew my grandparents. I was able to interview all of them; it was my favorite interview to do because their ideas bounced off each other and they shared many interesting and funny stories. I learned how strict my grandmother was and how much of a jokester my grandfather was (I know where Cat gets it from now).

Tuesday, we drove 2 hours west and visited two cities - La Romana (where my mom was born) and San Pedro. I saw a few of the church/schools that my grandparents started and interviewed the pastors. I also enjoyed good food and delicious fruit drinks (the cherry and passion fruit drinks were my favorite!).

Wednesday, we drove 2 hours east and visited another two cities - Azua (I kept wanting to say Azusa, as in APU) and San Cristobal, where I saw more church/schools and interviewed more pastors. The pastor of the Azua church/school cried when I interviewed him as he remembered my grandfather. He told me that Grandpa treated him as a son and that when he and his family found out that he had died, his children cried in their rooms because it was like their grandfather had died. That was very touching; I'd never really known how much my grandfather had influenced people.

Thursday, Mom and I took a trip to the beach! I got my hair braided (it makes it easier to handle in the heat and cold showers!), enjoyed the cool, clear Caribbean Sea, and suntanned for a little bit. Unfortunately, then it started raining, so we had to leave the beach early. But it was still a fun day!

Friday, we visited the Compassion Headquarters of the Dominican Republic. I had never known this before, but my grandmother was the director there for almost ten years; when she started, they only had 3 orphanages; when she finished, they had 60! She was quite amazing.

Saturday, we went to the airport to pick up the team from church and headed four hours north on a bus to Puerto Plata. We stayed with different members of the church there; my mom and I stayed with the pastor and his wife (the sister of the lady we stayed with in Santo Domingo), good friends of my mom and a family I've known my whole life. It was good seeing them again.

Monday, we prepared for the VBS we were going to do all week and we also did cleaning and painting around their newly cemented basketball court. We handed out invitations to the VBS on Monday as well.

Tuesday-Friday we spent mornings cleaning and painting and the afternoons working the VBS. The kids are absolutely adorable! They love talking to you, even though they know you can't understand them, and taking pictures with you. On Wednesday morn, instead of working, we got to go up a mountain in a cable car. It had the prettiest views! Mountains on one side, the ocean on the other. Throughout the week, we also were put into groups with the Dominican teens from their youth group and had to perform with them Friday night. My group did a choreographed dance thing - it was a lot of fun, especially trying to communicate! I felt that I got a lot better at my Spanish the second week, when I didn't have my mother translator with me all the time ;)

Saturday was beach day! We went to Sosua, a beach that my family has always loved because of its veryyyy clear and warm water (the Atlantic Ocean). It was super fun and we got to do some shopping; but sadly, once again it rained. Except it didn't just rained. It poured, while we were shopping. And they don't have good drainage systems. The shops were outside shops, basically right on the beach, so there were literally little rivers going from the shops to the ocean, and as we ran from shop to shop, sometimes your leg would disappear up to your calf in the water. It was quite an adventure!

Sunday, we went to church and then drove four hours back to Santo Domingo. We were originally not going to do this until Monday (the day our flight left), but there was a nationwide strike planned for that day and it would be very dangerous to drive on the road that long (people would put spikes and smoking tires in the road to keep you from driving and working). So we were able to stay at a guest house of SCORE International (a place for baseball players) so there were many baseball fields around us. Then Monday, we left and God kept us safe from any riots or anything and got us to the airport safely. We flew home and the adventure ended. It was the weirdest feeling for me, coming home. I wasn't homesick, yet I didn't necessarily desire to stay longer in the D.R. I wasn't anxious to get home; it was just what I was supposed to do next so I was doing it. I realized that I was becoming disassociated with my home, which makes me sad. Living at college for a year and then living with my aunt most of the summer has made me not be homesick for my home all the time. I know it's a part of growing up, but it's weird and I don't really like it.

I had the rest of the week off from babysitting, which was nice because I got to process everything from the trip and unwind, and also help my mom clean the house. I learned a lot about my grandparents that I never knew - my grandmother died before my mom was even married and Grandpa lived in Michigan so I only saw him two or three times a year and he died when I was 12. My grandparents live on through many people's memories, and through those memories, I got to get to know my grandparents. It was a little difficult trying to compare what I read in my grandmother's letters to people's memories because I only got to the 1950s in her letters and most people were remembering things from the 70s and 80s. But I'm hoping to continue reading them and be able to have faces to put with names. I also got to get to know some of the young people in the youth group at my church now and that was a lot of fun! I really enjoyed hanging out with them; it was a new experience for me to be the older one on the mission trip.

Liz came home from China the Saturday after we got back. It was the first time my whole family had been together in 13 months, so it was a wonderful time. It's weird how some things never change, even if all the circumstances have changed. Family time was great, but I had to go back to my aunt's house in Atlanta Sunday night to start babysitting again Monday.

This past weekend, we had two family reunions, due to the fact that Liz is home. They were fun, as they always are! (And they always have good food - the desserts for the two days were banana pudding, delicious chocolate cake, and Oreo cheesecake.)

Babysitting is still going well. I got to go to Six Flags with the kids last week, and today I took them to the Atlanta Zoo - I'd never been before and it was really cool! We're going to go to the Aquarium next week, so having trips during the day makes my job very nice and fun.

Next week is my last week babysitting and then next weekend, we go up to Ohio for Kylee's wedding (Liz is the maid-of-honor). Liz leaves Thursday for Ohio, so I'm not seeing her again til the wedding. Then the day after the wedding, she heads back to China for another year. It'll be weird saying bye to her again after such a short time with her. But next summer, she'll be able to come home the whole summer.

The week after the wedding, I'll get to stay home, visit friends, and do a lot of reading for school! Then I head back to Biola on August 14 for Torrientation and I am ready to go back! Granted, I do have to do that reading and finish preparing the meal plan for Torrientation, but I miss all my friends (I've only really talked to three of them this summer) and I miss the community. And the no-rain. It hasn't quit raining since I was in the D.R. and I'm getting tired of it. And I don't tire of rain easily. Anyways, this has been long enough, and I'm tired and have to get up at 6 in the morning. So I think this is a good overview of how my summer's been going :)

"It's gonna be a long hot summer. We should be together."
- Long Hot Summer, Keith Urban