Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
"That felt alot like having a sword through my stomach"
You may be reading this just because the title is a little off. Well, I don't blame you. This story requires a title that is unlike any other. The feeling of having a sword through your stomach is an understatement of what I felt today at work when we had to make a few "fun" out-bound calls to eleven students who were registered to take an online course that will no longer be available in about.. uh... 24 hours, give or take a few days. We actually have no idea when they will be locked out of their course, but that was only half the fun of the conversation. We also had to inform them of the little detail that they wouldn't receive credit or receive a refund if the course was not completed by Friday. The new platform for the courses won't accept them as "transfers" from the site we have been using. How quaint.. This is definitely not something that I'd enjoy doing on a daily basis.. These students were vile. I cannot express to you how evil a handful of them were.
Besides having to be cursed by folks I don't know, today was a pretty swell day. I rose around 6:30am. I ran. I showered. I got ready. I got breakfast with Miss Sally Free at McDonald's. I got free lunch from Chili's per Chip. I got to leave work at 5:30pm on the dot. I got the papers I need to turn into financial aid from my daddy. I get to spend the night getting the little things done that I have been trying to get done so that I might actually attend USC this year.
Wow! When you list it out like that, there is so much to be thankful for.
Oh, and during my usual commute down Gervais St, I saw the "SC Against the War" folks outside of the State House. I see these people a lot protesting the war in Iraq, but on this particular evening one man got me thinking. He was holding his boycott sign high in the air. He was even standing on his tip-toes to push it even higher. I thought to myself, 'Is that really going to do much more? Stretching as far as you can to hold this sign up as high as you can? I don't see much of the point.' It was interesting to see how important he thought it was to really show the sign off to everyone and making sure it was viewable at any height. Why, as humans, do we think that they higher or larger something is, then the more it is seen. That being said, why do those types of things catch our attention more than others? Wouldn't it be fantastic if the little things were noticed more?
Just a day full of random happenings/thoughts.
Video of the Day:
Besides having to be cursed by folks I don't know, today was a pretty swell day. I rose around 6:30am. I ran. I showered. I got ready. I got breakfast with Miss Sally Free at McDonald's. I got free lunch from Chili's per Chip. I got to leave work at 5:30pm on the dot. I got the papers I need to turn into financial aid from my daddy. I get to spend the night getting the little things done that I have been trying to get done so that I might actually attend USC this year.
Wow! When you list it out like that, there is so much to be thankful for.
Oh, and during my usual commute down Gervais St, I saw the "SC Against the War" folks outside of the State House. I see these people a lot protesting the war in Iraq, but on this particular evening one man got me thinking. He was holding his boycott sign high in the air. He was even standing on his tip-toes to push it even higher. I thought to myself, 'Is that really going to do much more? Stretching as far as you can to hold this sign up as high as you can? I don't see much of the point.' It was interesting to see how important he thought it was to really show the sign off to everyone and making sure it was viewable at any height. Why, as humans, do we think that they higher or larger something is, then the more it is seen. That being said, why do those types of things catch our attention more than others? Wouldn't it be fantastic if the little things were noticed more?
Just a day full of random happenings/thoughts.
Video of the Day:
Monday, August 3, 2009
Welcome August.
When I woke up on Saturday morning, I, as well as the average person wouldn't, never thought I would hear the words 'brick' and 'car' in the same sentence. It is always interesting to have a certain idea in your head, but the Lord's plan happens to be totally different. That is the bottom-line of my day. As Sally and I slowly come back to consciousness from the fantastic sleep from the night before, my neighbor is strolling in from her morning walk with her pup. I heard her voice and the screen door swing open, so I sneak a peek through the peep hole. I was pretty excited at this point. I thought she was just coming over for a quick hello. I was terribly wrong. She was only dropping by to inform the owner of the silver car on the street of an unfortunate event - a brick has been thrown through the rear windshield. I claim the poor vehicle and join her outside to take a gander at the damage. This is what I see:
Wonderful, huh? So, before noon I had had cops over at Ashby House, Jehovah's Witnesses trying to convert Sally and myself, and spent an hour and a half on the phone with AllState. Once I found out that I would not be getting a new window until Monday. So, we tarped up my car temporarily. Here's the result:
Luckily, Walt Rae, and her friend Rachel were coming to help me get things in order inside the house. I didn't have to worry about driving around too much until Sunday. I'm extremely thankful for such wonderful people who agreed to pick me up and drop me off. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to get to Shandon for my favorite time of the week, help out at the Welcome Week meeting, or enjoy a fabulous night of dinner and trivia with some pretty cool folks.
Wonderful, huh? So, before noon I had had cops over at Ashby House, Jehovah's Witnesses trying to convert Sally and myself, and spent an hour and a half on the phone with AllState. Once I found out that I would not be getting a new window until Monday. So, we tarped up my car temporarily. Here's the result:
Luckily, Walt Rae, and her friend Rachel were coming to help me get things in order inside the house. I didn't have to worry about driving around too much until Sunday. I'm extremely thankful for such wonderful people who agreed to pick me up and drop me off. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to get to Shandon for my favorite time of the week, help out at the Welcome Week meeting, or enjoy a fabulous night of dinner and trivia with some pretty cool folks.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Living in the Love of God
I read from 1 John and Jude two nights ago. While reading through 1 John, I got to some spots in the book that really hit a soft spot in my heart because it brought me to tears. [I have found that I am getting more and more emotional about the Lord and his perfect love for me]. 1 John chapter 2 talks about Christ as our advocate and not loving the world. As I was reading through this passage, I got stuck on one particular part of verse 14 which says "I write to you, young people, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. John is writing to all ages in this verse, but he writes to the young people to specifically encourage them by saying they are strong because they know the Word, and by knowing it, they overcame the temptation of sin. My study bible says it this way, "As children learn about Christ, they grow in their ability to win battles with temptation. As young adults move from victory to victory, they grow in their RELATIONSHIP with Christ. Older adults, having known Christ for years, have developed the wisdom needed to teach young people and start the cycle all over again." How incredible is that! Each time that we stand strong in the Lord, we grow a little closer to Him. That is such a refreshing thought to motivate us through our future trials.
Along with Chapter 2, Chapter 3 talks about the children of God loving one another. Verse 6 says, " No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him." Wow... Major soft spot for me. With the sins I struggle with being more of habitual things, this really opens my eyes to see that my sin not only keeps me distracted from the Lord, but makes it so that I don't even know him. I have been praying for the strength to tackle a few struggles, and I'm starting to see my prayers answered.
There is a verse from Jude that I absolutely adore. It says, "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on you most holy faith, PRAYING IN THE HOLY SPIRIT, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life." (v 20-21). The Lord has done it again. He has led me to a scripture which is perfect for the situation I'm in. Jude is such a small book, but so powerful when talking about keeping ourselves in the love of God, which means to live close to God and his people. I want to keep myself in the love of the Lord. I feel that the closer I get to Him and the closer I get to my friends and family, the more I am succeeding in living in God's love.
Along with Chapter 2, Chapter 3 talks about the children of God loving one another. Verse 6 says, " No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him." Wow... Major soft spot for me. With the sins I struggle with being more of habitual things, this really opens my eyes to see that my sin not only keeps me distracted from the Lord, but makes it so that I don't even know him. I have been praying for the strength to tackle a few struggles, and I'm starting to see my prayers answered.
There is a verse from Jude that I absolutely adore. It says, "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on you most holy faith, PRAYING IN THE HOLY SPIRIT, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life." (v 20-21). The Lord has done it again. He has led me to a scripture which is perfect for the situation I'm in. Jude is such a small book, but so powerful when talking about keeping ourselves in the love of God, which means to live close to God and his people. I want to keep myself in the love of the Lord. I feel that the closer I get to Him and the closer I get to my friends and family, the more I am succeeding in living in God's love.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Lovely Traces Make For An Amazing Testament to Christ
I cannot go a single day without thanking our beautiful, loving Savior for using the bad decisions we make as human beings to not only speak of His grace and mercy, but to be a living testament to the faithfulness of the Lord. Each of our bad choices in life leave scars on our hearts. Each scar is a piece of you. A piece of your walk to find the only One worth seeking. Individually, each story can bring unbelievable pain upon your heart, but the Lord asks us to not just read one chapter of our lives, but finish the book. With each turned page, my sins are proven to be fantastically placed in my life so that I may have the opportunity to understand God's unconditional love for me (and YOU!). Embrace His comforting arms. He will never let go of you, no matter how undeserving we may be, because He has made exciting plans for us to live eternally with Him in a place too magnificent for words.
Live for the Lord. His Son died for you.
Lyrics:
Live for the Lord. His Son died for you.
Lyrics:
I was consumed
By a life that I made
Destined to crash
Beat up and bruised
By the flashbacks of my own past
I tried to hide away
Till I heard you say
[Chorus:]
Lovely traces fall behind you
Turn around and you will see
Lovely traces to remind you
Everything that you've been through
What it took to get you to me
All my mistakes
Regrettable choices I'd like to forget
But somehow you make
All that I wasted useful again
I thought I fell from grace
But you can't erase
[Chorus:]
The lovely traces behind you
Turn around and you will see
Lovely traces to remind you
Everything that you've been through
What it took to get you to me
I lost my direction
'Cause I couldn't see
What a beautiful picture
You would complete in me
[Chorus:]
The lovely traces behind you
Turn around and you will see
Lovely traces to remind you
Everything that you've been through
What it took to get you to me
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
4 states covered in one weekend.
To begin our adventure, Grant and I traveled to Spartanburg with Brody Bear to pick up L-pat. The trip took wayy too long because we luckily got stuck in Columbia rush-hour traffic. Once we got to the 'burg, we were off to the quaint town of Winchester, Tennessee. Before we knew it, we had to stop for dinner.. we weren't even to the Georgia line. But, we decided to stop at Arby's in Anderson. Grant attempts to put the classic 5-for-5 (well, $6.95 actually) down, but fails miserably. We filled up, stocked-up on candy and Red Bull, and got on our way with 5 hours to go. Grant, L-pat, and I rocked out to "the only iPod we need" as Grant likes to call it. With things like the "Will Smith Power Hour," we got to TN in what seemed like no time, well at least to me. I was having entirely too much fun considering we were in the middle of an extremely long car ride. We got to Meg's lake house at about midnight, climbed into bed, and fell right to sleep.
The next morning, we woke up to a normal day on the lake. We tubed and hung out on the dock all day. That night, we decided to see Star Trek at the most adorable two-feature theatre in the bustling town of Winchester. The tickets to the movie were the cheapest I have seen since going to a matinee in the 7th grade. We paid $5 for the movie, $4 for a medium sized popcorn, and $4 for a large drink. We need more of those kinds of places around Columbia these days. I'd be a regular movie-goer. Even more-so than now! That night, I got a bit ill. Who knows what came over me! I sat down for dinner, which looked incredible, and had to get up and lie down. I fell asleep at 8:30 and woke up the next morning at 8:30. It was the best sleep I have had in... um... a really long time.
Finally, the actual events begin. We wake up and head to church in Huntsville. On the way we spotted so many places that we wanted to check out. One was a high school that had a humongous buck out front. Another was an outdoor statue place. We stopped at both places on the way home. Here are some pictures:
After that we stopped in the middle of the two-lane highway to take pictures with these interested animals:
We spent the day on the lake, again. Took lots of pictures! Those can be found on Facebook. There are way too many to post on here. We left the next day. On the way back we stopped at CrackerBarrel in Lebanon, TN and The World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta, GA. We jammed out to 90s music and did some Mad-Libs all the way back. I must say it was one of the most memorable trips I have had.
I'll post soon! I have lots more to update on! Keep checking back!
God.Bless.
LD!
The next morning, we woke up to a normal day on the lake. We tubed and hung out on the dock all day. That night, we decided to see Star Trek at the most adorable two-feature theatre in the bustling town of Winchester. The tickets to the movie were the cheapest I have seen since going to a matinee in the 7th grade. We paid $5 for the movie, $4 for a medium sized popcorn, and $4 for a large drink. We need more of those kinds of places around Columbia these days. I'd be a regular movie-goer. Even more-so than now! That night, I got a bit ill. Who knows what came over me! I sat down for dinner, which looked incredible, and had to get up and lie down. I fell asleep at 8:30 and woke up the next morning at 8:30. It was the best sleep I have had in... um... a really long time.
Finally, the actual events begin. We wake up and head to church in Huntsville. On the way we spotted so many places that we wanted to check out. One was a high school that had a humongous buck out front. Another was an outdoor statue place. We stopped at both places on the way home. Here are some pictures:
After that we stopped in the middle of the two-lane highway to take pictures with these interested animals:
We spent the day on the lake, again. Took lots of pictures! Those can be found on Facebook. There are way too many to post on here. We left the next day. On the way back we stopped at CrackerBarrel in Lebanon, TN and The World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta, GA. We jammed out to 90s music and did some Mad-Libs all the way back. I must say it was one of the most memorable trips I have had.
I'll post soon! I have lots more to update on! Keep checking back!
God.Bless.
LD!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Busy, Busy, Busy!
As I sit at home, finally getting a chance to relax, I realized that I don't get anytime for myself anymore. Work is starting to get insane considering Monday will be our largest class of the summer. Lizzie, Melissa, and myself will attempt to register 100+ people in an orderly manner. Oh, and not to mention attempting to fit them all in rooms that may, or may not, hold them all. Monday will be one for the record books. Keep an eye out for that post! It should be an interesting one. That might be the most action I get all summer except for my trips. Uoaks has gotten so much quieter. Half of our unit is empty, so it's kinda dull. Steph and I hardly get a moment together. Haven't been able to gym it up together in a long time, but we are making do on our own. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for us to be on the same workout schedule next week, though!
Brody Bear is definitely back to being a puppy. For those of you who questioned his age because he is massive, you would have no doubt that he is a year old now. All he cares about is if you are petting him. If you have something else to do, that's just too bad. It's a miracle I'm able to post a blog with him lying on the couch next to me. But, no matter what he does, he still manages to melt my heart and get out of being in trouble. I should probably take back my position as pack leader soon or things will start to get crazy.
I'm really excited for this weekend. I am leaving for Rock Hill after lunch to meet up with Billy's family for Sara and Steven's rehearsal dinner and such. The wedding is tomorrow and I can't wait to see how beautiful Sara will look. I pray that things will go well for them as they take another step in their lives together and in Christ. I know they are going to do fantastic. They are such a beautiful couple.
Oh, I finally got sucked into Twitter. Well, I'm not sure if I'll stay there, but I'm trying it out. So, follow me! :)
Godbless.
laurenashleigh
Brody Bear is definitely back to being a puppy. For those of you who questioned his age because he is massive, you would have no doubt that he is a year old now. All he cares about is if you are petting him. If you have something else to do, that's just too bad. It's a miracle I'm able to post a blog with him lying on the couch next to me. But, no matter what he does, he still manages to melt my heart and get out of being in trouble. I should probably take back my position as pack leader soon or things will start to get crazy.
I'm really excited for this weekend. I am leaving for Rock Hill after lunch to meet up with Billy's family for Sara and Steven's rehearsal dinner and such. The wedding is tomorrow and I can't wait to see how beautiful Sara will look. I pray that things will go well for them as they take another step in their lives together and in Christ. I know they are going to do fantastic. They are such a beautiful couple.
Oh, I finally got sucked into Twitter. Well, I'm not sure if I'll stay there, but I'm trying it out. So, follow me! :)
Godbless.
laurenashleigh
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