Merry Christmas

Well, Merry Christmas ya'll! I haven't posted in awhile so I thought I would bless you with one.

Update---I made it through Final's week and did pretty well if I say so myself!

I am currently enjoying a break. It was much needed let me tell you. Not a lot has happened, in fact nothing has happened. Everyone has been sick so most of our Christmas festivities have been canceled. Oh well, gives us all something to look forward to after Christmas!

Speaking of Christmas, I have a cute story. The first week I got home the kindergarten teacher in our church school got really sick. I was the replacement. (I didn't mind. It was a lot of fun!) During break one day the class was playing "shepherds." They had stuffed lambs that were supposed to be used in the Christmas program and sat in a circle around an imaginary fire. They also found a large paper cactus and two rubber balls. I am not sure about the significance of the cactus, but the balls were tumbleweeds. It was adorable.

The smell of Christmas turkey wafts through the air as I sit typing by the light of the tree and greenery. All is quiet except the radio that softly plays Christmas music. It is the most peaceful feeling.

"Heaven Father, thank you for the Gift."

Merry Christmas, my dear friends.

Jo's Jargon

It is 5:11 am and I am out about ready to run down the halls of the dorm screaming like a wild.....something or another. I have had a total of 2 hrs sleep and I am going strong. Actually, God really deserves some credit here. I prayed that He would make the 2 hrs. seem like 8. So far so good.
************************************************************
My Counselor Growth paper for Basic Counseling Skills is due in roughly 5.5 hrs.
************************************************************
My father is sweeter if I wake him up to say good morning at 5am. And I quote "Whatcha need, hon?" Good morning caught him off guard! Hehehehehe (I didn't mean to wake him up. I was trying to get a hold of my mom who is suppose to be up getting ready for work.)
************************************************************
Cherry Coke and Mint Skittles give me a sugar rush.

Lemonade isn't as good as Cherry Coke (Stupid Coke Machine!)
************************************************************
It is officially Finals Week!

Twas the Week Before Finals

Twas the Week Before Finals

Twas the week before finals,

And all through the college,

The students were praying

For last minute knowledge.

Most were quite sleepy,

But none touched their beds,

While visions of essays

Danced in their heads.

Out in the taverns,

A few were still drinking,

And hoping that liquor

Would loosen their thinking.

In my own apartment,

I had been pacing,

And dreading exams

I soon would be facing.

My roommate was speechless,

Her nose in her books,

And my comments to her

Drew unfriendly looks.

I drained all the coffee,

And brewed a new pot,

No longer caring

That my nerves were shot.

I stared at my notes,

But my thoughts were muddy,

My eyes went ablur,

I just couldn't study.

"Some pizza might help,"

I said with a shiver,

But each place I called

Refused to deliver.

I'd nearly concluded

That life was too cruel,

With futures depending

On grades had in school.

When all of the sudden,

Our door opened wide,

And Patron Saint Put-It-Off

Ambled inside.

His spirit was careless,

His manner was mellow,

He looked all around and

He started to bellow.

"What kind of student

Would make such a fuss,

To toss back at teachers
What they tossed at us?"

"On Cliffs Notes! On Crib Notes!

On Last Year's Exams!

On Wingit and Slingit,

And Last Minute Crams!"

His message delivered,

He vanished from sight,

But we heard him exclaiming

Outside in the night.

"Your teachers have pegged you,

So just do your best,

Happy Finals to All,

And to all, a good test."

(The views-stanza 2- expressed are solely those of the author/speaker-which I don't know beacuse 100,000 different people claim it-and do not reflect the views of the author of this blog.)

The Commentary

Thanksgiving break finally rolled around and I took advantage of the down time. Probably a little too much, the homework that I took home with good intentions never left the bag! I thought of blogging several times, but I didn't have convenient Internet access. Now I just have a lot to say.

I arrived home Wednesday evening after a long car ride in the backseat of my cousin's car. She had said yes to too many people about hitching a ride home SO it took forever to pack the car to fit everyone! We made it, but not before I had to pray several times for God to help my attitude!

Once I unloaded the car at Mom and Dad's the evening was spent vegging...well...until about 11pm. My mother decided that White Castle's sounded good. My parents and I jumped in the car and off we trucked.

Thanksgiving day was odd this year. In our family it is getting to the point where several people have moved or gotten married and have to alternate holidays. I guess it was just weird not to have everyone there. Change comes and life goes on! We did go out to my aunt and uncle's that night. That's when the real party started! lol

Now, along came Friday and with it Lauren! A friend from school spent the rest of the weekend with us. We all went to Kent and Lisa's again to watch the Colts game and Christmas movies.
Ok, let me pause the commentary here to insert another mouse story (see older post). Allow me to set the scene...Meaghan and Lauren were sitting on the loveseat directly accross from the couch on which I was sitting. My mom was in the recliner next to the loveseat and Lisa was sitting in an office chair by me. My mother very calmly states " There's a mouse." For a second we all just looked at her like she had a third eyeball, then we saw it! Apparently it came from underneath the loveseat and charged towards my couch. Feet went up everywhere. Meaghan and Lauren huddled on the loveseat. My mom reclined and laughed so hard she needed her oxygen. Lisa stood on the office chair. My feet were already on the couch, but I did scream.
The guys were watching the ball game upstairs, but after the screaming they came down to rescue us. Lisa started setting traps and my cousin Nathan started placing them under the couch. The poor mouse was frozen under there. Probably because of all the commotion from the humans. By the time it was all said and done there was a barricade of mouse traps around the couch. We caught the mouse within a few minutes.

Craziness. Anyway, lots more happened. The weekend was full of blogging moments, but now this post is EXTREMELY long and my mind is starting turn to mush.

One more thing....on Thanksgiving day.....I backed my parents 2006 Envoy into something. I am not really sure how or what, but the car was in my possession so apparently it was me!Needless to say there were a few stressful moments that morning. I'm okay though that is what is really important. Right?

Resting

Every once in awhile we college students get a day of rest. Rest from the everyday grind and tedious schedules we are forced to keep "during the best years of our life." Our brains sit idle while we laze on the couch eating potato chips and watching movies. I must say, dear friends and prayer partners, I am looking forward to it. Thanksgiving break is coming. The end is in sight.

There is, however, another thought I would like to share. Though I truly enjoy the few days at Thanksgiving to recuperate from the busyness of life, I am learning that resting on God is more important. The thought finally penetrated my mind and heart this week. God had a lot to say. The words of a song that I posted earlier kept running through my mind: "And even as I lay my all at Your feet, oh Lord, still I know You are worthy of more." Anything we can muster up just isn't good enough. Our good character, the people we please, the heartache we've have made it through, the many times we just do "the right thing"or make the right decision is not good enough. That thought is so depressing at first, but the most amazing thing is that God isn't asking us to be "good enough." He doesn't require us to prove ourselves worthy of His love and grace. He just gives it! We can actually rest on the fact that we are not perfect, and never will be, because God loves us anyway!

Truly resting is nice.

"I Will Survive"

I was putting away books in the library the other day when a friend stopped to say hello. Apparently I looked like I felt...overwhelmed and stressed out. He gave me some of the best advice I have recieved lately. "Go to your room and blare 'I Will Survive' or 'Deliver Us' from the Prince of Eygpt soundtrack." A smile surfaces thinking about it now! I plan on following the given advice...and soon!

It is short, but that is all I have to say for now.

My brain is going several different directions today so the following might seem like incoherent psychobabble.
----------------------------------------------------
I am very thankful for a few key people in my life. I have been thinking about what life would be like if I didn't have certain folk around. One being my mom. She was in the hospital all last weekend with bronchitis. For most people that is not a big deal, but for her it is life threatening. She has a lung disease called Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonia so even a simple chest cold is dangerous. I love her! She is great and I don't relish the fact that one day she won't be here.

Janette is another one I have been thinking about. She is my bestest friend in the whole world! Enough said. She is awesome!
----------------------------------------------------
School. Wow. Three weeks until Thanksgiving break and we are all counting down the days. Sometimes it seems like the wonderful holiday will never arrive. I am so excited about sitting around with the family and visiting, eating, remembering, and playing games. Not having class is also a nice plus :)

We just hosted a Leadership Conference here and it turned out better than I ever thought. I must confess that I wasn't thrilled with being required to attend services every night, but H.B. London (VP of Focus on the Family) was great. He really got me thinking and probing around in my life. One of the most introspective times for me was Wednesday night. He talked about our dreams, the "Reubens" in our lives, and the cisterns in which we are caught. I learned a little about myself. It was good for me.
----------------------------------------------------
I got new pictures of Ethan. One is on display at the side of this blog page. He is growing up too fast! Hopefully I will get to see him over New Years.
----------------------------------------------------
OK. I think I am done for now. Maybe I'll post something worth reading in the next few days! Until then hope you weekend is as good as mine will be. I AM FINALLY GOING HOME!!!!!!

Worthy of More

First, let me just say that I will never cease to be amazed at the fact that God is so good. The past few weeks have been somewhat tremulous, but He has made Himself so close to me. The peace that has He has granted leaves me to stand in awe. Several times this past week God has calmed my fears or sent someone to encourage me. I guess I shouldn't be so amazed that God keeps His word and takes care of His own, but I am.
I learned a new song last weekend called "You Are Worthy of More." It has been on my mind all week so I am going to share it with you.

You Are Worthy of More
You ordered every planet into place.
Then came and washed my soul in Heaven's Grace.
And I will never understand all the kindness of Your Hand,
but I know I owe You all I am.

You are worthy of more than I could ever offer.
I am kneeling before Your Holiness, dear Father.
And even as I lay my all at Your feet, oh Lord,
still I know You are worthy of more.

You know my deepest heart before I pray.
You walk the path ahead of me each day.
And I will never understand all the kindness of Your Hand,
but I know I owe You all I am.

You are worthy of more than I could ever offer.
I am kneeling before Your Holiness, dear Father.
And even as I lay my all at Your feet, oh Lord,
still I know You are worthy of more.

The Mouse and other Stories

I have started attending the best church in the world. Wesleyan Evangelistic Church in Dayton, Ohio. John Manley is the pastor. I absolutely love going. Not only are the church services meaningful and uplifting, the people are awesome. One, in particular, needs mentioned :Grace Anne. Truly a Proverbs 31 woman. She has two daughters, sixteen and two years old. Every weekend she allows Jessica and I to invade her family on Saturday night so we don't have to get up early and drive to Dayton from Cinci. She fixes the best home cooked meals I have had in a long time. Aside from the two of us, Grace Anne has another family of five over for dinner every Sunday and sometimes they spent Sat. night too. Her house is absolutely kept immaculate, which brings me to the mouse story!
Saturday night was a CRAZY night. We didn't get to the house until after nine because Jessica was teaching piano lessens at the church and we were so tired. Anyway, I was sitting on the couch when Grace Anne walked through the kitchen and stopped to pick up a piece of "dirt." It was actually a slug! So Jessica grabbed the salt and we tried to get rid of the thing. A few minutes later I ran up stairs to change. On my way back down I saw something running on the stairs. Of course it was a mouse. I stopped with my feet on two different steps. The mouse was not even as long as my finger and it crouched in the corner at the other end of the step. It really was cute. I called for Jessica, trying to be as quiet as I could because I didn't want it to move off the stairs. Jessica called for Dave (Grace Anne's husband). I knew if I called Grace Anne she would scream, but she came along with Dave. Dave grabbed a kitchen towel and came at me and the mouse. The mouse ran straight for my foot. I screamed and jumped backwards and up a few steps. I was so scared that it would run up my leg! Finally we got it outside. (No, we didn't kill it!) Grace Anne was mortified and kept asking if we were scared to sleep in her house.
This post is getting too long so I am going to end it. Tune in next time to read...The Other Stories!

I'm Back :)

Well, the title of this post applies to a number of things in my life. First, I am back to the blogging world. Second, I am back on the ol' hilltop. School is in full swing, which is the main reason I have not posted in awhile. I am so busy! There are simply not enough hours in the day.
Not a lot has happened, but I will give you a short rundown on the recent happenings. The school year always starts with a Fall Revival. This year was no different. It was a VERY good week. God really met with us in a special. You know how some revivals are uplifting and encouraging? Others are soul searching times and still some are just a series of services we feel an obligation to attend. This particular revival seemed to be more of a soul searching time. It was great to feel a spiritual connection with the rest of the school.
Classes are decent. That is all I have to say on the subject. Fun has been had though. (Not during classes.) One of my favorite things in the world to do is to see just how much I can get the freshmen to believe. The stories have ranged from Ms. Vernon (the Dean of Women) turning the water off at eleven to checking student ID's on the elevator. Pranks are always fun too. (I am not going to confess a thing so you can stop sitting on the edge of your seats, my friends.)
Overall life has been pretty mundane. This is not a bad thing. I am actually quite thankful. It is peaceful.
Well, there you have it. If I think of anything else to say I will blog again!

Learning

For most of the summer I worked as the lead teacher in a classroom full of two year olds. They taught me a lot of things.

1. I learned that two year olds are not logical. Telling Nigel that "it is not okay" to jump off of the foam tunnel because we might hurt someone and "our friends are not for hurting" never worked. Three words did the trick..."No, time out."

2. I learned that they are smarter than we think. I was ranting at Kiya one day for disobeying and she kept interrupting me with...
"Ms. Brownie?" (Don't ask why. I don't know.)
"Kiya, it is Ms. Brown's turn to talk."
"Ms. Brownie?"
"What Kiya?" "
"Can I give you a hug?"

3. I learned that two year olds have to learn the same lesson over and over and over and over again. Nigel still jumps off of the tunnel. Terrence still loves to play jump rope with the Fisher-Price drums. Rileigh still tries to take everyones shoes during nap time. And the whole class still uses their "outside voices" inside.

4. I learned that two year olds will stop throwing a temper tantrum if you get on the floor and start screaming with them! Yes, Norris and I threw many tantrums this summer. (In my expert opinion :), what he really needed was a good spanking, but I wasn't allowed to administer corporal punishment, so if you can beat'em join'em.)Norris would stop screaming, look at me like I had grown an extra head, and I would say "It's not that serious, my friend." It was great!

5. I learned that sometimes I can act like a two year old and that sometimes I treat God like He is only two. I give God a "time-out" so to speak when I feel that I've got it all under control. I don't really know where I get the idea that I am smarter than God and that my plan will work out better in the long run. I tend to have to learn the same lessons over and over again. Have you ever thrown a spiritual fit? Telling God at the top of your lungs that life isn't fair and you don't understand what in the world He is up to, when in all reality He owes you no explanation? It's nothing to brag about, but I have.

Learning isn't aways fun, but it is necessary.

Boating

Saturday we (Justin, Janette, Jerry, Ethan, and I) went boating on Lake Wateree. (No it is not a typo.) The guys had gone ahead to go fishing while Janette, Ethan, and I waited until 11 to go out. Well, the plan was to be there around 10, but Janette grabbed the wrong paper off of the counter and we ended up in the boon docks with little to no cell phone reception and no directions. We finally made it. Once we got there I had to overcome my fear of the boat suddenly capsizing in the middle of the lake or our "crew" being stranded on a "three hour tour...a three hour tour." (I wasn't actually too far off.) We launched sail and made it to the middle of the lake where we hooked up the inter tube for added fun. After 45 minutes or so we killed the engine and dropped anchor to enjoy sitting on a boat in the middle of a lake. Ethan was being so good. He has just learned to walk so he was waddling around with his life jacket, playing, and continually throwing his pacifier overboard. Well, we decided that it was time to head out into the open waters again so Jerry started the motor...or tried. The motor would not start so yes, my fear became reality...it truly was a three hour tour. The guys took the motor apart basically, trying to figure out what was wrong, but to no avail. Finally Justin used the inter tube and paddled to the nearest house for help. Our rescuers came with a platoon boat and tugged us back to the dock. The funniest part was when we found out what was wrong. In the midst of Ethan being an angelic baby he is, he had pulled the kill switch, making it virtually impossible for the motor to turn over. All we would have had to do was plug it back in! Overall we had a really good time.
Speaking of Ethan....

Here he is on the boat.

I think he just threw his pacifier over.

Ethan

Well, here it is, a picture of my favorite guy. I was so sad when I arrived in Columbia Wednesday and he didn't remember me! It has only been a few months. Today I won him back over though and he reached for me. My heart is overflowing with love for this little guy. (Oh, yeah. I finally made it South Carolina.)

Update

Just an update for all who need to know. The transmission in my car has gone to live with Cricket in car purgatory. (I don't plan on praying either Cricket or the transmission out anytime soon. I've decided to make them think about what they have done for awhile and be really sorry). Anyway, I am at my parent's house for a few days then I plan on going BACK to Cincinnati, picking up my WORKING car, and finally heading to South Carolina. Maybe I'll make it this time. Enough said on that topic.

Ethan took his first real steps by himself today while Janette and I were on the phone. Janette screamed and I about swallowed the phone. He walked from the couch to the middle of the living room before he plopped down and Janette screamed. He just started giggling.

They have paused the movie in the family room for me so I better go.

The Car's Name is "Burger!?"

The first car I ever owned was a gray 1993 Chevy Corsica. It was given to me by my Grandma Closser (on my mother's side). I named it Cricket because it was constantly making some silly noise that made me more nervous than anything I can describe. Finally, last semester the engine blew and Cricket went on to meet its eternal reward: the dump (insert smiley).
Soooooooo, last weekend I bought a new car. New to me anyway. I bought it off my Grandma Brown's (this one's on my father's side) ex-friend, Jerry, who is a used car salesman. He gave me a really good deal on a hunter green 1997 Ford Taurus. Not my first choice, but I was in dire straights and I needed a car in two weeks. My dad asked me what I was going to name this one and the only thing that I could think of was "Burger!" Why? Because it was green! What? I know I should be embarrassed, I was just kidding around, but for some reason the name stuck (there is not an innuendo intended here).
I proudly drove my "new" car, Burger, to school, packed it full of all of the junk that I would need, and started for my summer location, Columbia, South Carolina. About an hour down the road I saw a blanket of smoke billowing out of the back of my "new" car. I pulled over and before I even got out of the car prayed "God, PLEASE don't let it be anything drastic!" To make a long story short....I still don't know what is wrong. It's Memorial Day and every mechanic this side of the Mississippi is closed for the celebration. I must admit that I struggled A LOT at first with keeping my head on my shoulders. It was frustrating and I wanted to get to SC. Plus, add $15 bucks to the tow bill and I will have paid the first month's car payment!
As I look back on the situation though, I can really see how God was watching out for me. First, my parents called Saturday night and informed me that they were "not comfortable" letting me drive to SC be myself. I wasn't upset with them, just a little inconvenienced. So to appease them I waited longer than I planned to leave and was following the Stewart's. Second, I was only one hour away from school. Third, my cell phone worked. My parents didn't tell me that I couldn't drive down alone, but since they weren't real keen on me moving in the first place I decide to give in on this one. Thank God I did! I could have been stranded, scared, and an emotional basket case all alone. (I was all of the afore mentioned, I just wasn't alone)! Since I was only an hour away it was too difficult to get back to school where I have a mechanic I know and trust, where I have a safe place to stay the night, and where I have a little support system built. A little later the Stewarts called and said that almost exactly one mile down the road all cellphone signal stopped! What would I have done if I had been several hours away from school, all alone in this big scary world, AND without a cellphone? That is nervous break down material right there! Anyway, Burger is currently sitting at the shop waiting to be fixed and I am safe in the dorm typing this very long blog. God is good even when we don't recognize it!

First Time for Everything!

Well, this is the first blog I have ever written. I decided that I might as well join the ranks and start posting my jargon! (It took me awhile to come up with a word that started with "j"). Anyway, I will write more later, but for now I am going to explore my new found hobby!