No Longer Frosh

You know you're not a freshman anymore when...



1. You know the exact prices of all your favorite snacks in the vending machine

2. You don't have to look at the numbers in the elevator to know what floor you're on because you're just used to the way it "feels"

3. You no longer practice anything your mother taught you about doing laudry

4. You can walk the tunnels with your eyes closed

5. You get cabin fever from being alone in your room for more than 30 minutes

6. You know what SDR, CPO, ASCII, GYROFAD, and GNIMOCEMOH stand for.

7. You are first in line for [iNfoRmal] because it really is that good

8. You no longer check your mail multiple times a day

9. You know when meal times are and what's going to be served



and best of all...



10. You can watch all the freshman freaking over (and staying up all night working on) their OT survey papers and think "I never have to do that again" :)

New Do!

I was inspired by Shannon's adorable new look so I thought I'd try something new myself. What do you think? I can't decide if I like it... but I would like to point out that I customized the colors of the boxes BEFORE I got the new layout. They matched all on their own!

The Power of Chocolate

I like food a lot. No, let me rephrase that. I LOVE food!
As I've been on the search to define myself, one of the things that's stood out is my love for food. Really, I should be a chef. In fact, if I'm ever forced to make something besides mac-and-cheese and instant oatmeal I probably will learn to love cooking. I will also weigh seven hundred pounds by the time I'm thirty-five. But I will be the happiest seven hundred pound woman in the world.
Food is probably one of strongest, if not the strongest, motivator in my life. A close second to that is sleep. Hardly anything can make me leave the comfort of my covers in the morning if I'm determined to stay there, but if someone utters the words, "chocolate chip pancakes," there is a battle inside me fiercer than two ladies fighting for the last pair of pumps on Black friday. Food usually wins. I will endure practically anything to get good food. I could have no interest in a meeting whatsoever but if I hear the word "refreshments" suddenly that meeting sounds oh-so-appealing! In fact, I don't know why I'm posting this on the internet because now people will know how to manipulate me into doing whatever they want! It's probably a really good thing no strangers ever offered me candy when I was a kid.
I've thought long and hard about this aspect of my personality and have come to the conclusion that I love food simply because it makes me happy. Food is associated with practically every good memory I have. Birthdays, weddings, graduations, recitals, family dinners, Sunday dinners, get togethers with friends, lunch in school, breakfasts with Dad, floor outings in college, Movie theaters, Baseball games, baby Showers, church events, family picnics, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Labor Day, carnivals, Halloween, etc, etc, etc! Really! Is there anything good that DOESN't involve food? Clearly food = happiness.
So while I know that staying healthy is important, and I've learned some tips to make sure I don't always eat too much (like don't keep candy in you dorm room), I've decided that eating food is great and I'm going to enjoy it!
As Truett Cathy says, "Food is essential to life. Therefore, make it good."

(I saw that quote on the wall of a Chick-Fil-A.I don't know where or when.)

Who are you?

Identity - the state or fact of remaining the same one or ones, as under varying aspects or conditions.

If someone asked you who you are what would you say? Probably your name, but say they ask what defines you. What would you say? How do people describe you?

"She's artistic," "He's really nice," "She's beautiful," "He smells bad."

For most of my life the answer to that question has been "she's an athlete." Since before I can remember I have played sports. From mini-league soccer to in-house basketball to high school teams. I've always played sports and I've never questioned that. It's just what I do. However, in recent years I've started to question this aspect of my identity. Why am I an athlete? Do I want to be an athlete?

The questioning came to a climax this year. For the first time in my life I chose not to play a sport, specifically basketball. Frankly, I'm scared to death. Since middle school I have been a basketball player, that's how people know me. It gives people something to talk about when they meet me. Guys will come up to me and ask how basketball's going, even if we barely know each other. It's a point of connection. It's a place where I know I will be accepted.

.

But recently it's as though God has been pointing out this weakness in my life. I am so dependent on sports, on being an athlete, that I don't know who I am without them. God is drawing me towards Him, asking me to find my identity in Him. I'm excited, but nervous at the same time. What if I don't like who I am apart from basketball? What if other people don't like me? Who am I?

For the next nine months I will be on a journey to discover who I am. Hopefully I will be able to write about it as I learn, and hopefully I will discover that I am someone I can live with. For better or for worse, here I go!

So, what have I learned so far? It's been about two weeks since I decided not to play basketball. So far I've learned:

1. I am a girl. I know that seems obvious, but I've discovered that I like being a girl. I love the color pink and wearing dresses and decorating my room with flowers and buying new clothes. I'm not a tom-boy and I'm not a valley girl, I'm just a girl. And I enjoy that fact.

2. I like creating things. I love writing stories, making decorations for my room and announcement posters for the girls on my floor, making up songs on the piano, and making things out of cardboard.

3. I am a Christian. I read the Bible, I go to church, I volunteer for Awana, I pray.

4. I am a wishy-washy Jesus follower. I want to follow Jesus and have an intimate relationship with him, but more times than not I do what I want instead of obeying him. I tend to put him last instead of first on my priority list, finishing all my other tasks before spending time with him.

Total Tally: 3 good, 1 bad