Blessings

Getting back from China and into real life has been an adjustment, to say the least. It took me over a week to get over jet lag alone. I'm pretty sure I've healed from the flu faster than that. 

One thing we talked about on the way back was how we were going to deal with life in America after leaving so much of our hearts in China. Suddenly dealing with things that were classified as "important" were now utterly ridiculous.

Perspective is so good.

Even though I would board a plane tomorrow back to Beijing, I know that right now I'm not supposed to be anywhere except right where I've been planted. While I don't always take that gracefully, the Lord has been so good in providing me with incredible opportunities and relationships for this last year in Auburn.

Meet my Pi Chi girls. I have been so excited to meet them since January. Along with 89 other girls, we trained to not only guide them through recruitment week, but also to help them in their process of transitioning to Auburn. The girls of my group were each an individual blessing and I'm so excited to watch them begin this journey!

As if I couldn't have loved my girls enough, I loved my roommates just as much. Emily and Mary Ann, you two are complete hoots and I loved getting to know your hearts this week. I couldn't have survived the week without the support of these two and Lindzi, who I never got a picture with. (Nonsense.) They encouraged and challenged me over the week and I'm pumped to keep up with them as we all go our separate ways!

The Pi Chi experience got even sweeter since I had the chance to reunite with this dear friend after she spent several weeks studying in Austria! Missed you, pal!

Once the bids were handed out and my job was done, I got to reunite with these dear friends. How I missed them so! Can't believe this is our last year before the real world hits. Or more school. Probably school.

So excited this sweet Shades girl is a baby panda! Praying that you soak up every second of it!

Number one reason why I love AOII: this fam jam. I can't believe I'm taking Dana's spot as great-grandbig, but I'm so excited to keep our legacy going through the newest little one!

After all the hype of recruitment had finally died down and I was able to get more the four consecutive hours of sleep, I boarded a transit to take this crew to Camp Chandler. IMPACT has been such a unique group to be a part of and, along with Pi Chi, one of my favorite Auburn experiences.

This year's group of Project Coordinators. They were hand-picked out of over 100 applicants, and we couldn't be more excited to work with them!

There is a reason we can't have a meeting that lasts less than an hour. This bunch has jokes.

The buddy system. It's lonely at the top, Chris.

I'm so thankful that I'm already having to stay up late to finish homework because I spend so much time with all of these people and then some. I always wish that I could major in "interpersonal communication" or "Kingdom building." I guess English Literature is close enough.

My Not-so-obligatory-yet-still-important "What I Learned Junior Year" List

1. It is possible to bake 1,000 cookies in one week.

2. You're never too old or too smart to make a puppet show for a class project.

3. Finally finding a hairdresser after 3 years is only marginally ridiculous.

4. Papers start to write themselves after a while.

5. Bribing boys with baked goods to do odd jobs around the house is okay.

6. Not knowing how to change lightbulbs is not.

7. Crunchy peanut butter is not all bad.

8. Neither is country music.

9. A life-size replica of the Tabernacle of Moses actually exists.

10. Procrastinating until the morning things are due is completely normal.
11. Getting fresh eggs will make all of your baked goods 567x better. Approximately.
12. You can start your own band with play instruments you bought at Cracker Barrel. Piano Man on harmonica= legit.
13. Sweet, sweet time with Daddy gets even sweeter with age. Sharing music festivals together and discovering new bands while we munch on popsicles is something to always cherish.
14. It's okay to cry on your birthday. Again. But more embarrassing while you wallow on the kitchen floor.
15. It's totally possible to become best friends with four other people once you're trapped in an office with them for a solid week.
16. Food is always better when it's miniature sized.
17. Never walk around with a backpack full of bread.
18. Junior year is not too late to have a quarter-life crisis and explore all sorts of ridiculous career options.
19. Sometimes you just have to be a princess and iron your sheets so your monogram lies flat.
20. Being an English major is a lifestyle.
21. It's totally okay to bake your professor an apple pie before the final in hopes that your grade will get bumped up a little bit.
22. If you spend enough time in British literature, you'll start to spell words with the extra 'u.'
23. It is entirely possible to have one too many cheese straws and cucumber sandwiches.
24. Attempting to watch the entire season of The Wonder Years in one semester is a noble, but impossible, dream.
25. Chick-fil-a breakfast is meant to be eaten while you study the Word.
26. You know you're real friends when you only salt half of the chips at dinner.
27. Wanting to create a TV series called "Dairy Belles" about two girls on a quest to find the best soft-serve in America is a legitimate alternative to graduate school.
28. Always check your watch when there's a time difference and you spring forward so you don't wake up at 4:30am instead of 7:30am.
29. Everyone has a cat voice. You just have to get in touch with your inner feline. #meowzaa
30. You can't spell chunk without hunk.
31. Sometimes you just have to have a meltdown in Chill when they don't have your usual flavor.
32. You know you've reached a new low when you can't go home because you'll bake instead of write your papers.
33. The difference between a cat and a comma is that one has claws before the paws and the other has clause before the pause.
34. Growing up only gets harder.
35. These lists only get longer and longer each year.

Treasure

It's finding little gems like this that make me love small town life.

Knit Together

"...their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ"

Colossians 2:2

photo by the talented Jenna

Meet some of my bible study girls. They are more of a blessing than I could have ever imagined. Our fearless leader Jenna so graciously opens her home to us and has made us all her baby chicks, which is funny since she does have actual chickens in her backyard. Even though we are just beginning our second semester as a group together, I cannot even fathom what my year would look like without all of these women! Jumping into the Word with them has been so encouraging and challenging and I am so incredibly excited to work through the book of James with them. We never have a dull moment in bible study and their humor refreshes my spirit constantly! Imagining the love we have for each other is just an iota of the Father's love for us just blows my mind!

Taste of the Town

Let me tell you about my hidden talent.

I am a great restaurant picker.

Maybe it's not such a talent after all. And maybe no one else feels I have this gift. But I certainly feel that I do.

It took me two and a half years of living in Auburn, but I finally branched out to nearby Opelika for restaurants after being a regular at all of the Auburn ones.

Pause. If you haven't wandered around downtown Opelika, it's an absolute must. Adorable. I go to church down there and knew it was precious, but the entire downtown district is to die for. Resume.

So on our first night back after break, I had a hankering for pizza and had my heart set on going to Opelika. Enter Ma Fia's, also known as the best decision we made all day. My friend Hillary and I popped in there on Friday and we left as changed women.

A general outline of the evening, as follows:

1. We circle the parking lot about 6 times trying to get a close spot, then decide to park like 30 yards away. Struggles. We are such divas.

2. We walk in and find out a girl in our pledge class is one of the hostesses there. I'd just like to take this opportunity to go ahead and bless her heart.

3. We find out that at 7pm on a Friday night there will be an hour and a half wait for a table.

4. Our sweet friend tells us she can seat us in an hour and she'll give us a call when our table is ready. She assures us it will be worth the wait.

5. We bless her heart and decide to go to Target to kill time.

6. Our precious friend calls us after we've been gone approximately 30 minutes telling us our table is ready. We feel cool already being treated like regulars here.

7. We abandon our hand baskets in Target and book it to the restaurant.

8. We walk in, and sit down at a table by the bar--perfect for people watching.

9. About this point we notice that we are the youngest people there in a rather trendy crowd, by Auburn standards at least. Typical.

10. We peruse the menu and after much deliberation decide on each building our own personal pizza, a decision we do not regret.

11. We have excellent service. I drink a lot of water, but the waitress kept my glass full even though she probably had a ton of other tables to keep up with.

12. We see a lady with a sweatshirt on that says "Pets Leave Pawprints On Our Hearts." That's not important, just really funny.

13. Pizzas arrive. Holy. Smokes. Mine had cheese, dried basil, chicken, caramelized onions, and prosciutto ham. It was fantastic. Perfect size, perfect taste, perfect texture, perfect ratio of toppings. I can't even deal.

14. We bask in the pure ecstasy that our pizzas brought to our tummies.

15. We go for dessert, also known as the second best decision we made all day.

16. This arrives.

Party in my tummy. These italian doughnuts were like a beignet, but a little chewier. The man who brought out this dish forget to bring us some extra forks, so I swiped some baby ones from the bar that I'm pretty sure were just for the bartender to use to fish out garnishes for cocktails. You know what, desperate times call for desperate measures. And once he saw why I was so needy for eating utensils, I think he understood.

17. We pay a perfectly reasonable price for such a wonderful meal and leave feeling extremely satisfied and marveling at how wonderful our lives really are, even if we act like old ladies.

I think it's safe to say we can whole-heartedly recommend Ma Fia's since we're already looking forward to the next time we go back, which, if we're being honest, will be this week.

Our INCREDIBLE Fam Jam

I have a couple of favorite days in AOII: Bid Day, Initiation Banquet, any days new t-shirt shipments come to my door, and Big Little Reveal! This year was even tougher to keep my lips sealed since little Kendall tried her very best to extort any information out of me that she could. I didn't spoil the surprise and I couldn't have been more happy to become a grandbig to Morgan!!

Our Fam Jam is INCREDIBLE.

Wish we could have traded hair just this one night so your hair could have been full of secrets.

Carol, remember when your suitcase got held up at customs in Costa Rica because your sunscreen exploded? I'm glad we still have stories that are just as entertaining.

Annual tradition of being in the back of the group photo. But hey, that's what the zoom is for, right?

Lovely bible study friends! Real thankful we're delving into the Word together this year!

2013

Check out that last line. Yippeeeeeeee

AOPi my AOPi

Rush is over! All of the countless name tags, bid night invitations, sleepless nights, early mornings, freely flowing tears, time spent locked away in the chapter room, never seeing sunlight, and now the aftermath of being sick and exhausted is still somehow worth it when I look at the precious 65 baby pandas who we fought for all week long. I can't wait to see the big things they'll do not only at Auburn, but beyond college. Even my own baby sister got to join me this year! This has gotta be the good life.

What would I ever do without the '09 pledge class?

My definitely-not-obligatory-yet-still-important "what I learned summer in between sophomore and junior year" list

otherwise known as, "The Longest Title Ever" and "It's My Blog And I Can Do What I Want."

Summer was a weird time. It's strange that I've literally been in school for the past year with few breaks and I'm just going to keep on going. I guess what this is what it will be like to have a big girl job in the real world? Good thing I'm going to be a teacher. Here's what summer taught me:

1. Outback Curbside To-Go with online ordering is the best and worst thing in existence.

2. Never leave Hillary alone in the kitchen. (See this for proof.)

3. It's okay that we never went to the Helen Keller festival. It's not like she got to see it anyway.

4. The dynamics of our friend group may seem strange. But we are similar to most television casts and that is why we're so darn funny.

5. Coupons are nothing to be ashamed of. Use them with pride.

6. Always feed Dad before taking him antiquing.

7. Don't kid yourself and order a small soft-serve cone at Chick-fil-A. Go big or go home.

8. Cracker Barrel has sub-par service.

9. Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.

10. Reading in accents makes any boring subject way more interesting.

11. Costco sells Nutella practically by the gallon.

12. TV Land has some seriously entertaining shows.

13. Step Aerobics can make you want to punch people in the face.

14. There's nothing wrong with staying home to fix up your thrift store finds on a Friday night.

15. I can do a master job at parallel parking if the entire football is watching me from the sidewalk.

16. Hillary can't back her car up with someone screaming at her.

17. You need to have a game plan for Chewlacla.

18. Homemade granola might be the best snack food ever.

Helter Skelter in the Summer Swelter

Sometimes we just like to celebrate America on random days. We just roll with life, you know?

American Pie only seemed appropriate since we've listened to the song just about every single day this summer.

Somebody has a tendency to misuse the stove and/or oven. This time it was just potatoes, which I promptly made her dump out across the street from our house.

Raw emotion.

We've been talking a lot about love languages and love tanks. Sweet Hill is trying to understand my need for words of affirmation. It's okay, we're working on her love language, too.

My not-so-obligatory-yet-still-important "what I learned sophomore year: part TWO" list

This year was great. Seriously great. Except I realized how old I'm getting when I thought about how much history I've already lived through. On a lighter note, here's a snapshot of what I learned outside of the classroom this semester...

1. Creeping is an art form. A very, very delicate art form.

2. A 20-year-old's body can't handle the same things as a 19-year-old's, so you have to stop late night trips for doughnuts if you don't want to pay for it the next morning.

3. Turning 20 means your next birthday is 21, which means your next birthday is 22, which means your life is practically over.

4. Wing Zone delivers even in the middle of a tornado.

5. The Braves, however, do not play during severe weather.

6. Make goals, not foals.

7. Putting off a 10-12 page research paper until the day before its due when you still haven't even finished the book yet is a dumb move. Dumb dumb dumb.

8. You're never too old to go see Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 in theaters. Twice.

9. A royal wedding is a once in a lifetime event, so it's worth waking up at 3am to watch the live coverage, even if it is finals week.

10. If you can't decide what you want for dinner, it's okay to call 3 different places to order your favorite things from each.

11. Domino's pizza tracker is the best thing invented. Ever.

12. After sampling dumplings from all over the Auburn/Opelika area, MK's has the best. There, it's settled.

13. Everything in life can relate to two things: 1. Mean Girls 2. Modern Family

14. Meryl Streep is always the right choice. She could play Batman and she would be the right choice.

15. The last day of higher level English classes will always be the best. Tea parties, bread pudding, sentimental speeches, and maybe even a few glistening tears.

16. If you're going to make bread from scratch, double the recipe. But don't put it all in one pan.

17. Human Behavior classes come in handy when you need to figure out why your family is so weird. And lovable. But mostly weird.

18. StumbleUpon and Pintrest are the best and worst things that ever happened.

19. Sometimes professors are actually knowledgeable on subjects outside of their fields, like how to set up tigermail as your incoming mail server on your iphone.

20. You're about 1,000x less likely to skip class if you have someone to walk with you.

21. Total Eclipse of the Heart could be misconstrued as a song about Jesus.

22. Being matchers is underrated.

23. Sometimes you come home and your family is all granola. Just roll with it.

24. Don't start drinking coffee and coke if you never have before in your life. It will just make you anxious. And you'll have to pee a lot.

25. Go big or go home.

26. Banana pudding is worthless without the bananas.

27. WebMD is always a good idea.

28. You know, if you want to spend your birthday hanging out with your parents, its okay.

29. Wearing real shoes and a real bra is serious business.

30. Any movie featuring "Firework" in the preview is a guaranteed good movie.

Ace of Cakes

We met Duff from Ace of Cakes tonight. He certainly was a character... and he has quite the tendency to ramble. Regardless, go pandas!

My not-so-obligatory-yet-still-important "what I learned sophomore year: part one" list

I was going to wait until May to post this, but I learned a whole lot in one semester, so why wait?

1. You know that saying, "Revenge is a dish best served cold?" Oh no, it should be more like, "Revenge is dish that should be served as a corndog." Not quite as catchy, but wayyyy more true.

2. If you're going to whip your hair back and forth, just be careful not to shatter a glass.

3. Check the boxes before taking multiple cold medicines in one night.

4. Just say no to glitter. In any way, shape, or form.

5. Vienna waits for you.

6. True friends are the ones who will pee in their pants from laughter in front of you. And admit it.

7. Always grab your tiger card on the way out for a fire drill. And a bra.

8. Aerosols should always be sprayed outside.

9. "I was afraid it was going to rain" is not a legit excuse for taking jeep doors up the elevator in front of the RA.

10. Always keep a plunger in the guest bathroom.

11. Find the most private bathrooms. And keep them a secret.

12. You're never too old to watch childhood movies. And maybe even cry just a little bit.

13. Lygers DO exist.

14. It's okay to want your life to turn out just like Kathleen Kelly's.

15. Life's too short to eat bad steak.

16. Sometimes it's socially acceptable to make mildly inappropriate comments in class.

17. Never tweet negatively about Paula Deen.

18. Stalking members of the men's swim team is no big deal, as long as you feel good about it.

19. Having a name that fits perfectly on scantrons will never get old.

20. Mentally hashtagging life is a sign that you tweet too much. #totesoutofcontrol

21. Any word worth having in your vocabulary is one that can easily be abbreved.

22. If you're going to shower, at least jazz it up with some bath crayons.

23. Asian night in Tiger Zone will beat you. Every single time.

24. Outdoor concerts are the best kinds of concerts.

25. Live on the sassy side of life.

26. Maple doughnuts are only for people like Buddy the elf.

27. Sometimes you just have to throw away a trash can.

28. Don't eat waffles if you're allergic to them. Or go to a Waffle House.

29. Three turns should do it, I think.

30. Don't be a Connie.

31. 5 hour energy shots taste like chalk. Chase it down with some chocolate milk or something.

32. If you're going to faint at the doctor's office, best go to Urgent Care on South College.

33. Sometimes you just have to cry on your way to class. Life happens.

34. You can't sweet talk your way into the hay field parking the night before a big game. No matter how cute you are.

35. Life's weird.

Lord of the Flies

We have company this week. Room 343 has been infested...by fruit flies.

It all started when I decided to open my window to let in some fresh air while I was studying. Little did I know I was letting in my nemesis. At first I just found one little fruit fly. He (although based on what happened next, I'm thinking it was a she) seemed harmless enough. I thought it would probably die before I even woke up the next morning.

Oh no. It was very much alive.

Then I found another.

Where there are two fruit flies, there are inevitably going to be babies. (Cue "Let's Get It On") Lots and LOTS of babies. The original fruit fly was preggers. Now we have quite the little household of fruit flies. They are incredibly obnoxious, especially while we are all trying to study. What no one can understand is how they are still alive and reproducing. We don't even have any food in our room because we're all getting ready to go home! I spent this afternoon googling ways to get rid of them. I've still got nothing.

Right now, we're just all saying a prayer that we don't return from Christmas break and our room is literally covered with the little vermin.

hoodrat stuff

I have the greatest friends ever.

Tonight was easily one of the greatest nights of my life.

I got a brand new little!!

Isn't she presh!? We go together better than pandas and bamboo.

So we all took our littles out and committed a minor felony. It's not grand theft auto if you don't take the whole car right? (Regardless, the doors were returned to our friend. So all is well.)

now i lay me down to study

One of my favorite shows of all time (Pushing Daisies, too bad it was cancelled after only two seasons) best describes how I feel about hugs:

It's like an emotional Heimlich. Someone puts their arms around you and they give you a squeeze and all of your fear and anxiety come shooting out of your mouth in a big wet wad and you can breath again.

(go to 1:25)

In the midst of midterms, I find it so easy to lose sight of what's important and throw myself thoroughly and wholly into school. Yes, that's why I'm in Auburn, but I can make myself absolutely sick just dwelling on tests. So I've finally figured out some of the best ways to combat test anxiety:

1. Prayer. Giving it all to the Lord is the best way to go, but that doesn't excuse a lack of sufficiently preparing.

2. A hug. For real, I thrive on hugs. REAL hugs. Not wimpy side hugs.

3. Taking a walk. Auburn is seriously the best place on earth to take a walk. Either a brisk walk to get the blood flowing or a leisurely stroll. However, it's not usually relaxing unless with a friend.

4. Taking a drive with the windows down. I was never a believer in this until Abby showed me how it was done.

5. A cup of mint tea (sans caffeine). There's just a relaxing property to mint like nothing else.

one is silver and the other is gold

Why do I have the coolest roomate & psuedoroommmate in the entire world?

bloom where you are planted

"I've been praying for like-minded people."

Oh, how this has been the theme of our room thus far. I never knew so much encouragement and pure, unadulterated elation could live within four walls. It's so amazing how much easier it is to just do the gross and gritty stuff of life when you live with your biggest cheerleaders. Their love for me and each other isn't even an iota of our Savior's love for us. How satisfying is it to daily feel the Lord directing our paths and delighting in every detail of our lives? I've learned to rest in the promises of the Lord, even today as I drove home in the pouring rain (Genesis 9:11). This has already been such a year of growth: in who I am as a person, a student, a friend, a sister, and a daughter, despite everything being really crazy. It's that good crazy, you know? The chaos that comes with an overabundance of joy.

"Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know Him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring." Hosea 6:3

summation

This weekend in summation...

1) an A on my first paper of the semester

2) The Civil Wars outdoor concert in Waverly

3) sweet new tshirt

4) best grilled cheese of life

5) Auburn victory

6) clean sheets

7) reading reading reading

if i were a house...

We had to do a project in art of architecture called "If I were a house..." Basically, we had to find a picture of a house and identify the architectural qualities the house evokes that are similar to our personalities. (It was actually kind of a difficult assignment, okay!) Regardless, here I am... as a house. Or as close as I could get.

Found in Country Living.