Sunday, February 20, 2011

fill your bucket

Midterms have hit my schedule. It was inevitable, but that still doesn't mean I'm happy about it. As important as school is, the Lord has just given me such a peace about doing the best I can and just leaving it at that. Yes, studying is important, but so is enjoying His creation and investing in relationships that have much more of an eternal value than one single test ever will.

There is a lovely little didactic children's book about "filling your bucket" which explains the effects of praise and criticism. We all have an invisible bucket over our heads filled with water; do something good, your bucket is filled a little bit more; do something not so good, some water is spilled. I like to view life the same way. Sometimes I just need to fill my own bucket, whether that's merely opening my window to let the breeze in (or blowing some bubbles in my chocolate milk) or something bigger, like encouraging a fellow believer to remain planted in the middle of God's will.

My goal is not only to end my days with a full bucket, but also to fill someone else's bucket, too.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Singles Awareness Day

I've been saving this recipe for quite some time! Good ole Martha has done it again. Hill has declared that these are her favorite cookies so far. (But that's not saying much because I messed up some chocolate chocolate chip cookies earlier and the peanut butter nutella ones were less than desirable.)

Sunday, February 6, 2011

I Don't Want to Grow Up

I begrudgingly turned 20 years old yesterday.

As much as I didn’t want to face being two decades old, it was a pretty delightful day. I woke up to my favorite breakfast in the entire world— chocolate glazed Krispy Kreme doughnuts and chocolate milk.

Then, I was supposed to meet sweet Cierra for a long overdue lunch at Taziki’s, but was instead greeted there with a surprise birthday lunch with not only with her, but Becky, Mary Beth, and Meagan! How precious to spend time with all of them together! Such a rare and beautiful occasion! (I wish we had thought to take picture together!)

I came home and played with my new sewing machine (thanks Mom and Dad!), fished out all of the sewing tutorials I’ve been bookmarking for ages, and finished up some homework (not most people’s idea of a happy birthday, but I relished the chance for uninterrupted time to catch up on work).

Daddy and I went to Twenty-Six for dinner before another birthday present— tickets to see Bill Cosby’s stand-up comedy show. (Sewing machine, Bill Cosby tickets… I need to multiply my age by at least 4.)

After that, I came home and crawled in the bed to watch Murder, She Wrote and fell fast asleep.

20, maybe you won’t be so bad after all.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

Today was one of the most humiliating days of my life.

I'll recount it in the most extreme detail possible for the full effect.

This morning I walked to class with Hillary, as usual. The weather was kind of miserable, but other than that everything was fine. I sit down in my Human Behaviors class and wait for it to start. About 15 minutes into lecture I started feeling really anxious. I couldn't get comfortable, so I kept moving around, trying to stretch my legs and such. Then I get ridiculously warm. So I shed my rain jacket. Still not better. At this point I realize I feel really bad and am starting to get a little lightheaded. I decide to get up and leave to get some water and sit down. Hindsight: standing up was THE WORST decision I could have made. I take about two steps and then completely black out. I hit the ground and then wake up with 20 terrified classmates staring at me, my professor is calling 911, someone running to get me some water, and some other person is making sure I'm responsive. Awkward. I hardly know these people. Luckily, this was a social work class (so most people are pretty compassionate) and I had this professor before.

Long story short, a policeman, three firemen, and two paramedics arrive at the classroom to check me out. I moved out into the hallway, and after checking my blood pressure, blood sugar, and other vital signs, I'm given the choice of going to the hospital. HECK NO. I do NOT want to be wheeled out on the gurney they brought up for me. I told them I would go to the med clinic for further tests. As if this is not embarrassing enough, the policeman tells me to get in the car for him to drive me back to the dorm. So I ride in the back of the marked police car from Haley Center back to the dorm. Thankfully, Kaitlynn was in the room when I got back and immediately jumped in the car to drive me to the med clinic.

I arrive at the med clinic and literally had the shortest waiting time ever. (Note to self: passing out puts you at the top of their priority list.) After going through exactly what happened in excruciatingly personal detail several times, I am informed they are going to run plenty of tests on me to make sure everything is okay. They wheel the EKG cart into my room and after I strip down, they hook me up and check out my heart. Turns out it was doing its job just like it was supposed to. I walk down to the lab to give blood (second time that day) and start crying in the middle of it. The nurse couldn't find my vein in one arm, so she had to switch to the other one, and I finally just broke down about what a terrible day it had been. I'm not anemic, I don't have mono, and my white blood cell count was perfectly normal. I was poked, prodded, and everything else they could have done. Basically, nothing is wrong with me and there is no apparent reason for my fainting spell. The doctor excused me from class for two days and prescribed plenty of rest and fluids.

I guess the whole situation is kind of humorous now, but it was extremely embarrassing at the time. It was humbling for sure and made me appreciate even more my sweet friends who dropped everything they were doing to take care of me.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

life is beauty full

First 24 hours back in Auburn, and I'm already crafting. This hangs in the empty space above my TV. Maybe having this little reminder will make this semester's long nights of reading more bearable. Although, having to move everything out at the end of this semester is going to be quite unfortunate.

sit and stay awhile


Remember the chair I said I was going to refinish? Well, I finally completed it over Christmas break! It has the perfect little spot in my dorm room. On another note, I am so glad to be back in Auburn. AND no class on Monday! Now, I just wish some more of my favorites would come back soon!

Friday, January 7, 2011

obsession of the moment...


Bikes. Which is kind of ironic considering 1) I'm the most uncoordinated person ever 2) I don't think I've ridden a bike in quite a few years 3) I'm pretty sure my parents got rid of my bike because of point number two.

Who says there have to be rules for obsessions?

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

My Life in Lists #12

Top 15 books on my reading list (that aren't required for classes). My goal is to have finished them all by next year. We shall see...
1. There Are No Children Here Alex Kotlowitz
2. The Company They Kept: Writers on Unforgettable Friendships Robert B. Silvers and Barbara Epstein
3. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou
4. A Man Called Intrepid William Stevenson
5. 1984 George Orwell
6. Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe
7. Brave New World Aldous Huxley
8. Jayber Crowe Wendell Barry
9. The Art of Racing in the Rain Garth Stein
10. The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Society Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
11. The Help Kathryn Stockett
12. Emma Jane Austen
13. My Uncle Oswald Roald Dahl
14. The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde
15. The Wit and Wisdom of Ronald Reagan James C. Humes
Also, does making this list count as a goal for 2011? I feel an immense amount of pressure to make goals, but I don't have any except my goal to make goals for 2012. Does the word goal sound weird now?

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

I Whip My Hair Back and Forth


In the midst of my newfound love of sewing, I have progressed on to make a headband. The tutorial I found online was kind of confusing (inverted box pleats are difficult to sew), but I finally figured it out.

(Sorry I'm so uncomfortable taking pictures of myself.)

My Name Peggy



I've watched a lot of television this break since I've been out due to wisdom teeth surgery and a bout with strep throat. This is definitely my favorite commercial right now. Happy Time.