One thing to say for today:

IT IS TOO HOT FOR APRIL!!! It was 100 degrees today…no kidding. Broke records. Tomorrow will be hotter, and then it is going to drop 25 degrees by Wednesday! This weather is NOT very conducive to studying…LOL…our apartment is like a SAUNA! Yuck…anyway, that’s all I wanted to say for today. Oh, and please say a prayer for Michael…read his blog for more info. Pray that God will reveal His plan for Michael.

Today has been really great! Paige’s bridal shower was really wonderful–it was very small, making it SO special! There were about 6 or 7 of us, which made it much more open and fun. It was so awesome to show Paige how much she means to us!

When I got back, I realized that I wasn’t going to get anything done here, so I decided to IM Bethany (my best friend of 15 years) to see if I could drive down to her place (Riverside) and hang out/study with her…so we had a really great time visiting, eating and studying together (along with some “Trading Spaces” and “While You Were Out”…It was so good to see her, considering the fact that we never see eachother anymore.

I had two or three (maybe more?) really good conversations with Michael today…realizing more and more just how excited I am to go see him (12 DAYS!)…we’ve both been so busy lately that our conversations have been limited and short…and, of course, phone conversations are no where near as good as in person conversations…so I look forward to being able to look him in the eyes (which are quite lovely, by the way) while we converse…when I was in Chicago in February, we had some incredibly deep conversations, especially while driving back to Illinois…we had great ones the entire week he was here in California…and I know that we will have MANY more this summer, since we should be able to spend about 3 weeks together this summer.

Anyway, enough about him 😉

OH–one more thing about him. He took the Foreign Service Exam today, for the State Department, and I KNOW that he did well. He is so intelligent (brilliant, really), and he is very knowledgeable about all realms of policy…I know that he did well! I am so proud of him for even taking that 6 hour long test…he is too awesome!

It was a very laid back and productive day for me! I was able to start on all four of my papers that are due next week…so I feel confident that I can accomplish all that lies ahead…

This is good…

Had a really good time with Leslie today, shopping for bridal shower gifts and for apartment stuff…we made a side-trip to IKEA (which is an AWESOME store) and we both found bookshelves that we want…some other time!

I need to get SO much done this weekend!

I have a bridal shower tomorrow (Paige’s)…

then reading…

then packing…

I am so motivated to just pack up and get out of here! Unfortunately, I am not leaving for two weeks (actually, 13 days)…so I can’t pack everything. I took everything off my walls today, which was sad, but it makes me feel as if I have accomplished something. 🙂

Sunday will involve more homework, more packing…my goal is to get two papers done this weekend, but that all depends on how my allergies are doing (because when they are bad, it affects my mental clarity, which makes it so hard to accomplish anything academic)…

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. 🙂

Oh, by the way, since I know you all have been SO curious as to where I am going in two weeks: I am flying to “Sweet Home Chicago” for Michael’s graduation…:) Good times!

So, provided all goes well on Sunday, and I am able to obtain a ticket that was offered to me, it looks like I will be flying somewhere two weeks from Friday 🙂 I’m not going to say where yet, but I am very excited about the possibility! So say a little prayer for me, please 🙂

YAY!

Well, I like my new roommate (for next year)…we have talked several times now, and she has a very outgoing and kind personality. I have a feeling that we are going to get along well, and that we are going to enjoy living together. We haven’t met our other two roommates yet, but we have been told by some others that they are very sweet girls…here’s hoping!

Last night, at church, I was playing piano, and I realized just how much I need my piano here. It was such a release, such a stress reliever! As my fingers gently pressed the keys, creating beautiful melodies and harmonies, I realized just how much I love piano, how much I love music, and how very grateful I am that the Lord has so richly blessed me with my musical abilities…thank you Lord! They bring such joy to my life!

I am really hoping that my “sister” Cheyenne can come visit me this summer…I’d love to have any of my PA friends come, but lately I have really been missing her and the good times we shared those two summers I lived with her…so I asked her last night if she’d consider coming, and she is going to try to make it happen! I can’t wait! 🙂 YAY!

So much to get done tonight…but oh well. It will get done!

Right now, I am really struggling with somethings, so if you are reading this, please say a prayer for me…I’d appreciate it! That’s all I’ll say for now…

Looking forward to living with Paige…it is going to be awesome…just a couple of weeks until the big move!

I’ve spent a lot of money (for the library) in the past few days, and it has been SO fun. Scott and I are really enhancing our collection of History and Political Science books…and it is so fun! I have come up with many projects for the summer, to keep me busy, related to book orders and future book orders. As nerdy as that may sound, I am actually really looking forward to it!!

My arm, or more specifically my thumb and part of my hand, has been bothering me lately, perhaps from all the typing…the doctors said that the nerve damage would never fully go away, so this is something I have to live with for the rest of my life…oh well! It could be worse!

More later, I’m sure.

Okay, loyal readers…since there has been QUITE the debate going on about whether or not I am a redneck, I decided to find some definitions of rednecks…here is the fruit of my research…I put the things in bold that actually describe me (very few!):

“Being a redneck is being proud of your roots and a true love for your father’s name. Where family and friends are first and strangers are just a vague, dismal blur in the distance. Rednecks are good ol’ boys/gals who usually live in the south (usually in the country) and also tend to have a southern accent. Their necks are red and maybe their arms, too, cause they work hard and out in the heat all day.The group that is ridiculed by most, but deep down envied by all. Some types of rednecks may be cowboys/girls, mountain men/women, country boys/gals, and or hillbillys.

· Big truck tires, huntin’, fishin’, tractor pulls, country music, Charlie Daniels, and rebel flags are just a few words that might describe a redneck. They usually drive pickup trucks with loud sounds that can usually be heard before seen, and they also tend to blare country music from their radios. They usually add a CB radio to their truck and may have a gun rack in the back and an ol’ rebel flag flyin from the antennae or posted on their front or back winshield. It is hard to figure these people out. Most people just can’t understand how you can have such a weird lifestyle of cowboy hats and buckles.

· Many Rednecks love the ol’ T.V. show called “dukes of hazzard” and western shows. They are very laid back and tend to piss people off when they drive too slow or too fast down the road in their ol’ pickup trucks.

· They love women/men (preferrably Cowgirls/boys), country music, wearin’ jeans, wearin’ boots (may be leather), wearin’ a cowboy hat, yellin’ yyyyyeeeehhhhhaaaaaawwwwww! out loud, shootin’ the bull (talkin and telling some stories), fishin’, huntin’ watching wrestlin’, watchin’ or goin’ to NASCAR races, watchin’ baseball, or watchin’ football.

· Rednecks may also like the rodeo. They love ridin’ horses or bulls, or ropin’ calves. Most Rednecks can usually be found at or off your local gravel road, in Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, and maybe even in other southern states. They will be found on or near your local farm, at a bar (playin pool), local rodeo event and or stock show. The Redneck diet may include t-bone, tender loin, beef, beef stew, cajun food, Burger King, pizza, and maybe some good ol’ peach cobbler fer desert.

· Things that make a redneck mad: somebody stealin’ his healthy horse, making a promise which you can’t keep, cuttin’ down rodeo evernts, and much more.

· Things that really piss a redneck off is: stealin’ his cowgirl, a male hitting a female, a male cheating on a female, child abuse, abortions (child killers), beatin’ up his haas(word which means buddy), messin with his family, and much more. I tell ya, most rednecks like to fight for their woman and/or to defend their own honor. And i guarantee you if a true redneck sees you do one of the things in this list that redneck will whoop your @ $ $ right then and there

· Rednecks know how to treat women. Rednecks know how to respect, love, and care about females. True Rednecks love females for who they are and would never cheat on them. A True redneck would never hit or injur a female. White trash lies to females, cheat on them, beat them, get them pregnant and then leave them (A redneck believes a white trash person like this should be hung by their “YOU KNOW WHAT”)

· How can your friends be more important than yourself? This might be a question from a typical non-redneck. Where the outdoors are loved and where blue-collar labor is not looked down on but a way of life. Where hard hats are worn instead of pocket protectors. Where steel toe boots are worn instead of nice loafers. Where blue jeans and a flannel are preferred to a nice coat and tie. Rednecks are the people that make the world go round!” (from http://members.lycos.nl/jurgenspage/newpage28.html)

The only thing I do is watch NASCAR and attend races of all kinds! I think that proves me right!! 🙂

Just wanted to clear that up…

Good news! I am living four apartments down from my former roommates, and closest friends(with whom I couldn’t live because I went to D.C. last Fall), so that will be SO nice! I am also going to be right by the pool–again, that will be SO nice. 🙂 So far there is only one other girl in the apartment, Courtney, and I emailed her just now to see if she wants to get together and talk about next semester and get to know eachother, etc. So that should be good! I know that God will place me where I need to be! 🙂

The day is getting better…my demeanor is improving, which is welcomed!! 🙂 God is faithful…

I just wanted to say that I have been blessed with the most awesome group of people to study the Bible with…and to play good ol’ bluegrass with! Tonight we even had a WASHBOARD! How awesome is that?!

We had talked about it a few weeks ago, and we had laughed, though we admired the creativity of using an everyday item to create rhythm…so someone brought one from home, and we all laughed…it was fun…

We are studying Ecclesiastes, and it is awesome…learning so much…

Anyway, I love my Red Neck Bible Study group–and that does NOT make me a red neck!!

Wow–so I got a bit startled this evening when I checked out Michael’s blog and read the most current post (from today)…to see why he is toast–read the blog post, then read my comment 🙂 Silly boy…he isn’t really toast, but he soon could be! LOL. It’s all good…

Also, I added my good friends Leslie and Stuart to my blog roll in the sidebar. Check out their blogs for interesting, humorous and exciting entries 🙂 They are awesome people!

This is the ultimate sign of boredom…I am taking quizzes that have no real relevance whatsoever in my life…Oh well–these are kinda fun! I fixed the many grammar mistakes in these results…

You’re: Happy eyes! You’re cheerful, bright and always
want to try something new. You’re inquisitive and
quite lovable. You have many friends and will
succeed in life.

What type of eyes do you have?
brought to you by Quizilla