I'm one of those people who finds it interesting to compare anniversaries to the year before. It always amazes me how one year can be so incredibly different from the last, when you think the times will last forever.
Sunday was the Christmas parade. Last year I sat on the sidewalk with David Neal the whole time. This year I didn't go.
A year from this coming weekend I was on my first date with him and we went to see Christmas lights. This year I'll be working and packing for the holidays.
Last New Year's Eve we partied at the Allen's house, and I spent it by his side with our mutual friends. This year we'll be in the same place, but I won't be with him and our friends don't seem quite the same.
Last year we were wishing my Dad a merry Christmas over the phone. This year he's in his office down the hall.
Last year I was finishing my last fall semester of high school and filling out housing applications. This year I'm done with my first semester of college and missing my roommates to death.
I know change is inevitable and necessary to refresh your perspective, but that doesn't really mean it's always welcomed. Hopefully life will pick up overall and "normal" can reign again. Just because life changes and people change doesn't mean you forget the past, it just means you cherish the memories.
ah i remember the first time or two i came home from college...i didnt like it and couldnt wait to be back with my roommates! time sure is an interesting thing...
So earlier this week it was warm and beautiful and we went on fall walks and took tons of pictures (see my facebook), and now it's 45 degrees outside. That's Tennessee weather for you, I guess.
There are about 3 real full weeks of school left (plus thanksgiving break) before finals. I can't believe my first semester of college is almost over. I register next Friday and it feels like we've only been here for about a month. If even that.
I hope everyone else's lives are going alright, and if you're really that curious about everything else going on with me you should check out my facebook. =]
well i have to agree with a lot of the twilight fans. edward is like the perfect guy, minus the whole vampire thing :) haha I think they're pretty good so far!
lol!!! that's hilarious!!! =) I have other pictures that look even more like that!! The funniest part is that actually the "small" donkey is the momma and the larger one and the "large" donkey is the baby! =)
Well things here are great! I love all my suite mates (we were friends before) and it's great to be able to come back from class to your core group of friends. It's awesome. My classes are going well and I'm keeping up with all the work so far. My first speech for communications is tomorrow! I need to practice it again after services tonight. Wish me luck!
Love and miss you all! I will be back in town next weekend (12th-14th) to work and attend the gospel meeting potluck!
OH GOOD!!! I think I should be able to see you perhaps... we'll see when I can make it to the meeting. Soooo happy that all is going well for you in college! Keep up the good work... it will definitely pay in the end.
my mother telling me exactly how much and why she's not fond of my new haircut, having to skip things or leave early because my brother doesn't feel like being social, being told when to take a shower and when to go to bed
Things I will miss:
stargazing with my best friend, hanging out at friends' houses where I know how to find all their dishes, free laundry, a well stocked refrigerator, him, a congregation with tons of kids my age, teen classes, college classes, wonderful singing nights and impromptu singing gatherings, my own bathroom, a bigger bedroom, wednesday night bible class, watching my favorite little kids and all the funny things they do, home cooked dinners, a semi-easy-to-make bed, all my friends here
But I know that good times await me in Martin too... and I'll be home every few weeks to work at my job, so I'll see my Murfreesboro friends then. I'll make new friends and keep my old ones and yes, things will be different when I come home - I will change, and home will change, but it will still be home.
Well, I had to have a lemon in my mouth for a minute, had to guide a blindfolded team-mate(he had a blindfold), had to dunk my face into crushed oreos and syrup to find the gummy bears, my teammate had to dunk his face in a whip cream pie to find the bubble gum and blow a bubble. Then we had to drop beans into a milk jug...with an elbow. :-D We got the most points, though. :-D
This past Saturday morning I attended a memorial service for one of the most wonderful women I've ever known. She battled breast cancer for 22 years, and for the last 8 it had been attacking virtually every bone and tissue in her body. God finally called her home on June 24, 2008.
Everyone who spoke at her service talked of how she never once complained, used her entire life to serve others in any way she ever could and devoted her time and effort to serving the Lord. Even as she lay dying some of her last words were, "He died for me. He died for me." And even in death she still served others - donating her body to the UT Memphis research center so maybe they can find a cure to save others in the future. Every word of what they said was absolutely true, and I can't even begin to list all the examples. If there were one present-day example of Jesus Himself, it would be Mrs. Corinne Mayo. I'm sure she wasn't perfect, but she was sure as close as any mortal human can be. The things said about her... those are the things I want said about me at my memorial service. If a handfull of people respect me half as much as those in that standing-room-only auditorium respect Mrs. Corinne, and for the same reasons, I will consider my life to have been a success.
She suffered so much for so long. By the end, she hadn't eaten in 10 days and hadn't been out of bed in several months. We all miss her very much, but when you really think about it... God called her home because He loved her. He didn't want her to suffer like that anymore. She wanted to get out of bed so badly, and you know what? When she finally breathed her last, I believe she jumped up out of that bed and danced for joy.... because she's finally home. Mrs. Corinne knows what Jesus looks like, and she knows what it's like to be in paradise, because she worked so long and hard for her heavenly reward.
I have known for a very, very long time that I need to be a much better Christian. I need to let my light shine - hey, sometimes I need to turn it on. But I have decided that, starting now, I am going to strive to be just a little bit more like Mrs. Corinne. Jesus' example was so long ago that sometimes I can't wrap my head around it, but Mrs. Corinne is a woman I walked and talked with and who is real to me. I figure that's a start, at least. At the service, her son-in-law said that any of her friends and family who either had not obeyed or who had fallen away were dishonoring her memory and the legacy she left behind. I decided that I don't want to be in that number. But tonight as I looked at the carving on the front of the Lord's Supper Table at church - "This do in memory of me" - I realized that it's not just Mrs. Corinne's memory that I don't want to dishonor, it's that of Jesus. Who died a much more torturous death than cancer, and led a much more blameless life than any mortal, even Mrs. Corinne.
Please keep me in all of your prayers, because I've got a very, very, very long way to go. Any tips or advice that anyone may have is appreciated.
