Color Guard Auditions...Check!

Well, what I had to do was send in a video, since I couldn't make any of the audition dates (Oh, the joys of going to college out of state!). There were quite a few snafus today, but all were ironed out. It was  pretty stressful process.

First of all, I'm not a choreographer. In fact, I'm awful at it. Especially choreography in the wind. Ack. Then the tech. Things went crazy with the camera, and then it looked like I wasn't able to send off the videos!

Then...FLASH DRIVE AND FEDEX TO THE RESCUE!

It should arrive in the hands of the university on Thursday, a day before my deadline (I have to have it in by Friday to qualify for a scholarship). I believe that I'll find out if I make the team in June. Maybe.

Another daily miracle! I've been humbled today. Seriously.

Shoutout to the local university for letting me use their intermural gym for my own nefarious purposes filming my audition!

And now, a picture.

Who needs a mirror when you have a doorknob!

Some Reflections on Friendship and Storytelling

...at two in the morning. I decided to type my ramblings up for you.

I've been thinking a lot about friendship lately, as I'll be moving ten hours away for college and beginning again from scratch (the only exception being my cousin, who's attending college with me). Making friends is one of the biggest challenges I have. Interacting with people in general is difficult. (And yet I'm going to journalism school. Ah, Introvert Maggie logic at its finest.) How will be albe to start a reasonable conversation without running away screaming, harboring thoughts like theyhatemetheyhatemetheyhateme.

Which probably isn't true. Most people are able to tolerate me (hopefully you as well, dear reader).

But on friendships. How do you make one of these friend thingies? It's something that I've been thinking about for a bit.

As a joke, I mentioned in a speech for class that to make a new friend, you bait your target (preferably with pizza), then kidnap them. Of course, in real life, things don't work quite like that. Actually, a way I've made friends is through storytelling.

Here in the exotic land of Missouri, it's quite common to huddle up, pop a squat, ans swap stories. It certainly helps long rides in the school bus pass faster. And if you've ever had the privelege of taking a spin in an all-American public school bus, believe me. You want that ride to go as fast as possible.

Stories build friendships even after they're made. It's like swapping pretty rocks found in a riverbed.

"Your rock for mine?"

"Sure! I love yours! It has lovey pink speckles on it."

"Done. It's all yours."

"Thanks! Now we'll be friends forever!"

 

Sharing experiences brings different kinds of people closer together; it makes relating to each other so much easier. It's fun to hear something about a friend, sor something that's happened to them. Swapping memories, swapping ideas, thoughts, dreams....swapping stones.

 

Often, friends are made through mutual friends, a friend of a friend. In fact, that's how I met lots of the people I know. Sometimes friends are introduced like this, "This is Mr. Blah Blah, and we did This & That. AND. IT. WAS. AWESOME."

 

See right there? BAM. Instant storytime. And if you find in common with this new person? Bring on the new friendship! Stories sort of hold things together (read: duct tape). Memories, friendships, frail (or sometimes crazy) emotions...

 

The story is more powerful than many realize. Stories among friends can create happy memories, full of laughter and smiles, but on the flip side, stories lead to nasty rumors, which have the power to shatter those smiles and destroy friendships, and even lives.

 

Friendship and camaderie are based on story. In fact history is ultimately a story. History. His Story. God's story. And the Bible holds it all. While a relationship with Christ isn't quite like the average friendship here on Planet Earth, it is the most important one we can choose to have. And that, is a great story indeed.

 



Today's the Day.

There is no way to describe all the feels coursing through my head and my heart right now. So much of my life has led up to this.

My Facebook post for today sums up what I want to say:

"My mind? A neverending stream of TODAYTODAYTODAY. I've reached a peak today, and I'm about to jump off headfirst. Sure, it may hurt. Sure, I don't know where I'll land, or go from there. Something's for sure though. I know that God's going to catch me, because only He knows what's next. If you're reading this~ Thank you. Thank you for helping me get this far, and many more adventures to come!
~Today is not the end. It's only the beginning.~"


They never said that senior year would hurt this much. I'm having way too many "lasts". But soon I will have some "firsts". I'm going to miss a lot, I'll admit.


My life right now is like a trilogy. The first book is about to come to a close. But when the second book opens this summer/fall, it doesn't forget the first book. It builds upon it. It revisits characters and settings. It acknowledges events that led up to later events. There's no turning back, but the past isn't forgotten either.

Graduating in...3...2...1...

Three more days, everyone! Three more days until I am unleashed on the world! Dun dun duuuun!

But in the meantime, how about a rundown of a senior's last week? 

Monday and Tuesday were just academic days. We finished our finals (Seniors only! The underclassmen have theirs next week...while the seniors are out of school!), and or did nothing. I'm serious. In some classes we did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. That's fine, I suppose. This week's been way too crazy.

On Wednesday, we went to the lake, and I'll tell you why. Throughout the year, all the grades have been pitted against each other in something called the "Liberator Challenge", named after our beloved mascot. Each time grade members show spirit, or attend open house, dances, and such, they gain points. The points add up to a grand total at the end of the year. First place gets to go to the lake (Honestly, everyone knew that the seniors would win, and even more honestly, it would be embarrassing if we didn't.), second place gets pizza and a movie all afternoon (Juniors won this one), third place gets popsicles (Believe it or not, the freshmen one this one), and last place got to listen to sad music. BEST CONSOLATION PRIZE EVER. My brother's grade, the sophomores, won this one.

Back to the lake. It was so peaceful, and it really beat a day sitting around inside. My friend Elisabeth and I explored the woods on a "photography exploration". I haven't uploaded the pictures from this yet, but when I'll do, I'll post some. I took a nap and got some Vitamin D, as well.

Mmmmm...sleep.


That night was baccalaureate. For those who don't know what that is, it's a worship service crossover with a senior remembrance night. Interesting stuff. There was footage of me singing the school song with a thick hillbilly accent. Aaaaaaand there goes the dignity. I really wasn't too social that night, so I went straight home afterwards.

This was probably because:
1. Hot days at the lake with little to drink tires one out (It was my first time, okay?)
2. I had gotten three shots for college. My arms are still sore. Bleh.

Today was our last day at school. After doing nothing all morning, we did the traditional senior run down the hallways. Lots of underclassmen stepped out to observe. The seniors sprinted down the halls, slamming lockers, and whooping and hollering. Then we gathered at the end and did one last chant together. It was exhilarating...Until I realized that my camera wasn't recording like I had originally thought.

Oops. I'll treat you to a video if I can find one...


Tomorrow is grad practice, and an awards ceremony. Then I get to take my madre out for lunch, as it is her birthday. And I am an independent adult. NOT.

Saturday is my grad party. That's going to be eventful. Friends and family mixing...We'll see how that turns out.

Finally, Sunday. That's the big day. Everything comes to an end.

This year has been pretty emotional. No telling how I'll feel on Sunday. Or after everyone leaves. Gosh, and I think I'm emotional NOW.

Woah, sorry for the long post, guys. I just had a lot to say tonight. If you've read this far, thanks for sticking with me.

Pictures to come soon!

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the mothers in the world!

Especially this one.

This one happens to be mine. :)

 

 

Thanks, Mom, for always being there for me and for your constant love and support. Thank you for everything. I'm really going to miss you! No words can sum up how much I love you.

 

 

You say that you're thankful to God for giving me to you. Let me correct you slightly. I thank God for giving you to me.


Love you forever. (That's a long time, by the way)

 

 

Me.

Failure to Communicate

I'm not sure how all families work, but in mine, the thing that sets us on rocky ground more often than not is miscommunication. We don't talk it out sometimes, or we misinterpret something that someone else has said.

Now, we're not too crazy of a family, but when it comes to communication, we can falter sometimes. Maybe that's why my major in college is related to communication. Is it my subconscious desire to be able to effectively communicate with my family?

Or is it me finally getting over my people issues? (When I'm not behind the screen, I'm usually pretty shy. I'm working on it though. One step at a time, guys, one step at a time.)

It's really frustrating, though, to sort out the hodge-podge of words coming out of someone's mouth, especially when your mind hasn't quite grasped the meaning of what they're trying to say. Something like this happened in my Fundamentals of Speech Communication (go figure) class today. My teacher asked me a question, but I didn't understand what he was trying to say...and I'm not sure why. All in all, I looked like a complete idiot. Whoop-de-doo.

Sometimes, to completely understand, there has to be a lot of word sorting. As in, hashing out the entirety of what you said over again, explaining as you go. It can be frustrating, but if you succeed in communicating with the other person, it's totally worth it.

Effective communication take patience.

That's one thing I've learned.



Do you ever have trouble communicating?

Wise Choices When Feeling Pressure From Your Peers

Peer pressure? I know I've gone through it, and I bet that sometime in your life, you will too. I was a at a weekend conference with my youth group once, and I was given this list along with the other girls.

I found it again when cleaning out my room, and I thought I would share it with you. :) These steps are simply the ones we hear in Sunday School all the time, but sometimes a refresher is a good thing, especially when we throw all rationality out the window.


1. Stand up for what you believe in

2. Read your Bible and pray every day (I'll be honest. I need to work on reading my Bible every day.)

3. Be confident in your faith in Christ

4. When praying or asking for help from the Lord, don't just casually pray

5. Always have a prayer in your heart

6. Doing what everyone else does might look fun, but if you know it's wrong to do, try to have the strength to say no

7. Be friends with other Christian people

8. Don't associate with people who swear all the time, drink/do drugs, cheat, etc. (The worst part is when some of these people ARE the Christians)

9. Avoid situations that may cause you to give in to peer pressure

10. Have courage! (Philippians 4:13)

...And Suddenly the Weather Went Mad... / Miracles

I kid you not. Yesterday it was 80 degrees outside. Today we had freezing rain. I can hear the ice smacking my window.

Crazy Midwest weather...



Now to the next part of this post...

Guys, I'm going to be able to go to my number one college choice! Let me tell you something right now. It was all God. He gets all the glory here. And I'm not just saying that. The only college that I could afford to attend was the one my dad is currently a professor at. This school is pretty good, but it didn't have any programs I wanted. I also wanted a chance to start fresh, so going to college in my town wasn't the most appealing idea to me. Unfortunately, since the university I'm going to is very, very expensive, there was still a $12,000 gap even after my financial aid and scholarships were added in. My parents broke the news that I wasn't going to go to my college. I was angry, frustrated, heartbroken. I had worked so hard...for nothing.
A couple nights after, I had finished reading for the night. Since my book was a Christian woman's account about facing "a new kind of normal", it filled me with peace. I prayed, "Lord, wherever you want me to go, I'll take it. I'm sorry for my rage and selfishness before. Thank you for giving me an opportunity for college."

The next evening, my parents broke the news. The college had offered me enough money to almost cover my gap! This meant I could go! I. Was. Ecstatic. I never thought that I would be able to make it this far, but because of God's grace, I can run farther than I ever thought I could (metaphorically, of course).

There are many more miracles that happen every day, miracles with a bigger magnitude and impact, and I feel like I seem selfish for jabbering on about this particular one, when being able to wake up and live is a miracle in itself, but I believe that each miracle is special.

And miracles DO happen. They're not just something you read about.

They're just not always expected.