Monday, December 29, 2008

Back.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas-we got back late Sat. night; I'm sorry Ms. Nancy I did not get any cookies to your doorstep for Christmas :) Hope you guys had a great one though! Christmas is always great when you have younger kids around to get you all hyped up-my 2 cousins are 10 and 7 so spending Christmas with them the past three years has been great, and it's also great to spend time with the whole family eating lots of food, talking about life in general, and simply hanging out. It was also cool to see a little snow on the ground while we were in NJ, and I got to drive from VA Beach to NJ so that was some good driving experience. I got numerous gifts but the one I am spending the most time with right now is the first season of the tv show "24". Mom got me the first 2 seasons and Steven seasons 3 and 4; I have been watching the episodes as much as I can but I am still not through season 1!! (I think we picked up watching the show about 2 years ago maybe with season 3 or 4 but I'm not sure...) I have 3 more seasons to get through by next month before the new season comes on; the show is absolutely addicting and I love it, so watch it if you get a chance. The dog is enjoying my bed right now after being in the kennel for a week so her and I are going to catch up on some sleep since I have to work tom. And then it's on to 2009!!

Monday, December 22, 2008

Still Alive and Well

Yes, I'm still alive :) I have been home since last Tuesday and have enjoyed every day of it so far even the crazy days!  My mom has been working ALOT of hours lately and is running low on sleep and energy so I am doing my best along with Megan and Steven to try and keep her stress levels low and help her out as much as possible; tomorrow we leave to go stay with my mom's brother, his wife, our two cousins, and our grandmother in New Jersey; it's a tradition we started about two years ago and we really enjoy it.  Most of the presents are wrapped, the packing is slowly happening, and the cookie baking is all done.  Tomorrow morning we will take Roxy to the kennel and help mom get everything straightened out and the car packed before we hit the road for an 8 hour trip.  We will split the driving up between Megan, me, and mom so that should help mom out a little so she doesn't have to deal with all the stress of driving and maybe she can sleep :)  
As far as college goes, I have no work to do; my spring schedule is set and all my grades are in: 5 A's, an A+, and a B+, so I am very happy about that.  
Christmas countdown:  2 days!! 

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Relaaaax

This weekend was the most relaxing one I have had at school so far.  Sadie's birthday is today so Friday night after we dropped Ashlyn off at the airport, Sadie, Linsey, Hailey, and I went out to eat at Outback which was great and then last night around 10 we all went to play laser tag which was also great and alot of fun. We played a total of two games and the second one we played was against 8 college kids who were not very nice-the girls in particular.  We laughed for quite a while over a question Sadie asked them: "So you guys must be in high school, where do u go?" Well, one of the girls got very offended that we assumed they were in high school (which was a pretty accurate assumption considering their maturity level) and proceeded to rudely tell us "Oh, we are in college." So we pondered that for a moment and then Sadie asked "Ok, so where do u go?" and another girl said "Oh, we go to Carolina, like Chapel Hill" and Sadie was like "Carolina, really??" and the same girl said "East Carolina".  We could not stop laughing.  There is a HUGE difference between ECU and Carolina (UNC-CH)!!!!  So that same rude drama pretty much continued for the entire time we were there and then we jetted out of there, but it was fun anyway :)
Today, I proceeded to nap for 3 hours which is insane for me and I am STILL tired now.  I have done a little studying and alot of facebooking :) Tomorrow is cleaning and packing day and I am also going to see if I can buy a Barnes and Noble gift card with a card that I have from them that has store credit on it so that I can buy used textbooks on Barnes and Noble main website; so we'll see how that works.  Christmas countdown: 11 days!

Friday, December 12, 2008

Getting Close

Finally, exams are pretty much DONE.  I have my spanish exam Tuesday morning but that is all that's left and I am very excited about it!  Final grades are slowly trickling in; only two of my classes have posted final grades so I am waiting for the other 5.  
Today, I slept in till 11:30 which is crazy because it's the latest I've slept in while at school, but it felt very nice.  I've sort of been puttering around doing random stuff including starting a book for pleasure (yay) called "Piercing the Darkness" by Frank Peretti; Peretti is an amazing author so I am really enjoying diving into another one of his books.  Also on the list of things to do today is help Ashlyn get all of her stuff packed up and to the airport late this afternoon so she can fly home to Connecticut for the holidays and then afterwards, a couple of us girls are going out to dinner for Sadie's b-day which is Sunday.  Sadie and I have to get the room ready for checkout so we will be focusing on doing that cleaning and packing on Monday.  
On a Christmas note, Sadie, Ashlyn, Hailey, Linsey, and I did Secret Santa exchanges on Wed. and that is something we will def. be doing next year because we all had alot of fun finding gifts for each other and then laughing our heads off when the person opened their gifts.  Hopefully I will have some pics soon.  Christmas countdown: 13 days :)

Monday, December 8, 2008

Plugging right along.

Today was the very last day of classes for this semester and I also got two exams out of the way; I was up till about 1:30 last night and then got up at 5 in order to cram but it was worth it since I think I did pretty well :) Tomorrow is Reading Day which is a day where there are no classes or exams; it's a day to catch up, relax, and study. I have one exam on Wed., one Thurs., and one next Tuesday in the morning before I go home.
On Saturday, I went Christmas shopping with Sadie, Linsey, and Ashlyn; it was so much fun-we had alot of hilarious moments as usual :) We are doing Secret Santa amongst five of us so we had fun picking out presents for that, and I pretty much got Meg, Steve, and mom covered and I will take care of the rest of the fam. when I get home.
I cannot wait for break to see everyone and get a chance to chill :) 16 days till Christmas...

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Today is the Day!

By the way, I have a new favorite song even though I've been hearing it for a while; just thought I'd share!
Today Is The Day VIDEO - Lincoln Brewster

Wrap up time

Busy, busy, busy!!  Thanksgiving was good but a little different.  Meg, Steve, and I went to dad's apartment in VA Beach.  We played some games, watched some tv, and ate dinner.  It was a little weird not having more than just the four of us but change is good.  We got to go to a Norfolk Admirals hockey game on Saturday night and that was soooo much fun.  Norfolk was down by 2 by the 2nd or 3rd period but they tied it up 3-3 by the end of the third so we went into overtime.  Not long into overtime, Norfolk scored and won! Ice hockey is a really up beat exciting game with plenty of fights/skirmishes that add to the excitement; I definitely want to go to another game soon.  The one thing I did not like about break was all the schoolwork I had to do; I was supposed to write 3 papers by Monday but I only got 2 done so I had to write the third on Mon. This week has really just been a work wrap up; I turned in my three papers, had the holiday social for Teaching Fellows and finished out that class, turned in everything for my Honors proseminar class and finished that out, I presented my Geographic Information Science project, and today I did my two oral exams for Spanish which I got a 97% on!!  So finally tonight I can focus on starting to study for my exams which start Monday.  Christmas break is coming and I can't wait-I can actually relax because I won't have ANY schoolwork to do :)  Off to study for now before I go to bed.....

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Home Sweet Home

I am finally home as of Saturday for Thanksgiving break! Cathy and Chris were amazing and picked me up Saturday morning to go to the Transiberian Orchestra Concert in Raleigh; the concert was fantastic with great music and lots of cool stage effects.  We then drove from Raleigh to the OBX getting home around 10 so we made pretty good time.  I was so excited to Cathy since I haven't seen her since August.  I got to go wedding dress shopping with her on Monday which was alot of fun and we think we have a pretty good idea of what Cathy wants-yay!  I almost feel like the break isn't long enough because I have sooo much schoolwork to do since we only have 2 weeks of the semester left when we return Dec. 1st before Christmas break!  I will be thrilled to have a month off and no work to do :) So, writing papers is on the agenda for today as well as cooking some food for Thanksgiving dinner at dads tom.  I hope mom's dinner at the CHKD caf is decent; the upside to her having to work is that we get to have her for Christmas so that's a blessing.  Have a great Thansgiving everyone!

Friday, November 21, 2008

Some white stuff out there this morning.

Greensboro got a light dusting of snow overnight :) (When you're from the beach, any snow at all is nice.) I said this past weekend was an ADD one and this week hasn't improved any. God has been working in amazing ways though in order to reduce my stress levels; I've had classes cancelled, assignments pushed back, and assignments cancelled all together; it has been great! I also got an offer from Cathy that I could not refuse; her and Chris are coming out to Raleigh on Saturday to see the Transiberian Orchestra play and Cathy offered to come get me at UNCG! That means I get to leave school 4 days early :) I am really, really excited :) I am even more excited about spending time with Cathy because I miss her and haven't seen her in ages. I am hoping God will provide some down time over break in order for me to get some work done-I have 3 papers to write on top of exam studying and other work. For Thanksgiving, mom is working so Meg, Steve, and I will be going to VA Beach to spend Thurs. with dad-should be interesting since this will be the first time spending a holiday with him. Dad is also taking us to an ice hockey game next Sat. which should be fun. So, as Thanksgiving approaches, I feel like I am already in Christmas mode, listening to Christmas music and realizing that when I go home for break there will only be 10 days till Christmas! Time to start shopping now....

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Weekend Recap

I've had a very ADD weekend not wanting to do work :) it's not a good thing when you have alot to get done! I went to a violin and piano recital on Friday night that was very good but it was so relaxing that I was nodding off more than once.
Saturday, I went shopping with a group from Daystar to shop for Operation Christmas Child; I absolutely love making these shoeboxes-this year I made one for a 10-14 year old girl; I packed the box full of school supplies, hair accessories, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, flashcards, glowsticks, a coloring kit, candy, and a nice soft pillow. It was amazing to see all the shoeboxes stacked in front of the church this morning-there were definitely over 100.
Saturday night I went to see the play "Revenger's Tragedy" for my honors proseminar class, which was horrendous; the acting was not bad but the content was terrible-cuss words flying left and right and way too much violence and sexual references. There were times I couldn't even watch and I just put my head down! I was more than happy to leave when it was over....
At Daystar, we are in a series entitled "Picture This"; this week we talked about picturing Daystar as a church that was wildly generous. God is such a generous God and we need to be giving back to him through our tithes and offerings; we also need to be reaching out to our community and leave behind the materialistic mindset our nation is sitting in. It was a convicting, though-provoking message.
This week is another crazy one, but it brings me ever closer to Thanksgiving break!!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Time Flies

Today was one of those days (weather wise) where I could have curled up in bed with my pjs and the tv and been perfectly content :)  It was about 50 degrees out, windy, foggy, misting and raining at the same time.  I haven't had too much sleep this week-I went to bed around 1:30 Mon. night, 12:45 Tues. night, and 2:30 Wed. night. and all of those times are later than usual for me, so I'm looking forward to getting to bed at a decent hour tonight.  
This weekend isn't going to slow down any; I have to go a thing called TeanQuest tom. afternoon-it's a ropes course that teaches teamwork and it's for my honors proseminar class.  I'm also going to a music concert for my music class tom. night.  Saturday, I will be doing homework, going to get stuff for Operation Christmas Child, and then going to see the play "Revenger's Tragedy". I cannot believe that next week is my last full week of school before I leave for Thanksgiving break on Tues. the 25th!! Which in turn means that next week will be insaaaane :) but it's all good, not worried....
I got to register for Spring '09 classes last night at midnight and I'm pretty satisfied with my schedule:
-CUI 199-Teaching Fellows Seminar II 
-ENG 251-Major American Authors: Colonial to Romantic 
-HDF 302- Infant and Child Development in Family
-HSS 208- Seminar in Fine Arts-First Nights
-HSS 225- Seminar in Social and Behavioral Science-Prisons
-SPA 204-Intermediate Spanish II

I'm happy that I will only have one class on Friday!  It's really just so crazy that the semester is almost over and Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming quick!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

God's Voice...amazing

Had another one of those moments today where God was like "Katie, you are getting worried and stressed about too many things and you need to come sit at my feet." Then, tonight I read in Matthew the story of Jesus paying a visit to Mary and Martha where Martha is busy running around and serving, while Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet. Jesus has to remind Martha when she gets all riled up that her sister isn't helping, that Mary is doing what is more important-spending time with Him. So, that was a nudge I got from God today (felt more like a shove...)
BCM was awesome tonight; Our speaker was Jason who was the former college pastor at Daystar. He continued the series on Joseph by talking about Joseph's run-in with Potipher's wife. Jason really drove home the importance of maintaining our sexual purity not only now but also during marriage. It was a thought-provoking message and he pushed us to glorify God in this area and get rid of those thing in our life that are causing us to stumble (such as what we watch on tv, the music we listen to, and the internet).
Today has really just been eye-opening and even though I have SO much to do this week and the next couple of weeks, I don't feel as stressed out as I did earlier today. God MUST be a priority and after that, He will provide the time and strength I need....Here are the verses from Matthew I talked about earlier:
"Now as they went on their, way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is neccesary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." Matthew 10:38-42

Saturday, November 8, 2008

A Little Excitement is Always Good....

Well, since I last posted, we have a new President elect-Barack Obama.  Congrats to him and I am very curious as to where our country will be headed with him at the helm.  
This week was a very busy one so when Friday rolled around, I was thrilled.  I went to see the play "Holiday" on Friday night and it was pretty good.  It reminded me alot of "The Great Gatsby"; I think, however, I would have enjoyed it more had I been more awake because it lasted for 3 hours.  Today, my dad drove in from West Virginia for a visit.  We got some lunch, I showed him my luxurious dorm room, we went to see a trumpet recital so I could get credit for my Music App. class, we went to the mall where I got a sweet pair of New Balance shoes so I can keep my feet warm, and then we went out to dinner with Sadie.  I had a very fun day but the most interesting part of the day came at dinner.  We had just ordered our food, when the manager came up to us inquiring if either of us owned the car that Sadie has; he informed us that a gentleman had hit it while backing out and had come to find the owner to exchange insurance information (what an honest guy).  The poor man had never been in an accident in his life nor had he ever even received a ticket, so Sadie decided to call her sisters and get them to come see the car and help them figure out what the best thing to do was.  While waiting, we found out that the man was from Georgia and that he was in Greensboro for a dog show at the Greensboro Coliseum.  His wife has been showing pugs for the past 30 years!  Sadie's sisters finally showed up and decided to call the police and file a report over the phone, but when Micah got one the phone with them, they basically said they didn't care....if the damage wasn't more than 1,000 dollars then they weren't going to send an officer out to watch Sadie and the man exchange insurance information.  SO, they simply exchanged insurance information and Sadie finally came back into eat about 20 minutes after the food was brought out.  The food was really good though!  It's always good to have a little excitement in the day.....
Tomorrow, I am going to church in the morning and then I will be doing work the rest of the day-yay!  

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Election Day '08

It was a rainy election day here in Greensboro :) I was able to get out and vote around 4:30 and there was no line or anything! I was pretty excited that I didn't have to wait and I was even more excited to be a first-time voter. Showing off my sweet sticker:
"I voted...Presidential Election"

2008

Besides voting, today has been pretty dull. Just doing lots of schoolwork and prepping for my presentation on Thursday. I attended BCM (Baptist Campus Ministries) for the first time tonight and I really enjoyed it. Compared to Intervarsity, I think I might like it better. It's smaller so I feel like I can get to know more people; rather than bring in speakers who speak on random topics (lately they have been talking about the same thing over and over again so it has been kind of redundant), BCM has different speakers that speak on a series; so right now they are focusing on the life and journey of Joseph with a different speaker presenting different aspects of that story each week. I also feel like BCM does more outside trips and retreats than Intervarsity. So, I will definitely be going back to BCM and not sure about Intervarsity yet. Enjoy watching the election results tonight and by tomorrow (hopefully) we will know who the next leader of our country will be.....God is my king, and He is in control.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Fun Weekend

I'm soooo tired right now but it has been a fun weekend :) Friday night was Halloween but I didn't really do anything special. I went to Sadie's sisters' apartment with Sadie, Linsey, Hailey (Linsey's roomate) and Ashlyn (friend from Connecticut); we made spaghetti and watched "Top Gun" which I'd never seen-pretty decent movie.  Saturday involved sleeping in till about 10:30 (way later than I wanted to) and then getting lots of schoolwork done till about 7 or 8:00 when Linsey, Hailey, and two guys from the first floor- Drew (a Teaching Fellow) and his roomate Evan all came to hang out with Sadie and I in our room.  It was fun stuff watching youtube videos, and 2 chick flicks on Oxygen-"What a Girl Wants" and some dance movie that was a little corny but good.  You know Evan and Drew were just loving "What a Girl Wants" :)  I then passed out around 2AM; we were all pumped that we got to turn the clocks back so we figured we'd take advantage of the extra hour of sleep and go to bed late. Another exciting event of the day was a call I got from my best friend Cathy telling me she got engaged!!! I am so thrilled and excited about it, and I'm also stoked about being the Maid of Honor :)  
Today, I went to church in the morning, came back to UNCG, ate lunch, and then cleaned the dorm room up sparkling clean.  Sadie got a small group of us together around 4:00 to go play a bunch of sports.  We played volleyball, football, and basketball for several hours; we felt like it was field day in middle school.  It was a good to get some energy out, and we decided we are going to do it more often. I got some work done after we came back from "field day" before talking to Meg and Steve for about an hour on speaker phone tonight with Sadie and it was hilarious to say the least.  I was dying of laughter so many times....good stuff :) I'm going to need to get my beauty sleep so I can prep. for my crazy insane week coming up.  Hope everyone had a safe and happy halloween! 

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Brrrrr....

It's been quite a chilly week! I think I was one of about 4 people on campus walking around in flip-flops; they even got snow at Appalachian Sunday into Monday! I had 2 exams on Monday that I think went very well, and as I look at my syllabi for my classes, I realized that there is not alot of time left in the fall semester; we have already made spring advising appointments and are preparing our schedules. Time flies when you're having fun :)
I found out this week that I get to make a presentation at a conference being held at UNCG based on the book A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. The book is one of my favorites and is a memoir telling the story of Beah's experiences as a boy soldier in Sierra Leone during the civil war there in the 1990's. Beah is actually here at UNCG this week for human rights week, and I will have the opportunity to hear him speak tomorrow. Tonight I had the opportunity to hear Jean-Marie Kamatali speak; Kamatali grew up in Rwanda and lived there before, during, and after the genocide that occurred there in the mid 90's. He is a human rights lawyer who has taught in Rwanda, at Notre Dame, and currently in Ohio.
Tonight, I helped Sadie, Ashlyn, and Linsey carve pumpkins for the pumpkin carving contest being put on by the Caf; more than anything I acted as a cheerleader and supplier :) Good stuff!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Back in the Swing of Things

Whew! Getting back into the swing of things after break has been a little difficult; I didn't accomplish any work over break which was amazing (until had to I start classes again on Wed.) I slept in alot so I wasn't used to getting up at 6:30 for my 8:00 class. And I just simply enjoyed slowing down and not doing alot while at home so I had to kick it back into high gear this week. I found out yesterday that I got a 111% on my Non-Western Religion midterm (the one I was really stressed about). I totally was not expecting that, but hey, I'm not complaining :) I got behind on my labs for GIS and didn't start a paper for my Honors Proseminar class until two days before it was due-good old procrastination BUT I got everything done on time. I will be busy this weekend studying for a Music Appreciation and a GIS exam on Monday. I will also have some fun going to a haunted house and a bonfire with a group of college students I hang with from Daystar Christian Fellowship.
I have been loving the cool weather; it's really feeling like fall and the trees are showing signs with their bright colors and lots of leaf piles across campus. Yay :) Thanksgiving is only about 4 weeks away! (It's kinda scary that time is flying by so fast)
Alright, so I was just getting ready to post when the fire alarm went off....we all proceed to file outside and cross the street not too sure if someone pulled the alarm or if it's just a drill. The cops show up as well as 3 fire trucks but there wasn't a fire-someone prob. just pulled the alarm. Well, I'm gonna post before something else happens....

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Fall Break

Being home is amazing, and let's just say that the food is about 110% better than the Caf (if not 120% better); Mom made me roast beef and homemade biscuits Friday night, chicken soup for lunch today, and we went out to the Black Pelican for dinner tonight for Megan's birthday.
I've slept in my mom's king size bed the past two nights with the dog which had been fun :) and I slept for about 15 hours until 11:30 Saturday morning (can't even remember the last time I slept in that late)
I was very excited to be able to go to Nags Head Church this morning and see everyone including the preschoolers. Tomorrow I'll spend the day shopping with mom in Virginia getting a bunch of stuff we both need before returning to Greensboro late Tuesday afternoon. Thanksgiving will be here before we know it!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Fall Break is Comin!

I am so excited to be going home for fall break tomorrow!! I desperately need a break from school and I miss my momma :) and of course I miss my bro, sis, the dog, friends, and church family. I made it through the week with everything I had to do; the one obstacle left is my Non-western religion midterm tomorrow morning at 8:00 (my brain better be working).
I have found a new favorite song; it's by Phil Wickam again (I'm liking this guy) and it's called "Divine Romance" here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MChzStpWbU
Good Night :)

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Another Crazy Weekend

I haven't posted since like Tuesday because first off, the week has flown by and secondly, there's been so much going on!
Yesterday was a good day. I spent the entire day typing a paper, and I got a nice rough draft done. I went to the UNCG vs. Elon lacrosse game last night which was cool despite the fact that we got our butts beat (I lost count of the score, like 11-2) but there was alot of people out to support the team. The only negative aspect of the game was listening to the drunk UNCG rugby team yell and scream and act like insane maniacs on the sidelines. On the way back from the lacrosse game, Salem Corey, and I noticed that there was still 19 minutes left in the men's soccer game against High Point so we decided to finish watching. We won 2-0!
Today has been an interesting day because the power has been going in and out since about 6AM. There was one point this afternoon where it was off for an hour. Then, it came back on around 5 and stayed on till 7 before it went off again. It was hilarious to watch us run to the bathroom to flush the toilets because they got incredibly gross when no one could flush them. I was trying to watch a movie and every time the power would go I'd have to turn the TV back on, go to DVD, and go to the scene I stopped at; I got fed up and just stopped watching it :) It also took about two hours to get my laundry dried but hey, a little excitement is always good.
I'm posting some pics from the past couple days. Fall break countdown: 5 days!!

Soccer game UNCG vs. Wofford

Rebecca (she's amazing) at Tate Street Coffee

Zach...he's a little crazy :)

Salem...she's amazing too...and she's from Texas.

Sadie is looking really scary and Linsey is looking really happy!

lacrosse game

Love this random pic I took of Drew's frisbee.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Fun Night

Tonight's Men's Soccer game against Wofford was intense!  We went into overtime with the score 0-0, and we weren't but a few minutes in, when UNCG scored!  We were all very excited as the team has been enduring a 4 game losing streak, so this was a good boost for them.  After the game we (the cheerleading crew from Daystar) walked to the Tate Street Coffee House which is a really cool place to hang out.  I got a hot chocolate and it was delicious, but I'm going to have to go back there and try some of their coffee.  I also enjoyed observing the decor of the place- they have lots of lights, paintings, photos, and antique looking wall hangings; I got some pics so I'll post them ASAP.
School-wise, I've got an Anthropology midterm on Thursday which I'm kind of scared about so we'll see how that goes.  I was really excited that I got a 95 on my GIS exam!  And I was also really excited to get a care package today from my mom.  She sent me food, books, a new pair of flip-flops, a card, and some fall decor; enough to last me till I go home.  Fall Break countdown:  9 days :)

Monday, October 6, 2008

A little music ed.

I got to experience an amazing thing on Sunday: my first hot Krispy Kreme doughnut. It was fantastic and delicious! Plus, I was completely fascinated watching the doughnuts roll down the conveyor belt and get coated in icing (it's the little things in life).
Today was a good Monday-I wasn't as tired as I could have been, and I think I did really well on my GIS exam. I'm am really enjoying my Music Appreciation class, in fact I'd say it's my favorite class. Professor Carroll is definitely musically gifted; he's a musician, composer, and does everything possible to make his lectures engaging. We are in the Baroque Period of music and it's taking me back to my homeschooling days when Megan, Steven, and I used to listen to cassette tapes like "Beethoven Lives Upstairs," "The Magic Flute" by Mozart, Handel's "Messiah", "Tchaikovsky Discovers America", and other stories involving the music of Vivaldi and Bach. They are some amazing tapes (and are probably in CD by now). Handel's "Messiah" is amazing and I love listening to it. We also touched on Johann Sebastian Bach today who is an intriguing man; he wrote an oratorio entitled "St. Matthew Passion" which detailed the passion and death of Jesus Christ. Something interesting about this piece: it was written in 12/8 meter (I'm not a music major so don't ask me what that means) BUT I know this is a Sicilian meter (Sicily, Italy) and Sicily is a small island where there are many shepherds; Jesus is often referred to as the Lamb of God and the ultimate shepherd so that is why Bach wrote specifically in that meter. Bach also signed all of his pieces "Sola Dei Gloria" which means for the "sole glory of God." Trivia that maybe you can use someday on Jeopardy, who knows? Now that I've given you a little music ed. here's another song that I'm really loving right now: "You Reign" by MercyMe- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiUB80w-B9U

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Weekend in Review

I just returned from watching the play "Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"put on by UNCG theatre and the UNCG School of Music. Honestly, I wasn't jumping up and down about going to see it-I was merely going because I got credit for one of my classes if I attended. But I actually enjoyed it. It was well done, very funny, and peaked my interest in reading the book by Mark Twain. I will definitely be going to more UNCG theatre productions.
I also enjoyed the several hours I got to spend outside in Foust Park today doing my work. The weather was amazing, it was quiet, and I observed the numerous squirrels racing around. Fall is probably my favorite time of year because it leads into my next favorite time of year which is Thanksgiving and Christmas. The beach has nice summer weather but one doesn't get to see the seasons change all that much, so I'm loving watching the trees change color and the nights and mornings get cooler here in Greensboro; I'm even hoping I'll get to see a little bit of snow later on in the winter :) And since UNCG doesn't have a football team (pout) I decided to watch the college game today between Kentucky and Alabama; Alabama won 14-17 (sorry Kentucky you were close).
I'll be finishing out the rest of my weekend by going to church tomorrow and then hitting the books again prepping for an exam in Geographic Information Science on Monday and a Cultural Anthropology midterm on Thursday-whoop, whoop! I can't wait for Fall Break!!!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Something New...

I wanted to try something new when I got to college (that's what you're supposed to do right?)  so I decided to join the swim club.  I thought about swimming in high school but I was in my junior year about that time and trying out for the swim team with no previous experience wasn't gonna fly.  But swim club is different.  You can come in with no previous experience and learn the different strokes and techniques.  I'm really liking it and getting a pretty good cardio workout at the same time. However, I am a little bit apprehensive about competing BUT our first meet isn't until November so I'm hoping that's enough time to learn and prep.  
Practices are three times a week Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and we have an early practice for beginner and intermediate swimmers and a late practice for advanced ones.  Let me just say, to all you lifeguards, Coast Guard rescue swimmers, and Michael Phelps out there, you're pretty much amazing and you have a God-given talent; I struggled with treading water tonight for three minutes with three 15 second intervals holding my hands above my head-I sank like a ROCK.  We did get to work on starting and diving off without starting blocks which was fun and not as hard as treading water. 
I feel like I've been treading water in my classes this week too. I have a midterm and an exam next week which I'm not very prepared for yet, and on top of that, I've got regular work to do for all my classes.  I cannot wait for this weekend so I can get caught up!
On a departing note, I shared a video of the song "Call my Name" by Third Day yesterday so tonight I'm going to share another video of another favorite song of mine-"True Love" by Phil Wickam.  Hope you like it too! Here's the link: Phil Wickham - True Love (The Wall)

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Third Day-"Call My Name"

As I mentioned in my last post-I love KLove and I've been hearing this song by Third Day alot; it has become my new favorite song.

2008 Dove Awards Third Day - Call My Name

Friday, September 26, 2008

Help with counter

I have put a free counter on my blog so that I can get an idea of the number of people visiting my blog, but I want to move it to the side so that it is no longer a post; how do I do that? I'd appreciate anyone's help :)

Klove

I love my ipod but sometimes I get bored listening to the same music over and over again. So, when this happens I turn on some amazing Klove. If you've never had the opportunity to hear this amazing Christian radio station that broadcasts all over the country and online, then I would encourage you to check it out. It's a great source of encouragement for me during the week, and I get to keep up with new music that's coming on the scene. Check it out at www.klove.com and listen free online or find the radio station that broadcasts it in your area.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Time and Stupidity

Ever feel like there is not enough time in the day? So far, I've been feeling like that every day this week...I've cram every hour of my day with productive things and I still don't get everything accomplished. Today, I realized that being stressed about this is not going to somehow magically create more time; I just need to stop thinking about how I'm going to get everything done and put my stress on the shoulders of God because he can handle it. Also, deep breaths are always helpful :)
On a different note, I thought I'd share with you some interesting discussion and facts that my Music Appreciation professor has been talking to my class about. Professor Carroll's first bit of encouragement to our class was: "North Carolina ranks 48th in the country in SAT scores." Then he told us that there was a large academic general knowledge test taken by a number of different countries and the USA was at the very bottom, only scoring better than the country of Serbia. We took our first exam on Monday (which I think I did pretty well on after at least 5 hours of studying) and today he informed us that he needed to discuss our test scores real quick before he started his lecture: "There was a movie that came out in the 1960's called "The Good, the bad, and the ugly"" All 135 of us proceeded to laugh and then get real quiet. "Some of you scored a 25% on this test, while others of you got only 1-3 wrong, BUT those high scores mostly belonged to international students." We remained quiet, and he moved on to his lecture. In the middle of his lecture he asked us for the year the Pilgrims came to America; we all muttered our answers and finally one young lady spoke up and said "1620" Professor Carroll said that was correct and then asked this girl if she was from the USA and she replied "no." Professor Carroll then looked at us and said "What does that tell you?" A young man replied "That we are all a bunch of dumb ***(bad word)" and we proceeded to burst out laughing at his comment and our stupidity. Professor Carroll told us to remember his comment about SAT scores and then to think about who are we, who do we want to be, and what are we going to do about it.
It's kind of sad that people from other countries know more about our own country than we do. Also, when it comes to test scores, international students in many respects have a much stronger desire to learn and excel in academics. Why? Let me know what you think while I go and apply myself diligently to my academics.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Saturdays

Saturdays (and weekends in general) are great; I get to sleep in (and not go to work at 9 in the morning), I get to do laundry, I get caught up on all my schoolwork, and chilling is an option. I felt slightly cut off from the outside world this Saturday due to the fact that I have a cold, I didn't sleep well last night, and none of my friends or roomate were around so I spent the day in my dorm. I did alot of studying and enjoyed laughing out loud to Andy Griffith and I Love Lucy episodes on TV Land. My big outing was going to the caf for dinner and stopping to get some Nyquil in hopes of a better night sleep. I enjoyed the weather while outside though-it's finally getting cooler and feeling like fall with no humidity. I was also thinking alot about home today and my anticipation about Fall Break is building; I can't wait!! I'll leave you with a couple of pics of my dorm room ( I had fun decorating :)


My side...


My side...again


Sadie's side...

Friday, September 19, 2008

College Life-advice, what I've learned, and other randomness.

College is definitely harder than high school. Sharing a room with someone else is NOT weird (it's fun :) Good reading and note-taking skills are essential. When mom suggests you bring it, bring it. DO NOT forget an umbrella. Meals in the caf are interesting-every dish has a different name with the same ingredients (rice, tomatoes, carrots, a UFO or two...) UNCG Teaching Fellows are amazing. Do not buy books from the school bookstore-check out Amazon or Half.com first. Things in the on-campus stores are two to three times as expensive as a regular grocery store, so stock up before hand. Time management will make life much easier. I miss my dog....alot. Never assume. Be proactive. If you have the urge to smoke DO NOT do it blowing smoke and ash in my face while I'm walking on the sidewalk behind you (Lung cancer from secondhand smoke is not where I want to be in the next fifty years). Legally, pedestrians have the right away BUT, as I said, never assume. Build friendships and get plugged into a church-it's important. Take advantage of the gym-it's like a YMCA but it's free!