So I guess that now that I've imported my blog so it can be seen on Facebook, maybe I should actually keep up with it. My usual problem is that I start typing and then find that I have absolutely nothing of importance to say...but it's been awhile so I'm sure I can come up with something.

I have officially entered the world of business casual clothing. No more jeans, and I even have to wear pantyhose and close-toed shoes for at least the first six weeks of my internship. I don't mind so much except for the fact that my new, dressy close-toed shoes have given me a total of about three blisters on each foot. :-( Anyways, starting Tuesday, I'll be spending six weeks at Covenant Hospital doing my first set of clinical rounds for my internship. I'm still not really sure exactly what to expect...

In other news, Lubbock is finally starting to feel a little bit more like home. I've been going to Broadway Church of Christ, and pretty much all of their college activities for about the past month and I absolutely love it. I have met some wonderful people, and the ministry is amazing. God has really blessed me.

Life is good.

• Missed church Sunday because I couldn't sleep...oops
• Internet is out at the apartment
• Found the library at Tech

Now that is the ideal way to watch fireworks.

Today seemed like a good day to start blogging again...we'll see how long it lasts. I've been in Lubbock now for about three weeks, but I think now is when it starts to become real. Alan left Lubbock tonight after we got to spend a wonderfully lazy and amazingly personal week together. It was pretty much immediately after he left that the emotional me started to set in. Now is when I really begin to make a way for myself...by myself. New city, new school, new chapter of life. Right now I am leaning heavily on the fact that God is in control and that Alan and the other comforts of Abilene are less than three hours away. My "Advanced Medical Nutrition Therapy" class started on Thursday, marking this new, exciting, and yet still slightly terrifying beginning . Tomorrow I'm gonna try out the University class at Sunset C of C...maybe I'll meet some new people...that would be very nice.

Much Ado....

Wow! Sometimes I really wish I was a bit less of an emotional person.

Soooo.....this morning I had the last $150 of money that I needed to turn in for my campaign in the form of a check from my mom. The originial plan was to just cash in at the Campus Store and hand the money over to Alan at chapel.

Yes, well, that would have been entirely too simple.

My original impression was that the Campus Store would cash checks up to $200, but that is actually only for ACU checks...personal checks can only be $100. Shot down once.

Next stop, First Financial Bank at Wal-Mart. Nope, won't cash it because I don't have an account with the bank. Shot down twice.

Next stop, one counter over at Wal-Mart customer service. Stand in line about ten minutes, get to the counter....they only cash payroll checks, not personal checks. Shot down thrice.

My only remaining option: one of those shady check cashing stores. I hand over the check, but they have to verify that it is legitimate by calling the phone number of the person on the check, which is my home phone, which naturally will not be answered because my mother is at work. Shot down four times. (is there a word that comes after thrice? cuz there should be.)

Finally, I have given up on the check and decided that I would just pull the money out of my savings account and have my mom redeposit the $150. At this point, I was extremely aggravated and I was suffering from a massive sinus headache (again).

ATM in the Campus Center (right as chapel is letting out): type in $150 cash withdrawl.....do you want a receipt...yes...receipt comes out, screen goes back to beginning....no money. That makes....five times shot down. By now, my stress level and emotions are on complete overload and I just started crying, pretty much uncontrollably. I finally talk to the wonderful deskworker extrodinaire, Julie, who knew exactly what happened. It was simply that the ATM only gives money in $20 increments. I go back to the ATM try again with $160, and Ta-da! I have money.
(thanks, Julie!)

The End...everything's fine...

...except for the fact that I'm an emotional basketcase and I'm still crying and I have to go to band. After insisting to several people through my continuing tears that everything is really fine now, I took a few minutes in the bathroom to wash off my face, slow my breathing down to a normal rate, and take some Excedrin for the headache.

I finally went in to band and made it through rehearsel, and I am actually in a very good mood now.

I'm going back to Honduras tomorrow! Yay!!

My passport made it.... *big sigh of relief*


Random thing that I just heard a guy say as he was passing by:

"I just have to lift my leg..."

Gotta love only hearing one piece of a conversation...



The end

Jesiree and I wore the same shirt today...

A Day of Random Happy Moments

- Becoming increasingly happy and excited because I am now going to Honduras for Spring Break, and it's basically completely paid for!!***

- Discovering a ladybug during chapel and watching it crawl all over my hands, and then on to my jeans, and then up to my propped up feet and toes...and after chapel I set it free on a bush outside the Bible building.

- It makes me happy when people come into the office looking for something they've lost and we have it. Today was especially exciting because a guy came in looking for his iPod that he left in chapel (basically expecting that it was stolen) and there it was in the drawer. I'm not sure...but I think he may have skipped down the hall out of joy. It made me feel like I did something good...even though I had nothing to do with finding it.

- I got a bloody nose at work (okay, it's not a particularly happy moment...but it was unusual, so it counts)

- Listening to Dr. Ash talk about the Chronicles of Narnia and use the voices of Puzzle and Reepicheep...and using the word "orgyastic" in his lecture in reference to the taste of the toffee from the toffee tree in The Magician's Nephew.

- Going to Third Rock for yummy chocolate ice cream.

- Discover the I Love Toys countdown on VH1...what a genius idea for a TV show!

- Being inspired by Amy to look through old photos from high school and such and post them on Facebook...it made me realize that growing out my bangs was one of the best decisions I've EVER made.



***So the whole Honduras thing....
First of all, it's amazing what God can do to turn you around and inside out and upside down in such a short amount of time. He has been so visible in so many ways since the last time I posted.

Friday night before our band concert...Carissa comes up to me and asks me if I want to go to Hoduras for Spring Break:

First thought: I had kinda planned on going to Houston...but I hadn't made concrete plans yet.
Second thought: There is no possible way I can afford a $1000 trip.

Carissa knew that I already had the shots and a passport because I've been to Honduras before, and she continued to tell me that she thought that by the support of several different sources, most of the trip could probably be covered. Not much time passed, and I was suddenly committed to going. I was a bit nervous about the money, but I knew God would take care of it. Most of Friday night I was laughing to myself because the situation seemed so crazy! I had told Carissa that I was willing to pay about $300 out of pocket, and she would work on finding support for the rest. She called me Saturday...$700+ was already completely covered. This did not include money that was coming from my home church. So basically, two days after I sign up to go on a trip I had never planned on going on, the cost is completely covered. GOD IS INCREDIBLY AMAZING!!!

I am so excited about the group that is going, and I am so excited about the things God is going to do!

I'm beginning to wonder what kind of role Honduras may have in my long-term future: this is the second time in less than a year that I'm going, and both trips have been 100% God's work and not mine. Two trips that were not planned in the long term, but that I was asked to go on. God is working on something, and I think it's gonna be big. I told myself after this summer that I would be going back to Honduras...and well, here I go!

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.
- Proverbs 19:21