To be or not to be.. that is the question

to be or not to be a sorority girl that is.

For the past few months I've been tossing around the idea of joining a sorority here on campus. I've flip flopped back and forth between 'yes' and 'no'. Many of the RhoGammas (the girls who disassociate themselves from their sororities to help us freshman get an unbiased opinion about the sororities and greek life) have encouraged us to do it to meet people. Soooo today I handed in my application. This is a new thing for me.. stepping out of my comfort zone. My dad was in a fraternity and today I found out that I have at least 11 other aunts/greataunts/cousins who were/are also in sororites. 

I do not plan on joining this semester. My plan is to drop out before the final two bids are given, that way I'm not bound to any sorority and I can rush next year if I decide to. 

I personally don't find myself to be a sorority type and doing this only to step out of my comfort zone, get to know a few people and experience a part of college life that so many take part in. 

Tonight we went to the Sing Song in sorority circle and got to hear all of the sororities on campus sing their songs. We had a great time listening to the songs, seeing all of the girls and it was a great break from homework!

Speaking of homework I've never gotten plagued with so much homework on the first week of school! It's quite absurd. I'm pretty sure it's because I'm not in the typical 'freshman' classes seeing as I was dual enrolled last year so I'm just a step ahead of the rest of my class. I've literally been doing homework during every break that I have! Tomorrow is my day with only one class so it will definitely be used as my homework/catch up day!

until next time,

 me.

Ohh boyyy..

Day two of classes and I'm already overwhelmed! 

Monday mornings start off with College Algebra- my least favorite subject. The professor is really nice, really energetic and her main goal is to get us to understand the material. I'm hoping that my past frustrations and incapabilities in math will disappear this year!

 Directly after math I have American Government which I'm actually really excited about! I've never been into politics and could care less about all of it, but now that I'm on my own and can have a say in the ongoings I find myself very interested! My professor is crazy, funny and wants us to form opinions. So, she said her goal is for us to never know what her political opinions are. She will bring up topics that challenge us to think,  give us the facts from both sides, take us down paths to discuss all the options. She's vowed to allow us to give all of our opinions in a safe, opinion allowing environment and encourages us to bring up any reliable sources we may find- she will correct us if our information is wrong. Only thing is this class involves a lot of reading- both text book and internet sources and my brain doesn't stay focused or comprehend information well when reading. We'll see how that goes!

My british literature teacher is quite odd. Her lecture yesterday came across as scripted and she doesn't really have a personality. I'm pretty sure her class is going to be my toughest. It involves a lot of reading- reading of olddd books and poems, which I'm not a fan of,  and analyzing which doesn't come easy to me. Not to mention I go to this class directly after lunch, so I'm ready for a nap by the time I make it across campus and to the classroom :)

I've also got my freshman seminar class where we'll discuss how to learn in college, about the school, and our focus course is called Who/What do you think you are? It's all about female stereotypes. Our first day was really interesting so I'm hoping the rest of the semester will be too!

Another class I have is Biology. I didn't take bio in high school so I was really looking forward to taking it this semester. I'm one of only 4? freshman in the class, the professor is kinda quirky, and the material we're going to cover is very controversial. My professor does have a resume overflowing with prestigious degrees, companies and discoveries, but I find his beliefs to challenge my faith. Many of the comments that were made- whether it be him or a classmate sent red flags shooting up in my head. It was just the first day, so as class progresses I'll be able to figure out what they're trying to say. In just a few minutes I'll be heading to Bio Lab where we'll be watching Al Gore's video on Global Warming...

This semester is going to be a process for me. A process of becoming deeper in my relationship with Christ in order to fully defend what I believe. While delving into the Bible to find the backing for my answers to challenges I'll be trying to view things with an open mind- to see all aspects but still remain grounded in my faith. So my request for you today, is that you pray for me as I face things I've never had to face before. I know that it's during the college years that many fall from Christianity and into the ways of the world, but I don't want to become part of that statistic. I need your prayers to help me to remain steadfast during this time, to fully understand what it is I believe, stand up and defend it, and to be a shining light for Christ but doing so with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15)

These next few weeks are going to push me to form my opinions on politics, on science, on my role as a woman, on my calling, on my religion, on ME. And that's always been something I struggle with.

My school is all about empowering women to be all they can be. They encourage us to think, to become, and to achieve. I just hope that they really do allow us to think for ourselves and not push an agenda on us. That they allow room for discussion, disagreement, and opportunity to resolve. 

Just 3 days before I left God put this verse on my heart. At the time I didn't know why He'd put it on my heart, but after my first day here I found the significance and power in the words and I've been clinging to it ever since. Proverbs 3:1-2 "¹ My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, ² for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity." and 3 because I like it..  ³ "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck,  write them on the tablet of your heart."

I covet your prayers and support during this time of growth!!

love to you all,

 me.

Official!

Two posts in one night! This probably won't happen again ;)

We just got back from our "Gold Refined by Fire" ceremony where we learned all of the traditions of the school and were made "official". we signed our names in the book of "honor" and burned our goals in the pit of fire. We sang the school songs and heard from the upper classmen and the "secret" group on what the honor code means to them.

I absolutely love that this school is all about tradition. It makes my heart sing! 

I wish I could just video record every second of every day so I could show you guys what life here is like. It's truly indescribeable and I'm loving every second of it! Even the major squeak in the bathroom floor and when my roommate spills milk on the carpet ;) We're both quiet and shy but we have a good time!! And she likes butterflies, too!! That's one of my God things! I have a huge infatuation with butterflies. <3

Anyway, I just thought I'd give another brief update about my night!! Can't wait for the days to come! 

The Journey Begins..

This is my first post as a college freshman!! How crazy is that!

I would've posted sooner but I was having problems with my internet (as well as a bunch of other things) but as of this afternoon everything has gotten sorted out! Thank you Jesus!

Move in yesterday went smoothly. Dad and I left the house just after 7am to drive up here and made it right on time for check-in.  We headed to my hall, checked in, got my key and it didn't work. haha. Nice start, right? Well these 3 fabulous ladies helped us move all of my stuff in and we started to get settled.

Here's a picture of the room before we started moving everything in

We managed to get almost all of my stuff situated before my roommate arrived.

 both got all of our stuff in it's place, took part in the sessions for the evening, ate a good meal in the dining hall and got to see part of the "Lucky 13" festivities. We were both exhausted and wanted to get to bed early.

During our Opening Ceremonies we got our motivational speeches, talks from the president and staff, and were told that our class has been dubbed the "Lucky Class of 20-13". We've got a lot to live up to! 

We also took our class picture during opening ceremonies. It was supposed to be taken outside of the steps of the beautiful Bailey Hall but it was raining so we took it inside on the stage. It was quite the experience cramming all of us up there! But it was fun non-the-less. 

Today we woke up bright and early and headed to breakfast. Ty had MAPP testing at 8:30 so she and a bunch of the other girls headed off for that and I went to test out my mail box (by the way, I'd LOVE mail ;) if you want my address email me!) then to the Academic and Computer Orientation. After that I registered for classes. I'll be taking 16 credit hours this semester.. Biology w/ lab, College Algebra, Brit Lit, the freshman class, Self-defense, and American Government. For some reason I can't take any business classes towards my major this semester. Unfortunately.  I was also able to fix my internet and passwords to all of my college stuff so now I can log into all of my accounts!

-- I saved this as a draft and went to buy my books before the bookstore closes. *jaw drops* you wouldn't believe how much books cost!! I had to put two back because I didn't have enough money in my account. Total was $593!! That wiped out every penny I had left from graduation money :'( 

In about an hour we'll be heading to another session and our Gold Refined By Fire ceremony. Tomorrow is full of more sessions, a movie and discussion and a freshman pool party at the president's house! Should be fun!

Since being here it's been confirmed that this is where I'm supposed to be. For now at least ;)

Let's just say God is in the details and He knows how much I love them.

tata for now! 

me.

cat calls, car graveyards, cameras... an adventure!

Bright and early this morning Dawn and I headed out for a little adventure!  We dropped A off at school, grabbed some bagels then Dawn, M, and I headed to hillybilly central.

-background-When I drove to Alabama to meet up with them last week I noticed a beautiful old car on the side of the road. Dawn mentioned it while we were at the lake and said she had wanted to photograph it. We tried to find it on our way home but couldn't so today we set out on a little adventure!

We pulled into the drive and discovered we had stumbled upon a graveyard of old, beat up, amazing cars!!

***For more pictures visit my facebook!

We took pictures there for a while then headed to a quaint little town near ours to take some pictures in the historic area. By the time we got there the sun was shining brightly, the temperature was rising and our memory cards were almost full. This leg of the trip was very short, but very fun!

I finished packing for school yesterday in hopes that I would have time to enjoy my last week and I'm certainly doing just that! Our little adventure today was so much fun and such a great memory! There are great things in store for the rest of the weekend, too! I can't wait!

Only 6 days until college life begins and I'm finally getting excited!

* Wishing the best of luck to and praying for all of my friends who moved in today(or are moving in tomorrow!) Love you guys! 

The countdown ticks away

and way too fast. As of today I have 9 full days before I move out! :O

This afternoon my family and I got back from our last trip together before Ben and I head to college. (For those of you who don't know, Ben will be attending Clayton State for full-time dual enrollment and got a full-ride from the music program.) We traveled down to Tallahassee for Ben's movie premiere! A few months ago he was the lead in a FSU grad students' short film so we went down to join in the festivities and see the movie!! It was a great experience! We went to the night showing which showed the top films produced by the MFA class of 2009. Ben's film, Picture Day, closed out the night and was a great hit! Lots of people said it was their favorite and Ben had a lot of people shake his hand and tell him "Great Job" and even had a few ask him for his autograph! :P

Here's a picture of Ben, Ken (the writer and director) and Stanley the famous crane ;) 

As Wednesday, August 19th moves closer I'm filled with excitement and anxiety. I can't believe it's snuck up this fast.

This week will be full of packing, cleaning and saying final goodbyes. Well, not final goodbyes, but I won't see any of my friends til Thanksgiving :(  Hopefully we can get to

gether some in between. *crosses fingers*  I'm almost embarrassed to post this picture but because this is a blog about my college adventures I'm going to do it. This is just the beginning! Some of the fall clothes have been boxed, shoes have been put into a box, dishes and tupperware have been washed, bedding and blankets are ready to go, and school stuff has been put into it's own special box. But summerish clothes, winter clothes, books, bags, accessories and many other things haven't been dragged out yet! All of my friends call me OCD. I'm a total neat freak, so needless to say I'm dying in this mess!

That's all for today! Hopefully I will get a chance to post again this week. Like I said it's going to be really busy!

Love to you all

The Blogging Life..

has begun!

It's been awhile since I've blogged- in any way shape or form! The blogging world has changed so much since I had xanga in 6th grade *grin*
After many people requesting that I start blogging before college I finally gave in. And so it begins..
The Meadows of Cam-a-lot where ramblings, ideas, posts about college life, and pictures will be posted!!

Here's a re-cap of my summer.

Before graduation, 3 of my friends and I went on a senior trip to Daytona Beach. We enjoyed a lovely day and half of soaking up the sun, boogie boarding, getting run into by sting rays and having a great time. Then it decided to rain. Just a little tropical depression coming up the coast from Cuba. Nothing big ;) But we made the most of it! We ran around an outdoor mall in the pouring rain while shooting some epic videos, we jumped walls of condos to grill our steaks (during the storm) drank Ryan's now famous Daytona Sunrises, watched hours of Alfred Hitchcock, Slumdog Millionaire, Life is Beautiful and Born into Brothels, Ryan killed little critters on his computer game, threw a crab at Lauren and entertained us with his dancing. We had a fantabulous time! --take a look at this video! Zach brought his Flip camera along for the adventure and then compiled some footage to make this not-so-short recap of our Senior Trip! http://www.vimeo.com/5882543

The night before graduation my best friend and I had a joined grad party! We had about 50 people come to join us in celebrating with lots of La Parilla yumminess, dancing, and socializing. [shocker huh!? I bet you didn't know homeschoolers actually do socialize ;) ] My camera kicked the bucket that night.. the one that spent many a sleepover, school day, beach day in Costa Rica and walks in Japan with me. :( So, I,personally, don't have any pictures from graduation day.

Graduation was next and snuck up way too fast. I graduated with 19 other homeschoolers in a very personalized ceremony. We each had a 2 minute video and 1 minute bio that were played/read before our parents presented us with our diplomas. It was a special day! Some family from South Carolina came down and my wonderful cousin Cheri flew down from New York to spend the weekend with us!!

A week long trip to California followed graduation. Dad and I spent a week out west enjoying a family reunion, trips to the cabin and spending time the Uncle Bob, Teta Lori, Cheri, Jason, Meagan and Grandma and Grandpa.
We flew into LA, rented a car, and drove up the coast- through Malibu, Ventura County and all of those fun places! We got THE world's best strawberries at a fruit stand in Ventura then hit up Andria's Seafood restaurant where we got the best fish and chips I've ever had. The trip was full of bests.
Oh! And to make the trip even better I bought my mom's friend Jared's Canon Rebel XT the day before we left so I had a grand time figuring out how to use it and shooting pictures til my little heart was content. I LOVE photography!

After the Cali trip we chilled for a few weeks then headed up to Nashville. My parents are supposed to be moving there soon so we went house hunting and did some sightseeing for the 4th of July weekend. Fourth of July in Nashville is supposed to be one of the most incredible experiences ever.. ours was all that and more! You can't beat a massive thunderstorm rolling in right as the fireworks started! We stood in the rain with thousands of other people watching the flags wave in the wind, fireworks light up the night sky, and listening to people sing the Star Spangled Banner and chant "USA".

Following our trip to Tennessee was Ben's 16th birthday, many long, fun nights of games and chatting with friends, a trip to feed the homeless in Atlanta, photo shoots and get-togethers!

Last night I celebrated my 18th birthday with a pool party at my best friend Leslie's house. I was sooo worried because our forecast since Sunday has called for thunderstorms everyday that weather.com would show me. I prayed sooo hard that the storms would either stop before the party began and start up after it was over or skip over us all together! My prayers were definitely answered! The storm clouds would come right at us, split down the middle, pass on the sides and converge on the other side of the sky! It was beautiful to watch! The weather was perfect, the water was perfect and the company was perfect! What more could you ask for? We feasted on "Daddy burgers", mom's homemade potato salad, baked beans, corn salad and strawberry pie! I was blessed not only with the presence of my friends but they showered me with gifts, too!! So many wonderful things were given to me. The night ended with a BIG gift. The thing I've patiently awaiting for years ;) A CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My parents got me a brand new, bright blue Kia Sportage which I affectionately named Madame Blueberry *grin* My friends and I put on the song from Veggie Tales and sing along when we get inside!!

This fantastic summer is coming to a close and I'm preparing to move out and take my next big step in life. College. Shopping has been done, packing as begun and nerves are starting to set in. But, I can't wait to move on and begin greater things!!!

until next time...