Don't Pay Attention to This One.

This is going to be an ongoing list of memorable quotes from my friends and me. Too many funny things have gone on undocumented. Well, never again, my friends, never again.

"I don't appreciate child molesters!"

"I do....ladies...."

"Wait...how do you...spell molesters?"

"Snaps is the name of the game. The name of the game is snaps..."

"My poor kids. I'm gonna spoil them so bad I'll have to beat it out of them."

*Insert Luke's laugh*

"Is that...*swan point*"

"Kelvin, how many people have you touched inappropriately today?"

"In-a propro. In-In-a propro."

"STOP! Don't touch me there..."

"Oh, Canada."

"Stop, don't touch me there, this is my OHNO square..."

"Let's go NoNo!!!"

"IT'S OOOHHH NO!"

"Hey, in case you didn't know, that was you...failing."

"False start...."

"Was it the Asians? They always be false startin'"

"That cat hated my grandmother."

"Duh-na-na-na-na."

"How you poke someone? I wanna poke her."

"I don't listen to the lyrics. Music's like a Big Mac meal...nobody wants the fries, but they come with it."

"DECEMBAAAAHHH..."

......

"OCTOBAAAAHHHH..."

"100 songs?"

Today was a Better Day

Started my day with psychology which just made it awesome. I LOVE that class.

Made a 100 on my English test on Huckleberry Finn. Good stuff.

Geography lab=DUMB. Easy, but DUMB.

Got to take a little nappy-nap.

REALLY GOOD NEWS! My headaches are going away. :D

I'm sitting here doing homework intermittently and listening to Brynn and Melissa do their Calc homework. Notable quotes: "Man, I love findin

g derivatives." "I'm doing great with units." "Math just makes me so happy."

Engineers are so weird. Haha.

And the gem of discoveries today....*drumroll*

Awesome right? Even better....they print shirts of them.

Happy birthday to me?

DEAR GOD,

make me a bird so I can fly, far, far away.

This week is too long. Today was too much. I don't do drama. I can't get enough church. I can't sleep. I'm exhausted. I want my mom.

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

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8

The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever-do not abandon the works of you hands. Psalm 138:8

Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people. Ephesians 6:7

Don't be impatient for the Lord to act! Travel steadily along His path. Psalm 37:34

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3

HE FILLS MY LIFE WITH GOOD THINGS. Psalm 103:5

YOU CHART THE PATH AHEAD OF ME AND TELL ME WHERE TO STOP AND REST. EVERY MOMENT YOU KNOW WHERE I AM. Psalm 139:3

First Alabama Basketball Game...

So THAT'S what it feels like to lose. NOW I remember!!! Thanks for conditioning me Robertsdale! No, but really, it was an awesome experience. Lots of fun. Though I still fail to see the necessity in the scantily clad "dancers" (AKA skankier versions of cheerleaders). But, hey, maybe that's just me. Haha. Still supporting my Crimson Tide. I am no fair weather fan. Thanks for conditioning me Boston!!! hahahahaha

Time for math. And then a real treat....I bought the Hurt Locker. I've been dying to watch it all day. BY THE WAY! My day started at 445 with a workout. It was splendid. Then I ran by the river this afternoon. I feel wonderful. :D

Mwen gen konfyans nan Bondye, mwen pa pè anyen. Kisa lèzòm ka fè mwen?

The title of this post is Psalms 56:11 in Haitian:

"In God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

I didn't include this in the previous post because it was already lengthy and chunky. So here are other thoughts....

The situation in Haiti has absolutely baffled me. I am so so SO amazed. Every time I watch the news, of course, Haiti is featured. I see the images of destruction and despair, but never have I seen a loss of hope or faith. It strikes me as so inspiring to see demolished buildings in the background, and people praising God in the foreground. These people had nothing to begin with and have lost even that, yet they continue to praise Him! Each and every survivor that is interviewed attributes their life to the glory of God. Many are missionaries, yes, but even more are Haitian natives, singing hymns in French and Creole. How incredible is it that in a country known for poverty and violence, the people praise God in the midst of their storm. How incredible is it that God has used this tragedy as advertising! That's some good PR work going on up in heaven! This terrible situation could have resulted in people cursing God, wondering where He is, but that is not the case at all. People are praising Him for supporting them though it all and for giving second chances. I have never heard the Lord's name on the news as much as I have in this past week. Newscasters cannot do anything about it because it is the journalistic FACT. These people have nothing, but everything. They are proclaiming his name in the midst of destruction. How can anyone doubt or disown God now? After seeing these images of faith enduring in the most horrible of situations, how can one justify turning away from God?

It's incredible.

The Line Between Self-Preservation and Selfishness

My drive back to Tuscaloosa after MLK Jr. weekend turned out to be a four-hour-long God moment. There was a lot of traffic on I-10 so I decided to take the causeway. When I stopped at the light, there was a homeless man. He wasn't old or particularly nasty or sketchy. He looked like a guy that had a genuine stroke of bad luck. I felt like I should give him my McDonald's cheeseburger and extra bottle of water, but I couldn't bring myself to roll down the window. I kept thinking about the risk involved. He could be a drug addict or crazy man. He could try to carjack, rob, or hurt me. By the time I processed everything in my head, the light turned green and I went on my way. It broke my heart. I called my mom to tell her of the incident, and she convinced me that I had made the right decision and I was right to continue on for the sake of my safety. I agreed, but at the same moment, I felt so selfish.

Nothing in life is guaranteed. Nothing is without risk. You can almost be guaranteed that nothing God prompts you to do is without risk. There is always an element of sacrifice. If I were to go to Uganda on a missions trip, would I not be putting my life in the same kind of risk as if I had rolled down my window for the homeless man? It is a shame how cynical and jaded our world has become. It is harder to do the right thing not because we do not know what the right thing is, but because we have been taken advantage of or hurt. There is a fine line between self-preservation and inadvertent selfishness, and it is a daily struggle to maintain that balance. It's so hard to have a heart for the broken, but a head from the misused. My logic argues with my soul all of the time. To be truly selfless, you must give up yourself. Right? Crucified with Christ, all of that. Does this mean that we move as we feel, regardless of impending danger? I'm not saying to be reckless. I'm talking about situations such as the one I had with that homeless man. I have seen other homeless people before and known there was nothing I could do for them. Their problems went much deeper than thirst or hunger, and my intervention could result in harm to myself or others. In those situations, I believe self preservation prevails. But in my case, I felt differently. Helping this man was more attainable, but because of previous opinions and stories, I was too scared to try. I don't know if any of this makes sense. It's very hard to put into words exactly how I felt.

I'm going to make it even more confusing now. I found it interesting that even though I didn't take the opportunity and help the man, he still blessed me. How? Are you reading this blog? 5 seconds at a green light turned into nearly 4 hours of introspection. All because of that homeless man, I analyzed myself and my willingness to be truly selfless and help others. It inspired me to purge myself more of things that shouldn't be within me. It was a God moment.

So, because of this, I feel confident that someone came along that was able to help him, possibly even in a greater capacity than I could have. That man blessed me, so in turn, someone must have blessed him. I know God won't let him go unnoticed. I just know.

Sorry if this blog was pointless and went nowhere. It was just a big thing for me that I had to write about so I can come back to it.

Haiti

Praying for all of those in and affected by the earthquake in Haiti. It's times like these when I wish I could just pick up and go there to help.

The Taste of Life

Today was the first day of classes for spring semester of my freshman year. First, I have to give another huge Roll Tide. Campus is still all abuzz with the National Championship excitement. The bus marquises scroll with congratulatory exclamations, a HUGE Big Al stands in the plaza, and roses are on every sweatshirt. Our fight song tells us to remember the Rose Bowl, boy do we ever. I love Alabama football. There is nothing like it.

I don't know why, but I just have such a great feeling about the coming months. When I drove onto campus, my iPod was on shuffle, and the fight song came on. I drove down Hackberry and felt at home. I missed this place. Then I got to my dorm and everyone came to help me unload my things, but not until my interim big-brother Kelvin ran, picked me up and spun me around. I missed these people.

I'm anticipating great things, whatever they may be! I just am very excited to see what this semester holds for me. I'm ready to get the ball rolling. My math class is taught by an Indian woman, no surprise there. We'll see how it goes. If you know me at all, you know that I do not care for math or science...I am an English/History buff. Which brings me to my next point....

I walked into Reese Phifer (the Communications building) for my Mass Com 101 class, and I fell in love. I've been in the building before, but now I go to class there. I have a purpose there. I BELONG there. It was such a God moment. As I walked up the beautiful stairs and entered the rotunda, I just got an overwhelming sense of confirmation. I just KNOW this is where I am supposed to be. It felt so wonderful. I sat down in MC101 and instantly loved the fact that my professor spoke my language flawlessly; not just the English language, but the writer/communication language. There was no unnecessary vocabulary or explanation. It was to the point. Perfect. Just the facts ma'am, just the facts.

Pretty soon my life will revolve around that building. I'm starting to get a taste of what life will be like, and I must say, life tastes so good.

Too Much of my Life is Going Undocumented!!!

I keep forgetting about blogging!!! So much has been happening in my life! I just got back from Los Angeles and having the time of my life. My roommate Brass lives in Pasadena, dad had Skymiles, so virtually all I had to pay for were souvenirs. It all worked out so perfectly. I spent New Year's Eve in LA.

I went to the Rose Parade which was AMAZING. I watch it every year on TV and finally made it there to see it live. It was so beautiful. It's so cool to see the ideas people come up with for the enormous floats made of organic materials.

I went to Santa Monica Pier . I just love the Pacific Ocean. It is so beautiful. Very different from the Gulf here. Of course, the pier itself was a wonderful place for people watching. It's a different world there!!!

I went to Disneyland for the second time. Although this time I was older and able to see beyond the illusions, I think it was even more magical. I think I really didn't see beyond the illusions, I saw the magnificence of them. I saw the joy it brought people and how it mystified children. It was still Christmastime in Disneyland which made it even more magical. Sleeping Beauty's castle was dripping with icicle lights and Main Street began with an enormous Christmas tree. The Haunted Mansion was decked out like The NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS!!!! One of my favorite movies. At the end of the day, there were fireworks. I think the show is one of the most spectacular things I've seen in my life. It was amazing. It really took me back to the magic of childhood and the beauty of Walt Disney's dream. Disneyland truly is one of the happiest and most magical places in the world. It's incredible what they do.

I experienced downtown LA and Olvera Street, the Hispanic version of Chinatown, for lack of better words. It was very cool and the food was so genuine and wonderful! I had taquitos with avocado sauce and horchata. Muy Muy delicioso!!!

And of course it was just awesome to visit Hollywood! It's so interesting to see how you react in celebrity situations. I've always said, "I'm not 'that girl' who screams and shakes and passes out when she sees a famous person." But you never really know how to react until you are in that situation. I actually did get really excited and speechless just seeing where places were filmed. Guess I'm still just getting to know myself! I got to drive down a road where the filming of a TV show was in process. I saw the Cinderella Story house, the place where the Office wedding was filmed, multiple houses in commercials, Mr. and Mrs.Smith house, and downtown Hollywood. Grauman's Chinese theatre, the handprints and stars, the Hollywood sign; it all seemed so surreal!!! *Sidenote--Hollywood at nighttime....SUPER interesting...hahaha

I went to a taping of the Price is Right!!! It was so cool!!! I was amazed at how small the studio was. No pictures from that because they take your camera AND cell phone away from you before you go in. They are super strict about the whole thing.

SO. In telling you all of this you would think, "Oh cool, she went to sightsee and visit her friend in LA." Well, yes and no. I did want to sightsee and visit, but my main motivation for making the trek to Pasdena was more than just a pleasure trip. It was a pilgrimage. I was following my boys--The Crimson Tide-in their quest for domination and victory. Being a measly freshman, I had no ticket to the game. I would never set foot inside of the Rose Bowl. However, I sat on a couch only a few miles away cheering my boys to victory. I cringed every time McElroy was sacked. I nearly had heart attack in the first quarter. I felt horrible for McCoy. I nearly cried when Dareus scored a touchdown. I yelled all of the cheers and sang the fight song every time we scored. I looked for my friends on TV. I cried when we WON. I laughed when the gatorade dump happened. I screamed, jumped, danced, ran. It was incredible.

This wasn't just a football team I liked winning a huge game. It was much more than that. It's people I go to school with. It's people who love crimson and houndstooth as much as I do fighting to show that we belong at the top.

At some places, they play football...at Alabama, we live it.

This is Alabama football. ROLL TIDE!!!!!!