main points

• The house sold.
• I finally got to hang out with Mrs. Heinz today. It was wonderful. She's letting me borrow her refrigerator.
• Jessie's birthday was on Saturday. Horseback riding, buffalo observing, drive-in, uncomfortable floor...I think that covers the basics.
• I move into my room on Thursday. That's one day from right now.
• Kristi and Jason's wedding's on Saturday. We're all growing up.
• As of 2PM last Saturday, I don't work at Somerset Beach. I'm glad to be done, but it's a weird adjustment.
• I'm hanging out with Debbie and Sara tomorrow. I'm pretty sure Starbucks will be involved. I'm pumped.
• I'm listening to Dashboard Confessional right now. Never gets old.
• I'm excited for my linguistics class.
• I usually never end up liking the classes I'm initially excited for.

two for one

"Haaaaaaaaaaaave you met Ted?" Sorry...that had nothing to do with anything. I just had to.

Anyway, have I mentioned that I'm going to Central in 12ish days? I am. People keep asking me if I'm nervous or excited. Nine times out of ten I just tell them I'm not sure yet. It's the truth. I haven't decided. I don't really feel nervous, and I'm not all that excited. I'm mostly just indifferent. It doesn't make sense to me either. But I know exactly what will happen. I won't feel anything until the morning I'm supposed to head up there, and what I'll feel is a horrible stomach ache. It'll stick around for the entire 2 hour drive to Mr. Pleasant. Once I'm there, though, and I've met my suite mates, I'll be just peachy. Hopefully.

The whole experience will repeat itself that Sunday when I actually move in for good. I'm taking all my stuff up next Thursday probably, but then I'm coming home because Kristi and Jason's wedding is on Saturday, so I'd be coming home that weekend anyway. It doesn't make much sense that I would go through my little nervous ritual all over again, but that's the way my issue infested little self works. I've pretty much come to terms with it. Just another quirk.

In other news...

...I love living on the lake! I'm a little sad that we haven't always lived on a lake. I've become so outdoorsy. I've always liked being outside and enjoying the beautiful creations around me, but now I can't get enough of it! If I don't go for a bike ride or take a kayak out, I feel a little depressed at the end of the day, almost like I missed out on something. I even like to just sit by the water and read. It's kind of blissful, and I'm definitely going to miss it when I go to school. Something to look forward to next summer though!

over-tired, over-thinking, and over-reacting

I'm crying right now over an assignment for one of my classes - something I don't ever remember doing. It's not even June yet and I'm already completely overwhelmed. What made me think that I could fit in a couple of classes and work full time? I'm pretty sure I also have bronchitis. Gosh, I sound so pathetic.

Lord, I need you. Please help.

What Happened to the Days Between Saturday and Thursday?

I can't believe I haven't posted since Saturday! I have been so busy...in fact, I'm only giving myself approximately 12 minutes to complete this post. I'm re-doing my room, but it was a mess, so I'm trying to go through everything and get it completely organized before I mess it all up again, so I've been working on that. I have so much homework this semester. I guess I'm not really complaining...just fretting. I feel like I'll never be able to stay on top of it. I actually stayed after at work yesterday because I had so much to do. I cannot believe it's Thursday already!

And now, a time for me to whine...I am so tired all of the time. When I come home everyday, all I want to do is sleep. And because I'm so tired and so lifeless, I put off my homework until really late. Not getting enough sleep, therefore, to re-energize my self for the following morning. I'm so tired of being so tired. Okay, end of whining (for now).

Have I ever mentioned that I have the greatest friends? Because I do. I know what you're thinking, "No, Jennifer, I have the greatest friends." I'm sorry, but you're wrong unless you have the exact same friends as me. I know everyone always thinks that their friends are the greatest, but that award goes to me. I love them so much. I can't imagine life without a single one of them. They're crazy and sincere and funny and thoughtful and understanding and ridiculous and always there and so much more. I think my favorite thing about my friends is that they're predictably unpredictable. I know them through and through, and yet, without failure, they always surprise me in some way. In a concise phrase, they're perfect.

Okay, my time limit's up. I have a bunch more to say, so I'm using this post as a reminder to share later.

Officially Sick

I think I've come to the conclusion that I am probably the only one who reads my own blog. Oh well, that's okay I guess. At least I'm able to get some thoughts down.

I've been fighting the beginning of a cold for a while now, but I think it's finally here. I am officially sick. It's kind of early for me this year. Usually I don't get sick until the end of March or the beginning of April. I haven't lost my voice yet though, which is the worst part because it makes answering phones very difficult and a little humorous, so I guess it's not so bad. Hope it goes away soon though =)

So I was thinking...JCC isn't really as bad as I make it out to be. I think the only reason I really don't like it is because I don't live on campus, so I'm not making any close friends. The teachers are pretty good though (I actually really like some of my teachers this semester), and the classes aren't your normal community college classes; some of them are actually a little challenging, which is a good thing. Basically, this is all to say that I need to quit complaining. I'm going to get to Spring Arbor eventually. I just have to get through two years, and I suppose JCC isn't a horrible place to spend them.

One more thing. "Therefore have I uttered that I understood not, things too wonderful for me, which I knew not." That's what Job said in Job 42:3 after God showed him how foolish he was being. I hear you Job.

Without a Glimpse of Darkened Skies...

It's winter again, and the sky is grey again. At the church that I used to go to before we moved, the bulletins always had a verse or a quote on them. One of them was, "Without a glimpse of darkened skies, our hearts would never realize the beauty of the day." It's such a true statement. I love winter, but the warmer weather made me excited for summer.

Well, a lot of things have changed since my last post. I no longer have a perfect devotions record for 2008. I very nearly lost a really good friend--partly my own fault. I let the way I was feeling interfere with school, and I got very little done. I'm also getting sick partly due to stress I think, but mostly due to a lack of sleep. Needless to say, I hit a low point this past weekend. A very low point. But, everything's starting to look up now. Nothing's perfect, but I'm working on everything--a combined effort on some things.

I hate that I haven't done my devotions in the last three days, but I can't dwell on that. I just have to get back into them. And I will, starting tonight. My friendship isn't perfect, but we're okay, and I think this falling out will actually make us better friends than we were. I'm catching up on most of my homework. I still have a paper due on Wednesday that I haven't even started yet and a lot of reading, but I have gotten some things done, and now I just have to stay focused and disciplined. I'm still sick, but I think I if catch up on some sleep I'll start feeling better soon.

The good thing about low points--God always has a lesson planned somewhere in there. I'm listening and just realizing the beauty of the day.

"I should be sleeping instead of keeping these late hours I've been keeping..."

I'm in a good place right now. Not everything is perfect, but I wouldn't want it to be. I'm actually driven this semester, and I hope I can keep that drive throughout the whole semester. I'm also learning more at work, which makes me feel like I'm contributing more, even if maybe I'm not. I still have my great friends, and I'm not in a relationship at the moment, but I'm actually okay with that. I'm keeping my resolutions so far, and I've done my devotions every night. I've been able to drive home with the windows down and the radio blaring for the last two days, and to top it all off, my hair smells really good right now--thanks Herbal Essences. I still have my fears, reservations, and skepticisms, but really, what would life be without them? A whole lot less exciting, that's what.

Alright, this is short, but it's late and I have class in the morning and work in the afternoon, so I should really get some sleep.

Bonne Nuit :)

"It's Like Trying to Catch the Rain."

There's a Rascal Flatts song called "Winner at a Losing Game." It's completely depressing, and possibly true, but that's not why I mention it. There's a line that says, "Have you ever had to love someone that just don’t feel the same? Trying to make somebody care for you the way I do is like trying to catch the rain." I'm still puzzled on what that means. Does it mean that when you try to catch the water from the rain it goes through the cracks in your fingers? I'm not sure I really understand the analogy. If I had to make my own assumption, I would say that it's like when the water falls in your hands, you have this false hope that it's going to stay there, but then it disappears. I don't know...it's just a thought.

On a different note, I went back to school today...four more months and I can get lost in the summer once again. I actually had a moment earlier today that I missed the summer so much that it physically hurt. I wish I could just go to the perfect moment in the summer and stop time. But I can't, so I just have to get over it and keep going. I feel so tangled right now, I really can't explain it, so I won't even try to go into it. The problem is that I'm an over-thinker; I think about something and disect all the pieces so much so that even less makes sense to me at the end than did in the beginning.

I have more to add here from my devotions last night, but I don't have it in front of me, so I'll save that for another post. For now, I have a lot of reading to do.