Last Day of 2010

Happy New Year, everyone!!! Wow, I can't believe 2010 is almost over. Hopefully 2011 will be fantastic.

I'm not big into New Year's Resolutions, but I do have one: Update this thing more often!!! ;) I seriously slacked for the past few months. Though updating it every day isn't great either. I mean, if the ONLY thing I did that day was laundry or cleaning my room, who wants to read about that??? I wouldn't, unless it was told like an epic adventure tale. And normally, I wouldn't have the energy to do that. So maybe finding a balance would be the right way to put it.

My excitement tonight was watching "The Fellowship of the Ring". Not as cool as worshipping God with 16,000 other people, but it was still fun nonetheless. I'm not sure yet how late to stay up. I always stay up to midnight, maybe I'll stay up until 2am??? Who knows.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Happy Thanksgiving 2010!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!! I hope you all had a good day with family and took time to reflect on the many blessings in your life!

Whoa, It's October

Yes, VERY belated, but so hard to believe that it is October. Time is flying so fast.

Today was fine. I had my Piano midterm, it was okay. Found out on Sunday that I got a 97% on my Precalculus exam! Woo hoo!!! I was happy about that. Fiction was all right. Need to get cracking on studying for that midterm.

Most of today was up and down, spent at school and contemplating major life decisions. No big deal.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

International Talk Like a Pirate Day 2010

Ahoy mateys! Today be International Talk Like a Pirate Day! All right.... That's the extent of my Pirate....

I'm not sure whether I'm feeling better or not. I'm a little less congested but my cold is starting to move from my nose down to my chest. Yuck! Time to break out the Mucinex. So happy I survived the weekend (somewhat), but dreading school. Dreading it. I'll have to find a way to make it somewhat enjoyable. But we'll see. Is the semester over yet?

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Updates on the Craziness of Life

I can't believe I'm one month into the Fall semester. Time is flying so fast!

So, here's my overall view on my classes:

Piano: Getting better. My teacher is still strict, but at least she seems a little nicer, and she told me that she appreciates that my willingness to succeed, which is good. This won't be as much of a breeze as Piano I was, but it's still fun so far.

Fiction: My least favorite class. My teacher is okay, not fantastic, but not terrible. The class itself isn't great, because it's so boring and most of the stories are so-so. So now I'm considering whether I still want to be an English major or not. I'm so confused. And I think my classmates are statues. Really. Nobody talks to anyone else. It's so frustrating. Most of my classmates are quiet (though not as quiet as me), but seriously, this is bad. Normally there's at least ONE person that I can talk to. Not here, at least, not yet. At least I should do well on the papers, as long as I work hard.

Music: Pretty good. Very interesting. My teacher is likable, he's good. He (like my English teacher) REALLY tries to get us to talk, but it's not a very hostile environment, so it's fine.

Precalculus: Both my favorite class and the class that's going to kill me. When I understand it, it's pretty fun and a good challenge. When I don't understand it, then it's frustrating and confusing. Thankfully, my teacher is stellar and has been great at helping me out and answering my many, many, many, many, many questions. Opinions on students are all right, one person who is nice, most of the classmates I don't talk to but seem slightly more sociable, a couple of guys who drive me nuts and one who ALWAYS comes late. I had an exam for this class on Thursday, though, so I'm not feeling too confident in my abilities right now! :-/

Work is going well still, so busy, though. Unfortunately, I am currently sick with a cold. Yesterday I felt TERRIBLE, it was not fun at ALL; my head felted stuffed, I couldn't breathe, my back ached, I had a mild fever-not good. But I'm feeling a *tiny* bit better now. However, I'm still "playing the snot trombone" a lot (that's a Dave Barry reference. Try to find his article "Waging Germ Warfare". So funny.)

I honestly think that's all in my life. I feel like there should be something else I should say.... Guess not!

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Fall 2010 Semester: Week 1

I can't believe that summer's over, I'm back at school and back in the swing of things. Summer has been pretty great. But the semester will hopefully be good, overall. Here's a long summary of each day back at school, with other stuff:

Monday, August 23: First day back. I get to school at 9am (ugh) even though my class doesn't start until 12. Why? Because at commuter schools, parking can be CRAZY, especially on the first week. When I got there, about half of the parking lots were full. Anyone coming in around 11am had almost no chance to get a space. I read and explored and played with my iPod touch because I didn't have classes yet (and therefore, didn't have homework). I got to see a LOT of people that I knew, which was great. Noon came and my Piano II class started! Out of 7 people besides me, I knew one person from my Piano I class. My teacher.... I don't know what to think of her. I guess she's nice and helpful at times, but she's also strict and expects you to remember every single detail from Piano I. And she randomly calls on people, which is bad for me. But I'm going to give her a chance. Part of my frustrations come from me being the only one who sucks.

After class, I drove to Panera to see a friend for one last time before he moves to Indy. After that I worked, training the new girl in Circ (she's great).

Tuesday, August 24: Wake up early because my class is early. My Music class is at 9:30am and it's pretty good. Teacher's nice enough, discussion is strongly encouraged/required, which will be tough, but it doesn't seem like a hostile environment. A few people are nice, though I don't know anyone.

I then review my notes, see more people that I know and then go to Precalculus at 1pm. Classmates: Most looked at me like I was nuts when I tried to be friendly, though one person was nice. Didn't know anyone. There were several people who kind of came off as show-offs, which made me feel stupid. Subject: REALLY hard. Teacher: Good as usual.

I leave school and go to work.

Wednesday, August 25: Go to school early again, only this time I bring homework, work on the problems in math and went to my professor's office. I have a feeling that I'm going to do that a LOT this semester. Had free pizza for lunch!!! Piano was okay, I'm pretty sure my teacher thinks I'm stupid, but hopefully once I practice more, I can change her mind. Stay later to study, then go to work. Why did I agree to work 29 hours this week?!

Thursday, August 26: I think Tuesdays and Thursdays will be my favorite days. Music was good and Precalc was great, quite entertaining. Most of the people seem a little more friendly now (though some are still show-offs) and the subject was actually quite doable. So maybe I'm not a lunatic for signing up for this class after all!

Tonight was NO WORK and we had Culver's for dinner. Things are good. :)

So, this should be a pretty good semester, hopefully I can stay on top of things!

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Long Time No Blog

I apologize in the terrible delay in blogging. Since I have returned from Africa, I have either been working, cleaning, getting together with friends, trying to process all that has happened and trying to fight off a strange bug that is thankfully gone now. When I have NOT done either of those things, however, I have been so unbelievably lazy (think Farmville and Café World) that I forget to blog. But now, I will update.

I start school in 4 days! Hard to believe. I'm actually looking forward to this semester. It should be good. I can't believe summer is almost over, it was a very good summer. Hopefully I can catch up on sleep before I go back!

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

I'M BACK!

I'm back to the USA. I've been back since Tuesday. I was TIRED Tuesday, and too lazy to update yesterday. I don't know how much I'll share later, but for now: Kenya was awesome. God is so good. I wish I was back there.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

1 MORE DAY!!!

Happy 4th everyone. HOLY CRAP. I'm leaving TOMORROW! Wow. It still doesn't feel real. It actually feels more surreal! I got hugged a TON at church and small group. But it was wonderful. At Bible study, we had hamburgers and hot dogs, and played a game where you had to stack 5 apples in less than a minute. I couldn't do it, but it was fun. WOW. I'M GOING TO KENYA. So weird.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Long Overdue Urbana Notes

Here's some belated, somewhat condensed Urbana notes. I just felt like finishing:

=================

Oscar Muriu

4 doors Jesus walked through

1. From pride to humility

2. From power to powelessness

3. From privilege to poverty

4. From harmony to brokeness

-Make yourself nothing

-Humility means keeping our mouths shut so the poor can speak

-Be dependent on the people we go to

-We don't don't know how to be quiet and listen, our hurry hurts the poor

Will you be that radical missionary?

Be courageous in our generation.

Take the beloved church of Christ to the next level. We need a new movement.

----

End of message

The Word according to Greg Lao: Time for the adrenaline rush to settle in.

9:49pm

Biblical Lament:

-is communication & interaction with God

-shows our reliance and dependence on God

-Demands humility and repentance before God

-stirs us to action and partnership with God

11:57pm. I'm back at the hotel. Man, that lament we did after the main session was intense and bizarre; so many people crying and sobbing, and I'm not normally like that. Bus driver on the way back was awesome. Anyway, thinking about stuff. Trying to go to bed. DON'T WANT TO FORGET THIS NIGHT!

Wednesday, December 30

8:56am We got to sleep in! So nice. Breakfast was good, I felt sick afterwards (felt great before), need to watch what I eat. IT'S SNOWING! :( Urbana and God are AWESOME! I can't believe tomorrow is the last fully day! No! I never want to leave! It's challenging at times, yes, but it's so amazing! God has worked in me at Urbana SO MUCH!

9:06am

Bible study notes

----

We need each other

Collaborative

-We need each other to see fully, deeply. In new ways; people, culture, see differently, bring different questions to the text.

-God speaks through the texts of Scripture and experience. We need to open the Bible

Psalm 19

Numbers 21:4-0

Jesus is not very good with small talk ; )

In the John passage, Nicodemus comes at night- "Those who do evil hate the light"

God gives new birth and we must choose to step into the light or stay in darkness.

11:26am At session: York Moore

-

God's light has invaded the world

Jesus alone stands at center of world

The gospel is our great portal into this world

In a light-invaded world, every tribe, tongue and nation will praise Jesus

----

12:43pm Finished lunch. It was a rustic italian vegetarian sandwich... with ham ; ) I've got communion practice at 1:15pm

3:51pm Communion practice went well. Some kinks to work out, but it's good. People were nice (at this conference, in general, everyone is so nice. Yay!). Called my family. I better fill out my Decision Card. I hope my blood sugar doesn't get too low.

4:17pm I am incredibly selfish sometimes, ya know that? Probably yes. Um... What was I going to write about? Um.... Maybe writing to stop trafficking? I don't know. I hope and pray that Kenya works out. I'll be praying.

6:25pm Our solidarity meal was good, met some people from Orange County, CA and New Orleans, so cool. Our meal was not too bad-beans and a tortilla. We each only get one tiny cup of water (approximately 2 ounces of water)-that's where it hits the most. But that's the point, to remember those who don't have access to clean drinking water and those who would consider this meal an extravagance (where we Americans would consider it a simple meal). While we talked, I looked at the line of people who were throwing their stuff away, and I spotted one of my friends from church. I told Carol I'd be back, I threw my stuff away, and my friend saw me! We only talked for 30 seconds TOPS, but it was still nice. I'm pretty happy that I got to see him! Well, better wrap it up, we're going to the session now.

7:41pm

-------------

Talk: Denise-Margaret Thompson

The Earth is not ours, but God's, and since we love God, we must love what is God's.

God's promised redemption is for both human and non-human

Trinidad has a 100 year history of being an oil and gas country.

-These climate/global problems most affect the poorest people

1 Chronicles 12:32

Jeremiah 13:16

We have to trust in God's leading

Though His voice may not IMMEDIATELY be apparent, it will happen.

We need joyful obedience.

The world God loves is not just people, but all of creation.

Romans 8:26

------

End of talk

-----------

Next message: Sundar Krishnan

"So much of our prayers are simply repeats of what God already knows."

God has given us the privilege to partner with him through prayer.

When we pray, things happen.

*Pray big and bold*

If we pray this way, are we guaranteed results? Prayer is not about getting answers. Circumstances might not be changed, but you will be utterly transformed.

Pray big, pray bold, history belongs to intercessors.

----------------

End of talk

Announcements from Greg Jao:

Worship is not just 30 mins of singing, but a lifetime of living for Him

Priority is God's call.

We fulfill commitments not by doing without falling, but turning to the cross.

9:51pm [After main session, in our nightly "track" meetings]

Sang "Everlasting God" by Chris Tomlin

God has entered into our world.

Christ has made God's glory visible.

The glory of God was being rebuilt through Jesus.

12:02am I feel like a... glutton, almost, for drinking water! Yeah, I'll try not to forget this moment ever. Um.... I cannot believe that this conference-this life changing experience where God spoke so much-is almost over. I have had such an amazing time! I don't want to forget this. I'm scared that the fire will die our, I don't want to forget ANYTHING! Especially my decision/commitment. Oh yeah-I made a commitment! I'm committing to serve on a short term mission trip for a week or two. Preferably this year, and hopefully Kenya, but I will pray. Oh, I will.

Thursday, December 31

8:13am Waiting for Ashley and Carol to come out of the Secret Location [that's our name for an out-of-the-way hallway with a bathroom. We try to use it because this bathroom has no lines, which is a miracle for a huge conference. And no, I'm not telling you where it is, it's a SECRET!] Breakfast wasn't bad (yogurt, eggs, muffin and orange juice). I actually enjoy long bus rides (when we're not getting lost), they help me daydream and think. I do NOT want to go back home. I hope Communion tonight goes well. Oh, of course it will. Besides, it's not about me, it's about Him.

8:27am Getting ready for Bible study. These have really been challenging. They have been stretching me so much.

8:34am Can't believe it's the LAST day of 2009! Crazy.

--------

Random Notes from Bible study:

If we encounter Jesus in the Scriptures and make room in our hearts for His word to take root, we will not leave our study unchanged.

We want to be hospitable to the Word of God (Mark 4:20)

[Note: We talked about the Woman at the Well, John 4, I think]

Jesus had to go to Samaria because the Father willed Him there.

She [the Samaritan woman] put a toe into the light, Jesus turns on the switch.

To avoid "Samaria" is tragic-we could miss out on a place rich in salvation, history and on collaborating with Jesus.

How would Jesus' model help you reach out to those with whom you are not at ease?

God is ruthless, he will make us like his son.

10:39am So hungry, need to eat. People are singing "Happy Birthday" somewhere, and I don't know who it's for.

11:00am "Hosanna in the highest!"

--Antoine Rutayisire----

[Note: He is from Rwanda]

Lord, here I am, use me" (What he would pray whenever things got difficult)

Antoine grew up hating the Hutus (he was Tutsi)-he lost his job because he was Tutsi

He couldn't accept praying to his enemies.

He had a long list of people he hated-but God says, "There is no cause for hatred".

Rwanda Genocide in 1994-Antoine survived, but God said he must keep forgiving the Hutus and telling them that He loves them and to share the Gospel.

When you're wounded, remember the Cross of Jesus and Christ praying "Lord, forgive them."

---End of testimony-

--Talk: Ramez Atallah--

The calling is to obedience, not success.

Are you captivated by Jesus? Will you be on fire for Jesus?

In the story of Jesus in Samaria, Jesus saw a ripe harvest, his disciples thought that the Samaritans were rowdy strangers. Opportunity, problem-What do you see?

No longer the Savior of the Jews, but Savior of the World.

---End of talk highlights----

12:14pm Stats for decision cards:

2,292 people recommitted/committed to Christ

5,000 people committed to serve cross-culturally

2,610 people committed to serve in long term missions

4:03pm Just finished with a seminar "The Church in Latin America". It was interesting, I already knew most of the info, but it was still good. Getting ready for LAST track meeting!

6:47pm. Dinner was good (despite having a leaky water bottle). We counted down to midnight (because it was midnight in London)! It's 2010 there! As we walked into dinner, the Imperial March played.... It was kind of funny. After dinner, I saw my friend from church. We talked, got a picture together and went on our separate ways at the conference. It was fun. This is so weird that it'll be 2010 here.

7:54pm Cool dance, awesome worship.

8:03pm Alec Hill talk highlights: God's call after college

Vision will blur and the fire will die if we put missions aside until "after college".

Lord is less concerned about promises you make this week than he is about the promises you make right now.

Be missional on campus.

Let's go to those that are not like us, venture outside our comfort zones.

Don't defer being a missional Christian for after college. You never know who will be impacted by the gospel.

--------

--Talk highlights by Brenda Salter McNeil----

Do we really mean that we have "a river of life flowing in us"?

The Samaritan woman gets a bad rap in Scripture. She grew up in a context that discriminated her. Samaritans were considered half-breeds and women were considered property; their only purpose was to have children (this is why, in the Bible, many barren women grieved).

She was not a bad person, she was a thirsty person.

You never know when Jesus is gonna show up.

If we want to be credible witnesses, we HAVE to go through Samaria.

Nobody's fine, we're all in need of being fixed up.

We have got to go out with the power of God.

-----

9:58pm We had a 17 minute break. All the lines for the ladies room were LONG. I dashed upstairs, ran to the Secret place, ran back and made it with four minutes to spare. NICE. Praying Communion serving will be smooth.

11:27pm We came so we could go! So I guess I should be happy. Communion was wonderful, serving was good.

Focus on what God did when people ask about Urbana.

11:40pm 20 more minutes.

2:14am Happy New Year! Bus got lost. God is amazing. Walking detours are weird. So tired.

January 1, 2010

12:41pm We're off! Check out was at 12pm, so we got 7-8 blissful hours of sleep. I was happy. So glad I got to know Madeleine. We're in Hamal IL, Heading toward Lebanon (IL).

12:49pm We think that once we stop for gas, we'll stop for linner, dinch or dunch (lunch and dinner combined).

1:35pm Listening to Urbana worship CD.

Found out that Illinois is only #3 for most corrupt state! North Dakota is #1.

3:08pm We got gas and Subway for dunch. Was good. Hope my blood sugars doesn't get too low.

We're in McLean IL, where I see two interesting signs: "Won't save No Bunny" and "Guns Save Lives.com"

4:35pm Apparently it's 9 degrees F outside! Brrr.

4:52pm Apparently there's an article called "Afterlife of Trash".

5pm I'm kind of quiet. But God's still good.

5:30pm We're home!

----------------

END OF URBANA NOTES

Yeah, that took a long time.

2 MORE DAYS!!!

Um. I'm leaving in two days. So surreal. I'm basically packed! I need to pack last minute stuff, but I'm basically packed! So excited. Not much else besides packing, just watching "Emperor's New Groove" with the family. I haven't seen that in a long time. Some parts are pretty funny, some are pretty cheesy/bad. Overall it's fine.

Two. Freaking. Days.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

3 MORE DAYS UNTIL KENYA!!!

Um. Wow. Weird. I can't believe it. It's slowly starting to sink in. It's so overwhelming right now. But it's exciting. And it's going to happen. So strange. The first half of the team left today. I'm praying for them. I don't have must else to say. Except HOLY CRAP! I have no idea what God will have in store for me.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

FOUR DAYS UNTIL KENYA!!!

I leave in four days. And the packing never ends. Or the clean-up. Just when I think it's done.... BAM. It continues. Hopefully I'll finish soon.

Excitement has come into play, but so has some nerves. All normal, of course.

Whoa. FOUR DAYS.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

FIVE DAYS UNTIL KENYA!!!

Wow, hard to believe. It's getting closer. The packing adventures continue! Today I also went to school. Voluntarily. That's kind of weird. I wanted to say hi to a couple of my favorite teachers, so it was nice to see them. I looked around to see if any other of my former teachers were around, but I didn't see them. Silly summer session and the limited office hours that teachers get during it. Is it weird that typically, I'm more comfortable around my teachers than I am around my classmates? Probably. But I actually don't care, because most of my teachers are cool (I've probably mentioned the ones who aren't.... Ew). And many of my classmates can be just... I don't know, immature, sometimes. But, I'm thankfully that I've met a few people that are reasonably mature and are decent "friends". I say "friends" only because I've never really seen them outside of school. But they're still nice. I saw one of those friends today, it was cool.

Well, I should probably go to bed soon (yes, this is early-depressing). I have a lot to do tomorrow.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

SIX DAYS UNTIL KENYA!!!

I can't believe it's coming up so soon! I managed to get pretty much everything I need for this trip today. Now I just need to pack it all. This will be interesting. Not much else today, except for Potbelly's and work. And more laziness.

6 MORE DAYS!

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

ONE WEEK UNTIL KENYA!!!

WOW. This is so crazy!!! I can't believe it's coming up so soon. My room is still kind of a mess. Need to get cracking on packing. I am so tired right now, thanks to work and an almost three hour Kenya meeting. But it's all good and the weather is good and I'M LEAVING FOR KENYA IN ONE WEEK!!! 7 DAYS!!!

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

One Very Long-But Fun-Sunday

Here is how my day went, in a "daily report" sort of fashion.

5:50am. I woke up. If you can call it that.

7:30am. I somehow managed to eat, shower and get dressed by this time, so I leave for church.

8am. Church, with the Kenya team getting commissioned. For those unfamiliar with that term, it's basically where we get onstage, the pastor tells the congregation about our trip, then prays for our trip. Good times.

9:30am. Had a prayer brunch. Very good time, and it was nice to pray for our trip.

10:45am After the brunch, some of us discussed subjects such as how to pack a baby lion into a suitcase, how to sneak a 19 year old onto an airplane and whether to pack a guitar or a ukulele. Trust me, very important stuff to discuss. ; )

11am. Church again. Got commissioned in the contemporary service, then went to get commissioned again in the traditional service. We got commissioned like crazy. Oh, and as we were walking, some of us considered sneaking up and coming out of the baptismal tub.... But that's another story.

11:50-ish. Grabbed some Go Roma.

12:25 Arrived at work. Worked a crazy shift.

5pm Drove home from work.

6-ish. Had dinner.

8-ish. Watched Lost with Dad.

Overall, a very busy day. I'm tired (and I have to get up early tomorrow! Ugh), but it was a fun day. 8 MORE DAYS!!!

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

9 days, 9 days, 9 days!!!

9 DAYS UNTIL I LEAVE!!! Weird. So weird. So surreal. Am I really going to Kenya? Well, I've got something else to look forward to. My friend Carolyn sent me an ADORABLE video about Kenya that you can hopefully view here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbYtASAakAI&playnext_from=TL&videos=YqZWVpJCfY0

I didn't know tigers were in Kenya. ; ) And now I want a free snorkel.

For most of this week, I have slept until 9am at the earliest. Since I am not a morning person, this is a good thing. Tomorrow, though, I must get up at 5:45am.... Ugh. Not fun.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

One Year Car Anniversary!

So, today, it has been exactly ONE YEAR since I got my car! One year later, I still love it. Hard to believe that it's been a year. This means it's also the one year anniversary of Michael Jackson's death (as well as Farrah Fawcett's death).

Also.... I leave in 10 DAYS. Tomorrow we're going single digits. This is getting unreal.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

A Day With No Storms

Today was sunny, hot and humid. YAY!!! I was happy that we didn't have storms. I was getting sick of rain. Let's see.... Went on my epic shopping trip to try to find stuff for Kenya. Found most of the things I needed, but shopping is still NOT my favorite activity. Got a haircut as well. My hair is 5 inches shorter than it used to be. Very few people notice the difference so far, but I think it's a huge difference. It looks good, but feels weird! At least all the split ends are gone. I was lethargic all day, not fun. That's it. Also, my room as entered the disaster zone. Because I'm starting to pack!!! 11 DAYS!!! Yes, I'm getting too excited.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Moe's Story: The Tornado Warning

So, today started out nice, got some stuff done. I went to meet a friend for lunch, which was nice. The place we went to was called Moe's, it's a Mexican place, quite tasty. Has some good variety of salsas. Saw "Toy Story 3" with the fam. Very good, but very sad at parts. I actually cried at the end, and I NEVER cry during movies. I might get emotional, but cry-normally never. It was a very bittersweet ending. Later, there was a tornado warning, not fun. I thought I was going to miss my Kenya meeting tonight, but I didn't. It was good. And I'm hoping the storms will pass. I'm so sick of storms!!!

But, 12 MORE DAYS!!!

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Glass Half Empty

Ever have one of those days where no matter what, you just see the glass as half empty and not half full? Where nothing major happens, you just feel down? When it feels like the world is out to get you? Where little things bug you and you can't seem to shake your funk? I had one of those days. I don't know what triggered this. After all, I slept in, so it's not sleep deprivation. I just don't know. All I know is that, for some reason, my mind isn't thinking, "I'll be in Kenya in 14 days!!!". It's thinking, "I won't be independent for 14 months." Kind of ridiculous. Hopefully things will be better tomorrow.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

TWO WEEKS

Two weeks until I leave. WOW. Um.... WOW. Hard to believe.

The system at work is up again! Hallelujah!!! Of course, work was so crazy busy, but at least the system is working!!! I was happy.

Watched "The Blind Side" with my fam. It was good.

That's all for now, I need to stop writing when I'm so dang tired.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Father's Day 2010

Happy Father's Day, all! I had a pretty nice day with my dad. I got him a book called "I'll Mature When I'm Dead" by Dave Barry. I've already read most of it, it's hysterical. After dinner, we watched a few episodes of Lost. So, I think he had a good day.

Tomorrow is work. Dreading it. Dreading it. Maybe I should call in sick. No, I won't. I'm incapable of doing that.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Worst Work Day Ever

I thought today would be terrible, obnoxious and a nightmare, but I hoped that we'd get somewhat close to being back to normal by the end of the day. I was so wrong. The system STILL wasn't up, and it was down ALL DAY. We got sick of saying "I'm sorry, we can't do that, our system is down"; it was so pointless for us to be open! We couldn't do anything but a few tasks! And apparently, the system will be down until the middle of the week. Once it gets back up, we have a lot of catching up to do-checking in at least 8 carts of items, trying to process holds from several days ago, attempting to keep up with our current load-this will definitely, without of a doubt, be a NIGHTMARE. I remember the days when I'd rather be at work than school. Not anymore. Taking a math test would be more pleasant than this. Heck, I'd rather sit through an ASTRONOMY lecture than work when the system is down. Let me tell you: That's bad. When the system is down, everything is ruined until it is up. AUGH!!!

Well, enough, griping, I have some stuff to do.... Presents to wrap....

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Chick-fil-A and Storms

Due to the fact that I was super tired, I didn't write yesterday. So yesterday, we went to Chick-fil-A in Wisconsin, very good. Helped out with a garage sale to help with the missions trip. Helped out again today. Worked a nightmare shift at work (system was down) and a massive storm hit. Then it let off but all traffic lights were out. Now it's back again, and I'm praying that a tree doesn't fall on my car! Watching "Shutter Island", it's good so far.

I cannot express enough words about how much I am NOT looking forward to work tomorrow.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

CPK x 2!

Today, the Kenya team at California Pizza Kitchen! Anyone who handed in a flyer on that day had 20% of sales go toward the trip. I went once with my family (and saw the entire church staff pile in-it was pretty funny) and then another time with the young adults group. It was excellent both times. For lunch I had the California Club Pizza and for dinner I had the Italian Deli sandwich (on garlic cheese focaccia bread) with a caesar salad. So wonderfully good. I love restaurant fundraisers, a percentage goes to a good cause, the restaurant gets a lot of business, it's a good excuse to go out to eat-everyone wins. :)

19 days until I leave. Craziness.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

20 days....

I saw two of my best friends at Panera today. It was very nice. I worked today. That wasn't great. That's all. 20 days until Kenya. WOW.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

I See That You Have Made Three Spelling Mistakes

Those were apparently the last words of Thomas de Mahay, Marquis de Favras, as he was handed his official death sentence on his way to the guillotine during the French Revolution. I found it from a book called "Famous Last Words". Some are inspirational, some are funny, some are just plain weird. But it's a good book to check out.

Anyway, my apologies that the last few posts have been so boring. I've just been tired and had a lot on my mind (why am I still tired?! It's SUMMER!). On a different note, I leave for Kenya in EXACTLY THREE WEEKS!!! So cool.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Getting Closer....

I'm getting closer to when I leave for Kenya. Still so surreal. Today was good. I'm not sure what else to say. Tribe was good, we're going through the book "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan. It should be good, I know I have a tendency to forget about the Holy Spirit and how it works in my life. That's it.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

8 hours of work + Bad ankle = BAD

I must say, I have really mastered the fine art of hopping on one foot or limping in the past few days. The good news: My ankle is not really painful right now. The bad news: It's still not healed, it still feels a little swollen and weird. Now my left ankle is hurting from putting so much weight on it. And my neck hurts from stretching funny. I'm falling apart and I'm only in my twenties!!! At least my throat doesn't hurt, thank God. I don't know what I'd do if I got sick now.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Mild Improvement? Perhaps.

My ankle has now reached the "inconsistent" stage. Sometimes it'll be fine (a little tender, but fine), other times it'll hurt. Especially when I'm at work. How am I going to survive 8 hours tomorrow??? But, I saw my friend Mallory today, that made me happy. We went to Noodles, I love that place. I also watched "Akeelah and the Bee". It's very good. See it if you haven't already.

I should try to go to bed earlier today. I kind of have a "warning sore throat". I don't want to end up with a full blown sore throat, or worse, a cold!

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

My Extremely Exciting Day (Yeah Right)

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SARCASM

Today was so epic and exciting! Here's what I did:

-I did laundry!!!

-I hopped around on one foot to get where I needed to go around the house!!!

-I played Farmville until my brains rotted!!!

-I mindlessly surfed the Internet!!!

-I sat on my butt in my bed, putting enough ice on my ankle to make it snow in Phoenix and elevated my ankle so high that the rest of my body is stiff and sore!!!

All right, I'll stop with the sarcasm and crankiness for now. I am just so aggravated right now because of my ankle. I am also sad because I took my violin back. :'( It's so sad, but since I don't take lessons anymore, there's no point in renting it and wasting money. But since I'm too broke to buy my own violin, I am now violinless. :( It's so depressing.

I know, I'm being very whiny. If I lose a leg or become permanently crippled later in life, I am NOT going to be happy. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

On a more positive note: 25 DAYS UNTIL KENYA!!!

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

The Diary of a Cripple

Okay, so "cripple" is a little strong of a word. But I am so bored, impatient and frustrated right now. I know it's only been two days since I hurt my ankle, but it feels like two years. Good news: It doesn't hurt when I rest. Bad news: It hurts when I put weight on it. Since I don't have crutches or a cane or anything, this means that when I get up, I ALWAYS have to put weight on it or else hop on one foot. So annoying. I RICE my ankle, but it doesn't seem to do a dang bit of good. I'm so lazy. I want to run right now. Really far. Maybe I could run to California. Oh wait-I CAN'T. I'm unbelievably bored. I decided I'd make a TERRIBLE hospital patient.

I know I shouldn't be complaining about a stupid little twist, but oh well.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Dear Right Ankle, Please Stop Hurting. Sincerely, Ashley

My right ankle is still bugging me. When I woke up, I thought that it was feeling better.... I was wrong. Unfortunately, I had to work for 4 hours. I was on my feet all the time. And now my left knee hurts. I want to limp with both legs! Argh. So frustrating.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Back Home Again

Well, sorry I didn't update yesterday, Blogger was having issues. We made it home safely, and had Panera for dinner. That made me happy, because I was craving it all week (I don't know why). Crashed for most of the day.

Today: I worked 8:45-1pm. Bleeeech. At least I got paid-YAY! Then I walked with a friend at a nearby forest preserve. It was fun, especially since she's moving to Mexico in a week, so it was so nice to see her. However, my ankles hated me and my right ankle HURTS. I'm doing the whole RICE deal right now. Kenya meeting tonight went well, tiring as usual, though.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Door County: Day 4

Watched some Lost episodes with Dad. Went to a state park, which was kind of fun. Some parts were really pretty! I'm a coward for not being able to go up a tower, though. I have some nice pictures, though. Afterwards, we went mini-golfing, which was pretty fun. Dad made pizza, that was good. Not much else, just packing up and looking for my camera battery recharger. Can't believe I'm going home tomorrow, though. It was a nice vacation. But I'll be glad to be home. I hadn't realized how much of a hermit-I mean, introvert-I can be sometimes.

Well, better make sure that I didn't forget everything.

Also, here's a cute video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEjKk5Kt3rs&feature=channel

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Door County: Day 3

Went to Washington Island today. Can't say it's my favorite part of Door County. Half of the island was closed. And there was only one family friendly restaurant that was open. And it was raining. At least parts of it were pretty. Um.... Again, that's about it. Nice day, again, a little too relaxing.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Door County: Day 2

Today, we did a lot of walking. But the weather was nice. The gnats were terrible in Ephraim (at least they didn't bite!). Had pizza and gelato for lunch, so good. I got a T-shirt at one of the souvenir places and one of my brothers got a stuffed animal and another brother got two. Saw a seagull that had one leg, that was interesting. Found some really good cherry pie. That's all I can think of right now.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Door County: Day 1

I'm here in Door County, Wisconsin. So far, it's very nice. Pretty scenery. A little too relaxing right now (I am indeed an workaholic). I have discovered something, though: After 4 hours of driving to Wisconsin, I'm already tired. I'll probably die once I travel to Kenya. But it'll be good.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Holy Crap, it's JUNE?!

Yeah, it always feels so WEIRD when it's a new month. Time is flying so fast! It's so strange.

Anyway, most of today was spent cleaning, packing and working at night. How exciting (okay, not really). But tomorrow, I will be in Door County, Wisconsin! Should be pretty nice. Also, if I remember correctly, I will be leaving for Kenya in 34 days. SO COOL!

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Memorial Day 2010

Happy Memorial Day, everyone! I hope you all had a good day today.

My day was pretty relaxing. Cleaned a little, packed a little for Door County. Not much else. Oh, I saw a movie, "Up in the Air". Quite good, in my opinion. Though now it makes me want to join a frequent flier miles program or something.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Memorial Day is Tomorrow?!

Seriously, it does not feel like tomorrow should be Memorial Day. Weird. Anyway, I survived work and got a cool book: The Panera Bread Cookbook. I'm not much of a cook, but it'd be cool to try something sometime. And I'm still tired. And Tribe was good, saw a lot of people, which was nice, BUT it also felt weird and clique-y, so I felt left out. Sad. But maybe I'm just hypersensitive. Right now I'm just TIRED. So tired.

36 days!!!

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

8 hours down, 5 more to go.

So, this is one of those rare weekends where I'm working BOTH days this weekend. I worked all day today, which actually wasn't TOO bad (I actually managed to read a whole book.... Wow. True, it was a teen book, but still technically a "book"). Tomorrow will be tough, though, working again for 5 hours AND I have to get up super early.... Yuck. On the bright side, my arm isn't bugging me so much anymore. So now, if I can just get a GOOD night's sleep, I will be set! Maybe I should watch "The Cure for Insomnia".... But I don't think I could sit through an 86 hour long movie. On the other hand, I hear that the movie is basically some guy reading a 4,000 page book, so maybe it'll be so boring that my sleeping troubles will be gone! ; )

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

More Productive? Not Really....

I had hope to see a DVD today.... But the DVD was scratched, so I couldn't. Sad. So I mostly did Farmville. I've got a huge desire to go to two places: Cedar Point Amusement Park and Chick-fil-A. Both are great places (Chick-fil-A has great food). Speaking of places, I leave for Kenya in 38 days. So weird!!!

I didn't do much else, just browsed the Internet. But I guess I have a right to be lazy, I work all weekend.... Yuck.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Planting Raspberries

That is what my day consisted of: Planting raspberries on Farmville. Kind of fun. Also watched some funny videos. Here's directions to get to one (when I try to paste the link, it's bad, weird): Go to Youtube and search for "Simon's Cat 'Cat Man Do'". It is so cute and if you have a cat, you can relate to it.

Unfortunately, my stomach feels weird and I don't know why. If it's another side effect of that Hep B shot, I might scream. At least my arm is less swollen.

Also, it's one of my best friend's birthday. :)

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Good News: Mount Prospect is On the Map!

Mount Prospect is seriously Nowheresville, IL (mom grew up there, I've been there several times), and now it is on the map. Why? Because Lee Dewyze is the Americal Idol winner!!! And since he comes from Mt. Prospect, this small town is now pretty famous. Kind of cool. I'm happy Lee won (though Crystal Bowersox is great too). The amount of commercials for the program, though, were RIDICULOUS. Also, the length of the "Simon Cowell Tribute". Yes, he's been the infamous judge since day one; yes, it's sad that he's leaving; yes, there should be a tribute of some kind; but come on: Does it really need to take up half of the episode?!?! Well, it felt like half to me. We could do less Simon and more Lee and Crystal! That would have been cool! Oh well.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Panera=Happiness

I was very fatigued today, so annoying. But it didn't matter too much, because I saw a friend today at Panera (I hadn't seen this person for a while, so it was nice to catch up). And I seriously don't get sick of Panera. When I know I'm going to be meeting a lot of friends at Panera, I think, "Oh, I am going to get SO sick of that place!". But I don't. :)

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Season 3 of Lost=What the Heck?!

That's what my afternoon (and part of my evening) was. Watching Season 3 of Lost. And the finale of that season.... Wow. It's so weird. And it's sad, one of my favorite characters died. :( That's about it. Not as tired as yesterday. Arm still swollen from that shot.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

I Shouldn't Have Said That I Was Tired

I really regret saying that I was tired these past few days. Because that's not tired. What I'm feeling now is tiredness, exhaustion, even. I woke up at 9:41am, leaving me only 20 mins to shower and eat before church. It wasn't fun. And my tiredness didn't go away. I kept trying to nap, but it didn't work. Bible study was good, waffle night is amazing. And what was constantly on my mind? Lost.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Work.... Weather.... LOST

Work was actually pretty good for a Saturday. Not too bad. The weather got nice and hot toward the end of the day. Dinner was good, lunch was good. Watched the Pilot of Lost on ABC and got SPOILED three times. So irritating. Well, even though I won't be watching the Finale tomorrow (I'm Tivo-ing it and watching it later), I'm still PUMPED!!! 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42.... 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42.... 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42.... 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42.... 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42.... 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42.... 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42.... 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42.... 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42.... 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42....

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Smoothie Fun

I'm tired. Again. Why this time? Well, it was a long day. But it was fun at the end.

First, work. Work was work. Let's just leave it there. Then I drove to a fundraiser for the Kenya trip. It was POURING, as in, I could barely see the stripes on the road. But I made it, thank God. And the smoothie joint where we had the fundraiser had very good food, hope to come back another time. It was nice to see people that I know and I think the fundraiser was a success (don't know yet how much we raised). Then we hung out at a friend's house. And I'm ready to collapse.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Patience Is Not My Strong Point

I know I'm jumping the gun, I know it won't be for 15 more months, but I'm so excited about hopefully being a Trinity student. I want to be there now. Occasionally, it is a little weird to think that I would only be there 3 months from now and not 15 months from now.... But I'm determined to make my last year at CLC be a fantastic year. And I'll just have to save money and collect info until then. I really hate to say this in case plans change, but I really think that I'm supposed to be at Trinity. I want to be there now! Argh, I hate being impatient. And I understand that there's no logic or proper organization in these thoughts. Sorry.

Arm update: Only sore once in a while, and it itches.

46 days until Kenya!

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

How to be Absurdly Tired Despite Being On Break

Step 1. Stay up until Midnight. For extra drowsiness, get a Hepatitis B shot and forget to take Advil. If you're a side sleeper, then the soreness will ensure that you don't sleep very well.

Step 2. Wake up at 7:30am-ish

Step 3. Go to Lake Geneva and walk around a lot (make sure to be in the sun, too).

Step 4. Go to a mission trip meeting at night.

Thankfully, despite the fact that I am tired, it is a good kind of tired. I had fun at Lake Geneva (the weather was PERFECT) and the meeting was good. I found out our layover is in Amsterdam! So I'll be in Europe for a few hours, at least. Yep, I'd rather have this kind of tired than school related tired.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Mission Trips are Good.... Shots are Not

Yeah, I had to get Round 2 of my Hepatitis B shot. I must say, that one hurts. Most shots I can feel, but they barely hurt; the Hep B hurts. However, I would must rather have the shot than contract Hepatitis B and I'd MUST rather get the shot and go to Kenya than not get the shot and not go to Kenya. I guess it's all how you look at things.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

One of the Most Unproductive Days EVER

Strong statement, you say? Well:

10am I woke up. Yes, I woke up THAT LATE. Guess I've been more tired than I thought.

11am Showered.

12:30ish. After lunch, watched Lost for the next 5 hours or so.

7pm Watched another movie.

8:30ish Played Farmville and browsed Facebook.

I have got to find something else to do right now....

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

I Think My Creativity is On Vacation

I tried to come up with an amusing title, really, I did. But I failed. Ah well.

Church was good, had Bible study immediately afterwards. Pizza+Kosovo missionaries+people home from college=wonderfulness.

While eating pizza, I noticed one of my friends playing something on their iPod touch that looked suspiciously like Farm Town (not Farmville, Farm Town). But instead of plants, there were crosses in his crops (the kind of crosses that you see in cemeteries). When I inquired about this, he said that he was planting zombies. The application is called Zombie Farm. I don't know about you, but I DON'T think I'll be adding that any time soon.

Also, I'm very prematurely excited about most likely going to Trinity. Even though it isn't for another 15 months or so, I'm still a bit excited about what I'll get to do.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

System Goes Down=BAD, VERY BAD, RUN AWAY!!!

Okay, overdramatic. But I worked today and around 11:30ish the system stopped working. This is the system where books get checked out, checked in, stuff gets renewed... basically, if that system doesn't work, it's BAD. It was only down for 2 1/2 hours, but it felt like it was down for an eternity! It was not fun....

Didn't do much else today, just Farmville and stuff.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

LOST afternoon

I slept late again. It felt nice. I spent the entire afternoon watching Lost. It's so confusing, but I love it. Weird, I sleep so much, yet I'm still tired. Guess I was more sleep deprived than I thought this semester.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Sleep Feels Nice

I slept pretty late (like a rock) and it felt so good. I amazingly slept through a thunderstorm, which caused a bit of flooding in our area (a house not far from ours practically has a lake in their yard that seeps onto the road). Work was fine. Still nothing new gradewise for algebra. What do I do with all this free time??? Well, thankfully, I got Seasons 3 and 4 of Lost, that should keep me happy.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Finals Week, Spring 2010: Day 3 and the Last Day!

Ladies and gentlemen, I am done with finals for the semester!!! Feels so weird....

There's this line from the song "What Faith Can Do" by Kutless, that I LOVE (though it's hard to remember sometimes): "It doesn't matter what you've heard, impossible is not a word, it's just a reason for someone not to try." It seemed oddly appropriate. Maybe because....

I GOT A 93% ON MY GEOMETRY FINAL!!! I GOT A B IN THE CLASS!!!

I had a C for almost the entire semester, but I really pulled it together after Spring break and my efforts paid off!!! YIPPEE!!!

Now, the rest of my finals. I got a 97% on my Piano final, that was good to know right away. I'm pretty sure I'll get an A in that class. I was scared for the algebra final, had a minor freak-out beforehand.... Parts of it seemed easier than I expected, but for the most part it beat me up.... Not fun. I can't believe I'm going to MISS that class. I cannot express enough words about how truly grateful I am to have had two wonderful algebra professors.

Well, now I have so much free time I don't know what to do! Also, Panera soup fixes everything.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Finals Week, Spring 2010: Day 2

I had no finals today, no tests to turn in. Best of all, I didn't have work. But that's going off topic. No, I was at school voluntarily, to study and go over a couple problems with my algebra professor. It took a very long time, and I don't know whether I'm going to kick butt on this exam or bomb it. I'm so overwhelmed and stressed. And my huge pink eraser is missing. Ahh!!! I have an extra, but it's just not the same.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Final Exams Week, Spring 2010: Day 1

Well, I am DONE WITH GEOMETRY CLASS!!! It was my least favorite class, so I'm happy to be done with it. The final... was easier than I expected, but I don't want to get my hopes up. Also, remember the algebra exam I kicked butt on? Well, I found out my exact score (if you remember, I only knew an approximate percentage): 96%. I'm freaking happy about this. Of course, despite this, I'm already nervous for the final. And for my piano final.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Happy Mother's Day 2010

Happy Mother's Day to any and all moms who are reading this now. You are very special!!! I am celebrating by.... Studying for finals. Yippee. :-/ I have to ace my finals, even though I probably won't. Well, bring it on.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Cold Weather=Bad

It was raining today. Normally rain isn't too bad, but it made the weather COLD. It seriously felt like winter! I want spring weather back, please!!! 50s for a few days here.... 90s in Arizona.... 70s in Kenya. I'm in the wrong location....

Also, finals suck. But at least I'm feeling slightly more prepared than I did before.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Rain is Falling Perpendicular to-No, wait-Tang-No-Ahh, I Give Up

Probably one of the strangest titles ever. Well, I am attempting to study for Geometry. Nowhere near at painful as studying for Astronomy, but still not enjoyable. It's been raining on and off, so that's why rain is included in the title. Not much else, finals are very burned into my brain.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

The Little Things In Life That Make Me Happy

Here are two of the little things in life that make me happy:

1. Panera Bread. I never seem to get sick of that place.

2. Finding out I totally rocked on an exam that I thought I failed.

I NEED to share the last one in more detail.

I was browsing Facebook and saw an FB chat window pop up. It was my algebra professor. Here's somewhat of how it went:

Prof: You should be VERY happy!

Me: Um... Why?

Prof: Exam 4=Awesome job!!!!!!!!!!

Me: No way.

Prof: I don't remember the exact grade, but it was between 94%-96%.

Me: WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? ARE YOU SERIOUS???

Prof: Yep!

Me: WOW. I am happily shocked.

Yeah, I GOT AN A ON MY ALGEBRA EXAM!!! And remember, this was an exam I thought I BOMBED. I never feel well after an exam, but this case was extreme. I thought I failed the exam. Instead, I am one of only two students who got As on that test. Wow. Definite miracle right there. Definite happiness right there. YAY!!!

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

"Happy" Cinco de Mayo 2010

Wow, Cinco de May es hoy. It wasn't that fabulous of a day, but oh well.

One nice thing: I'M DONE WITH CLASSES FOR THE SEMESTER! Kind of happy, though I will actually miss this semester a little. Not tests, though.

My algebra exam was TERRIBLE. Seriously, I didn't do well. I ran out of time for one problem. For this problem, I TOTALLY BLANKED. Even more than the others. I got through a couple steps, then I was stuck. I didn't know what to do. Some questions I'm not very confident with how I did or I'll forget at first, but then it'll come back to me (both cases applied for almost the entire exam), but this one I could not figure out what to do. At all. I just wrote down some random crap and hoped I could get just 1/10 of a point for partial credit. The only other time this situation has ever happened was on my Basic Algebra final with a word final. And in both cases it's so frustrating, because I remember that we went over it in class but I COULDN'T REMEMBER FOR THE TEST. Argh. I'm so disappointed. I studied for this test, I did all the homework, I worked hard, and it was all for nothing. I feel so bad.

Also, I had a disappointing brownie, so sad. A happy note was seeing an acquaintance at the library-he has my algebra teacher, but for Calc II, we know each other from when we've stopped by our prof's office for help. It's kind of funny, actually.

Another bad thing about the test: I must have tensed up too much or something because my muscles are sore. My right arm hurts too, weird. I'm falling apart! But I'm young!

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

May the Forth Be With You

Yeah, nice play on words. Today is apparently Star Wars Day, too.

Stressed for my Algebra exam. I am so unbelievably doomed, I can't do this. No matter what I do, I can't get it!

Also, people are taunting me with what happened on Lost. I really need to get caught up with the rest of the world. And consider Tivo-ing the series finale.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Prayers, Stress, and Mild Mathematical Meltdowns....

Well.... I've been praying quite a bit for a couple friends having surgery. I've been stressed to no end about the Exam on Wednesday. And all this plus Geometry projects are causing me to have a mild mathematical meltdown....

Short post, I know I had more interesting things, but this is it.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Happy Wizarding World Independence Day 2010!

All right, the following "holiday" is only celebrated by nerds. Harry Potter nerds. Like me.

*IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE SEVENTH HARRY POTTER BOOK, SKIP THE FOLLOWING SECTION*

May 2nd is the day that Harry defeated Voldemort in the seventh HP book. So nerds everywhere "celebrate" this day. I put a quote in my status: "Why spiders? Why couldn't it be 'Follow the butterflies'?!" There were so many, it was hard to pick.

The rest of the day was fine.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

May Day=Math Day.

It felt sooooo good to sleep in, but I was sooooooo lazy in the morning. Then, once the afternoon hit-BAM. I studied like crazy. Piano for 15 minutes, then Geometry for the rest of the afternoon and Algebra almost all night. Crazy. My brain is so fried. I'm not feeling good about this exam on Wednesday. Grrr.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Where the Heck Did April Go???

This can't be the last day of April! Insanity! This month has gone by so fast, and it wasn't even painful.... Normally April's a weird month for me, no clue why.

Made cards today at a friend's house, it was quite fun. It was HOT out today, in the high 70s and low 80s. I'm hot, sweaty and happy about this. :D What I'm not happy about is that I barely got any homework done, which means most of tomorrow will be spent doing homework. Saw "Sherlock Holmes" (finally), it was good.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Studying Saps My Creativity

Studying=Tiredness. Tiredness=Lack of Creativity. Therefore, by the Transitive Property, Studying=Lack of Creativity. My goodness, I'm losing my mind.

I went over to school to study. Wasn't bad, got a lot done for Geometry and some stuff done for Algebra. I also got an orange cream smoothie from the coffee cart on campus, I loved it. Weather was nice, it was hot at one point! I was sweating! Yippee! Yes, you can tell I hate winter.

Watched Lost, ate Culver's food, nada más.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

67 Days...

Okay, I shouldn't start the official countdown until AFTER finals, but I noticed that Kenya is only 67 DAYS AWAY!!! So weird. But in a good way!

Anyway, um, performance class went okay. Hopefully I'll be able to rock at the final. We'll see. Geometry was okay, we did our LAST PROOF!!! YAY! Well, until the final, that is. Algebra was fun, took our last homework quiz. I can't believe I'm actually going to miss that class. A MATH class. God can be very funny sometimes....

Had a Kenya meeting, that was good.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

1 Class Down, 3 More to Go....

So, essentially, I AM DONE WITH MY CREATIVE WRITING CLASS!!! I submitted my last assignment today. I have enjoyed that class (and it's actually a really good class for it to be online), but it's always nice to have something like that off my shoulders. Now the only thing that's marring my excitement a little is my apprehension for the performance class in Piano.

I practiced for an HOUR and it doesn't feel like it did any good. No matter how much I tell myself that I'll be fine.... I'm still nervous. I'll be playing SIMPLIFIED versions of "Linus and Lucy" and "Moonlight Sonata". I'm hoping that I don't rush and that when I make mistakes (cuz I will), I won't get too flustered.

The rest of the day was average, though quite productive. Got a ton of math homework done. Though there always seems to be at least one problem that gives me grief.

Well, that's all for now.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Happy Hug an Australian Day 2010

Yeah, where do they come up with these holidays??? So random.

Anyway, I had a decent day. It's weird, Mondays aren't great, but they're not as bad as Tuesdays. Ick. I don't know why Tuesdays feel terrible, they just are!

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

The "Perfect" Date

This only makes sense if you've seen the movie "Miss Congeniality". In a beauty pageant, the contestants are asked questions, and one of the contestants was asked: "What is your idea of a perfect date?" Her response: "I will have to say April 25, because it's not too hot, not too cold. All you need is a light jacket." So that was a funny tidbit for the day, but unfortunately, it was kind of chilly, dreary and rainy. So it wasn't the "perfect date". Guess that'll come another day....

But church was good, Bible study was good, eyes still bugged me. I'm not feeling good about my math homework, I am so confused right now. Not good. Not sure how I will make it through the next 48-72 hours. But at least it's not a major stress-fest like last semester....

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Major Exhaustion

Okay, I know, I'm sounding like a broken record. Always exhausted.... But tonight I'm REALLY exhausted. I woke up too early (why did I think that would be a good idea?), and worked a hectic shift from 9-5. I am so tired and I was a ZOMBIE earlier. Seriously, I actually took a 10 minute nap. Normally I am physically incapable of taking naps, so that says something. I felt a tiny bit better after the nap, but still tired and stressed.... At least Noodles is good.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Talk Like Shakespeare Day 2010

Good evening, good mistresses and sirrahs! The day in which one talketh like the good man Shakespeare hath occureth on this day. But it is of great misfortune to inform thee that I did not celebrate in the manner that I should have. I mostly participated in the noble sports known as "Work", "Farmville", "Sleeping in" and "Procrastinating". All of agreeable nature, but one can have too much pleasure in a life. Well, good night, I must go to bed. I am in a great state of exhaustion and twill overcome and grasp me if I allow it to. Adieu to all.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Earth Day 2010

Yeah, I didn't do anything to celebrate. Though I guess the Environmental Club at school had a fair of sorts.... I missed it, though.

Anyway, my morning/early afternoon was productively fantastic.... And my mid-afternoon was fairly productive, got some nice piano playing in.... And then late afternoon hit. This and my evening were unproductive to the extreme. Oh well.

I am soooo thankful right now that I get to sleep in....

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Randomly LOST

Well, today was okay, unfortunately chilly (well, actually, not too bad, just chilly in comparison to the other days we have had). Piano was fine, chords and inversions were a little trickier. Geometry was okay. Went to Algebra prof's office and unfortunately I hoped that I would only take up 20 mins tops of my teacher's time, but instead it took an hour. Hate when that happens. Also means I missed Shakespeare's birthday party in the Atrium. :( Oh well. Algebra class was good, a lot of funny quotes and moments. I don't think I did well on my homework quiz, though. And I'm not too sure about the Geometry homework I turned in either. So this week has not been a good mathematical week. BUT I finished Season 2 of Lost. Man, I love that show. The cliffhangers are INSANE, though.

Well, here's to my attempt to go to sleep before midnight.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Tuesdays=Mondays

Yeah, I just don't like Tuesdays. Because it means homework and work. Honestly, nothing else happened besides that. Yep, pretty boring day, hopefully tomorrow will be good.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

What Was My Title?!?!

Argh! I had an amazingly creative title for this post, really I did, and I can't remember it!!! Grrr.... Oh well, I've got better things to worry about.

Well.... Piano test went well, got a 96%. Geometry went decent. And Algebra was pretty good. My reputation as a math hater has OFFICIALLY crumbled. Because over break, I factored a ridiculous number. And I LIKED DOING IT. I'm going nuts! How did this come about? Well, you know how in math, the teacher will show you one method, and then a different method if it makes solving the problem easier? Well, that's what happened, if we went the "factor tree" route for 6th root √(35/32), we rationalize and get 1,174,405,120. Insanity. And I enjoyed doing factor trees for this? I'm still shocked. By the way, its simplified form is 16 6th root√70/32, which is reduced to 6th root√70/2. Sorry if that's gibberish for everyone.

Not much else, watched Lost. After EVERY episode they left an awful cliffhanger and it gets more interesting by the episode.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Being Rushed Stinks

So, I was rushed getting ready for church because my body wanted to sleep longer. I was rushed with homework because I had a limited time to do it. I was rushed with lunch, because I needed to go to work. I was rushed constantly at work because it was so busy, causing yet another headache. Thankfully, I wasn't rushed to Bible study. Good thing, cause it was good. My stomach is hurting a little, though, not good. It's probably just from not eating enough/eating something off, it happens a lot. I wish I could have my iron stomach back.... Oh well.

Slightly nervous about my piano test tomorrow.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

My Motivation is ≤ 0

Hopefully the "less than or equal to" sign shows up. It was SO HARD for me to be motivated to do anything at all. It didn't help that my stomach was hurting for a little while (and I don't know why). Thank God I'm better now. I think one of my friends phrases it well: Why does procrastination feel so good until the night before when you have stuff to do and all you want to do is sleep? Crazy. Don't worry, I did get some stuff done, I had just hoped and planned way more done, and that didn't happen. At least geometry homework's done. Also, finally saw "The Blind Side". It's VERY good. See it if you haven't yet.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Cheesecake is Good

So, Cheesecake Factory is pretty much awesome. Navajo sandwich and peanut butter cheesecake is amazing (of course, I wasn't able to finish it all there, I had to bring some home; yay for tasty leftovers!). Anyway, there's a random blurb for you.

Not much else, I'm so tired again. I'm starting to wish that I was a coffee drinker....

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Tax Day 2010

Thankfully, I did my taxes way early, so I had no worries. I do, however, feel totally exhausted. A wave of exhaustion just hit me. Weird.

Well, Thursday is my study day. And I saw a friend, yay! I got a lot done, from around 1pm or so, I didn't get enough done, I was just so tired. Then I worked tonight. That's it.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

National Be Kind to Lawyers Day 2010

I ran out of creativity for my title. So, what do I try to do when that happens? I find a random holiday. This one is quite bizarre. Yeah.

Today was a fairly good day at school. Piano was pretty good. Geometry wasn't bad, and when I got my test back, I found out that my proof was almost perfect!!! I am normally terrible at proofs. Algebra was good, there were some funny tidbits, but I honestly don't remember most of them. I'll have to write some down another day. Oh yeah, now I remember one: It was a REALLY nice day out, and some students thought that we should get out early. Our teacher said that instead we should stay in class longer. Then someone suggested that we have class outside. Our teacher said that if we can find sidewalk chalk, then that might be possible. No, no one has sidewalk chalk with them, but that would be funny if sidewalks were covered with formulas and stuff. Good times. Got some typing done. Dinner of spaghetti and garlic bread was delicious. Got through some of "Lost". Now some last minute stuff before bed.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Good, Exhausting Day

Things that I like: Doing well on exams, going to Red Robin, getting together with the Kenya team to get ready for our trip.

Things I don't like: Getting shots, being overloaded with homework, meetings going an hour longer than they were supposed to.

That's the "Cliff Notes" version of my day, but I'll elaborate on one thing. I GOT A B+ ON MY GEOMETRY EXAM!!! That gets my average from a C- to a C! Okay, so it's still not fantastic and I'm still going to work hard, etc, but at least *some* pressure is off (cuz it probably means I will pass the class, I thought for a minute that I may not pass). Man, this has been a great week mathematically. Now if only I can get cracking on that homework.... So much to do, so little time to do it.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Epic Win

Okay, first I'm posting two links which are neat. Well, this one is okay so far:

http://www.mathfail.com/

And this one is AWESOME:

http://funnyexam.com/

Anyway, today was nice. Geometry exam went okay. Now for the epic win: I GOT A 96% ON MY ALGEBRA EXAM!!! I was tied for the highest score!!! And I know who did tie with me: Earlier, me and this classmate (an older gentlemen, he's very cool) were talking about the exam and neither one of us thought we did fantastic on it. So it was really funny, when the prof was passing out exams, the classmate came up and asked how I did. I showed him mine, he showed me his and we high-fived when we realized that we got the exact same scores. It was funny. I was happy.

Not much else. Potbelly's sandwich for lunch was delicious.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Busy Sunday

So, I can't type too much, got stuff to do. But church was good, a volunteer thingy that I did was good, small group was good. I am not a fan of geometry and I am crazy. Good night.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Proofs, Headaches and Roman Holiday

Worked today. It was... quite hectic, though not as terrible as it could have been. I actually got some geometry studying in (tried to go through the theorems again and I did a couple proofs... I still stink at them, but at least I got more practice). But the shift was still bad. Why? Because my head was hurting. It ALWAYS hurts when I work, and today it's bad. It started aching in the afternoon; still hasn't stopped.

BUT on a positive note, I went to a friend's house!!! Had deep-dish sausage pizza (delicious) and watched Roman Holiday. It was good, made me want to go to Rome, though.

I am so tired, it's not even funny.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

I Don't Feel Like Being Creative

My energy is sapped, therefore I can't be as creative as I would like.

Anyway, went to the dentist to get a cavity filled. I have a horrible fear of needles and shots, especially if they are directed towards my mouth (I don't know why). So I mentioned that, if possible, I did not want Novocaine. Since my cavity was small, my dentist said that was fine, mentioning that I could always change my mind if I wanted. At first, it wasn't that bad, maybe felt a little weird, but definitely not terrible. Then towards the end of the drilling it started to hurt. I didn't ask for Novocaine, but I'm wondering if next time I should.... But it's done, though right now my tooth hurts a little. Oh well.

Speaking of hurting, my hamstring on my left leg has been hurting like CRAZY for no apparent reason. It only happens once in a while, but still.... Not fun. Guess my body is just falling apart.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Productivity and.... The Evil "S" Word

Well, woke up early and spent several hours at school. So worth it, though: I got two papers finished, practiced some construction for my geometry exam on Monday, went to my algebra prof's office for a little bit because word problems are evil. Well, something else is evil and happened briefly. It starts with an "S" and rhymes with "no". As in, "NO! It's April! It can't happen! STUPID CHICAGO WEATHER!!!" Okay, it wasn't that bad, but personally, snowing in April should be illegal. OOPS! I said the evil "s" word. *sigh* I don't like this weird weather.

The rest of my day was semi-unproductive, not looking forward to tomorrow.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Way too Much on My Mind

Man... Today's been tough. And it wasn't THAT hard.

First, my Algebra exam. I don't think I did great. I was uncertain about many of the problems, confidence was so shaky and I completely blanked on the last four problems. And I was the last one to turn my test in, which I ALWAYS feel bad about when that happens. I saw a friend later and he told me I need to believe in myself and just be confident going into it. Easier said than done. No way I can take even the liberal arts math if I can barely get through high school math.

Also, I just watched a really depressing episode of Lost. No one died, no one got wounded or captured or anything like that, but it had to do with two characters that I love and it almost made me cry. I'm telling you, this TV show gets you HOOKED. It's like Harry Potter, even though the characters are fictional, you find yourself caring so much about them. Sad.

As usual, I have a lot to do tomorrow. Now let's see whether I can actually do it all....

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

It Never Seems Like Enough

How is it that no matter how or how much I study for a test, it never seems like enough? Crazy. I have an algebra exam tomorrow and I'm dreading it. I feel like I can't do anything, it's awful. I know how to do almost everything, but once I take a test, a lot of it flies away, my confidence plummets and I feel like I let people down. It's times like these where I think I'm crazy for considering Precalc. Oh yeah.

I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I'm considering taking Precalculus in the fall, and Calculus I in the Spring. Why? Because I don't want to take the liberal arts oriented math class anymore, I'm not sure that I want to take Finite Math (the class you take after College Algebra), and I think I want to try going a more challenging route now that I'm getting a *little* better at math (though not spectacular. But then again, I'm not really spectacular at anything :-/). Plus, my current teacher is teaching Precalc and typically Calc I is taught by professors who are supposed to be (or are) really good. Main thing that's stopping me (besides occasional self-doubts): That people will think I'm crazy. Heck, I probably am crazy. My longtime reputation as a math hater (which may or may not be crumbling) has been well known among all my peers, relatives and acquaintances. I've struggled for so long and if I go on the road towards Calculus, the road will be long, time-consuming and difficult. But it would be worth it, right? I don't think many others would share my point of view, though. I'd probably get many odd comments about it....

Oh, what am I saying? I need to grow up and stop caring about what other people think. It's so bad. So petty. I just need to evaluate whether I truly want to take Precalc then Calc I or not.

But do you know what I REALLY need? To stop typing and get some final studying in before bed.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

"Happy" Back to School Day.... No Happiness There

Yeah, I am not happy to be back at school. I did well in Piano, though. Geometry was boring, as usual. Went to my algebra prof's office, and again, I took almost a whole hour in there. Algebra was not as good as it normally is, word problems and geometry.... ICK! And I'm soooo nervous about the test on Wednesday. Oh well.

Well, I need to do my best to finish my Geometry homework (I want to do it tonight so I can concentrate on Algebra tomorrow.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Happy Easter 2010

Happy Easter everyone! He is Risen.... He is Risen Indeed! Went to two church services today, both were nice. I have a couple songs stuck in my head that are rather appropriate for the Easter time. One is a fave of mine, listened to it while driving:

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! who took on flesh
Fulness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied -
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

And here's another, during the 11am service I was at, love it:

Everyone needs compassion
A love that's never failing
Let mercy fall on me

Everyone needs forgiveness
The kindness of a Savior
The hope of nations

Savior
He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever
Author of Salvation
He rose & conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as You find me
All my fears & failures
Fill my life again

I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender (I surrender)

Savior
He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever
Author of Salvation
He rose & conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

Shine Your light &
Let the whole world see
We're singing
For the glory
Of the risen King
Jesus

You're the Savior
You can move the mountains
Lord You are mighty to save
You are mighty to save
Forever
Author of Salvation
You rose & conquered the grave
Yes You conquered the grave

And another, at the service at my family's church:

God above all the world in motion, God above all my hopes and fears, Well I don't care what the world throws at me now, It's gonna be alright!  Hear the sounds of the generatorions, Making loud our freedom song, All in all that the world will know Your name, We're gonna be alright!  Cause I know my God saved the day, And I know His word never fails, And I know my God made a way for me, Salvation is here.  God above all the world in motion, God above all my hopes and fears, Well I don't care what the world throws at me now, It's gonna be alright!  Cause I know my God saved the day, And I know His word never fails, And I know my God made a way for me, It's gonna be alright!  Cause I know my God saved the day, And I know His word never fails, And I know my God made a way for me, Salvation is here.  Salvation is here, Salvation is here and it lives in me, Salvation is here, Salvation in God means to set me free, Salvation is here, Salvation is here and it lives in me, Salvation is here, Cause you are alive and you live in me! Salvation is here, Salvation is here and it lives in me, Salvation is here, Cause you are alive and you live in me!  Cause I know my God saved the day, And I know His word never fails, And I know my God made a way for me, It's gonna be alright!  Cause I know my God saved the day, And I know His word never fails, And I know my God made a way for me, Salvation is here.  

Anyway, thought you might be interested. Both services were good, nice way to remember that Jesus is risen. Even though I remember it from time-to-time, it's hard to dwell on most of the time (sad, I know).

The rest of the day went fine, watched "Cars" with the fam., did a little homework, did a LOT of Farmville (yay!), and chatted on the phone with a friend. Good day.

Well, my break is officially over. School is back tomorrow. Ugh, not sure if I'm ready. 

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Okay, Break's Over

Do you know that wonderful, relaxed feeling you have when you're on break? Whether it's a school break, or work break, or any kind of break at all? Well, that feeling has evaporated today. Now there's pressure to get all my homework done. Even though I have been fairly consistent, it still doesn't feel like enough. I took a "practice exam" for Algebra today and I am SO glad that it is Wednesday and not Monday. If it was Monday, I would be so screwed. Though I am getting better at my piano pieces.

Anyway, I had the first Kenya meeting today, and I am even more exciting about the trip. It's starting to feel more real. And I think the team is really cool.

Well, that's all for now.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Good Friday 2010

Wow, hard to believe it's Good Friday already. Went to the service at church, was a nice way to remember and reflect that Christ our Savior died for us.

Did a bit of homework, now I'm starting to feel less relaxed and more stressed. Grrrr....

It's actually HOT here; isn't it wonderful???

Kind of dreading tomorrow, I have a LOT to do and not sure when I'm going to do it all. I have the first Kenya meeting tomorrow. I'm having a little bit of excitement and nervousness (most of the team members fall under the "I've seen at church but never been formally introduced to" category, so there's some nervousness there with meeting people). But it should be good, just the first meeting for anything is always difficult, even if it is for something wonderful.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

April Fools with Fiddlers

Today was April Fools Day. Nothing exciting about that. Saw a friend for lunch, that was nice. Saw Fiddler on the Roof, that was very nice. I'm wiped, good night.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Lake Geneva

So, we went up to Lake Geneva. It was fun, and it was SO nice out. At one point, it was around 81 degrees today!!! I was happy. Work was okay, busy at first, then slow. Farmville is being obnoxiously slow, unfortunately, so I'm unhappy. I've got a lot to do tomorrow.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

I Love My Kitties.... But They Drive Me Nuts!

Yep, that sums it up. It starts with Cadet, who yesterday scratched the face of my brother that feeds her. No major injuries, but as punishment, Cadet did not sleep in his room. She was NOT happy. My affectionate nickname for this cat is Little Miss Whiner. Because she is a whiner. She meowed nonstop through the night (or at least until 1 am). And she's still being whiny today. Well, with Cody, a funny thing happened. I went to the fridge downstairs to get quiche for dinner, and as I open the freezer part, Cody jumps from the kitty condo into the freezer! Now I still don't know why she did that. But my affectionate nickname for her now is Freezer Cat.

Not much else, didn't watch Lost, only homework was a little algebra, and work was so-and-so.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Lazy Lost Days

Well, it has officially hit me that I am on break. I slept until 9:45pm today. Normally, that means I would have missed Piano and been drastically late to Geometry. But, I AM ON BREAK, so I didn't miss anything. :)

Unfortunately, being on break also means that I have ABSOLUTELY NO MOTIVATION to do ANY of my schoolwork. None. Zip. This is not good. My homework load over break isn't terrible, but it's significant, so I need to get cracking. I've got plenty of motivation to practice piano for a really long time, but everything else? Nope. I don't even have motivation to watch the entirety of "Henry V" or more than four episodes of "Lost". Now that's REALLY bad. Note to self: Relaxing is good, laziness isn't.

However, I am truly thankful that I get to sleep in.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Palm Sunday 2010

You know, it wasn't until little kids came down the aisles at church waving palms that I realized that it was Palm Sunday. Shows how clueless I am. :-/

But anyway, today was okay. A lot of life decisions planned out-I will definitely be at a community college for another year (and not transferring yet). Oddly enough, what bugs me most about this is what my friends will think. Real mature, I know. Guess my hypersensitivity is a problem. But unfortunately, way too many people know that I was planning to transfer in the fall and I almost feel like I'm letting them down. Plus, one irritating thing is that way too many people also try to, without meaning to, shove me into a "box of normalcy" (which is pointless, I'm never going to be normal). It seems like ALL of my friends are graduating in four years, which makes me feel like if I don't graduate in four years, then I am a freak. Argh. Why is our society so stupid??? Other than that, I'm somewhat okay about this. Though I'm NOT looking forward to going through the whole application process all over again. Grrrrr. But, Kenya will be worth it, I'm sure.

Other than all that, not much happened.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley

Who Knew a Cowbell Would Bring So Much Excitement?

My title has to do in Farmville. In Farmville, you can get collectibles, and if you get enough of certain collectibles, you can get collections (and trade those in for experience, coins and fuel). Well, a cowbell is one of the rarest collectibles in the game. It's a big deal to find one on your farm. And I managed to find one. It was really funny, the reactions of some of my dedicated FV neighbors; you would have thought they won the lottery or something! But, it was pretty cool.

Anyway, I worked.... 9-5. Another headache inducing shift, though not as much this time. Finally got to see "New Moon" DVD, it was... okay. Not great. Kristen Stewart has got to show more emotion than this.... And I personally think Robert Pattinson is better looking as Cedric Diggory.

I'M EXHAUSTED. And one of my bros is sick, so I'm back to major germaphobe mode.

From the Realm of Randomness,

Ashley