Here's what's been going on in my life lately:
1) I've returned to school--like a month ago, but who's keeping track? Things at school are SUPER busy, but I like it that way. I'm taking a 3 education classes and a class on media psychology. I'm also being kept busy by all my extracurriculars. The volunteer action committee is up and running. I'm also one of the newest members of the Hendrix College cheer squad. Needless to say, big things are happening around here.

2) I'm starting my applications to grad school. This has had it's stressful moments, but at the same time I'm kind of excited to see what the future holds. I'm also excited to see what it holds for all my friends too. It's weird to think that in a year we will all be in totally different places.

3) I've also recently become addicted to pinterest. I don't know what took me so long to jump on that bandwagon, but I'm sure glad I did.

I will certainly think twice before wearing sandals in public for a little while.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44543191/ns/us_news-weird_news/

I'm a proud Texas girl...but this article makes me want to retract the proud part. What are they thinking?!
http://www.good.is/post/screwed-up-priorities-texas-to-layoff-100-000-teachers-while-giving-millions-to-formula-one-racing/

one of the many reasons i love kiddos...

Here is a picture of me.

And a lovely, sweet note.

lists

I was inspired by my dear friend Jillian to create a list of things I want to accomplish this summer. I too love making lists and getting life a little organized. I think summer is the perfect time to get some of these things done when life has much fewer distractions.

• Work on my love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with running. I've started the couch to 5k program and I'm hoping it will help me boost my confidence that is pretty low when it comes to anything remotely athletic.
• Continue reading for pleasure. I read about a book every few days and I love it! I rarely never get to read for fun when I'm at school, so I'm enjoying being able to do it at home.
• Cut back on sweets. This one is going to be super difficult for me. I read this magazine article about being addicted to sugar, which I most certainly qualify for. 
• Complete some crafts. Last summer I discovered my love for crafting, so hopefully I'll be able to do a couple more this summer.
• Write letters to my friends from school where ever they may be. 
• Do more hanging out with my friends from home! I get stuck in this rut of just hanging around my house and never thinking of something to do, when really I should be spending precious time with those I rarely get to see during the year.
• Start doing some sort of journaling/reading my bible. I've kind of been feeling in a bit of a spiritual rut lately, so hopefully I can do something to get myself back on track.
• Research grad school stuff and take the GRE. I have no idea when I got to be a senior having to think about these things! Part of me wishes I could just be a freshman again, but I know that life will continue to be an exciting adventure and I'm looking forward to seeing where that adventure takes me.

waiting for superman

I just watched Waiting for Superman, a movie about education in America. It goes in depth about the problems in our education system and follows 5 kids in their attempt to get in to charter schools, as opposed to the failing schools they are supposed attend. It's a very informative film about what I think is a problem that demands attention and change. I would highly recommend it!

thoughts on today

I'm finally finished my finals and am very ready to start the summer! I thought I'd share three good things about my day.

1. I had a meeting about my internship and we did Myers-Briggs Type Indicator tests. I always find this so interesting. I'm an ESFP. The one unfortunate thing is that psychologists don't really use the Myers-Briggs, but it's still interesting nonetheless.

2. As Mika and I were coming back from Sonic happy hour we saw 3 airplane wings being delivered. They were huge. I'm not really sure why I found this so fascinating, but I did. I think that I was just shocked by how huge airplane wings are when you are driving right next to them.

3. Last but not least, my wonderful daddy drover to Arkansas to help me move my furniture into storage. It was extremely helpful and puts me even more on my way to enjoying summer!

procrastination station

Ever since I've gotten back from spring break it's been hard to find the motivation to actually do my work. The weather is getting nicer and summer is so close. A short stop at procrastination station last night really gave me the reality check I needed. I'm ready to finish up this semester strong!

disappointed

I usually don't like to be a controversial person, but some recent events have just left me so disappointed I feel the need to write about it. Recently Hendrix has decided to offer gender neutral housing. This means that LGBTQ students are free to live with other students of the opposite sex if they choose, rather than in single-gendered housing. So, next year we have three pairs of students taking advantage of this housing option, one pair being brother and sister I might add.

A local news station picked up on this story. I watched the clip online and read some of the comments people left regarding the piece. One person in particular was appalled that an institution affiliated with the United Methodist Church would offer such an option. He even said that he "wants to go to heaven, therefore he is not Methodist". He condemns homosexuals and suggests that gay men have delinquent fathers, which makes them the way they are, as if it were a bad thing to be gay.

It's people like that that disappoint me. People that claim to be a Christian, but condemn everyone around them. People who pick and choose what they believe the bible to say. Jesus is all about reaching out to the marginalized. In John 8:7 Jesus says, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." In Luke 6:41 he says, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?". However, I think people are quick to forget verses like these.

I just wish people weren't so quick to judge or lash out at others, especially those that identify themselves as Christians. I'm not completely faultless here either. I think it's something we all need to constantly work on and make sure that if we claim to follow Christ we actually live our lives that way.

happy st. patrick's day!

In honor of St. Patrick's day, here is one of my favorite YouTube videos.

it's the most wonderful time of the year

Okay, so maybe not the most wonderful time of the year, but it is one of my favorite times. Choosing classes for next year! Only this time it's kind of bittersweet. It will be my last time to choose classes at Hendrix College. When did I get so old?

my internship

I decided to freshen up my blog since I haven't written in a while. Maybe it will inspire me.

For those of you who don't know I'm doing an internship in Little Rock with the Delta Garden Study. They're starting school gardens and incorporating the garden into the science curriculum in an effort to reduce childhood obesity. On Mondays I work in the garden which has been a fun experience for me. I've never done much gardening, but I'm really enjoying it. It's very relaxing. I also get to work with middle school kids, which I always find enjoyable. On Wednesdays I work in the research office, which has been good, but I now know that research is not the path for me.

Life has just been going non-stop recently, but spring break is only one week away!

a holla at my girl

This blog is dedicated to my roommate and best friend, Mika. We met my junior year of high school when I first moved to Tyler and although she claims that I was antisocial and we had nothing to talk about, I remember thinking that she was someone I instantly got along with. Anyway, the rest is history. Ever since I've gotten my iPhone I've creepily taken pictures of Mika doing a variety of things in our daily lives. She loves it. Here's to you Mika. Thanks for being such a great friend to me.

back to school

Classes have begun full speed ahead. I think my classes are going to be good ones this semester. I'm taking: cognitive psychology, intro to sociology, nutrition, and I have an internship. My internship is similar to the program I worked with this summer, only on a bigger scale. For my other classes I'm anticipating a lot of reading and writing. While I'm still in the mode of wanting to just hang out and not really do any work, I am excited to get started once again and begin a schedule. I've found my life is a lot more productive when I actually have something to do...otherwise, I would sit around and watch Bravo all day.

runnin', runnin' and runnin', runnin'

So, I've decided I want to become a runner. I'm really terrible and not at all consistent right now, but I've decided to use this semester to really build up my running ability. The funny thing about running is that although I can't go super fast or far at this point, I always still enjoy it afterward. The trouble is bringing myself to do it in the first place. I think I've hated running for so much of my life, that it's really hard for me to believe I enjoy it more now. Anyway, this blog post was actually more for me than anyone else. I'm hoping that going back to look at my own words might be an encouragement to me.