so i moved my little blog on over to wordpress.
http://carrieincollege.wordpress.com/
same name. new layout. new features.
go there. check it. enjoy. :)
5.13.2011
5.06.2011
the next chapter.
There's only one word that can sum this week up...
DONE!
You read that right! I'm officially done with school as of 6:45 on Wednesday night and today was my last day at work here in Birmingham. My junior year in college is officially... over.
As strange as it is to be almost done with college and know that in a year (or possibly six more months) i will be completely done with my undergraduate, off my parent's bill and completely on my own... I'm not as much of a worried-freaking out-nervous mess as I normally would be about something like this. At least for now that is.
See for the past few weeks, several people have said small remarks/comments that have been said around /to me not by the person, but by God, whether the person saying it knew it or not. You know those days when everything is falling apart and someone does the smallest favor or tells you that you look nice, and it makes your life? Well it's like that. Most of them have come up in conversation about school and my major, mostly from my mom and dad. But others have been out of the blue, random and from the most unlikely of people.
For example, a little old man I was volunteering with at a feeding center for tornado victims Monday morning began talking about being up at 5:30 in the morning and cooking lunch for tornado victims all for free. After joking about getting a raise, he told me...
"No matter what you do, you'll always work for the best boss,
Make the best salary in the world,
And have the best retirement plan anyone could wish for.
I'm not getting paid money right now, but I couldn't be any happier."
After choking back some tears of his comment and knowing the whole reason I was up that early in the morning, cooking not hundreds or thousand but hundreds of thousand of green beans, I felt more calm than I have in a very long time. Ever since I've truly accepted the whole idea of not worrying about my future and trusting that God has everything in control, life has fallen right into place, maybe not as I thought it would or hoped it would, but all as it needs to. All my exams went well, I was able to spend time with my friends before we all went home for the summer and the best of all... drum roll.....
I got an internship!
I applied with Dothan Magazine back in March and had not heard anything until about a week ago... in the middle of finals. So I waited until my mind was clear to call yesterday and after a short phone interview I was offered the internship... to which I responded absofreakinlutely!! (not really.) But we can imagine. It may not be Southern Living or Glamour or Newsweek, but it's experience and it's at home. Which is a plus, plus. I'm getting to write and learn everything about the magazine, so to sum it up... I'm pumped. Look for your local Dothan Magazine this summer and hopefully I'll have my first published piece in it! (fingers crossed.)
So that's that. School's done. Work at Jack N Jill is done (for now). And my summer is set.
All that's left is packing the small mountain of clothes that have accumulated in my closet into suitcases and heading south.
Next time I write it will definitely be from home, in my bed or the couch and most likely talking to my parents about extremely important matters (a.k.a. my mom's routine reality show round-up/ Days of our Lives) over some sort of delicious food that I haven't had in like a year.
ahhhhh. Get ready Dothan. I. cannot. wait.
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| this would be me. jumping for joy. :) |
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; your body, what you will wear... Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:25, 34
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
Phillipians 4:6-9
5.01.2011
i will hold on hope.
Recently I've been feeling extremely anxious. I'm so close to going home, being done with finals and having a whole summer of relaxation, that I've gotten ahead of myself and have been on a "I'll get this done without your help God, thanks though" streak. That is until around 5:45 pm on Wednesday April 27th.
For those of you who aren't from around Alabama who read this, or those of you who for some reason may not know, a huge storm came through northern AL and neighboring states last Wednesday leaving mass destruction, homes and material items destroyed, loved ones missing, a staggering death count and a constantly growing number of missing persons. This storm is reported to be one of the largest natural disasters in the United States in a very long time, possibly since the depression. Several communities were wiped off the map and numerous large cities are completely dilapidated. The pictures that have been taken are the same scene repeated over and over, and seeing them over the past few days has become numbing. But in every picture a family's history, home, finances and memories have been all taken away.
Thankfully, my family lives in the southern corner of Alabama so my parents and the majority of my family were safe from the storms, my brother Chris and I bunkered down underground at the nearby high school and my other brother got stuck working triage at the hospital. However, thousands of other people were not so lucky. Although I have been extremely blessed during this whole ordeal to not have a single friend or family member hurt, no structural damage and being one of the few people in Birmingham that didn't even lose power, it is still hard to understand how something like this could happen.
It's hard to grasp how so many people lost everything they own in a matter of seconds. It's difficult to think about never seeing a family member or friend ever again. Knowing someone you love is now gone forever or worse, could possibly still be missing. Realizing that the tornado that ripped through Tuscaloosa, was headed to Homewood, where I was, but then headed to downtown Birmingham where my friends and school were, missed us all completely and destroyed several towns within 5 minutes away is mind-boggling. It was hard a few years ago to watch a school packed with students and teachers, less than 30 minutes from my house get completely destroyed, but my school was unharmed, I was with my family in our home untouched. It's hard to understand why God lets certain events happen. I'm not questioning God or blaming him. But sometimes it's hard to see the whole picture of his plan when we are only given bite sized pictures of homes destroyed, wood and installation covering roads and buildings people were in demolished to a pile of bricks.
That was what I was thinking until I saw the video below and began reading in my Bible to find comfort. I turned to the middle of my Bible and began reading out of Psalm 39:
For those of you who aren't from around Alabama who read this, or those of you who for some reason may not know, a huge storm came through northern AL and neighboring states last Wednesday leaving mass destruction, homes and material items destroyed, loved ones missing, a staggering death count and a constantly growing number of missing persons. This storm is reported to be one of the largest natural disasters in the United States in a very long time, possibly since the depression. Several communities were wiped off the map and numerous large cities are completely dilapidated. The pictures that have been taken are the same scene repeated over and over, and seeing them over the past few days has become numbing. But in every picture a family's history, home, finances and memories have been all taken away.
Thankfully, my family lives in the southern corner of Alabama so my parents and the majority of my family were safe from the storms, my brother Chris and I bunkered down underground at the nearby high school and my other brother got stuck working triage at the hospital. However, thousands of other people were not so lucky. Although I have been extremely blessed during this whole ordeal to not have a single friend or family member hurt, no structural damage and being one of the few people in Birmingham that didn't even lose power, it is still hard to understand how something like this could happen.
It's hard to grasp how so many people lost everything they own in a matter of seconds. It's difficult to think about never seeing a family member or friend ever again. Knowing someone you love is now gone forever or worse, could possibly still be missing. Realizing that the tornado that ripped through Tuscaloosa, was headed to Homewood, where I was, but then headed to downtown Birmingham where my friends and school were, missed us all completely and destroyed several towns within 5 minutes away is mind-boggling. It was hard a few years ago to watch a school packed with students and teachers, less than 30 minutes from my house get completely destroyed, but my school was unharmed, I was with my family in our home untouched. It's hard to understand why God lets certain events happen. I'm not questioning God or blaming him. But sometimes it's hard to see the whole picture of his plan when we are only given bite sized pictures of homes destroyed, wood and installation covering roads and buildings people were in demolished to a pile of bricks.
That was what I was thinking until I saw the video below and began reading in my Bible to find comfort. I turned to the middle of my Bible and began reading out of Psalm 39:
4 “Show me, LORD, my life’s end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.
5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath,
even those who seem secure.
6 “Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom;
in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth
without knowing whose it will finally be.
7 “But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.
That was all I needed. Although it is hard to watch continuing coverage of lives and homes destroyed, we have to hope in God. For those who no longer have anything, hope and faith in God is something no storm or person or any type of destruction can take away.
So as the communities surrounding Birmingham and the rest of the state mourn and recover to eventually rebuild, pray. Pray for what you can donate, whether it is water, food, clothes or time. Pray for healing, pray that the victims can find a way to cope with their unexpected losses, and over all pray that God will be glorified, even in the biggest disaster. Pray that people will be wrapped in love and hope and will learn to live their lives not for possessions or material items, but for God. Just as the storm took away, God will provide.
4.23.2011
how great thou art.
O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed;
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
When through the woods and forest glades I wander
and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
and hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze;
And when I think that God his son not sparing,
Sent him to die - I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home- what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
"How Great Thou Art" translated by Stuart K. Hines
This, my friends, would be one of my favorite hymns. As a child of a music teacher that grew up in piano lessons and children's choir singing and playing hymns, they will always be my favorite of any kind of music.
As an art major I was taught to train my eye to recognize anything that is pleasing to the eye. I was taught to see shadows, light, shapes and form my own opinion of what was beautiful, inspiring, ugly or just outright amazing. I've been to museums, critiques, exhibitions and I've even had my own work judged. I've seen timeless masterpieces and modern art, sculptures, photographs, paintings, and drawings. I love art. I love everything about it.
But something I love more than art is nature. I love looking out my window and seeing trees and grass and I love hearing birds sing (just not at 2am, which they have been quite diligent about doing lately.) I love riding with the windows down, feeling the air and smelling the grass and honeysuckle. Recently I've enjoyed the beautiful weather and then the rain, wind and even the bad weather. Don't get me wrong, I love pretty weather, but my favorite day of the year is the last cool rainy day. Not the one where the humidity comes right after. The day when everything is still soaked and there's a tiny brisk breeze. And you have to be careful to catch it and realize it, because once it's gone, it's not coming back until fall. That's my favorite day.
The one thing I love most about nature though, is that it's all beautiful. There's no debating it. There's no critiquing it. There's no excuses and there's no reasons why or why not. It's beautiful because God spoke and it came into existence. Every bit of it. The stars and the mighty thunder, the birds and mountains and breeze, it all represents the power of God. It shows his beauty and love. Who else could make a rain cloud appear from a blue sky to create a storm and then follow up with a colorful rainbow? It's all in his handiwork, his majesty, his love for us.
But that's not all that represents his love. His love is represented better with a cross and nails. It's better realized by promises made and promises fulfilled. It's the kind of love that's better seen through a sinless man giving his life for billions of sinful people. It's seen in the faces of the people who found the empty grave. And it's the love that will be in the embrace of the Savior when one day we will fall on our knees and rejoice with him in heaven.
God's love is surrounding us all. It's in the nature. It's even in the talent God gave the artist to make the masterpiece. It's in relationships of families and friends. It's in the miracles of life, the expecting mother's baby, the premature newborn that is now a grown adult, the family persistently waiting for their adopted child. It's in the miracles of medicine. It's in the one's who give second chances. It's in the one's who gave the first chance.
It's in the one who gave his life. It's love.
The nails didn't keep him on the cross, love did.
Happy Easter and much love.
4.21.2011
coming to an end.
Today was officially my last day of my junior year in college.
As happy as I am to be done with classes, except for finals, and be so close to summertime, I'm also a little apprehensive about the future, if you can't tell from my rambling of nervousness and worrying about being so near graduating in such a bad job market. However, this year has been one of the most challenging years I've ever had as far as actually learning how to live on my own, take care of myself and care about my happiness as much as others.
I learned a lot about other people as much as I learned about myself. I've learned that there are people who think about themselves more than other people and consider a friendship as something in which other people can do things for them. And there are other people who are extremely loyal to being true friends, there are people who are there for you no matter what. They are there to help you out and cheer you up when you're having a bad day, and have fun with you when you're having a good day. I've learned to live with these people, look for the best in each of them and how to deal with their tough moments just like they have mine. These people have changed my life and helped me enjoy the best years of my life even more than I have before.
I've also learned more about my relationship with Christ this year. I came to a time in my life where I actually doubted God's plan for my life. I experienced high highs and low lows in my walk with God. I've learned that the only way I will be able to make it through the rest of my life is to rely and trust in what God has planned for me. I have learned that the Gospel of Christ is something that is my responsibility to spread and that sometimes the only way to communicate what God wants me to say to others is just to pray and let him speak through me. I'm learning that I have to stand up for my religion, something that is challenged everyday on UAB's campus. I've learned that my "religion" has become more of a relationship.
So as the end of my second to last year of college comes to an end, i can only say I'm extremely thankful for all the great experiences I've had, both bad and good. As unsure as I am about the future, I do know that I am much closer to knowing what I'm going to do once I graduate. This year has been one of the most fun, stressful and eventful years of my life and I can't wait to see what else God has in store in my future.
So to all the people who have made this year everything it has been, my parents, friends, coaches and teachers... thank you for everything. You are amazing and I love you all. :)
let's live for today.
When I think of all the worries people seem to find
And how they're in a hurry to complicate their mind
By chasing after money and dreams that can't come true
I'm glad that we are different, we've better things to do
May others plan their future, I'm busy lovin' you.
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today
And don't worry 'bout tomorrow, hey, hey, hey
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today
Live for today
We were never meant to worry the way that people do
And I don't need to hurry as long as I'm with you
We'll take it nice and easy and use my simple plan
You'll be my lovin' woman, I'll be your lovin' man
We'll take the most from living, have pleasure while we can.
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today
And don't worry 'bout tomorrow, hey, hey, hey
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, live for today
Live for today
Hey, hey, hey, Grass Roots, I think I love you.
sleep > wedding.
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So it's wedding season. And if you didn't know or if you live under a rock... there's a big wedding coming up! The Royal Wedding! I was pretty excited about this coming up and my friend Liz and I even discussed putting on a royal wedding viewing party... until we realized that the wedding is 11am uk time which is 4am-ish US time. So congrats Kate and William, but while you get hitched I'm gonna be catchin' some z's.
I did look up some royal wedding ideas before we found out about the time, and honestly it would be super fun and cute. But in the world of a college student during finals... sleep > wedding in another country.
Funny wedding party decor.
This is how HGTV gets their royal wedding on.
There would have to be some royal-ish hats present.
like this one. haha. just kidding!
If you haven't seen that rock. bling!!!
ps. I totally have a minuscule sized ring like this!
So for those of you planning your 4am viewing party! Enjoy! The only way I'll be there with you is if I'm still up cramming. ha. The joys of being in college. woohoo!
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