recent thoughts

Date: October 22, 2012
Time: 10:31 p.m.
What I'm listening to: The Fighter (Gym Class Heroes)
What's been going on: A heck of a lot!  This weekend was Fall Fun Day with Liturgy Committee; we went to a farm and did the petting zoo, a hay ride, and other fun fall-ish things.  Sunday I went into the city with a bunch of other people from school to see Mary Poppins!  It was really, really good; if it comes to your area, I highly recommend it!  And oh-by-the-way I also have 3 tests, a paper, and a project due within the next 6 days.

corn maze at Fall Fun day!!

Recent realization: Evelyn and I have a lack of  pictures of the two of us.  Which, considering that we've been rooming for a year and a half, is fairly pathetic.  So we've decided to remedy this situation by taking more pictures of ourselves!!

What's the weather: The beauty that can only occur in fall...the colors are gorgeous and the temperatures are heavenly.  Although this coming week, we're (supposedly) going from 70s one day to 30s and snowing the next.  Figures.  Typical Steubenville.

What I'm excited about: This book!  I saw it last spring on vacation while Stasia was home with me.... and I just bought it.  On Amazon, of course, because that's where all college students shop for everything!!!!  Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration.  Still.

What I'm reading: the Bible.  No, I'm not being tricky.  Or "holy".  I mean, hopefully I am being holy, but that's beside the point that I'm reading the Bible.  I have to journal my way through the Bible for my Biblical studies class.... so for Wendesday, I have to read and journal on every chapter of Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Judges (Joshua is "read-only").... it takes quite a while!!!!

What I'm passionate about this week: Verily Magazine!!!!  It's an awesome magazine for older teens and women.  They write on relationships, fashion, and other topics relatable to women living in today's world who want to be modest, respectable, and fashionable.

I've actually teamed up with Verily to get the word out... I ask you all to take a look at their website (you can find it here).  There's a complete teaser issue so you can get an idea of what it's like!  If you like what you see, you can order the magazine for $10 off the cover price with a special code (enter CAWOLF30 at checkout).  It's only $3 per issue (to put it in perspective, that's one Starbucks Frap per issue).  Check it out and let me know if you've got any questions!!

What's coming up this week: women's ministry meeting, lunch with Stephanie (from Crossroads), Liturgy Committee (as per usual), and hopefully looking at trains in Austria and Germany!

xoxo,

Saturday's Silly Saying

Amusing conversation of the week:

Stasia: "We could never take you and Evelyn camping."
Me: "I lived in an RV for the summer and didn't shower for a week; I think I could handle camping."
Evelyn: "We had a pet scorpion, I can handle camping!"

Stasia and I: "How on earth does that follow?!?!?"

xoxo,

Meet the Roommate: an Interview with Evelyn!

I mention Evelyn, my roommate, often on my blog, so I thought that maybe you might be interested in learning who this person that I live with is!

I've been rooming with Evelyn for 3 semesters (we're in the middle of the third..), and she is a lovely person to live with.  We knew each other from Church and youth group, but we didn't really know each other that well.  So it worked out perfectly!  I was soooo excited when I found out that she was coming to Franciscan =)

We did a little interview/questionnaire last night and laughed a lot while doing it.  And evelyn came up with some of the random/funny questions herself, so don't question my sanity ;)

(this is a picture of me wearing a "toga" made out of some old, shiny fabric.... and Evelyn looking scared. Don't ask why I was wearing a toga... it had something to do with a discussion about appropriate attire for a talk we were going to, and we considered wearing rabbit costumes with togas.  We decided against the costumes and went with skirts and blouses instead.)

Name: Evelyn

Nickname(s): Ev or Evie

Year: Sophomore

Age: 18 and 7 months

Major(s): Philosophy & Human Life Studies Minor (the love of wisdom and the love of babies)

What are your love languages? Physical touch and words of affirmation

What did you want to be when you were younger: The first thing I ever wanted to be was a ballerina.  That was when I was 4, 5, or 6.

What you’re planning on doing after graduation: Pro-life work!

Favorite Ice cream: Well, I like mint chocolate chip, I like chocolate chip cookie dough, (shoot, I want ice cream now!), and cherry is good too.

Favorite song: Oh, that’s a tough one!  It used to be “If I Die Young” by the Band Perry.  OH!  It’s “I loved Her First” (I listened to it like 10 times…)

Best and worst part about living in a dorm: Worst is that I have to do my own laundry… best is the chapel!

Favorite experience of college: Skydiving! just kidding...It might have been having lunch with Jayne and Maggie and you [Allison] the other day… No.  The save at clinic.  And having my mind blown in philosophy with Dr. Harold.  And dancing ‘till 4 in the morning at the Resurrection Party.

3 things you can’t live without: Besides food, air, and water...chocolate, fresh air (haha, we live in Steubenville!) and laughing :)

If you were stuck on a deserted island which one book, movie and person would you want to take along? A Collection of Shakespeare or Anne of Green Gables or Little Women, It’s a Wonderful Life, and probably my dad.

What was the last thing you ate?  Mozzarella cheese and organic raisins 

If you could be any fictional character, who would you be? Anne of Green Gables [Allison: me too! Evelyn: We have so much in common!  We should be friends!!]

If you were to perform in the circus, what would you do? I… I would probably want to be the bareback horseback rider, but I’d probably end up being the little fat clown.  Which would be fun too. [sidenote: Ev is NOT fat!]

So there you have it... a little view of the totally awesome 100% amazing super duper cool person who I live with!

xoxo,

Life, it just gets crazy

Sometimes, I look at my schedule, and I laugh.
Other times, I look at my schedule, and I cry (figuratively).
Most of the time, those two occurrences (^) are on the same day.

I'm now 3 weeks (and one day) into my sophomore year, and I can honestly say I'm busier than I ever have been before.  It's just that, when you add up 6 classes, Students for Life, Liturgy Committee, Austria meetings, homework, a holy hour, Mass, and oh-by-the-way eating and sleeping, there's only so much time left.  I'm actually quite sure that I'm forgetting something in that list.  Oh well... it'll come to me when I have to go do it.  Occasionally, it's nice to talk to friends, or just sit in the chapel, or read a book other than "Psychology of Human Development" or "A Survey of the Old Testament".

Speaking of classes, they are all going quite well.  (Did I ever give a rundown of classes?  Again, I can't remember...) I'm taking:

• Psychology- its interesting material... I'm hoping it gets a little more exciting as we get more into it, though.  First test on Friday!
• Theology of Christ- GAH I could sit in this class for hours on end.  Dr. Martin is a genius, and his insights are mind-blowing.  He's the one I've quoted on Saturdays, so he also has a great sense of humor :)
• Principles of Biblical Study (PBS)- I'm one of the few people in this class who's actually enjoying it.  I find anything and everything Biblical to be fascinating, especially since it's the Bible that convinced me to major in Theology in the first place.  OK, studying the Bible convinced me.  Nuance.  
• Youth Ministry- another one of those GAH classes.  We've been talking a lot about youth culture, and even though I'm still in/just out of "youth culture" myself, its great to learn about it from a more academic POV.  We're going over how to reach the youth, based on the environments that they're growing up in nowadays.  I feel so old saying that.  You get the gist.
• Environmental Science- it's just a filler course... Not my favorite, but definitely bearable!  and somewhat interesting.
• Graphic Design- difficult, but really, really good.  We're learning Photoshop, which I've never used before... our first project rough draft is due next week, so I'm scrambling a little to get that going.  I'm really excited about this class, too!

In other news...

• Our room now smells really nice, thanks to a care package from my amazing sister :D
• We can clean our floor now!!!! because the swiffer came in the mail.  Call me nutso, but I was uber excited about this silly swiffer.  Evelyn has never seen a swiffer before.  I don't know how she lived.
• My Crossroads family (aka Josh) decided that today was "post pictures of bacon on Allison's facebook wall" day.  (I can't stand bacon).  Some of my other friends have joined in.  It's painful/really amusing. :P
• iOS 6 is out today!  Yes, I'm a media major, can you tell?  Guess what I'm doing after classes today?  Yeah, upgrading my iPhone software.  It makes me happy!

Well, I've gotta run to youth ministry and learn more about how much our culture has gone downhill... as depressing as that sounds, it means that we can do something to change it!

Hope you're all enjoying this beautiful weather!
xoxo,

like birds upon the dawn arising

This last week has been a week of beauty.

Beauty comes from liturgy committee; those people who I am able to serve with, who all have our Lord as the center of their lives and love helping others worship Him in the Mass.

Beauty is seen in reading blogs.  Blogs that emanate God's love and joy.

Beauty is a multitude of conversations with friends: Robyn, who I've known since Kindergarten; Stasia, an amazing friend here at school; Evie, my ever-insightful roommate; Patrick, who I hadn't gotten to really have a discussion with in a long time; Josh, who's got amazing views of so many things; Mario, who is just fun to talk to and makes me smile.

Beauty is found in the women at Lord's Day, singing praise and worship and sharing their joys of the week with each other.

There is even beauty in swing dancing for 2 hours straight 'till you're sweating, and sloshing through rain that's so heavy that your umbrella does absolutely no good.

These are the weeks that I just have to laugh and think, God is just so present in our lives!

God is there in so many seemingly everyday activities- long late-night walks, dinners in the caf, classes, and homework readings.

I have been struck at the number of relevant articles and such that I've been seeing lately.  Relevant to my life, that is.  Things that I've been struggling with or questioning, I've just run across these things to read and have said "Ok, God, I get it.  I need to work on this.  Thanks."  And then I'll read it and 6 hours later (no, more like 2) he'll throw something else in front of me that I need to hear/read.  People say that God never interacts with us?  I challenge that.  I challenge it from the depths of my soul.

Go now.  Live out the beauty that's surrounding you.  Be aware of God's presence in the minute, seemingly insignificant moments of your life.  And share your joy with others.  For it is through others that we can truly know God's love.

xoxo,

Smoke and Mirrors

Ah, yes, I do believe I am the only person who would have set off the smoke alarm in the dorm whilst using a hair straightener.

How hawkward. **

Time: 10:15 am, Monday, August 27, 2012
Place: my dorm, my room
The Situation: a workman had just dropped by (at which point I was mid-way through straightening my hair) to show Ev and I how to adjust the temperature on the heater.  He left, I started the straightening process again, and 3 minutes later, we heard a piercing alarm.  Thinking it was a fire alarm, we bolted from our room, then realized, Hold Up, That's Coming From Our Room.  The workmen (now there were 2 of them) meandered down the stairs (apparently they weren't half as worried as we were) and then wandered into our room, thinking, wondering why it was going off, at which point I meekly informed them that I had been straightening my hair kinda-under the smoke detector (SIDE NOTE! I stood in this same place while using the same straightener for the last week, and no alarms went off).

Oh goodness.

So these two workmen (who were very nice) didn't know how to turn the alarm off, because it was a new model.  It took them a good 5 minutes, while I stood in the hallway with Evelyn and looked embarrassed.

Finally, the alarm was turned off, and we returned to our normal lives.
Well, as normal as a day can be after you set the smoke alarm off.

**Taken from my blogger/friend Renée at Sweet Unrest who in turn took it from her friend: "an adjective used to describe a situation so painfully awkward, you with that a hawk would swoop down and take you away."
xoxo,