March Madness

And you thought March Madness was a basketball tournament--not for me! March, while in years past was a month of seemingly nothingness has turned into one of the busiest months of my life...

Where to begin....I started the month with spring break and a trip to visit one of my very best friends and favorite people--Misty Rose! It was an amazingly, refreshing trip with many moments of sheer bliss. The week flew by much quicker than I wished it had.

Andrea & Misty on the Flint River

My return home was filled with writing papers, reading Great Expectations and Billy Budd, Sailor, writing more papers, and somewhere in there, studying and taking mid-terms (let's not forget the work that piled up on my desk at the office while I was away for a week : - } ).

This past weekend was another busy weekend. I served as a chaperone for the youth group at our winter youth retreat - Blizzard. It was an amazing weekend--it always is. And like most years, I left feeling encouraged, strengthened, and blessed to have the chance to be a part of something so cool.

The speaker this year mentioned the verse that says without a vision the people perish and how God gives us small glimpses of that vision, but we never get to see the whole picture because we would not be able to comprehend the things He has prepared for us. Then, today at church, we were privileged to have missionaries from Tijuana, Mexico share with us. I was so touched by their story....basically they had believed God had called them to full-time missions, but it took 10 years for them to see that vision come to fruition. They also mentioned the same verse about vision that our speaker at Blizzard talked about, with many of the same ideas.

This weekend I was once again reminded that God keeps His promises. If He has given you a dream, it will come to pass--in His time. This was a message that I felt like God has been speaking to me for some time, and it was confirmed this weekend in every way. I am so grateful, and thankful that I know I can trust God...He knows my heart's desire, and I know that I am where I need to be until that day comes when I can see my vision (and your vision) fulfilled.

American Idol Recap

I realize that my last post was rather lengthy... I'll try to keep this brief! :)

So, American Idol. I confess. It is my guilty pleasure. Although, I don't know why I have to say it's a guilty pleasure. I am not ashamed that I like a show that offers people with talent a chance to make something of themselves. I think it's pretty cool.

So, at first I was kind of annoyed with the change in format this year. It seemed unfair that people basically got one shot in front of America to impress them; however, after tonight's results, I can say that I am proud of the American public. In my humble opinion, the three most deserving people made it through tonight.

****SPOILER ALERT***** Read no further if you have yet to watch the results show.

The first three of the top twelve:

1.) Alexis Grace - for sure, the only deserving girl of the night.

2.) Michael Sarver - maybe not his best performance, but this guy has heart!

3.) And my current favorite contestant, Danny Gokey. Gotta love this guy's voice and his story...

Not quite sure how this wild card thing is going to go, but if I had to pick from the remaining contestants of this group of twelve, my vote goes for Ricky Braddy - great voice - nailed his song.

Congrats, and may all of the top twelve be as deserving as these three.

Valentine's Day Revisited

So, I have a dear friend, who will at times, find a letter that she wrote to me months ago, and will still send it even though the news might be old...and I love it! That's how I feel about this post. However, it is only about a week old, but I wanted to post it anyway...

I have had some memorable Valentine's Day moments, not by choice, but what do you do. It has been an up and down day in my life, but here are some thoughts and memories:

Looking back on my life, I remember being about 15 or 16. It was Valentine's Day morning, and I heard a knock on the door. It was a flower delivery man with a beautiful bouquet of flowers-I can't remember exactly what they looked like, but I do remember thinking, "How cool. A secret admirer!" Obviously, I had been reading too many chick lit books! You can imagine how an uncool, shy kid like myself would be pretty stoked about the idea. However, that dream was quickly shot down when the flower man said, "Are you Jessy?" That was when I realized that the flowers were not for me, but for my gorgeous, blond, blue-eyed best friend (at the time)/neighbor. "Of course," I thought to myself...it all made sense!

After that Valentine's Day, I normally spent the day in depression with Pride & Prejudice playing on a loop, non-stop.... okay, maybe it wasn't that bad, but you get the picture.

A few years of that went by, when I felt like God really spoke to me about Valentine's Day. He reminded me that it was a day He made... I'm supposed to rejoice and be glad in it regardless if I got flowers or if I spent the day alone watching Pride & Prejudice. What mattered then, and what still matters, is our love for Him and His love for us. We have a daily choice to make, will we love Him? Will we rejoice no matter our circumstances?

After that epoch/epiphany, I made a choice to enjoy my Valentine's Day regardless of how I spend it....

Last year after my epiphany, my embarrassment level reached an all-time high when the men's music fraternity at Muskingum came to our office to sing for the President. Much to my chagrin, she was not there, but I was. The guys then asked if they could sing for me instead. What could I say? As all six of them proceeded to get down on their knees, hand me a rose, and basically see me turn multiple shades of red, I would have to say that was one of the most memorable Valentine's Day experiences I have ever had. Thankfully, this year the President was in the office!!

This year was probably the best V-Day I have had in awhile...one of my friends has been down in the dumps lately...so we went to the movies, saw a chick-flick, laughed our heads off, enjoyed delicious food at the Forum, and found some great clothes on sale!!! Granted, I have done similar things with other friends on Valentine's Day, but what made this day special was the chance to participate in something that Pastor Burt just talked to us about on Sunday--fellowship. In Ecclesiastes, we are reminded to rejoice with those who are rejoicing and to mourn with those who are mourning, and I think that is all a part of fellowship. I was able to share in my dear friend's sadness, and hopefully, was able to help her turn her mourning into rejoicing--at least for the day.

Here's to another Valentine's Day--may they live long and be as prosperous as the one we just shared.

P.S.

Your mom wasn't kidding when she said, "Don't eat yellow snow!" I now have proof.............

Winter Wonderland

This week I was given a very special gift, a free day off of work and school. We were iced in (literally). I woke up to the sounds of "Muskingum College closed." I spent the day doing homework, playing games, and picking the ice off of my car... : ) In between, I managed to take some pictures.... enojoy!

Past My Bedtime

It is officially 11:18 p.m. on a Friday night--way past my bedtime. I just finished watching No Reservations, a Christmas present from my folks, while I waited for my Microsoft updates to download on glorious dial-up...there are days when I really wished that I lived in a place that was a part of modern civilization, but if you want a view, there are some things you have to give up I suppose.

So, this is the first time I have blogged using my semi-new laptop. I am enjoying the ability to be half asleep, typing away, with Ray LaMontagne serenading me in the background. I love this laptop! Speaking of which, I am including some photos of my dad having fun with the web cam.

Aren't those classic? I love them!

So, not much new to report on the New Year's resolutions. With classes starting this past week, I have become consumed with reading, writing, and trying to remember all of Moll Flander's husbands for our quiz on Wednesday. Seriously, that woman had some issues. Defoe always has such colorful characters in his works.

This semester I am taking 19th Century American Literature and History of the British Novel. I love both of my professors and the topics for that matter. It should be a good semester if I can keep my head above water with the readings and papers. Well, this is a random post... I think I will end with one of my favorite things...

Thankful today for:
1.) The soulful voice of Ray LaMontagne
2.) The computer guys at work who saved my computer this morning from a malicious virus
3.) Glorious snow
4.) Sitting by the fire with a cup of tea
5.) For the sacrifice of Jesus who healed with sick, raised the dead, and loved the unlovable. I have never healed a sick person, raised a dead person, or been very successful at loving the unlovable, yet He died instead of me. The mystery of the gospel--the beauty of His grace.

Cookies

Today, just a week after starting this diet, I was forced to stare at my favorite cookies for the entire afternoon at work. Talk about self-control! Yes, I refrained from eating any, which I thought was a small miracle in my life : ) I have handed the cookies over to someone much skinnier than I, and I feel better about my day.

Things are going pretty well. At the one week mark, I have lost a total of six pounds. Granted, I think I had put about five of those pounds on the day before the diet started, but still, it's progress. I have been eating very small portions every two hours. Here is my typical schedule:

7:30 a.m. 1/4 c. of cashews on the way to work
9:30 a.m. Fat free, plain (no sugar) yogurt with some kind of fruit
11:30 a.m. 2 slices of cheese and 2 slices of lunch meat or a lean cuisine
1:30 p.m. Some sort of veggie - plain. Today I had several baby carrots
3:30 p.m. Whatever I can find at home that's easy to lug to work, an apple, more nuts, etc.
5:30 p.m. Dinner, which is usually salad, veggies, and a small portion of meat or a bowl of soup
7:30 p.m. A cup of tea with 1 tsp. of honey and a spot of cream

I drink a ton of water throughout the day. As for the exercise, I must confess that I just don't have time. I am going to try and squeeze it in, but for now, I am pretty happy for just sticking to this diet. I think if I can shed some weight, working out will be my next step... I just need to make it through this semester and then I can hit the pool in the summer!

That is my update for now. Youth group tonight and tons of reading to do. This semester is going to consist of 12 novels to read (big ones), 10 papers (some small, some huge), 2 midterms, and 2 finals, in-class participation (yay, not!), and a plethora of other fun facts. I can't believe that in 2 classes, this much work is possible. Some how, I will make it through. I told Dr. Williamson today that my goal for the semester was to survive. I'll see how it goes.