28 March 2012

Kody.

I need you guys to watch this. This guy, Kody, went to my high school. He was in band with me and I remember so vividly when he was diagnosed with brain cancer. He has definitely impacted my life in so many ways. He's impacted my desire to be involved in Relay for Life and Up Til Dawn (St. Jude's). He's incredible. Pray for his family.

March

You know how April is always that month that feels like a whirlwind of never-ending activities? Well, I think it's seeping into March.
I'm glad this is my senior year because for the past three years Spring semester has been chill, but this semester has been unrealistically busy. I may owe this incredible whirlwind partially to the fact that I decided to go on World Race, but maybe also just because I'm graduating.

Last weekend was Relay for Life which went quite well. It felt odd not blogging about it this year, but the week was so busy that I didn't get a chance. I didn't stay the whole night because I had a wedding to attend the next day around lunchtime and had to make sure I didn't look like a raccoon. I have the oddest tendency to get dark dark circles under my eyes with the slightest bit of sleep deprivation. I'm wondering if it's related to genes somehow, but my parents don't seem to have the same issue. And obviously I walk around with gray half-moon eyes most of the time since college is a four year stint of sleep deprivation that cannot be avoided.
Nonetheless, I cried a bit. That's Relay though. The luminary ceremony was incredible. It was great to hang out with old friends, new friends, and two of the greatest people ever - Donna & Ginny. I can't begin to tell you how influential they've been in my life and for the sake of not being overly nostalgic I'll spare you the details, but if you're ever at Berry or somehow involved with ACS in Atlanta, look them up.

This week has been filled with Craft Show preparations. Madison, Sarah, and several others have helped me craft up a storm in the 208/203 over the past month in prep for this weekend.  We've made headbands, crafted with shutters, stapled chicken wire to picture frames, created stamps from erasers, made some fab headband flowers, and so so much more. I'm desperate for your prayers and God's provision over Saturday. It's unreal how unprepared I feel, but I know that God's in control no matter what.

Next weekend is Easter. It's hard to believe that all of this is so close. April is upon us. I have tons of work to do over the next month in order to graduate. I'm not worried about my grades necessarily because I know that they'll be alright and my GPA will be fine. Most of all, after May 5 at 10am, none of it matters. I will have my degree and that's it. A professor told me yesterday that graduating from college is the oddest event in your life because your community, family, security, and purpose are ripped from you overnight. And it's true. On May 6, I will no longer have my Berry community in one place and we'll never all be in the same place again. I'm staying in Rome this summer to work at Pal's Coffee, which is terribly exciting by the way, but I've realized that everything will change. Madi and Sar won't be here (Madi will be in Nicaragua for crying out loud!), J will be married and moving to North Carolina (with Gus), and I'll be one of the only ones here. It's going to be an interesting experience to say the least. I'm up for the challenge.

Needless to say, in all of this insanity I've been stressed, frustrated, and on some sort of short fuse. I've also stopped journaling, which tends to happen when I'm more busy than I should be. I haven't stopped getting in the Word, but I have stopped being along unless it's late at night and I'm going to bed or early in the morning and I'm eating my cheerios. It's a crazy life. I'm definitely trying to handle it all and wrap my mind around the idea of NOT coming back to school after May 5, but embarking on the biggest adventure of my life in September.

God is still God and He is still good.


p.s. Happy birthday to baby Jude! My dear friend, Heather, gave birth to her first little one this morning and his life is miraculous. Our God creating life the way He does and allowing us to nurture and care for it is mind-numbing.  How has he not run out of uniqueness for our little selves yet? I'm blown away by how great (and by great I mean huge, thoughtful, intricate) our God is!