Hello to beaches and green grass

I was just a Hilton Head this past weekend for a student ethics conference. It was beautiful there. They have ordinances on the island which limit advertising and the height of road signs and such. It could be irritating when trying to find your way around; however, the world looked remarkably less cluttered because of it. It looked much more like the world and less like my junk drawer. Sometimes I think that the city, with all of the flashy signs and buildings looks a lot like a pretty woman with gaudy makeup- blue eye shadow and all. You can't see the beauty that was meant to be seen because it has been covered up by unnecessary things. Overall, it was a lovely weekend.

~Lindsay

Mid-Week Ramblings

It's cold. It's hot. It's crazy. I've been told that Fall is upon us and, if it weren't for the mountains of pumpkins I see, I might not believe it. Glorious mornings and nights, though.

I will lay this on the table-- I do not love Halloween, nor do I celebrate it. Frankly, I will be oh-so-thankful when it is over. This world is overcome by evil, but we must overcome evil with good (Ref: Romans 12:21). I will name one benefit: Day-after clearance candy. My hips may disagree with that benefit.

Does anyone else know what begins in a little over a month? ABC's 25 Days of Christmas. Oh, happy day. I don't have cable, but I shall plan on mooching from those who do.

Confession of a Failed Fan

Just recently I heard some news about an artist that I have respected, admired, and cherished for years. It devastated my heart. I know that all humans make mistakes, and my friends kept reassuring me that it was in the past and the people involved were probably over it-- or at least healing.
I seriously had to stop and ask myself: "Why are others able to accept this news so well while, at the same time, I feel like another beautiful page has been ripped out of my coloring book?" I just feel like so much in my world, my friends' world, and the world at large turn out to be the total opposite of what they seem. When I heard this news, I just felt like saying... "Really? Really? Can't one thing, one person stay untainted?"
Unfortunately,the answer is no. And sometimes we feel that, because we are all imperfect, we just need to accept it when we face things of this nature and shrug it off. But I disagree on this point.
Are we all fallen? Yes. (Romans 3:23). Should we expect everyone to fail now and then? Yes. To expect perfection from anyone is an unhealthy expectation. But a healthy trust in people is necessary. We are all capable of falling. But, even more so, by the grace of Christ, we are all also capable of being all that God has made us to be.
So, sometimes, I think it's good to feel the dagger of betrayal prick your heart when someone lets you down. Sin hurts. And it NEVER just hurts the one who sins.
So I am sad. And that's ok. However, I will choose not to wallow in my disappointment-- for there lies a great difference, indeed, between acknowledging the state of the world and rolling about in its wastelands. If I choose to stay in the pits of the world's regret, I will never douse myself in its fountains of redemption!
(Nicole)

Welcome, Weekend

Is anyone else as glad as I am that it's Friday? I am ready for this weekend. Among relaxing, I plan to clean my car and my purse (oy!). I plan to get a pumpkin latte. And, maybe buy a pumpkin in celebration of fall. I. love. this. time. of. year.

Happy Friday!

The Green with Envy Blues

Have you ever wanted something and someone else got it? I don't mean petty, material things (Although we have all had our share of covetry. Hello, Jennifer Aniston's wardrobe.). I mean, something that your heart wanted. What makes it worse is when the recipient of said desire is someone whose life already seems perfect. You think to yourself, "I have crazy hair and acne. Somebody cut me a break!". Here are a few truths:

1. No one's life is perfect. It may seem like it, but it's not. We tend to glorify in others, what we see as flaws in ourselves. If so-and-so is a size 4 and you struggle with your weight, you think, "Her life is perfect. She's skinny." or "She has great style. I forget to match."--while completely ignoring all other factors that go into making up a perfect life (Friends, none of us score a perfect 10).

2. Good things, at the wrong time, are still wrong for us. Example. Boyfriends can be great. Having a relationship is wonderful. But, starting a relationship when it's out of God's timing is still going to be wrong for you, regardless of how good you think it will be. We see life on a very small scale.

3. Let's face it. Our lives do not always play out the way we thought. Maybe you thought you would be out of school by now, married by now, have a different job by now. Frustrations in life do not always have to be curve-balls-- sometimes it is just God, redirecting our route. "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."* He loves to lead us in His path. He loves to make us more like Him.


(Kendra)



* Proverbs 16:9

Unfair-Weather, You are Not My Friend

            I would like to comment on the weather we are experiencing as of late. I find that in the morning I need a scarf and a coat, but, by the time afternoon catches up with me, I am searching for a tank top and a coke.

                What on earth causes this drastic change?? I know we go through this season of finicky weather every year, but I always seem to forget exactly how crazy it really is.

(Nicole)

Good Morning, Espresso.

I set my alarm for 6:40 (20 minutes early), because I had errands to run this morning. (Insert: snooze button). At 6:59, I rolled myself out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom to get ready. I ran to the bank, I sat in my car at the coffee shop and listened to talk radio, I stood at the counter and sipped my iced coffee down so my kind (oh, so kind) barista could fit the remaining espresso in my cup. And, I made it to work 9 minutes early. How? I have no idea. But, it happened.

Sometimes, we prematurely stress about things that are unnecessary.

Hi, I'm Kendra. I'm so glad that you are here and that we get to chat.

Hello, Fall Break

It is almost time for Fall Break. It's funny how getting two extra off from school creates such anticipation, both on my part and on the part of others. I've seen two meltdowns by students this week and heard of several others. Midterms, junior year, it's just how it all goes down I supose. It's funny thought, how seperate I've felt from most of the stress this semester in comparison to previous years. Altogether I feel very put together, despite the fact that I don't have my life decided or planned out. I'm finally alright with that. Strangely enough, I feel like I have much more room to explore because of it.

I supose that this is not the best introduction for anyone out there who happens to stumble across this blog. So, Hello, this is Lindsay and I'm very pleased to meet you.

I do not know what else to say quite now- I had a 7am meeting this morning and I am about to leave and sell totes to people in my school's Student Union for the next hour. Life is just running its usual course, and fairly soon I'll blink and the semester will be over entirely. The older I get- and i'm only 20- the faster it seems to go. It must be very strange to be elderly and looking at the rest of the world change so fast all around you I think. I am sure that many older people feel like time has given them whiplash with how fast it moves.... I have probably been reading too much Viginia Woolf for my own good as evidenced by my stream-of-conciousness writing this morning. So I think that I will say goodbye for now, and again, I am very pleased to meet you.

~Lindsay

Explanation

              Ok, there will be several different authors on this blog, namely Lindsay, Kendra, and myself. I hope that doesn't confuse too many people. We will each be writing about a variety of things on a weekly-ish basis. Please comment and post with us!! Don't just leave us talking to ourselves or the air around us, I do that enough already...
              This is a place for everyone to share a peice/peace of their minds, their opinions, frustrations, funny stories, pet peeves, interests, etc. Or -- if you need it on one of your crazy days-- just ramble until all the fuzziness in your head calms down or begins to clear up.
Alright.. start your writing folks! no seriously, start...

Nicole

Kick Off Your Shoes

                This is our space. I hereby give you permission to talk about all of those strange things that randomly enter your mind throughout the day. Or to share those peculiar things/people you see that make you think to yourself “am I on television”?
Be appro-pro though.

I hope you find this blog relaxing, like doodling in your notebook during class.