I should write...but I'm not sure what to write about.
I guess I'll just give you the boring update on my weekend because I'm not inspired to write about Mexico. I need to look at the pictures to get fired up again. :-)
Let's see...Friday night I went to a friend's senior piano recital. I'm glad I won't have to go through that torture! Although I do have an opportunity to play in public if I brush up one of my pieces. I can't decide if I want to do it or not. You have to audition, but it's not really that big of a deal to audition for it. I just don't want the extra stress, and I don't like the feeling that it might be showing off. We'll have to further examine my motives before I decide this question.
After the recital we rented three movies. Each of us girls got to pick one out. I only watched two of the three and I wasn't super impressed by either, so I'll spare you the review.
Saturday I spent five and a half hours at Starbucks studying for my geology and sociology tests I have to take today. I already took the geology one and didn't feel like it went very well. I guessed on more questions than I really feel comfortable guessing on. We'll see how the grade comes out. I hear Mr. McKeever grades on a curve.
Sunday I went up to Concrete for my uncle's birthday and then came home and didn't do much of anything for the evening. It was a good feeling! Audrey and Lydia and I spread blankets out in the sun and read and talked and played on the trampoline. I haven't been able to take as much time as I would like to just "hang" with them, and it was really good to do that.
I guess the most exciting thing I did was dinner at the Breakey's on Thursday, but you can read about that on Chris's blog. It was a tragic loss in poker and I was awful at Frisbee, but I had a good time.
So...I hope y'all had fun last weekend and, if you can, are planning on enjoying a beautiful evening at Bender Fields! See ya there!
Monday, April 25, 2005
Monday, April 18, 2005
Monday, Monday
OK people, so we're taking a brief break from Mexico because I don't have time for a long and informative post. I've officially decided that Monday mornings are NOT cool. In the words of Garfield, "I hate Mondays!" Actually, I don't truly hate them because Mondays are also softball games, which are superly fun and cool. But Mondays at school are miserable. I have this problem with doing homework on the weekends, and this weekend was no exception. Sleepovers, roadtrip, shopping excursions, movies, multiple trips to Starbucks, games, a track meet, cooking, going to restaurants....it was crazy insane. I had so much fun, but I only barely got the homework done that was due today and now I have large amounts to complete before tomorrow. *Sigh*
So....there's only something like nine weeks left of spring quarter. This is so hard to believe. I graduate in 60 days! I think I'm in shock because this just really hasn't sunk in yet. Then off to CYIA, then a summer packed with work and hopefully many last fun things with my friends, and then a roadtrip to Southern California where I move in at Master's on August 21! Wow...
So....there's only something like nine weeks left of spring quarter. This is so hard to believe. I graduate in 60 days! I think I'm in shock because this just really hasn't sunk in yet. Then off to CYIA, then a summer packed with work and hopefully many last fun things with my friends, and then a roadtrip to Southern California where I move in at Master's on August 21! Wow...
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Vueltas, Caballos, and Amigos
How big do you guys think my room is? I haven't measured it, but I feel like it's huge. The house we built was 11' x 22', or two 11' x 11' rooms. Two hundred forty-two square feet. I have the most awful feeling that the square footage of my room alone approaches that figure.
So the first day of actual work was really exciting. I was hyper that morning for many reasons (not the least of which was that I got to wear a really cool toolbelt). We sang as we drove to the worksite in the less-crowded conditions of the mini-bus as opposed to the van. The house we were building is in Triki, the Oaxacan village. The Oaxacans were brought up from southern Mexico basically as slave labor, and they only recently gained independence and moved to a hill near Vicente where they built Triki.
As we turned into the village, there were kids everywhere. I was waving out the window as some of them watched us drive past, and a little boy flipped us off! I was dumbfounded at such a welcome, but we saw him again and he was friendlier. The closer we got to our worksite, the more kids were surrounding the mini-bus on all sides. As we got out, we were basically mobbed by kids from every direction. My friend was holding a bag of embroidery floss for making bracelets, and a couple of them did their best to grab it from her. Many of them were calling, "Compra, compra", asking us to buy the bracelets and necklaces they dangled from coat hangers. John, ever our leader, told us not to buy or give out anything until the last day or else there would be so many people around that we wouldn't get any work done.
The building materials were there, but the guy who had the plans wasn't, so we decided to play with the kids in the dirt road while we waited. Dan, who is fluent in Spanish, went into the fenced-off yard to meet the family. For a minute I just stood there, overwhelmed to a point of paralysis. There were kids everywhere...kids that couldn't understand my native language and I was only beginning to understand theirs. I tried to recall even a single Spanish word, but I blanked. Finally another girl came up to me and asked me, "How do you say 'How old are you?'" Ah-ha! Here was something I knew....at one time. I raked my brains for a minute and finally came up with it, "¿Cuántos años tienes?"
Suddenly I came unfrozen. I began asking children around me their names, their ages, if they had siblings, what they liked to do. But the moment when they really decided they liked me was when I picked up a little boy who was pestering me and swung him around, laughing. Soon I was surrounded with clamors of "¡Vuelta!" and "¡Caballo!" I gave them helicopter rides and piggy back rides until I felt my arms would fall off. Finally I said I couldn't do any more because I was too tired. This was answered with a loud chorus of "¡Uno más!¡Uno más!"--"One more!" Finally I spotted Chad just standing nearby. "Go ask him," I told them, shooing them in his direction. They obeyed, and my back was never quite the same on the whole trip. However, I had made some new friends. :-)
So the first day of actual work was really exciting. I was hyper that morning for many reasons (not the least of which was that I got to wear a really cool toolbelt). We sang as we drove to the worksite in the less-crowded conditions of the mini-bus as opposed to the van. The house we were building is in Triki, the Oaxacan village. The Oaxacans were brought up from southern Mexico basically as slave labor, and they only recently gained independence and moved to a hill near Vicente where they built Triki.
As we turned into the village, there were kids everywhere. I was waving out the window as some of them watched us drive past, and a little boy flipped us off! I was dumbfounded at such a welcome, but we saw him again and he was friendlier. The closer we got to our worksite, the more kids were surrounding the mini-bus on all sides. As we got out, we were basically mobbed by kids from every direction. My friend was holding a bag of embroidery floss for making bracelets, and a couple of them did their best to grab it from her. Many of them were calling, "Compra, compra", asking us to buy the bracelets and necklaces they dangled from coat hangers. John, ever our leader, told us not to buy or give out anything until the last day or else there would be so many people around that we wouldn't get any work done.
The building materials were there, but the guy who had the plans wasn't, so we decided to play with the kids in the dirt road while we waited. Dan, who is fluent in Spanish, went into the fenced-off yard to meet the family. For a minute I just stood there, overwhelmed to a point of paralysis. There were kids everywhere...kids that couldn't understand my native language and I was only beginning to understand theirs. I tried to recall even a single Spanish word, but I blanked. Finally another girl came up to me and asked me, "How do you say 'How old are you?'" Ah-ha! Here was something I knew....at one time. I raked my brains for a minute and finally came up with it, "¿Cuántos años tienes?"
Suddenly I came unfrozen. I began asking children around me their names, their ages, if they had siblings, what they liked to do. But the moment when they really decided they liked me was when I picked up a little boy who was pestering me and swung him around, laughing. Soon I was surrounded with clamors of "¡Vuelta!" and "¡Caballo!" I gave them helicopter rides and piggy back rides until I felt my arms would fall off. Finally I said I couldn't do any more because I was too tired. This was answered with a loud chorus of "¡Uno más!¡Uno más!"--"One more!" Finally I spotted Chad just standing nearby. "Go ask him," I told them, shooing them in his direction. They obeyed, and my back was never quite the same on the whole trip. However, I had made some new friends. :-)
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
This is Mexico?
I don't know what I was expecting. All I know was it was not at all what I was expecting. My first thought upon entering Mexico was, "Oh God, what is this place?" That was a true prayer, not taking God's name in vain. I was overwhelmed by it and I was only in Tijuana. It was crowded and dirty and the paint was peeling off buildings. I pressed my face closer to the window, trying to get accustomed to this entirely different world. We raced through Tijuana towards the ocean and Rosarito, our first stop.
As we headed west, my friend John pointed out a long fence that climbed up steep hills and drove straight down valleys. "That's the US/Mexico border," he told me. He said that the fence was much higher than it looked and, especially in this area, very dangerous to attempt to cross. As we neared the Pacific, Sarah pointed to the spot where the ocean and the fence intersected. "I used to live right here," she said. "There're hundreds of names on that fence of people who died trying to get into America here." I was amazed. Things like this still happen! They're not just something you hear about in class or on the news...people are dying while trying to come to America.
I was quiet for quite awhile. I couldn't conceive of the desperation that would cause somebody to put their life on the line in order to live illegally in a different country, working for minimum wage and then sending the money back to Mexico. Most of the money in the Mexican economy comes from the US.
We drove through another area, this one along the ocean on highway 1. Here were the grand casas with huge glass windows and the resorts you see in brochures...a tourist's idea of Mexico. But it was too late to fool me; I had already seen the other side.
Finally we arrived in Rosarito. We drove right through downtown in our quest to find a spot to park two large vans pulling trailers. It was Easter Sunday...the most unique Easter of my life. Rosarito was overflowing with people in the streets, in the hotels, crowding the sidewalks and the beach. We were dropped off with a pick-up time and strict instructions to never go anywhere without at least two other people, one of whom had to be male. Two friends and I found a guy willing to brave the market with us.
Rosarito, too, was in various states of disrepair. John warned us not to buy food unless we had scoped out the cleanliness situation first and, under any circumstances, not to drink anything made with large quantities of water. Armed with this knowledge, we braved the streets. We paused for a moment to talk with an English-speaking shopkeeper who called out to us. We told him who we were and what we were doing in Mexico. Upon hearing that we were Christians, he launched into a description of the Holy Week festivities that had happened this past week. They had actually done a crucifixion! The man didn't die, but they nailed him to a cross after a parade down the main street.
Rosarito was such a place of contradictions to me. On one hand you had the Catholic people actually nailing a man to a cross in their misguided zeal, and on the other you had hundreds of bars and spring-breakers in various states of sobriety and dress. I was offered alcohol many times in that afternoon, but you will be pleased to know that the only thing I drank was Coca-Cola.
I didn't buy anything in Rosarito. The only time I was tempted was when little kids (about 2 or 3 years old) would come to me asking me to buy "chicle" (gum). But like I was told, "You can't buy from all of them." So I saved my money and just watched...watched this place, so different from all that is familiar, and yet now a part of me. Mexico, in all of the shock and filth, has shaped part of my soul, making it tender yet tough, and affecting my thoughts in deep and dramatic ways.
As we headed west, my friend John pointed out a long fence that climbed up steep hills and drove straight down valleys. "That's the US/Mexico border," he told me. He said that the fence was much higher than it looked and, especially in this area, very dangerous to attempt to cross. As we neared the Pacific, Sarah pointed to the spot where the ocean and the fence intersected. "I used to live right here," she said. "There're hundreds of names on that fence of people who died trying to get into America here." I was amazed. Things like this still happen! They're not just something you hear about in class or on the news...people are dying while trying to come to America.
I was quiet for quite awhile. I couldn't conceive of the desperation that would cause somebody to put their life on the line in order to live illegally in a different country, working for minimum wage and then sending the money back to Mexico. Most of the money in the Mexican economy comes from the US.
We drove through another area, this one along the ocean on highway 1. Here were the grand casas with huge glass windows and the resorts you see in brochures...a tourist's idea of Mexico. But it was too late to fool me; I had already seen the other side.
Finally we arrived in Rosarito. We drove right through downtown in our quest to find a spot to park two large vans pulling trailers. It was Easter Sunday...the most unique Easter of my life. Rosarito was overflowing with people in the streets, in the hotels, crowding the sidewalks and the beach. We were dropped off with a pick-up time and strict instructions to never go anywhere without at least two other people, one of whom had to be male. Two friends and I found a guy willing to brave the market with us.
Rosarito, too, was in various states of disrepair. John warned us not to buy food unless we had scoped out the cleanliness situation first and, under any circumstances, not to drink anything made with large quantities of water. Armed with this knowledge, we braved the streets. We paused for a moment to talk with an English-speaking shopkeeper who called out to us. We told him who we were and what we were doing in Mexico. Upon hearing that we were Christians, he launched into a description of the Holy Week festivities that had happened this past week. They had actually done a crucifixion! The man didn't die, but they nailed him to a cross after a parade down the main street.
Rosarito was such a place of contradictions to me. On one hand you had the Catholic people actually nailing a man to a cross in their misguided zeal, and on the other you had hundreds of bars and spring-breakers in various states of sobriety and dress. I was offered alcohol many times in that afternoon, but you will be pleased to know that the only thing I drank was Coca-Cola.
I didn't buy anything in Rosarito. The only time I was tempted was when little kids (about 2 or 3 years old) would come to me asking me to buy "chicle" (gum). But like I was told, "You can't buy from all of them." So I saved my money and just watched...watched this place, so different from all that is familiar, and yet now a part of me. Mexico, in all of the shock and filth, has shaped part of my soul, making it tender yet tough, and affecting my thoughts in deep and dramatic ways.
Monday, April 11, 2005
First Installment of Mexico
So I've been back from Mexico for a week and not yet managed to post a THING about it! Somebody please just check me for a pulse...that's so not like me. My goal is to post at least once a week and more if I have something interesting to say. Well I have hundreds of interesting things to say and I haven't posted in over 2 weeks!
The ride down and back was...let's just say...brutal. Thirty-six hours in a 15 passenger van holding 15 adults. I remember riding in a 15 passenger as a child and being crowded! Needless to say, I didn't sleep much! Something that made me happy for awhile on the ride, though, was waving at the Master's exit. For some funny reason, being in that area now feels a little like coming home to me. It was cool!
By the time I got to Mexico, I was already tired, but God gave me the energy to stay strong and healthy throughout the whole time and I know that was because of prayers. I was sick beforehand and sick immediately upon coming home, and people were sick all around me, but I was protected!
So...my team. It was 13 other people that I'd didn't know at all beforehand--a scary situation for a self-proclaimed introvert! (I know the math doesn't add up. It's because we also had a driver.) But God was amazingly good and I was able to really feel like part of the team. One of the nights we had a time of telling each other strengths and growths we had seen, and most of them confessed they were unsure about my addition to the team at first (I was like a quiet little mouse at our pre-trip meetings), but that I had really opened up. This was really encouraging because it's something I had to fight for. We were also blessed as a team in that there were no major personality conflicts and we all got along.
Being on this team also touched me in other ways. As they shared their testimonies, I saw God's amazing grace saving each one of them. To see these young Christians who were so much older than me inspired and challenged me. I've been "saved" for 13 years and I'm only 18, and we had all the way up to a 30-year-old who received Christ last year. But does my life show the fruit of all these years? Sadly, in some ways it does not.
God gave me new friends through this trip, and I hope I am able to keep them. I am beginning to see how my life has been so blessed because of the protection of a church upbringing, but there are many lessons these people learned from their mistakes that I would be wise to take note of. They are also just plain fun to be with and we made many great memories on this trip, with more to come when I write next!
The ride down and back was...let's just say...brutal. Thirty-six hours in a 15 passenger van holding 15 adults. I remember riding in a 15 passenger as a child and being crowded! Needless to say, I didn't sleep much! Something that made me happy for awhile on the ride, though, was waving at the Master's exit. For some funny reason, being in that area now feels a little like coming home to me. It was cool!
By the time I got to Mexico, I was already tired, but God gave me the energy to stay strong and healthy throughout the whole time and I know that was because of prayers. I was sick beforehand and sick immediately upon coming home, and people were sick all around me, but I was protected!
So...my team. It was 13 other people that I'd didn't know at all beforehand--a scary situation for a self-proclaimed introvert! (I know the math doesn't add up. It's because we also had a driver.) But God was amazingly good and I was able to really feel like part of the team. One of the nights we had a time of telling each other strengths and growths we had seen, and most of them confessed they were unsure about my addition to the team at first (I was like a quiet little mouse at our pre-trip meetings), but that I had really opened up. This was really encouraging because it's something I had to fight for. We were also blessed as a team in that there were no major personality conflicts and we all got along.
Being on this team also touched me in other ways. As they shared their testimonies, I saw God's amazing grace saving each one of them. To see these young Christians who were so much older than me inspired and challenged me. I've been "saved" for 13 years and I'm only 18, and we had all the way up to a 30-year-old who received Christ last year. But does my life show the fruit of all these years? Sadly, in some ways it does not.
God gave me new friends through this trip, and I hope I am able to keep them. I am beginning to see how my life has been so blessed because of the protection of a church upbringing, but there are many lessons these people learned from their mistakes that I would be wise to take note of. They are also just plain fun to be with and we made many great memories on this trip, with more to come when I write next!
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Scholarship Update
"A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven." John 3:27
This was the verse in my devotions the morning of my interview for the President's Scholarship. When I read this, I was overwhelmed by God's loving care in showing me that exact verse that morning. It's a truth I have clung to throughout the weeks of uncertainty following the interview process.
I'm still not 100% sure if I got the scholarship or not, but it looks like I didn't. I got my "financial aid award letter" and there was no mention of the President's Scholarship. However, there was also no mention of the $5000 scholarship I am guaranteed if I don't get the President's Scholarship...so I just don't know what's going on. We're trying to get in contact with Master's to get this and other questions answered.
God is still so very good though. We've been thinking it through, and we really might be able to swing going even if I don't get the President's. We got some financial aid through grants that I didn't think I was going to get and there are other things we can do and are doing. Sometimes when it comes down to something like this, I begin to wonder if I'm truly doing what God wants. I used to say I wasn't going to Master's unless I got the President's, because that would be to me a clear and definite leading. But now that I've visited there twice, I really feel like it's the right place for me to be. So now I'm trying through other ways to make it happen, and I wonder if I'm just wasting energy to get something to happen that isn't going to happen.
Pray that God's leading will be clear and that He will give us unity and peace as we embark on this totally new adventure.
This was the verse in my devotions the morning of my interview for the President's Scholarship. When I read this, I was overwhelmed by God's loving care in showing me that exact verse that morning. It's a truth I have clung to throughout the weeks of uncertainty following the interview process.
I'm still not 100% sure if I got the scholarship or not, but it looks like I didn't. I got my "financial aid award letter" and there was no mention of the President's Scholarship. However, there was also no mention of the $5000 scholarship I am guaranteed if I don't get the President's Scholarship...so I just don't know what's going on. We're trying to get in contact with Master's to get this and other questions answered.
God is still so very good though. We've been thinking it through, and we really might be able to swing going even if I don't get the President's. We got some financial aid through grants that I didn't think I was going to get and there are other things we can do and are doing. Sometimes when it comes down to something like this, I begin to wonder if I'm truly doing what God wants. I used to say I wasn't going to Master's unless I got the President's, because that would be to me a clear and definite leading. But now that I've visited there twice, I really feel like it's the right place for me to be. So now I'm trying through other ways to make it happen, and I wonder if I'm just wasting energy to get something to happen that isn't going to happen.
Pray that God's leading will be clear and that He will give us unity and peace as we embark on this totally new adventure.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
From the Midst of Finals Prep
It's finals week...again. This is why I haven't updated, but I got to the point where I couldn't take anymore studying and I just needed to do something different. So here I am, trying to think if I've done anything worth mentioning.
Today Marcie told me that she got her financial aid award stuff from Vanguard and also another of the colleges she got in to. She got so much money...it's awesome. You can probably find out more about it on her Xanga...I'm sure she'll update sometime, even though she hasn't as of yet.
But..."This promotion throws into sharp relief that which I have not yet obtained" (Commodore, Pirates of the Caribbean). I'm about ready to shoot the mailman...even though it's probably not entirely the US Postal Service's fault that I haven't yet gotten a letter from Master's. I find myself feeling sick when the afternoon drags by and the mail has not yet come. People ask me every day, "Have you heard yet?" No, I haven't and I am dying of suspense. But in a way I don't want to know, because I have such a feeling that I didn't get it. It's much more comfortable to tell all these people I haven't heard yet than to tell them I didn't get it. My stupid pride rears its ugly head once again.
It's not all bad in Jillian world though. I had a great weekend, which was highly unproductive in the homework aspects, but extremely fun in the social aspects. I seriously have some of the best friends in the world. God provided exactly the people I need in my life, and I am so thankful. Last weekend, we had times from moments of serious discussion, confession, and tears, to times when the tears came because we were laughing so hard. It was awesome!
My trip to Mexico is approaching rapidly. It's weird because I really haven't had much time to think about it, but we're leaving in 10 days. Think of and pray for me while I'm gone. It's going to be so different from anything I've ever experienced before. I'm excited to see what God teaches me.
You can tell I've been studying too long when my blog entries are like this one. There's no point, I use lots of ellipses...yeah. Finals will be over, and this tired feeling cannot last forever. And then I only have one quarter left! Hard to believe, I know. I really need to bring a camera one of these days so I can record this place for posterity. As stressful as it has been, God has blessed me so much through my time at Whatcom. And I know He will continue to use it in the quarter to come.
Adios, my friends. You probably won't hear from me until after finals and Mexico unless something earthshattering happens. Oh...I'll probably put up a sentence or two when I get my letter from Master's too. Until then, God bless!
Today Marcie told me that she got her financial aid award stuff from Vanguard and also another of the colleges she got in to. She got so much money...it's awesome. You can probably find out more about it on her Xanga...I'm sure she'll update sometime, even though she hasn't as of yet.
But..."This promotion throws into sharp relief that which I have not yet obtained" (Commodore, Pirates of the Caribbean). I'm about ready to shoot the mailman...even though it's probably not entirely the US Postal Service's fault that I haven't yet gotten a letter from Master's. I find myself feeling sick when the afternoon drags by and the mail has not yet come. People ask me every day, "Have you heard yet?" No, I haven't and I am dying of suspense. But in a way I don't want to know, because I have such a feeling that I didn't get it. It's much more comfortable to tell all these people I haven't heard yet than to tell them I didn't get it. My stupid pride rears its ugly head once again.
It's not all bad in Jillian world though. I had a great weekend, which was highly unproductive in the homework aspects, but extremely fun in the social aspects. I seriously have some of the best friends in the world. God provided exactly the people I need in my life, and I am so thankful. Last weekend, we had times from moments of serious discussion, confession, and tears, to times when the tears came because we were laughing so hard. It was awesome!
My trip to Mexico is approaching rapidly. It's weird because I really haven't had much time to think about it, but we're leaving in 10 days. Think of and pray for me while I'm gone. It's going to be so different from anything I've ever experienced before. I'm excited to see what God teaches me.
You can tell I've been studying too long when my blog entries are like this one. There's no point, I use lots of ellipses...yeah. Finals will be over, and this tired feeling cannot last forever. And then I only have one quarter left! Hard to believe, I know. I really need to bring a camera one of these days so I can record this place for posterity. As stressful as it has been, God has blessed me so much through my time at Whatcom. And I know He will continue to use it in the quarter to come.
Adios, my friends. You probably won't hear from me until after finals and Mexico unless something earthshattering happens. Oh...I'll probably put up a sentence or two when I get my letter from Master's too. Until then, God bless!
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Beauty Is...
...neon lights reflected in a rainy street.
...sunlight streaming through the trees.
...the enormity of the stars.
...smiles of any sort.
...the richness of color.
...flames dancing in a fireplace.
...the sparkle in eyes.
...Boyer Road in any sort of weather.
...roses.
...sunsets or sunrises.
...dancing on the ocean's shore.
...the comfortable, loving feeling at my "grandma's" house.
...a beautifully set table.
...God's grace visualized.
...sunlight streaming through the trees.
...the enormity of the stars.
...smiles of any sort.
...the richness of color.
...flames dancing in a fireplace.
...the sparkle in eyes.
...Boyer Road in any sort of weather.
...roses.
...sunsets or sunrises.
...dancing on the ocean's shore.
...the comfortable, loving feeling at my "grandma's" house.
...a beautifully set table.
...God's grace visualized.
Friday, March 04, 2005
I've Crossed Over to the Dark Side
Yes people, that is right. Jillian Hazel is now a criminal.
It all started out innocently enough. I woke up half an hour late because I was having this insane dream that I had to test the snooze button on all these alarm clocks...not realizing I was really pushing the snooze on my own. I got up, showered and got ready in a hurry, and went upstairs.
By this time, it was the time I normally leave because I couldn't find anything to wear. I tried to grab food as quickly as I could, but the toaster takes some time, and my mom needed to talk to me about my weekend plans. Fifteen minutes late, I walked out the door.
My schedule allows for exactly 15 minutes of flex time between when I should arrive @ Whatcom and when my first class starts. So if I found an immediate parking spot, I wouldn't be too late.
Then I got stuck behind a school bus. On the Guide. It stopped at like every other house...and I couldn't pass it because I was on the Guide. Finally I was able to turn off onto Horton, and then I began flying down Cordata. My class started at 8:30, and it was 8:29.
You can see where this is going, right?
I didn't see the motorcycle cop til it was too late. I looked down at my speedometer...yikes. So, it happened. I got my first ticket. According to my parents, it was inevitable with my lead foot tendencies, but why did it have to happen today of all days?
I was 15 minutes late to my class.
It all started out innocently enough. I woke up half an hour late because I was having this insane dream that I had to test the snooze button on all these alarm clocks...not realizing I was really pushing the snooze on my own. I got up, showered and got ready in a hurry, and went upstairs.
By this time, it was the time I normally leave because I couldn't find anything to wear. I tried to grab food as quickly as I could, but the toaster takes some time, and my mom needed to talk to me about my weekend plans. Fifteen minutes late, I walked out the door.
My schedule allows for exactly 15 minutes of flex time between when I should arrive @ Whatcom and when my first class starts. So if I found an immediate parking spot, I wouldn't be too late.
Then I got stuck behind a school bus. On the Guide. It stopped at like every other house...and I couldn't pass it because I was on the Guide. Finally I was able to turn off onto Horton, and then I began flying down Cordata. My class started at 8:30, and it was 8:29.
You can see where this is going, right?
I didn't see the motorcycle cop til it was too late. I looked down at my speedometer...yikes. So, it happened. I got my first ticket. According to my parents, it was inevitable with my lead foot tendencies, but why did it have to happen today of all days?
I was 15 minutes late to my class.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
La Vida Buena
Usually I'm so good about posts that have a clear theme and subject, but today...today is going to be a conglomeration of other things.
First, and most obvious, I changed how my blog looks. I guess I was just getting tired of the other one. Plus, this one has a smaller font so it looks like I said less, and it has a ready-made links section for your browsing pleasure. I am accepting bribes for any others who want to join the illustrious list to your right. :-) However, it is still green, which is very important somehow. I'm not sure how; I just decided it was.
Maybe I changed because it's spring. I always get a little wanderlust in the spring, and this spring is no different. I'm glad I have my trip to Mexico to temper my excitement. I seriously can't wait to go..we watched a movie and talked with someone from the organization (Stoney Creek Missions) that is sponsoring the trip, and now it just seems that much more real and exciting to me.
Speaking of spring, it is a gorgeous day! I really can't believe I am sitting here in front of a computer typing. Well...OK, not a gorgeous day (this morning was bad), but it's been sunny and it smells like freshly cut grass outside, and the peepers have been out, and it all just makes me really happy! People were studying in the courtyard at Whatcom today, and they could. It wasn't too cold or anything.
To add to my good mood, Squalicum won! They won by a lot too, and they're continuing on, which means I actually might get to see a game if they continue play through Saturday. I really hope they do...I haven't seen a Squalicum game since the one at Ferndale sometime in January.
I wanted to go down to the Tacoma Dome last night, but things just didn't work out. My family left to go to Mount Vernon for 2A districts, and I got the house to myself. This was fine for about 20 minutes, and then I decided I wanted to have a friend over. So I got Brittney and we rented a movie and laughed and made spaghetti and laughed and danced in the kitchen to Phantom of the Opera and laughed..and mostly laughed! Seriously, when we get together, we have the craziest, most fun times...it's awesome.
I got a Phantom of the Opera cd Karin! I'm enjoying it, but I got a weird stare as I was driving through the parking lot with my window rolled down and "Angel of Music" blaring. Oh well. I found this great quote today that says, "To achieve something spectacular, one must sometimes make a spectacle of oneself." I agree!
So people, go out there and make a spectacle of yourselves! It's going to a be a spectacular spring! How do I know? God's had it figured out since the beginning of time. Love y'all!
First, and most obvious, I changed how my blog looks. I guess I was just getting tired of the other one. Plus, this one has a smaller font so it looks like I said less, and it has a ready-made links section for your browsing pleasure. I am accepting bribes for any others who want to join the illustrious list to your right. :-) However, it is still green, which is very important somehow. I'm not sure how; I just decided it was.
Maybe I changed because it's spring. I always get a little wanderlust in the spring, and this spring is no different. I'm glad I have my trip to Mexico to temper my excitement. I seriously can't wait to go..we watched a movie and talked with someone from the organization (Stoney Creek Missions) that is sponsoring the trip, and now it just seems that much more real and exciting to me.
Speaking of spring, it is a gorgeous day! I really can't believe I am sitting here in front of a computer typing. Well...OK, not a gorgeous day (this morning was bad), but it's been sunny and it smells like freshly cut grass outside, and the peepers have been out, and it all just makes me really happy! People were studying in the courtyard at Whatcom today, and they could. It wasn't too cold or anything.
To add to my good mood, Squalicum won! They won by a lot too, and they're continuing on, which means I actually might get to see a game if they continue play through Saturday. I really hope they do...I haven't seen a Squalicum game since the one at Ferndale sometime in January.
I wanted to go down to the Tacoma Dome last night, but things just didn't work out. My family left to go to Mount Vernon for 2A districts, and I got the house to myself. This was fine for about 20 minutes, and then I decided I wanted to have a friend over. So I got Brittney and we rented a movie and laughed and made spaghetti and laughed and danced in the kitchen to Phantom of the Opera and laughed..and mostly laughed! Seriously, when we get together, we have the craziest, most fun times...it's awesome.
I got a Phantom of the Opera cd Karin! I'm enjoying it, but I got a weird stare as I was driving through the parking lot with my window rolled down and "Angel of Music" blaring. Oh well. I found this great quote today that says, "To achieve something spectacular, one must sometimes make a spectacle of oneself." I agree!
So people, go out there and make a spectacle of yourselves! It's going to a be a spectacular spring! How do I know? God's had it figured out since the beginning of time. Love y'all!
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