There and Back Again: A College Tale

Sometimes, you just need to get away from it all and try something new. For me, that "something new" involved strapping my feet to a 5 foot board made of fibreglass and wood and sliding down a snowy mountain, trying my best not to fall on my face. This weekend, I tried snowboarding for the first time! And I think I may be hooked.  Late last week, we were desperately trying to find something cheap to do for the weekend. We didn't want to go too awful far from home, so we looked at everything from "tenpin" bowling to laser tag in Palmy. Nothing sounded too exciting or worth the money. Chandler, Kendrick, Kristi, and yours truly Fortunately, some guys from the States went snowboarding last weekend and didn't have to return their rental gear for a while. They were kind enough to let us borrow their boards, boots, snow pants, and gloves for free! So, Kristi, Chandler, a guy from Hong Kong named Kendrick, and I all pitched in to rent a tiny Hyundai El...

On this cold, snowy afternoon, I've compiled a list of some of the material things I am thankful for.  The box of fruit my mom sent me My mom sends the most unique care packages ever, and I absolutely love them! Last time I was home for the weekend, I was talking to my mom about how expensive fruit is.  I really enjoy eating fruit, and sometimes grabbing an apple on my way out of the cafeteria just doesn't cut it. (Once, I was planning on buying a plastic tub of assorted fruit from Publix, but it was almost $12. Never mind. I don't need vitamin C that  bad.) So, for Valentine's Day, my mom sent me a box filled with apples, oranges, bananas, and some caramel dip, along with a Cracker Barrel gift card for Ben and I to use. My mom is awesome! My water bottle My purple 22 ounce water bottle never leaves my side. I carry it with me everywhere I go, whether it's to class, or to the gym, or to go eat. (This way, I don't have to get one of those tiny water ...

As soon as I sit down to study, so many thoughts run through my head.  I have discovered that I am a productive procrastinator, meaning that instead of putting off studying by wasting time on Pinterest or Facebook, I clean. Or do laundry. Or workout. Anything to keep me from having to study biology! These are the thoughts I had just yesterday when I needed to be studying: (Enters dorm room.) Hmmm. There's no way I can study in this room. It's a mess! We haven't vacuumed in... well, who knows how long. I know it's not my turn to vacuum, but what would Jesus do? He would totally just vacuum the room. Then, He would study for His biology exam. I mean,  "Let all things be done decently and in order," right?  (Vacuums room with ultra-cheap Dirt Devil from Target. Finishes 15 minutes later.) That looks so much better! Now I can--Wait. Is that toothpaste on the mirror? How did that get all the way up there? Good thing I brought some Windex from home! I kne...