Life, etc.

After last summer's life-changing experiences, I figured that for my senior year of college, life would be relatively predictable. As you can probably guess, I was totally wrong! But, the unpredictable nature of this year has made it quite possibly the best year of my life. 

After being accepted for a teaching position with an overseas missions group, I spent the fall semester preparing and learning how to be the Christian woman, friend and leader God desires me to be. Then just before I returned to campus for spring semester I was introduced to a man named Brandon through some friends. From the moment we met, and in the weeks that followed, we both realized that something very real and significant was happening between us. Through prayer and plenty of conversation with each other and the important people in our lives, we happily entered into a serious relationship. Why through lots of prayer and conversation? 

"...accepted for a teaching position..." That's why. When I had come to the decision about my relationship with Brandon, I notified my future employers. Though they had advised me to remain single before leaving the country (starting a relationship before moving overseas for a year?), I explained how committed we are and the confirmation that we had both received from God about it. Despite that, they came back to me with an ultimatum, which boiled down to relationship vs. teaching position. 

I was pretty surprised, especially because of how strongly I was convicted about both situations, and so after more prayer and conversations with important people in my life, I decided to shelve the teaching position and remain in my relationship with Brandon. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done and it has definitely tested some of my friendships. 

So I'm back at square one for what's next in life, but I'm closer to God than ever, and happier than I thought was possible. It's been an exercise in trust and obedience and the blessings have been unbelievable. I'll be writing more about this whole process, but I wanted to let you in on why I've been MIA lately!

How's life, etc, for you?

Learning: Psychology

It seems to me that the usual process is this: the older you get, the more you learn about the world, the people you know, and hopefully, yourself. Of course, some people differ from that trajectory, as is true of all generalizations. Some people are just really self-aware naturally, and at a young age. Others are in denial, not understanding things about themselves or others, and not wanting to.

As a christian, I spend quite a bit of time reflecting on my personality and the decisions I make. In fact, last year, during a bible study, I realized that some of my close friends were so self-aware that they could understand why they had made a bad or foolish decision, and had even begun to prevent themselves for falling into the 'traps' that they had succumbed to in the past.

I was astonished. I couldn't do that, I couldn't understand why I did a lot of the things that I did, as strange as that sounds. So I decided to embark on a journey of self-discovery! (Ha!) Okay, I didn't phrase it or think of it like that, realistically I thought: "How great to be able to understand your own decisions so clearly! I want to be more like Adriane and Jennifer!"

So I tried it. And this year, I have become much more aware of my own tendencies and feelings and thought processes. You can see that even in how my writing has changed! Part of that is my adventures into self-awareness and reflection with God, but also in the past couple of semesters, I've been taking psychology classes for fun. While there is some questionable content in the world of psychology, overall, it can be really helpful when you are trying to classify and categorize features of your personality. (And in other people, interestingly enough.)

I guess what I'm trying to get at here is the idea that people deserve more credit than we usually give them. The more I interact and get involved with people, the more intrigued, baffled and in love I am with them. We're all so different, and funny enough, so much the same.

As I slowly come to understand why I act the way I do with some people, I also begin to understand why they act the way they do, and its causing me to be a lot more forgiving. I make mistakes. And so do you. And you know what? It's not the end of the world. (Not yet, anyway! Mayans...)

So forgive one more time, but really think about it, and maybe there won't be a next time to worry about.

Do you think that you are "self-aware"? Do you think that it's important?

Plans

Friends, let's just say big things are coming.
Or rather, little cute things. Keep your eyes peeled!

The Best Medicine

Yet again, I am sick. Seems like all I do this semester is get sick!
I figured that you, my friends, are also sick once in a while. For that, I prescribe my favorite medicine: lots and lots of laughter.

How do I propose that you get lots and lots of laughter?

Community.

Seriously, if you aren't watching this show, you are truly missing out. Community has a stellar cast including Joel McHale (eye candy, let me tell you!), Chevy Chase, Donald Glover, and Ken Jeong. The show is in its third season, and it has only gotten funnier as time goes by -- and if you are a college student, you will be able to appreciate so many of the absurd situations that they get into.

Community is also a part of a trend that I've noticed on TV. Suddenly, it's really hip and cool to be, well, uncool. Nerds, geeks and people who usually wouldn't fall into the category of 'glamorous' are suddenly the heroes and heroines of primetime. Hallelujah!

Now, my post isn't only because I love watching Community. Sadly, NBC has decided to put Community "on the bench" because of low ratings. So, in a heartening social movement, the show's fans have rallied to support it and let NBC know that the ratings don't reflect how great of a show it really is. And I'm one of those fans.

Here's what some people have been doing to try and support the show:

savecommunity! by Jon Defreest

Chaos Theory Goatee from AOL



If you love the show and want to support it -- you can follow the official twitter account @NBCcommunity or follow some the cast like Joel McHale or Donald Glover (who are both actually really awesome outside of being in Community). Use the hashtags #savecommunity #sixseasonsandamovie or #12seasonsandathemepark to get the show trending!

Alright, alright, I'll leave you alone now. But hey! Watch it!

Back to the Future

One of the greatest things about college is that it really is the beginning of the rest of your life. Your future begins at school! How many times have you heard someone say: "Oh, yeah, that's the same school Natalie Portman went to!" or "Did you know that Tom Hanks was one of our Alumni?" It's such a formative and awesome experience, I think I may be seeing it happen first hand.

My roommate, (you know the really hilarious and totally awesome one? You can read her blog, too) made a video this past weekend, about her love for a character, Troy, on NBC's Community. It's a fantastic show, in my humble opinion, the funniest on TV now! The video is hilarious, and in an unbelievable and fortuitous turn of events, The NBC Community twitter tweeted a link to her video!

So yes, in case you hadn't noticed, today is a shameless plug for this awesome video and the show.

So watch it: Landing Troy Barnes

And hey... Do you think we can get her to be a guest star on the show? Wouldn't that be fun!