sarahline

I've Moved.

2012-02-08T00:06:00.000-06:00

I've moved. Again. Decided to re-join the Tumblr world. If you're interested in my more recent ramblings or some interesting things I've found on the Interwebz, please join me here: http://sarahline.tumblr.com/

Ryan Adams Typography Portrait

2011-05-19T21:59:00.003-06:00

Ryan Adams typography portrait I made recently for one of my classes.

Around Us

2011-05-11T21:56:00.000-06:00

I see the walls, then see them fall
You break through them all
I see You crawl, now You stand tall
Grow and grow till tall

There's songs, sounds You bring to us
You pin both our wings on us
I hear, I see You sing for us
You go tie a string around us

We all want to grow with the seeds we will sow
We all want to blow with the breeze we will blow
We all want to know when we're all meant to go
To a place You and I - will call home.

"Around Us" -Jonsi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erJNDuhM5Lc&feature=related

2011-01-05T10:59:00.000-06:00

"Other evils there are that may come...Yet it is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule." - Gandalf, The Return of the King

I'm re-reading Lord of the Rings again and came across this quote. So many gems in these books; it always make re-reading worthwhile.

New Stuff

2010-11-21T21:47:00.000-06:00

Been creating a lot of mograph stuff lately. Here's a couple of videos I've been working on. As always, feedback is appreciated!

Helvetica

2010-10-16T16:14:00.003-06:00

I recently watched the documentary, Helvetica, by Gary Hustwit and thoroughly enjoyed it. Helvetica, and especially Helvetica Neue, has been one of my favorite fonts for awhile, but watching the documentary made me realize just how pervasive the font really is in society. I highly recommend the documentary to anyone who is interested in design, typography, or just creative endeavors in general. It was jam-packed with some really great quotes, as well. Here were some of my favorites:

“The life of a designer is a life of fight. Fight against the ugliness. Just like a doctor fights against disease. For us, the visual disease is what we have around, and what we try to do is cure it somehow with design” – Massimo Vignelli

"Graphic design is the communication framework through which these messages about what the world is now, and what we should aspire to. It's the way they reach us. The designer has an enormous responsibility. Those are the people, you know, putting their wires into our heads." - Rick Poyner

"I think I’m right in calling Helvetica the perfume of the city. It’s something we don’t notice usually, but we would miss very much if it wouldn’t be there.” - Lars Muller

"I'm obviously a typeomaniac, which is an incurable if not mortal disease. I can't explain it. I just love, I just like looking at type. I just get a total kick out of it: they are my friends. Other people look at bottles of wine or whatever, or, you know, girls' bottoms. I get kicks out of looking at type. It's a little worrying, I admit, but it's a very nerdish thing to do." - Erik Spiekermann

Although Spiekermann isn't quite as impressed with Helvetica:

"Why, 50 years later, is Helvetica still popular?" - Interviewer
“Why is bad taste ubiquitous? (Love this.)

"Most people who use Helvetica, use it because it's ubiquitous. It's like going to McDonald's instead of thinking about food. Because it's there, it's on every street corner, so let's eat crap because it's on the corner...It’s a default; it’s air. You have to breathe so you have to use Helvetica." - Erik Spiekermann

"They’re starting to see graphic communication as an expression of their own identity. And the classic case of this is the social networking programs such as MySpace, where you can customize your profile. You can change the background, you can put pictures in, you can change the typeface to anything you want, and those choices, those decisions you make, become expressions of who you are. You start to care about it, in the way you care about the clothing you’re wearing as an expression of who you are, or your haircut or whatever, or how you decorate your apartment–all of those things. You know, we accept the idea of identity being expressed in that way, through these consumer choices." - Rick Poyner

"You're always a child of your time, and you cannot step out of that." - Wim Crowell

Nabwire Sarah

2010-09-27T14:11:00.002-06:00

The girl I sponsor through Compassion is awesome. It is so exciting for me to see where God has brought her from and where He is taking her. As I've mentioned previously, Nabwire Sarah is from Uganda, is 20 years old, and is in school to be a teacher. I started sponsoring her when she was 16, and she's almost done with the program now.

I got a letter in the mail from her yesterday, and it made me so excited and thankful that God has allowed me to be a part of her life.

She started off like this: "Praise God. How is God dwelling in your life?" Seriously. She is so legit.

She then goes on to tell me how her family is doing, her country, etc., and then tells me that she's begun doing her student teaching at a primary school and how exciting that is for her, and how faithful God has been, chalking it up to Jeremiah 29:11.

She ends the letter saying, "Pray for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel. I love you."

I am so thankful for an organization that is raising up and delivering from poverty a generation of young people that desires to "fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel," and thankful that I get to be a part of it in some small way. I love the relationship that I've been able to build with Sarah; it has been such a blessing in my life. If you don't sponsor a child, you should seriously consider it. $38 a month, people. Both their and your life will be radically changed. Get on it!

Reminder

2010-08-27T10:22:00.002-06:00

I was reading in Isaiah this morning and came across this passage which I think is a beautiful reminder of what God's heart really is about concerning our worship.

6 "Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover him,
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, 'Here I am.'
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
11 And the LORD will guide you continually
and satisfy your desire in scorched places
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters do not fail.

Isaiah 58:6-11

What a great reminder that the Lord doesn't want religion or rote offerings or fasting for ourselves or others. He wants us to "pour [ourselves] out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted." The offerings, the worship that God wants is for us to serve others.

BP Coffee Spill

2010-07-02T16:01:00.001-06:00

This is one of the funniest videos I've seen in awhile.

Student Life/Aqua The Great 2010

2010-06-13T23:43:00.002-06:00

I haven't blogged in a really long time, but here's a quick update for anyone who may happen to read this. I'm doing Student Life for the summer as a video director again. I'm on Aqua Team. And we're currently in Orange Beach doing beach camp. Holla!

Here is my awesome team:

Vampire Weekend's "Giving Up The Gun"

2010-03-30T08:36:00.000-06:00

Awesome video. Love Vampire Weekend.

Treasured Possession Because of Love

2010-03-11T00:49:00.002-06:00

"For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are one the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations."

Deuteronomy 7:6-9

I love this passage. So beautiful. So full of hope. So God. This is how He feels toward us. This is what He is has done for us - then for the Israelites, and now for us in the ultimate act of love, Christ's sacrifice. I love it.

I know, another post so soon?? Who AM I?

2010-01-21T23:45:00.007-06:00

Well, I had some interesting subjects for the 365 Project today and I figured I'd share. A pair of hostile geese have decided to settle by the pond in our neighborhood, and being the lovely day it was, I decided to go down to the pond and snap a few photos. I'm not sure where they came from - if they're lost or confused or what - but they've been there since December at the very least.

They've gained some popularity with the ducks that were already there, and the ducks follow them around wherever they go. Unfortunately, they're not on such friendly terms with the humans. Any time anything non-duck passes by, the geese charge. Always. Jogger, car, dog, anything - they will charge.

It was pretty entertaining, but I felt sorry for the neighbors who live directly across from the pond. While I was there, they drove up in their truck and pulled into their driveway. Immediately, the geese waddled quickly across the street honking and came right up to the truck and then to the gate they have across their driveway. Of course, the ducks followed them, and they stood there at the neighbors gate surrounded by ducks and honking loudly for a long time. I imagine that happens a lot. Maybe that's why they have a gate across their driveway.

This did present a problem for me when I was taking pictures, but while I was charged several times, I was never officially attacked. (You can go ahead and breathe a sigh of relief now.) It was frustrating though, because every time I would kneel down to take a picture, the male would always charge me. As soon as I stood up, though, he would let off. And this was telephoto lens and everything! I wasn't standing all that close. I only had the time to take about one picture or so before he would charge, so it took me awhile. But it ended up being worthwhile. I think I got some pretty good shots.

Here's a picture of me being charged. I have plenty of these.

Project 365 continues...

2010-01-20T16:45:00.009-06:00

This Project 365 thing has been harder than I thought. I haven't missed a day thus far, but almost barely so. I usually find myself forgetting to take a picture for most of the day and then remembering around 10 PM or so (hence a lot of the boring shots of movies, etc.). I'm not giving up, though. I think it will definitely be worthwhile in the end, even if it is occasionally a pain. Here are a couple shots from last weekend of an odd assortment of boom lifts I saw:

I'm also debating about getting one of these:

I know, I know, I'm jumping on the hipster bandwagon a little late, but I think a Holga camera might be a fun addition to my camera arsenal, especially since I'm doing this little project. I'm just debating on whether or not I should drop the $50 for it. If you're a Holga user out there, tell me, do you think it's worth it?

Help Haiti!

2010-01-15T00:32:00.002-06:00

Haiti Earthquate

A New Year, A New Post

2010-01-07T18:13:00.001-06:00

I've returned to my old blog, spruced it up a bit, and have decided to start blogging again (at least every once and awhile). Part of the whole 'new year, new beginnings' thing. I usually don't make New Year's Resolutions, for the most part because I feel like I lead a decently balanced life. There aren't a whole lot of goals to achieve that I feel like I'm not already achieving, if that makes sense. But this year is different. I started out with just one resolution - that I would participate in the "365 Project," where one takes a new photo every day of the year. (Here's the link to the project on my Flickr account.)

As the year has progressed, though, I've added some new ones. And some pretty stringent ones at that. One of them stemmed from my attendance at The Church At Brook Hills when I was visiting friends in Birmingham. On that particular Sunday, the pastor was telling the congregation about an initiative he wanted to start in the church in 2010, called The Radical Experiment. One aspect of The Radical Experiment is to read through the Bible in a year, not just straight through but more in a chronological order. So, I've started doing that, and I'm really excited about it.

My other resolutions have come from an article I read in the January issue of Relevant. The article, "Resolved: Better-ness in 2010" by Jason Boyett, gives 10 challenges for the new year (the online version only shows the first five):

Take the physical challenge (i.e., work out)
Memorize a chapter/book of the Bible
Reduce your carbon footprint in one major way
Learn to cook one mouth-watering dish
Learn to pray a whole new way
Do something you've been putting off
Start a relationship that's not about you
Do something that freaks you out
Reduce as much debt as possible
Donate your time to a cause that matters to you

So, I've decided to take the "Better-ness" challenges, or at least most of them, as well.

The physical challenge should be pretty easy, since I already work out regularly for the most part.
Memorizing a book of the Bible - I'm thinking maybe Philippians or James (still haven't decided for sure yet).
Reducing your carbon footprint - I already use CFLs and unplug stuff. I guess that leaves me with driving less, not using a dryer or starting a garden or a compost pile. Maybe driving less or starting a garden? I'll get back to you on that one.
Learn to cook one mouthwatering dish - I probably need this one the most, lol. I rarely cook. Coming out of the year with at least one dish I can make other than spaghetti will definitely help.
Learn to pray a whole new way - I'm also taking this one from The Radical Experiment. Another aspect of it is to pray for the entire world through Operation World.
Do something you've been putting off - not sure what this could be for me other than "get a job," so that's what I'll put for this one.
Start a relationship that's not about you - after learning about Donald Miller's The Mentoring Project, I've been thinking a lot about mentoring. Maybe I'll get involved with that in some form or fashion.
Do something that freaks me out - this could be something off my recently fashioned Bucket List (which I'll probably write about in my next post), but I think I'm going to put my 365 Project in this slot. It already seems monumental to me in some ways. I barely remember to take the photo each day, so if I can accomplish it, I'll be proud.
Reduce as much debt as possible - luckily, and thankfully, I'm not really in much debt right now, so this doesn't apply.
Donate your time to a cause that matters to you - I think this will go hand in hand with the whole mentoring thing.

So, I have a lot of resolutions. Way more than I've ever had before. But, I think I can do it. A lot of it just is lifestyle adjustment or things that I already sort of do. After reading Donald Miller's newest book, A Million Miles In A Thousand Years I've begun to think of organizing my life more into stories, so hopefully some of these resolutions will be a part of new stories I'm creating for myself this year. He also talks about this in his blog, here.

Wisdom

2010-01-03T18:01:00.001-06:00

"The true test of wisdom is finding one who is rooted in a pure, fulfilling, vibrant relationship with God. You'll know him by the way he seeks to pour into the lives of others. You'll know him because he is slow to speak and quick to listen. You'll also know him because he will be successful. Maybe not in the world's eyes, but look closely - he raises 'a harvest of righteousness,' meaning he makes everyone around him better."

-Greg Johnson, on James 3:13-18.

Lord, please make me wise.

10 Years Today

2010-01-03T17:54:00.004-06:00

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the Texas A&M Bonfire collapse. In the wee morning hours on November 18, 1999, Aggie students were working on the Bonfire stack and a crane lifting a log hit the stack too hard and cracked the centerpole. The 40 ft. stack toppled over almost immediately, killing 12 students and injuring several others.

After a decade, the wounds are still just as raw among the Aggie community. Even those who weren’t around Aggieland or didn’t know anyone there during that period still feel the emotional pain of the event and experience a strong bond over the incident.

Bonfire was a tradition that began in 1909 and evolved from a small trash pile to, at its highest, a stack of logs reaching 107 ft. in 1969. It was worked on throughout the fall semester by a hierarchy of hundreds of students and was lit just before Thanksgiving break, which was also just before A&M would play the University of Texas. It symbolized the burning desire to beat t.u. (the University of Texas) and the undying flame of the Aggie spirit.
After the 1999 collapse, Bonfire was obviously banned on campus, eliminating an official version of an Aggie tradition. Since then, a “student” version, called Student Bonfire, has taken place at different sites off campus. It is still built after the same fashion of the original bonfire.

As a post-Bonfire student, the emotions that I and my fellow classmates felt were often mixed. We had never experienced the real Bonfire, and in some ways, lamented the loss of one of A&M’s dearest traditions. (If you know anything about A&M, it is all about its traditions. See here.) In other ways, the knowledge of what had happened, the liabilities associated with it, and respect for those who fell kept us from really urging for its return. The idea of Bonfire returning is something that has become more talked about in the last year as the decade mark has approached, but nothing is for certain now.

Thinking about all of this has really made me analyze my time at A&M, my participation in the traditions, and overall, just really miss my alma mater. There’s something really unique and special about the Aggie spirit, from what I can gather from now being outside the Aggieland bubble. It’s not like most other college experiences. Yeah, a lot of the traditions are weird, but it’s what keeps us together as a family. I’ve rarely taken my Aggie ring off since I got it last November. I feel like it’s just as much a part of my identity as anything else; a symbol of where I’ve come from, who I am.

Above is a picture of me whooping at Student Bonfire last November. A lot has happened since that picture was taken, even though it’s only a year old. I’ve spent the majority of this last year outside the state of Texas, and I’m on a path to who knows where now.

One thing I know, though. Being an Aggie is something I’m proud to say I am, and it’s what I’ll always be. I’m proud of the Aggie Spirit and the way we’ve come together to remember, to celebrate those who lived and died, and to move forward into the future. I’m proud of our traditions, the traditions that show us where we’ve come from and that are shaping us into who we will become. And mostly, I’m proud of the Aggie family. It spans the globe, yet our Aggie spirit gives us a special closeness that is rare to be found.

Bonfire may or may not return as an official tradition, but I know what it represents - the undying flame of the Aggie Spirit - will always live on in our hearts, and we will never forget those who have contributed to it, who have helped fan the flames.

For more information about the Bonfire and their coverage on the decade mark, check out The Battalion, A&M’s student newspaper and the paper I used to be on staff at.

Demo Reel

2010-01-03T17:50:00.002-06:00

A “demo” demo reel I recently made. Your thoughts/feedback/suggestions would be awesome.

Compassion International

2010-01-03T17:48:00.002-06:00

If you haven’t heard of Compassion International before, here’s an introduction.
Compassion is an organization that is devoted to releasing children from poverty through sponsorship. Sponsored children are provided with clothes, food, schooling, other necessities, and most importantly, are shown the love of Jesus Christ.

Anyone can sponsor a child for just $38 a month, and I can tell you from personal experience that it is one of the most rewarding things you can do.

I sponsor Nabwire Sarah, a 19-year-old from Uganda. She’s in school to be a teacher. She’s the oldest child in her family and has three younger brothers. Her father died last year from AIDS.

I’ve been sponsoring her since she was 16, and I can tell you that it’s been such a joy to have her in my life. We consistently write letters back and forth. She tells me how things are going for her in Uganda, and I tell her how things are going with me, and we encourage each other in the Lord. In some ways, I feel like she has blessed me more spiritually than I could have ever blessed her.

This last summer, I worked for an an organization called Student Life, that puts on “events” around the country for teenagers. My particular team included 22 people, and one of them was a Compassion graduate named James Thuita.

James is from Kenya, and it was such a blessing to get to know him. His life was radically changed because of Compassion. Before entering the program, he lived in some Kenyan slums in a hut the size of a large closet. Food was scarce, and living day-to-day was a constant struggle. He was able to join a nearby Compassion project and was sponsored by a couple in the U.S. James’ life was radically turned upside down. He was able to go to school, have food to provide for his family, and eventually, graduate from college with an accounting degree, all because of Compassion.

Student Life had five Compassion graduates traveling with them this summer, and we made a video was made for each one. I couldn’t find James’ online, but this one is Faith’s.

Compassion is an amazing organization. They are very honest about their money, and are committed to integrity in every aspect of the organization.

Please consider sponsoring a child. You will literally change a life, and yours will be changed as well.

Chevron's New Ad Campaign

2008-12-27T20:15:00.005-06:00

Chevron Oil Corporation has started a new ad campaign that is extremely annoying. At least, to me.

Maybe you've seen their new billboards portraying a peaceful-looking young person in front of a leafy green background with a quote saying something like, "I will leave the car at home more," or, "I will unplug stuff more," or, "I will use less energy."

Seriously? Chevron...the company that sells gas for gasoline-powered cars...is encouraging people to be environmentally conscious? They think I should "leave the car at home more?"

Highly unlikely.

Maybe I would believe them about their efforts to be environmentally conscious if they put up billboards saying, "We have cut our harmful emissions by 30%," or, "We are in the process of developing alternative energy sources by doing x, y, and z."

Take note, Chevron: seeing these fluffy statements from fake people saying they want to use less energy does not make me think,"O, wow, look at Chevron. They're really committed to doing something about the environment." As Dwight would say, "False:" it makes me dislike Chevron even more for pretending they're actually doing something.

They're a gas company. Saying they want people to drive gas-powered vehicles less is absurd. But, you know what they say, "Gas is the past." If Chevron really wants to commit to this whole, "Save the Planet" thing, then lets see them take actual steps toward coming up with alternative energy sources and tell us about it. Don't just make up random people who say they want to conserve and then attach your logo to it.

Pumpkin Spice

2008-11-24T09:43:00.003-06:00

Pumpkin Spice, Pumpkin Spice
Every morning you greet me!
Dark and warm in my mug,
You look happy to meet me!

Newman's French Roast, may you grind and grind
Grind and grind forever!

Pumpkin Spice, Pumpkin Spice
Bless my mornings forever!

Catch Up

2008-07-06T19:44:00.006-06:00

So much has been going on since I last posted, so let's play catch up.

Right now I'm working two jobs and am taking a class. Let's start with the class. It starts Wednesday, and it'll be my third class this summer - I took a May Mini and a class in Summer I. In Summer I, I took Photography, which was really fun. We had to use black and white film and develop it ourselves, which was cool. While working with film and working in the darkroom was fun, the only disappointment I had was that that was pretty much all we did. He didn't really give us much instruction about composition or about any technical aspects. That's kind of unfortunate because that's what I hoped to get out of the class when I signed up for it. Oh well.

Work is going good, too. I'm still working at the TV station, which I love. It's so much fun, and I've formed a really tight knit group of friends there, too. I'm also working for the Battalion at the New Media Desk. It's technically an internship, but I'm getting paid and they really consider me more a member of the staff. There's a pretty strong chance that I'm going to stay on after the school year starts, especially since I'll still be on the pay roll. I just won't be able to put in 20 hours a week like I'm doing right now. I really like working with New Media. It's a relatively new desk. I work with shooting video and editing it, I've written a couple of articles and am currently helping to redesign the Web site. I've been kind of frustrated with my written work, though. I don't know if you ever experienced this, Anna, but the copy editors haven't just corrected any AP mistakes, but they also rearrange sentences or take out sentences. On my last article, they took out the first sentence of my intro and just left the second sentence, making it totally lame. On my first article, they rearranged my attributions, making them extremely redundant. It's frustrating because it makes me seem like I'm not a very good writer. Does anybody know if this is common? I wish they would at least ask me before they change it and publish it.

Last month, I took a trip to Israel and Jordan! It was so amazing. The first part of the trip we were in Jordan meeting with Jordanian university students as a part of the East West Peace Initiative. The purpose was for us to meet each other and try to understand our similarities and differences. I think it was a success! It was really cool to see how much we had in common with each other. The second part of the trip we spent in Israel. We went to so many incredible places. The Valley of Elah, where David fought Goliath; Caesarea; Mt. Carmel, where Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal; Nazareth; The Sea of Galilee; Capernaum; and of course, Jersualem, where we saw the Mt. of Olives, the Garden of Gethesmane, the City of David, the Via Dolorosa (the path Christ took to the cross), Caiaphas' house, the Upper Room and many more. I firmly believe that every person of faith needs to go at least once in their life. If you don't go anywhere else in the world, go there. It will change you, and it's so worth every penny.

In my own life, I learned so much about God, and my faith has been strengthened so much after this trip. God's faithfulness is so apparent through every ruin, every hill. And seeing the ruins is such a reminder about how our lives are such a whisp, a vapor. Millions of people have walked those same hills and seen those same ruins, but we only remember a handful of them, and they were gone a long time ago. It has made it so apparent to me that the only thing that matters is to follow God and to obey Him, to do His will. We are just vapors here on this earth, but the results of our deeds have a chance of lasting. What choice do we have but to follow God's will for us? Nothing else even remotely matters. Nothing. It was such a powerful lesson, a powerful reminder of that truth for me.

So that's what's been going on with me. Life is brilliant. You'd better catch up!

Julie Andrews Interview

2008-04-07T18:14:00.002-06:00

Terry Gross interviewed one of my idols.

Click here to listen.

Life

2008-04-04T15:23:00.006-06:00

In yet another effort to procrastinate, I've decided to update my blog.

I'm supposed to be working on this fabulous information gathering project for one of my journalism classes, but surfing the Internet for everything except scholarly articles, books and government documents seems so much more appealing right now.

Things have been going pretty well lately. The end of the semester is approaching, and I've just now become used to my schedule this semester. Lol. Kind of late in the game, but better late than never, I guess. Not that I'm not ready for this semester to be done. I AM. School work has consumed me this semester, and it's not about to get any better with a pending May-mini and two summer sessions on the horizon.

This summer is also going to be pretty interesting. I'm waiting to hear back from a film internship in Austin, which would be pretty amazing. If that doesn't work out, I'll be here at an internship with the student newspaper and will continue to work for the TV station. (Which is going great, by the way. I love going to work! It's so much fun.)

I'm also going to Israel and Jordan in June for nine days!! I'm so incredibly excited. It's definitely going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I can't wait.

In line with jobs, I recently got hired at RabidPop.com. It's a brand new company that just started about 6 weeks ago and has launched at a couple of other universities and will start at mine next fall. The eventual goal is to be sort of an alternative news source for young people. A team of four students at each universities goes out and asks students what they "think". I'll be an editor. Since, it's a brand new company, and since me and my team are the only ones at my school, we're going to have a lot of freedom to sort of mold it and decide what direction to go in.

I've returned to a lot of my hobbies recently as well. I honestly hadn't picked up my guitar for about two and a half years until two weeks ago, but since then I've been playing it constantly. It's been nice to have the calluses on my left hand fingers return. I've also been taking a lot of photos lately, too - something I haven't really had time for since Germany last summer. I've also returned to cycling again this semester in prep for the MS150. It's next weekend, and I'm pretty excited. I'd like to say I've also had time to start finding new music again, but I unfortunately haven't had much time for that in awhile. I have to fit school and work in there somewhere between guitar and photos. Maybe this summer.

I guess I should get some work done. Aufwiedersehen!

2008-03-26T13:50:00.001-06:00

my life is so crazy!

2008-03-02T19:24:00.000-06:00

i'm not sure if there's anything better than the combination of coffee and computers....well, maybe coffee and a good book. yeah, that's better. but the internet is pretty cool, too.

2008-02-24T18:35:00.003-06:00

2008-02-20T20:11:00.000-06:00

Is it possible to want something you supposedly already have?

Take a deep breath because you've already taken the plunge.

2008-01-24T22:23:00.000-06:00

Well, the semester has officially gotten back into full swing. Classes are going ok; they're going to be a lot of work. I have had more things due in the last two weeks than I think I ever have had due in a semester during my whole time in college so far. I think I'm a much bigger fan of just having three or four tests per class in a semester instead of four or five things due every week. At least it's keeping me from getting behind in my school work. In other news, the tv station hired me on, so I'm no longer an unpaid intern. I'm really ready for the weekend, though. Tuesdays & Thursdays kill me!

Out of Thin Air

2008-01-16T17:49:00.001-06:00

Steve Jobs just revealed the MacBook Air at the Macworld Expose. Apple has outdone themselves again with another ridiculously awesome product. You can check it out here.

Now my PowerBook seems really ancient. :)

Politics: Part 2

2008-01-14T15:42:00.000-06:00

The Democrats

Honestly, I really don't know what to put here. There are things I like and dislike about all of them, and as of this point, I really have no clear favorite.

John Edwards. He seems like a decent guy. Of course, everybody who's trying to run for some type of office tries to make themselves appear like decent people (except Mitt Romney), but he seems like he's doing a better job of it. Hopefully it's not just an act. That being said, he also gives off an air of genuineness, which, of course, may or may not be real, but I do like that him about him. He constantly talks about saving the middle class. I'm not really sure I get that. I'd like to be saved...but from what? If it's from health care, then "please and thank you!", but if he's not talking about that, then I'm not really sure. Maybe from big corporations and the consumerism that's pushed on us? Whatever the case may be, he does have good hair, and I think, a good heart.

Barack Obama. This guy seems to be surrounded by so many things that it's been hard for me to really get a good grasp on him. I don't know how "correct" or not what I'm going to write next is, but I like the fact that he's black. I think it's about time that America has a black president. That being said, I'm certainly not going vote for him just because of that. It's been hard to get a feel for his character, at least for me. He talks up change really big, and sometimes I see him as being genuine, but in others I almost get the feel that he's hiding something. I've heard a lot about his switch from Islam to Christianity, and I don't really know what that's all about. If it was genuine, then that's great. But if not, I don't want someone as our president who's really living a lie and professing to believe in something that he really doesn't believe in. If it was genuine, though, and he did get elected, I think that his Muslim background could be an asset to him, especially when dealing with the whole Iraq, and now Pakistan and Iran issues. Like I said, he still seems a bit fuzzy around the edges to me. Hopefully time will help make my image of him more clear.

Bill Richardson. I guess he doesn't matter anymore, since he's dropped out of the race.

Hillary Clinton. I used to not be able to stand her, but now, to be completely honest, she's starting to grow on me. As I said before about it being about time for a black president, I think it's also about time for a woman president. We need to go ahead and join the rest of the western world. Britain's had one, Germany has one, etc. That being said, I'm not going to vote for her just because she's a woman. That would be stupid. But, as I said before, she's starting to grow on me. She has guts; she's tough. And, as she keeps repeating over and over, she does have experience. I think that experience is a huge asset of hers. However, I'm really disappointed in her health care reforms. She bowed to the people with the big bucks. I don't want a president that's hooked by a ball and chain to the lobbyists. That's one thing I love about John Edwards. He hasn't taken a cent from lobbyists, and I think that that is absolutely awesome. I think, in Hillary's case, just as in Obama's, time will tell. I think I'm gonna keep my eye on Edwards, though.

Politics: Part 1

2008-01-08T23:52:00.000-06:00

I've decided to start doing some political blogging, which, I think, is fitting, considering the exciting happenings that are taking place in that arena. I'm going to backtrack a little to the debates that took place on Saturday and ignore the fact that the results of the New Hampshire primaries have just come in.

Maybe I should go through the candidates one by one and give my opinions of them.

The Republicans

John McCain. I like his strong manner. He definitely seems like he would be a good protector and a fighter of evil terrorists. However, I've had plenty of that with "Dubya" and I'm quite tired of it now. Everything he says seems to be the Bush mantra, and, frankly, I think America's tired of that now.

Fred Thompson. I think the best word to describe him would be "creepy". He just looks gross. Plus, he's not saying anything different from any of the other ones. Why vote for someone who looks like he just woke up from the crypt?

Ron Paul. I really liked him in the debate. When he was able to get a word in edgewise over the disgusting Mitt Romney, it was evident that he was one of the few up there who was actually thinking and answering the questions put to him, not just spewing out meaningless garble. From what he said, he seems like someone who is aware of the problems that America is facing, unlike the rest, who just seemed like the were saying what their managers and speech writers tell them to.

Mitt Romney. Oh my gosh. He was such a jerk, especially toward Ron Paul. All of them were, really. They would laugh every time he said something, which, in my book, means utter disrespect and disdain for someone. And Mitt would never let any other candidate get a word in edgewise. Every time someone started to speak, he would interrupt and speak over them until they finally just gave up with what they were trying to say. That is so completely disrespectful. Even if I did agree with everything that was coming out of his mouth (Which I didn't. It was the same bologna that the rest of 'em spew out), just seeing his attitude alone would completely shut off the idea of ever voting for him. (Not to mention, he's a liar. Who says that their dad marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and then, when confronted with the actual truth that they were never even in each other's presence, says that he was there with him in spirit?)

Mike Huckabee. I like his social conservatism. I don't like the same Bush mantra. He didn't say much at the debates, so it was hard to get a clear feel of him there. However, I recently read an article by the Times where a reporter listed out a lot of the things in did in office as governor. Basically, according to this article (and apparently the history of past decisions he's made), he only does what he wants and doesn't take into account other advisors or opinions. He does what he wants, and it doesn't matter what you think. End of story. If this be true, personally, I don't want another one of those in office again.

Rudy Giuliani. Basically, if it's not about what happened on September 11, he has no clue. Every word he said further proved this point.

So that's my opinions of the facebook/abc Republican debate and the Republican candidates thus far. Next blog, the Democrats.

2007-12-06T17:16:00.001-06:00

Lately I've been going through a study about Spiritual Gifts, and it seems like the more I've learned about them, the more I've been wanting to use them in a ministry of my own. However, I've been having trouble trying to fit that in with the things that I enjoy and the natural talents that I have. My main areas of spiritual giftedness are Knowledge, Pastor/Shepherding, Wisdom, and Teaching. And one of the frustrating things for me is that it seems like people with these gifts usually end up teaching Bible studies and other things like that. Those are great things, however, I've done that and honestly, I didn't really enjoy it. I wasn't passionate for the ministry and the girls in my group.

It was really frustrating, and it led me to become sort of disenchanted because the people who enjoy doing that usually have my gifts, and yet I don't like doing that. So the question that has been in the back of my mind throughout this study is, "Is there any ministry out there where I can use my gifts AND do what I enjoy doing (i.e., what my talents are)?" And, I think I've been led into the mindset that you have a career with your talents, and you use your spiritual gifts in a separate ministry at a church, which has been sort of a frustrating thing for me.

However, today, I came across this verse:

"You shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister as priest to Me." Exodus 28:3

And then I came across this one:

"Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, AND in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze." Exodus 31:1

After I read that, I was like, "That's me! I have those same gifts! And his artistic talent - that would be me thousands of years ago!" This verse seemed to hit me like a brick in the head! (Don't you love it when God does that?) It was as if He was saying to me, "See, I gave you those specific gifts and those specific talents to YOU for a reason! I want you to use both your gifts and your talents together to glorify Me!"

God gives spiritual gifts to people to use in conjunction with their other gifts and talents. What an amazing thing! He intends you to use everything that He's blessed you with to glorify Him.

After reading that, the main question I had in the back of my mind was, "What is this wonderful ministry that God has 'called [me] by name' to?"

And then I came across this verse:

"Trust in the LORD and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart."
Psalm 37:3-4

God has a specific ministry planned for me, and He'll give it to when I'm ready. What I need to do right now is to dwell in His land and "cultivate faithfulness". I need to be faithful with the small things. I need to delight myself in Him. Then, when I'm ready, God will give me the ministry He's planned for me, the "desires of my heart."

This has been a really introspective blog. However, I think everyone can take something away from these verses. God really does have a plan for everyone, just like he had for Bezalel. He intends you to use everything He's gifted you with - not just your spiritual gifts and not just your talents. But, He'll reveal His plans at the right time - when you're ready. So, if you don't know what you're supposed to be doing, don't worry. Cultivate faithfulness, and, in time, He'll show you.

2007-10-11T23:14:00.000-06:00

So, it's been awhile. Quite a long while.

But I'm back now, at least for today.

Around me everything seems so chaotic, and I've been trying to find the peaceful calm. I haven't had much luck yet, although sometimes there are fleeting moments where it hovers in front of my face and then blows away. I wish I could reach out and grab them, pull them close to my chest and just keep them there for a little while.

But I think I've become used to the chaos. It's become quite natural to me now, as has getting a not-so-healthy dosage of six hours of sleep per night also become natural. I go and I go and I go, and when I stop, I tend to feel a bit awkward. It's too unusual for me, and it's uncomfortable.

Wakeup-quiettime-toastcoffeemagazine-brushteeth-drive-bus-journalism-readthebatt-comm315-studystudysandwichstudy-german-bus-drive-changeclothes-workthe5workthe6-workout-leancusine-workthe10-homework-bed.mondaywednesdayfriday.

Wakeup-quiettime-toastcoffeemagazine-brushteeth-homework-drive-bus-creativewritingprose-historyofrhetoric-bus-drive-study-meeting-leancusine-studystudy-bed.tuesdaythursday.

Wakeup.....late....breakfast/lunch.....hmmm....footballgame.....saturday.

The weekends, while relaxing, tend to feel a bit awkward for me and I don't really know what to do with my free time. I've even found myself looking forward to Monday because of it. Time with friends and boyfriend fill the awkwardness when they're there, but when I'm alone I sometimes feel unnatural. It often times seems that when I grab the fleeting moments of peaceful calm, they don't seem as beautiful and serene when I get a closer look. It's weird and it's frustrating that relaxing has become such a struggle. I always need to be going and doing or something doesn't feel right. Perhaps the western fast-paced life has taken hold of me and I can'tslowdown.

The First Few Days

2007-08-28T19:02:00.000-06:00

My first few days back have been interesting. Interesting in a good way, and interesting in an, well, interesting way.

My family came up last weekend to see my house and my brother's apartment, as well as to attend his freshman convocation. It was nice to have them around as a last hurrah before school started. My first day went well. I have a dilemma though. I can't decide whether I should drop this fascinating class that I'm in, Interpersonal Communication. It's all about every aspect of relationships that you can think of. Even down to long distance relationships and breakups. I want to drop it because I'd rather not take fifteen hours and work, but I want to keep it because it will be really interesting. And also because one of my roommates is in it, and that would be fun. I'm also tempted to drop my German class instead because, well, I feel that I am strongly lacking in my knowledge of the language compared to my classmates. But if I did drop it, what would become of my fall back German minor? Descisions, decisions.

Yesterday evening I took a Hip Hop dance class. Yes, me, the white girl who ain't got much rhythm. It was so much fun! It was a work out, let me tell you. My quads are quite sore today. We learned a routine that was pretty amazing. I can't wait to try it out the next time I go dancing! One of my roommates and I decided to try out all of the free exercise classes the Rec is offering this week. Today was Kickboxing. If I wasn't sore already, I sure will be tommorow. But that was also really fun too.

Class today was also, well, interesting. I'm really excited about my Creative Writing class. My professor started off with the phrase, "You will get to know the people in this class better than in any other class you've taken. You will know some of their deepest darkest secrets, but not how they take their coffee or what kind of eggs they like." I'm excited about writing. And about deepest darkest secrets.

The class I have after that does not seem like it will be nearly as fun. It's about the history of rhetoric. We're going to read a lot of Plato. And that's not that bad. What's bad is the prof. I kid you not, he talked for thirty minutes straight about the syllabus before he handed it out, and then talked for thirty minutes more about it after he handed it out. All in a very soft voice using big words that didn't really even go together. On top of that, we also have a QUIZ over the syllabus on Thursday. A bit ridiculous, don't you think? This would definitely be the class that I would be dropping if it were not required for my degree.

So that's what's been happening the last couple days. I'll keep you posted as I move on through the school year!

Summer, Summer, Summer...and more Summer.

2007-08-08T09:53:00.000-06:00

I have never been ready for summer to be over, but I am now! This is really weird for me. It feels like July has been the longest month of my life. Germany seems like it's been ages ago. I got my hair cut a little less than a week after I got back, and it already feels like I need another one...but it's been less than a month! I feel really lazy and unproductive...I have no job and I haven't been going to school, so maybe that's why the days feel like they've been dragging on. I'm also frustrated with the fact that I haven't been in the water much, and that's one of the things I was looking forward to the most when I was in Germany. This weekend is a weekend at the beach with friends, though, so I'm excited about that! Last night Andrew and I went to a 'Stros game, and that was a lot of fun! One year and two months now. Crazy! Things have been good, like last night, but I guess I just get really bored during the days. Last weekend I went up to school to organize my room and paint and stuff. Painting may be my curse, but I was getting anxious because my other roommates have painted and I wanted to too. I love my room now! I have one red wall and the other three tan. It looks great!

I really want to go waterskiing. I've never been before. I know that's pretty lame...and random. I want to. Maybe I can try to get it in before school starts. Today we're going to buy Chris his laptop. I think it's pretty sad that I'm more excited about it than he is. And that I already know which one I want to get him, and he doesn't care. Oh well. After that I'm going to go spend the night with my grandmother tonight. She's had surgery on her knee and is pretty much bedridden, so she's lonely. I'm going to go keep her company.

Survey

2007-07-23T21:00:00.000-06:00

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Stage hand at Rudder Theatre...occasionally.
2. Worked at my dad's office for about three summers off and on.
3. Secretary at BCA for about two weeks...lol.
4. Babysitter.
An inexcusable lacking in the job department, but I'm currently working on it... What can I say? I haven't really been thrown out in the real world...yet.

Four places I have lived:
1. Houston area
2. CS
3. Bonn...? yay!
4.Someplace ridiculously cool in the future.

Four TV shows I like to watch:
1. LOST
2. The Office
3. 24
4. A tie between Grey's and The Amazing Race

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. England
2. Italy
3. France
4. Boston, MA

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Chili's Molten Lava Cake
2. Brownies
3. Fajitas
4. Mac 'n' Cheese

Four places I would like to be right now:
1. Oxford
2. Sydney
3. Hawai'i
4. New Braunfels

Mexicanische Essen und Texas

2007-07-13T23:29:00.000-06:00

So, basically, I'm inhaling Mexican food.

For the past week and a half that I've been back, it's pretty much all I've eaten. It was one of the main things that I missed when I was in Europe, and because of that I've come to a realization:

I think living in another state besides Texas would be just as hard for me as living in a foreign country.

Now, I know that this is a pretty interesting statement, but I think that while I wouldn't mind living in another state, I know it wouldn't be any harder for me to live there than it would to live in another country. And one of the main reasons for that, I think, is the lack of decent Mexican food in other states...and, depending on what state, the lack of country music.

Now, I'm not really a huge country music fan. I like it, but it's not my favorite. I think I would just miss hearing it every time I walk into a restaurant or store. I know that's kind of a weird thing to miss, but it's one of those things that lets me know I'm in Texas, lets me know that I'm home.

I guess that could lead into another discussion, Texas pride, but I don't think that there's really much to discuss there. I honestly can't explain my Texas pride, and nor can any other Texan that I've talked with. It's not like it was ingrained in me from a small age. My parents never told me, "Now, you're from Texas. It's much better than all of the other states so you should be proud!" Nothing of the sort! Besides, my dad is from Ohio. But somehow, without ever being told, I have a Texas pride and it's just sort of naturally there. It's an unusual thing, but I like it, and I'm proud to have pride in my state! And its amazing Mexican food!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

2007-07-06T22:11:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm back home. It's good to be back. But the funny thing is, just being here makes me feel as if I haven't even left. Maybe it's because things haven't really changed. The big pick up trucks and Wranglers seem so normal here, but they haven't been a reality in my life for the last six weeks. I know I wasn't gone long. And it didn't feel like it was that long either. But I had expected to feel that I had actually been gone for six weeks rather than just a day or two. I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing. I feel like I have the whole summer in front of me even though I have only a month. I don't want my experience to fade away, but I can already feel it becoming just a memory. That's a little discouraging. Another thing that I don't want to happen is that I don't want to lose my German. I had intended on double minoring or majoring in it, just so I would continue learning it. However, I looked at the German courses I would have to take next semester, and unfortunately, they're both during times that I'm already registered for other classes. What to do? I'm not really sure.

It's good to be back home, though. I've been enjoying spending time with my mom and my little brother, Alex. My dad and Chris are on a trip, and so is Carolyn, so it's just been us. It's been really nice. Tonight we went to Ikea and P.F. Changs. Wednesday and Thursday we were in Galveston. Andrew comes back from Alaska tommorow, and I'm going to pick him up at the airport. I can't wait!!!

I'm looking forward to this month of rest and relaxation. A nice calm before the storm of the new semester that's on the horizon. But I'm really looking forward to this semester. I have a feeling that it's going to be so incredibly amazing! My goals for this month: read a lot and blog frequently. We'll see if I can get them accomplished!

P.S. Anna, I actually kept a written journal every day of the trip...when I see you in CS, I'll let you look at it!

Bonn, how I love thee!

2007-06-25T12:32:00.000-06:00

Well, tommorow is my last day in Bonn. Sad, sad sad. Although I'm ready to get back home and see my family and my beloved boyfriend, I really am going to miss Bonn. Seeing as how I've never lived anywhere other than home and college for as long a period of time as this, I've truly adopted this most quaint of cities as my own. I'm going to miss riding the 66 everyday, and walking around the city and feeling its beauty and age. Not to mention, its great shopping. I'm really especially going to miss my host family. They are the neatest people ever. I hope we stay in touch.

Tommorow we have our last class day, and then this chapter of my study abroad ends, and I move on to the next one. We leave early Wednesday morning for a trip around Germany, ending in Berlin, where we'll stay five days and then depart for the US. It's going to be fun, especially because we won't have homework or tests hanging over our heads now, but I'm sure I will be very tired by the end of it. I am really looking forward to it, however the nostalgia I'm feeling about Bonn right now is on the forefront of my mind.

I intend to write about my Munich weekend, however it might not be until I return to the US, and by then I might decide that I don't feel like it anymore. If there is anyone who reads this who has a preference, if they voice it then I will do my best to fufill their wishes. Right now, though, it's very late, and I'm not really feelin' another blog. Hanging around Jeremiah lately has made me very self-concious about my grammar and punctuation, and I'm sure this blog is full of mistakes, but oh well. If you're a grammar freak like him, you'll just have to get over it...lol.

Tschuss for now!

The Last Week in Review

2007-06-13T02:24:00.000-06:00

So much to write! I'll break it down to the bare bones.

Last Thursday we went on a cruise down the Rhine. It was so incredibly beautfiul and romantic! Our boat was surrounded by hills with beautiful castle ruins and quaint villages dotted all over them. It's hard to describe, but my heart felt so light as we sailed down the river.

Early the next morning, I left for Paris! Our train left at 6:30 to Cologne, but in order to take the U-bahn to the train station, I had to catch the 5:45 one. Then we left from Cologne to Paris at 7:14. We got to Paris around 11:30am and then rode the Metro to our hotel. We chilled at the hotel for a bit and then left for the Lourve! It was magnificent and overwhelming, just as I remembered it. Of course, we saw the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. We also saw Hamaraubi's Code, the first set of written laws, which was really cool.

After we spent about three hours in the Lourve, we ate dinner at this quaint little French restaurant. I had wine, French bread, duck, and for dessert, a chocolate cake with ice cream similar to Chili's Molten Chocolate Lava Cake, my favorite! After dinner we went to the Arc de Triomphe and climbed to the top to see the view and to see the Eiffel Tower light up! We came back down and saw a couple of boys dancing on the sidewalk and they were really really good. Their upper body strength and balance was fantastic. Then we rode the metro to the Eiffel Tower, with the intention of going up it. However, the elevators close at 11, and it was past 11 when we arrived, so we couldn't go. Instead, we went back to our hotel.

The next day, we woke up early and went to the Notre Dame Cathedral. It was beautiful, and I really enjoyed it. Then we met up with Rodney, our old German TA who was living in Paris for the semester to study French. She showed us around the city and took us to eat some amazing crepes! For dinner we ate at a place that she knew. I had Bordeaux, french bread, lamb, and creme brulee! After dinner we had planned on taking a cruise down the Seine to see all of the sights at night. However, we were running late, so we had to sprint to the metro, and from the metro, sprint to the boat. One of the guys with us has a limp, so Andrew, another guy with us and a former marine, picked him up and ran with him over his shoulder! It was hilarious! We made it, and boat ride was wonderful! Everything is lit up, and it was so nice to see people walking along the river, couples sitting, and some people dancing!

The next day we went to Versailles. Talk about over the top. It was very beautiful and enormous. Our tour took us at least two hours, if not more, but it was worth it. And the gardens were huge! We didn't even come close to covering the whole thing. We bought sandwiches for lunch, and sat under the trees to eat them. After that we had to go back to our hotel to pick up our luggage and leave for Bonn!

On Monday we just had class, but in the afternoon we went to Cologne and took a tour of the top of the cathedral. We went up on the roof and under the rafters. It was really neat.

Tuesday we had an all day excursion to Trier. Trier has tons of ancient Roman ruins, and we saw the Porta Nigra, as well as the Roman castle that Peter Jackson modeled Gondor after! We also went to a museum about the emperor Constantine, and afterwards, to a winery for dinner and a wine tasting! It was a lot of fun!

Wednesday, we had class, but afterwards a few friends and I planned on going to Cologne to visit the Chocolate Museum. However, it had closed by the time we arrived, so we went shopping instead.

Thursday was just class. Not too special. However, Friday we left for Munich! I think I'll start a new blog to talk about Munich. This one is getting a bit overwhelming!

2007-06-04T09:29:00.002-06:00

Things are great! I´m having SUCH a good time!! Last Thursday we went to Cologne and toured the city. It was cool. I tried to take a lot of cool photos. This is the famous Dom Cathedral from inside the Roman-German Museum.

This is inside the cathedral

A famous piece of ancient Roman glass found in Cologne:

In the city..

On Saturday we went to the Brühl Palace, which was sooo beautiful. It reminded me of a palace from Pride and Prejudice or Beauty and the Beast. This was the second time I seriously felt like I was in a fairy tale or novel. Here it is. If you´ve seen the old Pride and Prejudice, doesn´t this look like Lady Catherine deBourgh´s house?

Things are going great. I have a test tommorow, so that´s not great, but other than that, things are great...lol. I love my host family! They are so cool. Here´s why:

- They love Lost.
- They have a Little Miss Sunshine sticker on one of their doors.
- Thomas has an absolutely amazing music collection...and it's a really good one.
- Thomas is into photography.
- They both are into cycling.

Ulla is so incredibly sweet, giving, loving and fun. And Thomas and I are into a lot of the same stuff. And the boys are just sweet. Simon (8) is so cute. Moritz (13) plays "The Eye of the Tiger" on repeat for hours at a time. They are a really servant-hearted family and are really fun to be around. Sometimes I wish I wasn't as busy as I am so that I could spend more time with them. But, I'm glad we have a busy schedule. All of the stuff that we've seen so far has been fantastic. Thursday we're going on a cruise down the Rhine, and this weekend I'm going to Paris!!

Tschuss!

Hallo!

2007-05-30T02:25:00.001-06:00

Things are going great so far. I´ve done so much stuff, and I haven´t even been here a week yet. I love my host family. They are fantastic and so much fun, especially my host mom, Ulla. Here's a picture of the view from my room:

Well, here´s a quick run-down of what we´ve been doing so far. Friday, we had class and then toured the city of Bonn, the most interesting part being Beethoven´s house.

Saturday we hiked up one of the Seven Mountains that surround Bonn (die Siebengebirge) to an old castle ruin on the top. That mountain also is where the legend of Siegfried and the Dragon comes from. On our way back down we went a different path through the woods, and it was so insanely beautiful. I seriously felt like I was in a fairy tale, and it seemed like someone somewhere was writing about me in it. Here´s a picture of me in the woods. This one´s for you, Andrew.

On Sunday, Ulla took me to Cologne (Köln)and we walked around and looked at all of the shops in the rain, even though they were closed. Then we met her friend, Stefan for coffee. He works at a radio and tv station in Cologne, and when I told him that I´m interested in that type of stuff, he took us there and showed us everything. It was really cool!! Later we went home and ate. That evening, Ulla and I went to a winery near by where we live and met another one of her friends, an English teacher. We had their new Sommerwein and talked about random things until they closed. We talked a lot about what Germany was like when it was divided into West and East Germany. It was really interesting.

Monday we had a group excursion in the Eifel region. It was super cold and raining, but still a lot of fun. We had to be there at 7:45 am and we drove to a monastery called Maria Laach that has been around since the 11th century. We went to mass and listened to the monks sing Gregorian chants. It was so cool! Then we drove to a Medieval castle called the Bürresheim Schloß. The older part of it was a Burg, which is a defensive castle, and then a little bit later the inhabitants added on a castle for living in (Schloß). Both were built in like the 9 or 1000s. What was cool about it was that it still had original furniture from the Middle Ages up through the 1800s, so you got to see what it really looked like back in the day. Here's a picture of the monastery:

And here is Bürresheim:

Then we drove to Monreal, the most romantic village in Germany. Unfortunately, it was raining, so I'm sure what we saw was not Monreal in all of its glory, but oh well. There were two castle ruins on hills overlooking Monreal, so some of our group climbed up to them. It was a lot of fun! And here I am looking over the town. I promise I'm not Photoshopped in here; this is real!

Here we are at the top of one of the castles

On Tuesday we had class and met one of the 10 mayors of Bonn in the Rathaus (city hall). Yesterday we just had class, and today after class we're going to Cologne. We're going to tour the city and go to a few museums, I think. But all in all, I've been having a fantastic time so far!!!

In Deutschland

2007-05-24T06:14:00.000-06:00

Well, Ive arrived! Even though Im typing on an American keyboard, they have it wired as a German one, and I havent figured out where the apostrophe is yet, so youll have to bear with me.

Im really excited to be here. The plane ride over sucked, though. Im usually ok on cross Atlantic flights, but this time for some reason I felt sick the whole time and had to visit the bathroom a couple of times. Gross. Maybe it was the pasta.

We got here and went to the Uni, where they gave us an information packet and then sent us off with our host families. Mine is so sweet...Thomas, Ulla, Moritz, and Simon. They are a wonderful family and I cant wait to get to know them better. Today our group went on a tour of Bonn and then ate lunch at a little Bier Garten overlooking the Rhine. I think we are about to watch a German movie and take a placement test. My German has been ok so far, but I thought I would be able to understand more than I can. Hopefully this trip will help me work on that!

Leaving

2007-05-21T16:18:00.000-06:00

So, I leave tommorow for Germany! Craziness. I'm excited, but it is a little bit bittersweet because it will be hard to leave behind the ones I love. This is the longest trip I will have gone on before, and they will be missed dearly, but at least it is only for five weeks.

I'll be in Bonn for most of the time, but there will also be lots of traveling. I go to class in the mornings, and in the afternoons we sightsee and things. It's gonna be great! I'll try to update more when I'm over there, although I suppose I can't promise anything.

I've meant to update more lately, but haven't had time. I do have some good blog ideas that I'm storing away in my memory for later. But anyways, hopefully I'll see you on the other side!

AHHHH!!!

2007-05-06T22:20:00.001-06:00

I am SO ready to be done with school!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another Assortment of Random

2007-05-03T19:00:00.000-06:00

Well, the blog has been revamped. The picture on the header was taken outside of Harrington a few months ago, in case you were wondering, and you know where that is.

As usual, I'm having blogger's block, but felt that I should post something because of my site's new look. Finals are officially starting tommorow, although I've already taken two. I still have three to go, though.

One thing I don't like about blogger as compared to Xanga is that there's no space to put what you're currently listening to/reading/watching. I also don't like how hard blogger makes it to personalize your site. It only gives a few certain templates to choose from, and if you want to change anything on those, you have to go in and mess with the html, which I had to do a lot. It was a pain. Xanga, although there's one basic form to it, lets you change every aspect of it. (By every aspect I just mean color and font). I was rather frustrated that in order to change some colors on a template I had to go into the html to do it.

Ok, sorry. I just realized that this has to be one of the most boring blogs of all time. Maybe I should start writing down good blog ideas when they come to me, or just carry my laptop with me everywhere. Once I get over to Germany I'm sure my blogs will be much more exciting.

Since the MS150, I haven't had much time to work out, which is kind of frustrating to me. It's especially frustrating because these last two days have been dead days. Right before the MS, I was going twice a day! Talk about dedicated! Now I just feel like a sluggard. I guess one good aspect of this is that the reason I haven't been working out has been because I've been studying and hanging out with friends. I suppose those are admirable things to do during finals time and at the end of the year.

I feel like things are together in my life right now, which is a very rare feeling and never lasts more than a day or two, but I've been feeling like this for the past three, which has to be some kind of record. My quiet times the past few days have been especially good. Maybe that's why I feel this way. That's a really good realization to come to. :) I've been reading Proverbs, and I feel like I'm gleaning so much from it. A friend of mine also gave me a series on the Song of Solomon, preached by the head pastor of Denton Bible Church, that I've been listening to in my car since Tuesday, and it is so good. It's funny how good things can feel when you're digging in deep into the Word. It's a feeling that I haven't felt in a long time, and I feel like I've found an old friend.

Well, I'd better go get some dinner because my tumbly is rumbly. lol.

And P.S. I'm currently listening to Chris Thile of Nickel Creek.

Blogging & Cycling

2007-04-26T08:43:00.000-06:00

I almost feel as if I've forgotten how to blog. I keep wanting to post one, but every time I have time to do so, words escape me. And then there are little moments that happen occasionally that make me think, "Hmm, that would make a good blog", but then when I have time to write about them, I've forgotten them. Ah well, such as life, I guess?

Blogging also seems to be a rhythm that you have to get yourself into. First semester freshman year I was definitely in a blogging rhythm. I would blog every couple of days and they would be fairly decent blogs, in my opinion. I was hoping to get back into that rhythm with this blog, but perhaps it takes the discipline at first to make yourself actually sit down and write. I should try harder.

Things have been dragging along, up and down.

I just got done with three tests in two days. Never a fun place to be in. However, I can safely say that last weekend was one of my favorite experiences ever. I rode my bike 173.66 miles in the BPMS150, and it was amazing. From Houston, TX to Austin, TX, baby! We spent the night in La Grange. So much fun! Cycling is definitely my new favorite hobby! (Which is probably a good thing since a just bought a road bike and some cycling shoes and other gear, which is always expensive.) I'm pretty sure I'm going to join the cycling team next year, and I'm pumped about it. Right after crossing the finish line:

And here's one of Andrew and me in all of our cycling glory:

Fun, fun. I guess I'd better go. A lot of Deutsch Hausaufgaben to do, unfortunately.

I thought that was you walking by...

2007-03-22T14:24:00.000-06:00

I really want to sit down and write some profound things, but I just don't have the time. I have a big test tommorow, and then several next week. Boo. And I'm meeting with the pt in about 30 minutes, so I should go get dressed. But, soon, very soon, I will unleash the Muse. In the mean while, here's a picture I took over Spring Break at a concert:

I'm here now...

2007-03-21T18:57:00.000-06:00

I just wanted a place where I could think and write. And not neccesarily have people know that this blog is here. But Xanga is so stagnate for me now. So I'm here now. I like it. I'm excited.