PUMPED!

...i'm lying. I'm so not pumped. But I kind of am. In a very I have so much to do-- some of it will be really fun, the rest of it boring and tedious kind of way. This afternoon I was really slagging-- took a small nap in Econ... my b. 

Well, this is all I've been able to get in before Peterso starts to nag me about leaving. She does it because she loves me, and she knows no other way.  Where are we going you ask?

To the AWESOME EIGHTIES!!!! Encore show (not to be confused with the encore Encore performance we will go see tomorrow with Noelle's fam and Chris). It will be dynamic and exilerating, no doubt. Tonight we're going as a sis date, so that will be fun. maybe I am pumped! Eh, ask me again at 11 when I start writing my literature review... I will be back here later tonight, for sure. 

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Ha! As if I have even started my lit review. Grand plans for productivity shot down once more. The night was so worth it, though. For the record, we were late meeting the sisters at the BCM-- by a whopping 3 minutes, but late nonetheless. I really do want to get better at that. It may not be my priority by habit, but that does not mean I can't make it one-- especially to honor my dear friend Ashley. In honoring my friend, obliging her expectations, I am ultimately showing respect to her Creator, who happens to claim the both of us. 

We were a regular riot at the show. Hootin and hollerin for our favorite Meds. It was especially fun to have Robyn here-- for her to see that while none of us have the same relationship with Noelle and UMW is so different from Naptown, we do honestly cherish her friend and take pride in her talent. 

We did the Friendly's thing after the show, because we weren't hyped up enough. More sugar was absolutely the solution to our duldrums. Sugar and spitballs. We didn't go with our usual dozen scoop, as per we had some very welcome tagalongs and also because each of our palates

craved something different. Sweet, salty, mint, lemon rhine? Ours were tough decisions tonight. The options were too varied to stick with the usual. 

Lisa drove me back to the dorm and we got out to have some life chats. Prioritizing, time management, relationship investment, and freshman were amongst the topics of discussion. Peterso popped in and we started on relationships and love and expectations. Then Terrence showed up and the conversation switched to hotel robberies, gas prices, cross-country getaways, central standard time, boyfriends, little asian manicurists as dentists, Dr. Gupta's hair, her children who probably work the 411 phonelines back in India-- you know, just your average speaking points. He is the joy of my MWF mornings from 10-10:50. The sister time, though, was what made the two hours of bench-sitting so incredibly rich. And even if we didn't have so much time to talk about the deeper things, the chance to get a small glimpse into the heart of these Godly women was refreshing. It is also just one more way that God has been encouraging me to seek out good fellowship. Recently I have just hungered for it more, which I know is in direct response to my request for Him to plant it. Thank you, God, for putting this desire in my heart and nurturing it with times like tonight. 

Ashley and I got back to the room around 12. Dina said hello and then peaced out for an early bed time. We talked about random things again. This time along the subjects of Kennedys, snowmen, and Saturday plans. Why snowmen?

Sarah Berry sent me this book for my birthday which I love. Seriously, it's my new favorite book. It sits in my windowsill, and honestly I hadn't really given it too much thought recently. But Peterso picked it up and read it, so I too took a stab at it. Call me crazy, but it gets me every time. It's all about the changing of seasons and hope. Mushy? yes. Applicable? believe it.

In the book, Sadie (did I mention this book is entitled Sadie and the Snowman?!) builds a snowman on a perfectly snowy winter day. But as it gets warmer the snowman melts and Sadie gets upset. She doesn't want to let go quite yet. 

But then she gets an idea to put the remnants of the snowman into a ziploc bag and save the snowman until next winter. So, Sadie goes about the rest of the year happily. She looks forward to a day with the snowman, but this anticipation does not keep her from living joyfully through the rest of the seasons. Matter of fact it is because of her hope that she is able to keep on joyfully in the moment. She has a hope that sustains her. 

Sometimes I feel like I'm living not necessarily deadline to deadline but break to break. Fall break to Thanksgiving to Christmas to Spring Break to Summer. Why measure life this way? Because these are my chances to be home. Every time I leave Little Rock it's like I don't want to give it up quite yet. Every time I do something a little uncomfortable, I'm reluctant to give up the comfort. The catcher here is that I really don't have a choice. I have to get back to school, I have to step outside of my comfort zone. The snowman is going to melt no matter what. Whether or not I choose to store it up and give it over or not, the company of my family or any type of comfort is just going to go away for a while. It's a cycle that just happens. What is one to do? Find a ziploc bag. 

My ziploc bag? Jesus Christ. In Him I know I will see the fam again. I know I will be comforted. Maybe here on Earth-- it could be over Thanksgiving Break. It may not be that I see the fam or find comfort again here on earth. I don't know. I'm not promised any amount of time down here. But in the end I am promised eternity. I am promised love and comfort again. I am going to see the snowman again. It's stored away for safe keeping. In the meantime there is work to be done. There are other seasons to go through and enjoy. Some will not be so enjoyable. Some will really hurt. But I do not have to worry, because that snowman will be there in the end. All I have to do is invest in the current season. Make the in between joyful. 

The Ziploc Bag is caring for what you've lost until the perfect time to rebuild it... there is something to be pumped about!

 

(i don't know if you can see the backwards colander on the snowman's head, but it leads me to believe this is a gangsta snoman...)