Change In Plans

Two things:

1. 14-year-old me picked a good band to be her all time favorite.
2. I think I shall drop out of grad school, quit work, and follow Coldplay around the world to work on my 14-year-old self's ambition: become Mrs. Chris Martin. :)

SDG

Weekend Adventure

I just heard a sports announcer say that this was the last Sunday of summer. It's a bittersweet concept, as I have lamented in an earlier post. While fall doesn't come to Hattiesburg until about December (a sad fact, I've had to come to terms with), one outdoor activity that will suffer is swimming. So Saturday morning, some friends and I decided we would go to Red Bluff to hike and swim in the river. This is the bluff:

We climbed down and began our trek, collecting purple clay along the way, making tribal-esq markings on each others' arms and faces. As we got near the end of the trail, we discovered that Tropical Storm Lee had flooded the river way up the trail, covering our entry point, a rocky beach. Without the beach, there was no resting place to keep us from getting caught in the river's current. We tried to find a way around it, but after being mauled by mosquitoes and slipping around in stinky mud, there was no other place we could get in, so we turned back around.

We didn't let this unexpected change of plans dishearten our spirits, though! We still had a great time enjoying the outdoors and each others' company. We even roped a nice couple into taking group pictures of us.

It was a very good day, and it ended with some delicious frozen yogurt and a movie at the apartment, not to mention a free fireworks show across the street.

SDG

Whatever Works

Drinking coffee out of a extra-large, smiley face cup: motivation for finishing the last 2 to 3 pages of a paper due in about 5 hours.
SDG

Losing Direction

Before I moved to Hattiesburg, I had this feeling in my gut that Tupelo was not where I was meant to be. I take my gut feelings very seriously, so I prayed about it and through some very tough analysis of my motivations, I applied for graduate school. Thankfully, I can see now that God had  a purpose in my moving here. I've grown a lot spiritually, met some great people, made some friendships I'm certain will last a life-time, and gained some professional experience.

For a while, I could see myself continuing life in Hattiesburg, working full-time where I intern, devoting more time to my church, all at the very least until my roommate finishes her graduate degree next year. However, I got the gut feeling again....

All of a sudden, a desire I had when I finished my undergrad returned in full force. I could picture myself working for a place with a Gospel purpose, further North, in cooler weather, closer to other friends, but about the same distance from family as I am now.

I feel the call of Nashville.

This is where me simultaneously feeling lost comes in. I graduate in May, and now I don't know what God has planned for me after this. A part of me would be content here, but I also feel the need to wander a bit, experience new people, new places. It comes down to an issue of comfort versus risk... and possibly heartache. I took a risk in January, and it worked out, but I feel like God reveals His plans for me in a way that completely revolutionizes what I perceived His plan to be previously. I need to be in prayer.

God, I want to do Your will. I want a life completely devoted to Your glory, but Lord, sometimes I don't know what that means. I have my own desires, and pray to see them come to fruition, but I know that ultimately it's Your desire for my life that matters. Help me internalize that concept so it becomes as natural a thought as breathing. I ask this all in Jesus' name, as it is not me, but He who lives in me. Amen.
SDG

Not ready... but maybe

Second summer vacation was over as of last Wednesday.

I'm not yet ready to relinquish my only worries being work-related...
Reading what I want instead of what I have too...
Random late nights doing nothing in particular...
Days when putting on make up would be pointless...
Swimming all day long...
Spending most of my time outside the apartment...

However, the beginning of the semester signals the coming of Fall and many other good things.

Hot tea and coffee is even more enjoyable...
Football games to watch and attend...
Wearing jeans and sweatshirts, scarves and cardigans...
Leaves turning warm, pretty colors...
The option of running outside at whatever time of day I want...
Cool, crisp mornings that turn into warm afternoons...

Thank You, Lord, for the changing seasons. For giving us beautiful things to look at that signify Your amazing power and presence in our lives. Thank You for caring about us so much that You created these things for our enjoyment. Most of all, thank You for providing a way out of sin through the sacrifice of Your Son. Help me grow to be more like Him every day. It is in His name that I pray. Amen.
SDG

Music Post

Bands I want to see this Fall:

1. September - Coldplay, Manchester Orchestra, and The Black Keys at Music Midtown
2. October - Needtobreathe in Starkville
3. November - The Avett Brothers at Bulldog Bash and David Crowder Band in Jackson.

Bands I've obsessed over this Summer:

Phoenix - There's just something about them that makes me want to wear neon and dance around my living room.

Passion Pit - They also make me wanna dance around my living room while wearing neon... but with the addition of glow sticks.

Coldplay - I have been obsessed with them for far longer than this summer. Try nine glorious years. However, I'm super excited about their newest album, Mylo Xyloto, that will be released October 24. If the rest of the album is anything like Every Teardrop is a Waterfall, I dare say it will be their best since Parachutes.

SDG

Summer Part 2

My first ever summer school experience is over, and I am over half-way through with my graduate program. It feels great to be done with all my papers and to have a short break before I'm back at it in the fall.

This is the longest I've gone without blogging for a while. Honestly, school and work had taken up most of my time, so there really wasn't a lot to blog about. However, I did get in one good weekend of fun-ness. A few weekends ago, my amazingly talented friend performed her very first show, which was run and put together by some more amazingly talented friends. Here is the video of one of the covers she did that night. Also, she's got a couple songs on iTunes, so check her out.



Now, though, I have lots of free time between work, and I plan on spending a lot of it outside. Now, don't get me wrong about libraries, they have their purpose, but spending eight hours a day in one for about two weeks strait kills a little bit of my soul. Snshine is required. I celebrated my first day of summer break part 2 (part 1 was between Spring and the start of summer) by sliding in some dirt, hiking through some woods, and swimming in a river. Despite the fact that my shoulders burned since it had been a while since they had seen sunlight, I had a blast. We also finished out the day swimming in a pool and playing some tennis.

I had planned on going home (2nd home) this weekend to visit family, but some work things came up, and I had to reschedule. I'm a little disappointed, but I'm glad to have another weekend spending time with my friends before school, and to not miss time with my church family this Sunday.

Hopefully, I'll have some more exciting, adventurous things to blog later... with pictures, too.
SDG