"L" is for the way...

Let's talk about relationships.

As Lyle, SB and I spend countless hours in the library, we get to observe the social scene that takes place in the wonderful world of James B. Duke. And, trust me, it is a quality social scene. If you don't believe me, you should probably read Hilary's post about the library. Amongst all the serious studying, one can see quite a few couples getting in some quality study time.

Lyle's and my observance of a certain couple sparked a conversation concerning relationships.
We tried to imagine what type of boy each of our friends will end up with and discussed our friends who seem to have already found their perfect person.
Relationships are a tricky thing. First, it's a matter of finding the right person. Or, atleast a person that you find a mutual interest in. That, folks, is not as easy as it sounds. Especially at Furman. Let's be real, something is off at this university. Simply going on dates with a person appears to be a foreign concept here. People basically just get engaged to each other. So, needless to say, the dating scene here is annoying. Relationships/dating in general is annoying.

But, they are also so incredibly awesome. I mean, God created us to desire companionship with another person. He created man and woman to co-exist and to support each other. The cool part is that He desires that for us, too. He desires for us to have a relationship here on earth that glorifies Him in every way and that resembles His romance with us. Experiencing true, pure love is to experience His love for us. The thing that I struggle with is this: waiting for God to put the right person in my life. I tend to long for a relationship so much that I lose sight of what I really want and settle for someone that I know isn't who God intends for me to be with. At this point in my life, I am ready to wait. I'm ready to be so in love with the Lord that I don't desire another relationship more than I desire Him. I know that He will give me the right person at the right time. And I'll know.

And don't be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God's place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there. God, not your marital status, defines your life.--1 Corinthians 7:17

Oh hey college.

Here it comes...the beach weekend post.


True life: I felt like I was at real college

It truly reminded me why I came to Furman.
Basically, beach weekend is where each fraternity/certain organizations rent hotels in Myrtle Beach for a majority of the Furman population. It essentially is a weekend-long party. I chose to go with a certain fraternity based on their "record" when it comes to craziness (basically, the least crazy option out of the frats).

So here's the rundown of what took place:
-We arrive at the oh-so-classy Sandcastle Hotel in Mrytle Beach at approximately 5 pm on Friday afternoon
-Head to Margaritaville for dinner (coconut shrimp...delicious)
-Go back to the hotel
SIDE NOTE: At this point, I am expecting to go back, maybe hit the beach/hot tub, hang out with some new friends, maybe dance a little, and go to bed. Not what happened at all.
-Everyone in the hotel procceds to bring out more alcohol than I have ever seen and begin to get "shammied" as one might put it and eventually pass out in bed.
SIDE NOTE #2: Sitting in a hotel, drinking with friends might be fun for those of us who drink. I do not. Needless to say, Friday night was quite boring. I could only hope that Saturday would be better.
-Saturday morning we wake up, hit up Starbucks and head for the beach. It's looking slightly overcast, but that's not stopping us.
-We get to the beach and guess what? Everyone is, once again, getting shammied.
-By this point, I am texting Sarabeth...wishing that I was still on campus.
-It rains.
-Dinner sort of occurs at some point, we get ready and head over to another fraternities' hotel to see their live band.
-The fun part of the weekend begins. Dancing all night, having a blast, not really caring what else is going on.
-Sunday, wake up early and drive back to FU.

So, all in all, the weekend wasn't the best one ever. BUT, it was most definitely worth it for Saturday night.
Drunk people are funny. I'll leave you with this image...I saw multiple people get stuck running around like this on Saturday night:

(Not) the best I eva had, Drake

Update: Drake was...sub-par. Chelly and I were unable to take him seriously. Where's your wheelchair, Jimmy?


In other news, this is in my very near future:



I love the beach. See you Sunday, blog. I'll be sure to come back with good stories.

Last name: ever, first name: greatest

TODAY IS A GOOD DAY. I just dominated (hopefully) my Biology test, Drake (yes, Jimmy from Degrassi...aka one of my most favorite shows) is coming to FU tonight, and my toes will be in the sand in less than 24 hours.

I honestly am not sure where this blog will take me. It'll be a journey.

Lately I've been thinking about God's grace. It truly is amazing. I don't deserve it, but He gives it freely. I am completely covered, saturated in His mercy. It brings healing, peace, cleansing, truth, trust. And all I have to do is ask for it. How awesome is that? He opens His arms and allows me to run into them, no matter where I am running from. And, as soon as I ask for His forgiveness, all that I have seen and done is gone. Life is full of temptations and traps. He knows. He experienced it. That's another awesome thing. Jesus was tempted by Satan, exactly like I am. He rose above it and told Satan to get behind Him. He gets it. Because of Him, my chains are gone. I've been set free. My God, my Savior has ransomed me. And that is SO cool.


A friend of mine retweeted this quote the other day:

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." - Thornton Wilder

I love my dear, sweet friends. I am not ready to be without them. Y'all are so much more than wonderful :)

"The library isn't his"

I really shouldn't be blogging right now.

BUT something absolutely hilarious and extremely blog-worthy just happened in the wonderful world of James B. Duke (aka the library).

Here's the low down:
Chellie(y), Sarabeth, Lyle and I are currently sitting at a table on the FIRST LEVEL of Hilary's "honey." It is common knowledge that the first level of JBD is strictly the social level. Sure, we all have intentions of studying. But, if you are really serious about getting work done, DON'T SIT ON THE FIRST LEVEL. Common sense people. So, moving on. Picture this: we are sitting at a table and behind us sits a generally disheveled looking boy in a plaid shirt. Looks like he hasn't bathed in quite some time. Let's call him, Marvin . Got your image? Ok. For the most part, we're studying and so is Marvin. But EVERYTIME we speak or make some noise louder than normal, little Marvypoo glares at us. And I mean intentional stares of disapproval until we stopped "disturbing" him. This goes on for some time. Chellie(y), SB, and I are FirstClass chatting, enjoying our time in the library as much as possible and ignoring Marvin's obnoxious staring. Until, at one point, the girl at the table directly behind him starts to talk to someone (see what I mean by social area of the library?). Marvin then decides to turn around and give THEM intentional, disapproving stares. We then, obviously, observe what is going on, chuckle at his reactions and, of course, I start laughing uncontrollably. This goes on for a few minutes until Marvin finally loses it. He SLAMS his books closed, packs his bag with vigorous intensity, and storms off with his panties all in a wad. Marvin is then spotted walking to the downstairs level of the lib.

Maybe he learned his lesson. We miss you, Marvin.

I know you are, but what am I?

Happy Monday!

You might have noticed that the title of my blog is slightly different. The reason being that I realized I had its quote of origin incorrect. For any readers who know which specific quote I am referring to, mad props. For those of you who don't know, you should probably considering expanding your literary knowledge. The quote is from one of my favorite books: The Lord of the Rings.

“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost."

I feel as though my freshman year of college has been filled with self-discovery. One of the greatest discoveries has been this: I am a BIG nerd. Let's be real here, folks. I mean, saying that my favorite book is all about hobbits, elves, and wizards should be enough evidence of my intense nerdiness. Furthermore, I have the same birthday as Frodo and Bilbo Baggins (LOTR main characters). And I think that's the coolest thing ever. Yes, yes I know. I am quite lame. It's a fact that I have learned to face.

Let's get down to my point. In a recent blog post, Chellie(y, whichever you prefer) referenced our intense people-watching skills. Through my experience as a creeper, I have observed one completely awesome thing about people: we are all seriously unique. Everyone knows that.

But take a second to meditate on it.

How cool is that? The God of the universe took time to paint each one of us as our own individually crazy person. He knows us better than we will ever know ourselves and loves us for all that we are, no matter where we are or where we once were. My encouragement to you (and to me) is this: embrace your own being. That sounds super hippie to say but it's true. Each one of us was created exactly the way we are for a reason and we are meant to live that out.

So go for it.

Hello World.

Take a breath. Here we go. I'm venturing back into the wonderful world of blogging. It has been a few years since my last attempt to blog. (Aptly named: "Daily ramblings from a girl named Katie." Embarrassing, I know) Needless to say, it didn't go so well. My posts were filled with angsty ninth grade attitude. So now, four years later, I am trying again.

Let's hope this attempt is more successful.

Please let me know if I start sounding angsty.

Anyways, as I sit in a study room (ahem, thanks to Sarabeth) in the good ole James B. Duke Library, I can't help but reflect on these past few months. They've been quite the whirlwind. I mean, really. It's weird to think back on last August and then look at where we all are now. It seems like so long ago that we went downtown to celebrate a completely random person's birthday. We have all talked about how hilarious it is to look back on who all we hung out with in the first few weeks of school. And, I am so thankful for the sweet friends that God has put into my life here at Furman. They really have made all the difference. When I look back on my freshman year of college, memories of all our crazy moments will remain the highlight of my year. I don't like thinking about being away from them for three months so we're not going to talk about that here. This is a happy, angst-free blog :) But, all in all, freshman year=massive success.

So, that was my first post. I don't feel like it is as funny as Chellie's or Hilary's. Or as heartfelt as Sarabeth or Leilina's. But, as Chellie put it this afternoon, it can only go up from here.