lots to update.

So I made it through the final week of classes and made it to Kentucky. But before I get too behind, let me write about the last week of school.

Wednesday. All semester I have wished that I was taking my Sociology 101 class from Asbury rather than Ole Miss; I think this class is so interesting and would love to have it from a Christian perspective. But Wednesday, for the first time, I was glad that I had it from a secular, perhaps even anti-Christian, perspective. We were, ironically enough, discussing religion, and it was somewhat of a wake-up call. Not a wake-up call in the sense that I was worried about having my faith challenged by people who think Christianity is a sham and the Bible can't be true...after almost two and a half years at Ole Miss, been there done that. But it was a wake-up call in the sense that my eyes were opened to why so many of these people are so turned off by Christianity. It was so obvious in their eyes; they aren't turned off by what Jesus actually said or did. They are turned off by how so many people who claim to be Christians are living their lives on a day-to-day basis. Sad, but I see their point. Those of us who believe have got to start living the Gospel and living it out loud. Halfhearted words and actions never changed anything; we must allow our lives to be radically transformed if we are ever going to make a difference in this world for Christ's sake. More on this later, but I had to go ahead and get through some of those thoughts before moving on to the rest of the week.

Thursday. Hello, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part one) midnight premiere. We - John, Taylor, Louis, BJ, Jeff, and I - were those kids, in costume, being ridiculous. The boys dressed up in Gryffindor Quidditch gear and threw together an impromptu Snitch costume for me. They may have even chased me around the theater on their broomsticks while waiting for the movie to start...true story. Best of all, the movie was brilliant; it had the perfect level of intensity without being too dark. I cannot wait for part two in July. Here's all of us in our celebratory get-up. This may be my favorite picture of the semester.
Friday/Saturday. Mom, Dad, and Wil Kelly picked me up in Oxford and took me to Wilmore. I love the new house, I really do. I forgot how purely beautiful Kentucky is. I'll post pictures of everything soon, but, for now, I am enjoying exploring and spending time with my really awesome family and some really excellent friends. Having an entire week off is so refreshing; I'm excited to see everything that goes down over the course of these next few days. Let the Thanksgiving celebrations begin!

thank your lucky stars.

I can't stop laughing. Today was pretty excellent, as far as Mondays go. This morning did not seem very promising - cold, spritzing rain that's characteristic of January rather than November. What's more, I woke up wishing with everything within me that felix felicis was real and that I had some. (For those of you non-Harry Potter fanatics out there, felix felicis is a potion also known as "liquid luck." One sip and everything magically works out for you the rest of the day.) Long story short, I found myself with very little time, very much to do, an unfortunate art history test, a sociology quiz, and a 30-minute window to track down a professor who I absolutely needed to find today. I don't know how I manage to get myself into these ridiculous situations, but, alas, such was the state of my morning.

Thankfully, things worked out smoothly even without the liquid luck. I had a straight-up stakeout on the third floor of Bishop and found my professor around 12:05. The rest of the day included a trip to Parking Services to dispute a ticket I legitimately did not deserve, a relaxing nap, a two hour discussion of campus politics, Chapter, Cassie's 21st birthday party, and nice, long chats with friends for the rest of the night until now.

Productivity is such a struggle lately, but the ridiculousness of how I've been spending my time is highly entertaining. Thanksgiving is only four days away, and, while I'm excited, I'm not starved for a break like I have been so many other holidays. I'm sure by the end of this week I'll be ready, but for now I am fine with a few more days of spontaneity. I would love for this absolutely random day to be an indication of the week. I have a lot left to do, and still could use some help from felix, but after the goodness of today I am less worried about how things will work out. All will be well; it always is. And getting to that point is half the fun.

"Luck has a peculiar habit of favoring those who don't depend on it..." (anonymous.)

do what you feel now...electric feel now

Saturday night after the game, Anna and I went to MGMT at the Lyric. It was amazing. And surprisingly calm. And very, very happy.


all along the eastern shore
put your circuits in the sea
this is what the world is for
making electricity
you can feel it in your mind
oh you can do it all the time
plug it in, change the world
you are my electric girl.

(MGMT Electric Feel)

october.

October is my favorite month, and with only forty-six minutes left of it, it's time to say why.

I put this off because I cannot accurately express it. Unless you've been where I've been and walked in my shoes, you can't quite understand. But some of you will somewhat understand, and others of you simply deserve an explanation for why I act especially ridiculous during this particular month every year. All I know to do is to tell you what October is, to me. Maybe that will shed light on the situation.

October is:

family traveling in from out of town
brand new journals
cleaning the house
Chamberlin Holiness Lectures
motor homes
long-sleeve shirts
Votivo red currant candles
cream puffs that are still slightly frozen
football
fresh air
leaves that start to fall in the wind
apples
Christopher Columbus
black cats
street lights that, without fail, always flicker out

October is assorted fall candy in leaf and pumpkin-shaped dishes spread throughout the Smith house. More, October is searching all of those dishes for a Reese's cup and finding that there are no Reese's cups left; instead, there are bunches of candy wrappers left in the Reese's cup's place.

October is finally getting settled. September is chaotic because you're still trying to figure out school and how to balance everything. By October, you've gotten the balance and are ready to soak up the fun.

October is when things happen. You think I'm making this up, but the craziest things, the best things, the most unusual things all always happen during this month. Maybe it's a Halloween thing? Maybe it's in my head. Maybe it's just a bit of fall magic.

Essentially, it all traces back to October 1998 and Dad's inauguration as WBS President. That month was chaos, but I remember it so well for only being in the third grade. That month kicked off all of the crazy adventures that have happened, consistently, every October since.

This October has been a blur, but, like all other Octobers, it's been great. I'm excited about a new month starting tomorrow - or, I guess, in twenty-four minutes now. I just had to acknowledge my obsession with these past thirty-one days first.