and one month later...

One month blogging hiatus.  That's not too bad.  Actually, I'm shocked it hasn't been longer considering the circumstances.  March. was. crazy.  For multiple reasons, but namely these:

Guatemala
appellate brief due
oral argument speech competition (a.k.a. Triwizard Tournament)
family in town for Easter
trying to sort out which classes to take next year
too little sleep
too many allergies
way too much snow for what this Mississippi girl considers the first month of spring
contracts and property and con law...oh my

And just like that, March is over.  And now it's April 5, with two weeks until finals, and it's warm outside again, and Keeneland has started, and all I want to do is to press pause and have adventures and soak up life without an ever-ticking clock.  But the clock continues to tick, and so we make the best of the time we have.

Which is why yesterday, when I was sitting in class at 1:00 and got a text that said "Hey, let's go to the Gorge," the answer had to be yes.  Even though we couldn't leave until 2:30 and it takes an hour to get there and we had to be back by 7 and Turtleback Arch is an unmarked trail that's supposed to take "3 to 5 hours" to locate...

We never did make it to Turtleback Arch, but we did see Rock Bridge and jam to some Page CXVI in the car and have good conversation and make it back in time to change into formal clothes and dance the night away.  And it was so, so good.

How is it that spontaneity always, always wins?

april showers

The other day I tweeted that I wanted it to rain.

Oops.

My wish became the weather's command, and it has been rainy for a good part of the week. Especially last night. We were all in the Grove for the spring concert and it was semi-raining, and then all of a sudden the sky fell out. I'm talking total downpour. It was awesome/cold/hilarious/a good memory.

Speaking of good memories, not only has April been showering rain but it has been showering blessings. The Lord is so good and has truly given me and my friends abundant life like we could never imagine. The time we have left together in person is slipping away so quickly, but we have been learning how to enjoy it without living in fear - how to be intentional with the time we have left and soak up every last moment of joy and togetherness while still reaching others with the Good News for the time we have left. It really has been so beautiful.

We are in for another fun night together starting in about an hour or so. This weekend is DG Parent's Weekend, but, since none of our parents are in town, we thought we would bring our brothers instead! Dinner at SoulShine and another night of dancing - the dancing seems to be a pretty consistent thing this spring.

Before I go, I've got an awesome blog for you to check out and share. I got to meet a new friend, Kyle Reschke, this week when he came to speak to Ole Miss Wesley. Kyle is from Haiti, is absolutely on fire for the Lord, and is making a serious difference in the lives of both Haitians and everyone else he encounters. Check out his website to partner in prayer and support of his ministry, and be encouraged to live your own great adventure!

http://kyleinhaiti.com/

Enjoy your weekend, and stay dry - from the rain, but not from the spring blessings and fun. Let those rain down all day and all night long.

dancing shoes

The past few days have flown by. Seriously, I don't think I remember a week ever disappearing as quickly as this one has. But even though the days have been passing at warp speed, they have been such very good ones. And filled with dancing.

It all started this weekend, with ATO formal in New Orleans. Brady, Lacey, Ed and I had a lot of great bonding time, great food, and great conversations. The actual formal Saturday night was on the Riverboat, which was awesome. Probably should have taken some pictures. Lacey and I promised ourselves we would take lots of pictures throughout the weekend, so naturally we only have these to show for it:

Good enough, right? At least we have some proof that we were actually down there.

We got back to Oxford Sunday night, and Mom came to Oxford Monday afternoon. It has been so fun watching her meet everyone and experience things like brother-sister Brick House love and Milkshake Monday in person. Somehow this Milkshake Monday turned into an improv dance party, so most of the night was spent Jai Ho-ing, Cupid Shuffling, and Party Rock Anthem-ing...good times.

Besides all of that, I have just been hanging out with Mom, doing a slight bit of thesis work, unsuccessfully attempting to make nice-looking bowls in Ceramics, and enjoying the perfect spring weather all week. And, of course, a lot of dancing on my own, thanks to this song.

It's been stuck in my head all week, and now it will probably be stuck in yours. You're welcome.

To top it off, all of the dancing this weekend and week has just been a warm-up for DG formal tonight. Bouré first, Colonel's Quarters second, and all of my friends together in one place...looks promising to me! I'm ready to get these afternoon classes out of the way so that I can dance the night away. It's a good day to celebrate - Oxford, springtime, friends, and life.

lately

A more extensive update on how incredible this Spring Break has been will follow, but for now...I am back from the beach for the day and lounging around the condo until dinnertime, so why not blog?

I realized I left everybody hanging with the whole "check back Thursday morning to see where I'm going to law school" thing. So - drumroll please - after a week of literally playing deal or no deal with my future/life, it's decided. University of Kentucky College of Law it is! A week and a day after the decision became official, it feels exciting, confusing, surreal, strange, _______ (fill in just about any adjective you want and I've probably felt it). But good. Very good. The Lord is faithful.

[UK Law - another place to add to the ever-growing list of places called "home"]

From Friday to Monday night I was in Ocoee, Tennessee, for the Wesley Retreat, and it was a pretty incredible time. And now I'm in Orange Beach with mis mejores amigas living it up, with lots of sun, sand, good food, even better cake, time to relax, and time to work (and by work I mean hardly work at all) on things for school. Next week is going to be madness, but taking an entire week off is quite worth it.

I've also had time to read lots of magazines this week, including but not limited to Real Simple, Vanity Fair, InStyle, and Relevant. This never happens and, to be honest, probably won't happen again until next Spring Break. But it's been great and has provided me with various interesting thoughts and perspectives. One of these I will now leave with you. Here's Scott Avett in Relevant, writing on art and faith:

"Our hands and minds, legs and mouths, eyes and ears, arms and feet were all made with purpose, and though you may never find that exact purpose, it is your obligation to yourself and God to search for it, and to search endlessly for a perfection that, though you will never achieve it, you must seek. This is faith. This is spirituality."

Scott Avett's a champ and you should totally listen to his music. Enjoy the last couple days of break!

going out with a bang

Packed with my favorite people, places, and things, this was one of those good weekends that you remember for a really long time. Good things included but were not limited to: tornado clean-up at Pine Flat, Allie's surprise birthday party, Old Crow Medicine Show at the Square, Double Decker, Bottletree, lots of time with lots of friends, and Memphis in May.

Double Decker is like Oxford's annual holiday weekend. The concerts Friday and Saturday nights are always great, and few things are better than walking around the Square with hundreds of other people enjoying a beautiful spring day, awesome local artwork, and some quality Mississippi food. Add these people to the mix, and I can't imagine a better time. [photo courtesy of the roommate]


After some deliberation, we opted to pass on the Saturday night concerts in Oxford and went instead to Memphis in May to see Mumford and Sons. (Also, we saw Ludacris and Ke$ha by default...for the record, avoid future Ke$ha concerts at all costs.) Anyway, these guys are incredible live. You should definitely check them out if you haven't jumped on that bandwagon yet. [photo courtesy of official website's photo gallery]


Solid weekends like this mean rough Mondays, but they're worth it. I'm ready for classes to be finished, but I'm not ready to leave this place, these people, or these adventures we like to call just another day in the life. I'm in denial that this was the last big weekend before finals, but if it had to be the last one, I'm thankful it was oh so good.

pollen pollen everywhere

I woke up this morning feeling terrible, and I am all too familiar with the source of the problem - literally, my only complaint about spring. Too. much. pollen.

Before I continue, you need to know a few things about me. First, I am almost never sick at college. (This fortunate fact can be attributed to one thing in particular: Juice Plus. I am pretty much a walking advertisement for this miracle drug, but I'll save that discussion for another time...) Overall, my immune system has been remarkable and lucky these past three years; as a result, I have no idea what to do when I actually am feeling under the weather. Second, I cannot stand to be inside when the weather is nice. Something inside of me draws me out into the blue sky, the green grass, and, unfortunately, the pollen. Third, I am constantly on the go. Constantly. I really can only bring myself to slow down for natural disasters and/or death.

Taking into account these things, here's what my day looked like. I made the responsible decision to skip class and stay in bed all morning. I literally did not move until my history class at 2:30, and I was very proud of myself for actually slowing down and staying inside. And as a result of my staying in bed all morning, I felt better! Good, right? Wrong. Because what do I do? Around 4:00 in the afternoon, I decide to go on a walk. A walk of all things. All of the recovery I did was undone by more pollen exposure. Decision-making FAIL. I currently feel just as terrible as I did when I first woke up this morning.

In the midst of all of this, I'm lucky I have such good friends around to help me out. Eric came by to take my homework to Spanish for me, and Julie - who by the way, will be the best pharmacist ever - brought me hot tea and tells me what time to take my allergy medicine. It's the little things in life that help the most.

I'm crossing my fingers that I'll wake up in the morning improved. Until then, I'm hanging out in room 18 with some schoolwork, the roomie, a favorite movie, and my fourth cup of tea for the day. Time to wind this day down and try again tomorrow. If you see me outside trying to sneak in some time in the sunshine, send me back in with a slap on the wrist. Looks like it's rest now, play later...for now, at least.

carpe diem

"spring fever: n. a feeling of restlessness, excitement, or laziness brought on by the coming of spring."

Also known as what I am experiencing right now. My ability to concentrate is directly related to how sunny it is outside, and how green the grass is, and how many flowers are blooming. Currently, the sky is especially blue, the grass is especially green, and the tulips all over campus are especially beautiful. How exactly am I supposed to focus locked inside a classroom studying the Trail of Tears, Francisco Franco, Women in Literature, or Renaissance artists? (Ok, I might can make an exception for the Renaissance artists. Michelangelo is quite inspiring and lately I'm hooked on not only his art but his poetry...) Needless to say, I take that question - "how am I supposed to focus?" - and come to the only possible conclusion I can find. I'm not.

My advice to myself and to you? Play now, study later, soak up the sun, and sleep when you're dead. Stay outside as much as possible, except for when you're watching March Madness basketball games of course. Work when you must, but only when you must. It'll all get finished. It always does.

Just so you know, this spring fever thing might be legit. "Spring Fever Means Lighter Moods and More Love?" I think they might be on to something...