Where is "home"?
The answer to that question used to be easy. Home was wherever the people I loved were. Specifically, that meant Austin, TX.
But that definition isn't really working for me right now. My family is in Austin, and some of my best friends are there too. But now that I've basically established a completely different life for myself here in Waco, I've got a set of friends here that I know love me and accept me for who I am. They will be there for me when I need them, stick by my side when I'm going through a difficult time or simply riding a random girly emotional roller coaster, and sit down and have deep conversations with me. Jordan, Stephen, Taylor, Anna, Austin...they're all here.
When I'm in Waco, I miss my family and friends in Austin.
When I'm in Austin, I miss my friends from Waco.
So where is home? Is it Austin or Waco? Or do I have two homes? Or do I not have a home...?
I considered defining "home" as wherever my family is, but somehow now that I'm technically an adult and establishing my own life separate from my family, that definition doesn't quite seem appropriate.
Maybe I'm just stuck in this home-less phase until I get married, then "home" will be wherever my husband is.
I don't know...what I do know is that I am now really, really dreading moving to Dallas in 2010. Imagine, having THREE homes!
But in all seriousness...what is "home"? This is not a rhetorical question. I really want to hear your thoughts on this.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Adorable Awana moments
So tonight before Awana started, one of my sparkies, Kameron, pulled a candy bracelet out of his pocket and said "I got you this for Thanksgiving." "Awww, thanks!" I said. "It has a heart," he continued, "It stands for I love you." It was freakin' adorable. "Awww, how sweet!" I opened up the bracelet and put it on.
Five minutes later, his sister comes over and Kameron pulls out another candy bracelet, to which she promptly exclaims, "Those are MINE!" Uh oh. "You stole them!" "Kameron!" I said, "Did you steal these bracelets from your sister?" "We share the same candy jar," he replied. "Yeah, but those are MY Hannah Montana bracelets!" his sister retorted. I felt quite bad. "So, this bracelet is actually yours?" I asked. "Yes, but you can keep it," she said. "Awww, thank you sweetheart," I said, and she gave me a hug. It was really sweet.
Despite his misguided actions, Kameron really is a sweet kid. Later that night he gave me his coloring page (just like he does every week, it's so sweet), only this time across the top it said "I love you Ms. Lee". AWWWWWWW!
I'm kind of sad, though, because his mom told me tonight that they're moving to Abilene in February. So sad.
And while walking down the stairs from story time to game time, Madelynn grabbed my hand and held on the entire way down. Not because she needed me to help her in getting down the stairs. Just because she wanted to. My heart just melted.
I really really really love my sparkies. I look forward to seeing them every week. It's obvious that they really look up to me and think I'm one of the greatest things on planet earth. I'm guaranteed a lot of love and laughter every week. I don't know what I would do without my time with them every week. Go crazy, probably. Just being with them reminds me of so many things...I think hanging around little kids helps bring everything into perspective. The way they view the world is so refreshing. Sure, it's limited, but at the same time I wonder if it's more in focus than mine. The way everything excites them, and they love you because you're...you.
It also reminds me that there is a world outside of Baylor...a world that is composed of more than college kids. Seriously. In any given week, my only interaction with non-college kids is with my professors, with maybe my adoptive family at church (of whom I really need to see more of), and with the sparks on Wednesdays. As much as I love Taylor and Jordan and Stephen, and Austin and Anna, and Shane and Emma, and all my other friends...I really think that if I were to only hang out with them, my life would be incomplete. Interaction with other generations is something I desperately need. My Sparkies are a Godsend to help with that. They remind me that the world is fresh and new, exciting and full of possibilities...and that life is amazingly simple.
I love my Sparkies so much.
Next week is "decorate your leader" night. My kids are really excited about that. I'll definitely be taking my camera...should have some interesting pictures :)
Five minutes later, his sister comes over and Kameron pulls out another candy bracelet, to which she promptly exclaims, "Those are MINE!" Uh oh. "You stole them!" "Kameron!" I said, "Did you steal these bracelets from your sister?" "We share the same candy jar," he replied. "Yeah, but those are MY Hannah Montana bracelets!" his sister retorted. I felt quite bad. "So, this bracelet is actually yours?" I asked. "Yes, but you can keep it," she said. "Awww, thank you sweetheart," I said, and she gave me a hug. It was really sweet.
Despite his misguided actions, Kameron really is a sweet kid. Later that night he gave me his coloring page (just like he does every week, it's so sweet), only this time across the top it said "I love you Ms. Lee". AWWWWWWW!
I'm kind of sad, though, because his mom told me tonight that they're moving to Abilene in February. So sad.
And while walking down the stairs from story time to game time, Madelynn grabbed my hand and held on the entire way down. Not because she needed me to help her in getting down the stairs. Just because she wanted to. My heart just melted.
I really really really love my sparkies. I look forward to seeing them every week. It's obvious that they really look up to me and think I'm one of the greatest things on planet earth. I'm guaranteed a lot of love and laughter every week. I don't know what I would do without my time with them every week. Go crazy, probably. Just being with them reminds me of so many things...I think hanging around little kids helps bring everything into perspective. The way they view the world is so refreshing. Sure, it's limited, but at the same time I wonder if it's more in focus than mine. The way everything excites them, and they love you because you're...you.
It also reminds me that there is a world outside of Baylor...a world that is composed of more than college kids. Seriously. In any given week, my only interaction with non-college kids is with my professors, with maybe my adoptive family at church (of whom I really need to see more of), and with the sparks on Wednesdays. As much as I love Taylor and Jordan and Stephen, and Austin and Anna, and Shane and Emma, and all my other friends...I really think that if I were to only hang out with them, my life would be incomplete. Interaction with other generations is something I desperately need. My Sparkies are a Godsend to help with that. They remind me that the world is fresh and new, exciting and full of possibilities...and that life is amazingly simple.
I love my Sparkies so much.
Next week is "decorate your leader" night. My kids are really excited about that. I'll definitely be taking my camera...should have some interesting pictures :)
Monday, November 24, 2008
Weekend at Shane's House
On Thursday, November 20, Shane asks me "So do you want to go to my house tomorrow?" Completely forgetting that Shane lives in Allen residence hall on campus, I assumed that Shane meant that he lived in a house off-campus and was inviting me over for the afternoon the next day, so I said "Okay." Wondering why I had never heard Shane talking about his house before, I asked him "Where is your house?" His reply was "East Texas." It then clicks that he's not talking about a house that he lives in off-campus (at this same point I also remember that Shane lives in Allen), but is rather inviting me to go back with him to his parents' house. "So you're talking about a weekend trip?" "Yes," Shane said. After finding out that Austin and Anna were going too, my answer remained the same, "Okay."
So on Friday Shane, Austin, Anna, Emma, and myself all packed up and headed for Shane's house in East Texas at 4pm. We headed to Tyler first to get dinner at Olive Garden. We arrive at Shane's house around 9:15, if I remember correctly. As soon as we walk inside, I fell in love with the house. It was GORGEOUS. I wish I had taken more pictures of the house because words can't adequately describe it. It was an incredibly spacious, two-story house. Every room was decorated really well. The living room was a peaceful blue...Shane's sister's room was an incredibly beautiful room that felt like it came from a fairy tale...the kitchen was incredibly cozy feeling, even though sometimes things were hard to find because everything either was or looked like wood. Even the refrigerator looked like a wood door. Shane took us on a tour of the house. His parents and younger brother Austin got back around 10. We stayed up a little longer, eating cheesecake and talking. Finally, around 10:45 or so we all went to bed.
The next morning we woke up sometime around 9. When I walked out into the living room, I was told that a chihuahua had wandered to the Tindle's backyard and wouldn't leave. It was an incredibly cute dog, and it didn't have a collar. We decided that either eventually it would make its way back home, or we would go figure out which neighbor it came from.
I decided I wanted to cook breakfast, so I made french toast and scrambled eggs. I hadn't madfrench toast in years, so I was very happy when it turned out well.
The stove area became my little haven as I cooked the french toast :)
The stove area became my little haven as I cooked the french toast :)After breakfast, we went for a walk through the Tindle's property. They own 30 acres, most covered with trees. The property is absolutely gorgeous. As we walked around I kept thinking, "This is what fall is supposed to look like!" The chihuahua decided it wanted to go with us and followed us for the whole walk.
After we got back from the walk, we decided we wanted to make tacos and fajitas for lunch. So we drove to Wal-Mart and bought groceries. We came back, made the tacos and fajitas, and had lunch. It was really, really good. Why does food always taste better when you make it yourself? I honestly can't remember what we did for the rest of the afternoon, probably because, in all honesty, we did mostly nothing. Which was really, really nice. In the evening we decided to go see if we could find the chihuahua's owner, since the dog had stuck around all day. We were unsuccessful, so we took the dog home, gave him a bath (or, more accurately, Shane and some of the others gave him a bath while I made fruit pizza), and the chihuahua became the Tindle's newest pet. We had become accustomed to calling him Taco, but Mr. Tindle got to officially name him and settled on "Jose" after Jeff Dunham's "Jose Jalepeno on a stick".
Me with Taco :)When dinnertime came we were still full from lunch, so we just ate queso and fruit pizza while playing cranium. Definitely a lot of hilarious moments during that game :) After the game Shane, Anna, Emma and I showed Mrs. Tindle swing dancing moves, because she's never seen Shane dance before.
That night Shane decided to put on "The Prestige" for us to watch. It was definitely a very intense and very confusing movie. Just like every movie that I've watched lately, I teared up during a couple intense parts. At the end, I felt really confused. According to Shane, you have to watch the movie at least two times to catch everything. I guess I'll have to watch it again sometime.
The next morning was, once again, mostly doing nothing...watching Austin jump into the freezing cold pool, eating biscuits for breakfast, playing with Taco, showering, packing up, talking about dating, courting, and kids. Lunch was an AMAZING meal prepared by the Tindle's grandmother, Mrs. Tindle, and Shane. Green bean casserole, ham with brown sugar, home baked bread, potatoes, beans, cheesy ragu macaroni, etc...it was really, REALLY good. Conversation mostly centered around why each of the five of us had chosen to attend Baylor. The Tindle's grandmother was the last student to graduate from the Baylor nursing program before it got transferred to Dallas in the fifties, and she told her story. It was incredibly neat to hear.
After lunch, we finished cleaning and packing, and headed back for the Baylor campus at about 2:30. We got back about 4:45.
Although at first I was wondering if I was making a wise decision taking the weekend of to go to Shane's house, or if I should have stayed behind and used the weekend to study, I am definitely glad I went to Shane's house. I realized that I haven't had a real break this entire semester. The two times I have been home, I've had a lot of things to do while there. This weekend, I had absolutely nothing to do, and it was glorious. I came back feeling incredibly refreshed. I also really enjoyed the "out in the boonies" feel-there was no cell phone reception, and plenty of trees and wildlife. At college, I feel like I am constantly connected thanks to the cell phone and internet, and it was nice to take a weekend to disconnect. It also gave me a chance to invest in relationships-new ones (Mrs. Tindle and Emma) and not so new ones (Shane, Austin, and Anna). It was especially nice to be able to interact and relate with them in a context separate from college. This weekend was definitely a needed and very much appreciated refresher.
L-R: Austin, Anna, Emma, me, Shane
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Spring 2009 Class Schedule
Biology 2401-01-Anatomy & Physiology 1-MWF 8:00-8:50
Biology 2401-C-Anatomy & Physiology Lab-M 1:25-3:20
Biology 2401-C-Anatomy & Physiology Lab Lecture-Th 3:30-4:20
History 1307-01-World History since 1500-MWF 9:05-9:55
Psychology 1305-04-Introduction to Psychology-TTh 9:30-10:45
Spanish 2310-08-Intermediate Spanish-TTh 11:00-12:15
Chapel 1088-03-Chapel-MW 11:15-12:20
Biology 2401-C-Anatomy & Physiology Lab-M 1:25-3:20
Biology 2401-C-Anatomy & Physiology Lab Lecture-Th 3:30-4:20
History 1307-01-World History since 1500-MWF 9:05-9:55
Psychology 1305-04-Introduction to Psychology-TTh 9:30-10:45
Spanish 2310-08-Intermediate Spanish-TTh 11:00-12:15
Chapel 1088-03-Chapel-MW 11:15-12:20
Sunday, October 19, 2008
My Baylor Best Friends
\If you've heard me talking about life at Baylor I've probably mentioned to you at one point or another "my three best friends at Baylor." So for those of you who follow along with my life via this blog, I'm going to introduce you to them! :)
Taylor
A couple weeks into the school year, I started asking friends and family back home to pray that God would bring a strong Christian girlfriend into my life. Taylor is the answer to that prayer! She is a 17 year old freshman engineering major from Marshall, TX. She is a strong Christian and such a sweet and funny girl. She always knows how to put a smile on my face. She and I think the same about a lot of things, to the point that we joke about sharing the same brain wavelengths. Despite only knowing her for a few weeks, we have already started finishing each other's sentences and completing each other's thoughts. We are so alike in so many ways that we call each other "twin". When her parents were up for parent's weekend and mine weren't, I hung out with her family for the day, and she joked that I fit in with her family better than she does. When I need to cry, she is the one I call. Within minutes she will be by my side with her shoulder, tissues, and chocolate! She is such a blessing and I am SO thankful that God has put her in my life!
Stephen
Stephen is a 19 year old sophomore business major from Ft. Worth, TX. He is the swing dance instructor as well as a trip leader for the Baylor outdoor adventure living-learning center. He is like my "big brother" here at Baylor because while he doesn't have any qualms about teasing and annoying me, he is also an incredibly caring person and doesn't mind me being open and honest about how I feel about things-in fact, he encourages it. He is an incredible listener. He also cares for me like a big brother does, always making sure I'm okay. I think "are you doing okay?" is the question he's asked me the most. Although we often disagree and bicker about he "hows" of chivalrous behavior, he is still a gentleman in that he is incredibly respectful and kind. If you have ever wondered if it is possible for a guy to strike the balance between being "tough" and "tender", wonder no more. Stephen really has found a good balance between the two. If I was ever in any sort of danger or trouble of any sort, Stephen would be the first person I call.
Jordan
Jordan is an 18 year old freshman geology major from Dallas, TX. He was a missionary kid in Brazil for most of his life. He is incredibly chivalrous, often going above and beyond what I think should be required for chivalrous behavior. He also takes the safety and well-being of his "young lady" friends incredibly seriously, more so than any other guy I have ever met. If I ever need a guy to be my overprotective brother, he's the one I go to. He also does whatever he can to cheer me up if he knows I'm having a difficult time-he's the one who will text me the "My Girl" lyrics in the morning while I'm getting ready for classes. He has a lot of weird quirks, but that's what make him special.
I was so very incredibly happy that my family got to meet all three of these amazing friends when they were dropping me off tonight. They really, really liked all three of them. As my family was leaving my mom turned to me and said "You chose really good friends, honey." That made me very happy! Y'all three are amazing and I <3 y'all!
Taylor
A couple weeks into the school year, I started asking friends and family back home to pray that God would bring a strong Christian girlfriend into my life. Taylor is the answer to that prayer! She is a 17 year old freshman engineering major from Marshall, TX. She is a strong Christian and such a sweet and funny girl. She always knows how to put a smile on my face. She and I think the same about a lot of things, to the point that we joke about sharing the same brain wavelengths. Despite only knowing her for a few weeks, we have already started finishing each other's sentences and completing each other's thoughts. We are so alike in so many ways that we call each other "twin". When her parents were up for parent's weekend and mine weren't, I hung out with her family for the day, and she joked that I fit in with her family better than she does. When I need to cry, she is the one I call. Within minutes she will be by my side with her shoulder, tissues, and chocolate! She is such a blessing and I am SO thankful that God has put her in my life!
Stephen
Stephen is a 19 year old sophomore business major from Ft. Worth, TX. He is the swing dance instructor as well as a trip leader for the Baylor outdoor adventure living-learning center. He is like my "big brother" here at Baylor because while he doesn't have any qualms about teasing and annoying me, he is also an incredibly caring person and doesn't mind me being open and honest about how I feel about things-in fact, he encourages it. He is an incredible listener. He also cares for me like a big brother does, always making sure I'm okay. I think "are you doing okay?" is the question he's asked me the most. Although we often disagree and bicker about he "hows" of chivalrous behavior, he is still a gentleman in that he is incredibly respectful and kind. If you have ever wondered if it is possible for a guy to strike the balance between being "tough" and "tender", wonder no more. Stephen really has found a good balance between the two. If I was ever in any sort of danger or trouble of any sort, Stephen would be the first person I call.
Jordan
Jordan is an 18 year old freshman geology major from Dallas, TX. He was a missionary kid in Brazil for most of his life. He is incredibly chivalrous, often going above and beyond what I think should be required for chivalrous behavior. He also takes the safety and well-being of his "young lady" friends incredibly seriously, more so than any other guy I have ever met. If I ever need a guy to be my overprotective brother, he's the one I go to. He also does whatever he can to cheer me up if he knows I'm having a difficult time-he's the one who will text me the "My Girl" lyrics in the morning while I'm getting ready for classes. He has a lot of weird quirks, but that's what make him special.
I was so very incredibly happy that my family got to meet all three of these amazing friends when they were dropping me off tonight. They really, really liked all three of them. As my family was leaving my mom turned to me and said "You chose really good friends, honey." That made me very happy! Y'all three are amazing and I <3 y'all!
How Shaney spent her "Fall Break"
*Left right after Scriptures class ended on Thursday.
*Drove straight to AWANA
*Spent Thursday evening at AWANA
*Doctor's appointment at 10 Friday morning at which she got three shots-a tuberculosis test, a meningitis vaccine, and a flu shot.
*Dentist's appointment at noon.
*Shopping at Goodwill with mother. Found her halloween costume (a 20s flapper dress with gloves and a headband) as well as a really nice looking faux leather jacket for $10
*Went to the grandparent's house for dinner and game night.
*Practice speech and debate tournament Saturday morning and afternoon at which she got to judge two debate rounds and an impromptu round!!! :D (Side note: Lill/Rogers will make it to nats this year, and both of them are REALLY GOOD speakers, improving even from last year...but Avery seriously blew me away with her ability to speak smoothly and sum everything up in the most easy to understand language)
*"Purpose Driven Death" conference Friday evening at which Brett Harris spoke, and she finally got to meet him in person after working with him for over a year.
*Realizing Saturday night that she hadn't even started a paper which was due on Friday, the day before. Writing the paper without the necessary book, knowing she'll start out with a reduced score and probably get a bad score anyway.
*Looking at the grading system on the syllabus and realizing that even if she had skipped the paper entirely she would have still had a good shot at an A, and therefore any score on the paper means it's highly likely she'll still get an A in the class.
*High Pointe Baptist Church Sunday morning at which she got to see Taylor Lassiter and the Helton family, and got to hear John Piper speak.
*Shopping at Wal-Mart with mom and Shannon.
*Buying her own camera at Best Buy.
*Going to Shawna's choir and getting to watch the mini talent show.(Her sister is such a talented story writer!)
*Driving back up to Waco with the entire family
*Dinner with the family and Taylor at Denny's
*Getting Jordan and Stephen to come over so that her entire family got to meet her three best friends at Baylor. Her parents like all three of them, and that makes her very happy! :)
*Dinner/dessert with Stephen at Ihop.
* Making a total fool of herself not being able to find the handle on Stephen's car door when he dropped her off at her dorm.
*Drove straight to AWANA
*Spent Thursday evening at AWANA
*Doctor's appointment at 10 Friday morning at which she got three shots-a tuberculosis test, a meningitis vaccine, and a flu shot.
*Dentist's appointment at noon.
*Shopping at Goodwill with mother. Found her halloween costume (a 20s flapper dress with gloves and a headband) as well as a really nice looking faux leather jacket for $10
*Went to the grandparent's house for dinner and game night.
*Practice speech and debate tournament Saturday morning and afternoon at which she got to judge two debate rounds and an impromptu round!!! :D (Side note: Lill/Rogers will make it to nats this year, and both of them are REALLY GOOD speakers, improving even from last year...but Avery seriously blew me away with her ability to speak smoothly and sum everything up in the most easy to understand language)
*"Purpose Driven Death" conference Friday evening at which Brett Harris spoke, and she finally got to meet him in person after working with him for over a year.
*Realizing Saturday night that she hadn't even started a paper which was due on Friday, the day before. Writing the paper without the necessary book, knowing she'll start out with a reduced score and probably get a bad score anyway.
*Looking at the grading system on the syllabus and realizing that even if she had skipped the paper entirely she would have still had a good shot at an A, and therefore any score on the paper means it's highly likely she'll still get an A in the class.
*High Pointe Baptist Church Sunday morning at which she got to see Taylor Lassiter and the Helton family, and got to hear John Piper speak.
*Shopping at Wal-Mart with mom and Shannon.
*Buying her own camera at Best Buy.
*Going to Shawna's choir and getting to watch the mini talent show.(Her sister is such a talented story writer!)
*Driving back up to Waco with the entire family
*Dinner with the family and Taylor at Denny's
*Getting Jordan and Stephen to come over so that her entire family got to meet her three best friends at Baylor. Her parents like all three of them, and that makes her very happy! :)
*Dinner/dessert with Stephen at Ihop.
* Making a total fool of herself not being able to find the handle on Stephen's car door when he dropped her off at her dorm.
Friday, October 10, 2008
A friend just sent this to me...
BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTER
by Maya Angelou
'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ
that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean livin''
I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain...
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!
Pretty is as Pretty does... but beautiful is just plain beautiful!
'I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me.' Phil: 4:13
by Maya Angelou
'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ
that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean livin''
I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain...
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.
When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!
Pretty is as Pretty does... but beautiful is just plain beautiful!
'I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me.' Phil: 4:13
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