Grandparents Visit, Mexico Trip, and School

So, it's been quite a week for me.

First of all, I will begin with a prayer request. As you probably know, I will be traveling to Tijuana, Mexico two weeks from today to work with orphans. However, this week the US State Department has issued a travel advisory for all Americans traveling to Mexico. Tijuana was specifically named as a hot-spot for violence. This week, I have spent a massive amount of time researching the violence, meeting with the leaders of the trip, seeking advice on how to proceed with the trip, and praying continuously for wisdom on what to do. As of now, I fully intend to continue with the trip as planned. I have a great sense of peace about going. While I am still fearful of what the situation may be like, I am confident that the leaders of the trip will take appropriate actions to help ensure our safety. Please be in prayer for our safety, wisdom, and fear as the trip gets closer!

On to fun news, my Maw-maw and Paw-paw and Aunt Ann are here visiting me this weekend! They came in from New Orleans and Colorado, respectively. Unfortunately, it has been raining all weekend, so we had to scratch a trip to the mountains, but we are still having a great time. Last night, we went to dinner at Calhoun's on the River and then took a short driving tour of downtown Knoxville. Today, after a quick trip to the doctor for Paw-paw's ear, we went on a tour of campus, then had lunch at Moe's on the strip. Tonight my roommates and I made dinner for them (Thanks so much, guys! You're the best!!). We also had a cake for Maw-maw's 80th birthday. Roomie A did the fabulous decorating job!



School is absolutely crazy right now. Midterms are this week and next, I have papers due, and two groups projects this week and next! I definitely won't be getting a lot of sleep the next couple of weeks, but then it's on to Mexico for Spring Break.

And just for fun, here's a couple pictures of Roommate A and I after Wacky-Tacky Club at YOKE. I have to say that's definitely the most colors I've ever had on my body at one time.

A Week (or two) in Review

Things have been rather mundane around here lately. Insanely busy, but nothing really important. A few highlights:

1. I chaperoned a middle school Valentine's Day dance. It was a good reminder of why I would never want to be in middle school again. I also got to deal with children who decided to get into a fight right in front of me. That was exciting (as in terrifying).

2. Our apartment is in a little bit of a prank war at the moment. Yesterday Roommate A got out of the shower to find that her bed was missing from its rightful place in her bedroom. It was later discovered in the living room. It's weird how those things can sometimes happen without any apparent cause or explanation. On Valentine's, Roommate S came home to a Christmas tree next to her bed. It stayed there for several days before it made its way back into a box. I have come home to a messed up closet, missing dishes, and rearranged picture frames on my walls. They are winning, so you can e-mail you fantastic prank ideas to me at any time.

3. I leave for Mexico in less than three weeks!! I am so excited. I have raised most of my money for the trip already and it has been really cool to watch it all come together. God's provision really is awesome!!

4. I am continuing to explore different avenues for a year overseas working with orphans. I don't have a specific country or even part of the world in mind, but I am trying to stay open to wherever the Lord would like to send me. It's an exciting, while terrifying time!


That's all for now. I have to go read, study, and write some papers. Sounds fun, right?

I was hungry, and you fed me.

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me..." -Matthew 25:35

Last night, I ate dinner with a homeless man. His name was Tony. Here is the story:

The roommates and I finished working out (still going strong at a little over a mile!) and then decided that we should go to Wendy's. You know, sticking with the healthy choices for after a good workout. I decided to go next door to Moe's and get a burrito instead. When I got back, I sat down at a table with Sarah's boyfriend Wes. This man came up and asked if he could sit next to me while he was waiting for his food. I said yes, for a reason that I still don't understand. At this point, I didn't know that my roommates were buying him dinner.

I started talking to him and by this point am realizing that he's definitely homeless and I have no idea why he is sitting next to me at a table in Wendy's. So Anne and Sarah come with food and they cram into one side of the booth with Wes. Me and Tony are sitting in chairs on the opposite side. He thanks us for letting him sit with us while he waited for his food. We tell him it was not a problem at all and then look expectantly at him to leave. Tony unwraps his burger and takes a bite.

Now, my response to awkward situations is often to start rambling on and asking lots of questions. Last night was no exception. He told us where he was from (North Carolina) and how he used to be a truck driver and traveled all around the country in his truck. His favorite state is Louisiana (for the gambling. Hmm.) and the prettiest state he has been to is Colorado. He also told us about all the kings of the Old Testament and about the Indians in North and South Dakota (then he told us we should all spend more time in the library when we didn't know our history).

It was a really strange experience. We talked afterward about how much it probably meant to him that we let me eat with us. His eyes lit up as he was telling us all about his adventures in Colorado. He was clearly moved that we cared to listen to him. I was very humbled. It's really easy to pass by someone on the street and not give a thought to their worth. I do it all the time. I have never once given money to a homeless person. Not once. So, why did we eat dinner with Tony last night? I have no clue. It's still very surreal to me.

One of my favorite book quotes is:

"It begins with just one step...Before you know it, those steps become a journey. I guarantee this will be the most fantastic journey you've ever been on. It's a journey that can take you across the ocean. A journey that can take you across cultural and economic barriers. A journey that you will never forget because of the people you will meet. And believe it or not, you'll recognize every one of them. They look like Jesus." -Red Letters by Tom Davis, p. 167

Last night I saw Jesus in a homeless man named Tony. It was really cool.

1st Day of Spring Training

Today was Day 1 of training for the 10k. We (my roommates and I) ran a grand total of 1 mile in 10:44. I was just proud I didn't have to stop. After that, we erg-ed, which is some type of rowing machine, for some distance that I don't remember. We were going to do crunches, but we were a little too tired.

We have quite a long way to go, but I'd say it was pretty successful for not having worked out in a year and a half. Training day #2 is Friday. I'm not sure what the training plan is for that workout yet.

The race is mid-May in Washington D.C. We'll be ready by then, right?

In other unimportant news, we had to call maintenance for our apartment for the 4th time today. Time 1 and 2 were for the disposal, time 3 was when the kitchen counter came off the wall, time 4 was for the disposal. Hm. No wonder they don't like us.

25 Things

I think this is a little weird, but I'll go ahead and do it anyway because now I have been "tagged" on Facebook and through another blog. And mainly because my roommate keeps bugging me about it. So Anne, here are 25 random things about me, in no particular order:

1. I hate chocolate. The smell and taste.

2. I have lived in 4 different states.

3. I really hate when hair gets on me. I don't think hair is gross, but I freak out if it gets on me and it's not attached to a head.

4. My biggest fear about going to Mexico in March is that I will get lice in the orphanage. I worry about this a lot. Everyone else worries about the drug cartels. I know it's weird.

5. I absolutely refuse to drink milk out of a plastic cup. This one time, my roommates hid all the glasses from me and I tried drinking my milk from a plastic cup. I couldn't and poured out the rest of my milk.

6. J.P. Prince is my favorite UT basketball player. I pretty much think he's amazing.

7. My biggest passion is orphans. I talk about orphans/adoption all the time. I am planning to work with orphans oversees for a year after college. I don't know where yet.

8. Going along with #7, one of my biggest dreams is to adopt children. Probably from Russia or Ukraine.

9. I want to have 7 children (some of them adopted).

10. All of my clothes face the same way in my closet. Always.

11. I have had 19 broken bones in my life. Yes, as in 1-9.

12. I love Italian food.

13. The 4th of July is my favorite holiday.

14. I have 2 metal rods in my back.

15. I drink coffee every morning. I am currently working my way down to decaf.

16. I am planning to run a 10k in May. Probably in Washington D.C. Let me know if you want to run too!

17. I think middle-schoolers are hilarious and I volunteer with a middle school ministry.

18. I like the smell of gas stations.

19. My favorite TV show of all time is Alias. It's seriously awesome. Sydney Bristow is still my role model.

20. One of my life goals is to learn 3 languages. I currently know English, some ASL, and a tiny bit of Spanish. When I live abroad next year, I am hoping to become proficient in something else, depending on where I live.

21. I hardly ever cry.

22. I push snooze every single morning. Now I have a note on my alarm that says "Discipline" and I feel guilty if I push it more than once.

23. In second grade, we hatched chicks at school. I got to keep one as a pet. Her name was "Chubby."

24. My favorite singer is Steven Curtis Chapman. He is an awesome adoption advocate and an awesome musician.

25. I can't sleep with clothes touching my feet, legs, or arms. I roll up my pants, sleep without socks, and only wear t-shirts to bed.

30% Chance of Rain

So, last night before I went to bed I checked the weather. I always do so I know what I should wear in the morning and since I typically get up late and am running around trying to get out the door on time, it's easier if I know ahead of time. Weather for Knoxville, Monday, February 2 was: 30% chance of rain, high of 44. Great. I get up this morning, late as usual, notice it really doesn't look like rain outside and decide not to take an umbrella. I mean, I know there's a 30% chance that I'll get wet, but hey, I'll take my chances.

So, I go to class. No rain. I get out of class. Little rain. Library for an hour then on to my last class. Is there rain? Of course not! There's SNOW!! And tons of it. I'm talking the kind where you have to squint your eyes so you don't get snow in them! It was so pretty! Then, logic takes over and I remind myself that it's not going to stick because the high is 44, which last time I checked was above freezing. I go on to class. After class, I am shocked to find that the ground is covered in white!! How exciting! On the drive home, I slid on the road because there was so much accumulation on the ground. It is so pretty and it continues to fall at a fast rate. I think that makes 2 solid hours of snowing now! My office closed and now I get a snow day. On a day with a 30% chance of rain.

Here are some pictures of our beautiful rain, I mean snow: