Light of the World

One of the things that I love to do with AFC every year is go on the weeklong trips over the last week of Christmas Break. We send out eight groups of AFCers to children’s homes across the state of Texas and Oklahoma. In the past I have been to Cherokee Children’s Home in Cherokee, Texas as well as Tipton Children’s Home in Tipton, Oklahoma. Both of these trips were awesome, and a wonderful experience for me. The best part is that they get better every year. This year, I made the long trek up to Amarillo, Texas to spend the week with my fellow Ags at the High Plains Children’s Home. I don’t think that I have ever had a more amazing experience in my life. EPIC would be an appropriate description of this trip. Our group had such great balance and cohesion. I was excited to go in the beginning because some of my good friends were going to be there, but at the same time, I was anxious because a few of AFC’s pretty, popular girls were going. You all know how I tend to feel about that. My concerns, however, were completely unfounded. Every single person that went on the trip was absolutely amazing, and we all worked together so well!

Our trip up to Amarillo was, of course a long one, but we had tons of fun along the way. About half of the group left together from College Station; the rest were already in Amarillo, or were coming in directly from their hometowns. We only made it about 45 minutes out of College Station before we had to stop in Riesel. It didn’t take long, but it was amusing that some of our friends felt the need to get some Bush’s Chicken to eat in the car. Thomas, Natalie, Macy, and Jacob got a family pack, plates, and plastic ware and had a regular picnic in the suburban. They also made friendship bracelets in the car; it was really cute. Between Decatur and Amarillo, we had a fairly epic Alphabet Game battle. I won when I saw County Road Z! Thomas was rather jealous. We didn’t really have anything else exciting happen until we got to Hedley, Texas. We had to stop there because we experiencing some intense vibrations from the back of the suburban. When we got out of the car, it looked like our back tire had a softball-sized tumor on it! It was crazy! Fortunately, we had plenty of boys to change the tire, so we were back on the road pretty quickly.

Once we got to Amarillo (Canyon, actually), we stopped at the home of our trip leader, Chace. Her parents kindly provided us with pizza and drinks for dinner and gave us all a chance to socialize now that the vast majority of the gang was in the same place. We then broke into groups to go to our respective “homes” for the weekend. Natalie, Samantha, Lyndsey and I stayed with some members of the Central Church of Christ in Amarillo. They had a really interesting home, and they treated us like family. It was really fun to share a room with someone (Natalie) for the weekend—like an old-fashioned sleepover. It’s such a great way to get close to your friends, both literally and figuratively.

Originally, we were supposed to have a weekend trip at the Central Church of Christ before going to High Plains and do a service project for them. Unfortunately, they needed us to do some outdoor painting, and the weather just did not permit it. Instead, our group of AFCers just spent the day together, getting to know one another. We had some BBQ for lunch and then we headed out to Cadillac Ranch to have some fun with spray paint and cameras. That night, we went to the home of another local Aggie, Jena. Her family fixed up an awesome steak dinner for us, and they let us watch football at their house. Sunday morning, we went to the Central Church of Christ for Bible class and Sunday service. Some of our Ags led the youth group class. They shared some of their personal stories about their faith and their walk with Christ now and when they were younger. They did a really good job and some of their stories were really moving, especially Amanda’s. After church we went back to Jena’s house, where her family had made us another awesome meal. They were wonderful and treated us all like we were one of their kids.

After Sunday lunch it was off to High Plains to get settled in for the week. The home had a vacant cottage that they let us (there were about 22 of us) have to ourselves. It ended up being a bit like a very large, coed sleepover, except that there were more than enough beds to go around (and no funny business, if you know what I mean). I shared a room with my name twin, Katelyn. Even better, we both happened to be sick at the time, so we didn’t disturb anyone that way. At the beginning, we did contemplate pulling several of the girls’ mattresses into one room and having a giant slumber party, but we never got around to it.

Every day started at 8 AM (that would be 8:30 in AFC time) with a morning devotional and plans for the day, followed by service projects until lunch around noon or one. We did some great service projects at the home. We painted the inside of a building and a fence, moved some furniture and oilfield pipes for fences, cleaned out horse stalls, shoveled gravel for a playground and sand for the barn, and did a few other odd jobs. During this time, we were obviously together a lot. We would sing, make jokes, talk, and generally get to know each other. I wish I could tell you about every person, but I think that a little something about each of them will have to suffice. Samantha wants to be a middle school teacher; and, apparently, she and I are ninjas (we can get into and out of crowded rooms without anyone taking notice of us). Mandy loves hair bows. Chace is very difficult to wake up. Jacob is a really hard worker. Tony is new to Christianity. Ben and Matt love to ride bikes and go running. Amanda is a great leader and a prone to doing and saying funny things. Jenny’s New Year’s Resolution is to take one picture for each day of the year. Katelyn is studying abroad in Brazil this semester. JD is learning to fly. Paul, our other trip leader, is pretty quiet, so his funny comments catch you off guard. Juston is leading the mission trip to the Ukraine this summer. Melissa is working really hard in pharmacy school. Reece got set on fire at work (yeah, that’s a story unto itself). Macy has no idea what she wants to do with her life. The list goes on, but you get the idea. It didn’t take long to develop great respect for everyone in the group—no exceptions. It was so easy for us to spend the whole day together; even naptime was a group event. After lunch every day most of us would take a nap to prepare ourselves for seeing all of the kids when they came home from school. Despite our abundance of beds, at least half of the group would always end up sleeping in the living room. Needless to say, we like each other a lot.

The time in our separate cottages was also well spent. My group (Amanda, Jenny, Jena, Macy, Samantha, and me) went to the Williams Cottage every night. There were five girls living there; the youngest is in Kindergarten and the oldest is in the seventh grade. They were all really sweet and loving; and the youngest one, Mickayla, loved having us to herself for a while every afternoon. She wanted us to draw and color with her, and she knows how to command a crowd! We would help the girls with homework, talk with them, play games and eat dinner before group activities every night. We also had the privilege of not only getting to know the regular house parents but also the relief parents as well. They were all really wonderful people and you could tell that they really loved and cared about the girls.

After we got settled in on Sunday, we split up into groups to either hang out with some of the kids or go to evening service with others. I stayed and we had a small devo with the boys in the Axe cottage and some of my friends. We also played some games with them and laughed when one of the boys “helped” Paul play memory. When the rest of the group returned for service, all of us Ags had dinner with the Axe cottage. On Monday night, we split into our respective groups and had dinner with our assigned cottages for the first time, and I bruised my knee playing air guitar for the girls. At the gym later, we all had lots of fun playing games, especially color tag. Tuesday night was skit night—the best night of any AFC trip! It is always so much fun, especially when you have really excited actors like Jacob, Amanda, Thomas and Paul. All of our skits were awesome, but Beaver College and Movie Skit were phenomenal! Wednesday, our cottage was supposed to go to church, but one of our girls got sick on the way. We went back to the cottage and had our own devo instead. Amanda’s lesson was really good, especially since it was totally off the cuff, and we had everyone share their favorite Bible verse. Thursday night, after the kids went to bed, we Ags had our own bonfire devo. There was singing, laughing, crying and, of course, smores. Chace and Paul asked everyone to share something meaningful about another person on the trip. They also gave everyone a lighter to remind us of our theme for the week—let your light shine. We then proceeded to play with fire (What did you expect? We are only in college after all…).

On Friday morning, it was time to say our goodbyes. We all got up extra early to see the kids off the school and do some picking up in the cottage before we left. Naturally, we discovered that neither of the vacuum cleaners in our cottage worked, so the carpet did not get very clean. Finally, we loaded up and headed to Chace’s house. On the way, Chace, Natalie and I had a very interesting conversation about church and friends. I also learned—both at this time and once previously on the trip—that Chace has always thought that I was an intriguing person and that she expected me to be much quieter than I am. Once there, we collected all of our vehicles and read a very sweet letter from Chace’s parents. After nine or ten more hours of getting close in the car, we finally made it back to College Station. What a trip!

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.” – Matthew 5: 14-16

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” – 1 Peter 3: 15-16

Let Me Sum Up

Wow, I can’t believe that I haven’t written anything since August. Epic fail on my part. So much has happened since then. Let’s see…

Sarah is engaged. Amanda is engaged. Sara is engaged. Rachel is practically engaged. Enter the mixed emotions. I am totally happy for every one of them; I know that they are happy and I wish them all the best. At the same time, I am mildly envious; they are getting married and I can’t even get a date. I am also worried about them all. I know, I know; I’m not usually the mother hen. I just don’t want anything to end badly for them. Life is complicated enough as it is, and they are taking a big step that won’t make anything easier.

School is an ever present fixture in my life. Changing majors was definitely a good decision for me. My classes are easier, and they permit me to tackle my prerequisites for pharmacy school with less conflict as well as maintain a stable and supportive social life. I am proud to say that I got 3 A’s and a B this semester, I am officially a SENIOR and I was able to submit my ring audit. As of January 8, I am approved to order my Fightin’ Texas Aggie Ring! WHOOP!

Over the summer and this past semester I have made some really good friends in Aggies for Christ that I have not mentioned before. I think that I will need another entry entirely to describe them in all of their awesomeness; so, for now, suffice it to say that I am much happier than I have been in a while. I went on an awesome weekend trip in September led by my friend Thomas. We went to Bertram, Texas to work with the church there and had a blast. I have been co-leading a Bible study with my friend Robert this semester. It is a really small group but the people in it are great, and Minor Prophets are fun. I have continued to go to Thursday night devo and Sunday morning church, but I have also been going to church on Wednesday night as well. Over the summer, we also started a movie night. Every Friday night, we get together and watch movies—best night of the week!

Currently, the most recent issue on my mind has been the weeklong trip to the High Plains Children’s Home in Amarillo, Texas. Yet again, this will need a post of its own, but it was amazing. I got really close to existing friends and made some great new friends this past week. I also learned a great deal about myself and not taking blessings for granted. This trip did have its bittersweet moments though. We had the privilege of seeing two of our friends who now live in the Amarillo area. Melissa began pharmacy school at Texas Tech in August, and one of our newer friends, Reece, also moved back to Canyon in December. They are a great fun and we miss them lots.

P.S.--Points if you can identify what the title of this post alludes to.

I will post soon elaborating on some of the aforementioned things. Later Days for now!

"Few can foresee whither their road will lead them, till they come to its end." ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord. ~ Jeremiah 1:7-8

To Do List

So, I was thinking today. I know you’re saying to yourselves, “Oh no. Kate’s been thinking again. What now?” Just kidding…at least, I hope so.

Anywho, so I was thinking that I haven’t really been fighting the Good Fight lately; more like watching from the sidelines. I have also been somewhat less than proactive in my own attempts to be happy. Basically, I haven’t tried very hard to make myself happy, or tried to let God lead me to happiness. I’ve just been…letting whatever happen. Now, my general philosophy is to “live and let live.” I don’t think I have a problem with the “let live” part of that, it’s the “live” I am letting slide by. At least, living fully anyway. To do this, I’m pretty sure I need some divine intervention as well as some personal reformation. The first thought, that came to my head was that I should pray about it; not only that, but I should pray more often than I do. Say, every day instead of once in a blue moon (I’m not counting prayers led at church, devo, etc.). Well, if I want to start to pray every day, I should find a way to remind myself, right? I got out some paper (yellow paper, actually) and a marker (red sharpie, of course) and I made a To Do list; item number one: Pray. Well, I looked at my list, and I thought, “Well that seems insubstantial. It’s an excellent start, for sure, but I believe there is more to it.” So, I started adding some other items to the list that I believe are important. In the end, I had ten things To Do. As usual, I believe my goals are more likely served by making myself accountable to others, so here is my list, for your review and critique. The items are not in any order of importance because I felt that although some were more important than others, several held equally important places for me.

1. Pray. I don’t pray on my own very often, for others or for myself. I know that I should pray more often, but I have a hard time. For me, it often has the dual effect of making me feel a bit better, but at the same time, I rarely feel like God has provided me with any answers. I don’t expect God to hand me a solution every time I ask a question or I ask for help, but I also know that I am blinded by my minimal relationship with him, and I want to correct that. I would love to have the kind of relationship with God that I feel like many of you have.

2. Read. Read a lot. Read the Bible and Vonnegut and Rowling and Shakespeare and Tolkien and Morrison. Read fiction and nonfiction; whatever interests you, inspires you, and makes you question. As I’m sure you have noticed, I not only love to read, I think that reading is an important way to learn about others, yourself, your world, and how to express yourself in an articulate and informed manner. If I love to read so much, I’m sure you are wondering why I felt the need to put it on the list. Well, when I thought about prayer, I recalled a talk that I had with Amanda one time. She told me that when she prayed, she often got her answers from God through scripture. I honestly don’t read the Bible very often (again, I don’t count church, etc.); I am too distracted by other things in life. I do believe that all literature is beneficial and that I can find God even where you least expect Him, but I need to read God’s Word more often.

3. Respect. I know that I have said in the past that showing respect/courtesy is, in my opinion, the most important way to successfully deal with people. I also feel that I am fairly good at it, at least as far as others are concerned. I need to show more respect for God and for myself. As I said before, I don’t have the kind of relationship with God that I want, and I believe that I have disrespected Him by not cultivating it. I also have the tendency to be really hard on myself. Berating oneself has its place, but only to a point. I can change some things about myself and my lifestyle to make me feel better about myself. For some things, however, I must change the way I think about myself. I have learned, to an extent, how to think about myself in positive terms, rather than negative, and I am still learning. I also believe that, if I let Him, God can help me with these changes.

4. Love. Love God, love others, love myself. This goes very much in hand with Respect. I love God, but not like I should. I want to love God, my family, and my friends more actively. I don’t always express myself like I should, nor do I usually go out of my way to make my friends and family feel loved. Fellowship is very important to me and love is the only way to make it grow. I want to love myself more. Have you noticed how hard it is to love yourself? Not in a narcissistic, egotistical, obsessive, I can’t stop looking at my reflection way; but truly loving yourself for who you are, no matter what. See the last clause of the final sentence of item number three.

5. Forgive. God’s forgiveness and grace is actually the basis for my “live and let live” theory of life, but I am not perfect. I have been known to hold grudges and generally be stubborn. Letting go of some of that animosity would be good for me, as well as learning to avoid letting grow in me in the future. I also have to remember to forgive myself when I screw up. Again, this goes hand in hand with Respect and Love; and, again, refer to the last seven words of number three.

6. Reflect. Reflection is an integral part of learning. Whether you are learning about God or the culture of rural Mali, reflection allows you to organize you thoughts and draw conclusions. Reflection is more than just an academic exercise. It is intellectual, spiritual, and emotional. It allows you to learn from many people, places, and experiences. I firmly believe that there is something to be learned everyday, both in and out of the classroom. I learn from textbooks as well as from bouncing checks, and I try not to limit myself by limiting what I view as valuable and educational.

7. Follow. Following is very important. I should follow God more than I do, especially after I ask for his help. It’s very rude to ask for advice and then ignore your advisor. I should follow my wiser parents, family members, and friends. I’m not very good at following. I prefer to walk on my own two feet or lead the way, but there are innumerable advantages to following the lead of others who are smarter than me.

8. Speak. I am not always very good about expressing myself, nor am I good at asking for help. I need to work on speaking up for myself, and seeking the help I need, rather than hoping it will fall into my lap.

9. Act. Go forth and do something. Blaze a trail for myself. This is sort of the same problem as not speaking. I need not only to open my mouth, but to walk forward.

10. Lead. This is the only item that is in order of importance. I think that of all of these things, leading is the least important. Leading is important, but I feel that I must be accomplished in many of the things above to do it well. However, I like to lead, and I feel that I am good at it. I want to become a person that leads by example as well as a person who actively leads. I think that leadership is good for me. It helps me grow personally as well as a member of a community.

Well, that’s the list. Some of these things I do, but I could probably do them better. Some of these things I don't really do at all. I’m sorry this is so long, but I wanted to explain myself well. Please, don’t hesitate to comment if you have suggestions or opinions. Also, please pray for me; I really want and need your support. Thanks!

“Heaven helps those who help themselves.”

“My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

His oath, his covenant, his blood,
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.”
~ William B. Bradbury, “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less,” first verse, third verse, and chorus.

What to do? What to do?

I feel like I am so behind. I haven't checked anyone's blog in at least three weeks...I've missed so many valuable thoughts. Oh well, life goes on.

I'm sure I'm going to regret this, but I am really ready for school to start. I don't like not having a schedule, and I am eager to BTHO another semester. I am also really excited about Sarah's engagement, and Amanda's in-the-near-future engagement--let the wedding planning commence! Personally, I think that y'all should hire magicians to entertain at your receptions. You can't go wrong with magicians.

I'm not sure what to do about extra-curricular activities this semester though. I don't want to do GUIDE anymore because I didn't like the direction it was going last year. It is still a great organization, but I don't think that it is a good organization for me anymore. I am more active in Aggies for Christ now, but I would like to do something outside of that. I am thinking I might check out the Aggie Book Club. I also need to get some pharmacy experience, and a professional organization or just doing some volunteer work on my own would be a good use of my time. My coworker, Meagan, has also put forth another possible option for me; she wants to start a Model UN at A&M. I'm thinking, "I like to argue. Why not?" The only thing about participating in this adventure, is that starting a new organization from scratch could potentially be a major time committment. I'm sure I could handle it though. Anyone care to go to MSC Open House with me?

"Some people make things happen, some watch things happen, while others wonder what has happened." ~ Proverb

Epiphany of Attitude

Okay, so it has been a while since I last posted anything, but I had a very interesting thought on Monday. Here's the story...

This week I had a stupid moment; I forgot to go pay the rent. Hell. It was due on the fourth, and I got a notice on the sixth that I needed to pay it. Crap. Well, by this time I had accumulated a lovely $65 in late fees. Damn. Long story short, I am an idiot. The next morning, I went and paid my rent. Stupid, stupid, stupid. End of story.

Well, in the infamous words of Paul Harvey, here's "the rest of the story..."

I'm sure most of you have noticed by now, when I do something stupid, I get mad. By and large, I am angry with myself for doing whatever idiotic thing that I have done. Of course, this was also true for the aforementioned inanity. Well, about ten minutes into my self-berating, I interrupted myself with two thoughts.

Thought #1: “Katy, it happens!”

Well, I was a bit taken aback. I could not argue with this, and my sensible side took advantage of my stunned silence to say this:

Thought #2: “Why are you going to let this one mishap, that you cannot do anything about, ruin an otherwise good day? Seriously, why?”

I just lost an argument, with myself.

I know, I know. This is not really an original thought, but it is true. Why should I be miserable and beat myself up over something as trivial (albeit expensive) as late rent? What’s done is done. There is no use in crying over spilled milk. So, I wrote the check and, with a bit of effort, put it out of my mind. You know what happened then? I was happy! I then proceeded to carry on with the rest of my perfectly good evening. End of story (for real this time).

Moral of the story: I can choose my mood. As I said before, there is no great revelation here; no novel epiphany. It is simply something that I would do well to remember in the future, and I thought it might be a good reminder for everyone else as well. Later days!

"I discovered I always have choices and sometimes it's only a choice of attitude." ~ Unknown

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." ~ Maya Angelou

Sometimes, I Hate Being The Weird One

Why can't I just be really excited about the things that my parents want me to be excited about? That would make life so much simpler…

I guess you have no idea what I'm talking about. Allow me clarify my dilemma. I don't want to go to pharmacy school. I want to go to graduate school and get my PhD in psychology. I don't really enjoy chemistry or biology of any kind. I don't hate it, but I don't like it either. That is also how I feel about pharmacy. I like that it is a stable job that pays well, but other than that I don't have any strong feelings about it. I could do it, but I don't really enjoy it. Even when I did my pharmacy tech training in high school, I was bored. I didn't look forward to it, and I couldn't wait to get done when I was in the pharmacy. I started Texas A&M as a chemistry major because it would have been a really good degree to have to do the things that I thought I might want to do...forensics, pathology, veterinary medicine, or pharmacy. Since then, however, I have found that I don't want to do any of those things. I don't like lab, which effectively eliminates forensics or pathology and I don't really want to go to vet or pharmacy school.

On the other hand, the only other major I could ever really see myself in before I went to college was psychology. I always thought that it would be interesting, but I didn't really think that I would be good at any psychology related profession and my dad thinks it's stupid. Upon deeper self-reflection, I think that I might be good a good psychologist after all. I've always been really interested in why people act and think the way that they do. Classes like psychology, anthropology, and literature always get me thinking; I think that is why they are so easy for me. I go away thinking about them, so I never totally forget what the teacher was talking about. Physical sciences rarely have that effect on me; everything either is or isn't, there is no interpretation, no maybe. I still don't have to work as hard as a lot of people do, but the information tends to get lost in the dusty, untouched corners of my mind. I recognize that psychology doesn't generate the highest paying jobs or the most guaranteed jobs, but I believe that it is a beneficial one and, for me, a subject that I truly enjoy.

Here is the hard part: I need to talk to my parents about this. I don't think that they are going to like it. They let me change my major to psychology, but I told them that I could still go to pharmacy school. I was excited about pharmacy school for a while, but I always had that thought in the back of my mind reminding me why I didn't want to do it in the first place. I think I really only ever wanted to do it because that's what my parents want me to do. All they ever really saw in high school were the good grades; I am perfectly capable of doing almost anything. What they don't see is all the thinking and analyzing that I do in my head. I don't talk to them about all of those things that I think about because every time that I share something like that with them I get picked on for it and they give me this look like I've lost my mind. I don't think that they are trying to be mean, but it bothers me that they treat my interests as if they are a joke. So I just don't talk about it.

If anyone has any suggestions on how to deal with this, I would love to hear them. Pleaseandthankyou!

"If God had wanted me otherwise, he would have created me otherwise." ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Debateable Subjects of the Most Mundane Kind

I am sure you have all been wondering what I have been up to lately, or maybe not, but I am going to tell you anyway. I haven’t done anything of particular note, so I am just going to give you the highlights of the last three weeks or so.

A while back, I took my first political science test and I have not been to that particular class since then. Mostly because I am lazy, but also because the professor is an ass, pardon my language. Actually, I did not even look up my test grade until early this morning. I was surprised to find that I did not do well. I did great! I got a 102 and tied for the second highest grade in my class. Whoop!

Truth be told, I was quite ecstatic last Friday because my friend Holly called me to see if I wanted to go to a movie. You have no idea how pleasantly shocking that was. We went to see He’s Just Not That into You. I didn’t agree with everything that they said, but it was a good movie. It was funny and had a satisfying ending, in my opinion. I also randomly decided to try making chicken and dumplings that night. They weren’t perfect, but they were pretty tasty. Yum!

Last night was also pretty fun. My GUIDE fish, Valerie, came over after the meeting and we made brownies and watched Amelie. Despite the fact that it is in French, and we had to read subtitles the entire movie, it was really good. It looks weird, and it is. But it kind of reminds me of Moulin Rouge. Funny, awkward, romantic, odd, and with a good message to top it all off; I recommend it for adventurous souls.

I have also been periodically debating with a philosopher friend of mine (yes, the very same, if you know what I am talking about) and a couple of other friends from church on Facebook about the nature of bliss. He also posted a very good note about introverts today. I recommend that all of you read it. If you are an introvert, it will strike a chord with you, and it will help you understand yourself a bit better. If you are an extrovert, it will help you understand any introverted friends that you might have, myself included. I commented on it, so you should be able to find it on my wall (it is called “The Introvert”).

The best part of the last month for me has been the reading. I have had the opportunity to work on my reading list that is posted on Facebook. Two weekends ago, I read The Great Gilly Hopkins, Summer of my German Soldier, and Blood and Chocolate. I sort of inadvertently chose three books with similar themes here; they all make very important statements about love, beauty, and acceptance, but I won’t bore you with an analysis. I have been slowly working my way through Grimm’s Fairy Tales as well, but since the stories are short, I read them when I don’t have time to read novels. Last Monday, I ordered four new books, so I have something new to read. Currently, I am reading Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. It is beautifully written, funny, and romantic, but it is not for the faint of heart. If you decide you might want to read it, be sure to read a good synopsis of it first, and then decide. I also find it a bit frustrating because the author uses a lot of French phrases. I don’t speak French. If anyone has the time, ability, and inclination to translate for me, I would be most appreciative.

Well, aside from school, work, and the usual activities, this is my life of late. I hope you have enjoyed it. Thanks and Gig’em!

"If God had wanted me otherwise, He would have created me otherwise." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe