After six exams, eight hours of packing, and a 13 hour drive I am home for the summer! This means time to re-establish home life with the family. One of our biggest places of contention is the bathroom. It makes sense: I have two sisters. It's also why my parents put two sinks in our bathroom when we built the house. When I'm at school it works well: two girls, two sinks. When I come home, the drama begins as we re-establish the pecking order, I mean bathroom organization.
When it comes to bathroom time, I'm pretty low maintenance: brush my tooth, pop in the contacts, lotion, comb the now-short hair, done. My sisters...not so much. I asked Dad to "handle the situation upstairs," and he didn't know what I was talking about until I showed him our bathroom. I then went to find a shovel to help him get his chin off of the floor. He went downstairs and told my sisters to get some of their "crap" off the counter.
"What crap?" my sisters responded innocently.
"Make-up, bottles, cords, I don't know... girl stuff."
It was their turn to use the shovel. I also think the stuff was levitating because there was no counter visible. The shower was just as bad. Between the two of them there were: fourteen bottles, four loofas, and three razors. I just don't understand.
After they moved their "crap" (and I evicted Mom's "overgrown toothbrush mold" of a decor) I was able to move-in. I opened my drawer and found four open bottles of contact solution. I practically drink the stuff, so I don't have any idea how I managed to get four open bottles (one from home, one from school, one from Dad, and one from some trip? I don't really know), but I do know I won't be needing to buy anymore this week. No promises on next week, though. As I was sorting through the surplus of hotel lotion, unused orthodontia rubber bands, and old contacts God got my attention.
Every August I get new contacts whether I need them or not. Most years it's a not. This means I have an ever-growing stack of out-dated, old prescription contacts that I don't know what to do with. Every August Mom tells me to keep wearing the old contacts to use them up and start the new ones in September. It's a great plan since "your eyes will never be closer to what they were than they are right now" (does that make sense?). Besides, normally I don't know how bad my prescription is until I get the new one. Flaw in the plan: when you go to the eye doctor they fit you for new contacts and you have to prove you know how to put them in. I've been wearing contacts everyday for the last six years, but sure you can teach me how to insert them into my eye... Yes, I'm a fast learner. Anyway. Once you put in the new contacts you instantly realize how much of the world you've been missing. There is no going back to the old prescription once you've tried the new.
You don't realize how messed up your life is until God starts fixing it. But, like with the contacts, once you've seen the new way there's no going back to how life used to be. Like the hymn says, "I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back; no turning back." Once you've allowed Him to work in your life there should be no holding back, no pulling away. No turning back.
<>< Katie
Showing posts with label exams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exams. Show all posts
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Finals Week
I'm kind of on a roll spilling secrets this week, so we're going to go with one more: I love exam week.
1. Boing, Boing, Boing
There is this unwritten rule against throwing bouncy balls inside the apartment. I grew up in a house with a strictly-enforced "no throwing balls in the house" rule, but apparently Andy didn't. It's not unusual to find bouncy balls whipped at you from across the room. Well, over the last semester these bouncy balls have disappeared into dark crevices of life. Since we're actively moving out, they've been reappearing and flipped into full action. Boing, boing, boing.
2. Out to Dinner
I rode an hour with my adoptive family to have dinner with my parents. It was weird to arrive with someone else, eat with those people and my parents, and leave with someone else. Just to paint the picture for you: my dad is shy, naive, and quiet. So is Ruth. Dr. Z is a strange bird, and Mom is Sarah Palin. Yes, I think we were the waitress's favorite table that day. Well, we were her only table for awhile because we scared away the rest of the guests... Oops. By the end of dinner she'd challenged my dad to go trout fishing in the lake and offered to play frisbee with Malachi in the parking lot. On the ride back, we tried to use the words "indefatigable" and "perspicacity" in normal conversation. Bonus points if you could get them both into a single sentence.
3. How did this happen?
Allyson and I use two separate bathrooms, so how we met outside one to do this I'm still not sure. I had my "gooked" electric toothbrush in my right hand held high above my head. In my left I held Allyson's left wrist. In her right hand she had an open bottle of listerine. Realizing how silly we looked we burst out laughing and couldn't figure out what we were doing. Something about Allyson wanting to turn on my toothbrush and spray toothpaste all over the apartment...
4. Breakfast of Champions
The incentive to walk to the caf to eat breakfast before an exam is virtually non-existent. Luckily, we also have to use up our points and eat all of the bizarre food we've accumulated throughout the semester. Nikki ate a re-heated hot dog, chips, and old cheese dip. Allyson ate some chocolate cake with her whipped cream. Chris, an hour away and unaware of our creativity, had a peanut butter sandwich. I feel lame for eating an apple and peanut butter (by clutching the jar of peanut butter between my knees); I really don't like apples.
5. EXPECTO PATRONUM!
Allyson's taking a conducting class right now, so her baton is waving as she prepares. Carrie borrowed said baton and turned it into a Harry Potter wand. My favorite part is when she speaks into the end of the wand so that it can hear her better. :-)
6. (in the middle of a class discussion exam)
Dr. T: Alex Haley and Malcolm X co-write the Autobiography of Malcolm X, and they both have "X" in their name. Isn't that weird?
Katie: What do you have against people that have "X"es in their names?
Dr. T: Nothing... it's just... Saxon has an "X," too, and you're sitting next to each other.
Katie: It was the "X" factor that drew us together on this side of the room.
Dr. T: My middle name is "X."
Katie: Are you lying to me?
Dr. T: It's Xavier.
Katie: You are lying to me.
The rest of the class kind of stared at us.
7. Redecorating?
Nikki: Remember that one time our phones used the same charger?
Katie: Remember that one time you asked to borrow my phone charger and I said no because you licked me?
I do remember that one time when Nikki stole my phone charger and replaced all of the photos on my bulletin board with Kleenexes... Thanks.
8. Why is Cornhole in our apartment? (aka Bean Bag Toss)
I really don't know, but we played. Who says Cornhole's an outdoor game? We played in the living room with one person standing on the Platonic Love Seat and the other standing one of the arm chairs. I'm better inside than out.
9. Four Hour Exams
It started innocently enough at 6pm. By 6:30 our class of eight was seated around Dr. Paul's dining room table eating summer chili, chocolate-covered pretzels, and (get this!) fresh strawberries. By 7:15 we were having a living room discussion of the Christology of William Paul Young as found in his book, The Shack. By 8, we'd looked up the Wii Fit. For the next two hours we pondered how "Grandaddy" was born in 1975, is 5'7", and weighs 107 pounds... Either way, he looks great while juggling, hula hooping, and flying in a chicken suit!
10. Moving
This is my least favorite part of spring exam week: studying and packing at the same time. Some of my stuff goes to storage; some of my stuff goes home. Friday means 14 hours of driving, three cars and two drivers. Wait. Switch that. I guess I'm not indefatigable. By the time you're reading this, we've probably gotten a little giggly in the car. After retelling our favorite stories we'll start playing word games. Dad's a "numbers guy" so he loves writing sentences like "Tiny Tim tinkled in the timbers" or "Blue birch-bark burn on Bob's bum." Mom's a little bit better. :-)
Bon voyage and bueno suerte,
<>< Katie
1. Boing, Boing, Boing
There is this unwritten rule against throwing bouncy balls inside the apartment. I grew up in a house with a strictly-enforced "no throwing balls in the house" rule, but apparently Andy didn't. It's not unusual to find bouncy balls whipped at you from across the room. Well, over the last semester these bouncy balls have disappeared into dark crevices of life. Since we're actively moving out, they've been reappearing and flipped into full action. Boing, boing, boing.
2. Out to Dinner
I rode an hour with my adoptive family to have dinner with my parents. It was weird to arrive with someone else, eat with those people and my parents, and leave with someone else. Just to paint the picture for you: my dad is shy, naive, and quiet. So is Ruth. Dr. Z is a strange bird, and Mom is Sarah Palin. Yes, I think we were the waitress's favorite table that day. Well, we were her only table for awhile because we scared away the rest of the guests... Oops. By the end of dinner she'd challenged my dad to go trout fishing in the lake and offered to play frisbee with Malachi in the parking lot. On the ride back, we tried to use the words "indefatigable" and "perspicacity" in normal conversation. Bonus points if you could get them both into a single sentence.
3. How did this happen?
Allyson and I use two separate bathrooms, so how we met outside one to do this I'm still not sure. I had my "gooked" electric toothbrush in my right hand held high above my head. In my left I held Allyson's left wrist. In her right hand she had an open bottle of listerine. Realizing how silly we looked we burst out laughing and couldn't figure out what we were doing. Something about Allyson wanting to turn on my toothbrush and spray toothpaste all over the apartment...
4. Breakfast of Champions
The incentive to walk to the caf to eat breakfast before an exam is virtually non-existent. Luckily, we also have to use up our points and eat all of the bizarre food we've accumulated throughout the semester. Nikki ate a re-heated hot dog, chips, and old cheese dip. Allyson ate some chocolate cake with her whipped cream. Chris, an hour away and unaware of our creativity, had a peanut butter sandwich. I feel lame for eating an apple and peanut butter (by clutching the jar of peanut butter between my knees); I really don't like apples.
5. EXPECTO PATRONUM!
Allyson's taking a conducting class right now, so her baton is waving as she prepares. Carrie borrowed said baton and turned it into a Harry Potter wand. My favorite part is when she speaks into the end of the wand so that it can hear her better. :-)
6. (in the middle of a class discussion exam)
Dr. T: Alex Haley and Malcolm X co-write the Autobiography of Malcolm X, and they both have "X" in their name. Isn't that weird?
Katie: What do you have against people that have "X"es in their names?
Dr. T: Nothing... it's just... Saxon has an "X," too, and you're sitting next to each other.
Katie: It was the "X" factor that drew us together on this side of the room.
Dr. T: My middle name is "X."
Katie: Are you lying to me?
Dr. T: It's Xavier.
Katie: You are lying to me.
The rest of the class kind of stared at us.
7. Redecorating?
Nikki: Remember that one time our phones used the same charger?
Katie: Remember that one time you asked to borrow my phone charger and I said no because you licked me?
I do remember that one time when Nikki stole my phone charger and replaced all of the photos on my bulletin board with Kleenexes... Thanks.
8. Why is Cornhole in our apartment? (aka Bean Bag Toss)
I really don't know, but we played. Who says Cornhole's an outdoor game? We played in the living room with one person standing on the Platonic Love Seat and the other standing one of the arm chairs. I'm better inside than out.
9. Four Hour Exams
It started innocently enough at 6pm. By 6:30 our class of eight was seated around Dr. Paul's dining room table eating summer chili, chocolate-covered pretzels, and (get this!) fresh strawberries. By 7:15 we were having a living room discussion of the Christology of William Paul Young as found in his book, The Shack. By 8, we'd looked up the Wii Fit. For the next two hours we pondered how "Grandaddy" was born in 1975, is 5'7", and weighs 107 pounds... Either way, he looks great while juggling, hula hooping, and flying in a chicken suit!
10. Moving
This is my least favorite part of spring exam week: studying and packing at the same time. Some of my stuff goes to storage; some of my stuff goes home. Friday means 14 hours of driving, three cars and two drivers. Wait. Switch that. I guess I'm not indefatigable. By the time you're reading this, we've probably gotten a little giggly in the car. After retelling our favorite stories we'll start playing word games. Dad's a "numbers guy" so he loves writing sentences like "Tiny Tim tinkled in the timbers" or "Blue birch-bark burn on Bob's bum." Mom's a little bit better. :-)
Bon voyage and bueno suerte,
<>< Katie
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
So many thoughts, so little time
I'm sorry, I've been a bad blogger! My fellow college students know that midterms and following is the craziest time in a semester because professors try to cram everything in before the semester's out. However, that is no excuse.
Even with all our work and needs to be done, we still need to give time to God. He is more important than anything we're studying in class. Twenty years from now, Snowden's secret in Catch-22 isn't going to matter. God will still matter. Let's give this time to Him!
With that said, I have about four blogs that are in the process of being written (both mentally composed and on here as drafts). Hopefully those completely blogs will come to fruition with in the next couple of days.
God loves you! He thinks you're beautiful!
<>< Katie
"Behold, you are beautiful, My love, you are beautiful." Song of Solomon 4:1a
Even with all our work and needs to be done, we still need to give time to God. He is more important than anything we're studying in class. Twenty years from now, Snowden's secret in Catch-22 isn't going to matter. God will still matter. Let's give this time to Him!
With that said, I have about four blogs that are in the process of being written (both mentally composed and on here as drafts). Hopefully those completely blogs will come to fruition with in the next couple of days.
God loves you! He thinks you're beautiful!
<>< Katie
"Behold, you are beautiful, My love, you are beautiful." Song of Solomon 4:1a
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)