A day at the beach. . in January!?

Repelling down the cliff of death.

This weekend has been full-to-the-max with great things! Last night some friends and I went grocery shopping. . .for FIVE hours. Now I know what you're thinking and no, we are not that obese, we simply do not have vehicles and therefore must rely on the shuttle. (Fondly known as the shut-shut, the looser cruiser, or the Fruttle. I, however, call it the shuttle because I'm not able to call anything a name like that without causing a socially awkward situation.) Anyway, today included a Point Loma baseball game, (WE WON by 4 runs. sweet!) a hike to the beach, and another hike off campus to Pete's coffee to do homework, (teehee, yea right.) and an 8 minute ab work out. (check it out on YouTube, trust me it kills.) Now I'm sitting here blogging, which is a new form of procrastination, with an Afro of newly-blow dried hair.

I'm not sure why I felt all of this was relevant to anyone other than myself BUT as I said I felt the need to procrastinate. On to homework. . .

My Birthday!

Felisha and Sarah decorated my room while I was at work. This was right before we took down all the decorations to avoid a fine!
Nolan and I toasting our eclairs. YUM!

A toast!

Reid was already sea sick at this point, so it's an incomplete family photo.

Delicious dessert!

Windy!

Sitting in the harbor before going out.

Liar, Liar!

If you'll recall, I DID write something about having more structured time for blogging. . . well. . . that only works when you make use of the time. Which I haven't. (That is a round-a-bout way of apologizing for not writing in forever.) So much has happened since the last post It'll be hard to catch you all up. In fact I'm a year older than I was last time I posted a blog. WOOOH 19!
Anyway, I'll have to put up pictures of my adventures in a later post (which probably means never) because I'm on the computer at work and don't have access to any photos to break up my monologue, or sonnet, or epistle, or whatever this is.

The introductions to new classes have ended and I am now in full throttle mode. My days consist of school, homework, school, homework, eat, sleep, school, home. . . well you get the picture. And I really should have put reading instead of "homework" because that is what all my homework is.

The January heat-wave is over and I have a little more peace of mind. Last week I was a little disturbed by my urges to go to the beach instead of reading.
I had planned on writing about my birthday adventures, but have decided against it. It will have to wait until I can give you some visuals to go along with the narrative.
Until then!

Starting a New Semester

It is spring semester and I’ve spent the last week getting back into the school-groove. This also means that I will now have more structured time for blogging, which is definitely a top priority!

I spent my Christmas vacation mostly at home with my family doing fun things like reading some old favorite books, playing board games, and baking delicious Christmas treats. My family also made a few weekend trips, one to Hume Lake Christian Camp (see the video blog below), and another to my Aunt and Uncle’s cabin in Big Bear. Those were great family bonding times!

So far, my new classes seem challenging but do-able. I am taking: Masterpieces of World Literature (at 7:30 am!!!!!), World Civilizations 1, Philosophy, Human Development, and Sociology. Thankfully I don’t have any science labs this semester, but my time will surely be full of reading. One thing I am especially looking forward to this semester is my human development class. This class requires that I spent an hour a week at the Early Childhood Learning Center here on campus to interact and observe the behavior of 3 and 4 year olds! At first I wasn’t TOO thrilled about that idea because it meant that I have to get up an hour early on Thursdays, but on further evaluation I think it will be a highlight in my week. I’ll be able to interact with little humans that still have the innocence of childhood (that’ll be a nice reprieve from constant interaction with college students!)

Felisha and I have concocted many plans to keep some spice in our lives. Our plan is to do some fun, fairly spontaneous, and INEXPENSIVE things here in San Diego such as: exploring tide-pools, taking the trolley to Seaport Village, doing homework at the park, baking cookies in the Klassen Kitchen, etc. I’m sure we’ll make many fun memories. . . I’m looking forward to it all!

Vacation to Hume

Enjoy the video blog of my family's trip to Hume Lake!

(You will need to go to the bottom of the page and pause the music before watching.)

Homecoming

Welcome back to California my dear cousin! You have been missed.

Garrison Street

My study break included a trip to Garrison Street which is a "Christmas with the Kranks" style neighborhood! Christmas decorations can be found in every nook and cranny. I decided to break my vow to not blog until after finals just to post these pictures.

Enjoy!

Wrapping Up!

The end of my first semester of college is rapidly approaching. Can you believe it? I can! The only thing between me and my vacation is finals week. I don’t know if I should wish for it to be already behind me or for a few more weeks of study time, but no matter what . . . it is coming! This is just something I should get used to. I have a final every day except for Thursday, and I have two on Friday. Your prayers would be appreciated.
I’m also finding it completely difficult to buy gifts this year! I believe that my lack of success is due to the shuttle. *Sigh* what I wouldn’t give to have my own set of wheels and a full tank of gas down here. But obstacles build character right? Right! Please be understanding if I don’t have a gift for you right on Christmas because the odds are. . . I won’t.
I most likely won’t be updating this for the next week or so due to finals, so hang tight!

Why Rush?

There have been two major thoughts running through my head for the last week. The first is my constant need to plan my life. I’m sure that to an extent that is healthy and normal, However, I find myself planning my life to a point where I hardly leave room for the Lord to work. Then when He does intervene I’m fairly disgruntled. I have never really suffered the effects of this before, and I’m convinced that this is a lesson that God has been teaching me during this time in my life. Planning to a certain extent can be helpful for future “success,” but the Lord often has a greater plan. Openness to His will is crucial in my personal relationship with Him. I can rest in peace knowing that my Creator cares enough to change my plans. His always turn out better.

The second issue that has been mercilessly consuming my thoughts is the whole concept of the End Times. My Bible class just spent the last week going over the book of Revelation. This has been so helpful to me; I now know what I don’t believe! The question is what do I believe? The class has given me opportunity and inspiration to dig deeper into the Word to find answers. In my research I have had a renewed passion for living wholly for the Lord’s glory. In the past I have heard sermons or been in discussions concerning the rapture and all that follows. To be honest the thought of being taken off this earth without accomplishing my goals has always sounded dreadful. (Yes, I’m talking about my plans again!) But in this phase of seeking God’s will I have found infinitely more peace and comfort in knowing that He is the ULTIMATE! How can living in this sinful world be more fulfilling than living with my creator? With Him I will be without hurt, without sin, and with all that is merciful, wonderful and beyond words.

The point of this blog (subtle huh?) is to explain the process my head and my heart have gone through in order to come to some form of conclusion. Unfortunately, I will probably learn this lesson over and over throughout my life. It’s good to know that the Lord is patient!

Welcoming the holidays

A family Christmas tradition: decorate, decorate, decorate, then enjoy the surroundings while drinking a glass of sparkling cider.


A Family Photo: minus 5 family members.
( My mom's side of the family)

Let the Holidays begin!! I have just come back home from a few days of Thanksgiving celebrations with my family. I’ll be heading back to school tomorrow morning. I am very much looking forward to the end of the semester, but I’m dreading the three weeks of work I still have to go through to get to it. The semester has gone so quickly! Yet, when I think of all the things I have learned and gone through I can hardly believe it has only been a semester.

This week I have had such a refreshing taste of tradition. I was able to spend time with many of the people who love me the most, know me the best, and who have guided me from infancy to womanhood. I see the impact family has made on my life. It is a blessing to have a strong (and LARGE) support system in my life.

I am so glad that it is once again the time of year when I can say:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Lighting experiment

Story time with Natalie:

One night this week, Felisha and I took a walk around campus and we ended up at the PBC. Note to self: empty stomach + PBC credit + pudding = inevitable high-calorie intake. After we managed to consumed a whole lot of chocolate pudding we decided that we should do some cardio workout to clear our consciences. (Good intentions; Bad result) After our lovely work out, we came across a well lit field where we decided to experiment with the camera lighting. So the pictures that follow are the results of this experiment. This may sound completely random and disconnected from the pictures themselves, but I hope you appreciate the art of them more by knowing the story behind their existence. Enjoy.

Sunsets

I have become (even more) obsessed with sunsets! Just know that it is even more beautiful in person. These pictures don't do it justice.