Almost Over

I'm so excited that this semester is almost over! I have one more of each of my classes, then five days until my first final, and I get home May ninth!
This weekend was a sort of end-of-semester celebration (I'm sure next weekend will be too whenever we're not cramming). On Friday we went out for dinner instead of going to SAGA, our cafeteria, which is always so nice. Then we had a few friends in and out of our room, playing guitar and talking, until swing club, which was open dance this time. It was really fun, especially since we spent most of the time teaching one of our friends to dance. At first he said he hated dancing, but by the end of the night when he'd done really well and learned everything we had time to teach him about East Coast swing, he decided to come back next semester every week.
Yesterday was a busy day. After brunch, we went to see As You Like It put on by some students in our arboretum. It was very well acted, and a lot of fun. After that was what our school called "Centralhallapalooza", which was a bunch of student bands playing good live music, some inflatables, and really good ice cream. That was also a lot of fun. Then, to top it all off, Clara and I came back and wrote papers. ;) They were short, just three pages, so that was nice to get them done. Today is just a homework day, finishing up work that's due by Tuesday.
I'm going to miss my friends~ we had a lot of fun this weekend, as we always do~ but I can't wait to be at home, in the kitchen drinking iced tea, or out in the barn playing with the ponies, or playing games with the boys. I know God will get me through these last few days of finishing papers before the end of the semester, and through finals week, and then I'll be back in Washington! :-)

Another Day In The Life

Two weeks until the end of school! I am very excited to go home. It's such a weird feeling to be almost done with my freshman year of college. I don't feel old enough. Well, actually, now a freshman in college just doesn't sound very old to me, because high school sounds really young! It's been such a good year. I've learned even more than I thought I would, spiritually and intelectually. I'm so thankful I can be here.
This week was pretty normal; I did homework every night, with the occasional break to talk, then on Friday we went to the Coffee House again to hear our guys play again. They were really good, and this time we stayed to hear more good music. Clara and I also walked into town because it was so beautiful outside. Saturday I played soccer with Bryan, and was really encouraged by talking to him about how he's been putting God first and setting the example for his suitemates, our other good guy friends.
Today Natalie and I ran into our Tevya- dancing friend, who caught me up on the past season of 24 (that he watched from eleven one night until eight the next morning without stopping to sleep!) It seems to be a Monday thing.
Anyway, nothing much is happening around here, except that it's starting to buzz with the mixed feelings about going home for the summer.
One last thing~ some T.S. Eliot from "Journey of the Magi" that Dr. Smith sent us:

"All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we lead all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I have seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old Dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death."

This sounds rather depressing at first, but I think it's amazing. Doesn't it describe how we should feel when we've come into God's presence, when we've met him personally, and we come back to the world? Shouldn't we feel like going back, instead of feeling at home with the old idols of our world? I think Eliot captured both the feeling of the Magi who were changed by their encounter with Jesus, and the feeling we have when we encounter Christ. I wish I desired death to the world the same way the Magi who is speaking desires it~ I hope that I am brought to a deeper desire every day to live encountering Christ.

Being Sustained

I am so thankful right now. I have been feeling increasingly stressed as the semester gets closer to being over; first of all, I still can't think about leaving my roomie for good, never to live with her again... and second, I always feel like I ought to have worked harder. I know that straight A's are not a necessity and are hardly a possibility here (for me- I value time to breathe too much ;)) but I still feel like I'm never quite caught up. I've finally come to the conclusion that this is just a harder semester than last.
But today has been a good day, and I have been reminded that the Lord is sustaining and upholding me. :) It started out so sunny, no snow anymore ;) and classes went as normal. I got paid for the phone-a-thon right after class; that was really encouraging because I was paid more than I thought I would be! I came back and had time to take a very short nap before finishing a rough draft of an english research paper, then went to dinner with my RA who is amazing, then I read Ivan Illych. It was very satisfying to finish the story today- it's only 57 pages, but it's nice all the same! Clara was studying for Greek with some friends, which when they finished, turned into a mini party during which the boys revealed that they know how to dance like Tevya and sing like the Phantom. Oh dear. :P That was just a fun time to relax and realize that grades are not the only reason I'm here. :) I love the people! We have fun studying, maybe too much fun... and we help encourage each other. I'm so thankful that God has given them to me to sustain me, and I am only hoping I can help do the same for them :)

*Whew*

Wow, I never thought one philosophy paper could be so much trouble! But it's done- well, for now. In a week or two I'll get it back with MANY notes on it, what to fix, what to include in the final draft- thank goodness for teachers who do rough drafts! But this paper has been so hard for me! I am not a philosophy person! I'm also used to coming to a solid conclusion in my papers, which Dr. Stephens did not want us to do- just give the potential for a conclusion. yikes.
Here is what Clara and I thought of this asignment...

But now, since school closes today at noon, it's done and sent in! Yay! This just makes my weekend so much better :-)
I'm going to try to write something for Easter, but in case things get busy, Happy Eater :-)

A Tuesday Afternoon

Wow, I can't beleive it's been a month since I wrote last! I didn't think I'd been quite that lazy... ;)

I guess one reason I haven't written is that not much has happened here at school. But I did go home for spring break! I met my handsome and sweet new gelding, who I made friends with and also a mutual agreement not to kill each other... he is an off-the-track Thoroughbred and needs some manners. But he is really sweet and complacent most of the time! He and Charise eat nose-to-nose, and he's a big giant boy, up above my head. *grin*

(here he is!)

Spring break was fun! Nice and relaxing. I watched movies with my family, even some James Bond with the boys; had lunch with a friend; had a friend come and stay for a few days; rode both horses; went to church; and did very little homework ;) Which was not as big a deal even as I thought it would be. The only consequence was that I was up untl two doing latin my first night back- pretty normal.
Yesterday I registered for fall classes! I am taking Science and science lab, Old Testament Survey (with my friend Besty), Intro to Music Studies, Understanding Music, Guitar, and hopefully Renaissance British Literature (also with Besty!) Ren. Lit. is a list-only class now, which means only people on the professor's list can get in, but Dr. Smith can't get away from me. He put me on the list and told me to check back to make sure I got in :) He's so funny. I went to ask him to get me into the class yesterday, and he had several of his advisees visiting to get approval on their schedules, so he took mine and said, "Why don't I remember going over this with you?" hehe. I said, "Because we didn't... Dr. Burke is my advisor." And he laughed (that one absent-minded professor laugh) and said, "Now, why did I think you were my... oh.. maybe because you took English 101 and now you're taking 102 and next you'll be taking 302..." hehe. I just might make him my advisor next year; Dr. Burke happens to be Philosophy chair, which could get dangerous. Phil. is not my friend. That is a C class if I ever took one!
Only five weeks until home! I am so excited. I may work for Becky, who has an insurance office, as a part-time secretary. That way I can get time off when I need it, especially to help out at summer camp in the first week of July. That will get me ready for my fall RA job! Which I am also excited about. The more I think about it, the more perfect Olds sounds like for me to be an RA next year- it's a quirky old dorm but fun, and freshman will be fun to deal with. ;)
Lastly... we're reading Crime and Punishment in English... and I just have to put a few quotes up!

"He was, incidentally, quite an extraordinarily handsome young man, with beautiful dark eyes, dark brown hair, over medium height, slim, and well-built."

"Darling Polya, my name is Rodion. Please say a prayer for me, to, sometimes- 'and thy servant Rodion'- nothing more."
"I'll pray for you every day of my life," the little girl said warmly, and suddenly she smiled again, threw her arms around his neck and again hugged him affectionately.
Raskolnikov gave her his name and address and promised to come next day for certain. The little girl went away completely enraptured by him." [And Dr. Smith adds, "which is unusual for our hero..." heehee]

Well, I'd better go. Enjoy the rest of Crime and Punishment sometime for yourself- Dostoyevsky is so brilliant! If I could major in Crime and Punishment I would ;)