A Scavenger Hunt, a Dance, Finals, My Birthday, Old Salem, A Museum, Final Grades, and Upcoming Christmas.... The Readers Digest Version!

Hey everyone! Since my last update, I've attended a winter formal (dance), taken my finals, been sent back home for Christmas break, celebrated my 19th birthday, gone to Old Salem, gone to Reynolda House Museum, and gotten my final grades for the semester.

The formal was a lot of fun, as was the manner in which Jonathon asked me to it! I basically was sent on a cross campus scavenger hunt down memory lane, and it was pretty amazing :). Each clue was attached to a memory that he and I shared, and it was so wonderful reliving all of those good times at once! I also had to climb a tree for the first time in years, which was fun! We had a great time at the dance--even though Jonathon and I were dates, we still went with our group of friends, and we all had dinner together before we attended the formal. I wore my prom dress (some of you may remember it--very colorful), as did some of my friends, and one friend's sister curled my hair. Here's a pic of Jonathon and I from before the dance:


And here's a few candids:





In the weeks following formal, I had to prepare for and take my final exams. I actually did really well on my finals (95 in one, which required two essays to be written by hand in 2.5 hours… the scariest thing in the world for me xD), but even a 95 couldn't make up for the fact that I didn't finish half of my work on time… but more on that later.
Right now, I'm writing from NC, back at my parents house. I got a ride from another NC student at my college, who we met at a Charlotte summer send off party. Coming home from break filled me with apprehension, and I'm still a bit stressed to be here. Generally speaking, I'm looking forward to going HOME home--back to my residence hall. I am, however, enjoying some of my time here quite a bit, thanks to my sister. First off, we celebrated my birthday at Concord Mills (a mall, for those who aren't NC residents), and my brother and sis in law wound up meeting us there after a while. My facebook status from that night sums up what we did pretty well:



So that was my December 18th :). The 19th was a long day at the house (where I seem to be automatically discontented… need to work on that), but on the 20th Sarah and I went to Old Salem, and that night she let me sleep over at my brother's house (where she lives). When we got up on the 21st, Sarah asked if I wanted to hit an art museum, and naturally I said heck yes! :D. We went to the Reynolda House Museum of American Art, which had an exhibit on loan from the Smithsonian called Modern Masters. One of the pieces I liked:



Back to my grades--they suck this semester. I got one F (for an online course I repeatedly forgot about until I just gave up on catching up), one NC (for an ENGLISH course, which are typically my easiest courses… because I didn't turn in drafts for the second to last project, or the project itself, which were huge parts of the final grade. Everything I turned in I got great scores on), two D's (for my biology lab and for my liberal arts course, which I love), and one B (biology). Why are my grades so bad? Because I didn't complete half of the homework… I don't know how to explain, and don't want to make excuses, but I need to seriously reorganize my mind and stop with the perfectionism crap. I know I've posted it before, that I've got perfectionism issues, but they've never had these kinds of consequences before. I've always been able to keep myself under control and force myself to get crap done, and have always had straight As as a result… so this is kind of hard to digest. But next semester I'm determined to do better--largely because I know, if I don't, I could lose my scholarship and be stuck back in this house for much longer :/.


So, what's next? CHRISTMAS!! :D :D :D. I've done the majority of my shopping online, and am worried that gifts won't arrive before I head back to college (when I'm planning on giving my friends their gifts), but a few things have arrived and been wrapped :). I've already received two very thoughtful gifts from friends, and it's making me even more excited to GIVE gifts! I want to make people as happy as those made me :). My sister and brother and his wife will be coming over Christmas eve to celebrate, and I'm really looking forward to it. Well, I think I'm finally caught up… my goal was to be posting about Christmas BY Christmas, and there you have it. I hope that your holidays all go fantastically, and that you're able to spend time with those you love. That's what really matters in the end, anyway… the people you love, the relationships you have with them, and what you really mean to eachother. I've been so blessed to make such wonderful friends at school, and am looking forward to spending time with my 'family' again. I've also been blessed to have the siblings I do, and in a certain way I'm blessed to have my parents as well. They have, after all, helped shape me into who I am, made me stronger… and for that I'm grateful. There's a lot for me to be grateful for this holiday season, and I betcha there's a lot for you to be grateful for too--if you only take the time to think about it. Merry Christmas everyone, and God bless,

My Lonely Companion

She illuminates the sky,
a lantern which brightens the night,
the clouds fly quickly by below…
How long it lasts, I never know,
the time goes by forever slowed
by beauty, natural and true.
I stand in the frigid cold,
remembering the tales of old,
of heroes and maidens fair,
which o'er and o'er have been told.
My breath catches her light,
I miss him with all my might,
but he's gone away another day
and all I can do is wait.
The tales cease passing through my mind,
leaving only memories of he and I,
I hold them close, they warm my heart,
it pains us to be apart.
And yet I smile up at her,
bask in her reflective light,
she is my companion here,
in her peace is found tonight,
I wonder if she's lonely now, forever far away…

Giving Thanks

I started making a vlog for this post, but got interrupted three minutes in, and didn't really have the time/opportunity to start over. So here I go, typing it out--maybe I'll vlog again once I'm back in NC.

For thanksgiving, I rode with a complete and total stranger for 6 hours to SC, where we met up with my parents, with whom I headed down to GA where my grandparents live. I've decided not to post too much about my thanksgiving, which was relatively uneventful, and instead post about what over the course of that trip I was reminded to give thanks for--same difference ;).

• My friends--it was so hard saying goodbye before break, because my college friends are like my new family, and one was kind enough to walk with me to meet the guy I was riding with and make sure I'd be okay.

• My safety--riding with a guy I didn't know was stupid, and I was fortunate he was a decent human being.

• My sister's strength--she recently went through a tough breakup, but even though he was trying to hurt her via facebook and texts the whole trip she stayed strong through it all.

• My mom's love--she was so glad to see me after these months, and I felt very loved… my cousins failed to come over because they don't like being around people, even family, and don't talk… and I'm very lucky that I was raised by the woman I was.

• My papa's health--For many years now, there have been many scares regarding his health, but right now he's doing well, for which I am very grateful.

• ...and lastly, my freedom. From my parents constant bickering, from my mother telling me I'm hateful and evil just because I don't give her 100% of my attention 24/7… for my independence, for my new life, and for my ability to appreciate my old one nonetheless. For the strength it all has given me.

Anyway, I'm very grateful for my life, for my past, and my present, and my future. Right now, I'm half asleep, and am being spoken to, so I think I'm going to go now… love you guys,