School keeps me humble.
I work so hard, but I can never reach perfection. It is a great reminder that I need to depend on God. At least that is now what I get out of this. It used to really annoy me that I tried so hard and failed to be perfect, but now I am quite thankful that I never am perfect. It really is a great reminder to trust God. I've never have a perfect 4.0 and probably never will and I have never had a perfect 100 on any real exam (quizes don't count, they are easy, if you study right).

I continued in this trend today with a 99 on my history exam.
Bhah, so close.

Phillipians 3:12-14

12 I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.

I think it is really neat how my friends are all over the globe making a difference for God. It is neat to see how God works in our lives. It is encouraging to read stories from Ukraine, Nepal, Africa, and China. By the way, Australia and South America are still open for exploration. Just in case YOU were thinking about going somewhere.

The missions conference starts this weekend, on friday, 6pm at the church.

The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few.

A few of my favorite verses.

2 Cor 4:7 - 18

"7 But this precious treasure--this light and power that now shine within us--is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.
8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit.
9 We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.

10 Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. 11 Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be obvious in our dying bodies. 12So we live in the face of death, but it has resulted in eternal life for you. 13 But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, "I believed in God, and so I speak." 14 We know that the same God who raised our Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself along with you. 15 All of these things are for your benefit. And as God's grace brings more and more people to Christ, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.

16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.
17 For our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever!
18 So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever."

Psalms 103
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;

I walked into my history exam this morning after stuffing my head for countless hours with Elizabethan Poor Laws, Roman Inquisitions, The Spanish Armada, English Civil War, The Tutor-Stuart dynasty, exploration of China, Japan, and India and more. I didn't study that hard for Reformation stuff because I thought there was no way my teacher would ask me to explain the Reformation. So I sit down and look at my exam and I turn to the back of the exam, past all the multiple choice questions, and matchings. I turn eagerly to the back to see what kind of essay I will have to write. Glory be. I looked and the first choice was "Explain the Reformation in the church. What lead to it? And how did the Catholic Church deal with it?"

BLASTED ALL! I was so happy. I broke into a huge grin and quickly filled in all 30 multiple choice questions, matched 10 different things and started my essay. I just started writing and kept writing and writing. I sit in the front row so I see all these people come up and turn in their exams. I start page two, more people finish and leave. I start page three and four, even more people leave. I look up as I start page five on the Reformation and there is no one left in the class. Heh. So I quickly finished the essay and turned it in. I guess no one really enjoys the Reformation as much as I do. I could have written a lot more, but I thought my professor would appreciate that I cut it short at five pages. He'll have fun grading that.

I kept thinking of what one of the guys in my thermo class told me yesterday. We all got to UMES yesterday and we had done our homework, I mean why wouldn't we? The four of us always do our homework. Anyhow, we get there and the three students from UMES ask us if we did our homework. And of course we say yes and looked puzzled as they tell us that they haven't and we shouldn't. We are all like, what the crap. The homework for thermo is our easiest homework load of any of our physics or engineering classes yet. Anyhow, they go on to complain about how they never turn homework in on time and we shouldn't do it either. We all looked at each other and after they left, one of the guys goes, "We are going to mess them up so much. He is going to have to grade this class on two different grading scales if he wants them to pass." Haha. 'Tis true tis true. It was funny because we were all thinking it, but none of us wanted to say it.

Anyhow, no one will probably find that funny, but me. But anyhow. Enjoy the slightly warmer weather then yesterday. As Linnea told me last night, "It can only get warmer!!!" WOOHOO.

This has made me quite sad. My Dad and Mom used to work with the dearest couple ever. They have been retired for quite a few years now. Well, I found out today that "Uncle" Emmett died Monday. I can't imagine how much pain "Aunt" Barbara is in. I would appreciate it and I know she would if you would keep here in your prayers.
My parents always told me stories about how much fun these two people were. I regret that I didn't know them as well as my parents did, but still the 19 years that I knew them was enough to assure me that they were extremely special people. I would love to be a little bit of what they were to each other and to the many around them. They were so encouraging and real. You don't meet that many people anymore that are real. You know that when they say something they really mean it. Aunt Barbara and Uncle Emmett enjoyed giving to and encouraging others. She always had cookies made for us when we came over. They always treated my siblings and I like their grandkids. They came to graduate parties and birthdays and Christmas. I will remember them for all time for taking us strawberry picking every year. Aunt Barbara would always take pictures of all of us. All our curls out of order with strawberry juice all over our faces. Every year we would try to find a bigger strawberry then Uncle Emmett. I really can't believe he is gone. I am really in shock right now. I thought they would be here forever. And in a second you find out one of them is gone.
They were also the first people to babysit me because my parents didn't trust anyone else with their new daughter. I wanted to post pictures from that night because they are so cute, but we don't have a scanner. I will try to work on that this weekend.
If you could keep her in your prayers I would so greatly appreciate it. I am in shock. Everytime some I know dies I start thinking about how short life is. They were both so full of life. I didn't expect either of them to die so soon. I hope I can be like them when I get older. I respected them both immensely.
However, he is in a much better place now.
But it still makes me sad.
I rarely feel like sitting down and just crying, but all day I have felt like just curling up and sobbing. It has been extremely hard to study for this blasted history exam.

*edit* My dear Mother and her wonderful way with words posted about this on her blog. I don't do this wonderful couple justice... go read her blog and maybe you will get a glimpse of how amazing these two were.

"One thing I've always wondered about Les Miserables: I suppose it is excusable to include one lady with a beard in a book, but Victor Hugo writes about two. I just think that's weird. Maybe he had a bad experience with a lady with a beard when he was younger. "

-Sarah

(from a comment on Mrs. Shelton's blog)

Stephanie and I went and played soccer at Crowns last night. First I want to say that Crowns is huge and the grassy stuff is seriously awesome. I spent most of the night marveling at it. Now I want to say how much I love Soccer. It is the world's greatest sport!!! I have missed it so much. Even though I am sore this morning, I still enjoyed playing last night. And I really am not as sore as I thought I would be.
Indoor soccer is different enough from outdoor that I am still slightly confused. How in the world are you supposed to work with the walls?!? I am still trying to figure this out. I can defend against the walls, but my offense totally stunk. And my there really isn't a center half anymore. It is like a roaming center defender. My position is gone. :(
After soccer we went to TCBY and I got my favorite soft served chocolate in a waffle cone!! Good stuff. Which reminds me, RITAS opens up soon. According to their website, "most of our stores open for the season in mid-march. All stores are required to be open two days before the first day of spring each year. It is on the first day of spring that Rita's rewards our customers with a free regular Italian Ice all day at every location in the chain."
HOORAY. On that happy note, I am going to go study for a history exam.

Happy Birthday, Rachel.

Yes,

your protection comes from the Lord.
Psalm 89:18

notice the invisible

even the invisible merits your gratitude.

Romans 7:1-6

1 Now, dear brothers and sisters--you who are familiar with the law--don't you know that the law applies only to a person who is still living? 2 Let me illustrate. When a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. 3 So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.

4 So this is the point: The law no longer holds you in its power, because you died to its power when you died with Christ on the cross. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, you can produce good fruit, that is, good deeds for God. 5 When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced sinful deeds, resulting in death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died with Christ, and we are no longer captive to its power. Now we can really serve God, not in the old way by obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way, by the Spirit.

The roads are certainly a mess today. People don't know how to drive around here in snow or rain. But especially snow!!!

I just want to say how much I love that Stephanie Hornor. I praise God for friendship and people that make me smile (especially when I feel down). Stef can always make me smile (and usually laugh too) even when I feel like the world is ending.
Here's to Steffy!!

My sister is amazing.
I love the way she writes. It just makes sense.
Please read her latest blog entry.

Happy Birthday, Steffy!
Thanks for making me laugh and listening to me for these many years.
Love you!

Remember the summer!!!
It comes soon.
HOORAY!!!

I really like this photo too. Hayley has pretty feet. :)

Since Krissy and a few others have asked...

I spent Valentine's Day as a normal Tuesday.

* I had an 8-9:15 History Class.
* I worked 9:30 - 11:30.
* Did homework from 11:30 - 12:00.
* Sat in Quantum Mechanics from 12:00-1:40.
* Sat in Dynamics from 1:50-3:05.
* I went back to work from 3:15 - 5.
*And then I went to the Hornors and watched Stef cook dinner. I sliced some bread and toasted it. I ate cake powder from the box. Love yellow cake power, especially the kind that has pudding in it.
*Stef and I went and picked out movies at Blockbuster. We are going to watch Waking Ned Divine next week. And we watched some chick flick this week. I forgot the name.
* We ate dinner.
* Watched a movie.
* Ate almost a whole bag of sour patch kids.
* I watched Mr. Hornor try to take the bit out of his drill.
* I watched Mrs. Hornor make the cake that I had eaten part of earlier.
* Then I walked out to my car and went home.
* I got home and started wrapping Stef's birthday present, but Jared came back from playing basketball with the guys in our church and I talked to him for a while. We danced a few steps of foxtrot and then he left.
* And I went back to wrapping my present.
* I talked to Sarah for quite a while.
* Did some more homework.
* And then went to bed.

See, I have never liked the idea that someone had to give me stuff just because it is a certain day of the year. I would much rather be surprised on a random day when I don't expect it. So, I told Jared I didn't want anything for Valentine's Day. It is one day of the year. It doesn't mean any more then every other day that I we are alive. Or that is how I look at it. I've always thought the day was stupid.
It is pretty funny because the men that Jared work with have been asking him what he was getting me for Valentine's Day and he would say nothing and they would be like Jared you can't do that. You have to get her something. You don't understand women. Haha.

So, that is how I spent my day. Pretty exciting huh?!?

Go UNC.

"Everything is needful that He sends; nothing can be needful that He withholds."

John Newton

I like this quote.

I am stealing this from Hannah because it is the only thing that made me get out of bed this morning. I kept singing it to myself over and over again. I really do not like Tuesday mornings. I am fine once I am out of bed and on campus, but until them I am miserable. Anyhow, thanks to Hannah for posting this. :) What an encouragement. I need to be reminded to go on in the strength of the Lord and not my own strength.

Take these hands and lift them up
For I have not the strength to praise You near enough
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You

Take my voice and pour it out
Let it sing the songs of mercy I have found
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You

All my soul needs
Is all Your love to cover me
So all the world will see
That I have nothing without You

Take my body and build it up
May it be broken as an offering of love
For I have nothing, I have nothing without You

All my soul needs
Is all Your love to cover me
So all the world will see
That I have nothing

But I love You
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my might

With all the strength that I can find
Take my time here on this earth
And let it glorify all that You are worth
For I am nothing,I am nothing without You

bebo norman

Well, it snowed.

There is a new Bootfox comic
online (click here).
I watched it being created last night.
You have to love the imagination of Linnea.

We are renaming the office that I work in. As I told the rest of my office staff today, I really don't care what the new name is because we are just going from one old boring name to a new boring name. You can't be creative when you are working in the Office of Institutional Research, Assessment, and Accountability. I mean, try to rename that something cool. We also have to name the house that we are now in. Something like Admissions house or Alumni House or Camden House (except those are all taken and are boring).
So I was complaining about how boring this is and Jared suggested that we name the house The Ministry of Truth. How cool is that. Reference to 1984. They deal with numbers and research statistics all day. I mean, sure they do change them all the time, but that would be the funny thing. Anyhow, so I suggested this name because I think it would be hilarious, sort of like an inside joke. It would make people smile at least instead of falling asleep or yawning at the name. The people in my office laughed. But it will never go through. But really, that would be the perfect play on words name for us?!?

Would you, could you,
on a boat?

I could not, would not, on a boat.
I will not, will not, with a goat.
I will not eat them in the rain.
I will not eat them on a train.
Not in the dark! Not in a tree!
Not in a car! You let me be!

I do not like them in a box.
I do not like them with a fox.
I will not eat them in a house.
I do not like them with a mouse.
I do not like them here or there.
I do not like them ANYWHERE

I do not like
green eggs
and ham!

I do not like them,
Sam-I-am.


I found this article online and thought it was interesting.

Many of us grew up enjoying the wildly imaginative rhyming works written and illustrated by Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known to us as Dr. Seuss. Bartholomew and the Oobleck, If I Ran the Zoo, Horton Hears a Who!, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and many other books involving "ludicrous situations pursued with relentless logic" were the core of many a child's personal library. In 1957, Seuss produced a classic children's tale, The Cat in the Hat, using only the words on an average first-grader's vocabulary list. This work was followed by a series of books employing an ever more limited vocabulary: Ten Apples up on Top!, Hop on Pop, Fox in Socks, and the book that initiated this trend (and is perhaps the best known of all of Seuss' efforts), Green Eggs and Ham.
What prompted this minimalist trend by Dr. Seuss? A dare from his editor, Bennett Cerf, that he write a book using no more than fifty different words. Seuss took Cerf up on his challenge and produced a classic children's work many of us can still recite from memory.

UNC plays duke tonight at 9.

University of Maryland has the worst hold music ever! How in the world can you lose a check which was stapled to the application and why wasn't I told until a month and a half later?!?! Annoying. Annoying. Grrr Grrrr. We are experiencing unusually heavy call volume which prevents us from listening to your call as soon as we would like. Please remain on the line and we will be with you as quickly as possible. Thank you.
What fun.

Thank God I am alive. Today has been a strange Monday. We rode the bus down to UMES today for Thermodynamics. After class we walked the usual 10 minute walk back to the bus pick up area. And we waited for 15 minutes for the bus to come. The bus doesn't show up at 1:22 like it is supposed to and we keep waiting. A fifteen passenger van pulls up and the driver tells us that he is the ride to SU today. We all give each other the "what in the world?" glance. Since the guys were going along with it, I felt safe. So the four of us hopped aboard and waited for the trip home to start. We stopped at the usual pick ups on the way back, the apartments, and the grocery store.
Then we headed north on 13 back to campus. Well, this 18 wheeler, carrying cars pulls out in front of us and we don't slow down. I was so certain we were going to run into this truck and all the driver was doing was pressing the horn. I mean, apply the brakes man!!! Apply the breaks. We swerved to the side and then I thought, "oh great, we are going to flip off the road into the ditch. Well at least that will be less painful then running into the truck. Well at least I hope so. " But thankfully, we ended up staying on the road and barely scratching by the truck. Man, I shaking after that. I think I finally started to breath correctly after I got back to my office. I really don't like Mondays.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Bless¨d hope, bless¨d rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

I have had this song stuck in my head for a while now. Hooray for Avery playing it offertory yesterday. I almost cried. What a beautiful song. I love hymns.

I hate waking up on Monday mornings. But I look forward to Ballroom dancing. We are supposed to learn foxtrot tonight. If Shirley remembers that we finished swing last week. Man, we learned swing until we were dizzy. I really really really want to learn how to waltz. I can't wait until that fun begins. Tonight is week four, which means we are halfway finished. That is sad. I like having something to look forward to on Monday nights. It makes the day not seem as bad. Mondays aren't bad in themselves. It really isn't their fault that they have a whole busy week looming after them. :) They just get the blame for starting the work week.

Oh, I wanted to thank Linnea for playing and beating me in payday last night.
Fun times.

Praise Be! Two more classes and my first week of school is finished and then onto my first homework filled weekend. I really don't like upper level physics courses, but these engineering classes are amazing. They astound me, like my phyiscs classes, but then they allow me to apply the stuff I learn to real life. Physics keeps it all abstract and out there. With engineering you get to use some of the stuff you learn and play with things. I have been looking forward to playing with things for two and a half years now. It is about time we got to start fiddling with projects. How exciting. And the homework is hard, but it makes sense. It isn't like the physics homework I am doing where I don't know if what I am turning in is right or not. Yeah, crazy world of physics.

Class list:
1) Thermodynamics - Mondays and Wednesdays 11:45-1:00 - UMES (I get to ride my own private bus down to the campus and walk ten minutes to class). This class is going to get harder, with a term paper and project, but I think I am still going to enjoy it.
2) World Civ 102 - Tuesday and Thursday - 8:00 - 9:15 - will probably be my favorite class just because it takes no thought and the papers are easy enough to write in my sleep. :) And I love history because it is interesting and easy all at the same time. w00t.
3) Quantum Mechanics - Tuesday and Thursdays - 12:00 - 1:40 - will be the worst class of the semester because the teacher challenges you to learn everything in the book and also because the subject it crazy. Go read about quantum mechanics when you have a few spare minutes and be astounded. Then think about the math behind it. YUCK.
4) Dynamics - Tuesday and Thursdays - 1:50 - 3:05 - Favorite engineering teacher from last semester. The stuff is hard work, but it is facsinating at the same time. It will be a good class. I'll ahve to study a lot.

The great thing about spring semester is that no matter how bad the weather is and how cold it gets, you know that it is only going to get warmer and more pretty outside. In the fall it is just depressing because you know the days get shorter and darker and colder and even when you finish the semester you have to go back to another semester shortly after. In the spring, it starts staying light longer, the weather is beautiful, flowers start to bloom, birds chirp outside the windows, skies look bluer, and it all points to the summer to come. :) Woohoo.

Hooray for Spring!!!

(which really doesn't start until March 21st)