Wow, yesterday and today are definitely ranked numbers 1 and 2 on my "best days of college" list. After waking up at 6 am to a TCU Alert informing me that school was canceled for the day, I sprang up and looked out the window to see what the deal was. It was snowing!! In February!! In TEXAS!! We rarely see big, beautiful snowflakes like these. After going back to bed and sleeping through what should have been a Virology test (which I was in NO way ready for), I woke up, had a lovely cup of coffee, and just sat. As the snow started to collect on the ground, I realized that this situation was a blessing. I wasn't ready for that test, and I think He knew that.
So, the roomies and I took advantage of the beautiful day and ventured outside to just be kids! We took jumping pictures off of Frog Fountain, posed as models around campus, and built a TCU-themed snowman! The snowflakes were beautiful... as they landed on me I could see each individual crystal that comprised them. It just reminded me of all the little details that God has put together to make our world what it is. Catching snowflakes on my tongue is just as fun as it used to be... Oh the simple things in life...
And now here I sit. The next morning. The snow has stopped, but the weight of the ice on the branches is breaking some of them off. But I know that some branches will survive... and strangely enough, this reminds me of life. To me, the heavy snow represents the burdens and sins that can impact how we live our lives. Some people break under the pressure, and let themselves go, like the branches that currently litter the ground. But I don't want to be those branches... I want to persevere through the bad times and stand firm under the weight of my emotional snow. I will stay attached to my tree, which is my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Well it is the end of a very busy but very productive week. I had 2 tests that hopefully went well this week, and my stomach is beginning to feel a little better... but not completely there yet. My trip to Costa Rica is inching closer and closer, and I am beginning to get excited and realize that I am actually leaving the country for the first time! I think this will be a very freeing experience... Yeah the trip itself will be a lot of fun, but it will be good for me to get a glimpse of God's glory as he expresses it through nature. I really look forward to sitting in the silence of His creation and praising him for everything He has given me. In my day to day life I take things for granted (as I'm sure most people do), and I am making a somewhat futile attempt to slow down, breathe, and look at everything God has blessed me with in my life. At HIS retreat tonight, the beautiful Katie Van Ess talked about joy. We are so caught up in US... it is hard for us to find the joy in everything that happens. Yes, I may be thinking about the crappy day I had at work, but I need to stop and think about what in that crappy day of work brings me joy. Joy does not have to be happiness... we do not need to over-express it with a gigantic smile on our face. Joy is just that feeling you have when you recognize that God's will is being lived out in your life. With Joy comes Freedom... Knowing that every situation happens in the hands of God is a freeing feeling! So as I experience physical freedom while in the forests of Costa Rica, hopefully my spiritual freedom will be enhanced by orders of magnitude from where it is now. My eventual goal is to have joy all the time, without even thinking about it. I presently have to stop myself and ask, "What good came out of this? What brings me Joy about this situation?" But ideally, children of God should strive to have this attitude ingrained in their hearts such that every action they perform is carried out to the fullest for the glory of God. And the past minutes I spent writing this... may they be for his glory, honor, and praise.

Long days...

Well it's the end of a verrrrry long Monday... Here's how today went:
4:30 AM: Alarm goes off
5:30 AM: Arrive at the hospital to observe a brain surgery (which I was so excited about that I could hardly sleep!)
5:32 AM: Get told that I cannot observe because I'm not allowed in the OR (So lame! Had I known, I wouldn't have come at all!)
6:00 AM: Arrive back home from a pointless trip and go back to bed.
11:00 AM: Wake up, and get ready for the rest of my day.
And the rest of the day goes like normal: class, lab, homework, dinner, homework, and now here we are at bedtime. I almost feel too tired to go to sleep... I need to do something!! This has been driving me crazy the past couple of weeks... My first round of tests happens late next week, so it's too early to begin preparing now, but I also feel so useless! Lots of time spent on facebook and watching "Best and worst dressed" shows from the Grammys last night :)

There is also lots of drama going on... In a nutshell, boys are STUPID. If you know the story, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't, just take my word for it. One thing I have learned this semester so far is that you should not put all your eggs in one basket. I am 20 years old, and even though I feel ancient, I know that God has his time and place for me to meet Mr. Right and that the only thing I can do right now is pray for him. I have spent so much of my life so far tryyyying to make things work with certain people and just thinking that if I worked hard enough, we might end up together. Now I know that while hard work is still necessary for a healthy relationship, God's voice is ALWAYS what I need to listen to. Man by nature is stubborn, and we all have trouble listening to God's commands all the time. But this is something that I am trying to work on. I hope that my Christian family tells me when I have fallen, and I hope they can help pick me up.

This was another wonderful venting session, and for now, Goodnight Moon.