forty-nine.

Camp is great. Bugs don't freak me out much anymore. A camper gave me five silly bandz yesterday. I got covered in paint and slept in it. I'm an Iroquois. I love art. I love 12 year olds. They're crazy. I love leading devotions and praying over them. My chacos stink. I love my smelly chacos. I like snail mail and limited internet usage. I went 17 days without coffee. Spending time on my days off with Liz is the best. Girls in my cabin love to braid my hair, which I love. Shaving your legs on the porch with a hose and 10 other girls is more fun than shaving alone in a tiny shower. Waking up at 6:45 so you don't have to fight for a shower is worth it. Hugs from campers are so precious and wonderful. Asheville is one of my favorite places ever. Announcements, Announcements, Announcements... The Blue Ridge Mountains are so stinkin' beautiful. IROQUOIS IS WOOT WOOT AND DON'T YOU CHOCTAW. Sticky sunscreen! We love y'all, we love y'all, we love y'all.

forty-eight.

This summer is about:

camp, freckles, no makeup, hair in a ponytail, chaco tan lines, finger painting, trying new things, exploring, happiness, new friendships, kicking the facebook habit, writing letters, quiet time, silly time, reading good books, crafting, caring for others, drinking less coffee, running, growing up, not growing up, facing my fears, living with bugs, giving it all to Jesus, unforeseen challenges and good times.

forty-seven.

Relationships fascinate me.

They also confuse, baffle and often frustrate me.

I'm still surprised by how every person who has stepped into my life has effected me and shaped me.

It's crazy how excited and happy I can be one minute, and consumed with worry just a few hours later.

Oh well. That's life, I guess.

For the record, it's really cool when published authors who you look up to email you back and encourage you in your career ambitions.

forty-six.

remembering all the good times from sophomore year:

-going to Kilter dressed as students quarantined by swine flu

-liz's surprise birthday dinner

-second annual rowan retreat, where I sprained my ankle

-rowan rave, which was a blast until abby dislocated her kneecap

-day of prayer

-filming for Mac Movie at 9 AM on a Saturday morning, all dressed up as men

-fall break in Montreat, NC with liz, lauren and mal

-Halloween not-such-a mystery date

-planning secretive things for Evangeline for RA Appreciation Day

-getting my cartilage pierced as Meagan got her ears pierced for the first time

-going to Hillsdale with Liz for Thanksgiving break

-5 minute dance parties in 409

-four hour conversations with friends

-the second annual rowan christmas

-spending time with mark and evangeline in NY before new year's

-decorating my desk with Liz late at night

-crazy CSC meetings with Rashad yelling and me snorting

-turning our room into a fort on the first snow day of the year

-Valentine's Day eating pizza with Mark & the girls

-getting into dangerous prank wars

-Tuesday lunches with Meredith

-bringing Liz home with me for spring break

-spending every night in the psych commons with Rashad, Austin, Febre and Felton

-Spring Banquet

-decorating all day for Mac Stock, being Dora for 2 hours, and winning second place

-I heart Febre day

-CSC ice-cream party

-hanging out with Lauren at North Shore

-blowing bubbles for an hour out my windows with Lauren and Evangeline

-so many other memories that I am forgetting

It was a tough year, yes; but I let my negativity get the best of me. It was a great year, and with all the new next year will bring, comes new memories and new fun times :)

forty-five.

My last day as a teenager was spent cleaning, fighting over (and winning) a couch, and attending a lingerie party.

My birthday was spent at church, being blindfolded and taken to dinner, and at a hall event where I teared up (okay more than teared up) at the thought of losing all our graduating Rowan seniors.

Monday was spent studying, panicking, taking 2 finals, and attempting to pull my first-all nighter.

After getting 3 hours of sleep, I took my last two finals this morning, and promptly took a 4 hour nap, followed by a delicious birthday dinner, and some extreme recycling.

Phew. I am exhausted. I am done. I'm half way done with college. I'm a junior now. I'm 20. This is all so crazy.

Now I just have to clean, pack, and spend time with everyone before I leave. Oh, and sleep. I could use some of that too.

forty-four.

In the next nine days, I've got 3 days of class, 1 project, 1 quiz, 1 test, 2 birthdays (one being mine), cleaning day, and 5 finals. Phew.

On my most recent Wal-Mart run I stocked up on coffee, dark chocolate, easy-mac, cereal, poptarts, and pringles...in other words, my finals week essentials. I've already gone through one of the two pringles cans I bought. I don't know why those things are so addictive to me, but I am seriously banning myself from buying them ever again.

I also have slowly begun the process of cleaning and packing. I took down the beads that were strung across the ceiling and the paper garland over the door frame. I got my giant bins out of storage and filled one with stuff to throw/give away. I despise packing up at the end of the year almost as much as I despise finals. And of course I always feel like cleaning and packing when I should be studying, so that's problematic.

I so badly want this semester to end and finals to be over, but now I'm realizing that I won't be seeing a lot of these faces for the next four months. There are so many people I want to hang out with, make amends with, say goodbye to before they graduate, etc. So for all this time I've spent hating this semester and desperately awaiting summer, I'm now trying to capture these sweet moments that I have left.

Phew. I can do this. Back to the books.

forty-three.

Tomorrow's forecast: thunderstorms and strong winds.

I'm looking forward to it.

Sometimes I like gloomy weather, and it will encourage me to study, since there won't be sunshine to distract me.

Getting out of bed, however, will be tougher without some sun.

I can't believe how much work I have left to accomplish in the next week and a half. It's crazy how soon my sophomore year will be over. What a year it's been. August seems like an eternity ago.