OMP

Ozark Mission Project aka my life in the summer! My big is on staff again this year. I can not wait for camp. I've been to OMP every summer since eigth grade, I can't imagine my summer without at least one week of OMP. It is the most amazing experience to help someone in need and give them the Lord's word. Every year I meet a neighbor and I know that God has sent me this very person for a reason. That reason may just be because they are lonely but other times it has been they needed someone to show them the way or give that little push they needed to do great things in their area. One summer I was in West Memphis and I worked for this older couple in a very rough part of town. Mr. Berry was the most generous man I have ever worked for at OMP. This was the year I realized God sent me there for a reason. Mr. Berry's wife was very sick with cancer and I was aware of this. He had built his house after they had gotten married over 60 years before which is amazing. This house was literally falling down though. All this sweet little man wanted was for us to paint his house but I found out all he really wanted was someone to talk to. For three days I sat on his back porch with him or he would follow me around while I painted and he would just talk to me. I learned valuable lessons that year at camp, don't trust a man unless you can see both of his hands was one of the first things Mr. Berry ever told me and that scared me but then I realized that where he is from that was just a part of everyday life. My life was changed that week and every year I return to OMP and get more and more filled with God's spirit and life and it lifts me up just to think about all the people I have helped!

1 Year of College DOWN!!

WOW!! I can't believe that my first year in college is coming to an end. I have made so many friends this year that I know I could never live without and now I'm not sure how I made it this far in life without them. To kick off my freshman year I joined Delta Zeta, best decision I ever made! Soon after I found out who my big was and she has become a major part of my life and my best friend. I learned my sisters are there for me when the rest of the world shuts me out, boys do not matter, and the library is very over rated! My sisters have become my backbone and the people I depend upon for everything. I am dating someone now, Travis. He became one of my closet friends this past semester and we just clicked. I've made that one guy best friend that every girl should have, Derek! He means the world and so much more to me and I don't know how I survived last semester without him. Chad has come in and out of my life but I love the boy to death and we will always be close no matter who he dates. Computers hate me and so do canoes apparently. I've gotten more bruises and cuts and kidney stones this year than any one person should ever have in their entire life. But through all the pain I gained a little from each experience and I know that I've changed for the better this past year. My friends are amazing, DZ is life, and ATU is my home.

Finals Week

It's finals week again! Oh the joys of college life. Random trips to the park at night, playing monopoly in Nutt, and taking random adventures to the middle of no where with my BIG!! Those are just a few of the random things I have done this week. It has been insane. Who needs to study on finals week apprently not the crazy girls that live in south hall. Last semesters finals week was stressful for me because I was trying to move out of my old room, study for tests, and pack to go home for Christmas break it was all pretty out of control! But this semester I am so much more laid back about my life in general. I love everything that is going on and I want to take this last week in Russellville to spend time with the people that I love the most.

Caf Conversations

Oh the caf. When coming into college I dreaded going to the caf because I never went in high school but I knew that in college things are completely different and I kind of had to eat at some point. I always go to the caf at noon with a group of my sisters and other friends. We always have the most random conversations that are quite pointless actually. Everything is out on the table from what people are doing that weekend to who is on the news to politics. The food is always an interesting combination to go along with our randomness. Sometimes we laugh so loud that everyone looks at us but at least we are laughing instead of throwing orange soda at each other which we have seen happen between some of the football players that eat there. Things that you start to notice in the caf are interesting as well such as all the football players drink HiC punch or gatorade, you can tell when someone is a freshman because the first thing they go for is the pizza, and the random people who make stuffed animals into backpacks. All the fraternities sit together, cereal is always a must if nothing else is good, you can turn bending silver ware into an art form....oh and the steak and shrimp night is very over rated. The caf is a must at least in a persons college career:)

Update on the WM3

There is new information about the West Memphis Three. On April 28th, 2010 Gov. Mike Beebe appointed Special Judge for the Supremem Court to hear the appeals of the WM3. Next the high courts have a set a date for the oral arguments to begin. The oral arguments for the appeals of Damien Echols has been set to start on September 30th, 2010. According to legal papers the appeals will include new DNA evidence in the case and Damien is also appealing because of blatant juror misconduct. Many people are pulling for the high courts to overturn the convictions of these three men.

Moving On

About three weeks ago I got a phone call from my best friend that her and her boyfriend of three years had broken up. Leah is definately a fighter for what she wants I've seen her cry, laugh, and get pissed about numerous things in the past few weeks. I love my friends and I just want them all to be happy but when she asked me how I got over the boy I loved for a year I wasn't sure how to respond because you can never truly get over your first love. Your first love is like that constant in your life that you never want to leave, the whisper in the wind when you know you're all alone, the hands that hold you tight when the rest of the world shuts you out, and the person that you couldn't imagine your life without. Sometimes I look back on my relationship and wonder if I really was in love or if I just loved everything about him. I loved his smile, the way he made me feel, the way he told me everything would be ok, but was I really in love with our relationship and him? I don't think I ever truly was in love with him. He was my everything and more but did I want to spend the rest of my life with him, probably not because I wasn't crazy about fighting everyday or going a few days without speaking to each other. That isn't how a relationship works. It takes two people, two hearts, and two souls to over come everything in a relationship. You have to have full trust in a person and to know that they trust you just as much. Relationships are hard these days and people don't have enough respect for each other. More marriages fall apart than ever before and more people lie to their spouse now than past times. Your significant other is supposed to be the person you go to for everything, your best friend, and your soul mate so if you can't trust that person then why be with them in the first place.

Sigma Pi Anti-Formal

Oh what a wonderful weekend that was. First of all I love all the Sigma Pi boys! They are all amazing guys. I'm probably a little partial to them just because I am dating one of them, Travis. Anti-formal? What a strange thing! Well to be honest it was one of the greatest weekends of my life. I had a blast! We all drove up on Friday afternoon. Travis drove my jeep and we got to have a nice little ride together just the two of us, the road, and the radio. I loved every second of it. There were some major storms coming in so at first we weren't sure if we would even be able to go but we managed to miss the storms perfectly and just got a little rain on the way there and right as we got there. Friday night we set up camp and had a little fun just hanging out and cooking hot dogs around the fire. Saturday morning we got up to some slightly chilly weather but all was well. We drove first to Ponca to get out canoes then we set off on an adventure. We put in and there was no looking back. TWe had a nice little group right as we started off that tried to stay together. It was myself and Travis in one canoe and Becky and Bill in the other canoe. We were qute a matchup. After tipping the canoe several times & many bruises later we finally made it to Kyle's Landing which was were our takeout was. Saturday night we drove past Jasper to eat at The Hub which had amazing food! Then we went back to camp and just sat around the camp fire and talked about the day. Life is good when you have good friends, a camp fire, and a body of water close by. I loved anti-formal 2010 and hopefully we will have another float trip really soon.