Over the Wall

I love Holley's blog... she is amazing with words and she always seems to be speaking directly to me. Or rather, God speaks directly to me through her words. Today was no different. My wall = my exam. No, I didn't pass on the first try... or the second. But I will not give up until I do. And with God, it WILL happen :)

You're going to make it over that wall...

Hey you,

staring at that wall, wondering, "Is there a way over this thing?"

Oh, yes.

With God all things are possible. Matthew 9:26

He'll make a way.

And He'll help you climb, jump, knock-down, whatever it takes.

It may not happen in the timing you want. Or how you imagine.

But it will happen.

In the meantime, don't let that wall fool you.

It can't hold you back, keep you down, make you stuck.

Nope, walls don't have that much power.

And it's just a matter of time before your Jericho happens--

when the trumpet sounds and deliverance is yours.

There's no wall too tall.

No situation too difficult.

No challenge too great.

So press in, press on, and never give up

until that wall comes tumbling down.

Birthday Quiz

Quiz:

Question 1: When taking a big intimidating exam on Tuesday, November 8th, which day is the worst possible day for your birthday to fall?

Answer 1: Monday, November 7th

You may have been tricked into answering "November 8th", but you would have been wrong. Though the exam may fall on the 8th, it's at 8:30 in the morning, over by 1, and therefore, celebration can commence immediately following. Especially if you decide to take the rest of the day off work due to "brain fatigue" :)

So November 7th is the correct answer. It will consist of work, frantic studying, and panic. No time for birthdays on this day.

Question 2: What day does my birthday NORMALLY fall on?

Answer 2: November 7th.

Yep, that's right. Answer 1 and Answer 2 are the same. Yay. Which leads to...

Question 3: What day will my birthday fall on this year?

Answer 3: Friday, November 11th (unless you believe in celebrating a week-long birthday, in which case, mine will begin around 1:00pm on November 8th and end at 12:59pm on November 15th)

Trixy, huh? I have decided to change by birthday this year. Why did I choose November 11th? Well, the obvious reasons include: (1) it's AFTER my exam, not before or during (2) it's on a FRIDAY! (3) it's still pretty close to my actual birthday. The dorkier reasons include: (4) I have a thing for primes (my favorites being 7 and 11, go figure!) and (5) 11-11-11. enough said. coolest day ever!


So... 11-11-11, happy birthday to me.

Day 1 = Success

Studying was extremely successful this morning! I set up an area to study in our office, where I wouldn't be distracted. Then I made myself a homemade caramel latte and got to work! Take that, Starbucks! I even got a load of laundry done, too. I averaged a short break (less than 2 minutes) every half hour and a long break (5-10 minutes) every hour. I tried using the stop-watch feature on my phone to keep time and it really kept me accountable to the actual amount of time spent studying. Oh, and the fun supplies really helped!

This afternoon, I have a fun outing with a good friend planned :) And I won't be feeling guilty, because I met my quota for the day!

I'm hoping day one's success is an indication of how the next 4 months will go! Yay!

Time of my Life

I think back to 3 years ago all. the. time. And especially lately, with so many of my friends getting married. I just think back to how perfect it was for me. July 5th, 2008 was absolutely, hands-down, the best day of my life. And I'm not just saying that because it sounds good or because you're supposed to say that about your wedding day. It really was.

And the weeks surrounding it are right up there too. The week before the big day was full of hanging out with friends and family. Literally, just hanging out on our back porch.

And the week after was my first week as Brad's wife. Our honeymoon was our first big adventure as husband and wife.

It was all so sweet and I find myself thinking back to that time so often - wishing I could go back and do it all over again.

Unlike many brides I know, I absolutely LOVED planning my wedding. Sure, it was stressful at times, but only because I was trying to juggle wedding planning, working, going to school and graduating, finding a full time job, and finding a place to live all at the same time. But really... REALLY... I loved the planning. I'd do it all again and again if I could (back up career choice, maybe?!).

Also unlike many brides, I don't remember feeling stressed or nervous leading up to the wedding. I only remember a little bit of family drama, but what family doesn't have that surround something like a wedding?! All I can remember is having fun! Maybe 5 and a half years coming helped a little with that?!

And then the wedding day came. And it was all I had hoped for!

We had a little rain shower scare right before the ceremony, but I think it was just good luck! The ceremony was beautiful! The perfect representation of Brad and I coming together as best friends, husband and wife, one before God. I love that man. I really do. I love him more now than I did then. And I'm sure it will just get better.

And after we were pronounced man and wife, it was time for the party to begin. And begin, it did. It was the best party I can ever remember attending. And again, I'm serious. It's not just because it was my party or because I'm supposed to say that. It really was amazing having all of my friends and family there dancing, eating, and having a splendid time. I didn't want it to end!

  

So here's to memories. The good kind. The BEST kind. And to making many more with him :)

Hibernation

I decided on "hibernation" as the title of my time of studying this summer/fall. Originally I was calling it death (as in... death is coming) but decided that was a little too harsh and may end up setting a negative tone on the whole studying thing. And I need all the positive I can get!

So hibernation it is. And it is coming. I have a week left to prepare and then my nose will be stuck in the books until November. And prepare, I have. Preparations have included:

• gathering study materials
• picking a new color scheme for materials (the last 2 attempts have been green, but that obviously wasn't working out, so I picked PASSING PINK this time around. I think it is a winning color)
• setting up a study schedule
• purchasing pink & white polka dot notebook
• ordering pink Japanese pens (theirs are better) and pink pencil lead
• borrowing (or taking) colored notebook paper from a lovely friend
• cleaning the apartment, as it will be neglected once hibernation sets in
• saying farewell to friends - or at least warning them of my hibernation
• stepping down from unnecessary activities (yay for saying no to things!)
• trying to get my "creativity fix" in and most of all...
• praying... lots and lots of praying that God would prepare my heart for this.

Because, if you haven't noticed, I am determined to PASS this exam now. I didn't give it my all the last 2 attempts and pretty much wasted 6-8 months on studying and stressing. But not this time. God has set out this task in front of me and He has given me everything I need to pass it. I just need to rely on Him for perserverance, motivation, energy and sanity. Because it is going to be hard.

I'm not quite sure what the effect of hibernation on blogging will look like. I don't feel comfortable in saying that I will be cutting out blogging completely. It may turn out that I need this as an outlet. But I'm guessing it's fair to say that I won't be blogging daily (have I ever?!)

Things that will not cease due to studying (in fact, MUST NOT cease BECAUSE I'm studying) include:

• exercise! every morning, I hope
• sleep! I need it
• work... the reason I'm doing all this!
• food - hopefully not too much of it
• time with Brad and Gizmo - they help keep me sane
• church on Sundays
• Bible study on Wednesdays (shout out to PROOF!)
• time with God
• a one week vacation half-way through
• occasional, necessary breaks to come up for air :)

So... here we go! T-minus seven days (or less, if I so choose). Will you pray for me?