i lovelovelove homecoming!

even if it is only a saturday event for me this year :)

behind the melody, the words don't mean a thing

a few thoughts for this week from my introspective self:

• i really enjoy watching people do what they love. toni-lyn came to stay with melinda and i on saturday night, so we went with her to see the "like a love affair" show at cafe decor and more, a coffee shop on main street. ryan jernigan plays guitar and sings lead vocals, and i can't tell you how much i loved watching him do something he loves. i don't even know ryan all that well, but we've had a few really good converstations (one in goodyear a couple years ago when ryan had just come back from touring with another band) and i do like it when we run into each other. and, to be honest, "like a love affair" would probably not be something that i would listen to on a regular basis, but i had a great time at the show because i do appreciate the music and especially the apparent passion the band had about their music.

• it's funny how weather effects me. i don't mean my "mood" necessarily, but how it effects what i want to do during the day. when it's rainy, i always want to stay in and watch a movie or curl up in a blanket and fall asleep watching tv and drinking hot chocolate. when it's sunny, i'm ready to go out and exercise, do random things like thrift store shopping or university photo shoots. i was sitting outside today before jeanna came to get me for lunch, thinking about how this overcast day makes me want to relax and chill, whether it be just going out and having dinner and a movie, or staying in and getting things together in the apartment before bedtime. it's not because the weather puts me in a "good" or "bad" mood, it's just that it really effects what i think i should do after i get off work at 5pm. i know this is probably something that everyone has already thought about, but i think it's pretty amazing how the condition of the sky effects my productivity and choice of activities each day!

• i'm old. okay, i'm not really old, but i feel old. i come to work each day, do some type of dinner, hang out for a bit and head to bed. that's it! no more surprises really...just a pretty routine schedule. but THAT is not why i feel old. i feel old because i'm OKAY with that. i enjoy the routine....i want to relax at night instead of being crazy busy....i want to come home and talk to the same few people everyday about life to get their insight and to hear about their days....and this, my friends, means i'm not in college anymore. i'm not into being overwhelmed and busy; i don't crave drama and excitement like i used to....and i don't care what anybody says, we all through that stage in life where we crave drama -- maybe not consciously -- but everyone wants to be in the middle of things and have something to talk about and someone to talk about. to me, this is a nice and semi-hilarious pasttime, but certainly not something that i feel i will ever want to be a part of again. thank goodness.

• i've been thinking a lot about something we discussed in our home fellowship 3 weeks ago: God created us in His image. this means we were created to dominate and have domain on the earth. in a sinless world, this would be absolute perfection. but because we are sinful creatures, this dominant tendency gets the best of us most (all) of the time. i don't know about anyone else, but i honestly let out a sigh of relief when i realized that i was created to dominate. it really does explain a lot of my tendencies and struggles...and why i always feel like i need to be in control of my life. now, that doesn't mean i can just let it go b/c "i was created that way," but at least i realize that God knows why i am the way i am because HE is that way, and that i can work through it with His help. this also explains why God is so attractive to most people (whether they believe in Him or not, they are drawn to the idea and intrigued). we are attracted to dominant people! if i could dominate God, i would just take care of myself! but i can't, so i am absolutely in awe of him. it's the same way with people that we are romantically attracted to, or even just attracted to as friends. everyone i know that i am completely attracted to (in any way, shape or form) has something or does something that totally dumbfounds me because i can't do it myself. i think that's really interesting. and i hope it makes sense to anyone else when i say it out loud (or on here..haha).

• i LOVE working with my students at work. and we're going on a field trip on monday to las brisas! seriously, i loooove them; they're awesome & they make my day!

ANYWAY, it's fall break this week for the students so we get friday off! lindsay, nick, justine and i are headed to my house to see my DOMINATING brother (awesome photo from the paper below) play football and chill out for the weekend and i'm excited! my parents and brother are also coming here the next weekend for homecoming so that my little brother can escort me at the game!! my favorite time of the year and really the last time i get to "participate."

one more fyi: campbell beat the #3-ranked UNC Tarheels Men's Soccer team last night 1-0 in a non-conference game. that's what i'm talking about. bleed orange, people. bleed orange.

for starters...

can you even begin to imagine the desperation people must have felt before Jesus walked the earth and was sacrificed? so many rules and regulations, specific procedures to follow, and no real hope that this would ever change. if you weren't royalty, there was really nothing exciting in life...the same thing day in and day out. and if you were, i believe there was a feeling deep inside that there was no point to all that you were doing. i think everyone has that type of feeling until they know Christ. i do think "weariness" is such a great word for what people must have felt.

the only thing that i can see that helped people to carry on was that small inkling of hope given to them by the prophets that there might actually be a Savior coming to change their lives, without any real understanding of quite how incredible that change would be. i mean, honestly, how could you even conceive of the fact that one person could come to earth in the flesh and be sacrificed so that rules, regulations, legalism, the curtain, etc. could all be done away with when those are the only things you've ever known? to me, that must have been absolutely incredible.

this is why my favorite (Christmas) song is "o holy night"...really my favorite song ever.

long lay the world,
in sin and error pining,
'til He appeared & the soul felt it's worth

the thrill of hope,
the weary world rejoices,
for yonder breaks a new & glorious morn.

_________________

in other news, i am really excited about the change of seasons. the weather is absolutely beautiful this week and i am so excited to be getting into the fall (which is pretty unusual if you know me)

this is quite a step for me, since i really do loathe the cold weather and i have seriously considered relocating to a place where there is no fall or winter, just warmth. but this year i think i have changed my mind...i don't think i could do without fall.

i simply LOVE the thought of lindsay's warm mountain apple cider, the state fair, hayrides and pumpkins, coming in at night and drinking hot chocolate to warm up, homecoming and sweaters and scarfs.
i think it's romantic.

anyway, i was just thinking about that first part of the entry and couldn't wait to write it. i'll update more later!