New
I love changes. They refresh the soul.
Some recent new discoveries:
1.) I am actually becoming a morning person, as long as I have my coffee :-)
2.) Listening to Miles Davis and John Coltrane while attempting to study and write papers makes it much more enjoyable.
3.) Old habits do infact die hard, there are some things that are just harder to shake than others, even after much time has past.
4.) I have a new fascination with wine glasses and bar toys in general since I've been working in the tabletop section at Pottery Barn.
5.) Starting the day with Oswald Chambers,
My Utmost for His Highest, each day blesses me beyond belief.
Be well,
Amanda
Proof, that we should expect the unexpected
According to Yahoo Weather forecast says: High:82, Low 60, currently 71 degrees with N winds at 15 mi. an hour. Yesterday was HOT and then to top it off our air conditioner in our quaint little older historic apartment decided to go out for a 4th time in 2 months. We all slept with our girls downstairs and when I walked outside this morning to go back up, it felt like I was in another place entirely! It was wonderful. I opened up all the windows and sipped my coffee on the sofa by one of them, and just felt the crisp breeze flowing in and out and enjoyed the sound of leaves on all of the trees around us rustling in the wind; it was one of the the most beautiful sounds I've heard in a while.
Last night Kim, Linds, Jessie and myself rented a movie called
Proof with the ever lovely Gwyneth Paltrow and the charming Jake Gyllenhaal, also starring Anthony Hopkins. None of us had ever seen it or heard anything about it, but were curious so we took a chance. While I have yet to see a Gwyneth movie that I don't enjoy, this is one that will not be added to my collection. The whole movie revolves around Math, and the Proof is referring to proving mathematical systems and equations, and then proving who wrote the proof. It sort of gave me a headache at points and reminded me why I am an Art major and thankful that I only had to take one math class in College. :-)
Progressive Dinner
In talking and thinking back out loud with my fellow senior and super senior friends here at school, about the days long ago when we were but lowly freshman just fresh out of high school, knowing virtually no one and longing for relationships in college so badly.....We decided to plan and have the first annual CRU freshman progressive dinner last night.This would give the new freshman in our ministry a chance to get to know each other and many of the upperclassman as well.
In case you are unfamiliar with this term "progressive dinner", it means there are several houses, in our case 4 involved and at each house a different course of a meal is served. Our organization, Campus Crusade for Christ, ended up giving each of our houses a 25$ budget to buy food with, which was so generous of them and we were able to have some really great items at each apartment.
Being a senior and on leadership in this ministry and knowing that after next May, I along with many others will no longer be a part of it. My prayers have been for the Lord to bring us some younger students who will be the next set of leaders and that we seniors would use this year to really invest in them and train them so that this ministry will continue to be effective on our campus long after we are gone.
Well, last night we were expecting no more than 10-15 freshman, I was assuming about 1/4 would be boys and the rest would be girls, and the Lord was SO faithful beyond our expectations and we had about 25 freshman come, about 1/2 of them were boys! We were thrilled. Many of us sat in awe after it was all over, just so thankful, and blown away at this freshman class. It was an answered prayer for so many of us, and I'm thrilled to get to know them better, and to truly invest in some of these girls before I leave this place.
humbled and rejoicing,
amanda
beautiful satisfaction
After the events of this past weekend: one, Brittany and Jared's wedding which I can honestly say was unlike any other wedding I've ever experienced, but so good to see my Rockwall girls and get to know Katie and Kim's beau's a little better; and two taking my sweet puppy Mozart home to my parents house and returning Sunday to San Marcos without him, and will remain without him until December......it was an emotionally draining weekend to say the least.
On sunday night I returned knowing full well I would have to jump right into my school work and head to the Art Building, which actually wasn't so bad because it helped take my mind off the fact that my dog would not be at my apartment waiting for me when I got done. That was the first night I have spent without him since May, my heart was sad.
Monday was a new day, and I found the Lord being so faithful to me in so many ways. I saw Him literally creating extra time for me in my days to get tasks accomplished, which I so needed, because lately I feel that there is never enough time in days to get everything done. Not only that, but He was allowing me time the last couple of days to get all my work done, and to spend time with Him. Not to mention that the weather this week has been SO amazing, cool and crisp mornings and evenings and not so hot days; most unusual for Texas in September. Needless to say, I've found myself satisfied instead of stressed, and joyful instead over overwhelmed.
thankfully,
Amanda
Balzac's Unknown Masterpiece
For my Modern Art History class, our professor had us read this short story, or novella as he referred to it, called The Unknown Masterpiece by an author named Balzac. I'm embarrassed to say that I am not as avid of a reader as I wish I was, I just don't have much time for leisure reading. However, this story was not only a required reading for an essay and a quiz, but it definitely held my attention and in the end even left me wanting more.I have a strong love an fascination for Art and Art History especially, hence me studying to be an Art Teacher. But for some reason I never considered that literature and Art History can so gracefully go hand in hand. This fictional story, had a couple of real Artists as characters as well as some that Balzac himself created. It had passion, love, drama, vivid imagery and colorful language and descriptions especially when it came to the art talk. And, if that's not enough the ending will leave your jaw dropping!Funny that I in fact do love reading, I just have to know what interests me and what books I can discover personal relationships to besides Jane Austen and of course Beth Moore and Leslie Ludy books; nothing wrong with those authors, they are great women of God who continue to inspire me, and have excellent wisdom and insight that have help shape me in many ways :-) It's just good to know that I can find other types of reading appealing as well!
The 90's at its Best: GooGoo Dolls and Counting Crows!
Last night we went out to San Antonio to see the Goo-Goo Dolls and Counting Crows rock the Verizon amphitheater. It was my first time to see both, and I have loved both groups for years. The both put on a phenomenal live show! The Goo-Goo Dolls played all their hits both old and newer, while the Counting Crows played a few favorites and did some cover songs. My only complaint is that I was completely baffled that the Counting Crows did not end their set with "Mr. Jones", nor did they play it at all!! The is the song that put them on the charts!! ahhh, we just couldn't believe it.
We began the night with a little dinner at Red Robin, then headed over to a near by Target to get a little Cash and some chocolate and treats to stash away for later, and also some trashbags for us to sit on, because while we were inside Target it began to, not just sprinkle, but down pour! Hilarious that while we've been in a drought for the last 4 months, and the one night we decide to go to a concert and sit on the lawn, it decides to rain without ceasing the entire evening! It actually ended up being pretty amazing though. I decided that Counting Crows are just better in the rain, it only enhanced our experience, and as they sang "Rain King" it couldn't have been more perfect! Even though we were cold, and wet and dirty.....We had a ball!
The I Dont's of I Do's
I went home this past weekend for my Uncle John's wedding. It was both he and his now wife's first marriages and they are in their 30's and 40's. It was small only close friends and family about 75 people or so. While it was a beautiful thing, very sweet and lovely as most weddings are, there were a few things that made it more of a bitter, than bliss event. I was reminded by all of my family there that I am almost 23 and that naturally for me the next step in my life should be marriage and then I should be popping babies out ya know sometime in the next 2 years, so that I'll be done with that before I'm 30. These are the expectations of a generation above mine and ones above that, because for them, that was the progression of things, and it did move faster then; however, for me, these expectations they all have is just not a reality at the moment and while I am thankful for where I am in my life right now, and try everyday to trust the Lord, and to be productive now in my life, and not wishing and hoping for things that are just not God's timing at this moment in my life, it doesn't make it easy for me when my own family is longing for these things even more than I am myself!Don't get me wrong I want these things marriage, and kids in my life, very much in fact, but not today and I am only 22! They made me feel as if it doesn't happen soon, it just wont happen, and I know perfectly well that is not true at all!I have another wedding at home in 2 weeks, Brittany Goelnner and Jared Gandy's so hopefully that one will be lots of fun to see old friends from high school and not a room full of old people who all think something must be wrong with you because you don't have a ring on your finger!Praising God for the Rain we got today, amongst many other evident blessings,amanda
