At the end of all things

4 days. 3 tests. 2 articles. 1 cleaning inspection. Then... HOME!!! :) I've almost completed my freshman year, a quarter of my college existence. It still amazes me sometimes that I'm here, living 3000 miles away from everything I grew up with, attending one of the most academic schools in the country and making most of my own decisions. I still feel like such a little girl inside. How am I here; how am I living, surviving, thriving? Only by the power of our awesome God.

These last few weeks of school have been packed with plenty of fun. Here's a few highlights:

Last week Thursday was my roommate Mary Sue's birthday. Of course, Emma and I had to make it special. So before she woke up, we decorated the room with streamers and balloons and set out cupcakes and gifts. Mary Sue has class in the afternoons, and when she got back from them all nobody was in the room. Emma and I and two of our friends came in and kidnapped her, not telling her where we were going. We took her down to Harper's Ferry to see the bookstore (she's a literature major :P). We visited the graveyard and Jefferson Rock and walked around the town. Then we went to see "How to Train Your Dragon" (it's a cute movie, and has great music... ;D). We ended the evening with Taco Bell and WalMart. Enjoyable birthday outing = Success. :)

Wednesday was the last day of classes!!! WOOT! It was definitely time to celebrate. My literature professor, Dr. Hake, put together Lake Bob Day for our enjoyment. We had boat races, a slip-n-slide, and a zipline over the water. All this in the tiny pond we affectionately call Lake Bob. It was such a good time of sunshine, friends and laughter. Besides, when else do I see my esteemed lit professor in warpaint, leggings and flippers, with a parrot on his head and carrying a surfboard? Trust me, it's not an everyday sight.

Friday was Gracy's (my friend, wingmate and future roommate) birthday. A few of us set up a birthday surprise in the dining hall. When she walked in, the entire cafeteria stood up and sang "Happy Birthday." Epic win. Later that evening, we were having a Gilmore Girls marathon (in a guys' lounge, ironically). One of the girls stood up and said, "Let's do something. Let's go get dressed up and take my car and go somewhere." So Gracy and I and two others put on nice dresses, did our hair and just left. We put the top of the convertible down and drove (this was about 11 at night). Nothing was open, but with the radio turned up and wind in our hair and friends in the car, who needed to go anywhere? We finally ended up at McDonald's having ice cream at 12:45. Of course, fellow PHC students were there and laughed at us for going to McDonald's in heels, but we enjoyed ourselves. We stayed long enough to break curfew before heading back to campus, where Gracy and I watched a Christian comedian until I fell asleep. That was probably the craziest thing I've done since coming to college. The weird part is, when I told my mom she was proud of me. :P

Last night we had a party as our last event as a wing. Gracy and I made another tent, and we gourged on pizza and breadsticks and chocolate. As a thank-you gift, our we went together with our brother wing and bought our RA's a giftcard to a local fancy resteraunt (conveniently, our RA's are dating). It was good to simply hang out with my wing. I have been blessed here; these girls are amazing, each one of them, and I am so glad to have shared a wing with them.

So now, Gracy and I are sitting in our tent in the hall, on a mattress we dragged out, eating chocolate and studying for finals. This is the last big push before the end. In one week I will be home and doing home things: attending my sisters' Prom, going to my church, taking a family vacation, my sisters' 18th birthday, my sisters' graduation, a road trip with friends, starting camp again... Life won't slow down, but do we really want it to? We were made to have a purpose. Rest and relaxation are important, so important that our Lord commanded us to rest, knowing our tendency to go and go and go. So I will rest this summer, but I will also have a purpose. I will rest from my scholastic endeavors, and hopefully come back refreshed in the Fall to tackle new classes, new adventures and a new freshmen class. :) I may not post again for a while, so I thank any of you who have taken the time to listen to my ramblings, and I especially thank you for your prayer. May you have a wonderful and relaxing summer soon.

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

God is faithful. He got me through yet another week.

It's paper season, which means that there is plenty of schoolwork to keep me busy. Last week I had two papers, one article and a speech all due. It was difficult. I haven't been getting enough sleep and I've spent most of my time in my room studying. And I'm sorry to say, I haven't used this experience to God's full glory. I was (am?) tired, cranky, stressed, impatient and complaining. Of course I thought I had every right to be - I had so much to do, I had very little sleep, I had x, y and z to justify myself. But I was wrong. There is no justification for my attitude. God gave me last week as a gift, and I didn't realize it until halfway through the week. It was an opportunity to realize my weakness and God's strength.

It was also an opportunity to realize how I need others. I couldn't hole up in my room and with me, my schoolbooks and God make it through the week. I needed fellowship and encouragement from others. I had some great times at meals with friends and some late night talks. But the highlight of the week was seeing Peter Pan. Our theatre group has been working all semester on it, and the end result was fabulous. There was so much energy and talent. The choreography and scenery was creative. I just have to say it: this school is pretty incredible. :)

Oh and guess what? I'll be home in 2 and a half weeks! I only have are 1 paper, 1 speech and finals left. Can't wait to be home!

~Carissa

Spring Break!

Life never stops! I was so busy savoring the last few hours of Spring Break last week that I didn't find time to post, and I apologize. I played much more the second half of Spring Break than I did the first, but I still did *some* work. I had a really good break, and I'd like to share some of the highlights.

From Tuesday to Sunday of break Mary Sue and I house-sat for one of our professors. It was SO nice to have couch, and an oven, and real cooking. :) Not only did our professor hand us the keys to her apartment, but she also gave us full use of her car. I find it amazing that she would trust two college freshmen so much. I think her trust is a reflection on the students here at PHC, and I am honored to be part of this body. It's funny how much I enjoyed doing things like dishes and cooking in a real home.

Wednesday evening our friends Becca and Bethany came and spent the night. We all made dinner together and watched a movie. Thursday morning we woke up and went to DC. What was supposed to be a 45 min drive turned into 2 hours. We were trying to get to a metro station, but we took a wrong turn, missed more than one of our exits and had awful directions. When we did get to a metro station, the parking lot was completely full. But, we refused to be thwarted. We pulled over, got out a map, and found our way all the way into DC and parked at Arlington. We wanted to see the cherry blossoms, but all we saw while walking the mall were green trees. Finally we figured out that those were the cherry blossoms earlier in the week. We went to the American History Museum and saw some cool displays like the First Ladies' dresses and a war exhibit. But it was really crowded, which was not very pleasent. Our next stop was the National Gallery of Art. That was not crowded, it was very enjoyable. It is incredible the talent that God has given to some people. I could spend days in that museum. But our hunger pulled us away from the art, and we went in search of food. We wandered away from the tourist section, into the business zone of DC. We saw many big, impressive-looking and important buildings, moseyed through a farmers market, and found lots of Starbucks. However, we did not find real food. We ended up eating at the food court in the Reagen building, and then we took the metro back to Arlington. We made our way to the tomb of the unknown soldier and saw the changing of the guard. Everything at Arlington was very sobering and impressive. Our soldiers deserve that respect, yet again I was reminded about how rarely we give God that absolute, magnificent respect. True, our God is a god of gaity, laughter, and comaderie. But He is also the Lord of all, Creator of Heaven and Earth, and He has more majesty than we can begin to comprehend. This is the Lord we serve.

The quiet part of spring break was over, and people began to trickle back on campus. Emma returned on Thursday, so from Friday on she joined us at the apartment. Gracy came back on Friday, and on Saturday she and I had a picnic at Harper's Ferry. We hiked at least four miles in our flats and flip-flops, climbed on ruins of an old church, and purused cute shops. On Sunday we milked the last few moments of our break. Becca, Bethy, Emma and I walked around the historic section of downtown Leesburg. We had lunch in an outdoor cafe and stuck our nose in whichever shop struck our fancy. Then we got coffee and went back to the apartment, where Mary Sue had made us dinner. We finished out our lovely time with a girl movie and brownies. I may be really bad at the idea of college partying, but I seriously had a really amazing Spring Break. :)

It was hard to jump back into school. Thankfully, the schoolwork I did has put me a little bit ahead on assignments and relieved some stress. These next two weeks will be difficult, as four papers, two speeches and five finals stand between me and home. I trust in God's strength to get me through, and prayer is gratefully accepted. There is plenty of fun in these next weeks as well, from the play to the the comedy show to the football game to Lake Bob day. :D I cannot wait to be home with my family, rest, and see my friends. I'm almost there!

~Carissa

He is risen!

Christ our Lord is risen today! Alleluia! Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia.

Easter is a wonderful, truly wonderful, holiday. Can you imagine the scene at the first easter? How must the faithful have felt, when all hope was lost, their messiah killed by the power of darkness. What confusion, what would you do with yourself? To have no hope, no assurance. And then - to find the tomb empty, your rabbi missing. Christ is risen! Hope is restored in a greater measure, and the darkness is conquered by a much greater power. This is why we celebrate today. Bunnies are cute, chocolate is one of God's good gifts, and I think Peeps were invented directly by Christ before he ascended (is that heresy?). But if Christ was not raised from the dead, we are to be pitied most among all men. But Christ has been raised from the dead! (1 Corinthians 15:19-20) This is why we celebrate.

Our marvelous God is so good. He blessed me with a wonderful day with wonderful people. It was a beautiful day - warm and sunny. I attended church at Blue Ridge (my regular church). It was a lovely time with beautiful worship, a great message and just a time of celebration and remembrance. During the meet-and-greet time, we (myself and three friends) met a family, who later invited us over to their house for lunch. They had four other families over, including the pastor. Their house is beautiful - huge, and beautifully decorated - and their property is even better. We dipped our feet in the creek, hid easter eggs, jumped on the trampoline with the kids and a delicious lunch. God's family is a remarkable blessing.

I'm almost halfway through Spring Break, and how the time has flown! So far it's been mostly work. Even so, it is nice to have the time to actually give proper attention to my studies instead of being pressured. Campus is so quiet, but there are enough good friends here to keep me from being lonely. I've had a great time of rest, study and enjoyment.

I hope this post finds you safe and well, and that you take time to consider the blessing God has given you. Our God is a good God, and He always cares for us. Always.

~Carissa

A disjointed post

Hello!

I don't know if it's because it is late, or due to all my studying last week, but I can't pick out a specific theme or event from these past two weeks to focus on. So if this seems to be a disjointed, rambling tale, I apologize.

A week ago Thursday, I attempted to go ice skating. I still have tickets from my birthday that needed to be used. So, I round everyone up, get my gloves, and prepare for some fun. Only one problem: where do we get a car? I literally just called off the trip when I found someone who let me borrow their car. Great! I bustled around printing last-minute directions and gathering my stuff, then hurried to the car. We were on our way! Halfway there Mary Sue asked, "You brought the tickets right?"



Uh oh.



Okay, so they don't happen all the time, but that was definitely a blond moment. Because in my room, sitting neatly in an envelope on my desk, were the tickets.



So what do we do then? Like any good college students, we pull into a gas station, look over two maps and talk to three different guys, and get directions to a town center a couple towns over. We make it there uneventfully, and had a great time walking around a cute downtown area. We didn't get back too late, and my friend Gracy and I stayed up giving ourselves tattoos with permanent markers. There was our act of rebellion for the week.



On Saturday I went to the D4 block party, and for a moment it felt like I went to a normal school. (For those of you who know what real college partying looks like, please don't burst my bubble) The block party is put on by the men of D4 (we only have two guys dorms - D4 and D5). It was an absolutely beautiful first day of spring - warm and sunny and lovely. Outside, they grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. There were chips and cookies and coolers full of sodas. Everyone broke out their shorts and tee shirts, mingled with the crowd, and listened to the loud, upbeat music. The main event was the dodgeball tournament, where we got to cheer for a favorite teams to slaughter their opponents. It was a lovely day of friends, warmth and fun.

This past week has been busy with studying (as usual). The work never seems to let up. But it's good that way. I am terribly blessed to be here and have the luxury of spending my days consumed in learning. I am thankful for this school and these professors. I am thankful for many things here, such as my roommates, my church, my friends, and AWANAs, to name a few. I am glad to be here.

Next week Spring Break starts. The challenge will be to discipline myself enough to focus on my schoolwork and get things done, while not becoming a hermit and going stir crazy. Don't worry, I'll find something fun to do, such go see the cherry blossoms in DC. :) I CANNOT wait to come home. Only a month and a half!

3.14159265...

Happy Pi day! (If you don't get it, check the date. If you still don't get it, well, you might want to review your basic algebra)

I know, I know, that's cheezy. If you love me, you'll put up with it. :)

I apologize for not posting last week. Since I started doing AWANA's on Sunday evenings, it's been harder to find time to blog. AWANA has been great. I've been assigned to work with the 8-9 year old girls and I adore them. They are so sweet and so much fun. I had one girl name her stuffed animal after me last week :). Last week I also worked in the toddler room during service. I've missed little kids; it's so great just to be able to play with them. I'm thankful that God has given me these opportunities to get involved in the church. I would like to eventually work with the youth group, but I don't think He's leading me to that door yet. For now I am very content with the work He has given me to do.

Speaking of work, I made it through all the work of the past two weeks!!! Through God's grace He brought me through midterms successfully. I did very well on my lit midterm, and I haven't gotten my other grades back quite yet. Whatever happens, I know I did my best and the results are all up to God and for His glory. I have very few assignments due between now and Spring Break, so the challenge will be to discipline myself to get ahead and knock out a few papers. Hopefully I can get enough done that I don't die when Spring Break is over (that would be bad, because if I died I would miss the pleasure of going home).

We had a three day weekend this week which the school dubbed "March Break." Basically, it's so we can all actually SLEEP after enduring midterms. On Thursday night, my roommates, two of our friends, and myself went to see Alice in Wonderland. The movie itself was alright; whimsical and pretty, but lacking substance. But the theatre was adorable. It was in the historic district of Leesburg. It's little-tiny, with only two screens. What made it even better is that we found out that tickets are $3 on Thursday :). After the movie we went to McDonald's and had shamrock shakes. Okay, so maybe going to a movie and then McDonald's doesn't exactly sound like a "night out on the town" to you. But for me, just getting off campus is thrilling. And to discover new places and just have fun with good friends is a blessing. I didn't do anything else terribly exciting this weekend, but it's been good to catch up on school and work at a slower pace.

God's been teaching me a lot lately as I've had emotional ups and downs. Mainly God is pointing out my self-centeredness in everything from how I spend my time to who I talk to and where I sit. I've been thinking about what introvert I am. I've always know that I'm an introvert, and it's never really bothered me, nor did it ever occur to me that I could change that. But if being an introvert means that you're always looking inward at yourself, than it's really a selfish perspective. If I'm always looking at myself, then I'll feel awkward or nervous about how a present myself, what people think of me, and what my reputation is. It's all about me, and there's very little love or energy left to care for or notice others, unless it will help my reputation. To "die to self" means that I live not for me, but for Christ. And through Christ, I live for others. I should be my last concern.

Anyway, these are some of my thoughts lately. Any prayers for God to continue to convict me of and teach me this lesson would be appreciated. I'll try to let you know what God does with it. As always, I would love to hear from any of you about what's going on in your lives and what I can pray for. May God richly bless you this next week, and may you share those blessings with others.

Until next time,
Carissa ♥

God gives good gifts to His children

Hello everyone!

It's getting late and I have midterms next week, so this is going to be a short little post. I just want to share that God is a loving God, and He delights in giving us gifts. He can give us a wide variety of gifts, but this past week He has lavished me with material, physical gifts. First of all, I received a package from my best friend Kira. She sent me all sorts of things - from chocolate to cough drops, pop-tarts to shampoo. Everything had little sticky notes on them, and it was a very fun package to open. She also sent me birthday gifts from my friends Krystina and Brittany. Then, on Saturday the senior girls had a sale to get rid of clothes and things that they don't need anymore. I got a few cute skirts and things for not very much money. But the most exciting purchase was a classy, long black dress that fits me just right. It was $10. That was truly a blessing from God, and I am SO excited to wear it sometime.

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm bragging about my possessions, because that's not the point of this post. The point is, God loves us. And God shows us His love in many different ways- through protecting us, guiding us, disciplining us... the list is inexhaustable. But sometimes God shows His love through gifts, and He did for me last week. Remember to thank God when He gives you gifts, and give gifts to others. God wants to use you to spread His love.

♥♥♥
Carissa