Spanish: The Language of Slackers. Not.

So, something really funny just happened to me. Let me preface this just a little bit.

My major requires that I take four semesters of a foreign language. Being from South Texas and having already taken three years of Spanish in high school, I decided to continue my education of this language. No one told me that one of Baylor's toughest departments out of the entire college is Spanish. I've already taken two semesters; I'm currently taking Span. 2310. Sounds exciting right? Well, for this class I'm required to spend one and a half hours in the language lab every two weeks. Doesn't sound too bad. But sitting that still doing something that in no way stimulates any interest in me is pure torture. Here comes the funny part.

I signed in when I got there and decided that I would just leave early, out of intense boredom, and just put on the sign in sheet that I left and hour and a half from when I signed in. I went to sign out and this girl behind the desk walks up to me and says very sweetly, "Do I need to help you sign out?" I told her no, I could do it myself, and she said, "Well I have to initial when you sign out." I freaked. I had no idea how to play this off because I had my backpack and purse on my shoulder, ready to leave. I, a quick thinker and full of whit (or something that may rhyme with whit), said, "Oh, no thank you. I'm just going to the bathroom and I'm going to come back. I just needed a bathroom break and didn't want to leave my stuff in here unaccompanied."

Well, I did go all the way to the restroom down the hall, and laughed at myself the whole way there. Here I was, trying to beat the system and got totally rejected. I felt like an idiot. I gave God a HUGE laugh. I went back ito the lab, signed back onto the computer, and wrote this blog for the remaining fifteen minutes that I was supposed to be there.

I guess this story doesn't sound as funny as I thought it did when I started writing it, but I don't care. I'm still going to publish this post. Stupid Spanish.

God Through Miranda

The other day I was hanging out with my friend Miranda. I really like Miranda. She's a great girl who is very driven in life, loves to have fun, and has a big heart for the Lord. She's the kind of girl that I feel I can be 100% myself around because she is 100% herself with you, so real. I don't even remember what we were talking about (probably something related to Tri Delt b/c it was during rush and we are sorority sisters), but all of a sudden Miranda said, "I've decided that I'm going to work on not wanting what other people have." I thought that was a huge statement.

I really felt that God had given Miranda just those words to say to me. Sometimes I become so sick of myself because all I do is covet what other people have. God has given me all that I could ever need and more. I am so blessed to be attending Baylor, to be a Tri Delta, to have such a great family and amazing friends, to have such an amazing boyfriend, to have a job where I get to serve the Lord on a daily basis, to be so healthy, and to live such a comfortable life. And yet, I continue to want more and more. A Gucci purse, an SUV, super expensive clothes, Yurman jewelry, a super skinny body, etc. The list goes on and on. Really? I'm so sick of me.

On top of that, I worry so much about what others think of me. I worry about what my Tri Delta sisters think of me. If I'm wearing the right outfits or if I'm saying the right words. It's like I'm trying to be a clone of them. What happened to having your own brain? I worry about what other Christians think about me; if they think I'm "Christian" enough. I'm constantly trying to show people how good of a Christian I am that I'm forgetting about what serving the Lord is all about. I spend so much time trying to prove to everyone that I'm a woman of God that I forget to be. In the end, I find myself feeling like a fool, like I'm letting God down. Really? I'm so sick of me.

Miranda's words really hit me. I have decided that I am going to start making an effort to not want what others have, but want what I already have: A beautiful life that God has blessed tremendously and given to me so mercifully. I'm also going to focus more on making Jesus Christ my Audience of One. The only person that I need to be living for and pleasing is Him. And when others do look at me or judge me, all I want them to see is a daughter of the King who serves Him with her whole heart. I want to be more selfless. I talk about myself alot, when instead I should be sharing Christ's love. That's not who my Savior desires for me to be; it's not who He has created me to be.

So, I'm going to not want what others have, stop trying to live up to others expectations, and try to be less selfish. If you want to call them new year's resolutions, go for it. But I'm going to call them life goals. Thank God for friends like Miranda who do not even know God used them, but allow Him to do so anyway, and bless the lives of people like me. God works in mysterious ways. And for me, in blunt, in your face, kind of ways.

Blessings.

My Holiday Break

This Christmas break has been a weird one, which is not unusual for my family. I would almost not even call it Christmas break, I would just call it a break from school. It's not that we don't celebrate Christmas because we do. It's just that my parent's job requires them to work steadily from the beginning of December until the end of April. Can anyone guess their occupation?

My parents own a franchise of Jackson Hewitt Tax Service that is based in Beevile, TX. They've been running this business for 9 or 10 years now. Wow, I just realized how long they have been doing this! They also just bought a second franchise south of Victoria, TX. I think they will have 5 offices running this year and twice that many next year. They rock, what can I say?

However, because of where the peak season of this business falls, Christmas becomes a little frazzled in my family. The four girls will shop for each other and do most of Mom's shopping. It works, we stick together. We do not want Christmas or the reason we celebrate Christmas to be overlooked, we just have to do our best to keep focused. This business is our livelihood. Dad's favorite saying is, "It's for the family." And it's true.

Where most parents work all year long and make an annual income, my parents work maybe five months out of the year and make the same amount or more. God has really blessed my parents with this job because He knew there were four girls to put through college. Times can get really hectic and crazy, but we push through and our parents get to spend 7 full months out of the year with us.

So, with all of that said, Christmas didn't really feel all that much like what most people think Christmas feels like. We went to Christmas at my Dad's side of the family on Christmas Eve after the candle-light service at church. Then, we went to San Antonio for Christmas day with my mom's side of the family. That was about it. Mom said this year that since the Wise Men brought baby Jesus presents after Christmas, that's what we are doing this year. Hitting up the after Christmas sales! That made me laugh.

After Christmas was over, I started working at the main office in Beeville. I really like it because I get to make some money before I go back to school and I'm not sitting at home on my butt like I know I would have been doing if I had stayed in Hallettsville. I file, stamp and label papers and file folders. I shred important documents (that aren't that important anymore!) and answer the phone. I've gotten pretty good at giving the customers legit answers to their tax questions. I'm impressed with myself!

Being in South Texas has been nice in that I've been able to hang out with Luke and Sarah alot. For those of you who don't know who I'm talking about, Luke is my boyfriend that lives in Corpus Christi and Sarah, aka Kubal, is my best friend from Zephyr. Kubal and I have had multiple sleep-overs and Luke and I have been able to spend alot of time together. I think I have decided to move back to South Texas after I graduate from Baylor. I forget how much I love the people and the lifestyle down here. I can't wait! I'm already looking for land to buy!

A couple of other things that happened over the break were the Zephyr Winter Staff Retreat and Amanda's wedding. The retreat was right before Christmas and it was AMESSING to say the least(inside joke)! I got to climb the rock wall, jump off the zipline, shoot skeet, eat some amazing food, listen to some amazing worship and preaching and just reconnect with my Zephyr family. Right after Christmas was Amanda's wedding. Amanda, a friend of mine from Hallettsville, married a Chilean man on the 29th. The wedding was bilingual and beautiful. I'm so glad that Amanda and Christian are happy!

As you can see, my Christmas break wasn't your normal Christmas break. But I am far from normal, so it makes sense. I'm not ready to go back to Waco just yet, but it's just around the corner. I'm going to miss my South Texas and my friends!! When I get back we start Rush 2008. I'm excited about that though; I can't wait for our new baby Tri Delta Pearls! And after school gets going again, I am going to be helping lead a DNow at FBC Katy at the end of January. Life just keeps on coming, I love it!

Thanks for listening to my many words. Blessings.