Come on 2010!

Well this break has been a rather eventful one. Mom, Maygon and I left for NYC two Fridays ago right as the snow storm of the century began to fall upon Roanoke. Yes against all advisement we drove through the storm up to New York City, we were lucky however because we were able to outrun the storm as we got into Pennsylvania. As the driver I was really stressed out, seeing as the roads were quickly accumulating snow and there was not a lick of salt on the roads (pardon the pun). The scariest part of the drive I would say was not driving through inches of snow on I 81, it was driving through Manhattan.

You see in Manhattan, which consists mostly of psycho cabbies and angry New Yorkers, lines are merely a suggestion. Drivers in Manhattan like to make up their own lanes and instead of using a turn signal to pass someone they simply nudge the front of their car in front of yours leaving you with two options: hit them with your car or scream angrily and wave your hands as they cut you off. Needless to say I was almost hit about 3 times and the screams of my mom and sister did not help, at least I had an iron grip on the steering wheel.

Anywho to sum up our trip:
Saturday - Pedicab ride through Central Park where we got to see many famous filming locations including; the Friends fountain, the Home Alone bridge, the 27 Dresses boathouse and my favorite - the hill where Sonny teachs little Julian to trip rollerbladers in Big Daddy, to name a few. Failed attempt to find the Naked Cowboy in Times Square number 1 - This was my Grandma's only wish while we were in NYC.

Sunday - Woke up to a lovely sheet of snow outside. We went to see Wicked @ the Gershwin Theater (if you don't know it is the
Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the "Wicked" Witch, it is based off the book by Gregory McGuire - an AMAZING show, even the second time around) and for my cousin Corri's birthday dinner we went to Tavern on the Green in Central Park. Failed attempt numbers 2 & 3 to find Naked Cowboy.

Monday - Shopping & the Christmas Spectacular featuring the Rockettes at Radio City. Final failed attempt to find the Naked Cowboy, my Grandmother said and I quote "Well I'm done looking for him, the little turkey."

Tuesday - We spent maybe a good 45 minutes just trying to get out of the city and find the Lincoln Tunnel, followed by an 8 hour car ride back to Roanoke.

Mom and I spent the greater portion of Christmas Eve night making our traditionally Christmas goodies and listening to 24 hours of a Christmas Story on TBS, and let's not forget the amazing candle light service at Church of the Holy Spirit, with a lovely sermon delivered by the amazing Quiqq Lawrence. I love church on Christmas Eve because it is such a phenominal reminder of what we should really be celebrating. As the angel said "I bring good news of great joy", the good news that our savior was born, hallelujah! Christmas day was spent finishing goodies and making Christmas dinner, which was a success if I do say so myself.

While it has been nice to relax and only work twice a week, I am getting more bored and poorer by the day. I cannot wait to get back to school on Thursday to see my friends and ring in the New Year, followed by a sweet retreat with all my lovely sisters this weekend and then only one week left to work before the semester starts!

Empire State of Mind

I am sitting here at work doing absolutely nothing, as there are approximately 2 people working out at the moment. I have researched in depth the casting process for The Real World - famous "reality" tv show on MTV, you know "the true story of seven strangers picked to live in a house...". I think it would be a totally crazy but really great experience. I think it would help me grow up a lot, it would show me how others perceive me, it would give me the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and have a life changing experience. I am heavily considering applying just for the heck of it.

In other news, I am going home to Roanoke tonight, hanging out around town tomorrow and heading to New York City on Saturday with my mom, sister, grandma, aunt Tammie, cousin Corri and her friend. We will be spending 4 days and 3 nights in the big apple. Sunday night we are going to see Wicked at the Gershwin Theater and then eating Corri's 21st birthday dinner at Tavern on the Green in Central Park. Monday we are going to MOMA (aka Museum of Modern Art), maybe going on the Early Show and eating at Serendipity , I can't wait to enjoy their world famous Frozen Hot Chocolate! We are gonna shop of course and probably some other touristy things because Mom, Maygon and I are the only ones who have actually been to New York before. I love New York in December so I am beyond excited to return after a 2 year hiatus!

Last time in NYC, December 2007, we met Lance Bass !



And Ashley Parker Angel (O-Town anyone?)



First time we saw Wicked.

stumbleupon.com is probably my favorite addiction... I think I've mentioned it before but basically you hit the "stumble" button and it takes you to a random website and you can pick categories of things that you are interested in that it will take you too..

Anywho I stumbled upon this today and I really liked it so I am sharing it with you :)

Never Forget

Your presence is a present to the world.
You're unique and one of a kind.
Your life can be what you want it to be.
Take the days, just one at a time.
Count your blessings, not your troubles.
You'll make it through, whatever comes along.
Within you are so many answers.
Understand, have courage, be strong.
Don't put limits on yourself.
So many dreams are waiting to be realized.
Decisions are too important to leave to chance.
Reach for your peak, your goal and your prize.
Nothing wastes more energy than worrying.
The longer one carries a problem, the heavier it gets.
Don't take things too seriously.
Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets.
Remember that a little love goes a long way.
Remember that a lot . . . goes forever.
Remember that friendship is a wise investment.
Life's treasures are people . . . together.
Realize that it's never too late.
Do ordinary things in an extraordinary way.
Have health, hope and happiness.
Take the time to wish upon a star.
And don't ever forget . . .
For even a day . . .
How very special you are.

Author Unknown

December

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted since Thanksgiving!

Welp, it is finally December and I couldn't be happier. After Turkey day I had one week of classes left, bringing me to this week which is finals week, otherwise known by college students everywhere as Hell Week. Surprisingly this week has been pretty laid back for me. I had a paper due and a final Monday night, both of which I think I did pretty well on. Tuesday I had my stats final (also kicked it's butt) and worked. Oh and did I mention Tuesday was my Mom's 48th birthday!

Wednesday is study day at CNU, so there are no finals just a bunch of studying. Wednesday meant a lot of sleeping in and some studying thrown in there. I woke up Wednesday knowing it was gonna be a hard day and I woke up sick. Wednesday was a hard day because it would have been my Dad's 57th birthday if he was still here. I miss my Dad every day and as time goes on it only gets harder because I feel like it is just widening the gap between the last time I saw him. Luckily I had a lot of encouraging words from my sisters and my Summer Staff friends (yall are so amazing ps).


I woke up today still feelin sick and nearly fainted during my psych final this morning, this will happen from time to time but I don't know why. I felt all out of sorts the rest of the day, but I finished my second to last final this evening, so I am just waiting now til tomorrow night when I take my last final and the semester will officially be over!

I always get so excited for a new semester, new classes,new professors, it is like starting over but not starting from zero. I am really looking forward to see what this spring has in store for me. I will have classes only Tuesday/Thursday, so with my 5 days off I will be working my two jobs and hopefully volunteering with a Kindergarten class at the elementary school down the road. I also cannot wait for Formal Recruitment and getting a new class of awesome girls !

Only 8 days until NYC with the girls, by girls I mean Mom, Maygon, Grandma, Aunt Tammie, my cousin Corri and her friend. We are going to have so much fun and I just can't wait to get back to the city, it is so beautiful in the winter. Oh and I can't wait to see Wicked again :D

All for today. I was watching One Tree Hill (my favorite show. ever.) and one of the characters said the most profound thing so I decided to share it with you.
"We waste our words and we waste our moments and we don't take the time to say the things that are in our heart when we have the chance."
So in the spirit of the New Year coming up and starting anew, don't waste your words and certainly don't waste your time here on earth.

<3 brynn

Let us give thanks

First, let me start by saying the number one reason I am excited for Thanksgiving every year is because it means I can officially start listening to Christmas music without getting crazy stares. That really isn't my favorite thing about Thanksgiving, but it totally makes it more exciting!

Every year for Thanksgiving we go to my Grandma's house and she cooks probably the best Thanksgiving feast you could ask for. This year was no different, I drove up last night and spent some time with my family, woke up early this morning, watched the parade and anxiously waited until supper was ready. This year was especially better because my cousins Corri and Chad, who I haven't seen since I was in braces, were there.

My Grandma cooked dinner for 16 and it is just so cool to see how much serving us in that way once a year gives her so much joy. As you can imagine it is hard to find a table for 16 so each year we have the table in the dining room and the table in the sun room set up, in the past the dining room had the "adult table" and the sun room had the "kid table". This year we realized that my 15 year old brother Dillon is the only "kid" now, the rest of us are over 18 so technically we are adults too.

Well usually the "kids" fix their plates and sit down and wait for the "grown ups" and then Grandma or Pa will say grace. Today Grandma decided I had to say grace for the "kids table" so we wouldn't have to wait for the adults to be ready, talk about putting a girl on the spot.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, these are some of the things I'm thankful for:
- My Mom for working so hard to provide for us :)
- My Grandma Lola for loving her family so much and her awesome stories.
- Being 3 semesters away from being a CNU graduate.
- My family
- My sisters, especially my triceratops fam


Happy Thanksgiving !!

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever."
- Psalm 107:1

New Moon and Life

I and Twilight fans alike have been anxiously awaiting the release of New Moon for a year. Finally, last night at midnight, I got to see the movie. I came in town yesterday afternoon, spent some time at my old job visiting my sister and my old co-workers, went to dinner with Mom and Maygon, saw Maygon's new apartment (her devil dog Buster didn't bite me!) and saw the midnight premiere of New Moon.
I was really pleased with the way the movie turned out, especially as a fan of the books, I was really interested to see how they put the book on screen. The movie made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion, it made me want to scream at Edward for being so selfish and Bella for being such a drama queen, and most surprisingly made me doubt my allegiance to Team Edward. Taylor Lautner did a really great job this time around of playing Jacob, and I won't lie I feel guilty for thinking this 17 year old is so darn attractive (his 8 pack is undeniable), kudos to Taylor Swift for snagging this cutie. Don't get me wrong, I am so a Robert Pattinson fan, I definitely made sure I did not miss his appearance on Ellen today.

Another great movie I watched today was the new Star Trek movie, which even though I am by no means a "trekkie", I really enjoyed. My Mom had to explain some things to me but I really did like the movie.

On another note,
Does anyone have those times when every song on the radio seems to speak directly to you? Well I've been in this mood for like two weeks now, where every song I hear, I think of how it totally fits what is going on in my life. I have been so contemplative lately, I just think about everything, all the time, I am just thinking thinking thinking, it is getting a little frustrating let me tell you.

I have 6 days of classes left, then finals and then Winter Break. When classes start back in January, I will be starting my 3rd to last semester of college, where in the world did the time go?? I feel like the first two and a half years of college have flown me by, and I honestly don't know what to make of my time so far at CNU. I can't help but think how different my life could be right now. I am seriously going to be a Senior in college in less than a year, what the heck?!

My only fear is that I am going to look back on my four years and feel like something was missing, or have regrets, and that is not any way I want to live. I want to feel like I am making every second count, if not what am I here for? God put me on this earth and gave me life so I can live it to the full, and I really need to start living it to the full, I'm just not quite sure how to do that and that scares me a little bit.

I want to know that while I had my youth I enjoyed it. I want to be happy and I want to feel accomplished.

I know this is so long and random but all I do is think nowadays so I had a lot to put out there.

Procrastination

So this is my query for the day. Can you procrastinate sleep?

It is two am right now and I have class at 8 am yet here I sit online, typing this. I am tired don't get me wrong I just get distracted and have other things to do but sleep, weird I know.

Anyways, it has been raining alllll day today. Governor Kaine even declared a state of emergency because of the rain. Are classes cancelled tomorrow you ask? Welp the first class starts at 8am and no news yet. I did not even want to go to class today because of the awful rain, I drove to campus, I live across the street. There is this really bad nor'easter coming through and there are floods expected all over, the Bay Bridge Tunnel is already closed. This school needs to get with it, ODU already had their classes cancelled tomorrow I mean COME ON.

Anyways, for fans of my playlist, listen to the Twilight Serenade station on Pandora, there are some AWESOME songs on there that are kind of similar to my playlist. This is the only station I have been listening to for the past week, it is really awesome and I love it.

I only have 11 days of classes left for the semester and I couldn't be more thrilled. I registered for classes on Monday and got everything I wanted, except now the Department Chair is trying to kick me out of my psych sensation and perception lecture and lab because a 4th year JUNIOR needs it to graduate in May. I am sorry but that is the departments fault not mine. So tomorrow I get to argue all day and seriously raise some kane if they try to kick me out of my class, it will just ruin all of my plans and I will be beyond livid.

I think the reason I am staying up is because I hope that school will get cancelled, in which case I get to sleep in :D It's just like grade school (p.s. I love that I am now old enough to call elementary through high school grade school) when it would snow but school wouldn't get cancelled until really early and you would stay up late, knooowwwing that it would get cancelled.

Anyways, my eyes are getting too tired to procrastinate sleep any longer.

Home in one week!! Can't wait for New Moon!!!!!

Hebrews 9:39-40
"These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." - I don't know why but this verse really spoke to me the other day when I stumbled upon it. I guess it is cool because it shows that God rewards us for being faithful even when we don't get what we desire, because he knows better than us what we need.

and now, max said, let the wild rumpus start

So this weekend for Halloween, I was Max from Where the Wild Things Are. As someone who wants to teach kindergarten this book is near and dear to me, I remember reading it as a child and it's just a classic. Much to my disappointment I got a lot of strange stares, followed by dozens of "what areeee you supposed to be?" to which I would sigh and respond "Max, from Where the Wild Things Are", the most frustrating part came next when people would go "ooooo from the movie right?!". AHHHHHHHHH !!!!! No people, it is a book. The book is more than twice as old as the movie, come on it won a Caldecott Medal! Was I the only snobbish child who only picked Newberry and Caldecott Medals when I went to the library? (granted I only did this because I knew these books were important for some reason, whatever the reason I hadn't a clue)

Anyways, I can't believe it is November already, in only 4 weeks it will be time for Thanksgiving at Grandma's house. I am already getting nostalgic for Christmas... I haven't pulled out the Christmas mix yet, but soon enough. I love the winter, even though it's still fall, I love the leaves falling, the crisp air, the smell of it... aahhh I just love it. I am counting down the days until New York City with the Hudgins women (to clarify my Mom's sisters, mom and one of my cousin - and mom and Maygon of course)!

What I Stumbled Upon

So, the other day a friend of mine was telling me about this website that his roommate is obsessed with called Stumbleupon.com . I had heard of it but I hadn't ever tried it out.
Well a few days ago, I tried it out and I am seriously addicted to it. The premise of the website is that you hit the "stumble" button and it takes you to a random website online. Doesn't sound really fun right? Well basically when you register on the website (it's free by the way) you download this toolbar onto your web browser that pops up once you log in, this way you can continue to hit the "stumble" button as many times as you want. When you register you pick certain areas of interest and based on those it finds these random websites for you. You can even "like" or "dislike" a website it finds for you, so this way it gets a better idea of the kind of things you are interested in. Once you "like" a website it saves it for you on your account so you can go to that list and revisit the site. I know right now this doesn't sound that fun, but I seriously sat for like 2 hours at work yesterday "stumbling" as I affectionately call it. My favorite is when it shows me a cute picture or quote, there are some really cool videos that it has shown me as well.

Anyways, my work here is done, go for yourself and try it out and please let me know that you love it just as much as I!!

Happy Stumbling

He's Just Not That Into You

Seeing as most of the people I know who read this are probably female, I figured you would appreciate this topic.

The movie "He's Just Not That Into You" is the most sickingly (real word??)accurate movie ever. Just the opinions it poses are so true. If you haven't seen it these are some quotes from the movie.

Gigi (main character) "We are all programmed to believe that if a guy acts like a total jerk that means he likes you." - maybe a stretch but pretty much truth

Alex (main guy) "So trust me when I say if a guy is treating you like he doesn't give a sh-- he genuinely doesn't give a sh--. No exceptions." - EXACTLY, yet we think of every excuse we can to put our minds at ease.

"If you can find him, then he can find you. If he wants to find you, he will." - I love this because men know when they want you, and if they do, they will come after you, you shouldn't have to chase him.

Gigi: "Girls are taught a lot of stuff growing up. If a guy punches you he likes you. Never try to trim your own bangs and someday you will meet a wonderful guy and get your very own happy ending. Every movie we see, Every story we're told implores us to wait for it, the third act twist, the unexpected declaration of love, the exception to the rule. But sometimes we're so focused on finding our happy ending we don't learn how to read the signs. How to tell from the ones who want us and the ones who don't, the ones who will stay and the ones who will leave. And maybe a happy ending doesn't include a guy, maybe... it's you, on your own, picking up the pieces and starting over, freeing yourself up for something better in the future. Maybe the happy ending is... just... moving on. Or maybe the happy ending is this, knowing after all the unreturned phone calls, broken-hearts, through the blunders and misread signals, through all the pain and embarrassment you never gave up hope."
- I love this last one, it's the ending montage of the movie and it makes me feel a lot better because I am such a sap, and hopeless, hopeless romantic, but it is so unrealistic, movies and tv shows make you feel like it's gonna be this beautiful moment or just sweep you off your feet experience, but the cynic I am will believe it when I see it.

I love this movie, because it helps me see how silly I am being when I overanalyze every little minute detail and twist things around to make them seem favorable, even if I am totally off. My roommate Heather also kind of talked some sense in to me and was pretty bluntly honest, which I appreciate, because I feel like a lot of times (just like in the movie) women tell their friends what they want to hear, and I have respect for the truth. It also makes me trust even more that because the Lord said he will be with me wherever I go and he has a plan for me, that I don't have to worry about every little detail, it is all in his hands, and one day I will be the exception, instead of the rule (movie reference again). I stress so much about every facet of life, and I feel here lately God has really been telling me to just let it go, to give it up to him and know that my life is all taken care of. Something I also struggle with is uncertainty, I am uncertain of the Lord's plan for my life and that makes me really anxious, I want to know now where I am going to be in 5 years, what is my life going to be like?

Anyway He's Just Not That Into You is a great movie ladies so watch for sure!!

I can't believe it is almost Halloween, and that there is legit like a month of the semester left.

CNU Homecoming & Blonde Moment of the Year

So this weekend was CNU's Homecoming. On Friday we had Midnight Madness, which is essentially a pep rally and we introduce the Basketball teams because their season is starting. I got a little nostalgic for my days as Student Body Prez at good ole Patrick Henry, I really do miss that aspect of high school for sure.Anyways, I was working Midnight Madness, little did I realize how crazy it was gonna be. I was running all over the place for a good 2 hours before I had a chance to just sit, needless to say when I got home at 1 am I was exhausted.

We had our football game on Saturday which was fun, Phi Mu put on Touchdowns for Tommy during the first half of the game. Touchdowns is an event we do every year during the Homecoming Football game in order to raise money for Cure Search, who is doing research for a cure for childrens' cancer. The event is in honor of Tommy Gosser, son of two professors here at CNU, who passed away last year due to cancer. The event was a great success. We also entered our float into the Homecoming "Parade", our float was by far the cutest. The game was awesome, it was great getting to see some Alumni friends, especially my big, Laura.

Today was just a day of rest, I don't know what is wrong with me but the past two days I have just been absolutely EXHAUSTED. I'm not sure what's wrong with me but I've been soooo tired. I'm starting to get paranoid, you know when you try to self diagnose, I do it a lot, the curse of being the daughter of a Nurse.

ANNNDDD NOW..... for the Blonde Moment of the Year.. nay Century...

Yesterday morning I woke up and took my phone off the charger. Imagine my surprise when the phone would not turn on . nothing but a blank screen. I was convinced my phone was dead. I even plugged it back into the charger with no luck. I needed a new phone. So I go all day yesterday with absolutely no phone. This afternoon I take my phone to Verizon, the lady plugs it in and it turns right on. She suggests maybe my charger is broken and that I should go get it and bring it back to see if it is in fact broken. Well, I drive back to the apartment, walk in my room and see my charger, not plugged in. Just to explain, my charger has to parts because it also serves as a USB to connect to my computer. SOOOOO this whole time, the USB port was not plugged into the charging port, which was plugged into the wall. THE PHONE WAS NEVER CHARGED PEOPLE. The best part was driving all the way back to get my phone back and explain to the lady how ditzy I was. EMMMMBARASSING..........

So if that gave you a laugh I am glad to have brought a smile to your face!

Listen to: Everything's Right - Matt Wertz (great guy p.s.)

Quotes

Okay so I don't know if any of you do this, but I have this thing where I hear a good quote, saying, what have you, and I write it down on whatever piece of scrap paper I can find. Well I know now that I get this from my Dad. He had this folder of random quotes written on receipts, scrap paper, anything really. I do this all the time and eventually the quotes make their way into my quote book, however thinking about it now, if I saved all of the random pieces of paper I could probably turn them into some awesome art project? (What do you think?)

Anyways, I just wanted to share some of my favorite quotes!

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." - Psalm 34:18
This is my favorite verse because my Young Life leader Jess gave this to me in a letter she wrote me after my Dad died and it's always stuck with me. Thanks Jess!

"Did you ever put your arms out and spin and spin and spin? Well, that's what love is like." - Gillian 'Practical Magic'

"All we have to do is decide what to do with the time given to us." - The Notebook

"Either we do not know what part of ourselves to give, or, more often than not, the part we have to give is not wanted. So it is those who we live with and love and should know that elude us. But we can still reach out to them, we can love completely without complete understanding" - A River Runs Through It

Just a few...

Mom is in VA Beach for a conference this week so she came down to CNU tonight to go to the Mens Soccer game against Shenandoah (sp??) with me and to get dinner. Quick bragging moment on CNU's Mens Soccer team, they are ranked NUMBER 1 D3 mens soccer team in the nation according to the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America)!! I haven't seen them play this season but they were amazing let me tell you! So afterwards Mom and I went to Panera for dinner and to the grocery store where we talked to this little old lady for like 10 minutes or so about rescuing animals... it was cute I won't lie. Tomorrow I get to go to VAB to hang out with mom and Homecoming is this weekend !!

What's your favorite quote?!?!?

Jerry McGuire moment.. sort of...

okay, so I have totally had a Jerry McGuire moment tonight. You ask "what is a Jerry McGuire moment?" Wellll.. It is when you just have so many thoughts and plans going on in your mind that you are just wired, WIDE AWAKE. You are thinking about all of these things you want to do, what you want your life to be, you get the gist. SO... it's about 5 am and ive been sitting at my computer for hours looking at internships abroad, summer study abroad opportunities, jobs in NYC. I am pretty much stargazing right now, I am looking at things I would LOVE to do but probably won't happen. I have been in the "Bucket List" mood lately and all I have been thinking about is all of the things I want to do in my life time. Some are pretty lofty goals, others are fairly simple. For the sake of slowing my mind down so I can get a few hours of sleep before work @ 8am, and for your entertainment pleasure of course, I have posted a few.

Bucket List:
1. Get Married & have kids (I know I'm so cliche)
2. Live in a foreign country, preferably somewhere in Eastern Europe.
3. Live in New York City - I really want to be a full time nanny or a personal assistant for a very important person, I think it'd be fun!
4. Go to the 2012 London Olympics.
5. Go to a Red Sox game.
6. Watch UVA beat Tech in football, in person, not just on TV... for all you skeptics UVA's day is coming, they are just in a rebuilding phase right now okay?!
7. Watch Patrick Henry Men's Soccer team win a VA State Title. - preferably starring Sam Dowdy in approx 14 years.
8. Do something selfless.
9. Go to a Patriots game, preferably Super Bowl.

there's much more my mind is just a whirl wind right now. Maybe this will inspire yall to think about the awesome things you want in your life time and for you to start figuring out how to make them come true!

<3 brynn

Midterms

Ah, it's that time of the semester. Midterms are upon us here at CNU. I luckily only have 2 this week, and a paper but who's counting. So here I sit in the Trible Library taking a break from 3 hours of writing so I can give my poor wrist a break. Plus I was just getting really ADD and needed a distraction for a few minutes.

Anywho, the Fall weather is finally descending upon Newport News. The good thing is that I love the smell of fall and the crisp air in the mornings. I do not however enjoy the sporadic changes in temperature. One day will be cold and the next day will be hot, it really makes getting dressed in the morning a task. You have to be prepared for anything.

Fall Break starts for me on Thursday at 1215 and I am pretty excited for a little breather. I am going home Thursday night, to Windy Gap on Friday and Saturday to wrangle again in the Sippie, home for a few hours on Sunday and then coming back to CNU Sunday afternoon. Monday and Tuesday will probably be spent doing homework and working. I can't believe that semester is almost halfway finished. I can't believe that it is already October, yay for Halloween!

I had a panic attack earlier this week when I discovered that the Schedule of Classes for next Spring was out. I immediately started stressing over what classes to take. I am very excited to say that, while registration is about a month away, I know my schedule for next semester. I have one class on Mondays (Theater 100), and 5 classes on Tuesday/Thursdays. You may be thinking "Brynn is INSANE" but I will have 5 out of 7 days off from classes a week. While Wednesdays will be crammed with homework, I think it is well worth the sacrifice. The exciting news is that I am taking (fingers crossed) Ceramics I and Photography I next semester. I am really pumped for these classes because I will get to expel some of my creative energy in a fun way. I took ceramics in high school and I really enjoyed it so I am really looking forward to that class. I LOVE pictures so I am very excited for photography and being able to develop my own pictures. My other classes are History of Psych, Social Psychology and Contemporary Mathematics (eek, boo for Math Requirements).

Welp, that's all for now.. back to the books.

Two Months Late(r)

So wow, I guess I can say I got a little sidetracked and let the blog fall to the wayside a little bit, okay a lottt. Welp, I will try to do the Reader's Digest version of the past two months as to no bore you to death. Once I got home from Windy Gap in July I worked 4 super fun 70 hour weeks in a row. Don't get me wrong I loved going to the Nursery at the RAC everyday and seeing the kids, they are so precious and I just love kids so that was awesome ! Working at Katie's was kinda boring at times but I enjoyed that too. I came back to school a week early to do Supervisor Training for my job at the Freeman Center (Gym) here at CNU. It was a funfilled weekend let me tell ya! No really I did enjoy getting to work with other students that work on campus aside from those who work in my building. I spent the rest of that week just kinda hanging around at school and really just enjoying some rest and time off. I did help move the Freshmen one day for like 9 hours and that was a lot of fun. A few days later school started and the whirlwind ensued.

Since school has started I have been pretty busy between classes, schoolwork, work and Phi Mu. It has definitely been hard to get into a routine and it's week 5 of school. I got a second job @ Banana Republic in the Williamsburg Outlets, which I just finished training last night and I really enjoy, plus I love Banana so the discount doesn't hurt. I may or may not have purchased a few things last night on my break at work.

On September 5th my good friend Erik was running a half marathon in Va Beach and his heart stopped and passed away right there. Let me just briefly tell you about Erik. He was an AMAZING guy. He was a senior when I was a Freshman here @ CNU and he was honestly like my big brother, I was probably at his apartment every weekend hanging out with him and my sister and their friends in AKPsi. When my sister called me to tell me the knews I was just in disbelief, I mean Erik was in great shape, he has run multiple events, so this half marathon was nothing over reaching for him physically. Then we went to the funeral and I could not keep it together. I just balled like a baby, the funeral service was so amazing and I know that he is totally being taking care of by the Lord, it just sucks to think I'll never see or talk to him again in this life. One verse they shared at the funeral really struck me, it is Isaiah 57:1-2 "The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart, the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death." Erik was so righteous and knew his Lord and Savior. As his sister beautifully put it, he ran a great race in this life. While I am content with the fact that he is happily in heaven hanging out with his dad and my dad, I still break down from time to time and ask why Lord was his life supposed to end @ 23??

Anywho, this is sooo not a Reader's Digest version and if you have made it thus far I applaud you and thank you for caring enough about my life to read so much!

I got to go back to Windy Gap this past weekend to work in the Sippie for Friday night and Saturday. It was so nice to see friends from Summer Staff again. It was also nice to meet Matt Wertz, who is such a nice guy seriously. He signed a picture frame I bought @ Windy Gap and I am so excited about it.

To finish it up, at this point I am just trying to find my groove and get settled with school and work. I will try to update more often for sure!

Happy Birthday to papa Bruce Rakes!!!

Windy Gap Lessons Learned

I got back from Windy Gap on the 19th and I had a really great time. It is so hard though to spend a month of your life with all of these amazing people and then have to say goodbye and live so far away from all of them . But let me tell you spending 4 weeks serving the Lord with a bunch of other people your age is such a rewarding experience.

I worked in the Sippie (snack bar) with three awesome girls, Lindsay, Amy and Katie. We had some really awesome times, especially when we were open at night. I do feel like I grew a lot in my relationship with the Lord, but I just feel so confused and although I am going into my Junior year of college, I have no idea what to do with my life, at CNU, after CNU, just everything. I just feel so out of order. Maybe it is because I am at home for the summer and all I do is work and sit at home. It is really great that my friend Annie who did Summer Staff with me is from Roanoke also, so I will be able to hang out with her.

I think once I graduate I want to live in a big city, somewhere new and different. I definitely want to live overseas at some point after I graduate. That is two years off so only time will tell.

I move back to school in three weeks and I could not be more excited to see all of my friends from school and just to get back into classes. I don't really have much else so I'll post later.

Hooville

Can I just say how much I love Charlottesville/UVA ?? I went up to Charlottesville last Friday to meet my roommates next year, Heather and Molly, for lunch. We walked around the campus and ate @ Bodo's Bagels, which if you don't already know is kind of a big deal in Cville. The campus is just so pretty and old and I love it. I am applying to the education school there and just being there on the campus made me want it even more. My roommate Heather is also applying to the law school there, so we kept seeing stuff and saying "oh when we go here" haha. Poor Molly is a year younger so she was like "What about me!?!?!" haha. Well hopefully everything will work out for us.

I really didn't explain but UVA has been a dream of mine ever since I was little. My Dad was a big UVA fan and rubbed that off onto me. I didn't get in after high school which was a very big disappointment because I had all these big plans of managing football and doing the 5 Year Bachelors to Masters in Teaching program there. I guess that was not God's plan for me because two years later here I am about to enter Junior year at CNU, and even my plan at CNU changed. I wanted to do the 5 year program here, but it became too big a load so I decided to apply to grad schools. Maybe I was supposed to end up at UVA, but this way. I just have to work really really hard for the next two years and study for my GREs and kick butt, and maybe things will fall into place. Did I mention that I bought like 3 study books and flashcards for the GRE? I have already started studying vocab, which is a good thing because when I cracked the book open there were some words I had no idea even know where to guess.

I leave on Friday for Windy Gap on Friday and I am soooo excited!!

Eat, Pray, Love

So I am reading this new book called Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It is a book she wrote about a year she spent abroad. She lived in Italy, India and Indonesia for 4 months each. I am almost done with the section about Italy and this woman has me convinced that living in Rome sounds like it is just about the most fun ever, I can't wait to see what she has to say about her time in the other two countries. She also has me wanting to learn Italian because it really is such a beautiful language.

I first went overseas in 2004 to London and Wales and the travel bug bit me big time. I went again in 2005 to Italy and Greece and just really love the antiquity of it all, everything was so dated and that's what I love about Europe, there are things that are centuries old, as opposed to America where things are just a few hundred years old. I went again my senior year of high school during Spring Break to France, Norway, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Denmark. It was an amazing trip. I do however feel like because I was in a tour group, I didn't really have time to soak in the culture and the cities.

My graduation present from college and 22nd birthday present (2 years off I know, where is the element of surprise?!) is going to be a trip to London with my mom in 2012 for two weeks and we will be going to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London :) Michael Phelps here I come! I have always been in love with the Olympics ever since I was little, and especially the Summer Games. I remember last summer watching the Beijing Games while at work at the RAC while Phelps was racing and screaming at the TV. Also, my favorite part is that we will be staying in not a hotel, but a studio apartment so we will actually have to opportunity to take in the city.

Also today, I got my straps for my Eagle's Nest Outfitters Hammock so I set it up in the back yard for a test run. Let me tell yall, if you go camping and don't like sleeping on the ground I recommend this hammock highly. It sways side to side while your lying in it so it kinda rocks you to sleep. Heaven I tell you, and you can put it practically anywhere you can find two sturdy poles, trees, etc.

That is all I have for today. :)

My guys are goin to States!!!!

Exciting news ! My boys, the PH Men's Soccer Team (I managed soccer in high school) won on Wednesday in the Regional Semi-Final with a shutout I might add, and last night in one of the most nervewracking games I have ever been to, they won the Regional Championship, placing them as the No. 1 seed in the AAA State tournament and winning them home field advantage on Tuesday in the State Quarterfinal against Hickory High School. I am so proud of them and it is so cool to see some of these boys I knew as 8th graders on JV going to the state tournament.

Only 20 days until I go to Windy Gap and I am so excited!



This is the beautiful camp I get to spend a month at! I am really excited for fellowship and hanging out. More on this later.

A Teenager No More!!!

May 25th, 1989 I was born! Yesterday was my 20th birthday, which I realized was the first day of the 21st year of my life, weird. My family went to Kabuki for dinner.. amazing food I tell you.

Then I went to see my PH Soccer Boys play in the Regional Quarterfinal, my guys pulled out a win, the first Regional Quarterfinal win in PH history. They are so awesome they just amaze me. They play at home on Wednesday in the Semi-Final, if they win they play at home again on Friday in the Final and if they win thaatttttt they are in the State Tournament!! Their win was really the highlight of my birthday, seeing some of these guys play since they were 8th graders.

Also, I got my first flat tire yesterday when I went to work, even though I didn't realize it was flat, one of the members at the gym came in and said hey this car outside has a flat tire, low and behold it was my car. So now I'm getting two new tires put on my car.. whoooo.


25 days until I go to Windy Gap ! So excited!!!


For the record, Pineapple Express is hysterical.

Music.

I have always loved music, something I got from my Dad, who probably owned hundreds of records and cds in his lifetime. Some time ago I went down to his house just to check on things and I stumbled upon his CD collection and came back with a box full of awesome CDs, including old school Dave Matthews, and basically every Van Morrison CD ever. I think my Dad quite liked Van Morrison, and I love Van Morrison so I was excited to find those CDs. I unfortunately can't sing very well, even though I love to sing, it's not exactly horrible but let's just say I won't be singing on American Idol anytime in the future.

To reiterate the connection between my dad and music, for my 14th birthday I wanna say, he gave me this book which explains the lyrics to Lee Ann Womack's song "I Hope You Dance". Little did I know then the importance this book would play a year later when he passed away. I was fifteen years old and lost the most important person in my life. When making the funeral arrangements we couldn't think of who should say something at the funeral. My older sister Maygon said she wouldn't be able to make it through, so we got our cousin Krista to speak on her behalf. I had originally said there would be no way I could keep my composure. Well I found this book and started looking through it and knew I had to speak and even if I couldn't find my own words, the book had some for me. The book spelled out my Dad's dream for my life and how important that is to me!How I mustered the strength I am not exactly sure, but these were the excerpts I used.

" How many times have my wishes and my dreams and my prayers for you hidden beneath my breath? How many times have I looked at you, heart in throat, hands in pockets, a smile on my face, just wanting to say....
I Hope You Never Lose Your Sense of Wonder"

"Promise Me You'll Give Faith a Fighting Chance ...
A Promise is all about faith. A Promise is only as strong as your own faith in yourself, in your own god. So when you swear, in light of your strengths and in spite of your weaknesses, to struggle and follow through, you are doing a beautiful thing."

"Living Might Mean Taking Chances But They're Worth Taking ..
Ask Eve. Evolve. Take a chance, take a ticket, take a fast train to the coast. No guts, no glory. Chance (n.): a coin with two sides that one tosses in the air as many times as one wants. The odds remain the same.
It's risky breathing, let alone needing, trusting, reaching out. Life is the leap of faith, the bold declaration of Hope.

This one was the most meaningful to me at the time....

"Give The Heavens Above More Than Just a Passing Glance...
Heaven (n.): (1) a place somehow high above the clouds, yet deep inside your sould; (2) a place of complete peace, of utter and total happiness; (3) a place that is greater than the sum of everything you will ever be or could ever imagine to be; (4) a place that we all want to get to, but just not yet.... No, Not Yet."

Those four lines of the spoke said so much and the song still means a lot to me.

I love listening to music. I love finding a song that feels like it applies directly to how you are feeling at the time. I love how songs can make you feel happy or sad (in a good way), it really is an art how music writers can make something that can speak to everyone. I mean music has been around for forever so obviously it is pretty important right? My playlist has some of my favorite songs, along with some new songs I've fallen in love with thanks to my new best friend, Pandora. All I do is give her a song title or an artist's name and she makes me a playlist. What an awesome friend she has proven to be haha. I have discovered some awesome songs thanks to Pandora.


Those are my musings for the day. Have a great weekend !

Better Late Then Never

Wow... It's been a while hasn't it..

I've decided to kind of revamp how I blog. i.e. more often and better haha.

Last weekend my sister graduated from CNU along with my biggie and my grandbig :( I'm so sad they won't be there next year.

The semester ended and that's basically all I have to say about that. I was really overwhelmed this semester with everything so I'm glad it is over. I've been home a week and a half and I am already getting bored. I have been working at Katie's Ice Cream and the RAC again but I don't really have that many hours so I'm getting tired of being in Roanoke already.

I have less than a month until I go to Windy Gap and I am sooo excited ! I will be working in the snack shack for four weeks, and guess what my fellow Sippie (as we're called) is a Phi Mu from Kennessaw, how awesome is that!?! The month really will be an awesome one and a very nice break from Roanoke.

BIG NEWS.. I have kind of changed my life plan around some. I have decided not to pursue the 5 year MAT program at CNU anymore. If I wanted to complete it I would have a loaded Junior and Senior year and I would just be extremely stressed out.. soo what I am gonna do now is take 5 classes and a lab this semester, 5 classes next semester, a few summer classes next summer and Senior year all I have to do is take 4 classes and a lab each semester. My goal is to get really good grades, kick butt on the GRE and I'm gonna apply to some MAT programs including one at UVA, Vandy, JMU, Tech, VCU.. I am really excited about this change because also it brings a new kind of stress to my life, it relieves a lot of stress from my life. UVA has been my dream since I was little so that is my number one choice.

I finally got to meet baby Charley Dowdy and she is just adorable. Sam is still my precious baby he was two years ago during soccer season.

I am tired and this is getting long so I'll update more tomorrow.

Spring Break.. minus the break

So it has been about two months since I've blogged. Needless to say this semester has been extremely busy with school, work and Phi Mu.

To Update:

Classes are going well, I am taking 18 credits so it is a pretty full load. I am taking a Children's Literature class, which I really enjoy because it is helping me with my future career as a Kindergarten teacher. I am writing a paper in that class about Harry Potter, yes be jealous. I think I might be ADD though or ADHD because I have been having a very difficult time focusing on school work, while I get things done it is a struggle to concentrate. I might get it checked out?

I took a little (little sister) in Phi Mu and I absolutely adore her, along with the other 20 new girls we got during formal recruitment this spring. They are absolutely amazing young women and awesome additions to our chapter. We just had big/little week this past week so I got to spoil my little a lot and throw her off so she doesn't know I am her big. Revealing is next Sunday and I can't wait for her to officially join my AMAZING FAMILY !!! Especially because my big and my grandbig are graduating in May and I am going to be devastated. More on my little later when the secret is out :)

I have been anxiously been awaiting the arrival of Chris and Emily Dowdy's new baby Charley ! When I read her blog and found out I literally screamed. I was so excited when there oldest Sam was born two years ago, he was like my own, like at the Senior Athletic Banquet when I was carrying him around, one of the parents there asked if he was mine ! haha (thank you Emily for letting me steal him away at all of the soccer games and functions). I can't believe how big he is now, I remember when Emily brought him to soccer practice when he was a week old so I could see him and now he can talk. Baby boy Dowdy was completely adorable and I fell in love with him at first sight, so I am positive baby girl Dowdy is gonna be just as wonderful! Any day now Emily!

I just found out a few weeks ago that I was placed at Windy Gap this July for Summer Staff. Windy Gap is a Young Life camp in North Carolina, and I will be there for four weeks working in the snack shack and serving the Lord. I did the same thing last summer at Sharp Top Cove, a YL camp in Georgia and that month was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I can not wait to see what this summer will hold and how much I will grow as a Christian. I was very excited when I found out my friend Annie will be on Summer Staff with me at the same time!

I am completely insane, and probably a certified workaholic. I am working just over 70 hours this Spring Break between Katie's and the RAC. The money will be nice but I would love nothing more than to be on the beach right now, just relaxing. Maybe next year?

Well that is all for now I will try to update more frequently.

New Year, New Somethin

Wow, it's definitely been like 2 weeks since I last posted on here. Well 2008 did not bring much to the table (other than Phi Mu obvi) so good riddance, I say bring it on 2009. As usual I have been working working working at Katie's and the RAC so I haven't had much to blog about.

The highlight of my break was getting to go on a retreat for some quality pink bonding time with my lovely sisters. I love my sisters prob more than anything. They are so full of life and hilarious and I really did miss pigging out and having dance parties so I got my fill for the break. Outsiders might think we are a little nuts, but I can't get enough. For example, we had a bonfire with smores, typical right? WRONG. On the way to the bonfire, my fellow miniature pink, Megan Cox, and I were quoting The Sandlot.
"Do you want a smore?... Some more of what? ... a SMORE! .. how can I have some more if a haven't had any? ... YOU'RE KILLING ME SMALLS!"

This girl understands the beautiful art of movie quoting, which is why I love her.

You might say Brynn really thats not weird, well fast forward twenty minutes after we have all had a few mallows, let the 90s pop/disney music jam session commence. NSYNC , BSB , Mariah Carey, Ariel all made an appearance.

Reason # 1 million why I love my biggie:
"today my teacher asked me "what's the capital of North Carolina?" and I said "Washington DC" and she said "NO you're wrong" and I said "you got a lumpy butt"
this along with pretty much every other line from talladega nights and bonquiqui is what you would find in the typical conversation of Brynn and Laura.

Speaking of friends I love, let me tell you about one, future senator... Nathan Hintz.
Probably the coolest guy you'll ever meet and I love him because he can quote A Christmas Story with me when my big refuses. Anyways Nathan and I were discussing our life plans/aspirations what have you. The following quote is why Nathan is amazing and just visualizing this in my head makes me crack up....
"i'm having 3 boys 3 years apart. they will play varsity basketball, football and lacrosse. i will be the president of the booster clubs for 4 years then take a year off then retake my position for 4 more years i'll have college athletes then 3 nfl quarterbacks"

When I picture this I can not help but see a crazed man running down the sidelines of his kids little league games (yes hes the coach) with a navy blue sweater vest with a pink oxford underneath, khakis and sperrys, complete with sunglasses on croakies with a backwards Pi Lam baseball hat. That in a nutshell is Nathan Hintz. Great man.

All of this reminiscing (sp?) reminds me of why I am SO excited to get back to CNU on Saturday to see all those who complete my life. While I am stoked to get back to school, I know this semester will be especially busy... just to give you a preview check out my Tuesday schedule

620-920 (AM!!) Work
930-1045 Class 1
11-1215 Class 2
1-215 Class 3
230-345 Class 4
4-515 Class 5!

Im insane I know! Being busy is just in my nature I suppose. Wish me luck and please pray for my sanity. Yay recruitment is only three weekends away!