I should be asleep right now...

It is only the second week of school and I ALREADY have two really full "To-Do" Lists. Do not get me wrong, I love nothing more than to make a list of any kind. My favorite kind of list is a "To-Do" list because at some point you get to cross everything off of the list and feel really accomplished... then the next day you realize you've got a brand new "To-Do" list and your feeling of triumph has gone to the wind. Sometimes I think I make busy work for myself. Then I realize that is just wishful thinking and I really am as busy as my "To-Do" lists say I am.

Did you know that at The University (as in UVA) they do not call their 4th year students Seniors? They call them "4th Years" because Thomas Jefferson thought that by this time they had not learned enough to earn the status of "Senior". Just a little fun fact.
As a Senior at CNU I have been thinking a lot about the past three years. I think about the what-ifs... about the paths not taken and how different my CNU experience would have been if I had just taken the other path. Obviously thinking in what-ifs gets you nowhere because there is nothing you can do about it now. Nonetheless it is really strange to think of how different my life would be right now if I would've simply gone down a different path.

I saw the Lord's beauty yesterday in my Little Sister in my sorority, Shelby. I was NOT having a good day yesterday, it seemed like everyone was just out to put me in a bad mood. Well I was whining and complaining about being so peeved and Shelby looked at me and said "Brynn, don't be negative, don't let stupid stuff ruin your night, enjoy where you are right now and being with your friends". Shelby reminded me that God wants us not to dwell on the past, he wants us to live each day to the fullest and to live in the moment. There is no point to be pessimistic and let it ruin a potentially great night, but if I let negativity ruin my night without even trying to enjoy myself then I've lost. This really encouraged me to stay positive and flush out negativity.

I should be asleep right now. I have work at 6am but here I am. I wish I could just make myself go to sleep at a decent hour! This weekend I got to sleep in for the first time practically since summer started. It was amazing to have no alarm set and just wake up whenever.

On another random note, my awesome sorority sister Rosie is studying abroad in Spain this semester and she's been blogging during her first week there. I love reading about her adventures so far, but it reminds me that I haven't been to Europe in 3 years and boy do I miss it! I absolutely love everything about Europe and I wish money grew on trees and I could just go all over and see everything because I seriously am itching to get back. I do not know if I can make it to 2012! PS if you didn't know, my Mom and I are going to London in 2012 for the Summer Olympics - my LIFE DREAM!! I cannot wait to see one of the most incredible events ever and not to mention watch Michael Phelps kill it in the pool. I went to London in 2004 for a few days, definitely not enough time so I am really excited to go back for a few weeks in 2012. I need to find some way to get back to Europe before 2012 though!! Any suggestions??

Senior Year ... Week 1 Down...

Well I have officially finished my first week of Senior Year. I moved back last Friday and it took me pretty much this whole week to get everything settled/unpacked in my apartment. I am living with my roommate Heather again in a 2 person apartment, having my own room again is great! The first weekend back was pretty miserable because I was so sick, I am still trying to get rid of my cough.

I am working at 6am Monday through Friday this semester so that has certainly been a big adjustment. My classes and professors are all really great this so far! I am taking Cognitive Development and Lab, World of Art in Context I, Introduction to Linguistics, and my Psychology Senior Seminar which is Understanding Brain Theory through Case Studies in Brain Injury - I know it sounds crazy but I am so stoked about it, I bought a small/life size model of a brain just for the class.

I know before I got back I kept saying being back in school would be a vacation compared to summer, well thus far it seriously has been, I actually have free time to take a nap, go to the store, do whatever I want really. I am really looking forward to this year and trying my best to making it the best one yet.

14 weeks left in the semester and I know it's gonna fly by!

Nerd Alert!

Today I officially became a serious nerd.

I went to Goodwill on a search... for children's books. If you're curious as to why, I want to teach either pre-K or Kindergarten, so I decided that naturally I need to start my book collection. Unfortunately 8-year old Brynn wasn't thinking ahead and I sold most all of my "kiddie" books at a yard sale way back when. If only I knew then what a tragic mistake I was making. Anywho, I went to Goodwill and found four books that I really liked when I was little, and guess what, they were only 35 cents a piece! Talk about a deal! They are in pretty great shape to, I felt like I found gold! That being said I am officially a nerd. My new favorite hobby will be to scour thrift shops and yard sales for cheap children's books for my budding collection. I am so excited about this endeavor that I started making a list of books that I absolutely have to have. If anyone has any children's books lying around that you want to get off your hands please let me know!!

On another note...

A few weeks ago I talked about looking for the Lord's beauty, well I most assuredly found that the past few days working in the Nursery. Typically I do not work in the Nursery but this week there were some holes in the schedule so I helped out. Here are some valuable lessons I have learned from working in the Nursery over the past two summers: I severely need to improve my patience threshold before having children & I absolutely, unconditionally, irrevocably love and adore children. Ever since I was little I have always loved babies and younger kids, I have not waivered from this in 21 years. As much as some days the kids make me wanna pull my hair out, with one sweet gesture they can erase all of that. I see the Lord's beauty in children every day. I am very grateful that the Lord has blessed me with the ability to love children well, it really is a gift he has given me.

Here are some examples from this week of how I have just wanted to cry because one of the kids has done something so precious, each act truly is a blessing;

• I was in the "Baby" room and only had one kid with me when one of the 6-year olds came in from the "Playland" and walked up to me, I asked "Oh are you staying in this room now?", he responded "Yeah, I missed you" as he wrapped his arms around my neck and climbed onto my lap. I was kind of surprised by this because like I said I rarely work back in the Nursery but this truly made my whole day.
• One of the babies, whom I have babysat once (and he was asleep most of the time), had been fussy, and whenever someone tried to hold him he kept crying and whenever I would take him he would immediately stop. Maybe this was all in my head but he made me feel special because I was the only one who could calm him. Not to mention whenever I would say "Harper, can I have a hug?" he would waddle over and give me the sweetest little hug

There are plenty more but those two really stuck out to me. It's amazing how even though they do not know it, children can make your entire day with one seemingly simple gesture.

I really will miss my "kids" at the RAC when I go back to school tomorrow. This week really has confirmed by desire to be a teacher.

What was your favorite book as a child??

Mine was definitely Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel.

Senior Year

Thinking of putting on the cap and gown again is really terrifying. In less than a week I will begin my fourth and final year of my undergraduate education at Christopher Newport University, Senior Year. I cannot believe it has been four years since I started senior year of high school. The whole world seemed to be in front of me back then. Senior year of high school was a great year full of good times. I watched our Senior Slideshow video back in May when I was packing to come home for the summer and just cried because I realized that was a totally different life. It is crazy to see how far my fellow PH alumnus and me have come. I honestly do miss PH and all that it had to offer.

Do not get me wrong CNU has proven to be quite an experience. I will be a proud graduate and I know that CNU really is one of the best schools in Virginia, even if 'The University' was my dream school and rejected me, I am very glad I ended up at CNU. I have learned so much about myself in the past three years, not to mention I know I am getting a good education. I never would have guessed I would be majoring in Psychology. How dorky is this, my Senior Seminar is Clinical Neuropsychology, I get to study brain damage case studies, pretty sweet huh?

I cannot believe I start Senior Year on Monday. I am so excited but at the same time so scared. I am worried it is going to go by so fast I won't even realize it until I am walking across stage next May 15th. I have made some of the best friends I will ever have here. I am excited to see what the world has in store for me after graduation, at the same time I am not ready to leave it yet. I watched the Saved By The Bell Graduation episode tonight and again cried like a little girl. I have a feeling I will need lots of tissues come next May.

Here is to Senior Year and making it count.

Busted...

Well I was totally busted tonight.

I was out at the pool, look over and see the seriously beautiful sunset, we're talking billowing clouds, sun beaming through, pink skies. I was pretty much in awe thinking about what else, God's beauty! I love clouds, my favorite part on being in an airplane is flying through the clouds, I feel like it's the closest to God you can get. Anywho, as I was completely distracted one of the members in the pool said "It's not gonna lightning". I was a little confused at first but once I understood his comment I sheepishly admitted "Oh no, I was admiring the sunset". He looked at me as if he didn't believe me, I guess he doesn't know I've been looking for God's beauty and that he caught me in the act!

Crickets

So it's been a couple days but don't think I haven't been searching for the Beauty in the world!

It is so funny that God reveals his beauty to me while I'm at work, which I am a majority of the time. Tonight I was lifeguarding the outdoor pool and just sat and listened to the crickets singing. Some people might find the sound annoying but I find it soothing. It makes me think of when I was little. I would sit out on the gazebo at my house in Ironto, just watching the fire (which I forced Dad to build) and listen to the crickets chirping and the fire crackling. I loved that sound, I could listen to it forever. Anyways, tonight listening to the crickets chirping out by the pool I was shown God's beauty.

The sounds of nature are so beautiful to me, it's like God's own personal sound-soother. I smile when I think about how many people listen to soundscapes to go to sleep at night. I think God knew what he was doing when he gave those little crickets their chirpers. The sound is beautiful and peaceful, and I thankful for a reminder of simpler times when it was just me, Dad, the fire and the crickets.

Just remember how beautiful the sound is the next time you think about killing this little guy...