Friday, July 20, 2012

Yeah, yeah, yeah...

I know...I'm a terrible person. Honestly, I didn't intend to leave a cliff-hanger on my blog for this long. It just sort of happened that way. 

Besides, you guys know me by now...no apologies needed, right? ;)

This post isn't going to be anything too spectacular. It's just a little summertime update, letting you know what's been going on. And pictures...I have lots of those.

My summer hasn't been crazy like last summer...I'm not hopping back and forth between two jobs while trying to get ready to move on campus for the first time.

In fact, this summer's different from last in quite a few ways...

Last summer, I had just gotten home from spending four months in Mexico. This summer, I've just gotten back from an intense but amazing nine months in Purcellville, VA, at PHC where I went from rising junior to rising senior and from single to very much unsingle. ;) (But more on that later!)



Last summer, I worked two minimum wage type jobs with a tight schedule and a lot of driving. This summer, I'm working only one job, but the pay is more than decent, I set my own hours (salaried position), I'm getting school credit (it's an internship), and I haven't done much driving (right now I work mostly from my room, actually).


Last summer, I would come home from one job late at night (around 11) and crash. This summer, I spend my evenings on google video with a certain somebody...I consider this an improvement!


Last summer flew by. This summer is draaaagging on. *cough* 25 days until I head to Maryland *cough*

Last summer, I went to go visit the Goldfusses in Ohio. This summer, they came to see me!


Last summer, I was both excited and terrified at the idea of moving on campus. This summer, I'm actually looking forward to school starting again...thaaat's never happened before. ;)

So yeah...this summer has been a little bit different than last summer. But in a good way!

Before I dive into all the summertime pictures here, I'm guessing at least a few of you are interested in the explanation I promised in the last post. Wouldn't want to leave you hanging, right? ;)


The scoop: Kevin and I met last fall at PHC. He and I are both rising seniors, majoring in American Politics & Policy. He lives in Maryland, he loves the Lord, he was homeschooled ("from diapers to diploma"), and has six siblings. He's very sweet, hardworking, mature, fun-loving, considerate, friendly...and um, the list goes on but I don't want anyone to gag. I've been incredibly blessed...he's a catch. ;)



We didn't really notice each other until this spring, though, when I unsuspectingly asked him to go with me to the Sadie Hawkins dance in March. We started hanging out more and became good friends. We watched movies and had fun in groups of friends, but neither of us was sure what the other was thinking. (Honestly, I was pretty clueless and confused.) After going to his house for Easter (with another college friend), I started realizing what a great guy he was, but I still didn't know what he was thinking.

...and then he asked me out a couple days later (April 13th) so that we could talk. After a mildly awkward but incredibly informative conversation over turtle cheesecake, he called my dad and got permission to date me. And we've been dating ever since! It's been almost four months...and they've been wonderful. :)


When the semester ended, he and his family drove up to NY with me and our families were able to meet. After that, Kevin headed back to Maryland to spend the summer interning for a commissioner and I started my internship. Hence the loooong summer apart, but we've definitely kept in touch.


Sorry, that's the very abbreviated, non-gushy version. But don't worry, when the time is right, I'll post a long "story of us" that will satisfy even the most romantic among you. :)

So what have I done this summer? 

-planted flowers on Memorial Day


-went to the beach


-talked to somebody...



-celebrated a graduation :)


-spent time with friends



-*tried* to take a normal picture...hahaha!






 -we had fun, anyhow...




-went to a Memorial Day parade


-talked to somebody ;) 




-planted a garden



-my raspberry patch...which has kind of died since then. but oh well. :P


-talked to somebody... (sensing a theme yet?)


 -ate ice cream


-aww


-talked to somebody...


-made pies (with lots of help ;))


-more pies...


-and more pies


 -and more pies. Yikes, I think I have a problem...I'm obsessed with pie.


-and went strawberry picking.


 I think that's about it for now! Thanks for bearing with me. :)

Friday, May 18, 2012

Pretty sure I have a good excuse for not blogging...


;)

[click here for more pictures. and yes, I promise to  blog later with an explanation for anyone who feels out of the loop...]

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Backstage blogging...

So, (and I start this post with so only because it will bug a certain dear reader) I'm currently sitting backstage at Patrick Henry College's production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

*mutes laptop sound...oops*

Apparently I'm a stage hand. Or something. But this 3-hour play only has two scene changes, so for the majority of the time I just sit back here in the dark and text people and read and stuff. It's an amazing play and the actors are so talented. Listening to it and watching the shadows against the back of the stage is almost as good as watching it (but I get to take a turn watching it from the audience tomorrow night). Tomorrow will be the fifth time I've sat through it, but it doesn't get old.

Being back here, we're supposed to wear all black so that we're inconspicuous when we go on stage to change scenes. Which means I look like I'm dressed for a funeral...

"My mistress...with a MONSTER is in love!" One of the best lines in the play...sorry, getting distracted.

I'm not really sure what to talk about. Um, this week was kind of intense. Yesterday was the physics midterm, which I was sure I'd bomb. (It goes without saying, but God was faithful and Courtney's last minute tutoring saved my grade...she's incredible. And not just because she's helped me survive biology AND physics, although that helps. ;))

Then last night, after the play was over, I had a paper to write. Which means I may or may not be operating on four hours of sleep right now. But the paper's done and submitted and it's the weekend!

Easter break is next week, which is my goal right now. I will survive!

All I can think about is sleeeep. Which is not helping this blog post. Wait, pretty sure that's what I said last time. Apparently sleep deprivation is a theme of my life. Oh well, at least college life is interesting...which is more than I can say for this blog post.

Aaand that is where I stopped typing and helped with the scene change. This is a lame post, but I'm publishing it anyhow. (what are you gonna do about it? ;))


Wednesday, March 7, 2012

In the car.

Apparently that last post was a cop-out, so this is take two. I was informed last night that I should have a post that's basically a wall of text. No promises, but I'll try...

Right now, I'm in the backseat of a car, heading back to Virginia and Patrick Henry College at about 65 miles per hour. Obviously I can't post this without internet (unless I steal someone's wifi as we fly by...that's not likely :P), but I have about 6 hours to think of brilliant thoughts and type them. Oooor until my laptop battery dies...which will be in about 3 hours. Actually, I might fall asleep before then.

I'm getting distracted by passing wifi networks.

I'm sitting between Danielle and Chelsea. It's cozy. :) Chelsea told me to title this post "In the car." So I did. She's a writer, so she must know best. (Actually, she's an amazing writer. If I had internet I would link to her articles.)

Danielle plays the marimba and she's going to the Olympics with her marching band from college. I'm mildly jealous. Ok, more than mildly.

Chelsea's mom is driving, and she is not speeding. Yet. In the passenger seat is a guy named Rick. I don't know much about him, so I'm going to make it up. He's probably in his late forties. He has cool sunglasses. He knows where I live, but only because I told him. In his spare time, he probably plays the ukelele and...I don't know...it's hard to base everything off the shape of his left ear.

I'm honestly not sure what's happened since I wrote last. Classes are...the same. You know. Tests, papers, grades, the usual. I haven't failed out of physics yet, mercifully. I have wonderful friends who help me, otherwise I'm pretty sure I would have thrown my physics textbook into Lake Bob before now.

Speaking of throwing things into Lake Bob, I went to my first Bobtism this semester. Bobtisms are a PHC tradition where a recently-engaged guy is captured, prayed over, and then thrown into the lake (the girls have an adorable candlelight ceremony instead...it's much cleaner and warmer).

Lydia says I always make lists of things in my blog posts, but I don't know how else to summarize large chunks of time without writing for hours. So,

This semester I've...

-collected earthworms off the sidewalk with Courtney and Esther to put in someone's bed...poor Blake.
-went to Virginia Beach for the Reagan Symposium.
-proposed to someone on Leap Day (and got soundly rejected, though I wouldn't have it any other way...).
- finished a physics test (it was a big deal).
- wrote a nine-page paper in a much shorter time than I thought possible.
- made about 3 gallons of atole (basically hot chocolate...I've mentioned it here before) with Esther and had like 30 people come down with their mugs to drink it with us.
-went through the terrifying ordeal which is asking someone to the Sadie Hawkins dance. A GUY. (But he said yes and I didn't die asking).
- A beautiful valentine's dinner put on by the faculty.
- A fondue party at our wing parents' house. So much chocolate!
- Home for spring break, with so much crammed into four days (I saved the sleeping part of break for later).

Ok, we're stopping at a gas station. Back later...

Aaand back! Only this time with FIG NEWTONS. Chelsea's a dear. (I was reaaally craving fig newtons on the way back home but we stopped at a gas station that didn't carry them. Tragedy.)

Now Rick's driving so I could base my critique on his right ear. Also, he's obviously a huge fan of pretzels.

I forgot about the rear view mirror. He can see me laughing at him now.

He says, "I hope this is a blog. I want to be famous for being stupid. And I want more than fifteen minutes. Who are you writing to or is this like a term paper? Is it due when you get in?"

Hmm. What else has transpired...

I went dress shopping with Courtney and Emmery and discovered Ross. Good thing we don't have those in New York...or at least not in my part of the state. (I would probably go broke...or at least, more broke than I am now. :P) It was a successful trip, though. I now own a dress for the upcoming dance. (Which is considerably better than NOT owning a dress for the upcoming dance, I might add).

Speaking of the dance, there's a grocery bag in the back of this car filled with nutmeg, flour, sugar, yeast, and other such baking things. I stole them from our kitchen back home so that Courtney and Emmery and I can make dinner next Saturday for the guys before the dance. It's kind of exciting.

I've managed to lose my room key. The replacement fee is something like $150, so I'll be turning my room upside down to find it once I get back. Fortunately my roommate hid her key somewhere so that I can get into my room today (I'll be the first of us four roommates to get back to school). It will be weirdly quiet in the room until they get back later in the week.

Ok, I'm seriously sleepy now. And I can't think of anything else to write about. Except, now I have gum. I don't know what kind it is, but there was a picture of a kiwi on the outside of the package. That bodes well, I think. Oh, and pineapple and orange.

We're still heading south. Pennsylvania is inordinately large.

I should write about my break now, I guess. Those four days packed in so much. Like...
...going to bed at 1 AM on Saturday, getting up at 4 and packing, and driving home almost without stopping from 5 AM until 12:30 PM. It was so worth it...I wanted to see if I could drive the whole way by myself on three hours of sleep. (And for those praying for safe travels, thank you!)
...watching my little brother lose his first tooth while doing math on my bed.
...listening to Katrina read about Sam and Pam and the bass, pronouncing each letter separately and then blending them together.
...finding a huge bag of chocolate in my room when I got back and learning that it was a Valentine's Day gift that my dad bought but hadn't been able to mail. (aww!)
...making three kinds of homemade ice cream in one afternoon with sisters and a friend, and then eating it and watching LOTR with more friends.
...cleaning the upstairs at my grandpa's house and watching it become safe for democracy (or something like that). He's in the hospital right now and we think he might need someone to stay with him when he comes back, hence the cleaning. (See Erika' blog for details about why he's in the hospital).
...going to church with Jenn, Reuben, and Elizabeth and eating South Dayton donuts.
...going for a freezing cold walk with Joanna, Josh, and Katrina, during which we walked backwards because of the wind. I feel like a wimp...Mexico and Virginia have spoiled me and I'm no longer used to the cold.
...driving friends home and then just sitting in their driveway talking forever because it's better than saying goodbye.
...taking three of the kids to their piano lesson and nearly falling asleep on the floor in the music studio.
...going to Awana and being surprised that some of the Sparkies remembered me. aww!
...doing laundry twice just because I could...without using quarters!
...eating Elizabeth's cappuccino muffins with Erika and Annetta and talking for hours.
...cleaning the bathtub with Josh and Katrina and realizing that when I tell them to "dump a little dishsoap in," I'll be rinsing suds out of the tub for a half an hour...

We're crossing the Susquehanna now. In case you were wondering. I was about to start writing about the fig newtons that just landed on my shoulder because of a sudden turn, but then I realized that I should sleep instead.

So, the end.

And now I am back in my room, sitting on the floor next to my completely unpacked bags. I just re-read this post. It's ridiculous, but I'm posting it anyways. Consider it the thoughts of a sleepy backseat rider. Also, to those without facebook, here are some recent pictures.

Thanks for putting up with me. :)

Sunday, February 5, 2012

I'm a jerk.

"Me: ok, well, just so you know
I was planning to blog tonight
BUT
I just realized I have a twelve page paper due Tues
that I haven't started
Erika: hahaha
Me: so I'm kinda freaking out
plus I have an exam Wed
Erika: haha
Me: and a book chapter summary
and AHHHH
Erika: hahaha
Clay will be happy, though
Me: why?
23:09 Erika: he's off the hook
Me: oh
dang it
well, was there a time limit on that deal?
Erika: yep
51 minutes from now
Me: like if I blog next week, will that not count?
Erika: you could just copy paste this chat and post it as an explanation...
23:10 I mean, the part of the chat that applies...
Me: YES!
wait, will that mean he has to blog?
Erika: technically
Yo: because we didn't say WHAT I'd blog...
Erika: Exactly
Yo: hahaha
I like how you think"
Hunter, it's on....muahahaha.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Update

Edit: haha, just to eliminate any confusion, I didn't actually write this post (apparently Erika and Hosanna did) and a good portion of it is hilariously untrue. I really hope that's evident though.... :P I'll hopefully post something from the real me eventually, with *pictures*!

Hey guys!! Whoa, it's been a looong time since I've posted! Christmas break was great, and I'm back at college for the second semester of my junior year.

Break flew by way too fast. I missed my family SOOO much (especially Erika and Hosanna...they're my favorites. I mean, I missed everyone, sorta, I guess, but especially them), so it was great to see them all again. Our hamster Pip died while I was at college, and I missed her so much...she was so sweet and cuddly. So I was absolutely thrilled when Leo joined our family at Christmas! He's a dwarf hamster who reminded me so much of a special friend that I was missing from college (you know who you are, dear <3). I loved cuddling with Leo, and I even took him to Awana to help with the Sparks counsel time...he did an admirable job, as I knew he would.

My friend Arielle got married, and it was exciting being in her wedding as the maid of honor. I mentioned the bridal shower last post...that was sweet, and the wedding was also very sweet. I only made it through the ceremony by looking at Hosanna's grinning and angelic face in the audience, sending me support and encouragement as I tried not to a) breathe, or b) fall over.

This picture is from the reception, when Aaron and I were giving the toast. You can hardly tell how late we were up the night before sitting in that bar...heh.

My 21st birthday also fell during Christmas break. I can't really remember much after that.

The first week or so of college was kinda intense...splitting headache the whole time, but I'm doing better now. So yeah...college is going fine. Oh, gotta run...dining hall is closing soon, and I promised I would sit next to-- never mind. See ya!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Oh...um, hi.

As always, I was trying to evade typing into this empty white box, but I promised myself that I'd write something here over Thanksgiving break (after all, break is supposed to be when you're, you know, NOT busy and such...).

So, here I am, flopped on my own bed at home, trying to sum up everything that's happened since October 26th. I have to say, it's actually pretty impressive how recently I've blogged.

Basically, this college student's life has been predictable: homework, class, work, repeat. I won't bore you with the particulars, but if you're ever wondering what I'm doing, chances are it's one of those three. Ohh, also sleep. I do sleep. Really. Sometimes in bizarre places like the laundry room, as previously mentioned, or at weird times (seriously, who falls asleep in the lounge at EIGHT PM?? heh...).

Actually, that reminds me. Sleepwalking...I thought I had outgrown it because I managed to sleep like normal people the whole time I was in Mexico. But nooo....I think it's something about the stress of deadlines. Anyhow, twice this semester I've sleepwalked. Once I managed to shower and get partly ready for class before realizing that it was like, 2 in the morning. Good thing my roommates are sound sleepers.

And then a week ago, I actually managed to call the PHC security desk...and then awkwardly hung up on them...while sleepwalking. See, I was working on homework down in the D3 lounge and fell asleep around 2. I became vaguely aware around 3 that I should be sleeping in my bed, so I stumbled up the stairs to my room. As I was opening my wing door, I woke up rather abruptly to the sound of a guy voice...coming from my phone, "hello? hello? security!" and I stood there, blinking at my phone screen: "Call with PHC Security: 0:13...0:14...0:15..." Knowing that I am incapable of forming coherent sentences when I'm barely awake, I hung up. And then I was embarrassed and went to bed, feeling like a little kid who had called and hung up on 911 or something.

Haha, right now I'm sitting here wondering why I transcribe my most ridiculous moments on a public blog. :P

Anyhow...I should probably wrap this up. The suitcase I dragged home with me is only partially packed and it needs some serious attention before we start the trek back to college in about three hours.

So, quick summaries of college and break...

-Emily G. and I have learned that it is possible to listen to the same song on repeat for literally hours on end while writing papers.
-Fall break was...intense but so good. I was in Sterling, VA (not that far from college), helping lead a Generation Joshua Student Action Team. We had a great team (AND THE HOTEL HAD A HOT TUB) and I felt like I was in my element...campaigning. <3
-Even getting up at 3 AM to put up signs (and staying up all day) on Election Day was so worth it.
-College is a growing experience, in more ways than one. Apparently I grew a half an inch this semester (YESS! I always wanted to be 5' 6"...that dining hall food must be good for something... ;))

As for break, it's been SO good to be home. Coming back is always surreal but awesome. This time I hadn't been as far away or gone as long as the trip to Mexico, but I definitely still missed my family and friends.

Home has included:
-a starbucks eggnog latte, shopping, and so much catching-up with Jenn. :)
-laughter
-good conversations
-sploshing through puddles with the little kids
-being treated like a celebrity in my own home, haha.
-singing with siblings at the Thanksgiving eve church service.
-two Thanksgiving dinners
-an abundance of cranberry sauce
-making a lemon meringue pie with Katrina.
-listening to Annetta, Lydia, and Hosanna's piano recital pieces that are being frantically practiced.
-testing my mom's new coffee experiment (pretty amazing, btw).
-going out to lunch with Annetta and Rachel and feeling way too grown-up (since when can we do this stuff by ourselves?! haha)
-"hosting" a bridal shower. Hosting is in quotes because although I'm the maid of honor and technically threw the shower, Erika, Annetta, and Elizabeth did all the preparation work while I was at school. (I love them.) They briefed me when I got back so that I'd have some clue about what was going on. :P
-cleaning the bathtub and washing dishes...is it weird that I missed that?!
-sleeping (yeah, I think I'm caught up now...).
-being an in-person big sister again and calling Katrina by her old nickname ("I like it when you call me punk." aww...she remembered!)

That pretty much covers break...as for looking forward: 16 days until the semester is OVER and my family comes down to get me. SO looking forward to Christmas break and Arielle and Matt's wedding!

Knowing me, I probably won't be blogging again until I'm home for Christmas. So STOP REFRESHING THIS BLOG. A new post will not appear, I promise. ;)

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

My life as a semi-stressed, caffeinated, sleep-deprived, ON CAMPUS student. :D

Guess what, everyone? I'm in college!!!!111!!1!1 [insert obnoxious emoticons here]

There, consider yourself updated.

...

...

Honestly, if I posted that, I think I would be legitimately concerned about lynching. Or something.

But I'm really not sure where to start. Obviously, I haven't blogged since I left for college. Which means that a lot has happened, although at least not a whole semester has gone by. But basically, I moved in, was orientified, spent a stressful first week trying to drop and add classes and figure out my schedule, started my job here, studied like mad, met lots of cool people, studied like mad, went to two dances, studied like mad, took exams, experienced the phenomenon known as homecoming, studied like mad, wrote papers, and made it through midterms. And also, studied like mad.

So that's the Reader's Digest edition.

Sadly, it's just not possible to exhaustively cover every week and every experience I've had. Which means I'm gonna resort to the shortcut that I seem to always fall back on: bullet points of the highlights.

What I've learned so far:
-It is possible to act civil and even talk coherently on 1 1/2 hours of sleep.
-I've broken my record for staying up late studying...5:30 AM is the new record. Heh.
-Study groups are awesome.
-Coffee is also fantastic. (Even if it doesn't actually keep me awake, it's good for the studying atmosphere, you know?)
-Seniors and their wisdom are invaluable. Especially their study guides and exam advice.
-I can drive a golf cart without killing anyone.
-I have learned how to mop with sooo little water and to tie beautiful looking trash bags. Don't ask...
-The radio that I use for work makes me feel important, even if I never use it...
-I've only lost my key card once...and then found it in a classroom. :)
-I haven't failed anything. Yet.
-Capture the flag in the dark is way cool.
-It's weird how exciting a kitchen and the potential for making REAL food is after so much dining hall food.
-Swing dancing is epic.
-High heels should be more comfortable.
-It's hard to remember to turn off my phone in class. The only time it's gone off though was Christian Study Group...during prayer...while I was praying. Kind of distracting...
-Study sessions right before midterms are the best. And whiteboarding (filling white boards with info for exams) is super helpful. You should see my Public Admin drawings... :P
-I literally fell asleep in the laundry room the other night. Totally disturbed my roommate who found me in there and thought there was something seriously wrong with me...
-It rains a lot here. Aaaand guess who didn't bring an umbrella?
-Also, the fall leaves are not nearly as bright as NY. Not that I'm complaining about the weather...it's been SO warm and sunshiny!
-I've only slept past the beginning of my 7:15 work shift once...and I managed to be clocked in within six minutes of the wake-up phone call. :P
-I got to go campaigning!!!! (I missed it tremendously.)
-My major (American Politics and Policy track of the government major) is officially declared, and I'm registered for spring classes!!
-Market Street coffee shop is a happy place. And it's within walking distance. And I neeeeever get lost walking back to campus from there. Oh no.
-It's totally possible to do three midterms and two work shifts within twenty-four hours. God is good.
-Homecoming is fun. I dyed my hair black and dressed like a hipster...(temporary dye, btw). :P
-It's nice to have real-life professors. And I definitely go to their offices and bug them.

Aaanyhow, I'm going to leave it at that for now. Hopefully I'll do a post with pictures sometime this semester. :)

Saturday, August 13, 2011

A summer of twos...

[Twos is a funny-looking word. It looks spelled wrong...but it's not! Moving on.]

Basically, I need to blog. I promised I'd write about my summer, but I think I should also do an update on my life coming up...the next chapter that I've been so eagerly anticipating for...about four years. Wow.

So, first the wrap-up of summer/day in my life...

I feel like my summer has been divided into two parts.

I've had...

...two jobs



...two time clocks (I enjoy clocking out. Muchly.)



...two work schedules to balance (I like how both of these schedules have "last day" written for me. YAY!)


...two bosses (heh, I don't take pictures of them.)

...two sets of co-workers (I get to work with Erika at Comfort! Which is nice because she packs lunch. And as for the other picture...let's just say I like feeling tall and NO I was not standing on a chair or anything!)



...two work uniforms (I know, I know...I look creepy in both of these. All black is really not me, and the mirror picture is such a fail. STOP LAUGHING.)



...two sets of work policies to keep straight...

...and two paychecks (Fridays are doubly good!).

It's been rather exhausting, actually. But I don't want to complain! I definitely realize how blessed I've been to have two jobs in an economy where many people can't even find one. Even though the two work schedules have conflicted occasionally (I can only work one at a time!!!), it's been pretty perfect as far as money-making goes.

Lat Friday was the day that I chose for the "day in my life," so I will proceed to tell you all how that day went down...

Because Erika had to do breakfast at the hotel, we got up a little earlier than normal because she had to clock in by 8:00.

I think we were up by 7:00, showered, ate breakfast, packed lunch, and out the door by 7:30 or so.

I drove so that Erika could finish eating her breakfast...

Erika headed into work at 8:00 and I had an hour to kill before I was allowed to clock in to start cleaning rooms.

So, I did my makeup...
wrote a letter...

and read my Bible.
At 9:00, I headed into work (normally housekeepers can't clock in until 9:30, but they made an exception for me because I have to be there early with Erika anyhow).

I got my housekeeping list...
12 rooms to clean....pretty average. And the most awesome thing in the world is finding a Do not disturb sign on the door, meaning that I can cross the room right off the list!
Basically, each room has to be stripped (the sheets, pillowcases, towels, and trash taken out) and the laundry taken downstairs to the laundry room. Then the beds are made, the bathroom cleaned, the room stocked with everything it needs, everything dusted, the floor vacuumed....and voila, a clean room. Not the most exciting job...but hey, a pay check's a paycheck!

After my rooms were done, I helped Erika with hers (usually it works the other way around because she's faster), and then we clocked out and headed home around 3:15.

We got home around 3:30, giving me an entire hour to eat, change into my other uniform, and head out to the restaurant.

As it turns out, that night (of course) was completely different than any normal night, so telling you what I did wouldn't give a very good picture of the average night at the restaurant. (I had to take care of a family reunion that was being held there of about 30-35 people, so I kept about 8 running tabs for the different families represented, bringing them everything they needed. It was so. much. running! And kind of difficult because it was my boss's family and...yeah.)

So, on a normal night, I'll have anywhere between 2 and 9 tables (two being a REALLY slow night and nine being an awesome night in which I fly around non-stop).

On Thursday through Sunday, we have a hostess who takes care of seating people in each of our sections. When she seats someone in my section, she writes out a ticket with my name, comes and finds me and gives it to me. The ticket tells me how many people are at the table and where they are...
Next, I go to the table, welcome them, introduce myself, tell them the specials, and take drink orders. Pretty standard. Generally after I take their drinks to them, I'll take down their meal order and turn it into the kitchen. Most meals come with salads, which the servers have to make themselves (that can get interesting when I have a table of twelve and have to make...twelve salads while everyone else is in the tiny salad space, trying to make theirs!) Also, each table automatically gets bread and butter, so I generally carry out the salads with the bread.

When their food is ready, the kitchen calls me ("JESS, YOU'RE UP!!") and I run the food out. After that I basically babysit the table...bring more drinks...bring dessert...bring the check...bring whatever...

And sometimes I have really cool tables like this one. :)

I kind of love this picture.
and then when they finally leave, it's the fun part: collecting money from the table, haha.
Nearly everyone tips with one dollar bills, which is why I end up having to torture the bank tellers by depositing literally hundreds of singles. They tell me they don't mind...

So there you have it: Waitressing 101. :P

To sum up...a day in my life this summer was roughly twelve hours of work. But it wasn't horrible...I actually enjoyed some aspects of both jobs and I had great coworkers, which always helps.

But now...it's all over! As I write this, it's Saturday morning and last night I clocked out at the restaurant for the last time (my last day at the hotel was Wednesday). Not gonna lie, it's a good feeling.

And now I have today to finish packing because we leave early tomorrow morning for Washington DC for a two-day family vacation, and then I'm getting dropped off in Virginia at PHC. So excited about that!!!

I feel like I should also mention that my summer wasn't ENTIRELY filled up with work...I did have days off to do fun stuff like sleeping--oh, I mean, see friends and such. Don't believe me? Here's a link to my summer facebook album which captures some of the fun stuff that happened this summer, including driving to Ohio with Erika to see the kids from the family I stayed with in Mexico. We totally surprised them. :)



Also, since I kind of left everyone hanging as far as the Spanish tests that I was so terrified of, I should probably mention that I passed them both at intermediate high, meaning that I'm totally done with PHC's language requirement. :) I'm so thankful.

God is way too good to me.

Thanks for reading; I'll try to keep you all posted about my college life!

PS: This makes me laugh.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Thoughts on worth...fueled by vanilla chai... ;)

So, it's Tuesday morning at 8:07 and I'm sitting in Dunkin Donuts on my laptop, soaking up the wi-fi and enjoying a hot vanilla chai with a bacon and cheese bagel. Highly healthy. (Oh, and yes, I had to break my no-buying-coffee-all-summer vow. In case anyone I told about that is reading this and raising a skeptical eyebrow at the vanilla chai mention....)

See, Erika is doing breakfast and laundry this morning over at the hotel (across the road from here), meaning she started work at 8. But since I'm housekeeping, I'm not allowed to clock in until 9:30. But we drove together, meaning that I have about an hour and a half to kill before I can head across the road and start work.

So I'm here, blogging.

This isn't actually going to be the "day in my life" post that I asked you all about in the last post. I haven't taken the pictures for it yet, but it still is forthcoming! Promise.

And this isn't actually going to be the newsy, updateish post either.

Instead, I'd like to talk about something that's been on my heart lately and just needs to get written. I haven't used this blog to rant or express my opinion much lately. I haven't even posted my numerous papers! It's more become a blog about my life. Which might be a good thing, because I think the old blog persona was a little dry. And just...blargh.

But today is different.

I need to talk about something.

Actually, I hesitated about writing this because it's a rather uncomfortable subject. But this is the life we all live...real. unedited. raw. So I'm going for it.

First: what got me thinking.

About a week ago, a conversation at my second job--the restaurant--really made me think. I was back in the kitchen, making salads for one of my tables, when one of the kitchen workers started talking about the cost of, well, hiring a couple girls for a night. (I'd use more direct wording but I want to avoid getting weird google searchers, if ya know what I mean....).

He turned to me and asked if I thought two thousand dollars was too much. Trying to stay out of the conversation, I just replied that I wouldn't know. So he turned to another guy and asked, "Is any woman worth two thousand dollars?"

As I carried out the salads, I was mulling over his question in a broader sense. Not just for a night, but in general...is any woman worth two thousand dollars?

And instantly I knew. YES.

And then I was frustrated, because it bothered me a lot to think of a woman as simply a body with a price tag over her head. I started thinking about Proverbs 31 and how the virtuous woman is far above rubies...priceless, really. And how the woman whose value can't be quantified in dollar amount is the one who wouldn't sell herself for any price.

So I started thinking that I should write about the crazily messed up mindset that prevails today.

[Aaand this is where the Dunkin Donuts wi-fi and blogger's autosave feature absolutely failed me and I lost the entire rest of this post as I tried to publish it this morning right before heading into work. Soo, I'm typing it again...my thoughts make more sense the second time through anyways. I hope. :P]

See, lately, I've been feeling kind of objectified. It's hard to explain, but through recent comments, glances, and even inappropriate physical touch [don't freak out, people! I'm fine], I have been experiencing what it's like to be viewed as not much more than a body. As if my measure of worth comes from my degree of conformity to the world's standards of physical perfection and by the number of partners I could land.

And it bugs me.

Especially because I am surrounded by the tragic results of such a mentality. I work with so. many. single. mothers. One girl I trained told me her story...when she got pregnant, her boyfriend told her that if she didn't get an abortion, he would leave her. Now she's a single mother working three jobs to support herself and her (adorable) 3 1/2 year old daughter. She and so many other single moms my age and younger have a long, difficult life ahead of them, balancing work with being home to actually raise their kids. I'm not saying that these girls aren't at all to blame for the mess they're in...they are. But I feel like the girls are partially victims, especially when they are left to deal with the consequences and the guys shrug off their responsibilities. That happens waaay too often.

It's also ridiculous how it's pretty much assumed that girls even much younger than me are sexually active. Virginity is rare at my age, and there is that constant, not-so-subtle hinting that it's necessary to live a fulfilling life NOW.

I've pretty much always known about that mentality. But head knowledge and real life experience are completely different.

So, I want to give some words of encouragement to the girls. Maybe none of you feel this pressure...maybe I just need to write this for myself. Either way, I just want to say...

Girls, your worth is not measured by your looks.

You are not merely an object or a price tag.

You are not defined by your body.

No, your existence is hidden in Christ.

Let His love and His glorious purpose for your life define you.

Don't cave.

It's not worth it.

Remember, you have already been bought with a price (so glorify God with your body).

You've been redeemed. You are loved with an everlasting love. A love that's endless and independent from the circumstances of your life. A love that reached out to you even before you loved Him (cf. 1 John).

He paid the ultimate sacrifice for your redemption--giving His life. And what earthly man would do that? (cf. Romans 5).

So be that priceless, far-above-rubies, passionate woman of God.

Follow after Christ, not the approval of the world.

Anyhow, that's the encouragement I have.

And for any guys who might have made it this far: kudos. I just want to say that I am blessed to know so many of you who treat girls in a pure, unselfish way. And it is SO very appreciated. Keep it up!

And that's that. Now we return to our scheduled programming....sometime. ;)

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Just wondering...

...would anyone be interested in a more updated day in my life post? Like, pictures and stuff about my jobs and what it's like to be a housekeeper and a waitress?

Because my life isn't excessively interesting right now...work is pretty blahh...(and this post would be a far cry from the day in Mexico one!) but I'm willing to write it if anyone would read it.

Comment away!

:)