"No, life cannot be understood flat on a page. It has to be lived; a person has to get out of his head, has to fall in love, has to memorize poems, has to jump off bridges into rivers, has to stand in an empty desert and whisper sonnets under his breath... We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting and the climax and resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn't it?"

--Donald Miller

Today

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Today there is hope
Hope for young girls as we spoke of what makes us angry, resolving to end sex trafficking.

Today there is love
Love for what was once a hostile enemy is now becoming an accomplice

Today there is joy
Joy as friends laughed with each other and enjoyed being together, no matter how awkward the situation.

Today there is peace
Peace as I read a marvelous book in my favorite place at school, the Reading Room in the School of Religion for over two hours

Today was fantastic.

But tomorrow I shall change the world


Seriously though, next week I get an awesome opportunity to camp out for the night in downtown Chattanooga to bring awareness to the homeless situation by building a box city. I have never been so excited to freeze my buns off!

And I thought yesterday was awesome for doing Justin Bieber quizzes with 5th grade girls.

Greatness

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Usually, I'm not that big of a fan when it comes to technology, my phone is always strewn somewhere in my room, left alone for hours before I realize it's gone and Facebook is only necessary for stalking everyone under the sun or distracting myself from homework.

And then Prezi came along.

I learned about Prezi today in teacher class and had to make an example of one today (see masterpiece below)

It's like a powerpoint presentation but with greatness attached into it, like a coloring book painted by Davinci, gum that involves a five-course dinner.

If you don't know what Prezi is, I've made one explaining my thoughts and my week. Feel free to enjoy (sorry if it's a bit long...I got carried away)

For best results, hit autoplay on this sucker, or use the back and forth arrows like on a powerpoint:

I am Tired

Sunday, September 12, 2010

I am tired of the needles

I am tired of the headaches

I am tired of medication

I am tired of having to constantly be cautious

I am tired of never eating green vegetables, getting cuts, having to always carry first aid kits, having to say no to fun things because I'm not allowed for medical conditions, going to doctors, getting weird muscle spasms, not being able to fully use my lungs, not being able to run, having to tell people that I'm fine but I'm still sick, being told no all the time, having to explain the whole situation to people I meet, bruises from everything, living in the fear of the "what ifs", and praying that I don't get hurt while I'm out with my friends.


4.5 months left of this

A Messy Room Signifies A Busy Person

Monday, August 30, 2010

It's been a bit since I updated last, mainly because I didn't have anything to write about and also because I haven't had much time to do so (ok, so I have had time but that is reserved for seeing friends and watching Psych).

Class has started up again and although I feared my education classes would be boring, they're actually quite fun, where else but in my Foundations of Middle Grades class can thirteen other students and I sit in a circle and discuss our middle school memories and hardships (think group therapy)? Also, I'm in a Young Adult Literature class where we talk about books like The Hobbit and my professor switches from her native American accent to a Irish accent to a British accent in a matter of minutes as she discusses her latest book going into publishing. I guarantee that class is better than any of the classes you're taking.

Last week, clubs started back up, another great experience in my life. I was voted Vice President for Missions Alive and I pray that all goes well as we hang out with homeless people and build houses and visit cool widows.

Backyard tutoring also started up this past week. It is a ministry I absolutely love as I spend my days playing and laughing with children. It is a fantastic remembrance that there are still good things in the world that are worth fighting for. This weekend the tutors went on retreat and we had definite adventures. Life is always great when people share the same love and passion for helping out a neighborhood.

Nothing compares to cooking dinner, having bonfires, worshipping God in both English and Spanish, sleeping under the stars with roommates and skinny dipping at midnight.

And so my friends, that has been my life in a nutshell lately: school is good, yet hard; I wish I could see my friends more, but life is made worthwhile by amazing moments that make you glad that God decided to not let an astroid destroy the earth.

Arch Nemesis

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Superman has Lex Luthor.
Spiderman has the Green Goblin.
Quailman has the Klotz.
Mufasa has Scar.
Batman has everybody and their grandmother.

Every superhero has a villain.
Every protagonist has an antagonist.
Unfortunately, my arch nemesis lives in my own house.

Enter this beast.


Don't be fooled. Sure, it's fluffy and purrs.
It looks sweet, adorable, and downright harmless.
All lies.

It had me fooled.
She would come up to me and lay on my stomach on cold nights
She would rub up against me and purr, giving me warm fuzzies of happiness inside me that can only be created by looking at adorable kitties.
Right now, she's exploring my room, delightfully playing with a shoelace.

Seemingly harmless.

At first it would start when I wanted to sit on the couch and she would be laying there, giving me a look that said, Don't even try and move me. You're not worthy to sit on this couch.
These types of looks would hurt my feelings and make me feel insignificant to the world.

Then, at night, she would come and climb on my bed.
And attack my toes.
and lay on my face, trying to suffocate me in my sleep.
Then chew on my knuckles, so that I had scrapes on my hands when I woke up, not knowing what they were from.

She purposefully finds all my dark coloured clothing and sits on them so they are covered in a ridiculous amount of white cat fur.

The harassment then turned serious when I was wearing a pair of cute, dangly earrings. From out of nowhere, this ninja assassin comes and attacks my earrings and therefore, my face.

That was when I declared war.

Cleo, you may have the rest of my family and the world fooled, but I'm onto you.
Back When We Loved Each Other
If Only I Realized That Look On Her Face Was One Of Loathing

My Hero

Saturday, July 17, 2010

This is the town I live in, with a kid I grew up with. The only question I ask is why I didn't think of this first:




The Viper: Masked Crime Fighter Protects Small Town Tennessee

JULY 6, 2010
by Brian O'Connor

The residents of Columbia Tennessee can sleep safer at night knowing “the Viper” is patrolling the streets.

20 year old Christian Hardee is walking around town in tights and a mask “looking for crimes to report”.

“I’m just a guy trying to do what’s right, in tights”

Whether he’s a complete nutjob, or just a bored college student is for you to decide.



The Daily Herald: Man dons costume to fight crime.

By day, he’s a mild-mannered college student studying chemistry. But at night, he becomes the Viper, a superhero looking to stamp out crime in Columbia.

Christian Tyler Hardee, 20, caught the attention of Columbia police officers when they spotted him wearing a mask and green-and-black tights about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday near the Bicycle Shop on the Square.

But the aspiring superhero assured police he was working for good not evil. He told officers he was on the prowl in search of crime to report.

Hardee, a self-professed comic book nerd, said he knows he’s just a regular college student without super-human powers, and his behavior might be viewed as strange by some. But for Hardee, dressing as a superhero is a way to inspire the community to stand against wrongdoing and perform acts of charity.

“I am just a guy trying to do what is right, in tights,” he said.

During his patrol of Columbia, he donned under armor, carried two plastic sticks and wore a utility belt. On the belt, he stowed a screw driver, wrenches and a cell phone to quickly call police if he stumbled across crime. Officers also found ninja throwing stars inside his car parked near the Bicycle Shop, according to a police report.

Columbia Police Lt. Michelle Jones said the department does not need the assistance of a superhero to keep the city’s streets safe. She discouraged the public from patrolling the streets while dressed in costumes.

“We always encourage the public to be good witnesses but not actively get out and look for crime,” she said.

Police determined Hardee was not breaking any laws, other than a city ordinance that prohibits wearing a mask that obscures the face in public. He was advised of the ordinance and was not cited.

Jones said detectives interviewed Hardee and encouraged him to stop his patrols. Investigators are worried he could frighten the public or hurt himself or others.

Hardee said he will continue to look for crime but without the full costume. To date, he has not stumbled upon criminal activity.

The 20-year-old studies chemistry and art at Union University in Jackson. He hopes to land a job with his chemistry degree, make some money and then embark upon a career as a comic-book artist once he is financially secure.

“I am not out of touch with reality. … I am just a normal guy,” he said. “I know what happens in the movies doesn’t happen in real life.”

He also wants everyone to know he is not trying to inspire children to follow in his footsteps, and he did not don the costume in search of publicity.

“If I wanted attention, I would go streaking or something,” Hardee said.

How My Mind Works

Thursday, July 15, 2010

I like Flowcharts. They happened to be more of a representation of how my mind works instead of using lists or writing paragraphs.

So in flowchart form, here's been my past week of life:


Flowcharts save a lot of excess typing

Also, I made this too:

Also, I've decided that I want to own a pet squirrel. I checked Craigslist but nothing, do I just go out and catch the little guy or is there a specialty Petsmart that I have to go to?