My mom STILL yells at me for climbing on the furniture. (I do it anyway.)

I cleaned my room this week. Not like one day this week, but everyday of this week. I mean I tore it apart and cleaned it better than I ever have. I found some interesting things (and some not-so-interesting things) so I’ll share just a few. Note: Please do not judge me.

This is what I found:

While looking through my chemistry notebook from 11th grade, I found this equation: chemistry=poop², which is equivalent to calculus. (Ummmm, yeah.)

Some crazy sunglasses. Why do I even have these things?

My love letters. Here are a couple of superlatives.

 

Best one=Dear X, You know when you sad that Kaylee liked me bad? I want you to tell her that I like her bad bad bad ok and if you tell anybody there are 3 things. 1. Say your preyres. 2. You'll be sorry. 3. You want have good luck that day and give her this message on the playground.
Your friend, X

 

Most creative= folded into an origami crane. True love.

 

My harmonica and my How To Play Harmonica instruction book. We see how that went… except I will proudly admit I can still play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star flawlessly. Almost.

 

My family tree project from 10^th grade. Interesting fact: The Burgess family has the first recorded divorce in the colonies. Yay! Go fam! But even cooler than that, on September 14, 1929 my mom’s grandparents and my dad’s grandparents ran away to South Carolina to get married. Little did they know their grandchildren (mom and dad) would get married 58 years later! OHHHHHHHH, THE IRONY.

 

The book that taught me the way to live, how to treat others, and gave me all the wisdom I could ever need: The I love Lucy Guide To Life. (Pocket size!!)

 

Two unfinished Bob Ross paint by numbers. I finished one of a mountain with many happy trees. And don’t worry; my request for a free Bob Ross portrait and badge is on its way to the Bob Ross headquarters in Virginia.

 

My favorite bedtime story book!!!!! BEAR AND MRS. DUCK!!!!

 

A monologue of mine written on a post-it from a dream I once had (Note: I did NOT make this up):

“Hey, will you do me a favor? How about you lose 190 pounds before next year. I was thinking about teaching an ethics class and that way when the building catches on fire, all you have to do is stop, drop, and ROLL.” (Oh. My. Wow.)

 

MY BULBASAUR!!!!!!!

 

My oh-so-beloved TI-84 Plus Silver Edition calculator. That thing has survived life with me for 4 years: it's one brave soul. I even ran him over with my car once. <3

 

My spongebob calendar, which I turned into a freakin' huge rockin' poster.

The love bracelet from my boyfriend at age 5 ½, Chris Blaksley. I thought we’d be together forever. I guess 5 year olds don’t know anything about love…

 

All of the little presents from my precious orphans!! :) Goodness GRACIOUS I miss their little souls.

 

My favoritest stuffed animal I ever did get… A giant polar bear, with the ever-so-original name of Polar, and her baby, Ice Cube.

 

 

So. That's all. That's what I found.

 

One very lucky reader was given the chance to get the inside look at the making of my blog. Here's her response:

 

Peanut Butter JESUS TIMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! (I bet you thought I was going to say jelly.) 

Okay. So Hebrews 13:5... "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." Thank you, Jesus, for that truth. He is always right there with ya. No matter how many times I leave Him and forsake Him, he's always right there where I left Him. (Why do we leave Him in the first place? Silly humans...) And how about the peace of God? Oh man. In times of trouble and disaster (which seem to be prevalent in my life these days) the peace that comes from knowing Jesus is an absolute blessing. To know He is in control and that I don't have to be is straight up awesome. It's amazing to know that God's love, peace, and protection are mine, as undeserving as I am. Thanks, Jesus.

Girls go to college to get more knowledge. Boys go to Jupiter...

This is a little over due, but I was slightly incapacitated in the head for a week. No worries… I’m alive (apparently) and I am back home, finally.  I finished my first semester of college with my sanity (or at least all that I had upon entering) and so much useful knowledge; I could tell you all about the cotton gin and the Erie Canal… but additionally, I gained amazing friends, a couple of sisters, and a better sense of myself and who I am in relation to the world and to my savior. I learned that you don’t have to be who everyone wants you to be. Actually, to do that is to be stupid so do what you want and be who you want to be (as long as it’s who Jesus wants you to be.) I also learned that first impressions are not always indicative of a person’s reality, which can be a good thing sometimes. I learned that washing clothes is annoying and takes a lot of time, so thanks, mom, for being so awesome and washing my clothes longer than most. BUT I also learned that I thoroughly enjoy folding clothes. Weird. I learned that sometimes just being there for someone is enough. I learned that I run away from problems, rather than dealing with them. Conflict is tough. I also learned that when you don’t make time for Jesus, it makes life so much more difficult. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that you don’t just gain knowledge in college. You gain wisdom too. So thanks, Carolina. I’m excited to spend the next 3.5 years with you.

I was in the library one day (or rather everyday) and I realized a few things:

-Chewing gum helps me to be a little less A.D.D.... but only a little.

-I’ve been in love with Usher since March of 2004.

-I really enjoy writing capital Qs. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine, because Qs aren’t very popular.

-I break my pencil A LOT when I’m stressed.

And one day there was a cucumber slice on the floor beside me… If someone killed Larry, I’m going to flip out.

Today

I washed 5 loads of laundry. Whoooooooaaaaaaaaaaa.

PAWPAW’S CHICKEN STEW IS SO STINKING DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations, Titanic, for once again making me cry like a little girl. You’re very impressive.

I received a book from a dear friend of mine, which I finished today. It’s called The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and it’s about an awful bunch of brothers and sisters who stumble upon the set of a Christmas pageant and somehow land all the main parts. It’s a journey of their learning and understanding of the Christmas story and it leaves you thinking about it from a new perspective. I was left with this: Being broken is beautiful, because it helps us realize how beautiful our savior is. No matter how good we are, it’s not enough. But it’s okay, because no matter how bad we are, Jesus is enough.

Tonight I’m spending the night at Mawmaw and Pawpaw’s house, one of my favorite places in the world. I am sleeping in the bed which was once mine, in his cozy flannel shirt, soon to be mine. And as I lay here, I can’t help but recount all the wonderful things my grandparents have done over the years for not only myself, but everyone they know and many they don’t. Mawmaw is currently in the hospital, so please pray. She’s my hero, my sunshine, and my inspiration to do well in life. I can only hope to be half as amazing as Mawmaw and Pawpaw are. Never neglect an opportunity to tell someone how much you love them, how much you are encouraged by them, or how amazing they are. What’s there to lose? You’ll make their day.

This is the current state of my brain right now.

Dogs jaywalk under certain circumstances when there are water bottles falling from the sky and that girl over there could have at least told me where in the world is Carmen Sandiego when you need her to come home and make apple pies especially when the junipers are blooming in the middle of July when all you want to do is hop in the pool with your good pals to cool off your tongue you just drink an ice cold beer would be mighty nice right about now but I am thinking that we should go to the house and change into some nicer clothes and just head out to town where all the pretty boys will be waiting with arms wide open under the sunlight welcome to this humble home of ours you can just kick off your shoes and come on in because we know how to work and we know how to play I mean we are from the country and we sure as hell like it that way tell me why ain't nothing but a hello Mr. Heartache get down from that roof and play kickball with me or else I'll put buttered biscuits in your backpack and swing it to the left to the left and everything you own will be thrown into the closet where all your childhood memories lay collecting dust and mopping is such a fun chore to do when you have zebra-striped gloves on and Led Zeppelin climbing in the tree with a purple sock on and two bears chasing you down the alleyway with a nice summer tan and a pair of over-sized sunglasses. <---Look! I used a period.

Red apple in russian is красное яблако. Yummy.

Forrest Gump's mom always said "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Wise woman Ms. Gump was, but I'll raise her one and say that Pandora is like a box of chocolates, by the same principle.  It's like the single most amazing invention in the world (aside from Bop It).  I'll be listening to a favorite song of mine and as it proceeds to the next song, it's like reaching into a candy bag... What's it gonna be?!?  By the way, I always listen to the Ingrid Michaelson station of mine. It has been perfected into a channel of pure musical bliss. I. Love. It.

So. Exam week. I guess I'll use an analogy for this one too? Exam week is like eating jalapenos on your sandwich.  I mean they are so delicious and add such flavor to the sandwich making it oh so scrumptious. But then, a few hours later you realize that maybe, just maybe, you shouldn't have eaten them. (You know what I'm talking about...)  Explanation: College is such a wonderful experience and it seems like such a good idea, until exam week.  I'm thinking that if my brain does not leak out the side of my head before next Friday, it will at least be useless for several weeks afterward.

Aside from potentially the most stressful week of my life, thus far, I'm doing well.  I can't complain. Well, actually I can, but I try not to. I fail most of the time.  I'll certainly work on it.

Also, red apple with peanut butter is one of the best combinations known to man.  That and combining pretty piano music with a warm cozy bed.  Yes, I'm completely serious.

Top 5 moments of this week (so far):
5. The end of classes
4. Playing furniture at RUF- funniest game I've ever played, like on the real.
3. RUF Christmas service-very nice
2. Watching Elf with some greats, followed by ping pong
1. IT SNOWED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Behold, A Miracle On This Day

In an earlier post I made a statement that went a little something like "My mom is unable to work the internet, therefore she'll never read this." Behold! A comment has been posted by none other than... KELLY BURGESS!!! My mom has broken the barrier and delved into the realm of the world wide web. I feel like a proud mother who has just observed her firstborn taking that first step. I wasn't sure if the day would ever come, but it is here and I will move forward from this moment with pride and enlightenment. I think this deserves a shout out to my mother: HOLLA!

Today life was good... like real good.

My laugh-o-meter broke today. (They are sold at Wal-Mart in case you were wondering). That's how dang good and funny it was! Fridays are my total fave. I have one class (sometimes two) and I get out at 11 o'clock. Then, I normally hang outside with one of my favorite friends in life (the Sarah stored in my phone without a last name**) and learn microbiology from her. (Why, yes of course. I DO love learning microbiology in my spare time!!) Following this was a lunch date with her and another favorite pal of mine, Tyler... FUN STUFF. What did we talk about? Lots of things, but definitely NOT boys. You're just silly to think that... I also took a nap today. I'm not much of a nap taker due to the discombobulation that descends on me upon waking. Note: Yes, I'm learning large words like "discombobulation" here at UNC.  I also say off-the-wall statements (me? psshtt.) and cannot open my eyes. It's bad.

Anyhow, I went to dinner which was made by a pretty sweet friend of mine and I laughed my face off. Like it was laying on the floor. I'm not joking. I, along with the crew, packed ourselves up in our automobiles (wearing wonderfully tacky Christmas sweaters) and headed to the RUF Christmas party. I'd like to mention that my sweater had an ice-skating cat on it. I win. I got to make paper snowflakes there. That's one of my favorite things to do. Making snowflakes and riding four-wheelers. Now that's where it's at. Also, I went caroling in the house of several UNC football players' house. I know you're jealous, because it was BALLIN'.  Which reminds me, I met Jason Gray yesterday. How cool is this?! Yes, I agree... very cool. I worked at a concert entitled "Behold the Lamb" and was I introduced to several new artists that I rather liked.  Andy Gullahorn, Jill Phillips, and Andrew Peterson to name a few. This show was amazing I tell you. It reminded me of the awesomeness of God and how he sent His only son as a weak, helpless babe for you and I. I hate it when I find myself immune to the awe-inspiring greatness of His vast love. But when I once again realize the depth of His love that poured out on that cross, I am overcome with joy and gladness. That's what happened Thursday when I saw that show. Good, good stuff I tell you. It's like if I were to compare it to food, it would be the equivalent of a Saturday morning breakfast at Pawpaw's house: Scrambled eggs, two slices of toast with grape jelly, approximately 5 pieces of bacon, and a large heaping pile of grits with cheese... and of course chocolate milk to drink. It was THAT good.

I got to gaze at the stars tonight. It made me really happy...

One last thing:

Mary Blonshine is awesome. The coolest EVER.

Also, I think it's funny that Mozilla Firefox told me that "Blonshine" should be "Moonshine."

**When you are very popular like myself and have multiple contacts with the same name, the individual which is stored without a last name is thereby known as the most important and/or the coolest of the group of individuals with said name.

Sometimes I just like to lie on the floor.

Disclaimer: It's late. I'm delirious. I have class in the morning, so I didn't proof read. Read at your own risk. I HAVE WARNED YOU.

Lay vs. lie was always such a pain in my butt. I'm still not sure if I totally get it. Which reminds me... I never learned the end to the rhyme "i before e, except after c."  My third grade teacher said we wouldn't need to know that at the time. Hellooooooo?!?!? I'm 18 and NONE of my teachers finished teaching me this. Big, BIG problem...

Today, I realized how much I love college. Well, more like it was confirmed. Whoever said high school would be the best years of your life clearly did not go to college or they lied. I mean I just got home (after midnight, at that) from playing some b-ball outside of the school.  A couple of guys who were... just kidding. But I did love Fresh Prince. Anyhow, back to college. I thought it would be scary. BUT IT'S TOTALLY NOT!  It's just straight up amazing. But then again, I do go to UNC so I might definitely have it better than most...

Have I ever mentioned I'm slightly scatter-brained?

Man, it's wayyyy past my bed time. NO, my mom did not set a bed time for me in college.. this is me being a totally and completely responsible woman. HAHAHAHA. That was funny. Agreed?

Shout out to my mom: I am definitely being responsible

I didn't even need to do that. My mom doesn't know how to work the internet.  She is not going to read this. But you did!! Again, FREAK! I'm just kidding, I'm really done now.

FOOLED YOU. I'm such a trickster, because it's...

...Jesus Time!!

Psalm 46:10: He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
   I will be exalted among the nations,
   I will be exalted in the earth.” 

College life is BUSY. So much work and hanging out to do. We (or at least I) lose time without realizing it.  I find Jesus being put on the back burner.  Then, when I feel distant from Christ, I begin to blame not myself, but God. (Why have you forsaken me? blah, blah, blah...) THAT IS SO WRONG. There has got to be authentic Jesus time, which is clearing EVERYTHING from your calendar for a set time and to just be still. That's how you get closer to Christ and grow in your relationship with Him. That's how we experience His vast love for us (Jeremiah 31:3!!). He certainly deserves our time and I neglect this fact more often then I'd care to admit. Let's give a real effort to give Him time, as He deserves.

Listen to: Come Home- Meredith Andrews

Home Sweet Home? I believe so.

I don't blog. I've never blogged. But I'm going to blog. Only because I think blog is a freaking cool word, so I feel like it would be an enjoyable activity. I'm going to talk about my life. So, I'll probably mention my Lord and Savior (Jesus Christ) and chicken tenders often, because they are my loves. So here we go.

Disclaimer: I really enjoy comma usage, so if you are a grammar Nazi, you may not want to proceed.

I've been home for approximately 121.5 hours and I've had some good times. I'll give a recap of the week:

Monday: That's when I got home. I talked my mother's face off. I'm a girl, so it's expected, I believe.

Tuesday: I woke up at 8:07 and went to my Pawpaw's house. While there I did four whole loads of laundry and I tell you this was an accomplishment like no other. I remember just 3 months ago standing in the basement of my dorm staring bewilderingly at that big, white machine not knowing what the heck I was doing. It's only by the grace of God that I haven't messed any of my clothes up (yet). I also assisted in the assembly of my dogs' house. Their names are Cali and Kramer. I also have another dog, Montana. She looks like a brown pig. In the evening, I went to my good buddy Zach's house. He, Daniel, Shona, and I made a music video (AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST) to a favorite 90s song of mine, Semi-Charmed life. Also, I failed miserably at making brownies. How do you do that? I apologize in advance to my future husband... but I must say I make delicious omelets.

Wednesday: I laid beneath the stars in the back of a truck with approximately 12 blankets and watched my boy, Harry Potter, search for horcruxes and then I watched Alan from The Hangover drive cross-country with Robert Downey Jr. They were both great movies. Also, I realized that I only know 2 constellations. I'M SO LAME. So my new endeavor will be learning my way around the sky. I'm beginning this feat with a totally firm foundation of Orion's Belt and The Big Dipper (which I'm sure has a nice fancy name that I would most likely pronounce incorrectly.)

Thursday: I ate. A lot. This included cheesecake, which I am convinced will be what water tastes like in Heaven.

Friday: Black Friday shopping with my very best friend in the world. It was a first. I GOT THE COOLEST LEGO SUPERHERO T-SHIRT. Also socks. I love socks. After that I went hunting. Didn't see a durn thang. So we just rode 4-wheelers until our ears were frozen. We went home and I discovered how terrible I am at assembling puzzles. Then I realized Sonic runs mixed with Jesus talks are the greatest. So that's what we did.

Saturday: Mom woke me up with the vacuum cleaner. I HATE OUR VACUUM CLEANER. I'm more of a duster myself. I love the smell of a lemon Pledge streak (except it's not really a streak, because Pledge definitely does NOT streak.) Anyway, I then took a ride down to the good ol' mountain (Morrow, of course) with my sweet, sweet grandparents. Their names are Mawmaw and Pawpaw and they are the most fantastic people alive. Then I had a totally awesome jam sesh with my boys, Alberto and Vasser. I recorded my first song and I was reminded of why my dream is to be a rock star. That was plan A. UNC was plan B. Oh well.

So that was the gist of  my week. Boring, I know. I can't believe you just read that. But I would like to add my top 10 favorite things about home:

1. When I sit next to the air vent, the aroma of laundry floats out from the basement. It smells oh so scrumptious. (By the way, scrumptious is my abs. fave word.)

2. I got to see my awesomely great and wonderful best friends.

3. There is a significantly lower amount of drunkards running and yelling in the hallway.

4. It's a small town. Time goes by terribly slow, but it's a great change of pace from college life.

5. Everyone else talks just like me. 

6. LITTLE TOKYO=FAVORITE RESTAURANT. Period.

7. My car. I almost forgot how to drive. I'm a maniacal driver. Muahahahahaha.

8. I don't have to wear pants.

9. Sleeping in my luscious bed. It's like a cloud.

10. I got to see my brother, who I now love. As silly young children we hated one another and fought constantly. I thank Jesus for such a cool brother. HE MAKES ME AMAZING CHEESECAKE.

JESUS TIME.

1 John 4:9-11: "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

 God is love. Jesus came, died, and rose because He is love. When He comes into the hearts of sinners like myself, there is no way that we are able to look past the task of loving others. It's a command: Love your neighbor as yourself. In simple ways like holding the door for a stranger, giving a meal to a homeless person, or giving a compliment to a friend. You must also love people in big ways: listening to a friend even when you don't have the time and forgiving those who have hurt you deeply. It's definitely not easy to love everyone, but, hey, with Jesus in your heart, you can do anything. You just gotta trust Him.

Peace and blessings to all my bros and sists in Christ.