We're gonna boooowl tonight....

16/365

That's Alex and Jake. They're two of our RAs and I love them so (Jake MIGHT be one of my favorites...just sayin).

Part of our Winter Olympics for RA Training was speed bowling (it's a little slice of heaven--everyone on your team just bowls one ball until you've bowled a whole game) and these two helped us out by handling all the shoes and running the lanes.

I thought this was a priceless pic--made even better by the face Jake is making.

Oh, and here's a bonus pic...

Training!

15/365

So, the RAs got back on Friday and we brought them all together for some continued training. I love them so much. They make my job so awesome.

Sidenote: I'm seriously researching how to use my camera. The thing is, if I don't want them super washed out/over-exposed, I have to settle for them being blurry. I'm about to go figure out how to adjust the settings on my piece to settle this.

K. That's all.

Fiddle-dee-dee.

14/365

I like playing with the close-up button on my camera. And I love this book. I'm still looking for my own Rhett Butler...because he says things like:

"There's one thing I do know... and that is that I love you, Scarlett. In spite of you and me and the whole silly world going to pieces around us, I love you. Because we're alike. Bad lots, both of us. Selfish and shrewd. But able to look things in the eyes as we call them by their right names."

Oh, and this one...

"No, I don't think I will kiss you, although you need kissing, badly. That's what's wrong with you. You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how."

Boys will be boys.

13/365

That's Sam and John. We work together--Sam is an RD and John is the Assistant Director of Res Life. They're playing that football game with a folded piece of paper.

Priceless.

Back to the grind...

12/365

I started back at class Tuesday night. My first one this semester is History of Higher Education. I took ten full pages of notes. Ummmm...not sure how I feel about it, yet.

Anyway, I took the above picture because I got to class early and was working on making posters/advertisements for RA Hiring--which starts next week. Yay!

Which brings me to today.

11/365

Yeah. That's me about an hour ago. I'm on the couch. And in the middle of one hell of a pity party for myself.

You got to be witness to it because I needed a picture from today.

Tomorrow will be better, right? Right. Thanks for the pep talk...xoxoxo

I'm sticking my neck out...

10/365

"Hey Carly! Just wondering what you did this past Sunday?"
"Who me? I uh...well, I spent all evening knitting this cowl scarf."

That's right. It was my first time knitting in the round on circular needles. It's all connected, so you just wrap it around your neck. I love it a little, but would like to do another one now that I know what I'm doing.

But it's pretty awesome, no?

No, seriously. I've had enough.

9/365

More of the cursed white stuff. Pretty? Sure. Cold, miserable and treacherous? You betcha.

Up North...

8/365

Aaaaah...one of our favorite places--North Country Brewery. The Firehouse Red is the best beer you'll ever have. I just...love it there.

AND--I love the boys for letting Jess, Esther and I come along on what was supposed to be guys night out. They're good sports. So they get a second picture for this day.

Catch up!

So, I know you were all ready to give up on me--but I'm here and have pictures! I just got behind with posting them, sat down to do it the other day and my battery had died--but I got 'em!

Without further ado....

7/365


That's my friend Esther. We were getting ready to go out to Combine Brothers with Anne, Jess and Bob--she was scraping the windshield, while I hid inside the car--because I'm a big baby about winter. But lovelovelove the picture!

Enough.

6/365


It's a crappy picture--but I've had a crappy day. To add to the crapfest, it's been doing the whole snowing/icing thing for 5 straight days. I'm so over it I want to punch someone...in the throat, preferably.

Umm....

5/365


Yeeeeah. So. Long story short. My boss brought a pinata into our meeting today. Because she's awesome.
Someone had broken it off the string, so...we improvised and Gabe was the brave soul willing to hold it on the ladder and risk Mark beating him senseless. Sadly (?) no one was injured--although there were a few close calls.

Have I mentioned I love my job?

Project 365...take 2.

Hi hi hi! I'm gonna try this...again. See, I'm an ENFP. We like to start things but not finish. Which might explain why I'm still not married. Haaaa!

PS...that last post of mine? I ended up with an A in all three of my grad classes this semester...so, I guess I'm not a big idiot. Who knew?

Anyway! Here we go.

1/365

These candles are in my window every Christmas since I was little. I love them. And I love being home at my parents' house so I can fall asleep with them on.

2/365

The night before I left to come back to campus, my nephews spent the night. We watched The Dog Who Saved Christmas and ate a lot of candy....so we made sure Carter brushed his teeth before bed.

3/365

I got back to campus and spent all day de-Christmasing my apartment and unpacking. It was exhausting. This is where I ended up.

4/365

A shot through the peep-hole on my door. Notice the wreath that kind of blocks the view.

Meh. Ick. Gah.

Grad school is stupid.

Or maybe it isn't and it's just that I am.

I'm supposed to be writing a paper. I was supposed to have written it yesterday. But here's the thing--it's the first one. I've been in class, doing lots of reading/discussion, but...it's my first paper since I've been back in school. Let me explain what this does to your psyche. It makes you insane. That's what it does. I haven't written a paper in ELEVEN YEARS, people. And when I was writing them, I never had to use the APA format. And...I feel a lot stupider than I did 11 years ago. For real. I was thinking about it yesterday while I stared at my empty Word document...what happened in the past 11 years that made me think I don't have anything intelligent to say? Funny? Sure. Smart? Not so fast.

So. I have an abstract written. And my first paragraph...kind of. And I'm sitting here still avoiding it and blogging for heaven's sake. Did I mention it's due tonight? Yeah.

Okay. I have to make this happen. Not sure how, but....wish me luck.

This little piggy...

I forgot to post this in the update.

I've been given two boxes of masks--in case of the predicted Swine Flu epidemic.

Cheers to possible mass hysteria on college campuses!!!

Sheeeeeesh.

Um. Hi.

I don't know where to start.

Let me 'splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

1. I'm trying to find balance in this work/ministry/play/grad school thing. It's harder than I thought. Well. Maybe not HARDER, it's just...I'm way more tired. All the time.

2. That being said--I'm in love...with my freaking crazy life.

3. My staff is truly unbelievable. I love them so much already that I can't see straight.

4. I'm learning so much that it makes my head spin.

5. God is outrageously cool. And...I am completely in awe of Him and what He's doing. In my life and on this campus.

6. I need to go to bed because two of my RAs and I are driving out to Hermitage to get Starbucks in the morning.


XOXO.

Why I Love My Job--Reason #4, 609

Because the daily affirmation is amazing.

Outside of my apartment door, I have a cute little chalkboard. And I have a card that says "Carly is..." and I have other cards that say Dining Hall, In A Meeting, Off Campus, etc., to let my residents know where to find me (although one of them is "In love" and it gets put up more often than not by one of my RAs).

Some of my girls put it to good use the other night. Please see below.


Yessssss. Why, thank you.

Quick recap

So. What have I been doing the past month?

Going to street fairs in downtown Grove City and watching Mark and Justin trying to win goldfish...they didn't.


Um. Then we went up to the mountains and hung out together. Best.Time.Ever.


Then, the RAs came back and in the middle of training, we got to take a group of them to PNC Park for a Pirates game. It was a perfect night!


And finally, we got to my favorite part of training...alcohol & drug awareness. That is our dear RA, Jason Kish wearing the Beer Goggles and trying to walk the line.
Priceless, people, priceless.

After all that, we went on our RA Retreat--and it blew my mind. We have such an amazing group this year, I'm not sure where to begin. They're all so anxious and ready to serve --they're astounding.

AND. I had my first grad class last night. Yeah. Justin (see above) and I started the program together this year. We'll be getting our Masters of Arts in Higher Education. I can declare a concentration if I want--but I'm not sure about that just yet. If I do, I'm fairly certain it will be in Student Affairs, but oddly enough, the Campus Ministry one sounds oddly appealing. We'll see. So, yeah, I'm a grad student. I was holding the syllabus for my first class and just about tripped out. It's been a long time since I was a student. But the rest of the night I was completely enthralled by everything Don (Opitz) said. He was speaking my language--passion and giftedness and vocation--unbelievable. I'm really excited.

That's it for now...move-in for freshmen is tomorrow and my upperclassmen all roll in on Saturday (which will be cuh-razy)--yay for the beginning of the school year!!!!

Cuuuuuuuute....

Jess took this picture while I was busy trying to kiss her baby to death.

Me and Talia are pretty much BFF.

Blast from the past...

So, I went looking through some old journals tonight. I don't know why. I honestly don't. It makes me crazy.

But I stumbled across these gems, scrawled on notebook paper, that fell out from between the pages of one of the journals....

Truth is not beauty. Beauty is beauty. Without beauty, you have no voice.

(Yikes.)

I make him feel good about himself. He makes me feel like I think I know how to feel.

(Okay. Whoa. Double yikes.)

I wish I could have saved you without drowning myself.
I wish what I offered could have been enough.
But I'm too weak and you're too wicked,
so I sink, my heart forgotten.

(And there you have it...)

There they are...

We went bowling the other night as a staff. I was cranky. I don't typically care for bowling...but Gabe, Renee, Gretchen and I kicked ass and took names. So I got over it.

At the end of the night, Jamie had us get the obligatory staff photo--so, I thought I'd share. We're a motley crew (although it just might be because it was almost a hundred degrees in the bowling alley), but they're some of my favorite people...

Why boys are lucky.

Well, I guess if you're asking me I'd say boys are lucky for a couple of reasons. The most important one being that they get to stand up when they pee (we've been over this, I know). Whatever.

Today I realized another reason. They never have to tape down their clothing.

Yeah. You heard me. I'm going to Stacy & Bart's wedding today. I have a super cute dress to wear. Unfortunately, there are parts of said dress, as well as parts of ME, that need a little help staying under lockdown.

So I bought this:


Yay for body adhesive and being a girl!!!