Go for 3!!!

Classes are over so you might be thinking that now it's a good time to go home and relax, right?
NOT
Chattanooga is only two days away and I couldn't be more excited!!! I keep telling my friends that I have never been so excited about football before. One of those reasons is that a couple games ago a guy friend of mine explained everything football to me - so now I can watch and actually enjoy it. It's way better!

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Chattanooga

I'M GOING TO CHATTANOOGA!!!!
Appalachian beat Richmond 55-35 last night at Kidd Brewer Stadium and I was there! We left the game at the beginning of the 4th quarter to get tickets and we got em! A bunch of us girls are gonna go along with two guys and Megan and I's good friend Laura from highschool is going to come with her boyfriend (they go to school in Tennessee). I am so excited! More to come later with some pictures.

stuck in my head

the other night I Kept waking up and all I remember was that I had this song in my head
how random

randoms

-home for thanksgiving break! yay!!!

-last week I had two papers due, one of which was a large history research paper. I spent about every spare minute of my week in the library. it was thrilling - or not. I basically have found a table in the library that is now "my table" that I love to sit at with a laptop and just get things done

-I went to Borders today and got to enjoy actually looking at books for FUN!!! I went to pick out some books for my Christmas List and of course ended up staying for while. tried the "mambo" tea from Tazo, it was good (thanks for the change dad!). I have definitely become quite the tea connoisseur. I drink at least one cup a day, always taking some in the morning to class to wake me up (even though I drink herbal that doesn't have caffeine) and usually more throughout the day. the great thing is I can go to any coffee shop on campus and get free hot water and just re-use my tea bag!!!

-realized today at Borders as I drank my tea and read Real Simple magazine that society now seems to prefer the cardboard cup for coffee and hot beverages. whatever happened to mugs??? on a college campus it is the cool thing to be carrying around a cardboard cup of coffee or whatever (people actually dont know what the contents of your cup are!) as you walk to class. but mugs, mugs are glorious. I love large mugs that can hold a lot of liqud. those small 8 oz ones just don't do it. Costa Coffee, this great little coffee shop that we frequented in Delhi (India) has these awesome large mugs. in fact, Costa has the idea behind a coffee shop down pat. first you order your drink at the counter and pay and then you sit down. then when your drink is ready they bring it out on a tray with your drink in a mug and extra napkins. and if you order food it is displayed on a plate and is most of the time heated and comes with real silverware (not plastic). and their mugs are so large and great. one of my team members brought one home. wish I would have thought of that!

carly enjoying a drink at Costa

-why are there not more free wifi places in raleigh? I know that panera, bear rock, and a couple other places have it but none of the large bookstores do - it's rediculous! in Boone I can go anywhere on campus and connect and I can also go to Panera, McDonalds, Hardees, and Bear Rock (our only bookstore). I haven't tried McDonalds or Hardees because something about grease and my laptop just don't seem to go together. hmmmmm

-2 weekends ago LaBranda and I led 8th grade girls for Meta. they wore us out completely but it was a blast! we were at the Gardners which was great and I even drove the Suburban (and all of the girls are still alive!)

making a pyramid

driving the suburban!!

labranda and I got into this whipped cream/chocolate syrup fight thing - it was a mess but also a blast!

me and Elizabeth, everyone thought we looked like sisters

-this past weekend my friend Kira and I went to the Black Mountain YMCA retreat center to do childcare for a Crusade Staff Retreat. we had some cute little kiddos but it was tiring and one of those little tacos (or all of them) gave me a cold! we did go into asheville on saturday afternoon and saw the Asheville Holiday Parade! I was so excited! and we went to this great little coffee shop in downtown that had a very ecletic, world traveler feel with lots of small rooms with plenty of seating. if I lived in Asheville I think it would become a favorite of mine!!!

-one of my favorite Raleigh radio stations Sunny 93.9 is now Kiss 93.9. and instead of saying "Merry Christmas" they say "Merry Kissmass" ugggh that's annoying

-amazon.com just introduced this thing called the "Kindle". it's a small handheld device that you can read books, magazines and newspapers on. you can buy books directly on the device, which connects using signal like cell phones do. the screen is designed so that it does not feel like reading a computer screen but like a real book. sounds pretty cool to me, would have been great for traveling because you don't want to pack a bunch of bulky books! anyone want to buy me one for christmas? they are only $400???



well that's all for now. I am going to see "This Christmas" tonight with Sybil. I shall review it later!

goldfish diversity

I just ate some goldfish with my lunch. The original kind because they are my favorite. Bored as I was I read the packaging. This is what it says on the back:
"Think Differently!
Seeing things in different ways can be helpful when trying to solve problems.
There is more than one way to look at something.
Be Open Minded."
Bet you didn't realize that children these days are getting a moral education from Pepperidge Farm. Not exactly the way I think it should be done.

rain rain go away

- it's been raining ALL WEEK LONG. now normally I don't mind a day or two of rain because it's nice to be able to cuddle up and read (at this point in my life it would not be a fun book though but instead a selection of educational philosophy - bleck!) but a WHOLE WEEK OF RAIN is just too much. my energy levels (and every other college student's on campus) have been much lower. sunshine come back!
- on tuesday at work one of my three year olds told me she loved me. precious.
- When I was riding the appalcart today it went and stopped at the little appalcart homeplace where all of the appalcarts sleep at night and they switched drivers. The new driver gets on and puts his stuff away and says something that ended with “let’s go to vegas!” Oh it made me smile.
- went to a meeting about Block I yesterday. Block is the way we group elementary classes here at App. You take all of the same classes two days a week with 19 other elementary majors and have a practicum component too. I'm excited to be out in schools some but nervous about all of the work.
-as you all know there is this big drought all across the state. we talked about in NC Geography yesterday. my roommate yelled at me today because i really like to take baths. I know, not good with the drought but they are amazing. so I did limit the amount this week. i guess that's one thing the rain is good for!
-parentals were here last weekend. it was fun. they tailgated with me and the friends and everyone enjoyed mom's bean salad and wonderfully AMAZING mocha cake. way to go mom!
-saturday night I went to a halloween party and won second place for my costume - a dalmation! I literally put it together in about 20 minutes - just some black construction paper circles taped all over a white hoodie and a dog face drawn on with eyeliner.]
-my right eye won't stop watering lately. I think it's allergies or the changing seasons or something. It's very annoying.

recent pictures from india visitors, homecoming and more

8 reasons why it's always better to ride an elephant over a camel

well, I am not really going to write 8 reasons why it's always better to ride an elephant over a camel. But Lauren got on me for not blogging more often so here goes it.
1. Elephants are better to ride, or at least I think so because I am biased sine I rode an elephant in India. But if you call my voicemail you can leave your own opinion, or at least until I change the question.
2. As some of you know I don't have an "n" key on my keyboard. It was uh broken off a little more than a year ago. I can still type the letter n (obviously or this post wouldn't be possible) but there is no pad there so it's a bit akward. So today I did the HP online support chat thing and talked to some lady who told me it would cost me $110 and that I would have to replace the whole keyboard. Um no thanks. So if you ever use my computer and complain about the lack of the "n" either give me $110 dollars or just push a little harder like I am used to.
3. On Saturday night I went to an Indian festival in Cary. It was so much fun! There were thousands of Indian people there and I was so happy. LaBranda and I had some food, complete with naan (this awesome bread!) and Limca, a lemon lime soda that I drank quite frequently in India. It was a great evening. We watched this very popular Indian boy band perform and well they were quite fun. I actually recognized one of their songs from the Indian radio we listened to all summer.
4. celebrated LaBranda's birthday last week. even played some playstation 2. my parents tried to play, that was funny.
5. i almost put the splenda in the freezer yesterday

lately

- I have done lots and lots of school. Which is mostly reading ridiculous amounts of articles and writing papers.
- I taught a kindergarten drama lesson in class today. It was fun.
- have decided that my oven is out to get me. It gets REALLY hot and burns just about everything even if you turn the temp down. And then the smoke alarms go off. this is where the insanity starts!
- loving the fall weather in Boone. it's wonderful. I spend my inbetween class time sitting outside usually reading my Bible or a book and just watching the leaves change colors
-spending time with friends and realizing the importance of relationships and community
- most importantly I have been missing India like crazy. I never thought that it would get under my skin like this, that it would never leave my mind. but it doesn't. It's odd because sometimes I barely believe that I went where as other times I can't imagine not having gone. I miss the people and the culture incredibly. I especially miss the lepers. I can't even begin to explain how they taught me what true love is. those people are amazing. I want to go back. When I have no clue. Not anytime in the near future, to my dismay.
-along with missing India God has been teaching me a lot. in fact he's been using my longings for India and my memories to remind me of His goodness and continually teaching me new things about himself. I don't know if many people think about this but September 11 was last week. It amazed me how unnoticed it went by. It seemed like people don't really remember or if they do they are just pushing it aside. I was upset by the lack of remembering and realized that it had less to do with remembering the tragedy and more to do with remembering God's goodness and what he has done. I mean, how often do we just look back on our lives and the lives of others and just admire God's plan of redemption. just something I have been pondering lately.
-been talking on the phone a lot to my teammates. thank goodness for free minutes after 9. unfortunately one of the girls lives in Washington (the state not the district) so I have to wait till midnight to call her so that it is free for her. but i've logged many minutes talking to teammates. i didn't really think i would keep in touch so much with people but it has been incredible to even talk to about 4 people every now and then. I praise God for the friendships he has given me through these girls and look forward to being friends for a looooonnnnnnnnnnng time.
-loving my apartment. especially the walk in closet that i can actually walk into. someone could live in it it's so big. i am spoiled i know. also loving my turquoise room. it is very serene and calm which is usually what i need after long days of class,work, meetings, and studying
-reading Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. it's a great book about Christianity and honesty and well life. i reccomend it.
-realizing that my college time is going by way too fast. in a year i will be getting ready to student teach! this also means that i am realizing that soon i will be in the real world and i'm not so sure how i feel about that.
-going to some app football! yeah love the games and love tailgating and just the whole experience.
-went home 2 weeks ago for a Bethany Dillon concert, probably one of the best moments of my life i was so excited and happy! she is so talented and down to earth. i even met her after the concert and talked about india with her - two of my favorite things: india and bethany together, what could be better? no really she is super sweet and kind and signed my cd case and we got a picture
yeah that's it. sleep calls. class does not but unfortunately i still have to go anyways.

Pray for my Kids

I got an e-mail earlier this week from the pastor that we worked with in India. Asha, the orphanage that was our main ministry just got bunk beds thanks to some of you and your generous support. This is a big deal because the kids had been sleeping on the floor and monsoon season is here and bugs and rats and snakes will come in the house sometimes because of the rain. So now the kiddos have bunk beds and I have pictures to share.

Also, a prayer request. Somehow little Sweetie fell and broke her leg. You'll see pictures of her in the cast and she just looks so pitiful. She's only 3 years old and is the sweetest child I have ever made. Many of my hot, long afternoons were made better my Sweetie walking up to me with her arms spread open saying "Auntie, Auntie" as she gestured to be picked up. So please pray for Sweetie that she will heal properly and quickly so that she can get back to making some amazing pretend chai.

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5 Pounds of Possum In My Headlights Tonight

Last Friday night Amity, Angel, and I went to Todd to hear some good ol fashioned bluegrass. Luckily for us we got to hear "5 Pounds of Possum in my Headlights Tonight". It's a personal favorite of my Dad's.

Appalachian Upsets Michigan

So as you all know we whooped Michigan on Saturday. I was on campus watching it and saw all of the madness. This YOUTUBE video shows students carrying a goalpost all around campus. If you go to 3:20 you will see me and my friend Amity both wearing black shirts with gold letters raising our hands up in the air. I am proud.

My babies Sweetie and Suman sharing some yummy pretend Chai.
Goodness I miss them.

India Pictures!!!

............

less than one week till I leave...wow! so much to be done!

whirlwind

phew...i feel as if i have been around the world and back...oh wait that's not happened yet :)
as most of you know I will be leaving in a couple of weeks for India for the entire summer. This month of may, or mayhem as I like to say has been crazy.
-I got home, was super excited for Joy Prom! As usual I did Registration and of course danced!It was so much fun and so many guests (531 to be exact) showed up-talk about a lot of people! LaBranda was there for the evening as well and it was super duper to see her.
-The following week I went to the beach with my newest roommate Rebecca for some fun and sunshine. Her grandparents have a condo there and it was so nice to relax and do nothing. We got into a little wreck on friday that kind of killed the fun but in the end we were both ok and still had a blast. :)
-This week has been filled with sleep, family, and making the never ending packing list. Who knew of all the things you need to go halfway around the world. Including toilet paper. Oh boy, we have to pack our own toilet paper. There is an Indian custom of wiping with the left hand and we are not allowed to take up that custom so we have to pack our own because buying it there is super expensive. I e-mailed my team leader to ask her how much to bring and she replied "A LOT...as much as you can fit!". That should be fun.
well i'm off to see some friends but more shall come...

picture fun

I had a little photoshop fun with pictures this evening. Here they are:

laura and myself at a lovely panera lunch

swinging...what joy it brings me

i was wearing this skirt and felt the urge to twirl and watch it rise....it was fun

i have fallen in love with eating with chopsticks

this was one of my favorite days this year....reading and relaxing on fall retreat

i love these girls!

i love sunny days and water

sunshine

Lots of sunshine lately (except today) has caused me to me outdoors a lot! Last Friday I locked myself in the library for the day to do work. Megan and I decided to have a small adventure so we hopped in her car and drove to Valley Crucis, home of the original Mast General Store. We grabbed some root beers and sat outside on the back porch that has rocking chairs and a my favorite a porch swing. And just our luck, there was a local bluegrass group playing. It was wonderful. Sunshine. Root Beer. And good ol' mountain music.

Then on Sunday I arranged for my Monday Night Bible Study to go to Grandfather since it's Dollar Days in April. App Students and Local Residents get in for just $1. It ended up being just me and the boys which was really hilarious. But I was a trooper and did all the adventurous things anyways. We parked, hiked up about a half a mile, walked across the bridge and then went to go see the animals! The weather was gorgeous!

me with the gorgeous background!

the boys

incredible!

I could have sat there all day long!

a bear!

hello Mr. Eagle

the boys said that they would have to keep an eye on me since I supposedly fall under the children category

tyler and brodie before we crossed the bridge...notice that everyone and their brother was there that day

drew on the bridge. this is the part where drew goes "oh man I forgot that i'm afraid of heights"

view of the bridge from the other side

yeah i love where I go to school. sorry but Raleigh could come nowhere near this

Love it!

lately

lately:
- i had a firthday. a fake birthday. since mine is in the summer and oh yeah there's this thing called leaving for another country on that day. it was a great firthday. i got fun cards, ate chinese, enjoyed an ode from the girls and even ate coconut cupcakes
- i have been stressing because of school ending. i have also realized that i am a chronic procrastinator. i should work on that. maybe tomorrow
- got to hang out with old Belize friends last weekend. we ate fat daddy's (oh the memories) and played games. it was spectacular.
- played with LaBranda for about all of Easter. it was wonderful.
- went to the airport to greet the incoming Belize team. as i was there i realized that in less than two months i will be there leaving. wow.
-listening to my new Bethany Dillon CD - i absolutely love it. i highly reccomend it. so sincere and honest and inspiring.
-realzing that i am a morning person. yep, i am announcing it. i told this to my roommate and she goes "uh i already knew that. you wake up talking". for any of you who know my mother you will understand the importance behind that
-coloring in my new coloring book. yes i know it fits fell with my major. actually, coloring books are developmentally inappropriate for young children because it stiffles their creativity and is too standardized. open-ended art is much better. wow - way too many child dev courses. anyways i got a coloring book for my firthday and decided to put it in my backpack. it makes for great in between class fun. and people give you funny looks. oh well.
-dyed Easter eggs with my suiteys in the bathroom. they acidentally spilled pink dye and we had a rush to clean it all up. angel's towel is now tye-dyed. sort of on purpose and sort of not. but the eggs turned out great.
-loving life with my twos. one of the little girls yesterday was being completely silly yet adorable. though they all seem to have a problem getting over that pinching, hitting, kitting, biting problem.
- got shots. OWW! ok well the actual shots didn't hurt so much but now my shoulder's are completely sore. i got hep a/b and tetnaus and still have yet to get typhoid and polio. i am going to wait and let the arms recover first. the same little girl yesterday at work was talking to me about shots because she recently got her three year old shots. i asked if she cried and she said no and then asked me and i said no. then she goes "yeah cause big girls don't cry. they're brave"
-suprised a friend at midnight for her birthday with a card, balloons, and those fun little poppers and an off key rendition of Happy Birthday. her roommate was asleep. she might not like us so much right now.
and now i must be off...more of that exciting life...haha...my weekend has begun and i can't wait!

i love D.C.!

Last week I went to D.C. with all of the sophomore Teaching Fellows! It was so much fun! I love D.C. and want to live there. Ok not for long but I do love it!

the Cannon House Office Building where we met our tour person and also where we saw war protestors dressed all in pink

the Capitol Building

me and the Supreme Court Building

me and the Captitol Building

the old Supreme Court room in the Capitol

the dome ceiling in the Capitol

fresco art in the dome

fish in the Baltimore aquarium

a puffin!!!

my roomie Ashley on the phone

Ashley downtown

at Starbucks

the White House!!!!

us four girls ate at the Cheesecake Factory in Baltimore...the boys didn't want to eat there but they had no problem scarfing down our leftovers!

sting ray!

anemone!

a picture of a scary fish

the Lincoln Memorial!!!

an engraving of India at the Korean War Memorial

excited about India!!

the booth where Lincoln was shot at Ford's theatre

a coconut popsicle!!!! yum!

me and Tay on the bus on the way to a school

roomie love!

Lincoln Memorial