As of 1:16 in the Morning...

It's New Year's Eve! Where did the year go? 2009 is soon too be over and 2010 soon to be here. I love New Year's. I have to admit that it is in my top three favorite holidays right along with Halloween and Christmas...This year has been amazing as well as trying but at the same time I love fresh new starts. A recap:

January: I started my first 'real' job. Depending on how real you consider work study? I also saw the process of it snowing for the first time.

February: I had my first birthday away from home. I wasn't looking forward to it at all. I expected it to go by unnoticed quite honestly. Boy was I wrong. When a friend of mine found out I wasn't celebrating except over the phone with my mom while I opened some presents...Well that night there was a mandatory hall meeting so I hung up with my mom and went to it. Afterwords I called my mom back again and it wasn't too long before someone knocked on the door. How about more than one someone? My entire hall was standing outside my door with a cake. It was an amazing day.

March: I called my brother Jonathan just to tell him he was officially old.

April: I rode home with some friends for spring break...excuse me Week of E or Week of Evangelism.

May: I attended Kayley's baby shower.

June: I went back to Pinehaven!!! An entire week helping on a ranch in the Rockies a.k.a. BLISS!
Then I got to go to Oregon. =]

July: My first niece, Sapphira, was born.

August: I went back to Johnson!

September: I went to Coffee House again.

October: My newest nephew, Zander, was born. This is the blanket I made for him. First blanket I ever sewed.

Novermber: I spent Thanksgiving with a couple of different married couples on campus. Which I enjoyed a. lot.

December: Home for the first time in four months. And I got to see New Moon. Very good!


It's been a long year and its over. It was good and bad like anything. Im excited for the new year and the change it will bring with it.

Trends

So I've noticed that the only time I ever get around to posting a blog is generally either when the semester begins or ends. Well I'm on break so why break a pattern? My grades weren't too awful this semester. I actually got my first A in college. In Greek of all things. I was pretty much through the roof. I got Bs and one D+. I guess that makes it better or something...It was one of those fun classes where the subject was interesting but the class is completely made of exams. I don't do well in those classes. I'll just have to retake it when I transfer. That was me sighing. I'm pretty glad the semester's over. No 730 am classes ever again! I'm through the roof just thinking about it because generally college classes don't start until 8 at the earliest. The more I look into Atlanta Christian College the more excited I get there are many things I like over Johnson but if I had a choice I wouldn't be leaving...Christmas is over and New Year's is around the corner. Why is it that when we grow older time zips by and when were young it drags? That when we want something to end it never does and we want it to last its over? And when the heck did I become an adult? I was told that last summer, I'm an adult. Yeah that's not weird at all...

New Semester.

A new semester has started. I'm in a new room and yet it is the same one form last year that I once again have to myself. I really need to take a picture of it before it gets to messy. I set it up completely different, but I really like it. My RA told me during one of the room checks that it looks like two people live here and its true. I don't really think its because I have more stuff that last year, well not the spring semester. Its because I actually have the second bed made, lol.
I'm really liking my classes (for the most part) okay so I'm like Greek and BCB. I don't think Speech will be too bad but I still wish I could get out of it. On the bright side I'm getting it over with. I'm also taking Music Appreciation, it wouldn't be bad except these two classes are at 7:35. Ick. I'm also taking Spanish. The problem with it is the fact that the teacher pretty much teaches it for advanced students with a splash of review and I've never taken it in my life. It'll be okay I'll just have to teach myself like I planned on. Honestly I'd probably drop it but am keeping it for the wrong reasons. I was told by someone (in not so many words) that by taking Spanish, considering the way it's taught, as well as Greek (it's the hardest class taught by the hardest teacher on campus) that I would fail both. Now I will make myself pass both just to spite this certain someone. I fell badly about that but not enough to stop. *Sigh* Anyway Greek is A-ma-zing. I'm in love. I love foreign languages and I like the structure of the class and the teacher and that TA and the people in my class. Did I mention I'm in love and its a-ma-zing!!!? Well it is, lol. BCB is pretty good too. I've been questioning alot--okay everything I've ever believed about everything lately. And I think its been coming to head for awhile and ironically I can think my BCB for the combustion.
Basic Christian Beliefs how I love thee. Yeah...
So I know with my head that even as my head question the existence of God and all that follows my heart will never not believe. I think it would be too hard and scary to not believe. God is my reason for living. And I know for a fact that without God I would be dead. It's not one of those God saved me because of something I had not control over type of deals (which I am not trying to diminish in any way) but it is more of something I had control over. As in whether or not to end my own life. I only didn't some days because of my faith and fear of God.
However everything else I've realized how I've never even had a relationship even with God. He's always just been there. Someone I relied on the be there but kind of in the background. Kind of like a symbiotic relationship. I love God and get baptized and attend church, then God does things for me when I pray. That's not a relationship at all, that's a business deal. I just have to ask how did I not even know this. But it's true and it shames me. Until I read a book about pharisees for my BCB class I had no idea what was wrong with me even while knowing there was something...
I think I'm what I once heard phrased in my Wold Missions and Evangelism class a seeker. I believe in God and I believe what the bible tells me. But how I interpret the words and how I feel about things I've always heard growing up...I'm just not sure yet.

Final Week.

After this week I will no long be a freshmen ever again. I think...

Anyway tomorrow I start my week of finals. Originally I was to have a final at 7:30 am which is just wrong considering classes don't even start at the earliest until 7:35. You may be thinking it's only 5 minutes but I value those five minutes! It's online and my teacher is being super nice and letting those of us with schedule conflicts take it some other time since it's online anyway. He just wanted us all to be in one room to take it in case we had problems. So I'll probably take it sometime on Tuesday. That will be the Greek portion of Introduction to Biblical Languages and Tools.

Then I have a 9:45am Essentials Math exam. Originally I was going to take it on Wed. but when given the Monday choice I'd much rather get it over with. Then I usually work from 9 to 11 on Monday mornings so I talked to my supervisor and will just work after my exam. Then I have my hardest exam at 3pm, History of Israel. Although it shouldn't be too bad.

On Wed. I have my last exam at 7:30am, Psychology. Then I work from 10am to noon. Then I work from 6pm to 8pm. Then I don't work for an entire 3 months. I'm ecstatic about the no working thing! I wasn't really looking that forward to school getting out because I fell in love with this place and the people. Work however I don't mind missing that. Would you really mind miss cleaning bathrooms? Seriously, guys are disgusting, FYI! Ugh, it makes me shiver just think about it.

Sometimes on Thursday I'll head to my brother's place on campus until Sat. when Jonathan and Mom pick me up. I am looking forward to see a bunch of my friends graduate in a couples weeks. I'm more looking forward to the Mission trip I'm going on at the end of June and then off to Oregon for an entire month! Why couldn't it be longer. That was me sighing wistfully.

=]

So it's 2 am.

I keep thinking about going to bed earlier and I never quite manage to get there. What I want to know is where this semester went. I'm really not looking forward to it as everyone else is. I'm really going to miss these people. So many have become like extended family to me. I really have no idea what I'm going to do after next year when I don't plan on ever coming back. =[

I think it's because I've been so much busier than last semester and I actually like my classes this semester as well. I don't really expect to have any time next semester when I'll be taking more classes and more hours. Although then again I'm taking more hours than I'm supposed to so it won't be too much more than now just an extra class. I'm really not looking forward to have a 7:35 am class every day of the week. I feel sorry for me. I also going to try a new church tomorrow, one I can walk to so I don't have to depend on someone else for a ride and so that this way I'll be able to start going to a church consistently. The one I've got closest to going to consistently I don't really care for. I like a lot of the people but I just don't feel like it's 'home' or even home away from home. I'm hoping this new church is a better fit or I'll probably continuing to go the one I have been at for the most part since I have a relatively reliable ride there.

I also stopped lying to myself. I do actually like psychology. It may have been my most interesting class this semester. I think I would have liked History of Israel better if I had my professor from Pentateuch. Not that there was anything wrong with my current professor. He just has a different teaching style and I prefer Dr. Owen's. I'm hoping to be able to take a class with him next spring and I really excited about that.

Next semester I'll be taking Greek, Spanish, Basic Christian Beliefs, Music Appreciation, and Speech. The last two being my early classes. I really don't think I am able to appreciate anything at the time of day and it's the only time offered. Thankfully the teacher I'm planning on taking Speech with is from what I heard very easy in comparison to others. Something I like. Unfortunately I don't hear the best things about Spanish or BCB I've decided to take them. Spanish possibly against my better judgment and hope to be proven wrong. I kind of wish that Montana was the week after finals and school would start again. I'm not sure how much time away from my JBC family I can take.. Thank you Facebook. =]

The only thing I'm really looking forward to this summer is a mission trip I'm going on. Other than that I don't expect much out of my summer other than being lazy. This summer will definitely help my slim self discipline. Oh well.

God is good.

~Susann

A New Semester

I'm really looking forward to this next semester. I miss my friends from school. Although I'm really going to miss mom and brother, and of course Abby. =] I even got to see one of my old friends, Ginny. I haven't seen her since probably some time last May. It was nice talking to her and being on good terms again. I forget sometimes how much I like her. I don't like myself when we're friends, how I treat her but I do like her as much as I like anyone. She has thinks about her that annoy me but so does everyone else at some point when I get to know them well enough.

Also about this coming up semester are the classes. A good thing about being in college for me is the time length of the classes. In school I get comfortable and slack off. A semester is really short enough I really don't have the time. By the time I get comfortable enough to start slacking the semester is almost over. My other problem with last semester is they aren't classes that I would call 'brain stimulating'. They were more 'deep thought' classes. Which isn't a bad thing. It's just that after eight months my head starts to feel foggy without taking classes that challenge me to think. I will be taking math, it should be boring but it should still be math. I'm also taking IBLT (Introduction to Biblical Languages and Tools) meaning I'll get some Greek and Hebrew. I'm really looking forward to a foreign language. After taking Latin the last two years of High School I miss it. Then I'll be taking History of Israel which is a history class which I'm extremely looking forward too. Especially when I realized it involves the books of Samuel which I studied for Bible Bowl. The other class I'm taking is Intro to Psychology. I'm not looking forward to it since I've taken it before. Hopefully it will be better this time. I'm also looking forward to next year when I take Chinese. I really wanted to take Spanish since it's spoken so much throughout the US but I haven't very good things about the teacher. How even people who have taken the language before are having problems. I wasn't so sure about Chinese since it has characters and I'm very bad at drawing. Then I was talking to my aunt and she was mentioning how my cousin is majoring in Chinese. She told me that Chinese is actually the base language of Japanese. That made me alot more excited because Abby has gotten me into Manga, which are pretty much japanese graphic novels. It would be amazing to take Japanese and learn more about the culture I'm reading about. Ginny, who also knows Chinese, told me it's an amazing language.

So I am excited about going back to school. I'll just miss home. I'll miss my church alot. Church hasn't really felt like church, like a family. The only church I really liked a lot that I went to was Woodlawn. It was because I went to Sunday School and got to know some people. The rest of the churches I don't feel like I'm really a part only participating. At home it feels like I'm surrounded by people who care whether or not I'm there. I'm going to miss the people here. There are so many amazing people in my church. I don't think I'll be home until spring break meaning I probably won't seem them until the end of May. It's time like these I'm happy that the internet was invented. =]