A New Semester

Hello, friends! 

I feel as though things have been running non-stop! I'm sure it is mostly my own fault. I'm always filling the rare, free moments with something else, barely giving myself a time to think. The only time I sit and read the Bible or write in my journal is after 11 PM when everyone else in the house has gone to bed and I'm nearly asleep. Because free time is so scarce I feel the need to put it to good use and spend with friends that I wouldn't otherwise get to see! This isn't how it always works out, though.. so today I only left the house once! Are you proud of me? You shouldn't be.. I wanted to go to Rockwells and Kathrine's and various other places, but the opportunities never arose so I was forced to content myself with home and Brookeshire's.

This week I started school again after the six-week long Christmas break! I was somewhat ready to go back after having such an erratic holiday. I think.. I flourish on routine.  This semester my schedule is somewhat erratic itself! I have classes at three different locations, all in one day! Things have been simplified by the canceling of one the dance classes I taught and two dance classes I took last semester, which helps keep things manageable. 

On Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. day, I found out some horribly unfortunate news regarding my classes. All of the TJC courses I'd signed up for at Teen Mania had been abolished due to lack of enrollment! Ah! I was something like devastated. I had stressed so much, trying to get registered for those classes! I'd been planning my life for the next five months according to THIS schedule with THESE classes. Anyway, we had to call the next day and re-enroll me for classes.. that is why my classes are in three different places (online, Lindale, and Tyler) rather than at Teen Mania where I had originally planned for them to be. 

These classes aren't the only things that have been different from what I'd intended or expected for this semester. I thought that I had worked everything out perfectly, and when things were changed I was devastated! I've been forced to believe that my plan wasn't the right one after all and the Lord had something else in mind. It is true, my plans don't always coincide with the ones that the Lord has.. but I know His are so much better than my own so I'm content to follow Him! 

"For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor.

No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!" - Psalm 84:10-12

Letter to Mom

"The sweetest sounds to mortals given, are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven." - William Goldsmith Brown

Hi Mom! I'll be in Heaven when you, my mother, are home. :)

Here comes the "Malorie epistle" you requested. After sending my previous, lengthy email I realized I'd failed to ask you at all about your trip! How silly of me.. I'm veryyy interested! How are you doing? Ready to come home yet? 

I'm SO ready to have you home, Mom. I do think I'll survive a few more days, but I'm predicting that by Thursday I'll be having a complete and total breakdown. I need you in my life! 

You'd like to know about New Years camp? I feel as though whenever something extremely fun happens and I go to write about it, I lose interest! Very odd.. but describing certain things that I enjoy very greatly is difficult for me!

As I said.. I enjoyed myself greatly. By 12:15 AM, January 1st, I was most definitely ready to be home.  I went Wednesday night, the camp started Thursday. Some of Wednesday and all morning on Thursday was spent decorating for the luau that was to happen. Camp had a Hawaiian theme this year which I think you're already aware of. In the end the Lodge looked ridiculous, exactly how we wanted desired! Nearly every item came straight from the Oriental Trading Company or a garage sale.

There were five girl CITs and only four girl cabin groups. They normally have CITs in the two younger groups and day camp, but day camp doesn't exist during New Years. So! I ended up with the Mustangs, the oldest group of girls! Many of them were fourteen, nearly fifteen. It was a new experience, having campers who were only a few years younger than me. These girls who seemed so young were only a year behind my two best friends! I think I work better with the Texans, but I really enjoyed trying something different. I also had kitchen duty all weekend. I had the second shift, after lunch 'til clean-up after supper -- 12:30 to 8:30. I didn't mind at all, but it would of been nicer if I were either working in the kitchen or working as a counselor rather than trying to do both. It was exhausting and it sad that I wasn't able to get to know my campers very well. There is a new cook, Heidi, and I love her! It was weird adjusting, after working in the kitchen with Ms. Rachel for so many years, but it was fun! Heidi said we were her best kitchen workers and asked Mr. Matt if they could hire us full-time. :)

Yesterday I ended up leaving right after the campers left instead of cleaning the whole ranch.. Hannah was home and I didn't want to miss my only opportunity to see her! I'm so glad I did come home! In the evening Blake, Zach, Richard, and Aaron stopped by for twenty minutes on their way to Tyler and I learned that Rockin' C paid $30-$50 extra to anyone who filled out an application right then! Ughh! I've already sent mine in and didn't get any extra money! Haha, I suppose I don't mind losing that money too much.. I didn't have to clean.

When leaving the ranch, the first thing I wanted to do was have Kat over! And that is what I did! She came over this afternoon too. I picked her up from work and then we headed to Brookshire's to buy supplies for a cheesecake! After buying our groceries I realized I was missing my keys. We scanned the store, looking everywhere we'd walked, but the keys weren't to be found! I figured they'd be in the truck.. and they were! Abigail came to the rescue with the spare key and we headed home. Though extended somewhat, the trip to Brookshire's was still successful. We made an AWESOME cheesecake. It's title is "Autumn    Cheesecake." It was cinnamon, apples, and pecans. Yummmmmyy. 

-- Kathrine and I put pecans on only half of it because I'm not a fan of them. We also went on a wonderful walk. Bundled up in our coats and scarves, we were protected from the cold and were able to enjoy the sunset. --

This evening I finished my book, The Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams. I'm feeling very inspired! The whole book is little stories and the things the author, Randy, learned from them. The whole time I was reading this book, reading of his vibrant life and experiences I knew he was no longer alive. Randy Pausch wrote the book while dying of terminal, pancreatic cancer and he only had a few months left to live. It was something of a memoir, something for his kids to read when they're older. Anyway! I looooved it.

I am feeling a little impatient about life. Hannah's pregnant, Abby's getting married, and all I have is a long road of school stretched out in front of me. It is irritating. I guess it could be comforting, I have something of a plan for once.. I know what I'm doing. I have an end goal, school is the means to the end. But see, I get my satisfaction by finishing things.. journals, books, classes, etc. so being here in the middle doesn't hold much pleasure for me. In some ways I wish I wasn't in college yet, then I would be feeling the joy of nearly being done with high school!  When I graduate nothing much will change, so I it isn't any fun. Aaah! I'm impatient right now.

Okay! Going to bed now. I hope you enjoy this letter, in my normal, rambling style. 

I love you so much and I hope you're having a blessed trip! Praying for you, and Nu, Mats, and Andrea. 

Your Mal 

P.S. I'm loving this right now. "But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." (I bet you already know what the reference is and have the verse memorized.) -- 2 Corinthians 3:16-18