Airport adventure

At 5:15 this morning, as I was waiting to go through security at the airport, I realized that I didn't have my license.
I was a COMPLETE genius and didn't check before I left to make sure I had it. I had taken it out of my wallet yesterday at the CVS drive through, didn't put it back in, and left it in the seat of my car.
Apparently, I could have used my credit card for identification, but I did not learn this until after my mom was almost at the airport with the license.
My poor dad, who woke up at 4 a.m. to take me to the airport, was pacing the entire time.
I, SURPRISINGLY, stayed calm, even after I was still standing outside of security, without my license, after boarding for my flight began. That is unbelievable.
So, thank you to my mom who got to the airport just in time! I made the final boarding call and am sitting in Atlanta waiting for my flight to Chattanooga.

I thought that I would use this opportunity to blog, since I haven't in forever.
However, apparently this airport doesn't provide the courtesy of free Internet. So, I am writing this blog post on my phone, with my Verizon 3G Internet. I am not sure if this is normal, since I do not fly often, but I think it is ridiculous. Plane tickets cost a lot of money; the least they can do is provide Wi-Fi.
I'm actually not sure how people afford to fly over the holidays. A round-trip ticket from Charleston to Chattanooga, during the holiday season, costs $904.
I am extremely thankful for a family friend, who works for Delta, that helped me get a stand-by "buddy pass" ticket for almost just a tenth of that price. Otherwise, I would be driving to Tennessee today. And, I am also extreme thankful for my dad paying for the ticket as a reward for getting a 4.0 this semester.

So, that was my day so far.
Thank you so much, mama and daddy, for helping me out through the craziness early this morning. Love you :).

Oh, and I am going to Chattanooga to see my bff Katie Stephens :). I'm excited. :)

Thank you medicine!

I would just like to take a moment to say that I am thankful for medicine.

After my blog post complaining about being sick the other night, things got much worse.

My head stayed in the toilet nearly all night, which was super awesome.

I felt like dying.

I went to the doctor yesterday morning, and I am SO glad I did.

I got an antibiotic shot and was hooked up to an i.v. to get fluids and nausea medication.

I was sent home with two antibiotics and a steroid.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

My throat feels ten times better.

I am not coughing as much.

I can breathe out the right side of my nose.

My headache isn't as bad.

I actually slept all night!

I haven't thrown up in almost 24 hours!

THANK YOU MEDICINE!!!

Sick Complaints

I have been waiting on this day for weeks. I am DONE with the fall semester, and it's looking like all A's is good possibility...

But, I am NOT happy!

Why???

Because I am SICK.

Not sick, not feeling well sick. Sick that makes me want to die, sick.

I have bronchitis and strep throat. And, I'm 95% positive I also have a sinus infection.

I cannot breathe out of my nose at all and it hurts to breathe out of my mouth.

I cannot taste food and it hurts to swallow what I eat.

I feel extremely nauseated, I have only thrown up once though. Kind of wish I would again, just for momentary relief from my stomach being angry.

I feel like my brain is going to explode out of my ears/eyes/nose. (Yes, it hurts that bad).

I am more than exhausted but I cannot sleep because of my uncomfortable state.

My lungs are probably detaching (from whatever in the world is holding them in place) because of the amount of coughing I am doing.

I am burning up one second and freezing the next. 

I am shaky and very disoriented.

Thank you for listening to me whine.

And sorry if you found any of that disturbing.

On a brighter note:

My mom made me vegetable soup.

My roommate got me awesome bedtime slippers and Hershey's milk chocolate.

I am on an antibiotic.

Side note: My request to throw up was granted as soon as I finished the previous sentence.

I know, it's gross. Sorry.

Inside of my head.

Thoughts. 

60,000 thoughts per day.

2,500 thoughts per hour.

41 thoughts per minute.

A thought for nearly every second in a day.

I cannot express to you how much goes through my mind everyday.

Hopes. Fears. Dreams. Worries. Desires.

Past. Present. Future.

I overanalyze everything.

But, not as much as I used to.

To take a look inside might be overwhelming for the average person.

Sometimes my thoughts overwhelm me.

But, not as much as they used to.

I often bottle my thoughts up,

and watch as they explode uncontrollably all at once.

There are some thoughts that spill out all the time.

There are some thoughts that I have never spoken, and most likely never will.

Thoughts. Thoughts. Thoughts.

I actually started this post with the plan of spilling out a lot of thoughts,

and yet, I have simply just let the world know that they are in my head.

Maybe someday I will fearlessly write all of my thoughts down for the world to see.

But, not today.

Just a thought.

Thank God that God is in control.

I am freaking out! The end of this semester seems to have come out of nowhere, and I have to much to get done!

I just cannot let myself forget that God is in control.
I feel like saying that out loud helps me to remember. :)

God is looking out for me!
I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength!

These papers will NOT be the end of me.
Next week this time it will all be over!

God is in control. God is in control. God is in control.
And, thank God that He is in control, because I couldn't do it without Him!

Apology

My life is not my own...

I have been living it like it is lately.

And, for that, I am sincerely sorry.

This semester I developed a new attitude.

I began constantly thinking,

"what about what I want?"

...in every situation.

For some of you, this makes no sense at all.

Why should I apologize for putting myself first?

Because...

IT'S NOT ABOUT ME!

It just isn't. Life is so much bigger than me.

I have been called to live a life, serving God first, others second, and myself last.

I used to pride myself for doing so, 

and I am sorry that I haven't lately.

And, for those of you who think this is crazy...

From personal experience,

 I am much happier when I live my life for God and for others

than when I do for myself.

Now, to spare confusion...

This does not mean that I don't ever need to think about what I want.

It just means that I don't need to make myself center of the universe.

So, to my friends and family...

I am sorry for my selfishness.

I know that it is not something I can just turn off,

but I am working hard to fix my attitude.

Please pray for me to stay focused on God and the calling that He has for my life!

I love you all. <3

Michelle.

"We're the ones,

Gonna put it all in reverse,

Gonna die to ourselves,

Gonna live to serve,

Cause you get what you get when you walk by faith,

 Is it really so dumb to throw it all away?

They say it sounds insane,

We say that we've been changed,

By the power of...

CRAZY LOVE!

This world it looks at us, like we're ridiculous,

Baby, it's all because,

CRAZY LOVE!"

Pointless???

In the midst of writing a 5 page paper, I am beginning to wonder more and more.
What's the point?
Does any of this really matter? And will I use any of this information in the coming years?

Perhaps this is a poor attitude to have.
But, this just feels like punishment. Honestly.

I suppose I am expanding my knowledge and getting out of my tiny bubble of information that I keep stored in my brain.

Then again, I really am not sure how much more information my tiny brain can contain before it explodes.

Now, I must stop complaining, and write this paper. Because, well, I need an A.
Because I will not be satisfied otherwise.
Oh life. :)

In other news, my birthday is in a day :). And that is exciting!

A year's difference.

Just a year ago my facebook status read:

 "Dear God, make me a bird, so I can fly far, far, far away from here.

Dear God, make me a bird, so I can fly far, far far away from here.

Dear God, make me a bird, so I can fly far, far away from here."

In a sense, that seems like just yesterday. But yet again, a lifetime ago.

The moment I wrote that, I was feeling:

Trapped. Betrayed. Scared. Alone. Hurt. Confused.

Little did I realize, God had given me wings to fly away a long time before I even wanted to.

The wings God gave me consisted of:

Faith. Hope. Courage. Strength. Wisdom.

It was up to me to use my "wings" and take myself to where I needed to be.

And after I used them I gained:
Relief. Peace. Joy. 

Don't wait for your circumstances to change. Take action to change them yourself.

Don't sit around forever wishing you were somewhere else in life.

Go there!

Seek what plans God has in store for you.

They are far better than what you could ever imagine.

Just realize, God isn't always going to stick you right where he wants you.

God opens doors, it is our job to walk through them!

Or, in my case... God made wings and it was my job to flap them. ;)

Friday Confessional 3

I confess that at this moment in my life I weigh more than I ever have before.

My tummy is still flat, but let's just say I am becoming a bit more "curvaceous" than what I am used to.

Which, is lovely. 

However, the dilemma is staying at this weight and not gaining ANY more pounds.

Speaking of weight, I confess that I cannot stand when people wear clothes that are too small for them. 

There are flattering clothes for every body type, find them.

If God made you a size large, stop trying to fit into an extra small.

It's disgusting.

I confess that I am a nerd. 

I look forward to my Constitutional Law class every Tues./Thurs.

And, as mentioned in my roommate's blog, my roommate and I find attempting to name all 50 states and their capitals entertaining.

I confess that I have stared at the screen for ten minutes debating on whether or not to end this post by confessing a certain thing.

Maybe next week ;)

Isn't a little bit ironic?

The irony that life creates never ceases to amaze me.

Hooray for short, meaningless posts.
Perhaps I should do them more often.

Flashbacks.

It is unbelievable how a song can take you back to a certain moment in time.

Half of the time I find myself cranking up the volume, while the other half I immediately change the song.
Some moments I wish I could relive, while others... I'd rather not remember.

Thank you people!

I realize that it has almost been an entire month since my last blog post...

I have been so busy, the month has flown by!

Let's see if I can do better for September... And what better way to start than to look at what all I have to be thankful for? :)

More than anything, I think I have been most thankful for the people in my life!

I am thankful for the best family ever!

I am thankful for my wonderful students!

(not all pictured)

I am thankful for my fellow SGA executive officers!

I am thankful for my awesome roommate!

I am thankful for my coworkers!

I am thankful for my TOM!

Yes, he is a person!

I am thankful for my friends!

NOT ALL PICTURED, obviously :).

I am thankful for God!!!! :D

And the list goes on and on and on and on...

What are you thankful for today?

I do love band.

It's been a while since I've posted anything, life has been crazy busy!

But, busy as it may be, I am thankful for everything that is making it this way. :)

I am thankful for my awesome job! :)

I love everything about it!

And I am thankful for my talented students, and amazing coworkers! :)

Fall Marching Band

Winter Percussion

We have really been working hard! I am exhausted but having a great time :)

And of course, whenever you are at camp for 9 hours, there is always time to throw in some fun!

My students have learned so many great things during their breaks...

 They have also practiced their artistic abilities.

AND they discovered old drama costumes.

But, in all seriousness I have been amazed with how talented and hardworking my students have been the past two weeks.

I am VERY thankful for that!

One more week of camp to go :).

Friday Confessional Round Two

I confess that...

As much as I LOVE my job, I am dreading the end of my summer! Band camp starts for the high school I teach at on Monday.
We have two weeks of band camp followed by one week of percussion camp. Then I would have a week off before school starts, BUT because of my vice presidency at CSU, I have to move onto campus a week earlier than the rest of the students.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my kids and coworkers, I LOVE band, and I am THRILLED about being CSU's VP... BUT this has all cut my summer 4 weeks short!
Did I mention that I have had one of the BEST summers of my life? Well, I have. It just cannot be ending already!!!

I am a little very scared about school this semester. I am going to have SO much going on with work and student government. Not to mention, my two favorite professors are not returning to CSU... Ahhh!!! Oh, and my student government advisor, the Dean of Students (who I loved), is not coming back either.
I was hit with all of this over the past few weeks, and I'm not going to lie, I almost had a panic attack! It is my junior year and I feel like I am having to start all over again. However, I am SO glad they all didn't decide to get up and leave right before my senior year!
I just hope that my grades stay where they are. I am a straight-A student, and it is important to me that I continue to be one. Bring on the stress :) I am superwoman!

I can't believe I am halfway done at CSU! The past two years have went by so fast. I have a strange feeling that the next two are going to move even faster. I wish time would slow down a little bit, I still have not figured out what exactly is going to come next in life. Do I go straight to law school? Which law school? Do I take a few years off for an internship or a
job? What kind, and where at? I have NO clue about what to do yet. The scary part? I need to be almost positive about what im going to do this time next year. It feels just like yesterday that u was saying "I have 3 years to figure that out!" the time to decide will be here before I know it, when it comes I hope I am ready!

Whew! That felt good to release!
Have anything you want to confess?

Thankful Thursday

This Thursday I am thankful for true friends.

I was at the beach with my mom today, and I was talking to her about what great friends I have.

They really are the best, ever.

They are ALWAYS there. No matter what.

I love them. :)

That's what I am thankful for today!

Oh, and there were a few people that I didn't have good photos with.
Sad day, but I still love you just the same.
You know who you are. :)