It's Really Just a Backwards Robe.

People anticipate their 21st birthday's for years.  They just can't wait to go out with friends and be able to order a drink whenever they want.  I was definitely excited for that too.  My 21st birthday was on Sunday and it was so much fun.  15 of my friends surprised me (right after I got out of the shower, mind you... I was in my towel and my hair was SOPPING wet), made me a delicious dinner, and took me out to get drinks later in the night.  It was low key and exactly what I pictured my birthday being like.  I am not that interested in going out a ton, but I like having the freedom of being able to (legally) whenever or how ever much I wanted to.

What am I most excited about though now that I am 21? My Snuggie.  Okay, maybe not really, but it is definitely up there on the list.  For all of you that have been living in a hole for the past 6 months or so and don't know what a Snuggie is, it is blanket with sleeves.  Dumbest invention ever, really.  The commercials are the best though... look them up on youtube.com and I ensure you will get a good laugh out of them.  Well anyways, my mom bought me a Snuggie for my birthday as a joke.  I was making fun of them so bad, she thought she should get me one.  Also, it is supposed to be one size fits all, but that is false.  It is essentially made for someone that is about 6'3'' and 250 pounds.  That is double my size basically so needless to say, this bathrobe/wizard's cloak is rather large.  Snuggies have now taken over the United States as THE PERFECT gag gift/white elephant gift.  That company must be making bank from what is essentially just a backwards robe. 

Blood and Barf

Picture this:

I am sitting in the library, minding my own business and studying for EDU 525: Inclusion in the classroom.  Really exciting. Well, I go to pick up my backpack and somehow, I bumped my ear and something got caught on my new piercing and pulled.  It hurt really bad and started to GUSH blood.  Like, all over.  Luckily, there was some random napkin on the table.  Hoping that it wasn't  used, I just grabbed it and put it on my ear.  SOAKED.  Then, I look over at the table next to me and this freshman boy is sitting there just staring at me as I tend to my wound.  He looks super pale and just disgusted.  I felt really awkward and didn't know what to do, so I just showed him my ear and said, "Man, these piercings will just get ya!"  He then proceeded to get up and walk away. Fast.  I hope it was to the bathroom to puke...

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do I hate group projects?

23. 

In my general methods education class, we were partnered up with one other person (There are 6 people in my class, so we had very little choice) to complete two big projects with.  One was a Thematic Unit Lesson Plan on Diversity... which I did 90% of the work on.  The second was an hour long presentation/teaching lesson about Service learning, which we just presented and of which I did 75% of the work.  My partner just did not help out... I always end up doing most the work and he had no clue what he was doing.  At least our presentation went well... or should I say, my presentation? Meh, glad those projects are done-zo.

If Big Brain had a middle name...

...It might be Beth Cavender.  Okay, so I might be exaggerating a little, but I think I have given a little too much money to Big Brain over the past 3 years while living in Omaha.  For those of you that don't know, Big Brain is the local tattoo/piercing place that also happens to be located conveniently right down the street from my loft.  I like piercings. My new addition? A lovely 1 1/2 inch bar through my left ear (an industrial for the piercing literate).  I have wanted this for awhile and I finally got it.  Three of my friends and I just decided at 11pm on Valentine's Day to go get piercings we have been wanting... This was my kind of Valentine's Day! It was pretty funny at the time... completely spontaneous and slightly irresponsible, but nonetheless, awesome.  So this makes holes #7 and #8... what's next?

Grande Chai Soy Latte in a Mug

Chai Chai Chai.  I have been to a coffee shop every day for the past 8 days and I have found my weakness. My kryptonite.  Chai. It is just plain delicious.  No matter what kind of mood I am in, I get the exact same thing.  I still spend a minute or two looking at the chalkboard menus, but for what? For nothing.  I still know exactly what I am going to order. Chai.  This is becoming unhealthy I think.

A Woman's Heart and Politics?

My friend Meghan and I started going to a Women's Bible Study/Book Study at my church here in Omaha. Surprisingly, we are not the youngest women there by much.  We are studying Beth Moore's study called A Woman's Heart: God's Dwelling Place.  It is an insight into the tabernacle and God's desire to be with us intimately here on Earth.  It has been amazing to listen/watch Beth Moore speak words of passion and commitment.  Her excitement for this study encourages me to really dive into the Word and learn more.  Pretty cool. 

Last week, we broke the group in half and split into small group discussion.  While we were going over one of the assignments we were supposed to complete, something caught the eye of one of the women in our group.  I think this is super cool and I hope you do too:

We were reading Genesis 12:1-3 and looking into the call of Abram and the road it entailed.  God gave instructions and promises.  Then they had us read Galatians 3:8, a reference to the Gospel taught beforehand.  Beth Moore says: "What was the gospel?  It was the good news of God's Blessing on man kind... The Hebrew word for bless in Genesis 12 is barakh, meaning 'to bend the knee, kneel down, to bless.'" 

Did anyone catch the the translation of bless? It is the same pronunciation as the name of our new president.  Now, most of you know I am an Obama supporter, but I did not catch this at all when I first read it.  One of the women in my small group pointed it out, who just so happens to be extremely conservative.  She told us, "I know a lot of people are nervous about Obama being our new president, but you know what?  This kind of gives me a little comfort.  Maybe Barack Obama will be a blessing.  We need to pray for him and that he will be a blessing."  I was so encouraged by this as well.  No matter who became president, I was a firm believer in supporting and respecting them.  Maybe Barack Obama will be a blessing for this country.  I certainly hope so.  But what I do know is that no matter what our political standing, we need to pray that he will be used as a blessing.