Still listening?

So, who's still on Xanga?  I switched over a long time ago to MySpace,
and now Facebook.  But I recently heard someone say they were still on
Xanga.  Are you there?




Christen

I really don't want all of my posts to be deleted.

The Pendulum of My Life

My life resembles a pendulum.

Two days ago, I was driving down the crazy streets of Newark, rain on my windows, and single tears falling down my face while a faithful friend made a valiant effort to cheer me up. Thanks again :) I was lonely and bored and frustrated. I wanted to go into the City so badly, but the rain (and ridiculous lack of parking at the bus station) prevented by plans. I ended up wandering aimlessly around Ikea for two hours, admiring $6.99 curtains, and eating a burger at Ruby Tuesday's...alone. It was a low point.

Then yesterday, I had one of the best days this month...maybe this summer! I rose early and took the bus to the train station (no need to park), caught the train to the World Trade Center, and hopped on the subway to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was an hour and a half commute yet fully and completely worth it.

I made my way into one of the most extensive Egyptian exhibits I have ever seen (and I've seen a lot). I gazed wide-eyed at mummy after mummy, ran my hand across an actual sarcophagus (with permission, of course), and stood...STOOD...inside the Temple of Dendur. It's dated to around 15 B.C., and the carvings are still very much visible. The MET moved it to the states in the 1960's. It was one of those "wow" moments in life. If I never make it to Egypt, I will be partially okay. :) I hit up the American, European, African, Medieval, and Modern art exhibits too before finding the caf for a bite to eat.

Art stirs great things within me. I see so much of God's beauty and creation in a painting, a sculpture, a piece of woven fabric. He enables normal people to create timeless pieces of beauty from nothing. A simple tube of paint when paired with the master's hand produces such perfection. Even the modern pieces that seem to contain such disorder are, in reality, quite beautiful. Isn't that just like God? What we see as simple or irregular is a masterpiece in another's eye. Wow.

Anyway, after almost 4 hours in the museum, I made my way back to Jersey. More plans. :) I drove to South Jersey to meet up with Ed Pietrowski and Jerry McCarty. I went to Master's with these guys, and it was so amazing to see them. They understand an element within me that only another Master's alum can. They introduced me to an authentic Philly Cheesesteak (yum!). Then we threw knives at a tree...don't ask. haha Later, we hit up the county fair, complete with a petting zoo and full carnival. The tilt-o-whirl was fantastic. :) The evening concluded with a few hilarious rounds of Wii mini-games! Man, I wish I could hang out with them more. It was fun guys. :)

But it's back to reality tomorrow. I have a trip to Austin with another long layover. (If you live in or around Austin, you should hang out with me.) Then I head to Las Vegas on Sunday, ending with a red eye back to Newark. It should be interesting. Ha.

Good night :)

Evacs!!!

Evacs were yesterday!

I wish I could paint a perfect picture for you of what I went through.

We got to school at 7:30, as usual, and ate a hearty breakfast of cheerios....again. We walked as a class to the cabin trainer, and you could see the panic in everyone's eyes.

Do I know my commands? Will I remember the red inflation handle? How do I preflight a POB? What if the smoke is too thick?

My stomach churned as I waited. Group 5. I climbed the stairs to act as a passenger in each mock flight. Group one began their boarding announcements. I tried to stay a step ahead in my mind to make sure I knew my stuff: announcements, close bins, announcement, door close, announcement, arm doors, cross check, head count, dim lights, safety demo, compliance varification, lock lavs, dim lights more, jumpseat, brace position, crash, EVAC! Follow captain's commands, shout, "Release seatbelts, get out, leave everything! Stand back," assess conditions, open door, pull inflation handle, yell, "You, help at the bottom, send people away from the plane," yell, "Come this way, jump and slide, get away from the plane," open the other door, yell commands again, search cabin for remaining passengers, exit aircraft, round up passengers, no smoking, check injuries, head count. Done.

Wow, I couldn't believe I knew what was supposed to happen. I could tell when people were making mistakes. I knew when people were nailing it.

Then, it was time to pull positions from a bag.

"A"

Crap! The hardest position. My heart raced. I knew I knew it, but one slip up meant failure, and failure meant retakes. And a failed retake meant home.

I paced and prayed. I did this in college...like a pleading with God. "Lord, you know I studied this, you know I practiced, please bring it back to my memory." The Lord is good. ;)

My crew boarded. I aced my preflight equipment checks, gave a superb crew briefing, and made my announcements in a clear, strong voice. During the safety demo, smoke began to fill the cabin. It was amazing- my body just flew into action. I pressed the captain call button, described the location, color, and density of the smoke, and stood by. The captain gave the signal for an evacuation, and it was like second-nature. I whipped open those doors (that are super heavy, by the way), shouted my commands, looked for passengers, and saved them all!!

My adrenaline was pumping! I knew I had nailed it. Holy cow!

During debriefing, Nectar told me I forgot a couple of things, but nothing vital. I PASSED!!!! I started crying!

And in that moment, I knew I could be a flight attendant.

Life just got reaaaally interesting...

Yesterday morning at about 9 a.m. I climbed onto an emotional rollercoaster.

During the initial ascent, my phone rang with a 281 area code. Continental is in Houston!! I pretended to have already been awake and answered the phone. "Ma'am, I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to be a part of the final training class of the summer." I grabbed a pen and hurriedly scribbled down the information until he said, "you'll report June 2." I froze. My heart began beating wildly. I asked ever so politely about our September arrangements due to my being in 2 weddings this summer. He said they were no longer offering me that session and that June 2 was my only option. I explained my situation and asked if I could reapply for September. He said applicants had to wait 12 months to reapply. Yeah, that was the rollercoaster car plummeting into my stomach. I suddenly felt sick. My eyes welled up with tears as I told him there was just no way. He asked me to reconsider and gave me his telephone number. I told him if anything changed I would let him know by Friday.

Rollercoaster metaphor aside, I called my mom completely in pieces. Being the good mother she is, she reassured me that Alesha would understand and that I should just call her. It wasn't that I just felt bad about backing out of her wedding with such short notice, I want more than anything to BE in the wedding. Lesh and Kory have been my two best friends growing up, and I still can't imagine not sharing that day with them. So, I called her mom first. Her mother, too, told me this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and just to call Alesha. So, I made the call, and as I totally expected, she was cool and understanding and completely supportive. She told me I HAD to take the job. Through sobs and tears, I told her, "This is why you're my best friend." I'm such a dork. ;) Lesh, for real, I love you so much.

So, with bittersweet delight, I decided to take the job after all. I'm going to be a flight attendant!! OH MY GOODNESS!! It hasn't really sunk in yet that I'll be working...on a plane...all over the world! I start training June 2 for 4 1/2 weeks (Monday-Saturday, 8 am-5 pm) and then have 4 days to get moved. I'll find out about 2 weeks into training where I'm headed. I will either be based in Houston, Newark, NJ, or Cleveland, OH. Please pray I get Houston so I can be by my family and have a roommate. :)

On top of accepting a life changing job and having to tell my bff that I couldn't be in her wedding, I had to say goodbye to some very dear friends at SAGU. Most I'll see before I leave for training, but some...I honestly don't know when our paths will cross again. Let's just say, I cried a whole, whole lot yesterday.

Thank you for all your love and support and congratulations today. :) I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends in my life. I love each and every one of you! :)

I feel like my blood pressure is soaring.  I graduate from college in 9 days.

I'm currently hiding from my homework.  I literally came up to my office to get away from my textbooks and study guides.  haha!  My motivation is GONE!  If I make a 70 on the test I have tomorrow, I'll be 100% satisfied.  SAD!

I really hate that song "Promiscuous Girl" but I heard part of the lyrics today.  Nelly says that chivalry is dead.  Yeah right.  It's alive and kickin.  Do you know how important that is for me?!  Just Saturday I was talking to my friends about it.  I'd like to give a nice shout out to Devin and Erik who never let me open a door.  Y'all are great!! :)  I have the best guy friends, and for those guys out there who think they don't have to treat a lady well, get over yourself- we love it.  For me, it's one of the most attractive qualities. :)

I got an interview in Houston on May 9 with Continental Airlines.  I'm trying not to get my hopes up because I think a ton of people are interviewing, but they're flying me down there and everything!  Holy crap- me as a flight attendant- way cool!!!  Right now, it's the only job I would take that's not in Colorado.  If I don't get it, I'm holding out for the Springs. :)

In the midst of all my joys, I'm pretty bummed.  I'm moving away from some of my favorite people ever.  Though I love change, I'm not sure I'll ever have this dynamic again.  Plus, I've been doing some soul searching/reflection lately, and I'm just sad about other things too.  I found a letter today that I wrote in January/February-ish that I never sent.  So weird.  Life changes so fast.

I'm not sure if I'm ready for this much change right now.

Christen

I'm stressed.

When all I really want to do is play and enjoy my friends, I'm stuck doing tons and tons of homework.  I have 25 days until graduation, and I'm trying to make the best of it.  But I seriously think it may be my most stressful 25 days yet.  I made a list today of all the projects and papers I have left (this does not include daily quizzes and tests), and it came to 7.  One of these is a project which is an incredibly lengthy account of my life for developmental psychology, and one is a 12+ page paper for human sexuality.  I also have an 8 page book report for abnormal psychology (which I haven't read) and a journal project for human sexuality.  The other 3 are fairly small, but I still have to do them!  ahh!!

Tired of me whining yet??  haha  Oh well, the end is in sight.  25 days.  Holy freakin crap.

Christen

Have you ever wanted to competely and totally vent about something, but because it's so extremely personal and self-revealing, you don't?  That's where I'm at.  So...I vent to a friend who, bless his little heart, loves me in spite of myself.

I feel like my life is moving about 4 days faster than me. All I'm doing right now is playing catch up.  Maybe it's all the extra time I was in NYC.  Oh well, it was a blast.

I'm continually astonished at how much I'm changing.  While we were gone, I realized how much my mother relies on my dad.  It's definitely not a bad thing and works very well for her, but it's not my personality.  Now, you know as much as I do that I want to be married one of these days, but I like the thought of my self-reliance joined with another self-reliant person.  I really enjoyed riding the subway alone without an ounce of fear.  I'm very confident living by myself and am only scared about 1 day out of the month now.  The idea of having a job and paying my own bills and living my own life is extremely appealing right now.  Weird.  I guess the forced independence is growing on me. :)

I bought The Holiday last night.  If you haven't seen it, see it.  I wrote a blog back in January about it.  Read it. :)

Much love,
Christen

My Father reflects my father

I've heard a lot about a father's love lately.  Josh McDowell was telling us a couple of weeks back that a father who is distant and unloving can singlehandedly drive his children to alcoholism, drug abuse, and even homosexuality.  He said an absent father is better than a present, uninvolved father.  In my Human Sexuality class, the homosexuality debate circled back to the father quite often.

It's made me very thankful.  I have a father who has fulfilled every stereotypical, loving, doting father-figure you can image.  I've never wondered a day in my life whether I was loved; he's reminded me everyday. :)

I think this is why I "get" God so much.  Of course I see him as a generous, peaceful, ever-protecting father, that's all I've ever known in this physical realm.  Why do I believe God has his very best for me?  Because my father, Randy Carter, has only given me his very best.  He never gave me dirt when I asked for food.  He took me to Olive Garden and insisted I ordered dessert.

I am very blessed, and I just wanted you to know that I have the greatest father on earth.

Love is in the air...well, not in my air ;)

I may import some of my myspace blogs.  I feel like you've missed out on a portion of my life. :(  We'll see how bored I get.  haha

I tend to write a lot about love and relationships.  I think it's because that's my nature.  I am relational.  I often measure my own personal value on the strength and depth of my relationships.  The relationship I have with my parents is awesome.  We talk about everything, practically nothing is off-limits.  I talk to my mom almost everyday...because I want to.  I find a great wealth of knowledge in them.

In the last year, I've come into an awareness.  For the first time, I see how immature and impulsive young people are.  My 6th grade Little and her friends are crazy.  My little brother, though awesome, doesn't think through things.  And I have some friends who are getting married at 18, 19, 20, and I want to say, "Really? Now?"  Sure, I almost got married at 19, but thinking back on it, I was an idiot.  We didn't know each other.  I was young and  impulsive (and he was just dumb).  And I probably would have never finished school.  School while you're single is hard enough.  All of that to say, I have a greater appreciation for my parents' wisdom.  They really do know better than me. (Disclaimer: I don't think you're an idiot if you're getting married young; just make sure you REALLY know the person and you've spent lots and lots of time together and have talked through every aspect of your lives.)

My Human Sexuality class is by far my favorite this semester.  Beside the fact that it's rather humorous to be talking about sex on Southwestern's campus, it's crazy informative.  We started the semester talking about authentic sexuality and how it's God-given and such.  We've talked about homosexuality, and right now we're talking about singleness and sexuality.  Yesterday, Dr. Logue was giving us statistics about premarital sex and even about interracial marriages.  It's really interesting.  One thing I found facinating about premartial sex being on the rise is that in many ways, it's biologically based.  Yes, there's definitely a link to the sexual oversaturation in the media, but check it out.  Puberty is setting in younger and younger.  Back in the day, girls hit puberty around age 16 and guys around 17 or 18.  Guess when people got married: around 17 or 18.  So, there wasn't much of a gap between puberty and marriage.  In our current society, boys and girls both hit puberty between 11-13.  The average age today for marriage for women is 23 and for men is 27!  You're looking at a 12-16 year gap! Holy crap.  That's a long time to reign in raging hormones.  ha.  Anyway, I thought it was interesting.

That's enough food for thought.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Christen

Fonder

You know how they say distance makes the heart grow fonder?  Well, our two month separation has been terrible.  Those people at MySpace don't understand why I want to write everyday.  They just don't!  So, I hope you'll accept me back.

I think I went on a date tonight.  ha.  Like how I "think"?  I had dinner with an old friend, a guy I haven't seen in over 6 years.  But we went to a nice place, he paid, we talked.  It was fun.  Maybe this casual dating thing is more fun that I thought. :)

So what's been going on in your life these past 2 months?

I'm in my very last semester of college...EVER!  It's been crazy hard, but I'm enjoying my friendships and hanging out.  Things are good, minus classes. ;)

Christen

MySpace

My Dearest Xanga,

I've tried to ignore the obvious. I thought if I didn't address the issue, I would get over it.

But it's just not happening...

I've been seeing someone else.

MySpace and I have bonded; we're very happy. He lets me be myself, truly be well-rounded. I'm sorry, but...but, I think you and I are done.

I'm sorry.

If you'd ever like to visit me, I would love to be friends. Just because I'm moving on doesn't mean you and are any less of friends.

www.myspace.com/christenlcarter

I'll love you forever.

Christen

Boys and Girls

So this has been bugging me lately (and I'm about to be super honest with you). I honestly want your feedback and thoughts.

I'm a girl...a very girly girl, to be precise. According to Karissa's personality test (which is SO true), I am a guardian provider, which basically means I am a classic, southern hospitality, motherly-instinct kind of girl who wants a fairy tale when it comes to romance. Now, I can rough it with the boys when needed (geo-caching, anyone?), but for the most part, I want to be a girl.

This is what bugs me: Why is it that as a girl, if I say that I want to be in a quality, loving relationship, people automatically label me as boy-crazy and someone who just wants to get married? In this moment of honesty, yes, eventually, I'd like to get married, but not tomorrow or necessarily even next year. However, for guys, when they say they want to find a girl, it's seen as noble and manly.

I just got through rereading a blog from my friend Steven. He wrote it this summer, and it's amazing. He talks about saving himself for his future wife and how much he can't wait to meet her, yet he's content in waiting, as long as he finds her eventually. People absolutely sang his praises after he wrote it. Every girl basically fell in love, and every guy thought he was awesome. Also, on MANY of my guy-friends' profiles, they have "my future wife" or "a nice girl" under their "Who you'd like to meet" section. Yet, if I were to write either of those things, people would think I was crazy.

Especially at Southwestern, people assume the majority of girls are here just to get their M-R-S degrees. Just so you know, there are some girls here who have brains and want a degree and really, really value their school work. Sure, I'm guilty of having no idea what I want to do with my life, but I'm not here just to get married. I want an education. I came for an education. Now, (another moment of extreme honesty) did I hope to find my better half here at the GU? Sure. My brother did, and a lot of people do. Why not? I go to school with hundreds of men in my age group who love Jesus and are obviously smart enough to be pursuing a college degree. Odds are, one out of this group could have some potential. But is marriage my reason for being in college? Heck no. I believe in God's timing and plan completely.

Anyway, sorry for the bitter rant. I just don't understand why girls get such a bad rap. Yes, I would like more than anything to find someone to spend time with just for the sake of pleasant company, but I'm not boy-crazy or a shallow girl. Thoughts??

Christen

To my wonderful friends...

Thank you to everyone who made this one of the best weekends of my life!! I feel like I took a hiatus from school and just reconnected. I'm serious- so refreshing and fun!! I haven't laughed as much as I did this weekend in a really long time.

I have this theory that I have 3 generations of Southwestern friends. My freshman year (pre-Master's commission) I was mainly friends with older people, and now they are grown up and getting married. After Master's, I was friends with people my own age who are either seniors or one year out of school now. And now, my friends are mainly juniors and seniors. These are three very distinct groups that I love for so many reasons, and they overlap to a degree. Karissa tends to be the main over-lapper. haha But I love and appreciate them so very much.

This weekend, I managed to spend very significant time with all these people. It started Thursday night at my house. My newest group came over for pizza and games, and we all just hung out. It was really nice. Then Friday, I went to dinner with several of my older girls because Angie Yandell was in town (she's getting married in 2 months!!!!!). We cracked each other up with our awesome hair styles and cheerleading routines. haha!! Later that night, I got to camp with some very dear friends for Shelby's birthday. We went geo-cacheing which is probably my new favorite thing, for sure! I've really miss being in the woods and enjoying nature (except for those wretched spiders!!), so it was great. We roasted marshmellows and had great "life" talks and even made breakfast Saturday morning. I love my friends so much!

After camping, everyone headed to Southwestern's homecoming football game (which we won!!!!!!!) to see Sigi and Girien crowned Queen and King (and to see me cheer, of course...haha). Shelby had to hand over her Queen title. We had a really great Homecoming Court (shout out to Nate and Chris!), and I would have been pleased with any of them winning. It was a great game and a beautiful day. My parents even came. It was wonderful to see them! :) After dinner with my padres, I attended Angie's wedding shower. It was lovely (Andrea is a wonderful host), and she received some beautiful things. It was so refreshing to see all the girls there. I miss them terribly. Post shower, I continued in the celebration of Shelby's birth at her house. Karissa made her famous cookies, and we all drank hot chocolate before a rousing game of Farkle (dice game). I lost, but it was still a blast. Then, we just goofed off until really late. I miss my roomies. :( But it was fantastic to see them all weekend. :) Thanks to Brooke for spending the night and bumming around with me this afternoon! Love you!

So, here's to my friends who enrich my life and make me who I am. I am so blessed. I was telling Jeanene last night how much I enjoyed myself and almost started crying. I couldn't have asked for a better college experience or better friends. I love each and every one of you and am so thankful you are part of my life. I love you!

Christen

As promised, here are pictures from my birthday! Sorry it took so long, but I've been using the computer at work to maintain this thing, and I can't really upload pictures. Anyway, now I'm at home with the wonderful thing known as wireless internet. :) Thank you to everyone who made my birthday spectacular. Enjoy!

Wednesday, Brooke and I got pedicures! woo hoo!


Cute, huh, with the little flowers!


Then, Friday night, Scott, Erik, Sigi, and I graced Medieval Times with out presence. :)
Birthday girl and Sigi (we wore our crowns proudly):


Me and Scott goofing off before dinner:


Sigi and Erik (such a fun picture):


Though cheesy choreography, it was a great show:


And then Sunday night, we had a little girl fun at Magic Time Machine. :) I love my friends!!
Andrea, Jessica, and Danae being fabulous:


Danae, Birthday girl, and Esther:


I think this picture is SO cute!! Jeanene, Karissa, and Shelby:


Okay, here they are all smiling:


The group: Andrea, Jessica, Danae, Me, Esther, Jeanene, Karissa, and Shelby:


Yay, birthday!!!
If you'd like to see the rest of the pics (not that many more), go to: Birthday Pics

Birthday '06!

Thank you to all the well-wishers on my birthday!  I had a tremendous birthday.  You all made it so very special.

Wednesday, my dear friend Brooke took me to Midlothian for a pedicure.  Oh, it was awesome, and we have super cute little toes now. :)  Then we met up with all my amazing friends at Chick Fil A for dinner. Yum! That night, Scott and I got to hang out for a bit.  Good times on the day of my birth. :)

Then Friday night, Erik, Sigi, Scott, and I went to Medieval Times to celebrate.  (I have pictures, but I haven't had a chance to upload them yet.)  It was so much fun.  I kinda felt like a little kid all over again.  Afterwards, we had some game time, and yes, Erik won Catch Phrase in all it's glory. ;)

Sunday night concluded the celebration of me (just kidding...okay, I'm not) with a group of friends going to the Magic Time Machine (pictures to come). So...it was nothing like what I expected.  In my head, I was thinking Cheesecake Factory meets Chuck E Cheese.  I thought it was going to be semi-nice yet crazy.  Nope, just crazy.  Our waitress was the toothfairy, and she was to the point.  There was no fluff with this woman.  She was there to work; it was kinda funny.  Then, a magician came by, as did Superman.  Yeah, Superman was really in costume. Ekk.
   The food was great, but the whole atmosphere was borderline creepy.  haha  Oh well, it's impossible to not have a good time with those girls (Andrea, Danae, Jessica, Esther, Karissa, Jeanene, and Shelby).  Afterwards, we went back to the Karissa-Jeanene-Shelby household for homemade, made-from-scratch ice cream sandwiches.  I'm not kidding; Karissa is freakin' amazing! (Man, I miss my roommates!!) 
   Oh, I also took a personality assessment from a book Karissa has that could not have been more accurate.  I'm a "guardian provider," which basically means I thrive on family, social engagements, and routine, and I'm warm-hearted and a nurturer.  I don't do well with spur of the moment plans.  I like being courted in the traditional sense: flowers, having doors opened, being affirmed vocally and emotionally.  Relationships are about quality time and togetherness.  Anyway, I promise you, it was like reading a recipe for me.  I was freaking out on how perfect it was.  This guy John was the one reading me my results, and he was laughing so loud because I kept saying, "Oh my gosh, yeah, that's totally me."
  So, good times.  I've had a great birthday week. :)

Happy weekend to you!  Tomorrow is my very first football game as an SAGU cheerleader.  Crazy!  I absolutely can't wait though.  Home games start next week.  I'd love it to see your face in the stands.  Feel free to come anytime. :)  For those who have been asking, here's the home game schedule:
September 23 @ 6 pm
September 30
October 21
October 28
November 4

It's been a crazy busy week.  Sometimes I wonder why I do this school thing, but it's almost over (May!!).  Anyway, have a great weekend.  I'll be in Kansas starting tomorrow.  woo hoo!

OH- and my birthday is in 5 days!!!  I hear there's a plan in the works, but I really have no clue what.  Yippee- I love my birthday!!

Love you all!
Christen

Just so you know, my birthday is in 16 days :)

Life back at school is so weird and different and upside down.  I came into this semester with a lot of expectations, and to say the least, they aren't anything like what I imagined.  All of it's not necessarily bad- just different.  I have a bad habit of imagining, down to the detail, how I want an evening/an event/a situation to play itself out.  Then, when it doesn't meet, or exceed, my expectations, I'm disappointed.

I want amazing.  I want extraordinary.  Is it wrong that I don't want to settle for normal?  It encompasses every aspect of my life: school work, friendships, relationships, holidays, birthdays, cheerleading.  I have plenty of "normal" in my everyday life: watching tv, eating microwave dinners, running errands, going to work and practices and classes.  Is it too much to ask for the other times to be significant?

I don't know.  You probably think I'm crazy, but it's how I feel.  And I'm really being okay with my feelings (however illogical or unfounded they may be).

So, all of that to say, my semester is going okay; it's just super different.  Classes are tough, and my apartment is freakin fantastic.  I'm making a homemade meal tonight (first one since being here).  woo hoo!

Christen

 

And it starts...

Wow, no, I haven't abandoned you, Xanga, but instead I have moved into a fantastic apartment with no internet connection (due to my poorness). However, thanks to the wonderful fastfood chain known as Whataburger, we will still have one another. :) I know you can't contain your enthusiasm.
Where do I even start? Last Saturday, with the help of my padres, brother, and Andrea and Steven, I moved into a great little one bedroom apartment. Then, Mom and I shopped for decor and a bed. I got a super cool bed from IKEA. Oh, my dearest IKEA, what would my apartment be without you? Anyway, after many purchases and my summer savings being depleted, Mom had to go home. So, this week has been filled with organizing, building (oh yeah, I hung all my own curtains, put my bed together, and even hung a mirror with a big bolt thing), and cleaning. And it's all done. woo hoo!! I'll post some pictures later, but it is in fact complete. :) yay!
Then Tuesday night, I began a new (yet very familiar) chapter in my SAGU life. I started cheerleading. We met for dinner and just some get-to-know-you time. We have an amazing squad. We have 3 returning cheerleaders, 2 brand new freshmen, 4 transfers, and me. :) Oh yeah, that's 10! Then Wednesday-Friday we had cheer camp. It was no joke- we met at 8:30 am and left about 10:30 each night. I promise you that I have never had so many muscles and tendons hurt in my entire life. We learned cheers, chants, dances and some great stunts. It's going to be a good year. :) Anyway, here's a few of the girls. I'm so glad I'm getting to do this.
Ashley B and Ashley R:


Tiffany and Kollette:


Me, Tiff and Ashley (we were having pictures, thus the uniforms):


So, we have cheer sisters for accountability and prayer and things. This is my beautiful little cheer sis, Ashley:


Bev took us to Campuzano's on Friday night (yum!!!). Here's Brennan, Krystal and Leslie:


Kim, Tiff, and Donna (our captain):


Me and the Ashleys again:


Here's the squad- Krystal, Brennan, Tiffany, Me, Donna, Kollette, Ashley R, Ashley B, Leslie and Kim:


Though I'm super tired, it's been a great week. I can't believe classes start this week though. ugh. Oh well, today should be fantastic. ;)

Christen

Blingo!

Hey guys, sign up for Blingo! Win with me!



It's a search engine powered by Google. You don't have to buy anything or fill out any surveys; it's just a search engine. They give out prizes like iTunes $ and iPod nanos. No joke! My friend Taka won a nano just this week. Plus, as you sign up friends under you, if they win, you win!! So, Jeremy who got Taka to sign up ALSO won a nano. Sweet, huh?

Anyway, you should do it. What's it gonna hurt? I would sure like to win something when I'm gonna surf the internet anyway.

Christen