Sick of being SICK

Well, I thought I'd bested the winter illnesses this year. How upity of me. Last weekend I started getting a little drainage down my throat progressing to a very sore throat. Eventually I was getting so worn out I had to take naps all the time. That was really frustrating because I went to DEEP last weekend, a diversity and leadership retreat for SAU and Oakwood College students, 50 of us all together. All the big mucky-mucks from each school were there, including the President of the Southern Union. I got to meet a lot of new people and do lots of fun things but I didn't get to participate as much as I would have liked, getting the beginnings of the worst sinus infectious illness of my life. I hope my OC roommate isn't sick... The leadership retreat was the kind of thing that would have made my college experience more like academy for me; getting together with other leaders, kids who are really excited about doing stuff for their church. Nursing sorta keeps you from getting involved.

So when I got back, I began several days of getting out of bed, blowing my nose 500 times, going back to bed and sleeping half the day away. I never knew such colorful substances could come out of your nose and eyes in such superfluous quantities. Waking up with your eyes all gooped up has to be the worst sick experience ever. Yesterday was the first day I didn't take a nap in almost a week. I've missed two days of work, but I made myself go to classes because they only meet once a week.

So my lesson for this week has been: Just when you think that there's no possible way you could make it if you got sick... you wouldn't have enough sick days to still go on vacation in May, you couldn't get your homework done, your life might fall apart if you died to the world for a week... You just get sick and everything doesn't matter because you can't think about it. And you wake up 5 days later and realize that it all works out in the end and actually, God probably helped you get sick at this specific time because it fit into your schedule just a bit better right here. Ironic isn't it?

Family Pictures

Over break I scanned some pictures of my parents and I thought I'd share a few just because I think old pictures are so neat. These are from highschool. It's strange to think they've been together this long...

Pictures from my Lesson with Egbert Schoenmaker

Christmas at Our House

Christmas is for Family

We're just getting back from a trip to Virginia to see my mom's family. Family is what makes the holidays special to me. Now we've seen all 5 of my mom's siblings in the last week and 5 of my 15 cousins.

First stop was Washington D.C. where my Aunt Sharon works a block away from the White House.My cousin Erin is home from Togo, Africa for 3 weeks in between her 2 years of service with the Peace Corps. We went to see the National Christmas tree in the freezing cold and found the smaller tree for the state of North Carolina. The White House looks awfully pretty at night with the Christmas tree out front. We also walked around the Kennedy Center but couldn't get into anything since nothing was going on that night. We saw my Uncle Ronnie while there and had my grandmother's chocolate cake. He made enough cakes for us to take to all the other aunts and uncles along the way.

We ended the trip in Waynesboro, VA where I lived from age 0-4 and the only place on earth that feels like home to me. My grandmother lived there along with my Uncle Kit's family my whole childhood so it's where we came to for most vacations and big family events. It's the only place that's never changed in my life. My uncle has Parkinson's and just had a surgery where they stick 4 electrodes in the brain that give off small shocks which help with muscle control. My uncle has a remote that he can use to turn the electrodes up or down or off. He turned it all the way off for us and you could see the tremors of Parkinson's take back over. Then when he turned it on his face contorted like he had eaten a lemon and his body got tense and then he was back to himself. As long as I can remember his face has looked like a mask, almost in a daze and he's had bad tremors. Now he smiles and laughs and can make facial expressions, and he can walk at normal speed. My cousin Lindsey, who's never known him when he wasn't sick, doesn't really even know who this dad is. It's hard to describe how amazing the transformation is, all from shocking the brain. I'm sure it will be even more amazing when my uncle gets to heaven.

So here's some pictures from the trip:


Stephanie, cousin Lindsey, and me

Although this picture doesn't do it justice, this is how I remember my childhood:
Outside in the beautiful mountains playing with my cousins.
(That is my sister and Lindsey sliding on the ice wearing trashbags by the way.)


Me and my cousin's dog Laddie (I want one of these one day!)


My favorite picture of Grandma, the person that ties us all together, just as I remember her...

Thank God I'm not an only child!

My sister got home today after being at Pisgah for the weekend. It's so nice to have her home. I've realized this weekend how nice she is to have around and how thankful I am that I have a sister... How do single children do it?


So here's some things sisters are good for:

Sharing the pressure of entertaining Mom and Dad
Sticking up for you and taking your side
Liking the same things
Remembering which movie a line comes from
Making standing in lines interesting
Keeping the other side of the bed warm
Disliking the same things
Taking a break away from the parents
Being from the same generation
Liking the same stores
Giving fashion opinions
Comic relief (mine is especially good at this one)
Liking the same food
Being embarrassed about the same things
Knowing things about Mom and Dad that nobody else does
Making long trips more interesting
Breaking up the monotony
Understanding your world