Oh how I love Spring

It is March 21 and it's 72 degrees outside right now!!!!! It's partly cloudy but it is positively wonderful! I have my Adele Pandora station playing on my phone and my window in my room open. There is green grass growing outside the said window and sunshine pouring into my room. I am loving this day! I don't have to work but I do have a junk load of homework to do...so much so that I feel like I will have a panic attack every time I think about it but even that cannot get me down on this wonderful spring day! It's one of those days that makes you want to go to a park, grill hot dogs and chicken, eat Sun Chips (the Harvest Cheddar kind), eat watermelon and play baseball and Frisbee....it's one of those days where me and Natalie would have bought Jarritos and/or Coke in a glass bottle and gone to the canals to walk around and lay in the grass....it would be the absolutely perfect day to take in an outdoor baseball game...or to just play a game of croquet in the backyard like we used to do in Waseca....speaking of Waseca, it was spring days just like this one when us Thompson children would walk down to the bike trail and climb out on the trees that went out over the lake, collect rocks, pick flowers and wander aimlessly around getting into all kinds of mischief with Matt :) it would be the perfect day to go rollerblading or biking on that very same bike trail...down to the nature walk where we could walk through all of the tall grass and see all of the beautiful butterflies and flowers and scream when a snake crossed in front of us. When living at ABI it was spring days like this when me and Natalie would walk down to Rainbow Foods and buy ice cream and Popsicles and eat Popsicles the whole way back to the house :) Those are all memories of wonderful times on spring days...but another place this day makes me want to be that I have not yet experienced is France....Paris...or any of France on a spring day like today would be divine.

Walking up and down those old cobblestone streets past the old houses with thatched roofs and flower boxes in every window...past the little shops with the owners dogs laying about in the doorway and courtyards...a cup of good, strong espresso in one hand and a fabulous classic novel in the other...the sound of French filling my ears...their music surrounding me...yeah I could definitely go for that....sitting along the Seine River watching people dance to the live music and waving at the boats full of tourists that float past....I'm loving the thought of all of this! Ok, now I should go do something productive with my life so that I'm not feeling completely and utterly overwhelmed...but I think I shall sit outside while I am productive :)

Decisions and Trepidation

There are few things in life that can make me happy regardless of anything else...and those few things are of course Jesus, and then my dog, a few select bands, my sister (unless she's the one causing the reason for unhappiness lol!), and the MN Twins. It is Day Apart today and for the first time in my entire life I am feeling ever so slightly homesick...so Rascal Flatts is keeping me company while I wait in my room for the festivities to begin. They are doing a rather good job of making me happy :) they bring back sooooo many fabulous summer memories for me! Oh to be young and reckless once again ;) lol!!! I wish it was cloudy out :( I want it to be sunny so that I can go to the canals! It's just not the same when it's cloudy....besides it makes it chilly out when there's no sunshine. Maybe I need Starbucks today...!!!! I think that's a brilliant idea :) I want to buy a pretty new headband....maybe I'll have to make a trip downtown Indy today to go to Forever Love at the Circle Center Mall...it's been MONTHS since I've been down there! They're having Nerf Wars for part of Day Apart...I won't be participating, so maybe I'll ditch then... I'm wearing a bow in my hair today...and that significantly adds to my happiness factor! I'm getting rather upset that I can't listen to Twins games cuz KSTP doesn't broadcast them on the radio..they prolly can't cuz MLB wants you to buy Gameday Audio :P I don't have money to spend on that MLB!!! So just let me listen to them for free *insert ugly mean faces* it's making me angry...and an angry Abby is never a good thing...so I've been told. I really can't wait to be in France!!! I will finally get to see Paris at night!!!!! That's the one thing I really wanted to see that I didn't get to last time I was there. I hope there's a Starbucks in Melun...otherwise I'll have to take a weekly trip into Paris to buy me some...cuz we all know I can't go long periods without it! But who's complaining about taking a weekly trip into Paris anyways!? It's only like half an hr away from where I'll be living, so why not!? I was just asked the other day that if I liked it there if I would just stay...now isn't that just a tempting idea?! And then last night someone else told me that there's no reason why I shouldn't go back to school and get my degree in French since it'll only take me a yr and a half to 2 yrs...oh man there's sooo many decisions!!! But I mean, really...do I want to be grooming dogs my whole life, or get a job as a translator? A possibly very high paying job if I can get it with the government...and then if I were to end up as a full time missionary in a foreign French-speaking country I could get a job there too...it's brilliant! Except that I don't really want to go back to school right now...besides there's the money factor. :P Oh well, Jesus will work it out if it's suppose to happen...besides I guess I wouldn't mind going back to school if it was to the U of MN...I miss that school sooo much!!! So much to think about and sooo much to plan for the summer ahead! I want a vacation from thinking. I think too much. I would like to stop thinking for a day or 2. I love hoodies :) Especially green ones that say Indiana Bible College Seniors Twenty-Eleven. They're so comfy and warm...and they mean that I am graduating in 60 days! The trepidation that comes with that statement! Hm...I want to read some Shakespeare...alas I shall have to go find him somewhere in my bookshelves...if I didn't leave the poor man in MN...Au revoir!

Spring Break Where Art Thou!?

I packed my first box on Thursday. I packed a box of books from previous semesters. I have 6 more weeks of classes...3 weeks until spring break....and then 3 more weeks after spring break. There's 60 days until graduation I do believe. In case you can't tell..I'm ready to be done. But only with the school part. I don't want to leave my friends. That would be the part of growing up that I've hated, and will continue to hate, the most: the part where you lose really good friends due to moving and/or just going your own ways. We all say that we'll stay in contact and that we'll visit each other..but I have 2 older siblings that have gone through college and said the same things to their friends and it rarely happens. So depressing. :P I fully intend to enjoy these last 2 months of my college life! But yet still be responsible and get everything done on time :P Really all I want to do is just hang out and have fun now...I'm sooooo over the whole school thing. Senioritis has overtaken me :)

I am loving and hating our weather right now. It was 57 degrees out yesterday and it felt amazing when you walked outside...the only problem...it was raining...and has been cloudy and/or raining for like a week now and nothing is going to change according to my 7 day forecast on my wonderful little smart phone. I loved that the power went out last night! All of the girls came screaming out of their rooms...I came out laughing. I thought it was grand! Good thing my secret Valentine (Michael Mast) had bought me a candle as one of my presents otherwise I would have been completely in the dark, so I lit my candle and proceeded to have a good time in the dark :) I took a shower in the dark...well I had my candle in the bathroom, but it was still pretty much in the dark. The power came back on sometime between 1:30 and 2 a.m. at which point several girls went running down the hallway yelling and screaming....I had been almost asleep so this did  not make for a very happy Abby who then sat up in bed and yelled "SHUT UP!" and then proceeded to go back to bed :) It gives me great satisfaction to be grumpy sometimes!

It needs to be spring break...like right now! I don't want to go to work today...and if it were spring break then I wouldn't have to! I could be at home curled up with my puppy dog! Or going to Uptown to go shop some vintage stores with my sister! I hope people aren't still ice fishing when I go home for spring break....cuz that means that it's too cold! I've been spoiled with an early spring here and don't want to go back to subzero temps for my spring break....cuz isn't spring break when you're suppose to go somewhere warm anyways!?
I just thought you all should know that my hair looks extremely hit today, but I don't care because my entire day is going to be spent washing and grooming dogs. So I wouldn't have looked good anyways. I hope I make good money cuz I def didn't the other 2 days that I worked this week! I'm so sick of being broke! I can't wait until there is no more school bill to pay!!! Ok, time to go to work....toodles!

My Revelatory Day

Sometimes you don't always get what you want in life...and sometimes that's ok...well, it might not feel that ok at the time, but even while you're hurting or upset about it you know deep down that it is actually for the best and that in the end it will be more than ok because better things are on the horizon. And then other times the only reason why you feel like the world is coming to an end is because you are really just waaayyyyy over tired and stressed out and therefore everything gets blown completely out of proportion and seems like a way bigger deal than it is. So that is my deep insight on life for the moment: the fact that I will survive without some things and that my self worth is not dependent on others opinions and/or feelings about me. Jesus loves me and that's all that matters...ok that's all that should matter, but I'm human so I don't really believe what I just said, because I actually kinda hate how much it matters whether or not other people love me (but only the people I'm close to...if we're not friends I honestly couldn't care less about what you think of me...sorry to be so honest.) This weather is completely bipolar and is making me lose my voice again...which can't happen right before Music Fest (which is 2 weeks away!!) because Lord knows that I'm going to be butchering it for 3 nights in a row....not to mention in all of the practices that we have beforehand. It really hit me yesterday and today that I really am graduating in 2 months! This revelation is probably due to the fact that I am having to figure EVERYTHING out for my Sr Recital (stress levels just skyrocketed at the typing of those 2 words)....which is in 1 month and 1 week (and here comes the mini heart attack). And with the month of March beginning today I realized that my graduation is in 2 months and 5 days. I can't believe that it's really all coming to an end. I have soooooooooo much stuff to do still....I might die before I ever get to graduate! I need another bag of Cadbury eggs to combat all of this craziness in my life....or I just might want another bag of Cadbury eggs because they're just so delicious....yeah that might be it....but I'm beasting it on the French horn in Brass and Woodwinds class! I need to sleep. My to-do list was an entire notebook page long...I think I have accomplished between one third and half of it...tomorrow it must be conquered! I also realized today that in 4 months I will be in France....which will be "just like heaven! Just like heaven on earth!" I will be able to eat amazing food everyday and drink deliciously strong espresso...  *sigh* it shall be glorious! Today has just been a revelatory day apparently. I also wanted to go shopping today because it was rather spring-ish out today and I always get the urge to go shopping in the spring time...must be some weird sense that is built into a girl...she must have new clothes for the summer! ....especially if your summer is going to be spent in France! =D (Natalie is probably dying right now and giving a speech on how I don't need to get another piece of clothing for 3 years because I have enough to clothe a small village....) Options are of the necessity. Besides, if I am to fall in love in France as everyone has predicted (I, myself, am not holding out for this...it sounds way too good to be true) I clearly must look cute....oh dear...that means I'll actually have to do my hair while I'm there....ugh. Hmmm....or I will stuff my sister in my suitcase and keep her with me at all times to be my personal hairdresser!!! Brilliant! On that happy note I shall go to bed. Bonsoir!

Bitter thoughts

My thought for the moment:

When life gives you lemons: squirt them in someone else's eyes.

Why? Because A.) then you won't be miserable by yourself and B.) it will bring some humor into your miserable situation....I know it's a rather sadistic and bitter thought...but that just happens to fit my current mood.

So if you just talked to me and your eyes are burning I apologize...I might have just squirted you with some lemon juice.

Over-analyzing, Jesus and the Masquerade

I have a serious case of senioritis. And it got cold again. And I'm over-analyzing my life. All of this combines for a somewhat unsatisfied Abby. I was happy when it was sunny and kinda warm out. But now it's all gray, cloudy and cold :P and that makes for a sad Abby. And I have no motivation to do anything...especially school related. And then there's the problem of me not being able to get my brain to quit working in overdrive. I keep trying to figure everything out and thinking of all the different things I should have done or said in different situations...when in reality it's all wasted time because all those things said and done can't be changed anyways so it doesn't really matter anymore! So easy to say and think, but soooo hard to actually do! I don't remember ever being this analytical...but it seems that I am horribly so! Good thing I'm running on hardly any sleep so I just automatically fall right asleep at night cuz I know if I wasn't overtired then I'd be lying in bed all night long thinking. But due to yesterday's chapel I have come to the realization that I haven't been trusting God as much as I should or used to and have been trying to figure a lot of things out on my own...and that never works or gets you anywhere. So we are fixing that little problem and giving the driver's seat back over to Jesus :) So now my life should be better! *starts singing "Jesus Take the Wheel" loudly and obnoxiously* On a happier note I am going to Starbucks tonight!!! Yay! It's my first Starbucks in a week...which if you know me well at all, is a VERY long time for me to go without Starbucks. There's a business meeting at church so we're not required to go, so we are cleaning the student lobby and then I'm going to get me some coffee with all of my besties. It should be a good time! And I have to go to Meijer today cuz I'm running out of food and plastic ware...and we all know that I love going to Meijer! :) I always have fun when I go grocery shopping...besides, me + aisles of food = complete happiness. I think I have a problem and I don't mind admitting it: I love food. I just realized that I really only have 2 months of school left...this is bittersweet. I cannot wait to be done with school but I REALLY don't want to leave me friends :( they complete me. I will be lost without them. I shall cry...and I HATE crying...I never cry...unless it's in church...and then it's ok cuz I'm talking to Jesus. Which I've done a lot of the last 2 days...and man have we had some good conversations. I just wish He would have done a little more talking...but sometimes He likes to be quiet.

Now for a synopsis of the Valentine's Day Masquerade: it went very well actually! I wore my mask...without glasses (miracles never cease) and it was ok. I wasn't a huge fan of it cuz I feel weird without my glasses and I think I look a little funny, but the mask kinda helped with that anyways. So I wore my mask 2 different times throughout the night, mainly for pictures sake. The best entertainment of the night was not the entertainment that was provided for us, but rather was Mitchell McCann....I'm so glad he sat at our table! :) there was a lot of stabbing the table with a plastic knife and burning of spoons in the candle... And afterwards was a good time of hanging out at Toby's house til curfew. Have I ever mentioned that I love my friends? Candra did my hair, and did a fabulous job on it :) and then when back in my room and chatting, Deandra just starting taking it down and then put it back up and so I then had wonderful hair for the next 2 days..because we all know that if I'm going to go to the trouble of curling my hair it's going to last me a couple days (don't worry I always wash it right before curling it) So overall I think it was a rather successful night. Anyhoo I think it's either nap time or grocery shopping time....or going to Goodwill with Toby and Ro...any of those options sound pretty amazing to me. Ciao!

Glorious Weather and Spaghettios

I just might be in love with this weather!!! But I'm trying really hard not to be...because it's February...therefore it won't last...my cynical side (sometimes called pessimistic...but I refuse to believe that) is keeping me in check and telling me that 50 and 60 degree weather in Feb is not here to stay. And that in a few weeks it will probably be snowing again and cold. But I'm enjoying the weather while it's here! I definitely went to Starbucks yesterday to do some studying and I got a Java Chip Frapp and sat outside...it was glorious! I wish it would stay, but I know it won't :( As long as we don't get any more ice I'll be fine. 

So I'm totally broke but needed some groceries so I went to Wal-Mart and bought some cheap food...which means things like Spaghettios...I was actually pretty excited about this because it's been prolly about 10 yrs since I've had spaghettios (no joke). So I opened the can up this afternoon and popped it in the microwave. I was excited to eat them because they hold many a good childhood memory with them....and so I took the first bite...and was terribly disappointed...while it did bring back many good memories from when I was little it was not bringing up any good thoughts at the moment. They aren't terrible but they're kinda sweet and I've never been a fan of sweet spaghetti...and they just don't taste that great. So I suppose that every time I eat them (since I didn't eat the whole can in one sitting) I will just have to think about when I was little and Nate loved them so every time he would watch me and Natalie for our parents we would eat either spaghettios or ravioli for lunch and/or dinner. Those were good times...and I loved eating it then because my mom wouldn't ever buy stuff like that for us, so it was a treat! Now...I'm wishing I didn't have to buy stuff like that! Oh the joys of being a college kid. At least I have not lowered my standards and still to this day have never eaten Ramen noodles. Shocking, I know...a college kid that has never eaten Ramen...yes they do exist...I am living proof! Nor have I ever eaten White Castle...something Toby and Danny try to get me to do on a weekly basis...they have not succeeded and never will! I shall remain a White Castle virgin til I die.