College... Wait what?!?

     I suppose I swore off blogging about a year ago with my last post talking about off for vacation and promising to post pictures later, which obviously I never did. I'm not that great of a blogger, and to be perfectly honest don't even consider myself one. But I just wanted to give you readers some highlights of my past year...

     In case you're still wondering, the camping trip was a blast.

     Looking back now, I never thought I'd be where I am now. Senior year has come and gone.  I move in to my college dorm in exactly one month and a day and it's frightening, exhilarating, and nerve-wracking that college life isn't that far away anymore. A year ago my mailbox was flooded with brochures from colleges all across the country advertising their merits and each telling me a different reason why I should attend their school- whether it was the location, sports, sororities, student life, and most importantly (but surprisingly not mentioned as often as you would have thought) the quality of academics that the schools proudly offered. I read everything whether it was from Ivy League or the community college, the military or the state universities. It didn't matter whether the brochure was a postcard or a catalog, I read every word of every single one.

I'm not really sure why I did. I didn't want to go to an Ivy League up north, or the University of Chicago, or colleges out in California, Colorado, New York, Wisconsin, and all the other places that sent me materials. Ever since I was younger, I have always wanted to go to the same college. Of course, people would talk to me about other schools and I would be interested in them for a while or I would get a really cool brochure and as fickle as this sounds it would tempt me for a least a few minutes. But when Judson College sent me a brochure, or an email, or called me in person I'd get excited. They were my dream school, but it didn't always seem possible to attend. Finances was always the big elephant in the room, so I set out to somehow make it possible for me to attend the college I wanted to go to ever since a former student of Judson College came to one of our homeschooled meetings when I was eight.

I set out in two ways- Athletics and Academics. I've spent so many hot summer days out at the softball field, getting to practice early and leaving late just so I could improve as an athlete. I spent many more cool breezy days inside behind a book studying physics or history or whatever class I was taking at the time. Hours upon hours taking my umpteenth ACT practice test just to spend a perfectly good Saturday taking the real one.  It wasn't always fun, or easy, or enjoyable- but it paid off and now I'm going to the college of my dreams on a full Academic and Softball scholarship.

But it wasn't all me though. In fact, I feel as if I did very little. My parents I owe a lot of credit too. Whether it was chauffeuring me to numerous practices and workouts, pushing me to keep my head up after a ball went between my legs or I struck out, and constantly reminding me that softball was just a game. The batting lessons, the equipment, the opportunity to attend countless camps and showcases- I owe it all to them. On the academics side, the opportunity to study at home through homeschooling. Their helping me with my science and math and letting me debate them on topics of history and politics.

But I think even then, it wasn't all them either. It shouldn't have been about me, and about what I wanted to accomplish. It shouldn't have been about them, and about what they wanted me to accomplish. It should have been about what God wanted me to do with the life He's given. It's never been about me, or a least it shouldn't been have been.

 And that's what I'm working on now... Focusing more on His desires and less of mine. Focusing on what His plans are for me and not my own.

And it's probably going to be a lot harder...

I'm going on an adventure...

Forget the part about not updating my blog all summer... I'm going on an adventure!

I probably am a little bit excited (and for the people that know me know that hardly ever happens). And I, in my fervent haste to pack I'm  probably going to forget the essentials, but my camera is ready and  maybe quite possibly on my return I'll post a few pictures.


Every year my family takes a break from everything and spends a week in Cades Cove located in the Smokey Mountains. There's no electricity, showers, or cell phone reception, but we manage and actually enjoy it immensely. We enjoy spending time with some of our greatest friends and close family, cooking and eating delicious foods, playing entertaining board games, hiking across (mostly just up) mountains, and of course seeing the beautiful scenery.

I can't wait until we get there! I best go finish packing...

So... it's been several weeks since I've last posted on here. The past few weeks have been crazily hectic and our calendar has been stuffed with softball tourneys, graduations, piano competitions, piano recitals, orchestra rehearsals, and the occasional Psych episode.

A few weekends ago, the Emmanuel Softball Team won the Panhandle Christian Conference Championship (undefeated too!). This is our oh-so-photogenic team preparing for our official championship pictures...

Ah... getting ready...

 

This is a little bit better...

 

And I guess we're done...

 

 

The championship game was a nail biter. We were down five points going into the final inning, but our team battled back to tie up the score. Several extra-innings later, our extremely talented #8 hit a RBI double to score in the final winning point.

 

 

 

I would have pictures of Mary's college graduation, but in my haste to get my camera before we left I forgot the memory card. Ooops...

 

 

 

 

Mama forced me attend the ECS Sports Banquet... here are the pictures all my Mama's friends requested...

 

Hipster glasses... (and no, I didn't wear them to the actual banquet)

 

 

In the end, (I sorta forgot to take pictures) I won offensive player of the year.

 

 

 

 

 

Recitals!!! Whoop-Whoop to all my talented siblings...

 

 

Olivia played exceptionally well (and then fell asleep later)...

 

Gideon lookin' sharp...

 

 



 

Rebekah rockin' the Beethoven...

 

The recital was awesome (especially Emmie's jazz)!

 

 

 

And even though it ain't Throwback Thursday...



(left to right) Me, Beka, and Grace Ann from way back when...

 

 

 

Mini Roadtrip!!!

 

 

This past weekend, two of my sisters and I abandoned Mama and Daddy, along with our many younger siblings, and went on a mini road trip to Pensacola to visit our sister in college!!!

 

Traffic, gas stations, frequent Sonic trips (making sure we hit the Happy Hour time schedule), and rest areas (due to the Sonic stops) made up a large portion of our trip. We went thrift store shopping, ate Chinese, played Wallyball, gossiped, and squeezed in as many other things we could in our tiny, little weekend.

 

 

 

 

Traffic...

 

 

 At Sonic waiting for our drinks...

 



Prepping for a night of bowling...

 

 

Bowling...

 

 

Rebekah's roll (she came in last place, by the way)...

 

Chillin' with the Hipster glasses...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All things considered, it was a great trip.

 

P.S. I bought this really awesome red leather chair at a thrift store, but it didn't fit in the car... I'll officially get it in a couple of weeks, so I'll post pictures of it then.

 



The world has horrible motives. I'm sure you all heard about yesterday's bombings at the Boston Marathon. But I don't think you've heard about a man by the name of Dr. Gosnell, probably because the mainstream media hasn't even thought about giving his horrendous crimes a mere glance.

Dr. Gosnell, an abortion doctor located in Philadelphia, is on trial for the murder of eight. In reality, he has killed many more than that. His clinic, dubbed the "House of Horrors, killed a unknown of babies illegally, but hundreds, if not thousands, legally.

Yesterday, after hearing about the recent bombing, I watched The Blaze's Glenn Beck show hoping they would have some information concerning the bombings. I found out the facts I wanted, but decided to watch the second segment of the show too: the part about Gosnell. His crimes- unbelievable. The premise behind his practice- sickening. His value for life- nonexistent.

His practice of killing babies alive. Breathing. Crying. Alive. Babies. Casually snipping the backs of their necks. Breathing. Living. Thriving. Babies. Keeping the fetal remains. Fully developed feet soaked in vinegar, stored in bottles. Full babies were found frozen. Other horrors still waiting to be uncovered.

That evil man didn't destroy tissue. He didn't help women make a "personal choice". That evil man murdered babies.

Are titles really necessary?

This week has been adventurous. And hectic. And painful.

Yesterday, my family went down to Florida. We didn't go for the beach; we went for a sister. Not as exciting- but just as fun. We walked (or in my case hobbled) around her collage campus. We went out to eat, shopped in thrift stores, took a "quick" stop at Walmart, and unfortunately a quick stop at a store called World Market (I loved that store and wish we stayed longer). We finished the day attending her orchestra concert which was amazing.

Two days before that, I tore my meniscus in my knee (note the hobbling from above). Mud + momentum + gravity equals painful softball injuries...

Before that- a lot of softball. Not just for me, but all my many younger siblings are involved in the sport in some way too.

I was planning to write more, but I don't want to. Tootles.

Barefoot with Briars

Yesterday after church, my sisters and a friend hid Easter eggs for our younger siblings to hunt. Of course, I was barefoot. Our yard was full of stickers and briars just waiting to lodge themselves into some unfortunate person's soles. That person was me. Hopefully, I got them all out. My resolve to be barefoot was being tested.



For softball I wear metal cleats. Basically, it's just tennis shoes with metal spikes attached to the bottom. While running around the bases, I kicked my ankle. Blood got all over my socks.  This isn't the first time an episode like this has happened. Once again, being barefoot is the way to go.


I hope all you guys had a wonderful and blessed Resurrection Day!