College Lately

I've been actually keeping my room clean and making my bed,

I joined a sorority! I'm now a Sigma Sigma Sigma,

I cut a few inches off of my hair at my kitchen sink with school scissors,

I've been doing really well academically,

I am an active member of the Kent State College Republicans (this is me with Craig Romney!),

Making healthy food choices, obviously,

Doing all of the random but fun things that college students tend to do,

And of course- hanging out with Nono!

- Leah

The Power of Prayer

I love my mommy. I am an only child and a total mama's girl. Now, my mom has had Multiple Sclerosis since I was six years old. It's a progressive disease and, even though it isn't fatal, ultimately you're bedridden. She's been living in a nursing home since the middle of my sophomore year of high school.

My mommy and I at my high school graduation

On Friday night, I got a call that my mom had been taken to the emergency room with a bladder infection. No big deal, right? Right. Well for some reason they ended up keeping her in intensive care overnight. That concerned me, but I figured they just wanted to observe her overnight.

What they failed to tell me was that this infection had gotten into her bloodstream. This gave her a condition called "sepsis", which pretty much means that your blood is poisonous and your body tries to kill the germs by heating itself up. This results in a major fever and super fast heart rate. The call I got Saturday morning was much different than the first: they didn't know what was going to happen. My mom's life or death was dependent upon how well she responded to this antibiotic, and at that point, she wasn't responding.

Well, I was an absolute mess. A complete wreck. Other than praying and asking people to pray for her, I had no idea what to do. My uncle came up to Kent and got me so that I could go and be with her. 

As soon as I got to the hospital, my breakdown continued. She was on oxygen, laying in bed looking so helpless with ice all over her. Her fever was 103 and she had not cooled down at all. As I held her hand and cried by her bedside, I prayed. It was like Jesus suddenly said to me,

"You know I can raise people from the dead, right? This is nothing. Ask and it shall be given to you."

So that's what I did. I put both hands on my mom and began to pray like I have never prayed before. I asked God to heal her in Jesus' name, and guess what?

He did.

Instantly, she went from red to her regular color, and an hour after being at 103, her fever was down to 99. This is not a coincidence whatsoever. God is so faithful; what He says in His word is so true. You just have to truly believe it.

The next day when I went to see her before coming back up to Kent, the oxygen tube was out and she was talking. Miracles totally happen!!

After her near-death experience; still smiling!

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

- Matthew 7:7

College So Far..

Well, I've been at Kent State for two weeks tomorrow, and I have had some experiences already!

Some pictures of my dorm room! Unlike a lot of other freshmen, students in the Honors College have air conditioning and private bathrooms. Amenities are important to me. I'm a little high maintenance!

The fountain at night- it changes colors!

Convocation; pretty much the opposite of graduation. It was interesting to learn about all of the different school within Kent.

My best friend Lexi!

What I drew in anatomy class.. hey, I'm a nursing major, not an artist.

Our first football game was last Thursday, and we won! Actually, we even made it onto ESPN. One of our players ran the ball 58 yards.. in the wrong direction. So I am now a proud student of:

Kent Read

Kent Write

 Kent Remember What You Did Last Night

Kent Play Football

... State University!

Just kidding- I love college.

Church Camp

A couple of weeks ago, I went to church camp with a bunch of girls in my Bible study, in the middle of the woods in Pennsylvania:

Nono really didn't want me to leave!

We slept on the bus..

Look at all of this luggage- it was crazy.

The week was pretty awesome. Lots of fun times with my friends, old and new; and of course lots of time worshiping God! That right there is the best thing ever. We played sports and encouraged each other all week; our cabin even won the "Camp Champion" award!

                               

Some of my crazy and gorgeous friends!

Our cabin, which was SO cozy- look at those Christmas lights!

Praise and Worship :]

Celebrating our win with a pizza party

The morning to leave came and I was anxious to get home. Camp ended on a Sunday, and I moved in to my dorm at Kent on Monday morning. With that in mind, imagine how awesome life was when the bus broke down?

Happy dancing as the blue school bus came to save us.. four hours later!

Fortunately, we all had a pretty good time with being stranded together. I got home and, exhausted as I was, managed to get all of my things together and packed.

After church camp, I was ready to conquer college.

Just Breathe.

I have so much going on right now!! Tomorrow, I'm leaving for church camp. I'll be somewhere in Pennsylvania with Jesus and no cell signal until Sunday.

Monday, I move to college.

This is a lot to handle and it's all hitting me! My favorite dresses shrank in the dryer.. I cried for a good ten minutes, and then got one soaking wet and tried to stretch it out. It may have been an act in futility. Time will tell.

Yesterday, I had to say goodbye to two of my best friends who are going to different colleges than I am. More tears.

I'm only halfway packed, I need a shot, I'm extremely emotional, and I'm leaving tomorrow. This is so overwhelming! And to think, less than two weeks ago, I was here:

This picture is now my computer background. I need a little de-stressing.

But then again, this is what life is all about. There is stress. There are deadlines. The phrase "so little time, so much to do" was not random- it's so relevant. And as a Christian, times like now are when I need to sit back, breathe, and trust God.

It seems so stupid to be leaving the state for four days and coming back the day before moving to college. BUT- I know camp is where I need to be. It's where He wants me to be. So, it's where I'm going to go. And I will trust Him with the rest. Everything will fall into place, because He works out all things for the good of those who love Him! Right? Right.

Just.. breathe.

What I'm Reading

I love it so far! The five love languages are as follows:

- words of affirmation

- gifts

- acts of service

- physical touch

- quality time

Everyone (typically) likes all five of these, but has a "primary" love language. Learning to "speak" that person's primary love language makes them feel more loved! I'm not done with the book yet, but I'm pretty sure my love language is gifts. ;]

It was originally written to married couples, but this version shows how all sorts of relationships can benefit from recognizing love languages! It's been like a fun little game, trying to figure out how to love the people I already love, but better.

Read it!

I Got a Purse!

My godmother, Alaina, bought me my first Vera Bradley piece a couple of Christmases ago, and then more last Christmas in the same pattern. Then I decided I wanted a purse! My cousin gave me an Amazon gift card for $25 as a late Christmas present.. guess who found a Vera Bradley tote bag in her pattern for under $30?

This girl!

So exciting- I love it! The pattern is called "Loves Me..." and 10% of what you pay is given towards their breast cancer charity.

Best of both worlds. :]

Goals

Well, it's almost April. Surprisingly, the weather in Ohio has been amazing lately- record-breaking, actually. Last week temperatures got into the eighties. Usually we're still buried in snow this time of year.

ANYWAYS.

I lost my voice because of the massive amount of allergens in the air due to the beautiful weather, and I have been sitting on the couch completely silent for the past 36 hours. Not fun. I miss communicating. But all this thought has me thinking.. after school finally ends and graduation passes, what am I going to do with my summer? Here we go.

SUMMER 2012

1. Work. I actually have a job now. So I'll have money to do fun stuff!

2. Go to DKS. That's the summer orientation for college. Awesome.

3. Go to the drive in movies

4. Ride a train

5. Ride a boat

6. See the ocean

7. Go canoeing or kayaking

8. Go camping

9. Get my fishing license and go fishing

10. Swim in a lake

11. Go mini golfing

12. Get better at bowling

13. Don't avoid church!!

14. Cook a lot.

I'm sure a lot of things will be added to this list eventually. My short term goal for right now is to get my voice back.. then after that, it's to make it to graduation in one piece. My ultimate long term goal is to get married and be a mommy! But that's long term.

Better focus on graduating first. At least it's spring break!

The "Brutal Truth" About Me

Okay, so I haven't exactly been on my blogging game. I'm fixing that right now!!

My former youth pastor's wife has a blog that I love and read all the time. She was interviewed by another blog for a "brutal truth" survey, telling things about herself that she might normally not. It's intended to give blog readers insight into their blogger.

So, here we go!

ALL ABOUT LEAH!

What's your greatest weakness?

My greatest weakness is emotion. Anger and depression really like to ruin my whole day sometimes. It's gotten better recently, but there are days that I want to do nothing but lay in bed and cry.

What's your greatest strength?

My greatest strength is my intelligence. I have always been extremely mature, and I think everything through. I'm pretty compulsive, and I like to consider the consequences of my potential actions. I know how to get where I want to go.

What has emotionally crippled you in your lifetime?

This sounds so stupid, but a breakup. My only breakup. We were young and we were each other's worlds. Maybe that's not healthy, but that's how it was. When our relationship ended after a year, I had lost my best friend and my other half. I didn't know how to function for a very long time, and to this day, it can still be hard. I went through a lot of depression and loneliness, which is why I got my tattoo. God was the only thing that got me through that time. I definitely had to change a lot about my life in order to find myself again.

What has elated you with joy in your lifetime?

The most joyous moment I have ever had in my entire life.. was at a football game. I go to a pretty big football school, and we have had a very intense rivalry with another local school (the only high school rivalry bet on in Las Vegas!) for over 100 years. At our last game, we were down by four points, with about 20 seconds left on the clock. It was my senior year; we scored the winning touchdown with NINE seconds left. I have honestly never felt more instantaneous joy than I did in that moment.

How much have you evolved since your teenage years? Are you a similar person?

Well, I'm still a teenager. This is made obvious by some of my truthful responses to the previous questions.. I still have a lot to figure out. But I'm on my way!

What's something you don't want to tell us about?

After that breakup I mentioned, I thought way too much about suicide. Nobody takes it seriously because nobody but God really knew how much I suffered. For months. I'm good at acting when I want to hide something. It's scary to think that I could have ended my life.

When the world is crashing down on you, where do you go?

God. Praying is the only thing that can make me feel as if everything will ultimately be okay, because it will be. God knows what He's doing.

Do you have any goals? What are they?

Of course! I want to become a midwife and open my own birthing center, marry the man of my dreams, have a house full of children and a healthy and happy life overall.

Can you honestly say you love what you do?

Sometimes. I'm in the transition process at the moment! College is on its way.

Who has been the single most influential person in your lifetime thus far?

My mom. She has MS and lives in a nursing home now. I've seen her go through so much, and we've gone through so much together. She is absolutely my rock and best friend.

Honestly, we are all striving for something, what is your greatest goal in life?

To become a mother. I really want babies!

What has been your most defining moment?

My most defining moment.. being team captain of the MS Walk team last year. We raised almost twice our goal and my mom and I were in a local newspaper. It made me realize that I can make goals, and not only achieve them, but exceed them. 

Are there people in your past that you wish you could make amends with? 

Not really. Although I've been thinking about my biological father lately.

What memory will be forever burned in your mind to the point where you can smell the room and feel the energy?

The first time I spoke in tongues. My first kiss. Getting my first job. The breakup. The day I passed my driver's test and got my license. Getting my tattoo.

What movie and or book speaks to you? 

Everything makes me cry; that can be a good or bad thing. I like to read. I just read Bristol Palin's autobiography and LOVED it. I also read The Help, and it was life-changing. 

What is your greatest wish right here and now?

My greatest wish right here and now? An iPhone 4S. Yep, I'm still a teenager. :]

Happy New Year!!

It's 2012! Woo hoo!

Last night, my friends Desra and Sam and I did a mixture of some things we don't remember and some things we'd rather forget. Isn't that nice?

Just kidding. Kind of. I made hoppin' john (definitely a learning experience) at midnight and then we proceeded to fall asleep and wake up at noon today. My aunt had her New Year's Day party, and Desra and I have just been sitting around all day- it's a wonderful life. 

I FINALLY FINISHED MY PAULA DEEN COOKBOOK! After I completed that task, I started in on this cookbook:

I LOVE Ree. I saw her with Paula Deen a few months ago, and haven't stopped reading her blog since. I was able to finish this cookbook in about a day; each recipe is made super easy with step-by-step pictures and instructions. I've already made two things (twice-baked potatoes and comfort meatballs) and they were both AMAZING. I love both of my new cookbooks.

I've decided to go the whole "Julie and Julia" route and make every recipe from both of these cookbooks (it's actually my #1 New Year's Resolution). And the second Pioneer Woman cookbook comes out in March! Wish me luck!