Being Nineteen

I'm always one to think a lot about the future. What's it going to be like to be a wife and a mother? What's it going to be like to have earned the degree(s) I'm working towards and living my "dream"? It's all so exciting! But for now?

I AM..

- nineteen

- a Christian

- a young Republican

- a freshman in college

- single and childless

- a sorority girl

- a nursing major

And all of that's pretty cool. As I get older, some of it won't change, but a lot of it will! Nothing lasts forever, so I'm going to enjoy whatever life throws at me and try to get the most out of it.

I'll always be driven, but I need to focus on living in the moment. Living for right now. Right now, I'm focusing on having fun and just being nineteen.

I duck faced, okay?

- leah

Routine

I moved back into my dorm room today. Starting a semester is exciting; it's a new beginning, with lots of chances to learn and grow.

I'm really looking forward to what Spring 2013 will bring! Some of my plans:

1.) Going to CPAC (a political conference in the DC area) in March with the College Republicans
2.) Becoming involved in the Navs, a religious group on campus.
3.) Lots of time bonding with my sorority sisters and growing as a chapter!
4.) Getting one step closer to becoming Nurse Leah ;]

Break was nice and relaxing. However, I'm glad to be getting back into my routine. Waking up in the morning and being productive. It makes me feel accomplished at the end of the day.

Classes start in the morning!

Creative Outlets

On Tuesday nights at Nono's church, they have an event called "Ladies Night". Each event has a  theme that teaches everyone a new domestic skill and allows them to have some fun while doing it!

Tonight, the theme was cupcake decorating.

A woman named Donna taught the course; she took up decorating cupcakes as a hobby while recovering from surgery. She was on bed rest when she stumbled upon a marathon of Cupcake Wars, and the rest is history.

Nono and I learned so much! Donna taught us about different types of cakes and frostings, how to make chocolate ganache, working with fondant, and different decoration techniques. And it wasn't even that difficult. By the end of the session, we were feeling like pros.

I love being creative. As a nursing major, I don't get too much of a chance to express myself. During my break, I've been knitting, cooking/baking, painting, and now decorating cupcakes! Allowing yourself to have creative outlets, no matter what they may be, is so important!

The cupcakes I decorated!

Christmas Break So Far

So, college is awesome because you get a MONTH off of school for Christmas break. For the most part, this is what I've been up to. A lot of hanging out with my mom, family, and friends that I haven't seen since at least Thanksgiving. 

It's a wonderful life.

I Don't Know What It Is..

About blogging.

I get on this thing every single day and read all of the blogs that I follow, but for some reason, I can't bring myself to post. Or I get really super into it for a week and disappear for a year. Something like that.

Maybe I need a makeover.

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!