A Beautiful Story

If this doesn't make you tear up, I don't quite know what will. Seriously grab your tissues.
Since today was World Down Syndrome Day this particular story touched me. Not only because it is so emotionally raw and uplifting, but also because it is so true. People with special needs have changed me life: they have given me something to strive to, helped guide me to my calling, made me smile and laugh like no one else, shown me what it means to love unconditionally. No matter if they have Down Syndrome, Autism, CP, or any other special need, they are each beautiful, incredible, unique, and wonderful human beings with a capacity to love that never ceases to astound me. This story is so beautiful because it is absolutely real and something many parents experience each day but offers a message of faith, hope and love. And as we are reminded in Corinthians, the greatest of these is love- a love devoid of stereotypes, prejudice, expectations- just true love. To anyone who loves someone special, someone makes your heart smile and burst with happiness, and who just might change your life- this is for you.

http://donmilleris.com/2010/03/21/nellas-beautiful-story/

Guilty as Charged

Brace yourselves kids because Spring Awakening is almost here. What is it? Oh, I guess I should tell you it. If you're not way into theatre you might not know, but Spring Awakening is certainly a bright spot on Broadway right now. It won 8 Tony Awards in 2007, including Best Musical but all the awards aren't why you should see it (although it probably helps). You should see it because, frankly, its incredible. Seriously go watch songs and clips on YouTube and you'll see what I mean. Although the subject matter is incredibly deep (sex, abuse, teen pregnancy, abortion, suicide, death) the music is modern and rock and songs you cant seem to get out of your head. The story itself is set in the 1890s but the music is all modern and provides a unique juxtaposition with the period costumes. Overall, you forget what time period you're even in because you realize that over 100 years later we are still dealing with and struggling with the same issues. This is a musical that gets at the heart of the human condition and makes the audience realize that they empathize with the characters and really relate to them. In the early 90s RENT changed the way we looked at theatre and defined a generation; SPRING AWAKENING will do that for this generation. So go to www.peacecenter.com and get tickets to see Spring Awakening in Greenville March 16-21 and experience this incredible and life changing show. And then you can join with those who are already guilty ones....

Take a walk along the Battery...

The Crab House Sign

My new running route.

I could get used to this.
This weekend my parents and I went future apartment shopping in Charleston and once again I was reminded why someone should film our family for a reality show- you cant make up some of the insane things that happen to us. Because this was an apartment-hunting trip, my dad naturally looked up a bunch of places to check out close to the school. The good news? We brought Diana, the trusty GPS. The bad news? My mom is so not a fan of Diana and kept yelling directions opposite of what Diana said. Needless to say we got lost. A lot. At any time there were three people shouting out directions and usually me screaming because oh hey that car almost hit us and you so cant turn that way on a one-way street. Of course Diana didn’t fail us and we usually ended up where we were supposed to. What we didn’t realize was how many of those places would be in places that were, shall we say, far less that desirable. Basically a tiny little blonde girl in a polo shirt? So not welcome there. It got to the point that we wouldn’t even be done driving past before my mom would start yelling “Nope. No way. She is so not living there. She’ll die!” Being the baby definitely has some benefits- namely your parents will refuse to let you live in a dump. We did find some promising places so once we had found a few my mom called off the search for the afternoon so that we could go to the Market. Shopping is like second nature to us and my dad has finally realized that fighting against it just isn’t worth it. Of course my mom ran into people with dachshunds and had to talk for 20 minutes (if you know her this should not be a surprise) and kept pointing out how close the dental school is to the apartments I liked (boys with good teeth? Check. ) We got to wander around Charleston on a gorgeous day so really life couldn’t get better.
Since we had dragged my dad to the Market we made up for it by going to the Charleston Crab House on James Island. Even though there is one downtown we had to go to the once on James Island. Why you ask? Oh just because it was once flipped on a TV show by the one and only Richard Davis who my dad practically worships and thinks is the coolest guy ever. Its like he thinks they’re friends or something… Anyway, the food there is always delicious and its one of my favorite restaurants so I was excited. My dad however? Way more excited. Throughout the dinner he talked about R.D. as he calls him, how he wanted one of the shirts from the flip (I told him he could just ask the waiter for his…), how he had highlights in his eyes that would be brought out by said shirt, and that he wanted a tweeter. I have yet to find out what a “Tweeter” is but rest assured he wont get one. The blogosphere isn’t ready for this man. We finished dinner only to run into the same couple with the dachshunds that were so sweet (thankfully Dad didn’t mention the tweeter) and we of course ended our meal with my dad having his picture taken in front of the very sign that Richard Davis hung upside down for the flip. The man has a serious problem.
Being our family, our adventure wasn’t over yet. I’ll spare you the details but we got lost. Again. All we wanted was to find a CVS. What we did find was a really sketchy area but on the other side the greatest gift of all: Krispy Kreme. Maybe you don’t know what its like to hear 3 lost and confused people simultaneously yell for the best doughnuts in the world but we sure do. Once again why do we not have a camera crew following us? We ate our prized doughnuts while trading expressions such as “Batshit crazy” and my new favorite “nuttier than squirrel shit.” The workers there probably thought we were the latter. Before heading back to our La Quinta (my mom asked if they serve chips and dip or maybe breakfast burritos…I had to tell her no and disappoint her) we stopped at the greatest of all grocery stores- Piggly Wiggly. I’m big on the pig and although my mom wouldn’t let me buy another Pig shirt, I learned that I will not be moving to that particular area anytime soon.
The next morning after waking up way too early, we did a little more apartment hunting and found some great ones and some that were not so great (Mom: “No way in hell she’s living there!”) but overall a successful trip. Of course we couldn’t leave without driving to the Battery. I love to walk out there and see the houses, the beautiful architecture, the people, the big old trees, the culture. My dad was excited about the cannons and may or may not have filmed a pelican. The important thing is that we got to go and now I feel so ready to live there. I could not ask for a more beautiful place to live and I could really get used to this (just without the whole weird pelican filming part).

And it you want go listen to www.shannonmcarthur.com for great beachy charleston music to make you long for summer!

Parking is overrated

This is an email I sent to my parents to request more money in my monthly food allowance (mostly for caffine and cereal purposes) for stupid parking tickets. I mean really stupid parking tickets. Here it is in its entirety:

Request: Additional money each month for stupid FUPO parking tickets
Amount:minumum $10
Reason: Apparently after years of never getting parking tickets, FUPO has decided that as a 2nd semester senior I should be targeted and milked for all my cash. I'm pretty sure they have a personal target on me and are so out to get me. I wish I could say that these parking tickets have merit but really they dont. Example: I got back last night from officer slating at 1 am and having dutifully (and selflessly driven my roommates and one Chelsea Garber) discovered that there were no more spaces available apart from the handicap spaces and 15 min slots. Obviously not being dumb enough to park in the handicap space (although I dont think being a varsity athlete who is completely fine should count), I parked in the 15 minute space. Fearing FUPO's rath I left a note informing them that I only parked there because there were no other spaces. Bonus: it was on a cute notepad so I was clearly not at fault. FUPO Officer 15 however disagreed and gave me an overtime ticket at 4:12 am. Yes 4:12 am. Why exactly he thought that giving precious little me a ticket so early in the morning was necessary to campus safety is beyond me. Anyway I saw it this morning, and apart from not being what you would call a morning person, it seriously soured my day. I went to the public safety office to beg, to plead not to have to pay when I am a graduating senior who seriously just wanted to park and get some sleep. I? Am so not a hazard to campus safety. In the end they weren't budging so I had to grudgingly bike over to the lady in the business office I know way too well now and cough up the cash. Therefore in addition to my monthly food allowance that pays for the neccesities like cereal, candy and diet coke, I am firmly requesting money alloted for stupid parking tickets. Please email me directly once you have you reached your decision.
Sincerely,
Little Blonde Girl

You're My Sugar Rush

Everyone’s favorite time of year is over. Yes friends its true- Rush is over. To me, it seems a blur of matching shirts, decorations, songs, skits, dancing, some forgotten tables (seriously how do you loose 13 tables), and one really bad blonde Hannah Montana wig. Although Rush is completely consuming for 2 weeks, it always seems as if I blink and its over. This year we were blessed with an absolutely incredible pledge class but I cannot help but be a little sad. Not because it was not wonderful and fun (and I got to wear aforementioned ridiculous wig) but because this is the very last time I will get to do it. Ok, so I’m sort of excited of no more rush workshops or freaking out about tables not being delivered but I really will miss the experience of it. It seems like not that long ago that I was a new member and some much older senior was talking to me and handing things down to me. Now suddenly, I’m that much older senior- whoa when did that happen? In a way this is so bittersweet- glad that we have a wonderful new group of girls but not quiet ready to leave this all behind. This fall, I could always hold onto the fact that I wasn’t quite on my way out because hey, there was always rush to get through, but now it seems as if everything is all too quickly coming to an end. I feel energized and excited about the new adventures that wait beyond Furman’s fountains and marathon study sessions in Plyler hall- especially after hearing the wonderful Al talk about how incredible law school is. Still, I’m not quite ready to leave these people here who have impacted me in such profound ways. The good news? I still have time to treasure the time I have left here and I sincerely hope to do so- even if it means uncharacteristically putting down the books a few nights. But maybe, just maybe, its time to take off the Hannah Montana wig and be a big kid now. Maybe.

A ring by spring?

The author's friend is asked if she believes there was one true love for every person.

She said essentially, no. She said she and her husband believed they were a cherished prize for each other, and would probably drive any other people mad.

She said she had married a guy, and he was just a guy. He wasn't going to make all her problems go away, because he was just a guy.

And that freed her to really love him as a guy, not as an ultimate problem solver.

And because her husband loved her as just a girl, he was free to really love her too.

Neither needed the other to make everything ok.

They were simply content having company through life's conflicts.

--A Million Miles in A Thousand Years, by Donald Miller

Ok So I stole this from the one and only Allison Renfro but it struck me so much I just had to post it here. As I prepare to embark on my final semester at Furman I am constantly reminded of the adage- "A ring by spring or your money back!"- This happens so frequently at Furman. I am an expert at playing the "Wow I wish I had a boyfriend card" but this quote has reminded me how important it is to wait on the Lord's time. We are not completed by one person but rather we bring out the best in one another- creating something much greater than our individual selves. One person will not solve our problems but will be there with you throughout all of life's ups and downs. This is what I have learned over the past few years at Furman and for once am so excited to be single (shocking I know). I know that I can handle things with the support of my incredible friends that surround me and that one person is not going to swoop in and make everything perfect. This semester I have kept this quote from one of my favorite bands above my bed- "Before you're ready for someone else, you've got to learn to be alright by yourself." I am reminded that you cannot rely on one person but have to find your own inner strength and be ok by yourself but still finding comfort and solace in wonderful friends.
As I contemplate moving to Charleston and am overwhelmed with excitement, I am also overwhelmed with the knowledge that I will go there as someone who has grown so much even within the past year. I cannot wait to meet the person that I should share those problems with but who knows when that will happen. For now I am content to begin my final undergrad semester knowing that I don't see the whole picture and am much to small for that. I must rely on God for his timing (which is so much better than mine) and be sure of myself in Him. I do not need one boy to save me which is something I did not know for a very long time.
On that note I wanted to share how very very excited I am that my best friend Virginia has found the person that brings out the very best in her! I am so incredibly overjoyed for her and J.Mike and cannot help but beam when people ask me if she is engaged or not. I am so excited for the both of them and to share this wonderful time with them!

Hello 2010, lets be friends

New Years has always seemed like a strange holiday to me. I mean the idea of celebrating a new year and bidding goodbye to the old one seems normal enough but I have never understood why everyone thinks that they should get really drunk to do it. I mean if you’re celebrating a new year, don’t you want to remember the first part of it? Apparently some people don’t want to but to be fair I usually don’t either on account of I generally fall asleep right after the ball drops. Which is exactly what I did this past new years. Except that I was in my hometown with my parents and my dog who ironically provided plenty of entertainment. Perhaps it was the sparkling wine, but nothing can be a better new years memory that hearing your mom call your dad a butthead (Ok I said it earlier but he so deserved it) or telling him to stop doing the ice cream and cake dance to and to just drink his dang champagne. This all happened before 7:30. Our entertainment for the evening consisted of a show called My Husband’s Three Wives (creepy), the Disney channel (my choice for its optimism), and some Lifetime movie called Sorority Wars (it got points for being realistic with the foam party but an ice luge- really!?!?). Sorority Wars didn’t last long so our new years consisted mostly of my mom and I reading and my dad, well, he was still being ridiculous with the ice cream and cake dance. The dog (who by conservative estimates is absolutely worshipped) just laid on her third of the couch and watched us all like we were crazy. Our new years was mostly reading, watching ridiculous shows on TV, being half asleep until right before the ball drops, and embracing the ridiculous in all of us. In other words, it was a perfectly wonderful new years. Although the ice luge would have been a nice added touch.