Being Sick Is No Fun!

Well I guess if I had to catch this stupid cold that is going around this week was more convenient to do so than most. In an effort to protect myself last Wednesday during room checks I went around a bleached all of the door handles, inside and out. And I guess it worked, I made it through college for a weekend with out getting sick. Unfortunately on Sunday night it hit me hard and fast. I stayed in bed most of the day on Sunday trying to fight it off before it came on full fledged but it didn't quite work. Yesterday I was miserable and only went to one of my classes and only because I really could not miss. Last night I was feeling a little bit better so I took two Benadryl and called in sick to work and slept for over 12 hours. I woke up at 2 o'clock in the afternoon today but I really am feeling much better. I think between the drugs and sleep and fluids the worst is over and hopefully by tomorrow I will be fine.

Tomorrow I am celebrating Valentines day! I know that I am a little late but over the last couple of years some friends and I have created a tradition of getting really dressed up and going to a nice restaurant and celebrating our singleness, our friendship, and the love from our savior Jesus Christ together on Valentines day. We always have a good time and it is a good time to catch up with those who we don't get to spend as much time with as we would like. This year Meghan and Regina were out of town on Valentines day so we are celebrating a little late. Actually it is probably easier to get a reservation a the place we want to go to now then it would have been this weekend so it is really a good thing. I am really looking forward to our night out, I only hope that this cold is gone by then so I don't have to pack tissues in my purse and embarrassing blow my nose at the table.

I Am NOT A Dater-Hater

I am not a dater-hater as some are. In fact I really enjoy the holiday that is most closely associated with having a significant other, which I do not. Valentines day happens to be towards the top of my list of favorite holidays. Christmas is first, with Easter following a close second, then there is my birthday but pretty must right after that is Valentine's day. This surprises a lot a people as I am notoriously single. But the great thing I think about Valentine's day is that it is about love. And to celebrate love you do not need a boyfriend or a girlfriend. In fact, the greatest gift and display of love comes not from a husband or wife but from Jesus Christ. He loves me more than any other human being ever could. His sacrifice of love for us on the cross comes unconditionally and is available any day of year. So this Valentine's day I will be teaching swimming lessons and hanging out with my cousin who is coming for College For A Weekend and I will be celebrating the ULTIMATE gift of love, JESUS CHRIST. If I am finding my worth and value in him then I can be happy and feel the same love that those who are going out to eat or some other special event can.

Grad School!

So today I went to my first graduate class. I felt behind before I even went into the room. First, the bookstore does not have the books right now. They are on order and should be here the week of the 21, hopefully before my next class as we have reading due. I would have ordered them off line but they were only like three dollars cheaper so by the time I paid shipping and handling and waited for them to get here I might as well have bought them at the book store, so that is what I am doing. When I got to class some of the other students were talking about a paper that was due today and how we were supposed to have three articles about change to discuss. Well I just added the class officially on Monday, so I didn't receive the e-mails with this information. As many of you know I like to be prepared and so when I found out I wasn't I was a little worried but I tried to not let it get to me.

When the professor arrived at class she had us all introduce our selves, saying our major and what our career plans are. Well I am not actually in the program I am dual enrolled while finishing my undergrad degree, so I don't have an official major in the program. Also I have no idea what I want to do with my life, which is part of the reason I am going to grad school, to give my self a little more time to decide. Several of the students are graduation in May and so they know exactly what they want to do after this. So for the first 15 minuets or so I felt a little out of my league but then the professor informed us that the paper is due next class not this one and that she knew that some of us did not get the message to bring articles and so it was fine if we didn't have them.

After this I felt better and I managed to get through the rest of the class holding my own, sounding somewhat intelligent, even if I had know idea what I was saying. I must say it was nice to be in a class where people want to be there and care about the work that they are doing, which is sometimes not the case in undergrad classes. Also the class was very diverse with a student from China, Brazil/Chile, and one who's parents are missionaries in Greece. I love diversity which is one of the reasons that I think I love big cities so much. Anyway, I am excited to try and do well in this class and to see if the communications graduate program is something that I really want to pursue. Time will only tell.

Love From Liberty,
Peggy

Peace and Quiet

Classes don't start again until Monday but, Danielle and I have been back at school for almost a week. I must say that it has been nice to go to bed a little earlier and for the time to relax but, the hall seems so empty without the life of 56 girls running through it.

I don't know that I could ever live by my self. I think I would be board out of my mind and go crazy. It has been so nice this week spending time with Danielle, sharing about our breaks and getting things ready for this coming semester. But even with her company these empty rooms long for their residents to return. It makes it easier to miss people when they are so encouraging and respectful. As a dorm supervisor of sorts I couldn't ask for a better hall. I am looking forward to seeing what God is going to do in the coming semester in and through the lives of the girls on this hall. I miss then and can't wait to see there sweet faces!

Love from Liberty,
Peggy

The Most Meaningful Christmas Gift

A thought from Christmas. I know that it was weeks ago but my parents only have dial-up which as you may remember is very slow and temperamental so I typed up my thoughts and saved them to post later.

It is Christmas Eve and after attending the candle light service at Oak Grove Christian Church as we do every year we went to our neighbors Tania and Bill's for supper. After eating and spending some time over there we came home to open Christmas gifts. We don’t have a particular tradition for opening gifts as my dad used to work a rotating shift not guaranteeing him Christmas day off. On the years that he had to work we would open presents after church, amazing how Santa knew when dad had to work, and then on Christmas day while dad was working mom would take us to a movie. They first year I can remember us doing this we went to see Mona Lisa Smile, with Julia Roberts. The years when dad did not have to work we would open gifts on Christmas morning and spend the rest of the day playing with toys and watching Christmas movies such as Frosty the Snowman and Santa Clause is Coming to Town. When we were little we had huge Christmas’s with gifts every where. Dad used to film us opening presents and even at 20 years old he recorded me. This is the first year that he didn’t video tape us opening our gifts. I suppose now that Jenna is 18 and graduated we are too old for it.

This year marks a very special Christmas as it marks the receiving of my first letter. They were supposed to be a surprise but mom accidentally said something to Jenna one day and she said something to me. Every year since I was born my dad has written me a letter on Christmas and around the time of my birthday. The letters include a summary of things that happened in my life that year, how I have grown or changed, etc. Dad asked me this summer when I would like to start getting them, knowing that they would be very special to me I wasn’t sure I wanted to read them so I replied when he passed away. Of course this isn’t really logical but I didn’t want to say when I wanted the letters I knew that my dad would start giving them to be when the time was right.

It was my last gift tonight and my most meaningful one. I waited to read it until I was in my room alone because I knew it would make me cry. It is so special to think that my parents thought ahead to begin doing this the very year that I was born and to keep it up all this time. I think another thing that makes it special is that they are from my dad. You always hear of how moms saved every little thing but you rarely hear of a father doing something this special. And it is not a thing. It isn’t a dress that I wore or a picture I don’t remember drawing but it is about me and a documentary of my life and of our lives as a family and about the people that had an impact in our lives. Needless to say it made me cry and actually I am still crying as I am writing this. This is something that I will treasure forever and is perhaps the greatest gift I have ever received apart from my salvation.

I hope that one day I can give my children something as special and meaningful as this and maybe it can become a tradition. I am going to keep the letters in my hope chest with other special memories that I have. I think it would be wise to type out the letters as to have a back up copy in case something would happen to the originals. This will also ensure that when I am gone or old and gray and can’t see well anymore that others will be able to read the hand writing and read about my life, even the parts that I can’t or won’t remember.

Forgetful Me

I just realized that I never finished posting about my wonderful leadership team. I am the worst about coming back to things like this. Its like when you are on the phone with someone and you have to leave suddenly to do something or someone else is calling you and then you forget to call them back, that is me, all the time. Usually it happens when Jenna calls me. She always seems to call at the most inconvenient times, like when I am about to eat or go to work or to a meeting. And I always tell her I will call her back later and I do but by the time I remember my later ends up being days later not minuets or hours. But what are you going to do? I am just fortunate that my sister loves me enough to not hold a grudge and simply call me back if it is really important.

So what you should know about the rest of my leadership team is that God has really blessed me and that they are such a blessing to me and to my hall. I love them all and they are such an encouragement to me. In addition I am so excited to see how God is going to use each of them this semester and in the future. I can't wait to see where they are in ten years and the amazing things that they will be doing for the Lord. So, thank you girls for everything that you do! I love you!

Love From Liberty,
Peggy

Lovely Leadership

I am pretty sure I have the best leadership team on campus and I would like to dedicate this post to naming just a few things that make each of them special and why I love them.

First let me start with my amazing RD, Christina. I have known Christina since I came to Liberty as a freshman. She started out as my SLD and then moved up to RA at semester. I was then a prayer leader under her my sophomore year and she really encouraged me to apply for RA. Last year we were separated as I was on East campus and she was in dorm 33 but the Lord allowed us to reunite this year. Christina is one of the most naturally beautiful people I have ever met, which is accentuated by her love for the Lord and humble spirit. Christina is not afraid to ask me the hard questions and to call me out when I have not acted as I should. It is refreshing to have a friend who is willing to be so honest in order for you to grow as a person.

Next there is my delightful partner Danielle. Danielle is one of the most positive people I know. She is easy to get along with and is a great listener. She challenges me everyday by the example she sets in her life. I love our late night chats and hanging out together. It is a rare thing when you can say that you are friends with your roommate, especially one that was chosen for you.

Stephanie impresses me with her obedience to God. Having gone through the RA process and made it and then to turn it down to be a prayer leader, a non-paid and little thank you job, is just something you don't ever hear of. She has stepped up to SLD this semester and couldn't be a better fit. It is funny how God knows what he is doing, to place Stephanie on our hall as a prayer leader and then to have Rachel move to the hotel and Stephanie take her place, there is no way that humans could orchestrate something like that. She is exactly what our prayer leaders need and has done a tremendous job ministering to them and to the girls on our hall. You would never know that she is a relatively new Christian because she has grown so fast and is always pushing her self to learn more about God's word.

Kat is a whirlwind of ideas. She is always coming up with new ideas and activities for us to try. And she is the reason we have five of our amazing prayer leaders, having brought them with her from her hall last year. Having a returning SLD when we have so many new prayer leaders is a great help and allows us to pull from her experience.

Christina Hadley has the biggest servants heart. She will do anything for anyone and many times she does it with out being asked. If she hears us say that something needs to be done, even if we are not implying that she be the one to do it, she will take the initiative to do it. She does such an amazing job reaching out the the girls in her group, meeting with each of them one-on-one outside of prayer groups, and has been Danielle and mine number one supporter.

Kelsey has the great ability to control her attitude. Even if she isn't happy about the decision she chooses to support the decisions made by authority and to encourage others to do so as well. She also is very honest which I admire a lot. She is not afraid to appropriately confront and ask questions in a respectful manner. She is outgoing and crazy and I lover her.

Ok ,so it is getting really late and I am getting tired and I want to give each of my girls the praise they deserve to check back later for the rest.

Love From Liberty,
Peggy