the break-up.

ok, so it might seem like I am breaking up with my blog. and I kind of feel that way. Some days I'm super excited about it, other days I neglect it, and even more, other days I just plain hate it. Why did I start a blog in the first place? why am I such a nerd? It doesn't make any sense. at. all.

So to mend the fragile relationship with this blog in such a trying time, I decided to re-evalute why it is that I blog. literally, I thought sound of music, "let's start at the very beginning" (sidenote, reminds me when we performed in front of the whole school that started with this-- check it out here...try not to make fun of us too much. actually, you can. it's pretty funny) and when I go back, I remember how enthusiastically I blogged about everything. I was so darn excited. I've always kept a journal, and blogging seemed like the next step in this technologically advanced world. So I started Adventure Letters.

Part of me wants to keep blogging. I'm tired of being mediocre. Life's too short to be mediocre (or to just not be awesome). So why not blog. eh that makes me want to barf. gross. I still don't want to blog. but then I do. but then I dont.
you know what? here it is, nothing snazzy, nothing glamorous. Just this frustrating little blog.

but I think things will work out..
fingers crossed.

if not, what the hey, I'll do other things. like major in architecture. gulp.

and the winner is...

Dearest readers (if you exist),

The race is done, and the winner is decided. I know where I'll be spending my next four years and I'm kind of super excited/ready/pumped/scared/terrified/nervous/happy. Yes, as seen by this list of varying emotions, I really don't know what to think of this time. I know that God will always guide me where I need to go as long as I trust in Him and live in today. As seen by this fortune cookie, I have grand adventures awaiting me, and I think I'm just about ready to turn that corner.

without any further ado, I've decided to attend Clemson University and major in Architecture. 

yippeee!!!

challenges

I have lots going on, and it isn't going to end until May 22nd...graduation. 

WHAT!?!?!?!? I'm so excited. But then I'm also sad. but not really because I'm so tired of schoolwork right now.

as for now, I'll just keep trudging through.

In better news, tomorrow is CHALLENGE DAY. A day where the girls battle the boys in competitive events such as egg toss, ping pong transfer, uniform swap, four legged race, spirit, volleyball, basketball and memory game. This battle is far more intense than words can describe. The boys hope to win the day and take back the empire while the girls are fired up to win again. Who will come out victorious? hopefully us. 

I'm pumped.

My sister and I are both participating in the ping pong transfer. Here's a picture of our team that gets me so fiRED up.

 Intimidated?

last week started the battle with a can drive competition between the two schools. Whoever brought the most pounds per student of non-perishable food items won one point towards challenge day (each game is worth one point).  I must say that I've never ever seen so much non-perishable food (or such feisty facebook statuses). We will find out the winner of the can drive tomorrow at Challenge Day. 

 My sister and I made this video to pump up the student body for the can drive:

"If you mess with FIRE, you're gonna get BURNED."

some things I can't get off my mind

A while back, I noticed a woman slowly walking while holding two bags filled with groceries walking around the LSU lakes.  I would have simply passed by without taking notice to this person, one of the many people present at the lakes, until she proceeded to collapse to the ground and sob. The tears fell violently down her face as she hung her head between her knees and cupped her head in her hands. I felt immediate sympathy for her intense sorrow. Why was she crying? Was she ok? She surely looked normal. What caused her to be so sad?

 I will never know because I kept running. I passed her by without a kind smile, a gentle word, or a simple "Are you ok?"

I often think about this woman and wonder if I could have made a difference in her life. To me, she represents missed opportunities. How could I have helped her, or made her life just a little bit better in her time of need? As a direct result of this incident, I started praying for her and anyone else I had subconsciously chosen to ignore. She would often pop into my thoughts, quietly reminding me to be attentive to others needs. She taught me that other people can hide their pain, and that I may never know what they go through. MAN. Who do I know that needs my love and attention now? Who have I unintentionally harmed or simply overlooked!?!? 

She also taught me to value each individual person. Before I saw her cry, I viewed all of the people at the lakes that day as just another random person. I did not know any of them personally, and I had no connections with them whatsoever.

 Yet, in reality our simple humanity connects us, and every single person holds a certain value that others might forget about or refuse to take notice of.  Needless to say, she reminded me.

the great race

I've got stress up to my eyeballs this week. EVERYTHING is going on. literally, everything.
and not to mention college decisions are coming up... (oh yeah, I actually have to decide) I've heard from all my colleges except two (Vanderbilt and UNC) probs won't get in either of those places, but do I really want to anyway? just makes it more complicated...more to choose from...
we visited Clemson this past week. I really really liked it. maybe I might go there.
who knows.
 I don't regret applying to so many random schools, yet I often wonder what caused me to do so. They get all jumbled in my mind. Where am I supposed to go? Which school is the best for me? The only way that I've seemed to organize such questions is to imagine it as a competition between the schools. I can see each school competing with the others, trying to win my favor. While some never had a chance, others frequently battle with each other for the number one spot. This victory, the number one spot, is huge. It determines where I end up for the next four years. wow. My mind whirls with all the pros and cons of each and I cannot seem to make up my mind... If you think about it, it's fine because in the end, it's about where my heart is. {and that should make up itself.}

for now. it's still a race. and believe me, it's a marathon. I'll keep you posted for when we have a clear winner.

back to first grade when theory was life.

you are great
because you are you
don't let anyone trick you.
fight the deception and lies
everyone just wants to be loved
you can see it in their eyes
don't let the world bring you down
tower above, come on
don't hit the ground

seek life
seek love
seek a challenge
seek an adventure.

nice try, sue

ME: "hey Susan, give me a quote, I need some inspiration to live my life {aka do physics}"

SUSAN: [pauses to think a while]

"live your life as though the fungus on your toe was deadly"

ehhhh. I still don't want to do physics. 

thoughts on the marathon

excuse me for being a drama mama here but...this past sunday, I completed the biggest task of my whole life: a marathon. 

you read it right. 

a MARATHON. 

26.2 miles! WHOOOOHOOOOO

We [four best friends + me] trained so long for it I forgot how big of a deal it was. then it hits me every now and then like a ton of bricks and I just think.. "wow. I did it, I ran a marathon" and that my friends, is absolutely invigorating.

This "ton of bricks" comes in waves throughout my day. for instance, I was about to take a world history test when my friend adele {fellow marathoner} turns to me and states that she is totally unprepared for this test and that she was for sure gonna fail it {she didn't}. I just looked at her and told her "don't worry about it. we ran a MARATHON". which is definitely so true. Well, for most cases. I could just see myself 10 years down the road saying,"I don't have a job...uh-oh..... hey, don't worry about it YOU RAN A MARATHON, KP!." 

I also think that running a marathon has connected us with our ancestors. Think about it. they had to walk EVERYWHERE. I bet 26.2 miles was nothing for them. running this marathon linked us with our ancient relatives in a very intimate way. like Jesus and the apostles traveling to spread the news of the gospel or visit the temple, or ancient Muslims making their pilgrimage to mecca on foot. 

it's a lost art that must be revived!

I've been told that upon my completion of the marathon, I was inducted into an elite group. I was also told that only 1% of the population actually completes a marathon in their lifetime. and to do that before my 18th birthday? I don't know where that puts me. I guess that's just an added bonus 

{then again, 85% of statistics are made up} 

still, I feel as though I've been inducted into a highly exclusive club

 at the cost of very sore hips, knees, and feet..

but it was totally worth it.

words cannot describe how fun the marathon was. I can honestly say that I enjoyed every second of it. I loved the atmosphere, I loved that our families and friends were there to support us, I loved going to the expo, I loved all the free stuff at the expo, I loved that it was in New Orleans, I loved the carb load the day before at Venezian's, I loved the bands we would hear every mile or so, I loved running it with my best friends, I loved the "I'm on top of the world" feeling when we finished, I loved that I had a pack of friends to run the whole thing with (and train with), I loved that some of our teachers ran it too, I loved meeting all those different people that were just as crazy about marathons as us, I love shot blocks and cute running apparel, and I love that we had the determination and motivation to actually go through with it. did ya hear? I love marathons.

the best part of the marathon was miles 20-26. those were the best. I don't know why exactly but that's when my inner Kenyan came out and I truly had a blast. We picked up the pace a tiny tad and started passing people! It was also during those miles where we were worn down the most and just at the very core of our existence. There was nothing left. just us, God, and the road. I felt cleansed.

once again, absolutely invigorating.

I'm ready for the next one. I actually would do it right now if I wasn't so darn sore.

yep. We're crazy. 

ellie showed me this vid. figured you'd enjoy it.

 

26.2

http://mardi-gras.competitor.com/

and today dear readers, I am pulling the plug.

{as shown by this previous post} I find myself over-stimulated and over-stuffed. I feel like I have too much distraction. So I've decided to retreat into nature like Henry David Thoreau...kind of. Actually, not really. I am just trying to get on facebook less, blog only when I feel really inspired to do so, and not listen to music in my car. In fact, the not listening to music in my car has seemed to work. I have been so much more creative these past few days because the silence gives me time to clear my head and really think. 

“	I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion.	”
	— Henry David Thoreau, Walden, "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For"  and after going on the march for life, [awesome experience--if you ever have the chance to, GO!] I've realized that I need to give a better effort to my dwindling prayer life. So I've decided to keep a prayer journal in which I state a quote, reflect upon the day, state my prayer intentions, and then end by reflecting on the things that I'm thankful for. I'm trying to dedicate my self and be focused on a time of self improvement. We'll see how this goes. {and how long it lasts.} and since I'm probably boring yall, here's pictures from the march! and I just want to throw in there... I LOVE DC