Finally I can breathe again. I am done with tests for the week. I have been stressed out this week trying to make sure I have studied enough, I do believe that this week has been one the least social weeks of the semester.
Some exciting events this week:

- The air conditioning in my apartment has been leaking for who knows how long...and it will continue to leak until the repair man comes. My roommates and I tried living without it, but when I came home from school yesterday and couldn't breathe because it was living Hell, I gave in and turned the air on.  Repair man...funny story, I tried to talk with the owner of the condo who is supposed to send the repair man, but the owner is very Polish. yes Polish, like the Polish Cyclist in Georgia ( a story for another time)...sadly, I did not understand his Polish English very well...so I'm not quite sure when the air conditioning will be getting fixed...

- I met a baby on the bus this week named Conan- after Conan the Barbarian...I'm not quite sure why parents would name their child after such a character but whatever floats your boat....

-Cafe Medici is my favorite spot in Austin. Every time I go in I see someone I know, which impresses me.

- I saw three out of the four people I know from Tomball College in a week. Considering I go to a school of 50,000 students, I'm impressed.

- My professor commented on my elephant necklace that I bought on the streets of Tbilisi, Georgia by saying, " I hope that doesn't mean your a Republican." Really? I have learned that it is better to not discuss politics.  I have also learned that I live in the most liberal place in Texas. JESUS FOR PRESIDENT!

- I'm not quite sure if I have just become immune to the weirdness of Austin, or if the weirdness is dying down. I'm guessing it is probably that I have become immune- which disappoints me to no end, because I need things to write about on my blog.

Ok, so due to the fact that I haven't written anything for three weeks, and I am avoiding doing homework right now, I am posting again.  A lot has been on my mind lately. I don't really like being the new person. I'm one of those people who likes to know everyone...I set a goal for myself to meet all 50,000 students here at the University of Texas at Austin, but unfortunately have given up on that goal due to the fact that it is almost impossible. Relationships. I like relationships. I like people. I'm sitting here in this coffee shop watching this guy and girl on a coffee date(the guy is doing most of the talking) ....yea I know...I'm creepy, but I love relationships. I like watching people interact and the joy they find being with each other. There are some girls in the  corner talking about dating and such...and there is one guy studying alone by himself who probably would like for me to come sit by him so that he won't be all alone (jk). 

Anyways....

I am a girl who believes that nothing happens by chance. I truly believe that each and every person I meet was someone placed in my life. I know the cashier at Walmart has little significance in my life, but i think he was my cashier for a reason. I think when I miss the bus because I'm stuck behind a herd of humans is for a reason. What if I ended up on a different bus and didn't get to meet the group of European tourists? Providence. One of my favorite words. I'm not quite sure where I'm going with all of this, but I just think it shows that everything we do is purposeful for the Kingdom, and that everyone you encounter you ought be Jesus to. I know that I'm not always in the best mood when the bus driver tells me to walk to the next stop so that I can get on the bus, or when the bus just drives past me and fails to stop...but what if I am the only Jesus that person ever meets? (not that I am Jesus, or close to being Him, but because He lives in me, I am called to represent Him)... Anyways, just live today encouraged that you are here for a reason and that the Lord puts you in exactly the right place at the right time :0) 

Falllalalalaaaaa...pumpkins & a ring

(NOT an engagement ring)
Thursday. My favorite day of the week.
Some of the greatest things about this week:
1.) Cafe Medici- 3 times. Delicious.
2.) I decorated my bedroom for fall- now there is candy corn everywhere and it smells like a pumpkin explosion-I will soon be carving a pumpkin.
3.) I met a girl who is in a lot of my classes who loves Jesus.
4.) The weather has been lovely this week- I wore boots for the first time this semester.
5.) The campus is becoming smaller. I have started seeing people I know at least once a day.
6.) Exactly one month from my 21st birthday was last Sunday :)
7.) This week has been the least stressful week since school started
8.) I have started working with international students and absolutely love it.
9.) Friday night I'm going to an Annie sing-a-long. What could be better?
10.) I ordered my class ring today. Pretty stoked.

Ok so I was driving back to my apartment, and as I was at the intersection, there was a horse behind me at the red light. It was a hilarious moment, just looking in my rear view mirror seeing a horse (in the middle of the city)! It was a good laugh :)

One month, One way Streets, and Chai

As I'm sitting here sipping on my Chai Tea Latte from across the street, I think about how much my life has changed in the past month. Today I have officially been here for four weeks-some of the best, yet loneliest weeks of my life. It is such an odd feeling to completely move to a different place where nobody knows who you are and what your about. No one has shared life with you in any way, and it is lonely. As time goes on the weeks keep getting better. The more people I meet, the better off I am. I am not much of a loner, I like company- the more the merrier. The Lord has definitely placed people in my life the past month, that I couldn't have found without His help.
Although I have been lonely, I do believe that I have changed a lot. Attending school and moving to a completely different place has shown me that I am capable of going anywhere. I believe I have more confidence in myself than I used to (but the city bus still scares me -refer to previous post). I like Austin, I like it a lot. I do agree that it is weird, but in some ways it is a good weird :)
Driving is different here than it is in Houston. One ways streets are everywhere. I would have to make the argument that the traffic here is worse than Houston's. I have been honked at (too much) in the past month. I'm finally catching on though, and I can get around without Carmen the Garmin for the most part. I also got to hang out with my cousin and his wife.


This week I have been listening to Derek Webb's song, "Faith my Eyes." I really love this song....

(here are some of the lyrics) But if I must go 
Things I trust will be better off without me 
But I don't want to know 
Life is better off a mystery 

So keep'em coming these lines on the road 
And keep me responsible be it a light or heavy load 
And keep me guessing with these blessings in disguise 
And I'll walk with grace my feet and faith my eyes 

I realize from this song that the places and people I love the most are better off without me right now. I'm supposed to be here. As a Christ-follower, I do walk with grace my feet and faith my eyes. I have no clue what the future holds, yet I trust the Lord has ordained my path, and that what He has for me is better than anything I could plan for myself. In the past, His plans for me have gone above and beyond anything I ever could have dreamed up!

My top 10 Do's and Don'ts for riding the city bus...

10.) Do not talk to drunk men at the bus stop when they ask you where your going. It's OK! They won't remember you in five minutes anyways.

9.) Do say good morning to your bus driver with a smile. It is good to establish a relationship at the beginning of the ride.

8.) Do take a seat on the bus and put your backpack in the seat next to you, that way, only if there is no other seat availability, you will be able to sit by yourself.

7.) Do avoid eye contact at all costs.

6.) Don't feel the urge to talk to anyone. If you do feel the urge and your a talker (like me), put on your ipod or text someone.

5.) Do not go to Starbuck's (or anywhere) that offers a disposable cup before your bus ride, they WILL make you throw it out.

4.) Do not ride the bus past 10 pm. no exceptions.

3.) (Referring to three) If you do ride the bus past 10 pm, have your pepper spray out and your cell phone.

2.) Do not feel the need to respond to people when they tell you the end of the world is coming (especially if your daily devotion was about the end times, it's just coincidence).
and FINALLY

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1.) DO NOT TALK TO GUYS ON THE BUS WITH ICHTHUS FISH TATTOOS. THAT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING (no matter how curly their hair is). They will talk to you for your entire bus ride home and will come and sit next to you. Thus, you will feel the need to pull out your pepper spray and then they will get off at YOUR bus stop.

(I have learned from experience)

Me? A loud person? nah.

It's funny how you spend life thinking that you are perfect and that nobody could ever possibly be annoyed with anything about you. Reality has hit me and I have discovered through my roommates that I am  a loud person, especially at 8:00 am when everyone else is asleep and I am grinding my coffee beans (I like my freshly ground coffee). My roommate kindly mentioned to me that others are sleeping so maybe I could grind my coffee the night before. Done. 

Today I volunteered at the speech lab during the afternoon. It is really a cool experience  having a client and helping them learn how to speak. It is sad to see these people come in who cannot communicate. These people are intelligent, they have degrees, they have been in the military, they have families, and they want to speak. I sat with my client while she worked on the computer. It is interesting to watch these people not be able to form speech, yet they are intelligent, and they know what they are trying to say. The lady I was helping today was looking at the sentence, "The cat is small" yet kept saying, "The boy is brown." God has really provided this opportunity for me to sew into these people's lives. My classes this semester all correlate with what I am doing in the speech lab. Speaking of classes, I got a 100 on my Phonetics quiz. I have had to mentally make the decision to like the class. It is not easy, but I am determined that I am going to get through it.

I have a hard time trusting that God knows what I need more than I do. At Bible study tonight we were talking about how the world tells us to "follow our hearts," yet the Bible tells us that "The heart is deceitful above all things, who can know it?" -Jeremiah 17:9. Thus, my desire is that I can trust God and give Him my desires and wants. I constantly recite to myself, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." The Bible tells us that we shouldn't want. We should be grateful for what the Lord provides for us. The Lord will lead us in the direction we should go. I am so comforted to know that Jesus has my back. He is my Shepherd, my friend. 

p.s. continue to pray for "Julie"- she just texted me about meeting up 

"Start of Something New"

 For those of you who don't know, the title of the post is a High School Musical reference :), but this blog is the start of something new for me. I have never really been much of a writer, but recently a few people told me to start a blog, thus, I have obeyed. I am a student at The University of Texas (Hook 'em Horns). Just a little over three weeks ago, I moved for the first time in my life (yes, my bedroom at home was my baby nursery, and I tried switching rooms with Casey when I was 4, but I missed my old room too much). Living in Austin in completely different than living in Houston. I have seen some bizarre happenings in the past 3 weeks, but I trust the Lord is going to use me here in Austin (even though I have been told it is Sodom & Gomorra, I think by an Aggie). Even though Christianity is not necessarily cool here, God is moving here at The University of Texas at Austin. In fact, I saw Him move today:
Today in one of my favorite classes (Perspectives on Deafness), I decided to introduce myself to the girl who sits in the front row (we will call her Julie). Julie is deaf in her right ear and has some physical impairments. I have been sitting behind her for three weeks, but I felt the need to meet her today. Anyways, we exchanged names and went our separate ways. Earlier this evening, I ran out of coffee, and if you know me at all, you know I like my coffee. I was thinking maybe I could just use some of my instant VIA packets tomorrow morning so that I could stay home and do homework, but I eventually decided against that idea. Thus, I drove to Whole Foods to get some coffee so that I could survive my Professor's abnormal amount of energy tomorrow morning. Well, as soon as I arrived at the store, there was Julie, sitting alone eating dinner and working on her homework. I walked up to her to her to say hi. Julie and I talked for a little while, and she mentioned to me that she had nerve damage in her face. I told her that I thought everyone has trials in life, but I believed that it was because Jesus brings us closer to Him through those hard times. I'm not even sure how it occurred, but I started sharing the Gospel with Julie. She told me that she used to be a Christian, but she didn't trust Christians anymore because of past experiences. I explained to her that because of sin in the world, even if someone is a Christian, they still are sinners. Anyways, I invited Julie to come to Bible study with me tomorrow night, but she told me she didn't feel comfortable around Christians. She agreed to have coffee with me before class next week though ;). I don't know how the Lord is going to use this situation, I would like to become friends with this sweet girl and show her the love of Christ. Please be praying for this situation, I definitely think the Lord is opening doors for me to serve here on campus. I was thinking about it, and what if I had decided to just use my VIA packet of instant coffee in the morning. What if I had not run into Julie tonight? It is incredible to see how the Lord ordains our paths and is in control of my life.