This post started out as "Just Figure It Out January…" and it still is… for now.
For this part of January.
January started with celebrating New Years at my apartment with Becca, Danny, a couple of his friends and my sister. Katie was with Ethan. Dave and Justine (come to find out) were in Bowling Green, which if nobody knows, was about 15 miles from mine and Becca's home in Perrysburg and Rossford and one mile from Katie who was spending her time with Ethan.
We could have been with Dave, Justine, Becca, Katie and Ethan all on New Years and maybe it would have been a little bit more exciting. But there really wasn't anything too exciting happening. Just a really long game of Egyptian Rat Screw, and Danny cheating the whole time.
Friday, January 2nd I woke up to a call from my father, asking me to take Josh to the emergency room. Mom was at work, and Josh was vomiting. I woke up my sister on the couch, and we left very briefly. I made sure that I had everything and soon we were off. When I got home, I took Dad and Josh to the hospital. In the meantime, Katie had left her keys with Ethan in Columbus Ohio, and I was the one that had to deliver them to her in Bowling Green. So I ran those to her, and came back home to cycle through my last load of laundry.
When I got home, I pulled into the driveway to see Mom's car sitting in the parking space. Why was Mom home?
I ran upstairs to ask Mom why she was not at work, and she mumbled something about not feeling well. Great.
I picked up Dad and Josh at the hospital, took Bethany to Taco Bell, and five minutes into being at home, Mom yelled for me. I ran up to her, she asked for a bucket, and as soon as I handed one to her, she started vomiting. Dad had come upstairs to check on Mom.
I threw my hands up in the air and said, "I can't do this, I can't get sick before the first week of school."
My Dad agreed that it was best that I leave. I texted Katie, "What's your address? I am coming over!"
An hour and a half of belting out songs at the top of my lungs and maybe talking to myself a little bit… I arrived at Katie's house, apparently taking Abby's parking spot in the process.
Katie's parents took us out to a Mexican restaurant where we talked about our first kiss, who they were, how it happened, and how old we were. I told Katie all that had happened over Christmas break, which was really nothing too exciting and actually disappointing, but I mentioned that I finished the gymnastics video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8-kcUZnV8E
Eventually throughout our time together I mentioned to Katie that I was not so sure that Apparel Textiles and Merchandising really appealed to me anymore. I had seriously considered video editing and making. That was what I had spent a lot of my time over break doing, and it was something that I realized I really enjoyed. Stephanie had talked to me at Katie Bailey and Lucas's wedding shower about communications as a minor and all the things that I could do with it. So I was majorly considering communications in video production, but I had no idea where to even start with it.
Katie and I found a gym that had open gym hours, and we spent a good two hours in there, and we were sore the next day. Two weeks off was never a good thing! That night as Katie was sitting on the couch and we were watching a movie, I felt compelled to write a story, so I went to my car to get my laptop. I opened up the trunk….
No backpack.
No backpack = No laptop.
And I had not locked my car.
I was very worried, as you can imagine. I had just spent that whole break putting together a video that could be gone. I honestly was not concerned about how I would replace my computer, I was concerned about all the things that I had left on it, and had no way to retrieve it.
Katie and I head back to Ypsilanti, and the first thing I do when I walk in is check to see if my backpack was leaning against the door of my closet.
I turn through the doorway and turn left and see my purple stripped backpack sitting there, with my blue computer case sitting snugly inside. I had never been so relieved in my life!
That night, Katie and I sat on our computers trying to figure out my schedule for this next semester. Dropping a major and then adding a completely different minor is not really a logical, especially when it is the day before the semester starts…
I felt like I had to hang on to apparel because I was going to Italy for it, and because I had already taken a class in it. I was spending all this money to study abroad, and it would go to waste… I called my Mom, and I'll admit, I cried, I didn't know what I wanted to do. Apparel was a large major, and a large minor. The only thing I knew for sure about was Creative Writing, and when I went to check my schedule, I was informed that my English class, which was a prerequisite class, was cancelled. The only other times for that class were during my only Creative Writing class that I was signed up for and Tuesdays at Four. What am I doing on Tuesdays at Four? I am working.
I emailed professors, and they said that since the classes were capped, they could not let me in. Creative Writing: Fiction would be the only creative writing class I would take this semester. There was nothing I could do about it.
And it was the only thing I was sure of.
In the middle of my freak out, Katie and Tyler had started a short chat, and he was really upsetting her. For the second time that day Ethan drove back up to Ypsilanti, gave Katie flowers, bought us Jimmy Johns and listened to Katie help me put my life together. When it came down to it, I just had to decided what to do.
I had to figure it out.
I woke up the next morning to a couple of "Happy Birthday!" Texts, and as I opened my bedroom door, I was greeted with blue (my favorite color) and white streamers hanging from my door. I walked into the living room to see the streamers twisted and hanging from the ceiling, a happy birthday balloon and banner.
From there, Katie and I were continuing to figure out my schedule, and so we met with an advisor for Graphic Communications, because we were confused on the requirements of the minor. On our way to the advisor, I got a call from the always lovely Chloe Schmitz who was wishing me a happy birthday. I explained what was going on, and she said that she was praying for me, and hoped I was having a wonderful day.
The professor we met with was extremely helpful, and after thinking about it for a day, I dropped all my apparel classes, except Italy, and registered for mostly Graphic Communications classes. I had finally figured out my schedule and met up with the team members that I was closest with for dinner.
All in All it was a decent day. There was no cake, there was no big bang. To me, it is really just who I spend the day with and how I spend it. Figuring out my life, relieving stress and ending the day with some of the people I love most in life is not a bad way to spend another day.
I'm 20!!!
The following weekend I went home Saturday I went home Saturday night and spent the afternoon with my family, had some Cincinatti Chili (the typical favorite meal birthday dinner) and cookie cake and ice cream.
That night I went over to Sophia's apartment and we played Cards Against Humanity for a very long time, and I mean, a very long time. I had finally left her apartment at two in the morning, I think it was. On my way home, I remember thinking about how every time I am at a different college that I could have, or should have applied to, how my life would be different. I would probably be with Sophia in Plainsong, or would I still be at Dayspring instead of H2O? All I know is my friends would be different, and my nights would be spent differently as well. The girls on the Bowling Green Gymnastics Club, is the drama that I would probably always be dealing with instead of our team which, as I would like to think, is slightly more calm in the drama area.
When it comes to the team we are all pretty much friends, we know each other very well and at times we can get on each other's nerves and want to hang out with different people from the club, but I wouldn't mind spending my time with anyone on the team. Being with Sophia at Bowling Green or Stephanie at Miami… I start to wonder how my life would be different. What if I had gone to Miami, joined a sorority and then had recruitment and the home meet the same day like Stephanie did. Every time I try to think things through, all the "what if's" it becomes even more apparent that I was supposed to go to Eastern. I was supposed to be with this awesome team, and experience what it is like to have a group of people that will do anything for you. Ones that will talk you through the worst situations, let you cry, rub your back, give you hugs… Sophia, her life is completely surrounded by church and people who love the Lord, which is great! And many times I wish that is what I had here, but it's not. Instead I am surrounded by non-Christians who love life, and I can actually talk to them about the deep things. I get to tell them why I believe what I believe, I can tell them my story without them being like, "yeah, did God really say that?" Instead they say, "that's not my thing, but it's cool that something like that happened with you."I realize that it may not be a life completely surrounded by church and Christians, like I wish it could be sometimes, but it is a wonderful life, with wonderful people who deserve to be loved the way that God loves them! And I wouldn't trade that for anything.
The following Sunday Dayspring had a missions trip meeting, and as Pastor Cornell was talking about Madagascar, I felt like God was telling me to go. I just thought, "Okay, cool, I have a trip for next year," but after talking to my sister about it I realized that Madagascar is not a definite thing for 2016, and I didn't want to miss God's call! We go to Mexico every year, but not Madagascar. I ignored everything though, I had just turned in my application for Mexico, and now I have to change it, and with the dates for it I would be missing school…
But I went home and I prayed about it.
Later that afternoon I met up with Sophia and a group of friends for a celebratory lunch for Sophia's 21st birthday, and from there I just went to her apartment for a nap. Sometime during that nap it started snowing, heavily and as we were on our way to H2O the snow was piling up.
It took us thirty minutes to get to Perrysburg from Bowling Green because of the snow. It was dark, coming down heavily, and the roads were not plowed. However, once we arrived at the Schmitz house we walked in to a Frozen party! Mrs. Schmitz made us appetizers, and bought ice cream. They sang to Sophia and I and we held each other's hair and blew out the candles. We had deep discussions about Jesus on the cross, and theology, which I always love, because I learn, and then Ellie, Bekah, Lilly, Michael and I played some rounds of Dutch Blitz. I don't know how, but I think I am getting worse at that game.
The thing that stuck with me the most about that night was when we were scraping off our cars. There were a few inches coating the cars, so I grabbed a scraper and started wiping them off. Ellie, Michael or I figure out that it is good packing snow, and that is when the snow ball fight was in full swing! I was getting hit in the head, the arm, back, legs, and also trying to get a few good rounds in as well. We made a plan to get Sophia when she walked out, so we lined up on the side of the garage and waited, as I made a pile of snowballs. We heard the door slam, got ready to throw, and realized it was Mrs. Schmitz. When she saw us she said, "don't you dare," Eventually everyone except Sophia, Andrew and Caleb were throwing snowballs. Got Bekah right in the head, and she gave me a couple of really good shots as well. When Sophia said it was time to go, I gave Mrs. Schmitz a hug because I didn't know when I would see her again.
She asked me if I was doing well, and I told her that I was doing a lot better and I explained about my decision to drop a major and add a minor which was in a totally different subject. I also told her to pray about Madagascar, because this would be a big decision, missing the first week of classes and all. She said she would, and gave me a hug. I gave Bekah a hug because she is like a little sister to me. As I wrapped my arms around her, I felt something cold hit the top of my head as her hand rubbed the snow into my hair. "Thanks Bek," I laughed and she told me to come back with more stories. I told her I would.
The thing about that snowball fight that stuck with me, was there was a moment when I looked around and the snow was falling slowly. It was like being on the inside of a snow glove after it has been shaken and all the sparkles are falling straight to the bottom on their own time. When I was looking around I realized that I wasn't worried about how I was going to get through the school year, if I was going to go to Madagascar, how the Italy trip was supposed to work out, when my money would come in so I could buy the plane ticket. I wasn't worried. I wasn't so cold that I was shivering, I was in a skirt and leggings, but the snow was not freezing either, and when I looked around at everybody's happy faces, that were wide and so full of joy and contentment it was a moment where I know that I can look back and say, "there, I was happy in that moment."
It was breath-taking!
On the way back to Sophia's apartment, Michael and I realized that we might have gone to kindergarden together which was awesome! I stayed at Sophia's apartment that night, and we had a brief, but deep discussion, one thing I missed about having Sophia and Chloe around, and then I went to sleep in her apartment for what might be the last time until this summer. When she woke me up the next morning, roads had barely been plowed and it was still snowing! She gave me something to eat, along with coffee and I quickly hit the road after grabbing some last minute items from home.
And within those first eleven days of January, I had slept in East Lansing, Haslet Michigan, Perrysburg, Bowling Green, and Ypsilanti. I had figured out what I actually wanted to major and minor in, and I was starting to learn something very important. To be yourself.
Here are some birthday photos!
For this part of January.
January started with celebrating New Years at my apartment with Becca, Danny, a couple of his friends and my sister. Katie was with Ethan. Dave and Justine (come to find out) were in Bowling Green, which if nobody knows, was about 15 miles from mine and Becca's home in Perrysburg and Rossford and one mile from Katie who was spending her time with Ethan.
We could have been with Dave, Justine, Becca, Katie and Ethan all on New Years and maybe it would have been a little bit more exciting. But there really wasn't anything too exciting happening. Just a really long game of Egyptian Rat Screw, and Danny cheating the whole time.
Friday, January 2nd I woke up to a call from my father, asking me to take Josh to the emergency room. Mom was at work, and Josh was vomiting. I woke up my sister on the couch, and we left very briefly. I made sure that I had everything and soon we were off. When I got home, I took Dad and Josh to the hospital. In the meantime, Katie had left her keys with Ethan in Columbus Ohio, and I was the one that had to deliver them to her in Bowling Green. So I ran those to her, and came back home to cycle through my last load of laundry.
When I got home, I pulled into the driveway to see Mom's car sitting in the parking space. Why was Mom home?
I ran upstairs to ask Mom why she was not at work, and she mumbled something about not feeling well. Great.
I picked up Dad and Josh at the hospital, took Bethany to Taco Bell, and five minutes into being at home, Mom yelled for me. I ran up to her, she asked for a bucket, and as soon as I handed one to her, she started vomiting. Dad had come upstairs to check on Mom.
I threw my hands up in the air and said, "I can't do this, I can't get sick before the first week of school."
My Dad agreed that it was best that I leave. I texted Katie, "What's your address? I am coming over!"
An hour and a half of belting out songs at the top of my lungs and maybe talking to myself a little bit… I arrived at Katie's house, apparently taking Abby's parking spot in the process.
Katie's parents took us out to a Mexican restaurant where we talked about our first kiss, who they were, how it happened, and how old we were. I told Katie all that had happened over Christmas break, which was really nothing too exciting and actually disappointing, but I mentioned that I finished the gymnastics video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8-kcUZnV8E
Eventually throughout our time together I mentioned to Katie that I was not so sure that Apparel Textiles and Merchandising really appealed to me anymore. I had seriously considered video editing and making. That was what I had spent a lot of my time over break doing, and it was something that I realized I really enjoyed. Stephanie had talked to me at Katie Bailey and Lucas's wedding shower about communications as a minor and all the things that I could do with it. So I was majorly considering communications in video production, but I had no idea where to even start with it.
Katie and I found a gym that had open gym hours, and we spent a good two hours in there, and we were sore the next day. Two weeks off was never a good thing! That night as Katie was sitting on the couch and we were watching a movie, I felt compelled to write a story, so I went to my car to get my laptop. I opened up the trunk….
No backpack.
No backpack = No laptop.
And I had not locked my car.
I was very worried, as you can imagine. I had just spent that whole break putting together a video that could be gone. I honestly was not concerned about how I would replace my computer, I was concerned about all the things that I had left on it, and had no way to retrieve it.
Katie and I head back to Ypsilanti, and the first thing I do when I walk in is check to see if my backpack was leaning against the door of my closet.
I turn through the doorway and turn left and see my purple stripped backpack sitting there, with my blue computer case sitting snugly inside. I had never been so relieved in my life!
That night, Katie and I sat on our computers trying to figure out my schedule for this next semester. Dropping a major and then adding a completely different minor is not really a logical, especially when it is the day before the semester starts…
I felt like I had to hang on to apparel because I was going to Italy for it, and because I had already taken a class in it. I was spending all this money to study abroad, and it would go to waste… I called my Mom, and I'll admit, I cried, I didn't know what I wanted to do. Apparel was a large major, and a large minor. The only thing I knew for sure about was Creative Writing, and when I went to check my schedule, I was informed that my English class, which was a prerequisite class, was cancelled. The only other times for that class were during my only Creative Writing class that I was signed up for and Tuesdays at Four. What am I doing on Tuesdays at Four? I am working.
I emailed professors, and they said that since the classes were capped, they could not let me in. Creative Writing: Fiction would be the only creative writing class I would take this semester. There was nothing I could do about it.
And it was the only thing I was sure of.
In the middle of my freak out, Katie and Tyler had started a short chat, and he was really upsetting her. For the second time that day Ethan drove back up to Ypsilanti, gave Katie flowers, bought us Jimmy Johns and listened to Katie help me put my life together. When it came down to it, I just had to decided what to do.
I had to figure it out.
I woke up the next morning to a couple of "Happy Birthday!" Texts, and as I opened my bedroom door, I was greeted with blue (my favorite color) and white streamers hanging from my door. I walked into the living room to see the streamers twisted and hanging from the ceiling, a happy birthday balloon and banner.
From there, Katie and I were continuing to figure out my schedule, and so we met with an advisor for Graphic Communications, because we were confused on the requirements of the minor. On our way to the advisor, I got a call from the always lovely Chloe Schmitz who was wishing me a happy birthday. I explained what was going on, and she said that she was praying for me, and hoped I was having a wonderful day.
The professor we met with was extremely helpful, and after thinking about it for a day, I dropped all my apparel classes, except Italy, and registered for mostly Graphic Communications classes. I had finally figured out my schedule and met up with the team members that I was closest with for dinner.
All in All it was a decent day. There was no cake, there was no big bang. To me, it is really just who I spend the day with and how I spend it. Figuring out my life, relieving stress and ending the day with some of the people I love most in life is not a bad way to spend another day.
I'm 20!!!
The following weekend I went home Saturday I went home Saturday night and spent the afternoon with my family, had some Cincinatti Chili (the typical favorite meal birthday dinner) and cookie cake and ice cream.
That night I went over to Sophia's apartment and we played Cards Against Humanity for a very long time, and I mean, a very long time. I had finally left her apartment at two in the morning, I think it was. On my way home, I remember thinking about how every time I am at a different college that I could have, or should have applied to, how my life would be different. I would probably be with Sophia in Plainsong, or would I still be at Dayspring instead of H2O? All I know is my friends would be different, and my nights would be spent differently as well. The girls on the Bowling Green Gymnastics Club, is the drama that I would probably always be dealing with instead of our team which, as I would like to think, is slightly more calm in the drama area.
When it comes to the team we are all pretty much friends, we know each other very well and at times we can get on each other's nerves and want to hang out with different people from the club, but I wouldn't mind spending my time with anyone on the team. Being with Sophia at Bowling Green or Stephanie at Miami… I start to wonder how my life would be different. What if I had gone to Miami, joined a sorority and then had recruitment and the home meet the same day like Stephanie did. Every time I try to think things through, all the "what if's" it becomes even more apparent that I was supposed to go to Eastern. I was supposed to be with this awesome team, and experience what it is like to have a group of people that will do anything for you. Ones that will talk you through the worst situations, let you cry, rub your back, give you hugs… Sophia, her life is completely surrounded by church and people who love the Lord, which is great! And many times I wish that is what I had here, but it's not. Instead I am surrounded by non-Christians who love life, and I can actually talk to them about the deep things. I get to tell them why I believe what I believe, I can tell them my story without them being like, "yeah, did God really say that?" Instead they say, "that's not my thing, but it's cool that something like that happened with you."I realize that it may not be a life completely surrounded by church and Christians, like I wish it could be sometimes, but it is a wonderful life, with wonderful people who deserve to be loved the way that God loves them! And I wouldn't trade that for anything.
The following Sunday Dayspring had a missions trip meeting, and as Pastor Cornell was talking about Madagascar, I felt like God was telling me to go. I just thought, "Okay, cool, I have a trip for next year," but after talking to my sister about it I realized that Madagascar is not a definite thing for 2016, and I didn't want to miss God's call! We go to Mexico every year, but not Madagascar. I ignored everything though, I had just turned in my application for Mexico, and now I have to change it, and with the dates for it I would be missing school…
But I went home and I prayed about it.
Later that afternoon I met up with Sophia and a group of friends for a celebratory lunch for Sophia's 21st birthday, and from there I just went to her apartment for a nap. Sometime during that nap it started snowing, heavily and as we were on our way to H2O the snow was piling up.
It took us thirty minutes to get to Perrysburg from Bowling Green because of the snow. It was dark, coming down heavily, and the roads were not plowed. However, once we arrived at the Schmitz house we walked in to a Frozen party! Mrs. Schmitz made us appetizers, and bought ice cream. They sang to Sophia and I and we held each other's hair and blew out the candles. We had deep discussions about Jesus on the cross, and theology, which I always love, because I learn, and then Ellie, Bekah, Lilly, Michael and I played some rounds of Dutch Blitz. I don't know how, but I think I am getting worse at that game.
The thing that stuck with me the most about that night was when we were scraping off our cars. There were a few inches coating the cars, so I grabbed a scraper and started wiping them off. Ellie, Michael or I figure out that it is good packing snow, and that is when the snow ball fight was in full swing! I was getting hit in the head, the arm, back, legs, and also trying to get a few good rounds in as well. We made a plan to get Sophia when she walked out, so we lined up on the side of the garage and waited, as I made a pile of snowballs. We heard the door slam, got ready to throw, and realized it was Mrs. Schmitz. When she saw us she said, "don't you dare," Eventually everyone except Sophia, Andrew and Caleb were throwing snowballs. Got Bekah right in the head, and she gave me a couple of really good shots as well. When Sophia said it was time to go, I gave Mrs. Schmitz a hug because I didn't know when I would see her again.
She asked me if I was doing well, and I told her that I was doing a lot better and I explained about my decision to drop a major and add a minor which was in a totally different subject. I also told her to pray about Madagascar, because this would be a big decision, missing the first week of classes and all. She said she would, and gave me a hug. I gave Bekah a hug because she is like a little sister to me. As I wrapped my arms around her, I felt something cold hit the top of my head as her hand rubbed the snow into my hair. "Thanks Bek," I laughed and she told me to come back with more stories. I told her I would.
The thing about that snowball fight that stuck with me, was there was a moment when I looked around and the snow was falling slowly. It was like being on the inside of a snow glove after it has been shaken and all the sparkles are falling straight to the bottom on their own time. When I was looking around I realized that I wasn't worried about how I was going to get through the school year, if I was going to go to Madagascar, how the Italy trip was supposed to work out, when my money would come in so I could buy the plane ticket. I wasn't worried. I wasn't so cold that I was shivering, I was in a skirt and leggings, but the snow was not freezing either, and when I looked around at everybody's happy faces, that were wide and so full of joy and contentment it was a moment where I know that I can look back and say, "there, I was happy in that moment."
It was breath-taking!
On the way back to Sophia's apartment, Michael and I realized that we might have gone to kindergarden together which was awesome! I stayed at Sophia's apartment that night, and we had a brief, but deep discussion, one thing I missed about having Sophia and Chloe around, and then I went to sleep in her apartment for what might be the last time until this summer. When she woke me up the next morning, roads had barely been plowed and it was still snowing! She gave me something to eat, along with coffee and I quickly hit the road after grabbing some last minute items from home.
And within those first eleven days of January, I had slept in East Lansing, Haslet Michigan, Perrysburg, Bowling Green, and Ypsilanti. I had figured out what I actually wanted to major and minor in, and I was starting to learn something very important. To be yourself.
Here are some birthday photos!
Until Next Time!
-Becca
