This ((School)) Year in Numbers

My first year of college is officially over...and here's the recap:

7 packages of oreos

8 room rearrangements

325 caf meals

156 hours spent discussing the classics in Torrey sessions
with 16 of my closest friends

all 7 seasons of Gilmore Girls ((in the spring semester:))

2 jars of peanut butter

30 books read and discussed

300 flashcards

54 hours spent working ((calling potential Torrey nerds))

33 units (possibly all A's:)

many many influential conversations

50ish hours spent in chapel

150ish multivitamins

34 easy macs

9 class ditchings...

several ((million)) bowls of lucky charms

4 tubes of toothpaste ((crest 3D white!!))

6 burts bees original chapsticks

many new friends

0 all-nighters ((woot woot HALLA HALLA))

22 grocery story bike ride trips

1 HAPPY MADDY GIRL

1 rubiks cube

1/2 of a sick day (PRAISE THE LORD!!!)

14 trips home

600ish tennis balls served

489,309,563,162,502,712 words exchanged in grand conversations

1 Beautiful Year 
(freshman year is OVAAAAAAA)

I've Got the Joy Down in My Heart...and Exploding Through My Fingertips

Oh my goodness.

It's another one of those incredible days.

The extremely explosively joyful ones that involve a lack of ability to communicate.

I need an emotional popsicle again.

God has created to me to very much thrive off of being around people.

It has been a good day for extraverted me.

So many rich and deep and beautiful and didactic conversations.

I feel so blessed and overwhelmed and joyful and...

words fail at capturing the sheer elation.

My body is responding with a strong desire to frolic for hours.
((I am thankful for the great people in my life who let me explode
and tolerate my claims to joy every fifteen minutes....)

The morning began with a beautiful service at church 

that perfectly captured the grandness of God's word and 

the Holy Spirit's involvement in the lives of His people.

I spent a relaxing and full lunch hour with dear

friends in rich conversation

about how we relate to people

and the way that God has created and taught

us each to do that in different ways.

A pineapple pursuit brought me to the grocery store

where I had an encouraging conversation with the lady rang me up 

((who is a Christian))

and felt blessed in blessing her.

I spent a grand hour with my good friends Deb, Allison, Kelly and Alicia.

Wonderful women whom I have grown close to throughout my life.

The evening ended with a glorious time at the Cheesecake Factory

for some fabulous dessert and solid fellowship with

my Torrey group.

Dear friends who have become my family in the last LONG months.

There are like fifty synonyms for joy and none of them are sufficing. 

I feel like it's a little taste of heavenly joy...

ultimately indescribable...

so rooted in the work of Christ in my life...

and the beauty of the people he has placed in it.

((joyxplosive is this heart))

A Snatch Awkward

This morning was a great morning: Last 8 a.m. Brit Lit class of the semester.

This midmorning was downright lovely: Extreme amounts of studying completed.

This midday was fantastic: English Group project was phe-no-me-nal, in a ginormous way.

This afternoon was...bleh mehak gah dskfljklghasioueorwuouwe.

Last Torrey Class Session of the year (sad face, sad heart).

Enjoyed praying together for one last time as a group.

It was a really good first fifteen minutes of class.

And then my body pulled a fast one on me again. 

It felt simply unstable. 

My little heart was racing... 

I started feeling nauseas...

Dizziness began to cloud my vision...

and I was staking out my route to the trash can, just in case.

This went on for nearly half an hour. 

And then I heard the words,

"I feel sick. Can I please leave?"

When I realized that those pathetic words had come out of MY mouth and everyone was staring at ME,

I started crying.

((sometimes my feelings come screaming out of my eyes))

I love me some Xenia, the members of my Torrey Group are so incredible.

So I felt bad for missing this last moment of our being together. 

But I went back to my room and schlept it all off. 

I'm crossing my fingers for a grand evening. 

((Or at least just productive)) 

Finals week, here I come.

((Tripping along slowly and deeply craving a 3 Musketeers Bar))

Love Me Some Aging

19 Things I Loved About My 19th Birthday

1. Spending Birthday Eve worshipping Jesus with dear friends in Santa Barbara

2.  Turning 19 at 12:00 at In N Out in Ventura

3.  Happy Birthday serenadation at said In N Out

((by strangers and kids coming back from prom woot woot HALLA HALLA))

3. arriving home at 2:30 a.m. to a bed full of balloons

4. sleeping in

5. quality time with Jesus praising him & thanking him for this beautiful year

6. starbucks with my sissy

7. awkward man making fun of me for making coffee-addict faces

8. running into a dear friend in her workplace

9. LUNCH AT LUCILLE'S

10. whole family all together...:):):)

11. lemon merengue pie ((instead of silly cake))

12. getting a job at HUME LAKE!!!

((making ((AND DRINKING)) coffee all summer))

13. watching Gilmore Girls

14. surprise dinner party:)

15. said dinner occurring in a random ((fabulous)) smorgasbord restaurant 

16. best bread of my life

17. celebrating the most beautiful friends that I feel so blessed by

18. drop dead gorgeous FULL moon

19. feeling so deeply loved and appreciated by my dear friends

One of Those Days...

I just had a really silly workout. 

I went to the fitness center with flashcards and ipod in hand.

Shuffled all Beatles songs.

And started ellipticizing.

Then it happened.

My body decided to pick a fight with me.

Body started talking smack.  

The dialogue went like this.

Body: "Hey you suck slow down."

Me: "Whoa nah nah I got this"

Body: "You're tired. No tienes energia."

Me: "I'm ignoring you."

Then my body started playing dirty.

Throwing low blows, you know?

Everything started hurting.

Beginning at my tummy and radiating out.

Every joint started aching and my foot started falling asleep.

 (WHAT?!! How does that even happen??)

And then this girl came and jumped on the elliptical next to me. 

That wasn't lame at all, I love being near other people.

But she didn't set her machine or anything, she just started working out.

She was probably at like level one or whatever it jump starts you at.

So she was working out all fast and intense because there was no resistance.

Well THAT is ultra intimidating. 

She was moving furiously next to me 

while my whole body was screaming at me to slow down.

And then all 60 of my flashcards decided to explore the area

 around them and fall all over the ground.

Po Dank.

I up and quit.

Hardest 14 minutes and 43 seconds of my fitness-seeking life.

I accept the award for the Biggest Pansy.

"One of Those Days"

Joy Williams

I learned how to poach in tennis class today.

((Poachy weak quitterish is this Maddy mahaddy))

Themesong for a Saturday

Happy Saturday!

It seems to be the perfect kind of day to go to 

a favorite coffee shop and fall in love study.

"Falling in Love in a Coffee Shop"

Landon Pigg

 This is the current song o' stuckness. 

And Landon Pigg is just a darling man to look at. 

Yesterday was suretainly a favorited day. 

The morning started with a snatch of time with my mom.

She brought my favorite vegetables and brought out the best of me in our lovely conversation. 

We talked through a lot of things and I feel like I learned so stinking much. 

That woman is incredible. Seriously.

((so very blessed is this Maddy-daughter))

Good Day Sunshine

Ecclesiastes 11:7

"Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun."

What a blessed sunshine day it has been!!!

Sitting by the Biola fountain reading the glorious hours away...

mmm hmmmm

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about.

Good Day Sunshine

The Beatles

!!!Joyspired!!!

((Joyful+Insipred=Joyspired))

Today is a drop dead glorious day-

outside in the world/sky/atmosphere

and inside in my heart/mind/froliccontrolcenter.

Shoot my goodness I feel overflowful with joy!!!

This morning started with a meeting with my spiritual director Sum Yu.

It was the fourth time we've met and she is an absolute gem.

It was such a good time to reflect on the things I am learning, 

and trace the specific ways that Lord has answered 

my prayers this semester. 

I'm growlearning so much!!

:::

~God's forgiveness is stronger than my ability to fix myself~

 ((which is like negative weak in comparison))

~There is SO MUCH FREEDOM in this forgiveness~

John 8:36 "So if the Son sets you free you are free indeed." 

~He cares about my whole self, all of my heart, and not just the "spiritual" things~

~Relating to God special and deserves specific time~

~Intentional quiet time listening in God's presence is so fulfilling and peaceful~

The last week and a half have been a huge time of cross-reflection. 

((Pish Posh Spaghetti Squash)) I didn't spend very much time reflecting/preparing for Easter 

which makes me sad

but I am thankful for the ways the reality of Christ's death and forgiveness

 have continued to rock me post Easter. 

((WOOT WOOT halla halla))