It’s the end of the [year] as we know it… and I feel fine.

Wow, another schoolyear down. I’ve been stalling on blogging about this because I wanted it to be something spectacular, but I’ve still got nothing.

It’s been a really great week.  I’ve committed seemingly random acts of vandalism (with pre-approval, of course … I decorated my friend’s car with streamers and window paint in honor of her birthday. Her birthday isn’t until May 31st, but since I won’t be staying in Searcy this summer, we’re celebrating early!), visited a famous historic site (Central High School- home of the Little Rock Nine!), been through the stresses of club officer nominations (I’m going to be one of my club’s VP’s and Athletic Director next fall), hung out with friends I hadn’t seen all semester (my “GLAM” squad- Greg, Laura (me), Amanda, and Matt), and I’ve had my last classes of my Sophomore year of college (YAY!!!)! 

Next week is FINALS!!! Despite any acronyms you may have heard, finals- to me- means that we’ve reached an end and entered upon a beginning. It’s the end of a schoolyear, end of stresses, end of classes, end of exams, end of any frustrations I may have had this semester… but it’s also the beginning of summer, of a new future, of hope, and a break!  Summer revitalizes me to take on all the schoolwork of next year. It gives you time away so that you miss your friends so much that when you come back in the fall- life is just perfect.  Also, it just gives you the chance to reunite with your family and all of your ‘people’ back home.  For a lot of kids, it’s the opportunity to go on a mission trip, work in a summer camp, or get a job so they can afford life’s luxuries.  For me, I get to be with my family again, take some summer classes, and plan my sister’s wedding. It should be a great one! I definitely need time off school to really appreciate it again next year.

I’ve loved this past schoolyear so much. Greece was a mind-blowing experience, and I can easily say that it was the most life-changing thing I’ve ever done.  Coming back from Greece was a whole different ballgame. I LOVE being at Harding. I love the people here, the faculty and the students, and I really enjoy the classes. I’ve fallen in love with the natural beauty of Arkansas.  However, this semester has been a tougher one than most.  I’ve had my bouts with illness, worked through some friendships and relationships, and I’ve been missing the simplicity of life in Greece - and my family at home.  Overall, I’m a better person because of all of it- and I wouldn’t trade this past year for anything!

Finals are just around the corner and I haven’t been studying nearly as much as I probably should, but there’s still time.  Unfortunately, I’ve perfected the art of procrastination during my time in college, but it’s also helped me to work really well under pressure! I have a few finals I need to do well on next week to keep my grades where I want them, but for the most part, I’m not too worried. I’ve survived “Dead Week” with minimal damage, and even though our dorm is an absolute mess from trying to pack everything up, I’m so excited to hit the road for California in less than a week’s time that nothing could get my spirit down.

It’s been a fun run being a student blogger this year, and hopefully you’ve enjoyed reading a little bit about my crazy life, because you get to do it again next year! I’m so grateful to be able to blog for you again, and I’ve had a great time writing for y’all this time around. If you’ve got any Harding questions that you’d like to be answered by a student, I’m on the Upeers network, facebook, and you may reach me by e-mail at ldouglas@harding.edu. I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading my blog, and I can’t wait to write for you again in the Fall.

Have a GREAT summer!

*Laura

Springtime for Searcy!

I was watching “The Producers” earlier tonight, and the “Springtime for Hitler” song has been stuck in my head ever since… so in order to get the full effect of the title of this post, you’re going to have to sing it!

Spring in Searcy is one of the most stunning things you can imagine. Unfortunately, it also comes with a plethora of allergies (ah-choo!) and some hot, hot, heat. Being a California girl, this humidity thing throws me off every year… but it’s a great reminder that the sweet days of summer will be arriving soon.  Back to the beauty, until you’ve seen Harding’s floral scenery, you haven’t seen anything.  I don’t know enough about gardening to tell you what types they are, but you’ll see some of the daintiest and delicate flowers in some of the boldest and brightest colors.  Just taking a walk through the front lawn is an unforgettable experience.  In fact, if it weren’t for the heat that comes along with the stunning landscaping, I think it might be hard to get me to go inside to go to class! 

That being said, it’s almost finals time so people are rushing about in a frenzy trying to finish up last minute projects, and many people are preparing for graduation.  I’m nowhere near ready to put on a cap and gown and walk on out of here, but I am ready for a nice, long summer break.  I’m really looking forward to the 34-hour-drive back to the Golden State, where I plan to work and take additional classes, just to keep my brain active.  This week has been making people especially crazy, since we’ve been registering for the fall semester’s courses.  Many of my fall classes are required for my major, but I also get to take some “just for fun” classes, like Film as Literature. I’m so excited about that class, because I took a similar course in high school and really fell in love with the magic of cinema.  I think it will be really refreshing to take a class that isn’t Political Science or Business for a change (even though I enjoy those, too!).

I’m also getting pretty psyched about taking some courses that help me work up to my minor.  I recently switched from minoring in Bible to minoring in Children’s Ministry.  It’s the first time this minor has been offered, which is really cool.  Harding always has some new changes to the catalog each year, and it’s fun to check out new courses and explore new fields.

Well, it’s getting late and I need some good sleep… if I can manage to stop sniffling and sneezing for a while, that is. Have a great night!
*Laura

Rock Concert Movement #572 - Blog About It!

Being in a Social Club is just one way to get involved at Harding, but it’s something I’ve really enjoy during my time here.  It’s always interesting to see the new ideas people will come up with for functions and formals.  This year, Alpha Tau Epsilon (a small-to-medium guys’ club) hosted a function to see Blue Man Group in concert- and it ended up being the largest club function they’ve had in ages. 72 people came, and Harding students filled the seats of the Alltel Arena with school and club pride.  It was absolutely amazing!  Three Blue Men snuck on to the stage, backed by an amazing band, and we were entertained all night.  They got the audience involved, playing some well-known and some unfamiliar songs with infectious melodies and killer beats.  When they played The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” - my date and I both burst into chaotic airdrumming, unable to hold it in any longer!

Before the concert, my club had it’s formal, but my roommate & I couldn’t attend because we didn’t know if she had to work or not. Instead, we got all dolled up and took our dates to this awesome restaurant in North Little Rock called “Crazy Hibachi.” The Chef did great knife tricks and lit things on fire- it was really a neat experience. The food was delicious! I even tried Sushi with Eel in it, and much to my surprise, I loved it!  The boys we dragged along with us enjoyed it so much, they seemed to forget that we made them dress up. 

Jessica and I before meeting up with the boys.

JR & Jessica, and Me & my handsome date, Josh.

The “Crazy Hibachi” Experience

Blue Man Group on Stage! (Sorry it’s blurry, I took it with my cell phone.)

All 72 of us after the concert! So much fun!

Have a great week.

*Laura

Viva Nashvegas!

You probably expected to hear from me on Monday, but this week took an unexpected turn for me.  After getting home from Nashville on Sunday afternoon, I found myself with a relatively high fever and other unpleasant symptoms of a flu bug.  I didn’t leave my room again for the next three days- and spent most of the time asleep.  Now, it’s Thursday and I’m feeling much, much better… and I’ve already started making up several missed exams. Plus, “The Office” came back on again tonight, and that just brightens my day ten-fold.

I had such an amazing weekend, though! On Friday afternoon, 8 friends and I jumped into two little cars and trucked on over to Smyrna, Tennessee (just outside of Nashville).  On the way in, we stopped at the Parthenon! Apparently, they replicated the Greek one in full glory, with colors and everything, for citizens of Nashville. That was pretty awesome since most of the kids traveling with us had spent our Fall Semester in Greece. However, it should be noted that the Nashville Parthenon has some stunning inaccuracies… which I’ll not mention here, but let’s just say that my professors on the HUG program taught me well!  Anyway, a few of the boys in our caravan are the mischevious type and moonlight as rock climbers, so they decided it was a brilliant idea to climb the faux-Parthenon.  Needless to say, they weren’t very successful and won’t be attempting this again in the future! (Kids in the Nashville area: do not try this at home!)

The next day we found ourselves in the BEAUTIFUL Foster Falls State Park- It may actually be a National Park, I’m not certain.  No matter what it is, it’s gorgeous.  Flip through the slide show at the bottom of this post, and enjoy some of the pictures! I took hundreds. We spent most of the day trying our hand at real rock climbing! (I’m not very good at it, and it was difficult since most of the rock walls were wet from all the rain.)  There are some wonderful waterfalls there, and I mostly enjoyed exploring and photographing everything I coud lay my eyes on.  My friend Nelson had brought his guitar, so we busted that out and jammed for a while.  In the evening, we spent about an hour or so building a fire (it took so long because the wood was so damp - even the three Eagle Scouts we took with us couldn’t make it burn!) and then made some tasty s’mores.  I think you’re going to adore the pictures and start planning your future Harding-weekend-get-a-way once you see them. :)  All in all, it was a truly blissful, nature-filled, physically tiring but at the same time mentally relaxing weekend. 

In a few weeks, a couple of us are going to be heading to Memphis for a music festival- and so I’m already getting pumped about that. I hope your week has been amazing and illness-free!

Have a good one (and enjoy the pictures!)

*Laura

 

A Little Hoarse, of course!

I spent deal of time this week re-enacting the “Can You Hear Me Now?” Spring Sing Show.  Club Softball and Soccer and Track are here (as well as some really cool non-club sports)… and while I may not be the best cheerleader, I am certainly the loudest!  Cheering for 5 games back-to-back with all the intensity of watching the World Cup or the Superbowl is amazing fun, but it wears on you.  My vocal chords suffered, and I spent the next three days in complete silence.  I made index cards of common phrases to talk with other people, and some of the miscommunications were hilarious!  I’ve learned that most people aren’t very good at the lipreading thing, at all.  My voice IS coming back… slowly, so the softball/soccer/etc. teams will have to do without my vocal encouragement for a least a little while longer.

During that time, Harding had a Guitar Hero III tournament- and it was so much fun!  I don’t play very well, but it was cool to see all the guys who came out to strut their stuff.  My friend Justin got out pretty early on, and he can play every song on “Expert” except for two, so that tells you how amazing some of these kids were.  No girls competed this year, but I’m hoping the next time they have a tournament, we’ll get a showing from Harding men AND women… because we can rock just as hard as they can! (Well, I can’t, but I’m sure there are some who could rival these boys!)  It was held in the GAC and they had a couple of other big screen TVs set up with Wii’s and Rock Band, and a few other games.  Rock Band is more my style than Guitar Hero.  We got a group together to play some “Boston” and a little “Bon Jovi.” Everyone had a great time!

This weekend, I’m going to Nashville. It’ll be my first trip to Tennessee, so I’m pretty psyched about it.  Most of the kids who are going are from the Harding University in Greece (HUG) program that I attended last fall.  I never would have expected that living in a foreign country together for only three months would have built such strong friendships, but we still hang out all the time and are closer than we’ve ever been!  Of course, it’s not the same as being able to just walk downstairs and have breakfast with the whole gang, but we still have a good deal of fun everytime we get together.  Having friends who’ve shared such incredible experiences with me has made it easier to adjust back to living in Searcy this semester… I’m so grateful that I got to do an overseas program for a number of reasons, but mostly because it has changed me- and our entire group- for the better, and in ways I could have never imagined.

Well, I must finish packing, clean house, and clean out the car within the next 30 minutes time, so I should get going.  However, I shall return to the blog on Monday (assuming I’m not totally exhausted from this weekend!), and can’t wait to tell you all about it.  In the meantime, I leave you with a few softball pictures!

Some of our cheerful fans!!! ^

Girls (and a beau!) from Chi Omega Pi cheering on their teammates! ^

The BOX boys (this is my friend Josh from HUG!) are a little more intense about Club Softball than the ladies are.

Once I lost my voice, I cheered for my friends (and some kids I don’t even know) with signs!

Have a great weekend, everyone! I love you!

*Laura

Note-to-Self: Bring Tissues to Chapel Tomorrow

This week in chapel has been focusing around “Struggles with the Faith” - and while each chapel has something interesting or note-worthy to mention, I don’t think I’ve left chapel each day this week without tears in my eyes.  So far, we’ve heard four heart-breaking stories about difficulties and tragedies that individuals have encountered, but we’ve also been blasted with the message of overwhelming and life-changing hope that we have in Jesus.  Every year we have a “Struggles with the Faith” week, and every year, Harding students get to be reminded to be compassionate, caring, meditative, spiritually-minded, and a friend to those in needs.  We are reminded that all around us, people are hurting, and it encourages us to not just pray for those in need, but to actually be there for them.

One of the chapel speakers this week had his young child become brain damaged in a tragic accident to where it impeded the child’s abilities to function past the level of an infant, and the child passed away a few years later.  He talked about the challenges his family faced, and how much his relationship with God and his wife helped them to get through those hard times. He also mentioned how the major impact that complete strangers and slight acquaintances had on him.  Before his family’s struggle, he said that he would always pray about people needing help or comforting, but wouldn’t necessarily approach them because he was afraid of saying the wrong thing.  However, during his challenges, it was just the touch of someone’s hand on his shoulder, a hug, and a kind word that really helped him get through each day.  This was so powerful and touching to me because I often don’t know what to say or do when dealing with people who are struggling.  Now, I realize it’s not what you say, but what really counts is the fact that you did say something!

Even though I walk away from these chapel days with tear-filled eyes, I also walk away with a bursting heart, absolutely motivated to serve others and be an encouragement wherever I go.  Chapel is a university requirement, but most of the time, it’s my pick-me-up in the morning.  Instead of viewing it as a nuisance that makes me get up earlier that I’d otherwise have to, I see it as the half-hour to an hour every day where I can devote time to God, even if I feel insanely busy the rest of the week.  It’s the time where a smile from the stranger across the aisle brings joy to my just-beginning day.  It’s weird- when I leave Harding, I’m really going miss waking up to Chapel because it’s just a great way to set your attitude for the rest of the day. 

I hope the rest of YOUR day is amazing!

*Laura

The Best Kept Secret In Arkansas

Tell me, what’s better than having your picture taken in a field of flowers?

Seeing little kids run around with the buzz of Easter excitement?

Delicously inexpensive barbeque?

Collecting a dozen daffodils for a dollar?

Well, all those things are major parts of the Wye Mountain Daffodil Festival, and it’s the best kept secret in Arkansas (and now I’m exposing it!)

So how did I find out about the most amazing festival on the planet?  One of my favorite teachers, Mrs. Klein, of the History and Political Science Department, has this little quirky thing she does called “Flower of the Week.”  Every other class period, she’ll bring in a flower sample from her garden and share the joys of botany with us.  A few weeks ago, she brought into class, not a flower, but a webpage address. http://www.wyemountainumc-daffodilfestival.com/

After looking into it, I decided I had to be there.  So, I spent my Saturday celebrating floral joy!

You know, when I decided to come to Harding, I thought I would be giving up the craziness and the excitement that California offered me, but Arkansas offered me a whole different kind of excitement.  God surprises me daily with beautiful things, beautiful people, and more beautiful reasons to serve and praise him.  I know I’ll be at the Wye Mountain Daffodil Festival next year, but I can’t wait to see what other kinds of natural wonders I’ll be able to discover before then.  I just feel so blessed to be here, right now.

Have a great week!
*Laura

Spring (Sing) Fever!

I’m convinced that everyone loves Spring Sing somewhere deep down inside them… I’m just more public about it.

What is Spring Sing? A Celebration of Everything Harding.  It’s that special time of the year where many of the Social Clubs, the Jazz Band, marvelous hosts & hostesses, and some other fantastic performers jump on stage and engage in a well-choreographed and super fun night of musical parodies.  It takes over 800+ people to pull this event together. It’s difficult to describe unless you’ve experienced Spring Sing yourself… so I strongly encourage you to come out this week and see it.

I’m not performing in Spring Sing this year, but that doesn’t stop me from dropping by and taking hundreds of pictures (and possibly video, but keep that on the downlow).  If you don’t have the pleasure of seeing Spring Sing for yourself this year, they even sell DVD’s!  My enthusiasm probably sounds fake, but it’s nothing of the sort.  I just saw the Spring Sing show for 2008 “Unfinished” - that’s the theme.  This year, I am proud to say that every show was outstanding, the hosts were lively, and the whole thing kept my attention from start to end.

Another thing I love about Spring Sing is that it brings everyone together.  Harding’s a very tight-knit community to begin with, but Spring Sing gives us something to rally around- and hundreds (maybe thousands!) of visitors come in to enjoy the fesitivities. (I’m telling you, it’s that much fun!)  You never know what to expect on Spring Sing weekend, but you’re almost guaranteed to find tons of smiling faces, oodles of excitement, and lots & lots of love.  Plus, it’s Easter, and as you might imagine, that’s a pretty big deal around here.

Speaking of Easter, my family is the sweetest.  Even though I’m in Arkansas and they are in California, they make sure to send me an Easter Basket every year to remind me that they’re thinking of me this week.  It’s a cheesy tradition, but it’s just another way that you can be connected to your Harding community, and still stay close to everyone back home- and you don’t even have to be home to do it! I love that.  In my Easter Basket this week was an end-of-the-year survival kit… Chocolate and other caffienated things to help me stay awake when I’m studying, some water to keep me hydrated, a thoughtful card to make me smile, and a sweet teddy bear to help me sleep on the rare occasion that I get to do that.  We went through an intense naming process… including gems like Bear-y Manilow, Bear-rack Obama, Boysen-Bear-y, but we finally settled on Bear-ison Ford (because I’ve always had a thing for Han Solo). Anyway, he’s pretty cute, no matter what his name is.

Since my pictures never made it up last time, I have loads for you today (you’re going to be sick of them, there’s so many!)  Here goes…. (and have a great week!)  I’m trying this Slide Show Technique, so let me know how it goes.

 

*Laura

Now, how did I miss snow in Searcy!?

It appears to have snowed absolutely everywhere over Spring Break, except, of course, where I went in California. I’m a little sad that I missed the snowfall (last year’s snow is one of my favorite Harding memories! I made snow angels, had my first snowball fight, and positively froze my fingers off after I wrote my name on the ground. So much fun!), but I’m not at all sad that I went home.

School is great, but it’s even better when you get little breaks to refresh you. It gave me a chance to catch up on some work and recharge my batteries.  Sounds silly, I know, but I’ve been a lot happier since returning from break than I was before break.  A week away gave us all a chance to let the drama settle down, and it even feels like my schoolwork is more bearable now.  All in all, break was a great thing.

So, what did I do with my week away from Harding?  Hmm… well, there was a bit of Wedding Fever going around my house.  My sister got her engagement ring, and so my week consisted of getting my maid-of-honor dress, calling around for possible locations, and assisting with guest-list making.  Mostly, I just kicked back and took it easy, and played with my dog.  It was a wonderful week that went by way too quickly! I love spending time with my family, so it was really nice to be with them all week.

What’s new with school? Too much! Coming back means a whirlwind of projects, presentations, and tests, lots of things are beginning to wind down toward the end of the school year.  However, it also means Club Sports and Formals and Spring Sing!  Club Softball starts tonight, and I’m really excited to be playing.  I’m so lousy at sports, but it’s great to be able to just get out there and have a good time.   I hope we’ll have enough girls show up so that we don’t have to forfeit.  Our game is at the same time as Spring Sing practice, and since I’m in a pretty small club anyway- the turnout should be minimal at best, but I’ll keep my hopes up!

Well, I have a biology lecture to get to, so I best be off.  Tomorrow or tonight, you’ll be able to see pictures of last year’s snow in Searcy and my sister’s b-e-a-utiful ring! I tried to upload them right now, but I’m in the science building without a steady wireless internet connection. Have a great day!

*Laura

Call Me Irresponsible…

Great Song, and fits me right now! I haven’t blogged in eons and I am so sorry…. but the good thing is that I have lots of pictures and happiness to share with you. Had I blogged last week (like I should have), you would have found a very stressed out Laura. These past two weeks have been CRAZY as far as homework, projects, and tests go, and I can’t wait until Spring Break. I’ve had a change of plans for Spring Break: I no longer get to go to Louisiana, but I do get to go home. With my stress levels and being so sick, my family decided it would be the smart thing to do if I took a week off. Plus, I have to come home and get fitted for my Maid-of-Honor dress, because MY SISTER’S GETTING MARRIED! I’m so excited for her. The ring isn’t here yet, but when it is- I’ll do a whole post about she & Wayne (boy). They’re adorable.

Let me catch you up on recent happenings:

Clinton Cleanup was amazing! I got a little scratched up in the process, but I hauled so many trees and trash out of fields, and then we helped a family salvage their stuff before they demolished their house.  It broke my heart because I kept finding pages of children’s books caught up in the trees.  It was such a great thing to do, but it all just made me so sad!

Valentine’s Day was… actually pretty fun. I went out with a big group of girls, and we got all dressed up and went to dinner and a movie at the cheap theatre in town. We had a nice time, and we managed to avoid being depressed by our lack of relationships!  Here’s a few pictures from our night on the town:

In other excitement, I an attempt at curling my ridiculously straight hair… and let’s just say… it worked! However, I doubt I’ll ever do it again.  You can see the results below!

Crazy, eh?

More updates, soon!

*Laura