It has been almost two months since I wrote last. I'm just too busy to keep up with regular updates. I feel like every moment of every day is filled with something....I don't even really have time to sleep anymore. Oh well. Such is life.

In other news, I have reached a turning point in my walk with Christ this week. The circumstances leading up to it themselves are not important; let's just suffice it to say that God simply found a way to get my attention, showing me that my focus wasn't solely on Him and that I needed to make a change. In my moment of need I turned to His Word and came across Joel 2:12--"Even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart..." This verse really encouraged me. Between some previous conversations with friends and a sermon that I had watched, I knew that this verse was an answered prayer, that God was trying to get all my focus and grow me. I'm finally to the point where I really want nothing more than that. Really and truly. I'm still a work in progress but I will continue to look to Him for everything and I want nothing more than His will for my life, because it's way better than anything I could have planned...it's perfect.

I heard that "Beautiful You" song on the radio the other day and the line that really stood out to me was "You were created for a purpose that only you can do." I love that, and I believe wholeheartedly that it's true. God created each of us for something particular, He had something specific in mind and no one else can do that better than the person he created to do it. It really inspires me to figure out what the purpose is that He created me specifically for.

The last couple of things I've been reading lately have mentioned the fact that we need to speak the word of God "boldly," which isn't something I do a lot. So, that's been my focus and my prayer the last couple of days...that God would present me with opportunities, help me to recognize them when them come and have the courage to follow through. So, keep me in your prayers in this regard and just know that I'm praying the same for you.

 

Getting up to go to my internship on Mondays and Tuesdays is becoming harder and harder to do. I really do enjoy what I'm doing but it's just hard to wanna get up at 715 am twice a week, drive 45 min to Atlanta and work for 6 hours...for FREE. Although I do feel like I learned a lot at the beginning (and I occasionally get a new task to complete), I feel like I'm learning more about my company (Peachtree Publishers) and how they do things than very much about the business as a whole.  So, I just don't feel like they have very much more to offer me in my current position as an Editorial Intern. I do really enjoy working when I am there, but it's becoming redundant and monotonous. I'd like to actually practice at being an editor. Heck, even a copy editor.  But, I only have about 3 weeks left so I'm going to make the most of it, cuz who knows when I'm going to get to work in a publishing company again? Although I am graduating in the spring, it might be that I don't get a job right away.

On a related note, I've been feeling really conflicted lately actually. Not in terms of what I'd like to do--I still wanna be an editor--but just about life in general.  I have been feeling super antsy. I wanna get out of town. Travel. Go somewhere different. Leave the country. Take a vacation...a real one, for longer than a couple of days. You know, it doesn't even have to be somewhere outside of the U.S. I just wanna get away. Emily said something the other night that kind of resonated with me. She said the she didn't want to be here, that she was ready to move on with her life and that there wasn't anything left here for her anymore (future-wise, not friend/church-wise). I think that might be  why I'm feeling the way I am too. Because I am graduating in the spring (fingers crossed), I think that I'm really thinking about what I'm going to do after that...and that means moving at some point. Whether it be to Atlanta for a while to work for a publishing company there and then on to NYC or straight to New York, I will be moving in the somewhat near future. I think, in a way, I'm ready for that...although I'm also terrified about the prospects of leaving EVERYONE I know and am friends with right now and having to find a real job (and the possibility of not finding one). So, I'm kind of here and there. I need to pray that God will keep me planted until I finish school (which is becoming increasingly harder to do) and, at the same time, that He'll give me the strength to do what I need to do to secure my future....all while listening to Him and following His plans for my life in every aspect. Gosh. Don't you just love being an adult? ...I don't.

How to begin?
So much has gone on, is going on, is happening since my last post.  Yet there's so much more that I want to do.

This summer has been great so far.  Lots of pool days (resulting in a hint of a tan), hanging out with friends almost every day, taking a mini-road trip to Disney World with Sarah Fanning, starting my internship, great bible studies, days off of work....
And I've got lots more to look forward to in the upcoming months--more Disney, more pool days, more hanging out, more great bible studies and church activities, more internship and more days off of work, but somehow I'm longing for more. I want to get out. I want to travel and see the world.  The sunset was a mess of corals, pinks, purples and blues yesterday and it was so breathtaking and all I could think was that I wanted to see it from a different venue, not my usual drive home. I want to go to other countries and just relax. Do all the touristy stuff, yes, but also have enough time to just be there and soak it in. Heck, I want to go to other states and do that. But, alas, money is a factor and I have none. It doesn't stop my heart from longing though. *sigh* Someday.

Now that that's covered. As you know, I spent my first week at Peachtree Publishers as an editorial intern this week. It was wonderful. I spent all of Monday reading as many of their currently published books that I could in order to get a feel for the company's "voice" when it comes to what they like to publish and then Tuesday I actually got to start on the "slush" pile, which is what they call the unsolicited manuscripts that come in. I read them, got to reject them or send them on for further inspection and give my opinion why I chose to do so in both cases. I rejected a lot. :)  Now, you may think that's weird, but when the company gets 20,000 books a year and only publishes 20 (most of which are repeat writers) then you're going to be rejecting 99% of the slush pile. It's just a fact. Even the few that I sent on as "maybe" will probably eventually get rejected. It's weird having that much power though. No one is looking over my shoulder when I reject them or going back and checking my work. If I don't like it or I don't think it fits our style I simply put "rejected" on the cover letter, give my name and date and three reasons why and then I mail the manuscript back with a rejection letter IF they send an envelope to do so. If not, I shred it. It's pretty cool, actually. I'm excited to see what I'm going to start doing next week.

Like I said, church has been good lately. It's weird because I feel like I'm participating more, discussing things with people more, and have been taking steps to semi-move into a more leadership role, but I don't feel I am where I need to be spiritually. I mean, most of us aren't where we want to be or where God wants us to be, but I just feel like I go through the motions a lot when I shouldn't. I'm not reading my bible as much as a should, I'm not putting myself out there when it comes to talking to other people who might be lost about Christ, I'm just not digging in the way that I should. So, even though I feel like I'm making strides outwardly at church and bible study and such, I don't feel like I'm making them inwardly and that's something I need to fix, especially if I take any kind of leadership role in the church. I'm in a funk that I need to get out of and I've been in it for entirely too long. So, I'm going to turn it around. I am making the decision right here and now that I'm going to start today. I'm changing the way things go and I'm diving in. Lord, help me stick with it no matter how busy I feel I am.

I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without Your all-consuming passion inside of me
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything?
Instead of going through the motions
--Matthew West "The Motions"

I feel like I can't get quite enough sleep lately. I am trying to let myself sleep in a little each morning to catch up from being up all the time for finals, but I still seem to hit the snooze button almost every morning. lol. Oh well. It's summer...I'm allowed. 

I've had a fun-filled past couple of days since school has been officially over: Star Trek (two thumbs up) Thursday at midnight with Jac, Micah and others; swimming at my pool on Friday with Mandy, Jac, Jens and Liss followed by a worship service at Mandy's church, dinner with her fam and friends and then Cranium and much laughter at her house with her friends Daniel and Mike; breakfast and a little hangout time with Jess on Saturday, followed by a Borders run and Micah's graduation party (mucho fun); shopping with mom on Mother's day followed by dinner with Mandy and her mom and then Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past (2 thumbs down); dinner with Michael's fam and Wolverine (2 thumbs up) last night and Nerts galore tonight.  Busy busy busy...but fun busy. Much better than school busy. My online Technical Writing class will be starting soon though and when that's over my internship will begin (so excited)! I hate that I'm taking any sort of summer classes, but hey, I'm ready to be done and I'll do what I have to do to graduate next Spring.

I'm looking forward to several things this summer though: Girl's Night in at my house on May 23rd, vacay with Mandy to West Palm Beach, FL and Hollywood Studios in early June, vacay with mom to Nanny Baker's house in Lake Wales, FL and Magic Kingdom/Epcot for my birthday in early July, and camping with the older of the GCF youth group in early August. I will be moving in with either Mandy or Jess and Jac at some point this summer. And of course, Jess will be home, so I'll get to hang out with her whenever I want! Lots of fun summer things...even if I will be working a lot. Gotta make that money, you know?

So, that's all for now. Just dropping in to say a quick "hello" and write a mini-update. I'm sure I'll have more to write later...but for right now, writing is a thing of the past. It just reminds me of school.

There once was a girl named Holly. She wanted a break from her life.  One morning she woke up and decided to spend the weekend in Disney with her friend on a whim.  Her story is as follows:

My vacation started just as any normal vacation should.  I got up early for a trip to the mechanic for a routine oil change and tire rotation.  I had plans of visiting with Melissa (because it was her birthday) and being on the road by 11 a.m. to meet Michael in Valdosta by 2:30 or 3 p.m. Unfortunately, the morning didn't go quite as planned. I was informed that my brakes were 90% worn on the front. That's not good, so I got them fixed. Unfortunately, that put me behind by about an hour. After visiting with Melissa for entirely too long without being aware of it, I finally got on the road at about noon or 12:30 p.m. Halfway into Atlanta I realized that I left my cell phone charger at home. Turning back was not an option at this point. The ride to Valdosta seemed like a very long one after I grew bored with blasting Hannah Montana and singing at the top of my lungs, the monotony  broken only by a crop of clouds that formed a beautiful rainbow.  I arrived for a very late lunch in Valdosta at about 3:30 p.m. and Michael and I just visited for the next hour and a half. Good conversation, good food.  I got back on the road for the last stretch of the trip, which seemed much shorter than the first half.  It probably had something to do with being excited.  After I drive past my shady hotel several times unawares I call Michael on my rapidly dying phone and he directs me to where, specifically, it is located using GoogleEarth.  I finally found it, thinking the problem probably had something to do with the fact that going one direction all that was lit up on the sign was "Gold" and coming from the other direction all you can see is "Star." Upon arriving at my hotel, I immediately regret the choice because I see "youths" riding bikes at the motel next door and there are random guys standing outside. Not ideal.  The owner was an old guy who liked to flirt and I got into my room as soon as possible, checking under the beds and behind the shower curtain first thing. There are black, hispanic cleaning lady hairs in the made bed and folded towels, no fitted sheets, a discarded lotion bottle under the bed and a sticky dark stain on the table. Never again.  Eventually Jessica got off of work, came over and the vacation began.

Friday started just as any normal first day of vacation should. We got up semi-early due to excitement (Well, actually I did...), put on something cute for spending the day/evening at Downtown Disney and were out the door to Jess' apt so she could take a shower and get ready.  At Downtown Disney we had plans of seeing "17 Again," doing Characters in Flight (a new hot air balloon attraction where you can see all of the parks from the sky), window shopping and having dinner. Unfortunately, the day didn't go quite as planned.  We did see "17 Again," we did do window shopping (and explored Planet Hollywood which was a first for me) and we did have dinner at the T-Rex restaurant, but we didn't get to do Characters in Flight. Due to windy conditions it wasn't safe to take anyone up. Oh well. The movie was good, the browsing was good, the food was good...what more could I ask for? We called it an early night and went back to Jess' apt to watch "Another Cinderella Story" that I brought from my Netflix. (Verdict: Not so good.) We then headed back to the hotel where our keys didn't work in the door and got some much needed sleep (or lack thereof) for our pending day in Epcot.

Saturday started just as any normal day in Disney should.  We got up early in order to make it to Epcot pretty much when the gates opened. We put on our sequined ears and had plans of seeing all that we could see, staying all day long until closing and then back to Downtown Disney for another shot at Characters in Flight.  Unfortunately, the evening didn't go quite as planned, but the rest of the day was magical.  I thoroughly enjoyed meeting characters that I hadn't met before, riding attractions like "Soarin'" and "Spaceship Earth," and seeing all of the beautiful topiaries that adorned the park in celebration of the International Flower and Garden Festival.  But more than any of these things I just enjoyed spending time and visiting each country that was on display. We had lunch in Japan (steamed rice with teriyaki chicken and some kind of beef), dinner in the UK (fish and chips...which I had the traditional way with malt vinegar) and I had a glass of wine in Paris (Beaujolais).  I loved walking around and seeing all of the shops and restaurants in every country and just enjoying the atmosphere. Morroco was my absolute favorite though. I really enjoyed it the most because it was so beautiful and it seemed to be straight out of the Aladdin movie. If I had the money, I would have bought lots of things there.  I think I would like to go back to Epcot and spend more time in the countries. I felt a little rushed with some of the stuff but now that I've done several of the rides and I know what I don't really care to do again I can just skip it and mosey about wherever I want to go and eat. We finished the day with Illuminations. It's no Wishes, but it's still pretty cool.  I bought an overpriced HSM towel. After leaving we went back to Downtown Disney where I ran in and asked if they were flying that night. They were not. The weather was still too windy.  We settled for sleep at the hotel instead, after having to get our keys fixed again because they didn't work.

Sunday started just as any normal driving-home day should. I woke up early (of my own accord) packed up, got ready, turned in my keys and left. Jess went home and I went to Target to find a car charger for my cell phone. I found one and then went to get gas and cash for the numerous toll booths. Fortunately, I got side-tracked before i actually got on the highway to head home. By this time it was about 9 a.m. and I decided on a whim that I would go back to Downtown Disney to do some shopping, because I hadn't even walked in the World of Disney store the first time, and to try one last time to go on Characters in Flight.  The ride was supposed to open at 10:30 a.m. if conditions were right and I was prepared to wait because I had been longing for this my whole trip. I tried to shop but the stores didn't open until 9:30 so I simply walked over to where Characters in Flight was to ask someone if it was going up today and pray they had an answer.  I could see the balloon in the air because they were testing it so I went over with a hopeful heart. An attendant came out and I asked him if they'd be flying that day and he surprised me by saying "yes." He then asked if I'd like to go up then (about an hour and fifteen minutes earlier than it was supposed to open), and after a quick unsuccessful call to Jess, I replied with a "yes." I then experience Characters in Flight. It was absolutely amazing and I hope to go at nighttime when I go back in June because I bet it would be beautiful to see the parks lit up from the sky. It was truly a magical moment though. After departing the gondola, I headed to World of Disney to buy things I didn't need. I left spending too much money but took home a new purse, a cute Minnie tank top, a cookie made by Minnie, some candy from Goofy and a promotional throw that showed Minnie and Mickey sitting in front of the castle. My heart was satisfied after the trip and I promptly headed home. A quick stop in Valdosta for a fill-up and lunch and a quick stop somewhere along 475 to meet Michael for dinner and I was in the home stretch. I hit minor traffic but still arrived home in decent time and was happy to be back in familiar surroundings.

Overall, I think it was a very magical vacation...the type of magic only Disney could provide. I can't wait to make a return trip in June and then again in July.

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Holly spent the evening unpacking, watching Juno for homework and sleeping. Although there were some minor misfortunes along the way, her trip seemed to be very good indeed, did it not?  I'm sure one day the world will right itself, she will have no more troubles and live happily ever after. Until then, the fun is in journey. 

The End.