Autumn Praises

I wanted to share a couple of incredible praises from today.

1. Fall in Arkansas is BEAUTIFUL!! It's always been my favorite time of the year. And after living in a couple different areas of the world where this season was basically non-existant, I appreciate it even more.

2. For the past several weeks a classmate of mine has been on my heart. I've been really focusing my prayers that God would draw her to Himself, and asking that He would give me just the right words to share with her and invite her to church. I have to admit, she's so very different from me, I've really had to grow in my trust of the Lord that He can do anything He wants in her life...even use me to help her along. So, this morning before class, as she and I were chatting about school, SHE up and ASKS ME where I go to church and could she come with me sometime. I literally almost fell out of my chair!!!! Woww!!!!! Isn't God AMAZING!!! He absolutely has known all along what He was doing in her life and that she would ask to go to church with me. But, wow, wasn't I completely blessed because I had been praying for that very thing to happen?!! Actually, I wasn't creative enough to think to pray that she ask me! God is so good!!!

Happy November to everyone, and I pray God will use this praise to encourage you all.

A very unusual sight

A line at that men's toilet. Strange, eh!? Actually, me taking a picture of the men waiting to use the toilet is probably stranger. :-)

Hawg Culture

And now for a VERY Arkansas experience! Because of the "quaintness" of Arkansas, there is only one major Division I university in the state. (Although my alma mater, UCA, recently joined Div. I AA and is kicking butt!!) This enables the ENTIRE state to be Razorback fans. Thanks to a great friend, with a generous dad, I got to cheer the Hogs on in Fayetville this weekend as they played a big rival, Alabama. Going to a game in Fayetville could really be called a "cultural immersion experience". Here is the day in pictures...

Heather and I ready for the big game!

"Calling the Hogs" If you're a special friend, you've heard me do this. :-) WOO PIG SOOEY!

The villains...BAMA.

The heroes...Razorbacks.

The opponents meet.

After 2 overtimes, the Razorbacks miraculously ended up with a win!! Focus on #31 in this pic, smile, and say thank you. 3 missed field goals and a missed extra point put BAMA on the losing end. Cok sagol!

Fish Fry

This is a true family tradition. Frying up the catfish and bass is my Uncle Randy's specialty. Of course the fish are always served with fries, "slaw", hush puppies, baked beans, and sweet tea. Mmmm! Unfortunately this is the only pic I took because I was too busy eatin'!

Introducing: Magnolia

Ok, to begin my new outlook I'll start with where I live. My apartment is such a blessing in so many ways. Before it was mine, it was my grandmother's. It actually belongs to my parents, but they built it for the day when my grandmother couldn't live in Texas by herself. As you know, that day came about 2 years ago. She lived in this space the past 2 years until she moved on to her now glorious space this past April. Up until her last weeks with us, when she couldn't manage to say much else, she daily reminded us how blessed she felt to live in such a wonderful place. Not only was it great for her, but it made it possible for my mom and I to take care of her on our own for the majority of her illness. What a huge blessing that was! Now it's my blessing. It's small, but everything I need. It gives me independence while still keeping me in the "free zone" while I finish school. Thanks mom and dad! :-) There are still many reminders of my grandmother in it which I love, but I've been able to add a little of myself, too.






I can't talk about my apartment withou mentioning my 2 roommates. 2 roommates in an efficiency apartment??? Meet Funny and Sunny. No, I've never really been a cat person, especially after my time in Istanbul (cok kedi var! *for you Heather*), but these two are pretty nice. They are also an "inheritence" from my grandmother. She loved them like family, and none of us had the heart to get rid of them, so...roommates.

Confession

I’m studying Daniel right now. It’s amazing and extremely convicting of so many things…it’s kind of painful. One conviction that I’ve actually been fighting for several weeks finally smacked me in the face this weekend. I need to confess it to many of you who read this blog because I involved many of you as I continually committed this sin. Over the past year I’ve spent countless hours, days probably if we added it all up, complaining, whining, crying, sulking…about how terrible it is to live back in my hometown. I knew that this was the place God called me back to for many reasons, and although I was obedient to go where He sent me, I have certainly made it known that I didn’t like it! “Woe is me” has been my theme song for the past 13 or so months. This resentful attitude has certainly affected my relationship with God, and I’m positive it has greatly affected my witness. So, I apologize to everyone that I’ve emailed, called, or spent time with griping about this “unbearable place” God sent me.

Beyond feeling the need to confess to you all, and many others, I also feel that I need to be very proactive to fight against my desire to complain about life in small town America. One idea is to approach my town with the same eyes and ears I had in Turkey. While living there I experienced a few inconveniences and culture clashes :-), but I had resolved myself to see the city through the eyes of Jesus. So, I took pictures of everything. I marveled at the unique differences in my culture and theirs. And I prayed, prayed, prayed, everywhere I went. So why can’t I do that right here in south Arkansas?? The plan is to take pictures of my life here…my home, my church, my school, the stores, the people…I’ll probably be amazed at how interesting the town actually is! So, I hope for my handful of blog readers that you’ll enjoy learning and praying about a little town in Arkansas.

Iowan Holiday

Since I really built up my road trip to see Teri last month, I guess I should update about how it went. After a 15 hour drive, listening to "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn", Teri's basement apartment was a very welcome sight! Teri, the ever gracious hostess planned a great Iowan holiday for me. As you can see in the picture, we visited Okoboji. That's Teri and me sailing across the lake. Really...ok, so we actually spent the whole time laying out on the dock watching the sail boats, but does it count that I dreamed about sailing while I was sitting on the dock of the lake?? Actually we did watch an old guy who was really in no shape to windsurf flip his boat right in front of us. It took 2 teenage guys and the lake patrol to get him back on board.

We also spent an evening listening to a great band from Nebraska. They were so good I can't remember their name. The crowd loved them until they played the Nebraska fight song...the Iowa folk weren't too happy about that.

I discovered "broasted chicken". Can anyone tell me if there is something about it that makes it different from regular fried chicken?

Oh, a HUGE discovery made during my Iowa travels is easiest told in a joke that I actually heard quite a few times: "If a couple in northwest Iowa gets divorced are they still first cousins?" Apparently Arkansas shouldn't be the only state to get a bad rep regarding that subject!! I guess they have to keep the Dutch blood pure somehow. :-) For more info ask Teri.

It really was great to meet all of Teri's family and friends. They treated me very well and only made a few comments about my sweet Southern accent. :-)

After experiencing the cool Iowa breezes smelling of hogs and corn, I loaded up the Stang again and headed south. On my way back to Arkansas, I stopped off in the great city of Mcalyster, Oklahoma. In the 11 hours it took me to drive through Nebraska, Kansas, and most of Oklahoma the temperature increased by 50 degrees. Ouch! Welcome to the south, eh. Had a fantastic time touring Heather's brand new old house. She's quite the DIY girl. After 2 trips to the coffee house, a trip to the Hub, an hour massage, and a pedicure, and of course hours of chatting with Heather, I decided it was time to end the holiday.

Oh, and btw, for those who thought "broasted chicken" was an Iowan delicacy, Heather and I saw it advertised at a liquor store in Oklahoma. Interesan, eh??

In conclusion...can someone please explain broasted chicken. Thanks!

A barking blessing

Blessings can come in unexpected packages! This is my sweet dog, Max. He's a year old now, and I've had him since last November. I didn't know I needed him until the day I brought him home. At the time I had been back in my hometown for about 4 months and in a pretty lonely phase of life. He came along and brought laughter, companionship, a walking partner, fun, and a fair amount of frustration. Having a social life outside of school and family still seems to elude me, but Max is always jumping, literally, with joy and excitement to spend time with me. I know, I know...I always thought people were odd who would talk about their pets as if they were an actual part of the family, but now I understand!! Seriously, he really was a tangible blessing that I believe God gave me just when I needed it.

summer school bitti!

Hooray!! I took my last two summer school finals yesterday. I faced my fear of chemistry this summer, and totally beat the heck out of it! Way back in the day when I went to college the FIRST time, I changed my whole "life plan" because I was too scared to take chemistry, well, there were a few other reasons, but that was a big one. Thank goodness God can even use us slackers who take the easy way out!

Nearly 2 years ago when I first felt like God was nudging me to go back to America for nursing school, my biggest hesitation was, "crap, I would have to take chemistry!" Nope, can't do that, God! But, as you all know, God always wins out in the end. Still, ever since then, I've been dreading this particular summer of chemistry and microbiology. If I couldn't do chemistry 10 years ago, what makes me think I can do it now??? I guess there's something to this whole "becoming a grown up" thing. Because chemistry was no big deal. Thanks to a great professor, and some mature study habits (who knew there really was something to this studying thing??), not only did I ace chem I, but I even let the prof talk me into taking chem II and aced it!!! I even discovered a love for chemistry, and if I wasn't so old, I might pursue that field more...:-)

So, this may not be the most interesting blog in the world to anyone else but me, but it sure feels good to know that I've beaten a huge, lingering obstacle!!

Now, for the fun...before nursing school starts in 2 weeks. I'm hittin' the road in the 'stang, and headin' up to Iowa! I saw Mandy's pics, and I felt very left out!! haha Looks like Iowa is the place to be, so here I come. Of course, Teri lives in the middle of nowhere, much like myself, so I won't be seeing any of the other Turkey's in Iowa. It's been over a year now since the infamous Rindy and Teri duo has been in action...it's time to reunite! Billy, we'll be sure to bring up great old memories of your antics. We might even have to play some Mexican train for old time's sake. No wait, yep, I still hate that game. :-)

Then, to top off the tatil, I'll swing by Oklahoma on the way home to check out Heather's new ev.

I'm sure I'll have some great stories from the next 2 weeks. I'll try to blog them. Sorry there's no pics...my computer refuses them. Hopefully there's a new imac in my near future...

Ok, so for anyone who still checks to see if I've updated...there ya go! Btw, it was GREAT to talk to all my dear Turkey family members last week. I'm still prayin' about how to get back over there! :-)

Hadi bay bay!

Hadi-freakin-ya!

I'll update already. :-) I know, I've been a complete blogging slacker, but, you have to know that once Liz told me I needed to update, I HAD to wait at least a week. :-) Life just seems so mundane here, that I never really feel like there's anything worth writing about. And, my computer has decided not to let me upload any new pictures. And, what's a blog without pictures??? So, here's the latest on my life here in Pleasantville:

This past weekend I enjoyed Riverfest in Little Rock, AR. Train totally rocked the river!! There's nothing quite like listening to an awesome rock band with thousands of sweaty, drunk people sweltering in Arkansas humidity underneath a gorgeous sky. And, in the midst of those thousands, I ran into a great college buddy who I had not seen since college. Random!

Summer school starts tomorrow. Joy. Chemistry and Microbiology. I bought my beautiful "visorgogs" today. They're cok guzel. Every morning for the next 5 weeks, I'll cover every inch of my skin with clothing in 100 degree weather, and sport some very chic plastic goggles for my 8 AM chemistry lab. Surely a good blog or two will come out of that experience!

Ok, there's my much anticipated update. Becca...email me a good time to come see you in Houston this summer. Same goes to you, Aimes, for San Antonio!!

Peace out!

Spring Break

One of the FEW joys of being back in college is Spring Break. Mine was definitely a great, relaxing, and yet still productive vacation. One of the highlights was seeing a show at the famous comedy club, Second City. It gave greats like Billy Murray, Jim Belushi, Chris Farley, Tina Faye...their start in the biz (and by greats, I mean very funny people). :-) The 2 1/2 hours of short comedy skits were hilarious!!

One of the lowlights, opposite of highlights (?), was buying a citypass ticket at the Shedd Aquarium. The aquarium ticket itself was $25, and we were counting on seeing at least 2 other attractions, so when they advertised a ticket for $50 that would cover everything, we thought, "score"! However, the aquarium was quite a let down, and then when we went to the Field Museum in order to see one specific exhibit, it was going to cost an extra $14. Outrageous!! It was also school field trip day at the Field Museum, and basically a loud, stinky nightmare. To top it off we had to pay over $30 in parking fees. Welcome back to capitolist America, eh. The day was redeemed a bit after visiting the Art Institute, but all-in-all warranted a bad review on my blog! So there, Chicago! I know they will be deeply hurt by my rantings on this widely read blog. Anyway, makes me feel better.

So, there's a peek into my Chicagoland adventure. Big hooray for Angela and Chris for spoiling me all week.

10 things that make me happy to be living in America right now

(trying to focus on the positive.) :-)

10. "Hide-an-egg" easter candy, mmm, pure sugar in the shape of an egg
9. early Arkansas' Spring flowers
8. the freedom to wear flip flops, capris, and a sweatshirt in March!
7. driving with the windows down in March! (it was 80 Sunday!)
6. the Wal-Mart cereal aisle
5. shopping for an Easter dress in sizes that fit and prices that I can afford
4. getting my hair cut and lighted by a NATIVE ENLGISH SPEAKER
3. having lunch with my brother anytime I want
2. SPRING BREAK
1. MARCH MADNESS!!! (canli)

Burgers, Beer, and Basketball

Friday night I had a truly Arkansan cultural experience. It all began with a 2 hour trip out of Pleasantville, a.k.a., Magnolia, to the big Rock, or actually Little Rock. Magnolia's high school boys basketball team made it to the state finals in Arkansas' biggest arena. The whole town loaded up to cheer their boys on. It was a great game, but the final score found the team 2 points shy of a state championship. Never fear, there was more fun to be had.

Some old college buddies and I headed over to a great sports bar to cheer on the Arkansas Razorbacks in the SEC tournament. Here lies a truly unique cultural experience. Picture at least 200 Razorback lunatics packed into a smoky bar with a movie sized screen, fantastically greazy burgers, and buckets and buckets of beer. A local news station was even there documenting the event. Fenerbace fans have nothing on Hogs fans! Unfortunately for the second time in 6 hours, the team I was cheering for lost. Now, if only my cultural experience had ended here...

Not wanting to miss a moment of fun, I agreed to keep the party going. Off we went to the Electric Cowboy. Really, that's probably enough said. But, for the sake of writing a really long blog, I'll share a few of the highlights. Now that I think about it, The Cowboy, as it is affectionately called, is actually a lot like Istanbul. A place where East meets West. Or better said, Hip Hop meets Country Western. For the next 3 hours my senses were pinballed from Emenem and Fifty Cent to George Strait and Keith Urban. I am not making this up, people. Every 6 songs the dancers would change from 20 somethings bumpin'-n-grindin' to 50 somethins 2 stepping. Since I don't do either, a friend and I found a front row seat to pure entertainment. Keeping a running list of worst dressed, best and worst dancers, playahs, and 007s we amused ourselves for a solid 2 1/2 hours. The final half hour was spent trying to actually reach the exit.

To end this post, I can officially declare that I have graduated from my days of clubbing. Tebrikler to me!

Psalm 43:3, 4

Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. There I will go to the alter of God--the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!

Hos Geldin, Bailey

Congratulations!!! Just wanted to welcome Bailey into the Johnson household. Way to go, Liz. Over 9 lbs...ouch! Can't wait to see all the cute pics.

Fun in anatomy class. Is there such a thing?

Sitting in Anatomy and Physiology class this morning, I found my mind wandering a bit. Surprising, I know. To keep up the appearance that I was actually paying attention, I started skimming the vocab at the end of the chapter. I, and several classmates around me b/c I had to share the discovery, were extremely amused to find the following definition:

dumping syndrome: symptoms, including diarrhea, that often occur following a gastrectomy.

I think it's blogworthy to mention that Billy James was the next word that then pooped, I mean, popped into my mind. Gecmis olsun! Ok, so maybe a public blog is not the most appropriate place to discuss gastrointestinal disorders, but if your friends can't join you in a good GI laugh, who can???

Technical difficulties

Ok, so I was super excited this morning to actually post a new picture of me and my sweet little Max. But, my computer keeps saying that my picture cd is blank, which it is NOT! So, until my computer and I get this little tiff resolved between us, there will be no pictures.

Hadiya

Do you think aliens might be taking over the world by sucking every human being into creating their own blog? I mean, it could work, you know. By luring everyone into wasting countless hours logging their own moronic thoughts on cyberspace, and then catching the few souls who had not created a blog by sucking their time away reading everyone else's blog; who is left to protect the country from the aliens??? See, I was sucked in by wanting to leave a comment on a friend's blog. When I wasn't allowed to give my two cents unless I was a member of the blog community, my own arrogance about how funny my comment was forced me to join the club so everyone could read how witty I was. Boy,those aliens really know how to beat the human race. Those darn smarties!