Judson College :: Academics/Digital Judson

Well, Judson has once again opened its doors to students. New arrivals are adjusting themselves to the lives of college students and returning residents are eagerly greeting old friends.

I'm looking forward to sharing my year with you and even more excited about my new category - Academics and Digital Judson! Basically, I get to share with you the two things I do most - study and take photographs. Occasionally I do silly things like sleep and eat. Kidding.

(On another, unrelated note, I really, really wanted to insert a happy little smiley face right there. But for some reason I feel that it would make me unprofessional. Would it, dear readers?)

Anyways, back to the business at hand. I'll start off this semester with a funny story that illustrates Judson sisterhood a bit (Well, I think it's funny at least. Plus it might help explain the photo *).

While I was getting things together back in Tampa for my return to school, I realized I was running low on foundation. Always remembering the necessity of planning ahead (What's a girl gotta do to get a Walmart around here?) and very much realizing the necessity of some makeup to enliven my features (I can't be the only one who looks like the walking dead around here, right?), I bought a bottle to stock up.

Once I'd hauled myself and my earthly possessions up to Judson (with the help of my wonderful mother), I realized that I had purchased the wrong shade of foundation. Who knew there was such a stark difference between "Buff" and "Natural Beige?" I think I'm pretty natural and kinda beige. Guess not.

Last week, my dear friend Lindsay (Love you, Lin) was making a trip to the glorious and distant Walmart. Unable to go myself, I handed the incorrectly pigmented foundation and corresponding receipt of purchase and asked her to trade the bottle for one of the appropriate shade. (See what I did there? Used big, smarty-pants sounding words to make it seem important? Except it's not - cause it's makeup. Eh heh...heh?) Well, Lin, being the awesome Judson sister she is, eagerly agreed to do so. Yaaay, Lin!

Just to clarify, anyone who knows Lin, knows that she and I don't exactly look alike. Sadly, we will never be mistaken for real sisters." What do I mean," you ask? Well, my point is, our skin tones are decidedly different." What does that mean, Amber? Stop being so vague" you might then demand.

Alright, you made me say it. Next to Lin I look like the albino that I truly am. It's sad really.

When I asked her to exchange my "beige" foundation for the even lighter "buff" I didn't think about how it might have looked to an outside observer, like the cashier.

But you know what? Lin did it for me. She endured the incredulous stare of the cashier. Just for me she suffered the even more prying question of "Are you sure that's the color you want?" when she returned with my pasty foundation.

For that I salute you Lindsay. Thanks for being a true Judson sister, willing to go where others would balk.

Thanks for returning my stuff to Walmart J

*Lin modelling some of my foundation on her arm.

This weekend was unbelievably busy! We got a group together to go to the air festival, where they had quite a few old planes. The weather was beautiful – bright and sunny, not too hot and not too cold. It was nice to get out and see people from the community.

In the afternoon, Laura and I took photos of Ashley and her fiancé, Travis, for their engagement. 

We started out at Perry Lakes Park, hoping that the trees would shade most of the really harsh light and we’d get some good photos. Unfortunately that didn’t work out so well. All I managed to get was some strange looking shadows over their faces.

Next, we went to a home a couple miles out of town. Laura goes to church with the couple who live there and they generously let us use one of their fields. We dragged a hay bale out there and posed the two of them on it. The lighting was perfect and the background was gorgeous. I just wish I could have gotten more where Ashley wasn’t laughing hysterically. Ally, the families golden retriever thought it was necessary to be in the frame of every single photo taken that afternoon. I’ll admit, it was pretty funny, but I still needed a few photos that didn’t look hilarious.

I’m hoping that I got some good photos from the afternoon. I still haven’t had a chance to look through and edit them, although I am posting a preview. I think I have close to twenty photos that look just like this one. Note the laughing and the dog.

After photos, Summer, Lin, Laura, Tonya, and I went to Mustang Oil in Greensboro for dinner.

I think the heat got to me because I was so exhausted for the rest of the weekend.

Well, I’m back from spring break and wouldn’t you know, spring has sprung in my absence!

Unfortunately I’ve forgotten my camera all the way back at home in Florida. So, no pretty spring pictures for me – at least not yet.

I get to go home this Easter for the first time in two years. Lin is road tripping it back to Tampa for the holiday and I’m hitching a ride for the price of half the gas. I’ll have to bring my camera back after that. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping that there will still be plenty of flowers around, wrecking havoc on everyone’s allergies, including mine.

Can someone tell me why I’ve never had an allergy to flowers back home, but as soon as I cross into Alabama, the flowers turn me into a sniveling, teary-eyed wreck? I suppose it’s because I grew up around the pollen in Florida and my immune system is just better equipped to deal with it there.

Boo. It’s those Japanese Cherry Trees. I just know it.

They’re so pretty though. If you schedule a visit to Judson, I can’t encourage you enough to come when the campus is in bloom. The cherry trees all over campus are beautiful. I can see them out my window here in WMU peeking over the back half of Jewett, white and dainty, almost like they’re covered in snow.

Aww, who am I kidding? I’m not too great at waxing poetic. My point…they’re pretty – very much so.

Anyways, where was I? Oh, yes, no pretty photos for at least a week or two. What am I going to do for stress relief in the meantime? Any suggestions?

I definitely need something more productive than picking at my cuticles or pacing the room.

Maybe I’ll go take a walk outside before I start studying again. It’s a lovely spring day.

PS - Please God, let the cherry trees still be blooming after Easter.

Here I am, picking up where I left off yesterday…

Wednesday – This is the first day we all really split up to go to different sessions. In the evening Tonya, Summer, and Ashley went to see Mary Poppins on Broadway. Cat and I chose to spend our evening walking around the city and enjoying ourselves.

Thursday – Well, can anyone tell me what I did Wednesday? I sure can’t. Bummer. All the days are blending together. I should have taken better notes! Oh wait, now I remember! Cat and I went to church in Times Square. It was a great prayer meeting, much more like my home church than Siloam. Don’t get me wrong, I love Siloam and all the people in it! But it’s still not like home. We actually met and exchanged information with an artist who sat next to us. She was very helpful and encouraging, especially for Cat the art major of the group. So, here’s a plug for Karen, who’s an amazing women of God and sweet to boot! [Check out her website.]

Friday – Yes, artsy fartsy Friday!

Cat and I went to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) for the evening. We made it through all of the floors and even were able to see the Tim Burton exhibit. My favorite room had to be the one full of Matisse paintings and sculptures. He’s my favorite and I’m madly in love.

Saturday – We all got together and ate lunch with Shelby Knox, a well-known activist for women’s rights. The conversation was interesting and though I don’t see all of her points in the same light as she does, I really did appreciate the opportunity to hear another point of view and meet a young woman who’s made such a difference!

After lunch we all split up into different groups. Are we sensing a pattern yet? I think Cat and I stuck together most of the week because we were more interested in the artistic/cultural side of New York than the others in the group and you know what…? It worked really well that way.

Anyways, we went for a nice little jaunt in Central Park which was pretty close to the hostel. While in the park I saw the most darling older woman who had brought her rather pudgy cat out for some fresh air. There she was, grooming her portly feline in the grass. I’ve never seen it before, but it was pretty cute.

After our walk, Cat and I went to Chinatown and Soho for some shopping and sightseeing. The first night we had gone to Chinatown, most of the shops had been closed, but the place was hopping Saturday! Let’s just say, I got a big-kid purse for a very reasonable price. It’s pretty, and yellow, and shiny, and smells like yummy leather. We ate dinner in Chinatown and then headed back.

Sunday – A sad day for me. I don’t think I really wanted to leave. I really loved New York and could see myself living there, but not for very long. It was a very fast-paced, crowded place. Despite all the people, I think you could get lonely very easily in the city.