Freshman Blog

At 11 pm one night, I decided to fix myself one of those great, highly-unhealthy, late night, microwavable meals.  As I approached the end of the hall, I noticed a couple of new signs outside of our RA's door. 

Love Conquers All.

The phrase was written with a silver paint pen.  Against the teal background, the words shimmered like sequins under a spotlight.  The slogan appeared nowhere else on the hall.  Since both of the room's occupants, Miriam and Ashley, were junior-sophs, I knew it must have had something to do with pageant - they'd been rehearsing endlessly and the actual event was only a few days away.

  It really bugged me, not knowing the theme for pageant.

I find out later that the phrase had stuck with the tradition year after year.  It was the very motivation behind the hard work.

The bond between Big and Little Sisters is quite unique and special to Judson College.  As a freshman, I'm beginning to feel that bond with a potential Big Sis.  Gifts are exchanged between the "generations" - everything from drip bottles and signs, to play-dough and bubbles - for major test days, at special traditions, and sometimes just to show you love ‘em.

Pageant is a special gift from the junior-soph class to their big sister class, who get a seat for the program in Alumnae Auditorium front and center. 

As each junior-soph comes onto the stage throughout the program, whether as Thumbelina to sing a solo or as a Toady Son to argue with his mother, she incorporates "I ♥ MBS!" into her costume.  (MBS = My Big Sister)

With demanding schedules as it is, daily practices put quite the load on participating junior-sophs - however they willingly bear it; and not for a minute in the spotlight, mind you. 

They do it because the LOVE for their Big Sis CONQUERS ALL. 

"Through laughter, tears, anger and joy, Pageant has given our class the opportunity to come together and create something bigger than ourselves.  When I think back on this experience we have shared, I strongly believe, more than ever before, that love does conquer all."          

-Lindy Cowart, 2010 Pageant Director - "Tiny Thumbelina"

I just want to say that the Judson College Freshman Class of 2010-2011 is the bomb.

Seriously.

Tomorrow night is Pageant, one of the biggest traditions here at Judson.  It is an annual play, put on by the junior-soph class for their Big Sister class. The theme is meant to be kept a secret.  The junior-soph class has been working endlessly to perfect their one night to shine, while the seniors have been trying to break in night after night to ruin the surprise element of this annual event.  Simply because that's how it goes.

This is where we the freshmen come into the picture.

We stand together to defend the cause of secretiveness.

We protect the hard-work of our soon-to-be Big Sisters.

We guard.

And at 7:00 pm, we will finally be able to see the program that we have helped hide for so long!

Today at lunch, each class performed a parody about their part in this timeless tradition.  My roommate, Whitney, is the Freshmen Class Song Leader, and she personally rewrote the words to Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'."  Staci, Rebecca, Riley and I choreographed it, and danced while the rest of our awesome groups sang.

We brought the house down.

Here are the words; pictures/videos (hopefully) to come soon!

On Pageant Practice Night

We thought we'd had it easy

Until some Junior-Soph told the secret.

Then we heard a noise

Coming from the attic

Calling security to unlock these doors.

We looked in every room

From top to bottom -

For a moment we thought they'd left

We searched on and on and on and on.

Chorus:

Seniors running across Tucker's stage

Us guards searching in the night.

Nerf guns, duct tape, and also water guns!
Seniors ran and hid in the night.

We work hard to find them all

But then we let Laney slip by!

Brittany squeals to block it off,

Not to ruin these songs.

Some will win, some will lose,

Some will just cry to their rooms.

I hope this night will never end,

It goes on and on and on and on.

Chorus

Won't stop searching!

We will always find you!

We will always dominate!

WON'T STOP!

pro·cras·ti·nate - 1. to defer action; delay: to procrastinate until an opportunity is lost. 2. to put off till another day or time; defer; delay.

Story of my life. 

I am, in every way, a procrastinator.

Just this week

• I have put off getting out of bed every morning.
• I have ignored reading assignments until the last minute.
• I told myself throughout the Constitution Day discussion on the mosque being built near Ground Zero that a better time would come to make my point... but apparently that "time" didn't get my memo. It never came.  I never made my point.
• I have avoided cleaning my side of the dorm room... Sorry, Whit. :(

...The thing I regret most however, is waiting around to get cold medicine. 

Picture it:

Tuesday, 4:45 pm.  I'm sitting in choir practice, rehearsing for our fall concert.  I'm mid-"Glooooooooooooooria" when suddenly my eyelids close.  My body's act of falling asleep awakens my mind which in turn startles my body back to life.  I jump and look around to see if anyone noticed.  All I see are doughnut holed mouths and eyes glued to Dr. Ransom.  Relieved, I finished out the measure, only to be alarmed by Dr. Ransom's announcement that we could be seated for the next movement.  I knew that if I had nearly fallen asleep while standing AND singing, then there would be no hope seated.

I dozed through until 5:15, and finally I sleep-walked my way to Kirtley.  After opening a can of Dr. Pepper and devouring the caffeinated river of relief, I called my mom.

The cold symptoms I had been experiencing all day (sore throat, stuffy nose) were draining the energy from my sleep-deprived body, and it was clear that there was no way I could function properly until my usual bedtime (midnight or later.)  After a few minutes of discussion, it was decided that I get to sleep immediately.  I complied.

Now normally, I can handle a cold. 

Usually, I can handle tiredness.

But not simultaneously.  It was physically impossible.

I updated my Facebook status to "Rivers Brunson just wants her mommy.  College isn't fun anymore." and went to bed.  By the time I woke up 3 hours later, that status alone had raked in 20 notifications, with an additional 2 wall posts from wonderful and encouraging friends (one near, the other VERY far.)  Most of it was my mom, fussing at me for making her want to cry while she and my dad were on a trip in Dallas, Texas and were unable to come to Marion. 

I slept some more, and when I woke up on Wednesday morning, I knew it was hopeless.

So... I skipped class.

However, both Señora Castro and Dr. Wilson were very understanding, and I was able to borrow notes from classmates. 

Who's behind on their schoolwork?

Well me, but not because of skipping class on Wednesday.

Anyways, the moral of this story?

Exhaustion + cold symptoms - cold medicine = near death experience. 

Procrastination is a way of life, but I've learned that you've got to be able to do it right.

Sometimes people just aren't what we want them to be.  Sometimes people don't do what we want them to do... or they do what we were praying they wouldn't.  Sometimes life just doesn't line up with our planner.

          Sometimes things get spilled and don't get cleaned up.

  Sometimes annoying people want to be your BFF when you already have one.

Sometimes you stay up all night to study for a test,                                              and fall asleep right before time for class.

Sometimes your potential Big Sis starts hanging out with another freshman more than you.

Sometimes your alarm clock doesn't go off and you wake up in time for your second class of the day.

Sometimes people do drastic things to get attention... when you're tired of pitying them.

Sometimes you realize that you can't sympathize with your high school friends.  Sometimes it's like you don't even know each other anymore.

Sometimes your professor schedules a test without checking to make sure you understand everything.

Let's face it... We're not in control.  In life, there is no way to really be "proactive."  You can plan, plot, and think ahead; but when it comes down to it, you really have no say in the way things are going to go.  All you can do is get as close as possible to the One who does have a say, and just take things as they come, tuck and roll, and pray you don't get scraped up when you hit the ground.

I like to call these aspects of life the "unlovely."

And to be honest, the majority of people in the world are "unlovely"... ya know, not quite perfect.  They say things that irk you; and if what they say doesn't irk you, then the underlying meaning of their message does.  Their sneezes, their laughs, their smell - minor things about them just annoy you.

Then you decide to turn on some "uplifting" music, only to have your toes stepped on by lyrics like:

"Give me Your eyes for just one second/give me Your eyes so I can see/everything that I keep missing/give me Your love for humanity."

You suddenly remember that each one of those people who irritate you have a story.  Each one has their own personal struggle, crisis, and unconquerable situations.  Most convicting of all, you realize that they are all loved by the Creator, Sustainer, Savior, and Redeemer.  And you get a good glimpse of how minute and dumb you really are. 

You see that your eyes are afflicted because they're YOURS.

You notice that your plans are faulty because they're YOURS.

And there's nothing left to do but get rid of them.

So that by His power, you can LOVE the unlovely.