Photoshoot day

Oh my goodness, so much has happened, just in one day.  Last night Bryn got the directions to Jodi's auntie's (Dr. Penner of the music department) house and we took them and they eventually led us to the right place, but it was all on very back roads and places we had never been before.  Then, when we were there, Dr. Penner said that we could have just taken Apison Pike to their road if she had realized we lived that close to it, so we tried that on the way back and it worked out great and was a lot shorter.

This morning Bryn and I went to grad practice at the gym, which was actually a good thing to attend so that we knew all about what was supposed to happen during the weekend and especially on Sunday morning.  After that, Bryn had to rehearse with Renee for the special music for vespers tonight so I trailed along with them to the church only to find that it was nurses pinning practice there.  So we went to the music building and they practiced there.  I offered my services as a page turner and so I guess I practiced too.  Then we met up with my mum and carpooled to pick up Jodi and Cherry.  While we were driving back from getting them, my friend Julie called me and said she was almost to our apartment so we gave her instructions to get to the Greenway parking lot and we met her there and then all six of us drove downtown to Coolidge Park.  Bryn and I had brought along our grad gear and my mum took pictures of all of us riding the carousel together and then pics of Bryn and I in our grad outfits.  Once we'd used up all our tickets for the carousel, we went outside to the waterpark and played around and got pictures there too for a few minutes before heading back to Ooltewah.

We joined with the rest of our extended family and drove out to Ruth's Florists and Gifts where my mum and Bryn and I had made plans to take some family pictures.  I had asked Emily, a photography major, to take pictures for us and so that took up the next hour or so.  She took tons of pictures and I was pretty surprised that my certain members of my family were so good-natured and happy about the whole thing.  I think it was because it was a nice area to walk around and enjoy when not in pictures.  After pictures were done, we drove to the Golden Corral for supper before heading back to Collegedale/Ooltewah area and getting ready for vespers.  Jonathan's family saved us seats and the whole big group took up about two whole rows.  Bryn did great in the special music and I don't think I really messed up with the turning pages so that was good, too.  After vespers, the young people went to Hymn Sing (the last one for me ever, which is really sad to think about) and then came back to our apartment to talk and hang out until people left to go to sleep.  And now I think I'm going to go to sleep too.  I have to get up early tomorrow to get to S.S. in time.

SM dedication vespers

I didn't think I would enjoy tonight's vespers, but I really did.  After countless hours of filling out forms, talking to people from the SM office, and sitting through orientation class, we got to enjoy a dedication vespers tailored just for us.  Except for a rather disorganized practice before vespers started and many of us participants wishing we could just walk to the front from the center aisle instead of the side to shake Rebeca's hand and get our candles, the whole evening went pretty well.  Just as vespers started, I realized that I should tell my mum to watch the stream online, so I texted her to let her know what was going on.  She was glad I did and enjoyed watching the vespers.  And, despite thinking that this vespers wasn't going to make an impact on me, it actually did.  It was a really nice service and I finally feel like I'm ready to go off to serve.  Now, if I could just find out if I've been accepted at the place I want to go, I could start getting excited...

Sheep vespers

Tonight the SJ&C had a vespers at Dr. Nash's house.  He lives just across the Georgia line on a large patch of land with a small creek running through it.  A few weeks ago his family decided to keep animals again (they'd had pygmy goats for awhile) and got a pregnant ewe and a ram.  Dr. Nash kept our class informed about life with sheep, even passing around his phone so we could look at pictures of his kids with Lily the Ewe and Buddy the Ram.  Last Sunday morning, the lamb was born and he reported the event to us in class, complete with a picture of his youngest daughter holding David, the newborn lamb.  So tonight at vespers I actually got to see the sheep.

The whole night was a lot of fun, just hanging out with friends and acquaintances and teachers.  We had an Easter egg hunt ("Extreme Easter egg hunt in the sheep pen," Dr. Nash told us right before we started.) followed by refreshments of cookies and other baked treats and lemonade.  Some of the guys started a football game and then there was a bonfire and vespers.  Dr. Nash's whole family trooped into the sheep pen (his wife clutching a long stick to keep Buddy the Ram at bay) and caught the lamb.  Dr. Nash and two of his girls dashed for the gate as both Buddy and Lily raced to defend their offspring.  Everyone sitting in the circle around the fire laughed at the sight of the usually dignified Dr. Nash shooing his daughters in front of him as they all squished through the gate seconds before getting butted.  A minute later, his wife sauntered to the gate, holding the stick, but by then the sheep were more worried about the whereabouts of their lamb than butting humans.  Dr. Nash's oldest daughter brought David the Lamb around the circle of comm. majors and their friends and family and almost everyone petted or held him.  His mother, pacing in the pen, wasn't too happy about her lamb being gone and made that clear with many weird sounds before he was returned to her side.  After vespers, Jonathan, Bryn, Josh, and I found the trampoline empty and jumped in the dark, under the clear sky and twinkling stars.

As we drove back to Collegedale, I realized how lucky I am that I transferred to SAU.  I have had such a great time as a SJ&C student here, meeting other students who have a passion for writing or other communication-related fields, being taught by well-trained and caring professors, and getting opportunities (like working on the Accent) to try out my skills.  I'm so thankful God helped me find the right major and the right university to finish up my schooling.