Who Reads This Thing Anyway?

I confess! I am guilty! I read people's blogs and they probably have no idea that I read them. Since jumping on the blogging bandwagon a little more than nine months ago I have been amazed at how many blogs I have found of people I know, or at least used to know. I don't necessarily read them all on a regular basis but I do drop by on occasion. A lot of them have a lot more important things to say than I do and they're way funnier than me too! I've decided that my days of secretly lurking on blogs should be over. I'm going to post comments on the blogs that I visit so that people at least know and can say, "Hey, look at that, Pamela reads my blog!' I've been discovering recently that I have my own lurkers. A friend commented (verbally) the other day about my grad pictures. I didn't even know that she read my blog! I want to encourage those of you who are lurking here to reveal yourselves to me! I realize that a lot of what I write isn't stirring enough to warrant leaving a comment but I hope you'll leave one just to say you've been here. If you look to your right there's a brand new map telling me where you are but not who you are. I've lurked on enough blogs to see a number of these maps and they're kind of a neat idea. So I'm jumping on a another bandwagon, the ClustrMap bandwagon! Maybe you want to join me and get your own? Whether you want the map or not I hope you'll let me know that your reading.

Mystery Flowers

On graduation day this beautiful flower arrangement was sent to the school with a card saying, "Congratulations on your graduation Pamela." There were instructions included for the flowers to be used as decoration during the ceremonies. The thing is there is no signature on the card. I have no idea who sent me these flowers. I think that this afternoon I am going to call the florist and ask who sent them. It's a mystery to me! They are really pretty and I'm enjoying them on my kitchen table.


So I called the florist's number that was on the back of the card this afternoon. The woman who answered told me she would have to check with the other locations in the city and that she would get back to me. When she called back she said that there was nothing in the computer systems at any of the locations that was delivered to the school either on Friday or Saturday. So apparently whoever the flowers are from delivered them themselves. So the mystery continues. I would really like to know who they are from so that I could thank them. Maybe I'll ask around the school to see if I can find out who they were left with and who it was that left them.

Graduation

So yesterday I unofficially graduated. I say unofficially because I'm still lacking one of my required classes. It's a cultural anthropology class that I will be taking next month at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. I had a blast yesterday even though I'm not really finished. My immediate family was all here as well as my grandmother and my friends Lisa and Paul with my little niece, Cadence. It was great to have them here with me to celebrate. This whole college thing has been a long road for me. I did it a little different than most taking four years off in the middle of it all. looking back I wouldn't have chosen to do it any other way because those four years contributed immensely to my education! It's been a road filled with many joys and many challenges. I have many fond memories to look back upon and I look forward with great anticipation for what God has in store for me.

Here I am receiving the Dean's Award. Definitely unexpected.

Here I am receiving the Alumni Award for highest grade point average...also VERY unexpected!

Blair Robert's and I, the bachelor degree candidates.

Receiving my "diploma".

Carolyn McMillan introducing me.

Waiting, and feeling a little awkward.

Being hooded.

Attempting to get through my speech without crying.

The faculty and the baccalaureate recipients.

Note that Jennifer is holding my tassel so it doesn't blow into my face. Thanks Jennifer! Who's idea was it to take pictures outside in the wind anyway??

Me.


Me again.

Paul called me a walking baby toy with my honors cord, hood, tassel, hair, earrings...Cadence couldn't decide which to pull on first!

Lisa, Me, Paul and Cadence

Grandma, me, Mom, Dirk and Michelle.

Grandma, Dad, me, Mom, Dirk and Michelle.


With the Parents.

The next graduate.

Lisa and I waiting at Red Lobster.

Cadence playing with her spoon.

Self Portrait.

I love this little girl!

With my Mommy.

And my Grandmommy.

Bestest Friends!

I love this lady bunches and bunches!

Here I am without the big black getup and funny hat.

The full view.

And my favorite part of the day was that I had a super good hair day!

Procrastination

I have two 4-6 page papers for my wisdom lit. class that are due today, or as my classmate Tim pointed out to me yesterday the syllabus says that if they are emailed to the prof. prior to 8am tomorrow they are still considered on time! Thanks for the heads up Tim! I have known about these papers since the beginning of the year. Granted I have had a hefty amount of other school work to get done along the way but over the last few weeks I have actually had some time that could have been dedicated to getting these two papers out of the way...But if I had done that I wouldn't be writing this post now would I?? I think the fact that they are such short papers has lead me to put them off thinking that they'll be a piece of cake and will really only take ma a few hours to write. If I actually sat down and worked on only the paper this might be true but instead I have come up with everything and anything to do instead of working on them! I started the first paper on Friday afternoon. My goal was to have it finished by Saturday afternoon and have the second one well on it's way by Saturday night. I finished the first one this morning. It is currently 7:30 and I have one page written for the second one. Saturday consisted of sitting down to work on it and then turning on the t.v. or sitting down to work on it and checking my email, or sitting down to work on it and then reading random blogs, or sitting down to work on it and then getting up to get something to eat, or sitting down and working on it and then grading Greek quizzes instead, or sitting down and working on it and then going to wash the dishes. Sunday was much of the same. This is why the thing was only finished this morning. Today I has been not nearly as bad as Saturday and Sunday were but I have procrastinated none-the-less...What do you think I'm doing right now??? I think it was Saturday when my procrastination included looking up the word procrastination on Wikipedia. This is what it told me:

Procrastination is the deferment or avoidance of an action or task to a later time and is often linked to perfectionism. For the person procrastinating this may result in stress, a sense of guilt, the loss of productivity, the creation of crisis, and the chagrin of others for not fulfilling one's responsibilities or commitments. While it is normal for individuals to procrastinate to some degree, it becomes a problem when it impedes normal functioning. Chronic procrastination may be a sign of an underlying psychological or physiological disorder.

The thing about procrastination being linked to perfectionism hit home for me. Because I am definitely a perfectionist. I often put off doing something like writing a paper because I worry about being able to do it well. Unfortunately getting good grades is very important to me. But really am I going to care what grade i got in my Greek class five years from now? not likely. Am I going to even care next week after I've graduated? Probably not. But for now when I'm in the middle of it all it matters to me a lot. I don't know why. Or maybe I do but just don't have time to think it through and expand on it right now, come on people I have papers to write. I didn't mention earlier that I have a ten page paper due on Wednesday and a PowerPoint presentation due on Thursday did I? Perfectionism...coming soon in a blog post near you.

The part about procrastination being a sign of an underlying psychological or physiological disorder I'm inclined to ignore because really, how many of you are reading this right now because you're procrastinating from doing something of much more importance than knowing about how I really don't want to write my papers? Come on, be honest now! I agree with those wikipedia folks on the fact that it is normal to procrastinate to some degree. We've already covered that the fact that you are reading this is proof of that. But in the end I will have these papers emailed before 8am tomorrow. Most likely before I go to bed tonight... Because after all I am a perfectionist and it just wouldn't be perfection if I handed something in late now would it??

Now I'm going to go finish that second paper...and you should get back to whatever it is that I've been helping you to put off. Shame on me! ;)

Exactly Two months And Counting!

I realized this morning as I was on my way to church that in exactly one month from today my team and I will be leaving Canada on our way to Brazil! That is an exciting thought and a scary thought all at the same time. In some ways it seems like and eternity away and in others it seems right around the corner. It depends on what perspective I am looking at it from. When I think about seeing my Brazilian family and friends it feels like and eternity but when I think about it in terms of my team finishing their training it feels like we need more time. In the two months that follow there is going to be a lot going on. Finishing out my last semester of College which includes writing final exams. Graduation ceremonies. Continued LST training. A trip down to Abilene, Texas to take a cultural anthropology class at ACU. I know that the time is going to fly! I am excited to see how God is going to use my team and I this summer! Please remember us in your prayers as we continue to prepare for what God has already prepared in advance for us to do.

My Teammates: Lucas and Katie