NEW

Tomorrow I leave for Mustang Island state park! I'm going with two couples which kinda stinks cause i'll be fifth wheel...but I can deal because it's going to be a blast! We're taking the Funky Bus...and old short yellow school bus one of the couples converted into a traveling van. We'll be out there the whole weekend...I'll post pics later.
Well, good news. I bought a puppy. He is an 8 week old husky/lab mix. His dad was a show husky and his mom was a pure bred lab. He is the most adorable thing I have ever seen in my life. He is staying on the property with this mom, brother, and sister until May when I move into my apartment. i'll be driving out to Bastrop to see him once a week and taking him home to dallas to get used to car rides and (my moms) cats.



my sweet little boy, Porter


hilarious video my friend Kalen sent me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANU7Jwa9kEE

Spring Break

Well, I'm back home from Savannah, Georgia. It was an amazing 5 day trip full of new sites, sounds, people, and experiences. We went camping for a night in Tallulah Gorge State Park in Northern Georgia. It was pretty rainy and misty the entire time we were there, but it was absolutely breath taking despite the urban enroachment surrounding the park. An amazing suspension bridge was placed halfway through the hike and plenty of outlooks to stop and admire. The rest of the week we walked around Savannah visiting various friends, attending a friend's art show, enjoying the local food, soaking up some sun at Tybee Island, and playing/painting in the park.
Now I am back home in Dallas for a few days visiting my family. I rarely see them and when I do even our time together is sparse. I'm a little reluctant to head back to SM tomorrow morning because I really would like to spend some more time with my family, but school and my responsibilities are calling me back.
Soon we will hear back from Treehouse apartments and begin the process of creating a lease contract and working out details about our future residency there. I can't wait! Treehouse is perfect for us! I can not wait to be out of the dorms, living on my own, with true freedom. I'm ready for the freedom, responsiblity, and fun! And possibly...a new puppy!!!!!!!
Oh, and did I mention that I am absoutely itching to climb?



basically what we looked like minus the white hair!

RELIGION

Just finished watching Religulous...definitely got my mind working.

He was relatively biased which led me to do a little research of my own:

"The constitutional freedom of religion [is] the most inalienable and sacred of all human rights." --Thomas Jefferson

"Among the most inestimable of our blessings, also, is that... of liberty to worship our Creator in the way we think most agreeable to His will; a liberty deemed in other countries incompatible with good government and yet proved by our experience to be its best support." --Thomas Jefferson

"I have ever thought religion a concern purely between our God and our consciences, for which we were accountable to Him, and not to the priests." --Thomas Jefferson


"The faith you mention has doubtless its use in the world. I do not desire to see it diminished, nor would I desire to lessen it in any way; but I wish it were more productive of good works than I have generally seen it. I mean real good works, works of kindness, charity, mercy, and public spirit, not holy-day keeping, sermon-hearing, and reading, performing church ceremonies, or making long prayers, filled with flatteries and compliments, despised even by wise men, and much less capable of pleasing the Deity"

[Benjamin Franklin, 1753, letter to Rev. George Whitefield. Works, Vol. VII, p. 75]


"I have found Christian dogma unintelligible. Early in life I absented myself from Christian assemblies."


Don't get me wrong, I have a spiritual connection with something higher than myself...it's called the planet, the laws of nature, mother earth, the spirit...it's the air you breathe, the water you drink, the wind that blows through your hair. I believe in that. "from dust we came, to dust we shall return."

Tick Tock

Well. it's 10:36pm on a friday and what am I doing? waiting on my bunk @$$ best friend to come pick me up for a party in ausin...while I blog for my english class. what a life.

but I have been catching up on my climber blogs and finally got my butt in the gym to climb a little this afternoon. surprising, considering i took my first fall last night in the gym lead climbing a 5.8 i warm up on. i had my rope run out like 5 or 6 feet from my last clipped draw when i went to grab a very familiar and friendly blue hold that spun on me causing my hand to slip and me to fall about 10 feet yelling, "shiiiiiiiiiiiit!" tons of fun though! was a little shaken up and had to take a little breather while my muscles decided to calm down and stop twitching. super super super fun! too bad i stubbed a toe though. luckily, james who had my catch, motivated me to finish the route. thanks ron j!

today was quite the learning experience. meet at the o.c. around 1 so i could participate in a kayak roll clinic. learned about hip snaps, home position, w=fxd or something like that. wasn't able to able to roll...but got the wet exit and rolling my partner right side up down. look forward to practicing in the river!

hilarious video:

Juego futbol!

Soccer game with the Outdoor Center crew tonight! I am super excited to play this week even though our last game didn't end so well for us. Not only did our supervisor get red carded...we also lost. Hopefully, this weeks game will fare better.

So who found an awesome apartment super close to campus with her best friend? Ummmm yah that would be me! Taryn and I are going to sign papers this week to pre-lease our new apartment for the next year. We'll live here in the summer; she'll work and take summer classes while I work and hopefully am busy training a new puppy! Super, super, super, stoked.

Only a few more days until I leave for Savannah to visit Toni! I'm trying not to get too excited that way I can remain focused for next week when I have midterms.

Life is good!


Aaryn, Erin (another future roommate), ME, and Little Miss Taryn

Winner

Well, I won first place in the women's beginner comp! As a reward, I got a belt buckle that also functions as a bottle opener. ;)

Not feeling too hot today but luckily my friend Erin gave me some new music to listen to. Johnny Flynn and his Hong Kong Cemetry EP is excellent. It's modern folk and really relaxing. Perfect for river days.

Speaking of river days, this past week was a little gift from mother earth! Three days straight out by the river soaking up some rays and renting kayaks! College life is exceptionally hard.


too bad we have nothing like that on the San Marcos river.


Oh, and Erin finally posted pictures from the Annuals show. Here are a few I took:

The drummer.


The crowd.



The Annuals!