Don’t give up on me just yet. I promise this blog isn’t going to go to waste. I am so glad to have last week behind me and it looks like this week is going to be ever-so-enjoyable. I can’t believe October is coming to a close, but that means Halloween. And Halloween in college is going to be fantastic. But enough with all that, I want you all to know I’ve made a pretty important decision…
I’ve decided to switch majors. I really hope no one is going to be disappointed, but I will take up the new Applied Physiology and Sport Management major rather than following the pre-med track. I will, however, keep the English major and I’ll have tons of fun. Over the past few weeks, I have put a lot of thought and prayer into my future and I can’t say how much all of your prayers helped me make this decision. I know I want to stay in the “health” industry, but I want to help promote healthy lifestyles, rather than fix problems that are results of some unhealthy practice. So, after I earn this degree, I may go on to pursue a Master’s, but I need to meet with my advisor and sort all of that out. But now what am I going to do with my life, right? Well, this degree will give me SO many options and I will be more inclined to work within the sport industry. I want to either be a personal trainer or a wellness coach, possibly for a professional team if I really work my way up. I’m all about “living well” and I know I would love to help people have that same outlook on life.
You know what this means? No more Chemistry and no more Calculus. When I started planning my “new schedule” and realized that fact, an insane amount of stress just escaped my body. Y’all, Jennie’s going to finally be Jennie again! Thanks so much for the prayers, because I know you all prayed that God would show me what direction I needed to take in my life and that has consequently made me happy.
Well, intramural flag football is ever-looming! I have my first game on Sunday and our only game plan is domination. It should be fun. Kenzie and I are on the same team so it will be a blast. Another highlight of the past week involves a little surprise...
I promise I’m not pregnant. I officially joined the yearbook staff and found out that I will actually get paid to write articles. Isn’t that fantastic? It was such a surprise and it made me beam with joy. Again, the power of prayer is amazing.
Quite literally, the sun came out today. No rain. No clouds. No one looked at me like I wasn’t good enough. I smiled a whole lot today. I miss you all so much, but I finally let myself be genuinely happy. I started letting go of things I need to forget and I started to get excited about all the possibilities in front of me. I have been tearing away at myself because I feel as if I let so many great relationships go to waste before I left home, but now I understand that we must all change, hurt, and do bad things every now and then if we want to grow. I’m growing.
I hope I haven’t let anyone down because I’ve decided NOT to be a doctor, but y’all, this is going to be a better life for me. I’ve always wanted to raise a family (if I can find someone that can put up with me for that long) in a very middle-class, down-home sort of way. I don’t want my kids to grow up knowing that they have plenty of money to fall back on. I definitely don’t want my family to struggle, but I want my kids to know the value of hard work. I know, I’m going to be a horrible mother. Maybe I’m supposed to be single and live on a beach in Australia for the rest of my life?
My mind is starting to run off on a random tangent, so I will stop being so self-centered and get back to work. Y’all, I can’t thank you enough for having me in your thoughts and prayers. You are the absolute best and you keep me going when the days are miserable!
All my love,
Jennie Lee
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
This is Where My Red Shoes Took Me
Hey Everyone!!
Well, I'm back in Eunice and I can't exactly put my finger on how I feel. This blog is going to be really short because I'm exhausted and SO ready to sleep in tomorrow. Some things about Eunice are really hard to face, but then it is so nice to see everyone that I love and miss. I almost feel like something's missing, but again, I just can't put my finger on it. I may just be delirious, and maybe some sleep will clear my mind. I'll take a break from homework tomorrow so I can really sort through this whole "Eunice" experience and provide y'all with a fantastic new blog (yeah right). It really isn't bad to be home.
Jennie Lee
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Sunny Weather, Rainy Mood
Wow. That's all I can say about today. Right now the only thing on my mind is the Berry Family. Please please keep them in your prayers, or your thoughts, whatever your belief is. Dan was an amazing man and he always treated me like his granddaughter. I can't believe all the cowboys are leaving us. I think that's what really hurts the most. Daddy, Uncle Tommy, Richard, Big D, Ken, Bill, Greg, Kelly, all you guys, I promise I won't let you down when it's my turn. There's nothing like growing up where and how I did and I can't thank y'all enough for making me who I am.
I miss it all, but Bert Fisher just reminded me of something. "You can leave the ranch, but it never leaves you." No matter how many skinny little bodies or oversized LV purses I see, I will never be one of those girls. I'll never stop trying to impress my Daddy and I will never stop being my Mommy's stubborn baby. I'll never forget how it feels to ride through Home Pasture at five in the morning, freezing my tail off, then almost crying because watching the sun come up is so dang beautiful. I'll never ever be afraid to get my hands dirty and I'll never ever think replacing Michael Jordan's knee is near as much fun as replacing a busted union at the mill at Pipeline. Never ever will a boy in a foreign car impress me, but that boy in the big Chevy's got me hooked. I will never be trashy and act like I'm better than you, but I will always invite you in, because there's no telling where you came from. My grandpas will always be my heroes because they're the ones who fought to make sure their country-girl grandaughter would be able to go to SMU and pursue a medical degree. I won't ever look up to Paris Hilton. What has she done to make my life any better?
At some point in my life, every cowboy told me, "Never forget where you came from." That's something you don't have to worry about me doing. I have no problem with saying "Yes ma'am" or "No sir" and I have no doubt in my mind that a smile can brighten your day. Oh, and if you're a bettin' kind of person, you can bet that I'll work the hardest. No contest. I am this way because I know where I came from. I'll never forget how much Ghee tought me about being myself and loving every single damn minute of life. And I'll never forget how Pappaw tought me to always live a life grounded in faith and directed in such a way that my actions both deserve and demand respect. That's where I came from, and I'll never forget that place. Though I'm losing my cowboys, they'll always be here. No need to worry about that.
I love you Dan. With you AND Wilma up there, the angels better have a damn tight grip on their halos.
Jennie Lee
I miss it all, but Bert Fisher just reminded me of something. "You can leave the ranch, but it never leaves you." No matter how many skinny little bodies or oversized LV purses I see, I will never be one of those girls. I'll never stop trying to impress my Daddy and I will never stop being my Mommy's stubborn baby. I'll never forget how it feels to ride through Home Pasture at five in the morning, freezing my tail off, then almost crying because watching the sun come up is so dang beautiful. I'll never ever be afraid to get my hands dirty and I'll never ever think replacing Michael Jordan's knee is near as much fun as replacing a busted union at the mill at Pipeline. Never ever will a boy in a foreign car impress me, but that boy in the big Chevy's got me hooked. I will never be trashy and act like I'm better than you, but I will always invite you in, because there's no telling where you came from. My grandpas will always be my heroes because they're the ones who fought to make sure their country-girl grandaughter would be able to go to SMU and pursue a medical degree. I won't ever look up to Paris Hilton. What has she done to make my life any better?
At some point in my life, every cowboy told me, "Never forget where you came from." That's something you don't have to worry about me doing. I have no problem with saying "Yes ma'am" or "No sir" and I have no doubt in my mind that a smile can brighten your day. Oh, and if you're a bettin' kind of person, you can bet that I'll work the hardest. No contest. I am this way because I know where I came from. I'll never forget how much Ghee tought me about being myself and loving every single damn minute of life. And I'll never forget how Pappaw tought me to always live a life grounded in faith and directed in such a way that my actions both deserve and demand respect. That's where I came from, and I'll never forget that place. Though I'm losing my cowboys, they'll always be here. No need to worry about that.
I love you Dan. With you AND Wilma up there, the angels better have a damn tight grip on their halos.
Jennie Lee
Monday, October 19, 2009
And God said, "Everyone shall be miserably tired today."
So far, so good. I haven't decided to give up on the blog, so everyone should have something to be excited about today. It's fairly early in the evening, so I thought I would use the blog to jump-start me into my next phase. Right now, I'm in the "Already Finished One Assignment, Still Need a Little Motivation to Work Until Midnight" phase. Yes, that's right, I've already finished some homework. This is good. Mind you, this morning I woke up and felt like it was a good day just to sleep. Oh, but the gym beckoned so I forced my lazy rear out of my comfy, fluffy, warm, extra-long twin bed.
The greatest thing was waiting for me when I stepped into my Sport Management class this morning. The NCAA DI National Championship trophy was sitting prettily atop a nice little black box, draped with a Dr. Pepper cloth. Apparently, our professor is an old colleague with the two men that take the trophy (along with its $8-$15 million Dr. Pepper sponsorship) around to different college games every week. I couldn't believe the trophy was just sitting there, right in front of me. But, of course, I was so glad that the trophy was in Texas, where it belongs and where I'm sure it will return in January. Anyhoo, that was fun and the lecture the men (Ray and Charlie) gave was interesting enough.
I realized something today. As I walked into the women's bathroom in Dallas Hall, I met an older woman leaving the bathroom. For some reason, I wasn't so tired anymore. It seems as if every time I meet one of the faculty or any older men/women on campus I can somehow relate to them. Why is that, and why can I not relate as closely to the students on campus? Hmm, very odd.
All of my classes went really well today and I don't have any meetings on Mondays so I get to devote a large portion of time to studying. Hopefully, I will be done early enough this evening to hit the gym again. If you could see this place, you would want to spend all of your time there, too. I found out that we won't have a Chemistry quiz next week due to the exam we will have on Friday. I think it's a fair trade. Willard let some very bad words slip today while we were discussing Shakespeare's 129th sonnet, but I let it slide. He wears a bow tie for Pete's sake.
Right now I am in the room alone because Abby is walking around campus talking on the phone, Jen is at a vocal chior presentation, and Stephanie is...well, we never really know where Stephanie is. She just comes and goes and that's fine. Let's just say Stephanie doesn't have to study as much as we do, so she thinks it's okay to come and talk to us about the pressing issues surrounding her personal life...even when we are up to our eyeballs in schoolwork. It can be a bit frustrating. I think she kept Jen up until 3 am the other morning. Poor little Vietnamese Jen doesn't have that much stamina and I think she suffered the next day.
I'm counting down hours until I get to go home and see my wonderful familia in New Mexico, and I think getting through this Monday is going to be a big step. And just as an aside, I'm ready for Christmas. I haven't been able to figure out what has made me so eager for Christmas to come, but it has definitely been a presence in my daily thoughts.
I really would love to ramble and throw all my feelings into the mix, but in the course of the twenty minutes that it took me to write this and check all my e-mail accounts, I have become innately inspired. My mind works in mysterious ways. Oh! I can't believe I forgot. Y'all need to look into getting Skype accounts if you don't already have them. It's a great way to stay in touch and if you have a webcam, we will be able to video chat. Should be fun!
All my love to each of you!
Jennie Lee
The greatest thing was waiting for me when I stepped into my Sport Management class this morning. The NCAA DI National Championship trophy was sitting prettily atop a nice little black box, draped with a Dr. Pepper cloth. Apparently, our professor is an old colleague with the two men that take the trophy (along with its $8-$15 million Dr. Pepper sponsorship) around to different college games every week. I couldn't believe the trophy was just sitting there, right in front of me. But, of course, I was so glad that the trophy was in Texas, where it belongs and where I'm sure it will return in January. Anyhoo, that was fun and the lecture the men (Ray and Charlie) gave was interesting enough.
I realized something today. As I walked into the women's bathroom in Dallas Hall, I met an older woman leaving the bathroom. For some reason, I wasn't so tired anymore. It seems as if every time I meet one of the faculty or any older men/women on campus I can somehow relate to them. Why is that, and why can I not relate as closely to the students on campus? Hmm, very odd.
All of my classes went really well today and I don't have any meetings on Mondays so I get to devote a large portion of time to studying. Hopefully, I will be done early enough this evening to hit the gym again. If you could see this place, you would want to spend all of your time there, too. I found out that we won't have a Chemistry quiz next week due to the exam we will have on Friday. I think it's a fair trade. Willard let some very bad words slip today while we were discussing Shakespeare's 129th sonnet, but I let it slide. He wears a bow tie for Pete's sake.
Right now I am in the room alone because Abby is walking around campus talking on the phone, Jen is at a vocal chior presentation, and Stephanie is...well, we never really know where Stephanie is. She just comes and goes and that's fine. Let's just say Stephanie doesn't have to study as much as we do, so she thinks it's okay to come and talk to us about the pressing issues surrounding her personal life...even when we are up to our eyeballs in schoolwork. It can be a bit frustrating. I think she kept Jen up until 3 am the other morning. Poor little Vietnamese Jen doesn't have that much stamina and I think she suffered the next day.
I'm counting down hours until I get to go home and see my wonderful familia in New Mexico, and I think getting through this Monday is going to be a big step. And just as an aside, I'm ready for Christmas. I haven't been able to figure out what has made me so eager for Christmas to come, but it has definitely been a presence in my daily thoughts.
I really would love to ramble and throw all my feelings into the mix, but in the course of the twenty minutes that it took me to write this and check all my e-mail accounts, I have become innately inspired. My mind works in mysterious ways. Oh! I can't believe I forgot. Y'all need to look into getting Skype accounts if you don't already have them. It's a great way to stay in touch and if you have a webcam, we will be able to video chat. Should be fun!
All my love to each of you!
Jennie Lee
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Day One...Fifty-Nine Days Later
I'm not going to try to be overly enthusiastic not am I going to hide anything. If at times it seems like I'm complaining, please don't hesitate to leave a straightforward comment. Your criticism is much appreciated. As I would tell anyone else, sometimes I must be told to, "Get over it." I want everyone to know what's going on in my life and at times, it might seem a bit dramatic. Other times, my blog won't be worth reading. Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start...
Hi, I'm Jennie, and I've been an alcoholic for 5 years. Kiddin' folks! As you know, I am a Freshman at Southern Methodist University in "Big 'D' little 'A' double L-A-S." Dallas is great, it's "close" to home, and I believe I'm here for a purpose. I just haven't found that specific purpose yet. Though I call myself a Freshman, I have 33 credit hours (thank you dual credit), which makes me a Sophomore. The benefits from those hours have already paid-off immensely. I've decided to endure the long, painful, Pre-med road, but I've thrown in the fun English major just to make sure I cover every aspect of college study. I've also chosen to minor in Biology and Applied Physiology. Don't worry, I have already mapped out my next three and a half years and my course load is going to be light. This girl is going to be just fine. Additionally, one of my summers is going to be spent in Oxford. I don't think there is any room for complaint.
Pre-med implies lots and lots of years in school, right? Right. Well, for now anyhoo. I want to be an orthopaedic surgeon who works specifically with sport-related injuries. And yes, that is an intentional "sport" rather than "sports." We learned that in my Sport Management class. For now, think I want to work in Texas, but there is no telling where my career journey will end. It should be fun. But, what's the English major all about, right? Well, I want to write children's books. Sometimes I think about all the books I read in elementary, and I become so nostalgic. I adore them and I want to generate that same feeling for other children someday. SMU has a fantastic program geared specifically toward an English major with a Creative Writing focus so that's what is in the plan for now.
I say "for now" because there are many options that I still have before me. If I decide that Pre-med just isn't my "thing," I would love to be an elementary teacher. I absolutely love kids and I want to make at least one child look back on his or her elementary days and appreciate them. I dunno, maybe I'm a weird one. God made me that-a way.
That's my academic life in a nutshell. I'm terribly sorry because I know that stuff is always so boring. I've joined a few "clubs" on campus that I think are worthwhile commitments. I am a member of Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), which is a community-service group that brings 4th and 5th grade grade girls to SMU once a month and educates them about some kind of "science." For instance, last week we had "Biology Day" and the girls learned about DNA, cells, protein, and all that fun nerdy science stuff. This month, we're having "Forsensics Day" and all the girls will walk into a crime scene and try to figure out "Whodunnit." I think it's adorable and rewarding beyond explanation. Just another emphasis: I love little kids. In short, WISE is fantastic.
To make Aunt Jackie proud, I've decided to write articles for our yearbook! We call it "Rotunda," just for future reference. I will go to my first meeting Tuesday and I can't wait to get started. I'm sure I will have more to post once I have an assignment, but until then you just need to know I am excited...really excited.
One more group I must tell you about: Reformed University Fellowship (RUF). RUF is one of the ministries on campus and I absolutely love it. We have large group worship on Tuesdays and I meet with a smaller group on Thursday afternoons. RUF really is an amazing group of people and it part of the reason I have made it this far without completely losing my mind. Keep in mind, I have partially lost my head so thank RUF for keeping me somewhat grounded. This semester, we're talking about "Dating, Sex, and Marriage," and it has been amazing. It's so much fun to think about what life will be like when I find that person that will share those ideals with me. For now, it's fun to pretend.
On that note, no I haven't met "anyone." Such a funny term, "anyone," because we just assume that "anyone" would really be "someone" of importance, making them far from being just "anyone." Anyhoo. No, I haven't met anyone. The day I meet the boy at SMU that isn't wearing salmon-colored shorts and yacht shoes, you'll know.
I've rambled, but I feel like I have much more to say! My roomate (Abby Benson) and I get along well and haven't had any problems at all. I said I would be honest, so I will. I'm very different from most of the girls here on campus, so it's been kinda hard finding good friends. But, I met a girl from New Orleans that is not one of the superficial, gold-digging, BMW-driving girls on campus. Yes, I just lumped them all into one category and that's not nice of me. Bad Jennie. Anyhoo, her name is Kenzie and she's really athletic and down-to-Earth, and we like to just hang out and stay away from the frat parties together. It's a ton of fun.
These first two months have been rough, but I'm still alive and there really isn't any valid complaining that I can do. So much has happened and I'm really far behind as far as information goes, but I will try to keep this blog up-to-date so everyone can live this amazing life with me!
Just for fun, this is what my week looks like:
Monday: Poetry paragraph due (these are done before each poetry class)
Tuesday: English paper due, Rotunda meeting @ 6pm, RUF Worhsip @ 7:30
Wednesday: Poetry paper due, Sport Management paper due, Chemistry Quiz
Thursday: Chemistry Lab Mid-term, RUF Small-group Bible study @ 4:00, WISE meeting @ 5:00
Friday:Calculus quiz due, Flight for NM leaves @ 2:50!!!!!!!
Additionally, I try to fit two work-outs in (our gym is amazing) per day and there are other various weekly-committments that I have. I'll mention them throughout the blog, so be patient. If you want to know anything, let me know and I'll include it in the next blog. Let's make this fun, because I really need something to liven up my day, and we all know how much I love to write!
All my love,
Jennie Lee
One more thing. I absolutely adore my poetry professor. One of my "links" will take you to an article in the New York Times where he is featured. Please check out that link because this man is hilarious.
Hi, I'm Jennie, and I've been an alcoholic for 5 years. Kiddin' folks! As you know, I am a Freshman at Southern Methodist University in "Big 'D' little 'A' double L-A-S." Dallas is great, it's "close" to home, and I believe I'm here for a purpose. I just haven't found that specific purpose yet. Though I call myself a Freshman, I have 33 credit hours (thank you dual credit), which makes me a Sophomore. The benefits from those hours have already paid-off immensely. I've decided to endure the long, painful, Pre-med road, but I've thrown in the fun English major just to make sure I cover every aspect of college study. I've also chosen to minor in Biology and Applied Physiology. Don't worry, I have already mapped out my next three and a half years and my course load is going to be light. This girl is going to be just fine. Additionally, one of my summers is going to be spent in Oxford. I don't think there is any room for complaint.
Pre-med implies lots and lots of years in school, right? Right. Well, for now anyhoo. I want to be an orthopaedic surgeon who works specifically with sport-related injuries. And yes, that is an intentional "sport" rather than "sports." We learned that in my Sport Management class. For now, think I want to work in Texas, but there is no telling where my career journey will end. It should be fun. But, what's the English major all about, right? Well, I want to write children's books. Sometimes I think about all the books I read in elementary, and I become so nostalgic. I adore them and I want to generate that same feeling for other children someday. SMU has a fantastic program geared specifically toward an English major with a Creative Writing focus so that's what is in the plan for now.
I say "for now" because there are many options that I still have before me. If I decide that Pre-med just isn't my "thing," I would love to be an elementary teacher. I absolutely love kids and I want to make at least one child look back on his or her elementary days and appreciate them. I dunno, maybe I'm a weird one. God made me that-a way.
That's my academic life in a nutshell. I'm terribly sorry because I know that stuff is always so boring. I've joined a few "clubs" on campus that I think are worthwhile commitments. I am a member of Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), which is a community-service group that brings 4th and 5th grade grade girls to SMU once a month and educates them about some kind of "science." For instance, last week we had "Biology Day" and the girls learned about DNA, cells, protein, and all that fun nerdy science stuff. This month, we're having "Forsensics Day" and all the girls will walk into a crime scene and try to figure out "Whodunnit." I think it's adorable and rewarding beyond explanation. Just another emphasis: I love little kids. In short, WISE is fantastic.
To make Aunt Jackie proud, I've decided to write articles for our yearbook! We call it "Rotunda," just for future reference. I will go to my first meeting Tuesday and I can't wait to get started. I'm sure I will have more to post once I have an assignment, but until then you just need to know I am excited...really excited.
One more group I must tell you about: Reformed University Fellowship (RUF). RUF is one of the ministries on campus and I absolutely love it. We have large group worship on Tuesdays and I meet with a smaller group on Thursday afternoons. RUF really is an amazing group of people and it part of the reason I have made it this far without completely losing my mind. Keep in mind, I have partially lost my head so thank RUF for keeping me somewhat grounded. This semester, we're talking about "Dating, Sex, and Marriage," and it has been amazing. It's so much fun to think about what life will be like when I find that person that will share those ideals with me. For now, it's fun to pretend.
On that note, no I haven't met "anyone." Such a funny term, "anyone," because we just assume that "anyone" would really be "someone" of importance, making them far from being just "anyone." Anyhoo. No, I haven't met anyone. The day I meet the boy at SMU that isn't wearing salmon-colored shorts and yacht shoes, you'll know.
I've rambled, but I feel like I have much more to say! My roomate (Abby Benson) and I get along well and haven't had any problems at all. I said I would be honest, so I will. I'm very different from most of the girls here on campus, so it's been kinda hard finding good friends. But, I met a girl from New Orleans that is not one of the superficial, gold-digging, BMW-driving girls on campus. Yes, I just lumped them all into one category and that's not nice of me. Bad Jennie. Anyhoo, her name is Kenzie and she's really athletic and down-to-Earth, and we like to just hang out and stay away from the frat parties together. It's a ton of fun.
These first two months have been rough, but I'm still alive and there really isn't any valid complaining that I can do. So much has happened and I'm really far behind as far as information goes, but I will try to keep this blog up-to-date so everyone can live this amazing life with me!
Just for fun, this is what my week looks like:
Monday: Poetry paragraph due (these are done before each poetry class)
Tuesday: English paper due, Rotunda meeting @ 6pm, RUF Worhsip @ 7:30
Wednesday: Poetry paper due, Sport Management paper due, Chemistry Quiz
Thursday: Chemistry Lab Mid-term, RUF Small-group Bible study @ 4:00, WISE meeting @ 5:00
Friday:Calculus quiz due, Flight for NM leaves @ 2:50!!!!!!!
Additionally, I try to fit two work-outs in (our gym is amazing) per day and there are other various weekly-committments that I have. I'll mention them throughout the blog, so be patient. If you want to know anything, let me know and I'll include it in the next blog. Let's make this fun, because I really need something to liven up my day, and we all know how much I love to write!
All my love,
Jennie Lee
One more thing. I absolutely adore my poetry professor. One of my "links" will take you to an article in the New York Times where he is featured. Please check out that link because this man is hilarious.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)