Monday, April 30, 2012

Elliv 2012.

The buzz around here for the past month has been Elliv. Elliv is Cedarville's end of the year talent show. All of the best dancers and singers get up on stage and entertain the rest of the student body for an hour and a half.



I wasn't going to go this year because it costs $14, and to a college student that's pretty expensive, plus, it didn't sound too exciting to me, but on Saturday, (the day of Elliv), at lunch with Anh Thu, Caleb, Mia, and Tim I mentioned that I wasn't going, so Anh Thu offered me her ticket because she didn't need it since she was working backstage. I accepted the ticket and by that time it was already after 2pm, which meant that it was time to start getting ready. Mia was nice enough to let us invade her room, so we headed over and started applying make up. Then we curled our hair, and Anh Thu helped me to do my hair like this pin I found on Pinterest.

Finally, I headed to dinner after saying goodbye to Mia, Anh Thu, and Bethany, and found a large group of mk (missionary kid) friends of mine, who I joined for the show. Amy came to dinner late so I waited for her to finish while the rest of the group went over to the building where Elliv was to get in line for seats. By the time we got there and took a quick trip to the bathroom, Amy and I found that there was no room for us where our friends were sitting, so we kept walking around the chapel until we found a nice spot up in the balcony on the right side.

The theme for this year's Elliv was color me loud, and there was definitely a lot of color in the show! Some of the hit numbers were Without You, We Will Rock You/We are the Champions, If I Die Young, and Footloose, among others. We also heard from Cedarville's president, Dr. Brown, and voted via texting for a variety of awards, which were handed on site after the votes had been counted. It was a pretty sweet idea to do the voting like that, but it was also kind of a hassle to have to keep on getting out my phone and text during the show.

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of Elliv, and if Anh Thu hadn't graciously offered her ticket to me, I definitely would have preferred to use my Saturday night to study instead of attending the show. But since she gave me her ticket, I decided to go. This year's Elliv was better than last year's and I was able to hang out with my friends, so the evening certainly wasn't wasted; it's just that if it was up to me, I would rather be going bowling or out to the movies for fun instead of watching Elliv.

Here's one of the short films that the Elliv committee made to announce the theme:


The video's sweet! I love how the actors painted all of the instruments and furniture. Oh, and don't worry, the piano, guitar, and drum set were donated to the university and none of them worked well, so they didn't ruin any good instruments.

Elliv 2012 was dark, colorful, and peppered with plenty of instances that set it apart as a uniquely "Cedarville" experience. Next time you're on Twitter, search #Elliv2012, #colormeloud or #thatssocedarville and you just might see what I'm talking about. ;)

april photo a day: days 16-22

day 16: flower






day 17: something you don't like // how cold it was outside







day 18: hair // curly locks








day 19: orange






day 20: something you drew






day 21: bottle // Malibu Girl nail polish




day 22: the last thing you bought // a ticket to the Ayo Dance Showcase on Saturday



Monday, April 23, 2012

spring ideas.

here's a little list I made for you for the remainder of spring. it's been chilly in ohio this past week...hopefully it will warm up sooner rather than later!

the spring list:
























love in Christ,
jess

Ayo Dance Show, Mu Kappa Picnic, etc.







Wow, this weekend has been crazy busy! I spent Friday night and Saturday night taking photos of the Ayo dance rehearsal and show. At the end of the second night, the picture count was up to 800 and some, and that was after I'd deleted at least 50 or more blurry photos. I loved watching each the dances several times, but on Friday night I was thoroughly exhausted after the dress rehearsal.

Instead of going to bed right away, though, I read the New Testament extra credit reading assignment in the BTS with Mia and Caleb. While I was in the middle of reading, the rain started to pour down from the sky. Large, wet droplets came down from the heavens, drenching the ground and creating a dull noise on the roof. It was peaceful and I could have fallen asleep then if my friends and I had not been conversing together. As it was, I ended up staying up way past my bed time looking at photos from the Ayo performance and listening to music.

Saturday flew by in a blur. A highlight of the day was seeing some friends from my church back home. They were down at Cedarville for an art and music festival. We talked in Chucks for a while and looked at artwork in the SSC. I was amazed by the fine pieces of art on display. I would love to be able to draw and sculpt like artists do, but unfortunately I'm not so good at it. God gave me photography instead, and I'm so thankful that I have a creative outlet for my artistic side.

Are Sundays ever boring? I don't think so. This one was no different; there was Korean church in the morning and afterwards delicious Korean food with everyone at the church. By the time we got back to Cedarville at around 3pm, I spent a little time editing Ayo photos and uploading them to Facebook and then I had to leave for the Mu Kappa picnic. I have to admit that the picnic was kind of a let down for me because it was freezing cold and there were no fun games planned except for frisbee and soccer. 90% of the time we were at the park, I stood next to the fire, warming my numb hands and wishing I could be inside. A few of my friends left early, but I decided to stick it out for a while longer. Eventually the people I was with were ready to go, so we got into Sarah's car and drove back to campus. As soon I got to my room, I realized that I smelled like smoke from the fire and I still do...it's definitely time for a shower and then bed.

Tomorrow starts review week and the next week is finals week. With as little sleep as I've been getting, the only way I'll ever make it through is on Christ's strength. It's hard because I don't even start getting sleepy until 1 or 2 am and these days I often put off homework until the last minute because I'm just so drained from the semester. Summer needs to get here!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Joy. {a gift from God}

Joy. Pure unadulterated joy.

How do we get it? Does it come from our friends' approval or getting the summer job you poured countless hours applying for?
























No. Joy goes so much deeper, to the core of the soul. Joy and happiness are often confused for their similar qualities, but they are certainly not the same thing. If happiness is the tip of the iceberg, then joy is the whole entire iceberg. Happiness comes from circumstances, but joy comes from God.

Have you experienced such joy despite your circumstance that your heart leaped within you and nothing anyone told you could dampen your spirit? I have, in fact I experienced great joy yesterday. It is not that I do not experience joy every day, but I felt it at a deeper level yesterday. Although I was tired and struggling through homework, God gave me a joy that I could not explain apart from Him. I felt so blessed and encouraged.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! -Galatians 5:22-23


Have you experienced God-given joy? It's such an amazing experience that goes far beyond mere feelings.

On the Dance Floor.

The last couple of days I've had the privilege of taking pictures of Britney and the dance groups that she's in here at Cedarville University, all of which are part of AYO. I will be photographing the dress rehearsal on Friday night and the show on Saturday night....can't wait!


Britney's a talented dancer and I love watching the joy on her face as she moves along with the music. She was so excited when she found about the dance organization starting up on Cedarville's campus this year because she used to dance when she was younger but hadn't for the past several years.


Kayla and Britney agree that dancing in front of the mirror is awkward and intimidating.


Look at the joy on her face! It's contagious.


Dancing is a great way to get exercise, hang out with friends, and an excuse to get dressed up. After watching Britney and her dance groups I want to dance, too, but since I'm not very coordinated I don't think it wouldn't go very well. I'll just watch them dance from behind the camera. =)

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

april photo a day: days 8-15

day 8: inside your wallet
























day 9: younger you // my brother jon and me



day 10: cold // rainy day





day 11: where you ate breakfast // i would have eaten in chucks but i skipped breakfast





day 12: stairs


day 13: something you found // a one way sign

day 14: how you feel today // #thankful #blessed

day 15: sunset

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Christopher // tree climber












































































Christopher loves to climb trees. Ever since he was very young he's been climbing anything and everything. Sometimes my parents refer to him as a monkey, and often his behavior can be described as such. He's curious and energetic, running around the house at full speed, only stopping to catch his breath and watch Jon on the computer or give me a quick hug. Christopher really loves the outdoors and he spends hours outside nearly every day, often going for bike rides with Dad. I admit that climbing trees is quite fun; being up high and looking down at the ground provides a new perspective which can be so refreshing, and that's how life is, too. Whether you take a step back, move over to the left or climb up so you can look down, changing  your perspective is key to understanding why you think the way you do and why others think differently.

Change your perspective. It's healthy.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Dyed Hair.

My roots were starting to grow out so I decided it was time to dye my hair blonde again. Natalie asked me to dye her hair for her first, and so I asked her to dye mine like she's done before. I'm so thankful for friends who help me keep my hair lookin' pretty!


We met up on Monday night after getting back to Cedarville in the afternoon from Easter break. She chose a dark brown dye, which almost looked black when it had dried. I was nervous about dying Natalie's hair because I had never dyed hair before, but it went really well. Before we got started, I got my laptop from my room and set it up on the bathroom counter so we could listen to tunes while we dyed each other's hair.

Natalie looks really tired or else giddy. I'm not sure which.


























We're real cool.



























All done!

Content.





I love living near water, even if it's a stinky, smelly lake often home to dead fish, like Cedar Lake is. Nothing could ever even get close to comparing after living on the beautiful island of Papua New Guinea and going for holidays to Madang on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, but I am thankful that Cedarville has a lake, which does look beautiful in the dark with the glowing cast of the sidewalk lights shining on the eerie water. Sitting down by the lake at night by myself is such a peaceful experience. I like to pour out my heart to God and listen for his voice as a calm breeze passes by. It's a nice break from the mundane routine of school and work, a time to just be still and let God speak.

Do you like living near water?

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Easter. Family. Fun. Finished.

I had a great Easter break at home with my family. Our days were relaxed and I was supposed to get a good deal of homework done, but I didn't get it done because it was too hard to concentrate and my laptop kept freezing up. I think the problem must have been that I put 200+ photos on it over the weekend. No doubt about it, my camera was out often this break. Jon asked me to take shots of him riding his skateboard in the street late Friday afternoon. After going crazy for a half an hour, he switched to doing handstands on the front lawn.


The next time I got my camera out for a while was Sunday night, when my brothers and I went out in the backyard of our relatives' house after dinner just to hang out for a bit. Christopher climbed several trees and ran around the yard several times, tagging Jon and I. My brothers are so fit and athletic. I'm jealous. Think it's time to get back to the gym on a more regular basis. 























Anyhow, my family drove me back to campus today and we spent time walking around campus this afternoon. Afterwards, we met up with some of my friends for dinner in the cafeteria. My friends really had a good time talking with my parents and brothers and I hope my family enjoyed it, too.

I cannot emphasize how much I love building relationships with others. God has blessed me with great friendships, and I treasure each one.

And so I rejoice. =D