What is Mountain Day?

If any of you have facebook friends/ follow people on twitter who are from Berry College, you’ve probably been driven crazy by 25, 000 posts about this mysterious holiday called Mountain Day. I’m here to give you a brief explanation so that you may see the light. So, here goes.

Mountain Day is basically a celebration of Martha Berry’s birthday. It is held on the first Saturday of every October, and it also serves as a Berry homecoming of sorts. All sorts of fun festivities take place, and everyone has SO MUCH FUN!

Everything starts on the Friday before Mountain Day when all classes after 2 are cancelled so that everyone can participate in Mountain Day Olympics around 3. In Mountain Day Olympics, residence halls compete in wacky games in order to have bragging rights over all the other residence halls. Each residence area has a secret theme that is supposed to be kept under wraps until we all parade down Opportunity Drive to the site of the Olympics (which is the lawn of Green Hall this year). So we all have lots of fun going all out on this day, and NOBODY is too cool for it. Everybody cheering on their respective teams and getting all excited is just so much fun, and it really builds a sense of community.

On Friday night, there is the Mountain Day talent show where people can showcase their many interesting talents. I’ve not yet been to a talent show, so I’m not really sure what all goes down.

On Saturday morning, there is a 5K run/ 2mi. health walk, which is a lovely way to get your blood pumping for the fun of the rest of the day. Around 11, everyone (students, alumni, families, friends, faculty, staff, etc.)  has this mass exodus up to Mountain Campus where we all have a big cookout and what we call the Grand March. The Grand March is where we all wear a specific color based on our year (ex: underclassmen girls wear pink and upperclassmen girls wear blue. This is based on the uniforms that Berry students used to wear) and we hold hands and march around and drop pennies (one for every year you’ve been alive) into a basket. This is like a gift to the college. It’s just a really special tradition that you should participate in at least once.  After the festivities on Mountain Campus, there are different class reunions and facilities are open for people to see. It’s a good time to take a break so that we will be ready for Marthapalooza action when 10 p.m. rolls around.

Marthapalooza is basically this carnival type thing that we have as a birthday party for Martha. They bring in all sorts of rides, games and foods to the Clara Bowl and students have fun socializing and partying it up for Martha (in the tame sense) until 2 a.m. The Clara Bowl is then available for anyone who wants to have a campout. Haha.

Well, I know it wasn’t as brief as it probably could have been, but I hope that it gave you a pretty good idea of what Mountain Day is!

What’s Up?

Yeah, I know it’s been 2 months. I have failed you all once more. This blog has been going for over 3 years now! It’s really funny to read back and remember all the things that I was concerned about 3 years ago.

As for my current concerns, well, remember my last blog post? The one about never finding a man? Yeah? I’ve been talking to God a lot about that lately. On top of what I wrote in the last post, He has given me further instructions. After giving me a while to calm down and realize  that He has it under control, He has reminded me of one very important detail that I forget all to often. Before God is going to show me the guy that He has picked out for me, I have to fully rely on God to provide fulfillment in the area of love. He has been constantly reminding me that His love is the ultimate love, and that I should be content with what He has provided because it is more than enough. As sad as it is, I know that I (along with many of you, most likely) tend to take that for granted sometimes.

Anyhow, I am super excited because I feel like God is preparing me now more than ever to meet someone (or discover that I already know someone) who is completely amazing and perfect for me!

He’s Got It Covered

This morning, as I was getting ready to drive back home to vote, I was thinking about all of the fabulous people that God has put into my life while at Berry College. I am thankful for each and every one of them, but there are a few (of the male gender) that were really standing out in my mind. I was thinking about how godly these guys are and how they have influenced my standards to become even higher than they already were (and they were already pretty much unattainable). Now, while I am not in love with any of them by any stretch of the imagination, hanging out with them has helped me recognize more attributes that I want in my future husband. As I was thinking about this, I started feeling a little bit down and out. All of you girls know this feeling. It’s the “I need a man and he’s never coming” feeling. Yeah, that one. Sorry to remind you all.

Well, as I was thinking about how near and dear that these boys are to my heart, I felt God just putting his finger on my heart, so to speak. He was like, “Now Madi, how many times do I have to tell you that I have it covered? I know the desires of your heart, and I already have someone just for you. Be patient.” Talk about convicting and comforting all at the same time. So, if you think about it, please pray that I will be content while waiting. It’s really hard for me.

Cancer Sucks

There. I used the word “sucks.” Those of you who know me well know that I never use that word because I don’t think that it sounds very nice, but in this case, I found it to be appropriate.

My heart is in pieces today. It is hurting for a sweet little girl in my 3rd grade small group at Freedom. This child is one of the sweetest, happiest, most precious children that you will ever meet in your life, and she has the ability to stick a smile on your face no matter what your mood. For the past couple of weeks, I have been missing her dearly. Well, she came back this week, walked over to me, and said, “Miss Madi, my mama died on Friday.” I almost broke down and started crying for that sweet girl right then and there, but I could see that though she had her usual smile on that precious face of hers, she was already on the verge of tears. What do you say to an 8 year old who has just lost the only parent that is in her life? There are just no words.

I don’t think that anyone was expecting the death of Cassidy’s mom, and I can’t imagine what is in store for that little girl. What I do know is that God has her in the palm of His hand, and she knows it. When her grandmother passed away earlier this year, she told me in small group, “Sometimes, God heals people in different ways. God healed my grandma by taking her to Heaven yesterday.” That statement made by a (then) 7 year old little girl made an impact on me. She has more faith than most adults that I know. The child amazes me.

All this to say, I ask that you pray for this precious little girl with me. I know that she would genuinely appreciate it, because if any 8 year old truly understands the power of prayer, it is her.

New Hobby!

So…I have picked up this crazy new hobby called swing dancing. I absolutely love it! We all knew deep down inside that I should have been a teenager in the era of swing anyhow. This only confirms it. I’m not coordinated by any means, but I am learning, and it is fascinating. The only downside is…big band music now plays on a continuous loop in my mind. It’s so worth it though!

After a 7 Month Accidental Blogging Sabattical, The Not-So-Typical Girl Has Returned.

Wow. That was a mouthful.

But yes, I am back. For how long, I do not know. Let’s just retry this. So much has happened since I last blogged. Big things to note:

1) Yes, I picked Berry College. I have been here for 7 weeks, and I absolutely love it! I have a fantastic roommate, a job that I love, good classes, and the atmosphere is great! I definitely fit right in. I’ve really enjoyed being in a new place, and I have adapted very well.

2) Yes, I am still riding horses. Sadly, I am looking for someone to lease Sky. She will be happy to have someone to spend time with her though, I am sure.

3) No, I am not in a relationship. Still believing that it will be worth the wait.

4) Yes, I do still love all of those things that I blogged about last year (remember the plaid, the Amish friendship bread, the musicals, and naps)

5) Though I do not live at home, I still go to Freedom every Sunday. God has continued to move in mighty ways. Come check it out sometime!

6) I still bake! Not as often, but if you have a cookie order, I just might be able to help you out with it!

I think that is everything that you need to know at this moment. I’ll post some more in my usual style very soon! Keep your eyes open!

The Flapper Beads

A couple of weeks ago, my sweet Aunt Laurie gave me a couple of pairs of flapper beads that one of her clients gave to her when she sold her house (my aunt’s a real estate agent). Well, being so infatuated with the 20s, I have worn these treasures every chance that I have had. It’s just kind of neat to wear a piece of history like that, plus they’re cute.

As I was having an emotional breakdown this morning (while wearing the flapper beads), I started thinking about how hard it must have been to be a flapper. They were the radicals in society. The bucked the status quo, and faced all sorts of troubles because they were trying to be different from everyone else. I began to realize that those women were extremely strong. They knew what they wanted and what sort of people that they wanted to be, and they dove in head first.

I now feel empowered by the flapper beads. While I’m not trying to be edgy or push the envelope in a more conservative society (which has turned more liberal today), I am trying, just as the flappers did, to be different. I’m trying to stand up for my beliefs in this crazy world. It’s hard most of the time, and it has cost me any hope of fitting in or being liked by everyone, but I don’t really care. I don’t want to be someone who fits in in our corrupted society. I desire, wholeheartedly, to shine. I want to be who God has created me to be.

This is what that looks like for me (It might not look like this for everyone. These are my personal convictions, and I don’t want to shove them down anyone’s throat.):

1) Dressing modestly.

2) Not cursing.

3) Remaining pure.

4) Being a girl who prays and seeks God’s face.

5) (This is a constant struggle) Bringing honor to everyone.

6) (This is the absolute hardest one for me) Not relying on a guy to give me self-worth.

I am in no way perfect. I am just another girl who is trying her best to be the kind of girl that God desires for me to be. As long as I am on this earth, I want to try to honor the Lord in everything that I do.

New Semester!

My American Government professor claims that some students refer to her as “the fire-breathing spawn of Satan.” I’m scared. That’s all I have to say about that.

He Deserved It.

Over the past couple of months, I have been involved in a Thursday [early] morning Bible study with some of the girls from Freedom Church. For the past four or five weeks, we have been reading through a series called A Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers (who is an excellent  author). The first book is about Tamar, who was married to the first son of Judah, whose name was Er.

If you haven’t read the story, Er was a man with a very wicked heart. He went through life, living however he wanted. Fairly soon after marrying Tamar, he was struck down, and died. Just died right there on the spot because of his wicked heart and actions.

As I was reading this, I really didn’t feel bad for him. In fact, I kind of decided in my mind that he totally deserved it. He had wickedness in his heart; therefore, he deserved to die. But, after about five two seconds, I came to the realization that I deserved it too. That story seriously made me all the more grateful for the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. It still blows my mind every day that he loves my sinful self enough to save me and call me His own.

Wow. What an awesome God.

May I Just Say…

I LOVe my church! Seriously, I LOVE it! Here are some reasons why:

1) Life change happens EVERY week. It never gets old!

2) The staff and partners at Freedom will stop at NOTHING to reach people far from Christ.

3) Freedom Church is a place filled with love. At Freedom, people are welcomed as they are, and accepted as Christ accepts them.

4) Everything at Freedom is done with excellence. No mediocrity, no exceptions.

5) We seriously have the best band in the history of bands.

6) People are actually EXCITED to be there! People get upset when they have to miss a Sunday. This speaks for itself.

7) IT IS EVIDENT THAT GOD IS THERE, AND HE IS AT WORK !