Halloween Weekend, etc

Sorry I haven't posted in a while.  I was out of town for a week visiting home, playing with interns in Chattanooga, and visiting with more interns in Atlanta for RUF training.  Upon returning, we had a lot of Halloween festivities and my mom (shout out to Kathy Mayo!) came down with my furniture and helped me move into my new place on James Island.  I haven't done the best job of taking my camera so here are the best pics from what I had to chose from.

 

 

 katie, andrew, katy, me

on the last day of training

 

the girls had a cookie making party

 

 after the cookie making party some of us went to the coastal carolina fair*

 HANDSTAMPS!

one of the student's parent's were very sweet and bought everyone a hand stamp for unlimited rides

some of the group

 view from the swings!

i get motion sick just looking at the picture

 ferris wheel

since we saved money on admission and rides, we decided to invest in airbrushed trucker hats*

everyone with the pumpkins, after the first annual pumpkin carving contest**

*i missed the, it gets cold in charleston memo, and nearly froze to death in shorts

**no one won, since everyone was too individualistic with their pumpkins to declare one winner (lame)

arts v sciences

Last year's annual kickball tournament was held against the BCM, but this year, RUF competed against each other in a battle of the Arts versus the Sciences. At UT, Arts and Sciences are in the same college, but at C of C, they are two very separate colleges. Battle lines were drawn and the game began. After the first "inning" the Sciences were up 17-0. Here are some action shots thanks to Logan Combee, our designated SLR cameraman.

shoes were lost

bases were stolen

*final score: 27-6, the arts never really had a chance.
**I played for the sciences and I am a little bit excited about winning!

fall break and a camping trip

The students have Fall break Monday and Tuesday of this week. We went camping Friday to celebrate the end of midterms.

piggyback sandwich

tomahawk throwing lessons

extensive hiking*

chopping our own firewood*

rubbing sticks together to make fire*

a final group picture/everyone doing their sign

The trip was a lot of fun and a great time of bonding for the students. A game, stuff the intern says, was created and to my dismay, it was not forgotten about on the car ride home. I guess I need to start putting my college education to good use and not ask redundant questions anymore. Yes, I know fish swim, but apparently, so do snakes.

Shout out to Kirsten Allen for planning/organizing/grocery shopping/etc to create a wonderful trip.

*authenticity exaggerated

the first two weeks

I have been in Charleston for two weeks now and I am loving it. I don't have time to type everything up but I want to share a few pictures of what I have been doing since I arrived.

My first weekend at College of Charleston was actually spent in Tuxedo, North Carolina for Fall Conference. We were there with other schools from the Carolinas and a few from Tennessee. A student and myself climbed to the top of a telephone pole with the objective to jump on the count of 3 and try to hang on to another pole a few feet infront of ourselves. As you can see my nerves got the best of me and our jump was not synchronized.

These are my first year intern friends that I roomed with while at conference. I was so grateful to have them there.

myself, Brennan, and Annie Kate at large group

Myself with Kirsten, David, Coleman (my campus minister's son), and Dylan at the farmer's market held downtown every Saturday. Note the boys creeping in the background.

We had a tie dye party!

Kirsten has been so sweet to me since I have been here. I am thankful to have her as a student.

A quick note about what is going on: The students have been so great to embrace me as their intern. They are planning a camping trip for next weekend (C of C's fall break) and they did not hesitate to invite me. I am so pumped. I have found a place to live on James Island, a 10 minute drive from downtown and campus. I don't think I will be able to move in until November 1 though. Danny and Aspa, my campus minister and his wife, are so generous and hospitable to let me stay with them. I am thankful for them both everyday.

Please be praying for my diligence to the study program. We are reading so many great books, but I am behind. For my relationships with students, that they would continue to grow and be fruitful. And for my parents back home. They are lonely without Molly or me back home and I think being a single empty nester is harder than they anticipated.

I am thankful for your prayers,
Alice

oh where will I live?

Hey Friends,

I am really wanting to do this blog thing, but I haven't updated in a while. I got to Charleston yesterday. I have two jobs this week: 1)attend large group Wednesday evening and 2) find a place to live. I already have a possible place and/or possible roommate(s). I really feel like the Lord is providing because I had neither possibility last night. I am getting ready to go look at a place right now. AHHHH! so excited!

This weekend is our Fall Conference. Hopefully, I will use my new camera and have crazy/fun/amazing stories and pictures from this week and weekend to post next week!

Holly Golightly

Whilst packing to leave my darling house forever and embark on a rich life in Charleston, I decided against the television, in favor of the computer, npr.org to be exact. Well, was I in for a surprise. I listened to Tom Ford talk about Gucci, YSL, and A Simple Man; I loved every second of it (thanks Jess)! But here is the shocker: I linked to an interview of Sam Wasson about his new book, Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. — Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's and the Dawn of the Modern Woman, and in this interview Mr. Wasson mentions Holly's career. You know I never really thought about what she did as a profession before. But now that I know, I think both more highly and lowly of Ms. Golightly. I think I will read the novella, of the same name, by Truman Capote.

On a side note, Mother came and helped me pack. I told her my idea: take my magazines to Charleston and use them as a nightstand. She called my magazines crap and told me not to move them. I am packing them in a box as I type. They will live in my trunk for two weeks and then become a great nightstand that I can take apart for reference as need be. Ingenious!


The vogue with Ms. Barrymore of the cover is an old one, but it is where I first heard of the color "alice blue." This particular New York is where I finally decided on which purple nail polish to invest in. Both rank in the all time, top five, favorite issues, ever.

On second thought, the magazines will live in the air conditioning. I don't want the colors to fade/glue to melt/ idea to fail simply because of high temperature or humidity.

how about a little name change...

This blog had a makeover today. While I have the same web address, we [I feel cooler and more professional when referring to decisions in the plural first person, crazy, I know] might have changed the actual title of this lovely blog you are reading. Here is how it went down:

Erin Edwards and myself were having an in depth conversation [to set the stage: waffle house 2:30 am] about my blogging habits [or lack thereof]. I wasn't even quite sure of the web address. In my confusion I said the blog title. She then asked if I knew what the previous name was all about. My immediate response was "yeah. um, yeah." of course, I didn't really know, but I made a quick assumption as to what it could mean. I was right. kinda. And also horrified when I found out what my title actually referenced.

I would like to apologize to those offended and commend those who thought my name was clever without thinking more into it. Rarely, am I too innocent to know when I am being played. But blogger, you sure did play me this time.

current score: blogger 2, alice 0

a beauty experiment, day one

I am an avid reader of NYMag's fashion blog, the cut: http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/. I sometimes read Glamour Magazines online blog, too. I am not quite sure how I can across this little tidbit, but after reading http://www.glamour.com/beauty/blogs/girls-in-the-beauty-department/2009/02/i-wore-monistat-on-my-face-las.html particular article, I was intrigued. So here goes: Day 1 of my female product as a makeup product. Hopefully I will give a fair and unbiased opinion in a couple of days.

***please be patient with my lack of blogging know how; for the life of me I couldn't figure out how to even make the url's an active link., much less do anything cool with them.

a horse and buggy ride was all I needed...

My last post was out of great sadness. I was so down because I felt like the people who should be the most supportive, were being the least supportive. I felt myself slipping into a depression. I wanted to get out of it, but could not figure out how. I have been talking with Mary Beth, who is going into her second year as an intern at UTK and she has been so great and encouraging. I was really struggling with thinking that I might being ignoring what God was saying to me by ignoring my parents’ doubts. She said that since they were obviously not loving me in a way that was representative of Christ’s love, that I was not just simply being stubborn by ignoring them.
I have great news though; I just got back from a trip to Charleston to meet with the campus minister, his family, some students, and possible roommates. I really feel like this trip was what I have needed to get out of my funk. Danny (the campus minister) is great and I really believe in the way he is doing ministry at a school were the administration is seemingly against any sort of Christian fellowship on campus and a group of students who a majority of would not profess to be followers. He and his wife are great. They were so hospitable to me in welcoming me into their home and the community they have built while at C of C. I cannot wait to move there and delve deep into my job as their intern.
I feel like this trip might be what I needed to take the edge off the depression I was sinking into. I know that when I get to Charleston for good, I want to get some professional counseling, but I no longer feel like I am sinking and cannot figure out how to get a life jacket on. This trip was the life jacket I have been needing. I am hopeful that moving there might get me back on the boat.