Laurin's Blog
Hometown: Oklahoma
Major: International Multicultural Studies
April 4, 2008
Hello all! The sun has been shining (except the most recent rain) and the weather is warming up. It must be spring…inhale the fresh air, and take notice that the days are longer.
Lately, I have been appreciating the season and the days passing. I think it just makes you more grateful for the nice days when you’ve gone through so many icky ones. This is true in life as well. You don’t really appreciate the ‘normal days’ until you have to pull yourself up off the floor from a bad one. But you know, usually it turns out that there’s more good to be found than bad anyway. It’s all how you perceive it.
So many wonderful things have happened since I last wrote to you guys. We had an awesome leadership conference here called Collision, and lots of people were reshaped and redirected to do new things. I also met a ton of cool people that came to speak for the conference. To do a little name dropping, here’s a few that I immensely enjoyed: Eric Mizelle and his band from LA, Corey Demmel (NE), Justin Mayo and Red Eye (LA), the whole ROOV crew from Dallas, and of course Tim Elmore. Apart from Collision, I also got my cap and gown in, and I had the best Easter break! Life is good.
If any of you guys will be at Oklahoma Fine Arts Festival tomorrow, I’ll see you there! I get to rep Evangel for the weekend, and hang out with a bunch of you cool people. SO, you should definitely stop by the booth and say hey. Sound good? I always look forward to meeting new faces, especially those of you who think that you want to pursue a Christian education in liberal arts. I promise to try my hardest to answer all your questions, so don’t be shy. Everyone else around the US and the world – you guys take care, and hopefully it won’t be too far down the road til I run into you.
For the Spanish speakers….
CUIDATE, DIOS TE BENDIGA, Y CIAO!
Bienaventurados los pobres en Espíritu, porque de ellos es el reino de los cielos. Bienaventurados los que lloran, porque ellos Serán consolados.
Bienaventurados los mansos, porque ellos Recibirán la tierra por heredad. Bienaventurados los que tienen hambre y sed de justicia, porque ellos Serán saciados.
Bienaventurados los misericordiosos, porque ellos Recibirán misericordia.
Bienaventurados los de limpio Corazón, porque ellos Verán a Dios.
Bienaventurados los que hacen la paz, porque ellos Serán llamados hijos de Dios.
Bienaventurados los que son perseguidos por causa de la justicia, porque de ellos es el reino de los cielos.
Bienaventurados sois cuando os vituperan y os persiguen, y dicen toda clase de mal contra vosotros por mi causa, mintiendo.
(Mateo 5:3-11)
March 20, 2008
Hey guys! I’m back from Spring Break, and realizing that there are less than two months to go ‘til graduation. It just doesn’t seem possible, but it definitely is right at the front of my mind. I now know what all the seniors before me were talking about when they told me to enjoy college in the early years because it will fly past you in your senior year…where has it gone? I’m sure all of you seniors in high school are thinking the same thing about the past four years, and it’s scary. I feel the need to pass on my wisdom about college to you, so that you might get an inside tip from someone who’s been there, so take advantage of this. It’s not every day that people get my two cents (ha!).
First of all, let’s talk about individuality. I remember freshman year (and watching everyone else go through their freshman year) and thinking, “I’m going to have my own style, my own quirks, my own new image at school and show everyone what I am. I’m gonna be the coolest thing to come out of (insert your state/town here).” Honestly, everyone ends up being the same trying to be so different and unique. The same people gravitate toward the same groups they did in high school. Sure, you may make some big changes about yourself, and they stick, but mostly it is the same. So embrace it – whatever IT is, and just focus on being friends with everyone regardless of who they are.
Second, let’s discuss your major. Listen: you are allowed to come to school not having the slightest idea. You are also allowed to pretend you have it all figured out and tell everyone and their mom what you want to be, but then change it after freshman year…and sophomore year. I mean, face it. No one is going to mature so drastically during the summer between high school and college that they suddenly have all the answers. Don’t sweat it.
Next, I feel the need to discuss the relationship issue. If you find someone on campus to date who you think you can’t live without the first week, perfect. If you are still going on group dates the second semester of school, it’s fine! There is nothing wrong with you! I mean, come on, we already talked about how you’re spending tons of time being an individual and picking a major, not to mention getting along with your new roomie and attending classes; don’t kill yourself over trying to find Mr./Ms. Right. Why would you want to single yourself off with someone right away when there’s tons of cool new people to meet? I’m telling you, keep it simple and you’ll have a blast.
Finally, remember that you will always make mistakes and wrong choices, because you are human. Maturity will come when you can learn to be real with people and take responsibility for your actions, without blaming anyone else. Not to scare you, but you really are considered to be an ‘adult’ when you get to college, and so you’re going to have to be more punctual, think harder, and stand taller. It sounds like cake, but take it from someone who has been there; sometimes you just fail. But I promise you, sincerely promise you, that it isn’t impossible. And if it were, then how cool would it be if you were the one who mastered the impossible? You never know.
February 2008
Don’t come so soon
Yes, that’s right.
Due dates, don’t come so soon. Bills, don’t come so soon. The end of good things, don’t come so soon. Stress, new phases, jobs, real life, scary world DON’T COME SO SOON!
We are American, therefore, we rush. I need more sleep, my roommate needs more sleep, and the list of things to do is endless! I included a picture of us taking a nap, and our daily check-off of our lives for your enjoyment. But I’m tired of rushing now, and I’m tired of being tired. So where do I cut things off? Where do I say no? I love what I’m doing, and all the great things I’m involved in (Collision, Fashion Fever, Invisible Children, worship team, etc), so I guess I just have to suck it up and race to the fabulous finish. I will follow by dedicating the rest of this blog to sleep (and all of us who lack several hours of it) and taking time for yourself.
Here you go folks: tips, facts, and nonsense you didn’t need to know about slowing your life and smelling the roses.
- The record for the longest period without sleep is 18 days, 21 hours, 40 minutes during a rocking chair marathon. The record holder reported hallucinations, paranoia, blurred vision, slurred speech and memory and concentration lapses.
- Dreams may not serve any purpose at all but be merely a meaningless byproduct of two evolutionary adaptations - sleep and consciousness.
- Experts say one of the most alluring sleep distractions is the 24-hour accessibility of the internet.
- Incorporating bedtime rituals will help you sleep better. Listening to soft music, sipping a cup of herbal tea, etc., cues your body that it's time to slow down and begin to prepare for sleep.
- Do it now: Do your most difficult or most hated task at the beginning of the day when you’re fresh and avoid the stress of dreading it all day.
Procrastination breeds stress. - Seventeen hours of sustained wakefulness leads to a decrease in performance equivalent to a blood alcohol-level of 0.05%.
- Humans sleep on average around three hours less than other primates like chimps, rhesus monkeys, squirrel monkeys and baboons, all of whom sleep for 10 hours.
- Most of what we know about sleep we've learned in the past 25 years.
- The continuous brain recordings that led to the discovery of REM (rapid eye-movement) sleep were not done until 1953, partly because the scientists involved were concerned about wasting paper.
- A new baby typically results in 400-750 hours lost sleep for parents in the first year.
January 2008
Hey, hey! We’re back…or rather, I’m back. Since my last blog was insanely long, I’ll keep this one short and sweet; or at least I’ll try. Okay. Here goes.
I have to admit that even though college is FUN, I was reluctant to come back this semester. I have awesome friends back home and we hung out a whole lot (which you can see from my picture). I also started to realize that things were changing, and one of my closest friends at EU (picture below) graduated in December, so she wasn’t coming back. I think that it has something to do with realizing this is my last semester, and I just didn’t want it to come. So I stayed home until the last possible minute – literally. I drove back back just in time for my first class!
Anyway, I hope you all are starting out the semester strong. For you, the end of this semester brings the beginning of your college journey. For me, it’s the end, but both places in life are wonderful. Have fun with it, and know that you are making an awesome choice when you pick Evangel. It’s been some of the best years of my life, honestly. Keep your head in the books, and your heart where it belongs. That’s all I got…….
December 2007
LIFE LESSONS
Hey guys - good to be back! It’s been really crazy since we last spoke, but I am alive and well. I’ve talked to a lot of you over the past several weeks, and what I always hear is, “I’ve just been so busy I can’t get everything done…I’ll get to it.” I know the feeling!
Let me recap my life for you, and maybe offer some encouragement for the road to come. I promise that even though the life of a college student is about 3 times more stressful than high school, it’s the ride of your life. Where to start…
Life lesson #1: Youdon’t have to be a sports fanatic to enjoy homecoming.
SO much fun, and since my brother is an alumnus of EU (he’s 23) he came for the festivities. I love to support the guys, and there were lots of floors representing themselves with t-shirts and contests all week long; in a nutshell, it was pretty awesome. Life lesson #2: Right side, strong side.
Also, around the same time, I tore my rotator cuff in my left shoulder. Yes, I know: brilliant. I was playing tennis and it was a good time, until I had to make a trip to the doctor. I’ve recovered, though. Don’t worry J
Life Lesson #3: College is fun, but family will always be first.
Then came fall break, which was really nice. I actually went home, because when you’re a senior you start to realize that you won’t see your family all that much anymore after graduation. It was a great time, and luckily my friends from back home had the same fall break, so I got to hang out with them. But let me tell you about some of my favorite things:
Life lesson #4: Love knows no age difference, and German women have ulterior motives!
I love, love, love meeting people from all over the world and just hearing their language and customs, which is probably why I’m majoring in International/Multicultural Studies here at Evangel. I’m constantly seeking anything out of the norm, and I usually find something. Well, the director and the people of my awesome major all went out to a German restaurant here and in town and we shared our world-wide adventures with each other, spoke in a few different languages, and met an old German woman who taught us that love has no age (haha!). She tried to set me up with her 40-year-old son who served as main chef!
Also among my cultural experiences, My friends and I went to a Diwali celebration, which is the Indian ( India, Indian) festival of lights. One of the girls who went with us is actually from Delhi, so she enlightened us somewhat of the happenings, and my uncle Lloyd was born and raised in India so I felt like I was surrounded by family. There was lots of dancing and music and great food, and we even met a new friend who Dee-jay’d the event. They were definitely memories for a lifetime. So, step out on a limb and do something different…you never know where the road may lead.
me and my friends at the Diwali Festival
October 2007
Hey there, everyone! This is where I’m supposed to write about myself and school. That will be easy. The hard part is to accurately express how much I’ve developed as a person and how much I’ve learned through this process. I don’t really have the typical college story, because I like to do things my own way J. I graduated high school early and was sure in my mind (at the time) that a Christian university was not for me. However, the story ends quite differently. After being at Eastern Oklahoma State for a year and a half, I knew that I was missing out and not reaching my full potential. Even though I made lifetime friends there, I was not completely satisfied with where I was. My brother was in his senior year at Evangel, and he and my parents encouraged me to visit and see what happened; it’s obvious where I ended up.
I’m now in my senior year, and that’s pretty awesome! Deciding what to major in was easy…don’t stress about it. I’ve found that you can be good at quite a few things, you just have to go with your gut (and pray about it, of course). I settled on International/Multicultural Studies for my major, and I’m minoring in Public Relations and Advertising. Both are really cool. I like that I get an excellent education from highly qualified, God-fearing professors. Also, besides the education part, it’s fun being here. I have been blessed with amazing friends! So far this semester we’ve been hanging out around Springfield hitting up cool venues, and my most favorite thing was road-tripping to KC for a Yankees game!!! I saw A-rod hit his 52nd home run. Be jealous. I know there’s a lot more to come, so I’ll keep you guys updated. Until then stay focused, love Jesus, and don’t take life too seriously.