Cleaning house.

Cleaning is, oddly enough, a very relaxing thing to do. Or, at least it was today.
My room was, like every other normal teenager's room, a complete mess. I hadn't really had any spare time to clean it because my oh-so-wonderful professors decided that we just needed more work to do. But, since today was Memorial Day and I had nothing going on (and I was trying to avoid my dad, like I do every time he's home), I decided to clean it.

But it was so much more than just cleaning up my room. I've had quite a few nasty habits sneak back into my life, and they were starting to take over (much like the piles of old assignments in my room). I knew they were there, but I kept making excuses for them. They aren't REALLY hurting anyone. Nobody has to know. I'm just too busy to take care of that right now. But you know what? They WERE starting to affect the people around me. People DID start figuring things out. And I'm SURE I had enough time to deal with those little buggers.

So, today I cleaned house.
I now actually have room to actually work out in my room.
My laptop is actually at my desk instead of sitting on a TV tray by my couch.
And I'm almost starting over.
Almost.
I can't erase things that have happened. I wouldn't want to even if I could. They've contributed to who I am.
So I'm not starting over, but I'm now as close to starting over as is possible.

Cleaning is a real eye-opening experience. You might want to take the time to finally organize your closet, or clean off the kitchen table, or... well, you get the hint.

Kelsey

Oh, and you are now a witness to my lovely insomnia. I'm posting a blog at four in the morning, and now I'm going to work out (since I now have room to work out in my bedroom). Hope you all are sleeping better than I am!

College. *Sigh*

I'm really not sure what I'm going to say in this blog. I could talk about the negative impacts of globalization on the general public. I could talk about music. I could even spend the whole blog talking about myself and ranting about my day. Who knows? I sure don't!

But here's the warning for this blog:
I spent seven hours today doing a sociology exam. I ended up having to make up a lot of it because my professor gave us impossible things to do for the questions, like research the production process of an article of clothing we own. The information is not easy to find, if it's even available. So I made it up. I'm hoping God will understand this necessary fabrication of the truth.
Then, after that wonderful seven hours (yeah, right), I spent another four hours and forty minutes doing not one, but TWO assignments for my physical geography class. I'm slightly dead after doing this work, so ignore any nonsensical things I say.


Why is college so darn expensive? I don't understand. Going to CBC through Running Start costs me about $130 in lab fees and usually somewhere between $250 and $500 for books. This summer, I'm taking two classes: English and speech. My English class is online, and my speech class is a fast-track class. Tuition is going to be well over $600, and books are going to be probably around $300. I have to pay for Fall quarter at the same time, so tack on a few hundred dollars. I'm really not sure how I'm going to pay for all of this... Especially since I don't have a job, I pay for everything (car, gas, school, whatever...), and I support Jessica. But, whatever, I'll figure it out.

The thing I AM worried about, however, is how I'm going to pay to go to a 4-year college. I really want to go to VISIBLE. That is the absolute perfect school for me. But it's $17,000 a year, and it's in Tennessee. But, you don't have to buy any books, and they actually help you get into a career in the music industry. My parents already told me that I probably won't be able to go to college (other than through Running Start, of course). But at the same time, they told me I HAD to go to college, even though my intended career path doesn't require me to have a degree.
How does that work?
I have to go to college, but I won't be able to go to college.
...
Okay.
And yet my sister is basically going to college three times.
She just graduated from CBC with her AA. She was going to be an ESL teacher, so she graduated with her AA in Education. But she decided to switch her major to Business, so she has to go back for another two years so she can transfer her credits to either WSUTC or Heritage (I can't keep track of where she's going!), where she'll go for two to four years.

And then there's me.
The music major.
The one who always gets the short end of the stick.
The different one in the family.
Can I go to college?
Noooo. Not unless I push myself to the limits to get enough scholarships. But, if I push myself any harder, I will have another stress-related injury. It's bad enough doing seven-hour long exams and huge assignments. But trying to write a thoughtful essay for a scholarship on top of all that?
I do think I'd explode. Hmm. But if I explode, I won't have to worry about college...
Now there's an idea!

Anyway, I am accepting donations to the Kelsey Needs College Money fund. Just ask to learn the full details of how you can donate. I do accept cash and personal checks. I would accept all major credit and debit cards, but I don't have one of those cool swipey-machines. Sorry.

And sorry that this turned into a ranting college student blog. I'll try harder next time. =]

Kelsey

(I'm in a very Harry Potter mood. Don't ask.)

Thoughts.

Earlier today, I went yardsaling with my mom and sister, just like I do every weekend. For anyone who takes part in the greatness of yardsales, I'm sure you're very aware of the typical yardsale:

Tables filled with stuff, people crowded around them, bad parking jobs, screaming kids, people trying to steal something that would have only cost 25 cents anyway...

I'm not sure why, but I realized today just how greedy we are. Sure, I know that people are greedy. But it really hit me today.

I read the most recent letter from the little girl I sponsor in Ghana [her name is Jessica Offeiwaa (Ekua), and she's 10 years old. Please pray for her and her family!] She was so excited to tell me about her Christmas! The first paragraph was spent with her telling me how glorious God was and how much she loved him. Then she moved on to tell me about what she got for Christmas. I could visualize her bouncing up and down while her social worker wrote the letter. You want to know what made her so happy?

She got a dress for Christmas.
She had outgrown her nice dress, and she was very upset going to church because she wanted to be respectful and dress nicely for God.
This new dress meant so much to her.
She sent me a picture of her mom and dad standing with her, wearing her brand new dress, of course.

She can't write, or at least not in English, so her social worker writes for her. So, on the back of every letter, she draws me a picture. I've gotten a pineapple and a house so far. =]
But you want to know what she drew on the back of this letter?
She drew a Christmas tree with a present under it, her in her dress kneeling down in prayer, and a cross with a heart beside it.
This little girl loves this dress, not because of how she looks, but because it's respectful to wear in God's house. Her parents are thrilled that Jessica could receive this dress, thanks to the help of everyone who sponsors a child through Compassion because they couldn't afford to get her anything like it.

Why is it that one little girl can be on top of the world for getting a single dress for Christmas, and yet we can complain about how much we want that new TV, or how we just NEED new shoes. Do we need those things? Are they in some way sustaining our ability to live? Will they truly make us completely happy?

Just a few things to think about. Oh, and I really encourage you to check out Compassion's website. There are many children from all over the world who need your help. It's $32 a month, and it'll give them whatever food, water, clothing, education, and health care they need. Trust me, if I can do it as a poor high school/college student without a job, you can do it. If God places it on your heart to sponsor one of these children, I encourage you to do it. Trust me, I ignored Him at first, and look how that turned out ^_^

Kelsey

Formalities.

Well, I've decided to start anew.
I've abandoned my former blog because... I don't know, I guess it's just something that should be in the past. Sure, I could have just deleted all my posts and continued on with life, but I think I should keep it around to remind me of how far I've come.

Anyway, here's my NEW blog. I really don't know what sort of subjects will be written into it. I guess we'll find out, now won't we?

However, I am going to try to take the focus off of myself in this blog. I may have to slip from time to time and have a rant about something totally ridiculous that happened, but I promise to not enjoy it ^_^

Now for a little "me" time:
-My name is Kelsey.
-I'm 17 years old.
-I'm a junior in high school and a freshman in college. (And only a few weeks away from being a senior and a sophmore. Now that's a scary thought...)
-I love music. I'm going into music ministry with a focus on vocals. =]
-I'm really hoping to go on a missions trip to Ghana, and soon!
-I play the flute and guitar, I'm re-teaching myself the piano, and I sing, if you couldn't tell by my career goals.
-I'm trying to be completely open and honest. It's definitely trying, but I've gotten a lot better.
-I can speak some Spanish, some ASL, a little bit of Russian, German, Pharsee, and I'm learning French. I know, overachiever =]
-I'm obsessed with bowflexing!
-...And zumba (zumba is a type of aerobic dancing that incorporates many latin style of dances, including salsa, merengue, kumbia, hip hop, bellydancing, and reggae.)

Okay, enough about myself. I've got physical geography and sociology work to be doing!

Kelsey