Donjon Balderdash

A night of spring break road-trip planning had ended. Keys were gathered, cell-phones collected, and shoes tied. Four of the spring-breakers - Andrew, John Elliott, Shama, and Timothy - all gave their respects to the host, Kelsey, and went on their way.

A few slower, rather lazy, souls dragged behind. Why was everyone hurrying back to the dorm anyway? Only homework awaited there. Why the need to be hasty? And so the five remaining spring-breakers - Jonathan, Linnea, Kelsey, Barry, and Christy remained sprawled in their post-smoothie states. Eventually, it was decided to venture into the realms of Balderdash. After discussing the games merit (or the proposed lack thereof), they settled down in earnest to drink good tea, pick the most obscure words, and write the most convincing definitions.

As the evening ended (this time for real) a proposition was made: each should take their word and create a blog.

...and so I did.

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Donjon
Actual definition - the inner tower of a castle (haha, get it? Donjon = DUNGEON!! I thought it quite ingenius myself - the dictionary was the one who pointed it out!)
Barry - a pejorative term for an inexperienced sailor
Jonathan - the tassel or streamer on a Choktaw indian's ceremonial headdress
Linnea - a sickle shaped device used for farming in Central and South America
Christy - the slang term for full body long-underwear
Kelsey - ??? (Kelsey, yours is missing? Do you remember what it was?)

There once was a donjon who thought he was smart
He pretended to know all about sailing and art
But then one day, while off on a lark
He tumbled overboard and was taken by a shark!

The shark, you see, was really quite the chap
For there in his lap
Lay a distracting feather cap
(A donjon to be sure) My what a trap!

The sailor, of course,
almost went hoarse
calling from the shark's donjon with such remorse
"Let me out! This place smells even worse!"

Donjon's kept him warm
all throughout the storm
But my, did he squirm
Until the shark he did spurn

His trusty donjon in hand
(He was finally going to act like a man!)
That shark he sure outswam
And headed in haste for dry land

Kipling's Kimball

What I thought it would be fun to write: " Kipling weaves the whisper of a web of women where each waft of Western wind ‘wakens the woven wisps of the East to wobble."

What I wrote: "Kipling weaves the tale of a web of humanity where each breath of Western wind causes the intertwining strands of the East to tremble."

Results = Relief

Thanks for your prayers :)

Post-NCLEX Stats

Number of Questions: 75
Time I entered testing room: 0748
Time I left testing room: 0907
Estimated actual testing time (excluding instructions & post-test questionnaire): 1 hour

Thought as I started: "Wow, my heart rate is really high. *Checks carotid artery* Yep, pretty high. I could stimulate my vagus nerve to lower it... Or I could attempt carotid massage but only Dr's are supposed to do that. I definitely shouldn't be given Adenosine because there is no crash cart nearby. Hmm... I probably should answer this question..."
Thought as I ended: "Already? You didn't even give me a chance to pass! Argh! Just one more question, please! I'll do better, I promise!"

Well, I'd better get started on all the homework, papers, and projects I've been using NCLEX as an excuse to avoid. Test results should be in Wednesday!

NCLEX

It's an interesting feeling to be 11 hours, 12 minutes, and 20 seconds away from what you've spent two years of your life preparing for.

Some people scream, some people cry, some people withdraw. Me? I would almost say that my emotions are bordering the edges of outright flippancy. NCLEX? Psssshh. Bring it on.

In reality, there seems to be a vast pool of calm that is settling in. Whether I pass or fail doesn't seem to matter much at this point.

So what am I doing? Well, I'm going to bed, getting up at 0400 as usual, exercising with Allana and Allie at 0500, showering at 0550, eating breakfast at 0630, driving to my test at 0700, and sitting down at 0800 to answer my first NCLEX question.

I'll let you know if or when I start to freak out. ;)

Your prayers are appreciated.

If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?

This question was posed to us during our Transitions in Nursing class this afternoon. It doesn't sound like a typical nursing question, does it? We were discussing teaching methods and right brain learners versus left brain learners. I had been doing NCLEX questions but I perked up when I heard this question. This discussion could be intriguing!

Many people chose animals like a dog, a cat, a bird, or a lion. A few picked giraffes, which was pretty interesting. They said they liked the idea of being taller than other animals. Apparently, why you pick a certain animal is very revealing.

Here's what I picked and why:

Free
Fierce

Boundless
Independent
Graceful strength
Wild and untamed


And yet a wolf has the ability to be completely tender and devoted

What animal would you be and why?

Sabbath Sunlight

Morning light is an amazing thing, especially in the forest. As the sun makes its glorious way up the horizon, you never know just where the sunlight will hit. Each turn of the heel reveals one more leaf or twig brightly lit amidst the shadows. Sabbath morning was an incredible display of God's majesty. In fact, all of Sabbath was. Here are a few glimpses of what I had the privilege to discover.



Afternoon sunlight is a bit more revealing. It's brilliance exposes even the darkest corner. Sabbath afternoon brought the incredible beauty of open water and sunlight. My camera stayed on dry land for most of it but you don't need a photo to imagine a wide scathe of brilliant blue overhead with unobstructed sunlight pouring forth, wind revealing it's strength, and water splashing up in diamond droplets. Combine all that with the sound of fabric whipping in the breeze and a friend's laughter and you have a timeless afternoon of sailing.

Evening sunlight is more a feeling than anything else. It is hard to capture the tranquil emotion that is felt deep in the soul as the sun reluctantly slides past the mountains and bids the Sabbath hours goodbye. Contentment settles in and a smile plays on your lips. A day spent with Jesus...

(Reflection off of van window)

Happy Sabbath

Consider the ants...

It's 0645 and little ants make their way across my dimly lit wall...

We've had ants ever since the beginning of school but never in such an excess to prompt us to do something about them. Amanda, who last year was a student missionary to Thailand, is quite used to ants on and IN everything. She said that at first she would pick the ants out of her food but eventually, she just stopped worrying about it. So early on, I determined that I'd better get used to the ants too. Who knows, maybe someday I will be a missionary in an area where ants outnumber air molecules 3 to 1... you never know! My room here at Southern would be my training ground!

Sometimes, if I have the time or feel in the mood, I'll go on ant squishing rampages and any moving 6-legged creature that is in my path will die to regret it. But then there are other days, like today, where I will sit back and just watch their tiny feet take them hastily across my wall, to places unknown and food unseen.

Wait, food unseen? Hmm... What exactly IS their food source, anyway? I can understand why a lot of them hang out by the sink, but why are they all the way over here by my desk? The Bible refers to the diligence of ants, so I'm sure they are not just out for the scenery... my desk is not THAT spectacular. Maybe they make a stop at the picture of my parents that sits next to my computer; they sure ARE a good lookin' couple. Or maybe its the picture next to my parents, the one of my SINGLE brother. But surely they understand that he's not really their type. And so, my tired, flu-infested brain finally makes the conclusion that they must be headed somewhere, with some purpose in mind. Knowing ants like I feel I do, they must be after food.

So a search ensues. What food do I have way over here that interests them so much. Is it this grapfruit sitting amidst the tangle of my computer cord? No, it's skin acts as an excellent protector against preying ants. Could it be this bag of dried refried beans that sits in my bottom drawer that I stole from my brother's stash after he left for Ethiopia but have never once touched? Now that's a possibility. I don't see any ants around it but they could be disguised amidst the brown flakes. I reluctantly take the half-full bag over to the trash. It's probably time that it says its last goodbyes. (I'm sorry Joel, I should have used it!)

All this searching has prompted my brain to make some rather interesting conclusions.
1. The ants are here with a purpose: they are looking for an energy source. And the fact that they have been my early-morning friends for the whole school year indicates that they stopped looking a long time ago and are now collecting from this energy source. Humans are also looking for both physical and mental fulfillment. They will continue searching until they find something that they think meets their needs
2. By following the ants path, where they trod and where they don't, I can locate the source of their energy. If time were not wittling away as I type, I might follow one to the end of it's travels. Who knows, maybe it would run frantically in circles searching for the now-absent bag of refried beans. By observing others, it doesn't take long to discover where their energy is derrived from. Where do they go back to the most? What do they think about, talk about, and live for?
3. Unfortunately for the ants, their energy source isn't permanent. I have removed the bag and now they must search elsewhere for their food. Unfortunately for many humans, their energy source isn't permanent either. Satan has set out alluring refried bean bags to distract them from the everlasting energy source: God.

Now, I know that these are conclusions we have all heard in some form or another. But it doesn't hurt to be reminded now and again of the truths that lie therein. Where is your energy source? Is it that bag of refried beans that will eventually disappear? Can others tell by watching your path that you are drinking at The Everlasting Waterfall and not Satan's stagnant, scum-topped pond?

"Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise" -Proverbs 6:6

It is 0720 and my little friends make their way across my dimly lit wall...

Thanks, Mom :)

Patriarchs and Prophets, Ch. 22: MOSES

"God had heard the mother's prayers; her faith had been rewarded. It was with deep gratitude that she entered upon her now safe and happy task. She faithfully improved her opportunity to educate her child for God. She felt confident that he had been preserved for some great work, and she knew that he must soon be given up to his royal mother, to be surrounded with influences that would tend to lead him away from God. All this rendered her more diligent and careful in his instruction than in that of her other children. She endeavored to imbue his mind with the fear of God and the love of truth and justice, and earnestly prayed that he might be preserved from every corrupting influence. She showed him the folly and sin of idolatry, and early taught him to bow down and pray to the living God, who alone could hear him and help him in every emergency.

She kept the boy as long as she could, but was obliged to give him up when he was about twelve years old. From his humble cabin home he was taken to the royal palace, to the daughter of Pharaoh, "and he became her son." Yet even here he did not lose the impressions received in childhood. The lessons learned at his mother's side could not be forgotten. They were a shield from the pride, the infidelity, and the vice that flourished amid the splendor of the court.

How far-reaching in its results was the influence of that one Hebrew woman, and she an exile and a slave! The whole future life of Moses, the great mission which he fulfilled as the leader of Israel, testifies to the importance of the work of the Christian mother. There is no other work that can equal this. To a very great extent the mother holds in her own hands the destiny of her children. She is dealing with developing minds and characters, working not alone for time, but for eternity. She is sowing seed that will spring up and bear fruit, either for good or for evil. She has not to paint a form of beauty upon canvas or to chisel it from marble, but to impress upon a human soul the image of the divine. Especially during their early years the responsibility rests upon her of forming the character of her children. The impressions now made upon their developing minds will remain with them all through life. Parents should direct the instruction and training of their children while very young, to the end that they may be Christians. They are placed in our care to be trained, not as heirs to the throne of an earthly empire, but as kings unto God, to reign through unending ages."

A post with an inordinate amount of pictures... I make no apologies!

Expressions:




Music with Scott:


Sepia Feet:



Timmy Morgan G:
Rock Climbers:


Kelsey and her compadre, Linnea:


Nature: