'08 invades nyc

yesterday the senior class of 08 (0 to the 8 what? '08) took a trip to NYC. for once in our high school careers we didn't have a set plan. beth anne, her mom, her brother kyle, oyin, rudi, her mom, michelle, sery, kharissa, vanessa, and i went together.

first, we hit up china town. we did some shopping(i got a gucci purse) for a few hours and then went to havana central, the BEST restaurant in new york! our cute waiter, juan, had us all giggling and smiling. we were able to sit up in the balcony and next to us was a couple on a date. well, sadly, oyin noticed the man's barn door open (if you get my drift). she pointed this out to all of us and i was trying to suppress my laughter but with michelle snickering next to me, i lost it!beth anne told us later that the guy was looking at us, trying to figure out why we were laughing. poor guy. next time, though, check yourself before walking out of your house. besides that, the food was excellent. i ordered the grilled chicken salad with manchego (is that the word) cheese, avacado, tomato, and lemon slices. yum yum yum!

oyin, vanessa, britney, michelle, and me with our awesome waiter, juan

after havana, we walked in the rain to saint patrick's cathedral. I've passed by the cathedral (once in the limo, the second time when we went to see beauty and the beast) but have never been inside. boy, what a church! as soon as you walk in, incense wraps around your nose. there's all kinds of statues and carvings and the stained-glass windows are BEAUTIFUL! if you haven't been, you definitely have to.

the disney store was our next destination. there, we took pictures with wendy and captain hook! we also took 'imaginary' pictures. basically, the photographer poses you in front of a pillar. they take pictures then give you a card so you can see the pictures on the internet. the pictures then have different scenery. we also ransacked the stuffed animal section and took lots of pictures with tigger, pooh, piglet, timon & pumba, etc. sadly, we only had 45 minutes in there before we had to go to the train station. beth anne and her mom, oyin, kyle, and i stayed until about 9. on our way to the disney store, we caught a glimpse of toys r us. it's HUGE!! theres a ferris wheel inside the store. INSIDE! so, after we dropped everyone else off, we took the subway (once again) and spent our time in toys r us.

they have a t-rex from jurassic park that actually moves and stares you down until you actually think it's going to come alive and eat you. every 10 minutes or so thumping can be heard then all of a sudden two great bellows comes from the beast. it's very spooky if you ask me. there's also a lego section. jack sparrow, wolverine, and king kong (who moves his head!) on top the the empire state building are all made out of legos. someone had a lot of time on their hands. haha. of course, we had to ride the ferris wheel. $4 to ride 6 times. not bad for nyc. after the 2nd time we wanted to get off but every time it went passed the boarding area, we all groaned. the train ride home was...interesting. it was around 9:10 so we were all tired but we had funny stories to tell. "it's a federal offense!" "his butt didn't fit on the slide!" kyle, oyin, beth anne, and i were so obnoxious, the other people were probably plotting how they could "accidentally" throw us off the train. hahaa

i'm still recovering from our excursion..kinda out of it. but, all in all, an excellent day spent with friends ♥

yes, yes...

...i have returned from the south. we actually got in yesterday around 7pm but i was too tired to blog. So, for all of you who read this, get comfortable on your couch with your laptop or in your computer chair with your desktop as i regale our southern excursion.

we left home around 2pm thursday the 18th. by 10am i was already fidgeting to get on the road so you can probably imagine how excited i was when we finally turned out of our driveway. we drove until we hit VA. there, we stayed at a hampton inn. the room would have been fairly large if it had to house 2 or 3 people. however, with 5, it proved to be somewhat of a challenge. of course i took the pull-out couch, and my brothers shared the one queen bed, while my parents, naturally, shared the other. the next day, we headed to nashville, our first college stop. my mom made a reservation for Embassy Suites. the perk with that was they provided a shuttle from the hotel to Belmont University. my heart soared as my eyes rested on the nashville skyline. in all my years of going to tennessee, i have never visited nashville, so i was very excited to see the city. it's such a contrast between nyc. it's clean, crime rate is LOW, and it's growing day by day. now, dont get me wrong i love me some nyc but nashville is just...different.

anyway...we arrived at Embassy Suites around 3pm. this place was HUGE! 11 stories, 2 fountains, plush couches, comfortable chairs, breakfast bar where the cook will make you anything you want, and a steakhouse restaurant. the lobby and conversation place was gorgeous!! the elevators were the clear kind, the ones where it feels like you're on a rollercoaster because you can see down. amazing fun! however, our room was a bit small. 2 full-sized beds with a pull out couch. i took one of the full-sized and my parents shared the other. that night, however, i tossed and turned. the reason? my dad, only about 4 feet away, was snoring up a storm! so, i retreated to where the boys were sleeping and made a bed out of the plush chair.

The next day was the preview day for Belmont. i was very excited and could not wait to see the campus. basically, we toured the dorms, campus, had a Q&A, then went to our desired classes. i went to the communication's department. there, i was able to speak with the broadcasting teacher and see the equipment for the radio and tv stations. i peeked inside the tv station. the desk was oak, behind it was a green sheet, 2 huge cameras faced the desk; everything looked so professional.

i said, "dad, i want to be behind that desk." i really do...

after the official preview day was over, i stopped in the bookstore to buy a coffee mug and belmont sweatshirt, which is VERY comfortable by the way =). we then went in search for the admission's counselors. there, i met a guy (of course hahaa. it seems like everywhere i go, there's a cute guy. just my luck, huh? haha). His name was Chris and he was so adorable! chin length, razor cut, blonde hair, tall, blue eyes.

"Hey, i'm chris." he held his left hand out.

i fumbled with my papers, trying to get my right hand empty. "hi, i'm amanda."

wow, what a GRIP! so masculine. all the guys out there: you can be the hottest hunk in the world, but if you don't have a nice, rough handshake, i'm sorry, you're out!

surprisingly, my mom allowed him to walk with me to the admission's without her. i still think she was trying to see how he would act. sadly, the admission's office was closed, due to construction.

"no worries. you can just mail it in, no worries." he was so...californian. even though, i know, he wasn't from california. he was from...ohio or somewhere.

he asked me what my intended major was.

"Journalism," i answered with a smile.

"Oh, really? I'm kind of doing that. i'm minoring in photojournalism. hey, maybe we'll end up working together."

i laughed, "yea, maybe. that'd be cool."

by the time i said that, we had made our way to my parents, my dad eyeing the poor boy like he was a young antelope and my dad was a hungry lion. oh well! he spoke to my parents about...something then said bye.

we went back to the hotel and on opening the hotel room door, i immediately curled up in my cushioned chair bed and fell asleep for a good 30 minutes. Afterwards, we went to the steakhouse restaurant for some well-deserved grub. i had the chicken salad with honey mustard. AHH, it was to DIE for. the dessert was a brownie with vanilla icecream and whipped cream on top, the plate adorned with carmel and chocolate syrup. YUMSTERS!

the second day was spent touring the city of nashville in a horse and carriage. some pictures were taken but we mostly just sat and enjoyed the lively atmosphere. we returned to our room, exhausted but happy we spent our evening in the heart of the city. though we didn't get to see Music Row...hmm...oh well! the next day we would be on our way to wilmore, kentucky.

wilmore, ky--it's kind of funny driving from a big city to rolling hills of horse paddocks and estates! yep, that's the kind of area Asbury College is located in. the landscape was amazing, especially since the leaves were changing from green to bursts of red, orange and yellow. we arrived at Asbury College and immediately i sensed peace. a tranquil setting for a small college, very quaint. i toured the campus, went to chapel, and then met with my admission's councelor, josiah. he was so hilarious; he had my parents cracking up! a good hour was spent discussing my major, financial aid, scholarships, all that good stuff. finally, we were served lunch in the cafeteria. it was pretty good, then again, it is the south so everything HAS to taste excellent. we were on our way to lynchburg, virginia at around 4pm.

7pm we arrived in the town next to lynchburg (the name escapes me). my dad pulled into a gas station so my mom could ask directions. an elderly man walked up to the van. turns out, he is part of the choir for thomas road church, which is the church right next to liberty university! he gave my parents directions and we set off. in order to get to lynchburg you have to drive up a mountain, a mountain filled with S-turns. at night, my dad doesn't like to drive with people behind him; his eyes get all screwy. so, he pulled over to allow the vehicle pass. guess who it was? yup, the elderly man! my parents were certain he was taking us to our hotel-the wingate inn (which overlooks liberty). sure enough, he turned into the driveway of the inn. talk about a divine intervention! God is so good!! my dad paid the man but he didn't want money so he decided to put the money in the collection plate at church. (he was so cute! haha).

"well," he said, "i'll tell you one thing. God works in mysterious ways. Turns out i had a meeting at this hotel but i was a little late so i was going to go home. then you folks showed up and i guess God wanted me to go to the meeting!"

we checked into our room and it was larger than the one we stayed in the embassy for about $50 less! talk about a rip-off in nashville!! that night, i had one of the best sleeps i've ever gotten while on the road.

i had a 1:00pm appointment at Liberty University the next day. we chilled in the hotel until our appointment. my dad decided it would be time well spent if we drove around the campus, try to get a feel for the college and such. i'll be honest as soon as we drove up, my heart immediately sank. the architecture was unappealing and i really couldn't see myself attending such a large christian university. however, i wanted to keep the appointment, much to the disagreement of my parents and brothers.

we arrived at the visitor's center and a few minutes later, were ushered into a viewing room, where the liberty promo played. about 30 minutes later a tall guy walks in. he asks all of us (my family, a girl and her mom, and an elderly couple) where we all were from. he introduced himself as travis, a business major, from houston, texas.

I noticed he was tall, blue/grey eyed, blonde haired, and had well-defined arms. i wanted him to take a notice to me but kind of doubted it. that is, until we walked from the computer lab.

"so what major are you interested in?"

"Journalism." i answered as my stomach did flip flops. im sorry but my mind asked, is he really talking to me!?!?!

"Oh, i have a friend in journalism. he likes it. what other colleges are you looking into?"

"Umm..Belmont in nashville and Asbury in ky."

"Belmont...oh yea, my friend is at Belmont. he's majoring in music."

"yea, there's A LOT of music majors at Belmont."

by the time we ended our little conversation, we were outside in the courtyard. there, he and my dad struck up quite a lengthy conversation that lasted the entire tour. basically, he would be my dad's favorite. he loves to hunt and fish, actually he started the hunting club for liberty. my dad was talking to him about the heaven's saints, the motorcycle ministry he's involved in, turns out travis loves to ride. he also adores horses and is really excited about the equestrian program that is planning on starting up next year. =)

glances and words were slightly exchanged between the two of us. one point, we were in the high school affiliated with liberty (oh my word, is it gorgeous!!). again, my dad got caught up in a conversation with a junior in the high school about his motorcycle ministry. travis came up to me and tapped me on the arm. i turned around to find him bent close to my ear.

"i'm taking the others to the van. tell your parents to take their time, don't rush. just want to let you know where we're going."

"okay, thank you." i had a big ol' smile on my face. my mind screamed ahh, he whispered in my EAR!!!

yea i know...giddy school girl. leave me alone!!

so by the end of the tour, travis was asking my dad whole-heartedly for the movie he was in along with some other heaven's saints. we're sending him a copy soon. also, back in the visiting center, travis immediately pulled the heaven's saints website up on his computer and while i was waiting for my admission's councelor, the two were chatting up a storm. so all in all, a great day spent. i came back from the college visit, thinking it was excellent, along with belmont.

the decision needs to be made between the two. i don't think asbury is for me. it's too much like LCA. it's cute but...not for me. tomorrow i go with my class to NYC. should be interesting.

goodnight all!!

some things

i am SO excited for thursday. after a month of planning, we're finally going to tn, ky, and va for college hunting!! WOOHOO!!!! the only thing though is that i have to finish my college essays. yea, yea, i know. i wrote about doing these, what?, 2 months ago? and i'm still not done. i HATE writing about myself, trying to prove my worth. i know im worthy but i don't like talking about myself. O=)
we are finally working on pages for the yearbook! it's a thrill and really cool how we can make something beautiful out of a little icon page. my editor skills are amazing, just throwing it out there. the cover is being done by beth anne so it's a definite that it's going to be fantastic. she's one of those artistic folk who makes anything beautiful that she touches with a pencil, pen, paintbrush, anything!
that's basically it. the house is in an uproar because we only have a day to get everything together, especially me and my essays. i won't be blogging until after i get back so, everyone who reads this, breathe deeply and think positively. i'll return, don't worry. =)




"goin' up to the spirit in the sky"

a waltz when she walks in the room
she pulls back the hair from her face
she turns to the window to sway in the moonlight
even her shadow has grace...

grace-that word stands out to me today as i reflect on the revelry that occurred last night. i went to a sweet sixteen party and found, although i am only a year older than the other girls present, i am at a higher level than they are. i don't mean to be judgemental or a snob but i'm only speaking truth. my aunt said this to my mom just a few minutes ago "i look at amanda, and she's only a year older than the rest of those girls, but she has so much grace and poise and she's so pretty. There's just a difference."
what's the normality you may ask? compared to me, the other girls were dressed in short cocktail dresses, grinding on the guys, and making complete fools of themselves. the only thing graceful about the one being honored was her gown. her speech for her 16 candles was atrocious, grammatical errors, substituted word for the F word, and cursing up a storm. as soon as she was dressed more casually, she joined in the club-like dancing, allowing to be sucked into a lap dance performed by a perverted, immature, boy. we were there for less than an hour before my brothers stormed out of the hall enraged. i said my goodbyes and followed them.
where is the grace in the girls today? do they have any self-respect, any dignity? words such as elegance, honor, and beauty are so native to them it's pathetic. and again, i am only a year older than they are. so why am i so different? perhaps it is because i have strict boundaries and rules to abide by, that i have been reared in the way of the Lord ever since i was born, that i have been taught to respect elders and how to speak, dress, and behave. my parents' expectations for me are very high so i must carry myself accordingly. maybe this is why i don't have a boyfriend, because i'm looking for more.
i am so thankful i go to a private Christian school where integrity and morality are taught on a day-to-day basis. i take what i have for granted way too much and my eyes were opened last night to what i could have been. i am so thankful i am not part of that crowd.






proverbs 31:30