2015, it's your time to shine.

It's been a while. Yeah. It's been a while.

The last time I wrote to you, I was still a starry-eyed little freshman in college with dreams and aspirations to accomplish the goals that I set ahead for 2014.

Now, dear friends, it is 2015. I scoff at the goals I set for last year, because there were not many of them that I actually kept. Being the kind of person who is not yet diligent enough to keep her New Year's resolutions, I tried one small goal this year: I was going to floss every single day.

The whole dedicated flossing bit wore off on January 17. Now that it is May, it is interesting to look back and see what I thought I would have accomplished by now. . .

1. Actually read the books on my Kindle.
I'm a horrible person. I maybe read like two books on my Kindle in the last year -- maybe two. (On the bright side, I haven't downloaded any new ones! Hooray for self-control!) Actually, I have been reading less and less lately. You see, the more I've got going on for school reading, the less time I put aside for reading texts that are actually enjoyable.

2. Healthy BMI
ROFL. I don't think that I made a change to lower it; however, I haven't made the number any larger!

3. Write enough good songs to form the basis for an album. 
This goal is interesting, because I actually forgot about it. This year, my college pastor Geoffrey said to our Bible study groups, "Assuming that everyone wants to do well academically, what are your goals for this semester/year?" This was a tough question for me, but I finally came up with the goal that I wanted: I wanted to write enough good songs to form the basis for an album.

Ha. I have written a few songs this year, but it is hard for me to come up with golden material. I've found that I can't exactly strive for writing good music, it's just that I have to have inspiration to help the composing process flow more smoothly.

4. Write a children's book about something geeky.
I have forgotten approximately 83% of what I learned in that Survey of Physics course I took 4 semesters ago. I might have to do a little bit of research before I can handle this task again.

5. Learn to knit or crochet.
In the Fall semester of 2014, there were a menagerie of activities at BHSU for the new students. One of the activities offered was a knitting class for a couple of hours. I thought, "Hey! I've always wanted to learn how to knit!" I sat there and worked one-on-one with a veteran knittress and learned how to properly knit. "You're a natural at this. Just look at your stitching!" she told me.

I rocked the knitter life for about two weeks. I currently cannot remember how to knit. It was great while it lasted, though. I will certainly have to learn again someday.

6. Be more diligent about writing letters.
I actually did pretty well with this goal. I wrote a massive amount of thank you letters and notes to friends over the course of the last year. Honestly, the hardest part for me about writing letters is trying to get them in the mailbox to get sent. (What a silly thing, right?)

7. Journal or blog at least once weekly. 
Obviously, I can't lie to you about the blogging since you can see that the last time I blogged, it was when I did the New Year's resolution post a year and a half ago. However, looking back, I am recognizing that I journaled quite a bit, especially in the summer.

8. Find a mentor and be conscientious about frequently meeting with them.
I did this one, and I did it well. This didn't start so much last year as it started last semester. I asked a lady in my church to meet with me on a regular basis and go through accountability questions. We did this for a while, and then we started going through the book of Hebrews this semester. This summer we are going to study the book of Revelation.

I am so happy that I was able to make this goal a routine part of my life, because I have grown so much because of it. I understand the Bible and how to study the Bible more than I have in my entire life, and I also have gained a lot of understanding about why Jesus's sacrifice was so necessary. I look forward to learning about the end times this summer!

9. Be a "big sister"
I have not worked this one into my schedule yet. On another note, I will be a resident assistant next year at BHSU. . . this is kind of like being a "big sister." I'm looking forward to the experience next semester.


Did I attain all of my goals for 2014? No. How about 2015? I'm not big on flossing. I just can't get into it. Does this mean that I am a failure? Absolutely not. I have changed quite a bit in the last year and a half. I have been through heartache, waves of anxiety, mountains of joy, and so many other kinds of emotional roller coasters. It has been a tough year, but I thank God for my friends and my family as I look back on all that has happened.

2015, it's your time to shine. This is the year. I am doing everything that I can to make my days worth it. I mean it this time -- I'm not going to waste a second.

New Year's Resolutions

Yes, I realize that New Year's resolutions are often cliche, but this year, I am determined to start doing the following things more often. Honestly, I am certain that these goals are perfectly attainable.

1. Actually read the books on my Kindle
I have a tendency to shop through Amazon's "Daily Deals" on a much too frequent basis, and I when I find something that looks like a good read, I usually purchase it. I mean, the other day, I found a David Sedaris book for less than $5. Who is not going to jump on a deal like that?

2. Healthy BMI
This is my extremely cliche resolution, but I know that I will have the diligence to achieve this goal. Over the last few months, I have managed to drop my BMI over three points and I have gone down six numbers in my jeans size. This is quite an accomplishment, but I know that if I work hard for just a little bit longer, I can be at the "recommended" weight-height ratio.

3. Write enough good songs to form a basis for an album
For a project a couple semesters ago, I completely wrote, performed, and recorded my own single. It was a start, but over the last few months I have been working hard on furthering my repertoire. Currently, I have about four (almost five!) songs that I have written that I believe have good potential. My ultimate goal is to record my own album someday, but I first must start writing songs that might actually sell!

4. Write a children's book about something geeky
Last semester, I took a Survey of Physics class in which I learned about radiation. Because of the discussions that took place during those classes, I have an idea for a children's book that I would love to see flourish a little bit this year.

5. Learn to knit or crochet
All over Pinterest and Etsy I have seen beautiful things that can be made by knitting or crocheting. I think that this would be a handy skill to have.

6. Be more diligent about writing letters
It is important to build relationships with people who are meaningful to you. On top of that, receiving a hand-written letter in the mail is always a pleasant surprise. This year, I plan to make time to keep in contact with those that are near and dear to my heart (no matter how much discrete mathematics I have in my lap!).

7. Journal or blog at least once weekly
I am not as good of a writer as I would like to be, and I know that periodical writing in either a blog or a journal of some kind would be beneficial. My writing skills will develop the more that I practice, and accomplishing Goal #1 on this list will help as well.

8. Find a mentor and be conscientious about frequently meeting with them
Personal and spiritual growth has become more important to me, especially now that I am more independent than I was in high school. I have recently become involved with a church in my college town, and there are many women who have made a big impact on my life. I want to get a couple of mentors (an upperclassman mentor as well as a more mature mentor). If I am diligent in meeting with them on a biweekly basis for coffee and a chat, I know that it will aid in my personal growth.

9. Be a "big sister"
As far as I know, there is a Big Brothers and Big Sisters Club in the town where I attend college. I plan on applying to be a "big sister" because I know that being an impact on the life of a child in troubled circumstances is more rewarding than I can fathom. I want to make a difference in this world, and I know that this is one way that I can start.

All of the above are things that I should have started doing a long time ago. The harsh truth is that I have been rather lazy about being committed to each of those tasks. Although "New year, new me" is a rather cliche catch phrase, there is some truth to it. A new year is like a clean slate, a blank canvas. On the one for 2014, I intend to paint a beautiful, blossoming picture.

Mathematics of Love

It is finals week. I am a math major. I can't stop thinking about numbers.

Seriously, though. The other night I was eating pretzels, and I pulled one out of the bag to find that it was broken in the shape of a curvy "E." I thought to myself, "That looks like the symbol for 'a member of the set of...' when determining domain and range of a function." What is this madness? I can't even escape it when I go for a snack!

There have been such an abundance of bombarding math analogies lately that I just had to share them with you all. Will you understand all of them? I hope so. The following three are my favorites.

 - In calculus right now, we are talking about Riemann sums (which is used to find the area under the curve of a function on a graph---in case you wanted to know). In order to calculate the Riemann sum, you must first find delta x (which means "the change in x"). The other day, one of my math major friends told me a story about her and her first-time boyfriend. (For storytelling purposes, let's say that his name is Bryce and her name is Belinda). Belinda said to me, "The other night, Bryce kissed me, and my mind went off on this crazy tangent. I thought, 'Oh my goodness, how did we get to this point?' Then I thought, 'Well, to figure that out I would have to find delta x which is equal to b minus a all over n. But to figure that out, I would need to know a. I would also need to know b. Oh crap, I would have to know n, too! And there are no numbers in this equation, so it it impossible to solve it!'" (Her mind must have been going about a million miles an hour). Then she said, "I finally told myself, 'Belinda! A boy likes you. A boy is kissing you. A boy who likes you is kissing you. STOP THINKING ABOUT MATH!'" If that isn't a math major problem, I don't know what is.

 - One of my friends has recently scored a date with a guy she has been crushing on for quite some time. Because of conflicting schedules and other circumstances, she is not able to have a date with him until sometime in January. Anyway, she has been fretting about this ordeal quite a bit lately and she asked me the other night, "Libbi, what do you think is going to happen? I mean, what if the date goes badly? On the other hand, what if it goes well?!" I said to her, "You never know what will happen. I mean, I personally feel good about the whole thing. It's probably going to be like an exponential function... you know, it starts off kind of slow, but then things just take off!" She laughed out loud and said, "Oh, Libbi. I love you. I hope you're right."

 - I saved the best story for last. Recently I have started coming up with a song about integration that matches the tune of "Single Ladies" by Beyonce. Upon singing this song and coming up with other math "catch phrases" I have been rubbing off my quirkiness on my wonderful roommate. I said to her the other day, "One day you will come up with a math analogy, and it will be the best day of my life." Well, friends, today was that day. In order to understand the analogy, you need to have a little background information....
I started hanging out with this guy a while back, and we really like each other. There is a lot of pressure from our friends to make the relationship "official"... a common phrase he and I hear is "please define the relationship." This afternoon, I walked into my room and my roommate says to me, "Libbi. You and [insert boy's name here] just need to find the domain and range of your relationship." It made my whole day. My whole week. My whole month. The fact that she came up with the analogy and it is totally relevant and it makes sense is enough to make me sleep with a smile on my face for the rest of my life. :-D

The Name Game

The other day I was thinking about life and my views... and my name.

My name is Elizabeth Jenney. Jenny (without the extra 'e') is the term for a female donkey.
Donkeys are the "mascot" (if you will) of the Democratic Party.
Therefore, my middle name is (indirectly) "Democrat."

My brother's name is David Jonathan.
Specifically, if you look at 1 Samuel 18:1-4 and 2 Samuel 1:26, you will see that David and Jonathan were best friends. They were almost like brothers.
Come to think of it, they were kind of the "original bromance."
If you put the pieces together, my brother's name implies that he is his own best friend :)

Less-Than-One-Second Makeover

Turn that frown upside down! You never know who could be falling in love with your smile.

I’m dying here.

There is a person I know who does not really smile at anything. She did not even smile at my rendition of reading aloud The Duckling Gets a Cookie?! by Mo Willems. She does not smile at the lame jokes on the backs of the milk cartons at lunch. (Which is understandable, but most people at least give a “fake” laugh, you know?). The only time I remember her smiling recently is when she pointed out a flaw in someone else and laughed about it. It kills me because she is someone with whom I am very close.

I guess that what I’m trying to say is that a smile is something that should not be overlooked. I personally do not see the point in dwelling on the frustrating parts of this life. People are fallen. We make mistakes. We are imperfect. Why should I spend my negative energy on little incidents that do not really matter? If I did that all the time, I would be exhausted when a real trial presented itself. Smile at silly mistakes. Chuckle at the lame joke that a small child tells you. Just… please. Do not laugh at the expense of another person.

Take part in the “less-than-one-second makeover.” It does not take very long to put a smile on your face. However, it can be something that, when genuine, can attract the hearts of many people. It even has the power to change a life. Smiles make you approachable. Smiles make you beautiful.

Grin. Smile. Laugh. Express tenderness through your facial expressions.

It will make your life so much better. :)

My beautiful?

For everyone who is unaware: I care very much about accurate grammar. For example, if I find something grammatically incorrect, I will refrain from writing it. I do break some rules for stylistic purposes, but that is not the point I'm trying to make here. Knowing the essentials is what I am referring to in this instance.

Last weekend, I was in a clothing store helping my brother pick out a new pair of jeans. (Apparently he is still unable to do that himself...) ;) Anyway, as I was waiting for him to emerge from the dressing room, I noticed a flaw on the nearby counter top that sent my level of sanity below the depths of the earth. (In case you were wondering, that's way past the point of insanity). 

On an economy-sized bottle of hand-sanitizer, there read a sticky note: "Smile :) Your beautiful!" It was more than I could bear.

Not more than a few inches away from this terrorizing mistake was there an innocent pen sitting on the table. 

I surreptitiously looked around me. My breathing quickened and I felt like my heart was going to pound through my chest. If you would like me to take this to an extreme level of hyperbolic narration, fine. There were beads of sweat forming on my forehead. 

The dressing room attendant stepped away from the counter momentarily, and my chance had arrived. I picked up the pen and added an apostrophe and a letter 'e'. 

Did anyone see me? No one is looking. No one is rolling their eyes. Hee hee. I guess if I would have gotten caught, then I could have said, "I'm just making you look like you rock at accomplishing standard grammar expectations." But I think I'm okay.

Sanity level: normal. The sign now accurately reads, "Smile :) You're beautiful!" ...but you're smart, too because you know the difference between "you're" and "your".

Multiple Guess Paranoia

Someday, when I am a teacher, I want to make a multiple choice test where all the answers are C. If I am feeling particularly devious the day that I make the test, maybe one answer on the whole thing will be A. Hello, paranoia!

It would make my day if a teacher did that to our class now.