simple pleasures are treasures

this list is lengthy -- and I believe that's a good thing.

- reading to children, seeing their eyes soak in the pictures while they point out the objects of recognition

- getting in the car and seeing at least five inspiration exchange cds from your best friend who sends them from across the country

- eating outside in the sunshine

- a really good worship song

- watching your sister be a mother

- a worn Bible

- Andrea Bocelli & Katharine McPhee belting the notes of "The Prayer" on blu-ray with surround sound

- the smile from 'that person' when you catch each others' eyes from across the room

- itunes giftcards

- seeing a thunder storm within the clouds up in an airplane and realizing just how small you are in this world

- listening to "ragdoll" by aerosmith with the windows down, sunglasses on, and the breeze putting tangles in your hair

- wasting time

- feeling your best friend's baby boy kick from within her round pregant belly

- seeing families in restaurants stop and pray before their meal

- spotting your first firefly of the summer

- shivering on the first brisk day of fall when the leaves are faintly yellow

- sitting down at the piano to practice fundamentals for two hours

- giving gifts and anticipating reactions

- realizing your potential

- praying, not for yourself, but for others

- using your imagination

- the feeling you get once you turn in a huge paper

- effortless harmony when singing with your sisters

- watching your brother throw his first touchdown pass - and knowing you'll see hundreds more

- seeing cars on the highway with "just married" signs...bliss

- a rainy day (when you're prepared for it)

- beautiful reunions with old high school friends

- reading a proverb a day

- toy story 3

- being canadian

- a word document that is 41 pages long...made up entirely of quotes

- when romo throws a touchdown

- creating something uniquely "you"

- singing silly little songs with your favorite toddler...embracing your inner child to make him laugh

- christmas movies

- elderly people who are happy

- cashing checks

- fresh highlights in your hair or a new hair cut

- songs in minor keys - ironically letting the sadness liven your heart

- good, timely hugs

- your nephew's little smiles that spread across his fat cheeks as you make silly faces over skype

- saying something funny...and actually making people laugh

- spending money at the movie theater on a movie that was totally worth it (popcorn doused in butter is a plus)

- getting mail

- when someone tells you he/she loves texas

- a heartfelt compliment

- chick-fil-a when you're craving it

- talking about faith with your friends

- a new pair of shoes

- discovering a new musician

- lengthy prayer time...the kind where you lose all concept of time because you're chatting away with Jesus

- making time for reading novels

- an early morning run

- loving people who forget you

- organizing your songs on itunes by playlists -- descriptive and mood oriented playlists -- pointless, but strangely self-fulfilling

- seeing your younger sisters become strong leaders

- sunshine at the perfect angle so you can see the distinct rays cutting across your vision

- the pretty names you save for your future children (I don't share them in fear of being made fun of/stolen from)

- grammar grammar grammar

- driving - for the music and the option to go really fast

- some good ole shakespeare when you're feeling romantic

- hearing your favorite song at a live concert

- road trips with your family

- staying up late at night and sleeping late into the morning

- eating a hotdog at a baseball game

- crunching leaves under your cozy boots on an October day

- finding a good sale on something you really, really wanted

- having people fully trust you with their children

- singing when no one is listening

beauty in life and most importantly, beauty within yourself, is found in the little things.

"the road is now a sudden sea"

I am sitting on my dorm bed – complete with bed risers so as to fit what seems as my entire world underneath. My bed lies horizontal against the window – which overlooks the beautiful brick McMurran Hall complete with enormous, elegant white pillars. It looks about the length of 3 football fields, although I’m sure I’m exaggerating this quite a bit. All my English classes meet there. I love that building.

I am listening to Dashboard Confessional…on headphones, of course. Oh, roommates. Rare are the opportunities to openly listen to music. So, with reluctance, I allow the music to be confined to my ears alone. Alle is sitting across the room absorbed in a book, completely unaware that I am blasting the “ohh ohh oh’s” of “Don’t Wait.” Outside, people roughly between 18-25 walk across the large green lawn that separates my residence hall, Potomac North, from the vast McMurran. You’ll see some on bikes, but most walk. I like to think about their stories as I look out my 3rd floor window. What classes they’re heading to, what food content fills their dining hall Styrofoam to-go containers, who lives on campus, who lives off, who’s from out of state, who’s from down the street, who’s homesick, who’s using college as an escape from home, who spends their weekends wasted, who spends their weekends studying. I have met so many different people here. People who are drastically different from me and people who are so similar that I’m floored with excitement and assurance about the next two years. I’ve always known diversity occurs among different cultures and countries, but it’s amazing the diversity I’ve experienced from fellow Virginians. Virginia seems to become so big when you're constantly meeting people from different towns – towns you’ve never visited or even heard about.

I have come to love these people. I love dreading a statistics group project the second week of the semester – only to end up being awake until 3 a.m. with Doritos, Dr. Pepper, frequency distributions, and 3 of the most hilarious and accepting girls ever. I love that beautiful girl who greets me with a hug, smiles as she talks, and gushes about things like faith and friendship. I love Christopher Newport University and finally feeling like I belong somewhere, that I fit somewhere. I love the quiet of the mornings, the challenging courses, the brisk walks across campus, the buffalo chicken wraps at the dining hall, the enormity of the library that swallows you as you study, the row of practice rooms in the Ferguson Center with sound proof walls and a lone piano...where the raw music is created, the writing classes where we dissect grammar for a full 50 minutes, the student pride and noise during the football games, hockey games, etc., the late night commotion, the freedom, the professors, the obsessive love between my hallmates, the continuous laughter with newfound best friends, the view from my window, and the homey feel of my new room.

- d