My Day of Freedom

This right here....this is a good day! TWO of my THREE classes were cancelled, so I was free for the day by 9:45! After class, I went to the caf and ate some breakfast (another bonus- there was vanilla yogurt waiting for me!), and took my sweet time, because guess what? I had nowhere to be! 

I've been in my dorm room since then, cleaning, doing laundry, and listening to music. It may sound like work, but I really have been enjoying myself. I LOVE it when my room is super clean. With a space this tiny, I don't really handle clutter all that well. Although, trust me, clutter does happen. I just finished making my packing list for the trip to Texas! We (my family and Tim's family) are leaving around 5 pm tonight! Everyone is going to swing by and pick me up on their way out, and then off we go to a long weekend of loveliness! 

I keep forgetting that tomorrow is my birthday! This is my very last day as an eighteen year old. Strange! After tomorrow, I will never again have a teenage birthday. That really boggles my mind. (Mom, if you're reading this, I apologize. I know you don't like it when I speak of such things.) I will have a fun birthday indeed! Tomorrow morning, the whole crew is going to eat breakfast at my grandfather's house in Austin, which I am super excited about! 

Aside from that, and the bike race that Dad, Christian, and Mr. Joe are doing on Saturday, I have absolutely no idea what we are even going to be doing on this trip. I do know that it will be a good time, though! I can't wait! When our two families get together (don't forget that this includes three kiddos under age 8), the possibilities of shenanigans that we could get into are endless!

In about 45 minutes, I'm heading out on another run with Anjelica! We are planning on doing four miles today, at an easier pace. We'll see how that goes! Honestly, it's been a while since I've run over three miles. I feel good today, though! I'm ready to go. I think. Hopefully....yeah.

Well, I suppose I shall get a head start on packing for the trip! WAHOO, it's a good day today. The only thing that could make it any better would be a lack of drowsiness. I may or may not have been up a bit too late last night doing homework and laundry. Okay, and wasting time. 

Toodloo!

-clg

Fabulous Day!

I'm having a lovely day today. I feel like I'm being productive, and I've been in a good mood all day long! Also, it seems like I have seen more people that I know around campus than I normally do today. So many people to say hi to- it makes me so happy!

Really, my good day started last night, when I went to bed at a decent hour (before 11:30 is considered early in my book). That was wonderful! I even read Vogue and the Bible for a while before falling asleep. I love getting in bed at a time early enough that I still have enough energy and focus to read for a while, as opposed to just crashing. Anyway, I went to bed early(ish), and woke up earlier than I normally do, which was great. I gave myself an entire HOUR to get ready for classes- oh me oh my. I got up at 7:00, got ready (I even curled my hair!) until 8:00, and then went to breakfast with Layne and Anjelica until my 8:30 Bible Survey class. 'Twas a good, good morning.

Classes went well, in my opinion. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my easiest as far as classes go, but my hardest as far as class times go. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I have class at 10:00, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have class at 8:30. On that glorious last day, commonly called Friday, I have class at a whopping 11:00- HALLELUJAH, SALVATION AND GLORY.

I ate lunch today with a sweet friend named Hannah (this is a different Hannah than the one that I mentioned yesterday!). She makes me so very happy, and she always has good stories to tell from back home. She's from a tiny town in Texas, so living here feels like moving to a big city to her! That's so beyond fascinating to me, because I feel like I am living in a teeny town compared to where I'm from. I love diversity.

After my last class today, I went on a run with Anjelica. Let's just say that I feel a bit out of shape- I am training for a half marathon in March, but I haven't run in a couple of weeks for one reason or another (the first week, I was sick, and the second, I was getting better from the bike wreck that I had). I'm so glad that 1) I already registered and paid for the race, because I have no choice but to whip myself back into shape, and 2) I have Anjelica to run with- we definitely kept each other going today! We went three miles, which used to be easy for me, but today I felt so very weak. I'm super glad I had a running buddy to keep me motivated!

I'm now in the library- about to do an outrageous amount of homework. Party, party! My goal is to have it all finished before 7:00, which gives me about 2 and a half hours. Want to know why? I'll TELL you why- because tonight is going to be a night of Christmas cheer and pizza! Layne, Anjelica, Rachel, Grace, Emily, and I are heading over to my grandparents' house tonight to decorate their tree for them! My sweet Nana has a bad back, and it would't be the best idea for her to try to do that, so that's where we come in! I can't wait- there are a couple of girls coming that I've been meaning to get to know better, so this will be the perfect opportunity!

Recently, I've been so thankful for the spiritual encouragers that have been placed in my life. That's something that is so appreciated. It's so cool to be a part of a community that genuinely wants to follow Christ in every aspect of their lives, and is actively encouraging others to do the same. By no means is anyone perfect, but growth is happening, and that's what matters.

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body." 1 Corinthians 12:12.

In Spiritual Formation today, we talked about prayer, and how it is so simple, but also so intimidating. It's so easy for me to feel like I am not worthy to talk to God, or like I need to pray exactly the right things, but that's just not the case. It's also easy for me to feel bad about praying for myself, as opposed to just mainly praying for others. My professor made an analogy by saying "Praying for everything but yourself is like saying to your mom, 'Hey, let's talk about everything and get to know each other, but avoid the topic of me, or our relationship. It just doesn't work! A parent wants to know their child." God doesn't want us to present the "best version" of ourselves- He just wants us, now. As we are- good, bad, and ugly included! That's something I really want to work on remembering and applying- if you see me around, feel free to remind me.

I'm thankful for this day! Now for that mountain of homework...

-clg

Back To The Real World...

...at least for the next three weeks. After that, my post-finals self will be back at home, relaxing and enjoying Christmas break! Being back on campus isn't bad, though! I've missed my friends here. Also, while everyone was gone for Thanksgiving, this place got a major holiday facelift! Walking into the student center was more like walking into Santa's Workshop (give or take a little). I. LOVE. Christmas. Just saying that doesn't even seem sufficient, but I'll stick with that for lack of better words.

This morning, I said bye-bye for a bit to my sweet family, and then headed off. Technically, it was Tim who headed off, and took me along. There have been having some technical issues with my car, so for the past few weeks, I haven't been able to drive it. I'm so thankful that I have people who are willing to drive me to and from campus! Tim not only made the hour-long drive to bring me here this morning, but then he waited for me during two of my classes so that we could have lunch together. He's so sweet!! Just saying.

My classes were alright today- pretty normal, if I do say so myself. I did receive the GLORIOUS news that my Wednesday and Friday Contemporary World classes are cancelled! Wahooo!! I'm overly thrilled about that, especially considering that my family and Tim's family are leaving on Thursday night for a trip to Texas, so I would have missed the Friday class anyway! That's one less absence!

Tonight, I'm going to a bonfire! Those seem to come up a lot these days- literally, almost every weekend! It's the "Freshman Island Bonfire"- and free food is involved. What's not to love?! I think I'm going with Hannah, Layne, and Anjelica- three super sweet friends that I've made since moving here! I LOVE them. A lot. They are so sweet and encouraging, and they make me laugh like a crazy person.

Well, I do suppose I shall unpack all of my belongings. Toodloo!

-clg

Mishaps

Today was almost the day that Christmas came to life in the Gillum home. And, in certain ways, it did. For example- mom and I spent a good part of this morning painting packages to go under the tree, and we listened to Christmas music (one can never have too much) practically the entire day.

However, the entire day was building up to the one big event that officially means that Christmas season is HERE: the putting up and decorating of the Christmas tree. It's a must-do, right? Every year, the guys put up the tree, and then we all prance and dance around in our PJs (okay, so maybe the prancing and dancing is left to Mom and I) while listening to Christmas classics and covering the tree with ornaments and ribbon.

Here's the thing...Yeah, didn't happen. Something was wrong or messed up or broken about our (fake) tree this year (or maybe it was the base?). Anyway, the guys- after lots of trial and error- eventually came to the conclusion that they were doomed and called it quits. Needless to say, the dancing, prancing, PJs, music, and decorating never quite became a reality.

It looks as though, if we want to put a tree up, we're going to have to buy a new one, which is a bummer. Something tells me that if we do fix our little tree problem, it will be with another fake one. We've tried that whole "real tree" business... and I've gotta admit, I loved the whole experience of going to the farm, drinking hot chocolate, going on a hayride, and eventually picking out just the right tree. But once we eventually got that sucker into our living room... yeah, it fell. Over and over and over- resulting in broken ornaments and hearts.

Or maybe the Gillums are just doomed when it comes to Christmas trees, at least for this year. If that's the case, I'm cool with that. All is well. Christmas is magic, with or without a tree.

Today has been a good one. I didn't get dressed and ready until about 5 pm... so very joyful. The hours leading up to that consisted of Photoshop (I've been editing the senior session that I did with my friend Scott), Timothy whom I'm fond of, and a newly brunette Katie (she has been a bleach blonde for almost as long as I've known her!).

 Once I finally got out of my pajamas and into jeans, our family headed out- along with Christian's friend Drew, Mimi, and Tim's family- to Hot Springs. We ate dinner at a lovely place called the Bleu Monkey Grill, and then wandered around downtown for a bit- Tim and I even joined in on some ballroom dancing at the gorgeous Arlington Hotel!

If you think about it, say a prayer for my sweet grandmother (Mimi). She tripped on a curb while we were walking around downtown tonight, and took a pretty hard fall. Luckily, she wasn't seriously injured, but she did bust her lip and lose most of one of her front teeth. I know that she was really shaken by it- I hate to see that kind of thing happen to her sweet self!

So, aside from a few unfortunate events, it's been a fabulous day. I love spending time at home, with no homework and nothing to worry about other than what color to paint the next Christmas package. And, despite our total and complete lack of tree (or any holiday decor for that matter), I'm still finding myself in the Christmas spirit. What can I say? There's no holding it down!

-clg

Want to know what I love more than anything?

Mornings that are exactly like this one. This morning, I slept in to my heart's content, which is a rare and overly appreciated luxury. After I woke up, I just stayed there, lying in bed. Ahh, perfection. I cracked open this month's Vogue, which I was beyond excited about, mainly because of the Anne Hathaway story. (I can't WAIT to see Les Mis in theaters!)

After I moved to college, Christian took over my bedroom, so I'm kind of like a bedroom-less nomad around here. I slept with my mama last night, because my dad and Christian slept downstairs after a movie night. Anyway, I got to just lie there this morning, reading my Vogue, hanging out with my sweet mama. Eventually Carson, Christian, and Dad made their way into the room, and it was a full swung family PJ party. Good stuff. Good stuff.

Now, I'm downstairs, blogging underneath a cozy quilt, as we mentally prepare to tackle some Thanksgiving leftovers. Oh goodness gracious.

The rest of the day will consist of some picture taking (I'll be shooting my friend Scott's senior pictures, along with some of him and his girlfriend Gloria), another Thanksgiving meal at Tim's house (he has family coming over that I'm going to meet), and hopefully a trip to the movie theater to see the Life of Pi! Oh, and my lovely mother and I are planning to finish the night off by painting Christmas gifts. We started that little tradition last year- wrapping all of our gifts in brown paper, and then personalizing them for the receiver by covering them with Christmas doodles! Such fun, I tell you. I can't wait!

This is a good day. The only thing that could improve it would be hot yoga. I may or may not have dreamed about hot yoga last night. I'm obsessed/suffering from withdrawal since moving to college. I'm hoping to go tomorrow! Fingers crossed.

I'm loving this- being home with family, being relaxed, not having to write out a schedule for every minute of every day. Life is so good.

-clg

Happy Thanksgiving!

As a girl who has trouble being a consistent blogger (let's just say that this isn't my first time to start a new blog), I decided that starting one on a day like today might up my chances of making it stick.

Today is Thanksgiving Day, and I couldn't be more thankful. Cliche, right?

But seriously. I'm so overwhelmed with thankfulness for so many wonderful people, things, opportunities and happenings that I have been blessed with.

• I am blessed to be a part of a family that genuinely cares for one another, despite our imperfections. 
• I'm thankful for this new adventure that I have recently embarked on, commonly referred to as "the college years." Though my first semester has been filled with major ups and downs, I can already see that those experiences are working together to make me a stronger and more complete person. 
• I'm thankful for the special friendships that I am maintaining from high school, and the new friendships that are budding at college.
• I am thankful for my health, and the health of those that I love. This is something that I take for granted so often, but a significant sickness or bike wreck (both have happened recently) can quickly snap one back into reality.
• I am thankful for Tim. I've been blessed with a boyfriend who has a kind and gentle heart. He encourages me to grow closer to my Creator every single day.
• I'm thankful to be a student at a university that encourages me to grow deeper in my Christian faith, while also opening my eyes to the other beliefs and world views around me.
• I am thankful for the fact that my grandparents live only five minutes away from my college campus. I have my independence when I want it, but a home-away-from-home never hurt anyone.
• I am thankful for gluten-free dressing with cranberry sauce. Enough said.
• Oh, and gluten-free pumpkin crisp.
• I am beyond thankful for the fact that an Almighty God would use the imperfections and mess-ups- the cracks- in someone like me as a means to reveal Himself. I am completely undeserving; total willingness is the least I can give.

It's been an incredible day- lots of family, laughter, food (never complete without a cooking disaster or two), and plenty of lounging around. And grazing. So. Much. Grazing.

I watched not one, but TWO movies throughout the course of the day (I Am David and Lincoln Lawyer- not bad!), and somehow managed to squeeze a short run in. Around 7 pm, Tim and his family were added into the mix, and the goodness grew even more. And, might I mention, the beautiful lack of homework that I have has been a huge joy contributor. It's been wonderful. 

Keep checking in if you please! I pinky promise I'll be back soon.

For an endless amount of old ramblings, check out lifethesedayscaylie.blogspot.com AND lifethesedayscaylie2.blogspot.com.

-clg

"Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!" Psalm 106:1