Spring Break :)

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and I am packing up and heading home for spring break. As I bustle about the room, Suki looks on rather apprehensively (if a fish can look apprehensive…) I can imagine his thoughts just about now… “What’s with all the clothes… and the suitcase?... why is she… oh wait, don’t tell me we’re… no… I heard rumors about what happened to the last guy who rode home with her… tank tipped over, and two inches away from drowning in pure H2O… This could be the end…” I glance over at the tank, “You ready to go Suki?”… “Bubble… bubble bubble…” “I thought so! Ok, well let’s get out of here!”

Before vacating the premises, I glance about the room one last time to see if I can remember anything that I forgot… “The beans!” Opening the fridge, I pull out the Tupperware of re-fried beans, and dispose of them… “Those would have smelled great after two weeks!”

With fish tank in one arm and plant in the other, I head out the door – Spring Break has officially begun!

So far, this semester has been a really good one.
My sister told me that second semester would be much better than first semester… and she was absolutely right. The campus isn’t so big and strange, the teachers aren’t so scary, and I feel like I know so many more people. Granted the food is still the same as it was first semester, but I can handle that. ;)

I also feel like I’ve accomplished so much more in this half-semester, than I did all of last semester. You see, it’s never really been my life-long dream to be a PTA. I do feel that is where God is calling me right now, but not as a permanent thing. Eventually me dream is to have some sort of ministry, working with young people in the great outdoors - hence, the Outdoor Ed. minor. This semester I’m taking kayaking and scuba diving as two of my Outdoor Ed. electives, and it has been a blast!

In kayaking I’ve mastered my brace and paddle roll, and just last week I got my hand roll. Boy did that ever take a lot of wet exits! lol When we get back, after spring break, we’re going to start hitting the freezing TN rivers. I’m assuming the goal will be NOT to have to use your rolls. lol

In scuba diving, just this past Monday, we took our final written exam, and Wednesday was our pool exam. Well of all things, Wednesday morning I woke up with the flue… NOT a brilliant move on my part. I had a sore throat, congested sinuses, the chills, and a funny stomach. As the day went by, I began feeling weaker and weaker. I had no idea how on earth I was going to swim the 13 ½ laps required to pass the exam. I began praying. I also took two naps, gargled with Listerine every hour or so, and managed to choke down a sandwich.

Seven p.m. came around, and I grabbed my gear and headed over to the pool. We started the exam with donning our gear underwater, ascents and descents, buddy breathing and rescuing, etc… So far, so good. I was feeling great, and was able to perform all the required tasks. After two hours of this, it was time for the laps. We were to do 4 ½ laps with no gear, and 9 laps with mask, snorkel, and fins…. and no hands. My buddy went first, and then it was my turn. After two laps, I was feeling pretty tired, but not dead yet. ;) I made it to the end of the 4 ½ laps, and was surprisingly still alive. Then it was my buddy’s turn to do the 9 laps with gear. This took a bit longer, but eventually I was jumping back into the water, to begin my 9 laps. My fins propelled me much quicker through the water, and the snorkel made for easier breathing. After three laps, I could no longer deny the existence of my screaming calves. I began counting tiles on the bottom of the pool as thy filed beneath me. “One, two, three, four, five…” The shadows reflecting on the bottom of the pool shimmered gaily across the tiles, jumbling up my counting. “…eighty-two, eighty-three, eighty-seven, eighty-four… am I done yet?... eighty-nine…” After what seemed a very long time, I crawled, half asleep, out of the pool… “That was 9 ½ laps. You did ½ lap too many!,” my buddy cheerfully informed me. I managed a weak, “oh…”, as I stumbled off to the locker room. We were finished, and we had all passed. :)

As I rinsed off in the shower, I felt so good. I realized that my throat wasn’t sore, my sinuses hadn’t bothered me, I didn’t have the chills, my stomach was feeling fine, and I wasn’t all that exhausted! In fact, I was feeling better than I had all day long. By now it was 9:45 p.m., and I called up my mom to tell her how things had gone. I told her that I had passed the pool exam, and that I was feeling better than I had all day. She chuckled and said, “I’m not surprised, with all the Listerine you’ve been consuming throughout the day!” lol

So now all that’s left is to go on our checkout dive. The weekend following spring break, we head down to FL to do our five dives. Then we’ll get our cards, and be lifetime certified scuba divers! :D

So yeah, needless to say, I’m pretty excited about life right now.

And to top it all off, this semester I’ve been taking an awesome class on Christian Spirituality, from Allen Parker. It’s challenged me to look at God in a whole new way; to attempt more for God, if I want to expect more from God; to find where He’s working and join Him, instead of just waiting for Him to tell me what to do; to yield my plans over to His control.

So far this year has brought many changes in my life, and the lives of those close to me… some of them pretty major. I’ve seen God open doors, and I’ve see Him close doors, and often I’m tempted to ask why… “Why did You close that door?" or "Why did You open THAT one?” Sometimes it just feels like things are so wrong… like I wouldn’t have done it that way. But then I have to stop and ask myself, “Wait, am I saying that I trust myself more than God? Am I suggesting that I could do a better job of planning my future than He could???” Scary thought indeed! lol Then I can relax, and entrust everything into His hands… no matter how near or dear to me it may be. That is when I find the greatest peace, and can enjoy life the most – when everything is fully and completely entrusted to Him.

Anyhow, enough blogging for now. The kids sound like they’re having too much fun without me. ;)

God bless!

- Shannon