Long Time, No Post...

So hey folks. It's been a while. As I sit here listening to T.I. and prepping for tonight's babysitting gig, I realize that the past month has been a crazy one. It's funny how rather than changing little by little, I seem to change in gigantic, mind-altering bouts. I suppose that that's just the way I am. So, here's a recap of the past month...

February was kind of crappy. Short, but crappy. Some good things happened, but it started out with me getting sick with a monster case of bronchitis (which came back at the beginning of March). I managed to wear myself down to the point that I became extremely depressed and confused. I was sick, sleep-deprived, sad, and lonely. It was pretty darn awful. I was in the darkest place that I've ever been in my life, and it was really scary. It's amazing what can happen to your mind when you isolate yourself, don't take care of yourself physically or spiritually, and stress yourself out. You begin to question your entire life up to that point, and even things that you know to be solid truth can come in to question. It all came to the boiling point the week before Spring Break. I had our clusterfrick (yes, I did just edit that term) of a physics midterm project to do, an organic quiz, and a micro exam all in the same week. I was terribly sick, but ended up having to put off getting my meds because I just didn't have the time to pick them up. As a result, I got sicker. We turned in our physics project, and, as far as I can tell, it went well. I think I did ok on the micro exam, and I'm almost positive that I failed that organic quiz. So because of my sickness, my organic failure, and the fact that all of my friends were pretty much leaving town for the week, I spiraled into some serious depression. I knew in my mind that I really didn't have anything to be so upset about, but that didn't make me feel any less sad or alone. It finally got to be unbearable, so I talked to my mom about it. She really helped a lot, just like she always does. But I was still feeling kind of down, so I went to church the next day, which was awesome. But then I was still afraid to be by myself and still pretty sad. I went to Pancake Pantry with my friends, and still didn't feel better, and ended up emotionally vomiting all over my best friend (which actually helped a little). But after a round of antibiotics, steroids, cough medicine, some intensive Bible-reading time/prayer, and some rest and exercise, I started feeling better. I decided to go see my Tullahoma family (i.e., Uncle Olan and Aunt Brenda + Granddaddy Kemp and Lin) on Wednesday, and it was probably the best decision I've made in a long time. First of all, the drive was fabulous. The weather was perfect, and you just can beat country roads with a James Taylor soundtrack. Once I got to Uncle Olan's, we were able to sit and talk for like, two hours, about everything that's been going on with me. I never thought that I'd be able to talk to him like I do. He was so very helpful and encouraging. Then I went over to Granddaddy's farm to see he and Lin, and that visit was great, too. They seemed genuinely happy to see me, which made me feel good. Thursday, I got to hang with my fam since LB drove my car to school. I got see Cameron and LB in The Wizard of Oz, and I'll get to see them again on Sunday afternoon. They're pretty darn awesome. Today was great because I got to sleep in and then go have a bangin' lunch with mom. Tonight, I have to go babysit this kid I've never met before, but his mom seems pretty nice so I'm sure all will be well. Tomorrow I get to babysit my four most favorite children ever, 3 of which are in Smyrna and 1 who lives in Murfreesboro. And then school begins again on Monday...but this time, I think I'll be better equipped to handle it. :) More to come on the big changes later....