Off.

It's a really strange feeling to be one of the last people left in a house of 55 girls. Everyone's gone for the holidays it seems besides me and my beautiful room mate. It's kinda depressing, but in a way we're enjoying the solitude.

T minus 15 hours until I'm off to the airport for China. I get to see my family after a 15 hour plane ride- well worth it I'll add. I always look forward to the part where I'm getting out of customs and walking to the end of the terminal and I see them all there. It's a heartwarming feeling. Whoever said "absence makes the heart grow fonder" was a very right person. I wonder if his family lived in China?

Well it's time to reflect on the past few months with Rachel. We have much to discuss :)

Jesus bless everyone's travels.

unsettled

haveyouevertriedtotypeanditjustseemscompletelypointlessbecauseallyourwordsarejjumbledtoget

hersoyoucan'tgetasinglethoughtoutofyourheadandontothecomputerscreen?Itssofrustrating.

It's so frustrating.

I've suddenly felt convicted to pray for patience because all of mine disappeared a week ago. Why am I getting so easily annoyed recently? It actually makes me feel guilty how internally annoyed I get with the girls that live in the house and the people I have class with. It's not good... and it's not healthy. So from this very point on, I'm going to be more tolerant with people, understand that they were brought up differently than I was, grew up in different places than I did and obviously don't look at a situation the same way I would.

Get over it, Joce. Everyone's different. Stop thinking you want to punch people in the face, stop scheming of ways to get back at people for the rude things they said to you, and you really gotta stop caring so much. Just let it go.

On a lighter note, I go home in one week. Actually, by this time next Saturday, I'm going to be on a plane to China. Awaiting me on the other side of the terminal are the people who i haven't seen in more than four months. These people can never annoy me... well maybe sometimes, but in a different way. Mom, Dad and Braden. I only consider it home because they will be there. The only home I have is where they're at. 7 more days :) :) :)

So I don't really have much to talk about. I have a room to move into and 3 finals to study for, but life's good. The weather outside is frightful! The fire is so.... yah too much Christmas music I think. The term is coming to a steady end and I will be left standing, not sitting on my butt, not laying down to sleep, but standing proudly!!! Life's good.

Just some pictures I'm fond of:

Sometimes I'm Fun

Good Evening.

I feel a little rotten. Kinda like all my individual innards have become meshed into one. Yeep, that's what the inside of my body looks like right now: 1 piece of sludge just kinda ruminating as if it were a soup- no a chowder of some sort.

The reason I feel like this is because my room mates and I just went for a run.. in the dark, freezing December night. It was kinda miserable, but since it was my idea I can't let them know it has had this awful effect on me.

Shhhh... don't tell.

So it's been awhile since my last post, and I think the reason is that I've been at somewhat of a loss for ideas. That, and the fact that every ounce of my soul has been poured into passing some of my classes (ahem.. comm 114. Yes. I hate you quite passionately.) It's really hard to write a creative blog when you have no soul, trust me. If I would have chosen to blog last week, you guys would have lost a few braincells from just reading the pitiful things I had to say. All this crap actually has a point, believe it or not. And that point is... I now have thought of something neat to write. Whether you find it entertaining or not is your own business.

Fun With Joce's Friends.

This fall has definitely been one for the books. While, as you may have understood from my last paragraph, it has been far too filled with disgusting paper writing and countless hours spent at the university library doing only Lord knows what, it has also given me plenty of chances to spend time with my wonderful friends, or as I refer to them in my head: "my college family."

[this is just a quick pause to let my readers know I am listening to Christmas music on Pandora and that yucky feeling I had only minutes ago is gradually ceasing to exist- all thanks to the holiday spirit :]

Let me give a brief introduction to the best of the best for Fall 2009 (in alphabetical order) :

Cameron Blok

This, folks, is a stand-up guy. I swear he has a way of surprising me with kindness sometimes, under that tough-guy exterior. [There's no fooling me, Cam!] He probably doesn't know I think this, but he's probably the first real guy friend I made at OSU, ever since that time he helped me with my recycling chore during winter last year. Sometimes I'm just thrown off by the random friendly things he does, like just popping into rm 6 to say hello to me :)

I chose this picture of him because this is, in a single shot, what I picture when I think of Cameron: intense, but not in the annoying sense (y'know, the kind where you can't get a guy to shut up about how intense he is.) Intense, in the sense that life is intensely fun and we have only so many intense opportunities to enjoy it... intensely. All that, PLUS he makes a wicked awesome Jay Leno face.

Kenny Davis

Kenny "The Mountain Man" Davis. This is an interesting case because he's sort of the new kid. I haven't known Kenneth as long as I've known the rest of them, but I can proudly say that it seems like it's been longer than it actually has. Kenny is the guy people enjoy talking to and talking about. (Don't worry son, not in a bad way.) I think my favorite trait is... well... okay it's a tie. The bike obsession, his seriously absurd randomness (Us: Kenny don't go running at night you'll get mugged. Kenny: Why else would I go running at night?) and the way he can make any situation seem suddenly brighter. Also (and he really shouldn't read this- it might get to his head) he is a total trend setter. What other guy rocks brown cords and purple-ish fuzzy clog things? And don't let me forget that his pictures always turn out amazingly. (haha)

Sometimes, when he's not trying, they turn out just great:)

Matt Davis

Matty! I call him that not knowing if it annoys him, I hope he would tell me if it did. Matt Davis, no relation to the above Kenny Davis (random fact, though, is that Kenny's dad's name is Matt. Or wait.. is it the other way around? I can't remember...), is a tall blond guy that people just enjoy having a conversation with. It takes two seconds after introductions to realize this guy is a comm major because he's a good talker. I picture Matt as a traveling public speaker making millions in the future- although I'd have to ask him how he feels about that career. Over the year that I've gotten to know him, Matt is to me someone who is basically down for anything and, when put to a task, will make it happen. A fond memory... Halloween 2009 he was given the idea of being The Birdman for a costume. The excitement on his face was unforgettable. With all his wit and charm, it is easy to see why a certain room mate of mine may or may not (but definitely does) like him in a more-than-friends sort of way.

Rachel Trindle

Rachel, Rachel, Rachel. As we like to tell each other constantly: we weren't even that great of friends until we moved in together this year. Yes, I was her friend. Yes, I loved her and cared about her. But honestly before we became room mates, my mind never really comprehended how close we were capable of becoming :) We share a lot of the same strange characteristics (i.e. hate any kind of confrontation) and laugh about the same dumb things (just the most recent being the laughs we got out of last night's meeting: Tina, Aimee, Tina, Cathy, Tina, etc.) and the millions of inside jokes we have developed this term. Hey, remember the time you socked me in a tender region so you could lock me first inside the bike cage and second outside of the house? Oh.. I remember, roomie. I hope you know how much I love our fake fights.

Tyler Dean

Last but certainly not least. Ohhhh... gosh Tyler. Okay well I'll start by saying (with the risk of sounding a little stupid) that Tyler and I have strangely similar fashion senses. I don't need to explain because pictures speak for themselves:

Scary, right?

This kind of thing happens between the two of us a lot, I feel. Tyler and I, we have a lot in common. For instance, our passion for somewhat nerdy things: The Lord of the Rings movies (yah.. maybe we can quote part.. okay... all of them), reading, and board games. Long story short, Tyler somehow understands my sometimes childish sense of humor and has managed to cater to it since we became friends at Sunriver last year. Laughing comes easily when The Dean is around. Not to mention he plays guitar pretty dang well.

Now you have met my college family. I hope you are half as lucky as I am!