30 Days of Doctor Who: The Wrap Up

Holly and Kelly: So we're FINALLY finishing this thing, even though it hasn't been 30 days. Needless to say, the 30 day challenge proved to be too much for us. With our mom coming to visit, working, hanging out, kicking butt and now I'm (Kelly) waiting for a staff meeting to start, we just decided to wrap this thing up and do our best to continue to blog about other topics we've come up with at hand. We LOVE Doctor Who, without a doubt, but we decided we're tired of being prompted. Needless to say we're straying from 30 day challenges for a while; they were easier to do when we weren't working regularly! Anyway, we thought it would be appropriate to wrap this challenge up, saying why we love Doctor Who so much: 

1. It draws us closer to God and makes us more like Jesus
Seriously. Not so much be like The Doctor per se, because he himself isn't real. But God is real in our lives, and the show makes us want to be more like Christ. Not that we use it as an example of how to be like Christ, but in the sense that The Doctor is actually a good role model. If you look and think deeper into the show, it does have a lot of Christian elements in it...in our opinions. We appreciate the fact that the show values people, for the most part. The main characters have very strong moral compasses, which is a plus. Not to mention we're also delving into a bit of the Classic eps, and they are no different, with the exception of a few years.

2. It's welcoming. 
The Doctor isn't a stranger to anybody. He finds people from different walks of life, the wash outs, the nobodys, the "just a temp" kind of people, and changes them. He makes them better. That for us allows us to try and do the same; we love because Christ first loved us. It's the way God finds and loves us! No matter what they have been through, he accepts them, and he teaches them to accept others...and themselves. This somewhat ties into our last point. Bear in mind, you have to respect the fact that this show has been around for over 50 years!

3. Good escape
Sometimes, days just really suck. Work is stressful, stuff is going on at home, friends are hurting, whatever. We turn to God, each other, phone calls to home and to The Doctor to help us cope. And then we find ourselves a little bit better.

4. The music. 
Need we say more? Refer to our post from earlier regarding our favorite music.

5. It's relatable. 
Well yeah. You've got this extraordinary, 900+ year old time traveler who has seen...well, gee, EVERYTHING. He can go anywhere, has seen everything, and yet, he's like us in a sense. He's lonely, which is something we've all struggled with. He seeks companions that are every day people; looking and longing for something more, that one "missing piece." All of their lives change because of The Doctor, both in good and unfortunately some in bad ways. One way or another, we influence who we as every day people come in contact with, and it's a good reminder for us to take that small extra step to go a bit further with someone, because while you may be changing them, they may be also changing you. Just ask Kelly. :)

6. The community. 
It never fails every time we go to Hasting's to purchase something Doctor Who related, the cashier always ends up engaging one or both of us in friendly Who conversation. And they always ask if we've seen The Day of the Doctor (which we have!) And most recently, last night. There's a 2 night event going on this week and last night was the first night (the last night is tonight sadly), and it was a showing of Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel. It wasn't a packed house by any means, but there was a pretty good crowd. Anyway, we were at the theater and we saw a girl with a bowtie and fez on. I (Kelly) smiled and said "fezzes are cool." She smiled. Then at the end of the viewing and the credits were rolling, this guy just looked around and said "these are my kind of people." With any big movie and TV franchise this happens; it happened when we saw The Hobbit too. No matter who they are or what walk of life they come from, everyone is so nice! We have yet to meet a cross Whovian or Ringer!

So there you have it. The secret is out! This challenge has come to an end. We will be back to posting regular topics soon. Thanks for hanging with us. Allons-y!!!

Making the grade

Kelly: I remember growing up as a kid in elementary school and my parents having multiple conversations with various teachers. I was too young to remember these conversations, but some of them included the loosely translated "she's not going to do well in college" speech because my grades were "below average" and I had a difficult time learning. It was suggested I had a learning disability and from elementary school up through college I severely struggled with taking tests. But my parents never enrolled me to have an IEP (individualized education plan) because they didn't want me to have that label of being "different." Now PLEASE do not misunderstand me; when I look back on it now I think perhaps an IEP or a related degree would have been very beneficial for me. But my parents always told me to do my best in school, and that grades were just letters but that didn't mean I could just slack off. The value of a good and hearty education was important to them, and so was the simple fact of just trying.

College was especially difficult for me at times, because in my field of study I HAD to make certain grades in my classes in order to continue into the program. In one of my generals, I was a few points under the 77% benchmark, thus I had to repeat the course. I often found myself envious of some of my classmates who just seemed to naturally excel; those who barely opened the book yet walked away from each test passing with flying colors. I on the other hand,  slaved myself at times to studying and studying. I did not have to work as hard in high school as I did in college, so this was new to me. Making straight A's and "learning how to study" is NOT something you learn in high school in my opinion; it's something you learn, over time, on your own. You learn what works for you and what doesn't. Ok, I sort of veered off course with that, so let me get back on track. I kept in mind what my parents told me; do your best and regardless, they continued to let me know how proud they were of me. Now I understand some people I know have high expectations for themselves. But just bear in mind, it is an opportunity many do not get that we have by going to college. And I am all for making the most of it, but do your best. Sometimes when you do your best and you don't feel like it was or the grade you got doesn't reflect "your best," then....well, I'm sorry about that. I really am. I'm not being brash or insensitive. You fell off the horse; dust yourself off and realize that you did do your best. Don't blame someone else, because trust me. I've tried that. I've pulled the "well they're just unfair" or "they're grading methods are unfair." It doesn't work.

I apologize in advance if I make someone angry or whatnot, but I feel that this blog is a safe place where I can freely express my opinions. It is not my intention to step on anyone's toes, and I am not saying that anyone who expects themselves to get straight A's and nothing else are stuck up and over achievers. Not even close. I honestly sometimes wish I had that motivation for myself. But just remember; in the end, all it comes down to is just....letters.

Holly: This has been on my mind for a while now, and it's come in light of finals wrapping up for students this week, both at Berea and UK (where I work).  I'm being completely upfront now; I surprised myself at some of my feelings yesterday.  There is some bitterness, there is some jealousy, and I know it's petty and I know it shouldn't be there.  But I'm going to be full disclosure.  I've accepted it and I'm going to move on from it, and I'm just going to be frank and get this all out, so I apologize if it is lengthy:

A lot of my facebook friends have been posting their final grades.  Most of you have gotten A's and B's.  Please let me be one of many to congratulate you.  College is tough.  Berea is a league of its own, if I do say so myself.  You all should definitely be proud of yourselves.  HOWEVER: I've also had many conversations with people about their grades.  I work at UK, for goodness sake.  The department has two student workers.  Many of my facebook friends are still Berea students.  You all GO. NUTS. over your grades.  I know so many who get disappointed in themselves and beat themselves to death if they don't make straight A's.  And for what?  A 4.0?  

Guys, I did not make A's and B's at Berea.  Not even close.  EVERY semester I was there I had a least one C.  It sucked.  It really did.  I busted my butt at Berea, and every time I saw that C it sucked.  It felt like I failed.  And to see all of you posting your straight A's and your A's and B's...well, yeah.  The jealousy comes out.  My LAST semester at Berea I was in my adviser's office in tears because I had a D in my Genetics class, and I NEEDED that class to graduate; I thought my life was over, right then and there! But I learned something REALLY quickly during my time at Berea: grades are just letters.  It's a letter.  Nothing more.  A 4.0 will not guarantee you a job after graduation.  A 4.0 will not guarantee you acceptance into your dream grad school (We have a friend who graduated with a 3.9 and MIT TURNED HER DOWN.  Massachusetts. Institute. of freaking. Technology.  Did I stutter?).  It will definitely help, I think, or at least I'd like to think it will.  A 4.0 will not guarantee you those things because after graduation, there are no guarantees.  There just aren't.  That's the world we live in, that's the economy we live in.  I don't mean to rain on everyone's parades, so let me say this: Please be proud of the grades you do get, whether they're straight A's, or alphabet soup, like mine were.  A lot of young people our age don't even get the opportunity to even go to college.  Can we not stress ourselves out over these letters? Do your best, in ALL areas, not just your academics.  Don't stress.  It's not worth it.  Enjoy your college experience.; it really does go by fast (I'll be 2 years post graduation next May...woah?).  I'm proud of my degree, even with the C's (and yes, the D) littered in my transcript, because I gained so much more than I could have imagined, and you can't put a numerical value on that. 

Homecoming with a side of Pad Thai

Kelly: This weekend was Berea's homecoming weekend. For starters, Holly and I ventured to Lexington to visit with some good friends that we haven't seen in a while! (You may remember them from when our friend got married just recently). This was Friday night which involved excellent food at a wonderful restaurant, a good flick (Puss in Boots!!) followed by crashing at our friend's apartment. We then proceeded to make s'mores over their fireplace and laugh until we were in tears and our stomachs ached with the pains that jolly laughter brings. We awoke Saturday morning with a biscuit breakfast and ventured back to Berea for the homecoming festivities! One of the booths had SUSHI which was delish!!!!!!!!!!! Holly and I then attended our concert for the choir we are involved in, which is always an experience and definitely worth looking at (look up Berea College Black Music Ensemble for a rockin' good time!). It was just a phenomenal concert that we gave, and we were still talking about it for the rest of the day!

And now, it is time for my shameless plug. I received my Help Harry Help Others bracelet today :]. In case you are wondering, Help Harry Help Others is a cancer research organization based in Birmingham, England. Harry was an 11-year-old boy who recently passed away from an inoperable brain tumor. He funded cancer research by selling bracelets, and they have sold all over the world! But seriously, google it, look it up, and invest in a bracelet if you feel led to. It's such a wonderful cause that I am proud to support! *added by Holly: there is no set price for the bracelets, just a minimum donation of 2 pounds.*

Holly: I just finished a glass of Dr. Pepper.  I have spent, literally, the entire day working on an annotated bibliography.  7 pages and just over 2600 words.  I'm spent.  I'm tired.  It's been a long day.  But life is good. 

Words cannot express the, for lack of a better word, FUN that I had this weekend! Laughing until I cried and my stomach hurt...ah, man, it was like we've never been apart! It was like we were picking up right where we left off! I LOVE that about close friends.  I'm still smiling about it.

After our BME concert yesterday, Amanda pants the roommate, Kelly and I decided to venture to a local Thai place (Kelly and I had not been there since our freshman year).  If you are a fan of Thai food and if you ever find yourself in Berea, Kentucky....then Wan Pen is a must!!!! Seriously! I ordered the chicken pad thai (without anything spicy because I'm a certified wimp) and it is TO DIE FOR!  I had the leftovers for lunch today and it was still TO DIE FOR!!!!!!!

So anyway...good friends, good fun, good food...good times! :)  Be blessed! 

Oh, P.S.  happy spaz moment in 3..........2............1...............


FIVE MORE DAYS UNTIL COLIN AND BRAD SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday Night dinner fun! 

Let the festivities begin

Us with our dear friend, James, whom we describe as an angry black woman trapped in a  white Southern  gentleman's body 

We finally got a serious pic! 

Kelly and my roommate at our concert. We do sign language!

Me and Kelly's roommate signing! :] 

BME meets King's Island!

Holly: Yesterday, the gospel choir that Kelly and I are a part of (BME= Black Music Ensemble.  And no, you don't have to be black! lol) went to King's Island yesterday.  For the select few of our readers, King's Island is an amusement park in Cincinnati, Ohio: 3 hours away from home home (Athens), 2 and a half hours-ish away from Berea.  Anyway, we left really super early (7) and got back super late (10)...so needless to say, I was a little tired for church this morning.  But church never fails to lift my spirits and make me feel all kinds of happy again!

Ok, waaayyyy off topic (we'll probably do another blog about our church later, so stay tuned), but, despite our choir being at the park on the hottest day on record, I think we did pretty good.  I even think we ended up on some  random people's cell phone videos! XD

After we sang, we literally had like SIX HOURS to kill at the park.  Our shenanigans included riding about 80% of the kiddie rides (that is not an exaggeration, either), riding White Water Canyon (twice!), riding an assortment of our favorite fair rides, including the Scrambler, and ending the day with the Backlot Stunt Coaster (my and Kelly's personal favorite).  It was, quite possibly, the singlehandedly most fun thing that I have done in a while! Exactly what I needed to start off my second to last semester of my undergraduate career! :]

Kelly and my wonderful roommate, Amanda! We had just gotten off WWC and we were looking like a hot mess!

I'm a bit too excited about the Stunt Coaster!

We're a pretty rad bunch! (L-R: me, Karen, Kelly, Jen, and Amanda in  the front with her Dippin' Dots)

Kelly: Shew! Incredibly thankful for Holly's overzealous roommate and her fair skinness and constant re-application of sunscreen. Man, it was incredibly brutal when we had to get up and sing. Hey, I'd like to see you all sing in front of people, in the 90-degree blazing sun, in dark shirts and dark jeans. We were singing our closing song titled "Freedom," and at the end everyone was clapping. I was clapping too because we were finished and we could get out of the sun!!! Hahaha...I tease. Our performance was very wonderful, if I do say so myself. People were stopping us throughout the day and asking what we were and what we were doing. It was also very rewarding and uplifting for me as well. Earlier this week, I mentioned a test that I needed to pass, and well, if you read "Victory!!!!" (the previous post), you'll see it. Just read it. Anyway, it was kind of a celebration of a job well done for me, just personally.

Now we're done and still reeling from the soreness and exhaustion from it all. Seriously, I LOVE going to church, but Bedside Baptist sounded like a great idea this morning. I was so sore and my voice was just about done...took a couple hacks before I could hear myself talk. And now I'm still sore. Anywhos, now the week is about to begin and it's going to be CRAZY. But we will both be totally fine, because God is good, can I get an amen? That's it for now. Cheers!