¿¡Hola! ¿Cómo está usted? Estoy bien. ¡Esto es marzo!

That’s my attempt at Spanish. I can’t wait to take Spanish II next Spring! (English majors must take two classes of a foreign language, and I bypassed out of Spanish I which is a Fall-only class, so now Spanish II, Spring-only, will be on my classes next year.) <<That was a really long parenthetical sentence. I almost started monologuing. Sorry ’bout that.

Well, it’s Friday. And I’m tired. So this post is going to be short. Not really because I’m tired (I know how to finish a paper when the exhaustion hits, miraculously enough), but actually because the Chorale and Symphonic Winds concert is coming up this Sunday. Mandatory rehearsal for a few songs that we are singing/playing together will go down tonight, and I want to save my excitement – because, you know, I am almost always excited about something! – for tonight. Alas, I must prepare my voice and mind for this blessed event. It counts as a concert credit, which I explained in one of my previous blog posts way back when, so that’s good news.

It’s also midterms. They’re going alright – I don’t have that many exams compared to some majors. Mostly I am pumped for Spring break, which shall be occurring in about a week.

This semester has flown by. FLOWN. I talk about flying quite a bit, don’t I? I apologize. I shall try to find a better verb to use.

…

This semester has waltzed away.

Until next time. I promise I’ll have cooler things to say by then.

H. Davis

This week has been filled with many activities, meetings, class cancellings, and what not. However, I must say, I have enjoyed the week for the most part.

FLASHBACK:

I sleep on the top bunk in my dorm room, and on the first night in my new room, I took the bare necessities up to my ceiling view: journal, bible, pencil, question book, and Dr. Seuss book. Of course, I’ve learned to downsize the amount of English/Creativity things that I sleep with since my bed is smaller here than home, but I kept my Dr. Seuss book under my pillow the whole first semester. (This second semester, the book hasn’t even made it out of my car yet!) My pillow is a lovely Tempur Pedic kind so I rarely felt the book unless I scooped my hands under the pillow to move or fix it. Usually the light is out and I don’t want to wake my roommate, so I would just grab the book in its place, just feeling how hard it is, still new, barely torn, hardly dusty, and then I go to sleep. What’s the Dr. Seuss book? Well, it’s got a lot of memories…

It’s the “Oh the Places You’ll Go!” book. At a Church camp that I went to with my Youth group, the Speaker would end the week-long fun by reading this book about “climbing your mountain.” When I went to have my senior pictures done by the wonderful Liz Thomas (whom you should Facebook-like after you finish reading), she asked where I wanted to go in life, who I wanted to be, and essentially, I said whatever and wherever God leads me. When she uploaded my senior sneak-peeks on the internet, my album title was “Today is your day… your mountain is waiting…” which is a significant line in the Dr. Seuss book. That book was a graduation present from my Parents, and oh how I love them. They’ve been wonderful to me and guided me so much. Another person that’s guided me quite a bit in high school was my Youth Pastor, who wrote in my Bible, and what did he put in there? “Your mountain is waiting.”

It’s cool if you haven’t read the book. It’s basically about all the places you can go, things you can do, hardships that will come, fun places you will be, and who you will turn into as you face and climb your mountain. I know this has nothing to do with UC necessarily, but it does, let me get to it…

UC is a part of my mountain that I’m going to climb. And I haven’t had a really cool sign-off phrase like Zac and Kandace do. I wanted to kind of end each post with something. If I were to have a sign-off phrase, it would be “Off to my mountain now.” Which is super cheesy, but nevertheless true. I’m going somewhere in this life. YOU are going somewhere in this life. You have a mountain to face and climb! I have one too.  Wouldn’t that be grand, if we could climb our mountains together at UC? You don’t have to say yes. (But you should still sign up for Discovery Day)

So for today I will sign off, with the most sentimentally authentic thing I can say:

Off to climb my mountain,

Hayley Davis

It’s been a week. But a good one, I think. I’ve been chatting with some new international friends I made recently. Hooray for more cultural conversations! I’ve also been learning lots of new things in Theory 2. For all Music people, here’s a funny:

Besides that, I’ve been adjusting to the cold. 60′s one week, 15 degrees the next! That’s Kentucky for you, and I love it. It’s a new season. And what happens when we start a new season? Flowers wither, snowflakes shower, and a Discovery Day comes around again! I am SO excited, you have no idea. I think a few of my friends are going to be visiting UC this February for the Discovery Day, and I’m happy to see them.

Discovery Day is essentially this beautiful Saturday event meshed with information, free food, and a tour of the school. You learn and ask anything you need to know about University of the Cumberlands. I’m pre-excited because today, January 25th, 2012, I committed to UC. In fact, January 22nd of 2011 I came to Discovery Day and was impressed with the school. So you can see that this day holds a special place in my heart. Among other occurrences on this day, college is a huge choice and I can’t tell people enough how much I belong here. Do you belong here? Maybe. Maybe not. But the only way to know is to find out.

Sign up today, before it is too late!

Wow, I’m posting a blog. I don’t do that very often, even though I’m usually drafting something. (I have another blog, btw, here: www.davisdosage.blog.com)

The reason I am acting so surprised is because I’ve had boatloads of homework. Yes, the semester has officially started! Everything is on track and all the ducks are getting in their row, considering it’s been raining since I’ve been on campus. That’s Kentucky weather for you. She can never make up her mind

I won’t complain about this huge load of responsibility, though. No sir! I really keep remembering that I’m a private liberal arts college on partial academic scholarship taking courses for my future careers I’m desiring. Isn’t that awesome? Tedious, yes, but I really am grateful to be given the challenge. Let the homework begin!

This semester I have Music Theory 2 (Round two!!!), Class Piano (Left hand wonders), Non-Canonical Works Study (books that didn’t make it into the traditional Bible), Chorale (Choir course), Appalachian Folktales (I learned the origin of “hillbilly” yesterday in class), my performance music course (self-explanatory), Voice lessons, and an online New Testament survey class. Lots of reading and papers, as well as performances and sight reading, but it’s going to be a great semester!

If you’ll excuse me, the phone, the phone is ringing…

What’s gonna work? HOMEWORK!

(Have a lovely January!)

-Hayley

Good day, fellow readers. I figured you should know some progress of this little introvert blogging about college. I want you to know that I made some really great friends during the first semester. But you know, a picture is worth a thousand words… so I’m going to let the camera do the talking!

Blurry, but the best of times. This is Cierra and Me during the Fall. She is such an awesome listener and advice-giver!

Many a friend made through the Church I go to near UC’s campus. We all went together on a Missions conference over Winter break called “Urbana.” Great people!

Natalia, Me, and Cristina. They are awesome Spanish-speaking students that I’ve had the privilege to befriend!

A friend bought me a HUMONGOUS bag of Tootsie rolls for my graduation. Enchanting, I know. I took them to college with me, and they made it through the whole first semester, right until like the second day of Finals week during which I conveniently received a Finals care package from home at that present time. Alas, the time and the tootsies have escaped from me. I truly don’t know where they went. It really seems like yesterday that I was fighting back tears in Wendy’s, eating my last lunch with my family for a good long time. That was Move-in day. And now look at me… well, figuratively… I’m buying new books. I’m taking upper level courses. I’m starting work study with a new supervisor. I’m joining an on-campus Church. 2013 is going to have many beginnings – not just the seasons, but the meanings. The circumstances. The people.

I made quite a few friends my first semester, and I owe that (to the charm I inherited from my Dad, and the wit I inherited from my Mom) to the dedication to sleep, the discipline to not go home every weekend, and the discernment to know who to befriend. Life has handed me very suspicious lemons, and mostly I’m finding that I enjoy each struggle, because it brings me closer to the ones I love and serve, and closer to the point of my existence. I’m here to make a difference… hopefully a good one. And I’m not going to reach the entire 9 billion universe. I don’t need to. I just need to reach a few. And they’ll reach a few. And those few will reach a few. There’s no need for me to save the world, but there is a deep need for me to be saved and to save those I can.

I am so grateful for the life I’ve been given, and I know this is beyond the sappy ranting you wanted to read – you wanted to see if I slipped on the ice this week or met a guy or got cross with teacher. I assure you, none of those will happen… well, maybe the first one. What I write has got to be sappy sometimes, because I’m just so darn blessed. Please cherish every moment of your life. Even the ugly ones, where the vacuum sucks more than the carpet or the Starbucks line is treacherously long. Just be thankful, my friends, my acquaintances, you strangers. Just be thankful, that 760 tootsie rolls later, you still have the power to change, grow, and learn in this whole wide world.

New Beginnings always call for a goodbye.

Oh there’s no, place like home, for the holidays! I am really enjoying my break. Sugar cookies, board games, Church services, family meals, and plenty of laughter to go around!

Just had to update a quick post to let you know some other good news!…

My books came in! #happiness   Oh, and Merry Christmas! 

Ta da! My wrapping style (very white, I know) and my awesome presents from Amazon! For my first semester of college, I ordered all of my books from the Bookstore to make sure I had the right books. My parents and I both agreed that was best since I’m not so savvy with online buying anyway. This semester, I ordered a few books online and the rest from the campus bookstore, that way I could have a few during the break.

I shall start studying soon. But not too soon. I am about to go on a Missions conference – it’s called Urbana. I heard about it because of the Church I go to very close to campus. The Pastor played a video and introduced us to this gathering in Missouri that only occurs every three years. Anyway, I’m definitely anticipating the experience! I shall inform you of all that goes on when I get back, or maybe while I’m there….

until then,

Happy holidays!