High On God

~Whoa, Katherine. You're eyes are like... reeaaallly dilated right now.~

This week, unlike the others, has gone by SUPERBLY slow-like. Which I guess is good because it means a lot of stuff happens in between.

Like... if a quick week is slicing a hot knife through butter, my week was the equivalent of using an elementary school plastic knife (the ones without teeth) on a burnt loaf of Ezekiel bread.

And you know the saying "Time flies when you're having fun?"

My time went sailing into a melted cheese factory. :/

Imagine swimming through a big pot of THAT.

Subject #1 EXCEPT WEDNESDAY!!! Because all this week, the American Red Cross blood drive was drawing in patients and slurping up blood by the pints. There were portable vans at West Campus, and the command station set up at Trinity Hall lobby, one of two co-ed dorms. Monday Wednesday Fridays are pretty scheduled until 4:10pm. So after Bel Canto and Man Choir ended for the day, my section leader Arie, a bass named Sean from Man Choir, and I headed to the Cougar Den so Arie and Sean could eat before their next class. Upon ordering, we had just sat down in the refreshingly cool eating area when all of a sudden... a girl appeared in our general area... and just stood there.

After a few curious looks, I asked her if she knew anyone here, and she replied with a friendly 'no.' So I did what most anyone on campus would do... I enthusiastically shook her hand and introduced myself!

Eventually I found out her name was (I believe) Emily, a sophomore nursing major from (again, I think) Ontario, CA. After a few exchanges she invited herself to our fourth table position and Sean and I gladly accepted, since Arie and somewhat Sean were busy talking with someone at a nearby table.

Here's where things get interesting...

I space out a lot. Thoughts, circumstances, prayers, and songs... LOTS of songs... keep me internally occupied until reality once again catches my attention. So, the next thing I am consciously aware of, Emily has engaged both Sean and Arie in an explanation over HOW we came to know each other. But her answer, curiously, was not a "we-just-met-a-few-minutes-ago-but-just-clicked-like-that" kind of answer.

What was she saying?

That we were cousins.

And so I run with it.

1. We only met once in our childhoods.

2. I moved away from Huntington Beach when we were children, since my Dad was in the Air Force and we moved a lot (somewhat true, but I wasn't born yet).

3. We did kind of look alike.

4. We agreed with whatever else each other said.

So we spun this wonderful web of relatable instances that sounded almost truthful ourselves.

Arie began pointing out similarities in our facial expressions and looks to our utter delight! Sean just sat there with an awed smile belying a quizzical expression.

Until Arie asked,

"Wow! Really? Like, really you're both cousins?"

And we both cracked up and said,

"No. Not really. I just met her!"

Emily said,

"Sean! You SAW US introduce ourselves!"

He replied,

"Yeah. I did at first. And then you started telling your stories and I started believing you."

"Ohh! Well in that case, sorry I kicked you under the table."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! We died laughing.

Subject #2 Arie was okay with being fooled, claiming herself gullible and shook with laughter like the rest of us. We then turned around to view the wide window peering into the KAPU Radio Station. Inside, a young mother with a gorgeous one-year-old with blond, wispy curls tousled around her head and bright, watery blue eyes stared out at Arie.

Arie went up to the window and proceeded to play Peek-a-Boo, CopyCat, and Kiss Blowing at this young baby. At first, the baby smiled widely and continued staring at Arie. Then, she began responding, banging her tiny fists against the window with delight, mimicking Arie in a show the entire Den could enjoy! Eventually the little tike went crazy and Mommy had to pull her away from the window, successfully ending the show. At this point, Endorphins are flowing as fast and strong as the Class 4 rapids on the Rogue River, clouding our inhibitions and replacing them with laughter and easy conversation.

Subject #3 Arie and Emily decided to stay behind and talk some more. I began motions toward the door when Arie called out to Sean,

"Hey Sean! Are you going to give blood?"

"Yeah, I think so," he replied with a smile.

"You ARRRREEE????!!!!" I practically shrieked, "OhmyGOSH I love you right now!!"

We then bid our goodbyes and skipped out the door singing "We're off to see the Wizard" and "The Sound of Music," skipping and singing the whole way to Trinity Hall.

This was Sean's first time giving blood, and my first time in Southern California. So I kept verbally and songfully exclaiming my pure joy and euphoria at the prospect of giving blood (with a friend at my side! It makes the process less menacing I suspect). We signed him up first so I could be the friend-at-his-side-holding-his-hand during the "donating process."

Unfortunately, by the time Sean was called, I was called also, and I finished signing off my information when HE was done giving blood.

Well that didn't work out as planned.

So he laid there in recovery mode while I asked him how it went, gleefully watching the tube in my arm sucking away my precious life fluids. It was great! Afterwards we talked for awhile next to the apple juice boxes, packets of Oatmeal cookies, Cheez-its, knock off Oreos and untouched trail mix (the one without M&Ms. Of COURSE no one's gonna eat it). By the time we were done, two hours had gone by! The sky was dark and I couldn't see, so we linked arms with another girl I spontaneously met named Christina and walked back to my Hall lobby, talked some MORE and then went our separate ways.

Subject #4 As you can imagine, my homework laid neglected the entire day. I ran upstairs, shoved my supplies for homework due the next day in three subjects plus my laptop in my backpack and ran back down to make it 15 minutes late to my Alpha Meeting. Neglecting dinner as well as my homework, I got a protein mango smoothie and a wheat bagel. We immediately turned around and headed to the UTCC upstairs from the Cafeteria to get in line for Kaleo: AKA Wednesday night chapel-- where all the cool people go to make up Chapel credits missed from sleeping-in in the mornings. Luckily, I whipped out my lap top and finished my math project due at 8am the following morning before the first verse of worship. Whew! Kaleo ended at 10:30pm. Our Alpha group talked with our leader until 11pm, and we I spoke briefly outside without our leader, and that's when everyone peered at me and exclaimed,

"Oh my gosh Katherine! Look!"

"Whoa, Katherine. Your eyes are like... reeeaally dilated right now."

"Your pupils are covering your corneas."

"...Dude..."

And that's when I knew- finally snuggling into bed from THE most eventful day at APU yet-

I was literally high from the circumstantial blessings of the Lord.

P.S. The morning after was NOT fun. Three tests in three subjects in ONE day.

None of which I successfully studied for.

These are the lessons I learn in budgeting my time accordingly.

Luckily, I think I did fairly well in every test.

Welcome to college.