Caryn Carroll has a very bad temper. Caryn Carroll has a very bad temper. Caryn Ca...

Parking on-campus costs $75.00; parking is limited and rarely available for those who live off-campus. Parking off-campus (or on the street right next to campus) costs nothing, or so I thought. I chose the latter- it's cheaper! Parking on the street actually cost me several quarters to refill my tires that had been deflated by a ridiculously absurd neighbor. The next time I parked on the street a note was left on my windshield saying, "STOP parking here. Next time your tires will be slashed". Slightly intimidated by the note, I started parking in the half-empty (some might say half-full) parking lot of Smith/Adams for my 5:00am-9:00am shift working at the Smadams desk on Monday and Friday mornings. The police never, ever, ever appear at the forgotten off-campus residence hall, and I only park there illegally from 8:00-9:00am, so I figured that this was a good solution that will prevent me from having to pay for four new tires.

Well, as of this morning, my off-campus parking has cost me $15 (plus the previously mentioned quarters) because a student worker for the ACU police department (traitor) thought it was necessary to give me a parking ticket. I was walking out to my truck while she was writing it and I thought about jumping in my truck and quickly driving off. I didn't. She handed me the ticket while I asked her in a very stern and angry voice, "Is this really necessary?" I drove off ticked off and wearing a "kill everyone" expression on my face with my eyebrow cocked, lips pursed, and eyes saying "if you merely look at me, I'll punch you in the face".

So, my parking options for the rest of the semester are to
1. pay for a parking permit- absurd
2. continue to park in Smadams parking lot since it will probably be neglected by the police for the rest of the semester- possibly
3. park across the street and get my tires slashed- maybe not
4. park further down the street and walk next to the dwelling place of a sex offender at 5:00 in the morning- probably
5. walk a mile to work at 5:00 in the morning (still passing the sex offender's house)- nope

California Highlights!

Holidays are so great! Mom, Happy, Kelli, and I spent Spring Break in California to visit mi hermana Amber Joy! The scenery was lovely- bright green hills, white blossom trees, sun reflections in the blue ocean! We walked up and down and up and down and up and down the hills of San Francisco to see the Fisherman's Wharf and the sea lions basking in the sun. Sea lions sure are funny looking- God is definitely creative! We indulged in delicious chocolate sundaes from Ghirardelli Square, danced with the ballerinas and ballroom dancers in the art galleries, wandered through the gorgeous redwood forest, sailed past the sharks to Alcatraz prison, climbed and conquered Mount Diablo, strolled through the Japanese Tea Garden (four times), tasted expensive red wine in Napa Valley, and settled on the island of Catan every evening! Thanks, Amber, for all of these lovely adventures!

home again, home again, jiggidy jig!

Friday the Southern Hills Bible Bowl group and the ACU Ultimate Frisbee team left for Albuquerque, NM for a weekend in the "diamond in the dessert". Bible Bowl went well; we have some diligent students of the Bible. The Ultimate tournament went well, also, but we got "second place" several times!

I rode with the Ultimate Frisbee team (and a few stragglers) there and back again- it was exciting! Last night we drove through a snow storm, rain storm, wind storm, dust storm, hail storm, tornado watch, and grass fire until we finally arrived in Abilene at 12:30am. It's amazing that we made it home safely! (Thanks, God!)

Signing again!

For about a month, now, I have been working at Woodson Elementary with the PCDD program (I'm not sure, but I think that it stands for Preschool Children with Developmental Delays). This job plopped in my lap! I randomly ran into a man from church who invited me to a Kiwani's Club luncheon. During the meal, the man sitting next to me asked me a few questions, and then he asked me if I wanted a job. So, here I am! Working with precious preschoolers with special needs.

This job has definitely been eye-opening. Many of these children are neglected or abused. They are so desperate for attention! Behavior is a constant issue, because not only are the kids mistreated at home, but they have (practically) zero expressive language. Hearing a grunt that slightly resembles a word is a huge feat. Because most of our children are not vocal, I am able to dust-off my sign language skills to communicate with them. It is amazing how effective signing is. I'm enjoying this opportunity to use my gift of sign!

TSHA Convention

After picking Jon up from the airport with my parents on Wednesday (welcome home, Jon!), I left Thursday morning to go to San Antonio for the Texas Speech-Language Hearing Association convention. Along with twenty-five other ACU students, I roamed a massive room full of booths giving away free candy, pens (and other cool toys) and attended lectures on phonological disorders, apraxia of speech, etc. This is a great opportunity for me, as a student, to see numerous possibilities for my future career as a speech-language pathologist, make connections, find scholarship programs, and get a lifetime supply of pens.Saturday, after the convention ended and after I grabbed a second or third pen from every booth, two girls and I decided to check out the Alamo. The last time I visited this historical building I thought it was massive- that's how long ago it was since I had seen the Alamo! By coincidence, we decided to go to the Alamo on February 23, which is the date that the siege started in 1836! There were people all dressed up, gun shots, and a reenactment! These two precious girls were who I stayed with, rode with, ate with, and spent the majority of my time with over this long weekend.

"We'll Be Winners Forever!"

Sing Song was fun, but I'm glad that it's done. In case you didn't go see our wonderful act, or if you just want to see the Senior Class talent once more, here is the youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/v/9UELAOlRSic. We won!

Also, here are a couple of pictures with me and papa and my Harry Potter glasses!

California! Here we come!

Yesterday I bought tickets to San Francisco, California! Mom, Happy, Kelli, and I are traveling west to visit my dear sister for Spring Break! It's official! Yea!