J. Alvin Christmas Party

It's that time of year. It's that time of year when you finish all your last minute projects, cram for finals, and attend a different Christmas celebration each night. Last night, I put off my studies to enjoy some festivities with the residents of the one and only, J. Alvin. Here's some highlights from my night.

It wouldn't be a J. Alvin Christmas Party if there wasn't a ginormous tree in the middle of the atrium. The all boys dorm did not disappoint with the massive tree held up by strands of Christmas lights.

My partners in crime for the night got taken in early. They were forced to get mug shots before spending Christmas in the pen.

Celebrating Christmas in Narnia proved to be a good time. After following Mr. Beaver down through the woods to meet Aslan, the wicked White Witch gave us some peppermint candies.

The group took a break from visiting suits to decorating some scrumptious cookies. Our beautiful decorations did not last long before the ended up in our tummies.

The two bouncers outside Klub K-Pop were friendly enough when they asked us to wait for our VIP suite. Once in, we were escorted to a back room and flash mobbed to the popular hit "Gangnam Style."

No other suite was partying as hard as Jersey Shore Christmas, though. Dressed in tanks and swim shorts the guys were rocking out in the hot tub as well as pumping iron nearby.

When we entered this eerily absent suite, we decided to take a break and watch some Kungfu Panda. Little did we realize that Kungfu Panda was stealthily watching us nearby.

Perhaps my favorite suite of the night had us hunting for Teddy Bears for Santa to stuff for all the girls and boys. Each of our crew was manned with a nerf gun and told to fend for ourselves.

The most dangerous suite of the night goes to the group preparing for a Zombie Apocalypse. Manned with firearms, simulators and even a treatment center, the men were prepared for the Mayan end of the world. 

All in all, it was a good night. Though most suites had poor lighting, I was able to get some good shots and use the lighting to my advantage. I stuck to mostly still shots, but couldn't resist a couple action ones (someone had to record the teddy bear hunt). Though I would not consider the photos professional quality, my iPhone pictures are not too bad.

College Survival Guide: The Exercising

It always happens. I am laying in the sand, breeze flowing through my hair, soaking up the sun. No thoughts of homework or newspaper deadlines or post-graduation plans. I’m about to take a sip of my strawberry daiquiri when “WE DON’T HAVE TO BE LONELY NO MORE! AND I’VE NEVER EVER BEEN THIS FOR SURE…” sings loudly in my ear.

My alarm is going off. It’s 6 a.m. and I have to make a choice. Get up, work out and feel awake and energetic the rest of the day. Or, throw my cozy comforter over my head and sleep a couple more hours.

Now, if I’ve had my seven to eight hours of sleep the night before {see my previous post on catching zzz’s} then getting up is usually the easy choice. The oh so many times I’ve chosen to exercise, I have never once regretted it.

College Survival Guide: The Sleeping

If you don’t listen to any of my other advice, listen to this: It’s vitally important that you get enough sleep.

There’s a myth that travels through the college network. It deceives incoming freshman as well as seasoned seniors. It says, “College has three parts—school, sleep & social—and you can only choose two.”

I’m here to say, “Don’t believe the lies!”

College Survival Guide: The Eating

Nothing excited me more about my senior year of college than this one truth: I will never, ever eat in the caf ever again.

Over summer, I dreamed about all the meals I would cook, all the recipes I would try and all the dinners I would host. My diet would no longer consist of salads every lunch and sandwiches every dinner. I would no longer be confined to a strict eating schedule. I could have breakfast at 10 a.m. and dinner at 8 p.m. if I wanted.

Then classes started. And I realized the time it took to plan meals, to purchase groceries and to actually cook. All of the sudden, this no-caf life didn’t seem so glamorous.

Intro: Hello, web travelers welcome to my blog.My name ...

I'd like to introduce you to another CommTech classmate one last time. This is Josiah. And I think he likes soccer, but I could definitely be wrong.

Intro: Hello, web travelers welcome to my blog.

My name ...: Hello, web travelers welcome to my blog. My name is Josiah Bolos and I am a senior communications major.

Steven Hamilton- Comm Tech: Hello world!My name is Steve. I am a freshman at...

Meet Steven. He's got a very diverse set of interests and will be braving CommTech with me this semester. I like his enthusiasm.

Steven Hamilton- Comm Tech: Hello world!

My name is Steve. I am a freshman at...: Hello world! My name is Steve. I am a freshman at JBU this year, and excited to be so! As to my education, I managed to nab a high school ...

The Crew Headlines: Fantasy Football: The Game that Changed the Game.

My classmate, Jordan, has a pretty great blog you should check out. I don't know much about him, but he has a well-written intro and he likes football so he can't be that bad!

The Crew Headlines: Fantasy Football: The Game that Changed the Game.: Years back, during the dog days of football, where running the ball and great defense were the only avenues of success, the NFL was simpler....

Soundtrack to my Summer: Somethin' 'Bout a Truck

I couldn’t close my summer soundtrack series with anything but a country song. The problem is just choosing one. With the sun shining bright, windows down, warm breeze blowing, only country music will suffice. And nothing brings out the southern gal in me like summertime and my favorite country station.

Though several country songs twanged their way into my heart, one particularly won me over. I don’t know what it is, but there’s just Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck.

Soundtrack to my Summer: I Won't Give Up

Some songs make you want to dance your butt off. Some songs cause you want to hum along underneath your breath. And some songs strike you right through the heart.

I’m the type of girl who tends to bypass the catchy beats and beautiful melodies and go straight for the soulful lyrics. My favorite songs are usually the ones with which I can identify. These are the ones that seem to understand what I’m going through. And more often than not, they’re only accompanied by a single guitar.

Matt Wertz and Ben Rector didn’t bring me anything new this summer, but Jason Mraz delivered with his beautiful single, I Won’t Give Up.

Soundtrack to my Summer: Call Me Maybe

Some songs you hear on the radio beg you to hate them. With catchy tunes and shallow lyrics, they squirm their way up the charts. Before you can say “Carly Rae Jepson,” they have a claimed a spot on your favorite radio station again. And, the worst part? You can’t get them out of your head.

Call Me Maybe was one of those songs. But like most radio garbage, my boyfriend picked it up and claimed it as his favorite. Personally, I believe Daniel has an unexplainable attraction for the cheap and tacky. {I’m not sure what that says about me.} But, when most of our friends declared it too silly, too pop or too mainstream for their ears to handle, Daniel immediately latched onto it. 

Soundtrack to my Summer: Some Nights

“Funny how a melody sounds like a memory,” sings Eric Church in his top single Springsteen. Music resounds with us for so many reasons and hits us on so many levels, but its ability to connect us to the precious moments of the past always has us coming back for more.

The summer before my senior year was full of memories I never want to forget. Fortunately, most of those moments were accompanied by a song. The next series of posts will dive into four songs that have played on repeat the last several months of my life.

 

Some Nights by the New York-native band Fun. takes the first spot on my list. Fun.’s music sounds exactly like its name: fun. And as soon as the first words ring of this song, my heart is transported back to those fun summer nights with my girlfriends. 

This is Me

Hi. I'm Jenny Redfern {yes, just like Where the Redfern Grows}.

I'm a senior journalism major, and I'm Editor-in-Chief of The Threefold Advocate. I play basketball, exercise like crazy, and cheer on my beloved Razorbacks whenever I get the chance.

But those are the things I do, not who I am.

I am, first and foremost, a child of the King. I am ambitious and outgoing and friendly, yet the most competitive person you will ever meet. I love chocolate and good books and trying new things. But most importantly, I love the amazing friends and family in my life, because the best things in life aren't things.

Want to get my attention? Just use pretty things and clever words...

Works every time.