Taking a Look Back at the Past 5 Months

At the end of each semester, I like to take a look back to see just all that I experienced: the people, the places, the events, etc.

My life changed more in these past 5 months than it has in most of my life prior to this time. The main reason for this is because I'm an RA. It is definitely a different world from being a regular resident on a college campus. I met so many people that have changed my life for the better. One group of people are the RA's that I work with. Who know a group of people could have such an impact on a life? Each RA that I have had the chance to get to know has had some kind of positive effect on my life, even if they don't realize it. I couldn't imagine spending the majority of my waking hours (which were most of my hours) with any other group of people.

Another group of people that changed my life this semester are my fraternity brothers. This was my first full semester as a brother of Phi Sigma Pi. I learned so much about myself through experiences with them, and I am beyond thankful for the knowledge that has helped me realize what kind of person I've been and what kind of person I wanted to be.

I realized early into the semester that I really liked geography. I'm a very visual learner, so maps and such help me learn material so much better. I took a basic geography class this semester, and I loved it. I do owe a lot of this to my professor. He taught in a way that made me want to learn. I took the 4th test in the class (out of 4) when I didn't even have to (we took 4 tests, he dropped the lowest. I had an A after the first 3 tests) just to prove that I had learned the material. When I came to KSU, I wanted to be a French minor (I love the language and want to be fluent one day), but after a semester of a sub-par French class and an excellent geography class, I have decided to change my minor to Geography, and teach that alongside American History at some high school in Georgia (CHS, perhaps?).

This semester, every day and every event that happened taught me something. I had a wake-up call or two, of which I am so thankful for. People I've met and events I've experienced have taught me not to take things too seriously, the importance of being a good friend, to never give up, and many more important life lessons.

If I had the choice to go back a relive these past 5 months, there are parts I could live everyday for the rest of my life, and parts I'd rather not revisit. But through it all, I don't regret a thing, for everything I have been though has changed me and made me who I am now.

Pet Peeves, and What to Do About Them

Everyone has pet peeves. Those things that other people do that just annoy the heck out of you. What one person might not see as a big deal might be a huge deal to you, and vice versa. Don't you just hate how that works out? Your best friend might do the one thing that gets on your nerves most, and they don't see it as annoying/bad/whatever. Most people have a hard time understanding that we do things that annoy the heck out of other people. Why does it have to work like that? I just really wish that everyone's pet peeves were the same, so no one would annoy anyone else, but that's not how things work.

This blog idea was brought up because lately it seems like the world just wants to completely annoy me, and decide that the people around me are going to do all of the things that annoy me most in the world, and I don't like it (hence the reason they are pet peeves).

Because we all have pet peeves, I'm sure some of you could relate to mine. Then again, some of you could read my list (see below) and think "those are stupid things to get annoyed over," and I'm ok with that, because I'm sure I could say the same thing about some of yours. We're all different, so we don't think the same way about things.

And now, to give you an insight into my brain and the way I see things, I'll list a few of my pet peeves:

1. One of the easiest ways that I get annoyed is when I am driving, and I get stuck in traffic or get stuck behind someone who clearly can't drive. With the traffic thing, I just don't understand it sometimes. If the people in front would just drive, and everyone behind them, and behind them, and so on, there would be no traffic (unless there's a wreck, but I'm usually too mad/frustrated by the time I discover there has been a wreck to be calm). Sometimes I wish that whenever I had to be somewhere, especially on a road trip or whatever, that all other cars would not be on the road (I just realized how self-centered that sounds, but I'm sure you've thought it too), especially people who can't drive. I'm sorry, but grandma/grandpa, if it's rush hour, you shouldn't be on the road if you can't drive somewhere between 5-10 miles over the speed limit. I hate to be heartless, but that's the way it is. I know some people are just trying to be safe and follow the speed limit, but you are doing more harm by driving 10mph under what everyone else is doing.

2. A second way to annoy me is lying. Mostly everyone does it every now and then, but it's annoying when people do it, especially to me (self-centeredness again, but that's kind of the theme of this post...) Don't lie to me. I would have so much more respect for a person if they just told me the truth, even if it would hurt, rather than spare my feelings and lie. I am going to find out, and it's just going to make me really mad and upset that I trusted you. Lying to anyone at all just isn't worth it. So don't do it. Tell the truth next time.

3. When someone doesn't text you back. Hear me out on this one, because there are conditions. If you text someone, and you're having a conversation, and then for some reason, they just stop without warning, that's annoying. Your phone is in your hands if we're having a conversation, so I know you read my text. Why not just respond? If someone doesn't text back after you texting them just once, that's ok. They may be at work, or sleeping, or whatever. But respond eventually, even if it's just to say, "Hey, sorry I didn't text back, I was..." I may sound like someone who is just complaining, but really, if you're in high school or college, there's a good chance that you're phone is on your person at all times (I know mine is). Why ignore a text? That person obviously thought enough of you to text you, so text them back.

4. Stupidity. Listen to directions. Pay attention in class, or don't ask questions later. Pay attention to rules. I feel like this one doesn't need much explanation. I don't know of anyone who just loves being around people who are stupid.

Those are most of my pet peeves. But I'm not done.

Because my blog is titled "Working on Positivity," I want to talk about how I can use situations where these things happen as a learning experience and become a better person through it. I know that I have very little patience, and that most of these pet peeves revolve around me getting impatient with other people. It's definitely a personal matter, and I know that God is trying so hard to teach me patience. Traffic happens. There isn't a way around that, and most of the time it happens for a reason (construction, a wreck, etc.). It's selfish of me to only be thinking of myself in this situation, when people could be hurt. I really can't think of how to look at lying positively. I guess I could take it as a chance to give out a second chance at trusting the person, because I know I've been given many second chances by many people. When it comes to texting, I need to understand that people get busy. Something comes up to where they need to pause the conversation for a little while. This is the hardest to understand, for sure, but it can be a learning experience the next time it happens, I just have to remember that. People mishear things all the time, and I should know that sometimes people need things repeated, especially if it's work instructions or test material. They just want to be sure they have heard things correctly so they do a good job with whatever it is, or they have the correct material to study.

If you have ever experienced any of these things that I've done to you, I apologize. Feel free to call me out on them, because I make a conscious effort not to do them because I am annoyed when other people do them to me.

I challenge you do to the same thing. Make a list of all the things that annoy you, then look at how you can use them as a learning/growing experience. You'd be surprised at what you can teach yourself.

Thanks for reading,
Cameron

No Shave November

It's December now, so that means the annual tradition known as No Shave November is officially over for 2011.

For girls that love seeing facial hair on guys, this day is probably very sad, as guys across America will be shaving off the month-long growth of hair on their faces. But for girls that hate seeing facial hair, today is a good day, and one they have looked forward to since November 1st.

For the first time in my 20 years of life, I chose to participate in No Shave November. I don't have an official "Before" picture, but if you look either on my Facebook or at an earlier post on my blog, you can see a picture(s) of me with no facial hair. Boom. Before picture.

The picture seen below was taken on November 11th, as part of the 10 day blog challenge I completed earlier in the month.

There isn't much to see, but it was there. That was day 11.

The next picture was taken shortly after midnight on December 1st, the end of No Shave November.

There is not much of a difference, but it was a lot more than I was expecting in a month's time. I would also like to point out that when I looked at this picture before uploading it onto mt blog, it scared me because I realized just how much I look like my dad. Granted, he's 30 years older and doesn't have glasses, but I've been told all my life by people I knew and didn't know that I must be "Mike Yarbrough's son" because I look just like him. (Sidenote: I was approached by someone whom i did not know awhile back while I was out with my friends. This person, and I quote, said, "Excuse, me, are you Mike Yarbrough's son? You must be, because you look just like him." I wasn't even around my dad, but someone still said I looked like him.)

As I look back on the month, I am glad I participated in No Shave this year. For one, it saved me time in the morning because I didn't have to shave (which is normally something that happens daily for me). Also, I got so many compliments on my facial hair (with just a few naysayers), and was told how I looked so much older than 20 years old. I am pretty sure I want to keep it. I mean, I've let it grow for a month, why quit now?

So, reader, tell me: what do you think? I am interested to see how other people feel about this new look I'm trying out.

Thanks for reading,
Cameron

"Do good." "Don't you mean do well?" "No, I mean do good."

I just wanted to start with one of my favorite quotes from my favorite show of all time, Boy Meets World. I had a 4+ hour marathon this past Friday, and it was awesome. I love that show so much.

You know that feeling you get when just about everything goes right? And even when a thing or two goes wrong, you're on such a high from the good things that the bad things don't seem to matter? Yea. That was my Thanksgiving break.

The weeks leading up to the break were some of the worst of the semester. I was so ready for the break, that when it finally came, I felt so relaxed and ready for it. I'm pretty sure that when I saw the sign telling me that I was in Columbus, this wave of peacefulness hit me, and it stayed with me all week. It just felt so good to be back at home, in the place where I grew up and I knew was a safe-haven from everything that had been going on. During those few weeks prior to the break, KSU, to me, had this aura of negativity and debbie-downerness to it that I just had to get away.

But I definitely do not want that to be the focus of this post. This one is all positive :)

My break was absolutely wonderful. It actually started on the ride home. One of my best friends from high school who also goes to ksu, Keira Schrader, gave me a ride home. It was nice to catch up and talk about life, because we hadn't seen each other in so long. She gave me some really good perspective on some things, and I really enjoyed talking to her for a little while. Upon arriving home, I walked in the door and was greeted with the smell of my mom cooking dinner. I love home-cooked meals, especially those cooked by my mom. No one cooks better than she does. After eating dinner and watching Jeopardy with my parents (yes, we are that family), I went camping with some of the best people I know: my growth group. Outside from getting together every week our senior year in high school, I hadn't hung out with all of them together since we all graduated. It was so nice to reconnect as a group and spend some time together cooking, talking, and riding four-wheelers, especially in the rain. It was here that the peacefulness hit so hard. Just being out in the woods, away from the city and whatnot, with my best friends was exactly what I needed to bring me back to a positive, good-mood mindset.

Wednesday I got home from camping around 8, went to sleep around 9, and slept until 3:30. Mom got home from work almost 2 hours later and cooked again. Two home-cooked meals 2 nights in a row?! A college kid couldn't ask for much more than that. Even better was the fact that most of my family was home that night. My younger brother didn't have an away game (like the previous night) so he was home, one of my sisters had come in from Macon that day, so she was home, and my brother and his wife came over for dinner, so they were there. I hadn't seen any of my family since the wedding, so it was nice to be back around the Yarbrough dinner table with them again. After dinner I went to a friend's house for a bonfire. It was also really awesome. My friend group from high school (named by others the "Mafia") was all there and back together again. It felt like old times. We all sat around the fire and reconnected with each other for a few hours. Definitely an evening well spent.

Turkey day! Except not really, because my mom had to work and my sister was supposed to work. Nothing significant happened that day really, I just watched some football and Netflix (Teen Wolf is now streaming live, enough said). After dinnertime, my family went over to my sister-in-law's parent's house for dessert and just hanging out. It was a lot of fun. Our families are both very family-oriented, so we meshed well together. I played Corn Hole for the first time and it was fun! I didn't do too well, but Caitlin's brother-in-law and I won 2 games out of 3 against my brother and his nephew.

Friday was the of Boy Meets World! After a wonderfully delicious grilled steak dinner prepared by my dad, I went to a friend's house for several hours of the greatest show ever produced: Boy Meets World. We started with season 5 (the start of Senior year), and after watching all of it, we skipped to season 7 (college). I love this show. I wish I owned all of the seasons so I could watch them whenever I wanted (or that they would be on Netflix). Such a great TV show. I don't know how many shows I could just sit and watch for literally 4+ straight hours.

Saturday was Turkey day for real! And football day! The spirit of the fall season was summed up in this one day: football and Thanksgiving. First it was my Dawgs versus those nerds from Tech. Even though it's not a conference match, this is definitely one of the most important games of the season for the Dawgs. It was a good game, and my Dawgs pulled out the W ("We still run this state!"). Before/during Thanksgiving dinner was the Auburn/Alabama game, the Iron Bowl. My entire immediate family loves Auburn, so this game is always a cause for commotion around the Yarbrough house. I didn't care how the game ended up, but Alabama won. No surprise there. After dinner we went to get our Christmas tree! I LOVE Christmas time, but I do wait until Thanksgiving is over before getting into the Christmas spirit. Now that we had had Thanksgiving dinner, it was Christmas time. It's Yarbrough family tradition for 5 of us kids to scope out the trees and find their favorite, then my parents decide which one they like best. I'm a usual front runner for favorite tree, but my sister's won this year. It's a good tree though, so it's ok that she won. Our house now smells like Christmas (which smells like a Christmas tree, by the way), and I love it. I can't wait to go back home to be surrounded by everything Christmas.

Sunday! My last day at home for the break. I had been looking forward to Sunday for about a week or 2 before the break. After church, I met my 2 life-long best friends for lunch. When I say life-long, that's literal. The 3 of us have literally grown up together, and I love them so much. It's always so good when the 3 of us get together because we always pick up right where we left off. We had such a great time together, and I can't wait until I can see them again. Lunch with them was the perfect way to end my break.

If your break wasn't as good, I'm sorry. I hope it was, but I understand if it wasn't. Mine was tough to beat. Take the remainder of this week and strive to make it as best as possible! Thanks for reading!

Cameron

My glasses kinda ruined the picture, but I love my best friends!

My brothers and me at the Christmas tree farm

The Mountaintop Ending to a Valley Week

This week (including the weekend preceding it) was the worst of the semester, by far. Basically everything that could have gone wrong went wrong somewhere between Friday of last week and Thursday (Yesterday). I'll mention some of the things that happened, but some I'll leave out for various reasons.

1. My fish died on Tuesday morning. Now, I know this is not a big deal at all, but it just added on to the great week I was already having. I had had Julius Caesar since February, because of Ice Formal. Most of the people who got fish from Ice Formal said theirs died rather quickly, so I was quite proud of Julius for still being alive. He had made it all of Spring Break without being fed (I'm a terrible owner, I know), and a few trips back and forth from Kennesaw to Columbus. This semester, because I'm an RA living in a super suite, he was my roommate, so to speak. I have a daily routine in the mornings which included feeding him, so I got very used to him being around. I trained him how to tell me when he was hungry, so I feel like we bonded and he kinda liked me as an owner. Although he was a fish, it wasn't a good thing to find him dead Tuesday morning.

2. I scratched my throat or something at the Yellowcard concert. On Tuesday night, Jessie, Danielle, and I went to the Masquerade in Atlanta to see Yellowcard. I had been looking forward to this since I became a huge fan of them last semester. I caught a guitar pick! This night was definitely a super-high to the week (and it kept me sane during the mess). Wednesday morning when I woke up, I could tell that something was wrong with my throat, more than just me losing my voice due to the concert. My throat has been hurting like crazy since Wednesday morning, and it sucks.

3. My glasses broke (well, I broke them) on Wednesday night. Sunday afternoons, I play volleyball from 3-5 with whoever shows up to play. I was up at the net, and the hardest hitter on the court was on the other team. The guy on my team tried to set it to me, but set it a little far, and it went over the net. The hard hitter saw this opportunity for a great kill, jumped up, and hit the ball as hard as he could...into my face. My glasses flew off and got all kinds of bent. I had been trying to bend them back into place so much that on Wednesday, the metal finally broke. I have been without glasses since then. It's kinda funny now, living life without glasses. People comment on how different I look, they ask if I can see, and make jokes about me not being able to see. I am adjusting nicely without glasses, but I would love to get a new pair soon.

So those things are some of the things that just absolutely killed my week. If you saw me at all and I was anything less than nice, I am so sorry.

Now for the Mountaintop! Friday gets here, and I am so excited for Fourks staff bonding. A few hours at Red Top Mountain with my staff sounded perfect to me. I just had to get through in-service and I was good to go. It was just a speed bump to a good evening, something that I overlooked. It was something I had to go to, and I wasn't expecting to get much out of it.

I was completely blown away by the amazing afternoon that James had planned for in-service. It started off with a talk from Jeff, and then a guest speaker, Zach! He was an RD in the suites last year, and a supervisor to the UVS Council, of which I was Vice-President then President of my freshman year, so I knew him well. After he spoke, a few RA's talked about what motivated them. It was nice to hear about what kept other people going when life/the job/whatever got them down. After that, James had arranged for each RA to have a paper cut-out t-shirt. We were to write our names on the shirts, then go around and write really awesome things on other people's shirts, starting with our own staff. Reading all the nice things people said about me really surprised me and gave me the pick-me-up that I so desperately needed. I was instantly overcome with happiness, joy, and all kinds of other good things that my valley of a week seemed to not matter anymore. I didn't know I had the affect on people that I apparently have, and finding that out meant so much to me. I have been affected by my staff and others, and I had hoped I was having a similar affect on them. I can't wait to hang my t-shirt up to serve as a constant reminder to the way my actions affect others.

Staff Bonding. I had been looking forward to it since I got the email about what we were doing. An evening at Red Top Mountain. Perfect. As soon as we all got in the van, I knew it was going to be great. My great mood from in-service had definitely carried over, and I was ready for a great evening. We got to the campsite, and Krystal had to check in at the visitor's center. We all decided to go hide from her, so we got out of the van and ran to some trees to hide. It seems childish, but we were having fun. We got to the place we reserved, and it was blocked off, so we had to wait for a camp ranger to let us in. While we were waiting, we took a few staff pictures around the Red Top Mountain sign, and I took a few great pictures of the scenery of the mountain and lake. We got to the site and started setting up things for dinner and the activities we would be doing. I ran down the hill to the lake to look for a fire pit, but didn't find one. I did, however, get another great picture (I just wish I had a better camera phone). We bonded over dinner, the activity before dinner, and the conversation after dinner. It was just the thing that I think we needed as a staff, and that I needed as an individual. Such a perfect evening. I definitely ended my week in the valley on a mountaintop (literally and figuratively!).

A few members of my great staff!

The great picture I took down by the lake on my phone

Day 10: 1 Picture (of yourself))

So, I decided that, for the first time, I was going to participate in NoShave November. I started this 10 day challenge with the thought in mind that day 10 would be a picture of my progress thus far in the month. (My glasses broke on Wednesday, which is why I'm not wearing them in the picture.)

Due to bad lighting and a bad camera, you probably can't see much of the facial hair, but it's there.

Thanks for sticking around through all 10 days of the challenge! Be sure to look back at my blog every now and then for new posts!

Cameron

Day 9: 2 Songs

1. Believe by Yellowcard. I recently (probably March or April) became a huge Yellowcard fan, thanks to my Cartel station on Pandora. Said station played one song by Yellowcard, and I don't even remember which one it was, but I really liked it. I already had Ocean Avenue (because come on, who didn't?) on my iPod, so I decided to check out more of their stuff, and I really liked it. I now have 4 of their CDs (working on getting the rest) on my computer and iPod, and they are one of my favorite bands. I don't think I go a day without listening to them. This song in particular is probably my favorite by Yellowcard. The chorus of this song, though very simple, speaks volumes, especially to me. It just repeats the phrase, "Everything is gonna be alright" three times then says, "Be strong. Believe." While simple, it stands out to me. If I am ever having a bad day (which has been happening more often than not lately, sadly), I just listen to this song, and it makes me feel better. Everything will be alright, I just have to be strong and believe it. I try so hard to live like this. I wish I did it more often.


2. I Am Understood by Relient K. This is my favorite band, and has been since probably elementary school. I have seen them 3 times in concert, and I can't wait to see them more. The writer of this song talks about how there is one person, God, who understands him completely, and loves him even though He knows him. I think I have a few favorite lines from this song. This first is this: "Your love regardless of the mistakes I make will spoil me." The writer talks about how he is so loved by God, that despite the things he does that are wrong, he is still loved just the same, and he is spoiled in that love. I compare it to a kid who is so spoiled with toys and whatnot that he/she doesn't know what to do with them all. The writer is overwhelmed by the amount of love he feels from a God who loves him regardless of what he does. Another favorite line I have is, "And You recite my words right back to me, before I even speak. You let me know, I am understood." That's all most people really want, right? To have someone that they know understands them. The writer loves how God knows what he's going to say before he says it, and that He tells him he is understood. I love this.