The last month.5

Apologies for the lack of blog action. Things have been great - really busy, but really great. Half a semester down at Northwestern, and I really like it. Everyone is great, the classes are challenging (I finally feel like I'm in college...), there are a lot of opportunities, and I am/will get much better training for Social Work here. I do miss everyone at Greenville (and those who left as well) very much, but I know that leaving for Northwestern was the right decision.

The girls on my wing are wonderful. We have a lot of fun, always. 3 of the girls are from Lincoln or the area right around Lincoln. We watch the Husker games together and get excited/upset together. Its fun to have friends to watch football with who actually enjoy it as much as I do. My roommate's name is Alissa, and she and I get along great. We're having a lot of fun as well. She's very musically inclined and is teaching me guitar!

Definitely the most fun thing I've done this year is something called "Rush." Rush is a student directed/produced/choreographed and performed dance show. The show consisted of all different styles of dance: modern, tap, salsa, colorguard, lyrical, ballet, and hip hop, to name a few. Well. It was so much fun. I was in a hip hop dance, and let me tell you - my choreographer, Tony, is amazing. The dance was ridiculously awesome. We danced to an epic mix of Michael Jackson. We had 32 dancers, and he divided us up in to 5 groups. Each group did a small dance to a different Michael Jackson song, and then we all danced to Smooth Criminal to end the dance. My group had P.Y.T. (worth looking up if you aren't familiar with it). But, it was awesome. I had never danced hip hop before, and it was fun to learn. The whole thing was great - everyone's dance was so different and really cool. I'm glad I did it.

So, I'm currently sitting on my couch, enjoying the last few hours of fall break. Fall break was wonderful, and much needed! It was nice to have a few days at home with the fam. On Saturday my mom and I went up to Omaha for our friend Jamie's wedding. The wedding was wonderful, and it was fun to catch up with friends that we usually only see at camp. Before the wedding we stopped over to see my grandparents, which was great, and we also went to see Kayne and his new baby sister! Both of those children are just gorgeous, and just the best. The rest of break was spent seeing some friends, but mainly spending time with family, which I'm really grateful for.

Most of my wing at Homecoming.

P.Y.T. and the Whole Gang

Fast Forward...

So, in all honesty, I'm too busy to do justice on a review of summer. Or too lazy...you decide. Anywho. Here are some highlights for those interested:

May: was supposed to be the official kick off to summer, but not in my case. I got done with finals, drove home the next day, had Sunday off, and started summer school on the following Monday. Woo hoo! I guess it had its share of graduation parties for some of my favorite people, so that was fun!

June: Well. I don't think anything too exciting happened this month. I was in class for the entirity of June, and I think that's all I did...I don't remember though. I guess one thing is that I helped the youth band lead worship at our church's Worship Night, so that was an incredible opportunity, and so great to worship in that capacity with some of my close friends.

July: I went to Chicago with my mom for a weekend, and that was great! Then, classes finally got over and I had a real summer!!! Royal Family Kids' Camp continued it's presence in my life and is still solidified as my favorite thing ever. I did some more Worship stuff at church, so that was wonderful once again.

August: I went to San Diego with my family, and that was really great. It was nice to get away from Nebraska, and have my family with me. I fell in love...with Michael Phelps :) I went back to Greenville for a weekend for my friends Angela and Josh's wedding!!! I am so happy for them, they are fantastic. I got to spend some time with Kara and Betsye that weekend too, so that was pretty awesome. Before vacation I got this weirdy bump removed from my finger so that I can learn to play guitar...and I bought a guitar! I took my friend Kyle, who is amazing at guitar, with me to pick one out, so once the healing is complete...its time to rock and roll (buh dum, ching!). Umm...I think that's it unitl I left for Northwestern!

I have this feeling that I'm forgetting stuff, but I'm almost positive that I'm not, which makes my summer read kind of lame...I did have some opportunities to spend time with my friends, but save for a couple, I didn't get to see everyone that much. Nonetheless, it was a good summer! I am glad to be at school though and doing productive things. I really like Northwestern so far, its been a really wonderful experience (more to come later). Some pictures for your pleasure? I think that sounds fantastic!

Blogging with 9 fingers

Well...summer is almost over now, and I have left you readers severely uninformed. Unfortunately, I don't think this post will be that satisfying either. You see, I had this weirdy bump on my left middle finger, and I had surgery on Tuesday to get it removed, and now it has left me with only 9 functioning fingers. This makes it hard to type, and it makes it painful to type when I instinctually use the healing finger. That being said...I'm anticipating an end of the summer awesome recap...

So, for the time being, this will be a picture update of the things that have happened since my last posting. Here is a little word snacking to go along with the photos that are to come: This was Taylor's last summer playing in a baseball league, so I have greatly enjoyed going to his games. Mom and I took a weekend break from the whirlwind of life and spent a couple days up in Chicago. It was fantastic. We had a lot of fun and did lots of cool things in Chicago...like go to Wicked! After classes were finally over, I had a week to prepare for Royal Family Kids' Camp - which is easily my favorite thing in the world. Camp was absolutely amazing. Words cannot adequately express how incredible the week was. God was definitely at work and took every opportunity to show that he was present. My good friend Kyle decided to come at the last minute, and he was wonderful out at camp - the kids just loved him. I'll share some pictures from the week, but unfortunately I can't show pictures of the kids - for safety reasons pictures of the children aren't shared outside of the week of camp. Now I'm functioning on pain killers as my finger heals and am getting ready to leave for a family vacation on Saturday! My how time flies...enjoy the pictures!

"Summer"

Here's my life:

Wake-up
Exercise (sometimes plus homework)
Class
Lunch Break
Work
Homework
Go to bed

So...there's really nothing to update on. That's my life, everyday, no room for anything else. It will all be worth it in the end...

Ay yai yai...so, its been awhile...

Well, things have been crazy since my last post...which was almost a month ago. Finals came and went and stressed me out like none other, but I survived. Leaving came and went, and wiped me out, but I survived. Its still hard to be home knowing that I won't be going back to Greenville in the fall. I love being home, but I don't like the bittersweetness that came with it this go around. Summer classes started right away, so I only had one day to recuperate from finishing Spring classes before I started my next round. Unfortunately I haven't really had breathing room since I got back. Things have been pretty non-stop, which can be fun but is exhausting. I house sat for some amazing friends of mine, so that was a nice chance to unwind, but I still was in constant motion. High school graduations finished up today, so I've enjoyed celebrating some friends of mine the past couple of weeks as they had their graduation parties. I found that I am much more celebratory of people leaving high school this year than I ever have been before. I think I'm realizing to an even greater extent how much high school holds people back, so I'm excited for people to break out of the chains. The graduation parties have been fantastic as far as catching up with friends that I haven't seen for a very long time, and they were also fantastic in that I got to celebrate their accomplishments and the incredible young men and women they are becoming. Even though things have been chaotic, they've been a lot of fun. It's such a blessing to go from one place to another and be surrounded by wonderful people that I love. It's nice to be home with my family as well. I love them so much. I promise to try and be better about keeping the blog up to date. Hopefully for now this month in a nutshell will suffice. Until next time...

This is Bryson. He's fantastic. And he is officially graduated! I'm so excited for him to take this world by storm.

These awesome boys are Dustin and Kyle. They are two of my favorite people ever. I'm so proud of them. They have, and are going to do amazing things.

Agape

Every spring Greenville college puts on a music festival. It's sort of obnoxious, but mostly a lot of fun! Well, this weekend was Agape weekend. Save for the moments I was working on Statistics (which was pretty much all the time), I was out at the fairgrounds enjoying the music with my friends. The line-up wasn't as good as last year's, but it was still awesome nonetheless. Case and point: Relient K and David Crowder Band! I love both, have never seen Relient K in concert, and have seen David Crowder once before with my mom. I really enjoyed both shows. Plus, I got to watch the concerts with my boys (my boys = brother floor boys). We had a really fun time together. I love them all, they are a great group of guys, it was nice to hang out with them before the semester is over. Anywho, that's my short recap of what was a very fun, and incredibly productive weekend (serisouly)! Stay tuned...

You Make Everything Glorious

Once again, I have great things to report. I have had a fabulous last week. I've had a lot of opportunities to hang out with my girls and with my other friends and make the most of what's left. Last weekend one of my girls was back in town, so it was great to see her again. On Tuesday Grandma and Grandpa Ford were in town, so it was great to show them Greenville, take them to Mario's, have them meed Kara, and to just spend time with them. Also on Tuesday, we had a brother/sister floor activity that was incredible. We played capture the flag...with paint! It stayed an actual game for a while, but then it turned in to an all out paint war! It was messy, it was incredible, pictures are on Picasa, and it pretty much solidified that my girls and boys absolutely rock! I've also had the opportunity to spend quality one-on-one time with some of my girls this week, and every moment has been an absolute blessing. Things have been great, but I've also had to map out the last few days hour by hour because they are so busy. Welcome to the life of a college student. But, all in all, I can't complain. I'm blessed, and that's the bottom line. So, for a few hours, Statistics can wait while I go spend some time with my amazing girls and some awesome music. David Crowder...here I come!

I Feel the Earth. Move. Under my Feet.

If I've ever had a fantastic set of days, these last fews days would be it. I've had an amazing time with my friends, and the weather has been so kind to us! Friday night we had a 50s party for Storm, Betsye, Grant, and my floors, and it was rockin'. It was pretty much like the Black and White party we had last semester, only this time with a 50s theme and a milkshake man! Saturday I hung out with my roomie all day. And even though we were doing homework all day, it was nice to spend time with her! That night she and I and three of our girls went out to dinner in Vandalia, and had a wonderful time! Sunday was gorgeous out. It was the perfect day to have a picnic and play softball - so we did. A bunch of friends and I went to a park in town and had a potluck picnic and played a very entertaining game of softball. It was nice to get to hang out with everyone, especially since I haven't really had the opportunity to all year! After our day at the park, Betyse, Kara, and I went on a walk to a different park to go swing, and in the process, we became the proud owners of amazing old fashioned sets of golf clubs. Not gonna lie, they're pretty sweet! I spent most of Monday and Wednesday out on Scott field with my roomie :) . We've had beautiful weather, so we've wholeheartedly taken advantage of that! Both nights we had a picnic on Scott field, so that was really fun too. Last night a couple of my girls and I went to Greenville's production of Oklahoma. Weird show, but they did a good job. Another one of my girls was in it, and she did beautifully! And then...to cap everything off...my friend Josh came back!!!!! Josh has been in training for the Air Force since September, so I haven't seen him since then, so it is so exciting for him to be back!!!!! He and another one of my friends, Angela, are getting married in August, and I am so excited and happy for them! Needless to say, I've had a wonderful past couple of days. There's been a few glitches here and there, like having to do a group project, but everything has been resolved, for instance, being done with the group project! And to top it all off - I don't have classes today! How sweet is that?!?! And now I'm going to call my mom. It's her birthday, and I can't be home (sad day), and I love her and miss her so much.

Oh, and p.s. this whole having fun times got kicked off with an earthquake! You've probably heard by now, but we had an earthquake around 4:30 am ish on Friday. It was pretty crazy, and was definitely unexpected. I mean, seriously. Who expects to have an earthquake in Illinois? It also had amazing timing...

You Goobers

So...it's been a while since I've posted. It's been a while since I've done anything that does not involving planning for college or floor events. Basically, what I'm saying is that I've been too stressed to function outside of what is absolutely required of me. Last week I had to register for classes at Northwestern (and figure out all of the other junk that went along with figuring out what classes fit where and when and what not), while registering for summer classes at UNL, and also behave like a Greenville college student. At the same time I'm trying to get the rest of the year here planned out so that we have events to do and we have set times to do them. But, God is a God who understands and provides. I survived my stress because I have friends who do this

and

and God always comes through when I need him to the most, giving me answers and confirmation. Things are more laid back this week, and I have some incredible things to look forward to. Stay tuned...

Spring Break in a nutshell

Here is my long overdue recap of my Spring Break. I will try to keep it as short, sweet, and to the point as I can...:

1. Saturday night was hang out time with mom and was wonderful.

2. Sunday I got to be back at New Cov (!), got attacked with love by Emily, Taylor and Dad got home from Kansas City so it was awesome to see them, and I went to Vantage Point with a group of my guy friends (I love the boys dearly, and the movie is flippin' amazing - I definitely recommend it!).

3. Monday night I went to Southwest's choir concert with my dear friend Carolyn (it was great to spend time with her), got to see my choir director's beautiful new baby girl, gave lots of hugs to lots of friends from high school (including Bryson, he makes me happy and gives good hugs), and my mom made pasta shells for dinner, which is probably my favorite meal!

4. I spent Tuesday afternoon at my high school talking with Jake and Mr. Bob, and I snuck down to the choir room to see show choir and got to see their show for the first time (awesome by the way!), and that night I watched American Idol with my family!

5. Wednesday I went to dinner with my mom at Red Robin and that was awesome because it was time with mom and I got to see my friend Chris (he was working) for the first time in forever! Then I went to Easter choir practice, and talked to Jeff, Kyle, and Dustin afterwards (three of my favorite people in the world).

6. Thursday I had lunch with Suz, and it was awesome to be able to catch up and spend an afternoon with her. That night I went to Emily's to go play bingo with her and the family she lives with. Bingo ended up being cancelled, so we went to Village Inn and Wal-Mart, and had an awesome time! It was nice to meet the people she lives with, they are really neat, and it was wonderful to see Emily (she's another favorite).

5. Friday I chopped my hair off, had lunch with Chris (more details later), Kayne came over (!!!), I went to the Good Friday service, went to Kelsie's birthday party and got to see a bunch of my friends I really didn't see all week, and I went bowling with Dustin, Josh, and Tim!

6. Saturday was spent with Kayne and was amazing. I love that kid with all of my heart! Saturday was also a hang out at home with the family day, so that was awesome.

7. Sunday was Easter and I got to spend it at home! I sang in the Easter choir, went to New Cov, had a nice dinner with my family, watched basketball with my dad, and went to Dustin's and watched I Am Legend with some of my good buddies!

8. I had lunch with J to the effrey on Monday, so it was great to get to spend time with him, he's pretty much my big brother. My family went out to dinner that night, so it was fun to spend my last evening home with them. I have the best family.

9. Tuesday I went back to Greenville!

I had an absolutely amazing week at home, but the thing that took the cake as best moment was lunch with Chris. I haven't seen Chris since graduation, so that was almost two years ago! He's one of my best friends, so I was so excited to have a chance to catch up with him about the past two years. He came over afterwards and he played the piano and sang, so that was incredilbe. He's so talented, and he's moving to Las Vegas in June for a recording opportunity, and I am so excited for him. I'm so glad I got to spend time with him, I'm so blessed to have him in my life. Actually, I'm so blessed to have everyone that I got to see while I was home in my life. Bottom Line: I have amazing friends and family. So, there is Spring Break in a semi-small nutshell (very small for me though!)!

He was a trooper

Well. Today Replacement died. He was quite the fish. Lucky number 7 managed to survive us (and multiple cat attacks) for over a year. I guess all good things must come to an end. He will be missed.

Learning to Love Unconditionally

I am the proud mother of 25 children (well, 43 if you count Storm’s boys). Each one of the girls is amazing in her own way and has blessed my life. After my experience as a resident chaplain thus far, I have a whole new respect for mothers. Never in my life have I been so proud of someone as I have been of my girls. I can’t quite describe to you what it feels like to watch the girls take an idea and work worth it to form it into something incredible, and that is seemingly of no benefit to them. I’ve also watched them make tough decisions that while may be incredibly difficult for them, are the best option they have for their futures and the protection of their hearts. I’ve also never been more disappointed in someone before. It’s hard to watch someone you have so much respect for shoot someone down with a single word, or watch them give up when you know that they have so much more inside of them that they could give so that they could make the hard way work and not have to settle for the easy road. I’ve also never felt like more of a failure. Letting these girls down is the most terrible thing I’ve done. I’ve sat in my room before crying and trying to figure out what I did wrong, wishing I could rewind the past few hours so that I could fix everything, so that I could be there that time, so that I wouldn’t let them down like I did my first and only shot I had at the situation. I now know what it feels like to sacrifice all of me for someone else, what it looks like to drop everything I’m doing and everything I have to do so that I can be there for someone. I’ve learned humility in realizing that if I want to support and love these girls, I can’t do it on my own. If I try to carry them by myself, I’m going to trip and fall and drop them. I’ve also never had my heart broken quite like I have this year. I now understand to a greater level what it feels like to have a child leave home. It’s near impossible to let them go and try and make it on their own. It’s hard to say good bye and trust that the time, effort, and love you put in will have impacted them in some way and that they have to tools to carry themselves now. Watching one of my girls go is like losing a piece of my heart. I don’t think I could ever be ready to watch one of them walk away, away from me, to bigger and better things. Not because I don’t think they can do it, I know they can, but because I’m simply not ready to admit that my time is done.

My girls call me Big Mama. Every time one of them says that to me, I glow. Some people say that it’s not my job as an RC to be their mom, but I’m okay that in some regards I am. I love them like they are my children. I’ve got to participate in their celebrating, I’ve offered a listening ear, I get to hug them when I’m overflowing with joy for them, I’ve held them when they’ve cried, I’ve let them in to my life, I’ve been proud and disappointed because I’ve seen what they are, and see what they can be. I’ve got to watch them grow in to amazing young women of God, and I’m excited to see what is in store for them next because I know it will be incredible. I’ve learned to love them unconditionally. No matter what they do, no matter what they say, I will always love them. It’s about me showing them that they are worth it, that they are cared about and valued. There is nothing they can do to make me stop loving them, and that’s the way it should be. But for this week, I don’t have to be a mom. I got to send them home to their real moms, and now I’m back with mine. Thank the Lord for moms. I don’t know how I would survive without mine.

O Brother [floor, in Christ, Taylor] Where Art Thou

So Thursday evening I'm sitting in my room, just got back from dinner, and my buddy Greg calls. Greg is on our brother floor, and he tells me that Brad (also on the floor) had this great idea that our floors should play glow-in-the-dark frisbee that night! Making a long story short, I wholeheartedly accepted the invite and we had an incredible time! We seriously couldn't have asked for a better brother floor. The guys are all awesome and have such wonderful personalities and hearts. I love hanging out with them, they are all a huge blessing!

I have a new friend. His name is Mike and I see him pretty much every day at the annex. He's an older man who has been plagued with blood pressure issues that have seriously screwed with him. We have a nice conversation almost every day as we use side by side weight machines. He is a very sweet man. I'm excited to get to know him better.

All this brother talk makes me miss my brother Taylor. Basically I love him with all my heart and really miss him. Good thing I get to go home today...

WOO HOO!!!!!

Lately the weather has been so bipolar...

Last Sunday: ridiculously gorgeous. We're talking flip flop weather! My wardrobe of choice was a t-shirt, capris, and flip flops. I went on two walks that day, and the one that occurred at 11 PM did not include a coat! Welcome Spring! Or so I thought...

Monday: I wore flip flops to my first class, but then I opted to wear tennis shoes the rest of the day because it was raining. And it was cold...again. By night time it was icing. Yes. Sunday was amazing, and by Monday night we had freezing rain, and it was well, freezing.

Tuesday: bring on the snow!!! And, our power went out - which I think had something to do with the combination of power lines and ice. These weather shifts weren't nearly as dramatic as that one time we went from spring weather to snow in about 30 minutes, but they are crazy nonetheless.

Wednesday: all of the snow and ice melted by at least noon. And the meltage includes the 10 inches of snow that St. Louis got...what the heck Midwest weather!?!

Fast forward to today: I think Spring is just around the corner...its supposed to be in the 60s by Wednesday, so cross your fingers that's the case!

Anywho, that's all I have to say. In all actuality its not that exciting, and I didn't think it would be, but it was really just an opportunity to take a break from homework...I should get back to that...

You can call me "Mrs. Buble."

Yes, that's right. Michael Buble and I are engaged...at least in my mind we are. So, Betsye and I went to his concert last night in St. Louis, and it was RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! If it's possible, I'm even more in love with him now than I was before...and I do believe it's possible. Oh my goodness, it was incredible. His opening act was a group called Naturally 7. It's a group of 7 guys, and they are essentially an acapella group, but they refer to it as vocal play - and they were awesome. They make all the instrument noises with their mouths, and it was insane!!! One guys was a drum set, one's voice was so low that it created frequencies as if he was actually playing a bass, and another could sound exactly like an electric guitar!!! I definitely recommend checking them out. And then there was Michael. Oh dear. What an incredible experience. It was unreal. First off, I love Michael Buble with all my heart, and we are getting married. Second, I have an immense respect for his talent. Third, sometimes he's funny to watch because he's not the greatest dancer, but other times it works for him. Fourth, I cannot believe I just went to a Michael Buble concert!!!!! It was like a dream. He sang some of my favorite songs, so that was really exciting! He's also a great showman. He has a fun personality and jokes around a lot, so that made the concert even better. I could go on forever, but I feel like I've already repeated myself a lot. I'll put pictures on Picasa so you can see a glimpse of our concert experience! But I'll leave you with this...

The consequences of going home for the weekend...

What does 4 college girls + a giant stack of newspapers + about 10 new phone books + Storm's abandoned room =

A masterpiece.

(More pictures on picasa)

A Presidential Affair

Let me preface this by saying that I have the most amazing floor and the most amazing brother floor ever.

Yesterday was President's Day. Instead of celebrating Valentine's Day with our floors, Storm and I had a President's Day party, complete with costumes, pin the tail on the donkey or elephant, Presidential Twister, and a mock election (between Clinton and Lewinsky...I won by the way). It was an absolute blast! Oh my gosh, I had so much fun! It wouldn't have nearly been as much of a success if our floors weren't ridiculously amazing! They were all so creative, it was really cool. I love that we can plan ridiculous things like this, and people will show up. It made me so happy. My girls and Storm's boys are pretty much amazing, they are truly wonderful people. Here are a couple of pictures from the night (the rest are on Picasa):

Your hosts for the evening...Bill and Monica!

City Museum!

We went to the City Museum yesterday in St. Louis (for those of you that don't know, the City Museum is basically a giant children's museum for big people). I hung out with Kara and Betsye all day, and it was a lot of fun! There's pictures from our adventures on my picasa site. We found a photo booth, but it was out of order so we made due:

Genuine Happiness

These past few days have been absolutely ridiculous. Wednesday, Thursday and today were all jam packed, not having a moment between things. It was pretty overwhelming and wore me down, but its over now. Finally I can rest for a while. Tonight I'm not going to do anything productive, and I'm really excited! Things will pick back up again, but for now I can take it easy.

In the midst of it though, I got a taste of what true happiness feels like. On Wednesday night, Kelcey, my boss, had my girls and me over for Bible study. While the girls were introducing themselves, I just got this overwhelming sense of joy. I just couldn't stop smiling. Sometimes the girls wear me out, but the bottom line is that they make me incredibly happy. It was a nice feeling. I'm not exactly sure what set it off, but it was awesome. I'm just so proud of them all. Yeah, so that was my moment. My girls = happy.

Singin', and Swingin' in the Rain!

Last night was gorgeous. Betsye came and got me around 11 or 11:30 to go on a walk with her and our friend Melissa because it was wonderful outside and a break from life was in order. After shadow dancing and stalking Hannah and Dan (the nice kind of stalking, nothing creepy), we went over to Kinney to stalk Trevor and Matthew (again, nice kind of stalking). Turns out, Dustin was in the room with the guys, so he got to be part of the fun! We serenaded the boys and convinced them to go walking with us, and we ended up at a school's playground. So, not only did I get to forget about everything crappy, I got to be a kid again. The school has this giant map of the U.S. painted on the concrete, so we played on that, but also on the jungle gym...which was awesome...it brought me back to recess. After almost breaking the swingset, we headed back to the dorms because it was past our bedtimes. On our way back it started pouring, so Dustin and I walked down the middle of the street (it was way past 7 PM, so there were no cars. Little towns. Go figure.) and enjoyed the rain. Matthew and Betsye joined us at one point, and then Matthew and I proceeded to bust out our duet from "Rent," so it was pretty much amazing. We had a really great night. It was nice to escape from everything for a couple of hours and just enjoy each others' friendship. I really do have the best friends, and I love having opportunities to spend time with them and just appreciate who they are.

Too Bad Peter Pan, 'Cause I'm Tinker Belle

Please don't ask me what that means, because I myself do not know. That's what one of my friends said to me tonight during the Super Bowl after Tom Brady made a ridiculously ugly pass (one of many might I add...). This was an amazing game! I needed a great football game after the horrible season that both of my teams had. I don't even like the Giants, and I was out of my seat, jumping on my chair, yelling crazy loud during this game!!!! We had a party in the Upper Union, so I conveniently placed myself with some guys that I had watched football with before (none of my friends are that keen on football, and I really didn't want to watch with people that were only pretending to know what was going on). Not gonna lie, I thought that this was going to be a horrible game, but I'm so glad that I was so wrong. That was one heck of a 4th quarter, and that play where Manning almost got sacked, but broke out of it, then made that crazy pass to I don't even know and he caught it with his helmet...now that is what football is about. Tom Brady looked like a fool, which was awesome. My favorite moment had to have been the sack that came on the Patriots' final possession that resulted in a 3rd and 20. I waited the entire game for that sack, and it was just as beautiful as I had imagined. Well, that's enough ranting for one day. I guess all good things must come to an end ::coughcoughPatirotscoughcough::. And now that both Mannings have a Super Bowl ring, they can be done too. I'm so over the Patriots and the Mannings. It's time for something fresh...like the Bears' quarterback not sucking...

Friday Night Dates

I went on a date Friday. I had two dates to be exact. The best dates ever: Kara and Betsye. Go ahead, be jealous, you should be. The three of us went to the movie and got ring pops (I think that's what made it an official date). We saw Atonement, and it was wonderful. It was a tad confusing at times, but everything always worked out. The story was really interesting, and the way in which the movie was made was beautiful. I definitely recommend this one. And, it was also amazing because of the company. I love Kara and Betsye with all of my heart. It was very nice to spend time with the two of them. They are the best. I'm very blessed to have them.

Only in the Midwest

Only in the Midwest will you have humidity, crazy wind, 64 degree weather, rainstorms, hailstorms, and snow in the same day. Go figure.

For You From Me

Every so often I hear a song that really just captures my heart. Recently, I've become a fan of Jon McLaughlin. I looked into his music at first because I thought he was a former American Idol contestant that was one of my favorites. It turns out that he's not, but I'm very grateful for the mistake. His music is absolutely wonderful. He reminds me of my friend Chris in that they both are amazing singers and pianists. I heard this song on my way back from Wal-Mart, and it became an instant favorite. I can't wait until I have someone to sing this about. So...here are the words for "From You From Me" by Jon McLaughlin:

Unexpected
Understatement of the year
That's for sure
Who'd of thought that
I'd be standing at your door

It's just the way you say my name that throws me
And all the windows of my past are closing
And everything that you see

Is for you from me
I'd give it away so easily
Never stopped to look at what's behind
For you from me
Everything we want will be
Holdin' us together tonight
Tonight

Unexpected
I'm not used to chasin' dreams
And catchin' them
All of a sudden
I'm the winner in the end

I'm used to every door I open closing
Always makin' sure I'm not supposing
I can't believe I'm really here

For you from me
I'd give it away so easily
Never stopped to look at what's behind
For you from me
Everything we want will be
Holdin' us together tonight
Tonight

We will never fall
We'll defy the laws of this world
With new ones of our own
That's the way I feel
Stupid but for real
All that I am is...

For you from me
I'd give it away so easily
Never stopped to look at what's behind
For you from me
Everything we want will be
Holdin' us together tonight
Tonight

We're infested...again!

But this time, we're infested by mice! Dawn and Daeghan came back to their room last night to find that a mouse had been living in their storage spaces over break. We saw it running around while we were cleaning up its droppings, so the girls decided to buy a trap today (a humane trap, one where they could get in, but couldn't get out). They set the trap up this afternoon. We went to Pokey's tonight, and when we came back, they had caught two mice! They were really small, and we think they might be babies. I was holding the box they were in, showing one of my girls the mice, and then we saw another mouse running around in the storage space! We're infested! Even though they were cute, and would have made nice pets, I had to make them let them go. Poor Steve McQueen and Gus Gus. I hope they don't freeze...

Batman Movie Marathon

Right now we are in the middle of movie number three (of five). Thanks to one of my wonderful uncles (Yea Scott!), I now have the complete Batman movie collection! My girls and I decided that tonight we were going to have a movie party in order to hang out and spend time with our two new girls, and they decided that they wanted to watch all of the Batmans, in order. I knew I loved these girls.

The Adventures of Flat Stanley

My cousin Rebekah is in the 1st grade and her class is doing "Flat Stanley." Well, Rebekah sent Flat Stanley to me, so now I have the wonderful privilege of getting to take Stanley on adventures! Today, he came with some friends and me to St. Louis. We went to the Art Museum for a couple of hours, then we went downtown and had dinner at Fitz's, and we ended the day at a Jazz Bistro! It was so great. The Bistro had a live band, and they were awesome!! I had a perfect view of the pianist's hands, so I watched them play for most of the show (I love watching hands play the piano). Also, we made some new friends. There were 6 of us, and the tables only sat 4, so Storm and I ended up sitting at the table behind the rest of our crew, and eventually a couple joined us. They were really nice, and we had a nice conversation before the show. Well...after the show, the woman, Gwen, made a point of us exchanging numbers because sometimes they get tickets to Cardinals games through her husband's work, and she wanted to offer us some! So, not only did we meet awesome new people, we'll get free Cardinals tickets! When her husband, Vincent, said goodbye, he told the two of us to "Stay ::pause:: wonderful." They were so sweet, and I'm so glad that we had the opportunity to meet them. Today was just a great day.

Flat Stanley and Friends in front of the Art Museum

Having some Root Beer at Fitz's

P.S. One of my absolute favorite people in the world, Chris Marsh, called me today! I haven't talked to him since around March last year, so it was so nice to hear his voice! I was so excited when I saw that it was him on my caller ID! It was absolutely wonderful to talk to him and to catch up. I'm so proud of him, and so happy for him. I just love him with all of my heart. Basically, he made my day. I just miss him so much!

P.P.S. Yesterday was my brother's 17th birthday! He is growing up so fast! It was weird not being home, and I really didn't like not being there with him, but I got to talk to him yesterday, so that was really nice. Hands down, he's the best brother in the world. I'm so proud of him, and I love him so much!!!! (if you haven't seen it yet, his picture is on the right margin)

Did you ever notice that when certain people say your name, it sounds more beautiful?

It's almost as if they see past your exterior and appreciate the real you, no matter how broken you may be. Or notice how some songs seem to capture everything you are? It's comforting, yet frightening feeling that a stranger knows you better than those you call friend. Have you ever felt the kiss of the wind, or the tears of the rain? Do you dare let the Lord love you like that, completely enraptured by simplicity? Do you ever find yourself stuck and it seems as though the only way to live is through other people? Do you let them feel for you, love for you, worship for you? Did you ever notice the joy that can be found in simple things? Did you ever notice the warmth that can be found in a man's toothless grin, the contagious nature of a laugh, the innocence of the child sitting in front of you in church, the way a come from behind win can unite two people, how a crooner's voice can sweep you off of your feet, how you can still taste the love in a home-cooked meal even when it is cold, how one small question can spark the start of something big, or how a momentary glimpse of someone's heart can change your world forever? Have you ever felt yourself falling in love? I catch myself everyday as I look into the eyes of the 2-year-old I'm clutching in my arms in the photo on my desk. Do you know what it feels like to prevent yourself from falling in love? Have you ever felt someone push you away from loving them? No matter what you do, or how hard you try, they won't let you. Eventually, you have nothing left. Have you ever had something to say, but couldn't, or didn't? Did you ever notice how some signs of affection pale in comparison to a hug from your dad or a smile from your mom? Or notice how a pleasant surprise can be tainted by the circumstances meriting the surprise? Have you ever seen someone's presence light up a room? Have you ever felt too beautiful for words to describe? It's kind of like when certain people say your name.

"Bears taking a wait-and-see approach with Brown"

For the past few days, I've noticed that headline on the Bears' website. The Bears are home to multiple "Browns," and today my curiosity spiked and I clicked on it in hopes that it was referencing my beloved Mike Brown, and it was. The article talks about Brown's most recent injury, and what sort of plans they have for his future in Chicago. Jerry Angelo, the general manger, says that his future with the organization is uncertain due to his numerous injuries in the past 4 years. Quoting Angelo: "How am I going to count on Mike Brown? Mike's been hurt a lot. We certainly would like to have Mike on our football team, but we're just going to wait." If it was any other team, this logic would make some sort of sense to me. But, given certain circumstances, this makes me very angry! The name of those such circumstances are Rex Grossman. This marked Grossman's fifth season. One season was ended due to a torn ACL, the next didn't get started until the final 3 games due to a broken ankle, and this season was cut short because of a torn MCL (and at various times, simply because of a lack of talent). With that track record, you would think Angelo would have made comments about Rex like he did Brown, right? Wrong. Not once has Grossman been questioned like that, not once! Brown is at least 10 times the football player that Grossman is/possibly will be!!!! How come he is the one in question when Grossman deserves questioning, and a stronger dose, as well? It's ridiculous, that's what it is. But it won't matter for long. The Bears will come to their senses and keep Mike Brown, and Grossman will leave after the Bears pick up John David Booty in the NFL draft. I just know it...

Chi Hoowah Hoowah

So I just got back a couple of days ago from spending a week in Chicago. Greenville does this thing called Interterm, which is a two week long term where you take only one class if you choose to participate. I took a class called Diversity Issues. For the class we stayed at a hostel owned by Jesus People up in Chicago, and we were there for a week doing random service projects. Some of the days we had opportunities for free time, and each night the leaders had some sort of activity planned for us. I will do my best to keep this brief. There was quite a lot packed into not that long of a period of time, so I will try not to overwhelm you with information...anywho...My service projects consisted of: working at a temporary home for people who are transitioning out of homelessness, painting an apartment building for women in need, stuffing boxes for a group called MAC that were to be delivered to elderly people (a month's worth of groceries), serving at the Bishop Conway assisted living facility, serving at a soup kitchen (it was actually a full meal, rather than a normal soup kitchen), being a teacher's assistant in a class of 3 year olds (the preschool was in a poor neighborhood), and helping with various tasks at an organization called Little Brothers (basically, the purpose of the organization is to provide friendship to lonely people in the elderly community).

We spent a lot of time in downtown Chicago, so that was a lot of fun. I love Chicago; there's just something about it that really appeals to me. Our evening activities consisted of: attending a Taize service (it is centered around meditation), having dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant, attending a play in a very small theatre, talking with people from Emmaus ministries (they are a ministry that serves male prostitutes), going to a concert by an acapella group called Men of Destiny (these men met in drug rehab, and were amazing!), and taking a tour and having dinner in Pilsen (the Hispanic neighborhood of Chicago).

On Sunday we attended two church services. One was a Greek Orthodox service, and the other was a Hare Krishna service (Hare Krishna is a form of Hinduism). Both were extremely different. The Orthodox service was extremely traditional, and was one liturgy. The church was absolutely beautiful. It was an interesting experience, but none of us felt welcome because they made us sit in the back (we were heading in to rows towards the center of the seating, and the greeter actually came in and told us to sit in the back of the sanctuary). The Hare Krishna service was exactly the opposite. The worship was uninhibited, and was full of singing and dancing. We stood at the back, by choice, to observe, and after a few minutes a couple of the women came and grabbed me and some of the other girls and invited us to dance with them! A little while after that, some of the men got some of our guys and invited them to dance with their group! It was so awesome. We were all worshipping, and even though God looked different to us than He did to them, we were still invited and united. It was a wonderful experience.

I was worried about the trip at first because I was friends with only one person that was going, and we weren't that close. However, I met a lot of amazing people and had a really great time. I won't go in to detail about everything, because that would take forever, but I do want to highlight a couple of things. My two favorite moments were serving at the soup kitchen and hearing from Emmaus ministries. Both those opportunities really touched my heart. The whole time we were hearing from the directors of Emmaus, my heart was pounding. I'm not exactly sure why, but I just know I couldn't get it to stop. And while we were serving a room full of homeless people at the soup kitchen, I was incredibly moved. I got really emotional during the meal. I think I was overwhelmed by the fact that all 130 people in the room were without a home, and there were a lot more people that needed a meal, but didn't make it into the room because there weren't enough seats for them. I felt really in my element as I walked around and interacted with the people, and there was quite a mix of people there. I had one woman who called me a b**** because I wouldn't give her a cigarette, I listened to a little old man do impressions for five minutes, each sounding the same, and I was hit on by two other men. They were all interesting, and all needed our love. I guess that's one thing that every person we helped during the week had in common: they all were in need, and had many needs that we couldn't meet, but we could help fulfill their need for love. I'll end with saying that I'm really glad I took this class and had all of these wonderful opportunities. I really learned a lot, and had a great time doing it.

"Senior Prom"

In high school my friends and I joked about going to McDonald's for prom dinner. Unfortunately, we never actually did it. My "dream" finally came true, and for New Year's Eve, some friends and I got all fancy and went to Taco Bell for dinner. It was so much fun (and so cold)! My friends are awesome. I love that they will do weird things like that with me. We went back to one of their houses after that and just hung out, it was nice. We all counted down to midnight together and toasted with sparkling grape juice. It was so nice to spend time with everyone, I love being home. I truly have amazing friends, I love them all so much!

Brittany and me

Nick, me, and Jared