!

Ryan and I went to Waco on Sunday.

And now we are getting married!

He proposed on the Lake Waco Dam during a gorgeous sunset. (pictured above)

The ring is beautiful

It was a bit too big though, so now it is in the process of getting resized. I miss it so!

I can't wait to live with Ryan! To commit to be together for our whole long lives. But first there are so many decisions--colors, place, people, day, hair, dress and on and on. Phew. I've never planned a wedding before! The idea of doing so is exciting and stressful. Glad we have people around to help!

I was reading in Genesis 1 this morning and had a realization, something I hadn't noticed before. Maybe you guys have already thought about his but--we were intended to be vegetarians?

29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.


To me that sounds like all living creatures were to eat only plants. That makes sense I suppose. It's hard to imagine all of creation being in harmony if some animals had to kill others for food. So eating meat is a consequence of the fall? That's interesting. What do you think?

This doesn't make me feel like I need to become a vegetarian, by the way, anymore than I feel like I need walk around naked.

It's over! My first semester of graduate school is done. And wowee it has gone by fast. It usually does though. Grad school has not as been as hard as I thought. It has been challenging in ways, but in good ways. Not like I-have-to-shove-all-this-information-in-my-head-for-a-test-tomorrow kind of challenging. But rather more like I-have-never-written-this-way-before kind of challenging, or I-have-never-thought-about-this-before kind. The good kind, not the silly kind.

For my last class of the semester, I participated in a potluck with my ceramics class. There was so much food! I barely made a dent sampling all of this. For the event I made sweet potato fries. They didn't turn out very crispy, but other than that they were good. I just thought you would be interested in knowing that. I love sweet potato fries

Now that class is done, I'm taking up where I left off at the Lone Star's Simplicitea's Tea Room. Heather trained me to work the cash register on Wednesday.

And my head hurts now so I'm going to stop looking at the computer. I'm not even going to proof read this so I apologize for the mistakes.

Pray

Since living in Denton, I have been going to The Village Church and have really been blessed by doing so. It's slowly becoming my new church home. The reason I'm telling you this is to ask for your prayers for Matt Chandler, the lead pastor of the church. I don't know if you've heard, but on Thanksgiving, Matt had a seizure and subsequently found out he had a brain tumor. This past Friday he underwent surgery to remove the tumor, and next they will do a biopsy of it. This past Sunday they showed a video of Matt during the service saying some encouraging words. I want to share it with you--Matt is such a compelling teacher, even in this five minute video clip. So click here to watch it. I just watched it for the third time myself.

So if you could, please pray for his wife, kids and church family. Much appreciated!!

Procrastination Station

So Thanksgiving--I know I promised you some pictures, but I just put a whole album of them up on facebook. I don't feel like going through a lot of uploading again, so just go there if you are interested.

And I felt like I had a lot more to say but i guess I don't. I'm in the UNT student union building, doing some studying and such until my class at five. I was hoping to procrastinate by blogging, but I'm not having anything to say . . . so there goes that . . .

I guess I'll say that I've really enjoyed my ceramics class this year, especially these last couple of weeks. Our final project is to create any amount of pieces of whatever we want. I have no idea how he is going to grade that, but I've really enjoyed doing it. I've realized how awesome it is to have an unlimited amount of clay, an unlimited amount of glaze, and people to fire everything for me and so have been furiously making as much as I can until the semester is over and I no longer have those things. If you are a person that I would get a Christmas present for, you might should expect some sort of ceramic mug or bowl . . .

Also, if you haven't noticed I've dyed my hair a dark reddish brown color. It's not permanent, don't worry. Here is a picture as evidence.

It's me and my momma. (You may have seen a similar picture already on her blog)

So there's one Thanksgiving picture for ya!

Post-Thanksgiving Post

We are now on the other side of Thanksgiving. And it was such a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'm glad I decided to spend a few days at home, instead of just Thanksgiving day. It has been a great time with my family and a great time to rest.. What has put an extra dash of wonderful into it is having Ryan with me the whole time. He is sitting beside me right now actually, studying for another test. This year he got to experience a Carmack Thanksgiving. Lucky guy. And lucky Carmacks!

And now the Christmas season will be unleashed in its full force and fury. Before Thanksgiving, there are hints of it here and there--a few bold houses who turn on their Christmas lights, a few wreaths and trees put up in malls, a Christmas song heard here or there--but now things will really get rolling. No more Thanksgiving to hold it back.

I'm also about to embark on my last two weeks of school for the semester. I have some big projects and papers due in the next couple of weeks, but they have all been started so I'm not too worried about it. I just need to continue to diligently work and it shouldn't be too hard.

I'm excited about next semester. I seems like I will be learning more practical art teaching things--like about curriculum and assessment. This semester has been more theoretical. I also will take a watercolor painting . Wee!

Stay tuned for Thanksgiving pictures.

Parties and Proposals

'Tis the week of Thanksgiving. Yay! I'm excited about eating all sorts of pumpkin-flavored things--pumpkin bars, pumpkin bread, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pie. Pumpkin-flavored things are the best sort of things.

I am a bit caffeinated right now, so be warned. My writing may be sporadic and varied. I am at The Hydrant right now and just finished a wonderful soy cappuccino. I find it easiest to do school work outside of my apartment, and that is why I am here. I also just like being here; it is much more comfortable than the library, though less distracting than some other coffee shops.

This past weekend has been a great weekend. Friday night we celebrated Ryan's 24th birthday by eating a delicious meal of bratwurts, sauerkraut, and quality beer, and finishing it off with cheesecake (the best kind of cake . . . especially if it's pumpkin flavored. It wasn't, but I can imagine). Friends from around the metroplex came out to celebrate.







And then last night I witnessed my first live proposal. One of Ryan's old roommates asked his girlfriend to marry him in front of a sea of their closest friends. I was honored to be apart of it. I don't have any pictures of that but I'll let you imagine it: We all were outside, surrounded by christmas lights and candles. The soon-to-be-engaged couple arrived well after everyone else, the girl thinking they were walking into a general gathering of friends. But, to her confusion, everyone was silently staring at her and her boyfriend when they walked outside, and a special song began playing on the stereo. She was really cute, confused, and excited. Then her boyfriend began to read her a letter that brought tears to everyone's eyes, especially hers. Long story short, he placed a ring on her finger and everyone cheered. The party continued and then moved to the Greenhouse. It was wonderful.

And now back to the books!

Edit:

Here's a picture of the engaged couple I've taken from facebook

Jonah

I read through the book of Jonah the other day. I really like that book. You should read through it too, it's only four short chapters long and easy to do in one sitting.

It's slightly comical how Jonah is so defiant against God--and kind of whiny. For one, he ran away from God's command and got swallowed by a fish because of it. But God had mercy on him and let the fish spit Jonah out, after Jonah humbled himself and asked for God's forgivenss and help:

"[Jonah] said, 'I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple'" (2:4).
That's in chapter two, which has Jonah's beautiful prayer. But even then, Jonah argues with God in chapter four. This is when Jonah becomes particularly prideful and just plain whiny. He disagreed with God's decision to have mercy on the city of Nineveh, who had turned from their wickedness after hearing God's message spoken through Jonah.
"But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, 'Isn't this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate god, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to dies than to live.'" (4:1-3)

Jonah doesn't understand that what God did for Nineveh, is the same as what he did for Jonah himself by forgiving him for running away. It's also funny because this has to be one of the only times in the Bible when God's graciousness and compassion are spoken about as a bad thing.
Of course Jonah wasn't the first to try and run away from God (Adam and Eve) and certainly not the last (me). It's easy for us to think Jonah is just plain silly, but we do the same things.

Anywho, I just wanted to share that. Because I like it.

Today! . . . Is! . . .

Ryan's!! birthday!!

Wasn't his beard so big and fluffy this past summer? And it has a bit of a red tint (and every once in awhile a white hair). He is 24 today. For a short time we were the same age--23--but today he has leaped ahead in time. He will have to teach me what it is like to be so old.

This morning we went out for a yummy breakfast with his roommate, Carlos. We went to Old West Cafe. So good! My tummy is still so happy about it.

Ryan has a monster test tomorrow, so we are now--at this very moment--in the TWU library. He is silently studying next to me, looking so cute and 24.

Louie has a new home!

And some new roommates. Lots of changes for my little fish. He seems to be adjusting well though.

First, he upgraded from a bowl to a ten gallon tank. I knew a guy getting rid of his tank and I got the whole set up for 15 dollars--tank, stand, filter, light, rocks, fake plant, massive rock. Sweet deal. So Louie moved into his new mansion yesterday (and now there is a constant delightful sound of water running in my room.

Then, his mom (me) was so excited about his big new home that she wanted to get Louie some roommates to populate it. So today, Ryan and I went to PetSmart. I got a black moor goldfish named Regina and a snail named Bruce (his friends call him Brucey). Here is Louie with Regina.

I've found it's easier to photograph a fish in a tank rather than in a bowl. If you look closely at the photograph above (and you can do so by clicking on it) you can see Brucey as an orange blob on the bottom left. He is doubled because I took the picture at a corner.

I'm excited about my new hobby of fish-keeping.


This past weekend was very family-filled. Friday, Ryan and I went to Colleyville to spend time with my family and partake in some Christmas card pictures (you can check out my mom's blog for the results). That was a lot of fun, always is. And then on Sunday we went to Ryan's grandparents' place and hung out with his family. His grandparents have a fun house with lots of animals--two dogs, two cats, three goats, one horse, a catfish filled pond, and ducks (did I forget anything, Ryan?). We took turns riding the horse--bareback. We also ate yummy lunch.

Now, I'm onto my flu-free week.

Feeling better

Man what a week . . . of nothing. My sickness (the flu) followed me around throughout most of the week. The only class I went to was ceramics, and I also missed a day of babysitting. I got pretty bored in the mean time. Here is a list of all the movies I've watched while sick: Frequency (that was actually when Ryan was sick last Thursday), Cars, Stardust, Cool Runnings, About A Boy, The Prestige, some of The Illusionist (The Prestige is so much better), and a couple episodes of the third season of Lost. And in the mean time, it has been gorgeous outside.

But enough complaining. I'm lucky to have such a flexible schedule to easily take so much time off. And I'm lucky I have my own personal nurse who is so good at taking care of me (and by that I mean Ryan). I'm now pretty much better, but still coughing.

I've also read a lot. I'm currently making my way through the Chronicles of Narnia; I have never read them. I figured that while I'm still on my C.S. Lewis kick, I may as well read his most well know fiction series. Before I started reading them, I didn't realize there was such controversy surrounding their order. I just picked up the book that had a "1" on the spine and assumed that was where I was to start. According to Ryan, though, it was different than how he had always seen them ordered. Oh well, I was already committed. I'm reading them in chronological order, starting with The Magicians Nephew. I finished that book and the next--The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe--while sick. Now I'm onto The Horse and His Boy. (In case you don't know, the other way to read them is to do so in publication order, starting with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. That what the movies are doing.) Anywho, I'm really enjoying them. They are quick and easy reads and a nice way to pass the time when one has the flu, or any ol' time. Next maybe I should read The Lord of the Rings trilogy? It seems appropriate.

Perhaps I should be reading some school books too . . .
And I do, I just take a break with these.

Sicky-poo

It's got me. I thought I could elude it. I thought I could fight it, but it has taken me siege.

Ryan was sick Thursday and Friday. I took care of him--while washing my hands every time I passed a sink, taking Vitamin C, taking Wellness Forumla, and not kissing. But here I am, lying on my couch with a 101 fever. Ryan is feeling better though, so that's good. And my roommates are out of town, so I can't get them sick.

Ryan just left to get me some soup and chicken broth. He is so sweet. Today we have been together for fifteen months!!!

And Happy Halloween! Glad I didn't have any plans for tonight to begin with, now I don't have to feel lame about it.

I was kind of relieved when I found I actually had a fever. It means I'm not being a baby and that I am actually sick. Good, that's done, now go away.

I also would appreciate it if it wasn't so durn nice outside. I want to go outside and play! Waa!

Just kidding, it's nice to just lie on the couch. We just finished watching Cars. Good movie.

So the weekend was a success.

Elise turned 23

Molly and David got engaged

Ryan found a praying mantis.

I caught up with some good friends

The goats were happy to see us




It was kind of surreal being in Waco. The whole weekend had me feeling like the past six months have been a dream, and I was going to wake up on Monday in my loft in Waco, and go to class at Baylor. It was weird. But good and refreshing all the same. I like being in Denton and having a life here, but I still treasure the past four years I spent living in Waco.

Really, I'm a very blessed person.

MM hm. I love french press coffee in the morning. Especially freshly ground, local Bookish coffee. Bookish coffee are Denton people who roast their own coffee beans. You order it online and and then they can deliver it to you, or you pick it up from their front porch.





Baylor Homecoming is this weekend. Sic 'em! My first Baylor Homecoming as an alum. So I'm going to be comin home. Excited to see some long-lost Baylor friends, like Rachael who is pictured above (in the middle). She lives in Boston now. And Julia (on the left) who is at Duke in North Carolina.

It's almost November!! I feel I still haven't gotten over the shock of October. That's the way it is though, time always goes so fast. You'd think we would learn that if time is always fast, then it isn't fast but is just going at its normal speed. But we never do. We think it should go slower. Why do we think that? Maybe because it did when we were kids. When we were kids and had nothing to do but play all day, time didn't go so fast.

Confession: I'm mainly writing this post so that the Twilight one will go down and not be the first impression newcomers have of my blog. Mission accomplished (the big picture helped).

Yes, I took the Twilight Personality Quiz on the New Moon movie MySpace. I was listening to the soundtrack, okay? (Which is supposed to be pretty good.) That's why I was there and I just got distracted. As for the results . . .

I don't really know how to take that. But at least I can be Dakota Fanning.

The weeks are starting to fly by faster now. I can't believe it's already Friday! That is evidence that I am getting used to this place and forming a routine. Along those lines, I have found a part-time job--after-school nanny. Starting this week, I will spend three afternoons out of the week hanging out with some cool kids. Yesterday I picked them up from their elementary school for the first time. It was a strange feeling, because the last time I was in a line of cars waiting in front of an elementary school I was in elementary school. I am being re-educated in children's television--Disney and Nickelodeon still reign supreme. And children's games--like Sorry, which I played a couple of times yesterday, while watching SpongeBob Square Pants. And I'm getting paid for this!

In other news: Today is Melissa's birthday! Weee! Here's happy Melissa on her birthday in 2007. It was that semester that we became good friends, living together in lovely Florence, Italy. Here, she is eating a yummy birthday dinner at our favorite--Il Gatto e La Volpe ("The Cat and The Fox"). So good! Looks like something funny is going on.

And this is us together that same night. Check out my long hair! And my nose ring! Crazy.

Anywho, she is at TCU now, getting a Masters in Art History. And I get to see her tonight!

Bad news: So I didn't get either of the jobs listed in the previous post. Good news: But I did get a telescope eye goldfish named Louie! Ryan gave him to me on Tuesday for our 14 month-aversary. Tuesday was also the day I heard about both jobs. I was bummed out, but I know its for the best. I wasn't supposed to have those jobs so I don't want them. Back to the drawing board (and time to work on a budget).

Here is Louie (it was hard to get a picture of him because he wouldn't hold still):



I like him. And he seems to be liking his new home. He would be happier in a tank though; that is in the works. It's peaceful to me to watch him swimming around.

What a beautiful day! I'm sitting outside on campus, doing some studying and such while I wait for five o'clock to get here, because with it, brings class. The History of Art Education, to be exact. I will always have a special place in my heart for history. On that note, I think it's silly to say you don't like history. I can understand if you don't like taking a history class, but history is something you are in right now. History is what brought you to where you are. Studying the history of Art Education makes me excited to become a part of it (I know, I'm kind of a nerd).

And it's such a beautiful day! Sunny and 77 degrees to be exact. I'm looking forward to fall and cool-weather-clothes, but for today I am enjoying the warmth. But let's get cool soon, okay?

While school so far has been interesting and I have been learning lots, I am finding that I have entirely too much time on hands. Further, since there are many cozy and yummy coffee shops that I have been spending money at (plus, you know, bills) I am finding I have entirely not enough money on my hands. I can solve both these problems by finding a job, which I have been trying to do these past few weeks. I have a second interview at an Animal Hospital tomorrow, which looks promising and is probably one of the more random jobs I have applied for. I like animals though, and have some experience cleaning up after them. The job description includes heavy cleaning, office work, and assisting with surgeries. Sounds interesting. We shall see how that one works out. I had another interview last Thursday for a job that I don't know if I'm totally qualified for. It involves me and a classroom-full of at-risk high school students every morning. I would love to work with at-risk high school students but the scarey part is that it would be . . . just me and them. So if they think I am qualified for the job and give it to me, then great, but if they don't think I'm qualified for the job then I don't want it anyway. Hopefully I get one of the above jobs and not both nor neither.

You'll be happy to hear I bought an apparatus for heating water today that will not involve my burned fingers (see previous post). It's not a tea kettle, but a water heater. I broke my roommate's water heater by over-use (I drink a lot of hot tea and french-press coffee) so have bought a replacement. Yay!

This week I am going to try to spend less money at coffee shops and make my own coffee and study on campus more--like I'm doing right now. Maybe make the coffee shop experience a once-a-week thing.

And one more thing, I finished my reread of Mere Christianity and now am reading Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck. Reading it makes me feel like I am on vacation.

Wow, this turned out to be kind of a long post. I think its the caffeine.

Memo to self: Don't hold the mug with your left hand while pouring boiling water into it from a pot with your right hand. Instead, put the mug down on a flat surface (preferably in the sink because you will probably make a mess) and then pour said boiling water, with your left hand safely out the way. I really need to invest in a tea kettle, because they are made to have boiling hot water pouring out of them. My poor fingers.

I'm in the upstairs of a coffee shop called The Hydrant. It's my current favorite place to study. It's more quiet and more comfortable than a lot of the other coffee shops here. And the people who work here that I have encountered are really nice.

There is a guy tuning a piano in the room I am sitting in. And speaking of pianos, Ryan and I are going to see Regina Spektor on November 12th. You should come! Get a ticket! Google it! Something!



I like fall. I am excited about it. I'm excited about jackets and sweaters and scarves and hats. Of course, sometimes we to even get to wear those things in the winter. When does fall start. Has it?

Man oh man! It's almost the middle of September. Feel as though I should say some things on this blog o' mine.

It has been raining almost two days straight. I have been enjoying it. It's a nice excuse to stay inside and drink some hot tea with a good book. Not that I've really done that much, but is sure sounds nice! Speaking of books, I decided to give Mere Christianity another go-around. I'm about halfway through it right now. It's so good! C.S. Lewis writes like he is having a conversation with you. He is so good and reasonable and rationally explaining what it is that Christians believe, how Christians should behave, and why he believes Christianity to be the real deal. It's a great read for anyone new or interested in the Christian faith, or just anyone who is already a Christian and wants some encouragement--to know how to better articulate what it is they believe and why. Anywho, it's good. Elise also has loaned me her copy of the Time Travelers Wife to read next. Have you read that?

School is slowly picking up. Still don't feel like I have enough going on.

It has been really nice being so close to Ryan. He is taking a nap in my room right now. It's a perfect Sunday afternoon for that.

And now a word from Lisa Hannigan, one of my recent obsessions. You might recognize her voice as the female that often sings with Damien Rice.



And here is a word from C.S. Lewis from page 32 of Mere Christianity

If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth--only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair.

Go Eagles! Go Mean Green!

That is my first attempt at UNT school spirit. Maybe my last? We will see. When I was at the bookstore last week, buying my textbooks, I almost bought a UNT T-shirt, but I couldn't bring myself to just yet. I like my Baylor shirts, thank you. Maybe next semester I will be ready.

I'm liking UNT though. I can feel that it is a lot bigger than Baylor. The campus is nice-looking, which I wasn't expecting really. For some reason I had the impression that UNT's campus was ugly, but it's not at all. The art building is way cooler than the Baylor art building, but that's to be expected. It's a way bigger program here. I went to a yoga class earlier today in the Rec Center which was also impressive looking. It was good to do yoga again after a summer hiatus. I need to make it apart of my routine again.

My first real class here starts in thirty minutes--History of Art Education. It's from 5-8--not the most convenient of class times. And I am going to take that Ceramics class btw. I have heard some scary things about the professor, so I'm now more nervous than excited.

So there's that. I'm here, in an Einstein Bros. Bagels within the Union Building (which is also way huger than Baylor's) wasting time until five (it's 4:30).

Tis the eve of my first day of class.

I'm at Art Six right now, one of Denton's fine local houses of coffee. I anticipate spending much time here in the future, studying and such. And listening to music. And chillin with friends. If you fall under that category, come to Denton and chill with me!

While sitting here eating my pizza bagel, I finished the third book of C.S. Lewis' space trilogy--That Hideous Strength. It is so good! Of course it is, it is C.S. Lewis. It has been a very Lewis summer for me. It started with Til We Have Faces in May, and after finishing that I started on the space trilogy, which I just finished. Such a good time investment! And it's perfect, since classes start tomorrow. My first class is a Ceramics class at 11, which I'm not actually registered for yet. Hopefully that works out and I can take it for real (I need special permission since it is a undergraduate class and I am a graduate student).

What book should I embark on next? I'm tempted to keep the C.S. Lewis streak going, perhaps a re-read of Mere Christianity. Any other suggestions, Lewis or not?

I'm officially moved to Denton now. Have been since Sunday. Since then I have been unpacking things. My room is almost all put together. I'll have to give you a walking tour soon. The other Laura arrives today sometime, and Katherine comes in a couple days. It's happening!

I like it. My apartment is nice. Denton is cool. Ryan is close. Friends and family are not too far. I'm anxious about starting school and wondering what my routine will be like. Looking into getting a job--maybe tutoring. I need to get working on applications though.

My bathroom is the only room that is all put together, so right now it's my favorite room. And I just filmed a really awkward and dumb video of my giving you a tour of my current favorite room. Dare I show it to you . . . ? Ok

I'm sitting, chilling next to Sherbasky on the Carmack couch. And by "Carmack" I don't mean me or my parents. No, I am in the Rob and Caroline Carmack household, chilling with their pups and stuff while they are on vacay to somewhere less humid.

I have had a pleasant evening of Twilight and Panda Express thus far. I watched the movie Twilight, though I didn't finish it. I just couldn't bring myself to. I was getting bored, and I have seen it and read it already. Now I'm jamming out to the "Symphony Hall" music channel and about to read more of C.S. Lewis' That Hideous Strength.

I tried to get a picture of Sherbs, Lola (the other Carmack dog) and myself on my Photo Booth but it was a little diffcult. Here are some of the results.

This is how most of the pictures turned out . I'm saying, "Sherbs! Look at the camera!" Sherbasky is the snout on your left and Lola is the white fluff on your right.

So I decided that both dogs at once was much too impossible, and started focusing on one at a time; here is the clearest picture I could get of Lola.:

And here is the best of Sherbs and I. This one is not half bad:

So see Rob and Caroline, I haven't killed your dogs.

In other news, a year ago from tomorrow Ryan and I went on our first date to Food for Thought and the Lake Waco dam. It's an anniversary! Astounding. We are going to celebrate. You should too! And I know you guys can't get enough of pictures of Ryan and I, so here we are many months ago, being awkward (also taken on my Photo Booth).

I had a first today--getting a massage. It was wonderful and felt marvelous--an hour long. And now I smell really good from the lotion rubbed all over me and feel very soft. Hmm.

It has been a whirlwind past couple of days. Ryan is in Colorado, and since most of my time of late has been spent hanging out with him (and well spent), I thought I would just be sitting around, twiddling my thumbs. Instead I've been pretty busy--catching up with people mostly. I forgot how popular I am! Just kidding.
Sunday I took an impromptu trip to Killeen to visit Rachael at Peaceable Kingdom Retreat for Children. I didn't feel like driving the three hours back to Colleyville and so spent the night in Austin with Melissa and Tinsley. I ate breakfast with Melissa, did a little shopping, and then met up with Tinsley for lunch. I made it back to the good ol' metroplex just in time to eat dinner with Julia. Phew. It was good to see all those girls and hear how their summers have been going. And tonight I will eat dinner with another good friend--Linh. Our friendship has been going strong for seven years now:

Excited to see where she will be in the next seven years!

I also registered for my first semester of grad school today. In the fall I will be taking Writing About Art, History of Art Education, Teaching Theories, and Literacy for All. Woot! Two of those classes are internet classes. That'll be interesting; I've never taken an internet class before. Hopefully that means they will be easier? There is no tellin with grad school I suppose. The other two are once a week, evening classes. It seems like my program is designed for people with daytime jobs. Maybe I should get one then. If I find myself not too busy with schoolwork, maybe I'll try substitute teaching or something. We shall see . . .

My clothes are dry now so I am going to go fold them.

I was tagged by Beth, so now here are six little things that make me happy. . .

1. Dogs. Particularly this one:

Dogs' loyalty and joy make me happy.

2. That picture reminds me of another little thing that makes me happy, swimming on a nice (hot but not too hot) summer day. Especially accompanied by a good book and a pool chair.

3. Making a yummy dinner with Ryan (and it's always yummy when we make it):


4. Sitting for hours at a coffee shop, reading a good book (or even studying) and sipping on good coffee or tea (like at Buon Giorno).

5. Swing sets:


6. Listening to my momma play guitar.


Phew! Finally got it done. I have been working on these six things for awhile. I kept starting it and getting interrupted.

And I want you to note that these are six little things. There are also many big things that make me happy that I didn't even mention--like my family, friends, lofties, Ryan himself. So don't be offended if you didn't make it into my six little happy things, because that just means you are a big happy thing.

And now I tag six people that make me happy:

Ryan
Claire
Christy
Molly
Robert
Rob

So if you were tagged, you must now list six little things that make you happy.

Back in C-ville now. The back-and-forth between c-vill and the 'co is over now (except for August, when I go back to graduate). In a month, the back-and-forth between c-vill and D Town (Denton) will commence, as I prepare for the beginning of the next chapter of my life--grad school. Until them I am chillin' here, waiting tables and chillin with friends and fam. Even after being at Baylor for four years, this place still feels like home and it feels good to be here. I know that's not the case with everyone, once they move out of the house, so I'm thankful.

Tomorrow I start at the tea room. Come visit!

I thought that I would know everything by the time I graduated college. Well that certainly isn't the case. I want my money back! Probably after grad school I will for sure know everything though, right?

But the more you know, the more you realize you don't know. So really , I must know at lot since I think that I don't.
I thought when I graduated college I would at least know everything about Art History, and at least know everything about myself. I feel like I know only a small portion about both of those things. Certainly a lot more than four years ago (especially the later), but there is still much to know. But that is part of the fun of life, eh? Ay.

On the drive back from the 'co, I spent a considerable amount of time talking to some of these girls on the phone:

That was us outside of UBC on our last Sunday in Waco together. I love them, and hopefully will know them for the rest of my life. I just have to get better at calling and writing people. Something else to put on my to do list.

I'm hungry. It's about that time of day again . . .

Ug. So tired of Rome and her sarcophagi, her columns, her temples, her wall paintings, her mosaics. In the midst of studying for my final final. Going crazy with studying. Ryan is on his way to rescue me, a Chik-fil-A cookies-n-cream milkshake in tow. Yum yum. We also made a yummy dinner together, putting the last of our groceries together--spaghetti with veggies and chicken. It was yum as well.

He's here! I'm rescued! My hero. (as of yesterday we have been together for eleven months)

This week is my last week of summer class. I had my quiz yesterday and oral presentation today. I presented about this sculpture. It's a the portrait of a Roman matron as the goddess Cybele:

I think it went well, but it's hard to know with those kind of things. Next I have my final exam on Thursday and then I'm done. Finito. Done with classes at Baylor. It still hasn't hit me I don't think. Then I'm off to the next phase of my summer, taking place in Colleyville.

I had another adventure-filled weekend. Went to Austin and went camping for the second weekend in a row, this time at Pace Bend Park. Before that though, Ryan and I went to REI and I found a pair of Chaco's on super sale for $30! Usually they are $95. Now Ryan and I have twin feet:

See, you can't even tell whose is whose!

In my Roman Art class yesterday, we talked about the characters of Gladiator (such as Commodus below, played by Joaquin Phoenix)


Gladiator is one of my favorite movies, so that was a highlight. I brought up the movie in class and asked if the professor knew how Commodus actually died, if it was indeed at the hands of a Gladiator. He said he didn't think so, though Commodus did like the games and participated in Gladiatorial combat on occasion. Cool. Hopefully there will be a question about Gladiator on the final: Compare and Contrast the events in the movie "Gladiator" with real historical events of the second century CE.

Ryan and I:

Went to see St. Vincent last night:

They were awesome, I'd say. She is kind of eerie though, super talented and amazing, but kind of eerie. Like a mannequin--in the way she moves and looks. She is haunting--her voice, and her way about her.

And now I'm listening to the new Regina Spektor CD streaming on NPR's First Listen fo free. Fo sho. If you go there (which you should) and only have time to listen to one song, listen to "Laughing With" (you can scroll down and pick individual songs). I really like it.

I'm going to Dallas tonight with Ryan to see a concert. St. Vincent:

I'm super excited about it! Will gave me her CD for Christmas a couple years back (She is from Dallas). Thanks Will.

We also went canoeing and camping this past weekend:

I had an invisible canoe

Also, speaking of resurrected hairstyles. At least this Roman hairstyle hasn't come back in fashion yet. It would be a lot of work:

I am now almost half-way through with my summer class! That's wild. I'm liking it though, I think Roman Art is interesting.

I had the most yummy lunch today. I just have to share. The yummy-factor was quite unexpected, as I just threw together an egg burrito, but it was sooo good: scrambled eggs, goat cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach, cilantro, onion, and salsa. And I have discovered a yummy and healthy dessert. Frozen cherries and a glass of goat milk. I don't put them together, I just eat the frozen cherries (real cherries, not marciano) and drink the goat milk (which I buy from the World Hunger Farm, so I know it is fresh from the goat). I know not everyone likes goat milk, but personally, this combination of frozen cherries and milk satiates my craving for ice cream. And I have frequent cravings for ice cream on these hot summer days. Not to say that I am abstaining from ice cream, I'm just trying not to eat too much sugar. Anywho, my tummy is really happy right now.

I have been tending to write and talk about food a lot of late. It has been on my mind, because of various digestive problems.

There were many people getting married this past weekend. Many weddings. I went to one, celebrating the marriage of David and Melyssa:

It was a great wedding. Beautiful, and tons of fun. Much dancing and merriment:




It was a great weekend, and the wedding was the highlight. I'm really liking this summer so far, even though I am taking class. It is hard to study, though, when everyone you hang out with is not taking class.