meandering

2010-07-03T13:49:00.001-05:00

Well it was inevitable--I've moved

2010-05-27T11:10:00.002-05:00

I get married in 9 days, so I thought it was time to blog.

Really, I just need to clean my fish tank and am procrastinating . . . .

Okay, I'll go clean it.

2010-05-07T09:57:00.005-05:00

29 days people!

School is rapidly coming to a close. All I have left is a take home final that is due next wednesday. Yikes! And then I'll be wrapping up wedding details. I can't believe I am here! I feel like most of the big things about our wedding are planned now, but I don't even know how that happened. I've just been moving along, doing things, and then I look back and things are done. Weird. There is still stuff to do, but nothing major (unless I'm forgetting something . . .)

Every once and awhile I'll have a moment of feeling stressed, but then I just tell myself that the wedding is just ONE DAY. Sure, it's one of the biggest days of my life, but it is still just a few hours that I'm planning here -- a ceremony and a reception. It should not consume my life or my thoughts.

I'm at the Hydrant right now with Ryan.

That is my beautiful Italian-style cappucino. Yum! And Ryan's green tea.

Ryan is studying for his last two finals of nursing school. And then he graduates next week!

Man, what a time! What a month!

Oh yeah, and I have blonde hair again. I wanted to look like me on my wedding day, so I wanted my hair to be blonde again. And it is. I'm not going to post a picture; you can just trust me now and see me when you see me.

2010-04-24T15:19:00.003-05:00

I've made us rings.

Ryan has been expressing dissatisfaction (jealousy?) in not being able to wear a ring now too, like I get to. So I made him an engagement ring, and a pinky ring for me to match.

I made these rings using the trusty fisherman's knot.

I learned this knot in my backpacking class at Baylor and have used it so much since, mainly just with necklaces. The two knots can move, so you can make the necklace bigger or smaller without having to untie the knot. Pretty handy.

2010-04-05T14:05:00.005-05:00

I had my first Easter away from my family yesterday. I spent yesterday afternoon with my almost-family instead. Ryan and I joined his family at his grandparents house. It was a lot of fun! We ate a wonderful lunch and played with baby goats.

The above picture is Ryan's sister holding the goat with their cousin.

Baby goats are some of the cutest things I've ever encountered. Ryan and I want to have goats of our own someday.

2010-03-30T12:57:00.004-05:00

Check out my wordle! It was made using the text from this blog (click on the little image to go to it).

Sweet. Its interesting to see all the words I use often outside of their context. You can make your own!

2 months and six days! Ah!

2010-03-28T22:15:00.008-05:00

What a great Sunday it has been! I feel like today has truly been a sabbath. I have not done a lick of work, and have spent lots of time enjoying the weather and enjoying family (and family-to-be).

Well, I did sort our recycling. That is kind of work. It took almost an hour to do. We like to let it pile up. But what a fun time it was taking it to the recycling bins! Apparently some middle school library decided to recycle all of their books . . .

Jack pot! So Ryan and I had a lot of fun dumpster diving for books.

And yesterday we frolicked about in the beautiful wildflowers that are growing in his backyard.

And Oliver, the dog that lives with Ryan, entertained us.

Such a great weekend! I'm going to try to work really hard this week so I can have another Sabbath next weekend (Easter!).

2010-03-27T10:27:00.003-05:00

Oh what a beautiful morning! What a beautiful day.

I rode my bike to Ryan's house this morning and then we rode together to a coffee shop downtown. It's so nice to be able to do that! And I am wearing my Chaco's today--first time this year (pictured above). It's nice to feel the wind on my toes.

I can't wait until Ryan and I can live in the same house, roll out of the same bed, and head out of our same front door together to bike downtown to a coffee shop. On the way here we saw a cute little house with a sign in the front yard saying it was up for grabs (it was unclear whether to buy or rent). Ryan called the number and left a message.

I'm trying to look forward to that future, while at the same time treasuring the present and these last couple of months of single-dom. I know that with marriage there will be a lot of new challenges that I never even could have foreseen (and a lot more things to pay for).

But I still can't wait!

2010-03-20T14:20:00.005-05:00

It's the first day of spring! And there is snow in the forecast. What a crazy world we live in!

And what is further crazy is that Ryan and I have changed our wedding date--June 5th. That means we are getting married in 2 1/2 months! Wowee Wow! I was super stressed about it before we actually made the decision to change, but things are really working out well. The change has not created any problems. I think we are really supposed to get married on June 5th.

And this day also marks the end of spring break. The week has gone by too fast. But at least we are now one week closer to June 5th!

I promise, I can talk about things other than our wedding. But why?

2010-03-05T14:06:00.003-06:00

Spring is springing! I'm excited about it. Excited to wear my chacos again!

I haven't broken them out yet. I'm afraid doing it too early that I'll wear them and then have to put them back in my closet for another week or so. But my toes are itching to be set free.

That's all.

2010-02-28T11:05:00.002-06:00

New post time! Man, looking at that counter to the right makes me nervous/anxious/excited. Anxious and nervous because there is still lots to do that I don't know how to do (decorating, catering, decisions) and excited because I want be married to Ryan. Four and 1/2 months!

Weddings weddings weddings weddings! They're everywhere. But that's okay.

But for today, it's a beautiful Sunday morning and I'm at our friend Chris and Heidi's house doing some studying (or blogging . . .). We made pancakes and Ryan is sitting next to me, studying for a test on Monday. I remember when I used to study for tests . . . I don't really have those anymore. Just reading and talking and writing. And playing with little kids. I've found I really enjoy the younger ones-like kindergarten and first grade. They have so much fun creating, and no inhibitions. I'm leading a lesson next week for a fourth grade class. Nervous about that . . .

2010-02-15T16:00:00.002-06:00

My newest obsession: fabric flowers

I found instructions online about how to make these bad boys and now am hooked. I've only made one complete flower, but I have gotten the hang of it and the second one is going faster.

I've also made a ribbon flower:

Ribbon flowers are quicker than the fabric ones. They involve some fancy folding.

How cool would it be if I had a wedding full of these things? And they would survive past the wedding--they could be given out to guests and put in my home. If anyone is interested in helping me make these let me know. It's only February, so I think this is an attainable goal. If not, we can just make as much as we can, use what we make and then fill in the gaps with real flowers.

In other news, for the first time in my life I am tired of school. I've always been one of those nerdy ones that kind of likes school, who thought she would be content being a professional student all of her life if that was possible. But now, after about 18 years of it, I'm finally getting tired of school.

But it's not over yet.

Snow Day!

2010-02-11T18:53:00.003-06:00

Snow days are magical days (here in Texas anyway). And today was indeed magical. It started with a yummy pancake breakfast with friends, and then proceeded to a walk in the snow with my fiance, shortly followed by snowman making in his front yard, and now involves me sitting on my couch (which is in his house) with most of his roommates as we all work on our Mac laptops.

Our snowman's name is Ned; Luke, Ryan, and I created him. He taller than me, with acorn eyes, a twig smile, and a jean scarf. We took a lot of pictures but are unable to locate the cord that connects the camera to the computer and so are currently unable to share them. I will share them with you as soon as I can though. Suspense!

2010-02-09T11:57:00.003-06:00

The sun is out! That feels very nice. Yesterday's weather was quite dreadful. When I woke up and headr the storm going on outside, I thought to myself, "There's no way I can walk or ride my bike to class in this." My class didn't start until ten so I went out and bought a pair of rain boots right away. It's my first pair. Having rain boots makes days like yesterday a little more bearable.

And then today it's not raining, so the rain boots are back into the closet until Thursday probably.

I've discovered this winter that I really like cold weather. When I got back from Vail I was surprised that I missed it. I think it's because I've learned the secret to thriving in cold weather--you just have to dress for it. I think a lot of Texans don't like cold weather because they don't dress for it. They don't layer, they don't wear coats that are heavy enough.

Gotta go!

2010-02-05T20:44:00.003-06:00

Hello my neglected blog. Remember me? But I'm not going to apologize because it is my blog and I can update it as I see fit. And I just haven't seen it fit to update it very recently.

I'm so happy that the sun came out today. Ryan and I went out and played at the park in honor of it. I'm glad we did that so that sitting in this chair right now--studying at our computers--doesn't seem so bad. At least we got to play a little.

I just told Ryan that I don't know what to say on my blog, that's why I haven't been writing on it much. "You can just say, 'Hey I don't know what to say. I'm just sitting next to my beautiful fiance.'" That's what he said I should say.

Hey, I don't know what to say. I'm just sitting next to my beautiful (handsome) fiance. He is working on a paper. He's always working so hard.

This past week we started three registries-at Bed Bath and Beyond, R.E.I., and Ten Thousand Villages. Registering for things is so fun! Free shopping. It feels like pretend shopping, because we might not get any of this stuff, but we are pretending that we will. There are links to our registries on our wedding website (there is a link to the site in my previous post) if you are curious. We are still working on building them up. It is such a great way to procrastinate! I can register for things with the click of a button.

2010-01-18T10:48:00.002-06:00

". . . Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more." Luke 12:48

I feel like I have been given so much. I have a wealth of resources--friends, families, money, education, and knowledge of God that was been taught to me since I was little. I have so much! I hope I can give as much as I have gotten. Like Spiderman's uncle said, "With great power comes great responsibility."

I watched Spiderman yesterday while unpacking. This past week was spent in Vail with great friends (speaking of having much). It was such an incredible time! I am still so excited that I had to change my blog background to wintery mountains. I miss the cold and the snow and seeing those same people everyday. So great!

The spring semester starts tomorrow. I'm nervous and excited about it. There will be newness this semester. We'll be planning a wedding for one thing, which is something we've never done before. On Fridays I'll be observing an art classroom--helping the teacher out and doing some teaching myself. That starts this Friday! And my schedule made it so I won't be nannying this semester, so I'm on the search for a new job. Gotta start saving for the honeymoon!

Speaking of, Ryan and I have started a website for our wedding. You guys can have an exclusive sneak peak: click here. It's a work in progress

2010-01-06T17:03:00.002-06:00

I just finished The Hobbit. What a grand adventure! I feel satisfied now, like after having a good conversation. And I've finished the book just in time. I'm about to pack up and be gone for about a week and a half and now I have one less book to carry around with me.

I have spend most of today packing and preparing to be gone for various wedding festivities and one ski trip. Lots of adventures coming up! And lots of driving. And lots of friends. I'm anxious for it all to start! And after these adventures I'll start my second semester at UNT. I haven't really thought much about that, since I've had so much other things going on. I'm excited about it though. We'll see what it brings.

It's had been a really great Christmas season--one of the best. Lots to be thankful for!

!

2009-12-22T14:14:00.005-06:00

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!

2009-12-14T12:16:00.003-06:00

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.

2009-12-10T21:20:00.003-06:00

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

2009-12-07T09:19:00.003-06:00

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

2009-11-30T16:24:00.006-06:00

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

2009-11-28T13:14:00.005-06:00

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

2009-11-23T11:10:00.008-06:00

'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

2009-11-18T11:11:00.003-06:00

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.

2009-11-16T11:35:00.004-06:00

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!

2009-11-09T16:47:00.006-06:00

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

2009-11-06T09:18:00.003-06:00

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

2009-10-31T15:30:00.005-05:00

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.

2009-10-28T10:25:00.006-05:00

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.

2009-10-20T09:06:00.005-05:00

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).

2009-10-15T09:05:00.003-05:00

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.

2009-10-09T10:04:00.005-05:00

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!

2009-10-02T13:58:00.005-05:00

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.

2009-09-28T16:09:00.004-05:00

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.

2009-09-24T15:37:00.002-05:00

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?

2009-09-13T13:25:00.003-05:00

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.

2009-08-31T16:23:00.005-05:00

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).

2009-08-26T13:52:00.002-05:00

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?

2009-08-21T11:12:00.002-05:00

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

2009-08-11T13:19:00.000-05:00

2009-07-30T21:26:00.007-05:00

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).

2009-07-21T17:50:00.003-05:00

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.

2009-07-13T10:09:00.009-05:00

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.

2009-07-03T17:35:00.005-05:00

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 . . .

2009-07-01T21:04:00.006-05:00

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)

2009-06-30T15:21:00.003-05:00

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.

2009-06-22T20:20:00.006-05:00

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.

2009-06-19T09:27:00.005-05:00

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.

2009-06-18T09:28:00.005-05:00

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:

2009-06-12T13:49:00.005-05:00

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.

2009-06-08T12:41:00.006-05:00

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.

2009-06-05T14:57:00.004-05:00

I am at work, making Roman Art Powerpoints and had a quick thought, about how styles are continuously resurrected from the past, even hairstyles. Like the hairstyle of this woman from the first century BCE:

Whose hairstyle looks similar to this woman's:

Ha!

Okay back to work.

2009-06-02T17:47:00.002-05:00

I'm chillin at my new apartment in Waco. Ryan is behind me, supposedly napping, though this picture proves otherwise. Its fun living by myself for a little while. It has only been three days, but I'm not tired of it yet. I can put my stuff wherever and walk around naked. Blare music. I don't have a TV at all, only a plant where the TV should be. It's a pretty entertaining plant though. Lots of colors (mainly green). I have been making a lot of smoothies.

Today summer classes began. I went to my Roman Art class and went to work. Nothing too exciting. It's nice though. The summer is slower in Waco. Though class is faster, people move slower, and there are less people around in general. But still enough to keep me entertained. Tonight I will be visited by some of my favorite Baylor people--Tins and Melissa. They will sleep on my floor and my couch.

I'm living in the same apartment unit my Dad lived in for a spell when he was getting his undergrad at Baylor. Crazy! It's a nice, and quiet, and safe place.

2009-05-30T11:20:00.004-05:00

I go back to Waco tomorrow. Weird. I already said bye to you Waco, yet you keep playing with my heart. Not really, its okay. Got one more class to take before I can graduate. These past two weeks have been so great and relaxing, I don't really want them to end. They have to though, because one can't have too much relaxing. Then one gets bored and lazy and fails to appreciate it. And it'll still be pretty slow in Waco, as I am taking only one class now instead of two--Roman Art--and working in the art building--which is a pretty chill job. Way better than standing behind a cash register and making wraps. I'll be sitting at a computer, probably making powerpoints most of the time, for the Roman Art class I'll be taking, so I'll also be studying.

So I'll be returning to Waco a little tanner (thanks to time spent by and in the pool), a little thinner (thanks to the colitis), not totally back to normal, but closer to it anyway.

2009-05-28T11:44:00.003-05:00

If you are a reader of my mom's blog, you know that on Tuesday she and I played at Buon Giorno's open mic night. It was great fun. We both played two songs, me first and then momma. Momma was for sure the hit of the night. As she was playing, all the baristas stopped working and listened. To each other I heard them say "She's really good." And to me they said, "Any mom that can play guitar is okay with me," and, "Did she play you to sleep when you were little?" and, "She looks like a rockstar!"

Here's my rockstar mom:

She is a natural.

And then here is me

It was great fun.

2009-05-26T09:30:00.004-05:00

Figured it was time to write again, since it has been a week and all. I'm chilling on the couch, Momma is on the adjacent chair. We are both on our laptops, probably both writing on our blogs.

On the health front, I have still been having some digestive troubles. I have Ulcerative Colitis, which is an Irritable Bowel Disease (click here to learn more about it, if you are curious). I've known I have had it for a while, but have been fortunate in that the symptoms haven't flared up much. But right now they are flaring and have been kicking my butt. So I'm back on my meds and really monitoring my diet. There has been some improvement.

My family and friends have been really great about it. My great Momma is making me scrambled eggs right now. Ryan has been by my side and helping me through all of it. Great people. I feel really loved.

Summer school starts next week so I will be back in Waco. I'm a little nervous about it, mainly because I was hoping to have been feeling better by now. I was hoping to be back to normal before starting summer school. I still have some days left I suppose.

The eggs are ready.

Crazy week

2009-05-19T11:15:00.004-05:00

First, for Caroline, here is a picture of how my semi-permanent hair color has lightened up in the past week:

It's lighter but still there.

Man what a week it has been. It was been full of packing, camping, tubing, packing, moving, hanging, stomach aching. And yesterday I went to the Emergency Room again. But this time it wasn't for me, but for one of my roommates who ended up having a kidney stone and kidney infection. Yeesh. We are all just too stressed out. Quarter life crisis.

But I'm moved out now. I couldn't have done it without the help of Ryan, Momma, Will, Bailey, Matt, Nick, and Robert. Thanks guys. I expected move out day to be really sad, but it was more just stressful. The least stressful part was the Emergency Room actually. I just chilled next to said roommate from 9 am to 3 pm whilst the aforementioned people moved my stuff into a UHaul for me. Then I joined the fun. I didn't finally get back to my home in Colleyville til a little after midnight. Phew.

It has been a good past week, even though there have been health issues and sadness over leaving. There has been lots of quality friend time and lots of cute pictures taken. Like this one, from camping last Tuesday.

2009-05-11T23:13:00.002-05:00

Ah! I dyed my hair! Don't worry it is semi-permanent and will probably only last a couple of weeks.
But that isn't the interesting part of my day. Oh what a day.

I went to the Emergency Room this morning for tummy troubles (thanks for the ride and support Claire! I got her out of bed to take me). They stuck a tube in my nose to my stomach. Good times. My friends and family proved themselves though, by coming out in record number to keep me company. So wonderful are they. We got in trouble because there were too many people in my room.

And then I sat around in my apartment for the rest of the day. I got bored so I dyed my hair (thanks for the help Tinsley). I feel better.

2009-05-03T17:07:00.003-05:00

I just finished my last paper of the semester! I have written so many these last three months. More than any other semester. I almost got excited, thinking it was my last paper in college, until I remembered I'll probably have to write a paper about Roman art for my class this summer.

I'm at the library with Ryan right now. See

That picture was taken moments ago. Ryans eyes match his hair and mine kind of match my shirt.

I'm going to a potluck celebrating Cinco de Mayo tonight. I'm bringing guacamole, my fav.

2009-04-29T10:30:00.002-05:00

Yesterday in my Women in Christian History class we again talked about women in ministry and the arguements on both sides--for and against. There are reasoned opinions on both sides (though I think the more reasonable argument is on the "for" side) and good Godly people on both sides. But ultimately, I don't think it is reasoned arguments that convince people of things. They certainly are helpful along the way, but I think what ultimately convinces people that a woman can publicly proclaim God's truths is to experience a woman doing so. Why would you want to silence that? In the same way, I think ultimately what convinces a person to become a Christian is not well thought out arguments, but a direct experience with God, or with someone who is walking in step with him.

What do you think?

2009-04-27T14:37:00.002-05:00

So I'm back from my whirl-wind art-adventure in New York City. It was a good time. Basically all we did was eat, sleep, walk, and see art. We went to the Moma, The Met, the Guggenheim, the Frick Collection, Dia Beacon, Chealsea art galleries, Neue Gallery, and .. . I think that's all. It was cool. Expanded my visual vocabulary.

And now I'm off to my final week of classes. I still have two papers to write and a handful of finals to take, but it's all under control. I'm not too anxious about the end of school, in that I'm not freaking out about leaving Baylor and this whole world I know and love. Either I'm in denial or heartless. I think also we have just been talking about this for so long--the end of college, graduating--that I feel pretty prepared for it. It also helps that I know what the next step is--grad school. So I'm sure I'll cry at graduation and when I'm moving out of my apartment and such, but I'm not . . . freaking out I guess. I think that's healthy.

Yup I'm healthy. And hungry. I had lunch just two and a half hours ago and now I'm hungry. Well thats annoying.

Travel

2009-04-21T09:52:00.003-05:00

I have been very fortunate in the last couple of years to be able to travel a lot. First to Kenya and Europe, and since then I have gone to places in the States I had never been before--San Francisco, Seattle, Long Island, Denver. This weekend I will add to that list by going to New York City. I'll take a big bite of the Big Apple with one of my Art History classes: History of the Modern Self Portrait. It will be a very art-filled bite. In all we will spend about fifteen hours inside art museums (The MOMA, The Met, The Guggenheim, etc.). Hope I don't choke.

I know that last paragraph sounded really pretentious. But really, I just feel really blessed to be able to travel so much. It's fun. I remember my roommate Elise wisely saying that she finds it annoying when people gauge her value by how many plane tickets she has purchased. This was in response to a guy who all of a sudden found her really interesting when he found out she lived in Lithuania for the summer. She was also really interesting before she lived to Lithuania too. I know lots of people who are really interesting and knowledgeable who haven't traveled outside of the country, and lots more who have and are close-minded and foolish. Hmph.

I wonder which one I am. Probably somewhere in the middle. .

oops

2009-04-03T14:38:00.003-05:00

I want to take this time and share with you a hilarious moment that happened in Seattle.

All six of us wanted to take a cute group picture sitting on a wooden rail.

But we broke it.

Woot!

2009-03-23T17:46:00.004-05:00

If you are a reader of my mom's blog, or someone who has recently been within earshot of me, you will know that I got into UNT's graduate school. Yessss! I was a bit nervous about it. So, for the next two years I will work on getting a Masters in Art Education, to prepare me to teach art. Right now I'm thinking I'll want to do high school, but we'll see. I can move around.

So that's a relief. I'm really happy now that I have a definite answer when people ask me what I am going to do after graduation. That's a really common question nowadays. I used to hate that question, but now I'm ready for it.

Being apart of this program will also force me to work on some art myself. I feel like I have the potential to be alright in doing art, but I have kind of been afraid of it. That's part of the reason why I majored in Art History and not studio art--Art History sounded a little safer, I could hide behind books and learn about other artists instead of being one myself. This program though, will require me to take twelve hours of more studio art classes (I have taken twelve already, as a requirement for a Art History degree), so it'll force me to explore that part of myself more. I'm excited for the challenge.

Green

2009-03-17T09:47:00.002-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This morning, I groggily poured myself some cereal and got out my milk and noticed . . . that my milk was a bluish greenish color. I was so perplexed. It wasn't old and it smelled okay, so I shrugged and poured it over my cereal. I then opened my mango juice and noticed that was green too. But it also smelled and tasted fine. That's when I remembered the conversation I had last night with my roommate Elise . . . .

St. Patrick's Day is Elise's favorite holiday. Growing up, her mom got really into it and made green cupcakes, put green feet everywhere (?), had a scavenger hunt for her kids to find the hidden pot of gold, and dyed everything green (from the toilet water to the milk). So Elise had been sneaky and dyed all our things green! She also made green cupcakes (without refined sugar, since she and Tinsley gave up refined sugar for lent)

I'm wearing green striped pants too. Hope you've got on green!

Seattle

2009-03-16T21:26:00.002-05:00

Back from Seattle! Back into class. I really didn't want to go this morning; last week was really great. I'm not in the mood to be really wordy right now, but here are links to two albums I posted on facebook. Just click on the album titles below.
spring break seattle
spring break seattle 2

Spring Break

2009-03-05T22:13:00.005-06:00

Man oh man, I am already on the eve of Spring Break! There is just one class away from myself and it. Tomorrow me and a handful of my closest of friends will drive to Houston, and tomorrow morning we will fly to Seattle. Yeehaa! I'm stoked. I have never really traveled with this group of girls before, though I have lived with them for three years. The girls include: Claire, Elise, Melissa, Rachael, and we will see Jenny up there. Hopefully my Florentine pal Hannah will make a guest appearance as well.

I have never been to that part of the country, the upper western corner, so I am pretty excited. But I am more excited about sharing this adventure with the aforementioned people. Melissa and I are seasoned travelers together, but the rest I haven't traveled with (I know I just said that, it just felt good to put it here too).

We also hope to venture up to Vancouver for a couple of days. Stay at a hostel. Canada is cool, eh? How aboot it?

One challenge is that, since there are so many girls that will be crashing in Elise's brother's apartment, we are limiting ourselves to very little luggage. As in we are not checking any bags. I am going to try to fit everything in one backpack, and my purse. This could prove difficult since the weather will be cold and that requires layers. Further, I would like to bring my laptop as I have some school work to get done while I am there. Laptops take up room. We will see how this goes . . . Should be a fun challenge.

Either way, I'm excited!

Yoda

2009-02-20T15:01:00.005-06:00

Ryan and I found a turtle today. We were riding our bikes on campus and saw on the sidewalk a little baby turtle making it's way towards the science building. It was odd because there wasn't much water around. Perhaps a bird dropped him. His little scrunched up face reminded me of Yoda, so I deemed him Yoda. We contemplated taking him home, but decided to let him free in his natural habitat instead. So we picked him up and walked him to the river/creek that runs through campus. He really came to life in my hands and was crawling all over the place. He especially got excited when we neared the water. Maybe turtles can smell water? We set him free by the water's edge and he hastily scampered in and began swimming away. It was sad to see him go. The river is so big and little Yoda is so small. I hope he is okay.

Some Pictures

2009-02-18T08:31:00.010-06:00

Yes, finally no more clouds. Today looks like it will be a nice one. Carrying around a jacket can be so cumbersome, so hopefully I can get by with my cardigan.

In the mean time, here are some pictures, fresh off the presses:
Claire and I doing the splits at her fourth-grade themed Birthday Party

The party was crashed for being too loud by our friendly neighborhood security guards. (Luckily there was no alcohol, or else we would have been in a lot more trouble. Fourth graders don't drink alcohol. We told them that there was no alcohol though, and they didn't believe us. We were having too much fun I guess. The one person who was under 21 had to take a breathe-a-lizer test. Poor girl. She passed of course.)

I had to make a self-portrait for my History of the Modern Self Portrait class. Yes, that is my real hair, I saved it from the last time I cut it. You never know when hair will come in handy.

Me and my Valentine at our Valentine's Day picnic

So there's that. Off to class.

Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T10:12:00.005-06:00

Man, this issue about women and Christianity sure did rack up the comments. Thanks for everyone's feedback--anonymous and not.

I love lazy Saturday mornings. I'm sitting at the kitchen table with Ryan and Claire. Ryan is studying and Claire is eating breakfast and playing with my magnetic sculpture people (thanks Santa!)

Happy Valentine's Day! We have been eating a receiving lots of sweet goodies all week because of the occasion. Also because it was Claire's birthday Wednesday.

Okay on to my day.

First here is a picture of my Valentine:

some more about women

2009-02-11T15:22:00.004-06:00

1 Timothy 2:12-15

12I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. 13For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.

Galatians 3:28

28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 14:34-35

34women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. 35If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.

John 4:21-26; 39

21Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. . . 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
25The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."
26Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he. . ."
39Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony . . ."

I know it's unfair to give you verses outside of their context, but you can look them up more if you are curious (NIV). This is some of the stuff we have been wrestling with in class--the writings of Paul and the life of Jesus, how to reconcile seemingly opposing messages.

Did you know that when women were trying to get the right to vote, many used verses like 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 to argue against it? A vote is a voice, and women are to be silent.

According to 1 Timothy 2:15 I'm not saved because I don't have children.

It's problematic to take all of literal scripture as eternal truth. I believe there is eternal truth in scripture, but it is oftentimes below the surface.

I have a test in this tomorrow, that's why it's on my mind. I could keep going and going but I probably shouldn't. I have class anyhow.

Laura's Hair

2009-02-10T09:38:00.003-06:00

I'm at my little cubicle in the art building, being a TA. It smells like burnt plastic. PU. It reminds me of the smell of perms. When I was younger I really wanted curly hair and would get perms (that would last about a week). Later, like in middle school, I got a perm because I wanted to be like Felicity.

Ah hair. My hair has been burned, dyed, fried, straightened, and curled. Since I've been a Baylor though, I have let it be how it wants. Freshman year I continued to straighten my hair (which is silly because it is already relatively straight). The summer of freshman year, while working at Sky Ranch, I had the revelation that I didn't have to brush my hair, I could just let it be free. And why was everyone so deathly afraid of split ends? Split ends don't affect my quality of life. Since then I have had a pretty healthy relationship with my hair, I think. I usually let it be how it wants, unless there is a special occasion I need to tame it for. I've also taken to cutting it myself, which is pretty liberating and fulfilling.

So there's that. I don't know where that all came from.

Biblical Equality

2009-02-04T12:15:00.004-06:00

Something that has been in my mind a lot this semester is the issue of biblical gender equality. I'm in a Women in Christian History class, and this has led to lots of dicussion about how to interpret what the bible says about women and how that has been misunderstood and applied for most of church history. I've also talked to people who are confused about the issue or uncomfortable using the words "Christian" and "Feminism
together (I can understand that. Feminism is a loaded term). I've stumbled across some cool websites on the topic. Just now, I've discovered the Christians for Biblical Equality's (CBE) website. You should check it out and see what they have to say.

I liked what Shane Claiborne had to say about the organization:

“This is beautiful work--simple, genuine, redemptive. It shouldn't seem radical... but it is. It shouldn't even be necessary to say 'men and women are equal...' but it is. Hopefully in another ten years, the saints of CBE will end gender inequality and put themselves out of jobs. Until then, may we all live in discomfort amid a booming choir of white men, while the church is pregnant with women who are ready to lead and write and preach but still get funny looks or cold shoulders.”

I have a lunch date with Linh I have to get to now. Let me know what you think.

Lightning

2009-02-01T21:56:00.003-06:00

It's been awhile, I know I know, but here I am. I'm sitting at the breakfast table, but it's certainly not breakfast time. I'm actually a little sleepy (it's ten pm). There seems to be a battle going on in the clouds (lightning). Whoa, and I just heard some thunder that sounded like canon shots. This has nixed my plans to go hot tubbing with Elise (see post below).

Yesterday marked the six month-aversary of Ryan and I (see below).

I'm not usually one to celebrate month-aversaries, but I think six is a notable one. So Ryan took me out to a nice dinner in Dallas and I took Ryan to see a movie. We aren't usually dinner-and-a-movie people so it was special.

That's all I feel like writing for now.

2009-01-13T10:30:00.002-06:00

My roommate Elise got a typewriter for Christmas. She was playing on it over break and wrote us (me and my other roommates) this quirky and inspiring letter (she's a pretty quirky one herself). I enjoyed it and wanted to share.

D.r.E.a.M.

what do you wish for? what do you desire? do you want to have the speed of carl lewis . . . a runner, i think? or do you prefer to see the earth from the window of a rocket ship? do you desire the rush of lost autonomy like a sky diver? do you now if your wishes would come true on a tropical beach, a native named Umbucko feeding you coconut shavings and rubbing fresh aloe plant on your face? what if you built an entire house out of whipped cream . . .canned pineapple . . . aluminum foil? wouldn!t that be grand!er or do you wish f or a family with the gusto of anestasia?

are you an artist? are you an inventor?

dream . . .

dare to dream . . .

what if you were written about in the guiness book of records? the only (only . .ONLY) one . . .

how u.n.i/q.u.e.

do you want to fly? are you a soaring crane, or an eagle wishing for rogaine? are you a giant blue whale (largest mammel . . .i checked). or maybe a manatee (manitee). look out for propellers . .

maybe you have been bitten by a giant travel bug. dance across every nation. one people. one language. up and down. up and down on a camel, how on earth did they build those pyramids? it's all in good fun! do you twirl in a red top hat at a hooka lounge? is your home a park, a bridge, a palace? do you ride in a horse-drawn sled to the market, a scarf covering your head. is your city made of blocks of ice? blubber (love that word) keeps you warm--don't you see.

or do you spend all day watching television?

unique???

or . . . do you already know who you are, know you are the only you, know you are special (the secret is . . . you ARE)

inexpensive searching.

found.

whatever you do, do it with all your heart.

and dare.

DARE.

dare.

to dReAm . . .

Elise:

Go Me!

2009-01-12T15:27:00.005-06:00

So the GRE is over and I did better than I had thought I would. Go me!!

Classes started today. I have been to two and have one more in thirty minutes. So far so good.

I've also worked towards one of my new years resolutions today. When I was at Garden of the Gods in Colorado, I saw a bunch of people rock climbing and thought it looked really fun and wished I could too. So I thought . . . why don't I? I have free access to a great rock wall at Baylor that I had only climbed once. That is a travesty; I resolved to utilize it more. So today after working I went all by myself (before I could change my mind) to the student life center and climbed the rock wall one and a half times. The first time up was easy, so I then tried a harder route that I gave up on in the middle. I can already tell my forearms are going to be sore. Hopefully I'll go again Wednesday to give it another go. Go me!!

So that's a little update. I have to get ready for my next class--it's an art history class about modern self portraits. Should be cool.

And Caroline--when I upload it I just click the largest option and they turn out that big.

a test

2009-01-08T10:13:00.003-06:00

that I should be studying for. I take the GRE on Saturday. I'm pretty tired of studying for it though.

Here are a couple pictures from my trip, not taken by me. I still haven't uploaded mine because I've been too lazy. My cord is all the way upstairs and I'm all the way downstairs . . .
We took a tour of the Celestial Seasonings factory/headquarters in Boulder and got some free tea in the process. I'm drinking mine right now--green tea with honey lemon ginseng. Yum! (L to R: Whitney, Hannah, Vanessa, Melissa, Me, Christy)

We played and had a picnic at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs

This is our band pic (at the picnic).

Went tubing down some hills in the mountains.

That's enough pictures for now. Maybe eventually I'll put up some of my own, but you get the idea.

I'm going to study now. Wish me luck!

a birthday

2009-01-07T13:53:00.005-06:00

Well I'm back from Denver. It was a fun trip and a wonderful reunion with my Florence peeps. There was snow and art and good friends and laughter and air mattresses and Family Guy and drag queens and fireworks and mountains and fondue. Good times abounded. My Florence crew and I have decided that next we would do Texas. Most of them haven't been to the lone star state, so Melissa and I are going to give them a tour of it this summer. The tentative plan is to have them fly into Dallas, see some sights here, then road trip town 35 through Waco, Austin, and end up in Houston (where Melissa is from). I'm stoked. Have any suggestions for must sees?

In other big news, today is my mom's birthday

I decorated our tree for her. I consider it quite an honor, since she is the one always decorating it for other people.

Happy Birthday Momma! I love you!

Denver

2008-12-31T11:30:00.003-06:00

I'm in Denver right now, sitting at a Panera with Whitney and Melissa. I don't remember if I've mentioned this, but I'm in Colorado until next Tuesday to hang out with some of my Florence roommates. We are staying at Whitney's apartment in downtown Denver. Two more of us--Vanessa and Hannah--are still in her apartment upstairs. She doesn't have internet so we're bumming off of Panera.

It's fun being here and together again, like we haven't left each other. I had a scare with my luggage, but the airport delivered it to the apartment at one am last night. It woke me up, but I was super thankful.

We're about to tackle the day (it's mountain time and on hour behind Texas, so it's 10:30).

I'm hanging out with these people minus two (it's us in Vienna last fall, minus me who is behind the camera).

Abandon ship!

2008-12-27T11:05:00.003-06:00

Well, my stomach did not get to feeling better last night (see last post). It in fact tortured me all night. Our plans to go to the The Cheesecake Factory and a movie were altered and instead we went home and I threw up eight times. My digestive tract attempted mutiny and tried to jump ship.

My stomach doesn't hurt anymore. I'm nibbling on some Apple Cinnamon Bread and still feeling pretty weak. But I've lived to see today.

Must have been a 24 hour bug of some sort. I hope you don't get it. And I hope and pray that Ryan and my family don't get it. Ryan was by my side through it all, by the way. And we still got to exchange Christmas presents. And it was still special.

And my stomach lives to see another day.

Ouch

2008-12-26T15:16:00.003-06:00

'Tis the day after Christmas, and my stomach hurts really bad. Sorry, I've logged on, intending to write a post, and all I can think about is how much my stomach hurts. asdkfjieenfanvc.

I bought a fish aquarium today, because one of my Christmas presents is some new friends--some fish. I'm going to get some specialty goldfish. For instance (oh man my stomach hurts):Calico Shubunkin Goldfish

Calico Ryukin Goldfish

Black Moor Goldfish

I'll probably include some snails and live plants too. Unfortunately I have to wait until I get back to Waco to get the aquarium started, as it would be difficult to travel with them.

Bleh, That's all I've got. I can't concentrate on this. Hopefully I feel better soon because I have a hot date tonight.

Recovery Day 3

2008-12-21T10:38:00.004-06:00

I'm in day three of my wisdom teeth recovery. I am at the peak of my swollen-ness. Exhibit A:

Curiously, it is only my left check that is noticeably swollen. Like I've gotten punched in the face.

Speaking of getting punched in the face, I watched "The Hurricane" last night with Allison.
I was a bit wary about it at first, because it is 2 and a half hours long, but by the time I realized there was only one hour left, I was actually pretty disappointed. I wanted more Hurricane. It's a good movie, with kind of three stories in one, and it keeps you riveted. I'd suggest it.

Earlier, when I meant to type "It's a good movie" I typed "It's a good morning." I figure it was a Freudian slip, because it actually is a good morning. I woke up at ten to soft piano Christmas music. Then my mom made me oatmeal. It's cold outside apparently, but I feel cozy and warm in my house. I love Christmas break. This is a such a needed one. This has been one of my hardest semesters, academically, but I've pulled through and am pretty proud. I don't think I've written so many papers or done so many presentations in one semester. And I've applied to at least one grad school, so that's something. I at least have one step into the future attempted.

I'm excited about this new day. Thanks everyone, for taking care of me. For bringing me milkshakes, making me oatmeal, watching movies with me, going to multiple restaurants in search of egg drop soup. It's good to be weak sometimes, to be reminded how much we need other people to make us strong.

Recovering

2008-12-20T10:43:00.007-06:00

I am now on the other side, sans wisdom teeth. It was not bad at all, and my recovery it going well. It actually turned out to be a really fun day. Friends and family were in and out; we watched movies and ate milkshakes and talked. I'm not super swollen. See (taken just now)

We had a Christmas movie extravaganza. We watched "It's a Wonderful Life," "A Muppet Christmas Carol," and "White Christmas" which I had not seen. I think my favorite of the three was "It's a Wonderful Life." Other Christmas movies I enjoy include but are not limited to -- "A Christmas Story" and "Love Actually." What is your favorite Christmas movie?

And Ryan was by my side the whole time, making sure I was taking my meds and taking care of me. (taken by my phone only hours after the wisdom teeth extraction)

Thanks.

I have really enjoyed being at home. I'm pretty much finished with my Christmas shopping, so that has taken some stress away, though I'm taking the GRE January 10th, so that adds a healthy dose of stress and keeps me occupied. I don't remember barely anything about math :/

Teeth

2008-12-18T21:11:00.002-06:00

Finito

2008-12-16T11:23:00.002-06:00

I'm done! My exams are over. Allison is here. It SNOWED today. Life is good.

Here is a picture of me walking to my final this morning.

Just kidding. Allison drove me.

Tag

2008-12-14T10:04:00.001-06:00

I've been tagged. I'm supposed to tell you six interesting facts about myself and tag six other people. So here they are, whether or not they are interesting (compiled with the help of Ryan and Claire) . . .

-I'm getting my wisdom teeth out this Friday
-my middle name is katherine
-i haven't shaved my legs in seven weeks
-i have a manly "hummer" phone because i always drop my phones and break them.
-my ancestors started a town-Carmack, Yukon- and started the Gold Rush of 1890s
-i can stand on my head

And now I tag

Claire
John
Rob
Christy
Allison
Melyssa

to do the same.

I have 3 tests down and 2 to go. I'll return to Colleyville on Wednesday. See some of you there! See others of you here.

Dead

2008-12-10T21:30:00.006-06:00

Today is dead. Yesterday was dead. Tomorrow is finals.

And yesterday I got to experience snow! Or, more accurately, a "wintery mix."

I'm studying at my kitchen table with Elise. Here is a picture of my view that I took on my phone.

I took it like two seconds ago and sent it to my laptop via bluetooth. Amazing! We are living in the future!
Elise doesn't like this picture. Sorry Elise. Life is tough and hard to understand sometimes.

So yes. Dead days. They are making me a bit stir crazy. I have a test at 9 am tomorrow and am pretty tired of studying for it. Maybe I just won't study for it anymore. We'll see.

I have made a decisive step towards my future (I went to Pei Wei tonight and a fortune cookie told me to do something like that . . . something about making decisions and being assertive. . .). I have applied for the Art Education Masters program at UNT. I sent in the application, fee, letter of intent, writing sample, transcript and all I have left is letters of recommendation and GRE scores. Phew. Applying for things isn't so bad. You just have to do it. And I did. I feel I have some momentum now and should research other grad options. That sounds like a wonderful way to procrastinate . . .

Meet Patrick

2008-12-07T16:17:00.002-06:00

I'm at the library and have been for a couple hours. I don't usually study at the library, usually I'm at my apartment or at a coffee shop. The library is kind of nice though. Everyone is studying. We're all in this together--that is the feeling I get when studying here.

There is one more day of classes. That's madness! Kind of. Time goes fast, but we always seem to forget that. Very rarely do we reach the end of a semester and say "Man. That semester was so slow!" Nope. It's always really fast. So if it's always fast, then it's not fast, it's just normal. Fast is the quickening of a normal pace of things. I think we just don't understand time.

Let's see . . . something else interesting.

Went to Austin yesterday. Checked out some sweet contemporary art with my art history peeps. We met Patrick:

He was made in 2004 by Oliver Herring and is a collage of hundreds of photographs taken of a guy named Patrick and then glued together as a collage image of his body. Crazy! And it's a sculpture. Didn't know if that was clear or not.

Should We Go Outside?

2008-12-04T08:19:00.003-06:00

I have this song in my head

It's Joanna Newsom's "Sprout and Bean."

Last Hurdle

2008-12-01T07:21:00.003-06:00

Thanksgiving week is over and I'm back in Waco. It was a really fabulous week. It's good to be back in Waco because of my wonderful family of friends and roommates, but I have lots of school work to do. For that reason I wasn't super stoked about coming back.

But it'll get done. I always have lots of school work to do. That's life right now.
So I'm drinking black tea and eating cereal at my kitchen table. The sun just rose
And now I have to get ready and go work.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T10:17:00.005-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!
I'm sitting on my couch in watching the Thanksgiving Day parade.
A high school band from California is playing a song from West Side Story, which is pretty awesome.
It's good being home.

That's all I got.

Remember me?

2008-11-24T15:33:00.006-06:00

Hello friends, family, and stalkers. The last time I posted I included a picture of me cutting Ryan's hair, and now it is almost time to cut it again! Oh dear.

His birthday was last week and we went to the Nasher Sculpture Center . . .

We did other exciting things, but that is all that I have pictures of. I took lots of pictures there. I like art. I also like feminism. Both are often times misunderstood and I find myself having to explain my interests to my friends a lot. I like it though. Today I presented in my Philosophy and the Arts class over Feminism and Postmodernism. It went pretty well; you should have been there. I'm thinking of going on a lecture circuit. People should pay to see me talk about Feminism and Postmodernism. People need to know.

Just kidding.

Kind of.

This past weekend was Steppin' Out, which is a Baylor tradition which involves students' participation in service projects around Waco. Me and six of my friends did lawn work at a home for mentally impaired people (I don't know the PC term-mentally challenged? mentally handicapped? crazy people?). It was enjoyable, being outside and working. And doing it with people I enjoy to be around.

I trimmed hedges.

And now it is the week of Thanksgiving. Tomorrow I'll go back to Colleyville, where there will be food and love waiting for me. It'll be nice, but won't be without some studying. There is still a final hurdle before finals.

Leftovers

2008-11-10T16:44:00.005-06:00

It's been awhile. But I'm not going to apologize. I feel like every time I write I need to apologize for how long it has been since I've written. Well, this blog is a luxury, not an obligation, so I will not apologize.

I was in poverty this weekend. For my Family: A Global Perspective class I had to do a poverty simulation through Mission Waco. So from Friday night to Sunday afternoon I lived like I was in poverty. That's all I can tell you about it. Part of the learning comes from not knowing what is going to happen, so I can't tell you what happened for fear that someone out there reading this will someday go through it and know all about it. Maybe I'll tell you if you ask me in person.

People keep asking me how it made me "feel" and I still just don't know. Last night Rachael asked me how I felt and I told her I had a headache. I don't think that's what she was looking for. I just didn't know what else to say. I'm debriefing still. I have a reflection paper about it due on Friday so hopefully I will know by then. I'll let you know.

I also took out my nose ring. We had to remove all jewelry for the poverty sim and so I took it out for the first time since last October. I had some trouble getting it back in yesterday, so i just decided to leave it out. I had it for over a year. It ran its course. No one has really even noticed, not even my roommates, so it obviously wasn't that big of a deal.

And then a nice boy came down from Dallas and made me a yummy pasta/lasagna dish for dinner.

I have a test tonight and one tomorrow morning, and as I was poor all weekend, I couldn't study for them. So I skipped my classes this morning to study. Now I'm just going to chill until my 5:45 test. I feel okay about it and just want to get it over with.

So those are some quick updates. I'm kind of tired right now and it's kind of dreary outside and I feel like that is showing up in how I'm writing today.

Here is a picture of me cutting the aforementioned boy's hair a few weekends ago. You can see my nose ring (may she rest in peace).

And now I will heat up some of his leftover pasta/lasagna dish.

Grumble grumble (is the sound of Laura's stomach)

2008-10-30T14:27:00.003-05:00

I have been eating a lot healthier since I've been in college. My veggie-loving roommates have been a good influence on me. Before, I didn't even like lettuce, let alone things like tomatoes and mushrooms, but now I love most vegetables. And thanks to the World Hunger Farm I now know and love all sorts of veggies that I'd never heard of before--like swiss chard, liana beans, and kale.

All that to say that my stomach has gotten used to healthy foods. Today for lunch I went to Vitex with Rob and John and I got their famous "gut pack." My stomach is kind of mad it me for that now. It is not used such large quantities of barbecue sauce and fritos. I appreciated the Waco experience, but it's nothing something I will be eating everyday.

Vitex also has Dublin Dr. Pepper, which is amazing.

Performing at Common Grounds last night was really fun. Elise and I had good rapport on stage and charmed the audience with our banter and musical prowess. Be looking for our names on a marquee near you!

I have a headache :/ Maybe because too much Dublin DP and not enough water.

Open Mic

2008-10-29T21:51:00.003-05:00

Tonight I and my roommate Elise will be performing at Common Ground's open mic night. She has a djembe and I have a guitar and tonight they will make sweet music together. Or sad music. Or angry music. Or funny music. Depending on the song. We are going to leave in like seven minutes.

The funny thing is that my voice is still not all the way back (see last post) so I'm all sexy and raspy (which reminds me of an episode of Friends. Anyone?).

It'll be good. I've done open mic there before (we get thirty whole minutes all to ourselves!) and it'll be nice to have someone else up there with me. Next time, Linh will hopefully join us, who plays piano.

Ok, gonna pack up.

Video!

2008-10-22T18:44:00.002-05:00

I'm cold. And my lungs hurt. But here's another picture from Long Island. It's our shadows at the beach. I'm the one with my leg sticking out.

Questions? Comments? How ya feelin?

Long Island

2008-10-21T14:28:00.009-05:00

Long Island was a good time. Lots of museums and driving and gravesites and art and autumn. For example.

(a detail of a painting by Lee Krasner)

(a mustache cup in the Whaling Museum of the town of Sag Harbor)

(and we got to dip our toes in the sand a.k.a. my only picture of the whole group)

Interesting things were learned and I'm glad I went. I was ready to come back though, because it wasn't exactly restful.

Now I have a paper due next week and one this week and I'm off running.

Hair Care Shmair Lair.

2008-10-14T08:31:00.007-05:00

Ok, here are some hair cutting picks, most taken by Rachael [see last post for the story]:

Now for the hair . . .

Not a bad job, huh?

Hair Shmair.

2008-10-13T10:51:00.003-05:00

Today is Canada's Thanksgiving, according to my Mom's blog. Good for them. Way to be, Canada.

My hair is now about three inches shorter, falling to about my chin or a little lower than my chin (depending on the humidity). I cut it yesterday afternoon, and by that I mean that I myself cut my hair in my bathroom with my scissors. It was very exciting and spontaneous. Ryan helped, and I have some pictures that I'll post later ( I'm in the library right now). I like it though. I'm pretty proud of myself. I saved about twenty dollars and had fun doing it. I was encouraged by both India Arie and Regina Spektor. India says, "I am not my hair, I am not this skin, I am not your expectations-no. I am not my hair. I am not this skin. I am the soul that lives within," and Regina tells me "Maybe you should cut your own hair, cause that can be so funny. It doesn't cost any money and it always grows back (hair grows even after you're dead . . ." Thanks ladies. And thanks Ryan.

And so it is Monday.
And so I didn't go to my first class and studied instead for a test tomorrow (and wrote in my blog).
And so I need to leave now to go to my Philosophy class.

And I leave Wednesday for Long Island.