just a few... i'm getting rusty...

What is love? Alright. You know how when you're listening to music playing from another room? And you're singing along because it's a tune that you really love? When a door closes or a train passes so you can't hear the music anymore, but you sing along anyway... then, no matter how much time passes, when you hear the music again you're still in exact same time with it. That's what love is like."
-- unknown

Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God

-motto of Benjamin Franklin

so... my sister and i have had a great day!
we cleaned house for, oh, about 3 hours: mopping, dusting, vacuuming, de-cluttering, etc.
thennnnn, we began packing for our trip to Florida next week! yes, just the 2 of us are vacationing for about 3 days at the beach... and will come home
brown and beautiful
(ok, well, hopefully we'll be slightly tan)

as the sun set, i made homemade lasagna (which i just pulled out of the oven). once it was baking, dad and i made a quick run to the library where we rented an Agatha Christie movie, "The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim".
now the house is clean, the soft candlelight is glowing, and the aroma of hot lasagna is wafting through the kitchen and family room...
so tonight we'll have a murder-mystery dinner-and-a-movie night!
au revoir!

a day

ahhh Christmas Break

what a luxury- to sleep in and have no deadlines or assignments due at 8am the next morning!

i've been enjoying time with my family... the little things like staying up late watching a funny movie or playing Apples to Apples while eating leftover snacks from Christmas parties :)
yesterday after sleeping in, mom made us a yummy breakfast of stuffed French toast-- i'd never had it before! she took 2 slices of Pepperidge Farm cinnamon swirl bread and made a grilled sandwich, filling it with a mixture of walnuts, butter, cream cheese and brown sugar... yummmo! we then worked on cleaning the house, putting gifts in their new proper places. i separated my gifts: some will go back to school with me and the rest will stay here in storage to take to my new home! at 12:45 mom, rebekah and i left for a friend's wedding at our church. it was a lovely wedding-- the bride was beautiful, the music meaningful, and the people joyus! it made me feel even more excited about 5 months and 1 week from now :) i actually feel some relief now, after seeing how they did their wedding and the beauty in the simplicity of it...

once we came home, i took the dogs that my sister is dogsitting out for a 30 minute walk in the warm moist air.
(today the weather wasn't as good... much chillier)
around 7pm, dad and i went to the YMCA and swam for a long while. it was such a good feeling just gliding through the water and kicking my legs. after swimming laps, we climbed out of the pool at 8 and went to the locker rooms. i spent some time in the steam room and sauna before drying off and getting dressed- jeans, chacos, and my fiance's warm hollister hoodie :)

by the time we got home, mom had dinner ready- hot dogs, fresh slaw, and crispy steak fries! later, we watched the Incredibles before heading to bed.

it's good to be home.

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”

c.s. lewis

the world of pictures

i need to take pictures again. it's been way too long... i love taking a whole slew of photos and then after uploading them to my laptop, editing them and feeling that thrill of being somewhat of an artist.

i think that will be another of my goals for break.
1) read the book of John and a Psalm a day
2) get lots of planning done for the wedding [an unending task that won't be completed until late on June 5th]
3) write a poem
4) take some b/w photos
5) make the bridal registry
6) order bridesmaid dresses

anything else?? i'm sure i'll think of more things...

i need to get back into writing poetry... i miss the feeling of words flowing from my brain, down my arm, out my fingers, and across the page...

how about i make the effort to write

one

poem while on break? i have time... and i know i have plenty of ideas...

so for the sake of old times, how about i post one of my older poems...

2/28/08

Late afternoon sunshine

yet the icy air fills my lungs

hair tumbling over my shoulders

Walking

head down

ice crunches beneath my sneakers

hands in pockets

eyes blinded by the golden sun

frayed jeans and worn sweatshirt clothe me

Thinking and ready

for new experiences

This dead season

leaves me feeling empty and lonely

like the branches on oak trees

My face is warmed by the sun

My soul is chilled by the wind

i walk

on and on

thinking and wanting more

knowing there is a purpose

All i need is to look up

breathe

and talk to the One

Who created me

The One who is writing

my love story

my life story

He includes the funny moments

empty moments

quiet times

my failures

and

successes

i am never alone

i have a best friend with me

every moment of the day

and night

Someone to talk to

Someone to thank for life

Sunshine makes me blink

pierces my gloom

fills my view

all i can see are rays of golden

bright

afternoon

sunshine

a fresh feeling of hope

melting through my cold soul

seeping into my heart

filling me with warmth

leaving my past like the pages in a book

i'm ready to follow the path He has for me

There Once was a Puffin

[ dad taught me this poem and i had it memorized at the age of 2]

oh, there once was a Puffin

just the shape of a muffin and he lived on an island

in the bright blue sea!

He ate little fishes,

that were most delicious, and he had them for supper

and he had them

for tea.

but this poor little Puffin, he couldn't play nothin',

for he hadn't anybody

to play with

at all.
so he sat on his island, and he cried for awhile,

and he felt very lonely,

and he felt

very small.

then along came the fishes,

and they said, "If you wishes,

you can have us

for playmates,

instead of for tea!"
so they now play together, in all sorts of weather

and the Puffin eats pancakes,

like you

and like me.

-Florence Page Jaques

"A person is a person, no matter how small"

- Dr. Seuss

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Goodnight!

as i awoke this morning and our family began opening presents together in front of our sparkly and colorful tree, the realization hit me.

this is my last christmas with my family.

but it's something to be excited about!

because next year, i'll wake up next to my husband and spend christmas with him!

what a wonderful life i live.

i have a family that loves me.

a grandma and cousins, aunts, uncles galore!

too many memories to count... so many good memories.

as i though back tonight over the 19 years God's blessed me with, i felt overwhelmed with joy. pure joy

He's given me

life

family

dear friends

peace

precious memories

people to hug

people to love

new beginnings

forgiveness

eyesight

laughter

eternal life with Him

i could go on and on.

suddenly, i felt completely overwhelmed with beautiful memories over the years...

exploring through the woods with our cousins and getting dirt under our nails and pine needles in our clothes

Christmas mornings spent with Grandma

laughing with each other until we collapsed on the floor

drowsily watching Christmas movies while a fire blazed in the fireplace
hunting Easter eggs and getting so excited to find each brightly colored one

splashing in the cool creek all day until Grandma called us in for dinner and coming in with sunburned skin... then gobbling up a summer dinner of grilled chicken, fresh tomatoes from the garden, buttery corn on the cob, and homemade cornbread

venturing through Disney World with our cousins and feeling like it was all a magical dream

dressing up like girls from colonial days and walking through Williamsburg, surrounded by the smell of shrewsberry cakes and ginger beer
going to the park on warm summer evenings and swinging on the swingset till dark.

i am thankful.

God is good!

i hope you had a merry christmas

always remember the first christmas thousands of years ago, when our Saviour came to earth in human flesh for the purpose of redeeming us from our sins.

this is the greatest undeserved blessing of all!

ryan adams

Dancin' where the stars go blue

Dancin' where the evening fell

Dancin' in your wooden shoes
In a wedding gown

Dancin' out on 7th street

Dancin' through the underground

Dancin' little marionette
Are you happy now?

Where do you go when you're lonely

Where do you go when you're blue

Where do you go when you're lonely

I'll follow you

When the stars go blue

Laughing with your pretty mouth

Laughing with your broken eyes

Laughing with your lover's tongue

In a lullaby

Where do you go when you're lonely

Where do you go when you're blue

Where do you go when you're lonely
I'll follow you

When the stars go blue

The stars go blue, the stars go blue

old pic i took...

this is the door to the house my grandfather was born in... if only homes had beautiful details like this today

simple things...

like the smell of mom's homemade cornbread baking in the oven
clean sheets
the yellowed pages of an old book
a hug from someone you love
walking through the first snowfall of the year
true love
eating a bowl of fresh cherries

laughter

these things make life worth living

have yourself a merry little christmas

let your heart be light

from now on our troubles will be out of sight

family

it's been a very good day

after an early start in the library, i went to Pauline and took a quiz which actually wasn't too difficult then debated in TheoProp that Ezekiel 28 is talking about Satan and not a human prince/king. And with that, I was done with all my major things for the year, besides finals!
Now I can kick back, relax, and delve into Christmas shopping/wedding planning!

After lunch, I took a refreshing nap before my mom and sister arrived to go Christmas shopping with me. We then headed to the mall where we strolled in and out of stores, surrounded by Christmas carols, while finding gifts for friends and family members and also picking up some great steals! One store is going out of business, and they're even selling all the furniture in the store; I bought one of those chalkboard/message board things for only $2 for our new home :)
It was so nice to just spend time with Mom and Rebekah-- just us girls. We had so much fun looking at wedding albums/scrapbooks at Hallmark. Rebekah found this hilarious book full of quotes about "Sisters." So funny yet so true!

After all that serious shopping and girl time, we decided on Chick-fil-a for dinner where we ate yummy fresh chicken sandwiches, steamy hot waffle fries, sweet carrot raisin salad, and sipped refreshingly cool lemonade. I then had the chance to talk to Dad on the phone and tell him of the great things I'd bought today :) It was good to talk to him... Last time I was home, he took me on a "breakfast date" which we've done since I was very young and has always been a special tradition!

I didn't realize how much I missed spending time with them... I'm so glad I have a family I can have fun with!

i love my sister.

she has been my best friend since birth. well, ok, i will admit we had our arguments and fights... but in the end, we were always best buddies. i have so many good memories about times with her. let's see...

playing "house" with our dolls.

dressing up and pretending to be living in Colonial days.

playing "drive-thru" with our little kitchen.

jumping on our mini trampoline.

one time we got Dad's shaving cream out and covered the ENTIRE bathroom with it

playing with our Barbies and Kitchen Littles all afternoon!

pretending to be Indians as we "lived" and "cooked" in our indian tepee.

hanging out at our "clubhouse" in the backyard where we built a fence around it, made a fire pit, and used pine branches for seating.

putting our swim suits on and spraying each other with the hose on hot summer afternoons... then making mud pies and mud soup

riding our bikes up and down the street

baking cookies with mom and then once we were old enough, baking them all on our own.

playing "picnic" in the living room during the winter-- we used an ice bucket, coasters, and other items found in the bottom of the china cabinet and a old table cloth.

playing "beach" in the living room-- putting on our swim suits and laying out on towels to "tan."

going to the pool with Dad in the evenings and swimming our little hearts out.

going to the park and playing tennis... even though we were terrible at it.

pitching baseball in the backyard on summer evenings.

drawing with sidewalk chalk all over the driveway.

building snowmen, and once an igloo, in the winter.

going sledding until we were too cold, then coming in and drinking hot chocolate.

walking to the library together and loading our backpacks with books.

travelling to the beach with our family, getting sooo excited as we neared the coast.

there are so many more memories i have with my sweet sister, and i am so thankful for the times that we've shared together.

i love her so much!

counting down...

181 days

until I marry the

man of my dreams

<3

hello there

so, i woke up this morning with a pounding head and realized my wonderful fiance was very generous to share the fever/achey body he had at the beginning of the week with me. It's ok though, I haven't been sick in a long while, so I can handle sleeping all afternoon and drinking lots of juice, water, and hot tea.
tonight he brought me a care package with popcorn, fruit teas, juice boxes, rice cakes, and a letter which definitely made me feel better :)
After dinner, i came back to my room to sleep while he went to work... i slept for a short while and awoke feeling a little better, so i browsed the internet for some wedding color ideas. once keith got off from work, he came over to the dorm and we played a game of Battle of the Sexes with Brandon and Heather and shared a supreme pizza ...
such good times at Bible College :)

this

is

what

True Love

looks like

Daughtry

I'm going home

Back to the place where I belong

And where your love has always been enough for me

I'm not running from

No, I think you got me all wrong

I don't regret this life I chose for me

But these places and these faces are getting old

So I'm going home

I'm going home

Dec. 2, 2008

in case you were hanging on to the edge of your seat last week
just dying to know how wonderful my break was,
i will finally end your misery by telling you
how refreshing, fun, and productive
the week was.
Keith and I went to NC and spent time with his family: Turkey shoot, Christmas parade, an early Thanksgiving dinner with 32 people in one home, played with babies, watched "27 Dresses" and "Expelled", met up with one of his good friends, took a ride in his '69 Chevelle, went home-idea-shopping, and ate at Bojangles... It was all such a great time!
Then we came back to WV and spent time with my family: Thanksgiving service, Thanksgiving Day with my cousins/aunt/uncle/grandma, watched "Elf", sat by the fireplace, made homemade butter, did some Christmas shopping, baked sugar cookies, decorated the tree, and watched home movies from Christmas 1994!
On Saturday, Keith went back to NC for his great-aunt's funeral. :(
I slept in then Dad took me to breakfast at Bob Evans... a special treat we've done since I was little. After yummy biscuits, hot coffee, scrambled eggs and ketchup-smothered home fries, we met up with mom and Rebekah, and went to *drumroll*
David's Bridal!!! I walked in, wide-eyed as I took in all the white shimmering satin, lace, brocade, taffeta, crystals, and tulle. A lady who worked there helped me find the dress I had in mind, took me to a dressing room and got me zipped up into a beautiful, white, satiny creation. It fit like a corset! But yes, I fit perfectly into a size 2 dress! As I stepped out of the dressing room, onto a pedestal, and was surrounded by floor-length mirrors, my heart soared and I knew that this dress was The Dress I would be wearing on my wedding day!

Now I'm back at school... blahh... only 2 weeks of classes, then finals!! Then.. CHRISTMAS BREAK! Whoohoo :)