8-3-04

So I finally decided it was time to really update this thing.  Life is good.  Camp ended middle of last week and today I got around to playing with the Matrix picture.  *grin*  It took three hours to do, and I love the way it turned out. 

To catch up, the Cedar Point trip was great!  I stayed with Rachelle, Aubrey, Amy, and Anna at the hotel and that was an adventure in itself!  When we went to the park, I let Luke and his family talk me into going on the Millennium first, which I regretted for a little while.  I didn't get literally sick or anything, but I didn't feel up to the Magnum later because of it.  That turned out okay though, because the picture of Luke and his sister, Anna, on the Magnum turned out priceless!  Later in the day I got Luke's name airbrushed on my shoulder, just for fun.  He said it was weird seeing his name on somebody, and it got the desired reaction from family and friends, so it was well worth the money and I had a blast with it.  In keeping with tradition, the last thing we went on was the Ferris Wheel.  That song was playing as we were getting on (about two people know which one I'm talking about) which made us laugh.  A little later we browsed the gift shop, basically to kill time, and he ended up getting me this adorable moving musical miniature ferris wheel.  My man is so good to me.  :-)  We also had a lot of fun with the radios while we were on the road.  

The day after Cedar Point, I went back to camp to help in the kitchen.  I quickly learned I was the only one of the summer staff who would be there to help, so Rick and Caryl were quite happy to see me.  :-)  I stayed by myself in the Swihart cottage.  It was nice.  I think I could live alone if I needed to, but I'd rather not.  I'm just the type that really loves sharing my life with people I care about.  I had a nice little setup in there, though.  The window air conditioner worked better on LO than HI, and switching between the two would make the whole building shake.  It was fun.  I got to meet some pretty cool people that week.  I worked in the kitchen the week Brittany Residential was there - it's basically a bunch of group homes for mentally retarded (MR) adults who come to the camp for a week every summer.  It was a lot of dishes, I mean... a lot.  I don't even want to think about it.  Let's just say a typical day meant getting up at 6, in the kitchen from 6:30 to 3, and then from 4:30 to 9.  It was hard work, but generally rewarding and I got to meet some amazing volunteers and get to know Tracy better, which was cool.  The MR guys that helped with setup every day were a bunch of characters - I might volunteer a day or two next year just to see them again! 

Mini-Camp was challenging.  I had a couple girls that really kept me on my toes!!  It was a very long few days, but one of my boys accepted Jesus for the first time and that makes it ALL worth it!!!

So now I'm at home, getting ready for school and trying to see Luke as much as I can.  He's started football practice now, so he's been pretty miserable.  He loves it, he's just not feeling like he does right now!  There's some kind of scrimmage coming up, and I'll do my best to be there.  My friend Cyndy might be able to hook me up with a cheap computer to hook up to Char's printer and monitor, since her tower fried last year.  It's a long shot, I'm really hoping things work out.  I get to talk with Char on Thursday to discuss dorm room stuff.  THIS YEAR IS GOING TO BE AWESOME!!!  *happy dance in her chair*  Well, I'm gonna sign off for now.  Peace, Love, Chocolate, Amen.  :-)

7-18-04 *e-mail to Mandy*

Hey girl!

It was great to hear from you!  I'm just home for a few hours today, then I'm off to Ohio to go to Cedar Point with Luke and his family.  The summer is going well.  I just got done with Pioneer camp - which means 10-12 year old kids sleeping in tents and going on day trips.  We went to a nature center, warren dunes, boneyville mill, stuff like that.  We had one kid that was a handful and a half.  he claims to have been struck by lightning, has a metal plate in his head, recently broken his collar bone, he's on three different medications, and on our trip to the dunes, he got himself a nice gash on his foot from walking on a wooden plank.  Geez.  I was camp nurse for the week, so that was an adventure.  My friend Micki got married yesterday.  It was kind of weird, because she's a year younger than we are.  My thing is, when I go to weddings, I don't look at the bride right away when she comes down the aisle.  I watch the groom - I just love to see the look on his face when he sees her.  *dreamy sigh*  My brother, Seth, came up for the wedding, so I got to visit with him too, which was great.  I caught the bride's bouquet at the end *little blush with big grin* that was fun.  :-D  Well, I need to finish getting ready for church - TTYL!

~Erin Nicole

6-11-04

I spent most of yesterday out in Shipshewana and am now a certified archery instructor.  It's cool.  :)  Luke is on the ministry team trip, and Jackie and I are getting ready for tomorrow's garage sale. 

6-8-04

I don't really feel like updating this thing tonight, but I will anyway.  Sunday was Luke's 18th birthday.  We went to church, then to Fazoli's for lunch, then to see Shrek 2 at our favorite theater.  It was fun.  :)  In the evening his parents threw a party in the backyard with a bonfire and stuff, and it was nice having my family meet more of his family.  He played his demo tape for the radio station he's going for a job at - it sounds great!  Mondcay I had worship band practice, and it let out early so I got to see Luke too, which made me happy.  :)  Today I went to the eye doctor's and he's giving me a few month's supply of the first pair of contacts I tried to last me through the summer, then we're going to keep trying different things.  Fun fun.  I got to talk with Jess and Abby and Luke online tonight - yay!  Well, that's about it.  Lata!

6-5-04

I spent most of the day in Wicker Park in Chicago.  OGBC took a group to be a part of an Urban Encounter event, a "faith-based service organization."  We had a tee ball clinic, balloon animals, face painting, and free popcorn going on - the kids were so adorable and full of energy!  So, when we got there, we had breakfast and then got our assignments.  he asked if anyone had used one of those big popcorn machines before and Luke was the only one who raised his hand, so the two of us were given the label "popcorn people."  (when I got home, my dad had just finished making some - just like Luke told me would happen when we were talking about how sick we were of it.  I called him.)  Twice, people asked if we were married.  The first time, he had gone off to help some people move chairs and the high school girl that helped us for a while asked me if he was my husband.  Later, I was off getting more cups and the guy in charge asked Luke if I was his wife. :-)  It felt good to know that we work so well together and people can see that we fit.  Well, mom's bugging me about being on the phone.  *major frustrated sigh*  (reminds me of something from Bruce Almighty that Luke was quoting earlier)  lata!

5-26-04

I got to talk with Kym online last night.  She's doing really well in Brazil, which makes me happy.  April and Cathy's surgeries went well I guess, as I haven't heard that they didn't.  Luke and I are doing great and grandma Ida is getting ready to move into a nursing home - which won't be a fun transition, but I'm happy she's going to be okay.  Well, I'm going to get offline and do laundry and take a shower.  Hopefully later today I'll get some stuff done in my room and go to church with Luke.  Peace out.

5-24-04

It's been a while since I've updated this thing because so much has been going on all at once.  Living at home after a year of college can be frustrating, but I try not to let it show.  April's back surgery was today in Chicago and a friend of the family is going to have triple-bypass surgery tomorrow.  Grandma Ida is in the hospital - we'll find out more about her condition today.  Ack!  Where did the afternoon go?  I have to go get ready for worship band practice.

5-14-04

So Prom went well.  Parking was a pain, but we got there okay.  The theme was "Heaven on Earth."  I thought it was kind of a funny theme for a Prom in the College Football Hall of Fame.  We went and looked at the stuff in the museum for a while, hung out with friends, Adam made a mess and didn't clean it up.  Jared is an unbeleivable dancer... *grin*  Luke and I had fun, and I loved getting to dance every slow dance with him.  They played Unchained Melody - I love that song!  It was really romantic, then Mike sang really loud and off key and kinda wrecked the mood, LOL!  It was still fun.  Well, that's a pretty good overview.  Life at home after college is a little frustrating.  I've had people on my case to do laundry, plus helping with the dishes.  I don't mind the dishes much I guess, but they don't need to bug me about my laundry.  I'll get it done just like I have for the past 8 months or so.  Well, that's all for now.  Peace out.

5-11-04

One might wonder why it's been so long since I've updated my journal... honestly, I just haven't felt like typing.  Dinner Theater (on the 7th and the 9th) went, for the most part, pretty well.  The worship band did really well, and serving food while on roller skates was fun.  :)  Prom was on the 8th.  I have a few pictures from it up on Luke's Page in my Brag Book.  We went to dinner at Heiney's, and then had so much time left we went to Dairy Queen and shared a small chocolate silk pie blizzard.  It was so good!  Well, I'm going to watch a movie with mi hermanita.  I'll write more about Prom night next time.  ;-)

5-3-04

Wow, I don't even know where to start.  I'm really sick of typing, but I want to get this down.  ... oh forget it.  I'm going to take a shower and go to bed.

5-2-04

Today has hit its rough spots, but overall it's been a good one.  This is going to be one crazy week.  I have my last final tomorrow at 8, then spend a good part of the day packing/videotaping stuff.  :)  It will also be the last Fried Banana Monday of my Freshman year.  *sniff*  Tuesday I move out by 3:50.  It feels so weird.  Wednesday I'll unpack stuff and go to church with Luke, Thursday is our one-year anniversary!!  We don't really have anything planned, just to be together is enough.  (sorry for the sappy moment)  Friday is the first night of Dinner Theater, Saturday is Prom (yay!!  :-D)  and Sunday is mothers day, and Dinner Theater again.  Yikes.  I'm going to bed.

5-1-04

Yesterday felt like a couple days combined.  I got up late, went to lunch, and spent a good part of the afternoon with Erin, Abby, Jon, Dave, Mandy, etc... (and by "etc" it's not like the names I'm leaving out aren't super-important people whom I love, it's just that I don't feel like typing everyone's name all the time - you know who you are!)  We went to Hutch's book sale, and I got 4 for $2.50.  Abby got a whole stack.  I'm going to have to borrow some of hers.  I had the Logic final at 4.  It was harder than I thought it would be.  :-/  Then I flew by the DC for a chai tea, an orange and a banana and studied till the Spanish final at 6:30.  I was pertty miserable with my cold.  After finals, I got to hang out with Luke for about an hour.  I love him I love him I love him.  :-D  (sorry, I'm feeling extra sappy because I've been reading one of the books I got yesterday - letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan)  I met up with Erin H and Luke drove us through the rain to the Acorn (did I mention I love him?) where they were playing Big Fish in the cinema.  I liked it better the first time - not sure why.  Anyway, she just said she didn't get most of it, but it was fun.  We went back to her room for a bit and I talked with Kym for a little while - things are still weird there.  Caleb, Mike, Keith and Tiffany came over to Shupe to ask if Erin would like to go jump in puddles with them.  They came for one, they got two!  :-P  It was so much fun!!  After we had showered and put on dry clothes, we reconvened in the lobby at Ramseyer for Caleb's home-made hot cocoa... it was good.  Erin and I got back to Shupe a little before 2 and weren't tired in the least, so we did our laundry, watched music videos, talked about the end of school and how we wish we had more time here!!  I finally got to bed at about 4.  It was a good day.  :) 

4-28-04

Midnight Breakfast last night was great!!  Abby, Erin and I dressed as the Three Stooges - I'll get pictures up on here as soon as I can!  It was great.  The hallway is really quiet tonight.  Everyone's studying for finals.  It feels really weird - in less than a week, I'll be all done and moved out of here.

4-25-04

Today has been chaotic.  Tomorrow will probably be worse.  I'm going to work on my philosophy final till I go to bed.  Through it all, I know I am blessed.  God is good, even when I'm stressed.  (FYI - the cheesy rhyme was unintentional)

4-22-04

Yesterday and today have gone a lot better than Monday and Tuesday.  I argued with Dr. Stump today.  He didn't give me the point, but I think I held my own pretty well.  I got to see Luke tonight and that made me happy.  Well, I'm out.

4-20-04

Today has been pretty lousy.  I'm not optimistic at all about the concert choir audition, I was running on too little sleep, and it just wasn't pretty.  Tonight got a lot better - I got to hang out with Erin and Abby.  We forgot to fry bananas yesterday, so tonight was an "honorary Monday."  I got to talk with Luke on the phone, and that went well.  We're working through some stuff, but we'll come through all the stronger because of it - just might take a while, and that's okay because time is one thing we have right now when you think about it.  Well, it's bedtime.  'Night.

4-13-04

Well, here I am back at school.  Easter break went well.  On Saturday I got to go with Luke to his Grandma's and celebrate with his family.  I got to hold the new baby, Max, and decorate eggs with Luke's cousins - it was great!!  :)  On Easter Sunday Luke and I went to breakfast at church, then to the second service.  I got a little Easter basket from my secret sister.  That made me happy.  :)  Not long after I got home, my family went up to Grandma and Papa's.  We had lunch/dinner, watched a movie based on one of Frank Perretti's books, and hung out for a while at Grandma Ida's.  Justin and I played baseball for a while, that was nice.  I went in when I got cold and we celebrated Aunt Rhonda's birthday (the 11th) and dad's too (the 15th).  We got home pretty late and Jackie slept the whole way, so I had a lot of time just to sit and relax and think about things.  Yesterday I finished the book mom got me for my birthday called "The Five People You Meet in Heaven."  It was excellent.  Today I sucessfully got the contacts in, so the eye doctor let me take them home.  I'll wear this trial pair for a week, then another (different - hopefully better) pair next week, then hopefully we'll order a 6-month supply.  I got to see Luke tonight, which made me very happy.  We got to sit and talk for a while in the basement.  Time just flew.  Soon I had to start getting my stuff together and be ready to leave.  The drive home with mom went well and it's time for this chika to go to bed.  I have two chapters to do tomorrow in the Spanish workbook.  :-P  'Night!

4-9/10-04

Well, I'm 19 now.  I slept in this morning till after 10, then dad picked me up at school and took me out to breakfast, where I got to hang out with my dad, which was really nice, and the (super-good) Apple Pancake I couldn't even eat half of.  When we got home, I took a shower, then went over to Luke's house.  I loved speding time with him today.  We watched John Q, one of my favorite movies, and hung out for a while with his family.  It was great, I got to relax and laugh, and laugh some more!  ("Kiss your girlfriend and leave me alone" - Don to Luke... Luke was more than happy to be obedient to his dad... LOL! [yes, this is still a PG entry, it was just a peck, don't start petitioning the FCC or anything!])  Later I came home and had one of my favorite home-made meals - pork chops, mashed potatoes, and steamed vegatables.  I opened the gifts from my parents, I really love my winnie the pooh bowls, which is really funny because they're probably among the cheapest things my parents have bought be lately.  :-D  Mom and dad and I went to see Big Fish - I really liked it.  It's been a good day.

4-6-04

I spent this morning on campus, we had a special chapel, which was interesting.  I don't think I agree with everything the speaker talked about.  Mom joined me for our "Baseball Lunch," and was super-disappointed they didn't have the salad bar going.  We sat with Brin and Dawn.  It was actually pretty hilarious.  Mom got this chili stuff with onions but no hot dog or bun because she's cutting back on some foods.  Anyway, since it was "Baseball Lunch," they wouldn't give her a fork.  As we talked about how crazy that was, I remembered church last Sunday.  Everyone had received a plastic fork as part of an object lesson.  I started looking through my purse to see if I still had it in there.  "You do not have a fork in your purse." Dawn said in disbelief.  Sure enough, there it was, and Mom had a fork.  :-D  I explained to Dawn and Brin why I had it in there, but not before having a good laugh at their astonishment.  It was great!   I had an eye doctor's appointment at which we were going to see if the contacts they'd ordered would work for me.  Well, one lady tried putting them in, then another, then they actually called the eye doctor himself to give it a try, but to no avail.  Evidentally my eyelids are really tight up against my eyes.  *sigh*  So I have a class 3 jaw, weird swallowing patterns, AND really tight eyelids.  What's next?!?!?  We made an appointment for next week at which they'll try to teach me how to do it myself and see if we have any more luck that way.  Since Luke got his wisdom teeth taken out this morning, Mom and I stopped at Martin's to pick up some balloons.  I weighted them down with applesauce/pudding cups.  :)  From there, I spent the rest of the afternoon at Luke's while he recovered.  We hung out with his grandparents who just got back from Arizona and watched movies in his room.  It was really nice to be together, plus today was our 11-month anniversary, making our relationship my longest one.  That makes me happy.  Once I got back to Bethel, Abby and I went to the Acorn tonight and talked about at lot of stuff, including the possibility of sharing an apartment if/when we're both at IUSB.  Really tentative right now, but that would be great!  Tomorrow's going to be chaotic.  I'm going to work some more on my philosophy paper before hitting the sack.  'Night!

4-4-04

HAPPY 13TH BIRTHDAY, MELISSA!!!

Today I had church, lunch with my parents, an hour at home, to Hubbard Hill (a retirement home where I did a drama thing with church people), then to Bethel for a concert at Dawn's church (I only made it here in time by ten minutes) ... so my day was packed.  Good, but packed.

4-1-04

It's been a good day.  This morning I got to go to a lecture on God, Time and Eternity from this Christian Philosopher who's written like 30+ books and goes around debating people in universities.  It was... well, some of it was over my head, but I liked it.  I have to write a paper on it now for extra credit.  In the afternoon, Madelynn and I went to McDonald's and had a nice chat over ice cream sundaes.  I had a really good day in the ceramics lab.  I got 3 pieces done... well, sort of.  Two of them are going to be one tomorrow when I got back and put them together after lunch - it's really exciting!  Then tonight I went to the Acorn (I'd worked in the CL through dinner) and got a pretzel filled with cream cheese as per Abby's recommendation.  It was good.  I showed my true Baugolian roots when I ate a ham sandwich with ranch dressing.  Oh well.  I got to talk with Luke online tonight, that made me happy.  Well, time to start thinking about bedtime.

3-26-04

I created a Xanga site today.  We'll see how I like it.  I might get rid of it if it gets to be too much.  Here's the address.

http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=daydreamed_philosophy

3-25-04

Lydia is 5 today!!

Things are going well.  The weather was really nice this morning.  Abby and I are keeping a countdown on each other's message boards till the next fried banana Monday!  I don't think I wrote in here about that.  Erin H and Abby and I stole bananas from the DC and took them, plus a frying pan, stick of butter, and half a bag of powdered sugar up to the second floor kitchen.  It's just what it says, but it tastes better than you expect.  We decided to make it a weekly tradition.  :)  Philosophy today was great - mainly because I woke up in a great mood.  In my dream last night, I was married to a great guy, I had two beautiful kids and a red convertable.  :-D  It was nice.  In class, I learned what a chiligon is.  Lunch was shredded beef tacos, Dr. Johnson gave me an extension for that paper I have to rewrite because I wrote from the wrong material, and later today, I get to see Luke.  Life doesn't get much better.  :)

3-23-04

I have been so swamped lately, it's not even cool.  Today was the first time ever I was glad Dr. Stump didn't assign philosophy homework.  I've had a killer headache since about 5:30, went to a young adult small group thing with Abby (which I loved), got back around 9:20, downed a few Excedrin, mom picked me up at 9:30, I have an orthodontist appt. at 7:45 tomorrow morning, and a paper due in class by 9 that I have to finish tonight that I'm incredibly sick of because I worked on it literally all afternoon.  The Retreat last weekend went really well.  Saturday morning we went to this climbing wall - Jackie made it all the way to the top!  I was really proud of her!  I got to room with Char, and I got to know Shelly better, and have a heart-to-heart with her, Lydia and Abby.  It was really nice.  While we were there, we got a serious prayer request from Tony about three of his friends who were in a car accident.  Our youth group, arms around one another, prayed right there on the spot.  It was incredible.  Yesterday, I got an e-mail from Jeff...

"As of Saturday night, Brian was in a coma and appeared to have possible permanent brain damage, Dustin was feared paralyzed, and Andrew was thought to have possibly broken his neck.  Those of us who were at the retreat prayed together for a miracle in the lives of these boys...  As of today, Brian is out of his coma, though it is still unknown the extent of any possible brain damage that might exist.  However, Dustin has been released from the hospital, he is not paralyzed, but they did have to remove his spleen.  And Andrew has also been released from the hospital and his neck was not broken.  Prayer works! ... Praise God for His saving power!!!" 

God is awesome.  I love Him.  :)  Things with Luke and I are going really well, which makes me really happy.  Well, that's about it.  I'm going to get this evil paper finished, write in my Thankfulness Journal (more on that later) and get to bed.  Peace.

3-17-04

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!

It's been a good day.  I wore the shamrock earrings mom and I got from Wal-Mart.  That made me happy.  Soc this morning was less boring than usual, then I glazed three things and broke another in Ceramics, which is all good because the glazed stuff turned out really well and the broken thing was something I didn't like anyway.  I spent the afternoon working on my Philosophy paper.  I had fish and rice and egg rolls for dinner.  It was really good.  I went to Spanish, but didn't have to stay because Prof Rodriguez has the flu.  Came back to the dorm for a while, then went to the acorn with Abby because she wanted a Powerade and someone to walk with.  On the way back, we stood on the sidewalk deciding which way to take - up and behind the library or down the stairs - and she quoted "two roads diverged in a wood" ... then expected me not to know what she was talking about and just kind of laugh it off.  what I actually did was continue where she left off, "And sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler, long I stood and looked down one as far as I could"  We laughed and picked the sidewalk to the right.  :)  I'm really going to miss her when she goes back to IUB.  :(  I had a kind of weird conversation with Luke tonight, and now I'm just finishing up my Philosophy paper, and then I'm going to bed.  'Night.

3-15-04

I had a God moment in the Ceramics Lab today.  I was working on the wheel, and the clay would not do what I wanted it to.  It stayed in place on the wheel, but I couldn't get in centered.  I tried one thing after another, but nothing worked.  I got frustrated, took a breath and tried again.  It was no use.  At one point, I had to take my fist and pound the clay down because it had just gotten too tall to work with.  I got it almost centered, then it went off again.  I was just about to cry, when I heard that familiar, still small voice in my head.  "That clay is you."  I was like... yeah, can't even discribe it.  Anyway, I had some business to do with God, which I did, and then I centered the lump of clay.  It was awesome.  I found these verses tonight:

But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. (Jer. 18:4)

You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "He did not make me"? Can the pot say of the potter, "He knows nothing"? (Isa. 29:16)

Yet, O LORD , you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. (Isa. 64:8)

Isaiah 29:16 is particularly relevant because I eventually got the clay to work and something made.  It wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but it's turning out really well.  The rest of the day went pretty well.  I felt pretty sick this morning from not taking care of myself very well this weekend (not right sleep, food, etc...), but that subsided in the early afternoon.  Worship band practice went well.  I still don't like the name.  Oh well.  The retreat is this weekend, I really hope it doesn't snow.  That would tick me off.  Well, I'm actually going to do something good for me and go to bed.  'Night!

3-11-04

It's been a pretty normal week.  I just realized that I hadn't written in this thing for a while, so I stopped by the computer lab anfter Philosophy... but I really don't have anything to write about and I'm hungry... so, um... I'm going to lunch.

3-6-04

I love my friends!  I'm still sad I won't get to see Luke today, but the day is turning out well anyway.  :)  I went out with John and Char to lunch at Ryan's, and then we went to Goodwill.  It was so much fun!  I got a shirt with a Norman Rockwell painting on it and a long black dress that's just gorgeous.  Again - I love my friends!  We talked about Wal-Mart, but I had to get home to call Abby.  The movie's not playing anymore.  We were a day too late.  Arg!  I might do something with John and some church people tonight.  Did I mention I love my friends?

Oh, something I forgot to add in here about this week.  I had a few appointments with an orthodontist.  To make a long story short, to correct my bite and make my teeth come together the way they're supposed to, I'm going to have to have braces for a year and a half, then jaw surgery, then braces for another 6 months.  Ick.  We're going ahead with it, but I'm not enthused.

3-5-04

It's been a pretty good week.  I've gotten pretty much nothing accomplished, which is pathetic but it feels kinda nice.  :-P  Tonight my Aunt Rhonda and my cousins are spending the night because they have a music thing going on at Bethel.  Tomorrow Abby and I are going to see that semi-new Peter Pan movie.  That'll be fun.  Other than that, I'm pretty much just winging it.  It'll be 10 months for Luke and I, but I won't get to see him because he'll be gone on a youth retreat.  Hopefully, he'll be able to make it out Sunday afternoon for lunch with my family at Hacienda.  :-D  Well, I'm going to talk with some people some more, then go upstairs.  Love yas!

2-28/29-04

I got up at 12:10 today, and that made me very happy.  :)  I played Pikmin on the GameCube, which was great because I haven't in a long time.  Ate lunch around 3, hung out around the house, watched a movie on TV, ate dinner around 10... got online, talked with people, and played Euchre on Yahoo with Luke.  It's been a good, relaxing day.  :)  'night!

2-26-04

I spent like, all afternoon in the Ceramics Lab today.  I really like it in there.  It's peaceful.  I don't mind company, and I don't mind being in there all by myself.  It's nice.  Philosophy went well today.  I turned a paper in and we talked about the Passion, which I saw yesterday.  There were four of us who had seen it already, and a few more who are seeing it tonight.  It was an experience.  I wouldn't recommend it for everyone.  If you're not sure, make sure you have someone with you that you can lean on/hold on to.  *smile*  We also had a discussion in Philosophy about censorship.  We got in groups and stuff.  It was fun.  I was going to go to the dance concert tonight, but it costs a dollar I don't really have (isn't that sad??) and I really should do Soc homework.  :-P

I got the River in Judea solo!!  Spring Choral Showcase is April 17th!!  :-D

2-24-04

I'm taking a break from my Philosophy paper to update my journal.  I'm going to have to condense what I have if I want to fit it in + my next point and stay under the word limit.  *sigh*  It's turning out okay.  Not as good as the last one, I think, but we'll see what happens.  I spent most of the afternoon in the Ceramics Lab.  I tried the wheel, but it decided to hate me today, so I worked on a new hand-built project.  I really love those!  They like me slightly better than the wheel does.  The project I'm working on now is really fun, but I shouldn't write too much about it here because it's going to be kind of a surprise.  ;-)  I spend last night in Shupe 108.  It was fun.  Charlotte and Abby and I were up till about 2:30 talking about anything and everything.  It was great!  Well, I'm going to get back to that paper.

2-23-04

Looks like I haven't been very faithful in updating this lately.  To those precious few of you who read this thing, sorry.  With that said - Last weekend was so much fun!  Friday night I went with a group of friends to Jon's apartment to watch "The Star Wars Holiday Special."  On the way there from Shupe, I ran through a puddle just as Katie was walking carefully through/past it, getting us both all wet.  *impish grin*  So she tackled me and we both ended up in the snow.  It was great!!  :-D  The movie was bad.  It wasn't really dirty or anything, just bad.  George Lucas has said that if he had the time and the money, he'd track down every copy and smash them with a hammer.  He never released it on video.  It was just on TV once, and those few insane people who taped it now make copies and sell them on eBay.  It's pretty funny.  ("...good night, but not goodbye!  ... is that a tear, friend?" yikes.)      Saturday I went to the women's basketball game, read a bit in a Philosophy book and hung out with Kym for a bit.  I went to the Ceramics Lab for a while, then Luke picked me up and we watched a movie with his family.  Sunday church was fun.  The pastor talked about generousity and OT tithing laws.  The skit was great.  I spent some time getting stuff done at home before my family got home while Luke went with the church quintet to sing for someone at a hospital.  Later in the afternoon, Grandma and Papa and Luke and my family all ended up together in the living room - it was a good time.  :)  When mom got the scrapbooks out, we realized that Grandma and Luke and I were sitting on the couch in exactly the same way we were at my graduation party.  It was fun.  Well, today is Monday, and it's feeling extremely long and slow *sigh* but I've been in this indestructable good mood (no, I'm not on anything!  unless you count chocolate...) for over a week now, and I don't think anything today is going to bring me down.  We had auditions in Chorale today for solos for River in Judea.  I was one of four who got called back, but my second audition didn't go as well as the first.  I guess we'll just see what happens.  I'd really love to get this solo.  Well, I'm going to get ready for Ceramics class.  Lata!

BTW - check out "Abby's site," newly added on my "My Favorite Sites" page.  :)

2-16-04

Wow, it's been a while sinse I've updated this.  Valentine's Day was great!  I got my first kiss story in the paper - section D, front page.  :-D  It made me happy.  Did laundry, then went to breakfast with mom and dad.  That was nice.  Luke came over and we exchanged Valentine's Day stuff, and then went to his house for a while and watched a Ken Davis movie, then we went to lunch at Applebee's.  The food was good.  The company was great.  :)  In the evening, we went to see "50 First Dates."  It was better than I expected.  It was a very good day, and the best Valentine's Day I've ever had, but I'll refrain from being too "mushy," as Luke will be razzed enough about the little thing in the newspaper to last a while.  Sunday morning church was good.  Afterwards, I slept till 4 (much needed) and then studied for Monday's Sociology test.  I got to talk on the phone for a few minutes with my grandma - that was great!  :)  Luke picked me up around 5:30 for the Valentine's banquet at church, where we ate bad pizza and watched the kids put on a show.  It was fun.  Josh and Whitney are dating now, which makes Luke happy, which makes me happy, so we're all happy and it's all good.  Today I woke up in a really good mood (wonder why) which lasted all the way through the Soc test, then all the way through the rest of my day.  It's nice.  I got to talk with Luke tonight about a little dilemma I'm having, and he helped me think it through.  I thank God for him.  I get someone to love and share life with and a really good friend all rolled up into one amazing person.  :)  Also, things are looking up for my high school best friend and I. We actually had our first real conversation tonight. It was like old times, only we both let each other be who we are, not who we were. It was very pleasent and I hope that more of these types of chats are to come.  God is awesome!!  Well, I'm going to get to bed and dream of happy things.  'night!

2-11-04

Today's been long, busy, kind of weird, but good.  I woke up at 8 for no apparent reason, then got up and went to breakfast.  That's really weird for me.  In Soc, they basically went over what I missed Monday.  I was really tired in chapel, but the speaker was good, so I strugged and stayed awake.  Before chorale, I went to the library and copied the pages I needed out of Mandy's Spanish Workbook with the change my dear boyfriend gave me for the copier.  :)  Chorale was fun.  In the beginning, there were 3 second sopranos, and one wasn't singing because she's sick.  There was only one first and she's also the President so since Jill and Jesh weren't there, she had to direct.  Eventually one more first showed up and one second left, so it was me and the one who was sick, so it was basically me.  It was kinda fun.  :)  Joseph gave us all a flower with a looney tunes valentine's day card attched to it.  He's such a sweetheart.  He could probably have his pick of any single girl on campus.  Anyway, I spent the minute amount of down time I had doing Spanish homework.  I spent some time in the Ceramics Lab before class trying to salvage a broken project.  I hope it turns out.  Class went well, then I had very little time till Spanish (took a test, then we could leave.  I think I aced it).  I didn't eat dinner, but after class I went to a surprise birthday party at Sailor, so I got stuff from the Acorn.  We played Mafia; it was fun.  Came back here, watched TV with Jen, commiserated with Mandy over our study guide for the Soc test, stuff like that.  Now I'm here writing in this thing, IMing with Trisha, Luke, and Char and putting off reading Philosophy... Lata!

2-9-04

My alarm didn't go off this morning and I missed the first half of the game in Sociology.  I'm pretty ticked.  I got a package from my Aunt Rhonda and her family in MI.  It made my day!!  :)  Ceramics went well, I scarfed dinner in 4 minutes flat, and went to Worship Band practice.  Mom got some pictures from the computer printed at Wal*Mart.  They turned out nicely.  I gave one to Kym of the two of us together in her dorm room last semester.  It's very fun.  :)  Anyway, I'm going to finish this Philosophy paper, shower and get to bed.  'night!

2-8-04

All in all, it's been a good weekend.  Long, but good.  I'm glad Sam is safe.  God is good.  :)  Time to sleep!!!

*pouts*  Jeff says that Charlie looks like a "stoned koosh ball"!!!  I still say he's adorable.  (https://erin-nicole.tripod.com/newbeginning/id27.html)

2-7-04

Yesterday was great!  I had classes in the morning, then my RA interview at 2:00, which went pretty well.  Jeff came to pick Abby and I up around 2:30, then hung out at the church as people arrived.  We went to McDonald's for dinner, then we were off to the Fort Wayne Colesium.  Todd Agnew, Newsong, and Audio Adrenaline were awesome!  I was kind of disappointed with Relient K.  :(  Near the end of the intermission, I called Luke on Jeff's cell phone and left a message in his voice mail.  I didn't dial fast enough, and I had to kind of yell "I love you!" into the phone just as the Relient K concert started.  Turned out cute, I think.  As of yesterday, Luke and I have been together 9 months.  *happy sigh*  Tonight is the play here at Bethel.  I'll be an usher, and Luke and John are coming to see it too.  Well, I'm going to go eat dinner.  Lata!

2-4-04

It's been a day.  Had Soc, then Chapel, then Chorale, then lunch, Ceramics, dinner, and Spanish.  Watched some TV, talked with Luke.  Tomorrow is Thursday!  :)  'night!

2-3-04

I remember what Jeff said.  It was, "I feel like I'm driving on a slurpee."  :-D

Thoughts regarding the halftime show contraversy:

Okay, that's just not fair.  In today's society, how on earth can a Christian stay pure in both mind and body without living in a hole 100 feet underground?  We are bombarded every day with images, innuendo, and suggestive dialogue whether we turn on the TV,  the radio, or even go to the grocery store.  Despite our best efforts, we are always vulnerable. Psalm 119:9-11 offers some practical advice with "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."  Still, no matter how much scripture is memorized, some things just can't be completely avoided, i.e. Jackson's sudden exposure on national television.  I mean, this deplorable and sophomoric stunt makes even those "male enhancement" commercials look dignified.  Seriously, what were Jackson and Timberlake thinking?  That the children of America need to see Janet's breast? Is there any way for anyone to protect young girls from images of women inviting their own sexual exploitation just in order to appear in tomorrow's tabloids?  I say go FCC.  Sue everyone involved from every angle possible for as much as possible.  Send the message that the American people can't put up with this.  It will be interesting to see what the NFL decides to fill halftime with next year.

2-2-04

Today's been long and crazy, but good.  I started off the day at 8:50 ;-) to be at Sociology around 9, then to chapel, from chapel to Shupe to take a shower, then to Chorale at noon, followed by lunch, about half an hour of down time, then ceramics.  For dinner I scarfed a plate of pasta with Sara and Zach, then it was back to Shupe to wait for my ride to Worship Band Practice.  Had fun running and sliding around on the snow in the parking lot with John.  Had even more fun when he amlost fell into the women's bathroom.  LOL!  Practice was kind of tough tonight, but it went well.  The drive back was fun.  Jeff said something I was going to quote him on, but somehow I've forgotten it.  Maybe I'll remember later.  So I went to the Acorn and stocked up on miscellaneous food for the dorm room, watched Super Sheep with Mandy and talked with Luke on the phone.  It so doesn't feel like I just saw him yesterday!!  Dorm hall meeting... it was interesting.  Sarah read "Everyone Poops" to us all as Madelynn and Christie went over bathroom policies and common courtesies.  It was really funny (and no, that does not count as me saying "that word").  Talked with some people online, and now I'm going to get ready to go to bed.  'night!

1-30-04

Life's going well.  I went with Dave and Tim to the prayer meeting last night at CRMC.  It was aweseome.  Pray for Tara!  ;-)   

1-29-04

Life is a roller coaster right now.  Surprisingly, I don't really feel like writing.  That almost never happens to me.

1-27-04

Today went well.  In Philosophy, we went over the Cosmological argument and the Teleological argument.  I like them both better than the Ontological argument.  I went to the Ceramics Lab tonight and finished my box.  I love the way it turned out and my prof told me it was really nice - she showed me how to weight it down while it dries so it holds its shape well.  Well, time to do Soc homework and get to bed.  'night!

1-26-04

It's been a good day.  Soc was normal, Chapel was good - hit pretty close to home in about three different ways.  Jesh was our director for today in chorale.  It was fun!  In ceramics I started working on a box - it's turning out really well!  I was really into the project when I remembered at about 5:10 that I had worship team practice tonight!  I made in back in time - Jeff was waiting for me in front of Shupe.  Practice went well.  We're playing at the upcoming retreat, so we're enthused.  Only thing is, I'm the only female vocalist, so I have to learn the harmony to pretty much everything.  It's going to be a challenge with everything else that's going on.  I got to talk with Luke for a while online, then on the phone tonight.  I (almost literally) cannot believe I saw him yesterday.  Sunday feels like so long ago.  I miss him so much, and it's only Monday!  *sigh*  Well, I'm gonna get ready to go to bed and stuff.

1-24-04

I write now from Kym's new laptop.  It's fun.  :)

1-23-04

I hate being sick.  It's just so inconvenient.  This week has gone pretty slow.  I've been down with some kind of flu for the past two days, but I think I'm almost over it.  I got to talk with Luke for a while on the phone tonight, which was nice.  One of my RA's got engaged today.  There's one more to add to the list I'm not on!  :-P  Well, it's bedtime.

1-21-04

It's been a busy, but good, day.  I barely remember Soc this morning, it was too long ago!  I remember my alarm didn't go off and Mandy had to wake me up 15 minutes before class.  Later today she learned that I had set my alarm for 8 PM instead of 8 AM.  *smacks forehead*  Oh well, that happens to everybody... right?  :-P  Chorale was fun, we worked more on the Czechoslavakian piece and sang through River in Judea.  I like the arrangement the guys sang in Show Choir last year better.  Oh, well.  Ceramics was fun - we got to start on two projects, a pinch pot and and a coil pot.  I stayed after class to work on them.  My pinch pot is done, I like it and I really hope it turns out well!  I carved butterflies on one side.  My coil pot needs a bit more work, and I'm trying to decide if I want to do anything decorative to it.  Spanish was long and easy, but okay.  It's like Spanish I all over again, but condensed into one semester.  Back to the dorm, played euchre online with Luke for a while, talked on the phone, set my alarm clock for 9 AM, so now I think I'll get ready to go to bed.  Wow, this is the second night in a row I'm getting to bed before midnight.  Jen's going to think I've gone insane!

1-19-04

I don't like Mondays.  They're just long and they feel pointless.  Well, ceramics was nice.  I think I'll like the class.  Luke left an IM for me while I was in class.  :)  It made me happy.  I mailed a letter to Beth at Oxford today, that was fun.  Well, that pretty much sums up today.  I think I'll go to bed early-ish tonight.

1-18/19-04

It's been a really good weekend.  All my class work is caught up, and I got to spend a lot of time (though it doesn't feel that way) with Luke and had some really nice "girl talks" with my mom and sister.  :-D  I went to a Jimtown basketball game and observed a game of "buck buck" for the first time.  Band people are fun.  :)  NAC Saturday went well in that there were no car accidents!!  I love it when I get to hear Luke sing.  I could pick out his voice when he sang with the large group.  It was nice.  Basically, life is going really well for me right now!  Today was church, then lunch with my family and Luke and John, then watched It's a Wonderful Life because John had never seen it!!  Then there was the Colts game (*sniff* ... you know, if you'd told me a year ago that I would give a rip about a football game, I would have laughed in your face) then hung around at home for a while.  I got a chance to have a good one-on-one conversation with Luke, which was great, then it was time to get back to school.  We stopped to get gas, and Luke got me a drink from the 7-11, making sure it wasn't carbonated.  :)  He knows me well.  We went to Wal-Mart because I had to pick up some stuff for school, and I found something for my secret sister and something to decorate the door with once it gets closer to Valentine's day.  It's cute!  Online back at school I had some great conversations with Erin H, Char, and Trisha.  Did some spiritual evaluating - gotta work on some stuff!  Well, I've rambled long enough and I've got class at 9 tomorrow!  Ick!

1-14-04

Today's been busy, but good.  Classes were fine.  Ceramics was canceled again, (Prof is still sick) but I got to know one of my classmates better, which was nice.  At dinner, I wadded up my napkin and hit Steve in the head with it.  He blamed someone else, then I gave him a mischevious look that told him it was me.  *grin*  Spanish is going to be easy, but I think I'll enjoy the class.  We started our World Christian Action conference today.  I'm really not sure what that means.  Kind of a miniature Spiritual Emphasis Week with more of a focus on missions.  I really love the speaker.  Marilyn Lazlo worked in Paupa New Guina for 27 (?) years and has some amazing stories.  Tonight she told about how she once ran out of gas on a 60-foot-long canoe.  They were going to have to drift backwards 4 1/2 days to get more fuel.  Once she finished ranting, the tribal boys she was with simply prayed and they traveled another 45 minutes with a motor with no gas.  Yeah buddy.  So after the chapel thing, I went with Erin H, Charlotte, and her new roommate to the Acorn to bother some people.  When we sat down, Steve pulled a chair out from under me.  I started to retaliate, but said "You know, I deserved that." and we called a truce... at least, till the next time someone decides to pull something on the other.  I noticed the time and called Luke from there.  He's so cute when he's tired.  Marilyn Lazlo sat with us at our table and we talked about things.  It was cool.  On the way back to Shupe, we decided to take a short cut accross a frozen pond.  We started sliding and racing around and having so much fun, we almost forgot how we were in a hurry to get out of the cold.  Almost.  It was the most fun I've had here since I got to play in the leaves a few months ago.  :)  I love getting to act like a child again.  Well, I'm going to add finishing touches to my Philosophy paper and get to bed.

1-12-04

It's been a good day.  I had Soc this morning, then the speaker in Chapel today was really good.  She talked about Esther and purpose and diversity and pride (the good kind) and an East African belief which held to the idea that people are born at the exact moment they are needed on earth.  They'll even ask each other "why were you called forth?"  It was really fascinating.  Lunch was just plain fun!  We had "breakfast for lunch," and the french toast sticks were hard as bricks, so we experimented with different methods to soften them... one of us soaked his in syrup for a good half and hour.  It didn't work.  Andrew decided to see if they would float, so he got a cup full of blueberry kool-aid-like-stuff and we discovered that they did indeed float.  All the while we were quoting lines from movies and having general lunchtime fun.  Andrew's face hurt he laughed so much... which made the rest of us laugh more and one girl almost spewed milk accross the table!  Chorale went well.  We got "River in Judea" (talk about irony) and two Czechoslavakian pieces.  Should be interesting, to say the least!  My Ceramics Prof. was sick today, so I just got the syllabus and went back to the dorm.  No homework is a good feeling.  :)

1-8-04

Today went pretty well.  I really like my Philosophy class.  I know about three people in there, and I love the professor.  I wanted to be in his class because I liked how he spoke in Chapel once last semester.  :)  Something he talked about today made me think of Dr. McCoy in the original Star Trek series.  He said "I am not a mechanic" and "I am not a chef"... which of course, brought to mind the classic lines, "I'm a doctor, not a brick-layer" and "I'm a doctor, not an escalator"  LOL!  (I can almost feel my mother rolling her eyes - this is the stuff my dad raised me on)  Anyway, Philosophy will be a lot of work (there will be an assignment almost every day of class) but I think I'll like it.  Tomorrow I have Sociology and Logic and Critical Thinking.  I don't have books for either.  A friend had promised me I could borrow her Soc book, but she may not honor that (long story I won't go into here in public view although she's virtually slandered me on her site), and I'm still looking for a Critical Thinking book.  That's life.  Had a good talk with Luke online tonight - he can always make me laugh.  :)  Well, I'm going to sign off for now. 

1-6-04

Late night last night, so I slept till about noon.  Taped a show for mom while she was gone, then I hung out around the house... thought about doing laundry but didn't - LOL!  Tonight I went with Luke to Hacienda for our little 8-month anniversary thing.  Feels like I've known him forever.  It was really nice having a chance to go out just the two of us.  If I said what I'm feeling now, it would freak out quite a few people who might read this thing, so I guess I'll just leave it at that.  :)  goodnight!

1-4-04

It's been a good day - felt good to be back at OGBC!  Spent some time with Luke in the afternoon, then dominated at Scrabble :)  (QUIZ... Q on a double letter, Z on a double word... it's a very good thing)  Might do something else later tonight, after the Colts kick some Bronco butt.  :)  Lata!

1-2/3-04