It just started thundering. Ha. I do like this weather.


Today is the kind of day that is nice to spend reading a book, playing soft guitar, or enjoying quiet board games with people - and theres no way I could pass the evening without drinking a nice cup of tea.

I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do tonight though. I'm taking a break from playing on the worship team for a while - until internationals is done with - so I don't have practice this evening. I considered going down to the library or planting myself at a starbucks and doing homework for a time. Perhaps I will do that. It doesn't sound like that awful of an idea, and I'd be out of the house. Not that I've really been home much today, or that I will be home much this week, it's just easier for me to concentrate on schoolwork when I don't have distractions like a musical instrument wanting to be played, a novel I've been eager to read (but not able to justify), or housework.


hahahaaaa. I'm happy! REALLY. And amber! Thanks for the tea last night! It was PERFECT! :D

-becca

Yay! I bought a wireless card yesterday (along with a hideously expensive collection of pants that should last for the next year or two if I don't gain a large amount of weight - thank God. I hate shopping.) and now I have internet! I'm living with the Edgars, I love it. I'm getting a job at Subway. We'll see what I think about that. My manager is...interesting. I might have more to say tomorrow, when I "learn how to make a sandwich", as he calls my "training".

I. Will. Put. Up. Pictures. Today. If. It. Kills. Me. Which. It. Won't.

Who puts two spaces after periods? I do, but some people don't. Respond if you read this. I want to know if you do or don't and why or why not.

I love sleeping in on Saturdays. Truly, truly.

I had a nice day yesterday. After spending it doing various chores and homework, I drove up to my mom's shop with three of my siblings. We had dinner together, and then we went back to her shop. The author, Bryan Davis, was giving a writers workshop after hours. I sort of listened, but mostly I did homework.
When I got home, I played piano for a while, and I even tuned my guitar and fooled around with it for a time. I need to buy some new strings, for both my twelve string and my electric.

Ah. Maybe I'll do something about that today.

But, what I'd really like to do, is go to the beach.

happy saturday!!!

-becca

Yes, "Sleep is a very good thing. Period."

Haha. It's 12:17 pm and I'm still in my pajamas. All I've done today is some noncommital unpacking (as in, I spent around 10 minutes on it and most of that 10 minutes was spent looking around my room and sighing because I couldn't think of good places to put stuff and it didn't really matter because I'm leaving for Renton tomorrow and most of my stuff is just going to stay here anyway and I don't care if it's all over the room or in the garage or what, but the reason I'm unpacking anyway is so I'll make sure I don't miss bringing anything important with me to Renton. That sentence was obscenely long.), some noncommital eating, and read some of Isaiah.

I have a goal to read Isaiah 10 times this summer. Why? Part of the reason is, I often read a book of the Bible and then kind of forget what was in it. I remember vaguely "what it was about", but if I read it again in, say, a year, I find it's just as if I'm reading it for the first time again. I figure if I read it 10 times in a row I'll be more likely to remember what I read. So, I'm reading 10 chapters a day. I've gotten through it once so far (I started about a week and a half ago.) I'm actually really enjoying in the second time through. I think I'll read it in a couple different versions as I progress.

I said I finished memorizing Hebrews, but I still can't quote the whole thing all the way through. What I meant by that statement was, "I was able to quote each of the chapters in Hebrews at some time or another." Of course, I tried to review during the last few months but I wasn't very good at it. So now I'm reviewing and rememorizing. I can safely say I've got most of it down pat. Next memorizing project? Psalms 1-5. Shouldn't be too hard; they're short. I think the hardest thing about memorizing a Psalm is the unpredictable flow of thought. It's poetry, not discourse. In discourse, you'll have a paragraph talking about, say, Jesus as a priest. You'll have five verses, and when you memorize them you don't mix them up because it's just the way the argument goes. Psalms are one of my favorite things in the Bible, but they're sure hard to memorize. I don't know how to explain it, I guess. But you try it. Memorize the first chapter of James, then try memorizing a couple stanzas of Psalm 119. James is ultimately easier, even though it might have a few more verses. Okay? Okay.

sleep is a very good thing. period.


(and this was a very pointless post)

Ah, well...GOODMORNING!

-becca

I'm back from my vacation, and it was great. But that was a lot of driving. My dad checked the odometer last night. We drove almost a thousand miles during that week - I'm guessing an average of two hours per day. I took a lot of pictures, and I'll probably put them on my site later today.

I'm at my parent's new house for the first time. It is HUGE. I wandered through it when I first got here and it seemed like there was no end to it. It has a lot of closets. I can't find the oatmeal and tea. Maybe Mom didn't unpack it yet. I have a sneaky suspicion that I accidently put a box of food in the garage along with all my stuff, so it might be there. Today I have to start unpacking, box by box.

Yes, I'm back from college. By some miracle we were able to fit everything I own in and on top of our minivan, along with five people and their weeklong vacation's accumulated luggage. (I had to sit and think about why I put the word "accumulated" there, since they didn't accumulate the luggage during the vacation, but I think I have come to the conclusion that I just like that word there.

I have a lot of dreams about gunmen. Usually I walk past a room and I see someone pointing a gun at someone else, and it's up to me to go where he can't see me and call 911. I never get shot, or even close to it. Usually I run into the next room, call 911 and say "someone is about to get shot here" and leave the house and get on with my dream.

The second half of my dream was kind of weird; Raedeana came and she was like "Are you ready to babysit for my kids? Don't forget to bring the lotion; you forgot that last time." And I wasn't ready to go because for some reason I was in the dorm and I owned two rooms (68 and 69) and both were messy, so I had to hurry and clean up, and just before I went I grabbed the lotion. Peach. I could tell you what happened from then on, because it's very clear in my mind, but however clear it may be it's hard to explain and besides not very intersting.

I called becca on the way back yesterday. I was so sick from hours and hours of driving and fighting between my two younger sisters. Ugh, I don't understand it. Even when they say nice things to each other they say them in mean tones of voice, though they would deny it. By "mean" I guess I mean sarcastic, usually, or with derisive little smirks or laughs. Anyway. I called becca. It was great. I hadn't talked to her probably since my birthday when she came down. I made a joke that I knew only she and a handful of others trained to look for puns would get, and I had to repeat it a couple times since we were both on our cell phones and reception was bad. Then she got it and laughed. And said, "I haven't talked to you for a while, have I?" because she knew that jokes like those are only funny between us. I can't wait to see her.

Today, as soon as my family leaves for church (yeah, I'm not going; they're still trying to find a home church, and they're church hopping a lot, and I don't really want to go to a church unless I'm familiar with it at this point. I've done that plenty of times at school. Now, I'm on summer vacation, and on summer vacation I want to go to my home church.) I am going to play my dear piano for at least an hour, probably, after I dig up some of my music from the garage. I will also unpack some stuff. Eventually today I'd also like to go to the store to get some things I've been doing without for a while. Tomorrow, I'll pick up, fill out, and turn in a bunch of job apps, just in case I can't find anything in Fairwood.

I'm hungry now. goodBYE!!!!!!

I might as well say something new-ish.


Washed smooth in perfect peace, the face of a sleeping girl is suddenly disturbed. Eyelids flutter as the morning rays, filtered through the lightly colored curtains, nudges her out of her dreams. The girl stays lying there a moment, her eyes open and her lips lightly smacking. She pulls the warm blankets up around her chin, protecting herself from the cold morning air. A loud repetative buzz goes off, and forcing herself to move, she sits up and turns her alarm off. She pulls back the curtains; the entire room is filled with natural light. The leaves softly shudder in the gentle breeze, casting shadows on her bed linens and breaking up golden hues on the ground outside. It is a good day. She thinks with a smile. Inspired, the girl sighs happily and folds back her sheets. She pulls on the sweatshirt she keeps near her bedside and stands up. Going to the kitchen, she starts a pot of hot water and finds a large, inviting mug. A few moments later, a cup of english breakfast black tea is made, along with a beautiful start to the day.


Who is that girl? ME! Well, perhaps I romanticized it a little bit, but, that is how glorious my quiet and peaceful morning was. Really, how can a day that starts like that go bad?


haha. Really, I feel incredibally like laughing right now. I bought a new tail light today too. And shampoo. But I forgot to buy a new toothbrush. I realized it just as I was walking out the door of wal*mart, and decided that I didn't want to go back in. I really didn't want to go there in the first place, but it wasn't that bad, because not that many people were there. Buying a new tail light and shampoo really doesn't have anything to do with why I'm happy though.


On a side note, I read Ruth last night. I really love the story of Ruth, I always have. I was struck with a slightly different thought last night than I usually have. Generally, I leave that book with the impression of, "Wow, I wish I could have the faith Ruth had," and try to apply the good morals to my life. But, this time, I've been thinking about how much God took care of her because of her faith. He provided a home with Naomi, a way to get food in a safe enviroment, and a great husband. Then, Jesus, way later in time, talks about this, about God giving you what you need, because he knows you need it. Just be faithful to him. It's pretty amazing how unchanging God is.

And, I don't know why I'm admitting to it, but I still have this odd image of them exchanging the sandal to close the deal in the end. I always imagine those things so strangely, even though I have no true reason to see it in this way. But, I have this picture in my mind of Boaz taking the sandal from the kinsman-redeemer, and putting it on his own head while he declares to everyone that they're witness and what-not.
Kind of silly considering that all it says, in chapter 4, verse 8 is "...And he removed his sandal."

Oh well.


-becca

just so you all know - I am officially sick of studying art. I'm going to go do something I enjoy, like play piano.

=D

ha, I wanted to call you too! But, I knew you were super-busy with school. Plus, I was only home for a couple of hours and that was taken up by homework (did I mention that I'm all caught up and actually ahead? I haven't been in a couple of weeks - happy day), then I went out and played music (it was so much fun! I didn't really think I could still play drums for real. And this guy had this whole little studio - not finished, but still, a place to play music as loud as we wanted and lots of nice instruments). I got home around 9:30, but I immediately - and I mean IMMEDIATELY - got into bed and fell asleep.

Of course, then my mom called me, woke me up and said...

..."becca! Where are you?"
"huh? bed..."
"what? Oh. haha. Kaitie just told me that she had no idea where you were because you hadn't come home yet and hadn't talked to anyone about where you were going, even though you did tell me, so I don't know why I believed that. sorry. bye."

click.

I was so worn out, I didn't want to think about anything anymore. That's part of why I wanted to call you - I wanted to talk to someone about absolutely nothing.

I had a terrible dream too. I would almost classify it as a nightmare. Not the kind that scares you out of your wits and makes you not want to sleep anymore - I didn't even wake up once. But, the kind that's more psychological - like something terrible about you has been exposed to the world or something (it was something that was pretty silly though, which made it kind of funny afterward). And it had a very sad ending, and there was nothing I could do about it. I hate that. I tried so hard, but alas. It was just a dream, I suppose.

I got a lot of sleep too. I feel a lot better now. Though I'm still kind of sad about other things. Not enough to ruin my day or anything, just a little, maybe it's because I'm still feeling kind of sick. And because I'm still getting over this past week of having to react to a lot of things without much time to think inbetween.

Really. A lot of stuff happened, it seems, within a matter of three or four days. Work stuff, biblequiz stuff, getting sick, being sleep deprived, rushing to get my schoolwork done on time, and some other things that have occupied my mind. Not all of it was bad, really...just too much excitement for me. Maybe I just over-react to things, I don't know!


ha, you're the best amber! I'll talk to you when you have time. Summer is almost here! I only have four more weeks of school!

-becca

Last night, I wrote my philosophy paper! My roommate is writing the same paper and she had checked out a bunch of books on her topic (she'd checked them out on my card, too) so I just decided to steal her topic and write an apologetic paper on the resurrection of Jesus as well. It turned out really good, and I got to bed around 2:30.

The philosophy paper is a huge burden taken off. The whole past week, everyone in that class has been asking me if I've started it. "No." And if I know what my topic is. "No." A gal asked me these two questions yesterday and when I answered "No," she just rolled her eyes, as if to say, there's no possible way you can get it done.

So, today I have to write a 60 minute Sunday School lesson for any age group on the book of Jonah (I'll be doing this project with someone else) and write a speech to give tomorrow morning. That shouldn't be too hard, actually: I have all the research materials I need already, and I'm going to do my speech in manuscript form. So it's just a matter of writing it and then practicing reading it.

But I can't let myself relax too much; otherwise I'll slack off. Today I may not slack, of all days in the semester.

Okay, okay, I'll get off the computer.

Waaaaah.

If I even started typing all the stuff I had to do it would count as procrastination so I won't.

But becca! I have been wanting to call you all day and I can't because I know it'll be like three hours till I get off the phone with you! And I have to do things badly! But know that I really really really really want to talk to you right now - not for any particular reason, I just want to hear your voice and tell you about today how someone said something and I immediately thought of a quote from Finding Nemo and thought of you and how you would think it was really great if I had said it, and you would have made the connection instantly. Gah. I just want to talk to you. Know that you are the greatest friend ever.

Faithful blog readers, take note: Our friendship is this strong, that we will blatantly admit how much we appreciate each other. Before I went to college, we hung out a lot, and each other's presence was the special thing. After I went to college the only way to hang out was to actually have conversations instead of just sitting around watching movies or listening to books on tape or doing nothing, and I think we started to appreciate each other's words more, because now more often than not we'll talk on the phone and one of us will say something like, "You know, I really enjoy talking to you."

I just started thinking about this. We didn't used to say this, when we hung out all the time. But now we can't hang out all the time, we can only talk. And it just goes to show the value of a true friendship.

Let me continue to ramble on this, then I'll get off and be responsible.

Amber Going Off To College was such a big thing before I left, and I was almost certain that, no matter how firmly resolved I could be not to lose becca's friendship, I would, just because we could no longer do the things we considered the basic ways to form our friendship - watching movies, getting chow mein together, eating ice cream on the curb together, going to church together, drinking tea together, going to quiz practice together, and basically everything together. And I do mean everything.

But you know what? It didn't happen! I, for one, was very pleasantly surprised. Because, becca is one of those people when I read what Paul says "I thank God every time I remember you" I think of her.

It's been nice having hours long conversations with her the past year, but I for one am really excited about once again living a mile away from her this summer.

I dearly, dearly love her. If you ever dare to make her sad, I will very likely maim you for life.

This post is hereby dedicated to becca.

I really like to accomplish things.

Today has been great. I woke up at 6:30 wide awake and ready for the day. I had taken a much needed 5 hour nap the day before, and I got about 6 1/2 hours of sleep that night. I was still feeling kind of ill though - sore throat, headache, stomach ache. I nearly considered skipping my second class, but decided to tough it out - there's only 4 more weeks in the quarter, afterall.
I'm glad I did too! Class today was easy, enjoyable, and went by quickly. It's about quarter to five right now, and I've been working on homework since around three 'o' clock. GUESS WHAT!? I'm completely caught up, and even a little ahead! ha. It's so nice to be ahead.

Plus, I just got the past 4 grades on my past huge assignments for my mycology class, and I'm really quite happy with my scores. I'm always weary about science projects. I put a lot of effort into them, but I never think I'm doing them right. It's a nice to know that I'm on the right track, and this teacher gives very helpful feedback. Actually, all my teachers do this quarter, it's great. I'm all the more motivated to work harder and study even more. It's funny, for the past couple of weeks, homework has been just kind of this thing I HAD to do, but now I'm really enjoying it. I forgot that I chose these classes specifically for fun. ha.


My brother just called me and asked me if I wanted to go play music with him tonight. Ha. That'll be fun. I guess this guy he works with has a whole studio with lots of musical instruments and stuff. I haven't played music with Kit in...years. woo.

ha, what a weekend, what a day! I can't find any reason for not smiling, so I might as well keep it up.

-becca

I thought maybe you'd appreciate the ugliness - I thought it would contrast the beauty of our words. Or something.


I really love reading and playing hymns.

I received a hymnal this past weekend. I've been wanting one for quite a while, but have never done anything about it. And, though this one doesn't have my two favorite hymns - Be Thou My Vision and I Wonder As I Wander - it's still a hymnal. It's older, and has a lot of songs I've never heard of, and quite a few different arrangements of familliar songs as well(all of which, I've liked so far).

I was just playing through it a little bit, but I stopped and began to simply read through some of them. I can read words much more fluently than I can read music, and the former seemed the only way to do justice to these pieces.

Here's one that caught my eye:

Hymn 493 - I Think When I Read That Sweet Story
Greek Folk Song
Jemima T. Luke

I think when I read that sweet story of old,
When Jesus was here among men,
How he called little children as lambs to his fold,
I should like to have been with him then.

I wish that his hands had been placed on my head,
That his arms had been thrown around me,
And that I might have seen his kind look when He said,
"Let the little ones come unto me."

Yet still to His footstool in prayer I may go,
And ask for a share in His love;
And if I thus earnestly seek him below,
I shall see Him and hear Him above.


The one I had read before it was "Hushed Was the Evening Hymn" and the line that stuck out to me was:
"O give me Samuel's mind: A sweet, unmurmuring faith,
Obedient and resigned To Thee in life and death!
That I may read with child-like eyes Truths that are hidden from the wise."


And as I was reading those, I was thinking about something I memorized in Matthew. A few things, actually. Chapter 18 and a few verses in 19, but inparticular Chapter 11:25-26: "At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure."

I just thought I'd share.

ah.

-becca

I must say, this is probably one of the ugliest blogs I've ever seen in my life.

I think I can say that without fear of offending becca; she knows I very much dislike the color orange. Orange and blue together is, I think, even more uncool.

We should do light pink and brown instead.

It's 9:56 am on Saturday. I play at a wedding in 3 hours. For the next four minutes I'm typing here, then I'm going to go be responsible.

Did I ever mention that I finished memorizing Hebrews a couple weeks ago? I did; now I just need to review. Badly.

I also decided to memorize the first five Psalms, which shouldn't be too hard since they're all a maximum of like ten verses, if not less. I got down the first two.

I also decided a few weeks ago to memorize pi to 50 digits, so I did. 3.141 592 6535 8979 323 84 6264 3383 2795 0288 4197 169 3993 751.

I just like memorizing things.

After I finish those Psalms, I'm going to memorize Jonah since I pretty much already know it from studying it all semester in Bible Study Methods, and it's only four chapters anyway. The whole book can't be more than fifty verses long. Then I would like to memorize "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe. Then, I would like to memorize pi to 100 digits. Then I would like to memorize James.

Okay, now I'm going to go.

ammmber! HI! I got your pun. I think you can handle it. You are amber, afterall.


Today is friday.

I'm having a happy morning. I woke up early so i could enjoy my morning and not feel guilty about putting 'important' things off.

This sums up the past couple of hours: Tea. Piano. Reading. (ah.)


And now, I'll be going on to getting things I have to get done, done. Such as working on all my nonfiction drafts which I've put off, writing 25 entries into a creative writing journal I never started that's due on monday, printing out my resume and finding all of my pictures for my portfolio. I might possibly go out and apply at places too, but really, that could wait until monday - maybe I'll just call around today. That makes the most sense to me.
There are other various things to do that I don't think you really care about. Actually, it's doubtful that you cared about any of what I just said, but it doesn't really matter to me, because I didn't really make that list for your benefit.

gah. I'm in a weird mood today. haha. Happy and tired and gah.

It's the quiz meet tonight. The last one. Ever. For me. But that's all I really have to say about it. Maybe I should study a little for that too, today.


I felt almost obligated to write something, but...WHAT A BORING POST!

-becca

AAAAAA! I don't know if I can handle it! One more day of classes and then finals!

BLEAH! So much to due.

heehee.

It's okay. I'll be fine. Really.

I just need to GET OFF THE STUPID COMPUTER.

I'm a little bummed out right now. This weekend is the very last quiz meet of the year. It also marks the end of the "golden quizzing years" because becca, Josh, and Joe are all graduating. I was going to go up with Salem to the meet like I did once last year and surprise my friends and have fun with them. I had even emailed Salem and they said they'd take me and stuff.

You know those times when you're planning something and you get this nagging feeling that you can't plan anything for that day, something's going on? And you think, oh, well, this is going on, but that's not important, I can skip that, I can cancel that, and you go on making plans until BAM, something you can't skip or cancel comes to mind, and you have to cancel your plans?

That just happened to me.

I'm playing piano for somebody's wedding this weekend.

At the time she asked me to do it, I was flattered and thrilled. Now, I'm afraid I'm having a bit of a bad attitude about the whole thing.

I want to cry about it, because I'm so disappointed, but I have too bad of an attitude to be anything but mad about it, and there's not really anyone I can be mad to.

I can't even go out and do something fun to ease my disappointment, because I have a speech outline due tomorrow morning.

I can't even go eat some chocolate or something because I'm full - I just ate.

So, I'm pretty much depressed right now. Waah. I want sympathy.

Sigh.