So it's been about a semester since I last posted. My last final is today at noon.
God has done so many things in my life over the past few months. I never knew life could be so packed full of new experiences! I've met people that I hope to be friends with for the rest of my life, and restarted friendships with people I hadn't seen in ages.
What's been happening with me? I can't even... I mean... Wow. Well...
For starters, God has really taught me a lesson in humility. I don't HAVE to get perfect grades, and it's not the end of the world if I don't. It's ok to look stupid or make mistakes when surrounded by people I love. I'm not better than anyone else, and I don't have the right to look at people and judge them, or tell them that they aren't good enough. If God loves me, He can love them! And if He loves them, who am I to tell them He doesn't, or that it's harder to earn my love than God's? But I've also had to balance that with the idea that loving someone and not judging them doesn't mean that I think their actions are acceptable, necessarily... It's difficult to find the happy medium between "Hey man, do whatever you want, it's all good" and "How could you do such a terrible thing? We can't be friends." But neither of those options is loving, or even any fun. So yeah.
I've learned about psychological disorders, and what it feels like in my hand to get the shading just right, and how to loosen up and be OK with a little bit of abstraction, and that the Gospels are a lot more different from each other than I thought in important and interesting ways, and that Dr. Steven Moore can dance, and that just because a professor seems unapproachable and rude doesn't mean I can't learn to like them and get them to like me back.
I've learned that I can't park in that lot between Mabee, the library, and the Admin building during the day, but I CAN after the work day ends. The coffee shop in the library makes delicious smoothies, but they cost a lot.If the professor says to check the blog, check the blog for goodness sakes, it's not that difficult. Planning to leave my house at 7:45 will not get me to my 8:00 on time, but leaving at 7:30 will make me ten minutes early. Starting an assignment RIGHT when it's assigned doesn't mean less free time, it means a better grade and less stress later. Walking around campus talking with someone on the spur of the moment can be the best decision I make all day. It can also be a complete waste of time. These two are not non-compatible (AKA wasting time is OK as long as it's not time that would otherwise be important). Dancing is good excercise, not as awkward as it looks, and also not as hard as it looks (except for the easy parts, which are way harder).And sometimes it's OK to not post as much as you'd like to if it means you can get other things (things with ACTUAL deadlines) done, too. On that note, I'll write more later. :)
Friday, December 10, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Since then...
Now that I've finally gotten that last post about Spain out of the way, I'll give you a quick run through of what I've been up to since then.
I stayed at my grandma's house for a few days recovering from jet lag and waiting for Mom's plane to come in. I drove home from Justin Thursday morning in my NEWLY PAINTED CAR (which I didn't know about until we arrived at the car place, me confused and mom giggling). I got together with Katy Ueckert for Thursday night, all day Friday, and Saturday morning.
Saturday night there were AMAZING fireworks in Tye, which started an hour late but were still worth it. After the fireworks, Stacey came and spent the night. Church Sunday morning, and a day FULL of cleaning to prepare for (dun dun dun) The Visit of the Cousins!
Monday morning, more cleaning, and then waiting at the DPS office for over FOUR HOURS to get my license. So much for thinking we could do it during Dad's lunch break and be home in time to clean more before the Drevet's got here around three. We ended up getting home long after they arrived.
We had a full week with the cousins, including me getting up at 5:35 for track practice every day, going to the Grace Museum, going to the Zoo (twice, once to see animals and once to listen to some fun music), going to see How To Train Your Dragon in the $1.50 theatre (we were the only people in the entire theatre, it was fantastic), eating tons of tasty food, going to a fun (and very messy) get together with my youth group, and then a fun (and very sweaty) work day the next day, also with my youth group. All in all, a very full week - especially since Saturday night I figured out that I could go to Harmony Plains, packed in a blur of speed and confusion, and left Sunday right after church.
Harmony Plains Singing School is kind of like Harmony Hill Singing School (which I've attended the past two years, but couldn't go this year since it happened while I was in Spain) but in the opposite direction (Lubbock instead of Azle), so a whole different set of people show up. I lost my voice for a few days (not the best place to do that) but had a BLAST meeting new people, learning new songs, getting up even EARLIER than I get up for track to help cook and serve breakfast, and generally hanging out with awesome folks that all long to serve and glorify God. Friday night was performance night, and all the classes sang the songs we'd been working on all week. After the evening service there were bonfires with hot dogs and s'mores and glowsticks (which only went in the fire on accident, wink wink). After the bonfire there was a lock in for all the jr. high/high school/college students, and all the candy in the concession stand that hadn't gotten sold throughout the week was free range for everyone (cue stampede). After the lock-in, I collapsed in bed, and then woke up late (seven thirty-ish) Saturday to pack everything up and store everything for next year, and then drive home.
I didn't ever get all the way home, however, as we met my parents at the Wal-Mart fifteen minutes from my house and I switched cars for another road trip, this time to Brenham to visit the Starr's. We stayed there Saturday evening and night, went to their church Sunday morning, had lunch, and then came home.
This morning I did NOT go to track practice, figuring that sleeping in and recovering from the last of this terrible cough was worth getting one more day out of shape (Sorry coach!).
Today I've been working on the Steer Clear program (yay insurance discounts!) and finding an on-campus job, as well as last minute adjustments to my course-load (because apparently there aren't enough of us to warrant an Honors English class after all so I have normal English instead, but I still have to have two Honors classes, but I don't want my Bible class to be Honors and there's no such thing as Honors Psych or Honors Basic Drawing and I'm already taking Honors Core, and I was thinking about adding another course anyways, etc. etc. etc. All that should be worked out by a meeting with my course advisor.)
And now you are caught up on my life! :)
I stayed at my grandma's house for a few days recovering from jet lag and waiting for Mom's plane to come in. I drove home from Justin Thursday morning in my NEWLY PAINTED CAR (which I didn't know about until we arrived at the car place, me confused and mom giggling). I got together with Katy Ueckert for Thursday night, all day Friday, and Saturday morning.
Saturday night there were AMAZING fireworks in Tye, which started an hour late but were still worth it. After the fireworks, Stacey came and spent the night. Church Sunday morning, and a day FULL of cleaning to prepare for (dun dun dun) The Visit of the Cousins!
Monday morning, more cleaning, and then waiting at the DPS office for over FOUR HOURS to get my license. So much for thinking we could do it during Dad's lunch break and be home in time to clean more before the Drevet's got here around three. We ended up getting home long after they arrived.
We had a full week with the cousins, including me getting up at 5:35 for track practice every day, going to the Grace Museum, going to the Zoo (twice, once to see animals and once to listen to some fun music), going to see How To Train Your Dragon in the $1.50 theatre (we were the only people in the entire theatre, it was fantastic), eating tons of tasty food, going to a fun (and very messy) get together with my youth group, and then a fun (and very sweaty) work day the next day, also with my youth group. All in all, a very full week - especially since Saturday night I figured out that I could go to Harmony Plains, packed in a blur of speed and confusion, and left Sunday right after church.
Harmony Plains Singing School is kind of like Harmony Hill Singing School (which I've attended the past two years, but couldn't go this year since it happened while I was in Spain) but in the opposite direction (Lubbock instead of Azle), so a whole different set of people show up. I lost my voice for a few days (not the best place to do that) but had a BLAST meeting new people, learning new songs, getting up even EARLIER than I get up for track to help cook and serve breakfast, and generally hanging out with awesome folks that all long to serve and glorify God. Friday night was performance night, and all the classes sang the songs we'd been working on all week. After the evening service there were bonfires with hot dogs and s'mores and glowsticks (which only went in the fire on accident, wink wink). After the bonfire there was a lock in for all the jr. high/high school/college students, and all the candy in the concession stand that hadn't gotten sold throughout the week was free range for everyone (cue stampede). After the lock-in, I collapsed in bed, and then woke up late (seven thirty-ish) Saturday to pack everything up and store everything for next year, and then drive home.
I didn't ever get all the way home, however, as we met my parents at the Wal-Mart fifteen minutes from my house and I switched cars for another road trip, this time to Brenham to visit the Starr's. We stayed there Saturday evening and night, went to their church Sunday morning, had lunch, and then came home.
This morning I did NOT go to track practice, figuring that sleeping in and recovering from the last of this terrible cough was worth getting one more day out of shape (Sorry coach!).
Today I've been working on the Steer Clear program (yay insurance discounts!) and finding an on-campus job, as well as last minute adjustments to my course-load (because apparently there aren't enough of us to warrant an Honors English class after all so I have normal English instead, but I still have to have two Honors classes, but I don't want my Bible class to be Honors and there's no such thing as Honors Psych or Honors Basic Drawing and I'm already taking Honors Core, and I was thinking about adding another course anyways, etc. etc. etc. All that should be worked out by a meeting with my course advisor.)
And now you are caught up on my life! :)
My Trip to España! (Part 12)
NOTE: I know this took forever long, but it's because I've been super busy, and I didn't want to write some lame half-cooked vague description. This is the work of long arduous hours reminiscing about fun times and listening to good music! OK, maybe that doesn't sound so bad... But anyways. I decided to just stop here and go ahead and post it, since I really don't think I can write any more without it taking months more, and that's stupid. So, it's already like a month late, and it's a bit scattered and random, but such is life.
Here it is. Sorry it's so late.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WOW. I mean, seriously, just wow.
I'm back in Texas now. It's been almost a week since I last posted, but I've spent a pretty large part of that time sleeping and travelling. So, here are my past few days as best as I can recall them.
Friday: We had the rehearsal, which was exhausting and fun and not a thing that they usually do at Spanish weddings. Lots of decorations needed to go up and that kind of thing. Note: It's difficult to be useful when none of the people directing what needs to get done speak the same language as I do. After the rehearsal we had a rehearsal supper, which is not a Spanish tradition either, claro que si. There was SO much food. Little mini breadsticks, chorrizo, breaded fish, uncooked fish, Russian salad, cheese, olives, chips, bread, gaspacho and little crumbly things to put in the gaspacho and then the drinks - champagne, cola, and naranja (which is just an orange soda). Fitting all that on tables that were already over full was a trick, let me tell you! But we managed. After that, the brothers, Lara, and I met some other people by the Cathedral and hung out in downtown Sevilla for a while. We went to a bar (which is a lot less scandalous than it sounds, it was just like a sidewalk cafe) and took silly pictures of each other, talked, and generally had fun. I don't know what time the rest of them got in, but Lara and I left early in order to be back in Dos Hermanas by three.
Saturday: THE BIG DAY. Here we are, frantically getting people to the church in the right dresses and suits, checking one last time (just in case) and then another time after that, that we had the rings, bouquets, etc. There we are waiting for Stina to get back from getting her hair and makeup done so we could put her in The Dress. This is me riding to the church with Ricard, the bridesmaids, and the mother of the bride (all important people!), sliding into a pew just as the music starts and breathing a deep sigh of relief, trying not to fall asleep on Roberto's shoulder. This is everyone, laughing at the bi-lingual vows and a little bit of 'lost in translation' humor, and the way the train kept getting in everyone's way. Everyone was Gorgeous and Handsome, in the appropriate proportions. Whew.
THEN! All the family members had to go Parque de Maria Luisa for pictures, about two hours worth, filled with trying to keep all the girl's skirts out of the mud and trying to keep all the boys from getting distracted, those silly brothers (and fathers!).
THEN! We rushed to the restaurant where the convitoe (reception) was being held, and got there just as they served all the guests who had been waiting for us. Let me tell you, Spanish weddings are not like American weddings, and neither are their receptions. Toasts are more boisterous, and the tables shout back and forth, and (most importantly) shouts of "Viven los novios!" (and viven any one else we can cheer for) and then "Que se besan!". On Que se besan, the novios (or the padres de los novios, or the hermanos de los novios, or whoever) had to kiss, and then we all counted how long they kissed for. A silly and fun tradition, which I think ended up getting on their nerves by the end. In general, the bride and groom would rather kiss on their own terms than on command and with everyone watching. The food was FANTASTIC. We had a five course meal (Can I say wow again?) including lots of cheese, lots of olives, and lots of seafood, classic Spanish cuisine. I loved all of it, except for two things... I tried a sip of each type of alcohol that was served and decided they were all, in two words, Di-Sgusting. Secondly, the shrimp was served whole. Now, shrimp is my favorite food in the world, but this... They each had eyeballs, antennas, and LOTS of legs, wiggling and staring at me reproachfully. I was fine until they set down a big serving dish of them right next to my plate - I nearly barfed. I had to run to the bathroom. However, multiple people kindly peeled shrimp for me to eat. Much love to them - the bride and groom, and two of the bridesmaids. I felt so special that the important people did something sweet for me! :)
THEN! Stina and Ricard cut the cake with a sword. Yes, with a sword. Both the cutting of the cake and the cake itself were far superior to what they would have been in an American wedding. It had lots of layers of awesomeness and deliciousness, including this orange creamy stuff, and what tasted like frozen whipped cream. If you don't know what frozen whipped cream tastes like, I am greatly saddened for you, poor soul.
THEN! There was dancing! Lots and lots of dancing. Dancing in English, dancing in Spanish, dancing in a long conga line, dancing like chorus girls, dancing stupid made up dance moves like the sprinkler and the shopping cart, ballroom dancing with Ange (love you cuz!), dancing Sevillanas (traditional Spanish flamenco dancing, or as close to traditional as a bunch of Americans could get), dancing polkas (traditional Catalonian dancing, I think, taught to me by Lara), and dancing like crazy happy people. It was fast, and sometimes slow. We got sweaty. I collapsed on the floor, exhausted, and then got yanked back up and danced some more. It was Uh-Mazing. The reception ended earlier than a Spanish wedding would have, since they usually go VERY far into the night, AKA after sunrise the next day. How cool would it be to see the sunrise at your reception? OK, maybe not at your own reception, but at someone else's, fo sho!
THEN! Well, then we went home and collapsed from exhaustion.
That's the end of what I'm gonna write up, EL FIN of my trip to España. Love you all muchly, and apologies (again) for how incredibly long it's taken me to write this up.
Here it is. Sorry it's so late.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WOW. I mean, seriously, just wow.
I'm back in Texas now. It's been almost a week since I last posted, but I've spent a pretty large part of that time sleeping and travelling. So, here are my past few days as best as I can recall them.
Friday: We had the rehearsal, which was exhausting and fun and not a thing that they usually do at Spanish weddings. Lots of decorations needed to go up and that kind of thing. Note: It's difficult to be useful when none of the people directing what needs to get done speak the same language as I do. After the rehearsal we had a rehearsal supper, which is not a Spanish tradition either, claro que si. There was SO much food. Little mini breadsticks, chorrizo, breaded fish, uncooked fish, Russian salad, cheese, olives, chips, bread, gaspacho and little crumbly things to put in the gaspacho and then the drinks - champagne, cola, and naranja (which is just an orange soda). Fitting all that on tables that were already over full was a trick, let me tell you! But we managed. After that, the brothers, Lara, and I met some other people by the Cathedral and hung out in downtown Sevilla for a while. We went to a bar (which is a lot less scandalous than it sounds, it was just like a sidewalk cafe) and took silly pictures of each other, talked, and generally had fun. I don't know what time the rest of them got in, but Lara and I left early in order to be back in Dos Hermanas by three.
Saturday: THE BIG DAY. Here we are, frantically getting people to the church in the right dresses and suits, checking one last time (just in case) and then another time after that, that we had the rings, bouquets, etc. There we are waiting for Stina to get back from getting her hair and makeup done so we could put her in The Dress. This is me riding to the church with Ricard, the bridesmaids, and the mother of the bride (all important people!), sliding into a pew just as the music starts and breathing a deep sigh of relief, trying not to fall asleep on Roberto's shoulder. This is everyone, laughing at the bi-lingual vows and a little bit of 'lost in translation' humor, and the way the train kept getting in everyone's way. Everyone was Gorgeous and Handsome, in the appropriate proportions. Whew.
THEN! All the family members had to go Parque de Maria Luisa for pictures, about two hours worth, filled with trying to keep all the girl's skirts out of the mud and trying to keep all the boys from getting distracted, those silly brothers (and fathers!).
THEN! We rushed to the restaurant where the convitoe (reception) was being held, and got there just as they served all the guests who had been waiting for us. Let me tell you, Spanish weddings are not like American weddings, and neither are their receptions. Toasts are more boisterous, and the tables shout back and forth, and (most importantly) shouts of "Viven los novios!" (and viven any one else we can cheer for) and then "Que se besan!". On Que se besan, the novios (or the padres de los novios, or the hermanos de los novios, or whoever) had to kiss, and then we all counted how long they kissed for. A silly and fun tradition, which I think ended up getting on their nerves by the end. In general, the bride and groom would rather kiss on their own terms than on command and with everyone watching. The food was FANTASTIC. We had a five course meal (Can I say wow again?) including lots of cheese, lots of olives, and lots of seafood, classic Spanish cuisine. I loved all of it, except for two things... I tried a sip of each type of alcohol that was served and decided they were all, in two words, Di-Sgusting. Secondly, the shrimp was served whole. Now, shrimp is my favorite food in the world, but this... They each had eyeballs, antennas, and LOTS of legs, wiggling and staring at me reproachfully. I was fine until they set down a big serving dish of them right next to my plate - I nearly barfed. I had to run to the bathroom. However, multiple people kindly peeled shrimp for me to eat. Much love to them - the bride and groom, and two of the bridesmaids. I felt so special that the important people did something sweet for me! :)
THEN! Stina and Ricard cut the cake with a sword. Yes, with a sword. Both the cutting of the cake and the cake itself were far superior to what they would have been in an American wedding. It had lots of layers of awesomeness and deliciousness, including this orange creamy stuff, and what tasted like frozen whipped cream. If you don't know what frozen whipped cream tastes like, I am greatly saddened for you, poor soul.
THEN! There was dancing! Lots and lots of dancing. Dancing in English, dancing in Spanish, dancing in a long conga line, dancing like chorus girls, dancing stupid made up dance moves like the sprinkler and the shopping cart, ballroom dancing with Ange (love you cuz!), dancing Sevillanas (traditional Spanish flamenco dancing, or as close to traditional as a bunch of Americans could get), dancing polkas (traditional Catalonian dancing, I think, taught to me by Lara), and dancing like crazy happy people. It was fast, and sometimes slow. We got sweaty. I collapsed on the floor, exhausted, and then got yanked back up and danced some more. It was Uh-Mazing. The reception ended earlier than a Spanish wedding would have, since they usually go VERY far into the night, AKA after sunrise the next day. How cool would it be to see the sunrise at your reception? OK, maybe not at your own reception, but at someone else's, fo sho!
THEN! Well, then we went home and collapsed from exhaustion.
That's the end of what I'm gonna write up, EL FIN of my trip to España. Love you all muchly, and apologies (again) for how incredibly long it's taken me to write this up.
Friday, June 25, 2010
My Trip to España! (Part 11)
(Thursday night)
Esta dia era super fantastico. En la manana, trabajaba en la PowerPoint por la boda, y en la programe(?). Necesitaba hacer ellos perfecto por Stina y Ricard, pero era muy divertidad, no era agotado. En la afternoon, tenamos la fiesta de bachelorette. Ese era muy largo y muy bueno, con juegos y pizza y musica y mas musica. Conoce (past tense first person) muchas personas muy interesante, y me gustaba habla con ellos en Espanola y Ingles tambien.
Today was super fantastic. In the morning, I worked on the PowerPoint for the wedding, and on the program. I needed to make them perfect for Stina and Ricard, but it was fun, it wasn't frustrating. In the afternoon, we had the bachelorette party. It was very long and very good, with games and pizza and music and more music. I met lots of very interesting people, and I liked talking with them in both Spanish and English.
We dressed Stina up like an old lady and the guys dressed Ricard up like an old man, and then we met up. Neither of them knew we were going to get together or that the other one was dressed up silly, too. We played charades and ate tasty pizza, and there were conversations in more than five languages. Stina and Ricard each took turns 'serving' each other, in the game where you stand behind someone with your arms in front and have to do things for them without looking. They each had to feed the other yogurt and a drink of water, and Stina shaved Ricard and he brushed her teeth.
After that, we split up again, the boys went back to Ricard's house and played Risk and us girlies had a crazy dance party here at the Owen's house.
(Friday afternoon)
This morning, Phil, Uncle Carey, and I decorated for the rehearsal supper tonight. In about an hour and a half, we're all going to go decorate the church and then have the rehearsal. Exciting stuff, eh? We had delicious tacos for lunch now it's siesta time, so this is me /not/ sleeping... I guess I'll go ahead and go take a nap, since I didn't get to bed until 3ish (even if I did get up sort of late, ten or so)
Esta dia era super fantastico. En la manana, trabajaba en la PowerPoint por la boda, y en la programe(?). Necesitaba hacer ellos perfecto por Stina y Ricard, pero era muy divertidad, no era agotado. En la afternoon, tenamos la fiesta de bachelorette. Ese era muy largo y muy bueno, con juegos y pizza y musica y mas musica. Conoce (past tense first person) muchas personas muy interesante, y me gustaba habla con ellos en Espanola y Ingles tambien.
Today was super fantastic. In the morning, I worked on the PowerPoint for the wedding, and on the program. I needed to make them perfect for Stina and Ricard, but it was fun, it wasn't frustrating. In the afternoon, we had the bachelorette party. It was very long and very good, with games and pizza and music and more music. I met lots of very interesting people, and I liked talking with them in both Spanish and English.
We dressed Stina up like an old lady and the guys dressed Ricard up like an old man, and then we met up. Neither of them knew we were going to get together or that the other one was dressed up silly, too. We played charades and ate tasty pizza, and there were conversations in more than five languages. Stina and Ricard each took turns 'serving' each other, in the game where you stand behind someone with your arms in front and have to do things for them without looking. They each had to feed the other yogurt and a drink of water, and Stina shaved Ricard and he brushed her teeth.
After that, we split up again, the boys went back to Ricard's house and played Risk and us girlies had a crazy dance party here at the Owen's house.
(Friday afternoon)
This morning, Phil, Uncle Carey, and I decorated for the rehearsal supper tonight. In about an hour and a half, we're all going to go decorate the church and then have the rehearsal. Exciting stuff, eh? We had delicious tacos for lunch now it's siesta time, so this is me /not/ sleeping... I guess I'll go ahead and go take a nap, since I didn't get to bed until 3ish (even if I did get up sort of late, ten or so)
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
My Trip to España! (Part 10)
So I haven't really blogged since the 16th. Sorry about that. Here goes: Everything that has happened since then!
More wedding preparations, always more!
Mom and I went to Italica, a place with Roman ruins on Thursday. I haven't put up pictures from that yet (shame on me) but I will, at some point in time! That was fantastic. We got to see all kinds of columns, statues, old mosaics, aquaducts, etc. and THEN the amphitheater, which was Uh-Mazing! We ran the battery on our camera down to the last second taking gorgeous shots of arches, tunnels, etc. It was my favorite thing I had seen - until we visited the Real Alcazar! More on that later.
On Friday we had the civil ceremony, which was gorgeous. Pictures from that are also forthcoming, scout's honor! We partied and danced and ate and had a blast all day, celebrating the beginning of Stina and Ricard's wedding. The real service will be this Saturday. All efforts are pointed towards that goal right now.
On Saturday we had a bridal shower, and we played all kinds of fun games, gave presents, and had a great time of prayer and celebration. Stina love the necklace and earrings I made for her.
We went to church (where I was confused and clueless except for the songs) on Sunday.
Yesterday mom, Laura, and I went to the Real Alcazar (pronounced Ray-al Al-kuh-czar, or at least that's how I pronounce it). This is my new favorite place in Sevilla! I can't even really describe how awesome it was. Fountains, pillars, mosaics, tapestries, gardens, ceilings, doors, floors, more gardens, more fountains, trees, flowers, a maze garden (which was closed while we were there :'( sadness) and more of all of those things. Everytime we we walked through a gate we thought "surely we'll see the outside wall now" and there was more garden, more beautiful buildings, more more more stretching further than we could see the end of. Pictures of this (like 700 of them) will be posted... eventually. I've got a pretty big backlog of things I want to put up. My mom has posted a lot of pictures on Picasa, but I don't know how to use it or link to it or anything, so... You can't see them. :p I'll add a link to that once I figure out how to do that.
Yesterday was also Erica's birthday. Again, we played games, gave presents, sang songs, and had fun all sorts. :) Erica also love the necklace and earrings I made for her (see the pattern?)
Today we are moving around bedrooms, since more people are arriving. Most prominently, Erica's husband, Phil arrived today, which means that Angela moves out of the room she was sharing with Erica and comes down to stay we me and mom in the basement. Tomorrow, Lara (Ricard's cousin) comes in, and then two of Stina's friends will get here, one on Thursday and one on Friday. Beds are being moved and made, curtains are being hung, sheets are being washed, etc. This afternoon, mom and I are going to go somewhere, possibly just the two of us and possibly with people, for an undecided amount of time. We're thinking either the Plaza de España, the parque de Maria Luisa, or this awesome castle. I'll let you know where we end up going! Now, to go help move things from one room to another.
Much love to everyone back home! Hopefully I'll post again tonight, and if not then I'll try to write tomorrow.
More wedding preparations, always more!
Mom and I went to Italica, a place with Roman ruins on Thursday. I haven't put up pictures from that yet (shame on me) but I will, at some point in time! That was fantastic. We got to see all kinds of columns, statues, old mosaics, aquaducts, etc. and THEN the amphitheater, which was Uh-Mazing! We ran the battery on our camera down to the last second taking gorgeous shots of arches, tunnels, etc. It was my favorite thing I had seen - until we visited the Real Alcazar! More on that later.
On Friday we had the civil ceremony, which was gorgeous. Pictures from that are also forthcoming, scout's honor! We partied and danced and ate and had a blast all day, celebrating the beginning of Stina and Ricard's wedding. The real service will be this Saturday. All efforts are pointed towards that goal right now.
On Saturday we had a bridal shower, and we played all kinds of fun games, gave presents, and had a great time of prayer and celebration. Stina love the necklace and earrings I made for her.
We went to church (where I was confused and clueless except for the songs) on Sunday.
Yesterday mom, Laura, and I went to the Real Alcazar (pronounced Ray-al Al-kuh-czar, or at least that's how I pronounce it). This is my new favorite place in Sevilla! I can't even really describe how awesome it was. Fountains, pillars, mosaics, tapestries, gardens, ceilings, doors, floors, more gardens, more fountains, trees, flowers, a maze garden (which was closed while we were there :'( sadness) and more of all of those things. Everytime we we walked through a gate we thought "surely we'll see the outside wall now" and there was more garden, more beautiful buildings, more more more stretching further than we could see the end of. Pictures of this (like 700 of them) will be posted... eventually. I've got a pretty big backlog of things I want to put up. My mom has posted a lot of pictures on Picasa, but I don't know how to use it or link to it or anything, so... You can't see them. :p I'll add a link to that once I figure out how to do that.
Yesterday was also Erica's birthday. Again, we played games, gave presents, sang songs, and had fun all sorts. :) Erica also love the necklace and earrings I made for her (see the pattern?)
Today we are moving around bedrooms, since more people are arriving. Most prominently, Erica's husband, Phil arrived today, which means that Angela moves out of the room she was sharing with Erica and comes down to stay we me and mom in the basement. Tomorrow, Lara (Ricard's cousin) comes in, and then two of Stina's friends will get here, one on Thursday and one on Friday. Beds are being moved and made, curtains are being hung, sheets are being washed, etc. This afternoon, mom and I are going to go somewhere, possibly just the two of us and possibly with people, for an undecided amount of time. We're thinking either the Plaza de España, the parque de Maria Luisa, or this awesome castle. I'll let you know where we end up going! Now, to go help move things from one room to another.
Much love to everyone back home! Hopefully I'll post again tonight, and if not then I'll try to write tomorrow.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
My Trip to España! (Part 9)
I'm a bad, bad blogger. Anyways, the past few days have been good. My mom, Erica, and Laura are here, and we had the civil service (as opposed to the rude service?) and a bridal shower, so all kinds of fun shenanigans have occured in the past few days. I WILL put up pictures - eventually. We just got home from church, and I need to go help fix lunch, but I figured it would be good to drop a line real quick before doing so, in order to say....
Dads are great! Happy Father's Day, to the men who preotect us, teach us, provide for us, love us, etc. etc.
You rock. :)
Dads are great! Happy Father's Day, to the men who preotect us, teach us, provide for us, love us, etc. etc.
You rock. :)
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
My Trip to España! (Part 8)
Quote of the day: "What is your mother's expertise?" "Pickled beets." "AND!?" "Precisely aimed demolitions." Brought to you by Dr. McNinja.
In other news, today has been good. Long, but good. This morning I went to the park with Angela (again, yes there are lots of parks here and they are all AWESOME. Also full of birds, cats, and trees) and we also went to el museo arceologica y el museo cultural. There's this big plaza where all the birds come during the day, and you can buy bird food and they land all over you... Pictures of these fun shenanigans will by added soon. :) Then we hurried back to the bus stop as quickly as we could, where we then waited for about five minutes for the bus driver to get off his break. However, this was totally worth it, as it meant that while we waited, we had time to buy some helado. :D yaaaaay tasty! Also, riding the bus is a ton-o-fun. :)
When I got home, my mom was here! Although her flights did get delayed/confused, she got here eventually. Then we had a delicious lunch and a nice long nap. Now Ange is finishing up making some Mississippi Mudslide (Uh-Mazing) and I''m making a new GrooveShark playlist and reading Dr. McNinja.
About the past few days - the internet safety thing we have somehow decided to start blocking both facebook and blogspot, so that's why I haven't been able to update any. In that time, I went to parks twice - both of those were different ones than the one I went to today. I've had lots of good times talking with Ange (whom I love muchly! And even more so now that I've gotten to know her better) and that's basically it. More work on the wedding (I'm editing the program to make it legible, pretty, and all fit on one piece of paper) and eating tasty things, listening to fun music, and generally having a great time.
I love you muchly, my friends. Special thanks to the people who wrote on that sweet card! It was totally unexpected and made my day! You're fantastic.
Hugs and kisses to you all (well, just hugs for the guys. You understand.) and I will keep praying for you and missing you and having a blast! :) <3
*~ <3 ~*
In other news, today has been good. Long, but good. This morning I went to the park with Angela (again, yes there are lots of parks here and they are all AWESOME. Also full of birds, cats, and trees) and we also went to el museo arceologica y el museo cultural. There's this big plaza where all the birds come during the day, and you can buy bird food and they land all over you... Pictures of these fun shenanigans will by added soon. :) Then we hurried back to the bus stop as quickly as we could, where we then waited for about five minutes for the bus driver to get off his break. However, this was totally worth it, as it meant that while we waited, we had time to buy some helado. :D yaaaaay tasty! Also, riding the bus is a ton-o-fun. :)
When I got home, my mom was here! Although her flights did get delayed/confused, she got here eventually. Then we had a delicious lunch and a nice long nap. Now Ange is finishing up making some Mississippi Mudslide (Uh-Mazing) and I''m making a new GrooveShark playlist and reading Dr. McNinja.
About the past few days - the internet safety thing we have somehow decided to start blocking both facebook and blogspot, so that's why I haven't been able to update any. In that time, I went to parks twice - both of those were different ones than the one I went to today. I've had lots of good times talking with Ange (whom I love muchly! And even more so now that I've gotten to know her better) and that's basically it. More work on the wedding (I'm editing the program to make it legible, pretty, and all fit on one piece of paper) and eating tasty things, listening to fun music, and generally having a great time.
I love you muchly, my friends. Special thanks to the people who wrote on that sweet card! It was totally unexpected and made my day! You're fantastic.
Hugs and kisses to you all (well, just hugs for the guys. You understand.) and I will keep praying for you and missing you and having a blast! :) <3
*~ <3 ~*
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Part 7b
We took a picnic dinner to the Parque de Maria Luisa, which was pretty cool even though it got dark after we finished eating. We walked around to some cool places and I took more pictures of trees (I know, boring, but anyway) and some other stuff. I'll put up the pics of statues and such and the one of me climbing a cool tree, but I'll leave out the ten or fifteen other pictures of trees, since I doubt any of you really want to see them and they'll just take up space in my album.
In the park there was not a ton of variety in things, but they made up for that in quantity! Lots of cats, lots of couples (some which I made sure not to glimpse twice, AwKwArD) lots of cool buildings, lots of trees, lots of roses, lots of statues of animals (frogs, lions, birds, etc. Also some angels),and lots of fountains (none of which were turned on). Pictures in the album. Also, I felt really cute today - I'll have to get some good shots of the clothes I bought in the marcada because I really like them. I'll probably also wear them to church.
Aaaaand now this is starting to sound like a silly girly-girl "omg shopping and clothes !!1!1!!1" post, so i'll go back to reading and listening to music, kay?
Love you all!
In the park there was not a ton of variety in things, but they made up for that in quantity! Lots of cats, lots of couples (some which I made sure not to glimpse twice, AwKwArD) lots of cool buildings, lots of trees, lots of roses, lots of statues of animals (frogs, lions, birds, etc. Also some angels),and lots of fountains (none of which were turned on). Pictures in the album. Also, I felt really cute today - I'll have to get some good shots of the clothes I bought in the marcada because I really like them. I'll probably also wear them to church.
Aaaaand now this is starting to sound like a silly girly-girl "omg shopping and clothes !!1!1!!1" post, so i'll go back to reading and listening to music, kay?
Love you all!
My Trip to España! (Part 7)
So, yesterday was weird. I helped (a little) with sanding the gate and stripping off the paint, and then I started feeling really sick... I ended up taking a long shower and then going to bed at about 9 (whereas we don't even eat dinner until like 10:30, go to bed at like midnight) and didn't wake up until after 10 this morning. I still feel like I could sleep forever, I'm not even hyper from having rested all that time. Craziness!
Today we did a lot more cleaning. I swept the living room, the hall, and two flights of stairs, and I'm going to sweep and mop my room in a bit. I also wiped down/scrubbed the railing of both flights of stairs and all the cabinets in the kitchen, and Angela mopped all the places I swept and also baked this cool upside-down pudding thing, which looked disgusting but tasted amazing. I've got some pictures.
Day before yesterday we went shopping, and I bought two pairs of pants and a cool poncho thing, also a blue skirt. One pair of pants and the skirt and the poncho were three euros each, and the other pair of pants were 8. Pretty good deals, eh? I also went back and made a list of all the money I've spent and what I got with it, so I can keep good track of my budget. So far I've spent about 40 euros.
About to go have lunch, more (and pictures) later! Love you all and miss you bunches!
PS, In other news, I've really been enjoying GrooveShark lately. Check it out! Also, weird things about Spain, it's really culturally a BIG deal to look nice - you change into nice clothes just to go to the grocery store, much less actually going to the fair or something. No seriously, it's IMPORTANT to them. Very.
Today we did a lot more cleaning. I swept the living room, the hall, and two flights of stairs, and I'm going to sweep and mop my room in a bit. I also wiped down/scrubbed the railing of both flights of stairs and all the cabinets in the kitchen, and Angela mopped all the places I swept and also baked this cool upside-down pudding thing, which looked disgusting but tasted amazing. I've got some pictures.
Day before yesterday we went shopping, and I bought two pairs of pants and a cool poncho thing, also a blue skirt. One pair of pants and the skirt and the poncho were three euros each, and the other pair of pants were 8. Pretty good deals, eh? I also went back and made a list of all the money I've spent and what I got with it, so I can keep good track of my budget. So far I've spent about 40 euros.
About to go have lunch, more (and pictures) later! Love you all and miss you bunches!
PS, In other news, I've really been enjoying GrooveShark lately. Check it out! Also, weird things about Spain, it's really culturally a BIG deal to look nice - you change into nice clothes just to go to the grocery store, much less actually going to the fair or something. No seriously, it's IMPORTANT to them. Very.
Friday, June 11, 2010
My Trip to España (Part 6)
Since the fair, I have done a few interesting things, so I guess it's time to post again! And put up pictures! Yaaaaaay!
Let's see, things I have done... We walked to a little park near the house, which has these little exercise things, and recommendations on how long to use them and such. It was a pretty good workout, and I hope to go back again, maybe this afternoon. We took some pictures of that (I'll add them to the album). Also, I did sit ups and push ups last night! I promise I'm not slacking off TOO much, coach! And I'm eating healthy food, too. :)
We also went and hung out with some of Angela's friends. After a confused and complicated meet-up with Ange, Asun, and Blanca, we waited outside, in the wind and rain, for the bus for about twenty minutes. When it finally got there, we went to Palma's house, which is just down the street from the Catedral. A big group of tourist guys flirted with us, which does wonders for a girl's self-esteem, let me tell you! We sat and talked in Palma's house for a while, it's a pretty nice house. They fed me all kinds of tasty chocolates, wanting to figure out what kinds of things I liked, things we don't have in the US.
Then we went and walked around shops in downtown Sevilla, talking as well as we could in a cobble of English, Spanish, hand-gestures, and translations by Angela. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy is was to communicate – because really, teenage girls are the same in any country. We got on pretty well, I think. It was a lot of fun.
So yeah, I'll put up pictures in just a second.
Now, to cap off today's post, since I missed another day, is the dream I had last night, written exactly the way I dreamed it.
The SUV with six laughing kids in suits roared up the exit ramp of the parking garage, lifting off the ground for a few seconds before skidding into a slide and zipping off into another direction. Split seconds later, two motorcycles fly out of the opening, going nearly horizontal as they turn, racing to keep up. A pickup truck pulls out after them, racing down the same street in a furious attempt to catch up with the SUV. A close shot on the kids in the van shows both guys and girls, all laughing, all in suits, some with cowboy hats, some with sunglasses, a young lady with straight blonde hair turns from looking out a window and says “Guys, you're not going to believe this, but there's an 18 wheeler coming down that street, headed for us.” The driver, an impish boy with short, spiked black hair, does a double take, and then laughs. “I guess we'll go the other way, then!”
The chase continues at top speed until finally the van screeches to a halt on the corner of a street. Slowly, almost cautiously, the pickup and the motorcycles pull up, and then the truck drives around to face it from the other direction, and the driver hops out. He walks toward the drivers side door of the van as the 18 wheeler pulls up from the side, having been delayed by lack of maneuverability. The driver of the van winks at his passengers, and throws the car in reverse... just as (I kid you not) a helicopter appears out of nowhere and flies up behind him. A bull horn from it sounds, “You have nowhere to run. You are surrounded.” Their faces full of disbelief and shock, the kids in the van twist and turn to see the chopper just behind them... except for the driver, who frantically tries to see any way out of this. Before he can do anything, however, the driver from the pickup reaches through his open window and taps him lightly on the shoulder. “Tag, Mikey. I got you good this time!”
“Took you long enough, Gus-Gus. And you had to pull out the big guns on us, too!”
The TeenPact staffers all pile out of the car and start setting up the next game of TPTag, as country music starts rocking in the background. I sit up hurriedly, realizing that the country music is actually my alarm clock. Man, what a crazy dream!
Let's see, things I have done... We walked to a little park near the house, which has these little exercise things, and recommendations on how long to use them and such. It was a pretty good workout, and I hope to go back again, maybe this afternoon. We took some pictures of that (I'll add them to the album). Also, I did sit ups and push ups last night! I promise I'm not slacking off TOO much, coach! And I'm eating healthy food, too. :)
We also went and hung out with some of Angela's friends. After a confused and complicated meet-up with Ange, Asun, and Blanca, we waited outside, in the wind and rain, for the bus for about twenty minutes. When it finally got there, we went to Palma's house, which is just down the street from the Catedral. A big group of tourist guys flirted with us, which does wonders for a girl's self-esteem, let me tell you! We sat and talked in Palma's house for a while, it's a pretty nice house. They fed me all kinds of tasty chocolates, wanting to figure out what kinds of things I liked, things we don't have in the US.
Then we went and walked around shops in downtown Sevilla, talking as well as we could in a cobble of English, Spanish, hand-gestures, and translations by Angela. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy is was to communicate – because really, teenage girls are the same in any country. We got on pretty well, I think. It was a lot of fun.
So yeah, I'll put up pictures in just a second.
Now, to cap off today's post, since I missed another day, is the dream I had last night, written exactly the way I dreamed it.
The SUV with six laughing kids in suits roared up the exit ramp of the parking garage, lifting off the ground for a few seconds before skidding into a slide and zipping off into another direction. Split seconds later, two motorcycles fly out of the opening, going nearly horizontal as they turn, racing to keep up. A pickup truck pulls out after them, racing down the same street in a furious attempt to catch up with the SUV. A close shot on the kids in the van shows both guys and girls, all laughing, all in suits, some with cowboy hats, some with sunglasses, a young lady with straight blonde hair turns from looking out a window and says “Guys, you're not going to believe this, but there's an 18 wheeler coming down that street, headed for us.” The driver, an impish boy with short, spiked black hair, does a double take, and then laughs. “I guess we'll go the other way, then!”
The chase continues at top speed until finally the van screeches to a halt on the corner of a street. Slowly, almost cautiously, the pickup and the motorcycles pull up, and then the truck drives around to face it from the other direction, and the driver hops out. He walks toward the drivers side door of the van as the 18 wheeler pulls up from the side, having been delayed by lack of maneuverability. The driver of the van winks at his passengers, and throws the car in reverse... just as (I kid you not) a helicopter appears out of nowhere and flies up behind him. A bull horn from it sounds, “You have nowhere to run. You are surrounded.” Their faces full of disbelief and shock, the kids in the van twist and turn to see the chopper just behind them... except for the driver, who frantically tries to see any way out of this. Before he can do anything, however, the driver from the pickup reaches through his open window and taps him lightly on the shoulder. “Tag, Mikey. I got you good this time!”
“Took you long enough, Gus-Gus. And you had to pull out the big guns on us, too!”
The TeenPact staffers all pile out of the car and start setting up the next game of TPTag, as country music starts rocking in the background. I sit up hurriedly, realizing that the country music is actually my alarm clock. Man, what a crazy dream!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
My trip to España! (Part 5)
I didn't write yesterday either, but I did put up more pictures! And going to the fair yesterday is really all that happened. More tasty food, more fun times with the Owens, but nothing specific and awesome. OH! We did go to this little park, which had some excercise equipment in it, so I got a nice little work out. I'll probably be going back or to other parks fairly often. :) That's all on this end!
I really would appreciate it if you would comment, so I know that someone, somewhere is reading this, and that it's not just me sending thoughts into the great empty unknown. It's a lot easier to bother myself to write if I know people will read. Thanks!
I really would appreciate it if you would comment, so I know that someone, somewhere is reading this, and that it's not just me sending thoughts into the great empty unknown. It's a lot easier to bother myself to write if I know people will read. Thanks!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
My trip to España! (Part 4)
Written partly Saturday, partly Sunday.
Wow yesterday was by far the busiest day I've had yet whilst here in Spain! We went to the Plaza de España, which is pretty cool - and I heard that some of Star Wars 3 was filmed there! Craziness! There were people selling big embroidered shawls, and fancy painted fans, and other tourist type stuff, off of blankets on the floor and out of booths near the inner circle. And the bridges! These big bridges go from the outer circle to the inner circle. There used to be water under them, but it got so nasty that it was drained. They are made with ceramics and tile, and they are beautiful!
After the Plaza we went to the Archive, which is a kind of museum/research library, only we couldn't go to the research part because you have to have a special ID and be all offical and stuff. There was a display about pirates there, but it wasn't very cool at all. :'(
Then we went to the Catedral de España, which is, as Ricard would say, in two words, Uh Mazing. I put up lots of pictures of that, and took even more using Ricards phone after my camera battery died. They had big statues, they had stained glass windows, they had tons of carved stone and tiles, they had a giant giant tower that is the tallest building in Sevilla... It was magnificent. After that we went down to the Marcada, which is like a street market, and wandered around, ate olives and tapatas (roughly translates to appetizers) and such in a little corner bar (which is not just for alcohol like a bar in america), and came home.
Angela did my makeup like a normal person, and I did hers like she was a crazy super model or Lady Gaga or something. Fun times!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OK, so I've taken FOREVER to write. That was Friday. Today is Sunday. What's wrong with me that I can't be consistant abour writing regularly? Gah. I guess once the excitement of actual life started, typing onto a little screen got a bit less inticing. But! Because I love you, here's what I did yesterday.
I overslept all morning (wheeeee) until just before lunch, and then hung out, drew, read comics and books, and had a lazy day. At precisely 7:05ish maybe we left the house and went to a party! A bunch of people who are working together to set up a new school (which I don't know very many details about) got together and did house-church types of things for a while and then we ate, laughed, and talked/gestured (me in broken spanish and everyone else in fluent rapid spanish with some broken english) for a couple more hours. It was someone's birthday, so there was all kinds of tasty food and celebrations. I don't think we got back to the house until like 12:30. *contented sigh* I love Spain!
Today we're going to church, and then tonight there's some kind of fair type thing that we may/may not go to, not sure yet.
Wow yesterday was by far the busiest day I've had yet whilst here in Spain! We went to the Plaza de España, which is pretty cool - and I heard that some of Star Wars 3 was filmed there! Craziness! There were people selling big embroidered shawls, and fancy painted fans, and other tourist type stuff, off of blankets on the floor and out of booths near the inner circle. And the bridges! These big bridges go from the outer circle to the inner circle. There used to be water under them, but it got so nasty that it was drained. They are made with ceramics and tile, and they are beautiful!
After the Plaza we went to the Archive, which is a kind of museum/research library, only we couldn't go to the research part because you have to have a special ID and be all offical and stuff. There was a display about pirates there, but it wasn't very cool at all. :'(
Then we went to the Catedral de España, which is, as Ricard would say, in two words, Uh Mazing. I put up lots of pictures of that, and took even more using Ricards phone after my camera battery died. They had big statues, they had stained glass windows, they had tons of carved stone and tiles, they had a giant giant tower that is the tallest building in Sevilla... It was magnificent. After that we went down to the Marcada, which is like a street market, and wandered around, ate olives and tapatas (roughly translates to appetizers) and such in a little corner bar (which is not just for alcohol like a bar in america), and came home.
Angela did my makeup like a normal person, and I did hers like she was a crazy super model or Lady Gaga or something. Fun times!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OK, so I've taken FOREVER to write. That was Friday. Today is Sunday. What's wrong with me that I can't be consistant abour writing regularly? Gah. I guess once the excitement of actual life started, typing onto a little screen got a bit less inticing. But! Because I love you, here's what I did yesterday.
I overslept all morning (wheeeee) until just before lunch, and then hung out, drew, read comics and books, and had a lazy day. At precisely 7:05ish maybe we left the house and went to a party! A bunch of people who are working together to set up a new school (which I don't know very many details about) got together and did house-church types of things for a while and then we ate, laughed, and talked/gestured (me in broken spanish and everyone else in fluent rapid spanish with some broken english) for a couple more hours. It was someone's birthday, so there was all kinds of tasty food and celebrations. I don't think we got back to the house until like 12:30. *contented sigh* I love Spain!
Today we're going to church, and then tonight there's some kind of fair type thing that we may/may not go to, not sure yet.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
My Trip to Espana (Part 3)
Partly written last night, Tuesday, AKA very early this morning, Wednesday.
Today was fairly boring, although I did take a few pictures of the house, attached(hopefully). I WAY overslept (which I mentioned in my last post) and got up just barely in time to take a long shower before lunch. I watched Little Rascals with Angela, and watched Brian Regan sketches while taking necklaces apart and talking. I've explored the house a lot and am more in love with it every day! I also have had a great time getting to know my own cousins, whom I've seen less times than I can count on both hands, maybe less than I can count on one!
I'll write more in the morning, but I really do have to go to sleep now, or I'll never be able to get up, and I won't write in the morning, it'll be early afternoon! So, good night.
Wednesday before lunch.
I woke up nice and early, around eight thirty, this morning! Yay! No more jetlag for me, no no. I read for a while and wrote for a while, and took a few more pictures, in the front yard, where they have some BEAUtiful flowers, and a few pictures of Stina, who is also Gorgeous with a capital G! Then we went to the chinos, which is like a very very small wal-mart, Stina says. Everything there is “Made in China” and run by Chinese people who speak Spanish, which meant I had absolutely no chance of understanding a word they said... But! I got some cool beads to add to my steadily growing collection, and a new American/Spanish converter so I can charge my cell phone (hopefully). Strange things about Spain for today: The plugs have two little round circles, instead of two lines. All the light switches are big squares that you press on the top or the bottom. The fans oscillate by having a piece on the front that spins, instead of the whole fan rotating. Roundabouts are EVERYwhere!
I miss you all muchly, but I'm very glad to be here, relaxing all day, with a whole family I've always loved but never really had a chance to get to know. I'll take more pictures and attach a whole bunch at once, sometime tonight or tomorrow morning, after I set up the camera to attach to the netbook. Speaking of which, what should I call it? I named the laptop Pendora (a box that, when opened, causes trouble, because I write with it), but what should the netbook be? Netty? Netalia? Hmmmm, surely you can come up with some good ideas!
People to pray for:
Michaela (I love you so much, girl!) and Missy and all the other seniors.
ALL the people who are moving.
And people who are going to college - which is kind of a mix of moving/seniors.
This whole family - as Stina is getting married, finals are just now done for Ange, and various employment things are still a little up in the air for Ricard and Christina after the wedding, pray that we can all keep a happy attitude allatimes, and have a lot of fun!
I'm sure I'll think of more later... But for now, I love you all, and I'm going to go down to the nice cool basement and point my fan directly at my face. Aaaah, cold air!
Today was fairly boring, although I did take a few pictures of the house, attached(hopefully). I WAY overslept (which I mentioned in my last post) and got up just barely in time to take a long shower before lunch. I watched Little Rascals with Angela, and watched Brian Regan sketches while taking necklaces apart and talking. I've explored the house a lot and am more in love with it every day! I also have had a great time getting to know my own cousins, whom I've seen less times than I can count on both hands, maybe less than I can count on one!
I'll write more in the morning, but I really do have to go to sleep now, or I'll never be able to get up, and I won't write in the morning, it'll be early afternoon! So, good night.
Wednesday before lunch.
I woke up nice and early, around eight thirty, this morning! Yay! No more jetlag for me, no no. I read for a while and wrote for a while, and took a few more pictures, in the front yard, where they have some BEAUtiful flowers, and a few pictures of Stina, who is also Gorgeous with a capital G! Then we went to the chinos, which is like a very very small wal-mart, Stina says. Everything there is “Made in China” and run by Chinese people who speak Spanish, which meant I had absolutely no chance of understanding a word they said... But! I got some cool beads to add to my steadily growing collection, and a new American/Spanish converter so I can charge my cell phone (hopefully). Strange things about Spain for today: The plugs have two little round circles, instead of two lines. All the light switches are big squares that you press on the top or the bottom. The fans oscillate by having a piece on the front that spins, instead of the whole fan rotating. Roundabouts are EVERYwhere!
I miss you all muchly, but I'm very glad to be here, relaxing all day, with a whole family I've always loved but never really had a chance to get to know. I'll take more pictures and attach a whole bunch at once, sometime tonight or tomorrow morning, after I set up the camera to attach to the netbook. Speaking of which, what should I call it? I named the laptop Pendora (a box that, when opened, causes trouble, because I write with it), but what should the netbook be? Netty? Netalia? Hmmmm, surely you can come up with some good ideas!
People to pray for:
Michaela (I love you so much, girl!) and Missy and all the other seniors.
ALL the people who are moving.
And people who are going to college - which is kind of a mix of moving/seniors.
This whole family - as Stina is getting married, finals are just now done for Ange, and various employment things are still a little up in the air for Ricard and Christina after the wedding, pray that we can all keep a happy attitude allatimes, and have a lot of fun!
I'm sure I'll think of more later... But for now, I love you all, and I'm going to go down to the nice cool basement and point my fan directly at my face. Aaaah, cold air!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
My Trip to Espana (Part 2)
This was written last night, Monday, and a PS from this morning.
I'm in my aunt and uncle's house now! Yay! Everything has worked out perfectly - God is taking great care of me! I met people in the airports and on the airplanes to walk and talk with, so I never felt lost or alone, even though I didn't know anyone and I was (am) in a foreign country. I made my connections and went through customs and security and everything with no problem, picked up my bags, and was met right at the gate to come to the house, no problems. I love the house! It's a wonderful place. I took a nice (overlong) siesta, and then went grocery shopping with Ange and Aunt Sharon. The different things about Spain for yesterday are: whole pig legs in the market, roundabouts on the roads (and very weird road signs!) and prices all in Euros instead of in dollars.
PS: This morning I overslept until about an hour before lunchtime... I really need to get an alarm clock. But I've now taken my shower and I feel much better! Going to go have lunch now. Love everyone! Miss ya'll! I'll take more pictures (I didn't take any in the airports... shame on me)
Adios, mis amigos!
I'm in my aunt and uncle's house now! Yay! Everything has worked out perfectly - God is taking great care of me! I met people in the airports and on the airplanes to walk and talk with, so I never felt lost or alone, even though I didn't know anyone and I was (am) in a foreign country. I made my connections and went through customs and security and everything with no problem, picked up my bags, and was met right at the gate to come to the house, no problems. I love the house! It's a wonderful place. I took a nice (overlong) siesta, and then went grocery shopping with Ange and Aunt Sharon. The different things about Spain for yesterday are: whole pig legs in the market, roundabouts on the roads (and very weird road signs!) and prices all in Euros instead of in dollars.
PS: This morning I overslept until about an hour before lunchtime... I really need to get an alarm clock. But I've now taken my shower and I feel much better! Going to go have lunch now. Love everyone! Miss ya'll! I'll take more pictures (I didn't take any in the airports... shame on me)
Adios, mis amigos!
Monday, May 31, 2010
My Trip to Espana (Part 1)
This was written whilst on the airplane from DFW to Madrid, Sunday afternoon and very early Monday morning.
This is me writing. I promised I would, didn't I? Well now I am. Why, you ask? Because it's three in the morning wherever above earth I am, midnight in Dallas, and seven AM in Madrid... I can't fall asleep and I've already watched both of the good movies American Airlines provides. So, let me expound to you, all one or two of my lovely readers, about what my day has been like, the first day of my trip to Spain.
This morning I went to Sunday School, but didn't get to go to Big Church. I love on some of my girls (Mich and Vickers especially) but not as much as I wanted to. I didn't get to give Becca her earrings in person, but I gave them to Missy, so hopefully she'll get them... Although I won't get to know her reaction until sometime around when I post this and can message her.
Then we (Mom, Dad, and me) drove to DFW to sit in the airport and wait. We got to the airport and checked in my bags at about, oh, say two o'clock. Bear in mind that my flight boarded at five fifty-five. Being the intelligent person I am, I called up my good friend Nathan and asked him if he was in town. About forty-five minutes later, I went through security and roamed around with a friend for company instead of freaking out in a corner until some kind flight attendant could help me (which is what I surely would have been doing without his assistance and airport-savvy. We found my ate no problem, and then found somewhere not surrounded by cranky people to sit and talk. Get this – he even introduced me to one of the pilots on my flight! What are the odds that someone he knew from church would be my pilot? Not luck – God's providence.
When I finally got to my seat, I squeezed my backpack under the seat in front of me, barely stuffing it in with all the things I'd crammed into it yesterday and the day before. Getting this netbook out of it was the first time I've touched it or anything in it in the first seven hours of my nine hour flight. Plans of mice and men, eh? I ended up sitting next to a very nice man named Carl, who is going to Spain to teach Spanish for six weeks. We talked for quite some time, which was very cool. I watched “Leap Year” and “Me and Orson Welles” (reviews of those movies may or may not be forthcoming, depending on how bored I get. The short version is I liked Leap Year better and differently.) and now I'm listening to the provided country station (I've recognized a grand total of one song so far) using one side of my headphones. I swear they worked this morning, but as soon as I got on the plane I discovered that not only do the provided earphones only work in one ear, but my trusty, somewhat dusty headphones also only work in one ear. Bah.
Looking out a window and seeing clouds carpeting the sky UNDERNEATH me is unlike anything else. I tried to imagine what it would be like and it's far better than anything I could have pictured. God's creation is truly beautiful. I got to look down and see the east coast picked out in lights, I could see the outline of the coastline from the air! I don't know if you can picture how unbelievably cool that was. Just trust me. Wow. I can just barely see a stripe of pink and purple cloud out a halfway open window all the way across the cabin, which is not nearly as beautiful as I might have hoped, but oh well. I've seen gorgeous things already today, and I will surely see more through the course of this journey.
God is good. He does amazing things, some of which are insane and hard to grasp with the mortal mind... and at the moment, this whole trip is one of those things. I'm already missing my beloved friends back home, but hey... Spain! It's (hopefully not) a once in a lifetime thing, and I intend to grab life by the horns, live life to the fullest, etc. etc. (Without any literal grabbing of horns planned, even if the running of the bulls does happen while I'm here, which I have no earthly idea if it will or not.)
In conclusion, pray for me! Oh, which reminds me... More for my own reminder than for any benefit of ya'll (Hey, a girl can be selfish once in a while) here's a list of people I'm praying for today (All the ones I can think of right now).
Michaela
Ashton
Levi (and his family)
David
The Dennis' move
The Rodgers' move
The Thompsons' move
Lyndsay and her new job
Erica (dealing with being a newlywed)
Stina (dealing with getting married THIS MONTH)
Angela (dealing with both her sisters getting married in one year!)
And all the seniors, even if I didn't mention all of them by name.
And many many more people.
Also I pray for myself, to have strength
patience
wisdom
obedience
humility
joy
focus on God
willingness to serve
longing to grow and mature
sanity (or not, you know, whatever)
etc. etc.
Signing off now, to stare out at the beautiful clouds some more. Love you all!
In Christ,
MaryLynn
This is me writing. I promised I would, didn't I? Well now I am. Why, you ask? Because it's three in the morning wherever above earth I am, midnight in Dallas, and seven AM in Madrid... I can't fall asleep and I've already watched both of the good movies American Airlines provides. So, let me expound to you, all one or two of my lovely readers, about what my day has been like, the first day of my trip to Spain.
This morning I went to Sunday School, but didn't get to go to Big Church. I love on some of my girls (Mich and Vickers especially) but not as much as I wanted to. I didn't get to give Becca her earrings in person, but I gave them to Missy, so hopefully she'll get them... Although I won't get to know her reaction until sometime around when I post this and can message her.
Then we (Mom, Dad, and me) drove to DFW to sit in the airport and wait. We got to the airport and checked in my bags at about, oh, say two o'clock. Bear in mind that my flight boarded at five fifty-five. Being the intelligent person I am, I called up my good friend Nathan and asked him if he was in town. About forty-five minutes later, I went through security and roamed around with a friend for company instead of freaking out in a corner until some kind flight attendant could help me (which is what I surely would have been doing without his assistance and airport-savvy. We found my ate no problem, and then found somewhere not surrounded by cranky people to sit and talk. Get this – he even introduced me to one of the pilots on my flight! What are the odds that someone he knew from church would be my pilot? Not luck – God's providence.
When I finally got to my seat, I squeezed my backpack under the seat in front of me, barely stuffing it in with all the things I'd crammed into it yesterday and the day before. Getting this netbook out of it was the first time I've touched it or anything in it in the first seven hours of my nine hour flight. Plans of mice and men, eh? I ended up sitting next to a very nice man named Carl, who is going to Spain to teach Spanish for six weeks. We talked for quite some time, which was very cool. I watched “Leap Year” and “Me and Orson Welles” (reviews of those movies may or may not be forthcoming, depending on how bored I get. The short version is I liked Leap Year better and differently.) and now I'm listening to the provided country station (I've recognized a grand total of one song so far) using one side of my headphones. I swear they worked this morning, but as soon as I got on the plane I discovered that not only do the provided earphones only work in one ear, but my trusty, somewhat dusty headphones also only work in one ear. Bah.
Looking out a window and seeing clouds carpeting the sky UNDERNEATH me is unlike anything else. I tried to imagine what it would be like and it's far better than anything I could have pictured. God's creation is truly beautiful. I got to look down and see the east coast picked out in lights, I could see the outline of the coastline from the air! I don't know if you can picture how unbelievably cool that was. Just trust me. Wow. I can just barely see a stripe of pink and purple cloud out a halfway open window all the way across the cabin, which is not nearly as beautiful as I might have hoped, but oh well. I've seen gorgeous things already today, and I will surely see more through the course of this journey.
God is good. He does amazing things, some of which are insane and hard to grasp with the mortal mind... and at the moment, this whole trip is one of those things. I'm already missing my beloved friends back home, but hey... Spain! It's (hopefully not) a once in a lifetime thing, and I intend to grab life by the horns, live life to the fullest, etc. etc. (Without any literal grabbing of horns planned, even if the running of the bulls does happen while I'm here, which I have no earthly idea if it will or not.)
In conclusion, pray for me! Oh, which reminds me... More for my own reminder than for any benefit of ya'll (Hey, a girl can be selfish once in a while) here's a list of people I'm praying for today (All the ones I can think of right now).
Michaela
Ashton
Levi (and his family)
David
The Dennis' move
The Rodgers' move
The Thompsons' move
Lyndsay and her new job
Erica (dealing with being a newlywed)
Stina (dealing with getting married THIS MONTH)
Angela (dealing with both her sisters getting married in one year!)
And all the seniors, even if I didn't mention all of them by name.
And many many more people.
Also I pray for myself, to have strength
patience
wisdom
obedience
humility
joy
focus on God
willingness to serve
longing to grow and mature
sanity (or not, you know, whatever)
etc. etc.
Signing off now, to stare out at the beautiful clouds some more. Love you all!
In Christ,
MaryLynn
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Well.
I was going to send in a nice LOOONG post today, but as is I don't know if this one will send, much less the whole tirade I was planning, as the wifi here is iffy at best, and I'm pretty sure it's shut off.
Anyways, I will be posting, I just don't know how soon.
More when there's more! (At least for my June trip to Spain, I promise!!)
Anyways, I will be posting, I just don't know how soon.
More when there's more! (At least for my June trip to Spain, I promise!!)
Monday, May 3, 2010
Yeah, so...
Blogging regularly has never been one of my strong suits. And many times in the past month I've pulled up this page and thought about writing a new post, and it just hasn't felt right. But currently my life is a very exciting thing, and I feel like getting it all down on (virtual) paper might help it make some sense. So, lets see if I can make a quick summary of what it's like right now to be me.
Currently foremost in my mind is track, since I did that this morning at SEVEN AM. :) It was surprisingly fun! Coach is having us sprinters work on form and building muscle, while the distance runners are jogging and jogging and jogging.... This morning he had every non-sprinter run as many laps as they were old. He had us run four laps and then lift weights and do lunges with weights while everyone else finished their laps. I'm soooo glad, because I'd much rather work hard and fast than jog interminably. I hate going slow.
Next most urgent in my mind at the moment is college. I guess really this should be at the top of the list, but it's not making me wince every time I move today, and track is. I've decided to got to ACU next year as a fully enrolled student. I should be taking fifteen hours: A psych course, Honors English, Honors Core, Bible, and an art class of some kind or some other extra class. I'll still be living at home (and saving $8,000 by doing so) for at least the first semester and probably more, depending on how well that works. Mom is working here now, so I get a pretty big tuition discount from that, and hopefully I'll get one from National Merit Scholars too, in addition to a Chancellors for my ACT/SAT scores.
School otherwise is at a standstill, as today is Dead Day and I have my finals today (Spanish), Wednesday (Personal Selling), Thursday (Calculus), and Friday (Chemistry) upon the completion of which I shall be DONE!!! (except for AWANAs and that extra psych class, but bear it no mind.)
In June I will be traveling to España to visit my cousins for a whole month (and attend Stina and Ricard's wedding!). As I've never been out of the country (except to Mexico) and I've never flown, I'm very excited. There are all kinds of new experiences there. In addition, I feel like God has really been telling me that He's going to use me on the plane ride, where whoever is sitting next to me will be a captive audience for the message. So, here's praying that I'll be able to follow God's will, and not get sucked into a book or music or a movie or out the window of the plane. :D
Hopefully right after returning from Spain I will get my drivers license, and somewhere in there I plan on getting a job. :)
I guess that's it for the moment.
Currently foremost in my mind is track, since I did that this morning at SEVEN AM. :) It was surprisingly fun! Coach is having us sprinters work on form and building muscle, while the distance runners are jogging and jogging and jogging.... This morning he had every non-sprinter run as many laps as they were old. He had us run four laps and then lift weights and do lunges with weights while everyone else finished their laps. I'm soooo glad, because I'd much rather work hard and fast than jog interminably. I hate going slow.
Next most urgent in my mind at the moment is college. I guess really this should be at the top of the list, but it's not making me wince every time I move today, and track is. I've decided to got to ACU next year as a fully enrolled student. I should be taking fifteen hours: A psych course, Honors English, Honors Core, Bible, and an art class of some kind or some other extra class. I'll still be living at home (and saving $8,000 by doing so) for at least the first semester and probably more, depending on how well that works. Mom is working here now, so I get a pretty big tuition discount from that, and hopefully I'll get one from National Merit Scholars too, in addition to a Chancellors for my ACT/SAT scores.
School otherwise is at a standstill, as today is Dead Day and I have my finals today (Spanish), Wednesday (Personal Selling), Thursday (Calculus), and Friday (Chemistry) upon the completion of which I shall be DONE!!! (except for AWANAs and that extra psych class, but bear it no mind.)
In June I will be traveling to España to visit my cousins for a whole month (and attend Stina and Ricard's wedding!). As I've never been out of the country (except to Mexico) and I've never flown, I'm very excited. There are all kinds of new experiences there. In addition, I feel like God has really been telling me that He's going to use me on the plane ride, where whoever is sitting next to me will be a captive audience for the message. So, here's praying that I'll be able to follow God's will, and not get sucked into a book or music or a movie or out the window of the plane. :D
Hopefully right after returning from Spain I will get my drivers license, and somewhere in there I plan on getting a job. :)
I guess that's it for the moment.
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