sum, sum, summertime!

SUMMER. It has finally arrived, and here I am, back in the good ol' City of Roses. One more year down. I can't believe I'm halfway through college, but I'm happy to have a breather and break from homework for a bit (or 4 months...a little longer than a bit).

What I've enjoyed since being home: lounging on the coach, sipping my thé caramel, taking bubble baths, reading for FUN (current book of choice: Hood by Stephen Lawhead - saw him do a reading at SPU just a couple weeks ago), seeing the fam, catching up with old friends.

And what else have I been doing? Working, working, working. Sweeping, scrubbing, and shop vac-ing dear old Sellwood Pool, getting it all ready for next Monday morning. Well, Saturday, actually, when devoted parents stand in line for a good hour to sign their kids up for a week of free swimming lessons. That pool gets DIRTY. I've killed more spiders this week (and ants and centipedes and other creepy crawly critters) than ever before in my life. I also scrubbed every darn toilet in that facility.

Also, going to grad parties, going to the dentist, looking for a car, and updating my etsy.

Things on the to-do list: play guitar, paint, garage sale shop, take pictures, update my blog more often (just for you, Dad) and more.

Oh, and one last thing. I've decided, it's for sure, this is going to be one heck of an awesome summer.

what i have been doing with my life...

It's been far too long since I consistently blogged. I know. Here is the picture story of what my life has been like these last couple crazy weeks.

This is how I write research papers:


All my notes


Write the first draft.

Edit, edit, edit.

So that's that. It's the end of the year, folks, and schoolwork just piles up, up, and up.

We're almost done, though! And I have beautiful summer nights to look forward to.

Stargazing Epiphanies

Tonight, I was laying out in the hot tub (I'm at Olivia's house), and I was looking at the stars, and I realized that there are just some things that you can't take pictures of. It was the most beautiful sight I have seen in so long, and pictures just will not compare. So, this post will not have a picture. (But don't fear, it will be one of the few without. ;))

Tonight I had a mind-heart connection. It was one of those days when you're sitting there, crunching numbers in your head, trying to figure out what you need, what you want, how to make it all happen. The same old thoughts go through your head...it'll be ok...it always is...i can't change it, so i shouldn't worry....God's got it all under control...He'll provide.

But you know those times when you are saying those things and yet you still feel the knot of tension in your stomach? You repeat those refrains over and over, like popping Advil to relieve your headache. One, two, three times you say it to yourself. But you feel the same and the ache and the worry is still there.

That was today. But tonight, gazing at the stars, it just made sense. The words I would use to express what I was thinking are no different from the ones I said above, but this time I feel it. Peace.

Thanks, God.

Word.

These are the words to describe how I'm feeling now:

Tired. Hungry. Happy. Grateful. Old. Antsy. Anxious. Nostalgic. Excited. Nervous. Sad. Sleepy.

And yes, some of those are contradictory. Which really isn't that surprising because spring quarter is just a strange time of year. You are wrapping up one year, reflecting on the good times you've had and the friends you've made, and all you want to do is chill in the sun with those good people and ENJOY LIFE. But...this thing called homework is like a monster, growing bigger and bigger and threatening to consume all your time. And then! There's next year! You finally know where you will be living, what you will be doing, and you're starting to get excited! Who wants to wait until next year? You want to start getting involved now! But that will bring change...next year won't be like this year. And the question remains: how should you spend your time? Homework. Old friends. New friends. Homework. Staff. Work. Research papers. Finals.

Is it any surprise that I feel torn at times?

In a word, it's transition.

20.

First of all, photo credit to my dad, since he insists on having copyright to all his photos.

Yesterday was my 20th birthday! To sum up the day, here are 20 things I loved about turning 20:

1. The sun was out and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. Perfect temperature!
2. My dear, dear roommate bought me flowers. :)
3. I woke up at 5:30 due to excitement...just like a little kid on Christmas morning.
4. I wore my new clothes (finally, I have jeans again!).
5. My friends surprised me at breakfast! It was wonderful.
6. I talked to my sister, who thinks she is all grown up at the tender age of 11.
7. My dad, mom, other sister, and grandpa came up to visit me!
8. Moonlight Sonata tea at the Teacup. Sooo great.
9. Getting a tea strainer! Finally!
10. Seattle Cheese Festival! Crazy, yes. Crowded, yes. Hot, yes. Fun, definitely.
11. Presents&Cake with my family!
12. We lit candles in the residence halls....OH SNAP!
13. Reading my mom's calendar from 1988, i.e., the year before I was born. :)
14. Indian food: chicken tiki masala and naan bread galore. LOVE IT.
15. Leftovers.
16. Doing absolutely NO homework.
17. Surprise #2 from the girls on my floor!
18. Having a Coach Sarah cake!
19. Get phone calls/texts/facebook messages/cards from so many of my friends.
20. Being surrounded by wonderful people all day, with no stress or disappointments, but just chill, relaxed, beautiful, fun-filled day.

Waves of Grace

Isn't that beautiful? I love water. It is so relaxing to me. Everything seems more peaceful and under control if I can just sit and look at water for a while...watch the tide come in and out at the beach...wow, makes me want to go to the Oregon Coast.

This is probably a good thing for me to be reflecting on now. It's coming down to the last month of the quarter, and it's gonna be a busy one. I don't know when I will have time to get everything done (and obviously blogging hasn't been top priority lately), but you know what? It always gets done.

Recently I've been learning that God is truly so good to me, and He always gives me the grace to get through it all. Just this weekend, I got to have such a fun time at the Ball and then go be in a HOUSE (a real house) for a home cooked meal on Sunday (with a family - the mom is in Gospel Choir with me - and on Mother's Day, at that!) What a blessing. I know I have a lot on my plate, but I also know that I'm not facing this last month alone.

And, hey, if I get really stressed, I can just head for the water.

Spring Snapshots

Hmm...it's been a whole week since I blogged. I've been busy, busy, busy, but I was recently looking through some of my favorite pictures from last spring, and I thought I would share a few. This is my favorite time of year!

Every picture has a story, and here are the stories for these pictures:
1. This is from May Day 2008 which was also my roommate's birthday. We celebrated by buying beautiful bouquets of flowers from Pike's and drinking tea and eating crumpets at the crumpet shop. Such a fun memory.

2. Funny story, I actually did not take this picture! Before Hall Ball last year, my friends and I were taking pictures at a nearby park. Without realizing it, I left my camera there. When I realized my camera was missing, I thought it was in the car or in my room, and when I couldn't find it, I wasn't that concerned. My friends and I went back to the park, though, just to watch the sunset, and I decided to look around real quick for camera. Sure enough, there it was, sitting on a bench. Some kind stranger had picked it up and left it there, and he or she also left me this picture.

3. This is from a beautiful rhododendron garden close to my house. My friend Brook and I went there one afternoon during spring break a year ago, and it was gorgeous. I love the look of this bridge.

Now, if only the rain would stop, I could get out and take more beautiful pictures! :)