A Tease

Since finding my camera, I've been inspired to finally give you the tour of my apartment. I don't have the time now to walk you through each room...and apparently I need to learn how to use this camera because all of my shots are lame.

Anyway, I thought I'd give you a view of one of my favorite angles in the Living Room. Really, the whole apartment is open except for the bedrooms and bathrooms, so I should just call it the "communal space" but you know....it's where we do the living. It's nothing fancy, but I sure do love the natural light that shines through the windows. And this couch (I can say that since I'm sitting on it presently) is amazing.

Oh, and I'm going on a multi-city vacation starting tomorrow so hopefully I'll come back with an arm full of pictures and stories to share. As my mom would say, "ta ta!".

FOUND IT!

That's right. My camera is no longer missing. We can sleep soundly knowing I don't have to tell my parents that I lost my brand new birthday present. Ahh. So listen to how it all went down.

I've been sick over it all week. I keep praying that I would find it but came up empty handed whenever I searched. I even had Debi searching her house for me. Then yesterday morning I stayed home from church to have my own worship time. I started talking to God and told Him I knew that He knew where it was. I knew He could see it right then. I prayed that He would show me. My reading focused on the prophets instructing Israel to remember everything that God has done to be sure to always tell those stories of His goodness.

Not long after that I got a clear mental picture of where the camera was....but I was too nervous to check. It was my last place of hope so if it wasn't there, I would be really disappointed. I put off looking all afternoon but when Sara and I got in my car to go to the grocery store I had to check. There it was. In the console exactly where I had pictured it! Cool, huh? So I thought I'd share the whole story since my lesson was remembering and telling the goodness of God.

I even drove over to my parents house to tell them I had found the camera they didn't know I had lost! Now I'm not letting this thing out of my sight.

Home Church

"Make me know Thy ways, O Lord;

Teach me Thy paths.

Lead me in Thy truth and teach me.

For Thou are the God of my salvation;

For Thee I wait all the day.

Remember, O Lord, Thy compassion

and Thy lovingkindnesses,

For they have been from of old.

Do not remember the sins of my youth

or my transgressions;

According to Thy lovingkindness remember

Thou me,

For Thy goodness' sake, O Lord."

~Psalm 25: 4-7

It Went Like This...

So I think I mentioned that I got caught up in scanning some of my London photos last week. I meant to just grab a few but once I started I just couldn't stop. I have some of them tucked away for another post idea, but I have these that I thought you'd get a chuckle out of today.

For some reason the idea of sequence photos always reminds me of college. Probably of the collection of 'wow-mom-cool-cow' shots we have. And maybe an incrimination series of Liz and a bowl of spaghetti that will remain in archives unless provoked.

Here is my London series shots. Well, the Italian Coastline to be exact.

What started as a fun afternoon adventure ended with $314 worth of scooter damages, 2 rows of stitches, ruined kahki pants.....and a great life story!

Odds and Ends

It is a steamy, humid night in Atlanta. The bullfrogs are croaking and I'm trying to catch a breeze through my open window. We've gotten used to having low electric bills (thanks to no heat or a/c) and I'm trying to see how long we can keep it up. It just doesn't seem fair to have to use the a/c in May. I don't even think that is technically summer yet. So I sit here suffering...with no pants on :)

I went to Six Flags on Saturday. Man, I love that place! It was Deaf Appreciation Day which meant Deaf people got a discount on ticket prices. A group of students from our program-including yours truly- went as volunteer interpreters to work at the ticket booth and guest relations. As it turns out, we were over staffed which left me to ride the rides. No complaints here. I got 4 coasters and 1 kiddie ride in before the night was over. It was so fun--I just love all the memories that come back from being there. I remember riding the Mind Bender with my dad when I was around 7 or 8. My favorite blue headband fell off mid-loop and I kept trying to bend down to retrieve it. In high school I'd go with church friends and school friends. At the top of the parachutes ride (the most tame of all) is where David first kissed me one summer night. The dumb boys and I got season passes our senior year and went all. the. time. Dee Dee and I even got a season pass the year we lived together. I wish I had pictures from all these memories, but I guess you'll just have to use your imagination. Except for the first kiss. Don't try and imagine. Waaaaaayyyyy too awkward. Really. I can tell that I've aged since those days. I woke up Sunday morning feeling like I'd been hit by a truck. Still....it was the best way to rack up those pesky volunteer hours. I'm already looking forward to Deaf Day next year.

Yesterday was dedicated to writing my last final. It was take-home essays and I just kept procrastinating until the last minute. I came home after church (great message in the Love, Sex and Dating series if you're interested), took a 2 hour nap and then spent the rest of the afternoon/evening writing. It may or may not have felt like this at times:

At least it did in my mind. No, Sara wasn't sneaking up behind me with a naughty sign and I definitely don't still have the ladybug collection...or most anything seen in this picture for that matter. For those of you unfamiliar with this photo: this was taken as I was attempting to write my last paper as an undergraduate student. The girls were goofing off in the apartment and all I wanted to do was join them in playing instead of write some psych paper for B.Lewt. I'm pretty sure this is the closest I've ever come to flicking the double bird.

In other news, I've lost the brand new camera I got for my birthday this year. Yeah, the one I was going to use to take pictures of my apartment and life to show you. I don't know where it is and it is driving me crazy. I'm not one to lose things which makes it all the more frustrating. I took it to the Turner's for our Royal Wedding Party (which is why I haven't posted about it yet...I have pictures I want to upload) and I haven't seen it since. I just keep telling God that I know He knows where it is and I hope He shows me. What's worse is that I feel like I'm finally ready to take some apartment photos for you. After being here 9ish months, we got a few more things hung on the walls last weekend and I even made some DIY home decor to go over the tv. The bare wall has been mocking me this whole time but I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out...and am equally pleased that I took action on some of the ideas I've been stocking up on.

This afternoon I spent about an hour scanning in pictures from my London semester. I meant to only do a few to include in the Royal Wedding post (if I can bring myself to do it so late after the fact...and if I can find that dang camera) and ended up scanning about 30 randoms. So I'll have to do some more British posts. Maybe a top 10 of favorite moments. Until I get my ducks in a row, here's one for you:

OK, so this is actually in St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy. I just giggle everytime I look at this photo and think back on this cold, rainy day. My friend and I posed for pictures in the square and each of us were covered in pigeons. I guess the birds are so used to being fed that if you hold your arms out they will come land on your hoping for food. So we did the typical photo-op, but this guy just wasn't ready to let go. Long after the other birds were gone he was still hanging on. He didn't care that we were beak to beak and I was even flapping my arm like a wing trying to get him off. I love it.

And on that most random note, I'm going to bed. Dad and I are driving up to South Carolina tomorrow. I'll think of you as we shake hands at the border. He has some undeveloped lake property up there that he wants to check in on and I've never gotten the official tour. So he and I are going to head up for the day and possibly stop at the outlet mall on the way home. Yippee!

Seis de Mayo

I realize I haven't posted much recently. Busy-ness and sleep took over my life in unbalanced proportions. I find that coming back is tricky because I feel the need to fill you in on the past week, and yet writing it all out gives my brain a cramp...and I'm sure your eyes panic at the thought. So instead, I will enact a trusty strategy I would use during the London semester abroad when I'd get behind in my journal and would want to catch up without missing anything. It also just so happens to be one of my favorite past times. A list.

Since last week I have:

had more caffeine than water

read a few chapters in "One Thousand Gifts"

ushered a mother duck and 7 baby ducklings across a parking lot

slept on clean sheets

finished my 1st full year as an interpreting student

prayed for strongholds to be broken and passion to be restored

yelled "SURPRISE!".....twice

woken up at 5:00 a.m. to watch THE royal wedding ceremony [another post coming for this]

declined a few job opportunities

sipped a grape soda

held 2 sweet babies

worn a fake mustache

toasted with a shot of whiskey

registered for my summer semester

walked in the rain

gotten sunburned knees

sung along at a concert until I was horse

filled out 3 professor assessment forms

watched elderly people clap out of beat to hip hop music

roamed the isles of hobby lobby

dreamed of different times

won a game of chicken foot

spent time with Julie and little Madelyn

made a DIY decor piece for our living room

crammed a semester's worth of work into an afternoon

read Israel's genealogies in I Chronicles

said hello to Courtney

said goodbye to Courtney

packaged a few care packages

had my first taste of Mississippi Mud Cake (I don't regret it!)

sat in afternoon Atlanta traffic

collected new recipes (including one for sangria)

eaten queso

fought off multiple headaches

won a tennis match

celebrated Sara's birthday with a walk to Starbucks and a breakfast party

gotten misty-eyed watching tv

relived memories from 12 years ago

applied for jobs

assisted a caterer in making 345 pieces of garlic toast (and wore a hair net to do so)

impulse shopped at Target

laughed until my sides hurt

eaten one of Zach's gourmet meals for Suenie's birthday

....and missed you girls dearly.

Love, Sex, and Dating

Got your attention, didn't I? Ha--I promise this post is family friendly. Andy started a new series this past week with this title. It is brilliant. I know you girls are married and didn't even spend much time in the single scene, but you still might enjoy listening through the next couple of weeks. If you have other single friends, I highly suggest you pass this along. Sara and I went last week and it was so good. A packed house (predictable when the pastor says he's going to talk about sex) and I'm really looking forward to the rest of the lessons.

Love, Sex and Dating

So there.

I know I've been MIA recently and I plan on getting you all caught up...at least on the essentials. For now, my bed is calling.