Swagger.

Teaching at an urban school: something I never imagined would happen to me. BUT HERE WE ARE. 

Two months ago I tearfully left my rural fourth graders to start in an urban kindergarten classroom. And I was not prepared. 

Things my world is currently full of: 

• lots of extra syllables 
• hair grease stains smeared across my belly
• "I'M TELLIN'!"
• wanting to throw the ball at the student who won't stop talking during morning circle
• chewed-off hair beads on the floor 
• three fingers held up for can I go to the bathroom?
• learning a Beyonce dance and Wang Wit It for the T-CAP (state testing) pep rally
• "CRISS-CROSS APPLESAUCE, BUBBLE IN YOUR MOUTH, EYES ON ME."
• children tripping over themselves and falling on the floor. All the time
• a rap song for counting to 100
• boys saying they love me one minute and defying me the next.

Swag.

This is what I'm having to develop. Some mornings, I literally have to swing my hips back and forth and tell myself that I am cool. Why? Because if I'm not feelin' it, the kids know. And when the kids know, I'm done for.

Buuuut....sometimes it is fun to feel like I'm on a children's tv show all day long. And sometimes it's fun to get sassy. And sometimes it's fun to be called Miss Looooooove. And sometimes it's fun to accidentally catch myself using their vernacular outside of school. For example: 

"Dinner's ready!" 

"Oooo, dat's nice!" 

"Look at that!" 

"Oooo dat's nasty!"

(I do things like this at least once a day)

In a week and a half I'll be leaving them, and I'll admit, it's going to be a little sad. I'll visit my fourth grade classroom one more time, which will be even sadder. And then I'll graduate. 

Shoot, grrl!

Sometimes I ask for dumb things.

I will begin this blog post with one line that may be used in the future as an I-told-you-so: 

Other than being a doctor and having to touch blood, I have chosen one of the most difficult vocations anyone could ever ever ever choose. 

And I MEAN IT.
Student teaching is HARD.

Both ends of my emotional spectrum have been pushed out to the max by a group of fifty-something fourth graders in a span of only six weeks. I laugh, I cry, I squeal with joy, and I imagine beating a small animal over the head with a dictionary all at once! {That may be a bit overdramatic, but you catch my drift.} YIKES.

My school is a wonderfully tight-knit community, small and familial. However, as a rural school, it is bursting through the seams with children from broken, broken homes, which hits this big-hearted girl like a ton of bricks. In Uganda I taught classrooms full of AIDS orphans. You would think, after  that, I'd have a tougher heart. But after listening to story after story after story of parents who don't want their children, parents who are in jail, parents who care more for drugs than their own flesh and blood, I can't help but want to take all these children up in my arms and say, "I'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU AND FIX YOU AND BE A PARENT WHO WANTS YOU!!!!" These are the kids who act out in class to get the attention they miss at home, who don't try because they don't believe they can, and who keep their emotions inside for fear of getting hurt. These are the children God has attached to my heartstrings like ten-pound weights at the end of a balloon.

These kids come through my room in three groups throughout the day. Because of them, I've been eating, sleeping, and breathing the Revolutionary War in order to teach them as best I can. And they've caught the same fascination for it that I have, which is AWESOME. There is NOTHING better than seeing a kid get excited about learning. Unfortunately, in order to teach it well, I've spent more time on it than I would have in a normal classroom. I realize that, in real life, I won't be able to get this in-depth and meaningful with the Social Studies if I expect to keep up with the standards. UGGGGHHHH. I've decided to build a treehouse school where kids can come have fun and learning will be meaningful and AWESOME instead of all this testing-and-products junk. 

All this along with a gut dysfunction that's related to stress. Mmm mmm mmm. 

I can't say I didn't ask for a hard experience--I did. And I'm learning loads more than I would in an easier placement. I tear up at the thought of leaving these kids next week for a new placement because I'm just  getting to know them. 

But that's life. And Jesus loves me. The end. 

Lazy.

My last college Christmas break. My last taste of four weeks of freedom between semesters until I hit retirement. How tragic.

How was break? Well, I didn't accomplish a whole lot for several reasons:

1) I was lazy.
2) Vinny is stupid.
3) I hate taking off pajamas.
4) I was lazy.

I did make this thing:

And I did do this:

And there was an entire week of travel right in the middle. I spent some time with the redneck side of the family, my once-upon-a-roommate, and sweet dfocus friends...all in different places. I also got to see my old RA get married, which is wedding #3 since October. WOO.

Now, onto two things I hate: NEEDLES and HOSPITALS.


Yup, I encountered both thanks to my little dragon friend. I had my blood drawn for the first time (Yee-haw) and had my first endoscopy. I'm a bundle of nerves when it comes to hospitals, so this was the perfect opportunity to practice my "BA Teacher Face", also known as the "Don't Let Them Know You Want to Pee Your Pants Face" (it'll come in handy when I have to be a tough teacher!).  But Jesus held my hand the whole time (as I'd asked Him to) and I made it through without a hassle. HOWEVER, they clipped this thing on my esophagus (I named it "Peanut the bucking Bronco" to make it more bearable) that will read my reflux for the next few days before it falls off. They said I wouldn't even feel it. Welp, that was a lie. It feels like a horse kicks me in the chest every time I swallow. I was a....little....upset about it yesterday, but now I consider it another opportunity to practice that special teacher face.

Tomorrow is marks my return to school and Saturday is when I will face my Certification Test. Yikes. And next week is the start of student teaching.

Let the games begin!

From Fall Block to the Future.

FALL BLOCK IS OVER.

CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION? I THINK YES.

Of course, it's been over for a week now. The celebration was actually six days ago, when we had Christmas at The Hollow. My housemates gifted me with LOT of Justin Bieber. 

I didn't come home til Tuesday because I wanted to take advantage of taunting my non-senior-education majors who still had to take finals. That, and I knew I still had some presents coming my way....

YES.

It's nice to finally be home where I can STOP. My body has GLADLY taken the 9-10 hours of sleep I'm giving it every night. It's also nice to spend quality time with the people here. I got to spend Wednesday nursing my friend of 14 years who has only been married for a week and a half and was diagnosed with a life-threatening clot disorder two days ago. Yeah, that's scary.

Yesterday was spent looking at the future because I had time to do it. I talked with a woman from the program in China that I'm interested in and they are ready for me to fill out the application. Hm. I also sifted through mounds of international teaching opportunities from a missions conference two years ago. Hmmmm. Since I've really started this process, an enormous amount of fear has pressed in against the excitement I first felt. How homesick will I get? What will I miss out on back in the states? Can I live somewhere that different for longer than a couple months? What if Vinny HATES the place we go? Last night I argued with God about it and went to bed in a huff (even though I knew that He will end up being right no matter how much I protest). Ever since I was a child, my dream has been do whatever God told me to do (no really, you can find it in my ten-year-old journal. I was that child.) So I suppose the next few months will be an interesting molding process where He makes me pliable to whatever He does have planned. And I'll admit, I'm a little afraid of that too. 

Vinny vs. Turkey

Time for the annual Thanksgiving blog post! (Get our your hand turkeys!)

Things I am thankful for:

• My Savior who is always near, even when I refuse to acknowledge Him like a selfish teenager.
• My family who grows increasingly more precious to me as time passes and I see them less often. 
• The FABULOUS house and housemates God has blessed me with this year. 
• Good friendships that grow and change, but stay with me. 
• Maddie. 
• Laughter.
• Children that bring me joy.
• Lisa Frank stickers (which one of my housemates used to cover the house with a few weeks ago.)

This Turkey Day has been interesting. Soon after waking, I assisted mom in preparing the huge meal while dressed in my pajamas (which previous messy experience has taught me is WISE). My mother also turned on her oldies CD and sang me a few lines of a song about how beautiful I was. Lovely. This meant, however, that when my oh-so-proper grandmother came through the door, I greeted her in my sleepwear while scootin' my booty to "Whenever I See Your Smilin' Face". But she managed to forgive this infraction and gave a bee-yoo-tiful ring as a late birthday gift. It may never leave my finger.

Of course, I changed, we consumed lots of food and coffee, told fun stories, and did all those things that funny families who love each other do. After my grandmother left, we settled in the playroom to spent the rest of the day watching movies, which is the usual Love family holiday ritual. 

Then it hit. Vinny. Mean, awful, nasty Vinny. First the heartburn...then the dizzyness...then the feeling that I couldn't breathe...then the shaking...and then I was on the floor. These are the moments when I'm grateful for a medical family. Dad found some steroids and mylanta, mom found a blood pressure cuff and googled my symptoms. Turns out, thanks to acid reflux and Vinny the vile stomach dragon, I was having esophagus spasms, which feel very similar to a heart attack. OHGREAT. This happened a couple other times the last couple months, but not nearly as badly. But it shows that I really really really need to put on my shining armor and battle this dragon--exercise, forced diet, and *GASP* giving up my daily coffee. I am currently lounging in my bed, lightheaded but ok, drinking water and chowing on Tums like candy. 

And, as I sat in my room trying to calm down, I began to think about what I would do if this happened again away from my medical parents.....maybe in a different country where I would already be culturally stressed and my poor stomach would not be ready for the food. Actually, a lot of things could happen if I went overseas....or if I stayed here......or if I continued to live as a mortal human being. Let's be honest, life is dangerous (YIKES). But as I laid on the floor freaking out, God's voice was so stinking clear---"You're my child, I love you, I know EXACTLY what is going on, we will get through this together." 

Then I stumbled across a website that advertised a teaching fellowship program in Asia. 11 months of teaching English with a team of people who love Jesus under mentor teachers who also love Jesus. Hm. Ever since I met my Chinese friends this summer, I've been interested in that country. So I sent in my information. No idea if that's going to be IT, the NEXT STEP, but the important thing is that IT--the hunt--HAS BEGUN. And I'm scared and desiring to trust my Father, but ever so THANKFUL that He's always there, even when scary-as-$#*%-things happen. 

Happy Thankgiving to all, and to all a gastroesophageal reflux disease-free night!

Family in The Hollow

The semester is almost over, and for the first time in my college career, I'm OK with that. Christmas cannot get here SOON ENOUGH. 

Yeah, it's a little sad that this is my last semester of classes. And it's a little sad that I'm almost a graduate. But I feel a bit like I've already graduated, not living on campus and all. And it's a lot sad how much homework I've had this semester. Vinny's come back with a vengeance due to stress and lack of sleep and I won't miss him when this is over.

Life in The Hollow, however, has flourished. What triggered this? We got a TABLE. (this picture was before we decorated the kitchen)

You know what a table means? Family dinner. And decorating together.

Then we started reading the Hunger Games out loud together. Which led to family bonding time.

It also led to no sleep.

And then there was that night I came back to find that they had raided my dress-up bag.

I almost peed my pants with laughter.

And you can't count out all the great times with Maddie: her acting up, ruining homework, dancing with us, slobbering on everything, covering the house with hair, and bringing us together. 

(she's spoiled rotten)

Unfortunately, this is the time when everyone begins to ask what I'm going to do with my life. My answer? Keep my hands wide open and pray for God to assure me that the "where" will come when it's supposed to. Besides, everyone know that's a dumb question to ask an almost-graduate. When do we EVER know what we're doing??

Smelly Homework

Today we turned on the heater for the first time since we've been here, and possibly its first time in a few years. It smells like POO. However, I do believe it's dissipating.....or my nose gave up on trying to smell. When I was home for Fall Break, mom said, "Your clothes smell weird." Then she made a reference to old woman smells. Fabulous. My old-lady-ness is more apparent than I thought.

Why haven't I blogged in a month? Because I have three different journals as well as another blog that I have to write for class. After those, twitter, and facebook, I am simply exhausted of reflecting on my life---ie. I can't handle looking at my own awesomeness for too long.

Also, I'm taking 18 hours of class with 8 hours of practicum a week. Then there's homework. It's kind of like having a full-time job that I have to pay for. But the beautiful thing about all this school stuff is that my calling is really being affirmed. I'm seeing that this profession is probably the worst one I could have chosen in the eyes of the world, but it overflows with opportunity to show God's love in a tangible way to my favorite kind of people--children.

However, I just finished Fall Break and I'm already looking forward to Christmas. Why? Because I can sleep more then. C'est la vie.

Here are some highlights from the last month:

Catching up with precious friends from the summer.

Snagging moments with The Fritz

Putting my housemate on a leash for the school dance. 

Making cotton candy....in my own kitchen

Climbing rocks, forging rivers, making fires, and writing on cave walls with Honeylumps--I mean, Lisa.

Carving pumpkins with summer pals. 

A soccer game I wasn't terribly interested in.

So it's not all putting my nose to the grind. Senior years are supposed be kind of fun, right? 

Old Lady

Frappuccinos are more than they seem. Coffee? Ice? Something sweet? Apparently NOT. To make a frappuccino, you need a touch of Starbucks magic, something that I don't want to pay roughly $4 for every time. 

And so dies another attempt at making something awesome and edible for myself. 

I used to think it was funny when older people joked about "starving college students". Welp. Here I am, living in the world of you're-old-enough-to-feed-yourself-and-you-don't-have-a-whole-lotta-money-whatcha-gonna-do. I thought you weren't supposed to reach that point until you had kids to pay for. 

And what about a freezing college student? Laura didn't pack any winter clothes because she didn't think it would get cold until October. Guess what? I'm cold. I need sleeves. And I don't wanna shop for them.

Let's not forget the fact that I'm not really called a "college student" anymore. I am a preservice teacher. Next semester I will be a student teacher. Then my first name will permanently disappear and become "Miss". It already feels like I graduated because I live in a house with a dog, make my own food, wash my own dishes, and go to bed before eleven most of the time. 

Holy moly, I'm an adult. THAT was sudden. 

I like to go to bed early. There are three bottles of pills and a pair of earplugs on my nightstand. I can't function properly without coffee in the morning. I have to make a list when I go to Walmart. Classrooms of children call me "Miss Love". I write down everything I have to do on post-it notes and cross them off as I do them. Dressy clothes have become less uncomfortable. I enjoy watching Full House and the news. 

I just read that paragraph and gave a sad little laugh. 

WHO AM I??? 

This question has been plaguing me for the last few weeks as I've found myself going through a lot of transitions. I talked to Jesus about it and he tells me these things: 

You are mine.

You are infinitely loved.

You are like grass in the wind--fading quickly. BUT you will be permanently in my presence sooner than you think. 

You are KNOWN by ME. I am enough for you.

You are beautiful because I am beautiful, and I shine through you.

You still have the heart of a child. I know that because I made you that way.

Be confident in me.

He and I talk a lot more these days, which I suppose is a perk to living in a house where I have my own room. Soon and very soon, May will be here and another transition period will occur. In fact, most of my life will be full of transitions. Guess it's time to really get grounded into my only Rock. 

"Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." 

-Psalm 90:14

The House of Adventure

Some stuff about living in the ghetto house of Lookout Mountain.

Bedsheets keep out sunlight just as well as curtains will. 

Boxes of books make as good of couch legs as anything. 

A yard that looks like a jungle that's been through a forest fire is good protection against anyone ever coming to your house....this includes neighbors who could make you poisonous cookies. 

Buy salad mix, even if you won't use all of it before it goes bad. I'm about to die of scurvy or whatever you get from not eating green things. 

Dogs shed. A lot. 

Don't leave the bathroom door open if you want the dog to stay out of the nasty trash. 

Dogs leave nose prints on anything glassy.

Dogs are awesome.

I'm on the brink of digging a pit in the backyard to throw all of this trash in. 

Cheese graters double as pasta strainers. 

$30 Kmart dressers are probably not the most stable on the market. That's why God invented duct tape and tool-handy roommates. 

Who needs a kitchen table anyway?

It's amazing how many things you can make with simple sandwich ingredients. And how many things you can't.

It's a good thing smoke detectors come with a shut-up button. 

God also invented Lysol spray for houses whose windows won't open.

Less than a square foot of counter space is sufficient for preparing food. Really.

First houses challenge your skills of creativity and ingenuity, and I am determined to be victorious.

New Life in The Hollow

Hello, change. I've experienced a lot of you in the last two weeks.

On the same day that I said goodbye to my sweet dfocus community, I also said goodbye to my younger brother as I moved him into college. Mind you, UT isn't that far from home, but it's still LEAVING our house. WAH.

Last week, I spent a day with my precious Chinese girls and they cooked dinner in their hotel room for Emily Skaar and me--which means that they consider us really close friends *insert warm fuzzies here* The next day I reciprocated and had them over for dinner. We had sweet times playing board games together and laughing, regardless of cultural barriers. I saw tears glistening in Meng's eyes when we said goodbye for the last time. God blessed me so much with them. Only one of them knows Jesus now, but I'm asking him to please please please bring the others into His family as well so we can all hug each other in heaven.

A few days later, it was time to move to my NEW HOUSE (also known as "The Hollow" for now). Well, the house itself isn't quite so new--it certainly has its....quirks (why does my room smell like pee..?)....but it's a place I've never lived before. Girls have this idealistic tendency when it comes to houses to think that we will really enjoy having a place to clean, cook in, and call home. Time for a wake up call ladies, these things require upkeep! The lawn is an overgrown mess and we have no lawnmower (or machetes) with which to cut it. There is no dumpster sitting conveniently outside, waiting for us to put our trash in it. Broken furniture requires tools and lack of furniture requires money and shopping time (table? counter space? a couch? do we really need those?). Planning meals is an art skill that takes time and energy (and budgeting prowess on very little money) to perfect. And even living with a puppy, which has been my joy these last few days, means extra time sweeping, taking it out to poop, and dealing with little brown hairs stuck in everything.

I'm also trying to get used to not living in the constant community I had on The Fritz. Now I have to drive up to campus if I want to visit my friends--I can't just walk down the hallway. And not spending my last year living with Lisa is so sad to me even though I know God wanted it.

On the other hand, having a living room is really nice (even if the couch is overturned because two of the legs are missing). Having immediate access to food (even if it's scanty) is really nice too. Sleeping in a room alone is an adjustment, but for now I have my own space that I can do WHATEVER THE HECK I WANT with. But the BEST part is living with a fantastic year-old chocolate lab named Maddie, even with the copious amounts of hair on everything. She likes taking naps in my room and following me around the house in the morning. There's no question as to whether or not I'll have a dog when I live somewhere in the real world.

Tomorrow classes begin and I'll start doing practicums in preparation for student teaching next semester. I can see how God has planned out each step this year as an adjustment for me in my growing-up process. But I'm not scared of it like I used to be, just a little bit sad and a little bit excited at the same time. I have no question that His will is good and that He's molding me into someone who looks more like Him. He is my joy and fulfillment in every circumstance--including changes like these.

Dfocus: The End

This room is really quiet without seven other girls giggling in the background. I'm not sure what to do with it.

So I'm home. Not just to do laundry or eat dinner before heading back to my cabin for a snugglefest or running out with my crazy friends for a midnight escapade, but to sleep and stay like I'm supposed to. It's lonely. On top of that, I'm purposefully listening to sad music, going through pictures, and refusing to fix the fact that I'm sleep deprived in order to ride this end-of-the-summer emotional tidal wave. Wah wah wah.

God did things this summer that I was told to expect but didn't necessarily think would happen.

First and foremost He's made Himself huge and real to me in a way that I've never experienced before. I learned how to present not only my circumstances, but most importantly my attitudes in order to learn what He was teaching me through the circumstances that I used to only pray would go away. He became my fulfillment more than ever before--something I've caught snatches of in the past but never rested in. I saw this especially at the end (that means...this week), when He blatantly told me no to something I really wanted and it took less than two days for me to stop wrestling with Him over it. That's Him giving me His mind, just like I'm learning to ask Him to.

Second, He gave me deep relationships with people who want only to follow Him and push me to do the same. People who I will not only miss, but will write letters to and drive several hours to visit. People who I WILL see in heaven. My cabinmates blessed me in a deep way as we learned to love and snuggle with each other for ten weeks. My small group surprised me with random words of wisdom and encouragement. God even allowed me to make friends with boys who showed me love and grace in a brotherly way that most will not--something I specifically asked for.

There's nothing like walking outside and seeing/yelling at friends out on their porches. Or coming into a cabin where three girls are stacked upon one another on the couch. Or absolutely rejoicing in free, cheesy Pigeon Forge experiences. Or worshiping loudly and openly while holding hands with friends on either side of you. Or realizing that Jesus loves you more than anyone else ever will and that He's showing you just a tiny glimmer of that love through a beautiful, blossoming community.

I was challenged and loved.

I am overjoyed to be holding onto Jesus by the hand while he He teaches me to trust Him one step at a time. 

The cryfest will continue on and off over the next few days, but I'm so comforted by the fact that when it comes to people who love Jesus, it's never the end. This is the time when my growth will really be put to the test and I'm so thankful that He will never leave me, regardless of the changes He puts in my still-short life.

Seasons are beautiful, and this was a particularly breathtaking summer.  

Dfocus: Part 2

Hannah kindly pointed out to me that my last post title contained the word "Dfoucs" which isn't actually a word at all. ESL moment. Sorry.

I am currently sitting at home on my own laptop, watching Emily Skaar paint a box as we listen to the sound of the dryer humming in the background. It's nice to actually be close to home for the summer.

The summer is going by in a blur, just as I thought it would. It made me sad at first, but now I'm content with it. God's taken me through so many programs like this where deep relationships are formed and left. I'd be really depressed if I didn't know that one day I won't have to say goodbye to anyone anymore.

The girls in my cabin--number 6--are nearly as precious to me as the ladies of The Fritz. We live up on a hill, so we are a bit separated from everyone else and have called ourselves the Sexy Seis. A lot of snuggling goes on in there and nothing remains hidden between us. It's a little frightening.

I've made friends with some Chinese girls who take pictures at Dollywood and Splash Country. I'm kind of amazed at God for bringing us together because he KNEW how much I wanted to minister to the foreign university students this summer and I've never had real Chinese friends before. They are so cute--I just want to put them in my purse and take them everywhere I go.

Tonight I am going to my seventh free showing of Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. I am an unabashed fan girl who is not afraid to dance through the entire thing. It's kind of like Disney, the Bible, and rainbow dance parties all mixed into a two hour experience. The Chinese girls love it more than I do now and I make it my personal duty to get as many people as addicted to it as I am.

My prayers are changing from, "God, make me more loving....show me where you want me to go....help me do this..." to "Jesus, make me look more like you and make me teachable and pliable so that you can change me deep inside. Do what you want in me. I can do nothing good on my own, it all has to be you." He's so big--it's truly amazing.

I've finally seen the full redneck side of my hometown and it shines in all its rotten toothed, extra syllabled, hairy-chested, stretch-marked glory. Last summer I had a Uganda accent whenever I left my house. This summer it's a country accent that comes out every time I stand behind a cash register, drenched in sweat with the smell of Co-Cola and hawtdogs filling my nostrils as I smile at customers with all of my pearly whites still in tact. Thank you, Splash Country foods.

*Sigh* there's too little time to really type up this experience. All I know is that this is EXACTLY what was perfect for me this summer. Why do I ever doubt that my father's plans are better than my own?

Dfoucs: Part 1

In the twenty minutes or so I have to blog, I'm going to try to tell you about my experience--so far--at Discipleship Focus 2011. I will not be successful. That is ok.

During each summer of my college career, God has shown me some overarching theme/big lesson that is important for me to learn. 2009 at camp: He works through brokenness. 2010 in Uganda: I need to lean on Him daily, everywhere. 2011 at Dfocus: "Look at me, Laura! I am really big and I LOVE YOU!!"

I've been a "real" Christian since I was ten and loved Jesus since before I can remember. Part of me thought I had this walk all figured out. WRONG. The intense study we are doing at Dfocus has gone very deep into some simple concepts that I never thought about so much before and the foundations of my relationship with Him are being shifted and shaken.

One huge truth I've seen especially in these last few weeks? God is love (have you ever REALLY thought about the implications of that??). Because He is love, nothing is more glorious to Him than showing love and being loved in return. "Bringing God glory", which I always knew was the purpose of my life, is not really something I have to do. I don't have to be concerned about going out and showing people how big and great God is--He can do that all by Himself. It's just about loving Him. A lot. And his love is HUUUUUUUUUUUUGE.

I think I'm falling in love.

But just because I'm doing all this concentrated I-love-God stuff doesn't mean it doesn't get a little crazy around here. There are 53 college students living on a campground together with access to free stuff in Pigeon Forge. It's impossible for it not to get crazy. I would put up pictures, but my home internet is being as slow as a snake in winter. I'll make a list instead.

Hillbilly night at Dixie Stampede.

Stabucks. A lot. 

The Track.

Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. 

Dance parties. 

Gatlinburg Motion Ride.

Donuts. 

Ultimate Frisbee. 

Hammocks. 

Skin---I mean, swimming. 

Froyo.

Neon Cosmic Bowling.

Jurassic Boat Ride. 

Mini Golf. 

Neon Bowling. 

Walmart.

Spooning. 

It's a great time. My cabinmates are hilarious--Baba Larve is now an established member and one of my roommates also likes to play the part of a small Mexican boy named Oscar. They make a great team. We hung a hammock from bunk to bunk in my bedroom. The girls in my small group like to dive into deep discussion, and I'm all about that. It's also nice to finally have some guy friends that aren't befriending me because they want to creep on me later. Genuinely nice Christian boys that show me the love of Christ in a brotherly way---that is a beautiful and rare thing. I'm also learning to buy groceries like a grownup and cook for myself. 

Oh yeah, and I have a job working all over Splash Country in different concessions booths, since part of dfocus is that everyone works at Dollywood or Splash Country. Because of this job, I never want to eat hotdogs or nachos again and I will NEVER get a tattoo. 

I've got seven weeks left of this adventure. Yee-haw.

Dfocus FTW!

Discipleship Focus starts tomorrow. 

YESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!

My bags are not packed, my clothes are not washed, my shopping is not done, and I have a list of stuff that needs to be crossed off before I can take the ten-minute drive to the campground where I will be living for the rest of the summer. I. AM. SO. READY.

My May-time adventures have been sweet, though. In the last few weeks I have: 

-prepared for, gone to, and teared up at my brother's graduation. 

-given a Mongolian boy my number. 

-gone on a family hike and held hands with my sister as we chatted, sloshing through the mud and rain. 

-seen my missionary aunt and uncle for the first time in three years. 

-gone to a benefit concert thrown by two of my friends. 

-made a lot of coffee, the fancy way.

-been swimming roughly every other day. 

-turned two shades darker than my regular peach color. 

-been shopping. A lot. 

-had homemade ice cream. 

-shared laughs and heartaches with dear friends. 

-watched an infomercial for the genie bra. ("Bra-vo, genie bra!")

-written a book entitled "Puppy Laura and Lisa Lion's Fun Party"

-mailed a package to my kids in Uganda.

-babysat little second cousins who I had never met.

-seen the new Pirates movie.

-finished two scrapbooks.

-read Peter and the Starcatchers and A Little Princess.

-been awesome.

But now it's time to get on with things. A job, fifty new friends, dance parties all the time, ultimate frisbee, hiking, rocking chairs, and general silliness await me for the next ten weeks. So does the chance to deepen my relationship with my Savior, which is something I have not been doing enough of lately. 

I also won't have a laptop for ten weeks, so I'm not sure how this blog will come along. Oh well.

Let the fun begin!

Limbo

I'm in limbo. 

No, not the embarrassing kind with that stupid stick that my inflexibility will never allow me to win. Limbo is that place between places and it's really not a bad place to be. It's been 20 days since we were told to leave school and there are 14 days left until Discipleship Focus begins. What's this mean for Laura? A plethora of coffee dates, sleepovers, princess books, and being broke.

Oh, and a lot of time with my mom. The one in the middle--that's her. Usually she's not quite so gangster, but I thought it would show you a more interesting side of her personality.

My mom is the person you want to have around when you're making a joke, because she will laugh at anything. ANYTHING. She's usually pretty sweet and mild and gets excited easily. There are a lot of times when she is unintentionally funny. For example:

"Do you like tomatoes? Dad can't eat tomatoes....I miss tomatoes."

"That cat is weird--like it's been smoking crack or something."

(hold on--my mom knows what crack is??)

I've also had a lot of quality time with my sister (who is tall). 

Notice the word "quality" here. Our time together usually consists of her talking a lot and me pretending to listen. This time, we've had meaningful interaction. YES! Mom is determined to keep her away from boys in high school at any cost, and I am determined to help her make wise decisions concerning boys by telling her about my own past mistakes. 

And I'm having a lot of time with Morgan, especially since she is parent-less for ten days and needs a supervisor....even though I'm younger than she is....

And we do stuff like this:

These are the books I've read since being home:

And these are some of the movies I've watched:

  

I'm such a grownup. 

Of course, I've done more than sit around. I've visited friends, gone hiking, had dinner with Thai students, cleaned and organized (well, kind of), done my sister's hair for a banquet, gone shopping for summer clothes, finished two scrapbooks...and some other stuff. Most importantly, I've enjoyed spending time with the people I love, getting a summer break with them before my summer really begins. 

Without this dumb thing:

Princess Ruby

In the last week, I have acquired three sunburns. THREE. I even have sunscreen fingerprints from where I tried to unsuccessfully protect myself from sunburn. A few days ago, an old man accosted me as I sat out in the sunshine at Starbucks and told me to get in the shade before I developed melanoma. I really don't think I have that, but all this red skin has made me think back to my childhood, when I would go to the waterpark for a day, turn into an absolute lobster, and play "Princess Ruby" for the rest of the week.

Anyway, what everyone wants to know now is, "How did the rest of crazy week turn out?"

I'll tell you. It became excellent. 

Sunburn-Monday (hooray for reading outside) became shishkabob night with my old RA and her best friend.

On Tuesday, Alyssa and I went to see the new Jane Eyre, which was quite a sad, dark shocker for the girl who's never read the book (even though her English major friends won't let her live it down). That was when we got the call that power had returned to the house on the mountain and made plans to head for Chatty the next day.

And that night we played Wii. This was my Wii Me--or WiiMii--or WeeMee--whatever. I actually changed it's gender-confused name to "Vanester".

Wednesday and Thursday were a blur of babysitting and good-byes. Little Ariel (you remember her, right? Ok, so her name isn't really Ariel, but I kind of wish it was.) graciously had me over for dinner on Thursday night and it was delicious (actually, I would say her mom Amy did most of the cooking and deserves the credit). It was also a time of shoving everything I left in my dorm room during evacuation into my car. Beaulah was not pleased.

On Friday, Alyssa's family hosted a pre-graduation dinner at the Terminal. You know what that meant? FREE SALMON CAKES, STEAK, AND CHOCOLATE CAKE FOR LAURA.

The real occasion, of course, was graduation on Saturday. My high school graduation was fun--they had to call less than 50 names to come up and get their diplomas. It doesn't work that way with college graduations. At college graduations, over 300 people have to come up and get diplomas. That's a lot of people.

Sunday was Mother's Day. Most people go out to eat or see a movie on Mother's Day. The Love Family spent the day opening and cleaning our pool (hello, sunburn #3). Audrey and I (as the good daughters we are) also made mom some special brownies (not those special brownies, you weirdo), cut her some roses, and made her a book.

(That piece of chocolate in the middle has "Happy Mother's Day" inscribed on it via kitchen knife)

So Mother's Day was a success. 

Now I have to figure out what to do with the rest of the month as my funds rapidly decrease. At the moment, I'm crossing my fingers that some desperate Sevierville mother is frantically searching for my number as I type, or that my own mother will give me some money for cleaning windows and vacuuming around the house (aka that thing called "allowance" that I thought I would never need again). 

In the meantime, maybe my crocodile-leather, ruby-red skin will smooth out into a beautiful, mellow brown. 

Here's to hoping. 

The week of storms, filth, and the best dogs in the world.

Here I sit on a leather sofa, watching a show about cake while the best dog in the world pokes my arm with her wet, black snout, begging for my attention. Ah, someone else's home sweet home. It almost feels like the last week didn't happen--the week of that awful, ridiculous storm that threw a wrench in the plans of thousands of people across the South.

It began well. I came back from Easter Break ready for two more weeks of school. My roommate and I had another wonderful Twin Twosday.  **inserting cute photo here**

On Tuesday night, I looked at the weather app on my phone and thought to myself, "Oh, some thunderstorms...that means I'll have curly hair tomorrow. No big deal." The next morning, I woke up to a stomach ache and the sound of my RA banging on the door and yelling something about a tornado warning and get down to the basement right now and panic panic panic. Best start to a day I've ever had.

We went down the the basement six times that day--spent most of the day down there, in fact. My legs got buff from climbing up and down 5 1/2 flights of stairs half a dozen times. But the ladies of The Fritz were prepared with pillows, blankets, homework, entertainment, snacks, and teddy bears.

Comfy, no?
Then we lost our regular power as well as generator power--but the latter only on our floor because my RA blew a fuse. The Fritz was dark for the next three days and looked much like the set of a horror film. And then they (the powers that be) told us that we were running low on water so don't take showers please, even though all of you smell like dogs. 


The next day, my roommate and I went down the mountain to survey the damage down below and stock up on supplies at Walmart. Ends up we didn't need to do that. At 2:30 that afternoon, as I was studying for my exams, all of campus received an email saying that we only had enough water left for a day and everyone needed to get off campus ("evacuate" was the calming word used in the email)--for the year--by 3:00 the next afternoon. Skip cleaning day, exams, end of the year goodbyes, just throw everything in a bag and GET OUT.

AAAH. 

Campus went into mass chaos. Nobody was quite sure what to do. We were all calling our parents, figuring out how to get home, knocking down the doors of storage to put away items that were too big to get into the car, and running 50 pound items that would fit in the car down four flights of stairs before daylight went out.

By that evening, campus had officially run out of water--yes, less than a day after the email was sent. Port-a-potties were put up in parking lots and bottled water was distributed. Everyone was greasy and smelly.

After sunset that evening, trying to do anything productive was useless. So The Fritz spent our night well by chasing each other down with flashlights, having a glowstick dance party on the veranda, and sitting around telling stories. My roommate and I stayed up way too late trying to savor our last night of living in the same room after three years together. We were upset about being jipped a week.

The next day was a blur. Somehow the room got clean and rearranged and all of my belongings made their way into bags. Then I was in the car with Alyssa, heading to her house in Atlanta. We had decided to go there for the weekend and then go back to her house on the mountain to wait for graduation on Saturday. Despite the crazy day, we were renewed by showers (FINALLY CLEAN!!) so that we could then watch the royal wedding {Alyssa INSISTED I go back and insert that} before going out for froyo and bowling. Yay.

Saturday afternoon was spent at Ikea, and today was spent finishing every last piece of homework. I was thanking my lucky stars exams were cancelled. I was also QUITE enjoying the company of my two new favorite dogs, Baron and Daisy.

Today we also heard that the power at Alyssa's house on the mountain will be out for another week and that the water is undrinkable, so we will be spending the rest of the week in this big house with comfy chairs. needy dogs, and delicious food. Of course, this means not getting to spend time with people who are still in Chatty, which makes me sad.

I still feel like ends are untied. All my work is done, which officially makes me a senior in college (HOL-Y SMOKES). Some of my belongings are still on campus and I will be going to get them this weekend. And then I will be home for the summer.

I thank the Lord that our campus was spared, though I ache for those who were hit. And even though He threw us all for a loop right at the end of the semester, I know He has the best in mind. He always does.