Fall--finally.

Last week I invented an automatic cupcake flying machine, but since I didn't blog about it in time, it actually didn't happen and was erased from my memory. That is why blogging gaps are bad.

Word of the day: pumpkin. Sometimes I wish I was one--happy and round and tasty.

I never blogged about the day Kilter happened, so I've decided to do it now. Earlier that day, The Fritz sat in overflow chapel and listened to a sermon on what it means to be a man (which is extremely applicable to my life) which means that I had the manly Mulan song stuck in my head all afternoon. Actual Kilter happened that night, with Kait, Mary Claire, and I all dressed up as sisters with pigtails. First, we couldn't find the creative discovery museum (which is where Kilter was). Then we accidentally got on the interstate. Then we turned around and couldn't find it again. Then we parked several blocks away. Then we trekked all over downtown, fully clad in ridiculous clothes, to find somewhere to eat. Then we made it to the dance--alive.We had a fantastic time.

The next day, the three of us + Lisa went downtown to Coolige, where we got to watch a wedding and show off our terrible football throwing skills. My roommate is a phantom. I missed a ball, and while I unsuspectingly loafed toward it, she suddenly swooped out of nowhere and snatched it up, making me scream in sheer terror. Thank you, phantom roommate. We also discovered that Sweet Cece's froyo is DELICIOUS.

On Sunday, Nachofest happened. Because I'm on Andreas Building Council (and Andreas hosts Nachofest), my whole day pretty much revolved around it. Also, because I live on The Fritz and our theme was "Siesta Fiesta", I wore Cookie Monster pajamas for much of that time. As I ran up and down floors trying to make sure everyone had enough food to serve, I felt a little bit like a waitress and a lot a bit like a silly, sleepy, Sesame Street salsa dancer. How's that for alliteration??

Lisa says this photo kind of sums up our relationship.

Last Monday, I spent the evening laughing my rear off as some boys I babsat told me ridiculous jokes: 

"What's black and white and black and white and black and white and green? Three skunks and a pickle!"

"Knockknockwhosthere??....*silent pause*....haha! I win!"

I started choir at New City, which is a nice way to get involved in the church. Because of this, I also got drafted into helping lead chapel worship on Friday. This is not the kind of thing I normally do. On Friday, we were up on stage and everyone else knew what they were doing while I continually tried to create a balance between dancing to the music and not hitting the microphone with my chin every five seconds. On the upside, I looked really pretty. And God was definitely praised. 

Last weekend, Alyssa, Kait, Lisa, and I all headed up to Lisa's house for fun times. We watched a scary movie on accident (summed up in the words "happy happy space cowboy--BLARGEREHERG!!!!), almost got killed by Lisa on a golf cart, went to a chili cookoff, played five hours of poker, watched a happy movie, went to church, and had a nice quiet time on her back porch. And took a lot of hilarious pictures.

On the downside, I feel like I have lost two good friends this week. First, I lost my GBF Chris. He ended up being a lot different than Morgan and I thought he was, and we both got hurt. Second, I kind of lost Morgan. Shocker, right? I didn't even see this coming. A small disagreement came up, and all of the sudden she unleashed all these things that she had been bottling up for a long time and declared that we don't know each other like we thought we did. I guess she's right. Then she declared a friend break until I grow up. So, this past week, I felt like I went through a second breakup. Yeah, that sucks. I'm also really confused about what this means for our future, because I had all these plans and now they may dissolve. 

And maybe we're both being overdramatic. 

I'll just wait it out, pray about it, and concentrate on the lovely friends that I have here that are in the same stage of life I am.

My roommate has a movie set of Sunrise Earth. It's a bunch of sunrises without any commentary. Last week we watched "Moose in the Morning"--an entire hour of moose, clouds, lake, mountains, ducks, and the sunrise. It was AWESOME.

We had a really bad thunderstorm last week, and a bunch of stupid boys decided that it would be a good idea to go play football and dodge the lightning that was ON the mountain. Idiots. Well, funny idiots.

Today is officially the first day that it feels like fall. Yes: to pretty leaves and cool weather. No: to being closer to cold, miserable winter.

Song of the day that WILL NOT GET OUT OF MY HEAD: Love Like Woe by The Ready Set

I'm always making progress.

So here's the deal. I have all this homework to do, but my mind is in such a frenzy that I can't concentrate on it to save my life, and I need to get ready for bed in 45 minutes. And I haven't blogged in a long time. Gaps in blogs are bad, because when I am 85 years old looking back at my college life, I'm going to go "Oh, what did I do on September 13, 2010?" and then I'll see that I might have done something really important--like solve world hunger or invent remote-controlled men--but been too busy to blog about it and at that point in my life I'll be too old to remember whether or not I actually did it.

On that note, the word of the day is: yikes. It's my new keyphrase. I've said it at least ten times today and I'm starting to annoy myself.

Now we'll make a list of a bunch of random stuff that happened in the last week and a half:

• I figured out that when the clock in the back of the classroom doesn't work and you are too apprehensive to check the time on your cell for fear of being caught, you may glance at the professor's upside-down watch to see if class is even getting close to being over. Most of the time you will be disappointed.
• When I go home and attend high school football games and county fairs, I acquire a country accent. 
• I love my sister. She's the reason I risked acquiring said accent so I could see her play in the high school band. And I had a dream that she got cancer that made me depressed for the rest of that day. 
• I saw a Tool on campus do the Bieber hair flip and I nearly laughed aloud. 
• Last night I served food at a pro-life banquet, met Pam Tebow, and was informed that Tim Tebow is still single. Yay Tim Tebow the famous football player!
• My roommate and I have decided that when we lose one another in Walmart, one of us will simply screech "ca-CAW!" and the other will answer so that we may know each other's location. We have also nicknamed one another Honeylumps and Prickepits--though neither of us is lumpy or prickly.
• I laugh way too easily, usually at the wrong time. 
• I get to do children's art in class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Yesterday I did a self-portrait. Afterwards, I showed it off to one of my friends and she asked, "Who is that?" Fail.
• Brian Peppers is BAAAACK!
• Lisa brought back Zumba and now I want to constantly shake my hips. She also bought supplies last week to make AWESOME pumpkin crafts. She's the bomb-diggity.
• Enough about my roommate.
• I'm getting old. I have a scheduled bedtime.
• I have started a point system for getting healthier--in other words, I give myself stars for good behavior. I get depressed when I don't make three stars. Today, I will only make one and a half. I'm too lazy to zumba.
• We watched a Star Trek clip in psych class today. 
• Mangoes are DELICIOUS.
• Hold on--I've only been here for three weeks? Say what??
• I miss Uganda--probably because I went to a Kenyan woman's house on Sunday and have had some Africa-food this week. 
• People probably think I'm weird for knitting in chapel. I would think I was weird too if chapel weren't so boring without it. I'm willing to put up with weird if I'm entertained. I forgot it today and ended up staring at some boy rubbing the back of his chair legs for no reason while smelling the bad breath of the person next to me. YIKES. 

Song of the week: Just the Way You Are--B.o.B.

Pam Tebow!!

Random, scary VBS picture from when I was six.

Look how far I've come.

Puerile Silliness

Word of the day: sunburn. I'm hoping I got one, because today is one of the last chances I'll have to make up for the skin-darkening opportunities I missed when I was slathering myself with sunscreen in Uganda.

Second word of the day: puerile. I just discovered this word and I'm not entirely sure how to pronounce it. It means "childish or immature". Quite fitting, actually.

I did a lot of really random, puerile things this week. Let's hop around a bit.

I watched a lot of Gilmore Girls, which is food for my feminine soul. I also watched the Amanda Show and Xena: Warrior Princess (no, I did not spend my money on this--my puerile roommate did and we indulged ourselves in its cheesiness). This makes me sound like a slave to our television. I assure you, I am not. Mostly.

One night Lisa, Kait, and I went out on the veranda and spun around until we were extraordinarily dizzy. Then we went inside and made faces and funny noises at each other--you know, like that farting noises that you made as a kid by blowing onto your palms. I can't believe I was so puerile.

Another night, a group of us were in Target for a very long time. And Blockbuster. And Halloween Express. Speaking of Halloween--dude, I'm ready for it right NOW! Lisa bought a Martha Stewart magazine of all these cool things you can do for Halloween and delicious things you can make. Pumpkin cupcakes? Can I have them now?

I've had really vivid dreams all week. I dreamed that a spider tried to eat my face off. I dreamed that a cult captured me while I was on a tubing vacation and I couldn't escape (but I did share Jesus with someone because I thought we were gonna die! Bonus points!). I dreamed that I died several times. Then we went to the drive-in last night and saw Inception and I didn't WANT to dream after that.

Speaking of the drive-in--guess what we did last night? Yeah. It was fun. Double feature, $5, 2:00 am, yes please.

Unfortunately, Mary Claire, Emily, and I got shafted to the back seat on the way there.

I've had three RAs on campus this weekend. Lydia, the current one, of course. Then Molly came on Friday night. Then Lauren-the-original-Fritz came with high schoolers and invaded the hall all weekend. Man-oh-man. It's like contract-enforcers times THREE. No puerile naughtiness this weekend, girls!

I think I'm in love with Lloyd Dobbler. 

Josiah Meneghini just brought me the brownies he promised back in July. I think everyone should be friends with him. He's made of sunshine.

Covenant has some strange people in it. Example: there is a girl in one of my classes who nicknamed herself  "dragon" in Japanese. On Friday, she came to class with horns on her head. If this metamorphosis continues and she comes to class on Monday with black wings, I will be legitimately frightened. 

My roommate and I are on a hunt for rugs, and it's been unsuccessful so far. We are in dire need of something to cover up this tile. 

I bought two pairs of $3 shoes this week. 

I need babysitting moola to feed my needs. 

Looking down--yes, yes, I am indeed darker. YESS.

Song of the day: Magic---B.o.B

Junior

Word of the day: superman t-shirt.

I have this awkward space of time between my last class (3:50) and gym time with Kait (5:15). What to do? Blog, of course.

I have been a Covenant junior for one week now and I'm still trying to figure out how it's the same and how it's different from being a sophomore.

Same: someone making me scream on the first day back, having Kait in our room constantly, weekend baking parties, Gilmore Girls, mall trips, expensive coffee drinks, and really loud music in the car.

Different: all but five of the girls on The Fritz now, my professors, Lisa's xbox, couch in my room, strange freshmen, a HUGEMONGOUS shower, and all of the healthy cereals in my food drawer.

Classes: History and Philosophy of Education; Music, Art, and PE for Elementary School; 20th Century World History; Cross-Cultural Psychology; and Principles in Sociology. I am excited about three out of five of these.

I'm liking the new Fritz so far. Yesterday we old Fritzers discovered that they are actually as strange as we are, making them much more likeable.

Good things that happened this weekend: car dance party X a million, World Market, rainbow parachute games on the veranda, Harry Potter, kids' soccer game, Stone Cup, cake balls + chick flicks at the Fritz House, prayer & praise with Bloodfield and post praise dance party minus the boys. Oh yeah, and about an hour of homework while Harry Potter was playing in my room. I'm a studying BEAST.

  

Noobies          

CAKE BALLS!!!

My roommate and I screamed to Destiny's Child yesterday and now my throat hurts. 

I have found that I have a gift for attracting desperate boys. 

I did ten sit-ups in the shower just to prove that I could.

I miss my friends at home more than I did last year. 

My new coffee pot is making my into an addict. 

EXERCISE TIME!!!

Song of the day: Somebody to Love by Justin Bieber. I got the Bieber Fever.

My Heart is Melting

Word of the day: Kazakh. I love Kazakhs. Or at least my Kazakhs.

This blog won't be terribly long, because whoa I need sleep and I have all these things to do tomorrow. Yeah.

So here I will make a list of all the little things I want to talk about that tugged my heart this week:

1) My GBF, Christopher. He's had a $#@%$@^ week and really, really needs to get out of the situation he's in...but that's easier said than done. I've only known this guy for a month and I already love him to death. It hurts to watch. On Wednesday, Morgan and I watched The Princess Bride with him, and today I took him a hot fudge milkshake because of his $#%#*($ week. I really just want to stick him in my Covenant closet and keep him. I think he's made of cotton candy and sunshine.

2) My best friend Morgan. I wish she and Chris both lived in my closet at Covenant. We've stayed up too many nights this month giggling like 10-year-olds. And she's probably gettting married next year. AAH.

RAPTOR.

3) My university students. Thursday, I took Nargiz from Azerbaijan and Maria from Russia to Gatlinburg for mini golf, Ripley's, and donuts.

YUM. But on my way home after dropping them off, I just started crying. Nargiz is Muslim and Maria doesn't know very much about Jesus. Will I see them again? I don't know. And there's really nothing I can do about it. And that really sucks. They are such sweet, precious girls.

I also learned how to be super flexible. On Friday, Julia called to ask for a ride to Knoxville on Saturday that ended up taking all afternoon. I just kept saying "semper gumby, semper gumby, semper gumby...."

Today, I stole my Kazakhs--Azamat and Daulet--for the day. Both of them are also "Muslim", but I managed to get them to come to church with me (even though we were half an hour late...I went to their apartment to pick them up and Azamat comes stumbling out..."Hello Lora. What time is it? Oh, I think we will be late. Ten minutes...") That afternoon dad n' mom took us up to Clingman's Dome--the boys' first time in the park. Azamat couldn't stop smiling and Daulet kept singing Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber songs. I had an absolutely delightful time.

Daulet, me, and Azamat. Also known as coffee and milk, because they are African compared to me. I made them a cd of fun American songs we like together and a card to go with it, and afterwards Azamat wrote, "yeah, when I read coffee - milk - coffee, it's so nice, i can't find a ward to explane what I feel"

--ok, my heart just melted a bit.

4) My sister. She's tall and gorgeous and boy crazy and only a high school freshman. She came to Knoxville with me Saturday, and we pretty much spent the entire ride there and back talking about boys and what not to do in relation to boys. Example: if attractive senior boy puts you on a "hot" list, don't let him come after you. She already knows this, I just wanted to pound it in more. I pray that our relationship stays like this through high school, because I want to keep her away from any serious trouble--she is my little sister, after all.

5) I'm tired of saying goodbye to people I'm never going to see again with my human eyes. I'm ready to be settled on The Fritz again. And yes, that's happening in TWO DAYS. 

Song of the day: Party in the USA. With Kazakhs.

Hence, a long blog.

List of words that describe the current times: international, semper gumby, GBF, raptor, novocaine, angst, ideal woman, and anaplastic astrocytoma. Yes, this blog will be long.

Whenever I come home, this thing happens where I go, "Oh! I have a whole free week! How bored I shall be!" and then, two hours later, I go, "Oh! I now have a full week! Whenever shall I have time to rest?" Does this mean I'm finally popular? I'm not entirely sure.

I kind of feel like I'm having two summers in a row and they are complete opposites of one another. Africa? I went to Africa? No, surely not. I'm doing a million and one things here. Whenever would I have had time to go to Africa?

Actually, the way God planned it out is really funny. I went to a place where I was the outsider (major outsider, actually, being extra-white as I am) working with children to a place where I was the native working with outsiders my own age. Since arriving back in Sevierville, I've gotten involved in a ministry called "La Puerta". It's for foreign university students working in Pigeon Forge for the summer. At first, it was really awkward because I arrived at the student center and the director told me "just go talk to students". Um, ok. Now, this is a small place with computers and washing machines and not much else. So I awkwardly plopped myself down beside a Russian and started making intrusive small talk. Fast forward a couple weeks. I've been to the center a few times, and a Thai lady that helps out there calls me and asks if I can go with her and some students to Cherokee. I say sure that would be fun......The day before we go, I get a call from her.

Laura: Oh yeah, I'm still planning on going with you guys!
Ladda: Good! I need yo heyp! I cannot drive!
Laura: .....you need me to drive then?
Ladda: Oh thank you!
Laura: Do you have directions? What will we do?
Ladda: You get on internet and find directions! We see when we get there!

Last Friday, therefore, found me with one talkative Russian in my front seat and three Mongolians in my back seat singing to Shania Twain on a one and a half hour drive to Cherokee, North Carolina....minus one Thai lady leader. However, we still managed to have a blast. Magically, we all also managed to match outfits. Guess who the obnoxious American tour guide is?

On the ride up, Julia (the Russian girl) asked me if she could come to church with me on Sunday. God made that one wayyyy too easy. So, a couple days later, I took her and another Russian girl, Masha, to church and then to my house. They really enjoyed it and dad took a fun picture of us.

Doing this has been such a learning experience. I actually know some things about Mongolia now (because who ever gives much thought to Mongolia?) and I've had to draw from my experience in Africa--how I would have wanted to be treated when I was the outsider. I've made friends with people from Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan. And I've gotten to share the love of Christ with people from another culture without having to raise money and hop on a plane. COOL. Hence, the words international and semper gumby (always flexible...and no, gumby is not Latin for flexible).

I have also made a new gay friend named Chris! Morgan has known him for a while already, and we've gotten to hang out several times since I've been back. Being friends with him has really caused me to think (as if I wasn't doing enough of that already with all my other new friends....) about how I treat those that Christian society usually shuns. I had a gay friend before, but we didn't have to opportunity to stay close. This time it's different because Chris believes in God, but he's still gay. I'm trying to figure that out. I do love him though and he makes me laugh hysterically. Hence GBF, aka "gay best friend"

I have seen Morgan nearly every other day since I've been back. She's basically my other sister. When we were with Chris, we began doing "the raptor". How-to: make a two-fingered raptor talon with each hand, pull elbows into chest, and squeal "REEEE!" Hence, raptor.

Today I got a tooth filled and they had to numb up the right side of my mouth. I didn't know they were going to do this. So, as I'm lying on my back waiting for just a little drill, this giant needle suddenly comes swinging at my face and I go OH CRAAAP. Hence, novocaine. 


My sister began high school two days ago and she's already getting crazier. She was convinced that she would meet her dream man husband on the first day, but was then hit with the cold reality that those don't exist in high school. Hence, angst.


You know what I love about Africa? They value a woman with a figure, which is why it's ok for women to eat thick food like men do and show off some curve. You know what I hate about America? Boys here have been made to think that a beautiful body doesn't have a lot of curve. My best guy friend makes me feel like a giant when he points out the girls he thinks are attractive and my brother makes me feel ugly when he talks about the girls he likes. I don't look like those girls. My anatomy will never permit me to look like those girls. Does that mean I'm ugly? I didn't see it as much until I left America for a while, but now that I do, it really does hurt. Hence, ideal woman. I am not the American version of this.


Last, but not least, anaplastic astrocytoma. Fancy words for a special kind of brain tumor. NO, I do not have one. But, if you recall, this summer I have acquired the aspiration of becoming a children's author. In my next story, one of my characters will have said brain tumor. Therefore, I'm trying to do research on it, even though doing this makes me really depressed. Cancer is not a happy subject and I hurt for all the children I've read about that died from this tumor.

I go back to school on Tuesday. I am less popular there. Yay.

Song of the day: Man, I Feel Like a Woman. Oh, Shania.

Birthday Awesome.

Word of the day: birthday. Yeah, well, my birthday was two days ago, but whatever. I figure it's time to write about it because 20 is a pretty big birthday.

It all began on the 5th, when I suddenly went whoah, this is my last day as a teenager. What do I do? The first thing on the agenda, of course, was to listen to teenie bopper music while I was in the shower. Excellent. Then Audrey and I went out to "go to the bank". Yes, we did go to the bank, but first we took a side trip to McDonald's for smoothies and screamed to Ke$ha music all the way through the drive-thru, with the windows down of course. And, after the bank, we took another side trip to Walmart just for fun. They had three different sections with UT shoes in them! THREE! It was disgusting. Too much tacky orange.

I puttered around after that, bored, until Tori showed up. We Redboxed Leap Year and Valentine's Day, so by the time we were finished I felt like I was in love...but I'm not sure who with. Between movies, we made brownies--at 2 am. Thank goodness mom n dad weren't home.

Of course, we woke up at noon the next day, which means it was time for breakfast. Tori and I made really, really awesome pancakes.

Fast-forward two hours to find us at the Tin Roof coffee shop with Rejoice and Jordan. We spent over an hour playing a question game. We discussed whether or not we would want to know the date of our death and what the worst hairdo we ever had was. DEEP.

Then back home where my pool was waiting. Only Jordan and Daniel actually went swimming, but they soaked me with water guns while I danced around the pool. Jordan also pushed me into the landscaping and I cut my toes up.

Morgan showed up, Rejoice left, and we had the traditional family-friend-pizza-dinner AND homemade chocolate ice cream YUM. Oh yeah--and I got some presents--the Amanda show, Jesus Storybook Bible, a coffeemaker, and all the sheet music to Pride & Prejudice. Needless to say, I was *thrilled*. Audrey also made me a balloon Flounder, Triton, and Merdog because I love The Little Mermaid so much. And I wore a crown. Yay me.

After that the four of us headed up to Gatlinburg while playing the ipod game. I profusely recommend this game for people who want to laugh a lot. In Gatlinburg, we played with hermit crabs, scared people in a mirror maze, sat at a hobbit table at Donut Friar, played DDR, and watched moonshine distilling.

We got home, Tori left, and the rest of us stayed up watching the Amanda Show and laughing HYSTERICALLY.

And.....yeah, that's about it. Hey, I'm 20 now and I'm about to start my junior year. AWESOME.

And I'm really mature.

Song of the day: Love Song by Sara Bareilles. I refuse to write you one.