Pictures!

Here are some pictures from Chicago this far!
Here on your left you will find some of the leaders hanging out under the St. Louis arch. They said this picture wouldn't turn out, but it did!
And on your left you can see me hanging on for dear life on the arch itself!

Yeah, we gals had a lot of stuff to move in! We were tired! Here's us with random kitchen things the first night on Lindner 5!

And down there I am standing outside Chicago- the view from the Lincoln Park Zoo!

.... a walking picture in Chicago during leaders week..... and down there are the guy leaders looking fly. That's right. I just said "fly."

Mmmmm... the first social- bags of burgers. Can life get any better? I submit that it cannot!

Ummm this computer is messed up. But there will be more to come!

Chicago!!!!!

Well, here's a really ridiculously small picture of the girl leaders in front of Chicago! We made it safely and more pictures will be coming soon!

Ready to go....

Here I am, sitting in the middle of my floor in the duplexes typing my last blog of this semester. I leave for my summer in Chicago tomorrow morning. This is my last night at the Duplexes. The last night of Norman (for a while atleast). There are people talking about O-week in the other room. I just had dinner with my Project Group from 2 years ago. I am stoked about the summer. Everyone is going separate ways to the ends of the earth, but the cool thing is that we're all connected throughout the summer. So for everyone who is leaving on their amazing trips, I'll be in that suitcase with you with prayers. Love you all. Goodnight!

Sigh

The wedding was great. I just pulled 77 (yes, I counted) bobby pins out of my hair. Goodnight!

The Van Dyck's are coming!!!!!

In the midst of the chaos of finals and moving out, I have one ray of hope: my fam will be in town this week. In celebration of the Hay Wedding, the fun family will be reunited... and it feels so good.

Here's a preview:

The parentals
















Brother Matt will play!
















And Dan and Amy will be married! (random picture, I know)















Then, we party. I can't wait to have fun with everyone after this grueling week is over. Good luck on your finals!!!

I'm in love.

These pictures made my heart smile. It might just be a girl thing.... or a girl who works at a preschool thing.... but these are still cute.
And of course, this was in an email from my dad, who said, "This is what I'm doing to my grandchildren!"














The 102nd Dalmation... and the cutest




















This is the only friendly snake out there, children.




















Yes!











































I love this one... although it kind of looks like those "Those We Don't Speak Of"s from "The Village" but oh well! He won't bite.




















Hahahaha, this kid looks so confused... or like she's fake-smiling.




















Heheheheheeheheheeheheheehee
Oh-Em-Gee he looks like Jerrett! Who's with me?!?!





















AWESOME! Maaaa-su-way-nee-yaaaa... it's the circle of liiiiiiife!




















This kid reminds me of someone I know.. I just can't pinpoint it, and it's driving me nuts!




















sweet




















I could eat this kid...




















OK what is this? The closest thing I could think of was a wildebeast or however you spell it.




















It's a blast being a crocodile!




















Yes! What kid doesn't like hanging upside down?.... in a bat costume and chewing thier wings, nonetheless!




















Awww she wants a hug!




















My favorite is the lion... but that might just be because I have a crush on chubby little boys.

Forwarded emails from Dad

I usually abhor getting any email with "Fwd:" in the front, but my dad's passing-ons I tend to enjoy. Here are two that I got today. Thanks Dad!

Forward Number 1:

HOW SMART IS YOUR RIGHT FOOT???

This is so funny that it will boggle your mind. And you will keep trying it at least 50 more times to see if you can outsmart your foot. But you can't!!!

1. While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles with it.

2. Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change direction!!!

I told you so... And there is nothing you can do about it.

Make sure you pass this on to your friends... They won't be able to believe it either!!!

And sure enough, I did do it about 50 more times. Good one, Pops!

Forward Number 2:

OK listen up! As every southerner knows it's time to get ready for that all important cooking technique of the south---outdoor Grilling! I have found several stores (not just in the south) where you can get a FREE Bar-B-Q Grill! This is not a joke. You can get a free BBQ grill from any of the following stores:

A&P
Albertsons
Costco
Food Lion
Fry's
Kroger
Big Lots
Brookshire's
Safeway
Target
Wal-Mart
Winn-Dixie

I especially like the higher shelf which can be used for keeping things warm!

Just make sure to get a metal one...the Plastic one's don't do so well when smokin a pig!

Who can't appreciate that?

Short update for the limited-on-time-age

Update update update

Busy week

Update update

Spring banquet was great.
Pictures to come soon.

Update update update

Two weeks of school left

Update update

The Look Alike Theory is totally true and guys are dumb because they can't see OBVIOUS correlations between dating couples

Update update.

I have to go write a speech that was due last week now.

I have a ton of German homework and this is what I'm doing...

Welp, lunch at Tarajumara's today sparked a question in my head. The single mariachi guy played La Bamba (not to mention playing Macarena for our white table... AND making us sing "Heeeeeey Macarena!" at the end of every chorus....) and I wondered what the words really were and what they meant.

La Bamba - Valens Richie
Para bailar la bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Se necesita una poca de gracia
a Una poca de gracia para mi para ti
ya Arriba y arriba
ay arriba y arriba por ti sere
Por ti sere
Por ti sere
Yo no soy marinero
Yo no soy marinero
Soy capitana
Soy capitana
Soy capitana
Bamba la bamba
Bamba la bamba
Bamba la bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Se necesito una poca de gracia
a Una poca de gracia para mi para ti
ya Arriba y arriba

Para bailar la bamba
Para bailar la bamba
Se necesito una poca de gracia
a Una poca de gracia para mi para ti
ya Arriba y arriba
ay arriba y arriba por ti sere
Por ti sere
Bamba la bamba
Bamba la bamba
Bamba la bamba

But I took French and German and do not know what these mean. So what do I do? Naturally I copied and pasted it into an online translator (Warning: Never do this when you really have to write a paper for a foreign language.)

The Bamba - Valens Richie
To dance the bamba
For dance the bamba is needed a little of grace to
A little of grace for my for you already
Up and up oh up and up by you
I was For you
I was For you
I was
I am not sailor
I am not sailor
I Am captain
I Am captain
I Am captain
Bamba the bamba
Bamba the bamba
Bamba the bamba
For dance the bamba
To dance the bamba
I am needed a little of grace to
A little of grace for my for you already
Up and up

To dance the bamba
For dance the bamba
I am needed a little of grace to
A little of grace for my for you already
Up and up oh up and up by you
I was For you
I was
Bamba the bamba
Bamba the bamba
Bamba the bamba

But even after that, I had no idea what it meant! So my friend Goodle helped me out.
"The repeated lyric "Yo no soy marinero" ("I'm not a sailor") refers to Veracruz's marine locale and the male's promise that he will remain faithful to his wife."

"What exactly does "La Bamba" mean? Consider: "Bambolear" means swinging or swaying, and a "bambollero/bambollera" is a someone who likes to boast (e.g., "I'm not a sailor, I'm a captain!"). "
I hope this was as educational for you as it was for me.

Good reminders of God's goodness

Well, Spring semester is here, and with that comes the scariness for me. I've made so many hard decisions this year that I'm ready to move on... into the summer... into the fall eventually. Today I had a hard time trusting God with things.. with support raising, with the girls in my group this summer, with me this summer, and some other things. I hate this cycle I get into, where I can fully and completely trust God with some things.. then when they aren't working out exactly how I want them to, I back away and run from His promises. Tonight, though, God encouraged and challenged me with one of my favorite songs by Derek Webb:

Wedding Dress
If you could love me as a wife
And for my wedding gift, your life
Should that be all I’d ever need
or is there more I’m looking for?

And should I read between the lines
and look for blessings in disguise
To make me handsome, rich, and wise
Is that really what you want?

I am a whore I do confess
But I put you on just like a wedding dress
and I run down the aisle
and I run down the aisle
I’m a prodigal with no way home
but I put you on just like a ring of gold
and I run down the aisle to you

So could you love this bastard child
Though I don’t trust you to provide
With one hand in a pot of gold
and with the other in your side?

I am so easily satisfied
by the call of lovers so less wild
That I would take a little cash
Over your very flesh and blood

Because money cannot buy
a husband’s jealous eye
When you have knowingly deceived his wife

Derek Webb wrote this ballad about the adulteress bride in Ezekiel 16, showing how we live our lives contrary to what we claim. "So could you love this bastard child though I don't trust you to provide?" hit home with me tonight. The last verse in Ezekiel 16 is a promise, though: "I have forgiven you for all that you have done," the Lord God declares. What a great God!

I am reminded of Hosea

Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
Bring her into the wilderness
And speak kindly to her.
-Hos. 2:14

I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice
In lovingkindness and in compassion,
And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness.
Then you will know the Lord.
-Hos. 2:19

I'm such a girl

It's 1:30 in the morning. We just watched Pride and Prejudice. There is something about that movie that leaves me in awe of what it means to be ladylike and manly. Just look at how the people treated each other back then. Culture today stinks! Anyways.... we even made cookie dough. I'm not even kidding. We made the dough with no intention of baking them at all. I love that.

Anyways, here are some pictures from some recent ventures.

I was in a wedding of one of my best friends, Jayme. It was beautiful- on the beach, sunset, everything.

We even got to see some high school buddies!!! Reminiscing about band and the ridiculous things we did back then ...... ahhh that was fab!
Dad even taught me how to Foxtrot.


Tod and Tygre even did a lil interpretive dance for us to Sarah McLaughlin's "Arms of the Angels." It was magical.Yeah, these are random pictures from the wedding.

Anyways, we had a fun time sitting out in the back of the truck hanging with friends. I love things like that. You know what else I love? I love driving at night with the windows down. I love the sound of Bible pages turning. I love cancelled classes. I love surprises and the unknown. I love road trips. I love random dance parties. I love my roommates and the hilarious times we have together, especially Tuesday night dinners. I love that one chord in a song that never fails to give me goosebumps. I love it when my kids at work learn how to say my name. I love Friday nights- the night is always young. I love dollar movies. I love drive in movies. I love hearing an old song and it bringing back so many memories. I love bubble gum. Etc.

In the spirit of random, here's the first video I took on my camera. It's the 2-pointer we made at the 2004 Orange Bowl. What a horrible game.


It's late. I'm so glad work is closed tomorrow. Night.

Going to the chapel and we're gonna get married...

OK that's a total lie. First of all, we're not going to the chapel. We're going to the beach! Secondly, I'm not getting married. My best friend from back home is getting married to a fabulous guy! Jayme and Sam, congrats. I love you 2 so much.
Off to paint my nails! Tomorrow's going to be great!!!

Drain drain go away come again some other day.

Can life get more emotionally draining? Dear Lord, I sure hope not. The sad thing is that I'm drained by things that aren't even directly happening to me- I'm just associated with them. When something rocky comes my way in the future I don't think I'll have the emotional patience to deal with it. Luckily though, I'm not that sensitive or easily offended, so that day might be far off. I don't really know what this post is supposed to be about. It's not witty or funny. It just is. Because I am just this right now. And I can't explain it.
Sorry to be a bore. It's just all getting really old and really tiring and I can't wait until these things I can't control are different.

Genocide Awareness Project

It's coming to OU.
It cannot be stopped.
It will challenge college students.
It will bring truth where before there was cover-up.
It will save lives.

I don't really know what that above limerick was. I just sort of made it up trying to sound like one of those movie preview narrator guys.

No but seriously, I just got home from the GAP meeting. The Genocide Awareness Project is coming to OU on Monday and Tuesday and is ready to engage our culture, challenge students, and raise awareness of this genocide that is sweeping our nation. I really don't know what to feel about it yet... I'm nervous, scared, yet extremely excited to see God work. I know He is doing something great through this project, and I thank Him for letting me fight battles with Him. I hope people won't stop talking or thinking about it, that classes will discuss it, that the paper will approach all views of it (for once), that people will be changed by it, but most importantly, that babies will be alive where they were before destined to be killed because of unwant.

Pure awesomeness!

Mock's Keyboard Debut

I have no idea when I took this.

Messing around with YouTube

I love our MT.

The Life of a Public Speaker

Yes, I am preparing for my tribute speech to Elvis, and it's really exciting. What makes this so special too is the trip to Graceland in the upcoming weeks. It will make my crush on Elvis official.

Whatever

Don't know what to update, so here's a picture from one of the emails my dad sent me.

Sick.

Finding joy in the small things

These past weeks have been crazy, but only because I've let them be like that. There was a lot on my plate that I had to deal with/am still trying to deal with. So many "little" tasks need to be done, and the to-do list gets longer and longer each day.

Thursday at Vespers I was really encouraged by Randy Lanthripe's message about faithfulness. God challenged me with that- giving me small things now to develop faithfulness in my life so that in the future He can give me bigger things! That's exciting news, and I'm grateful He starts us out on the small things! The foundation I lay now will be with me my entire life and I want to cultivate things like faithfulness now so that I don't have to deal with/ "chip away at" later on in life. I am so encouraged in the Lord!

Randy also said that when we're under the gun and have no idea how we're going to finish all the things on our to-do lists, when we concentrate on faithfulness to Him first, we can take one step at a time and get jobs done. Hearing that reminded me of those times in life, especially throughout college where God has kept His promise in that! So though there's a lot to get done, I need to focus on my relationship with Him first, seek His Kingdom foremost, and let God guide the next steps. I love having Someone so powerful and faithful to trust my life with!

Anyway, studying at Panera with Lindsay was really encouraging. We talked through a lot of it, got so much behind reading done, and then this random guy came in with this huge harp and started playing. He had this whole posse of groupies with him and I really have no idea what they were doing there. I love things like that. Just out of the blue things that I can really appreciate. But what's more than that is that the first song he played was "Bridge over Troubled Water." Wow! That came from beyond the harpist! God used that song to encourage me, to tell me that He's thinking of me in that moment, in every moment. Thank you Jesus.