Goodbye, 2008.

Three hours, six minutes.

Yippee.

Resolution(s)

Oh boy. New Year's Eve is tomorrow. And I have yet to think of any resolutions. I never really had made any resolutions the years before last. I like to think I was at least semi-successful in keeping up with it, permitted I was given opportunities to do so. It will definitely carry over to 2009 and future years.

[See Part Two of Ch. Four in my 'So Close' blog to read about last year's resolution.]

I'm definitely going to have to come up with a new resolution. Honestly, last year's resolution was one more way to help me stay focused on God and it was great to grow in my faith through that resolution. I hope to do the same with this year's.

Change

I need a change.
Something new.
I don't know what, exactly.
Just...
something.
A new routine.
A new haircut.
A new hobby.
Anything, really.
I simply feel stuck.
And I don't like it.

...
I still can't wait to go back to school.

Favorites

'These are a few of my favorite things.'

















Phase 10.
My new study Bible.
History of Israel [homework].

And yes, I'm serious about the homework. It's keeping me sane through my ardent wishing to get back to school.

Coincidences

I'm a huge fan of coincidences.
Connections.
Similar occurrences.
Whatever.
I think they're a lot of fun.
One may say, "There are no such things as coincidences... only fate! And destiny!"
Eeeyeahhh. Well. To each his own, I suppose.

Anyway, something I found out today was somewhat coincidental and I appreciated it. I received a couple C.S. Lewis books for Christmas and have started reading one of them ('The Screwtape Letters'). I am, currently, talking with a friend (I'm a great multi-tasker) and we were talking about Christmas; we went over a few things that we received and he actually received a collection of C.S. Lewis books. The first one he has chosen to read is, in fact, 'The Screwtape Letters'. Coincidence? Indeed. We're even on the same letter. Fascinating.

Ankeny

So I'm in Ankeny at my sister and brother-in-law's house [with my mom, dad, and brother]. It's been a long day. We got here almost twelve hours ago. But it's been fun. We exchanged gifts and just hung out. Played a few games. My nephew, Jack, is such a joy. Just seeing him smile and laugh puts a huge smile on my face and I can't help but laugh along with him. Absolutely delightful. I like it here, I feel really comfortable.

The Birth

Merry Christmas to you!

'But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." '
[Luke 2:10-11]

More?!

We received more snow last night and this morning.

Ick.

I'm so over it.
Not even kidding.

Shopping

I started my Christmas shopping today...
ummm yeahhh...

Usually I don't wait this long!
I'm basically done about a week before Christmas.
Not this year, obviously.
Oh well.

I had fun going out with my dad today.
Annnd tomorrow I'll go with my mom!
Such fun.
I love shopping with my parents.
They each approach going out in such different ways and with such different mindsets.
Too great.

Band

Tonight I went to the band concert at my brother's high school. He plays in the Wind Symphony. I've talked before about how amazing my brother is and what a talented trumpet player he is. I really enjoyed the Wind Symphony's performance tonight.

I always liked band. I played the alto saxophone from sixth grade to half of eleventh grade (due to 'The Incident That Shall Not be Mentioned'). I was not great. I was good enough, though, especially for one who never practiced or took private lessons. But I never wanted to be great; I didn't care about improving. However, I have this feeling I could have done really well. Maybe not to the point where I was the best of the best, like my brother is. But I probably could have made Wind Symphony if I really wanted to. In fact, one of the band directors actually encouraged me to audition for it, as well as one of the jazz bands. That was the year before 'The Incident'. I never cared much for jazz, though. Actually, not at all. And I still practically abhor it to this day - and want to cut my ears off every time I hear any type of jazz music. Ugh.

Anyway. I liked marching band the best. I didn't like sitting down at concerts to play Christmas jingles and slow, boring songs. I liked the competition, excitement, discipline, and movement of marching. Man oh man, it was always so fun: from band camp, to football games, to competitions... marching band was great.

Once a band geek, always a band geek.
For sure.

Cold

It is too cold.

CCCB

I want to be back at school already.
[I've only been home eight days.]

And it's not because I miss people or don't like being home or on break...

It's just that I'm really excited for my classes next semester and want to begin.
Man oh man.

Yella!

I am so complacent right now.
I like where I am in life.
Yet at the same time, I feel so complaisant.
To go out and do.
Do something.
Do anything.
Whatever needs to be done.
Help.
Long-term, I mean.
But I know I have to wait.
I have to learn.
Mature.
Grow.
Yet I can't help but think, 'Let's go! Now.'

['Yella!' means "Let's go!" in Arabic.]

Notes

I used my Pentateuch notes today to find a verse in Deuteronomy.
I was happy for myself when I found what I was looking for.
Brilliant.

Foundations

I got an A in Foundations of Christianity.
I got an A in Foundations of Christianity.
I, Natalie Paige Keene, got an A in Foundations of Christianity.

There is a God.
Which is probably a good thing for me to realize and know and believe, seeing how I'm going to a Bible college and taking classes like Foundations of Christianity.

In which, by the way, I got an A.

Chores

Tomorrow my mom is leaving a list of chores for me to do around the house while she is at work.

I am excited.

I'm so weird.

I've been kind of bored. I've done some homework for next semester and read quite a bit, but that's about it. My dad is in France on business. My brother still has school. My sister and her husband (and baby Jack!) live two hours away. And basically all my friends are either in Japan for the year (miss Abbie Burkle... !) or are still at school.

I should be able to look around and see what needs to be done, but that doesn't always work out well for me. I either don't realize it or am afraid I'll do something wrong.

So, yes.
Chores.
Good.

Christmas

Christmas is ten days away.
That's basically tomorrow, in Natalie-time.
Holy eggnog, where has the time gone?!
The day before last it was Halloween.
And just yesterday it was Thanksgiving.
And the day after tomorrow it will be January 1, 2009.
Oh my.

Service

There is simply nothing like a good, traditional, Methodist church service at 9:00 in the morning to bring you happiness.

Honestly.

I love St. Paul's.

Talk

I'm so tired of non-verbal communication.

Facebook.
Texting.
Emails.

It's ridiculous.

Verbal communication is coming to be a lost art, believe it or not.

This saddens me.

Winter Break

I'm home for winter break, and boy does it feel good.

Popcorn

I'm pretty sure I could live off of popcorn if I ever needed to. I wouldn't complain.

Flashcards

I enjoy making flashcards to a very large extent.
Let me tell you...
it's kind of addicting.

Final

I basically aced my Foundations of Christianity final.

That's all I have to say.

!

Pictures

I have neglected to take pictures for my last four Sunday posts... ridiculous.
This happened about a month ago, I think.

Man! I need to get on that.

Trinity

Trinity United Methodist Church of Moberly, Missouri is really cute. And the service is fantastic. I like it. A lot.

Godsends

God is so good.
He places people in my life, every day, who give me hope, encouragement, answers to prayer, love, and so much more. Honestly. They are true Godsends and I am so thankful for each of them.

Text-Talk

I think one of my favorite things to do is talk to people by texting them... when they are sitting right next to me. Private little conversations are the best.

Mutti, don't hate.
!

... Love you, Mutti. : )

Assignment, Revisited

I actually posted the assignment I wrote about yesterday on my other blog.
I'm in partial disbelief at myself.
I am ridiculous.
I don't care.

Assignment

So I'm sitting in the library right now. I just finished my last assignment of the year for LOC. I have one last assignment to do for the entire fall term. But I wanted to take a bit of a break to check my email (... /Facebook...). Then I thought I'd go ahead and write today's post on this blog while I'm online. The only thing on my mind right now is this last assignment I've got, so I figured I might as well write about it. The assignment is for Christian Discipleship. I have to write a Spiritual Growth Plan. A paper, essentially, which is designed "to facilitate self-evaluation of distinctive personal attributes pertaining to my spiritual walk, and to determine systematic and measurable means by which I will mature in my faith in Jesus Christ." Straight off the syllabus. I'm technically really excited to write my plan out. This is tough, though. Our first assignment for this class was a Spiritual Journey paper. That was easy. Writing about the past is no problem. But writing about the future? Entirely different story. I know I've said before that I like to plan things out and know what's going to happen. And this is kind of a chance to just go at it with full force and work out this crazy-awesome plan... but as I've been learning to sort of sit back and give the reins to God, I don't know where to start. I've just sort of let things fall into place. Also, it's a plan as to where I'm going to go with my faith. What I'm going to do with it, how I'm going to grow. That's a different kind of plan than how I'm going to spend my summer vacation... or even how I'm going to live my life after I graduate. I really am stoked to write this thing - but it's truly going to take a bit of thinking, that's for sure. I probably should have been thinking about it quite some time ago... seeing how the paper is due at 1:30 in the afternoon tomorrow... but hey, it's how I do. I'm not worried about getting it done. Trust me, it will get done. But I'm definitely going to have to sit and and plan this... plan. !

Presently...

I have my last Foundations class tonight.
And I can hardly contain myself at the thought of not having to go to this class anymore.
It's basically ridiculous.

Also, I want to go to Salt Lake City.
Very badly.
I talked to my friend Darcy last night and it was a bittersweet conversation.
It was wonderful talking to her, but it made me miss her (and everybody else, too!) so much more.

Man.

But I'm still really excited to not have Foundations anymore (with the exception of going to take the final next week, that is).

Edit: I GOT OUT OF FOUNDATIONS ONE HOUR AND FORTY MINUTES EARLY... !!!!!!

Cello

I am going to learn how to play the cello.
One day.

A couple years ago I decided that if I could go back in time and do things over... I would go back to the spring before sixth grade and decide to be in orchestra, learning how to play the cello - and not be in band playing the alto saxophone.

I would do a few more things over, of course, but that would certainly be the starting point.

"Katie, what was that thing you were playing today, the big thing?"
'Cello.'
"Ok. This is a bass guitar. And it's the exact same thing but instead of playing it like this, you tip it on the side... cellooo, you got a bass!"
[Name that movie.]

Snow

It snowed last night. It is still snowing. It is supposed to continue snowing throughout the day and night, into the morning. Ugh.

No picture of the snow, sorry. I didn't bring my camera home and I don't feel like using my mom's becaaause I'm lazy!

Church

I'm really excited to go to my [home] church tomorrow.
Oh, how I enjoy it so.
I love the 9:00 traditional service.
Beautiful.
I can't wait!

Turkey

I love turkey.
Cold turkey.
Hot turkey.
Dark turkey.
White turkey.
I love it all.
Oh man.

Give THANKS

Happy Thanksgiving!

Surprise!

My sister [Jessica], her husband, and baby Jack showed up at our front door this evening.
I was so excited to see them! I didn't think we'd be seeing them until later this upcoming weekend. I haven't seen Jack since before I left for school in mid-August, so he's grown and changed quite a bit. He's more fun to play with. He smiles and is pretty vocal. Working on those fine motor skills. Wanting to get around a bit, but hasn't put two and two together to make it happen. He can hold himself up, and he'll kick his feet around, but not at the same time. It's really cute to watch. Aw gee.

Drive

I'm driving home in a few minutes.
Hopefully the drive won't be too bad.
It's a nice day.
It's not going to be dark.
I am a little tired, though.
But I'm sure I'll make it just fine.

Edit: I'm home!

Classes

We have class today and tomorrow.
We never have class on Monday.
So it's throwing me off.
And I don't appreciate it.
But it means that I'll get to go home sooner.
And so I don't actually mind all that much.

Almost There!

I only have three assignments left to do for this semester.
[Thanks to the fact that I did so much homework this weekend... !]
I'll do them over Thanksgiving break, and have a full week to study for finals.
Then I'll be done with my first semester at Central Christian College of the Bible.
Crazy.






















I've come to love CCCB.

All Day

I've spent all day in the library.
Same thing yesterday, too.

I've gotten so much done, which is great.
But man oh man, my eyes are tired and my brain hurts.

Chyeah

What a day.
And now I'm sitting here on a Friday night in little Moberly, Missouri.
What am I doing?
Nothing.
Brilliant.
Honestly, it's nice to not be doing anything. Not gonna lie.

Apple

I just ate a delectable apple.

It made me really happy.

That is all.

Brilliant

I am going to start a coffeehouse in Moberly, Missouri. A coffeehouse designed for and by students. It will be brillant. And lovely.

Café 1040

"Café 1040 is an intensely experiential 3-month training program inside the 10/40 Window, exposing Christian college students and young adults to missions in the unreached world. Through this semester-long program abroad, students and recent graduates study language, culture, history, religion, and technology. They are exposed to field survival, cultural immersion, and people groups while exploring various topographies. This is hands-on, real world training, preparing the emerging generation for a possible career in missions."

The above is the description on the homepage of Café 1040's website.

I really want to do the Islam program this upcoming summer, but am still debating about doing so. I'm definitely praying about it a lot. I have to apply, granted, but would it be worth going? I'd have to raise $6,000 in support for a length of three months. This pays for everything, though, which is nice. Taking a few classes, I may be able to transfer some credit to Central. I'd be able to reconnect with the Arabic, which would be so great. And I'd get into practical application for missions with Muslims, which I still think about a lot of the time. We'll see.

Nachoooooo!

So I watched the movie 'Nacho Libre' for the first time about a week ago. And at this moment it is sitting on my desk, waiting to be watched. I am borrowing it from my friend Mike Guy; I seriously can't wait to watch it. I love that stupid humor. It is from the makers of 'Napoleon Dynamite' - which I loved the first ten times I watched it... but yeah. Jack Black is a comical genius. And it's just so ridiculous. It suits me.

I actually have a book report to finish... but I think I'm going to watch 'Nacho Libre' first.

Awww yeah.

"Save me a piece-a that corn!"

Trick

You learn something new every day.

Tonight I learned that I am utterly unable to toss a hat onto someone's head from four feet away. It's ridiculous as to how incredibly incompetent I am in regards to this seemingly simple task (for lack of a better word). I don't even want to talk about it, it's so ridiculous. Why I am bringing it up in the first place is beyond me.

Psh. Whatever.

I'm over it.

I could be upset about the whole situation.
But I've decided I'm better than that.

Who needs a stupid hat-tossing trick to make them feel important or good about themselves, anyway?
Not me, that's for sure.

Friends

I miss my Utah friends.
And Justin.
And Anthony.
And I miss the soccer boys.
And Emilee.
And Julee.
And Leez.

Man.

Ew

I don't feel well.

Quiet

I need some quiet.
Not silence, necessarily.
Just... quiet.
And I need to sit and be still.
Calm my mind.
Listen to my heartbeat.

That's all.

Quiet.

Brrrrrr

It's cooling down quite a bit here in lovely Moberly, Missouri.
Usually I wouldn't be too happy about that.
And technically, I am not.
But at the same time, I am.
I'm trying to stay positive about it - and about basically everything else, too.
[But that's another post for another day!]
I mean, it's got to happen.
There's nothing to stop it.
It could be a lot colder.
I could not have any sweaters or jackets.
It could be snowing...
[Granted, that will happen sooner or later.]
And, as a friend so nicely puts it, the cold is "refreshing".
At first I didn't agree, just because I felt like being a punk and wanted to continue to hate the cold - but it's true; I do agree.

Noise

For some reason, I've been really... sensitive... to noise lately. I'm not usually a fan of loud music and such, but even when I hear a loud car across the parking lot or hear a few words that were spoken at a louder level than normal, I've felt really upset. Yes, upset. I mean, shouting, laughter... it all annoys me right now - but it also makes me feel really upset. It's terrible, actually. I don't know why I feel like this and I hope it goes away very soon. Otherwise, I think I will go crazy.

Saints

The Saints' basketball teams had their first home game of the season tonight. Both the girls and guys played pretty well. The girls lost by, I believe, eleven points; the guys won their game. I can't ever remember scores. It was really fun to watch them play, though. Although I only got to watch ten minutes of the girl's game because I had a Life of Christ review session. I'm glad I got to watch the entire guy's game. Way great. We've got a pretty good team this year, I think.

Deer

I've said it before.

I don't hate a lot of things in life.
But here's one more thing to add to to the list:

I hate deer.

Hungry

My stomach is growling so loud, it sounds like a lion.

Leaving

Well. Another friend is also going home. I find it ironic that he is also from Buffalo - and that he apparently lives only a couple blocks away from my friend that left to go home yesterday. I'm really upset. I understand that rules are rules and everything. I hate this, though. He's been a good friend to me. He's made me grow. And he's got some way sweet tattoos that are fun to look at.

I really care about him.

Dang it.

Behind

Alright, so I've obviously slacked off in blogging lately. It's only been one week since my last post, but I can tell you right now that I don't plan on trying to make it up. I figure it's not a big deal.

I decided to go home for a day (literally 24 hours) last week. I left after chapel around 1, getting in at 5. I left home at 5 the next day. It was so great to be home for those 24 hours, though, not gonna lie. I didn't even talk to my mom or dad about a whole lot, like I wanted to. I just chilled and it was great. I got that hug from my mom and let me tell you, it was one of the greatest hugs I've ever been part of. Let's see, what else? My mom made chili that night, which was brilliant. That night it was Halloween, so we had a grand total of six kids come by. That's about the usual. Our house sits pretty far back from the road and it's kind of dark; we didn't sit at the end of the driveway like we have in years past. Oh well. I made some bracelets - definitely my new thing. I love it. I got to play the new Guitar Hero, it's pretty sweet.

Well. Otherwise it's been pretty uneventful around here. Oh, although because of a recent event this past weekend a friend is going back home to Buffalo for the rest of the year; hopefully he'll be back next year...

I think that's about it. though. Just taking life one day at a time - and loving it.

Indecisive

This weekend is the Regionals Tournament for soccer. I can't decide if I want to go with the girls. I would rather go home, to be honest. I just really want to be there right now. I want a hug from my mom. Every time I think about home I just want to cry. It's pretty ridiculous for me. I mean, honestly.

Ring, Revisited

I found my ring!

I was putting on a sweatshirt just now and it fell out of the front pocket!
Amazing.

Except I feel pretty ridiculous, because I know for a fact that I checked the pocket of this exact sweatshirt while looking for the ring...

Ring

I lost my ring.
And I am very upset.
I liked it a lot.

I have checked virtually everywhere.
Clothing.
Car.
Room.
Desk.
Dresser.
Bathrooms.

Honestly.
What the heck happened to it?

Bracelets

My friend Kris taught me how to knot hemp a certain way a few days ago. So I made a bracelet and I am now wearing the finished product. I love it, it's way cool. Now I'm making one out of cotton twine; I'm using the same knot that I used for the hemp bracelet, though. I'm stoked to finish it, not gonna lie.

Brother

My brother, Wesley, is a senior in high school. He plays the trumpet phenomenally. This weekend All-State music auditions took place. Last year he took first in the district, making it into the All-State Orchestra, which is excellent. Thus, some pretty high expectations had been set for this year. According to my mom he was a bit more nervous than he usually is for auditions and whatnot - which is saying something, because he's an amazing player and basically never nervous. Of course, naturally, he took first in the district again, making the orchestra.

I am so proud of my brother. I love to brag on him to other people. He deserves some fantastic credit, though, because he's worked really hard over the years. And plus he's just a super great kid, so why not let people know that? Honestly. He's really intelligent; he'll be majoring in trumpet performance and math next year. Impressive, I know. He's a nice, sweet guy. He's hilarious. He's got so much ability in so many areas - and he's still got a ton of potential, you know? He's just a well-rounded individual and I love him dearly. I'm glad I'm only four hours away this year; hopefully in the coming months I'll be able to see him more than I did last year (fall break and winter break excluded, that is).
















This is a picture of my brother (um, the one on the right... ha) and our (well, more so his) friend, Kelsey. It was taken this past spring at our high school's graduation ceremony. Kelsey graduated, my brother was playing in the band.

Night

I thoroughly enjoy night.
Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy day, too.
But honestly.
I would consider myself more of a night person than a day person.

I really enjoy being outside at night.
Especially during the colder months of the year - but that's the drawback... I'm not a fan of the cold.
I think it's worth it, though, if the sky is clear.

I wish everything (school, work, etc.) could occur during the night... and then we could sleep all day...

... that'd be great.

Facebook

I'm thinking about deleting my Facebook account. I haven't quite decided yet. As nice as it is, I think technology is sometimes a burden to deal with. It's always there. And although I wouldn't say it's the same as peer pressure, there is an expectation, if you will, to be on the same page as everybody else. Plus it's great to know what's going down on certain nights and whatnot, reconnect with old friends, etc. Man. Half of me loves this time I'm living in, half of me dislikes it. What I wouldn't give to go back in time and live in the days of the open frontier or the turn of the century.

Cold

It is so cold today! I just sat outside in the cold for a good hour and a half watching a soccer game with some of our soccer boys. Central is hosting a conference tournament here this weekend - and I'm super excited, because I love those soccer games... but man oh man, it is going to be a cold and wet weekend. Although I think it's actually not supposed to rain on Saturday. Hopefully not, anyway!

I should really start wearing warmer clothing when it is cold outside. Granted, I was wearing a sweatshirt, but just a t-shirt under that. Thankfully a couple people brought out blankets and shared them. Nice soccer boys. Aw gee. I love them.

Seriously, though. I am not looking forward to winter. I wouldn't mind it so much if there were no such thing as ice or snow - or if ice and snow could exist without either being cold themselves. Warm snow... wouldn't that be something?

Delirious Doodling

I often doodle when I am bored, tired, or in a good mood. This also includes writing random things here and there, whether they be words, phrases, or paragraphs about anything and everything. When I do write, I like to do so in cursive. Only during this strange doodle phase, though. Otherwise I use my ridiculous chicken scratch. Well, it really isn't as bad as chicken scratch. It simply... flows. I suppose it's partly cursive, technically; I connect a few letters here and there. My handwriting evolved quite a bit during eleventh grade, which is when I started taking Arabic. I like my handwriting, though. Many people say they can't read it too well, though. Oh well! I also like my ridiculous drawings. I often draw little characters. Not cartoons, necessarily. Just weird-looking stick figures and animals - especically elephants. Oh man. I like elephants. A lot.

Annnd this post is going nowhere.
I think I'll end it here and now.

Foundations

Alright. I'm just going to put it out there -

I can honestly say that I do not hate anyone.
Never have.
I doubt I ever will.
I can also honestly say that I do not hate many things.
Ramen Noodle Salad (sorry, Mutti) is the first - and, at this moment in time, the only - thing that comes into my mind when I ask myself what I hate.

I'm going to come to the conclusion that I don't hate a whole lot in life.

Except for when it comes to my Foundations class.
Now, I don't hate my teacher.
I don't hate the class material.
I don't hate the textbooks.
I don't hate the assignments.

I simply hate the actual class period each week.
Oh goodness.
First of all, why in the world do we even need three-hour classes?
Second, my teacher does not present us with enough material or lecture notes to last an entire three hours each week. He goes on tangents. He spends five minutes explaining something that I could say in thirty seconds.
Third, the room is always freezing. It's forty-five degrees outside, the air conditioning does not need to be on! Come on, people.
I really like to complain, but I don't do it very often. So I'm allowing myself to do so with no regrets!

Foundations. Ugh.
At least I truly am learning quite a bit.
Oh well.

Open Dorms

Tonight my dorm had open dorm night, meaning the guys were allowed to come over and hang in our rooms and such. Pretty fun. Let me tell you, though... I think my favorite part of the whole ordeal was having our room be the cleanest it's been since move-in day.

Just kidding.
But seriously.

: )

Forum

Today I drove down to Columbia to help out with the children's ministry (iROCK) at Forum Christian Church. I really like it there. I went down around 8:45 to be there for 9:30 Sunday School and stayed through the 11:00 Jr. Worship. I was basically a supervisor, if you will, this week. I think I'll probably go to the 9:30 church service and then help out with Jr. Worship. I'm really excited to make this my church ministry. iROCK (Intentionally Reaching Out to Christ's Kids) is a great program and it has developed really well over the years. The children's minister is a recent CCCB graduate, so it's nice to have that bit of a connection. She's really great, I like her a lot. But yeah! Forum is way cool. I'm excited for the rest of the year.

Expectations

Today is going to be so great! I can't wait to see what God has in store for me. I don't know why it's going to be so great, I just have that feeling... I love that feeling. It's probably one of my favorite feelings in the world. Probably? Scratch that. Definitely is more like it!

I'm stoked.

Weekend

A lot of people are leaving for the weekend. Well. By 'a lot' I mean three. Still. That does seem like a lot to me. And it seems most people have already gone off-campus tonight. Such a bummer.

I should be using this time more wisely. Do a devotional. Bible study. Something. Anything.

Eventually I will.
!

Chips

I like Hint of Lime chips a lot, I've decided.

Mob-town

I am back in Moberly, Missouri. And I am happy.

That is all.

Dentist

I don't enjoy going to the dentist.
I never have.
I never will.
Today was no exception.
The technician was terrible. The woman that usually works on me is really kind and gentle. I like her. But for some reason, I was put in with somebody else and let me tell you... never again. My mouth is still sore -twelve hours and twenty-nine minutes later. That is just not right.

Oh well.
At least I got a free toothbrush out of the whole ordeal.
And a small tube of toothpaste.
And a small box of floss.

Travel size for my convenience!

Three cheers.

Bag

Today my mom made my bag that I talked about on August 13.
I was really excited. I know I said that I wanted to help, buuut that didn't exactly happen.
I just watched her make it.
I love that.
Watching her, I mean.
That would sound kind of weird if it were anybody but my mom.
But it's the simple truth.
I also love hearing her.
Listening to her, yes, but also hearing her.

I like tangents.
Anyway.

My bag is way sweet.
It's got kind of an eastern print. Not quite Asian, not quite Indian. A mix of both, almost.
Its main colors are tan, black, red and blue.
The lining is red and it's got a pocket made of the outside print on the inside.
It's also got a cute, little, gold button on the outside to keep the top closed a bit.

I love this bag.

Girls

The little girls next door (and a friend) came over to chat when they saw me get out of the car coming home from church today. All I heard was, "Look! It's big Natalie!" and I knew what was coming. Sydney, Natalie and their friend came running over. I was practically knocked over with Syd and Nat's hugs. Too cute. I had started to walk over to our trampoline because I saw a cat sitting on it; it actually turned out to be their cat, Tess. Then the girls wanted to explore the barn next to the trampoline, but my dad had put all kinds of stuff in there and I didn't want them to get hurt. So they peered into it over the half door, instead. They were really impressed when I told them previous owners used to keep a horse in there. You should have seen the looks on their faces! Precious. Then they asked me if part of the barn used to be a chicken coop. I think it was just used for storage, and that's what I told them. But Natalie was especially convinced that it was a chicken coop and that my family should keep chickens in there...

Eyebrows

I wish I could raise one eyebrow at a time.
Alas, I cannot.

Honestly.
Just imagine how much better my facial expressions would be if I could do so.

Cedar Rapids

I like Cedar Rapids.
A lot.
I've missed it.
I'm glad to be here for a few days.

PS:

Bears.
Beets.
Battlestar Galatica.

Fall Break

Tomorrow I'm heading up to Cedar Rapids for fall break! I'm super excited. My dad's coming to pick me up after chapel, around noon or so, I believe. I'll be in CR until Wednesday. Then I'll get to drive back down myself; it'll be nice to have a car for things such as going to the church I want to go to... and driving to places for service hours. Otherwise, I don't plan on using it much. Even though gas has dropped to below $3 here in Moberly! Isn't that crazy? Way cool.

But yeah. I'm stoked for break. I can't wait to see the family, and it's definitely a good time for it... people are starting to get a little stir-crazy, if you know what I mean. We all need a break, that's for sure. It's neat, because last year at Utah, it was the first year they implemented a fall break - and here at Central, it's the same deal, I believe. I suppose I am simply a very lucky student!

Today

Today's going to be great.
I just know it.

Pictures

I can't believe I haven't taken pictures for the past two Sunday posts!

I am ridiculous.

Edit: Fixed.

Iced Coffee

Iced coffee is delicious.

Oh! So are animal crackers.

Accountable

Today I went out to the little stage area in the timber/field that I have come to know and love dearly. However, I was with three friends. We went to have some quiet time away from campus and do our own Bible studies. It was really nice. I hadn't set aside some time to read my Bible and have devotional time yet, so it was good to go out. Going with them was also a good thing, because it was actually encouraging to have them near and just be in silent fellowship in the presence of God. I think we're going to continue to do this together; we'll be able to hold each other accountable for the study and that's always great.

Bitter

A lot of my friends went out to eat and/or went down to Columbia today. I had been outside, behind Pelfrey, studying for a good four hours or so. I went back inside to find all of the girls gone. I got on Facebook and talked to somebody, soon finding out that a lot of people had left. I was upset by this. Why didn't anybody call me? I mean, honestly. I really enjoy going to Columbia. And supposedly they had just left as I was winding down with my studying and reading. So what the heck? I talked with a friend about this a little and seriously, I was being pretty bitter about it. He called me a crab cake, even. ! I deserved it, though, not gonna lie.

I eventually texted Loree to see what was up, even though I already knew. Man, I'm such a jerk.

'Where are you guys?'
'The mall.'
'Psh whaaa? Since when?'
'We just got here.'
'Oh.'
'Sorry. What are you doing?'

I didn't respond...

Why was I so bitter? It really wasn't that big a deal. I shouldn't expect to be invited everywhere. Would my day really have been made any better by going? What would have been accomplished by my going? Would I have even bought anything? Would I have even been in a good mood? ... Who knows?

How and why I let such small things bother me now and then is beyond me. Usually they don't; I'm pretty sure that this wouldn't have bothered me on most days. But for some reason... it hit a button. I'm so ridiculous. And I didn't even have a bad evening or anything when it all comes down to it. So I need to quit and just let it go. I mean, I think I already have, but if anything like that happens again in the future I need to make a conscious effort to not react the way I did today, that's for sure.

Gum

Uh-oh...

I think I may be developing a slight addiction to gum. I really hope not. I'm going to have to start rationing my pieces. Or just make sure that I share it with others each time I take a piece. Well. I'm usually pretty good about that, anyway. But seriously. Take one piece, give out two.

... I've always made fun of people who are addicted to gum. I'm a big enough hypocrite as it is, I don't need this on my plate, too!

Firework

That's right. Firework, not fireworks.

One of my friends had a single firework to shoot off, so tonight after the bonfire he and I drove out to find a gravel road and light it. Brilliant. We had to use the car cigarette lighter thing to light the fuse, but hey - you gotta do what you gotta do. I thought it was going to start some timber on fire because it first shot off to the sides of the road into wooded areas and started to spark, but thankfully it was alright!

Good day. Good night. Aaaaaand fireworks are sa-weet.

Warheads

Right now I am enjoying a fantastic, lemon-flavored, 'Extreme SOUR' Warhead. It is blowing my mind!

I haven't been able to find Warhead candies anywhere for a good four or five years. Probably longer, actually. But lo and behold, Jordan came walking into Lang lobby the other day with a beautiful, green bag of Warheads.

And there was much rejoicing.

Wal-Mart.
Halloween candy aisle.
Brilliant.

Ahhh, how sweet life is right now.
... er, how sour... ?

Sleep

I didn't sleep last night. It was ridiculous. I needed to get so much done... and I definitely didn't get it all done. My crash wasn't terrible. I felt like I was going to be sick during SALT, though, so that wasn't good. Definitely nodded off in the gym... yeah... then I slept far too long afterwards. However, I was good for the rest of the day, thankfully. Foundations was a little rough, but it always is - regardless of how much sleep I've gotten. Let's just say I'm really excited to sleep tonight...

Cosmopolitan

I think my new favorite place is Cosmopolitan Park in lovely Columbia, Missouri. Honestly. I need some time to truly explore the place, even though according to some it's just "soccer fields" and something else... [I can't remember what else was said] but I think it's neat regardless.

Autumn

I love autumn!

Oh goodness.

It is definitely fall. And I'm so glad. It's still pretty warm most days, but there's that 'feeling' in the air; you can simply tell that it's autumn. Beautiful. The leaves are starting to change - but some trees have already dropped most of their leaves! It's pretty strange to think that this week includes the arrival of October.

Time flies.

Mornings

I like to think I am able to be a morning person. I mean, I try my best to be cordial to people. I don't bite their heads off. I don't walk around like a zombie or talk like a mummy. I can get things done if need be. Once I'm up, I'm up. I'm good to go.

However, I'm definitely not much of a morning person around my family.

Why is that?

Is it because I don't feel like I need to be cordial to them at all?
Is it because I don't feel like I need to make a good impression?
Is it because I don't feel like I need to take their feelings into consideration when I'm rude?

Honestly. I'm really going to try and work on this whenever I'm home.

Rhythm

I have finally found my rhythm for shooting in basketball!

It's beautiful.

Three bounces. One pass to self. One bounce. Right foot step towards line, left foot follow. Shoot.

Swish.

Music to my ears.

Prayer

GOD ANSWERS PRAYER.

Just thought I'd let you know.

Nap

Today I took a nap in a pile of leaves. I listened to music. A sweet breeze danced through the air.

It was nice.

Drama

I DO NOT LIKE DRAMA.
LEAVE YOUR DRAMA AT HOME.
I KNOW THAT DRAMA IS NOT JUST A PART OF HIGH SCHOOL.
I KNOW THAT DRAMA EXISTS IN YOUR LIFE AS THE YEARS PASS.
BUT SERIOUSLY.
LEAVE YOUR DRAMA AT HOME.
I DO NOT LIKE DRAMA.

Disappointed

I'd rather have somebody mad at me than disappointed with me.

But maybe that's just me.

Monkey, Revisited

Ohhh, monkey.
I love you.

... I seriously don't know what to say or take a picture of today - if it's not already obvious to you...

Auburn

So after getting back from hanging out tonight with some kids, I went to chill in Lang lobby. The television was turned to ESPN. Awesome. They were showing highlighted plays and going over the day's scores and everything. Ok, great. Wasn't that interested - until I see the glorious AU come up on the screen. WAR EAGLE! I figured I would tune in and see what had happened, seeing how I haven't watched a single game this year. They played Louisiana State (the fake tiger team). They were home. They were wearing the beautiful blue, white and orange. Everything had gone really well; they were ahead up into the fourth quarter - until there was one minute, six seconds left... that's when it all went downhill. LSU totally scored. TERRIBLE. I was seriously frustrated. I'm not even always thaaat interested in what's going on, but honestly. Man. Last minute loss on the home field? Ugh.

Soccer

I missed the game.
I took a nap.
I woke up when I heard a couple voices in the room.
I groggily asked, "When does the game start?"
... "It's over."

What?!

I was so upset.

I really needed to catch up on some sleep.
So I laid down at 1:00. Set my alarm for 4:00.
The game's at 4:30, I would be good to go.
First of all, my alarm didn't go off.
Second of all, my roommates even told me they were actually in the room right before they headed over to the game. And they asked each other if they should wake me up. Obviously the decision was to not do so...
Alright, so it was partly my own fault, because when I checked my alarm I saw that I had set it for 4:00 AM - and not 4:00 PM. Oops!
Seriously, though. I was so stoked to go and support the boys. Our little cheer group had worn jerseys again today and everything!

Oh well.

At least there's another game tomorrow - and it's super important because the opposing team is supposedly incredible.
And I am not going to sleep through it!

Redundancy

I tend to be pretty redundant. I can't help it. Sometimes I simply like being redundant. It just sort of happens. I think at times we all fall into a rhythm of redundancy. Seriously, we can't help it, you know? Life can totally be redundant. Honestly. It's like... I don't know how to describe it. But I'm pretty sure that your life can be redundant once you start living through the same things over and over and going through the motions day after day, week after week, etc. Sometimes it's nice, though. I do kind of like it. Oh goodness. Redundancy.

It's actually hard to be redundant when you're trying to be redundant...

Thank you, Mr. Jordan King, for the topic inspiration.

Monkey

The darned monkey has followed me to Missouri!

So my dad and I play this game, right? He got this little, stuffed monkey on a business trip or something (I honestly don't know how he acquired the dang thing). At one point or another he said I could have it. So I took it. Then one day I decided to 'give' it back to him, but I hid it somewhere in my parent's room for him to find. I believe the first hiding place was under his pillow or down under the sheets at the foot of the bed - something like that. He found it and then hid it somwhere for me to find. The game went on.

At one point last year, my mom sent the monkey to Utah in a box of stuff she sent me. She even included a note made of cut-out letters saying 'Ha Ha! You can't get rid of me so EZ, my Iowa Nat!' It was super cute, not gonna lie.

... So I almost wasn't surprised when I opened a box my mom sent me a few days ago and saw the monkey stuffed down into the bottom. Oh goodness. I love my parents.

Third World

Today in World Geography my teacher put up a slide that showed the world in regards to what countries are part of the first, second and third worlds. There are more countries that are considered part of the third world than I thought there were.

All of Africa.
All of South America.
All of the Middle East.
All of Latin America.
Southwest and South Asia.
Greenland.

That's right.
Greenland.

The map got me thinking... 'What exactly defines a third world country?' Honestly - we didn't even go over it in class. Most people just think of the level of economy when they think about the third world. 'Oh, well, these countries are poor, so they must be part of the third world.' But is that really all that helps classify countries as part of the third world?

I chose to let the people decide for me.
And so I went to Yahoo! Answers.

Lo and behold, the question had already been asked many a time.

Here are some of the answers people have produced:

- lack of advanced technology
- insufficient power
- [civil] wars
- lack of natural resources
- misuse of resources
- lack of educational systems
- exploitation by the Western world
- environmental issues
- more people than can possibly be fed, but an overwhelming urge to produce more and more babies (personal fave)

The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of 'third-world' is 'a group of nations especially in Africa and Asia not aligned with either the Communist or the non-Communist blocs'; 'the aggregate of underveloped nations in the world'. Both are legitimate definitions. To be frank, I don't have any place I want to be going with this, I'm just trying to say that I was surprised at how many countries are considered third-world. So I may just leave it at that...

'I'm surprised at how many countries are considered third-world.'

Cough Drops

Is it weird that I really like cough drops?

...... Because I do.

Especially honey-lemon cough drops. Oh goodness. Now trust me, I don't use cough drops unless I have to. I'm not that weird... but when I do, I'll go through a bag like the drops are candy. Ha. Well, at least my throat never hurts terribly when I have a cough!

Scavenger Hunt

Tonight I partook in a scavenger hunt at Wal-Mart (the hoppin'est place to be here in Moberly, Missouri). Tomorrow is my friend's birthday but we celebrated it today. The scavenger hunt was part of what she had planned for us all to do. Even though I'm actually feeling worse than yesterday (but trying not to let people know that because I really don't like letting people know how I feel, both physically and emotionally)... I still wanted to be there for the birthday girl (Leez), so I went. I had a lot of fun. Anyway, the scavenger hunt included doing certain things as well as finding items and such. One of the 'to-do' things on the list was get a 'jumping' picture of the team. I thought I'd include it in this post because it turned out really well so far as jumping shots go!
... Except for the fact that it looks like I have a beard...

Sick

I'm sick. : (

I'm rarely sick. So when I am, I am definitely not a happy camper.

So. not. cool.

Mud Volleyball

So tonight I played sand volleyball. Except it's been raining for the past couple days... so the sand had turned into mud, practically. One side of the court had a humongous puddle in the middle of it. This side was definitely the most fun to play on, but this side was definitely the most distracting to play on, as well. ! Still. It was super fun. After we stopped playing we all messed around in the puddles. Crazy. Everybody was being thrown in and wrestled down into the grit and grime. It was nasty... but hilarious. I definitely got the most dirty, I think. Oh well!

Later we played Signs. You know... the best game ever...
Oh and before we played volleyball some of us had played Life and Scattergories. Life, I've decided, is the worst board game in the entire world. Psh. Board game. More like bored game.

Honestly, though. Tonight was a blast.

Seven Years

September 11, 2001

Remember.

Discouraged

I'm tired.
I'm tired of thinking inside the box.
I'm tired of accepting everything that is said.
I'm tired of feeling like people are too afraid to be vulnerable and put themselves out there.

I want a challenge.
I need a challenge.

I want to be asked questions.
Questions that push you to practical insanity.
Questions that don't necessarily have answers attached to them.
Questions that make you feel as if you know absolutely nothing.

Does that make sense?

This is how I grow the best, it seems.
And so right now, I'm not growing a whole lot.
I'm learning.
But growing? No, not growing - or at least not as much as I'd like to be.

Basketball

I played basketball on a team in third grade. I played basketball each year in middle school during the basketball unit in gym. Otherwise, I've basically never touched a basketball. Yet I've decided to play basketball here at Central. My friend Loree has also never truly played basketball, and she has inspired me to go out for the team. There are technically basketball tryouts, but we're basically shoo-ins because there are only six other girls interested in playing. Loree and I have a friend (Anthony) who's a really great player and he's been helping us out a lot, getting us ready. We're not doing too bad, if I do say so myself. We've got a month before tryouts and two months before the first game, so hopefully we'll be well on our way to actually getting time to play.

I'm so excited! I really am. Never before have I had the desire to play, but for some reason I now have this ridiculous desire to play basketball. It's as if the desire is pushing down on me like an enormous weight. I can't wait to seriously get started.

Hunger

This school serves dinner way too early! Man.

That's all I have to say.
I'm hungry.
Ich habe Hunger.
Ana jo'aaneh.

Tolerance

This is my religion box. Each of the six sides represents a different world religion.
Sikhism.
Christianity.
Buddhism.
Hinduism.
Islam.
Judaism.
This is one of my favorite things in my room. It's nice to have a daily reminder of the fact that I am not the only person in this world who believes something. Christianity is not the only faith in this world. I've had this box for about four years; I got it at a School of Christian Mission that I went to with my mom and a few women from our church.

Stars

Looking at stars when I'm out in the country and there aren't many lights around to take away from their clarity and brightness is, by far, one of my favorite things to do. And on basically the same note, starry skies are one of my favorite sights in the whole world.

Typical, I know. But hey - it's true.

It's even better when you see a shooting star and a falling star in the same night. Oh yes.

Remember!

I think I need to start bringing a journal with me everywhere I go so that when way cool things happen, I can jot them down and actually remember them when I want to tell stories.

Man.

Seriously though, I'm really not good at remembering short-term things. Like... things that happened to me fifteen minutes ago... or things I was thinking about saying but then forget what I was thinking about... yeah. Hm.

School Reading

Usually reading assignments for school aren't very exciting.
I'd much rather choose a book on my own and read it for pleasure than read a book that I have to read - no matter how truly good it is!

That's not the case here, though. Trust me when I say I have a lot of reading... but I love every bit of it. It's really encouraging to look forward to doing your homework, let me tell you.

Cheery

I woke to a very dark and stormy morning. It was cold. It was wet. It was windy.
But for some reason, I knew it was going to be a great day.

I put on a bright outfit and went to my first class with a smile on my face.

Pentateuch. We finally started the study of Genesis - so, so, so interesting. I love it. And Mr. Summa is a hoot, lemme tell ya.
Breakfast. Man oh man... I love the fact that the cereal container that is labeled 'Honey Nut Cheerios' actually contains Honey Nut Cheerios, and not regular Cheerios like some colleges... cough, cough, University of Utah, cough cough.

Anyway...

Chapel. The guest speaker spoke of service and being obedient to God. This seems to be the theme of the week for me, and I'm glad.
Geography. Kind of boring, but nice to just sit and listen and not have to freak out about notes since he just went over slides, word for word. Three cheers.

Blood donation. I was really glad I was able to give blood, because the last few times I've tried to give my iron count has always been too low. O-negative, yeah yeah yeah!

Like I said - as soon as I woke up I knew it was going to be a great day. And it truly was. Nothing exactly eventful happened, but I think having a good attitude about the day helped a lot. Not to mention that I really felt the presence of God throughout the entire day. Beautiful.

Mondays

I don't have classes on Monday.
Ever.

I like this.

Irritation

I think it's funny when the smallest things are the biggest sources of irritation for people.

Is that mean?

Honestly though. I highly suggest you just sit down and talk to someone - with your main objective being to find out what irritates them the most. I'm not saying find out so that you can learn how to get under their skin... but it really is a source of interest for me.

I know, I know -

"You're so weird!"

Grasshopper

Friends come in all shapes, sizes and colors.

Today I went on a walk and at one point a little creature jumped out from the grass onto my foot. I stopped, curious as to what it was. However, before I had a chance to even look down, it had moved off my foot. I started walking again, only to be surprised when something jumped onto my foot again. This time I looked down quickly enough to note that the creature was a beautiful grasshopper. I moved my foot a little bit, but it didn't budge a single bit. I took a step - nothing. I was now one with the grasshopper. Zen masters would have been so proud of me. I walked for a good three minutes before it hopped off into the grass. But for those three minutes, that grasshopper and I 'went together like peas and carrots.'

Exploring

I have yet to explore the Moberly, Missouri area. I am in dire need of some thorough exploration. It's pretty sad, I'm not going to lie. Hopefully I'll write about some great adventures here in Moberly pretty soon. Because seriously... I'm about to go crazy.

Test

I had a test in Survey of Pentateuch today. We had a study guide given to us yesterday... which he said would basically be the test. So one of my roommates (Leez) and I spent time making sure we had all the correct answers on the study guide. We were pretty confident that we had all the right answers and everything. Made flashcards. Quizzed each other. We were totally good to go. I buzzed through the test in about ten minutes. I was so sure that I completely aced it. Honestly.

Then tonight I looked at my grade online.

97. MAN! Are you kidding me?!

Ugh. I bet it was because of all the initial confusion we had about the Councils of Trent and Jamnia...

Edit: It WAS! I totally had the correct answers written down, until Leez made me question myself and when we asked someone about it, they had switched the councils - and they were wrong! If only I had gone with my initial answers... man oh man. Never again!

UAE

In my world geography class everybody has to do a country report. We have to give a ten-minute presentation to the class and turn in a paper later in the term. Naturally, I chose a Middle Eastern country, United Arab Emirates. I was going to do Syria because of my long term fascination with Damascus and the Levant in general... but I already know so much about Syria and decided I would get more out of the assignment by reporting on a different country that I know less about. I'm really excited about this assignment; it should be way fun. I plan on using a bit of my Arabic skills and will hopefully be able to retrieve a couple of visuals from home here in the next couple of weeks.

UAE FTW!

Library

I am becoming very well acquainted with the library here at Central...

I spent six and a half hours there today. Thankfully, they were not spent consecutively.

Still.

That's a lot of time in the library.

And I'm still not done with my reading for tomorrow. I mean, it technically won't matter. I can do it this weekend and there will be no consequences. Honestly, though. Ridiculous.

!

Dizzy

For some reason, I've felt really dizzy all day long. A bit nauseous as well, and my stomach's been hurting off and on. Really strange for me, because I'm rarely sick or even feel sick. Or dizzy. But man. It's really no fun trying to sit through five classes when the room is spinning around you, lemme tell ya.

Killball

I like games. All kinds of games.
Outdoor games.
Board games.
Card games.
Ball games.
Pick-up games.
Playground games.

But I think I've found my new favorite game.

Killball.

It's amazing. It's like a mix of dodgeball and volleyball. Way cool. Here's how it goes down: A circle of people stand outside the center of a basketball court (or at least that's how we played). One person sits in the middle of the circle. A volleyball is used; someone tosses the ball to someone in the standing circle and they hit it to someone - that's hit one. The ball has to be hit at least three times before it can be spiked into the center of the circle... onto the person sitting down... Yeah. If they catch the ball, they get to rejoin the standing circle and the person who spiked it at them is now in the middle. If they are hit by the ball, but don't catch it, nothing happens. If the ball hits the floor before it hits them or is caught by them, the person who spiked it joins them in the middle. The goal is to get as many in the middle, sitting down, as possible. It's seriously one of the most fun games I've ever played. Apparently someone who goes to Central made it up one year. I think his name is Lance Prawls.

Seriously, though. I can't wait to play again. When I first heard about it I said, "There's no way I'm playing that game! That doesn't sound like fun... it sounds mean and dangerous!" Obviously that didn't hold for too long!

Archway

If you've read Ch. 167 of my 'So Close' blog, about the trail I found behind Central, you may recall that I talked about a tree of which some branches had grown over the pathway, creating an arch of some sort. I went on a walk this morning and remembered to bring my camera to take some pictures. So I thought I'd post a picture of the tree. Way cool.

Phone

I've loved my phone. It's simple. Not flashy. Works well after two and a half years. But for some reason, whenever I charge my phone - even when I let it completely run out of battery - I only get maybe a day and a half use out of it. I used to get five or so days. I don't use it any more or less. I'm not texting 24/7. I don't call people for hours at a time. Ugh. Ridiculous. It's not that big of a deal, I know, but honestly. I'm just wasting electricity to charge it every other day. That's how I'm seeing things at this point in time.

'Bouncy'

I seriously couldn't think of anything to write about tonight, so I asked one of my roommates, Loree, to give me a word.

'Something I can write about... so not something like 'to' - a topic word.'

"Bouncy."

'What? I can't write about bouncy.'

"It's a challenge."

Good point. Thank youuuuuu Loree.

Bouncy, as an adjective. The word itself dates back to 1921.
I suppose lots of things are bouncy.
Rabbits.
['Bouncy'] Balls.
Moon walks.
The list really could go on and on... but that's all I can think of at the moment... so it stops here.

Excellent. I totally rose to the occasion on this one and overcame the challenge. Three cheers.

Pen

So today was the first day of class. I'm taking a few notes here and there. With a pen. Now, I really enjoy writing with a pen. Pencil is nice now and then, but using pens is where it's at. I probably enjoy writing with a pen more than I should. During my first class, Survey of Pentateuch, my beautiful, Papermate, blue-ink pen worked just fine. But during the rest of my classes, without fail, my pen would stop working almost exactly halfway through each class. So irritating. Honestly.

But other than the pen incident(s), my day was fantastic.

Posters

I finally got to hang up my posters tonight. Except for my Andy Warhol sunrise poster... because there's not enough wall space and it's too heavy to put on the ceiling above my bed. Which is a shame, because its color theme works really well with our room - which, I might add, is incredibly cute.

Seriously though.

I'm stoked that at least my other posters are up.

Calla Lilies.
Starry Night.
Cafe Terrace by Night.
African Music Squares.

Honestly.
So simple.
So lovely.
So nice.

Hummus

I want some hummus.
I want some hummus badly.
I want some hummus very badly.

Hummus was mentioned the other day and now I have a craving for it.
Dang.
I never have cravings for food. But seriously.

Hummus hummus hummus hummus hummus hummus hummus hummus hummus hummus hummus hummus hummus hummus.

Oh! And I also want some homemade pita chips. And baby carrots. Oh goodness.

Volleyball

Tonight I played beach volleyball. I wasn't going to, but decided I might as well. What else was I going to do, you know? Obviously we weren't at an actual beach while playing. Ha. But it turned out to be really great - I was terrible, but I had fun! I can't wait to play again. I figure by the end of the year I'll be much better, er, I hope by the end of the year I'll be much better!

Another note... I was wearing my Blue Barracudas t-shirt (from the show 'Legends of the Hidden Temple') and somebody actually recognized it! I was stoked.

The Swing

Today I was walking around campus, simply doing a bit of exploring. Granted, there’s not much to explore what with five buildings and open areas… but hey, exploring is my thing. What can I say? So as I walked behind Pelfrey Hall (the only classroom building, I might add), I noticed there was a nice patio area with some built-in tables and benches. Beyond the patio is a splendid oak tree that provides some great shade. Underneath the tree sits a green, wooden swing. I was so excited to find the semi-secluded tree, let alone the perfectly lovely swing! I certainly plan on utilizing the tree and swing come the start of the school year. It’s things like these that make all places special in their own way.

Moberly

I have arrived at Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, Missouri.

I am finally here and I can't wait for school to start next Thursday - which, I might add, seems like a million years into the distance. We've got student sessions, activities, service projects, registration, and orientation before Thursday. Kind of ridiculous, but kind of awesome at the same time. I'm glad that I'll be able to get to know a few people (hopefully!) before classes start.

My parents and I drove around a bit before dinner. We headed down what seems to be the new 'main drag' of town... you know: car dealerships, restaurants, medical centers, some stores, etc. Then we headed over to 'old downtown' Moberly. Oh. my. goodness. Can you say adorable? Honestly. Side-to-side storefronts lining the main streets, churches on practically every street corner, historical reserves. Tender. I can't wait to go back over and do some good, ol' fashioned exploring. I also can't wait to find just the right church to be involved with and a good ministry to join this semester.

I like my roommates. They seem to be really sweet girls. It's just that they already know each other (they're from Delaware, how sweet is that?) and that's difficult to deal with more often than not. They attend the same church in Delaware and there are also a few other people from their church that attend Central. Hopefully we'll be fast friends and it won't be as difficult to deal with as that kind of thing has been in the past.

I'm truly incredibly excited to be in Moberly. I feel this is the perfect place for me. Don't get me wrong - I still miss Salt Lake and the U - but, as I finally realized, neither offers what I truly want at this point in time.

Central does.

... Moberly is like a bonus.

Shrimp

I thoroughly enjoy seafood.
Well.
Some of it.
I really like fish.
But I really love shrimp.

That's all, though.

I do not like crab or lobster.
Or oysters.
Or mussels.
Or octopus.
Or squid.

Seriously, though.
Shrimp is where it's at.

Boyzzz

My brother's friend Nathan is spending the night. They're spending their time down in the family room, which just so happens to be directly below my room.

The ceiling is thin.
Ish.

I can make out their conversation pretty well; it's muffled. Not that I'm listening. Just saying that I can hear them talking. Loudly. And the laughter. My gosh. It practically makes my floor vibrate as the sound carries upward.

I'll be closer to home this year.
But then who knows where Wes will be after he graduates next spring?
Indiana.
Northern Texas.
UNI.
[Nathan's going to Arizona, most likely.]

No matter.
I will miss being around those two when they are together.
And that's that.

Bag Lady

I'm going to make a beautiful bag tomorrow or Friday. It's going to be way cool. My mom's going to help me, because I still haven't learned how to sew. Ridiculous. But yeah. I'm stoked. I'll post a picture of it on Sunday...

... from my room in Missouri. : )

EDIT:

Well, the bag didn't happen. There was just too much going on throughout Thursday and Friday. My mom said that she'd make it for me and send it to me as a surprise. Now, I'm all for surprises, trust me... but that means I don't get to help. Oh well!

Elizabethtown

I watched Elizabethtown last week while I was in Kentucky. I hadn't seen it before; let me tell you - I enjoyed it immensely. If you have seen this movie before, try to recall Kirsten Dunst's character, Claire Colburn. I've decided that if I were to ever want to become a fictional character, she would be the one. I think her character has a lot of great depth, but her disposition is of the most incredible essence... honestly. Sure, God made me the way I am for a reason. And I like who I am and I'm all for finding out new things about myself and developing my qualities. But seriously. Claire. Best character ever created.

Packing

This week I'm packing my things back up to take down to Missouri.

Is it weird that I truly love to pack? I think a lot of people like unpacking and setting their things in proper order (I know I do), but I don't think many people enjoy packing their things because it takes time and sometimes it can be difficult to fit things in boxes - or, like in my case, cars.

But I like to pack because it means I'm going somewhere. A new adventure is about to begin.

So packing may not be all that exciting, but I know that it eventually leads up to something exciting.
And that's good enough for me.

Calm

There's simply something about listening to water lap up against a rocky shore that makes me glad to be alive. It's soothing and calming, yet invigorating as well.

Beijing 2008

I love the Olympics.

That's all.

Secrets

www.postsecret.blogspot.com

Click on the link above if you have never visited the site before. Or if you have, check it out anyway. It's updated every Sunday.

Elephants

I've always loved elephants. I couldn't tell you why. I simply have.

I've thought of a new goal:

To own an elephant by the time I die.

Mark me, it will happen.
One way or another. It. will. happen.

Kayaks

I've been canoeing before. But I've never been kayaking until this week. And let me tell you, I love it! It's way fun. Mind you, I'm not going down whitewater rapids or anything, but kayaking around on the nice, albeit sometimes stinky lake is really fun. If you've never kayaked before, I highly suggest you find a way to do so for the first time and have a new bit of fun!

Salsa

I like salsa. Nay. I really like salsa. I suppose I'll go on and say that I love salsa! But I'm picky about my salsa. Well. To an extent. I like any level of heat - I'm totally fine with incredibly spicy salsa (or any food, for that matter!). I like any brand of salsa, too. But I only like one type of salsa - chunky. No picanté sauce for me, thank you very much! And that's all I have to say about that.

Waterrrrrr

Yesterday we rented a jet ski. Most. fun. ever. I love going fast and not always knowing exactly what's going to happen, so this was great for me. Today we rented a pontoon boat. Even though pontoons are not exactly Speedy McSpeed Speeds it's still fun to go out on the water and just cruise around. We headed to an inlet across the lake and the guys tried to get a bite or two on their rod and reels, but to no avail. Gramma and I swam a bit and walked out onto a boat ramp and then back towards the lake on an old iron walkway and onto a floating dock square, from which we got back on the boat. That was nice to cool off a little and have a quick chat with Gramma. Tomorrow we're going to have a speedboat, ski boat, whatever, and ski/tube/wakeboard. Papa (my grandfather) used to ski barefoot, how sweet is that? He's got super flat feet, so it works for him. If I tried to ski barefoot I'd just end up wiping out, I think. Actually, no - I know I would! Anyway, tomorrow should be way fun. Until then... have a good one!

Graveyard

There are trails near the houses we're staying in and a few all lead up a hill directly east of the houses. At the top of the hill there is a graveyard, with headstones dating back to the mid-1800s. How cool is that? There are a few stones telling of Civil War soldiers, which is really neat. There's also a stone marking the grave of a two-month old baby, which was pretty sad to see. Some of the markers seemed new, even though the dates of death ranged from 1890 to 1920. All in all, a way cool find.

Green Turtle Bay

We arrived at Green Turtle Bay Resort in Grand Rivers, Kentucky today. The trip wasn't too bad, only about an eight hour drive from Cedar Rapids. I love cartrips, so that makes riding in the car for extended periods of time pretty easy. The condo houses we're staying in are nice. They're basically right on the water, which is great. My room's window faces east (and the water), so I'm stoked for some nice sunrises.

I started to get reconnected with one of my cousins, Lauren - who, by the way, is going into the eighth grade and seems so grown-up now! She's adorable and I really enjoy talking with her. Gah. I love all my cousins. I'm just not very close with any of them, which is a real shame. I haven't always been the easiest person to become close with though, so I've only myself to blame.

Even so, I'm excited for this week and I know that we're all going to have a good time!

Kentucky

Tomorrow I'm going to Kentucky for a week. My grandparents are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and we're meeting with their other kids' families for fun, fun, fun at Green Turtle Bay. Three cheers. Oh! And my parents are celebrating their 25th anniversary this August, too - way cool. Theirs is actually next week, though, as opposed to my grandparent's date, which is in late August. Hm.

My great-uncle Jan is going to be there, too. So excited. He was the funkle (you know... fun uncle) to my dad and his siblings. We (my brother and I - plus our cousins) have decided that he's a crazy old man. Totally awesome.

I'm bringing my computer so that I can update (I'm such a blog nerd!) while I'm there and keep tabs on what happens. Until then...

P.I. Keene

I don't know who I am.
And I hate it.

The first statement above is cliché.
And I hate that, too.

Time to investigate... myself... ?

X-Tennis

Extreme tennis. Ever played?

Extreme tennis is where you use more than one tennis court and don't use the regular nets as the actual net. Where I went to high school there are two sets of three courts and a high fence separates each set. There's also a fence surrounding the area of all six courts. Alright, so if there are four/six players, two/three spread out on each side of the fence, utilizing three courts. The 'net' is the high fence. It's really brilliant, I promise. There aren't a lot of rules; the number of bounces the ball takes and whether it's played 'in' the lines don't matter. Just volley the ball (or balls for an extra challenge!) back and forth over the 'net' and make up objectives as you go or see how long you can keep the ball in the air. Make it your own!

Way fun.

Gertie

'Turning away from the privileged world of the "eminent Vicotrians," Gertrude Bell (1868-1926) explored, mapped, and excavated the world of the Arabs. Recruited by British intelligence during World War I, she played a crucial role in obtaining the loyalty of Arab leaders, and her connections and information provided the brains to match T.E. Lawrence's brawn. After the war, she played a major role in creating the modern Middle East and was, at the time, considered the most powerful woman in the British Empire.'

The above is a backcover description of the book Desert Queen, a biography of Gertrude Bell. My mom bought it for me last year and I decided to reread it. It's a great book. While I was reading it (on the way to Utah last fall, mostly), I found myself thinking, 'Uh! That's what I want to do! That's where I want to work! Those are the kind of people I want to meet! No fair!' Of course, my path of life has taken a turn from back then, but still. I found myself really coming to admire Gertrude. She was an amazing woman, especially for her time of living and the society she was raised in. Her life was truly one grandiose adventure. Magnificent, magnificent woman.

Guitar Hero

Guitar Hero [III].
It rocks my world.
Really.

I think my brother got it for his birthday last year... ? That sounds right. Today he decided to go out and buy the Aerosmith version. Brilliant.

The best part of it all is that my dad likes to play GH. So, so cool. Honestly.

Kids

I love children.
I really do.
Even though sometimes I try to convince myself that I really don't.
You see, youth I never have a problem with.
But children? Sometimes I find that my patience wears thin when I'm around them.
I get frustrated. Irritated. Yadda, yadda, yadda.
God knows how many times I've said or thought, 'I'm never having kids!'

Such a lie.

This morning in Sunday school I let the kids (kindergarteners and first-graders) have some free time before we started. Holy cow. They are so precious. I happened to have my camera with me (a practice I am trying to exercise more and more these days) and decided to take a few shots. Nothing special. But I thought I'd share one today.

Utah

I miss Salt Lake City.
I miss University of Utah's campus.
I miss the mountains.
I miss Cru.
I miss The Mount.
I miss Ute-Nited.
I miss riding on TRAX.
I miss Darcy.
I miss Katie.
I miss Tiffany.
I miss Brittany.
I miss Kastin.
I miss Matt.
I miss Landon.
I miss Ross.
I miss Spencer.
I miss Zach.
And many more, mind you.

I miss Utah.

Scrapers

We finished painting the houses yesterday, so the Mid-Hi teams were sent downtown to Trinity United Methodist Church. There, we were to scrape paint off of metal staircases and railings, which turned out to be incredibly difficult.

Unfortunately/Fortunately (it truly depends on your point of view) early in the day, one of the girls was sitting near me and somehow accidentally scraped my back with her scraper... and it felt amazing. [We're still unsure of how it all happened - it was such a blur.] So paintscrapers turn out to be really excellent back scratchers. If you've ever had your head massaged/rubbed, it feels like that... but on your back. Yeah. It's not just like a regular ol' backscratching session. It's more relaxing. Soothing.

Thus, I don't think I need to say how much time was spent in backscratching chains.

It. was. epic.

Marbles

The owner of one of the houses we've been working on used to be a worker for the city. He cleaned and repaired the streets and sidewalks for a good forty years or so. During those years he often found many children's marbles and, in finding them, kept them! He wanted to give all of us workers one marble.

How awesome is that?

[Mine is clear and orange. Definitely the coolest.]

Mid-Hi

So this morning I went over to the church to see if Phil (the youth pastor) needed any help on one of the mission teams. Because of the flooding here in Cedar Rapids, the annual Des Moines trip for the Mid-Hi was cancelled; the Senior-Hi decided to stay and do flood relief work here instead of going to Minnesota. Also because of the flooding, one of the youth projects that was supposed to happen in June was cancelled - Paint by Neighbors - so that is what the Mid-Hi has been doing this week.

I just sort of placed myself on the Mid-Hi team because I didn't have any work boots, basically. Plus I love working with Mid-Hi, so it was what I wanted to do! But you know, as we head out to the work sites, I look around me and realize that I don't know these middle schoolers. It's a new group and I wonder how this could have happened so suddenly. I felt old. I'm 19, for goodness' sake! I start to worry about not being connected with these kids since I've not been around the youth group for the past couple of years. But I love working with Mid-Hi and I was determined to not let the fact that I don't know these kids bring me down.

Fortunately, my worries started to dissipate once we got to the houses the group has been working on. All it takes is some introductions, encouragement to get started and a little chit-chat and song-singing while we work to get in my Mid-Hi mode. Soon I'm practically one of them and I'm in my element, both with the kids and the painting. Bliss.

India

Just throwing this out there for future thought and whatnot: I want to go to India. For missions, I mean.

I'm reading this amazing book titled Revolution in World Missions by K.P. Yohannan. It is truly rocking my world. I haven't gotten very far yet because I've been picking it up and putting it down all day, but man oh man! Tomorrow after I get home from helping with the youth group missions I plan on sitting down and reading the rest of it. I'm a quick reader, it'll only take about an hour. Which is good, because I'll probably be super tired after tomorrow's day.

But seriously. I'll have to write more about the actual book later and do some reflection on it.

Family

You have no idea how much I love my family.

I laughed so much tonight, my stomach is still hurting.

But I don't mind.
Not a bit.

Lazy Days

The following picture depicts what part of a summer day in the life of Natalie consists of.


















I was just sitting here, deciding what to write about, when I looked over and saw this image. So I figured, 'Why not write about it? Three cheers.'

Now, I don't sit in my room and read all day, every day. But when that sounds more appealing than doing anything else, I've got all I need. A new stack-up of books to read, a bottle of nice, cold water, my cell phone, and the fan that my friend Chongkai brought back from China for me. Which yes, I do use - and it's way nice, because my room gets really warm in the summer. Thanks, Chongkai! Nice to know that it's not just sitting in my room looking pretty, eh?

I had just finished reading a few books a couple days ago and hadn't picked out anything new, so I went downstairs to the library to do so. I came back upstairs with Washington Square by Henry James, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and a compilation of world mythology by various authors. I've never read Washington Square and I'm one of those seemingly few people who enjoyed Great Expectations, so I'm reading it again. As for the world mythology book, I've read a few of the tales in it before, but most of them I have not. It should be an interesting read.

After some morning and early afternoon yardwork and helping out in the kitchen at my church for the mission crews' meals, I should like to think that I'll return home to do some reading and turn the remainder of the day into a lazy day. Complete with sitting on the porch (even if it is unfinished) and sipping iced tea (even if it is not good ol' fashioned southern sweet tea).

I can't wait.

TroSno

Tropical Sno is totally groovy.
Tropical Sno is totally scrumptious.

Tropical Sno is the way to go.

Tropical Sno is shaved ice.
You know.
Sno cones.

The most ingenius summertime treat ever imagined and created.

Bahama Mama is a personal favorite of mine.
Mango.
Passionfruit.
Pink Lemonade.
It sounds ridiculous, but my tastebuds tell me differently.

Flowers

Today my dad and I went out to look at flowers. Kind of late in the season to be doing so, but we thought we'd check what's available at this point in time anyway. There were a lot of different types, both of annuals and perennials. Zinnias, gernaiums, hibiscus, azaleas, marigolds, meadow sage, baby's breath, wormwood, yarrow, cone flowers, goldenrods, knockout roses. The list goes on. Oh man.

We have to make sure that the plants we use are unliked by deer, otherwise they will eat everything they come across. Usually the stronger the smell, the less likely they are to find it delectable. Ha.

I'm really enjoying talking it all out with my dad. It's nice to spend more time with him and talk what seems to be more often. I wouldn't trade our chats or times together for the world.

Weeding

I spent most of my day cleaning up our step-garden along the side (well, it's like the front to most people) of our house and clearing one of the paths in our backyard garden areas. I worked for a good five or six hours, but it looks like I spent maybe an hour or so on each. And there's still so much to do! I just did a general weeding of each area. I have to still go back and do the nit-picky things such as getting all the rhizome roots - which are ridiculously difficult to completely get out of the ground - and whatnot.

My hands hurt. My fingers hurt. My fingernails hurt.
But it's a good hurt, because I accomplished something and each area looks just that much nicer. ... Even if I did forget to cut back those daisies [like my mom said to] and instead cleanly plucked them completely from their abode of soil.

It was a good day, though. Pretty humid - just the way I like it. Blue skies. There was a nice breeze now and then. I'm glad it didn't start raining until the evening - and I certainly hope it doesn't rain tomorrow, because I have more weeding to do!

Mitch

Mitch Hedberg:
Comedic genius.
Selfish idiot.

Take your pick.

Hedberg was one of those funny guys who was really into substance abuse and ended up overdosing. Go figure.

I know this is kind of a negatively-toned post. I apologize.

But seriously. Hedberg was definitely hilarious. One-liners, wordplay. Non-sequiturs. His style was kind of unconventional. Interesting delivery. The way he spoke was unique, you could say. A lot of people said he was always stoned during performances, but he said that was never the case.

I'm sorry that he's not around anymore. Supposedly Comedy Central produced a cd with new Mitch Hedberg material that had never been released or performed. I think it came out in early June... ? I'll have to look into that. Anyway, check him out if you haven't heard any of his stuff.

'My apartment is infested with koala bears. It's the cutest infestation ever. Way better than cockroaches. When I turn on the light a bunch of koala bears scatter. And I don't want 'em to, you know? I'm like, 'Hey... hold on, fellas. Let me hold one of you. ... Feed you a leaf.' Why do koala bears... they're so cute... why do they have to be so far away from me? We need to ship a few over. And I will apprehend one. And hold 'em. Alright. And pat it on the back of its head.'