Wednesday, December 13, 2006

shooting stars and coyotes

so, tonight was awesome. i was driving home from lubbock and all of a sudden this flash of light flew across my windshield. when i saw flash of light, i mean a tiny shooting star! it was sweet. i thought that i was mistaken, but sure enough, there was another one! two in one night. two in less than 10 minutes. how cool is that?
anyways, i was almost home when all of a sudden a huge flash of white flew across the road. by huge flash of light i mean a huge, snarling, angry coyote! how cool is that? very.
i finally get home and start watching my family wrap christmas presents when i tell them my story. kim looks at me and says that there is some sort of meteor shower tonight, so we all went outside and looked at the sky. within a minute of being out there, kim and i see another shooting star, at the same time! it was pretty cold out there, but i was determined to see more, so we all stood out there counting the stars. dad claimed he "saw" enough so he went inside. kim, hannah, and i vowed to stay out there until we all three saw one at the same time. about 5 minutes later, WHOOOSH! and we all ran inside. ok, so falling stars do not make a sound, but if they did, that is what i think it would sound like.
we went back inside and continued wrapping presents. kim said that around midnight we were suppose to be able to see the aurora borealis, or the northern lights. we all stayed up, and around midnight hannah went outside, and claimed that she saw them. i went outside with her, and ironically in the south-east sky, there were the lights. not the beautiful, greenish, pinkish, blueish lights, instead there were grayish, faint pinkish hue in the sky. it was pretty cool. nothing to get to excited over though.
when the excitement wore off and everybody was about to go to bed, i checked my grades online and got b's all across the board. i was expecting two a's, but i'll take it. 3.0 gpa baby. i took some really, really hard classes this semester, and i am happy with my grades. although, i totally think dr. owen just does not like to give a's, because he totally gave me a b. before the final i had a 97 average, and i could have made like a 73 on the final (it counts twice) and still got an a in the class. the final was cake, and there is no way i got a lower grade than that. ahhh. oh well, he gave me a b in ancient history and i am super duper stoked about that!
well, take care cyber world...
by the way, i have forgone any and all capitalization. i don't know why. maybe because i am awesome? no, it's because i am lame person, and always will be! hehe, my self-esteem is pretty high though!!

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Pictures folks!

So, finals are consuming my life!! AHHHHH!!!!! Oh well, Tuesday is my last day. Cheer! Anyways, here are a few pics taken recently. Not by me of course! Hint hint...I have no camera. Ahem. Enjoy, and within a few days there will be a new blog up regarding the end of the semester. Take care my 5!! readers.

Christmas Party!! Eight of us girls had a SWEET Christmas party! First, we had an awesome dinner at Carino's (yummy!), then we headed to the mall for pictures with creepy Santa. It was fun. Then, we went to bath junkie and had a great time. In this pic: Sarah, Jennifer, Jacinda, me, and Lauren.
After Santa, we went to Jacinda's apartment and had a white elephant gift exchange. I got two pairs of the coolest socks ever. We then drank eggnog (yuck!) and watched The Bishop's Wife and old black and white Cary Grant movie. It was great! In this pic: me, Lauren, and Erica.

Snowball fight LCU style! This was two days after our first snow, and this is the Duster staff. It was great! Eric is the dork wearing shorts when it was 38 degrees outside. In this picture: Eric, Rene, Stacy, John, Melissa, Bree, Lindsey, Jordan (that's me!), Chris, Taylor, Mai, and Maha. I am the one fighting with Melissa (brown coat). After the pic, four of us girls had a snowball fight! Sweet.










































































Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Just For Fun!!

HeeHee!! I LOVE this!! By the way, I did not write this, but I sort of did help Ryan a little. It is awesome, and it tells you all about LCU! Enjoy! Oh, and I just do not feel like writing now...

By Ryan Summers, Staff Writer
December 5, 2006printable version
For a little over 50 years, Lubbock Christian University has educated thousands of eager students, but recently, talk has flooded national newspapers everywhere that LCU may be a Central Intelligence Agency headquarter, and that those knowledge hungry students are really educating the government. “Chapter S”, or “ChapS” for short, was a CIA installation in late 1955 in Lubbock, Texas. Its primary goal was to gain insight about West Texas college students. The “college” grew slow, as to not arise excessive suspicion by keen farmers and local residents. Despite an unlimited budget for the operation, the school grew consistently, but not excessively for 50 years and counting.
The most important installment to the compound came in 1974 when an eight-story communication and dispatch center was built. Named the “CDC”, Central Dispatch and Control, or as students know it, the Christian Development Center, the eight-story building revealed only two stories above ground, with six others below the surface. It resembled the White house in design and serves as an “alternative evacuation site.” With a heavily concealed entry to the lower levels, via the office of Agent David Fraze, agents are continuously reporting their findings to the central desk on floor Negative Four. Negative Four is where the chief officer for “Operation ChapS” conducts his work. His name: Lieutenant Ken Jones, or as many know him, Dr. L. Ken Jones, with the letter “L” substituting his rank in order to protect the confidentiality of the project.
The Field House, as most know, was a hangar in its earlier life. Many wonder why LCU gained the possession of such an oddity. The United States government handed the hangar down to the CIA to use here, on the compound, as another underground facility, the top floor functioning as an athletic center for subjects. It was also discovered that 1,264 agents report in almost daily, from either this compound or others around the region, and are under the authority of “Chapter S.” Consequently, there are 1,264 seats in the Moody McDonald Auditorium. The Auditorium is suspected to be the location of the Bi-Annual regional meeting, one taking place in late December, and the other, during early July; while subjects are released for a period of time to visit family and friends. The CIA also benefits from the funds generated by the subjects, which they believe are “Tuition” fees, but are rather financial support for the salary of the 135 direct employees of “Chapter S.”
There are approximately 135 CIA members that conduct daily observation at the compound. Many of them pose as teachers, others as security guards, and even janitors. The information regarding the compound was leaked to the public when the FBI, here on campus, interrogated student Taylor Lassiter. One member of the investigative team had a private conversation with another agent, which was overheard by Lassiter, who as editor of the college newspaper took the story national. It is not known exactly why the CIA is collecting such information, but popular belief is that the subjects found participating in “ChapS” represent the finest and most prestigious around.
As “Finals” near, the agents will begin their most arduous of observations, much like Project “MK-ULTRA” which took place in the 1950’s by administering drugs and testing to subjects. Many subjects here at the compound will be under the heavy influence of Psychedelic drugs such as “Red Bull” and “Full Throttle” while forced to take lengthy and difficult exams. While there have been no casualties reported in the findings due to these exams, they are still considered life threatening by CIA agents, and are administered with the utmost care and supervision.
You can walk up to any “Agent” and try to extract knowledge about “ChapS”, but it is unlikely that any fruitful information will come about. All known facts about this compound have been presented here, and any updates will be published as they surface.
While none of this has been acknowledged or confirmed by the Federal Government, it is all completely true.
The preceding story is an insightful (if not totally fabricated – you be the judge) look at what is really going on at Lubbock Christian University. Please keep in mind that taking it too seriously could be harmful to your health!

Sunday, December 03, 2006

driving and Christmas partay!

Sweet. I made it home safe and sound from the Metroplex. It was awesome. I feel better prepared to train an LST team. Now, I just have to find one...humm...fun! Anyways, for all you worry rats out there (you know who you are!! hee), have no fear, for I am home. It was a great drive, and the drive alone let me destress my life. It was great to just put in my music and "chill". OK, not much "chilling" was going on since I was operating a moving vehicle.

Anyways, on to bigger and better things! Tonight, Sunday, we had our Duster Christmas party at the 50th St. Caboose. It was really good. The "freeness" of the whole thing was even better. So, our advisor came and stopped by and he gave us all of our stories that we had written for the semester. I wrote 14 in all. After dinner, we all got a Stupid Silly Award. My SSA was "Mr. T's 'I Pity the Fool' Award for Service Above and Beyond the Call of Duty for Being 'Subarashi'." I have been told that means "awesome" in Japanese. I was stoked for that award! It was awesome. My favorite one went to Eric. His was "Most Likely to Get Edited by the Organization." heeee. It was awesome. He wrote about 5 articles that The Powers That Be at LCU would not allow him to run. They were all awesome, but some of them were a little sensitive. Case in point, a story about a hacker on campus was not allowed to run because Eric "figured out" too much info. Bumer.

After dinner, we also had a white elephant Christmas. I brought a red picture frame and received a red picture frame. hee. It was cool. My favorite gift, though, was brought by Rob. He brought a male Barbi with a plaque that said "World's Best Dad" on it. The gift went to Stacy, who is a mom, but she loved it. It too was awesome.

After the gift exchange, we went to the floor and played games! We all got like 13 tokens and had a blast. We got all of our tickets together and got this really cool elephant for our meetings. The elephant symbolizes an inside joke, that is far to long to share with you all. Anyways, it is hilarious, and cool.

So, that is pretty much it. This blog is pretty short, but I gotta go study. I have finals!! Ahhh! I suggest lots of prayer. Anyways, take care world, and until we meet again!!

Thursday, November 30, 2006

The End Is Near...oh yeah, and snow!

Alright, so it has been a whole week since my last update. I find that odd. OK, so I really don't, but I will say that for lack of a better explanation. Anyways, how has everybody been? Awesome? Well I, thanks for asking by the way, have been super stressed, but it's all good. I am in my last week of school for the semester (seriously!) and this is the nitty-gritty. The no-holds-barred time of the year. It's intense man ( or woman. To each his/her own)!!

I finally finished up with all my research papers and turned them all in like the good little student I am. Anyways, the one that I was really worried about, the Ancient History class one, yeah, I stayed up until like 6:30 A.M. finishing it up. I started typing it around 2:00 P.M. and then took about a two hour break for some family Christmas photo shoot and dinner at Casa Ole. Ole!! Got back and resumed said paper. The thing is, the paper had to be at least 11 pages (per Dr. Owen "Don't even THINK about turning it in until you hit the 11th page.") So, I got all my research in order and began typing. And typing. And typing. OK, you get the point. Finally, I came to an end. First, when doing my research, I would use note cards, and when I came up on something important I would write it down on the note card with the author and page number. Anyways, after I used up all the note card information, I only had about 8 pages of material. It was now about 3:00 A.M.

The time came to make a decision- stay up and finish, or go to my nice comfortable, extremely warm, very small bed, thus failing the course? I chose the first one. I got out all of my books and went over everything. I was at an impasse. How do I add information without repeating myself, and how do I extend information already present in the paper? Well, after 4 more hours, I got my answer. The paper was not due until 11:30 A.M., but I had an 8:30 A.M. class, so I had to go to that, and I could not afford any more chapel absences! I took about an hour "nap" and groggily made my way to my morning class. Chapel came next. Went to the library to finish paper. Wrote biblography and endnotes pages, and went to class, and finally got the paper out of my life (YAY). I was extremely tired so I skipped my 1:00 class (GASP! The Horror!) and went to get new glasses and then went home to bed. Whew. What a day. So, point being, I am terrified of my grade, and therefore am still stressed out.

So, what next? Oh yes- Dallas. I have to go to Dallas Friday and Saturday for LST training. I will be training and taking my own team to Taga next year, so I have to go there for a weekend training thingy. Fun. It starts at 6:30 P.M., but I do not get out of class until 12:30. It is about 6 hours there, so I will be pushing it to make it on time. Plus, Kelsey informed me that Mandy did not register, so I must go by myself. Oh well, I love to drive!

I do not, however, love to drive when it is icy, as is the current condition. That's right folks, Lubbock Texas recieved their first snowfall around 1:30 A.M, Thursday Nov. 30th. It. Was. Awesome. I was lying in my bed last night (early this morning) and heard a crazy-cool sound. It was the sound of fresh falling snow, the sound my ears love. I love the snow. I love cold weather. Yes, I m wierd. Whatev! Anyways, I awoke this morning to find about 5 inches worth of snow! Those few "Thursday flurries" sure were pretty heavy. Anyways, it made for a fun day. Oh yeah, at 3:00 P.M. today, there was The Ultimate Snowball Fight on the LCU campus. They announced it during chapel so that everyone could attend, but yours truly was in class. Oh well, the snowballs might have damaged my purty new glasses!

So, I love the snow! It rocks, and it looks delightfully delicious. Yummy...

Pray for me as I embark on my journey into the Metroplex. It will be fun, like an adventure! I love adventures. So, until we meet again...

Also! Due to said weather (and work), I missed an all new episode of Grey's Anatomy! The last one until January!! Thank goodness for computers, for I can watch it upon my return to the LBK Sunday. Peace, love, and strawberry flavored applesauce my dear, loyal, readers!

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Thanksgiving and Black Friday

So, how was everybody's Thanksgiving? Mine was awesome! I am so thankful for my family. And great food. But mostly my family. Anyways, I have decided that Thanksgiving dinner(lunch) is really too good to only eat once (twice) a year. I think that for Easter we should cook Thanksgiving dinner. Just a thought. Anyways, Greysday (remember, that's what I am calling Thursday) was great. I spent Thanksgiving at my great-grandmother's house in Slaton. It was awesome (I need to get a new adjective). Our family does Thanksgiving lunch and it was delicious. I was surrounded by my great and loving family. I think for lunch we had around 14-20 people. That is even including children. We had a great time. A tradition with my family is to watch the Cowboys, so we watched them win. Yay! Some people left to go home, and others showed up for dinner. We then got all the food back out for dinner. We had more people there!! It was around 6:30 when some of my cousins showed up. They have five beautiful, adorable kids. The second youngest one, Emmy, is 3 years old. I asked her how it felt to be 3, and she looked at me and in a very serious tone said "Jordan, how did you know how old I was?" It was so cute. Adorable. I ate my dinner (even better than lunch!) and my sister and I headed off to my dorm. She decided to spend the night with me. I made her sleep on the floor. I gave her a blanket and the couch cushions to sleep on! I am not that heartless!! We watched a fantastic episode of Grey's Anatomy, and then went and rented a few movies. We rented Nacho Libre and Stick It. Ehhh. Hannah snoozed off, so I began to watch (again) The DaVinci Code. I really am liking that movie, for the entertaiment factor. I recommend only watching it if you have a very strong faith. It will make you think, but I know that it is completely and only entertainment. However, I am taking an Ancient History class, and there are quiet a few historical discrepencies in the movie. Maybe I will point them out at a later date.
I got up Friday and had to go to work. AHHH!!! I work in a pet store at the Lubbock mall. It was Black Friday, and it was crazy crowded! I worked from 12-5, and that was enough. We sold like all of our animals! My aunt even stopped by to look at these aborable Bichon Frise's, but decided not to get one. As soon as my shift was over, I went home. I rewatched Grey's on the computer, and then I watched CSI on the computer. Sweet! I love broadband! In case I have not mentioned it, but I am a HUGE fan of CSI. It really rocks. Plus, this season has probably been the best ever.
So, that was my Thanksgiving. It was great. God has blessed me with so much in my life. A loving family, a great job, and wonderful friends. What more could a girl ask for? Nothing. I am content in my life. Absolutely. Content.
Well, I still have two research papers to write (looks like an all-nighter) so I need to go! Until we meet again...

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Me and God

So, of course you all know that I write for my universities newspaper, the Duster Today. Well, I (finally!) got to write an opinion piece. Here is the final product.....

Me and God
By Jordan Williams, Staff Writer
November 15, 2006printable version
Disclaimer
This essay does not necessarily represent the opinions of the DusterToday staff and/or those of Lubbock Christian University, but those of the writer.
I am still fairly new to Lubbock Christian University. This only being my second semester on this wonderful campus has opened my eyes to the wonders anew. Since coming to LCU I have changed my major twice, and five times since being in college. Currently, I am a secondary education major, but doubts still remain. I mean, this is something that I will be doing for the rest of my life. Is this really what I want to do? I am sitting in a cloud of self-doubt and I hate that feeling. When I graduate, probably in 2016, I want to leave here full of confidence and strength. So how come I am not feeling this now?
My spiritual journey has had its ups and downs, and thankfully more ups. I have gone through more hardships and trials in the last two years of my life than most people go through in a lifetime. Suffice it to say, I have not always made God my number one priority. I found that when times got harder, the harder my heart became. It was much easier to push Him away; and still he stood there patiently awaiting my return.
Last summer I had the privilege to go to Japan for six weeks for a mission trip. What an eye opening experience. For six weeks I served others in His name. I did nothing for Jordan Williams, but all for The Man. It was truly wonderful. Those six weeks were definitely a spiritual high for me, and it was a glorious feeling.
When I returned to America, I was changed, and not for the better. The smallest things annoyed me, things that had never bothered me before. I found out just how truly selfish and needy we as Americans are. We all have fallen into this terrible grasp of others serving us. I began to hate the person that I was. I hated being an American. I began a slow spiral downward that soon reached the pits of my soul. Nothing could be found there. How could I go from such an amazing high, to the lowest of lows so quickly?
I soon fell into another spiritual low. In my young 20 years I have hit two major spiritual lows. The first low came when my best friend, my confidant, my brother, passed away, and the other low came when I returned from Japan. I threw God away both times. I began to feel empty. Something was missing in my life, and I needed it back. After several months of struggling, I have finally found it.
I began to realize that we as Christians have to constantly defend our faith. While I was in Japan I was showered with love and kindness, but having to live in a world where the population is not Christian, made me realize how blessed we are. As Americans we can walk the streets holding our Bible and not get persecuted for it. We can put that fish on our car and not fear for our lives when we drive away. We can wear a simple cross around our neck and have people understand what it stands for. However, when we speak openly about our faith, and about our God, we get laughed at. In Japan, Christianity is not the norm, so the few Christians there get ridiculed and abused. Though that is not the extreme here, we have, however, begun to slowly push God aside.
I believe that it is no longer “cool” to be a Christian. I, for one, am not ashamed of who I am, for I have never been “cool”. I’m not saying that we need to defend Christianity by trying to make it a popular thing to do, but my generation needs to do something. Recognizing this has brought me back to a spiritual high. Now, I want to share the Word for all to hear. I am reborn in the Spirit. Right now, in this moment, I am happy. Right now, it is just me and God.
God never left me. I left Him. I was the one who walked away. I blamed Him for the hardships in my life and He never once backed away. He waited for me with outstretched arms. He knew that I would return, and I have. Being a born-again Christian has made me relish and savor my time with my God. What a glorious and marvelous feeling it is to have God back in control. So, right now it is me and God, and that is all that I need in my life. Sure, the self-doubt might remain, but that is God showing me He loves me. He puts doubt and hardships in our life to see how we can handle it. He does that so we have to lean on Him, and He loves it when we do.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Always Without

So I have this wonderful, beautiful, talented cousin named Caitlin. Imagine me, only two years younger and about 4inches taller and you pretty much have me. Well, she texted me today and said she wrote something. I went to check my email and this is what I found:

Always Without
(verse)
Jumping off the backyard swing
crunching leaves beneath our feet
slaps of high fives after our flights
were always the best memories
running through the park hand in hand
always keeping our eyes focused ahead
never turning to look behind
it was always perfect in my mind
(Chorus)
childhood dreams and infantile wishes never breaking reality
let's hope for the best and forsake the rest, your smiles hold the key
(verse)
i watched your laugh fade
i watched your smile sway
how your eyes melted away
your dreams of life becoming a blur
(bridge)
coconut pies and twinkling lights these are the days without
we've become unaligned as emptiness seeps through
what's missing these days are you

Anybody who knows me at all knows that she wrote that song about Jacob. How awesome is it?? Very! She rocks. Way to go Caitlin!! Anyways, I just wanted to post this because I thought it was phenonenal. The girl's got talent!

Friday, November 10, 2006

ok ok ok ok...stop it jordan!!

so, i just realized how long that post was (you know, the one you will read after this one). i guess i just wanted to say that i can actually write a short post!

seriously, i can!

alright alright...i'm leaving

oh, i don't know

Alright folks, I'm back. OK, so I did not go anywhere, but let's face it- I'm lazy. And I am a procrastinator. But I can be because I am in college. Gotta love college. Anyways, I set up my schedule for next semester and DUDE will be it be tough. I am taking 18 hours. My classes go as follows: Advanced Composition (it will be awesome. Bryan said it is fun, and relatively easy. We will see, Bryan); African American Literature (one of my favorite authors is Maya Angelou...the class will be awesome); Victorian England (I've always wanted to go to England...can somebody say ROADTRIP!?!...what? maybe....no...); Civil War and Reconstruction (not to sure about the class...I mean I love history, but I guess it will be super fun); Ethical Christian Living (hey, it's Bible, it's a requirement, I'm forced to take it, and the teacher rocks my socks...it will be fun fun!); and finally some fine arts class that I am not sure about (...um, I got nothing for this one). So, there. Enjoy that totally useless piece of information.
Thursday I have an article due for the Duster, but here is the catch: I can write about whatever!! Well, no politics, abortion issues, death penalty issues...etc. So I am limited, but it will be awesome. To my 4 readers, what should I write about?? Get back to me on that one.
I got another package from my grandmother the other day. It was the best. Inside was awesome. A sweet card, a cute purple pair of socks with penguins on them, tasty tea bags and hot cocoa mix, and delicious pop tarts. Does she know me or what?? Heee
Well, classes are going great. I did really well on all my tests last week. However, I have a ten page (at least) research paper due for Dr. Owen on the 27th. YIKES!!! It is worth like 20& of our grade, and the dude is super-duper strict!! I am really freaking out about the paper! I chose the emperor Tiberius. Upon doing research, I found out that he is vile, disgusting, perverted, pagan old man. Wow. I guess that in itself is a whole paper. Too late to change topics now.
So I am in love with the website Televisionwithoutpity.com. Raise your hand if you love TV! *Puts hand down*. Well, if you love TV(yee), and snarky sarcastic reviews, then this site is for you. TWOP reviews television episodes. Sure, it can be rude and at times foul language used (yeah that made absolutely no sense)but...it is great writing. If I ever miss out on a specific episode of a TV show, then I check it out there. It's pretty cool.
So...I know that I have already wrote enough but it is list time. Short one though!
1. LCU is like the coolest place on earth; although the caf food is terrible
2. My new favorite band is Vega4. (coincedentally, their song was used on a recent Grey's Anatomy episode. Said song is also the song on my myspace profile. it's because I'm awesome...ok not really)
3. research papers are not fun. they are monotonous and boring...and also very informative and helpful...gosh i can't make up my mind!!
4. I am talking on the phone
5. my sister Hannah is spending the weekend with me so I am excited
6. I am thirsty...time for a Dr. Pepper
7. my cousin Caitlin is having some neurological problems. not sure what is wrong. please Please PLEASE pray for her
8. work is good, but Thansgiving is around the corner which means lots of business which means more hours for me which means more money...you get the point
9. i miss japan daily
10. i miss japan daily
11. i know i said that twice
12. i don't really care!
13. i want thanksgiving to get here to spend with family, and yummy yummy food but then i don't because my research papers are not even remotely complete (yes, as in plural, more than one folks!). they are due the day i get back from thanksgiving (all 3!!)
14. i am now cpr certified. exciting, but i am terrified. see, if someone passes out and needs cpr, but BY LAW i have to help the person. if i don't then i can get sued. if i help and the victim dies, i am protected by the good samaritan act. all in all its a complicated process and i have only practiced on dummies.
15. i am excited that derek and meredith are (finally) back together. it's about time. sorry, more grey's anatomy....
16. lotion is good for my dry skin
17. it's november and it was 90 degrees yesterday! i know! but it was back down in the 50s today. sheesh....west texas weather, gotta love it
18. alright, good night sweet folks
19. kudos to those who read this whole thing
20. first one to comment wins a BIG prize
21. seriously
22. SERIOUSLY!!
alright, until we meet again (hee)......

Thursday, November 02, 2006

my weeks(s)??

Wow. Time flies by fast. Seriously, it does. I am on the computer all the time, but I forget about a little thing known as "My Blog." I am a terrible person for not updating more often. I am sorry all of my internet readers and friends. So, here goes...


Sunday October 29:
Church in the morning. It was good. Great actually. It was my first Sunday off in forever. I could have slept in, but I chose to go and worship my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Yeah, it was awesome. I ate Popeyes for lunch. Ehh. It was a'ight. (Hehe, look at me going all gansta'!) One of my roomates called me and wanted to know if I wanted to go to the corn maze with her. I said yes. We got a group together and went to the corn maze. Yeah it was totally awesome. First though, we went to Rosa's and it was delicious. Home made tortillas are the best. Anyways, for those of you who have never gone to a corn maze, I highly suggest it. Although, you might have to live in the middle of nowhere to do it, but it is totally worth it. Here is a pic. Look above the text a ways, yeah you can't miss it. The first person is me, the second is Erica, and the other beautiful girl is Megan. It was like 50 degrees that night, so it was a bit nippy. Hehe, I love that word. It took us about 1 1/2 hours to get through the maze. Some people took over three hours!! We are just awesome. This year the maze was a horse and something and something else and in the back of the maze the word "Lubbock" is written in cursive. Yeah, we got lost there several times in that part. I think it is like 40-50 acres. Yeah it cool.

Later Sunday Night: We got back from the corn maze a little after 9, and I realized that I needed toothpaste. I was walking out to my car and I passed in front of my friends apartment and there she was outside carving a pumpkin. Upon closer inspection I saw my old room mate Hillary and her fiancee Josh. They were glad that I was back because apparently they had been banging on my window for me to join them. I sat with them as they carved beautiful pumpkins and it was totally awesome. We drank hot cocoa and pretty much froze. Kali's and Hillary's pumpkins were awesome. Josh's was ...eh. No, it was really good. For real. It was about 11:30 and I realized that I could just borrow toothpaste from one of my roommates, so we cleaned up and I went back inside.

Monday October 30: Not a lot happened. Went to school. Tried to study; failed. Test for Wednesday was pushed back until Friday; cheer. Oh yeah, and I get a "courtesy" email about my chapel absences. Face it, some days I just do not want to go. Well, apparently I have 8. I thought I had more. We get 14 for the semester. I guess they are just reminding me. I don't know; it's kinda annoying.

Tuesday October 31: Boring Halloween. I spent a little time in the ER for an asthma attack, and got back around 4 am. By the way, I have some of the GREATEST roommates. They showed up and stayed with me all morning. Jessica, Erica, and Megan are just totally awesome. How many times have I said "totally awesome" in the post? Oh well more to come. I did not go to class or work that day. I slept. I needed it. It was great. Yeah, that's about it. Oh yeah, I also washed clothes. Also, I now have 9 chapel absences.

Wednesday November 1: I had to look pretty today because I had an oral presentation. I put on my grey dress pants and a nice sweater and aced the thing. I then hauled it to work. Worked for 7 hours then after work hauled it to the library. Met friends (Ashley, Bryan, Lindey, Rob, Randy, and some girl that I forgot her name). We studied for Dr. Owen's class. Rob and Randy left around 9:30. Bryan left around 10:15. Lindsey left around 10:40. All that was left was me, Ashley, and Nice No-Named Girl. We sayed until the library closed (midnight). I went home and stayed up 'til about 2:00. Guys, come on, I think I might have aced it. Well, maybe not but I have an A in the class, so even if I did do "D" or "C" worthy, I still am doing good in the class.

Thursday November 2: Thursday is quite possibly my favorite day of the week. I call it Grey'sday instead of Thursday. That's right, there is a brand stinkin' new episode tonight, and I am full of sheer delight. 3 and 1/2 hours until showtime. Every one should watch Grey's Anatomy tonight. I am sure you will not be disappointed...ok, maybe it's not your thing, but I love it!! Totally awesome. Really really great writing, and the acting is sa-weet. Man, I went off on one of my Grey's tangents again. Sorry. Well, I took my test this morning and then and went to another class. My 2:35 class was cancelled (yippee). Now, I am typing this to all you good folks.

Friday, Saturday November 3-4: Yeah, I'm not psychic. No clue. Although I do work a 9 hour shift Saturday and I have another Dr. Owen test Friday. Pray for me.
Until we meet again folks...

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

likes and dislikes

Alright, sorry for all the new posts, but I just love writing! YIPPEE! So many of you know my strange passion for making lists. Well, I have done it again. I have made a brief(albiet long) compilation of my likes and dislikes. Why you may ask? I don't know, I felt like it and it is fun. Also, just a reminder that this does not constitute as whining because it is list format and being written. Yeah. Ok. Without further ado...

Likes: Writing, reading, music, watching movies, skinny ties, my dog Bella, my family, reading and studying the Bible, laughing, peanut butter, sleeping late, people who stand up for what they believe in, cheesy jokes, strawberry ice cream, Earl Grey tea, optimism, faith, GOD, bubble baths, jig-saw puzzles, Dr. Pepper, sharing, cereal, sweet popcorn, hot tubs, being lame, apple pie, potato salad, my Chuck Taylor high-top converse shoes, salt water taffy, classic literature, good intelligent conversations, Transformers, Grey's Anatomy, strawberries, home made food, the history of foreign countries, finding old books, singing in the shower, hoodies, comfortable clothes, Scrubs, penguins, post-modernism, a beautiful sunset or sunrise, semicolons, looking into the night sky and staring at the stars, gerunds, The Astros, JAPAN, Capri Sun, Johnny Cash music, typewriters, walking around in my barefeet, the Invisible Children campaign, drinking water, apples, stuffed teddy bears, college, human equality, hanging out with friends, Calvin and Hobbes comic books, children, the universe in general, the ever-changing West Texas weather, and lots of other random stuff. Pretty much, I am a geek and proud of it.

Some of my dislikes: onions, beer, alcohol in general, negativity, money to be used for evil, rascism, second-hand smoke, arrogance, self-centeredness, loud heavy screaming music, smells that are bad, the image that the media put into peoples minds on how they are meant to look like, whining, most reality shows, discrimination, politics, corporate jargon, bad news headlines, pessimism, hate, people who are fake, beets, subdural hematomas, complaining, arguing, drugs, Paris Hilton, grammatical mistakes in ads, cheesy movies, spiders, Jessica Simpson, Brittany Spears, the word "can't", cancer, cats, rap music, dark chocolate, white chocolate, know-it-alls, and also liars. Yeah, that's about it.
OK, so there could be more, but I'm done for now...

you know what this means...

Alright, so I have found some true facts. When I get bored, I surf the net. You can find some pretty interesting stuff. The list is full all facts that most of us probably do not know. Enjoy!!

In the 1400's a law was set forth that a man was not allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"
Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury.
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska
The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28%
The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%
The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400
The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour: 61,000
The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
- Spades - King David- Hearts - Charlemagne- Clubs -Alexander the Great- Diamonds - Julius Caesar
If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of their birthplace.
Obsession is the most common name for a boat.
Bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all haveone thing in common, and that is they were all invented by women.
Honey is the only food that doesn't spoil
During Father's day there more collect calls than any other day of the year
In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase........."goodnight, sleep tight."
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month .Which we know today as the honeymoon.
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down." It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"
Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow
HEE!

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

more, More, MORE!

So, it has been 9 days since my last post. No death threats, so that is good. Hee. Well, the past nine days have gone real well (well, I really only remember the past two, but they were great!). School is awesome, and Fall Break is Thursday and Friday, plus the weekend. Very, very nice. I could definately use a break. Anyways, I'm rambling. Sorry, I tend to do that quite often. So, the reason I do not put pics on here is really a combination of things: I have no camera, I do not have enough time, and my computer hates me. Seriously, I think it's out to get me. OK, maybe not.
So the paper that I write for, yeah I decided to stick with it. The main incentive being that I get a $200 scholarship if I am on it for more than two semesters. SWEET!! So it is pretty cool. In September I got to go to a concert, paid for by the Duster. Well, it just so happened to be one of the best Christian bands around: SONICFLOOd!! Yes, you read it right. I got to meet them (twice!) and hang out with them after the show. Needless to say, it was awesome. That was the best concert I have ever been to, and I have been to MANY.
Also, my favorite articles to write are opinions and entertainment reviews. Yes, that is because I am nerd. Anyways, the paper is more like a PR piece for the school, so not many opinions there. Anyways, I got the chance to do a movie review. SWEET! Free movie! So I chose the new Robin Williams flick Man of the Year. I wrote the review and eh, it was ok. The movie and the review. Don't waste time seeing it. Just one person's opinion mind you.
Anyways, if anyone is interested, here are some links to a few of my articles. Enjoy!
http://www.lcu.edu/LCU/Duster/story.htm?ID=1432
http://www.lcu.edu/LCU/Duster/story.htm?ID=1357
http://www.lcu.edu/LCU/Duster/story.htm?ID=1114
http://www.lcu.edu/LCU/Duster/story.htm?ID=1342
http://www.lcu.edu/LCU/Duster/story.htm?ID=1202
http://www.lcu.edu/LCU/Duster/story.htm?ID=1106
OK, so those are just a few. I write a story every week. I only added the entertainment/opinions because that is what I like to write. I usually have to do something about LCU, an athlete, etc so I thought that these would be better. I wrote for another paper as well, and in there are some of my best work. I'll get the links later.
So living on campus has its perks, but the one thing that I hate is not being able to see my family everyday. It is sad. Really. Well, I was at my box on campus (it is more like a teeny tiny locker with a combination lock) and viola, I had something in there. Something other than a bill! I had a letter from my cousin! Ha! Then, an even bigger surprise; I had a package waiting for me. With sheer anticipation, I got it and it was from my grandmother. YAY!! Inside was pens, stamps, cards with the letter "J" on them (you know, for Jordan) and a bookmark. It really made my day. Aw, somebody loves me! It was cool. I said that to say this, I love mail. Especially the kind that does not require money and is usually hand written. It makes me smile (so does many MANY other things, but go with it). If any one of you would like to send me a little letter or anything, feel free. Let me know and I will give you my address.
In closing, I wish that the weather here would make up its mind. Last Sunday was like 90 degrees and then the next day it never got above 40. It was like that all week. Then, it decides to rain (which we get like 10" a year) so now it is muddy. The red west Texas dirt is not meant to be mud. It is very thick and many cars get stuck in it. Believe me on that, personal experience. Anyways, I want the weather to be a constant. I like winter. I do not like having to wear a jacket one day and then shorts the next. It is not good for my asthma folks! That's all I'm saying is all....
Well, gotta go. Catch ya later, and until we meet again....(I think that will now be my signature sign off).

Sunday, October 08, 2006

yeah, so uh, i dunno....

So this blog is just going to be the usual; you know me writing and nobody reading it (OK, like three people who are totally awesome!)
The three readers know that I had my mid-terms this week, and they all went surprisingly well. I have this one class World Civilizations and Geography and it is not too bad. Anyways, the professor who teaches the class I also have for another class, Ancient History. He tells me that I was "awesome" during class on Friday (right before the Ancient History test!) and says that in the WCandG class I made over a 100 on the test!! WHO-HOO!! I studied like crazy! I guess it paid off. I have not heard anything else from my others though, but I actually feel pretty confident.
Here is my class schedule, just in case some were wondering: First Aid&CPR, Religion, Life, and the Bible, Advanced Grammar, Ancient History, Technical Writing, and World Civilizations and Geography. That brings me to a grand total of 17 hours! I have taken 19 once and I do NOT recommend it.
So I really thought that this semester was going to be tough, and while it is, it is nothing that I cannot handle. After Jacob passed away, it was really really tough on me. I think this is the first semester that I am finally getting back into the groove. I am actually studying and trying to do great. The semester before Jacob passed away I made the Deans List. I would like to do it again. I just didn't have my heart and mind in school. I was sleeping like 3 hours a night ,and sometimes none at all. Now, though, I sill am not getting much sleep but I am determined to get past my brothers death and focus on school. It has been over a year. I guess that was the way I grieved. My mom and sister cried. Dad cried. Jordan did poorly in school (yeah GPA less than 3.0...terrible). I have been thinking a lot about this and I know that I can do it. YEAH!!
So, the new news is that I received an LST scholarship! YIPPEE!! That is so cool. Takes a load off of my back financially. Spending six weeks in Japan really REALLY put me behind, but I am just now catching up. About time huh?
During my daily Bible reading I re-came (?) upon a scripture that I loved. Lamentation 3:25-26. It is awesome. It is really how I am feeling right now. I am at such a great place in my life, and it is all because of God and His amazing love for me. In this day and age, being a Christian is not easy, and is no longer "cool." Well, I hate to break it to ya folks, but I have never been one of the cool kids, so why start now? Hee. It breaks my heart to see my generation. We are a bunch of hypocrites who have to start a change. I mean, don't get me wrong, change is good, but I am ashamed of my generation. I am so thankful to be going to a Christian university. If you look at the media today, you are pretty much shunned for being a Christian.
I was in the book store the other day (ok, every day) and I came across the "new arrivals" section. The title of this one book The Unusual Suspects caught my attention. No, not because of the movie similar to the same name, but the guy on the cover. The obscure actor Steven Baldwin was on it. Though not a huge fan, I do admire the guy. I now admire him even more. His new autobiography. It is all about him becoming a believer and following Christ. I went even further. I got online and checked out the reviews and yup, all (for the most part) bad. The critism came from his "beliefs". I WAS DUMBFOUNDED! Mr. Baldwin, I know that you will not read this, but thank you for standing up for what you beleive in. In this world of "scientologists", "Buddhists", and even agnostics, I commend you for your strength to become one of the precious few who is not afraid to share the your love for Christ. Bless you.
To expand on this subject, I was watching Grey's Anatomy Thursday night (surprise surprise). Seriously, great show. Well what shocked me was the writing. Grey's Anatomy has mentioned Heaven, God, religion, and never "dissed" it. Thank you for that, by the way. Well, the episode the other night was different...a GOOD different. One of the main doctors had to tell a man that his wife died from a complication from surgery. The man (who was quarantined in a room by himself because he was thought to have the plague) began going hysterical (as it should be). Anyways, the doctor (on the other side of the door) got him to calm down and regain his breathing. The guy fell to the floor and continued weeping. He asked the doctor if she believed in Heaven. If she believed in God. Without missing a beat she answered plainly "yes". As in she truly did and not being ashamed of it. WOW. She then went on to elaborate that she has to, with what she does in her job. She has to believe that there is a better place. "A place full of joy and peace. Full of happiness." "So yes, I believe in GOD and I believe in Heaven." "I believe, (says characters name) that your wife is there now telling you not to worry. I believe she is in a much better place." WOW again. The guy behind the door sort of stopped crying and sort of smiled, like he knew what she meant. It was such a rare moment in tv, and I even watched the episode again and focused on that scene. There was nothing anti-semetic with it. Nothing derogatory or inflammatory about it. No being made fun of for what she said. There was absolute truth being told, and it shone in the wonderful actress' face. It was beautiful. I know that the actress playing the doctor is a Christian and I am glad that she is one on the show as well. WOW again. IT WAS AWESOME to watch that scene. It could have been better, but I guess network standards don't really let you put too much "religion" in one program. Still, props to the writer of that episode.
Well, that was my little rant. Yeah, I know but it is 2:50 in the morning and I have to be at work in 8 hours. FUN FUN.
I realize that I talk to much, and therefore affects my writing. I write to much. I write and write. It's fun though. So, until we meet again......

Monday, October 02, 2006

mid-terms and twirp week

Can you believe that it is already midterms?? AHHHHH!!!! Crazy huh? So I have like a lot of tests this week and they are hard. Two on Thursday folks! Pray for me. So, this week at school is TWIRP week. TWIRP stands for The Woman Is Required to Pay. This week does nothing for me. Basically the girls ask out the guys but the catch is that there is no money involved. Nifty huh? Student senate pays for everything. I mean, that is pretty cool. Tonight, Monday, was the corn maze. Yes, that's right we live in the country. There is a huge corn field right outside of Lubbock and every year inside of the field is a super awesome huge maze. I mean it seriously takes like 2 hours to go through. OK, so that is fun and all, but LCU is around 2,000 students. If half of those people go, that is 1,000 people. 100 acres in a tight fitting maze with that many people, well, I am just not interested. Tuesday night is Cosmic Bowling. Again, same problem. Bowling alleys are only so big and 1,000 people crammed in 20 lanes in frustrating. I went last semester and stayed for like 3 hours and bowled half a game. Really not worth it. Then, Wednesday night is devo and coffee at the Koffee Kup. This is bad because I work every Wednesday. This is one that really interests me. Thursday night is coke and nacho night in the SUB. Basically it is like a huge get-together. There are bands playing (not at the same time) and everybody is enjoying greasy nachos and warm cokes. Um, yum! Friday night is actually cool it is to see the play Guys and Dolls in the auditorium (now known as the McDoody, hehe). The problem with that is that I work Friday nights as well!! AHH!!! Oh well, TWIRP week is overrated, and was also voted number 16 in Sports Illustrated as the things you have to do while in college. Boo-ya! Sure it is kinda cool for girls to step up and ask the guys, but I could never do it. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer the guy to ask me. I actually got asked (yes by a guy, I too thought it was wierd for a guy asking a girl to TWIRP week but whatever, but I had to say no, Wed. night folks). Oh well, he and I are just friends anyway. TWIRP week, a tradition at LCU that I just am not interested in.
So, I went to the mall today, just to window shop because I have absolutely no money. Well, I went by the store NewYork&Co. and who did I see in the window display? None other than 10 whole feet of my favorite tv doctors!! It was awesome! Dr. McDreamy and Dr. Grey adorning the walls and windows. It was cool. Yeah, I am like totally addicted to that show. Seriously! So Patrick Dempsey plays Dr. "McDreamy" (you know, he is the guy that Reese Witherspoon does NOT pick in Sweet Home Alabama), and he is awesome. Little crush going on. Johnny Depp and Patrick Dempsey. Hey, it could be worse. Again, Grey's Anatomy is awesome.
I find myself sitting outside on the swings on campus a lot lately. LCU's campus is beautiful (they have done some great landscaping remodeling). There are swings outside and I love one in particular. It squeaks. It is great. Covered by the shade. Also, I like the mall area at night. LCU is like one long sidewalk known as the "mall." There are these beautiful old-dtyle lamps lining the sidewalks that give off a faint yellowish glow. Again, beautiful!
The air is turning cooler....then hotter....then cooler. I personally am ready for it to get cold. And stay cold! I am ready for the snow. I am also ready for Thanksgiving. One full week off of school, granted, that means I will have to double up for work and work the Friday after Thanksgiving. That day, "Black Friday", is the worst shopping day of the year. Hopefully people will not want to look at puppies, but look at the sales going on elsewhere in the mall. Not looking forward to that. Well, that is about it. Oh yeah, I saw School for Scoundrels and The Guardian this week, and eh...you can miss them. Neither not that great. Ashton Kutcher actually did a good job in The Guardian and I love me some Kevin Costner. Well, that is about it. Maybe my loyal fanbase will return (I think that it was once at 4 readers!). Take care and please pray for me as I do these tests. Gotta love college. I mean where else can you dress like a slob, mooch off of anyone, be late, and it actually be expected of you? COLLEGE that's where. Take care and until we meet again....

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

so, crazy thoughts...as a result of sleepless nights

Yup random thoughts guys. Hope you all semi-enjoy. The only thing that I ask is to not stare at the screen in a transfixed Pavlonian stare. How many of you know what I am talking about? That's what I thought. Anyways, here goes:
I'm tired of following my dreams. I should just ask them where they are going and hook up with them later
Boxers are good because they are like a back-up pair of pants.
I like BBQ because its the only time its socially acceptable to lick yourself.
Copy from one, its plagarism, copy from many its research. (yup every professor that I have ever had while in college)
No task is more pleasing to scholars than exposing the negligence, ignorance, and stupidity of their fellows
What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, 'I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here and drink what comes out'?
Why is there that little space inside strawberries, as if it was meant for a pit, and then the seeds are on the outside?
What happens if you put this side up face down while popping microwave popcorn?
Do you think some people really get out of bed each morning and try on purpose to do stupid things?
Why is it that your favorite thing always changes? I thought it was your favorite.
Did Jesus make his own cross? He was a carpenter you know.
Is there an animal Heaven? That would be cool to see all of my old animals
Why do I always feel pressured to buy a Taco Bell bean burrito? I prefer the double decker taco.
Can mute people burp?
Have you ever noticed that if you rearranged the letters in mother in law, they come out to Woman Hitler?
I wish that we all had jet packs and teleporters so that we could be an even lazier country.
Wouldn't it be smart to make the sticky stuff on envelopes taste like chocolate?
I think that cash is overrated. We should go back to all coinage. That would be awesome.
Who was the first person to say, 'See that chicken over there ... I'm gonna eat the first thing that comes out if its butt'
Why is it that there are not more monkeys? I love monkeys
Why is that when you bark at a dog, they stop barking? Try it. It's fun.
Having a smoking section in a resturant is like having a peeing section in a pool, it effects everyone
Why is it that when you talk to God, you're praying, but when God talks to you, you're schizophrenic?
Never make someone your priority if to them you are only an option
You can't spell slaughter without laughter.
Well, hope you all enjoyed that. Believe me, there are plenty more when those came from. Again, of course not all them are mine but a lot are! So this is what I have resorted to: filling the mass void of internet land with my thoughts. Wow.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

long time huh?

OK, so I just thought that I would get back on here. Does anybody still read this? Probably not. Oh well, I don't care. Seriously, I don't care. Well, October is almost here. Can you believe the time that has flown by? Sweet! So school is pretty much dragging me down, but that is to be expected. Right now I want to go back to my childhood and wear a cape all day long. Would be nice right? We had to write a paper in my grammar class over our childhood, so it really got me thinking.
Also, my grammar class has helped me to appreciate the importance of punctuation and capitalization. What I once thought to be completely pointless in the English language, I have actually begun to enjoy. Now, I tend to throw out commas like a salt shaker. Cool.
Well, I would not be "me" without a new obsession. That's right folks, my new obsession is the television show Grey's Anatomy. Basically, it just rocks. I have bought both seasons on DVD and even one of the soundtracks (hey, I'm a music junky and the music on that show rocks). Now I sit down at 8:00 on Thursday's to catch Dr. McDreamy (hehe) and his loyal minions work their magic. Basically it is a hospital drama surrounded by a group of surgical interns. Such a great show. Have I said that already? Yeah, I did, but I said it again. It's ok. I know that I am monotonous.
Well, I found out that after this semester I will have 93 hours which technically puts me at being a senior. Guess what, I still have a ways to go! YIPPEE (hint of sarcasm there)!! I am guestimating about 1 and a half to 2 years. Sweet. More college! More Money! More LOANS! All for the price of a piece of paper and a future? I guess it's worth it. You tell me....
So I am a little bummed out with the paper that I write for. I love it, but I am debating whether or not to quit. It's great but I'm a little busy with it. I guess it is ok. The paper is cool and so are the staff writers, but it just does feel like a huge importance in my life.
Well my loyal non-readers, take care and keep on truckin'.
Until we meet again....

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

hamburgers, expensive bracelets, and wonder goo

Do you guys ever read the titles? Just wondering because I forgot to put my last one up. I think I was going to title it "Another random list that no one will read. I don't know why I do lists, but I do, and I am not even organized. I only make lists when I write, so enjoy this boring list". Yeah, I thought it was to long. So I just left it blank. Anyways, today was a great day. We only have one more day of reading sessions left and I am so sad! It can't be over! Anyways, about today (cue in whimsical-trippy-loopy-trumpety-going-back-in-time music). We decided to each invite a reader and make a huge lunch for them today. I invited my reader Hisae. She is so sweet, and she brought her 2 year old son. I cannot pronounce his name. I think that she is like 30 or something, but she is definately seeking, and reading sessions with her go by so quick and they are really productive. Tyrel invited the man Hajime. Tyler invited a reader of hers named Mitsui. Bryan invited two- Yoriko and Keiko. The only reason is because they both came last year, and they are best friends and do everything together. Anyways, Bryan and Tyler both had a reader at 10, so Tyrel and I decided to walk to the store and get the groceries. We were going to make hamburgers. Anyways, about 13 minutes later we get to the store and it is closed. We knew that they were going out of business, but not until the 4th. Anyways, I guess they decided to close early. We were not sure where the other store was so we just walked back to the church which took another 13 minutes. We did not want to take the bikes because we figured that we were going to be coming back with all these groceries. Yeah, bad idea. At least half way through our trek it stopped raining. We got back at about 10:45 and Tyrel and Bryan left to walk to the other store and Tyler and I stayed behind and started peeling potatoes. Yeah, we did like 20 potatoes, but they were pretty small. We had them almost peeled when the guys showed back up at about 11:30. Everybody was suppose to meet at about 12:30 for lunch. Bryan began cooking the patties, and I started frying up the potatoes. It was crazy with Bryan and I trying to cook at the same time but it worked. About 11:45 Yoriko showed up and took over the kitchen. It was so cool. She brought all this stuff as well! She made two pizzas, right there in front of us. It was awesome. Then Keiko showed up with a lot of stuff as well. We had a few dirty dishes in the sink, and it was my day to do dishes, so I told them not to worry about washing them. Yeah, they didn't listen. Every time we put a dish in the sink, it was immediately washed. Bryan and I got finished cooking at about the same time. Even though we told everybody not to bring anything, they all brought something. Hajime brought pears and mandarin oranges. Mitsui brought a honeydew melon, and Hisae brought peaches. Fruit is very expensive and they make very good gifts. The fruit is so good!! Yummy. Anyways, we had a whole lot of food and we just dug in. Yoriko brought her two oldest daughters and Keiko brought her two oldest daughters. Hisae brought her son. It was awesome!! What a blast. We did not sit down to eat until about 1:00. We chowed down and there was like nothing left. 15 hamburgers, fried potatoes, and 2 pizzas, lots of fruit, and other good stuff does not go that far. It was so good. All of us except for Tyler had a 2:00, so about 1:45 we began to clean up the auditorium. By like 1:51 everything was clean and in place. WOW. They work fast. Hisae, Yoriko, and Keiko took charge in the kitchen, while the rest of us set up the auditorium and cleaned the floor. We had cooked some rice to serve for lunch in case we ran out of potatoes, and forgot about it. Yoriko found the rice and used that to make us dinner! How sweet was that? It was delicious by the way. Yorkio and Keiko washed all the dishes and cleaned up the entire kitchen. They ever cleaned the stove to pand everything. Pretty cool. Hisae was my 2:00 so we finished up our last lesson. She did not realize that that was our last lesson together. She got pretty sad. She wanted to come tomorrow, but every single space is full. 10, 11, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. WOW. What a day tomorrow. It was great, but she is coming to camp so I will see her again.
I had a break until 5 today, so I went upstairs and began packing my souvenir bag. I barely got them all in the bag! It is so heavy. I hope it does not go over the 50 pound weight limit! Oops, that would be not good. My 5:00 showed up and that was also our last lesson, but she is coming to camp as well, so that is good. When I got out of the reading session at 6, one of my readers that finished Sunday was in the kitchen waiting for me. She is a church member, and knows like no english, but she is sweet as can be!! She can "Jesus is wonderful", and "God is so good" pretty good. That makes me happy. Anyways, she wanted to give me and the other team members a gift. She gave us all a really nice fan. I mean, it is not one of the cheap ones, but one of the super nice ones. She then gave me this box to open. Once I looked inside, I was speechless. Inside was a beautiful diamond bracelet. AND I MEAN REAL DIAMONDS!! There is also these other jewels on there that are beautiful. What a wonderful gift. IT MUST HAVE COST A FORTUNE!! There is even a little card in there that tells me the seriel number, the date it was purchased, and the types of jewles on the bracelet. There is a bunch of other stuff on there, but I do not read Japanese. It is so beautiful and I was almost afraid to wear it. Wait till I show you all, you will all love it. It is silver and just absolutely wonderful. Wow. Thank you Emi. No Hannah, you cannot borrow it. Don't even ask.
My 7:00 canceled, but I have her again tomorrow night. It was really wierd, because none of us had an 8:00. That is usually our busiest time. We all decided to take a trip down to our favorite media and entertainment store Wonder Goo. (Crazy name, I know....GGGGOOOOOO!!!) I brought three cd's and I only spent 15 dollars on them. Well, 1500 yen, so less than 15 bucks. I got a John Mayer, GooGoo Dolls, and Dave Matthews Band cd, all in english. I had previously bought an Incubus cd there, so I have quite the collection! Hahaha, MORE cds!!! Who-hoo! What is that, like 250 now? Some where in there. Well, that was my day and it was awesome. Tomorrow will be very sad for me. Saying goodbye to 9 readers! How sad!! Oh well, it had to be done. Welp, gotta go but I will report back soon. Jordan out. youknowwhatitisveryhardtoreadthishuhyupiknowitisthatiswhyiamnotputtinganyspacesinit. hahaha. youguysjuststopreadingandgodootherstuffaroundthehouse. gotoyourjobsandmakemoneyweallneedmoneyhuhyeahineedmorebecauseiambrokeohwellseriously
gottago..........hahaha. yeah, i am very tired. just thought you all could enjoy a good joke.

Sunday, July 23, 2006

In exactly one week we will be leaving Japan. Wow. These six weeks have flown by, well for me at least. Since there is really nothing new to report, I have decided to have a quick review about my time here. I think I will make a list. I like lists, although I am not an organized person. Anyways, enjoy a change for once, and tell me what you think:
1. Japan is just so awesome. We should all come to Japan at least once.
2. Serving God is so cool.
3. The people rock. That's all there is to it.
4. The food is so good.
5. Since we walk everywhere I thought that I would actually lose some weight, but nope, the food is to good.
6. I have been given the nickname of "Team Chef". Yeah, I know, shocking. But I have cooked chicken teriyaki with sauteed veggies, fried chicken with fried potatoes and macaroni and cheese, bbq chicken with grilled veggies and soy beans, and stuffed bellpeppers with hamburger meat and chesse. Yeah, I have cooked more here than I ever have. And those are just the lunch's that I cooked.
7. I get stared at every time I walk down the street. It's because I'm white.
8. Whenever we are waiting for the train, it gives me the excuse to sing "I hear a train comin'......". Haha, gotta love Johnny Cash.
9. I have spent so much on souvenirs.....for other people, and not for myself.
10. Tyler and I stayed up until 1:30 the other night talking about FFA. Minus two geek dollars Jordan...
11. I love the LST Fairy!
12. Seving God is so cool.
13. The bugs and fruits are bigger in Japan, everything else is very small.
14. One out of 7 days will be rain free.
15. I did not bring a rain poncho.
16. I have taken a ridiculous amount of pictures.
17. Serving God is so cool.
18. I want to come back next summer.
19. I am not home sick, but food sick.
20. It's ok to be jealous. If I was me, I would be jealous too.
21. Readers are so sweet and fun.
22. Discouragement comes easily, but I just think of why I'm here.....serving God is so cool.
23. Hannah leaves me cool myspace messages.
24. I think I bug Hannah with my myspace messages.
25. Hannah is going to have so many gifts when she gets back....more than anybody because whenever I walk by something it goes like this "Oh Hannah would like that!", and then there is a slap across my face and I tell myself no! Enough already! Gosh!
26. I will be broke when I get back to Texas.
27. I refer to the church as "home".
28. Tokyo is so crowded and bright.
29. There are temples everywhere.
30. I need to stop writing......

Saturday, July 22, 2006

sharks, penguins, and beef bowls

Today was such a great day. Like always, let me start from the beginning. LST has been coming to Taga church for 11 years now. Sugao, the preacher, always has a "Sugao Day". He always takes the team out for the day. Today he picked us all up at the church at 9am. We headed to Mito, which is about 30 minutes away. He took us to this ginormous aquarium! I have never in my life been to an aquarium, let alone a 7 story one! It was amazing. Sugao had a coupon so we all got in for only 1400 yen. Good price. We started walking in, and the tanks were massive. I work at a pet store, and I stare at fish all day, and our place is punny compared to this! When you first walk in, there are these huge circle tanks each with a different breed of fish. Most of them are salt water. They are huge! We got to the aquarium at a little after 10, and the dolphin show had already started. The show is on like the third floor, but in the first floor you can go into this huge room and the entire wall is made of glass. You can see the dolphins up top and when they go to swim under the water, it looks like they are coming right at you. It was awesome! Wow. We watched the dolphins for quite a while, and then started walking again. There is an outdoor exhibit, so we hit that up next. First, there is an area of what the ocean looks like. There are 1 billion (well, maybe not that many) types of seaweed, and they had every single one in the water. There are all these fish and starfish and etc. living in there. From the outside you can see right into it, and from the inside it follows along the entire wall and the whole wall is made of glass. Next, we went to this area with a California Seal. What a majestic creature. He was loud, but super cool. Next, there were none other than penguins!! REAL LIFE PENGUINS! Like a hundred of them. They were the Humboldt penguins and they were so cool. The were all swimming around and having a good ol` time. Hannah, I took a video for you to look at when I see you. Took pics for you as well. Your welcome. By the way, the ocean is like staring you in the face, and the entire aquarium is right there on the ocean. What a beautiful place! It was such a beautiful day today, with finally no rain, and the waves were really kickin' it so there were tons of surfers out. It was pretty cool. We then went back inside and began to look at more exhibits. We walked into this one area and all of a sudden you are surrounded by blue on every side of you. You are walking under this huge tank and there is a diver in there with a camera showing you all these fish. And of course, it is all glass. On the top of the water were 10,000 sardines swimming their little hearts out. There was also this huge sea turtle in there. There were a ton of sting rays, and some were huge! There were lots of sharks in there and a ton of eels. It was so cool. Some of these fish were bigger than the diver. Sugao was with us so he served as our translater. It was very cool. I got a really good picture of the sardines on the top of the water. The diver had the camera and was on the bottom of the tank and showing us this huge sand eel, and all of a sudden this shark took off and grabbed a mouthful of sardines. A few managed to run away, but it scared the diver so bad! It was actually pretty funny. After that, we went into the "deep sea" section. We saw all of these jelly fish, tons of different sizes and breeds. We also got to see illuminated fish. Those were the coolest things I have EVER saw. Their eyes and mouths glow! The tank is dark, and you can see all of these blue lights swimming all over the place. There is a button you can push that turns on a light briefly, and these fish are huge! The lights on them are so small, so you are expecting a small fish, but these guys were like 6 inches long. The fish do not like the light by the way. They go and hide in the rocks when the lights are on. That was the only place that we could not take photos. We then went upstairs, and while on the escaltor, I just happened to look up. What I saw I will never forget. A huge hammer head shark, and a huge other sharks were swimming over my head! WOW! What a scary feeling that was. I cannot remember the names of all the sharks, but whatever kinds of breeds there are, they were all in the tank. I think there was even a juvenile great white in there. A bunch of them had wonds and gashes on their bodies from where they have been fighting. That tank is death waiting to happen. Did you know that sharks have like 6 rows of teeth? Who da thunk? Anyways, I stood there mesmerized for a good while. I took a few pics and got a really good one with a shark swimming by with an open mouth. In that tank there were also these huge devil rays and sting rays. Some of those suckers were so big that I could have curled up and slept on one and been comfortable. I`m telling you, these are huge, and the tank was like the size of like 3 olympic size swimming pools and probablyh even bigger than that. Very deep too. Ouch. Next, there was a smaller tank with smaller sharks in there. The tank was not as big and the sharks were babies, but there were a lot of hammer heads in there. I did not know that the eyes were on the ends of the "hammer". Pretty cool. Then, they had these little bitty tanks full of little bitty baby sharks. They were really cute, and did not look that mean, but still, I probably would have lost a finger or two. Keep going and there are all of these other tanks full of fish and cool stuff. More eels, and even more huge sea turtles. They reminded me of the turtles in "Finding Nemo", and they looked just like that. Pretty cool. We started to move out of there, and in this one tank was this huge octopus. I mean, this guy was huge!!! Literally, like 2 feet long, and probably that tall. Whenever it would spread out, it was beautiful. There were also these huge Snow King Crabs, and they looked delicious, sorry to say! We walked out into this little souvenir and restaurant area and there in one of the glass cases was a huge Great White Shark, stuffed of course. Sugao told us that it was caught about 10 years ago in Hitachi. Can you believe that? This dude was huge, and some guy just went and caught him in the ocean. Pretty cool. I bought a few little things at the souvenir shop, and it was about noon so we all sat down and ate a snack. We then went up to the sixth floor and saw there huge tanks with MORE PENGUINS! These were the Tufted Penguins, you know the kinds with the long yellow eyebrows. The ones that look scary. They were the cutest things. No pictures though. When they dive under the water, their wings look like bat wings. Pretty cool. We then moved on and saw this otter. He was in a talk all by himself and having a blast. We saw an old momma otter that was also in her own tank. She was pretty old and almost solid grey. It was almost 1, so we made our way to the dolphin show. We saw the whole show from under the water last time, and this time we had seats inside the arena. There were two bottle nosed dolphins, one big dolphin (cant remember the kind) and two small fast dolphins. Ok, I always knew dolphins were smart, but these guys were amazing! Wow. The trainers did all these tricks with them and it was so cool. This one dude surfed on the big dolphin, and the two bottle nosed dolphins pushed the other two trainers by their feet with their noses. Pretty cool. Then, the trainers would go down under the water, and the dolphins would go down and fling them out of the water. Pretty cool. Then, a seal came out and did some amazing tricks. I was so busy watching the show that I forgot to take pics. The dolphins came back out and did some more amazing tricks. They can jump so high! The seats were pretty far away from the tank, but still the bottom 4 rows got pretty wet. It was so much fun. By the way, this is all inside, and the back wall is huge glass sheats, so it looks like you are in the ocean. Pretty cool. We then went to the hands on exhibit. There is this huge tank that you can go and stick your hands in there and grab all sorts of things. There are all these types of starfish, sea urchins, crabs, anemones, and all sorts of other things. There are these workers there that make sure you do not hurt the fish, and this lady kept putting all of these things in my hand. It was really cool. The sea urchins were pokey, and when you picked them up they would move in your hands and it was such a cool feeling. What a cool exhibit! It was about 2, so we made our way out of the aquarium. In the car, I told the others that that was my first time to go to an aquarium, and see dolphins, penguins, seals, sharks, etc. How cool is it to say that I got to see all of that stuff in Japan. Tyler and Bryan said San Antonio, Tyrel said California, and Jordan said Japan. Yeah, mine has a nicer ring to it. By the way, I now still know nothing about fish, and learned nothing new about fish, so sorry Bonnett Pet Center. I do, however, know what a shark feels like, know what sound a seal and dolphins make, and got poked by a sea urchin. Not a bad day if I do say so myself.
We were all pretty hungry so Sugao took us to eat lunch. It is this place where you can get bowls. Hang on, let me describe it. I got a beef bowl, loaded with cheese. In it is rice, beef, onions, and cheese. It was so delicious! And very cheap. It was only 420 yen. We then wanted to go and get a few souvenirs so we hit the stores. Mito is the biggest city in Ibaraki prefecture. A prefecture is like a state, and Mito is a town in the prefecture. A huge town. Sugao took me to a sports store and I finally got dad's gift. We then went to this really cool shop that was like 4 stories high. They had these beautiful silk wall hangings, and I bought a very very very pretty one. It is blood red with the picture of a Giesha turning around. Pretty cool. It is 100% silk and was only 1650 yen. Not bad Jordan, not bad. By the way, this one is MINE, no one better try to take it ok? We all walked out of there with some great stuff. We hit up some more shops and we all blew most of our money. I told Tyrel that I am glad we waited to go to Mito on our last week, instead of before because I probably would have spent more money. We are all going Sunday night to see Pirates of the Caribbean, and I am so stoked! I can`t wait. Who-hoo. That, my friends, is another experience worth writing down. Seeing an American movie in Japan. How cool is that? Just say it, it's ok to be jealous. We then went inside this huge mall (we could fit like 4 of our malls in there) and hit up a kimomo shop. I was telling the guys that I have only bought like 2 things for myself this entire trip, and all of these other amazing gifts for others that I have totally forgot to buy things for me. I have bought all of these things for Hannah, and Tyrel stopped me from buying her something more. I had to stop him from buying more for his fiancee. We saved each other quite a bit of money! It was funny. Anyways, it was about 6:30 so we decided to go home. Sugao dropped the guys off at Omika, and took us back to the church. What an amazing day we had. So much fun. Tomorrow is our last party, and it is a Texas Party. It will be a lot of fun. Only 4 more days of reading sessions folks! Wish us luck as we begin to wrap up these lessons. God has blessed me with so much on this trip. I'm sorry this post is so long, so thank you all for hanging in there and reading it all the way through. Thanks so much. Love you all, and continue your prayers!

Thursday, July 20, 2006

So sad

Alright, last night my first reader finished. She cannot come any more. It made me so sad to realize that it is actually almost over. I knew that it was coming, of course, but all of a sudden reality hits me. I am so sad to leave this wonderful place. We only have 4 more days of reading sessions! I want to stay here and continue working. Six weeks is such a long time, but I want to stay longer. we have been here pouring our heart out to these people, and most of them are finally opening up to us. They have begun to ask us difficult questions and really want to learn more! It is so exciting. So, I guess the time comes for me to face reality and accept the fact that it will soon come to an end. I have made life long friends and the memories I made here will always be with me. These things are so important to me. When I get back to the states, I will be thinking about that one reader. What is she up to? How is her spiritual journey going? Then I will look back and remember that other reader, and the great questions that she asked me. I could always tell when God made her ask the question. Amazing. So now is the time to begin giving out the reader gifts. I bought like 20 of these little crosses that are silver and come with a bookmarks with John 3:16 on them. For some, I got these little lapel pins that each have different things on them. I brought along with me on the trip one of my devoltional books, and am debating whether or not to give to this one reader who is really seeking. I showed it to her and she loved it. She has been studying the Bible for about 6 years now. Praise God! She is so close, I can feel, and so can she. As the rain falls gently on the roof, I am reminded of home. Will I ever return to this wonderful place? Hopefully so!! Next year even! That would be awesome. I miss home, and want to go back, but I love it here and want to stay. Oh well, the time comes for all good things to end. I guess that I am thinking that when I do get back home, I will always think of this summer and the work that we did. I spent my summer serving God and doing His work. When I get back to school, and go back to work, I will feel almost useless. I mean, for 6 weeks I have been nothing but a servant. When I get back I will fall into this usual routine that I love. Be with my friends and family that I love. I do not get depressed at all, but this is slightly depressing. Oh well, I`m sure that when the time comes for me to board that plane, I will not think twice about it. Some good ol` Mexican food here I come!! Sweetened ice tea, down ya go! I can`t wait to tell you all of my amazing stories that I have not posted on my blog. Things are great with us, but we are at that point of the trip where reality has hit. Soon, we will be home and have all of the precious memories. Take care guys!!

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

A three-fold utopian dream

OK, I know I never see rain at home, but come on! For three straight days it has been pouring down. Not a nice little drizzle either, but a horrendous downpour. It has been a constant stream of wetness, and it is making me sad. My party is tomorrow, and it was suppose to be outside, so it looks like that option will be cut. Oh well, we will still have fun. Anyways, Monday was a great day. It was Ocean Day, and I am sure that no one was out at the ocean. Big surprise huh? Step outside and you could get soaked. Since we walk everywhere, it is a problem keeping our clothes dry. We have umbrellas, but they do not get the job done. Sorry, I got way off topic. Where was I....oh yes Monday. Anyways, I ran out of money so I had to go to the post office and use the ATM there. I got out like 10,000 yen, which is like 93 dollars. I hope that will last me the rest of the trip, but probably not. Tyler and I were hungry so we went to our favorite place-7-11! Who-hoo. Yeah, that`s right, in the pouring rain! The guys came back from lunch with the Okabe`s and we all just hung out at the church. We were getting our postcards written, which were suppose to be in the mail last week, whoops! We were all getting a little bit of cabin fever, so we decided to run to Hitachi. Our train left at 4:46. We went to the 100 yen store and I bought a whole lot of souvenirs. I hope everybody likes chopsticks because I bought like 20 pair. I`m sure that I forgot gifts for some people, so I am sorry in advance. We were all starving so we ate at our second favorite place-McDonalds. Hey, it`s cheap, and pretty good! We were all tired so we hopped on the 6:58 train and headed back home. First of all while in Hitachi (which is about the size of Lubbock) we ran into some of our readers. That was kinda cool. Next, we were inside of this huge mall and we ran into Judith. Small world huh? Then, on the train home we ran into this girl from Oklahoma Christian that is studying at Ibaraki Christian and goes to Taga church. Wow. What a day of "run-ins" with people we knew. How cool was that? Being in Japan for only 4 weeks and running into all these people. Awesome. We walked back to the church, in the pouring rain, and just stayed there for a while. The guys caught the 9:09 train home, so Tyler and I watched a movie and then went to sleep.
Today, I woke up to a now familiar sound-beating rain. I took a shower and got ready for my day. It was pretty busy, 6 readers in all. The one good thing about the rain is that it has cooled off tremendously. Whew, what a relief. The day started off well. I had my 10:00 reader, and then I went to the bank with Tyrel. Our LST funds were dry, so Tyrel went and cashed some travelers checks. We then got back to the church and it was around noon, so we all went to Woody`s again and got some wonderful Italian food. The LST fairy showed up and paid for lunch. Aw, how sweet! I then had a 2:00 reader, and I got some good results from her. She has been really shy, but today she opened up, and asked a lot of questions. What a breath of fresh air. She was wonderful. I then had a break so I went with Tyler to the stationary store so she could buy some more postcards. My 4:00 reader showed up, and she had two gifts for me. She was the one that took me to buy the ukata, the summer kimono, anyways she brought me an obie, it is the tie that goes around the ukata with thje big bow in the back, and she also brought me some sandles that you wear with the ukata. Wow! How sweet is that? The sandles are the traditional Japanese wooden sandles that are very uncomfortable but you only wear them like once a year. It was so cool to get those gifts from her! she is so sweet, but she hates to read. She just wants to talk. Normally that would be alright, but we are suppose to be reading about Jesus (say it with a southern accent, it is funnier and just sounds cool- JAYSUS! Caitlin knows what I`m talking about). Anyways, she is sweet, but lacks motivation. I then had a break, so I walked to the post office to mail my postcards.
My 6:00 showed up, and she is a young 17 year old girl. She is the granddaughter and daughter of church members here and has just recently been interested in Christianity. She is super shy, but today she really opened up. We were on this one lesson, and it talks about the guy who planted the seeds and some fell on the thorns, the rock, and the side of the road, while the rest grew out in the good land. I asked her what kind of seed she was, and she explained that she was the kind that is one the side of the road. She explained that she believes, but whenever something bad happens the devil makes her not believe. She said that she wants to be the seed on the good land though. She wants to become a Christian but is still hesitant. Can I get an AMEN?? Praise God! Wow. What a statement. I love her and I hope that Christ can come to her and offer her some peace. Pray for her. My next reader I love to death! She is like 25 and as sweet as can be. She likes to read the Bible and has been studying it for like 7 years. She is very open to Christianity. God is really working in these two young girls. My last reader I also love. She is Tomomi and she is a blast. She is also a young girl, and the reason she came to LST was for a homework assignment. She goes to Ibaraki Christian and one of her asignments was to go and visit a church. She happen to come on the day of our info meetings and signed right up for classes. I see God slowly beginning to take light in her and she notices it too. She is trying to fight it, but is not doing a good job. Slowly, the light shines through. We went out to eat tonight and she actually prayed before we ate! How cool is that? Anyways, that was my wonderful day. All four of us are so wiped out, and days like this come around and we rejoice and celebrate. God lifts me up just enough to get me through each day. With the rain and the stress dragging me down, a day like today lifts me up! I thank God for things as small as this. This morning was very hard for me to get up, but I can`t wait until tomorrow! Hope all is great with all of you. I mailed out 20 postcards so most of you should get one. If not, it got lost in the mail and I am sorry. I am putting up pictures on the blogsite as we speak, so enjoy those next! Take care people and have a wonderful day as I am about to go to sleep.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Cinnamon and karaoke

Ok, so we had church Sunday morning like always. Tyler and I had to give our testimonies so Sugao translated for us. After we gave our testimonies we were asked questions and stuff about our faith and our lives. It was great. Then came church, and Rusty preached. After the service we had a potluck dinner. Wow, what an emourmous amount of food. It was all delicious! Um, I don`t know how many of you know this, but I am allergic to cinnamon. Well, Rusty had brought these snacks for everyone to try and I ate a couple (5). They were delicious. They tasted like the cereal Golden Grahams which has no cinnamon in them. Well, these snacks did have cinnamon is them. Yeah, I didn`t realize that I was eating cinnamon. Then, for dessert, Rusty`s wife Laura made this wonderful apple torte cake and it too had cinnamon. After I had already eaten the little cinnamon things, Bryan and Tyrel told me that they had cinnamon in them. Thanks guys, a little late huh? Anyways, I felt fine, so I figured it was not that much cinnamon. I had 4 reading sessions that day, so my 2 is a church member, so she was already there. We went through the lesson, and I was having a hard time. After the lesson, Bryan looked at me and told me that I should probably lay down or something. I don`t know how to describe it, but I felt wierd. My skin was itching, my tongue was burning, my head was spinning, and I could harldy stand up! I was worried about my readers, but Bryan covered for me. He had no readers Sunday so he just picked up the rest of mine and I went upstairs and slept. Tyrel followed me up there and told me that they would come wake me up at about 5. I had a reader a 3 and 4, and my break was at 5. He said that then I could eat something and if I wanted to I could do my 6:00 reader. I did not disagree. I do not remember what happened next. Next thing I know, Bryan is standing over me, waking me up. He tells me that it is 5:40. I get up and go downstairs, and I am feeling nauseous. Maybe it was because I had not eaten anything. Anyways, my 3:00 reader was still there at the church. Her name is Michi and she is 21. She is so sweet! I love her to death. Anyways, my 6:00 reader had showed up, and she is an 18 year old high school student named Ayaka. They both looked so concerned, and wanted to help me. Judith explained to them what happened to me. Anyways, 6:00 rolls around, and Bryan gets up to go read with Ayaka. I looked up at him and he basically tells me to go eat, and don`t worry about it. I honestly did not feel like reading, but I felt that Bryan had already done to much. Anyways, Michi was still there and her friend Mayumi who is one of Tyler`s readers. Tyrel and Tyler did not have readers at 6, so they were all hungry. The two girls told me that rahmen would be good for my stomach. The noodles are healthy and the broth is filling. The 5 of us walked down to the rahmen shop and I had a bowl of Shio rahmen. It was delicious. I had never tried that one, and it was so good. If you like bean sprouts, then you will like this one. They are not small, shredded bean sprouts, but thick fresh ones. They are so good. I immediatley began to feel better. We walked back to the church, and Bryan was finished with my reading session. We had a karaoke party at 7 at Cosmo World, so we were all going to meet at the church. There were about 17 of us, so we all walked to the karaoke place. All the way, Ayaka talked to me, and Michi helped me walk. Not that I needed help, she just is so sweet. Ayaka loves Coldplay and Daniel Powter, as do I, so I told her that we would sing a duet together. We got 2 rooms, and we sang for 2 hours. It was so much fun. I did several songs, none by myself because I am a terrible singer. I even did Johnny Cash- Ring of Fire. Hahaha. Yeah, it was terrible. Ayaka and I did a couple of duets together and the night turned out to be a blast. I felt great after the rahmen, and the melon soda that I had at karaoke was delicious. All the way to the church I told Bryan that I am paying for the rest of his dinners for the trip. He just laughed, but did not tell me no. So anyways, that was my Sunday. Fun filled and excited huh??
Today, Monday is a national holiday. It is called Ocean Day. This is the day to officially mark the beginning of summer and the beaches are now open. They are always open, but now you have to pay to park ans stuff. I dont know. Anyways, we have no readers today but it is raining (big surprise) and everything is closed, so there is nothing to do. The guys are eating lunch with the Okabe family. Tyrel teaches Mr. Okabe. He is a tough old man who knows more about the Bible and Christianity then anybody. He just will not make that step. Bryan teaches Mrs. Okabe. She is already a Christian so she is fun to work with. Tyler and I have to find something for lunch now, so take care guys and my lunch will be cinnamon free!!

Saturday, July 15, 2006

These Days

So I have been listening to Rascal Flatts lately, and this is one of my favorite songs. It sums up the past two days perfectly. Friday was great. We woke up for an early game of basketball. The 4 of us met up with some of our readers and played at Mike`s house. It was so much fun, but it was so hot. It was actually only about 80 degrees, but the humidity was 100%. Wow. It looked like we had jumped in the pool and gone swimming. We played for a couple of hours, and then they had to go to school. The rest of the day we just sat around and chilled. It was great to just sit and relax all day. We actually turned on the AC because it was almost unbearable. We then got the idea that the two girls that played basketball that morning, we invited over for dinner. Bryan cooked burgers, I fried up potatoes, and we had a huge feast. The girls loved it. It was lovely. We had a great time hanging out with the two of them.
Today was a blast! Bryan`s reader Kiyomi invited us all to spend the day with him. He is the fire marshall of the Hitatchi area, so he let us go out on the fire boat. We spent over an hour out in the ocean and it was wonderful. We then went to his house and made our own lunch. We made soba noodles. It is a type of buckwheat noodle that is served cold and it is delicious. You cook them for only 5 seconds and then you put then under cold water for a second. They are amazing! His wife also cooked some wonderful tempura. I am addicted to the food here! (Well, some of it). It was about 1, and we had nothing to do until 3. Kiyomi is a huge fan of The Beatles. We sat around and sang a whole bunch of Beatles songs and had a great time. His daughter lives in Hawaii and he showed us pics of his daughter and son-in-law, and his two beautiful granddaughters. It was about 2:30 so we made our way out to the park to climb a huge rock wall. This thing is ginormous! It is 17 meters tall, and it is so difficult. I got to about 8 meters. Tyler about 4-5, Tyrel about 8, and Bryan about 10. It was so difficult. Kiyomi went up the whole thing in about 3 minutes! The dude is 57 years old! He was like a spider crawling up a wall. It was so fun. He then took us back to the church and it was about 5. The 4 of us just hung out and had a great time. It is so much fun just us hanging out and talking with each other. Tyrel and I cooked up some gyo-za for dinner. There are no dryers here, so our clothes have had this sort of sour smell to them, so Bryan got tired of it. He was washing his clothes, and decided to throw one of his shirts in the microwave. Genius!! It actually dried and it did not smell sour. It is raining now, so all of our wet clothes are upstairs hanging to dry. We got all of the fans together and are blowing them dry. Hopefully that will work. Our shirts and stuff just plain stink. We are not sure why. But anyways, I just wanted to tell you all that short story, and I hope that you all enjoyed. The past two days have been wonderful. Basically, the best part is just relaxing. Sunday we have church, a potluck lunch, reading sessions, and a karaoke party from 7-9. It will be a blast. Monday is a national holiday, so we are off. Hopefully, we will find something to do. Saturday the 22nd, Pirates of the Caribbean comes to theaters here so we are definately going to see that. Can`t wait. The halfway point has come and gone, and it has been a blast. What an experience of a lifetime!! Wow. God has truly blessed me.