Friday, July 27, 2007

In Love With the 80's (Pink Tux to the Prom)

So, I like sticking with song titles for my blog titles. The internet at my apartment is not working yet, so this is the first time in a week I have been online. I think I was having withdrawals! I am so addicted!

So, I am officially moved into my new apartment. I love it. I get my own room. Score. The location is pretty much across the street from campus, and I can see the new golf course from my front door. I told myself that I am going to start walking to school. It it probably a ten to fifteen minute walk, so it will not be bad. Except on Mondays. That is my long day. Basically, 8-7 everyday. Not fun. Oh well. There is an old song by The Boomtown Rats called "I Don't Like Mondays." Well, I need to start liking Mondays.

While unpacking, I came upon a load of stuff that I have not seen in a good two years. Since Jacob's funeral. I found condolence cards from friends and family from when he died. I kept them all. I also found my third grade report card. All A's except in penmanship. Haha! It is still bad. I blame it on the fact that I broke my ring finger on my left hand in first grade and had to learn how to write with my right hand. I was learning cursive, and it was difficult. Much too difficult for a first grader. When my left hand healed, I started writing with my left hand again, but it was too late. My cursive is pretty illegible, as is my print. I don't really care. So, it was cool to see my grades in third grade. Also, my third grade teacher taught me piano for a year, until I got tired of it and quit. I wish my parents had made me continue lessons.

When I was 14 we moved to West Texas. We had been living in the Houston area, when dad decided that he wanted to become a teacher/coach so we packed up and our family of five moved 500+ miles away. I loved it. When I was unpacking, I found pictures, birthday cards, and notes from my 14th, 15th, and 16th birthday. Cool! I also kept them all. I was the school mascot (Elmo the Eagle!) and I found a picture of me in the costume. I also found an old track and field ribbon that I do not remember winning. I am sure it is not mine. Oh well. I am keeping it. I found the paper that had my name on it when I was getting inducted into the National Honor Society. Sweet! Then, the things went even further back: Junior High. I played basketball, volleyball, and track in junior high. I was not good at any of the sports. However, I did receive some sort of volleyball award. I was on the A team in volleyball but the B team in basketball. I was better in volleyball, but the high school I moved to did not have volleyball. Oh well. I also played the clarinet and bass clarinet and I found this pink sheet of paper. I opened it up and it the score of my solo. I did a solo with my bass clarinet and scored a 1 and got the gold medal for it. The judge wrote some constructive criticism and it was neat. I apparently played "The Foggy Dew." Sweet.

Then, I found a bunch of cards and letters from when I graduated high school. I found a tennis ribbon when I won fourth place at a tennis meet. There were only four of us there. It was awesome. Did I mention that I was not good at sports? I found a 4-H ribbon that I am certain is not mine. It was great to go back and see alll of those things. I found this letter from my volleyball coach in eighth grade. I was on the A team, and she made us write one nice word about everybody on the team. She then gave us these sweet letters with all the adjectives on them. She wrote on there that she wanted to name her first born after me. Odd. She also said that I was like candy. Hmm...Anyway, it was cool. I always thought that nobody on my volleyball team liked me because they made fun of me a lot. This one girl (Anna or Alice. I cannot remember) tried to pick a fight with me. She wanted to "straighten my two-front teeth." I told her to go ahead, because it would save my parents a lot of money. She did not punch me out. I got braces soon after that. She sat in front of me in band. I was first chair bass clarinet, and she was like 19th chair clairnet. She claimed that I always spit on her. She was mean. I did not like her. Oh well. I am not sure why I was made fun of in junior high. Who cares.

So, that was a lot of nonsense to be writing about. Hannah, Aunt DeeDee and I went to my great grandmothers house today to have lunch with her. She loves pizza, so we ate pizza and drank Dr. Pepper. She is 87 years old. I think. Her mind is sharp as a tack. Well, maybe an old worn tack, but a tack nonetheless. I love Nanny! Her attack chihuahua, Annie, hates all of us. She is a little territorial. She only likes you if you pick her up and pet her. I did not. DeeDee did.

After lunch, DeeDee and I went back to Lubbock and I stayed at her house for a bit. She wanted me to go through some cookbooks so that I could find some good recipes and cook them at the new place. She gave me two books and a dozen extra recipes. It was great. My forearms are sore and bruised from playing volleyball. Macy and Micah were playing basketball in the church gym with a friend. Then it turned into frisbee and then volleyball. Macy and I are not a great team. Well, she is good, but not me. 14 year old Micah schooled us all. Haha!

That is about it. I have been in a Harry Potter mood, so I have been reading and watching the movies. Awesome. The books are SO much better though.

I went and applied at the YWCA, but so far, no word.

Three of the BPC employees are sharing 42 hours. No fun. I have been working less and less.

I got together about 90 of my cds and went and sold them. I needed the cash. I got like $140.00. Not bad. Plus, I still have like 300 in this binder that I cannot sell. No cases. Oh well. They are all on iTunes anyway.

Hastings on 50th is closing. Half-off on all movies, books, and music!! Score! If I had any money, I would buy the lot, but I am poor. Oh well.

My schedule for next semester: Spanish II, British Literature, Anatomy and Physiology, Fiction Writing and Constitutional Law. 17 hours. Fun fun. I am most looking forward to Fiction Writing.

I found my old notes from my advanced grammar class. How did I pass that class with a B? I totally deserved a D!! I mean, we had to diagram all of these sentences and there is no way the professor could read any of it. There was so much smudge from where I erased everything. Maybe it just looked correct. I should be able to really, really understand the English language, and decipher what word is what. Participles...gerunds...clauses...etc. Actually, I do know all that, so that is great. I just hate diagramming sentences, so maybe that is why I did not do them in that class.

Haha. I hate school, but I cannot wait for it to start. It puts me closer to graduating! Haha. I should just take calligraphy and make myself a fake degree. Oh, one of the Dean's of something or another here took a job at ACU. Good riddance John Deloney. He was a pretty cool guy, and got along well with the students. He is now the Dean of something or other there.

My cousins last name is Deans. She should be a Dean when she graduates, so she could be Dean Deans. That would be cool. Oh well.

I am running out of things to write.

Good night all. May the force be with you always.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

"I wish I had an older sister"

So, life in Texas is great. I think I always start off my posts that way. I am trying to be dilligent and update as often as I can. I have a lot of free time as of late because, well, I have nothing to really do.



MOVING:

Monday. Tomorrow. Excited. I am.



WORK:

Good to be back. I picked right up there. How awesome are the Bonnett's that they let me take off for eight weeks and I still had my job when I got back. I do not take off too much, but if I do, I feel guilty because I took off for eight weeks. That, my readers, is awesome. I mean, how many people would do that? Hmmm? Sure, I was going to Japan not for a vacation, but for a mission trip. They understood that. Plus, that was the second time that they have allowed me to do so. Amazing people, they are.



I got to meet the new employees, and I know one! Haha. Becky goes to LCU and is 19, but I know her! I do not know anybody. Ha! The other one goes to Tech and is also younger than me. I do not know her. Well, I do now. Plus, both of these young women are married. One 19. Crazy!



Mike is awesome. Friday night, right before we were to close, he stopped by. He brought these York peppermint patties. They were delicious. I love them. Mike only works weekends, because his real job is that he is a scientist. Very cool. I now call him Me-kay. He spent time in Africa and that is how the Africans promounced his name.



Nema tried to get me to eat some gum before she left for the day on Saturday. Normally, I would have taken the gum and gottne another to save for later. I realized that I chewed too much gum. I started it back in March. I would go through so many packets, tha it was not even funny. I would basically only take the gum out to eat sleep. However, I was not like the little girl, Violet, in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory who would stick it behind her ear when not chewing. Yuck! I am trying to stop chewing gum. I did not chew any in Japan except when Adam, Kaori and Anna offered me some. Not too often, but still. So, that was my first test, and I think I passed.



I am looking for a second job. Something to do to raise more money. I think that I will apply at the YWCA and be a counselor. My friend works there and he said that they are desperately needing employees. Awesome. I love kids! So, that is an option, but when school starts, that option might not be great. I need that job for the day, so that will be a problem when school starts.



I am ready for school to start. I am taking 17 hours. No freshmen level classes either. Score! I do not do much studying as it is, so I will be ok. I think. Pray for me.



COUSINS:

So, I have been staying with Libby and Dennis until I can move, so the other night I came in from work and there were five extra people in the house. Yay! The oldest was ten and the youngest three. We watched movies and ate popcorn and M&M's. Yum! We watched Glory Road (fantastic movie). After that, Ben wanted to watch Coach Carpenter (Coach Carter) but it was almost midnight. So!! He and Price set up sleeping bags there in the living room and planned on sleeping there. The couch, however, was empty. Strange. I stayed up and watched the movie. So did Ben, I think. It was almost 2 when it was over, and I still saw him sitting up and stuff. I turned off the tv, debated whether or not to sleep on the uber comfy couch, but chose to sleep in my temporary room.



I woke up at almost 10. Price was still sleeping in the living room and Drew was asleep in Libby and Dennis's room. Rex and Meghan were eating at the bar. Blueberry muffins! Yum! I sat next to Rex and ate a few of the small muffins. Wow. He will talk your ear off. With a face full of muffins, he wanted to know about my sister, my dad, my mom, my brother (Who is apparently no longer in jail...haha), his brother, sister, mom, dad, and the lake. Wow. All in a matter of minutes. During this time, Meghan sat there and just noddd her head and smiled at me. I do not think she ate her muffins.



A few minutes passed, and Rex was just staring at me. He finally said "I wish I had an older sister like you." Ok, so Rex is three and Meghan is four. He DOES have an older sister! However, Meghan was adopted from Russia, and therefore came into the family after Rex did. He thinks that she is the baby. Hahahahahaha! It was a great conversation to tell him that he was the youngest. He just kept saying, "nope. Meghan is my younger sister. She is the baby." I let it go. It was great.

I had to be at work by noon, so I left the house at around 11:15. For the past thirty minutes Meghan was crawling on my back and acted like a monkey. It was awesome. Drew wanted to get on. He did. As did Rex. I think at one point, they all three were on my back. I had a total of 13 years on my back. Ha!

I went outside to go to my car when I ran into Rex. He was behind the van eating a chocolate ice cream bar. Ah! It was all over him. He looked adorable. I asked if he was supposed to be eating that and he said "oh yeah. Granibee knows I am eating out here." He looked guilty as he said it. He gave me a hug and I had chocolate on me the whole day at work.

Rex reminds me a lot of Jacob. He has Jacob's dark eyes. The blonde hair. Young Jacob's voice. He resembles Jacob a lot.

I totally bought the Harry Potter book yesterday! The day it went on sale. I reserved a copy months in advance. Never have I reserved a copy. Never! I got the book for only 20 bucks-steal! I refrained from buying it until after I got off work for fear that I would try and read it whilst working. It would not be good.

Sunday, today, I went with Libby and Dennis to look at their new ranch. We left after church and headed out to the middle of nowhere. It was an hour-and-a-half away from their house, and it was way out there. The ranch is like 1,100+ acres. It is beautiful. We went into the house and it needs lots of work. As does the ranch. It has been a good 20 years since anybody has done anything to it. Since I wore long pants, Dennis and I went hiking for a bit. Converse high-tops are not ideal while hiking. It was about 98 degrees.

We got in the pickup and drove to a scenis point and stared at the mighty Brazos river. Ok, so not too mighty, but mighty for West Texas. We drove a little more and Dennis and I did a little more hiking to the river bed. After five minutes of picking off stickers, we went driving again. It was now 103 degrees. Wow.

WE made our way back to the cabin, and in a matter of minutes it dropped ten degrees according to the thermometer. Theory: the place we were that was 103 was open. At 93, it was covered in trees and brush. Much cooler.

It was great and beautiful. We saw the part of West Texas that nobody gets to see. Beautiful. On the trip, I read over 200 hundred pages in my Harry Potter book. It is amazingly addictive.

So, I am tired and my eyes are tired. I also dying to see what happens to the boy wizard! I want Harry to die so the story will have a definite end. Without the hero dying, there is always chance for a spin-off or more stories. This one should be the definite end. Of course, only once he saves the entires wizard world and defeats He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Voldemort. Oops! I said his name! Must go hide!!!

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Since U Been Gone

I love that song. Awesome. So, life here is good. No, great. Currently, I am at my aunt Libby and uncle Dennis's house in the middle of nowhere. They seriously live way out in the country in the middle of cotton fields. I love it. The town is called Southland, and I lived there for two years. Well, we did not live quite out in the country as they do. Anyway, I like coming out here. So many memories in this giant house. So, where to begin...

Tuesday, Hannah was babysitting some of Michelle and Keiths kids and some of Julie and Heath's kids. 7 out of ten is not too bad. The oldest are 10 and the youngest are about 2. Fun ages! I got to Julie's house around 2 and all the kids were excited to see me. She had Price, Drew, Rex, Emmy, Meghan, Libby Grace, and Carter. Carter is almost 3 and is adorable! Rex is 3 and latched onto me and would not let me go. 5 year old Libby Grace wanted to wrestle. 4 year old Meghan wanted to show me her headstand. Awesome. Somehow we all made it downstairs into the basement when they took my camera and took a billion pictures. About 45 were usable. They just wanted to see the flash go off. Then they all had a heastand contest at the bottom of the stairs. It was great.

Hannah was getting frustrated, so she told them to put in a movie. Like Mike was the consensus. Yeah! Lil Bow Wow has magic shoes. Haha, such a fun movie. We cleaned up the living room and about the time Calvin finds maybe Mike's shoes, Michelle comes over to get her kids. Five minutes later Julie walks in and the kids no longer care about the movie on the big screen. Julie brings in cookies and donuts (for in the morning) and the kids dig in. Except for Carter who is asleep on the couch. Ben came in with his mom. That makes a total of 8 kids. Michelle's oldest two are at church camp in New Mexico for a week. They are both 10.

3 year old Rex wanted to know why my brother was in jail. Michelle told him that he was in heaven. Again, he asked why Jacob was in jail. I don't know where that came from. Again, we said heaven. I picked him up and he asked me why he was in heaven, how he got there and if I missed him. A very inquizative 3 year old. I love it.

The kids wanted to go swimming, so all of them jumped in the pool. Hannah and I hung around until around 4 and went to see the mother. Mom was at work so we went and bugged her a bit then went to do some shopping. Hannah bought me a nice shirt because she is tired of me wearing t-shirts. We went and bothered mom again and then left to go eat dinner. My sister totally bought my dinner! Crazy! I love her! Usually I buy her dinner, but this 18 year old is wracking up the money babysitting so she bought me a 5 dollar sandwich. Thanks, sister. Then, we went to see the movie Licensed to Wed and it was ok. The one with Robin Williams, Mandy Moore, and John Krasinski (the dude from The Office). Got out of the movie around 9 and I got to Libby and Dennis's around 9:45.

Worked from 2-9 on Wednesday. It was great to be back. Ok, it was ok to be back. After 2 1/2 years, I still love my job, but it gets to be a little mundane sometimes. Wednesday we were pretty busy, so the hours flew by. I sold 2 chihuahua's, 2 kittens, 9 fish, a ferret, a guinea pig, a mouse, and I am sure something else that barks. I cannot remember. Oh well. Got out of work about 9:15 and got to Libby and Dennis's around 10. Did I mention how far away they live? I love it!

Thursday Hannah texted me and wanted to know if I wanted to go to town with her and mom. I said yes. So, my mom and sister are the creative bunch. Not me. They were looking for fabric. We first went to Hobby Lobby. I have not been to Hobby Lobby since I went with my roommates Erica and Megan my first semester at LCU. I got bored quickly. I saw two pictures I wanted to buy, but I am saving my money, so I did not buy them. Plus, Hannah laughed at my tastes. I laughed at her because she wanted to buy these letters to make something with. They only had one H and one N. She still need a H, A, A, and another N. Haha! She punched me in the arm.

We next went to Jo-Ann's to get some more fabric. She finally picked the kind she liked so we got out of there. We made our way to Target where Hannah and mom made me buy three shirts. Yes, they MADE ME! Haha, I still bought two t-shirts! One is orange with nothing on it, while the other is green with these little shadowings of a boy a girl holding hands. Cute! Inside the little girls dress is some fabric. I have no clue how I made that shirt sound, but it is really cute. I wanted to get this one shirt with musical notes all over it, but I did not. Next time.

We left Target and made our way home to Slaton. I hung out there for a while, then went the rest of the way to Southland. Around 7 Dennis comes in from work and wanted me and Libby to go check the water with him. Dennis is a cotton farmer, and a very successful one at that. Him and his son Heath farm about 6,500 acres or more of cotton. Nice! We drove around the crops checking all the water. He has one well that pumps a million gallons of water a day! A DAY! Unbelievable. We checked out all the water wells and I asked loads of questions about cotton. It was great. Dennis taught me, Jacob and Hannah to drive when we were younger. I was about 14, Jacob 13 and Hannah about 10. I have been driving for a long time. Again, way out in the country.

Anyway, Dennis has these wells that pump out purified water. I told him that he should bottle the water and sell it. It would be called McGehee water. A light bulb went off. We talked about some ideas and came up with some solutions. Secret! Haha. The water is delicious by the way.

They wanted to see my Japan pictures, so I pulled out my laptop and went through some of them. I started near the end for some reason, so there is still more to see. They loved it! They said that if I ever go and move to Japan, they will come visit me. Awesome. That is now 5 people who will visit me if that ever happens. Dad(dy), sister Hannah, mom, Libby and Dennis. Score! Count Nanna and Pawpaw in that bunch too. And probably Mawmaw and Buster. Wow.

So, that is about it. No! Emmy nominations came out today and I am excited! My shows (all but one) got nominated! Too bad Friday Night Lights. The Office, 30 Rock and House are all nominated. As is Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Hugh Laurie, Jenna Fischer, Alec Baldwin, and Rainn Wilson. I am so excited. Sorry. I love television! I cannot wait to see who wins. Stupid Grey's Anatomy took up most of the nominations. I do not like that show anymore. I used to be such a fan, but the show got stupid for me. Sorry, I like smart and funny shows. You lose.

So, that is my life. Tomorrow and Saturday I work and probably not Sunday. While I was gone they hired two people, so the three of us will have to share hours. That now makes a whopping 8 employees. Wow! I need to find another job! I am thinking of a job on campus to work when I am not working at Bonnett Pet Center. It was great to see Mr. and Mrs. Bonnett again. Mrs. Bonnett was asking me loads of questions about Japan and it was great. They travel a lot, but have never been to Japan. I told them that they must go. Hmmm...

So, that is all. Next time I post I could have my own business going. Bottling that water will be a hit! I can make a fortune. I must discuss more with my business partner Dennis. So, until then...

One more thing, Hannah is tired of me saying everything I know in Japanese. I am trying to teach her the handful of words I know, but she is not hearing it. Oh well. I tried. She also like sending me texts via the cell phone and punching my arm. What a violent sister I have!

Monday, July 16, 2007

Mystery Woman

So, a few months ago I put on here my first draft for an essay in my Advanced Composition class. Here is the final (?) product. Please enjoy and tell me what you think.

Mystery Woman by Jordan Williams

The woman behind me is trailing me. Or following me. Is there a differemce? Right now, I think that she is a covert CIA agent out on a Silent Super Secret Assignment that basically consists of following me around the mall. It's really freaking me out. I devise a cunning plan and decide to turn left instead of right, and sure enough, she is right on my tail again. The mall is never too crowded at 6:30 on Wednesday's so all I hear is the clack-clack-clack of her crimson stiletto shoes. Or maybe it was clickety-clack-clickety-clack. She was not accustomed to walking in heels because every fifth step or so she would do this little slip thing. Or slide. If I had to choose one, I would say she was slipping because that sounds more embarrassing that sliding.

Now, all I can see is her shadow. It is towering over me, looking as if any moment it will eat me alive. By the look of her shadow, she was tall. Definitely taller than me. She looks to be either 8'6" or 5'9". The latter seems more plausible. However, take away the five-inch stilettos and she is probably closer to my height. She like to accentuate her body and make herself appear taller by wearing uncomfortable shoes. I like to remain short by wearing my black high-top Converse no matter the occasion. We are not alike, this strange woman and me.

Finally, I can make out what she is wearing. It looks to be either an expensive famous designer dress, or a plain cheap dress from Target. I shop at Target. Nothing wrong there. Being that I do not care too much about fashion, I am going to pretend that she paid a pretty penny for her dress. The dress matches her heels, which causes a clash of color. I don't understand, yet I am not one to speak since I am aesthetically challenged. My wardrobe consists of printed t-shirts and comfortable jeans. The dress she is wearing is much too small for her. She is probably a size six, but is squeezing uncomfortably into a size two. The dress is pretty slutty. Not hooker or trailer trash slutty, but just plain slutty. I think that she is trying to pull off the sultry look, but instead comes off as bloated and clumsy.

The dress barely covers her large chest, and bares all of her back. At least I think so. I can't see her back, and it would be awkward for me to go and run up behind her and stare at her maybe bare back. The straps of the dress are thin and looks to be digging into her shoulders. The dress is really very pretty, but girlfriend needs to get a bigger size. Maybe she has just gained a lot of weight. She should at least have a necklace on so that my eyes will focus on something besides her massive cleavage. The entire ensemble is not a pretty sight. The incessant clickety-clack is becoming very annoying. I stand there and hope that she finally slips and the much too small dress comes flying over and reveals her unmentionables. While pointing and laughing at her I would fall too, because I can trip over my own shadow. God did not bless me to be graceful, that is for sure. I shake my head at the horrid sight. Still, I wish it would happen. She would be embarrassed and it would be just a normal day for me. Anyway, the annoying sound does not stop.

I can't figure this woman out. Her dress is red, crimson rather. Her shoes, as previously stated, are also crimson. It would have made more sense to combine the previous sentences, but it shall stay as it is. Not only is her dress and shoe combo red, her hair is also red. Her hair, however, does not match the beauty of the other reds on her body. Her hair is an ugly red. The kind that you can't help but stare at, and while staring make a disgusted face. Words will not do justice to the horrendous image sitting atop her head, but I will try and do my best. Imagine you have a carrot, or two, a tomato, and a spoonful of mustard. Put all the items into a blender and hit the "pulsate" button. My blender has that setting. If yours doesn't, get a new blender. After pulsating for a few seconds, open the lid and the color inside matches Secret Ladies hair.

The hair cut is sort of punk-rockerish with long bangs that cover up most of her face. If she cut the ugly, side-swept bangs I might like that cut. I think that this woman is just trying to look cool, when in actuality is not. See, again we differ. I have never, nor will I ever be cool. I don't even try. I have come to accept that fact, and I live with it. She on the other hand, is probably in her late 30's and is dressing like a hormone driven teenager. That is so not cool.

Her cheaply manicured fingernails are also red. The lipstick is of the same color, without much of a surprise. I know I lack a complete sense of fashion, but I believe that the poor, not cool woman has committed the crimson sin of fashion suicide. First of all she is extremely pale. So pale that she glows in the dark. The red clashes against her body and creates an image that I would soon like to forget. She needs to get some more color behind her. Or rather, on her. Perhaps she is color blind. She looks like she needs a friend. Maybe that is why she is following me. Or trailing me. Again, is there really a difference?

Totally guessing, I am going to say that her eyes are blue. Stereotypical blue, to say the least. Cerulean blue, only because I like the work cerulean. There she goes again, slipping. I wonder who she is trying to impress. Her left ring finger is empty, so she could be single. But, I always jump to conclusions, and it is much more fun to create outlandish backstories about strangers. Maybe she is a widow and her husband got eaten by a manatee not so long ago. Maybe she does need a friend!

Arriving at Chick-Fil-A to eat some delicious goodness, the clickety-clack slows down. She stands in line behind me and holy crap she suddenly has a purse. I'm not sure how I missed the purse the entire time she was following me. Detective work is something that I am not meant for.

All of a sudden, her purse makes this wierd whirring sound and she digs frantically inside, as if there is a bomb about to explode and she has to defuse it with one second left. It's not a bomb, though, but a cell phone. Of course it is. I think I watch too much T.V. I think that everybody has a Jack Bauer like complex and wants to save the world in twenty-four hours. Maybe she is the cheerleader, and I will be a hero if I save her! I laugh at the thought because I am a complete nerdy idiot. She is talking on the phone, so does this mean she does have a friend? Her voice is magical and flowing, and I want to take back all the bad things that I dreamed about her. She should be on radio, but not T.V. Much too soon. Eavesdropping on her phone call does not last long because I am interrupted by the girl who wants to take my order. I order the number one, extra pickels with a lemonade to drink. Right then I knew I should have ordered the number five, but it is too late. I don't really care. I grab my food like I have not eaten in days, make a mad dash to the napkins and ketchup and grab more than I need. Mystery Lady is still on the phone and looks genuinelly happy. It looks like she will be dining alone as she makes her way to a nearby table. Before she hangs up she says "I love you" into the microphone part of the phone. She gets a glow in her eyes, and I knew that she just hung up from her significant other, whomever he may be.

I begin to walk back to work and become sad that she will not follow me. Making my way down the almost empty hall, I wish for the clickity-clack of the heels. Oh well, I need to find somebody else to make up stories about. He looks like fun.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Teardrops On My Guitar

So, I feel like writing. I really do! When I was in Japan, I just did not want to write. Now, I do. Anyway, I think that I will just share my thoughts that I have been thinking about since I returned from the beautiful country known as Japan. Ahemm...

It is so hot here. Like 100 degrees hot. No humidity though. I prefer this horrid heat over humid heat.

Michael Scott is still funny. As are his employees. I love The Office. Such a great show. I love seeing what Michael is going to come up with next. I just cannot believe that his employees are still working for him! They never laugh at his (crappy) jokes, and they pretty much hate the guy. I, however, love Michael Scott. I think that he is the funniest guy on television. I also love Jim, Pam, Dwight, Angela, Stanley, Kelly, Creed, not Ryan, Kevin, Meredith, Phyllis, etc. Such an eccentric bunch!

Haha, good one Michael!

I love Mike Rowe! His show Dirty Jobs is great. I love watching him not act scared as he has to reach into a pit full of rattlesnakes and clean it out. Or any time he has to shovel poo. Way to go Mike Rowe! Hehe it rhymes. You are an inspiration to all of us who have complained about our jobs. Hey! He should come to where I work! I think it qualifies as a dirty job! I have been there 2 and a half years and I still am not used to the unique smells that I am exposed to.

While on the subjects of people named Michael/Mike and work, Mike from work has my movie Night At the Museum. I let him borrow it before I left for Japan. It is ok. I trust Mike and I know where he works!

Mike, Hannah's boyfriend, is also doing great. He lives in Connecticut. Hannah loves him. I introduced the two. He goes to LCU. You are welcome guys.

I forgot what a great movie Pride and Prejudice really is. I love Keira Knightley! So talented, and she is like my age too! Sweet!! I love that movie, and the book is amazing as well. Jane Austen was one talented gal.

Transformers was better than expected. Way better! Tons better! I loved it. The Autobots looked amazing, while Megatron was a little creepy. However, he is the ultimate bad guy, so of course he looked creepy. So much humor in the movie! Transformers: more than meets the eye.

Harry Potter was ok. Book 5 was not my favorite, and the movie was not as good as the others. The movie was also very short, or so it seemed. They left out a whole bunch of information! The OWL exams, the hospital scene...etc. Let us hope that book 7 will leave us Potterheads satisfied.

Only 6 more days until book 7 goes on sale!

Anna Sophia Robb will make you cry. She is a great little actress and I think that everybody needs to see The Bridge to Terabithia. Wonderful movie. I am a HUGE fan of the book, so when the end came I knew what to expect. I did, however, not expect to cry like a 12 year old girl. What an emotional movie! Fantastic. Anna Sophia Robb will be huge one day. Even better than overrated Dakota Fanning. I enjoyed her in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as well. Cute cute!! Please watch the movie with the family. Both of them!! Haha.

It is great to have my cell phone back. I have already caught up on text messaging my friends and sister. Ok, so mostly Hannah, but still. I think she prefers to text instead of talk on the phone. Me too, but it depends on the person. She texted me from the other room the other day and wanted to know if she could go to the movies with me! Crazy girl. I said, of course. Gah, little sister following me around...I love it!

The drive-in is still cool to go to. 5 bucks for two brand new movies. It does not get any better than that. While there, Hannah and I saw the Cooper family from Anton. 4 year old Raeden is cute. Twins Addison and Aspen are very, very young and they are adorable. Addison is starting to get teeth! Aspen has the blues eyes ever! Adorable. I love kids.

Jet lag is still kicking my butt. I go to sleep at like 5 or 6 in the am, and wake up at like 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Crazy. I even took tylenol pm last night to see if it will help me go to sleep earlier. Nope. No effect.

Lamesa is a pretty cool town. I like it.

I move into my apartment on the 23rd. I am excited. I will be staying with my aunt and uncle until I can move in.

I do not go back to work until Wednesday. I only get 16 hours this week. I am going to need at least 25 in order to pay my bills. 17 hours of school and 25 hours of work should keep me pretty busy. Last semester I took 18 hours. Actually, I dropped down to 15. I made the Dean's list and I made an A in Dr. Owen's class, so I was thrilled.

The Fray is a good band. Right now, I am listening to Over My Head (Cable Car) and it is catchy. "I never knew..."

The first thing I do when I wake up in the afternoon is check my email. I am addicted! I have been getting at least one email a day from Anna in Japan. Awesome! It makes me feel special. And missed! Also, Kaori emailed me today as well. Sweetness!

I think Judith is the only person that reads my blog. Hi Judith! I am happy your eyes glance to my blog.

I do not like this song. Next! Kelly Clarkson is much better. I cannot wait to buy her new cd! When I get the money, that will be my first purchase. I own both of hers already, so why not keep up the collection?

I am carless. I got into a bad wreck in March (my first one, mind you) and am in need of a car. I found one for $2,500. It is a great car, but if I get it now, I will have to take out a loan at the bank to buy it. I do get about $3,000 back in student loans in September, but I cannot wait that long. Not sure what will happen. Oh well. I am not worried. I stole Hannah's car for now. It is sweet. It is about as old as me, but it runs great.

Two Kelly Clarkson songs in a row! Score!

I think iPod's are like the greatest invention ever. Especially mine because I can put videos on it.

An orange/chocolate Dr. Pepper from Sonic is actually very tasty. I just like mixing flavors.

I miss walking and taking the train everyday.

I have not done my hair since I have been back. Oops! Haha.

Ok, that is enough. Time to go and watch another movie and listen to more music. Not in that order. Maybe I will go and do my hair as well. Nope...that is pushing it.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Anna Molly

Is the fantastic song that I am listening to. I love Incubus! So. Life is tough. Actually, life is great, but jet lag is tough. Very. As I type this, it is 4:02 a.m. and I am wide awake. No fun!

We left Japan on Monday but I finally got home on Tuesday night. What a long trip! It did not make it any easier because I was trying to come up with cunning plans that would keep me in Japan a bit longer, but nothing worked. I should have let Sara go ahead and steal my passport.

Saying goodbye this year was much harder. Much, much harder. So, Saturday we did the fireworks/onsen thing. I cannot spend too much time there because it is so humid and way hot and it messes with my asthma. I love it anyway!

Sunday was of course church. Mr. Siato (I love him- he is like my Japanese grandfather) found out that am the editor for the school paper and wanted me to read a little speech he was going to make later in the day. Haha, such a great guy. He gave me a Japanese poem, some sheet music to his song, and his email address. He wants me to send his copies of my writing. Then, I was finishing up a fantastic book titled Captivating and he wanted to know the title, author, and publishing company. That is fine, but the book is about the feminity of women's souls.

After church we had the fabulous potluck. Loved it! After potluck the church presented us with these fabulous gifts. They are stamps with our names on it. Written in katakana or hirigana (?) of course. Love it!! What a fabulous gift. Thank you!

We all got up there and said a few words about LST and what it meant to us. Already, I wanted to cry! So sad!

We then got ready for the farewell party. It was great. Emotional, but great. I have not put any pictures up yet since I have been back, but I took no less than 50 pictures that night. Honest! We gave all of our readers that were there little certificates of appreciation, and that was difficult. Gah, I wanted to just stop right there and say I was staying forever! Alas, I could not. It had to continue. Our readers had gotten together and made us these personalized pictures that everybody signed. Oh my gosh! I could not have received a more perfect gift. Thank you!!! Beautiful.

After all the speeches came the cameras, and after the cameras came the goodbyes. Man, I hated it. I took pictures with practically everybody there. Amazing.

After the party we went to dinner. My last Japanese meal was shared with Anna, Sara and Hanna. Perfect fit! We went to the tempura shop and I had tempura. I was delicious. Sara and Anna freaked me out by eating my shrimp tails. Crazy!

After dinner we made our way to karaoke! Yay! It is not a long walk from the church, but it felt like it took forever. Anna and I were walking together and talking when Sara came and grabbed our hands and cried the whole time. She did not want us to leave! The three of us walked hand in hand all the way to Cosmo World. It was around 9 when we go there. Hanna, Sara and Makoto had to leave at about 9:30. NOOO!!! Those three were so hard to say goodbye to. Hanna and Sara especially. I was fine until Makoto started crying. Shy Makoto! The girl who never speaks! Oh my goodness. That broke my heart. She actually reached out and hugged me! Wow.

We went back inside and tried to sing a few songs. Yeah, it did not happen. People had to catch the train and many people were leaving at different times. Wow. It was harder to say goodbye to some more than others.

About 10:00 Sugao came by and gave us some gifts. He gave me and Tyler puzzles, Holly a purse, and Shane and Adam cool t-shirts. How sweet! When he left, Minako and Yuka showed up to say goodbye. They gave us sweet letters and we took pictures. Yuka goes to school in Abilene, and Minako will be in Lubbock in October. That is great!

Around 11 Mike came by to take Anna home. She was really hard to say bye to. We became real close that last week. I miss her!! She was balling. I was balling. The other two girls were balling. Sad day!!! Gah! The tears! I wanted to take her home! She is like a sister to me.

Around 11:30 we all moved into one karaoke room and sang together. The Snow's left. Michi cracked us all up by singing. She sings beautifully by the way.

We sang until around 12:30 when Holly announced that she was ready to leave. Masayo, Rina, and Kaori walked us out and it took us forever to say goodbye to those girls. Masayo was crying the whole time! Gah! Kaori wanted to take my glasses. I made Rina say my name because I like the way she pronounced it. We finally got back to the church around 1:00 a.m.

That is where the fun began! I had not even started packing, so I had to have that done by 8. Plus, we had to have the church cleaned up and all that good stuff. I planned on not sleeping. I did not.

It was about 3:45 when we realized the sun would be up in a matter of minutes. We made our way to the beach to watch the sun rise. Beautiful!!

We got back to the church and I finally started packing. Six weeks of packing items is not fun to do in about an hour and a half. However, I got it done, and I cleaned the entire upstairs.

Sugao came to the church around 7:30 to help us load up. Junichi showed up around 8. Judith, Michi, Ma-Chan, Mr. and Mrs. Siato all showed up around 8:30 to see us off. Judith and Michi went with us to the bus stop.

Our bus left at 9:25, so we got to the stop about 9. When we got there, there were the 5 LST people, Mr. and Mrs. Snow, Bryan, Dan, Tomoko and Kiara, Jun, Junichi, Judith, Michi, Sugao, and Mike showed up right at the end. We said goodbye to all those wonderful people and got onto the bus. I did not cry, but once I got on the bus, I let the water works pour.

I miss it all already.

The flight was not too bad. I gave up my aisle seat to a young girl so she could be with her friend, and sat in the middle between Tyler and Holly.

We got in Houston, went through the immigration and customs thing and had just enough time to board our plane. We finally landed in Dallas ahead of schedule and dad and Hannah met me at the airport.

We went to my families house in Arlington and had a nice party. My grandmother was there. My sister Hannah, dad, cousin Caitlin, Kim and Darren and their three kids. Great time! I slept over there and had to be at the hotel in Dallas by 10 for the End Meeting.

End Meeting over at 2.

6 hour drive back to dad's house. I tried not to sleep in the car, but failed.

Had Mexican food for dinner. Awesome!!

Got to dads a little after 9:30.

Checked my email and I had an email from Anna! Awesome! I love her! Tried to go to sleep, but wound up staying up all night. I finally went to sleep around 8 a.m. Dad woke me up around 1:45 that afternoon. Went to get my sisters car from my moms house. It was a little wierd to be driving. I loved it! Went and saw my mom at work and had dinner with her. Went to my aunt and uncles house and saw them. None of my cousins were home, but when I was leaving I saw Matthew nad Micah pull into the driveway. So, I saw them the day before I left, and they looked like they had grown a foot in six weeks! Matthew is 16 and looks like he is 6 feet tall, and Micah is 14 and looks just as tall. Macy was not at home. I am guessing she was at work or hanging out with friends. Probably both! I love how all three of their names start with an M, as does their last name. MM! Love it! Their last name is McMeans, so I call Macy McMacy. Haha. She probably hates it.

So, that is my brief run down of my activities as of late. A lot has happened. Oh! Even more: Bree and I signed our lease for the apartment. Me and the sis went to see Harry Potter and Ratatouille at the drive-in, and that is about it. I recommend taking the family to see Ratatouille, but Harry Potter was ok. I still enjoyed it because I enjoy the books and I am a nerd.

That is about it. Now that I have left Japan, I doubt that people will read this. Oh well. I just like to write. Take care guys. Pray that the jet lag goes away and that I will be able function while at work on Monday. Love you all.

Friday, July 06, 2007

Nails for breakfast, tacks for snacks

Let me start right off and apologize. I have been busy! The blog is the last thing on my mind. Honest. Anyway, where did I leave off.

SATURDAY NIGHT:
Again, I finished too quick, so let me continue. Anna and I moved cabins, so after the games and such we moved out to our cabin. I was a little behind doing something, when I heard Anna shout my name. There was this ginormous frog at our door. Huge! They were all a little scared, so I pretended to be the tough girl by throwing a stick at it to move. Nope. Nothing happened. They pulled out their cameras and took pictures of it. Finally, we all went inside. There were six of us. Cool.

Hanna came over and we studied English for a bit, and then she left to sleep. She also moved cabins because there was a huge cockroach in her previous cabin, so she moved to the cabin next door to us. Haha. She cracks me up.

We stayed up until around 2. Riko had my iPod and I let her listen to that. Risa was asleep. Natsumi and Karin were studying. On a Saturday night. Wow. Anna was helping them with their English.

I went to sleep. I told Anna to wake me up at 8.

7:15 I was awake. Wide awake. I was in the loft by myself. Wha?? 7 a.m? Are you serious. On Sunday? Anna was in the shower and the others were just chilling downstairs. Crazy people. I made myself get up and started cooking breakfast. Cereal and apples! Yippee! I am such a great cook.

We had to get everything out of the cabins by 9:30 so we had plenty of time. Plenty.

9:30 we had our last group session. Lasted until 11:00. My group were the ones in my cabin from the previous night. For some reason, they did not want to talk. That is very Japanese of them! Basically, we went over the last lesson and the first one. We had about 20 minutes left, so Anna and I played with this cool looking bug.

Church at 11:00 in the family cabin. First of all, we had about 40 people there fitting into an 8 person cabin. Awesome! It was great. Mike led singing and people really seemed to enjoy it. Really enjoy it. Chris delivered the message and all that. Sugao and Jun translated.

12:00 lunch. More bento lunch. Again, delicious. I was eating with Hanna and Masa, and he was asking some great questions. He saw my Bible and how it has my name engraved on it and he liked it. He told me that he was looking for a Japanese English Bible. Hanna said that she had two and would give him one. I told him to wait. I brough him a Bible and gave it to him. Then, he found out that Hanna was a Christian and he just began asking her questions. It looked to be a pretty intimate conversation, but I do not speak Japanese. He is a true seeker. Please keep him in your prayers.

Picture time. Fun. The place we went to was beautiful so the background of our picture was perfect. What a beautiful day!

Speech time. Practically everybody got up and said their favorite memory. I was forced. Why! Grr...oh well, I went with Michi and it was fine.

Go home time. Kyomi offered to take whoever wanted to rock climbing. Heck yeah! It was me, Adam, Dan, Hanna, and Kaori. It was great. What a great day. Sweetness.

I forgot what we did later that day. Oh!!! That was the day we all spent the night at Bryan and Dan's house to watch the sunrise. Oh well.

Monday was our day off so we spent that time sleeping until like 2. Well, only if you are Adam.

Tuesday I had nine readers. Plus, curry lunch. Last one!

Wednesday I had 8 readers and it was raining. Cell group! We had fajitas for dinner! Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Snow! Delicious! Cell group was great. We had Chie and Rina show up. They had never been and I think that camp sparked their interests. Praise God! Anna was also there so that was fantastic. This dude Charles who lives in Mito showed up. I spent the night at Hanna's house as did Sara. It was great. Her apartment is tiny. I guess normal in Japanese size. I do not know.

Thursday was a sad day. Last day for reading sessions! NNNOO!!! Adam and I had to give a speech in chapel about LST and such. Great. Mio had emailed all the readers to show up so the ones that did show up we took pictures with. Awesome. Then the day moved quickly. I did not want to leave!!! NO!!!! They made me promise to return. I could not return the promise. Sorry.

Thursday night I got to play basketball. Mike invited me to go with him, Anna, Chris, Adam and Shane. It was great. I got to hang out with Anna so that was double great. Dude, I am so out of shape. It is not even funny. Not at all. They dropped me back off at the church and I crashed. Only after taking a shower.

Friday, today, was a day well spent. Tyler stayed at Bryan's house Thursday night. Holly and had to be downstairs at 9 to help decorate for Vacation Bible School. We set the alarm for 8, but when it went off, I could not get up. I tried. Honestly! Ok, not too hard. Around 9:20 I heard Tomoko's voice so it was time to get up. I was downstairs at 9:27. Let the decorating begin!

Many tiki huts, Jello, goldfish, balloon blowing, fish untangling, inner tube making hours later the auditorium was transformed into a water park. Awesome! It looks great. Great job everybody. Oh, yeah. We had Woody's for lunch so that was great.

So, that is my week in review. The short version. Tomorrow we will just be in the way at VBS so Holly, Shane, Adam, and I are going to spend the day in Mito. Tyler has to help out at VBS because she was out with her family Friday. Mito!! We are excited. More money to be spent.

Oh, by the way. It looks like I am going to be homeless. The apartment Bree and I were going to move into is unavailable. Nothing left. Uh oh! You know, I am ok with it. It just wasn't meant to be. I shall see what lies ahead of me. An apartment is still not out of the question. However, living where I lived last semester is. Oh well. God knows what He is doing. I trust in Him.

That is all folks. I am not sure how many more times I can write on here. The days have become pretty hectic and they are slowly dwindling!! I can't believe it. I do not want to leave. This year more than last. I wish I was already graduated then I would have an excuse to stay. Oh well. Tis only a short time away! Well, it all depends on how fast I want to finish. Who needs good grades! Hmm....I may have to rethink my thinking. Night!

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Stand in the Rain



Is a great song by Superchick and appropriate for the present weather conditions. Also, no sunrise. Too cloudy. Adam and I looked outside this morning and it looked just like it did the other day, nothing but fog and clouds. Oh well. We did not wake up people. Minako had to go to work later on in the day, so she set an alarm for 5:30, but when the alarm went off this morning, she was not in the room. She must have left early.


Anyway, back to camp:

END OF FRIDAY: I ended Friday quickly, so let me elaborate. First, there were four cabins for people to stay in. There was the family cabin where the married folks with kids stayed: Mike and Tomoko, Erika, and Kiara, Chris and Danielle, and Emily, and Mr. and Mrs. Snow. I think that was it. The cabin next door was the guys cabin and in it there was Adam, Shane, Bryan, Dan, Hajime, Mr. Segawa, Jun, and Shin. I think that was it, but I feel like I am missing somebody. Hmmm. The cabin next to it was the first girls cabin, with me, Holly, Anna, Hanna, Judith, Makoto, Chie, and Wakaba. Down the way was the other girls cabin which held Tyler, Mio, Sara, Ayumi, Rina, and Masayo. Yipppe! So, that was the sleeping arrangements. Friday night we got kicked out of the pavillion at 10:30, so we moved the games into the first girls cabin. Inside, there was all 8 of us, Sara, Masayo, Rina, Mio, Adam, Shane, and Mike. Can somebody say ultimate game of Apples and Apples! It was! Haha. Great. Finally, people left and started going to sleep. I think Adam was the last to leave at around 12. I took a shower, and then we got all the beds ready, but nobody was really sleeping yet. Hanna was studying some English, so we studied together for quite some time. It was cool. Finally, we went to sleep around 1:30.


SATURDAY:

Early morning. 8 a.m. Actually, before that because people were getting up so much early taking showers and everything. Crazy! Hanna, Anna, and I just laid up in the loft trying to pretend to be asleep. We were having pancakes for breakfast! so Chie was cooking. First of all, the only thing in the cabins were rice cookers and futons. Everything else you had to get from the front lobby. Bowls, knives, cutting boards, spoons, etc. Cool. We brought our own hot plate thingy, so all the cabins had those. Each cabin made their own pancakes and ate breakfast inside. Three pancakes later, it was time for the morning to begin.


All of us met outside for the morning icebreaker. The first game was where you have an adjective to describe your name. For example: Joyful Jordan. Tada! Our group did that, and it was great. Next, we divided into two teams and played a game of electricity. Basically the game is simple. You get in a long line and hold hands with the people next to you. A person flips a coin and if it is heads you squueze the persons hand and it goes all the way down the people and the first team to go all the way to the end and grab the bottle advanced. The first team that had all of its players go through won. Our team won both times. Fun fun!


Next, was group discussions. The first group session, we did not have a translator, so it was a little difficult, but not too bad. This time, we had Tomoko, who is married to Mike, so her English is better than mine. She was able to get the girls talking a bit more so we had a more productive session. Sweet!


Lunch came next. A bento lunch is like a lunch box. A lunch already prepared. There were two choices: fried chicken or a Japanese style lunch. I went for the chicken and I am so glad I did. It was great. We had an hour for lunch, so after eating we had plenty of time left over. All of the students started playing this game called something, but it is similar to Red Light Green Light. Basically, the person who is It yells something in Japanese and turns around. If you get caught moving you go to the front and are captured by It. The object is to release the person or people caught by touching the person who is it. Then, those people run back to start. Fun!!! We played for a few times with not that many people, but then it became more and more crowded. We decided to move the game to this big empty field and we were having a grand time.


Fun time ruined. We had to quit and do another group session. Third one. One more to go. For the third group session I was suppose to lead with Anna and my high school readers, but their train was late or something so they did not show up. Back to Tyler's group. Good session! Great! This one was titled "Who do you say I am" and it was who do we really think Jesus is. Fantastic title and lesson. We had some great answers.


After group disscussion, we had free time! Who-hoo! Most people were going to go to the onsen, and I wanted to go badly, but I did not because I wanted to wait for my high school girls to get there and stay with them. Onsen people left. Chie, Mana and I played UNO attack and Apples and Apples in our cabin. There were also crafts on the table, so we joined some others decorating ceramic flower pots. It was awesome! Finally, my high schoolers showed up. They began being creative. Their pots looked beautiful, mine did not. I have terrible penmanship, cannot draw, and am not terrible creative. Anyway, mine has a bit of everything on it, so it is special.


The people who went to the onsen got back (jealous!) so we had more fun. We were having a talent show that night, so most were preparing for their talent. It was so much fun. Lots of noise, talking, and laughing. See, moments like that I treasure more than the group discussion Bible studies. These non-Christians get to be themselves around us Christians, and vise versa. It is during these times of fellowship that the best questions come out. Love it! Don't get me wrong, I mean I love the group discussions, but the free time game stuff works just as well. Especially when you have some Christian music in the background, and that initiates conversation pretty great.


After free time was dinner. Japanese BBQ! Yippee! Not like Texas BBQ, but still delicious. Basically, there are a ton of vegetables and meat and you just throw them on the Shogun, Benihana tables look-a-like. Awesome. Throw on some sauce and those things are awesome. Next, was yakisoba. Awesome! Love it. Tomoko cooked our food an it was awesome. Delicious.


The talent show was next, so people were finishing up dinner and getting the last minute preparations for the show. Hanna and I decided to play the guitar and sing the song All in All. Catch is, neither of us play the guitar. Or sing. We decided that she would strum and I would position my fingers against the strings in order to attempt to find cords which would create a melody, rhythm and such. Haha! We practiced for a bit and were ready.


TALENT SHOW!!! Whooo! Mike was the MC and he did a swell job. His family went first and sang the beautiful Josh Groban song "You Raise Me Up." Nice rendition. The young kids were next and they sang "Jesus Loves Me." APN people sang "Blessed Be Your Name" and it was beautiful again. The talent show was off to a great start. Many people went up there and did their great, wonderful, awesome and funny talents.


There is guy who is teaching English here from Fiji whose name is Nuimaiah. Like Nehemiah. Wonderful guy. He gathered up practically every guy not doing something in the talent show and did a Fijian? island dance. Fantastic! They were all getting into it, when all of a sudden shirts go flying! They ripped off their shirts and it was hysterical! Quite possibly the best one yet. The people involved were Nunu (his nickname), Sugao, Shin, Dan, Lee, and Jang. Awesome!


We were doing the show under this giant pavillion. The pavillion next to us was also having a party, but there was alcohol involved. They mosied their way over to us and became part of the audience. Awesome! As Mike said "I do not condone drinking, but drunk guys are funny." Indeed they were.


Next came the LST skit. It was titled "The Dating Game." We picked Sugao, Mike, Dan, and Nunu to participate. Basically, they had to come up with pick up lines so they would be able to sit down next to Holly and Tyler. The catch was that there was only two chairs, so when they went to sit down, the girls would stand up and the sleeping bag covering the chairs would collapse under them, causing them to hit the floor. Hard. It was great. Me and Shane were in charge of keeping the other "contestants" from looking at the skit. Nunu got the biggest laugh by using the line "want to see my Fijian war dance?" Plus, he hit the concrete the hardest.


After that was mine and Hanna's turn. It was great! Got a lot of laughs. I do not mind being humiliated in front of other people. Two people playing the guitar and singing off key is always fun.


This one guy, Masaaki, is a black belt in karate, and is heading to nationals soon. He demonstrated a few ways to defend ourselves. He even had on his karate suit and everything. Awesome. Michi showed us all her beautiful voice and guitar skills. She wowed us all.


The last skit was called "Sports Quiz." Bryan, Adam, and Shane chose Masayo, Sara, Michi, and Anna to participate. They put sports objects underneath blankets and towels and the girls had 30 seconds to name as many items as possible. One catch: Adam was hiding under one of the blankets and when they lifted it up, he would scare them. Awesome! Masayo, Sara, and Michi were all terrified. Success! Next, however, was different. Anna came with a plate full of whipped cream ready to pie Adam. Bryan lifted the blankets to the reveal the various items and Anna played along. When it came to Adam he tried to scare her like normal, but wound up with a face full of whipped cream. Awesome! Haha! It was great! The audience loved it.


Two hours later the show ended and it was a blast. The devo came next, and two of the drunk guys were there, so we gave them some song books and they sang along with us. We were singing this one song called "The Greatest Commands" and it is simply beautiful. There are four parts to the song (Bass, tenor, alto, and soprano) and each have different words to sing. Put it all together and it sounds beautiful. The guys seemed to enjoy it. Then they left taking the song books. Oh well. It will give them something about Christianity to read about. Pray for them.


It was nearing 10:30, and that meant the lights on the pavilion were about to be shut off. Jun and Mio left, and everybody else stayed so more games! Anna and I moved cabins so I could be with the high schoolers. We needed two more cabins for the many more people that showed up. Games, scary stories, and fellowship commenced until around two. Lights out.


What a wonderful Saturday. It was great. So much fun, food, and fellowhip. Fantastic.


Stay tuned for Sunday's adventures!

Honey Donuts

Are what Adam is eating this very early morning. You see, we have not yet gone to sleep. We are waiting again for the sunrise. Now, it is 3:30 and we are chilling at Bryan's house. Adam and I are the only ones awake...well, at least I think that he is awake. He is watching a movie but has not moved in some time. Tyler is sprawled out on the couch, Minako and Holly are asleep in the other room, Mr. and Mrs. Snow are asleep in another room, Dan is asleep in his room, Bryan in his, and Shane in his. Did I mention it is a huge house? I guess not. Anyway, let us begin.

We returned from FriendsCamp earlier today and it was a fantastic experience. I will write until I can write no more, or until the sun comes up. Which ever comes first.

FRIDAY:
Judith was going to meet us at 12:30 and we were going to leave at 1:30. Yeah, totally did not happen. Judith got to the church around 1, we chopped up a ton of vegetables for curry, copied a million pages for song books, loaded up the vehicular transporters and were on our way to Mike and Tomoko's house. Once there, one our way to the FriendsCamp site. An hour later, we were there. What a humid day! The temperature could not have been more that 75, but with 100% humidity, it was crazy! Oh well. What to complain about? Nothing! We began to set up for the campers to arrive. They began to arrive. Mr. Segawa was first, and then Hajime. Hajime! It was great to see him again. He wanted me to go back to his house again this year but time did not allow. Oh well. It was great to see him. Next, was Yoshiya sensei with Makoto, Sara, and Shin. Yay! Later, was Jun and Mio with Masayo, Hanna, Rina, Ayumi, Chie, Wakaba, and maybe one more. Cannot remember. More people arrived.

Curry for dinner! Yata! After dinner was the icebreaker. When people came and registered, they had to fill out this paper and answer questions like favorite color, favorite food, favorite hobby, and favorite movie (blue-ish, nato! haha, reading, and Pirates of the Caribbean 1,2, and 3.) Dan knew immediately it was me. Hmm. Wonder how. I had Hanna's paper. Every time I type Hanna's name, I immediately type Hannah, because that is how I have spelt it for 18 years. So, if I do type Hannah, I am not talking about sister Hannah, but reader Hanna. Just for the record.

After dinner was I think our first group session, so that was great. Tyler was the leader in my group which consisted of Tomoko, Makoto, Masayo, and Chie. They were hard to get talking.

Pretty much the rest of the night. We had four cabins for Friday night, and 6 cabins for Saturday night. Friday night I was in a cabin with Holly, Judith, Hanna, Anna, Chie, Makoto, and I think Wakaba. Fun night.

Some people were going to sleep early, so apparently our cabin was the hang out spot. We pulled out games! Always fun. Sequence, UNO attack, cards, and my new favorite Apples and Apples. Amazing game! So much fun! I think was had like 12 people playing at once. Here are the rules in simple terms: there are red cards and green cards. Green cards are the topics and have words like gorgeous, nasty, precious...etc. Red cards have random words and you have to play a red card that best fits the green card. For example: the green card would be nasty and I would play a red card that said milk. The person that played the green card gets all the red cards together and gets to pick his/her favorite one. The person with the most green cards at the end of the day won. Sometimes, we got some crazy, inappropriate answers. Easy: bloodshed. Masculine: bikini. Saintly: Adolph Hitler. Funny answers usually win. Awesome game. I cannot wait ot buy it in America and share the fun that is Apples and Apples.

Friday night everybody not bunking in our cabin left so it was time for bed. I slept with Hannah, and basically there were 8 futons on the floor upstairs. That was it. A big empty loft made specifically for sleeping. Apparently during the night I hit my head on the lean-to ceiling and cried out. I do not remember. Hanna laughed at me in the morning.

Well, this is not nearly enough of my weekend. This shall not suffice! The sun is about to arise, so we are about to head out. Pray for great weather!