So Far Away

JoAnna and I are once again far, far away from each other. She's back at home and I've started my summer internship.

We did take one final together and Jo and I stayed up for hours studying diligently for it. That evening she gave me a little wind-up horse that she stole from some kid or something like that. After that we started discussing horse gaits and practicing them. Watching Jo trot, pace and lope across my tiny bedroom was incredibly amusing. If you ever get the chance, ask Jo to canter across a room. You are sure to be entertained.

Once again, we'll see what happens with this blog during the summer. Here are my words for Jo, and all my other friends spread out to the ends of the universe for the summer.

Somewhere out there

Beneath the pale moonlight

Someone's thinking of me

And loving me tonight.

Somewhere out there

Someone's saying a prayer

That we'll find one another

In that big somewhere out there.

And even though I know how very far apart we are

It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star.

And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby

It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky!

Somewhere out there

If love can see us through

Then we'll be together

Somewhere out there

Out where dreams

Come true.

I had quite a few fantastic quotes to post, but I didn't actually bring them with me. So I guess you'll just have to imagine what Jo might have said. That could be fun.

Senior Status!

I am now officially a senior in college.

I have finished all the tests, papers, projects, EVERYTHING associated with being a junior and now I only have one more year left in college.

Unfortunately for Rebekah, she still has a test and a project go to this finals week. But she's almost there!

Last night, all 5 of us roommates were all together in the living room watching TV (Lost, naturally). It was so weird! We haven't gotten together to do something fun in a really really long time, if ever. You can count that as an historic moment.

Speaking of Lost, it is almost over! The season finale is on May 23rd, which is quite unfortunate simply because Rebekah and I can't be together for it like we thought we'd be. But I wish we could, because she can always answer my questions. She makes up for my poor memory... which is funny, because she says she has no memory, yet she makes up for mine... what's that say about MY memory??

The greatest news around campus pertaining to us is that all students who are going to be seniors next year are eligible to receive a "free" (yeah right, like we haven't paid for it 50 times over with all our "technology fees") 3rd generation iPod Touch. Needless to say, I was very excited because I have never had a real mp3 player before (I say "real" because I have used my cell phone's limited memory to hold a select handful of songs). But! I did not know that the iTouch had so much more to offer... like apps that you get addicted to. I must say, it probably wasn't the wisest timing in the world to give students an electronic distraction the day before finals week starts. Anyway, since most students seemed to already own iPods, I have been seeing a great many Facebook statuses outlining their plans for the sale of the devices.

The Notorious Quote Section:

"I'm about to fall but I really want to."

- Rebekah

"Be God's animal."

- Rebekah

"They're really gonna fall out once you start loping."

- Rebekah (who else?)

Guilt Post

So, I feel guilty that I haven't posted in a while... so here goes...

Probably the most exciting news is that there is only one week left of classes and then one week of finals! Yesss! Also, I got paid for the first time (finally) since beginning my job at the library. Score!

Rebekah and I set aside a time a few weekends ago to watch the second part in the Twilight Saga: New Moon. It was definitely worth not going to the movie theater and paying 8 bucks. Redbox did just fine with $1. Let's just say that now Rebekah has a new idea for decorating our living room... one that involves a Native American werewolf...

The library has this particular flowery scent to it now. You can especially smell it right when you walk in and - surprise - at my desk at work. Rebekah couldn't smell it for the longest time until she went to my desk. Anyway, turns out that she also has a lotion that smells like it, which may also be a reason for her problems in not smelling it. It's a good scent, but whoever controls it makes it SO strong. We're thinking it comes through the vents. But really, it's just a mystery. If anyone knows its origins and WHY the library smells like an overwhelming garden, please let us know.

Quotes from the past month or so:

"I have no memory." - Rebekah

"When I sing those songs, I imagine that I am a slave." - Rebekah

Coming to a Close... But Not Merely Winding Down

I am only posting to say that this is the most ridiculously busy semester of my life! Ahh! I'm buried beneath all these things I need to do. Class, homework, papers, projects, exams, church things, internship, work. And maybe it's sad, but I really enjoy my new job much better than my majors classes... hmm... maybe I should become a librarian? (I work with Rebekah in the library! It's lots of fun whenever we're in there together.) Or just loan out books and articles to people. I really like having an on-campus job. Great stuff. Really convenient, and I feel like I'm doing something productive and meaningful. One time Rebekah saved a boy's life while working this job. That's right. I am now positioned to save lives, one book or article at a time. Information leads to knowledge, and knowledge is power.

Anyway, in addition to busyness, it's been really really hot and humid lately. I hear rumors of rain tonight, which wouldn't surprise me. But it'll be gross, warm rain. Ew. Anyone who knows my weather preferences knows that I cannot stand humidity. It's disgusting. I really hope I don't ever have to live anywhere it's unreasonably humid.

4.5 weeks until the semester is over!!! I absolutely cannot wait. I registered for next semester's classes and I am pumped for them. I'm only taking 12 hours. It will be soooo nice. Rebekah is also only taking a small amount of hours. We also have another Bible class together! We are gonna party it up in the Bible building again next semester...

Another Week

School has started back up after Spring Break and we're back to the old grind. JoAnna and I both headed out of the state for the break. She went up north to Minnesota and I headed west to Colorado. One thing that both of our trips had in common was horrible weather during our drives back home. The roads were sheets of slick ice and snow whipped around in a blizzard. Thankfully, we both made it safely back to Abilene.

Both of us also ate some interesting food. JoAnna had an interesting dessert drink, the contents of which I've already forgotten. I do know that her cup broke and she was distraught when she wasn't able to drink it. I had mountain lion steak for breakfast one morning. So yeah, fun foods.

I'll go ahead and share a link with you, even though this isn't of JoAnna and me. It is, however, exactly like something we would do together. We're both very good dancers, you know. I hope you enjoy this fantastic dancing video.

Jo and I have been so busy with schoolwork that we've done almost nothing together. She hasn't even been able to watch Lost with me!! So sad. Hopefully we'll find some time to hang out in the near future.

Hmmm. What exciting lives we lead (not!).

Blustery Days

I think the most exciting thing that has happened lately has been the powerful wind (I said "exciting", not "good"). This is the kind of wind that makes your hair smell bad, keeps you from riding your bike up hills, lifts up various articles of clothing even while they're still on your body, and just all around blows. It's awful and definitely the worst thing about living in Abilene.

In other outdoor news, Rebekah has been enjoying her horse class very much. She learns about the animals she loves and then she gets to ride Hissy every Monday (I wouldn't want a horse with that name either). This past week she was overjoyed to be riding through the nearby wilderness, with tumbleweeds rolling by and everything. The works. I can just imagine little Rebekah, wearing her boots, up on a huge horse in the middle of nowhere. Aww how cute. I guess the guards in the bordering jail watchtowers thought so too, because they certainly didn't shoot her.

Something Rebekah has been doing - and what I wish I could make myself do - is making time for pleasure reading. A couple weeks ago she read this book about the moon turning blood-red, and basically it was supposed to seem like the world was ending, but it wasn't really anything that exciting. Anyway, the book she's reading now seems a lot better, even though it's probably 4 times the size of that moon one. It's about a builder of a cathedral and this one really dedicated monk.

On Tuesday night, I came home just in time to see Rebekah getting into her car. "What are you doing?" I asked her. "Going to watch Lost!" was her response. Confused, I approached and questioned and found out that our cable/remote control is messing up (yet again - welcome to our living room) and the channel wouldn't change from The CW (of all the channels to be stuck on it had to be that one...). So she was going to her parents' house a few streets down. I hop in the car because I came home in a rush specifically so I could catch all of Lost, and we head over. Thankfully, we were welcomed even though I wasn't expected (I always worry when I am an unexpected guest because I feel like I'm imposing). Her mom even made popcorn! All I have to say is that I love her family and am so blessed to know them!

This next week is spring break. This is a much needed pause in schoolwork and even a break from Abilene itself, for both of us. I am going up to St. Paul, Minnesota with a group of students from ACU to work with international refugees. Rebekah is going up to various places in Colorado with a few friends to visit one of their homes. Hopefully we will come back with exciting stories to tell!

Awesome Quote of the Week:

"My mind is like popcorn."

- Rebekah

Olympic Fun

So for the past two weeks in our house, the Olympics have been on almost constantly. I think the games are a ton of fun, and we all enjoy watching them. The closing ceremonies, however, were a bit odd. What with giant inflatable moose and beavers, huge lumberjack cutouts and Michael Bublé dressed as a Canadian Mountie, I found it all slightly strange.

Canada passed the torch on to Russia and they had a little entertainment preview for the next winter games. I learned that the Russian national anthem is perhaps the longest anthem in the entire world. Seriously, it goes on forever. And apparently 2014 will include ballerinas on snowboards. These ceremonies are getting so elaborate that I'm beginning to think the Olympic torch will be lit in orbit next time. It is Russia after all.

So yeah, strange closing ceremonies.

But I thought I'd share a quick video link from the Olympics that I found highly amusing. I'm just sharing the joy of Olympic thank you notes.

We also had yet another snow day. Hooray for destroying the yard in snowball fights and building huge snow forts!

And a quick quote from JoAnna:

"I hope we're friends forever."