A Little Rambling

The last day has come! I cheesily stood around smiling in my backyard this morning just to get a picture for this post. Then tonight my indecisiveness kicked in and I didn't know which to pick! I think that's been the most prevalent theme in all these posts. For simplicity's sake, I went with the first one I took. (the more I took, the stranger the faces I began making) Thar Ah is, on ma parch. For those of you who don't speak goofball, how have you put up with me this long? Five Good Things That Have Happened Since I Started the Challenge 1. I put in an offer on a house, and the Seller accepted it! Though I may wait a small eternity to hear back from the bank about the short sale, this is such a good thing! 2. I have managed to become much better friends with Rebekah, and it so nice to have a "soul-friend." Our friendship is so refreshing. When we talk, I hear the words of my own heart echoed back to me much clearer than I could ever articulate them...

What! I only have one day left of this? Dang, a month can creep and fly by at the same time. Time is strangely shifty. This post comes with unique good timing, as wishes have been oft on my mind as of late. Rebekah even recently dedicated a post to one of our wishing escapades. I even had two 11:11 wishes come true this week! One was that Judy would count for concert attendance and I'd get Monday night off - success!! The second was that I'd find someone cool to go to lunch with on Monday - also success! Sharing wishes that have come true is celebratory and just dandy, but I'm a little more hesitant about sharing wishes that I'm making...doesn't that negate the wish? Since the blog seems to require I share them, though, I'll keep them slightly frivolous and not the deep desires of my heart. Those are usually saved for prayers and not wishes anyways, as the first are always heard and the others I toss up to the stars. Speaking of, stars are my favorite...

A lot of things could answer this post. (ha! what's new?) School stresses me out. Boys stress me out. Not being able to cross things off to-do lists because of factors outside my control stresses me out. Dishes in the sink after dinner (or lunch on a day off) stress me out. They have to be done before I can relax. (caveat: this doesn't always seem to apply at my parents' home, a fact that bugs my mother no end, I'm sure) Being lost while driving, especially in the dark, REALLY stresses me out. I get snappy and hot tempered and teary and I feel very bad for whoever is in the passenger seat trying to reassure me that the world is not ending. Class piano threatening to postpone my graduation AND keep me from taking the one class I want to take is stressing me out, which is itself a derivative of another major stressor - playing the piano in front of people. Seems like an odd fear for a piano teacher, or? For some reason, whenever I am asked to play in front of anyone, I...

Two things before I get to the picture. 1) OVERJOYED NERD MOMENT! Filming for the Hobbit has begun!!!!!! My first two thoughts when watching this were "12 years ago?!?!?" and "Wow, Peter Jackson is almost unrecognizable." BUT I'M SO EXCITED!! 2) I feel like I have an entourage. Every time I come home, Fiyero and Dallas ( my two of the four felines that live in my house) are waiting outside my car door by the time I'm ready to open it, and they walk with me inside. If I open the door again about 30 seconds later, Eli will be there - he's always a little bit slow. Alright, original picture of my city. As usual, I had several different choices to cycle through. Should I do a cool aerial view from one of my flights? Or a panoramic view from the top of North Mountain, or a deserty view with the city in the distance from the Sonoran Reserve? As I was clicking through them all, I liked most of them, and then I found this one and went "ooooooooh!...

This post may be brief since I need to go to bed! Today has been filled with fun: Abby's 4th birthday, holding Micah, hott date with Ashley, and a Broadway Singalong party with friends and cool new people. I think that's my theme for this year - making new friends. I LOVE IT . Anyways, my dream wedding...oh, how much I have thought about this! However, rather than boring you with color schemes (I can think of about six) or venues and favor ideas and who knows what all else, I'll just sum up the things that are really important to me. The groom is the most important, currently unknown as he may be. I have all kinds of hopes for him, but mostly that he is a strong man who will lead me closer to God through our life together and who will protect me and love me as best he can. There will be a wonderful photographer so that I have tons of great pictures to remember every single detail by. Currently hoping that will be Daniel Kim , as I don't think I've seen a picture...

At last, an easy blog, which requires very little actual input from me. On a side note, this weekend is gonna be SO busy, but fun! Going to see Taryn and Sam tonight, first time I've been over there since they got married way back when. Excited to see the new puppy! Anyhoo, the iTunes shuffle... 1. "The Dangling Conversation" by Simon & Garfunkel 2. "Remember" by Trans-Siberian Orchestra The Lost Christmas Eve 3. "Sing Me to Heaven" by Phoenix Children's Chorus Encore Choir 4. "Your Daddy's Son" by Audra McDonald from Ragtime 5. "Ash and Smoke" by Howard Shore from Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 6. "Symphony No. 9 (scherzo)" by Ludwig van Beethoven 7. "Save the Last Dance for Me" by Michael Buble 8. "Unicornis Captivature" by Ola Gjeilo , performed by Oslo Filharmoniske Kor 9. "Gagliarda" by Mannheim Steamroller 10. "Nemo" by Nightwish I feel thi...

This is another post that originally had me stumped. What's up with the very broad questions? I've learned today that, according to Bones, the chupacabra supposedly has three fangs, two on top and one on the bottom middle. I've learned about Messiaen's use of pointillism and modes of limited transposition to musically recreate birdsong. I've learned a little about remixing audio tracks in Pro Tools. I learned that the house I'm hoping to buy last sold for $233,900 in 2006. But those are boring! Well, not entirely. But they don't seem blog worthy. Well, obviously they are, since they are in my blog. But they cannot be the focus of it! I was stumped - and then I read the letter my sister sent me. I learned that my sister is possibly my favorite human on earth. I may have known that before, but I "learned" it just to share it with you, dear reader. She makes me smile SO much, from talking about shifts in handwriting slants (which I always thi...

Most challenging post to date? I think so. How am I supposed to complete this without a) totally overwhelming you all with my bibliophilia or b) completely selling all the other fabulous books out there too short? I think I will arbitrarily limit myself to 10 slots, and allow authors to count as "books." If you ever need something to read, come ask me. I can't lend you mine, as they are all currently in storage. Major boo! But I can give you a great many recommendations and talk about them endlessly! And I'm sorry that I didn't just list 10 books, I can't limit myself that way. If you've been reading this far, you know how indecisive I am. And the size of my library. I can't pare that much away. If you want titles, ask me. :) Also, the Bible is first. 1. Anne McCaffrey She gets the first slot by simple virtue of - I own more of her books than any other author. They are marvelous! The Dragonriders of Pern was my first love of hers, and then ...

Mmm...graham crackers with frosting are so delicious!! I would love to not carry a purse - to be unencumbered by a bag constantly hanging from my shoulder, prone to falling off and being forgotten. However, I live life on the go and always need to have everything with me, so a purse is rather a necessity. Let us then examine what is apparently necessary to be with me at all times (or at least today)... 1. Mini-wallet/card case, holding all my ids, money, gift cards, bank cards, and other flat, important things. 2. Regular wallet, holding other money, change, concert attendance cards and odds and ends that don't fit in the mini case. Considering how rarely I open this, I sometimes question why I have it. 3. Pencil holder, replete with pens, pencils, highlighters, extra lead, a mini stapler, earplugs, treble cleff shaped paper clips, and erasers. 4. flash drive 5. two sticks of chapstick - one regular, one cherry. and one tube of mint lipgloss. 6. keys. Lots and lots of ke...

This one was difficult! Do you know how many pictures of myself I have? Waaaaay more than any normal person, we'll leave it at that. I love to take pictures, and I love to have my picture taken, and I occasionally do some modeling for photographers. All that combined means I have a ton of too many pictures of myself, and I like a lot of them! I was thinking through ones I loved and started noticing a trend. "Aww, this one is with my Bekah and Rachel! They were so cute. This should be it cause they're such a huge part of my heart. Or maybe the one with them and the Thompson kids and the Lindly kids and Seth with the beanie babies on my head..." "Oooh, what about this one, with Jonathan and Sean? It was so great to see them the night they got back! Or the one of me and Nellie when she surprised me?" "This one of me and the guys from this weekend is pretty cool, all smiling and laughing with our Butterbeer. Or one from our day trip to Old Town Gil...

First off, I have to say I was delighted to hear from someone in person that they are enjoying my blog. It makes writing them feel so much worthwhile to know that I'm not just writing to myself! Thanks, Pastor John . My nicknames are many and varied, but few of them actually get used often, much to my chagrin. In other words, feel free to use these! Her Hee well, if you know me and my laugh, this one is fairly self-explanatory. Probably my most commonly used nickname. Laura Kate my daddy calls me this, and Taryn does occasionally. I'd love it if everyone called me Laura Kate. (hint hint) Cricket I have a friend who addresses me solely as Cricket, based on my laugh. I love it! Lala this mostly comes from my days teaching preschool at Bethany, and a few friends still use it. It's fun. :) Buttercup this comes from my (first) time at the Festaburg. Army culture is filled with nicknames, and so when it came time to pick one for me, Princess Bride was the place to go. ...

I miss the Festaburg so very, very much. Part of making new friends means I get to tell my story a lot, and so I've gotten to dig through a lot of old memories recently. As much as being an Aupair is what got me to Germany, the heart of the story is the Festaburg. Brad and Debbie took me in and loved me. I miss playing chess with Brad, even though I only managed to win like four times (and that may be padding it a bit). I miss watching him slaughter everyone in ping pong in the basement. I miss his laughter and his wisdom and his unique way of looking at the world. I miss his guidance. I miss the way he makes us all think about questions we often overlook. I miss his readings, and I miss sitting down to eat grilled cheese sandwiches with chips and salsa for lunch. I miss Debbie's hugs. I miss her delightful balance of keeping everything in order and still finding an afternoon to just play nertz or watch a movie with some popcorn. (not to mention her tolerance of my po...

Tuchetti's. Only it doesn't exist anymore. It was the most delicious Italian restaurant in the history of ever. Unlimited amounts of the best garlic bread you've ever tasted, and a salad bar that converted me from my days as a salad-hater. Oh, Tuchetti's, how I miss thee. Since my favorite place is gone, I'd have to say Oregano's - for the Vino Bambino, Jr. salad and the pizookie. Other than that, pretty much any Mexican food place, including the original Garcia's and Macayo's, and Carolina's. Apparently I like restaurants with possessive titles. how can you resist pizookie?!

I look forward to a lot of things! I look forward to not being so tired that I start crying at random moments [like today]. I look forward to days when I don't have to wake up to an alarm clock. They are rare jewels in the treasure box of my life. I look forward to buying a house and having my own place! (Keep praying for that tomorrow!) I really look forward to being done with B's Feast, and 20th century theory. But there are two things that come up in my hopes more often than others. One you can probably guess - I really look forward to falling in love, for keeps. The real thing, the one I can lean on and support in return forever. The one whose arms will always be there for me to fall into on days like today. The other is adventure. I LOVE adventures. I've had a life pretty full of them, what with moving to a foreign country at 18. I mentioned my love of playing, and I mentioned my sense of hope as I leave each day. One of those hopes is that, though when I lef...

I'm going house hunting again on Friday! Or, I will be if I can find a house that stays on the market that long...this is hard. Wish me luck!! I am not exactly pursuing my dream house, though, so don't let this post mislead you. My dream house...well now. It has a library. A room lined with shelves full of wonderful books. There's a section of leather-bound tomes that have held their secrets for sharing for ages. There's a section of childish delight in bright colors in the corner. Row upon row of magnificent volumes fill the walls, each beckoning me to dive into the world contained in their pages. There's a large window, an overstuffed and terribly comfortable chair (or two), a fireplace, and a cushy rug on the floor. It has a bright, open kitchen with lots of counter space and a large sink, and no cupboards too high. Another big window in here. And stone countertops of some sort. Lots of space for me to cook and to experiment. And to bake! The master b...

Ohhhh it's so late! We had another massive rehearsal for Belshazzar's Feast , a beast of an atonal choral/symphonic work. And then I got talked in to going out for doughnuts with the boys. I'm working on putting together a group power point for a project due tomorrow and I'm sooooo tired! Verses. I don't know how to pick! So, as usual, here are several. One of my recently rediscovered favorites - because it so often applies - is Proverbs 13:12 "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life." Another that I turn to over and over is Phillipians 4:6-9 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is comme...

Because I'm me, I can never just pick one picture. So here are two! This is me all gussied up for the 2010 spring banquet at Southwestern College/Arizona Christian University . I've changed a lot in the last year. Physically, for sure - I'm in much better shape now, and almost 30 lbs lighter than I was! Yay hiking! My hair has changed colors a couple times - though not nearly as frequently as the year previous. Someday it will get back to natural and stay that way...maybe. :) This is me and my lovely friend Amy - right after we finally became friends - almost exactly a year ago. :) This time last year, I was going through a very bad breakup. Still not being sure who all reads this, I'm going to generalize and say you probably know all about it. If you don't...well, it was rough. It messed me up pretty bad for a long time. In some ways, I'm still not fully recovered from it, and from some of the psychological and emotional abuse that came with it. But li...

This is funny, this will be the second time this week I write about my goals. A friend wrote me a letter - real post! amazing! - and asked the same basic question. What is it I want to get out of life? I wonder if my answer today is the same as it was on Friday? My goals...hmm. I really want to go to Alaska. I also want to travel the world, but I'll settle for Alaska, Germany again, and Egypt. Preferably more though. Mostly Europe. I'd like to graduate college at some point. I want to go to heaven. I want to keep my friends around me for years and years and years. And more than just anything on earth, I want to get married to a wonderful man and have lots of kids. A huge percentage of my friends are married and most of those are on their way to being parents already. I admit, I'm rather jealous. I feel behind. I was handling it all very well for a while, then a couple weeks ago it started to hurt again. I'm doing better, but it's a goal I'd at least lik...

Breathing seems overrated...until you can't. You never think about how (sniff) wonderful it is to never think about breathing until it's all (snifff) you can focus on because it's so difficult. I love my (sniff) friends and my students, and I (sniff) love when they share things with me - cupcakes, hugs, stuff like that - but I do NOT like when they share their (snifffffff) germs ! Blech. Anyhoo, most of the things I don't leave without will be mentioned in a later post - something about the contents of my purse. So it would probably be safe to answer "my purse," but that's sooo generic. And not always true! Usually, but not always. I don't leave my house without hope. I'm an optimist by nature - I love to find silver linings and infect others with my (sometimes obnoxious) bubbly joy. Thus, even on days when I feel down and miserable, or lonely, or grumpy, and especially on days when I'm already in high spirits, I leave my house with hop...

I should be doing homework...but posting the blog before midnight sounds good. I get to sleep in tomorrow again, I'll get the hw done...hopefully... Hope everyone's having an April Fools not filled with too many minor heart attacks! To preface this particular post, I don't really watch much tv. I've lived without any channels for several years, and now that I'm back home and we canceled the cable, the only thing I ever actually watch on tv is Castle. For the rest, I use hulu or dvd, and even that's not often. Life is too busy - and too full of good books - to waste it in front of a television (or laptop). That being said, I really do like these shows a lot! In no particular order, my favorites are... Pushing Daisies This is a charming, quirky, delightful show - a forensic fairy tale, if you will. I am totally in love with the Pie Maker. Also, any show that allows Kristen Chenoweth to burst into song is fine by me. I sure wish they hadn't canceled afte...