Monday, June 23, 2008

Coffee. Black.

I'm not sure why, but I've been drinking it more lately than I ever have.  Especially this morning.  As excited as I am about this trip, I couldn't keep my eyes open.  I actually took a nap right after breakfast.  :P  Ah well, maybe the combination of the two will hold me 'til tonight.

You know, I'm not really sure why I'm sitting here writing this, because I haven't even touched my suitcase.  I've been procrastinating like crazy.  It's almost as bad as finals week (as my friends' flair boards clearly show).  I'm leaving tomorrow morning, quite early, and I have packed nothing.  Woohoo!  I suppose I'll get started...

3 Favorite Songs

Have I mentioned lately that my God is awesome beyond words?

Mighty to Save

Hosanna

From the Inside Out (Everlasting)

Monday, June 16, 2008

San Antonio

It's completely ironic, I know, but it's true: my first morning at home after a week of vacation felt more relaxing than the vacation.

Our trip to San Antonio had to be one of the strangest vacations we've ever taken. It wasn't so much what we did or what we saw, though. It was the way we interacted with one another. There were more moments of frustration and irritation during this week than I remember from any other vacations. I had actually expected as much beforehand, but expecting something and experiencing it are two very different things.

Dad and I concluded that it wasn't because we were faced with more choices or difficult situations in San Antonio, although the city did come with its own unique...challenges. Rather, the cause of our conflict was simply the normal process of growth within our family. (Shocker.)  :P It's obvious that we've each has experienced a tremendous amount of change in a relatively short period of time, and each of us kids has reached a new level of independence. That's going to create some tension, at least until we learn how to adapt. And that's hard. I mean, I've been away at college for several months, so I can't even imagine how different I must seem to everyone now. Audrey is still the youngest, but she's not the "baby" anymore.  And Isaac, at fourteen, is beginning to decide what kind of man he's going to be. (Of course, you never know when you're talking to the 14 year old Isaac and when you're talking to the 6 year old Isaac.  That keeps you on your toes.)  

Now that I think about it, I think we had it easy when we took vacations before.  Age-wise, we were all spaced-out perfectly. Being six and ten years younger than me, respectively, Isaac and Audrey weren't extremely involved or vocal in the planning of vacations. We were able to do things that entertained all of us, because Mom and Dad could just tell them, "Ok guys, we're going here and we're doing this, and it'll be fun."  And they said, "Ok." But now, they've begun to develop even stronger personal identities and preferences, and this trip highlighted those changes. Audrey wanted to visit SeaWorld and the zoo for the animals, and Isaac wanted to visit SeaWorld, Schlitterbahn, and the 750 ft. observation tower for the thrill. Neither of them cared anything about art museums, historic districts, or old missions, and finding interesting restaurants didn't appeal to them as much as stopping at What-a-Burger. And they were both extremely adamant and vocal in expressing those preferences.  In fact, I don't think it would have been nearly as big of a deal if they hadn't been so annoyingly persistent in telling us what they wanted to do the whole time. :P Anyway, it just seemed like we spent more time on this trip discussing what to do and complaining about what we weren't doing than actually doing things.

Oh well. I suppose I'll make my observations and add this trip to my list of learning experiences. I made it sound as though it was horrible...but there really were parts of it that I enjoyed, such as:  

  • Touring 300-year-old missions
  • Feeding a dolphin
  • Trying tilapia chalupas, mint/hibiscus iced tea, Lebanese shish-ka-bobs and hummus,
  • Visiting the Alamo
  • Taking a long walk along the river with my dad
  • Seeing authentic Monet, Picasso, Cezanne, Rodin, Renoir, and Van Gogh artwork
  • Tasting Mom's margarita and Dad's sangria
  • Hanging out at the folklife festival

Yep.  It was alright.  But I'm glad to be home.


Sunday, June 15, 2008

Filler

Ok, I got really bored on the ride home, and...well, I just love these things.  So until I finish a real blog post, enjoy:

1. Do you like blue cheese? If I’m in the right mood.

2. Favorite game? Would You Rather…?

3. Do you own a gun? No, but I will…

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Starbucks? Cinnamon Dolce

photo by iirraa

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Not usually.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? Have you ever read the label? :P

7. Favorite Christmas movie? Holiday Inn

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Coffee, Mint tea, or milk

9. Can you do push ups? Yes

10. What is your favorite piece of jewelry? The ring my grandma is giving me. I haven’t seen it yet, but it’s my favorite just because it was hers.

11. What is your favorite hobby? Do I get extra points if I say “filling out these surveys”? Meh, probably not. Right now, I’d say probably crocheting.

12. One thing you are NOT wearing? Shoes (I hate wearing shoes on long car trips)

13. What is one trait you hate about yourself? My pride.

14. Middle name? Kathryn

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment:

  1. I wish Mr. Whitaker were real.
  2. This music is really loud; I should turn it down.
  3. I really like dark chocolate – too bad this kiss is almost completely melted now.

16. Name 3 things you bought yesterday: 

  1. Lebanese shish-ka-bob
  2. Hummus and pita bread
  3. Olives

We were at the Texas Folklife Festival, and that was what we had for dinner. I guess I technically didn’t buy it myself, but I ordered most of it.

17. Name 4 drinks you regularly drink:

  1. Water
  2. Coffee
  3. Milk
  4. Iced tea (usually mint, mango green, pomegranate, or peach)

18. Current worry?  Preparing for D.C. & Quebec (and a few other sundry things…like life in general)

19. What do you hate right now?  The way I let myself get irritated with my family

20. Favorite place to be?  In a quiet cabin in the mountains, skiing during the day and curling up by the fire at night.

21. How did you bring in the New Year?  What was I doing? Gosh, I don’t even remember. Is that a bad thing?

22. Where would you like to go back to?  Maine

23. Name two people who will complete this?  I don’t know…

24. Do you own slippers?  I think so. Or, maybe I gave them to my sister.

25. What shirt are you wearing?  A black t-shirt with a screenprint design on the front

26. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?  I don’t think I ever have, so I don’t know.

27. Can you whistle?  Yep.

28. Favorite color?  If I had to pick, I’d say blood red, but I actually like different shades of all of the colors. (No, it’s not a cop out; I’m serious!)  

29. Would you be a pirate? As ruthless and greedy as I can be, I’d have to say no.

30. What songs do you sing in the shower? I only sing in the shower if I have a song really stuck in my head.

31. Favorite girl's name?  Vivian

32. Favorite boy's name?  William

33. What is in your pocket right now?  A black ponytail holder

34. Last thing/person that made you laugh?  There have been a few random things on the road that made me chuckle, but when we were leaving the resort, my cousin Jason and his suitcase made me laugh. It was pink, with white flowers.  :P  (this is about the right color...)

35. Best bed sheets as a child?  I think the peachy colored ones were pretty soft…

36. Worst injury you have ever had?  I scratched my cornea and had to wear an eye patch for a while when I was 3. Yeah, I know … not a big deal. I’ve been quite blessed, considering that I’ve played softball, been a gymnast, a dancer, a swimmer, and I've been skiing, flying, and spelunking.  

37. Do you love where you live?  Yes.

38. How many TVs do you have in your house?  One.

39. What is your favorite candy?  Starbursts (if we're not talking about chocolate)

40. How many dogs do you have?  Lady isn’t really mine...so, none.

41. Does someone have a crush on you? Yeah, I'm pretty sure.  ;)

42. What is your favorite book?  Wow…I’ve read some really great ones. Off the top of my head, “Redeeming Love,” “Jane Eyre,” “Pride & Prejudice,” and…the entire Frog & Toad series.  ;-P

43. Who is your loudest friend?  Caitlin.  Haha.

44. What song do you want played at your funeral?  Breakfast Table - Chris Rice

45. What were you doing at 12:00 pm?  Riding in our van

46. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?  I really don’t want to get up and pack today.  :-/


Thursday, June 5, 2008

...sigh...

So, it's been a long day, I really don't feel like doing any of the things I probably should be doing, and I'm writing.  :P  Maybe I'll find some motivation in making a list of all the things I should do before we leave on Saturday morning.  (Maybe not, but we'll see.)

  1. Clean my room.
  2. Do laundry.
  3. Charge my phone and camera batteries.
  4. Organize all of the entertainment for the trip: movies, music, books, etc.
  5. Pack.
  6. Mail gifts to graduating friends.
...later this evening...Wow, I'm so easily distractable tonight that I didn't even finish my list.  You know it's got to be bad when I don't finish a list.  :P  Let's see, what else...
  1. Make sure Mom has our itinerary worked out satisfactorily.
  2. Call a few hard-to-contact customers.
  3. Contact my host family in Quebec.
Hmm, not too bad.  I should be able to knock that stuff out tomorrow.  

Anyway, I was really excited earlier when I got an email back from the office at Universite Laval.  They've placed me in a host home, and I have the name, address, and contact information for the family (or...woman, I'm not sure how many people there are in the house).  I've also received many more details about what's expected of them and what's expected of me...and that is a huge relief.  The confirmation document covered a lot of the things I'd been wondering about, like how to pay the rent, what kinds of linens to bring, etc.  Heh, I was actually a little worried for a minute when I read that my host family would be ready for me on the 8th of July, when my flight arrives on the 5th, but they assured me that it was a mistake.  I won't be living on the streets.  (Good thing, since I really don't want to become acquainted with Quebec that intimately...)

I think I'm really too sleepy to pull out any other thoughts in a coherent manner, so I'll leave that for tomorrow.  'Night!

~Grace

A new personal favorite

I love Anne Taintor.

Edit: Especially this bag:

Monday, June 2, 2008

Plans and Excitement

I don't really know why, but it's nearly 3am, and I'm not asleep yet.  It's been a while since I've done this.  When in Rome, I suppose...

Lindsey and I have been planning my visit, and I'm getting more and more excited.  (I can't wait to see you!)  We came up with another one of our awesome ideas tonight, actually.  Basically, a "zen" day: morning yoga class, 3 hours at the day spa for manicures, pedicures, facials, and massages, and sushi...and maybe highlights or hair color.  :)   We also decided that another day, we have to go shopping and try on the most ridiculous clothes - and some really cute clothes, too.  And of course, we'll ride the Metro one day (who knows what we'll do ON it), take pictures of random people, and explore some galleries and museums.  Oh, and Starbucks.  Can't forget Starbucks.

So. Excited.  :D

I'm looking forward to tomorrow, too, since I'll get to see my roommate for the first time since the end of the school year.  Hmm, I'm actually looking forward to Tuesday, as well, since  I have a haircut scheduled...not sure what I'm going to do yet.  ;)  Hey...Wednesday and Thursday actually look just as good, since I'll be at the CPC, and I always love that.  Friday I'll be packing (which I find enjoyable), and Saturday we leave for San Antonio.  I don't think I've had a week planned out that looked this good in a while!  Makes me happy.  :)

And with that, I'm going to (finally) get some sleep.
~Grace