It’s Not Thursday! October 6, 2008
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Well I decided to take a quick nap, then do it. I had just gotten a new alarm clock, so I punched “nap” on it even though I hardly ever actually fall asleep with naps. When I woke up, it was dark. I looked at my clock: 7:12!!!!! I couldn’t believe I had slept through the whole night. I jumped up and feverishly started writing scales. Yuck.
At 7:45, I dashed out the door. “Brr… must be a good fall day,” I thought, “it’s very cold and dark and cloudy.” I took a seat outside the piano lab and scribbled a few more scales… unfortunately there was no way I would be quite finished by 8.
I glanced at my watch. Wow, 7:58, and no one else is here yet! That’s odd… then my head began to whirl, and I remembered: on my new alarm clock, the dot signifies AM, not PM. It’s still very dark. What day is this?? What hour??? Am I crazy? I hurried over to a computer at the student center. (This was before I had a cell phone… you can call it the “Dark Ages” if you want.;)
The dear little computer clock read, “Wednesday, October 5, 8:03 PM.” !!!!!
I felt like running up to strangers and telling them the good news!
I was all awake, so I practiced violin for a while… and the nice thing was, thanks to all that panic, I had my homework almost done.
How do you celebrate It’s Not Thursday Day? By showing up for class 12 hours early. Trust me, it’s not as bad as it sounds!
the canyon is calling September 22, 2008
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I love this picture. J took it with his camera last winter as he and the other brothers were making a chilly excursion to Chimney Canyons. (Too bad I was in college and couldn’t go.) I always think this chunk of Colorado looks like an ocean.
His camera isn’t so high-quality but I think the way these pictures turned out is SO cool!
Taken through the blazer window. yeah. (there are a bunch of wind turbines there nowdays).
wow, right?
Yeah, it’s definitely tempting sometimes to just drop everything, call up the brothers, collect the gear and the dawgs, dive in Joe’s blazer, and head for the canyons!
It’s a favorite getaway (from it all). It’s a chance to look awesome (for some of us more than others.. the boys would be quick to say, because I’m nowhere near as cool as them). It’s an adventure. It’s what we do.
I miss being waited on hand and hoof. September 14, 2008
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For much of the summer, I lived in the Wrangler Bunkhouse at camp machasay… where all I had to do was write down exactly what I wanted, and it was done.
This made me very happy.
Well, ok, so that’s not exactly how it worked. And ok, so we snuck into the barn one evening after noticing two empty spaces on the horse care chart, and added ourselves to it. But I did get fresh flowers the next morning, and Mr. K tried to go after Sarah’s toenails with a hoof trimmer, so it kindof worked!
Thesis titles September 8, 2008
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The Dynamics of Interbeing and Monological Imperatives in Dick and Jane: A Study in Psychic Transrelational Gender modes.” – Hobbes reading Calvin’s paper
“Academia, here I come!” -Calvin
I sure wish there was a 5-word limit on thesis titles. I mean, sure, if I ever get mine written, i’m going to want it to be as long and lofty as possible… but for the poor girl having to type up lists of titles filled with words like “Microglial”.. it’s just a little harsh.
I do keep a mental collection of my favorite thesis titles, though. Like this one- I just think the combination of the name and the subject is a little funny:
Solomon, Steven R. Courtly Love Versus Christian Ethics in Medieval Romances [Honors Program]. Senior Honors: 1981.
And this is so relaxing to watch. It has the beginning of one of my favorite songs of all time, you’re beautiful by paul wright. I always would listen to it while doing dishes at camp, so whenever I hear it I feel like I have warm, soapy water flowing over my hands!
Paper of doom September 8, 2008
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Tonight marks the second of what will surely be MANY hours spent… not writing my paper of doom. My mammoth pickle of pages. Pages formed and inspired by a logjam of journal articles that read like a Novocain for your mind!
Basically, it’s the thing that’s going to make my brain, and the words that are born there, even odder than ever.
“I’m taking a bunch of easy, kinda enjoyable classes, and then… Educational Programming,” is what I tell people when they ask me stuff. Then a common response by anyone who knows family science is… “ohhhhhh…. ooohhhhh… with Burke?? ohhh…” and they shake their heads and walk off, leaving me for dead. It’s so encouraging.
I have to get to (because I make everyone else rephrase things in a positive manner) write and create roughly 30 pages. 30 hard pages. And I’ve heard many a scary thing about this class. Pray for me… cause I don’t have much time for EASY classes, much less hard ones.
I do have time for card playing nights galore.. and I do have time for girl movie nights, eating out, going to a movie w/ my cousins and aunt.. going and getting ice cream… going to meetings… doing lots and lots of Cru stuff…
… and rainy football games! UNO vs. UNK. We won of course! 42-21.
Me, val dawg, and theresa.
Stand in the rain! Stand your ground..
Crazy August 27, 2008
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I’m freaking out at how God works! HE IS AMAZING!!! In my life, in my brother’s life, in letting me run into random people that I DON’T EVEN HARDLY KNOW and talking with them about this, that, life, church, Cru, God, classes.. whatever it may be!
I must not be as shy I as I used to be.. but before you go getting any ideas, let me make it clear that I’m still shy, just not as much. 
I am crazily busy and it’s only the 3rd day of school. It’s also the 3rd day of being 22! But it is so exciting to be back! I miss home, but it’s all good.
Nancy Drew methods, as applied by Frances. August 1, 2008
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The time was 9:34 pm. Frances was at the computer, and Joe was in the kitchen. There were 2 walls in between them. But, by looking at the reflection the dining room window, Frances can see through both doorways and around the corner. In the dim reflection she saw Joseph reach thirstily into the fridge… grab our nearly-full milk carton… twist off the blue lid… and drink. Straight from the jug.
Using my detection methods, I found out something I really did not want to know!
“JOE!”
“What? ?” (sounding way too clueless)
Anyway… so now we all give him a hard time about it. And we’ve decided to just do away with using cups and glasses anymore, we’re ALL just going to drink out of the jug. Yummy. Welcome to my life in a house full of guys!
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Oh no. Tomorrow is the first day of August. And I don’t have my life together! I’m not ready! Oh well maybe that’s for the best. Still, I’m desperately holding on to these last hours of July.
I took a walk down our county road with the dogs… Little Joe and Emily, our new (well, we’ve had her for about a month or so) black lab puppy! She’s adorable. I’m going to be very sad to leave her when I go back to school. I did this, I did that, I took a nap, I listened to a country music cd of EJ’s, I read, I made supper. Soon (actually, pretty much once August hits!) I won’t be able to laze around like this. But I’ve enjoyed it while it’s lasted! We finished up at camp last week.
Good days at camp… June 11, 2008
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Hmm… I’m worn out from staining the decks on the barn today. Part of it is, I probably inhaled a little too much of the oil we’re staining them with.. ha ha. Sarah, Kalyn, Anna and I worked on that, we’re almost done.
I love working at Camp Machasay! I was thinking about that… sometimes I have annoying days or am really tired or whatever.. but I know God brought me back here this summer, and I am SO GLAD. I know from experience that I would have to work very hard to not be miserable anywhere else.
Our first camp is next week! Elevate. Junior high. I’m SUPER PUMPED. Looking down the registration list… I see so many familiar names. Girls who i have had in my cabin since they first came to nine2eleven several years ago. We get some AWESOME kids out here. I’m so excited!!!!!!!!!!! And Mr. Craig (AMAZING cook from Texas that we’ve known for several years! HE HAS HIS OWN PRODUCT LINE OF BBQ RUBS AND SAUCES! Z-BROS BBQ! HE IS THE GREATEST!) is coming to cook for it! Does life get any better?
Oh and we finally got the plants put in and some landscaping done, under Miss Sonja’s direction. So now I can do my favorite morning chore- watering the plants! Here’s how it goes… I get the beloved golf cart… I put the large black trash can that has a “Frances’ Watering Bucket” sign on it and load it on the golf cart. I fill ‘er up with water… and drive from flower bed to flower bed. I use an ice cream bucket to scoop out water and give all the plants a good drink. Our Colorado climate is harsh on the plants. There are two beds out by our main entrance, one behind the fellowship hall and two in front, and one in front of the bunkhouses. Most of them are out of reach of the hoses, and it’s just way easier to do the ingenious golf cart system I came up with last year.
Sky June 1, 2008
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I am LOVING being back in Northeast Colorado… and back to where I can see the horizon.. and the sky is huge. It is amazing. The first thing I saw this morning was the gorgeous sunrise… the NEIGHbors were being loud outside our bunkhouse and so i peeked out the curtains and WOW there was the sunrise! I guess I haven’t really seen one for a while so it was breathtaking.
Then I sat outside under the awning watching the lightning from the storm tonight. Mr. Rick joined me and we just sat there, watching it rain.. We talked about what we love about Camp Machasay, and what God is doing and what He has done before… ahhh. “The heavens declare the glory of God” -Psalm 19:1. SO true. I love it. Surrounded by God’s glory all day long.
Gunnar (Mr. bryan’s son.. 9.. we’re “pretty much sisters” according to him!) helped me take the green trash can to the bins behind the golf cart today. One of the (inadequate) trash bags in there we had to unload was half full of very heavy dirt from cleaning out the storm cellar. The second we started trying to get it out, holes appeared all over and dirt was spewing all over us. We FINALLY got it in the bin.. it was hilarious though, we were laughing so hard!
Mornings May 27, 2008
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Turn on the lights in the fellowship hall. Kill a few flies. Clean out the coffee pot. Fill it up and turn it on. Put away the dishes I did last night. Turn on some music. Turn on the heater cause it’s cold today.
Here in a bit I’ll put on a “Cookin with the Z-Bros” apron (donated by Mr. Craig! He’s the BEST BBQ cook in Texas, or in the world for that matter) and help Autumn rustle up BISCUITS AND GRAVY for Shane’s group. They always stay the night on the way back from their missions trip to Wyoming every year. Last year, they got 2 flat tires, and so were really late getting in… I remember Autumn and I drinking coffee trying to stay awake till they got here. I read about 20 old Bowhunter magazines that night while she did work on the computer.
Anyway- this is my favorite kind of morning at camp.
