Taylor Bound

Paul and I leave Leavenworth the day after tomorrow! Can't wait to get to Taylor, and set up our apartment. I'm excited for our last five months at Taylor. I'm taking Shakespeare! It's pretty much my only real class. I have my senior project, Parnassus, and Senior Seminar--they are all just one credit. And I need to find a job! I think I will apply at Paynes, Starbucks, and Tree of Life for starters. We will see.

Wow, I just realized that we won't be getting to Taylor as late in the night as I thought! Yay! We will be arriving around 2 or 3am, but I thought the time change would be working against us, when really it will be working for us! It will only feel like 11 or 12 at night. Cool beans. (Or hot beans! As Rachel would say!)

I didn't read everything I was supposed to this summer for my senior project. I think I only finished like two books! I'm scared to tell Satterlee! And I still don't know what I'm doing exactly for my project...yikes. I need to return all my unread and overdue library books to the Leavenworth library. They are sending me a new notice like every day, it seems like! I know it will all come together...it's just kind of nerve racking not having anything together right now...... I'm wondering...do all the senior project advisors require 12 books to be read over the summer??? (Housholder?) I'm I screwed for not doing it?!?

Well, this very eventful summer is basically over now. Farwell, summer of 2009! You were wonderful.

Life is changing!

Last time I posted, Paul wasn't even here yet--wow! SO much has happened!

Paul got baptized on July 30th in the river with his mom and dad, and a friend named

Andy. They each shared their testimony beforehand, and it was a

really awesome time since there were many people there for the wedding that hadn't heard them before. Many people were moved by Paul's testimony, one of which was my grandpa who

isn't saved yet. I love my grandpa very much; please pray that he will become a Christian before he dies!

The next day was our wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner! The rehearsal dinner was in

the park, and we had a Contra dance! We weren't able to have dancing at the wedding, so this was kind of our reception except the day before. We decided to do a Contra dance instead

of having a DJ, so that everyone could be included in the dancing!

Then, August 1st was our wedding day. :) We LOVED it! We decided to do the pictures beforehand and have a "first vision," which I'm really glad we did. I started out pretty against it, thinking that it would make the ceremony less exciting. But it didn't make it any less exciting, and it made the day a lot less stressful. I wasn't really very stressed at all, which was awesome! During the ceremony, we washed each other's feet as a symbol of Eph. 5:21 "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." And also, we decided to do it to show each other that we want to love each other the way Christ loves us--unconditionally! I didn't think I was going to cry, but just as we were all lining up to walk down the aisle, I just couldn't stop the tears from flowing! I wasn't even sad, I guess just emotional. Happy tears are good. The wedding was so wonderful!

Yesterday, Rachel and I hiked Mount Stuart! It was beautiful! It's a nine mile hike round trip, but definitely worth it. I love this hike because it's not all straight uphill all the time, and it's pretty shady. There is a meadow area just before you get to the lake, and the mountain is like right there. So cool! It's so pretty especially with the snow still on the mountains. We had to used about a half a bottle of bug spray, and I still have tons of bites! And my ankle is all swollen from one too, which has never happened before. And I have bites on my head! But nature is so amazing...God's creation is amazing! And I haven't even seen that much of it!

This hike was a really nice break. A good break from work, and wedding planning, and a relationship issue I've been having with someone. Lately, I've really been learning a lot about how to deal with manipulation, and it's just not very fun. But I think it's good for me...and I think this year God has been trying to teach me to be a stronger person. I think part of becoming a stronger person is learning to stand up for yourself and for what is right (not that I'm always right!), and learning to confront issues and people honestly but in love, and for the purpose of reconciliation. Confrontation is definitely not my favorite thing to do, and sometimes things get worse before they get better. But if you never try, then they're guarenteed not to get better! So, it's definitely worth it in the long run. It's like cleaning the toilet...it's just something that has to be done. And the end result, after the long dreary process, is a great communion with the shiny clean toilet seat! So worth it, right?

Anyway! Paul will be home in exactly two weeks!!! It's about time, really. I just can't wait to pick him up at the airport, and for him to just be here. Can't wait.................................

Tomorrow is 4th of July, and my dad got the idea of going to a "tea party" in Seattle. I guess it's basically a taxes protest...which, I must say, it's justified. I don't want me or anyone else having to pay money for "global warming," and even more disturbing, I don't want my money going to the new homosexual education system that's being put in schools, to teach kindergartener's about homosexuality. That's just not fair. So I will "protest" since, at least for now, this is a free country! :)

moments that keep popping up in my mind

My dad: "I wish you could un-relative someone."

An image: An old Harley guy with a gray braid down to his butt, but only made with hair from the sides of his head, because of the large burnt circle of his bald spot.

When my coworker found out that Paul and I hadn't been living together last year (or ever): "Wow! That sure is rare nowadays, isn't it!"

...Yes, I guess it is. And lately, it seems like everyday I find out that someone else I know is getting a divorce, or has already gotten one, or has had an affair...It's just very depressing, how commonplace it is now. I think the statistic is over 50% now...I just hate it. It really is terrible. The other day I found out that at my brother's friend's wedding, his best man cancelled on him the day of. I just think people can't believe in marriage anymore. It's so sad. But I love seeing these REALLY old couples who come into Prey's Fruit Barn, still calling each other "honey dear" and being cute. I wanna be like them someday! We need those good examples, we really do.

And now I will leave you with a favorite verse of Paul and mine's. Ha! And of course the internet kicks off just when I'm about to write God's Word! I had to change computers. It can't stop me!

Proverbs 10:17 "He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray."

This summer has been, is, and will be so busy! But it's a good busy.

I am in a fantastic mood right now. Today Paul bought a new plane ticket...one that's coming a week earlier than before! (His class ended early, that why this is possible.) YAY! So he'll be here the 17th instead of the 24th. Wow, that means he'll be here in 3 weeks and 2 days! So exciting..............................!!!

On Friday, my mom and I went over to the other side of the mountains and picked up my wedding dress. We decided to wait and get lunch after trying on the dress...in other words, we needed to make sure I could fit in it first. And I did! I'm glad, because I was hungry!

Later that night, we were going over to Lynn's (my future mother-in-law) neighbor's house for dinner. But, that turned out to be a surprise bridal shower! I guess I should have seen it coming, but I completely did not, even after I saw all the cars in the driveway, and even when they were yelling surprise! I was just plain confused. It took about ten minutes for it to all sink in that it was actually happening. It was my first shower, and it was such a wonderful surprise! They made me answer questions about Paul, and then chew a peice of Bubbliscious for every one I got wrong. The wad wasn't too big, but it was pretty hard to blow a bubble!

The next day was a triple shower--for my two cousins and I. Long story short, I've got a lot of "loot," as my dad calls it.

I'm getting too tired to finish this! I'm working at Prey's Fruit Barn tomorrow. I'm working there three days a week, and then at Der Tier for two. It's nice to have a change of scenery in the workplace.

Well, this wasn't much of a blog entry! Sleep is more important. :) I'm learning how nice it is to go to bed early. Love to all, and hope you all have adventurous-and-exciting,-but-happy dreams!

Peace.

I'm alive, don't worry

Well, I haven't blogged in a while...

Updates:

1. I really miss Paul! He's doing summer Greek at Taylor, until a week before the wedding. :( He might be able to come two weeks before though, if Dr. Heth ends the class early. I really hope that happens....

2. I got a job. I'm now working at a shop downtown called Der Tier Shoppe. It sells Polish pottery, paintings, beer steins, and a whole bunch of random things...such as, radiometers, wind chimes, dragon figurines, hot dog sticks, CD's, jewelry, and salt & pepper shakers. It's not a bad job. I work there by myself, and it's always really slow. I only sell about five things a day in a seven hour shift. But, oh well, it's fun. I like dusting.

3. We had a garage sale at our house on Saturday for my friend Megan, to raise money so she can go to acting and modeling championships. Garage sales are so much fun. I love the variety of people that showed up on our lawn. It was funny watching Katie (Megan's 8-year-old sister) walk around and try to sell people things. It started to drizzle rain around 10am. Megan said, "Katie, pray it won't rain." So Katie says, "Dear God, don't rain!" It sounded so funny telling God not to rain, or "reign." Oh, and it stopped raining. :)

4. Our dog is having a false pregnancy again. She thinks my mom's purse is her puppy. She'll lay on it, and lick it, and growls when you try to take it away.

5. Wedding stuff is going well. The invites are out, and it's very fun getting RSVPs in the mail every day.

6. We're (hopefully) going on a vacation to Victoria, Canada on Thursday. I say hopefully because my parents don't have passports. Do you think we'll make it?

7. I've been having this weird problem where the skin under my left eye itches. This lady told me to take my ring and rub it on it...like that's supposed to cure it? I did, but I think she was just trying to make me look funny, because it didn't really work.

8. I'm supposed to read about 12 books this summer for my senior project. That's about a book a week. I usually read about 3 books per year! So this is going to be hard. I'm already behind, I think!

Anyway, that's what's been happening with me. I'll try to keep this blog a little more up to date!

happy day

I was in the library today studying for my Spanish final like a good little smart studious Taylor girl...

Then I got the urge to write a poem! So I did. Then I wrote another, and another, and another! It was fun.

I didn't have anything else to write on, so I wrote them on the maps in the back of my Odyssey. It's fun to write on things that aren't supposed to be written on. I find it inspiring! :)

writing blues

I'm not happy with anything I write. Sigh.

Johari's Window

I learned about this in a Communications class way back. Pick words that you think describe me!

http://kevan.org/johari?name=marikagrace

It's fun!

hello world.

hello world.

I thought I would post an entry to reward myself for completing a homework assignment. So here it is--yay!

I've kinda been lacking in the motivation area lately. But, you know, there is a season for work, and, darn it, there is a season for doing nothing productive whatsoever!!!! That's my paraphrase for Ecclesiastes. And even if that's not really in there, God created a Sabbath day, okay??!!? Yes, and maybe some people don't believe in Sabbaths anymore, but really, that general concept came from God. So there.

But yeah. Sometimes in life you've got to make choices. And homework does not always come first, okay people!??!?!? Sometimes you've got to make choices, and lately when I've got some options playing ping pong in my head, I've been asking myself this question to get them settled down: Which option is going to make the best memory? Like, am I even going to remember doing the stuff that seems so important now, in a year from now? If not, I'm tempted to say, "Well, screw it!" But we can't screw everything because then we'd get kicked out of college, and blah, blah, blah.

But! I believe that we shouldn't pass things up that will make memories for things that won't. Some things you don't get the opportunity to do every day, so you've got to make sacrifices in that day so you can experience the out of the ordinary! We've got to think about the future! What will we look back on and remember?

Procrastination gets a bad rap in a lot of ways. I'm sure there are people with serious issues, but generally I think people who procrastinate just realize that something more important came up.

don't worry, it's not you!

There exists a particular person whom, when I am in this person's presence, I find myself feeling unbearably annoyed. When this person speaks, I find myself visualizing a substance, similar to a mixture of tree sap and melted gummy bears, drip out of her mouth and smear all over my body. There is nothing I can do as the goo continues to crawl out of her mouth, the stickiness clogging even the air.

this will make you smile

If you haven't already seen it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

I watched it yesterday, when it had 3 million views...today it has 9 million and is on the front page of msnbc news.

I love this lady!

Meet your Meat

I know this video is really hard to watch, but it will change your life. Paul and I rented this in the DVD version from the library over break...it was like 15 minutes long. I'm glad it wasn't any longer. I've never considered myself a full vegetarian, but now I'm finding myself unable to eat meat even if I tried. It's just so sad. I'm not even a real animal lover. But these animals are God's creation. God created them even before he created humans. And he has placed them under our stewardship. I'm not saying it is wrong to eat meat. But I do believe it is wrong to mistreat animals as this video displays. Even if they are going to be killed for meat, they shouldn't be tortured until their death.

can't sleep

I can't sleep. Mong mong mong...that's the sound of my brain's feelings. It's not even that late. Last week I was staying up until 2:30am because I wasn't tired. Now I am tired, but can't sleep. It's weird how you can control most things about yourself, and your body, but you can't always make yourself fall asleep. It's Pandora time now. Maybe I can lull myself to sleep. Sigh. Music is good.

I haven't written for a long time. How sad. I miss being in a writing class. Freelance isn't really a writting class to me. We don't always get to write what we want to. Articles feel stifling to me sometimes. It's not as free. Plus, I believe my work is not as quality in this class. I know my work is completely my responsibility, but it's tempting in this class to turn in work that isn't my best just because we're not really being graded on quality. (We're graded on revision process and having a market.) The grade will be virtually the same no matter the quality. So I get lazy. Not good! I don't like to see my writing and know it's not my best. It's time I write for myself though, not who's reading it. It is easier to write well under pressure, I think. I need to learn to pressure myself.

can I please babysit her?

World War II explained by a 5-year-old.

questions about pain

I just saw something very sad. :( I was walking out of Christian Marriage class today and there were two girls in front of me talking about a boy that one of them liked. Girl A was talking about her plans with Boy and Girl B was asking questions with excitement. Then I noticed Girl B was walking funny. She was limping. I looked down at her feet, watching to make sure I wasn't imagining it. Then I noticed the back of her heel was all bloody. Her white flats were scraping against her heel as she walked--the result: a bright red open scab all the way up her left heel, and the beginnings of more broken bloody skin on her right. :( All the while, Girl B talked like she wasn't in pain at all, and Girl A chattered on about Boy without noticing her friend's obvious limp.

Why didn't the Girl B take her shoes off once they were outside? Why didn't she tell Girl A of her pain, so she could slow down? Why didn't Girl A not notice anything wrong?

Did Girl B do the right thing by not saying anything? Was she being a selfless servant by not thinking of herself, and listening to Girl A? I'm thinking of this as a metaphor...if you are having a problem or pain in your life, should you not tell people about it? Just ignore it, so you can give yourself to others, focus all your attention to others? Or is it wrong not to tell people about your pain? Is it deceitful to hide your pain from others?

well, computer problems suck

Yes. They really do. Just in case you were wondering. I don't know if there is a tornado going on right now, or what. I heard a siren a little while ago, but I figured it was an ambulance. My roommate said that was a tornado alert though. I wondered why I didn't know what a tornado alert sounded like... am I supposed to know these things? We don't have tornadoes where I come from! Just earthquakes. But whatever.

Back to the subject. Computer problems suck. My computer died about a week or so ago. Actually, it still works perfect; I just can't use it because the screen is black. If I shine a lamp on it, I can see that everything is working fine. I just called Dell, and they said my warranty is used up. So I don't know what to do without paying a bunch of money. I work with some people in the I.T. Dept. at Taylor, and one of the guys there has been helping me, so hopefully he can get me hooked up with someone that will fix it for cheap.

In the meantime, I've been using Paul's computer. He's actually been trying to get rid of his computer for months. He had been leaving it in his closet most of the time, and was thrilled that I was "taking it for him." He says he gets distracted with having a computer, and wastes time on it playing games or whatever, instead of hanging out with people. So it's been a great trade! A computer, for the absence of a computer.

But now I was just having internet connection problems with this computer. It's probably because of the storm/tornado that is happening. I restarted it like five times, lol, and now it seems to be working. I could never be a computer repair person. Computers don't make sense. Sure, they're machines and they should work according to their programming, but sometimes they can be so random! It's like this broken stereo at my parents house--sometimes if you kick the speakers a certain way, it starts working!

Speaking of randomness, I want to tell you about this wonderful simile I read in Silence in October today. I will give it to you in the context of the paragraph:

"I found her building and rang the buzzer. A long time passed and I was about to go look for a telephone when she stuck her head out of a window on the third floor. She hadn't expected me so early. Her long hair hung down around her face like an abbreviated, golden brown waterfall as she smiled, told me to let myself in, and threw the key down to the sidewalk."

Her long hair down...like an abbreviated, golden brown waterfall. Delight! I was in the Well when I read this, on a bicycle machine. I just looked up from the book and gazed off like I was in love. And I am in love. Sigh. What a purely wonderful image. Now, don't any of you tell me you've heard of hair described as an abbreviated golden brown waterfall and burst my bubble! :)

openness and honesty

Lately I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be open and honest. It started in Christian Marriage class I guess. Snyder was talking about how it's a research statistic that people who are open/honest/vulnerable/transparent or who "self-disclose" more are correspondingly liked more by others. And it even works the other way around. After you "self-disclose" to someone, you end up liking the person that you self-disclosed to more! Maybe it's not that profound of a statistic, but it's kept me thinking about it even days later...

Snyder also had us write down which we thought was more important in a marriage--openness or honesty. In class, I was really confused because I was having a hard time defining the difference. But I liked what other people said. Clearly, honesty is more important because what good is a bunch of information about a person if it's not the truth? For example, let's say you're dating someone and you're talking and being really "open" and telling them all sorts of things, and he/she is telling you all sorts of things. Then you come to find out once you're married (heaven forbid!) that all this time he/she has been lying to you! Pfhhhh, openness!!! Honesty is clearly more important.

But! Then someone else spoke up and said he thought openness was more important. He said he sees openness as containing honesty within it. I think I'm jumping more onto his train of thought now. Honesty is fine and dandy, but if you don't tell your spouse (boyfriend/friend/any person) things (aka, being open), and just wait for them to ask you, it might never happen! You can easily detour around the question while still being technically honest! So, if honesty is assumed in openness, then clearly, openness is the most important of the two.

It even parallels in God's relationship to us. He has been completely open and honest to us through his word. He does not even hide what will happen to us and the world in the future. He tells us how the world began. What a gift of openness!

All this thinking about openness and honesty has caused me to recognize it more clearly in my relationships. And it's so true! I am naturally drawn to people who seem to be more open and honest with themselves and with others. When other people open up, it's easier for you to open up, and the result is just an all-together good feeling of having someone know and understand you!

Something else Dr. Snyder said was that the number one reason that people marry other people is because of genuineness. Hmm! It holds true with why I was attracted to Paul. So interesting!

I'm surprised how much I remember from this class. How surprising to have a class that actually teaches life skills and concepts!

Anyways, so my new goal for myself is to become a more open and honest person. Mainly open--since I don't think I have a lying problem. I think usually I'm pretty picky about who I open up to...which isn't necessarily a bad trait, I don't think. You've got to have some wisdom about who to trust. But, on the other hand, if no one opened up to anybody, nobody would know anybody! And that would be a very sad world.

we have a honeymoon!

Wednesday was a good day. Paul and I got a honeymoon and a place to live for next year, all in the same day!

The honeymoon spot is going to be Waldport, Oregon. Paul's mom's aunt has a vacation house right on the beach there, and she said we could stay there for free! I guess Paul's mom's cousins (is that confusing?) all have families in Portland, and don't have time to stay at the house, so it rarely gets used. I think we can pretty much stay there as long as we want. So, yay! She said every room in the house was built to have a view of the beach, haha! Anyway, it's awesome, and just what we wanted. We were going to go to Barbados, since his parents have a time share there, but the flights there would have been pretty expensive, and long, and we hate flying anyway...and we will have other chances to go there in the future. I love Oregon, it's so beautiful and green there! I could really see myself living there someday. I love all the outdoorsy/hippie/earthy people. It will be nice to have a car to drive around with there and check places out.

The first night we're gonna stay at this really nice resort hotel in Snoqualmie, with a waterfall! It worked out perfect, because that place is right on the way to start the drive to Oregon. After the honeymoon, we'll probably drive back, open all the gifts, and finish packing for school... and then go on honeymoon #2! Driving across the country! Yay! I love road trips. I don't know what route we'll take yet, but maybe we'll stop by Colorado and conquer those Rocky Mountains. :)

The other thing we found out is that we're living in Fairlane next year! It was our first choice because it was the best deal, and it comes mostly furnished. Furnished=necessity for us, since we don't really want to lug a bunch of furniture around, or buy a bunch of it for only one semester and J-term (and then have to lug it somewhere else). So, yippee! Things are working out, and God is providing for us. :)

I'm so excited for the summer. I'm so excited to get married, and for the honeymoon, and just to BE married to Paul. I haven't done hardly any wedding planning in the last two months--I'm just not that into it anymore. All the details of the wedding... I find myself saying, "Yeah, sure whatever! That looks good!" and making decisions really fast. Usually, I can never make decisions! So this change is good, I think. It certainly makes planning a lot less stressful. I just know that it will all work out in the end, and all these little details people freak out about don't really matter. It's a very freeing feeling. :)

¡uʍop ǝpısdn pןɹoʍ ʎɯ uɹnʇ noʎ