and it all started with a big bang, BANG!

My mom & I loove the tv show "The Big Bang Theory".


It makes me want to move into an apartment so I can have neighbors my age around. Like nerdy science guys that wear coudroy pants, and t-shirts with science and/or obscure popculture references, and blazers over sweatshirts.

Yep- quirky, funny, nerdy-but-loveable neighbors that I can be friends with. And maybe date. But I'd only date the least weird one- the one who recognizes that loving sci-fi movies, comics, role games, etc., makes him a complete dork.


My friend Ashley loves 500 Days of Summer. It reveals that the cool, hipster girl that all the guys idealize is actually a nuerotic mess of a girlfriend.

I say this because I fully realize that it would prob be reeeeally hard for me to be friends with a real-life pack of nerdy 20something professors. It takes everything I have to be present in a convo with someone talking about video games or extreme sci-fi things. We would have very little in common, none of us would be as witty as the Big Bang cast,...but a girl can dream, right? Also, I found out I am not the only girl who has this dream because of this show :)

Jottings

Here's some long overdue jottings to you, friends:

I graduated this past Friday, the 13th! so great. [just ignore the 4 credits I have left to complete before actually getting my degree]

My birthday is this Saturday, the 21st! also great. [note that this is also supposed to be the day the world ends, according to some loon]

Yep, two milestones in a row landing on arbitrarily deemed "unusual" dates. Weird or completely normal, right?

My little brother had to dig a small shard of glass outta my foot yesterday. I don't think he got it all, so I googled "glass in foot" and the world wide web said I could get an infection. Now every so often I wonder if I will have to get my foot or whole leg amputated. And I'll be an amputee that will give talks to kids in middle school about the dangers of running around without shoes on. Unless the infection gets in to my blood. Then I'd just die. Btw, remind me to tell you how I ended up stepping on glass. It's a doosie.

Some advice: DO NOT SELL YOUR BOOKS TO HALF PRICE BOOKS. You'll bring in like 10 mint condition hard-covers & history monographs, and they will give you 7 measly bucks. Yes, less than $1 per book. Then you will pay the $7 you just got + $12more to buy 3 books you found while browsing in the store you are made to wander in while they appraise the books you brought in to sell.

Tune in next time for a pictorial blog.

there might be a little dust on the bottom...

Recognize those song lyrics? I hope so, because I think I like that song. I def did when I was like eleven, but now I'm not so sure. It seems like it could be a 1990s country OR soft rock song, and I don't like that kind of musical ambiguity.

Wikipedia let me know it was on some top country chart, but still...

The reason I mention the song is because I found fruit on the bottom yogurt today.
Clearly a strong connection there.
Anyways, I looove fruit on the bottom yogurt. As a kid and adolescent I was obsessed.
In the past few years though, it seems to have come up absent from grocery coolers, no matter where I look.
...Then again, I tend to take after my father who can't find leftovers on an eye-level shelf in the 'fridgerator.

Well Safeway now carries fruit on the bottom yogurt under its Organic label.
Yes, be excited!
I am, which is why I've dedicated roughly a fith of this blog post to write about it.

Tonight, as I watched a film for class that should've ended 50 minutes before it actually did, I checked my gmail to clean out spam from my inbox. And what did I find?

???

An email from my Chinese bff, Vivian!!! [I met Vivian on my trip this past summer. DUH.]
Oh no, I'm about to cry just thinking about her. I teared up 4 times just while reading her letter and writing back.
I miss her so much and love getting to hear from and write to her!

She became my best friend there within the first hour of our arrival to the university.
We didn't have classes together nor did we room together, but we saw each other as often as we could, like 3-5 times a week.
Vivian cared for me like a big sister and was so much fun to hang out with.

Baaaahhh <----- yes, I am crying right now :/

Annnd, the possibility of meeting her again in heaven causes my heart to rejoice :}
No. No, she is not a Christian. But I pray and hold on to hope that someday she will let go of the life she has to live alongside Jesus. I can't even begin to imagine all that God wants to do in her life and through her. I say this because she is already such a hard working and caring person, so to see God use her to further the Kingdom of Heaven on earth would be so crazy cool and beautiful!

So I desperately want to see her again.
I think she wants to visit the U.S. someday; I know she would love it :)
After forming such a friendship & others and experiencing the culture, I would also love to visit China again someday.

Thinking about the relationships I was able to build in and all that I learned about cultures, myself, and God this past summer, I am incredibly excited for my friends going to China in just a few short months!!!

"A girl can't read that sort of thing without her lipstick"

As alluded to in one of my recent previous posts, I love the hit show "Parenthood". One of my favorite characters is Amber, played by Mae Whitman (who also starred on ABC family's apparently not-so-hit-show, State of Grace, one of my middle school favs.)

Anyways, on the show Amber is a moody but talented teen who has awesome style that I would like to emulate. Mostly because her style is like the rebellious version of my own, perhaps.

Her, like, signature thing is black eyeliner and red lipstick. So in similar fashion to the lame girl from Mean Girls- you know, the one who says "I saw Cady Heron wearing army pants and flip flpos, so I bought army pants and flip flops"- I used some extra time I had yesterday to paint on the black and dab on some red lipstick I have in my special/weird make-up bag gathering dust under the bathroom sink. It was a fun kind of confidence thing for me, too. I can wear red lipstick if I want to.

So here's a pic I snapped on my compie :) I don't look like a complete clown, huh?

Oh, btw- I did, however, become a giant woman trapped in an office building. Plz look past my growth spurt to still be my friend.

Okie dokes, off to find the perfect shade for my ruby reds so I can dump the tube I have from my 7th grade Halloween costume. Also, I have a paper to finish before 5:30. Happy first Friday, peeps!

Stay gangsta,

J.Rice

Someone plzzz save us, us college kids!

[Relient K, so good]

I can't make any promises, but due to popular demand I am seriously gonna crack down and blog regularly. Once a week. we'll see how this goes.

I have homework to do before making bread dough and going to class, so this bloggie's coming from something I've already wrote.

The following is a list I compiled over the weekend of things I want to do before graduating...

(in no particular order):

1. take a picture with the Sinclair gas station dinosaur

2. visit the Museum of Northern Az

3. make ice cream from snow

4. have a picnic on the lawn of the Flagstaff courthouse

5. one last Friday invasion of E. Hart's with Jade (which was a weekly occurence our sophmore year)

6. go to Bearizona

7. build a fort city like on Community

8. go to Bedrock, Az and eat gravelberry pie

9. go to Prom (the movie) with Aziel as my "date".

only "couples" can go.

dress up in semi-formal attire... or ballgowns.

10. have a slumber party at a hotel

11. find out if the Monte Vista Hotel serves monte cristo sandwhiches. if they don't, find a place in Flg that does

12. play the best April fools' joke evahhhh

13. visit Locket Meadow- bring glitter lotion, pretend to be a vampire)

14. take a photo of every significant place in Flg/ at NAU for nostalgia's sake

15. play at the park by juvie

16. visit the dove chapel place on the way to the Grand Canyon

17. visit the cemetary by Target

18. have a great birthday bash with my birthday twin, ash b.

Hopefully finances will not be a killer hinderance for these things.

Do you have any suggestions to add to my list? Wanna help me complete some of these? Comment & let me know! :}

Enjoying Today with a little "some day"s

one of my fav past times with friends is to talk about what our future kiddos, spouses, jobs, marriages, and lives in general might be like.

the convos sound something like this:

AG: my kids will say 'i can't play with youuuu today, i have sailing practice', and they will only wear things from J.crew.
JR: my kids will longboard or rollerblade while wearing bows& mary janes and tiny sweaters over tiny oxford shirts. also, they will love hymns.
CS: my kids will be best friends with each other because they will be weird but i'll tell them they're special everyday.
JF: my kids will ask to read in their prayer languages. or refuse to go to church.
AK: my kids will play in dirt all day and hit all yo' kids.

Perhaps this is what watching parenthood leads to or at least encourages.

Sorry I haven't posted in forevah, I'm sure reading my blog is enjoyable procrastination time for someone out there.

Tonight I got called a catfish by one of my close friends. It's cooler than it sounds- there's some deep meaning to it where being called a catfish is a sweet compliment. It has to do with that thriller movie that came out this past fall.
The one about a man & facebook; not The SocialNetwork, but the other one- Catfish. You know, the one I wanted to see and then forgot about.

Some people won't read blogs unless they have pictures, so here's one from my week:





22 strawberries, 1 1/3 bananas & 1 3/4 apples???
HOW DiD they fit all that fruit into one medium-sized bottle?!

tomorrow I get to go post-Valentine's Day shopping at Targie with Adriane in btwn my lame-o classes. and maybe I'll find the perfect fitting sweatpants with elastic @ the ankles to be cool like my friend Jade. and perfect fitting tshirts like my friend steph b.

Fungi, a Man, and Reclusive Women

This past weekend I spent an above average amount of time (for myself, probably a below average amount of time for most college students,) working on homework.

While working on online anthropolgy homework, I learned about astounding fungi.
*Disclaimer: this is super sick, so avoid reading the following while eating.

A fungus in the Amazonian forest lays on plants and the forest floor, in waiting.
Once an insect or spider crawls by, the fungus attatches itself to the unfortunate creature.
The fungus sticks to the bug's exoskeleton & dissolves a part of it.
Through this opening, the fungus reaches the insect's insides and eats the non-vital organs.
The spider or whatever remains alive and functioning.
After the non-vital organs have been devoured, the fungus eats a part of the bug's BRAIN.
At this point, the fungus has basically created a SPIDER ZOMBIE (!!!); with the brain piece gone, the bug climbs to a high leaf in the forest canopy.
The fungus eats the rest of the insect and then causes it to explode(!!!), sending the fungus spore things to be dispersed throughout the rainforest to lay in waiting again!

...this same fungus has some sort of chemical in it that supresses the human immune system & therefore makes it a great med for transplant patients (of which my daddy was one,) so that their body does not reject the foriegn organ placed in them.
neat, huh???

During my laborious weekend, I also researched other things on the internet:
-C.S. Lewis. I concluded I do indeed want to read all he ever wrote, or most of his works anyways. [Chronicles of Narn, check-dunzo!]
- the Edies Bealeses, of whom Grey Gardens Documentary was of, as well as the 2009 'Grey Gardens' was based on.

Christmas Without Claymation??!

A few days ago, my friend Steph B ( http://stephbarber.com )

posted about her home's recently added christmas decor. Now here's my apt's Christmas-itizing...

Yeppers, a tree! Last year my parents finally listened to reason and got this atrificial beauty.

To accompany our dorm tree, my mommy bought a pack of super cute ornaments. But no topper was included in the box!

So...I colored and cut this star and added some ribbon.

Our tree may look massive from this perspective, but it's really a disputable 6 footer

And more handmade decorations! These oragami cranes were created and strung by the lovely Adriane (http://arianecarol.blogspot.com)

TADA! Our cozy tree and crane garland!

P.S.- I'm so glad Adriane and I both have a thing about Christmas trees being in corners

Oh, and sorry about the lame formatting of this blog postie. Hope you are having a very merry Christmas season!

Post-Post Script: For ten pretty good (there are really like 14, but only 10 are worth keeping) free Christmas songs to download, go to target.com /christmas

Sabbath

sorry about my hiatus from blogging the last few months.

that was super lame of me.

so, sorry 'bout that.

i've been regularly reading your bolgs still, so that's cool, right?

great- we've reconciled :)

moving on...

this is a post i started writing...uhhhh...a month or so ago :(

i wrote it after my second sabbath this school year, about my amazing time i had as God reminded me that He loves me for me, not for what i do.

on my sabbath, i painted with my roommate, sbpj.

sbpj and i kinda just became friends this year while living together so it was cool to get some one-on-one time with her. the following is a terrible photo off my phone of my not so terrible, not so great painting:

the text reads: "the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the shadow death a light has dawned"

"Matthew 4:16"

Unfortunately I did a not so fun thing on my Sabbath; I spent over half an hour researching how to disinfect wild bird feathers. My fake grandma had a peacock stay in her back yard for a few months and she gave me some feathers for craft things. I do not want to catch bird flu from my hair accessories! So I tried steam cleaning the feathers with a pan of boiling water. Being as paranoid as I am, I ended up submerging the feathers in the boiling water too (a big NoNo according to my online sources,) but whatever.

Also on my Sabbath, I crafted these hair thingies:

Sorry for the sideways photo- I am too lazy. At least I wrote a new post, huh?

what to do...

My heart is breaking and I've been on the verge of tears all day today.
Sorry to be a downer, but I have to let you all know.
...at least this isn't over a boy.

It's a broken heart over freshmen, and over my small group.
Last week Jono and I reached out to McConnell with free cupcakes, cookies, frisbees and info about InterVarsity and our Bible study. We met some cool kids, and one girl was seriously excited to hear about our small group!
Last week was also the first large group for IV this year, and eight upperclassmen signed up for the Bible study I'm getting to co-lead this semester. I personally know seven, and they are each incredible; three are girls from my small group last year.
Tonight was the second large group, and one upperclassman signed up.

...no freshmen have actually signed up for our small group.

God rekindled my love for freshmen last semester.
And in the last week I realized how mixed class small groups can provide an incredible and unique communtiy for each member.

I'm still excited for my small group, I just feel with all my heart that God is going to do wonderful things in and through it this year that will change lives.
And I can't believe the amazing group of upperclassmen God is filling the small group up with.

BUT
I'm longing for freshmen to come into the group who may come to know and fall in love with Jesus this year.
...who may grow as missional/active Christians.
...who may become leaders in the global church.
...who may find a community to be a part of for the rest of their college careers.

The more I reflect on it, I somehow get the feeling this is intercessing...?hmmm.
or maybe this is a time of "sticking in the mud" for me?

God loves Las Vegas

During my first trip to Las Vegas, Nevada I learned a few things:
- how to walk with my chin up (literally, since glancing at the ground meant views of naked women on fliers)
- Michael Buble is a fantastic performer
- Naturally Seven is a cool band
- (most importantly) People are people loved by God no matter what the world labels them.
a list actually formed in my head in the style of 'Horton Hears a Who'
A person's a person...
no matter how poor,
no matter how wealthy,
no matter how dumb,
no matter how smart,
no matter how crazy,
no matter how sane,
no matter how rude,
no matter how polite.
And no matter how broken; ALL people are broken.

Summertime Bloggie

[I've been meaning to jot this list down here for the last month and a half]

here's a few quick comparrisons between my split summer in China & America

1. China: involuntarily waking up w/ Christy at 4:30am the first few days of orientation

America: getting a total of 12 hours of sleep the 1st 4days of returning; a 2week recovery for jet lag

2. China: evening walks, lunches, and a park trip with my Chinese bff, Vivian

America: weekly emails between Vivian and I. Ooo, and doing random things with my bff in Phoenix

3. China: watching 'Valentine's Day' with my first Chinese roomie, cozied up in 1 bed to see the laptop screen

America: watching 'Eclipse' a month after its release, 3 of us snuggled in the back of a pathfinder to see the drive-in movie screen

4. China: filled with joy while crafting to complete gifts for my Chinese friends

America: happy to spend hours crafting to make birthday gifts& a scrapbook of Chiner

5. China: Sabaths with the American students

America: visits with NAU friends

6. China: avoiding nasty internet cafes filled with cigarette smoke, gamers, and slow computers that hated my gmail account

America: avoiding using my family's slow desktop compy to spend less time in my parents' messy room

7. China: trying to ride a child's 2 wheel swivel board and completely failing at it

America: longboarding to my Phoenician bff's and loving it

8. China: being nervous about giving a presentaion in front of culture class

America: being nervous about giving a Sunday talk/sermon for the youth group

9. China: frying under the sun at the Yellow River

America: trying to tan in the backyard

10. China: splashing around in the Yellow river

America: swimming in our backyard pool

11. China: resisting the urge to eat ice cream every day

America: resisting the urge to eat an avacado or gaucamole every day

12. China: organizing my suitcase

America: organizing my parents' kitchen cabinets and closets

13. China: juggling spending time with two sets of classmates, past &present roomates, and the bff

America: juggling spending time with my family, 3 sets of high school friends, college friends, and the bff

14. China: re-reading Esther and Luke

America: for some reason or another, struggling to re-read Mark a chapter a day

...there are of course a billion others but if you haven't stopped reading this list of mine already I'm sure you're ready to!

Nee How

...because that's how to pronounce 'hello' in Chinese.

I have returned from Chiner; as most of you know my 6 week trip ended last week.

"How was you trip? What was China for you in one word?" <---that's what I've been asked a lotta times these past several days. I don't find the question annoying like staff said we all probably would in debrief. It's just a little difficult to answer succinctly, especially the 'one word' question. In fact, maybe I do find that question a little frustrating.

And, in case you were wondering, the trip was incredible and hopefully life changing. Yes, I added "hopefully" because it could easily not be. I learned and experienced things that I could use to change the way I think and live, but it would be pretty simple to not apply those things to the rest of my life. Now I understand that I have to CHOOSE to make my China trip a life changing one.

To be 'respectful', I will be sensitive with what I type and post for all of internetland to see. So for the really good stuff, ask me personally and you shall recieve. I just had to acknowledge at least a little of how great God made my trip in this bloggy of mine :)

...ps_ Totally unrelated, but guess what.
Guess.



My laptop died.
Did you guess right?
It won't turn on any more, and instead just flashes it's lights a little and makes the start up noise before shutting itself off. Also, my family just got wi-fi for the house. :/ not so cool.
For now though, I have the luxury of sharing my little bro's spiffy new laptop :)

You're gonna be Pop-U-lar

Since I've started my blog I sometimes wonder what makes a blog famous.

need an example?

Julie & Julia, duh. I won't explain the concept of the movie/ book. Another example can be found in the semi-recent episode of House guest starring the girl who played 'Donna' on That 70's Show, when she blogs while almost dying and people around the world she doesn't even know read about her life. Open another browser if you wanna do some research.

Anyways, I've composed a list of what I imagine it takes to become a person with a world-renown blog. Here you go:

1. Having a theme/ explicit purpose for the blog; preferably one that the readers can read to apply in their lives. I.e., crafty how-to's, photography displays, humorous observations about life (kids these days can't get enough of those sites like MLIA or whatever it is,) and political discussion blogs people will want to read to form an opinion and sound smart about some issue.

_I just learned about that last kind on Thursday, when my professor read a Phoenician blogger's post on the new legislation passed in our little old state of Arizona. In this instance of a politics-oriented blog one must be extremely careful to not end up sounding like some crazy person blabbering on in a way that no one wants to read. That wouldn't make you popular, but immensely unpopular.

2. Already being famous. People love reading whatever Lady Gaga or Dennis Quaid feel about other celebrities and paparazzi.

_Disclaimer: I have absolutely no idea if those two peeps have blogs, I just wrote the names of whoever popped into my head first.

3. Having a wonderfully unique layout and/or graphics. You know, making one's own instead of using the templates given by the blog site. (I am much too technologically challenged to figure out how to do this.)

4. Having crazy cool writing skillz.

If you are reading this blog now, you are well aware my bloggy meets absolutely none of these requirements. So my blog will remain uncool and not famous. But, it's because of this I urge you to read my blog anyway; isn't it usually when people do the uncoolest things that they become the coolest people? I think that's the widely accepted hipster theory.

so, reading my blog= being a hipster

...have a certain disdain for hipsters? that means you're holding onto self hatred, on account of the above scientific findings

basically, you're generally delightful

My Aunt Inspires Me

{This is my beautiful Auntie and my cousin Jakey- don't let the facial hair fool you, i am older than him. I love them }

her hardwork helps provide for her family and spills into every aspect of her life.
...she is a midwestern mom working a factory job. her and my uncle get up at 4:30am each weekday to drive to their jobs and manage to live life after working all day rather than collapsing in exhaustion like i think i would in that circumstance.




my aunt is incredibly kind and loving to everyone.
...she uses her resources well, often gently encouraging others to act in service for one another.
example: her neighbors, a retired pastor & his wife had their 50th anniversay this summer. auntie found out they wouldn't be celebrating and asked if she could organize a party for them. she made it a potluck and invited everyone to a backyard bbq at her home in honor of the elderly couple. i cried after my mommy told me the story; for some reason this story oozes with love and compassion when i think of it.
...to me, she exemplifies the overlooked phenomenon of midwestern hospitality. she can be a bit rural rough, not afraid to invade someone's "personal space" in order to connect with them, be friendly, and show genuine love.



i'm not sure if my auntie truly loves Jesus and trusts in the righteous God; at times this makes me sob. whenever we talk about Christianity, she seems to go very broad with responses. i don't see how someone so loving, compassionate, kind, and understanding doesn't believe in the Jesus that gave us examples of this behavior.
...she has been hurt by the Church. my uncle and her have told me they would become members of a church if all the ones they've gone to didn't require/ enforce a specific tithe, with the idea that the decision should be made by the individual. still, she is supportive and proud of my walk with Jesus.





ps_ i will be on a plane to China in 48 days!

it's the little things...

here are some "little things" that have been big to me in the last coupla weeks:

-dance party with my mom to lady gaga's 'bad romance' during our california roadtrip

-my little brother taking me to his favorite place in phoenix to look at the stars and sparkling north valley from a neighborhood mountain top

-driving through phoenix with the sun roof open with my bro

-warm, loving smiles and grilled sandwhiches in a friend's backyard

-my fake grandma telling me stories of her childhood

-a conversation about marriage and love with two friends i care deeply for

-singing 'i'll fly away' at this week's large group

-being told my teeth are distractingly white

-going to a fake senior portrait shoot around flag

-a 20minute jillian michaels shred workout this morning (thought i would die at the time, but now soo glad i did it!)

-a boy reading the Bible and wanting to put God as the focus of his life; witnessing this is in my small group

-wearing my roomate's cool leather jacket

-studying the roles of mary& martha in the Bible during the sermon at my phoenix home church

...the list could go on and on, but i'll stop there :}

TODAY IS MARCH 23RD!!!

"uh-oh."
that's probably what all of you are thinking, because -after logging this date in your calendars a month ago- you know that March 23rd was set to be the 'deadline' of Adriane and I each dating the boys we hahah...fancy. And, (with me as a giant blabber-mouth who writes a blog) you figure I woulda posted if this came to fruition. You know me too well; indeed, neither of us are now coupled with the certain someones we had in mind. Disappointing? A little.

BUT! Yes, a big but, because there was a stipulation in our arrangement with funny little Morgan: for every weekend we were each gone as well as most of spring break, we got a coupla extra days added since Adriane and I would not be seeing these particular gentlemen. (This clause doesn't actually make sense since it's not like we see them everyday we're in Flag but I think Morgan just wanted the extra padding for the deadline.)I think March 30th is the date we are bumping the deadline to. So, no flowers yet but these two fellas only have about one more week...updates to come next week then :]

rewarded with 5 minutes of uninterrupted blogging.

i just finished my journal entry for Spanish class; it's not a course about the language but about the country's history. anyways, the weekly journal entries are hard for me to write so i've decided to reward myself by writing a new bloggie before 'worshing' the piles of dirty dishes in the sink...

while reading on, listen to the Eric Burton and the Animals' song San Fransiscan Nights for the full effect

it's 3ish days before spring break. obviously, i'm supah excited :) i'll be in no. cal. sunday through thursday with my mama and fake grandmother.

...just my mom and I; I haven't seen my fake g-ma in like 5 years so none of our pics together are digital :(
we'll be in San Jose at fake Grandma Enis's house enjoying her city and garden for a coupla days and in San Fransisco for a coupla days.

in San Fransisco I plan on:

-walking along fisherman's wharf, Pier 39

-visiting the wax museum (looked for pictures of when I went in high school and posed next to almost every wax figure, but realized they were taken on a disposeable and now sit in a family album in Phoenix)

-stopping in at Ghirardhelli Chocolate Factory

-touring WWII ships like the USS Jeremiah O'Brian

-maybe getting to visit Alcatraz, oo-lala

-admiring the ocean

-visiting my dad's early childhood home north of the city

-walking through China town, looking at things like ducks hanging in windows and pharmacies in which shark fins sit in proudly displayed jars (again, too bad I don't have access to the pics of my trip in high school!)

my packing list for this California trip contains things like:
-nautical themed clothing& accessories
-good walking shoes

-camera with lotsa batt'ries

-ipod to repeatedly listen to the aforementioned Animals song and my other classic Cali music like Jack's Mannequin and the Beach Boys

button, button, who's got the button?!

ever heard the worship song that goes,
"You give and take away, You give and take away.
my heart will chose to say, Lord blessed is Your name" ?
...well i've been singing it for years and years but have a new appreciation of the words.

lately, God's been been teaching me to be grateful things I already had.
examples:




*having a button on my winter coat. i have other coats, but this one i got last year is my absolute favorite.

while playing in the snow, the button fell off and it took me over a month of forgetting to sew it back on. now i appreciate being able to close my coat to better keep me warm :)




*my wallet. yep, remember when i mentioned i had lost my wallet? four days later i found it on the dashboard of my car! already having cancelled my bank cards, it was nice not to have to go get a new driver's license and to still have an old navy gift card. these were posessions i already had and yet was newly thankful for. i realized that they're still a luxury to be thankful for; i don't really need them but life is easier with bank cards, AAA, a driver's license and a coupla bucks in cash.



*my bike. i know, you're thinking "really jennifer, you're gonna talk about your bike againnn?" yes, yes i am. it's just supah exciting to have the mode of fun transportation back!
it's something i took for granted; it was free and i was like 'well everyone on campus has a bike, it's nothing to be very thankful for now that i've had it for a few months.' totally wrong.



*other things like hot water from the kitchen sink and NOT having my car blow smoke at me through the ac vents.

it really doesn't matter how these things ended up outta my life for a while. God restored them to me in a way that makes me discover how blessed i am with even the little things and that i really don't have to depend on having posessions, there not mine anyway.

*****i feel this could be preparing my heart a little for when i return home from 6weeks in China this July, shocked with gratitude for what God has already provided me with and seeing all that i can live without!

a happy note :)

* this evening, my bike was returned to me! i just happened to see it leaning against the wall i left it at before it was---uh, borrowed without asking. i wonder about the person who took it and returned it; was that their intention the whole time? where did they go once they had my bike? were they too racked by guilt to keep it? what has murray (my bicycle,) been up to these last few days?
not that i really care too much, i'm just happy to be a girl with a bike again!

* in one month from yesterday i'll probably being recieving flowers from my dear friend morgan. morgan is convinced that my roommate and i will be dating two specific boys we know and ,uhhumm, like. i would not mind dating this certain someone sometime soon, but won't be shocked to find that come march 23rd i'll be handed a lovely bouquet by morgan because he hasn't asked me out.
though, if morgan was right i'll owe her some flowers, and that's money i wouldn't mind spending!

now for less girly (?) blogging, here's what i'm obsessed with right now:
_songs:
- You and I, Ingrid Michaelson
- Folding Chair, Regina Spector
{i've been listening to those 1st two back to back over &over &over again!}
- Walking the Dog, Fun
- Tune Out and On Your Porch, both by The Format
- Haven't Met You Yet, Michael Buble
_blogging maybe
_serving others by cooking and baking for them
_$5 mustard yellow cardigan from target, which my roomie adriane also owns and loves
_the R.L Stien book my friend christie told me to read
_Helen Keller's autobiography
_telling everyone my bicycle is back & riding it around