Well, if nothing else I have my convictions, right?

I won't watch The Notebook till I'm married because it would just make miserable now.

I won't watch (500) Days of Summer because I would like it too much and make excuses for the bad things.

I won't buy my favorite love songs because they would take my mind too far into the future.

Sometimes, these things make me sad. I feel alone. But its ok.

It's more important to stay consecrated.

I just needed to remind my heart again...

Yes I did stay in my pjs all. day. long.

So, I finished Jane Eyre today. It is such a sad yet beautiful story!

At one point, faced with a heart-wrenching decision to break her principles for the man she loves, she responds:

“I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. I will keep the law given by God; sanctioned by man. I will hold to the principles received by me when I was sane and not mad-as I am now. Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth? They have a worth-so I have always believed; and if I cannot believe it now, it is because I am insane-quite insane: with my veins running fire, and my heart beating faster than I can count its throbs. Preconceived opinions, foregone determinations, are all I have at this hour to stand by: there I plant my foot.”

Ah so beautiful! I read this particular part last night at 1 AM and just broke down sobbing. I want to be like that! To choose against my emotions and pursue righteousness. It just moved me so deeply.

The book is wonderful. I was told everything from, "That is the saddest book--especially the ending" to "That ending is the most redemptive ending ever." I understand both positions now. The book is tragic, yet lovely.

Now I get to really look forward to the new adaptation coming out in March. It's going to be by Focus Features (Pride and Prejudice 2005) and the BBC :) Plus, Jane Eyre is going to be played by Mia Wasikowska. Most notably, she played Alice in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, but I first saw her in Defiance where she played opposite of Jamie Bell--who happens to be playing one of the characters in the new Jane Eyre. Needless to say, it should be pretty good. There is so much inner struggle and rich language in the writing that I don't think the novel really lends itself to film, but I will enjoy seeing what the imagery might have been like.

Oh! And reading this book solidifies the fact that I'm going to name one of my daughters "Jane" - first or middle name, I don't care. But between Jane Austen and Jane Eyre one of them has to be a "Jane." I was actually looking for similarities between the Austen novels and this one and there are some profound similarities to Mansfield Park which is almost my favorite of Jane Austen's. I told my mom though (while I was in the middle of the book), "This is so frustrating because I have no idea how it is going to turn out. If it were a Jane Austen novel, I would know exactly how it was going to end."

"And how would it end?" She asked.

"Everything would work out and she would marry the man she was in love with!" hahaha :)

And later on was funny too. I was watching Beauty and the Beast with my mom and sister when it suddenly struck me, "This is a typical Gothic Romance! Yikes! That's two in one day. Oh dear, that'll do my heart a lot of good..." Really, though, it isn't good for me. So tomorrow we're either reading non-fiction or a little bit of Fellowship of the Ring (for the book club).

Anyway... I hope you are having a splendid evening and stealing some extra time with family during the holidays :)

Sweet dreams!

Happy Birthday to Jane Austen! I will post more in memorium of her later, but just had to give a shout out before I went to bed. But, I did want to share a funny story. My Aunt was with us for Thanksgiving and she is a fellow English Major and Janite. I was telling her how I've realized I'm going to need to incorporate "Jane" into one of my girls' names--either first or middle. Then my Aunt goes, "Well, you could have a girl named Jane and a boy named Austen?" Hahahaha... tempting ;)

Well, Jane Dear, Happy 235th =)

Happy birthday also to my dear friend Elsa. You are such an inspiration.

And to my new little friend, one of the cutest little girls in the world, Miss Eden McCuen.

Happy Birthdays to all!

"If you leave I'll still be close to you
When all your fears rain down
I'll take you back a thousand times again
I'll take you as my own
I would sing you songs of innocence
'Til the light of morning comes
'Til the rays of gold and honey
Cover you
In the sweetness of the dawn
But you're always on the run

Slow your breath down
Just take it slow
Find your heart now, oh
You can trust in love again
Slow your breath down, just take it slow
Find your smile now, oh
You can trust in love again

You're not alone
You're now a part of me
You feel the cure
I'll find the toil it brought you..."

-"Slow Your Breath Down" by Future of Forestry

I have owned this song for almost a year.

I've played it several times.

But last friday at the Future of Forestry Advent Concert

(one of the highlights of the year, I'm making it an annual tradition),

last friday was the first time I really heard this song.

Such powerful lyrics, and seeing it live brought me to tears.

Read those words again and let them minister to you.

Enjoy:

Check out those incredible eyes!!!

This is a bronze statue from ca. 350 BC entitled

the "Antikythera Youth" (which is just the place he was found :)

Actually, the truly amazing story behind this statue is that

it was found in a shipwreck.

So between 350 BC and sometime in the last few hundred years

the Mediterranean had been preserving this statue.

And yet, those incredible, in-laid eyes remain.

Maybe I'm a bit strange, but I think that is remarkable!

Well, Greek Art has been really fun this quarter.

I'm studying lots and lots and lots of slides for my final.

Oh! And I should probably tell you my exciting news.

It is official.

Winter Quarter, I will be taking a graduate seminar.

That means I'll be in class with people working

on their Master's degrees. Yikes!

I am soooooooo excited for this opportunity,

but, oh my word!, it's going to be intense.

So, if you think about it, pray for me.

Well, I need to get back to my studies.

Have a blessed day everyone,

and try to stay dry :)

ok... funniest question of the day:

Steve, one of the older, really nice salesman at work today asked me, "Is your scarf hiding a hickey?"

Hahahaha! Very funny, Steve =)

*Sigh... this has been a very long and very stretching week.

But I can breathe easy for a few hours :)

So, thoughts on this week:

- I may be dropping my communication major and focusing all on English. There's an opportunity that I could take a graduate seminar next quarter. This would be an enormous privilege but would also be very challenging. I can only take it though if I am not pursuing com. I need to know by monday :-/ I'm leaning towards dropping com. It would open up a lot of opportunities. If I dropped com I would be able to apply for Honors English, take more Lit classes (including a grad seminar), take a few more electives, and I could even apply teach a Freshman Interest Group (FIG). It would be pretty incredible. I just need to hear a definitive from the Lord and from my parents.

- I took my first step this week in turning Inception into a topic scholarly study. We had to write a media critique for my com class. In nearly all my classes I've been seeing "Inception links." (If you flip through my copy of Heart of Darkness you will find multiple notes referencing Inception--there are SO many connections between that book and that movie). After bringing the film up a couple of times in my literature class (it DID apply), my professor made a brilliant point: "Inception is your generation's Matrix." It's very, very true. In my dreams of being a professor, I would make my students watch the film and use it as a critical theory. (PS - so excited for it to come out on tuesday, but i have to wait to watch it till my finals are over):

- Because I had to read such a horrible book last weekend for my lit class, I decided to buy some new worship music to play in the background. This was fun, but challenging because 3 of my favorites all came out with albums this month ("Joy" by forerunner music, "Live at the Banks House" by Will Reagan and the United Pursuit Band, and "Come Away" by Jesus Culture--which the title track of is a beautiful cover of two UPB songs :). Well, I bought a couple of songs from each album. But I had to inform you that my favorite, and the one I've had on repeat most of this week, is "One Thing Remains" by Chris Quilala of off "Come Away." Such a good one. [I just have to insert something here that some of you may be helpful... so, more and more songs on iTunes seem to be "album only." Well, I found a way around them. Amazon MP3 sells them as individual songs... sometimes they're 1.99 instead of .99, but if you're like me and not likely to buy the entire album, it's a steal... just an fyi :]

- Ok... random quote I've had in my head today:

"One minute your saving the whole galaxy! And the next minute you find yourself suckin' down darjeeling ... with Marie Antoinette and her little sister."

hahahahaha... :)

Well, the next 12 days are going to be intense. I have a take home final next weekend, an in class that monday, and another one that wednesday. But I also have - sunday the 5th: CCK Christmas Party. monday the 6th: Piano Recital. friday the 10th: Future of Forestry Christmas Worship Concert (I've been waiting all year to go back to this!!!). saturday the 11th: Charlli's concert choir. tuesday the 14th: Beks gets home!!!!!! =)

All that to say, I'm going to be really busy. No movies or TV for me. I'm already off of FB and Tumblr :(

But it'll be ok. On the 15th, I'll be a free woman :)

Cheers!

Is there even a word for someone who is the positive to the negative terms "racist" or "sexist"? I mean, seriously. Yes, there are words like "tolerant" and "aware," but they lack power and specificity. People are so quick to dash about and accuse everyone of being racist or sexist. "There's not enough representation of x, y, and z on television." "This add so belittles women." And on and on...

But have any of these people--so quick to judge everyone else's ethics--in all their pondering and creating new ways to condemn people, have they ever settled on a term of what they're trying to achieve?

And if "feminism" and "multiculturalism" are what they're trying to achieve, then they've got it all wrong. Hating men on the one side and losing national identity on the other won't give them what they want. But they are so quick to focus on the negative, to look for evil that I don't think they even know what they're aiming at.

I'm sorry... that was a bit of a rant. I'm writing a paper write now when the thought struck me, "How do I define something that has overcome racism and sexism? I CAN'T!" hahaha... getting back to my paper now :)

"All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not whither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be King."

- J. R. R. Tolkein

This has been on my heart lately. A line or two has been whispered to me while I'm walking from class to class or to a bus stop.

"Not all those who wander are lost..."

There is hope. There is hope even when there seems to be no hope.

Post-modernism says there is no hope. Toni Morrison (an author I've had to read) says there's no hope.

But there is hope...

"From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring..."

Maybe it's just because it's late fall--and Tolkein was just meant for fall. I don't know.

But I do know that there is hope. I do know that the post-modernists got some of the questions right, but most of the answers wrong. I know that academia has de-throned Christ in every way. But I also know that "the crownless again shall be King."

The night may be dark, the light may be bleak. Post-modernists may be king of the hill, but God wins the day. They may say what they like and try and pervert all that is holy and good. They may drink deep draughts of bitterness and anger. They may even force me to listen to their complaints and their perversions for 205 pages... but there is still hope.

I think I'm saying this "aloud" to remind myself more than to inform anyone else. I also think this turned into something much more deep and melancholy than I intended, especially since I only intended to post those two stanzas and leave them be.

Alright, I'm going back to finish my response paper.

Wish me luck...

I hope you have a splendid evening. I plan to yet =)

I really like! Ah! love love love this dress :)

I cannot stand post-modernism!!!!!! I can't! I just... agh! I'm reading the most horrid book right now for one of my classes and in this book there is NO hope! And there is no real truth. It is all darkness and depravity.

I had to go buy a few new worship songs before I started the book because I knew how bad it would be. I think those songs are helping... but 35 pages in and I'm totally grossed out. I have to finish the book by monday and write a response paper :-\

Jesus... help!

Ok... I'm going back to work, I just had to vent for a moment.

So... I just saw Fantastic Mr. Fox for the first time. Great movie... One of those beautifully random and creatively odd movies that have way deeper meanings than all of the hollywood formula ones put together. Plus it was funny :)

Well, I just wanted to share this one part. It's a toast that George Clooney makes that I reeeally liked:

"When I look down this table, with the exquisite feast set before us, I see: two terrific lawyers, a skilled pediatrician, a wonderful chef, a savvy real estate agent, an excellent tailor, a crack accountant, a gifted musician, pretty good minnow fisherman, and possibly the best landscape painter working on the scene today. Maybe a few of you might even read my column from time to time, Who knows? I tend to doubt it. I also see a room full of wild animals. Wild animals, with true natures and pure talents. Wild animals with scientific-sounding Latin names that mean something about our DNA. Wild animals each with his own strengths and weaknesses due to his or her species. Anyway, I think it may very well be all the beautiful differences among us that might just give us the tiniest glimmer of a chance of saving my nephew, and letting me make it up to you for getting us into this, this crazy... whatever it is. I don't know. It's just a thought. Thank you for listening. Cheers, everyone."

Beautiful, isn't it? Well, I'm off to have breakfast with my little sister in downtown kirkland, and we'll probably play scrabble :)

I don't normally do these... but this one looked interesting:

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightening at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child [SOMEDAY!!!!]
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (indoor)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain ...someday :)
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s (eternal) life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Rode an elephant

well, there you have it! :)

"All the fairest beauties in the human soul, its greatest victories, and its most splendid achievements are always those that no one else knows anything about or can dimly guess at. Every inner response to love and every conquest over self-love is a new flower on the tree of love."

- Hannah Hurnard

I really want this dress! ah... so pretty :)

So... today was adventurous. I seriously can't remember the last time we got snow-like real snow, not just a flurry-before Thanksgiving.

Let me describe my day to you:

5:30 - alarm goes off. I am wrapped in my usual winter blanket regimen: i'm wearing socks, sweat pants, and a sweatshirt; fleece blanket #1; sheet; electric blanket; comforter; fleece blanket #2. My toes are cold. I hit the snooze.

5:47 - after a few snoozes, I decide I should actually get up.

6:10-ish - I get out of the shower. I took an extra long time in the warm water knowing it would be the warmest I would get today. Now, wrapped in another blanket, it's Jesus time!

7:00 - after some reeeally good time with the Man, I'm up making breakfast, doing my make-up and planning the optimal outfit: two layers of socks (one really warm pair), new rain boots, leggings, jeans, a t-shirt, scarf #1, heavy sweater, scarf #2, pea-coat, and hat.

8:10 - I leave for the bus. My toes are cold.

8:18 - I get on the bus

8:48 - Our bus gets in line for the on-ramp from 405 to 520.

9:12 - Our bus is finally on 520.

9:30 - My Greek art class is supposed to start. I'm still on the bus.

9:38 - I finally reach campus.

9:45 - I finally reach my classroom. They've just announced class has been cancelled. My toes are really cold.

10:00 - Starbucks! By this point, my toes are so frozen that I can't feel them.

11:30 - A very intriguing Communication class

12:30 - lunch and reading in the library. Did I mention my toes are still cold?

1:30 - English class... another lovely class.

3:30 - the wait for the bus begins... it is snowing and cold.

3:35 - I ran into a former co-worker from officemax, David Moneymaker, and we were waiting for the same bus. I may be cold and stranded, but I am no longer alone :)

3:55 - Our bus finally came. The streets are dangerous and everything is slow going.

5:05 - A long bus ride and one new york cross word puzzle later, we are in the kirkland area.

5:35 - My brother picks me up from the bus stop.

5:50 - I am finally home safe and sound :)

7:00 - My toes are finally thawed :)

Whew! Quite an adventurous day... so glad to sleep safely in my warm bed. My dad is literally stranded in his office at work and is sleeping in his office tonight. God bless him.

Tomorrow should be an adventure all in itself :)

Guess what I just did? :)

I just finished filling out the first step to my study abroad application for Oxford next summer. Yippeee!!

I'm going next week to renew my passport.

I have a professor lined up to fill out my academic recommendation.

And... Prince William and Kate Middleton are planning a spring or summer wedding = I could possibly be there... maybe :)

do you ever find yourself in those seasons where you can't really articulate yourself properly, and yet, the Psalms seem to echo what you're feeling?

sigh...

Do you ever find yourself trying to write in, what I would call, an "intentional stream of consciousness" method? Like, you are trying to make a message, a facebook post, an email, or text seem very nonchalant and off the top of your head, but you find yourself editing and carefully considering each capitalization and punctuation? Do I capitalize i or not? Should I use a dash -- or an ellipse ...? Do I end my sentence with proper punctualization or an emoticon? But you're trying to sound young and hip and like you don't care--when you really do?

or is this just an English major problem? haha... i'm not sure. but i think there needs to be a word to describe this mental process because i think it's hilarious :)

Ok... I really like this one. Her name is "Merenda." She's from 540 BC, Archaic Greece. We believe she's either royalty or a goddess. And she's holding a lotus flower. Isn't she lovely?

Alright... there's a "Greek Art" lesson for you!

I finished Pride and Prejudice for the third time today. "A minor sort of accomplishment, I suppose." I've gotten something different out of it every time I've read it--especially this time since it was for my critical theory class. I love her. I love Jane Austen. She was so ahead of her time. And what a pioneer. I mean, she wrote novels when novels where unpopular--and she was a woman! (also unpopular, haha). And yet, she was one of the first to make novels popular. wow!

Oh, and today, I happened upon where the Austen scholarship is kept in Odegaard. As I looked at all those incredible titles (e.g. Letters of Austen, Austen and the French Revolution, etc. etc.), I was like, "Wow, I can just picture myself in grad school, sitting in front of this shelf at all hours of the night researching her and loving every minute of it." Hahaha...

And, her section is on the same shelf as Keats! Parfait =)

This morning my Mom and I were talking about grad school. It's kind of daunting and yet its getting closer. Did you know that UW accepts only 20 students into the Master's program each year--out of an average of 600 applicants? Yah... that's a little daunting. I joked with my mom, "But maybe I'll get married and never go to grad school."

She just looked at me and I said, "Alright, yeah, I'll probably go to grad school no matter what. I know myself too well. But I don't know how I'll be able to afford it."

She replied swiftly: "Marry filthy rich" =) haha

I don't know what may come. I don't know what I'm doing this summer even. I'm still praying about the Oxford program. I'm also considering going as a tourist. But, I will have a 1 month old niece or nephew then--which would make it hard to leave. Well, it's in the Lord's hands. He's leading this adventure... I'm just here for the ride. What fun!

This quarter I am taking a Marxian Culture Theory class... not my fave. It's the last required course for my English major. After this, I get more choice (praise Him!).

So... obviously, I disagree with Marx on a lot of things. But one quote of his stuck out to me and has been haunting me ever since. He said, "Philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it."

Isn't that amazing? Now, unfortunately, Marx did change the world. But the quote remains true.

As I said, I've been thinking about this quote a lot since I first read it. Well, at home group last week, Tong gave me a key to unlocking the truth of this quote. He said, "When man stopped being a worshipper he became a philosopher." WOW!

And then I started thinking about these quotes in relation to each other. This is what I've come up with so far: I think worship did change the world--it still does!

I'm continuing to delve into these sorts of ideas. I'll keep you posted on what I find.

loves :)

Ellie was recently talking about how she had been putting off reading a novel because she's been reading so many biographies. She suddenly exclaimed, "I know what it is! It's because I like 'I' books and that novel isn't an 'I' book!"

I looked at her funny and said, "You mean it's not in first person?"

She said, "But, Samara, they're 'I' books. I've always called them that. My family has always called them that. They've always been 'I' books."

Charlli was just picking up on the conversation and, with a face of incredulity, said, "Ellie, i-Books are what you read on an i-Pad."

We all laughed, and then Ellie said, "But I called them 'I' books first!"

Hahaha... I love my roomies. Too much fun :)

Ok... this is going to be an "academic" post. I'm back in school so the nerd is coming out a bit more often. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Alright, take a look at the photo down below. This statue was found on the Acropolis and dates back to Archaic Greece (I guess I should have prefaced by saying that I'm taking Greek Art and Archaeology this quarter). But, back to the statue... This type of statue was an extremely common motif--starting in Archaic Greece and going on into the Roman Empire. These types of statues were found all over the ancient world and always near temples. They depict a young man carrying a lamb across his shoulders, which indicated the sacrifice he was going to make to the gods.

So, this being such a common motif, it is understandable that it was adopted by the Early Church and used in their Christian art. And this is how the form is remembered: Christ carrying a lamb on His shoulders. But notice how Jesus turned the whole motif on its head: instead of the young man carrying his sacrifice, Christ is the sacrifice carrying the ones that He saved.

Isn't that incredible? I'm going nuts over this! Haha... for all of the junk and the perversion and the lies that I have read and learned of in my Classics classes, revelations like this make it so beyond worth it!

just thought I'd share :)

Summer News:

Well, school starts back up in a week and a half--and i can hardly wait! I wish it was this Wednesday rather than next!

I'm entering my last week at the clinic. Strange. I feel like I'm shutting a huge door to an old season of my life-not a bad one at all! But I can sense like He's opening and closing doors all over the place. So many new things!

And He's pushing me into new relationships-which is so necessary and SOOO much fun!

I just have to confess, I've been pretty bad! I've only finished two books this summer =( yikes!

You'd never guess which ones either. Haha... prepare to laugh:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carrol

and... Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

So... kind of three. But still, "I am ashamed."

But... right now, I'm a little over half way through The Overton Window by Glenn Beck. I had forgotten what it was like to be "in" a book. I think this must be what being in a relationship is like. When I am "in" a book, I can't think of much else. I would rather read than eat or sleep (two of my absolute favorite activities). I have to talk to other people about the book. I plan my whole day on "how can i find 20 minutes to read a bit more?" Basically, I fall in love with the book.

And I forgot what that feels like... until this book. I love it!

Alright... I'm going to stop talking now. haha... goodnight lovelies!

What have you read this summer?

i have never been one to be really interested in economics... i mean, i knew that its an important issue--it just seemed too complex and not really my thing.

But... I'm getting really excited about learning about economics! "Yah-weird!"

Right now I'm loving reading the Overton Window by Glenn Beck and I'm reeeeallly excited to see Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. This is all bizarre for me.

*I just need to insert a little explanation. Wall Street has a huge emotional pull for me. Ok, not only did Michael Doulgas recently get diagnosed with throat cancer; but Shia LaBeouf and Carry Mulligan are a real life couple. How cute is that?

Anyways... so on top of these two things, we have a conference coming up at church that I am getting so excited for. It's all about the economy and what God is doing. I just think it's really cool that God is opening other things to be excited for and interested in. Yay God!

I am not ready to wave goodbye to summer, but...

I must confess I'm getting very excited for fall! Now that family camp is over...it's all i can think about.

I can't wait to be back at school. This year is going to be

very different and very fun!

I'm so excited to see old friends (julia ;) and make new ones.

I'm excited for more of the Lord.

I'm excited to pursue dreams.

I'm just really excited =)

And I'm excited for fall fashion!

The fashion year kicks off with the September issue of Vogue

and I think I'm actually going to buy it this year.

I'm also really excited to do my back to school shopping.

My friend, Chloe, and I are going to trek down to South-Center

So many fun stores there :)

I love finding fashion inspiration.

Here are just a few:

This one's my fave!

Ah! So excited for this fall! So many new things:

New school year/classes

New job schedule

New focus

New roomie

New car

New Vision

I am so looking forward to it!

Happy fall!

Maybe it's just me... but does anyone else tear up at baby dedications?

I mean, this little guy or gal has their whole life ahead of them. They could be anything!

And its always a reminder that names have meanings--your name has meaning.

Then I think, someday, I'll have a baby!

And that is so exciting but so heavy...

Well, maybe it is just me.

I should have forewarned you that this blog would be pretty random... sorry. Be forewarned.

Ok. I'm getting excited for fall. I'm getting really excited to be back at the U and in class. haha

Ever since I first started college, for some reason, I just wanted to be a junior. I felt like everything would be more fun when I was a junior. And I'd be so much closer to finishing (which it really isn't... I've thought about starting a groupie called: "Grad school's where it's at." haha).

Maybe my junior year won't be all that I thought it would be... but I'm here nonetheless.

And it's going to be different but so good! Just this week, it became for sure that I won't be working at the clinic once school starts. I've been there 15 months, worked with INCREDIBLE people (like it's unfair), and so grown up. But the Lord has made it clear that it's time to move on. And while I have peace about that, it doesn't mean it won't be painful to leave--especially leaving the people (Laura, Chloe, Dr. Mark, Auntie Sue, Emily, Steph, April, Tong, etc...) But I know this is the right timing.

So... instead of working as much, my focus is really school (probably another reason I'm so excited about it). This fall I'll be going to class M/W from 8:30-3:30 and Fri. from 8:30 to 11:30. Then I'll be working T/TH 7-2 and Sat. 7-4 at Honda of Kirkland. That means I'm going to have so much more time to study, be at school, hang with my family, invest in my friendships, go on walks with Charlli, take naps, journal, and just be.

It's going to be different than the last few years... but I am soooo excited!

Now, I just have to address this sadness in my heart...

In just 3 days, I'll be saying goodbye to one of my bestest friends in the whole world. She's going away to school and I won't see her again till Christmas (we already have a date to see Voyage of the Dawn Treader together :). But it's been hard lately... really hard. Yesterday, I was telling her all the things that made me sad about her going away: no dinner dates at Cafe Veloce, no spontaneous Starbuck talks, no movie nights, and no hugs :(

I hate how it's hard to describe that, it's not that my other friends aren't "friends enough," it's just that no one can fill the same spot in your heart as someone else. I'm going to miss my dear friend sorely.

Beks - I love you! And even though we're going to be thousands of miles apart and three time zones away, I love you. Thank God for texting, facebook, blogspot, and gmail chat :) Please write often. I'm definitely still going to need your love, encouragement, and the random quotes from While You Were Sleeping. :)

*Sigh... I'm not looking forward to wednesday.

Ok... one other thing (I told you this post would be random)... Lately, the Lord has been so trying to get me out of my comfort zone in some different areas. I've put that off and resisted for about 2 months. But I decided this past week that I'm jumping in. Living comfortably is no fun. And I just had to say that I am making progress and to take this moment to be excited that I am "choosing to do the hard things." Way to go, Little Spirit Woman... go go go! haha

Oh! And just had to say that I recently got Brooke Fraser's album Albertine= in LOVE!! She is amaaaaazing. My favorite song right now is "The Thief" and it is with those lyrics I will leave you. Have a blessed Sunday afternoon.

The Thief

Your eyes are full

Full of the future of us

The air changes as you look across

At me in that wondering way

It is as if

I knew you before we spoke

Do our hearts know something we don't?

Conspiring, converging without giving us any say

You, sing me to sleep

Talk down my walls

Look through my windows as I wait

You could be the thief

I give the key to

You're ruining me

With secrets and gestures and looks

With sonnets from second hand books

Playing the chords in me nobody knew how to play

You, sing me to sleep

Talk down my walls

Look through my windows as I wait

You could be the thief

I give the key to

It fits in your hand like water in rain

It unlocks our two different selves

And shows we are the same

Rather than wait 'til I put me out for the taking

You're breaking

You're breaking

You're breaking into my heart

And I'm letting you...

Your eyes are full

Full of the future of us...

Inception: reviews and redemption

Thoughts on Inception:

***SPOILER ALERT***

Seriously, if you have not seen the movie, don't read this.

If you have seen the movie, I'm dying to hear your thoughts!

Ok. 1st off:

I believe that the top stops spinning.

Why? Because I believe in happy endings. I believe in redemption.

And this is why the movie was so brilliant: the audience had to perform inception on the movie themselves. The people you talk to who have seen the movie will have a different view of what happened in the movie based on their own idea that they bring to the film. The way Christopher Nolan ended it left the door open for personal interpretation--a way for the audience to plant their own idea into the movie (inception).

Now, part of Nolan's brilliance is that he left so many different options open: the top sounds as if it will stop spinning, the kids should probably be older, it was his wife's totem, he could have drowned in the van in the 1st level of dreaming (and be stuck in limbo), wasn't Michael Caine's character supposed to be in Europe, etc. ad infinitum (quite a fun discussion)

So, in case you want to argue that the top spins forever, I have a second redemptive interpretation. There are two parts or options. #1 Before, he couldn't dream of his kids--even if he is still dreaming, he has found a level of freedom.

Part #2 - If he is still dreaming, the most important question of the whole film is, when did that dream begin? Is the whole movie a dream, suggesting that reality doesn't exist? Did he get stuck in limbo? Was his wife right, and perhaps waiting for him in a form of reality? One theory that someone suggested is that the kick worked--it brought him out of the inceptions dreams; but perhaps now he is finally able to dream on his own, without requiring the aid of a sedative. Again, perhaps even in his dreams he has found freedom.

These are my theories... please tell me what yours are!

Now, a few other comments...

I loved, loved, loved this movie. In genre, it was an action/heist movie. But unlike most of it's broad genre (the Bourne trilogy, Ocean's trilogy, etc.), the emotional stakes were so much higher. But in the process, I loved that Nolan kept to the point. Profanity was minimal. The violence was not gory. The romance was not overly sensual. Not to mention that the story, characters, cinematography, and special effects were off the charts!

Ok - favorite quote from the movie:

Ariadne: They're all staring at us.

Arthur: Quick, give me a kiss. (they kiss)

Ariadne: They're still looking at us.

Arthur: Yeah, it was worth a shot.

Other quotes of significance:

"What's the most resilient parasite? An Idea. A single idea from the human mind can build cities. An idea can transform the world and rewrite all the rules."

Insert Miss Marcy Willis: "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he... Ideas create. Our minds are the gateway."

My mom asked me, "So what would you say was the point of the movie?"

I answered, "Be careful what you believe, because what you believe defines you, your reality, and the others around you."

I think I've run out of things to say... I really want to hear what other viewers thought of the movie, so leave a comment =)

In closing, I just want to say that I think Christopher Nolan more than deserves "Best Director" and probably "Best Screenplay" for this film. While watching the film I had this re-occuring thought, "This movie would have been so much fun to make!" He did an absolutely incredible job.

One last thing about Nolan: he is a fellow English major =)