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 =)

I think I must have lost all of my self-control: I am currently reading two books--at the same time.

I didn't think I would ever lose so much self discipline!

I bet you would never guess which two books I am reading :)

Great Expectations and...

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland =)

haha... oh well, and Farenheit 451 is waiting for me on my bookshelf.

So much to read, so little time to do it...

to all who love books as much as I do, I hope you are enjoying your summer reads!

this is just a picture that my sister took (and edited) last summer...

check out her blog :)

yep, this is us =)

Today, Pastor Norm said that CCK was "25 with kids. She is in the age of distractions."

This struck a particular chord with me due to what I had read this morning:

I do want to point out, friends, that time is of the essence. There is no time to waste, so don't complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple—in marriage, grief, joy, whatever. Even in ordinary things—your daily routines of shopping, and so on. Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out.

I want you to live as free of complications as possible...All I want is for you to be able to develop a way of life in which you can spend plenty of time together with the Master without a lot of distractions.

- I Corinthians 7:29-32, 35

That last verse is really familiar because it's the "undistracted devotion" verse. But, it seems so much more straightforward in this context. We can be distracted by so much more than guys or girls. I don't want to be distracted. I want to keep it simple!

Well, on a separate note, tomorrow begins my summer schedule:

Mondays: Work 7-noon at Honda, 1:30-5:30 at the clinic

Tuesdays: Work 7-noon at Honda, 1:30-5:30 at the clinic

Wednesdays: MORNING OFF!!! 1:30-5:30 at the clinic

Thursdays: Work 7-noon at Honda, 1:30-5:30 at the clinic

Friday: On/off, 1:30-5:30 at the clinic

Saturdays: 7-4 at Honda

Sundays: 2-7 at Honda

whew! And at the end of the month, I'm adding an online class to that schedule! crazy!

I just keep whispering to myself: "Oxford, oxford, oxford, oxford, oxford..."

Well, to end on a grateful note (btw, I'm soooo grateful for work!), today at work, someone had changed the XM radio to a Christian station, and it was left there until the last hour of my shift. I've never been so grateful to listen to Steven Curtis Chapman, Newsboys and Jacqui Valasquez... But there were some good ones too :-)

Thank you Jesus for day brighteners!

Pray for me. I'm really hitting a wall.

I have 1 week till I'm done with my sophomore year...

but I just don't want to do my homework anymore.

I need passion. I need fire. His fire.

I need the inspiration to create.

I think it wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't working so much.

Between now and my last final, I am slated to work 30 hours.

That is a lot! Plus all my homework.

Ah! I need inspiration. I need him!

But every time I go to work and I'd rather not be there,

I just whisper to myself, "Oxford, Oxford, Oxford."

Then it would be worth it...

Jesus, help me, help me not to burn out!

I don't ever want to grow weary of what you're calling me to.

I know your grace is sufficient...

Jesus is soooo good!

No questions. No doubts. You can trust Him!

So, Sunday night, I came home from work and planned to start on my homework straight away. I opened my computer--and it was dead! I mean, the hard drive totally crashed! Non bueno! After a momentary freak-out, I reminded myself that God is good and he is in control.

More than being upset about possibly having to get a new computer or about all the things I lost (I did have the most important stuff backed up)--I was worried because I had no idea how I was going to finish this quarter! I mean, there are papers and online assignments and now I had no computer. Fortunately, I had just 1 month left of my Apple Care, so I made an appointment with the genius bar for the following day. I was just hoping they could do whatever repairs quickly because I didn't know how I was going to do all my homework!

So my mom and I went Monday morning and the guy looked at it and confirmed that it was indeed dead, quite dead. "But," he said, "we can replace the hard drive in about 20 minutes, is that ok?" Wow! Yes, that would be perfect. He started taking the computer apart and said, "Ok, looks like you had tiger. Would you want to upgrade to Snow Leopard?" Hmmm... a hard drive that is two generations newer--sure, lets go with that one. :-)

So he went to the back to get the hard drive while my mom and I were totally cracking up! Then he says, "So, we didn't have the 80 gb replacement, which is what your computer had. So we're going to have to give you a 250 gb one." Ha!

So, I pretty much got a brand new computer that is newer, bigger, and faster--for free! It should now last me so much longer than it would have if this had never happened. Basically, the Lord's "creative provision" is beyond human logic and is so much better than anything we could have planned!

Jesus is soooo good!

No questions. No doubts. You can trust Him! :-)