Long time update!

Holy moly, it has been SO long. Life got very out of hand my last semester at ASU. I was busier than expected and committed to spending all my free time with the people I love: my family, Kevin, and Young Life girls. I'd like to consider myself pretty successful on that front.

Anyway, I am now in SEATTLE. Kevin moved back in with his parents in Auburn (45 min south of me without traffic...which never actually occurs). I moved into a wonderful house that was originally built in 1902! It is so fabulous and my new blog background was actually chosen because it reminds me of my house. I will post pictures of that at some point.

We went to Malibu Club in BC Canada for YL camp this year. I absolutely fell in love with a group of girls who will be juniors this year at Arcadia. Here is a picture of the beautiful girls that I miss so much!

My heart was so broken throughout camp knowing that I would have to leave them. I'm going to try my absolute best to stay in contact with them & to love them from 1500 miles away. I so wish I could take them with me up here and play with them everyday. We had SO much fun and talked about such amazing things. I know that God is working in their lives and it was so fun to watch God do His thing.

Kevin & my drive up here was pretty interesting/fun/boring/loooooong. I drove my car behind him driving the Uhaul with his car in tow behind! We have quite a few stories of the 1500 mile adventure, but that is for another day. Here is my favorite two pictures from our trip!

The first is by Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach, OR. Apparently this rock was featured in the movie Goonies (which I have to admit that I haven't even seen it..)

The second is at a strawberry field about 20 minutes east of Portland. Kevin is completely obsessed with strawberries, so stopping to pick them was such a blast. We ended with 5.5 lbs and they were the sweetest, most delicious strawberries I've EVER had in my life!

I am working for an agency called A Nanny for U. So far I do not have a ton of work, which is really discouraging. However, I am trying to relish in this free time that I have wanted so so badly for the past year.

I'm already learning so much from the week I have been up here in Seattle, which is also for another blog. I just had to get one blog started so that I could break the awkward 4 month hiatus. Be back soon!

Even my hair and skin want out..

So maybe this is too much wishful thinking, but I have to think that other places (Seattle, Nashville, or Oregon) aren't this dry. My skin and hair have been SCREAMING at me for some moisture. I promise if you get close enough you can hear them too. I'm definitely biting at the bit to get out of Arizona.

(Small side note: I've been using weird cliches lately like "biting at the bit" or "toot my own horn." If you hear me use one, please just smile and bear with me. I'm too tired to think of my own creative words)

I always tell myself I'm going to make some time to be creative, but sooner than I know it it's Monday again and then all of a sudden Saturday aaaaand it never ends. SO I've decided to set myself a little goal so that I can have some mandatory down time. I am going to create something each week. I've gotten really into baking fun treats or dinners and also love to make scrapbook creations or cards or what have you. Every week I am going to do one of these things, take a picture, and share it on my blog. I feel that if I put this in writing I will be much more likely to follow through. (I have much difficulty following through without deadlines or goals to meet.)

Off to study how much checking action Brad has at 40% lung vital capacity....big test in physiological & anatomical basis of speech tomorrow. The name of the class itself is a doozy...great.

Fun Updates!

I have written 3 graduate school application essays, 1 school assignment and revised a large portion of my 35 page thesis in the past 3 days.

Exciting news though! Graduate school applications are FINISHED! (...apart from putting these ugly, manila envelopes on the express lane to Oregon tomorrow). Since it is now past 1:30 am, I have meticulously checked to make sure all my essays to Oregon say "University of Oregon" and "Early Intervention Special Education program" approximately 5 times per essay. I even opened an envelope I had already sealed because I was certain something was typed in correctly. This is getting pathetically obsessive.

I had a phone interview with a lady from Vanderbilt today! She sounded like my admission was very promising, but I find out for sure within the next week. She asked all about my honors thesis and was "very impressed that an undergraduate knew that much about research." (finally my thesis paid off for something useful!) That phone call was some much needed encouragement on the thesis front. Part of me still hopes the acceptance doesn't come through because I don't want to have to choose where I go next year. I want it to chose me and that's it.

Anyway, I still have a good 45 minutes of thesis revision so that I can submit it before I sleep. Then off to work at 8 am! I think I will sleep the entire weekend. Valentine's day, I'm sorry I will sleep through you, but you'd rather have me sleep than deal with an overly tired, Lauren.

Hmm..

Some days I wish I could put my foot down and say "no no no" and not have to do anything I didn't want to do just like my 18 month old niece.

I am having one of those weeks where I just want to say no thanks.

No thanks to the 5 papers I have due Thurs and Friday. You can write yourselves. I want nothing to do with you.