there's got to be more to teenage years than an internet existence, right?

somehow, between the blogs that I check almost daily, my facebook that I scan just for the heck of it, chatting because I forgot how to read someone's tone of voice, twitter for the seriously bored, and convenience friends to complain about friday's exam with, I'm gradually losing my friends - the really truly friends. I wish I'd realized sooner. I hope it's not too late.

maybe "modern technology" isn't as great as we generation Y people make it out to be.

maybe we aren't as busy as we say we are. maybe we're just busybodies.

I would like to, more than occasionally, pick up the phone and call you guys. and I would like to get together...you know, social life? I think parents and grownups underrate a teen's need for a social life. honestly, how important is school if all of a sudden our friendships are suffering? sure, school's important, but I don't want it to take precedence over people. people mean a lot to me.

or at least they used to. and I want them to again.

so I'm going to try. bug me if I'm not calling you. maybe ask if we could hang out on a certain date, or go to some play or whatever together. I'm sick of being a 17-year-old facebooker just like everyone else, who can't even make it two hours without texting.

~a reforming teen~

there's so much more than empty conversations/filled with empty words

today, I bought my plane ticket for India 2009.

*big grin*

ok, so my mom actually bought it. If I'd bought it...I'd be in debt right now, lol. my support letter is almost done, so that will go out very soon.

I though you guys might like an update of what the trip looks like right now.....we got a couple emails from my missionary friends yesterday with lots of details. :D
so currently, it looks like I'll be spending two weeks living at the women's shelter for domestic violence - just me and all these women who may or may not speak any English. I guess that's where I come in. eight sleep in a room, they share one bathroom....vegetarian food and not much privacy. I'm really excited! It's such a blessing that I'll be living with them, because I'm just imagining the kind of relationships I'll be able to build when we're around each other all the time.
the other two weeks I'll be living with the missionary family, more or less getting an idea of what it's like to live as a foreigner in India. I may be helping John with the shelter's website/grant proposal business....not really sure yet. I really want to devote this time to learning more about the culture and how to live there, interact with the people, etc.
the really good news is that I won't be traveling by myself in the country. true, I have to fly back from Delhi by myself, but at all other times I'll be accompanied. this alleviates a lot of nerves.

and there's a possibility of seeing the Taj Mahal. this makeses me happy, precioussss.....

ah yes, trip dates are August 15th - September 14th.




so, if for some reason I happen to drop off the face of the earth between now and August, I'm probably cramming Hindi vocab into my head or working on my TEFL certificate. but I'll try not to let that happen.

also, I have no idea about an internet situation (of lack thereof) while in India. even if I can't email/blog, I'll keep a journal every day and I'll post that when I get back.













I know there's more in life than this. I just can't think of it right now because of getting no sleep last night because of being too excited about the trip.

lots of little stuff.
I've had a cold for ten days straight and I wish it would stop raining. like I personally blame the rain or something.

I have nearly no gas in my car....as in, it died in the school parking lot today. luckily it started again and I got home, but I have my doubts about even getting it to the gas station. good thing it's all downhill from our house to anywhere else....*wink*

it's so much harder to get things done when your head won't work. I can't honestly have as much stuff to do as it seem I do. yet I never get it all done. and I just want to...add more. :( not working.

I'm extremely Photoshop defective. stupid thing nearly had me in tears this afternoon. my teacher had better be there to help tomorrow in lab.

ice cream is God's gift to man. and coconut. and especially coconut ice cream!




*sigh* I'm sooo glad I'm not going anywhere today. I should probably work on whittling that list down a little bit now.




(hey - everybody leave me a comment, ok?)

the years start coming and they don't stop coming....

ah, the little snippets of my life.

80's movies really aren't as good as our parents think they are.

oh that dog.

finally the sun is out again!

I hate being sick.

this past weekend was nearly perfect (if we'd gone to Powell's, it would have been perfect). the Beth Moore conference by itself was incredible, with the most phenomenal worship team I think I've ever heard - except for Hillsong, probably. Saturday night we went to our home-away-from-home church and saw many friend-like-family from our India team. we walk in the door and one couple who will be moving to India soon are standing right there, just visiting the church just like us! after talking for a few minutes, we found out that Kevin, one of the missionaries in India, was in town just for the weekend and would be at that evening's service! I'm afraid I sort of hug-attacked him when he came in, all jet-lagged and disoriented. it was great to see him after over a year.

our good friend Monica is finally pregnant, after her and her husband trying for a long time! we had fun catching up with her, and came to the realization that everyone in the world who's pregnant is having boys right now. women, prepare to become extinct!

While talking to John about this and that, my "other dad" Mike randomly decided to join us by climbing over the chairs instead of going around. it was so refreshing talking, laughing, and just being with some of my favorite people again.

after church we went out for Indian food with Mythraie and my cousins Marcus and Lissa (Lissa also happens to be pregnant and is of course having a boy).......we stayed pretty late there catching up, and began formulating plans for me to come down in the summer after the baby's born to help out around the house for awhile.

summer manages to fill itself up so quickly. *sigh*

then Sunday came, with a fresh bout of sore throat and cold....and of course we had to come home. *sadface* drat coming home, I could live in Portland easily. actually, if I end up needing some sort of degree, I think I'd like to go to school down there, where I can live with family and go to church at Village. that's my idea of heaven.

I am so undisciplined. *another sigh*

alrighty, french vocab and piano pictures, here I come.......

"my little baby's all grown up and...off to destroy people!"

awww....puppy!!!!
he starts puppy kindergarten this thursday, probably.

it's weird. it feels like dog-sitting. but...forever. I will have to get used to this.
I'll post pictures as soon as possible - like, when the dog actually comes. right now there's just the one on my dad's facebook.

so yes. he needs a name and lots of training. I'm thinking Riley for the name. I think my parents may be coming around....I just keep calling him Riley in the hope that it will stick. I believe this is the standard method of brainwashing.






oh and by the way, what's with the snow???

Poisson d'avril!!!

in other words - April Fools! it's that day again. and, like every year, I completely forgot. good thing we talked about it in French this morning.....apparently in France, school children stick paper fish to each other as discreetly as possible. then you walk around with a fish stuck to your back while everyone laughs. so our teacher started doing this with two paper fish in our class during partner-dialogues.....and eventually they'd made it around pretty well and my friend Heather stuck one on her. which was hilarious because she didn't notice - until she turned around to write on the board and the whole class started laughing.

Photography is pretty awesome. and we haven't really even learned much of anything yet. but I'm having fun taking a lot of pictures, and my teacher is really funny. I've decided I really like school. every day this quarter I've seen people I know - from co-op, church, or previous classes. It's taken me two quarters to settle in, but I'm finally doing it. it's actually kind of tiring just being that girl who reads and never opens her mouth. that being said, I still prefer homeschooling. but at least school isn't that thing I just tolerate anymore.

today it snowed hard core and it was sticking to my hair....and I got really happy. somehow, I always get this glowing feeling inside when it snows, and my cheeks turn red. I feel prettier when it snows. I'm not sure why. but thouh I love snow...I am ready for it to truly be spring, not just masquerade like it's Narnia and winter's never going away.

so I walked in the door when I got home and headed for the kitchen to make some hot chocolate (because that's what you do when it snows), and I could hear my mom talking on the phone. so I listened for a few, but couldn't figure out who she was talking to. so I asked.
"Cosima!" she half-whispered.
and of course I freaked out.
so this morning, I talked with our future German exchange student for almost 45 minutes. and she sounds soooo sweet! I think we're going to get along really, really well. And I'm incredibly excited because she's going to turn 16 here, and I'll be turning 18 a couple of months later. two big numbers like that deserve two big parties....





yesterday my mom and I saw A Tale of Two Cities at SCT. it was AMAZING - definitely my favorite performance I've ever seen there. and - Anna I'm sorry but this will make you jealous - Connor Toms was Darnay. which was awesome because that's a hard role to play, in my opinion, and Connor Toms is really cute. but the guy who played Carten was absolutely amazing. (and they looked a lot like each other too, which was cool). having only read the book once, it was really cool seeing the story when you know the end. All Dickens' books are like that though, because there's some big twist and the whole story is twice as incredible when you know it, even if it's not as exciting.
the play was very well cast, and they were creative as always with the set. scripting was good (though I think a lot of it went over the little kids' heads), and the acting was fantastic. and I cried through pretty much the last twenty minutes of the performance - from when Carten goes to Darnay's cell all the way to the end.

so, let's add another person to the list of people I want to marry who manage to end up dead. *verysadface* :(

but seriously, if you can manage to see it this week, GO - it's totally worth it. my mom and I both loved it. and you'll want to read/re-read the book when you're done.



*sigh* I <3 Dickens. majorly.