it's no-shave november...

...and I found out you can really upset some guys if you tell them that you are participating. For some reason they think it's gross and don't even like that there are girls who aren't afraid to do something out of the norm every once in a while. Guess it's true that guys don't like girls with minds of their own?



This beautiful sunrise made getting up at 5:30 yesterday morning totally worth it. Let me tell you about my sleep schedule now. Actually, all I have to say is this: before college, I couldn't even drink the mildest cup of caffeinated tea after 3 pm without being affected, tossing and turning until midnight or beyond. Now, I can down a can of Coke or a cup of coffee right before bed and still be out within fifteen minutes of laying down. Literally, there hasn't been a night this semester that I did sleep quickly and soundly.

The week is almost over for me...just one paper to write...which is due tomorrow...and then I am free!!!! Except not really, because the break will be full of studying anyways. Yay.

Life is beautiful, even when it isn't. God is good, even when we can't see it.

"I finally died, which started the whole Earth living"

What an absolutely awesome Labor Day weekend. Except for the fact I was not nearly as productive as I wanted to be. In fact, I have done hardly any homework. Typical college procrastination going on here. Oh if there were only a medicine for procrastination sickness. What's that you say? There is? It's....work. Yeah.

So I love pictures, and I think I will do updates with some pics.

Sunday

So one of my childhood memories is of waking up early on Labor Day Sunday and going down to our city's downtown park to watch hundreds of hot hair balloons take off. This year I was all gung-ho about going until I found out no one else in my family wanted to go. But as I laid in bed contemplating the hard decision of if I should go alone or not, I realized that it was possibly my last year to attend for a long time. Turns out Dad was up for going with me, so at 6:30 in the morning we walked with crowds of other tired people towards the park. It was an awesome morning, just getting to walk around and look at the cool booths. We saw tons of friends we hadn't seen in a long time. And some awesome balloons, too!


Sunday night-Monday morning

Dad had a sort of spontaneous desire to get away to the mountains for a night. And I didn't hesitate (much) to go with him. Originally Tracey was supposed to go with us but she got sick so I invited a great friend of mine, Katie (my God-friend). We packed up some granola bars, sleeping bags, NO tent, and took off. The hike itself was only about an hour and a half. Dad knew of a secluded flat spot across the creek and we plopped ourselves down there for the night. After hiking the rest of the trail to St. Mary's Falls we came back and hung around the fire. Then we put our sleeping bags around it (JUST LIKE COWBOYS!!) and laid under the stars. Let me tell you something. God is amazing. So we see one shooting star. It was gorgeous, as can be expected. Then as we laid there, I prayed "God, please send one more". And guess what? Right before I closed my eyes, a long, shimmering star shot across the sky. You ARE amazing, God. It was such a surreal night. I would wake up, look at the sky for a moment, notice how the stars had moved slightly as we rotated, then go back to sleep. How blessed I am, how amazing my life is, and how wonderful the Lord of all creation is.