What cat am I? I don't know, quit touching my stomach!

No photo today I'm afraid.

I went to a hippy store in Nashville, suggested by Nikki and Caroline. Curt found squirrel underwear, and we bought them for Rebecca. I mean, if your squirrel is lacking underwear, go to Pangea.

Halloween is my favorite holiday, and it's coming up soonly! Rebecca, Katie, and I are dressing up as construction workers for Halloween, complete with stick on mustaches and orange vests. I feel like I might wear a mustache to work Saturday and see how many people comment on it. I will ask if I'm allowed first though. . .mmm. . .Halloween is such a fun time.

Today I did a charcoal of a cow. But, he's rocking a suit and tie. All cows must look nice, you know.

I have two cats currently residing in my home: Mold and Small Cat. That's not their real names, I don't know their real names. But, Mold and Small Cat are really loud. Loud, loud, loud. I thought cats were supposed to be graceful and sneaky and quiet. These "cats" flipping missed the memo. They bang into everything and run into everything and knock over everything. They pulled my flat iron off the sink and broke it. Now my bangs remain curly, instead of straightened. I mean, I'm not gonna buy another thing to burn my hair. It was kind of pointless in the first place.

Are you sure this is the species that the Eqyptians held up so high?

FAIL.

Mold and Small Cat, I might lock you in a closet if you wake me up one more time.

Today Katie, Rebecca, and I had best friend day. We watched youtube videos on subliminal messages, basically they all want you to have sex and do drugs. Good job fake subliminal messages, turning America's children into. . .what exactly? What exactly is your purpose?

Stupiditiy's only purpose is to watch people become stupid like them. Oh, Sublime messages. Don't plant bad thoughts in my mind. Don't secretly tell people to do things. It's not kind.

I'm going to Jackson.

The trees look like they are on fire lately.

Especially around 6:45 when the sun it setting and reflects off the warm hued leaves.

I've decided I shouldn't drive during this special time because I become very distracted. . .like texting and driving. But, admiring and driving.

It's just as deadly, mind you.

Tomorrow morning I'm going with the Parsley's and Lindsay Slone on a roadtrip to TENNESSEE! HERE I COME MY WONDERFUL FRIEND!

We have these moodrings sitting in a brightly colored box up by the register, and I put them on when there are no customers. It always turns purple, then fades into an awful sort of grey.

Purple means romantic. Grey means worried and afraid.

I don't necessarily consider myself romantic, worried, or afraid. I'm pretty much more of a blue-green which means happy. . .I suppose. But grey?!? A grey mood ring? That's just gross.

I think that the mood ring is just based on body temperature, and I'm a cold nature person. Thus, my mood ring turns grey.

Logical, si?

Right now I'm watching 18 Kids and Counting, yeah I am pretty awesome. It's true.

The two dinosaurs in love.

Friday after work I drove to the church to meet Bryan, who was home from Depauw. Lindsay Slone was sitting in the parking lot waiting for Liz and Lauren Young, so they could all go to Alabama for Meghan's wedding.

The wedding I had been dying to go to, but by some bad circumstances thought was impossible to get off work to go to.

I ended up calling Marvin to check anyway. And his lovely daughter, Elizabeth said she would cover my three and a half hour shift. She was on fall break. I told her it wasn't necessary and she should be on break, and not work. But, she wouldn't hear of it.

So, at 9:10 ish we were on our way to Nashville, Tennesse. The home of Lipscomb, and Callie Ann Starkey (who we would be spending the night with). I was ecstatic that I got the chance to go to the wedding! Elizabeth Patton is the sweetest girl in the world!

We arrived at C.A.'s house sometime between 1 and 2 A.M........I was sleepy. We left for the Decatur, Alabama the next morning for the chilly, yet lovely wedding that I was so dying to go to. Meghan Hill (now Meghan Newsom) looked so happy! I have never seen her so happy before. Ugh, it was so wonderful.

Now I am home in small-town Indiana. But, in three or so days I will be returning to Nashville, and other areas of Tennessee with the Parsley's! Tennessee is the place for me.

That was corny. I apologize.

No, actually I don't. I meant it.

Raise Your Hopeful Voice. You Have A Choice.

Everyday I breathe.
Everyday I wake up.
Everyday I put on clothes.
Everyday I am surrounded by people.
Everyday I am loved by these people.
Everyday I walk on feet with shoes.
Everyday I kick off those shoes.
Everyday I talk with someone.
Everyday I look in a mirror.
Everyday I see things with my eyes.
Everyday I hear things with my ears.
Everyday I smell things with my nose.
Everyday I feel things with my skin.
Everyday I taste things in my mouth.

Everday I have so many things that others don't and yet I find myself whining or complaining about something EVERYDAY. Every single day I find something wrong admist so many rights. Where do I find the justification to my pains? Because I do find the justification. I feel that I have the "right" to be mad at something, or complain because of some hard things that happened before.

I never got a certificate from hard times to give me the right to find all the wrongs in my rights and point them out to myself and others.

I'm an underappreciative loud mouth without a degree. The people who have no idea what they are talking about always seem to be the loudest to me. I am one of those people. The guy on the sidewalk that screams your heathen faults at you and tells you to find your personal savior. Be happy, he yells. Your life doesn't suck, find Jesus. My life sucks, he yells at you. But, I love God so I push it aside and don't ever deal with it. Now I'm happy. He yells this loudly so he can convince himself that this way of thinking is just.

Sure, not everything I've been through or going through in my life is completely easy. But, I'm sincerely and truly blessed. And EVERYDAY I am seeing that more and more.

And everyday will be hard, but I'm not gonna push it aside and yell. I'm going to hand it to the Lover of my Soul. I'm going to give away burdens and not hide behind false documents. And everyday I am learning to embrace this way of thinking.

AND NOW I WANT TO SCREAM IT TO THE WORLD! (but not on a sidewalk, on a mountain top)

I AM A BLESSED DAUGHTER OF THE MOST WONDERFUL SAVIOR! AND I AM HAPPY BECAUSE HE HOLDS ME UP AND FILLS THE DARKNESS WITH THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LIGHT!

The Not-So-Leaning Tower of Dios.

I bought some music from Itunes just now--Yiruma, an Asian pianist. I've never heard anything just flow like this before.

It's more than it really is.

It's like when you open a door and sunlight spills across the floor.

It's that refreshing laugh you haven't had in a while.

Or holding someone's hand.

Or crying after you have seen something tragically beautiful.

I feel like a lot of moments in my life have felt like Yiruma's music. Mainly, the people that surround me. Things in my family have not been the easiest, but if I just reach out a hand five take it. I have a safety net of people that mean more than they realize. They are more than just people in my life, they are holding my hand. Holding me up.

God has provided so many people that love and care for me.

A structure of strength that puts any great architectual feat to shame.

What storms dare to come up against this steel frame that so lovingly holds me together?

God is the Great Builder.

Addy, get out from under the bed!

I realize that this is totally strange---but, my internet is on the fritz and a photo would not load. I'm beside myself. It's true.

So, lots has happened since I last wrote! They include an amazing Lipscomb visit, a rally of youth in SPRING MILL BIBLE CAMP or Campo de Iglesia (Church Camp). First business, discuss the Lipscomb visit. Lipscomb University is my future home. That is a definite; I can't imagine myself anywhere but there. I've known since about 7th grade that Lipscomb is where I belong. For the visit, I selected Art Teaching for my major. Art education isn't as definite for my future as Lipscomb is, but it's looking pretty good. God really blessed me with the Big L. It's lovely to have that little place to look forward when things are pretty rough.

Second business, Fall Retreat at campo. Honestly, I didn't really dig into spiritually...mainly because my thoughts were bogged down with the fact I had to work through it and etc. I'm not gonna whine. Anyway, the weekend was a chance for me to grow closer with lots of new girls in my youth group. We all fit together like puzzle pieces. God really knew what He was doing putting us all together. I love them already, I'm so ready to spend the next two years with Rebecca, Darci, Katie, Chelsea, Addy, Jocelyn, Lindsay, Lauren, Alyssa, Grace, and Ashley. It's going to be wonderful (I mean we all are really quite insane, it works out so well!)

Third Business, Alene and I were up at the register and a adorable little boy and his parents come up to the counter. Alene says, "Aren't you cute! How old are you?"
"Four." (Insert a I'm Too Old For This look).
"Oh, well that's good! When do you turn five?"
"On my birfday." Duh.

I couldn't stop laughing. I mean, like cracking up. No one else found it that amusing...but what can you do? That was the same day I anwsered the phone, "Ace Franklin Ben Hardware. How may I help you?"

I am so thankful for colors. I love sunsets, paintings, leaves, eyes, skin, and flowers. They would be so boring without colors! Colors define the mood of something, turn it into something that means more. They transform something dark into something joyous. Thank You Daddy, Father, Lover of my Soul, for making colors. Thank You God for putting excitement into something so normal.