A bit of tea?

Thanksgiving in NYC

2009-01-05T14:12:00.006-06:00

Thanksgiving in New York City was wonderful! It was great to spend time with the whole Weichbrodt clan who were so loving and generous to us. And now we can't wait till we get to go back again!

So I'm just sitting here on the couch next to Josh...

2008-11-04T21:11:00.002-06:00

....and it reminds me that I love, love, love my husband!

A few new titles…

2008-07-28T22:05:00.004-05:00

So apparently I have abandoned my blog. Leading up to the wedding I kept on saying to myself, “after the wedding I’ll get back on it right away with all my wedding pictures, and all the fun stories, and basically I’ll be a blogging superstar!” …and then real life happened, and all of a sudden it’s been over 2 months since I’ve blogged. But the thing is, there are so many changes and wonderful things, where could one even start? So in lieu of a writing a book for my few readers (but don’t worry I’ll add pictures soon!), here are a few of the new titles I’ve acquired in the past 2 months:

1. CORINNE ELISABETH MATHER—the name change is official! Corinne Chapell no longer exists in the United States of America…weird!
2. SISTER-IN-LAW—to 3 amazing new siblings
3. MASTER TRAVELER--in one month we traveled to/from the following destinations: St. Louis, MO; Buena Vista, CO; Colorado Springs, CO; back to St. Louis; Chattanooga, TN; Atlanta, GA; IKEA (yes, this does count as a destination); back to Chattanooga; Honolulu, HI; Fortworth, TX; and finally back home to Chattanooga.
4. GEORGIA RESIDENT—I’m not so proud of this one, but I’ve surrendered my beloved St. Louis/Missouri license and have a brand, shiny new Georgia license with my name spelled wrong on it. Can you tell how excited I am?
4. HOMEMAKER—so maybe this is still in progress….but…I mean…we’ve got fancy-schmancy window treatments…so that counts, right?
5. MOM—just kidding! No, we are NOT pregnant, but I did get a job as a nanny for 2 amazing little cuties!

And my favorite:

6. WIFE—yeah, this one’s pretty much incredible!

(oh yeah, and I'm in process of putting up pictures, but if you want a preview of the wedding shots, go to kellyparkphoto.blogspot.com and scroll down until you see us!)

J. Mather

2008-06-01T21:45:00.006-05:00

So while Josh and I were at the game today (in freakin' amazing seats I might add--thanks Johanna!) we discovered one more thing to love about the Cardinals--they have a new player named J. Mather. So what if they pronounce it wrong and his name is "Joe" instead of "Josh"...we still think it's pretty cool...and we're just waiting till the Cardinals' Mather proves himself so he has his own jersey made (yes, I'm the loser that wants it). But I've decided, that my J. Mather, and their J. Mather have a lot in common...here are just a few similarities:
1. M-A-T-H-E-R...duh!

2. Tall and skinny:
mine--6'; 165ish lb
theirs--6'4"; 195 pounds lb

3. Both are lefties....(ok, maybe that's a lie, but we can pretend, right?)

4. An amazing talent to fall...as often and as dramatically as possible...all in the name of sports.

a few little updates...

2008-05-30T13:05:00.006-05:00

So for the past few weeks my life has been a little crazy, but someday there will be time again for free blogging and catching up with friends without questions like, "are you nervous yet?" being involved. But for now, here are a few things that have happened...

1. Taught 9th graders all about safe sex while reading Romeo & Juliet...
(here's my classroom below...)

2. Explained to my 11th graders countless times that no, I'm not their friend--I'm their teacher.

3. Josh and I went to our first prom (oh, yes, we're finally 'old' enough to chaperon things like that.)

4. Graduated...and spoke at graduation...

5. 3 wonderful showers with friends from Chattavegas, from St. Louis, and from the Seminary!

5. Came back to St. Louis, went back to Chattanooga, came back to St. Louis in less than 2 weeks--all in the name of wedding planning of course!!!

6. Planned (and am still planning) a wedding so we can finally be Mr & Mrs!

Love it!

2008-05-25T23:57:00.002-05:00

In the words of my future sister-in-law...

" A former Jenkins, now Chapell. A current Chapell, future Mather. A former Mather, now Weichbrodt."

A beautiful thing how it all comes together--am I right!!

ONE YEAR!

2008-05-02T09:35:00.009-05:00

So in the midst of everything else going on in our lives, Josh and I didn't want to forget that yesterday was our 1-year anniversary of when we started dating. So we took our date night and went to Tony's down in the Bluff View Art District--a new spot for me--and got some time to just enjoy each other after a very busy couple of weeks.

A year ago, after finally having the go-ahead to date (you know, that whole student-staff thing having gotten in the way before that point), we went on our first official date to Rembrandts, and fairly awkwardly decided that, yes, we were dating, and, yes, we could call each other boyfriend and girlfriend. At that point we finally started telling some friends and the girls on my hall (who promptly started screaming, tackling me, etc.) which was absolutely wonderful. The days following May 1 last year, were of the most exciting and fun times during my time at Covenant.
Now a year later, we're engaged (35 days baby!) and falling more in love every day!

Romeo & Juliet, meet Star Wars...

2008-04-16T11:44:00.008-05:00

In my freshman class today, we finally reached the famous duel scene in Romeo and Juliet--the one scene the boys in my class have been looking forward to, and in response to that excitement, we broke into groups to come up with skits. So after a day of preparation , today was perfomance day at last. We had Romeo and Juliet in 4 different styles: the Wild West, American Idol vs. So You Think You Can Dance, miming, and Star Wars. Although I think the mime skit was my favorite, the Star Wars skit definitely took on a different flavor.

In this scene 'jubaka,' 'hon solo' and 'darth mal' (as spelled by my students) were fighting each other. Now 'jubaka' was being played by a little Russian girl in our class (she was adopted and moved to the states in gradeschool). She's a tiny, tiny little thing, incredibly sweet, but rarely says a word in front of people.

I figured that this would be a great activity, but what I didn't know before the skit began, was that 'jubaka' and 'darth mal' had a real-life fight just prior to class. So during the skit, my sweet little 'jubaka' decides to COMPLETELY abandon the script, and instead attacks (with foam lightsaber) the poor boy (who is twice her size). She continues to do so, until I pull her off. An interesting twist to the day most definitely. Now on top of this--my professor from Covenant was there to observe...woops!

uh-oh...i'm doing it....

2008-04-10T10:06:00.004-05:00

So as graduation slowly approaches and I start to reflect back on my time at Covenant, there are a few things that run through my head--dear friends and hall mates, late-night McDonald's runs, favorite teachers, Great Hall mishaps, etc. But while each of us has our own treasured memories in every size, shape, and color, there is one common denominator for every graduating senior from Covenant, and it is a single, heavily used word--"worldview".
We've memorized the definition, we've come up with any number of sketches on the board to represent it, we've applied it to every possible subject (which of course is every subject...true to the definition of worldview), and somewhere along the way we learned how to heave an affectionate sigh whenever we hear 'worldview' . But as our time at Covenant draws to a close we perhaps think to ourselves, "all right, so I know my worldview will always be a part of my life, but thank goodness I never have to define, visually represent, or explain it in essay form ever again!"

oh wait.

Today I used it...I did it...and I'm passing on the word to the next generation. oh my. As a student teacher, we just started a unit on Naturalism, and I was happily lecturing away when I heard it--that word came out of my mouth. Not only was I defining it, but I was sketching it up one the board...and then I heard myself assigning an essay in which they must talk about their worldview. It's true then--all future generations are doomed to hear, illustrate, and write on 'worldviews,' and yes, I am part of that passing the torch.
But let's be honest, would I ever really be able to escape using 'worldview' in life since interacting with others worldviews it's part of my worldview? Oh dear.

Teenage hormones

2008-03-14T12:25:00.003-05:00

For those of you who don't know, I just started my second student teaching placement at a coed, private Catholic school (yes, imagine all your stereotypes then multiply them times ten), and it has definitely been an interesting experience so far. I work with mostly 11th graders who like to throw out phrases like, "Well, my Dad owns _____ business, and he says that I ....." But in between showing off their Northfaces and designer purses, one of their new favorite activities is filling in my love life for me (apparently my being engaged isn't interesting enough for them!).

For example, "Mr. Tapp" (another student teacher like myself) is in the classroom across the hall from mine----apparently we're dating behind everyone's back.

Or, for those who actually believe I'm engaged, they've decided (I'm not kidding) that Josh is not only from Hawaii, but that he still lives there, does nothing but surf all day, and has dreadlocks. (hmmmm...I'm still trying to picture that.)

Or there are the fun comments that I hear drifting in from the hallway...
"Dude, Ms. Chapell is hot!"

a little self-advertising...

2008-03-11T17:24:00.000-05:00

http://cchapell.googlepages.com/josh&corinne'sweddingpage

So everyone knows I want a dog...

2008-02-25T13:44:00.005-06:00

While Josh and I are very excited to stay at Covenant another year, there are one or two downsides...the first being, it's not St. Louis and the Cardinals don't ever come to Chattanooga....the second downside being I have to put off getting a dog for at least one more year.
But in the meantime, I've been noticing the dogs in our neighborhood--I figure, why not use this intermediate period of time to start picking out a dog, right? Well, this is the dog that just showed up in our neighbors' yard--next to the massive black German shepherd that also lives there--

--Is it a miniature poodle? Yes
--Is it bright pink? Yes
--Is this Corinne's dream dog? Oh thank goodness it's NOT!!!

Bug: (from The Sixth Graders Dictionary to LIfe)

2008-02-01T15:36:00.000-06:00

1. Bug: noun
Pronunciation: \ˈbəg\
Etymology:: Middle English bugge hobgoblin; probably akin to Low German bögge goblin
Definition: an insect or other creeping or crawling invertebrate; any of an order (Hemiptera
and especially its suborder Heteroptera) of insects that have sucking mouthparts,
forewings thickened at the base, and incomplete metamorphosis and are often economic
pests

2. Bug: noun
Pronunciation: \ˈfē-vər\
Etymology: From the cultures of preteens weak immune systems; most currently present in the similarly weakened immune system of Corinne.
Definition: A virus consisting of runny nose, scratchy throat, itchy eyes, and fever resulting from close proximity to younger members of the human race with lower hygienic habits; most commonly passed from student to teacher.

3. Bug: noun (most commonly referred to as a "hornet")
Pronunciation: \ˈho'r-nət\
Etymology: From the modern usage of Class Periods 1, 2, 3, & 5, originating at *** Middle School.
Definition: An index card torn and folded along specific planes according to directions, as passed on by the oral tradition of middle school males, intended to be used in correlation with a rubber band as a projectile; for the purpose of disrupting class and earning an In-School-Suspension for its user.

See Also: You-Tube instructional video "How to Make a Paper Hornet": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP06J6bo3GA

Warm fuzzy feelings...

2008-01-24T20:31:00.000-06:00

I think I'm in with the kids

2008-01-22T16:19:00.000-06:00

So, for all of y'all who are getting this fairly depressing view of my student teaching, I thought I would fill you in a bit. For the past 2 1/2 weeks I've been teaching a sixth grade language arts class. I have 78 students in 5 classes, with 2 para-pro's, 1 cooperating teacher, and 1 traditional teacher. 3 of the classes are inclusion classes, which means there are kids with a range of disabilities in the class (thus the additional adults in the classroom). These are sixth graders, so of course they're nuts...pretty much all the time.
But here's the thing...I like these kids, and I mean, I really like these kids. Am I overwhelmed by how much I have to do in the next 5 weeks...oh yes. But are these kids worth it...oh yes.
It was today, though, that I realized I somehow made it in with them too, when they asked, "Ms. Chapell, you're going to be our Language Arts teacher next year, right? Please!"

It's been a week...

2008-01-17T20:40:00.000-06:00

1 ...that I've been pretending to be 'an adult' (a.k.a. student teaching)
2 ...since I've been awake past 11 on a school night
3 ...in which my true addiction to tea returned (so much for weaning myself off it all last summer)
4 ...like last week that reminded me that I stink at planning things...like weddings.
5 ...during which I think I've cried more than I've cried in the past year (due to some overly busy combination of #1 & #4)
6 ...since I decided that I actually like having a 20 minute drive to work in the morning (thus giving time to think about #1 & #4 at a more relaxing pace)
7 ...in which I've been reminded again and again to fall to my knees in prayer and thank God for His goodness to me--b/c He's REAL good to me and shows me daily how much He loves me!

"you're hair looks pretty!!!"....."wrong answer."

2008-01-11T17:39:00.001-06:00

So do you remember all those times back in grade school where you tried to distract the substitute teacher on some bogus tangent? Well, it's official, as a three-day-old student teacher, I have moved into this age-old time of student testing. So here are some of my favorite comments from today with the sixth graders I call my students:

Scott: "You're like...like an alien!"

Ryan: "How'd you know my name?"
Me: "Because I know everything."

Me: "Who can identify the prepositional phrase in this sentence?"
Becca: "You're hair looks really pretty, Ms. Chapell!!"
Me: "wrong answer."

Anna: "Ms. Chapell, there are girls piercing their ears in the bathroom..."

--now after sorting out the piercing party girls, who promptly were sent to the office, we thought we would go back to class. Sadly enough, by the end of the day all the rumors had gone nuts...and I mean NUTS about who it was, who tattled, and what was going to happen.
Oh the joys of middle school!

i'm a bit behind...

2008-01-11T17:31:00.000-06:00

So I've been getting a lot of criticism for not blogging extensively about Josh and my trip to Hawaii....and the truth is....well, it was simply too wonderful to know how to explain! So in lieu of stories and anecdotes which you're honestly better to just ask me about, here are a few words (incredible, wonderful, breathtakingly gorgeous, new and growing relationships, happy time with future family, unbelievable, amazing time with future husband...), and here's what you'rereally wanting to see--the pictures:

mele kalikimaka!

2008-01-02T01:31:00.000-06:00

Christmas in Hawaii was AMAZING! Great guy, great place, great new relationships with new family and friends! I'll post more soon, but here are a couple pics as teasers for you!

One week...three seasons

2007-12-16T18:03:00.001-06:00

So for the past week, Chattavegas has had temperatures in the 60's.

Tomorrow, we'll be in the STL with snow and temperatures in the 30's.

Thursday, we'll be on the beach in Hawaii with temperatures in the 80's.

I mean...it's a hard life.

my front porch has been waiting for me!

2007-12-11T19:48:00.001-06:00

So for the last four-ish months my front porch has been screaming out to me, "come sit on me! The weather's beautiful, and even if it's not, you should be out here anyway. You should ignore all the work you have to do and just come enjoy outside!" But for the last four months I have sorrowfully walked right on by, giving into the slow, aching pressure of schoolwork.
But today, at last, I walked right up to my front porch, said, "today is the day!" and plopped myself down on our porch swing--because I am officially done with all classwork, etc. for Covenant! All that's left between me and that diploma is a 'little' thing we like to call student teaching....hmmm.

Before and After

2007-12-10T23:31:00.000-06:00

So I've decided that pictures of hands are really awkward, but here they are anyway! A few pictures of the original setting (above) and a couple of the new one too (below)!

"America does not like me right now"

2007-12-07T14:26:00.000-06:00

Yes, this is a quote from my African housemate (the lump of layers on the left) in reference to our amazingly cold American house. Though weather.com says the high for the day is 60, our house is a chilled 12. Why do we not turn up the heat you ask...who really knows.

I HAVE A PRETTY LITTLE RING ON MY FINGER

2007-12-05T23:48:00.000-06:00

It’s official! Josh and I are engaged!!!!!

I wish I even knew where to begin with this one, but I’ll be honest, I’m still reveling in the fact that I get to spend the rest of my life with this man, and now everyone can see it—although they might be a bit blinded by the bling-bling on my finger! How wonderful that Josh is now my fiance and in two weeks when I meet Josh’s mom and brothers, I’ll not just be her son’s girlfriend, but her son’s fiance’—her future daughter!
So how did all this happen? (Here’s the long story for those hopeless romantics out there…for the rest of you, the important part is that we’re engaged and you can just skim through my ramblings!)
For all Josh’s plan-ahead, measured, think-through-everything history of decision-making, spontaneity has finally won out! Unbeknownst to me, over Thanksgiving Josh had the ring in his pocket and officially asked my Dad. He also, despite craftily convincing me of otherwise, was planning on asking me right before we left for Christmas in a couple weeks, but fortunate for me, he decided he couldn’t wait. So on Wedneday, November 28, at 5:45 pm Josh decided he didn’t want to wait any longer, and that he was going to propose…that night…at roughly 6:30. Oh yes, he did.
So, since we were already going to hang out at 6, Josh texted and asked me if I could come a few minutes late because he was finishing up some stuff. When I did come, though, Josh asked if we could go to Walmart…it had been a long day he said, and he needed to get off the mountain…but this was all a lie—a lie to get us going down the backside of the mountain. But as we drive, Josh pulls into the Catholic church on the mountain—which is a beautiful spot for us—one of those places that means so much to both of us because of a conversation we had on the stairs to the church months ago. At this point I think to myself, “could it be…NO. There’s no way.”
Then we pull over, and Josh tells me to leave my phone in the car so we could sit on the stairs again for a bit. At this point I’m thinking, “Oh my word! I think he’s….surely not?” As we get out of the car, Josh sneaks out a vase…my vase from my room in St. Louis! (While we were in St. Louis over Thanksgiving, Josh had snuck into my room and ‘stolen’ this vase I had of dried flowers from different bouquets he’d sent me over the summer.) At this point I realize, without a doubt, yes, this is it.
As we sit there, Josh gives me an envelope…when I open it, I find the beautiful letter that Josh had sent my parents back in OCTOBER to tell them that he wanted to marry me and explaining why and how he loved me. Mmm, yup…at this point enter tears by Corinne.
After reading this, Josh tells me there’s something else in the envelope. Now you’ll need a little background here. Last year, when Josh and I were all ‘scandalous’ and liked each other even though we couldn’t date each other (you know, those no staff-student dating type rules that are totally appropriate…most of the time!), we both ended up at Taco Bell at the same time, with other friends…so accordingly we sat on opposite sides of the restaurant so as to avoid suspicion. I was there with my roommate, who the entire time, was tossing the sauce packets (you know the hot sauce packets that have all kinds of phrases on them like: “the feeling’s mutual”). Jokingly, she picks up the one that says, “will you marry me?” and says that someday Josh should use this one. Ironically enough, at the same time, Josh, not having any idea what’s going on between Anna and I, picks up the exact same sauce packet, thinks to himself that this could be handy someday, and stows it away in his pocket….that same packet which now makes an entrance into our engagement story.
As I pull this silly little sauce packet out, Josh gets down on his knee, and asks me to be his wife. OH MY WORD!!!! At this point I’m completely speechless…crying some in true form…and before I can even manage to stutter out ‘yes,’ there’s a ring on my finger, and the man I love sitting right in front of me with that big ol’ grin that I can’t get enough of.
What’s even more beautiful, is that this was not just any ring—this is the same ring that Josh’s Dad used to propose to Josh’s mom years ago…I have never felt so honored as to have this family that I’m just starting to become a part of, through Josh, offering me this amazing gift of themselves to me, and in such a tangible way as this very important ring. I really am amazed and so honored beyond words.
Josh wanted to propose with this ring, because of the meaning behind it; however, he also wanted to make it a ring that really fit me and him, so while he proposed with the original ring in it’s original setting, he already had a new setting picked out for us, just waiting for the original diamond to be put into it. And now, a few days later, I have a new setting of the ring that I can’t stop looking at (and thus Josh is endlessly making fun of me!) that is so beautiful and even more importantly has so much meaning--this diamond has already signified so much to Josh’s family, and now too for Josh and I as we become a family together. (don't worry, I'll post pictures of the rings...original and new setting as soon as I find the cord to load them to my computer!)
Looking back to a year ago, it’s unbelievable to see where Josh and I have come…and it still blows me away…I still lose my breath every time he walks in the room, and I still can’t believe that through all the complications, God knew exactly what he was doing, and has given me an incredible man who in a few months I will have the honor of calling my husband.
Oh yeah, and y’all better be planning for a road trip to St. Louis in June!

14 DAYS TILL HAWAII!

2007-12-05T23:47:00.000-06:00

thXmas

2007-12-05T23:46:00.001-06:00

This year will be the first time that none of us ‘Big-Kids,’ as my mom likes to call us, will be at home for Christmas. Now, for those of y’all that don’t know, Christmas is quite possibly the biggest holiday for my family, because it is my mom’s absolute favorite holiday. She usually starts her “Christmas” shopping in June or July, and quite often is finished by September. By November my mom has purchased the newest Hallmark singing snowman or bear or whatever is on the market that year, and December is filled with my mom excitedly holding it over our heads that she’s got these wonderful presents that she’s already picturing us opening!

But this year, my brothers and I will all be MIA, (just Katy and the parentals will be home) so we simply turned Thanksgiving (when we were all in town…including Josh) into Thanks-Christmas, complete with Christmas tree…and it was definitely a successful affair. We took our annual stairwell shot (also a major part of Christmas mornings), and what Christmas would be complete without a massive nerf gun battle? Josh met the whole family, and my grandma especially thought he was wonderful. On top of that, we also got to hang out with Josh’s sister and brother-in-law who also live in St. Louis. Overall a wonderful, relaxing time with old and new family.

So there are a few things to catch up on…

2007-12-05T23:37:00.000-06:00

I’m back from the hiatus from my blogging duties at last, but since I’ve last written, there are a few things to catch up on! Here are some of the major things that have happened in the past few weeks…
1. In the past three days, I have written and/or compiled 203 pages (over 156 of these being single-spaced.) in Times New Roman, 12 point font or smaller. For those of you who are wondering how Nancy and my relationship’s doing, we’ve resolved our differences and are once again friends…although distance has been good for us now that Nancy is spending all her time with my SIP readers instead of me!
2. After 3 years of going to the championship game and coming up empty handed, my flag football team (yes, I’m on a girls flag football team) finally won the championship! Heck yes, 3C!
3. Several fun visitors have come! The weekend before Thanksgiving, my friend from back home, Johanna, was able to come by and visit for a few days on her way to Atlanta. The couple of weekends before that my parents were able to come visit twice—one of these times being to lead a marriage conference at LMPC. Yeah, no jokes about Josh and me there! And let me tell you, the Hunter museum has taken on a new meaning!
4. Today, December 5, 2007, was the last class of my college career. Need I say more?
5. As of November 1, Josh and I have been together 6 months!!!! (now, this is where it’s quite obvious how bad I’ve been with blogging, since by now it’s actually been 7 months…whoops!) But in any case, it’s 6 months with an absolutely incredible man…I still have no idea how in the world I caught him, but I’m not going anywhere without him from here on out—everyday is something beautiful and wonderful with him, and I’m truly blessed to be with him.

"Pitching and mooning?"

2007-11-17T14:14:00.000-06:00

When I was a kid, I always thought all the girly mumbo-jumbo was highly over-rated...in fact, I would even venture to say that for the first ten years or so of my life, I wanted to be a boy so I could be cool enough to follow my brothers around--which I would also venture to say they thought quite annoying at the time.
But because of that phase in my life, some of the girly things in life--dressing up, cooking, chick-flicks and such--are new to me. But there was alway one thing that passed through the radar of my attempted tomboyishness, and it's only gotten better with age--Anne of Green Gables.
Today the girls and I at the house decided it was time for a good old girl day, so we've broken it out, and we're watching Anne in one sit--all 7.15 hours of her!
I mean, who could turn down lines like this:

ANNE: Well he certainly isn't the wild, dashing young man Diana used to want to marry. Fred is extremely good.
MARILLA: That is exactly what he should be. Would you want to marry a wicked man?
ANNE: Well, I wouldn't marry anyone who was really wicked, but I think I'd like it if he could be wicked and wouldn't.

...or what about that final scene--I mean, every girl knows that final scene on the bridge, the leaves, the suit, that look he always gives Anne (need I go on?)...

ANNE: I went looking for my ideals outside myself and discovered it's not what the world holds for you, but what you bring to it. The dreams dearest to my heart are right here.
GILBERT: Well, I hope you keep on dreaming. It will be three years before I finish medical school, and even then there won't be any diamond sunbursts or marble halls...
ANNE: I don't want sunbursts or marble halls. I just want... you.

So, yes, it's true--I am a girl, and apparently a pretty girly one at that.

On the downhill slope

2007-11-06T01:21:00.001-06:00

So it's time to take a study break...so what's the first thing you do? Check your e-mail, get on facebook (that would be if you have facebook...unlike me), or something of that sort. But if you're a nerd like me you look at the calendar to see just how much more you have to do in the weeks ahead.
So as I take a late night/early morning study break from my SIP and my 10 page art history paper that are both due tom., let me take a brief moment to tell you something utterly amazing that I discovered from my calendar--by this time one month from now, I will be done with my final academic class at Covenant College.
Yup, we're finally hitting the home stretch (before student teaching that is!)

So every once in a while, a girl's got to get all dressed up...

2007-10-22T23:16:00.000-05:00

...make sure her guy does the same......

...and head to the Cleveland Speedway.

Okay, so maybe not what you'd expect, but this weekend Josh and I went with some kids to watch the cars do their thing on the track. Just imagine, 20+ cars going somewhere about 60mph around a dirt race track...you can't get much better, right? How about some great crashes, one car almost going over the wall into the general parking area (exactly where my own car was conveniently parked)...and on top of all that, add some incredible mullets, our own 'get-ups' for the event (I mean, we didn't want to stick out too much...and Josh definitely did better than me...), and air that smells like some putrid combination of dirt, exhaust fumes, and deep-fry. This would be--the Cleveland Speedway.
Worth it--heck yes!

A little catch-up in the house...

2007-10-20T23:41:00.000-05:00

So, as my friends Emily and Carin were quick to remind me, I've been a little remiss in keeping up with my blog...so here are a few updates about what's been going on in our beautiful Chattavegas home...
1. We have 3 new housemates...
Nico, Chaco, and...well...i don't know the other's name.

2. After two hours plus of cleaning and rearranging with the aid of our artist/moving man/designer--Timmy-- (shown below) we finally had a clean house (and yes, I'm using the past tense purposefully).3. and...we've decided that there's no need for a river, or even a body of water, if you already have a boat waiting in the back yard for you...and contract hasn't started yet.hmmm. So nothing significant at all, but then again, sometimes those nothingness times are the best times!

"Daddy, do plants like sprite?"

2007-09-30T19:45:00.000-05:00

This past weekend Josh and I got the chance to go visit Colin and Heather, my brother and his wife, in their new house in Birmingham. (yes, both my brothers, Colin and Jordan, are now proud home-owners, so it's time for me to make the rounds and see the new cribs.) It was a quick weekend, but wonderful to get to see at least a quick bit of their new home (and visit another friend too--Emily!) and spend some quality time catching up.

We saw the Birmingham Botanical Gardens while we were there, which weren't quite up to STL par just yet (but then what is?), but I think one of my favorite moments was when we walked by a little kid and his dad...it was fairly hot day, and the boy's dad had treated him to a sprite while they walked...and in the true spirit of what my Covenant ed. prof's call a "life-long-learner," he asked his dad, "daddy, do plants like sprite?" Sadly, I don't think they do, but given how much this kid wanted to help, I would water an entire garden with sprite just to give it a go.

Nancy Drew Fan Club Bylaws

2007-09-26T22:16:00.000-05:00

So in the 60's Warner Brothers started an official fan club surrounding the Nancy Drew movies they produced...yes, these are really the rules for starting your own club.

I mean, you got to love this...

Post rules of Nancy Drew Club:
The following are the rules under which the Hollywood “Nancy Drew Club” was formed, and may be the basis for yours:

1. Must have steady boy friend, in the sense of a “pal.”
2. Take part in choosing own clothes.
3. No smoking, drinking, or petting.
4. Pay their share on dates with boys own age.
5. Take part in plans for own career
6. Must have at least one hobby.
7. Must participate in at least one extra-curricular school activity
8. Must be a high school student

So, I think I failed in more than one category (who knows what 'petting' means, anyway?), but in the middle of your SIP, you gotta find some humor somewhere, right?

She Came!!!

2007-09-18T23:21:00.000-05:00

So this past weekend instead of going to Kilter or any of that stuff with the rest of Covenant (and everyone else in Chattanooga apparently!) Liz Watts, a friend of mine who transferred from Covenant to go to Bellhaven came to visit!
It's always wonderful to catch up with old friends, share some good laughs, and eat some great food (at one of our favorite restaurants--Blue Plate). So here's to you, Liz, and you better come back soon!

Come on, can't you see the similarity?

2007-09-13T20:02:00.001-05:00

(Josh Mather) (Ned Nickerson
in the most recent Nancy Drew movie)

So, if you've been keeping up with me, you know that I'm currently writing my senior paper on none other than Nancy Drew. For those of you who read Nancy Drew back in the third grade, you know that she has a certain boyfriend...Ned Nickerson (quite the name, heh?) and it got me thinking that maybe there are some similarities...notice for example, the very established and legit. smiles in their pictures!
Ok, so maybe they don't actually look or act a bit alike, but there are a few more similarities between Nancy and myself maybe...

-Nancy likes to get in her car and drive...this happens to be one of my favorite past times

-Nancy has "intuitions" that start her thinking, sometimes a little too much...hmm, sound familiar?

-Nancy is like one of those little terrier dogs that thinks she's actually a great dane and consequently will do just about anything; because of this she gets into some very interesting situations...that would be me sometimes (i.e. having a total stranger offer me a goat to live in my dorm room, or watching a police take-down on the Walking Bridge, or deciding for no particular reason to move to England for 3 months...just for a few examples)

-Before meeting Ned, Nancy had a myriad of boy problems, but in this quality kid, she finally found a guy who could make her "blush right down to her fingertips" and it be completely worth it. (from Nancy Drew mystery #7--The Sign of the Twisted Candle) (and hopefully Josh will still be talking to Corinne after this far too embarrassing post!)

Impulse Buy...totally worth it

2007-09-08T23:11:00.000-05:00

So for any of y'all that remember this show, you know what I'm talking about! Back in middle school, Macgyver was pretty much my first love, and when I saw MacGyver: The Complete First Season at McKay's (a used book and DVD store) I just had to give in and buy it. Yes, despite all my griping over other series tv shows (like the so-called great 24) I loved this show.
But I think one of the best parts was that even as I picked it up off the shelf, three other girls next to me looked over, saw it, and immediately said, "Oh my Gosh, MacGyver is so hot! (slight editing by the way) Were you in love with him too?" But all this to say, I am now the proud owner of the first season...and you're all welcome to join me in watching this high-quality, explosive, slightly (ok, really) 90's style tv flick!

Exploring My Town...and hanging with a boy

2007-09-05T22:15:00.001-05:00

Since I've now been here for three and a half years, I figure it's high time that I actually explore the town of Chattanooga--true, it's no St. Louis, but it definitely has some cool spots of its own. The other night Josh and I went to Foodworks...this restaurant that I've wanted to go to since I came to Covenant and yet never made it.

But we finally went, and it definitely made the cut. It's an old warehouse so it's got different levels for seating, a cool layout, but above all--really good food...and, I definitely got the added bonus of being there with a cool guy.

Things I love about living off campus:

2007-09-05T22:04:00.000-05:00

So this year some friends and I decided to live off campus...having now been in the house for a total of three weeks, I feel this has been a positive decision. I do miss the hall and all the girls up there, but there are some definite benefits to being here...a few of those are as follows:

1. The "No School at Home" rule...when at home, school does not exist. This means actually attempting to be efficient when at school (my SIP carrel is becoming my greatest ally), thus leaving time for me to enjoy my housemates!
2. Having the space, stove, and kitchen table to cook whatever i want, whenever i want, for whoever i want....I always wanted to have people over all the time, and now i can actually do it (though i'm still working on the actual cooking part of this social engagement!)
3. Still being at school everyday long enough to see my friends and former hall-mates, but when I come home, there's only 4 of us girls--not 27 of us. Don't get me wrong, i love every one of those 27 girls and miss them, but that is a whole lot of estrogen in one place.
4. Having a bedroom....and a tv/hangout room...and a kitchen....and a dining room....and a porch...oh wait, make that 2 porches........so, you mean most people don't combine all of those into one 15' x 10' dorm room???
5. McDonald's is now a whole lot closer to me...yes, i'm feeding the addiction.

i know there's something i was supposed to be doing all summer...

2007-08-24T13:35:00.000-05:00

So at good old Covenant we have this thing called a SIP--our senior integration project. I started it last semester and am supposed to be completing it this semester. So in an attempt to organize what i have left to do, here is what i completed last semester...
1. pick a really cool topic that everyone will "ooh" and "ahh" over (Nancy Drew...heck yes)
2. Go to the library at least a couple times to find the titles of books i should probably be using to research
3. Write two 10 page papers on the sources that I have supposedly 'already' read on the topic (hmmm, about that...)

Thus, the summer was supposed to give me some time to do some hard core research...too bad i got a job, met some cool people and wanted to hang out with the family.

So this year, i have a nifty SIP Carrell (pretty much a mini-cubicle surrounded by about 60 other mini-cubicles, further surrounded by the library stacks) in the library to help me focus, and you can see how much it's helped me so far, because what am i doing in it right now...blogging. oh boy.

Chattavegas!

2007-08-19T13:40:00.001-05:00

Who says that you need to see a house before you start renting it? Twice now I've moved into my new homes without laying eyes on them before, and it's worked out well so far! But I'm now moved into my St. Elmo house and wanted to share a few pictures of the new crib (which is still a bit messy since we've only just moved in...it'll get clean, Mom, I promise!). I'm living with 3 other girls--Anna, Anna, and Sarah--which has been great for the past couple days.
As far as being back here in Chattanooga, things here are great! The other day we helped the new freshman move into the residence halls (which was an odd experience not being an RA this time around), spending time catching up with girls from Third South, and seeing Josh (all of which have been wonderful!). It's so good to be back and starting to get into a rhythm again. I should add though, that whenever people ask me about my summer I have to explain how wonderful it was. St. Louis isn't anything like Cambridge last summer, but I loved being home, with my family, and with old/new friends and I'm so glad that I was there!

Hi, Carin and Emily...

2007-08-12T22:51:00.000-05:00

...and yes, I'm going to make you wait till I come to visit you this week!
;)

A Bit of Nostalgia

2007-08-04T17:21:00.001-05:00

So for the past week or so, I have been the only one in my house who’s not on vacation. My mom is off till Sunday, Katy’s still got 2 weeks of summer break, Leah’s packing up to go to NYC, and even my Dad is off for 3 weeks! So they’ve all up and left me, to go out to our cabin for a little vacation.

Now this cabin is not just any cabin. When I was in first grade, my dad had the privilege of taking a year sabbatical to write his book In the Grip of Grace, during which time we all moved to the cabin in the middle of the woods. We home schooled (which my mom did an amazing job at…she even taught me to read!), but most of the time us kids just roamed the woods and got into trouble. We'd go out into the woods as soon as school was done, with hatchets and blow horns (...so i had a tendency to get lost) in hand and get back just in time for dinner.

ANYWAY, yesterday I went out to the cabin for the day to be with my family on their little vacation, and that’s right, as I drove out there I definitely got lost in a bit of nostalgia. So here for your viewing pleasure, a few small pictures with a lot of memories behind them!

Corinne's in Charge Now

2007-08-03T00:35:00.001-05:00

Last weekend I got the chance to play grown-up, because there’s no way someone could actually think I would count as one legitimately just yet! But in any case, one of my sister’s friend’s parents thought I was close enough, and I had the opportunity to hang with JD and Annie, two of the most awesome kids ever for 3 days! They even let me play with their x-box on their 8 foot tv/ home theatre system…although I failed miserably.
On Saturday, it was Annie’s turn to pick what we would do for the day, and as it turned out, she wanted to take advantage of their family’s season passes to Six Flags, which meant I was the ‘adult’ chaperone for Annie and her friend, Emily; now I personally thought their parents were crazy to have me be the only grown up for these two 13 year olds at this massive theme park!
But in any case, we went, and had an absolute blast! (What does it say about my maturity level if I had such a good time hanging out all day with two 13 year-olds at a theme park I haven’t been to since I was in eighth grade???). We braved the roller coasters (which is another sign that I was trying to be ‘grown up’ because I hated heights as a kid and wouldn’t go on a roller coaster until I was 14! They’ve grown on me a bit since then, though!).
But the best part of the day, for the girls at least, was when we walked past Dragon Wings (if you don’t know what this is, basically they hook you to a harness/bungie cord thing, pull you up to 160 feet, and then let you free-fall to within about 6 feet of the ground…fun, huh?) and they decided they wanted to try. So after calling for permission from their ‘rents, they got hoisted up, and then did the drop. See that spot to the right of the metal V--that's Annie and Emily...oh boy.
Yes, this is what we do when Corinne’s in charge!

Don't you think daisies are the friendliest flower?

2007-07-24T00:03:00.000-05:00

So today I was reminded yet one more time how sweet my boyfriend is...then again, he’s pretty good at reminding me of that all the time, but today he was especially good at it.

In the midst of my normal work routine at the Seminary receptionist desk, a flower delivery guy comes in. Now being one of the front desk receptionists, it’s not all that uncommon to see some flowers pass through the doors. But today—today was different. Instead of telling some other girl how sweet her guy was to send her flowers, today the tables were turned and for the first time in my life I was the one answering the questions about my sweet guy who sent me flowers…that’s right, I got a basket full of daisies…which also happen to be my favorite flower! (for those of you who watch the chick flicks here’s the scene running through your head just to help you out! you've-got-mail). So as much as I blushed the minute I found out they were for me, you can imagine how many times I blushed throughout the day as each new person asked me about my flowers--I think I might permanently be a shade redder. So Josh, as all my co-workers said today…you did good…real good.

I live in a baseball town!

2007-07-23T23:14:00.000-05:00

A quotation from a real, though unnamed, local high school’s dress code:

“*hair must be clean, no longer than collar length for boys…so that it does not call undue attention to the student, and with natural hair colors only.
*All students must wear shoes. Bedroom slippers are not permitted.
*Tight-fitting clothing is not permitted. As a guideline, there should be discernable slack/space between clothing and body.
*Advertising of alcoholic beverages, bands, or inappropriate, blasphemous, obscene or suggestive slogans, pictures, or the Chicago Cubs on clothing is not permitted.”

And that my friends, is how you do it.

"I'm just trying to keep up with the social life of a 13-year-old!"

2007-07-21T02:39:00.000-05:00

So tonight I became one of those people—yes, those people—who waited in line for far too long into the night to get one of the coveted Harry Potter books….but I have a very good excuse…I’m just trying to keep up with my sister, whose 13 birthday is today. Although I’m in college and thought I had my own fairly social life, since I’ve been home for the summer I’ve realized that my own ‘baby’ sister, now teenage sister, is far more popular than me—she even double booked me and had to cancel our date for Ratatouille!

But tonight was my chance to redeem myself and become cool enough to hang out with a 13 year old again, and I think I may have achieved my goal.

At 11pm, Katy and I left our warm beds and comfortable house to go sit in line for 3 hours at Borders so that she too could be one of the cool kids with the new Harry Potter book (ok, granted she absolutely loves Harry and couldn’t care less if anyone else in the world even reads the books!) and so I could be cool enough to hang with her. We prepared ourselves to meet some interesting people (as seen above), and took the plunge. Now, at 2:30am we are home again, but triumphant with book in hand. The following pictures chronicle the joys, pains, and emotional rollercoaster of those three ½ hours:

The sheet of paper they gave us for our place in line says number 22!!! We'll be the 22nd people to get the book!

realizing that '22' actually means we're in the 22nd group of 20 to get in line to buy the book...in other words, there's over 400 people ahead of us, and they won't even let us in the line until 300 of those people are gone from the store!
realizing just how long we're going to be here...

...and we're at the 1:30 mark...

Coming up with all sorts of schemes to cause trouble

We almost get to join the line!
it's ours, all ours
but you know what, maybe we just love each other because we're sisters...forget Harry Potter!

The Spinning Beach Ball of Death returns...again

2007-07-18T13:31:00.001-05:00

So for any Mac users, you know what I’m talking about…rare though it may be, when your computer is about to freeze up/ crash/ possibly-die-forever you see this little buddy pop up…but don’t be deceived by its bright colors or happy spinning—you’re computer is about to be very mad at you.

This little spinning ball and I have become good friends apparently, because as much as I love my gadgets, they apparently seem to hate me...all my tech stuff one-by-one suddenly and unexpectantly dies, thus the frequent appearance of the BBOD.

But this has also made me and the Geniuses at the Apple store good friends as well…last year after the fourth time that they’d completely replaced the innards of my computer (all for free), they decided to just give me a brand new computer (also for free), and in the most recent turn of events, I now have a brand new ipod (also for free).

Morals of the story…(1) don’t let any of your computers, ipods, mp3 players, or anything else like that too near me or else it too will probably die. (2) become friends with the Mac Geniuses and they’ll always take care of you! (3) if you see the BBOD, run far, far away!

Lest anyone think that nothing exciting happens in my life...

2007-07-15T15:31:00.000-05:00

So I bet all of y’all thought it would never happen, but it’s true—I, Corinne Chapell, like a boy—yup! And the cool part of it is, he likes me too! AND on top of all that…we’re actually dating!
So how did all this happen? Well, it’s a bit of a story.

3 years ago a brand spankin’ new freshman girl showed up at Covenant College; her name was Corinne. After a crazy first semester getting to know people and getting in all sorts of trouble, she and some of her friends decided to play a prank on some new found guy friends who happened to be out of town. One TP/rolling job, 2 empty bathrooms, and 4 missing mattresses later, these girls were sealed in as friends with those guys. Which is where a boy named Josh comes in.

Josh was sitting around (ok, maybe actually being really busy being an RA and living life) getting into his own trouble with his own friends, and slowly started to get to know Corinne and thought she was kind of cool. Corinne slowly started to get to know Josh, and thought he was kind of cool, but both Corinne and Josh were just friends—really truly.

Two years went by in this friendship, and Josh graduated; although he came from paradise (otherwise known as Hawaii) he decided he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to become a Georgia resident, and became an assistant RD for Covenant College. The summer before starting his new job, Josh occasionally kept up with his friend, Corinne, who was living in England, and they were both excited to hang out again when school started especially since Corinne was going to be back at Covenant as an RA (which meant Josh would be not only her friend but her boss). Oh yeah, and maybe at this point Corinne thought a little more of Josh than before, but in the name of friendship Corinne decided that she was not going to like Josh and would take personal measures to tuck those feelings away.

So the year started, and after a few months, a massive ball-pit, 17 hours of driving, countless mike and ikes, some drama, and a lot of laughter and fun later—a little something-something started to happen … and it turns out that Corinne and Josh both like each other. Oh gracious.

Here enters problem: Josh is ARD (staff) + Corinne is RA (student)= Against Covenant rules.

So despite their feelings, Josh and Corinne decide together to honor the commitments made, and for the next 5 months (yes, F-I-V-E MONTHS) Corinne and Josh remained friends despite a whole lot of awkward situations and questions.

UNTIL on May 1st, the powers-at-be (wonderful people that they are) decided things could begin to happen, and thus Corinne and Josh went on their first date, and began to sort out the confusion of having 2 possible dates for everything—What was their anniversary? When was their first movie, first drive, first…well…just about anything?

But despite the confusion, Josh and Corinne sorted it out in their own way, and 1 Die Hard movie, 2 tickets to Hawaii, almost 3 months, and a lot of cell phone minutes later—Josh and Corinne are going strong and just waiting till they will actually be in the same city together for the school year again!

In the words of a famous 3Cer, Amen.

home again, home again

2006-08-07T13:11:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!
So at last i'm home in the states!
It was quite the adventure getting there though! On my last night in Cambridge, several friends had taken me out, and although we didn't stay out late at all, I still had to pack and clean my flat...which meant that i didn't actually get to bed until 3am. Then, i had to wake up at 5:30 to catch a taxi to my train so i could get to the airport exactly 2 hours before my flight...and I figured everything was going pretty well! My train was running about 20 minutes late, but i had counted that into my 2 hours, so everything was going great...until my first stop. To get to Gatwick airport I had to make a changeover from one train, to the tube, to another train. Too bad no one had reported to the National Rail Company that 'emergency construction' had shut down an entire line of the tube (which happened to be my line!). So i had to wait an hour (which i did NOT count into my 2hour time for the airport!) for another train, so that i could get on a different line of the tube...now keep in mind during all of this that i'm moving back to the states after 3 months--I have my computer bag, as well as 2 fifty pound plus bags--the stations i stopped at had no lifts, which meant carrying these bags up 2-3 staircases, and then across the lines, and down 2-3 staircases...my back was a little sore.
All through this though, i met some really nice people! A couple of moms traveling with their daughters were calling their husbands at work to try to get different train times, tube connections, and taxi fares for me...they were really nice! I also had a Texan (50 but still backpacking Europe) help me on the tube, and an Arab guy help me carry my bags up 2 flights of stairs...and another lady let me call the states on her cell phone to tell my mom what was going on! I tried calling Jordan to see if he could check me in online (alhtough that didn't work), and he was great to wake up at about 2 am to try and help me!
So anyway, after getting all different connections than i planned on (and literally running through all the stations) i finally arrived at Gatwick airport with 63 minutes before my flight was supposed to take off...although as i was running up to the checkin counter with my passport in hand, the intercom blared out that flight 2227 to Atlanta (my flight) was now closed for checkin--umm...set in first stage of panic. But i went up to the counter, and the lady was nice enough to extend it for me, and she started to put through my stuff, until she looks up from her computer screen and tells me that they overbooked the flight...second stage of panic. So while she's trying to find a flight for me within the next 2 days, i call my parents (though it's about 3 in the morning there) to tell them what's going on.
So as the minutes are ticking away, this one guy and i (he's in the same situation) are waiting to hear just how long it's going to take us to get home...when the lady at the counter tells us that there are 2 people getting off the flight, so there's room for us...if we run. By this point there's about 12 minutes before our flight is supposed to take off, and what do you know...our gate is the furthest possible in all of Gatwick airport. So we cut line after line through security, and start sprinting (and i mean sprinting) through the airport. We were so close that i made it...and he didn't. But at last , i was on my way home!
So after all that, i sat down for a very enjoyable 8 hour flight of doing nothing but sitting. And now, after the drive, and some great time with the fam...i'm home! (that is until Thursday when i go back to Covenant!!!)

Cornwall, sweet Cornwall

2006-08-07T12:33:00.000-05:00

Well friends, before I headed back home to the states, i thought it would be nice to take one last trip across the beautiful UK that i fell in love with. I thought it quite appropriate that my last trip before going to the "New World" would be to go to where they once thought the end of the world was--Cornwall, the Western most tip of England (i also heard that it's been compared to the riveria, so that sounded nice too!). One trivia fact about Cornwall: during WWII it was expected that if England were invaded, this would be a prime spot...so there are WWII defences everywhere...bomb shelters, a topsecret telegraph system, and mini forts...pretty cool all in all. But, this trip was completely different than my others in that i wasn't going to really 'see' anything, i just wanted to relax.
So for a base to explore from, i took the train to Penzance (oh, yes, musical lovers--Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Pirates...' was inspired here) which was really nice. It's a fishing, boat, and trade center, but has stayed suprisingly unique...alhtough a bit small. The promenade...
was really nice too. One thing that Penzance had right--their fish! I went with some people from my hostel to this little tiny pub (family owned--mom runs the counter, dad cooks the food, and the 15 year old son runs the food). It took forever to get our food, but i can honestly say that it was the best fish i've ever had in my life--it had been caught that very morning!
So after a late night at the hostel talking with a group from Algeria, I went to bed, planning what to do the next day.
The morning was a bit rainy, but all the locals laughed and said that it would clear up by noon, so i decided to catch the bus to a nearby beach...which was incredible. I hiked all around it b/c while the beach is quiet and has beautiful sand, it's surrounded by dramatic cliffs

So after hiking for a couple hours (and getting stung by all sorts of bugs and plants) i ended up at this really cool outdoor theatre called the Minack. You really can't beat the backdrop of the sea at rising tide as you watch Hamlet!
After that i prettymuch spent the rest of the day at the beach--spectacular--although the water was unbelievably cold. I went in expecting that at some point my body would adjust to it...nope...stayed completely freezing until i turned completely numb and had to get out b/c i could barely move my fingers! But the sun was warm enough to restore feeling in a few minutes...and it was one of my favorite beaches i've ever been to.
The next day i caught another bus to Lands End (no, not the clothing line...) what people used to think was the end of the world! They had no idea that across the ocean were new peoples and land--what we call home now! It was really beautiful, and i hiked around here as much as possible too...really, just beautiful

All in all it was a worthwhile and very restful trip...perfect for my last excursion from Cambridge!

We are the SCOTS!

2006-07-23T10:03:00.000-05:00

So at last, i made it up to the homeland...ok, maybe not mine, technically, but i did have flashbacks to football/soccer cheers from Covenant...hence the scottish cow in "jeff kyle" type wear above. (By the way, right now Edinburgh is hosting the cows that are traveling Europe. So basically everywhere you turn there's a cow painted one way or another!)
After a fairly long train ride from Cambridge, I finally arrived in Edinburgh, but the train ride was so beautiful it was absolutely worth it...even if i did have to catch the train (a few miles walk from my flat) at 4:50 AM! But at last i arrived and spent most of the day just walking around the city. It was so nice to be there b/c most of the places i've been have either been a big, modern city OR a quaint little village...and Edinburgh somehow manages to capture a little bit of both. There's history and art everywhere. Tons of reformation type stuff, but interestingly, people don't really care. In fact, one reformer's grave is now just a spraypainted marker in the middle of a parking lot! But i did make it to John Knox's house...

the cathedral where he preached (St. Giles)...

and several museums, one of which has the pulpit that Knox preached from.
The first day there i pretty much wandered the streets and free museums as much as possible, and it was fantastic. Saw the crown jewels, some Monet and Van Gogh exhibits, the original Audobon paintings, JK Rolling's cafe where she writes the Harry Potter books, Greyfriar's Bobby cemetery (long history there for the reformers, as well as a faithful little dog who visited his master's grave for 10 years after he died...until the dog, Bobby, died. Now he has his own grave amidst a bunch of reformers and famous people! Kind of humorous don't you think!).
That night i just hung out at the hostel for a while, got to meet some cool people...a Swede, a Kiwi, and yet another Canadian(they're everywhere you turn!)...we also got some Italian (hmmm, italian food in scotland...oh well) before an early bed time.
The next day we all toured the rest of the city together...from the Scott Monument (the world's largest monument to a writer)...

the Nelson Monument (for Lord Nelson that has a breathtaking view of the city)...
and Edinburgh Castle (which is still fully functional and in use)...
The whole thing was fantastic, and i just wish the pictures could do it justice. There were bagpipers on EVERY streetcorner...i even recognized a bunch of them from good old covenant ceremonies and games. However, once the pipes went down and they started to actually talk, you couldn't undersstand a word b/c their accent in Scotland is so thick...it's really not English at all i'm convinced! Covenant may be geographically a long ways away from Scotland, but we did pick a beautiful place and country to use in our cheers!

Going Away Party

2006-07-23T08:56:00.000-05:00

Well, it's hard to believe, but as I write this i am exactly a week away from leaving my beautiful Cambridge! On Friday night a bunch of my friends and people from work (where my nickname is Corinne Bailey Raye after the singer who's HUGE here...i don't know anything about her...so who knows) took me out for a going away party which was so much fun. It was a completely odd grouping of people...all ages, all interests...

it was pretty nutty, but tons of fun! Well, i was going to put up some pictures, but it looks like blogspot.com is having some issues right now, so you'll all just have to wait a little bit longer for those, but i'll get them up eventually!

Les Miserables=BRILLIANT!

2006-07-10T11:05:00.000-05:00

All right, so everyone told me i had to see Les Mis done by the London Company, and boy were they right...it's absolutely spectacular. I don't cry very often in theatre productions (even though i LOVE going), but boy did i cry. If you ever have a chance to see it, pay the money and go!

Boy am I tired!

2006-07-10T09:34:00.000-05:00

Well mates, yet again i've been off train-hopping, and after a busy couple of weeks, it's good to be just sitting here in front of a computer screen (although i must admit that i am checking out the train tables for this coming week!). Last week Jones' started their major summer sale--which means that that shop was so full if any fire marshall had come by we would have been incurred some major fines! Although i'm happy to say, that somehow at the end of it all i ended up as the sales-performance-leader for the week, which is a fancy way of saying that i sold some 5000 GBP of shoes (with the conversion rate, that means about $10,000). So if that wasn't exhausting enough, after my last day of work for the week, i got home just in time to pack up for a short trip out with Colin and Heather.

So early the next morning we cuaght the train to Canterbury (think Chaucer's Canterbury tales). This was actually the first time that we've gone somewhere outside of Cambridge together, so it was really fun to spend a whole day just tramping about a new town with my brother and his wife--lots of good times. The main things to see here are Canterbury Cathedral (one of the most famous pilgrimage sights--the 'relic' was to come touch the bones of Thomas Beckett who was martyred inside the Cathedral. His coffin/tomb had several holes in the side of it, so the pilgrims would reach their hands inside so that they could touch him...and the really adventurous could stick their heads inside to kiss the corpse...the closer you got a relic, the more blessed you were!). And the Cathedral alone was well worth the visit. You can just imagine pilgrims from all over the world coming to this place and from miles around looking up to see the spires at last--they're breathtaking, and after such long journies...well, just imagine. We also went to see the Augustine Abbey ruins...and oh yes, the gravesite of St. Augustine (another pilgrimage sight...but Augustine didn't have the holes in his tomb!) ...that was really cool too.
After seeing these two sights, we decided that the day was yet young, and we caught the train to Dover, just a short 30 minutes away, to see the famous white cliffs...which are every bit as beautiful as you can imagine. Just above them sits the pictureque Dover Castle where Churchill had his secret wartime tunnels through the cliffs. Dover was bombed really heavily during WWII, as you can imagine just being on the other side of the channel, but it still has it's natural beauty intact.

But at this point, it was time for Colin and Heather to head home. I stayed in a hostel for the night though, and after a bit more exploring in Canterbury the next morning, I caught the train to Stratford-upon-avon--better known as Shakespeare country. It was here that the famous bard was born, married, and lived.

I got there just in time to catch the final English World Cup game (thanks for jinxing them in your last e-mail Josh!), but just as the crowds were getting a bit rowdy on the streets, i ducked into the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, where i saw Romeo and Juliet (a very interesting interpretation--instead of actual sword fights, any duels between the families were done using stomp and dance!). Ironically enough, i ended up sitting next to an economics professor from Rhodes University in the states! What are the chances of that!
When the play got out, the crowds were still a bit rowdy, so i caught a taxi to my hostel (first taxi i've gotten since i got here..and yes, my feet can tell you that i walk a lot of miles everyday), where just as i lay my head down on the pillow, the fire alarm went off (ode to Carter Hall!). So we all tramped out to the lawn and sat there for about 1/2 an hour before finally getting back to bed...but there are always fun conversations with random folks when stuff like that happens, so it was a good night after all b/c i met some cool people.
The next morning i got up and walked the 3 miles into the city centre of Stratford and went to see all the sights...including the bards grave at the beautiful Holy Trinity Church. All in all, it was a spectacular weekend, but when i finally got back to my flat, i was ready to do nothing but sleep...and that's exactly what i did (at least until work at 8:30 the next morning!)
I'll try to upload some pics soon...it seems that the cafe's internet is having issues...see you soon!

On my bookshelf:

2006-06-25T06:02:00.000-05:00

Aspects of a novel (EM Forster): From a lecture series at Trinity College (Cambridge University) on the 7 components/aspects of what a novel is.
Passsage to India (EM Forster): Classic story which many of us read in high school or at some point or another (and yes, it is also a movie). Set in British ruled India, it's the tragic story of interaction between these two different cultures on an individual and broader level as seen through the lives of Aziz, Fielding, and Adela.
EM Forster: A Life (PN Furbank): Actually a really interesting biography on Forster...lots of focus on relationship and interaction.
The Awakening (Kate Chopin): A feminist novel about a woman's awakening to a truer sense of self...interesting but depressing read.
In the Name of Jesus (Henri JM Nouwen): All about Christian leadership, but more than that about living a purposefully Christ-centered life in the community of believers about us.

Seeing 'the other' Uni

2006-06-16T17:10:00.000-05:00

Tonight I write not from my little flat, or from the local library, or from the internet cafe down the street in Cambridge...no, I'm actually writing this from Michael Rhodes' house in Oxford! While some of you back home may not understand the fax paus this is considered in either university town, here's the run down. Both Oxford and Cambridge pretty much hate each other, so to take a weekend to go visit the 'other uni' is quite a big deal. But in any case, it's actually been a really fun weekend, and good to spend some time to really hang out with someone from back home. Rhodes has been doing a study over here in Oxford for the past month,and it's his last weekend in the UK before he heads over to the mainland to backpack for a bit, so I figured it would be fun to see one last American before the only one I know over here (aside from my brother and his wife who are also leaving for holiday this week) heads off.
We pretty much wandered a good chunk of Oxford,and although it is a university town like Cambridge, it is quite, quite different here. It all started out with a good stop at The Eagle and Child, the pub where the Inklings (including C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien) met in the "Rabbit Room" in the back.
We also wandered through several of the colleges and the gardens, Christ Church, and went up into the tower of the oldest building in Oxford dating back to 1040ish--Saxon Tower. Of course we also had to make a few stops through the day to catch the World Cup games (the hype here is incredible, and it's really been wonderful. I'm actually considered quite the novelty as a girl (american none-the-less) who enjoys watching soccer and actually knows what's going on for the most part. Tomorrow we're off to do some punting, and hiking, and whatever else we can fit in the short 24 hours of a single day. It's been incredible, and I'll try to post some pictures in the next few days!

Yorkshire

2006-06-14T09:02:00.000-05:00

After my trip to the Lake District, I also made a short excursion to York...beautiful country, but I wasn't as impressed with York as I have been with the other places I've been, especially right after such wonderful 2 days in Windermere. But it was fun none-the-less.
I didn't get in until fairly late that night, but the hostel i was staying in was an old mansion, so it was a really cool place in itself and had this really impressive grand staircase as soon as you walked in the door. The hostels get pretty full over the weekends, so thankfully I had prebooked by phone, but even as I was checking in, several people were turned away...and as they did, one of them muttered how this was the fifth place they had tried with no vacancies!
But anyway, enough of the hostel! the next morning I got up and wandered all over the city...from Clifford's Tower (the only remains of the great castle that used to be here in York), to the local market, to old mansions and such all over town. I also walked on the ramparts (the old city walls/fortifications)...there's a picture below.

The high light of it though was York Minster, credited as being one of the most impressive cathedrals in the UK and a great pilgrimage sight second only to Cantebury itself. It really was gorgeous, especially as you walked up to the narrow streets when all of a sudden is this gigantic, majestic building right before you.

I climbed up the central tower (at the top of a WHOLE, WHOLE lot of narrow, winding stairs) and got an amazing panoramic view of the city as a whole...really beautiful.
But my stay here had to be really brief, so later that afternoon I hopped on the train, and started back home, where at the end of 3 very active days, i sat down on my couch and promptly fell asleep at 9:30!

The Northern Lake Country!

2006-06-14T08:08:00.000-05:00

Well my friends, once again i found myself with a few days off of work, so I caught the next train I could and I was off!
On Friday morning I woke up bright and early to catch the 5:30 train (mind that my flat is a two mile walk to the train station!) to Windermere in the northern lake district to spend a few days exploring where writers like Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter (and many, many more!). And after all the train connections and fuss, at last I arrived to one of the most beautiful spots I have ever been to...it was absolutely breathtaking, and I only wish that words or pictures could even halfway capture some of the things that I saw and felt, but as that isn't possible, I'll keep it brief and to the point (or at least attempt to do so).
Once I arrived I in Windermere, the main town in the lake district for exploring the lakes, I made the 2 mile trek down to Bowness-on-Windermere where the actual lake the town is named after is found. It was breathtaking to walk up to through the old streets and buildings. After a quick lunch of fish and chips from a little vendor, I rented a rowboat for the afternoon, and took off on the lake itself for a few hours...and oh yes, my back tells the tale of a bright and sunny day (it's finally reached 80F here in England!). Eventually I pulled into a little cove and jumped in, becuase when else am I going to be able to swim in the lakes that Wordsworth wrote about and lived by? It was quite chilly, but refreshing after all that rowing!
That afternoon I hiked around as much as I could, and ended up wandering up the backside of Orrest Head (what they try to call a mountain here...). Becuase I went up the backway instead of up the trails the right way, I found myself wandering through all types of fields and climbing over drystone walls. Every time the trees would break and you would get this great panoramic view, I kept on thinking that this must be the best view on the mountain, but by the time I reached the next break in trees, I had to change my mind and once again conclude that this must be the best view...absolutely gorgeous.

But eventually as the sun set, I had to climb down once again and spend the night in this little tiny hostel where I had some more fun conversations with a Brit, a Canadian, a Malaysian, and a Japanese dude--the hostels tend to be a tad diverse here! We all watched some bbc coverage of the World Cup too...it's everywhere here, and it's been really enjoyable to catch onto the hype, and thanks to high school and Covenant, I can actually discuss football (aka soccer) with some competance (which really impresses people that an American might actually have a clue what's going on!).
The next morning I was up early again hiking around, but eventually I decided to go on a morning bus tour so that I could catch some of the further out sights that I couldn't get to on my own. Let me tell you...bus tours are the way to go...and if you ever go on one, insist on sitting in the front up by the driver--you'll get some extra facts, and usually have a good time joking around with the driver/guide. Ironically, as we started up I turned around in the bus to realize that other than the driver, I was the ONLY one who could speak a word of English...all the rest of the crew were Japanese! I found out that day that the Lake District is always packed with Japanese tourists not only becuase of it's beauty, but also because of Beatrix Potter having lived and wrote there...you see, any Japanese individual that learns English is taught using the Beatrix Potter books! In Tokyo they even have a replica built of Beatrix Potter's house and grounds so that they don't have to travel all the way to England to get the feel for this great English lady!!!
Part of the bus tour included stopping at her house for a look around (it's amazing, all the illustrations from her books like Peter Rabbit are actually scenes from around her house and garden!)Here's a picture of it.... We went to several lakes, and also went to Grasmere and Dove's Cottage.......Wordsworth's home, which was really cool. We also saw his grave (and those of his entire family!).
As we were driving, the bus driver asked me why I had only signed up for the half day tour (everyone else on the bus was doing a full day tour that was only a few pounds more), and I told him I had to watch the game! Oh yes, this was all on the day of England's first game in the World Cup...well he was actually quite jealous...here he was the only Brit. on the bus, and he had to drive around a whole bus of people who could care less about the game, and the only other person who could speak English was leaving to watch it! But after a bit (and after remembering that he'd brought along his radio tv so he wouldn't miss the whole thing) he was kind enough to drop me off at the "Best pub in town" to watch the game. It was really fun to watch it with a whole pub-full of England fans!
After this, it was time to catch my train (a short trip to the Lake district yes!) and watch the beautiful countryside slip away allong the tracks.

On the Bookshelf

2006-06-02T09:31:00.000-05:00

Nadja--By Andre Breton:
A surrealist novel. Picture a Dahli painting (if you haven't heard of him, one is entitled "Soft Construction on Boiled Beans"...does that give you a clear) and then try to turn it into a novel...really wierd, and really interesting!

Villete--By Charlotte Bronte:
Quite a different novel following Breton's work, and this is a traditional example of the Bronte sisters and reminds me a lot of Jane Eyre (another of hers).

House on Mango Street--Sandra Cisneros:
This really is a great book, and a quick read too. In a series of short vignettes, the reader gets a picture of a young Hispanic growing up in a hard world where her dreams are all important.

Cardiff, Wales and Bath, England

2006-05-28T17:21:00.001-05:00

Well, as I realized that within the next few days I would once again be part of the work force, I decided that I would first take a brief excursion about the UK! For my first stop, I bought my train ticket to Cardiff, the capital of Wales, and decided to come back to Cambrdige through way of Bath...so first off, let me talk about Wales!
Wales is absolutely gorgeous! The countryside throughout the UK is absolutely breathtaking and has the deepest and richest shades of green and all types of color. You can hardly imagine (and I guess the frequent rain helps a bit too!) So at last, after about 4 hours on the train I arrived in Cardiff, and proceeded to walk the soles off my shoes going everywhere that I could in the day and 1/2 that I had for Cardiff. I went to their Millenium Stadium (an enormous sports stadium that looks a bit like an 80's attempt at modern architecture--really kind of an eyesore in the middle of the city), their Millenium Center (here's a picture of the gorgeous opera house very picturesquely placed right in the middle of the bay--yes, Cardiff is on the coast), and also to Cardiff Castle (which though small, is really beautiful and cool becuase you can tour the inside...which was actually decorated during the Victorian era according to their fantasy of what the Gothic era and before would have looked like. Just about all of it is solid wood, elaborately painted murals, or gold-plated...and this was only the summertime castle for the Stuart family's relatives!).
That night I also went to see some live jazz with some Aussies I met at the hostel where I was staying...it really is cool to meet and talk with all these international travelers. So far I've mostly met Aussies, Kiwis (New Zealanders), or Canadians (Canadians are everywhere!). Suprisingly enough, I’m usually the youngest present! Most of the travelors I’ve met are well-off doctors or engineers in their late 20’s going through an early mid-life crisis, so they’re taking a year or two off to travel! It has really been interesting to hear their perspectives and have long conversations about life, motivations, etc., which are common topics in this group …if you could pray of me during these conversations, that would be amazing! Sometimes the questions are pretty hard, and I’ve been the only Christian (or even religious person for that matter) present in each time…however, people have been really willing to listen, and I’m willing to listen to them, so it’s been really enjoyable and stretching.

The next day several of us (2 Canadians and an Aussie) went to a nearby castle that is supposed to be one of the largest in the UK--Caerphilly Castle (yeah, try to pronounce that the right way here and you'll only get laughed at!) and explored all over the place. As we were leaving to go to the castle it was rainy and really cold, but by the time we got there 30 minutes later, it was bright, sunny, and really warm. The local joke here is four seasons in four hours, and they're really not kidding!
Then, I was off to Bath! Now my American friends, you don't say this word like “bath tub”, or else you will either get laughed at or completely ignored. To pronounce correctly: Hold you head way up high (think of all your British stereotypes), look haughtily about you, and eloquently as possible say "Bahhhhth." There you have it!

Anyway, Bath really is one of the most picturesque and beautiful places I have ever seen. Absolutely gorgeous!!! There are cathedrals everywhere, hundreds of years old limestone buildings everywhere, the ancient Roman baths, and rolling hills dotted with sheep and everything. Absolutely wonderful…I could have spent weeks here just looking at the town--I wish pictures could halfway capture it! Here I again walked everywhere they would let me, and in the day and half I was here I saw their Botanical Gardens, the Royal Victoria Park, the Jane Austen Center, The Circus and Royal Crescent (enormous terrace houses that will make you stop breathing when you walk up to them they’re so gorgeous and impressive), the Roman Baths,

the Bath Abbey, Pulteney Bridge, and the Holbourne Art Museum---so believe it or not, this really long post is the edited version of everything I did! I also made a short trip out to see Stonehenge (which was really cool to see!) and the small village of Lacock (where parts of Harry Potter and the original BBC Pride and Prejudice were filmed!) on the way back. Also while we were here, the Antiques Road Show was on their way through (it made me think of you, Dad!) and the lines were just beginning to form with all the antiques and treasures in tow.

It really was incredible, and maybe when I get back I’ll have the chance to tell you all the side stories and wonderful experiences I had here, but as this is already very long, I think I had better go!

On My Bookshelf This Week:

2006-05-28T13:58:00.002-05:00

Another Country--by James Baldwin:
Yeah, still not my favorite author I decided, but figured it's a fairly well-known novel so might as well read it!

Great Expectations--by Charles Dickens:
So I haven't read any Dickens since I was a sophomore in high school (at which point I wasn't the biggest fan), but after reading some of his again, I'm converted! Dickens is awesome!

Travels With Charley--by Steinbeck:
Anyone who is traveling, thinking about traveling, or ever will travel, must read this!

I've got a job!!!

2006-05-26T12:01:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!
So as most of you know, part of my deal in coming here was that I was going to find a job and work...let me tell you...living in the UK is not exactly cheap either!
So after a long, and pretty discouraging job search, I have finally found a job and am a proud employee of Jones Bootmakers...a little shoestore in the City Centre here in Cambridge.
This is actually a huge answer to prayer, because as I was looking for a job, everyone had told me either that they didn't need anyone temporary, or they needed someone who could work Sundays. So it was all posing a bit of a problem. However, one morning (quite early I might add!) I finally got a phone call back from Jones (and i'll add in here that this was the main store that had told me I would never find a job in Cambridge if I couldn't work Sundays!) who was calling back to say that they actually looked at my application, and decided that my experience in retail made it worth it to them because they really needed someone just for the summer! What is even more amazing is that a few hours before, my parents had actually sat down together to pray that I would find a job that very day...and God answered that request!
So I've now been working for a bit at Jones', and I actually enjoy it a lot. My co-workers are a lot of fun (most of our tea time breaks are spent coming up with jokes to play on the other workers who aren't on break) and the work is easy enough. Bring on the shoe sales!

On My Bookshelf LAST Week:

2006-05-25T11:25:00.000-05:00

Sorry! I was out of town so I didn't have time to post anything!

The Watsons--Jane Austen:
This is actually a fragment of a novel by Austen. She got about 100 pages in and decided she didn't want to go any further...but I thought it was quite interesting...and even more interesting to consider why she didn't finish it!

Sense and Sensibility--Jane Austen:
Since I'm slowly making my way through the alphabet, I thought I had to include this classic since I've already read Pride and Prejudice!

Another Country--James Baldwin: (also author of Notes of a Native Son)
Definitely, definitely not my favorite peice of literature from the Harlem Renaissance...but it is kind of cool how he interplays the use of jazz and Biblical stories into the narrative.

Awkward Turtle Moment

2006-05-16T07:19:00.000-05:00

So here's my awkward moment of the week. The day after Rhodes left, I thought I would just sleep in, relax, and eventually when I woke up go back on the job hunt. However, as I was lazily sleeping the morning away, I suddenly got a rap on my door, and someone's voice calling out to me, "hello? I've got a new wardrobe here for you!" Suddenly it all came back to me--my landlord had told me that he was going to order me a new wardrobe, and it should arrive sometime within the week, although he didn't know what day for sure--but here it was.
So I quickly jumped up from my bed, yelled out, "Just a moment please!" and hurriedly threw on some clothes and threw my bed together so it wasn't quite so obvious that I had just woken up (somehow I don't think I was so successful in my illusion!). I let him in, and this young man, barely covering up his laughter at my obvious discomposure, brought in the large box--notice a box, not wardrobe, becuase he still had to assemble it!
So as he put it all together over the next twenty minutes or so, I awkwardly tried to make myself useful. You see, as much as I really do love my flat, when there is more than one person inside, there's really no getting away, and as I was still half in my pajamas, I couldn't exactly go outside like I was going to run some errands! So there I sat, thinking only how awkward this whole thing was, and at last, he finished.
And with a smile (still obviously covering up all out laughter) he said goodbye and took his things to go. As soon as he left however, I must confess that I also threw myself down on the couch and started laughing--what else was there to do?

On my bookshelf this week:

2006-05-15T07:29:00.000-05:00

Coming Up for Air--George Orwell:
By the same author as Nineteen Eighty-Four, this is another interesting read as you get into the very thoughts (an not much else) of George Bowling, a 45-year-old with false teeth and very anti-modern sentiments.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy--Douglass Adams:
Very fun and easy read that is quite absurd from beginning to end...It brings up a lot of interesting questions too.

\The Black Tulip--Dumas:
This is one of Dumas' shorter novels (also wrote the Count of Monte Cristo) but still an interesting one...interestingly, a flower, not a man, is the center of the story!

Praying Backwards--Bryan Chapell:
I must admit that this guy is one of my favorite authors!!! A really great book on how we do and ought to pray...with God's glory as our goal...you should read this!

Guest No. 1

2006-05-15T07:15:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone,
So I hope you are all remembering that you are welcome to come visit me at any point...and I mean that! If you can find a cheap plane ticket (just keep on checking) than please come join me for a few days...imagine, all you have to do is get here, and I'll take care of the rest! Michael Rhodes has already taken advantage of my offer!

This past Wednesday through Friday morning I had my first guest, Rhodes. We had an awesome time just exploring Cambridge, from the colleges, to the pubs, to the gardens. When Rhodes got in on Wednesday, we talked for a bit, but pretty quickly we were off. Because it was Michael's first day in Europe, we made a quick stop at the library to check e-mail and then spent the rest of the day pretty much doing nothing but eating and talking on Jesus Green (sort of a park nearby)--not a bad day if you ask me! But as the evening came to a close, jet lag was catching up to us, so I dropped off Michael at my brother's house for a good night's rest, and I went on home to my own flat.
In the morning we took advantage of our student status and walked through several of the colleges. King's is always breathtakingly beautiful, but it was really wonderful to go to the Clare's College Fellow's Garden, which was in full bloom and absolutely gorgeous!
Now as you can imagine, since Rhodes and I are both English majors, we did have to take detour to go see one of the many college libraries here, so we went to Trinity, which is my personal favorite. Here you can find displays of the earliest known edition of a Shakespearean play, Newton's original sketch to explain gravity, AA Milne's handwritten drafts for
Whinnie the Pooh, as well as a eyewitness account of the A-bomb testing (which is ironically a quite beautiful description of it). This is only a just a taste of all the things that Rhodes and I did while he was here, but now he's off to Wales and then after that back to Oxford where he'll be doing a course on Shakespeare, and I have to get going as well. Don't forget...you get the ticket here, and I'll take care of the rest!

Oh Cambridge, my Cambridge

2006-05-11T10:20:00.000-05:00

Well everyone, I've made it here at last, although it did take quite a while!
On Sunday afternoon, my brother Jordan and his wife Suzanne drove me to the Atlanta where my plane was to take off, and where I also found out the freshman Mac class was also taking off from--on my flight! However, I must admit that I had a much better seat than them. When I arrived, England fulfilled all of it's stereotypes as it was quite chilly and rainy. Now, I want each of you to mentally picture me carrying 2 large bags, and my regular school bag all over train stations and streets...in this rain. It was a little difficult to manage if I may so myself! I even had one girl who helped me at one point simply look at me and say, "You're mad you know!" And maybe I am just a bit!
But at last I arrived in Cambridge, and after a happy hello with Colin and Heather (my other brother and his wife who are studying in Cambridge for Colin's master degree in History) we ran some errands, and then we were off to MY flat. After meeting with my landlord and all the formal business stuff involved, I finally got to move in to my new home. It is quite tiny, I admit, but it really is exactly perfect for just me, and I love it.

For Danielle, the door is not actually red, that's my neighbor's door--mine is actually simply glass. Sorry to dissapoint!
The futon couch that you see in the pictures actually folds out to become my very comfortable bed, and I truly do have a kitchen-in-a-closet. As you can see, it's a large white wardrobe looking thing that opens up to sink, stove, fridge and storage below.
The next day, I slept in horribly late. I haven't been able to sleep more than roughly 5 hours every night for the last month at Covenant, so to finally be able to sleep in was absolutely wonderful. But once I did eventually wake up, the first order of business was to get a library card--yes, I am already a member of the Cambridge Public Library system, which I am taking full advantage of. I will have internet here, so please send me e-mail!
Then the next thing to do was, yes, get a cell phone. I know I'm horribly addicted to phones, but in this case my parents asked me to get one...so how could I say no? It's actually cheaper for me to call the states than around Cambridge, so maybe you'll get a call from me somewhere along the way!
The rest of my first day was spent just wandering gorgeous Cambridge on the beautiful day it had turned into--forget St. Louis humidity! And it has been absolutely gorgeous ever since that first day...as has everything since I've arrived. Praise God for making my time here so easy so far, and for safe travel thus far. I can't wait to hear from all of you!