When I was in 4th grade I discovered the Chronicles of Narnia.  I simply devoured them.  I had been reading a lot of American Girl and Babysitter Club books, and the Narnia books were like a revelation.  They were easily the best thing I had ever read and I couldn’t believe it took me so long (all the way until the ripe old age of 9) for me to hear ( Read more... )

Last night I used my oven's broil setting to cook really fabulous steaks.  I was fascinated by the cooking capacity of this previously unexplored oven setting.  The last time I used the broil setting was when I was about 10 years old.  A misguided 4H leader thought it would be a good idea to teach us how to make toast in the oven ( Read more... )

I did learn that I do not have tuberculosis or cervical cancer.  Dude, let me tell you.  Even if you are expecting the test results, there's nothing weirder than answering your phone and hearing a stranger say they were just calling to inform you that you don't have cervical cancer.

I planned, organized and carried out a food drive.  The food drive ( Read more... )

I miss you.

I'm back from Utah and there's nothing like returning from Utah to make me feel like I don't fit in anywhere.  I love my family and Utah will always be home in a sense, but when I go back to visit I've always been away for so long that I view everything through a strangers eyes, even though it is all so familiar.  Then I come back here, ( Read more... )

 Now that Matt Jackson knows that I'm engaged, I guess it really is open information.  For the last month every Monday, Wednesday and Friday I have gone to class and carefully twisted the diamond around to face my fist.  I was afraid that Jay Black would see it and make a big deal as he is prone to do, and I knew that I couldn't let it happen that ( Read more... )

My only memory of New York is of the World Trade Center. I was five and my family stopped there to exchange money before moving to Holland. I remember standing outside and leaning way, way back to see the top of the twin towers. Surely this was the tallest building in the world! I expressed as much, but my father disagreed. He couldn’t remember ( Read more... )

 
So, Andrew and I set out on Thursday in search of adventure. Our intention was to go to Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia, because they were the closest states I had never been to. I was on a quest to update my "Where I've Been" map on Facebook. So, Thursday morning we packed up my little car, and after my 9:25 class we took off.

We stopped in ( Read more... )

This story begins nearly a week ago.  It was Monday or Tuesday night when I had the nightmare.  I was riding in a car that Loretta was driving.  We were driving through a dark woods very quickly, chasing after something that we were sure was just ahead.  Suddenly we rounded a bend and found the road blocked by one of those wooden barricades.  ( Read more... )

I return, friends, from a long absence.  I imagine that I won't have many readers anymore, but I guess that's okay.  This journal was always more for me anyways, and sometimes you just have to go away for awhile.

So it's been an exciting few weeks in the apartment of Chewy and Retta.  It all started a few days before Christmas when Retta broke up ( Read more... )