day 24: juice.

This is gonna be a shoutout to the Petty 2 men. Aka, that sentence was a little disclaimer that if this blog post doesn't make much sense to everyone reading, it's because MOST of it's in direct reference to jokes, ridiculousness and overall hilariousness......but for most of it I guess you had to be there :P

The Core Five (minus Landon) 

I say Core 5 not because they're the 5 most important guys on the hall, OR because they're the 5 coolest guys on the hall, although I think they're all of those things but I have to because I'm related to most of them through the weird Petty2East family tree that formed halfway through the year. These 5 men (plus Landon) are the reason that the roommates caw when they enter rooms (or anywhere actually) talk in  weird accents (that sound Italian coming from Kayla) and get really, REALLY freaky looks from strangers because we forget that not EVERYONE knows that when you make a fist you've now made it possible for people to steal the fistbump from you. I'd say they're the reason we're weird, but honestly we were weird before we met them. They just kinda claimed us and made it a lil' more culturally acceptable :) 

On a MUCH more serious note, these 5 guys (plus Landon) are some of the most Christ-centered, Gospel driven men that I know...even more so because they somehow manage to be wise, funny, ridiculous, encouraging, including, and big brother-esque all in one. They set an example not only in the way the treat those around them, but specifically in the way they treat those closest to their heart....a couple of them are dating my best friends ;) I am thankful I have them in my life to listen to, look up to, respect, and occasionally, occasionally laugh at. 

Thank you roommate for the prompt for today. 

.juice. 

day 23: stuck in a ditch.

Alright. It's late(ish) and I have a lot more energy than would be expected at 10:30 at night (but then again if you know me it's not all THAT unexpected) and the word today won't be TOO long of a blog post, so tonight will come with some life updates as well!

This week (and this coming week) have been significantly best friend/hang out partnerless. Between the ones I've lost to camp, the former roommate trekking across Zambia, and the Rachel friend running off to South Padre for Beach Retreat, the Stewart girls have had to get reaaaaaaally creative about what we're doing with all our free time. Momma is still recovering from surgery, which sadly means no driving for her. So all errands fall to me and Poptart. Friday found us trekking into Houston to pick up the Rachel friend from camp (complete with Chai Tea Frappachinos), dropping her off, then simultaneously getting lost trying to get to Barnes & Nobles where I bought this beautiful little leatherbound journal.

Ish my new best friend. 

I've been the wide eyed watcher of Man of Steel twice, once with the family & once with the Rachel friend & Abi. Both times were wonderful, though the freak-out, squealing, and fake flying out of the theater was definitely a lot more noticeable when I didn't have to worry about embarrassing my family ;) Smirk. I got a long & lovely phone call with beautiful Miriam on Tuesday waiting for Mommy to come home, and got to spend 2 days with Rachel friend tonight before she rushes off to do even more things for God's kingdom :) I wrote a letter every day this week, which are in the process of being sent out now! Many, many country songs were listened to with the windows rolled down, and I sported the 'my hair took on the wind & lost' look multiple times this week. All in all, it has been a WONDERFUL 7 days! 

Alright. Word of the day is : ditch. 

Ditches are for getting stuck in.....specifically with little, 2 door, blue Honda Civics that are REALLY only trying to get out of the driveway so Daddy can move his truck. I speak from experience^ obviously. Not only do I get stuck in ditches, but I'm also EXTREMELY conscious of them when I drive next to them on the road. I can be cruising down the highway, relaxed, jamming to my music, and then turn onto a country road and ALL OF A SUDDEN BOTH HANDS ARE ON THE WHEEL AND BOTH EYES ARE SUPER WIDE AND ON THE ROAD BECAUSE IF I SWERVE TO THE RIGHT TOO FAR MY CAR IS GOING STRAIGHT INTO THIS AWKWARD ALMOST-BUT-NOT-REALLY HOLE IN THE GROUND RIGHT OVER HERE. Caps instigated to demonstrate my extreme paranoia. 

Okay....it's not really THAT bad :D And I love country roads. And just because I should probably make this somewhat meaningful and not leave it at that....

Ditches make me nervous because I get stuck, and I hate getting stuck. It's a pretty accurate analogy for other areas of my life too. Be it spiritually, romantically, relationally, or just purely physically, I hate getting stuck. It's that "Ugh, we've BEEN here before" feeling in the pit of my stomach. 

I think this is probably why, for me, I struggle with keeping my mind in the present & simultaneously get so excited about the future. So often in the present I forget that where I am is where I'm supposed to be, because it's not where I want to be. This also ties back to the whole "waiting is my least favorite thing in the world to do" thing I mention so often. 

So, this is why actually saying the phrase "Lord, I'll wait here in this ditch (emphasis added) until You decide I'm ready to be back on the road" is so hard for me. Because saying Lord, I'll stay in this spot until You move me is hard. Saying I'll stay in this relationship stage until You think my heart is ready for his, and we'll glorify You more together than apart, is harder. But it's stretching, and refining, and good. 

So for all the temporary 'stay here for a lil' while' ditches this summer, this year, this season and this lifetime, I am both hesitatingly thankful, and a little wary. And we'll see when I get put back on the road again :) 

day 14: kooky.

"Kooky! It's like cookie with an 'oo' instead of an 'uh'" 

The word of the day is 'kooky' which I love because (1) it's not actually a word I don't think, and if it is it's not used nearly often enough and (2) because this word can be used to describe me, my best friend, and most situations we get ourselves into. 

Kooky is appropriately used when something is a little off and a little strange....somewhere between 'i ate the glue in preschool' and 'sometimes I talk to myself.' I don't think it's a bad thing to be :D 

If you know me you know I'm a little bit...kooky. I have my quirks and my little ticks....I use sound effects when words aren't sufficient, make up my own when I feel the English language is too boring. I talk to myself, run laps in the rain, and imitate birds to get my friends attention. My laugh is loud and never sounds quite the same twice in a row. I'm awful at telling stories, get distracted in the middle, and write my thoughts better than I speak them. 

I've been blessed enough to find best friends that do all of these things with me....or at least think I'm funny when I do :) 

So I guess this is my plug to embrace the weird. Within reason of course. If your friend is STILL eating glue...eh, you might wanna take a few steps back.  But everyone has their quirks, and while sometimes they might bug you, if you try and put people in the box of what the world says "popular" "cool" and "funny" looks like....you might be missing out on a lot :)