[Letters]

Tonight is a Gavin DeGraw kind of night... some of my friends might tell me that no night is a Gavin DeGraw night. He makes me smile, what can I say. 

Dear Dad- I really wish I could talk to you about these confusing plans for my future. I think I know what you'd say though... especially because you were always disappointed that none of us pursued foreign language in our education. Dear Varsity Night Live- Nothing like some amazing a capella groups, a good drum line, and a hilarious comedian/H&M mannequin to make my stress ebb away. Thank. Goodness. Dear Sickness- You were inevitable, considering I spent over 10 hours this week dealing with snotty (just in looks, not in personality) Kindergarteners, 1-year olds, and pre-k kids, but PLEASE go away. You are making my throat feel like death, which is less than desirable. 

P.S. The Graveyard Book is one of the greatest books I've read in a long time. Please ignore the "ages 10 and up" written on the back, this book is for adults. College students especially. Read. It.  

"If you dare nothing, then when the day is over, nothing is all you will have gained." - The Graveyard Book

[Remembrance]

A year and a half, today. I miss you every day, daddy. 

So glad I can still talk to you though my prayers. 

"Through My Prayers" [The Avett Brothers]

And yes I know you loved me, I can see it in your eyes
And it was in your struggle and it was in your mind
And it was in the smile you gave me when I was a kid

Feels like no one understands
And my only chance
To talk to you is through my prayers.
I only wanted to tell you I cared

[Over the Weekend]

Today my sister, my mother, and I completed a half marathon. (Notice I said completed, not ran.) My mom finished the whole darn thing, and pushed it to the limit whenever we ran. SO proud of her for accomplishing our goal of sub 3:00:00. Can't wait to do it all again next year. 

Now I'm at Starbucks, studying for the weeks exams. And drinking coffee and ice water. Fighting off a headache that is either due to dehydration, caffeine withdrawal, exhaustion, or massive amounts of homework. 

I'm so joyful that I get to spend next weekend at home in Eau Claire. First time in a month. So pumped for sleeping in, studying at the library, homecoming celebrations, donuts at the caf, and a day away with my govs IV community. 

Feeling mighty blessed and mighty tired on this Sunday, fall, afternoon. 

[Letters]

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."

 [Ralph Waldo Emerson]

The brick KT and I decorated for our room!

Ahh friends...

 Beauty. 

Photocredit: Meghan

LOOK WHO CAME TO VISIT! [Finally]

Olive Garden September 2011

Olive Garden September 2012, not much has changed...

(We wore the same dresses on purpose, don't worry.)

Dear Dad- Remember when I would get super excited about getting good grades and I would go on and on about it when really, you just cared that I tried? This week would be one of those weeks. (Do you think Mom will buy me chinese food?)  Dear Olive Garden Reunion- You were the perfect social outing to end the week. Breadsticks, hilarious conversations, homemade cards, too many sweets, and a quick prank to round out the outing. So. Much. Fun. Dear Seester- Thanks for letting me photograph your ceremonies tomorrow. So stoked to practice my photography skills and use a lens that makes me feel like I might tip over. 

Humanity High: Dear Paul P- I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation in the car ride today . You seem like a good chap. Thanks for giving me renewed hope in mankind. And when I say mankind I mostly just mean college-aged males.

[Letters]

Dear Dad- Holy Moses I miss you. Thought about you a lot today. I like that I still sat on your lap when I was 17 years old, that's a pretty great father-daughter relationship if you ask me. Dear Meeghan- Thanks for being a patient princess when I tell you all of the wrong answers in Physics. Hopefully we'll get it all figure out in the end, and maybe even pass our test! Maybe... (Also, thanks for giving me the idea for the funny side notes in my homework responses, hopefully Jim thinks it's as funny as we do!) Dear Diet Coke- I think my addiction is coming back. I've drank three of you in the past two weeks, thats more than I drank in the past year. Yikes. 

Humanity High: All of the women in my small group are really opening up; they are revealing the inner parts of themselves to each other in order to promote healing and build community. It is so encouraging and forces me to be more open as well. So good. So, so good. 

[Monroe: Cheese Days 2012]

Over the weekend I drove down to Monroe to surprise Garrett at Cheese Days. 

New Glarus brewing company 

Boys by a pond... I'm fascinated by country living

Classic swiss alphorn

Cheese days on the square

A little one in her swiss dress

 Annette and Garrett at the parade. Love my second family!

She has two older sisters...can you tell?

Sometimes the nature trails I walk on look like this... I ignore it. Adventure. 

More photos from my stops on the way home to come... I'll spread them out through the week as to not overwhelm today's post with photos. 

Highlights include: Driving through hilly southwestern Wisconsin when the leaves were changing, the confused look on Garrett's face, the dancing Norman Bates, trying the famous batter-fried cheese curds, learning about true hillbilly Wisconsin, hearing tales from the Hetrick, Scott, and Augsburg families, laughing, drinking early a.m. coffee, quiet time in Romans, trying my first frozen banana, surprising my Grandma, eating Hetrick's homegrown pears and grapes, and stopping along nature trails to take photos on the drive home.  

[Letters]

Dear Dad- A rainy day like today requires your good home cooking and an evening spent inside watching one of our favs. I miss my bud. Dear Hanners- Holy potatoes. Thanks to you, I have officially received my first Save The Date. You and Joel are kind of the cutest thing I've ever seen. So happy you get to spend the rest of your life with your best friend. Thanks for letting me be a part of your big day. Dear Schedule- Traveling 5 out of the first 7 weekends at school means hectic, stressful, and overwhelming weeks. When is a girl supposed to do her homework if she doesn't have a weekend? (If you find out, let me know.) 

Humanity High: My Children's Literature professor getting all worked up about poetry analysis. "Damn that! Damn! Why do we need to analyze everything? Who cares about memorization? Why can't we just enjoy poetry and let our kids enjoy it!? These are the important things in life - having fun! Damn!" Love that guy and all of his lessons. 

[Letters]

Dear Dad- Sometimes I forget that I'm not the only one who has lost a father or someone extremely close to them. I hope that I never assume that just because I lost you, I've experienced something worse than anyone else. Everyone has their trials. Dear Education Classes- Even though you mean TONS of homework, I'm finally learning something relevant, useful, and NEW. So great. Dear Boys in the Lobby- I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation in passing this evening. 

(enter Becca, Jamie, and Bitty, Becca talking on banana phone)
Me: Don't worry! I know this is actually a banana and not really a phone!
Boys in the Lobby: Wow, I remember when I was a freshman...
Me: Hey Bitty, remember how I'm a sophomore and I'm STILL really immature? 

gooood times, y'all. 

Humanity High: Ah! So many to choose from. The way the girls in my bible study group opened up tonight was really incredible, though. I am so pumped to see what God does through these women. 

[Be sure to check out this post about my weekend!] 

[Over the Weekend]

I am thankful...

For Sunday mornings and after-church orchard runs.

For little feet and missing front teeth.

For loyal friends that make you smile.

For mothers that are kind, intuitive, understanding, and beautiful.

For orange pumpkins that remind us of our uniqueness and of the greatness of fall. 

For broken down barns worth exploring.

For shoes with holes in the toes, blurry pictures, and green apples. 

For dozens of macintosh apples, the product of tree climbing, perseverance, and determination.

[Letters]

Headband love! Also, so pumped to spend the weekend with Meeghan making sugar-free french toast and jamming to J.Biebs on the ride home. 

Dear Dad- Although your death was the hardest thing I've ever gone through, I know that it made me so much stronger. James 1 says that we should "consider it pure joy"whenever we face trials because they shape us more into the likeness of God. So amazing. Dear Girls in the Bathroom- Today you were complaining about how your hair never cooperates when you try to straighten it. It's a good day in my book if I wash my hair. #headbands. Dear Worship Music- So pumped I ran into you today in Davies. So, so needed tonight. Do you think the christian organizations on campus would mind if I just invaded them every night of the week so I could sing?

Humanity High: This afternoon I called my girl Molly and she was up in my room two minutes later, hugging me and praying for me. We got the chance to grab dinner together and catch up on our lives. So crazy that we barely know each other and we are already so close. So glad we're sisters.