Do you have a problem with children not appreciating you enough?  Or perhaps it is your husband?  Or perhaps you are the one who does not appreciate your mother enough.  Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have your solution.  If you are a mother, go take some classes that occupy most of your time (you can also take a vacation) for a week at least.  If you really want the full effect, take classes for the entire summer.  Kids, this then leaves you with the job of cleaning the house, planning meals, making meals, cleaning up after meals, and doing laundry.  You may also be given the occasional job of grocery shopping.  If this does not work, then you're already a mom.

(HINT: this works even better when you have 5-8 college guys living at your house)

Yeah. This is me.  I'm learning to appreciate all that my mom has done for the family all these years.  I'm also wondering how much longer these classes are.  Most mothers/wives are able to start slow with just one to look after and work their way up, but cooking for 9-12 people every night is getting pretty exhausting.  I'm not trying to complain, I know very well that it's good for me to get the practice.  It's also very frustrating to wake up in the morning and find that the kitchen you cleaned the night before is now once again filled with the dishes from breakfast, and the floor you just swept is covered with mud because either it just rained, or Jordan just let the dog back in the house.  I don't know how you ladies do it, but I'm already looking forward to retirement.

I've had that Michael Buble song stuck in my head for too long. But hey, at least its not Barney or something annoying.

Last Thursday morning at precisely 7:00 in the morning, I woke up realizing that I was supposed to be up 2 1/2 hours earlier. I had somewhere to go that day. I quickly hopped out of bed, threw on my clothes and ran downstairs to help my parents finish loading the car. By 7:30 the car was packed with suitcases and people, and we were on our way.  I had hoped that I would be able to sleep for the first few hours of our ten hour trip, but with three people in the back seat, there wasn't much room to spread out and relax.  So instead I contented myself with occasional half hour naps, which were few and far between.  With Olivia and Alyssa sitting next to me, the trip soon became a lively one, esp. when we were actually able to get out of the car and put our legs to much needed use.  Finally, at 6:25, we arrived at the top of Lookout Mountain, Georgia with great joy and relief.  After ten hours in the car, we all hoped to be able to shower and change and make ourselves somewhat presentable.  Our hopes were soon dashed when we realized that the musical was going to start in 35 minutes.  So instead of taking a shower and relaxing, we ran through the pouring rain to the school chapel as fast as we could, bought our tickets, and sat down as quickly as we could before anyone else could see our pathetic look of wet hair, mascara all around our eyes, and soaking pajama pants that stuck to our legs.  The play soon started, and, I must say, my brother Jon did excellent.  The musical was Bye Bye Birdie, and Jon played the father of a young teenage girl who was chosen to be kissed by Conrad Birdie, a well known rock star, before he left for the army for two years.  As soon as the play was done, we rushed to the back, hoping to find out where we were staying and go take a shower. Nope. We soon found out that my brother wasn't able to find anyone who had any room for three girls.  Thankfully, we were able to find a shower, and slept in the Commons in Ben's gf hall. The floor was cold and hard, but it was better than a squished car seat, and we couldn't complain.  The rest of the weekend was spent staying up late, playing Craps, watching movies, and living the life of a college student, without the classes and homework.  Sunday night came, and as we were packing up and preparing for the trip back home the next morning, I realized that I really didn't have to go home.  This week is my spring break, and Ben is coming home for his Easter Break on Thursday afternoon.  So here I am, in the Covenant College Library, trying to think of some way to find my brothers, because I don't have a cell phone. Oh, that's right, I almost forgot.

Last Friday, my parents visited some friends who are planning on moving to Africa soon.  They had some VIP passes to Rock City, a beautiful Tourist attraction where you can walk down a trail, and at the end of a trail, there is a beautiful view where you can see seven states.  Anyway, we gladly accepted the passes and went.  Besides the view, Rock City really isn't all that impressive, you can get the same experience taking a walk in the woods on the Mtn.  But still, I got some really cool pictures.  Once we were done looking at the view and taking pictures, we headed back to the trail, and began to cross the swinging bridge.  When we were about two-thirds of the way across, we had to stop, because a lady began to freak out and saying that her husband never should have made her go across, she didn't like it, and she didn't want to go any further.  Of course, that also meant that she didn't want to go back either.  Somehow, she seemed more content to stand in the middle of the bridge, with both hands hanging on to both railings,and complaining about how this was her husbands fault.  I really felt bad for her husband.  So anyway, we waited patiently to get across, praying that the lady would just turn around, or something.  Finally, her husband gently lifted one of her arms off of the railing to let us through.  She fought back though, not willing to let go, and leaving hardly any room for us to get passed.  She bumped me, and my phone, which, unbeknownst (sp?) to me was already half dangling out of my pocket, fell out of my pocket, off the bridge, and fell about thirty feet down onto a very large rock.  oops. I figured my phone was toast, so I told my dad, and we went on our way.  It's not a big deal since I was about to get a new phone anyway.  However, yesterday, as I was on my way down the mtn to make a quick Walmart trip, Ben recieved a phone call from my dad's secretary.  Apparently someone found my phone and called my house, trying to find out whose it was.  How my phone is still in working condition, I have no idea, but it is waiting at Rock City for me to pick it up, and until I do, I have no way of reaching my brothers, unless I am around someone I know who has a phone.

Well, that's my story for today.  I need to go find someone with a phone so I can get a hold of Jon before he goes to his next class. Adios!

Today's title is taken from: River, sung by Sarah Mclachan.  It's a rather depressing song, yet very beautiful, and Sarah's voice is perfect for it.

I haven't updated in awhile, and really there isn't much to update about, unless you really want to hear about all the dramas in my highschool life. :) But I will most certainly not bore you with those, partly b/c I would get bored just writing about them. But I guess without drama in our life, we would never learn to mature and move past those dramas, on to the next dramas. 

Jon and Ben came home on Friday, and there has been great rejoicing throughout the family, and there is laughter and jokes in the house again.  Without them, life at home seems as if it is merely a routine of waking up, going to school, doing homework, and going to bed, with food and devotions and such mixed in. Now that I'm on Christmas break (YAY!!!!!!!!!!!), the homework is left out of the picture, and I usually wake up much later than normal, which is absolutely fantastic.  Half of my friends have basketball practice and a lot of other stuff going on throughout the break, so it's great to have someone to hang out with and make lattes for. :)

Tomorrow, I plan on going Christmas shopping, b/c only 2/5 of my shopping is done, and its only six days till my family's Christmas.  This year, our Christmas will be either on the 26th or the 27th.  The entire family (except for Megan and Michael who will, sadly, have to remain in Virginia until at least the baby is born) is having a "slumber party" as we are calling it on Friday night.  I'm very excited about it all.  My inner child is definitely being revealed as we plan this. Christmas lights are hung throughout the house, Christmas music is playing in every room, and Jordan is giving obvious hints as to what he got everyone.  *contented sigh* It feels like Christmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!