I'm waiting for the laundry to dry...

...and pondering the opening paragraph of my government paper. Tonight, I'll leave you with a story that I wrote on Christmas day, 3 years ago. If I remember right, this was during my pre-Mono insomnia...

Pine Cones & Potties

We went camping often as kids, the Nelson and Davis family excursions. Each summer began with the great anticipation of a drive to the shores of Lake Texoma or Palestine. Early in the morning, our vans could be seen pulling from the driveway, the Nelsons towing their boat, our own van pulling their pop-up trailer. One particular trip, we drove, sans trailer, to Lake Texoma to test out a new site. I recall driving into the camp suddenly fully aware that the nearest bathroom was a toilet haphazardly placed next to some trailer pads, and it was – indeed - not near. I’m seven and appropriately immodest, but nonetheless insecure in my need for decent facilities.
We pup tent and begin to unload, but a long drive has made it difficult to maintain sanity without a visit to the restroom. Our safest bet, aforementioned, is not too pretty, so Lindsey and I set off, hoping that, if together, our venture to the woods will not be quite so uncomfortable. Lindsey seems to make good use of our jaunt into the trees and ducks with some ease behind a tall stump. I, however, am too distressed and resolve to wait until swimming time.
The two of us return to camp only half satisfied (venture a guess as to which half) to find that our mothers are in the midst of constructing a bathroom of sorts using two blankets and the nearby trees. As a child – you will recall that I am approximately seven years old – the arrangement seems perfectly decent. However, as I’ve grown, I’ve come to feel somewhat embarrassed that often post-relief I had to inform my parents of my duties in order that they might properly dispose of…well, my duties, so to speak. Ah, the bliss of youth.
So on we go…
We spend much of our trip clad in hot pink and purple bathing suits, I sometimes in old gymnastic uniforms recycled for sake of saving funds. The boys, of course, don their own suits of less feminine appeal. Sunscreen is applied religiously lest mothers deal with whining, blistered children during the following week. We fill our days with outings in the boat, squealing with glee as we are pulled on some inner tube. This trip is a time for exploring a new area of the lake. Often, at Texoma, we journey out to the watchtower which our fathers have informed us is haunted.
I remember one morning running into the water [forty five minutes] after breakfast to float around and splash in the mud. The ground is murky and fascinating in its mysteriousness. My feet find unidentifiable objects, and my mind conjures stories of lost civilizations whose roots are grounded in this very soil. Truly, I just want to find some lost trinkets or change. Once, my foot finds something sharp, and I jump back in surprise. I continue on, however, without worry, until my mother calls me in to reapply sunscreen for a trip out on the boat. As I step onto shore, I remember my foot’s wanderings to that pointy object and I glance down in curiosity. To my dismay, blood is boldly pouring from the ball of my foot, and I am suddenly thrown into a childlike state of panic. As the fright of that experience is solely (pun intended) tied to that moment, I am sure that I was properly taken care of and sent on my way. But the terror remains, and I never risked a walk in the lake again without my trusty water shoes.
As Texans often are, we are surprised by an intense rainstorm on the second night of our trip. I vaguely remember being carried from my sleeping bag to the Nelson’s van as our tent quickly becomes too water-soaked to maintain its proper shape. We spend the rest of the night huddled on the floor of the Chevy as our dads hurriedly pack up our equipment and ready us to be on our way. It is a short trip that ends with water damage and a lost coloring book. I am devastated. I had just purchased the watercolor Barbie book on the road trip up to the lake. The rain took my job and distributed its own water to the pages of my precious book. My heart breaks to this day. Our mothers, however, are not unhappy about leaving. I believe their discomfort was in some way connected to the appearance of our toilet.
The abrupt end to our trip is not disheartening. In the freedom and flexibility of my childhood, many more weekends are available for outings to the lake. Our parents promise another excursion is on the horizon. We trust that they will not disappoint. And the satisfaction that I know of my upbringing is sure evidence that they in fact did fulfill their promise. Summer after summer. Such a memory is but one in a million. A tiny blessing that grants a different color to my existence. Truly, who could forget that commode of sheets and trees?

I know, I know...

...Seriously, I'll be back soon. I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week. Will this month be gone quicker than the last?

It was an extraordinary, unordinary, ordinary day...

...it was my yesterday.

If I hadn't hit the slump of the afternoon and taken a cat nap on my computer desk in the Gearing lab, then I would have written yesterday. But I did...so I didn't. Now I will...

It began with a quick trip to the bathroom at 4:15 a.m. and a hello to John as he got ready for work. Yes, I know, it's amazing. I have no idea how he gets up at that time and is functional.

Two hours later, instead of hitting the alarm for another hour, I got out of my ever-increasingly-comfy bed and went for a walk. It was cold. I wore a hat and gloves and sweats. Next time I'll bring Kleenex. I enjoyed my musical collection and the somewhat quiet experience of the neighborhood at 6:30 in the morn. Occasionally, a dog will growl, but I'm generally left to my thoughts.

I went home and instead of buzzing around the house for a bit, trying to clean, multitask, work or whatever, I got ready and managed to make it out of the house by 8:30. Which, by the way, was the very time I PLANNED on making out of the house. My second (third?) great accomplishment of the day.

And it's only 8:30.

I ran a quick errand, which pleased me greatly. I'm so glad Old Navy was open, because that really could have thrown my day off.

Then I went on my way to school.

Typically, on a Thursday, I get to campus around 10 and do two hours of research before class. Then I have class, two more hours of research and three more hours of class. I generally don't like Thursdays. Maybe because until 5 pm, I'm completely alone in my work. I get bored.

Well, this thursday would be different. Two reasons: one, I had to attend a 2-hour orientation for the Assistive Technology Lab at the Ed. School from 10-12 then jet over to ACC downtown (Austin Community College) where I would take my first online Govt. course exam. Then I would go back to UT for a couple hours reading for my 5 pm class. Lots of back and forth.

Rather than park in the garage directly across the street from the Ed School and pay the "MAN" $8 while I spent two hours on campus before quickly leaving and quickly coming back, I opted to do the usual...park on Enfield about 5 miles from campus and take the FREE bus in to UT central (successfully suppressing my laziness). Orientation was interesting, although I was embarrassed that I had a severe case of "the yawns" and possibly look bored.

Then I took the bus back to my car (I could have just walked downtown, but I'd left my phone behind - the darn thing is black and I keep forgetting to take it since I can't see the thing in my console), I drove to the Rio Grande campus, parked and ran inside to quickly mark a 50 question bubble test on Texas Government. As a side note, it should be mentioned that I don't yet have the book for this first class. And I "found out" (it's in the syllabus, but I only started the class last week, and I've obviously slacked) about the test deadline on wednesday night. That made Thursday's test a fun one. :) The exam was processed immediately, and I was pleased to find that my slight knowledge of basic government and texas history afforded me a test grade that I might not have to make up. My book comes in next week (thank you, Amazon) and I'll be able to finish this semester with confidence!

I walked around the area for bit, making a stop in the bookstore down the road. It's an area of downtown that is so close to where I lived for 3 years, yet I'd never been there. I had a nice walk (hey, I'd paid for a meter, and I was getting my money's worth) and almost didn't go back to campus. The day was shaping up to be beautiful. It was still cold, despite the sun, but it felt wonderful!

I drove back to my spot on Enfield, once again took to the bus with my book and sat back for the return ride to UT. As another side note, I sat "back" because I couldn't lean against the window as I typically do; my Hepatitis B vaccine turned out to be more painful than one might think. I still have a bump on my shoulder, and though I work out, I know it's not muscle!

Despite the fact that I'd skipped my usual research hours and my Research Methods class, I was feeling a great sense of accomplishment. I got off the bus, stopped at the outdoor patio of Littlefield Cafe and ate my tuna fish while reading (because if I was indoors while eating my tuna fish, I may have upset a few neighbors. Why does that stuff smell so much?) Then I walked to the Gearing lab where I promptly took a brief nap next to my keyboard.

Jefra stopped in and we talked/worked until class began. We've had our share of ups and downs this year in our lives, and I've loved our unique friendship and how God brought me to her. Class started with the usual reading quiz, which I finally aced. Then an in-class writing on then book I'd been reading all week. Then more discussion about our projects. Jefra, Nicole, Jennifer, Linda and myself met in our group tonight for our final exam project and all had half-awake eyeballs. It was a sad sight. Before class ended, I clashed with our professor a bit on her critique of our project. She won, but she still likes me and I still like her. Jefra and I walked to her car, she drove me to mine and we went our separate ways to home.

I had some time with John to just hang out before we were both too tired to think any more. We enjoyed The Office and Grey's Anatomy then went back to our ever-increasingly-comfy bed.

It was the end of an extraordinary, unordinary, ordinary day. I can't fully express why I liked it so much. Maybe because it was a day in which I accomplished MY goals and still achieved the goals of others. I had to do things differently but everything was accommodated. I got to enjoy the weather, my friends, my school, my city, and my husband. I got to drink in the blessings of what God has provided for me. Last night, I thought about how wonderful yesterday was.

This morning, I had breakfast/lunch (not brunch, as it was intended to be breakfast, but we stretched our conversation into lunch) with Anya at Taco Express. If you think I liked yesterday, then wait till I tell you about how I got to share the Gospel with Anya for the first time in our 4+ years of friendship...