First day in England

So I made it. Safe and sound. I'm sure you are all interested in hearing all the details about my flight over here and what food they served and how I am dreadfully tired...no? Well good, I really don't feel like telling it anyway. I'll give you the short 30 second glimpse:

flight: pretty quick - watched a couple movies, slept a couple hours, not bad

food: manicotti - actually pretty good considering my extremely low expectations, and a crescent in the morning

customs: awful - incredible long, but they only asked me one question when I got up there...maybe I just have a trustworthy face, or maybe the bible school part gave me a free ride? Who knows

So you are pretty much up to speed on my journey. Exciting I know right.

I am currently staying with Sarah's aunt and uncle who are so incredibly nice and friendly, and I am very thankful for them for letting me stay. Sarah's aunt Jeanne asked if we would like to go to high tea at 1, and considering the fact that it sounded so incredibly british I of course said yes. We got there and we get led to our little table. Now this is where it gets awkward. The woman pulled out my chair and I just plopped myself down in it, and then realized that she was going to push it in for me...So she was pushing on my seat with me in it. Not a good start... and the whole entire tea pretty much goes like that. Never incredibly embarrassing yet enough to let me know that I am NOT a native.

But oh how I want to be.

They call these "nibbles". All I know is that they were delicious.

This is the life that I was made for. Everyone just sounds so nice and friendly, and from the little that I have been here it seems like life is slower. The lady at the exchange counter was never impatient, the driving is slower, tea time is acceptable every single day...and the accents, beautiful beautiful things they are. I like America but man oh man we could really take a lesson from these brits!

[[camping pictures]]

I'm Back!

It has been a while...and I am truly sorry! It wont happen again I promise!

My excuse? Well I have been quite busy, actually no thats a lie. It's part laziness, part computer problems, part me being out of town, part tri anticipation, and last but not least, my new found love of a book series.

I have so much to catch you all up on its crazy but i will save each event for a separate post.

[To Come:
camping story and photos
tri photos!!
and Megan Pierce's Wisconsin Wayfaring
(ps she's also a great blogger so visit her blog here]

Now don't judge me when I tell you my new obsession, everyone's got to have their stages and currently mine is going back to reading books made for 14 year old girls, but I just can't seem to put them down- The Harry Potter Series. I have read them before but I just watched the first movie the other day and it sparked a desire in me to dive into the books again.

Oh boy that was a mistake.

It has been two weeks since I have picked up the first book (actually no a week and 5 days) and I am now onto the last one. Thats almost seven books in 14 days. If that's not an obsession then I don't know what is. I go to work, eat and read Harry Potter. I am kinda looking forward to finishing the last one (which is mind blowing by the way) so I can have my life back! Although I couldn't have picked a better time to read them because all my friends are gone on vacation and it has been slightly lonely here. But don't worry I have made friends with Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom, they get me.

Back to reading!

So long for now,

Laura

Laura Potter

I was watching the Harry potter movies today and it got me to thinking...

I'm pretty similar to Harry. 

1. As of next year I will be surrounded by British accents. 

2. Also as of next year I will be living in a castle near London (the "coincidences" keep on piling)

3. I too wear glasses

4. My bus driver for volleyball in freshman year looked like dumbledore/Santa depending on which side you looked from 

5. Sometimes I chase down squirrels when they come across the road, that's kinda like a seeker right? 

6. I am also awesome. 

It's like we could have been twins...maybe every twin has two sides, a magic sibling (Harry) and a muggle sibling (me). If so, I totally got jipped! 

Hmm we don't exactly look alike but no matter I am sticking to my theory!

((Random thoughts when I can't sleep))

Hit and Run (kinda)

I feel kind of guilty that I haven't posted in the last couple of days although I am not really sure why. I have all of like two followers, although I am not complaining! I sort of like the fact that I'm not really talking to people, I guess I am just writing for myself. Sort of like a journal but it forces me to organize my thoughts, whereas my journal is all over the place to the point that I can't even go back and make sense of it. So if you are one of the two people, feel honored, I am pretty much only writing to you!

On Sunday I went biking with my dear friend Sarah (she is also a great blogger so check out here blog here) and the route we took was so beautiful! Kudos God You are quite the creator!

and then we came across this cute barn, oh my gosh it was so picturesque it was incredible. I don't know if you can see but there are two stars painted on the doors to top it off...as if it needed more! 

So then we move on to Monday. 

Monday was a little more eventful. I woke up to go running with my mother really early, and let me tell you, to say it did not go well is an understatement. I am in some sort of running slump right now and I have no idea how to get out. Running is such a mental game and currently it is winning hands down. It started ever since that awful 10 mile run where I threw up (that's a whole other story in itself, another time don't worry). I went to a running specialist the other day to improve my technique and so I was trying it out on Monday. The technique worked great and it did what he said it would, it increased my speed a lot, but my body isn't used to going that fast and so we got to the half way mark and I was pooped. So me and my mom slugged it back and then on the way home she started talking about my brother and walls and such (I know confusing but I don't feel like explaining it) and I started crying. How she expected me to run and cry at the same time is beyond me. They don't go well together. But then finally we got back and I had to go, sweat and all straight from there to my dentist (poor dentist!). I got good news from them, about time I know. I will get my braces off end of August! Yay! I miss my teeth without the devil contraption on them, I really do.  

I came home from that and left to go visit my sister in Chicago. It was her birthday on Saturday but I had to work so I was going down on Monday. We pick up some family friends on the way. We got down there before she gets off work so that we can shop (she has an athleta and an anthropology right by her house, like 3 blocks...those three blocks would cost me hundreds if I lived down there!) 

What I am about to say is very important so I put it in quote format. I got the most amazing jacket I can't even describe it to do it justice. And for 20 percent off! I can not even contain my excitement! It is like a green trench coat but cool and it will be perfect for traveling!

Okay sorry continuing on. So we meet her and are going back to our car. We get there and notice a scratch down the side, on more investigation we realize the whole left back bumper is falling off! Yes we got hit, and no, there was no one around to take responsibility or a note! A hit and run! Perfect.

(notice my jacket...cool right? oh ya)

So we call the police, and they take their sweet time getting there. By the time they arrive it is probably 30 minutes after we call them (keep the time in your mind it is important later) and he takes my mom's information and starts processing it. Then a woman comes around and says she saw the whole thing. It was a moving company and they knew they hit our car because they all got out and looked at it for a good 5 minutes. So the police officer goes in and talks to the woman they were helping move and she actually says that they are still there, just in the back. He goes and talks to them and the driver (who barely spoke English) said he was going to come back to take responsibility he just wanted to get his workers going first. The police officer hears this and says "oh good we don't have to file charges"...okay that's great but you are forgetting the fact that it was over 45 minutes ago and he still hadn't come up. How long does it take to get workers going? I personally think he was just going to let it go, but whatever. Then an hour later it is finally worked out with insurance and we are set to go. But I am thankful it wasn't a technical hit and run because that would have been so much more of a hassle, as it was it was just a pain. Great birthday celebration I know. But we still got to celebrate for a bit so that was nice.

(isnt she beautiful?! We weren't quite prepared so forgive the excuse for a candle....HAPPY BIRTHDAY BETHANY!

25...you're officially old. )

True Definition of Greatness

In church we are going through the book of Nehemiah; we just started last week with the first couple verses giving the background of the book. I will give a short synopsis here for all of you who aren't familiar:

The Isrealites were very stubborn and weren't listening to God and becoming sinful despite God's warnings, so they were taken over by a neighboring nation and their holy city was left in flames while they were taken away to exile. They were in exile for quite some time when Nehemiah came into the picture and he worked his way up to being the King's cup bearer. Finally he was able to ask the King to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the city, and the King, his captor, said yes.

My pastor said something that really stuck with me. For Nehemiah to be the cup bearer was an incredible honor and he had to be the best in the nation at growing and picking wines. Because of his GREATNESS he was in a position to ask the King to rebuild the city. So be great at what you do. But I had trouble with this. What if I'm not great? What do I do then?
Since last Sunday I have had kind of a feeling of inadequacy, feeling like I wasn't great at anything and I can't be used for God. But silly me I didn't actually go to God with this. Finally this morning I decided to sit down and pray about it and see what God had to say. I came across Romans 9:16-17

It does not therefore depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. The scripture said to Pharoh, "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

 I could try my whole life to be great at something but it would get me nowhere if it wasn't God's place for me. It is not by my works that my worth is defined but by His. But then that left me with another question, "Does that mean You won't use me because currently I am not great?" And I really felt him saying to me to wait, that his power will be shown through me.
So after that I was kinda feeling up in the sky, like "oh God said I would be great in life, awesome!" But then I read further...Romans 9:21

Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?

Well that kinda stung.
I realized that my definition of greatness was so off base from God's. I really felt him saying that I needed to fix my priorities, that I can't just mask my want for fame and fortune by saying oh I'm doing it for you Lord. Whether famous or not, God has called me to a specific purpose and in His eyes, if my focus is on Him I will always be great.

Rain rain go away...wait no stay!

I love rain and today's forecast? All rain!

Why do I love rain? Because it gives me an excuse to sit inside and read...i'm a major nerd when it comes to reading. Actually I am pretty much a nerd when it comes to anything really. But todays agenda isn't reading, it is something better, blogging! I get to work on my blog for a couple hours and that makes me pretty happy. Maybe I'll even make some coffee to make this day perfect. 

Okay I am way too excited over a day of pretty much nothing, but my heart has definitely been needing some peace and quiet just to pull itself back together. I think later today I will blog about whats been going on between me and God lately, it's quite the epic. 

Make sure to subscribe to my blog on the right and you will make my day even better!