straight from God's iPod...

These past few days have been a time for me to re-learn & remember that God is in control of every aspect of my day. It started Sunday, then continued Monday with my muffler. Today and yesterday, I've had some insane swelling around my eyes for no reason. I've been feeling down about this and other things, particularly those to do with applying for a 'real' job. I turned on my Panodra radio this morning and created a new station-Lincoln Brewster. The first song was one I was listening to on Monday, "Today's the Day". Okay, thanks God. You made the day and everything in it. You know it's there, so I shouldn't have to worry. Then the next song, "Enough" from Chris Tomlin. Okaaay...I think I get it, God. You are all I need. You are more than enough for everything I need. I started to think that God was behind my Pandora station, just scrolling through his Heavenly iPod thinking, "How else can I remind Laura that I am with her, looking out for her, keeping her safe & orchestrating her day the way I have planned for it to go? Ah, how 'bout I play Third Day's, "Your Love, Oh Lord"? Sounds like a good plan..."
I have no doubt that this is what He did, because the song that just ended was another Brewster tune that said God would never let go of me. Amen & thank you Lord! Keep me caught in this moment where I am held in Your arms.

Every morning praise I sing to Thee
You're slow to wrath and
Swift to bless my soul
Your love endures unchanging
O hallelujah

CHORUS:
Cover me with Your grace
Shine on me with Your light
Take Your arms hold me tight
Keep me caught in the moment

Every night I pray myself to sleep
I look to You and plead
My soul You'll keep
You endure unchanging
O hallelujah

You've opened my eyes now
The mystery is clear to me
That in You and You alone
I find the love that sets me free

~Lincoln Brewster "Caught in the Moment"~

books, books, and mufflers

I should be grateful for all this down time at work so I can blog...but sometimes I'm not. I've actually been really busy these past few weeks. Instead of working with Inter-library loan, which used to be my main area plus all the shelving, I am learning the fine art of Technical Services this summer--along with the other work in ILL and Circulation. I do mean 'fine art' because a lot of the work is very tedious and I'm staring at a computer screen almost all day. It's not bad all the time--promise! It's been really interesting learning a new department of the library-and there are always some perks with new tasks. I get to look at new books and donated books in some of the work, so that is always a plus!

Speaking of books, the Friends of the Library book sale is the weekend!!!! I can't wait! I've been looking forward to this thing for over a year. Last year, I think I got 15 books for $20 -- and 90% were hardback! It was like Christmas! I have a new book bag to take with me and I hope it's enough! While I'd love to spend all my money there, I must save some of it for car payments. This brings up a whole other chapter in my life this summer, one I'm not very happy with. My UGLY 1991 Ford Tempo (affectionately named Viper by the one and only Heather Kiss.) has been givin' me grief for almost 5 months. First it was the expensive inspection (which I'm still paying off). Then, it didn't want to start right away. It wasn't the starter, because if you jiggled the gear shift and waited a while it eventually started. This got increasingly worse and after a visit to the best garage man ever, Viper was once again starting like clockwork. I've also been keeping an eye on the gasket head (I think that's what it is anyway) which probably needs to be replaced. Then, to put the proverbial 'icing on the cake', my muffler fell off Monday night. Well, it would be more accurate to say my muffler rusted off, because that is exactly what happened. After trying to get it off (and failing--but boy did I try!), a very nice man came over to my car and we had this conversation:

MAN: Hey, I see your muffler's hanging off your car there.

ME: (to self: No, really? Thanks!!!!! Is that what the large 'clunk' was about 30 min ago?)

(what I actually said) Yeah, it is.

MAN: Want me to give you a hand with it?

ME: Sure that would be great!

[2.5 seconds later]

MAN: (holding muffler in one hand) Where do you want it?

ME: (facepalm female fail) Let me get the trunk.

So now, for the second time in my life, my muffler is riding around in my trunk. But God has a plan, and worked out a way for it to get fixed this week WITHOUT the massive garage bill. Yay!

And really, that bit, the bit where God provided for me, has been the best part of my week. Even though, in order for that to happen, my muffler had to fall off first.

another day, another dollar...er, make that 50 cents

Another delightful day at work! (Yes, read that one: Another slow day with not much to do at work.) Today though, I am more than glad for it! I spent yesterday with Sonya, Jason and Meagan at Dorney Park and I am so extremely exhausted!
The day started sorta early (okay, so I guess leaving the house at 9AM isn't THAT early...) but since I didn't have to drive, it wasn't that bad. We made it to the park shortly after it had opened and it felt EMPTY! No, seriously, it was really empty. We went to the Ferris wheel first (I know, high thrills) to plan out our day and when we got there we all said, "Wait...is this ride open? No one is in line! Is there even a ride operator here??" The ride was open and there was a person (actually, two persons! I bet they had fun all day!) to operate the ride, even though it was a super boring one. We spent the ride contemplating the empty-ness of the park and comparing it to the one at Knoebels, that we didn't do a lot of planning.
We hit the Talon and a bunch of other roller coasters next. Even Sonya went on some! But, as Jason noted later in the day, "Sonya screams." This is very true, but we love her so it's okay. Jason doesn't ride the ones that spin around a lot, so after we did the Tilt-a-Whirl and a crazy one called the Enterprise (it made Sonya and Meagan Vulcans), we let Jason pick a ride. He picked the Log Flume. We all (at least us girls) had the one from Knoebels in our minds but when we left, well, let's just say it isn't the same! You got wet on this one BEFORE you get half way through it and no where near the last big plunge! I mean, there was a water fall on this one! I don't think we let Jason pick the next ride after that one.
Following our lunch at Burger Barn (where I was the only one who got a chicken wrap) we did the paddle boats at the edge of the park. This was the most exercise (besides walking the park) we got all day. It wasn't just me--it was really tough to paddle! After that, we were all pretty tired so we plotted out the last few rides we wanted to ride again. Steel Force was the last roller coaster of the day. Meagan and Sonya took a nap while me and Jason took our last 'high thrill ride'. (I'm not making this thrill level thing up. It's how Dorney classifies their rides. Seriously, look it up.) What they forgot to tell us was that after a certain time, they turn the coasters on 'turbo force' which makes them 10 times crazier than normal! We had trouble walking after that one. It shook us up, gave us headaches, and if it hadn't been for the seat belts and lap bars, we would have been riding home in an ambulance.
We made it home, all in one piece, and hung out by Jason's pool for a while. When we finally got to my house, I felt like I had been up all night writing a paper. I was so tired that I almost passed out on the living room floor. And let's not talk about how hard it was getting up for work today. Ugh. And while I'm dying for another cup of coffee, I picked up a book called "Buzzed" that dealt with all kinds of addictions, including caffeine. I learn that caffeine from coffee can affect the weight of my unborn baby, hurt my heart in excess and possible hinder my future efforts to have children. Score. Now I have a headache, am falling asleep AND have the seed of fear planted in my subconscious about future consumption of coffee. Thank you, you mighty printed word.
The day at work continues to be slow, but it's okay. I have a devotional to write for the church's advent collection due 30 June. I know. I can sense the shock in you all as you think, "Laura, you have 7 days still! Way to work ahead!" Let me stop that right now: I'm going on vacation this Friday, so it must be done by Thursday. See? I'm still the same old me :)

the girl who lived in the library...

Summer is now in full swing --and I have the pay checks to prove it! Well, I have the pay-stubs to prove it. Not quite the same thing, unfortunately.
Meagan came home the last day of finals week and I did my happy-to-see-you dance for her...as I wrote the conclusion for my last paper and headed out the door with a folder full of final papers to hand in. It is great having her home, though she is working like a ton and I hardly see her. She is going back to school next week to work at a theatre camp, but will be home again about a month before school starts. :)
My summer has been full of work, work, reading, and work. I started work the Monday after finals week, which seemed like a good idea at the time. It has all worked out though, and I would have just been lazing about if I had started work a week later. I made amazing book progress in those first two weeks of work. Finished "The Boneman's Daughter" (a birthday present) in 2 days! It is a must read for all of you DekKer fans! Also finished "The Historian", a much better alternative to the Twilight saga as it is about REAL vampires. That is, unless you like light and fluffy romance a la Stephanie Meyer.
Since Meagan is going to be gone over our regular family vacation time, we all (including Jason) took a bus trip to Cape May. I had a fantastic time, even if I did get a little burnt. Oh well. Cape May is a great little town that, of course, made me miss Brighton. Though, I must say, sand beaches are easier to walk on even if they are 10 times messier! Pictures to follow!
Lately, I've been listening to Leon Jackson, the winner of Britain's X-Factor. My dear friend Rachel got his CD whilst we were in London and shared it with me. Now all it does is remind me of Room 1.50 and King's Cross in Islington. So, excuse me while I go down memory lane, finish up my day at work, and then head out for the long-awaited girls night with Debbs.

I don't know if you can see

The changes that have come over me

In these last few days I've been afraid

That I might drift away

So I've been telling old stories singing songs

That make me think about where I came from

And that's the reason why I seem so far away today

So let me tell you that I love you

That I think about you all the time

Caledonia you're calling me

And now I'm going home

And if I should become a stranger

You know that it would make me more than sad

Caledonia's been everything I've ever had

~Leon Jackson, Caledonia~

Quiet before the Storm

The end of semester is here! Whoo Hoo! I am so glad it's almost over, but I really wish I didn't have to write all these papers! Yesterday was my first final and I was writing about vampires, Frankenstein, and Ghosts for almost 2 hours. Yeah...that one was not so much fun. Today is my last final exam, and I must say, I'm a bit worried about this one. It should be a breeze, but...
Then the real work starts: paper writing. I have to write 1.5 more papers (it sounds less threatening to say it this way. If I said I had two papers, it sounds like I haven't done any work which just isn't true!) by Thursday at 5pm. I know it's do-able, but I really hate the stress associated with cranking out 4,000 words worth of paper.
As soon as school is over (!), I'll get back on here and give a proper update that will include summer things and most importantly, news of sister coming HOME! It's be waaaay too long!
Off to finish the coffee and pray that the sunshine stays!

birds flying high...

Can I get an 'AMEN' to all this sunshine?!? After all this rain we've had, all I can say is, "It's about freakin' time!"

School has been R.O.U.G.H. this term. I'm not really sure if it's been harder than the others, but for some reason it seems to be hitting me harder this year. I think (and I'm sure you are all tired of hearing me say this) it might have something to do with here not being London. Most of the time it doesn't bother me, but every now and again I think about it, and I go back in my mind--and it's hard coming back to reality! I laughed when I got my email from GSE that had a 'Student Re-Entry' packet in a pdf, including a 'Top Ten Immediate Reentry Challenges' list. Let me share a few gems with you.

1. It is largely unexpected that you will experience reverse culture shock. Few people prepare for the return because the expect it to be easy and are surprised when it is not.

[Seriously? Who wrote this?!?)

2. The reality of home differs from reality. When you are abroad, images of home life can become idealized or romanticised. It is easy to forget or minimize the problems or issues that were once a source of stress in your everyday life. Re-encountering them can be disconcerting.

I would love to (not really) share more, but I'm going a bit mad just reading some of them. (That, coupled with the myriad of spelling mistakes has me just frantic...) I thought these Californians were just trying to be helpful, but had no idea that they were actually serious about students have a 're-entry' problem. Turns out, they were actually right. I made it through the first few months okay, with the fabulous help of my church family and friends. But with the pressures of school, I'm somehow missing it more.

While I'm not mooning over London (and sometimes when I am), I'm working at the Learning Center. It's been pretty slow, which is good and bad all at the same time. When it is slow, I have the chance to do some homework, emailing and of course, blogging. I am also more easily distracted if there is no one around...which seems really odd now that I say it out loud.

I do have a job lined up for the summer. I'm back at the library, which makes me really happy. I've missed it so much, even though I'm over there most of the time anyway!

Work is almost over, so I better wrap this up. Four more papers to write for this term! Ugh...now I just have to start them!

the one that changes...

Change. It's one of those things we just can't avoid, no matter how hard we try. Trust me--I know. I am the queen of anti-change. Just ask my mother.
My aversion to change started long ago, but it became abundantly clear two weeks before I left for London. Seriously, if I hadn't bought my ticket during the summer, I wouldn't have gone. At all. The idea of picking up and flying 3,000 miles was no longer appealing to me. And if I would have gone along with my feelings, I would have missed out on the coolest, best experience of my life. (And yes, Rachel, you are a part of that. :heart:)
Coming home from this awesome experience had a whole new batch of changes as well. A lot of the change was just getting used to things all over again, like driving, house politics and the subtle changes that took place whilst I was gone. School was a big change, but almost a bigger change was my job on campus. For the past two years, I was a work study in the college library. For obvious reasons, this suited me to a 'T'. It was the best job I think I've ever had. Why? Mostly because it was with books, but also because I was COMFORTABLE with the way things were done. Hmm... God's plans are sure not mine.
They weren't able to keep my job for me at the library, so I applied to be a writing/ literature tutor at the Learning Center. This was a last resort. I did not want this job. I was worried, but mostly because it was new and unfamiliar. I know I had small faith that God would provide, and almost hoped he would prevent me from getting this job. Instead, he saw my doubt, and decided to make me grow. Thanks God.
There must be a good point to this, or else I wouldn't be writing, right? Right. Today I had my first appointment. Um yeah. I was terrified. But in my nervousness, I found a bit of calm. I knew I knew how to write. I just had to share that with someone else... The session went well and no one died. Success? I think so. I think I was clear and got some good points across for future use. All I could think about was my conversation with Christine when I told her about my new job. "Oh, you'll be fine." She said. "It will be easy. Don't worry about it!" I doubted her then, but I hung onto those words! She was right! And (she ashamedly admits) God was right. He did provide this job for me and He had new things for me to learn. I wonder why I never remember that...
I guess all change isn't bad. Look at London. I have changed for the better since I've been there, and I'm glad for the new stuff I'm doing because of that. It's a good thing I don't do things the way I want to. I would miss so much if I didn't listen to God. Don't hop off 'the rack of change'. He doesn't pull you out of shape; He shapes you to be more like Him.
Off to bask in the joy of the rack...