el fin.

A Haiku by Me:

I'm done with high school.
Goodbye FHS, I'll miss you.
Hello, dear sweet summer!

Man. I'm done. It's sooooooo weird.

I cleaned out my locker, and my art cubbies, and all my random possessions in the art room...it was like moving out of a house.

We signed yearbooks today, we ate our last meal on FHS grounds.

I heard my last dismissal bell, I walked out to my parking spot for the last time. I drove away for the last time. I looked back, and remembered.

I remembered:
-Freshman year, and my first day of high school.
-Freshman band
-the band bus.
-Mr. Jones.
-Dr. Beat.
-BAND CAMP.
-Mr. A.
-pushups.
-California.
-OC Marathons.
-flute eggs.
-dot books.
-Mrs. Vaden. (aka: Darth Vader, and her transporter to the Underworld.)
-singing Queen at the top of our lungs under Mrs. Vaden's desk.
-dissecting the fetal pig sophomore year.
-moving into the new building.
-being one of the first students in the new building.
-accidentally walking into the boys bathroom.
-getting moved in Spanish because John and I "talked too much."
-Art 1, and washing our brushes in a water cooler.
-Student Council.
-getting my arms covered in spray glue at Float Bulding.
-Tyler.
-Relient K in concert.
-the phone scavenger hunt.
-teaching Liane how to drive a stick shift.
-piccolo.
-the smell of the band room.
-going commando in our (new) band uniforms in California.
-NOLA, 07.
-"I feel like a burrito!"
-"The sun raped my face!"
-gutting those houses.
-Big Booty.
-Little Sally Walker.
-permagrins and THE BUNGALOW.
-camp.
-"McDonalds" at 2am.
-piling in Kevin's car.
-football games.
-the student section.
-AFRICA.
-Invisible Children.
-painting my fingers to the bone.
-APUSH.
-Florida.
-prom.
-dance parties in Ms. Saylor's room.
-camping out in Ms. Saylor's room.
-yearbook staff.
-girls' nights.
-dreaming.
-decorating our parking spots with sidewalk chalk.
-Fake Fusions.
-the class of 2009.
-blasting NSYNC in my car with the girls.
-getting advice from the boys.
-the FRIST.
-Art Buddy.
-STUDIO ART AP.
-sisters from another mister.
-flour wars.
-paintballing.
-loving.

Man, what a ride. I'm so thankful for the past 4 years, and I can't wait to see what the Father has in store for the next chapter of my life!

woooooooa! take a look at me nooooooo-ow!

PRAISE THE ALMIGHTY SAVIOR IN HEAVEN,


I AM DONE WITH MY ART PORTFOLIO! :]


A little taste of what's in it (more soon!) :

<"Goldfish in a Bowl" -abstract, happend on accident. Cleaning off my palatte from another piece, I decided to use the extra paint on this sucker. Turned out to be a beaut!


So, now that I'm officially done with my art portfolio, and I took my English 4 AP exam today...I'm practically done with high school. I have 4---COUNT THEM, 4!!!!!---days left of my high school career. This is kinda freakin' me out, and making me so stinkin' excited at the same time. Yuuuuuus.


Africa is soon! it's like 42 days. Man oh man, this is going to be so great. I can't wait to get back!


Grad parties have already started. The yearbook came in yesterday. It's beautiful! I'm done with Studio Art. No more hanging in Ms. Saylor's room at all hours of the school day. Lunches on the lawn are drawing to a close...man, sad day!


But in other news, our cruise to Mexico got cancelled, due to "Swine Flu."


-----Swine Flu is a HOAX. All it is is the media of the US blowing it up into this HUGE deal. More people have died from the regular flu since the beginning of the year than Swine Flu.


Where is the media coverage about the 15 MILLION children that die EVERY YEAR of hunger? Where is the media coverage about the 2 MILLION people that die EVERY YEAR of AIDS? Swine Flu isn't a pandemic. AIDS and world hunger are pandemics.


World hunger is completely preventable. The average American family spends $800 on Christmas. This could give 7 children in developing nations 1 meal per day for a year.


Okay, hopping down off my soapbox...

So, our cruise was cancelled. I was excited, honestly. I loved the cruise, but am much more of a beach bum, hang out by the pool type o' gal. So we are now looking at our favorite beach house in Seaside, FL. Or possibly flying down to Cozymel (which stole our hearts last summer) and staying in an all-inclusive. I'm purty pumped. :]


Here are some Prom 09 pictures! We had a blast.



Karl and I at the Angles. >



























Half the gang, at Picture Station #1. >








So now I'm off to work on Senior Slideshows for my grad party (WOO!) and the Senior Recognition for the class of 2009 (aka Kono) at church next week. Could you pass the Kleenex box, please?

an ode to the things i love.

So I haven't updated this doo-hickey in a very long while. But I've got lotsa thoughts bouncin' around in my head...so here goes. :]

(That was a very Southern Slang sentence.)

Disclaimer: There are many many many more things I love. But Grey's Anatomy comes on in an hour, and I cannot miss it.

1. Winter Retreat:

So we (my youth group) just got back from Winter Retreat. It was absolutely incredible. The Lord has brought us all back together in ways that we've been praying for for over a year. Man, what a great God!

Last night we had a Fusion (our Wednesday night youth service) and debriefed what Winter Retreat was for us. Needless to say, God moved again.

Winter Retreat WAS full of funny things, like skits, copious amounts of M&Ms, and LOTS of giggles. And scavenger hunts. Which the Group 2 owned FACE at.

2. The Senior Class of 2009:
I am 54ish school days away from being a graduate. This makes me excited beyond words. But that's not why I love the senior class. I love the senior class because we are FAMILY. Just like it says in Nehemiah, when one of us is missing from the group, there is a tangible hole. Each one of us brings something different to the table. (I'm sorta stealing this from Will...bare with me.)
We each have our own strengths and our own weaknesses. But we complete each other so perfectly, it can only happen through the Lord. In the class of 2009, or Kono, we have: leaders of all shapes and sizes, artists, lovers, dreamers, scholars, musicians, comedians, dancers, prayer warriors, risk takers, photographers, directors, actors, filmakers, teachers, missionaries, justice-seekers, optimists, and planners. We are by no stretch of the imagination perfect, but we love each other unconditionally nonetheless. We are clay in the Father's hands, going anyway He leads. How incredibly blessed I am to be in such a diverse and loving family.

3. Oil Paint:
Dear oil painting, how I love you. Actually, dear any type of painting, I love you. As soon as I have a brush in my hand, everything fades away (yes, I proudly stole this from The Notebook). But it really is true. I get in my own little world when I paint...just me and the canvas. Sometimes, I get stuck. I hit a "painter's block." But usually, with some thoughtful sketching and some great music, I can bust on through that dumb painter's block. I especially love the way oil paints smell. They just permeate my memory, and I know that whenever I smell that particular scent, it will bring me back to my adventure with my canvas. Some people say that they take their cars on adventures. Or their cameras. Or even their friends. But with a canvas, I can do anything.

4. Picnik:
Oh my lanta, I never knew photo editing could be so fun. Hello a new form of procrastination. But hey, it's creative!

5. Driving with my windows down:
Oh, the wind in my hair, the clouds in the sky... just kidding. But I really do like that. There's just such a feeling of freedom while driving with the windows down. Especially to good music.

6. Del Rio:
Not "of the river" in Spanish. Well, it is. But that's not what I mean. Del Rio is this really great narrow road that winds through the fields and "countryside" here in Franklin. I especially like it while driving with my windows down. There's not much traffic on it, so it's almost like the movie Elizabethtown, when Orlando Bloom is just crusin' along listening to some really great music. Yeah, I like it. :] Both Del Rio and the movie Elizabethtown.

7. Africa:
I'M GOING BACK THIS SUMMER! Praise the Almighty Father, I've been called to return back home. I've still got dirt from Malawi in my shoes, and not a day passes that I don't think about those precious children. Hopefully I can brush up on my soccer skills before I return...

A Random List of Things I Love, But I'm Not Going To Elaborate On Because I Want To Watch Grey's:
-throw pillows.
-travelling.
-acoustic guitar.
-love stories.
-Preds games. (Nashville's hockey team)
-football.
-sweet tea.
-the Art Girls. (I see them every morning. Without them, I wouldn't have anyone to share my embarassing stories with at 7:30 a.m.)
-my car.
-my car's sunroof.
-best friends.
-answered prayers.
-God moments.
-sisters from other misters. (Not literally. But I've got some great gals that surround me. And I'm pretty sure the Lord didn't put some of us in the same family because...well, I don't think there's a set of parents out there that could handle some of us in the same family. We're a bit goofy.)
-dance parties.
-senior boys that have Lumberjack day.

some of my new favorite things.

Courtney and I ventured** to Nashvegas this past weekend to see the GO! premier of the new Invisible Children movie. Oh man, how God has put this organization on my heart. The showing was so cool, it was at Take 121 Arts...which was totally cute and totally me. Very artsy, very comfortable, and very down-home feeling. There were alot of Belmont kids there-which was exciting.

**[ I say ventured because we MapQuested directions, and they led us through the ghetto of downtown Nashville. Two blondes+maps+ghetto... not the best mix.]

The movie itself was SO awesome. It brought back many memories- it's about a team of students from all across America that raised the most money out of all the schools that competed in Schools for Schools. As their adventure unfolded on the movie, I couldn't help but remember my journey to Africa. Of course, their's was vastly different, but at the same time, so similar to mine. After the movie, the IC Roadies introduced us to 5 of the team members that went. I was so psyched, and I'm now friends with 2 of them on Facebook.



So. A list. 'Cause I like those...and I'm good at them.

My NEW Favorite Things:
-Kairos on Tuesday nights.
-Go!
-Schools 4 Schools
-Nalgene jars...just don't let them get over heated.
-Monoprinting
-Senior Student Council
-THE STUDENT SECTION.
-tailgating
Oh, how fun senior boys are.

the rollercoaster of senior year.

So. Senior year has been the easiest, hardest, most boring, most fun, and craziest year of my life thus far. I've been happy, sad, frustrated beyond belief, excited, apathetic, hopeful, creative.....basically all over the board this year. It's exhausting, but interesting at the same time.

I haven't blogged in so long, and I don't even know where to start. I miss summer. I miss being able to wake up at noon and eating lunch for breakfast. I miss Africa. Kelso had pictures last night at Fusion, and I cried for the first time looking at pictures in a month. I cried today reading back through my journal entries from the trip. I'm so ready to go back.

We WON our football game last Saturday! The game was on a Saturday because it was the traditional Clinic Bowl at Vanderbuilt. We played Hillsboro High. The Tennesseean predicted us to lose. Ha. Funny guys. We beat Hillsboro 34-28. It was a spectacular game, in which we had the ball the majority of the time and were smashing face the first 3 quarters. The fourth quarter, Hillsboro remembered they had a "star" on the team, and decided to give the ball to him. Our boys still held on though. What a great game. We play Mcallie tomorrow night. I'm loving not being in band. The student section is absolutely rockin.

I filled out my first college application last week. It was so exciting and so scary. As much as I love it here, I am ready to move on. High school was fun the first 3 years...now I know I'm so close to the next step in my life, and I cannot wait to get there!

...and i'm officially a senior.

So yesterday was pretty spectacular. Day One of ABS. Or Area Bible Groups. Either/or. The SENIORS (woo!) and assorted underclassmen met at "The Mansion on the Hill" as I have so lovingly and admiringly dubbed it. The picture above is a portion of the Senior Girls. Because yes, we get capitalized. :]

Today was Day One of senior year. Yikes. I don't know what to think about it. I like being the oldest, and being in a position of leadership. I don't like the feeling of being the oldest. (Alright, that made no sense.) It feels so strange, for this to be my last year of high school. But honestly? Praise the Lord. I've made it this far...179 more days to go!

hello sweet summer.

hello summer and all it brings:
-SWEET TEA. and lots of it. :]
-watermelon.
-strawberries.
-BBQs.
-the BEACH.
-the pool.
-the sun.
-my moon roof.
-warm nights.
-beautiful sunsets
-kono bonding time. :]
-seashells
-PAINTING DAYS.
-youth camp
-kids camp
-----AFRICA!!!!--------

So I survived! I survived my first year of AP classes, and a killer band season [insert band geek jokes here...], and Junior year altogether. It was not easy, let me tell you. God is still in the business of miracles, I got out of 11th grade in one piece! Now I can call what I have "Senioritis."

AFRICA IS IN 8 DAYS. As each day grows closer, I grow more and more excited. Which I didn't think was possible, because I was pretty stoked about a month ago. Emily and I are teaching on God Loving All People. We are very excited- think "Red, and yellow, black and white... They are precious in His sight." Totally both of our hearts!
Now, I'm not going to lie. This is my first trip out of the country. I do love flying, but it makes me nervous. The whole "let's go up in the air in a metal BIRD. THAT'S HEAVIER THAN AIR" thing does not fly too well with me. (No pun intended.) But my Daddy is bigger than anything. So there will be alot of praying going on. Here in TN, and up in the air somewhere over that big ocean.

AFRICA PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Travel mercies- both in the trip over to Malawi and travel in and around the village.
2. Safety on site- building+teenagers (espeically klutzy ones like me...) could be dangerous.
3. PATIENCE. - 28ish hours of plane rides, and 2 weeks in close quarters with different personalities... yes. Patience would be good.
4. Open eyes, and and open heart- this trip is going to be SO out of my comfort zone. I know the Lord likes to work in me when I'm uncomfortable. Pray that my eyes will be opened to what He has in store. (This goes for the rest of the team having open eyes too!!)
5. Love- I will be the first to sign up for Grumpy Sleep Deprived Citizens Annoymous. Yet another possible foothold for the Devil and buttons to be pressed. Please pray for our team, and that our love for each other is EVIDENT. We are known by the love we have for each other.
6. Awareness- So I'm from little ole' Tennessee, and I've never stepped foot outside the good ole' US of A. I'm not fully prepared to be hit with the different smells, tastes, sights, and sounds of other cultures. Please pray that I (and the team!) will be aware of how we dress/interact/portray ourselves. [And yes, I am fully aware that I said 'ole' twice in one sentence. Yikes.]

So that is kinda a hefty list. But it's what's on my heart. Expect about 8 more "____ DAYS LEFT! AHHH!" posts. :]

Ps--- Pray for Katie W. and Brittney H., they are leaving tomorrow morning for the Ukraine! How exciting!

heart meanderings.

I am a senior in a day and a half. Praise the Lord. But also guide me, Lord. Big decisions on the horizon!

I just watched a clip of the documentary Jesus Camp. It absolutely broke my heart. One little girl on it was talking about "godless churches" and "God not wanting to come to those who are quiet." So many emotions were going through my head.

Heather told us about the video of the softball player being carried around the bases. It's worth checking out. Here's the synopsis: Sarah T. hit her first home run of her softball career (she was a college ball player) and was running around the bases. In hre excitement, she realized that she forgot to actually touch first. She ran back, and tore a ligament in her knee. She collapsed, crawled to first, tagged it, but could not move on. The umps and coaches declared that if her teammates touched her, Sarah would be ruled out. If a pinch runner was put in, the homer would have been counted as a single. So two girls from the OPPOSITE team stepped forward and asked if they could carry her around the bases. They carried Sarah around the bases, to complete her home run. The opposing team wound up losing the game, and their spot in the playoffs. I watched the video and cried. It's so amazing.

AFRICA IS IN 12 DAYS. 12. 12. I can't sit still. God is SO good!!