Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Addictions

Hello, my name is Lauren and I am an addict.

Here are the things I am addicted to:
Moe's (The guys in the office could tell you that)
Dr. Pepper
Blog stalking (Nicaragua anyone??)
Looking at Craigslist pet ads

I know we all have addictions/obsessions, but I somehow feel like mine are weirder than the average person's. However, I did just feed Jason and Jerry's Dancing with the Stars addiction by asking for a recap of last night's show....They are addicted to that show, bad. Haha.

The reason I bring this up is because I have realized I have certain things that get in the way of my life/work, such as having to check Craigslist routinely or having a Dr. Pepper ("only on Mondays"....wait, I'm drinking one and it's Wednesday), or eating at Moe's on Fridays. Furthermore, I also always have to check this one blog to see if I can yet figure out what is going on! People: Please post "About Me's" so I can stop stalking you to find out how you're related to the person you're sharing a bed with!! Anyways....

So, I am a freelancer now! I did an article for BP this morning (if it an be called that. It was only about 4 graphs long...) The catch is that it was an interview done in Spanish....I am SO rusty! I could tell it was going to be bad b/c he didn't understand me ask what the name of the church was! Haha. We'll see what comes out of it, but I told the BP editor to use me again in the future. I am going to start doing some stuff with the Hispanic/ESL ministry at Summit, where I've been going to church. That should help with my skill level and at least get it back to where it ought to be after so many classes!

Update on my Halloween costume: There won't be one :( We're not dressing up anymore, just dinner. Dangit, and I had 2 good ideas!

Happy Halloween/Reformation Day!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Halloween Ideas?

We're going out for dinner for Halloween tomorrow...I want some easy, creative ideas. When I say creative, I'm not talking "black eyed Ps" and stuff like that...I like really interesting things, like dressing as a tornado, God's gift to men, taking balloons and going as a ghost family....stuff like that.

Comment quickly if you have any ideas! Thanks

Monday, October 29, 2007

Glorious weekends....

I love weekends.

I thought I loved them in college, but being in the working world, and not having to do homework on the weekends makes me appreciate them SO much more! I did have to work a bit Saturday morning, going to the tail-end of the CS Lewis Conference. Just as I suspected, I often felt like an idiot there. During dinner on Friday night, I sat with 2 people who presented papers, and they kept up a steady stream of intelligent chatter I understood little of. There were also 2 guys who were grad. students, one of which I knew, so I talked to him and didn't feel totally dumb.

The whole dinner, CS Lewis' theories on ???? were discussed. Way over my head. The two paper-presenters discussed misogyny, Lewis' views on purgatory, his liturgical influences on his faith, and other topics of which I am as equally unversed. Thankfully, the speaker, Walter Hooper (the literary executor of the CS Lewis estate) was fantastic, down-to-earth and a pleasure to listen to. He spoke about what it was like to know, live with, and spend quality time with CS Lewis, "Jack" and how conversing with him was just like his books. I also thoroughly enjoyed my steak dinner. :)

Saturday, after the conference I did some laundry, watched a movie, ate a bagel and checked my Facebook. I took Ben to the dog park for a few minutes before meeting Stacie, the potential adopter. I really liked her, her home, her dogs and her kittens. Ben seemed to thoroughly enjoy it all, as well. I would happily give him to her, but she has to wait until Delta (the foster dog) is adopted before she'll take Ben. He behaved well all weekend, so I am more willing to keep him until the right home becomes available.

Saturday night Lindsay came over and we watched the Breakup, which was good, and I took in a homeless kitty for the night. He promptly used my nice bath rug as a litter box, thus stinking up my bathroom...I couldn't keep him, so he has been taken to a vet's office to be taken care of.

Ben and I went back to the dog park Sunday for a good long while, then I folded my clothes while watching TV. I went grocery shopping and then went to wePod at Bayleaf last night, which I really liked. I love the Sunday services at Summit, and the idea of helping with the ESL/Hispanic ministry excites me, but I do love the wePod at Bayleaf....I'm praying the Lord will make it clear where I should plug in and join!

In exciting news, mom and Brian are coming into town on Friday to spend the weekend with me! Yay! That means golfing and who knows what else? I'm very excited to see them and have B see my place!

That's all the procrastinating I can do for now...I should go write about CS Lewis!

Friday, October 26, 2007

Send up a little prayer....

Ben has a meeting tomorrow with a potential adopter! She sounds great, and exactly the kind of home I'd like to see him in. She has another dog: female, same age, same breed mix. She takes her dog swimming and walking and running alot, and sounds very conscientious about vet stuff - a definite must. There are 2 issues: Another dog she is fostering that she has to find a home for before she can adopt Ben, and 2 kittens. Pray that if this is the right home for Ben, which I think it sounds like it could be, hat it would work out and I would have a peace about it!

Today I am covering the CS Lewis conference on campus. Some very big names, in the Lewis world, are here, and I get to write about them! I only wish I was more familiar with Lewis and his works. I know the basics, but I'd sure like to feel like a smart kid! Haha.

Tonight, after the conference, I am hoping to go meet up with Laura and her friends and go to a blues club. Laura is someone who I met a couple of weeks ago. Her mom and my mom were good friends in college. They met during a Campus Crusade event, and have stayed in touch ever since. Now Laura lives nearby, and we met, and she's a lot of fun! So, hopefully, I'll be able to do meet up with her and her friends tonight to go to the blues place.

It's a dreary weather day here...chilly and slightly raining. "Pelo do gato" or cat hair rain, as they say in CR. Speaking of CR, I am dying to go somewhere and see and experience a new culture and see how the Lord is working in other places!

Everyone here at Southeastern is so culturally experienced. So many of the people I have met are former Journeymen (a 2-year mission program of the IMB) or have been involved in missions and travel in some form or fashion. It makes me travel experiences seem puny! I feel more and more certain the Lord is calling me to the nations, and I am excited to find out in what capacity. Right now, I am just itching to go somewhere, even for 2 weeks! I have my sights set on Zimbabwe in summer of 08....we'll see what pans out!

Anyways, praise God for the rain, and the onset (finally) of fall weather! Also, praise the Lord for the weekend, which is just about here. Remember to pray for an excellent home for my Benny baby!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

A Home for Ben

I have decided, very tearfully, that it would be best for me to find a new home for Ben, where he can play and run around in a yard. I posted some pictures of him, along with a glowing description of him, on Craigslist, and I've gotten 3 responses thus far. I like the sounds of one of the options, as the lady has another dog who is indoor/outdoor. I am also going to post some things on campus, at a local pet store, and at some vet's offices in hopes of finding him a home.

Continue to pray that he finds one, and that it is a GREAT match for him....It makes me so sad to do this, but I think it would be better for us both in the long run.

Monday, October 22, 2007

I love little surveys

I saw this on someone else's blog, and I figured I'd do it on mine too. Feel free to pass it along.

A) Four Jobs I've had in my life:
1.) Sonic carhop
2.) Olive Garden waitress
3.) PR/marketing associate
4.) News & information specialist at SEBTS


B) Four Movies I Would Watch Over and Over :
1.) Zoolander
2.) Fried Green Tomatoes
3.) Steel Magnolias
4.) Wedding Planner


C) Four Places I have lived:
1.) St. Petersburg, FL (till I was 9)
2.) Maryville, TN (home!)
3.) Jackson, TN (college)
4.) Wake Forest, NC (work at SEBTS)


D) Four TV Shows I watch:
These are about the ONLY 4 shows I watch at all right now, as I have 4 channels
1.) Beauty and the Geek
2.) America's Next Top Model
3.) Gossip Girl
4.) Grey's Anatomy at Erin's


E) Four Places I have been on vacation:
1.) The Baltic countries (England, Germany, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden and Denmark)
2.) The "British Isles" including Ireland, N. Ireland, and Scotland
3.) S. America - Argentina, Brazil & Paraguay
4.) Ecuador (not really vacation so much as a study abroad)


F) Four People Who call Me Regularly:
1.) Mom & Dad
2.) Baugh
3.) Lindsay C.
4.) Kristi S.


G) Four of my favorite foods:
1.) Mashed potatoes
2.) cookie dough
3.) salmon
4.) any tasty chicken dishes


H) Four places I would rather be right now:
1.) Home at my apartment
2.) Home home in Maryville
3.) Central or South Africa
4.) Europe


I) Four friends that I think will respond:
1.) Pretty sure no one will
2.)
3.)
4.)


J.) Things I am looking forward to this year:
1.) Continuing to enjoy life on my own
2.) Thanksgiving and Christmas with family
3.) Getting a dog that I can cuddle with
4.) Seeing how the Lord uses me for his ministry


Well, that's how it goes here. Another busy day at the office.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Ben....

I have found in the past that writing helps me to get my thoughts sorted out, especially when they're all jumbled. Maybe that's why I chose the field I did. Anyways, here goes on my jumbled thoughts.

I have had my dog Ben, since April, and though I love him a lot, I am debating about whether or not to keep him. He will be 8 months old tomorrow, and he is such a handful. I was hoping that after being in the apartment a while, his behavior would begin to change, and it has a bit, but not significantly. He continues to jump and bite (play-biting though, not meanly) and try to destroy stuff around the apartment. To date, he has chewed up several magazines, chewed the wood trim around the patio door, ripped some paint off the wall in the laundry room. However, his destructiveness seems to be abating some in the last week or so.

Also, he is incredibly hyper. I take him for at least one good walk a day, and usually one other one where I let him off-leash for a bit to run, but his hyper-ness remains. Furthermore, if I am in the room with him, he has to be playing or trying to get my attention. While endearing at times, it also gets exhausting. The only way I have found to subdue him is to give him a bone, but once it's done, he's ready to play again. He also is not even close to a guard-dog, unless you come to the door with a dog yourself or as a giant green trash can.

I cannot decide if all of this is simply a puppy-phase he will grow out of, or not. He doesn't seem to have an overwhelming desire to please, unless it means something good for him.

However, I have seen small improvements over the last week and a half or so. He is more willing to come inside and lay down and watch me cook dinner than he used to be. He also has not been getting in his really feisty biting moods lately, as long as I am willing to devote a specific bit of "Benny time" to him. He has shown a propensity for catching his squeaky toy, which makes him quite delighted to do. Furthermore, he is almost calm on the weekends after taking him to the dog park.

Then, there are the financial considerations, which shouldn't be a concern, but they are. He is all paid for already, including obedience classes which are scheduled to begin next week. However, if I decide to rehome him, I will get the $110 refund on the classes, which I will use to get an older, calmer dog. Also, I need to know if I will have to repay the pet fee at the apartment if I get a different dog...I have found one named Grizzly on Petfinder, who is a calm, companion dog. He is a Newfie mix, who is 100% housetrained, also said to be "the perfect guard-dog." I have a feeling he would require less walks and specific play attention, be more of a cuddler and trustworthy inside, than Ben.

*sigh* I don't think this has made anything any clearer, except that maybe I want two dogs. I don't want to have to give up Ben, but I also want a dog who can sleep in my room through the night, who I feel like would protect me, who is a cuddler, and who I can trust alone in the house, so he's not relegated to the deck or the laundry room unless I am home.

One other consideration, if I do decide to find a new home for Ben. I would love him to go to our friends Pete and Hilly's house. They have about 4 fenced acres, with about 6 other dogs. I think Ben would love it. That, then, presents a new set of logistics to work around if that was the case.

All I can do is pray about the situation, and pray the Lord makes it clear one way or another to me. I want to know what to do. I'm going to end this novel by putting up a picture of my little rascal, as well as a picture of the dog Grizzly (who would have his name changed...)

If anyone reads this, please tell me your thoughts.



Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Thoughts on things in WF

The Lord is speaking loud and clear to me lately: Missions. Do it.

I am feeling the call to the mission field more and more lately, and I have to admit, it excites and terrifies me. I have no idea when, where or how, but I know He wants me to go. That thrills me. What doesn't thrill me is that I bought a new car on Saturday, a beautiful white (of course, all of my cars have been white) XTerra. Her name is Lily. But I have committed making payments for the next five years...Who knows about that stuff.

I have had this verse in my head lately: "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" I know the Lord will provide for me, and make his way clear to me. I also know, however, that I have been planted here at SEBTS for a time, and that period is only just beginning.

In other news, pray for me about a situation with my dog, Ben. I need that to become clear to me....

Thursday, October 4, 2007

The devil is trying to get me down

It has been an interesting couple of weeks. Here are the details of what has gone wrong:

1) The hate letter about Ben and the joke played that made me cry (Not terrible, but not fun either)
2) Dealing with issues about Dad's car. I was about to drive it to Raleigh to get a "thumping" noise fixed when the spark plugs and wires went out, meaning I was driving on 2 cylinders, meaning I didn't really drive at all. $500+
3) Figuring out what was wrong with my car (in Maryville since before I moved). It needs two new catalytic converters, new tires, and maybe something else. $700+ for the converters, and who knows how much more for the rest.
4) Realizing I was going to have to get a new car because mine was not financially-smart to try and fix.
5)Hitting (and killing) a baby deer while driving Dad's car home from church. $700 worth of repairs.
6) Frustration over my dog's bad behavior, thus enrolling him in obedience classes $100
7) Getting bit or stung by something unknown, causing a "fever" in my arm and a lot of uncomfortableness

I figure all this bad luck must be the devil trying to get me down, because I totally feel like I am here for a purpose and to learn something and do something great. I am trying to keep a positive attitude about everything, but it is getting a bit difficult...

In other news, I am excited about the church I have been visiting, and how I will be able to plug in there. I'm looking forward to getting involved in a small group with other young professionals and possibly helping lead some ESL classes through the Hispanic ministry!

Pray for my arm, that it would stop swelling and looking funky, and a safe trip home tomorrow (yay!!) to Maryville to look for a NEW CAR! Praise God for all I am learning about him, and for the way he is challenging me so I might have a stronger faith.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."