"scream and light up the sky"

I am a list person.

I like planning things and making goals and writing stuff out.

My dorm room has post its and scrap papers scattered all over.
I almost always have a word document opened with a list in it.
I just love the feeling when you cross something off or delete it.
The feeling of accomplishment.
That "yes, you actually do get things done" feeling.
Or just being able to look at all the exciting things
you're about to do. So I'm going to make a list here.
A list of summer things.
Not to sound lame or anything,
but I LOVE summer and I really like making lists,
so I'm excited about this. :)
Alright, so here it is...the things I'm doing
(or wish I was doing) this summer.

1.
Going to some Music Festivals
I'm definitely going to Warped tour and Purple Door.
Me and Therese wanted to go to Bonnaroo and Cornerstone, too, but
unfortunately I don't think that's going to happen this summer.
Creation is a possibility though.2.
Go on a road trip to Ocean City, MD
My roommate and one of my other best friends from Eastern
live near Ocean City, so I want to take a trip down there to visit.
Plus, there is so much to do there.
We can go to the beach and parasail and go dancing. :)3.
Go on a family vacation to Mexico
Less than a week after I get home from school
my mom, Therese, and I are hopping on a plane
to fly to sunny Cozumel, Mexico.
We are going to swim with dolphins and go snorkeling.
4.
Work at Camp
For the month of July and the first week of August
I will be working at Camp Cherith.
I'm excited to have cook outs and sing silly songs
and be exhausted and be with friends.
I get to be Rae Love for a month. 5.
Go camping
When I was younger my family and I used to
go camping allllll the time.
We had a camper and we went camping all over the place.
We even stayed in this place in Canada once.
This summer I'm going to one or two
camping trips to Stonybrook.
One with the fam and maybe one with friends.
Stonybrook Park is beautiful.6.
Learn to jet ski
Last summer, my dad traded in his motorcycle for two jet skis.
Unfortunately, you have to take a safety class
before you can drive a jet ski by yourself.
So I am going to do it this June!
It's an 8 hour class, but I want to learn how.7.
Take a cake decorating class
Okay, so I probably won't have time to cross
this off my list this summer,
but eventually I hope to get to it.
I like baking and think it would be so much fun
to learn how to decorate cakes.
8.
Get a puppy
Ever since my last dog passed away
me and Therese have been trying to convince
my mom to get a puppy. And then we realized we could just get one
ourselves! We really want a bull dog,
but were considering a pug as well because bull dogs cost so much.
It's because they have big heads,
so when they're born they have to have c-sections.
How can you not love this face?
9.
Read a lot
I don't have a lot of time
during the year to read, so I plan
on working on my extremely long reading list this summer.
Books are lovely. :) 10.
Chill with the fam
I miss them a lot while I'm away.
summer is just weeks away.
look forward to it. :)
always love,
h

p.s.-i wish someone would invent giant post-its.
the regular sized ones are just too little.
they put limitations on my lists and I'm not okay with that.

I want to play with this giant lite brite please. :)



"we stand still on fourth of july
numb to explosions that scream and light up the sky."
-the honorary title, the city's summer

"you've already been set free"

I really want a tattoo.
And I love birds.
So I think I'm going to get a bird tattoo this summer.
A semi-small one, maybe with words.
We'll see, but I really want this.
I've changed my mind about what I want so many times.
But I think this is the final decision. :)
Here are some that I like...

They're beautiful.

Birds=freedom.
always love,
h


"Don't worry they will never capture you,
you've already been set free from this."
-the wedding, 'price for love'

"to taste adventure"

I have been sick for the past few days.

I will spare you the gross details and just say I'd
like to get better asap.
So someone backed into my car on Monday.
But it looks like there is an upside...their insurance company
will probably give me more than I need to fix it.
So that's nice. And plus it's still drivable,
so really where is the downside?
I mean besides it kind of being a pain that my car
temporarily looks like trash and I have to take it to get fixed.
There are only twenty five days left of school.
Twenty five days left of my first year of college.
Crazy!
And only thirty days until I will be flying with my fam
to beautiful, sunny Mexico.
I can't even explain how excited I am.
Whenever I tell people at school I'm going to Mexico,
they assume it's for a missions trip.
But I guess that's a legitimate question in the Christian culture.
A huge storm just started outside!
Like it's windy and blowing and raining.I love rain sounds. :)
However, I have learned that on Eastern campus,
when it rains, it pours.
The paths flood and umbrellas don't help one bit.
I just invested in some bright red rain boots
(the yellow ones weren't available in my size :[ )
and I think a rain coat is coming next.
Okay, so I'm just rambling now.
But I want to share some Easter pictures.
Easter is my absolute favorite holiday.
I love the religious and secular traditions,
although the religious ones are why it's my favorite.
It's at the perfect time of the year, right when spring is coming.
And people don't build it up quite as much, like they do
with Christmas. So there is no way that it
can't live up to your expectations.
I hope your Easter was good. :)
We had an egg dying party with Ryan and Haley's
neighborhood friends and some of my friends, too.
These are my creations...
This was our dinner and Haley trying to look like a bird.
I think she thought the ham was a turkey and she was
flapping her wings like a turkey.
I decided to make carrot cake for dessert.
I think baking is so much fun and this turned out
pretty good. :)
My poor car...
So I thought I had better pictures, but my camera
died during break, so I just have phone pictures.
On Easter night, me, Therese, Kelsey, and Alyssa
went to the beach. We walked in the sand
until our feet were frozen, then we walked the pier.
We always forget to bring a sharpie to write our names!
We spent a good hour swinging at the park, too.
It reminded me of the summer and how close it is.
I can't wait for it to be here.
It's definitely the best time of the year.
Full of sun and adventure and possibilities.
It will be here soon!
always love,
h

"I long to taste adventure, like the nature of the sea,
always moving, always hiding all the creatures from beneath."
-the classic crime, 'who needs air'

new car =)

Even though I bought my car during winter break
I just started driving it now.
I am very thankful to have my own car to drive
to and from school with.
Even if I had to pay hundreds of dollars to get it to pass inspection.
Thanks mom, for helping me get my first car!! :)
I promise to drive safe.
always love,
h

"I know with all my heart"

Today is Good Friday.
I don't really understand why they call it Good Friday.
Although I do think it is good for us to remember and reflect
on Jesus' death more deeply that we normally do
when we take communion or just think about it.
It's something that is hard to think about though.
It's not easy to think about how badly and desperately
we needed Jesus to die.
How desperate and broken we were and are that someone
had to needed to make the ultimate sacrifice.
It's important to remember though.
It's important not to forget.
Because it's everything.
It's everything I am.

"Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin has left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow"

"Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?"

God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
always love,
h


"Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom"
-how deep the father's love for us

"the chemistry of bubbles"

Therese drove up to Eastern on Wednesday to visit me.
We watched 'Winning London', a classic Olsen twins movie.
We've always been big Olsen twin fans.
When we were little we used to pretend to be them.
I was always Mary Kate.
On Thursday we went on a mini shopping spree at
the King of Prussia mall, the largest mall in the United States.
I got a bunch of springy, floral tops and
then we got dessert at the Cheesecake Factory.
The best thing about the KOP mall is that they have the strangest stores.
'Sock it to Me' is a store full of all kinds of socks,
there is a store that only sells large, framed pictures of sports stadiums,
and one store had every kind of candy I could think of.
After we felt like we couldn't possibly walk to another store,
we went back to campus and packed up the car
to drive home for Easter break.
This morning at eight-something my six year old nephew came
into my room and woke me up.
We had a big day planned and he wanted to get started.
I couldn't believe that it was supposed to be 83 degrees out!!
We went to the Clubhouse and played 18 holes of mini golf. (I won :])
Then we drove to the park for a picnic and playing.
Here are some pictures...I think it's time to go play in the sprinkler.
Enjoy the sun today!
always love,
h


"All I can think about right now is the chemistry of bubbles."
-therese