Summertime and the living is...easy?

So, I've neglected to update my blog for over a year now. Impressive, huh?!? Let's do a recap of everything that's happened since last May, shall we?

-Took a little trip to New York with my best friend Leslie and our moms. We had five relaxing days of shopping, sight-seeing, entertainment and more shopping!

-Traveled to Honduras to build houses in the small city of Catacamas. It was an amazing experience and I hope to go back again soon.

-Visited South Carolina and Nebraska to see family and family friends.

-Drove the Jimmy to California with Mom. On the way, we stopped to see the Grand Canyon. What an amazing mother-daughter journey!

-Moved into DeBell Hall at Pepperdine! Couldn't have asked for better suitemates... I miss them already!

-Leslie came to visit me and we saw the sights of LA and Malibu in three short days.

-Flew to Hawaii for a lacrosse tournament. Oh, I play lacrosse now. Ha!

-Had the wisdom teeth removed over Christmas break.

-Started playing goalie for our team. Ouch!

-Spent most of my free time practicing for Songfest this spring. What fun! Mom flew up to see me in that, too.

-Jimmy broke down on the PCH. Bummer.

-Went to Disneyland with a bunch of Pepperdiners and some of their friends from out of town.

-Got a new car! Mom and Dad bought me a Jeep Patriot, henceforth named Patton. Get it? What a blessing to have wheels again!

-Trained to be the female RA in Switzerland, starting this fall.

Now I'm working at the El Chico in Carrollton as a hostess by day and a waitress by night. I really like the job, but some customers should learn some tip-giving skills. My two major trips this summer are to D.C. and South Carolina. In D.C., I'm going to a conference that my grandparents want me to attend; and we're having a family reunion for my Mom's family at the beach in South Carolina. I'll finally get to meet baby Elizabeth, my newest cousin, born last fall.

What makes this summer so difficult, you ask? On Sunday morning, my Grandpa passed away. It has been really hard to come to grips with the fact that he's gone. His lively spirit, stories and advice will be sorely missed, but my memories of him will be cherished. Also, Sister Wanda's recent strokes have awakened me to the fact that even saints' bodies don't last forever.

Hopefully I'll continue to update more this summer. We'll see...

Graduation

No more classes
No more books
No more teachers' dirty looks

Well, at least in high school anyway.

Night!

-Laura

Hoolpa!

I finished watching “Memories of a Geisha” a few minutes ago with my parents. My, that is a movie that makes one think about what true freedom is: the freedom to love without restraint.

I have just finished one week of stressful IB exams and still have one more week to go.

Last Tuesday: HL English Paper 1
Last Thursday: HL Biology Papers 1 & 2
Earlier Today: HL Biology Paper 3

Next Monday: HL English Paper 2
Next Wednesday: HL History Paper 1 & 2
Next Thursday: HL History Paper 3

There are only two good things about these upcoming exams: 1) we get to wear casual clothes to school (translation: sweats) and leave right after we finish the test; 2) after May 11th, I pretty much just go to school for attendance purposes. Oh, and I’ve already finished my HL Art, SL French and SL Math exams earlier this year and last May, so I don’t have as much to worry about as some of my classmates. BUT, I do have to try hard this next week on the exams, because (with the IB program) I can’t get my IB diploma unless I score well on all of my individual exams, which I won’t know until July.

My end-of-the-year and summer schedule is rapidly filling up. I have my senior dance recital on May 20th, and my piano and voice recital on the 21st. Greg Spink just told me last week that he will be taking the seniors to III Forks in a limousine on the 24th. My last day of high school is the 25th and the next day (Friday), my grandparents come into town and my school has the senior banquet where we say our goodbyes and show off our senior scrapbooks (made mandatory by my English teacher). That Saturday is my graduation, and Ky should be able to come home for that! Sunday, Leslie and I are having a graduation party together at Nuevo Leon (with food, of course!). Monday is finally Leslie’s graduation.

Then, my final summer before Pepperdine will officially begin. And it will be one heck of a summer at that! From the 4th through the 9th of June, I’ll be in NYC with Leslie and our moms for a bonding/sight-seeing trip. I also might sneak in a trip to see Ky with my parents in June since he’ll be stationed in Kansas for a while.

In July, I’ll be home for a grand total of five days! I’ll be in Honduras from the 6th through the 15th, then I’ll fly immediately to South Carolina to go to the beach with my mom’s family, then I’ll be off to Lacrosse camp in Santa Barbara, then I’ll finally be coming back home to leave again for the Junior/Senior trip to who-knows-where with the church.

Just thinking about all of the upcoming hoopla makes me tingle with excitement! I wasn’t exactly tortured by my high school experience, but I am sure ready to move on.

I think that I’ve droned on for long enough, so I’ll finish picking up my room and “hit the hay” so to speak.

-Laura

Pepperdine it is!

Just wanted to let you all know that on August 28th of this year, I will be starting classes in Malibu, CA! My parents and I did the final paperwork for Pepperdine with me tonight, and I feel like the monkey of "decision" is finally off of my back.

Thank you for your general support and/or advice on this subject for the past few months!

I hopped in the shower and turned on the radio right after we finished the online confirmation, and the lyrics really hit home to me:

Some bright morning when this life is o'er,
I'll fly away; To that home on God's celestial shore,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

Chorus: I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

Just a few more weary days and then,
I'll fly away;
To a land where joys will never end,
I'll fly away.

Besides the dying part, the song reminds me that although the last month of school will be hectic and hard, I'll be in heaven, a.k.a. Pepperdine, soon!

-Laura

Lacrosse, anyone?

Lacrosse
n: a game invented by American Indians; now played by two teams who use long-handled rackets to catch and carry and throw the ball toward the opponents' goal

The lacrosse coach at Pepperdine contacted me about two days ago to see if I was interested in joining the team (no experience necessary). I'm seriously considering it because the coach said he would scholarship me for training this summer and that the team flies to Hawaii for a tournament in the fall. So, all I need to do now is figure out what lacrosse actually is. As you can see, I already took the first step by looking it up in the dictionary.

I need to get some sleep!

Night,
Laura