Happy Wednesday!

Cutest thing ever.

October Happenings

How do you pack for a two and a half week long trip? Open up your suitcase and pour your closet into it. 

Believe me. I would know.

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A few weeks ago, my dear mother and sister, and I loaded the back of the car with suitcases, baskets of books and school, snacks, and other odds and ends and started off.

First Stop: Baylor!

Quality time with family (brothers, yay!) and friends. Really, that's just the best. 

(Oh, and can we just take a minute to notice how completely amazing Julia's hair looks? I mean, really. )

And then we drove.

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(get it, it's a road. It took some time to figure out how to make that work, so please appreciate it. Thanks.)

And then we met up with these lovely people.

                                                     

(I just kind of love them all.)

Had a nice chat, over lunch. (I mean.. we talked while we ate lunch.. not that we chatted about lunch) Friends and food. Two of my favorite things right there.

And onward to Franklin!

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(You don't have to appreciate this road as much because I just copied and pasted.)

Where I got know this lovely lady a little better.

She is really fantastic. 

And I visited New College Franklin.

We played frisbee

 (I realize this is a pretty lame picture.. no one is even running and the frisbee isn't even in flight, but it's all I got. sorry.)

And this cutie dressed up as an Indian.

(It was Halloween)

And then we drove some more.

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(again, copy and paste. It's really a wonderful tool.)

To see these lovelies. 

I LOVE this kid! 

They're swell folks. And I love them to death.


Aaaand then. More driving. 

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We visited the Greens too, but I don't have pictures from that. But it was fun (duh.) and I love their house. Like, a lot. I mean, I love the Greens too, but their house... :)

Anyway...

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Back to Texas.

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(More driving because everyone knows, the longest part of the roadtrip is driving through Texas.)

Almost home, but first...

We met Governor Huckabee! And that was cool. :)

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And then.

 Home. Sweet. Home.

It was a wonderful trip. 

But really, 

there is no place like home.

New something I learned about myself: I realllyyyy like my bed, guys. I didn't know how much I liked it. But oh, do I ever.

So that's that.

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"I do like a road, because you can always be wondering what is at the end of it."
~L.M. Montgomery~

Arwen's Vigil-The Piano Guys

And The Piano Guys do it again. Incredible.

Happy Friday!

Dear Roy Rogers, You're My Favorite Star

Today, 102 years ago, the King of the Cowboys was born. 

And I'm kind of glad he was because, you see, I grew up watching this guy. And I still like his movies and his songs a whole whole lot. 

Favorite movie: Probably "Don't Fence Me In"

Favorite Song: It's hard to pick just one, but I think my two favorites are "Sunday Kind of Country Kind of Love" and "It's Good to be Home Again"

Fun Fact: His real name is Leonard Franklin Sly. And because no cowboy ever was called "Leonard," he chose the stage name Roy Rogers.

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Well, I think the only fitting way to end this post is by saying, 

"Good bye, good luck, and may the good Lord take a likin' to ya." -Roy Rogers.

Awkward Silence? No, Not Really.

     In this technological age, something is always there to capture our attention. 

     Smartphones. Facebook. Instagram. Twitter. Pinterest. T.V. Computers. iPads. They're everywhere. All the time. With all these touch screens, entertainment is literally at our fingertips. 

     The first thing a kid does when he gets in the car is point to the TV and say, "watch!"

     In line at the drive-through, you pull out the iPhone. 

     (This one puzzles me.) A couple on the date. Both texting. I just..I don't...I don't get that. 

     Even while watching a movie, most people can't put their phone up. One source of entertainment at a time isn't enough. 

     

     Technology has intruded into every aspect of our lives, and we have welcomed it with open arms. It is not wonder, then, that we have come to fear silence. 

     There's but a brief moment, little more than a slight pause, and someone says it. Long and drawn out, in a slightly comical tone. "Aawwkwaaaarrddd."

    You've heard it. Probably a lot. More than likely you've said it yourself a time or two. Maybe more. But why? What makes it awkward? And why do we declare it awkward? Is it a pitiful attempt to alleviate the awkwardness? Do we somehow think we can make things less awkward by calling attention to the awkwardness? What is it that makes silence so awkward? Or what is it about us that makes us feel awkward during silence?

     

     In an age that is so prolific of entertainment, it is no wonder we have come to fear silence. Something is always there to capture our attention, and we're unaccustomed to silence. It's rare, It's unusual, and we don't like it. We don't know what to do with it. It makes us feel, well, awkward.

     We're afraid of that dead time in between comments, and so we anxiously say things so fast that we hardly know what we're gong to say until we've already said it. "Think before you speak" doesn't happen because thinking means silence and silence means awkwardness. We don't listen to what someone else is saying because we have to think of what to say next so that there's not a second of dead time because that would be, you know, awkward. And if we do have to endure silence for a few seconds in the midst of a conversation, someone is quick to announce the awkwardness because drawing attention to it is better than not saying anything at all.

     We have to stop this constant entertainment--this idea that something has to be going on every single second of our lives--and take joy in those precious moments when nothing is happening. Silence is beautiful. It really is. It's not awkward--or at least it's not supposed to be. But we've distorted it into something to be dreaded. We, as a society, must relearn to treasure silence. 

     This means you--yeah you--need to put up that phone and quit seeking entertainment all the time.