Day 23: Sleet

It looks like we may finally get some snow this winter. Right now it's sleeting, as you can see on my car. I'm desperately hoping that it turns into snow, which is what the forecasters say will happen. This thunder-sleet certainly is a little weird.

Today I experienced the hazards of walking to school. On my home it suddenly began hailing. Not fun. The hail turned into rain and by the time I walked in my front door I was soaked. No, I didn't have a jacket; the forecast indicated it would still be sunny when I left class. No, I didn't take an umbrella; it wasn't supposed to rain until a little later. I really want some snow out of this.

Day 22: A Coup

Bad news this weekend for tourists planning to head to Egypt. Egyptian citizens have been protesting for  several days, demanding the ousting of the president. It is unlikely, though not impossible, that this will be resolved before our February departure date. So sad.

Some cool images have come out of the Egyptian Antiquities Museum were looters destroyed several artifacts that are thousands of years old. Civilians linked arms and surrounded the museum, protecting the priceless objects within.

Day 21: Fashion Diva

Clearly I was dressed to the nines today. I had on a pair of sweatpants and needed to put on some shoes to take out the trash. My boots were the first thing I saw, so I slipped them on. My roommates laughed at me, of course, because of my ridiculous attire.

Day 20: Soldier

Today Stacie and I again went horseback riding. We rode Soldier, this big guy, for the first time this afternoon. It was a lot of fun, though clearly I didn't get a very good picture today. Soldier is a lot of fun to ride, because he's well-behaved and responsive. Hopefully our riding will continue on a more regular basis than last semester.

Day 19: Apple Crumble

Anna and I baked an apple crumble this afternoon. Every week at small group we have a meal together and everyone brings something. It seems that we've become the "dessert girls." We brought some delicious pies one week, and this week we decided on a crumble. I thought it was quite yummy.

Day 18: Markers

I used these markers at church tonight to trace around a bunch of four- and five-year-olds. Let me tell you, some of those kids were wiggly. Each child decorated the outline of him or herself and then we wrote on the paper how they could follow Jesus.

I asked one girl, "How can you follow Jesus?" Without missing a beat she replied, "I'll hop, and skip and jump!" I just looked at  her for a second before I realized what she was talking about. She was wanting to physically follow Jesus, skipping along behind him on the road.

Day 17: Chocolate Santa

After another long day I indulged in some chocolate. It almost always makes me feel better. I'm still nibbling away at this chocolate Santa from my stocking. This probably isn't much of a surprise to most people as I tend to save my treats as long as possible - sometimes too long.

Day 16: Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake

My mom made this caramel macchiato cheesecake for my dad's birthday. It was absolutely delicious! I love cheesecake and I love coffee, so the combination of them together was fantastic. This wonderful dessert followed a lovely Indian meal, complete with papadums and a mint and cumin lassi. Yumm, yumm. My mom is a wonderful cook.

Day 15: Rough Guide

Today I again spent some time perusing the Rough Guide to Egypt. We still have a month before we head out, but preparations have been going on for a while now. The above picture was taken with Photo Booth, so it's not the best quality. After going to church and lifegroup this morning, I have really done much else today other than homework.

Day 14: Beatboxing

This was my project for the evening. Along with several other girl friends, I tried to create a song without any instruments other than our voices. We had a ton of fun, but we don't sound nearly as good as the guy who inspired us. You can check out his work here. We may not be the best beatboxers in the world, but we sure had fun trying.

Day 13: Travel Immunizations

I had a fun start to my day today, beginning with jump starting my car in the freezing cold (11 degrees with windchill - in Abilene, that's cold). After taking my car in to the shop, Dad and I headed downtown to the public health center. I am now up-to-date on the immunizations needed for travel to Egypt. I was pleased to learn that the typhoid vaccine can be taken orally which meant only one shot for me!

Day 12: Cloudy Water

This is cloudy water from the water fountain in the library on campus. I was disturbed by the white colour of my water when I filled my water bottle this morning, so I looked it up online. Apparently it's just lots of tiny air bubbles in the water. I let the water sit for a minute and the bubbles slowly dissipated, the water clearing from the bottom up. Cold water holds more air than warm water, so when it's colder outside (as it was this morning), the water is more likely to look like this.

Day 11: Oh Oxford, I Miss Thee

The first picture we took together over in England. We've now been roommates for three years! Amara hopped on a plane today to spend the semester in Oxford. Two years ago I did the same thing, though it was in the fall, and I often miss the wonderful time I had in one of my hometowns.

I tried to take a picture of the moon this evening. It was full tonight, big and bright. I don't have a tripod and my hands weren't quite steady enough. Instead of a beautiful moon I have a picture of a blur of light. For everyone's sake I decided not to post it.

Day 10: Exhaustion

No creative photos today. I went in to work at 9 this morning and got home from my last class at 9:30 this evening. It looks like I need to rethink my Tuesdays. And I probably should have taken at least a short break somewhere in there. What a fun first day of school!

Day 9: Starlight Painting

My attempt at light painting. School begins tomorrow, so today was the last day of the Christmas break. I spent a little bit of my time messing around with a flashlight and slow shutter speeds; this was the result.

Day 8: Caramel Apple Spice

The first of our weekly coffee runs, though this week I decided on something without caffeine. Every week JoAnna, Anna and I go and have coffee together, and this was a fun way to kick off the semester.

Day 7: Disc Golf

Today my family went out to ACU's disc golf course and played a round. I'm not all that great at it, but it's a ton of fun. I throw my frisbee in such a way that it always has a good roll after it hits the ground. I'm not sure how I do it, but it usually gives me an extra 10 feet or more.

Day 6: Ruby Red

My delicious breakfast this morning: a yummy grapefruit. I didn't do much today other that go in to work, but I was able to start off the day by enjoying a tasty fruit.

Day 5: Early Morning Jump Start

I went to start my car to take it in for an oil change, only to find that my car would not start. With a little help from Dad (or a lot of help), I was able to jump start it.

Day 4: Another Treat Please!

Gladwyn, my 13-year-old "puppy." I had just given her a treat and she was hoping for another one.

Day 3: Home Row

Where I spend the majority of my time - on my wonderful iMac. My family can attest to the fact that I frequently have my computer sitting on my lap.

Day 2: Thank You!

Thank you notes at work. We lend out books to other libraries. Sometimes the borrowing library will include a note when they return the book. It always makes me happy to open a book and find a thank you tucked inside the front cover.

Day 1: Packing

The inevitable mess that comes with packing things up and moving things out. Amara's headed overseas and I'll soon be moving back to the house that I rent. Right now, this means clothes are strewn everywhere.