Maybe There IS a Plan After All!

I'm trying to think back to the beginning of my day and it seems sooooo long ago. Right now I feel really good and like God has just proven to me again that I am supposed to be here for "such a time as this." I was getting very discouraged last week: was really sick, missing spiritual connections with people from home, and basically being told by another girl in my class last week that I should not believe in God and that my mom's healing could be explained by energies.

The other morning I woke up feeling better, walked out my front door and for the first time noticed something in my front yard: a giant yellow rose bush; same kind as from home. I was sooo excited!!!! I called mom to tell her. Apparently when great grandma was looking for a place to live they couldn't find anything, but there was land with a yellow rose bush and she knew that's where she was supposed to be...something about a saint and God answering prayer. So we put that yellow rose bush in our front yard at home....and somebody a long time ago must have planted one for me here too!!!

Today was rainy and I slept through my alarm clock for about an hour, woke up, got ready in 15 minutes and walked to school fast! Had an interesting class about the history of photography and using art (photography) as a metaphor for deeper meanings. Then ate lunch with about 15 other people. I had left over pizza from last night. I went out to a cute little pizza place with about 15 other people from school. They cooked the pizza in the middle of the restaurant and it was amazing!

On my way to lunch this girl stopped me and asked me: do you believe in God? Do you go to church? Did someone say something to you earlier this week about it? Apparently someone had told her. She said that she wanted me to know that I am not alone and that faith is the most important thing to her. She said that when she heard what happened to me she almost cried and then thought about where it talks in the bible about being persecuted because of our faith. It was soooo nice to know that I have a support system growing here!

After our five our lighting class, her and I walked to a coffee shop down the street that has a church service on Thursday nights. We talked for about an hour about what God has done in our lives and what we've been realizing lately about faith and our journeys to Montana. They are crazily similar!!! The service was really good and we prayed together after. She drove me home and on the way told me that she thinks we are both here for a much greater purpose. I think so too! The connections that I'm making here with Christians are amazing. The other weird thing is: I've had this revelation of grace in the past few months before coming here and it is an underlying connection among the people who I am meeting here. She has had the same revelation in the past month.

I'm excited to see what happens with our friendship and with our group of students at school. We are all becoming like a little family here. It's so cool! I also really like the lady who confronted me on the God thing and I'm going to pray for her :)
Love you guys and miss you!

It's late

These might start getting super short, but I figure something is better than nothing. I just glanced through what I wrote yesterday and it feels like it was a week ago. Last night I went with four other people for sushi! It was fun and we had a deep talk about God. It was basically a conversation between me and one other woman, and we were complete opposites on basically every thought of life. I went home feeling a little deflated, but figured I said what I thought about life in love. And only did so because she asked.....in the form of "you're a very religious person, aren't you?" So you know where I went from that. ha!
Ironically, since then I've found four more Christians in our group! One more who knows Lowell. Crazy how everyone is connected somehow!
I had class this morning. I woke up late and rushed to get ready in a half an hour. I used Matt's news eye shadow and looked dang good. I wore cute jeans that were a little tight and once class started so did my bloating and cramps. Those kind of tight pants became like a suctioning rubber band that wanted to kill me. Finally, half way through class the IB profen kicked in.
However, everyone is sick! and I also had that one cough that you know is the begining of a terrible yuck! I had the afternoon off, so I went home. drank nasty therma flu tea that made me sick to my stomach and OJ. Then I went to night class, which was just playing with canon camera equipment. I got to use a $2000 amazing lens! Then I went to a coffee shop that is a church on Thursday nights. It was really nice. THen I walked home, stopped by the river on the way, while talking to you guys on the phone.
I was a little sad when I came home because I'm missing dad's birthday. I wish skype could just transfer me there real quick!
I made tea and edited a few pictures until Abby came home. Her and I talked from about 9to 11. Emma would love her! She thinks two of the funniest things are people roller skating and running into glass doors. Also, we had a lot of deep talks about life and relationship vs. religion.
Right now, I'm in bed (which btw my room is the best smelling place on the earth) I can hear the people downstairs having a birthday party. I went to go get a drink of water from the kitchen and the pot smell is overwhelming! Took some niquil and hoping to sleep earlier tonight. I've gotten into this habit of being wide awake until super late, having crazy dreams all night, and then ready to pass out in class.
Love You Miss You!

Bernice's Bakery Revelations

Yesterday flew by! I woke up later than usual, so I didn't shower. Went to a class called Visual studies, which is my favorite!!!! This cute blonde lady who wears dresses a lot and no makeup, but pretty enough she doesn't need it, teaches us all about being creative and using the elements and principles of design to create amazing images. Images that are truly art! She studied art in college and has a few degrees. I totally relate to all of her lectures and she uses tons of art history, which makes me feel like the five billion hours of sitting in art history class at Drake was actually worth it. I've recognized every image she's used and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one. (yes, I'm bragging, but I'm allowed to after a semester of three 4 hour/day art history classes, totaling $12,000)
Anyway, from there I went to rent a lens for my baby cannon. It's a sweet lens, but I signed away my credit card in case anything happens to it. Oh well, just another $1,000 on the $100,000 limit, right? KIDDING!
Then I had a cracker and a brownie that someone gave me for lunch because I woke up late and didn't pack one.
I rode with Mike, Sarah, and Ashleigh to Fort Missoula for a photoshoot. Mike is 50 ish, Sarah 30-40 ish, and Ashleigh is 22 farm girl. The day was gorgeousssss! Probably 75 and sunny. Tony, the tall guy teacher and Eileen the cute blonde teacher were there to help 12 of us through our photoshoot. We were taking photos of this old train station and working on getting correct exposure by figuring out where to meter. We basically tried to see the world in black and white and then found the medium grey tones to meter from before taking photos. (Okay, I'm obviously not explaining this the best)
I went home and finally took a shower and headed off to a BBQ for all the photo students, 80 of us. It was so fun and I was starving!!!! The food was really good and a few people brought their little kids. I spent the majority of the time playing with them! It's crazy how much I miss subbing little people all day and playing with two-year olds every week.
Today I don't have class until 2:00!!! I woke up late, cleaned my room, ate breakfast, called my insurance lady, went for a walk down by the river and past all these music and food vendors setting up downtown, talked to mom and ended up at Bernice's bakery to drink coffee and read my bible. I read John 4:23-24, which is becoming one of my favs!!!
(I just took a break to go eat Abby's fried rice and realllllyy good cookies! I love her)
Anyway, I also read about Jesus walkin' on the water, the samaritain woman, the lady caught in adultry, and lazerus...basically, I read John. But I had a realllly cool revelation!
I read John 12:41-43. It talks about how when people go so long seeing miracles and still not believing Jesus, that God hardens their heart...not that he doesn't let them believe, but He grants their wish basically. If they turn away so long, they eventually become permanently hardened. After realizing how ridiculously heartbreaking this is, I thought of a really cool analogy: clay. When I taught a clay unit to elementary art students I told them if they were completely done with their project and they wanted me to fire it, they should leave it out to dry, but if they wanted to keep working on it, they should wet it, cover it, and continue to work on it the next day. Once their piece had been laid out to dry, I would put it in the kiln and it would be perminantly hardened. It was no longer capable of going back to a moldable state.

I'll be back. Asheigh's here to take me to class.


but my revelation:
PREACHING GO'DS WORD THROUGH ART EDUCATION!

6/72010 I live here

As I was walking home from school tonight, I looked around at the shops, the river, and the mountains in the distance and felt comfortable. I spent the last week looking forward to my family coming to visit. It was like the big mile marker that I couldn't wait to get to, but on the other hand was dreading because that meant: I stay here for 2 months without them. But on my way home, it was suddenly okay that they had gone and I had not. I am on a once in a life time adventure and I am excited to learn as much as I can, meet new people, and experience this summer to the fullest...even if it means doubling my school loans in a couple of months. (ouch!!!!)

I came home exhausted, thinking I would go straight to sleep. I talked with Abby for about an hour about everything from the gay community here (which is very little) to teen suicide...weird topics, I know. She made curry for dinner. It's the first time I've ever had it. Very unique taste and good.

I cleaned my room, completely spotless and put on the mattress pads. They were not easy to fold! and the little mattress cover ripped every time I touched it. It might be going back for a return in August, but for now, it's on my bed. I searched craigslist and found a full down feather pillow topper for $30. ugh! When I was cleaning my room, I found a hotel card...I think that's when it actually hit me that I didn't have my family visit to look forward to anymore.

I sat in my room on my computer most of the night, wishing I had enough energy to go on a walk. I needed to get some stuff done, though: find a tripod, a lens, upload a photo assignment, and probably a few other things that I didn't do. Actually, it's 11:15 and I haven't really accomplished a single one....but I started a BLOG ha!

Tomorrow I have a fun class in the morning, get to go out and take pics in the afternoon, and a BBQ for all the students after school.


Listening to really good music tonight: Shine Your Light On Us. Robby Shaey Band

Love you guys!

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