My Chains Are Gone

It's natural to worship.

On Friday afternoon, as the result of a series of random events, I ended up at Furman with my beautiful friend Abigail. Don't you love a good unplanned reunion? It's sweet and unexpected like finding your favorite t-shirt that you lost and thought was gone forever.

It was a gorgeous day.  The kind of day that would be perfect for an outdoor wedding.  Abigail grabbed her ukulele and we headed to the outdoor amphitheater to jam out.  She has just recently started learning how to play the instrument, and is already quite good at it.  We sang a few worship songs and then got stuck on Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone). We must have sung it at least three times.  We were singing with reckless abandonment,  in an unabashedly,
slightly embarrassing,
 free your soul kind of way.
The way you would sing in the shower if you thought no one was listening,
 praising the Lord,
hopelessly in love with the God who created ukuleles and vocal cords.

My chains are gone
I've been set free
my God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing Grace

After we had stopped to give our throats a break, a man and his son walked up to us in the amphitheater.

"Just wanted ya'll to know, your voices are carrying all over this place.
It sounds beautiful. I'm a christian, and this is a spiritually dead place, and your voices are a light. Keep singing."

We thanked him profusely for the encouragement as he turned and left, pushing his baby son in a stroller back through the grass.

Guest blogger: Jabez Waters

It's natural to have opinions.


I have never done a book review on my blog, so I though today would be a good day to hire a guest blogger to do the job. 


 My 12 year old brother, Jabez Daniel, recently read a book.


Here's what he thought of it...

The book The Golden Goblet was a good book at first but my overview is I despised it.  I really did not like it at all.  If I am to persuade you, DO NOT read this because I loathed it.  The book isn't great, and not really my type of read.  Honestly, I really didn't like it much.  I hope next year the books are a lot better, chosen maybe by the kids themselves.  But I don't understand why the teachers don't see that the kids think this book is horrible, boring, and hard to understand.  Another overview of mine is that the book was the worst book I ever read in my entire life.  I could sum this book up in less that a minute- "There is this kid named Ranofer he works in a gold shop and his step brother Gebu steals a lot of gold THE END." If we were allowed to have the book I would definitely burn it.  So in my opinion this book was awful, boring, stupid, dumb, horrible, and I extremely disliked this book.  I will go to every kid in my neighborhood that is going to 6th grade and tell them all the stupid books that the teachers pick out for us but maybe they will be lucky and get to choose their own books.  Good day to you teachers reading this essay and good luck trying to get kids next year to read the Golden Goblet.

Jabez says: if any of my teachers are reading this than I'll be giving this same paper to Mrs. Herring on 5\31\11...just give me a day. I am Natalie's brother Jabez Waters and I am in 6th grade. I like collecting model air planes and boats. My favorite movies are Jaws and Godzilla.  I think my sister's blog is nice.

Oh Eye See

It's natural to look backwards. 


Yesterday, I got new glasses. My first new pair since 8th grade. I remember the day that I found out I had to get glasses.  It was about three days after I was told I would need braces. Yay adolescence! 


When I picked up my glasses from the eye doctor, I opened the seemingly ordinary case to discover this:

I think they are Elizabeth Taylor's. 

Even though I have renewed vision, today I cannot help but look backwards. 

Adele rocks. 


Also, watch Tarzan and Jane have a conversation. 

1 Samuel 12:16

Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes!

Summer Ten

It's natural to have a summer playlist. I've pick some of my favorites tunes of late for you. These are the  kind of songs that beg for you to role down the windows, forget that you did your hair that morning, and serenade whatever is listening.

Enjoy!

She & Him- Sweet Darlin' 

"Sweet darling, come hold me, just a little bit longer now"

Edward Shark and the Magnetic Zeros - Home 

"Man, oh man, you're my best friend
I scream it to the nothingness
There ain't nothing that I need.
Well, hot and heavy, pumpkin pie
Chocolate candy, Jesus Christ
Ain't nothing please me more than you"

Joshua James - Coal War 

"I ain't cutting my hair till the good lord comes- arrive upon the mountain just to see what we have done"

Thompson Square - Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not? 

"We were sittin' up there on your momma's roof
Talkin' bout everything under the moon

With the smell of honeysuckle and your perfume

All I could think about was my next move"

Ingrid Michaelson - You and I 

"Oh, let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the South of France
let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters

and teach them how to dance"

Avril Lavigne- What the Hell (Don't judge me....it's super catchy and there is more to Avril than her dad's ties and sk8ter boy) 

"Whoaaa what the hell"

Lady Antebellum- American Honey 

"She grew up on the side of the road
Where the church bells ring and strong love grows

She grew up good
She grew up slow

Like American honey"

Ryan Adams- Oh My Sweet Carolina 

"Up here in the city feels like things are closing in
The sunsets just my light bulb burning out
I miss Kentucky and I miss my family
All the sweetest winds they blow across the south"

The Avett Brothers- Go To Sleep

"Lay back, lay back, go to sleep my man
Wipe the blood from you face and your hands
Forgive yourself if you think that you can
Go to sleep, go to sleep my man"

Ray LaMontagne- Jolene

"I found myself face down in a ditch
Booze in my hair
Blood in my lips
A picture of you holding a picture of me
In the pocket of my blue jeans
Still don't know what love means"

Two Emotions

To make you laugh,
http://www.scribd.com/doc/56238687/Is-Everyone-Hanging-Out-Without-Me-by-Mindy-Kaling-Excerpt

To make you cry,

Stuck In My Head

It's natural to get a song stuck in your head.
I cannot stop listening to these two.
Duos don't get much better than The Civil Wars.  Their voices blend perfectly together, in a beautiful and often haunting way.
 I'll let you guess which one looks like Johnny Depp.

"Did that full moon force my hand?
Or that unmarked hundred grand?
Ooh underneath the water
Please forgive me father"

"Oh your mouth is poison, your mouth is wine
Oh you think your dreams are the same as mine
Oh I don't love you but I always will"

Possibilites

It's natural to have a slight obsession with Emily Dickinson. My father is actually the one who introduced her to me.  Having loved her for a while,
he felt like the two of us would get along.

I Dwell in Possibly
 Emily Dickinson

I dwell in Possibility--
A fairer House than Prose--
More numerous of Windows--
Superior--for Doors--
Of Chambers as the Cedars--
Impregnable of Eye--
And for an Everlasting Roof
The Gambrels of the Sky--
Of Visitors--the fairest--
For Occupation--This--
The spreading wide my narrow Hands
To gather Paradise--

LISTEN TO THIS TRACK

Ray LaMontagne has been one of my top five favorite artists for several years now.

Basically, I'm in love with his music and I just had to share this song with you. 

He has the kind of voice that has a certain wisdom, like it's been around the block a time or two. It's full of soul and wonder mixed with a distinct smokers croon. 

"It's hard to believe it
Even as my eyes do see it
The very things that make you live are killing you
Listen when all of this around us'll fall over
I tell you what we're gonna do
You will shelter me my love
and I will shelter you"

Young Love

I think these two are on to something.....

The preciousness of simplicity. Nothing is better than a first kiss and a high five. 

Soul Mates

It's natural to have several pet fish over the years.

Right?

Wow. It has been such a long time, blog. I'm sorry that I've been away so long, but that's the great thing about you, blog.  You can't yell at me for neglecting you. Neither can plants...or fish....so that explains my history with both of those things.

Either way,  I am happy to be writing again.

I have officially completed my freshman year.
Insane, right?
I remember that first day like it was yesterday.
As soon as our parents left, Joy and I turned to each other in tears and hugged for about 5 minutes, trying to comfort each other about the reality that this was our life now.

I cannot describe what this year has meant to me, what it has taught me, and how much it has changed me. There are no words.
There is no way for me to write in this blog and send it out into cyber space how amazing it was to look back on everything that happened in my life this past year and see God carrying me the whole time.
His sovereign plan written on every page,
 on every day,
 on every friend I made,
in every song I sang.

Even when it was all over, I came back to the same family I've had my whole life.  Of course this includes my actual family, but I am also talking about my friends.  The distance of college and the newness of our separate lives was no match for the bond that we have. These girls knew me when I was a fatty, when I was annoying, when I really loved Clay Aiken, when I was awkward (still working on that one), and even when I thought it was really cool to part my hair down the middle and wear Jelly shoes.  They have stuck with me through it all.  They are a part of me. One of the best parts of me.  I know that most people only have one soul mate, but I already have three.

Mrs. Frizzle is a Liar

It's natural to ride the bus.

Growing up, I rode the bus. From first grade all the way up to freshman year, I was forced to ride Mr. James number 7 yellow behemoth of a vehicle to and from school.  Let me clear up some rumors for those of you who have never ridden a school bus....

They are NOTHING like the magic school bus.

On the bus, I learned valuable life lessons like
cuss words,
how to deface public property,
and most importantly, even if you are super bored, sun staring contests are never a good idea.
I'm fairly certain that a major reason I have such terrible eyesight is because of bus boredom.

I also learned about rejection on the bus.

My friend and I would always try and sit next to this boy on the bus, but he would always put his trombone case on seat to prevent us from getting near him.

So remember ladies, if he uses his trombone case as an excuse, he's just not that into you.

Yes, Canada. That makes you weird.

It's natural to wonder.

I've stopped singing in the shower.

I just realized today, that since I've been at college, I haven't sung in the shower.

Not once.
Not even a little Celine or TSwift.
Not a single Phantom of the Opera song.

Weird, right?

The realization hit me today when I started singing the Mulan soundtrack in my shower at home (I'm home for the weekend), and suddenly felt very aware of the fact that I was doing something other than shampooing or trying to avoid being scalded.  I've gotten rather skilled at sensing when the water will switch from warm to boiling molten lava hot. It's rumored that the shower water at school comes directly from the lagoons of hell, which is sort of baffling because I didn't know that Hell would have any type of water source.

So, what does this mean?

Am I scared that if I sing in the shower the other college people will hear, and then proceed to shun me? Am I only programed to sing in my own shower at home? Do I even like singing? WHO AM I? HOW DOES INK COME OUT OF PENS? WHY DO CANADIANS DRINK MILK OUT OF BAGS???

These are the questions that haunt me.

Also, here's a clip from Mulan. You're welcome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppobDZeSJ9Q&feature=related

Caught in a Bad Romance

It's natural to not understand things.


Today was especially chilly.  Nippy, even.  What is it with this weather, S.C.? Yesterday was glorious.  It was just warm enough so you could wear short sleeves and feel great. Today is our punishment for an early sunny day, I suppose.

I am forever misplacing things.  I think the only thing I haven't lost is my fervor for life. As soon as I put things down (whether it be keys, wallet, a cucumber), I instantly forget where I put them.  I'm convinced that my key card (the card that gets me into every building on campus and purchases my meals) is possessed by satan.  That is the only explanation! I put it down for one second, and it's gone! SAYONARA! Either it has demonic powers, or my roommate is hiding it and silently laughs while I frantically search for the little buggard.

I lost the card yesterday, but it is more likely that it walked off and decided to go on vacation or something. Luckily, I hadn't misplaced my spare yet, so I grabbed it out of my giraffe coffee cup, and headed to campus police to reactive the card.

Back to my previous statement, it was freezing today.  My sweatshirt wasn't cutting it, so on the way back, I took refuge in the biology building to warm up for a bit.

That was only the second time I had ever been in that building.  The first being when I toured the school initially.  I avoid it like the plague.

Why? Well, I'll tell you.

Science and I haven't exactly had the best relationship.

I don't understand it, it's too mysterious, and sometimes it forgets to call me back.  It's feeling positive, it's feeling negative, and sometimes just neutral. It is a roller coaster of emotions and I'm not ready for that kind of commitment. Sometimes, I think it's chemically imbalanced.
We had an on again off again relationship all throughout high school.  It would always try and woo me with it's unique elements and neat-o microscopes, but the math of the relationship always drew me away.  I got out of barely alive, but I get stronger everyday.  The relationship was poisoning me with its uranium and lead. Thank God for safety googles when you are caught in a bad romance.

I respect those who know how to handle Science.  It's a hard job, but somebody has to do it.
And I can't put my heart through that again.

But I'm warning you now, if it mentions bunsen burners, RUN.

Dad.

It's natural to admire people.


       A few days ago, my father texted me (on his new fancy texting phone) that he was going to be driving past Clinton on his way from Atlanta and asked if he could stop by and take my roommate and I out to dinner.
       If you don't know me that well, you must know I am a complete daddy's girl.  You must also know that my school cafeteria really loves recycling meat.  Often times, yesterdays spaghetti sauce becomes todays meat chili.   And finally, you must know that I am sentimental and love cheesy nostalgia.
      I was so excited that I was going to get to see my father and eat some real edible food. When he called me to let me know he was in the parking lot, I shoved on my coat and ran the three flights of stairs downstairs.  As I ventured into the parking lot, I still didn't see him, until I turned back around and saw him wandering around on the sidewalk.
     As I ran towards him, I saw that he had a bright blue PC hat on, that he had obviously just purchased at the bookstore.  In that moment, I felt a pang.  You know, a pang?  That thing that happens in your heart whenever you see your friends doing something for you, a baby sleeping, or a kitten?  I hate cats, but kittens are okay, I guess.
     I couldn't stop the tears from flowing when he pulled me into a hug.  In the arms of the man who taught me how to love classic rock, basketball, and C.S. Lewis, I felt overwhelming sadness and love. I was sad because I'm not his little girl anymore, but instead a sort-of grownup in college.  I use the term "grown up" very loosely.  I have no distorted notions of my maturity, of course.  It seems like only yesterday, I was waiting for him to get home from work so I could fix him fake food in my little plastic kitchen, and today I'm waiting in my dorm room for him to come and visit me at college.
     He took me and Joy to Fatz Cafe, which is literally the nicest restaurant in Clinton.  Over those addictive poppyseed rolls, I listen to my hero talk about his adventures from his business trip to California.  He had taken my grandmother along to visit some cousins, and he laughed as he told us she had requested that they go to the Dr. Phil show, and how the cousins had instead taken her to Laguna Beach.  
     After dinner, I took him to the art studio to show him my work.  I excitedly told him about the good grades I had received, and about the church that I visited and loved.  As it was time for him to leave, he handed me a bag of groceries he had bought for me as I started to tear up again.  As I hugged him goodbye, I realized how badly I want to make him proud of me, how badly I want to be a worthy daughter.


      I realize I write a lot of stories that include me crying.  This is because I cry quite a lot.  Emotions runs through me so fast that I cannot stop them from pouring out of my eyes and streaming down my face like rain on a windshield. I once asked my beautiful friend Madeline during one of my episodes why I was always so emotional, and she said simply, "Because you have such a big heart."

Darn this big heart.  It makes me feel like such a sissy sometimes.  

I love you, daddy.

Ralph, Just Call me Ralph

It's natural to crave a creative outlet.

There are many forms of creativity.  There are musical instruments to be strummed upon, short stories to be written, sandwiches to be created, and impressions of Jerry Seinfeld to be attempted (please, practice in the mirror first before you try and show me.)

This semester, I signed up for a drawing class.  Basic Drawing is the official title.  It seemed harmless enough, considering the word "basic" is in course name.  After talking to a few people who had taken the course, I started to worried.  They kept saying words like "skill" and "talent" and "not easy," and most of them wore fedoras and scarves and artsy looking jeans. That made me nervous. I knew that if a kid in a fedora is telling me an art class is hard, I am in trouble. I called my mother to ask her if I should drop the class or not.
Honey, you are an incredibly talented artist!  I've framed some of your work!

She forgets that I drew said "framed works" in the fifth grade.  You have to frame your kid's art in elementary.  It's practically a requirement to parenting.

On the first day of class, I wore my skinniest jeans and Urban Outfitters shoes and walked anxiously to the art building.  I walked into class, and sat down to wait for a professor and instruction.

About ten minutes after class was supposed to start, in walked the teacher.  An older guy, maybe mid 50s, in a fedora (Surprised? Not at all.), a zip up sweater, tattered jeans, and Burkenstocks.  As he absentmindedly handed us a colorful syllabus (with headings like "Sooooo whadda ABOUT DRAWING"), he introduced himself.


Ralph, just call me Ralph.

Let me tell you, Ralph is a character.  He plays the sound track to Black Swan while we draw with charcoal whatever object he feels like putting on the table in the middle of the room.  By the time I get out of there, I look like a child mine worker.

After having several classes with Ralph,  I'm fairly certain that his favorite word is "shit."

I'm only hoping he doesn't use it to describe my art.