surprize

Lately I've been feeling pentup...frustrated...ineffectual. It isn't about one situation or one problem, just general feeling. It's as if I'm right on the edge of something marvelous, but I'm chained to a tree and no matter what I do I can't reach it. Well I came home today and found my younger brother at the house, he asked me to take a trip with him. So I am. Tomorrow after church I'm leaving out for a week long road trip. Don't know how far we're going to go, but I know I'll be back for church next Sunday. My mom actually offered to keep Electra the whole week!!! It sooooooo irresponsible, I LOVE IT!!!!! Pray for me and I'll fill you in on the trip next week!

summer slump

I have reached the point in the summer where I've got less than 2 1/2 weeks left, and I have not moved. I know that people who have been watching me try to moved for the last year have probably reached a state of bemused unbelief at the concept of me actually completing this ever present goal of mine. Seriously I was thinking about it the other day, and I realised that after I move I'll have to find a completely new "unto" for my journey, that pastor's been talking about. Unfortunately, I either have to find a new place to try to rent (though to be honest there is NOWHERE that will have this good of a deal) or just be patient with yet another delay in moving time. Truthfully though the woman moving out is probably even more anxious than myself, since she is building a new home and that has to be exciting. So pray for both of us to stay patient, because after all what a couple of weeks here and there??

the 4th

Last night Steve got to meet my family at our annual redneck fest also known as the 4th of July. This year wasn't as bad as years past, mainly due to the fact that no one ended up drunk and playing with fire. LOL Amazingly he fit right in. He managed to not be intimidated by my large, loud, and happily sacastic family. We love each other but insults will ensue at every availble moment. (the ones who can't take it just don't come back, those who can hit back with their own rhetoric)
We ate a TON of food, in my family if you can't feed the whole group for that meal and 6 more your slacking in the food department. Then we played badmitten till it got dark. Yeah, yeah I know that badmitten is a dorky sport, but who wants real competition when you can spend the game in trash talking people who can't hit a little plastic birdie. My team took Steve's down several times before we stopped taking score.
Then it got dark and the fireworks came out. My cousin Jesse has been in charge of the fireworks purchasing for a good 5 or 6 years now, and there where literally conference calls that took place between the younger males in the family discussing the various fireworks to buy. All together we spent a little over $300 on fireworks. Then in order to ensure that we wouldn't have to worry about the lighter being blown out by the wind, we brought out a torch. It was about the size of a small fire extinguisher (which by the way we didn't bother with having around) We went through the fireworks having alot of fun, when about halfway through one of the fireworks sent a stray not into the air but straight past Steve's head!!!! Luckily he wasn't hurt and made a joke about how he got the hint and that he wouldn't come back again. Everyone laughed and then we got to our 2 finale's Jesse sets up the first one and runs back to watch it. A couple shoot into the sky, when suddenly another one shoots by Steve's head and I'm thinking AGAIN??? That's weird, but then another and another came. Everyone jumped out of their seats and ran to hide. For 2 minutes or so fireworks were EXPLODING IN THE YARD AROUND WHERE WE HAD BEEN SITTING! Apparently the bucket that it had been on fell over pointing the firework at the audience. Luckily, noone was hurt and we all laughed about it, but I'll admitted I was scared for a minute there.
After that things went to their redneck best because like they do nearly every year they lit a bucket of gas on fire and started throwing in the rest of the bottle rockets and M-80's. Ya'll wanta come next year??????

Lauren’s Top Ten Movies of All Time

I know that these will spark debate, but hey its just my opinion like that's never been attacked. ;)

1.Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
I know that many people will have no clue what this Stanley Kubrick classic is, but I assure you that it is one of the most finely crafted movies of all time. Peter Sellers plays 3 hilarious roles in the movie. This movie that will leave you laughing and shaking your head at the stupidity of the human race at the same time, I have never seen a more enjoyable and stimulating movie ever.

2.Fiddler on the Roof
This movie has been one of my favorite movies for at least a decade now. Why you may ask, well because it combines some of my favorite things. 1. History, while this movie is localized to Anateivcha, (I have no clue if that’s spelled right) it’s a fairly accurate portrayal of the conditions the Russian Jews were facing on the eve of the Communist Revolution. 2. It’s a musical! 3. It’s funny and sad, nothing like a movie that makes you run the gambit of human emotion.

3.The Muppet Movie
This is my favorite Muppet movie, though I’m also partial to Muppet’s Take Manhattan and Muppet Treasure Island as well. No one will ever be able to fill the shoes of the Muppet’s in the world of American comedy. Good sarcastic fun for the whole family.

4.Steele Magnolias
I don’t know a Southern woman who doesn’t love this movie. We identify with it, too completely. And there’s nothing more that can be said about it.

5.The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Yes, I know there were 3 different movies, but they were all filmed at the same time and they’re really all one story. Well directed, well acted, beautiful scenery, and an incomparable story. In just one word…fabulous.

6.Pride and Prejudice (BBC version)
If you are a woman, and have not fallen in love with Mr. Darcy yet I must insist that you watch this movie. One of the greatest love stories of all time, and one of the few movies that holds its own against the book. It’s so good that I already know that the new adaptation coming out can only disappoint in comparision.

7.Rocky
This movie is one of the many reasons why I wanted to write this list. Steve continually shushes me when I try to explain its superiority to the later Rocky films. He can’t shush me now. ;) The 1st Rocky won an Oscar for best picture, and a couple months ago when I rewatched it after nearly 10 years I was floored. It is a VERY low key and minimalist love story between two washed up people who find purpose and hope in each other. It is beautiful in every way.

8.Gone With the Wind
Every Southern must watch this movie, actually they should read the book and find a better understanding of the South’s position before, during, and after the Civil War. Trust me its not the history that the winners wrote. But since I’ll never convince ya’ll to read this fine piece of literature. Watch the movie and get a pale glimmer of the intellectual masterpiece that Margaret Mitchell wrote.

9.The Princess Bride
One of the most quotable and fun movies I’ve ever seen. It’s one you’ll never tire of veging out to.

10.The Gods Must Be Crazy I&II
These 2 movies are some of the funniest things you’ll ever see, and their clean humor too, which makes them unusual. I love them immensely. Once again, not one that many of you have heard of but I’ve never shown them to ANYONE who didn’t love them.


Honorable Mentions
•M. Night Shamalan’s movies with special note to The Village and Signs as his best work. I believe he is the closest we have to a modern day Hitchcock, very methodical and patient yet daring films.
•Many many different musicals, there were too many to mention. A stand out among the crowd would be Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Sentimental favorite, collective sigh all you girls out there?