Your Hand in Mine.

Currently Listening: Explosions in the Sky
[This pretty much sums up my mood right now. If you haven't listened to Explosions, then I am sorry but I cannot convey how I feel. It can only be done by letting their smooth melodies, musical masterpieces, and innovative genious pervade your cluttered head and sweep it clean. Yes, that is my mood and that's how I have felt all weekend. Not a bad feeling really. A bit comforting, a bit exciting, but "hinting at an [stream] of melancholy just below the surface." All that to say, I give you my highest recommendation to open a new window in your lovely internet browser, type in the words www.explosionsinthesky.com, enter the site, go to "Albums", click on the album "The Earth is not a cold dead place," and play the mp3 there. You will not regret it no matter if your musical taste ranges from Bryan Adams to U2. And hey, your life may just be changed a little for the better. Anyway, enough for my shameless endorsement and my incoherent and rambling analogy of my life to a song. How ridiculous, right? I have digressed incredibly too far on this rant...]

Anyway, after an incredibly uneventful week filled with taking vitamins and bike rides and a blur of homework and class, the weekend rolled up in its usual style, bringing relaxation, its walls down, and its hours slow. And with it, rolled in Annie. She arrived Friday night and picked me up outside, we ran to get a some sustenance (of course) and made our way to rendezvous with two of my friends for a camping adventure. After only having to make one (or maybe two) u-turns, we found our way and the boys had the fire blazing and hot dogs ready to be cooked. Annie and I set up our tent and spent the rest of the evening just smoking cigars, eating oatmeal creme pies, relaying funny family anecdotes and wondering about our futures. Overall, the night was wonderful. Just great and everyone was just so endearing. However, I am lame and didn't bring my camera to record any of it. I am kicking myself over that now. Dangit.

After our return, I ventured to do some rock climbing with those same friends, went to Staunton with my sisters for a walk down memory lane at one of our favorite restaurants, and later that night crashed of sheer exhaustion. And today has primarily been spent "hitting the books." And I am feeling just so collegian. But I already miss Annie, and I hate that she has to come and have a great time, but inevitably leave. I mean you would think I would know that, and I do somewhere in the abyss of the back of my mind, but I never want it to happen. But what can ya do. Nothing.

Besides missing her and the rest of the Parker entourage, I am really missing my family across the great ocean. And I hate how blog writing seems to be attempting to replace emotions with syntax and grammar and lovely but shallow pictures. I just keep thinking, where is the emotion? How are they feeling? Were they in a good mood today? Has it been a rough week? What are they struggling with right now? What are their prayer requests? How are the kids? I see your events, but I can't see your dispositions, or your pains, or your hearts. All this coming from the girl who is usually self-proclaimed "Out of sight, Out of mind" centered. And I know I am terrible at writing emails or making phone calls or making any initiative whatsoever, but thats such a horrible indicator for how I feel in this case. It doesn't mean you are far from my thoughts. Ya'll actually got past that wall for most people, the wall that says that if I am not around you, I don't really think about you. Gosh, I do miss ya'll. More than I wish I did. Because, well, it just sucks.

Hey, at least I have Lauren. And she is incredible. And I have a sister here. Not bad. I CANNOT complain and feel so selfish for doing so. I am blessed more than I know.

OH, and aren't my sisters beautiful? Yeah I think so too.

PS. if you have seen the cinemagraphic work of art "Friday Night Lights" you can now recognize the music. Explosions does the entire soundtrack. Neat, eh? I thought so too. It makes the movie pretty unforgettable.