breathe deeply... can you smell the rain?

here i sit high in my bed, curlers in hair, listening to the sound of the rain outside my window. perhaps a little too relaxed as is safe for one of my nature, but i think a little time for reflection is overdue. it seems i've had an adventure every day for the past two weeks!
from a surprise visit from my little brother on his spring break last week, to a run-in with a needle, to the past week of my own spring break spent in memphis with jolie... i can't think of a moment in which i've had time to just listen since then. overdue, indeed. so here i sit... thinking and listening.

so daniel came to stay. my darling brother, ten years my junior, whom i absolutely adore. he is, however a bit of a handful at times, what with an almost identical personality to that of our eccentric mother but with the added level of master manipulator and cunning awareness of exactly how to push one's buttons. i do not lie. but he is so stinkin' cute, i just can't help but to cover his multitude of sins with unconditional love. needless to say, it was an interesting week.

then came the needles. 3/20. jolie got her nose peirced. rena, tristan, and i all got tattoos! real ones. tristan and rena got their second, and i got my first. i'm quite happy to keep it a one and only. rena got 'love...' on her left wrist, tristan got a peace sign and 'live the life you love-love the life you live' on her left ribs (oww!) and i got a treble cleff behond my left ear. it has been one week, and i love it. for picture proof, hit up the facebook. we are so cool.

for my spring break, jolie and i packed up and headed to memphis on sunday. it is where my parents abide and consequently, where my brother lives as well, so we killed two birds with one stone. i dont think i've ever done so much sight seeing anywhere - let alone my 'hometown' - in such a short amount of time. it was quite exhausting, but i thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend time with my dear friend once again. nearly 400 pictures later, i am so thankful i have such wonderful and lively friends. however it will be nice these next few days getting to control my own car radio again, and knowing its not set to "A.D.D" anymore. :)

so thanks to a long bubble bath, my *own* bed, and a little soothing from mr.sinatra, i am quite relaxed and very, very happy to be home. i start my routine on sunday. although i very much look forward to it, there is a twinge of something else coloring the outer edges. perhaps a wish, a longing for a different routine... something involving a beach, making music, and the sunny, vibrant colors of africa.

new current goals: graduate imwa in june, mozambique in july. disney world in december, and south africa somewhere in between!

***
tonight i am thankful for Jesus keeping us safe on the long drive home tonight, and for keeping the bad weather out of our way. i am thankful for my mom's words of wisdom and encouragement. i'm thankful for getting to spend some time with my daddy this morning, even if it was just changing my oil. i'm thankful for my brother and my amazing friends whom i love so very much. i'm thankful that i have another two days before i have to go back to school. and i'm thankful i have money in my bank account to pay all my bills for next month. i'm thankful that Jesus provides for me. i'm thankful that He loves me. i'm thankful for the rain.


goodnight big, big world. i hope to see more of you someday soon.