The Girl Next Door

Just a few things...

2009-03-22T13:43:00.020-05:00

Hi Everyone!
Just a few things have changed since I last posted. My name, address and marital status would rank among the most important:)
I'll post a few of my favorite pictures from the wedding and honeymoon, and then I'll add a few of our apartment as it is this weekend.

I am so thankful for our friends and family who helped us make the ceremony exactly what we wanted. The whole day will forever be in my mind as the most beautiful and meaningful day of my life. Thank you to EVERYONE who came and supported our beginning!

Here, I'm pulling out the "nanny voice" (as Harrison calls it) to tell him that he can not have any cake until I get word that he has eaten his vegetables. He told me that I was the bride and not a nanny and that he was going to have cake no matter what.

I win! He's mine!

I have one major complaint about our reception. It went by WAY TOO FAST for us to even get CLOSE to spending enough time with our guests. There are so many people that we didn't even get to greet, and many more that I only got to give a quick hug. I feel really sad about that, but I loved seeing everyone there! It was the most amazing feeling in the world to have nearly everyone in our lives in the same place at the same time. All the different people in our lives came together for cake and dancing! Thank you all so much!

Then it was off to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic!
Our room was lovely!

If you look closely, you can see me at the edge of the pool on top. This pool was right outside our door and we spent most of our afternoons at this pool area. It was a perfectly relaxing week. Besides the scary peacocks.

Every night we ate at a different exotic restaurant. Luckily for me, each of these exotic restaurants served some sort of potato/bread/steak combination and I was able to find something to eat :) For Adam, it was a dream since he loves fancy-schmancy food and trying new things.

Oh, melt. What a handsome guy!

We returned to New York last Sunday, tired, but ready to get the house set up. I thought Monday and Tuesday would be spent shlepping all over the tri-state area hunting for bedroom furniture and then subsequently setting it up, all the while sleeping on the floor on the one piece of furniture we owned, a mattress. But when we walked in from the airport, Adam told me to take the luggage into the bedroom and ALL THE FURNITURE WAS ALREADY HERE!! It was my wedding present! There was also a giant new tv in the living room which we call Adam's wedding present:) So as of this weekend, most everything is in place. We still need to hang several pictures (the walls are depressingly bare) but everything else is done!

This one is for Mr. & Mrs. Sloat...here is my Mr. Wonderful with his new tools! They have had a HUGE workout this week putting together all the new bookshelves and storage options that I brought home.

All right, it has taken me over an hour to post all these pictures, so I really hope everyone enjoyed them. Again, I want to thank everyone who was a part of our wedding for everything that they did. I'm going to go enjoy a Sunday afternoon with my husband now.
Somewhere between the moon and New York,
Lauren Mott

PS....Hopefully we'll be legally married in NY within the week....hopefully.

March 7, 2009

2008-09-17T17:40:00.006-05:00

Subtitle: The Promised Post

Well folks, you heard it here first. Well, maybe not. Maybe you heard it from my parents first, or maybe you're a Facebook stalker like me and read it on the inter-web first. But here and now I will confirm the news that I am engaged to Adam!

It happened last Saturday in Central Park at Bethesda Terrace, which is my favorite part of the park. It was a very thoughtful and meaningful proposal that I tearfully (and LOUDLY) accepted.

The past few days have been very surreal and exciting as we chose a date of March 7th, 2009 in Greenville, Ohio. I can't believe that I'm actually the bride and everyone has to listen to me. [Insert evil chuckle]

I feel like I should write more, but I can't think of anything else. I'm soooo happy and very in love. If you haven't met him yet, you're missing out! He's about a hundred different kinds of wonderful. See you in March....

Check your Pacemakers

2008-05-09T14:50:00.006-05:00

Uh-oh folks. Brace yourselves. Two posts in three days. That might be more than I've posted so far in 2008. But I'm sure you'll forgive me.
Just wanted to show you the newest member of our house. The family that I work for won this puppy in an auction for charity. She follows me around everywhere and we are new bff's. According to my twelve-year-old, that means best-friends-forever.
Don't forget to read my other post, located directly below this one!!
Happy Weekend, friends!

So-Past-Due

2008-05-07T15:30:00.000-05:00

It's just a little embarrassing how infrequently I post around here. Actually, I'd say that's one of the reasons I post so little, because I'm so embarrassed about how long it's been! But alas. Here comes fresh information from Connecticut.

I thought I should take a post to formally introduce my (small, yet strangely faithful) blog following to my dear boyfriend, Adam. We've been dating almost eight months now (which is practically nine). What words ensue will I'm sure be a less than perfect picture of someone who has turned out to be more than perfect for me.

Adam is originally from the Mansfield, Ohio area and has been living here in Stamford, Connecticut (just about 20 minutes up I-95 from me in Greenwich) for the past two years. He works for Alliance Bernstein in the Mortgage department, but will be transferring into the Derivatives and Swaps department in the next few weeks. That transfer will require him to work in Manhattan five days a week. I have no idea what derivatives or swaps mean, and I didn't have a firm grasp on the mortgage position either. But people who actually know better always ask me, so I included it. Hopefully he won't read it and be embarrassed again by my ignorance of all things pertaining to numbers.

This is Adam pretending to be co-pilot for our friend Rick who is an actual pilot. One time I went up with them....after that, I decided it could be their "special thing" together and I would stick to commercial flights.

This is a picture from the weekend of his cousin's wedding in Annapolis.

Another picture from that wedding...

This is the weekend that my parents surprised me by coming to CT for my birthday!!

Adam and I have lots and lots of fun together. We love taking the train into the city and just hanging out at the park. On Sundays, we are all together for church and lunch and then Alie, Rick, Adam and myself head to the Salvation Army where we volunteer at Kid's Church. It's always the highlight of my week to hang out with all those kids and teach them about Jesus! Plus, we're like celebrities when we walk in the door, which is a weekly ego boost.

Like I knew they would, my words are failing to paint the picture that I wanted you to see of Adam. Hopefully the photographs speak for themselves to tell you that even though I miss my friends and family, I have a little bit of home here in Connecticut with Adam.

This just in: I met Jennifer Connelly in Starbucks last Friday! She was with her son and she wrote on my Starbucks cup: "To Lauren, All the best, Jennifer Connelly". She was lovely and polite and now I've met an Oscar winner.

Know that I love and miss you all...please don't give up on me or my page! I'm here to connect YOU with Connecticut!!
*Lauren Faith

A Word to the Wise

2008-02-18T23:46:00.002-05:00

Don't be a fool. Save your gold.
Go see a different movie.*

*An actual post regarding the going-ons of my life is to follow shortly. I promise.

A Few of my Favorite Things

2008-01-04T12:28:00.000-05:00

Here are some of my entertainment highlights from the year 2007.

30 Rock (named for NBC's Manhattan address) has taken the Thursday night slot of Seinfeld on NBC and in my heart. Tina Fey writes and produces this sitcom about a problematic variety show. On the show, she plays a senior writer trying to keep sponsors and network executives satisfied, while micromanaging her staff and the eccentric and mislead egos of her cast. Tune in for off-color jokes, excessively witty and politically incorrect banter and major celebrity cameos.
*Due to the writers strike, this show is of course on a break. But I'll be right here waiting for it to come back.
**Tina Fey may or may not be behind my decision to start wearing glasses again.

Ok. Let's take a look at this show and go beyond the superfluous violence, disturbing drug use and a dialect of foul language that I didn't even know existed. The underlying themes of this HBO drama are that of morality at all levels, family, trust, psychology in its most raw form and pure Shakespearean irony. We follow Anthony (Tony) Soprano through six seasons of his life. Our first encounter with him is in his therapist's office where he is seeking help for panic attacks. This show is about a top wiseguy who is having legitimate psychological problems due to the nature of his position. We learn to care for his family, both immediate and criminal. As the seasons progress, La Cosa Nostra starts to become this thing of OUR'S, not just theirs. You will find yourself wanting the FBI to fail in their efforts to bring this crime family to justice. Plus, there are so many Godfather references in this show, just waiting to be discovered.
*I have yet to see Season Six, part two.

This film is a musical that follows several characters as their lives intertwine. Jude, Maxwell, Lucy, Prudence, JoJo, Sadie and several other psychedelic personalities run around the turmoil-covered 60's and completely reinvent the Beatles' catalog. Now. I grew up listening to the Beatles. Their music comforts me, inspires me and makes sense to me. Nothing about their music needed to change. However, seeing and hearing it completely re-done with completely new meanings was simply a treat. Hearing these songs that spanned several decades come together to form a single musical with one main plot was like magic. However, it must be watched with an artistic eye and not the idea of don't fix what's not broken, as my dad said about the concept.
*But don't worry. Nothing's gonna change my world. I still love the originals.

Move over "Little Miss Sunshine." There needs to be room next to you for the next irreverent comedy. Excellent acting, perfect writing and lots of sarcasm was the recipe for "Juno" a story about a teenage girl who gets pregnant by her best friend. She decides to give the baby up for adoption to a young couple who have less in common than they think. Juno (not like the city in Alaska) definitely marches to the beat of the drums in her head. As she navigates the pregnancy with the help of her family, friends and the adoptive parents, you'll see why this movie is already winning awards and is sure to win more.
*Not to mention, I've wanted a blue slushy real bad ever since seeing this.

Well sports fans, those are just a select four entertainment choices that I enjoyed this past year. I laughed, I cried, I ate a lot of Milk Duds. Just in case you were wondering(and you probably weren't), you probably shouldn't watch most (make that any) of my picks with most (make that any) of your children under the age of 25. It's true. These picks are adult in content. But, to me, that doesn't take away from their artistic value. If you have any questions, or would like to leave your own favorite things of 2007, just say it at the beep!

The Pirates Who Don't [Usually Have Time To] Do Anything!

2007-11-05T13:24:00.000-05:00

Well folks, welcome back to the Connecticut Connection: the show where everyone who cares gets to read about how my life is going out here in Greenwich. We realize that we have an audience of about three, but hey, we do it for the viewers.

The biggest news here is that Greenville, Ohio's very own JENNIFER REIFSNIDER came for a visit a few weekends ago!! Yes folks, it's true. My mommy came to see me, and it was wonderful! We had a great time, even though it was very short.

Moving on to other news, I went to Boston with my "family" a few weekends ago. My best friend Alie (a nanny from Australia) and my boyfriend Adam (what?!) and I left on a rainy Saturday morning for one of the most historic cities in the country. Alie and I had never been there before. Unfortunately, we visited Boston on the same day as Hurricane Noel. Hurrican Noel made Boston very cold, rainy and WINDY. I would show you documentation of this trip (and actual proof as to the exsistance of a boyfriend), but the weather was too depressing for pictures. The high point of the trip was teaching Alie to play Euchre, so she is now well exposed to the entertainment of the Midwest.

This just in, the color is still FABULOUS out here! Every day I see new trees ablaze with new hues of red and yellow. It has been the most beautiful fall that this reporter can ever remember viewing.

Moving on to more current events, my job is going well. I love my children and we have been getting along so nicely. They make me laugh every day. Harrison (4) is my youngest and he just doesn't know what to do with me. The other day, I bent down and pointed at my cheek and said "Lay one on me, Harrison!" He looked at me with a really confused look and then slapped me gently across the face. He had no idea that I meant for him to kiss me! He is also hooked on the Veggie Tales cd that I made for he and I to listen to in the car. We have dubbed ourselves the pirates who don't do anything. Stay tuned next time for more stories about the rest of the munchkins.

My (non-imaginary) boyfriend has been studying diligently for months for a very difficult exam that he will take on December first. That's why an outing to Boston was such an anomaly in our plans. Alie and I usually sit quietly (or not so quietly) watching movies or playing cards while he studies away about things that I can't even understand.

So....
I've never licked a sparkplug
and I've never sniffed a stink bug
and I've never painted daisies on a big red rubber ball
and I've never bathed in yogurt
and I don't look good in leggings.....
but now I've been to Boston in the fall!!!

When Sorrows Like Sea Billows Roll

2007-09-15T16:49:00.000-05:00

An empty post, a moment of silence.

Lost and Translations

2007-08-30T11:05:00.000-05:00

since we last spoke, i have been driving much more and learning my way around somewhat. i still need the navigation system and mapquest...for those frequent times when i get lost, but at least i can get to several major places around greenwich and stamford.
however, in my adventures of east-coast driving, i have found that east-coast drivers have alot to tell other east-coast drivers about their driving. just as in the far side cartoon, i will now translate some of the east-coast driving language:

honk!
"i really hated it when you pulled out in front me...don't do it again, or else!"
honk!
"i really wish you would have ran that red light, so i could get to my mani/pedi on time!"
honk!
"why can't you go any faster? i'm only going 28 miles over the speed limit!"
HONK!
"i can tell from your driving that you're from the midwest, and i HATE that about you!"
honk!
"why did you let that person in? now there's another person in front of me!"
honk!
"don't you dare hesitate at this intersection, or i will be mad!" (this one is preemptive)
honk!
"you're in the lane that i want to be in!"

i've honked twice at people, and here are the translations:
honk!
"when the light turned green, you should have gone! now it's red, and i didn't get a chance to go!"
honk!
"it was your turn to stop and my turn to go! please be more conscientious next time!"
i am much more polite than other east-coast drivers.

aslo, connectians (my own word; pronounced co-NE-shins) care much more about their beautiful foliage (it IS amazing) than they do useful, or even safe, roadways. but really, i mean who wants to be able to know which road to turn on? wouldn't you rather see a rare, blooming tree from sri-lanka or an oak tree that was planted during the revolutionary war than the silly old road sign? and who really wants to know if there's a car coming from the other direction as you're pulling out of a zero-visiblity driveway? i guess they prefer it this way.

i have to keep in mind that most connectians are ex-new yorkers looking for a more peaceful life in the "country." being from the ACTUAL country, i must say that peaceful must have a different definitition from what i know.

even with all the differences, i am loving the east coast and all the different modes of transportation. the train is my favorite, because it takes me to a whole different world called manhattan. i believe my next post will be a compare and contrast essay on the similarities and differences of the great darke county fair and manhattan.
tune in next time: same bat-time, same bat-channel.

your friendly neighborhood nanny,
lauren faith

Lauren's List

2007-08-16T10:55:00.001-05:00

so instead of writing a long essay about all the fun times and amazing blessings that i'm enjoying here in connecticut, i've decided to just post a long list of things to update you all. i hope you enjoy!

the pictures, top to bottom:

1: partial front view of the home where i live

2: back view, my suite is on the far, far left

3: the view from the pool area

4: landon and erin came to visit me!! this is at my favorite diner.

the events, in no particular order:

1: i went to manhattan last saturday! i walked all around central park and a freelancer photographed me playing in the bethesda fountain.

2: i have already made some AMAZING friends and found a church home....PRAISE GOD.

3: i know how to get MANY places around town, and i can even navigate myself to the mall in stamford...very necessary.

4: i finally got a new computer! an adorable little macbook.

5: landon and erin came to visit me and we had a fabulous time!!

6: i was introduced to "high school musical" which is now a favorite.

7: OH YEAH, the family is amazing, but they have been on vacation for two weeks, so i am lonely at night in the big house.

8: my MOM is coming to visit me in october....yay!

9: i MIGHT get to see beth moore in rhode island at the end of the month...

10: another freelance photographer took me on a photoshoot the other day. people, i am not photogenic.

11: there are two baby deer (and perhaps their mother) trapped on the property. it is fully fenced in and they can not get out. they are very cute and i have named them jim and pam.

12: unfortunately, there might also be a coyote on the property. i saw him last week, but i've only heard him at night since then. i have not named him, because i do not like him.

13: thirteen is unlucky, so i will stop here.

well, there it is. i know it doesn't seem like a lot, but it's been an action-packed two + weeks for me. i will report more "work-related" details, as soon as i start living them:)

love to you all from the east coast,
lauren faith

Goodbyes and Greenwich

2007-06-21T12:09:00.000-05:00

I have experienced the most defined period of change in my entire life over the past few months. I graduated from college, ending a separate seven-year period of change, said goodbye to my brother and hello to a new sister, then waved them both off to the far east coast. Since then, I have endured the departure of several dear friends from this house that I call home here in Winona Lake. Unfortunately, as the days of summer march on, I only have more goodbyes to handle.

Two weeks ago I travelled to Greenwich, Connecticut for an interview with a wonderful family. They have four children (somehow I'm always counting for little heads), and live in a rather spectacular home about 40 minutes outside of Manhattan. They offered me their recently available nanny position, and I accepted last week. This means that on July 28th, my dad will drive me to the East Coast and leave me there. This is what I want, and I'm very excited about all the newness that is to come, but I'm also very nervous. However, several things happened to confirm the decision. The number one thing is the family's departing nanny. She is a physical therapist, and is staying in the area when I take the position. She is a believer, and an instant friend! I knew she was from a small town in North Carolina, but when I asked her the specifics, she said I would never have heard of it. "Where is it?" I asked, thinking I would spit out my macaroni and cheese if she said Murphy. "Murphy, North Carolina; it's close to Atlanta." she responded. Anyway, she is definitely from the small town that has recently claimed two very important people in my life! We both thought that was way too much of a coincidence to be of anyone but God. I'm looking forward to a friendship with her once I arrive.

Heading to Greenwich means that I will have to bid farewell to four small children that feel like my own siblings here in Indiana. Ella, Nolan, Grant and Ava have been my entertainment, blessings, headaches and loves for almost 20 months. Not seeing them several times a week will be quite a shock to my system! Here are some highlights:

Ella: She called me while I was stuck at Laguardia (missing her dance recital) to tell me that she still loved me even though I couldn't see her dance. She says that the new children will surely like me because I am so nice to her and her siblings.
Nolan: He stepped on a piece of glass on Mother's Day, and just had to have surgery on Tuesday for a remaining 2-inch piece of glass that was still in there. But seeing him swing around like a monkey on tiny little crutches ALMOST makes it all worth it.
Grant: While watching the Red Sea part during "The Prince of Egypt" he yelled at me: "HOWY COW, WAREN, GOD IS AWESOME!" They had never heard the story of Moses before, so that was a neat time for us.
Ava: This little one breaks my heart, because she is probably too young to remember all the fun that she and I have had. We sing songs, dance and laugh. But the best was last night when I was tucking her in and she said: "Waren, you say Amen?" Which meant she wanted me to pray for her.

Oh buckets, I feel sad just typing all of this. I detest goodbyes and all that goes along with them. As most of you reading this blog know, I'm not the best at keeping up with people. The farther away I get, the more difficult it is for me. But here's to trying...

Love to you all,
Lauren

migraines, march, marriage & massachusetts

2007-03-26T01:35:00.000-05:00

buongiorno amici...

it's currently 2:38 in the morning, and i do plan on attending class when the sun comes up. yet, here i sit, greatly affected by the caffeine in the three excedrin that i had to take to get rid of my second migraine of the weekend. i never knew i was prone to migraines. i got alot of headaches in the fall, but my doctor and i decided that was caused by spending plenty of quality time with first-graders and not enough quality time with my bed. but this weekend, i had two bouts with the ailment. yesterday wasn't too bad, but tonight, i couldn't move. i managed to drag myself to my room, put a mask over my eyes and fall onto my bed. i layed there stationary for hours, waiting for the pain to go away so i could write a paper on my inductive study of the book of esther (haman really was a tool, wasn't he??). well, three hours and two excedrin later, i was able to start the paper. it's done now, but i am since i never drink soda or coffee, i am WAY affected by caffeine and so i'm up for awile. i feel like right now you are REALLY bored, because this was a dumb story. i'll move on.

it's the end of march...thank goodness. the end of march means that may 5 (my ever-elusive graduation date) is drawing closer and closer. for those of you who might be tempted to tell me: "you finally did it" or "it's about time" or "it took you long enough" or similar, here's a hint: please keep it to yourself. i know that people who graduate from college 7 years following their high school graduation usually have alot more letters after their name. i also know that people who have been saying these kind of things to me probably don't read this petty little blog.

may also brings the marriage of my brother and the lovely erin. i'm awfully excited to have a sister. i'm excited about their tiny little ceremony, too. i've been getting to know my extended family better at weddings in the past few years. it used to be that we only saw each other at funerals. this is better.

my plans for after graduation most likely involve the east coast. i have signed with a nanny agency in boston, and it is their job to place me with a family that meets my specifications. i (and my mother) feel much more at ease about picking up and moving to the east coast, now that i am with this agency. they have assured me that they have never found one of their nannies floating in the hudson, or any other river! so that's good. i will hopefully find out this week which family i will work for; the where and the when as well.

i feel like this is such a boring post. i don't feel clever at 3 o'clock in the morning. i'm sorry friends. don't quit reading my blog. please. ok, thanks.

buona notte amici

back in the saddle again...

2007-03-02T03:08:00.000-05:00

hello friends!

i'm back in the blogger saddle again. actually, after the horse ride of death i was taken on while in the virgin islands...it looks like this will be the only saddle i will ever sit in AGAIN. i promise you that i rode a 50 year-old horse STRAIGHT UP and then STRAIGHT BACK DOWN a rocky cliff. no, i did not enjoy st. john from the dangerously high view-point. no, i wasn't sure if i was going to make it and NO, i was not happy that i had signed a waiver releasing the con artist from any responsibility if i should die.

i'm sure many of you are wondering just how i got so lucky as to find myself on the back of such an animal in the first place. well, let me tell you. i am employed as a nanny by the most generous family in the whole wide world. they took me along on their family vacation to st. john in the u.s. virgin islands. while i was there, i fed iguanas, went on a submarine dive, swam in the ocean, rode LOTS of boats and ate amazing fruit. i also went on the aforementioned horse ride from you-know-where with my little ella and her father. that was the low-point of the trip for me. but i did make it with only minimal tears shed.

the weather was amazing. i am sad to tell you that it was during your coldest week in the midwest. but i thought of you often as i sunned myself on the beach, whilst being brought exotic drinks and fruit right to my lounge chair. mind you, i did watch the kids. but i was basically just the fifth child, since i have never been anywhere so amazing. or expensive. i promise you that we never spent less than $95/person to do ANYTHING (and there were 7 of us, total). boat ride to st. thomas: $100/person, submarine ride: $250/person, horse ride: $95/person. well, i take it back...i think we usually ate for around $40/person. yeah, not a place i will ever be able to afford on my own.

it was wonderful. i am so thankful for the opportunity to have gone.

welp, i guess we'll find out who still reads this! more to come...i promise!

ps...i tried to post pictures, but it was just too difficult. too bad.

going out of business

2006-08-18T20:44:00.000-05:00

hello faithful few...
just a note to let you know that i will soon be closing my blog. it seems pointless since i never update, i have a journal for creative outlet, and i no longer believe in posting basically anything personal on the internet.
so thank you to those of you who tuned in to read about my small exsistence. i'm sure we'll find other lines of communication.
God bless!
lauren reifsnider: student teacher, 1st grade:)

ECHO! (echo!)

2006-06-19T01:47:00.000-05:00

question:
if a blogger fails to update her online audience for months at a time, will anyone still check her blog? let's find out.

well my friends, it's been a busy and adventurous few months. i'm basically having the time of my life here in summer-y winona lake. i'm in my second summer of professional nannying and discovering more and more reasons why God isn't calling me into parenthood in the next few decades. can i just say that SUGAR is the hallucinatory drug of choice for children...its mind-altering molecules should be banned in all 50 states, but i would settle for just the state of indiana. (charity, your idea to not feed rachel sugar was ingenious, and i'm so horrifyingly sorry that i fed her strawberry ice cream at lauren hein's graduation party, and i solemnly swear that i will never feed your children sweets again if you don't want me to.)

i've also decided that children should not be provided with options. i recently took my four nannying charges (ages 6,5,4 and 2) to "tokens and tickets" a popular warsaw establishment that has arcade games (ski ball, pound the gopher and the like). the point is to earn all the tickets possible with the tokens that your frazzled nanny gives to you, and then present aforementioned tickets to the equally frazzled adolescent behind the counter in exchange for "prizes." now...these "prizes" range anywhere from beanie babies to spider rings. of course my kids only earned enough tickets for the lower end of the loot...so i was forced to watch them root through endless supplies of bouncy balls, rubber snakes, silly putty and bubble gum (all of which i was sure i would be finding littered all over the SUV later that night) until their last tickets were spent. options=death.

don't get me wrong, i love my job SOOO much more than my job last summer. this summer, i basically make my own hours (and get paid by them), i drive a tricked out SUV all over creation, i spend most of my mornings at the club being waited on by handsome young boys in polo shirts, in the afternoons you can find me cruising around the lake on the boat, i have tickets to see american idol in august and I'M GOING TO THE VIRGIN ISLANDS. plus, i'm in love with the kids. ella, nolan, grant and ava are my summer entertainment:) ella can't get enough of my stories, nolan can add numbers like a machine, grant holds all the doors he can for me, and ava thinks she's the next american idol (for real...the "bad day" song is her personal theme: she closes her eyes, spreads her arms and belts out "had bad day, take one down, sing sad songs, turnitaround!"). if you knew me last summer, and you know what i did...you'll understand my excitement.

in other news, i still live in the fabulous house with all my lovely girlfriends. we spend our evenings swinging on our porch swing, spying on the neighbors, playing with our new kitten and hoping to God that this isn't a foreshadowing of the rest of our lives. no, for real, we have a great time cooking out with everyone, rollerblading and generally causing mischief. i broke it off with greg and it seems to be the best decision of my life thus far...thank you to everyone who helped me through that entire relationship.

i'm sure that everyone knows by now that i'm going to be someone's sister!!!! oh wait, i already am landon's sister...but soon i'm going to be erin's sister too because on june 3rd landon took the train down from new york to propose to erin at matt and isabelle's wedding and she was really surprised but she said yes anyway and when you get engaged that means you get married soon afterwards so that's what they're going to do and so not too long from now erin and i will be real-life-honest-to-goodness sisters!! oh, and landon and erin will be husband and wife:) that's pretty amazing. on a more serious note, i am so thankful for erin aleta. she is a blessing to my brother and our whole family. i can't wait for you all to get to know her. to know her is to love her...we all are blessed.

i really wish i knew how to post pictures on here...i have some neat ones of our house, landon and erin, our new kitten, and the kids that would be neat to share. so i guess that was pretty anticlimactic, because i'm not posting them...

so to the faithful few who tune in to see the comment number increase...wait no longer. the update has arrived.
~loving life in the lake~

this is my life?

2006-03-29T00:14:00.000-05:00

it has come to my attention that i have neglected my blog, and thus the feelings of my avid readers. deepest apologies:)
the following is a list of things that are sucking the life out of me:

1) i work 3 jobs:
a) babysitting for the Rice's, 5-10 hours/week
b) babysitting for the Knight's, 15-20 hours/week
c) phonathon supervisor, 12-15 hours/week
2) i am the head of women's ministries:
a) the annual tea is this coming monday, 400 women invited. enough said.
b) i work with 5 very sweet young ladies, 2 of whom actually want to work for women's ministries.
c) i may be the worst leader in the history of the world.
3) not only am i a student, i am an ELEMENTARY EDUCATION major, which means that my time is filled with:
a) idea files (pointless collections of other people's work)
b) lesson plans (that i will NEVER use)
c) observation hours (time spent in community schools that would be better spent in bed)
4) through no effort of my own, i have found myself with a boyfriend again. which is wonderfulness and frustration combined because of items 1,2 & 3.
a) wonderfulness: he's my best friend and it's nice to be able to talk to him again.
b) frustration: he wants to spend every waking minute with me.
c) there is no "c".

this wasn't supposed to be a pity party...just an explanation of the lack of communication on my part :)
summer is in sight, and God has provided in some BIG ways for me!!

a HUGE "thank you!" goes out to:
DAVID, LYNDIE, CHRIS, HERSHEY, KEVIN, HEATHER, MELANIE & MATT KNIGHT for coming to visit me last weekend...guys, it was amazing, and it truly meant SO much to me that you came!! you're always welcome here!! katie! when are you coming to see me?!

love from the lake,
lf

i walked the line

2006-03-01T17:17:00.000-05:00

well kids, yesterday was the 28th of february. it was a great day for several reasons:
1) it was the last day of february (february makes me want to stay in bed)
2) it was the day of the women's ministries servant spa, organized by yours truly
3) it was the day that walk the line came out on dvd

it is this last item on which i choose to focus. as some of you may know, i saw walk the line five times in the theatre before the aforementioned video release. it was, by far, my favorite movie in a long time. excellent writing, beautiful cinematography and dazzling performances drew me back to the theatre time and time again.

needless to say, i was super excited about the chance to have this movie in my possession. but, if you'll remember, i am experiencing a period of very romantic poverty in my life. i haven't made a single purchase since january (besides rent and food). so i had decided not to buy the movie and count it as romantic, since i really, really wanted it but was too poor. well then, i got a ton of money for babysitting, and the lady filled up my gas tank for me. my roommate told me i should go get it. so we made a special trip to walmart and i purchased the movie that dreams are made of...and i felt a little guilty. but we came home and watched the director's commentary version. it was great. (by the way, after listening to him talk about the movie, we both decided to quit school, move to california and make movies about our lives...more to come on that later.)

if you're bored to tears so far, stick with me, because the plot is about to get (slightly) more interesting. after the viewing of the movie IN MY OWN HOME, i got ready for the servant spa over in kent. the spa (which is very irrelevant to the story) was sponsored by women's ministries, and was an opportunity for girls to come over to the apartments in kent and get a manicure, pedicure, massage, facial, haircut or eyebrow-plucking. it was really fun. anyway, i went to load up my car, and guess what was on my front seat? that's right. a brand new copy of walk the line. i felt even more guilty! someone, out of the goodness of their heart, thought to buy me a little luxury that i couldn't afford. but i had already splurged. i felt really bad. who did it?

the spa was amazing...i sat at the table in the lobby and greeted the women, and shooed away the men. one of the men, none other than jon herr, stayed for awhile and talked to me. long story short, he bought my copy of the movie, and i made a five dollar profit. amaaaazing. i packed up and went home from the spa. my roommate made a phone call...

the movie was from greg. pretty sweet, huh?

nightmare of all nightmares

2006-02-16T00:50:00.000-05:00

oh help. last night i was innocently trying to fall asleep when i heard a distinct scratching noise under my bed. "what was that?!" i said to myself. the first time, i convinced myself that it was just the bedspread tag scratching against the wall. but the second time, i thought for sure it was a mouse. in the back of my head, i wondered if it was a bird...but i didn't want to panic yet. so i made my roommate come and check under the bed for me. she didn't find anything. so i tried to turn off the light and go back to sleep. scratch, scratch....flutter. FLUTTER??? did i hear feathers and wings??!!! was there a bird under my bed?? maybe it had a broken wing and it had limped up the stairs earlier in the day, and now it was laying under my bed, gathering up the strength to flutter away in my face the moment i drifted off to sleep!! noooooooooo!!
being the totally rational, completely sane person that i am, i yanked my bedspread and pillow off of the bird's hiding place, and ran downstairs to what i was sure would be the comfort of our living room couches. i decided it would be advantageous to be closer to the front door if i should need to get away. i tossed and turned all night, haunted by nightmares of birds with their claws and wings.
today, i corresponded via email with our landlord who currently lives in france. i casually asked if they had ever had problems with mice. this is how he responded:
No, I dont think we've ever had any mice - we did have two bats - both within 3 days of each other, and sometimes we can hear something (a mouse?) in the attic, but never anything inside.
so. here's the situation. my irrational (but very real to me) fear has officially been realized. i am living in a house that has had WINGED OBJECTS ON THE LOOSE. i can hardly function at this point. i'm sitting here, typing, looking all over for what i'm sure will be the nightmare to end all nightmares, because it will be real.
paralyzed,
laurenfaith

lauren corleone

2006-02-07T14:17:00.000-05:00

well, no one was commenting on my superbowl post. and i have things to say, so i'm moving on:)
well kids...minus my freckles and lack of appropriate family background, i officially look like i belong in the godfather. that's right, i dyed my hair blackish brown last night (it's a few shades darker than kari's). GASP! i'm sure you're all recoiling at the thought. but before you imagine me as the bride of some failed science experiment, let me tell you that it looks pretty good, and fairly natural. i just wanted to do something different. something that i would usually never do. i actually think it makes my pale skin and blue eyes look more natural. but it also kind of reminds me about how in the little mermaid when ariel is a human with red hair, but she doesn't have her voice because she sold it to the sea witch ursula so she could be a human, but then ursula becomes a human who looks just like ariel and she has ariel's voice, but she has black, evil hair. i hope that's not what's happening here. i'm sure i will remain at the same level of evilness with my new hair color. the best part is that i really do look like i could be in the godfather. i've been making offers that people can't refuse all day long!! and after i go to the mattresses, i'm going to send a few people to sleep with the fishes!
well, this has been a really egocentric post, and for that i apologize. maybe it will just echo back in my ears anyway, since no one reads my blog anymore because i never post anything new. everyone have a great week!
take the canoli,
laurenfaith

the quarterback from pittsburg isn't hot

2006-02-05T23:19:00.000-05:00

for the first time since before i can remember, i didn't watch the superbowl this year. somewhere, my mother and father were just shamed. it's true. i took a babysitting job, and didn't see one second of the most important football game of the year. the game that inspired my little brother to wear a tie to church (he didn't tuck in his shirt, mind you) in honor of the day, the game that placed grace college in a mad panic of where to watch the game (my house was not an option, since we have no channels), and the game that had no hot quarterback.
now, if you know me very well at all, you know that i know more about football than the average girl. growing up in the reifsnider house ensured this. however, the sport doesn't hold the same place in my heart as it does for the others...i tend to root with my emotions and cheer for the team with the best looking quarterback. that cute little babyface from indianapolis was a favortie of mine...brett favre (or whatever his name is) was adorable too...with the brooding look of concentration. but, in the end, it's all about tom brady. for several years, he was the reason i tuned in to the superbowl. kids, he's like eikenberry's cake (superyummy). anyway...superficial as they may be, those are the reasons i tolerate one of america's signature sports.
i was once told by my father (and he was COMPLETELY serious) : "lauren, God didn't have to give me a wife that liked football. but He gave me an extra special blessing when He gave me your mother." wow.

update:
speaking of babysitting, that's what i do now...i babysit 3-6 times a week for two different families. i get paid ridiculous amounts of money per hour, so i've decided not to look for another job. God has been really amazing in providing these families.
school is good; it's nice not to be overloaded with classes.
the house is amazing; i love my housemates.
i met someone new:) NO ONE get their hopes up. but he's really kind, and we've been hanging out quite a bit. i only write that because i never talk to ANY of you lately, and i want to keep you posted.

this next section of my post is devoted to my amazingly lovely and stunningly brilliant BFF, lyndie brooke nilsen:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR LYNDIE!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!!!!!!!
(sorry i forgot it; i'm horrible, i know. i love you, and i always will.)

now that february's here, i can quit dreading it so much...here's to march...
love from the lake,
laurenfaith

God is in envelopes

2006-01-24T14:43:00.000-05:00

greetings and salutations, my true friends, from windy winona lake. i can't decide where it is colder...outside by the lake or here at my computer. we recently got our gas and electric bill, and one of our roommates informed us that we would no longer be keeping the house at a normal human temperature. no, we must now live in sub-human-polar-bear-march-of-the-penguins type fridgidness. actually, i think it's kind of romantic how we can't afford to pay for anything. it makes me feel like we are rationing supplies because we are under siege by the nazis or something, which is very exciting.
today i went to check my box at school that is usually depressingly void of notes from secret admirers, dazzling good grades or care packages (i said USUALLY), but in place of the wooden nothingness was a small envelope. my name was printed in all capital letters, and my box number was written below. thinking the envelope held yet another reminder about my college account, overdue library books or another expense of some sort, i hesitated in opening it. but, open it i did, and all to find a twenty dollar bill. no note, no explanation. God in an envelope.

so, welcome to my new blog....please don't expect noble narratives or lengthy literature or anything remotely profound out of me. i'm just the girl next door who wants to tell you about her life. at least parts of it.
love you all.
laurenfaith