give me more rain

i've always loved the rain, so naturally, yesterday's torrential downpour was a treat for me. rain cleans everything up, or at least gives me something i can see to represent the loose ends i've finally tied up in my life. rain is comfortable for me. it's a good visual, and one that is greatly missed during the dry months.

my most recent accomplishment: finishing the college apps. i was convinced that i would be frantically typing away with just hours left before they were due. somehow, i have two weeks to spare. i guess i just assumed i would procrastinate. hey, at least i've learned to expect it. my first choice is seattle pacific, followed by university of portland. the next five are what dad likes to call "options". i don't particularly want to go to any of those schools, so unless SPU and UP lose my application, that's all they'll ever be. whatever, it's his money that's paying all of those application fees.

other than that, i'm just enjoying being a senior. senioritis hit at the beginning of junior year so i'm used to it by now. mostly, i'm learning to do the minimum amount of work required to get by (just like every other senior) but with only three real classes, that's not very difficult. i'm starting to realize that i can't have the satisfaction of a job well done if i don't do the job well in the first place, but for now that's fine with me. i'm loving going to school with my sister natalie for the first time since 5th grade. when i think back to those days, i see that i didn't even regard her as my sister. back then, she was the little girl who lived across the hall, the girl who got me in trouble, and the girl who stole my favorite toys. thank god she's grown up. we're a lot more alike than either of us likes to admit, but we get daily reminders. we still fight (we're sisters, after all) but we've learned to laugh it off. i'm just trying to make the most of the time i have left living with her. i'm starting to see how fast this year is going to fly by and while that scares me a little bit, i'm really excited to see what God has in store for me. i'll be interested to see where a lot of my friends end up going to school next year. it'll be tough to see everyone go their separate ways, but that's just the way it goes. overall, i'm looking forward to all the changes that will happen over the next year. for now, i'm loving the things i'm doing and trying not to let too many opportunities slip away.

rainy days in west linn are something i'll never get sick of- especially in mid-october. i think they're God's way of reminding me that things won't always be easy, and to keep smiling no matter what. that's one lesson i'll just have to suffer through :)