Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Friday, December 31, 2010

I am like the moon...

...without the sun I hang in darkness too.
Isn't that the perfect metaphor?
Without Jesus [the son] we will always hurt and have sin [darkness].
This morning I got up early to go on the prayer journey.
It's hard to explain what it is, but it was just what I needed.
I was able to analyze almost every aspect of my life,
and talk about it with God.
The talk tonight was about heaven.
Heaven is going to be amazing.
I know that's a given, but going over scripture and analyzing more specifics just made me more excited to go to heaven.
To see God face to face. I can only imagine.
New Year's Eve $5 Prom themed party started up up 10pm and we danced it up, took fun group pictures, and crowned our prom queens and kings.
Alicia told Megan she should fart on her pillow so she could get pink eye to match her dress.
Couldn't stop laughing :D
About ten minutes before midnight we began to sing in worship.
Worshiping in the New Year was one of the most incredible things I've ever done.
Surrounded by 800 college students all praising the Lord,
singing Mighty To Save as the last few seconds were counted down.
I felt God there with us. It was an incredible experience, and I know I won't be able to spend another New Year's Eve in front of a TV watching a ball drop on a dull screen.
It's just not the same.
We had an afterparty downstairs afterwards
 and the awkward couples dancing comptetion was by far my favorite of the night.
Couples holding each other's pinkies, holding a bible between themselves, and the interpretive dance of a steaming cabbage.
Neverending laughter.
Next we all got our grooves on for more dancing.
There is something great about Cru dances.
No grinding and nastiness out on the dance floor.
Just pure awkward, crazy, hilarious dancing.
No one cared if they looked silly, and it was extremely refreshing.
Of course they played some country songs and we broke out in some country swing.
My roomates and I downed a bottle of sparkling cider in celebration
and then hit the sack around 4 or so.
The best start of a new year that I have ever had.
Thank you God for blessing me.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Paid in Full

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We went out and talked with the lost and hurting people of Spokane today.
It's difficult to muster up the courage to talk to a complete stranger about God,
but I heard many amazing stories today of how lives were changed.
We were all quite exhausted so Megs, Lish, and I took a nearly two hour nap.
So wonderful. Just what we needed.
The seminar I went to today was on dating relationships.
The couple who gave the talk had been married for 5 years and they were just darling.
What they had to say was even better.
The talked about how it is important to balance time, talk and touch.
They also talked about how dating someone shouldn't be to make you happy, but to make God happy.
God needs to be the center of the relationship.
It was inspirtational to see a relationship that was God honoring, and to see how much they loved each other and God.
I am more motivated than ever not to settle for anything less than a God honoring relationship.
The talk tonight was about God's grace.
It emphasized how God has forgiven me of past mistakes,
and that things in my past can be let go now so that I can truly live for Christ.
He carries that burden for us.
It was good to hear this message tonight,
and to let go of things so that I can focus more on what is important.
I can live my life for Jesus and tell people about the freedom I have and pure joy it is have a relationship with our creator.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

snow fallin, yeah there's snow fallin

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Not exactly what I wanted to see when I woke up this morning, but it is absolutely beautiful.
Our room is on the tenth floor so we have an incredible view out over Spokane.
It snowed the entire day, and the closest thing to snow shoes that I had was my spicy orange vans.
Canvas absorbs quite well. It's whatever though ;)
I went to a Seminar today about keeping God daily in our lives.
It was refreshing and I am excited to get back into a routine.
We had quite a bit of free time today, and we got some quality hanging out time.
Ate dinner at Senor Froggys. Super good lol.
Almost got run over trying to cross Division.
Storage Wars marathon before bed.
Great first day :)

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Cru Conference Here I Come

...
Roasters and Winco with Mama Jama in the morning.
Pumpkin seeds and chocolate covered coffee beans. Num Nums.
Dilly Dallying around the house last minute packing for conference.
To be quite honest, I don't really want to go.
Being home the last week with my family and friends just makes me want to stay home
 and spend as much of break as I possibly can with them.
5 days away seems like a very long time.
I know it will be good, and that I'll meet new people,
but right now I can't help but be homesick as I leave home for Spokane.
...
We got to the hotel and I didn't even know who I was going to room with.
Everyone else seemed to have a group picked out and I was a straggler.
A group of three needed one more person to fill their room,
so I joined them and it was one of the best decisions I could have made.
These girls were exactly who I needed for this conference.
We immediately clicked and they have become some of my closest friends now.
God put these wonderful girls in my life, and I am so thankful for that.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Big Wheels Keep on Turnin

...
DQ Web Design Reunion for lunch.
Tait, Tim, McKenzi and I sat around and talked about the good ol days with the Novster.
We told them about college, and Tait said he's probably going to WSU which I am extremely excited about.
...
Top Gear and popsicles with Matt.
Today was our last day because he'll be heading back to California the day I get back from Cru Conference.
I felt like a pretzel so we drove to the mall, walked around, counted how many awkward eye contacts we made with people we knew, and sat on a bench eating our delicious pretzels.
Before I left his house I managed to get a hug out of Denim Dan :)
...
Off to Michael's next.
Today was also my last day with Michael.
We were just plain silly the 2 hours that we had.
Medical Mysteries for the win :P
I miss hanging out with that Mister Severance.
I forgot how much fun we always have.
And how weird we are haha.
...
Girl's night at Briana's house.
I love my girlies.
Wii dancing to Proud Mary finished off the night.
Spent lots of time today with people I love.
I'm going to miss them when I go back to school.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Christmas Post-Eve-Eve

I felt like the day after christmas needed a name. So I made one.
I slept in until noon and it was marvelous and quite necessary.
Spent a couple hours with the cousins, and then headed back to the Tri-Cities.
Ate dinner, watched some Top Gear, and then headed off to the Johnston's for a night of games and good friends.
Michael Jackson Wii dancing game. Epic.
Catch Phrase. Babylon. Priceless.
I love my friends and feel so blessed to have them all in my life.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

2000 years ago...


...Jesus's naked butt exited the ship. Thank you Casey Singleton ahaha.
After opening presents we got packed up and headed to Selah to visit the O'Malleys!
I love going over there because it doesn't matter what we do we're always laughing.
We played hide and go seek for what seemed like an hour. So fun haha.
Taylor Rae "W"rath came over and spoke less than zero words. She is real though. I was doubting that for a while. She was a very nice girl :)
We played telephone pictionary and as always ended up crying because of all the complete nonsense we ended up with.
Eggnog spills, Wild West gettin wilder, country swing, and broken snowmen. Just some pre-movie rituals. No big deal.
The Pursuit of Happyness ended our eventful night.
Definitely a great christmas :)

Friday, December 24, 2010

.:Christmas Eve:.

Sleeping in.
Felt flowers.
Evening with the Johnstons.
Over an hour of four square.
Telephone Pictionary.
Toy Story 1.
Falling asleep upstairs with the Mare;
both excited for Christmas in the morning.
Jesus is the reason for the season.
Thank you God for sending your one
and only son down to this earth to die for us.
The best christmas gift we could really ask for.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Beanie Babies.

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They never did have value after all those years of plastic cases on the tags and sitting on the shelf. Well that's just great.
Today was just fantastic. Morning coffee at Roasters with Matt and Sydney.
Made Mud Buds at Matt's and then met up with McKenzi and Michael.
Headed over to Reed Spencer's and talked for over an hour with him and the wife.
It was a hoot to just sit down and chit chat with Spence. Good times. Good times.
Step Up 3, tacos, and then goodbyes for the night.
Headed over to the Renards to welcome home Eric.
It was wonderful to see everyone, and such a treat to be able to see Eric.
Filling my day with friends was just what I needed.
I've missed them.
Some memorable quotes from my day of laughter:
"We need more dancers."
"Why don't we look behind this wall?"

"Dad it's like this. The girls come over, and it's a party. The boys show up, and it's a gathering."

"Monty Son of Craig"

"Hey Meryn is mom there?"
"Yeah umm...she's eating an eggroll right now."

Dad: "Hey guys the girls are out back in the summerhouse."
Meryn: "Are the guys here yet?"
Dad: "Yeah I put them in the backyard."

"Aunt J...."

"Yeah Meryn I knew what I was getting after I saw you open the same thing I just opened before you."

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Santa Paws

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I cannot explain to anyone how much I hate the mall during the holidays.
I want to push everyone out of my way and scream in their faces.
So don't take me to the mall. It might get awkward.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Knives Chow. Can't get enough of that movie. It's a new favortie for sure :)
Girl's night at Karli's house. We made some tacky christmas sweaters that turned out just darling.
80 rounds of Bingo, some wrestling, and lots of food eating concluded the night.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Just Another Polvi Day

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[This came in the mail. Isn't it just lovely? :)]
Top Gear, Shopping, Babysitting, more Top Gear, and driving the classic bimmer.
That was my wonderful day with silly Matthew Polvi :)

Monday, December 20, 2010

MacNFail

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Weevil's in the macncheese.
We cook different noodles.
Weevil's in the cheese.
We make our own cheese mix.
Nasty nasty nasty nasty please don't try this at home.
The boxes have got it down to perfection; don't ever stray from their exceptional guidance.
Good times reminiscing with Michael Severance today.
Next up was a trip to J. Shrek's house.
So great to see Jessi as always, and I was greeted by a new face this time!
Tilly is the Strecker's new puppy and she is absolutely too cute for words.
Quite potentially the cutest dog I've ever seen actually.
Said goodbye to the Sisk boys before I headed home to hit the sack.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

We Crazy

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"Meryn we should go to fat camp one summer."
"Oh I'd totally go if it wasn't for the whole summer..."

"I think the reason why I had to quit soccer was because I never understood offsides... like to this day."

"Hey Mar-Barf"
"Yeah Larz?"

Oh how I've missed my sister in crime.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Christmas #1!!

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Christmas number one with the Butchers and Howards.
It was nice to just hang around the house and catch up.
We had fondu for dinner and it was exceptional as always.
Despicable me before bed finished the night off perfect :)

Friday, December 17, 2010

They WERE babies.

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Bump its, Babies, Wakasabi, 5-way oovoo, and laughs laughs laughs.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Laughter is the Best Medicine

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Too many laughs tonight after my last final was finally over.
Went on a walk, found earballs, watched Cool Runnings, The Sing Off, Don't Forget the Blueberries, etc.
I love my friends. I couldn't ask for a more hilarious group to spend my last night with.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

.:Photobooth:.


One more final to go.
Samster went home today.
We had a quick photosesh before she left.
This collage cracks me up everytime I look at it.
I have the best roomate ever :)
[Sami off to deliver presents to the children of the world/make her mom do all that laundry when she gets home. Look at those snazzy toms :)]

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

ooVoo

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Everyone needs to get ooVoo.
You can video chat 6 people at once.
It's amazing. And free.
We all were in the same room when we tried it out.
Still makes me laugh :)

Monday, December 13, 2010

Weird Things I Miss.

Sprinkles and Carpet.
Yeah other than family and friends those are my main ones right now haha.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Random Thoughts of People Our Age

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  1. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
  2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
  3. There is a great need for sarcasm font.
  4. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
  5. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
  6. While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.
  7. Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...
  8. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
  9. Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".
  10. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
  11. Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....
  12. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
  13. Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Phyllis and Gush[er]

Thank you Chandra Robb.
She taught me so many tricks on Illustrator today [which just so happens to be my christmas gift to myself], so she essentially gave me a christmas present today because now I know how to use it!
Acoustic Battle of the Bands and a magic/illusions show by the one and only Drew Worsham.
A fun break from study study study study.
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[This is Phyllis and her significant other Gush]

Thursday, December 09, 2010

Watching History Repeating.



I wish I had what I needed
To be on my own
'Cause I feel so defeated
And I'm feeling alone

And it all seems so helpless
And I have no plans
I'm a plane in the sunset
With nowhere to land

And all I see
It could never make me happy
And all my sand castles
Spend their time collapsing

Let me know that You hear me
Let me know Your touch
Let me know that You love me
Let that be enough

It's my birthday tomorrow
No one here could now
I was born this Thursday
22 years ago

And I feel stuck
Watching history repeating
Yeah, who am I?
Just a kid who knows he's needy

Let me know that You hear me
Let me know Your touch
Let me know that You love me
And let that be enough.

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Boom. Bam.

Wacky Wednesday.
Suck snuggle?
Fart Enthusiasts.
Keep it Treal.
You would have your one-on-one in the bathroom.
Phyllis should definitely date Gush.

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Fig Newton.

Finished up my portfolio consisting of three essays today.
That felt good.
Finals are approaching. I want them to be over.
I want winter break to start.
Story of every college students life.
Oh I had a fig newton today.
Haven't had one of those since like I don't know...birth.
It was delicious :)

Monday, December 06, 2010

Peppermint Cocoa

Thanks for the cocoa mom;
it was perfect for a late night of studying :)

I really Needtobreathe.



Needtobreathe Round Two was just as I imagined it.
Incredible.
If you've never listened to them. Please do.
You will fall in love.
I was second row of peeps from the front.
Stage left. Right in front of Seth.
We made eye contace like 5 times.
It's not a big deal ;)
Before the concert the girl in front of me turned around and was like,
"Did you know that the lead singer's name is Bear, and that his brother is in the band?"
I simply replied with,"Yes, I did. The brother's name is Bo, the drummer's name is Jo, the extra guy's name is Toby, and the base player's name is Seth. Seth Bolt. Seth is 27 years old. We're getting married. I know everything about them. Quiz me."
It was pretty hilarious because I think she honestly though she was giving me new information.
The unplugged acoustic jam was my favorite, just like last year.
They are so incredibly talented it absolutely blows my mind.
They sang us some of their new songs.
Now I can't wait for the new album to come out :)
I'm bummed they're touring with Taylor Swift next year.
She's great, but it means tickets aren't going to be cheap anymore.
I'll just have to bring them to WSU.
I'm an official member of the SEB Concerts Committee.
I'm beyond stoked.
Not only do I get to help choose who comes to WSU,
but I get a backstage pass for the concerts,
 and I get to meet Howie Day and Mat Kearney in February :)
Life is good.

Saturday, December 04, 2010

How Bout dem Apples?

Apple Cup today.
I got in line with my friends who had been waiting since 4am.
I was in the second row of the student section.
So intense. I loved every minute of it.
Except that my feet were big chunks of ice by the end of it all.
Don't wear converse when it's cold outside.
So so so stupid.
My toe warmers wore off after about an hour;
it took 20 minutes to regain feeling again lol.
It was a great game and the cougs played like champs.
It was my first Apple Cup, and I was not dissapointed.

Friday, December 03, 2010

Chaibacktat.

Vagina Chocolates, Marijuana, and a Bake Sale.
Those are the people were yelling at me as I walked by today's booths in the CUB.
I literally laughed out loud.
...
I went to my first basketball game tonight.
I am officially a HUGE fan of basketball games.
The fans are so involved with the pre-game excitement, and the  student section is absolutely nuts.
It's warm, there's like a thousand sitting breaks, and we had real chairs.
Yep, basketball is officially my cheering sport. Football not so much haha.
...
Chaibacktat after the game.
We drank our chai, applied our temporary tatoos, and watched the first Back to the Future.
It was a complete success, and I can't wait for round two and three to finish off the trilogy :)

Thursday, December 02, 2010

Sick of Slush

[my change of shoes for the last week whenever I get somewhere.
I'm sick of rainboots already and winter has just started.]

Campus Crusade tonight was exactly what I needed.
The best worship I've had in quite some time.
I signed up for Winter Conference tonight and I already can't wait.

My plan to wake Paul up was a massive fail lol.

Highlights of the Day

[So many comments on my flower today. Thank you best friend :)]

So fruit is a by-product of a tree.  What do you think of when you hear by-product?
Poop. Wait, what jesus analogy can I make with poop? Eating too much fruit of the spirit makes diahrrea? Nope. haha.

Paul practicing Needtobreathe claps over skype.

Voicing my opinion at the concert committee meeting.
I would tell you our fabulous ideas, but then I'd have to kill you ;)

50 followers. My mind can't even fathom.
[This lil guy was born in the kitchen before I left; I hope he's doing alright]

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Blustery

Every direction I walk snow smacks me in the face.
Today we had a blizzard.
Snow all day ehr day.
Robot irritations in Engineering class.
No Tuesday nap.
Computer crashing at work before I could save.
On paper, my day looked bad.
But in all reality, it wasn't.
Friends and buildings to stay warm in made my day turn out just fine.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Winter Attire

I love summer. I love tank tops, sunglasses, and overalls.
I love winter. I love scarves, sweaters, and boots.
I thought I wouldn't like Pullman because of the weather.
Little did I know how fun it is to bundle up :)


Fun dinner with people tonight at Northside.
Went over to Stimson to do some math with Conner.
Let him borrow my plaid scarf. He's from California and
has always secretly wanted to wear a scarf, but I guess
people in Cali don't really wear scarves. Glad I could help the
fella out haha.
Grocery shopping with Paul. Epic temporary tatoos.
Finished the pre-lab for chem two days before it is due.
Definitely feeling accomplished.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Star Trekin Across the Universe

Back to good 'ol Pullman.
My family stood outside and waved to me as we drove off.
They are so cute. I can't wait till I get to come back in 3 weeks.
When I got back to my room I didn't leave it except to go downstairs for food.
Days like this are weird.
I feel like I should go out and do something, but its foggy and gross outside,
and everyone is doing homework anyways.
I organized my mess of things. I brought back way too much stuff so I had to figure out where to put it.
I have approximately 11 scarves up here now. Slightly ridiculous, but oh so necessary.
Oh and I watched Desperate Housewives.
haha.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Engagement Photos

My first engagement photo shoot.
I absolutely loved it.
Two of my favorite high school teachers getting married,
and I got to hang out with them for the morning and take their pictures.
Probably the best way I could start my last day home.