Flannel Sheets 4 Life

This week Ben bought flannel sheets. The home that he is living in is constantly freezing. We stood in the aisle for a long while deciding what print to get. Sheets are one of those things that if your family is anything like my family they hang around for a while. "Oh well I guess I had those sheets before you were born" my mom. So it felt like a big decision. Ben had his heart set on these ones.

I saw other ones that were a little more "classic" as I would call them. They were just a tan plaid. They were 3 dollars more. So we talked about this for a long time. I eventually came to his side and figured these ones were fun and a still liked them. Hopefully one day we look at these sheets and laugh about how crazy cold and how much snow we got in the winter of 2014. 

This weekend we went to see The Lego Movie impromptu. In 3D. We loved it. 

Ben would maybe not like that I posted this picture of him but he doesn't read this. So ha. Highly recommend The Lego Movie it was really fun.

Snowflake Socks

This Indiana winter has been unreal. Never in all of my 3 previous years of living in Indiana have we had a winter like this one. Normally, I would call my mom and she would say they have two feet of show and we would have a light dusting. However, this year is wild.

My man Ben has a real job as a teacher (so proud of him daily) and they have had like 82 snow days already. Ok, maybe not 82 but between 4 and 34 snow days. We started off the semester with 2 snow days in a row at IWU which is almost unheard of. Anyways. Today I am wearing my snowflake socks to usher in yet another snow storm.

I am also fighting off a looming nap. However, I really may not win. And today I think that is OK. 

Before too long this blue mass will be upon us. Another reason to stay inside, read, drink tea, and watch Netflix. I am just fine with that.

Is anyone out there?

This is the part of the movie after everyone has been killed and I am the only person still alive. I am creeping around a ghost town trying to find out if anyone is still alive or if it is just me.

I could not, for the life of me, remember what my most recent blog post was about. What a good one Paige! A lot of time, life, snow, school, and mornings have gone by since we last met. I think I made myself vow to never apologize for a gap in blogging land. So here I am. Not apologizing.

We could rewind and recap the past semester? I don't know if I want to do that right now. I am already a decent way into my second semester as a senior. In fewer than 90 days I will be done with my undergraduate career (that is counting weekends and spring break, don't think that I am a person all about countdowns- because I'm not. I do not think it is healthy to constantly be looking for something to be over and the next thing to come. However, this kind of countdown is with the perspective that I have so few days in this season and I want to make them epic. ). Right now I want to breathe deeply. I want to soak in the richness of this time. I want to embrace each day, knowing that this place is so dear to me and so soon I will be gone.

I had the chance to go home last weekend. As I was driving around Chicago I got the picture of the forrest that is IWU. If you know anything about IWU you know I do not mean a literal forrest. I mean that I was able to step back and see the bigger picture. It was good to pull away, to zoom out and not just see each tree but see the beauty of the whole forrest. I cried. This trip has been incredible. I am thankful for 80 some days to still live it up.  

My futon

This morning I realized how epic my futon has been in the past three years. Lets rewind for a second. Ok, I am like 6 or something and my best friend Kelli gets a sweet new bed. I actually went to the bed store with her family to look for beds. It was a couch/bed on the bottom and a bunk on top! It was epic and would be the best for sleep overs. I loved it. Kelli kept getting headaches and they thought maybe it was because she was sleeping so high up. So they needed to sell the bed. I don't remember how my family decided to buy it, but we did. AWESOME!

Anyways, I slept in the bunk part for  awhile, and sometimes I would sleep on the bottom. I am pretty sure Alex took the top bunk (we called a crib) to college for a while. I think Grant lived on the futon for a while. It is weird to think about now since I have had the futon in my loving care since I started college. I knew it would be a great couch and IWU has dorm rooms big enough to contain it. So, my freshmen year it started a new story. I remember having 4 girls sitting on the futon, other girls sitting around in chairs and on the floor and just getting to know each other our freshmen year. That year I also started having morning quiet time with Jesus and coffee, on my futon. I had a crazy flash back this morning as I did that very thing again.

Every year I have (along with help) disassembled and reassembled this sweet spot. The list of people who have helped me put it together and take it about is really funny. So many sweet hearts. I am so thankful for supportive, helpful men in my life over these past 3 years.  But in all reality these men are doing themselves a favor by helping set it up.

Life has happened on this futon. Not only is it a beautiful spot for my alone time but it has fostered community more than I even realized. Countless ladies have sat here with me, or spent a night on this mattress. We have laughed until we thought we would pee our pants, we have cried tears that felt like our heart was being stabbed, we have processed falling in love, breaking up, changing majors, family issues, and adjusting to new seasons. I vividly remember having a giddy conversation with Steph on my futon last year after Ben and I kissed for the first time. I have held residents as they cried from pure exhaustion and confusion. I have had hard conversations. I've spent late nights and early mornings. We have pulled it into a bed for sleepovers and lazy days.

I am incredibly thankful for the long conversations that easily trump homework or sleep. I am thankful for each of the relationships that have come in and out of my life in the past 3 years. In my fourth year I want this place to be a spot where people can come and be courageous enough to be fully themselves. I want to invite others into vulnerability to do life in the best way possible. I want to love well. I pray that I will be able to listen when that is all is needed and give wise advise when it is right. So come, put your feet up. Relax. Lets talk. Lets do life. The futon is up and ready in Beckett Hall for is fourth and final year here at IWU.