Rinny Pin Rinnathin

The day is August 14, 2010. 

College move-in day. 

Armed with my fish (R.I.P. Kenani) and an armful of bedding, 

I lead the way to the dorm room I will be inhabiting for the rest of the year. 

I walked onto my hall, and passed the first door on my left.

((can I get a HOLLA for people who can't pass open doors without looking in??!))

Inside, I see a family of four...

two girls, one with the coolest dreads in her hair

and one with very very short reddish brown hair. 

Twins. 

((I'm obsessed with twins))

I judged them (correctly) as super cool girls. 

I later met the reddish brown shorty-haired girl...

in the bathroom. 

There's a story for that. 

And later found out that she was in my Torrey group. 

Which meant I'd be spending about six hours a week

in class with her for the next four years.

That's when it all started. 

Erin Whitlow became one of the closest friends my life has been known by. 

It's been a while since I've called her Erin though, 

she's just always been Rinny to me. 

((or Pinny, or Rin-a-pin, etc.))

{Isn't she lovely? Oh yeah, she's blond now}

And what a Rinny she has been!

From late night stress-fests to 

tearful prayers to

silly poems about boys to 

accountabilidicing to 

fits of giggles at four in the morning...

this.girl.is.epic. 

{posing for pictures are fake metal horses is harder than it looks}

Oh yeah...

I forgot to mention...

she's my roommate this year.

!!!!

I know, how lucky am I?!!!!

((friended and encouraged is this Maddy heart))

Acronymical

  Awesome

  Unique every year

loTs of leaves!!!

  Uuuuhmazing

  Maddy's favorite season this season

   Nature!!!

Earthshots!!

I think I am a coloraholic. 

And the autumnal season is the one 

out of the four

that has the most

COLORS!!!

Also, a poem. 

An Autumn Evening

By L.M. Montgomery

Dark hills against a hollow crocus sky
Scarfed with its crimson pennons, and below
The dome of sunset long, hushed valleys lie
Cradling the twilight, where the lone winds blow
And wake among the harps of leafless trees
Fantastic runes and mournful melodies.

The chilly purple air is threaded through
With silver from the rising moon afar,
And from a gulf of clear, unfathomed blue
In the southwest glimmers a great gold star
Above the darkening druid glens of fir
Where beckoning boughs and elfin voices stir.

And so I wander through the shadows still,
And look and listen with a rapt delight,
Pausing again and yet again at will
To drink the elusive beauty of the night,
Until my soul is filled, as some deep cup,
That with divine enchantment is brimmed up.

The Hymn Home

I mostly like to consider myself to be an intentional person. 

I fancy the occasional dream about the future, 

eh I'm an anticipator so I enjoy a good look down the road...

but overall I try to be fully present in every moment as it comes. 

This morning was a time for dreaming. 

I decided how I want to decorate my future home. 

I don't know where it's going to be... 

Who else will be living inside of it with me... 

Whether or not it will be covered in snow for most of the year...

What kind of happy sounds will ring through its doorways...

What kind of memories will happen there...

But I have a picture inside of my mind

of what the walls might look like. 

I want my house to be named

 "Hymn Home".

In every room of the house,

there will be at least one wall 

 smothered in beautiful words 

scrolling their way across itself, 

setting the tone for the room. 

These words will be the 

lyrics of the timeless

 and beautiful hymns

that have so strongly shaped my relationship

with God. 

"then sings my soul, my savior God to thee, how great thou art"

"be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart"

"be still my soul" 

"it is well with my soul" 

It is my prayer and hope for my future 

homelings

to hold onto these words as truths 

in the tough and the pleasant times. 

I imagine

allowing the homelings 

of my brood to interpret the words

on the wall in each room as they grow and develop. 

I hope 

that these interpretations will evolve

through the use of artistic expression 

through music and painting. 

I may have dreamt far enough to see that my family will be creative...

The Hymn Home will be a place

of refuge and love

for all who come through. 

Lots of love. 

And copious amounts of laughter.

And there will be flowers everywhere. 

(giddily anticipating while remaining very much present is this Maddy heart))

Karate Middie & String Cheese

One time this morning I had a midterm for my karate class. 

I finished up my vocabulary test,

(I can now count to ten in Korean...

and yell quasi-pronunciations of other words)

and then we sat in a circle around two columns of cinder blocks.

My instructor balanced a piece of wood on top of them

and with one fluid motion, 

he thwacked it into two pieces. 

He explained how he did it and then asked for volunteers. 

All the boys went first. 

Then it was my turn. 

Oye vey, I'm not sure I've ever been 

so intimidated by an inanimate object!

I skipped my way up and aimed and took practice swings a few times. 

And then I just did it. 

Yeah that's right. 

I karate chopped a piece of wood. 

I'm pretty much ready to fight anyone now. 

Besides lovely conversations and copious amounts of homeworking, 

this day has been marked by 

very nearly

consuming my body weight in string cheese.

(happy and oh so fierce is this Maddy girl)