Lauren Singr

Little Road Trip

2010-07-29T10:24:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Al and I went to go visit our Donna Bear in Buena Park. We had everything we needed. Taco Bell, sour patch watermelons, nuts (Al) and the camera.
First of all, since when does taco bell give me horrendous gas? Well, since yesterday. (Sorry Al)
Second, I love my Donna Bear.

As you might have already guessed, this is one of a sequence of pictures.

What Job?

2010-07-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

I TOTALLY was able to quit my job! What?! I know. My last day was Friday. I am currently experiencing my first week of unemployment (in the positive sense), and so far I love it.
Who would have thought?

I was able to bring Luke his lunch at work, get my errands done during the day so that I don't have to worry about them in the evening or weekends...
I'm sure there is more but it has only been two days.

I'll keep you updated.

Blog Diarrhea

2010-07-20T21:53:00.001-07:00

My blog was constipated.
It feels better now.

My dooter graduated!

Now this was just fun. I looked down one day
and there was a smile on my leg.
Oh, that's just mom on the toilet...in the backyard

Moving day. Saying goodbye to our first apartment.

Brett and Luke's slumber party.
Right, I hope you enjoy that IPOD. Next time just ask.

Mama and the newest Schmitz.

Ok, whew. Now maybe I can get this thing rolling again.

Dan and Sam

2010-04-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

^{For some reason these have always been my favorite bible stories. It's their incredible faith, but also the boldness that always stands out.}
^{Dan. 3}¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But even if he does not,
we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.

1 Sam. 17
⁴ A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall. ⁵ He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels.
⁸ Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. ⁹ If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.
¹¹ On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.
David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him."
⁴⁵ David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands." ⁴⁸ As the Philistine moved closer to attack him,
David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.

I have faith in a powerful God. What more assurance do I need?
Task for today - Live boldly for my God.

I love my friends.

2010-04-14T23:33:00.000-07:00

This is Alicia.
She is beautiful, hilarious, and entered this competition that Paula Deen is doing. Which is ironic because Paula is all about the most fattening comfort food. While Alicia is uber healthy. You know, organic, vegetarian. ... Sorry, that was a side note.
Anyways, her video was put on on Paula's web page and I did a little hunting and found it.
ENJOY

Choosing to Live

2010-04-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:38-42

Mary chose to invest her time and energy into something that had eternal significance. And it will not be taken away from her.

"Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws..."
Deut. 30:11-16

"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life..."
v.19&20

"The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life"
John 6:63

AL-day

2010-04-06T11:07:00.001-07:00

We had some great talks, got a little crazy,
maybe made a couple rash decisions.
Overall, great day.

Christian Fruit :)

2010-04-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

"Not every one that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity." -Matthew 7:21-23

"When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father." -John 15:8

"This is my command: Love each other. "
- John 15:17

Disciples produce fruit.
Love produces fruit.

Therefore......

A Scene from work

2010-03-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

2nd grade girl- "Eeeeewwwwww. MISS LAUREN!?"

Miss Lauren - "YeeeEES?"

2nd G.G - "Someone taped a mini diaper on the door in the bathroom"

.... . . . .

Miss Lauren - "Ok. Don't touch it."

Tonight.

2010-03-14T23:09:00.000-07:00

¹⁴This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
1 John 5:14-15

Ladies Nights

2010-03-08T20:20:00.002-08:00

More staches at www.allisonmichelle.wordpress.com

Ladies Nights

2010-03-08T20:20:00.001-08:00

Fort Rosecrans WWII Cemetary

2010-03-02T10:33:00.001-08:00

Maybe they seem redundant, but I can't really explain. It was overwhelming being there and seeing all of it. Standing in the middle of the rolling hills, covered in headstones. I think everyone should go at some point.

The Little Victories

2010-02-27T23:24:00.000-08:00

My amazing husband is handsome, talented, loving, .. and picky.
He had asked me to pick up some grape juice for him this week. So when I was at the store I walked by the Welchs juice and they were all out of the regular grape. But right next to it was Black cherry Grape juice. Now I am always down for trying something new while Luke on the other hand automatically doesn't like it if he hasn't tried it. But I decided I would give it a shot. Maybe he wouldn't notice that the label was different.

Anyways, he just walked into the room with a tall glass of grape juice with a huge smile on his face. I didn't say anything except," I sure hope you drink all of that".

A couple minutes later I look over and the glass is empty. So I asked if he liked it. He said yes. And that is when I dropped the bomb.

He said that there was no way there was cherry in it. He would absolutely have tasted it. He hates cherry.

So he walks into the kitchen, opens the fridge, and says,"No Lauren. It's Black cherry grapes. It's a type of grape."

I said,"No. Look again."

I wish I could have recorded the sound that I heard creep out of that open refrigerator. I call it the sound of victory.

It's the little victories like this that bring me joy.

What?........

2010-02-25T22:57:00.001-08:00

Yes.
Today in the mail I received my official letter of acceptance to San Diego Christian College.
WOOT!
As Luke said,
" Look. It's the beginning of the end."
YAY.

Stuff

2010-02-18T23:52:00.000-08:00

Julian Adventure (plus a few)

2010-02-16T21:38:00.000-08:00

NEW

2010-02-14T00:29:00.000-08:00

I got a camera! YAAAAY!!!

BUT, I have a lot to learn.

2010-02-10T22:27:00.000-08:00

One More Try

2010-02-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

We are friends from Lauren Vanscoy on Vimeo.

Life and getting old...

2010-02-04T10:14:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I get sad thinking that I'm never going to have a "first" again.
You know what I mean?
You have your first steps, first kiss, first time hiccuping and farting at the same time...

I thought for sure I was done with firsts. But every time I get to that thought
I have another first.......

That's all you get.

2010-02-01T22:36:00.000-08:00

Only you know the way the heart burns,

aches,

throbs,

twists, turns

Only you know the path that each tear takes,

rolls,

strolls,

wanders

down each cheek

Only you hear silent whispers,

breaths,

cries, that escape past eyes,

ears,

lips

Only you know what the mind searches,

seeks

Only you know

Only you feel it

Only you can change it

Only you did.

Rain, Rain.. I love YOOOOOOUUUU

2010-01-23T21:34:00.000-08:00

I live in San Diego. I don't know what to do in this situation.
Well, I know what to do, but not so much how to dress.

Just another night

2010-01-21T22:04:00.000-08:00

You recognize these people.
You know their names.
They may have even been in your living room at some point,
possibly cut your hair.?
Here they are,
uncensored.
(make sure your volume is up)

We gathered around the little coffee table and played Apples to Apples for way longer than most of us wanted to. But what else were we suppose to do. I feel like the whole night we were all just trying to make it go on forever.
This was an awesome night full of memories.

Night on the Town

2010-01-21T11:51:00.000-08:00

We were out and about on the town all week for our dearest Granty-poo. <3

Hey, those jumping pictures are a lot harder than you think.

New Year Fun

2010-01-20T18:08:00.000-08:00

So on New Years eve Luke and I spent the night on Brett and Heather's living room floor. We were woken up by Heather slaving away in the kitchen making AMAZING cinnamon rolls. Then we were off with Nick and Steph to Julian.

Baby Names

2010-01-12T23:12:00.000-08:00

Tonight Luke and I decided that if we instantly had a boy and a girl their names would be Owen and Lily.

It will constantly change, so if you don"t care for these names
there is no need to panic.

December all wrapped up

2009-12-31T10:33:00.000-08:00

The Christmas season is over. I got some cool gifts, gave some too. Had great times with family and learned a couple things also.
I love Christmas. I love the decorations. But I also can't wait to get rid of our tree. In our amazing, tiny, cute, tiny apartment it's starting to suffocate me. :)

Doesn't Grant look so pretty

Decorating Christmas cookies with Ahlsweedes

Caught without a camera

2009-12-27T01:09:00.000-08:00

This is the reason why I need to always have a camera on hand. Just now Luke and I were driving home and I spy a skunk hipity hopiting down the street by our apartment. When it turned the corner I said, " Luke! Follow that!" And then we drove along side it until finally it realized we were stalking it and then hide under a car. As we are enjoying that mini adventure at 1 A.M, we turn the next corner and see the oddest looking cat squating in the middle of the road pooping.

I don't know. Maybe it all seemed so funny because we are dilerous, or maybe it is just funny. You decide.

Goodnight

The Hilton along the 8

2009-12-14T17:51:00.001-08:00

JOY!

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I'm sad to say I wasn't that upset

2009-12-13T23:03:00.000-08:00

If any of you are familiar with the Deja Vu strip club on Rosecrans I have news for you. We were driving home tonight and saw smoke billowing up and later came to find it was the strip club. On the news they said that nobody was hurt. The club was actually closed...
With that being said,.. I'm not sad about it.

Disneyland

2009-12-12T16:26:00.000-08:00

The Perfect Tiny Leaf

2009-12-12T16:24:00.000-08:00

Rainy Day Rescuer

2009-12-11T13:16:00.001-08:00

Two dogs, lots of rain. Reward,... I smell like wet dog for the rest of the day at work.

Our First Christmas Tree

2009-12-02T23:00:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went and bought our tree.(Thanks Mom and Tom!)
It was the first one we touched. I guess we are not really into digging around. It was already opened and ready to go, so we figured why not.

Not that this should discredit our tree.

It's just right.

Plus Luke looks so stylish inspecting it.

Two reasons it's called Black Firday

2009-12-02T22:36:00.000-08:00

1. Because when you get up in time for the sales it is still pitch black outside. We woke up at 4:00 A.M and headed to Macys, then to Target, Bed Bath and Beyond and a few other shops. I personally thought it was fantastic. I love the adventure of it all! We bought decorations(the star for the tree. Yay!). Plus we are finished with our Christmas shopping.

2. Because when you are delirious from waking up so early you sometimes do things that cause you to black out. For instance, slice your knuckle with brand new knives, pass out a couple times, cause your husband to freak out and your in-laws to drive all the way out to tell you to go to the emergency room. (By the way, thank you Lana <3)
No stitches,...they just super glued it. Now we are waiting to see how much we have to pay for them to glue my finger together.
YAY BLACK FRIDAY!

My husband and his quick anti-traditions rant

2009-11-28T23:04:00.000-08:00

He loves Christmas. But one night he decided that he wanted to explain why Christmas trees, ornaments, candy canes and snowmen should not be involved with Christmas! He says,"What do they have to do with Jesus". So I decided to be dramatic for our friends visiting and decapitate one of the snowmen (who's head comes off ). Well, Luke wanted to show me up so he grabbed the glass bowl off ornaments and threw them across the floor!!! The best part was the look on his face when he saw that he broke them. He thought they were plastic.
HAHA!!!!

Thanksgiving 09

2009-11-28T22:55:00.000-08:00

THANKSGIVING!
Good food, great family, too much dessert. Just the norm.

Child to remain anonymous

2009-11-23T21:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I was sure this day would come. Really, I'm not shocked. And I'm not one to get all hyped up on this Swine Flu madness. But today it was official.
One of my favorite students in my class,...let's call him John, wasn't feeling well last Thursday. So I got down to his level, rubbed his back and said," Hey there little Johnny. What's wrong? You not feeling well? Maybe you should go home early today?" But he didn't want to go. He said he thinks he can wait.
He did not come on Friday..
He did not come today..
And then they tell me he has it.

Like I said, I'm not that concerned. I figured if I didn't get it from one of the kids at work I would get it from the PLNU students that are soon to be quarantined next door to our apartment.

I'll post any updates. :)

Living in Point Loma

2009-11-21T12:18:00.001-08:00

I just got cut off by two mercedes in a matter of two minutes. Its hard for me to not conclude that everyone that owns one believes that the reason they are so expensive is because they paid for the road they drive on too.

LUKEY POOKIE POO

2009-11-20T11:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I came home from work to find our Christmas lights on, everything all lit up...AND our apartment clean...

I love my husband.

STEPHANIE

2009-11-19T22:29:00.000-08:00

STEPHANIE IS HERE! HERE IN SAN DIEGO! Well, right now I believe she is at Disneyland. But, you know. She arrived yesterday to surprise her man for his birthday! :)<3
What cutie lil' poopers!
She will only be here a couple more days, but that's ok. She will be back for almost two weeks in December. Then I will have more of her for myself.

I love her.
She is my favorite big haired, New Jerseyian ever!

Overflow Coffee House

2009-11-18T23:51:00.001-08:00

So we had some guests tonight at the coffee house. This is Rocky rocking the sax.

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MmmmHmmm..

2009-11-17T17:19:00.001-08:00

I made myself some staying home sick cookie dough. It's amazing.

FWD:

2009-11-14T23:42:00.001-08:00

Went and saw A Christmas Carol with friends tonight. It was really good. And I feel like there was a lot of symbolism in it. I could have done without the 3D though.
I recommend it to everyone,..except for kids. Even I was creeped out at some parts.

Good night!

Kitty Wampis

2009-11-13T13:12:00.001-08:00

I love visiting wampis.

This Morning's Adventure

2009-11-12T11:06:00.000-08:00

Well, lets just say we've been eating a lot of ice cream and goodies lately, so I decided that I should go for a jog this morning. I have only briefly explored the other side of Chatsworth and thought that this morning would be a good time to start.

After only turning a couple corners I see a white truck start slowing down next to me. So, naturally a slight sense of panic starts creeping into my body. Some people think I'm paranoid about these such things but I just think I'm prepared. I took a womens self-defense class. I can tell you what to do with a pen, high heels and keys in any situation. (Just ask.) Anyway, I digress...It was my brother! He was driving to his next house for work and saw me struggling to catch my breath on the other side of the road.

After talking with him a couple minutes he had to get going so I start my trek again. I didn't really know where I was going, but I always thought wandering was fun. No destination, just running around. Long story short, I got miserably lost. Absolutely turned around. At one point I thought that I had crossed back over Chatsworth all the while running towards where I thought Chatsworth was, but actually running farther away. By this time it has been way longer than I had wanted this run to be, I was beginning to be exhausted, I had forgotten my brace and my knee starting hurting. All I was thinking was,"After I get up the courage to ask someone in this extravagant neighborhood if I could use their phone, how I am going to describe to Luke where I am so he can drive me home?!"

So I turn around and start heading in the opposite direction, find some people working outside a house and in a last attempt I ask them if they could point me towards Chatsworth. The only thing I know out here that can get my home.. They both kind of smile, probably because my face was beat red, I was sweaty, and because it was just up the hill.

This is an exact representation of my trek.

Ladies Night

2009-11-11T20:47:00.001-08:00

Heather was testing our her pickup lines.
"How much does a polar bear weigh?- Enought to break the ice."
..she's a creeper.

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A Couple Updates

2009-11-11T20:18:00.001-08:00

Luke and I bought our first set of Christmas lights!!! YAAAY! They are definitely the first of many. And we bought them on Halloween. (I just thought that was ironic.) I am absolutely one of those people that completely skips Halloween and moves straight into Christmas. I'm sorry to those who think it's annoying. I try not to be obnoxious about it.
My brother came and saved them day. He sprayed our apartment for crickets. Unfortunately he forgot to warn us that the stuff makes the crickets that are trapped inside our apartment go insane. They came out of hiding and were jumping not caring if we were there. It was terrible. I found one, dying, in some of our mixing bowls and starting dry heaving. . . . Luke thought it was funny.

Sunsets at work

2009-11-10T16:47:00.001-08:00

Ecclesiastes 12:1

2009-11-08T10:42:00.000-08:00

There is a verse that has been on my mind for a while now. I woke up this morning around 7 going over it and over it in my head. Really trying to wrap my mind around what it is saying.

Ecclesiastes 12:1
Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
"I find no pleasure in them" - NIV
"Honor and enjoy your Creator while you're still young,
Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes." - The Message
" Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth,
Before the difficult days come, " - NKJV
"Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator." - NLT

Youth is the time of life between childhood and maturity. It is a time in OUR lives of so much potential. Right now we are not brittle, worn, tired, blind. Right now we are alive. This is time when we can DO. We can GO. But why is it so often a time when we wander?

When studying this I found a commentary that said,

"You that are young flatter yourselves with expectations of great things from it, but believe those that have tried it; it yields no solid satisfaction to a soul; therefore, that you may not be deceived by this vanity, nor too much disturbed by it, remember your Creator, and so guard yourselves against the mischiefs that arise from the vanity of the creature.’’

When we are thinking only about ourselves, our life, our youth, we are forgetting about our creator. And the worst part is that in the end we will come back, but instead of giving him the best part of our life, he is getting the broken, leftovers.
^Malachi1:13 ... "When you bring injured, crippled or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?" says the LORD.
"It is the greatest absurdity and ingratitude imaginable to give the cream and flower of our days to the devil, and reserve the bran, and refuse, and dregs of them for God." - Matthew Henry

We were loved tonight

2009-11-05T23:14:00.001-08:00

So we loved them back. We made Pecan Cinnamon Rolls! YAY! It was a pain, it was amazing and by the end MOST of us were in a sugar coma. Heather held on strong.
Yes, they tasted as good as they look in the pictures.

Seriously?

2009-11-04T23:23:00.001-08:00

Today at work one of my students asked me if I had telephones "back in my day"...
I have nothing to say about this.

I had a glimpse of my childhood

2009-11-02T22:09:00.000-08:00

Today at work I was kind of down in the dumps. No reason really... So I figured that was dumb and I made the attitude adjustment. Long story short I ended up playing an intense game of "Helicopter Helicopter" with a couple of third graders. At one point I got so into it that my adult body smashed into one of my students. After that I figured that I had had enough, and that for the safety of the kids I would sit the last couple rounds out. haha

Also, I just wanted to let you all know that the cricket situation has changed drastically as of this evening. Though I have never enjoyed them making themselves at home in my apartment, we kind of had a mutual agreement that if they remained in the living room, and an occasional in the bathroom, we wouldn't kill them. Well, boundaries have been breached and I caught them singing their love songs to each other in my bedroom.

It's on now. . .

2 Crickets tonight

2009-10-25T23:47:00.000-07:00

We have been home for less than three hours and already Luke has had to catch two. Bleh.

I have no idea what just happened.

2009-10-21T22:14:00.001-07:00

So today was not, terrible. Definitely not good. I don't know what happened. I started asking a lot of questions. At first it WAS terrible, but then I started asking the right,..I was going to say person. But I don't think you can call Him that.
Anyways, I don't really know what this is. When I went to reread it and try to find references for the verses(which I didn't find all of them) it really seems like I was having a very straight forward conversation with God. He met me right where I was,.. in my English class.
I hope this is encouraging for someone. It helped me a lot.

In what do I place my value?
Who am I to you?
Does it all really matter? A name, place, status.
What do they even mean?
I once thought of these things as valuable, but now I know that everything else is worthless compared to knowing you. (Phil3:7&8)
Because you are my hope (ps39:7)
You are the rock in which I stand
But who am I that you should care for me? (ps8:4)
My life is but a breath (ps39:11)
Do I store up my treasures here on Earth?-In a name, in a job?
Or is my store house filled in heaven?

Lord, all I know is that I want your peace to guard my heart and mind. (Phil14:7)
I want to know you
I want to experience the mighty power that raised Christ from the dead (phil3:10)
I want to run with purpose in every step (1 Cor9:26)
"For to you I will pray. My voice you shall hear in the morning." Ps5:2&3

My morning walks/jogs/attempts at fitness

2009-10-20T20:02:00.000-07:00

A couple times a week I love to go on morning jogs. I think that you need to get use to this because I often have many things that I come across while "workin' on my fitness" that interest me or are random and amazing. So in order to help you visualize whats going on around me for future posts I took a couple pictures this morning. I have a picture of my favorite tree that i love to pass by once I conquer the hill. Also, a picture of the most amazing view I found. It's beautiful. I told Luke that it is at this point in my walk that I usually start praying and thanking God for the beautiful creation that He has me living in the middle of. Enjoy.

Also,two last things you need to know to be up to speed on this adventures.
1. I will forever be searching for the most amazing door that I came across one day while weaving in and out of the neighborhoods. This is the third time I have searched to no avail.
2. There was an amazing cat that I met one time. His name is Smokey and I long for the day to pet his silver fluff again.
and an optional 3. It would be nice to see the three legged dog again. (I didn't give him a name like I did for Smoky because he was with his owners, so I assumed he already had one.)

These little things that make up our first year

2009-10-18T23:46:00.000-07:00

After talking with a couple people I have decided that I honestly want to continue making posts,..I just didn't want to have to update everyone on everything that has happened. So, maybe eventually you will see honeymoon pictures, read the stories, find out the airport drama,..maybe not. Maybe everyone that is reading this already knows everything that happened. Well, that's good then. (moving on)

One thing that i hope to never forget about our first year is that our apartment has issues. It's lovely, quaint, but
-has a crazy, crooked corner that is between our bedroom and the hall closet. Where most corners are at a 90 degree angle, this one is about a 50 degree
-we are able to break into our apartment in less than 10 seconds
-this morning i was woken up by a homeless man collecting cans in the dumpster next to our window
-AND-
-the crickets.(or as we call them,"tritchets".)And this is really what i wanted to talk about. They sneak in under our screen and door. There have been times where we come home to find 5 JUST IN THE ENTRANCE WAY. (buuuuuuhhh)Luke hops around on all fours catching them. (its super cute. maybe i can get a video of it sometime.)
As the days and weeks go by they have gotten bolder and more sneaky. Now they come in and sing their little songs when they know that Luke isn't home and that i won't touch them. They jump at Luke (and our neighbor that i have called to get them for me)
Bleh.
Those sneaky tritchets.

P.S. I totally was going to put up an actual picture of the crickets that invade our home everyday, but i started to and then got super creeped out.

Honeymoon

2009-02-11T17:36:00.000-08:00

So Luke and I have decided that we are going to have our honeymoon at the Catalonia Tulum Resort in Cancun!! Woohoo! Today we put our deposit down on it. It is right on a white sand beach set in the middle of tons of trees, with streams wandering through out the whole resort. 5 days..

YAY!

That day <3

2009-02-01T22:48:00.000-08:00

The Proposal

2009-01-25T16:41:00.000-08:00

Heather put this together for me. Thank you so much. I can't tell you how many people you have made cry from watching this. hahaha

L & L's Proposal from Heather Ozuna on Vimeo.

The Best Birthday Ever

2009-01-24T22:34:00.000-08:00

Pictures, videos and how it all happened are soon to come. Until then, enjoy this pictures.

Friendly(?) Grounds

2009-01-18T14:44:00.000-08:00

I know this post has been long waited for by many (really only Allie), so here it
is.
Some of the ladies and I ended up at Friendly grounds. We had a little crochet club, and just our luck, its open mic night. . . . ... .. .
Now we didn't know this but apparently a coffee shop in the evening is not a place to socialize.. (we didn't know.) But we were informed by way of snide comments and glares from the older ladies next to us.
It's alright though. The ladies were kind enough to pose for a picture.

SOMA

2009-01-09T23:36:00.000-08:00

Tonight James played at Soma with his band, Comes the Horsemen. It was so cool to see him playing on stage again. And apparently the show sold out and his band brought in the most people.
I couldn't get very many pics, but thx to Grant I got a couple good ones.

Luke's Birthday Shave

2009-01-08T12:44:00.001-08:00

Last night we had a surprise party for Luke. I dont have those Pics yet but i do have a video of him teaching all the guys how to shave with his new novelty shave...stuff.

Luke's Birthday Shave from Lauren Vanscoy on Vimeo.

A Couple of Things

2009-01-05T12:56:00.000-08:00

As you all can tell, my sweet, amazing, incredible boyfriend spent HOURS designing a new page for me. He's amazing,I know. If anyone wants to pay him to do theirs,..I'm just saying, who doesn't need money. :)

Anyways, number two thing. I decided that I wanted to learn how to crochet after seeing how cute michelle looked when she was knitting on the couch,..and then realizing that knitting is too hard. So the next best thing.

It took one youtube video, and two volunteers to show me but I finally got it. I haven't really made anything yet, but my goal is to be good enough to make baby booties by the time i need to make them,. (Don't worry. That will not be ANYTIME SOON.)

Finally finished the App.

2008-12-30T22:10:00.000-08:00

Yeah. I know it seems like not that big of a task... but after i finished the regular application to SDSU i had to wait to see what my grades from this past fall semester were.. Then once i got those i could finish the application for the web portal(which i still dont know what that was for.) and then i picked out my songs for the audition..
1. Nel cor piu non mi sento (Italian opera)
2. Shenandoah (american Folk)
3. Nino precioso (Spanish lullaby)
...then i mailed in my petition for the audition.. The end.

Now i just have to wait until they get a hold of me for my date of the audition, then wait until march to see if I've been accepted.
I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

It took us awhile, but we found the snow.

2008-12-27T16:47:00.000-08:00

Overflow Tacky Christmas Sweater party 2008

2008-12-22T00:20:00.000-08:00

Julian

2008-12-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

On Saturday morning Luke took me up to the snow. It was awesome. I loved it. The snow was amazing. And then I didn't know it but we were meeting Brett and Heather up there at the cemetery. So we walked through the 2 foot snow, and we even got to a point where there was fresh snow that nobody had stepped in yet. It looked so cool.

Anyways, we had some amazing pie, lunch, and then a nap on the ride home.

Oil Change

2008-12-15T20:21:00.000-08:00

I was at Walmart for an hour getting the oil changed in my car. I just wandered around taking pictures of stuff. I bought some nail polish and painted my nails. Not alot was accomplished but i did get this awesome picture.

Happy Birthday Jesus

2008-12-12T10:19:00.000-08:00

Love names as of 12-03-08

2008-12-03T13:02:00.000-08:00

Lukey-poo
love
lovey
love chunk
chunkers
poop
poo
poopy
poopers
fat
fat-fat
fatty
...
That's all right now.
I know it seems like the names are getting more and more negative but it's all in love. Big fat poopy, chunky, fat love.
<3

BLACK FRIDAY

2008-11-28T23:22:00.000-08:00

The day began at 400A.M.
The line up was;
1.Macys
2.Sun Diego
3.Forever 21
4.Aldo
5.Target...there are more but it starts to get fuzzy after that.

Final Score
Luke-5
Lauren-1

Wednesday night Dixieland JAZZ fest (old people fest)

2008-11-28T23:07:00.000-08:00

Luke showed up at my house Wednesday night at about 9P.M. and told me i needed to get dressed cause he is taking me to this Jazz Fest. I was pretty excited, even though I didn't really know what to expect. We walked into the lobby and the first thing that happens is an older gentleman came up to us and said,"Are you guys looking for some good music?" Luke replies," Why yes we are." So for some reason we didn't have to pay to get it. He just walked us in and then I got really excited.

An entire room of senior citizens either dancing or napping. It was awesome.

-note that i tried my best to get as many white haired people in the photos as possible.
--And the one with the shoes,...was just because i like the carpet.

Over due poo

2008-11-28T22:50:00.000-08:00

Ok, so while i was in Iowa Luke was taking care of the house. Getting the mail, over feeding the animals(Bailey now weighs 8.5lbs)..ect.

Anyway, by the time i got home the litter box was way over due(plus larger poos because of the extra food). We actually closed off the downstairs bathroom for a day because when you opened the door the stink filled the kitchen.

I had forgotten that we had taken these pictures. I dont think i need to explain anymore. The pictures describe it so much better than i can.

"oh! You mean 'Old Man Rick'?"

2008-11-18T22:27:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Rick Sherman!!!
He turned 55 today.

Tonight we went downtown to celebrate Rick's birthday. It was really a humbling experience. We did the gifts, the cake and candles.. the whole sha-bang. But really just getting on the ground with him and hanging out for a while was so incredible.

Long story short, Allie met him a couple months back and God has really drawn her back to him many times. She kept saying there is something different about him. And tonight i saw it. I think that Aaron said it best. He said that his eyes still have life in them..like he still has hope for something better. so many of the people we meet are shadows of who they use to be, swallowed up by addiction and worn out by the life style. But Rick has something.

We found out that he has a niece that visits him and she goes to church. I wonder if that will play into this later.

Anyways, it was awesome. I really see God using Allie in this in so many ways. YOU GO GIRL! <3

RAIN

2008-11-04T11:48:00.001-08:00

YAY!!! Today is the first day that it rained and i wasn't properly dressed for it. WOOT!!!

IOWA.

2008-11-04T11:33:00.000-08:00

This is my mini journal about my trip to iowa. I know your wondering," why didnt she just write on her blog?" Valid question... no internet. So, with a little cut and paste from Word,, ..here you go.

Nov.1

Nebraska…woke up to Tornado sirens.

Freaked

Me..

Out.

I knew that they were for tornados because of the show ‘Storm Chasers’. If you haven’t seen it, they follow around they huge tornados and tell about the death and destruction that comes from them.

So as I realize what that means, I grab a blanket and proceed to find someone (hoping that they haven’t all already ran to the basement leaving me to sleep in my bed). I open my door and there stands my mom, … smiling.

“I thought that would get you up.”

It was a test.
The End

Tomorrow I’m going to see my dad. I’ve seen him once after he left. I think that was when I was 17. I feel really weird about it. Mostly because I don’t have any strong emotions pulling me either way. So I guess we’ll all just have to wait and see, won’t we.

Today my grandma took us out to this lunch/girly/dress up thingy.. in this tiny town called Loisvill. It was way cool. There were only like 4 shops and all of them were super girly and fuzzy and pink. And that’s about all the entire town had. Plus a train runs through the town. It’s like out of a movie.

Nov.2

I just got back from my grandma’s house. I re-met my dad and grandma, and I met my 2 half sisters, Katlyn (who is 8) and Cali who is 4). On the drive over I didn’t really feel anything. I was nervous only because I didn’t know what to feel. On one hand here was the man that created me, that was my father for the first 11 years of my life. On the other hand, here was the man that left my family 10 years ago.. a stranger. For so long he seemed like a man from a story. I knew about him and what happened but he was just the man in the story. He has been a memory for so long.

As we pulled up to the drive way I was struggling to think about what I needed to feel about what was about to happen, when we saw two little girls playing at the end of the driveway. Before I could get out of the car there they were with a hug.

I said," Hi. Whats your name?"
"cali. Whats yours?"
"Lauren."
"I have a big sister named Lauren."

..and that is when I realized what I was feeling. These girls already knew our names. They talked about my brother and I, calling us “my big brother and sister”. Katlyn had been asking for the past 2 years when she would get to meet us. She told me she loves watching the dvd my mom had sent them of me singing.

I finally turn to see what else is turning my world upside down around me, and I see my dad and my brother hugging, and my dad crying. MY brother, who didn’t even want to see my dad. He just wanted to see my grandma.

So we sat outside and talked. My brother and my dad talked a lot. Just trying to catch 10 years up in a little over an hour. They talked about work, Paulina and his wedding coming up. My dad said he really wanted to try and make it out for Jesse’s wedding if he was invited.

All the while I was bombarded with questions from Katlyn. Who bears a striking resemblance to myself. She loves to dance, sing, draw, perform. She wants to be able to play guitar and sing. She writes songs. I just wanted to cry at this point. I was so heart broken, but still so overjoyed about this child that I had never met before, but was me just 13 years ago. My little sister. My sister that somehow I had influenced, even when I didn’t know she was out there.

Even now I have to hold back tears. Will I ever see her again? Does she know that I love her in a way I didn’t know that I could, until she called me her big sister? Does she know that Jesus loves her even more than I do? It’s so sad for me to think all of these things.

All of the sudden I feel so much more of a responsibility to write. I always felt so crushed that my dad left me. He never tried to get a hold of me. But now I feel like, how could I have expected him to. He is weak, he is lost in this world. I have strength through Christ.(2 Cor 4:7) And I should have made the effort. I should have called or written. And now I see that. Now I feel that.

It wasn’t bad. I actually wish we could have stayed longer. My dad looked better then the brief time I saw him years ago. I can’t tell if he is still doing drugs or not, but he looks better. He told Jesse and I that he wants to keep in touch. He wants to call and write. I hope that is true. I think I can help that be true now.

2 Cor 12:15 “I will gladly spend myself and all I have for you, even though it seems that the more I love you, the less you love me.”

13:4 “Although he was crucified in weakness, he now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with him and will have God’s power.”

I have to love them, each one of them. They are hopelessly lost in this world and I might be the only one they know that knows the joy, healing, strength, purpose, comfort, and LOVE that God has for them. That He has always had for them.

I am so thankful that God has shown me what role I need to take now.

Thank you so much everyone that was praying for me.

2008-11-04T11:21:00.000-08:00

Its long but good. read it .

2008-10-22T23:24:00.001-07:00

Pushups for Donuts

There was a boy by the name of Steve who was
attending school in Utah.
In this school Seminary classes are held during
school hours. Brother Christianson taught Seminary
at this particular school. He had an open-door policy
and would take in any student that had been thrown
out of another class as long as they would abide by his
rules. Steve had been kicked out of his sixth period
and no other teacher wanted him, so he went into
Brother Christianson's Seminary class.

Steve was told that he could not be late, so
he arrived just seconds before the bell rang and he
would sit in the very back of the room. He would
also be the first to leave after the class was over.

One day, Brother Christianson asked Steve to stay
after class so he could talk with him. After class,
Bro. Christianson pulled Steve aside and said, "You
think you're pretty tough, don't you?"

Steve's answer was, "Yeah, I do."

Then Brother Christianson asked, "How many push-ups
can you do?"

Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."

"200? That's pretty good, Steve," Brother
Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300?"

Steve replied, "I don't know... I've never done 300
at a time."

"Do you think you could?" Again asked Brother
Christianson.

"Well, I can try," said Steve.

"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I need you to
do 300 in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do
it? I need you to tell me you can do it," Brother
Christianson said. Steve said, "Well... I think I
can... yeah, I can do it."

Brother Christianson said, "Good! I need you
to do this on Friday."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in
the front of the room. When class started, Brother
Christianson pulled out a big box of donuts.
Now these weren't the normal kinds of donuts,
they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream
centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited-it
was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were
going to get an early start on the weekend.

Bro. Christianson went to the first girl in the
first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want a donut?"

Cynthia said, "Yes."

Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked,
"Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia
can have a donut?"

Steve said, "Sure," and jumped down from his desk to
do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk.

Bro. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

Bro. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person,
and asked, "Joe do you want a donut?"

Joe said, "Yes." Bro. Christianson asked, "Steve
would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?"
Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut.

And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten
pushups for every person before they got their
donut.

And down the second aisle, till Bro. Christianson
came to Scott.

Scott was captain of the football team and center of
the basketball team. He was very popular and never
lacking for female companionship. When Bro.
Christianson asked, "Scott do you want a donut?"

Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?"

Bro. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."

Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."

Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked,
"Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a
donut he doesn't want?"

Steve started to do ten pushups. Scott said, "HEY!
I said I didn't want one!"

Bro. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom,
my class, my desks, and my donuts. Just leave it on
the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut
on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a
little. He just stayed on the floor between sets
because it took too much effort to be getting up
and down. You could start to see a little
perspiration coming out around his brow. Bro.
Christianson started down the third row. Now the
students were beginning to get a little angry.

Bro. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a
donut?"

Jenny said, "No."

Then Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve,would you
do ten pushups so Jenny can have a donut that she
doesn't want?" Steve did ten, Jenny got a donut.

By now, the students were beginning to say "No" and
there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks.
Steve was also having to really put forth a lot of
effort to get these pushups done for each donut.

There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor
beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get
red because of the physical effort involved.

Bro. Christianson asked Robert to watch Steve to
make sure he did ten pushups in a set because he couldn't
bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those
uneaten donuts. So Robert began to watch Steve
closely. Bro. Christianson started down the fourth
row.

During his class, however, some students had
wandered in and sat along the heaters along the sides of the
room. When Bro. Christianson realized this; he did
a quick count and saw 34 students in the room. He
started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.

Bro. Christianson went on to the next person and the
next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve
was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot
more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Bro. Christianson, "Do I have to make my
nose touch on each one?"

Bro. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well,
they're your pushups. You can do them any way that you
want."

And Bro. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason came to the room and was
about to come in when all the students yelled, "NO!
Don't come in! Stay out!"

Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked
up his head and said, "No, let him come."

Bro. Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason
comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him."

Steve said, "Yes, let him come in."

Bro. Christianson said, "Okay, I'll let you get
Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you
want a donut?"

"Yes."

"Steve, will you do ten pushups so that Jason
can have a donut?" Steve did ten pushups very slowly
and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was
handed a donut and sat down.

Bro. Christianson finished the fourth row, then
started on those seated on the heaters. Steve's
arms were now shaking with each pushup in a struggle to
lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat
was dropping off of his face and, by this time, there
was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two girls in the room were
cheerleaders and very popular. Bro. Christianson went to Linda,
the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a
doughnut?

Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."

Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do
ten pushups so that Linda can have a donut she
doesn't want?"

Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow
pushups for Linda. Then Bro. Christianson turned to
the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut?"

Susan, with tears flowing down her face, asked,
"Bro. Christianson , can I help him?"

Bro. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No,
he has to do it alone, Steve, would you do ten
pushups so Susan can have a donut?"

As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with
the understanding that he had accomplished all that
was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his
arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Brother Christianson turned to the room and
said. "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ,
plead to the Father, "Into thy hands I commend my
spirit." With the understanding that He had done
everything that was required of Him, he collapsed on
the cross and died. And like some of those in this
room, many of us leave the gift on the desk,
uneaten.

Cruisin' on back to reality

2008-10-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

I'm back! The cruise was great. Nothing was accomplished except a bit of a tan, needed sleep, and a few extra pounds. :)
enjoy the pics.

My Love Chunker

2008-09-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

1. Stays late when I'm sick and misses half of his draft thingy.

2. Tolerates my disgusting swollen, pussy breath.

3. Gets cold wash clothes and puts them on my forehead.

4. Gets me water and a plethora of medicine.

5. Straightens my hair when I'm too sick to do it myself.

6. Tells me that i'm beautiful even when i'm sweaty with an afro and am drooling on my pillow.

i love him.

2008-08-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

I’ll Close the door to this room.
Let your words pour out. Let your words fill these pages with your love.
Telling all that your more than just my God, than just a god. You are our God
You are writing my song.
Give me all I need to be able to sing this song, this life you have for me.

When all I can do is love you, give me the strength to love you more.
When I cannot dance to praise you, let me raise hands high.
When my voice has gone to nothing, let me sing for you anyway.Let nothing stand in the way of worshiping you.