And More Dan

"But perhaps the greatest surprise of all was when Hilda turned to see her engineer, whom, it will be remembered, she had seen but once at close range (except a distant fleeting view of his head and shoulders in the cab of his engine) and whom she remembered always in blue jean overalls.
"He was dressed now in the full uniform of an officer of the United States Army; and fine and handsome did he look as he stood ready to salute her, pausing to admire his little friend, whom he had not known was so beautiful until his mother had put on the finishing touches of suitable garments."

Meet Dan Stevens

I have just read three Grace Livingston Hill books that Mom bought me :-) Little old paperbacks with yellow pages that smell like an old book, and romantic covers.
The last one I read, The Red Signal, has my current favorite hero, but they were all three quite wonderful so it's probably because I finished it last. Dan Stevens is a freight train engineer, introduced when he saves the main character, Hilda Lessing, from being run over by a train- two expresses ran through the station as she was crossing to a farther train, and Dan ran out and held her safe between the two scary trains :-) I'll have to introduce him in snatches:

Dan introduced...

"...She only saw his face bending solicitously over her, his pleasant eyes so brown and merry, and heard his cheery voice: 'Say, Kid, that was a close call!' ... The young man looked at his watch. He had nice hair and a handsome head. She liked the way the dark curl fell over his white forehead, and the strength of the bronzed neck above the jumper. "You've plenty of time. Number Ten isn't due for fifteen minutes. Come over to the restaurant and have a cup of coffee. That'll put some pep into you." He seized the suitcase and led the way. She noticed that he did everything as if her were a gentleman. She liked the way he pulled out the chair for her and seated her at the table."

Thinking of Dan...

"Meantime, it was pleasant to think of that handsome young man and the courteous way in which he had treated her. He reminded her of a picture she had once seen of a prince. True, he was not dressed in princely robes, but she was American enough to recognize a prince in spite of his attire."

The last is delicious, and instead of making this post way too long, I'm going to give it its own post...

Fictional Favorites

I've decided I'm going to have to start a weekly post of a favorite fictional character- introduction descriptions, and paragraphs that illuminate their personality and show why I love them so much. I just have so many fictional favorites. :-) So, today I begin with Stephen Lawhead's Robin Hood. This Robin Hood legend is set in Wales at the time of the Norman conquest, and Robin Hood is a Welsh lord in exile- he had been a prince until his father was killed, but he never got a chance to be king in his own right because a Norman lord took over his "cantref," his little kingdom. His name is Bran, the Welsh for king is "Rhi", and the Welsh "Hud" means enchanter or magician, which Bran is called by superstitious locals because of his habit of showing up and scaring away callous Normans in a eery Raven cloak and hood with his bow. So, here he is:

"Presently, Siarles returned from the house accompanied by a young man, tall and slender as a rod, but with a fair span of shoulders and good strong arms. He wore a simple tunic of dark cloth, trousers of the same stuff, and long black riding boots. His hair was so black the sun glinted blue in his wayward locks. A cruel scar puckered the skin on the left side of his face, lifting his lip in what first appeared to be a haughty sneer- an impression only, belied by the ready wit that glinted from eyes as black as the bottom of a well on a moonless night. There was no doubt he was their leader, Bran."

Starbucks madness

I am visiting my [crazy :-) ] friend Carlene this weekend, and since my visit was very last minute, she's worked every day. But she works at Starbucks and opens alot, so I've been getting up several hours after her and going to Starbucks to hang out for the last few hours of her shift. I brought Stephen Lawhead's newest book, Scarlet, with me, and I finished it today. So good! It's the second in a series about Robin Hood, set in Wales at the time of the Norman invasion, in the late 12th century. Scarlet is, naturally, told from Will Scarlet's perspective. It was the perfect book to read with my coffee in the mornings. :-) I also talked to a few of the people who work there with Carlene. Like R, her manager, who is crazy and told her we'd better do "something fun" since she wasn't working this afternoon, then give a full report of how much fun we had. Or else. And V, who "loves semicolons" and has awesome bouncy hair. And K, who told R and Carlene he wanted my phone number. Rule #1: if you don't want someone to know something, don't tell R. R promptly told me what K said.
And RY, who obediently wrote " X amazing" on my cup when Carlene told him to put make my coffee extra amazing. And there were many more...
Since I spent so much time at Starbucks this week, let me give you some drink advice :-) Try....

A grande Starbucks Doubleshot with four shots instead of three. With X Amazing.
A black tea lemonade with apple juice instead of lemonade (don't ask) and a few pumps of raspberry.
Zen Tazo tea. Perfect for reading.
A black and white mocha (half white, half regular chocolate, which balances the two, and a pump of vanilla.)

Oh yes, and smile at your barista! :-)

Waiting on God

I have been reading Waiting on God by Andrew Murray and enjoying it so much. There is so much wisdom and encouragement and conviction in what Murray says. Here are a few favorite parts of what I have read so far. :-)

"It is specially at the time of prayer that we ought to set ourselves to cultivate this spirit [of waiting on God].
Before you pray, bow quietly before God, just to remember and realize who He is, how certainly He can and will help. Just be still before Him, and allow His Holy Spirit to waken and stir up in your soul the childlike disposition of absolute dependance and confident expectation. Wait upon God as a living Being, as the Living God, who notices you, and is just longing to fill you with His salvation. Wait on God till you know you have met Him; prayer will then become so different."

"He knows so well that we are unable to do what is really holy and heavenly, except as He works in us, that He means his very demands to become promises of what He will do, in watching over and leading us all the day."

"If we but saw our God in His love, if we believed that He waits to be gracious, that He waits to be our life and to work all in us- how this waiting on God would become our highest joy, the natural and spontaneous response of our hearts to His great love and glory!"

Simple Woman's Daybook

I am still figuring out the tech part of the linking and everything that go with this Daybook... and I posted it on Tuesday even though I wrote it on a Monday... oops :P But I'll get it right soon ;)

FOR TODAY...

Outside My Window... A courtyard with stones and ivy that I've seen for two years and will trade next fall semester for the arboretum :-)

I am thinking... about C.S. Lewis and my test on that class; about reading The Problem of Pain this summer; about being done and seeing people :-)

I am thankful for... People to study with and later to do nothing with

From the kitchen... A random assortment of end-of-the-year dorm food... a quesadilla Chris made, chicken noodle soup, macaroni and cheese, an apple, and popcorn...

I am wearing... A blue skirt from Israel and a black t-shirt over a white cami, flip flops, hair down, and earrings Mom sent :-)

I am creating... A mental layout of my suite for next year and a list of what we still need, a plan for coordinating the Suites small groups, Bible studies, and discipleship groups, and a list of potential leaders I still need.

I am going... to take a test at one and be DONE with my sophomore year after that!

I am reading... Notes on many C.S. Lewis books, The Once And Future King, and my Bible

I am hoping... to spend a great deal of time in prayer & reading & waiting on God very soon.

I am hearing... People talking as they study or (sleepily ;)) celebrate the end of the school year.

Around the house... Half-packed boxes, unwanted clothes, old notebooks and out-of print textbooks, girls sitting in flip-flops happy to have finished their first year of school

One of my favorite things... Books- the smell of them. And horses :-) The smell of them, and the feel of them, and the sound of them eating.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... Watch movies on our list :-) Spend time with Clara, go visit the boys, go to the Orchestra concert and jazz afterglow, say goodbye after graduation, go to Chicago :-)

Finals