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How to Survive Till Fall Actually Shows Up

Well, it's that time of year again. Your calendar says September, but the weather's hot and humid, the rain's refusing to come, and you long for jackets and sweaters but they're packed away in the back of your closet because it's far too hot to take them out. Now, it may not be like this for anyone living anywhere north of Oklahoma, but down here in the South, our weather is clinging desperately to summer when it really ought to let go and move on to fall.

But fall is taking forever to get here! How are we going to survive until the cool weather finally blows in?

Here are my top 10 tips and tricks for How to Survive Till Fall Actually Shows Up:


10.) Crank up that air conditioning and throw on a hoodie!

This is one of my favorite ways to get that Autumnal feeling. Sitting at a table doing math is pretty boring, but with the air conditioning on and a hoodie on my shoulders, it could be Christmas. (Note: Don't open the windows while doing this. The sight of trees with leaves on them will ruin the illusion.)

9.) Listen to Christmas music.

I know, I know. It's only September. It isn't even technically Halloween time yet. But what has more nostalgia than Nat King Cole's "Christmas Song" or Bing Crosby's "White Christmas"? Very little. And what does that nostalgia call up? Images of snowy pine trees, grey skies, sharp cold wind, red noses, and warm lights glowing from inside houses. So even though you may be reluctant to pull out your favorite holiday albums this early in the year (I personally wait till at least the day after Halloween, and prefer to wait till the day after Thanksgiving, if I can summon the will-power), if you want that fuzzy winter feeling, Christmas music is the way to go.

8.) Add fall items to summer outfits

For example: Wear a (fairly thin) sweater with a pair of shorts; throw a thick scarf over your tank top. Not only is this a good way of saying a pointed "goodbye" to summer, it's also very useful for when you step from extreme heat outside to the freezing temperatures of a heavily air-conditioned movie theater/restaurant/school.

7.) Start adding warmer colors to your wardrobe and the interior of your house.

Nothing big at first. You know that picture you took at the beach this summer that you've been using as a wall-paper for your computer? Change it to something more fall-ish. Wear deep red and gold together in an outfit. Change your blankets and pillows to deeper blues, reds, purples and golds. As we get closer to the holiday season, you can be more blatant about it: paper snow-flakes on the wall, pine-cones on shelves, gold and silver tinsel, and little figures of turkeys, pumpkins, and snow-men all help to usher in the Christmas spirit.

6.) Watch some Christmas movies

Maybe not "Frosty The Snowman" or "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" -- nothing too openly Christmas-ey. Go with something like "It's A Wonderful Life", "The Nativity Story" (yes, of course Jesus' is birth is relevant all year round), or "A Christmas Story", which has "Christmas" in the title but is much more about childhood than it is about Santa.

5.) Start to plan for Thanksgiving and Christmas

Not officially, of course; just start brainstorming ideas. Think about where you want to spend the day, what you want to eat, what you might want to get somebody for Christmas. You don't have to tell anybody, but I've found that even just thinking about the holiday season gets me excited.

4.) Go check out the Halloween section in your local Walgreen's.

Granted, Halloween is my least favorite holiday, because I'm not one of those people who enjoys having nightmares. However, I do love dressing up, and the spookiness of the Halloween section always makes me kind of jumpy, which is not a bad thing. It also gets me planning my Halloween costume, which is...

3.) Start planning your Halloween costume.

Yes, grown-ups too. Look, just because you've planned it doesn't mean you have to wear it -- and if you want to wear it, what the hey! No one can stop you. I personally am going to keep dressing up till I'm too old to attend the Fall Festivals at my church (we don't call them Halloween officially), although I most likely won't be going around at 60 playing games for candy. But what's more fun (and fall-ish)  than dressing up as the Mad Hatter, Jack Sparrow, or Gandalf The Grey/White? Very little.

2.) Pray for cooler weather.

Just start praying. This will get you hopeful and cheery, and God will hear your prayers. I'm sure the rain and wind are on their way now -- I'm praying so, anyway.

And the number 1 way to survive till fall actually shows up is...

1.) Be patient!

I know it's hard to wait till the cool weather gets here and we can start putting up Christmas trees. But winter will come, and you will be able to pull out your favorite sweater again. And in the mean-time, you can put numbers 2-9 into practice. :)

Have a very merry end-of-the-year, and keep praying that fall gets here soon.

Outfit of The Day: 8/30/11 and 8/31/11

Today's Outfit (8/30/11): Black-and-blue-striped tee, cuffed navy blue shorts, pink patterned scarf, yellow statement-piece bracelet. Ballet flats. Hair: ponytail.

I didn't much feel like trying today... It felt like a t-shirt and shorts kind of day. But I don't know... My outfit never feels complete unless I have at least one random pop of color in it, and it's even better if I'm mixing patterns. I did both :)

Today's Outfit (8/31/11): White-and-lavender-striped polo, pink patterned skirt. Ballet flats (I know, I know...). Hair: French braid.

I love this shirt! Wanna know why? Two words.

Puffed.

Sleeves.

Oh, and stripes.

But I guess that's five words.

You already know that I love this skirt. I mean, it's pink. It's got a pattern.

For the record, it is possible to go too crazy with Sports mode on a camera. Anna did.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

This is my mom. My mom is pretty.

My mom is powerful.

My mom is funny.

My mom is brave.

My mom went to Australia and New Zealand, and when she came back she knew how to throw a boomerang.

My mom was not eaten by a real snake.

My mom played Apples to Apples, and she is "Responsible, Quiet, Powerful, Violent, Depressing, Industrious, Smelly, Exquisite, Hostile, Worldly, Unbelievable, and Squeaky Clean", except she isn't quiet, violent, depressing, smelly, or hostile. She is, however, really good at playing Apples to Apples.

My mom loves her kids.

My mom looks for things to laugh about.

My mom is originally from New York, and she loves it there.

But she prefers to be down here in Texas so she can support her favorite football team with my dad...

Who, by the way, she loves.

My mom used to have a really bad gluten allergy, but God healed her, so now she can eat all the delicious home-made chocolate chip cookies she wants.

My mom likes to take pictures of me, Anna, and Teddy eating ice cream. And I always make a face,

See?

My mom loves her parents.

Today, my mom is forty years old.

Happy birthday mom! I love you!

Outfit of The Day: 8/29/11

Today's Outfit: Strapless denim dress, patterned black-and-white tee. Barefoot! Hair: down, bangs pinned back.

I really love the simplicity of today's outfit. Normally I don't feel like an outfit's complete without some pop of bright color, but I got this dress yesterday at Target and loved it so much I just couldn't stand hiding it behind a bunch of neon. Even yellow neon.

Also, one word: pockets!!!

I used to have this huge moral issue with strapless dresses, and still do -- sort of. The thing about anything strapless is that I can't just throw a cardigan on top, as easy and cute as that would be -- I'm just not comfortable showing that much skin ever. But, as shown by this outfit, they can be made absolutely age-appropriate when you put a cute shirt underneath it. Genius!

The skirt happens to be full without petticoats, which is wonderful. My "petticoat" (actually just my pink ruffled skirt) is cute, but way too hot to wear in the summer layered under anything. So I love that I don't even have to try to make my skirt full and flowy. :) I know it's a little short when considering that fall is coming up (I don't know if I believe that. It sounds made up), but what do you think tights are for?

Also -- there were actual clouds in the sky this morning. It even rained a little bit (a very little bit) and it's supposed to rain more this weekend.

Please, God, oh please oh please oh please let this mean that fall is close, and that soon it'll be cool outside! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaasssssseeeeee....

Song of The Day: 8/28/11

Pretty stinkin' awesome song, eh? One of my favorites. Jamie Cullum's a genius, you oughta hear some of his other songs, his piano is brilliant.

Enjoy!

There And Back Again: A Joplin Tale by Lauren Elizabeth (Part 4)

I can hear the "Lord of The Rings" them playing in my head...

Here we are, back in Joplin... But we're almost done. *sigh*

Once again, we woke up at 6:00 -- well, everyone else did. I was exhausted, and we didn't have to be anywhere for two and a half hours, so I went back to sleep for a while longer. When I woke up, everyone had gone to walk through the near-by cemetery, which I would normally have felt excluded because of, but 6:00 AM is far too early to walk anywhere, in my opinion. I was just glad no one had woken me up.

I migrated myself to the cafeteria for breakfast. After about five minutes, Ezakiel, Zekery, Robert and Wesley walked in, all looking rather groggy. For a while we sat around the table discussing the zombie apocalypse (they're boys -- what did you expect?), and then it was time to begin loading up the trailer with costumes and props. We even did some last-minute cleaning, which Wes and Julie and I appreciated.

Then we were pulling out of the parking lot and heading out. I rode with Julie and Mr Roberts, and for a while we listened to some political radio show that I'd never heard of, but Julie and I both have the inclination towards this sort of thing, and really enjoyed it. And then we pulled up in front of the school at which we were to perform:

For a while we rehearsed and chilled in the theater...

... which is huge stage. It was weird being on a stage this big.

Family resemblance, anyone?

Then we went to lunch at a burger place and discussed my hatred for ketchup (I took quite a verbal beating for that... Apparently, ketchup is the bomb. Not according to my taste buds, it's not.) and quoted some serious "Lord of The Rings", a much more fun topic than ketchup, in my opinion. I stinkin' adore those movies.

Then on our way back to the school, we pulled up in front of this:

This is called The Wall of Hope. It's just a regular wall that people from all over America have graffitied on.

They've also signed it.

We freaked. It's beautiful.

It was powerfully uplifting. This wall of hope and faith and joy in the middle of so much destruction... I couldn't help but smile and get a bit teary-eyed.



Cast, crew, and friends of "The Importance of Being Earnest"
Top Row, from Left: Jameson, me, Morgan, Willard Philmore, Wesley, Ezakiel, Wesley P., Sarah, Zekery
Bottom Row, from Left: Robert, Julie, Jo, Anna, Maddie, Rebecca



When we finally finished obsessively snapping photos, we hopped back into our cars and headed back to the school.

Now the drama teacher took us on a tour. First we went to the band hall...

Is that not fabulous? (I used to be in the percussion section in band.)

Then the gym (where Maddie and Rebecca ballroom danced across the floor)...

Then the wrestling room...

The drama hall...

The green room (which echoes wonderfully, and where we burst into an instinctive and rousing chorus of "Iowa Stubborn" from the Music Man, our last play -- as Jameson says, "It doesn't take much".)

The hallways that contained the lockers, as well as glass display cases that have things like this little booger in them...

As well as some beautiful ceilings...

... then the library, in which Wesley and I were very tempted to shout "IT'S A LIBRARY", because, you know, you're not supposed to shout in a library (I know, we're dorks)...

And got back to rehearsal.

Uh.

Ahem.

Hem... haw...

It didn't exactly go so well.

I mean, we did a read-through, practiced blocking, ran through the play. But I was having trouble enunciating. And people weren't getting to the stage on time. And Robert and Wil were in the green-room when they weren't supposed to be. And Julie and Sarah got locked outside. And there were only five people doing scene changes -- where was everybody? And worst of all...

It started to storm outside.

Eventually we all managed to get everyone back on-stage and get through the rehearsal.

But as we went out to the hall for dinner, we could see the deep, dark, angry clouds outside. We could see the lightening and hear the thunder. I couldn't eat, I just wasn't hungry.

I mean, the last time the Stained Glass people were in a theater, there was a tornado; now they're going to come back for the first time, and it's storming (seriously storming) outside. I can only imagine what that must have been like.

We were scared.

As I tried to swallow my fries, I noticed that Julie was leaning by herself against the window. I walked up to her, asked her what was wrong.

"I don't know," she replied.

I took her into the little room-between-the-lobby-and-the-door-leading-outside (I'm sure there's a technical term, but whatever...), where she explained to me that when we were doing the scene change and everyone was gone, she had suddenly begun to feel very, very nervous. Something in her gut hadn't felt right, and then she'd come out and seen the storm and her heart had begun pounding and she'd started to feel like she needed to cry... It had gotten to the point where when she stretched at all, she would feel a sharp physical pain in her chest.

It sounded like she was having an anxiety attack. I prayed with her, angrily casting out any demons of fear and calling on God to give us strength, hope and patience. Then as we said "amen" and I saw Julie's eyes fill up, I told her that it was just fine to cry, and she did. Then we just sat and talked for about half an hour. And when we were done, as we headed back into the theater, I noticed that her shoulders were straighter and her smile looked normal.

Can I just say that I love that girl? 'Cause I do. Love you, Julie!

So then we did some worship, singing along to Wil's guitar, and then we began to put on costumes and make-up. As we changed we sang aloud our favorite worship songs, prayed aloud and made declarations in God's name over the group. The members of Stained Glass came backstage and we got in a circle and prayed as a family (me in full costume, makeup, and scull-cap, but no wig -- must have been a pretty sight) and somehow, though almost all of us cried, I mean really wept, as we stood together, we walked away with smiles on our faces. We found ourselves happy and joyful and full of energy. I put on my wig, and the play began.

The set (before the audience came -- don't worry, there were WAY more than five people)

Julie (Mrs Lane) and Wesley (Algernon "Algy" Moncrieff)

Jameson as John "Jack" Worthing, otherwise known as Earnest Worthing

Frowny face >:(

Maddie as Gwendolen Fairfax and myself as Lady Augusta Bracknell (I'm the one with the black hair and brown dress)

"I am always smart, am I not, Mr Worthing?"

"Good Heavens! Mrs Lane! Why are there no cucumber sandwiches?!"

"My own Earnest!"

"Mr Worthing! Rise, sir, from this semi-recumbent posture! It is most indecorous!"

"Do you smoke?"

One of the best pictures we got from the whole performance :)

End of Act I

Morgan as Miss Laetitia Prism and Rebecca as Cecily Cardew

Wil as Dr Frederick Chasuble; "My metaphors are drawn from... BEES! Heheh..."

"Because you are like a pink rose, cousin Cecily."

"You are too much alone, dear doctor. You should get married."

"Mr Worthing! I hope this garb of woe does not betoken some terrible calamity!"

"I intend to lead a better life in the future!"

Painful handshake there, eh, Algy?

"Well, I don't like your clothes!" "OH!"

"You will marry me, won't you, dear Cecily?" "Of course I shall!"

"I wish you were fully forty two, and more than usually plain for your age."

"You have filled my tea with sugar..."

"A gross deception has been practiced on both of us."

"I can't eat muffins in an agitated manner; the butter would probably get on my cuffs!"

"Gwendolen?! What does this mean?!"

"I never dreamed for a moment of allowing that to stand in my way!"



"Miss Cardew cannot marry without my consent until she comes of age, and that consent I absolutely decline to give."

"May I ask if it is in this house that your invalid friend Mr Bunbury resides?"

"Miss Prism!!! Where is that baby?!"

"This is a matter of no small importance to me, Miss Prism. I insist on knowing where you placed that handbag!"

"You are the son of my poor sister, Mrs Moncrieff -- and consequently, Algernon's elder brother."

"Being the eldest son, you were naturally christened after your father!"

"Earnest... John!"

"I always told you, didn't I, Gwendolen, that my name was Earnest? Well, it is Earnest! I mean, it naturally is Earnest!"

"Yes, I remember now that the General's Christian name was indeed Earnest. I knew I had some particular reason for disliking the name."

"I now realize for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest."

And just like that... it was over. Curtain call. Curtain close. We hand the donations (a substantial amount, thank Jesus!) over to the head of the Stained Glass Theater. We shake hands and greet the audience-members. We change and wash off our makeup for the last time. We stow away our props for the last time. We eat some cookies, and then we're packing up our things striking the set, trying to protect our costumes from the rain as we put them into the back of Mr Robert's truck. Maddie and Wesley and Julie and I dance in the rain, and then run back under the awning as the electricity starts to make our hair stand on end.


And then we're piling back into the cars. And we're pulling out of the parking lot. And we're leaving.


We get back to the church. We say a quick goodbye to Jameson and Wil, who are staying the night in a hotel with their moms. We slip into our dorms, get ready for bed. Julie and I stay up for what seems like hours discussing Calvinism vs Armenianism (I know, I know), and then the next thing I know, it's early, it's time to get up, it's time to go.


Slowly, sadly, quietly, we pack up our things. We deflate and fold up our air mattresses. We roll up our sleeping bags, zip up our suitcases. We clean up the dorm. It seems so empty.


Jameson comes to help us pack, wanting to ride home with us rather than his mom, but Wil ditches us for a concert (NUB) and isn't there as we clean and say goodbye to the place that has become our second home.


Finally, we're all packed. We take some last pictures...

And then we're leaving... Saying an early and tearful goodbye to Julie and Robert, who aren't riding with us because they have to stop in Oklahoma; figuring out who's riding with who (I ended up riding in Mrs Robert's car with Rebecca, Morgan, Wesley, Jameson, Sarah, and Sarah's mom, which was lucky because I thought there wouldn't be any room and I'd end up in the quiet car again -- I really wanted to ride with some louder people this time); stopping quickly for gas; and next thing I know, we're out of Joplin.

Goodbye!

Not that the ride home wasn't fun. It was. It was actually one of my favorite parts of the trip. At first Morgan read aloud to us from "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", which was amazing -- Rebecca and Morgan and I were freaking out -- and then we were quiet for a little while (which was actually a shock, seeing how Jameson and Wesley were in a car together), and then we talked a lot, and napped a lot, and at one point Jameson was showing Wesley all the music on his iPod and they ended up singing and dancing along to Weird Al Yankovic and Family Force 5 (BEST PART OF THE RIDE HOME. SO FREAKING ENTERTAINING) and then it got quiet again while Wesley fell asleep on the floor, and we stopped at Chili's for lunch and talked about books and movies, and back in the car Jameson got me addicted to Florence + The Machine, and I read about ten chapters of "Jane Eyre", and then WHAT?! We were pulling into the WalMart parking lot, and getting out, and pulling out our suitcases, and my mom was pulling up, and Anna and Jameson and I were giving everybody enormous last minute goodbye hugs, and I wanted to cry but couldn't, and we were getting into the car (we were giving Jameson a ride home) and pulling away and driving off and turning the corner and I couldn't see anybody anymore and...

Then we were home.

Kind of.

Part of my heart will always be in Joplin. Part of my heart will always be with those kids. A huge chunk of my heart belongs to each of them -- Julie, Wesley, Rebecca, Maddie, Morgan, Jameson, Wil, Zeke, Zack, Robert, Sarah, Jo, Joseph, Miss Eve, and of course Anna. I love each of those people almost as much as I love my own family. I hope that we can all go back together soon. I know it won't be the same -- it could never possibly be the same as it was that week we spent in Joplin -- but it will still be wonderful. We're actually making plans to go back and watch the first play that Stained Glass does now that they're back together -- since we've left, they've actually used the donations we raised to find a temporary facility. Just the thought of getting everyone back together again to go see their play fills me with excitement.

Of course I'm glad to be back in Texas. I'm glad that school's started. I'm glad that in a few months, I'll see some of the people again as we begin work on the Sound of Music. But that week in Joplin was the best week of my life, and I'm never, ever, ever going to forget it.

Never, never, never.

(This video was created by Rebecca. It briefly chronicles the time we spent in Joplin. I'm rarely in it, but you'll see me occasionally -- just look for the blonde ponytail. :) )


(Costumes made by: Costumes By Dusty)