a very blow-by-blow account

I feel like a little elementary kid writing a "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" essay but here goes...

What I Did This Weekend
by Sara Young

Friday evening began with a bit less of a bang than I had hoped because Dan had put up his Mustang for the winter and picked me up in some red SUV dealie instead. I swallowed my disappointment and threw my backpack in the backseat. After more wrong turns than either of us feel like discussing, we ended up somewhere near Whitestown (I think...?) at some of Bekah's friends' farm. After admiring their kitten, three pianos and organ and bonfire, Laurie, Bekah, Dan and I took off for Starbucks where we met Ana. We hung out at Starbucks until far past the time they locked the doors. Bekah helped Ana cheat at checkers and I talked on Laurie's phone for her and explained to our mutual friend Dave why I don't want to date him or anyone else he wanted to set me up with. He was very sweet and happy for me.

There were some misadventures involving a red car that someone had tried to render unstealable by disconnecting some coils or something like that and some Ale-8, and then we headed to Bekah's. Bekah, the gracious host, asked if anyone was hungry and Ana proclaimed a desire for broccoli, which Bekah fulfilled by microwaving some that was leftover for dinner. Dan, in awe of Bekah's procurement of the vegetable, expressed a hunger for shrimp alfredo. Bekah said, "We have frozen shrimp in the freezer!" And that is how I ended up making shrimp alfredo at 2 am. It turned out rather well, not to be a braggart.

Getting in bed was accomplished...before 4:30 sometime. Getting out of it was accomplished by 11 am. Bekah's mom made us breakfast and we played around on facebook and stuff until Laurie got off work and came over. The plan was made to go to Starbucks with our respective textbooks and study. Really. You can ask Bekah's mom.

But then....Dave called (same one). He was on his way to Wyoming and half-jokingly told us we could use his unlocked house to throw a party. We asked if we could ride his horses. He told us we were probably too sissy to actually ride them, but go ahead and try. Does that sound like a challenge to you? I've been longing to ride since summer anyway. So, we got out there and caught two horses. Laurie rode a fat furry ball of cantakerousness around in one pasture with a halter and a leadrope. I put a bridle on a mare in the adjacent pasture. I didn't fall off but there were some screaming episodes and a cowboy-hat-flying off incident. When you are in a field of horses, and the horse next to yours comes up cantering and bucking, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out what your horse will want to do if she's got any spirit at all. And when you don't have a saddle it is a bit more slippery than normal.

This is getting long. If you got this far, congrats. Keep going.

When we had finished our riding adventure we added our own dear sweet feminine touch to Dave and Ben's house. This included rearranging the furniture in the living room, organizing the junk on the dining room table, and throwing away some nasty moldy food. Moving the nasty food produced a smell so horrific Bekah found a can of air freshener. This may have been a good move had she not sprayed what I am convinced must have been nearly the whole can. If I have respiratory problems later on in life, this will be why. We also created a fake person in Dave's bed using a wig found on his floor. I wish I could see his reaction. But honestly, what do you expect when you leave your house unlocked?

Saturday evening was calm and well, normal. I ate dinner with my parents and then we went to go see Flicka. It was obviously designed to be a sappy girly sort of sentimental film (I told my dad he shouldn't come with us, but he didn't listen.) Horses are not trained the way that movie implies they are. But, it had horses in it, and I was all starry-eyed and happy from having been around them, so it was fun. After we got home I stayed up (too) late writing in my journal, petting my cat and just thinking about stuff.

Sunday morning my dad made waffles and I went to church. He let me drive his black BMW 535is which was simply fabulous. I get to drive it about three times a year. It is very dear and near to his heart. Dr. Sam Chao from China preached and told us lots of stories about things going on in China. The people there thirst for suffering. They see it as a way God strengthens their faith and they think it is a blessing. We in our heated SUVs and 200 cable channels and wireless internet in cozy little West Lafayette apartments just don't get it.

Sunday afternoon I think I took a nap and read Romans 6. I believe that's it. My mom and dad and I drove to Lafayette, went to evening service, talked to some people at church and went out for dinner with Jessica. Italian. Mmm. Maybe I don't mind if Jessica wants to make pasta every night it's her turn to cook after all. Actually, I don't mind at all, but I think she needs to know how to make other things.

This post needs to be over. I need to go to bed. Tomorrow begins a new week, a new chance to live every moment for God, a new opportunity to have adventures to blog about, a new sun to bask in.