they said it would end quickly

As of Monday 5 May 2014, I have completed my undergraduate degree.

I am well aware that this is a calm before the storm as I pack up this life and set about starting the next, but right now it is quiet.

Everything is sitting, waiting to be folded into boxes.

The faces of the many people I have grown to love and cherish over these past four years feel closer than ever right now in these few moments before they disappear in the distance. Their handwriting will become more familiar than their eyelashes and for right now that is okay.

Taking time to let my body recover, I have watched the sunshine throw squares on the floor and felt the breeze shuffle its way through the weight of ninety degrees. 

Food has once again become an experiment instead of a chore and my family is on their way here.

A familiar emotional frenzy is flying through my fingers and keeping my mind awake. It's the desperate desire to do all I should and see all there is. Four years isn't nearly long enough to soak up something as substantial as the American South. 

I hope to return some day. Perhaps I will be able to understand this place better from across the country. After all, that is how I really began to understand my own home and, more significantly, my place in it.

So here is to sitting here quiet, still excited about the rush of days coming up with job searches, small paychecks, and expectations.

new york from all our eyes

"six words. capture a moment, a feeling, or an idea. write one for each day. we'll put them together and maybe we'll create a three dimensional look at our time. or would it be four dimensional because there are four of us looking at the same things and seeing different ideas?"


FRIDAY

Only Jesus knew what was coming. kj

Long drives need music and books. mh

And that’s when I understood Watsky. he
We settled into each other’s space. kb

SATURDAY

Blonde boys make the best drivers. kj

I left my headphones in Virginia. he

The anger was for your protection. kb

God got us to our doorstep. mh

SUNDAY

Wow, so transubstantiation really is important. mh

His earnest belief made him lie. kj

Underdressed in the presence of royalty. he

We didn’t turn on the TV. kb

MONDAY

Giddy sick broke and too happy. kb

I prefer people watching to shopping. mh

Lost among a sea of words. he

Everyone's looking but no one sees. kj

TUESDAY

Road-trips and remembrances help make stories. mh

I gave him cigarettes, not money. he

Her words unlocked both of them. kb

Ten year anticipation made me choke. kj

WEDNESDAY

I was a time traveler’s tourist. he

Snow covered all my past sins. kj

Your nostalgia is greater than mine. mh

Your fall took me with you. kb

THURSDAY

Cold weather, warm strangers, good friends. mh

Standing alone among millions, he cried. kj

All the words melted away today. kb

Take some of my body heat. he

FRIDAY

Subway windows are haunted by faces. kb

His plane ticket was his escape. he

Walk a mile, drive five hundred. mh

Saying "heading home" is a lie. kj

SATURDAY

We didn’t leave Hillary at McDonalds. kj

“I love you.” “You’re stupid too.” he

I was awake for 22 hours. mh
I realized your floor was home. kb

we settled into each other's space

text and photography: katie beth

A little less than a year ago a couple friends and I decided that we wanted to drive to New York for spring break this year. Senior year, taste of travel in Europe, why not in the United States. So. I wrapped the little I need up into my backpack again, doubled my state count, trembled a lot, and saw more with my emotions than my eyes.

The four of us piled into a tiny 1991 Honda Civic LX named Bruce, prayed that God would sustain him and ourselves, and proceeded to drive up the east coast.

So much to soak in as we whipped past it. My camera could only catch so much. Wide open spaces and southern mountains. Trees on trees softening the edges of great ridges. Glimpses of people's lives through their car windows as they passed us. Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia. All rolling past.

We turned through the last stretches of road and into the driveway of a simple white one-story. Met at the door by a petite friend, we collapsed into the rooms, careful not to open the closet and disturb the little blond-headed, spectacle-wearing sprite of a boy. He finally came out to go to bed but, as I so often wish I could do, he threw a blanket over his head to do so.

With the sun down and our hands beginning to shake from the driving, we slipped into bed and fell asleep before the cold edge was off the sheets.

long drives need music and books

The First Day
text: molly holleran
photography: katie beth

On Friday afternoon four girls piled onto a car named Bruce who was older than half of the occupants to drive roughly nine hundred miles to NYC. The day was pleasant and there was a charge of excitement and perhaps a little trepidation in the air. A little sense of “are we doing this? Okay, we are actually doing this!” tinged the excitement. KJ and HE showed up at my door in Bruce and we laughed about the Sophie's choices we made concerning clothing, I over sweater-vests, HE over band T-shirts, and KJ over jackets. We speculated that KR would be making the choices over scarves as we drove to her house. The group set, we prayed and explored the novels brought for the trip. We decided on Dear Daddy-Long-Legs, which is an excellent book and one I heartily recommend. Books, music, and good conversation enlivened the drive all the way to West Virginia where we spent the night. 

Our host was an old friend of KJ and has an adorable, though he would not choose the adjective, five-and-a-half year old son. He was shy, so he hid himself in a closet as his mother showed us around. When they walked next door to sleep, he hid himself under a blanket. Remember, if you can’t see them, they can’t see you!

memphis

This past weekend I visited the Memphis Teacher Residency.  My travel companions and I had the great privilege of meeting with the staff and professors of the program, current residents, and graduates of the program. They showed us a lovely time while in their classes, eating delicious food, walking down Beale street, and getting a feel for the city.  Christ is moving there.

leaves in tennessee

Sawanee, Tennessee

hiking after the feast, of course

six hours of baking? yes please.

we were in charge of desserts

Many of these next few days will be photography from my Thanksgiving travels. As the last full week of classes (ah!), there won't be much time for me do any substantial written posts. But hey! I'm really excited about this batch of photos and greatly enjoyed discovering them.

Fresh Cranberry Relish
{ yes, I consider it a dessert }

The Best Cheesecake
{ the top layer is half cheesecake, half pumpkin pie batter }

Pumpkin Pie

Fresh Apple Cake
{ a new recipe for me that I will be using often }

My first pecan pie!
{ about time }