What a man, what a man!

Soooo yes, lets just admit it...We are ALMOST done, done, done!  The stress of exams usually clouds over the last couple of moments here at school but we are fighting it as best we can.  We need to savor EVERY moment!  On Monday night, we got a knock at the door and when we answered it, there was just a case of root-beer bottles, 5 cigars, and the cutest Note ever!  (See attached pictures).

The Note said:  

"Congratulations!  You Did It!

Just wanted to thank you girls for making me feel welcome at your home this year.  I hope you enjoy the gift!  But I feel that it would be hard not to with a group like you. (Sorry I could not buy the real thing.)   I know you all like trying new things so how about lighting up a round of cigars together and celebrating! (Kate-make sure mom and dad don't see this or I am dead.)  Make sure you girls stay connected to each other after graduation!  GOD BLESS!

- Justin

(oh...hi Knightly.)"

Yeah, Justin is quite the man and we have more than enjoyed your visits over the year!  We will miss you next year!  

"My thoughts On Crying" - by Kate Joyce

Ohhhh Gosh...
So, I'm sitting here in the Duke Computer Lab waiting for my group...They are LATE and lame for being late so I'm just gonna let loose on the blog...no one has written in a while :(

Who is stressed out, raise your hand! Thats what I hate about senior year! I remember last summer thinking about senior year and thinking how great it was gonna be. The misty day dreams included lots of time hanging out with friends, long walks in the country, runs through the burg, going out with the house, relaxing and soaking up the memories we have shared over the past few years. Those day dreams came to a skreeeeeeeeetching hault once senior year began. The image that comes to mind to describe senior year now is like our psycho cat- Mr. Knightley! Always running from one thing to the next, a nap here and there, falling off counters, getting into trouble, hoping for someone to spend time with if they were not so busy too.

The only difference being, Knightley doesn't cry. He meows, but tears don't stream out of his eyes and down his face. I feel like crying is becoming a common theme with my senior year...and I know you all know that oh too well. I don't quite know what it is about crying that makes you feel better even when you feel miserable at the moment. I can cry cause I'm happy or excited about something (like the birthday all you wonderful house mates put on for me), I can cry when I'm sad, I can cry when I'm confused, frustrated, anxious, lost...But the most frustrating cry is when you don't know what you are crying about! And that kind of cry seems to come oh too often. Today I was sitting at my desk, and it just happened, tears started streaming down my face...Ok, I know that today there are a lot of factors that are playing into that, but it just felt good to cry!

I am getting sad as the year is fading out...I don't want this time to end. Although I am psyched out of my mind about Kenya, that too brings fears with it. And I think these fears stem from the fear of being alone. You all have been so great over the years to be there for me in the good times, the hard times, the ugly times and the times I need to cry. I'm afraid of that not being right in front of me. Sure, you all will be a phone call away and for some of you just a short car ride, but its going to be different.

Annnnnnd now I'm crying in the computer lab :( ...still waiting for my group. I just hate change... with a passion! These next few months are going to bring lots and lots of change into our lives starting with graduation...we are no longer going to be college students. Then there is the transition back into the parents house without the Doll house light at the end of the tunnel. Then once summer ends, there is no more going back to JMU---seriously??? And then a few months after that there is Africa! Wow, like I said, lots and lots of change!


Ok...so now that I am a Debbie downer, I should probably say something good!
Regardless of how hard change is on me, I know it is gonna be good! Think about it, we are all going to be doing this we LOVE to do...sure, we won't all be together, but it will give us something to talk about! Leah, in the next week, you are gonna find out where you are gonna be next year and you know it is going to be where God is going to grow you so so so much! Catherine, you have two options, of two great churches to work with youth...and you are gonna rock at it! Sarah, although you are gonna be in Harrisonburg, you are going to be trained to do something you love! Today when you were telling me about that girl in your class who loves Africa, I can see how great of a teacher you are gonna be. You aren't gonna settle for allowing your kids to reach the minimum, you are gonna have them aim high beyond their dreams of their potentials. And Hannah, you are going to be in California doing your first year of nursing! How great is that! Every day you get off of your shift, you can go to the beach and relax!

Guys, I don't think "Go Big or Go Home" should be just a Senior year slogan...I think it should pretty much be tattooed on our lives. Because, as the song goes...This is the end of the beginning! Get excited about the unknowns in life...those unknowns are not unknown to God. God has each of our paths planned out for us. I am so thankful that God had our paths cross for four years! He gave me eight wonderful shoulders to cry on and four beautiful friends to grow with!

I love you all!

~Kate

Ok, so there haven't been many updates for a few days...so I'll post this! ;)

Hahaha.....oh Will!

Weekend, Great Weather "It Smells Fressssshhh" ~Leah

Hello four corners of the world... everywhere where the Dollhouse is. Leah and I have spent a weekend here by ourselves, while Kate is visiting Kiki in PA and Hannah is working in NOVA and Catherine is running her Shamrock half-marathon. We miss you all! Congrats Catherine for your best race time yet! Catherine just ran a half marathon, running with a less than 9 minute per mile time with almost NO training (and oh yeah, she was sick). Good job you!
Leah and I have been keeping ourselves pretty busy. Friday night was P.S I Love You at Grafton... it was surprisingly good. It was a chick-flick, but one with substantially deeper themes than most. I (and all of the other girls who were cheering and ooh-ing and aw-ing in Grafton) highly recommend it! Saturday Leah and I went on a country walk, encountered some really sketchy Harrisonburg-ers, came home and saw Lisa Puckett's band Dear Dear play at Wilson, opening for Mae. It was so good! I've seen Mae play before, and this was the best time I've had at one of their shows! Good friends, good music = good time. I'd write about the school work Leah and I are stuck with doing now, but who wants to read and remember that? Not I. Bye guys! (and good luck tomorrow Kate:)

This is how we do

This week we celebrated Catherine's 22nd 'Birfday!' We drove her to class on the "birthday bus" (Durango) and later that day invited her to the "Tudor Pizzeria" where there was authentic Italian music, Bruchetta salad, and Martin's pizza! She had small group that evening so we arranged for her co-leader (The one and only ROCKET!) to drop her off for the last event of the day...Clementine Cafe! It was this point in the festivities that made me realize how we don't know how to do the bar scene at all. Haha, just thinking about that night makes me laugh-let me explain. Don't get me wrong, I don't think its a bad thing that we don't have that skill...its just hilarious!

1.
Situation: Some guy tries to flirt and ask if we took his beer away.
Our response: We all just pointed at his beer that was moved down the bar
Outcome: He left

2.
Situation: Bartender asks us for our IDs
Our Response: 2 of us didn't even have them with us (won't mention names)
Outcome: 2 of us were left at the bar while Catherine and Sarah drove home to get 'something'

3.
Situation: Guy comes up out of nowhere t see if we want to play trivia for the night
Our Response: Sarah looks at him and blurts out loud "WHOA." as he startled her.
Outcome: After we couldn't stop laughing, he left

4.
Situation: Bartender asks Catherine what other exciting things she is gonna do that night
Our Response: Catherine says "Probably gonna go home and eat some more food"
Outcome: We all realized how funny that was and how serious she said it, that we couldn't stop laughing and the bartender had no idea what was going on...oh well!

There were probably more situations that evening, but these were by far my favorite. We rarely go out...can you tell? Haha, oh well....this is how we do!

P.S. WE MISSED HANNAH :(

St. Patricks Day Humor from Daddy Joyce

Flynn staggered home very late after another evening with his drinking buddy, Paddy. He took off his shoes to avoid waking his wife, Mary.

He tiptoed as quietly as he could toward the stairs leading to their upstairs bedroom, but misjudged the bottom step. As he caught himself by grabbing the banister, his body swung around and he landed heavily on his rump. A whiskey bottle in each back pocket broke and made the landing especially painful.

Managing not to yell, Flynn sprung up, pulled down his pants, and looked in the hall mirror to see that his butt cheeks were cut and bleeding. He managed to quietly find a full box of Band-Aids and began putting a Band-Aid as best he could on each place he saw blood.

He then hid the now almost empty Band-Aid box and shuffled and stumbled his way to bed.
In the morning, Flynn woke up with searing pain in both his head and butt and Mary staring at him from across the room.

She said, "You were drunk again last night weren't you?"

Flynn said, "Why do you say such a mean thing?"

"Well," Mary said, "it could be the open front door, it could be the broken glass at the bottom of the stairs, it could be the drops of blood trailing through the house, it could be your bloodshot eyes, but mostly.....it's all those Band-Aids stuck on the hall mirror.

And so it begins...

Well, it is true that I am now in Northern Virginia for this capstone. (But of course I will be driving back to the 'Burg any chance I get:) It has most certainly been an interesting past couple of days with a rush of unexpected and uncontrollable emotions. I think it has just been due to realizing the inevitable of what is going to happen in just a couple of months, and the uncertainty of knowing how many more days I will actually have with my dear housemates, living in the Dollhouse, and hanging out with all the other sweet JMUers in good ol' Harrisonburg. It's weird, and it's scary. (But of course really exciting!) The near (and getting nearer) future is so unknown right now, and it's finally beginning to hit that the unimaginable day of no longer calling JMU our home is approaching. So, it begins.

Speaking of beginnings...we had our orientation today! Which simply consisted of getting our ID badges and touring the hospital with stops at each girl's unit to meet our preceptors and see how to get there. I did have the fortunate opportunity to meet my preceptor, Peggy. I must say, she seems "interesting," but was definitely friendly which eased my nerves of her possibly being a mean old grump who hates students. To let you know my most significant first impression of her- she was wearing jean material scrubs (or smocks as Sarah would call them)- not even kidding...JEAN! I didn't even know they made those. Or that it would be within hospital policy to be allowed to wear them. I really know nothing else about her at this point. This is going to be a fun six weeks with Peggy:) So, it begins.

Good news...I did get her schedule for the next week and half- and she has taken time off next week for vacation! So after our 3 12 hour shifts Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday...I will be able to head back on to Harrisonburg until Saturday! So great.

Well, that's my life for now. I miss you all and will talk to you soon:) Signing off for now...

-Hannah

P.S. A little early birthday shout out to Ms. Catherine Tudor! I wish I could be there to bake you a yummy birfday cake. Happy 22 girl!