and that's all i have to say about that

Joscar9: don't mess around with those french guys, i heard that they don't brush their teeth
LeishaJo03: alright, i'll stick to the spaniards and italians, then ;-)
Joscar9: sounds good, if you run into any hot sweedish girls let me know, it would please my grandma if i married a sweed


................ men.

legs

they hurt. a lot.

went for a walk w/ bekah today. little did i realize how horribly out of shape i am, and how badly it would hurt afterwards. geesh, it was only for two hours.

oh man.

on the other hand, i got to see amanda's new place w/ the cochran family, and hang out w/ mom at her school, and good news, wells fargo is issuing me a new check card asap b/c my most recent one was cancelled w/o my notification due to excessive overdraft charges and-- how did they word it-- "misuse." good grief.

thanks, wells fargo.

as for me, i think it's about bedtime.

i (heart) travelogues... strangely, even this one

I Hate Madrid - Table for One - BootsnAll Travelogues

another post

another post today.

last night also brought about conversation concerning dad, and his search for a new job that might better suit him amidst truck troubles and recent gas prices.

so dad's looking for a new job, and i think his mind is pretty open about it all. so far i see or have heard about custodial work, and postal work, and more driving/delivery-type work being possibilities for him.

i think that's cool, and i want him to find something safe, something good for him, that he enjoys, something that allows him to still have time for family and church, something that helps pay the bills.

of course, wouldn't any child want that for a parent? it feels different saying this now, though, as i think he and i have finally started "connecting" more as father/daughter. (about darn time, although i wouldn't lay full blame on him-- it's been as much my fault as his, that it's taken so long, i know this very well.)

so anyway. if anyone out there could spare thoughts or prayers for my dad and this new job search, well, that'd just be really cool.

two words

so mom and i were talking last night about study abroad and money stuff... yes, an exciting topic, indeed...

well, it looks like this semester might cost a little more than anticipated. "might" is the key word here, we're really not sure yet, as it's the first time any of us have been abroad for a semester (let alone in three different continents, so this is really a time of learning for us all). talking about who's going to put money in what account, when, and where, and where that money is going to come from in the first place, i suggested that a quick trip to amsterdam could mean some quick and easy money for me (*ahem*... hello, street corners) once i hit europe. not so amused by the idea, mom, with her best teacher face, said simply, "that's not even funny." whoops.

later, while she was being her typical pianist self at the-- well, piano-- i approached her, gave her a hug, and said, "everything's going to work out just fine." w/o skipping a beat, she responded, "i have two words for you: sugar. daddy."

that, friends, is why my mother really rocks my world.

raindrops

this evening:
movie w/ andy, lots of laughs
raindrops falling on my head, lots of joy
tazo chai creme frappuccino, lots of taste
central america travel books in barnes and noble, lots of longing
travel magazines, lots of anticipation
more raindrops, lots of thinking...

this evening:
i've never been so happy, walking in the rain, alone, no place to go in particular
a single young woman,
longing to be of importance, to be held in someone's arms, yet
knowing that can wait because, after all,
the geographic world is calling my name and
i'm about to respond

mexico homestay

i received the information in the mail today about my homestay in mexico.

turns out there will be 17 students doing the mcp this semester. i believe approximately 5 of those are male. not too shabby for them. lol!

i'll be living with a 54-year old home maker named hermelinda and her daughter, diana, who should be about 21, if the information that i received was correct (you never know... the information i got about my homestay in june was off by like 3 or 4 years). my roomie's name will be shawnna.

looks like we've got a good portion of the usa represented among the 17 of us. we've got a long beach, ca representative, stanford university (the girl's name is alicia... what would you know, having to face the leisha/alicia thing...), washington, colorado, KU (yes, yes, i know, i know...), arkansas, wisconsin, among others. not bad, not bad.

should anyone wish to surprise me w/ a letter or anything of the sort (money is acceptable, as well-- just thought you should know that! *grin*), there is an address where you can reach me in guanajuato. shoot me an email, and i can give you the hookup w/ that.

these are exciting times. exciting times, indeed. however, i'm nowhere near ready to go. i'll take another month of summer, thanks.

reflection upon the rocks

Reflection upon the rocks
Originally uploaded by LeishaJo.

love those kids...

Love those kids...
Originally uploaded by LeishaJo.

jody rocks my world!

got home at about 1 today and was surprised by a WONDERFUL package sitting outside the door... from JODY!!!!!

enclosed: the sweetest mellow moods jazz cd called "twilight"-- i'm listening to it right now, and i LOVE it! (you and me are jazz & soul sistas, jodes!) also, the CUTEST bear hug book (so when i can't have real hugs from jodes, i can read about them!), and the most COMFY pair of knitted (crocheted?) slippers... w/ cute fuzzy balls on top of them! all of this, complete w/ a card that made me *cry* afterward... a good cry... a cry i really needed to have!

jodes, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this semester will fly by, and before we know it, we'll be together again! talkin' and smilin' and laughin' and procrastinatin' and singin' and prayin' and huggin' and walkin' and EVERYTHING! hoorah! :-D

i am so blessed to have the friends that i do...

rest in peace

rest in peace, jennifer murry...

pjd: fun times for all

for those of you who've never been to puddle jumper days in odessa, mo... oh, man. you're missin' out.

pjd: fun times for all (or so i'd like to call this post).

favorite observations from my day in town, chillin' at the watt's tent (a perfect place to watch people pass by) from 8am until 10:15 pm:
1. many of the "popular" people from my graduating class now seem to be rather plump, married, some w/ kids, some w/ kids on the way...
2. ... and it's only been 2 years since graduation. (ha!)
3. many, many girls holding hands. hmm, maybe just many close friends?
4. the punk high school crowd now looks like the punk elementary crowd, hangin' out, smokin', using the "f" word like it's the only noun/verb/adjective they've learned.
5. speaking of the "f" word. i've considered starting a "dictionary ministry." i don't think it would hurt too much to hand out dictionaries (or rather, throw them at people... geesh) in order to educate people on the many, many words that could be used to express oneself. some words even have more than 4 letters. pretty exciting, don't you think? so many learning opportunities...
6. my buddy garry, whom i haven't even seen for about 2 or 3 years, now has a daughter, has been married and divorced, and is about to marry his second wife. oh yeah, and that wife-to-possibly-be has a daughter that could be, like, his sister. whoa. (i felt badly for him, when he said "wow, i'm really glad you're doing something w/ your life... that's awesome." i wonder if he realizes that he, too, really is worth something? something more than what he is right now...)
7. some people never change... and some people always do.
8. the less clothing a girl has on, apparently, the more beautiful she is. or so the young and not-so-young majority of odessa thinks. all i can say is: ugh.

not all of it was bad. i mean, the day was GREAT for about a million laughs and smiles. i got to hold my friend's 2-month old baby, who was just absolutely beautiful (liliana grace was her name... how beautiful is that!?). (luckily, that friend is married. a rare thing anymore, it seems, at least in these parts.) ok, so i say "these parts." it's not the same for everybody, but at a gathering like puddle jumper days, during certain parts of the days (particularly evening/nighttime), it seems like it is. so what else... saw a BUNCH of people i hadn't seen in forever, and it was really awesome to talk to them. even people i never talked to much-- it was like a great reunion. pat jackson just got back from alaska, and immediately asked if i'd be running in the race tomorrow morning. "thanks for making me feel like a runner!" ha! :) great to see him. adam brown... now there's a fun fella. cool to see him, cool to see and talk w/ elliott, and cool to see and talk w/ mary watts. travis bradford-- saw him for a second-- but didn't see tara around. hopefully tomorrow... anyway... good times...

tomorrow will be another full day at pjd. parade in the am, back at the tent w/ the watt fam, and then-- this is exciting-- there's going to be christian music bands from evening time until close at midnight... how cool is that?... so, if anybody wants a fun, semi-decent time, come on out!

pjd: fun times for all!

:)

good news, bad news, more good news

i feel like there are a million things i want to blog about. the problem is, i have no idea where to start.

well, there's ultra happy news recently (sort of recently... i mean, we've seen it coming for a long time, but it just recently happened). scott (*clears throat*) FINALLY proposed to tracy. she said yes (a good thing, indeed!!!). now they're getting married. ok, not now. but soon. like, next summer. and i'm trying really hard not to worry about the fact that the wedding might be when the nicaragua mission trip is. i've told mom, "i'm thinkin' they might have their wedding when i'm not here." i mean b/c come on... if you're really getting married w/in the next year, chances are i'll be a little ways out of the country. geesh. so please, nobody get married, and ESPECIALLY, nobody DIE when i'm gone. ok????? (so... that took a jump, from telling the big news. but you know how that goes.) oh, by the way. of course i'll be here for the wedding. or else mom would kill me. and i really only have two brothers, so i need to be there when the big days occur, b/c hopefully it'll only be twice in this lifetime. (two brothers, two weddings. comprendes?) yay, leisha's going to have a sister-in-law... woohoooooooooo!... i like tracy... :-D

btw. i like emily, too. (emily, how are you??? you're going to be TEACHING soon! i am SO excited for you... you're going to be an absolutely amazing teacher! i can't wait to see you again...)

there's also not-so-happy news. today i found out that an old friend from elementary and middle school (and even during high school, although i never saw her except once a year at puddle jumper days, when she was naturally not quite at her best) overdosed on meth and died the other day. her name was jennifer murry... does that ring a bell to anyone out there? (andy? scott? she played football a bit, and kicked serious butt in basketball back in the day.) she was 21. good grief. (grief, indeed, but not good... who ever came up w/ that term, anyway?)

i feel like i have a million things to accomplish before the end of this month, but time is flying way too quickly, and i'm not ready for ANYTHING. feeling overwhelmed. a bit. study abroad is almost here, and naturally, i'm not ready. excited, sure, but ready? i don't think so.

i have a "date" on tuesday evening. actually, i think we're calling it a "fun time" instead of a "date," to take the pressure off. his name is jonathan, he's from olathe, he's a computer engineer-type person (sorry, i'm illiterate when it comes to all those smart people computer-type terms), a christian, italian, w/ a great sense of humor (so far)... (note: he's been to 18 countries! and he's tall! ha!) we're meeting up for dinner, and seeing "hello, dolly!" at starlight afterwards. mom and grandma will be there at starlight, as well, so if things don't go well, mom has offered to pull her gimp act. (gotta love that woman!) i have the feeling it'll go really well though, and i'm looking forward to it, more than i can say. me, on a date. weird! lol! (oh wait! it's not a date! ok, that makes it better!) ;-)

i miss you! yes, you! andy, jody, emily, beks, anybody and everybody who happens to read this. i miss you all! don't be strangers!!!

all for now.*

*-- finally, an update. ok, so that really wasn't so painful...

pathetic blogger

i'm a pathetic blogger,

just in case you didn't already know that.

erica

thank you!!!!!