Friday Five: Book Edition.

(it almost goes without saying that I love God's Word more than any other book. But it's mooore than a book if you know what I mean...)


5. A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken.
4. What's So Amazing About Grace by Phillip Yancey.
3. The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne.
2. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.



drumroll, please...

1. Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge.

Friday Five: Blessings Edition.

This Friday Five is about counting a few of the blessings I had this week.

• Kristin, Hannah, Ellie and their mommy and daddy.
• Seth inviting me to CECL.
• Forgetting and then remembering that $225 school check I forgot to cash just in time!!
• My dear friends.

drumroll please...

• a joy only found in Jesus Christ.

have a delightful weekend.

Retreating.

We needed to get away. The ladies and I, that is. Let me tell you, being able to take a nap at a retreat was the most amazing experience for all of us. And it was so good for them to be able to get up and spend lots of unrestricted time with the Lord and have time to really build and nurture quality relationships with one another.

In honor of the Friday Five I missed, I have compiled my top five quotes from this weekend:

5.) Amy: "Does everyone like meat in their sauce
Jami: "I do. I grew up on a beast farm."

4.) Lauren: "That guy's been to Graceland, Rach."
Rachael: "We should ask him if he's been forever changed."

3.) Tiffany: "I need to quit speaking from my wounds!!"

2.) Laur: "Did you get me some ponys?" (hair ties; we like to spell it like this)
Jami: "No."
Laur: "Did you get you some ponys?"
Jami: "No, I got PONYS for ALL!!"


drumroll, please:

1.) "The washer is leaking!!"
--Jane Tiek.


Wonderful weekend. Thanks for your prayers!

Friday Five: American Idol Style.

Here are my top five "ones to watch" for this season's American Idol:

5. Syesha Mercado. Cool hair, STRONG vocals. And anyone who can sing Aretha with no speaking voice left is okay by me.

4. Jason Castro. Despite those horrific dreds, his sweet acoustic set the other night was really charming.

3. Brooke White. With her sunny disposition and sweet song choices, she will go far in the competition with her Carly Simon-esque vocals mixed in with the modern kick of Ingrid Michaelson.

2. Michael Johns. His unbelievable rendition of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' that got him into the top 24 was sooo goooood. Then he topped it off with some of The Doors the other night and has really strong stage presence.


drumroll, please....

1. David Archuleta. Can anybody beat this kid out for the title? I doubt it. The kid is so dang full of talent and sweetness. He's soooo gonna win. And I'll buy his record!!

Friday Five: Starbucks Edition (more like ADDICTION)

today is my half birthday. What does it feel like to be 22 1/2?


exactly the same, turns out.


Lauren's Top Five Starbucks Drinks.
[you should know I never get a hot drink at Starbucks.]

5. Passionfruit Iced Tea.
Don't forget one pump of classic...and it's a pretty color!

4. Mocha Frappuccino
Sooo many calories. Sooo worth it. Plus, I justify with sugar-free syrup.

3. Iced Chocolate Mocha.
Chocolate + Ice + Chocolate syrup. God Bless the person who thought that up!

2. Iced Green Tea.
I promise you, it's delightful, relieves headaches, and is GREAT with splenda. It is also
cheap and has fewer calories than pretty much anything else.


drumroll, please.

1. Iced Caramel Macchiato
Delightful, and my back-home BFF Ashley says that the caloric intake from a tall skinny ICM
is not too bad, turns out. Good thing my dear roommate Rachel used to work at SB and now
makes them for me WHENEVER because she is legit.




in other news,
6 days until Valentine's Day [i'm getting so excited! Tom and Patti (seth's folks) got me a delightful gift and some choc-o-late! woo hoo!!].

Friday Five: Mangy Moniker Edition.

This Friday, I have collaborated with two of my bests to bring you this week's stellar countdown. My dear friends Jami and Amber have had a history of choosing weird names for their pets, and I decided to count down my favorites for you today.

5. Jack Sprat. Amber's tiny tadpole that didn't make it due to the Beta Fish in his tank eating all of his food. A tragic end, but such a legit name for a tadpole.

4. Tosca. Meaning, "of Tuscany," Jami's kitten met a tragic end as Jami's dog Max "accidentally" ripped her throat out when she tried to eat his dog food. Tosca wandered around in circles for a long time because of the nerve damage, and sadly enough she 'wandered' away from the farm one day. But Tosca is still a treasured name and memory.

3. Goldflop and Goldbowl, offspring of Goldenrod. Jami says she named Goldflop due to its' tendency to flop out of places.

2. Nervous Breakdown. Another of Jami's farm cats whose mother's name is Nervous Wreck. I wish I could make this crap up.

drumroll, please...

1. Young Arnold the Cat. YATC, also known as "The Nasty Old Man Cat" around the Vaughan farm because of his promiscuous ways.

Some people will notice that "Angie Daddy" did not make the cut....

But I still ADORE her.

I am indebted to Jami and Amber for help with today's post.

(No animals were harmed in the production of this blog.)

Friday Five: Fruity Edition.

I have decided to do a Friday feature where I will pick something and make a list about it. In honor of the teaching series on Fruit of the Spirit the girls and I just wrapped up (I know they have to be glad not to discuss the "tug o' war" and 2+2+1 analogies) I decided to list my top five fruits.

5. Cherries. Hello, such an analogy for life as well as being a tasty treat. Jazzy flavor+ the occasional pit=life. ( I know that analogy sucked.)

4. Blueberries. love anything blueberry flavor and that sweet scene in Willy Wonka--"Violet, you're turning violet, Violet!!"

3. Tomato. Good Blog Reader says, "Laur, that doesn't count!!" But I say, "What's Tom-Ah-To with you?! It IS a fruit, you know.

2. Apple. Thank Jami for this one. She taught me to love and respect the apple, especially the FUJI apples in particular. Plus, eating one is like brushing your teeth, or so they say. Could just be a ply by the conspiracy of apple farmers everywhere.

1. Banana. "Quite possibly the world's most perfect fruit." Plus, what other fruit can you cover in peanut butter and still feel good about eating? The banana is a delightful snack that also keeps me from writhing in pain from a two-in-the-morning Charley Horse. I hate Charley, and Ba-Nay-Nay's potassium kills those cramps. Looo-ve it!

Honorable Mention: orange, kiwi, and strawberry*

*only counts if covered in chocolate.

Have a delightful weekend.