A Weak Start After the Weekend

Well, it's another week, friends. Another week and there is another set of stressers on my plate.

-10paged Research paper on Stress and memory (Isn't that funny??...stress is everywhere)
-The Presentation that got moved from last week
-2 Homeworks
-3 quizes


Honestly I'm not near as stressed this week. Which is good because I am now sick. With a sore throat and probable sinus infection and all the works to go with that. Headaches..stomach aches, tightness of the lungs... Oh well. I'm not complaining. If I survive this week than I can go home and sleep for a week. 

I had one of the best weekends I could have ever wanted this past weekend, so I have nothing to complain about. I am too blessed, I think. My family is the best ever. 2 of my little brothers came into town to adventure with me and my friends and, while our adventure didn't turn out like planned, it was one of my favorite Friday nights ever. 

We sang hymns in a stairwell with some Kalonavites. Why a stairwell? Acoustics, man. So echoey and lovely. 

"What are Kalonavites?" One might ask. Well, let me tell you!

Kalonavites are a unique people group located in South/East Iowa in a small village called Kalona. Their beliefs are something inbetween conservative Christian and Amish-ish. I just say they love Jesus and call it good. They're actually quite difficult to describe, and are so unique, the best way to attempt comprehension of them is to meet them. 
This people group doesn't believe in fighting or wars or scuffles or such, but they have very strange fascinations for loud noises and anything pyro. This of course lends to a giddy and delighted enchantment when in the presence of a firearm. If you can picture the cartoons where the eyes are spinning in hypnosis, that's about what they look like when a gun is brought out. 

Kalonavites are, for the most part, highly respectable and polite. More so than the average breed of male. However, when 2 or more are gathered together in front of a TV screen, any awareness of female presence seems to dissolve and a certain level of discomfort is experienced if you happen to be of the woman species. 

The bestest thing about this peculiar group of peace-loving gun enthusiasts is that when they are not shooting up their grandmother's Easter eggs and the trees and rivers around Kalona, they are singing sweet songs of old in the churches of their childhoods. The Lord has knitted together some of His finest vocal chords into the necks of these youthful beings, that are fully equipped with power to heal and encourage and enliven the hearers of such glorious music. This being because, when they sing, the Spirit of the Lord is there. 
It has been quite a blessing from the Lord to be aware of their existence these last 9 months and I shall treasure the remaining 8 months that I have to know them. I think the Kalonavites will forever be one of my favorite encounters along the way of my journeyings. 

Beyond the Kalonavites singing in the stairwell, having a portion of The Brotherhood in town was a treat of the finest kind. Our wonderful time spent with the Kalonavites went into the early hours of the morning and thus the time we spent sleeping was less than usual. Before tucking one of my young brothers away for the night, he mentioned how sick he was and how much he hated to think he'd have to visit Student Death when returning to his place of residence. Of course I volunteered to take him somewhere in Iowa City and thus we planned upon awakening, we would embark on such an adventure. 

I sort of came to around 9am and would have been content to return to sleep and continue in it for an hour or two more but, I remembered my sweet Kennedy and marched down to the living room to check on his waking up progress. Off we went and we returned home with his magical medicines an hour and a half later. 

We spent an hour chatting in the living room with my roommates and Kitty before we invited ourselves over to my sister's for lunch. She wasn't home when we got there, but we let ourselves in and began watching Pride and Prejudice. *sigh* what a  perfect Saturday. We eventually ate lunch and said farewell to The Brotherhood. We then returned home and spent the afternoon accomplishing odds and ends and mostly nothing. Pearl came over at some point and more resting took place. 

Sunday, of course, was not restful, but it's not really a day that can be. Too much happens on a Sunday but at least Sunday ends with sleep. Not much sleep, of course, because I always forget about having to wake up at 6am for Monday Morning prayer until about midnight, and then I stress so much about having to wake up that I don't really sleep. 

Maybe that's why I'm sick. I fell asleep on my Bible already today. Which, I mean, sleeping through quiet time is probably not the best thing, but the Bible says that "The Lord grants sleep to those He loves" and "When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet" and other such things as that. So I don't feel bad that I did that. 

Now I will take my week one day at a time. Monday homework, Tuesday class, Wednesday homework, Thursday class. Friday sleep, Saturday concessions, Sunday church/Kalonavite hymn sing/ journey home to Storm Lake. 

It's going to be great!