Two days today

I'm a slacker....well it's that, and the fact that I'm really bad at being consistent, I think I state that everytime I write.

Anywho, Day 12, a picture of something I love:) yay!

My life could be falling apart-- take me to the water and the worries go away. I absolutely love these things.

Day 13 (today)....a picture of my favorite band or artist. That's so hard, I'm such a loser when it come to having just A favorite. I can't just have one. But, I'm going to say Laura Marling at the moment...she's my age by the way:)

I hate them.

...this is day 11...a picture of something I hate.

That was the nicest picture of a clown I could find...

Let me just tell you, that there is a deeply rooted fear accompanied by a deeply rooted hatred for these things. I don't like them, can't look at them, hate seeing them around, and get chills down my spine everytime I hear the word. Here's the history lesson, I think I may have been in the 5th or 6th grade and we were at snow camp with the church's Club 56 as we used to call ourselves. We were having so much fun, I loved snow camp, in fact, I miss it terribly. Those were the days....
Okay, so one night--for some odd reason-- a friend of mine in my cabin thought it would be hilariously exciting to tell scary stories. Oh my heavens, four reasons why scary stories don't belong in the same sentence as Laramie Wells:
1. I'm a girl, with girl feelings, with a touch of sensitivity.
2. I can't even look at my own blood.
3. I was homeschooled, so I couldn't even make one up if I tried.
4. I love Jesus, Jesus doesn't like scary stories either unless they end with someone become his Child.

So, this friend proceeded to tell the cabin seriously, the most terrifying horror story I've ever heard. And she used US as characters!!!!!!! No!!! I won't go into detail, but that story followed by torment from her (because it in fact scared me), followed by the entire youth group playing around with me, followed by people literally seeking out the movie "It" and shoving it in my face--eh, I was young. So all these things led up to a fear and obession with the fear of clowns, so much that I had consistent nightmares about them. Still do sometimes...thank you snow camp.

~Laramie

messed up things.

Day 10:) A picture of someone I do the most messed up things with. Hm....well, Nathan and I do a bunch of crazy stuff, like buy thousand-piece puzzles the night before the day- before I leave for home. Or we buy tickets to a movie, watch 20 minutes of the movie, decide it is thoroughly inappropriate and proceed to get our money back. Or, we drive to South Dakota and drive 90 miles out of the way (the WRONG direction mind you) then end up driving up with just enough time for him to literally sprint into Wayside Cross Ministries before the doors close...anyways, this is Nathan:)

And this is Vic. She's basically my other half in a more mature fashion. Messed up things, not really... random? Yes. These adventure include: the beach on windy days, which result in sand in our guacamole chips; Australian licorice; Candy shopping in Elmhurst; sitting in auditions for six hours without getting called, but taking photos in 3D glasses...and um... sunglass shopping at H&M, featuring this picture:) I love her:)

~Laramie

More pictures, more pictures, more pictures

Meh, I don't like this picture thing, but I want to be consistent at SOMETHING. I missed yesterday for two good reasons: Grandpa's birthday....Grandpas 80TH birthday....oh how I love him so much, look up to him, want to be like him and my grandmother when I am advanced in years as they are. 80 years of dedicated work, love, life. So grand. And seeing him walk through the door to see his two sons from the Midwest and Eastcoast--meaning all eight children, practically all cousins, and most great grandchildren were present-- not knowing they were going to be there, things got a little misty for a bit. It's just, he's such a precious man and we all love him so, so much. A reunion like that with all of his eight children doing whatever it took to come and love on him for his 80th...flying in from out of state, driving as long as it took. That's love.

Anywho, picture time, since I missed yesterday I'll have two sets of pictures. First one, (day 8) someone you used to be close to. Well, Caterina. This is a competition picture from the dark ages, but it's really the most recent I have of us. She moved to Argentina and I moved to Illinois. Best friends, but we haven't been able to really keep the closeness going from so far away. She's a beautiful lady, beautiful friend:)

Second, the person who has gotten you through the most. We have a tie. My mother, of course, who's been a rock in my life for, well, 20 years. She's always been there, always dealt with my crap (I bring a lot of crap), she's even stayed up until 3 am, helping me with college homework I could have had finished had I applied myself.

And the other tie-er...whatever...is Julie. I think that if she didn't have the ability to love like she does, I would have driven her insane. Well okay, I almost drove her there, but, she has pulled me out of some scary places. Scary to me anyways; and we have only grown closer as time goes by. Unfortunately, I'm a bad photographer, so I do not have a picture of both of us...awful daughter in love am I. But she did:)

Peace in Christ,

Laramie

Oh to be like David and Asaph.

My Bible is a New International Version Worhsip Bible. And I love it. And today I wanted to write something so badly, something worth while. Because I feel like when I sit down to write on this blog, sometimes I don't have anything to say. So I turned to the first page of the book of Psalms, which happens to be the introduction that the editors give. All about the history and meaning of the book. And here is a little tidbit of what they have to say about Psalms:

"More than any other single book, Biblical or otherwise, the book of Psalms teaches us how to worship. Each psalm expresses, not merely the heart of the composer, but also the heart of the Holy Spirit Who inspired the composition. The more we read, study, meditate upon, sing and pray the psalms, the more we will worship with authenticity and ardor. The psalms invite us to go deeper with the Lord than we have gone before-- and they expand the horizons of our heart for God as well."

Ah, to be like David, Asaph, and the others who wrote this book of praise. And I so miss this concept every time I read Psalms: that it is the literal example to me I have at my disposal-- without question or doubt-- how to worship my King. And when I pray to him to prepare me for the scripture I'm about to take in, I should be asking him to show me the heart of the Holy Spirit and to give me that authenticity. That obsession with Who God is. Yes, let me be so consumed by His power and love that I lose all feeling and awareness to the rest of life going on around me. And that when I write, when I praise, when I lament, that it is inspired and breathed by God himself, the one to whom I cry out.

He teaches us how to worship and we completely miss it. All the time. And then we complain that we aren't being fed at our church, we aren't getting anything from the Word, we haven't felt convicted in such a long time, or that the worship of our hearts just isn't reaching heaven. And he's sitting there saying "worship like this! Pray like this! Hope like this!" Nothing here will ever be enough. It is our duty to our souls and to our salvation to become fed when there is no food, to worship when there is no music, to be convicted when there are no convictions. Because we are made in his image and that is enough for us to be able to understand how to be Children of God.

I love my Bible, but I also love the breath behind it.

This is the 7th picture: A picture of someone who inspires you. Well, that's obvious...

She's overcome so much. And she's loved God through every minute of it all.

~Laramie

Bleh, another photo

So this is the sixth photo....a picture of someone I would love to trade places with for a day. BY FAR: Mia Michaels. Greatest choreographer of all time, I think so anyways:)

I don't know what it would be like to be such a genius. She's got a creative bone that just produces the most amazing pieces of work, even just to think like her as far as dance goes...would be amazing.

~Laramie

It's a Psalm;)

I was searching through my Bible last night, literally looking for the right scripture to read. And it sounds funny to say, but I "stumbled" upon this Psalm. Psalm 62. I've never read it before, but it expressed literally everything I'm feeling, and spoke the words into me that my soul needed for encouragement. Our God is so great, so sincere, and so trustworthy. One of my favorite lines is verse 8, "Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." YES PLEASE. I pictured myself taking this and applying it to my life in real, tangible ways, whether it be getting in the car and just saying "Jesus...." and just spitting out my feelings, pouring out my heart. That's part of the reason why he died! So that I could climb into my car after horrible days and just vent to Him, because I know that he's got me.

Here is David's art song, Psalm 62:

Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

How long will you assault me?
Would all of you throw me down—
this leaning wall, this tottering fence?
Surely they intend to topple me
from my lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.[b]

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God[c];
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.

Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath.
Do not trust in extortion
or put vain hope in stolen goods;
though your riches increase,
do not set your heart on them.

One thing God has spoken,
two things I have heard:
“Power belongs to you, God,
and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;
and, “You reward everyone
according to what they have done.”

Oh and by the way, day 5 of this crazy thing, and I'm sick of it. A picture of a favorite memory...my oldest cousin Ben came to Chicago with his wife Janet. They came and stole me for a day and we went to the city. My favorite place in the world nonetheless. Ben and I had a little heart to heart in front of the Lincoln Statue:)