Beauty is Lauren

I believe it was July of 2008 when I went with our church's youth group as a chaperone to Six Flags and a Braves game. Most of the youth wanted to branch off in groups and do their own thing, and I got the impression that my husband wanted to hang out with the guys. So that left me to wander around alone... Luckily, a lovely young lady by the name of Lauren decided to hang out with me for some unknown reason. Maybe she felt sorry for me... maybe her younger peers weren't as intellectually stimulating as me(ha, ha... yeah right). But regardless of the reason, I'm extremely happy that we formed a bond that day.

Right off the bat, I could tell Lauren and I shared a lot of the same interests. She was really big into books, movies, and photography. I think we talked about "Across the Universe" most of the trip up to Atlanta. :) I could tell then that she was much more mature than most girls her age, and it was very refreshing to have someone to talk to while walking laps around Six Flags.

After that day, Lauren and I hung out a couple of times... But then she broke the news to me. She was moving with her family to Florida. What a bummer... I was really looking forward to having a cinema buddie and someone to go get coffee with on rainy days. But we vowed to write to each other, so it wasn't the end of the world.

To be honest, it felt a little weird to be getting so close to one of the youth... I mean, I am 10 years older than her! But Lauren has been such a Blessing to me and has taught me so much.

She is one of the most awesome and unique girls I know, not to mention the greatest pen pal I've ever had! She is so creative it's ridiculous... Actually, she is the main reason I started this blog. I saw hers for the first time a few weeks ago and was totally blown away! You should definitely check it out:

http://postwiththemost.blogspot.com/

I've always considered myself a really artsy-crafty, creative person. I love to draw and paint... I love to write, sing, and dance. But as I got older, I found I didn't have time for that sort of thing anymore. I was an "adult." I had to spend my time working and cleaning the house (although I admit I suck at the latter). I was always so "busy" that I never sat down to just paint anymore.

In the past few weeks though, I've joined Postcrossing, where you send postcards to perfect strangers all over the world (see link at top right of page). I've sent 5 postcards so far, including two that I actually painted myself! I also joined a swapping site and a pen pal group... not to mention starting a blog. I haven't felt this artistically liberated in I can't tell you how long! And I owe it all to Lauren! :)

Beauty according to Lauren:

'freckles. smiles. scrunched noses. eyes filled with hapiness. whenever you're most comfortable in your skin.'