Independence Day

Dear Friends,

I'm typing on my new-for-me computer that Jonmark (my older bro) set up about a half hour before he left. It Is Lovely! I must say though, this internet connection is almost as bad as my friend's dial up. ALMOST.

Thoughts on my mind: Does yutube work on this computer? And did someone drip superglue onto the keyboard? That or the space bar has a past full of hurt and misuse. Poor thing.

Anyway, as some of you may know today was the day we let the tiger loose. Released the bird from his basement cage. Sent Jonmark of to colleage in Rolla so that I could have his empty, clean, and tech room to myself. Guess I should begin at the begining, ne?

Woke up at about 10:00 to the sounds of silence and books wispering from their shelves "Read me, Hannah! Forget about Math...". The thought hit me: Today was THE DAY. Jonmark was leaving, just like that. I promptly scurried upstairs to find that I was the only one alarmed by this. I guess that it was still too early of a Saterday to be nostalgic in our household.

The trailer was hooked up and loaded with Jonmark's suprisingly small amount of belongings. Who knew that 18 years of a boys life could be rolled up, boxed out, and completly packed in so little time, space, and inconvenience? I think that we might need a bit more vehicle space for when I move. That, or my mom will just have to rent out storage.

The two hours to Rolla were uneventfull. Books were read, cold water guzzled, hair whipped constantly into our faces by the highway wind. (Our air conditioning has been out for awhile now. It is worst when you apply lip gloss right before getting in the car. Highway + Open Window + Sticky Lip Gloss + Hair = Lip Beard. Not pleasant) Oh, and of course the endless billboards and fields stretching out and out, screaming that Missour'a is still a redneck state and proud of it. If ye don't believe that, well you can just go warsh your head in a cold well.

This was my first time going to Rolla, and my impressions were these:

~Rolla is vertically challenged.

~Beinge seems to be the town's unanimous color.

~I wouldn't trust the "Sushi Bar" as far as I could throw it.

~The "Dollar Store: was very possible ran by vagabond hick grandmothers.

~The entire town was based on, run by, run for, and surrounding the S and T Collage. (A reason that I'm not ready to go to college: I don't think I know how to spell it correctly.)

There were frathouses and sororities on every other corner. My brother just so happened to be staying in the Christian Young Man Frat House, a white building that I, a teenage girl, was privliged enough to step into and tour. Lets just say that Laurel (my lovely friend with great admiration for boy people) would have LOVED Rolla. An entire house bursting with intelligent, cute, and Godly young men? Drool.

The college was a very nice facuility. Students from all over come to it because it is so highly awarded, so their were plenty of guys from other countries, too. Oh, and did I mention that the majority of students at Rolla are guys? You betcha. I wish you could have been there to see it.

We toured, I tried to keep from getting kicked off campus because my sisters were on sugar highs from the enourmous pot of chocolate fondue in the guest area. Only two things occoured that were slightly embarrasing during that time:

~I almost got locked into a bathroom with my sisters in a half empty building.

~I was so distracted while taking a drink from the water fountain that half the water went out my nose. Very attractive, I can tell you.

We ate dinner at a cozy hick buffet, the Steak Stampede. The only thing to mar the sunset was the huge Holiday Inn Motel sign blocking it mostly from view. While driving about and trying to buy hangers for Jonmark's dorm room, I think he was rethinking taking us to go see Rolla. He had a habit of staying at lease 6 feet away from us. I'm pretty sure he was pretending he didn't know us half the day. "What? These people in the running car behind me? I The ones calling my name and honking their horn loudly? I dunno who they are. Funny looking rednecks, though."

Not that Jonmark actually said that many words together at once, but you get the jist.

The food was good, though my appitite was slightly skewed after an elderly man in a cowboy hat awkwardly pointed at my shoe as I left the buffet. "You've got something on your shoe, ma'am," he drawled. I thought that walking out into public with toilet paper stuck to your shoe only happened in movies. And I never realized how hard it is it take it off your shoe, too.

It was time. THe GOODBYE. I have to say, as historical farewells go, ours was pretty lacking i finnesse. I hugged him, mom hug/kissed him, Dad awkwardly hugged him (first time in how long? still an emotional moment, though) and Clara Glory and Emma (my lil' sisters) said bye and resumed their corus of "London Bridges" which they kept up the entire drive back. I think that Glory was so relived that Jonmark wasn't going to the Civil War (as she had come to believe, I don't know how. ) after all that saying goodbye for awhile was easy peasy.

And now, here. At home, things have already changed a bit. I can come and go in various states of dress about the basement as I please. Jonmark's movie collection is now MINE. I can sing in the middle of the night and Jonmark isn't there to snicker on his side of the basement.

Then again, not everything is peachy. I did tear up a bit on the way home from Rolla, but I didn't actually cry as that would have made my hydrocortizone cream run. (Poison Ivy: Moses definitely left out that plague.)

Anywho, it is time for me to go do all the things I need to do and dance away. So see ya and luv ya!

Mata ne, (Japanese for see you again later)

~Hannah Hoo