Now Playing: Harry Gregson-Williams, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian soundtrack, "The Door in the Air".

Decided that it was too late to fill out graduate school applications, but not too late to blog. Go figure.

I spent the morning studying for the GRE, of course. The Hs came over so that my mother could help wee David with his reading. During lunch, my mother, Stephen, and I started to watch the old BBC Bleak House TV series.

On Sunday, Ruth and I are supposed to present about our RPM teams this past summer, so after lunch I went over my presentation a couple of times. I'm always so paranoid about being too long and too boring that when I actually read the presentation through, it was just barely long enough.

Going back over the photos and experiences from Cyprus has been really good, though, as a reminder of God's faithfulness. I saw God answer prayers spectacularly, immediately there: saw Him provide food for our weekend when we hadn't thought there was enough money, saw Him convert a guy who'd been sitting on the fence with regards to the faith, saw Him stirring the young people to ask questions about the Bible, saw Him protect us and provide grace for us.

Yesterday in my quiet time I read Psalm 136 with the refrain "His steadfast love endures forever". From Creation to the Exodus, God's love has been fastened on His people. He loves us patiently, persistently, powerfully. It's awesome to remember that the power that called the sun and stars into existence loves us.

In the afternoon, I ran errands. Stillwater is such an odd town. I drove down to the bank that we've gone to since I was less than five years old. Now I go there myself to cash my own checks. The teller, Charlotte, talks to me about the weather.

Then I walked across the street to the post office to post a letter to Catherine. I miss being able to walk to the post office in ACAC at TU. I have to drive all the way downtown to send international post now, and the post office is always absolutely packed with people standing in line.

The main excitement of the afternoon was gift hunting, though. I poked my nose into Murphy's, where the three shopkeepers were gossiping by the cash register. They let me browse among the colorful kitchenware unmolested. Then I went down to Elite Repeat, just out of curiosity. Mrs. O, our next door neighbor, was behind the counter. She asked me how Laura is doing--she has a particular soft spot for Laura.

Then I went over to Hallmark. I persisted past the racks of greeting cards to the far corner of the shop. Stationery and journals. Beautiful, beautiful things. Textiles, jewelry, and well-made printed matter--some of my favorite indulgences in life. I found some gorgeous journals.

Further down the street, I visited The Beadery. They have cats, sitting among the elegant bureaus and wardrobes and mirrors and racks full of jewelry.

Then I drove up Main Street. Turned at the art gallery. On one side of the street is a scooter shop, where rednecks and hip-hop types were working together on an ATV. Across the street is the international food market, which largely stocks Middle Eastern and Indian foods. I did manage to find a couple of boxes of PG Tips tea, though.

At home again, dragging my feet, I started to work on graduate school applications at last. Just then, of course, my mother called us for an early tea. My father and Stephen drive an hour north to Ponca City every Tuesday and Thursday for basketball practice now, and they have to leave at six o'clock.

Sarah and I met at the Marble Slab, over by OSU, this evening. It was a busy place tonight. Group after group kept coming in: sorority girls, guys from Countryside Baptist college group, families, couples, freshmen, giggling, greeting each other noisily.

Sarah and I ordered our ice cream and sat at a side table for an hour-and-a-half or so, talking. It got dark outside quickly. At about half eight, we walked around campus for awhile. Campus was quiet tonight. Everyone seemed to be studying in the library. We walked past the Student Union and Gundersen Hall, along behind the Civil Engineering Laboratory and the Library, past the Botany Department/Arts and Sciences Offices (we could see plants growing in a lab through a window), and onto the porch of the library. We walked down the lawn to the Student Union. We went up and stood on the balcony, looking at the dark formal gardens. The bell in the library tower struck nine o'clock.

When I got home, I had to weave my way through half-a-dozen spiderwebs hung along our front porch. My mother was sitting alone in the living room, knitting. We talked until the guys came home.

The wind outside slides through the trees, stroking the windchimes across the streets, and crickets purr gently.