Room Mates

Last night as i was laying in bed having a hard time falling asleep, my mind began wandering to my past. Of all the people that have composed different roles in my life. There was one category that really stood out in my mind as one that was really important, and has dictated who i have become now. These are my past room mates, and believe me, I've had quite a few. So the following is a list of all of these instrumental people in my life.

1) Esther:
What list of room mates would be complete without my Sister!!! My first, and...i have to say, my favorite. I've had awesome room mates, but there is no comparison to the sister you spent countless nights growing up with. We used to say up to ALL hours of the night...9, sometimes even 10 when we were little in Washington talking. What 5 and 6 year olds talk about i have no idea, but we talked. I would always get in trouble "laura, be quiet and go to bed". Did my mom really think i was talking to myself?? Anyways, we played games too, really weird ones, like our favorite, "bridge". Esther would pretend i was wood...and "nail" my hands and legs into our beds and crawl from one to the other, over top of me...usually ending up sitting on my head. They were good times, and even to this day its a good feeling to be in a room falling asleep knowing my sister is near by.



2)Ashley:
If i go in chronological order, my next room mate would probably be my first room mate when i moved to Kenya, and i started boarding school. Ashley was sure a wake up call to me, but was a great first room mate. We lived with each other for 2 terms after that. I must say, i learned a lot of the world from her. My most educating teacher, and its due to her that i owe my unnatural fear of mirrors in the dark to. On account of her bloody marry attempts in our room, as well as other satanic practices. She was a good friend, it was sad to see her expelled from my school in 10th grade.

3)Jamie:
I think Jamie was the room mate that it was hardest for me to get along with. She was just one of those girls that it was really hard to get along with in general, let alone live with her. She wasn't very considerate of others, and the hardest thing i think to live with was the music while we slept. I can still remember falling asleep to Tim McGraw on repeat, it's a good thing i liked country. Oh, she also woke up at 5:00 every morning and spent 2 hours getting ready...which involved a lot of noise...something i sadly have issues with. However we managed to mend our bad room situation during field hockey season. We both played defense that year, and she would sing Spanish songs to me as we waited for some action.

4)Marit:
My second satanic room mate, and she was 20 times more intense than Ashley. This girl was crazy. I remember staying up till like 4 every night having religious talks and things. She taught me a lot about the world too. I remember waking up in the middle of the night sometimes tho to her hissing around her pierced tongue. She would always play with it, which was kinda sick, but whatever. Marit was a CRAZY girl, so unique and exceptional. She was one of my best friends that year tho, we taught each other a lot, and we are still in contact. She left at the end of our 10th grade too, not expelled, but pretty close. She moved to Norway where now she lives happily...a Christian.

5)Miriam:
Miriam was about the biggest jump you could get from a person like Marit. Miriam was a sweet, innocent girl who knew nothing of the world outside of Malawi, where she grew up. We had some fun times together, decorating our room in bright colors, and growing together. She is the one however that ruined Phantom of the Opera Music for me tho. I loved it until i had to fall asleep listening to it for 3 months straight. Miriam and i roomed off and on over our next 2 years together.

6)Hanna:
Oh man Hanna Smiddy!!! What an awesome girl, i love her so much, and miss her to this day. She was a fellow field hockey player, and volley ball, we took trig as an independent study together. She taught me about music, and filled my life with endless fun and joy! We would stay up for hours...her sitting in front of the mirror talking or reading out loud to me while i straightened her hair. She Loved to read out loud to me, she read me pretty much every Ted Dekker book i know, and she made them all so good!

7)Mel:
Mellap Nachumicha Murilla! Yet another AMAZING girl. She was a professional dancer in Nairobi, anything i learned, and my love of dancing...it all came from her. We would lock ourselves up in our room during study hall and practice our moves rather than work. It is also from this girl that grasped my handle on Swahili and Kenyan slang. Ehhh ehh, i miss the nights that we would talk about EVERYING, like her passion fruits vrs. my mangoes. ;) Also field hockey and volley ball player, and my favorite calc partner.

8)Erin:
Erin was my last room mate from High school and she trumps them all. She was my best friend, and i new i could do ANYTHING with her, and be myself with her, and we had so many awesome times together. I miss her, she would read me a proverbs and a psalms ever night before we went to bed. We would dress up together, talk about music, do crafty things, we both had 7th period study hall our last term, so we had some crazy times. Always sitting on the floor, scrounging food from anywhere we could. If i wrote 2000 words about our 2 terms spent together i wouldn't be able to describe all the spectacular things we did together. She helped me plan my trip to Somalia, and went with me to Uganda. She is someone i miss every day, and one of my most precious friends. I hope i can see her again someday, and I'm sure things would feel just like old times.

9)Annie:
Annie is my latest room mate, here at UCI!!! She is absolutely fantastic. God really blessed me by giving me a room mate like her! He knew what he was doing. She is so fun, we can talk about anything. Although we are so different, we find so many similarities in our lives. Before bed every night she teaches me one word in Hindi, and i teach her one Arabic word. We can talk about everything, and even with our differences in religion, she has taught me so much, and have learned to understand each other and can openly talk about things like we are the same. I hope i still find time to hang out with her next year, she really is a special person!

These are the girls that have shaped my life. The ones who have seen me in my worst, and still love me. And i know for a fact God gave me a miracle and a blessing in each one of them. Thank you God, and thank you to these people. I love you all!