you missed a good party, Dave.

Rachel's surprise party was pretty, the only thing that was missing was Y-O-U! I sure hope you're doing well while your galavanting across the world (Dallas, whatever). I think architecture is a super cool thing for you to do with your life. At least you aren't doing something lame like education. I think that'd be just awful!

So, I'm officially a nursing major at Belmont. I would not be surprised if that changed. But hey, I can change if I want. But right now, I'm going to be a nurse and help people.

At Rachel's party we watched a lot of youtube videos. Ask Natalie to show you the one about the lion and man reuniting. It's HILARIOUS. Seriously has the best message ever. It's a heart wrenching story about man and beast. It moved me to tears.

What else is new with me? Hmm.... mother's moving to Nashville in a few weeks. She says she'll be home every other week. Something just doesn't seem right about a mom leaving her daughter and living somewhere else. But I don't admit that too easily. Dad's going to Pakistan in October for a year. I'm faced with a lot of distance lately.

Punch Brothers next weekend and I'm soooo excited. Consider going to the second weekend of Jazz Fest with me. Please and thank you.

I'm still not use to you being away, so this is the best smile I can make.

Come home.

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag?

Happy February 8th,

Today it is sunny and cold but very enjoyable in my opinion. Just finished my first project of the semester Friday!

This isn't my final model but it's progress during construction.

Jury went pretty well.

I watched Buried that night and really hated my life because it had a horrible ending.

Saturday, Jake and I took Nat and Alyssa to Tuscaloosa to eat at Dreamland BBQ which was AMAZING!

Sunday I hosted my very first party! WOOP WOOP! I had about 13 people over to grill burgers and watch the SuperBowl at the house we have out here. My review of the SuperBowl is as follows:
     Lea Michele sang "America the Beautiful" very well. Christina Aguilera sang the national anthem VERY well until she fumbled over the lyrics and then literally yelled the last note. The ads were just okay. The game was not important because I don't really care about professional football except for last year. The Black Eyed Peas were awful compared to their usual performances. Glee rocked.

Anyway, Monday we got a new project and it's extremely vague which is frustrating but they say it's for our own good.

Today is kind of a slow day.

I go to Dallas for the weekend for an architecture field trip which I am PUMPED about!

how's Jackson and how's your life?

come see us soon please and thank you.

David

it's a sleepy day over here.

Today it's so cold and rainy and windy and tornado-y. Yeah. That's definitely a word. And I'm busy with lame homework. And plans. And blah blah blah. I'd like a nap.

My birthday's on Saturday. It just about breaks my little heart that you won't be able to celebrate with me on my last Mississippi birthday..... But I'll forgive you. Just this once.

There's a for sale sign in my front yard.

My socks are wet.

It's only Tuesday.

I feel like eating Mexican Street Corn from Babalu. Have you been there yet? Oh man, it's so fantastic. I just can't get over it. Eating there would make me feel better.

Not saying I feel bad. I just feel weird.

And I'm late. Or.. about to be. I made plans. And I should leave now to fulfill them. But... I haven't moved in that direction yet. Hmmm........ Don't feel like it anyways.

Twin Lakes is throwing me a birthday party on Saturday. And I'm watching a cool movie with cool friends that afternoon before. And some of my groovy out of town friends are coming to the party.

And there will be a pinata.

Maybe even more than one. (!!!!!!!)

Will you make me something for my birthday? All these pictures you've been posting about your projects are just super. I want one to be in my dorm room. K?

Soundtrack for this post? "Pa Pa Power" by Dead Man's Bones. You probably will say you like them to make me happy but will never listen to them again. That's my diagnosis.

Tell me more about your life, because mine is stagnant and grey. Please and thank you.

this is to symbolize that JA is eating my life.

didn't someone say that senior year was a breeze? i've yet to see evidence of that.

Been Too Long. My Bad

Dear Friend,

I have been SO busy over the past several days. Making models left and right. I am SO glad I could be help through out this process that you are going through. What's the update on that?

My mom told today that she saw your mom at the airport while my mom was being taking all over the airport so that she could check the antique gun she was taking to California.

Here is what I have been working on lately:

And here is a picture of my final model of the bridge I made for my final project last semester:

I'm sorry but I think Steven and Kyle have convinced me to go see The Killers in Memphis.....

Please don't hate me.
David

Dear David,

Oh boy, I like this blog thing! 


You WIN for most help in my dilemma. See? This is why we're best friends. Today, I was supposed to get out at 12:25, but I stayed and talked about music and bands and drummers and Ok Go music videos and Bon Jovi with Mr. McCartney for 30 minutes. It was one of my most joyful moments at thus far! He told me I would be a really good doctor. And a really good teacher. I don't know what to think about it. I'll just pray all day and night.


Those painting-ish things you made today are INCREDIBLE! I kind of want you to make me something like that for my birthday. I can put it in my dorm room next year! That would be spectacular if you would.


Don't shave. Ever. 
Like seriously. 
Coach Henderson hasn't shaved in forever and he looks like Jesus. It is glorious!


In other news, MY DAD GOT HIM AND ME FRONT ROW TICKETS FOR PUNCH BROTHERS ON FEB 20TH. I'm so excited I can't even stand it!!! Happy Birthday to me!

Be looking up a concert for you and me to go to. It would make me so so so happy! 


I'm sure you've seen this, but you need to watch it again.


abagooday!
m.p.d.

I'm So Excited about this blog that i'm already writing back!!!

Dear Mizzle Pizzle (M from Mary and P from Palmer),

     I DO still have my Ugly Doll! I just don't have it here with me. :-/ But I am so glad you are taking the Where the Wild Things Are dolls to college! Yay! I'm so sorry that you thought you saw me yesterday and it wasn't me :-(
  
    Now, about the doctor thing. I know exactly how you feel. My senior year, I heavily contemplated going into music rather than Architecture. Music is my life. I love it. I have a passion for it. And my senior year, lots of doors opened that made me wonder if I should go into music. I prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed for guidance. Ultimately, I realized that God was and always has been laying out a path down the Architecture road, rather than the music one. Now, does that mean God doesn't have music in my future? Of course not. Who knows what God will have me do? I have a very strong passion for small churches and church plants, as well. Maybe God will put me in a place where (along with a career in Architecture) I may be involved with a church music ministry. But all I know right now is that I am where God wants me to be.

     For you, it may be that way. It may not. You are probably THE most driven, passionate, and inspiring person I know. You have a heart for making the world a better place. I would pray a lot. I will pray for you. I would also continue in the path of Social Entrepreneurship. The cool thing about your freshman (and even you're sophomore) year of college is that you will be taken mostly core classes (classes that you need for any and every degree) so it'll make it easy for you to switch majors or transfer colleges. Also, I would look into double majoring or look at Pre-Nursing. Maybe God is calling you into some sort of field that would need skills from Social Entrepreneurship and a Medical degree. Look at both as one thing. Or maybe you are just being pulled in the direction of the Medical field and that's okay. It happens. God has reason for everything He does.

     I hope this helps a little bit.

     Guess what I did today! I made these:

this first image is to show the word "bind". this is not the final. I taped tape on the paper and painted with broken bamboo skewers. I then pulled off the tape and the white stripes were supposed to look like bindings. 

this is for the verb "drop". So i filled a plain glass ornament with a paint/glue mixture. then I dropped the ornament and let it dry.

then for shave.... I painted my freshly shaved (well trimmed) face. then a pressed my face onto paper. but since i wasn't medicated.....I ended up painting the vast majority of my body.......bad idea. I spent an hour in the shower and I am still a shade of blue......

    

    I will try my very best to come home for your birthday. That will be the weekend before my jury so I will have LOADS upon LOADS of work. :-( But I will try hard to make it!

    Well I hope to hear from you soon!
  
    D

Dear D-D-D-Davey!

Hey, pal!


Do you still have the ugly doll I gave you? I decided that the Where the Wild Things Are stuffed animals that you gave me are the only ones I'm bringing to college. I just loveeee them! 

WildThing,  Max, and I are friends forever.

Guess what? This is sad news. I was backing out of senior parking today and I looked in my mirror and I could have SWORN I saw you! You, just walking in your old JA uniform with a backpack on. I almost called out to you. And then I realized it wasn't you and I just about cried. Just about. Maybe. A little.


David, should I be a doctor? I like it.. and I'm pretty good at it... I would almost feel selfish if I didn't because I feel like I would be wasting my abilities. 


I'll be around Starkville at some point, I promise. I know that was vague. But I mean, I don't know. I'll get there! You need to be planning your trip home for my birthday.
Yeah. That's right!


Dave, come on home! It's better than you'd think.


cordially,
m.p.d.

Dear MPD

Dear MPD,

I created this blog as a way for you and me to write each other letters about our lives and things that we feel the need to discuss. We will take turns posting letters to each other. Let's post lots of pics and maybe lots of people will read this blog. Here's my little Minion, Dave. He helps me when I work here in the studio.

Here in studio, we are currently working on a project where we choose 3 verbs (my 3 are: bind, drop, and shave). Then, we explore how we personally define each word. We find examples of that verb displayed. For example, for "bind", I used an image of an x-ray of a Chinese woman's feet that were crushed due to the Chinese tradition of feet-binding. Then we create abstract 3-D models of that image. Now we are working on line abstractions of our models.

How's JA? What's all going in in your life? When are you coming to see me?

Sincerely,

JDL