Inspired by Amber

This little photo edit job was inspired by Amber's post entitled Pulling the Plug. I took this photo a few years ago during a practice photo shoot with my good friend Candice. I jazzed it up a tad to appear as though we are lit by the glow of the t.v. You like?



When it comes to television, quite often I find myself being reminded of the old children's song....

"Oh be careful little eyes what you see
Oh be careful little ears what you hear
For the Father up above
Is looking down with love
Oh be careful little heart what you love"

Just the four of us.

Well, I thought I'd post a family photo. I took this on Thanksgiving, which was also my parent's anniversary. Thirty-two years. Way to go Ma & Pa! I love you guys - no matter how awkward I look in family photos!

Orange Crush

I'm totally gonna miss these guys! They were like my little siblings but without the fighting :)



**The following was added after Amber's comment asking for highlights of the season.***

I've been coaching youth soccer for the YMCA since 2006. This was my fifth season of teaching 3rd & 4th graders the game of soccer. I was pretty excited when I found out that I was getting back some of the players I thought I wouldn't be coaching again because they were too old. I love how each player has their own style and personality. They're at such a fun age.

We had two players who had never played soccer before, and we had players that were born with a ball at their feet. Having such a vast gap in skill levels creates quite a challenge when it comes to creating practices. I think Adrian and were able to find drills and games that fit all levels. We were able to add extra challenge for those players who could handle it, or keep it basic for those still new. It took some creative thinking, but I like creative thinking.

There were two players in particular who were a 'joy' to watch during games. They were just having so much FUN! It was contagious. When watching them, I'd find myself wearing a grin from ear to ear. They'd just be smiling away anytime the ball was near them. They'd try their hardest and regardless of whether they failed or succeeded, they enjoyed themselves. I never had to remind them that we were there to have fun.

It was especially sweet when one of the boys gave Adrian and I chocolates as a thank you for coaching, and one of the girls had made us each a bracelet. Another boy practically begged us to coach his basketball team during the winter season. I actually thought about it. Adrian and I played basketball together at Stahl Jr. High, and I thought it'd be pretty sweet if we ended up coaching together, too.

When I signed up to coach, I had no idea how much fun it could be and how these kids would impact me. I hope they know I think they're amazing. Maybe one day they'll look me up on FB.

A dance with Dwight & Micheal!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Sky Angel Cowboy

The gospel is simple. Don't underestimate a child's ability to understand the Father.

somf

Hi Cheramie!

This is my Bible | Part 1

Have you ever heard a preacher start a sermon by having the people repeat the following phrase?: "This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do." I would venture to say that it is most famously used by Joel Osteen, but plenty of others have used it as well. Every so often, my church's Youth Pastor will start his message that way. I thought it would be a grand idea to see exactly what the Bible has to say about those things.

In this post, I analyze the first part - I am what it says I am. Many times in our lives (generally speaking) we ask ourselves "who am I?" and can feel overwhelmed and lost by that thought. I know this has been true for me. Sermons, messages, talks with friends, and our own ideas can give us various answers to this question. I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to do this particular study, but I finally decided I needed to go straight to my Creator for the proper answer.

I am

royalty. 1Pe 2:9
provided for. Luke 12:28
blessed. John 20:29
rich. 2 Co. 9:11
made in the image of God. Gen. 1:27
very good. Gen. 1:31
a ruler of all the earth. Gen. 1:26
crowned with glory and majesty. Ps. 8:3-6
redeemed. Eph. 2:1-9
God's workmanship. Eph. 2:10
God's daughter. Rom. 8:14-16
a co-heir with Christ. Rom. 8:17
more than a conqueror. Rom. 8:37
created for God. Col. 1:16
gifted. Rom. 12:6
part of the Body of Christ. 1 Co. 12:27
loved. John 3:16

Any item on this list can certainly be a study in it's own right, and a few of them I know I will have to meditate on and research more for further understanding.

I didn't exactly find these answers by reading along verse by verse, so this is an incomplete study. Please, if you have verses to add, you are more than welcome to leave them as comments.

This is only the starting point of who I am. I am also a traveler, a technology geek, and a thinker. But these parts of me are not defined in scripture. I want to know who I am individually as well as who I am in Christ. I struggle to find words that describe who I am. I believe that knowing who you are is a crucial step in being everything God has made you to be. If you, my readers, can think of a word or two that descibes who I am, I'd appreciate the info. And please, I'd love to hear your thoughts on who you are!

To every veteran, young and old, who's made my freedom possible,

THANK YOU.

You are not forgotten.

Feelin' the Christmas Spirit?

I hope you feel like giving as you read this post.

Enjoy the show...

Drive FREE, Retire RICH

It's come up that my car is getting old (she's 17) and may not last much longer. So I've been thinking about new car options. Currently my income is .... zilch. Makes it tough to find a car payment in that. My parents are wonderful and are offering to make the purchase for me, if it comes to that. I'm daddy's girl and he wants to make sure I'm safe. While I'd love to be able to make the purchase myself, it's just not possible. That's why I'm planning to drive ol' blue to her grave. Although, I don't want to incur any stupid tax, so it might end up being wiser to invest in another vehicle instead of investing in fixing this one if the price tag is too much.

Anyway, once I have an income where I would be able to afford a car payment, I'm excited to say that I have found a plan that I believe will work wonders (thanks to Dave Ramsey). I've been blessed enough to have never had a car payment. I don't want to live a 'normal' life - I want more. This plan will allow me to never make a car payment to a bank, to eventually drive free cars, and retire rich. Curious? Take a look:

Thanks News Tribune Man.

Today, I wore my abort73.com sweatshirt. I had been wanting to wear it for a while now because it's so comfortable, but this little voice inside my head keep telling me I shouldn't.

"You don't want to cause any trouble with your classmates. It's only the beginning of the year. What will you do if one of the girl responses by telling you she's had an abortion and she's offended by your sweatshirt?"

I finally told that voice to shut up, and I wore the sweatshirt today. I told myself that it's more likely that no one will say anything at all. I was right. Mostly. No one at school said anything. I only caught one person even looking at it.

However, as I came out of Wal-Mart the older gentleman at the News Tribune table outside the door saw my sweatshirt and asked me if he could read it all. I figured he was trying to sell me a paper (though it turned out he was giving away free papers - I didn't stay around to hear the catch). I let him read it and he asked me what it meant. I said that it was a catchy way of getting people's attention so they'd visit the web site and get all the facts about abortion before they form an opinion. "So I take it you're against abortion?" I told him I was, and he was glad.

I'm thankful for that man, for making me talk about the sweatshirt. The whole point of it is to get people to go to the site and be educated about the facts.

Prego is the best!

No, not the spaghetti sauce! But they do have a catchy little jingle.

Yesterday, I went downtown to visit with Adam, Cheramie and the growing 'bump' that is their unborn baby. I really was glad to be able to just sit and chat and be apart of their life. I'm so excited for these two!

Sometimes it's hard to want to be in the same place in life with my dear friend, and not be there, but I will also be hugely blessed in years to come from all the wisdom she will be able to bestow on me when my 'turn' comes.

While I do look forward to those days, I am also living in the now and enjoying my freedoms as a single. No point in being a party-pooper!

I love you Cherm! and Happy 24th!

A different approach.

I had a question pop into my head this evening at home group while we were on the subject of tithing. According to my assumptions, most Christians believe in tithing a tenth of their income. How many of them actually do, I don't know. I am not here to debate the validity of tithing. My question is this: What would happen if Christians 'tithed' their lives?

I know this isn't an entirely new question or idea, but I wanted to explore it for myself. Johnny Cash found salvation after becoming a great musician. Did you know that he vowed to sing a song for God at least once every ten songs? He tithed his music.

I wonder if we could actually do more good if we tithed our time, talents, and things instead of our money. How would your life be different if you gave 6 minutes of every hour to God. Maybe in worship, maybe in prayer, maybe in his Word. One hundred forty four minutes of every day. What if you gave a tenth of your talents to God's work? How would you be changed if you worked for someone who couldn't pay you a tenth of the time? What if you gave a tenth of your groceries away each month to someone who needed them more? What if you gave up your cozy seat in Church every tenth service, to be one of those who are serving?

I know that's a lot of 'what if's' and question marks, but think about it. We try to remind ourselves that when we tithe we are giving back God's money - that it's all his. Well, our lives are not our own either.

Readers, do you have any creative suggestions for tithing our lives?

A Sunday Sermon

Long john's on fire?

Now that I have your attention...

I wish I was able post these updates as they happened, but my blogger's lag (cousin to jet lag) hasn't completely worn off yet.

First, I want to share with you the project I completed today for class. I was told to get a photo, make it black and white if it wasn't already, and then hand color it (using Photoshop). The photo to the left is the original photo, and to the right is my masterpiece!



So when I got to class on Wednesday, my school apparently had been on fire for about five hours. Not the whole school, just a couple buildings on the other side of campus. It was on the news, and so I find it note worthy.

I'd also like to note that in the same way that I missed seeing the fire and had to hear about it once inside, I was totally oblivious to the fact that Jami was driving behind me all the way to school one day. In my defense, I did notice the car and knew it was the same one that Jami drove, it just didn't hit me that it could have been Jami because she was following so close it actually made me nervous. I guess you'd follow close too if you were trying to get someone's ATTENTION! :)

Next update, it's officially Winter in Katydid Land. Yup, the long john's are out and were used more than a couple times this week. The heat dish also emerged.

Do you know that I think postcards are just peachy? Especially ones from people you wouldn't really expect to get one from. I got one of those this week, it was pleasant.

Also! I got some new shelves put up to hold my books and then some. I was very tired of my books being under my bed, forgotten. I call this photo: More Bars in More Places


This evening, I heeded Amber's announcement and checked out the new Target before opening day. Very cool. I like all the pretty rows fully stocked. The only bump in the experience was when mom and I grabbed some grub at the food hall (as I call it) and the poor girl behind the counter was left with no backup and appeared to be working her very first day on the job (though this may not be true). She was doing just fine, but the line continued to grow rapidly out of nowhere and she finally got some help. It still took about 15 minutes to get four pieces of chicken tenders. But they were good!

And lastly, tonight, I found another birthday buddy. Yup, Mr. Barack Obama. Goodie.

Occupation: Student

It feels so good to have started. Starting is the first step in any journey. Yesterday, I came home from school totally exhilarated exhausted! I was ready for bed by 8pm. I made myself stay up until 10:30pm just so I wouldn't wake up at 6am on a Saturday. This week was really great. Each class was basically a review for me, and yet I learned a few things that I hadn't known. So it was a good way to start. I made a friend, got mistaken as a Russian, didn't get lost, and fixed my own sack lunch once. Success! It comes in different ways - don't knock it. When my mom came home on Friday, she brought me some beautiful flowers as a congrats. Thanks mom!

And thanks to all my friends who've been so supportive of me. I appreciate all your texts, IMs, emails, and hoo-rahs!

"Your love is not a fight, but it's something worth fighting for."

In the words of Tommy Boy, "That. Was. Awesome!" What a great movie! Be sure to bring your hankie though. Sure the acting was sometimes over the top, but this film honored God the way a film ought to. It dealt with real world issues and wasn't afraid to give real answers. This is a love story for anyone who wants to know what true love is. Marriage is taken so lightly in our culture today, and the Kendrick brothers dared to make a stand in the face of mocking opposition and hold marriage upright as it deserves to be held.

Thank you to every person who made this movie possible. You've built a mighty tool for God to use for his glory.

Did I mention you should go see Fireproof!? Even if you have to drive over an hour to see it! Load up the car and make a day of it!

The Numbers are in.

Yesterday, the newest film by the Kendrick brothers, Fireproof, opened in theaters around the country. Christian film making is something I like to keep tabs on and support where I can, so this afternoon I will be headed over to see it. My enthusiastic review will follow.

As of Thursday night, Fandango.com reported that Fireproof whipped up 41% of pre-sale tickets for the week, ranking first in that category, with Eagle Eye a distant second. Eagle Eye is predicted to be the number one selling film this weekend, and I would say that sounds pretty accurate all things considered. Hey, I'm interested in seeing it.

I'm glad to see such great starting numbers for Fireproof though. Coming in 3rd in box office sales yesterday says something about the excitement surrounding this film. It's first night out, Fireproof brought in more sales than Brad Pitt's comedy, Burn After Reading, it beat out the raunchfest Dane Cook film, My Best Friend's Girl, as well as topped the adultery condoning flick, Nights in Rodanthe.
While Eagle Eye is on top bringing in nearly $10 million dollars last night (Fireproof brought in just over $2 million), the Kendrick brothers should be very proud. Being seen in less than a third of the number of theaters that Eagle Eye is showing in, Fireproof is only $400 behind in per theater sales!! Four hundred dollars! That is excellent news! Let's hope that today's numbers shine for morality as well as they did yesterday.

I encourage you to go out and see this film this weekend if you can to support these guys who have a heart to reach the lost and produce valid family friendly movies that stir the soul.

The Office Files

Since I'm a geek, I am "employed" at Dunder Mifflin Infinity and one of my requested tasks was to create an image that transformed Office employees into Sci-Fi t.v. cast members. Of course I had to use the X-Files as my platform. Here's what I came up with. You like? :)