How important are your friends?

Have you ever done a study on friendship? Probably not, right? I mean, who wants to sit around and read up on 'friendship' when you have friends and know exactly what friendship is?

Did you know that around 25% of Americans don't have a close friend to confide in? That's 1 in 4! According to a 2006 study, we are becoming more and more lonely. In parallel, we are becoming more and more sick. It is noted that the declines in heath and friendship are near the same slopes.

It seems that in our "Modern" day and age, we have decided that real friendship is overrated and put it low on our list of priorities. We'd rather zone out with an iPod or XBox than use energy building a relationship.

Take a moment to read Ecclesiastes 4:8-12 (roll over the text). Do you really want to be the guy who's creating great things for himself, but has no one to share with? 'All for nothing' quipt King Solomon.

Friends bring us more than just health benefits. They have benefits we can not even fully comprehend. I can not imagine my life without my friends. They comfort me, encourage me, bless me, share with me, laugh with me (and even at me), and they love me. They also give me the opportunity to grow in the virtues of loving, giving, sacrificing, encouragement, compassion, understanding, and a hundred others. Without my friends, I would not grow. Thank you dear friends.

I charge you readers. Go be a friend. A real friend. Winnie the Pooh once said "It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?"" Go deeper. Do more than just lunch. God wants us to learn intimacy with each other as much as we are learning it with him. Dive deep into the waters which friendship treads. It will be hard. You will have to be vulnerable. You will have to let someone in, to learn about you and your strengths and your weaknesses. You will have to take a risk. You will get hurt. That hurt is worth it. It is SO worth it.

You don't have to have a large number of friends. Two or three will do just fine. It's the quality of those friendship that matter.

Ladies. Single ladies. I urge you to press on in your friendships. If you keep close friends, you are much less likely (or less frequently) to feel lonely and pursue comfort in a man. You will not get yourself wrapped up in an unhealthy relationship. Not only will you end up with any old 'poser' who might come along, but you're friends will be there to point out who he really is!

So go on! Go find someone to invite to coffee or steak, or a game of cards or tiddly-winks.

I promise...

I promise to update soon!

Mobile Video | Generation Unleashed

Best line of the conference: "Don't spend your money on your girl. Go ahead and buy the XBOX guys, it'll be around longer than she will."

"The Sun'll Come Out, To-Morrow!"

Wow. I've had a fantastically productive day! I think the sun really gave me a boost. I went to sleep last night feeling horribly achy all over. I didn't exactly JUMP out of bed this morning, but once I was up, I was more alive than usual. I got a TON of homework finish and started and I even made time to eat. I was able to cross a couple things off my to do list and I even enjoyed my favorite episode of the X-Files. I did all that while nursing a hurt finger. Note to self: Do not play tug of war with both dogs, they have sharp teeth. It's still going to be a long week, but at least today was on the up and up! Thank the Good Lord for all his blessings!

Tons of thanks to my DLF who gave me a lesson in Illustrator! And for fixing my Netflix watching abilities!!! YOU ARE THE GREATEST EVER.

Photo Retouching

I've gotta say, I really enjoyed retouching this old photo of mom! It really helps to have taken a clear shot from the start, but Photoshop can do things my Nikon only dreams of! It's a bit hard to see much at this size, but I reduced wrinkles and slimmed her face and arms a tad... among a few other things.

Kids draw the darnest things...

*This post is a re-post from Normal Rockstar's blog.*


A child drew this picture as part of a homework assignment and took it to school. The teacher received a letter from the child's parent the following day:

"Dear Mrs. Jones,

I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer.

I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it. Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot.

From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Smith"

Solomon Mack Henley

Congrats Adam and Cheramie on the arrival of your son!

Brighter Days - Leeland

Time keeps moving on
Through the sunshine and the storm
And my dreams are set in stone
And someday I’ll be who I want to be
For now I’ll wait
For the sun to shine again
And for now I’ll wait
For the rain to pass away

And I’m looking for the brighter days
When all my hurts seem to fade away
I’m looking for the brighter days to come my way

Faces come and faces go
But none seem to look my way
And walls have stood and walls have fallen
But my heart seems to wait
For now I’ll sit at the end of the road
And for now I’ll wait
At the end of the pathway

I’ll see the sun one day shine upon me
I’ll see the sun one day
And watch the nighttime turn to morning
But for now it all comes back around

-------------------------------

I conquered an enemy today. I'm making progress. This was the song that was playing when my tiny battle was over.

Lessons from drawing.

My study of drawing and how to get in the 'right mind' for it has brought many thought from my feeble mind. Science tells us that each hemisphere of our brain has special functions. While not 100% for everyone, most people use their 'left' brain most of the time. This is the part of us where we use logic, rationalism, order, we keep track of time, and break things into parts. Our words and language come from this side of our brain. Lefty is the uptight 'know it all' of the team. Righty, on the other hand (pun intended), is more intuitive, has no sense of time or order, puts things together to create 'wholes', is metaphoric, doesn't need reason, and is non-verbal. You might say Righty is the laid-back 'soak up the moment' of the team.

In theory, you can not draw real life forms using Lefty. Most definitely he will try to take over. He's the know-it-all. Drawing with Lefty, we create scenes that are more cartoon-ish and made up of symbols instead of lifelike pictures. A circle for a head, some ovals for eyes, a half moon for a smile.... you get the idea.

I guess the pre-point to my main point is this: we have to use Righty to 'see' things differently. Righty will show us the whole picture, not just the parts. There's no beginning and no end. When you get in this Zone, you lose track of time and usually can't hear words around you. For most of us, it's a very pleasurable place to be.

Moving right along. I wanted to share how this relates to the Christian walk. I think that when we get saved by the Grace of God, the "right" side of our spirit begins to be awakened. We are able to grasp glimpes of the whole picture. However, we are so used to using the "left" side of our spirit that we let it take over. We see the daily tasks clearly, we see the order of life - childhood, school, career, wedding, kids, grandkids, retirement, etc. We use logic and reason and we are on a deadline!

What would our lives be like if we lived with the "right" side of our spirit leading us? We wouldn't see the timeline, or the To Do List, or try to explain things with logic. Can you imagine seeing something just how it is and not feeling the urge to try to explain it? Seeing a miracle? How would you differ your approach to non-Believers if you could see the big picture of where their life is headed?

Lefty will always be the first to attempt a task. Only if he can't or doesn't want to do the tast will he settle down and let Righty take over. In drawing class, we do exercises to help shut-up Lefty. We draw things that can't be "programmed, categorized or easily referenced" so that Lefty gives up trying. We practice seeing things differently.

I think we could take a lesson from drawing. What kind of exercises can we do to better see things the way the REALLY are? How can we train our spirit to see the world in a way that provokes us to live important lives? I want to live in a way that I can not keep track of time, that I can not hear the outside voices, and that I see things as they truely are.

That's all I have to say about that.

Me

I surprized myself again. I spent about 90 minutes on this self-portrait. Other than the fact that my head is actually more round that it is here, I thought it looked fairly nice. I'm sure I could nit-pic it all day, but I won't. This is art. You don't like it? Get over it! :)

Slushie

I'm feeling like a slushie again, FYI. I probably won't be posting for a bit. Just thought you'd like to know.

In my right mind.

In my drawing class today, I discovered that I can, in fact, draw. I think I'm going to like this class, but only because I've decided to like this class. Usually the thought of drawing makes me stress out. I am a self-proclaimed perfectionist. Art isn't perfection. This class will the be place I will allow myself to be imperfect. Take this drawing to the right. I drew that- upside down while looking at the original sketch upside down. I was sitting right-side up, just to clarify. My homework is to draw for at least an hour. Seems simple enough, but I know it will be a fight every time. Just like New Year's Eve when I learned to not let my fear of inadequacy rule. That's what it is, right? Perfectionism. The fear of not being good enough.

God is an amazing God. It is my imperfection that keeps me humble. If I was perfect, I would be God, and I really don't want that job. I'm excited to see what great things I will learn this quarter.

According to the syllabus, about 95% of my homework is supposed to be 'live' subjects, so don't dash my hopes if I ask you to volunteer to sit still for an hour while I turn you into a drawing. Thanks!

Duo

Alicia and I decided to drive separately for the first month and then see if carpooling will work better after that. Today's class is Photoshop 3. Ironically, there were only 3 students in class today. Out of four. Yup. So much for consolidating classes to help with budget cuts.

Here's what I finished up today:

Anyway, not much else to say I guess. Have I mentioned that I really don't like QL episodes when Sam is a woman? Ugh.










And now for our feature presentation, courtesy of Cory Fisher:

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

Keeping Up

Well I've finished my first day back to class. I'm still here though. I forgot that the gal I carpool with, Alicia, is taking a second class from 1-1:50pm every day. So I finished my homework about 40 minutes after class got out which was at 11:30am. I decided to work on my web site some more and keep it up this quarter. It's a site that displays all my assignments in one place.

Here's the assignment I finished today.

I'm real hungry right now. I ran out of the house without any food. I should have gone and got something while waiting, but I decided to save my dough.

Mav has another vet apt. today at 4:30pm. He's going to get his yearly shots and a follow up on his eyes. I think I should take him for a walk before hand.

This just in: The back of my chair just fell off. Thankfully I was the only one in the room. Ssshhhhh, don't tell, but I switched my chair with someone else's. Ironically, as I sat back down a guy came in and actually sat at the computer with the broke chair.

TTFN

Sweat and Tears

I've been busy today. Unfortunately I haven't been busy with what I should have been busy with - getting ready for school. The 'put-it-off-itis' has already hit me. Oh well, it's just the first week. I'll get by.

How do you like the new look :D ? I spent hours on it. I figured - New Year, New Look.

I also spent hours playing Wii with Adam. Thanks to Cherm for letting him come play. And of course she was there too rooting us on! What a great friend - the best!

Couple of tid bits for ya:

• For the month of January I get to see sweaty Micheal Scott on my wall everyday. Gotta love fun calendars.
• If you ever need a good cry, check out ABC on Sundays at 8pm. It always works for me.
• Oh9 is going to be a great year of growth and progress. I can feel it.

Second Quarter, HERE I COME!

Why do we do that?

What this post is about to address, and essentially complain about, is one of my top pet peeves. Why does it seem that Christians can treat complete strangers with more love and respect than we treat each other? I see this practice as quite common among us. We'd rather caution our tongue around a person we just met than offer that same politeness to our brothers and sisters - especially in our families. That custom is so entirely backwards you could mistake it for Kris Kross's pants!

Do you remember the song "They will know we are Christians by our love" ? Well did you know that the love they are known for is referring to our love for each other, not strangers. Non-believers were the ones who dubbed Christian gatherings as "Love Feasts" because of how much they loved each other. Who's gonna be drawn in by our love for strangers and our contempt for our family? Isn't that one of the greatest forms of hypocrisy? Wouldn't you call a person like that 'fake'? It bugs me so much to how poorly we can treat each other and then turn around and serve anybody else.

We do it in simple acts like answering the phone in a cheery voice when we're in the middle of an argument with our spouse. We do it when we show grace to the server who tips a glass all over us, but yell at our child for the same thing. How many of you will make sure the house is all cleaned up and 'presentable' to the neighbor who's stopping by for a moment while letting the mess pile up because it's 'just us' here today. Ladies, how often do you get primped up for a trip outside the house so the grocery store clerk doesn't think you're a slob, but choose to wear sweats at home while your husband is there? Those things are wigity wigity wigity wack!

I know I am guilty of this dishonoring behavior. Sometimes I walk away from a conversation with my parents and I can't believe the way I spoke to them! I'd never address a teacher that way, why do I feel okay speaking that way to my own parents?!

Friends, I love you all very much and if I ever get out of line and treat you with less respect or kindness than you know I ought to be, please have the courage to put me back in line. Please help me 'mend my wicked ways'. It is my intention to begin apologizing for this behavior whenever I realize I need to, and work on loving you all better than I love my mailman.

This post would not be complete without this video:

How I started the new year.

I started 2009 with some pretty wild people. Wild kids that is. Wonderful kids :) I had a blast. When I showed up to babysit at around 8:30pm, the gal who was there had already put the girls to bed. After she left I promptly went up there and told them to "get outta bed!" They were excited. We couldn't be all that loud since baby brother was sleeping upstairs, so we spent time coloring and making up stories.


This drawing was a group effort. I didn't get a photo of the final piece, but we each added to it until it was beauti-mus! I wanted to draw with the girls, but had trouble drawing as freely as they did. They just jumped right in without worrying about figuring out the whole picture first. They inspired me. I like to draw flowers. They are simple and lovely. So I drew one. Then another. Suddenly I had a whole garden! Our faith is like that. Just one step at a time as the Lord leads. We don't have to know the whole picture before we begin, we just have to know that the master artist is in control and even if we spill paint all over, he knows how to turn that spill into a sun rise! And thanks to Ericka L. for reminding me about that.


I am a way cool babysitter, so of course I brought some sweets for the par-tay. 'Liv doesn't look all that excited about it in this picture, but she was pretty thrilled that she got a treat that changed colors as she ate it. Gotta love fruit by the foot!

So we watched the Seattle fireworks on t.v. and then I took the girls out in the rain to watch some of the neighbor's fireworks, too. They're eyes sparkled. We went back in to draw more pictures- this time of the fireworks we saw. For some reason that night, I was totally impressed with both of the girls' creativity. It just ..... touched me. Anyway, they went to bed and I tried to sleep but ended up online for most of the night. Literally. I'll spare you the ugly details, but I had a chance to talk with Ericka in Ireland and my best friend from 6th grade who's in Texas. I was really thankful for those conversations. Needless to say I didn't make it through the day without a 3 hour nap.

This last picture is of a guy I went to high school with. I was watching t.v. this evening and this promo for a new game show (Game Show in My Head) came on and I guess he gets punk'd (or whatever they call it). Anywho, I thought that was awesome. It'd be like seeing someone you know get caught on candid camera. Can't wait to see the whole episode.

HAPPY TWO-THOUSAND NINE!

Marianne Williamson

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Zune Van Winkle

Well, I was going to load up my Zune with the corrected files I've fixed so far so I could have some tunes for tonight if the kiddos fall asleep early. Unfortunately, Microsoft missed something when they created the Zune 30g. An ugly 'leap-year' bug has frozen everyone's Zune who bought one in 2006. All you see is the lighted Zune logo on the screen. How do I know this? I asked uncle Google.

But, just as quickly as everyone began complaining this morning, Microsoft gave us a fix! Hooray!!

Wanna know what the quick and easy fix is?

...... wait until tomorrow at noon. Yup. That's it. Old Zunie is fast asleep for a while. According to the makers, the internal clock will reset itself. All I have to do is make sure the battery drains, recharge it, then turn it back on.

Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that this little 'fix' is really just a ploy to buy more time for the techs to create a REAL fix?

I WANT MY MUSIC!!

What else?

What else has been going on with me you ask? Even if you didn't ask, here's the answer.

On Sunday, I took Maverick to the vet because on Saturday he looked like he had pink eye. I gave it a day to clear up, but it looked worse - so off we went. He got some eye drops that I have to give him for the next two weeks, but he looks better already. I'm glad he's not pawing at his eyes because he'd look pretty silly in a cone.

Also, I'm pretty low-key about my break, so I've been taking time to fix my mp3s from the great Zune scramble of '08. During one of the software 'updates' all my music got messed up. I had Third Day singing Sk8er Boi on the Best of Perry Como album. Nice eh? I have nearly 4,000 mp3s in my collection. I'm going through them one album at a time and re-entering all the proper information. I'd say I've fixed about 20% so far.

I've also been spending a bit more time with my guitar, so my fingers are getting all peely again. I'm attempting to add some lyrics to a chord progression that I put together a while ago. AKA writing a song. PS- I thought it would be artsy fartsy of me to have a name for my guitar, so suggestions are welcome.

I've started reading John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. Haven't gotten too far, but I'm enjoying it. I guess I didn't realize it's written like an allogory. I like allogories. It was supposed to be my goal to finish it before school started up again, but we'll see. It's a big book.

I am now onto the 5th and final season of Quamtum Leap. They re-recorded the opening theme song for this season and it sounds really stupid. What were they thinking?!

Mike Lynch has been dog sitting for the past week for some folks in my neighborhood so I've gone over there a few times to kick some butt at TimeSplitters. Actually, I didn't play the video games as much as I watched. It was a nice mix up of my daily routine of doing nothing.

Oh, and the other night Jami came by and helped me play some games on my computer. It was jolly good fun and now I'm addicted to Diner Dash. Good thing it's only a free trial and will eventually stop working.

So as you can see, my 'break' wasn't just a break from school. It was more like a break from reality and responsibilty. I'm gonna hate to see it go.

Tonight I will be babysitting for a friend as I ring in the new year. I think it's gonna be a blast, I've never spent New Years Eve with youngsters. Bring it on!

And in case I don't see ya.... Happy New Year!!

Bless Your Beautiful Hide

This was a much happier ride to Seattle than the last one. For one, we weren't all hungry. And for two, there wasn't any reason to worry about the roads since the rain came through and washed away the snow.

We got there with plenty of time to grab our tickets and a snack before settling in our seats. John snapped this quick photo which held up the line for a moment.

Mom and I watched as the rows in front of us started to fill up and we feared someone with large hair or a long neck would sit in front of us. Eventually, the two seats in front of us were pretty much the only open ones left in our section. We watched a this really tall couple pointed down our row and started our way. We lost all hope. Suddenly, they stopped in front of another couple and flashed their tickets saying "I believe these are our seats." After some shuffling, the tall couple was not going to be in front of us. The lights went down and to my delight no one ever filled those seats! Although, I did take a moment to have some pity on the folks who might have been sitting there. You never know why they didn't make it.

The set workings were awesome! Here's a shot of the opening scene before the lights went down. I didn't want to infringe on any rights so I didn't take any photos of the play. It was a really entertaining show, but it just didn't do everything for me that the movie does. In the play, my favorite brother was Frank. I guess I was a bit sad that the kid who played Gideon didn't steal my heart like Russ Tamblin does. I did enjoy how some of the lines were played more for humor than they are in the film and it was really great enjoying those moments with a TON of people.

I think I'll go watch the movie now. I got it on DVD [widescreen] for Christmas!

That was a riotous ride!

The two seats right in front of me are totally empty!

Random Scrap of Paper

While organizing my sheet music and guitar books, I found this random index card with this poem scratched on it:

There once was a eunuch from Munich
So cold he wore a blue tunic
He looked like a clown
as he rode into town
'Cause he forgot his blue tunic in Munich

Clever ey?

It's almost Christmas

The time sure can fly by, eh? I seem to still be stuck on a dry spell as far as my blog is concerned. Sorry about that - for my daily readers ;) Even now I have no idea what to write. I'm super happy to be on break from school. I was excited to go see Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the 5th Avenue in Seattle last Thursday, but the weather bit hard. It took two hours to get to Sumner, which usually takes about 20 minutes or so. Thankfully we were able to get re-seated for another showing next Saturday.

Hmm.... what else... I helped Mikey create some gifts for his family. That was fun. Only two days left on my Photoshop Trial. /sniff sniff What will I do without you, Photoshop!?

Oh yeah, I've been stuck on a Quantum Leap kick. I'm on Season Four right now. Sam and Al are quite the team. I look forward to seeing what sort of crazy outfit Al will be wearing from 'the future'. I've been wondering about which event in my life that Sam might leap into to try and change and why. It's sort of a fun game.


Well, I can't think of anything else right now and it is pretty late, so TTFN!

I thought this was pretty cool!

Check out this blog post of someone who is a complete stranger to me.

One for the economy.

Hair today...

Well, thank you for the overwhelming response to my hair dilemma. I didn't even know there were 12 people who read my blog. Apparently, you've all come out of the closest to voice your opinions on such an issue I thought was trivial. Perhaps I was wrong.

I feel silly writing such an update, but it seems the people want to know. I've decided to leave my hair how it is. You all seem to like it at a longer length, even though it drives me up the wall.

New Hair!

I need new hair.

Photo Opp

There was some beautiful lighting coming through the front of the house this evening so I grabbed my camera and a plate of food and ended up with this shot. I also used some Photoshop skills to get the look I wanted.

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? :)

He was called Dusy Bottoms

Here's the new pup. He finally got a name! I couldn't introduce you to him without one!

Dusty Bottoms

And we all wore pink!

Last Friday night some gals got together for a ladies night that was lovely. Jami summed it up rather well, so I'll direct you to her blog for a few good words and some photos.

College

As I've been preparing to go back to school this fall, I've done most of the usual things. Figured out a driving schedule, searched for great deals on text books, gotten some new items for the wardrobe, and of course made sure I have all the 'office' supplies I need. There's one other thing I've been trying to prepare for, too.

All too often over the past few years, I've found myself wishing I could go back to high school and do it again with what I know now. A little more boldness, a little more love. I'm sort of getting a second chance at this. I now recognize that people will remember you for who you were in school. The question is, who do I want to be remembered as? What will I want people to say about me when they 'remember back in the day'?

It's not a question that will have one final answer. However, I do know this: I want to be known as a friend of Jesus & a lover of God, and I want to be a light in a dark place. I want to live a Matthew 5:16 life. In the words of the Newsboys, I want to 'Shine'. This is the boldness I want to have. The boldness to love people, right where they are. I don't want to be a casual Christian. I don't want people to have to ask if I'm a believer. I want to miss the second half of the day because I'm having a life and death conversation with a lost soul. May I be known as "The Jesus Freak" and may people be drawn to me because of the love poured out onto them through me. May I never seek to 'win' the lost. I am not competing for a prize. May I never have a holier-than-thou attitude that turns people away. May I never use the Sword of the Spirit to slash the heart, but instead use it to loose those in bonds and to free the captives. May I never water down the Gospel in order to falsely quench the thirst of seekers. Oh, there's so much more!

And if there's room, I'd like to be known as a highly skilled tradesman in my field. May it all be to the glory of God!

Epic Fun

After I left the accident last Thursday, I went on my way to meet Amy at the Fair. This year, the theme is Epic Fun, but I'm not sure I'd call our fun epic. We enjoyed all our favorite fair foods; scones, cotton candy, elephant ears. We took a peek at the show dogs, the horses, and the new piglets. Early on, we were able to catch the Konzelman's final show at the fair this year, and it was lovely as usual. The rides were, of course, the hit of the night. All two of them. :) We took a spin on the White Rollarcoaster first, which I hadn't been on in a while. It was a bit more terrifying than I remember. After that, we took a twirl on the Swings, which I do recall enjoying. After that, we were okay to be done with rides. During the Konz family show, we heard about the new fair packs. So we decided to take a peek. After going back and forth about whether or not to get one, we both ended up getting one. We are displaying them in the top photo of our booth pictures. They were filled with lots of goodies to enjoy. It would have been nicer if we'd had those goodies when we got there. I think the major sell point for both of us, was that each bag contained a bottle of water. We were pretty thirsty. Thanks for the fun day, Amy! [more photos are available by clicking the one at right]

Time to get busy!

I'm about to get rather busy again. My schedule when school starts, will look something like this:


Mon: Study Math & youth soccer from 730pm-830pm.
Tues: Class from 9am-330pm.
Weds: Class from 9am-330pm & youth group from 630pm-8pm.
Thurs: Class from 9am-330pm
Fri: Class from 9am-330pm.
Sat: Youth soccer game 12pm-ish and child care from 6pm-9pm.

Sun: Church from 10am-1130am & Home Group from 3pm - 5pm.

I'd share a link to my Google calendar, but I'm certain no one would take advantage of it.