The semester is over!!!! I'm almost bored, but not quite. I've been going to the activities center on campus to jog with a friend the last couple of days. Yes, that's right. I did say jog. I did a 13 min. mile today, but that's what happens when you're in bad shape. My eventual goal is a 12 min. mile. From there, well, who knows how fit I may become!! Fitness is not a big deal at this school at all. There are 5 treadmills and a few other kind of machines, and that's supposed to service the entire campus. Louisisana recently became ranked as the most unhealthy state in the nation. It is second worst for obesity, so I guess the number of treadmills and the low numbers of people working out shouldn't surprise me.
I went and watched Twilight last night with a couple of friends. I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would, especially for a vampire movie. Vampires are all the rage right now, apparently. It had a good message, I thought. Haven't read the books, but as usual, everyone is saying the movie isn't as good as the book. Have any of you read them or seen the movie? I'd like to hear a more expert opinion (Brittany) on the movie and books. :)
The temp has really dropped here in the last few hours. Supposedly, we may get some sleet tonight. Yesterday we were around 70, and having severe storms and even tornado warnings in the area. And now, it's very overcast, 40 degrees, with a windchill of 33. Brrrr. This kind of dreary day normally makes me dreary, but since I have no homework!!!, I'm curling up in my little blue chair with a book and a cup of hot tea or coffee. And I think I'll turn on some Christmas music. Yay for Christmas!!! I love this season!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
A few goings-on
Recently, I've been realizing what a lovely family I have. Maybe it's because of being in the season of thankfulness (my favorite holiday by the way) or maybe it's because Tricia and David were just here or maybe it's because I had to make a genogram last night. I don't know why, but I have been overwhelmingly thankful for everyone. I am NOT saying that anyone is this family is perfect. That would be a lie. :) Everyone is far, far from perfection. Rather, I'm saying that I feel really blessed to have a fairly good relationship with everyone -- I think. If I'm estranged from one of you, please let me know! That was something I was supposed to put in the genogram.
This is finals week for me. I should be studying right now, but I decided to procrastinate some more by doing this. This Thurs. night our first-year class is having a tacky Christmas party. It's going to be hilarious.
Phil, a friend we met in Korea, is coming to visit this weekend. He's at Heather's right now, and then he will be driving over. He's from England, so I'm trying to come up with some very American and Louisianan things to do and see. Wal-Mart and Sonic are about all I've got right now. One night some friends from church are getting together and going to this cajun restaurant in the country.
Tricia and David came this last week for Thanksgiving. I really enjoyed them being there. Our meal was quite excellent, if I do say so myself. Especially for a first time. We all cooked in some way. I especially enjoyed our dressing and pies -- thanks, Mom, for the recipes. A girl in my program came over to eat with us and brought a couple of dishes, so we had tons of food. We ate a lot. I ate a lot anyway. Pretty much no restraint. Thurs. aft we played games and then in the evening we watched Home Alone and ate some more. By Friday afternoon it had been raining a lot and we all had cabin fever, so we decided to go out. We ate lunch at a place called O'Charleys. Trish and I got catfish. Yes, that's right, I ordered fish. Officially, I like catfish. It was delicious!! Very popular down here and it didn't taste fishy. Maybe because they get it right out of the bayou? After lunch we decided to battle the crowds and go to the mall. It really wasn't as bad as I was expecting. The mall has super cheap movies, so we saw the new James Bond movie for $2.50!!! That's what I'm talking about!! I thought it was good. Then we went home, ate more food and hung out and talked and David worked on his photography class. I admire David's artistic talent a lot -- especially with writing and photography. He holds most of the creative talent in our family for sure. That evening we made caramel apples and drank wassail (sp?). David went home on Sat. morn. After he left Trish and I went to this big park in West Monroe to exercise. It was cold and misty still, but definitely needed the exercise. The trees here are just now at the peak for changing, so the park was especially beautiful. I haven't seen trees this brilliant in a long, long time, maybe never. Really gorgeous. We didn't do too much the rest of the day. Oh, we did try out a new coffee shop. Wouldn't have known it existed except that Trish looked some up. We ate dinner and watched Mary Tyler Moore on my computer. It's my new favorite show. Fancast.com. Then there was church on Sunday and Tricia headed out after lunch. Annnnd, one of the most exciting parts of the weekend was that Trish brought me a dresser, and put it together!!! I'm no longer living out of a suitcase. Also I had some curtains I had found really cheap at Ross, and have been trying and wanting to get them up, but to no avail. So, she put those up, single-handedly. I told her like 50 bazillion times how glad I was that she did it, but still there's no way to put my gratitude into words. Yes, this may seem like an extreme response. But, if you are the kind of person who does stuff like that well, you are a great person in my opinion. Whether you like to do it or not, that is a big service for the rest of us who don't have a clue. Tricia will now confirm that I don't have a clue after some of my dumb questions while putting the dresser together. I do NOT enjoy building things or anything that involves any kind of mechanics and when I say mechanics, I'm talking about anything from working on a car, to putting a vacuum cleaner together, to hammering a nail in straight, to using a screwdriver. My brain does not work that way. I was, still am very appreciative. It's been really nice having them up. My pictures didn't turn out that well, but here's the idea.
This is finals week for me. I should be studying right now, but I decided to procrastinate some more by doing this. This Thurs. night our first-year class is having a tacky Christmas party. It's going to be hilarious.
Phil, a friend we met in Korea, is coming to visit this weekend. He's at Heather's right now, and then he will be driving over. He's from England, so I'm trying to come up with some very American and Louisianan things to do and see. Wal-Mart and Sonic are about all I've got right now. One night some friends from church are getting together and going to this cajun restaurant in the country.
Tricia and David came this last week for Thanksgiving. I really enjoyed them being there. Our meal was quite excellent, if I do say so myself. Especially for a first time. We all cooked in some way. I especially enjoyed our dressing and pies -- thanks, Mom, for the recipes. A girl in my program came over to eat with us and brought a couple of dishes, so we had tons of food. We ate a lot. I ate a lot anyway. Pretty much no restraint. Thurs. aft we played games and then in the evening we watched Home Alone and ate some more. By Friday afternoon it had been raining a lot and we all had cabin fever, so we decided to go out. We ate lunch at a place called O'Charleys. Trish and I got catfish. Yes, that's right, I ordered fish. Officially, I like catfish. It was delicious!! Very popular down here and it didn't taste fishy. Maybe because they get it right out of the bayou? After lunch we decided to battle the crowds and go to the mall. It really wasn't as bad as I was expecting. The mall has super cheap movies, so we saw the new James Bond movie for $2.50!!! That's what I'm talking about!! I thought it was good. Then we went home, ate more food and hung out and talked and David worked on his photography class. I admire David's artistic talent a lot -- especially with writing and photography. He holds most of the creative talent in our family for sure. That evening we made caramel apples and drank wassail (sp?). David went home on Sat. morn. After he left Trish and I went to this big park in West Monroe to exercise. It was cold and misty still, but definitely needed the exercise. The trees here are just now at the peak for changing, so the park was especially beautiful. I haven't seen trees this brilliant in a long, long time, maybe never. Really gorgeous. We didn't do too much the rest of the day. Oh, we did try out a new coffee shop. Wouldn't have known it existed except that Trish looked some up. We ate dinner and watched Mary Tyler Moore on my computer. It's my new favorite show. Fancast.com. Then there was church on Sunday and Tricia headed out after lunch. Annnnd, one of the most exciting parts of the weekend was that Trish brought me a dresser, and put it together!!! I'm no longer living out of a suitcase. Also I had some curtains I had found really cheap at Ross, and have been trying and wanting to get them up, but to no avail. So, she put those up, single-handedly. I told her like 50 bazillion times how glad I was that she did it, but still there's no way to put my gratitude into words. Yes, this may seem like an extreme response. But, if you are the kind of person who does stuff like that well, you are a great person in my opinion. Whether you like to do it or not, that is a big service for the rest of us who don't have a clue. Tricia will now confirm that I don't have a clue after some of my dumb questions while putting the dresser together. I do NOT enjoy building things or anything that involves any kind of mechanics and when I say mechanics, I'm talking about anything from working on a car, to putting a vacuum cleaner together, to hammering a nail in straight, to using a screwdriver. My brain does not work that way. I was, still am very appreciative. It's been really nice having them up. My pictures didn't turn out that well, but here's the idea.
Tricia with her handiwork and she's wearing her new cute glasses.
This really does not show them in all their glory. I love them.
Bring on the snow. Or rain. Actually, I'll be happy if the weather stays just a little cold. "I'm Tom Dubwakva, wight heah in the weathuh centuh." Anybody remember that guy? I don't remember if he was in York or Abilene. Happy first week of December!!
Friday, November 21, 2008
I shall not be, I shall not be moved...
2 weeks and my semester is over!!! It has gone fast. I can really say that although the schoolwork is not my favorite, it is good to be here. This is not so profound, but I started to like it a lot better here when I started looking for ways I could meet other peoples needs instead of feeling sorry for myself and lack of blah blah blah. Of course I'm so far far from doing that perfectly or even well, but it's amazing what a change of mindset can do. I like that God allows us to choose. I could turn this into an argument about free will and predetermination (called by some, predestination), but I don't know where I stand exactly on the matter, so right now in this post I'm taking the position of believing that God gives us free will. Hopefully I will make a little sense, but my mind is all over the place so I won't guarantee it. Also, the fact that this is so amazing to me does not mean it will be to you, so in advance, sorry. Now that I've got my disclaimers out of the way...
Often in life there are things that happen that are not in our control. Very often. Then there are things in life that we may think are out of our control, but really aren't. There are things that we think we have control over, but really don't. And then there are those things that we do actually have control over. I have control of my hands at this moment and am choosing to type the words: yep, I have control. Choice looks different for every single person. A person down the street from me may not have physcial control over her hands. Her daily choices are going to be a lot different than mine will be. This blog is not about things in life that are out of our control.
The main part of choice I like is the ability to make a choice about what I will think about or dwell on and what I value. Some people do not have the ability make these kind of choices, but that's an entirely different discussion. If you have the mental capability to do so, though, this idea is amazing -- to me it is anyway. God, in his perfect love, beyond what I can understand or attempt to describe (although I am attempting to briefly describe it right now), gives us choice or free will, to in many ways be part of shaping our own present and future as well as the future of others. [Side note: Have you watched The Truman Show? If you haven't I really recommend it. I think it's a good example of how control doesn't equal love. An engineered, supposedly perfect life, does not beget contentment. I saw part of it last night which has brought on some of these thoughts.] As humans, we need the ability to change - to have the potential for growth. I've had many times in my life when my heart and mind have consistently(key word) been set on despair, on my circumstances/situations, on my past, on my feelings, on my loneliness, on my __________, fill in the blank. By the way, I'm not saying it's bad to feel despairing, sad, or lonely, but rather I'm talking about being stuck there. God, in his generosity, gives us a way out from being stuck in that place of discontentment. He doesn't force me to stay in that place. On the flipside, he doesn't force me to be in a constant state of happiness. [Another side note: If I was in a constant state of happiness, would it really be happiness, since I never got to experience the opposite?] God gives free will. So this is a passage that's come to mind recently (not in my control), and I've chosen to share it (within my control). :)
"Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." Col. 3:1-4 and then on down in verse 12-14: "Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
When I have chosen to think all about myself and value myself above all else, I get frustrated with myself, easily annoyed with other people, I talk bad about others (or even if it's not outright meanness, I put them in a bad light), I eat things that I like to make myself feel better, I watch shows that will make me feel better, I listen to music that will make me feel better or at least music that matches my mood, I go out and buy clothes or furniture to make myself feel better, I complain and tell my situation or story to everyone I know, I sleep a lot, and not surprisingly, I become increasingly discontent.
On the other hand, when I choose to think about God's grace to me, the fact that I've been "raised with Christ", that my "life is hidden with Christ in God", that I "will appear with him in glory", and when I value other people and choose to be patient, compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and forgiving, contentment becomes a reality. Don't get me wrong. This is not about pretending your problems away and not dealing with pain and hurt and grief and sadness. This is about an general attitude that controls your life - what you think about and what you value.
To close, on a totally random note, my house is down to 60 degrees and it's 35 outside and dropping. I'm going to turn the heat on. Didn't make it as long as I hoped, but my hands are pretty much numb right now. Forget the $20 electric bill! Louisiana has gotten colder than I thought. Yay for cold weather!!!!!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
National Pride
Yesterday I waited in line for 1 hour to vote. The lady at the exit poll probably thought I was crazy, since I'm thinking that the American pride emanating from me was visible. I was smiling ridiculously, but what can I say? I love the US! Does anybody else get excited about voting like I do? You would have thought it was my first time to vote. But seriously, I love the whole process. I eat it up every election year and have ever since I was a kid. Hilarious not-so-PC moment of the night was when Sam Donaldson (sp?) said, "Well, it's not over till the fat lady sings. Uh, er, uh, or I mean um, any person of any svelte (sp?)." Not so sure what the future will hold politically: change, levelling of the playing field, spreading of the wealth, less taxes, more taxes, more money for college, world peace, socialism, no more talk radio, and persecution are just a few of the things I've heard mentioned. To hear people talk around campus today, there's a lot of pride, fear, cynicism, disappointment, anger, happiness, hope -- the range of feelings everyone has had about this election is all over the place.
This story is not analogous, but I've been thinking a lot about the story of back in the day when Saul became king and here are the random thoughts that have come to mind. The people were dying for a king. God said okay. The people were happy. God chose the man. The nation became powerful. The man made A LOT of mistakes. God's working was far beyond what the people could see. I'm not trying to make a political point with this. Mainly I'm thinking that it's nice to have history to look back on and see that God is faithful and was always there, both in the good times and the bad times. In history we can see that God wasn't just passively there, but he was often active, whether the people of that time realized it or not.
I'm not adjusted to the time change yet and I haven't gotten much sleep this week because of my paper, which I turned in today!!! So, as they say here in the South, "I need to get in the bed."
Monday, October 27, 2008
Monday
The trees aren't changing colors so much, except for the cypress trees which grow in the water. What I was told is that they are conifers, but the needles(?) change color according to season. They don't fall, but just change color. These trees make the bayous extra beautiful. Fall is by far my favorite season. I'm glad the weather actually feels right for the season now. It is pretty cool here today -- I don't think we got over 60 and it's been in the 40s at night and it was windy.
BUT, I am resolved to not turn on my heater until my house is below 65. Ideally 60 or 62. ha Layers, hot tea, and a very low electricity bill give me a lot of willpower.
Now I need that willpower to transfer over toe the paper I'm writing on dissociative identity disorder. Right now I'm wondering why I ever chose that topic. I do not like research!!!!!
On the flipside, one more day of class this week and we get off for the national conference. Instead of the conference, I'm going to Nacogdoches on Friday!!!
BUT, I am resolved to not turn on my heater until my house is below 65. Ideally 60 or 62. ha Layers, hot tea, and a very low electricity bill give me a lot of willpower.
Now I need that willpower to transfer over toe the paper I'm writing on dissociative identity disorder. Right now I'm wondering why I ever chose that topic. I do not like research!!!!!
On the flipside, one more day of class this week and we get off for the national conference. Instead of the conference, I'm going to Nacogdoches on Friday!!!
Here's a picture I stole from Trish on facebook, from our fun day at the fair a couple weeks ago.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Courage does not equal self-reliance or self-hope or ability or gifts or talents or brilliance...
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
"Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:16-18
"Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, 'Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?'
They replied, 'Certainly, O king.'
He said, 'Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.'" Daniel 3:24, 25
"Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:16-18
"Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, 'Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?'
They replied, 'Certainly, O king.'
He said, 'Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.'" Daniel 3:24, 25
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Fall Break
It's hard to believe, but last Wednesday was the beginning of fall break for me. And what a wonderful break it was. I left Wed. afternoon. Two friends from the math lab, where my GA is, went with me, so that made the trip way faster. We left about 2:45 and after dropping them off at their family's houses, I finally met up with Tricia, Holly, and Aaron at 8:15. We went to this great BBQ place. I know they were starving, so it was great of them to wait. Then afterwards we went to Denny's and got pie and coffee. So good. I love dessert and coffee after a meal. :)
The next day I went to school with Trish. That was a blast. Her kids love her. That we look alike was confirmed by all of her students. Some mistook me for her and some of them were doing double and triple takes between the two of us when they walked into class and saw me. I told them some about Korea and they aske questions. One kid asked me how to say blood in Korean. I was obliviously about to answer, but Trish was signalling to me that I should not, as he was making a gang reference. ha, I'm totally naive about all that stuff. Also, the word for blood in Korean is "pee", so it was good I didn't go there. Since they had the next day off, she did a game day with them, so we played games with them the whole time. She is doing an amazing job teaching them. Definitely a job that will wear you out. She is invested in those kids even after being there a short time, and they know it. That day was her birthday, so I would tell the kids and they would get excited (usually about half of them) and sing her happy birthday. Right after the day ended we went to a gas station and got some dp and peanut butter m and m's to celebrate and went back to her apt.
We walked around the pool, which is in the center of her little commune ha/apt. complex and visited with her friend Adrienne for awhile. I had met her at ACU a couple of times, but didn't really know her. She and her husband are awesome. There are a lot of cool people at this place. It's a great atmosphere -- safe and quiet, especially considering that Trish lives in the hood.
For dinner, Holly made soup, that was very tasty and we watched the Office. After that, Holly (aka Andy) and I (aka Michael Scott) womped up on T and A in Spades, again!!!! We also got to see and play with the new puppies. They are adorable! Little Jessica Jr. is especially cute. Yes, I named a dog after me. They let me, and what better name?
The next day Trish and I got up and went to get a bagel and coffee at Einstein Bagels. Delicious!! As usual, food plays a big role in life enjoyment -- that's why I'm mentioning it. The coffee was vanilla hazlenut. We then went to White Rock Lake aka Exercise Maniac Land to exercise. By the time we got there, I was hyped up enough on coffee and Tricia's inspiring talk about running, I decided to run/jog. I went maybe a 1/2 mile to a mile and walked the rest. The people who exercise there are serious about it, so for a brief time, I experienced the rush of being one of them plus the beauty of the lake. It was a nice time. Then came the aftermath of having sprained my foot or something. I'm not sure what I've done to it, but it's still sore and kind of swollen. Walking the next morning at the lake and then at the fair didn't help, I'm sure.
We met Alex for lunch at Freebirds, a burrito restaurant and had a really nice visit with her. We sat there for several hours talking and catching up.
Next we went on to Holly and Aaron's to meet up with Nat, Ethan, and Holly G. They got there an hour or two after we did. Holly G's little puppy is way cute also. We played card games for awhile and then had dinner. Amazing spaghetti. Seriously, it is some of the best I've had. David got there towards the end of dinner. The rest of the evening we hung out and played games and ate great pumpkin pie and drank coffee. I haven't laughed so hard in awhile as I did while we played this name game that I love (now called Dumb Freakin' Boo) and brought back Write a Book. It was hilarious. Matt and Brittany got there just in time to hear the books that had been written. It was great to see them.
Next day Trish and I went to the lake again to exercise while D slept in. We came back and woke him up so we could walk around the corner to "Taco Joint" and get some breakfast tacos. Wow, we ate out a lot. It worked out well though, as T has just moved into her apt. and is getting settled in still. Came back and got ready to go to the fair and everyone came over so we could walk over. It was about a mile walk from her apt. to the fair, so wasn't bad except for T and Matt, who went back to get T's ID so she could get into the fair. They really did a lot of walking that day. The shows were fun. Most everybody didn't care for the light show, but I really enjoyed it that evening. The huge flames were amazing. Anything that is timed well with music and lights is entertaining to me. Even if it's not timed well, I wouldn't know! I enjoyed it. The food was also a big highlight. After hunting for forever I found the Fried Guacamole which had been recommended by a couple of people. It was actually fried avocado chunks, so it was kind of a let down. The chicken-fried bacon was surprisingly good and so were the spicy olive bites. Those were excellent. Also, the turkey leg was so good. I didn't get all of these, but just tried them. The corn dog I started the afternoon out with was the best corn dog I've had. Again, mixed reviews, by others, but I really enjoyed it. At the end of the day we finally found the building that had the crafts and canned goods. I always like to see how talented people are and think that maybe someday...probably not, but it's fascinating to me what some people can do, especially with quilting.
By the end of the day my legs were about to fall off. I haven't walked that much in forever. We went back to T's and then over to H and A's where we hung out for awhile before D and M and B went back to Oklhoma. It was nice to sit. I think we depleted H and A's coffee during the weekend. We had that and some pumpkin bread she had made. Holly knows how to bake. I've never had anything she's made that wasn't good.
Trish and I spent the night there so we wouldn't have to drive up in the morning. We all went to church at The Branch. Chris Seidman (sp?) had a good lesson on forgiveness. He covered a lot of material and then had kind of a lengthy invitation, but the principles were good. In my opinion. :) On a different note, he reminds me of Jim Carrey. A dramatic, articulate, and entertaining speaker. After church we went to the BBQ place once again. Then it was time to go. I went to pick up the friends and made it back to Monroe by 8:45. I fell into bed exhausted. It was a really, really wonderful fall break. Just what I needed to make it to the next little break, which will be in a couple of weeks. Couldn't have more fun family to hang out with. I'm planning to go visit friend Heather in Nacogdoches, TX and I think (dare I hope?) Rachel is coming also?!!! Can't wait! If you've waded through all this wordiness, have a great rest of the week!
The next day I went to school with Trish. That was a blast. Her kids love her. That we look alike was confirmed by all of her students. Some mistook me for her and some of them were doing double and triple takes between the two of us when they walked into class and saw me. I told them some about Korea and they aske questions. One kid asked me how to say blood in Korean. I was obliviously about to answer, but Trish was signalling to me that I should not, as he was making a gang reference. ha, I'm totally naive about all that stuff. Also, the word for blood in Korean is "pee", so it was good I didn't go there. Since they had the next day off, she did a game day with them, so we played games with them the whole time. She is doing an amazing job teaching them. Definitely a job that will wear you out. She is invested in those kids even after being there a short time, and they know it. That day was her birthday, so I would tell the kids and they would get excited (usually about half of them) and sing her happy birthday. Right after the day ended we went to a gas station and got some dp and peanut butter m and m's to celebrate and went back to her apt.
We walked around the pool, which is in the center of her little commune ha/apt. complex and visited with her friend Adrienne for awhile. I had met her at ACU a couple of times, but didn't really know her. She and her husband are awesome. There are a lot of cool people at this place. It's a great atmosphere -- safe and quiet, especially considering that Trish lives in the hood.
For dinner, Holly made soup, that was very tasty and we watched the Office. After that, Holly (aka Andy) and I (aka Michael Scott) womped up on T and A in Spades, again!!!! We also got to see and play with the new puppies. They are adorable! Little Jessica Jr. is especially cute. Yes, I named a dog after me. They let me, and what better name?
The next day Trish and I got up and went to get a bagel and coffee at Einstein Bagels. Delicious!! As usual, food plays a big role in life enjoyment -- that's why I'm mentioning it. The coffee was vanilla hazlenut. We then went to White Rock Lake aka Exercise Maniac Land to exercise. By the time we got there, I was hyped up enough on coffee and Tricia's inspiring talk about running, I decided to run/jog. I went maybe a 1/2 mile to a mile and walked the rest. The people who exercise there are serious about it, so for a brief time, I experienced the rush of being one of them plus the beauty of the lake. It was a nice time. Then came the aftermath of having sprained my foot or something. I'm not sure what I've done to it, but it's still sore and kind of swollen. Walking the next morning at the lake and then at the fair didn't help, I'm sure.
We met Alex for lunch at Freebirds, a burrito restaurant and had a really nice visit with her. We sat there for several hours talking and catching up.
Next we went on to Holly and Aaron's to meet up with Nat, Ethan, and Holly G. They got there an hour or two after we did. Holly G's little puppy is way cute also. We played card games for awhile and then had dinner. Amazing spaghetti. Seriously, it is some of the best I've had. David got there towards the end of dinner. The rest of the evening we hung out and played games and ate great pumpkin pie and drank coffee. I haven't laughed so hard in awhile as I did while we played this name game that I love (now called Dumb Freakin' Boo) and brought back Write a Book. It was hilarious. Matt and Brittany got there just in time to hear the books that had been written. It was great to see them.
Next day Trish and I went to the lake again to exercise while D slept in. We came back and woke him up so we could walk around the corner to "Taco Joint" and get some breakfast tacos. Wow, we ate out a lot. It worked out well though, as T has just moved into her apt. and is getting settled in still. Came back and got ready to go to the fair and everyone came over so we could walk over. It was about a mile walk from her apt. to the fair, so wasn't bad except for T and Matt, who went back to get T's ID so she could get into the fair. They really did a lot of walking that day. The shows were fun. Most everybody didn't care for the light show, but I really enjoyed it that evening. The huge flames were amazing. Anything that is timed well with music and lights is entertaining to me. Even if it's not timed well, I wouldn't know! I enjoyed it. The food was also a big highlight. After hunting for forever I found the Fried Guacamole which had been recommended by a couple of people. It was actually fried avocado chunks, so it was kind of a let down. The chicken-fried bacon was surprisingly good and so were the spicy olive bites. Those were excellent. Also, the turkey leg was so good. I didn't get all of these, but just tried them. The corn dog I started the afternoon out with was the best corn dog I've had. Again, mixed reviews, by others, but I really enjoyed it. At the end of the day we finally found the building that had the crafts and canned goods. I always like to see how talented people are and think that maybe someday...probably not, but it's fascinating to me what some people can do, especially with quilting.
By the end of the day my legs were about to fall off. I haven't walked that much in forever. We went back to T's and then over to H and A's where we hung out for awhile before D and M and B went back to Oklhoma. It was nice to sit. I think we depleted H and A's coffee during the weekend. We had that and some pumpkin bread she had made. Holly knows how to bake. I've never had anything she's made that wasn't good.
Trish and I spent the night there so we wouldn't have to drive up in the morning. We all went to church at The Branch. Chris Seidman (sp?) had a good lesson on forgiveness. He covered a lot of material and then had kind of a lengthy invitation, but the principles were good. In my opinion. :) On a different note, he reminds me of Jim Carrey. A dramatic, articulate, and entertaining speaker. After church we went to the BBQ place once again. Then it was time to go. I went to pick up the friends and made it back to Monroe by 8:45. I fell into bed exhausted. It was a really, really wonderful fall break. Just what I needed to make it to the next little break, which will be in a couple of weeks. Couldn't have more fun family to hang out with. I'm planning to go visit friend Heather in Nacogdoches, TX and I think (dare I hope?) Rachel is coming also?!!! Can't wait! If you've waded through all this wordiness, have a great rest of the week!
Monday, September 29, 2008
"I believe in the sun..."
I really like this song. Supposedly the chorus was found on the wall of concentration camp. For some reason I'm being blocked from putting the video straight on here. Probably because I'm not doing it right. :) Oh well, just click on the link.
This song is a great reminder that faith/belief/trust is a decision or an attitude, not the way you feel. By the same token, belief is more than logic.
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=0fe7e0f4f3b9f5f402f5
This song is a great reminder that faith/belief/trust is a decision or an attitude, not the way you feel. By the same token, belief is more than logic.
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=0fe7e0f4f3b9f5f402f5
Friday, September 19, 2008
Happy Day
Tofutti has done it again. They have one of the best dairy free ice creams I've tried. I went to Brookshires (pronounced Brook-sures here rather than Brook-shires) to pick up some groceries and decided I would look again for Tofutti sour cream and cream cheese. This store has a pretty good selection of gluten free foods and organic foods, but not so good on dairy free. I still couldn't find what I was looking for, so I think I'm going to put in a request at customer service. Do people do that? I'm going to try. Anyway, as I came to end of the ice cream isle, after looking longingly at the whole row, I found a huge selection of sorbet and dairy free ice cream!! I've tried the Cuties made by Tofutti before and they are good. They had a lot of those and also pints of "frozen dessert" in different flavors. They had a couple of other brands too, but I wanted to try Tofutti and it didn't let me down. I got vanilla fudge and indulged in a delicious milkshake tonight. Yummm.
This may be interesting to like 2 people besides myself, but oh well. My camera's still broken, so that's the reason for the off-centeredness. As another side note, my kitchen coutertops look like that, but a brighter/darker color of green than you can see in the picture. The picture makes it look like a gray marble something, but it's not. It's green.
The weekend is here. Celebrate with some ice cream!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Respite for the old tailbone
Here's my new chair!! 
This is the building I live in. My apartment is the door you can fully see on the left.
This is the building right next to mine that burned three days after I moved here. 
Here are the Sawtooth mountains near Stanley, ID. Kind of random.
And here's one more picture of my little chair. :)
Friday, September 12, 2008
Friday
TGIF!!! Fridays are extra nice now because I don't have class on Fri. It's like having two Saturdays. Because of that I should be getting tons of work done, but I've been finding little things to do to occupy my time instead of homework and reading: check e-mail, check facebook, read blogs, eat a little snack, check e-mail, listen to the radio (particularly Sean Hannity sp?), eat lunch or another snack, check e-mail, check facebook, go to the store, go check my mail, maybe text message a few people in between all of these things, and maybe do a little reading or homeowrk in between. Very lame. I think I'm going to begin limiting myself to one e-mail check a day. I got into this habit of over-checking all of these forms of communication when I was in Daegu, got out of the habit while I was at home, and now I'm back in the habit. This bad cycle happens for two reasons. One, it helps me feel connected to people even if I'm not, and two, it helps me delay the work I need to do. So, no more! Maybe I'll limit my check to twice a day + try to actually respond to people instead of just checking it. Okay, enough on that.
Here's what's been happening. We're supposed to get some wind and thunderstorms from Hurricane Ike, but it's not supposed to be as bad as Gustav. Yesterday, the tank on my toilet overflowed while I was gone for an hour, so I came back to a slightly flooded bathroom. It was an easy fix. Something had come out of place in the tank. Anyway, when I went to tell the office about it, they asked me what color of chair I would prefer for my apt. They had two to choose from, from corporate that are in good shape, that they're giving away if people need it, so I willingly took this cute little blue chair. God is so generous!! I really love this little chair. I also love the management at these apts. The maintenence man observed that I could use some furniture when he was in doing a work order and his wife and step-daughter, the office manager, all jumped on board. They are great.
Today is Fri. so I went to Happy Hour at Sonic and got a DP. Chrissy, everytime I go to Sonic now, I think about what my mom told me about Cooper thinking the trip is to get water. Do I have the story right?
The college/young professional class at church is studying A Purpose Driven Life. Looks like it's going to be a good study. I've tried reading it before, but couldn't get into it, so maybe reading a chapter a week will work out better. They do "house church" on Sun. night which is the same as a small group/care group/cell group/whatever you want to call it. Everybody's been very welcoming. My expectations for finding a church I liked were low coming here, although I was hoping to find one I could get involved in quickly. I had a definite negative stereotype of what churches are like in the South. This place is Christ-centered, sincere, warm, welcoming, open-minded, and very mission/outreach oriented. And I love the musical worship. Really great. Don't get me wrong, it's not perfect, but I'm thankful to find a place so quickly. Now it's time for me to get disciplined and plug myself in. Recently, I've talked with several people about the importance for community. No doubt I've written about this before, but I'm going to again.
Not a single person was created in isolation. We weren't born into it. We can't survive in it. Relationally, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and even physically (have I missed any?), isolation is cancer. When people let themselves become isolated, it often (usually?) destroys the relationships they did have. Isolations cuts people off from understanding others, which in turn creates more isolation and often a lot of pain for all parties involved. Part of the problem a lot of people have with wanting to be part of a community -- church, town organization, spending time with family, spending time with co-workers, etc. is that they've been poorly treated in their socializing experience. That is unfortunate, but it does not mean that it's not valuable to have solid relationships with people who care about you and who you can mutually care for. I'm not talking about constant interaction, but everyone can use and can benefit from having people -- at least one person, but two or more is better, I think -- they can depend on. The key factor I saw last year with my clients that I think determined their poor mental health, was poor socialization they experienced. Problem #2 was that I, as one worker, could not meet the needs they had for relationship. These people did not have the skills to create meaningful relationships and the majority of people they knew had no desire to create meaningful relationships with them. Many people who are isolated are surrounded by people physically, and do not experience real community. Real relationships and real community comes out of mutual openess and trust. It doesn't happen overnight, and it's not something that just happens to you. It's something that has to be created or developed. It's something you have to be intentional about. I'll put an end to these thoughts, but get out there, out of your comfort zone, get to know people, and let yourself be known. This has very much been a pep talk for myself. There's no pressure I would put on any of you, that I'm not having to forcefully put on myself. I'm no expert at putting myself out there and it's difficult everytime I do it, but it's always, always worth it.
Here's what's been happening. We're supposed to get some wind and thunderstorms from Hurricane Ike, but it's not supposed to be as bad as Gustav. Yesterday, the tank on my toilet overflowed while I was gone for an hour, so I came back to a slightly flooded bathroom. It was an easy fix. Something had come out of place in the tank. Anyway, when I went to tell the office about it, they asked me what color of chair I would prefer for my apt. They had two to choose from, from corporate that are in good shape, that they're giving away if people need it, so I willingly took this cute little blue chair. God is so generous!! I really love this little chair. I also love the management at these apts. The maintenence man observed that I could use some furniture when he was in doing a work order and his wife and step-daughter, the office manager, all jumped on board. They are great.
Today is Fri. so I went to Happy Hour at Sonic and got a DP. Chrissy, everytime I go to Sonic now, I think about what my mom told me about Cooper thinking the trip is to get water. Do I have the story right?
The college/young professional class at church is studying A Purpose Driven Life. Looks like it's going to be a good study. I've tried reading it before, but couldn't get into it, so maybe reading a chapter a week will work out better. They do "house church" on Sun. night which is the same as a small group/care group/cell group/whatever you want to call it. Everybody's been very welcoming. My expectations for finding a church I liked were low coming here, although I was hoping to find one I could get involved in quickly. I had a definite negative stereotype of what churches are like in the South. This place is Christ-centered, sincere, warm, welcoming, open-minded, and very mission/outreach oriented. And I love the musical worship. Really great. Don't get me wrong, it's not perfect, but I'm thankful to find a place so quickly. Now it's time for me to get disciplined and plug myself in. Recently, I've talked with several people about the importance for community. No doubt I've written about this before, but I'm going to again.
Not a single person was created in isolation. We weren't born into it. We can't survive in it. Relationally, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and even physically (have I missed any?), isolation is cancer. When people let themselves become isolated, it often (usually?) destroys the relationships they did have. Isolations cuts people off from understanding others, which in turn creates more isolation and often a lot of pain for all parties involved. Part of the problem a lot of people have with wanting to be part of a community -- church, town organization, spending time with family, spending time with co-workers, etc. is that they've been poorly treated in their socializing experience. That is unfortunate, but it does not mean that it's not valuable to have solid relationships with people who care about you and who you can mutually care for. I'm not talking about constant interaction, but everyone can use and can benefit from having people -- at least one person, but two or more is better, I think -- they can depend on. The key factor I saw last year with my clients that I think determined their poor mental health, was poor socialization they experienced. Problem #2 was that I, as one worker, could not meet the needs they had for relationship. These people did not have the skills to create meaningful relationships and the majority of people they knew had no desire to create meaningful relationships with them. Many people who are isolated are surrounded by people physically, and do not experience real community. Real relationships and real community comes out of mutual openess and trust. It doesn't happen overnight, and it's not something that just happens to you. It's something that has to be created or developed. It's something you have to be intentional about. I'll put an end to these thoughts, but get out there, out of your comfort zone, get to know people, and let yourself be known. This has very much been a pep talk for myself. There's no pressure I would put on any of you, that I'm not having to forcefully put on myself. I'm no expert at putting myself out there and it's difficult everytime I do it, but it's always, always worth it.
Friday, September 5, 2008
"Allllllligator! Allllllllligator! Can be your friend, can be your friend, can be your friend too..."
I was mostly joking on my last blog, but the next day I read this in the newspaper. Where this guy was found is 2.36 miles (I had to look it up) :) from my house. When I came for the interview in the spring, people told me that alligators don't live in the area of the state so much. Yesterday, though, after I was talking with some people about this, they said that yes, there are alligators in the bayous around here. Fishermen see them frequently. I've traded in possibly seeing a bear or mountain lion for seeing an alligator. All those years in the mountains, I never did see a bear like I hoped to. Since I don't have the hope of seeing one now, I've exchange that hope for seeing an alligator in real life. Not at the zoo. And not outside my door. But I wouldn't mind seeing one swimming in the bayou, or walking through the neighborhood at a distance. I'm glad my new phone is a camera phone. I'm ready!!!! Bring it on!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain...
It is raining, raining, raining here. Yesterday afternoon the wind and rain started and it picked up throughout the night. I (not a big fan of storms) didn't sleep so well. The normal amount of bright light coming through my window wasn't there because the power was out and everything was really quiet except for the rain and wind. It's interesting all the noise electricity makes that you don't notice until it's out.
Because of the severe weather predicted and I guess the general chaos the hurricane has created, they cancelled classes today and tomorrow. I was excited at first. Now I'm getting kind of bored. It's a good chance to catch up on reading, on the plus side. This afternoon I went to the mall to walk some and to Sonic for a DP since I was experiencing a little cabin fever. :) I got home just before the deluge started around 4:30. It's been pouring hard for the last 4 hours. There was a flash flood warning until 10:30 this eve. but they've extended it until tom. morn. For the most part, I don't think there's been a lot of wind damage here. Some of the siding on an apt. building across from me is halfway off and making an annoying scratching sound as the wind is trying to tear it off, but other than that, I haven't seen too much debris around.
A lot of the southern parishes aren't letting residents come back until Fri. because they've got to clear the streets of debris, and in some parishes they have to get the water and sewage systems in working order again. Another interesting reason I heard they don't want residents to go back yet is because with the flooding there may be a lot of alligators, snakes, and other varmints wandering around -- in and out of yards and houses. Hopefully we won't have that issue here. :) I was imagining walking out of my apt. and seeing an alligator and then I imagined one somehow getting in my apt. and me having to throw a blanket over it and wrestle it back out the front door while at the same time trying to call the police or animal control or whatever. No, this is not a strange dream. This is my strange train of thought that I'm going to blame on sitting in my apt. for several days straight and listening to too much Gustav coverage. Did you guys hear the story several months ago of the lady, I think in Florida, who found an alligator in her house? Stories like that have also contributed to my overactive imagination. I know some of you can come up with way better alligator stories than mine, so if you think of one -- or more than one, please share. I'm in serious need of some entertainment.
I was going to write more, but I'm going to go ahead and post this because the lights have been flickering. Time to get my little pocket radio out. Talk radio is becoming my good friend. With the exception of Albert? Arthur? Greg? somebody Norry? I think he's the new late night Art Bell? I'm not a fan of him. I decided last night the wind was better than listening to him. Okay, I really am through. :)
Because of the severe weather predicted and I guess the general chaos the hurricane has created, they cancelled classes today and tomorrow. I was excited at first. Now I'm getting kind of bored. It's a good chance to catch up on reading, on the plus side. This afternoon I went to the mall to walk some and to Sonic for a DP since I was experiencing a little cabin fever. :) I got home just before the deluge started around 4:30. It's been pouring hard for the last 4 hours. There was a flash flood warning until 10:30 this eve. but they've extended it until tom. morn. For the most part, I don't think there's been a lot of wind damage here. Some of the siding on an apt. building across from me is halfway off and making an annoying scratching sound as the wind is trying to tear it off, but other than that, I haven't seen too much debris around.
A lot of the southern parishes aren't letting residents come back until Fri. because they've got to clear the streets of debris, and in some parishes they have to get the water and sewage systems in working order again. Another interesting reason I heard they don't want residents to go back yet is because with the flooding there may be a lot of alligators, snakes, and other varmints wandering around -- in and out of yards and houses. Hopefully we won't have that issue here. :) I was imagining walking out of my apt. and seeing an alligator and then I imagined one somehow getting in my apt. and me having to throw a blanket over it and wrestle it back out the front door while at the same time trying to call the police or animal control or whatever. No, this is not a strange dream. This is my strange train of thought that I'm going to blame on sitting in my apt. for several days straight and listening to too much Gustav coverage. Did you guys hear the story several months ago of the lady, I think in Florida, who found an alligator in her house? Stories like that have also contributed to my overactive imagination. I know some of you can come up with way better alligator stories than mine, so if you think of one -- or more than one, please share. I'm in serious need of some entertainment.
I was going to write more, but I'm going to go ahead and post this because the lights have been flickering. Time to get my little pocket radio out. Talk radio is becoming my good friend. With the exception of Albert? Arthur? Greg? somebody Norry? I think he's the new late night Art Bell? I'm not a fan of him. I decided last night the wind was better than listening to him. Okay, I really am through. :)
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Heat and humidity, but at least it's sunny
Reading, reading, reading is my life right now. It seems like an insurmountable moutain, but as I tried to teach my clients this last year, "I am an overcomer!" It's funny how the things you tell other people can come back to haunt you. Haunt in a good way. My favorite quote right now is 2 Cor. 12:8: "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Let's just say that God has the open door to be very powerful in my life right now. For the most part I'm enjoying my classes and what I'm learning. Not so much my research class, but by the grace of God I will get through.
Monday evening I had a little excitement. I turned my oven on to cook chicken and rice and a second later it made a loud popping sound. I jerked around and sparks and smoke were flying out of the closed oven. I was on the phone with mom, so I hung up really fast, looked inside and when I saw that there was a fire at the back (I hadn't put the chicken and rice in yet) without hesitating I called 911. Maybe a little hasty, but when the firemen got here, they said it was better safe than sorry. I ran down and got one of my neighbors. When he came and looked at it, the fire was out. The maintenence man came and the firefighters came and said that it looked like the element broke. It was a very old oven that's never been replaced, I think. Needless to say, after the big fire a couple of weeks ago and that little one, I'm a little jumpy when I hear any loud noises, smell smoke, hear sirens, etc.
I really like the chuch I've been going to. It's big, but people have been very friendly and welcoming. In the program, I like my classmates for the most part. :) I need to like all of them anyway. We have several strong personalities that like to dominate, but I guess that's how it usually goes. "These are the times that try men's souls..." Just kidding. There are some super, super nice people in class also.
In state news, Hurricane Gustav is on it's way. I've filled up my car with gas, bought jugs of water, and gotten a little cash, have some candles, and have my little radio ready. They're saying we could get some severe weather from it, so I'm getting prepared. :) Thanks Mom, for the good tips. I think that mandatory evacuation of New Orleans began today. The state seems to be very prepared this time around and they aren't taking any risks. Monroe hotels are full and a lot of people will be evacuated here, it sounds like. Well, Frank old boy, that about wraps it up. For the nightly news, I'm Charles Bluewater. Good night. :)
Monday, August 18, 2008
On the bayou
One nice thing about living here are the buzzing locust(s?) outside. I love that sound. They are buzzing loudly right now. A lot of people hate it, but it reminds me of when I was little when we lived in Columbia. The dog days of summer.
I don't have much new to write on. Classes started officially today. I will have one, three hour class Mon through Thurs. For the class today, Therapeutic Alliance (fancy name for how to build good rapport with people and interviewing), the professor was out of town, so a GA filled in. We got out after an hour. Easy, easy so far. There are a couple of assignments in that class, but nothing huge yet. The class I'm worried about is Research which will be on Thurs.
After class I went to the Math Resource Center where I will be a GA for freshman math classes. I didn't actually start yet and don't know exactly what I'll be doing, but I think I'll be taking roll and checking on freshman who miss class. It's part of the student success center which is what it's name says it is and the part I'm working in is making sure freshmen don't fall through the cracks.
Did I mention in the last post that I have great neighbors? They are so kind and quick to offer to help. They helped me move in a desk I got the other day, have been very reassuring about this apartment complex, gave me a phonebook, and one has invited me to church if I'm looking for a church home. Which, I've visited a place I like pretty well. Trish went with me last week and then I went again this week and really like it so far. Lindsey and her husband, the one I stayed with for the interview, go there. It is big, so it will take some initiative on my part to get involved, but I like it a lot.
I got my bed on Saturday. It is really nice to not be on the floor. Now for a couch or futon. Now for money. Oh wait, there is no money! It's back to the Asian way of doing things. I did find a cheap vacuum cleaner that took me 2 hours to assemble. If I don't have a couch to sit on, I like to have a clean floor. When I opened the box, there was a big stop sign on a piece of paper saying that if I had problems assembling it, then to not take it to the store but send it back to the manufacturers. That was a bad sign. The holes for some of the screws were too small. Maybe with a power drill it would work, but it took all of my strength (no jokes please) to get those stupid screws in. Anyway, the vacuum cleaner is together now and works!! There is no doubt in my mind now that I do not like to assemble things. I am way, way, way un-mechanically minded.
Good night from the Bayou! By the by, the closest one to me is Bayou Desiard. Still don't know how to pronounce it.
I don't have much new to write on. Classes started officially today. I will have one, three hour class Mon through Thurs. For the class today, Therapeutic Alliance (fancy name for how to build good rapport with people and interviewing), the professor was out of town, so a GA filled in. We got out after an hour. Easy, easy so far. There are a couple of assignments in that class, but nothing huge yet. The class I'm worried about is Research which will be on Thurs.
After class I went to the Math Resource Center where I will be a GA for freshman math classes. I didn't actually start yet and don't know exactly what I'll be doing, but I think I'll be taking roll and checking on freshman who miss class. It's part of the student success center which is what it's name says it is and the part I'm working in is making sure freshmen don't fall through the cracks.
Did I mention in the last post that I have great neighbors? They are so kind and quick to offer to help. They helped me move in a desk I got the other day, have been very reassuring about this apartment complex, gave me a phonebook, and one has invited me to church if I'm looking for a church home. Which, I've visited a place I like pretty well. Trish went with me last week and then I went again this week and really like it so far. Lindsey and her husband, the one I stayed with for the interview, go there. It is big, so it will take some initiative on my part to get involved, but I like it a lot.
I got my bed on Saturday. It is really nice to not be on the floor. Now for a couch or futon. Now for money. Oh wait, there is no money! It's back to the Asian way of doing things. I did find a cheap vacuum cleaner that took me 2 hours to assemble. If I don't have a couch to sit on, I like to have a clean floor. When I opened the box, there was a big stop sign on a piece of paper saying that if I had problems assembling it, then to not take it to the store but send it back to the manufacturers. That was a bad sign. The holes for some of the screws were too small. Maybe with a power drill it would work, but it took all of my strength (no jokes please) to get those stupid screws in. Anyway, the vacuum cleaner is together now and works!! There is no doubt in my mind now that I do not like to assemble things. I am way, way, way un-mechanically minded.
Good night from the Bayou! By the by, the closest one to me is Bayou Desiard. Still don't know how to pronounce it.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Wow, it's been awhile. I just got internet set up in my apartment this afternoon. Yay!!!! There's nothing like having to wait for something to make you really appreciate it. Things I am really going to appreciate once I have them: a couch, chairs, a dresser (or as most people here say "chester drawers"). a tv, and the list could go on. It's good to live as a pauper though, for that very reason that you appreciate things more. And you learn what is essential and what's not.
So, let me back up. A little over 2 weeks ago, Tricia came with me to Monroe to apartment hunt. We ended up finding one that was even more reasonable than the one that didn't work out. It's $430 a month + electricity. There are cheaper around, but none were available at the time, and this is a 6 month lease. I was kind of leary about taking it because I was not able to see it first, but after taking the advice of Trish and some of the people in the program, I put the deposit down same day. Then last Wednesday I moved over. Once again, my lovely sister assisted me. And now if you don't care for detail, skip on down probably through the whole blog because this is for those who like myself like all the little details. The apartment is very spacious. My living room is the size of my entire apartment in Korea. Then there's a small dining room, galley kitchen directly across from the dining room, walk-in hall closet, decently sized bathroom, and a huge bedroom that's the size of the living room with two huge closets. Really this apartment would be ideal for two people, but I'll enjoy all this space. It is older. The wallpaper in the kitchen is some kind of floral/fruit pattern (not pretty) and in the bathroom it's a strange green and brown stripe wallpaper. This place has a very odd smell also. Faint cigarette smoke combined with the smell of ramen noodles or something like that. Whatever it is, it's not good, so I've been burning lots of candles. There are (or were--now there are two, but I'll get to that in a minute) three washaterias aka laundry rooms in the apartment complex. The complex total has 12 or 13 buildings, I think, with 8 or more apts in each building.
My two biggest concerns moving in were safety and varmints. So far, the area seems to be quite safe. The people seem nice. As far as pests go, well tonight I had to kill one. I had a gecko right inside the door. I was very sad to see that there are those here. Very sad. I got my fill of them in Abilene. Transparent bodies with beady little eyes. The thing wouldn't die. I think one of my neighbors was about to come see what was going on because I was making a lot of noise beating it with the broom. I've been assured that it's a matter of time until I have a roaches or a water bugs, but so far, so good on that note. I'll be glad when my bed gets here. That may not keep the things away from me, but somehow it just seems better.
And now for the story of the week. Saturday morning I got up to hit garage sales and hunt for furniture and spent the morning out around Monroe and West Monroe. Around 12:30 as I was arriving back to my apartment when I saw huge smoke coming from the area where I live. Just as I was getting there, the first fire truck was arriving. As I drove up I was sure that it was my building that was on fire and that somehow I was responsible. Why I thought that, I don't know, but I was sure that I had left some appliance on like the coffee maker or straightener and that I was responsible for the building burning down. As I got closer I saw that it wasn't my building, but that it was the building immediately next to the one that I live in. The fire was pretty big. A lot of fire trucks came. One of them used the really huge ladder (imagine the toy fire truck you played with as a kid) to get above the the fire and spray water down on the fire. I've never seen anything like it. The smoke was terrible. No one was hurt. I did hear that a few animals didn't make it. Apparently there were a lot of animals in that building. As they were getting the fire put out I was talking with a guy who was friends with a couple in that building. He said that they got all of their pets out except for their corn snake and a couple of fish. He said he wasn't too sad about the snake because the snake bit him once. For some reason, I had a bad feeling that the snake would escape its cage and end up on my front porch one day, but he described the tank and said there was no way it could escape. Once the fire was put out and they started seeing what they could recover from inside, I looked up, and here came the guy who lived there carrying his precious snake. Amazing! I don't know how that thing survived, but I had a feeling it would. The fish also survived! I feel really bad for these people. Only two of them out of the 8 residences that were destroyed had renter's insurance. Guess I need to check into that myself. They said the fire started from the pool pump right outside the building. It was incredible how fast it spread. On the bright side, crises like that tend to bond people together, so I met some of my neighbors that I would not have met otherwise. My next door neighbors are super nice and have told me that I'm now "part of the family". They look out for each other, so I'm now included. The mother of one of the guys who lived on the end of my building that burned a little decided to take advantage of the moment and have me meet her son. He was still looking stressed from the events, but she in front of several people made it known that he needed to meet this new prospect. Very awkward and hilarious. That plus the stress of the last little while made it hard not to laugh. They were still putting the fire out and she was trying to make sure her son didn't miss this golden opportunity. Everyone reacts differently under stress, that's for sure. This lady was also sure that when my parents heard about this fire that they would want to make me move right back to Idaho. Well, not exactly. That's not how our family works. :) So now, everytime I step outside my door, I smell what at first reminds me of a campfire, but then the smell of melted vinyl siding and wet rotting wood (we've had a lot of rain the last couple of days) hits me. Yeah, so now I've got a nice smell outside my apartment as well as inside. I found some pictures online if you want to see pictures of the fire/what my apt. looks like -- kind of -- minus all the smoke and fire. http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=DI&Date=20080809&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=808090806&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=1
And this has been my experience so far in Monroe. The people here are the friendliest, most warm people I have ever met in my life. I don't know how to respond to it very well.
As usual, I've written more than planned. Too verbose for my own good. And of course it doesn't help that I have no social interaction. School starts next week, so hopefully that will change soon. So long for now.
So, let me back up. A little over 2 weeks ago, Tricia came with me to Monroe to apartment hunt. We ended up finding one that was even more reasonable than the one that didn't work out. It's $430 a month + electricity. There are cheaper around, but none were available at the time, and this is a 6 month lease. I was kind of leary about taking it because I was not able to see it first, but after taking the advice of Trish and some of the people in the program, I put the deposit down same day. Then last Wednesday I moved over. Once again, my lovely sister assisted me. And now if you don't care for detail, skip on down probably through the whole blog because this is for those who like myself like all the little details. The apartment is very spacious. My living room is the size of my entire apartment in Korea. Then there's a small dining room, galley kitchen directly across from the dining room, walk-in hall closet, decently sized bathroom, and a huge bedroom that's the size of the living room with two huge closets. Really this apartment would be ideal for two people, but I'll enjoy all this space. It is older. The wallpaper in the kitchen is some kind of floral/fruit pattern (not pretty) and in the bathroom it's a strange green and brown stripe wallpaper. This place has a very odd smell also. Faint cigarette smoke combined with the smell of ramen noodles or something like that. Whatever it is, it's not good, so I've been burning lots of candles. There are (or were--now there are two, but I'll get to that in a minute) three washaterias aka laundry rooms in the apartment complex. The complex total has 12 or 13 buildings, I think, with 8 or more apts in each building.
My two biggest concerns moving in were safety and varmints. So far, the area seems to be quite safe. The people seem nice. As far as pests go, well tonight I had to kill one. I had a gecko right inside the door. I was very sad to see that there are those here. Very sad. I got my fill of them in Abilene. Transparent bodies with beady little eyes. The thing wouldn't die. I think one of my neighbors was about to come see what was going on because I was making a lot of noise beating it with the broom. I've been assured that it's a matter of time until I have a roaches or a water bugs, but so far, so good on that note. I'll be glad when my bed gets here. That may not keep the things away from me, but somehow it just seems better.
And now for the story of the week. Saturday morning I got up to hit garage sales and hunt for furniture and spent the morning out around Monroe and West Monroe. Around 12:30 as I was arriving back to my apartment when I saw huge smoke coming from the area where I live. Just as I was getting there, the first fire truck was arriving. As I drove up I was sure that it was my building that was on fire and that somehow I was responsible. Why I thought that, I don't know, but I was sure that I had left some appliance on like the coffee maker or straightener and that I was responsible for the building burning down. As I got closer I saw that it wasn't my building, but that it was the building immediately next to the one that I live in. The fire was pretty big. A lot of fire trucks came. One of them used the really huge ladder (imagine the toy fire truck you played with as a kid) to get above the the fire and spray water down on the fire. I've never seen anything like it. The smoke was terrible. No one was hurt. I did hear that a few animals didn't make it. Apparently there were a lot of animals in that building. As they were getting the fire put out I was talking with a guy who was friends with a couple in that building. He said that they got all of their pets out except for their corn snake and a couple of fish. He said he wasn't too sad about the snake because the snake bit him once. For some reason, I had a bad feeling that the snake would escape its cage and end up on my front porch one day, but he described the tank and said there was no way it could escape. Once the fire was put out and they started seeing what they could recover from inside, I looked up, and here came the guy who lived there carrying his precious snake. Amazing! I don't know how that thing survived, but I had a feeling it would. The fish also survived! I feel really bad for these people. Only two of them out of the 8 residences that were destroyed had renter's insurance. Guess I need to check into that myself. They said the fire started from the pool pump right outside the building. It was incredible how fast it spread. On the bright side, crises like that tend to bond people together, so I met some of my neighbors that I would not have met otherwise. My next door neighbors are super nice and have told me that I'm now "part of the family". They look out for each other, so I'm now included. The mother of one of the guys who lived on the end of my building that burned a little decided to take advantage of the moment and have me meet her son. He was still looking stressed from the events, but she in front of several people made it known that he needed to meet this new prospect. Very awkward and hilarious. That plus the stress of the last little while made it hard not to laugh. They were still putting the fire out and she was trying to make sure her son didn't miss this golden opportunity. Everyone reacts differently under stress, that's for sure. This lady was also sure that when my parents heard about this fire that they would want to make me move right back to Idaho. Well, not exactly. That's not how our family works. :) So now, everytime I step outside my door, I smell what at first reminds me of a campfire, but then the smell of melted vinyl siding and wet rotting wood (we've had a lot of rain the last couple of days) hits me. Yeah, so now I've got a nice smell outside my apartment as well as inside. I found some pictures online if you want to see pictures of the fire/what my apt. looks like -- kind of -- minus all the smoke and fire. http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=DI&Date=20080809&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=808090806&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=1
And this has been my experience so far in Monroe. The people here are the friendliest, most warm people I have ever met in my life. I don't know how to respond to it very well.
As usual, I've written more than planned. Too verbose for my own good. And of course it doesn't help that I have no social interaction. School starts next week, so hopefully that will change soon. So long for now.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Last week the hiking trip to Yellowstone didn't work out, so we ended up going to Stanley for the day!! As I wrote in my last blog, I had really wanted to see Stanley and it was way better than expected. It is 2 1/2 hours there on a really curvy road, but we made it with no one getting car sick or killed. The population of Stanley is 100, but Redfish lake is right next to the town and set right below the Sawtooth mountains, so the area gets a lot of tourists in the summer. We went on a hike to Marshall Lake. After seeing it, like A of A, I think it deserves a better name than that. It was this small perfectly clear little pristine lake with a waterfall flowing into it off of one of the jagged Sawtooth mountains. We had to hike about 5 miles back to it. Gorgeous hike. Part of it was in the forest and then a good section of it was in some high meadows that had a lot of wildflowers. I'll try to post pictures on the next one. We started out at 6000 something elevation and had an increase of 1500 feet (took us to 8000 something feet) and then down to the lake 300 feet. My feet were tired by the end. It's a rare day when I hike 10 miles, but it was totally worth it.
Then on Saturday I went rafting with the group that was going camping. My friend Gina came, so that made the day even more enjoyable especially because it turned out to be a wild day. The directions sent out were totally wrong because they had come from google, so we were 2 hours late. Then the campsite was not visible from the dirt road because you had to hike down a steep enbankment 15-20 yards to get to the camp site by the river. We were about to give up on finding it (at this point I was pretty mad because we'd driven almost 2 hours to get up to the area), but decided to drive back down the main road one last time and when we did a couple of the guys had come out to stand by the road to look for us. I was glad that our drive wasn't a waste. Only 6 of us ended up going rafting. Last time, I thought it wasn't that rough, but this time was way harder. I was in the front the whole time and the rapids were more continuous. 3 times we almost fell out or flipped. I don't know how we didn't, except that there were a lot of prayers. It was really good that we didn't fall in because none of us had helmets! All of the helmets were sold out. After we stopped, the guys told us that they had seen a sign earlier that rafting on that section of the river could be dangerous, with rock walls on both sides and wasn't for the "faint-hearted". Great. When we stopped for lunch we found out that part of the raft was partially deflated. Apparently the plug had been hit with an oar and loosened. We were nowhere near the road, and it wasn't too bad, so we kept going. We missed the first area we were supposed to get off, but got off at a beach area were there were some hot springs. The Chinese couple who was with us went over immediately and laid down in them. I think they were kind of chilled from the icy river water. After hanging out there for awhile it was time to take the raft to the car, so we tried to carry it, mostly inflated back the the car on a trail that was like 2 ft wide. We deflated the raft and carried it and the equipment up to the car. And I do mean up. It was quite a hike back to where the car was. I'm glad I didn't have to carry the raft. When we got back to the campground some more people had come. Gina and I headed back home via Idaho City (old capitol and almost ghost town) where we stopped for some ice cream. I heard yesterday that after we left that there was a rattlesnake in the campground. One of the guys decapitated it with a shovel and then they ate it for dinner. While kind of cool, that affirmed the decision not the stay the night.
That covers the recent excitement here. Pray that I'll find an apartment!
Then on Saturday I went rafting with the group that was going camping. My friend Gina came, so that made the day even more enjoyable especially because it turned out to be a wild day. The directions sent out were totally wrong because they had come from google, so we were 2 hours late. Then the campsite was not visible from the dirt road because you had to hike down a steep enbankment 15-20 yards to get to the camp site by the river. We were about to give up on finding it (at this point I was pretty mad because we'd driven almost 2 hours to get up to the area), but decided to drive back down the main road one last time and when we did a couple of the guys had come out to stand by the road to look for us. I was glad that our drive wasn't a waste. Only 6 of us ended up going rafting. Last time, I thought it wasn't that rough, but this time was way harder. I was in the front the whole time and the rapids were more continuous. 3 times we almost fell out or flipped. I don't know how we didn't, except that there were a lot of prayers. It was really good that we didn't fall in because none of us had helmets! All of the helmets were sold out. After we stopped, the guys told us that they had seen a sign earlier that rafting on that section of the river could be dangerous, with rock walls on both sides and wasn't for the "faint-hearted". Great. When we stopped for lunch we found out that part of the raft was partially deflated. Apparently the plug had been hit with an oar and loosened. We were nowhere near the road, and it wasn't too bad, so we kept going. We missed the first area we were supposed to get off, but got off at a beach area were there were some hot springs. The Chinese couple who was with us went over immediately and laid down in them. I think they were kind of chilled from the icy river water. After hanging out there for awhile it was time to take the raft to the car, so we tried to carry it, mostly inflated back the the car on a trail that was like 2 ft wide. We deflated the raft and carried it and the equipment up to the car. And I do mean up. It was quite a hike back to where the car was. I'm glad I didn't have to carry the raft. When we got back to the campground some more people had come. Gina and I headed back home via Idaho City (old capitol and almost ghost town) where we stopped for some ice cream. I heard yesterday that after we left that there was a rattlesnake in the campground. One of the guys decapitated it with a shovel and then they ate it for dinner. While kind of cool, that affirmed the decision not the stay the night.
That covers the recent excitement here. Pray that I'll find an apartment!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
For all of you family and friends in the south, I'm coming down! Less than two weeks -- a little earlier than expected. I'll be leaving on the 25th and getting to Dallas hopefully on the 27th, and then on to Monroe on the 28th to find an apt. The apartment I thought I had lined up ended up falling through, so I'm on the hunt. Still feels like a lot of details are up the air presently about school, finances, and moving, but God's teaching me patience and I'm having to trust, which is good. ha Much easier to write than it is to put into practice.
This week, I'm going hiking with friends Kathy and Tom in Yellowstone. I'm really excited about that. We'll leave Tues. eve. and come back on Thurs. afternoon. Then the college/singles group at church is having a campout this weekend. If my plans weren't in hyperdrive, I would stay the whole time, but I'll go hang out with them for the day and go rafting. My friend Gina is planning to go up with me which will be a blast. I have been so blessed with good friends. I remember in high school really wanting and praying for friends and God has answered that prayer amazingly. I've especially been realizing this since last week on the way back from Red Mountain, we went through Grand Junction and stayed with my friend Andrea's family. They are so great. Her dad Ron has just written a book called Breaking the Cycle of Sin. I'm excited to read that. I then rode back home here with her here so she could visit for a couple of days. She always challenges me so much in my relationship with God, and she is hilarious. I laugh a ton when I'm with her. Thursday evening we met Gina and went to an old downtown-bohemian-green-everyone is riding bicycles for their transportation part of town. We got ice cream. Actually I got sorbet -- frozen lemonade was the flavor and it was delicious.
On our drive back as we got close to Twin Falls I saw the sign for Shoshone Falls (supposed to be "the nigagra of the west") and started talking about how I wished I could go there and McCall and Stanley this summer, but there was just no time or money left to be able to travel. I figured we would be stopping a few miles down the road in Twin Falls and started daydreaming and envisioning myself going to Stanley, ID (kind of lame, I know), when suddenly Andrea was pointing and telling me in a surprisingly calm voice that I was missing the exit that my parents were getting off on. I yanked the wheel hard and we barely made it onto the exit without going into the grass in between the exit and interstate. My parents had decided that we should go to Shoshone Falls! The waterfalls were really beautiful. It was a really hot day though, so we didn't spend a lot of time there. After that we ate dinner in Twin Falls at Golden Corral. Got home late that evening, unpacked, and collapsed into bed.
Red Mountain was great! It was so good to catch up with family and see everybody. Highlights for me were the salad lunch, cajun night, the variety show (especially G and G's skit), crown kebob cookoff, hiking (the one), ragball, and well, I guess I had a lot of highlights. :)
Frances, Frank? Come in Frank! For the BBC, I'm Charles Bluewater. Good Night.
P.S. Andrea told me about a class she's taken where she's been learning how to tell if someone is a wholistic thinker or sequential thinker. So we had a lot of fun with the tests to figure out what category we fell best under. Now that I'm looking at the blog I've just written, maybe I'm a backwardly sequential thinker? Is there such a thing? What are you?
Friday, June 27, 2008
"Changing, gotta keep changing..." -- Old AVB song that maybe 2 people will recognize
Recently I keep thinking of what Heather would say to me in Korea: "You can sleep when you're dead." I've actually been getting pretty decent sleep, but the daytime hours have been exhausting. I'm ready to be done with my job. Coming back from a week in West Virginia (which was great!) to four days of work is weird. My clients started meeting with their new PSR workers while I was gone, then the plan was for me to come back and make the transition final. Maybe it will end up being best for the clients, but I think it's made the transition too drawn out for them. So I'm trying to wrap everything up at work right now which means final visits with clients and calls to people involved with their care. Very, very hectic, but at the same time we've had some really good sessions. I love my clients. I thought I was fine with leaving, but it is tough. Most of the people I work with are amazingly good at verbalizing how they're feeling and letting me see their sadness which is there right now because I'm leaving. Seriously, some of the saddest faces ever, and I'm just as sad as they are to see our time of working together come to an end. They have been delightful. They have taught me so much about sincerity and honesty and overcoming challenges in life.
It's funny how I've been working a lot with my clients on dealing with change, as they will be having to adjust to a new worker, but I haven't been dealing with change the best in my life. Normally, I'm ready for the next thing -- whatever it is. Usually, I'm way excited about what's coming up, but right now I don't care for change too much. I feel like things need to slow down. The song from Jack Johnson, who I really really like a lot, :) keeps coming to mind "Slow down everyone, you're moving too fast..." Yes, I know that change is good for me. I tell my clients all the time that change keeps us from becoming stagnant. I know that God is using all of the change in my life to refine my character and make me into who he wants me to be, but the emotions need to catch up. The hardest part about change for me is when people leave or when you have to leave them (this also includes when people you love change so much that you don't know them anymore). It's hard to really love people and then they're gone. The mutual investment that has been made is gone. Or at least it feels like it is. Memories and influence can live on, which is good. Sometimes it seems easier to me to become more detached and distant so that you don't have to deal with the the discomfort or pain of transition, and that works. But then Alfred Lord Tennyson's quote keeps coming to mind: "Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." That's true. It's worth it.
So my last day at work is June 30th. Then I'm moving to Louisiana at the beginning of August. I think it's going to be great. Do I feel it? No, but I believe God is going ahead of me and with me, so I can say with full assurance that the future will be good.
My friend, Jun, in Daegu, as I was leaving last year said that in Korean they have a quote that says something to the effect of "We're under the same sky". The way she said it is more beautiful that I can say it, but I love it, hence the name of my blog. Knowing that we're still under the same sky, somehow still connected in spirit, makes change and leaving just a little easier.
It's funny how I've been working a lot with my clients on dealing with change, as they will be having to adjust to a new worker, but I haven't been dealing with change the best in my life. Normally, I'm ready for the next thing -- whatever it is. Usually, I'm way excited about what's coming up, but right now I don't care for change too much. I feel like things need to slow down. The song from Jack Johnson, who I really really like a lot, :) keeps coming to mind "Slow down everyone, you're moving too fast..." Yes, I know that change is good for me. I tell my clients all the time that change keeps us from becoming stagnant. I know that God is using all of the change in my life to refine my character and make me into who he wants me to be, but the emotions need to catch up. The hardest part about change for me is when people leave or when you have to leave them (this also includes when people you love change so much that you don't know them anymore). It's hard to really love people and then they're gone. The mutual investment that has been made is gone. Or at least it feels like it is. Memories and influence can live on, which is good. Sometimes it seems easier to me to become more detached and distant so that you don't have to deal with the the discomfort or pain of transition, and that works. But then Alfred Lord Tennyson's quote keeps coming to mind: "Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." That's true. It's worth it.
So my last day at work is June 30th. Then I'm moving to Louisiana at the beginning of August. I think it's going to be great. Do I feel it? No, but I believe God is going ahead of me and with me, so I can say with full assurance that the future will be good.
My friend, Jun, in Daegu, as I was leaving last year said that in Korean they have a quote that says something to the effect of "We're under the same sky". The way she said it is more beautiful that I can say it, but I love it, hence the name of my blog. Knowing that we're still under the same sky, somehow still connected in spirit, makes change and leaving just a little easier.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
What's happening
G and G left on Thursday. They were here for awhile, which was a blast. I really enjoyed visiting with them. Before they came I was remembering how us kids would get so excited to see them that we would wait on the side of the road for them to show up. I still get excited to see them now. We played a lot of games and did a lot of laughing. Just so you know, Grandpa does not like Scattergories. It is too "wild".
This coming Wednesday we're going to West Virginia to see gradparents family there. It's been over two years since I've seen them, so I'm looking very forward to seeing them. I'm so thankful to be able to travel and to stay in touch with family.
Other than travel plans coming up, I've been working a lot. My last day will be July 1st, which is coming up quick. Almost too quick. I'll be sad to leave all my clients. They have been incredible. But, it's time to move onto what's next -- for them and for me. I've been thinking a lot about change being an opportunity for crisis, or an opportunity for growth and refinement (ist that a word?). The growth and refinement perspective is what I'm trying to take or else I can get kind of stressed about whatever's coming up next.
Mid-August is when school starts at ULM. No new news in that area, just that I'll be moving down at the beginning of August.
As for Boise, right now, yesterday I got to go rafting. This last spring and now summer more and more college aged/out of college people have started coming to church so we've been doing a lot of things together. Yesterday one of the guys planned a rafting trip which was awesome. This guy had a been several times, so he was our "guide". I'm not the biggest fan of the water, but it was so fun. There were a some rapids areas that were pretty intense, but the rapids weren't constant, so they said it was probably a 2 class rafting trip. Not sure what that means, but no one fell overboard and we didn't flip. The scenery along the Payette river was gorgeous and the weather was just about perfect. The water was numbing and pretty deep because of all the snow this year, but that has made for good conditions apparently. There were 7 of us in the raft. I got kind of wet along the way, but not soaked so I was feeling pretty good about myself. As we got out of the raft, though, I got tackled into the ice water/sand, so I ended up not making it out as dry as I had planned. ha Anyway, if you ever get a chance to go rafting, definitely go.
I haven't been blogging as much as planned, but with my work winding down, maybe I'll do more? Hope to. :)
This coming Wednesday we're going to West Virginia to see gradparents family there. It's been over two years since I've seen them, so I'm looking very forward to seeing them. I'm so thankful to be able to travel and to stay in touch with family.
Other than travel plans coming up, I've been working a lot. My last day will be July 1st, which is coming up quick. Almost too quick. I'll be sad to leave all my clients. They have been incredible. But, it's time to move onto what's next -- for them and for me. I've been thinking a lot about change being an opportunity for crisis, or an opportunity for growth and refinement (ist that a word?). The growth and refinement perspective is what I'm trying to take or else I can get kind of stressed about whatever's coming up next.
Mid-August is when school starts at ULM. No new news in that area, just that I'll be moving down at the beginning of August.
As for Boise, right now, yesterday I got to go rafting. This last spring and now summer more and more college aged/out of college people have started coming to church so we've been doing a lot of things together. Yesterday one of the guys planned a rafting trip which was awesome. This guy had a been several times, so he was our "guide". I'm not the biggest fan of the water, but it was so fun. There were a some rapids areas that were pretty intense, but the rapids weren't constant, so they said it was probably a 2 class rafting trip. Not sure what that means, but no one fell overboard and we didn't flip. The scenery along the Payette river was gorgeous and the weather was just about perfect. The water was numbing and pretty deep because of all the snow this year, but that has made for good conditions apparently. There were 7 of us in the raft. I got kind of wet along the way, but not soaked so I was feeling pretty good about myself. As we got out of the raft, though, I got tackled into the ice water/sand, so I ended up not making it out as dry as I had planned. ha Anyway, if you ever get a chance to go rafting, definitely go.
I haven't been blogging as much as planned, but with my work winding down, maybe I'll do more? Hope to. :)
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Elder/pastor/shepherd/Jesus
We've been studying about elders/shepherds/pastors at church recently and have had some great lessons. These passages and songs have been really great for me to read and hear. So, this is kind of long, but I love how they fit together. The pictures is from 34th Nottingham Scouts Gallery.
Luke 15:1-7
1Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
John 9:30-38
30The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. 32Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."
34To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
36"Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him."
37Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."
38Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.
34To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
36"Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him."
37Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."
38Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.
John 10:1-18
1"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." 6Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
7Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."
7Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
11"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
14"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."
To Bring You Back by Paul Alan
Are you thirsty, standing in the rain?
Not sure where you are or how you lost your way
Are you drowning
Some bar outside of town?
Searching for something given not found
A crowd of people totally alone
At the front door
Worlds away from home
And light up the night's last regret
Burn your only safety net
Step to the edge it's such a long way down
And I left the ninety-nine to find the one and you're the one
I walked a thousand miles in this desert sun
Only to bring you back
Are you tired of chasing the wind?
Under water, do you aspire to breathe again?
Are you dying?
Is that the best that you can do?
Cause you can't find your place in a world that wasn't meant for you.
A left the ninety-nine to find the one
And you're the one
I walked a thousand miles in this desert sun
Only to bring you back
Hello, it's me i couldn't sleep
I was just counting sheep.
I'm missing you.
Hello, it's me i couldn't sleep
I was just counting sheep.
I left the ninety-nine to find the one
And you're the one
I walked a thousand miles in this desert sun
Only to bring you back.
I left the ninety-nine to find the one
And you're the one I walked a thousand miles in this desert sun
Only to bring you back
Only to bring you back
Give Me Your Eyes by Brandon Heath
Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black tile
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
Are those people going somewhere?
Why have I never cared?
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
yeah yeah yeah yeah
Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide whats underneath
Theres a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
To ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of work
He's buying time
Are those people going somewhere?
Why have I never cared?
I've Been there a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just moving past me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way you see the people all alone
Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black tile
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
Are those people going somewhere?
Why have I never cared?
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
yeah yeah yeah yeah
Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide whats underneath
Theres a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
To ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of work
He's buying time
Are those people going somewhere?
Why have I never cared?
I've Been there a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just moving past me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way you see the people all alone
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Happy Birthday, Kate.
Most of you would know her as the girl that inspired me to teach English overseas. At least now you know her as that, anyway. We went to school together in Abilene, worked together in Abilene, and then went to teach English at Little Genius together. Little did we know that we were friends from way back. Oh, and there was the super fun ski trip to Red River. There have been many other great times too, but that's been one of the best.
This post doesn't make sense so you'll have to go to her blog: http://generalchemistrylaboratory.blogspot.com/ . I love this!!!
This post doesn't make sense so you'll have to go to her blog: http://generalchemistrylaboratory.blogspot.com/ . I love this!!!
Monday, May 5, 2008
"!!!!"
Spring is finally here!! All the trees and flowers are blooming. Allergy season has arrived. So far I haven't had any problems, except for hating the smell of the pretty little purple weed. Is that an allergy? So I've opened the windows tonight, but my dad just closed them as the neighbors smoke and it smells like a "cigarette factory" outside. Bring on the fresh air, cigarette smoke and all, I say!!! After this job, I've become desensitized to the smell of cigarette smoke.
I'm in the process of making plans for going to Monroe. I have a lead on an apartment, but haven't started looking hard yet. Still waiting to hear back about financial aid, but I'm officially registered for classes. More than school right now I'm looking forward to all the summer traveling I get to do. First Cindy and Brad's wedding -- really looking forward to that! Then at the end of June is a family reunion/camping trip in West Virginia. I haven't seen some family on my dad's side in several years. so I'm very excited about that. Time for me to get to know some cousins better! Red Mountain is after that, which will be a blast! Then the move south. All within the next 4 months.
I've been using a lot of "quotation marks" and exclamation points!!! More than I usually "do"!! So, the question is, what are your writing pet peeves? I can't stand overuse of exclamation points!!!!
I'm in the process of making plans for going to Monroe. I have a lead on an apartment, but haven't started looking hard yet. Still waiting to hear back about financial aid, but I'm officially registered for classes. More than school right now I'm looking forward to all the summer traveling I get to do. First Cindy and Brad's wedding -- really looking forward to that! Then at the end of June is a family reunion/camping trip in West Virginia. I haven't seen some family on my dad's side in several years. so I'm very excited about that. Time for me to get to know some cousins better! Red Mountain is after that, which will be a blast! Then the move south. All within the next 4 months.
I've been using a lot of "quotation marks" and exclamation points!!! More than I usually "do"!! So, the question is, what are your writing pet peeves? I can't stand overuse of exclamation points!!!!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Spring was supposed to be here by now, but alas, it is cold again. That's okay, I need to soak in as much coolness as possible before moving south. I don't know if those sentences sound negative, but there is definitely negative thought behind them today. The reason I mention this is because I'm trying to recognize and put a halt to my complaining.
Today I was talking with a friend at church about my week at work and I stated that it was a good week, but really draining because of the negativity I was surrounded with. Then I realized that I had chosen to focus on what was negative about last week rather than what was positive and that the very thing I was complaining about, I was doing!
Is is necessary to recognize and be honest about a negative situation? Of course. Through truth, healing can begin to happen. What's not good though, is after the honesty, to continue to dwell on both mentally and verbally what's negative.
I've been really blessed and challenged by a blog written by a team of friends working in the Czech Republic http://teamolomouc.com/wordpress/. They have been blogging for awhile now on praiseworthy speech. Words have so much power. They have the power to heal and destroy. To quote Sid the Sloth from Ice Age: "I choosth life."
Today I was talking with a friend at church about my week at work and I stated that it was a good week, but really draining because of the negativity I was surrounded with. Then I realized that I had chosen to focus on what was negative about last week rather than what was positive and that the very thing I was complaining about, I was doing!
Is is necessary to recognize and be honest about a negative situation? Of course. Through truth, healing can begin to happen. What's not good though, is after the honesty, to continue to dwell on both mentally and verbally what's negative.
I've been really blessed and challenged by a blog written by a team of friends working in the Czech Republic http://teamolomouc.com/wordpress/. They have been blogging for awhile now on praiseworthy speech. Words have so much power. They have the power to heal and destroy. To quote Sid the Sloth from Ice Age: "I choosth life."
Saturday, April 5, 2008
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. in this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
-1 John 4:15-18-
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. in this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
-1 John 4:15-18-
Brown Indecision
So, I've been thinking a lot about colors since starting this new blog. Trying to find a template I like takes forever for someone who's super indecisive like I am. Choosing the colors I like is even more difficult. Well, I know the colors I like, but choosing colors that are supposed to look good together is the difficult part.
Sometimes I can be one of those people that doesn't care what others think; in fact, that's what I try to go for most of the time. Often though, I care far too much. For instance: is brown ugly? Personally, I love brown, but a good friend can't stand it and even hid some brown pants I had in college. Because she thought they were so hideous, she didn't want me wearing them. :) Situations like that have served to make me both a little self-conscious and also a little rebellious. If I like brown, I'm going to wear it and put it on my blog! I'll even mix black and brown. I know, that is not allowed if you are big into matching, but sometimes I like it and sometimes I think it can be pulled off. Notice how I'm using the word "sometimes" a lot. True trait of an indecisive person. I'm also very indecisive about words I write in letters or notes I'm sending to people. I waste so much time trying to figure out how to word my sentences.
When it comes to indecision, I'm not only indecisive in situations where I care what others will think. I can spend an hour in the tea section at Wal-Mart, trying to decide which one I want. Wild berry zinger or blueberry? Green tea with caffeine or decaf? Will it be perfumey/flowery tasting? Is that too expensive for 20 bags? Maybe I should get several? I've always been indecisive, but these kind of shopping decisions have become ridiculous and worse since I got back from Korea. If you have any theories on why that is, I would love to hear them.
I'm not indecisive about everything. When it comes to big purchases I tend to decide more quickly. I chose and bought a computer in a matter of a few minutes. When I bought my car -- actually both cars I've bought, were bought quickly without much deliberation.
So here's the question: What does indecision indicate about a person's character or personality, if anything? Am I indecisive because I want to please, insecurity, lack of willingness to commit, because I just like a lot of things, I don't know what I want, I can be satisfied with almost anything?
Either I or someone else I know has written a blog about indecision in the last year, so hopefully I'm not repeating someone. Okay, I'm through. Time to pick a new template and maybe switch some colors up a little. :)
Sometimes I can be one of those people that doesn't care what others think; in fact, that's what I try to go for most of the time. Often though, I care far too much. For instance: is brown ugly? Personally, I love brown, but a good friend can't stand it and even hid some brown pants I had in college. Because she thought they were so hideous, she didn't want me wearing them. :) Situations like that have served to make me both a little self-conscious and also a little rebellious. If I like brown, I'm going to wear it and put it on my blog! I'll even mix black and brown. I know, that is not allowed if you are big into matching, but sometimes I like it and sometimes I think it can be pulled off. Notice how I'm using the word "sometimes" a lot. True trait of an indecisive person. I'm also very indecisive about words I write in letters or notes I'm sending to people. I waste so much time trying to figure out how to word my sentences.
When it comes to indecision, I'm not only indecisive in situations where I care what others will think. I can spend an hour in the tea section at Wal-Mart, trying to decide which one I want. Wild berry zinger or blueberry? Green tea with caffeine or decaf? Will it be perfumey/flowery tasting? Is that too expensive for 20 bags? Maybe I should get several? I've always been indecisive, but these kind of shopping decisions have become ridiculous and worse since I got back from Korea. If you have any theories on why that is, I would love to hear them.
I'm not indecisive about everything. When it comes to big purchases I tend to decide more quickly. I chose and bought a computer in a matter of a few minutes. When I bought my car -- actually both cars I've bought, were bought quickly without much deliberation.
So here's the question: What does indecision indicate about a person's character or personality, if anything? Am I indecisive because I want to please, insecurity, lack of willingness to commit, because I just like a lot of things, I don't know what I want, I can be satisfied with almost anything?
Either I or someone else I know has written a blog about indecision in the last year, so hopefully I'm not repeating someone. Okay, I'm through. Time to pick a new template and maybe switch some colors up a little. :)
Thursday, April 3, 2008
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