An Emergency Room Christmas

This has been one interesting Christmas. Right now I'm sitting in the emergency room waiting room with Amy and Dan and a man comforting his in-labor wife while watching the Brian Setzer orchestra perform a jolly rendition of "Jingle Bells" on the Late Show blasting through a cheesy mounted television. Don't worry, nobody got cut slicing the turkey or anything. Dad's suffering from some tingly feet syndrome we feared might turn into something worse if he let it wait until tomorrow to check out. So here we are... Christmas night... in the ER.

I'm thankful though. I could just imagine what other people are going through right now. I know the True Meaning of Christmas and I'm thankful for the Greatest Gift I could have ever gotten through Jesus! I also have a family who loves me and I'm going on a cruise in T minus 12 days, so there's nothing to complain about.

Anyways, I just thought I'd record this moment while I'm sitting here. Hopefully Dad will be OK soon. I'm going to go play Uno.

Cold

It's still cold here.

Trashy Movies

This post is inspired by a conversation with my dear friend Allison and the recent viewing of the classic "White Christmas" with Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen.




I watched this movie this weekend and went away feeling so good about life and Christmas and everything. It struck me that there are rarely any movies these days that can have that same effect on me. 75% of the movies out today are either trashy, inappropriate, riddled with f-bombs or so violent they leave your heart heavy. Why do I put myself through that? Also, I can't think of one movie made in the last 5 years that did not include premarital sex as part of the romantic story between two people (in my opinion, there's NOTHING romantic about sex with anyone other than your beloved and committed spouse). If you can name me one movie made recently that is set in present-day that does not include premarital sex or sexual references, I'll make you some cookies.

And on the topic of violence in films, I think I've become so desensitized to killing that I've found myself cheering for the protagonist when they finally kill their enemy. Now, I know we are not supposed to value evil in this world, but hoping for somebody to die is not necessarily right either. I know it's fiction, but I believe all of the things that we allow into our heads and hearts effect our attitudes and walk with God.

This also goes for language in films. I'm going to be completely honest and say that there have been times since I've been seriously walking with the Lord that I've let a word or two that don't honor God slip out when I've been really scared or something sudden happened or I was just downright frustrated. Those words are in my mind because I've let them in through the movies I've watched. Again, these "little" things can have a HUGE effect on my character.

I don't want to condone values that go against the Word of God. I'm not perfect either. Some of my favorite movies have these elements in them. Some films I love just because of the beauty in them- the cinematography, symbolism, the history or dialogue- which I sometimes use to justify watching despite their shady content. Sometimes I love movies because they have great quotes (The Sandlot, Elf, That Thing You Do, Mean Girls, etc).

Anyways, I'm finding that my movie tastes are changing as I'm losing more and more tolerance for the stuff that's out there. Some of my favorites are these old time movies that had real artists in them- they could act, sing, dance and be hilarious and incredibly romantic all at the same time! Go watch "White Christmas," "It's A Wonderful Life," "Rear Window," or even new movies like "Pride and Prejudice." You'll love them and have more of an appreciation of the Hollywood that deserves more respect than the current one. And feel free to pass on to me any good flicks that are truthful and worthy of watching, because there's always Someone watching us.

These are just my random and disconnected thoughts. What do you think?

Smooooothies!

Well, I'm a person who gets on food kicks. The latest one is the smoothie, and I have to admit that I think this kick will last for a while. I have a friend who worked at a popular smoothie-chain place who told me what was in them, and after making my own for a few months I've realized how delicious they are. Now I will share this love with you! It's simple! All you need to do is mix up:
1. Juice. I prefer orange juice, but you can probably use apple juice if you like the less tart and tangy types of smoothies
2. Yogurt. I buy the Wal-Mart brand of fat-free, 80-calorie yogurt-- either vanilla or strawberry-banana
3. Fruit. Fresh fruit is nice. However, if you use fresh fruit, you will also need to add ice to the blend so it's not entirely liquidy. The solution is to use frozen fruit. It's way cheaper, especially in the winter when fruits are out of season, and this way you don't have to add ice. My preference is strawberries and pineapples. I even cut up bananas and freeze them for later. This is where you can get really creative. They sell blueberries, raspberries, etc at the store, so go nuts!

Throw that all in a blender and frappe it until it has a nice consistency. Seriously, it can't get any easier. I can make one of these in about a minute TOPS. If you go this route, you will save a lot of money by not buying Jamba Juice, and these are healthier because you know what's in them (at JJ, they put ice cream in some of them, making them not-as-healthy-as-you-think).

I hope you give the homemade smoothie a try.

Until the next food kick,
Jenny

Vacay

OK, so I totally abbreved "vacation." Sorry for all of you who don't like that. Anyhoo, it's Sunday afternoon and the thought of going to class and work tomorrow is weighing over me like a dark cloud, but not as much as a doctor's appointment I have on Tuesday that might confirm some long-held suspicions I've had about something. But I'll get to that on Tuesday.
For the rest of you students, there's a light ahead! We have one week of class, dead week (which we all agree should be reformed into a completely classless week like the name suggests) and then finals!!! Then there is freedom for a few brief weeks that might mean chilling at home watching "The Christmas Story" a few days in a row and making hundreds of sugar cookies and then going on a family cruise! That will be my vacation. What are you going to be up to?
You should get in the Christmas spirit by coming to our holiday toga party. Fun will be had by all!

Oh The Glory Of It All

We sang this at Paradigm last night and it brought so much back to my mind about who God is. We actually sang this song a lot at O-week when we were getting trained to go overseas- it was a week where I experienced who God is and learned so much about His heart for the world. This song brought all of those moments back to my mind and it was encouraging to sing about His light and salvation and the fact that we will never be the same. So neat.



Here are the lyrics.

At the start
he was there, he was there
In the end,
he’ll be there, he’ll be there

And After all our hands have wrought
He forgives

Oh the Glory of it all is:
he came here
For the rescue of us all
that we may live
for the glory of it all
for the glory of it all

All is lost
find him there, find him there
After night
Dawn is there, Dawn is there

After all falls apart
he repairs he repairs

Oh the Glory of it all is:
he came here
for the rescue of us all
that we may live
for the glory of it all

oh he is here
for redemption from the fall
that we may live
for the glory of it all
oh the glory of it all
the glory of it all
oh the glory of it all

After night
comes the light
dawn is here
dawn is here
it’s a new day
it’s a new day
everything will change
things will never be the same
we will never be the same
we will never be the same
we will never be the same
we will never be the same

Oh, The glory of it all is
you came here
for the rescue of us all
that we may live
for the glory of it all

Oh you are here
with redemption for us all
that we may live
for the glory of it all
for the glory of it all
oh the glory of it all

My band.

Tonight I had a hankering to play around with Garage Band. If you have a Mac, you know that this is one of the best applications ever! I've been recording tracks for about 2 hours and my fingers are definitely really sore. Anyhoo, I've been working on Hillsong's "None But Jesus," which is one of my favorite songs right now. My rendition of it is not that great, but it's just fun to record.

Wish List

This is what Em and I are doing at work today. I've decided to make a list of things that I would really like. Here goes, in no particular order....

-Apron
-Bread machine
-iPhone
-iPhone case
-Case for my Macbook
-Gift certificates (iTunes, Red Robin, Old Navy, On The Border, Starbucks, Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Ross, Barnes & Noble, movie theater, etc)
-Flowers
-Diet Dr. Pepper with limes
-Dove Dark Chocolate
-Oil change
-Batteries
-Rechargeable battery pack for my camera
-CDRs
-Hairspray on DVD (November 20th!)
-One of those packs of like 30 different colors of Sharpie markers
-Hair cutting scissors
-Clarinet reeds (Vandoren size 4)
-Elixir strings for guitar (medium/light)
-A pick up for my guitar
-Djembe
-A piano
-Piano lessons
-Nice digital camera
-Zoom lens for camera
-CO Bigelow Cinnamin Mentha Lip Shine (available at Bath & Body works)
-Gum
-Trip to Graceland
-Schlitterbahn tickets
-Cubs tickets
-Bearclaw boots- 410, black, size 9.5
-Fluffy warm socks
-Haircut
-Funny salt & pepper shakers for my collection
-Loc lac
-Old Navy jeans
-Cake decorating things (bags, tips, etc)
-Mint Melano cookies
-Jamba Juice!
-A good football
-A good baseball/bat
-Wakeboard
-An orange julius
-A really large blank canvas
-Clarinet book of etudes
-Trip to the art museum
-Chips and salsa (you can't go wrong)
-Guitar Hero
-Simple diamond earrings
-Wireless mouse
-Shoes, shoes, and more shoes
-A vacuum
-A steam cleaner
-An air freshener for my car
-A dance party
-Going dancing
-Swing dancing lessons
-One of those Oklahoma hoodies that are different colors. The light blue one.
-A cruise
-Bean bag
-Giant ottoman
-A large amount of cookie cutters
-Biolage shampoo and conditioner
-A chi (hair straightener)
-Tools (I don't even own a screwdriver... sad)
-Water purifier pitcher thing
-Febreeze
-A broadway/off broadway show (Phantom of the Opera, Hairspray, Lion King, Rent, The Producers)
-Taramuharas
-Dwight Bobble Head
-Bobble Head Stoops
-Watch battery
-A wallet that holds checks
-Extension cord for Mac plugs
-New glasses
-Special K vanilla almond cereal
-Sweet tea (McAllisters or Cain's)
-Guitar picks (light)
-Spice rack
-Rolling pin
-An elliptical machine
-Fondue skewers (I already have a fondue pot)
-A good concert (Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam, David Crowder, Coldplay, John Mayer, Norah Jones, Josh Groban, Bon Jovi, etc)
-Horse and carriage ride
-Scavenger hunt
-Banana pancakes
-Grande Chai Latte from Starbucks

Dancing pipe cleaner

I spent like 20 minutes on this at work today. Hilarious!

http://www.davidbessler.com/pulldown/pipecleaner_dance3.swf

Bloggggg

I wish people still blogged. That was one of my favorite pasttimes- writing and reading other's blogs. Sad day.

Stronger Woman, Softer Heart

I just finished a great book entitled Strong Women, Soft Hearts by Paula Rhinehart. Don't let the cheesy titled dissuade you from the great treasures inside. It's an awesome read. Written with heartfelt passion, this book dives deep into a woman's heart and makes sense of everything going on in there. As women (especially living in America) we can think that we need one more thing to do or event to add to the schedule. But we lose our hearts in that, and in return we've lost touch with our passions and who we are really meant to be in God. As a Christian woman sometimes I can imagine what my life will be like down the road as a mom or working or traveling the world or whatever, but the reality is that I need to live life NOW. Rhinehart says, "It's strange the way we meander through life, thinking we are moving forward, only to discover that we have left our hearts behind." And that is true. Routine causes me to lose focus on the things I really think God created me for. And I need to take that back each and every day.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

"God made our spirit to respond to him- to hunger and desire beyond ourselves that which is wholly other, Holy Other. He made us incomplete- with gaps, holes, yearnings, desires that woo us to our real home. We make a big mistake if we toss our longings away lightly...Do you ever see Jesus accusing someone of wanting too much? When does Jesus rebuke someone for desiring? If anything, you see just the opposite. Jesus actually fanned the flames of desire."


"I have God's permission to live out the truth of who I am- to believe that my desires are not an accident, a mistake, or a nuisance. It is the definition of joy to be able to offer back to God the essence of what he's placed in you, be that creativity or a love of ideas or a compassionate heart or the gift of hospitality. I am convinced that owning our longings and trusting God with those is crucial in bringing the color and music back into our lives."


"Don't you find that when you offer to the Lord the crumpled mess of the dreams you can't make happen-of all you cannot control- what he gives you in its place is a mysterious sense of hope?"


"But accepting the mystery of what we cannot know will lead us to the heart of God where we trade our craving for explanation for a simple willingness to trust."


"To be vulnerable is to voluntarily place yourself, for the sake of a larger purpose, in a situation that could bring pain. You see something at stake- your own spiritual growth or someone else's- and you are willing to risk your heart in a vulnerable way."


"We may be blameless before God, but we can never be sinless- and that is a crucial distinction. The reality of being forgiven means that we, of all people, have the freedom to admit where we are wrong."


"Loving someone is the one venture in life in which the more you succeed, the more you have to lose. It is so tempting to keep your heart in reserve. To hedge your bets seems a reasonable choice in the face of things. But then, whoever said love was reasonable?"


"God doesn't erase fear from the blackboard of our lives. Rather, he grows our souls by the sometimes largely uncomfortable experience of trusting him as we do the thing that's frightening. And we discover him there, in it all. As Joyce Meyer explains, we don't wait until we have overcome fear to move out as God wants us to. Her word of encouragement is, 'Do it afraid.'"




Those are just some tiny nuggets from a great book. Women need to see just how God created them with passion and HEART and not to lose that in the mundane, the scary, the unknown, or even the bliss.

Looking forward

Sitting in this familiar spot at my desk on the sixth floor of this dorm, I can't help but look back at this year and reflect on the things that God has done for me and to me. Let me tell you, this has been a roller coaster of a year. I've been in numerous situations where I didn't know how to feel, respond, think, or even how to listen to God- situations I never thought I'd be in before. Sparing you the details, I will just say that He is good and sovereign and knows me better than I know myself!

That being said, He deserves so much! God is always faithful. He is always faithful. He is always faithful. I can't say it enough. He is faithful. I can't believe His faithfulness when I have been so unfaithful. Sometimes I like to think about what my life would be like had I never decided to give my life to Him and trust in Him, and the things I think about make me so thankful. Every decision I've made, every conflict I've been in, every relationship I have- they are all centered on what will please Him. Hearing that does not sound like fun or like freedom, two things every human being wants and thinks they deserve. But listening to Him and putting Him first has given me so much liberty and peace in this life. I cannot do without that. It makes me thankful for His guidance and love I could never understand.

One thing I heard earlier this year that I have clutched on to all year was this short poem:

Thou art coming before the King
Great petitions to Him bring,
For His strength and power are such
That you could never ask too much.

I could never ask too much of Him. After all, He is King, and I am a daughter of the King and He wants to give me every good thing! Could I ask for more? I don't think it's possible!!

Anyways, I could sit in this bare room that has nothing left in it from this year- just the things I need to get me through until I move out- and think that I have nothing to show for this year, but I can't let that happen. I am forgetting what is past and looking forward and going toward the prize for which I have been called upward! Let me tell you, that prize is HUGE, and it's worth every bit of this vapor of a life on earth.

This may have been a rant, but that doesn't matter because nobody blogs anymore and probably doesn't read this. I'm looking forward to many things: going overseas, moving into an awesome house, having a great new job, and other things. I have no idea what to expect, which is the best situation to be in, because He is taking care of me. I will leave you with this great quote that I hope rings true in my life.

I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year
'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'
And he replied, 'Go into the darkness, and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way.'
-M.L. Haskins

Facing the dog.

For all you Facebook friends I tagged in this, you'll know why I did at the end of this post. I hope you enjoy this.

I realized an awesome truth today as I was spending some time with God. I read in Psalm 71:20 "You, who made me stare trouble in the face, turn me around." and I thought, Wow, that's a really interesting thing to say to God. Then almost immediately a short memory came back into my mind.

My family lived in Seattle for a few years. You wouldn't know it now, but back when I was a kid, I was deathly afraid of dogs. Well, I was about 8 years old, and one day while riding my bike, I came across this huge, beastly, deathly dog! And he thought it would be fun to chase me on my bike and bark madly and insanely at me. So I fly home and run inside screaming bloody murder. My parents were at home and had no idea what could be causing my outburst besides some serial killer on the loose coming after me. When they found out it was about a dog, they didn't just comfort me and say "It's OK." No, I remember my dad taking me back outside where that beast was still hanging around waiting to chomp my arm off! Dad got the scary thing to come over to me, and at this time I was convinced my dad had suddenly turned evil and had a weird desire to harm me by this! But he proved me wrong. Trembling and clutching on for dear life to my dad, I reached out, and at his encouragement, I pet the dog! After a few seconds, that beast turned into a fluffy friend. He licked me and let me pet him and have fun with him. Since that day, I've never been afraid of dogs, but I love them (and the two I have at home!) so much. Thanks Dad!

This reminds me of so many verses about facing troubles and going through trials and doing the hard stuff! God doesn't let you see something scary or difficult or whatever and then just tell you not to worry about it. No, He wants you to face it! He doesn't want us to live in fear. Had my dad never taken me outside to pet the dog, I would still to this day be scared of them. And I had to trust in my dad, that he wasn't trying to hurt me, but help me! He loves me that much!

This can relate to a lot of things in life. I have to raise a huge amount of support for this summer, as many of you have to. Some people don't take chances on their summer plans because they are scared of raising support. That is plain fear! I don't think God wants us to be afraid of money. Yeah, raising support is scary and somewhat difficult. Maybe God wants you to face the scary beast and pet it so you aren't afraid of it anymore. Then you can start to like it, then you'll love it and begin to look forward to more encounters with them. What a cool truth!

So whatever you may be facing, remember that God might want to use it as an opportunity for you to trust Him. He is, after all, the Perfect One to trust and He loves you so much. So go out and pet the dog!

-Remember how scared Peter was when he walked on water? Jesus immediately saves Him and says, "You of little faith. Why did you doubt?"
-There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involved punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. -1John 4:18
-Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. -James 1:2-4

I'm such a fake.

It's 1:30 in the morning. I am writing a 3-5 page paper over a book I haven't even read. I basically read the introduction, the first chapter, the first sentence of every big paragraph, and the last paragraph of the book. And here I sit, typing up all the knowledge I gained about the Reagan administration, which I never really gained because I didn't read the book. I hope my professor doesn't read this blog. But more importantly I hope I can pull this paper off.

OH SNAP!

I don't think I've ever posted back to back like this, but I just had to do this one....
I was just perusing the archives of jennyscoolclub.blogspot.com and I was reading my post from April 5th, 2005. (You can read the short post and the comments at this link- you have to scroll down to see it) wrote about Supertropolis- the Christian band that redoes rap songs to be about Jesus- and how funny their songs were. I read the comments, and someone from Supertropolis commented on it!!! I don't know if it was a joke or something, but they were legitimately defending their music. I about died, because I had never read that before, and here almost 2 years later I uncover it. Supertrop, I salute you.

OK, you know how some people study better when they listen to music? Well, if they are in a quiet library, they can turn on their ipod and it helps them study.
OK, you know how some people study better in quietude? Well, if they are in a noisy place, they have no option to help them study in silence.
I think someone should invent a CD/mp3 of just quietness... like air.. or something. Then if you need some quiet, you can turn on your ipod to the quiet/air tracks and block out all the background noise.
You don't have to tell me, I know this is a great idea. If I were smart I'd patent it and you'd be buying this off of an infomercial in no time!

I finally found it!!!!!!!!

It happened this afternoon as I was eating my grilled chicken wrap from Block and Barrel. While watching a little television, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized my career choice- nay, my calling, from the tube. It is something that I would enjoy doing and would never call in sick for---
I want to design the games for the show MXC. Yes, it's true. Who wouldn't want to conjure up amazing obstacles like a huge log drop or dodging ginormous fake boulders? I could think up great new stunts to place over bodies of water or foam pits. It would truly be a dream job. Of course, I would probably have to move to some sort of Asian country, but I think I could deal with that. And while I'm working for the show, I could change things up a bit- like making it less inappropriate and disrespectful of the entire female population, for starters.
What do you think? Is it for me?

Single Awareness Day? I think not...

Welp, it's that day again- the day some dread, the day some dream of. It's Valentine's Day, or as some like to call, "Single Awareness Day." So what?

So what if you're single? Why is that such a big deal? In America alone there exist over 82 million single people. So for all you loners out there: don't get depressed because you are sooo not alone! People, especially our ages, get so emotionally scary on this one day in the year because they do not have some sort of significant other, someone to call their own. Now, I'm not saying I've never had a day when I wished I weren't single, but the propensity for this ides of February to depress millions of people is a little much.

For all you unsingle peeps: Bravo! I'm happy for you, so enjoy today, the day of love, and don't let the single people get you down. In fact, you won't have to worry about them after they have read this blog.

Back to the sad singles out there. As Charlotte said from her Web, "Chin up," which basically means stand up tall and proud and move on. Why avoid this day when you can adore it for all the other people who get to celebrate it with someone else? Why loathe it when you can learn to listen to the love lovers lament to their loved ones? Why dread Valentine's Day when you can deal with it and move on? Didn't Burt Bacharach say, "What the world needs now is love sweet love"? Didn't the Beatles tell us that all we need is love? Sinatra claimed that "love is a many splendored thing"! So why all the hating against those who have it on this day?

I guess I'm OK with writing this because, well, I really like seeing people being loved. Seeing girls at work with bouquets of flowers from their whoevers makes me really happy for them. Watching people go on their V-Day dates is awesome! Go them! If love is true, it's patient and isn't jealous. I know my Father is giving me some flowers today-- He's planted them all over for me, flowers of all kinds and shapes and colors and smells, such a variety of flowers so I can pick the ones I want. What more could I ask for?? And why should I be jealous?

And we all have single friends! Let's get over ourselves and tell them to have a great Valentine's Day!

I love this poem by Shellie Warren. Here's an excerpt from "I'm single and that's all right with me":

What makes you think that my present status is not a God-given
right, a woman's choice and a healthy decision?

Who told you that without a man, something's missing from my
life, and if so, what would that be?

Love?

I love myself, and more importantly,
I love the Lord
He told me when I delight in Him,
He will give me the desires of my heart

Security
I have everything I need according to His riches in glory

Intimacy
Now, how's a man gonna get to know me
when he doesn't even know himself

See, my Father told me that I am above a ruby's worth,
and a gem does not seek, it is sought, so why would I sell myself
out?

No, I'm single and that's all right with me

Girl, as a woman I know it's not my role to chase after any boy
who professes to be a man

Esther 2:14 states that I am to wait on my king,
and when he's delighted in me, he will call me by my name

My Mama didn't name me Needy or Desperate
I am to be cherished, relished, valued, honored
It's not my job to convince him or convict him of that
My mate will already know it and consistently show it.....

I'm single and that's all right with me.


I love that! I'm not a femi-nazi or anti-man. Don't get me wrong, I like the guys, and I would be dandy if I weren't single anymore, but I'm not going to get all hung up on my singleness. Because God wants me to be like that on this one day. And because I know He's holding out the best for me, I can see this V-Day as a celebration for waiting for the right one. And the right one will come looking for me and will really value me, because I am, like God's Word says, a GEM, and deserving of being sought after. And so are all of you.

I hope this wasn't a total cheese fest. It was just what I was thinking at the time. And I'm not pro-single more than pro-not-single. I can't wait to be not single. That's a lot of "not"s.

The Cave

I've decided to post about something very special in my life. This object of my affection has not only served me and comforted me, but has also surrounded and kept me shielded from harsh life out there. And that thing is..... THE CAVE.

Yes, this is my bed in the back room of our tri-suite. You see, I like it really dark when I sleep, and a lot of light comes through our window. So as you can see, I tucked some blankets under Tygre's mattress, and they completely block out the light! Genius, I know. We affectionately call my nighttime nook "the cave" because of its unique characteristics.

The Cave is near to my heart. It blocks out the light. It makes my bed really cozy and undistracting while trying to fall asleep. It is always a place my roommates hide when I come home so they can scare me. It has also aided me in sneaking out of bed to crawl over the floor to frighten the snot out of Megan when she's trying to fall asleep. Yes, the cave, I owe a lot to you!!!!

Tonight has been great!

Well, tonight has been great, as the title of this post states. First of all, the Dessert Auction pulled in over $500! With the amount of people there, we expected to get maybe $200. To everyone who was there: You encouraged us a lot! Thanks for coming and giving!
Secondly, we had some amazing girl time at the duplexes. I don't know. There is something about just hanging out with a bunch of girlfriends that really refuels my tanks. Don't get me wrong- I like boys! But when it's a bunch of girls in pajamas watching cheesy movies about dancing and then dancing ourselves, there's no real need to put on a front or pretend to be someone you're not. Believe it or not, but girls act WAY differently around guys than they do with all girls. It's amazing the vast differences. This might just be me. I am such a people pleaser that I can be very hard on myself for stupid things. But tonight, I was myself. I acted like an idiot, danced my favorite moves, and was just Jenny in front of people I knew would love me no less. There's something neat about that for a sanguine....
Thirdly, I have a cream cheese caramel apple pie sitting on my desk waiting to be devoured. This was not the best time for me (and you Felicia!) to give up sweets. I have an insatiable sweet tooth that I have to get under control.
Lastly, God is good all the time! I can't really explain here the things he has been telling me lately. I know I may not show it at all, but this last week has been really confusing and difficult and kind of like a "hello God! Are ya hearing me here?!" week. But He's answered my prayers when I shut my mouth long enough to listen to Him. I'm sure had God not made me super-optimistic about life, I'd show negative emotions more. Oh well!
Anyways, it is 2 a.m. and I have no idea what I'm really writing about right now. I'm kind of drained from this week, and to tell you the truth, everything (schedule-wise) is about to get nuts! I'm so glad for Matthew 6:33-34 because I can seek His kingdom first and everything else is added to me, AND I don't have to worry about tomorrow! What a cool promise!

Blogging for blogging's sake

I'm really trying to keep this up. I remember the old days when all my friends would update their blogs regularly, and people would check each others regularly. I remember when comments were common, when writing and ranting were random, when posting was pleasurable, and when opinions were out in the open (sorry, I'm working on my writing...).

I can't really think of anything to write about, so I'll write the first thing that comes to mind. *Looking around the room* OK there is a family picture on the wall right by me. I wish I had a copy on my computer so I could put it up here. In words, the 5 of us aren't in the typical family-portrait layer, with mom and dad in the front while the kids rest their hands on their shoulders and stuff. No, Dad is in the back looking off into the sky with a look of "oh no we're being invaded by aliens!" Amers of course is stanced in the middle hanging on Dad and looking shocked. Mom is kind of in her own little world with the laugh that you know she is about to start crying because this is so funny; she's also giving Matt bunny ears. Matt has a look of extreme pain on his face because my fist is in contact with his right cheek. In retaliation, he grabs my throat in an attempt to strangle me.

That is my family.

I love this portrait, taken in the JCPenney portrait studio, because it really does capture our personalities. Most family pictures do not really allow their family's true colors to shine through. You can see the Van Dyck chemistry all over this!

I used to think we had a pretty normal family, that is, until I started hearing about other people's families (with exception of Megan Traynor's family!). But I guess at one point or another we all realize that our families are somewhat along the lines of, well, just plain "weird."

I'm going to have to shout out to my parents right now though. They have always been the coolest! All of my friends would tell me they were cool parents. We never had curfew. They trusted us. They gave us responsibility and expected us to be independent. I've done my own laundry since I was 5 years old! Things like that make me thankful now, because I consider myself to be a very independent person. I don't think I'll baby my kids because my parents didn't, and, in my opinion, we all turned out OK!

Anyways, Clark and Liz never put ridiculous expectations on us. They never punished us for bad grades because they knew we try our hardest. They never compared us to each other or made us earn any love or extra privileges. When we failed miserably (which, all of us have), they have helped us out. And I think the most important thing about them is that they have always put their kids before them. My mom works 2 jobs to put us through school and is sacrificing years she could be putting toward a master's degree to get us through school first. My dad takes care of my needs (car, money, and the best hugs I could ask for!) and has always defended his kids against those big bad bullies in this world. They really reflect God's love to me.

Anyways, our house may be constantly loud when we're all home. We may make fun of each other excessively and have our dramas, but I wouldn't have them any other way! I love the Van Dycks!

I wish my parents read this. Then again, maybe I should just tell them....

This has been so encouraging!

I love Charlie Hall's music! This one I have been listening to non-stop for a few days now. It is oh so good. I've gotten obsessed to the point of trying to get it to sound good on guitar. Enjoy.

Come for Me
Charlie Hall

Jesus come take me away,
I long to see Your face
This world is broken yet beautifully made,
Jesus come take me away

Jesus I’ll patiently wait,
till like a vapor I’ll fade
Help me fulfill all your dreams for these days,
Jesus I’ll patiently wait

You’ll come again with a shout,
like a thief in the night you’ll come riding on clouds
Finally the voice I have followed for life
has a glorious face that is lit up with light

And you’ll come for me,
No more pain, peace,
No more fear, release
just lost and consumed with my glorious King
And you’ll come for me

Jesus today I am tired
I need your music to come and inspire
I give myself to be refined in this fire,
but Jesus today I’m so tired

Come for me

I am so different!!!!

I put this old family picture on here to display how different one can become as they mature. I'm the one in the pink dress.... no, the blond one in the pink dress. Anyhoo, I am very different than I used to be. I am still me, but different for one very good Reason. Read on...

This weekend was really challenging. I went to the Spring Retreat with John and Helen Crawford, and I wish all of my friends could have gone. God was there! He showed me a lot of this about myself that I really like to change. The Crawfords talked about renewing our thought patterns and what the Word of God can do for you.

This blog is called "I am so different" for many reasons. The first being that I am not who I was anymore! When I accepted Christ, He took up His home in me. Why He wanted to do that, I don't know. I have nothing to offer Him, but I have something to offer the world now, and that is the knowledge of the saving grace of Jesus Christ! He has called me to set my mind and heart on things above, to renew my mind, to put off the old and put on the new, to yield to God. I was never like that before I became a Christian.

Anyways, have you ever walked away from a conversation or situation wondering, "Why on earth did I say that?!" or "Man, what I did was really stupid!"? I didn't know if that was a sanguine thing or not. Sometimes I get caught up in trying to be fun that I can say some stupid/sarcastic/mean things and walk away regretting that or thinking that people noticed and think differently of me. I can relate to some John Mayer right about now:
"One more thing
Why is it my fault?
So maybe I try too hard
But it's all because of this desire
I just wanna be liked
I just wanna be funny
Looks like the jokes on me
So call me captain backfire."

Well for a couple of years now I have been trying to watch the things that I say. Last year it was gossip. Proverbs 26: 20 says, "Without wood a fire goes out;
without gossip a quarrel dies down." This year it was sarcasm. Proverbs 26: 18-19 says, "Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death, so is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, 'Was I not joking?'"

I went to the Ladies workshop about being clothed in righteousness. Cindy and Lindsay did a great job! I came away with that with the resolve that I want to be a woman who understands that her words can give life or they can give death. Research shows that women speak on average 30,000 words a day (compare that to men at 15,000!), so I need to choose my words wisely! I want Joshua 1:8 to be true in my life, that the Word of God does not depart from my mouth. I want all the words I want to say to be filtered through the Word of God that is on my mouth! Neat!

This post is titled as so because I was perusing through some old blog archives. These things date back to my sophomore year! Reading them, I couldn't believe some of the things I said, not that I cussed or anything, but the way and what I've talked about has changed a lot to me. At times I couldn't fathom me saying some things! I realized that this prayer I've had for years to change my mouth, that I thought I hadn't changed or worked hard enough at changing and was failing at, was really being answered! Thanks to God, my mouth is steadily changing to glorify Him. I am nowhere near perfect, but He is perfecting the good work He started in me (Check out Philippians 4:6!).

Welp, this has been a long one, and I learned so much more this weekend, but I'll save that for later. And I'm sure that nobody blogs anymore or even reads this, but if you do, holler!

A new Norman band! Check them out!

It's happened.
We've started a band.
It's called......

COUCH 6.

Original, eh?

Check us out at http://myspace.com/couch6.

There's only one song on there we recorded really fast. More to come.

Random blog

I'm feeling kind of melancholy tonight. I don't know why, but it's really random. Maybe I've been listening to too much mellow music lately or something.
And speaking of mellow music, I've listened to Jason Morant's "Love Song" about 20 times in a row just now. It's great. Here are the lyrics.

"Love Song" by Jason Morant

Where can I go
Where can I run from You
You're everywhere

You know all my thoughts
You see through my ways
And still You come to me
And so I sing a love song to You
And so I sing a love song to You

From Heaven above
Earth down beneath
Your love rains down on me

You know all my thoughts
You see through my skin
And still You come to me
And so I sing a love song to You
And so I sing a love song to You

You walk on waves
You run with clouds
You paint the sky for me to see
Your majesty
Your majesty is why I sing

And this is a love song for You
And this is a love song for You
And this is a love song for You
And this is a love song for You

You walk on waves
You run with clouds
You paint the sky for me to see
Your majesty
Your majesty is why I sing

Yes it's all for You
In my life a love song to You
In my life a love song to You
Everything I do
In my life a love song to You
In my life a love song to You
In my life a love song to You

This song is on his Myspace page. Check it out at http://www.myspace.com/jasonmorantmusic.

Anyways, I'm liking this song a lot right now. I think I get myself down a lot of times for the dumb things I do. But God knows it all and still chooses to love me and have a relationship with me. That is so cool! He sees everything and knows everything. That is unconditional love. Well, that is actually REAL love, when you love and don't expect anything else in return! It's exactly what 1 John 4 talks about. I tried to pick my favorite line out of this song, but they are all great. Please check this song out because you'll be blessed by it!