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