You know, I forgot to tell you one of the funniest parts of the other day! When Pete and I were on our way home from Walmart, there was a train coming up, and I started to pretend to freak out. I was like, "oh no! Oh no!!!" And driving towards the intersection to make it (the train was a safe distance and moving at caterpillar pace). Peter was like, "Andrea, calm down, don't kill us." It was great. But we got through and were down the road and nearly home before the train even crossed the intersection.
The other day we were sitting at the bar in our kitchen (it's open on three sides) Rachelle and Will were sitting at one side and a hand reached out from under the bar and placed a cup on the table then retracted. It was so random and hilarious -- yeah, you had to be there. But BFF would know what I was talking about, we have this inside joke about random hands in pictures. I assure you, it's an innocent inside joke.
Speaking of BFF Buddy, I'm kind of pretty sad lately. Because, unless circumstances change, she's not coming for my birthday anymore. Let us take time to reflect on how this makes us all feel: =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =( =(
They were circumstances she could not help so I don't blame her. Well, I don't blame anyone, but I am pretty disappointed. People often say don't have expectations and then you won't be disappointed. Buuuut when you sit around talking about your bff visiting for months and months and she's really convinced she's going to do it, too, it's hard to not. OH WELL! I'm just sad because now I have no clue when I'll see her again. Pretty much no clue. That's the whole point of not taking thought for tomorrow, eh? I just miss her tons, is all. So that's my sad post for the week. I promise I won't post anymore -- okay no promises, but I will try.
Justin didn't eat all his pancakes. I think I should mention that -- Let's reflect on how we feel about THIS: =( =( =( =(((((((((((((((((((
Okay, not really. Even though they were homemade pancakes...
Speaking of such people, we're having a dandy time with him here. We went to the lake yesterday (an event that I said I wasn't going to mention but Justin put inception into my mind so now I have to type about it). The water was super clear and cold. But the top layer was warm. There were lesbians there and Justin preached to them. One of them flipped him off (though he's certain they didn't, I'm pretty sure I saw that middle finger. Perhaps that's how they wave, happily, to people). Whenever I see a gay person I get sad and think, "what a confused person." They don't even understand what kind of person they are. We were all born either male or female (with the exception of those children who's parents have to make that difficult choice). There is only one way of reproduction: Male with female. That's how God designed it, that's how nature is, that's how OUR nature is. It is pure logic. Therefore, these gays and lesbians are highly confused as to what they are. Surely somebody's told them. Alright, perhaps they haven't been told. No, really, for reals, they know what they are and they know they are sinning by living the lifestyle they choose. (I can hear my gay-supporting sister shaking her head and getting mad at me.) I am not just against homosexuality, but all sin. Any sin leads to spiritual death. Homosexuality is just a more openly-accepted sin than most others. You don't hear people often defending murder (well, except for abortion). Or stealing. But homosexuality is highly defended so I speak against it more often. Let's just make sure you're clear on how I feel: Being gay is a sin just as stealing, lying, cheating, killing and any other wrong thing that goes against God's law is sin. I will speak against it all just the same. So this isn't a homophobic "I hate gays" post. This is a "I hate sin" post. People often say "love the sinner, hate the sin." I do love the sinner, therefore I tell them the truth: That their sin will put them in hell. Psalm 7:11 says that God is angry with the wicked EVERY DAY. So, if you are in sin, repent! Don't put it off. God will not always strive with your, nor will He keep His anger forever (psalm 103).
I could speak on and on about this matter but I don't feel like clouding my already dismal post with more dismalism. <- like that word? I do.
Anyway, to make things happier, we are celebrating birthdays this weekend! First on the list is my brother's! I love all five of my brothers so much. I often watch them whenever they're doing something and think, "they're so awesome." And they are. I love each and every one of them. Nick is super awesome, he's always been nice to me (well.. almost always), we have hilarious inside jokes and he's been a close friend and companion these past 20-something years. I thank God for him, and all my family members.
I don't know what I'd do without them.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Why am I awake??
Why am I awake at this time? Who's to say--except for me. And the answer is: So many cool little things happened today, I must speak them!
The first part of the day was mediocre and tiring. My younger brother wanted to go to Walmart to buy Nick a birthday present. So I told him I'd take him on the way to pick up Justin Buddy from the airport. But, sadly, Justin Buddy's flight was delayed and he ended up coming in at 10:30 (more on that later). So I took Pete to Walmart, on the way we went through the carwash. I paid with a 20 and got 10 gold dollars back. I feel like an old English girl carrying around gold coins in my purse.
Then we went to Walmart, uneventful, but I think Pete enjoyed himself--he had to, I was trying to crack him up the entire time. I bought way more stuff than I should have but they were all needful things, like soap! And toothpaste! And then a large jug of bubble bath, which I felt guilty about and had Pete put back the last minute (it was just three bucks, but that's a lot to me!) Then, going out of Walmart, there's this lady selling chocolate. You had me at chocolate. Did I need chocolate? No. But, then again, I'm a woman, we always NEED chocolate. I bought three, which amounted to three bucks which was how much I would have spent on the bubble bath, a wise choice? I think so. Anyhow, between buying my brother a birthday present, and stocking up on soap, toothpaste and other such things I barely have enough money for paying my car insurance this month! (And the month is almost over, yikes!) I've still got some cash but Justin and I plan on doing some fun things involving money. But, you know what? I do not worry about it, because God is my provider and as long as I'm living for Him He will take care of me. Amen!
Then I went to get Justin at the airport. Pretty mediocre, but when we were waiting for the luggage to come around I saw a group of military men (and a woman) I went over to shake their hands, I looked them in the eyes and thanked them for their service, I almost started to get teary-eyed. They looked so pleased to be thanked--They should always be thanked, everyone should always be thankful for those people that are risking their lives for ours. ALWAYS. The last man I thanked shook my hand with both of his which was an endearing gesture, he was such a cute little military guy. I almost started crying so it was good that he was the last one to thank. I love military persons, they're doing something we all don't have the guts to do. They're protecting our lazy butts so we can sit up late at night on Facebook or writing pointless blogs. They will always be my heroes.
I am enjoying having my niece and nephew here--thoroughly!! Except when Lee throws a huge tantrum...but I'll just ignore that, I love him to death and I love Sky to death, she is such a wonderful girl. Nick shot a turkey and Sky was talking all about eating turkeys and turkey dinner and how she eats turkey all the time. Grandma fell down (don't ask me how because I really don't know) and hurt her arm. So mom and dad were putting a bandage on it and Sky had to go watch them "heal" her. It was so cute and interesting that she wanted to watch and wasn't screaming at the sight of blood.
Speaking of turkeys and blood (in nearly the same sentence, too). Nick is off hunting with Will (my brother in law) and won't be back until tomorrow night. They're hoping to catch elk. I secretly am hoping they don't. But, for the family's sake, I hope they do. I don't like elk, or deer, or anything that tastes like an animal. But they like it all. You may think I'm silly, and I'll agree. Sometimes I have a hard time eating pork or poultry even, because I think about the muscle tissues...and the fat, and the skin. And broth, ugh, broth scares me...how it's bone marrow boiled out. Oh my word, I'm going to be sick. I just can't think of those things--otherwise I would turn into a vegetarian. And I can't do that, because I love steak too much.
So I think I'll go to bed now. It's 1 am and that's TERRIBLE for me. I should be going to bed around 10:30. 11:30 at the absolute latest. Sigh. What's wrong with me. Well, nothing. I had to go get Justin Buddy from the airport. And then we went to Walmart (a second trip for me, ha). Well goodnight!
The first part of the day was mediocre and tiring. My younger brother wanted to go to Walmart to buy Nick a birthday present. So I told him I'd take him on the way to pick up Justin Buddy from the airport. But, sadly, Justin Buddy's flight was delayed and he ended up coming in at 10:30 (more on that later). So I took Pete to Walmart, on the way we went through the carwash. I paid with a 20 and got 10 gold dollars back. I feel like an old English girl carrying around gold coins in my purse.
Then we went to Walmart, uneventful, but I think Pete enjoyed himself--he had to, I was trying to crack him up the entire time. I bought way more stuff than I should have but they were all needful things, like soap! And toothpaste! And then a large jug of bubble bath, which I felt guilty about and had Pete put back the last minute (it was just three bucks, but that's a lot to me!) Then, going out of Walmart, there's this lady selling chocolate. You had me at chocolate. Did I need chocolate? No. But, then again, I'm a woman, we always NEED chocolate. I bought three, which amounted to three bucks which was how much I would have spent on the bubble bath, a wise choice? I think so. Anyhow, between buying my brother a birthday present, and stocking up on soap, toothpaste and other such things I barely have enough money for paying my car insurance this month! (And the month is almost over, yikes!) I've still got some cash but Justin and I plan on doing some fun things involving money. But, you know what? I do not worry about it, because God is my provider and as long as I'm living for Him He will take care of me. Amen!
Then I went to get Justin at the airport. Pretty mediocre, but when we were waiting for the luggage to come around I saw a group of military men (and a woman) I went over to shake their hands, I looked them in the eyes and thanked them for their service, I almost started to get teary-eyed. They looked so pleased to be thanked--They should always be thanked, everyone should always be thankful for those people that are risking their lives for ours. ALWAYS. The last man I thanked shook my hand with both of his which was an endearing gesture, he was such a cute little military guy. I almost started crying so it was good that he was the last one to thank. I love military persons, they're doing something we all don't have the guts to do. They're protecting our lazy butts so we can sit up late at night on Facebook or writing pointless blogs. They will always be my heroes.
I am enjoying having my niece and nephew here--thoroughly!! Except when Lee throws a huge tantrum...but I'll just ignore that, I love him to death and I love Sky to death, she is such a wonderful girl. Nick shot a turkey and Sky was talking all about eating turkeys and turkey dinner and how she eats turkey all the time. Grandma fell down (don't ask me how because I really don't know) and hurt her arm. So mom and dad were putting a bandage on it and Sky had to go watch them "heal" her. It was so cute and interesting that she wanted to watch and wasn't screaming at the sight of blood.
Speaking of turkeys and blood (in nearly the same sentence, too). Nick is off hunting with Will (my brother in law) and won't be back until tomorrow night. They're hoping to catch elk. I secretly am hoping they don't. But, for the family's sake, I hope they do. I don't like elk, or deer, or anything that tastes like an animal. But they like it all. You may think I'm silly, and I'll agree. Sometimes I have a hard time eating pork or poultry even, because I think about the muscle tissues...and the fat, and the skin. And broth, ugh, broth scares me...how it's bone marrow boiled out. Oh my word, I'm going to be sick. I just can't think of those things--otherwise I would turn into a vegetarian. And I can't do that, because I love steak too much.
So I think I'll go to bed now. It's 1 am and that's TERRIBLE for me. I should be going to bed around 10:30. 11:30 at the absolute latest. Sigh. What's wrong with me. Well, nothing. I had to go get Justin Buddy from the airport. And then we went to Walmart (a second trip for me, ha). Well goodnight!
Monday, September 19, 2011
The Stegosaurus with the Eating Disorder.
My sister and her family showed up, slightly unexpected, on Saturday. We were expecting them this next weekend. So last night my nephew was throwing a fit about something, what I will never know. But I quickly turned it around by stomping towards him and giving him a narrow look. He started to laugh, and then cry and then laugh-cry and then cry-laugh while he climbed the stairs to get away. His mood was quickly salvaged as I chased him, on hands and knees I'll have you know, into my room where he saw two old stuffed animals sitting under my bed. A giant dog and a teddy bear holding a red heart (both presents from a failed relationship, you'll never hear the story because I've erased it from my memory). I wish no ill will on the animals themselves, but I realized I'm in my 20's and I shouldn't sleep with stuffed animals anymore. So I dutifully put them under my bed where toys go to die--er I mean to be put away.
Anyways, my nephew pointed to them so I retrieved them and he loved them for five seconds. Then I got another bear out of my closet. This is a special bear, he's blue and I use him as a door stop to prop my door open when it's hot. I'm not sure why he was banished to my closet, though. Anyways, I remembered this bear to be Levi's favorite, so I bring it out and he's ecstatic. This was the beginning of the great Stuffed Animal party. Alright, it wasn't a party. We just sat on the stares and I pretended the blue bear, a green stegosaurus, a mini blue elephant and a small brown bunny were talking. Lee thought it was great, and then his sister, Sky, came along and thought it was hilarious as well. She carries around this little music bell with a little round wooden kinnex piece in it and says its her ice cream cone and the kinnex piece is her chocolate chip. It's adorable and she offered the ice cream to the stegosaurus --who has a impulsive eating disorder, I swear he ate her ice cream like twenty times! I tried to tell her that he was full but she'd squeeze him and say, "squeeze it out!" Nice.
I was marveling at how Lee was throwing such a fit over nothing and I was able to distract him from it and turn it into a night of fun! A little while after this we all sat down on the couch and watched Cinderella! I love Cinderella. Love love love! And they sat through nearly the entire thing! My favorite part in that movie is when Cindy says, "Bruno, get Bruno, get Bruno!!"
Yesterday my niece wanted cupcakes, she was talking about them and wouldn't stop! So I said, "want to make some?" And she was like "um, heck yes!" Okay she didn't say that, just a normal yes from her--but it was enthusiastic to say the least! So we made cupcakes. These are the moments I treasure, I love my niece and nephew to pieces. Playing with them on the stairs with stuffed animals, watching Cinderella and making cupcakes. Life is so sweet!
I was marveling at how Lee was throwing such a fit over nothing and I was able to distract him from it and turn it into a night of fun! A little while after this we all sat down on the couch and watched Cinderella! I love Cinderella. Love love love! And they sat through nearly the entire thing! My favorite part in that movie is when Cindy says, "Bruno, get Bruno, get Bruno!!"
Yesterday my niece wanted cupcakes, she was talking about them and wouldn't stop! So I said, "want to make some?" And she was like "um, heck yes!" Okay she didn't say that, just a normal yes from her--but it was enthusiastic to say the least! So we made cupcakes. These are the moments I treasure, I love my niece and nephew to pieces. Playing with them on the stairs with stuffed animals, watching Cinderella and making cupcakes. Life is so sweet!
And then, this morning, Tina, Rachelle and I started P90X. Aaah, I'm sore already. I love it, I love it!! I'll have to give more updates on that as we progress. But today was back and biceps. I think you all should know that I have like zero arm muscle. I am one of the wimpiest-armed people in the world. But I make up for it with leg strength, my sister says I kick like a kangaroo =p Anyways, I was pitiful on the push-ups, but I love the pull-ups (alright I have to use a chair, shut-up). Then you do ab ripper x! Wow, that's crazy. So the long story short: I'm super excited to be doing P90X.
Next on the talking agenda: Our business is doing swimmingly! Praising the Lord for that! (Thank-you Lord) We have met all our goals for this year and it's not even over yet! He always provides for His children, just you all remember that. If you are going through troubles right now you need to press in, work your way through them. God is there, with you, He will never leave you nor forsake you, you have to stand in complete faith (the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen) with nothing waivering (for he that waivereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed, for let not that man think he shall receive anything of the Lord). That's an exercise I've been practicing this year, walking in faith as if the thing is already done, because 1 John says that we already have the petitions we're asking for. It's already done, people! You just have to have faith that Jesus is who He says He is and that He will answer your prayers and take care of you. It may not always be in the way you expect, but He will take care of you. Rest in the Lord, have peace.
Verses from Hebrews 11 and James 1
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Strofan Hood
So you know how I was going to start the Faith series all over again? Well you probably didn't know it was going to be all over again. I had done it once before but wanted to go over it again since BFF was going to teach it. Alas. I get everything set up and realize: I don't own the Faith series.. My sister does.. who lives one state and seven hours away...
Let me add a few more periods just to emphasize my reaction to this fact
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
So I guess I'm just going to have to FINISH the Word series. Yes, you heard me, finish it. I haven't even finished it. Slap me, I'm guilty! See, I started it with my sister and her husband. Then we stopped for a while because it was hard to study when her newborn kept waking up.
Then we picked up again, then we stopped again. Then I continued on my own, then I stopped. Then I forgot where I was! So I rewinded! Now I'll just find a place that seems familiar and muscle through it. I'm really tired of having it unfinished. Darnet, I'm going to finish it!
I've been pretty excited about our book, so excited, in fact, that I constantly bug BFF if she's written anything. The problem is this: BFF doesn't have as much time on her hands as I do. She has an outside job and her family is always wanting her to spend time with them. Whereas I don't have an outside job and my family are fine if they don't see me weeks on end. Hey, I'm sure they still love me, lots of love!
So BFF doesn't have as much time to write, therefore a small misunderstanding occurred. Thankfully, though, we talked through it and got it all worked out. That's what I love about our friendship, we're always able to talk things through and work things out!
That's how all relationships should be. Set aside your pride, be honest, humble and forgiving. Most arguments spring from misunderstandings or assumptions (sometimes both) and are almost always accompanied by (wait for it) PRIDE.
If you find yourself in an argument, step outside of your brain for a moment and ask, "who's wrong in this situation?" If it's yourself then admit it! Right away! If it's the other party, then, do not allow your pride to take control and point out the fault right away. Being calm and rational gets you miles further than proudly making your point--or, almost worse, getting angry and yelling (I'm guilty of yelling, a big yeller. Old yeller. But I've learned to control such bellowing. ...mostly.) Most of the time it's just best to hold your tongue unless spoken to or the wise voice inside of your head speaks, with much wisdom, and wisely tells you to speak in a non-wise-cracking way. The key is to be wise about it. Did I get that point across?
So my brothers stole P90X from my other brother and now we have everything to work-out! Tina and I will be starting it on Monday. It may be hard to continue after a full week considering my sister and her family will be here, AND Justin buddy. But I'm sure we'll be able to find an hour every day to work out. I'm super excited about it! You see results within a week or two, it's super awesome. Speaking of not running, it's started to cool down and I can run more! But, for some reason, I'm lacking the motivation. Justin would say, "run, buddy, run!" BFF would say, "do not forsake your first love!" My sister (oldest one) would say, "you'll feel better if you do." So, you see, I have all those voices in my head, urging me to run! Alas, the devilish side of me says, "you can write instead of run, and that's far more fun."
Who knew the devilish side of my could rhyme?
My wallet is only about two or three years old...okay, not "only" I suppose that's old enough. My point is, it was starting to fall apart. I asked my mom if she could fix it but, sadly, the last rip was fatal, it could not be mended. Bogus. I figured I would just have to get a new one, eventually. That's how most things that involve money are with me: EVENTUALLY. Let's highlight that. There, that's good.
Anyway, my mom surprised me by buying me a new one that looked almost exactly like my old one! I was so surprised and moved by her generosity! It was so sweet of her and made me feel thought-of and loved. =) My mother is lovely. Of course I don't show how I feel when I'm complaining about having to cook steak stroganoff, Mom's most favorite meal. She could eat it every day of the week, I think, and still not get sick of it. But I could <_< I had to google how to spell stroganoff. But when I typed it in my fingers decided to become their own masters and ended up typing: strofanhod. That reminds me of Strofan Hood. The Robin Hood of dinner time! Strofan Hood robs from the rich in fats to give to the poor in diet! Okay, lame joke, I admit. But, still, Strofan Hood, it sounds hilariously epic. I should make videos of Strofan Hood that will blow The Annoying Orange out of the water, paste them all over Youtube, have people subscribe, make millions off of advertising and then retire comfortably in ______________. Yeah, you're not allowed to know where. The funny part is, that's a random blank space, I didn't count out how many characters were in my secret retirement location. The funnier part is, I don't even know where that would be!
ANYWAYS. I have got to go study this Bible study before making DINNER (Sir Strofan Hood will be showing up, I guarantee) so, for now, ciao!
Let me add a few more periods just to emphasize my reaction to this fact
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
So I guess I'm just going to have to FINISH the Word series. Yes, you heard me, finish it. I haven't even finished it. Slap me, I'm guilty! See, I started it with my sister and her husband. Then we stopped for a while because it was hard to study when her newborn kept waking up.
Then we picked up again, then we stopped again. Then I continued on my own, then I stopped. Then I forgot where I was! So I rewinded! Now I'll just find a place that seems familiar and muscle through it. I'm really tired of having it unfinished. Darnet, I'm going to finish it!
I've been pretty excited about our book, so excited, in fact, that I constantly bug BFF if she's written anything. The problem is this: BFF doesn't have as much time on her hands as I do. She has an outside job and her family is always wanting her to spend time with them. Whereas I don't have an outside job and my family are fine if they don't see me weeks on end. Hey, I'm sure they still love me, lots of love!
So BFF doesn't have as much time to write, therefore a small misunderstanding occurred. Thankfully, though, we talked through it and got it all worked out. That's what I love about our friendship, we're always able to talk things through and work things out!
That's how all relationships should be. Set aside your pride, be honest, humble and forgiving. Most arguments spring from misunderstandings or assumptions (sometimes both) and are almost always accompanied by (wait for it) PRIDE.
If you find yourself in an argument, step outside of your brain for a moment and ask, "who's wrong in this situation?" If it's yourself then admit it! Right away! If it's the other party, then, do not allow your pride to take control and point out the fault right away. Being calm and rational gets you miles further than proudly making your point--or, almost worse, getting angry and yelling (I'm guilty of yelling, a big yeller. Old yeller. But I've learned to control such bellowing. ...mostly.) Most of the time it's just best to hold your tongue unless spoken to or the wise voice inside of your head speaks, with much wisdom, and wisely tells you to speak in a non-wise-cracking way. The key is to be wise about it. Did I get that point across?
So my brothers stole P90X from my other brother and now we have everything to work-out! Tina and I will be starting it on Monday. It may be hard to continue after a full week considering my sister and her family will be here, AND Justin buddy. But I'm sure we'll be able to find an hour every day to work out. I'm super excited about it! You see results within a week or two, it's super awesome. Speaking of not running, it's started to cool down and I can run more! But, for some reason, I'm lacking the motivation. Justin would say, "run, buddy, run!" BFF would say, "do not forsake your first love!" My sister (oldest one) would say, "you'll feel better if you do." So, you see, I have all those voices in my head, urging me to run! Alas, the devilish side of me says, "you can write instead of run, and that's far more fun."
Who knew the devilish side of my could rhyme?
My wallet is only about two or three years old...okay, not "only" I suppose that's old enough. My point is, it was starting to fall apart. I asked my mom if she could fix it but, sadly, the last rip was fatal, it could not be mended. Bogus. I figured I would just have to get a new one, eventually. That's how most things that involve money are with me: EVENTUALLY. Let's highlight that. There, that's good.
Anyway, my mom surprised me by buying me a new one that looked almost exactly like my old one! I was so surprised and moved by her generosity! It was so sweet of her and made me feel thought-of and loved. =) My mother is lovely. Of course I don't show how I feel when I'm complaining about having to cook steak stroganoff, Mom's most favorite meal. She could eat it every day of the week, I think, and still not get sick of it. But I could <_< I had to google how to spell stroganoff. But when I typed it in my fingers decided to become their own masters and ended up typing: strofanhod. That reminds me of Strofan Hood. The Robin Hood of dinner time! Strofan Hood robs from the rich in fats to give to the poor in diet! Okay, lame joke, I admit. But, still, Strofan Hood, it sounds hilariously epic. I should make videos of Strofan Hood that will blow The Annoying Orange out of the water, paste them all over Youtube, have people subscribe, make millions off of advertising and then retire comfortably in ______________. Yeah, you're not allowed to know where. The funny part is, that's a random blank space, I didn't count out how many characters were in my secret retirement location. The funnier part is, I don't even know where that would be!
ANYWAYS. I have got to go study this Bible study before making DINNER (Sir Strofan Hood will be showing up, I guarantee) so, for now, ciao!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
I Need a Vacation.
Well, a week later and Tina's stuff is all put away! She managed to transform my brother's death star black-and-gray room into a black and pink girl's abode. So now our rooms which stand across from each other, guard the hallway with purple and pink. You know what else? We've got nike shoes to match! haha.
We went on a little hike to a lake that's near where we live, we went up and over the mountain rather than around, yyyeah, not my best ideas. I went running over the mountain before and it didn't seem so covered in brush as this time. How was I supposed to know?
We went to the river last week as well as roller blading. Just yesterday we climbed a hill near the lake with Tina's dad and step-mom. So I've been getting gradual exercise, not crazy stuff though. We're hoping to get P90X, it's a crazy awesome workout that kicks your rear into gear over the course of three months. That will be good for the wintertime because I won't have anywhere to run!
Now that the weather is getting cooler I will have no excuse to not run every waking minute!
Something tells me I need a vacation, though, I feel short-fused and wide-stretched. I made one of the biggest blunders at work the other day, I felt like crawling into a hole and giving up on life completely. I sent a dealer order to the wrong dealer! Oi!! Dad wasn't upset but I could tell Nick was. He gave me the evil eye.
Since Tina's here she's going to start taking care of grandma, that's a nice load-off. Maybe I will take a vacation. Naw, I've already used up my vacation days this year! Oh well, better luck next year.
In the meantime, I'm thinking about going preaching this weekend, if Nick will go with me. (There's always that hitch). BFF teaches Bible study and she's starting on a new topic this week (Faith) so I decided I must as well refresh my mind on that subject while I'm at it, this was we can discuss it as we go.
I get my study courses from faithtech.org. Check them out. They're awesome people who are in love with God and enjoy teaching the truth. BFF teaches out of Faith Tech as well.
Sadly, our book is at a stand-still. For so long we knew what we wanted and now we've reached a void in our book that we didn't plan for, a part where things have to happen but we'd never talked about how, so we don't have any ready material to fill its pages! The progress is snail-paced. But we'll get through it. We always do. We didn't come this far (26 1/2 Chapters plus a prologue and interlude) to give up now!!
So the other day Nick asks what's for dinner. I asked him what does he want? Well, we have a ton of pork (yes, we eat swine flesh! lol) and he always--ALWAYS--wants fried rice. I'm rather sick of fried rice so I suggested pork tacos and then he said "shredded pork, mm" So I stuck them, straight from the freezer, into a large pot with three cans of diced tomatoes, one can stewed tomatoes, some chicken base, some water, some sherry, a whole onion and a lot of seasonings (including, but not limited to, hot sauce, paprika and cayenne.) And just let it stew...for five hours. Then I pulled it all apart, discarded the tomato goo (mostly because it was burnt on the bottom--but the pork didn't get burned!) And then put it back in the pot with some extra seasonings, lemon, chicken broth and hot sauce. The result was to die for. It was super juicy, super tasty, full of flavor. Is your mouth watering yet? In short, I was very pleased with the end result.
Today and tomorrow are my do-as-little-as-possible days. Since I was kind of going crazy all last week, these next two days must be dedicated to at least a little bit of writing! I still have my regular, daily, tasks...But I'll do those in a jiffy. I need to stretch my creative mind and warm it up so that it can start flowing genius! Buddy wrote a pretty good scene the other day. Anyways, I suppose you are probably tired of hearing about our book!
You know there was a moose in our forest the other day (yes, we own a small forest). He was huge!! And cute! Then my brother scared him away with his loud rendition of Hey Jude. I also ran across a whole flock of wild turkeys while on my run last week! I was afraid they might attack, but they didn't. Thank God.
I had many more in-depth thoughts but, sadly, I've taken too long to blog so I've forgotten a lot of them! I shall try to be more diligent to get my thoughts to you fresh and hot out of the oven. Until then, God bless.
We went on a little hike to a lake that's near where we live, we went up and over the mountain rather than around, yyyeah, not my best ideas. I went running over the mountain before and it didn't seem so covered in brush as this time. How was I supposed to know?
We went to the river last week as well as roller blading. Just yesterday we climbed a hill near the lake with Tina's dad and step-mom. So I've been getting gradual exercise, not crazy stuff though. We're hoping to get P90X, it's a crazy awesome workout that kicks your rear into gear over the course of three months. That will be good for the wintertime because I won't have anywhere to run!
Now that the weather is getting cooler I will have no excuse to not run every waking minute!
Something tells me I need a vacation, though, I feel short-fused and wide-stretched. I made one of the biggest blunders at work the other day, I felt like crawling into a hole and giving up on life completely. I sent a dealer order to the wrong dealer! Oi!! Dad wasn't upset but I could tell Nick was. He gave me the evil eye.
Since Tina's here she's going to start taking care of grandma, that's a nice load-off. Maybe I will take a vacation. Naw, I've already used up my vacation days this year! Oh well, better luck next year.
In the meantime, I'm thinking about going preaching this weekend, if Nick will go with me. (There's always that hitch). BFF teaches Bible study and she's starting on a new topic this week (Faith) so I decided I must as well refresh my mind on that subject while I'm at it, this was we can discuss it as we go.
I get my study courses from faithtech.org. Check them out. They're awesome people who are in love with God and enjoy teaching the truth. BFF teaches out of Faith Tech as well.
Sadly, our book is at a stand-still. For so long we knew what we wanted and now we've reached a void in our book that we didn't plan for, a part where things have to happen but we'd never talked about how, so we don't have any ready material to fill its pages! The progress is snail-paced. But we'll get through it. We always do. We didn't come this far (26 1/2 Chapters plus a prologue and interlude) to give up now!!
So the other day Nick asks what's for dinner. I asked him what does he want? Well, we have a ton of pork (yes, we eat swine flesh! lol) and he always--ALWAYS--wants fried rice. I'm rather sick of fried rice so I suggested pork tacos and then he said "shredded pork, mm" So I stuck them, straight from the freezer, into a large pot with three cans of diced tomatoes, one can stewed tomatoes, some chicken base, some water, some sherry, a whole onion and a lot of seasonings (including, but not limited to, hot sauce, paprika and cayenne.) And just let it stew...for five hours. Then I pulled it all apart, discarded the tomato goo (mostly because it was burnt on the bottom--but the pork didn't get burned!) And then put it back in the pot with some extra seasonings, lemon, chicken broth and hot sauce. The result was to die for. It was super juicy, super tasty, full of flavor. Is your mouth watering yet? In short, I was very pleased with the end result.
Today and tomorrow are my do-as-little-as-possible days. Since I was kind of going crazy all last week, these next two days must be dedicated to at least a little bit of writing! I still have my regular, daily, tasks...But I'll do those in a jiffy. I need to stretch my creative mind and warm it up so that it can start flowing genius! Buddy wrote a pretty good scene the other day. Anyways, I suppose you are probably tired of hearing about our book!
You know there was a moose in our forest the other day (yes, we own a small forest). He was huge!! And cute! Then my brother scared him away with his loud rendition of Hey Jude. I also ran across a whole flock of wild turkeys while on my run last week! I was afraid they might attack, but they didn't. Thank God.
I had many more in-depth thoughts but, sadly, I've taken too long to blog so I've forgotten a lot of them! I shall try to be more diligent to get my thoughts to you fresh and hot out of the oven. Until then, God bless.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The Great Cousin Migration of 2011
Hello my lovely people! Boy, did I miss blogging!
BFF scoffed when I told her that, I suppose she thinks I ought to have missed people more than blogging. But when I'm writing I feel as though I'm talking to all my (billions of) readers! So, there!
I flew down to San Diego on Sunday with my brother to drive my cousin and her daughter up here to live with us. Of course you can't know where here is. That's a mystery that may or may not ever be revealed.
But I'll tell you about the trip! We took the I15 and, for most of the trip (and all of the first day of driving) it was cloudy and humid and warm. Yuck. (If any of you are wondering if I'm happy to be back to my 72 degree abode, the answer is: YES). The drive through California and Nevada was boring, dry and left one feeling as though they were driving through desolation itself. Kind of like Tatooine, but not as awesome, and less Krayt dragons...Then we reached Las Vegas. If I could sum that place up in one word it would be... YUCK. Alright, I'm sure there could be something nice about it, and I did just drive through, I didn't stop, but I don't think I'd want to stop. Not only is it full of gamblers, smokers and drinkers, but the billboards were what got me, signs for peepshows and all sorts of lasciviousness. It disgusted me. Las Vegas would be a good place to go preaching. As was San Diego. Lot's of people living only for themselves there (minus all my family and friends, of course ;)). I was glad to get out of Las Vegas. Towards the end of the trip I called Buddy BFF to read a book we were going through together: A Hopeful Heart by Kim Vogel Sawyer. We read each other books over the phone often (when we're not reading our own, lol). Jeff wanted to hear so we called her on his phone which had a little headphones plug and plugged the phone into the radio adapter and, viola! We had our own, live audio book! It was probably the best part of the whole trip.
We reached a town right before Salt Lake and stayed the night. I went to the weight room and did a little bicycle workout for a few minutes just to get a little bit of a workout in! I was so glad I did, too.
The next morning we woke up at 6 (which was really 5 PST) and got a move on a little past 7 (again, 6 my time). Getting out of Utah was great. Getting into Idaho was better. Getting into Montana was splendid! Jeff said to me, "no wonder they call it the big sky country." And it's true! The mountains stretch out and frame the sky. They're so large but don't dominate. They weren't like far-away mountains that were low to the ground, they were right there, large, but mellow! It's so hard to describe, but hopefully you get a sort of idea. That part of Montana was awesome, other parts, not so much. At one point Justin had to call me to make sure I wasn't going the wrong way. I had texted him a city that we were nearing (but not going through) and he was concerned I was headed in the opposite direction! Good ol' buddy, watchin' out for his fellow pals. We were coming to the end of the trip and, now you've guessed it, we live in the great northwest! But what part? You will never know. Getting home was the bestest bestest feeling in the entire world. I don't like being away from home (unless I'm spending time with BFF) so whenever I get back it's always a relief. My sister once said, "what are you going to do when you get married?" Two answers. 1: My husband will be my home :) (she laughed at that..) and, 2: as long as I live in this general area, I will be happy. Though I know God could send me anywhere He please, I do prefer to stay here. But I will go where He sends me.
At present our living room is full of my cousin's stuff, haha, it's crazy, but we'll be putting it all away soon. One step at a time. In the meantime I will be trying to run and workout as often as possible. I wasn't planning on running this morning because it was so sunny, but it's so cool and breezy that I just might have to go anyways. If nothing else, I will be going for one later today.
2 1/2 weeks until Justin Buddy arrives! Looking forward to that. Anyway, I will have more eventful things to post, but for now I'm just going to try to get back into the swing of things. A fresh list of chores have been posted and there's work to be done!
BFF scoffed when I told her that, I suppose she thinks I ought to have missed people more than blogging. But when I'm writing I feel as though I'm talking to all my (billions of) readers! So, there!
I flew down to San Diego on Sunday with my brother to drive my cousin and her daughter up here to live with us. Of course you can't know where here is. That's a mystery that may or may not ever be revealed.
But I'll tell you about the trip! We took the I15 and, for most of the trip (and all of the first day of driving) it was cloudy and humid and warm. Yuck. (If any of you are wondering if I'm happy to be back to my 72 degree abode, the answer is: YES). The drive through California and Nevada was boring, dry and left one feeling as though they were driving through desolation itself. Kind of like Tatooine, but not as awesome, and less Krayt dragons...Then we reached Las Vegas. If I could sum that place up in one word it would be... YUCK. Alright, I'm sure there could be something nice about it, and I did just drive through, I didn't stop, but I don't think I'd want to stop. Not only is it full of gamblers, smokers and drinkers, but the billboards were what got me, signs for peepshows and all sorts of lasciviousness. It disgusted me. Las Vegas would be a good place to go preaching. As was San Diego. Lot's of people living only for themselves there (minus all my family and friends, of course ;)). I was glad to get out of Las Vegas. Towards the end of the trip I called Buddy BFF to read a book we were going through together: A Hopeful Heart by Kim Vogel Sawyer. We read each other books over the phone often (when we're not reading our own, lol). Jeff wanted to hear so we called her on his phone which had a little headphones plug and plugged the phone into the radio adapter and, viola! We had our own, live audio book! It was probably the best part of the whole trip.
We reached a town right before Salt Lake and stayed the night. I went to the weight room and did a little bicycle workout for a few minutes just to get a little bit of a workout in! I was so glad I did, too.
The next morning we woke up at 6 (which was really 5 PST) and got a move on a little past 7 (again, 6 my time). Getting out of Utah was great. Getting into Idaho was better. Getting into Montana was splendid! Jeff said to me, "no wonder they call it the big sky country." And it's true! The mountains stretch out and frame the sky. They're so large but don't dominate. They weren't like far-away mountains that were low to the ground, they were right there, large, but mellow! It's so hard to describe, but hopefully you get a sort of idea. That part of Montana was awesome, other parts, not so much. At one point Justin had to call me to make sure I wasn't going the wrong way. I had texted him a city that we were nearing (but not going through) and he was concerned I was headed in the opposite direction! Good ol' buddy, watchin' out for his fellow pals. We were coming to the end of the trip and, now you've guessed it, we live in the great northwest! But what part? You will never know. Getting home was the bestest bestest feeling in the entire world. I don't like being away from home (unless I'm spending time with BFF) so whenever I get back it's always a relief. My sister once said, "what are you going to do when you get married?" Two answers. 1: My husband will be my home :) (she laughed at that..) and, 2: as long as I live in this general area, I will be happy. Though I know God could send me anywhere He please, I do prefer to stay here. But I will go where He sends me.
At present our living room is full of my cousin's stuff, haha, it's crazy, but we'll be putting it all away soon. One step at a time. In the meantime I will be trying to run and workout as often as possible. I wasn't planning on running this morning because it was so sunny, but it's so cool and breezy that I just might have to go anyways. If nothing else, I will be going for one later today.
2 1/2 weeks until Justin Buddy arrives! Looking forward to that. Anyway, I will have more eventful things to post, but for now I'm just going to try to get back into the swing of things. A fresh list of chores have been posted and there's work to be done!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Sleeping in 'til 9
Ah, fall is here! It's getting cooler than normal and I find myself wearing long pants and even thinking about putting on a hoodie! I love fall. It's crisp and cool, like dusk; light slowly fading to welcome a long, dark winter then, eventually, you will awaken to a hushed, dewy spring that will be laid out to dry in the heat of summer. You know, that was pretty poetic, I think I'll put it in a book. NOBODY STEAL IT!!! If you did, heh, the time stamp on my blog would prove I wrote it first so you wouldn't be able to get away with it. Then I'd be able to sue you for millions and wouldn't have to continue to think of ways to scrape together a living!
Alright, I'm not trying to scrape together a living. The Lord is my provider and for that I am eternally grateful.
Today it's actually warming up to a nice, warm 80 degrees. I slept in 'til 9 o'clock! 9! I couldn't believe it. But, last night, I'd prepared myself for the possibility. It was midnight before I got to bed. I had been up cleaning the kitchen counters and decided I wouldn't go for a run in the morning and would allow myself to sleep in as long as I needed. Besides this morning, though, I'd been good about waking up around 7. I love it! I love waking up "early" in the morning! I am definitely a morning person at heart.
I went for a lame walk yesterday, I think my body just wasn't up for it. I had just gone on a 12 mile bike ride the day before and the past week I had been doing good on my running. So you'd think I'd cut myself some slack and be alright with a walk! Today I decided to not do a stitch of exercise, let my body rest a full day, then I can jump back into it. My bike ride went well, I met up with a friend in town and we biked together then went to her house and baked cookies. I then started home on my own. That's when it got cold and then started to pour rain. It was miserable. I called my brother but he said he was busy. Then I called my dad, but he was in town at a Mexican restaurant! Ah! So I called my brother again but he wasn't happy about the idea of driving two miles to pick me up. So I hung up and called Buddy to lament my poor misfortune while riding in the cold. And then! I saw a white truck down the road -- my brother! Hurrah! He came after all, I was so glad.
So, finally, Buddy and I got together and laid out a timeline for the interlude in our book. That's what it's called, isn't it pretty? I'm stoked, I'll be doing a little re-arranging and writing later on and a little tomorrow, I hope. I will be flying down to San Diego to pick up my cousin, on Sunday, my brother and I are going to drive her up here to live with us while her husband is in Afghanistan. But I'll be able to resume my writing when I get back! At the end of the month my friend, Justin, is coming to visit! Pretty excited about that. But, if anyone is wondering, Justin = Just. Friend. I know last year some people were wondering about us. Well, there's nothing to wonder. We're just two pals who enjoy hanging out together. So, just so everyone's clear... Justin = what? Yes, Just Friend. That should put to rest anyone's nagging questions in the back of their minds.
I'm happy with my singleness right now, and very happy with my life, too. I don't need a guy to make me feel fulfilled because I've got God. Sometimes it's hard but, as time goes on, there's a point you reach where you realize you can be happy and that marriage doesn't make everything better. It's certainly lovely, and I do look forward to that time in my life, but the Bible says that godliness with contentment is great gain. Who wouldn't want to be content? When you're discontent you're unhappy. I'm glad that God helped me reach this place in my life. It was a long struggle, but I'm finally here. The trick is to not become a bachelorette! haha! An old spinster woman set in her ways, nooo, I'll be careful about that.
Speaking of friends, I've recently become acquainted with a new person! His name is Wilson, and he's become a quick buddy. I love how God's kingdom works, when you're in the truth you have that in common with everyone (in the kingdom), so there's your first common ground. And what better ground to have than Christ? Besides having that in common, though, I've realized Wilson's a bit of a kindred spirit. I've had a few friends in my teenager/young adult years that were mutual friends with Buddy. Alas, they are friends no more. Beliefs pulled us apart. One of them became agnostic and the other is a gay atheist. They both deleted me from Facebook at the same time, I remember that night well, because I cried. It's what happens when you're standing on the ground of Christ and no one wants to stand next to you. It left a small little hole in my heart, I missed our MSN chats and inside jokes, I missed my friends. But the Lord restores. He's sent me wonderful friends in the packaging of BFF, Wilson, Justin, and some others (you know who you are!). They have the strong foundation of Christ, they're not going anywhere. These friendships I truly cherish and thank God for.
By the way, I must mention that my mother took me and the three youngest boys shopping for shoes yesterday! Payless was having a bogo half off sale. I found the awesomest boots! I've been dying for some nice fashionable fall boots for a while but have never found a good pair. I slipped these ones on and, oh my, they were so comfortable. They didn't feel like your average achey high-heeled boots. They were sweet! And also $40.00. My mother was kind and bought them for me. Payless was lame and didn't take half off of that pair, but a cheaper one. I gave my mom 20 dollars to make up for it, lol. The money was well worth it, though, the boots are comfy and stylish and I can see myself wearing them often.
I'm really wanting to go preaching again, and I really should. I just need to find a good time to go. If nothing else, at least I will go when Justin is here. We've made plans to do so! When BFF is here for my birthday I'm thinking we might go somewhere and preach as well! The World needs to hear the gospel of Christ, and how are they going to hear if we're not out there telling it to them? If you believe in something strongly enough, you want to share it. Don't you? So get out there and share it!
That's all for now, folks!
Alright, I'm not trying to scrape together a living. The Lord is my provider and for that I am eternally grateful.
Today it's actually warming up to a nice, warm 80 degrees. I slept in 'til 9 o'clock! 9! I couldn't believe it. But, last night, I'd prepared myself for the possibility. It was midnight before I got to bed. I had been up cleaning the kitchen counters and decided I wouldn't go for a run in the morning and would allow myself to sleep in as long as I needed. Besides this morning, though, I'd been good about waking up around 7. I love it! I love waking up "early" in the morning! I am definitely a morning person at heart.
I went for a lame walk yesterday, I think my body just wasn't up for it. I had just gone on a 12 mile bike ride the day before and the past week I had been doing good on my running. So you'd think I'd cut myself some slack and be alright with a walk! Today I decided to not do a stitch of exercise, let my body rest a full day, then I can jump back into it. My bike ride went well, I met up with a friend in town and we biked together then went to her house and baked cookies. I then started home on my own. That's when it got cold and then started to pour rain. It was miserable. I called my brother but he said he was busy. Then I called my dad, but he was in town at a Mexican restaurant! Ah! So I called my brother again but he wasn't happy about the idea of driving two miles to pick me up. So I hung up and called Buddy to lament my poor misfortune while riding in the cold. And then! I saw a white truck down the road -- my brother! Hurrah! He came after all, I was so glad.
So, finally, Buddy and I got together and laid out a timeline for the interlude in our book. That's what it's called, isn't it pretty? I'm stoked, I'll be doing a little re-arranging and writing later on and a little tomorrow, I hope. I will be flying down to San Diego to pick up my cousin, on Sunday, my brother and I are going to drive her up here to live with us while her husband is in Afghanistan. But I'll be able to resume my writing when I get back! At the end of the month my friend, Justin, is coming to visit! Pretty excited about that. But, if anyone is wondering, Justin = Just. Friend. I know last year some people were wondering about us. Well, there's nothing to wonder. We're just two pals who enjoy hanging out together. So, just so everyone's clear... Justin = what? Yes, Just Friend. That should put to rest anyone's nagging questions in the back of their minds.
I'm happy with my singleness right now, and very happy with my life, too. I don't need a guy to make me feel fulfilled because I've got God. Sometimes it's hard but, as time goes on, there's a point you reach where you realize you can be happy and that marriage doesn't make everything better. It's certainly lovely, and I do look forward to that time in my life, but the Bible says that godliness with contentment is great gain. Who wouldn't want to be content? When you're discontent you're unhappy. I'm glad that God helped me reach this place in my life. It was a long struggle, but I'm finally here. The trick is to not become a bachelorette! haha! An old spinster woman set in her ways, nooo, I'll be careful about that.
Speaking of friends, I've recently become acquainted with a new person! His name is Wilson, and he's become a quick buddy. I love how God's kingdom works, when you're in the truth you have that in common with everyone (in the kingdom), so there's your first common ground. And what better ground to have than Christ? Besides having that in common, though, I've realized Wilson's a bit of a kindred spirit. I've had a few friends in my teenager/young adult years that were mutual friends with Buddy. Alas, they are friends no more. Beliefs pulled us apart. One of them became agnostic and the other is a gay atheist. They both deleted me from Facebook at the same time, I remember that night well, because I cried. It's what happens when you're standing on the ground of Christ and no one wants to stand next to you. It left a small little hole in my heart, I missed our MSN chats and inside jokes, I missed my friends. But the Lord restores. He's sent me wonderful friends in the packaging of BFF, Wilson, Justin, and some others (you know who you are!). They have the strong foundation of Christ, they're not going anywhere. These friendships I truly cherish and thank God for.
By the way, I must mention that my mother took me and the three youngest boys shopping for shoes yesterday! Payless was having a bogo half off sale. I found the awesomest boots! I've been dying for some nice fashionable fall boots for a while but have never found a good pair. I slipped these ones on and, oh my, they were so comfortable. They didn't feel like your average achey high-heeled boots. They were sweet! And also $40.00. My mother was kind and bought them for me. Payless was lame and didn't take half off of that pair, but a cheaper one. I gave my mom 20 dollars to make up for it, lol. The money was well worth it, though, the boots are comfy and stylish and I can see myself wearing them often.
I'm really wanting to go preaching again, and I really should. I just need to find a good time to go. If nothing else, at least I will go when Justin is here. We've made plans to do so! When BFF is here for my birthday I'm thinking we might go somewhere and preach as well! The World needs to hear the gospel of Christ, and how are they going to hear if we're not out there telling it to them? If you believe in something strongly enough, you want to share it. Don't you? So get out there and share it!
That's all for now, folks!
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