Fun Pictures!

Here are some pictures from my life recently.

Drew and I tackle a Mexican wedding.  The bride was the only other white person there.

 With a stunning kick I deliver a killing blow to the other team in a friendly game of kickball. 

My oldest friend, Kt, and I visit Drew in the hospital after his surgery.

What Christmas looked like for Drew and family.

I always get faint at the sight/earshot of anything remotely medical.

Kt and I bring in the New Year.

10 Simple Pleasures in Life I Enjoy

In no particular order.

1.  Christmas mornings with carols playing softly in the background, the smell of cookies baking, and the joy on my family’s faces.

2.  Jogging in the rain.

3.  Sleeping late in the morning or taking long afternoon naps.

4.  Learning and talking about God and what He has done for me and others.

5.  Playing games with friends and letting my competitive spirit take over.

6.  Early morning walks with my mom, watching the sunrise and learning how to be   friends.

7.  Raining afternoons spent with a good book and a hot mug of apple cider.

8.  Winter mornings spent in my room made toasty by my space heater.

9.  Watching my family interact with each other.

10. A crisp fall day with the sound of leaves crunching under my feet and the smell of smoke in the air.

Insights From English Class

Something very interesting happened in my English class today.  For some background: my English class is about surviving in the wilderness.  We’re reading books about people that have survived (and some that haven’t) in the wild with very little resources.  We are talking about how most survivors have similar characteristics, and how they are all changed by their experiences.

Today, my instructor asked the class who would like to just throw away their lives and go somewhere to escape their reality.  Out of a class of about 30 people, my friend Emily and I were they only ones that didn’t raise our hands.  We were the only people in the classroom that were not willing to run away from our lives, everyone else wanted to pack up and ship out.  It struck my as very sobering and sad that most of them were so unhappy. 

Emily and I have talked before and we are both Christians and active in our local churches.  I believe this was one of the contributing factors for why we were content with our lives the way they are.  I know that for myself I am happy where I am because I am doing so much better than I deserve.  I know it is a cliché around our church but that doesn’t make it less true.  I love my family and can’t imagine wanting to leave them.  I enjoy my job and the people I work with and I am grateful that I have the opportunity to go to school.  Sure, I get the occasional class I don’t like or agree with but I feel this is where God wants me to be.  I have no desire to throw it all away.

            Next, my teacher asked why people wanted to leave.  Most agreed that they wanted a change of scenery and to get away from their problems.  Phil (my teacher), then explained that, yes, you could leave, but would that solve anything?  Would your problems change?  Everyone agreed that they would not change. 

            In class we have been talking about how survivors often learn life changing lessons during their ordeals (such as how important family is, or just how small and insignificant we as people are).  Phil said that we could also experience these same changes if we would go out in the wilderness or just for a walk in nature and in a way disconnect ourselves from the every day cares of life.  He said, “If you can find a way to take your cares and cast them away, you will come back a new person with a new outtake on reality.”  When he said to “cast your cares away” all I could think was that he was telling us to cast them the wrong way.  1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you.”   People are stressed out and having a hard time in life, but they are looking for a solution in the wrong place.  If you just cast away your cares on a walk they are always there when you get back.  Only God can give people the peace and joy that they need.

I Am From…

Check out my homework!

I am from Derwood and Cydie,

  ancestors with strange names that I never met.

I am from Terry and Donna,

  proudly the largest branch of the family tree.

I am from “Thou Shalt Not”s and “the Golden Rule”.

I am from long Christmas mornings,

  with eggnog and homemade cookies.

I am from five siblings,

  that crowd the house but are never dull.

I am from “stop means stop” and “always do your best.”

I am from a broken home,

  that has seen restoration.

I am from Sunday School,

  come rain or shine.

I am from “use you head” and “work before play.”

I am from homeschooling,

  and the misconceptions that come with it.

I am from working hard,

  and budgeting your time.

I am from “do you sleep in?” and “do you always get to wear your pajamas?”

I am from a dietician,

  with no doughnuts or soft drinks.

I am from whole wheat bread,

  that I think tastes like hair.

I am from “eat your veggies” and “did you take your vitamin?”

I am from loving discipline,

  that establishes boundaries.

I am from a mischievous mind,

  that loves a good joke.

I am from “what were you thinking?” and “give them an inch and they take a mile!”

I am from mother-daughter bonding,

  on early morning runs.

I am from family time,

  and enduring love.

I am from “we’ll get through this” and “I’ll love you forever.”

This Week’s Update of Some Things I’ve Learned

1.  It’s very inconvenient when someone robs the bank where you must cash your financial aid check.

2.  If your multicultural education professor asks the class the question, “If a middle class, white male has not ‘asked Jesus into his heart’ is he going to hell?” don’t raise your hand.  (Don’t worry, I’m not dumb enough to have raised my hand, and nowhere in the Bible does it say that you must “ask Jesus into your heart” to be saved.)

3.  It’s not pleasant when your kitty coughs up a hair ball on your bed and you have to change the sheets.