Labor ~ Laughter ~ Love ~ Life

"Tomorrows" (part 2)

2010-10-07T21:50:00.000-07:00

Before I get to the rest of the story, let me give a little background. I’ve loved horses all my life. I wanted to be a jockey when I was 7 years old. I probably got this idea from a book that I had read, but it seemed the perfect occupation for me. However, by the time I was 10, I realized I was going to be if not already, too tall to be a jockey. There was a brief mourning period (for about a day) until I came to the conclusion that I could still work with horses. I would just be a trainer. Yes. That was it. I still remember someone asking me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” (For the record, when I was 3 or 4 I wanted to be a missionary, but I wasn’t reading horse books at that time.) My answer was very plain and proud, “A Horse Trainer.”

I still remember the sting of the reply that followed. It was something along the lines of “You can’t do that. You don’t have the experience, etc. etc.” Well duh, I didn’t have the experience yet. I was 10. And isn’t that what little kids are supposed to do? Dream big? In any case, I digress. I may have received discouraging remarks here and there, but I stubbornly clung to my dream and my love of horses despite assurances that I would outgrow it when I was 16. Nope. Sorry. Not me. Nuh uh. Not happening.

I never did outgrow my “horse-crazy” stage, but as I got older, and a little wiser, reality set in. That reality was that I didn’t work with horses that much, my exposure was limited, and it probably wasn’t going to ever work out. It began to be something I had to accept as a non-possibility.

When I was about 20, I ended up going to the Clark County Fair. I was by myself for whatever reasons, I don’t exactly recall, but at the end of the evening, I found myself talking with a member of the Clark County Fair Mounted Patrol. I remember it being dark, and this person was helping direct horse trailers in and out of the large parking lot. It was a really neat conversation, and I remember thinking that it would be really great to be able to be a part of a volunteer organization like that.

Fast forward a year and a half, I was working on finishing up my general studies degree at the local community college and I knew I was interested in joining up with the Mounted Patrol, or at least finding out more about them and the possibility of joining. I began to look up contact information and call some phone numbers trying to get more information. It seemed that no matter how much I Googled, nothing was turning up. I felt very discouraged. At the same time though, God was working in my life and my heart in such a way, that I began to see life in a little different way. I began to understand, with my heart, not just my head, some important truths about His love for me. I had learned that I was really holding onto this ‘dream’ so tightly, that it had become more important to me than it should have been. Through various changes and lessons, I gave up my dream. I gave it up to Christ, because I had learned that it wasn’t even mine to begin with. And I knew that if I could let go, I would find an even bigger peace and joy in knowing He was leading me where I needed to go. I don’t mean to sound preachy or romanticize it but that’s the truth. And while it is rather simplistic, I hadn’t been in a place yet where I understood this.

I still pursued trying to find a contact for the CCFMP, but knowing that if I never did, or never owned or worked with horses for the rest of my life, I was going to be OK. I would be more than OK. Because God was in charge. And I knew I could be happy in that.

And isn’t it amazing how God works? Shortly after I had come to this conclusion, I found a contact for the Mounted Patrol. Her name was Jody, and after talking with her a few times over email I decided to come to the meeting. My first time at the meeting was in January of 2009. And the rest is history. I’m so thankful I joined the Fence Riders (as we are often called). I met so many amazing people there, many of them brothers and sisters-in-the Lord, and have been so blessed by the friendships I’ve made. I’ve learned so much with them and it’s been a really fun time.

What does this have to do with my going back to school? Well, it was through this group of horsemen and women, and their friendship and encouragement that I realized that my dream of becoming a trainer, and working with horses, wasn’t as impossible as I thought it could be. It’s really their fault I’m back in school. (Well, actually, the Lord had a lot to do with it too. :-)

"Tomorrows"

2010-09-21T19:38:00.000-07:00

Life is filled with “Tomorrows.” Some of them are bigger than others. Today, I’m on the brink of one such ‘tomorrow’. I don’t know what it will bring, but looking back on all that’s brought me here, I find myself overwhelmed with various emotions. Excitement. Fear. Sadness. Joy. But most of all, I find I have peace about whatever is going to happen because God has been and continues to be good.
It continues to baffle my mind (and maybe this is the way it’s supposed to be) how God has worked all things out. Nothing happens the way I expect it to, but it still works out. Maybe that is just part of the mystery of serving an all-knowing and all-powerful Savior.
When I started to think about going back to school I wasn’t prepared for all that would happen. I hadn’t yet told my parents; I knew what they‘d say, and I wasn’t ready to answer the questions or give all the details. I spent time praying about what I wanted to study (I had a general idea – something with animals – preferably horses), researching schools and programs, and going over money matters. A couple months went by and I finally was ready to talk; I planned on having a sit-down conversation. Knowing my family, I would have to actually schedule something with my parents so we could make sure both were in the room and paying attention to the topic. (That’s how it goes when it’s a busy house and everybody has something to do, or say, or needs this or that done…best to just ‘schedule’ it.) So I mentally scheduled a date to “Have A Talk.”
And then Dad had a heart-attack. (Or so we thought at the time.) It was December, the week before Christmas. My sister and brother-in-law were in town at the time. Pretty much everything flew out of my head except for worry for my Dad. Dad was in the hospital two time within 10 days. When he was released the day before Christmas Eve, I didn’t really care about anything except that he was alive and going to be ok. And I suddenly realized (yeah, big epiphany coming up here…) that life is very short. And you never know when you want to tell someone something until it’s too late. I realized that for all my scheduling I just needed to get it out – just say it. Stop worrying about the “perfect time.”
The perfect time for me came on Christmas morning. Everyone was still at the breakfast table and Dad and I happened to both be in the kitchen getting something.
“Dad.” I said. “I want to go back to school.”
I braced myself for his reaction, pretty sure it was going to be something like “Well, let’s think about this…is this a good idea?” (Not really painting a good picture of my father here, but I really didn’t know how approving he’d be of this idea…especially of the field of study I was considering.) Oh ye of little faith…
His actual reaction: “Really? Good for you!”
Me: “Well, I’ve…wait….huh?”
Him: “Have you thought about what you want to study?”
Me *mentally*: “Here we go…”
Me *out loud*: “Yes. I want to study in the science field – something with large animals. Specifically horses if I can. I’m thinking maybe a veterinarian technician.”
Him: “Really! That’s great! I’m proud of you!”
Let’s just say, this was not the reaction I had been prepared for. I didn’t have very much faith in the loving goodness of my earthly father, much less in the goodness of my Heavenly Father. Like I said – oh ye of little faith!
The following weeks were another testament to me of how much He loves me. Dad sent out emails to former classmates who worked in various schools in their administration departments, asking for their help and input for me. And then he landed the big one.

(To be continued…)

Words of Wisdom

2010-08-25T16:58:00.000-07:00

Nancy Wilson had a great article a few weeks ago that I really appreciated. I appreciate all of them, but this was particularly helpful to me as I'm going back to school. Even though I've been through college before and kind of know what to expect, this article was very good. (I printed it out so I can keep it in one of my school binders as a daily reminder.)

You never realize how incompetent you are at (or feel about) something until you go to teach someone else how to do it.

2010-08-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

At least that's how I feel lately. I've been given the task (really, no option here) of training two young ladies, new to my company, that are going to be taking over my job.
First, let me say this. I am a talker. I like to talk about stuff though I'm not so good at the small talk stuff...until I can 'click' with someone on a common topic, I mostly fumble about for conversation. Otherwise, I can be pretty chatty. I think I come by it genetically...I am of German and Italian decent, and well, let's just say that you can be glad I don't gesticulate wildly as some of my older extended relatives are known to do. *If I've never told you about my great-aunt...I should... ;-)

But to have to talk from 7 in the morning to 3:30 in the afternoon can be rather exhausting. And it's not just talking. It's teaching. Training. Every little step of the way. And trying to make sure you don't forget a detail or a critical process. That's the hard part. And then there's the "what if's" and "when's" that might come up after I'm not there, I worry if I'll have prepared them enough to do the job. I know I'm probably completely over analyzing things. It's not like they'll be totally sunk if something happens that they don't know how to take care of-- there are plenty of competent and well-informed people here that will help. The most I can do is give it my best and leave the rest up to God.

I can hear my dad right now "You're not the fourth person of the Trinity."
(Yeah, I know. Thank God.)

You, know, they also say that you know that you know something when you can teach it to someone else. I guess I might know a little. :^)

Day 16: A song that makes you cry

2010-08-04T08:33:00.001-07:00

“The Little Girl” by John Michael Montgomery. I bawl everytime. Without fail.

Day 15: A person you admire

2010-08-03T08:16:00.000-07:00

My Dad

You can read a post I wrote about him here.

Want to win a prize?

2010-08-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

Go to Mama Chocolate and follow the rules to win a fantastic looking cookbook! (I did...) :-)

Day 14: A vacation you would like to take

2010-08-02T08:28:00.000-07:00

Louisville, Kentucky (because once was not enough...)

You haven't lived until you've seen this view

Scotland- all of it

Santorini Greece

Neuschwanstein Castle (as in “new-sshw-van-stine” or something like that…)

Doesn't this look like it's out of a fairy tale?

Notre Dame, France

Day 12: A song that you want played at your wedding & Day 13: A guilty pleasure

2010-07-30T07:42:00.000-07:00

Day 12: “Unforgettable” The version by Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole. (love that song)

Day 13: Um…ok…I’ll admit it…I will, on occasion read the Hollywood/Entertainment Gossip news…I’m not sure why, because usually everyone is just one big train-wreck and I read it, roll my eyes and thank God I'm not famous.

And there you have it. I posted two days because I felt like it. Also, who knows if I'll touch the computer tomorrow.

Have a great weekend!

Day 11: A photo of you taken recently

2010-07-29T08:21:00.000-07:00

This was taken last month at Rebekah's graduation. I think I’ve changed for the better from my description yesterday. See? No braces and at least I know how to cover up the aforementioned pimples.

*I said it again. Two posts in a row. Well, as P’dub says, “Just keepin’ it real!”

Day 10: A photo of you taken over ten years ago

2010-07-28T09:49:00.001-07:00

That would require me to scan something into the computer – ‘cause you know, that was before we had digital cameras….so you’ll just have to guess what I looked like ten years ago…or think really hard and you’ll remember. I was probably pimply with braces…lovely picture, no?

**I’m sorry I said “pimply” **

Lately...

2010-07-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

I've been on a "finishing-my-projects" spree. I suddenly feel highly motivated now that I'm going back to school in the fall.
**I don't think I've mentioned that yet have I? Yes, well, I am. I'll be attending Linn-Benton Community College in Albany, OR and studying for a degree in Animal Technology-Horse Management. I'm very excited. I don't think I've ever been this excited about going to school before.**
Anyway, since I'll be gone in the fall (I'm moving down there - living with some friends) I realized that I have several projects that are either started or materials for projects that I have 'meant' to do for a long time. I have an intense need to GET IT DONE NOW! One of my projects was to organize a major portion of my room. It took me most of Saturday and I was tired but it's such a nice feeling to have things sorted out. I love emptying drawers of stuff and finding things I didn't remember I had. (i.e. a drawer full of candles that I apparently had been saving for ___??? I gave most of them to Mom.) I finished a crocheting project the other day. Last night, I began another. I'll post some pictures after I've gotten it finished - hopefully it'll get wrapped up tonight.
I love the satisfactory feeling of checking things off a list.

Day 9: A photo you took

2010-07-27T08:08:00.000-07:00

Olivia ~ August 2008. This was a totally candid moment - she was running across the beach and I called her name. She stopped and I clicked the shutter. I love how her shirt stands out against the sand and rocks behind her. It's a little hard to see, but she has the biggest smile on her face too.

Day 8: A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life.

2010-07-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

Letter to my Great-Grandmother, Rena Bufe (1908-2007)

Dear Grandma,

I can hear your voice saying “Hello my Dear, and how are you doing?” I would reply, “I’m doing really well Grandma, how are you?” And your standard answer followed by that infectious giggle “Oh, I’m just fat and sassy!” Even though I knew what you were going to say, I still laughed every time.

I don’t know if I ever told you this, but I want to be like you when I grow up. Dad and Mom like to tease me and call me ‘Rena’. They say “that’s where you go it from” It being this innate strong will, stubbornness, and determination that you personified in your life. Honestly, I think that is the highest compliment anyone can pay me. This year would have been your 102nd birthday. I’m almost one-quarter of that. I think back on your life, your testimony, and am so thankful I can look back and see you as a kind of measuring stick in my own life.

I want to be able to shine wherever I go – not be afraid to talk about Jesus to everyone, be able to find the happiness in any situation, and to laugh my way through life.

There is much more I could say, but not enough time or space to write it, but I guess what I’m trying to say is: Thank you. Thank you for your unwavering faith and testimony of God’s love and goodness. Thank you for being such an exemplary Christian lady. I truly hope I can be like you someday. I’m so blessed I had the opportunity to know you and for the perspective you’ve given my life. I am so happy that I will get to see you again someday and that those days of laughing and rejoicing with Jesus will never end.

Love Always,
Rachel

"Give Me A Day"

2010-07-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm not much of a writer/poet, but sometimes the words are there. Sometimes it's hard to share them with people, because I know that it's not always good, and it feels scary to share the 'rawness' of my thoughts; like I'm exposing part of my soul to the world. This is a song I've recently written - maybe someday I'll write some music. Let me know what you think - Thanks for reading!

"Give Me A Day"

The ground grows harder under my feet
Walking uphill - I pause to catch my breath
I think of how my life is like this climb
And every morning I just feel tired to death.

I don’t want to get up and do it again:
Busy office, busy people and bad coffee
Each day it’s this same boring routine
And I want so much more than I see.

Give me a day to live for
One that means more than this
Give me a day to live for
The kind I don’t want to end

I compare the lives that others have
To the things I want in mine
I think how life could be so full
Trying my best just to follow the signs

I sometimes struggle and it hurts
The path is not easy to see
I get tired of all this falling down
But it’s not time well spent on my knees

Give me a day to live for
One that means more than this
Give me a day to live for
The kind I don’t want to end

But if I turn my eyes from inside
If I start looking out and look up
I can fall on the Grace that keeps giving
And that Love will overfill my cup

If I stop comparing the things that I don’t have
To the things that I’ve already been given
I’ll find joy in the days set before me
For my treasure’s built up heaven

You have given me a day to live for
This day is the one that You made
One of the many that eventually leads
To the Day that will never end

You have given me a day to live for
Today is my day to live for You.

Rachel G. Unger ©

Day 7: Five things you couldn't possible live without

2010-07-22T07:44:00.000-07:00

This shouldn't be too hard:

1) Bible
2) Water
3) Coffee
4) Sisters
5) Music

(I will admit I was strongly tempted to put "Facebook" in there, just to see what kind of reactions I would get.) :^)

Day 6: A Moment You Wish You Could Relive

2010-07-21T07:42:00.001-07:00

I went to Poland a year ago for 2 weeks. I went with a group from our church, the pastor and his wife from our sister church in Salem, OR and a group from a fellow church in Langley, BC.
The entire trip was an experience I will always remember and I cherish the time spent with the saints in Poland. There was one memory in particular that is very special.

It was our first Sunday in Poland and we were in the city of Legnica - the focal point of our ministry work. We walked to church (we walked everywhere in that city) Sunday morning to a Lutheran church near the city square. (The Lutherans had already had their service and was allowing our small congregation to hold service later.) This church was the most spectacular thing I had ever seen. The interior columns were so ornate and beautifully painted. The floors and pews were made of wood, aged and polished to a glowing sheen. The stained glass windows depicted various scenes from the Bible - the likes of which I had only seen in art books or photographs. And then we sang. None of us were professional singers though some were in church choirs and local ensembles. That moment, when the sound of our voices echoed back in our ears, ten times louder than we were actually singing: my first thought was that the choirs of heaven were singing Psalms with us. It was one of the most moving and powerful moments in my life. There really aren't words to describe the experience fully. I'm just so thankful for the opportunity to have been part of that missions trip and for the amazing things God showed us while we were there. If I could go back and relive that moment on that Sunday morning, I would. Over and over again.

Day 4: A Favorite Television Program & Day 5: A Favorite Quote

2010-07-20T07:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I don't watch a lot of TV. I mostly watch shows online after they've shown - often times a couple of episodes at a time. My favorite shows in the past have been Lost, NUMB3RS, and CSI Miami. But Lost and NUMB3RS are no longer airing, and CSI is on too late for me. But I will confess: I have a new favorite television show. "Chuck". Bethany and Alex brought the first season down with them when they were here last. It's hilarious. (Not for children though- for thematic elements...we just fast forward...yeah for DVD's!)

Casey: Don't worry. You're gonna be fine. Nothing's gonna happen to you. Assuming you know how to tango.
Chuck: Seriously?
Casey: Oh, I don't joke about your life

Favorite Quote (at this moment):
"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of man" ~ Winston Churchill

Day 2: A favorite movie & Day 3: A favorite book

2010-07-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

I have five favorite movies. So to spare myself the agony of picking one, I'll just list my top five for you here (in no particular order).

Return to Me
Chariots of Fire
The Man from Snowy River
Toy Story
The Court Jester

Do I have a favorite book? I think I have many. How is one supposed to choose just one? I think that the agony of choosing my favorite must somehow be akin to that of a parent choosing which child they love best.
Can I please skip this question? No? Ok. Fine then.

The Bible

so there....

Day 1 - Favorite Song

2010-07-16T08:01:00.001-07:00

Polka Dot posted this 30 Day Challenge on her blog. I thought I'd participate - this should be interesting.

I don't know if I can pick ONE favorite song, but this song always hits me at just the right time: "Creed" by Rich Mullins.

The music is great, and the lyrics, well, it's the core of my faith. (I'll try and post the youtube link later...)

Here's the list of the "Challenge"

Day 1: A favorite song.
Day 2: A favorite movie.
Day 3: A favorite book.
Day 4: A favorite television program.
Day 5: A favorite quote.
Day 6: A moment you wish you could relive.
Day 7: Five things you couldn't possible live without.
Day 8: A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life.
Day 9: A photo you took.
Day 10: A photo of you taken over ten years ago.
Day 11: A photo of you taken recently.
Day 12: A song that you want played at your wedding(or was played).
Day 13: A guilty pleasure.
Day 14: A vacation you would like to take.
Day 15: A person you admire.
Day 16: A song that makes you cry.
Day 17: An art piece.
Day 18: A time when you felt passionate and alive.
Day 19: A talent of yours.
Day 20: A hobby of yours.
Day 21: Something you know you do differently than most people.
Day 22: A website.
Day 23: A way in which you want to be remembered.
Day 24: A movie no one would expect you to love.
Day 25: A recipe.
Day 26: A childhood memory.
Day 27: A physical feature you love.
Day 28: A scar you have and it's story.
Day 29: Hopes, dreams and plans you have for the next 365 days.
Day 30: A motto or philosophy.

Thoughts this week..

2010-07-15T14:10:00.000-07:00

"To get something you never had, you have to do something you've never done." ~Anonymous

"The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirits. Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established." ~Proverbs 16:1-3

Facebook-a-thon Finale

2010-07-14T11:23:00.001-07:00

A friend and her family are in the process of adopting a little girl from Ethiopia. Their family's story and commitment to bring their daughter home is truly inspiring. I copied this from her blog. Please take a moment to read and if God enables you - to donate.

"Do you have $10? Your $10 can be used to change a child's life forever. Help us bring our daughter home! Visit http://itstheroadlesstravelled.com/ or donate directly through paypal to shubinadoptionfund@gmail.com "

Laundry

2010-07-13T08:12:00.000-07:00

It's a dirty job - but someone has to do mine.

(And because I know you're all wondering...this is NOT me...) ;-)

"If I Die Young"

2010-07-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

This is a new country song that I like, sung by the group The Band Perry. The melody is slow and beautiful, yet sad.

If I die young bury me in satin
lay me down on a bed of roses
sink me in the river at dawn
send me away with the words of a love song
ooh ooh ooh ooh

Lord make me a rainbow
I'll shine down on my mother
she knows I'm safe with you and she stands under my colors
oh and life ain't always what you think it ought to be
no it ain't even grey but she buries her baby
the sharp knife of a short life
well I've had just enough time

if I die young bury me in satin
lay me down on a bed of roses
sink me in the river at dawn
send me away with the words of a love song
the sharp knife of a short life
well, I have just enough time

and I'll be wearing white when I come into your kingdom
I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger
well I've never known the lovin' of man
but it sure felt nice when he was holdin my hand
there's a boy here in town who says he'll love me forever
who would have thought forever could be severed
by a sharp knife of a short life
well I've had just enough time
so put on your best boys, and I'll wear my pearls
what I never did is done

a penny for my thoughts, oh no I'll sell 'em for a dollar
they're worth so much more after I'm a gonner
and maybe then you'll hear the words that I've been singin'
it's funny when your dead how people start listenin'

if I die young bury me in satin
lay me down on a bed of roses
sink me in the river at dawn
send me away with the words of a love song
ooh ooh the ballad of a dove

go with peace and love
gather up your tears and keep them in your pocket
save 'em for a time when your really gonna need 'em.
oh the sharp knife of a short life
well I've had just enough time

so put on your best boys, and I'll wear my pearls

The World According to Student Bloopers

2010-07-07T13:36:00.001-07:00

I don't recall where I got this from - probably a chain email- but this is pretty funny.

"One of the fringe benefits of being an English or History teacher is receiving the occasional jewel of a student blooper in an essay. I have pasted together the following "history" of the world from certifiably genuine student bloopers collected by teachers throughout the United States, from eight grade through college level. Read carefully, and you will learn a lot.

The inhabitants of Egypt were called mummies. They lived in the Sarah Dessert and traveled by Camelot. The climate of the Sarah is such that the inhabitants have to live elsewhere, so certain areas of the dessert are cul- tivated by irritation. The Egyptians built the Pyramids in the shape of a huge triangular cube. The Pramids are a range of mountains between France and Spain.

The Bible is full of interesting caricatures. In the first book of the Bible, Guinesses, Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. One of their children, Cain, asked "Am I my brother's son?" God asked Abraham to sacrifice Issac on Mount Montezuma. Jacob, son of Issac, stole his brother's birthmark. Jacob was a partiarch who brought up his twelve sons to be partiarchs, but they did not take to it. One of Jacob's sons, Joseph, gave refuse to the Israelites.

Pharaoh forced the Hebrew slaves to make bread without straw. Moses led them to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread, which is bread made without any ingredients. Afterwards, Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten commandments. David was a Hebrew king skilled at playing the liar. He fougth with the Philatelists, a race of people who lived in Biblical times. Solomon, one of David's sons, had 500 wives and 500 porcupines.

Without the Greeks, we wouldn't have history. The Greeks invented three kinds of columns - Corinthian, Doric and Ironic. They also had myths. A myth is a female moth. One myth says that the mother of Achilles dipped him in the River Stynx until he became intolerable. Achilles appears in "The Illiad", by Homer. Homer also wrote the "Oddity", in which Penelope was the last hardship that Ulysses endured on his journey. Actually, Homer was not written by Homer but by another man of that name.

Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who went around giving people advice. They killed him. Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock.

In the Olympic Games, Greeks ran races, jumped, hurled the biscuits, and threw the java. The reward to the victor was a coral wreath. The government of Athen was democratic because the people took the law into their own hands. There were no wars in Greece, as the mountains were so high that they couldn't climb over to see what their neighbors were doing. When they fought the Parisians, the Greeks were outnumbered because the Persians had more men.

Eventually, the Ramons conquered the Geeks. History call people Romans because they never stayed in one place for very long. At Roman banquets, the guests wore garlic in their hair. Julius Caesar extinguished himself on the battlefields of Gaul. The Ides of March killed him because they thought he was going to be made king. Nero was a cruel tyrany who would torture his poor subjects by playing the fiddle to them.

Then came the Middle Ages. King Alfred conquered the Dames, King Arthur lived in the Age of Shivery, King Harlod mustarded his troops before the Battle of Hastings. Finally, the Magna Carta provided that no free man should be hanged twice for the same offense.

In midevil times most of the people were alliterate. The greatest writer of the time was Chaucer, who wrote many poems and verse and also wrote liter- ature. Another tale tells of William Tell, who shot an arrow through an apple while standing on his son's head.

The Renaissance was an age in which more individuals felt the value of their human being. Martin Luther was nailed to the church door at Wittenberg for selling papal indulgences. He died a horrible death, being excommunicated by a bull. It was the painter Donatello's interest in the female nude that made him the father of the Renaissance. It was an age of great inventions and discoveries. Gutenberg invented the Bible. Sir Walter Raleigh is a historical figure because he invented cigarettes. Another important invention was the circulation of blood. Sir Francis Drake circumcised the world with a 100-foot clipper.

The government of England was a limited mockery. Henry VIII found walking difficult because he had an abbess on his knee. Queen Elizabeth was the "Vir- gin Queen." As a queen she was a success. When Elizabeth exposed herself be- fore her troops, they all shouted "hurrah." Then her navy went out and defeated the Spanish Armadillo.

The greatest writer of the Renaissance was William Shakespear. Shakespear never made much money and is famous only because of his plays. He lived in Windsor with his merry wives, writing tragedies, comedies and errors. In one of Shakespear's famous plays, Hamlet rations out his situation by relieving himself in a long soliloquy. In another, Lady Macbeth tries to convince Mac- beth to kill the King by attacking his manhood. Romeo and Juliet are an example of a heroic couplet. Writing at the same time as Shakespear was Miquel Cervantes. He wrote "Donkey Hote". The next great author was John Milton. Milton wrote "Paradise Lost." Then his wife dies and he wrote "Paradise Regained."

During the Renaissance America began. Christopher Columbus was a great navigator who discovered America while cursing about the Atlantic. His ships were called the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Fe. Later the Pilgrims crossed the Ocean, and the was called the Pilgrim's Progress. When they landed at Plymouth Rock, they were greeted by Indians, who came down the hill rolling their was hoops before them. The Indian squabs carried porposies on their back. Many of the Indian heroes were killed, along with their cabooses, which proved very fatal to them. The winter of 1620 was a hard one for the settlers. Many people died and many babies were born. Captain John Smith was responsible for all this.

One of the causes of the Revolutionary Wars was the English put tacks in their tea. Also, the colonists would send their pacels through the post with- out stamps. During the War, Red Coats and Paul Revere was throwing balls over stone walls. The dogs were barking and the peacocks crowing. Finally, the colonists won the War and no longer had to pay for taxis.

Delegates from the original thirteen states formed the Contented Congress. Thomas Jefferson, a Virgin, and Benjamin Franklin were two singers of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin had gone to Boston carrying all his clothes in his pocket and a loaf of bread under each arm. He invented elec- tricity by rubbing cats backwards and declared "a horse divided against itself cannot stand." Franklin died in 1790 and is still dead.

George Washington married Matha Curtis and in due time became the Father of Our Country. Them the Constitution of the United States was adopted to secure domestic hostility. Under the Constitution the people enjoyed the right to keep bare arms.

Abraham Lincoln became America's greatest Precedent. Lincoln's mother died in infancy, and he was born in a log cabin which he built with his own hands. When Lincoln was President, he wore only a tall silk hat. He said, "In onion there is strength." Abraham Lincoln write the Gettysburg address while traveling from Washington to Gettysburg on the back of an envelope. He also signed the Emasculation Proclamation, and the Fourteenth Amendment gave the ex-Negroes citizenship. But the Clue Clux Clan would torcher and lynch the ex-Negroes and other innocent victims. On the night of April 14, 1865, Lincoln went to the theater and got shot in his seat by one of the actors in a moving picture show. The believed assinator was John Wilkes Booth, a sup- posedl insane actor. This ruined Booth's career.

Meanwhile in Europe, the enlightenment was a reasonable time. Voltare invented electricity and also wrote a book called "Candy". Gravity was invented by Issac Walton. It is chiefly noticeable in the Autumn, when the apples are flaling off the trees.

Bach was the most famous composer in the world, and so was Handel. Handel was half German, half Italian and half English. He was very large. Bach died from 1750 to the present. Beethoven wrote music even though he was deaf. He was so deaf he wrote loud music. He took long walks in the forest even when everyone was calling for him. Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died for this.

France was in a very serious state. The French Revolution was accomplished before it happened. The Marseillaise was the theme song of the French Revolu- tion, and it catapulted into Napoleon. During the Napoleonic Wars, the crowned heads of Europe were trembling in their shoes. Then the Spanish gorrilas came down from the hills and nipped at Napoleon's flanks. Napoleon became ill with bladder problems and was very tense and unrestrained. He wanted an heir to inheret his power, but since Josephine was a baroness, she couldn't bear him any children.

The sun never set on the British Empire because the British Empire is in the East and the sun sets in the West. Queen Victoria was the longest queen. She sat on a thorn for 63 years. He reclining years and finally the end of her life were exemplatory of a great personality. Her death was the final event which ended her reign.

The nineteenth century was a time of many great inventions and thoughts. The invention of the steamboat caused a network of rivers to spring up. Cyrus McCormick invented the McCormick Raper, which did the work of a hundred men. Samuel Morse invented a code for telepathy. Louis Pastuer discovered a cure for rabbis. Charles Darwin was a naturailst who wrote the "Organ of the Species". Madman Curie discovered radium. And Karl Marx became one of the Marx Brothers.

The First World War, cause by the assignation of the Arch-Duck by a surf, ushered in a new error in the anals of human history."

Beacon Rock

2010-07-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a nice day, and since Dad and I both had work off, our family (minus Rebekah -who had to work) went to Beacon Rock. We actually didn't get there until about 5pm but it turned out to be better; by that time, the clouds had parted and the sun was shining through. It was a great day to for a view up there.

Clearing the trail...the old fashioned way...

Molalla Buckaroo

2010-07-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

Here's some photos from the Buckaroo. I didn't really take any pictures of the action because I was too busy watching it! :-)

Went with one of my besties :-)

and her brothers.

Can't go to the rodeo without the boots!

Someday, I will learn how to do this.

Cowboys...

The real reason I go to rodeos... ;-)

The Story of My Life

2010-07-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning convinced it was Saturday. And then I was late to work.
The End.

In other news, I'm going to the Molalla Buckaroo tonight with my friend Sara Beth. So excited! She asked me if I was going to wear my hat --- I think I will. I will definately be wearing my newish Wranglers.

And these:

Cute Thursday

2010-07-01T08:46:00.001-07:00

These are two of the cutest boys in the whole world. And yes, I am a biased Auntie! :-)

Jordan - 2 1/2 years

Jackson - 10 months

Refresh

2010-06-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

So, I decided it was time to update the look on my blog. I was really tired of the boring brown. It was dark. And getting kind of depressing. And so, not me. So I switched. And the new template actually helped clean up the clutter and re-worked the sidebars and links and posting without extra work! Yeah for me! (well, actually, yeah for Blogger...but anyway...)
I feel refreshed. At least Blogwise.

Thoughts on Friendship

2010-06-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

“ A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away.” – William Penn

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival." - C. S. Lewis

Family Camp is over --- let the post-camp therapy commence

2010-06-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

Well, we went to camp. And it was wonderful.
And now I'm tired. But it's a good kind of tired. As I told my friends, you're allowed to be tired at camp - because you're doing stuff! :^)
I hope that Heaven is a little bit like Family Camp - minus the sore legs. Someone told me that they think Family Camp is little bit of Heaven. I'm glad.

Talent Night 2010 - Three of us sisters in a "Music Man" skit

Jane Eyre

2010-06-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

Jane Eyre. 2008 Masterpiece theater edition.

Two Words: Loved. It.

The end.

I suppose I could elaborate a bit more. Keep in mind, this is coming from someone who once did not like Jane Eyre at all. I reformed my opionion of the book about a year ago when I re-read it. I decided I thought it was pretty good. I think this movie has changed my opinion again. The actors did such a manificent job playing their parts. It wasn't like watching actors, I felt I like was watching the Mr. Rochester and Jane Eyre - I felt they captured the characters so completely. Now I want to re-read the book to see how much creative license they took with the screenplay...I'll try and do a follow up post after I've finished.

In other news - 11 days until Family Camp!

Movie Review #2

2010-05-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

Daniel Deronda.

Don't waste your time. Story was weird. Happy ending is basically nil. Characters go around looking tortured. Or depressed. Or psychotic. Seriously.

I wasn't convinced of who Daniel Deronda was supposed to be falling in love with - the Jewish girl whose life he saves when she tries to drown herself (this attempted suicide is never really addressed...it's kind of brushed of....) or the young married woman who married a man for his money while knowing he had a mistress with several children. This same young woman thinks she can control her husband, like she has controlled men before, only to find out he's playing her game - and is abusive (?) You never see anything, but that is what is definately portrayed. Oh, and then she feels sorry for herself and wants Daniel to pity her situation. (apparently forgetting she put herself there.)

Daniel is a young man who's been raised as an English gentleman by an English gentleman, but apparently is unhappy because he doesn't know who his mother is. (He assumes this English gentleman is his father and he is the illigimate son but we don't find out until the very end.) He save a young woman from drowning herself - she turns out to be a Jew and an incredible singer. Her tragic story inspires Daniel to help her find her lost family - which leads him into the Jewish community in London and the aquaintence with one Mordecia who upon seeing Daniel is convinced he is a Jew and the next chosen leader of his people. (*scratches head*) Daniel isn't convinced. The rest of the movie is him going between the Jewess and the married woman, like he can't make up his mind who he's in love with. Then suddenly- at the very end- he finds out who he is and gloriously (and again) suddenly, has new purpose in his life. Wahoo. Cheers. Everybody goes home happy, etc. The End.

I will say this, the costumes are fantastic, the scenery beautiful, and Romola Garai (who plays the young married woman) is a very good actress, who can go from tragic distress, to cool indifference, to wild hysteria, to extreme haughtiness. Kudos to her for her performance. That's about the only good thing I can say about this movie.

I'm on to Jane Eyre.

Movie Review

2010-05-25T10:25:00.000-07:00

I've kind of been on a period drama binge lately. It's all Youtube's fault really. I go to finish a movie (Little Dorrit) that a friend recommended me (which, btw, is very good), and I spend oodles of time looking at other period drama clips, montages, etc. Which then sends me looking for the complete names and authors of said period dramas. Which sends me to my local library to place holds on every single one of them. At this point, I realize I have a problem, and cancel 3/4 of the holds because of time constraints. But never fear, I do have them all on a list, and I mean to watch them. ALL of them.

Ok, so....um....where was I going with this???

Oh yes! Movie reviews. I just finished watching "Our Mutual Friend" based on the Charles Dickens novel by the same title.

I used to hate Dickens, I've only read I think two of his books, but I feel more hopeful about reading more of them after watching this film. The BBC produced this version and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

While full of darkness, despair, and death, this movie has a strong themes of sacrifice, true friendship, redemption, and resurrection. The story centers around John Harmon, a young man set to inherit his father's fortune on the condition that he marry Bella Wilfer, a young woman he has never met. Unfortunately, John drowns on his way home to England to collect his inheritance and marry Bella. The fortune then falls to the Boffins, a kindly old couple who run the dust heaps (our modern day version of landfills). The Boffins show the first display of sacrifice by offering to take Bella in as their ward, since she so sadly disappointed out of a fortune. Bella as we learn, is a good girl, though wants money and hates being poor. She loves her father very much, but her mother, not so much, though I was never quite sure why. She agrees to the opportunity to live with the Boffins and be introduced into society. At this time, a young man, John Roquesmith, makes his way into the Boffin's home and becomes established as Mr. Boffin's secretary (the latter being unable to read or write except for numbers). John is a good, honest, quite and very secretive young man who as we find out is really John Harmon - he's not dead! He's been going along with the "John Harmon is dead" routine, because he wants to see if Bella will fall in love with him for who he is - not for the fortune he was supposed to inherit. I say "was supposed to" because it appears that John has no intention of coming back to life and claiming his inheritance. He sacrifices his original self because of his love and care for the Boffins and for Bella. There are secondary characters throughout this story, that, in true Dicken's style, don't really seem to be connected to one-another in any way, until their stories weave together in the end. One theme I caught onto was a juxaposition of Lizzie Hexam and Bella Wilfer - Lizzie is entirely unselfish towards her father, brother and friends, to the point of refusing the man that truly loves her, because of their class differences; whereas Bella is looking for a fortune, whether to inherit or marry into in a seemingly selfish manner. Through the movie, both women progess towards the opposite direction of their mindset until they meet in the middle - one learning from the other. I really love the themes of death and resurrection in this story, the contrast in father/daughter relationships with Bella and her father, Lizzie Hexam and her father, and Jenny and her father, the story of friendship, obsession, and what true love really looks like.

All in all, this was a great story, and has inspired me to read the book...I know, I'm going about this in a rather backwards fashion.

One final note: at the end of the film, it seems that the "mutual friend" is still somewhat of a mystery...is it John Harmon? Is it the distinctions of class and society? Many commentators seem to think the friend is the Thames River - the central location where the story takes place. I'll leave that for you to decide.

23 Days until Camp

2010-05-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY AH-MAZING SISTER Rebekah!!! I love you! :^D

24 Days until Camp

2010-05-20T14:11:00.001-07:00

Is it Friday yet???

25 Days

2010-05-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

until Camp.

Panic may not ensue until 21 days. I will let you know what that is.

New Stuff

2010-05-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of this product? --->

My sister told me about it; she'd been trying it and liked it. I decided that since I was squeezing the last drops out of my old bottle, I'd give it a try. I'm on day 5 of using it. My reaction so far: I like it. And here's why.

1) I have fine hair - not thin, but fine and can get oily pretty fast, or dry out just as fast depending on the products I use. I like the idea of using a shampoo that doesn't have harsh sulfates in it that strip my hair and dry it out.

2) It leaves my hair feeling clean and soft and my scalp mosturized (but not overly).

3) It's a little bit cheaper as the Tresemme, or Pantene products I've used in the past.

4) It smells really good! It's got a light minty, rosemary, juniper fragrance. Which, really, shouldn't be a factor, but it is for me. :^)

I also bought the conditioner when I bought the shampoo. So far, me and my hair are happy. :^)

For Once...

2010-05-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

26 days until Camp.

That means that for the only time during the year, this blog's URL is actually accurate. I keep thinking I need to change it, but what if people can't find me? What if they think I've disappeared? What if I have something really extraordinary to say, and no-one is around to read it?

I know. I know. "Cheeez Rachel! The ego? Yeah, needs to come down a notch."

Oh, Ok.

But still, it seems so big and scary and, well, just darn inconvenient.

Joshua 1:6-9

2010-05-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

“Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

I've read this verse so many times, and this is nothing that someone hasn't probably already said; but sometimes the same words can strike me in a new way.
God calls us to follow Him. He leads us into strange and new places where we will be challenged by new circumstances, by enemies, and by our own weakness. He knows we are frail. He knows we will get scared. Just like He knew the children of Israel would. I wonder if Joshua felt apprehensive and inadequate for the job ahead. God uses the phrase "be strong and courageous" 3 times. I think He really wanted Joshua (and us) to take this to heart. When we do as He commands, when we walk in His ways, God will be with us. Always. And we have NOTHING to fear. Jesus will win the day.

"Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death"

2010-03-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

235 Years ago today....

Patrick Henry, March 23, 1775.

No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve. This is no time for ceremony. The questing before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.

Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.

I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves and the House. Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with those warlike preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled that force must be called in to win back our love? Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation; the last arguments to which kings resort. I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it? Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us: they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging. And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication? What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves. Sir, we have done everything that could be done to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament. Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne! In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free-- if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending--if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained--we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us!

They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable--and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come.

It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

"Christ within me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ above me, Christ beneath me, To my left and my right, Christ where I lie and where I arise, Christ in the hearts of all who think of me, Christ on the lips of all who speak of me, Christ in the eyes of all who see me, Make me Your instrument Lord."

Confessions

2010-03-02T08:24:00.000-08:00

Good morning. It's Tuesday. And I feel like confessing. It is Lent after all.

Which brings me to Confession #1: I had a piece of dark chocolate the other morning (I think it was Saturday) before I realized what day it was.

Confession #2: I'm really behind in my Read the Bible in a Year program. Not so good, especially if you're supposed to be leading the online segment of the Bible study. I'm failing at this.

Confession #3: I had two Dr. Pepper's yesterday at lunch. I did not give up caffiene for Lent so I'm not sure if that's really something worthy of confessing, but now you know.

I feel better now. Thank you.

And now here is a sunny little thing just up from California to make you smile on this day. She made me smile even though I had to take her out at 6am this morning - and I assure you, I was in no mood for frolicking about the yard when I rolled out of bed, but frolick we did.

It's a beautiful day

2010-02-18T10:39:00.000-08:00

so I thought I'd share a picture of my new car. Well, actually, this isn't MY car; my car is dirtier than this one ...this is what my car looks like.

It's Ford Escape. And I love her. Seriously, I do a little happy dance whenever I go somewhere. It makes me happy to drive. :^)

What's new

2010-01-26T13:53:00.000-08:00

I went to the laundromat yesterday for the first time. Our dryer is busted and it'll be about a week before it's repaired. I realized I was out of stuff and didn't have time to wait for it to air dry. So, off the laundromat went I. Frightfully expensive I might add...$1.50 for 36 minutes of drying time. Thankfully, the clothes were dry by the end of the time. Otherwise, I might have just had to have worn wet underwear.

Yes, I did just say that. My apologies. To all 3 of you.

I also found my library card - again. And there was much rejoicing and putting things on hold at the library. Mostly books on cassette. Because my car is old and is still living in the 20.9th century. I like listening to books. I often catch things in them that I missed when I was reading it myself and it's almost like reading the book for the first time. I like that.

Lastly, I found this on one of the websites I like to visit: Despair.com. If you ever want a good dose of reality, here it is.

I'm so glad I found this. This keeps me grounded.

"...that there is nothing better..."

2010-01-15T08:37:00.000-08:00

I know I've told this to some people already - I am so excited about this year. Yes, we're half-way through January, however, I was excited before the new year began - this isn't a new developement. :^) I can't remember when I was this excited about a year. Generally, I like to go into things with low expectations so that A) I'm not too disappointed or B) I'm pleasantly surprised. I'm not entirely sure what is I'm excited about, or why. But I am.

2008 was a year of changes and growing and finishing.
2009 was a year of DOING things and GOING places; living some dreams and loving it!
2010 - no idea what it's going to bring! Whatever it is, I'm ready!

Ecclesiastes 3:9-13
"What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man."

Today. It's Thursday.

2010-01-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

Today I am going to do the following:

10:40am - Wake up. Seeing as how I got out of bed at 6:00 this morning, this shouldn’t be an issue, but it is.

11:59am - Complete the orders that need to be entered.

12:30:13pm - I will organize the pile of paperwork on my desk. I WILL…even though it is almost 4 inches high and seems to me an Everest of paper.

12:53pm – Stare out the window at passing birds, airplanes, and the police car that keeps patrolling past the abandoned vehicle on the street. Sigh and turn back to the pile of paperwork.

1:17 pm - Catch up on my Bible reading…I missed one of the days this week and am behind as a result. Not good if you’re on a “Read through the Bible in a Year” program.

1:06pm - Not drink any more coffee. Green tea and Dr. Pepper are still options however.

2:37pm - Smash the radio that keeps playing the same songs on the same station all day. (Ok, maybe not since it’s not mine, but I feel like it.)

3:12pm – finish whatever else has happened during my day, emails, phone calls, etc.

4:24 - leave work for school

4:46 - arrive at school. Proceed to the computer lab and check out a laptop to do homework on.

6:00pm - Chemistry Lab. I love chemistry. Pray I don't blow something up.

8:07pm - leave Chemistry lab for home.

8:34pm - put stuff away at home. Put away any remnants of clean laundry in my room while listening to the "Far and Away" soundtrack.

8:58 - bemoan current car situation while searching Craigslist for new one.

10:13pm - "I shall take my father's advice. I shall go to bed at once."

*name that movie :^)

thoughts after my Bible reading

2010-01-06T15:35:00.000-08:00

*after a long absence---I'm trying to get back to blogging. We'll see how I succeed. :) *

This morning I was reading in the book of Genesis. Genesis, the book of beginnings, is full of genealogies; well, the whole Bible is really. God gives us detailed accounts of who His people were, their children, where they lived and travelled, and how old they were. The whole chapter of Genesis 10 tells about Noah’s children and their descendants.
And then in chapter 11, these same descendants decide to “make a name for themselves” (Gen 11:4) in order to keep from being scattered across the face of the world, and the Lord, because they didn’t acknowledge Him, confuses their tongue and scatters them anyway. Thinking about it, they already had a name- weren’t they part of the Sons of God? What name in the world could be better than that? And yet, they thought they needed something better. But God, in His providence, didn’t end it there. He showed His faithfulness throughout the generations – something we see in the story of Abraham. At the time, Abraham was a man without children but God promised to make him a great nation. His descendants would fill the earth; more in number than the stars in the heavens.

Just last night at dinner, our family was talking about our ancestors and heritage. Who they were, the kind of people they were, the circumstances they came out of, where they settled, etc. I suppose it’s easy to get wrapped up in where we came from. “I’m descended from so-and-so who was the Grand Duke of Wherever” or “My great-great-grand-uncle-twice-removed-on-my-mother’s-side was the Prince of Somewhereorother”. (I’m exaggerating for effect here, but you get my point) Thinking about our family history, I’m reminded, again, of two things: 1) I am really blessed to have a Christian heritage and 2) it’s by God’s grace I have that heritage and (I suppose this would make it three things) that the privilege of bearing the name of Jesus Christ is far better than any name I might have.

Update #2

2009-06-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

So here's another brief (read that 6 paragraphs long) update from Poland...
Let's see...it would appear that I need to amend a few things from my previous post...we left on tuesday and arrived on Wednesday morning (rather than monday...) we traveled all day from Frankfurt through Eisenach to Legnica.

Also, I would like to take some space to mention something that took place while we were in Jawor (the city with the wooden church.) After we had toured the church, Bubu took our group through the city. Although it was a Saturday and after 12, most people had closed shop for the day and gone home; and even though it WAS cloudy and wet, there was a certain gloom and despair that hung over this city. We could feel the oppression -- it was almost tangible. Part of the visit included a stop at a castle that, during WWII, had been converted into a women's prison camp. As I approached the iron gates that led to small courtyard before a concrete wall, I stopped; (At that moment,I wasn't aware this had been a concentration camp) and I could feel something was wrong. Mom called out to me as I stopped and asked me if I knew where I was going. I replied that I didn't. She explained. I don't really have words to explain the feeling that went through me at that moment, but suffice it to say, I knew I would be unable to enter those walls. Even though the majority of our group had gone inside, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I walked to the corner instead and looked down the hill over the city, overcome with an emotion I still can't describe. Horror? Grief? Thankfulness maybe??
Rebekah had gone in and as we walked back to the town square, she and many of the others in our group had tears streaming down their faces.
After we had spent some time wandering around a bit, I felt something inside me say "You need to be praying for this city right NOW!" I called the girls together and we walked into the completely empty square and started to sing. For about 15 minutes, there was nobody there. A few times, we were too overcome with emotion to sing and could only stand in the rain and pray with and for eachother and that city. Becka said "That concentration camp has permeated the whole city. I don't care if it's not a prison camp anymore...this city does not know Jesus and has no hope. These people's eyes are empty".
Pray for Jawor, that the bright and mighty Son of God would shine down and tear back the veil of darkness that holds sway over it.

Sunday evening was spent at Pastor Alec's house, where i wrote the first post. It was so nice to spend time with their family and the families that came from the church in Warsaw. It was very much like having our fellowship time back home. All of us felt the rest and refreshment of Sunday fellowship.
Monday saw us having our ESL classes in the morning, singing and street evangalism in the afternoon. Every day has brought more (and new) people to listen to us and to talk with us. So far, we have had great opportunity to invite several people from the street or the shops we've visited to come to meeting. It seems that God is working in this city. This morning Mom and some others shared with us that as we have been singing and witnessing, more and more Catholic priests and nuns have come out and been watching us. God's word is a powerful sword, and we are out to battle for this city. The enemy knows we are here; pray for us for strength, both physical and spiritual that we would withstand the darts of the wicked, and be strong against sickness. Some of our group have gotten very sick--Pastor Gary ended up going to the doctor today and I think they said he had pneumonia. Mom has been sick and Becka too. Also Josh Cannon and a couple of others; I've kind of begun to lose my voice...but most are on the mend but pray that no one else would get sick and that the remainder of our trip finds us all healthy.
I was also able to visit a Polish shop with authentic Polish wares --- got a few things for some friends and, well myself too. :-)

Tuesday (today) we had our last ESL class. It has gone very well. The same people have been coming back, which was very encouraging. I will miss everyone I've met on this trip.
There is one girl - Biata, that Becka and others invited to meeting after visiting her several times in her shop, that came to meeting and they (the girls and also Pastor Alec) were able to share the gospel with her and her boyfriend. One student from ESL class - Kasha, came to 3 of our meetings and listened to us sing on the street as well. Pray for both these girls, that when we leave, the excitment of meeting Americans (and Canadians) wouldn't go away, and that their eagerness for Truth would not waver.
There is also another young man here who has been friends with Bubu and Alec. His name is Mariusz (pronounced Mari-yush). He is a very kind person with a tender heart towards Jesus but is also filled with doubt. Like so many Christians, even myself at times, has a hard time believing that Jesus would die for HIM. Pray that he would continue going to church and that the words of encouragement he has heard will build him up and that those demons of doubt would be driven away!

We watched the movie Luther tonight. It was very powerful. We had a couple new people come to watch it with us as we had advertised while out on the street today.
Tomorrow morning we leave Legnica for Warsaw. I'm not sure what the plan is for there, but like much of this trip, God has showed our way one step at a time.

Thank you for your continued prayers and may our Savior Jesus bless you.

Poland Update

2009-06-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday afternoon, June 28th. I'm in Poland. This is my first chance to sit at a computer in 6 days. Wow! Has it really been 6 days? Time has gone by so fast!
I'm going to try and give a brief update...the internet connection may go...

Where do I start? This trip has been, well, surreal from the moment we got on the plane. I think the weight of what we were about to do hit me about 4 hours into our flight when I looked out the window and saw nothing but water and some icebergs and icecaps. There was no going back! The moment we landed it has been nonstop. We left on a Tuesday and arrived first thing Monday morning. The time difference is 9 hours ahead of the US. We hopped onto our bus and drove from the Frankfurt airport to Eisenach, Germany. It was so incredible. For being in a foreign county many things looked extremely familiar, like the midwest countryside, except that every village we passed had a church in it's center.
In Eisenach, we visited Wartburg castle (pronounced "vartburg") where Martin Luther was spirited away to by his friends to help him escape the Catholic church. There he translated the Bible from Latin to common German for his people. The tour of the castle was again, surreal. To see the place where such an important event took place in the life of the Protestant Reformation was soul-stirring. We also saw the Bach house- another fascinating sight. From Eisenach we traveled 5 hours to Legnica. We arrived late in the evening - in the rain. *note: it's been raining pretty much the whole time we've been here.*

Thursday morning we dove right in and started our English classes, only 2 people were there but it was a successful time. After lunch at a castle (we get to have lunch at the castle everyday!) we to the town square for singing and evangalism. So far my favorite part of this trip has been the singing. Rosie Faris (one of our group) put it aptly: "I get really happy when we're singing and people stop to watch and listen. I love that." We've draw quite a crowd a few times. There is one song people like to here more than others, Psalm 134 which we sing in a round. It's kind of become the signature song for our trip. Friday we did the same as Thursday (and some shopping as well) except our singing got rained out. We had a steady downpour for about 1/2 hour. The funny thing about the rain here is that it's not cold and it doesn't bother us that much. The only bad thing is that it's very humid and our clothes never feel completely dry. :-)
I forgot to mention; we have a worship meeting everynight. Friday night brought a young couple who live in Legnica and saw the advertisement and decided to come and see what we were about. It would appear that God is really working in these two people's hearts; she has a real thirst for truth. They both said they really enjoyed their time with us in meeting and came the next day to English class and then spent another 3 or 4 hours with us.

Saturday after morning English classes we took the train to Jawor, Poland (pronounced "Yavor") to see an all-wood Protestant church. That was another fascinating sight. I've never been in a building such as that before. I've only seen them in pictures. The church was competely built of wood and built and funded by Protestants. It was very moving to see a building erected so long ago by people who loved the Lord Jesus and who sought to honor him with their architecture. Most of the writing on the art that surrounded the gallery was in German. I could go on and on about this building but for brevity's sake, I won't. (Not that I've been really all that brief) I will say this, there was something about this building that made me want to weep for joy. Much of the building had taken place during a time when Mom and Dad both had ancestors in the German area where the church was built. I think my Great Grandmother would have been very happy to see this place.

Today we went to church in Legnica, Poland the city where we have been staying. It was held in a Lutheran church that was originally a Catholic cathedral. The rest of the group had already had a tour of the church earlier in the week but I had been teaching so hadn't seen the interior yet. This was another piece of living art. Our group did some singing before the worship service began. The accoustics were extrodinary. I can only imagine what it would have sounded like to have a real choir singing in there.
Right now, we're at Pastor Alec's house and I have 4 people waiting to use the computer behind me. I think I'd better wrap up.

Some highlights so far:
I-sharing with Rebekah on the bus on the way to Legnica - listening to Coldplay
Singing on the street
Shopping in the market and meeting people to invite them to classes
Riding a train for the first time.

More later.... Love to you all!

All it takes...

2009-06-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

I have discovered that it’s really hard to thank someone for something, and go on complaining and grouching and, well, being unthankful for it. (And I’m not talking about that 70’s print Rudolph sweater that’s two sizes too small that your Great Aunt gave you for Christmas.) I mean, really, if you’re truly thankful for something, you find the good in it right? Especially if I’m saying thanks to Jesus…I feel like some kind of hypocrite.

Today, in between trying not to pull my hair out, maintain sanity, and find my way upward towards the light at the end of this tunnel of paper, I found myself feeling extremely grumpy. Oh, yes, I had a smile (sort of) on my face and a fake cheerful voice, but inwardly, I was scowling, thinking how nice it would be to just ignore that voicemail, and let people know what I really thought of what they were doing to me.

Then the Voice: “You have a really bad attitude.”

Me: “Yeah. So?”
Voice: “You need to be thankful.”
Me: “For what?”
Voice: “You are blessed with work.”

It was true; I did have a really bad attitude. I wasn’t thankful. I was complaining about my work when I AM blessed with much work, and so many others are not. God is providing for me. He is teaching me. He is sharpening me. This is a training exercise in patience, thankfulness, and trust.

I had to stop this. I took a deep breath. “Thank you Jesus for this day and all You have given me in it.”

And that’s all it took. I left my desk a few minutes later to go talk with somebody about a project and then I heated up my lunch (to eat at my desk). As I got back to my desk, I paused for just a moment to survey the scene before me.
My desk isn’t small. It’s a fairly good size; I have a computer -with two monitors- and a desk that affords me about 10 feet in length of counter space altogether. Both sides of the counters had papers, file folders, and notebooks strewn about (in a semi-organized manner). My phone blinked at me, telling me there was another voicemail. My notepad-covered in various memos- sat directly under my right side monitor and somewhere underneath it, was my pencil.

“Thank you Jesus for this day.”

And I smiled. Really, truly, smiled.

Poland Planning & Prayer Requests

2009-06-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we (our team from the U.S.) had our second-to-last meeting before our trip to Poland in 1 1/2 weeks. It was a good meeting; we covered the remainder of details of our iternary including when we're driving up to Vancouver BC and when we're arriving in Germany, busing to Poland, etc. I think this trip is going to feel very long.
I also found out that while we might occasionally have access to an internet cafe, I'm not sure how much contact I'll have with this blog. Basically- don't expect daily updates. :-) It might just be once or twice- but I'll try to fill in as much as I can.
Next week is our church camp and we'll have one final meeting just to touch base on a few things, make sure everyone has what they need, and just spend some time praying (some more). You can pray with and for us too. I know as a team we are excited about going, but I think the closer we get to leaving, the more the nerves start acting up. If you are thinking of us please keep these prayer requests in mind:

1) That no matter what happens, or where we go, the name of Jesus Christ would be glorified.
2) Prayer for patience, kindness, loving hearts, generosity of spirit, and peace amongst our team members traveling together. Being with people (other than your family) for 2 weeks, 24/7 I'm sure can start to wear on even the most forebearing of natures.
3) That God would prepare our way and the hearts of those we will be talking to.
4) That our travel would go safely and smoothly. (Border crossings, security, customs, 10hr flight, etc.)
5) Protection for us
6) Protection for our belongings: no lost luggage or stolen items.
7) Protection for our families while we are away from them.
8) That our ministry would be effective and a blessing to our Polish brothers and sisters.
9) That we would have good rest!
10) That we might even have fun!

Thank you for your love, support, and your prayers!!

Lovely Weekend

2009-05-18T15:30:00.001-07:00

I had a great weekend! Warm weather, good food, and great company! This past Friday I went up to Tacoma to visit my aunt there. We had a good time-- went to the movies and saw the new X-Men film- "Wolverine". We both really enjoyed it! :-)
Saturday morning we went for a 5 mile walk, then took naps (we were both tired!) Remembered just in time to watch the Preakness Stakes, which, was an incredible race. I knew Rachel Alexandra was going to win. I just knew she would. :-) We also visited Gig Harbor and walked around, down towards the docks and watched the boats on the water.
Sunday we had church in the morning but afterwards packed up our lunch and took the dog down to the beach for some more gorgeous sunshine! I got sunburned. But that's ok.

Hopefully pictures to follow shortly. :-) I hope your weekend was as nice!

(And for all 2 of you who read this and might care...27 days til camp!)

May

2009-05-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

Wow. I can’t believe it’s May. Well, actually I can. But it seems to have gotten here so fast. I think there are only 40 days until Family Camp starts and 47 until I leave for Poland.
Wait…did I just say 47??? Um—I think I have some list writing to do…

So, the past 25 days or so I’ve been working, doing some projects, visiting my older sister in Canada. Don’t think I mentioned that before—that’s cause I s’prised her. :-) Yup. She didn’t know I was coming. I’ve been planning this since the end of January. It was great! She had no clue and was completely shocked!
We had a great time. It was a really good for both of us. Now I miss her and can’t wait until June! :-) Only about 40 days!

(Did I just say that again?!?)

Good Friday

2009-04-10T07:40:00.000-07:00

I like this quote

2009-04-09T10:45:00.001-07:00

"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." ~ Winston Churchill

From one 'Couv to the next

2009-03-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

Today I am headed up to Vancouver, BC with my sister Becka and our friend Adrianna. We're going up to visit some friends that are coming with our group on our mission's trip this summer to Poland.
I'm looking forward to it. *code for: I get to leave work early!*

I'm also looking forward to trying out my new toy that I just got...

I think I'll make Becka drive for a while so I can program the new thing...I'm trying to read the manual before I use it...slightly techno challenged over here... :^)

Have a great weekend!

First Day of Spring!

2009-03-20T08:59:00.001-07:00

And it's here; gloom and rain included, but spring is here! Our daffodils in the front yard are pushing up their heads and the hyacinths are tentatively opening their buds. And I just updated my blog photo. It makes me happy. :^)

This week has been a busy one. Last week was too. Our office at work has been moving our first floor office space to our second floor office space. This has required a lot of cleaning out of large file cabinets, lateral files, emptying drawers, dumping outdated materials, an all-in-all general re-organizing and purging effort. Plus I'm training to take over the accounts for one lady who is going to be leaving at the end of the month. I've also been going to a weekly calf-sorting with my Fence Riders group. It's been so much fun--I haven't done any sorting or ridden yet, but I'm getting to know the folks there and been doing some "networking". (I think I'll have a couple options for mounts by the time Fair is here.) :^D Everyone in the club has just been so nice and I'm really happy to be doing what I've wanted to do for so long.
It's been a busy couple of weeks. I'm ready for a break. I think I'll go to Mexico this weekend. Or maybe I'll just have a margarita...that's cheaper... :^)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

I'm wearing green. And singing the Lorica (at least in my head). I love St. Patrick's Day.

And it's only 3 days until Spring!

You'd think I'd have learned...

2009-03-09T10:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was locked out of my house. Again.
This is the second time in the past 6 months this has happened.
What makes it different this time is that Rebekah was with me.
We had been at a friend's house after church and had come home separately from the rest of our family (we take two cars to church anyway).

(In my defense, I hadn't grabbed my keys from the key rack that morning because I was riding with Dad. Since I usually take my keys with me whether I'm driving or not, I did feel like I'd forgotten something.
Again in my defense, we thought that Dad and Mom were already home. Which we found out in short order...they were not...)

I did notice very quickly, that our second story window on above the overhang was unlocked and went to borrow a ladder from a neighbor. Rebekah climbed up (she was in jeans, I in a skirt, however, I would have done it if we both were in skirts), popped the screen out, opened the window, climbed in and ran down to open the front door. I returned the ladder to our obliging neighbor, and all's well that end's well.
So maybe I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but maybe I can claim to be the most versatile???

Did I mention that I didn't have my cell phone with me? It was charging on the counter. Oh, and that unlocked window? It's locked now.

And the Word of the Day is:

2009-02-27T09:05:00.000-08:00

revanche • \ruh-VAHNSH (the N is not pronounced, but the vowel is nasalized) -- noun
: revenge; especially : a usually political policy designed to recover lost territory or status (Thanks to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

In other news:

I finished the 1st project mentioned in my last post. Hallelujah! And as for the second---it's all stripped of it's painted 'glory' and is ready for staining. (For those of you who are dying to see pictures...I might have some up...eventually. I make no promises. :-)

And now for something completely mindless because you have nothing else to do with your time but read my blog:

The Name Game

1. YOUR REAL NAME:
Rachel Unger

2.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME:(mother and fathers middle names)
Lenore Prescott

3.NASCAR NAME:(first name of your mother's dad, father's dad)
Joe James

4.STAR WARS NAME:(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
Ungra

5.DETECTIVE NAME:(favorite color, favorite animal)
Red Horse

6.SOAP OPERA NAME:(middle name, first street you ever lived on)
Grace O. (I’m all about the anonymity)

7.SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav drink, add "THE" to the beginning)
The Green Coffee (seriously, that’s gross)

8.FLY GIRL/GUY NAME:(first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name)
Raer

9.HOOD NAME:(favorite ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Mud Slide Shortbread (mmm!!)

10.YOUR GANGSTA NAME:(first 3 letters of last name, add izzle to the end
Ungizzle (sounds like a breed of Orc ---pardon my nerd)

11. YOUR GOTH NAME:(write in black, and the name of one of your pets)
Black Daisy

12. ROCK STAR NAME: (current pet's name, current street name)
Eighty-Sixth (I don’t have any pets :-( )

13. YOUR HIPPIE NAME: (what you ate for breakfast plus favorite tree)
Chex Magnolia

14. YOUR CRIMINAL NAME: (name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy bar)
Heavenly Snickers (what???)

15. YOUR CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit plus garment you're wearing, with an "ie" or "y" added)
Pineapple Shoesie (related to Strawberry Shortcake?)

16. YOUR SPY NAME (favorite season, favorite flower)
Fall Yellow Rose (puhleeeeze…)

That's all for now folks! Toodles!!

Projects

2009-02-17T11:29:00.000-08:00

I’ve been working on a few projects lately. I hope to have two of them done before April. Not that anything is happening in April, I just figured that it’s a far-enough-away-but-also-close-enough-to-motivate-me time frame, plus spring will be well on its way, and it’s before I start gallivanting off around the world in June. Wait, you didn’t know that I was a galivanteer? ;-) Actually, I’m only going to Poland with a group from my church and one other for a mission’s trip for two weeks, but we will be stopping in Germany sometime along the way; but it is the furthest from home I’ve ever been.

But I digress; the topic on hand is projects. The first that I hope to have done is the blanket I began making for my nephew a long time ago, so long, I’m not entirely sure of the date, I just know he wasn’t born yet…he’s now 14 months old….yea…time to finish. The other project is one that is the first of its kind that I’ve ever done. I acquired a dresser (for free- yes!) from a neighbor. It was in need of some repair and a lot of TLC. Thus far, I have all the drawers glued or nailed back to working order, and stripped of their hideous brown paint with a sad attempt of white distressing over it. The top of the dresser is all sanded of paint but the sides still need to be done as well as the front. I’m having so much fun! And this is actually turning out to be a rather cheap project, because I got the dresser for free, we already had glue, nails and even the stain that I’m going to use, so far the only thing I’ve had to buy is the paint stripper and cleaner - $14 total. Makes me happy. :-) I wish I had taken a before picture of the dresser so I could post an after shot, but maybe I’ll just post what it looks like now, then the final product.

Life Check

2009-02-02T10:44:00.000-08:00

Last night we had some good friends over after church, the Dahlin family and the Shearer family. We had a great time playing games and some good discussions as well. Among those discussions came up the subject of covenant children and what kind of people do we want our children to be. We were talking about the different examples of characters and qualities (or lack thereof) that are so prevalent in our society around us and how we respond to those Biblically. Topics of smoking, tattoos, etc were brought up. I know people that I consider friends that participate in these activities. They know I don’t approve or agree and I won’t participate in them. But it makes me wonder sometimes what they are thinking.
As Amy and were continuing talking, she mentioned that she points to people like me and my sister and some others as examples of what she wants her daughters to emulate. Wow! Talk about a responsibility! While it’s nice to hear things like this, it’s also very humbling. Its things like this that God uses to help me keep my head straight. Even as an adult, I am still accountable to my parents since I'm still part of their household. But I am also being held accountable by sources much smaller (and younger) than just my parents. I teach Sunday School to 2-3 year olds. Jesus had some very heavy (no pun intended) words on this subject in Matthew 18:6. I have to ask myself: What kind of example am I helping to set? Who am I and what is my life saying to these kids?

A Spirit of Selfishness

2009-01-30T08:35:00.000-08:00

What does it mean to sacrifice? Is it merely setting aside what we want to do? Is it just giving up on our desires, time, energy, wants, etc? We give and we give and we give. Often, I find myself saying, “Ok God. I’m giving and sacrificing, and serving—where’s my return? Where’s my reward?”
And that’s where the real problem lies. We give and “sacrifice” and we are looking for something in return. We expect something back for all we’ve given up.
I think that true sacrifice is service where nothing is expected in return. We give because Christ gave. It means giving of our time and energies, and foregoing our own desires for the service of others without expecting something back. Jesus came to serve. He sacrificed and looked for nothing. When we truly sacrifice, we will gain all.
I’m reminded of something our pastor said in a sermon not too long ago: we are not saved to a spirit of selfishness. That statement always comes back to me as a powerful reminder of who I am called to be – a servant in Christ’s Kingdom.

Catch-All

2009-01-22T10:38:00.000-08:00

You know that drawer in your house, or that spot on the counter or table or that basket on the desk or by the stairs that always seems to have anything and everything (or just about) in it? It keeps getting added to, occasionally gets organized for about 2 minutes and then is back to holding a bunch of stuff, important, not so important, odds and ends, stuff nobody knows what to do with, wants to claim, stuff nobody know anything about.
I've discovered, that’s kind of like me: the catch-all drawer.
Somehow I know where just about everything is; know who’s in charge of what; either has the right stuff for people or can point them in the right direction; have lots of different things thrown at me at once; occasionally gets organized – at least it’s organized to me; sometimes I confuse people; sometimes I don’t; I multi-task.
Some people call it the junk drawer. They are misinformed.
That junk drawer? It’s a whole ‘nuther ball of wax...

Happy 2009!

2009-01-05T13:05:00.000-08:00

I know it's a week past, but the Year 2009 is still very young. I hope your Christmas and New Year's celebrations were joyful. Our family had a busy month of December and we had a wonderful time visiting with our family that came to visit us.
Gramma came down from Ohio and Bethany, Alex, and Jordan were all here for about 20
days. Oh, and Baby Barendregt #2 came along...yes, I'm going to be an Auntie again in August! :-)

2008 was a good year, but I am very thankful to see it behind me. God taught me much this past year and I am so thankful for His faithfulness and love shown to me through the trials and also the good times. His mercy endures forever! One way God demonstrated His love was helping me complete all my classes required for my General AA degree at Clark College. I'm so thankful to be done and know it was not my hand that got me to the end.

I like to make resolutions every year, or at least set myself goals to measure by the end of the year. Sadly, those don't always get kept, or I go astray for a while on some of them. I decided to share most of this years goals with you. (All 4 of you) ;-) Maybe if I post them somewhere where somebody other than myself will see them, it will help me be more accountable. Feel free to ask me how I'm doing, bug me, pester, scold, encourage, etc. Accountability is a good thing!

2009 Goals

~ Bible: daily reading
~ Health: go to the gym 4x a week (I have the membership, I need to USE it!)
~ Service: seek out opportunities at church, missions, other volunteer opportunities/groups
~ Reading: the stack of theology, biographies, and history on my floor and bookshelves (I'll post the reading list later)
~ Finances: stick to budget plan; buy new car by 2010 or earlier.

I'm sure there is more that I should resolve to do this year, but I don't think all goals have to be set at the beginning of the year. Life happens and God is in control.

Cameo #6

2008-12-05T10:30:00.000-08:00

Olivia

The baby of the family. My little Pixie. :-)

The other night, all of us sisters were sitting around the table talking and Olivia was making us laugh so hard. We weren't laughing at her, we were laughing with her. She has a very sharp wit and is really a lot of fun to be around! Sometimes it's hard to believe she's only 8. I look at her now, so tall and smart and wonder where the cute, dimpled little baby went. Well, you just have to get her to laugh really hard and you'll see the dimple. :-)

From a very young age, Olivia has had a talent for art. She has an great eye for 3-D detail and her pictures are really fun to look at. And to get!
Livy loves to sing and usually is. Her sweetness brings a smile to the face of those who know her. She's into everything Princess or American Girl. She just got another AG doll for Christmas--a friend for the one she has. Thanks to her brother, she also knows more about Star Wars and Legos than any other girl her age I've met.

She's definitely a Pixie and all our lives a bit sweeter for her.

Cameo # 5

2008-11-24T15:33:00.000-08:00

[For those of you that thought I'd forgotten or didn't care about the rest of my family...you were wrong...I just got delayed. Hey, I can still be thankful into Christmas can't I? ;-) ]

Jared

My one and only little brother. :-)
Jared is 100% boy. Star Wars, Legos, building things, guns, action figures, you name it. If I was ever to write a handbook on little boys, I'd make sure to mention that they have hollow legs and come fully equipped with sound effects including the following: disgusting noises, explosions for 1001 different types of weaponry, and goofy laugh for silly jokes.

Jared is the kind of boy that is always looking for ways to help you. When he learned how to mow the lawn this summer, I did a little happy dance and sang the "Hallelujah" chorus-the whole thing. (ok, so not maybe the whole thing...)He always has a great attitude if I ask him to help me with the dishes or some other job where we work together. The older he gets, the deeper our conversations are. It's been really fun watching him grow and seeing our relationship develop from being just the Big sister/2nd mother figure to just being a sister and a friend.

If you ever want to know all the names of the Portland Trail Blazers, their stats, most recent scores, who they're playing next, or any other fun fact about them, Jared's your man. He loves basketball and watching the Blazers play. (He likes to remind me every time he sees Brandon Roy that he has a signed ball from him.)

Jared and I have a lot in common and a love for reading is no exception. Everytime I see him reading, it's usually a new book. I love it when he comes and asks me to borrow a book of my shelf. :-)

Jared was born when I was 11 1/2. I don't think I could ever imagine what life would be like without him. I remember holding him right after Mom and Dad brought him home from the hospital and wondering to myself what life would be like when he was my age. Suddenly, I find that time is here and I love what life is like with him in it!

Cameo # 4

2008-11-21T10:01:00.000-08:00

Rebekah

Where do you start when describing one of your bestest friends? As I mentioned in my post about Bethany, Rebekah is the other reason why I have any fashion sense today. Not that we ever agree on clothes, but at least she admits that I look like I belong in the right century. ;-)

Rebekah has this magnetic charm about her makes everyone- old people, young people, weird people, freaks and geeks alike, love her. (I’m weird and slightly freaky so I would know.) That and she’s so darn cute! I think she’s actually beaten Bethany’s record of how many people she knows at school…
Rebekah went from being the youngest of 3 to the middle of 5. She’s borne the “forgotten-middle-child” syndrome very well.
Growing up she was my “let’s go outside, get dirty, and build forts” pal. Rebekah was a good child and Mom and Dad knew it so even though I used to try to get her in trouble, it didn’t always work.

She’s one of the only people that can annoy me and make me laugh out loud simultaneously. She’s my movie quoting, road trip, let’s-stare-at-people-and-make-up-stories-about-them, buddy; we could go on for hours and have tons of fun that only we can understand.

Rebekah is finishing her pre-reqs at Clark right now, training to be a nurse. Once again, I get to listen to all the intricate details of Anatomy and Physiology class or her current project on----- tapeworms. She has a very strong stomach and an exceedingly brilliant mind.

Some things you might not know about Rebekah:
1.I have a few nicknames for Rebekah: Buzz, Robin, and Tonto
2.She can hear song once and then go play it on the piano.
3.Rebekah inherited Mom’s wonderful sense of direction. I’ve stopped arguing with her about whether I should turn left or right or go back the other way- I got tired of hearing “I told you so.”

I suppose there is a lot more to say about her but I'll close by saying this: My life would be exceedingly dull, lusterless, and completely devoid of chandelier earrings if it wasn’t for Rebekah. :-)

Cameo #3

2008-11-20T15:20:00.000-08:00

Bethany

My little-big sister (I’m taller than her). Sometimes I think about my friends who don’t have big sisters and kind of feel bad for them because I feel like they missed out in some way.

Bethany, as the oldest was a guinea pig for a lot of things, homeschooling for one. She got to try out all the new curriculum before I had to use it.
Growing up she was great to play Barbies with and house and dress up. She was also great for instigating trouble and then getting me into it... not that I didn’t cause enough of that on my own, but that’s a topic for another day…
Bethany has always been a girly-girl (she used to call me over to where she was to kill spiders); she liked being clean and pretty. She still is that way today, but now I know that she’s not afraid to get down and dirty if she has too.

Bethany has great fashion sense, and honestly, it’s probably because of her and my other sister Rebekah (see tomorrow’s post) that I don’t only wear T-shirts and blue jeans EVERYWHERE (only every-other-where). ;-)

Bethany is a nurse. This meant that for four years I had got to listen to the long winded descriptions of the “vast majorialis-imperlus sephornitusis.” Don’t get me wrong---she’s really smart and secretly I was impressed—if I only showed that I was annoyed. ;-)

One of the most amazing things about Bethany is watching her as a mom. She married this really great guy named Alex (who, by-the-way, is a good big brother-in-law)and they have the cutest little boy, Jordan. No, I'm not biased; he just is. To know her as a sister, a friend, see her as a wife, has all revealed things about her character. Watching her as a mom has been really neat. There’s strength of character and determination of will that I never saw, even when she was in nursing school. I admire that immensely.

Some things you might not know about Bethany:

1. She can be kind of gullible. Ask her about the ice-maker story. She might tell you. If not, see me...I will! :-)
2. She helped open a human skull in a class for nursing school.
3. I think at one point she pretty much knew every single person at Clark College either by name or just by reputation. She was popular. :-)

Yeah, she’s pretty much an amazing big sister and when she’s gone I miss her tons, and when she’s visiting, we always have a blast. Did I mention she’s coming next week?!?!

Cameo # 2

2008-11-17T09:13:00.000-08:00

Mom

You know how mommies are supposed to be soft, warm and smell good? My mom is. :-)
Born and raised in Vancouver, WA, Mom has lived in this town her entire life. I think that’s pretty neat; not many people can say that.
Her grandmother taught her to sew and over the years, she has made my sisters and I (and my brother too) so many beautiful clothes. One of my best memories growing up was hearing the sewing machine humming in the next room as I went to sleep at night. She’s taught me to sew as well.
A stay-at-home mom, she’s one of the hardest working people I know. She has homeschooled my siblings and me from day one; something I am thankful for every day. The skills she and dad taught me, prepared me for college and for life in the working world.
Mom has an incredible eye for detail and a talent for organizing and planning. Holidays and birthdays at our house are always amazing because of Mom’s hard work and direction.
And I don’t know how she does it, but she makes the best peanut butter and jam sandwiches.

Here a are a few things you might not know about Mom:

1. She does an amazing imitation of the voice of the Wicked Witch of the West. 
2. She makes the perfect apricot pie (you know, the one my dad asks for every birthday.)
3. She has the best sense of direction out of everybody I’ve met. (A trait, that unfortunately, I don’t think I’ve inherited)

And I wouldn't be who I am without her. :-)

Cameo #1

2008-11-03T15:19:00.000-08:00

As promised, here is the first of the cameo posts about my family.

Dad

Born in Seattle, WA and raised in the mid-west in Cincinnati, OH. He wasn't what you would call an angelic child and with some of the scrapes he got into, I think it's a miracle he lived past 5 years of age. But, God had bigger plans for him.

One of those plans involved being getting married and being a dad to 5 kids.
As a father, he's always been a wonderful example of hard work, Godly character and how to make "groan-out-loud" puns.

He loves to study theology and is very good at teaching it too. He also knows more Scripture by heart than anyone else I know. I call him The Walking Concordance.

When I was learning to drive, I found that I preferred driving with Dad instead of Mom. I think it was because he didn’t panic if I got too close or anything…he would just get loud if I did something REALLY wrong. Now he tells me that I’m a good driver. :-)

At Christmas time, you have to either hide the sugar cookie dough or just not tell him that you’re making sugar cookies. Sometimes though, I set aside a little ball of dough, just for him…(yeah, I know, I’m a suck up.)

Five things you might not know about my Dad:

1. He’s a wiz at packing the car for Family Camp or Camping or any kind of trip that involves massive amounts of luggage and ‘stuff’. It always manages to fit!
2. He’s a big softie when it comes to a cute puppy.
3. If he asks you your birthdate, it's most likely that he will remember it for the rest of his life.
4. He always asks for apricot pie on his birthday.
5. He can do a remarkable impression of a singing Elmer Fudd.

He's a great guy. Yeah, I'm kind of attached to him.

Thanksgiving

2008-10-31T15:19:00.001-07:00

November is almost upon us. (Can you believe it?)
Autumn is my favorite time of year. The colors, the smells, warm sweaters and especially Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. It's a great time of year dedicated to simply just giving thanks for the many gifts God has blessed us with. One of my biggest blessings is my family.

I decided that starting in November, I'm going to do a little "Thanksgiving" cameo on each of my family members. Stay tuned for those upcoming posts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In other news:

It's cold!! I'm bundling up in scarf, coat and gloves in efforts to stay warm. I've also had to start scraping my car in the morning.
My morning ritual is going to have to start a little earlier so I can have time to warm up and scrape the car before work. I guess this means no more hitting the snooze button "one more time".

A New Friend

2008-10-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

I have a new friend and little buddy at work.
He makes me smile.
He reminds me that it's good to be young at heart.
He also reminds me of how many movie lines I know.
He pals around with two of my favorite characters.
He's from Mattel; (well not really from Mattel, he's actually from a smaller comany that was purchased in a leverage buyout.)
And he makes my co-workers think I need the help of a professional.

He's:

REX

Don't you wish you had one too?

The Smile

2008-10-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

What is it about a Smile?

If you're having a good day, a bad day, just one of those days, a smile can make all th difference.

It's just a hello; that warmth from a caring friend; maybe a good joke; that one just because they caught your eye.

It's meaning can hold so much. It shows they care. It's a reminder that "hey, I'm here for you." It's because they're friendly.

And it makes you feel special; it shows that you matter.
And it makes me smile too.

Here You Go

2008-09-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

I was told that my blog needs some picturage. (Is that a word? Well, it is now.)

I thought I would post a few pictures from our camping trip this past August.

Here are a few of my favorites:

The Fam

We visited the Botanical Gardens

One of the beaches we visited had 'sand' like this; all broken sea-shells.

Driving with Rebekah is never boring!

I have a thing for my feet...someday I might be able to explain it...

This is what happens when you leave me unattended:

Don't ask...

I love Google

2008-09-09T11:14:00.000-07:00

I really do. It's an amazing tool. I type in what I'm looking for and up pops just what I need.

For example: yesterday I was looking for a simple crochet pattern for baby hats. I typed in "crochet patterns + baby hats" and voila! The first site I click has a gazillion and one patterns. I found one I liked right away and actually made the hat in about an hour last night.
And today, I was thinking about making jam. A coworker mentioned that she had plum trees ready to drop their fruit and asked if I wanted some. I thought "Plum jam is really yummy and I bet it's not hard to make." Thing is, I've never actually made jam before-by myself that is. So I looked up "plum jam recipes" and found a link to a Home and Garden information center that was chalk full of helpfulness on jam making and recipes to boot.

Then I Googled "Betty Crocker" and made myself hungry by just looking at the pictures on the site. Excuse me now, I need to go wipe the drool off my chin...

Good News

2008-08-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

I got the news this week that I passed my college Algebra class! Hallelujah and Glory be!! (and I'm not being sarcastic!)
It was the fourth time I'd taken the class...yes, you read that correctly...fourth. I used to be ashamed of that but then I realize that the first two times, the medium in which I took it was not good for me, the visual learner. The by the third time, I realized what it was that I had problems with and by the fourth time, I overcame!

I'm very thankful that God gave me the clarity of mind to learn what I needed, the strength and perserverance to continue and the grace to succeed.

Now on to the next one! The nice thing about the next class I have to take: it's my last one! Lord-willing I'll be done with my Associates in Arts degree by December. I'm really excited!

(But I am really glad I do get a break...at least for a month until class starts again)

I'm not sure why I'm sharing this with the whole world but at some point the truth will be known

2008-08-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

Today, I found my first gray hair. And I pulled it out in disbelief.
I have found other hairs in my head that I thought were gray and had pulled them out, but upon further inspection they were indeed only lighter blonde and the light had made them look gray.

Upon further inspection this one was indeed gray; silvery, translucent, shimmery, undeniably gray.
I could have said it was almost pretty.

If I was 50.

But I'm not.

*sigh*

I need chocolate.

quote I got from my sister

2008-08-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

"Be the kind of woman that,
when your feet hit the floor in the morning,
the devil says, 'Oh, crap! She's up!'"

Happy Thursday or The Weekend's Almost Here

2008-07-31T10:20:00.001-07:00

People ask me how I can manage to be so happy and cheerful all the time.

I tell them it's the combination of Red-40 and caffeine.

In other news: I'm going to the beach this Sunday (after church of course) with my sister and two cousins for an abbreviated "Cousin's Weekend". I say abbreviated because we'll only be there for Sunday afternoon. I'm stopping by our little Weenky-dinky Foods after work to pick up some sandwich fixins' and drinks for the much anticipated outing.

Here are some of the things I have to remember to bring:
~Beach blanket
~Towels--for the very off-chance that I might get into the water
~Camera- must document these significant moments for posterity
~Ball gloves and a softball --since it's just us girls, we can play, unashamed of our skills (or lack thereof)
~Dry socks - don't ask me why, but this just seems like a good idea...and a warm one
~Sweatshirt
~Food

And now you can go into your weekend feeling complete, now that you know what I'm going to do with mine.

why is it...

2008-07-16T13:55:00.001-07:00

that on one of the days that I'm in a hurry, and decided not to care about how my hair looks (which folks, let me tell you...is a BIG deal) that it ends up looking kinda nice and staying in place?

I will admit...I was lazy this morning. My alarm went off at 5am, as it does every morning, but I didn't get out of bed until (and I'm only slightly ashamed to admit this)...6. Which means I hit my snooze button....um...I don't think I'd better but that in print...

Anyway, I kind scrambled with getting ready; hair, makeup, breakfast, etc...and decided that my hair would have to make the sacrifice. And for some reason, it ended looking halfway decent and a couple gals at work have told me how nice it looks. Hoodathunkit?

Moral of this story: get up late and still have a good hair day ;^)
(*note: story not intended as a bedtime tale for small children.)

Colossians 3:15-17

2008-07-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

2008-07-14T14:24:00.000-07:00

Look

who

I found... =)

“We now interrupt this programming for some random local news”

2008-07-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

And because I haven’t blogged in a while and can’t think of anything else to write about right now…here are:

Some of the Things I Love

Getting up in the morning with the sun and hearing the birds singing

A hot cup of coffee with just the right amount of cream and sugar

Logging into my computer at work and seeing this sweet baby boy’s face on my desktop…

High-heeled shoes

Listening to my favorite song (songs) on the radio –way too loud…

A square of dark chocolate….just because…

Hearing the words of a familiar hymn that I’ve sung for years and being suddenly struck by something I never heard before

And finally...

Rodeos

She's so my sister...

2008-06-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

I was just now sitting here at the computer looking up books at the library online (no, really! I was!!) when my youngest sister, who had been walking in and out of the room, talking about the newest Narnia movie, Prince Caspian and telling me all about the "romance" between Caspian and Susan in the film, suddenly stopped mid-sentence and proclaimed in a very dignified and shocked tone:

"I can't believe they did that!! C. S. Lewis would be horrified!!!!!!"

(and yes, there were that many exclamation points in her voice...)

You Know Your Math Professor is a Nerd When:

2008-05-16T07:55:00.000-07:00

He starts randomly quoting Monty Python and the Holy Grail in class...

Wait...I knew what he was quoting...does that make me a nerd???

On second thought--- don't answer that.

The Latest and Greatest

2008-05-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

Well, this week marks my last week at Columbia Credit Union. After working here for 2 years, I'm leaving to go work for Boise Paper starting a week from today. It was another one of those doors that God opened up and showed me (again) how good He is. I'm coming to understand how much I have to learn about trusting in Him.

I've spent some time today and the other day doing things at work and then thinking to myself "This is probably the last time I'll do ___". All my filing is done, my desk drawer is cleaned out (except for my hand sanitizer that I use REGULARLY), my computer files have all been deleted, besides anything important that I really need to keep and those I've emailed to myself. I've been saying goodbye to some of my members that come in to see me. A few people, that I've built good relationships with, have exchanged numbers with me so we can keep up later.

I'm really looking forward to this Saturday! It will be the first Saturday in about 4 years that I won't have to work aside from those Saturdays when I was on vacation.
Having those days off will be so nice. I'll have more time to spend with my family and other special people. =^) The new hours will enable me to continue finishing my school and still have a life after work.

All in all, life has been going really well. I'm still trying to figure out how to properly juggle some of the new things in my life, but slowly and surely, it's all coming together. It helps that people are very patient with me. =^D
I started the Family Camp countdown this past week too. I can't believe it's almost 25 days left!! Ack! I feel like I need to start packing!! Or at least making my packing list....*sigh*
Me and my lists. =^)

Goodbye Friend

2008-05-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we had to say "goodbye" to our good doggie friend Maggie. She was dying of kidney failure. We knew for a while that this was coming, but it was still hard for us to say that final goodbye.
Maggie was a wonderful pet for the very short time we had her. She would have had her first birthday tomorrow. But, God in His wisdom had better plans for her and us.
I've always loved dogs. They love unconditionally, are not embarassed by open displays of affection, protect us, and have hearts that just get bigger with time. Maggie was no exception. From the moment I saw her at three weeks old, my heart was lost to her charms. She was a total lover of a puppy--would greet me with a smile and a very wiggly body then flop down to get her belly rubbed (and I fell for it everytime...) She also was beginning to develop her protective "mama" side--would bark warningly at the door or just come and stand by you, letting you know she was there and everything was alright. She had the softest puppy-ears and would give sweet "kisses" when you let her. Her goofy side came through too--she loved to swing on the swings in our playset, I think she even tried the slide once. She may have only lived for 363 days, but she loved and was loved every minute of them.
I've been blessed in my life to have two great dog friends: my first dog Daisy, who we had for 14 years, and then Maggie. I think if they had known eachother they would have been best friends. Maybe they are already friends in heaven... I'd like to think so.
Often times God will bring friends into our lives, maybe even for a short time, that test our patience and make us grow in it, show us what it means to trust, how to laugh harder, and how to love unconditionally. Maggie was such a friend.
Goodbye baby...I'll miss you.

2008-04-30T13:04:00.001-07:00

I’m beginning to think that the phrase “Expect the Unexpected” isn’t as goofy as I once thought it to be. But then, my thinking on a lot of things has changed over the past few months. Thankfully. I can’t count how many times I’ve foolishly questioned God and asked Him if He’s really sure what He’s doing. I’m happy to say now, that, by His grace, I’ve stopped arguing that line and started enjoying the ride. And what a ride it is! The past few weeks have brought events, opportunities and relationships that I would never have thought twice about, except for the fact that God opened doors and opened my eyes to what He’s working. I am so incredibly blessed.

“All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

Union Jack Would Be Proud

2008-04-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

I've drunk enough tea this week to float the entire British Navy. So much tea that my Patriot Ancestors (that is if I have any Patriot ancestors) would be getting me ready to be tarred and feathered and writing my name under Benedict Arnold's on the traitors honor roll.
The reason? That dreaded 'L' word: laryngitis.
I started getting it on Sunday afternoon. What started out sounding like I just suddenly started smoking 3 packs-a-day, turned into the sound of an old rusty, squeaky door, and then completely went away. I mean gone. I was able to go to the doctor's finally on Wednesday (by then of course, my voice was rounding that last quarter mile pole and coming down the homestretch.) The diagnosis: allergies.

Look at this!

2008-04-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

I found

this

site through Melanie's blogroll links and I can't wait to try some of her recipes! Her pictures are pretty amazing too, if you're like me and always wished you could have been born to ride a horse and live on a ranch. (I'm a pretty good rider but I haven't been in the saddle since I was in diapers or anything...)

Small Graces

2008-04-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

Sometimes in life there are some very small and seemingly simple things to be thankful for. Those small graces that God shows us every day.
This morning, I experienced one such “small grace.” I was working the early, early shift at work today, which means myself and one of our loan officers come in an hour early to load our cash dispensers. Loading dispensers can be tricky, for various reasons and typically, this never takes place without something troublesome happening or going wrong). This morning, we had both dispensers done in record time! Nothing had gone wrong: the cash counter didn’t get jammed or decide to spit out the bills flying in every direction or count too many of the new $5 bills; (our machines HATE new bills); I didn’t whack myself in the leg with the vault door, or smash my fingers in the cassettes. It may seem like a rather small thing, “yeah, ok, so you had a good morning at work,” but for me, in my job, it was one of those moments where I saw God’s goodness to me in a very real way.
There’s a song that I remember listening to when I was little that my dad would have playing in the house or the car. It’s a song by Bob Bennett. Here are a few verses that describe my feelings very fittingly.

“Small graces surely have a meaning
Beyond their merely passing by;
They are a reminder to the heart
There’s more to life than meets the eye.

Cheerful greetings unexpected
Shared by strangers on the run,
For when the sky is clouded over
Still the promise of the sun

Is in the small graces,
The little moments when the miracles come.
These are the small graces,
Small graces pointing me to the larger ones”

Creativity and Quality Time

2008-03-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my mom, sister and I spent several hours scrapbooking together. I've been scrapbooking more now that I ever have, and now, thanks to a good friend of mine, I understand better how to put pages together and really enjoy it!
I've had pictures of our trip to Ohio and Kentucky in 2006 in an album (a big deal for me!) and I finally pulled out the pictures of the visit to Churchill Downs and scrapbooked them. I had bought paper specifically for those pictures ages ago and it was so much fun to finally sit down and scrapbook some of the most "iconic" photos of that day's trip.
I also got a couple pictures of me and my puppy scrapbooked. :^D
It was nice to sit and visit and have some good time together.

I'll try and post some pics of the pics later...

Sound Effects

2008-03-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

This morning on my way to work I was listening to my favorite radio morning show on The Wolf (yes I listen to country!) :^D They were talking about compiling a list of the top five best movie sound effects ever. That got me thinking about my favorite movies sounds.

Here's my personal top five:

5)The arrow whizzing into the center of the target in "Robin Hood"
4)Feet tap dancing like in one of the old movies
3)Horns blowing the fanfare in "Ben Hur"
2)Lightsabers crashing together in "Star Wars"
1)The whip crack from "The Man From Snowy River" (it gives me chills!)

And now you know...

One of my favorite poems

2008-03-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

THE FOOL'S PRAYER
by Edward Rowland Sill (1841-1887)

The royal feast was done; the King
Sought some new sport to banish care,
And to his jester cried: "Sir Fool,
Kneel now, and make for us a prayer!"

The jester doffed his cap and bells,
And stood the mocking court before;
They could not see the bitter smile
Behind the painted grin he wore.

He bowed his head, and bent his knee
Upon the Monarch's silken stool;
His pleading voice arose: "O Lord,
Be merciful to me, a fool!

"No pity, Lord, could change the heart
From red with wrong to white as wool;
The rod must heal the sin: but Lord,
Be merciful to me, a fool!

"'T is not by guilt the onward sweep
Of truth and right, O Lord, we stay;
'T is by our follies that so long
We hold the earth from heaven away.

"These clumsy feet, still in the mire,
Go crushing blossoms without end;
These hard, well-meaning hands we thrust
Among the heart-strings of a friend.

"The ill-timed truth we might have kept--
Who knows how sharp it pierced and stung?
The word we had not sense to say--
Who knows how grandly it had rung!

"Our faults no tenderness should ask.
The chastening stripes must cleanse them all;
But for our blunders -- oh, in shame
Before the eyes of heaven we fall.

"Earth bears no balsam for mistakes;
Men crown the knave, and scourge the tool
That did his will; but Thou, O Lord,
Be merciful to me, a fool!"

The room was hushed; in silence rose
The King, and sought his gardens cool,
And walked apart, and murmured low,
"Be merciful to me, a fool!"

This is what happens when everybody is sick...

2008-02-13T20:11:00.000-08:00

I came home from work today, and being very tired and worn out from being sick with whatever-it-is-I've-had the past 3 days, I decided to just put on my comfy p.j. pants, a t-shirt and a warm sweater. I walked into the office to say 'hi' to my youngest siblings and Olivia says to me,"Oh hi Rachel! I haven't seen you---all day!"
Turning to Jared, she states, "Look Jared, Rachel's finally up."

Maybe I need to change my tactics...

2008-01-21T16:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday in Sunday School class (I teach the 2-3 year olds) we practiced our 10 Commandments song. I've been trying to get them to remember what song we're learning by holding up all ten of my fingers and saying "The Ten Commandments!" (very enthusiastically mind you...) Well, I decided to try and get them to think about the song a little more by asking them (like I didn't know) "How many Commandments are there?"
One of my three-year-olds (K.S.) promptly replied in a very confident voice, "THREE!"

Snowboarding

2008-01-04T12:41:00.001-08:00

This past weekend I went snowboarding for the first time. Maybe I should call it "butt-boarding" becuase I think I spent more time on the ground than standing up. It was fun though. :-) I also spent a lot of time laughing laughing at myself-I know I looked a sight!! I can't wait to go do it again.

(PS Thanks to Amy Shearer for helping figure out how to post pics!!)