NaBloPoMo Completed!

Yes! We made it through NaBloPoMo! If it wasn't for all of your comments, I just don't know if I could have kept going. This month proved to be a difficult and trying time as I attempted to come with something halfway interesting every day.

As of tomorrow, I don't know how often I will post. The challenge of posting every day did put in me a desire to update more often. The day just doesn't feel complete without it. But for your benefit, I should probably stick with posting only when I actually have something to say.

Familiar Face

I ran into an acquaintance from high school last night. We said "hey" and talked for a couple of minutes. When we went our separate ways, I felt like I had just caught up with an old friend. However, I don't remember us ever talking to each other back in the day. I knew who he was and he must have known who I was, but that was it... Maybe it's just the nicety of seeing a familiar face, someone with whom you share a connection, however small.

Love Challenge

Let me challenge us to tell our families we love them. Not just a passing "luv u" but actually expressing how much we love them, glad they're still around and/or something we appreciate about them.

Christmas Music

Last week I was somewhat annoyed whenever a Christmas song would come on the radio. This week, bring it on! I got out my Christmas collection and have added it to my playlist at work. I've got oldies, new ones, jazz, Celtic... you name it! And I keep borrowing my boss's James Taylor Christmas music!

Snow

I looked outside to see... snow! It's not the first, but it's not even winter yet, so it is a welcome sight.

And now I have "Snow" in my head from "White Christmas."

"Snow, snow, snow, snow, snow!"

Wow. When you look at the word, it looks strange. (looking) Now it looks normal again. Huh.

Surely I Can Trust Him

I'm a complainer. I might not whine out loud very often, but my head can be filled with empty complaints. The slightest thing and I'll think, "Woe is me!" Especially when it comes to the unknown or requests I have brought to God. But I've seen Him working recently. He's guided my steps on some questions I've had for a few months. Surely I can trust Him with my other unknowns.

And the ultimate matter in my life is resolved: I am safe. Eternally safe. No matter how I mess up on this side of life, the blood Jesus shed on the cross for my sins covers me. He can be trusted.

24but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

26Such a high priest meets our need-one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

(Hebrews 7:24-28)

Thankful

I'm thankful for my family. Not every moment, but most of the time. And this week I was reminded of how God has kept them safe. He doesn't promise that they will always be around, but so far they have been. That is something.

Family Whereabouts

Mom is reading in her room. Dad is napping on the couch. Brother is watching football. I am preparing to battle my evil nemesis, the end-of-semester project.

Remember the Days When...

• You tried to make cream of wheat all by yourself, but find that it is still too difficult for you. (The proportions got reversed and it became rock of wheat.)
• You got in trouble with your mom for saying, "Crap!"
• You were sent to your room for throwing pizza at your little brother. (He made you angry, so you threw at him what was in front of you... The sauce got in his eyes and he cried like a baby.)
• You wanted a U2 cd for your birthday, but your mom didn't approve. (He called Sunday "bloody!" It's a holy day!)
• You couldn't wait to grow up so you could have your own place with your own rules.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is here. My brother is home. Food has been eaten, dessert served. Naps have been taken.

Speaking of my brother... My attention was drawn to his hair, since he is sporting the "no effort" look at the same time as the "let it grow out a bunch" look. His hair is basically everywhere. After I pointed this out, he pulled it back to mockingly please me. But this backfired, for it revealed his... receding hairline! And his 20th birthday will be next month! Poor, poor brother.

"There's still a tomorrow."

This is something I heard yesterday. The speaker was just thinking aloud how, yes, there will still be business going on today, Wednesday.

But looking at the quote, it's comforting, uplifting. Whatever you did or didn't do today, good or bad, there's still a tomorrow.

Dream Themes

My dream from the other night is not typical. I don't normally remember several details to movie-like dreams. They're normally more mundane and vague.

Some themes I have had include:

• Running away from someone/something - child

• Trying to find/complete something, not always knowing what it is - child/recent

• Being in a store, not able to make up my mind about what I'm going to buy - teen/recent

They're not normally scary. They just have a general anxiety to them. Recently, though, they tend to end on a lighter note.

Step Inside My Dream World...

This is an excerpt from part of the dream I had last night:

I was walking home from my South Bend class but ended up in what was supposed to be Winona Lake. John Mayer was giving a concert while some of my past friends were studying/drinking coffee at tables. John would rant about sports in between songs.

Then the setting morphed into a big city with touristy places like museums. My family and I, along with a large group of people, walked into one. I think we were a church group. We started looking around and talking with each other when a guide of the museum told my dad something. My dad's expression immediately dropped from a smile into a concerned frown. I asked what it was and my dad said I wouldn't want to know. The guide turned to me and said, "The corpses of psychic Jews are buried in a tomb underneath this building."

As soon as these words were spoken, I looked outside the window to see locusts swarming the city. Our group proceeded upstairs where we found the zombie-like Jews waiting for us. There was tension in the air. They were going to attack us. However, they decided they needed to challenge us to game of kickball. I don't remember who won, but I have the feeling we were ahead most of the time.

Note: I have nothing against Jews. This is what my crazy mind concocted.

Hebrews 13:20-21

20May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Group Paper

One of my groups from school just finished a paper, and I was a bit of a help to them. Yeah! The feeling of accomplishment! Soak it in...

Life Is Funny

Thanksgiving's Coming!

One week from today is Thanksgiving! And yesterday I found out that my brother will be coming home on Tuesday (not Wednesday like I had previously thought). So, the current brother counter is set to 5 days!

Chewbacca Sweater

A couple months ago I bought a beige button-front cable cardigan. I've been wearing it almost everywhere I go--kind of a convenient comfort blanket that keeps me warm. Due to it becoming fuzzier and more warn, I'm starting to think of it as my Chewbacca sweater.

"Now is the Best Time to Quit" w/ Special Guest "Hot Beverage Vending Machines"

Walking from my car to my classroom last night, I saw a poster that said, "Now is the best time to quit," in big letters. There was a small cigarette somewhere on it, and I knew it was referring to smoking, but my mind immediately fell on school.

Yes! Now is the best time to quit! Just as projects are nearing due dates and uncertainty about what I'm doing is creeping up on me again, maybe I should just turn around, walk back to my car, and drive home, never to return again. If anyone asks me what happened, I can tell them I only obeyed the sign they posted by the entrance.

I do plan on sticking out the rest of the semester and taking another class next semester. But I'm not completely convinced this is my thing.

Also, I would highly discourage you from sampling the offerings of the hot beverage vending machines sprinkled throughout the IUSB buildings. The coffees (whether regular, decaf, or latte) are all somewhat decent. They do in fact resemble their labels. However, the hot chocolate has a strong metallic flavor, and the tea looks and tastes like very weak coffee.

It seems there's no winning...

Say I am faced with an opportunity to do something good, to help someone. If I don't do that good thing, I will most likely feel guilty afterward and beat myself up about it for a while. If I actually do that something to some extent, even if it is something very small, I get all bloated with pride... And then I beat myself up about it.

Maybe it takes lots of prayer and a little growth.

Baby Shower

I went to the baby shower yesterday afternoon. It was good to see some people I hadn't seen in a while. One of my friends who put it on is also expecting. Crazy. I don't want to even imagine having kids right now.
While there, we played some baby shower games. And I won a prize! You will all be proud to know I have honed my scent-recognition skills to the point where I can kind of tell what baby food I am smelling if it isn't labeled. Who knows if it will actually come in handy.

"Sunday" Post

Can't sleep. So I'm getting my Sunday post out of the way.

Today was good. Today was really good.

Baby shower tomorrow for someone I graduated with in high school.

I'm Dreaming of a White Veteran's Weekend

I drove to South Bend this morning to work on a group assignment. Man! All throughout Kosciusko County it was WHITE! Fog or whatever you call it. Some idiots didn't have their headlights on. You could hardly see lights at intersections, etc. Not long after entering Marshall County it was better.

Hickspeak

The other night at supper I was reminded of my hick roots. I've let it out. Feel free to shun me.

My parents and I were talking about the interesting and not so interesting parts of our day. During our conversation, certain words were brought up. They included "will" and "filling." My mom and I pronounce them like most of you probably would. My dad, though, says "wheel" and "feeling."

My dad's parents are worse. "Wash" becomes "warsh." And if I'm correct, "tour" (a fluid "too-er") becomes "ter." Unfortunately, that is all I can remember right now. Maybe in a future point in time I'll compile a hick vocabulary list.

My Alarm Clock, the Morning, and Me

The first few times my alarm goes off in the morning, I'm not necessarily ready to get up. And most of the time, I don't even realize that my alarm went off. I'm so out-of-it that I think something else happened.

Like today. My alarm goes off. I roll over, annoyed, thinking some stupid Frenchman made an annoying comment on my blog. I think, "Annoying Frenchman!" and push the snooze button, thinking I have silenced the evil Frenchman. (Apparently I hate France. Who knew?)

A few buzzings later, and I realize... there is no evil Frenchman. All that exists is my alarm clock, the morning, and me.

Some other morning imaginings I have had include being involved in a debate with some friends, meeting with a client at work, and finishing a tax return. I'm sure there's more, though.

Isaiah 31:1

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
who rely on horses,
who trust in the multitude of their chariots
and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
or seek help from the LORD.
(Isaiah 31:1)

Seek help from the LORD!

Say It in English!

In Pre-K, we have the kids memorize a verse. It's normally a very short verse, and a lot of the time it involves them just repeating after the teacher.

Recently, we have been saying the verses in different voices. We'll say it in a normal voice, a squeaky voice, a deep voice, and any other voice the kids come up with. This Sunday, one of them insisted on saying it in English. The teacher kept telling him that we already were saying it in English, but he didn't seem to get it. Maybe he was thinking of an English accent?

Imagine That

Yesterday I brought a concern of mine to God. It's not that I hadn't mentioned it to Him before, but this time I truly talked to Him about it, instead of just venting in His general direction. As a result, I'm freaking out less and feeling more at peace about it, remembering that I am not the center of the universe. Imagine that.

Fall Back

Last night we fell back, giving ourselves another hour. This action, along with the sun setting earlier in the evening, has caused it to be quite dark outside at this moment of 6:30 p.m. I do not like this one bit. Someone must pay...

The Best Season Is Fall.

This is what 80% of you have expressed. I think I agree with you. It does, after all, house the best holiday: Thanksgiving.

But Christmas is better than Thanksgiving, you might say. Yes, Christmas celebrates Christ's birth, but it has been too tainted by commercialism to be on my list of favorites. Even if I tell myself not to get caught up in it, I still get let down once the day comes and goes.

Thanksgiving, however, has less expectation, so it has less room for disappointment. Also, Christmas is still around the corner, so the warm fuzzies don't die once the last slice of pumpkin pie has been served.

Maybe part of my lack of enthusiasm for Christmas has to do with the fact that I just spend it with immediate family: Mom, Dad, brother. We don't have much family nearby, so we're stuck with each other. Now that my brother's away at school, though, it does give me something to look forward to. At this current point in time, I am counting down the days to when I get to see my brother for Thanksgiving... eighteen days!

I Don't Know

Warning: If you talk to me, be prepared to be frustrated or annoyed. I cannot guarantee it, but it's a likely possibility.

I might say, "I don't know," multiple times when trying to express myself. The sad thing is, this is my best attempt.

My brother and I get along pretty well, but on occasion it becomes obvious that he finds his communication skills superior to mine. I have to just shut my mouth sometimes, because I know what I have to say (or not say) will annoy the heck out of him. Due to my somewhat recent considerations for my brother, he has called me his self-censoring sister.

NaBloPoMo

It has come to my attention that November is National Blog Posting Month. The goal? Post on your blog at least once every day. Can I do it? Yes! Will I post material people actually care about? I don't know. By the end I might be down to describing what I had to eat for the day.

Halloween

I am the designated candy-passer-outer at my house. If I didn't do it, it wouldn't get done, so I feel the need to step up and fill this vital role.

After two hours and 135 visitors, I felt like a broken record. "Hey! Here you go! You're welcome!" On occasion I got to say, "You okay?" if one of the little ones fell over on our step.

The number of visitors this year is probably close to what we had last year. But for some reason, I prepared for 210 visitors... so we've got some leftover candy.

Dad suggested saving it for next year. Yeah, right. Even if every single piece of candy is something I can't stand, if it is in the house, it will find a way to disappear. Luckily, I had the sense to buy things I like to some degree. The chocolates will be the first to vanish. The hard candies will eventually follow, but only after some time has passed.

Maybe I'll prepare for around 150 next year. No more than 175! Or, how about as the evening progresses, I give out more than just 3 pieces per child, as I see fit? This last option is probably the most commonsensical, so therefore I must ignore it.

"And what were your favorite costumes that you saw?" you might ask. "Why, the superhero costumes, of course!" I would reply.