A Reason for Warsaw

Earlier this week a classmate of mine asked me about Warsaw. He wanted to know what it offered in terms of entertainment and activities that South Bend doesn't have. Even though I can say that I love Warsaw (and also Winona Lake), I have to admit that he took me off guard. I didn't know what to say. After pausing, I said something about music in the summer at Winona Lake, the many lakes our county has, etc. He then asked if Warsaw and Winona Lake are comparable in size to South Bend and Fort Wayne. This I found funny. He's not from the area, let alone the country, so I can't blame him for not knowing that the answer is obvious to pretty much everyone else.

This encounter brought a verse to mind: "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15).

Chocolate Messages

I eat a piece of Dove chocolate every weekday after I finish my lunch. Each piece is individually wrapped in foil with a message printed on the inside. They say things like, "Go to your special place," and "Definitely a bubble bath day." Most of the time I don't like what they say.

At first I thought I could come up with some good ones, but then I felt stumped. All I came up with was, "I don't know." Really catchy (although it seems to be the theme of my life). So I was thinking that maybe wonderful people such as yourselves would be able to come up with better ideas for the messages.

First off, what types of messages should be used? Stick with the same basic idea of nice, fuzzy thoughts, but upgrade them a bit? Or what about messages that a magic eight ball might provide? Insults? Quotes from movies?

What would make really good messages for someone reaching for that necessary piece of afternoon chocolate?

Volleyball

Apparently it is possible to become sore from standing around for a few hours and occasionally coming into contact with a volleyball. Although the game I play is called "pretend you're going to get the ball but step away at the last second" -ball. Or "watch the ball hit the ground next to you" -ball. It's really amazing that my teammates didn't commit murder yesterday.

Jealous

I'm officially jealous of Theresa Andersson.

Mensagem De Amor

Portuguese is the most amazing language, and Lucas Santtana's "Mensagem De Amor" might be the best song to showcase its beauty. The lyrics and the acoustic arrangement are also top-notch in my book. Following are the "raw" lyrics and a rough translation.


Mensagem De Amor

Os Livros na estante já não tem mais tanta importância
Do muito que li, do pouco que eu sei, nada me resta
A não ser, a vontade de te encontrar
O motivo eu já nem sei, nem que seja só para estar, ao seu lado,
Só pra ler, no seu rosto
Uma mensagem de Amor
Uma mensagem de Amor

A noite eu me deito, então escuto a mensagem do ar
Vagando entre os astros, nada me move nem me faz parar
A não ser, a vontade de te encontrar
O motivo eu já nem sei, nem que seja só para estar ao seu lado,
Só pra ler no seu rosto
Uma mensagem de Amor

Os Livros na estante já não tem mais tanta importância
Do muito que li, do pouco que eu sei, nada me resta
A não ser, a vontade de te encontrar
O motivo eu já nem sei, nem que seja só para estar, ao seu lado,
Só pra ler, no seu rosto
Uma mensagem de Amor
Uma mensagem de Amor

A noite eu me deito, então escuto a mensagem do ar
Vagando entre os astros, nada me move nem me faz parar
A não ser, a vontade de te encontrar
O motivo eu já nem sei, nem que seja só para estar ao seu lado,
Só pra ler no seu rosto
Uma mensagem de Amor
Uma mensagem de Amor
Uma mensagem de Amor
Uma mensagem de Amor
Uma mensagem de Amor


Message of Love

The Books on the shelf have little importance anymore
Of all that I read, there is little that I know, I have nothing
Except the will to find you
I do not know the reason yet, even if just to be by your side,
Only to get to read on your face
A message of love
A message of love

At night I lie down, then I listen to the air's message
Becoming vacant among the stars, nothing moves me or makes me stop
Except the will to find you
The reason I do not know already, even if just to be by your side,
Only to get to read on your face
A message of love

The Books on the shelf have little importance anymore
Of all that I read, there is little that I know, I have nothing
Except the will to find you
I do not know the reason yet, even if only to be by your side,
Only to get to read on your face
A message of love
A message of love

At night I lie down, then I listen to the air's message
Becoming vacant among the stars, nothing moves me or makes me stop
Except the will to find you
I do not know the reason yet, even if just to be by your side,
Only to get to read on your face A message of love
A message of love
A message of love
A message of love
A message of love

Who Am I?

I don’t know who I am. Well, I didn’t know who I was on Sunday…

Sunday afternoon I was at Miranda’s bridal shower, which I enjoyed. My main responsibility for the event was putting together some games.

The first game was called “Who Am I?” This involved me taping names of famous females, whether real or fictitious, onto the backs of the guests as they arrived. The guests were then to figure out who they were by asking people around them “yes” or “no” questions. I wasn’t planning on participating, since I had personally selected each name and thought it would be an unfair advantage. Miranda, however, decided I needed to play, too, and taped a name onto me.

Guess who the last person was to figure out her mystery identity??? If you guessed “Emily,” you are correct. This being the case, even thought I had a head start on most of the participants. I was working with this information: I was fictitious, possibly a cartoon, had blonde hair and an unbelievable figure. It wasn’t until Miranda exclaimed, “You used to date Ken!” that I had an epiphany: I am Barbie. Or I was, rather, for an afternoon.

On a side note, don’t break into Christ’s Covenant Church. The alarm that goes off is very loud. And the police show up.

Converging Paths

Last night, part of me was thinking I might be carried off by a tornado. The night sky I was driving into wasn't just storming. It had a smattering of that crazy, hazy yellow along with dark, menacing clouds that made me think of "The Wizard of Oz." The radio station would occasionally pause to warn of weather that could form into tornadoes passing from Marshall county's southwest corner to its northeast corner. Our paths were converging.

So as I was driving, I:

1) continued to listen to music, but turned it down on occasion so I could catch any possible strange noises that might clue me in on an approaching tornado.

2) looked around me for funnel clouds that might start to form.

3) made sure there were other people on the road, too. (The fail-safe "if everyone else is doing it, it must be okay" thought.)

4) prayed that God would keep me safe and I would know what to do if something happened.

5) told myself that if I saw a funnel cloud approaching me, I would pull over (hopefully by an empty field with little around me) and lie down in a ditch (making sure to take my purse with me but leaving my sweater in the car so it might avoid possible damage... me and my sweaters).

6) pictured scenes from the movie "Twister."

No, I'm not completely crazy. I have lived in Indiana all my life, so the thought of tornadoes doesn't freak me out. But when there's the possibility of their formation, I'm normally in my house with family, not driving on a road alone.

And then my brother almost hit a deer last night on his way home from work...

Mouse and Frog

I love this picture. It makes me think of children's stories about animal friends that go on journeys and learn lessons.

Spoiled

I'm getting spoiled. Cookout/bonfire yesterday, bonfire last Sunday... What am I going to do this coming Sunday?

I know! How about a bridal shower for Miranda!