Think back to the surreal moments you have experienced in your life.
I have had a few of these moments. First, the two most obvious were our wedding and the birth of Elyse.
The moment with Elyse was a few days after she was born and we were already at home. I am not sure why it didn't hit me right away after she was born. I think it was because of the lack of medicine that I had in my body and my brain really couldn't think of much else.
I remember at our wedding I felt the surreal moment when we were walking into the reception to U2's "It's a Beautiful Day."
I also remember having this feeling when we woke up in the middle of the night to go see Air Force One land in Wilmington, Ohio. President Bush was giving a campaign speech. There was something about seeing and being about 20 feet from one of the most powerful men in the whole world.
Surreal moments are moments in time that feel like a dream.
In life we also have moments that feel so terrible that we think that they have to be a dream. We think that there is no way that this situation or problem could be real. I think to the deaths of family members, terrible news, and tough situations.
I was thinking about all of this today because a good friend of our family passed away this week. She was only in her 40's and was the mother of three young children. I was thinking about what her kids were thinking today. I was thinking about her husband and the overwhelming feeling he must be experiencing today. I am sure he must have asked the man that came to his door to deliver the news, "Are you sure?" I am sure he wants proof and details. These are things he may never get. His wife was one of the CIA agents killed in Afghanistan this past Wednesday in what is being called the second-largest single-day loss for the spy agency in its history.
So today, I ask you to pray for the Anderson Family.
When these surreal moments happen in my life I think of this passage in the Bible. These are great surreal moments that God chose to mention in His word to remind us that he is here. He is here during these moments. He isn't far away.
Hebrews 11 (The Message)
Faith in What We Don't See
1-2The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.
3By faith, we see the world called into existence by God's word, what we see created by what we don't see.
4By an act of faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain. It was what he believed, not what he brought, that made the difference. That's what God noticed and approved as righteous. After all these centuries, that belief continues to catch our notice.
5-6By an act of faith, Enoch skipped death completely. "They looked all over and couldn't find him because God had taken him." We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken "he pleased God." It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.
7By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn't see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. As a result, Noah became intimate with God.
8-10By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God's call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going. By an act of faith he lived in the country promised him, lived as a stranger camping in tents. Isaac and Jacob did the same, living under the same promise. Abraham did it by keeping his eye on an unseen city with real, eternal foundations—the City designed and built by God.
11-12By faith, barren Sarah was able to become pregnant, old woman as she was at the time, because she believed the One who made a promise would do what he said. That's how it happened that from one man's dead and shriveled loins there are now people numbering into the millions.
13-16Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that—heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them.
17-19By faith, Abraham, at the time of testing, offered Isaac back to God. Acting in faith, he was as ready to return the promised son, his only son, as he had been to receive him—and this after he had already been told, "Your descendants shall come from Isaac." Abraham figured that if God wanted to, he could raise the dead. In a sense, that's what happened when he received Isaac back, alive from off the altar.
20By an act of faith, Isaac reached into the future as he blessed Jacob and Esau.
21By an act of faith, Jacob on his deathbed blessed each of Joseph's sons in turn, blessing them with God's blessing, not his own—as he bowed worshipfully upon his staff.
22By an act of faith, Joseph, while dying, prophesied the exodus of Israel, and made arrangements for his own burial.
23By an act of faith, Moses' parents hid him away for three months after his birth. They saw the child's beauty, and they braved the king's decree.
24-28By faith, Moses, when grown, refused the privileges of the Egyptian royal house. He chose a hard life with God's people rather than an opportunistic soft life of sin with the oppressors. He valued suffering in the Messiah's camp far greater than Egyptian wealth because he was looking ahead, anticipating the payoff. By an act of faith, he turned his heel on Egypt, indifferent to the king's blind rage. He had his eye on the One no eye can see, and kept right on going. By an act of faith, he kept the Passover Feast and sprinkled Passover blood on each house so that the destroyer of the firstborn wouldn't touch them.
29By an act of faith, Israel walked through the Red Sea on dry ground. The Egyptians tried it and drowned.
30By faith, the Israelites marched around the walls of Jericho for seven days, and the walls fell flat.
31By an act of faith, Rahab, the Jericho harlot, welcomed the spies and escaped the destruction that came on those who refused to trust God.
32-38I could go on and on, but I've run out of time. There are so many more— Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets....Through acts of faith, they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves. They were protected from lions, fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, routed alien armies. Women received their loved ones back from the dead. There were those who, under torture, refused to give in and go free, preferring something better: resurrection. Others braved abuse and whips, and, yes, chains and dungeons. We have stories of those who were stoned, sawed in two, murdered in cold blood; stories of vagrants wandering the earth in animal skins, homeless, friendless, powerless—the world didn't deserve them!—making their way as best they could on the cruel edges of the world.
39-40Not one of these people, even though their lives of faith were exemplary, got their hands on what was promised. God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith would come together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart from ours.
May the Anderson's FAITH see them through this surreal time in their lives.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Farm
So this is a post that I started a while ago, that I thought I would finish.
In October we had a Fall Party out at the farm. This farm has been in our family for 42 years. My grandparents lived on this farm for about 38 years together and then Granny lived there for another 3 1/2 years. Then when Granny moved to town, my parents bought the farm.
Since they have owned the farm, they have really just cleared a lot of brush and some 'junk' trees as my dad calls them. They rent the farm land and the farm house. However, the farm provides us with so much fun. Some people have been camping at the farm. Some people have been fishing. Some people have been hunting. Ryan and I just like to go out and walk around to enjoy each other and God's beautiful creation.
Thinking of how much I enjoy the farm, I am reminded that all of my farm experiences have not been so great. I am going to share two farm stories with you. When I tell you these stories we are going to be forever closer and you may think that I am not the farm gal that I think that I am. You also may think that I am not very smart.
When I was in elementary school I had a good friend that lived on a farm. I loved going to their house where we would ride 4-wheelers, play in the barn and care for pigs and sheep. Late spring, when I was in the 4th grade I went to her house on a Saturday. Jenny and her brother Justin had to walk their 4-H sheep before we could do anything else. I was fascinated by anything that was happening on their farm and the walking of sheep wasn't any different. I had seen people walk dogs, but not sheep.
I followed them to the barn to harness the sheep. They were walking three sheep each, so I said I could take one or two. They gave me one rope that was attached to a sheep and we headed out of the barn and down the driveway. The first few minutes were spent trying to get all six sheep to move. I don't think that God created sheep to be harnessed and walked, or to be shown a county fairs. They just don't like it in my opinion and here is why:
My little lamb that I was trying to walk, simply did not want to walk. Jenny and Justin seemed to be doing just fine. If one of their sheep would stop they would touch the tail quickly and the sheep would start walking again. I kept pulling on the rope and the sheep was just fighting the walk. By this point, there was no walking going on, I was pulling the sheep.
So I asked what they were doing with the sheep's tail to get them to move. Justin said, "Oh, well it is kind of gross, you probably will want to just keep pulling the rope." I said, "No, just tell me what to do so that the sheep will walk." He said, "Well, you just lift the tail up and then stick about a inch of your finger into their butt hole really fast and that gets them to move." Being the city girl that I was, this was soooooo gross and I couldn't believe anyone would do this!
After asking a few questions about this process and seeing the very believable demonstration, I turned back to my little sheep determined to get him to walk, and determined to prove myself as a farm girl.
Lets just say, the lamb did move, and he moved very fast! Jenny and Justin laughed until they cried. I went and washed my finger.
In case you ever need to walk a sheep you just pull up on their tail. No prodding is necessary.
Second story:
My grandparents did not have many animals on the farm, but they would have a few here and there. My grandfather had talked about getting a few cows but hadn't really contacted anyone about buying some. My great uncle, who raised cows, called one day and said that he had a calf that he needed to find a home for. The mother didn't want the calf and the calf was going to need to be bottle fed for a while. Well, having three grand kids that would love this process, he said he would take the calf. I was probably 12 years old.
We quickly named her, "Daisy." However, she was not as cheerful as her name suggests. She was nice at first, but she turned rather feisty. One weekend, my grandparents were going away and my mom and I had to take care of Daisy. As I recall the first day or so went fine. We were keeping Daisy in the barn, because she had been known to get out of the field from time to time.
This particular day we went out to feed and water her after my mom got off work. (She was still in high heels and dressed up, that is a important part of this story) When we pulled in the driveway, there was Daisy standing in the middle of the yard looking like, "Oh, no, I've been caught!"
We stopped in the middle and that is when the fun began. Basically, we spent about a hour 'chasing' her. It must have looked like a circus act. A business woman and a little girl chasing a cow. Daisy would run really fast one direction and wait for us to catch up and then she should sprint to another area of the yard. I am guessing that this went on for about an hour. Finally Daisy stopped and walked into the barn. She was thirsty. We shut the barn door. After all of that, she stopped when she was ready to 'stop playing.' After that we all decided that Daisy was a little too smart to stay at our farm. She was big enough to go back with the rest of the cows!
In October we had a Fall Party out at the farm. This farm has been in our family for 42 years. My grandparents lived on this farm for about 38 years together and then Granny lived there for another 3 1/2 years. Then when Granny moved to town, my parents bought the farm.
Since they have owned the farm, they have really just cleared a lot of brush and some 'junk' trees as my dad calls them. They rent the farm land and the farm house. However, the farm provides us with so much fun. Some people have been camping at the farm. Some people have been fishing. Some people have been hunting. Ryan and I just like to go out and walk around to enjoy each other and God's beautiful creation.
Thinking of how much I enjoy the farm, I am reminded that all of my farm experiences have not been so great. I am going to share two farm stories with you. When I tell you these stories we are going to be forever closer and you may think that I am not the farm gal that I think that I am. You also may think that I am not very smart.
When I was in elementary school I had a good friend that lived on a farm. I loved going to their house where we would ride 4-wheelers, play in the barn and care for pigs and sheep. Late spring, when I was in the 4th grade I went to her house on a Saturday. Jenny and her brother Justin had to walk their 4-H sheep before we could do anything else. I was fascinated by anything that was happening on their farm and the walking of sheep wasn't any different. I had seen people walk dogs, but not sheep.
I followed them to the barn to harness the sheep. They were walking three sheep each, so I said I could take one or two. They gave me one rope that was attached to a sheep and we headed out of the barn and down the driveway. The first few minutes were spent trying to get all six sheep to move. I don't think that God created sheep to be harnessed and walked, or to be shown a county fairs. They just don't like it in my opinion and here is why:
My little lamb that I was trying to walk, simply did not want to walk. Jenny and Justin seemed to be doing just fine. If one of their sheep would stop they would touch the tail quickly and the sheep would start walking again. I kept pulling on the rope and the sheep was just fighting the walk. By this point, there was no walking going on, I was pulling the sheep.
So I asked what they were doing with the sheep's tail to get them to move. Justin said, "Oh, well it is kind of gross, you probably will want to just keep pulling the rope." I said, "No, just tell me what to do so that the sheep will walk." He said, "Well, you just lift the tail up and then stick about a inch of your finger into their butt hole really fast and that gets them to move." Being the city girl that I was, this was soooooo gross and I couldn't believe anyone would do this!
After asking a few questions about this process and seeing the very believable demonstration, I turned back to my little sheep determined to get him to walk, and determined to prove myself as a farm girl.
Lets just say, the lamb did move, and he moved very fast! Jenny and Justin laughed until they cried. I went and washed my finger.
In case you ever need to walk a sheep you just pull up on their tail. No prodding is necessary.
Second story:
My grandparents did not have many animals on the farm, but they would have a few here and there. My grandfather had talked about getting a few cows but hadn't really contacted anyone about buying some. My great uncle, who raised cows, called one day and said that he had a calf that he needed to find a home for. The mother didn't want the calf and the calf was going to need to be bottle fed for a while. Well, having three grand kids that would love this process, he said he would take the calf. I was probably 12 years old.
We quickly named her, "Daisy." However, she was not as cheerful as her name suggests. She was nice at first, but she turned rather feisty. One weekend, my grandparents were going away and my mom and I had to take care of Daisy. As I recall the first day or so went fine. We were keeping Daisy in the barn, because she had been known to get out of the field from time to time.
This particular day we went out to feed and water her after my mom got off work. (She was still in high heels and dressed up, that is a important part of this story) When we pulled in the driveway, there was Daisy standing in the middle of the yard looking like, "Oh, no, I've been caught!"
We stopped in the middle and that is when the fun began. Basically, we spent about a hour 'chasing' her. It must have looked like a circus act. A business woman and a little girl chasing a cow. Daisy would run really fast one direction and wait for us to catch up and then she should sprint to another area of the yard. I am guessing that this went on for about an hour. Finally Daisy stopped and walked into the barn. She was thirsty. We shut the barn door. After all of that, she stopped when she was ready to 'stop playing.' After that we all decided that Daisy was a little too smart to stay at our farm. She was big enough to go back with the rest of the cows!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Thankful
I know it really isn't thanksgiving time yet, but I have just been thinking about how thankful I am for what God has been up to in our lives. Here are just a few things that I am thankful for:
My wonderful, amazing husband! God has given me everything I need in a mate through Ryan. He is my perfect match in so many ways.
Our healthy, beautiful daughter. I am amazed at her growth and development in just 8 months.
Our family and extended family that continually provides love, support and humor to our lives.
Incredible friends!
Two great jobs.
Shelter and clothing.
Health.
Our relationship with God.
The simple things in life.
God's beauty through His creation.
Music.
There is so much more. I take so many things for granted. I want to appreciate each stage in our lives and thank God for bringing us here.
It is so easy to complain in life. We want more things. We want the weather to be nice. We want money. We want new jobs. We want different cars. We want new and better homes. We want to look better. We can get to a place where nothing is good enough. Instead, look around at what you have been given, and be thankful.
I guess there were two main things that made me start thinking about thankfulness. First, I do not make it a habit to watch Oprah everyday. However, I do catch it from time to time. Yesterday, a family was on that has had a major life change in the last year. The family consisted of a dad, mom, and 4 kids. On August 16, 2008, Stephanie and her husband, Christian, were flying across Arizona when the small plane they were on crashed into the desert. It exploded on impact.
Christian and Stephanie made it out alive…but just barely.
When the plane hit the ground, Christian broke his back and ankle, yet he still managed to wrench the door open and help Stephanie escape the burning wreckage. Christian saved Stephanie's life that day, but for the next three months, no one knew what sort of life she'd be able to lead.
When flames engulfed the plane, Christian was burned on his face and neck, while Stephanie suffered severe burns on more than 80 percent of her body. She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, and for the next 10 weeks, doctors kept her in a medically induced coma while they treated her burns.
While Stephanie was in the hospital, there was always someone at her side. Siblings slept on the floor, her mother spoke words of encouragement, and they all prayed for her recovery.
Then, in November 2008, Stephanie woke up.
Stephanie says she had a vision while she was unconscious, and she was given a choice. "[I was] with somebody who told me that I could choose to live and have a hard life, you know, embarrassing at times and painful. Or, I could just stay there, and there's lots of work I could do there too," she says. "But I thought of my children and my husband, and it was easy. An easy choice."
Since Stephanie returned to her Utah home, very little has been easy. For the first few months she was home, she says her children didn't want to look at her or touch her. (Ages 8,6,4,and 2)
Her scars may never heal, but Stephanie says it gets a little easier every day. Despite constant physical pain, she still manages to make lunches, bathe her children and celebrate life and love.
Her story made me just stop and thank God for the life he has given me.
Secondly, the new David Crowder Band song has also made me think about thankfulness. Here are the lyrics:
He Loves Us
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves.
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…
My wonderful, amazing husband! God has given me everything I need in a mate through Ryan. He is my perfect match in so many ways.
Our healthy, beautiful daughter. I am amazed at her growth and development in just 8 months.
Our family and extended family that continually provides love, support and humor to our lives.
Incredible friends!
Two great jobs.
Shelter and clothing.
Health.
Our relationship with God.
The simple things in life.
God's beauty through His creation.
Music.
There is so much more. I take so many things for granted. I want to appreciate each stage in our lives and thank God for bringing us here.
It is so easy to complain in life. We want more things. We want the weather to be nice. We want money. We want new jobs. We want different cars. We want new and better homes. We want to look better. We can get to a place where nothing is good enough. Instead, look around at what you have been given, and be thankful.
I guess there were two main things that made me start thinking about thankfulness. First, I do not make it a habit to watch Oprah everyday. However, I do catch it from time to time. Yesterday, a family was on that has had a major life change in the last year. The family consisted of a dad, mom, and 4 kids. On August 16, 2008, Stephanie and her husband, Christian, were flying across Arizona when the small plane they were on crashed into the desert. It exploded on impact.
Christian and Stephanie made it out alive…but just barely.
When the plane hit the ground, Christian broke his back and ankle, yet he still managed to wrench the door open and help Stephanie escape the burning wreckage. Christian saved Stephanie's life that day, but for the next three months, no one knew what sort of life she'd be able to lead.
When flames engulfed the plane, Christian was burned on his face and neck, while Stephanie suffered severe burns on more than 80 percent of her body. She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, and for the next 10 weeks, doctors kept her in a medically induced coma while they treated her burns.
While Stephanie was in the hospital, there was always someone at her side. Siblings slept on the floor, her mother spoke words of encouragement, and they all prayed for her recovery.
Then, in November 2008, Stephanie woke up.
Stephanie says she had a vision while she was unconscious, and she was given a choice. "[I was] with somebody who told me that I could choose to live and have a hard life, you know, embarrassing at times and painful. Or, I could just stay there, and there's lots of work I could do there too," she says. "But I thought of my children and my husband, and it was easy. An easy choice."
Since Stephanie returned to her Utah home, very little has been easy. For the first few months she was home, she says her children didn't want to look at her or touch her. (Ages 8,6,4,and 2)
Her scars may never heal, but Stephanie says it gets a little easier every day. Despite constant physical pain, she still manages to make lunches, bathe her children and celebrate life and love.
Her story made me just stop and thank God for the life he has given me.
Secondly, the new David Crowder Band song has also made me think about thankfulness. Here are the lyrics:
He Loves Us
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves.
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…
Saturday, September 19, 2009
just a few thoughts on numbers
First, some have asked when I will know anything about the Real Simple essay contest. It says, "The winner will be notified by phone on or around January 3, 2010." So, I guess they have a lot of reading to do and I have to wait.
I am a big numbers person. Not so much numbers with math problems, but numbers with other things. I like to count down the days until something is going to happen. I had our wedding count down started from the day we got engaged. I tried to do a count down when I was pregnant with Elyse, but she was 11 days late, so that didn't work out so well. I do count downs until Christmas starting in sometime in October. I am always counting the days until vacation or the number of days we have left on vacation. The same is true with money and other random things. For instance when I was teaching in the brick and mortar school I would count the number of class periods in the week. At Miami Trace I would teach 35 periods a week and I would have 10 free periods a week for planning and lunch.
However, I tend to take it to the next level. I will count the Hours and Minutes too! I really take the whole counting thing a little too far.
The day Ryan left for Europe I knew that he would be gone 10 days or about 240 hours which is 14,400 minutes. And throughout the time he was gone, I would recalculate the new totals.
This weird counting of things does not relate to a love for math necessarily, but rather an odd fascination of amounts, time, and percentages. For instance I am fascinated at the number of hours we spend doing things in our life. IE: sitting at traffic lights-12-15 hours depending on how much you drive, sleeping- 227,912 hours etc.
When I am trying to occupy my time with something I will count things. Counting ceiling tiles. (Yes, I know I could just count the length and the width and multiply) Counting lights in a room. Counting certain cars, trucks or SUVs. Counting the stairs that I am climbing. Number of steps it takes to get somewhere.
I also enjoy the USA Today's snapshot which is in the left corner of the front page and also on the front of the life section. This includes percentages based on research or responses gathered in surveys.
Research studies with numbers are equally as intriguing. (Sometimes the Dateline, 60 minutes, or 20/20)
Well, here are some of my most recent figures.
I have save us about $1800 this year by breast feeding and making my own baby food.
By the end of one year of Elyse's life we will have used about 2,788 diapers. (Just imagine the diapers for twins for one year, 5,576) I will have spent about 456 hours feeding her. (which is about 3 months of 40 hour work weeks)
I will save you from all of my other crazy calculations, but lets just say that there are many, many more! Does this make me a math geek?
I am a big numbers person. Not so much numbers with math problems, but numbers with other things. I like to count down the days until something is going to happen. I had our wedding count down started from the day we got engaged. I tried to do a count down when I was pregnant with Elyse, but she was 11 days late, so that didn't work out so well. I do count downs until Christmas starting in sometime in October. I am always counting the days until vacation or the number of days we have left on vacation. The same is true with money and other random things. For instance when I was teaching in the brick and mortar school I would count the number of class periods in the week. At Miami Trace I would teach 35 periods a week and I would have 10 free periods a week for planning and lunch.
However, I tend to take it to the next level. I will count the Hours and Minutes too! I really take the whole counting thing a little too far.
The day Ryan left for Europe I knew that he would be gone 10 days or about 240 hours which is 14,400 minutes. And throughout the time he was gone, I would recalculate the new totals.
This weird counting of things does not relate to a love for math necessarily, but rather an odd fascination of amounts, time, and percentages. For instance I am fascinated at the number of hours we spend doing things in our life. IE: sitting at traffic lights-12-15 hours depending on how much you drive, sleeping- 227,912 hours etc.
When I am trying to occupy my time with something I will count things. Counting ceiling tiles. (Yes, I know I could just count the length and the width and multiply) Counting lights in a room. Counting certain cars, trucks or SUVs. Counting the stairs that I am climbing. Number of steps it takes to get somewhere.
I also enjoy the USA Today's snapshot which is in the left corner of the front page and also on the front of the life section. This includes percentages based on research or responses gathered in surveys.
Research studies with numbers are equally as intriguing. (Sometimes the Dateline, 60 minutes, or 20/20)
Well, here are some of my most recent figures.
I have save us about $1800 this year by breast feeding and making my own baby food.
By the end of one year of Elyse's life we will have used about 2,788 diapers. (Just imagine the diapers for twins for one year, 5,576) I will have spent about 456 hours feeding her. (which is about 3 months of 40 hour work weeks)
I will save you from all of my other crazy calculations, but lets just say that there are many, many more! Does this make me a math geek?
Monday, September 7, 2009
growing up
So, as I stated from the beginning of this blog I am not a great writer. However, it is something that I enjoy. I have never been one to write and then share it with others, but that is what a blog is all about.
This post is my entry into a REAL SIMPLE life lessons essay contest. I have been thinking about submitting an entry for the contest all summer. I have known about it since May. Really though, why wouldn't I wait until yesterday to start the essay knowing that entries are taken until tonight at midnight. So, it was written last night and this morning. Here is the rough draft, I have a few more hours to finish it. I am not expecting to win, but the $3000 and a two day trip to NYC is rather enticing and I liked the topic.
Topic: When did you realize that you had become a grown-up?
Essay:I can’t wait until I am older
At 29 years old I still have days that I feel 12. Or maybe it is days that I wish I were 12. I still, on occasion, act selfish and want my own way. There are days that I do not make our bed and I really have no remorse or guilt from not doing it. Even though our house is clean, I often leave things out and do not put them back where they belong until the next day. I am sure all of us grown-ups don’t always act as grown-up as we should. Nevertheless, I am a grown-up.
As a child I can remember thinking, "I can't wait until I am older." I had that thought so often during my childhood and adolescence. I can honestly say I am still not quite sure that it happened all in one day or through a series of events, but I think it was on September 20, 2006. I think that was the day I became a grown-up.
I believe that four events or times have defined my passage into adulthood. Each event was unique and special in its own way. Maybe growing up happens in one day for some, or maybe it is a journey. I am not sure, but here is how it happened for me.
When I was young I thought that being taller in stature was a sign that I was a so called grown-up. I was sure that a sign of being a grown-up was easily recognizable by one event. I knew that once I could touch the pew in front of me at church without any bend to my arms or wrist to reach the wooden back of the seat was a sign that I was a grown-up. At about age 14 I was able to stand at church to sing with my arms extended down to barely touch the pew in front of me. However, I was not a grown-up.
So, I had to set my attainable grown-up goal on something else. I decided that I would be a grown up once I had my own car with a trunk. Now, you may be saying, "What, why a car with a trunk?" I want to tell you, I have absolutely NO idea why I thought this. Maybe I thought of this step as something that was very independent. Maybe I related the trunk to grocery store shopping, and running errands. I am honestly not sure why I thought that this was a big step in becoming a grown-up. I drove one of my parent’s cars once I turned 16, and then got my own at age 18. Driving my own car, with a trunk during my senior year of high school did not make me a grown-up.
Once again I set my sights on something else that would make me a grown-up. My next milestone was bill paying. Can’t all grown-ups be defined as bill paying people? Again, this milestone came and went and I was still not a grown-up.
After I graduated from college, I was still unsure of what I really wanted to do in life. After one year of three part time jobs I went back to school to get my masters degree. During this time I didn't really think about growing up too much. I had the tall stature, the same car with a trunk, and paid bills. I even owned a house of my very own. I got married when I was 25 and still felt like a child at times until, the 6 months after our wedding that is when I really became a grown-up.
As my husband and I sat at the funeral home with his siblings and their spouses to make funeral arrangements for his mother Ellen just 12 weeks after our wedding, I knew I was a grown-up. September 20, 2006. We were the adults in this situation. Both of my husband’s parents were ill when we started dating and when we got married. His mother, Ellen, was fighting breast cancer for the second time and his father, Steven was bed ridden with multiple sclerosis. Ellen had attended the wedding, but was very weak. I think we were so happy about our marriage that it was hard to imagine the coming days and weeks of caretaking and what the inevitable future held.
We went to Hawaii the day after the ceremony for our honeymoon. The day after we returned from our honeymoon Ryan's grandmother passed away. Eight weeks later, it was his mother. Another six weeks and Ryan had ankle reconstructive surgery from a basketball injury that put him on crutches for 10 weeks. It would be 3 weeks of calm before yet another storm, Ryan's father passed away. The first 6 months of marriage are a blur.
During these 6 months of heartache and joy I grew into adulthood. Maybe it was because we felt somewhat responsible for his younger, but grown siblings. Maybe it was because we were missing that older and wiser family link. But I think it was because I realized that no one is invincible. Our time on earth goes by quickly. Only God knows the number of days we will be on this earth. This time made me think of one of my favorite verses in the Bible. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.” Time is really not in my control. I don’t know what tomorrow holds. I just live each day.
Childhood is easy, growing up is hard, but the journey is when we grow.
This post is my entry into a REAL SIMPLE life lessons essay contest. I have been thinking about submitting an entry for the contest all summer. I have known about it since May. Really though, why wouldn't I wait until yesterday to start the essay knowing that entries are taken until tonight at midnight. So, it was written last night and this morning. Here is the rough draft, I have a few more hours to finish it. I am not expecting to win, but the $3000 and a two day trip to NYC is rather enticing and I liked the topic.
Topic: When did you realize that you had become a grown-up?
Essay:I can’t wait until I am older
At 29 years old I still have days that I feel 12. Or maybe it is days that I wish I were 12. I still, on occasion, act selfish and want my own way. There are days that I do not make our bed and I really have no remorse or guilt from not doing it. Even though our house is clean, I often leave things out and do not put them back where they belong until the next day. I am sure all of us grown-ups don’t always act as grown-up as we should. Nevertheless, I am a grown-up.
As a child I can remember thinking, "I can't wait until I am older." I had that thought so often during my childhood and adolescence. I can honestly say I am still not quite sure that it happened all in one day or through a series of events, but I think it was on September 20, 2006. I think that was the day I became a grown-up.
I believe that four events or times have defined my passage into adulthood. Each event was unique and special in its own way. Maybe growing up happens in one day for some, or maybe it is a journey. I am not sure, but here is how it happened for me.
When I was young I thought that being taller in stature was a sign that I was a so called grown-up. I was sure that a sign of being a grown-up was easily recognizable by one event. I knew that once I could touch the pew in front of me at church without any bend to my arms or wrist to reach the wooden back of the seat was a sign that I was a grown-up. At about age 14 I was able to stand at church to sing with my arms extended down to barely touch the pew in front of me. However, I was not a grown-up.
So, I had to set my attainable grown-up goal on something else. I decided that I would be a grown up once I had my own car with a trunk. Now, you may be saying, "What, why a car with a trunk?" I want to tell you, I have absolutely NO idea why I thought this. Maybe I thought of this step as something that was very independent. Maybe I related the trunk to grocery store shopping, and running errands. I am honestly not sure why I thought that this was a big step in becoming a grown-up. I drove one of my parent’s cars once I turned 16, and then got my own at age 18. Driving my own car, with a trunk during my senior year of high school did not make me a grown-up.
Once again I set my sights on something else that would make me a grown-up. My next milestone was bill paying. Can’t all grown-ups be defined as bill paying people? Again, this milestone came and went and I was still not a grown-up.
After I graduated from college, I was still unsure of what I really wanted to do in life. After one year of three part time jobs I went back to school to get my masters degree. During this time I didn't really think about growing up too much. I had the tall stature, the same car with a trunk, and paid bills. I even owned a house of my very own. I got married when I was 25 and still felt like a child at times until, the 6 months after our wedding that is when I really became a grown-up.
As my husband and I sat at the funeral home with his siblings and their spouses to make funeral arrangements for his mother Ellen just 12 weeks after our wedding, I knew I was a grown-up. September 20, 2006. We were the adults in this situation. Both of my husband’s parents were ill when we started dating and when we got married. His mother, Ellen, was fighting breast cancer for the second time and his father, Steven was bed ridden with multiple sclerosis. Ellen had attended the wedding, but was very weak. I think we were so happy about our marriage that it was hard to imagine the coming days and weeks of caretaking and what the inevitable future held.
We went to Hawaii the day after the ceremony for our honeymoon. The day after we returned from our honeymoon Ryan's grandmother passed away. Eight weeks later, it was his mother. Another six weeks and Ryan had ankle reconstructive surgery from a basketball injury that put him on crutches for 10 weeks. It would be 3 weeks of calm before yet another storm, Ryan's father passed away. The first 6 months of marriage are a blur.
During these 6 months of heartache and joy I grew into adulthood. Maybe it was because we felt somewhat responsible for his younger, but grown siblings. Maybe it was because we were missing that older and wiser family link. But I think it was because I realized that no one is invincible. Our time on earth goes by quickly. Only God knows the number of days we will be on this earth. This time made me think of one of my favorite verses in the Bible. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.” Time is really not in my control. I don’t know what tomorrow holds. I just live each day.
Childhood is easy, growing up is hard, but the journey is when we grow.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Keep Up So You Don't Have To Make UP
WOW! It has been way too long.
After my last post I started my new job. Some may say that I am working for a slave driver. That isn't really the case, but it has been busy!!!!!!
I told Ryan that my new job feels like I went to training for three days to learn a new language and now I need to use it everyday to teach children. It is a different culture and teaching online is way different than teaching in a brick and mortar school. I will save you all the details, but on my first day I has 78 e-mails that needed an answer right away!!! Along with classes to teach, assignments to grade and phone calls to make, it was just a bit overwhelming.
Now things are falling into a routine and I am understanding expectations. I am learning how to juggle Elyse, our 7 month old that is crawling everywhere, being a good wife, keeping our house clean, making dinner and my job.
I am also learning that I have to stick to my schedule. Work time is work time and family time is family time and me time is me time. With my desk being in the dining room (that is another story for another time) it is easy to just sit down and work for a few minutes all evening. I am trying to be able to close my computer by 3:00 everyday. However, it is a GREAT job and I am so thankful God provided it for me so that I can stay home with Elyse.
Which, all of this rambling brings me to the whole point of this post.
My dad has a saying, "Keep up, so you don't have to make up." Over the last couple of weeks I have thought of his voice saying this MANY times. I have thought, I can't keep up. How can I keep the house clean? Work my job? Take care of Elyse? Cook dinner? Be a good wife? Find any down time? Do laundry and fold it? Be a good friend? How would I ever add another child to this craziness. (this is NOT an announcement about another baby)
The answer is, keep up so you don't have to make up. This really applies to ALL areas of our lives. (I am preaching to the choir by the way.) I may think of this line when I have gained a couple of pounds, or my relationship with Christ isn't what is should be, or my house is a mess, or my relationship with Ryan feels strained, or I go running and I am tired quickly.
There are so many things in our lives that pull us so many direction. There isn't enough time to get everything done.
God has reminded me in Ephesians 1 that I was created to bring GLORY TO HIM. That is my main job. That is my whole purpose!
11-12It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
13-14It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.
15-19That's why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn't stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I'd think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!
20-23All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.
Do you ever feel like this?
Even though these verses can't cure all of my juggling, I find comfort in these words.
And, even though I am RUNNING, I am trying to keep up so I don't have to make up.
After my last post I started my new job. Some may say that I am working for a slave driver. That isn't really the case, but it has been busy!!!!!!
I told Ryan that my new job feels like I went to training for three days to learn a new language and now I need to use it everyday to teach children. It is a different culture and teaching online is way different than teaching in a brick and mortar school. I will save you all the details, but on my first day I has 78 e-mails that needed an answer right away!!! Along with classes to teach, assignments to grade and phone calls to make, it was just a bit overwhelming.
Now things are falling into a routine and I am understanding expectations. I am learning how to juggle Elyse, our 7 month old that is crawling everywhere, being a good wife, keeping our house clean, making dinner and my job.
I am also learning that I have to stick to my schedule. Work time is work time and family time is family time and me time is me time. With my desk being in the dining room (that is another story for another time) it is easy to just sit down and work for a few minutes all evening. I am trying to be able to close my computer by 3:00 everyday. However, it is a GREAT job and I am so thankful God provided it for me so that I can stay home with Elyse.
Which, all of this rambling brings me to the whole point of this post.
My dad has a saying, "Keep up, so you don't have to make up." Over the last couple of weeks I have thought of his voice saying this MANY times. I have thought, I can't keep up. How can I keep the house clean? Work my job? Take care of Elyse? Cook dinner? Be a good wife? Find any down time? Do laundry and fold it? Be a good friend? How would I ever add another child to this craziness. (this is NOT an announcement about another baby)
The answer is, keep up so you don't have to make up. This really applies to ALL areas of our lives. (I am preaching to the choir by the way.) I may think of this line when I have gained a couple of pounds, or my relationship with Christ isn't what is should be, or my house is a mess, or my relationship with Ryan feels strained, or I go running and I am tired quickly.
There are so many things in our lives that pull us so many direction. There isn't enough time to get everything done.
God has reminded me in Ephesians 1 that I was created to bring GLORY TO HIM. That is my main job. That is my whole purpose!
11-12It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
13-14It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.
15-19That's why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn't stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I'd think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!
20-23All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.
Do you ever feel like this?
Even though these verses can't cure all of my juggling, I find comfort in these words.
And, even though I am RUNNING, I am trying to keep up so I don't have to make up.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Vacation Pictures
So, I am not sure why this has taken me so long. However, here are some of my favorite vacation pictures from our trip to New England.
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