happy birthday mama!

pretty lady, huh?
i miss her like crazy because she 1) can be goofy and makes me laugh, 2) we have fun cooking together, 3) she gives me lots of good advice, 4) it's fun to go on walks with her and the dogs, 5) she's very wise, 6) she gives a great back-rub, 7) she's my mama.

i miss you, mom! sorry we couldn't be there to celebrate you!

happy father's day

on my drive to work today i realized that i never look at the lake. i never take time on my drive to admire how beautiful my new home is.

i took laundry (towels, pillow cases, and gowns) home with me over the weekend to wash because we didn't have enough time last friday. i washed, dried, folded, and loaded it all up in the hamper and set it by the door so i wouldn't forget it. well this morning i was nervous because our boss was working at our office (and i feel like i always do something goofy when he's there and he thinks i'm not a good employee...) so i made sure to leave early. wellllll. airheaded me forgot the laundry. sitting by the door. so i had to drive back home to get it. way to impress the boss.

and finally, i doubt anyone reads my blog that doesn't know him, but if you DON'T, this is my dad, steve. (yes, i was named after him :)) at church on sunday the pastor spoke about the role of fathers. he was adamant that his role as pastor was not to be the sole source of spiritual things for a family... but that the father should be the priest of the home and teach and instruct his children. the pastor isn't the church... the CHURCH is to be the church. i feel so fortunate to have the father i have. not only was/is he loving, instructional, and affectionate, but he taught/teaches us about spiritual things. i know very few people who can go to their fathers for answers like i can. i'm blessed to have a dad that knows the scriptures and context of scriptures like he does... that is so well read, and yet also so... real. he lives it. and i respect that so much!
i love you daddy!

an oldie, but a goodie

here's another old blog i found. it makes me miss dear JBU:

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Currently Listening Gregorian Chants for All Seasons see related at communion the other day i was watching people line up in front of the cathedral to take the sacraments. and it was like i was seeing people line up to receive abundant life from God. i felt this desperation... this realization that without going to God... i am left with nothing but emptiness and death. it was like i saw the bread of life in a new way. "come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters and you who have no money, come and eat! come buy wine and milk without money and without cost. why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? listen, listen to me, and eat what is good."

Oh, how I need that abundant life. I must only run to Him.

5 years ago today...

last night, i dug up my old blog on xanga looking for a poem i had written. i never found it, but that is quite possibly because i was so humored by my old posts. i was funny back then! so i thought it would be fun to occasionally put up excerpts from my old blog to show what i was doing on this day so many years ago.

Monday, June 13, 2005

Currently Playing Pretend You're Alive By Lovedrug see related tonight i was driving to hastings to meet some friends... and i looked up and there was this huge spider... and i didn't just want to leave it in there... so i dug around in my purse for something to kill it with and all i could find was my bible. so i smacked it. and i didn't get it all the way (it wasn't smashed enough to be dead.) and it fell onto the floor by my feet. so all this is happening when i am driving and i'm swerving and hoping i can catch a red light so i can look for it. no such luck. so i'm swatting at my legs and stomping my feet the whole time... you know... just in case it was crawling around down there and poisonous. well... the poison part didn't matter. it just needed to die. i first saw the spider right before the intersection at main and arkansas... and i never found it. it was a long ride to hastings.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Currently Listening Illinois By Sufjan Stevens see related the 34 year old in my class asked me out. i was definitely 6 when he graduated high school. yuck. i also feel really bad about something. (not about saying NO to the little man.) there's a snake living somewhere in the ivy by our pool. he slithered out at me TWICE on saturday. bleck. but i didn't get the hoe to my dad fast enough to chop it's head off... so i thought a good way to get it to come out would be to put the little frog he was chasing (that escaped by jumping in our pool) back in the ivy so the snake would chase him back out. poor little buddy never made it back out. i'm cruel.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Currently Listening Details By Frou Frou, Imogen Heap, Guy Sigsworth see related so my physics professor keeps saying "you're in here to learn how to think differently." well.. i like the way i think just fine! in fact... i think i'm a pretty good problem solver and "thinker" when it comes to anything that doesn't involve numbers or equations. the world doesn't work in equations. there's never a "fix it all" answer. so shouldn't we learn to think that way instead? maybe i'm just bitter because i make a terrible physicist.

If our God is for us...

i wish i had direction.
i wish i knew where "home" was.
i wish i could pick a career. soon. and be able to finish it within a year.
i wish i were confident.
i wish i had a niche.
i wish i were closer to my family.

i'm thankful God has plans for my future.
i'm thankful to have an expanding definition of what "home" is.
i'm thankful for the chance to dream and be creative.
i'm thankful for the confidence i have in the Lord and in my husband.
i'm thankful for my uniqueness.
i'm thankful to be close to the newest additions to my family.

sometimes i get really frustrated at the stage of life i'm in. i have to remind myself of the truth. there is always something to be thankful for. if God didn't do one more thing for me for the rest of my life, i would still have enough to praise Him for. for who He is... for what He's already done.

i don't know how to be fancy and embed the video onto my page... but i heard this song on the radio this morning and LOVE it. it was very encouraging to me... i hope it is encouraging for you, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlA5IDnpGhc