Most of these I got from facebook, but I also came up with some on my own. Enjoy!
1. Get 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they aren't looking.
2. Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.
3. Make a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the rest rooms.
4. Walk up to an employee and tell him/her in an official tone,
" 'Code 3' in housewares".... and see what happens.
5. Go the Service Desk and ask to put a bag of M&M's on lay away.
6. Move a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.
7. Set up a tent in the camping department and tell other shoppers you'll invite them in if they'll bring pillows from the bedding department.
8. When a clerk asks if they can help you, begin to cry and ask,
"Why can't you people just leave me alone?"
9. Look right into the security camera; & use it as a mirror, and pick your nose.
10. While handling guns in the hunting department, ask the clerk if he knows where the anti - depressants are.
11. Dart around the store suspiciously loudly humming the "Mission Impossible" theme.
12. In the auto department, practice your "Madonna look" using different size funnels.
13. Hide in a clothing rack and when people browse through,
say "PICK ME!" "PICK ME!"
14. When an announcement comes over the loud speaker, assume the fetal position and scream..
"NO! NO! It's those voices again!!!!"
15. Go into a fitting room and shut the door and wait a while; and then yell, very loudly, "There is no toilet paper in here!
16. Get several bouncy balls and throw them down an aisle shouting "go, pikachu, go!"
17. Get dressed up in formal wear and ride trikes up and down the aisles.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Why I Love America
1. Our kids can go trick or treating and are more than likely going to be perfectly safe.
2. There is so much diversity (in the people, the scenery, the vibes of each city/town, etc) to enjoy and to help us learn and grow.
3. The Green Bay Packers!!!
4. NASCAR----Truex Jr. and Carl Edwards are super cute!!!!
5. We get to elect our leaders, and if they do a super terrible job, we as a nation can band together to "fire" them (get them thrown out of office).
6. Our military is all volunteer and each soldier, sailor, airman, frogman, ranger, etc. is a hero, and so are their families.
7. There are churches everywhere, and we are free to worship however we like. I can feel safe walking into my church and I know that while people may think what I believe is out of date, they are required to respect my choices.
8. We have a rich (though relatively short) history full of heroism and dedication to the idea of America and "the land of the free".
9. Many of our fellow citizens are friendly and care about each other.
10. I can go to the grocery store at 2am to buy a doughnut and then to McDonald's at 3am for french fries, and I can afford both luxuries.
11. Our educational system, while not perfect, has afford me so many opportunities in life and has expanded the paths that my life can take. If you put in the effort our system will turn you into an erudite adult.
And last (for now) but certainly not least...
12. If I didn't live here in America than I would not have the friends that I have, and I love each and every one of my friends!!!
2. There is so much diversity (in the people, the scenery, the vibes of each city/town, etc) to enjoy and to help us learn and grow.
3. The Green Bay Packers!!!
4. NASCAR----Truex Jr. and Carl Edwards are super cute!!!!
5. We get to elect our leaders, and if they do a super terrible job, we as a nation can band together to "fire" them (get them thrown out of office).
6. Our military is all volunteer and each soldier, sailor, airman, frogman, ranger, etc. is a hero, and so are their families.
7. There are churches everywhere, and we are free to worship however we like. I can feel safe walking into my church and I know that while people may think what I believe is out of date, they are required to respect my choices.
8. We have a rich (though relatively short) history full of heroism and dedication to the idea of America and "the land of the free".
9. Many of our fellow citizens are friendly and care about each other.
10. I can go to the grocery store at 2am to buy a doughnut and then to McDonald's at 3am for french fries, and I can afford both luxuries.
11. Our educational system, while not perfect, has afford me so many opportunities in life and has expanded the paths that my life can take. If you put in the effort our system will turn you into an erudite adult.
And last (for now) but certainly not least...
12. If I didn't live here in America than I would not have the friends that I have, and I love each and every one of my friends!!!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Who Will be Invited to the White House???
So as I do more research and pray for our nation, and pray that our nation will elect a leader that will put America first and will make decisions that are in accordance to what Scripture says. He doesn't have to tote a Bible around with him to every meeting, but he needs to live an ethical life, and surrounded by people that will give him sage advice.
So who does Obama surround himself with? Who has he been friends with in the past decade?
it (a tape given to the LA Times) quoted Obama at Khalidi's going-away party, calling Khalidi his "friend and frequent dinner companion." At the time, Obama reminisced about dinners at the home of Khalidi and his wife Mona. Why is this important? Well, Mr. Khalidi served as a spokesman for the Palestine Liberation Organization when it was a U.S.-designated terror group.
We of course also know about Bill Ayers, the unrepentant terrorist, Jeremiah Wright (the radical preacher) and many others that are not the most ethical or even pro-America people in the world.
To be "fair and balanced" I will talk about the people that McCain pals around with as well. And then it is up to you to decide which person makes the best choice in their friendships/inner circle.
First of all, he is friends with some lobbyists (but then, you can't live in DC for many years and not know some lobbyists. Show me a Congressperson who doesn't have lobbyist friends). He does associate with John Hagee (who has made some supposedly anti-Catholic statements), the Falwell family and of course Charles Ketting.
Well now you know and it is up to you to decide which candidate makes the wiser choice of an inner circle. We all know that our friends and associates do effect what we think and do, that is just part of being human. So before you go to the voting booth on Tuesday make sure you take this into account, as well as where the candidates stand on the issues. Make sure you vote for the person/team that will put America first and that you believe will make choices that will improve our country and help us to move to a more prosperous and free way of life.
-JLK/PRT-
So who does Obama surround himself with? Who has he been friends with in the past decade?
it (a tape given to the LA Times) quoted Obama at Khalidi's going-away party, calling Khalidi his "friend and frequent dinner companion." At the time, Obama reminisced about dinners at the home of Khalidi and his wife Mona. Why is this important? Well, Mr. Khalidi served as a spokesman for the Palestine Liberation Organization when it was a U.S.-designated terror group.
We of course also know about Bill Ayers, the unrepentant terrorist, Jeremiah Wright (the radical preacher) and many others that are not the most ethical or even pro-America people in the world.
To be "fair and balanced" I will talk about the people that McCain pals around with as well. And then it is up to you to decide which person makes the best choice in their friendships/inner circle.
First of all, he is friends with some lobbyists (but then, you can't live in DC for many years and not know some lobbyists. Show me a Congressperson who doesn't have lobbyist friends). He does associate with John Hagee (who has made some supposedly anti-Catholic statements), the Falwell family and of course Charles Ketting.
Well now you know and it is up to you to decide which candidate makes the wiser choice of an inner circle. We all know that our friends and associates do effect what we think and do, that is just part of being human. So before you go to the voting booth on Tuesday make sure you take this into account, as well as where the candidates stand on the issues. Make sure you vote for the person/team that will put America first and that you believe will make choices that will improve our country and help us to move to a more prosperous and free way of life.
-JLK/PRT-
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Leaving it at the Throne
I pray and I pray and I think that God is just super amazing. HE has to be, to be patient with me and my misguided ways. I give something to HIM, but then I take it back again. I can't seem to just leave my prayers at the throne. I want to have control, I want to fix things and be the one that makes them better. I know that sounds ludicrous, but that it is what I'm telling God every time I pick something back up that I left at HIS feet.
My goal this November is to be like the trees. The trees are shedding their leaves to prepare for a time of rest. I need to do that as well. I need to shed my fears, questions, worries, desires and give to God and not pick them back up. Just as I can't put leaves back on a tree, I shouldn't try to pick up my cares again. Autumn is a time of great beauty and a time for industry as we prepare for Winter and time of rest and the quiet of winter.
So my goals for November are as follows:
1. To make up my mind and stick with it
2. To gives my cares to God and leave them with HIM
In Christ,
JLK/PRT
My goal this November is to be like the trees. The trees are shedding their leaves to prepare for a time of rest. I need to do that as well. I need to shed my fears, questions, worries, desires and give to God and not pick them back up. Just as I can't put leaves back on a tree, I shouldn't try to pick up my cares again. Autumn is a time of great beauty and a time for industry as we prepare for Winter and time of rest and the quiet of winter.
So my goals for November are as follows:
1. To make up my mind and stick with it
2. To gives my cares to God and leave them with HIM
In Christ,
JLK/PRT
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
I Want to Give it to God, but...
The Bible tells us to cast all our cares upon God, because HE cares about us. Each need, each praise, each fear, doubt, worry, all the heaviness and the joy are to be given to God. God is better able to deal with it than we are. God wants to take the pain from us, and make our lives easier. God loves us tremendously. We live in a fallen world, full of pain, sorry, fear, doubt, disease and God hates that. But this is how it is, because God graciously gave us free will and this is what we choose. It does not mean that HE isn't in control, quite to the contrary. It just means that HE is allowing us to reap the consequences of our decisions. And the consequences suck.
God invites us to give all our pain to HIM, yet how often do we really do that? How often do we totally surrender our pain, fear, sorrow, etc. to HIM? Is there a part of us, the fallen part, that relishes in the pain? Do we feel like it makes us more human? Or is it maybe a lack of faith, we don't give it to HIM because we don't believe that HE will deal with it, and will take care of us?
For whatever reasons we have, we tend to hang on to our pains. I know that I am not always as good as I'd like to be at totally surrendering to God. I love God, HE means everything to me, and I can't put into mere words just how amazing I find it that HE went to the cross for me, and that HE does so much for me every moment. Yet, even though I am totally grateful, I still don't always act upon that.
In times like this, when I'm dealing with something that completely sucks and is well, s**ty, I am not the best at giving it to God. I wish could. I wish I could save myself the pain and give it up. I really do. Yet, the spirit is willing and my flesh is weak. My sin nature wants to keep it. Use it as an excuse for other things. But that is wrong.
I'm a person of action, I like to do things to make this world better. While I admit that I do cry, I find that for me it isn't that productive. Because after the tears the situation is still the same. Crying may help some people, but they don't for me. That is not how I cope. I cope by doing, by praying, by helping others, by listening to others. Sometimes I cope by denial.
Denial is not the healthiest form of coping, eventually the truth comes out, trust me! Yet, in the short term it is necessary sometimes. So is compartmentalizing, not denying that events happened, but putting them away to be dealt with at a more feasible time. This is taught by the military, for many people going into combat situations.
Right now I guess I need to pray about things, because there isn't too much I can do. I know that prayer is a BIG thing, it is talking to GOD, yet the "helper" in me, the person that needs to be there with the people I love when they are struggling, wants to do more. I cope by focusing on what needs to be done and doing that. When I'm cut off from being able to do that, I feel adrift. So I need to pray and remind myself to anchor into God. I need to remind myself to give it to God, because HE is really the only one that can do anything about this anyway, so why not anchor into the solution?
-JLK/PRT-
God invites us to give all our pain to HIM, yet how often do we really do that? How often do we totally surrender our pain, fear, sorrow, etc. to HIM? Is there a part of us, the fallen part, that relishes in the pain? Do we feel like it makes us more human? Or is it maybe a lack of faith, we don't give it to HIM because we don't believe that HE will deal with it, and will take care of us?
For whatever reasons we have, we tend to hang on to our pains. I know that I am not always as good as I'd like to be at totally surrendering to God. I love God, HE means everything to me, and I can't put into mere words just how amazing I find it that HE went to the cross for me, and that HE does so much for me every moment. Yet, even though I am totally grateful, I still don't always act upon that.
In times like this, when I'm dealing with something that completely sucks and is well, s**ty, I am not the best at giving it to God. I wish could. I wish I could save myself the pain and give it up. I really do. Yet, the spirit is willing and my flesh is weak. My sin nature wants to keep it. Use it as an excuse for other things. But that is wrong.
I'm a person of action, I like to do things to make this world better. While I admit that I do cry, I find that for me it isn't that productive. Because after the tears the situation is still the same. Crying may help some people, but they don't for me. That is not how I cope. I cope by doing, by praying, by helping others, by listening to others. Sometimes I cope by denial.
Denial is not the healthiest form of coping, eventually the truth comes out, trust me! Yet, in the short term it is necessary sometimes. So is compartmentalizing, not denying that events happened, but putting them away to be dealt with at a more feasible time. This is taught by the military, for many people going into combat situations.
Right now I guess I need to pray about things, because there isn't too much I can do. I know that prayer is a BIG thing, it is talking to GOD, yet the "helper" in me, the person that needs to be there with the people I love when they are struggling, wants to do more. I cope by focusing on what needs to be done and doing that. When I'm cut off from being able to do that, I feel adrift. So I need to pray and remind myself to anchor into God. I need to remind myself to give it to God, because HE is really the only one that can do anything about this anyway, so why not anchor into the solution?
-JLK/PRT-
Monday, October 20, 2008
Resolutions
Even when we seem to be having a great time, when all seems well we have to remember that it may just be the surface. Our lives are multi-faceted and there is always more going on than meets the eye. Everyone is like that, and we all have different boundaries and levels of boundaries.
There are some things that I have never shared with anyone, and may never share. Things about me that no one (aside from God of course) needs to know. But I also have a few select friends that know a whole heck of a lot, but each of them knows something a little bit different.
Making friends and learning to feel comfortable around new people and learning to open up to them is not always the easiest thing for everybody to do. We don't know if this person we just met is worthy of our trust. Yet, the ironic thing is that only by trusting them and sharing and seeing what they do with that can we learn if they are worthy.
I was talking to a friend this weekend while on my little jaunt South to see family and friends. As I was talking to him I realized something about myself. As a Christian I am always trying to be a better reflection of Christ, a more obedient child of God. As I realized what I did, I knew I wanted to do something about it. So I resolved to work on being less indecisive, and to be a better steward of the time God has given me by thinking through my decisions and then sticking with them, no matter how inconsequential (I'm thinking of the french fry incident) they seem.
The way I see it, why waste time waiting till New Year's to improve yourself and to become more like Christ (He probably would never say No to some hot, fresh fries)? So that is what I've done. I'm going to make my decisions quicker (though prayfully) and stick with them. I hate being indecisive it is dumb.
-JLK/PRT-
There are some things that I have never shared with anyone, and may never share. Things about me that no one (aside from God of course) needs to know. But I also have a few select friends that know a whole heck of a lot, but each of them knows something a little bit different.
Making friends and learning to feel comfortable around new people and learning to open up to them is not always the easiest thing for everybody to do. We don't know if this person we just met is worthy of our trust. Yet, the ironic thing is that only by trusting them and sharing and seeing what they do with that can we learn if they are worthy.
I was talking to a friend this weekend while on my little jaunt South to see family and friends. As I was talking to him I realized something about myself. As a Christian I am always trying to be a better reflection of Christ, a more obedient child of God. As I realized what I did, I knew I wanted to do something about it. So I resolved to work on being less indecisive, and to be a better steward of the time God has given me by thinking through my decisions and then sticking with them, no matter how inconsequential (I'm thinking of the french fry incident) they seem.
The way I see it, why waste time waiting till New Year's to improve yourself and to become more like Christ (He probably would never say No to some hot, fresh fries)? So that is what I've done. I'm going to make my decisions quicker (though prayfully) and stick with them. I hate being indecisive it is dumb.
-JLK/PRT-
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Rest
For all of us there comes a time when we just need to take a time out and rest. Our lives are hectic, busy, stressful and just plain tiring. It is important to listen to our bodies, and I'm not just talking about physical rest, but emotional rest as well. For the past few weeks I have known that I need a respite from the rigors of seminary life. Yet, I was not able to get the respite that I need, there is too much going on in life that prevented it. I had too many demands on my time.
Well, the weekend is finally here and I am excited to say that my schedule is free and I get to use it by driving down to visit some family and friends that live a few hours away. I'm looking forward to all aspects of the trip. The time alone in the car will be great. It will be 3 hours (each way) where it is just me and God. I love those times, I feel worshipful, loved and it gives me a chance to really open up my heart to my Savior. These times are precious to me. Then, while I'm in the city I will be with people that I'm comfortable with and that I really enjoy being around. It should be a time of great spiritual and emotional refreshment.
We all owe it to ourselves and to our friends and family to take these times of refreshment once in awhile. The more refreshed and alive we are spiritually and emotionally the better we will be able to go about our daily lives. We are designed to need these times of renewal. The creation account sets this out for us. The Bible tells us that God rested. God was not tired, because He is incapable as the Father to be tired (Jesus did get tired while here on earth, but that was because as God He chose to limit Himself to experience full humanness). God rested to show us humans that we need to rest.
For me this weekend I am not going to be just lazing around. I am going to be doing things, but it will be a comfortable setting with comfortable people. Rest does not have to be sitting in a hammock drinking "lemonade", but it can be. Rest is anything where you come away feeling revitalized and ready to take on each day's challenges.
So while I'm "resting" I will be praying that each of you can carve out some time (in the near future) for yourselves as well. Have a blessed weekend.
-JLK/PRT-
Well, the weekend is finally here and I am excited to say that my schedule is free and I get to use it by driving down to visit some family and friends that live a few hours away. I'm looking forward to all aspects of the trip. The time alone in the car will be great. It will be 3 hours (each way) where it is just me and God. I love those times, I feel worshipful, loved and it gives me a chance to really open up my heart to my Savior. These times are precious to me. Then, while I'm in the city I will be with people that I'm comfortable with and that I really enjoy being around. It should be a time of great spiritual and emotional refreshment.
We all owe it to ourselves and to our friends and family to take these times of refreshment once in awhile. The more refreshed and alive we are spiritually and emotionally the better we will be able to go about our daily lives. We are designed to need these times of renewal. The creation account sets this out for us. The Bible tells us that God rested. God was not tired, because He is incapable as the Father to be tired (Jesus did get tired while here on earth, but that was because as God He chose to limit Himself to experience full humanness). God rested to show us humans that we need to rest.
For me this weekend I am not going to be just lazing around. I am going to be doing things, but it will be a comfortable setting with comfortable people. Rest does not have to be sitting in a hammock drinking "lemonade", but it can be. Rest is anything where you come away feeling revitalized and ready to take on each day's challenges.
So while I'm "resting" I will be praying that each of you can carve out some time (in the near future) for yourselves as well. Have a blessed weekend.
-JLK/PRT-
Monday, October 13, 2008
Gotta Love Mondays!
So today was Monday and I have to say, I love Mondays. On Monday you get to begins the work/school week and it is a fresh start. A chance to get a lot of work done and do something that matters. Mondays are great days. I don't know why, but I just love Mondays!
I worked on 2 big papers today and I feel like I accomplished quite a bit. I love the feeling of accomplishment. Of knowing I worked hard and did something that mattered. Pride in a job well done is the best type of pride I say.
Tomorrow is my busiest day of the week with 3 classes and a bunch of other things. Even though Tuesdays are not as laid back as Mondays, I still enjoy them.
For some odd reason tonight I'm just in a great mood. I could easily get used to this!
Well, I'm off to head to the land of Nod. Have a blessed Tuesday!
-JLK/PRT-
I worked on 2 big papers today and I feel like I accomplished quite a bit. I love the feeling of accomplishment. Of knowing I worked hard and did something that mattered. Pride in a job well done is the best type of pride I say.
Tomorrow is my busiest day of the week with 3 classes and a bunch of other things. Even though Tuesdays are not as laid back as Mondays, I still enjoy them.
For some odd reason tonight I'm just in a great mood. I could easily get used to this!
Well, I'm off to head to the land of Nod. Have a blessed Tuesday!
-JLK/PRT-
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Obama's Senate Win
So I've been wondering, how did Obama get started in national politics anyway? What was his big break? Well, after doing some research, I think that I have found the answer! And the answer lies in 3 little letters S-E-X. Yep! It was sex scandal that opened the door for Obama's Senate career.
You may or may not remember, but back in the day a man by name of Jack Ryan was running for office. In 2004 Mr. Ryan was the GOP candidate for an IL senate seat. Mr. Ryan had been married to Star Trek alum Jeri Ryan. The couple divorced and court documents were leaked to the public. In those documents Mrs. Ryan alleged that Mr. Ryan had forced her to go to sex clubs and perform degrading acts in public.
Now whether or not the alleged acts actually took place, I'm not sure. But once the documents were released, Mr. Ryan was forced to drop out of the race. At that late date no viable candidate could be found. Thus, the Democratic candidate won (sort of by default). That candidate was none other than Mr. B. Obama!
So there you have it. That is how Obama won his 2004 Senate seat, and that was really the beginning of what we now see playing out on the national stage.
Remember to Rock the Vote on election day! Oh and have a happy Columbus Day tomorrow!
-JLK/PRT-
You may or may not remember, but back in the day a man by name of Jack Ryan was running for office. In 2004 Mr. Ryan was the GOP candidate for an IL senate seat. Mr. Ryan had been married to Star Trek alum Jeri Ryan. The couple divorced and court documents were leaked to the public. In those documents Mrs. Ryan alleged that Mr. Ryan had forced her to go to sex clubs and perform degrading acts in public.
Now whether or not the alleged acts actually took place, I'm not sure. But once the documents were released, Mr. Ryan was forced to drop out of the race. At that late date no viable candidate could be found. Thus, the Democratic candidate won (sort of by default). That candidate was none other than Mr. B. Obama!
So there you have it. That is how Obama won his 2004 Senate seat, and that was really the beginning of what we now see playing out on the national stage.
Remember to Rock the Vote on election day! Oh and have a happy Columbus Day tomorrow!
-JLK/PRT-
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Craziness!
So I was online and I saw an article on my homepage, so I clicked on it. It gave 101 tips on "the perfect wedding proposal". 101 tips, I mean I know guys need help, but that much!?! How hard is it to come up with the perfect proposal anyway??? If ya love her it shouldn't be that hard!
Ok, so I know that when it comes to popping the question a guy is under a significant amount of stress. He hopes that we will say "yes" (though it has been my experience that the girl is ready to say yes awhile before the question is asked). Plus he does have to try to live up to the dream proposal that we have in our minds. And yes, even if we don't like to admit it, most girls do dream about the perfect, most romantic proposal and we hope to have a good, romantic proposal story to tell our grand kids someday. So I do admit that there is some merit to a guy maybe wanting some help.
So for all you guys out there here are my guidlines, and I'm keeping it simple for ya!
1. Be creative- put some effort into it. While the spontaneous proposal can be fun, the thoughtful proposal is generally your best bet. We like to know you spent time thinking about us.
2. Be yourself- while we love the creativity of writing it out in 10 foot letters on the sand, go with your strengths and do something that reflects on your personality and our personality as a couple. We love ya for a reason, play it up!
3. Talk to her friends- her girlfriends and sister (if she has one) will best know what she thinks is the most romantic proposal. Use them to give you ideas.
See I can nail it down in 3 tips! I don't need 101. There are as many ways to propose as there are words in the language. Personally I want my future husband to propose with a jewelery box containing either an emerald or sapphire ring. Diamonds are nice, but I like color, the blue sapphire and green emerald are great (I already have a ruby ring, love it)! Or an Australian opal. I just don't want a diamond ring. Obviously if that is what I get, than I'll love it. But maybe I'll save this blog post for future use!!!
Anyway, I think it is just craziness how many websites are devoted to the marriage proposal. It is sappy, and sappy can be good I guess. For me it isn't how the proposal takes place, but who is proposing!
Have a great Sunday morning!
-JLK/PRT-
Ok, so I know that when it comes to popping the question a guy is under a significant amount of stress. He hopes that we will say "yes" (though it has been my experience that the girl is ready to say yes awhile before the question is asked). Plus he does have to try to live up to the dream proposal that we have in our minds. And yes, even if we don't like to admit it, most girls do dream about the perfect, most romantic proposal and we hope to have a good, romantic proposal story to tell our grand kids someday. So I do admit that there is some merit to a guy maybe wanting some help.
So for all you guys out there here are my guidlines, and I'm keeping it simple for ya!
1. Be creative- put some effort into it. While the spontaneous proposal can be fun, the thoughtful proposal is generally your best bet. We like to know you spent time thinking about us.
2. Be yourself- while we love the creativity of writing it out in 10 foot letters on the sand, go with your strengths and do something that reflects on your personality and our personality as a couple. We love ya for a reason, play it up!
3. Talk to her friends- her girlfriends and sister (if she has one) will best know what she thinks is the most romantic proposal. Use them to give you ideas.
See I can nail it down in 3 tips! I don't need 101. There are as many ways to propose as there are words in the language. Personally I want my future husband to propose with a jewelery box containing either an emerald or sapphire ring. Diamonds are nice, but I like color, the blue sapphire and green emerald are great (I already have a ruby ring, love it)! Or an Australian opal. I just don't want a diamond ring. Obviously if that is what I get, than I'll love it. But maybe I'll save this blog post for future use!!!
Anyway, I think it is just craziness how many websites are devoted to the marriage proposal. It is sappy, and sappy can be good I guess. For me it isn't how the proposal takes place, but who is proposing!
Have a great Sunday morning!
-JLK/PRT-
Arlington National Cemetary
One of my favorite places in Washington DC is not the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, or Chipotle in Georgetown. It is Arlington National Cemetary. No I'm not a ghoul, but to walk among the headstones, to read the names and to just think about what each one represents.
Each headstone is not just a name but a person. A soldier who put country first and self last. A man or woman that was willing to "give the last full measure of devotion" so that each of us could live in almost unrestrained freedom.
For most of us that were born in the USA and that have lived here all our lives it is hard to imagine what life is like else where. Yeah we read the articles, books and watch the news. We may even study life in other places, and we can empathize. But we have been so blessed that we don't really grasp just how much of a blessing this country is for her citizens.
Even now as we face the falling stock market, higher costs of doing just about everything, and the election of a president that many find to be scary. We are still a blessed nation. We blessed in so many ways, but one of those big ways is our military.
We have an all voluntary military. Each person in the military is there by choice. They were not conscripted, they were not taken out of their beds by gun point and forced into service. They are not there because the government threatened to harm their family or friends. They are there because they want to be there. That in itself is amazing to me.
Civilians will say that there are advantages and incentives to being in the military. Job security is one of them. In today's culture there is a need for military persons, so those that perform to standard and follow the rules have job security. They also get "free" healthcare, some could say. They get a housing allowance, and they get to travel on tax payer dollars.
But let us take a look at those incentives for a minute. Job security- yes they are needed, but they are training and learning, and then doing a job that in MANY cases is kill or be killed. These people face their own mortality day in and day out, even in training. You don't have to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan to risk being killed in the military. Now training fatalities are not all that common, but it happens. Devastating injuries also happen, that ruin job security.
Free healthcare, not so much! Yes it is true that if you use base/post medical facilities you will not get a bill, but they still pay taxes, and look at all that these families give up that is non monetary. These families spend many months apart, they frequently move and have to start making friends all over, not knowing how long the current orders will last. They live be a set of rules that may seem fussy, antiquated and strange to civilians (like while in uniform you can only use a black umbrella). So while, they do not pay in $$$ for healthcare, they end of paying a higher price than we civilians do.
Housing allowances is the least the military could do, since these people move around so much! Besides a soldier does his/her job better and can better focus (and stay alive and well) if he/she isn't worried about how to pay the rent. I'm all for helping out with housing if it allows for a little less stress, and a better focused military!
Last but not least the travel! These people are not exactly on vacation. When in a foreign destination our soldiers are spending an inordinate amount of time working and doing a job that the majority of us really don't want to do. So when they get a free weekend to relax and blow of steam and enjoy the culture of where they are I'm all for it. Morale is a huge part of the sucess of the unit.
But back to Arlington. As I walk along the rows and think about the men and the women there, and their families I'm reminded of just how precious America is and how much our soldiers sacrifice for us each and every day. They give up their freedoms, their pleasure time, so that I can have mine in abundance. Each headstone represents someone who loved this country so much, someone who understood honor and duty.
Arlington evokes more emotion in me than any other site in DC. And to go to the Tomb of the Unknowns is a tear jerker for me. I get all choked up. I think about the men that are still missing, the men that are unidentified and I am thank them for their service, and hope that someday we will know who they are, so we can properly thank their families. Our soldiers couldn't do what they do if they didn't have the support of friends and family to fall back on. To know that someone cares.
Even thinking about it makes me smile, because I know that I am in a country that is so blessed. It is the best country to be able to call home. May God continue to bless America, and may America return to worshiping the true God!
-JLK/PRT-
Each headstone is not just a name but a person. A soldier who put country first and self last. A man or woman that was willing to "give the last full measure of devotion" so that each of us could live in almost unrestrained freedom.
For most of us that were born in the USA and that have lived here all our lives it is hard to imagine what life is like else where. Yeah we read the articles, books and watch the news. We may even study life in other places, and we can empathize. But we have been so blessed that we don't really grasp just how much of a blessing this country is for her citizens.
Even now as we face the falling stock market, higher costs of doing just about everything, and the election of a president that many find to be scary. We are still a blessed nation. We blessed in so many ways, but one of those big ways is our military.
We have an all voluntary military. Each person in the military is there by choice. They were not conscripted, they were not taken out of their beds by gun point and forced into service. They are not there because the government threatened to harm their family or friends. They are there because they want to be there. That in itself is amazing to me.
Civilians will say that there are advantages and incentives to being in the military. Job security is one of them. In today's culture there is a need for military persons, so those that perform to standard and follow the rules have job security. They also get "free" healthcare, some could say. They get a housing allowance, and they get to travel on tax payer dollars.
But let us take a look at those incentives for a minute. Job security- yes they are needed, but they are training and learning, and then doing a job that in MANY cases is kill or be killed. These people face their own mortality day in and day out, even in training. You don't have to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan to risk being killed in the military. Now training fatalities are not all that common, but it happens. Devastating injuries also happen, that ruin job security.
Free healthcare, not so much! Yes it is true that if you use base/post medical facilities you will not get a bill, but they still pay taxes, and look at all that these families give up that is non monetary. These families spend many months apart, they frequently move and have to start making friends all over, not knowing how long the current orders will last. They live be a set of rules that may seem fussy, antiquated and strange to civilians (like while in uniform you can only use a black umbrella). So while, they do not pay in $$$ for healthcare, they end of paying a higher price than we civilians do.
Housing allowances is the least the military could do, since these people move around so much! Besides a soldier does his/her job better and can better focus (and stay alive and well) if he/she isn't worried about how to pay the rent. I'm all for helping out with housing if it allows for a little less stress, and a better focused military!
Last but not least the travel! These people are not exactly on vacation. When in a foreign destination our soldiers are spending an inordinate amount of time working and doing a job that the majority of us really don't want to do. So when they get a free weekend to relax and blow of steam and enjoy the culture of where they are I'm all for it. Morale is a huge part of the sucess of the unit.
But back to Arlington. As I walk along the rows and think about the men and the women there, and their families I'm reminded of just how precious America is and how much our soldiers sacrifice for us each and every day. They give up their freedoms, their pleasure time, so that I can have mine in abundance. Each headstone represents someone who loved this country so much, someone who understood honor and duty.
Arlington evokes more emotion in me than any other site in DC. And to go to the Tomb of the Unknowns is a tear jerker for me. I get all choked up. I think about the men that are still missing, the men that are unidentified and I am thank them for their service, and hope that someday we will know who they are, so we can properly thank their families. Our soldiers couldn't do what they do if they didn't have the support of friends and family to fall back on. To know that someone cares.
Even thinking about it makes me smile, because I know that I am in a country that is so blessed. It is the best country to be able to call home. May God continue to bless America, and may America return to worshiping the true God!
-JLK/PRT-
Life Goes On for the Living
As I sat in my den yesterday and pondered my many thoughts (and they were ponderous) I have come to a realization that for those of us that are living life always goes on. No matter what happens, we continue to survive. Life may not seem easy, or it may not be fun, but we are still here.
Why God calls some people home when He does is not for us to fully understand. But for whatever reason it was their time to go, and not ours. I wonder about this a lot as I am working on my book and hoping (and praying) that it will be published some day in the not so distant future.
Dealing with the issues that I am dealing with in the book, and looking at the events from the wisdom and safety of years past I can see God working and orchestrating events, but I remember at the time, and even now, I wonder what God's greater plan is. Why did I survive when so many others, including people I love, don't?
In my adult life I have had a few close shaves with mortality. There have been legitimate times when I maybe should not have survived, but here I am. What am I to do with this knowledge? I was raped by 2 men that I could (and still have their faces burned in my memory) easily identify, had I gone to the police. These 2 men had a gun (now 1 would assume that it was loaded, but being as I wasn't allowed the freedom to check I can't say for sure, but the probability is high that it was loaded. I for one don't carry a gun around unloaded) with them, yet they didn't use it.
Then just this Autumn (actually late Summer to be accurate, but whatever, school starts and that means Autumn to me) I was attacked by a guy that turns out to be wanted in another state for an egregious crime. This guy was bigger than I am, armed and had what most would assume was the advantage. Yet I survived, in fact I kicked his a**!
I may not be a body builder, or even as athletic as many women I know, but I have learned one thing in this life and that is how to take care of myself. My biggest weapon is prayer. If God is on my side, fighting for me, than really who stands a chance against me?
These are not the only times I've faced my mortality, but they are 2 dramatic ones. We could talk about sliding across the ice on a snowy day driving back to college after Christmas break. Or we could talk about friends dying in war, or of suicide, or being raped and murdered. But, even without those, the question remains for me: what does God want from my life, that He has kept me here? Not that I'm complaining, I'm glad that I'm still here!
I just want to make the most of it, and I'm thinking that the easiest way for me to do that is to see God's handwriting on my bedroom wall! Those were the days, I tell ya! I know that God expects and deserves my obedience, love, worship, etc. But what else? Why am I here? why ME? What does God have planned for MY life that He doesn't have planned for anyone else?
As I think about all this, and how to make the most of my life I also think about things that I want out of life. I want 1 thing really- a family of my own. A husband and few kids (a dog and cat would be nice too, but I'm not going to get greedy). Someone to share my life's passions with. Isn't that what we all want? Even as a Christian, who KNOWS that God is right here next me at all times. I still want another human to go through life with. It is how we are designed. The first part of the Bible clearly spells it out- 'it is not good for man to be alone."
But, even as I ponder life, and continue to live each day for itself and try to become more intimate with my Creator I wonder how I can better live my life so it isn't just "going on" but that is full of joy, and worship, where I can be a blessing to those around me.
I think that what I went through to get to where I am today, having friends that are military, and just being a keen observer of life, I realize how precious this life is, and how important it is to do the important things, the things that make a difference and touch eternity. What are you doing to touch eternity?
-JLK/PRT-
Why God calls some people home when He does is not for us to fully understand. But for whatever reason it was their time to go, and not ours. I wonder about this a lot as I am working on my book and hoping (and praying) that it will be published some day in the not so distant future.
Dealing with the issues that I am dealing with in the book, and looking at the events from the wisdom and safety of years past I can see God working and orchestrating events, but I remember at the time, and even now, I wonder what God's greater plan is. Why did I survive when so many others, including people I love, don't?
In my adult life I have had a few close shaves with mortality. There have been legitimate times when I maybe should not have survived, but here I am. What am I to do with this knowledge? I was raped by 2 men that I could (and still have their faces burned in my memory) easily identify, had I gone to the police. These 2 men had a gun (now 1 would assume that it was loaded, but being as I wasn't allowed the freedom to check I can't say for sure, but the probability is high that it was loaded. I for one don't carry a gun around unloaded) with them, yet they didn't use it.
Then just this Autumn (actually late Summer to be accurate, but whatever, school starts and that means Autumn to me) I was attacked by a guy that turns out to be wanted in another state for an egregious crime. This guy was bigger than I am, armed and had what most would assume was the advantage. Yet I survived, in fact I kicked his a**!
I may not be a body builder, or even as athletic as many women I know, but I have learned one thing in this life and that is how to take care of myself. My biggest weapon is prayer. If God is on my side, fighting for me, than really who stands a chance against me?
These are not the only times I've faced my mortality, but they are 2 dramatic ones. We could talk about sliding across the ice on a snowy day driving back to college after Christmas break. Or we could talk about friends dying in war, or of suicide, or being raped and murdered. But, even without those, the question remains for me: what does God want from my life, that He has kept me here? Not that I'm complaining, I'm glad that I'm still here!
I just want to make the most of it, and I'm thinking that the easiest way for me to do that is to see God's handwriting on my bedroom wall! Those were the days, I tell ya! I know that God expects and deserves my obedience, love, worship, etc. But what else? Why am I here? why ME? What does God have planned for MY life that He doesn't have planned for anyone else?
As I think about all this, and how to make the most of my life I also think about things that I want out of life. I want 1 thing really- a family of my own. A husband and few kids (a dog and cat would be nice too, but I'm not going to get greedy). Someone to share my life's passions with. Isn't that what we all want? Even as a Christian, who KNOWS that God is right here next me at all times. I still want another human to go through life with. It is how we are designed. The first part of the Bible clearly spells it out- 'it is not good for man to be alone."
But, even as I ponder life, and continue to live each day for itself and try to become more intimate with my Creator I wonder how I can better live my life so it isn't just "going on" but that is full of joy, and worship, where I can be a blessing to those around me.
I think that what I went through to get to where I am today, having friends that are military, and just being a keen observer of life, I realize how precious this life is, and how important it is to do the important things, the things that make a difference and touch eternity. What are you doing to touch eternity?
-JLK/PRT-
Thursday, October 9, 2008
1 Year Later
October 10, 2007 is a day that I'll never forget. It was the day that I received one of the worst, probably the worst phone call of my life (thus far, I hope to get none worse). It was a call that changed me in many ways. It was a call that reminded me just how precious and fleeting life is. It was a call that said "my sis was murdered."(the girl's bro, in reference to my bf) Yep, 1 year ago I learned that one of my best friends was raped and murdered leaving class one night.
How do you deal with that? How do you really cope and comprehend the immensity and gravity of the situation. If you are a military spouse you prepare for the knock on the door, you prepare yourself for the words that you never, ever want to hear. How does one deal with knowing that one of the people they love most in the world is dead?
Death is so final. None of us can really prepare for it, yet we will all experience it at one point. Death is the ultimate experience. As a Christian I know that when I die I'm going to Heaven to spend eternity with my Lord, and I'm excited. Yet, I'm not in a hurry to get there. There is so much left I want to experience.
There was so much that my friend wanted to experience too, and some bastard ruined it for her. I know that is up in Heaven right now, and for that I'm eternally excited, but there are lots of us down here that really miss her. There are lots of us that hate the way she exited this world: alone, scared, humiliated, degraded, in pain, and in darkness. Yet, for as alone as she was, she wasn't really.
Yes it is true, that there were no other people around after the rapist/murderer left and she bled out. But her Savior was there, right beside her, holding her and getting ready to welcome her home. For this world is not our home. It is temporary, our true home is in Heaven with the Lord. Everyone is invited, but only a few RSVP in the affirmative. Do you have a spot in Heaven?
So much has happened since October 10, 2007. There have been so many times that I've wanted to call her and share news, cry with her, or just chat. Boyfriends have come gone, illnesses have come and gone, midterms, finals, papers and more papers. 365 days of life have happened, but not for her.
I'm not a person that wonders why all that much. I do wonder how to use events for God's glory, and to be a blessing to my friends and family. But, I'd like to talk to the rapist/murder and ask him why. I'd like to know, why he thought he had to rape her. Why did he pick her campus, and her. WHY?
I do miss her, and as selfish as this sounds, I want my friend back here, not up in Heaven. I want to be able to get advice, and laugh about our lives, the trivial things that blow out of proportion. I want the friendship that I've lost. But, I've made it 365 days, I can I make it some more. As selfish as I am to want her back, I also know that if she had her choice, she wouldn't have died the way she did. Even though my whys can't be answered I know that her death is not in vain. So much good has already come out of it, and she would agree.
Her little brother found her Bible, and as he read it to feel closer to his sister and try to understand the "religious" aspect of her life, he came to know Christ as his Savior. After that, his older bro came to know Christ. The parents are not yet Christian, but they are going to Church more often and more open to talking about it, so it is my prayer that soon they will come to know Christ.
My friend would say that her death, even as horrid as it was, was worth it because now her brothers are going to spend eternity with us! Praise God. Every time I miss her, I think of the glorious changes that have taken place in family and I know that everything will turn it. God is in control, God loves us and wants the best for us. Bad things happen, but there will come a day (and it isn't that far away) when evil is eradicated and lives only in Hell, and life in Heaven, the new Jerusalem and the new Earth will so filled with joy that we won't think about these times, and that period will last for the rest of eternity!
So 1 year later I still miss her and want to hug her, but I know that God is working everything out and that for now we are parted, but sooner than I realize I'll be there with her. I plan to enjoy however many days God gives me and make the most of them. Cuz, if she taught me anything it was that a smile goes a long way even if it is forced. The longer you force yourself to smile, the easier and more natural it becomes, and the more you feel like smiling!
So as a tribute to my dear, departed friend, here is a smile and a toast to you! I love ya.
-JLK/PRT-
How do you deal with that? How do you really cope and comprehend the immensity and gravity of the situation. If you are a military spouse you prepare for the knock on the door, you prepare yourself for the words that you never, ever want to hear. How does one deal with knowing that one of the people they love most in the world is dead?
Death is so final. None of us can really prepare for it, yet we will all experience it at one point. Death is the ultimate experience. As a Christian I know that when I die I'm going to Heaven to spend eternity with my Lord, and I'm excited. Yet, I'm not in a hurry to get there. There is so much left I want to experience.
There was so much that my friend wanted to experience too, and some bastard ruined it for her. I know that is up in Heaven right now, and for that I'm eternally excited, but there are lots of us down here that really miss her. There are lots of us that hate the way she exited this world: alone, scared, humiliated, degraded, in pain, and in darkness. Yet, for as alone as she was, she wasn't really.
Yes it is true, that there were no other people around after the rapist/murderer left and she bled out. But her Savior was there, right beside her, holding her and getting ready to welcome her home. For this world is not our home. It is temporary, our true home is in Heaven with the Lord. Everyone is invited, but only a few RSVP in the affirmative. Do you have a spot in Heaven?
So much has happened since October 10, 2007. There have been so many times that I've wanted to call her and share news, cry with her, or just chat. Boyfriends have come gone, illnesses have come and gone, midterms, finals, papers and more papers. 365 days of life have happened, but not for her.
I'm not a person that wonders why all that much. I do wonder how to use events for God's glory, and to be a blessing to my friends and family. But, I'd like to talk to the rapist/murder and ask him why. I'd like to know, why he thought he had to rape her. Why did he pick her campus, and her. WHY?
I do miss her, and as selfish as this sounds, I want my friend back here, not up in Heaven. I want to be able to get advice, and laugh about our lives, the trivial things that blow out of proportion. I want the friendship that I've lost. But, I've made it 365 days, I can I make it some more. As selfish as I am to want her back, I also know that if she had her choice, she wouldn't have died the way she did. Even though my whys can't be answered I know that her death is not in vain. So much good has already come out of it, and she would agree.
Her little brother found her Bible, and as he read it to feel closer to his sister and try to understand the "religious" aspect of her life, he came to know Christ as his Savior. After that, his older bro came to know Christ. The parents are not yet Christian, but they are going to Church more often and more open to talking about it, so it is my prayer that soon they will come to know Christ.
My friend would say that her death, even as horrid as it was, was worth it because now her brothers are going to spend eternity with us! Praise God. Every time I miss her, I think of the glorious changes that have taken place in family and I know that everything will turn it. God is in control, God loves us and wants the best for us. Bad things happen, but there will come a day (and it isn't that far away) when evil is eradicated and lives only in Hell, and life in Heaven, the new Jerusalem and the new Earth will so filled with joy that we won't think about these times, and that period will last for the rest of eternity!
So 1 year later I still miss her and want to hug her, but I know that God is working everything out and that for now we are parted, but sooner than I realize I'll be there with her. I plan to enjoy however many days God gives me and make the most of them. Cuz, if she taught me anything it was that a smile goes a long way even if it is forced. The longer you force yourself to smile, the easier and more natural it becomes, and the more you feel like smiling!
So as a tribute to my dear, departed friend, here is a smile and a toast to you! I love ya.
-JLK/PRT-
Autumn
I like the word Autumn better than I do Fall. Autumn just has a better connotation for me. It brings to mind colored trees, and jumping in piles of leaves. Cool, crisp air and apples frying on the stove. Autumn brings to mind families gathering, and football on the television. Autumn is a time of togetherness and bonding. I know, I'm old-fashioned. But in this age, where I connect to many friends through text messages and Facebook, it is nice to picture old fashioned get-togethers.
I love Autumn, is one of my 4 favorite seasons! The more I grow and think about life, the more I'm able to realize that each season is wonderful for different things. For me Autumn is about family, sports and good food. It is about good times.
Autumn is also about days spent in my library as I write papers and study for exams. I am 25 years old and for the majority of those 2.5 decades I have been a student. I don't remember a time when Autumn didn't include homework. Because even when I was at NSI, I had homework. In fact I had more homework as a teacher than I ever did as I student, and I'm including my time in seminary!
I wouldn't mind having a job that was "9 to 5". That I could go to, work hard and then come home and not have to think about it. I don't even mind if the hours are wacky, if I don't have to always be bringing it home with me!
But for now, I'm going to enjoy this lovely Autumn weekend that is upon me, by sitting outside working on homework! But, I get to sit outside in cooler air and enjoy the lovely colors. Life is pretty blessed right now. How I can a person feel glum when the trees are at their most brilliant!?! God is at work right now, painting a lovely picture and I get to enjoy it!!! GO GOD- YOU ROCK!!!
I love Autumn, is one of my 4 favorite seasons! The more I grow and think about life, the more I'm able to realize that each season is wonderful for different things. For me Autumn is about family, sports and good food. It is about good times.
Autumn is also about days spent in my library as I write papers and study for exams. I am 25 years old and for the majority of those 2.5 decades I have been a student. I don't remember a time when Autumn didn't include homework. Because even when I was at NSI, I had homework. In fact I had more homework as a teacher than I ever did as I student, and I'm including my time in seminary!
I wouldn't mind having a job that was "9 to 5". That I could go to, work hard and then come home and not have to think about it. I don't even mind if the hours are wacky, if I don't have to always be bringing it home with me!
But for now, I'm going to enjoy this lovely Autumn weekend that is upon me, by sitting outside working on homework! But, I get to sit outside in cooler air and enjoy the lovely colors. Life is pretty blessed right now. How I can a person feel glum when the trees are at their most brilliant!?! God is at work right now, painting a lovely picture and I get to enjoy it!!! GO GOD- YOU ROCK!!!
Monday, October 6, 2008
All Grad Students are C.R.A.Z.Y!
Yep, there I said it! All grad students are crazy! To be a graduate student you need to have an undergraduate degree. With that undergraduate degree, the result of: approximately 4 years (8 semesters) of writing papers, taking tests, and spending an inordinate amount of time in the research library, you can go out into the big, wide world and get a pretty decent job. That is the point of college after all, to secure a better job!
So then, why are there so many of us doing this all over again!?! Do we REALLY need these degrees to make the amount of money we want? Do we need that much money? Is there a better way to be spending our time, than to be BACK in school? For most of us, we had 13 years of required schooling, then 4 years in college (the 1st time). That is 17 years!!! Do we really need to make it 2 full decades (20 years)!?!
I do not think you realize just how many tests, papers, and heart-attack inducing moments these 20 years represent! Going to school is no easy task, even if you love being a student. Chances are you will have to take classes that you don't love, and then where is the motivation? Or you will have an unfair professor, or life will interfere. School does not exist in a bubble.
Most graduate students, be they in law school, seminary, or some other program are not just students. We are: wives/husbands, parents, friends, co-workers. Being a student is just one of the hats that we are wearing at the moment. It is a heavy hat, but it is just one. So when we get sick, take care of us. When we get crabby, don't get crabby back (unless that is what we want), be helpful. We may be here for all the right reasons, it is probably in God's plan for us to be here, but that doesn't make it any easier.
Midterms and the last 3 weeks of each semester are the worst. 2 months each year that we dread. We each have to remember: This too shall pass... I just hope I do!
So then, why are there so many of us doing this all over again!?! Do we REALLY need these degrees to make the amount of money we want? Do we need that much money? Is there a better way to be spending our time, than to be BACK in school? For most of us, we had 13 years of required schooling, then 4 years in college (the 1st time). That is 17 years!!! Do we really need to make it 2 full decades (20 years)!?!
I do not think you realize just how many tests, papers, and heart-attack inducing moments these 20 years represent! Going to school is no easy task, even if you love being a student. Chances are you will have to take classes that you don't love, and then where is the motivation? Or you will have an unfair professor, or life will interfere. School does not exist in a bubble.
Most graduate students, be they in law school, seminary, or some other program are not just students. We are: wives/husbands, parents, friends, co-workers. Being a student is just one of the hats that we are wearing at the moment. It is a heavy hat, but it is just one. So when we get sick, take care of us. When we get crabby, don't get crabby back (unless that is what we want), be helpful. We may be here for all the right reasons, it is probably in God's plan for us to be here, but that doesn't make it any easier.
Midterms and the last 3 weeks of each semester are the worst. 2 months each year that we dread. We each have to remember: This too shall pass... I just hope I do!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
About the Video
Hey there! About the Craig Ferguson video. He is the host of the Late, Late show, and he is an Scottish man (great accent! super sexy, but that is beside the point) who is a new American citizen and this will be the first election he votes in.
Anyway, language aside I agree with the heart of this message. The clip is about 9 minutes long, but it worth watching!
Remember to go out on November 4 and ROCK THE VOTE!!!!
-JLK/PRT-
Anyway, language aside I agree with the heart of this message. The clip is about 9 minutes long, but it worth watching!
Remember to go out on November 4 and ROCK THE VOTE!!!!
-JLK/PRT-
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Yep...still having Issues...
Well the good news is, I finished my first book review, and it is pretty good. I'm never totally happy with my work, but I think it will earn an A. It will have to due, because it is finished, and I am determined not going to get all OCD over it. It is well written, follows the guidelines set out in the syllabus and my commas are all in the right places (my high school English teacher can attest that I sometimes get comma happy and OD on commas! My theory of "when in doubt put a comma is not always the best!).
So I thought I would post again (I think I'm addicted to posting this weekend, but I've yet to find a self-help group for bloggers. There is no BA (blogging anonymous) yet in my town. I started this blog with something important on my mind, but I can't for the life think of what it is! Humbug! It was really insightful too! ARGH!!! You want me to think of it, because it will blow your socks off! Hmm... well, I'm going to sit down and type my 2nd book review and maybe it will come to me!
*************************************************************************************
Book review #2 is finished!!! AMEN!!! I feel much better. I have that out of the way. The easiest two papers are finished and I think they are pretty good. And I remember what I wanted to talk about! Even better!
In the wee hours of the morning (about 2am on the East Coast this morning) OJ Simpson was convicted on all counts regarding the events in Las Vegas. This conviction came exactly 13 years (to the day) that he was acquited of murder in CA. This has been an interesting 13 years. Looking at OJ's face when he heard the jury was interesting. The man could not believe that he was convicted. I could see the hints of evil in his eyes. It was like "how dare they!". This is a man that all but 12 people know killed two people. He is not the innocent football player that set records years ago.
It amazes me how people can do such horrid things, and yet many humans think we are born "inherently good". Daily life shows just wrong that belief is. Yet, looking into the face of a newborn babe makes you wonder, how can something that precious grow up to do such evil acts?
It makes me yearn to have a conversation with God, and to see how different life would be if there was no sin. I bet it would (WILL! because there is a new time coming, when will shed these sinful natures and reign with Christ in perfection) be amazing wonderful! To be able to live the way God designed us to live. I can't wait!
Yet, even in this fallen, sin filled world there is true joy to be found. With all the bad things that humans do, we also do so much good as well. I think of our soldiers that are over fighting in a way that isn't popular, yet up they get each morning to protect and serve the people that tell them what they are doing is unnecessary. They are risking their very lives for people that don't seem to care. To love and serve apathetic people is an illustration of loyalty and dedication that amazes me.
It isn't just the soldiers fighting the war, because all active duty soldiers serve us. Many times I hear people ask military persons "Are you ready for this war to be over, so you can be home?" I wonder how these soldiers don't laugh at the ignorance of civilians. Did you know that for many active duty soldiers, they only spend about 7 months out of the year at home, if that. And that is when they are NOT in a war zone. Deployment is the name of the game in active duty military life (and becoming more so for the reservists as well).
So when you see someone in a uniform, thank them. They have signed up to a life that keeps them away from family and friends a majority of the time. They do this willingly, but it is still nice to be a appreciated and to know that you are supported. When you see a military family member, thank them. They may be not fighting and training, but they are sacrificing time with the people they love. A military spouse/parent/children willingly lets their loved do what is needed, so that you have the freedom to have dinner, weekends and time with those you love and that the time is spent in safety. The politics of the war and current events should not get in the way of how much we support our military. These soldiers do their job no matter who is in charge. If they can seperate politics, so should we.
But it is not just our military that shows just how awesome we can be as people. It is the young man that holds the door open for others, it is the driver that lets other of him/her during rush hour, it is the widow that shares what little she has to eat with the local food bank, it is the person that finds a wallet full of cash and turns it in to the police.
With as much bad news as we see each day, there are also many good things too. But more and more we are becoming conditioned to notice the bad. I think that it is time that we focus more on the good things that people do every day. The bad and the evil needs to be punished, but the good also needs to be praised.
I encourage you to take a day and only note the good things that happen around. Focus on the blessings you have a been given. It will amaze you how your outlook can change when you choose to focus on the good things in life!
In Christ,
JLK/PRT
So I thought I would post again (I think I'm addicted to posting this weekend, but I've yet to find a self-help group for bloggers. There is no BA (blogging anonymous) yet in my town. I started this blog with something important on my mind, but I can't for the life think of what it is! Humbug! It was really insightful too! ARGH!!! You want me to think of it, because it will blow your socks off! Hmm... well, I'm going to sit down and type my 2nd book review and maybe it will come to me!
*************************************************************************************
Book review #2 is finished!!! AMEN!!! I feel much better. I have that out of the way. The easiest two papers are finished and I think they are pretty good. And I remember what I wanted to talk about! Even better!
In the wee hours of the morning (about 2am on the East Coast this morning) OJ Simpson was convicted on all counts regarding the events in Las Vegas. This conviction came exactly 13 years (to the day) that he was acquited of murder in CA. This has been an interesting 13 years. Looking at OJ's face when he heard the jury was interesting. The man could not believe that he was convicted. I could see the hints of evil in his eyes. It was like "how dare they!". This is a man that all but 12 people know killed two people. He is not the innocent football player that set records years ago.
It amazes me how people can do such horrid things, and yet many humans think we are born "inherently good". Daily life shows just wrong that belief is. Yet, looking into the face of a newborn babe makes you wonder, how can something that precious grow up to do such evil acts?
It makes me yearn to have a conversation with God, and to see how different life would be if there was no sin. I bet it would (WILL! because there is a new time coming, when will shed these sinful natures and reign with Christ in perfection) be amazing wonderful! To be able to live the way God designed us to live. I can't wait!
Yet, even in this fallen, sin filled world there is true joy to be found. With all the bad things that humans do, we also do so much good as well. I think of our soldiers that are over fighting in a way that isn't popular, yet up they get each morning to protect and serve the people that tell them what they are doing is unnecessary. They are risking their very lives for people that don't seem to care. To love and serve apathetic people is an illustration of loyalty and dedication that amazes me.
It isn't just the soldiers fighting the war, because all active duty soldiers serve us. Many times I hear people ask military persons "Are you ready for this war to be over, so you can be home?" I wonder how these soldiers don't laugh at the ignorance of civilians. Did you know that for many active duty soldiers, they only spend about 7 months out of the year at home, if that. And that is when they are NOT in a war zone. Deployment is the name of the game in active duty military life (and becoming more so for the reservists as well).
So when you see someone in a uniform, thank them. They have signed up to a life that keeps them away from family and friends a majority of the time. They do this willingly, but it is still nice to be a appreciated and to know that you are supported. When you see a military family member, thank them. They may be not fighting and training, but they are sacrificing time with the people they love. A military spouse/parent/children willingly lets their loved do what is needed, so that you have the freedom to have dinner, weekends and time with those you love and that the time is spent in safety. The politics of the war and current events should not get in the way of how much we support our military. These soldiers do their job no matter who is in charge. If they can seperate politics, so should we.
But it is not just our military that shows just how awesome we can be as people. It is the young man that holds the door open for others, it is the driver that lets other of him/her during rush hour, it is the widow that shares what little she has to eat with the local food bank, it is the person that finds a wallet full of cash and turns it in to the police.
With as much bad news as we see each day, there are also many good things too. But more and more we are becoming conditioned to notice the bad. I think that it is time that we focus more on the good things that people do every day. The bad and the evil needs to be punished, but the good also needs to be praised.
I encourage you to take a day and only note the good things that happen around. Focus on the blessings you have a been given. It will amaze you how your outlook can change when you choose to focus on the good things in life!
In Christ,
JLK/PRT
Posting...Beats Homework!!!
Ok, so I am officially using this blog as a tool in my need to procrastinate! I just can't get motivated this weekend, and that is a bad thing because I have 2 big midterms this week (1 on Tuesday and the other on Thursday)! Plus I have 3 papers to finish (ok...start!). I'm never this unmotivated. I normally even LIKE school and generally enjoy the process! Humbug (that is my word, as I'm trying to quit cussing)!
I am enjoying my classes, I see that what I'm learning is valuable, not only for what I want to do after I graduate (May 9, 2009, but who's counting!?!) but as it is helping me grow spiritually. I love to write (anyone who reads this blog knows that), so writing papers shouldn't be that bad, right!?! You wouldn't think so.
But something is keeping me from buckling down and doing what needs to be done, and then I feel guilty about that, and then I get even less motivated, and then even more guilty! This is a bad cycle I am in! I need to just sit down and do it, because that will be the only way to get it done! But...ok, enough buts! I need to just do it, no matter how I feel.
Part of it is annoyance that I didn't get the grade I thought I deserved/earned on my last paper. Working hard and not having the hard work reflected in the grade is a good way to take the motivation right out of my sails. It should be just the opposite though. It should cause me to work even harder the next time around, and it will, but first I need to pout.
Ok, pouting is finished! I can now try to focus on what is on the agenda for today. Yesterday is over, I can't change what I did, or what the consequences were. I can just learn from it and move on. 1 B on a paper that is worth 7% of my overall for that class (and it was just 1% from an A) will not kill my gpa. I can still get all A's. I just need to remember that, move on from the bad grade and do better, and pray that when the rest of my papers are graded the profs are feeling kind, merciful and generous!
Have a blessed weekend, and hopefully next time I post I can report having finished this round of exams and papers!
In Christ,
JLK/PRT
PS- the book is still coming, but it is on the back burner for a couple of weeks as I focus on seminary. I will try to post an excerpt here soon.
I am enjoying my classes, I see that what I'm learning is valuable, not only for what I want to do after I graduate (May 9, 2009, but who's counting!?!) but as it is helping me grow spiritually. I love to write (anyone who reads this blog knows that), so writing papers shouldn't be that bad, right!?! You wouldn't think so.
But something is keeping me from buckling down and doing what needs to be done, and then I feel guilty about that, and then I get even less motivated, and then even more guilty! This is a bad cycle I am in! I need to just sit down and do it, because that will be the only way to get it done! But...ok, enough buts! I need to just do it, no matter how I feel.
Part of it is annoyance that I didn't get the grade I thought I deserved/earned on my last paper. Working hard and not having the hard work reflected in the grade is a good way to take the motivation right out of my sails. It should be just the opposite though. It should cause me to work even harder the next time around, and it will, but first I need to pout.
Ok, pouting is finished! I can now try to focus on what is on the agenda for today. Yesterday is over, I can't change what I did, or what the consequences were. I can just learn from it and move on. 1 B on a paper that is worth 7% of my overall for that class (and it was just 1% from an A) will not kill my gpa. I can still get all A's. I just need to remember that, move on from the bad grade and do better, and pray that when the rest of my papers are graded the profs are feeling kind, merciful and generous!
Have a blessed weekend, and hopefully next time I post I can report having finished this round of exams and papers!
In Christ,
JLK/PRT
PS- the book is still coming, but it is on the back burner for a couple of weeks as I focus on seminary. I will try to post an excerpt here soon.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Palin WINS Debate...According to These Fine Folks!
Politico: “You Betcha Sarah Palin Can Debate”
Politico: Governor Palin was “dominating” the debate last night…
Sarah Palin was supposed to fall off the stage at her vice presidential debate Thursday evening. Instead, she ended up dominating it. She not only kept Joe Biden on the defensive for much of the debate, she not only repeatedly attacked Barack Obama, but she looked like she was enjoying herself while doing it. She smiled. She faced the camera. She was warm. She was human. Gosh and golly, she even dropped a bunch of g’s. – Politico
Governor Palin Wins The Debate
Sarah Palin gave as good as she got in her televised faceoff with Joe Biden Thursday night - and by that measure she shored up her standing as John McCain's vice presidential running mate. Palin sailed through the 90 minutes with none of the unsteadiness she had shown in TV interviews. She was both assured and down-home folksy in arguing the case for McCain and against Barack Obama. For his part, Biden was confident and informed, and he spoke as the experienced Washington hand that he is. He quickly put to rest concerns that he would let his mouth run excessively or condescend to Palin. But far more rode on Palin's performance than on Biden's, in that she had more to prove. – New York Daily News
She killed. She had him at "Nice to meet you. Hey, can I call you Joe?" She was the star. He was the second male lead, the good-natured best friend of the leading man. She was not petrified but peppy. The whole debate was about Sarah Palin. She is not a person of thought but of action. Interviews are about thinking, about reflecting, marshaling data and integrating it into an answer. Debates are more active, more propelled—they are thrust and parry. They are for campaigners. She is a campaigner. Her syntax did not hold, but her magnetism did. At one point she literally winked at the nation. As far as Mrs. Palin was concerned, Gwen Ifill was not there, and Joe Biden was not there. Sarah and the camera were there. This was classic "talk over the heads of the media straight to the people," and it is a long time since I've seen it done so well, though so transparently. There were moments when she seemed to be doing an infomercial pitch for charm in politics. But it was an effective infomercial. – The Wall Street Journal
The moment when Sarah Palin knew she was winning last night's debate with her vice presidential opponent Joe Biden came after the subject had turned to nuclear weapons. Palin had talked about nukes as a deterrent and said it was important to keep them out of the hands of dictators who are enemies of America. Then she turned to moderator Gwen Ifill and asked, "Can we talk about Afghanistan real quick Afghanistan? The impression Palin had left in television interviews with ABC's Charles Gibson and CBS's Katie Couric was that she was ill-equipped to discuss issues like that. She just didn't know enough to talk about foreign policy and other weighty matters with even a minimal level of comfort. And this meant she simply wasn't up to being vice president should John McCain win the presidency. But by that point in the debate--two-thirds the way through--Palin was brimming with self-confidence. She knew she could handle any issue likely to be thrown at her by Ifill. She knew Biden would not outmatch her. So she purposely tackled an issue on which he was expected to have an advantage. – The Weekly Standard
Biden Gets VP Role Wrong
Joe Biden gets the constitutional role of the Vice President wrong…
Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. appeared to incorrectly outline the constitutional role of the job he's seeking in Thursday's debate. In attacking Vice President Dick Cheney, Mr. Biden said the vice president's only role is to support the president and to preside over the Senate "only in a time when in fact there's a tie vote. The Constitution is explicit." The Constitution, though, actually says the vice president is always president of the Senate and legal scholars say he has the right to preside at any time. Early vice presidents, such as Thomas Jefferson, actively exercised that role, the vice president still keeps offices at the Capitol, and scholars say it wasn't until the middle of the 20th century that the vice president had an office at the executive office building. – The Washington Times
Barack Obama Might Now Regret Talking About His Gambling The Other Day
Barack Obama’s former poker buddy’s county offices raided by the FBI…
The FBI on Wednesday raided the county offices of a former Illinois state senator who is a poker-playing buddy of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama. According to Chicago authorities, the FBI visited the offices in Joliet, Ill., of Will County executive Larry Walsh, a longtime friend of Mr. Obama's, and his chief of staff Matt Ryan. Mr. Walsh, who served in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2005, was endorsed by Mr. Obama in his county executive election bid. With the support of some of Mr. Obama's U.S. Senate volunteers, he easily defeated incumbent Republican Joseph Mikan. – The Washington Times
Politico: Governor Palin was “dominating” the debate last night…
Sarah Palin was supposed to fall off the stage at her vice presidential debate Thursday evening. Instead, she ended up dominating it. She not only kept Joe Biden on the defensive for much of the debate, she not only repeatedly attacked Barack Obama, but she looked like she was enjoying herself while doing it. She smiled. She faced the camera. She was warm. She was human. Gosh and golly, she even dropped a bunch of g’s. – Politico
Governor Palin Wins The Debate
Sarah Palin gave as good as she got in her televised faceoff with Joe Biden Thursday night - and by that measure she shored up her standing as John McCain's vice presidential running mate. Palin sailed through the 90 minutes with none of the unsteadiness she had shown in TV interviews. She was both assured and down-home folksy in arguing the case for McCain and against Barack Obama. For his part, Biden was confident and informed, and he spoke as the experienced Washington hand that he is. He quickly put to rest concerns that he would let his mouth run excessively or condescend to Palin. But far more rode on Palin's performance than on Biden's, in that she had more to prove. – New York Daily News
She killed. She had him at "Nice to meet you. Hey, can I call you Joe?" She was the star. He was the second male lead, the good-natured best friend of the leading man. She was not petrified but peppy. The whole debate was about Sarah Palin. She is not a person of thought but of action. Interviews are about thinking, about reflecting, marshaling data and integrating it into an answer. Debates are more active, more propelled—they are thrust and parry. They are for campaigners. She is a campaigner. Her syntax did not hold, but her magnetism did. At one point she literally winked at the nation. As far as Mrs. Palin was concerned, Gwen Ifill was not there, and Joe Biden was not there. Sarah and the camera were there. This was classic "talk over the heads of the media straight to the people," and it is a long time since I've seen it done so well, though so transparently. There were moments when she seemed to be doing an infomercial pitch for charm in politics. But it was an effective infomercial. – The Wall Street Journal
The moment when Sarah Palin knew she was winning last night's debate with her vice presidential opponent Joe Biden came after the subject had turned to nuclear weapons. Palin had talked about nukes as a deterrent and said it was important to keep them out of the hands of dictators who are enemies of America. Then she turned to moderator Gwen Ifill and asked, "Can we talk about Afghanistan real quick Afghanistan? The impression Palin had left in television interviews with ABC's Charles Gibson and CBS's Katie Couric was that she was ill-equipped to discuss issues like that. She just didn't know enough to talk about foreign policy and other weighty matters with even a minimal level of comfort. And this meant she simply wasn't up to being vice president should John McCain win the presidency. But by that point in the debate--two-thirds the way through--Palin was brimming with self-confidence. She knew she could handle any issue likely to be thrown at her by Ifill. She knew Biden would not outmatch her. So she purposely tackled an issue on which he was expected to have an advantage. – The Weekly Standard
Biden Gets VP Role Wrong
Joe Biden gets the constitutional role of the Vice President wrong…
Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. appeared to incorrectly outline the constitutional role of the job he's seeking in Thursday's debate. In attacking Vice President Dick Cheney, Mr. Biden said the vice president's only role is to support the president and to preside over the Senate "only in a time when in fact there's a tie vote. The Constitution is explicit." The Constitution, though, actually says the vice president is always president of the Senate and legal scholars say he has the right to preside at any time. Early vice presidents, such as Thomas Jefferson, actively exercised that role, the vice president still keeps offices at the Capitol, and scholars say it wasn't until the middle of the 20th century that the vice president had an office at the executive office building. – The Washington Times
Barack Obama Might Now Regret Talking About His Gambling The Other Day
Barack Obama’s former poker buddy’s county offices raided by the FBI…
The FBI on Wednesday raided the county offices of a former Illinois state senator who is a poker-playing buddy of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama. According to Chicago authorities, the FBI visited the offices in Joliet, Ill., of Will County executive Larry Walsh, a longtime friend of Mr. Obama's, and his chief of staff Matt Ryan. Mr. Walsh, who served in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2005, was endorsed by Mr. Obama in his county executive election bid. With the support of some of Mr. Obama's U.S. Senate volunteers, he easily defeated incumbent Republican Joseph Mikan. – The Washington Times
Treat the American Flag with Respect!!!
For quite some time now I have had an American flag planted outside my front door (to the right of my door, under my front window). Why you ask? Well because I'm proud to be an American and I love my country and I having the flag out there is a tangible way to show my patriotism, which in many ways is intangible. Because it is outside I make sure that my porch light is on when the sun goes down.
My neighbor just stopped by and said "why do you keep your light on all night, doesn't it waste money and electricity?"
"Probably raises the bill, but out of respect for the flag I have right here I keep the light on."
"Seems like a waste to me, it is just a dumb flag."
"Well that is why I do it, and the flag is significant to me. Have a good evening"
And I went inside. The flag is not dumb, and even if it is small and I got it at Lowe's, it deserves to be treated with the same amount of respect the flag receives on military bases, in DC, at parades, and anywhere else.
You see a flag is more than just colored material and a post. A flag is a representation of sacrifice, of love, loyalty, duty, volunteerism, patriotism, on and on. The flag represents everything that makes up America. That little flag represents men and women that have served and sacrificed for this country for over 200 years. That little flag represents the ideals, hopes and dreams of all Americans. That little flag represents each and every citizen of America. I am willing to pay the extra money each month to keep a light on the flag.
While we are the subject let me just say this... Is it too much to ask for people to shut-up and stand at attention when a flag passes by, or during a sporting event!?! The last time I went to a college sporting event there were students TALKING, laughing, making cell phone calls during the National Anthem! I'm sorry but that is anathema to me, and I LOVE my cell phone and I love to talk! But the Star Spangled Banner is not that long. If a person can't shut-up for it, than he/she can leave the area!!!
Now, maybe I take things to far, because during football games and NASCAR races when I have my tv on I get up and put my hand over my heart for the National Anthem. I know, I'm alone, no one can see me, and it is on tv, but for me it is the spirit and the heart of the matter. I don't if people don't know I LOVE my country. I do, and because of that I act neurotic sometimes, but I believe in showing pride and respect for what my military friends, family and strangers do for me. I want to respect and honor the sacrifices made by everyone, including military spouses.
So please, you don't have to cover your heart, or salute, but when you see your country's flag treat it with the respect that it deserves. When you are out, and the National Anthem is playing, shut-up, so that those around you can enjoy and honor their country in their way. Take time to think about things and to act with respect. Thanks! And may God continue to bless America and continue to protect our troops and families.
My neighbor just stopped by and said "why do you keep your light on all night, doesn't it waste money and electricity?"
"Probably raises the bill, but out of respect for the flag I have right here I keep the light on."
"Seems like a waste to me, it is just a dumb flag."
"Well that is why I do it, and the flag is significant to me. Have a good evening"
And I went inside. The flag is not dumb, and even if it is small and I got it at Lowe's, it deserves to be treated with the same amount of respect the flag receives on military bases, in DC, at parades, and anywhere else.
You see a flag is more than just colored material and a post. A flag is a representation of sacrifice, of love, loyalty, duty, volunteerism, patriotism, on and on. The flag represents everything that makes up America. That little flag represents men and women that have served and sacrificed for this country for over 200 years. That little flag represents the ideals, hopes and dreams of all Americans. That little flag represents each and every citizen of America. I am willing to pay the extra money each month to keep a light on the flag.
While we are the subject let me just say this... Is it too much to ask for people to shut-up and stand at attention when a flag passes by, or during a sporting event!?! The last time I went to a college sporting event there were students TALKING, laughing, making cell phone calls during the National Anthem! I'm sorry but that is anathema to me, and I LOVE my cell phone and I love to talk! But the Star Spangled Banner is not that long. If a person can't shut-up for it, than he/she can leave the area!!!
Now, maybe I take things to far, because during football games and NASCAR races when I have my tv on I get up and put my hand over my heart for the National Anthem. I know, I'm alone, no one can see me, and it is on tv, but for me it is the spirit and the heart of the matter. I don't if people don't know I LOVE my country. I do, and because of that I act neurotic sometimes, but I believe in showing pride and respect for what my military friends, family and strangers do for me. I want to respect and honor the sacrifices made by everyone, including military spouses.
So please, you don't have to cover your heart, or salute, but when you see your country's flag treat it with the respect that it deserves. When you are out, and the National Anthem is playing, shut-up, so that those around you can enjoy and honor their country in their way. Take time to think about things and to act with respect. Thanks! And may God continue to bless America and continue to protect our troops and families.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
My Life Shouldn't Be This....Exciting...not HERE!
So today was a pretty quiet day for the most part. I took my meds last night because I was beyond desperate for sleep. I woke around 1030 am (Fall Break, so no class today, don't worry I didn't miss anything) and stayed in bed for a bit, talking to Queens, praying and enjoying the Fall breeze coming in the windows.
I finally figured I should get up and do something with my day, so I went jogging and did some tae-bo abs/butt exercises. Then I showered, got dressed and sat down to do some homework. At 345pm I met two friends at the $1 cinema for a showing of Hancock (my 2nd time viewing the flick, it is pretty good. Seeing Will Smith is never a waste of my money!). It was fun. Then, I had a text message on my phone, so I dealt with that issue.
As I was driving home, I knew it would be "rush hour" so I took an alternate route. I had my doors locked, but the driver's side window all the way down, to enjoy the Fall air, and the crispness of the day. I love this time of the year! As I was stopped at a stop light these two guys (black, medium height, hoodies and jeans, college aged) came up and said "Hey there sweetie, how are ya?"
"Umm...fine, do u want something?" I answer, thinking "what the heck!?!"
"Don't worry, we wouldn't hurt a beautiful thing like you, unless you want us to" they reply
At that point the light thankfully turned green, so I turned left (to go home) and was driving. I got no more than 3 blocks, when I heard what sounded to me like a gun shot in my current mood. It turned out it was a car back firing!
The rest of my drive home I kept thinking. With everything that has happened here (being attacked while jogging earlier this semester, and now the 2 guys and the car back firing) I might do well to move to somewhere less exciting, like NYC, LA or Anacostia (in DC)!!!
I have learned that life is really never boring for me. I go from one crazy event to another. I should join the military, so that I can at least get paid and armed for all this excitement!!! I mean really now! Central VA should not be this crazy! I should go back to WY where all I had to worry about was being propositioned by drunk, old cowboys in the bars (they were mostly harmless).
I'm fine, just amused by all the events. Right now I'm contemplating a trip down to NC for a weekend here soon. I need to get out of dodge for a few days, and can't wait till November when I fly out to see family and my home football field (Lambeau)!
All that has gone on this semester, and with it being about the anniversary of one of my best friend's rape & murder I'm reminded of just precious each day is, and how we should do our best to not waste it. Take time to sip some coffee, to tell your friends and family that you love them, to reflect Christ. Our days get so full with the hustle and bustle of modern life, that we miss the moments. We are so busy trying to save time doing this and that, that we waste our days.
My goal this weekend is to enjoy the moments. To enjoy the mornings, where I can sit on my front stoop, drinking coffee and watching Queens sniff the ground and feel the crispness, watch the leaves change and fall. To enjoy the mid day, where I can go to the library and study, learn more about Christianity and counseling. To enjoy the evenings with friends and my cat, time to just sit in my den with a candle lit and pray. To enjoy the nights with Queens on my lap, praise music on, and time to ponder God, pray and try to sleep. God is so amazing, that I can spend hours just pondering Him and how amazing He is, and how thankful I am that He is exactly who He is!
The little moments are what make my life worth it. It is for the little moments in life that I'm still here, that I didn't take the pills in 2002 when I was so far below rock bottom that they felt like the best option. It is for the joy of getting to bask in the love of Christ, while being here that I couldn't go through with it. I live for the little moments. I treasure them. I hope that this weekend you can find joy in the little moments and draw them out. Bask in the love of your Savior.
I finally figured I should get up and do something with my day, so I went jogging and did some tae-bo abs/butt exercises. Then I showered, got dressed and sat down to do some homework. At 345pm I met two friends at the $1 cinema for a showing of Hancock (my 2nd time viewing the flick, it is pretty good. Seeing Will Smith is never a waste of my money!). It was fun. Then, I had a text message on my phone, so I dealt with that issue.
As I was driving home, I knew it would be "rush hour" so I took an alternate route. I had my doors locked, but the driver's side window all the way down, to enjoy the Fall air, and the crispness of the day. I love this time of the year! As I was stopped at a stop light these two guys (black, medium height, hoodies and jeans, college aged) came up and said "Hey there sweetie, how are ya?"
"Umm...fine, do u want something?" I answer, thinking "what the heck!?!"
"Don't worry, we wouldn't hurt a beautiful thing like you, unless you want us to" they reply
At that point the light thankfully turned green, so I turned left (to go home) and was driving. I got no more than 3 blocks, when I heard what sounded to me like a gun shot in my current mood. It turned out it was a car back firing!
The rest of my drive home I kept thinking. With everything that has happened here (being attacked while jogging earlier this semester, and now the 2 guys and the car back firing) I might do well to move to somewhere less exciting, like NYC, LA or Anacostia (in DC)!!!
I have learned that life is really never boring for me. I go from one crazy event to another. I should join the military, so that I can at least get paid and armed for all this excitement!!! I mean really now! Central VA should not be this crazy! I should go back to WY where all I had to worry about was being propositioned by drunk, old cowboys in the bars (they were mostly harmless).
I'm fine, just amused by all the events. Right now I'm contemplating a trip down to NC for a weekend here soon. I need to get out of dodge for a few days, and can't wait till November when I fly out to see family and my home football field (Lambeau)!
All that has gone on this semester, and with it being about the anniversary of one of my best friend's rape & murder I'm reminded of just precious each day is, and how we should do our best to not waste it. Take time to sip some coffee, to tell your friends and family that you love them, to reflect Christ. Our days get so full with the hustle and bustle of modern life, that we miss the moments. We are so busy trying to save time doing this and that, that we waste our days.
My goal this weekend is to enjoy the moments. To enjoy the mornings, where I can sit on my front stoop, drinking coffee and watching Queens sniff the ground and feel the crispness, watch the leaves change and fall. To enjoy the mid day, where I can go to the library and study, learn more about Christianity and counseling. To enjoy the evenings with friends and my cat, time to just sit in my den with a candle lit and pray. To enjoy the nights with Queens on my lap, praise music on, and time to ponder God, pray and try to sleep. God is so amazing, that I can spend hours just pondering Him and how amazing He is, and how thankful I am that He is exactly who He is!
The little moments are what make my life worth it. It is for the little moments in life that I'm still here, that I didn't take the pills in 2002 when I was so far below rock bottom that they felt like the best option. It is for the joy of getting to bask in the love of Christ, while being here that I couldn't go through with it. I live for the little moments. I treasure them. I hope that this weekend you can find joy in the little moments and draw them out. Bask in the love of your Savior.
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