Thursday, October 28, 2004

One-Issue Politics

Yes, call me a single-issue voter if you like.

Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places


Qdoba Mexican Grill and Miss Kathryn Kimbrell...what a combination!!

Last weekend I went to South Carolina for a short visit with my favorite southern belle :) Kathryn and I have been roommates the last two summers in Denver and it was such a blast to catch up with her. I got to meet a few of her friends, experience her church, cheer for her intramural team at an Ultimate Frisbee game, and eat an amazing home-cooked dinner--she went all out for Sunday lunch!

Before taking me back to the airport in Atlanta on Monday, we had a little adventure: Qdoba Mexican Grill is one of our favorite places and we ate there all the time this summer in Denver...but sadly enough, there are no Qdobas in Ohio or SC! But, there's one in downtown Atlanta...so Kathryn and I braved rush-hour Atlanta traffic and found our beloved Qdoba. So fun!

So, I had a wonderful getaway weekend. I love the South. I don't know why. I love Southern accents and just the feel of life down there. And I love Kathryn! Good times.

P.S. - Bonus points for anyone (besides Kathryn) who knows where the title of this post comes from...
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Lesser of Two Evils

I'm as sick as you are of election propaganda. Trust me, I live in one of the top so-called "battleground states," where there are commercials on TV about every thirty seconds, and I get fliers in the mail literally every day.

But this article from Boundless webzine is a provocative commentary on voting for the "lesser of two evils" and deciding what the most important issues are at election time. Check it out.

Friday, October 22, 2004

Contemporary or Traditional Music: Which is Right?

Food for thought here.

What I'm Listening To

Just got a new CD this week: Casting Crowns. I'm a big fan...it's one that can stand up to repeated cycling in my car. My current favorite song is "Who Am I"...

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours

Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love and watch me rise again
Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me

I am Yours
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
Cause I am Yours
I am Yours

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

C.T. Studd

"I am getting desperately afraid of going to heaven for I have had the vision of the shame I shall suffer as I get my first glimpse of the Lord Jesus; His majesty, power and marvellous love for me, who treated Him so meanly and shabbily on earth, and acted as though I did Him a favour in serving Him! No wonder God shall have to wipe away the tears off all faces, for we shall be broken-hearted when we see the depth of His love and the shallowness of ours."

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

So...

So my old roommate used to begin her sentences with "so" all the time, and it's a contagious habit...and now every time I do it, I think of Stephanie, and I love her :)

So my computer has this dumb virus, thanks to a bad link I stupidly clicked on AIM, and I don't love that. (A note of warning: Avoid clicking any link that contains the words "bestfriends.scr"--it will screw up your computer.)

So I hate my job. Project Respect, that is. It brings out the absolute worst in me sometimes. I know God called me to it. So I can't quit. But at this point I am glad I'm only doing it until June. I think this is the first time I can remember God clearly leading me to do something that I don't even want to do. It's a new experience. I know I just have some growing to do these next few months.

So that's all for now. Just a few random thoughts from yours truly today.

Sunday, October 17, 2004

Dying

My plant is dying.

Lindsay told me that if it died, it was no longer a metaphor for my personal growth. But I'm afraid she was wrong. More days than not, I feel like that little potted ivy plant: shriveled up, dry, turning brown around the edges.

Weeks--no, months ago, I knew it needed to be repotted. The roots were beginning to poke out of the bottom of the plastic container. Instead I kept putting it off, even when I knew potting soil was available (for free). Instead I halfheartedly dumped some water in the pot every now and then, when I thought about it. And I pretended that my little ivy plant was doing just fine.

Now it's dying. I suddenly noticed the shriveled brown leaves last week--that startled me into action, so I finally repotted it. But maybe it was too late.

Thursday, October 14, 2004

Quote of the Week

"You're in a battle. Let the Lord arm you. You can't face the enemy in spiritual underwear."

Sometimes the most profound (and funny) wisdom comes from fiction books. Thank you, Francine Rivers :)

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Diverse Beauty

"Whom do you know who models the beauty of Christ in her spirit?"

This was one of the questions at Bible study tonight, and God has blessed me to be able to come up with a long list of women. There are so many beautiful women in my life who immediately came to mind! But what struck me as I scribbled down a few names was how different they all are. Some are quiet and gentle; others are boisterous and outspoken. Some are married, some single; some my age, some more than three times my age. Their personalities and interests, talents and skills, are as different as their physical characteristics.

I love to think about that: "modeling the beauty of Christ" is not a cookie-cutter image! All these women are so different, but they all model Christ to me. And I don't have to look exactly like any of them to model Christ to others.

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Blake the Thinker


How cute is he?!?! Even while he was mostly sleeping, Blake kept us cracking up with his funny facial expressions and his goofy poses with his arms. Looks like he's deep in thought...maybe this is the next Einstein, who knows? :) Posted by Hello

Blake Charles Thomas


My newest cousin! Mom, Josh and I took a trip to Fort Wayne tonight to visit my cousins Bekah and Kevin and see their brand-new baby. This little guy was born in August with "hypoplastic left heart syndrome." He's already survived a month in the hospital and his first of three open heart surgeries, thanks to the prayers of many and the fact that he's a fighter. SO cute!! Posted by Hello

Monday, October 11, 2004

All Things New

A new week, a new template, a new language for the datestamp. What can I say...it's autumn, and change is in the air.

More than new formats on my blog, I'm thankful for the God who has made me a new creature in Him...and whose mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness--even when I'm unfaithful.

Friday, October 08, 2004

Use Your Imagination


Still a little early in October, but Steve got home last night and decided he was in the mood to carve pumpkins. So he and I went and got three--one for each of us and one for his little brother--and put our "artistic talents" (I use the term loosely) to work. Steve went for the "scared" instead of "scary" jack-o-lantern look; I decided to be a bit more abstract and carve (what's supposed to be) a sunrise over mountains. Ben (my 13-year-old future brother-in-law) looked at the finished product and cracked, "Well, I can tell what it is, but I have to really use my imagination." Thanks a lot, Ben :) Oh well, we had a good time. Posted by Hello

Tuesday, October 05, 2004

Voters Should Know

For those of you out there who are voting for "anyone but Bush" (few voters, I'm convinced, are actually voting for John Kerry)...you should know that three infamous late-term abortion doctors have recently contributed $7,000 to Kerry's campaign. Why would they do this? Hmm...maybe because they know that "during his 20 years in the Senate, Kerry has been an absolutely consistent defender of abortion."

"Early this year, Kate Michelman, the longtime president of the National Abortion Rights Action League, told the New York Times, 'Even on the most difficult issues, we've never had to worry about John Kerry's position.'" Do you really want this man to be our president? Read it here...

Things I'm Wondering:

*Why I accepted two part-time jobs when, let's get real, they are both turning into full-time jobs. 15 hours a week at Project Respect, I kept telling them from the minute I interviewed. Yeah right.
*Why God didn't make it a little more clear to me that I shouldn't accept both jobs, if it was going to turn out to be a big mess.
*Why I got a significant haircut right before engagement pictures.
*Why AIM doesn't have an icon for me rolling my eyes at the person I'm IMing. Because I do that a lot.
*Why I got so cranky and snappy today at nice people, and why I am in a bad mood still.
*Why I ever got started "rewarding" myself with food to make me feel better when I'm in a bad mood. Like an M&M blizzard on my way home from work today as I scowled at the world.

Monday, October 04, 2004

The Awkward Years

Oh, how I do not miss junior high. Can I get an "amen" from anyone out there? I don't know if you all had a rough time during those middle school years, but I sure did. My best friend dumped me for another girl I was close friends with. Suddenly the two of them were best buds and wouldn't give me the time of day. I had braces, bad skin, towered over the boys, and had just grown out the mullet that my wonderful parents had given me throughout elementary school. (No, I am not kidding...I actually had a mullet. It was awful. Incidentally, one of the seventh-grade boys I saw today had a mullet...but I digress.)

Today I was at a junior high school for Project Respect, observing one of my co-workers doing a presentation there. Boy that brought back some memories. The odd smells of strange cafeteria food. Utter chaos in between every period with kids pushing their way through crowded halls, lockers so skinny you could hardly squeeze a winter coat into them, boy/girl drama, cliques and popularity contests...and you know, kids are so cruel! In one of today's classes, a girl who had a learning disability gave an answer that was, admittedly, kind of strange, and the rest of the kids in the class all kind of snickered and exchanged these looks among themselves that just made me feel awful. Especially when I stop to think that there were probably times I was one of those cruel kids.

I don't really have a point, but this is my blog, and no one's forcing you to listen/read, so that's okay :) I was just reminiscing about junior high today and feeling glad I don't ever have to relive those days. Whew. Here's to adulthood and outgrowing the awkward years!

Sunday, October 03, 2004

Another weekend, another bridal shower, another trip to Marion...


I have so many beautiful friends! This weekend was Katy's shower (the one on the left)...she's getting married next month, and I won't be at the wedding, but I was glad to be able to be a part of her bridal shower. It was great to see her and Micah and catch up with these crazy and fun girls.

I also had a great time visiting friends at IWU. Strange to be back on campus as a visitor, not a student...but I crammed as many people into 24 hours as I could, and was blessed by so many wonderful people. And I got some free coffee and food out of the weekend! It was kind of nice to be a mooch and use other people's points after having bought coffee and meals for so many others. What goes around comes around ;)
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