Monday's Merrymaking

2 Chronicles 20:9

If calamity comes upon us, whether sword of judgment or plague or famine we will stand before your presence at this temple that bears your Name, and we will cry out to you in our distress and you will hear us and save us.

Being sick is boring...so I blog about boring things

silly Sadie, she thinks she's a person! she'll pull the pillows off the couch to lie on them!

Adam and Amanda's wedding, 2004

love this picture of T and me

he called yesterday and we talked for almost a half hour, yay!

there were six to start with, but don't worry, they were having some deal so the movies were really cheap to rent. for you families out there, Moondance Alexander is a good one about a girl and a horse

my weekend getaway spot...also happens to be where I Sadie-sit...lucky me!

um, my feet on the couch...they'd much rather be in the lake or in the sand or running or walking or dancing, but when I'm sick, they stay on the couch...grrr!

"Some people walk in the rain - others just get wet."

It's all a matter of perspective. Trish and I walked in the rain tonight. And ran a little, too. As we headed down the boardwalk to the pier it started to sprinkle a teeny weeny bit so I said maybe we could turn around and head back to the car. The sky had been looking rather ominous this evening. Good thing we turned around! Within a minute or two it was good and raining. But when we got in our cars and headed to Meijer, it was so bad I could hardly see the road! We got wet tonight, but we laughed and had a good time anyway. I mean, who cares about getting a little wet, really? Things like this add adventure and excitement to life! What boring lives we'd lead if everything was all sunshine and roses. We need a few rain clouds every now and then to keep us on our toes. Thank God for friends and adventures! 

Oh dear...

I bought a camera today. If you've already read my earlier post about my camera mishap you can imagine why I am grimacing, smacking my forehead, and saying "doh!" as I write this. This morning I took my camera to The Camera Shop, and the guy said it would cost $35 to send it in for an estimate to fix it and the estimate would most likely be $150 to $200!! So I called my dad and mom to see what they thought. "I feel so dumb buying a third camera when I was not responsible enough to take care of the first two I had!" Dad said, "You'll learn to take care of it! You have to have a camera. Go buy one. And you need a good one, too." Boy I feel so stupid and guilty for buying another camera, but my parents both thought it was a very necessary item for my life so I broke down and bought one. Pray that I am not so clumsy with camera number three!

One good thing about getting a new camera is that I can finally post pictures again! I am most excited about this because I have not yet had a chance to post pictures of "my" twins! It has been a few weeks that I've been their nanny, and we have had a super summer so far! We go to the beach, the library, the park (several of them actually, but mostly Imagination Station), the store, the theater, Donna Ball's house, and Schaap's pool. We also watch movies, color, play with play-do, read alot, play outside, and sometimes go out to lunch. Days are long but fast and I enjoy every minute of it! (and yes, I can tell them apart now!)

2 Chronicles 20:7-8

O, our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? They have lived in it and built in it a sanctuary to your Name...

Inspiration

I watched the movie August Rush the other night. It was pretty good. I always get frustrated with movies where people are looking for each other and they keep getting close but not close enough and other people get in the way and all that. Ugh! The music was awesome, though. I was fascinated with how the kid listened and heard everything around him. He inspired me to listen when I go out. Pretty interesting, all the things you can hear if you take a moment to stop and listen. And, so many of the things you can hear are things that God created. God obviously created the beautiful sounds of nature - they didn't just happen - for they were made to bring Him praise and honor and glory. We are blessed to stand on the sidelines and enjoy the music all of creation makes for its Maestro! Next time you step out in a rush to your next appointment, just stop for thirty seconds to listen. Then take the next thirty second to offer some praise of your own to our Maker.

Salmagundi

Hey, checked out my word blog lately? It's been a while since I updated it, but I did today so if you haven't looked at it in a while...do. Please, do!

2 Chronicles 20:5-6

Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard and said, "O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you."

Some Advantages and Disadvantages of Being Tall

Being 6 feet 3/4 inch tall has its pros and its cons. The cons really aren't that bad though; I really love being tall!


-see over crowds.
-don't have to worry about sitting behind some person's big head at a movie, concert, etc. - I can see over everyone.
-reach the top shelf at Meijer.
-help other people reach the stuff on the top shelf at Meijer.
-help other teachers get stuff off the wall or ceiling
-don't have to look people in the eye if I don't feel like it.
-look better when ballroom dancing (height is a good thing in ballroom dancing, so all I had to do was improve my posture and learn how to use my height to my advantage)
-people can spot me easily


-hard to find shirts and pants long enough
-people always ask if I played basketball. (from now on I am going to reply, "No. Did you play mini golf?"
-have to worry about my head getting in the way at movies, concerts, etc.
-counter tops and tables are always too low
-can't lean my head back in the airplane 'cause the seats are too low
-people can spot me easily =)

from The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

"But, before the balloons, save for spasmodic jumping and the inequalities of the surface, man had no freedom of vertical movement."


This comment, made by the Time Traveller in The Time Machine, was not, I imagine, meant to be funny, but I found it quite amusing!

Will you run to Afghanistan?

Check out this great blog, I Ran to Afghanistan. You can walk, run, swim, bike, hike, or whatever you like "to Afghanistan" to show support to some Marines there. My.....second cousin once removed....I think that's what he'd be.....is in Afghanistan right now. Last year my students wrote to him and his buddies while they served in Iraq. Now he and many others are back in Afghanistan, and by compiling our miles, we can see how many times we can get to Afghanistan and back. The program is not a fundraiser, but, as you will read in the blog, it is simply a healthy way to show support to some Marines and Sailors. There's no cost. All you have to do is email the lady for a registration form, keep track of your miles, and email your miles the beginning of each month so they can keep track. How fun is that?! What a great way to motivate us to get off our duffs and get some exercise! If you like to exercise already, all you'd have to do is start recording your miles. If you're looking for some motivation to start exercising, let this be it! But whether or not you decide to join this program and support our Marines in Afghanistan, I hope you'll find some way to show support to our troops and to their loved ones waiting anxiously at home. At least check out the blog to see what some wives, mothers, and other friends and family are doing to show their men they love them.

2 Chronicles 20:3-4

Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah gathered together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek Him.

Dance With Me!

As you know, I love to dance...ballroom that is. I was looking at some "Pieces of Flare" on Facebook and ran across some super dance quotes. Here are a few I really liked:

Know what happens when you dance in the rain? You get wet. And maybe pneumonia.

Ginger Roger did everything Fred Astaire did, except backwards and in high heels.

Life isn't about waiting for the storms to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.

Summer Reading

I plan to read alot alot this summer and would love for you to recommend a book or ten. I started the summer reading The Wright 3 by Blue Balliet, and I am currently reading the third in that series, The Calder Game. They are meant for older kids, but I enjoy them immensely. The first book is Chasing Vermeer. The books are mysteries concerning a Vermeer painting, a Frank Lloyd Wright house, and an Alexander Calder sculpture. What intrigues me is how the author blends fiction and reality - I have learned much from reading these books. I recommend them to any adult or older child and keep a copy of each on my bookshelf at school for my students to read. Below are some other books I plan to read. Again, I am open to all your suggestions; I love any genre.


The Invisible Man, The Time Machine, and The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Aaaahhh!!!

I am so frustrated. I want to scream! This morning I dropped my camera and now it won't work and gives me a message thing that says "Lens error!" Aaaahh! This is the third time I have done the exact same thing. First, just after I got back from Germany, and second, when mom and I were in San Diego. The first time I ended up getting a new camera (bummer...the first was a college graduation gift from my parents), but the second time I "fixed" it myself (I was so mad I smacked the camera really hard and it worked again!). Unfortunately, it seems as though no amount of violence will make it work again this time. How can I do the same dumb thing three times??!! If anyone else has done anything as ridiculous as this, please tell me so I don't feel like such an idiot. =) And pray that my camera comes back to life - I cannot afford another one!

Not a word

Have you ever said the word "funnest"? Well, it's not actually a word so you shouldn't say it. But, I admit, I have said it myself so I can't be too hard on you all. I did get a bit miffed however, when I saw a sign in Florida that said "The funnist place to be!". Ok, if you're going to use a word that isn't a word, at least spell it right...Sheesh!

Florida was fabulous!

Melissa and Drew

the Gulf of Mexico...swam in it for the first time last week...yup, totally awesome

Mel and me on the longest fishing pier in the world with the

Sunshine Skyway bridge in the background

a shell-flower

my favorite pair

lovely!

Mel and me at St. Pete Beach

"The Logan-ator"

Wow, Mel, looks like your summer is going to be pretty rough...

Super Lindsey!!

weird white sand that stuck to the feet

Isaiah 1:18-19

Come now, let us reason together says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet they shall be as white as snow, though they are red like crimson they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the land, but if you refuse and rebel you shall be eaten by the sword, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.