It’s Raining Gold….

It’s not raining gold money of course, but gold leaves. When I was driving to work today, I noticed that it was really raining leaves. I saw gold, orange, and red leaves falling from the sky. It was one of the most beautiful things I have seen in a long time. The sky was clear blue and the sun was bright. And the beautiful leaves were everywhere. It reminded me of why Fall is my favorite season (not that I needed reminding). If I were cool and had an iPhone (or if my phone would take pictures) I would have taken a picture of it to show you. But I don’t. So I didn’t.

Anyways, I realized today that Christmas is just around the corner, mainly because my co-workers are playing Christmas music from their computers. I feel like it was just Christmas. On Christmas last year, I was three weeks away from getting married. The Christmas season was all a blur, and I felt like all everyone talked about was the wedding (and it was all I could think about honestly). I was behind on shopping and I did not have a real tree. The only reason I had a tree was because my neighbor gave me a free one with Miller Light ornaments (which I did not use). I was already moved into our new place and was by myself. We had a Christmas shower and got some great ornaments to fill up a tree, but by the time I got the tree, the only thing I had time to do was put white lights on it and put down a tree skirt. My spirit was non-existent because I did not have a real tree like I wanted. I wasn’t thankful for the free tree I received from my nice neighbor. I was so ungrateful that it wasn’t what I wanted. I was accustomed to my parents’ tree which is always perfect. It was my first Christmas in 22 years where I did not have a nice tree. And it was my first Christmas where I did not completely enjoy myself. I was a Scrooge on the inside, and pretended on the outside.

The tree was the essence of Christmas for me. But how stupid could I be? I had completely lost sight of what Christmas is about. And honestly, until the late Christmas Eve service we went to at church, I had no desire for the holiday. Then, during the beautiful service it all came to me. I was being so completely selfish and wallowing in my own self-pity. There are tons of people that enjoy Christmas and celebrate Christmas with a happy heart that don’t have trees and decorations. They don’t have monies to buy gifts with. They don’t have a smorgasbord of food to eat. Some don’t have family to celebrate with. But they still celebrate in their own little way.

My room at my parents’ house was all in a cluster since I had moved, so I spent the rest of the Christmas Eve in our new place by myself. I woke up on Christmas morning and felt renewed. I had nothing distracting me. It was just me on Christmas morning. I woke up a little early and sat on the couch with my cat and a blanket, watched a little bit of A Christmas Story, and drank some hot chocolate for breakfast (a new tradition I started). I remember looking at my pitiful tree and just smiling. Hey, it wasn’t great. But it was a tree.

I am so dense sometimes. After last year, I realized how ridiculous I was being. This year is going to be different. My mind is with it this year and, most importantly, so is my heart. I am so thankful for every single blessing. We are getting ready to move to a new place right before Thanksgiving. As much as I would like a tree to decorate this year, it may not happen. But you know what, I am totally okay with that. I have what I need this year. I had it last year, but I appreciate it more this year.

I’m out.

“External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he, no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty.”
-A Christmas Carol , Charles Dickens

Jack O’ Lantern myth

I am not a huge fan of Halloween. To be honest with you, it frightens me to a small extent. I don’t like people in costumes. I don’t like not being able to tell who is who. And I don’t like sugar-overloads. It all makes me feel a bit queesy.

As you may or may not know, Halloween was not an American tradition to start out with. Halloween dates back to the ancient Celtic festival dating back 2,000 years ago. They celebrated their New Year on November 1st. The 31st, Halloween, marked the end of summer harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter. This time of year was coupled with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the periphery between the worlds of the living and the dead became unclear and distorted. On Halloween the Celts celebrated Samhain, when the ghosts of the dead came alive and returned to Earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the company of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids to predict the future. During the huge celebration, the Celts dressed in costumes consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes.

As European immigrants came to America they brought their unique Halloween customs with them. This includes the Jack O’ Lantern tradition.

The practice of carving Jack O’ Lanterns stemmed from none other than the Irish myth about “Stingy Jack.” As the myth goes, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him, but Stingy Jack did not want to pay for his drink (hence, stingy). Instead, He convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin so that Jack could buy their drinks. Once the Devil agreed, however, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross. The silver cross prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, but under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, the Devil could not assert his soul. The next year, Jack tricked the Devil into climbing a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree’s bark so that the Devil could not come down unless he promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.

Stingy Jack died soon after the tree incident. As the myth tells, God would not allow such an unpleasant and sleazy figure into heaven. The Devil, still disappointed by the tricks Jack had played on him, would not allow Jack into hell (because he promised not to keep Jack’s soul). He sent Jack off into the night with a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has supposedly been roaming the Earth ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as “Jack of the Lantern.” But since they are Irish, it is pronounced more like Jack O’ Lantern. See? Anyways, people began creating their own versions of Jack’s lanterns by carving daunting faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them near windows and doors to scare away Stingy Jack or other meandering evil spirits.

One thing about Halloween that I do not necessarily like is the amount of scary movies on television. I used to love scary movie. But, for whatever reason, my stomach can’t take too much at one time. Here is my “Top 5 Scary Movies” list. These are either the ones I suggest you watch, or don’t suggest you watch depending on how your stomach handles terror. They are listed in no particular order. They all scared the Be-Jeebus out of me.

The Strangers made me never want to be at home alone or even with someone else. The ending of the movie basically gives the main characters no hope for survival. When they asked the killers “Why are you doing this?” They answer, “because you were home.” Eerie.

I walked out of the movie theater on this one. My stomach couldn’t take it. Rob Zombie at his finest.

Because TCM was based on a true story, it made it that much worse.

You think I would have learned my lesson with the first Rob Zombie movie I watched. But I couldn’t resist watching such a classic remastered by Rob Zombie who is, in my opinion, a master of horror.

Yikes.

I’m out.

“This Halloween the most popular mask is the Arnold Schwarzenegger mask. And the best part? With a mouth full of candy you will sound just like him.”
-Conan O’ Brien (in honor of the Irish myth)

It’s Finally Time

I have delayed writing what I feel about Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize. And it’s mainly because I do not want anyone to feel that I do not support our country and our leader. I am going to go ahead and get this out there. I am so proud that Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize. It is obviously an amazing thing for our country. I am grateful and relieved that other nations feel that Obama deserves this award and I am sure Obama is doing everything is his power to have better international relations and keep the peace. As a matter of fact, he has met with the person, who I feel, was also a front-runner for the peace prize.

So why not Morgan Tsvangirai? Is it because his party is currently boycotting the country’s unity government which? Maybe. Some may say that’s a great reason to not give Tsvangirai a Nobel Peace Prize. However, Mugabe is a dictator and he cannot run the government alone and still be constitutional. For the past several years, Tsvangirai has been trying to slowly and peacefully overthrow Mugabe. Tsvangirai won the recent election, but it was probably rigged by Mugabe, and now they are “sharing” power. But is it possible to share power with a dictator? No. Tsvangirai has handled the situation amazingly, though. He has tried to ease Mugabe out of power without causing too much of a raucous. He has agreed to work with Mugabe to maintain peace within the country. He is a part of a regime and trying to fix a regime that he is opposed to. Yet, he still continues to be persistent with his goal, even if he has no support from any other nation.

Since Tsvangirai has been Prime Minister, his accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. He has stabilized the Zimbabwe economy. He replaced the Zimbabwe dollar with the U.S. dollar ending years of economic chaos. The results, of course, were immediately proven with industrialization rates rising. He did all of this while still working with Mugabe, professionally confronting Mugabe about specific issues dealing with his abuse and corruption.

As he dealt with the death of his wife (car accident) and the death of his grandson two weeks later (drowned), he still managed to stay calm and work through Zimbabwe’s issues and Mugabe’s shinnanigans. Tsvansgirai has even acted as a mentor to Mugabe as Mugabe admitted that he understands that this is his last chance to change the way people, and the world, judge him. He told Tsvansgirai that he knows he can’t be trusted. Tsvansgirai and his team continue to find theft by Mugabe and his party, but he simply states, “To me it’s about rewarding progress rather than punishing.”

Here’s why Tsvansgirai may not have won the Peace Prize. Many world leaders feel that Tsvangirai is being “too nice” with Mugabe and that is why he has not regained power. Also, he was supposedly bought off by Mugabe. Tsvangirai is struggling with keeping his team loyal. Which could be what prompted him to finally boycott the country’s unity government.

I am not writing this to say that Tsvangirai should have won the Nobel Peace Prize. I am not writing this to say that Obama should not have. They were both great candidates for the award. I think it’s great that people can dispute who should have won such a noble prize (no pun intended). That just means there is more than one great leader out there trying to make a change for their country and for the world. I am thankful for that. It could be much, much worse.

Anyways, I’m out.

“Hate the sin, love the sinner.”
-Mahatma Ghandi (who never won the Nobel Peace Prize)

Letter

I know I said yesterday that I would post the letter from Kwizera’s mom. So…. here it is:

“May God with His son Jesus Christ bless you abundantly with the desires of your heart. Your sponsored child is always delighted to think that you sponsor him in all aspects of life, and keeps praying for you each day. He loves to pray for you and to thank God for all you do for him. Beloved good special parent, how are you doing? Are you well and in peace and strong? He hopes you are well and that God continues to protect you in His grace.

Academically, he is a grade one pupil and gets good results, which are presentable. He requests that you keep praying that God may bless him with wisdom and brightness in school and to be humble. He too keeps thinking of you in his daily prayers. He prays that God may pour out His blessings upon you abundantly. May God strengthen you so that one day you may visit him and meet face to face.

It is summer when the sun shines very hot. Next week, he will be back to school for the 3rd and last term of the academic year. May God protect you with your entire family.”

Pretty cool, huh? The letter also came with some drawings that Kwizera did with some crayons. Adorable. I can’t wait until we get to go meet him and his family. We are getting ready to send them a Christmas present. We have to do it early so that Compassion has time to deliver everything. Kwizera’s birthday is in January, so we will send him a birthday gift as well.

Anyways, happy Thursday.

I’m out.

Laughter Is The Best Medicine…..Really.

Sometimes, it takes me reading a bible verse over and over again before I really fully understand it. That happened to me yesterday. I was reading in Proverbs (it comes highly recommended) and succeeded to 15:15 which reads “All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.” Honestly, when I read it I thought “oh sure, another verse that talks about how wicked we all are.” But I was so, so wrong. I read it again. Then again. Then again. And finally I discerned everything that one verse was conveying. It is simply telling us to laugh. Laughing cheers us up. It really is the best medicine. I say this because it says so in the Bible. Proverbs 17:22 reads “A cheerful heart is good medicine.”

Supposedly, people have prolonged death from sickness because of laughter. I am not sure if this is true or not, but I believe it. I can see how it might be possible. And laughter draws people to you. It’s contagious and it lightens your load. Being able to laugh at yourself and your crazy life situations makes you a stronger, more courageous person. You gain a different perspective on life, even if it’s just for that split second. Some people have a life without laughter. I ache and pray for those people.

A happy heart makes the face cheerful. A cheerful face makes people smile. And a smile just may lead to a laugh. And a laugh makes the heart happy. You see the circle?

Oh, guess what? Andy and I received a letter from Kwizera (the little boy we are sponsoring in Rwanda) and his mother. I don’t have the letter with me right now, but I will post what the letter says later. It is so heartfelt.

I’m out!

“When people are laughing, they’re generally not killing each other.”
-Alan Alda

This Will Blow Your Mind (So Prepare For Your Brain To Explode)

If there is one thing that boggles my mind the most it is astronomy. I started thinking about this after I read CNN’s news article on Saturn.

Apparently, they found another huge ring around Saturn. So huge, that it would take about a billion Earths to fill it. Imagine how big the world is, and times it by a billion and that is one small aspect of the solar system, which is one small aspect of the galaxy, which is one TINY aspect of the universe. You still with me?

Check this out:

This is one star cluster that has about 10 million stars. 10 million. Some of these stars are light years away. In case you can’t grasp how long a light year is, it is equivalent to about 5,878,630,000,000 miles (5.8 trillion miles). Yes. 5.8 trillion. In ONE light year. So, this one star cluster in this one galaxy has stars that can be separated by more than one light year.

And of course there is the parsec. A parsec is equal to about 3.25 light years. Most galaxies are 1,000 to 100,000 parsecs in diameter. Each galaxy is probably separated in the order of about a million parsecs. There are an estimated of 100 billion OBSERVABLE galaxies. Holy. Cow.

The Milky Way galaxy is about 100,000 light years long in diameter or 30, 769 parsecs. So it’s pretty big. But in the grand scheme of things, it is only one tiny aspect of the entire universe.

I could talk about this all day, but I don’t want your brain to explode. It just amazes me how little we are compared to the entire universe. I mean…whoa.

Sorry I am such a nerd. I’m out.

“What makes the universe so hard to comprehend is that there’s nothing to compare it with.”

Oh Fall How I’ve Missed You

I have been MIA. I am very sorry for my lack of posting. One, I have not had much to write about. Two, I have not had much time to write. I feel like the last month has been the month of weddings. Which is great. I love weddings.

I absolutely LOVE this time of year. Fall is my favorite season (football has a little to do with it). I love the cool air and the pretty leaves. I would really like to experience fall in Maine or somewhere in the Northeast. I can imagine how beautiful it is there. I also love this weather because it is PERFECT camping weather. However, I am still a little skittish from our lightening experience the last time we camped. I did not post that story for whatever reason. So now seems like a good time to tell our near death experience.

Back in August Andy and I went camping at Wind Creek in Alex City. We picked a spot right on Lake Martin. We had planned on staying for two nights, three days. On day number 2 around 5:00 we decided to put some corn on the cob on the grill. As Andy was preparing I was getting the picnic table ready. Then, a massive(and very sudden) thunderstorm blew our way. So sudden, that all we had time for was grabbing our dry bathing suits, towels, and shirts off of the clothes line. We threw everything we could in the tent to keep it dry. It started raining so hard and lightening so much that we did not want to run all the way to the bathhouse. We could not see 5 feet in front of us because it was raining so hard. We sat at the picnic table under the tarp (which was blowing so hard that we were still getting soaked). I remember looking towards the lake and seeing a fishing boat speeding by and no one was in it. The wind had blown it away from its residence.

We had white Christmas lights strung up around the site for extra light at night. The storm blew in so quickly that, by the time we realized they were plugged in, we would have been struck by lightening trying to unplug them. I remember thinking that we should have unplugged them. The second I thought about it, lightening struck the pine tree that the lights were wrapped around and blew the strand (and some of the tree) to shreds. We were probably 7 feet from where the tree was struck. We saw the sparks right in front of us. At that second, I had a small jolt run through my body ( the left side down through my leg to be exact). I looked at Andy and we were both frozen for a few seconds, and then we were both catching our breaths. It was the strangest feeling ever. It was sort of awesome. We looked at our tent and the wind blew the rain tarp off. Everything inside of tent was drenched: the sheets, pillows, bags, books, and air mattress. The fan that I have to have on to sleep at night was also destroyed.

As we stood helplessly in the rain, Andy looked at me and asked “Well, what do you want to do?” Quickly I responded, “I want to go home.” “Good,” he said. “Me too.” So while it was still pouring (the lightening was no longer rampant) we packed up the car as quickly as we could.

In the midst of packing up, several people (including our neighbors with the camper) found us to ask us if we were okay. They said it looked like a fireworks show from where they were. One lady across the lake from us said that she saw us swimming earlier and noticed how cute and happy we were. So, when her husband told her lightening struck our tent, she drove over to find us to see if we were okay. She was so sweet. It turns out, the runaway boat that flew by us during the storm was her son’s boat that they borrowed. The couple next to us in the camper said they were scared for us and tried to get us to come over there. She said they had towels ready for us and everything. We all found the tree that the lightening hit. It wasn’t hard to miss. The whole top half was charred.

So we headed out 12 hours early. About halfway home the sun peaked out of the clouds and we saw the most beautiful sunset. Then, I looked at Andy and said “Danggit! We left the corn!” We laughed the whole entire way home. It was my first camping experience and our first one together. One for the record books. Andy was so good throughout the whole thing. He kept me calm and we just did everything together and laughed together. I would not have changed that trip one bit.

We have a camping trip planned for the 4th weekend in October. It’s a trip that Andy’s family and family friends do every year. The campsite has pumpkin carving and trick or treating for the kids. We are looking forward to it. His family jokingly said they would save us a spot a few hundred yards away. I can’t say that I blame them.

Here are some pictures from that trip.

campsite

sunset campfire

Andy =)

right before the storm hit

In other news, another one of my best friends got married this past weekend. Check these out.

perfect day for the wedding!

so sweet

Sorry for the long post. That’s what happens when I don’t post for weeks.

I’m out.

Answers

Lately I have been stressed. I stress a good bit. It’s just part of who I am.

But lately, it’s felt like more than just stress. I can’t put my finger on it, but I feel like something is not right. The past few days I have just felt, well….. discouraged and confused I guess. I am officially in a rut. And I can’t seem to weasel my way out.

Tonight, before it became windy, dark, and stormy I went for a little run. It’s what I do when I get stressed. However, after I ran I felt even more stressed and confused. That normally does not happen. But instead of just running, listening to whatever randomly plays on the ipod, and enjoying being outside, I thought about everything that could possibly be bothering me for the entire 2 miles. And I could not stop myself from doing it.

So after I ran, I did something that I have never done before in my entire life. I turned to sweets to make me feel better. So I went to SoHo Sweets and got a big scoop of cookies n’ cream ice cream in a chocolate dipped waffle cone. I know, it was deliciously bad for me. And it did not make me feel any better. In fact, it made me feel worse because then I realized that I ran, and then canceled that out. Normally when I am stressed, I don’t eat. I guess you can say I was desperate.

So then I thought that I would listen to some music on my way back home. So I did. When I arrived home, I realized that, not surprisingly, it did not help either.

So after I showered, I decided to begin my nightly Bible reading. Our pastor challenged us to read the Bible in 90 days. It’s roughly 12 pages a night. Anyways, I decided to go ahead and do that and then turn in early for the night.

As I was reading, I almost immediately came across two verses that screamed at me. I first read Deuteronomy 31, which is about Moses dying and Joshua succeeding him in the journey to cross the Jordan. Verse 8 says “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged.”

I read that verse several times thinking to myself “Wow, what an uplifting verse.” Of the whole chapter, it was the only verse that really caught my attention.

Then Joshua chapter 1:9 reads “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

What’s funny is that, in the 15 pages I read tonight, those are the only verses that stuck out to me. Because I was so distracted, I hardly caught the rest of what I was reading (and will need to go back and read it again tomorrow). But when I read these verses, they stuck with me. Those are the verses that my heart reached to. Those are the verses that my eyes read over and over again. Those are the verses that pertain to my life, at this very moment. Those are the verses God wanted me to read.

Needless to say, God and I had a bit of a “come- to- Jesus” tonight (no pun intended). I realized that, instead of directly turning to Him, I turned to running, ice cream (with sprinkles), music, and even floundering in my own self-pity. I should have automatically turned to Him. We all struggle with that, though. Sometimes we want answers and we want them right away. But, we just can’t do that. It’s not how God works, silly.

I haven’t written anything in a while and thought this might suffice until next time.

I’m out.

“Sometimes questions are more important than answers.”
-Nancy Willard

My Beloved Montevallo

I wanted to write a post about what’s going on with President Williams at Montevallo. But my friend Luke said it best, so I will put a link to his blog on here. What he wrote is EXACTLY what I think about the situation.

But first, let me give you a run down. President Williams came to Montevallo in 2006, right in the middle of my 4 years there. As soon as he became the President, The University’s moral was unbelievable. The students and faculty were full of hope and extremely excited about the future. We all knew that he would bring great things to the University. Since I have graduated a new, beautiful dorm has been built and, as far as I know, the enrollment -as well as enrollment of international students- at Montevallo has increased (please correct me if I am wrong). But as soon as he tries to do something that would make the University even better academically, they turn against him. And now, he is threatening to leave if he doesn’t have their support. To be honest with you, I can’t blame him.

President Williams, I support you in all that you do. I appreciate your hard work and dedication to the University. We are all behind you in your endeavors and I can only hope that you will stay and our beloved Montevallo.

Now, here is the link to Luke’s article about the latest at Montevallo and Dr. Williams’ idea to bring an MBA program to the University of Montevallo. Thanks for letting me steal it, Luke.

http://luke-sha.net/

*Sidenote* I feel the need to add something else. I do not hate anyone on the Board of Trustees. I think the Board is full of intelligent and supportive members. It is only several members that do not agree with the issue. I do NOT, by any means, want to take anything away from the Board members. I know that they have supported President Williams on many other issues. And for that, I am grateful.

Simple Pleasures

Last night I went out to eat with some of my friends from high school. I had a couple of hours to kill before we ate, so I went Books-A-Million and Wal-Mart. My intentions were to spend most of my time in Wal-Mart. I had to go pick up some baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and vinegar. We found a home remedy on removing cat pee from the carpet (don’t get me started on that. That’s a whole new issue that would open a can of worms. Everywhere. So I’ll refrain from telling you about the cat’s shinnanigans). It’s amazing all of the funny looks you get when you are walking around with that combination of things in your hand speed walking because you think are going to be late. I sped to the self-checkout because I did not want to get any weird looks from the cashier (not that it would matter), and because it would be much quicker. I forgot, however, that there was always someone in the front watching over the self-checkout lines. She definitely watched me, a bit interested. When I left, she said “Have a nice night.” I replied, “Oh…I will.” The look on her face was absolutely priceless.

Anyways, before my trip to Wal-Mart I stopped by Books-A-Million. I was really just going to browse and see if I could find the book “The Shack.” My friend recommended it to me. However, after I found the book (I did not end up buying it…yet) I decided to browse. I spent and hour and a half in there. I saw about 5 books that are on my to-read list. I did not buy any of them because I am still working on two other books. But I hope to go back there and buy them all soon. I finally looked at my watch and realized that I still needed to head to the store, so I sprinted out without purchasing anything.

I have always loved to read, but during college I never read for fun. I was a history major, so anything I read was about the Bolsheviks or the Civil War or the colonization of America. And I had to retain certain things, like what I thought was important, so that I could make an argument about it in a 20 page paper. Don’t get me wrong, I loved reading them. And I love finding an argument and supporting it. But I was never able to choose what I wanted to read. And I was never able to just read for fun, not worrying about whether I am retaining what’s really important. These days, I wind down every night with a good book and an occasional glass of White Zin. I feel like I can escape vacate to a different, more exciting and relaxing world for an hour. I learn so much from reading. Books are honest. It’s another one of my simple pleasures. I wish I were creative enough (and smart enough) to be a writer. I am very thankful that others are.

Alright, enough of my silly ramblings. I’m out.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
-Dr. Suess