Sunday, October 31, 2010

Just a fun Thursday

We had such a fun day a couple weeks ago!  It started out with Emmy & I painting leaves.  It was her first time trying a paint brush.  All I had were the really small handles, but she did pretty good.  Then she decided that we needed to go back to finger painting. 

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I decided it was such a nice day for that late in the year that we needed to have a picnic.  I called G’ma & G’pa and we headed down to the Waterworks Park to enjoy some food from the Dairy Twist.  There was a stray cat at the park that captivated Emmy’s interest.  After lunch we tried some of the toys.  G’pa took her down the slide, but she wasn’t really feeling anything except the swing.  It was such a great day and we totally enjoyed ourselves!

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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

31 Goals Update

I have big plans on accomplishing or at least making some very good progress towards a few goals in November.  Standby for an update in the near future (well, it would have to be near because I believe November is just about upon us).

In unrelated goal news, we have been enjoying absolutely wonderful weather in our neck of the woods…well, except for the tornado warning today.  The temperatures have been amazing.  I spent almost the entire afternoon outdoors Sunday.  My lovely neighbors were kind enough to split some of their perennials and then help me plant them in my flower beds.  We knew today the bad weather was coming in the afternoon so Emmy and I got up and walked to the post office and then spent some time on the neighbors’ porch with G’pa before taking a ride in the toy car.  I wish this weather would last for a while longer…

Okay, so on to the updates:

#1. Get back into church.

Well, I’ve been teaching a Jr./Sr. High Sunday School class.  I’ve taught two classes so far.  I think that means I’ve got at least a foot in the door, don’t ya think?

#6. Make a 2nd quilt.

The quilt blocks are stacked up and numbered and ready to be sewn into a quilt topper.  Yeah!  I think the hardest part about quilting is getting to this point.  Selecting fabric, washing fabric, ironing fabric, cutting fabric, sewing squares, ironing again and then laying the squares out into the perfect quilt…that’s a lot of work and not much to show for it.  Now it will soon start looking like a quilt.  This time I’m not scared about the actual quilting.  I’m really excited…even though this quilt is going to be larger than my first one.

#14. Read 20 books.

Well, if you read the post below you should know that I read Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest by Wayne Muller for the Bloom book club.

I also got the next two books of the “I Heart Bloomberg” series by Melody Carlson: Let Them Eat Fruitcake & Spring Broke.  There’s only one more left, I think.  I also read Carlson’s second book Hometown Ties in the “Four Lindas” series.  I also read two more books from the Grace Chapel Inn series: Spring is in the Air & Amazing Gracie.

I decided tonight to take the plunge and start reading the Twilight series.  I’ve watched the first two movies on DVD and had been debating for awhile about reading the books. Wish me luck on that one folks!

Running total: 9/20

#30. Watch 20 movies.

I watched Diary of a Mad Black Woman the other night on TBS.  I love Tyler Perry!  He is so funny!  Last night I watched The Last Song while doing some sewing.  I was surprised.  I really can’t stand Miley Cyrus, but if you can get past the fact that she’s in there (which is easy because she’s looking nothing like Hannah Montana) it’s a really good movie.   Oh, I almost forgot about Date Night.  That was laugh out loud funny!

Running total: 6/20

Remember the Sabbath

Our Bloom Book Club is getting ready to discuss Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest by Wayne Muller next week.  I checked it out of the local library, but someone else (maybe another Local “Bloom”er ?) has it reserved so I can’t renew it so I wanted to write down a few things so I won’t forget.  So I thought maybe I would share them here and maybe peak someone else’s interest in the Sabbath. This is just random stuff…

God lays forth in the Ten Commandments: Remember the Sabbath. “Remember that everything you have received is a blessing. Remember to delight in your life, in the fruits of your labor. Remember to stop and offer thanks for the wonder of it.’ Remember, as if we would forget. Indeed, the assumption is that we will forget. And history has prove that, given enough time, we will. ‘Remember the Sabbath’ is not simply a life-style suggestion. It is a spiritual precept in most of the world’s spiritual traditions – ethical precepts that include prohibitions against killing, stealing and lying” (p. 6-7).

“So let us remember the Sabbath. Let us breathe deeply in the rhythms of life, of the earth, of action and rest. Traditionally, Sabbath is honored by lighting candles, gathering in worship and prayer, blessing children, singing songs, keeping silence, walking, reading scripture, making love, sharing a meal. Just as we must wait until the darkness falls before we can see the stars, so does the Sabbath quietly wait for us. As darkness falls, as the light of the world fades and disappears, we light the inner lights of home and refuge. Our steps take us home, and the light draws us in” (p. 11).

We need to have a Sabbath rest because it is in the rhythm of creation.  “The fruit contains the seed, and the seed contains the fruit. What we harvest in this seasons provides the seed for the next season. In Sabbath time we taste the fruit of our labor, and prepare the seeds for the week to come. If we are too busy, if we do not rest, we miss this rhythm. One day we look up and it is winter, and where are the fall days, brisk and clear, leaves ablaze?” (p. 67).

“Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.” – Rabbi Abraham Heschel

The Hebrews had a strict set of rules to abide by in the Old Testament about what they could and could not do on the Sabbath.  Working in the fields was definitely out.  Every seventh year they would celebrate the Sabbath year.  During this year, nothing was planted in the fields.  They would only harvest what would grow on its own. “This served as a dramatic reminder that it was not their work alone, but God and the earth who fed them…The Sabbath teaching was clear: Nothing really belongs to us. It is all – lands, wealth, loved ones, life itself – on loan from God” (p. 206).

From Ecclesiastes: “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun.”

Muller gives many different ways in which people might observe Sabbath in their lives. These are a few that I found beneficial to myself:  

  • Light a Sabbath Candle
  • Chose a heavily used device or appliance (computer, TV, washer, phone, etc.) and let it rest for a Sabbath period.
  • Prepare a Sabbath meal
  • “Bless your children, your lover, your friend, by placing your hand on their head, and offering a prayer for their healing, their well-being, their happiness.”  Or secretly bless strangers on the street.
  • Observe a period of silence so that you may hear.
  • Take a Sabbath walk – quietly, slowly and with no purpose, other than “to let your soul catch up with you.”
  • Spend time in nature.
  • Prayer
  • Play: “When we engage in ‘purposeless’ enjoyment of one another, we harvest some of the sweetest fruits of life.”

Sunday, October 17, 2010

How My Blog Got It’s Name

So, you may wonder why my blog is called “While I’m Waiting…”  Well, I named it after the song of the same name by John Waller.  It’s featured on the soundtrack to the movie Fireproof.  The words kind of resonate with my season in life right now:  What job am I going to have?  Will I ever be blessed with a husband?  What am I supposed to do about a lot of things?  Waiting can be unnerving.  It’s easy to get discouraged.  It’s even easier to be nervous.  However, waiting in the Lord, giving Him your problems and situations and desires, He will help you to be patient.  He will help you wait.  He will give you the strength it takes.  It’s not easy to not have all the answers and it is hard to trust someone else with the writing of your story, but I am so glad that He already knows the beginning, middle and end to my days.  So While I’m Waiting…I will be hopeful…I will be patient…I will {try} to be confident…I will {try} to be obedient…I will worship…I will {hopefully} not faint (lol)…I will run the race.

While I’m Waiting by John Waller

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait
I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Monday, October 11, 2010

How I Celebrated My B-Day

Well, this year I celebrated my birthday for an entire weekend.  We started with going to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, which I have to agree with my sister that they should drop the Aquarium…not much happening in that department.  So Friday we – Mom & Scott, Nick, Bean & Emmy – headed to the zoo on like the hottest day of September.

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Emmy on her 3rd trip of the year to the Zoo.

 

 

 

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This is one of the two Polar Bear sisters that the Zoo has. 

Emmy wasn’t feeling the Polar Bears much that day. 

 

 

 

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The Zoo has two brown bears.  These guys are brothers.  A tour guide was there and told about how they came to the Zoo.  Their mother charged at a man & his dog on a trail.  The man was able to get away. Later, a park ranger went up to check it out.  The bear again charged at him and he had to shoot.  And then out of the bush came two little bear cubs.  So the orphan cubs were brought to live at the Zoo.  This day they were very active and were fighting with each other.  Did you know that brown bears don’t like to get their ears wet?

 

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Only one of the two tigers were out.  The tiger just kept walking beside the window, back and forth, back and forth.  I think he may have been guarding the huge bone off to the corner of the window.

 

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Is this how Scott really got injured??

 

 

 

 

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1. Emmy    2. I think this seahorse daddy was “pregnant”.  3. The temp in the shade…very hot for late Sept.

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1. & 2.  Nick is so funny.  Glad that he became my brother!!   3. Scott & Mom

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1. Deuces   2. The best way to end a day at the Zoo is dancing to the musical fountain.  Especially when it was “Hang on Sloopy”. 

We ended Friday with a stop at The Cheesecake Factory for (what else?) cheesecake.

Saturday was my actual birthday.  I watched the beginning and end of the Ohio State game. In between, I took photos of Katy (see previous post).   Then Sunday evening we had a family dinner.

It was a very nice time doing my favorite things…hanging with my family, watching Ohio State, taking pictures and eating cheesecake.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Beautiful Katy

As soon as Katy facebooked me asking if I would take pictures of her for Homecoming, I was so excited!  I knew that this would be a super fun shoot!  And it was!  We spent 2 hours driving around to different locations in town and in the country.  I ended up taking 624 pictures.  My cousin Bobby tagged along as the photographer assistant.  So here are some pictures of Katy...isn't she absolutely beautiful?!?!

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I’m probably only 1/3 done with editing.  She’s such a great model that nearly every picture turned out.  That makes it real hard to pick out which photos are “the best of the best.”  But for a photographer, that’s a great thing!  Thanks Katy for asking me to do this…it was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday!!  Rumor is I might get to shoot this lovely lady’s senior pictures.  Could I be that lucky?

As for my goal of taking 20,000 pictures this year: it was my birthday so these pictures are the first to count towards the goal.  I’m 624 of 20,000. And that, my friends, was just 2 hours.

October is here!

It is hard to believe October is here already. Where has the last few weeks gone? Well, the good thing is that despite time marching on rather quickly I have managed to make some progress on a few goals. I thought I would update y'all on that.


#30. Watch 20 movies.

I watched Letters to Juliet and The Bounty Hunter. Last Saturday, my little brother Nick and I went into town and got Chipotle. Then we came home and watched The Love Guru...his choice, not mine...lol. So that's three movies down.

#14. Read 20 books.

I recently discovered two new series that I have fallen in love with, both by Melody Carlson. I just happened to find As Young As We Feel on the new releases shelf at the library. This series is about "Four Lindas" who were elementary school friends. They reunite at their high school reunion many years later and it all moves on from there.

When I went back to get the sequel, I couldn't find it on the new release shelf so I went back to the Carlson section to see if I could locate it. Somebody had checked it out. But while looking there, I ran across I Heart Bloomberg. This series is about four girls in their 20s who move into a house together. It was a very quick read and I can't wait to read the other books in the series.

I also read What She Left for Me. About 1/3 of the way thru, I started to think that maybe I had read this book before. But I'm still not quite sure. I usually can recall these things fairly well...maybe it was just similar to another book's plot? Anyways, this book is about a preacher's wife who returns home from a mission trip to Africa to find that her husband has taken off with all their money...and the church's secretary! She has no where to go but to live with her estranged mother and eccentric aunt. Whether this was the first read or second, it was a good book.

What I love about all three of these novels is they are all Christian fiction. I absolutely love this genre! I discovered it about three years ago. I didn't get to read much the last two years because I was back in school finishing my BA. Those days were spent reading text books and research articles. Now I'm getting to do more reading for fun!! For all you local people, these are all available @ the John McIntire Library System.

#7. Take 20,000 pictures.

I started to tackle this one right away. On my birthday, I had the absolute priviledge of taking pictures of my dear friend Katy in her homecoming dress. We went all over the place in search of the perfect shots. We ended up taking 624 pictures in about 2 hours. It was so much fun! According to the calculator, I'm 1/32 the way done. Yeah! I think that's pretty good for only being 2 weeks in.


That's about it for now on the updates. I'm planning to do more blogging now that I at least have a temporary header. Enjoy the beautiful fall weekend!