Category Archives: Random

June 22, 2012 · 11:25 pm

What I learn in Cash Office

Cash office is my time to think. It is my time to “journal” in my mind. I think of random things, funny things, even songs or movies will come to mind. It is like my own talk show for two hours. Combine that with my ever-present cup of coffee, it looks like an idea situation. 🙂

Today, random thoughts started formulating in my mind. One thing led to another when all of a sudden my mind started simmering with thoughts of yesterday’s work experience, which had caused me to become angry. I realized that I was starting to let my mind boil with angry thoughts, when really all was said and done and was not that big of a deal. I caught myself and thought, “Why is it so hard to let go of things?”

I see this pattern in my life. If I get hurt (or wounded pride) by someone then I get defensive. It has caused some severe damage in relationships in the past. Things I regret saying, but I know that I am forgiven by those I hurt and God. So I must let it go. Once I realized that I was starting to steam today, God brought to mind of things I should be thinking about instead:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-25, ESV

Love

It is easy to say the word love. I say it about everything–“I love this” or “I love that”. But when it comes to relationships, to say “I love you” means that I need to love as God loves. God loves unconditional. Sure, it is easy to love your family. But what about the homeless, the forgotten, the ones in prison, drug addicts or your enemies? Romans 12:9-21 talks about love in action. “Love must be sincere…Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves” (verse 9a-10). If I choose who I love, then I am a hypocrite. I must also love God with my whole heart. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself'”. Luke 10:27. Pretty simple–Love God, love others, love myself (and in that order). 🙂

Joy

Psalm 30 is a song of joy. “Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (verse 4-5). Isaiah 55:12 also says, “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” There are so many other verses or songs that came to mind. There are some days when I think, “What could I possibly be joyful about today?” I think that is just it…it is backwards! Hope is joy! Even in the darkest times, there is hope…and in that we can have joy! It is not easy though. Sorrows come, but they only last for a moment compared to the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. And that brings joy. 🙂

Peace

First thing I thought of was when Jesus calmed the storm. He had been sleeping in the boat and the disciples woke Him in fear of the storm. “And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm,” Mark 4:39. The peace that God gives is enough to calm any storm…even when nothing seems possible. The months following the blood clot–everything just seemed so restless and confusing. Then I asked God for peace. It came. It was still the hardest time of my life, but it came. It is in those moments that you understand that God is in control and you just have to trust Him. “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10a.

Patience

If you have ever seen Lord of the Rings, you will note that Smeagol and Gollum are the same character but two different personalities. Smeagol is the good and Gollum is the bad. In the Return of the King, Smeagol and Gollum are talking while Frodo and Sam are sleeping. They (Smeagol and Gollum) want the Precious (the Ring). Smeagol does not want to hurt Frodo, but Gollum keeps convincing him that they cannot have the Precious without it. Gollum keeps telling Smeagol to have patience.

Life always seems in a hurry: Always on the go, never wanting to wait, must have now style. Patience can mean waiting five minutes in the line at the grocery store or waiting a few months for a friend who is planning on visiting. I think patience is also where we get anticipation. While we wait, we get anticipation. When we hurry while waiting, we get antsy. For me, this is my worst problem! I am not very patient when it comes to time. I don’t like racing against time. I don’t like being late. I am not a very nice person if we are in a hurry and going to be late. It is where my OCD shines bright. I set my alarm and check it a few more times even though I know it is set.

Many things in life can test my patience, such as waiting for a representative on the phone but instead being on hold for forever. But being patient has great rewards. Imagine if a pregnant lady was not patient during her 9 months of the child in the womb! When the baby does come, there is much joy! Right now, I am learning to have patience and pray about a few needs in my life. And I know God has in mind exactly the answer, but I have to wait until His perfect timing reveals them.

Kindness

There is an old Steve Green song that sings,

Be kind to one another, and build each other up.

Build each other up. Build each other up!

Be kind to one another, and build each other up.

Up, up, up, up, up, up, up!

I think giving sincere compliments to one another is a way to build each other up. Gossip is a way to tear each other down. It always happens to me: I start talking about someone and they come walking behind me. Not a very fun experience. Best way is, “If you can’t say anything nice…don’t say it at all!” Or Ephesians 4:29 says, ” Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

To me, kindness goes along with Goodness. You can be kind in words or deeds. Likewise with goodness. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven,” Matthew 5:14-16.

Faithfulness

I think the best way to say this is–God is faithful! I have seen it time and time again in my life from small details to big events. Most importantly though…I want to be faithful to God, because He is so faithful to me. One of my favorite hymns is “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”

“Great is Thy faithfulness”, O God my Father. There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not. As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

“Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy  faithfulness!” Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—”Great is Thy  faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

Gentleness

We used to own rabbits. They were so soft and when you pet them, you did it gently as not to scare them. I often think of God’s gentleness in terms of His peace. Isaiah 66:13a says, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.” Believe it or not, but my real full name means “Gentle.” Although sometimes I am far from that, I thought to myself how I could be more gentle (not just my name). I can be more patient, kind to others even when they are rude, less prideful, less selfish, more compassionate, more loving, more encouraging. It is amazing how something such as gentleness can appear so small, yet impact so big.

Self-control

This is another. It is like a bad habit. I think for any individual there are different areas that need to have more self-control. A few months ago, I deleted my Facebook. Why? That is everyone’s question. Mine too. But I know that for a few years since I started it, my self-control of time spent on FB has been in quite a battle. I tried a lot of things: staying off every other week, only getting on a few times a week, even just once a day. But I kept coming back to the same thing: FB was my obsession. One night as I logged off, I just knew it was time. Ignoring the thought, I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. And then it came: You should delete your obsession.

Getting rid of an obsession is not always that easy–and believe me…it stinks! But for right now, while I learn more about self-control in the little things in life, that is what I need to be doing. All these Fruits of the Spirit are a never-ending cycle of lessons learned and to be learned. It is life, because we are Being.

Today in cash office–what could have been an anger session in my mind turned into a lesson. God showed me areas that I can improve on in life. Thanks for letting me share my thoughts with you all. More to come…

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June 16, 2012 · 11:59 pm

A day in Pompeii.

Have you ever seen the early ’90’s classic TV show called, Saved by the Bell? I find the show reruns to be very humorous. Anyway, on the show…Zach Morris is the main character. He is the one who comes up with the schemes and plans that usually get him into trouble. When things start going haywire, Zach says, “Time out!” using a “T” motion with his hands and the screenplay freezes while Zach talks about a new direction that the conversation or series of events should go about.

So, if you read my last post about the start of my Colorado trip added with the excitement of showing you more pictures and the “What am I?” game–in keeping with the football theme–I would like to call a time out. 🙂

Yesterday, my mom and I set out for Cincinnati for an appointment. Although this time it was not at Children’s Hospital but the Good Samaritan Hospital a few minutes down the road. There ended up being more one way streets than we anticipated so a few times around the block passing a huge high school (think High School Musical look) and the University of Cincinnati, we finally found our destination. The appointment went well and fast (just an occupational therapy test, so no worries of much going on). Since we were on a different section of town, we decided to check out the Cincinnati Museums Center.

Here it is: home to several museums, Cincinnati Amtrak and a research library. Also home of the Pompeii exhibit until August 12, 2012!!  I liked the structure of the building. On the front by the doors it has in the stone an inscription of 1931 along with information of the time capsule there.

You view Cincinnati from the parking lot…

…but it is the inside that captures your attention!

We each ate a slice of pizza and made our way down to the Pompeii exhibit by 1:30. Phenomenal! It reminded me of touring a museum in Greece. Seeing the artifacts up close…most of the styles were mimics of Greek art anyway. Pompeii was a Roman city during Emperor Vespasian. The city was filled with temples to the gods, mostly to Baccus–the god of wine and vegetation–because the area was very fertile there with grapes, olives, grains. Also, Neptune–the god of the sea and Apollo–god of the sun were very popular, but you saw mamy different statues. During the exhibit, there were also a lot of fauns.

The displays were set up like you were walking through a section or street of town. They showed how they did laundry (definitely not how we do it today…be thankful someone invented bleach!); their markets, how they cooked, their private rooms, how they bathed (extremely clean people…the women even wore makeup!); the amphitheatre with gladiators and their armor; the house structures and gardens. They even had a system of pipes to bring clean water into the house while another section of the pipe went out to their gardens. Their foyer areas when you walked in the house set the tone of the house. One had a tile art of a dog and the inscription said, “Beware of the dog.” Interesting, huh!? I think the house structures were my favorite to learn about. They even had a pool in that front foyer area that would collect rain water. They had artifacts of all things: pots, pans, wine vessel, water buckets, dentist and doctor tools, jewelry, mirrors, garden statues and pillars, and statues of the gods. To think all this and the people were frozen in time all these years.

As you went through towards the end, the mood started to shift. It became more quiet. Then they had this video that played continuous about the last 24 hours of Pompeii. It was set up like you were viewing the city looking at Mt. Vesuvius. The morning around 8am looks normal, then by 1pm it is raining balls of ashes that was burning the city. By the end, you hardly see anything. It is said that what killed most people of Pompeii was the pyroclastic cloud which basically just suffocated them almost immediately. Pompeii was lost under almost 13 feet of ashes. It was not rediscovered until the mid 1700’s! When they started finding the bodies, they made a plastic cast of the original and that is what we saw. The detail. The expressions.

This one might have been a slave. See the shackles on his feet? Those are real.

This one is a dog. The sign talked about how the owner probably had chained the dog to guard the house and then it tried to escape. The metal rings on its collar are real.

Pompeii and Herculaneum were completely destroyed yet preserved when the volcano erupted in 79 AD.

The exhibit quoted much of Pliny the Younger’s letters to Tacticus (who was a historian). I read that Pliny the Elder (uncle of Pliny the Younger) was killed in Pompeii. Pliny the Younger wrote two letters…they would be a great place to start reading if you are interested for more information. He gives eye-witness accounts. I own Tacticus’ The Annals of Imperial Rome, but hope to get to read Pliny’s letters soon. The amount of things to read never ends. That is why I find history so compelling!

I got a little silly when we left–

Here I am imitating a way that a person of authority would pose in a manner when they were about to make an address to the peoples. You see it on statues all the time:

When I got home, I announced to the family that the next time we are eating dinner and I want to say my two cents worth in the conversation, I will raise my hands like this…just wait until I do it at a restaurant. HAHA.

Ceasar demonstrates speaking to the crowd at the ampitheatre.

More to come…

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June 13, 2012 · 10:18 pm

Kick off.

Sorry if you were expecting a post about football. Although being in Broncos territory for 11 days was fantastic! In fact, I just put a Broncos bumper sticker on my car next to my “Colorado” bumper sticker. 🙂

During my time in Colorado, I had many thoughts. It was a time of reflection. My conversations with friends were as if I had never left. And, I realized that while all my years of looking at the mountains for my sense of direction was brilliant, I took them for granted. They never seemed so big to me as when I stared at them during the trip. I kept thinking of the verse in Psalm 97 where it reads:

The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.

(verse 5-6)

My time in Denver was amazing! I got to see so many more friends and places than I was anticipating. It was during those days that I asked God, “Remind me again why I moved from this place and all these people that I love?” I don’t think God really answered my question, because I already knew the answer. So, I just enjoyed every minute of each day. Here are some highlights of Denver: my best friend from my home town renewed her vows on their 2nd year anniversary. It was a beautiful mountain wedding ceremony. In church on Sunday, I surprised the people in the Deaf section whom I had known. They had no idea I was in town and were so surprised when I walked in. 🙂 I got to meet Baby M for the first time!!! He is SO CUTE!! I got to see my old professor and a few old roommates. And I got to see my dear friends from Westside during a dinner at Senior Burritos!!!

On the way out of Denver, we stopped at “Grandma G’s” to say hello! Then we took 285 south to my hometown area in the San Luis Valley. I snapped a bunch of pictures of the scenery! The sky was so blue. I spent the next three days seeing my sister and brother-in-law. We all stayed at a cabin in South Fork. We went to Creede, hiked to Treasure Falls, did some fishing (well, I sat and talked to my sister during that time) and enjoyed a bit of mountain air (I could not get enough of it…literally, I was wheezing!) We also visited our home church during their VBS and I got to see my friends at my old work place.

Friday morning, my parents drove me up to Pueblo for another wedding. It was my roommate of 5 1/2 years during college days. Another beautiful wedding! We had a fun time hanging out in the city of Pueblo. I enjoyed getting to know their families, because I had only known the bride and groom. It was a great way to end the vacation.

I am so thankful for the renewing time in Colorado. I am excited to get to share with you more stories and pictures in the days to come. 🙂 But first, our kick off will be a picture game. It is the game of “What am I?” See if you can guess what the picture is. Ready?

Can you guess what I am? 🙂 Hint: One of Mel’s favorite things in Colorado! (Besides the mountains! LOL).

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May 31, 2012 · 2:32 am

Colorado

My thoughts the past few days have been consumed with memories. Colorado. Mmmm, it has been a long time since I have sat down and been totally overwhelmed with thoughts, especially of my favorite things, people and places. Sort of like a noun…a noun can be people, places, things or an idea. There is also proper nouns. Colorado. It sort of fits in all those categories! That is a pretty good noun!!!! 🙂

Blue skies, no humidity, snow peaks, sunsets, friends, family, and my favorite city in the world: Denver.

I love Denver. I loved the neighborhood I lived in…it put me ten minutes from the mountains and less than ten minutes from Downtown. People would ask where I was from. “Denver,” I replied. It sounded so cool. Denver is home of my favorite sports teams, coffee shops, and parks. I also thought the art museum was amazing, bonus free admission on the first Saturday of the month. Denver on the map makes sense. The streets are numbered horizontally and most streets going vertically go from farthest north to farthest south. Sometimes I would just get in my car and drive around the city. By the time I left, I was a city driver! I could even parallel park Downtown!

There is so much about Denver that I love. Most of my thoughts this week were of Denver. Of my “family” I left behind. Thoughts just came at different moments during the day…the fun memories, the bad memories, the places I visited often or drove past daily. College memories. Post-grad life. My old roommates and the times we had together. Walking across the street to my best friend’s apartment to hang out. My first paintings. Going to work in the morning with the sun rising in my rear view mirror…while I was looking towards the purple mountains and blue sky out of my front windshield. Hanging out with my downtown ministry on Thursdays…there is not a day that goes by where I do not think of those kids.

It is hard to believe that a whole year has come and gone. It was last year during this week that I was saying my goodbyes. The year has been a crazy one! Far more than I ever dreamed of, but still…Denver holds that title…”Home.” I think it will just always have that title.

But there is so much more of Colorado to see past the cities. Although I must say Colorado Springs was another favorite place!! You get past the cities to the small towns in the mountains (or at least surrounded by mountains). The ranches, cattle, crops, rodeos!!! My sister and I shared a room that faced the crops across the road. There was nothing like falling asleep to the sound and smells of fresh-cut barely to the hums of the combines. Then the cows in the pasture out back would take on the encore…not so beautiful. LOL.

Looking back, the town I grew up in was perfect. Growing up I did not think that way…it actually took moving to Denver for me to realize that fact. 🙂

Our hometown was like the song of Cheers…

Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got.

Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.

Wouldn’t you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go,

Where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.

You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same;

You wanna be where everybody knows Your name.

There are things of a small town that I love. For one, we knew everyone at school in all grades. Yes, that is possible…and we were not that small of a school but small enough. I still regularly chat with my close girlfriends from those days. Others will send me emails to ask how I am doing. I think that is special. Which brings me to the main point of small towns…everyone knows everything about everyone else. In other words, word travels fast. 🙂

There are so many fun things to do in the surrounding mountains. Every summer we would take a camping trip. Camping…in a tent and most of the time where there were no outhouses. Yeah, nature’s luxury at best. Hiking, canoeing, and my not so favorite of fishing. There is an old mining town about an hour away…that is my favorite mountain town!! In the summer, they set of 4th of July fireworks from the mountains above town. Sitting on a hill on the other side was always cold but had the greatest view. There were a bunch of tourist shops…best coffee and fudge around!

I am sure by now you might be wondering about all this random chat about Colorado. First, I think it is because I realize that God has his own unique way of answering my prayers. I wanted to move closer to family but did not realize at the time how hard adjusting would be after spending my whole life (minus the first 6 years) in Colorado. But looking back over the one year here, I have seen so much family! I love my family. And now part of my family is back in Colorado…talk about vacations!!! Whoo hoo!

Speaking of which, I should be packing. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE TIME HAS COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😀 As of a few hours, I will be IN COLORADO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My thoughts have been so consumed with this all weekend!!! I could not focus last night…so I sat down and read Psalm 139. It really is an amazing Psalm about God knowing us from even before we are born…he knows the plans he has for us (Jeremiah 29:11). I wanted to read this Psalm mostly because I wanted to control my anxious thoughts. Verse 23-24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”

So there I sat. I just started talking to God about all these things in my head…I was trying to plan out what I could see in my short time there…but my anxious thoughts were becoming overwhelming. It was almost like driving in the mountains but you spend the whole time reading a book (which I will refrain from doing. I am only taking it for the plane rides and for if we go fishing. 🙂 ) But do you see what I mean? I finally realized the best way to go to Colorado is to let go of my past memories and take in new ones. I can stop planning because I don’t have to see everything…there is not enough time anyway. But I can enjoy what I do see and the people I see it with. My anxious thoughts are calm, but I still can say, “I can’t wait!!!” 😀

P.S. I do hope to see one of these. 😀

We liked this song growing up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwARpaKHx_w

References:

http://www.denverartmuseum.org/

http://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/cheerslyrics.html

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+139&version=NASB

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May 17, 2012 · 2:54 pm

Chickpea Nibble Recipe

I think the Disney movie, Ratatouille, made a great point: “Anyone can cook.” Although there are some such as myself who stretch the line a bit, it is a great motto for any persons new in the kitchen. In the movie, Remy (a rat) helps the new garbage boy, Linguini (sounds like a pasta, lol), to create wonderful recipes while in secret working from under Linguini’s toque. I always laugh when Linguini runs around the kitchen holding up spices to his hat so Remy can smell them. HAHA. 😀 Although I cannot run around the kitchen and smell things, I did decide to try a recipe I found in an old Martha Stewart Living Magazine.

Ready for more name humor? The recipe is called “Chickpea Nibble.” 🙂 I just found that so funny, I actually took time to read the small paragraph of the recipe. It seemed so simple, so I put it to the test. They turned out EXCELLENT! So delicious! Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

19 oz can of chickpeas [I used two 15 oz cans and it worked just fine!]

2 Tbs of extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp of salt

A pinch of ground pepper [but I added a good-sized amount because I love pepper!]

1/2 tsp of your favorite dried herb or spice [I chose oregano]

Instructions

Drain, rinse and pat dry the chickpeas.

Toss in a bowl with the other ingredients listed above.

Spread them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. [I had put down parchment paper on the bottom of the pan, which was so genius!]

Cook at 300 degrees and stir occasionally until they have browned and begin to crisp. [The recipe says it would be around 50 minutes but mine took a little over an hour. Just keep checking them and taste testing. There is a difference when they start crisping.]

That’s it!!!! So easy and SO GOOD! Healthy too. 🙂 I like to eat them plain, but tonight we are going to finish them with salads!! Big salads of different greens, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and I hope the big red pepper I just noticed in the refrigerator!!! Yum!!!

I guess I will end with a little reversion of what I remember Martha Stewart saying on her tv show (back before the new show…I am talking the OLD show! I thought they were so cool to watch!) I am going to quote this, just because it is my own version, so don’t take it as one of her real quotes. 😀

“With summer sneaking in with longer days of sunshine and green grass, the days of barbeques out on the patio served with potato salads and all sorts of goodies–remember this delicious and simple recipe. These chickpeas are sure to bring delight to all your guests whether served in a small dish or on the salad. It’s a good thing!!” 😀

*Martha Stewart Living Magazine. “Chickpea Nibble.” March 2007, page 72.

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May 8, 2012 · 4:59 pm

Jungle Jim’s

Now, if you are like me…the first thing that comes to mind when someone says “Jungle gyms” is a playground. 🙂 In a different context: Yesterday my sister, her friend and I went to Cincinnati. To Jungle Jim’s!!!! It is a huge international grocery store! What a great time!!!

When you first walk in, you enter the olives and cheese section. It was actually my favorite section! Next time I go, I am going to dedicate more time trying samples of all these cheeses from around the world! Very cool!!!

Melissa…this is for you! 🙂

I thought this cheese section was neat, mostly because my first job was milking sheep. Yep…three summers in high school and that was my job! It was stinky, disgusting and a good time all together!

We decided to check out the restrooms. After all, they seemed world famous!

 

HAHA!!

After that…you walk around and see just about everything! Different nuts, coffees and teas, fruits, veggies, candies, meats, shelf items…all these things from different cultures and areas of the world.

Above: Celery root.

I forgot to write this one down. Reminded me of the fish, Bloat, on Finding Nemo. 🙂

Red bananas and sugar cane.

I am not sure what these were either.

Dried squid.

Lobsters.

I had a short visit back to Greece. 🙂

I bought the Swedish cookies. Delicious!

The Asian food section.

Wooden shoes in the Holland section. Then my camera battery died. 😦

———————————————————-

We had a good time! If you plan a trip, reserve a few hours. There is so much to see! We did not even go out to the garden section where they had all sorts of different plants and flowers.  Next time I hope to see that as well.

While we were walking around, my mom text me and told me the results of my MRI scans for the brain and neck. They are stable!!!!! 😀 Another big praise!!! Thank you for your prayers!

Off to enjoy a beautiful evening!

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May 6, 2012 · 11:23 pm

Finding rest.

Today was a day of rest. And it was wonderful. The busy week and hard work of yesterday (I helped my sister move out of her dorm room that is on the second floor of their unit…wow, exercise!!!) was paid off by sitting for a bit this afternoon with my feet up (well, I also slept through my alarm 😦 ). Rest is healthy. Almost felt like an exercise in itself. 🙂

Do you remember when you were little and you had to take naps. I never wanted to nap, because I thought I would miss out on something cool. Now I wish I could nap everyday! I always love when I do get a nap in! Sometimes they are planned and I sleep for hours. Other times, I sit down to work on something, but instead my body shuts down. Like this:

I hope this week allows you to get some rest as well. Rest can even be like what I did today–I did not nap any, but I purposely sat down and took some time just to rewind and relax. Rest.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

More to come…

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April 29, 2012 · 12:56 am

April’s Pinterest.

The biggest gig these days for creative thoughts and stuff you like is Pinterest. I have been on the site a few times, but find it somewhat a bit of chaos, so I prefer magazines. 🙂 Needless to say, sharing creativity and what you like is splendid. Over the past week, I have been collecting “creative” thoughts. Some are more classified as a “Cool beans!” category. So this is my unofficial “pin” post of my interests. 🙂

  • Storing Chocolates

Yes, there is a way to keep chocolate around a bit longer!! My good friend who runs Street Church sure knew how to make a volunteer’s day during the stressful weeks right before finals. We would gather in the kitchen to go over the plans for the evening–the lesson, games, who is taking prayer requests, etc.–and then before you know it, someone has opened the freezer! We all knew what was coming next. CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a dandy idea! No, it is genius!!! Buy an extra bag of chocolate at the holidays, put it in the freezer and a few months later, pull out a few handfuls of the delicious treat!!!

  • Useful books

There are several things in this category. First, if you have limited bookshelf space or just want a different way to display your books, try putting a stack underneath your lamp. I have a small lamp that is sort of dull, because you can’t use a high watt lightbulb. I would make it shine a bit brighter just by putting it up higher. I am sure you have seen pictures of this…it is not an original idea. 🙂 The books I put underneath are usually ones that I have read, or that have a cool cover. (Never judge a book by its cover, LOL). My mom gets little books from the different places we travel. It is fun to sit down and read a few different ones when you have nothing else to do. You can also display them in a basket or on the coffee table for when company comes over–excellent conversation starter!

Take advantage of your library’s book sale. Be selective…maybe know what areas you are interested in and aim for those kinds of books. I got Homer’s The Iliad for 50 cents at our library’s book sale. “Cool beans!!” 🙂

Every reader needs a bookmark! My sister got me a magnetic one, which I think is a lot better than what I used to do: turn down the corner of the page I just ended. I like to get to a page that has a period at the bottom. It closes the train of thought. I am such a nerd. 🙂 Anyway, the magnetic bookmarks are neat, because if you want to finish just a paragraph then you can mark the line by putting the bookmark on the outer edge of the book, instead of on top like my picture shows below. As Martha Stewart would say, “It’s a good thing.”

  • Tea and Cakes

This is the time of year that I start drinking tea more than coffee. My favorite is Snapple brand. Every cap has a “Real fact” and when you finish the bottle, you can recycle it or make it into a flower vase. 🙂 I also like the idea of putting a tea packet in a card to a friend. A lady in town sends me encouraging cards and adds a tea bag. I think it is special.

3-2-1 cake!!!

Our family friend, Denise, shared this “recipe” with my mom. Even I can make it! 😀 Trust me when I say, “It is so simple!!”

Ingredients:

1 Angel Food cake box

1 box of another cake (our favorites are Carrot cake or Chocolate cake)

water

Directions:

Mix the two boxes of cake in a Ziploc bag or container.

Using a 1 Tb measuring spoon, put 3 scoops of the cake mixture in a microwaveable mug. Add 2 Tb of water to the mixture.

Next, whisk the mixture until it is blended well and looks something like a frappachino.

Put it into the microwave for 1 minute. There you have it! So easy AND delicious!!! It looks like a sponge when it comes out. 🙂

Speaking of sponges: next time you are in FL, you should tour Tarpon Springs! It is a Greek cultured town with cute shops and they give tours of how they dive for sponges. It is like seeing an astronaut dive in the sea. 🙂 Very neat place! I visited a few months before my trip to Greece. So, my first gyros was from the states, but still delicious!

 http://www.spongedocks.net/default.htm

 Another neat place in FL is the historical Ponce de Leon lighthouse (hence the mug). We went there as a family and climbed the 203 stairs to the top. There is also exhibits and a museum in which you can see up close how a lighthouse works. Very interesting!

http://www.ponceinlet.org/index.cfm

  • Randomness Finds and Ideas

I finally bought a flashlight. But it is like a lantern! I tested it in my bathroom. I set it on the counter and could see great all around. Great find from Target for around $10.

I opened the Cheerios box to find an Obi-Wan pen inside. 🙂

Reuse gift bags that have been given to you. When I find things that I am not wanting or using anymore, I set them aside. If it is books, movies or nice articles of clothing, I first think if I know of a friend or relative that would enjoy them. It is a great way to give presents, get well/just because/encouraging gifts, and it is a way for the items to continue to be used instead of sitting on a shelf in the closet. 🙂 Thus, my recycling tip of the day!

  • Fashion trends

I use my flower clips not only for use in my hair, but also attach them to my sweaters like a pendant. It gives a little spunk to your outfits.

And last, best thought of the day!!! I was cleaning the bathroom and decided that I am tired of staring at my bathrobe that hangs on the outside of my door (which faces my room). I went on a fashion show business hour using the clothes in my closet and redecorated the hook with spring attire. It was so fun and now I have something like a “shopping” experience to stare at each morning when I enter the bathroom!! Fun!!!

To close, I will share my favorite “It is the month of April” joke. Ready? April showers bring May flowers, but what do Mayflower’s bring?

Did you guess??? 🙂 It is “Pilgrims.” Get it!?! HAHA. Happy end of April! More to come…

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April 25, 2012 · 12:13 am

Unscripted.

Usually my blog posts have a theme. I think of different things and put them together in a blog, blending nicely into each other through transition verbs and sentence. In itself, that sort of represents my train of thought, which I have mentioned before, and how I go about being productive in a day. Today’s productivity was running errands after work and scheduling upcoming appointments. I go from schedule to schedule…everything in a timely manner and train of thought. Not tonight. I decided tonight I am not going to have any plans. No train of thoughts. No historical evidence or fun facts (well, I shall refrain). Just me. Unscripted.

The past few months, I have been struggling with finding my passion again. In Denver, I was so involved. I was dedicated to work and surrounded by college friends and roommates, volunteered every week to a street church downtown with kids–which was pretty much my joy of living life each week–and when I was in need of some adventure or time alone, I would go to the mountains just ten minutes down the road. You get to the top of the first hill and see out like a 360 view of the city. I spent a lot of time doing that, especially the last full summer I was there. In the moments of chaos during those months…just seeing the view from on top a mountain made me forget the valleys and shadows of life beneath. Not that here is not beautiful, but there are no mountain tops to see around. Maybe that is sort of significant to my passion. I left it on the mountain top as I started into the valleys. See my problem does not lie with the health related issues being the “valleys and shadows”. They are my mountain tops. How frustrating it is for me to know this! It is so backwards, but in the backwards of the thought…it makes sense. When I have health related things come up…the biggies like chemo, surgery or the blood clot…I have nothing to depend upon but God’s timing, provisions and strength. When I become stable, I find that my focus shifts…I find my own strength to depend on, “I can do it”, like proving I can on my own; getting back to work, I find my own provisions; and I take over my schedule of “things to get done”. It is a habit. It is a bad habit. Why should my life be at the mountain top only in my physical sufferings? Why can’t I remain at the mountain top…or at least the upward climb towards that place even on the normal days? I believe that is why God has convicted my heart to get more in the Word and prayer as of late, because I am entering my valleys again. I should be praising God even on my boring, normal days just like I do when I am in pain. Such different advice apart from the other endless bestsellers on these subjects saying it the other way around. But that is me. Unscripted.

Summit Venture

You know what was great about today though? Blue sky! It is most often a rare sight to see here. Blue skies, green grass. My favorite part is walking or driving through the “tunnels” of trees. They clump together and shade over so it feels like a green tunnel. I think it is so beautiful! Reminds me of a song by Rich Mullins called “The Color Green.” I just have to give you this link of his music video. I watch it when I feel like I am living in black and white. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88Lx1D0gbTo.

Color is: Laughter, being creative, reading in a coffee shop while slowly sipping my cup of tea or chatting with a friend, walking with my mom in the evenings, playing Quicksand with my older sister and brother-in-law or chess with my little sister. Family nights watching “Shaun the Sheep”. Blending paints on a white canvas and coming up with a masterpiece in the end. Petting Muffy when he sits in my lap, brushing my teeth, writing my grandparents, creating new outfits out of old ones, suprise dinners with Dad, looking at old pictures, or seeing new places. Better yet, finding old postcards of places we have been to over the years. 🙂 Today I smiled when I waved to an old man crossing the road, seeing a friend at work, watching the ladies in front of me at the line in Michael’s chat with each other, mailing letters, getting a text from my sister about Lord of the Rings and eating marshmallows for dessert. Today I found myself being thankful for butterfly wings. They are so pretty. I saw a bunch of butterflies yesterday when my mom, sister and I were at a conservatory for plants and butterflies, birds and a mouse. Yes, a cute little mouse. 🙂

And that is me at the moment. Unscripted–in the beauty of stillness, a blend of colorful thoughts, and surrounded with love. Like this new butterfly…ready to spread my wings and fly.

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is  the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31

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April 16, 2012 · 12:43 am

Cursive handwriting.

It is a dying art. At least that is my opinion. Not too many people I know write in cursive. A few I can confirm: my mom, my grandmas, one grandpa, and just a few older lady friends who write me cards. I really can’t say that I know anyone my age that writes pure cursive at all times. Think of how many generations wrote in cursive! It is almost like a language: when you stop using it or practicing, you forget it. I realized this during yesterday’s spontaneous lesson.

I just finished a book called, Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed The Declaration of Independence, by Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese. It is a really interesting book! So often we only hear about the famous men such as John Adams, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. There are 56 signers and for most I had never heard of their names before, which means that I had a great history lesson reading this book! Fascinating to read about their upbringings/occupations, impact of the revolution, their duties during and after the war in public service, and how their lives ended.

Now, obviously, these men did a lot of writing. They corresponded to each other in letters, wrote documents and edited them using paper and a feather tipped in ink before the documents ever reached the printing press. And people think typewriters were a pain. 😉 Now, the signers names caught my attention: Some of their names are shortened, such as only writing the first two or three letters of their first name before they affix their last names; some signatures are big–such as John Hancock, who also had excellent penmanship; some are small, and others are a bit sloppy–such as Stephen Hopskins (Kiernan and D’Agnese. p. 38, 50).  Fifty-six signatures and they all had one thing in common (as far as writing style goes): they are all in cursive. Let me say that again. These famous signatures are written in cursive!!!

I thought to myself, “When was the last time I wrote in cursive?” The answer: probably 5th grade. We were required to write in cursive in elementary school, then had a choice in junior high of what our preference was in writing. I liked to write fast (still do), because I think fast. Cursive took me so long to write, so I opted for a sloppy something in between cursive and print. I sometimes use an uppercase cursive “L” for paintings, but that is about it. This was a wedding present for my best friend back home:

Thus, my thoughts all came to one conclusion: I must write in cursive! I borrowed Mom’s “feathered” pen–she had attached two fake daisies and leaves to the top of a pen, seemed feathery enough!–and off I started with vicarious intents! I got my “T” down, but my hand could not follow the motions that my brain was trying to remember. I ended up just sitting there at the table staring at a blank piece of paper. It was then I decided that if signer John Penn could teach himself how to read and write at the age of eighteen (p. 202), then I could relearn cursive handwriting! I googled “How to write in cursive” and found myself with oodles of practice printouts from www.abcteach.com. I found the experience enlightening. My dad noticed and said it was actually good Occupational Therapy. Genius! 😀 If I graded my practice sheets, I would probably given myself a B-. HAHA!!! Serious though, the “Q’s” and “Z’s” are somewhat ridiculous.

After a quick practice, I wrote a short paragraph. What do you know?!? My handwriting is actually legible!!! 😀

I enjoyed a short “back to school moment.” The hardest issue for me was not lifting my pen. A website called “wiseGEEK” says,

When writing cursive, never remove your pencil from the paper in the middle of the word. All the letters are connected together through a series of loops. This gives the letters an appearance of flowing together                                       (Conjecture Corporation, 2003-2012).

I am not sure if I will write all the time in cursive. Maybe here and there now that it is fresh in my memory and good therapy for my hands. Regardless, I think it is beautiful art within the written language (when written smooth and in the author’s own signature style). It is something that I hope we never lose completely. If you have not written in cursive for a while, try it! I think you will find that your hand remembers the motions of the letters quickly once you get started. Have fun and more to come…

References:

Kiernan and D’Agnese. (2009). Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed The Declaration of    Independence. Philadelphia: Quirk Books.

“What Should I Know about Writing Cursive?” wiseGEEK: clear answers for common questions. Conjecture Corporation, 2003-2012. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-should-i-know-about-writing-cursive.htm.

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