Winter Observations

There is half a chance that I might have a tendency toward using excessive amounts of windshield wiper fluid. I love it! I really really love it.

Tonight I ran out while driving on the highway - but quickly discovered that driving closer to the car in front of me made enough wet dirty gung splash onto my car to make my wipers more effective.

And another thing, Michigan gets HEAPS and HEAPS of snow. I think living on the other side of Lake Michigan for the last three years spoiled me! I literally slide around at least once a day, get stuck every time I try to pull out of my parking spot, and wear my huge poof coat with a furry hood, gloves and gigantic snow boots everywhere I go.

Schools here have been cancelled for days, and everytime I turn on the TV there is "Late Breaking News" warning me about a "Winter Storm" and "Flash Freeze" situation.

I think I need to buy a plane ticket somewhere warm soon! Ahhhhh!

Advice

Next time you're parked in and you don't recognize the vehicles blocking yours, simple sound off your car alarm and wait for people to come out of their houses.

I did that today and it worked great!

haha.

Was Chris Farley ever a sperm donor?

One of my favorite things about Ryan...

Ryan makes me laugh a lot. One of my favorite things about him is that he is highly musical, which has become increasingly evident throughout our 3 years of marriage. He likes me to guess what song he is singing, but he isn't singing the words, he just sings the sounds of the instruments and I rarely have any clue what song it is.

He'll be like, "saweeeeeeee wa wa wa waaaa breeeeeeeeeeeee boom boom papapa pum pum wreeeeeee wree wreee" louoder and louder while making air guitar and air drum moves and he'll say, "you know that one? You know what song I'm singing?"

He is always so surprised when I don't guess it right.

"Incubus! You can't tell that it's Incubus?!?!"

Friendship Weekend

Whelp, I think I've done it. I think I've finally made a couple of friends. This weekend was by far the most encouraging weekend (in the friendship category of my life) that I have experienced since moving here last July.

On Friday I had lunch with my friend Shauna and her friend Darci - who happens to be a friend of my friend Heather who I met through my friend Faye which makes Darci and I pretty good friends even though we just met once for an hour. Isn't that great!?!

Then on Saturday night Ryan and I met our potential small group for the first time at the Chop House downtown. We walked in and found a table full of potential friends. We met a pastry chef, a bronze sculpture maker, a Mercedes dealer, a software developer, a coffee connoisseur, a teacher - and that was only some of the people in our eclectic group. By the end of our night, we had so many friends we hardly knew what to do.

After that we went to see Into the Wild with our friends Joel and Sarah (which was a great movie) at the cheap seats theater.

Then today I met a couple of the girls from our new small group at Starbucks for coffee and it was so awesome. I don't drink coffee - but that's what people do these days - they meet for coffee.

So I am home now (Ryan is working until 11 tonight) sitting here by myself in our apartment smiling my face off!

Yahoo!

Christianese 101

The following is a list of phrases in the impenetrable language of "Christianese." For those unfamiliar with this strange dialect, I have compiled a helpful Christianese-English Dictionary so that you can find out what your Christian friend is really saying to you. If you have any other troubling Christianese phrases, please post them and I will happily translate them and add them to this list. (Please read this with a grain of salt.)

1. I'll pray about it = NO!

2. We need to pray for so and so = Guess what I just heard?!

3. I'm waiting for God to open some doors = I'm living in my parent's basement.

4. God gave me a word for you = I have advice to help you with your disaster of a life.

5. I'm going to have my quiet time = Leave me the heck alone!

6. God is good = My life sucks.

7. Bless his/her heart = What an idiot.

8. I have the gift of discernment = I can judge people without even talking to them.

9. I was having fellowship with them = We had beer and pizza and watched the game instead of going to church.

10. I'm saved by grace, not works = I can do whatever the heck I want.

11. She caused me to stumble = What a skank.

12. I kissed dating goodbye = I couldn't get a blind date, literally.

13. Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth = I can't believe you said the real curse word!

14. I don't mean to judge but... = I'm going to judge.

15. I'm dating Jesus right now = Are you kidding? I'm way out of your league.

16. God wants me to take some time off from this relationship = I met someone else and I'm too coward to break up with you.

17. I'll pray about marrying you = NO!

18. God told me that we are supposed to get married = Maybe you'll say yes if God is behind this.

19. I'm fasting = Your spiritual life is miniscule compared to mine. Try to keep up.

20. God has called me to minister to her = She's really hot.

21. I think you should pray about it = You'll see that I'm right.

22. We've decided to court, not date = My parents have a death grip on my life.

23. Courting = Homeschool dating.

24. Lord willing = My plans are His plans.

25. Take this with a grain of salt = I'm about to really offend you.

26. I'm feeling convicted about this = One day my actions might change too!

27. Have I offended you? = Why are you treating my like garbage?

28. Who wants to pray? = I don't want to pray right now.

29. Jesus turned water into wine = Jesus turned water into grape juice. (Southern Baptist Dialect)

30. Jesus turned water into wine = I can drink whatever I want. (Presbyterian Dialect)

HT: TIM SCHRAEDER

Gold Key Award

Ryan's brother Chris is an AMAZING photographer...as I have mentioned before. His photography portfolio was awarded the Scholastic Gold Key this past week for Central New York!Way to go Chris! You are talented beyond your years. We are so proud of you and can't wait to watch you develop your mad skillz during college!

Head over to Chris's blog to see some of his work and tell him congrats!

Leadership Live

For the first time ever, the entire senior management team at Granger is setting aside two full days to pour everything they can into 24 church leaders. They've never done anything like this before, and may never do it again, but they all have a growing passion to help leaders learn and churches grow. An intensive couple days of mentoring with a small group will yield much more than a conference ever could for those churches and leaders

It's not cheap -- $1,500 per person -- but includes your hotel and meal costs.

If you have an interest, sign up soon. Space is limited to the first 24 leaders that register.

Flashback Friday

It's 10pm on Friday night night Ryan is sleeping. He has to wake up soon to go to work. He's on the crazy shift this week. 11pm-7am. It good...because it's only 8 hour shifts...but it's bad because it seems like every time he is awake I am asleep and every time he is asleep I am awake.

I think I need a hobby.

I tried knitting once in college. My friends and I made some blankets, but mine turned out in the shape of a tornado because SOMEBODY didn't tell me about the "count your stitches" part. Luckily the small end fits perfectly over my feet.

I used to be more crafty - in Jr. High my friend Becky and I would spend hours and hours each week making earrings out of Friendly Plastic that we boiled and shaped.

I definitely thought I was too cool for crafts when I entered 9th grade.

Looking back now it is blatantly obvious that I was very far from being anything close to cool.

Did anyone else have only their bangs permed?

Woah.

Psalms 34 - The Message

I bless GOD every chance I get; my lungs expand with his praise. I live and breathe GOD; if things aren't going well, hear this and be happy: Join me in spreading the news; together let's get the word out. GOD met me more than halfway, he freed me from my anxious fears. Look at him, give him your warmest smile. Never hide your feelings from him. When I was desperate, I called out, and GOD got me out of a tight spot. GOD's angel sets up a circle of protection around us while we pray. Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see - how good GOD is. Blessed are you who run to him. Worship GOD if you want the best; worship opens doors to all his goodness. Young lions on the prowl get hungry, but GOD-seekers are full of God. Come, children, listen closely; I'll give you a lesson in GOD worship. Who out there has a lust for life? Can't wait each day to come upon beauty? Guard your tongue from profanity, and no more lying through your teeth. Turn your back on sin; do something good. Embrace peace - don't let it get away! GOD keeps an eye on his friends, his ears pick up every moan and groan. GOD won't put up with rebels; he'll cull them down from the pack. Is anyone crying for help? GOD is listening, ready to rescue you. If your heart is broken, you'll find GOD right there; if you're kicked in the gut, he'll help you catch your breath. Disciples so often get into trouble; still, GOD is there every time. He's your bodyguard, shielding every bone; not even a finger gets broken. The wicked commit slow suicide; they waste their lives hating the good. God pays for each slave's freedom; no one who runs to him loses out.

Every single moment of every single day I have a choice. I can choose to live each moment in a way that pushes me closer to becoming the woman that GOD created me to be, or farther from becoming that woman. I've been loving this passage - because it makes me want to live each moment closer to God. Time is flying by. I know I'm only 27....but I want to squeeze every drop of life out of every day that I have left.