Break

The rest and recuperation that I desperately needed has finally been made possible by Mid-Winter Break. I have spent my time in South Carolina with a few dear friends. This little man has put many of smiles on my face. We are taking him to the zoo tomorrow so I will post more pictures soon. (and better quality ones, I must say)

I am wornout.

My sentiments exactly

On Practicing

I am suffering from a serious case of blogger's block. There is a sufficient amount of feelings, thoughts, and events to discuss, but I can't seem to form them into a coherent post. Believe it or not I have tried several times. I begin, backspace, begin, delete, and begin again only to click Return to list of posts without maneuvering my mouse close to Publish Post. But alas, I have been dutifully reminded by a loving, faithful, caring, and knowledgeable friend, who leads only by example, to "practice what you preach." That being said I will continue in the way of the bloggers.

A prevalent thought lately is how blessed I truly am. God has been so good to me in many ways. My life has not taken all the turns I would have chosen, but I am reminded daily that God has my best interest at heart. Psalm 56:9- But this one thing I know, God is for me. How amazing it is to know that God is on my side. He is rooting and cheering for me. Not only does He want me to lead a successful Christian life more than I want to, He does everything short of making the decisions for me.

In the midst of all the warm fuzzies of serving Christ, He has also reminded me that I have a few more areas in which to convert myself to His likeness. For the past few weeks we have talked in Wisdom Literature about "abhoring sin." Abhoring is equivalent to hating. Do I hate sin or am I more conformed to this world than I thought. Worldliness is deeper in form than standards and dresscodes. It permeates your thoughts and conduct. As a Christian in a fallen world I must be vigilent not to allow my worldview to be formed by the "world." The way I view sin is part of a Christian worldview. If I allow myself to mock sin by entertaining myself with it in any form I will become accustom to it. Sin will not be a big deal. The ramifications of such I dare not imagine.

Announcer: And that is the end of today's broadcast. If you would like an audio cassette with today's show please write to:

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Soapbox, Timbucktoo.

On a lighter note, Pinocchio is Italian for "pine head."

http://www.funfunnyfacts.com/fun-facts/funny-useless-facts.html

Random Thoughts and Ponderings

Well, that's start at the beginning, Christmas day. I woke up very early Christmas morning to finish making my first ever batch of homemade bread. It was actually a sweet breakfast treat called St. Lucia's bread. It turned out awesome and I must confess that I was proud.

My poor sister-in-law did not have as much luck with the baking. It was her duty to make the pumpkin pies. They looked wonderful. The crust was perfect and the filling was even. However, in the words of my beloved younger brother, "They tasted like you just took a bite of the Pacific!" Kelly somehow not only doubled the salt, but quadrupled it! She is a great cook for real and tried the pumpkin pies again on New Year's. All was well.

Though being at home is nice I finished break with a strong desire to return to my dormroom, my stuff, my closet, my computer!, and my "normal" life. Right before Christmas break I moved into a new room with a new room mate and I was anxious to get back so that I could finish putting everything away. All that to say that the first night we stayed in the room was...interesting. We have a blast together. Probably too much of a blast. (Add Jenny to the mix and we are down right crazy). Anyway, to make a long story short I was lying on the bottom bunk while Lauren made the top bunk. All of the suddened there was a bed on top of me! The bunk had fallen and Lauren was hanging over the side of the railing kicking her feet because the crash made her loose footing. I didn't move for a few minutes. Finally, we were able to remove the bed and set it up again.

I pray every night that it doesn't happen again.

(Lauren wants me to clarify that she was NOT on the bed. She was standing on mine trying to put the sheets on the top bunk. She's a genius.)

Merry Christmas

Well, Merry Christmas ya'll! I haven't posted in awhile so I thought I would bless you with one.

Update---I made it through Final's week and did pretty well if I say so myself!

I am currently enjoying a break. It was much needed let me tell you. Not a lot has happened, in fact nothing has happened. Everyone has been sick so most of our Christmas festivities have been canceled. Oh well, gives us all something to look forward to after Christmas!

Speaking of Christmas, I have a cute story. The first week I got home the kindergarten teacher in our church school got really sick. I was the replacement. (I didn't mind. It was a lot of fun!) During break one day the class was playing "shepherds." They had stuffed lambs that were supposed to be used in the Christmas program and sat in a circle around an imaginary fire. They also found a large paper cactus and two rubber balls. I am not sure about the significance of the cactus, but the balls were tumbleweeds. It was adorable.

The smell of Christmas turkey wafts through the air as I sit typing by the light of the tree and greenery. All is quiet except the radio that softly plays Christmas music. It is the most peaceful feeling.

"Heaven Father, thank you for the Gift."

Merry Christmas, my dear friends.

Jo's Jargon

It is 5:11 am and I am out about ready to run down the halls of the dorm screaming like a wild.....something or another. I have had a total of 2 hrs sleep and I am going strong. Actually, God really deserves some credit here. I prayed that He would make the 2 hrs. seem like 8. So far so good.
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My Counselor Growth paper for Basic Counseling Skills is due in roughly 5.5 hrs.
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My father is sweeter if I wake him up to say good morning at 5am. And I quote "Whatcha need, hon?" Good morning caught him off guard! Hehehehehe (I didn't mean to wake him up. I was trying to get a hold of my mom who is suppose to be up getting ready for work.)
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Cherry Coke and Mint Skittles give me a sugar rush.

Lemonade isn't as good as Cherry Coke (Stupid Coke Machine!)
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It is officially Finals Week!

Twas the Week Before Finals

Twas the Week Before Finals

Twas the week before finals,

And all through the college,

The students were praying

For last minute knowledge.

Most were quite sleepy,

But none touched their beds,

While visions of essays

Danced in their heads.

Out in the taverns,

A few were still drinking,

And hoping that liquor

Would loosen their thinking.

In my own apartment,

I had been pacing,

And dreading exams

I soon would be facing.

My roommate was speechless,

Her nose in her books,

And my comments to her

Drew unfriendly looks.

I drained all the coffee,

And brewed a new pot,

No longer caring

That my nerves were shot.

I stared at my notes,

But my thoughts were muddy,

My eyes went ablur,

I just couldn't study.

"Some pizza might help,"

I said with a shiver,

But each place I called

Refused to deliver.

I'd nearly concluded

That life was too cruel,

With futures depending

On grades had in school.

When all of the sudden,

Our door opened wide,

And Patron Saint Put-It-Off

Ambled inside.

His spirit was careless,

His manner was mellow,

He looked all around and

He started to bellow.

"What kind of student

Would make such a fuss,

To toss back at teachers
What they tossed at us?"

"On Cliffs Notes! On Crib Notes!

On Last Year's Exams!

On Wingit and Slingit,

And Last Minute Crams!"

His message delivered,

He vanished from sight,

But we heard him exclaiming

Outside in the night.

"Your teachers have pegged you,

So just do your best,

Happy Finals to All,

And to all, a good test."

(The views-stanza 2- expressed are solely those of the author/speaker-which I don't know beacuse 100,000 different people claim it-and do not reflect the views of the author of this blog.)