thankfulness

why do mondays always seem like twice as long as all of the other weekdays put together? when ryan and i have our own business, we are going to be closed every monday-it's already been decided. unless, of course, we really want to be open on monday...and then, of course, we will!

ryan and i "joined" a gym this weekend. i use the term joined lightly because we didn't sign a contract or anything..and we haven't actually started going yet, even. but we will tonight, after work. i am really excited about this...i have not been exercising a whole lot over the past few months because...well, no real good reasons why. ryan and i run every now and then, but neither of us like to run in the cold-so that's been kind of on again, off again. ryan works out at his shop, but that's such a drive for us in the evenings...and since we've been planning to move, we haven't been able to join anywhere else because you usually have to sign at least a year's contract. but, we have some sweet friends from church who opened a gym not too far from us last year (or so). we went to check out the place this weekend and talk with them a bit, and they said they'd be willing to let us join for just two months. so, yay! they offer a lot of sweet classes, too-mostly for women-that i'm going to try out. i'm sure it will not be easy to go every evening, but we are going to make a plan to stick with it...and see how it goes for the next two months. we are both really excited!

in other news, mom and hannah are out in colorado right now checking out the university of colorado in denver. they both LOVE the area-have nothing but good things to say! they are actually doing a campus visit today, so i am looking forward to hearing how that goes. it would be just amazing if hannah moved out with us... but i'm trying not to get my hopes up too much!

i know i just posted a little about money the other day, but we had something happen this weekend that i just had to share. though it's never easy to share our own sin, i'm going to do just that for the sake of this post... we have some dear friends who are just about as tight with money as we are. this weekend, someone gave them a large amount of money for something and i was a little bit jealous..okay, actually i was very jealous. and i said as much to ryan. i had a little pity party for us, which ryan (amazingly LOL) did not join in on...he sat with me as i partied alone and then reminded me that God is going to take care of us, even as He is taking care of our friends. and you know what, God did JUST that. on sunday at church, my brother handed me a wad of cash-in fact, it was just the amount that i was so upset about the day before. some of you have heard the funny stories about this boat that my brother and i bought a few years ago. the boat that my brother called me a few years ago and asked if i wanted to go in to buy it with him...to which, i said, oh yes of course-because i was so excited that my brother wanted to invest in something with me, his little sister! the boat that he just happened to forget to invite me to go skiing on for the next few years...in fact, it's the boat that i have only stepped aboard in Montevallo, AL (which, for anyone who doesn't know--that's far, far from any kind of boating body of water). anyway, that boat sold this weekend...we have been trying to sale it for like a year now! the timing of it all just made me laugh...and, then, of course, turn to the Lord in repentance. and then, my daily light reading this morning: My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus..He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things..The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want..the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly..the living God...gives us richly all things to enjoy..
my lesson for the day, not only does God graciously give us all that we need, sometimes He gives us those things that we want....and all we can do is be thankful!

my precious husband had these waiting on my Friday when i got home from a looooonnnnngggggggg day at work:
(and yes, that's bread laid out for our dinner last night-grilled chesse LOL)

12 minutes...

until the weekend is here!! looks like it's supposed to be rainy-ish all weekend, which is a little disappointing...but oh well! at least it's the weekend!!! :) hope you have a good one!

the bachelor

what in the world?! i just watched a few episodes of this show for the first time ever (on the web)... what a crazy, crazy show? with crazy, crazy people...at least so far as i can tell from what i've seen! i'm just thankful that's not how i had to "snag" my husband! how absolutely miserable!

speaking of my husband, i just want to say he is the best! THE BEST!

i got me a new "doo"

i have been working for like 4 hours, no kidding, on my blog! magen was kind enough to send me some info on how to create your own header. i've created, added to the blog, critiqued (and been critiqued by magen, deleted, re-created..and so on. i finally am happy with the one that is here now.. i think! all the pictures are ones i downloaded from facebook, so they aren't the most recent pictures--but they do tell a little bit of our story! :) i'm open to your comments...tell me how it looks from your computer!!!

i know everyone has been holding their breath to hear a report from our visit to the eye doctor... well, my vision is still the same. ryan's, however, is just a wee bit worse, though if you ask him about it-you'll just get a load of poo! he's totally in denial about it... dr. mercer actually came into my room after checking in with him and said, "he's definitely in denial!" how funny is that?! it's not that his vision is bad-just 20/40 in one eye (the other still 20/20) and he has a stigmatism in both eyes. i was wrong when i said it had been like 10 years since he's had a visit to the eye doctor-it's been 25!! he had NEVER been! how crazy is that?! anyway, no glasses for him..YET! if he gets any worse, though, dr. said he'd legally have to wear them (at least like at night when he drives!). i've had a good laugh over these things, though ryan is very serious about them. he's sure the doctor must be wrong... :)

okay, so something really neat happen yesterday.. we went to the eye doctor with our "new" vision insurance, hoping that it wouldn't be too expensive. as it turns out, it was like $276 for both of us. i had to order new contacts, so that wasn't a terrible price, just sort of a bummer to have to use money we could have used elsewhere. well, after the eye doc, we went to bed, bath & beyond to return some wedding stuff (we had a return to store pile in the garage on shelves, and were able to organize it all together when we cleaned it out last weekend). for those of you who don't know, BB&B will give you cash back when you return wedding gifts, instead of just store credit (with certain stipulations)...so, we took some things back that we had decided we don't really want...and do you know what our total cash back was? $297!! Which covered our trip to the eye doctor and some specialty drops that I had to get... God always provides-sometimes in really strange ways! :)

well, speaking of eyes, mine are tired of looking at this computer screen for so long, so i'm going to go do something else productive! do let me know what you think about the new doo....

ramblo

i'm not happy with my blog layout. it's just not doing it for me, especially since i have friends with GREAT looking blogs (especially dan and magen!). i am going to try to jazz up my blog over the next few days, but first-i must figure out how! :)

so, it's official, ryan and i are moving to colorado. okay, like that's really news...but i turned in my notice at work yesterday, so it really is official now! i'm going to work, i think, through the end of april, and then spent the month of may packing everything up! we are looking like crazy for housing, but trying to decide where we are going to live from 1400 miles away is not an easy task. i look online for hours every day...but even with the houses that have pictures, you don't know what kind of neighborhood it's in and if the pictures are really all that accurate. plus, it's a little early still to actually nail down a place (since we still have two months before we move)...but i don't want to wait so late that we end up getting stuck somewhere we don't really like. ryan's brother (and my brother-in-law), nick, is going to be moving out there later this summer. we are hoping to find a place we can rent together...we get along really well, and it will be MUCH cheaper for both of us. plus, it will just be fun! :) annnnndddd...my dear little sister, hannah, might be moving out there, too, for college. she and mom are going to check out a school this weekend. i think it would be completely awesome for her to be out there with us, too! she would be about 1/2 an hour away, but close enough to hang out during the week and stuff!

besides the obvious things (family and friends), i realized something i'm really going to when we get to co--rick and bubba! i absolutely love listening to them on my drive into work every morning...and then when i get to work, i usually listen to them on the internet for a while, too. and sometimes, i even listen on my way home from work (even though it's a replay, so i usually end up hearing the same thing at some point). those are some funny guys, though! and they are just so honest, which is refreshing! they will greatly be missed...but, they could end up on a radio station out there... never know!!! :)

speaking of the radio, doncha just hate those little jingles they do for advertising?! i, for one, really do hate them! especially the really catchy ones... for instance, has anyone heard that jack's jingle about cinnamon raisin biscuits? it's terrible... the first few times i heard it, i thought, "my that's catchy" the next thing i know, i was singing along with it! and then... in the shower, that was the song on my mind! i mean, come on! that's ridiculous!! i heard the blue bell jingle this morning-an oldey, but goodey (only NOT)!! without even thinking about it, there i was singing along...compelled, unable to stop myself! craziness!!!!! the thing is, it doesn't make me want blue bell ice cream or a jack's cinnamon raisin biscuit, so it's really not all that effective... just catchy!!

half a day at work for me again today-ryan and i are going to the eye doctor. it's not easy to get an appointment at my eye doctor, so i just had to take what they could give me (1:30 today)! i have been going to the same place for like all my life. i started wearing glasses when i was in the 4th grade, i believe...that was a LONG time ago! and my eyes have progressively gotten worse and worse. ryan, on the other hand, has perfect vision. he hasn't been to the eye doctor in like 10 years, because "my vision is fine! still 20/15!" :) but, i'm making him go, just because i think he should get checked out...it's just one of those things! the bad-vision part of me hopes his vision is a just a little bad because it's not fair that his is so good!!! but, i'm sure his will be fine and mine will be a wee bit worse... this will be the first time in a long time that i actually have vision insurance, so maybe my contacts and visit won't cost out of this world! hopefully! no new glasses for me, though, this year because i have a pair that i really do love still! only new lenses if necessary..

if you are still actually reading this, i'm sorry for the mindless rambling..just one of those days!

busy busy busy little bees!

we had a very busy weekend, which we enjoyed...but unfortunately are worn out from! here's an overview:

friday: worked half a day at the office! then, went home and grabbed ryan and we went to eat at the bright star...ryan had never been before! we thoroughly enjoyed eating and watching some of the NCAA tourney. then we walked across the street to the dmv, hoping to get a tag/title for the troop...but the line was forever long and we weren't feeling like waiting! we went home and took an ever so brief nap, then set to work in the oh so messy garage! we spent the whole evening working in there, trying to get it cleaned up and get things ready for the yard sale...

saturday: woke up WAY too early and finished getting ready for the yard sale, which ran until after lunch. we didn't sale anywhere close to all we had, but we did make some sweet money! so, that was nice! we took a nap and then went back to finish the garage and clean up from the sale...which took a long time! then, we went to best buy and bought super smash brothers brawl for our wii with some of the newly earned yard sale income! we have been wanting the game, but not really wanting to spend the money...but with our extra money-we decided to splurge! then we took it over to nicks and spent the rest of the night with him and dan and magen, watching bball and playing our new game-which, is lots of fun!! and, surprisingly, i'm really good at!!! ;)

sunday: woke up really early again to get across town to brook hills-we went to church with ryan's mom and glenn! had a wonderful easter service, then went to their house for lunch! ate a great meal, took a nap, then headed back to our house late in the afternoon. we spent a while cleaning our house, which was a complete wreck! and then piddled around...watched a few episodes of friends, and then went to bed!

today: woke up, once again, way too early!! :) i'm one of those people who really enjoys sleeping in...but not ryan! he likes to get up and at whatever..even if it's just catching up on news in the sports world! i don't get it...but he is sweet to hold me close for a little while before i get up, because that's what i like! :)

i'm reading "atonement" right now. it was slow getting into, but i'm really enjoying it now. i think the movie must be really great based on the book. it just seems like it's written to be a movie even more than being written to be a book, if that makes sense. the way it's laid out is a little confusing to read at times, but i think all that confusion would be lost in a movie! i can't wait to see it...after i finish the book! :)

"good" friday

i only have to work half a day today and i am soooooooo excited!! ryan and i, along with mom and maybe nick, are having a big yard sale tomorrow. so, getting off early today gives us extra time to get everything ready! hopefully we will make some sweet moo-lah!! :)

for the past few weeks at church, we have been studying psalm 22. it's been great for the season of lent (which makes me think of lament-a word i really like!)...but it's also been a great forerunner to the easter season.

my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? o my God, i cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but i find no rest. yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of israel. in you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. to you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. but i am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. all who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; "he trusts in the Lord; let Him deliver him; let Him rescue him, for He delights in him!" yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother's breast. on you was i cast from my birth, and from my mother's womb you have been my God. be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. i am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. for dogs encompass me; a company of evildoes encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet--i can count all my bones--they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. but you, o Lord, do not be far off! o you my help, come quickly to my aid! deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! save me from the mouth of the lion! you have rescued me from the horns of wild oxen! i will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation i will praise you; you who fear the Lord, praise Him! all you offspring of jacob, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him, all you offspring of israel. for He has not despised or abhored the affliction of the afflicted, and He has not hidden His face from Him, but has heard, when he cried to Him. from you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows i will perform before those who fear Him. the afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him shall praise the Lord! may your hearts live forever! all the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. for kingship belongs to the Lord, and He rules over the nations. all the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before Him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. prosperity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that He has done it!

isn't it strange that we call today "good friday?" i mean, it sure didn't seem like a very good day...

pretty woman

ryan and i have gotten into the netflix-craze recently, so i get to spend hours upon hours browsing movies picking out all the movies we've always wanted to watch but never really remembered to pick up when we are at the local movie gallery or blockbuster. pretty woman was one of those movies... i have always loved julia roberts and richard gere, in fact they are probably my top two favorites (likely due to the fact that i love runaway bride, which has both of them in it!). anyway, when i told ryan that we had ordered this movie, he was skeptical at first. he had seen it before, but i never had... he was like, "you know that's about a prositute." which, i did..but i just wanted to give it a chance. turns out, it's a very redeeming movie, in a way. though quite materialistic, it portrays a pretty decent picture of redemption. it reminded me a lot of my favorite book redeeming love, which is a retelling of the book of Hosea. there's something very convicting about the idea that God has referred to His people as prostitutes before. of course, He wasn't talking about you or me-that was the Israelites....but how often do we act the same way? prostituting ourselves for the things of the world, and for what gain?! yet even though the Israelites (and we, too) turned away time and time again, God said at the end of Hosea, "I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them... They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon..." what a beautiful, beautiful picture...

check out our sweet new ride...

the stickers on the back are my favorite!! we've decided to add to the collection with all those cool kinds of stickers they sale for cheap at al outdoor-you know like patagonia and kavu. brands of things that we don't really own but wish we did. (okay, i actually have a kavu purse that i absolutely love and am hoping to get one of their back-bags for my birthday...:)) but anyway, i don't think we'll find stickers any better than this...

top of the morning to ya!

happy st. patrick's day to all-hope you are wearing your green! :) today is probably the holiday that i know the least about... i have no idea really why we celebrate it, nor do i know why we are supposed to wear green (other than simply for the reason that no one really wants to get pinched). of course, now that i'm in the "professional" world, it's not such a popular thing to go around pinching people left and right who aren't wearing green. it was funny as i checked everyone's clothing when they came in this morning...some people wore obvious green, very noticeably celebrating st. patty's day. i'm afraid i ended up fitting into that category, subconsciously, because i grabbed my northface fleece on my way to the car this morning, which is bright green! my outfit, however, has very subtle green-ness in it! anyway, others in the office don't appear to have any green on...which they, i think, fall into one of two categories-either they are secretly wearing green, hoping not to draw attention to themselves by obviously wearing it, all the while if anyone says anything about their lack of celebrating the holiday, they can quickly pull up their pant leg and show the clover socks they are sporting! OR they really and truly don't have any green on because they think it's silly to celebrate in such a way, or they simply forgot.

so, in four weeks, ryan and i get to go to the beach for a few days with some sweet friends who have invited us to come and make their place crowded for a few days.. :) i've been dropping the hint to ryan over the past week or so that i want to get a new swimsuit...and he's, for the most part, ignored my not-so-subtle hints. yesterday, i finally said straight up, "ryan, i really want to get a new swimsuit before we go to the beach...Plllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeasssseee?!?!" as most of you women know, but few of you men probably know, when you buy a two-piece swimsuit, you have to pay for each piece seperately. it's just another one of those crazy schemes by the people who make women's clothing...anyway, i was explaining to ryan that i'll need such-and-such amount of money because i, obviously, will have to purchase both a top and bottom. and he said, "well, how about you get a new top and just use one of your old bottoms. don't you have just a black one-you can get something to match that!" really funny, let me tell you! and so much like something my dad would say.... BOYS!

we got a "new" car yesterday! i was hoping to snap some pictures with my sweet blackberry this morning before getting to work, but i didn't get a chance to. it's a 1991 Isuzu Trooper that i have absolutely adored for months and months now. we bought it from some dear friends who gave us too good of a price on it. it is the perfect car for playing around in the mountains! we had a delightful ride to work this morning it in. ryan looks a lot more natural driving this car than he does his grandpa car... it just fits him. really rugged!! and it's tall, like ryan-i mean, there is like a foot between the top of his head and the ceiling. that doesn't happen much!! pictures to come soon.... :)

what is needful?

i have been REALLY into knitting the past few days for some reason. today i have spent lots of time on the computer looking for new patterns. i found some great ones and printed them out, but i probably won't make half of them. i get so inspired and excited, but then rarely get to it all. part of the problem is, yarn is really expensive-if you get the nicer kind. and when you need like 10 balls of it to make something, WOOO! especially when you are still learning and not sure how things will turn out. :) anyway, i'm going to try something new really soon, hopefully! :) i still want to put some pictures on here... one day! :) oh...i got this to work (i think). here are two of my "pidges" aka neck warmers/scarfs.



so...ryan and i sold my toyota yesterday, which is big news! we are really feeling pretty confident in this car-sales thing, thinking maybe we should go into the business. we had lots of calls, but the first person to actually come and look at each of the cars ended up buying them, immediately! my dad said maybe we just asked too little for them. lol. i was kind of bummed today because i've been playing phone tag with a friend of my dad's who was interested in buying the toyota. he left a message for me today that said he was very interested in the car and, though he hadn't seen it, he had kelly-blue-booked it and he placed a GREAT offer on the car. he actually offered us $1000 more than what we ended up selling it for. of course, we wouldn't have taken that much from him, but i thought we could have gotten more for the car than we did. anyway, one word keeps coming to mind and that is "providence." ryan and i talked about this the other day after he backed the aforementioned car into a tree (didn't mess it up too bad, though we did knock the price down because of it). he said maybe God was teaching us that we couldn't depend on our own ways to get us out to CO. we were hoping to sell my cars and use that money to buy a new car for him and still have some left so we could "make it" for a while in CO. (you know, until we get settled, find jobs, etc) but maybe God was saying, "nope, you aren't going to be able to do this on your own..gonna have to depend on ME!" once we realized that, the car wasn't such a big deal. it's nice that we have sold it, but i'm thinking it wasn't so much "us" that did it....maybe more God! :) anyway, it would be a lot easier to go out to CO if we had a lot of money and a great plan...but we don't. and i think that's because we are going to learn, even more than we already know, how to depend on God. after all, we are only going because we feel He is leading us...

i once heard a story about francis schaffer, though i don't know exactly where you could find it to read it yourself. when he and his wife were planning to move to switzerland (i think) to start l'abri (i think), they knew that the Lord was calling them to do it. but, they didn't have any money really to go and do it. they prayed about this and just felt the Lord saying they should go and that He would provide. so, they went...and they didn't send out ONE support letter asking for help, nor did they really tell people that they were low (really low) on funds. they knew that if the Lord really wanted them to do this that He would provide all that they would need to do it...and you know what? He did! and the ministry that they began has affected many many lives for the Kingdom since then... as John Newton once said, "What God gives is always and only what is needful."

say what?!?

i was browsing the yahoo! news today and came across a CRAZY story... you are just going to have to read it for yourself: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080312/ap_on_re_us/woman_in_bathroom (for some reason it won't let me link it today?!!)
anyway, all i have to say is this fella must be crazy! he let her sit on his toilet for 2 years! 2 years, people! that's ridiculous. i mean, what in THE world????

i hate cats

okay, so maybe that's a little strong...but it's true. they drive me absolutely bonkers! i saw this video on a friend's blog and thought-oh my goodness! that's why i don't like cats! who wouldn't this drive crazy?!?! but it's so JUST what they are like!


some of you witnessed my great birthday present a few years ago. to be honest, i brought it on myself in a way... let me explain. like 2 years ago, i had a few select dear friends/family over for a birthday dinner at mom's house. i got some great cards and gifts, but the best was saved for last. my sisters all came in together with this big thing (because there's no other word to describe it really) that was all wrapped and covered in blankets and towels. they were like "okay! *giggle giggle* here's your birthday present from us!" *giggle some more*. i had no idea what it could be, so i began unwrapping the blankets around it, even as my youngest sister told me that i couldn't keep the "wrapping" because it was mom's. lol. well, i finally get down to the present and it's this little stuffed animal carrying case thing of mollie's (again she told me i couldn't keep that either). i felt the present kind of moving a little and was like "what in the world?" i opened the front of the case and in the very back, looking scared to death, is one of the cutest little kittens in the world. someone jumps in behind me and takes a picture into the case, which scares the kitten even more. it growls/snarls a little at us and looks like it might pounce on anyone at any moment-and like it could possibly take someone's head off. i think hopie got it out and played with it a bit and that was that. i did get to name it, which was nice.. "skeeter." anyway, i didn't really want the kitten, though i liked the idea of it at the time. like all of our other cats, skeeter became an outside cat. not a year later, skeeter got knocked up, and sadly, the daddy cat never came around to even check on his young offspring. :( not too long after that, due to immense sadness, i think, skeeter disappeared...leaving behind a little kitten that looks just like, oddly enough. anyway, this kitten, for some crazy reason, took to me. it like thinks i'm it's mom or something, even though i did nothing to make it think so. it climbs up a tree beside our balcony (yes, on the second floor!) all the time and sits at our door there and meows...constantly! it drives me crazy! it doesn't help that ryan sometimes sneaks out there to pick it up and pet it and give it food! that only makes it come back more and more... anyway, this next video is just what that cats aims to do, i think. i'm going to move all of my potted plants far far away! and maybe the table that's out there, too. because you never know....

a catcher-upper

it's been a few days since i've written..here's an overview:

friday: hannah's 18th birthday. had a great party downtown that night at the urban standard (the ideal coffeehouse). i had one of the best lattes ever, and it had heart-shaped foam on the top (just like in my picture on my post about my dream of opening a coffee house! how crazy is that?)

saturday: spent the morning cleaning and working on our taxes. went to have lunch at my mimi's with dad and bette and bruster and richard. had a delightful time with the family! went back home and took a nap, then cleaned some more. mom FINALLY got her new car, and so she took us out to dinner at this great asian restaurant in patton creek. i don't usually like asian, but this place was very good! i can't remember the name of it, though...

sunday: spent some time with some sweet babies in sunday school. heard a great message about the collision of the pain of suffering and God's never-ending love/never-leaving presence. caused a lot of emotions to spring up in me. then listened to a dear set of friends officially announce their move from the church. it's going to be a great move for them, but it will still be so hard. southcrest won't be the same without them!

monday: so far, it's been a slow day. work has been non-eventful (as usual). my sweet husband came downtown and took me to lunch after he got off work. we had a very nice time, but not long enough. now i'm back at work, waiting as the day slowly rolls on. i finished a book that i've been reading called "altar call", a novel about finding "mr. right." i'm glad i "found" mine, lol. it is nice, though. especially since my "mr. right" is just so great!!! :)

For a good laugh...

Ryan and Dan's snowboarding experience! (<-that is actually the link even though it doesn't appear to be. it's in disguise!) (on the March 5 posting). This made me laugh so hard! Though, I know I won't be laughing when it's me out there... :) You better go pee first if you have to, because this might push you over the edge. I'm just sayin....

empathy as a way of being

em·pa·thy [em-puh-thee] --

the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.

i was reading some random things this morning and came across the title of this blog. i jotted it on a post-it because i wanted to think about it a little more. i haven't completed my thoughts on it, but it really is a very interesting idea, if you ask me. empathy is something that we talked about all the time in my counseling classes at southeastern. it's a characteristic that i think, on some days, that i have a little bit too much of. it's something about me that makes me question time and time again whether or not i could actually be a counselor.

empathy, as the definition (borrowed from dictionary.com) says, is about identifying with the feelings of others. it's not about just saying, "oh that sounds terrible," but it's about stepping beyond that line, about taking some time to really attempt to walk in the shoes of another. though, i don't think there is anyway you can truly understand what another person is going through at any given time...i think a true sense of empathy might get you close. empathy is about subjectivity, rather than objectivity. it's about entering into another person's world and walking with them, sometimes through hell and back..

often times my problem is not a lack of empathy, but an excess of it. i find myself "feeling" way too much for another person and end up struggling right alongside them. i think this is a bad thing for a person thinking about going into the counseling profession... because i think of all the people who would be coming to me to talk about their problems and, in a sense, find answers to them. if all i can do is feel some of their pain with them, i won't have done much for them. i get way to subjective, when what they are really asking for is objectivity. obviously they are subjective to their own problems and many times people ask for help from others because they want someone to be able to step away from their problems in order to help them.

i think there is a healthy balance out there...i've seen it in some dear friends. i hope to maybe be there one day. until then, i will continue to question my counseling calling.... and just see what the Lord says. :)

i love technology!

yes, that's right-i love it (sometimes, especially right this moment!)! magen taught me the other day how to track a flight online. so, even as i write, i am watching graphics of ryan's flight as it makes it way from denver to nashville. it offers helpful information as they go (such as height, speed, what time they departed, when they are expected to arrive at the rate they are going, etc), and it lets you watch a picture of a little plane moving slowly across the states. right now, he is just about to pass over the colorado/kansas state line! it's amazing!

i am so glad ryan got to spend some time with his buddies and that he got to get a bit of a feel for the denver area, since it looks like we will be moving out there very soon...but i am ready for him to be back home! i have missed him sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo badly! i was a mess trying to get ready for work this morning because i'm headed straight to the airport when i get off (actually, i'm getting off a few minutes early to go meet him, which is exciting in and of itself!:)).. i wanted to look just great when i see him again! unfortunately, i ran out of time and simply had to leave... i didn't get a chance to do a final looksie in the mirror, and now i'm afraid that was a big mistake. i did ask one of my lil sisters how she thought my outfit was and she said, "great!" but i think she might have just been saying that because she was ready for me to take her to school and didn't want me to go change again. lol. oh well, ryan only partially loves me for my great fashion skills! (haha)

i am sam... sam i am

i do not like green eggs and ham!

a moment of reflection on one of the greatest author's of all times: Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss! he is well known, of course, for his popular children's books with crazy looking characters and great rhyming. but, there was actually more to him than that....check out his biography on this wonderful site: seussville. i read a very interesting quote by him one time, which i think is very profound: be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. somethings just don't need a comment and that is one of those things, i think. :)

in other news, i got a new phone today, which i am pretty excited about. though, i must say, i was not excited about having to get one. mine has had issues since like a month after i got it, and i should have taken it in long ago...i waited way too late. it flew right off the table yesterday during lunch. the timing of it may seem suspicious to some, as i had just had a nice conversation with wendy about her new blackberry and how i'd love one of those. but, i assure you, there was no foul play on my part. i only had it on the table just in case my husband sent me a text...yes, i'm one of those sad little wives who won't let the phone out of my sight while my husband is gone, just in case! i'm not sure if i was trying to pick it up or what when it fell-it's all a blur!! but the back popped off and out came the battery. when i put it back in, this crazy message came up and it wouldn't turn back on! and when i took it to the store, they said it had water damage of all things...yah, i'm sure! so, i went back today and worked some sort of a deal with a manager at the at&t store. i got a blackberry for a great price, but i had to up the service fee. :/ and somewhere between my old phone and the new, i lost every single number in my phone. and, in this day and age, i don't have any of them elsewhere, i don't think.

my honeybunchesofoats is going to be home tomorrow evening and i can barely stand it!!!!

my husband left yesterday for colorado.

i got beat up by a kid a bible club today. he was 4.*

i started deep cleaning our apartment.

there was lots of dust.

i (along with dear fufster) "jumped off" a car with only minor sparkage.

i sold my yellow car, finally!

i am grilling for the first time in my life.

i miss my homey-honey bun.

*okay, i didn't actually get beat up, just got whacked with a big hard stick a few times. but it's all good, sonia told his mama.