Skipping Work to Go to School

I skipped out on work this morning (I was actually given permission but that doesn't sound nearly as exciting) to attend chapel with Adam at school. Once a year Dr. Pentecost speaks in chapel. He's probably 98 or 99 and still teaches at the seminary. He has written many books and refuses to let the seminary pay him because he makes enough off his book rights and just loves teaching the students for the love of teaching the students. He also lives in our student housing apartment building and is funny and sharp as a tack.

Today after singing a hymn with Chaplain Bill, the speaker is normally introduced, Dr. P (as he is lovingly called by everyone) cut in front of the seminary president and said, "When you've been here as long as I have you don't need an introduction." You see, Dr. P has taught at Dallas Seminary for 54 years. He's a man that still searches after the heart of God all these years and has truly committed himself to finishing the race strong.

All these reasons aside is not why I took the morning off to go see him. This time last year we had just come home from spending the summer at East Side completing Adam's internship and I did not have a job yet. I was pretty depressed. My dear friend Christy called to see if I would watch her son Micah while she attended Dr. P's chapel with her husband as this was their last year at seminary and therefore the last time to hear Dr. P speak in this capacity. I remember a lot of emotions came from this simple request. More than I probably ever talked to Christy about herself. What I remember most is being almost insanely jealous that they were in their last year and how long that felt from being myself and Adam, especially when she came back full of a bittersweet happiness that this final year had begun.

So with the anticipation of this rite of passage, I wanted to hear Dr. P speak this morning and he did not disappoint. His message was to the new students as it is opening week, but it spoke just as much to my heart as theirs, because although we are ending seminary we are starting a new phase, as unknown as can be, but none the less new. He charged them to seek after God. Not to seek after other things. Dr. P used Mary in Luke 10 as an example. Martha pursued things that were worthy of time, wanting to be hospitable and to serve those who were in her home, but she lost the truth that Mary saw. The reality was to pursue the one who came visit. God in the flesh, Jesus. Oh how I wish I was more like Mary and pursued God to the detriment of everything else.

So, spoke to my memory was this scripture.

Sing praise to the Lord, you His godly ones,
And give thanks to His holy name.
For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.
Psalm 30:4-5

How sweet it is to be rounding to the morning.

It feels like school

Adam and I were watching the Today Show (have I told you I like the Today Show?) when he turned to me and said, "This morning I woke up and it felt like school." He said it with such disdain in his voice that I imagined a six year old saying it in light of a lost summer. Poor kid. When I think about it, I realize he has been in school for twenty years straight without a break. I'd be grumpy too. But fall is in my heart (it can't be real because it's still 100 outside), but football starts this weekend, I cleaned out my closet yesterday, casual dress at work is coming to an end, and I had to go 20 in the school zone this morning on my way to work effectively making me late. I think I'll stop on the way home from work today and buy some school supplies. Adam could use some new pencils.

Ahem. Excuse me while I...

step up on my soapbox.
I watch the Today Show every morning. I love Meredith and Matt, but Ann Curry is my favorite. That has nothing to do with this though.
I was watching the Today Show this morning and saw the upcoming story (which of course I didn't get to see) for "Texas School Begins Homemaking Degree." Per usual thoughts regarding this kind of thing, I turned to Adam and said, "Only in Texas." I can say this because I live in Texas. I said the same thing when the Today Show featured a Dallas supermarket adding spas on their second level so that women can get a massage and pedicure while someone else does their grocery shopping, thanks Whole Foods.
The bonus of my position at work is my volumous time spent on the internet. So after time with my friend Google, I found numerous articles on Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary adding a women only concentration in homemaking.
What!?!
I need to preface with something that may surprise some of you. I plan on staying home with my children, God willing we can have any.
But I also don't feel that it is necessary for a woman to feel edified by literally getting herself a Mrs. Degree. What if in the end this woman is called to remain single? It happens. Then she is not prepared to enter any sort of professional workplace. I was always teased a little by Adam and his engineering buddies about my choice to major in English, but I've proven time and again that there are multiple careers for this seemingly ambiguous degree.
But what really gets me riled up was what the president of the seminary is quoted to have said.

"We are moving against the tide in order to establish family and gender roles as described in God's word for the home and the family. If we do not do something to salvage the future of the home, both our denomination and our nation will be destroyed."

Ok, multiple websites have completely ripped the poor guy apart, I feel bad about that, but there are sooooo many things wrong with that series of statements that it almost makes me break out in hives just thinking about it. I can think of multiple women in the Bible that worked outside of the home. None to the detriment of their family. I'm not a Bible scholar thought so I'm open for criticism. In fact Proverbs 31 praises the woman who works outside of their home.
I agree that the future of "the home" especially in America is in danger. Children are left alone with no supervision, there is divorce, mixed family homes, abuse, etc. But teaching women to better cook and sew in the Baptist denomination is not going to do anything about fixing this. Most Baptists are not necessarily the homes that will lead to the nation being destroyed. Geez. Our nation is going to be destroyed because of poorly cooked lasagna? My home would have been in shambles long ago if this was true.
I'm going to stop before I burst a blood vessel in my head. I'll just keep singing Whitney Houston's "Children are the Future" to myself.
Here are to articles if you would like to read them for yourself.
One from The Christian Post
The Today Show Blog

Weekend trips are the best!

Looks like I'll be heading back to Ohio more than I thought. Up and moving on from the last visit, we'll be heading back to Ohio in two weeks for my brother's wedding (yay!) and I'm scoping out plane tickets for my third wedding this year (as a bridesmaid, not just attending) when Jessica marries Dustin in October. So to answer the question, "When will you be back again?" Adam and I will both be back the second week in September, at least I will be back the last weekend in October, and at least Adam will be back the first weekend in February (I am trying to work out coming back then as well).
We are taking bids and bribes for our time while we are there. :) Let the bidding begin.... Do I hear dinner? Going once.....

Jessi-Rae

Jessica and I have a problem getting pictures together. We just always forget. I guess you could say that we are having way too much fun to remember to take pictures. Yeah, that's it.

So instead here are some pictures of the finished product of me color coding our book cases. It took Adam and I 4 hours to complete, but I absolutely love the look. Just so you don't think it was my awesome idea, I saw it on a blog I follow and thought we woud have enough books to pull it off successfully.


These are all of Adam's Bible Books

Red through yellow of my book collection

Green through white of my book collection

Musings

I've been having a wonderful, wonderful time with Jessica. We've not done too much, but have spent the time wisely none the less. I always feel like I'm stocking up friendship and warm fuzzies while I'm around her to pull out on days when I'm down on myself and missing those who are really close to my heart. She makes me laugh and cry, most often at the same time. I'm tearing up just writing this, so I'll leave it at that.
I've been hurting a lot lately and she's been just the balm that I need to smooth out those rough patches. She's amazing.

On my Google homepage is a CS Lewis quote generator. I've heard and read this one before but I just love to think about it

If we discover a desire within us that nothing in this world can satisfy,
also we should begin to wonder if perhaps we were created for another world.

It's so true that nothing in this world satisfies. I know I truly have desires that nothing I can do or someone can do for me will satisfy. The only logical explanation is that I am not made for this world but another.
One where there is no sickness, no pain, no crying, no suffering, only joy, and
peace, and singing, and praising Him who created all of this world and the next. That really excites me.

Horray for fun!

Yesterday was Darby's Baby Shower and it was a lot of fun to see her open things and then say something like, "Oh! It's cute! I have no idea what it is." She did however guess right away that this is a bear and that I made it for Babe Koog.

Then after some flight trouble, Jess finally made it in at midnight. So it was 2am her time before we all hit the sack. Needless to say, we're skipping first service at church and just heading to second. Then off for some of the best Tex-Mex around at Chuy's for lunch. Chuychanga here I come!

I heart quizzes

I love taking quizzes. I was one of those Teen magazine readers when I was younger. I can't count how many times I've willingly taken the Meyers-Briggs test (the bonus is I never remember what I am. is it EMTJ? I can't even remember what my options are). So I took a quiz today I found online and really enjoyed it. It told me what UrbanBotanic scent I was, but then delved more into my personality. Pretty much hit the nail on the head....
I am "HERBY" heehee. Just like the car.
Here's what it had to say about my personality.
U.B.Herby! Herbies are the best neighbors on the planet. You're the type to give service in any way you can, whether it's bringing cookies to the neighbor, surprising them by mowing their lawn after finishing yours, or collecting food for charitable organizations. Herbies are some of the most dependable and thoughtful people. If you've ever wondered who would keep a calendar strictly devoted to birthdays, it's an Herby. An Herby's favorite place to be is at home. They're happiest there when a friend is with them, relaxing on the porch with a cup of tea, talking about the latest drama in life. Herbies worry about everyone and everything. They love to be flattered and are very enthusiastic when you're telling them a story. Some Herbies hug a lot and can be really nosy. They'll ask you questions all day long - it's because they're genuinely interested in others and because they like to live vicariously through others. If you tell an Herby about how you finished a marathon, she will feel as though she was there running along-side you. Herbies feel deeply for others and have the gift of empathy. They are very sincere when they encourage others; they genuinely want people to succeed. They see the good in others, which can sometimes cause them to get hurt. Sometimes Herbies get so caught up in helping others they forget about themselves and often do too much. It's all worth it to them when they realize how their efforts helped another. Herby's chosen role in life is to keep everyone and everything together and they're the best people for the job because they're so good at it.
Take it for yourself and see what scent you are.

Looking forward to tomorrow with much anticipation.
1. Tax free weekend means Cara gets new pairs of jeans.
2. Darby-love's baby shower
3. Jessica finally gets here for her visit
4. Day one of three days off in a row. While I get to stay at my house and sleep in my own bed. Ahhhhhhhh.

Further Recoup

I work with a wonderful woman at Pottery Barn Kids. She is a grandmother, but one of those grandmothers who tells dirty jokes and enters ceramics into the state fair. She's wonderful. She would be my friend even if her husband wasn't a masseuse, but since he is, she well up there on my list :) Yesterday I visited Larry, and well, we got all my kinks worked out. Therapeutic masssage can make you look differently at the world. Spending 10 hours a day on the internet can have it's downfalls, and my shoulders really take a toll. Then being on a treadmill really does in the hips. So needless to say, after over an hour of active pressing and stretching, I was able to move easier than I had in years. The only thing with deep massages of this type is that I tend to bruise pretty easily. The kind of "hurt so good" thing really kills me later on. So today I am hurting but still amazed at how it feels to be able to turn my head without turning my shoulders too. I'm off to go take some advil now.

Recoup

Tampa
Our trip to Tampa was wonderful. It was so much fun to hang out with Ella and Ryan and Laura too of course. We're hoping we were a help while we were there. I'll just post a few photos here, but if you want to see the full album click here.

We had a great time babysitting so Ryan and Laura could get out for a few hours and even took Ella to church while Laura slept.
Laura was so kind, she even let me give Ella her bath.

Makes us want a baby of our own... At least, it didn't scare us away from never having one.

Crafts
Of course I've been busy, but I've been crafting all along the way. I've really been good about starting projects but not so good about finishing them. Here are a couple of pics showing off some of the completed ones.

A card I made for Aunt Glenna

Ella's new onesie and friend (a Gwendolyn copy)

Ella modeling my creation

A gift for a friend

Crafty Husband
I failed to tell about what Adam had done for me for my birthday. I had been requesting craft supplies and he graciously bought me many things for my birthday. I had a picture scavenger hunt to find everything. Boy was it fun! But on top of that my husband got craft himself.

Most of it is even color coordinated in pink. Thanks Hunny!

Cutest chick ever! Good job Adam!

This crazy life

It's been a crazy week getting ready for the crazy weeks to come. Here's the low down so you can keep track of my schedule in case you needed to stalk me for some reason.
This Week
Schlitterbaun on Thurdsday to make one of my husbands longsuffering dreams come true. A 45minute water ride. Woo-hoo.... (that woo-hoo was sarcastic.... i wish feelings came through better in type).
Tampa,FL Saturday through Monday. Can't wait to visit the fam and see little miss baby Ella in person for the first time.
Next Week
Workin for the weekend is all I got.
Jess comes in Saturday through the next Wednesday. I can't wait to see my dearest friend.
First Week of September (yea, by then it will almost be September. Where has the summer gone?)
Nicky and Kara's Wedding! So back to Ohio, I go again.

I need a snow day!

Whew! It's hot! Go make a snowflake at this site and take a look at some of the other amazing ones!

Too Cute

Gwyndolyn- A small bunny needs a really big name

Adam fell in love with this book at 1 in the morning in Barnes and Noble's while waiting for HP7 to be released. We had a good laugh about it while whittling away the time in the Literature Aisle. They are felt "mascots" that you make and then carry around with you. they really are too cute.... Here's the story of how Gwyndolyn came to be.

The bunny Gwyndolyn afraid, very afraid. She wasn't sure how she had gotten herself into this prediciment, but it was severe. How in the world was she going to get down from there?

Some how, she had gotten herself stuck up on top of the ledge and there was no help in sight. Luckily for her she noticed a wall hanging just to the side of the ledge. If she could only inch herself over and get to the end she would be able to scale the wall over to the hanging.

Once Gwyndolyn was there she knew she had run out of luck. Still a whole 4 ft from the ground it was impossible to get there and scamper from the apartment where she had found her doom.
Then luck shined down on her once again and from the bathroom came a giant, if he would just get close enough she could jump onto him and slink her way down to the ground. Closer, and closer he came and just when the timing was right she jumped!

But she just missed her mark and started to slide down the largest slide she could have ever fathomed. Once again as she felt her impending doom she was lifted up and over into my hand to rest and retell the story to me as I have, here, relayed it to you.

I know it's contrived, but we had a lot of fun making this bunny and then taking pictures of it, so I just had to make up a story to go with it.

Embroidery
My fascination has moved to embroidery. It makes my hands hurt (which crochet doesn't) so it's a little less relaxing, but I've been having fun with it. here's some pics of what I've done. Some are from patterns from sublimestitching.com but some are my own design too.

Became Jane

I thoroughly enjoyed Becoming Jane. Based on the previews and trailers I must admit I had my misgivings. The remakes of this time period sometimes hurt because of the lack of modern understanding for that time period in its entirety (except for artistic freedom, the newest Pride and Prejudice was uck!). So having gone into it with a critical perception of actually knowing how Jane Austen's life occured and having read just about every writing (including her letters to her sister Cassandra and other various little stories) I was completely entertained by the lines from her books being part of the script. I also enjoyed the meeting of two great minds of Anne Radcliffe and Jane in the movie, it struck well against my literary heart. Somethings were obnoxious to me but all in all the movie made me a proud Austen fan.

I've left this purposely lacking. I hate when people ruin movies. But it is definitely a good movie. I'm sure I will be going to see it again. I suggest you go when it is released. If people go to support these types of movies, maybe they will make more of them.

I feel some rereading of Austen (especially Northanger Abbey, it's been a while for that one) and biographies coming on.