Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Oh to Grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be.
Let thy goodness, like a fetter
Bind my wandring heart to thee.
Prone to wander Lord I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart Lord take and seal it,
Seal it for thy courts above.

Friday, November 24, 2006

Thanksgiving at the Wilcoxsons

Winona Lake is every bit as beautiful as J describes it, and even more. The family is lovely, it's so nice to be in a real home (and not only becuase I can shower without flip-flops). The meal was incredible and I got to meet much extended Wilcoxson family, then last night we all played apples to apples for a good couple of hours. J and I have had some of our good old talks - even better now after a year and a half of talking on the phone. I got to see Kyle at lunch today and meet a few of the friends I've heard so much about, I think I'll meet more tonight. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, but J's hair is "long", according to him, although I think it looks pretty much exactly the same as ever, and Kyle is about twice the size he once was. Mrs. Wilcoxson makes some of the best cookies you've ever eaten in your life. I am very thankful indeed.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

If you're ever reading through the Old Testament...

...and you come to a little chapter called 1 Samuel 19, and you're like, what the heck? What's "the evil spirit from the Lord"? and what's going on with Saul and all his men being over taken by this dramatic kind of prophesying?! And you don't want to spend hours and hours researching it and then writing a 9 page paper on it... Never fear. I got it aalllll figured out. Just give me a call.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly, because you tread on my dreams.

- William Butler Yeats

(This is the poem from which my love for poetry first grew. Thank you Mrs. Morris. I knew I needed a little creative inspiration in the midst of academic rigor this evening and thought perhaps you might feel the same).

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Swingin' Weekend

The Lord blessed me with a really great weekend to precede this incredibly loaded week. Isn't he good?
It started out with a swing dance. Which was really fun. And plus I had incredibly hot date. I don't have any pictures of him, but let me tell you. He was fine. He learned to swing dance at some bible school in England too so he was actually pretty good at it.


Kirsten and I got ready together. She was so adorable. Being a home-schooler this was her first real "dance" ever. And her first real dance "preparation" so we had fun with it.
Then Kyle came with his friend Bucky and we and J's brother Aaron all hung out, dinner and a movie sort of deal. And we visted Jimmy and Justin in their dorms. And it was just... fun! Those are such fun guys.

And on Sunday I took a day to just rest and spend time with the Lord and read some Charles Dickens by a fire and watch the Wizard of Oz and crochet with Kirsten. And church was really good and we had breakfast at Egglectic, which is the best breakfast place I've ever been to, with Kyle and Jimmy and Dan and Aaron.

It was a good weekend. I'm thankful for it. Now I have to buckle down and work my little hiny off this week... but then it's Thanksgiving in Winona Lake, Indiana!

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Kyle's here!

It's so marvelous. I can't even begin to tell you!

Monday, November 06, 2006

You know you're from Oregon when...

I found this on facebook. If you ARE an Oregonian I suggest reading it... you WILL concur. Especially if, like me, you've lived in both the country and in Portland. If you're not, then I doubt you'll get past the first 10 or 15, but you'll learn a lot about us if you desire to push through.
Enjoy:

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM OREGON WHEN:

You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.
You use the statement "sun break" and know what it means.
You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.
You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.
You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.
You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the "Walk" signal.
You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain.
You know the difference between Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye salmon. ( I dont)
You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon, Yakima, and Willamette.
You consider swimming an indoor sport.In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark—while only working eight-hour days.
You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.
You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain," and "Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers."
You have no concept of humidity without precipitation
You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of mind.
You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see through the cloud cover.
You notice, "The mountain is out" when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.
You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots and parka.You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.
You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.
You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or people from california
You buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time.
You measure distance in hours.***
You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.
You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer & Elk season (Fall)."Vacation" means going to Portland for the weekend.
Your grandparents drive at 65 mph through a rain storm without flinching.
You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
You carry jumper cables in your pickup and your wife knows how to use them.
There are 7 empty cars running in the parking lot at the Bi-Mart store at any given time.
Driving is better in the winter because almost everybody stays home.
You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and flannel pajamas.
It takes you 3 hours to go to the store for one item even when you're in a rush because you have to stop and talk to everyone in town.
You blame everything that's not right on ex-Californians.
You know what and when the Columbus Day storm was.
Bonus for having been there.
You go to a coffee bar and see two guys get into a fight over who makes the best India Pale Ale.
You own more than 10 articles of clothing that have microbreweries/brewpubs printed on them. Bonus for embroidered stuff.
You can recount more than five anecdotes about why the East Side is a crime-infested jungle
... OR ...
You can list more than five reasons why the West Side is a boring, snobby, white-bread suburb.
You know what is in between the East Side and the West Side, and how to pronounce it.
You are sitting at a red light surrounded by Subaru Legacy Outbacks.
A tree or mudslide has ever damaged your house or car.***
ForestYou live equidistant to a symphony hall, a winery, and a volcano.
Your children learned to walk in Birkenstocks.
You complain about Californians as you sell your house to one for twice as much as you originally paid.
You only honk your horn if collision is imminent and never for anything else.
You consider something a "hill" (not a mountain) if it doesn't have snow on it or has not recently erupted, regardless of its altitude.
You consider "etiquette" a foreign word.
You find a wallet with $500 and give it back to the owner.
You used to live somewhere else but won't admit it publicly.
You know a bride & groom that registered at REI. I do!
If someone ran your car off the highway, you might drown.
You'd be pissed if the store was out of your favorite brand of water.
Every day is casual Friday. Hear the word "ferry" and think of boats and long waits.
Know at least eight people who work for Intel or Nike, or used to work for Tektronix.
You think skiing always means being covered from head to toe, in snow or water.
Have ever called your insurance agent to ask if your homeowner's policy covers falling trees, flooding, or mud slides
You believe swimming is not a sport but a survival skill to prevent boating deaths.
Obey all traffic laws except "keep right unless passing."
Are amazed by an accurate weather forecast.
You think downtown is "scary" because you were panhandled there....once...
You know that Burgerville has the best hamburgers...ever.
You have only used 5 main freeways/highways: I-5, 217, 205, 26, and 84.
You know that Kindergarten Cop and The Goonies were filmed in Astoria and Cannon Beach, respectively.
You know where Astoria is.
You think that the Beach is the best place to go for vacation, or just for a day off.You love going to the Original Pancake House....because its original....
You take pride in Lewis and Clark and know who Sacagawea is.
Were excited when the Crater lake, Oregon quarter came out.
You love The Shins...because they live here.
You love the Decemberists....because they are from here...and live here.
You went to Washington Square....just to eat lunch at Panda Express...or Scoozi.
you love the smell of rain.
you are the only person in the line at the grocery store who asks for paper, not plastic (because while paper "kills trees" it is recyclable, and plastic bags will sit in our landfills for the next millennia).
you understand the joys of spandex as a layer under pantsyou dress in layers (tank top, t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, jacket, etc).
You know the exact day you had school off because it snowed like....one inch.
You play Tony Hawks Pro Skater and recognize Burnside.
you can count the number of movies made here...since there are so many.
you are sad during christmas because it never snows in the valley.
you know where the valley is.
you go out of state and wait in your car for someone to pump your gas.
your state and local legislatures are republican but your state executives and national representatives are democrat.
you are more concerned about packing a sweatshirt or a jacket when going to the beach than packing a bathing suit.
you are aware that "The Shining" was filmed at Timberline Lodge.
you say "pop" instead of "soda."
you believe that Enchanted Forest is Oregon's disneyland.
you think it looks strange when pedestrian signs do not have hula-hoops around them.
The red nose on the 'made in oregon sign' starts your holiday season
you drive on 'the banfield'.
you've seen the elvis impersonator at saturday market
you've been offered pot on hawthorne.
you've been in or heard about a pillowfight in the middle of downtown.
you smile at people you don't know as you walk by them on the sidwalk.
you are excited that Sufjan is going to make a cd about us. Is it true?!
you know you're from oregon when people call you a hippy and you just smile b/c you can't hear them over the grape-nuts.
you make subtle remarks about washington drivers, but save your real road rage for california drivers.