Where it all began . . .

This is a pic of my great-grandparents Obera on their wedding day, June 1925.
My Noni gave us this card for our anniversary - very clever idea. I have a couple of old teacups that were hers, and a locket of them as well that she gave to me. I can't wait to pass these on to my daughter someday :)

Look at my GGrandma's bouquet ~ It looks like quite a handful! I am still trying to figure out what kind of flowers she was carrying. No wonder I love blooms so much ;) I still have not seen a picture where my GGrandfather is smiling, but I know that he must have been very happy that day.

I think that the sun must have been shining on them because they all appear to be squinting.
My Papa (my grandfather) looks so much like his dad :)

Driving so fast that I couldn't slow down

And then I crashed . . .
No, not my car or anything major. But my feet took a beating from the cute flipflops I wore the other day. . . the price of beauty - - - is not worth it. Now I am hobbling around like a cripple.
We went to Target last night, and Haven kept teasing that I needed a "go-cart" - you know, the kind that gets you alll over the store? Ha ha. . . Is it just pride in me, that makes me cringe at that thought?

Anyway. We looked high and low at Macy's for a bedding set that found online at a GREAT deal. They had only one left that someone had put on hold. Bummer, shipping & handling charges are of the devil. But there were few left in all the stores around here anyway. We ended this goose chase at home, where we just bought it online.

Isn't it decadent!

Sweet Things

My Handsome Hubby









Who Loves Me







Took me to the Riverwalk for our special day. We walked around the quaint La Villita section. where they had an arts and craftshow going on. We strolled into Macy's for a bit, the mall, and then a bookstore. We ate at Luciano's Italian Restaurant.




He had Salmon . . .


And I had Grilled Lemon Butter Chicken





We sipped a Sangria together, and relaxed.
We smiled at the bill, because we are usually so frugal about our meals out - nah, this was special :)
We walked around a little more, in the cool evening, listened to the pan fluters play "My Heart Will Go On" for the tenth time(ahhh!), and then headed back home.

H even swung by McD's to get me a little oreo mcflurry - what a guy.

He gave me this special diamond necklace which he made sure would match my ring set :)

I feel so blessed :) What a special day, the beginning of many more ~

Thank you Babe!

P.S. - There is a new hershey's chocolate kiss - truffle that is delicious, go and try one! Very rich, one does the trick!

Bon Anniversaire a mon amour

Today is our first anniversary, the first of many more to come, Lordwilling.

We were sitting on the couch yesterday, dazed at how the days have flown by . . . wow. Someday, it we will be dazed at the years that have flown by.
Its been a great year. Its had its share of joy, excitement, anxiety, frustration, etc. But the Lord has been so good to us, carrying us through it. Sometime, I will post about our courtship, engagement & wedding. . .

H

I love being your helpmate
I love following you

I love taking adventures with you, even risks

I love being by your side

Thank you for being my hero
Thank you for being my Haven
Thank you for being faithful
Thank you for loving me!

I love you Haven!!!

Blessed

I got a bonus today - completely unexpected, and yet, such perfect timing.
I don't think that I will ever really 'deserve' a bonus. I do try to do my best, but in a sense, bonuses seem like a touch of grace that we never really deserve, and yet the Lord still is pleased to give to us.

The only attitude allowed is thankfulness.

COLOR

Oh how I love Autumn colors

Sooo GOOD!

MMMmmm Delicious!!!

On a recent Costco venture - H and I sampled this delectable seasoning blend. I thought it might be too salty (ugghh, hate seasonings like that!) Surprisingly, this was not, perfect amount of taste, salt and garlic.

I tugged and tugged at H's sleeve and we bought some. I think it was $4.75 - good deal for an 18 oz. bottle ;)

So far, we have used it on:
Rolls - freshly baked/ mix spread with butter to desired taste
Mashed Potatoes - mixed in thoroughly with milk and butter - this was last night & we can't wait to lick up the leftovers!

*Umm, beware, it makes horribly bad breath - but its worth the 3-4 teeth brushings afterward! :)

BSF, Lesson 4 - Romans 2

Oopsie . . .
I forgot to do this yesterday. This week, our lesson covered Romans 2.

God's Judgment Upon:

1. The Self-righteous Romans 2:2-26
2. The Religious Romans 2:17-29


God is the righetous judge for all people. We will be judged according to the way that we have lived our lives, facing either eternal life or eternal wrath.

In this chapter, Paul is addressing a diverse group. Believing Gentiles, unbelieving & skeptical Jews, believing Jews, and unbelieving Gentiles. He pointed out why the Gospel was so needed in Ch. 1:18-3:20. It does'nt matter who we are, we are all under judgment.
*On the side, Nancy even commented that someone said "we can't even seem to get 'bad' right".
Though, never seem to give up with our sin stockpiling - we even have contempt for the graciousness, kindness and forebearance that the Lord has for us. We show this through our rebellion, our disobedience, and our love of sin.

God's judgement is righteous because:
1. It is based upon Truth/fact
Our own judgment is scarred with transgression. We cannot look inside the heart of another. We are only able to see externally. We are not to judge hearts, but we are to discern right from wrong & humbly approach our brethren when we see there are sins that need to be addressed.
2. It is based on guilt
Repentance is described as agreeing with God's assessment of sin, turning away from sin, and turning to righteousness.
3. It is based upon our deeds
God will give to each one according to what he/she has done. Wrath & indignation for those who rebel Him, and peace comfort and eternal life for those who seek the Truth.

Saving faith is never alone, it is always accompanied by good deeds. We are saved so we work - we are not saved through our works. Our deeds will exhibit salvation. The life of a Christian is a progressive one. I am not saying by any means that we eventually will become perfect, but we are in a journey forward, and it is an 'upward calling'.
5. It is based on impartiality
ch. 2:11 we see that God does not play favorites, but He judges according to His Truth.
6. Based on the light which we have
All people have the law. We are created with evidences of Him all around, there is no excuse. We have been given a conscience, with which we know, to some degree, what is right and what is wrong (and yet, I will fully agree that we should not rely on our consciences, they are stained with sin).

His punishment:
Punitive - based on whether or not we rejected Him
Evaluative - for those who have received Him- have we 'stored up our treasure in heaven'?
Outward observance without inward reality is empty religion.

~Be true children of God, True to Him, possessing a heart that is cirumcised from sin & separated unto God. ~

Click

Oh, how I love pictures . . .Of all sorts of things . . .

I drop by here every once in a while -

And for pretty nature photos - here

For Sunsets - here

For animals - here

For Flowers (especially Roses*) - here
and here
And, to make you hungry, go here

Craving something dark and rich? Here

One more . . . because my family takes really good pictures :) Here

You're Changing Me Slow But Surely

Let's see if this Tuesday will be a little better than last - I think it will.

I feel like I don't deserve the patience that H has for me. I can honestly be a BRAT & he still sticks it out and gently calls me back. Hmm, small picture of how the Lord works in the lives of His own.

In the midst of the mini dramas, the Lord eagerly blesses in ways unexpected & completely unforeseen. The biggest would have to be receiving a phone call from someone I've been feeling so estranged from recently. I had resigned myself to believe that this would happen so much further down the road. . . guess not.

I was able to confess my anger to Haven last night. There is an underlying anger in me that has risen quite frequently lately. H has noticed it in me, but figured it would pass. I have been ashamed at how I have made it into a habit (like I need another bad habit?!).

This is such a weird time for me. I feel like all of my sins are crawling out of the closet, like cockroaches or something (hmm) - Okay, I know that's a gross analogy, but I hate both sin and cockroaches and somehow, I am convinced that they must be related.
The kicker is how I am dealing with the sin. The Lord is convicting me, and I am learning painfully that I must not run from His conviction. Everytime I try to run away, He calls me back with His power.
I cannot express how grateful I am that His power is stronger than my sin.

Have you Ever . . .

Copy and publish on your blog, bold what you have done :)


01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (and survived the crush afterwards)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business (watching kids)
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Had a one-night stand
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol (all the time, not bad shot either)
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days1
26. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

On the Prowl

After 15 minutes of walking on pins and needles, we found him. . . the sneaky gigantic roach that had disappeared from my view while I ran for a suitable shoe to kill him. The nastiest thing about this was that he had somehow crept by the computer area, less than a foot away from where I am presently sitting.
We sprayed, we banged walls, kicked floors, dumped baskets, listened for scattering (ughh, the worst part). and waited. Life somehow resumed for a while, still making me jumpy, and as I began writing this post, hubby spotted him crawling the wall toward the sliding glass window. BAM! He's dead :) Thank the Lord for my hero roach-killin' hubby. Now I can eat my yummy peanut butter toast and type this in peace.

We are going to the Comal County fair for a bit & then Chipotle for dinner. Burrito cravings have gotten to us, must satisfy . . . :)
Have a good Saturday ya'll. . . dominate them varmints!

Joy in the Journey

"Relying on God has to begin all over again everyday as if nothing yet has been done"

~C.S. Lewis~

I love this quote. It's got my name all over it. Some days I really wonder if I am growing at all.
After I first read this quote, I thought about Christian in Pilgrim's Progress, so burdened by his sin and yet how he still kept trudging through to the Gate, not giving up.
Persistance, patience, determiniation - but mostly > Faith.

This life is a journey indeed - but there is a joy in it :)

I can feel Friday coming round :)

Said with a happy sigh, as I am in my pj's and its 10-til-10. I've been 'lounging' today. I am finishing up with the laundry, which seems to be taking a lot longer than my movie lasted ('Just My Luck' - kind of "serendipity"-ish, not a winner, Lindsey Lohan kinda makes me naseaus). Well anyway.
This weekend deserves a project - I need to go to Michael's for some 'fallish' inspiration - this is my favoritist season of all :)
I saw an idea somewhere about making card scrapbooks - I have a ton from the wedding just junked in a photo album, they are so pretty I would love to display them somehow. What I saw was basically just a regular scrapbook and you can get those sticky-back, gummy tabs to arrange your cards on the page. I will have to try it :) If I had more wallspace, I think I might have done a card collage (my sister-in-law inspired me with that one).

Okay, off to fold some laundry.

In the Word Wednesday, BSF Lesson 2

This may seem like 'Part 2' of my last post. But this is definitely the better side of it :)
Today was ten times better - Here are some notes from the lecture last night. I apologize that this is so late in the day - I was a little more lax today ;)

As I mentioned previously, this week's lecture was on God's wrath. There wasn't a mini outline to guide us this time, so this may be a little scatterbrained.

"Without the bad news, there is no need for the good news (the Gospel, in this case)."
The aim of the Gospel is to bring about obedience in the hearts of His children - more specifically, obedience to faith.
Wrath is described as holy revulsion of God against sin. Settled, determined indignation. This wrath is not like a firecracker, impulsive and quick, uncontrolled.
His wrath is kindled because of the suppression of the Truth.
He has revealed His Truth to us through General revelation (His creation primarily), and through Special revelation (His Word and His Spirit).

He created us to know Him. He is a God of order, creativity, and power. We would have to be blind not to see this.
He created us with consciences. We have a sense of what is right and what is wrong. Therefore, there is no excuse for man & yet he still suppresses the Truth. Man would rather serve and obey a god of his own design, not the True God.
In 1:21, Paul said that they knew God but they did not acknowledge Him as God. As a result of that, the were cast into:
futile thinking - a wasted mind, worthless, fruitless, ineffective.
Their hearts were darkened - possessing a directionless will, purpose of life is derived from ignorance, wanderers.
idolatry - always the outcome of rejecting God. *If our honor does not go to Him, it has to go to something.
**Failure to worship the True God, always results in idolatry.
Idolatry is anything that is put in God's rightful place.

Because they rejected Him, He 'gave them over' to their sin. This is such a scary thought. I think that I would rather be in the hands of an angry God than out of His hands. He turns them out to their sin, gives them permission to suffer the natural consequences of their actions. Again, it is important to see that the reason of God's wrath is because these are the ones who knew God and yet did not acknowledge Him. When man is left to himself, all kinds of evil-doings spring forth. I won't go into great detail, but the key sins in this passage are unnatural sexual sins, fornications, and perversions. Especially unnatural lusts are sickening to God because they obliterate the beautiful design in man and woman.

The lecture was grave, but ended with us relieved in the fact that He is our only hope and Savior (1 Cor. 6:9-11).
*I can't wait till next week - saving grace to come, stay tuned. . . and thank the Lord for His goodness & forgiveness!

New Slate

Yesterday I had a positively horrible attitude about everything. Yes, it was stress-laden, and busy, but I had volcanic anger that I was struggling to compose. Do you ever have days when everything just sets you off? It takes all you have to keep it under the wraps.

Here is a brief list of things that happened

Woke up later than normal
No time to workout
Trafficky freeway driving
House cleaning
Apartment tidying
lunch?

Busy day at work, everyone was stressed-out, lectured on something, incessant phone calls, last minute things
Rush home to change
More traffic
Missed seeing hubby before I left for BSF
traffic
Starving, grabbed Subway for dinner, ate quickly in the car

BSF -
Ushering
group time
Ushering again
Lecture on God's Wrath (Romans 1)

9 pm, back in the car to finally go home
See my hubby, cry and vent
chocolate run to Sonics for a milkshake
watched two episodes of The Office
Sleep

Now, this was just a good and full day. I had a hard time with my emotions, as Nancy Wilson puts the phrase, "your slip is showing" > yep, my slip was definitely showing. I don't do well when someone lectures me. I feel like an idiot and want to sob. What a pathetic attitude/ quite childish. I pray that God would work that right out of my system. I need to be chastized and lectured, how else will I know how to improve in my job performance? It just seems like it always comes when I am at a weak point. I guess that is where I need to lay my sword down and just say "I give up", "I will be taught".
I had road rage yesterday - there must have been an angel over my car and others' - i seriously feel ill at how I reacted. I pray for deliverance from this manic disease.

My legs were crampy because I didn't get to the gym. No excuse, I could have walked around more and taken a little break here and there at work to stretch.

Ushering was hard. Again, I need patience and grace. My heart was so bitter - I pray for kindness and a tender spirit.
Haven was sweet to listen to me vent but I feel bad about that. I kept on going on and on about it, failing to realize that he too had had a hard day. I wasn't encouraging at all & I need to confess that.
So, this probably sounds like I dragged you into a confessional booth. It just really helps to write out these struggles. When I confront them in public, maybe I can encourage others. I will post on the BSF lecture later tonight - it was convicting after the day I had.

I am a wretch - Thank you Lord for Your forgiveness, and this new day, wiped clean, a NEW SLATE ~

Wait, can we start this week all over again?

I woke up late again this morning - (by late I mean that I usually wake at 4:30am - yes, gag if you want, I do it too). But honestly, this is the best time for me to get over to the gym (its also before it gets horrendously busy too). When I get back, hubby is still asleep and I can get my shower out of the way and even crawl back in bed for a wink or two before his alarm goes off. Well, that is the usual routine. Fallback has been to wake with his alarm, get him out the door and then settle for a walky jog around the neighborhood. It works alright, but throws me off. Like today - another sleep thru the alarm day (I need to fix this problem) and I went over to clean my parents house. It takes me a while to weed through the traffic up 281 - frankly, a daily test of patience ;)
Once I got there this morning, I felt energized. Floors today. Vaccuming, guest bathroom - I feel like I just don't have enough time for all that needs to be done.
After sending a couple of birthday packages off, I got back home and looked at my dirty sink for of dishes. . . I could be doing them, but I am not. Sometimes I wish I got paid to clean my own place ;) (JK)
I've got BSF tonight - I am trying not to get stressed thinking about it. Its kind of a 'rush' day for me. I get wired with all of the things that are going on.
Anyway. Not much else hits my fancy at the moment.

This seemed like a funny image to find under "stress" eh? It made me smile though -

Wistful

Sadness -This is only a generic leaf photo -
This is the kind of day when I wish we still lived in the northwest. . . I miss the leaves changing color, the fall 'cold-snap', the wood fires, the frost on the windowpanes, the cold rain. . .
It is 'chillier' today (if you can call 65 chilly). The sky was painted in some mottled cloud patterns - I disrupted a bunch of peaceful doves accidentally - I laugh at how I am trying to breathe all this in and cause chaos at the same time ;) I guess that I am getting accustomed to Texas fall's here - no, nothing can replace what I grew up with in California or what I saw in the northwest, but fall still kisses the earth here in Texas - I am just convinced that it takes a little bit of urging :)

Lazy "Daysy"

Its been a slow-going, easy Saturday. One of those days where you sit on your front porch swing with a glass of lemonade and watch the flies buzz (well, if I had a front porch swing - make that a front porch!)
Maybe if it was not so muggy I'd be:

more energetic
more enthusiastic
more motivated

I know, lame excuse, its always the heat. . .at least I got the shopping done earlier today. HEB was busting at the seams with people - they had an organic food sample circuit as well - different products, set up all over the store. At a weak moment, I tried a piece of an organic cookie and nearly threw up. Never let me do that again. . . cookies need to be laden in real chocolate, sugar, and real butter - Yes, to put it bluntly, LADEN IN FAT- and that is the only way a cookie should be.

Anyway. H wants to do something fun tonight - who knows what kind of adventure is in the works - or, it could just be a trip to blockbuster. I still don't really want to cook tonight, even though it is 5pm and I have some chicken chunks thawing. . .blah. I am sooooo lazy ;)

Shadows & Sunlight

More thoughts on Depression -
Another element to draw into this discussion is how we are created. I am not a psychologist or anything here, but we all know that we have different personalities.
You could break this into two groups:

Light & Dark

Light personalities might be classified as possessing (for the most part) the following characteristics: cheerfulness, joy, bubblyness, optimism, motivation, good will, loud, emotions on the sleeve, life of the party, large crowds, social butterfly, perhaps naive, friendly, eager, uppity.
Key words: bright colors, swiggly shapes, hearts and flowers

Dark - emotional, dramatic, gloomy, quiet, pessimistic, deep, thoughtful, hard to read, sometimes morbid, shy, one-on-one, calm, moody, hardworkers, polite, not easily excited, tending to be selfish, wistful, solitary.
Key words: darker colors, respites, tears, journaling, secrets.

I am not saying that these are the only two types that everybody fits into, because we all have characteristics in both these groups.

Light is naturally a joy bearer - but seems naive of human experience. Dark can also be a joy bearer, but it may take time to get there. Dark may be well versed in human experience and yet may have no joy, the experience itself has quenched the joy.

We need to cultivate both - If we are lost in the Dark (ha ha), then we will never have hope. . . this sort of depression seems so dangerous. If we are too Light, then we will never be able to experience the sorrows & trials which we need to shape and conform our characters.



I guess I sort of see this as a color wheel - (I looked at many of these to try to get a good mix of both dark and light; this one seemed okay.) I think of myself as a deep violet I guess. Its funny how I am naturally drawn to that color & feel like it too. I tend to be more on the dark side than light (ha ha), which I think is why I struggle with depression. Anyway, kind of interesting. I know that they use color wheels for psychology and even Christian counseling. Its a neat way to express how you feel.


Abra had mentioned interest in how I dealt with it. . .hmm - I journal about it> a lot. . . it seems to help too. I read a lot of Psalms, the ones that David wrote when he was in the depths - and I cry a lot. It helps so much just to cry, even if you can't find a reason for it. It does wonders. And I pray that I can move on. The Lord is always good, even when its hard.

See ya Later Alligator

You've read the news lately, right? The whole Thailand thing The irony of it is that my brother leaves for Thailand today - everything seems to be calm over there, and he called the embassy yesterday this doesn't disrupt any of his travel plans . . . hmmm

He'll be gone until March. I'll miss his humor, and his perfect sarcasm. Maybe he'll start a blog (I'll bug him about it).

If you remember it, please keep him in your prayers.


Bye Josh, we'll miss you . . . :(

Shadows

This morning met me with some thoughts about depression. This is a black cloud that hangs over me often, though not as much as it did in highschool, early college, and the first several months of marriage. But I still struggle with it.
Sometimes I can't put a finger on the reason for it. Over the years, I have tried to pay better attention to the way I am feeling, and how it came about. I have come to realize that it seems to ribbon from the same source of trying to find 'peace on earth'. Plans will be foiled, people will fail, there will be heartbreak, and there will be physical pain - that is just the way that life is. It all proves how this life, though wonderful as well, will never sate the human appetite.

I ran to various things when I was younger, one failed me deeply.
I trusted in situations with all I had, they faded into new pictures for me to fit in.
I hoped for things that were not to be, and the Lord gave me what He willed.

I reacted to these in different ways:

Pouting - this will never do, especially when you are an adult. There is no good result in this, there is no good excuse for it either. None whatsoever. In a sense, this is basically self-pity that people cop off as "depression".

Bitterness - More common, more accepted by a surprising number. Why is this accepted? When we have been wronged by something, the immediate response is to let ourselves rot with bitterness, turn icy with coldheartedness, and be cruel to others.

Retaliation/Anger - acting out on that bitterness - will we be satisfied to see another bleed?

Anger again - the kind that you keep inside and fester - this actually readies itself for the previous.

Turning inward/retreating to self - Becoming a recluse only provokes the situation. When you are at your weakest point, that is when you are most prey to this. This is when you turn to everything except the Lord, or, when you try to shut out everything from yourself.

Through what I have learned so far, I do believe that there is a "good" sort of depression, just like I believe that there is a 'good' sort of anger. We need something to turn us to the Comforter, and He uses things like sorrows, disappointments and failures to do so.
The significant blows do leave lasting scars, but when we look at them, we see that they are our war wounds - The Lord has made us victors through it.

This last bit could use more time, and I have many more thoughts on this, but I have to scram.

In the Word Wednesday, BSF Lesson 2

To be honest, last night was somewhat stressful. I don't want to spend time complaining about it, but I felt kind of rushed and tense throughout the night and it sadly affected even the notes I took. When I got home, I vented a little bit to H, who listens to me even when I am cranky (& reproves me when I need it), then took a shower. Everything got better. This morning has started on the right foot.

So, back to where I was again, this lesson was on Romans 1:1-17, divided into three parts:
1. Explanation - Romans 1:1-7
2. Obligation - Romans 1:8-15
3. Power - Romans 1:16-17


We know that Romans (like many books of the New Testament) is written in a letter format. The way they wrote letters back then was so interesting:

"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ our Lord" -
imagine writing a letter to introduce yourself.
"Amy, a housewife and helpmate to Haven, settled in the land of San Antonio, TX"

Ha ha - Anyway.

Paul called himself a "servant of Jesus Christ". The Greek word is pronounced "doulos", the meaning of which is basically, "under the direct command of another." Paul did only what he was commanded by His Master to do.
Apostle means "one who is sent out", and it is a title of authority. Paul mentions in Galatians 1:1 that he was an apostle "not of man" but of God.

Paul was set apart to the Gospel. This is a neat point to pull out. When he was living as a Pharisee, previous to his conversion, Paul set himself apart from the Gospel by the way he lived.
With his new life, Paul's joy was the Gospel of Christ. This Gospel was not just given to us in the New Testament, but began at the very beginning. Genesis 3:15 (the Protoevangelion)makes the first mention of it.

The purpose of the Gospel is to call people to the obedience of God. Paul seemed to carry this on his shoulders as his own personal burdem. He felt obligated to all people in his eagerness to share the good news. He was not ashamed of the Gospel
"for it is the power of God unto salvation".
Nancy challenged us to be bold in our testimonies. It reminded me of my small group earlier, when my group leader asked us our attitudes about sharing the Gospel. The majority of us said "a little scared, timid, nervous." The first thought is excitement and joy, but when the opportunity arrives, our tongues go numb. And yet, when we realize that the Lord is the one who brings a heart to Him, we really have nothing to fear. He will use us, even in our inadequacies. That is surely an encouraging thought -

One Sweet Cookie . . .

That DH of mine, he sure is. He makes the absolute best chocolate chip cookies, hands down. There is just no reason for me to bake them anymore.
I'll handle the cooking, but when it comes to these, honey, you make me melt ;)

Puddle

So, I am a little bit boring again. The black background and bright green font was getting to me though. Honestly, I do have something in the works right now, very "me", that I am fixing up - there are just a few kinks that I need to work on first. Till then, I am sticking with the simple "plain jane" layout. But I am dying - I need color - its like oxygen - water - sun . . .
I am quite sluggish today. It rained really hard last night - thundering and lightniningly too ;) After two back-to-back episodes of the Office, H was like, "let's take a walk!" - It was late, but I always feel safe beside him - we stomped through the puddles of water in the parking lot and breathed in rainy air. I love the rain. It petered out this morning but was still overcast - I got back from a long walk and took a shower - I am hoping that this cup of coffee is going to get me going. . .

Mondays are so hard to get started. . . bleh.

Last of the Summer Lilies

Well- they look sort of crinkly in this picture, but I wanted to savor every last minute of these lovely orange lilies Hubby got for me last week - I cut off their stems and put them in a "bowly" platter. (I like bowl flower arrangements :))

You belong outside . . .

You sneaky little snake that snuck in under our door the other night.
Haven came out to get some water and yelped when he saw a 6-7 inch green snake slither under our couch . . .
All the lights went on, and the hunt began. With his manly muscles, Haven lifted the couch and I caught the little bugger underneath a glass mixing bowl. We tried to identify what kind he was, but we were stumped. At least he wasn't a rattler.
In all the excitement, we failed to take a picture. . . Oh well.
We just took him back outside where he will be much happier & hey, the carpet underneath the couch got vacuumed :)

Can I lick the Spoon? Pretty Please with a Coffee Bean on Top?

The newest addition to our growing list of all things chocolate. . .
Starbucks Ice Cream - blending the best two things into one - coffee and chocolate. . . mmmmm good. Hubby picked this one last night, and I snuck a morselish spoonful just now - SO YUMMY :)

A little Bluebird told me . . .

Susie @ Bluebird Blogs is having a contest - 2 lucky people will win a free blog template design!

Information on how to enter:
- Send an email with your name and blog address to bluebirdblogs@gmail.com.
- Your name will be entered into the drawing.
- Entries will be accepted from 7:00pm EST on Thursday 9/15/06 until 11:59pm EST on Friday 9/22/06.

*Bonus* - Mention this contest in a post on your blog and receive 5 extra entries into the drawing! The winner will be announced on http://bluebirdblogs.blogspot.com on the morning of Saturday, September 23rd, 2006 . Good luck to everyone!

P.S.

Michelle mentioned that she was having a hard time reading my posts - I was too, and then I realized that I can adjust the text size on the toolbar (under 'View').

Hope that helps. . . I am still dreaming of designing a custom template - I sort of want to learn how to do it myself, so I am going to check out some web designing books (umm, like "web design for dummies" :) I think taking a class on it would be awesome -

Hmmm . . .

Beautiful Day

So, I slept in a little bit this morning. I really think that I needed it (or, maybe I am just making excuses for myself.) We've been getting to bed so late these past nights and its affecting my days. Coffee, sodie, cold showers, whatever it takes to keep me awake.
I was laughing yesterday when I pulled two "the Office" blockbuster online cds from our box yesterday. . . hmmm, guess we'll be in this phase for a while. So far, they are pretty hilarious (but when are they not hilarious :)?)
Ever read Real Simple magazine? I think it has got to be my favorite :) Every issue is thick and full of good ideas, lovely spreads, and interesting reads. I recently checked out their website too.
Gotta scram ~ Its beautiful day, hope ya'll enjoy it!

You were there for me . . .

Just when I needed it the most . . .

The new Gevalia arrived yesterday - in style she came forth from her box, laced in styrofoam peanuts. We got a cranberry red ceramic jar, a silver scoop spoon, and 4 different flavored coffees. . . all I need is some Ghiradelli's Chocolate :)
mmmmm - "heaven, I'm in heaven. . .da da da da" ;)

In the Word Wednesday, BSF Lesson 1

Here as promised, I wanted to spend some time jotting out notes from lecture, midway through each week (while its all still fresh upon my mind and heart.)
This is not new news to perhaps all of you, but each time we hear the Word taught, the Lord unveils new things for us to know. I certainly find this the case each week!

This lecture on Romans was broken down into the following simple outline:
1.Romans and a Biblical Worldview
2. Background of Romans
3. Overview of Romans

As introduction, Nancy (lecturer) first touched on the fact that everyone of us has a worldview (all ideas, truths, and information are sifted through a worldview - works as a sieve.)
Relativism is the most popular of these worldviews - this mindset says that there is no absolute truth/all truth is relative.

*She mentioned that Christians will unconsciously adopt a non-christian worldview if we do not embrace the Truth. A Biblical worldview will answer the questions of:
-How we got here
-What happened to us
-How we can be helped

Romans has been said to be a summary of the entire Bible (I have also heard that the Psalms can be described that way as well -?)
Concerning the validity of the Bible - see 1 Peter 1:20-21 ~ no prophecy came about through the will of man. . .
1 Peter 3:16 ~ All Scripture is God-breathed.
This can be proven also by the fact that salvation comes about through the Word.
*Principle - The Bible is true, every word, for all people, for all time.

Because the Bible is true, every aspect of our lives must be governed by it.
It is not God's fault that we cannot comprehend the Scriptures. We bring our messed up mindsets to the table when we read His word; no wonder we are confused. Sometimes we bring a prideful attitude to our time in the Word. Some people approach the Bible as if it was a collection of pleasant little stories with morals, others approach it as scholars or historians. But the only one way to approach the Word is to see it as the Truth, inspired by God, every last bit.

Romans is seen as the foundation of the Christian faith - it helps to define who we are as Christians.


Paul was:
Born in Tarsus (a city in that day full of culture)
well-educated, a Roman citizen, a tentmaker (this one was new to me), part of the pharasaic sect.

*Pharasees believed that perfection could be achieved through keeping the law. The law bound them however, because of all the extraneous rules that they took the liberty to add.

Paul was a zealot in persucuting the Christians - it is even believed that he was present at Stephen's stoning.
We know how the Lord changed him - striking him down blind and then restoring him and giving him new eyes.


Paul dictated the letter of Romans because he desired the people to understand the Word. He desired the unity of the Jews and the Gentiles. (I forgot to mention that he himself was a Jew - He had a heart especially for them, his people). He also needed support for his journeys ahead.


Here's an overview of Romans:
The Roman Letter has one central arguement (Ch. 1:18 - 15:13)

There are 5 sections to Romans -

Ch. 1:1-17 ~ Prologue
Ch. 1:18-3:20 ~ Problem (man's need of the Gospel)
Ch. 3:21-8:39 ~ Provision of the Gospel
Ch. 9-11 ~ Promises of the Gospel
Ch. 12-16 ~ Practical demands of the Gospel


Blessings :)

Falling Fresh

Breezes blowing cool, windows down, relaxed arm in the window - this beats all. . .
I love the FALL.


BSF began again last night. I can't believe how much I missed it - a summer break is just long enough. Romans will be awesome. I have decided to start posting my notes from the lectures. It shall be hopefully, a regular "Wednesday thing". I don't have time do it now, but I tonight will provide me a nice little window of opportunity to relate.

I have to go dry my hair, the wind isn't fast enough ;)
- Have a wonderful day everyone!

Since everybody's doing it . . .

I decided to do it too -
changed my template.

Its bright, its fresh, and I hope it doesn't blind you- its not exactly what I want, but it will do for now. I eventually would like to get a custom template. I have a vision of a picture of a wrought-iron gate, slightly ajar, leading into a 'secret garden', vines trailing the sides, and a bit of sunlight shining through. I looked all over the internet last night in search of a template like that with no luck. Well, for now, I am looking like a lime green froggy :)

Underneath the rain drops

Its been a rainy day here - now, its really beginning to feel like fall is here. Stores are starting to put out there autumn decor. I love walking into Michael's craftstore this time especially. The colors of the silk flowers are gorgeous.
With the rain, the ragweed pollen count went up - UNFORTUNATELY. H didn't sleep well last night because it was so bad - poor guy. Zyrtec should help aleve some of this, hopefully.

I am in search of a new bedding set to replace the one we have - a total disappointment - it is a beautiful unique pattern of crimson red and gold weave (looks royal). It started to fray and the patches of fabric in the center started tearing, exposing the stuffing. This is ridiculous. We love deep blood/crimson red and gold for our bedroom, & we will have it no other way :) Here are some styles I liked from JC Penney ~

#1

#2 (Not liked as much as the one above)

#3 (very gold - maybe too gold for our taste)

Delish

This was so yummy - 5 * Deliciousness :, amd so so easy :)
I served this with mashed potatoes and soft rolls.

Garlic Cheddar Chicken (From All Recipes)
Yeilds: 8 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (I used the Parmesan flavored)
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (or, a bag of Kraft's Italian cheese blend - pre-shredded)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp. dried parsely
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
8 skinless, boneless, chicken breast halves, pounded thin

Directions:

Preheat over to 350.
Melt butter in a saucepan over low hear, and cook the garlic until tender (about 5 minutes).
In a shallow bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, parsely, oregano, pepper and salt.
Dip each chicken breat in the garlic butter to coat, then press into the bread crumbs mixture. Arrange the coated chicken in a 9x13 baking dish. Drizzle with any remaining butter and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture.

Bake 30 minutes until chicken is no longer pink on the inside. :0

Happy Birthday to my Dad in Law :)

Today is my "D-2"'s (Dad Two, Dad Too) Birthday. I am so blessed to have him as my father-in-law.
Our first meeting was pretty funny - Haven and I had just started courting and he asked me straight up if I was a good cook :) I must say, he has a pretty good sense of humor. And, just in case your wondering, Haven is not starving ;)


Thanks be to God that my father-in-law is a man of God. He rubbed that off onto his son, and I am very grateful to be a part of the Hofman family :) Hope its a special day :)

Cute

These are cute.

David Gray Saturday

It rained last night and freshened the air for a little while. The humidity came in this morning and it got muggy all of the sudden. Oh well. They say that there is a 30% chance of rain this weekend (what do they know?).

The Parade of Homes in Boerne is this weekend - we are going with my parents this year. I went with my mom last time, when it was in San Antonio & it was awesome. For a second, it makes you wish that you were rich, but then, you are grateful that you live normally, comfortably & simply.

I am making a new chicken dish to guniea pig on my parents. . . garlic cheddar chicken sounded pretty yummy > it got 5 *'s on the rating board, so this will be fun to try out. I'll post it if it turns out good :)
I just made a box of brownies and the house smells glorious. David Gray is playing. My house is clean, thanks to my hubby's help :)
Happy Saturday :)

Prayer Chain

Many of you may know of the Godfrey situation, but I wanted to pass the word on for prayer for these dear brethren. Please pray that the Lord would cover them (especially Mrs. Godfrey) in peace and comfort.
Go Here to learn more about this. There is a link there to a prayer chain, and a place to offer comments of encouragement to the family.

Please pray and pass it on :) Thank you & God bless you all.

Happy Birthday Em!

Today is my baby sister's birthday . . . but she ain't no baby anymore though, she is 18, now an 'adult'.

Emily has been like a rock to me these past 7 years especially. Through some really difficult times, she's stood strong, she's grown, and she's blossomed. The Lord has saved Emily Susan from a life of pain and has given her great joy. Her heart bursts with love for her Savior and her God. She is 'on fire' as they say, for God.
One of my very favorite memories when we were growing up was (sorry Em, this one is embarrassing ;)when we would take down my dad's saw horses and practice 'vaulting', gymnastics. This is normally done on a real horse, but we didn't have one, so we improvised. I would lay on my back on this very narrow 'horse back' and balance Em on my feet and would twist and twirl her all over the place. We were pretty good actually - we had two saw horses, so we came up with all sorts of routines. It was silly and perhaps really dangerous, but we had so much fun (until we got bigger and the saw horses couldn't take it anymore!).

This is her first year away from home and I miss her immensely - but I am excited for the Lord's will. She beautiful and the best & I love her!

Happy Birthday Kid!

Attitudes, Habits, Routines and Tendencies

Ever stand back and look your attitudes, habits, routines and tendencies squarely in the eye? The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly -

I continually pray that the Lord will give me these attitudes:
*All the Fruits of the Spirit*
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,Meekness, temperance.

I pray that the Lord will take away these attitudes:

Bitterness
Envy
Strife
A Quick Tongue
Vain Glory
Impatience
Selfishness

Ugly Habits that I am so tired of reigning in me:
My quickness to 'snap' in traffic, slow people, stupidity, and at the heat.
My impatience with people, with a tendency to see my needs as better than others.
Self-indulgence and self-pity - these go hand-in-hand.

Some remedies:
*For snapping in traffic - I have found that by biting my lip and letting as many people in front of me as I can really helps me. Being nice works. After all, everyone will eventually get home, why not help the process. Also, putting in a good cd right after I get in the car to come home works well. I sing to the music and turn up my ac. :)
When I am pitying myself, the Lord usually convicts me and I run to Him - It sometimes happens at the oddest moments, but if I act upon His conviction, it gets better.

Good Routines that I desire to keep cultivating:

Spiritual:
Staying active in the Word of God - through personal devotion time, couple devotion time, BSF.
Prayer - at all times of the day, with Haven, and with others. My best friend and I will pray over the phone from time to time (usually at bedtime) - what a neat thing to do across the miles!
I started to write my prayers in a journal a few years ago. . .this has been a neat way for me to see how faithful the Lord is in answering us.
Journaling - I started this long ago - maybe when I turned 9 or 10. I have a bajillion journals now, many are filled with petty thoughts. I recently threw away the ones that would not be of any benefit to me - my most memorable ones are from difficult parts of my life. I hope to pass this habit to my daughters someday, by first letting them read them.

Physical:
Working out: I have found that I need to work out regularly for more than just the pursuit of a healthy and fit body. I need it for good sleep at night, for circulation for legs that are still for long periods of time, to relieve cramps/aches/pains, and for my own mental sanity. Moving to a hot place makes it so difficult, but joining a gym has really helped me.

Beautifying:
Having a husband has a good effect on the whole appearance thing. Haven loves it when I get pretty. He pays for it :), he compliments, he loves and nurtures me. He encourages me when I feel yucky about myself. What a blessing. I heard often that it is important for a wife to look 'freshened' up before he wakes up and gets home. It heightens his regard for her and increases her self-confidence as well.

Make-up - I gave up on the expensive stuff - Clinique, make way for Covergirl. Its just as good, and they keep expanding their line. I add a mix of other brands when it comes to eyes and lips.
Hair - I never seem to go to the same place to get it cut - its weird, but, I have never really had a haircut that I didn't like, and it really hasn't mattered that much! The highlighting thing was really enjoyable, but its pricey to keep up.

This might be continued in a later post. . .

Bits of Wednesday morning

I can't believe how frustrating broken appliances can be. I am still using a coffee maker with a broken carafe & a microwave that mysteriously shuts off, 4-5 seconds from finish - unbelievably, my list got a bit shorter since we had our fridge replaced and the ac stopped dripping. . .
The coffee maker will have to do for just a little while longer. . .we have a beautiful new Gevalia on the way - great deal.
Until then, I sip this coffee from a broken carafe and just deal with it.

BSF starts up again next week - I am so glad, it really is a wonderful incentive to stay active in the Word. I joined last year to meet some other Christian women, and found it so enriching. This year, the study is going to slowly work through Romans. They also asked me to help with some BSF duties this year, so I am especially feeling honored.


Josh,(my brother/below)leaves for Thailand next week - keep him in your prayers for protection and provision. He will be working as an English tutor there for the next several months. Now everyone has a good excuse to visit

Labor Day

Days off are the greatest . . . perfect times to take adventures and to explore. Austin was on our mind today. We poked around the the web to find an excuse to go up there (really, do we need an excuse?) The drive is a quick hour from where we live. We hit the Zilcher Botanical garden (on the river - Colorado River, I believe?) - We found a stone bench to eat our picnic lunch and then walked down by the river a little bit. . . we saw some dope-heads, a ton of kids in canoes, two peaceful swans, mean ducks, but no sightings of gators (folks, that's a Florida & Louisiana thing) ;) Don't hold your breath, but I think that the heat has finally turned a little bit - I think that fall is slowly setting in here :) Austin was pleasant and almost "Seattle-ish".
We went to the Capitol as well - that was beautiful.
The interior is so gorgeous - it must have taken forever to carve, stack, cement, and polish. . .
Anyway - H and I just played an awesome game of scrabble - and,I am laughing because Haven took a picture of it - it truly was a work of art



Tomorrow begins a pleasantly shorter work-week, hurray!

Here's Austin :)

I couldn't wait for you to come around my corner . . .

Saturday :)

Industriousness claims the day - much has been done, and we are only at halfway.
Worked out, took a swing by Krispy Kreme for Hubby's donuts & coffee for me -
Took a nice cold, refreshing shower & sneaked back into bed. Got up and went garage sale-ing - hmm, the stats weren't as good today, even in the north end. . .
Vacuumed the place from tip top to low, cleaned the kitchen and grocery shopped. Fixed the computer (internet has been retarded). We even called our dsl carrier to see what was up - word of the wise, don't even bother, they aren't all that helpful - figure it out yourself, something will end up working for you.


Oh good tip to note: We wanted to eat out cheap last night, but couldn't figure out where, when it dawned on me that Costco's cafe has a good little food court and very low prices. . . we got yummy salads and a soda for around $8 - not bad for a dinner meal for two, eh?

We are going to look at houses later on today!!!

"You broke my heart . . ."

My little coffeepot. . . you died on me before I could even have one last cup of your brew, not even a sip did you drip. . .
Your heart broke, and mine did too . . .boohoo, boohoo

24 Update

Negative so far. . .

H and I enjoy the fast-paced action, but so far, there is a lot of unnecessary & disgusting junk in this first set of 4 (early morning hours). Everyone has such a shady past. . . even the good guy - and I am not so convinced yet that he has laid that to rest.
We might take a break and go back to Monk for a little while. Or maybe we'll try Lost. . .

Walking down memory lane . . and tripping on a Popple -

Remember the toys you played with when you were a kid? I actually miss mine sometimes, especially when I see how much they are selling for these days!
And, its funny, but I think that I might be playing more with our children's toys more than they will ;) JK!

Popples (I think that I had "Puffball") These were just, hands-down fun. . . their tails were long and had a "puff" at the end. I used to swing it around, whacking my siblings with great glee.
Rainbow Brite

Strawberry Shortcake I used to have a really cute little frilly Strawberry Shortcake tee shirt that I wore everywhere - I literally, wore it to rags. I even wore it to a Thanksgiving dinner at my grandparents (I think at that point, my mom didn't even care anymore, I was such a spoiled brat).
My Little Ponies (gosh, that looks so fun I might have to join their birthday club ;)

I cried out to You . . .

And Oh Lord, You answered me. . .

-It seems like it has been an eternity since we had rain here. The drought has hit us heavily - the ground has been thirsting, flowers are dying, and lawns have turned to yellow. The sun has been relentless and tormenting.
And then, when we needed it the most, when we has given up hope, You swept the sky into your hands and tossed together a storm. You filled the barren clouds with rain and caused them to burst over us. And now we are alive again. The earth is cool & the air is fresh.
It rained for a good hour at least, last night. Steady rain - I drenched my bouganvillias in it. H & I walked in the remains after it had stopped, filling our lungs with the smell. And this morning, it still smells the same - rain. I took another walk to savor every last bit of this cool breeze. I hope that this is the beginning of fall. . . summers here are so long and cruel. . .

Who Knew . . .

That I would get stuck on this website for hours - the home shopping network has been around forever, but I just never looked at their website until now. . .

And, that $ Bin at Target happens to snag me every time I go through their doors. . . It's seriously like an up-scale Dollar Tree - They change their merchandise in there every couple of weeks, I think.
They recently had "tropical themed" stuff - and of course, I went bananas.
Last I checked, its back to school-ish sort of stuff; notebooks, pencils, erasers, down to lunchbox-sized snacks and drinks.

This snagged me too - lovely, cut-design cards > I found them at Barnes and Noble while I was browsing around their journal shelves . . . If I had money, I'd buy a bunch and send y'all beautiful cards weekly . . . if I had money ;)