Awesome Thursday.

Last Thursday was pretty awesome and I didn't really get to tell you why or what happened. Things got crazy with weddings and sleep (which I should be doing now instead of writing blogs that I will schedule to post later on this week), and blogging slipped away from me. (That's a lie, I've written 3 since Thursday.)

Awesome Thing #1: I saw an old man wearing a business suit driving a big red truck and picking his nose. It made me smile.

Awesome Thing #2: Baby squirrels!!! THEY ARE SO TINY!!!!

Awesome Thing #3: For the second time in less than a week, a bird swooped down in front of my car while I was driving and made direct contact with my grill. No worries though; at least the second bird (possibly the first as well) recovered quickly and flew off as if nothing had happened.

Awesome Thing #4: (This didn't happen THIS PAST Thursday, but did happen on a Thursday and is worth reporting) Jimmy Johns messed up my sandwich so I got a new one and they gave me my money back and on my way back to work from lunch, I saw two doves land and perch on an electrical box.

Awesome Thing #5: Gas prices are falling!!! And unless they spike back up $1.25 in the next week, the prediction that I was told and have been passing a long that gas will be at $5 by Memorial Day will be wrong!!! If it weren't sin, I'd be happy I lied!!!

I REALLY want to say Awesome Thing #6, but I cannot right now. I will tell you soon, but seriously, SO EXCITED. I love love love what my family is doing right now!

On an unrelated-to-Thursday note, I was able to serve a variety of different people A TON all weekend. It was so amazing!! I absolutely adore serving in just about every capacity and I love the strength God gives me to endure and serve without weariness!

(The big question is why can't I have that attitude at Iowa Insulation?)

What I'm bursting to tell you!!!!

Jessi and Mike are pregnant!!! (well, obvious not Mike. But the two of them together, they....yeah, you get it.) They're due the beginning of December. I'm going to be an aunt!!!!

Shane and Jessica are engaged!!! (not to be confused with Jessica, the sister, which would be wrong on so many accounts, but a different Jessica, who we call by her full name so we don't confuse the two) I am SO excited to have Jessica in the family!

Lauren has an INCREDIBLE voice and guitar skills. I would say she's on par if not better than JJ Heller's "What Love Really Means", she's that good. Maybe I should sneak record her and show off her skills to all of you... (You may not care that much, but I LOVE bragging on her, especially since she's so humble about the whole thing)

I adore my family, more than words can express.

'Member That Time?

'Member that time I was riding bikes with my friend down the street and how we were being all cool, patrolling the sidewalk, going back and forth? Her parents came to pick her up in the van (which was silly because she seriously lived a block away) and as they were driving off, I decided to be ULTRA cool and rode my bike one handed while waving with the other hand as I rode alongside the van.

'Member how I made direct contact with the "Dead End" sign at the end of our yard with my front tire and totally crashed?

I figured out what "Dead End" meant pretty quickly.

"We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard of the first." -Oswald J Smith

Happy May 22nd!!!

Honestly, I'm kind of blow away by some of my brothers and sisters in Christ. Against clear evidence in the New Testament, (Matthew 24:45-51 and 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 being a few passages), someone claims to know the day and hour of our Lord's return and they flock to him? Selling everything the own to spread the word?

When did reading into the Word override reading the literal Word of God saying that we cannot know?

I didn't pick up on this prediction until 2 days prior to the "end times", so I don't know a whole lot about what they're believing or declaring. But from the little I have read, the message they sold everything they have to declare is that the world is coming to an end and that we must repent. As far as I have been able to tell from websites and billboards, there has been no message of Christ and His sacrifice, death, and resurrection were mentioned anywhere. No mention of His great love for us and His desire to be united with us once again. No hint of the gospel anywhere.

How is this supposed to save the people they were trying to warn?

I really want to shake my head and say, "How could you be so blind?! How could you miss SO MUCH?!" I want to put on my judgement hat and shake my finger at them and their ignorance.

But I know that I make foolish assumptions and leaps and have made PLENTY of decisions and actions that are not backed Biblically. I know that I am not perfect by any stretch and therefore have no right to place shame and condemnation on anyone. I know that even in the past few hours, I have gone from one end of the spectrum of mocking them to coming under conviction and knowing that I'm just as lost sometimes as they are.

I'm sorry for all the people who gave up everything to share this message and are now left with nothing because they put their trust in a guy who can "decipher the Bible". I pray none of them "turn away from the faith and betray and hate each other" (Matthew 24:10). Despite the fact that this may be a huge blow, I pray that they would draw closer to Christ. My heart breaks for their disappointment, but I pray they'd find true joy in Christ alone and that they would come to long to tell others about the Saviour who gave His life for them instead of spreading a message of fear.

Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

If we are so eager for the return of our King, why don't we start sharing with those who have never heard? At the very least, can we begin praying for nations, tribes, and tongues that we don't know about, we never think about, and certainly never pray for? We'll spend all eternity with them in the presence of our Lord (Rev. 7:9), so why not begin caring for them/about them now? They WILL BE your brothers and sisters in Christ someday!

"My Writing Book" by Danielle

Throughout the past few years, I've become less and less sentimental. I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that I have no tolerance for moving a ridiculous amount of stuff around; while it's fun to reminisce for a few moments when I come across an old school project or useless trinket, in the long run, it doesn't feel worth it to carry these boxes around with me.

(I just cleaned out my closet and found a medium box full of jewelry boxes. I had 8 ring boxes and 3 necklace boxes plus some others. I do not have that many pieces of nice jewelry, and have no idea how I got them all. Also, I've been moving them around with me for at least the past 4 years. face palm.)

But I think I may have come across something I may keep; it's too funny not to. It's a "writing book" from when I was 8 1/2 (I made a very clear point of listing my age).

Apparently, I...

• loved everything related to school (reading, writing, math, "siens", going TO school)
• loved going to Fareway and Walmart
• liked kids who like playing with me (speak much of low self-esteem?)
• feel like a winner when I totally dominate my sister on everything (paraphrased of course...I didn't know the word dominate, but it's pretty clear that's what I meant)
• think kids are awful, ugly, owl, queen, glad, kitten, and feel (I think I was on something)
• would like a cold glass of water
• knew that getting married now would never happen (at 8 1/2?! Apparently, that was on my mind then too...)
• January to March would never happen either (...)
• know that a good reason for going to school is to learn about the "human boty" (hahaha)

Young me was kind of hilarious. This is definitely a keeper.

Mowin'

I mowed for the first time this year. (Our neighbor did about a week ago) I was kind of dreading it. I'm not fond of it, but since our duplex-mate shoveled all winter, it's only fair.

I think the mower knew I didn't want to be with it, so it was extra gracious. I filled it with gas and pulled the starter (?) and she fired up first try!!! Amazing!!

Mowing really isn't too bad. (with the exception of the dirt clods that somehow catch the blade and get thrown straight back making a direct beeline for my face. That part is not fun.) Especially when a good portion of your lawn is creeping charlie and doesn't grow. On the plus side, since creeping charlie has turned brown and our yard is DEFINITELY the eye-sore of the neighborhood, lettin' 'er grow an extra week doesn't make a huge difference. Woot.

Now my hands taste weird. :(

My friend Jodi made an amazing looking salad the other day, and I've been dying to try it!! It was a mexican salad and it had lettuce and spinach chopped up, taco seasoning (i think), avocado chunks, tomatoes, salsa, ranch, and tortilla chips. Yum!!!

So in an effort to be more healthy, I thought I'd give it a shot and bought the stuff this week. Tonight, I tackled the avocado and somehow extracting that....thing from it's shell. After a bit of trial and error and lots of annoying cuts and incisions, I got my chopped avocado!! I rewarded myself by popping a piece in my mouth. After 2.5 bites (the first two were quick; the third, I realized something was up), I spewed it from my mouth (into the garbage, of course). Disgusting!!! It was bitter and hard and I don't know what that tasted like, but it was not avocado!!!!

In an effort to cleanse that bitter taste from my mouth, I had to make myself a bowl of vanilla ice cream and strawberry syrup. I'm pretty sure nothing else would have worked.

So....I'm afraid I wasted my time and money chopping up that stupid thing. Is it just not ripe enough? Should I put it in a container and let it sit in the fridge till it ripens a little and gets just a little softer? Or in my cupboard? Or should I toss the whole thing?

I swear, Fareway is turning me off of their fresh produce SO fast.... I'm getting to the point where I am quite dissatisfied...