The Chicken Dance

Chickens and blogs seem to go together. If you haven't read Angie's chicken post, it is a must-read. Here's a little chicken lovin of my own.

My wonderful friend Meg lives near me. I get to spend great time with her and her family since we live so close. Last night, I went to spend my evening with her and her parents. We had brownies, coffee, and great conversation. As the conversation came to a lull, we decided to find something to watch on TV. We turned to DVR, since there seemed to be nothing on the main channels. Looking back, there was PBS doumentary entitled "The Natural History of the Chicken." I was skeptical, but we decided to check it out.

Oh my word! If you have not seen this jewel of a film, I encourage you to check it out here. While I am not sure how much chicken history I learned, I did get a wealth of information in that one hour. I learned about a on obese farmer who can give an identical impression of a rooster. There is a dame in Florida who is in love with her chicken and does such activies as swim with him in her pool and blow dry his fluffy fur. A pastor told a story of a higher power looking out for chickens, and how chickens have a real sense of sacrifice of self. There was also a headless chicken who was a sideshow act a while back. No head. Seriously. Probably the best, however, was the woman from Maine who gave her chicken mouth-to-mouth after he was found semi-frozen under the deck. The lucky chicken lived and apparently spent a while inside living in a baby-crib watching medical shows before heading back out to tell all of her chicken friends about her adventures. Her name was Valerie since she had such valor. I wish I were lying.

I have seen Oscar winning documentaries, and they don't hold anything on this baby. It is awesome. It did win an Emmy. Wow. Eric asked for it for Christmas next year. We'll see.


I have the day off to study for the GRE. Yes, I am taking that fun test on Monday. Keep me in your prayers.

Nothing too insightful today but I hope you laugh about the chickens. Godbless!

Here's to chickens!

Baby It's Cold Outside

Well we've had plenty of snow in Missouri lately. We haven't gotten too much out my front door, but many schools around the area have been closed. I've heard the cheers from students coming into my office. Let's back up to the weekend.

Saturday we got to help two great people celbrate their 40th anniversary. Two years running now, Eric and I have been a part of the Newman Center trivia night. We answer questions, enjoy snacks, and have a great time with good friends. This particular trivia night, my best friend's parents also celebrated 40 years of their beautiful marriage. We cut cake, enjoyed champagne, and even looked at their wedding album. I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday evening.

In case you are wondering, that is the original cake topper from the wedding. How cool!

On to Monday night's Bachelor. Can we all breathe a sigh of relief that Jason made good choices? Lauren, babe, bossiness only works on your pushover daddy. Nobody wants to be permanently contracted to the bossy girl. And Shannon, I know you are from Missouri, but babe, get some confidence!

I am still rooting for Stephanie but Jillian is pretty great, too. This is definitely one of my favorite seasons.

I am getting pretty excited to join a Bible study in a few weeks. Our church is starting the Beth Moore study on Esther. I have never done Beth's studies before but I have heard they are nothing short of life-changing. I am looking forward to it. I am also jumping out of my comfort zone on this one. For several studies, I have been in the same time slot with the same women. This will be my first study not with this particular group. Pray for wisdom for all of the studies. It should be a great time of growth.

Well, I am on the run to church.

PS So glad Mark is safely in Greece!

Here's to weddings, and more importantly, anniversaries!

Who Let the Dogs Out!

Well, Mark leaves for Greece today. He will be on a plane in less than two hours. To celebrate, we all had a great dinnerat my house. My parents brought their new dog, Mo. He is a 10 week old Yorkie pup. He and Rigo became friends pretty easily. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Aren't they precious!? More about the rest of the weekend later. Mark, enjoy Greece. We'll miss you!

Here's to Greece!

Daughters

There is a wonderful blogger out there who is holding a raffle to bring home her sweet baby daugther from China. If you win the raffle, you get a pretty sweet camera with camera supplies. Go to read about sweet Baby Claire. Pray for her, pray for the family, and donate if you have a couple bucks to spare.

Eric and I have had some lengthy discussions about adoption, and if it is in God's plan, we would be willing to give a baby a home. I know that if this were us, we would appreciate the support, prayers, etc. more than you can even imagine. Though I have never met or spoken with Shelley, I am sure she covets your prayers more than you know. What an exciting time for their family!

Here's to babies!

Keeps Gettin Better

What a wondeful weekend! How was yours? I got to spend time doing the things I want to do. No commitments--it was fantastic. My little brother, Mark, came back into town and we enjoyed some lovely time together. Mark always challenges my menu planning skills, as he has become a vegetarian. We had sweet potato bisque, Chickpea soup, and Spring veggie pasta stir-fry. They were all pretty great. I like the challenge of coming up with meals that Mark will eat but Pete (my carnivore brother) will tolerate. It is a challenge.

Mark and I also got to spend some time just reading and chatting. It is a favorite passtime of mine. Eric and I did a little bit of it this weekend, too. Here is Mark, at the coffee shop, pondering the meaning of life.

Well, actually, he was on the phone. But I am sure he DID ponder the meaning of life while we were there. Mark leaves for Greece in a week, so we are trying to get all the time we can with him.

If you were wondering, I did practice my knitting skills this weekend. When my knitting begins to look more like a "something" and less like a blob, I will post again with pictures.

After a great Sunday of teaching Sunday school (a first for Eric) and enjoying time with our small group, I had a great day off on Monday. Most importantly, I got a hair cut! Before I reveal the results, here is what my hair looked like just a few months ago...

And here I am now... (drumroll please)...

Eric says this is the first time he's seen a haircut make hair actually look longer. I'm diggin it!

So really, 2009 DOES keep getting better. And, my parents added a new addition to their home on Satruday. I will post pictures of Baby Mo the yorkie when I get some.

On a serious not, today is an exciting and anticipatory day for our country. Although I am sick of watching the historical, unprecidented updates, I do think it is very important for each of us to pray for the state of our nation. Obama, like all presidents, has a big task at hand. He needs all the support he can get. Please pray for God's hand to be upon him and his family, and for our country. I am looking forward to Miss Michelle's dress. Yes, I am girly.

My update is getting long, but I will say that the Bachelor is getting pretty good! I will have to update on it after next week's episode.

Here's to great haircuts, new presidents, and Tuesdays that feel like Mondays!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

And by fun, I mean knitting! That's right, we had a "Girls Just Wanna Knit" party last night. This contituted one talented lady teaching six amateurs (myself included) how to cast on and how to do the knit stitch. I will mention these two things took us a total of two hours. This may or may not be due to the fact that we had some pretty rockin fondue to hold our attention. I didn't start the event so well. While some people's projects were going well and looking like this...

My knitting project sat alone, lonely, and untouched due to fear and frustration. It looked more like this...

And this...

When I had all but given up, I got a little personal attention and my knitting project soon turned into this...

Hooray! Four whole lines! Suffice to say I am not a pro yet. I actually took out all of the knitting above. I did, however, teach myself how to do the purl stitch. I took all of those out, too. I am excited to practice this weekend. It should be a great distractor from my GRE study sessions. I joked with my mother today that she would have a full knit body suit by Easter. If you are wondering, that is Vanna White on my yarn. Yes, she has her own brand of yarn.

I have a three day weekend ahead of me, so I am thrilled. Even more exciting, however, is the fact that MarkoPolo87, my little bro, got accepted to the Orlando Ballet Summer Program. Awesome, because 1) He totally deserves and works really hard and 2) If he accepts this offer, I will, no doubt, head to Orlando! Bonus!

Enjoy your weekend. I hope you are warmer than we are. On the positive side, this weather makes for some beautiful pictures. I'll leave you with a picture looking out from my office window.

Here's to knitting!

Don't Speak

I have officially decided, after spending many sleepless nights pondering, that my titles will be song names from now on. Or at least until I run out of appropriate song titles.

Today, I am officially finished with parents.

If your child wants to come to my school but doesn't have the time to call and talk to me personally...

If your child is inadmissible and I have told you several times...

If you want your child to go to school here but they have no interest whatsoever...

Anyway, it's been one of those days. And currently, it's 25 degrees. Don't worry, though, because tomorrow it will be a balmy -2 when I come to work. But then I check out McMama's blog, where it is -22 in the midday, and I am content!

On a super-cool, positive note, Eric and I have had a conversion experience. It's true. We are officially "SIGG" people. I know, I know. Trendy? Yes. Super fashionable and just the right amount of water for my desk? Absolutely. So cute you'll want your own? You be the judge.

See? I knew you would like it!

Now, on to what I am learning from my New Year's resolution. As I plug along through Genesis, it's amazing how God's provision is so evident. I mean, we talk about God being vengeful and wrathful, but what I am seeing most is despite people's flaws, God's sovereignty shows through for those who are devoted to him. The OT does not paint a picture of a perfect world or perfect people. And it's true, God destroys everone in a flood. He also destroys the entire city of Sodom. But, more importantly, throughout those devastations, he held fast to those who love him. He took care of Noah, Lot, Abraham, and so many others. When Abraham asked for a wife for Isaac out of his homeland, BAM, Rebekah offers his camels water. It's just so neat. I live in a world that it all about me. I worry about what to cook for dinner, when I'll get a house, when I'll have children, what job I'll have. All these things. And yet, God has taken care of his people for thousands of years. He gave them arks, wives, and babies when they were 90 years old. If I commit wholeheartedly to him, won't he protect me? I want to want to believe. I pray that God would give me the strength to follow him.

My bro has come to visit, so I must say adios. Here is a cute picture of my pup for you to enjoy until the next post!

Here's to puppies and God's providence!

January is (Not) Jumpin

So the problem with January is that I have tons of time to post but absolutely nothing to post about. It's true. The most exciting thing that happened last week is that I took the day off to study for the GRE on Friday. Welp, that took all of one sentence and now I am back to having nothing to post about. In other news, the national football championship was super disappointing but I made the best-tasting burgers I have ever had. This weekend I got to spend two full days with my husband. In a row. This never happens. Finally, I made a color-coded budget. Seriously.

In all of this, there is just not much to post about. If you are wondering, yes, I am sticking to my Bible-reading plan although I have missed a couple of days.

So here is my not-so-deep thought for the day. As I am reading, I am reminded that the reason we really read is for fellowship and to stay connected to God. I have spent my days at work recently writing personal cards to all my out-of-state admitted students. They're small, they don't take long. But since writing these cards, the responses have been numerous. Kids, parents, they all are excited to have received some personal correspondence. The difference that reaching out personally to these students has made is incredible. This is what reading, praying, communing is for us. We commit a little and God personally touches us in a big way. My pastor yesterday said something interesting. He said that although the Bible is not very big, few of us get through it. Not because we can't read. Not because we don't have the time. Because, in fact, there is a force keeping us out. The power for us to connect and feel God's presence through his sovereignty in his book is huge. The more Satan can keep us out of it, the less vested we become in the kingdom of God. What a powerful thing to think about. I am stubborn and I like to fight. Now that I have realized the battle, you better believe I will work twice as hard to stay steadfast to my Jesus.

I pray for each of you that you will commit in a deeper way in 2009 as well. Pray for me. We'll trade. It'll rock.

I will try to post pictures next post. Of anything.

Here's to January.

A Time To Mourn...

So I come from a family where pets are treated like people. If you can't tell from my photos, I have a beautiful yorkie who is spoiled rotten with treats, toys, and clothes. He is one of three, however, as my brother and parents each have a yorkie of their own. Last night, Truman the yorkie left this world. He was just over a year old and ran into the street. We are all just traumatically sad over it. With my parents being empty nester these days, Truman was like their new addition. He had his own room, toys, food, and he even got to lick my parents' plates when they finished with dinner. All the kids at church choir knew him, and people at church even bought clothes just for Truman. When we got the call last night, the sadness that entered the room was almost physical. Little Truman will never be replaced. He was an energy and a joy, even if he was "just a dog." We will miss him. Pray for healing for my parents specifically. He was definitely their little man.

Happy New Year!

I don't normally believe in New Year's Resolutions. This year, however, I have made a commitment as close to a New Year's Resolution as I have ever done. A friend and mentor of mine challenged me to read the entire Bible this year. Not in a cover-to-cover format (the Bible isn't really set up to do that way), but instead in a format set out by a guide she sent out. This is a fairly daunting task for me, but I am also pretty excited. I will keep you all posted as to how it is going, and hopefully, just like my lenten commitment, this will keep me somewhat accountable. So... wish me luck. Today I have Matt 1:1-17, Acts 1:1-11, Psalm 1, and Genesis 1-2. Pray for me if you wish. I am hopeful that this will be a life-changing challenge for me.

So moving backwards, New Years last night was great. I would post pictures but we didn't take any. Pete, Eric, and I had a great dinner of crab legs and twice baked potatoes at home. We then watched TV and played video games all night. I barely noticed it was midnight until Eric checked his watch and freaked out. It was just perfect.

Moving backward even further, our Christmas was lovely. We made it to services right after they had started. Luckily, my mother had a welcoming committee waiting for me--no joke. No fewer than three people said they heard I was coming late and that my mother had given them directions on where I was to sit. Hysterical! The situation is so funny because I don't really know any of these people, but since it is my parents' church, everyone knows me. It's entertaining. After services we all headed home and opened presents. Eric and I got some great housewears and some other fun stuff. Part of our Christmas from our parents also included our trip to the Alamo Bowl.

We left for the Alamo Bowl Sunday directly after church. Eric, Mark, and I met Mom, Dad, and Pete in Springfield. We made the 14 hour trip in one day. Dad drove the whole way, and we were asleep in our hotel by 2:30 AM. We were up and out on the River Walk fairly early, and spent the whole day enjoying the sights. We met up with my aunt and uncle and headed to the game. Our hotel was close enough that we were able to walk, which worked out well.

The main event, the game, couldn't have been more stressful! Winning in overtime definitely made for a poetic ending, but I was so nervous I was about to throw up. Luckily, we did win. Walking back from the stadium, we were right next to Marching Mizzou. They played "Hey Baby" and all the fans sang as we walked. That will be a favorite football memory for years to come. We celebrated with margaritas and then were asleep and back in Missouri by 10PM the next day. It was a fast trip, but I wouldn't have missed it for anything!

Here's to New Years, Bowl Games, and great times with family!