Back to reality

Friday night butterflies
Like clockwork they'd arive
Little chill in an October sky
Nervous till the kickoff came
--Kenney Chesney
"I'll never feel like that again"

Well that pretty much sums it up.
I can hardly wait for Friday!!

Just trying to keep my "go" button pushed down for the last week and a half.
Thanksgiving is such a tease...I don't want any more papers, tests, lectures.
I want to be left alone to my thoughts and daydreams.

My favorite moment of the week:
Bekah, Brie and I return from a late night grocery run (it was probably 11:35) and realize that the doors at the back of the apartment are locked after 10pm so our ID cards won't let us in. That poses a problem when we are all struggling with groceries in our arms. So instead of having to make the trek around the art building and go waaaay out of our way to reach the front door we decided to short cut through the little shrubbery between the side of the building and the fence. We are aimlessly stumbling around as there isn't really a path and happen to look over into the room of a guy that lives on the first floor...we were about 2 ft from him!! He laughed and waved. Bekah didn't even notice as her bags got caught in the bushes and she was trying to untangle herself while Brie and I giggled about how silly we look. As we were trying to emerge from the mess, up walks Josh...our P.A. asking what on earth we were doing-though we could tell he wasn't really surprised that us three were up to something. He always catches us at our dumbest moments.

Anyways, Life is good.
And everyone should spend some time in the book of James. It's a good one.

This is the life...

Highlights from my new favorite Washington get-away:

+the fact that Christie, Brie, Bekah, Tracy and I get to stay all by ourselves in the adorable guest house!
+that I sleep under two big deer heads (actually it's somewhat creepy...)
+the abundance of food
+the abundance of people! (A total of 21!)
+chewing on wheat and trying to make wheat gum
+having 3 cups or more of tea a day!
+playing SPAM and Hand to Foot with Bekah, Kent, Tracy, Grace and Stefan
+taking random pictures with the girls...Brie running to make it in the picture
+all the kitties!!! Pumpkin, Mouse, Weasley, and Neville
+watching a Friends episode every night
+playing an intense round of Catchphrase and Balderdash with Bekah's family Tangentangen...An African swearword :)
+sleeping in late every morning and waking up to Bekah's moms famous French Toast, caramel and pear butter, and Swedish pancakes
+that warm &fuzzy feeling that comes with Thanksgiving, full stomachs &friends

Be STRONG and COURAGEOUS

So it's Monday again.
This Monday, however, wasn't so bad!
I finished my English essay well before midnight last night (and then couldn't fall asleep until 1:00...of course)
I have "Be STRONG and COURAGEOUS" stuck in my head from VBS this summer...no idea how that happened.

I also got my flu shot.
And my arm hurts.
The shot itself doesn't hurt, but my arms aches.
So to justify my hurting arm, I hope I don't get the flu.

Yesterday Bekah and I went to Overlake Christian Church, I'm really beginning to like that church. The message talked about "How to care about God's grace (more than your reputation)" and it definitely touched on some things that I needed to hear.
The first, Grace is scandalous and surprises us.
Second, "We are Christ's ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, 'Be reconciled to God!'" --2 Corinthians 5:20

I keep thinking of this song lately, it's worth remembering:
How many times have I turned away
The number is the same as the sand on the shore
But every time You've taken me back
And now I pray You do it once more.

Please take from me my life
When I don't have the strength
to give it away to You Jesus

How many times have I gone astray
The number is the same as the stars in the sky
But every time You've taken me back
And now I pray You do it tonight.

So...Christmas is on my mind.

Fall quarter is flying by.
I gauge my time and life by getting through the next assignment. Before I know it it's already November 17!! Next week is Thanksgiving which seems insane! When this quarter started I didn't believe that 2007 was that far in. It seems like I just celebrated New Years, how can it possibly be Christmas-time again?

On that note, Christmas decorations and stuff are coming out earlier and earlier. This time I noticed Christmas things leaking into the stores at the beginning of October! Before Halloween! Santa and Baby Jesus in a manger should not be sharing a shelf with ghosts, goblins and pumpkins. Pretty soon the kickoff date for Christmas stuff will be January 5. That ought to be enough time to ruin the Christmas spirit.
The fun of the time leading up to Christmas is the mood that the cities transform into. The music, the shopping, the immense decorations. That makes the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas a time of preparation for something really special. But if that "spirit" is starting at the end of summer how is it special anymore? It's like celebrating your birthday every day. Pretty soon it's not so special and becomes disregarded when in fact this is an important holiday to Christians that should not be viewed as "oh it's just Christmas again" instead it should be the season of gratitude and thankfulness to our Creator and His Son which starts THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING.
I hate how secular these holidays have become. Incase everyone missed the memo this is a Christian holiday. I am learning in my Christian Scriptures class that God set the rules, festivals and special dress for the Jews to set them apart. When people saw Jews eating habits, special dress and celebration of rituals they knew they were Jews. What are we doing as Christians to show we are Christians? To show we are the people of God and have accepted that? Yes our God is the God of ALL humankind and we invite ALL to enter in but once you enter in you should show you believe you are chosen. Christmas is celebrated by many (except Jews who, weird, stick to their traditions strictly that give them their religous identity - we could learn to take a lesson from them). I can almost sympathize with those of other religions when they demand that their religion be represented (aka the Menorah next to the Christmas tree) because Christmas is no longer seen as a predominant "Christian holiday." Santa, and gifts, and elves are everywhere! Many (including some Christians that need a kick in the rear) are so consumed with the secular part of Christmas that the true meaning "oh yeah something about that Jesus thing" gets shoved way in the back. Thus we are now celebrating Christmas festivities in October. I just want to remind everyone (including myself) that Christmas is Jesus' birth first. And if I have to forego the secular Christmas hoohah in order to remember that then I should.
I'm also tired of being politically correct. This post may offend some. But I'm not sorry. I cannot be sorry for my beliefs, thoughts, or opinions anymore. And my opinions, thoughts and beliefs don't always include everyone, or apply to everyone or make every side happy. And that is the beauty of it. I think somewhere along this politically correct crap we Christians forgot that God has an offensive and challenging message to those who don't believe. And it is our job to a) uphold what God asks of us (aka Don't freaking forget what Christmas is all about) and b) to bring those who are offended, broken, and challenged in and guide them as we were once guided. Show them, educate them, don't just stand on your street corner and scare the hell out of them (not literally) or sugarcoat our religion. State the facts and then take their hand and lead them. Isn't that what Jesus did? Isn't that what he calls us to do?

SO DO IT.
(me included)

One of those lazy days...

It's been one of those days where I don't feel like doing anything.
I sit there and turn on the TV.
Fall asleep.
Search endlessly for snacks, even though I'm not hungry.
Make a to-do list only to shove it under the pillow and sleep on it.
It seems like if I don't have a million things to do or deadlines to meet I can't even roll off of the couch. Or maybe that's just today.

I need to get a flu shot. I am living with a walking medical mystery (my roommate).
I need to finish my homework (so I don't have to do it in the wee hours of Thursday).
I need to read (so I can stay on track for this crazy project).
I need(ed) to go to the library today (because now they are going to send the book back...I didn't have time to read it anyways).
I need to move my car (so I am no longer blocked in and no longer in danger of a ticket).
I need to pay my bills (but who really wants to do that)?
I need to take all my dirty dishes to the kitchen (because, well, that's gross).

I was hoping by listing them out I would find some sort of inspiration to start them. None yet.
I looked out my window today and watched the numerous planes heading to Sea-Tac. I want to go home. At least for a weekend. I love home and everything familiar there. I almost cried looking at the Pikes Peak Library website (to see if I could get the book at home that I neglected to get today). I'm in that weird emotional state that hits every quarter where I want nothing more than to be home and be not-so grown up anymore.

These are two quotes I found this past weekend and fell in love with:
"Everything turns out okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end." --unknown
"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength." --unknown