Wish List!!!

Well, Christmas music is playing on the radio, so I thought I'd re-post my wish list, just in case someone wanted to get me something. =D

Ok, so here we go:

I'd love to get an ipod touch, but I don't think anyone should spend that much money on me, so if you'd like to contribute, that'd be fantastic!

Anything from my Amazon Wish List

(especially the Bible)

I would like the following shirts from Mental_Floss:

*English Major

*When Life Hands You Scurvy

*Hyperbole

*Gregor Mendel

*Palindromes

*Simple as...

*There's No Right Way

*Hobbits

(It says that these shirts run very small, so I'll probably need an XL)

Do Hard Things Tee

iphone

Any old book

Gift cards/certificates to:

Museum Replicas Ltd. (www.museumreplicas.com)

--Borders

--Barnes & Nobel

--Starbucks

--iTunes

--Bread Co.

--Walmart

And of course, cash is always marvelous. 

So those are the gifty things. Other things I appreciate are:

Notebooks

Nice pens

Pretty/cool Journals

An Observation from Western Civilization I

So I'm sitting here studying about the Germanic Kingdoms, and I've come to a conclusion. Charlemagne's family had the best names.

First, you had Pepin the Short. Aside from making you picture a dwarf king, which is fun, Pepin is also Pippin, one of my favourite hobbits.

Then, of course, there's Charlemagne himself. Besides getting the best Christmas present ever from Pope Leo III (crowned Roman Emperor), his very name means Charles the Great. Why couldn't I get a name like that?

His son, Louis the Pious, had a pretty cool name, too. Not very exciting, but at least he sounds like a clean guy, even if he couldn't keep the empire together.

However, Louis' kids (Charlemagne's grandsons) take the cake. 

My personal favourite has to be Charles the Bald. Doesn't exactly have the glory of his granddad. 

Then there's Lothair, who just has a cool name, not really funny, but definitely cool. No wonder he inherited the imperial title. 

Sadly, Louis the German has all the funness of his dad - actually, maybe less. It'd be like calling me Sarah the American. THAT'S exciting. Not.

So anyway, hope you enjoyed that extremely weird history lesson. And don't be surprised if I name my first kid Lothair, or Sarah the Great (would that be Saramagne?)

TTFN

~Sarah

I PASSED!!! Huzzah! Ptl!

*to clear this up, I passed my American Government CLEP test. I wasn't sure that I would, so this was a huge celebration. Can't fit much in a text, though. =D
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I have the best mom ever! Birthdays rock!

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Wowsers! Creation museum was amazing!

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Leaving 4 KY. Love you all. Dasvidania.

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Huzzah!!!

Passed the first test of my college experience just now. Wonderful feeling, that.

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Into the West

Yeah, so... I haven't posted anything in a while. I need to be studying, but I just can't seem to concentrate on more US History. But don't worry, I'll get caught up.

Right now I'm sitting at my grandma's computer and listening to my uncle play his guitar. He's actually very good. I like music.

When I went to the symphony and heard the Lord of the Rings Symphony two weekends ago, I had a bunch of thoughts that I wanted to blog, but I didn't get the chance, and they were lost in the chaos of life. I'll try to bring them back to the surface of my mind, but I have to apologize. They won't be nearly as grand or profound as they were that night.

Alright, so first of all, I think that music is the soul's language. I know most of you are thinking "Whoa, Sarah, how original - not," but bear with me. I think I've probably heard people say stuff like that a million times, but it really hit me while I was sitting there listening to that beautiful music. There were times during the symphony that I didn't have a thought about Middle Earth. As I sat there, often with my eyes closed (despite a beautiful slideshow by one of my favourite artists), I was first struck with the beauty of many people playing their part in harmony. Then, I got that feeling.

You know the feeling, I'm almost sure. I've probably talked about it before. That horrible, wonderful feeling that you get when Fall's change is in the wind, or after a party. That feeling that everything is so good, but there is something WONDERFUL that you don't have. You want something, but you don't know what. You're maybe even afraid of something, though you have no idea why or what it is you're afraid of. Change? Who knows. I used to hate that feeling.

But now I love it. It makes me indescribably happy, because I know what that wonderful thing is that I want: God. But more than that, I know that someday I'll get there. I'll see Him! So then this feeling is like a preview, showing me just enough to make me want it.

Anyway, I got that feeling. I listened to that music and my soul screamed "Yes! THIS is what I understand!" For the most part there were no words (or at least none in English) until the end credits songs. But my soul understood. Those beautiful notes said more about the beauty of God than any words could have.

And then, at the very end, she sang Into the West. Oh I love that song. I've often thought that it is so close to a Christian song, and after the worship service of the music before, I felt so even more. It so perfectly describes my view of death. It made me cry a little - well not cry cry, just wipe a few tears. Everyone else probably thought it was because I'm a LOTR fanatic (which 1. They probably weren't even looking at me & 2. I'm not anymore).

Well, that was my experience. I guess I pretty much rambled and did a terrible job of capturing the beauty that I felt. Sorry. If it ever comes again, I would strongly recommend going.

Have a glorious day.

Bak 2 Skool!

I'm very happy right now, the slightest bit nervous, but still very happy. Why? Get ready for it...

I start my college studies in September! Isn't it wonderful?! Sure, I'm no huge fan of hard work, and sure I was enjoying the respite, but it feels like such a waste of time not to be learning something new while everyone around me is - including my dad! 

So, not to be outdone by my father and friends, I'm going to shoot for the almost ultimate goal: my bachelor's degree in English.

Why English? Because I love the language. Why a BA? Because my associate's wouldn't really be very helpful, I mean, maybe slightly, but I can't learn much more about English if I'm only doing advanced High School stuff. Yeah, I looked it up - it's incredibly boring. Gotta balance it out with more words!

So not only am I going to get my bachelor's degree, I also intend to graduate with everyone else that started school this year. So that means that when Dad and Nextdoorneighbor and Kim and anyone-else-that-I'm-forgetting-at-the-moment graduates, I'll graduate. Two years? Indeed. 

It's called CollegePlus!, and so far it sounds awesome. I guess only time will tell, but the benefits are terrific. First of all, it costs much less than your typical college, and I have a personal coach who's going to guide me through everything. I'm going to learn all sort of neat-o stuff like speed reading and memory, which will make my studies much more productive, and through the process called Credit by Exam, I can test out of many classes by proving I know what the class teaches, thus saving a lot of time.

I'm very excited, as I'm sure you can tell. Sure, it'll be tough, but I love to do things just because they're extra-ordinary. Actually, two years sounds like a very long time, but I think it's the best I can do. Celebrate with me: Huzzah! 

Looking & Sounding Like a Jesus Freak

Well, I'm not sure where this will end up, but I've got half an hour to kill and little that I can do in a dark room with a sleeping sister, so I figured I might as well get some thoughts out of me that have been simmering for a while. Hopefully they're not too goopy and sticky to make any sense (or to scrape out of my mind). First I want to mention shining in a way that shows how glorious Christ really is. Tonight I was talking with an individual about a specific food that this person enjoys immensely. I personally don't care for this food very much, and he was trying to describe to me what I was missing out on. As I watched his eyes light up and a smile spread across his face, there was no doubt in my mind that he really did like that food. Then it hit me: how do people know that I "really like" Christ? I say "really like" with quotation marks, because obviously I feel much more strongly about my Saviour than this man did about his favourite snack; but it helps my point. Looking at me, would the world think I really like Christ, or would the world look on and see a glow in my eye that says "He is wonderful! You must go to Him! You must know what it is like!"? I can only hope I shine like that. Yes, I know that these little paragraphs didn't tell you how to shine, or even if I do shine, or what I intend to do to shine better. That's not really its purpose. On a selfish level, I wrote them to help me, on a sharing level, I wrote them to make you think. Misery loves company, you know? Moving right along, I'll scrape out more sticky goop, this time focusing on conversations. I really don't want to bring up this subject, because I have major pride issues and this is gonna hurt me. What should a Jesus Freak's conversation sound like? Well, considering that I'm using the term Jesus Freak, you would assume that it would be freakishly full of Jesus. And if Christ is really so wonderful as I believe, that would make perfect sense. Since Christ is in me and I have given myself body and soul to Him, every aspect of my life is affected by Him. So if I'm talking about any part of my life, Christ should come up, right? I don't know what your answer is, but I would agree with myself (big shocker there). Well any of you that have talked to me (and since probably all of you are my friends on facebook, you've all had some sort of conversation with me at one time or the other) know that this is not the case in my life. Sure, sometimes I'll squeak something out, but for the most part my speech barely acknowledges my Lord's existence. And this fills me with such shame. So this has to change. I don't care how long it takes, I've got to start redeeming my conversations. So to begin this process, I figured that I need to lay out why I don't glorify God in the way I talk. 1. I don't think to. This is probably the saddest thing I'll be listing, because after realizing that I just don't think to say anything, I realized that it's because I just don't think of Him. Why? Because I'm not as close to Him as I should be. I mean, if I had my husband standing beside me in every conversation, wouldn't it be extremely rude to completely ignore him every time? Oh God, forgive me. 2. It seems awkward. Ok, so you're sitting there talking about video games with your friends. I'll be nice, and say that something actually popped into your head that makes a little sense, say, um, the disastrous result of a character in the game insisting on his own way. It blares at you as a little lesson to stop fighting for your own way and give in to the Lord's plan. So the question is, how do you bring this up in a group of friends that would probably consider your observation completely random and weird? Well if you're like me, you don't. So two little observations here: a) you don't really know what their reaction would be. b) who really cares if they do think you're weird? We're not called to be normal. We're called to be radically different. In fact, if the most radical you ever get is talking about a pathetic little metaphor from a video game, you're probably not radical enough. Sorry, that was a note to myself. 3. I'm in the "wrong" group. Well, here are the painful facts, Sarah. There is no "wrong" group. I don't care if the person is saved, is living in sin but saying they're saved, or if they're outright atheists. If there is one wrong group, they're all wrong groups. You need to get your thinking straight. Stop hiding behind your pathetic excuses. Well, I guess that's about all I have for that subject. If you're ever talking to me, feel free to remind me of what I just wrote. I want to show the world His greatness, and I can't do that if I'm only talking about chocolate chip cookies. I don't have much time left. Well, I suppose I have all the time in the world, but not if I want to wake up tomorrow without ice-cold water poured on me (I'm just kidding. My family hasn't ever done that - yet). At any rate, I need to wrap this up. I don't know if this has been beneficial to you at all, and honestly, I'm not certain it will help me. Like I said in the beginning, these are just some thoughts I've been thinking. I hope you enjoyed them, and that it wasn't a waste of your time to sit there staring at your computer reading them. May God glorify Himself through you. ~Sarah

My Wishlist

So this year I'm not turning 18 or graduating, but maybe someone would like to get me a birthday gift, or Christmas eventually. Anyway, thought I'd make it available!

(as before, links are in the sidebar ⇗ )

In order of need:

Do Hard Things Tee

Wireless mouse

St. Louis Bread Co. Giftcards

$2-$200

Starbucks Giftcards

$5-$100

an iphone 8 or 16 GB (giggle!) 

BOOKS:

Anna Karenina by Tolstoy 

War and Peace by Tolstoy

The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis

Hangman's Curse by Frank Peretti

Nightmare Academy by Frank Peretti

Any old book (old as in 100 years or older)

Any Classic book

I want to be an Imagination Nation Ranger!

A Touchsmart Computer!!!

Giftcards to:
--Walmart
--Starbucks
--iTunes

--Borders

--Bread Co.

--Barnes & Nobel

--pretty much anywhere
--Cold Hard Cash

Some links will be here, some on the sidebar. Some links will lead to pricier things, some to more reasonable. I don't really expect anyone to get any of this stuff. Just thought I'd leave it out there, though. Just to be helpful. 8D

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

STARBUCKS BY CHURCH IS CLOSING!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHH! Woe is me! :'(

Oh no! Waaaah!

Just can't hold it in...

I'm sorry that this is so choppy and broken up. I was just about to go to bed when I just had to tell someone... anyway, I wanted to share it with even more people, so I copied what I was typing in my IM and posted it here for you to read:

I've felt kinda distant from God for awhile, like I'm just cruising through life barely supported by Him. I knew it wasn't right, but didn't have the guts to just stay in one place praying until I was right with Him

Today I've been a little scared, because I'm taking these girls to camp to learn about Christ, to give them an opportunity to get away from 'normal' life and focus solely on our Awesome Father

...but how on earth could I show them how worthy He is of our unwavering adoration if I myself didn't feel it?

And so I said the simplest prayer ever

I just said, God, please bring me close to You so that I can show them Your glory

...and he heard me Tacia!

He was always listening

even when I felt miles away, He was right there beside me

so now I feel a little scared, because I can 'see' Him again, and He's glorious, and Powerful, All-knowing, and so... holy

so high above my highest

like we're not even in the same universe

and if I was to draw near to Him i would burn up in an instant

man, I'm just gonna have to blog this

anyway, I'm also so encouraged!

I mean, after seeing how unworthy I am, I've seen how worthy He is

and yet He's taken mercy on me a Sinner with a capital 'S'

WOW!

I don't know whether to cry or shout

But I'm going to have to go to bed

I just have to tell you one more time how GREAT our God is

not just our God... THE God

The Only God. The One True God

If only I can get that One point across to these girls this week, my whole life will have had a purpose.

If one more person could see what it is that makes me ridiculously happy for no apparent reason...

If one more person could see why... I dunno... why I'm happy!

I know I keep going back to that, but I am SO happy! 

And trust me, I haven't had anything, haven't done anything out of the ordinary except one whispered prayer

And I didn't even 'feel' anything then. 

Mr. Schembre said it best one Wednesday - "We live by faith, not feel." or something very, very similar.

I just wish I could always feel like this.

Praise God for being God! Praise Him for the air we breathe! Praise Him for the ability to read this, to type this! Praise Him for the mercy He shows us in not wiping us out and starting over with a perfect creation! Oh how great God is!!! 

"Let the godly exult in glory;

"let them sing for joy on their beds." -Psalm 149:5 ESV

Good night. 

On Fear, the Abolition of It, and What I Think of a Murderer

So tomorrow is the 4th of July. That's really shocking. It seems like July 2007 was just a few weeks ago. I guess that's just a sign that I'm getting old or something.

Well, I've been sitting her trying to dream up something worth your time to post, and haven't really come up with anything. So I guess I'll just cheat and talk about this week's news.

If you live in the midwest, chances are you've heard about the eight murders that have taken place this week in Illinois and Missouri. They were brutal and bloody. Plus two of the bodies were found not that far away from my house. Creepy! So now that I've made all of the dear people that read this and care about me faint dead away, I'll mention the fact that they've caught the guy.

I'm not usually one to freak out over dangerous situations. For instance, I wasn't afraid the entire time I was in Mexico. Now granted, that's not necessarily dangerous, but usually a trip out of country would be considered more worthy of fearful thoughts than a night spent at home. Now suddenly there's a creepy killer guy with no apparent motive lurking in my peaceful little town. 

So I'm not going to lie to you - I was scared. Very scared. Scared to the point that being in my locked home with a strong father on alert ready to protect me didn't help ease my fear at all. It's not a pleasant feeling.

Then I turned it over to the Lord. I knew that letting my fear take control of me was the same as telling God that I didn't believe He would protect me, so I asked for peace and I asked Him to forgive me for doubting His strength. And you know what? The strangest thing happened...

I wasn't afraid anymore.

Yeah. Just like that. I knew that the murderer was out there, but I knew that God was there first. To quote a song I learned in Children's Church:

"My God, He is big, He's gigantic, He's enormous. He is powerful and strong. He is amazing and He's awesome; and there's nothing in this world that He couldn't pulverize... so I know I have nothing to fear, no, no! So I know I have nothing to fear!" (play that in your head really fast with an English accent - it's fun to sing)

And so the next morning I hear that the suspected murderer (you have to say 'suspected', even with a lot of strong evidence against him - otherwise it's not fair) was caught. Yay! 

It's strange, though. I feel sorry for him. I mean, what's more frightening than whatever could push him to kill innocent people? Whether it was the drugs or something else, what kind of state was his mind in? But when he's afraid, and I'm sure that even his twisted self feels fear, he has no one to turn to, except maybe his drugs, and that would just leave him more messed up than he was originally. Yes, I feel sorry for the murderer, because there but for the grace of God go I. I feel sorry for him because I have no idea what kind of nightmare goes on in his mind, and I desperately hope that he has a chance to hear the Gospel before he dies. I hope more than anything that his heartless, sin-scorched soul could feel the cool and gentle stream of forgiveness cover it once and for all. He hasn't hurt me, so maybe that's why it's so easy to pity him. Maybe if it was my parents he had killed, or my friends, or any of my family, maybe then I would hate him and thirst for his death. But he didn't. Yes, I believe that he should pay the price for his actions, but first I want him to have a chance at grace.

Hey, I'm really tired. Hopefully this made sense. If it didn't, I'm very sorry.

Home Sweet Home

Home, home in the humidity! 

Yep, back home! Yay! I miss playing with the kids every evening, Carmen's cooking, and our team, but I'm still really glad to be home. For one thing, I don't have to worry about dehydrating. I am such a mess when I'm dehydrated - just ask Marissa. Well, don't, since she'll probably tell you all about it and that would be kinda embarrassing. 

I had a very good time this year. I want to thank you all for all of the prayers - they were vital! I'm sorry that the updates weren't all that great. I can't say much in a text message. Hopefully you were able to get the picture, though. 

I'm not sure what all to talk about, so let me know if you have any questions. I will be more than happy to give you answers.

p.s. My name isn't Bandana

Home sweet home! Told u we'd make it back safely. Luv u all!

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In tulsa but not getting off of the plane. The plane ppl are funny. Nxt stop St. Louis!

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In Houston. Hopefully we wont have a huge layover again.

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There & Back Again

Praise the Lord!

I'm in Texas - in that loverly hotel with the cookies - and so have the internet. I have to make this fast b/c there's a line.

The mission trip was really cool. One of the little girls remembered me from last year & I made a few friends. I was a lot closer to the kids than I have been in the past, which was a big blessing.

I had a lot of fun, but I was dehydrated at varying levels for the last few days, which makes for some scrambled memories. It's my fault.

Anyway, our flight home leaves tomorrow morning & then I'll try to post more. I didn't take much of a journal this year, so you're going to miss that.

TTFN

~Sarah

On the bridge over the Rio Grande! Cannot wait to take a shower! Love u all! (dad, mom will call u soon)

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Headed over border. Totally safe. We have a HUGE group! Love u all! Thanx 4 ur prayers!

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SO tired. Listened 2 last team's testimony & feel encouraged. U'll hear from me Thursday. We're all safe in

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Flight delayed so long we're taking a dif. plane. Crazy!

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Made it 2 Huston. Plane ride cool. Nxt stop Harlingen. Love u all!

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They're taking the author to Mexico!

So EEEEARLY tomorrow morning we're heading out for Mexico. Sorry that I didn't give you poor readers more warning, but things have been a hair on the chaotic side. At least you have some warning with this one, unlike the Wisconsin trip.

As I said, we are leaving very early in the morning and I will do what I love to do - something new! Huzzah! Unfortunately, this New isn't quite as dramatic as most of my News, because this New is many peoples Old. I get to fly in a real, live aeroplane! Again, I cry "huzzah!" and sway to the gentle music of Leaving on a Jet Plane. 

I'm leaving with a feeling that I would describe as a mixture of nervousness and excitement. This year seems so much different from the last three, so I don't know what to expect. In addition, this is probably the last year we have the opportunity to go for a while, so it's a little sad. Not that I am ever guaranteed another opportunity to travel to Centenario, or even to take my next breath. I just get into the mindset that 'this is how it is, this is how it always will be' and it's a little rough realizing that everything changes, not just most things. Now I've gotten off subject.

I'll post via cell phone when I get to Harlingen. I'll be electronically mute once over the border, but I'll send you a text when I'm back in the USA. 

I love you all, and I covet your prayers. Thank you so much for your concern and attention. I promise to let you know when I'm back.

Adios!

Having a great time! 38 got maj. lapped :( wisconsin weather is crazy! Love 2 all. Sarah
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Had a spare moment so i thought id say hi. Made it safe 2 wisconsin.

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Bible Study Jem

23 Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD."

Jeremiah 9:23,24 ESV

I Hope these verses bless you as much as they did me! With a God so great, why would we need to boast in anything else?! How sad that we are so blinded by the glitter of man's praise that we can't see what really matters, what our entire lives should focus on - The greatness of our loving, just and righteous God!

Why Matrix is better than Equilibrium

Before I begin, I want to clarify that when I say "The Matrix" I mean "The Matrix" - the first movie. I have never seen and never intend to see the second and third movies. Try to only remember the first if you can. It'll help.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After having the movie Equilibrium highly suggested to me by Kim and Brady, I forked up the cash and rented it, with the greatest of expectations after hearing that it was "Better than The Matrix."

I have just finished watching it, and have to disagree - Equilibrium is not better than The Matrix. So sorry.

Here are some of my reasons:

1. It's been done.

While this is a pretty lame excuse and I don't really care in the long run, the basic plot behind Equilibrium has been done many times - this just looks better. For example, see 1984 or Fahrenheit 451. Intriguing and terrifying ideas and possibilities, but not new.

2. The Matrix looks better.

Once again: lame excuse. There were a few times in Equilibrium that tried too hard to be like The Matrix but not copy. For example, when Preston is fighting the Librian policemen so that the sense-offenders can get away, the scene is slowed down. Whereas the bullet-time of The Matrix is cool, the slow-motion beating just feels bogged down.

3. The Perceived Underlying Message

The Matrix has a strong, if subtle, Christian theme. Whether this was intentional or not, I don't know, but it goes beyond the last city of men being named Zion. I'm not one to dig this kind of stuff out of movies, but who couldn't notice that Neo is searching for the truth, has a rude awakening to how the world really is, is "in" the Matrix, but not "of" the Matrix, and eventually dies to conquer evil? I'm not entirely comfortable with the thought of Neo being an example of Christ, but that's another discussion.

Equilibrium, however, has quite a different view. To begin, Libria's insignia is a cross. Sure it looks like a swastika, but it's still a cross.
Second, Prozium is referred to as "the opiate of the masses" - Karl Marx's view of religion.
Third, and most blatant is the "Father". In Libria, the people are to follow Father's will with an unquestioning faith - dead to all enjoyment of life in the false security of obedience. A view of Christianity?

4. Personal Scruples

I didn't like Mary O'Brien and I didn't like the way Brandt died. It was gross.

In Equilibrium's defense, it had it's good points. For one, it was a little cleaner than The Matrix. Yet despite it's being a good movie and entertaining to watch, I cannot agree that it is better than The Matrix. However, you are free to think what you like about either of the movies. This isn't Libria, you know.

~Sarah

Reepicheep Rocks!

So I saw Prince Caspian yesterday. It was pretty cool. Book lovers beware, however, as it's different than C.S. Lewis' work. The best advice I was given before watching the movie was not to read the book again - and so I'm passing it on. 

Now don't get me wrong, they basically stick to the story. I mean, they did a much better job than, say, Eragon. (yeck) I'm just warning you that some things are a little more fleshed out, some things are left out, and some things are completely new. But it's still a really good movie. I'll gladly watch it again! 

What kinda freaked me out was the violence - or lack thereof. I mean, it's a war movie. It has battles. People get killed left and right - but somehow most of it you don't see. For example, a man is beheaded right on screen, but you don't see the decapitation. I still haven't figured that one out. 

So all in all I liked it. I don't think I'll add it to my top 5 movies, but it was fun, had some good take-away moments, and had the most adorable mouse ever. 

Oh yeah - and on a final note: The Telemarines are Spaniards. It's blatantly obvious, so don't think they're supposed to be from the desert or something. They're not. Read Don Quixote. 

For Narnia!

Sarah

Just wanted to share...

This morning in my quiet time I read the first chapter of Jeremiah. I was really blessed by this chapter, and I wanted to share a few verses with you.

"Do not say, 'I am only a youth';

for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,

and whatever I command you, you shall speak.

Do not be afraid of them,

for I am with you to deliver you,

declares the LORD."

(verse 5)

"18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you."

Wow! Isn't that awesome?!  Praise God!

All scripture comes from the ESV

Fighting for Health

Well I've got a little problem. It didn't really occur to me that I had a problem until my alarm went off this morning, but now that I've realized it I've gone semi-frantic. 

See, there's this youth retreat thingy Friday night. Which is tomorrow, because it's Thursday. And I'm still sick! 

Don't get me wrong. I'm not really sick. In fact, every morning I'm doing much better! But I've still got this cough and nose thing going on. Anyway, I really don't want to head off to Bates Creek spreading germs like Johnny Appleseed spread little apple seeds.

So if you happen to think of me today, please say a prayer and ask the Lord to make me better by tomorrow. It would be awesome. And it wouldn't really be unbelievable because I'm almost better. Just gotta get over this little bit.

Thanx. Also, for any wish-listers, it's right under this post. But you really don't have to get me anything.

A Txt on How I Feel...

I hate being sick!

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The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated

I'm very sorry that I haven't posted in such a long time, but I've been busy. This past weekend was awesome! We had a "Camp Meeting" conference thing at our church and it was just what I needed! I really needed to hear the preaching, but the funny thing is I think I was blessed just as much by being able to help serve! I know it's crazy, but I had so much fun getting meals ready and cleaning bathrooms! I guess it must just be the Lord, because I'm usually a lazy bum. Like I said, the weekend was awesome!

Unfortunately I'm not quite used to going nonstop like that, so it sorta knocked my immune system down, and with so many people around (people from all over - not just our church) there's always a bug to be passed along. So I've gotten myself a little cold, but I'm ok. It's nothing like the terrible flu-like sickness I had before. This is just a normal little stuffy nose thing.

It's strange, but it seems like I keep getting sick. Where before I was the healthiest person in the family, now I'm the first (and sometimes only) one that gets it. Weird.

Well, I guess that's good for now. You've gotten a little update and everything, so I don't have to feel guilty for depriving my dear sweet readers. I'll try to post more this week, but I'm going to a youth retreat this weekend and I graduate next weekend, so my life is going to be pretty crazy for a while!

Oh yeah! Because of everyone asking if I want anything as a graduation gift, I've updated my wishlist. You should always be able to find it underneath the top post, and if you go to the "labels" list in the sidebar, click on "wish-list" and it should take you right to it.

 Thank you for your generosity.

Speed Racer Visits the Pollys

 Little brother toys beware!

They're Taking the Hobbits to Isengard!

Proof of my Intelligence

I PASSED MY CLEP!!! YAY!!! What's kinda funny/irritating/great is that I was supposed to take a different test but they gave me a different one on accident - and I PASSED! Yay! Except that I had to write 2 essays instead of 1, which was not fun. But I passed! YAY!!!!

HE IS RISEN!!!

He is Risen Indeed!!!

Happy Easter!!!

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Good Friday, Sad Blog

I don't have much time - but I think I probably owe it to you readers to explain why my blog went from happy green to sad black. That would be because it's Good Friday. 

At our house we go into 'mourning' during the time between Good Friday and Easter. We decorate the house in black (including black balloons filled with confetti - I'll get to that later) and blow out all of our Easter advent candles to give us a sense of the darkness of the world without Christ.

I usually take this a little more extreme than the rest of my family - I take the whole dressing in black thing more seriously and try to go through life in a little more sad way. That's kinda tricky this year because I'm so excited about what the Lord has done for me that it's hard to be sad. It is, however, easy to get teary-eyed when I think of how little I deserve what He has done for a worm like me.

Anyway, I decided that this year I would spread it to my blog. When you visit, think of what Christ suffered for you - not just death, but separation from His Father. 

The Gentle Art of BRAGGING!

When you're going to brag, you need to consider many things. Bragging is very difficult to do tastefully - and believe me, you want to do it tastefully! 

First of all, try not to brag on yourself too much. Now I know that you're all thinking that I need to direct this to me, but I'm still working on this whole pride thing. Oops, I've gotten off subject.

As I was saying, your bragging needs to either be for the right reasons or very scarce. Bragging on yourself too much just makes you look pathetic, but every once in a while there are crazy relatives that want to know when you've done something cool.

Bragging on someone else is tricky. It seems as though it would always be ok, but you need to understand that not everyone has an amazing little sister - and you're not bragging on her to make people jealous, are you? 

Here's an example. If you constantly rub it in people's faces that not only does your sister have an amazing personality and artistic skill, but she also won an award at a very popular Arts and Science fair they stop paying attention to how great your sister is and start comparing your life to theirs. In fact, if you keep harping on the fact that your sister is going to an awards ceremony that night, they might even start interrupting you and talking about how their little sister drew a cool picture of a dog one time. And if you mention that it was a photograph from an interesting perspective, they might just make a lame excuse and walk away.

And so, after much consideration, I have decided not to brag on my little sister too much. I can only say that she has recently done something great, and I'm very proud of her. But I'm sure that the picture your little sister drew of a dog was very nice. Even if it didn't win a major award.

American Chocolate Week

Well, I'm very, very sorry, but I've missed the first few days of National Chocolate Week. I had great plans for this week and this blog, but I might just start it next week. Anyway, it's never too late to celebrate, so you might want to have a piece of chocolate right now. It couldn't hurt anything. I just finished off a box of Starbucks Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans myself. 

Have a sweet day everyone!

Cool Website

Check this out - Animator vs. Animation

It's pretty cool.

Bountiful Brawl

I know that everyone is probably sick of me talking about my wii game, but I have to add on this little bit.

I ordered the game because it was going to take at least a week to get here, right? Guess what I got in the mail today. Super Smash Bros. Brawl!

So now I have two games in two days. Kinda makes me look rich or something, but I really have to return the new one! Next-door-neighbor didn't want it at this time, so off to you-know-where:

This should be fun. I was going to put a picture of my two games on here, but I don't have time.

Anyway, eventually this trivial excitement will die down and I'll get back to my boring old posts.

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PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS:

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Today I ate Cream-of-Wheat for breakfast. It's pretty outside. 

Have a wonderful, fabulous, marvelous and truly terrific day. I love the word terrific. It looks so cool.

Adios amigos!

Rated: G

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SMASH!

   

     Well I suppose I owe it to all of my adoring readers to tell them of my recent droll digression. And even if you, as an adoring reader, do not want to read about it - too bad. 

I'm sure that everyone remembers my post about my new game being in the mail, right? That game (as I did not seem to specify very well) was Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I pre-ordered it way back in October because I thought that you wouldn't be able to get your hands on one when they finally came out.

Wrong.

No sooner does it come out than I go to Wal-Mart and see so many that they won't fit in the slot! Grrr. It's sitting there in piles and mine is in Kansas City!

Then I got an Idea, an awful Idea. Yes, I got a wonderful, awful Idea. (paraphrased from How the Grinch Stole Christmas) 

It suddenly occurred to me that it would be simple to buy the game now. Who knows when something will show up in the mail, right? But what about the one that's in Kansas City? I mean I already paid shipping for the thing.

Then I had a vision of armies of ungrateful people lined up in front of a certain desk the day after Christmas. Of course! I could return it!

This revelation was followed by extensive research into the possibility of returning something purchased online and whether this was an incredibly stupid waste of time or just fun.

I opted for the fun.

So I played Smash Bros. for the first time last night. It was a lot of fun, but a little tricky to get used to. The controls on the wii remote are a little hard to get used to, so I guess I don't have to worry about people wanting to play every time they come over! (I've been considering getting some more gamecube controllers or classic controllers)

So there you have it! The update on my situation. I hope you enjoyed it, and that you have a wonderful day today!

The Effects of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup with Carmel

As I sit here with the last bit of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup with Carmel melting in my mouth I don't think anything could bother me. Yes, my friends, I've found a new favourite candy. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups with Carmel are wonderful. They're even worth saying (and typing) Reese's Peanut Butter Cup with Carmel!

No, nothing could bring me down. Not even having to give a speech at my graduation. These things are so good that the fact that it's daylight savings tomorrow and I lose an hour of sleep doesn't even phase me! 

Mmm that was good.

Sorry to be posting so much today, but that moment had to be posted!!!

I hope you have a great day that's full of much deeper and more satisfying moments than a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup with Carmel!

Life is Good.

Well, I don't really have anything important to say right now. I just found out that Smash Bros. shipped! Yay! I don't really know how that's possible since it's not supposed to be out until tomorrow, but I guess they know that it's unfair enough that it has to be mailed. Anyway, I'm glad to finally be getting the game that I spent so much money on so long ago.

Well, besides that there's not much to report. God is good. Life is good. Everyone is still asleep.

So even though this is pretty much a waste of time on both our parts, I hope you enjoyed it.

Have an awesome day everyone!!!

I'm trying 2 blog from my phone. It would be so cool if i could get this 2 work. Then i could blog much more

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You talk the most when there's nothing to say...

Well, it's been a while since I put something on here. Unfortunately I don't have much to say right now - it just seemed irresponsible to not say a single thing for so long.

So yeah, I just got home this morning from spending the weekend with my Step Mom and Grandma. And aunt. and uncle, cousins, grandpa and some people that I'm not entirely sure if I'm related to. So yeah. I went 4-wheeling. It was fun!

Oh yeah! I just opened a yahoo group called Pigeon Paparazzi. Well, actually it ended up being called coo_coo. I'm not joking. Anyway, you should join! All you have to do is take a picture of a pigeon and post it on there. The fact is that I love taking pictures of pigeons. They're so round and cute, and you can find them anywhere. So check it out. I've made it very easy with that ugly little button thing down there ⇘

Thanks for reading!!!

Tiny Note

Thank you for letting me know that you wanted the way this blog looks to change. I hope you like it. I know I didn't change it much - I like green! 

I'll have a new post soon. 

Thanks for reading!

100th Post

Well, here it is! The 100th post! I've needed to put it on here for a while, because there's a lot of information that everyone needs to know about my life right now. So read on.

Why My Life Will Soon Be Upside-Down & Backwards:

by Sarah Weber

Chapter 1: The Problem

     Well, it's like this. Dad's job is pretty much toast because they got rid of a shift or something. Great - I had this all down pat and now I'm getting things mixed up. Anyway, only people with major seniority (that Dad used to have but got taken away -> different story) will work. The rest of the workers are indefinitely laid off. Well, what are we going to do?

Chapter 2: The Solution

     Mom goes back to work as a nurse, Dad goes back to school to be a mechanic. I will graduate in the Spring as planned and then when Dad goes to school in the Fall, I'll be the one in charge. Of course, I won't do EVERYthing. Mom will only be working three days (or will she be off three days?!) so anyway, I'll have plenty of help. Mostly I'll just be making sure the house doesn't blow up or anything - kinda like glorified babysitting.

Chapter 3: The Enactment of the Master Plan

     So Mom started her first day of work yesterday. It went very well. Dad's doing an awesome job teaching my siblings, and I'm getting my work done like I did before. I'm starting to study for another CLEP test (English Comp.), so it'll be nice to have that done. Oh yeah, while I'm helping be a mini-mommy, I'll keep taking my CLEP tests and probably an online course or two, so don't think that I'm abandoning my higher education or anything.

Chapter 4: Conclusion

     If you want to do anything for us, then you can pray. Pray, pray, pray. We have sought God's will along every step of this journey and so far everything is falling into place. Pray for me, that I wouldn't be selfish with my time and that I wouldn't botch the whole thing completely. Pray for my parents as they take up roles that they haven't had in a long time. If you'd like to do something else for me, then just try to understand. That's all I ask. Just try to understand why I seem as busy as a mother. It's kinda sorta gonna be that way.

The End

Ok, so on a lighter note, we went to the Symphony today, which was very cool. We're also going to prayer meeting tonight - which means that I need to find something to wear because all that I have left are nice clothes (TMI?). 

I hope you have a truly wonderful rest of the day! Adios!!!

OH YEAH! Don't forget to check out the new poll!!! ->

If you could click 'yes' or 'no', I'd be very much obliged. 

Christmas Trees fell gently from the sky...

This is us tossing the Christmas Tree out for the new year. 

Enjoy!

This is also posted on YouTube.