Isn't it weird how such monumental life events happen in the quiet moments of life? I always thought that when one accomplished major life events the whole world should (and would) stop to celebrate it with you. The reality is that almost all of the world doesn't even know that I exist, much less that a major life event happened tonight in our house! I mean who knew the world doesn't revolve around ME or David?! ;)
Anyway, tonight, David took his LAST undergraduate final EVER! He is DONE with his Bachelor's Degree and in a mere 6 months he will be done with his Master's Degree! How unbelievable is that?!
My hubby is an official college graduate. I am so proud. Tonight, we celebrate quietly. Just know there is a serious party coming 6 months! I love my husband so much, and I simply do not have the words to express my gratitude for his selflessness to change his family tree. This season has been anything but easy, but all in all, worth it. I can't believe he (we) did it.
While many of you are going through your regular Monday night routine, don't be afraid to stop and give a little shout for us! Know that we would love to have you quietly celebrate with us. :)
Hope each of you are having an amazing week! If you aren't - then change it by claiming it!
I leave you with this.... Proverbs 13:19 "A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul....." Enjoy!
-Anna
Monday, February 25, 2013
Friday, February 15, 2013
February
This past month as been nuts. The winter quarter is always the hardest because it has such a weird schedule. I think the slowest months of the year are January and February. All other months seem to fly by, but not January or February! We have been patiently marking each day off the calendar as though we are in slow motion. David finishes his quarter in two weeks and we can't wait. After all, this quarter is his LAST as an undergraduate! Yes, that's right - he will have a Bachelor's degree in a mere 2 weeks!!!! YA!!!!
I am naturally doing what any good wife would do while their hubby is taking finals - leave. :) On Monday, my boss and I leave for Los Angeles! We will be gone for a week. I can't wait. I hate that David wont be able to go with me, but I am very much looking forward to the sunshine and palm trees. I absolutely love the sunshine! I come back just in time for him to finish up his finals. Then..... it's on to celebrating time. ;) Since his Master's degree will be the BIG celebration, we are just keeping this one to us. He walks on March 2 with his Bachelor's of Accounting. I am so proud. I am so proud. Did I mention, I AM SO PROUD!!! The very goal we moved over here for, David will accomplish in two weeks. It just seems so surreal.
While the past couple of weeks have been nuts, we have definitely found time to enjoy life. On Thursday nights we go to our Life Group (Bible Study) from church. It has been such a great time of fellowship and edifying each other in the Word. I love that there are 'normal' people in this world that love the Lord, but aren't like 'weird'.... haha. Do you know what I mean? Anyway, we have kept our weekends full with miscellaneous activities too. Like, last Saturday night we went to this event called "Tied Up in Knots". We actually got to meet Karen Knots, Don Knots daughter. She was nice, and funny. The best part of the event - it was free. :)
Last Saturday also marked my first ever of attempt of making a King Cake with Aunt Char. Naturally, she did most of the cooking, and I did most of the dish washing, but it was a fun time nonetheless. We had dinner before the event with Aunt Char too. She got boiled shrimp for us! It was delicious. Seriously, one of the best things about living in Louisiana is the FOOD!!! King Cake and Cajun - you just can't go wrong! :)
Sunday night we went to our friends the Stevenson's for dinner. Sherri made us homemade gumbo and you guessed it, KING CAKE! Yum! LOL. We get together with them at least once a month. We absolutely love this family and we are so thankful for them. Plus, they love our pups as much as we do!
This week was jammed packed. You had Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, and Love (Valentine's Day) Thursday. I mean that is just crazy! :)
David and I stuck with our tradition of spending no more than $10 total for Valentine's day. He got dinner and picked his own home grown flowers for me. We had $3 left over, and it was the best Valentine's day yet. I am so thankful for a my husband. He really does mean the world to me.
This weekend we are just as busy! Tonight we have a great date planned: GROCERY SHOPPING. Tomorrow night we are going to a youth fundraiser at our church, and Sunday we will take our adopted grandparents to church and lunch.
And, just to leave you with some random, but very funny humor. My coworker has introduced me to most of these, but I have found a couple on Pinterest. Anyway, enjoy. Hope your February has been great!
Part Two
Continuation on the book of Exodus. The book of Exodus, in my opinion, should be split into 2 parts. Part one should be chapters 1-15 and then part two should be chapters 16-40. Because I feel so strongly about this, that is how I will breakdown this book.
*please note, this is my interpretation - not to offend - but to simply help me digest the material, and possibly help others glean. All scriptures are based out of the NLT version.
PART TWO:
When Israel crossed the Red Sea, they rejoiced and gave offerings to the Lord. THREE days later the complaining began! Isn't it amazing how quickly we forget how bad something was when we are forced to walk forward in faith? One word: ungrateful.
This part of Exodus is very detailed and lengthy - did I mention detailed? Basically, Moses and Aaron are leading over 600,000 people and their possessions to the Promised Land (on foot). Can you imagine? Talk about herding cats! No wonder it took them so long to finally get there (among other reasons)!
Instead of giving a play by play of what happened, I am just going to point out the highlights for part two. These are things I considered important.
*please note, this is my interpretation - not to offend - but to simply help me digest the material, and possibly help others glean. All scriptures are based out of the NLT version.
PART TWO:
When Israel crossed the Red Sea, they rejoiced and gave offerings to the Lord. THREE days later the complaining began! Isn't it amazing how quickly we forget how bad something was when we are forced to walk forward in faith? One word: ungrateful.
This part of Exodus is very detailed and lengthy - did I mention detailed? Basically, Moses and Aaron are leading over 600,000 people and their possessions to the Promised Land (on foot). Can you imagine? Talk about herding cats! No wonder it took them so long to finally get there (among other reasons)!
Instead of giving a play by play of what happened, I am just going to point out the highlights for part two. These are things I considered important.
- God gave Israel manna and quail every day to eat, except on the Sabbath. However, He gave them double on Saturday so they could rest on Sunday and not have to gather food.
- The people cried out that they were thirsty. The Lord told Moses, "Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink." (Exodus 17:6) The people drank water out of a rock!
- The people were attacked. As long as Moses kept his arms and staff raised, Israel was defeating the attackers. His arms would begin to fall, and the enemy would gain grounds on Israel. To help keep his arms and staff raised, Aaron and Hur found a place for Moses to sit down, and there the two of them held his arms up. Israel defeated their enemy. (Exodus 17:8-16)
- Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came and paid him a visit. Jethro speaks wisdom over Moses. He tells him he needs to start delegating job tasks to other trusted men in the group. This is first hierarchy of the church set up. You had people over 50, 100, 1000, 10,000 people so Moses could focus on his most important tasks and not get bogged down with frivolous stuff.
- Mount Siani is one of the most scared locations in Israel's history.
- The Lord teaches Israel how to worship Him. He gives them law to follow. We know these as the 10 Commandments. (Plus, LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of other laws to follow).
- The Lord gives Moses instructions for the Tabernacle.
- They receive the Ark of the Covenant. No one knows where this is today.
- I find it so interesting that EVERYTHING down to tables, and drapes are given with extreme detail and vivid instructions. Why is everything so specific and detailed? I believe it is because God cares about the details. He cares about you, and your likes and dislikes. After all, he made you that way! Just remember, God is a VERY specific!!
- Israel learns what Day of Atonement is and how to worship once a year to celebrate it.
- Israel messes up, and gets inpatient waiting on the Lord and Moses, so they begin to worship a gold calf. Moses comes down and sees what is going on and is pissed. He just spent 40 days getting all this description on what/when/where/how from God and His people are worshipping a cow. Ya, I think I would have flipped a lid too! He was so mad, he actually broke the first set of 10 commandments. What!
- After everyone calms down, Moses goes back and gets a second set of the 10 commandments from the Lord.
- Israel gets to work on the plans to build the Tabernacle. (This super detailed structure, is nothing more than a fancy tent!) Isn't that crazy? So much time, effort, detail, expense and GOLD went into this structure!
- Moses was not a micromanager. He let his trusted advisors oversee their responsibilities.
Bottom line from Part Two of Exodus:
Because of Jesus we no longer have to have a building to worship the Lord in, but our bodies now are the temple of the Holy Spirit! Pretty cool, huh? Also, don't forget - GOD IS SPECIFIC. He definitely cares about the small (what we might even consider insignificant) stuff in our lives!
Part One
Next book: Exodus. The book of Exodus, in my opinion, should be split into 2 parts. Part one should be chapters 1-15 and then part two should be chapters 16-40. Because I feel so strongly about this, that is how I will breakdown this book.
*please note, this is my interpretation - not to offend - but to simply help me digest the material, and possibly help others glean. All scriptures are based out of the NLT version.
Part One:
PHARAOH! PHARAOH! LET MY PEOPLE GO!!! Did any one else sing that song at Vacation Bible School almost every summer like me? I feel like that pretty much sums up part one of Exodus!
I am getting ahead of myself.
At the time Moses was born, Egypt's Pharaoh had placed a death sentence on Hebrew newborn boys. "Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: "Throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile River. But you may let the girls live."(Exodus 1:22).
When Moses was born, his mom knew instantly he was special. After hiding him for 3 months, she but him in a papyrus reed basket and placed him in the reeds of the Nile River. Moses' older sister kept watch from a distance to see what would happen. Right on cue, Pharaoh's daughter came with her servants down to the river. She knew the baby boy must have been a Hebrew baby, but he was crying and she felt sorry for him. Older sister walks right up to Pharaoh's daughter and says, "Should I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?" (Exodus 2:7). Pretty clever! Of course, the princess says yes and big sister runs to get her mama! The princess even ended up paying Moses mama to nurse him. Once Moses was weened, his mama took him back to the princess and she adopted him as his own.
I feel like I could just stop the story right there! I mean HOW COOL IS THAT? You think God doesn't have a plan for your life?!? Ha! Yes He does, and it is so impressive. We just have to trust in Him and live it out. Too often we over think our plans (mainly me) when we just have to remind ourselves that He has it allllllllllll under control. What's the word? Oh, TRUST! Anyway, back to the story.....
When Moses was older he ended up being exiled from Egypt. He killed an Egyptian after watching him beat a Hebrew slave. Apparently, that is a 'no-no'. He moves to Midian for a new life. (Exodus 2:11)
After marrying and starting a family, Moses tended the flock of sheep for his FIL (father-in-law). "One day the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn't burn up." (Exodus 3:2) During this conversation with the Lord, Moses learns that he is not only going to go back to Egypt, but he is also going to set the Israelites free! **I don't know why, but I think of Simba in the Lion King right here, when Simba has to go back and face his past....I digress.
Moses had a million questions. He was asking, "Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11) and "What if they don't believe me or listen to me? What if they say, 'The Lord never appeared to you'?" (Exodus 4:1). I would have asked the same questions too! God gave him clear instructions on what to do when he met with Pharaoh. He was to show him the Lord's power.
First, Moses turned his shepherd's staff into a snack. Pharaoh's magicians did the same thing. Pharaoh wasn't impressed. Next, Moses turned his hands from healthy to diseased, and back to healthy hands again. Again, Pharaoh wasn't impressed his magicians could do the same thing.
Since Pharaoh wasn't going to give up the Israelites that easily, God gave Moses a plan: 10 Plagues.
But before Moses would follow through with performing the plagues, he demanded that God give him someone who would speak on his behalf. God was NOT happy about it, but He did give Moses a PR person; his brother, Aaron. Apparently, Moses had a stutter.
Now, the plagues begin.
1. Blood. Moses turns every ounce of water into blood through all of Egypt. Even the water in clay pots were turned to blood. (Exodus 7:14-24) Pharaoh's magicians duplicate the plague, so it doesn't impress Pharaoh.
2. Frogs. Frogs come up from the Nile River and cover all the land. (Exodus 8:1-15) Pharaoh's magicians duplicate the plague. Pharaoh pleads to get rid of the frogs and says he will set the Israelites go! But he turns his back on his word to let the Israelites go.
3. Gnats. All of the dust become gnats. (Exodus 8:16-19) The Hebrew neighborhood is untouched by the gnats. Pharaoh's magicians couldn't duplicate the gnats. God gets Pharaoh's attention. Pharaoh pleads to get rid of the gnats and says he will set the Israelites go! But he turns his back on his word to let the Israelites go.
4. Flies. A thick swarm of flies came over the land of Egypt. (Exodus 8:20-32) The Hebrew neighborhood is untouched by the flies. Moses told Pharaoh the flies wouldn't touch God's people, but put the Egyptians into a state of chaos. Pharaoh's magicians couldn't duplicate the flies. Pharaoh pleads to get rid of the flies and says he will set the Israelites go! But he turns his back on his word to let the Israelites go.
5. Livestock. The hand of the Lord struck down all the Egyptians livestock - horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep and goats - with a deadly plague. Not one of Israel's livestock is touched. (Exodus 9:1-7) After killing all of the Egyptians livestock, Pharaoh still will not let the Israelites go!
6. Boils. "Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Take handfuls of soot from a brick kiln, and have Moses toss it into the air while Pharaoh watches. The ashes will spread like fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, causing festering boils to break out on people and animals throughout the land'." (Exodus 9:8-12) No Hebrew man, woman or child was infected by the boils. God protected His people. Boils broke out on all of the Egyptians and their animals. The magicians couldn't even stand before Moses because they too had boils all over them. Pharaoh wouldn't let the Israelites go.
7. Hail. Moses told Pharaoh if he didn't let the Israelites go he would "send a hailstorm more devastating than any in all the history of Egypt. Quick! Oder your livestock and servants to come in from the fields to find shelter. Any person or animal left outside will die when the hail fails." (Exodus 9:13-35) Pharaoh FINALLY admits he has sinned and asks Moses to take the Hebrews to another land! Alas!! "But when Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had stopped, he and his officials sinned again, and Pharaoh again became stubborn. Because his heart was hard, Pharaoh refused to let the people leave!!"
8. Locusts. Locusts cover all of Egypt and eat everything left after the hail. (Exodus 10:1-20) Everyone in Egypt is begging Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go, but Pharaoh refuses.
9. Darkness. Total darkness covers Egypt for 3 days so no one can even move! Naturally, the Hebrews continue life as usual, why? Because they have light!! (Exodus 10:21-29) Pharaoh again promises to let Israel go, but again changes his mind.
10. Death of the first born. This is final blow. The firstborn of all the people and cattle of Egypt die, but Israel is spared! (Exodus 11:1-12:33) Pharaoh and the Egyptians URGE Israel to leave and QUICKLY!
Moses jumps on the opportunity, and tells all of Israel to pack their bags, they are moving!! Finally, they will be free and go to the land of milk and honey.
On the journey out of town, the Lord leads them a less direct route to get out of Egypt. In the mean time, Pharaoh again changes his mind, and calls all of his army together to go and get the Israelites. Moses gets word from the Lord, and Moses lifts his arms and staff to part the Red Sea. The Israelites pass through the Red Sea unharmed and completely dry. Once the last Hebrew got onto safe ground, Moses raised his arms again and the Red Sea collapses back together - killing Pharaoh and all of his army!
INTERMISSION.
*please note, this is my interpretation - not to offend - but to simply help me digest the material, and possibly help others glean. All scriptures are based out of the NLT version.
Part One:
PHARAOH! PHARAOH! LET MY PEOPLE GO!!! Did any one else sing that song at Vacation Bible School almost every summer like me? I feel like that pretty much sums up part one of Exodus!
I am getting ahead of myself.
At the time Moses was born, Egypt's Pharaoh had placed a death sentence on Hebrew newborn boys. "Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: "Throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile River. But you may let the girls live."(Exodus 1:22).
When Moses was born, his mom knew instantly he was special. After hiding him for 3 months, she but him in a papyrus reed basket and placed him in the reeds of the Nile River. Moses' older sister kept watch from a distance to see what would happen. Right on cue, Pharaoh's daughter came with her servants down to the river. She knew the baby boy must have been a Hebrew baby, but he was crying and she felt sorry for him. Older sister walks right up to Pharaoh's daughter and says, "Should I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?" (Exodus 2:7). Pretty clever! Of course, the princess says yes and big sister runs to get her mama! The princess even ended up paying Moses mama to nurse him. Once Moses was weened, his mama took him back to the princess and she adopted him as his own.
I feel like I could just stop the story right there! I mean HOW COOL IS THAT? You think God doesn't have a plan for your life?!? Ha! Yes He does, and it is so impressive. We just have to trust in Him and live it out. Too often we over think our plans (mainly me) when we just have to remind ourselves that He has it allllllllllll under control. What's the word? Oh, TRUST! Anyway, back to the story.....
When Moses was older he ended up being exiled from Egypt. He killed an Egyptian after watching him beat a Hebrew slave. Apparently, that is a 'no-no'. He moves to Midian for a new life. (Exodus 2:11)
After marrying and starting a family, Moses tended the flock of sheep for his FIL (father-in-law). "One day the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn't burn up." (Exodus 3:2) During this conversation with the Lord, Moses learns that he is not only going to go back to Egypt, but he is also going to set the Israelites free! **I don't know why, but I think of Simba in the Lion King right here, when Simba has to go back and face his past....I digress.
Moses had a million questions. He was asking, "Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11) and "What if they don't believe me or listen to me? What if they say, 'The Lord never appeared to you'?" (Exodus 4:1). I would have asked the same questions too! God gave him clear instructions on what to do when he met with Pharaoh. He was to show him the Lord's power.
First, Moses turned his shepherd's staff into a snack. Pharaoh's magicians did the same thing. Pharaoh wasn't impressed. Next, Moses turned his hands from healthy to diseased, and back to healthy hands again. Again, Pharaoh wasn't impressed his magicians could do the same thing.
Since Pharaoh wasn't going to give up the Israelites that easily, God gave Moses a plan: 10 Plagues.
But before Moses would follow through with performing the plagues, he demanded that God give him someone who would speak on his behalf. God was NOT happy about it, but He did give Moses a PR person; his brother, Aaron. Apparently, Moses had a stutter.
Now, the plagues begin.
1. Blood. Moses turns every ounce of water into blood through all of Egypt. Even the water in clay pots were turned to blood. (Exodus 7:14-24) Pharaoh's magicians duplicate the plague, so it doesn't impress Pharaoh.
2. Frogs. Frogs come up from the Nile River and cover all the land. (Exodus 8:1-15) Pharaoh's magicians duplicate the plague. Pharaoh pleads to get rid of the frogs and says he will set the Israelites go! But he turns his back on his word to let the Israelites go.
3. Gnats. All of the dust become gnats. (Exodus 8:16-19) The Hebrew neighborhood is untouched by the gnats. Pharaoh's magicians couldn't duplicate the gnats. God gets Pharaoh's attention. Pharaoh pleads to get rid of the gnats and says he will set the Israelites go! But he turns his back on his word to let the Israelites go.
4. Flies. A thick swarm of flies came over the land of Egypt. (Exodus 8:20-32) The Hebrew neighborhood is untouched by the flies. Moses told Pharaoh the flies wouldn't touch God's people, but put the Egyptians into a state of chaos. Pharaoh's magicians couldn't duplicate the flies. Pharaoh pleads to get rid of the flies and says he will set the Israelites go! But he turns his back on his word to let the Israelites go.
5. Livestock. The hand of the Lord struck down all the Egyptians livestock - horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep and goats - with a deadly plague. Not one of Israel's livestock is touched. (Exodus 9:1-7) After killing all of the Egyptians livestock, Pharaoh still will not let the Israelites go!
6. Boils. "Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Take handfuls of soot from a brick kiln, and have Moses toss it into the air while Pharaoh watches. The ashes will spread like fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, causing festering boils to break out on people and animals throughout the land'." (Exodus 9:8-12) No Hebrew man, woman or child was infected by the boils. God protected His people. Boils broke out on all of the Egyptians and their animals. The magicians couldn't even stand before Moses because they too had boils all over them. Pharaoh wouldn't let the Israelites go.
7. Hail. Moses told Pharaoh if he didn't let the Israelites go he would "send a hailstorm more devastating than any in all the history of Egypt. Quick! Oder your livestock and servants to come in from the fields to find shelter. Any person or animal left outside will die when the hail fails." (Exodus 9:13-35) Pharaoh FINALLY admits he has sinned and asks Moses to take the Hebrews to another land! Alas!! "But when Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had stopped, he and his officials sinned again, and Pharaoh again became stubborn. Because his heart was hard, Pharaoh refused to let the people leave!!"
8. Locusts. Locusts cover all of Egypt and eat everything left after the hail. (Exodus 10:1-20) Everyone in Egypt is begging Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go, but Pharaoh refuses.
9. Darkness. Total darkness covers Egypt for 3 days so no one can even move! Naturally, the Hebrews continue life as usual, why? Because they have light!! (Exodus 10:21-29) Pharaoh again promises to let Israel go, but again changes his mind.
10. Death of the first born. This is final blow. The firstborn of all the people and cattle of Egypt die, but Israel is spared! (Exodus 11:1-12:33) Pharaoh and the Egyptians URGE Israel to leave and QUICKLY!
Moses jumps on the opportunity, and tells all of Israel to pack their bags, they are moving!! Finally, they will be free and go to the land of milk and honey.
On the journey out of town, the Lord leads them a less direct route to get out of Egypt. In the mean time, Pharaoh again changes his mind, and calls all of his army together to go and get the Israelites. Moses gets word from the Lord, and Moses lifts his arms and staff to part the Red Sea. The Israelites pass through the Red Sea unharmed and completely dry. Once the last Hebrew got onto safe ground, Moses raised his arms again and the Red Sea collapses back together - killing Pharaoh and all of his army!
INTERMISSION.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Shortest Gospel
If you have never ever read an entire book in the Bible, I would highly recommend the book of Mark. It is the shortest of the gospels, but jam packed full of the absolute best teachings and understanding of what it is to be a Christian, and why! You get Jesus's entire ministry on Earth in a mere 16 chapters, start to finish!
Background: Mark is not one of the 12 disciples. Who knew? He actually was BFF with Paul. Mark wrote this book to try and prove to the Roman Christians that Jesus was in fact the Messiah. I completely appreciate the fact that Mark was descriptive, but straightforward and to the point. (Kinda like me). :)
Here is my (non-abbreviated) cliff notes of the book of Mark:
*please note, this is my interpretation - not to offend - but simply help me digest the material, and possibly help others glean. All scriptures are based out of the NLT version.
So, the book begins with John the Baptist proclaiming: "Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am - so much greater that I'm not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit! " (Mark 1:7)
The book of Mark gives testimony after testimony of Jesus healing, casting out demons, speaking authority over evil or demonic spirits, and performing miracle after miracle.
Here are some of the main accounts:
-the blind man can see
-paralyzed man can walk
-extremely diseased is no longer with fever
-sends demons out of a little girl (7:24-30)
-a bleeding women stops bleeding (she had female issues he cured!) (Mark 5:30-34)
-crazy man has demons cast out of him, and Jesus sent the spirits into a herd of 2,000 pigs that ran down a hill side and straight into a lake of water and drowned. (Mark 5: 1-16)
-speaking peace over a storm
-heals all who touch Him (Mark 6:53-55)
-feeds 5,000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish (Mark 6:30-44)
-brings a dead girl back to life. (Mark 5:35-43)
-walks on water to his disciples (Mark 6:45)
-feeds 4,000 people with 7 loaves (Mark 8:5)
Read it! It's in there!
You really see the frustration Jesus has with the religious leaders. Majority of them absolutely did not believe that Jesus was anything that he said he was and mocked his teachings. They accused him of getting his powers from Satan. (Mark 3:20-30). Several times they tried to trick him with weird questions or back hand compliments. Mark gives us several examples of this when they ask him about fasting, divorce, and taxes. All of which he answered with extreme eloquence and pose. (If I do say so myself). One of my favorite encounters is when the Pharisees were asking Jesus about taxes.
"Teacher," they said, "we know how honest you are. You are impartial and don't play favorites. You teach the way of God truthfully. Now tell us - is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them, or shouldn't we?" Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said, "Why are you trying to trap me? Show me a Roman coin, and I'll tell you." When they handed it to him, he asked, "Whose picture and title are stamped on it?" "Caesar's," they replied. "Well, then," Jesus said,"give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God." His reply completely amazed them. (Mark 12:14-17). BAM! Seriously, eloquent and pose right?! That is the kind of quick (but wise) natured words I desire.
Jesus quickly created a following and large masses of people would turn out to hear him preach. Can you imagine? No microphones, sound equipment, or high tech projectors and yet he still ministered to the thousands! When he taught, he often told parables (or stories) to help the people understand. After his sermons, he would further explain himself to his disciples, just to make sure they understood what he was really trying to say.
I think the most incredible part of reading Mark is the fact that miracle, after miracle he told the people to not tell anyone. Only one time he told the crazy man that had the demons go into the pigs, to go and tell his community of influence what He had done for him. When I was first reading through Mark, I really didn't understand this. Naturally, if I was doing all these miracles and setting people free, I would want them to go and tell anyone and everyone right?! I mean hello! But here is the deal: Jesus wasn't coming to Earth to show off. The devil was (and still is) doing just fine at that. However, Jesus came to be a personal one on one God. He wants YOU. One at a time, one heart at a time, one personal relationship at a time. He didn't (and still doesn't) want people speaking they follow Him with their lips but has no relationship with Him in their heart. Hope that isn't too deep, but do you get what I am saying? He cared single handily about each one of those people he healed or performed miracles on just like he cares about you and me specifically. Pretty neat huh?
Anyway, back to the book. Several times the disciples are just in aw and confused by Jesus. They say things like "who is this man?" I can only imagine; you have been the cool kids for 4 years and rule the high school and then comes this new guy. You accept him as "one of the boys" but then he starts doing things that are "weird" or "not normal" right? The disciples seem to constantly be questioning who Jesus is and half the time, not getting what He is trying to teach them! I think I would have been SO MUCH more frustrated with the disciples than He was. Talk about herding cats! Golly!!
Jesus speaks about the greatest commandment. Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: 'Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord you God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these." (Mark 12:29-31).
Jesus warns the disciples three different times in the book of Mark about His death. He walks them through what will happen. The book ends with the traditional Easter story. You have palm Sunday where Jesus comes in on a donkey and the crowds are flooded with people waving palm branches and laying them before His path. Four days later, what is now called, Maundy-Thursday, is the last supper. Jesus explains that one of you will turn me in and tells Peter he will deny Jesus 3 times before the rooster crows. Friday morning, Jesus is crucified. My study notes said it was predicted to be about 9am when he was nailed to the cross and 3pm when he took his last breath. He rose from the grave 3 days later. We now celebrate this series of events through the Week of Easter and on Easter Sunday.
The amazing part about Jesus raising from the dead is that he went down to hell put an absolute butt whooping on the devil and then went to Heaven. Good news for us - HE paid the price, so we don't have to! All we have to do is accept Christ and then walk in who He has called us to be. Seems so easy right? That is because it is!!
Seriously, I really enjoyed reading Mark. Again, I strongly encourage you to do the same. It is an easy read and filled with some awesome information about Christ's ministry while he was walking this Earth.
Background: Mark is not one of the 12 disciples. Who knew? He actually was BFF with Paul. Mark wrote this book to try and prove to the Roman Christians that Jesus was in fact the Messiah. I completely appreciate the fact that Mark was descriptive, but straightforward and to the point. (Kinda like me). :)
Here is my (non-abbreviated) cliff notes of the book of Mark:
*please note, this is my interpretation - not to offend - but simply help me digest the material, and possibly help others glean. All scriptures are based out of the NLT version.
So, the book begins with John the Baptist proclaiming: "Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am - so much greater that I'm not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit! " (Mark 1:7)
The book of Mark gives testimony after testimony of Jesus healing, casting out demons, speaking authority over evil or demonic spirits, and performing miracle after miracle.
Here are some of the main accounts:
-the blind man can see
-paralyzed man can walk
-extremely diseased is no longer with fever
-sends demons out of a little girl (7:24-30)
-a bleeding women stops bleeding (she had female issues he cured!) (Mark 5:30-34)
-crazy man has demons cast out of him, and Jesus sent the spirits into a herd of 2,000 pigs that ran down a hill side and straight into a lake of water and drowned. (Mark 5: 1-16)
-speaking peace over a storm
-heals all who touch Him (Mark 6:53-55)
-feeds 5,000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish (Mark 6:30-44)
-brings a dead girl back to life. (Mark 5:35-43)
-walks on water to his disciples (Mark 6:45)
-feeds 4,000 people with 7 loaves (Mark 8:5)
Read it! It's in there!
You really see the frustration Jesus has with the religious leaders. Majority of them absolutely did not believe that Jesus was anything that he said he was and mocked his teachings. They accused him of getting his powers from Satan. (Mark 3:20-30). Several times they tried to trick him with weird questions or back hand compliments. Mark gives us several examples of this when they ask him about fasting, divorce, and taxes. All of which he answered with extreme eloquence and pose. (If I do say so myself). One of my favorite encounters is when the Pharisees were asking Jesus about taxes.
"Teacher," they said, "we know how honest you are. You are impartial and don't play favorites. You teach the way of God truthfully. Now tell us - is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them, or shouldn't we?" Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said, "Why are you trying to trap me? Show me a Roman coin, and I'll tell you." When they handed it to him, he asked, "Whose picture and title are stamped on it?" "Caesar's," they replied. "Well, then," Jesus said,"give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God." His reply completely amazed them. (Mark 12:14-17). BAM! Seriously, eloquent and pose right?! That is the kind of quick (but wise) natured words I desire.
Jesus quickly created a following and large masses of people would turn out to hear him preach. Can you imagine? No microphones, sound equipment, or high tech projectors and yet he still ministered to the thousands! When he taught, he often told parables (or stories) to help the people understand. After his sermons, he would further explain himself to his disciples, just to make sure they understood what he was really trying to say.
I think the most incredible part of reading Mark is the fact that miracle, after miracle he told the people to not tell anyone. Only one time he told the crazy man that had the demons go into the pigs, to go and tell his community of influence what He had done for him. When I was first reading through Mark, I really didn't understand this. Naturally, if I was doing all these miracles and setting people free, I would want them to go and tell anyone and everyone right?! I mean hello! But here is the deal: Jesus wasn't coming to Earth to show off. The devil was (and still is) doing just fine at that. However, Jesus came to be a personal one on one God. He wants YOU. One at a time, one heart at a time, one personal relationship at a time. He didn't (and still doesn't) want people speaking they follow Him with their lips but has no relationship with Him in their heart. Hope that isn't too deep, but do you get what I am saying? He cared single handily about each one of those people he healed or performed miracles on just like he cares about you and me specifically. Pretty neat huh?
Anyway, back to the book. Several times the disciples are just in aw and confused by Jesus. They say things like "who is this man?" I can only imagine; you have been the cool kids for 4 years and rule the high school and then comes this new guy. You accept him as "one of the boys" but then he starts doing things that are "weird" or "not normal" right? The disciples seem to constantly be questioning who Jesus is and half the time, not getting what He is trying to teach them! I think I would have been SO MUCH more frustrated with the disciples than He was. Talk about herding cats! Golly!!
Jesus speaks about the greatest commandment. Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: 'Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord you God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these." (Mark 12:29-31).
Jesus warns the disciples three different times in the book of Mark about His death. He walks them through what will happen. The book ends with the traditional Easter story. You have palm Sunday where Jesus comes in on a donkey and the crowds are flooded with people waving palm branches and laying them before His path. Four days later, what is now called, Maundy-Thursday, is the last supper. Jesus explains that one of you will turn me in and tells Peter he will deny Jesus 3 times before the rooster crows. Friday morning, Jesus is crucified. My study notes said it was predicted to be about 9am when he was nailed to the cross and 3pm when he took his last breath. He rose from the grave 3 days later. We now celebrate this series of events through the Week of Easter and on Easter Sunday.
The amazing part about Jesus raising from the dead is that he went down to hell put an absolute butt whooping on the devil and then went to Heaven. Good news for us - HE paid the price, so we don't have to! All we have to do is accept Christ and then walk in who He has called us to be. Seems so easy right? That is because it is!!
Seriously, I really enjoyed reading Mark. Again, I strongly encourage you to do the same. It is an easy read and filled with some awesome information about Christ's ministry while he was walking this Earth.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
High Standards
Isn't it funny what you randomly remember? Today, I reminisced with some coworkers about my high standards for a husband. I can't stop thinking about it, so I thought I would share. :)
When I was in high school, getting married or meeting 'the man of my dreams' was the least of my concern. Ironically, I even had a boyfriend at the time! HA! I just really never worried about my future hubby. I was simply THRILLED to be leaving the house and moving on to bigger and better things: college. Don't worry, I didn't disappoint. I sure did have a great time. :) Boring easily, I dated a different guy every weekend. Some would say that maybe my standards were too high, but quite frankly, my standards were exactly where they needed to be and being 'picky' definitely has paid off!!
For fun one night some girl friends and I wrote out a list of things we wanted in a guy. Before you even ask, no mine were NOT all materialistic, but just to make sure I got the RIGHT guy, I wanted to be specific. Duh.
Here was (appropriate for the blogging world) my top 10 list for my future husband:
10. NO video games, ever.
9. Sports fanatic
8. Get along with his guy friends, and genuinely like them.
7. Never been married, engaged, or have any children.
6. Drove an SUV - I would NOT date someone with a sports car. Period.
5. Great personality, makes me laugh and gets my jokes (or at least acts like it)
4. Parents were still together and has siblings.
3. Red Headed
2. BIG muscles - arms and NO chicken legs, all around hottie.
1. Christian
Pretty good list huh? My original list actually has closer to 50 things, but you get the idea. I mean, how specific can a girl get, and to know that God really did have someone picked out JUST for me that was EXACTLY what I was looking for! The whole idea still makes me giddy to think about.
David now exceeds the list that I wrote out so long ago. Life has made him so much more than just a Christian-muscled-hottie. ;) He is my husband, my best friend. He is the person that I turn to when I don't understand, or have questions about something. David is my rock. He is my example of how Christ loved the church. David is my true companion.
When life is difficult and I don't understand why, I am thankful that I have him. I have no idea what our future holds, but I am so grateful to be walking the journey with him by my side.
When I was in high school, getting married or meeting 'the man of my dreams' was the least of my concern. Ironically, I even had a boyfriend at the time! HA! I just really never worried about my future hubby. I was simply THRILLED to be leaving the house and moving on to bigger and better things: college. Don't worry, I didn't disappoint. I sure did have a great time. :) Boring easily, I dated a different guy every weekend. Some would say that maybe my standards were too high, but quite frankly, my standards were exactly where they needed to be and being 'picky' definitely has paid off!!
For fun one night some girl friends and I wrote out a list of things we wanted in a guy. Before you even ask, no mine were NOT all materialistic, but just to make sure I got the RIGHT guy, I wanted to be specific. Duh.
Here was (appropriate for the blogging world) my top 10 list for my future husband:
10. NO video games, ever.
9. Sports fanatic
8. Get along with his guy friends, and genuinely like them.
7. Never been married, engaged, or have any children.
6. Drove an SUV - I would NOT date someone with a sports car. Period.
5. Great personality, makes me laugh and gets my jokes (or at least acts like it)
4. Parents were still together and has siblings.
3. Red Headed
2. BIG muscles - arms and NO chicken legs, all around hottie.
1. Christian
Pretty good list huh? My original list actually has closer to 50 things, but you get the idea. I mean, how specific can a girl get, and to know that God really did have someone picked out JUST for me that was EXACTLY what I was looking for! The whole idea still makes me giddy to think about.
David now exceeds the list that I wrote out so long ago. Life has made him so much more than just a Christian-muscled-hottie. ;) He is my husband, my best friend. He is the person that I turn to when I don't understand, or have questions about something. David is my rock. He is my example of how Christ loved the church. David is my true companion.
When life is difficult and I don't understand why, I am thankful that I have him. I have no idea what our future holds, but I am so grateful to be walking the journey with him by my side.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
A Book Rated X
This year one of my goals is to read the entire Bible. I have never done this. If I am being completely honest, in the past, I have been lucky to read a Proverb a day! In the past couple of years, I have definitely gotten deeper into The Word, but still felt like I was missing so much. I truly have a desire to have my OWN opinions about what I am reading and not to just go off of what someone else thinks or says. Because after all, I can form my opinions, thank you very much!
Did you know that the Bible was rated X!?!? I have just finished Genesis and OH MY GOSH!!!! I have absolutely LOVED reading through Genesis. You have your classic stories; Creation, Adam & Eve, Noah, Abraham & Sarah, Jacob, and Joseph. I mean duh, everyone knows those stories right?! However, there is SO much more in this one book!
Here is a brief summary of some of the scandals in Genesis (this is per the NLT version):
-Cain and Abel are the first siblings. Cain was the oldest and had an anger/jealously problem. Cain kills his own brother Abel. Cain is cursed by God. Genesis 4
-Noah gets drunk after the flood. (How did I miss that?) Genesis 9:20
-God tells Abraham he is going to have a son. Abraham tells Sarah and she takes matter into her own hands and lets him sleep with her maid, Hagar. Sarah thinks by Hagar sleeping with her hubby that this is how God must have intended her to have a son, right? I mean hello, Sarah is OLD and barren, right? Ishmael is born from Abraham and Hagar. This is the beginning of the Muslim faith. Crazy, huh?
- Abraham and Sarah had a son named Isaac. He would carry the blessing of his family and be the one to father many nations. At a party after Isaac was born, Hagar and Ishmael were there too. Can you imagine? It is like the ex-wife and current wife with their own children by the same dad all at a party.... Ya, I think that this scenario is watched for entertainment by some everyday on a little show called Jerry Springer! Anyway, Sarah doesn't like that Hagar and Ishmael are making fun of Isaac so she tells Abraham to make them leave. Naturally, Abraham doesn't know what to do, so he goes to the Lord for advice. God says, "...DO WHATEVER SARAH TELLS YOU!!!!" (Genesis 21:12) Not sure why that just makes me smile.... sometimes, I wish David's name was Abraham and my name was Sarah. ;) Isaac is the chosen son. To continue the above verse of Genesis 21:12 - God tells Abraham that it is Isaac through whom your descendants will be counted. And thus, you can now understand from the beginning the issues and rivalries that the Jews and Muslims have had with one another. Honestly, I would have been pretty pissed too if I was Ishmael and for 13 years I was told/thinking I was going to be all that and a bag of chips and then a little baby comes along and the tides turn. I get it. I digress.
Naturally there is a big fight, and Hagar and Ishmael are kicked out. The hatred begins between the two families (nations/religions).
-Lot, Abraham's nephew, has two angels come to his door to tell him and his family to leave the city. The city is so corrupt that the men of the city are banging on his door to have sex with the angels! (WHAT!!) Read it, it's in there. (Genesis 19:5) Lot actually offers his two virgin daughters to the men of the city to protect the angels. The angels tell Lot to leave the city and take his family. The angels told Lot and his family to not look back at the city of Sodom and Gomorrah as it was going to be destroyed. His wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:25).
-After the destruction of the city, Lot and his two daughters moved into a cave. The girls were worried that there were not any men left to marry, and they wanted to have babies. They devised a plan. The oldest daughter got her dad (Lot) drunk and slept with him. She got preggo. (Seriously, so gross!) If that wasn't enough, the youngest daughter did the same thing! (Throw. Up. Now). (Genesis 20:32-38).
-Abraham is asked to sacrifice his own son, Isaac. He was tested. He obeyed. God had favor on him. Could you do that if God asked you to sacrifice your son? Talk about some SERIOUS faith! (Genesis 23:12)
-Isaac married Rebekah. She got preggo with twins. Jacob and Esau. Have you heard the story? While she was preggo the twins fought inside her belly! She was distraught over the unborn babies fighting and asked God what was up?! He said that the babies will be two nations and they will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other and that your older son will serve your younger son. When Rebekah gave birth Esau was born first. When Jacob came out, he was grasping Esau's heel. (Genesis 25: 21-26). Isaac favored Esau and Rebekah favored Jacob. Jacob tricked Esau into giving him his birthright. Then right before Isaac died, Rebekah overhead Isaac telling Esau that he wanted to give him his blessing. She went to Jacob and they devised a plan to have Jacob get the blessing instead of Esau. Dressed in Esau's clothes, and a meal cooked by Rebekah, Jacob got the blessing from Isaac and Esau ended up with no birthright or blessing. He was pissed! I would be too!! (Genesis 27). The two brothers do eventually make up.
-Jacob meets a hot chick named Rachel. He wants to marry her. He works 7 years to marry her. On the day of their wedding, her father gives Jacob her older sister Leah to marry instead. AFTER he sleeps with her, he goes to his father-in-law and tells him that he wanted to marry Rachel, not Leah! He works another 7 years to get Rachel. So 14 years later, he has got the girl he wanted (plus Leah, and two other wives that are the girl's servants). Jacob ended up with 12 sons, and his two favorite we the youngest coming from Rachel; Joseph and Benjamin. Jacob is still working for his father-in-law but feels he is ready to move out on his own and prosper. He makes a deal with the father-in-law; "Don't give me anything. Just do this one thing, and I'll continue to tend and watch over your flocks. Let me inspect your flocks today and remove all the sheep and goats that are speckled or spotted, along with all the black sheep. Give these to me as my wages. In the future when you check on the animals you have given me as my wages, you'll see that I have been honest. If you find in my flock any goats without speckles or spots, or any sheep that are not black, you will know that I have stolen them from you." (Genesis 30:31-33). Naturally, the father-in-law agreed. The cool part about this is - that EVERY sheep, & goat got speckles or spots or were black! Ironic huh? Talk about FAVOR! LOL.
-Jacob and God wrestle. God touched Jacob's hip and wrenched it out of its socket. (Genesis 32:24). Even to this day, people of Israel don't eat tendons near the hip socket because of what happened that night! (Genesis 32:32).
-Jacob's only daughter Dinah was raped. The prince that did this to her wanted forgiveness from her brothers and dad. They said if the entire city gets circumcised they would agree to forgive him and live as one people. If the city didn't get circumcised they would take her away. The entire city agreed to be circumcised. (Can you imagine?) Knowing they weren't fully recovered yet from the circumcision, two of Dinah's older brothers changed their mind about there agreement with the men of the city. While the men were still in pain, they went and killed all of them. "They seized all the flocks and herds and donkeys - everything they could lay their hands on, both inside the town and outside in the fields. They looted all their wealth and plundered their houses. They also took all their little children and wives and led them away as captives." (Genesis 34:28-29). TALK ABOUT REVENGE!!!!
-I feel like everyone knows the story of Joseph, there is even a Broadway play about him! Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat! (Yes, I did perform in it and yes, at one time I knew all the colors in his coat.) Anyway, the last scandalous story that is in Genesis is about Joseph's older brother Judah. Judah had three sons. His oldest son Er was wicked and was killed. The second son, Onan, married, Tamar, the girl that Er was supposed to live happily ever after with. Onan didn't particularly like this girl. We know that because THE BIBLE SAYS "But Onan was not willing to have a child who would not be his own heir. So whenever he had intercourse with his brother's wife, he spilled the semen on the ground." Genesis 38:9. If your jaw is on the ground, don't worry - mine was too. But this story gets even better. So Onan died because he was a disgrace to his family and God for not making babies. Judah's third son wasn't old enough to marry yet, so Judah told Tamar to go back and live with your parents and when Shelah (Judah's third son) gets old enough I will send for you and you can marry him. Naturally, Judah meant nothing of the sort. He felt she was wicked because two of his sons had already died while being with her. So Judah sure didn't want his last son dying because of some chick! HELLO! (makes sense right?) Well, Shelah was of marrying age, and no one notifies Tamar. She hears through the grapevine that Judah is coming to town to shear some sheep. Naturally, she disguises herself as a prostitute and sits outside of town waiting for Judah. He takes the bait. They discuss a price, he offers a goat. She wants collateral. He gives her his ID badge, cord and walking stick. They get it on. She gets preggo. Fast forward a couple of months, Judah's servant goes back to the town where Tamar lives and looks for a prostitute to pay with the goat. No prostitute is found. He asks the locals about this girl and no one has ever seen a prostitute in this town! The servant takes the goat back to Judah. The servant tells him what happened and Judah simply says well we get an "E" for Effort and let's all move on. Naturally, through the same grapevine Judah hears that Tamar is pregnant from prostituting herself. He wants her killed! When she is being dragged to the place of death she screams out saying "I have this stuff right here; ID badge, cords and a walking stick of the man I slept with!" Instantly Judah saw the items were his and he ceased the murder. He never slept with her again. (Genesis 38:20-26). Talk about be sure your sins will find you out!!!!! Opps.
THE END.
Are you still with me?! Doesn't that make you want to read the book for yourself? Talk about juicy!!! OMG! I don't know where I was when all of these stories were read in church.... haha... ;) Needless to say, I am really enjoying reading, learning, and growing more and more every day. I am THIRSTY for truth and knowledge. I am excited to learn, and I pray that I will ALWAYS have a teachable spirit!
Did you know that the Bible was rated X!?!? I have just finished Genesis and OH MY GOSH!!!! I have absolutely LOVED reading through Genesis. You have your classic stories; Creation, Adam & Eve, Noah, Abraham & Sarah, Jacob, and Joseph. I mean duh, everyone knows those stories right?! However, there is SO much more in this one book!
Here is a brief summary of some of the scandals in Genesis (this is per the NLT version):
-Cain and Abel are the first siblings. Cain was the oldest and had an anger/jealously problem. Cain kills his own brother Abel. Cain is cursed by God. Genesis 4
-Noah gets drunk after the flood. (How did I miss that?) Genesis 9:20
-God tells Abraham he is going to have a son. Abraham tells Sarah and she takes matter into her own hands and lets him sleep with her maid, Hagar. Sarah thinks by Hagar sleeping with her hubby that this is how God must have intended her to have a son, right? I mean hello, Sarah is OLD and barren, right? Ishmael is born from Abraham and Hagar. This is the beginning of the Muslim faith. Crazy, huh?
- Abraham and Sarah had a son named Isaac. He would carry the blessing of his family and be the one to father many nations. At a party after Isaac was born, Hagar and Ishmael were there too. Can you imagine? It is like the ex-wife and current wife with their own children by the same dad all at a party.... Ya, I think that this scenario is watched for entertainment by some everyday on a little show called Jerry Springer! Anyway, Sarah doesn't like that Hagar and Ishmael are making fun of Isaac so she tells Abraham to make them leave. Naturally, Abraham doesn't know what to do, so he goes to the Lord for advice. God says, "...DO WHATEVER SARAH TELLS YOU!!!!" (Genesis 21:12) Not sure why that just makes me smile.... sometimes, I wish David's name was Abraham and my name was Sarah. ;) Isaac is the chosen son. To continue the above verse of Genesis 21:12 - God tells Abraham that it is Isaac through whom your descendants will be counted. And thus, you can now understand from the beginning the issues and rivalries that the Jews and Muslims have had with one another. Honestly, I would have been pretty pissed too if I was Ishmael and for 13 years I was told/thinking I was going to be all that and a bag of chips and then a little baby comes along and the tides turn. I get it. I digress.
Naturally there is a big fight, and Hagar and Ishmael are kicked out. The hatred begins between the two families (nations/religions).
-Lot, Abraham's nephew, has two angels come to his door to tell him and his family to leave the city. The city is so corrupt that the men of the city are banging on his door to have sex with the angels! (WHAT!!) Read it, it's in there. (Genesis 19:5) Lot actually offers his two virgin daughters to the men of the city to protect the angels. The angels tell Lot to leave the city and take his family. The angels told Lot and his family to not look back at the city of Sodom and Gomorrah as it was going to be destroyed. His wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:25).
-After the destruction of the city, Lot and his two daughters moved into a cave. The girls were worried that there were not any men left to marry, and they wanted to have babies. They devised a plan. The oldest daughter got her dad (Lot) drunk and slept with him. She got preggo. (Seriously, so gross!) If that wasn't enough, the youngest daughter did the same thing! (Throw. Up. Now). (Genesis 20:32-38).
-Abraham is asked to sacrifice his own son, Isaac. He was tested. He obeyed. God had favor on him. Could you do that if God asked you to sacrifice your son? Talk about some SERIOUS faith! (Genesis 23:12)
-Isaac married Rebekah. She got preggo with twins. Jacob and Esau. Have you heard the story? While she was preggo the twins fought inside her belly! She was distraught over the unborn babies fighting and asked God what was up?! He said that the babies will be two nations and they will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other and that your older son will serve your younger son. When Rebekah gave birth Esau was born first. When Jacob came out, he was grasping Esau's heel. (Genesis 25: 21-26). Isaac favored Esau and Rebekah favored Jacob. Jacob tricked Esau into giving him his birthright. Then right before Isaac died, Rebekah overhead Isaac telling Esau that he wanted to give him his blessing. She went to Jacob and they devised a plan to have Jacob get the blessing instead of Esau. Dressed in Esau's clothes, and a meal cooked by Rebekah, Jacob got the blessing from Isaac and Esau ended up with no birthright or blessing. He was pissed! I would be too!! (Genesis 27). The two brothers do eventually make up.
-Jacob meets a hot chick named Rachel. He wants to marry her. He works 7 years to marry her. On the day of their wedding, her father gives Jacob her older sister Leah to marry instead. AFTER he sleeps with her, he goes to his father-in-law and tells him that he wanted to marry Rachel, not Leah! He works another 7 years to get Rachel. So 14 years later, he has got the girl he wanted (plus Leah, and two other wives that are the girl's servants). Jacob ended up with 12 sons, and his two favorite we the youngest coming from Rachel; Joseph and Benjamin. Jacob is still working for his father-in-law but feels he is ready to move out on his own and prosper. He makes a deal with the father-in-law; "Don't give me anything. Just do this one thing, and I'll continue to tend and watch over your flocks. Let me inspect your flocks today and remove all the sheep and goats that are speckled or spotted, along with all the black sheep. Give these to me as my wages. In the future when you check on the animals you have given me as my wages, you'll see that I have been honest. If you find in my flock any goats without speckles or spots, or any sheep that are not black, you will know that I have stolen them from you." (Genesis 30:31-33). Naturally, the father-in-law agreed. The cool part about this is - that EVERY sheep, & goat got speckles or spots or were black! Ironic huh? Talk about FAVOR! LOL.
-Jacob and God wrestle. God touched Jacob's hip and wrenched it out of its socket. (Genesis 32:24). Even to this day, people of Israel don't eat tendons near the hip socket because of what happened that night! (Genesis 32:32).
-Jacob's only daughter Dinah was raped. The prince that did this to her wanted forgiveness from her brothers and dad. They said if the entire city gets circumcised they would agree to forgive him and live as one people. If the city didn't get circumcised they would take her away. The entire city agreed to be circumcised. (Can you imagine?) Knowing they weren't fully recovered yet from the circumcision, two of Dinah's older brothers changed their mind about there agreement with the men of the city. While the men were still in pain, they went and killed all of them. "They seized all the flocks and herds and donkeys - everything they could lay their hands on, both inside the town and outside in the fields. They looted all their wealth and plundered their houses. They also took all their little children and wives and led them away as captives." (Genesis 34:28-29). TALK ABOUT REVENGE!!!!
-I feel like everyone knows the story of Joseph, there is even a Broadway play about him! Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat! (Yes, I did perform in it and yes, at one time I knew all the colors in his coat.) Anyway, the last scandalous story that is in Genesis is about Joseph's older brother Judah. Judah had three sons. His oldest son Er was wicked and was killed. The second son, Onan, married, Tamar, the girl that Er was supposed to live happily ever after with. Onan didn't particularly like this girl. We know that because THE BIBLE SAYS "But Onan was not willing to have a child who would not be his own heir. So whenever he had intercourse with his brother's wife, he spilled the semen on the ground." Genesis 38:9. If your jaw is on the ground, don't worry - mine was too. But this story gets even better. So Onan died because he was a disgrace to his family and God for not making babies. Judah's third son wasn't old enough to marry yet, so Judah told Tamar to go back and live with your parents and when Shelah (Judah's third son) gets old enough I will send for you and you can marry him. Naturally, Judah meant nothing of the sort. He felt she was wicked because two of his sons had already died while being with her. So Judah sure didn't want his last son dying because of some chick! HELLO! (makes sense right?) Well, Shelah was of marrying age, and no one notifies Tamar. She hears through the grapevine that Judah is coming to town to shear some sheep. Naturally, she disguises herself as a prostitute and sits outside of town waiting for Judah. He takes the bait. They discuss a price, he offers a goat. She wants collateral. He gives her his ID badge, cord and walking stick. They get it on. She gets preggo. Fast forward a couple of months, Judah's servant goes back to the town where Tamar lives and looks for a prostitute to pay with the goat. No prostitute is found. He asks the locals about this girl and no one has ever seen a prostitute in this town! The servant takes the goat back to Judah. The servant tells him what happened and Judah simply says well we get an "E" for Effort and let's all move on. Naturally, through the same grapevine Judah hears that Tamar is pregnant from prostituting herself. He wants her killed! When she is being dragged to the place of death she screams out saying "I have this stuff right here; ID badge, cords and a walking stick of the man I slept with!" Instantly Judah saw the items were his and he ceased the murder. He never slept with her again. (Genesis 38:20-26). Talk about be sure your sins will find you out!!!!! Opps.
THE END.
Are you still with me?! Doesn't that make you want to read the book for yourself? Talk about juicy!!! OMG! I don't know where I was when all of these stories were read in church.... haha... ;) Needless to say, I am really enjoying reading, learning, and growing more and more every day. I am THIRSTY for truth and knowledge. I am excited to learn, and I pray that I will ALWAYS have a teachable spirit!
Sunday, January 6, 2013
2013
When did it happen? I feel like yesterday it was July 2009 and we were living in Wylie and just completely out of answers. We were moving and the magic number was "2013". David would be done with school in 2013. If we can just make it to 2013. Well, here we are in January 2013, and I have absolutely no idea where the time has gone. It is crazy, I hardly would know how to have a conversation with the Anna that moved to Arcadia in August 2009. I was ready to move back to Dallas before the moving truck even pulled into the driveway!! Yikes!!
Living here for the past (almost) four years was and has been EXACTLY what David and I needed. We needed to start over. We needed to regroup and slow down. We needed to surrender our life fully to God and let him lead. And, that is exactly what we did. I, however, was kicking and screaming (or so it seemed) the whole way over here. I digress.
2013 will be a year unlike any other. I feel like if I had to pick one word to describe this year, it would be completion. 2013 is the year we complete the goals we originally moved over here for.
Here is a glimpse of some of the things we are excited about:
-Anna travels to Los Angeles for the week
-David graduates with his Bachelor's Degree from La Tech
-Easter!
-Anna turns 27 - YIKES!!!
-We have family come to town to visit and celebrate birthdays in March
-Anna travels to San Diego for a conference
-David and Anna take a trip to New Orleans (finally!!) and spend a weekend in Dallas
-David turns 35 AND graduates with his Masters from La Tech on the SAME DAY! *Party TIME*
-David starts WORK at KPMG! WHOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!!
I think that is enough to be excited for now. We have many, many blessings being poured out over us and we could not be more appreciative and thankful. We can not wait for this year to unfold! It will be nothing short of amazing!!
As far as "new year's resolutions" I have 2: no more caffeine and read the entire Bible. Last year I accomplished ALL of my new year's resolutions, so I am hopeful for this year. So far, so good. :)
Living here for the past (almost) four years was and has been EXACTLY what David and I needed. We needed to start over. We needed to regroup and slow down. We needed to surrender our life fully to God and let him lead. And, that is exactly what we did. I, however, was kicking and screaming (or so it seemed) the whole way over here. I digress.
2013 will be a year unlike any other. I feel like if I had to pick one word to describe this year, it would be completion. 2013 is the year we complete the goals we originally moved over here for.
Here is a glimpse of some of the things we are excited about:
-Anna travels to Los Angeles for the week
-David graduates with his Bachelor's Degree from La Tech
-Easter!
-Anna turns 27 - YIKES!!!
-We have family come to town to visit and celebrate birthdays in March
-Anna travels to San Diego for a conference
-David and Anna take a trip to New Orleans (finally!!) and spend a weekend in Dallas
-David turns 35 AND graduates with his Masters from La Tech on the SAME DAY! *Party TIME*
-David starts WORK at KPMG! WHOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!!
I think that is enough to be excited for now. We have many, many blessings being poured out over us and we could not be more appreciative and thankful. We can not wait for this year to unfold! It will be nothing short of amazing!!
As far as "new year's resolutions" I have 2: no more caffeine and read the entire Bible. Last year I accomplished ALL of my new year's resolutions, so I am hopeful for this year. So far, so good. :)
Happy 2013!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Best Med: Laughter
Laughter is the best medicine. I love to laugh. God knew exactly what he was doing when he put David and me together. We love to laugh.
We have recently discovered Photo Booth and captured these images. I hope they make you smile and possibly even laugh (we sure have!).
This post is the absolute essence of our relationship. I love this man more than life itself.
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Rejuvenating My Soul
This year we spent Christmas in Indiana. Being with my family was exactly what my soul needed. We enjoyed lots of time in the kitchen cooking, being with each other, talking, laughing, and SLEDDING!!! We got to see lots of family and friends while visiting the area too.
This was our little Christmas tree and it was perfect.
I feel like this picture pretty much sums up our Christmas! Willie is not only gorgeous, he got to rest and relax while on Christmas vacation too. We love going to Indiana and will continue to spend every holiday possible there for as long as we can!
Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
I absolutely, without a doubt, LOVE Christmas. I love everything about the Christmas season. Most of all, I love the anticipation of Christmas Eve and celebrating Christ's birth.
My family has so many wonderful traditions that also make this holiday season so great. One of the biggest traditions that my family has is making cookies and candy! Every year we make an assorted list of candy and cookies and then deliver it to family and friends. In my opinion, there is nothing better than a homemade, hand delivered goody bag of holiday cheer!
Here are all the ingredients for our baking extravaganza and a picture of some of the (my favorite) peanut butter blossoms we made!
My parents recently got a new fence, and naturally needed a new path walkway. David is handy, and was available. This was the end product. I would say it turned out to be an absolute success!
At the beginning of December, David and I went to Dallas for the weekend to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary!! We also had some fun with Mom and Dad. We found ourselves decorating cookies at Crate & Barrel (one of my MOST favorite stores). It was so great, even Dad decorated a cookie! Talk about getting into the Christmas spirit!
This was the end result of our cookie decorating experience. Naturally, you could eat the cookies after you finished decorating them. Of course, I wanted to take a picture..... However, I wasn't quick enough with my camera! Can you guess which cookie is David's? :)
Before we headed back to Louisiana, Mom and Dad had a special treat planned for us. We got to visit a real live poinsettia farm! While most people wouldn't get excited about such events, David and I both have an absolute love of plants/flowers and we loved seeing it! Mom and Dad got a picture with Santa, and we all got to go on a hay ride. It was such a fun experience and absolutely breath taking!
If I had to summarize our 6th year of marriage it would be in one word: blessed. There are so many incredible things that have happened this past year, and I can't wait for the next 6, 20 and 60 years of marriage! We said when we got married that we were similar enough to be compatible, and different enough to keep each other interested. I would definitely say that is absolutely true!
This is the most wonderful time of the year, and I hope you and yours have truly enjoyed this Christmas season!
Sunday, December 16, 2012
A day of thanks
This year we spent Thanksgiving at Deedee and Rich's house in Decatur, IL. We drove and took the dogs.
We really did enjoy our visit and loved having such wonderful quality time with each of them! We are going to make it a Thanksgiving tradition. :)
We really did enjoy our visit and loved having such wonderful quality time with each of them! We are going to make it a Thanksgiving tradition. :)
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| The view on our way up (and back) and our supervisor. He made sure we stayed on task and followed the map correctly. |
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| The world's oldest baby (turned 4 this year) and biggest cuddle bug. |
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| Each morning I got up and walked with these fine gentlemen. |
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| Deedee and David "sharing a moment" |
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| No denying these two are mother and son! |
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| One of several apple pies I made. There definitely was NO shortage of food while we were there! |
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| Friday morning we went to breakfast with one of Deedee and Rich's best friends. They were an absolute blast and so funny! We really enjoyed ourselves. |
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| Deedee and me after breakfast. We were headed out to do some Black Friday shopping! The trip was well worth the 12 hour drive. We are looking forward to next year's Thanksgiving time already! |
Sunday, November 11, 2012
One Night
Earlier in the year during a brainstorming session, I was discussing with my boss how I would love to give youth in our city an opportunity to experience homelessness. I adamantly believe that until something becomes 'real' to someone, we naturally disregard the topic and distance ourselves from the issue. This doesn't make us a bad person or insensitive, just human. We do this all the time, think about any topic that is near and dear to your heart (breast cancer, HIV/AIDS, animal cruelty, drug addiction, drunk driving, homelessness, eating disorders, abuse, veterans issues & the list can go on and on). What is it about the topic that you are passionate about and why or how did this passion come about? More than likely, it is because somehow that topic has been made real and personal in your life, one way or another.
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I grew up with an incredible youth group that had counselors who invested in us, and exposed us in controlled environment(s) to real world issues. One of the things that we would do as a group is go into downtown Dallas and serve the homeless dinner at a soup kitchen. I watched my Dad and other counselors give the socks and shoes off their own feet to make sure someone wouldn't leave the building without any. These actions were always done without a second thought. The message was clear: you see a need and you can help, meet it. At Christmas, we also would spend time shopping for a family that was less fortunate. We would get to meet the family we had bought and wrapped presents for, and spend time with them while we decorated their house for Christmas. I believe this is how the topic of homelessness became 'real' in my life. I am and always will be passionate to help others, especially the less fortunate that are youth or children. Again, the message was clear: you see a need and you can help, meet it.
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Last night, the thought I had earlier in the year, became a reality. With the help of so many, the Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission held its first one night simulated homelessness event, Street University, in downtown Shreveport at Festival Plaza. We had 30 juniors/seniors from Bossier and Caddo public and private high schools come and experience what it is like to live on the street and be homeless.
The youth were challenged in ways that they had never been before. To complete check in, all cell phones, watches, jewelry, and anything else on their body (besides clothes) had to go into a zip lock bag. Any purses, bags or luggage that they brought were confiscated. They had their sleeping bag, a cot, a walmart sack, and a fork/knife/salt/pepper/napkin set and that was it. Surprisingly, no one complained or even questioned the directions. These kids came with an open heart, open mind and open spirit to really try and understand these issues.
Below are some pictures from the beginning of the night.
2012 STREET U check in point
The 2012 Street U fearless leaders!
Excited to be a part of this experience! Senior, Keneisha, has all she will need for the evening.
Festival Plaza
The youth were split into 4 groups. Homelessness often isn't the only issue people have when they find themselves on the streets. We wanted to help the youth understand that. The groups were: homelessness, hunger, abuse & addicted. Each group started out in a small group taking a 'test of knowledge' to see how much the youth knew about these areas. So many of the youth were blown away by the statistics! It really is insane some of the statistics for theses topics, not only in Louisiana but also the United States, too.
The next activity was meal time. Each one of these students had to complete some kind of community service obligation in order to attend the event. Several of the youth held drives. One way to make homelessness real to someone is to eat what they eat. The SBRM relies heavily on community drives to bring in product in order to feed the guests that reside there.
Who hasn't been asked to help give to can food drive or some kind of product drive? Do you give the best stuff when you give to those kind of things? I sure didn't. Until last night. The activity was simple. Each youth picked two cans, used their fork/salt/pepper/knife/napkin set to eat it. The challenge was to eat 1/2 of each can or 1 whole can of something. Let me just tell you, it was GROSS. We had cream corn, beans of all kinds, beets, spinach, hominy, whole corn, and carrots for them to pick from. Seriously, I don't think any of these youth will ever give something other than what they would want to eat to a drive again! It was pretty amazing to watch within the first hour of the night, youth were having 'aw-ah' moments. :)
Cans from mystery dinner.
Junior, Hallie, had cream corn and beans. She couldn't even do the cream corn, but found the beans 'bearable and sustaining'.
The next adventure for them was a homeless scavenger hunt. We had assorted trash, aluminum cans, water bottles, plastic, card board, etc scattered all throughout Festival Plaza. There goal was to collect as much as they could, so they could sell the stuff they collected for money. With the money, they could buy things for just themselves, or they could put there money together as a group and get something for everyone. It was completely up to them.
Senior, Paul, digging through trash and even found some gloves to put on while doing it!
Collection of a groups cans.
The next part of the evening was spent creating presentations. Each group needed to present an awareness of what their topic was, and then what kind of solutions they proposed for it. This was very challenging because these topics are SO complex. It is not simply give someone a house if they are without a home.
The group presentations were unbelievable. The desire to create and be the change they want to see was so evident and inspiring! This was a competition between the groups, and naturally, whoever won (based on peer judgement), got HOT PIZZA. Everyone else, got nothing. :)
After the presentations were done, we had four real live people come and give their testimonies about the very topics we had each group discussing. The testimonies absolutely made the night. It was incredible the impact they had on the youth, because every single person that gave their testimony did not look like someone who would have ever suffered from anything, much less homelessness, abuse, hunger and addiction. Again, the youth were challenged, because their world tells them that homeless are no good, begging drunks that smell bad and have a mangie beard. In reality, it could be the 18 year that just had a birthday, and his mom is no longer receiving a check for him so she drops him off at the local shelter. REALITY. I think one of the hardest things about being passionate for a topic, any topic, is the reality of seeing faces instead of statistics. These youth saw 4 faces, not numbers, last night that will forever change them.
*at this point it is about 2am in the morning*
To kind of let the youth be youth for a while, we had shopping cart races. This doesn't have anything to do with anything (necessarily), but for the fact that is was fun and let's be honest; when would you ever have an opportunity to do this again? :)
Needless to say, THEY HAD A BLAST. :0)
By 3am we had fires going in barrels to help keep everyone warm. The youth had the opportunity to sleep from 3 to 4:30am.
The event ended with a walk to the Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission at 5am. Once there, they got a hygiene kit, t-shirt, and HOT breakfast. We had a graduation ceremony for them and the parents were able to come and participate in watching them receive their certificate.
I can not tell you (as someone who watches and interacts with homeless, hungry, abused and addicted people on a daily basis), how much this event meant to me. Of course, the perfectionist that I am, I have a laundry list of things I want to change or do different for next year, but overall, this experience was unlike any other. I feel like I have a stirring in my soul for things to come. I am excited and honored that God has picked me to be part of this incredible journey! I know I am being called to great and mighty things, however, I am still not sure of what exactly that is. I know that the Holy Spirit will lead me one step at a time. With His guidance, I will forever and always be in His plan.
In the mean time, I get to continue working with some incredible youth that have a passion just like I do. My heart is so full of love for each one of these youth. Words can not express how proud I am to be able to walk beside these kids that already have a greater awareness than dare I say most! I know God has incredible things for each one of their lives and I can't wait for all of them to walk it out.
Tonight, I find myself overwhelmingly grateful for so many things I tend to overlook in day to day living. I am just in awe of how blessed I truly am.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Weird?
Ok, so during the wonderful lunch conversations I have had this week, I discovered I have 2 coworkers who carry their toothbrushes with them... At all times.... In their purses.I just think this is crazy!?!
So, naturally, I am curious, do u carry a toothbrush with you at all times? Or am I the odd ball out?
So, naturally, I am curious, do u carry a toothbrush with you at all times? Or am I the odd ball out?
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Life as We Know it
October is almost over.... keyword is almost. I still have a much anticipated girls weekend coming up to visit my sista pants, (Matt), and my Mom in NYC!!!!
David has less than 25 days until he is DONE with his LAST fall quarter! PRAISE THE LORD!!! We are soooooo close, I can taste it. Is it normal for the wife of the husband to get senioritis worse than the actual student? Just saying. I think if I was completely honest I have had a case of senioritis from day one. Again, just saying.
Even though David spends so much time studying, we have been able to get out and enjoy ourselves a little bit this month. One of our favorite recent weekend events was attending the Tech vs Aggie game! I got tickets for free since Louisiana Tech was hosting a sock drive for the Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission, so we collected socks as people entered the gate and then at kick off, we got to enjoy the game. It was a win/win, if I do say so myself. Per ESPN - it was one of the best games of the year! That's right and we were there! :) I think one of the BEST parts of the day was one of our previous youth from our youth group in Dallas came to see us! She stayed for the game and we had such a wonderful time. We are so proud of our Klove and know that God has mighty plans for your life!
With that, you can just assume that everything else will be just as amazing. And. It. Is. :) If you ever come to visit, we will take you there. Promise.
To end our weekend we headed to church and then went home and got ready for the week. For me this included scrap-booking and David well, hello, studying! However, I am almost done with my scrapbook I started the summer of 2005. Please don't judge me. I have been busy. :) Anyway, the book will go through the summer of 2009. I can't wait to be done and have it available for viewing!
My goal is to be done with this scrapbook prior to Christmas this year, and then I will begin a scrapbook about our "Louisiana Experience". That little gem will be ready and on display at David's graduation party. Appropriate, don't you think?
Hope you are well.
Hugs,
Anna June
We have been running crazy this fall, but are excited about the things to come!
David has less than 25 days until he is DONE with his LAST fall quarter! PRAISE THE LORD!!! We are soooooo close, I can taste it. Is it normal for the wife of the husband to get senioritis worse than the actual student? Just saying. I think if I was completely honest I have had a case of senioritis from day one. Again, just saying.
Even though David spends so much time studying, we have been able to get out and enjoy ourselves a little bit this month. One of our favorite recent weekend events was attending the Tech vs Aggie game! I got tickets for free since Louisiana Tech was hosting a sock drive for the Shreveport-Bossier Rescue Mission, so we collected socks as people entered the gate and then at kick off, we got to enjoy the game. It was a win/win, if I do say so myself. Per ESPN - it was one of the best games of the year! That's right and we were there! :) I think one of the BEST parts of the day was one of our previous youth from our youth group in Dallas came to see us! She stayed for the game and we had such a wonderful time. We are so proud of our Klove and know that God has mighty plans for your life!
Here are some pictures from the fun evening.
Needless to say, we had a great time!
This past weekend my Mom came to visit. Honestly it was more of a distraction tactic for me since David really needed me to leave so he could... you guessed it: STUDY! :P It will pay off eventually. We only have 10 more months people!!!! I digress. So, Mom came in on Saturday morning, and we picked up Aunt Char and headed to Shreveport. I had a perfect day. We had lunch a this wonderful place called Good Eats. Then we headed to Hobby Lobby, and Talbots. Both places were a complete success. All shopped out, we headed home and stopped in Minden to pick up Johnny's pizza. We dropped off our treasures, picked up David and headed over to Aunt Char's house for dinner and a non-competitive (please fully note the sarcasm) game of Rummikub. Think scrabble, but instead of words - NUMBERS. Oh, yes. I love it. We played two rounds and I won the first one (duh), and David just barely beat me in the second round. ;)
On Sunday morning we got up early and went for the first time since our wedding (yes, 6 years ago) and had pictures done for our Christmas cards this year!!!! I feel so... domestic. I know, weird, but still. I feel like we fit in that awkward category of not having children so they aren't exactly 'family' pictures, but we will be married 6 years and so they aren't exactly 'engagement' pictures either.... My friend Kelly Powell from the SB Junior League is an incredible photographer and so we just had to use her! Here is a sneak peak of this glamorous couple you can expect to have hanging on your fridge this Christmas season! Yes, you should be THAT excited!
Eeeeeek!!! So exciting. They are going to be just fabulous cards, I guarantee it.
Naturally, after we finished our early morning photo shoot (we were done before 9am), we went to one of our favorite places to have breakfast, Another Broken Egg. If you know nothing else about this place, you should know when you ask for a glass of chocolate milk, this is what you get:
To end our weekend we headed to church and then went home and got ready for the week. For me this included scrap-booking and David well, hello, studying! However, I am almost done with my scrapbook I started the summer of 2005. Please don't judge me. I have been busy. :) Anyway, the book will go through the summer of 2009. I can't wait to be done and have it available for viewing!
My goal is to be done with this scrapbook prior to Christmas this year, and then I will begin a scrapbook about our "Louisiana Experience". That little gem will be ready and on display at David's graduation party. Appropriate, don't you think?
Hope you are well.
Hugs,
Anna June
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