unquenchable love

schneider home update

2009-05-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

Yay!! I'm back on my blog again :) Thought it would be fun to start blogging about married life and all the adventures we are having in ministry and in our new home. So here it is ...

We mowed our lawn for the first time last week! Very exciting. It was quite overgrown and for awhile was a breeding ground for massive amounts of crane flies. It was gross. But our friends gave us a lawn mower (thank you!) and Nic chopped down our mini-forrest :)

The most exciting discovery in our yard is a tomato plant growing in a crack on the backside of the house! We have no idea how it is growing there ... already has two tomatoes growning on it ... we're wondering if there is anyway to transplant it.

Here is the forrest of our backyard right now. It needs some attention. But one of these days we'll have some friends over for a "help us clean up our yard day" :) I did work on the pomegranate tree and it is flowering really beautifully now. It makes me proud!

We found out Simon LOVES avocados. We have a tree in the far corner of the backyard and if we let him out there he won't come back for 15-20 minutes. He goes exploring and eating the avocados that fell on the ground. We also discovered the rats are eating some of the avocados on the tree :( You can see their little teeth bites. But, we managed to gather our first harvest from the tree for ourselves and they are just ripening this weekend. Yum!

in honor of those who have sacrificed ...

2008-11-12T08:42:00.000-08:00

we got married!! :)

2008-09-28T17:54:00.001-07:00

some new photos on our website: www.nicandjenny.com

you know you're planning your wedding in just 10 weeks when ...

2008-07-16T12:50:00.001-07:00

...you forget what clothes you have worn recently and which need to be washed.

...life-altering decisions are made in just one day because time is of the essence.

...you sleep on top of your comforter with some old sheets for an entire week because you still haven't made time to pull the clean sheets out of the dryer and re-make the bed.

...all you can think about at work is leaving to go plan something.

...everytime you have a conversation with someone you are secretly thinking, "Do I have his/her address yet or should I ask for it now?"

...you get a "crash course" in buying a house in a little less than a week.

...going to bed before midnight is miraculous.

...some people who went on summer vacation are still finding out you're engaged.

...you still don't know where you are going for a honeymoon 5 weeks before the wedding because it's more important that you find a place to live first.

...pretty much everytime you see someone using ANYTHING, you wonder if you should register for it.

...names of people are constantly running through your brain.

...you become much more aware of every plate and utensil you eat with (even in a restaurant!) and wonder how much that pattern might cost.

...most of the time you have NO idea what day of the week it is.

...your brother's entire bedroom has become the official wedding storage room while he is out of town for the summer.

...Starbucks' baristas wonder why you're drinking a four shot latte at 8pm.

...the most exciting social gatherings in your life are invitation parties.

...after receiving their invitations, your guests only have one week to reserve their hotel room in order to meet the deadline.

...you realize you don't even have enough time to send a "Save the Date" before the official invitation.

...Bed, Bath and Beyond becomes your internet homepage.

new songs by robbie!!

2008-06-09T17:45:00.001-07:00

If you haven't heard ... Robbie is up at Hume Lake again this summer and just recorded a CD with some of his own songs and a few classic hymns. He will be bringing copies back with him at the end of the summer. But, you can get a sneak peak on his music myspace!

gas costs a latte

2008-05-30T16:44:00.000-07:00

We spend WAY too much time talking about expensive gas. It's getting old ... time for a really great solution! I paid $4.21 today & then saw gas for $4.35 at another station -- wow! I also bought my favorite latte today for $4.10 and was thinking that I should invent a car that runs on lattes. BRILLIANT!! Or maybe just on plain old coffee, which would be even cheaper. The possibilities are endless! We could have "coffeemen" (instead of milkmen) who deliver old coffee in bottles to your front door. Restaurants could sell their old coffee in gallon jugs at the end of the day. And Starbucks could build pumps in front of their stores and start selling their 30min "old" coffee instead of dumping it down the drain. This is a really good idea. Almost as good as the Gasoteria.

having a mustache

2008-05-20T22:52:00.000-07:00

see the resemblance?

2008-05-11T14:26:00.000-07:00

torturing the dog

2008-05-06T22:09:00.000-07:00

inspirational song

2008-04-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

a woman loved

2008-04-19T23:54:00.000-07:00

A woman is most beautiful when she is in love . . . when a woman knows that she is loved and loved deeply, she glows from the inside. This radiance stems from a heart that has had its deepest questions answered. "Am I lovely? Am I worth fighting for? Have I been and will I continue to be romanced?" . . . you will continue to be romanced all your life. Yes. God finds you lovely. Jesus has moved heaven and earth to win you for Himself. He will not rest until you are completely His. The King is enthralled by your beauty. He finds you captivating.

a birthday in carlsbad

2008-04-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

I took Nic to Carlsbad to celebrate his 24th birthday a few weeks ago :) We had a delicious breakfast, went to the Museum of Making Music (they gave us two kazoos for a birthday present!), rented bikes from some shady bike shop and rode along the ocean and through some reeds near a lagoon. We ended the night with incredible Mexican food at Garcia's. It was a great day!! Enjoy the photos ...

things I have noticed ...

2008-04-02T22:35:00.000-07:00

1. People who shop at Henry’s or Jimbo’s are a special breed. I shop at both and always enjoy the variety of people I meet inside :) For instance, the woman buying organic peanuts for her pet wild squirrel. That woman is awesome. Or the man in his business clothes who is carefully scanning the dried fruit bins. Also, the hippie-like mom with her frizzy-haired daughter combing through the fresh produce. You don’t see these people at Vons or Ralphs … they just don’t shop there.

2. While we are on the topic of grocery stores, I would like to add how thankful I am for the little handy wipes the grocery stores have now added near their front doors. I can now “sterilize” my cart handle before shopping and that makes “germophobics” (like me) much more satisfied shoppers. However, I have never seen anyone else use them and I go grocery shopping a LOT. hmmmm …

3. I noticed a man in Starbucks this afternoon who was on chapter 64 of his novel. I have never even come close to reaching chapter 64 of any book!! That man inspires me.

4. Today I had this little song in my head: “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.” I was singing it while driving and then I stopped and thought about how the song does not specify which friend is which. There is a big difference between gold and silver … are my new friends the gold or the silver?! They need a second verse that clarifies.

mitch hedberg quotes

2008-03-27T22:44:00.000-07:00

I had a neighbor, and whenever he would knock on my wall I knew he wanted me to turn my music down, and that made me angry because I like loud music, so when he knocked on the wall I'd mess with his head. I'd say: "Go around! I cannot open the wall. I don't know if you have a doorknob on the other side, but over here there's nothing. It's just flat."

I like escalators because an escalator can never break: it can only become stairs. You'll never see an Escalator Temporarily Out Of Order sign, just Escalator Temporarily Stairs. Sorry for the convenience. We apologize that you can still get up there.

I rent a lot of cars, but I don't always know everything about them. So a lot of times, I drive for like ten miles with the emergency brake on. That doesn't say a lot for me, but it really doesn't say a lot for the emergency brake. It's really not an emergency brake, it's an emergency "make the car smell funny" lever.

I was in a casino, I was standing by the door, and a security guard came over and said "You're gonna have to move. You're blocking the fire exit." As though if there was a fire, I wasn't gonna run. If you're flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit. Unless you are a table.

I hate turtlenecks. Wearing a turtleneck is like being strangled by a really weak guy.

When you go to a restaurant on the weekends and it's busy so they start a waiting list, they say, "DuFresnes, party of two, table ready for DuFresnes, party of two." And if no one answers they'll say the name again: "DuFresnes, party of two." But then if no one answers, they'll move on to the next name. "Bush, party of three." Yeah, but what happened to the DuFresnes!? No one seems to care! Who can eat at a time like this!? People are missing. You people are selfish. The DuFresnes are in someone's trunk right now, with duct tape over their mouths. And they're hungry. That's a double whammy. We need help. "Bush, search party of three." You can eat once you find the DuFresnes."

I like baked potatoes, man. I don’t have a microwave oven. It takes forever to cook a baked potato in a conventional oven. Sometimes I’ll just throw one in there, even if I don’t want one. By the time it’s done, who knows.

People used to think I was high on stage, because people associate long hair with drug use. I wish long hair was associated with something other than drug use. Like an extreme longing for cake. Then strangers would see a long haired guy and say, "That guy eats cake. He is on bunt cake." Mothers would say to their daughters, "Don't bring the cake eater over here anymore! He smells like flour. Did you see how excited he got when he heard your birthday was fast approaching?"

This shirt is "dry-clean only"...which means it's dirty.

I think Bigfoot is blurry, that's the problem. It's not the photographer's fault. Bigfoot is blurry, and that's extra scary to me. There's a large out of focus monster roaming the countryside. Look out, he's fuzzy, let's get out of here.

you should try this ....

2008-03-21T14:11:00.001-07:00

I had a lot of fun trying to do these little tests in five minutes ... it really makes you think hard!! Above are the result from my first try, but I think I'll go back and try for a better score :) Please post your scores in my comments! And thanks to Travis Lund for the link.

who wants to go camping??

2008-03-20T16:37:00.001-07:00

I do!! Especially after this incredible video.

muskrat lovely

2008-03-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

I heard about this documentary on NPR this week.
You can click here for the site and then click on "trailer" on the left.
One review said, "It's like A Mighty Wind only real." That's amazing.

ken lee

2008-03-14T17:34:00.000-07:00

just click here and you'll understand

a warning & an apology

2008-03-12T23:51:00.000-07:00

WARNING: absolutely nothing exciting happens in the 50s video below, nevertheless, I chose to share it with you because I enjoyed watching it :) I found it interesting when I originally stumbled upon it after reading some articles/ads from the 50s. But after posting it yesterday I quickly discovered (from a few anonymous sources) that you may have expected something crazy to happen and were disappointed after just watching numerous random objects from the 50s with weird music playing in the background.

I apologize if it was the source of five minutes of boredom ....the beginning of this five minute video is MUCH more exciting!

dreaming of the 50s

2008-03-11T22:30:00.000-07:00

one simple truth ...

2008-03-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

Jack Handey's "Deep Thoughts" NEVER get old! And with that, I give you the Deep Thought of the day (courtesy of Nicole Corpuz) ...

If you saw two guys named Hambone and Flippy, which one would you think liked dolphins the most? I'd say Flippy, wouldn't you?
You'd be wrong, though. It's Hambone.

how well do you know your landmarks?

2008-03-09T23:04:00.001-07:00

click here to find out!
note: I stunk on this quiz :(

thick hunky brows

2008-02-29T09:41:00.000-08:00

Have you seen my profile picture? ....I mean really looked at it enlarged?? If not, you should. Just click on the picture (to the right) and it will bring you to the Blogger/profile screen. Then click it one more time for the biggest enlargement. I bought a pack of fake mustaches and noses at Target and Robbie and I got inspired to try them on. Yes, I have two blond mustaches attached to my eyebrows, thus, creating the infamous "thick hunky brows" ... which inspires me to once again share this quote by Jack Handey ....

I bet when the neanderthal kids would make a snowman,
someone would always end up saying, "Don't forget the thick,
heavy brows." Then they would all get embarrassed because

they remembered they had the big hunky brows too,

and they'd get mad and eat the snowman.

two things that bother me ...

2008-02-23T18:06:00.000-08:00

#1) sauerkraut. It is technically "finely sliced cabbage fermented by various lactic acid bacteria" ... and it is gross. Apparently sauerkraut literally means sour cabbage in German. I am German, but I cannot begin to understand why Germans love this stuff. (NOTE: no offense to my parents who are downstairs eating this nasty stuff right now)

#2) the new cell phone law. I am really annoyed by this law ... why can't I drive with one hand and hold a phone with another?!? Tons of us play around on our iPods while driving ... will they be banned next?? I feel forced to buy one of those ridiculous earpieces (which takes longer to put into my ear then it does to call on my phone!). Isn't there a better solution? Maybe people who drive poorly with their cell phones should be punished (i.e. fined, slapped, etc.) while the rest of us continue driving on the phone. Just a thought.

Okay, I feel better now. Thank you for reading. On another note, there are a LOT of things in life that I really love!! :)
... a good book and an iced latte (reading a great book right now!)
... people watching with Nic (and guests) while out for dinner
... grocery shopping (honestly one of my favorite things to do)
... gospel music (see Karen Clark Sheard or Edwin Hawkins)
... baking chocolate chip cookies (I promise I'll make some soon!)

this is amazing.

2008-02-22T15:19:00.000-08:00

please click here for video

went on a hot date with my man ....

2008-02-16T10:49:00.001-08:00

"the way of the master"

2008-02-15T14:06:00.001-08:00

I recently read an article which critiqued Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron's "unconventional" method of sharing the gospel. The writer of the article had several responses from people saying they supported their efforts and felt the ministry was fruitful. Others disagreed. What do you think?

www.wayofthemaster.com/watchwitnessing.shtml

Year of Surplus

2008-02-08T22:13:00.001-08:00

"We all know that 7 was the number of completion, perfection, and rest but in the Jewish law God said to them not to plant in the seventh year cause they would be eating off of the harvest from the sixth year until the 9th! This means that the 8th year they began to plant again but that volunteer crops from the sixth year would still be popping up unexpectedly. Glory to God! In 08 I claim for myself and all of you that you would see harvest from years gone by that you have forgot about, and as you go about your business training and preparing for what God is doing now and next, you will suddenly see abundance that will come springing up from out of nowhere. God says that this is my goodness and mercy following you even when you are in a new season." -- Joel Stockstill

Fritler the Snowman

2008-02-06T16:28:00.000-08:00

Frosty + Hitler's Stache = Our Beloved "Fritler"

cute kid videos

2008-01-21T11:12:00.000-08:00

My brother and I were watching videos on YouTube that feature REALLY cute kids and I thought a few were worth sharing ....

video #1 -- Spinach & Spanish

video #2 -- this little boy thinks the juice on his brother's lip is buhlod

video #3 -- Charlie Bit Me (this one is my favorite!)

love and laughter

2007-12-24T16:33:00.000-08:00

Without love and laughter there is no joy;

live amid love and laughter.

guess who found his presents?

2007-12-24T10:46:00.001-08:00

Every year I wrap a few new squeaky toys and a couple old tennis balls for Simon and put them under the tree. He LOVES opening gifts so we pass them out to him while we are opening our gifts ... he rips them apart and shares in the joys of Christmas gift opening. But, this year he found his toys early! I wrapped one last week and put it under the tree (hidden behind some gifts) and he found it five minutes later!! He didn't open any other presents under the tree so we can't figure out how he knew which one was his. I decided to test him again so I wrapped three more last night and hid them under the tree while he was sleeping in my bed. This mornning I found him under the tree :)

you are my sunshine

2007-12-03T20:34:00.001-08:00

Robbie posted a new song on his music myspace.

happy thanksgiving!!

2007-11-22T11:26:00.001-08:00

Hope you are enjoying your turkeys :) and your time with family. I thought it was worth re-posting this little excerpt from a post I wrote two years ago ...

During dinner on Thursday night, my grandmother handed me a platter of turkey and I politely declined. She questioned why I did not want any and I quickly declared, “I only like turkey in my shirt.” Then I paused and covered my mouth, after realizing what I had said. What?!? What did I mean and where did that come from?? Well . . . I had meant to say that I really only like turkey on my sandwiches – but, I guess it just didn't come out right. So, my family enjoyed a good laugh and I was thoroughly embarrassed.

wisdom teeth

2007-11-16T23:41:00.001-08:00

I had my wisdom teeth removed today. I was freaked out ... I had never had an IV in my arm (nor any sort of surgery). But, I survived!! :) The doctor was really nice and he made me feel very assured. Unfortunately, my stomach hated the medication but I will be taking something different this evening with hopes that everything stays in my stomach :) Thanks to Dr. Mom who was my chauffuer and nurse for the day and to Nic for making me dinner and keeping me company. And to those of you who prayed - I appreciate you! Thanks. Please continue to pray for a quick and painless recovery.

to the only god

2007-11-15T12:13:00.000-08:00

"To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy — to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen."

-- Jude 1:24 & 25 (NIV)

it's beginning to look a lot like ...

2007-11-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS!!!!! The weather is cold, colored lights are showing up on nearby roofs, local stores are advertising their holiday sales, the red cups are back at Starbucks ... and visions of sugarplums are dancing in my head! Woo hoo! Christmas is just around the corner (well, sort of) and I am anxious to go Christmas shopping.

thank you for praying

2007-10-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who prayed for my family and our neighborhood this week. I am extremely grateful. We are now safely back in our home ... which is still standing ... PRAISE THE LORD!! It is a miracle that our home was not destroyed. The entire hill surrounding our home is black and more than 130 homes in our neighborhood were burned. Please continue to pray for our neighbors who are cleaning, rebuilding and looking for comfort during this difficult time.

During my evacuation, I stayed with a family in Oceanside (thank you Roy family!!) On Tuesday morning, we had a time of worship and prayer with our pastors who had also been evacuated to their home. During that prayer time, the Lord gave Pastor Jerry a word from Genesis 50:20 - "...you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive". He reminded us that although the crisis our city is facing is bad, God is good and He is working through this situation and we believe MANY will be saved. God is not the author of fire, but He will work through it. You can help our city by praying these three points as suggested by my pastor ...

FIRE -- Pray that the fire of God falls on San Diego. This represents cleansing, purifying and preparing people to respond to God.

SMOKE -- Pray for the cloud of God's presence and His glory to be evident in our city.

DISPLACEMENT -- Pray that people will be placed in God's house ... that people will be saved and placed in churces across San Diego.

Thank for for praying!! The effective, fervent prayer of the righteous avails much. I have already heard incredible testimonies from my neighborhood ... our prayers are moving mountains.

***PLEASE CLICK HERE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE MONEY OR ITEMS, SHARE YOUR STORY OR VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME.

wednesday photos

2007-10-27T11:43:00.000-07:00

We stopped by our neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon after hearing that it was possible to get inside through a police escort. All surrounding neighborhoods were back in their homes, but ours was guarded at every entrance. We went to three different entrances and were told we could not enter ... not even to pick up medication. Most people had a good attitude, although they were anxious to get in. And the police were very kind a courteous. You can see the police and military presence in these two photos below.

After being told we could not enter our neighborhood, we drove around neighboring communities and saw just how close the fire came to SO many homes. As you can see in the first picture, the fires burned most of the hills surrounding our neighborhood (this was taken just 3 miles from our home). Bottom picture is a brand new Christian school that they also managed to save despite fire burning close.

photos from our neighborhood

2007-10-27T11:32:00.000-07:00

Most of these photos were taken about 1 mile from my home where a majority of homes were burned in our neighborhood (click on them for larger images). These are all pictures of the aftermath of the flames ... I never actually saw any flames. Just a warning that some of these photos are really devastating ... it was quite difficult and emotional to walk through the streets, but I was encouraged by some of the incredible stories and testimonies we heard along the way. As you look at the photos, I encourage you to pray for the family they represent. Psalm 29 reads -- "The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace."

If you are familiar with my neighborhood, this picture is taken on the corner of Duenda and Luz. You can see Fiona's home the background (behind the street sign). The following pictures are the view from Fiona's backyard. Tragically, her neighbor's home burned but only right up to their fence. And you can see the soot and ash left in their pool.

As you may have seen on CNN, Aguamiel was one of the most devastated streets in our neighborhood ... 27 homes burned and many that did not burn have severe smoke damage. In the second picture you can see the hills that burned all around Westwood. On the other side of those hills is Lake Hodges - a lake that separates our neighborhood from the city of Escondido. The fire whipped through Escondido, over the hills and right into Westwood. My friend Belinda and her family miraculously got out of Westwood early Monday morning. They were called by a relative and turned on the TV to find out if they needed to evacuate ... then their cable cut off and they realized the fire was close. They jumped in their cars and headed down the road. Miraculously, their home was saved and as you can see in the third photo, the flames came right into their backyard.

I know the family who lives in the home in the distance. Miraculously, their home is still standing despite some damage. Praise God!!

In the distance you can see their closet with unburned coats!

There are news crews from all over the country ...

A large plastic trash can melted into a small puddle.

Here are news crews reporting in the midst of the rubble. You can see a helicopter in the distance and the cross on the hill at Battle Mountain. The neighborhood on the other side of the mountain was the other hardest-hit neighborhood in Rancho Bernardo.

My dad and I stopped and talked to the man who lives in the house on the left ... He is the original owner of the home and has lived there for over 30 years. There are 6 or 7 houses on this cul-de-sac and only two survived. The man showed us the "line of fire" which came right down his fence and actually burned half of that tree in his front yard ... everything to the right of that line was burned. He and his neighbors say they also got out at the last minute, not knowing the fires were right down the street. Everyone we talked to said they had NO idea the fire was coming toward our neighborhood (in fact, most were sleeping around 4am or 5am when the fire actually started burning homes). Thank you Lord that everyone got out safely!!

You can see the melted metal on the ground from the mustang.

That's my dad taking photos at the entrance of Westwood.

my story of evacuation

2007-10-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon my parents left for Ventura to attend a conference while my brother was ministering to people in Thailand. I was home for the evening and had invited Nicole to spend the evening with me. Around 6pm, Jael was evacuated from Ramona and came to our home. By midnight, we heard the fires were headed toward San Pasqual Valley and The Wild Animal Park. Nicole got some sleep while Jael and I laid awake in bed watching the news until 2:30am. By that time, I knew that parts of Escondido had been evacuted but had NO idea the fires were coming toward Rancho Bernardo. I woke up again at 4am and decided to start packing the house while I still had time. By 4:30am, we received a phone call (possibly the reverse 911) but there was no one on the other line. I woke up Nicole and the three of us began packing. I also called my parents and asked them what I should pack ... I think they were shocked ... little did we know that the fire was already entering our neighborhood. Nicole began packing our cars around 6am while I kept pulling stuff out of our closests. At that point, people will driving through the neighborhood honking their horns and Nicole could hear police sirens in the distance and police on megaphones telling people to evacuate. We jumped in our cars just before 7am and began our looooong travel through the town. We took a back road that led us away from the fires (hoping it would be a quick drive to the freeway). What normally takes 15-20min to get to the freeway, ended up taking us 3 HOURS!!! At that point, the news was reporting that "Westwood" (my neighborhood) was burning. I was in shock ... it was very surreal. We were trying to get to Temecula to my grandma's home, but the freeways were closed and we made it only as far as Oceanside (took 5 hours!). We spent the next few days reading over lists of addresses of homes that had burned ... our home was never listed. Today we are back in our home and our heart goes out to our many neighbors who have lost their homes. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. We walked through the neighborhood this week, took some photos (below) and heard some incredible stories from those who fled just in time.

what the in the world...??

2007-10-09T22:46:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago, I purchased a delicious green bell pepper at Vons (along with my other groceries) and promptly cut it open for dinner that evening. I cut right down the middle of the pepper, opened it up to remove the seeds and then realized there was a fatty green WORM in my pepper!! And if that wasn't bad enough, I cut the worm in half when I cut the pepper - sick! The weirdest thing is that there were no holes leading into the pepper, so he must have been dwelling in there since birth from his sick larvae/egg thingy. I don't mind worms, but I was really caught off guard and I basically lost my appetite ...well, my appetite for peppers - I think make a quesadilla :)

Unfortunately, I had a similar experience this evening. I was making myself a lunch for tomorrow and had a craving for raspberries. I pulled out my little container of berries, popped off the lid and realized there was a dead BEETLE inside - sick! What in the world is happening? Why are there bugs in my food!?! Oh well, that won't stop me from eating!

this woman is my hero ...

2007-10-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

for a little chuckle

2007-10-02T22:23:00.000-07:00

check out this Japanese "exercise" video on Robbie's myspace

my little simon

2007-09-30T22:32:00.000-07:00

My dad burned some bread on the barbeque last night, so he threw the burnt pieces into the bushes in the backyard. This morning, my mom noticed that Simon was way up in the bushes eating something. She kept calling him into the house but he would not come in . . .

I just got into bed and found burnt bread crumbs everywhere.
Apparently he enjoys "dining" on my bed sheets :)

i thought this worthy of re-posting

2007-09-27T22:41:00.001-07:00

"I'm thoroughly convinced that God is perfectly capable of helping each of us finish what he has called us to do. And I firmly believe that he will move us beyond enduring to enjoying, beyond surviving to prevailing, if we are willing to do a little learning." -- Bill Hybels

a little quote in honor of tonight

2007-09-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

"I'm an early bird and a night owl.
So I'm wise and I have worms."

shane and shane

2007-09-20T00:11:00.001-07:00

I bought SHANE & SHANE's new CD last week. At first, I wasn't a big fan ... the songs were not ministering to me the way others have. But, I have played it over and over (and over) this week and I'm slowly falling in love. I'm really appreciating the lyrics, the depth of their songs and their beautiful harmonies.

I found some commentary that's worth sharing:

"...they are worshipful, reflective, reverent and poetic. Their blend of songwriting, instrumentation and heart makes Pages more than just another CD. It is an experience.”

"...their latest album represents a leap in quality… Always honest, always profound, Shane Barnard and Shane Everett make the kind of music that Heaven savours.”

“Enveloped by the double-Shane yearning vocals that are as rich as they are melodic, their usual acoustic passion drips from every lyric and guitar strum, but this time we get a little more alternative aggression than before."

It makes me want to listen to it right now!! I want to sit with each one of you and "experience" the album with you :) The first song is called VISION OF YOU and the chorus says "Awaken what's inside of me. Tune my heart to all You are in me. Even though You're here, God come. And may the vision of You be the death of me. And even though You've given everything, Jesus come." ... beautiful. There is an interesting song called EMBRACING ACCUSATION about the truthful accusations of the devil. The song builds and builds until the end when it redeems itself - the song is truly an experience. And the entire album ends with a song called WOUNDED, which is followed by a final instrumental piece called HEALED ... beautiful once again.

FYI: You can sample some of the songs on their website.
FYI2: Shane Barnard & Bethany Dillon are engaged - crazy!

dave matthews

2007-09-16T22:40:00.000-07:00

Supposedly there has been some controversy over a recent Dave Matthews video. I happened to stumble upon the video (called "Eh Hee") on iTunes as it was a free download last week ... and I was disgusted. I'm disappointed that iTunes chose to offer it as a free download. Please don't watch it (the preview will suffice) - you will be disturbed not only by the "darkness" of the video, but also by the lyrics. Dave is trying to be clever, but he deliberately slams God and Christianity ... I thought about putting all the lyrics on here but I just don't want to ... he basically claims that the devil has more names than God and makes references to evolution like:

Strange evolution how people have come to believe
That we are it’s greatest achievement
We’re barely, we’re just a collection of cells
Overrating themselves
Hello God I’m avoiding the truth

Many are questioning whether the video is mocking a well-known YWAM drama called Marionettes. Most believe it is an obvious parody of the drama as he pretends to be a controlled marionette while singing about God, the devil and evolution. If it is a parody, I wonder how he was ever exposed to the drama. Maybe he secretly sneaks into YWAM events because he is so hungry for the Lord!! I was shocked by the final lyric of his song - Hello God I'm avoiding the truth - um, yes you are ... and you are admitting it. Interesting. Any thoughts?

happy wedding!

2007-09-04T23:54:00.000-07:00

heard this morning

2007-08-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

ROBBIE: (from the kitchen) How come nothing in our house is real?

ME: (from my room) uhhh, what do you mean?

ROBBIE: The burgers are Garden Burgers, the bacon is soybean bacon, the juice is like water and our waffles are now 99% fat free.

ME: (... long pause ...)

ROBBIE: Yesterday I made a quesadilla on a whole wheat tortilla.

ME: (still no reply)

bring in the bagpipes

2007-08-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

My parents, grammy and uncle officially left for Scotland this morning. They will be visiting the country through a group tour and finishing off the trip with a trip to grammy's home town of Ayr, Scotland. Before leaving, my dad informed me that he bought another memory card for his camera ... he now has the capacity to store 1200 photos ... so, I will have plenty of photos to choose for my next post! :)

you never know

2007-07-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

Molly Jenson posted this on her myspace back in June and I thought it was brilliant. Definately worth sharing with you ...

i'm in starbucks right now, working on my computer. about 20 minutes ago, i felt someones' eyes on me. you know that feeling. i looked up and it was an old lady looking at me over the top of her book. i smiled politely, despite the awkward eye contact, and went back to work on my computer. about 10 minutes ago, i felt those eyes again, looked up and old lady and i made awkward eye contact for the second time!

i was starting to think i might move to a different seat as to avoid anymore awkward eye contact with old lady across the way. but then i thought, 'what if that old lady is me? what if i came back from the future to see me or to warn me about something?!!'

my friend adam told me that stuff like this happens. he told me he was once tackled by a handsome old man just before he stepped on a piece of poo, turned out it was him saving him!

so, i'll stay in this seat just in case old lady across the way is really me from the future. you never know.

you can also become a pants man!

2007-07-25T17:36:00.000-07:00

Here is another hilarious Japanese Video (with subtitles).
note: don't watch if you don't appreciate songs about using the toilet :)

for your viewing pleasure

2007-07-23T11:33:00.001-07:00

We went to the Del Mar Fair on the 4th of July!

Ryan REALLY wanted a turkey leg that day.

(check out the guy on the right)

Eating fried oreos ... they were actually good.

This was the featured food item of the year ... a chicken patty sandwiched by a krispy kreme donut. We all tried it and were disappointed -- tastes like chicken in a donut. Lame.

Supposedly, there was a 4th of July costume contest that day.
This woman sewed her own dress and colored her nails with pens.
Nicole and Fiona couldn't resist a picture with her.

We took the FREE shuttle back and forth.

This is your standard "balance your camera on a friend's car and set the timer while the 'photographer' runs back into the picture and everyone does something crazy while watching the red light blink".

japanese human tetris

2007-07-20T22:17:00.001-07:00

this is amazing ... courtesy of Fiona :)

happy birthday mom!

2007-07-18T22:02:00.001-07:00

We celebrated my mom's birthday at Olive Garden tonight. Mom turned the big 2-9 ... the waiter thought she didn't look a day older than 28! :) And Nicole did an incredible job of leading her co-workers in a round of "Buena Festa" ... beautiful (thanks Nicole!).

2007-07-18T21:45:00.000-07:00

Taco Tuesday at El Torito = $21.00

Late Night Donuts at Peterson's = $7.00

Evening with Old Friends = Priceless :)

old friends ... new baby

2007-07-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, I got to spend the afternoon with some old friends from high school and church -- Deidre (left), Jeanne (the pregnant one) and Belinda. It was really fun getting the update on everyone's life ... all three girls are graduated and happily married ... and it was the first time the three of us had seen Jeanne in years!

This was some sick game where we had to guess what candy bar had been melted in the baby diaper ... it was a little too realistic (as you can see) and I got none right! But nevertheless, an awesome idea.

not from the lord

2007-07-12T22:43:00.001-07:00

Last night, as I was getting ready for bed ... the NASTIEST of all bugs crawled across my carpet and under my bed. You must know that I grew up catching bugs with my neighborhood friends. I like bugs - they fascinate me and they are fun to catch. But, when they are nasty and CRAWLING ACROSS MY FLOOR I get a little freaked out ... I actually screamed (and I'm not a screamer, normally) because this thing was stinkin' nasty!! I am honestly REALLY freaked out right now while sitting in my bed writing this post. It is likely the creature is still in my room. I searched for him under my bed last night, but finally gave up. Then when I crawled into bed about 10 minutes later, I saw him (or another one!) crawling up the wall on the other side of the room. I walked up to him in an attempt to catch him, but I chickened-out as he dashed across the wall with his nasty body. yuck.

So, I decided to do a little research this evening. I could best describe this demon bug as a cross between a silverfish (although MUCH larger) and a centipede. It was long and slender with about one million legs and the longest antennas I have EVER seen on any creature. I thought I would try looking up "silverfish centipede" ... and I found it!! There was a picture of this ungodly creature ... the HOUSE CENTIPEDE!! The picture clearly shows his nasty-ness, although I'm not sure it accurately portrays his size - he was big (and nasty!).

I've been doing a little more research and it is likely that I will pee my pants before the night is over. I am REALLY freaked out right now ... and apparently I'm not the only one. I found a site dedicated to the "Scutigera-coleoptrata" by someone in Washington who has been haunted by their presence. He says, "sitting in the newly renovated sink was the ugliest creature I have ever seen. [amen!!] 15 pair of long skinny legs, two long antennae, and an inch and a half-long body ... the house centipedes are hunters. They capture and eat live prey, particulary smaller insects ... no amount of pesticide will get ride of them, and they rarely venture out in the open during the day, so controlling them by killing them on sight is nearly impossible ... And if you and I don't kill them, they're not going anywhere ... Unlike a fly, which basically lives as long as it takes to reproduce, the house centipede has a life span of up to about 5 years. [what the heck!!??!!] And it's not like killing them is easy once you find one. [amen again!] Their reaction time and senses are very good."

I also read on another site that you have to kill them as soon as you find them because they breed like crazy. Once again, this is nasty. Pray for me ... it may be a rough night :)

For some reason, this photo looks like a small/common cricket (with too many legs). However, I assure you that the creature I saw looked MUCH larger and nastier than this. You would be scared.

"walking along"

2007-07-08T23:16:00.000-07:00

the local church

2007-07-06T15:07:00.000-07:00

I love the church. I love it! The Lord has been renewing my love for the local church and reminding me how beautiful and precious it really is ... Christ died for the church! The fact that HE GAVE HIS LIFE for it just proves the depth of His love for the church. Well, I was reviewing some of the reading I did last year in Bill Hybels' book, Courageous Leadership and I thought some was worth sharing again ...

"It's the power of the love of Jesus Christ, the love that conquers sin and wipes out shame and heals wounds and reconciles enemies and patches broken dreams and ultimately changes the world, one life at a time. And what grips my heart every day is the knowledge that the radical message of that transforming love has been given to the church. That means that in a very real way the future of the world rests in the hands of the local congregations like yours and mine."

"There is nothing like the local church when it's working right.
Its beauty is indescribable. Its power is breathtaking. Its potential is unlimited. It comforts the grieving and heals the broken in the context of community. It builds bridges to seekers and offers truth to the confused. It provides resources for those in need and opens its arms to the forgotten, the downtrodden, the disillusioned. It breaks the chains of addictions, frees the oppressed, and offers belonging to the marginalized of this world. Whatever the capacity for human suffering, the church has a greater capacity for healing and wholeness. Still to this day, the potential of the local church is almost more than I can grasp. No other organization on earth is like the church. Nothing even comes close."

"Give your life to this ... Give all the money you can give.
Give all the service you can give. Give all the prayers you can give. Give whatever you have to give, because for all eternity you'll look back over your shoulder and be glad you did."

his calling ... his finish

2007-07-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

we survived ROUTE 56 SURVIVAL CAMP!!

2007-06-29T10:56:00.001-07:00

it's been a long time

2007-06-13T22:41:00.000-07:00

Seriously, it has been a good long while since I have written on this blog. It has been a busy (but enjoyable) couple of weeks for me ... getting ready for Route 56 Camp and I started a new class on Monday called Jesus and the Kingdom. The class is pretty intense - the text we are supposed to read is more that 700 pages (!) and it's all about the theology of the New Testament. I am enjoying this season of learning and disecting the Word - it's quite challenging.

I went to a Reeve Carney concert a few weeks ago. It was wonderful ... I will have to post the pictures when I have time.

I'm listening to Alison Krauss .... simply beautiful.

time for a new post

2007-05-25T23:00:00.000-07:00

FYI, Simon had a great birthday. He slept on the couch most of the day. Then when I got home he rushed to his food dish and ate until he burped. Then he slept some more and often farted in his sleep. My mom gave him a piece of "human food" for dinner as a birthday present - I think he swallowed it whole.

Fiona graduated from college ... congratulations my friend!!
You should watch the panda video on her myspace. You will laugh.
Fiona, look how far we have come ...

Jonathan and Lindsey celebrated their first anniversary. CRAZY!!
I can't believe it has already been one year since their wedding! Congratulations you two :) Below is a picture of Lindsey and I at a summer camp more than ten years ago. Good memories.

Route 56 Camp is in ONE MONTH!!! Ah! We are getting down to the wire. I am finding that all I can think about is Camp - it's the first thing on my mind in the morning and the last thing I think about when my head hits the pillow. I think I'm in love! Well, we are praying for 56 children to come - we have four signed up so far so you can pray with us :) It's going to be SO much fun!!!

I have acquired a love for coke/pepsi with lime and a tasty fish taco. I think I've eaten eight or nine fish tacos in the last week. It's sick, but I'm not going to stop now - I'm on a roll!! Thanks to Ben for inspiring me to add lime to my refreshments. You are my hero.

So, my laptop crashed about two weeks ago. I was fairly devastated because I was told it was unlikely I would get everything (photos, schoolwork, etc.) back ... but I prayed to the Restorer and He was/is faithful! I got it ALL back and spent about 12 hours loading it back onto my laptop. Thank you Fry's for the new hard drive and my handy-dandy three year warranty! (and thanks, Dad, for the laptop)

Children are great. I think we (adults) need to purposely spend more time with children - they change our perspective and just make life ONE HUNDRED TIMES more fun. Tonight, I drove home two young boys after an event at church. The eight year old rolled down his window and said, "wow! it is SO windy tonight!!" (cute) Then the six year old exclaimed, "look - a rocket!!" His brother corrected him by pointing out it was only an airplane. But he explained, "No, this one is a rocket. Rockets look different and I know what they look like". (cute)

My brother leaves for Hume Lake next Friday. I am sad ... it will just be me and the parentals in the home again :( But it's only for the summer. When he's gone I miss our late night bathroom talks - we sit on the bathroom counter and talk for hours. Our conversations usually end with us laughing and making faces in the mirror. It's great.

I am taking a conflict management class right now. I would perhaps like to avoid the class altogether so I could avoid the "testing" (by the Lord) that inevitably comes along with it. But, I am learning a LOT ... I can't afford to tell you what I'm learning because you might hold me accountable to it if we get into a conflict. HA!

I end with this quote - "You can't deny laughter; when it comes, it plops down in your favorite chair and stays as long as it wants."

happy birthday

2007-05-20T23:12:00.000-07:00

Guess who is celebrating his birthday this week??? . . . Simon!
And you are all invited to join us for this BIG event :) We will be celebrating Simon's sixth birthday this Wednesday night with a barbeque and a trip to the local dog park (one of his favorite places). Everyone is invited ... and you should bring your dogs too! Simon loves people so the more, the merrier. Gifts will be appreciated.
Let's make this a really fun party that Simon will love!

what kind of love is this?

2007-05-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

we stutter and we stammer til you say us
a symphony of chaos til you play us
phrases on the pages of unknown
til you read us into poetry and prose

we are kept and we are captive til you free us
vaguely unimagined til you dream us
aimlessly unguided til you lead us home

by your voice, we speak
by your strength, no longer weak
we are no longer weak
and by your wounds we are healed

don't touch me

2007-05-17T23:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, here is one more video for the evening. The acting is SO bad
. . . and the commentary on the side is incredible. Simply amazing.

music video

2007-05-17T23:29:00.000-07:00

An amazing Swedish music video --- "I Wanna Love You Tender"
It is courtesy of my brother's friend. You will laugh.

bug in my room

2007-05-09T01:13:00.000-07:00

I'm still up ... writing an essay for school. Only five more pages to go!

There is a nasty mosquito eater in my room that enjoys leaving his spot on the ceiling to come down and fly around my head. I've tried to smash him about 100 times but he is SO stinkin' fast that I can't get him. And Simon is practically in a coma on my bed - he is sleeping with his head on my pillow and his tongue sticking out (not much of a protector). I keep telling the bug to die, but he won't listen to me.
I'm thankful he eats mosquitoes, but tonight I want him dead.

who you are

2007-05-08T23:55:00.000-07:00

"First and foremost, find out what it is you're about, and be that.
Be what you are, and don't lose it ... It's very hard to be who
we are, because it doesn't seem to be what anyone wants.
But, of course, it's the only way to truly fly."

berries and cream

2007-05-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

You must watch this amazing video (courtesy of Fiona & Amanda)

When you've watched the first, you may enjoy this one too

vocab lesson

2007-05-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I was on the job and driving around Clairemont Mesa while talking to myself (as most people do). I saw a rather interesting/strange woman walking down the street and I declared out loud, "wow, she is one shady lady!"

Then I had a revelation . . . . . "that woman is a SHLADY!" I quickly sent a text to Robbie and shared this great new word. I even explained that it could be used with a man = "SHMAN" (of course).
He sent a text back warning "Watch out, shman at 10 o'clock!!"

Please feel free to include both words in your vocabulary.
They can even be pluralized to shladies and shmen!

route 56 at knotts berry farm

2007-05-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

the latest fashion

2007-04-26T22:32:00.000-07:00

passionate

2007-04-26T21:41:00.000-07:00

I love passionate people ... people who pursue something and go ALL the way. These are not the apathetic or the half-hearted. They take life seriously, and I think they have fun doing it.

For instance, the older gentleman in 4S Ranch who is a passionate biker. He doesn't ride just any bike. He rides a three-wheeled bike - the ones you sit down inside of - and the bike waves his homemade flag (a neon green pool noodle with colored streamers attached). This man wears spandex pants and a bright yellow, spandex top. He also wears his helmet (complete with small attached mirror) and biking shoes with pride ... he does not take them off when he dismounts his bike and walks through the town. This man is one heck of a passionate biker. And I bet he loves his life.

Or the man I met at Wal-Mart today who is responsible for repairing the key-making machine. When I arrived at the counter he was carefully brushing the silver and gold dust off the machine while singing about it (something like, "dusty, dusty, dusty"). I asked if he would be making keys and he explained that the machine was being serviced as it always is when it reaches the 28,000 - 33,000 key mark. I appreciated the facts and I could tell he was proud to share them. He reminded me of Dwight ... he is passionate about his job.

commercials

2007-04-26T21:21:00.000-07:00

Do you agree that commercials have reached an all-time low? It seems that commercials are more disgusting than ever before! I have found that I cannot sit through an entire television show without seeing one awkward "male enhancement" commercial. And this is on standard cable channels in the middle of the afternoon or early evening --- I'm not watching some sick channel late at night! What about other families (and their children) who are watching the same program. I am even embarressed to watch with my dad and brother now because we see a Victoria's Secret commercial or JCPenney's underwear advertisement every thirty minutes!

okay, I am done ranting now ... thanks for reading :)

my new friends

2007-04-24T22:12:00.001-07:00

1. THE LORD – technically, the Lord is not a new friend of mine … He is actually like a best friend that I grew up with for years & years and now get to spend more time with than EVER before which is SO darn refreshing and fun that words can’t even describe how much I am enjoying the relationship … that kind of friend

2. ICED GRANDE HAZELNUT LATTE – not really a new friend either (although newer than The Lord) … I seek out this friend when a dependable/refreshing “pick me up” is needed during a dull day OR when I just want to sit on a bench out in the sun and read a good book … this friend is quite the book-reading companion!

3. DR. LAURA – she is one of those really intense friends that you must take in small amounts, but I find that I really appreciate her point of view/opinions and her integrity and I’m always fascinated to hear what she has to say because she often speaks the truth (I love truth!) … we spend our afternoons together and I find myself looking forward to hearing her voice

4. THE COMPANY CAR – we oftentimes spend both our mornings and afternoons together and it is during my time with the company car that I seem to pray my best prayers, hear clearly from God and get the most revelation … who wouldn’t want a friend like that!?

5. QUICKBOOKS – this is my newest friend and this friend is a challenger … the one that puts you to the test … the iron sharpening iron … and I like that in a friend because I appreciate a good old-fashioned challenge! … we have recently been spending our afternoons together and I am learning more and more about this new friend each day … I look forward to learning more tomorrow

everything

2007-04-21T01:01:00.000-07:00

"There is nothing on my horizon except everything.
Everything is on my horizon." - Dwight Shrute

woohoo!!

2007-04-18T21:58:00.001-07:00

Sanjaya got voted off!!!
we did some serious dancing in our living room

happy birthday emilie

2007-04-18T00:43:00.000-07:00

On Friday, we celebrated Emilie's 26th birthday! We drove up to Pasadena and met Emilie for a delicious Thai dinner at a great outdoor restaurant and then we headed to the Pasadena Jazz Institute for some incredible music. We ended the night squished on two hotel beds in our pajamas eating a tasty vegan chocolate cake. It was a great trip ... lots of refreshing woman time :)

robbie won

2007-04-12T23:13:00.001-07:00

Simon and Robbie just had a staring contest

a much needed update

2007-04-10T17:25:00.000-07:00

I have not posted an update in quite awhile. So here is part one ...

Route 56 is going SO well!! There is some stinkin' crazy creavity flowing amongst leaders, the kids are so excited to be a part of this new ministry and we are all about to wet our pants in the anticipation of our upcoming camp!! We were able to meet in our own classroom on Sunday and it was amazing (photos above - I took them so I'm not in either). We played a rowdy game of "Cheeks in the Chair" (made up by Nic, Jael and myself just days before) which ended up being quite a hit - I will have to teach it to you sometime :) We had 25 kids in class and EIGHT were first time visitors. Amazing! The best part was their response to Nic's preaching - FOUR of them accepted Christ!!

It is SO exciting and we are having SO much fun with the group. We are having our FIRST EVER Route 56 Camp this summer ... away ... in the mountains ... in tepee/tent/cabin thingys ... for three nights ... and I can't wait! Nic, Jael and I can't stop thinking about camp - everytime we talk we have a hundred new ideas and every week we have amazing testimonies of the kids and their parents. I am blessed to play a part in establishing Route 56 -- it is so fun and fulfilling to see these kids make their own decision to serve God ... and it's great to play such an influential role in their lives right now!

Last month we planned an "Afternoon Adventure" in which Pastor Julia was kidnapped while we are all playing a game together in the park. A car pulled up, two unidentified men jumped out, the grabbed Pastor Julia and threw her into the trunk while speeding away right in front of the kids. It was amazing! Then they had to spend the rest of the afternoon finding clues that helped lead them to Pastor Julia. They visited Starbucks and were given clues from the baristas, they found a clue hidden under a breadloaf in Ralph's, they received one clue at a local sword shop and even went to the library to access a secret email account that gave them the final clue ... Pastor Julia's location. We sped to her home and found Pastor Carl knocked out on the porch with a hammer by his head and "blood" across his face after his attempts to rescue his wife. He led us inside the house where we found Pastor Julia tied up and thrown into the closet. Like I said, it was AMAZING! Below is the group that came ....

Check out this amazing picture we tried to take of us jumping ... we look like we are pooping! The second was better :)

how deep the father's love!!

2007-04-08T18:15:00.001-07:00

behold the Man upon a cross

my sin upon His shoulders

ashamed, I hear my mocking voice

call out among the scoffers

it was my sin that held Him there

until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished

how deep the father's love

2007-04-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

how great the pain of searing loss

the Father turned His face away

as wounds which mar the Chosen One

bring many sons to glory

how deep the father's love

2007-04-03T23:08:00.000-07:00

how deep the Father's love for us

how vast beyond all measure

that He should give His only Son

to make a wretch His treasure

the lord is my shepherd

2007-04-03T21:41:00.000-07:00

"He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul ..."

the bachelor

2007-04-02T21:56:00.000-07:00

So, I know this show has been on for several seasons, but I am still SHOCKED by it! One extremely good-looking man, who just happens to be a doctor in the navy, a triathlete in the Iron Man competitions and a winner of several humanitarian awards . . . is choosing his lifetime mate (!!!) from a group of 25 high-maintenance, educated, desperate, gorgeous and jealous women.

Tonight was so incredibly awkward! It was the first episode of the season (which is the only one worth watching because the previews look nasty for the next ones), and therefore the opportunity for the women to make their first impressions while exiting the limo to hug "the bachelor" for the first time. Most are trying way too hard to make a better impression than the other 24. Some women were just weird! If I was a man I would have been disgusted. Some flauted themselves and made arrogant comments, but others were very polite and down to earth. One woman even sang the "Star Spangled Banner" for him ... weird! (do men like this?) He was trying SO hard to be nice (and not laugh), but I don't think he was impressed.

I'm surprised that a man would subject himself to this ... obviously he gets the affection of 25 women for the duration of the filming (quite the ego booster) ... but then he has to commit to one of them. What if they are all weird? If hasn't been able to commit to a woman in his 30 years of living, what makes him think that he can do it now with such a limited selection!? And what about these women - aren't they embarressed? Some of them are very intelligent and well-educated, but they look desperate on this show when they begin flirting in front of him or swearing at the other women when they get jealous.

Television is strange these days.

mystery - phil wickham

2007-04-01T17:10:00.000-07:00

Here in the quiet speak to me now

My ears are open to

Your gentle sweet whispering

Break down the door, come inside

Shine down Your bright light

I need a lamp for my feet,

I need a lamp for my feet

I want to hear the thunder of who You are

To be captured inside the wonder of who You are

I want to live I want to breathe

To search out Your heart and all of Your mysteries

being children

2007-03-31T11:58:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up to a group of children racing several different rolling contraptions (i.e. scooters) down the street in front of my house while screaming at the top of their lungs. It was awesome! This is how it should be. I thought about going to their homes and shaking the hands of their parents.

jump in my car

2007-03-30T22:01:00.000-07:00

check out this video starring David Hasselhoff (courtesy of Nic)

caring for our needs

2007-03-29T00:53:00.000-07:00

I read this tonight and thought it was worth sharing ...

Depend on the Lord; trust Him, & He will take care of you. - Ps 37:5

"God is committed to caring for our needs ... After all, how can we fulfill His mission unless our needs are met? Will God enlist us in His army and not provide a commissary? Of course not.
'I pray that the God of peace will give you everything you need so you can do what He wants' (Heb 13:20). Hasn't that prayer been answered in our life? We may not have had a feast, but haven't we always had food? Perhaps there was no banquet, but at least there was bread. And many times there was a banquet." --- max lucado

i went to hawaii ... it was beautiful

2007-03-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

universal studios

2007-03-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

Joy and I went on a little vacation to Universal Studios last Wednesday. The park was almost empty so we didn't have to wait more than ten or fifteen minute for each ride - it was great! We both hadn't been since we were very young (at least ten years ago) so it was fun remembering things as we walked through the park. The biggest disappointment was the brand new Mummy ride. Although they had cool/high-tech lockers to put your stuff in (accessed only with your finger print!!) the ride itself was fairly weird and demonic. In the end of the ride I think you are actually taken to "hell" while voices are yelling - "we have your soul" ... I yelled back "No you don't! I'm going to heaven!!" I think they heard me. They got the message. The best part of the park was the behind-the-scenes Studio Tour. We had a really fun tour guide and I enjoyed seeing the side of film/tv production that we don't always see. Waterworld was pretty great too. We sat in the soak zone. I didn't know we would get THAT wet.

Stand By Your Man (he is real ... seriously ... and he was freaky)

Joy's Heart-throb (apparently she likes muscular men)

no explanation necessary

this little piggy went to market ... this little piggy stayed home

my head is in a shark ... that is crazy

I think she has done this before ...

getting ready to enter Terminator 2

river god

2007-03-12T01:21:00.000-07:00

rolling river god
little stones are smooth
only once the water passes through
so I am a stone rough and grainy still
trying to reconcile this river's chill

but when I close my eyes
and feel you rushing by
I know that time brings change
and change takes time
and when the sunset comes
my prayer would be just this one
that you might pick me up and notice that
I am just a little smoother in your hand

sometimes raging sometimes swollen high
never have I known this river dry
the deepest part of you is where I want to stay
and feel the sharpest edges wash away

by Nichole Nordeman

new

2007-03-09T22:17:00.000-08:00

is this a joke?

2007-03-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

I was watching a Christian music video on You Tube today when I came across a video called "Anna Nicole Smith - Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior!" I was surprised by the title, having never heard Anna Nicole profess Christianity, so I clicked on the video out of curiousity. To be honest, I am not really interested in her life and death ... it is sad that she died but the reality is that she really didn't offer much to the world while she was alive and all the money and fame she spent years fighting for did not follow her to heaven!

So, if you are curious ... here is the video interview.
I was even more shocked by the interviewer (you'll see why).

some stuff from today

2007-03-07T23:34:00.000-08:00

Had an amazing divine appointment this morning . . . one of the best I've had in a very long time. I love God. I love watching Him work in the lives of other people. It makes me love Him more.

Picked up one of our 6th graders from school. We enjoyed frappuccinos while walking the mall together. I pointed out her boyfriend - some nasty guy with nappy hair and piercings all over his body, huge black boots and chains hanging from his waist. She quickly got the hang of my "game" and pointed out my boyfriend about 30 minutes later - ripped t-shirt, pants below his butt, tattoos and nasty hair. I was impressed.

My brother wrote a song called "Skies Above" and recorded it in a studio this past week. He posted it on his myspace today.

I never thought I would love iTunes as much as I do. I think it is like marriage - you get out of it what you put into it and it keeps getting better and better because I keep discovering new and exciting things every day! I downloaded a few songs by Sean Watkins (of Nickel Creek). One called "Coffee" is all about a girl he had a crush on in high school and recently ran into at a local store. He wanted to ask her out for coffee, but he was too nervous. So he wrote a song about her. Then he ran into her at a coffee shop a few weeks later. Weird.

Tomorrow I am going to clean my house. To you it might sound crazy, but I have been looking forward to this day. Perhaps no one will ever understand the therapy it gives me. Baking cookies has the same effect ... so, maybe I will do both.

Had dinner with Joy at Macaroni Grill. Don't eat there ... I just don't think it's worth it. The food costs the same as Olive Garden, but the ambience is worse, the quality of the food is worse, you don't get soup or salad with your food (unless you pay more) and you will never have Nicole Corpuz as your server - that is a sad reality. However, they do have an amazing waitress who sings "Happy Birthday" in Operatic Italian. It was nice eating dinner with my friend too.

I am having lunch with a guy from my school tomorrow. I have been in online classes for six months now and have not met any of my fellow students in the flesh ... it will be nice to actually put a face with the name I've read on the screen hundreds of times.

Ended my evening with a fascinating conversation. I was on the Dizzy's website reviewing the upcoming shows and I discovered a "piano wizard" named Rob Schneiderman. I thought it would be quite amazing if he ended up marrying Emilie Schneider, so I quickly shared this information with her. I received the following response ...

"I actually dated Rob Schneiderman a few times. It was weird though because he started talking about marriage on the third date. He wanted me to hyphenate my name. So I would actually have been Emilie Schneider-Schneiderman. Now, this wouldn't have been too bad ... except that I'm really into this gender neutral thing these days, so I told him I would only hyphenate my name if I could do it as "Schneiderperson". Therefore I would be Emilie Schneider-Schneiderperson, which would be a heck of a lot better than Emilie Schneider-Schneiderman. He didn't like the idea, apparently, since he threw down his napkin right there at Mr. A's and stomped out the door without even paying for our vichy-sois!"