David and I both woke up around 8:00 on a perfectly good Saturday morning to sleep in. I never wanted to get to the point that my body was adjusted to 6am Monday-Friday...
There may have been another reason we stayed awake though: the apartment above us was doing laundry and we could hear all the noises of the washing machine quite well. Who does laundry at 8am on a Saturday morning???
But I guess I can't complain about that apartment too much. They play a big part in insulating us from the hot sun and keeping our electric bill pretty cheap! :)
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Limbo Land
David and I've had some circumstances over the past few months that have led me to think of our life as being in "Limbo Land." We're not really sure why things have happened nor do we have any idea what our life will look like anytime in the near future. This is definitely a growing time.
The definition of "limbo" is: an intermediate, transitional, or midway state or place.
The more I started thinking about "Life in Limbo Land," I realized that, as a believer, my life is always in limbo. I don't mean that in a negative, pessimistic way; I simply mean that my life is always changing as I strive to become more like Christ through the process of sanctification. I don't want to stay the way I am. I want to be constantly learning and growing so that my life is a reflection of Christ's. I want my life to be "transitional" (to take from the very definition itself).
I also know that this life on earth is not my final place. I'm eagerly awaiting the day Christ returns and believers get to spend eternity worshiping God. Therefore, to use another word from the definition of "limbo," my life here is an intermediate or midway place.
Therefore, if I want my life to be transitional and this earth is only an intermediate place for me, wouldn't that mean that my views of "Limbo Land" should be not only positive, but also joyous?
James 1:2-4 reads:
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Not that I've been joyous throughout this whole process, but I truly desire to have a spirit that is "overflowing with thankfulness" (Colossians 2:7) and a heart that trusts God completely. It's not like life is going to get simpler or have any fewer transitions and questions.
Maybe I should rename my blog... :)
The definition of "limbo" is: an intermediate, transitional, or midway state or place.
The more I started thinking about "Life in Limbo Land," I realized that, as a believer, my life is always in limbo. I don't mean that in a negative, pessimistic way; I simply mean that my life is always changing as I strive to become more like Christ through the process of sanctification. I don't want to stay the way I am. I want to be constantly learning and growing so that my life is a reflection of Christ's. I want my life to be "transitional" (to take from the very definition itself).
I also know that this life on earth is not my final place. I'm eagerly awaiting the day Christ returns and believers get to spend eternity worshiping God. Therefore, to use another word from the definition of "limbo," my life here is an intermediate or midway place.
Therefore, if I want my life to be transitional and this earth is only an intermediate place for me, wouldn't that mean that my views of "Limbo Land" should be not only positive, but also joyous?
James 1:2-4 reads:
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Not that I've been joyous throughout this whole process, but I truly desire to have a spirit that is "overflowing with thankfulness" (Colossians 2:7) and a heart that trusts God completely. It's not like life is going to get simpler or have any fewer transitions and questions.
Maybe I should rename my blog... :)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
One Car Family
David and I sold my car last Monday to get rid of a car payment, lower our car insurance, and generally just save money. But here's the catch: not only do we have to coordinate errands and figure out who gets the car on what day (not too big of a deal), David's car is a stick shift.
He had given me a few lessons when we started talking about selling my car, but I definitely had a crash course. I'm pretty certain that David had his doubts and was concerned that his car wouldn't survive the lessons, but it has. He's a wonderful teacher, giving encouragement and challenges at exactly the right time, but I don't hesitate at all to let him drive whenever we're together.
So, here are a few of the more interesting aspects of driving a standard car:
~I hate hills now. I never used to think about them, and while the animosity has been slowly decreasing, it still causes stress. It's especially bad when someone decides to pull up right on my bumper at a stop light (at least, that's how it appears to me...). Funny how something as little as learning how to drive a new car has produced a greater dependence on the Lord as I beg Him to help me not roll backwards into the car behind me! :)
~David and I have to allow a couple of extra minutes when we get in the car for readjusting EVERYTHING! This has nothing to do with the fact that it's a stick shift; it's just that 2 people who have a difference in height of almost 1 foot are sharing a car.
~If you've driven a standard, you know that it takes a minutes to shift into first gear. Well, what makes this interesting is our timing in deciding to go to a 1-car family. You see, thousands of people have been making the yearly voyage back to this great town, and some of them have a tendency to be, well, impatient. David got honked at earlier this week as he was going into 1st gear at a stop light, and he's a MUCH better driver than I! So there's a little bit of anxiety, especially at lights, that I'll take too long, get honked at, and stall out, thereby causing even more honks. Thankfully, the Lord is merciful, and that hasn't happened yet.
~I guess one of the good things about driving a stick shift around town is that my mind definitely stays more engaged. I'm sure that this will get to be more second nature, but I'm constantly calculating which gear I should be in according to the speed. I can't just coast anymore and accelerate when I want. I have to downshift and figure out what gear I need to be in so that I can accelerate again.
That's been one of our latest adventures, and I sure there will be many, many stories with me driving a standard... Have I mentioned that I left tire marks on the little hill in a parking lot when David was teaching me how to stop and start on a hill? oops...
He had given me a few lessons when we started talking about selling my car, but I definitely had a crash course. I'm pretty certain that David had his doubts and was concerned that his car wouldn't survive the lessons, but it has. He's a wonderful teacher, giving encouragement and challenges at exactly the right time, but I don't hesitate at all to let him drive whenever we're together.
So, here are a few of the more interesting aspects of driving a standard car:
~I hate hills now. I never used to think about them, and while the animosity has been slowly decreasing, it still causes stress. It's especially bad when someone decides to pull up right on my bumper at a stop light (at least, that's how it appears to me...). Funny how something as little as learning how to drive a new car has produced a greater dependence on the Lord as I beg Him to help me not roll backwards into the car behind me! :)
~David and I have to allow a couple of extra minutes when we get in the car for readjusting EVERYTHING! This has nothing to do with the fact that it's a stick shift; it's just that 2 people who have a difference in height of almost 1 foot are sharing a car.
~If you've driven a standard, you know that it takes a minutes to shift into first gear. Well, what makes this interesting is our timing in deciding to go to a 1-car family. You see, thousands of people have been making the yearly voyage back to this great town, and some of them have a tendency to be, well, impatient. David got honked at earlier this week as he was going into 1st gear at a stop light, and he's a MUCH better driver than I! So there's a little bit of anxiety, especially at lights, that I'll take too long, get honked at, and stall out, thereby causing even more honks. Thankfully, the Lord is merciful, and that hasn't happened yet.
~I guess one of the good things about driving a stick shift around town is that my mind definitely stays more engaged. I'm sure that this will get to be more second nature, but I'm constantly calculating which gear I should be in according to the speed. I can't just coast anymore and accelerate when I want. I have to downshift and figure out what gear I need to be in so that I can accelerate again.
That's been one of our latest adventures, and I sure there will be many, many stories with me driving a standard... Have I mentioned that I left tire marks on the little hill in a parking lot when David was teaching me how to stop and start on a hill? oops...
Friday, August 21, 2009
Ever Changing and Never Perfect
So I've decided to start a blog. I've been thinking about it for a while because I have so many friends who now live in other cities, countries, and continents. While I enjoy reading about their day to day lives, they know absolutely nothing about what is going on with us. So yes, it's yet another networking tool. What did we do before computers, internet, and cell phones? I also wanted a place to chronicle random stories that may not be remembered otherwise.
However, I've been putting off starting a blog because I'm a perfectionist. I knew that I would want it to look just right with the cutest background and most fun fonts. I also knew that it would take me a long time to get everything just right.
Well, I sat down this afternoon to get it all set, and I learned several things:
1) Blogs can get super expensive! I found some cute backgrounds for free, but I thought I wanted something a little more fun. I found sites that would sell their apparently amazing blog templates for anywhere from $25 to upwards of $100! That's when I decided that I would just stick with my freebie background. Granted, I couldn't find a matching banner for the title and I think the font is boring, but I'll live.
2) Like almost anything else involving the internet, a blog can be super time consuming! I just spent way too much time trying to find a background and banner. The really sad thing is that after all the searching, I stuck with the one I had picked out at the beginning...
3) My blog can be a process. I can change it as I want to and it doesn't have to be perfect right away- or ever...
So here's to my ever-changing, never perfect, attempt to keep up with friends... Blog. :)
However, I've been putting off starting a blog because I'm a perfectionist. I knew that I would want it to look just right with the cutest background and most fun fonts. I also knew that it would take me a long time to get everything just right.
Well, I sat down this afternoon to get it all set, and I learned several things:
1) Blogs can get super expensive! I found some cute backgrounds for free, but I thought I wanted something a little more fun. I found sites that would sell their apparently amazing blog templates for anywhere from $25 to upwards of $100! That's when I decided that I would just stick with my freebie background. Granted, I couldn't find a matching banner for the title and I think the font is boring, but I'll live.
2) Like almost anything else involving the internet, a blog can be super time consuming! I just spent way too much time trying to find a background and banner. The really sad thing is that after all the searching, I stuck with the one I had picked out at the beginning...
3) My blog can be a process. I can change it as I want to and it doesn't have to be perfect right away- or ever...
So here's to my ever-changing, never perfect, attempt to keep up with friends... Blog. :)
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