Love & Hate, Hate & Love

LOVE: The brilliant colors of the leaves, mums, pumpkins, spiced things from drinks to desserts, football, going to bed with my windows open but lost under a mound of blankets, and the smell of burning leaves.
HATE: The smell of wet drying leaves, having to wear socks, knowing that fall is a precursor to the long bleak winter, that is Ohio.
LOVE: Unseasonably warm days coupled with crisp mornings and evenings. I could get use to that.

LOVE: Organizing things and getting rid of unnecessary junk that only complicates life. Maybe its because of the visual sense of instant gratification from all the hard work. I got to do a little of that this weekend. I love helping make others lives a little less burdensome.
HATE: Not having more time to devote to that.

LOVE: The music renderings of Bon Iver. Can't get enough.
HATE: Three Doors Down. I actually use to like them. However, they now grate on my last nerve. Get some new material already.

LOVE: Started to read "Searching for God knows What" by Donald Miller. Lots of good thoughts.
HATE: (Not hate, more of a strong disliking...) I haven't gotten use to his structure of writing.

LOVE: Studying Genesis. Amazed how many times some of the "Spiritual Giants" of the Bible did really shady things, yet God still loved them and used them as cornerstones of our mutual faith.

HATE: HATE HATE HATE politics. But I'm still going to vote.

LOVE: Being resourceful.
HATE: That I can easily get caught up in a materialistic frame of mind.

Vote.

It is my honor and privilege to live in a country where I have the right to vote. And I don't take that role lightly. Even in elections that aren't considered "cool", where you only end up voting for say a low ranking county official or issues regarding an obscure wetland on farmer Joe's lot, I still drag myself out of bed earlier than normal, and trudged down to my polling place. I stand in line with a demographic that consists primarily of people twice my age, give or take a decade or two. As big of a dork as this next statement will make me, I can't wait to get that sticker that says "I voted today". Regardless, that its just a stupid sticker, that day I have more of a bounce in my step, I walk a little taller, and I feel more American than I ever do even after eating way too much and watching a fireworks on July Fourth.

The more I listen to people about the impending election, the more I am convinced that EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE TO PASS A SHORT CIVICS EXAM BEFORE YOU'RE ABLE TO VOTE. (If you fail the test, sorry. You are excluded from getting to vote this round. However, because this is a democracy, you'll get a chance to take the same exam next opportunity to vote.)

This stems from unintelligent reasons why people are voting for a particular candidate. They included, 1). he's is just cool, 2). he has the hottest wife, 3). I like how he talks, 4). I was raised by a single mom too, 5). I want a v.p. that looks like Tina Fey, 6). I like how he dresses. Unfortunately there are more reasons, these are just the ones I hear the most.

I mean REALLY?! You're going to choose the next leader of the free world because he wears the nicest tailored suits??!! Know the issues. Know where you, as a free American, stands on the issues. Put down your US Weekly, step away from Facebook, turn off You Tube, and actually research both candidates. Don't vote merely because you usually vote for the Democratic or Republican party. Don't let forwarded bulk emails from your Grandma, who has always voted Republican, be your deciding source. Get down and dirty, and do some old fashion research. Don't take the overwhelmingly liberal media's slant on the election as truth. Everything you read and hear about the candidate is NOT TRUTH. Look at both sides and vote for which candidate you think will do the best job as the leader of our country. Which candidate do you agree with on how they propose to handle foreign policy, their value on human life, health care, the increasing debt, the ongoing war, etc. Make a decision, and then go and vote. (You can even document every aspect of your voting experience via camera and then post them on your Facebook letting the world know just how American you are.)

It matters every time you vote, but for whatever reason, there is this misconception that it only matters when you are voting for someone in Washington. But hey, if you've never voted start now. By taking this baby step, maybe, just maybe, I'll see you at the polling place come Spring 2009, voting for some obscure ballot issue. I'll nod to you, in quiet respect, that you actually take your freedom seriously.

Comforting wind storm?

In all my twenty seven years of life I don’t remember ever having winds like we had last Sunday. Crazy mad winds which, at one point, peaked at 74 miles per hour. A wishbone shaped tree branch still presides on our main power line toying with us. With every gust of wind, our lights would flicker. Taunting us…will you have power or will you not have power? But amidst the chaos of stockpiling candles, readying our coolers with ice in case the refrigerator lost power, and making sure that we contained the meltdown that our two old large trees were having, there was something so amazingly comforting about the whole thing.

I find a peace from the circumstances that wind storms, huge snow falls, or city wide power outages bring. The world stops. Schedules and busyness are traded for pulling resources together to survive. Neighbors don’t mind stopping to help you pull a heavy branch out of the street or lending you an extension cord. A camaraderie that usually lies dormant, for fear of impeding on each other’s independence, is awakened. We realize that relationships and survival supersede errand running and house cleaning. Relationships are started or strengthened. What a great opportunity to put into practice loving each other like Christ has commanded us.

I think that we should petition to have more power outages. Perhaps it would help us keep a healthy perspective of what should be most important in our lives...

Fading Fast...

This week, even though its been sweltering hot here, there is a bitter coldness undercurrent to it...at least in my mind. Labor Day has come and gone. And even though summer doesn’t officially come to end until September 22, it is fading fast. Time that once was relaxed and easy, is now shrugged off for scheduled lives and strict routine.

For me summer has always meant freedom. Freedom to stay up longer. Freedom to make the most of the daylight. Freedom from close toed shoes. Freedom to relax. Freedom to be outdoors and breath deeply the fresh air. Freedom to eat Rita’s Italian ice three times a week if I want to. For others, especially in my neighborhood it means freedom to not wear a shirt...even if you REALLY should.

I enjoy each season for different reasons…even winter. But summer will always hold a special place in my heart. This summer is no different and I walk away from this summer with so many fond memories.

Losing a dear roommate is always hard…but easier because I love Amy & Greg together.


A day spent in Mount Adams….picnicking, napping, laughing, discovering, talking, reflecting…

Going to Chicago to see James Taylor. To get to see him at the Ravinia was remarkable…Its such a great venue! I loved Zimm really enjoying his time at the concert, fresh strawberry orange juice, good conversations, and firsts.


Celebrating my parent’s 40 years of marriage by spending a week in June with my immediate and extended family in North Carolina was such a delight. However, getting a speeding ticket coming home…not so delightful.


House Church...Fireworks...Rita’s

Spending lots of time on front porches and back decks. Whether it was watching thunderstorms roll thru, camping out on them, grilling, or laughing until I wanted to cry.

Visiting with friends who live far away, who have come home.




Seeing Beck grow up right before my eyes.


Redoing our front room. Ripping carpet up to discover beautiful floors. New style…. However, I did NOT enjoy painting for eleven hours.

NYC.


So this is my farewell to the sweetness of summer. You'll be missed. I'll think of you often. Farewell, until we meet again.....

Carpe Diem

I love love love movies that develop, not just a story line, but spend time developing the character’s lives to complement the story line. I, in turn, get even more excited when the roles reverse and the narrative of the character’s seem to be the driving force of the movie. Some might argue that you have to have both faucets, to even have a movie. However, I disagree. I’ve watched too many movies recently were we are served up shallow, lackluster characters that are just mere puppets to push a silly horribly written script. Please know I do not consider myself a movie critic. But the older I get, the more my time means to me. Therefore, it frustrates me when I end up wasting my time watching some type of propaganda or mindless fluff. I want something with substance.

With that being said, I finally watched Dead Poets Society on Monday night. I’ve wanted to watch it since it was released in 1989. I don’t think I was old enough to be allowed to watch it, at the ripe old age of 8. That was probably a wise move on my parent’s part. I probably would have started to “seize the day” and “think freer” a lot sooner than later. That would have ultimately led me to getting spanked and sent to my room. Where, subsequently I would have all the time I wanted to think freely and plan how I would seize the NEXT day. Because, of course, that day would be spent in my room, where I would have been expected to think about why I had been spanked and sent to my room.

Anyway, I recommend watching the movie if you haven’t already. Don’t expect it to be a fasted paced, easy unfolding movie. It’s enjoyable, but only because it spurred me to think about my life. To question whether or not I’m seizing each day I live. And for me, it is not about questioning whether or not I’m successful or adventurous. But more importantly, am I sharing Christ’s love and grace with others? Am I thinking outside my little box about how Christ can use me to impact those in which I come into contact.

Watch the movie. Start thinking.

“To quote from Whitman, ‘O me! O life!...of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?’ Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?” -John Keating (Robin Williams Character in Dead Poets)


“I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life... to put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
-Henry David Thoreau

Labor Day Love

This past weekend I completed what will be considered the last road trip of the summer. Adrianne and I headed up to Brooklyn, NY to visit some long time best friends Corrie and Matt.


Twenty Hours roundtrip in a car, countless miles walked around the city, a couple of disease possibly contracted from the subway, and lots of funny things said this weekend. Here are some of the random observations and things we learned on our trip.

1. Bobo (Adrianne) used cruise control for the first time. I'm so proud of her.
2. Pennsylvania and 1-80 do not love Wendy's. We waited at least one hour before coming across an exit that donned that glorious picture of the pigtailed red headed girl... I think Dave Thomas would roll in his grave if he knew about that.
3. Boyz II Men & Dashboard Confessional make for great "sing-a-long in the wee hours of the morning" cd's.
4. NYC is hard to navigate when you haven't slept in over 19 hours. They need to quit hiding tiny street signs behind big steel poles. I will say that FDR Blvd. IS a nice drive, but does NOT have many options to turn around if you need to.
5. Brooklyn is sterotypically right on the money in regards to how it is portrayed in movies. Complete with a) lots of Italians who love to decorate what little property they have with statues of the mother Mary, b) Mobsters, and c) women with big hair, thick accents, and fake nails.
6. I love the oversaturated market of nail salons on the east coast. It makes getting a manicure and pedicure for $19.99 possible.
7. People in Manhattan are mean. People in Brooklyn are nice.
8. I love the variety of good food that NYC has to offer. But hate the prices.
9. I miss living close to Corrie and Matt.
10. Going to Brooklyn Tabernacle is one of the highlights of the trip. It made me long to be in Heaven singing praises to my God.

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment...

Le Petite, The coolest restaurant in Brooklyn.














The best dessert offered in NYC. Pinkberry is a must, if you're ever there.

This would only happen in NYC. Just to let you know that a) This is a man b)thankfully we only saw him from this perspective c)i lose my appetite everytime i see this.


Thanks to Corrie and Matt for letting us stay at their beautiful apartment. I had a good time...

Obama and Lion Love

Two things:

First, I know in the world of media this is really old news. But I laugh every time I think about it. That a person who is jockeying for the position of the President of the United States can think that this will solve the energy solution.

Properly inflate your tires.

Someone probably lost their job on Obama's campaign team.



Secondly, I know this video has been out a long time. I saw it for the first time last week on t.v. I probably would have cried, except at that exact moment I was trying not to puke from the video's hokey sound track.

I want a lion.