A Little Boy & Anethesia

After the Dentist

Quote that made me laugh: "You have four eyes... I, I feel funny."
But when he said, "Why is this happening to me? Is this going to be forever?" my heart melted... poor guy!

Zambia

Whether I go or not, God has work for me to do. 

Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 

Philippians  2

Otherwise Doomed to Futility

The interesting thing is, it's pride to think that any of our finite attempts at greatness will actually be great. We are doomed to futility, except God chooses to bring glory to Himself through our words, causing what we have made to transcend into a realm of eternal significance. Not because we are great...Not because we do a single impressive thing. But because we are empty vessels and He fills us with Himself--so that the surpassing greatness of the power would be from Him and not from ourselves.

...God is sovereign. Let's not fight Him for our futures.

Yet this isn't an excuse for apathy. I'm reminded of Jacob who wrestled with the pre-incarnate Son of God. When he discovered the identity of his opponent, Jacob then exclaimed, “I won't let You go unless You bless me!” That took guts, and God honored his initiative, blessing Jacob; but the blessing wasn't entirely what Jacob bargained for, being also blessed for the rest of his life with a dislocated hip. I think God instilled that “thorn in the flesh” as a reminder--Jacob was a finite human being who benefited from the blessing of an all-powerful, holy God...and with every labored step he took throughout his life, he could never forget the power that ultimately ruled over him.

So take the initiative. Work. But...it's God --it really, really, really is God-- who supplies results.

from Beauty from the Heart

8 + 7 = 15

1. I am not fifteen years old.
   
2. "Humble and I know that I am" is a once-loved song from my past. I now cringe at the thought.
   
3. If I could go anywhere, it might just be Morocco. And if I were there, a primary objective would be to eat an orange and drink the infamous coffee.
   
4. As of today, I've drank drinked drunk two cups of coffee in my life thus far.
   
5. 2.8 is a magic f-stop
   
6. When my mom asked me to explain to my brothers the other day how the War of 1812 started, I couldn't remember.
   
7. Ever seen those little round silver cake decorations? They're adorable.
   
8. Pineapple and blueberry are a fabulous color combination.
9. I am a unfortunately a dilettante at piano.
10. Maturity and reality have not taken a tole on me in the area of work - I still hope to have a job I like [most of the time anyway]
11. I'd like to go apple picking some time.
    
12. If in my life I could walk along a wall of Jelly Belly's and just pull the levers and eat them - wow.
13. Doing an Audrey Hepburn movie marathon would be great.
    
14. Being truly spontaneous is a rare but precious thing.
    
15. I went through a phase of loving stuffed monkeys.

why was six afraid of seven?

'cause seven eight nine. 

8 T.V. shows I watch

The Office
What Not to Wear
Gilmore Girls - the way they converse on & on & on in their own little world... I like.
American Idol - if I catch it
uhhhh oh! Ace of Cakes
just to fill in # 6 I'll say "other shows on Food Network"
annnnnndd I'm out.
so sorry. no more.

8 favorite restaurants

The Trattoria - best apple walnut salad ever... I've tasted many an apple walnut salad...
Chipotle's because we don't have one here yet & whenever I've gone there out of town it's been part of an amazing time
a certain Lebanese place
I really want to try Moroccan food...
Olive Garden or Panera are frequently called upon
Napoli's
Chick Fil A - why does listing that seem sort of sad? It's good; but it is fast food. but it's good stuff. 
Lidia's

8 Things I look forward to most in the morning

breakfast
brushing my teeth
seeing the sun shining
meeting God
getting the mail
driving home from the high school
seeing my brothers wrapped in blankets with sleepy faces and warm smiles

8 most recently viewed movies

pride and prejudice
north and south
finding nemo
cinderella
marley and me
million dollar mermaid
teacher's pet
it happened tomorrow

8 things one might find interesting or peculiar about me

i can't roll my tongue
there are over 16,000 pictures in my iphoto from a time period of two years
my favorite kind of popcorn is white kernels popped on the stove in oil
i like to mash bananas rather than eat them regularly
i like white bread if it's toasted and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar
i own a lime green nalgene bottle and think it's pretty cool
i've never gone rock climbing
i feel like this last number eight has to be really good to make a "last impression"

8 smells I love

chocolate
lilacs
my gramma's closet
the inside of my piano
fresh dirt
the christmas drink the c-family makes
starbucks stores
new paper