Happy New Year from a cute little girl!

Here is Anna in all her pink glory! (and my skinny sister!) :-)

Snow anyone?

So I'm resting here at my mom's laptop after a morning and part afternoon of shoveling through about 2.5 feet of snow...and we're not done yet!! I'm glad I got in Tuesday night I'll tell you that. I did come out here for snow and I must say God definitely gave me a positive answer to that request! It's been fun though, Mom and I have gotten a lot done inside so it's a successful storm all around. I'm definitely getting a workout-which is good since we can't make it to the gym as planned. We're taking turns with the shovel but I can't remember the last time I shoveled this much snow! I mean, growing up with it every winter is one thing but not having used those muscles in a while is worthy of a bath, in my opinion. Anyway, just thought I'd let everyone know that we are okay and slowly but surely digging our way out.
One funny thing I just saw a few minutes ago...a bunch of college guys had hooked up a tow type rope to the back of their car and one dude was snowboarding down the road behind them...it was great!!

thinking...how very dangerous for me

So I've hit a never before seen lull here at work, (commence sarcastic laughter now), and since I'm taking a break from posting other places, figured why not put something up here? Might be random thoughts but since do you get much else from me?

I finished all my shopping as of yesterday and am set for what may come - at least present wise. I'm getting ready for my visit to Mom and CO which begins next Tuesday! Yeah for moms who live with lots of snow!! Haven't seen much of that yet over here so fine, I'll fly to where it will actually feel like Christmas. Even though I know snow has nothing to do with Christmas, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera...I just like snow at Christmas time is that okay?

Random fun fact #1- Matt's parents and my mom will meet in the Denver airport on the 23rd. No one ever said our family was conventional!! (His or mine.) Long story short, he and his brothers are flying in to visit their mom and dad and since my mom lives so close to the airport we thought that might be as good a chance as any. Should be fun!
Random fun Fact #2- I'm meeting up with the Daggetts and Jennie Dangers while I'm there. Always fun to see new babies and old friends!!

Got my usual "Your 52 days are up can we get some more blood please?" phone call from the Red Cross wanting my life-giving blood, so I need to make an appt. That's what happens when you're a life donor, which I would highly recommend for anyone who is able. It's great and I often see the same nurses and the same donors, which makes it quite familiar and fun!! It's like a little we love to give blood family. :)

So my sis and I were watching Biggest Loser 3 Finale last night and we were crying! Anyone else absolutely amazed with Eric, Jaron and Brian? And go Poppi from NJ!!! Way to represent girl. Losing half your body weight - that's just crazy! And didn't Heather look good for being 5 months pregnant? What a great show!!

Okay, that's pretty good. I have a bit of stuff to do before I take off. It's funny that as soon as people know you are going on vacation they all of a sudden have tons of stuff they need you to do before you leave. Maybe I'll just sneak out one day...shhhh!

Unless something major happens I probably won't blog until after I get back so Merry Christmas to all and to all a good flight! (oh wait, that's me!)

In one ear and out the other

Okay- I'm officially a winter wimp. Although the winds are blowing at 20 mph and it's about 27 degrees (but really feels like 11 degrees) it still shouldn't be that bad for a girl who lived the first 23 1/2 years of her life in the upper Midwest. I just had to walk across campus to get the President's signature and as I was walking in that afore-mentioned weather I realized I was freezing. My ears were frozen, my chin felt numb and my legs hurt from the wind. What??? I should be thriving on this but no, I'm freezing. Something has gone terribly wrong in the last 4 years - I'm afraid I'm adapting to mild Jersey winters and now when it's decidedly chilly I can't handle it. This makes me somewhat sad...but still, here I will stay until God tells me otherwise. At least there was a teeny bit of snow on my van this morning - now that's what I want to see!!

In other news, on Monday I went to Barnes & Noble to have a caramel steamer and read the conclusion of Captivating. Immediately upon finishing I set to work on the devotional I'm giving next week at our ladies Christmas Tea. I spent Monday evening, part of Tuesday and Wednesday evening going at it hammer and tong, if you will. So last night I did a dry run with my mentor, (sans the song I will play), and happy of all happies she really liked it! It's fun to learn things that impact and mature yourself as person but it's more fun to have the desire to share that with others and to see them grow and change right along with you. :-)

Also, I was reading cute cute Sarah Irani's blog a while ago and have decided to love my curls and take care of them as well as I can. So I haven't brushed my hair in a good few weeks and am learning all sorts of fun things to make it look even more fun! Someone asked the other night if I had gotten a perm, to which I replied no, I've just decided to love my curls instead of hiding them. Now, if I could only figure out how to eat without them getting in my food...

Come join us tonight for the 4th annual Christmas party at our house if you happen to be in the area!

Captivating Part 2

I'm still getting through this wonderful book and thought I'd share some more insight. I just finished the chapter titled Arousing Adam and find it amazing how things that we usually view as temptations or rabbit trails off the narrow road can actually lead to better relations and levels of intimacy with your spouse. To learn to take those opportunities or circumstances and turn them around to pursue such love and awakening with our husband or wife can create stronger bonds between each other. I'm clearly not married yet but simply knowing how I can encourage my brothers to pursue a higher calling in the midst of all this wordly confusion is a gift I have unwrapping for a few years but I think I'm finally getting through the tape and into the real gift.
The Eldredges say that the deepest fear of women is abandonment and for men is failure, (amen to that!), but also that men still long to be looked upon as a Hero and challenged to show their strength and ability. But we as woman need to know that we can make or break that desire or the result of such a test. To let him know that he is needed and believed in is so necessary and a must for a healthy relationship. I am trying to think of good ways to try these ideas out and since I have such a good man to try then with, it's worth a shot. :-) It's not easy or natural for me to be super sensitive or aware but I'm learning.
There was also a chapter about womanly relationships and how vital they are to simply being a woman. We all have been given the gift of mothering far beyond bearing children. Whenever we see a need and rise to fill it or love each other or are a part of bringing out and nuturing the true heart of a friend we are mothering. This is something that is great for all of us to realize and put into practice. Though we childless women are often looked down upon, God has still show His love toward us in this inborn, innate desire and gift of mothering with which He has blessed us.
Okay, on to the next chapter. Have a marvelous day!

The Nativity Story

I saw the Nativity Story last night and I highly recommend it. It made the lives of Mary and Joseph so much more real and now I see them in a different light. I can't imagine how difficult their lives must have been! I do agree with Matt on the comic relief they threw in. They didn't make it a boring and totally serious movie, for which I was thankful. So I say go see it and enjoy the story of the birth of our Lord yet again, but for the first time.
I was also playing around with the settings and templates on here and had some fun changing and adding a few things to my blog. Have a great day!

It's been a while

So I was talking with Amy the other night and she made me realize I hadn't blogged in a while so here I am! Lots of things have happened since I was on last - my sis had another birthday, (and Dave and I successfully pulled off a surprise party for her), Anna turned 9 months and is close to having 4 teeth, I started dating again, had a really fun Thanksgiving with family and friends, planned a trip to visit Mom over Christmas and I'm sure other things as well.

I had a fun Thanksgiving and we had a ton of food. I'm not even sure it's all gone yet - I think I saw some mashed potatoes in my sister's fridge last night when I was babysitting. :-)

Alright, back to the work sitting in front of me staring me in the face...until next time.

p.s. I highly recommend Bebo Norman's most recent album and Shawn McDonald's Simply Nothing album. :-)

Back again

It's been a while but it's been busy. My roomie is actually home tonight so we need to figure out details for our 4th annual Christmas party, when we are cleaning the house and when we are putting up the tree...I also need to buy my ticket to go visit Mom over Christmas, read more of my book(s), charge my phone and a few other things. So because of all that and the beauty of procrastination, here I sit, happily procrastinating and blogging to you.

So for all the lackadaisical workdays I've had recently, I'm making up for it. With the 2006 United Way Campaign in action plus working on this year's annual Financial reports the days have been flying by. Thank goodness the University only has about 5,000 employees - I have no idea how I'd handle all the donations if there were more! It's good to feel like I'm actually earning my paycheck but nice to get paid whether or not I'm actually working the entire day.

It's rainy and wet this week but no snow as of yet. I don't mind snow at all, duh, but I do mind how drivers completely forget how to navigate those large vehicles they have been certified to drive on a regular basis! Ah, Jersey drivers... and don't even start me on what happens when it rains.

Okay, I've postponed long enough plus my tummy is telling me it's dinnertime - so I'm going to head downstairs to make some food. Happy reading to all and to all a good night!

Captivating

So my mom brought the above mentioned book out for me to read. I started it on my lunch hour and am intrigued. I have all of John Eldredge's other books and this was is just as good. It's interesting to me to see how he and his wife uncover some deep truths about Godly femininity and how they are so right on. The three truths of man and the three truths of women are incredibly complimentary and God continues to awe me with His truth, beauty and grace.

One of the lines that caught my eye was this: "By 'mystery' we don't mean 'forever beyond your knowing,' but something to be explored." This is a much more healthy and alluring definition of such a word as mystery. If even "angels long to look into these things," how much more should we as His beloved, hand-crafted sons and daughters, search out the mysteries of God and all that surrounds Him? It's such a fun adventure to embark upon or to continue the search we have already begun. My personal view of mystery is that the more that is uncovered, the more I see there is to discover. How great is that? A consistent, persistent pursuit of God is about as exciting as it gets. We might never know the answer until we reach heaven but it's still worth whole-heartedly pursuing while we are still down here!

Mom's here!

My mom is out here visiting for a few days and it's fun when she comes out. The kids love it of course and it's good to catch up and just sit around talking. I went to the Philly airport to pick her up yesterday and because of my sister's wonderful suggestion of perhaps eating at Franklin Mills, (an outlet center), we got through Philly traffic and ate and did a little shopping. I've always wondered, why do people say "We didn't do too bad" when they come out with a few or more packages? Just one of those things I've never understood.
I think Matt's going to come over sometime this weekend while she's here so that should be fun. They only met once before, at least 3 1/2 years ago but they know a bit about each other so it should be good. He's hung out with Dave and Bethany so they know him a bit too. It's always fun to introduce someone new to our family. Though I don't know how new he is, since we've been good friends essentially since I moved out here and done lots of things together. And I'm sure he'll appreciate reading about himself online...
Work has been fairly steady, yet somehow still dull. Ah well, finance has never really been that exciting of a field for me! As soon as United Way starts up I'll wish for these peaceful days but until then, I'll find other ways to amuse myself- not an unusual task for me here at work. Have a great day!

Put on a happy face...

...cause Anna certainly is!

2 nephews & a niece

Here are some pictures of the kids I thought you might enjoy:

2 sisters reading to 2 brothers

Even Sim thought he looked old in this picture

the highway men come riding

Joely learns to wink with Grandpa

our cute little Anna comfy in Papa's arms

a little Joely lion and a Simeon tiger at a Princeton vs. Brown football game

Adjustments

So I've definitely adjusted from the midwest freezes in the past four years. It's about 55 degrees today and I'm wearing a jacket and close-toed shoes! In Jersey! The weather is crazy but no snow yet so nothing too horrible. Life has been really good as of late and I'm enjoying what each day brings.
So, for any of you who might randomly or not so randomly read my blog, what is your perspective on women leading in the church? No specifics necessary, just a question I'd like to pose to you. I'd love to know your thoughts!
I'm out for now...it's Tiger Noodles time with the fam. :-)

A Time for Everything

So yesterday was an interesting day emotionally. In church we got the announcement that our senior pastor has resigned. Not for any negative reasons, thank the Lord, just church related necessities. Needless to say, in the past 3 and 1/2 years they have been with me through so many things and are much more than just my pastor and his wife - they are unbelievably good friends. So much sniffling and crying was heard yesterday in church. We are small as it is and so close and this is a huge loss for all of us. The associate pastor spoke and focused on all that God will do for them and for us in the coming months. I went through this with my church back in Hillsdale as well and I know two things: 1) We have no idea the great things and open doors God has in store for us and 2) knowing the people and hearts of love in our church, we will look back from the other side and be amazed and thankful that God has brought us through. If any of you know my past couple of years, you know I recently just got done mourning a loss and here we go again - clearly there is more that God wants of me.

On the other hand, I had a talk with a friend last night that made me happy and look forward to the future as well, just a little different aspect. There is a time for mourning and a time for joy, now I have to figure out how to balance them out.

Pictures of life

my church small group
my three favorite relatives my first deep sea fishing catch

Sim and I at a minor league baseball game
a family photo at Wolfson College (sans Anna)