Tag I'm It: Crazy 8's

Jill has tagged me to answer the following questions. Hopefully I am not the last one this time Jill (aka, blog police!) :)

8 TV Shows I like:

1) 24

2) The Office

3) Law & Order

4) Felicity (I used to watch the DVDs with my college roommates all the time! My new roommate doesn't seem to want to do the same...)

5) What Not to Wear

6) Cake Contest Shows (not sure what the real name of the show is)

I don't watch tons of TV show I can't really think of any other shows that I really like.

8 Restaurants I enjoy:

1) Cafe Red Onion

2) Chuys

3) PF Changs

4) Panera

5) Amazon Grill

6) Canyon Cafe

7) Cyclone Anayas

8) Chili's

8 Things that happened today:

1) I went to church

2) I got frustrated at Old Navy for not giving me the 20% off that my coupon claimed I would receive

3) Made green bean casserole for the first time

4) Washed laundry

5) Cleaned

6) Went to a potluck dinner at a friend's house and ate delicious food

7) Recorded 24 the mini movie, on VHS

8) Planned out in my head my next craft project. My inspiration comes from Becky. She posted a blog recently about collecting some pine cones to use for decoration. I have a clear glass bowl on our kitchen table filled with fake green apples that I want to trade out. I think I am going to collect some pine cones and glitter them and put them in the bowl. Maybe mix in some small round ornaments for some Christmas flare.

8 Things I am looking forward to

1) Seeing Greg's family for Thanksgiving, especially Cutie McChunky. (Picture stolen from Jill's blog)

2) Our office pot-luck lunch on Tuesday 3) Christmas music starting this week 4) Making a gingerbread house at some point in December
5) Seeing my sister in a few weeks and meeting their new dog Duma
6) 5 days in a row of no work over Thanksgiving
7) Watching 24 the mini-movie
8) Shane and Shane in concert at HFBC in December

I am skipping the last set of 8's because it is my "wish list", which i guess would be my Christmas list unless I wanted to list all serious things like world peace. So anyway, I'll leave that one out. Also, I am blogging right before bed and about to fall asleep so better wrap it up! Thanks for giving me some blogging material Jill!

If We Understood Everything in the Bible...

Would we still want to read it?

Would we want to study it?

Would we get bored with it?

Would we even want to go to bible study?

Would that knowledge puff us up with pride?

Would we delight in it?

Tonight I was thinking how great it is that we DON'T understand everything that is written in the Bible. We had some really good discussions at our small group Bible study. Many good questions were posed. Questions that cannot be answered in a night. Or maybe a lifetime. Questions that the great theologians have debated for centuries. Questions that are fun to think about. The kind that make your brain hurt as you think out loud.

For example... What is the wrath of God? I mean, what is it EXACTLY? Jesus suffered the wrath of God in our place. We (all sinners) deserve God's righteous and just wrath. But in God's mercy, through faith in Jesus Christ, we are no longer under God's wrath. Jesus took our place and paid for all our sins. But what exactly was God's wrath that Jesus suffered? Was it His crucifixion? Lot's of people have been crucified throughout history. Was He sent to Hell before He rose on the third day? I don't believe that but I have heard it preached before. Was it the fact that his death was undeserved because he was the only one who could ever live a perfect life and fulfill the standard of righteousness?

I like questions like these. And this may have a simple answer that can be found with more research and study. But in general, I like deep questions that make you think. It makes studying God's word so exciting. If you think about it, it is simply amazing that the Bible never gets old. Can you imagine a book or movie or song that you NEVER get tired of reading/watching/hearing? You could read the bible over and over again your whole life and still not exhaust it. There is infinite wisdom to be grasped. No other author could do this. Only God. No other book could be the best seller of all time. God doesn't even need sequels. He doesn't even need any new material. The same thing just keeps getting printed out and people just keep buying it. How great is that! His revealed word is sufficient to keep us busy for a lifetime.

Weekend in Pictures

I was tagged by my sister-in-law, Jill, to post the 6th picture in my 6th folder of pictures. Here is what we got.

Greg took this picture when we were in California. I think it is really pretty; I love his close-up shots. Although I was hoping for a picture that was a bit more interesting. Something more ridiculous. Something more like this.

Oh well. Maybe next time.

And while I am posting pictures, might as well just post picture from this weekend since there were a lot of good ones. Friday we took the day off work and my parent's took Greg and I fishing out on Sabine Lake with a guide. It was a blast. We didn't catch too many fish but we had fun trying. Here is my cute fisherman.

Here are my parents. I think this is a great picture. My Mom is making my Dad's camo jacket look stylish.

After we went fishing we decided to drive through Bolivar and Galveston to see where our old beach house used to be. My parent's sold it years ago so luckily we didn't own it at the time of Ike, but it was really sad to see Crystal Beach so devastated after years and years of memories spending summers on that beach. You can see in the picture below that this row of houses is completely gone. This neighborhood actually had houses, but some neighborhoods further East didn't have a single house standing.

That concrete slab and one post was literally all that was left of our old beach house. My Aunt and Uncle's old house used to be in front of it (which would be to the right in this picture, towards the water) is completely gone along with all the surrounding houses.

Someone had started piling things up on one of the concrete slabs. I found 5 pieces of silverware and added it to the pile. Who knows if the people who owned these things will ever come back for them.

I just think this picture is cool .Greg took it into a piece of broken mirror and my parents are off to the side.

A Good Post on Adoption

I read a really good post recently on adoption from a blog that I stalk. It is lengthy, but really good. Really thought-provoking. I just read it to Greg while he was fixing his fishing reel :) We agreed that we had both never thought about things in this way before. The basic point of the post is that it is easy to be anti-abortion. We should be anti-abortion, because as Christians, we are called to not murder. But beyond being anti-abortion, are we actually doing anything to be pro-life? Would we really even consider adopting? This is a great quote from her post....

"If abortion ended tomorrow (how cool would that be?) would there even be enough Christian, pro-life parents who would bring one of those babies home? Would there be enough volunteers at our local crisis pregnancy center?"

I'm not saying after reading this post, that we are considering adoption. I have thought about adoption before, but like she mentions in the post, it is easy to say that you would consider adoption. But you haven't really considered it unless you have researched it or contacted an adoption agency. So we really haven't actually considered adoption. But this has challenged me to one day in the future when we are thinking about growing our family, to put more thought into this. Also, my cousin Jodi is in the process of trying to adopt a baby, which is really encouraging to hear.

I would love to tell more about the main points, but no need repeating everything she says since she says it so well. So if you get a chance, this post is a good one to ponder.

Crock Pot Intervention

When Greg and I registered for wedding gifts, we registered for a crock pot. I really wanted a crock pot. I've never owned one before, but they look like so much fun. I daydreamed about coming home to a big pot of steaming deliciousness after work. Someone was nice enough to give us a crock pot. But 8 months after our wedding, the crock pot is still sitting in the closet. I can't figure out why!

I really want to use it. I think about it a lot. Mostly as I am walking to my car in the parking garage at work, leaving to go home. I think, 'dang it, why didn't I use the crock pot this morning? If I did, then I would have a nice warm pot of yumminess waiting for me; and I wouldn't have to do a thing. Sometimes I even look up crock pot recipes. I plan out meals in my head that will be made in my magical pot. But still, I haven't gotten around to using it. I need help. I need to take action. So I have decided to put myself on a 5 step program.

Step 1: Get out the crock pot

You may be thinking this is an easy step that doesn't even need to be classified as a step. Wrong. The crock pot is not just sitting in a cabinet. No. It is sitting in a box...in a closet...namely, the "wedding closet". The storehouse for all things big and beautiful received as wedding gifts that do not fit in our kitchen cabinets. Even the world champion Tetris player could not recreate what is going on in that closet. And the beloved crock pot is on bottom. You should see Greg's face when I tell him I need something out of the wedding closet. You would think I have asked him to attend a scrap booking meeting with me. Occasionally I get things out of that closet, but the boxes never fit back the same way, and the stacks become more and more unstable. But this step has to be taken. I am giving myself until next Sunday night.

Step 2: Pick out a recipe

This step should not be hard. I actually have a crock pot cookbook, and I have an email list of about 100 crock pot recipes that a co-worker had given me a long time ago.

Step 3: Pick a day to make the meal

I should probably try it out on a Sunday. I could put the food in either before or after church instead of having to get up earlier on a work day to try to figure everything out.

Step 4: Buy the ingredients

Step 5: Fire up the crock pot!

I'll report back after my first crock pot dinner.

Trade a Book Club

Never lend books, for no one ever returns them; the only books I have in my library are books that other people have lent me. - Anatole France

I know I have done this to people. In fact I probably have books that have been sitting on my shelf for years that aren't mine. Come to think of it, I think I have my friend Katie's Harry Potter book from at least 5 years ago. Katie - if you read this blog and are still up for lunch tomorrow, I will bring it with me. Surprise! Bet you forgot about that one :)

Also, I know I have lent out books that I have never seen since. Speaking of which, does anyone have my book Chosen by God?

Anyway, even though lending and borrowing books is risky business, it is great fun! So I was thinking, we should have a book sharing club. Has anyone read any really good books recently that they highly recommend? Is anyone looking for a new book to start reading and wants some suggestions? Want to trade books for a while? Great.

First, I have decided to put up on the sidebar the book that I am currently reading. I also put Greg's current book up there if any guys or husbands want suggestions. Now, please don't think I am trying to show how awesome I am by flashing around the books I am reading. I am not awesome. I am not very disciplined at extra-curricular reading. I go through phases. But overall, I enjoy reading and would like to do more of it. I like to know what other people are reading. I like to hear of good books. In fact, the book I am reading now, I heard about through a blog that I follow. So I just wanted to share what I am reading, in case it benefits anyone like I have benefited from others.

Secondly, I put up a short list of books that Greg and/or I have read and really enjoyed. If anyone wants to swap books for a bit for one on the list, then just let me know. And you don't even have to swap. Feel free to borrow any of those books if you would like. We have others, but those are our top 10 picks. Anyway, just wanted to put that out there. Happy reading!

Update

I'm back to the blogging world. These past couple of weeks have been pretty busy and I haven't had time to blog. Greg keeps telling me I better blog before I loose all my readers. So sorry for all those who check and are disappointed every time there is no new blog. I know the feeling. I get disappointed every time I check a friend's blog excitedly expecting an update only to see the same old post. Then I think to myself, why don't I just get those side bar blog update things that shows each person's latest post? But then I remind myself that is no fun because it ruins the surprise of finding out if there is a new post or not.

So last week we got some sad news. My Mom's brother, My Uncle Butch, passed away due to a blood clot in his brain. He had been sick for a while, on dialysis, and was awaiting a kidney transplant. The blood clot was a complication from a procedure he was having done to get rid of an infection. He lives in California, so I didn't even get to say goodbye. The last time I saw him was last summer when him and my Aunt came and stayed with us at the beach. The picture of him below is from that summer. We made fun of him because he caught the tiniest catfish possible on his fishing pole.

Greg and I, along with my sister, Cody, Mom, and Dad, flew out to California on Friday to attend the memorial service. It was a really emotional weekend. The service was nice, and they told many great stories about my Uncle. He had a great sense of humor, always making people laugh. Since I was a baby he has lovingly called me "minor potty" and my sister "major potty". Luckily my diapers weren't as bad as my sister's were, so I get to be minor. Sorry Lauren. Uncle Butch and my Uncle Chuck who also lives in California would always joke around with each other. One time Uncle Butch was at Uncle Chucks house and noticed how the water in the toilets was blue. He said, how did you get that blue water in there? Uncle Chuck decides to give him a hard time and says, "Oh, we have it piped in. It's only a few extra bucks a month to keep the toilets clean. You just have to call the water people". Well my Uncle Butch actually calls the water company asking for the blue water. They tell him there is no such thing. He insists, explaining how his brother has the service, and gives them their address and everything. Uncle Chuck gave him a hard time about it ever since. Uncle Butch had such a fun personality, and will truly be missed.

The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out with family I hadn't seen in a really long time. My cousins had kids I had never even met. It was good to be surrounded by family. We flew home on Sunday and by the time we got back to our apartment we were exhausted. It was only a short trip, but I am really glad we went.

As a side note, since Halloween just passed, look how precious our niece is. What a cutie!