Quotes

Here are some quotes that make me smile, laugh (maybe both), and think. These are all random and give insight into my sense of humor (dry humor). And some are just fun. Enjoy.

"How much better is it to weep at joy than to joy at weeping!"
- Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing

"I don't have to be careful, I've got a gun!"
- Homer Simpson

" The course of true love never did run smooth."
- Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

"Your chances of getting hit by lighting go up it you stand under a tree, shake your fist at the sky, and say 'storms suck!'"
- Johnny Carson

"It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black."
- This is Spinal Tap

"Don't ask me any questions right now. I'm grumpy and I'll probably make fun of you."
- Effie Kaligaris

"We are born believing. A man bears beliefs, as a tree bears apples."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them, and you have their shoes."
-Frieda Norris

"...you can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."
-E.L. Doctorow

"Fear is that little darkroom where negatives are developed."
-Michael Pritchard

"He made the world to be a grassy road before her wandering feet."
-W.B. Yeats

Happiness

This week's been really good so far. Not that everything has been smooth, but I just haven't been stressing so much. I love my classes, and couldn't ask for a better small group. God's graces and mercies are so good. My BCM started off well this semester and we have a lot of potential for next fall. I guess I'm just excited for what He is doing. Last semester seems like such a blur to me. For some reason, Spring semester is always my best semester even though it's the longest. Okay, so here is a list of stuff that makes me smile:

1. Much Ado About Nothing (One of my favorite plays. Beatrice and Benedict make me laugh out loud when I'm reading the play...okay more like giggle.)
2. Watching my mother when she gets excited about something.
3. Noticing that my brother has been wearing the same pants for the last week. And that he hasn't noticed.
4. That people enjoy standing by me because they feel taller.
5. My curly hair that has a mind of it's own
6. People watching
7. Singing really loud in my car when no one is with me
8. My dogs' antics
9. Professor Soren's jokes
10. Life

Goodness!

Okay, so last November my friend Maureen and I decided that we were going to work out so we looked nice in Bridemaid dresses for March. After some false starts...mainly me recovering from a cold...we started today. I had never been in the Rec center...ever, until today. Now I see what my 25 dollars per semester goes for 1) In door track 2) basketball courts 3) racket ball courts 4) swimming pool 5) Weight room 6) Exercise classrooms...wow. Didn't know what I was missing out on. Quite fun. I'd forgotten that nice I just torn muscles and I'm going to be really sore tomorrow, but I feel really great right now feeling. Priceless. I think that's one of the things I've missed in college. In highschool I loved P.E. I hate running, but I loved it when I improved on my mile times and playing random sports. I miss soccer too! I guess I'm high off of indorphins (probably spelled that wrong). And I'll probably be really sore tomorrow, but so worth it. Okay, I'm going to get some really good sleep :)

Waiting in His Strength

"I could not help it: the restlessness was in my nature; it agitated me to pain sometimes." Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre

I detest periods of waiting. I hate them actually. Okay, maybe hate is too strong of a word...dislike is maybe a better word. I like to be constantly doing something, anything. I think that was one of the reasons why last semester was so hard for me. The waiting and the resting. Ms. Bronte describes the feeling so well. A restlessness that knaws at you. Reflecting on the semester -as much as I dislike waiting and being still- I saw the importance of it. That it is when we are still and quiet that we can hear the voice of God. That we can see Him at work in our lives. And answering our prayers. I got to see a different side of God. It seemed like He carried me through the last 3 months and I didn't deserve it at all. I complained and whinned and questioned him. He should have dropped me, but He didn't. He is so good.

"He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted and young men will give up. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." -Isaiah 40:29-31 (one of my very favorite passages)

Who would have thought that waiting could be associated with running and walking? I guess it all depends on who you are waiting on. Waiting on yourself or your circumstance will get you no where. But waiting on the Lord will send you running in the right direction. Running on His strength. Oh, how great is the God we serve!

Back in the Saddle Again

So the first day back to school has come and gone....and it was FANTASTIC! I don't think I've ever been so excited about classes I'm taking. English and Classics professors are stinking awesome. My Middle Ages English Professor it the spitting image of Bilbo Baggins from the movie Lord of the Rings. He is hilarious...I'm being taught by a hobbit. You just want to pinch his cheeks. My Roman Architecture Professor has a medical release to have his dog with him to relieve stress, so we get to pet a cute little beagle during class. And I met a girl that has the same major and minor as me, and she's a Christian and wants to go into publishing for Life Way. How cool is that?! I haven't even been to Shakespeare yet (I have 7 of his plays I need to read this semester...and I bought 3 extra because I just had to have them...I am such a nerd).

God is so GOOD! Last semester was pretty blah class-wise...and now I have my first English class where I do not have to write a single essay. Bliss. Don't deserve a bit of it. I could sing and dance right now. Shakespeare, Victorian Lit, and Accounting are tomorrow. I can't wait. I've heard from many a person that Accounting is hard, but I think I'm up for a challenge. I can always read books last minute...but it's been awhile where I've had constant homework every night. I always get better grades when I'm challenged. So yeah, I'm in a good mood. Hope everyone's enjoying their breaks!

Home Sweet Home

I'm home. I can't believe I start classes Wednesday! But I'm home and I'm excited about this semester. It's going to be tough, but I can't wait to see what Christ is going to do in my life and the lives of others. Words are such a poor instrument to communicate the state of the heart, but EXCITEMENTt is definately running through my veins. I felt like last semester I was in a holding pattern, waiting and being prepared for something....and now I just might be able to get a glimpse of what I've been waiting on the Lord for. He is SO good! Okay it's naptime for me....

Life Impact

The last four days have been pretty intense. I think I am still processing what happened. It was amazing on so many different levels: the speakers were fantastic, the time I got to reconnect with old friends as well as making new friends, and hearing stories from so many people about how the Father is working in their lives...and so much more. He is so good!

One particular time I think I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life. It was the last day of the the conference and Jenny Van Dyck, Debby Adams and I went out to lunch to share what God had been doing in our lives since Project Impact '04. Three hours of sharing what God had taught us in that first summer, telling stories, laughing, and encouraging one another. During that time I couldn't help but think how awesome is the God that we serve. He has taken us all in different directions and has different plans for our lives. But we are still the body and where ever we go, we will always be connected through Christ.

So much is going to happen in the next couple of years. I am excited to see what the Father has in store for me. I pray that He would give me the strength to rely on Him and not to fear the unknown. That I would rest on His promises and seek his face first. And that His praises would be continually on my lips. Oh How Great is Our God!