My Favorite Things!

Here's my list:


Eric Carle books, Mafia, bran muffins, the Russian language, irises, Pez dispensers, monarch butterflies, homemade Valentines, farm animals, origami, fruit snacks, the smell after blowing out candles on a birthday cake, the Nutcracker, brand new crayons, going to sleep during a thunderstorm, fresh picked strawberries, Johnny Cash, piñatas, brand new socks, Neapolitan ice cream, staring at the stars, scratch and sniff stickers, pumpkin bars, getting in your car and just driving, fresh baked bread, postage stamps, guacamole dip, campfires, cookie cutters, snow days, the sound of skate blades on ice, chocolate fondue fountains, gingerbread houses, little girls in Easter dresses, green bean casserole, the sound of coins clinking, sidewalk chalk, arcade games, shadow puppets, tiramisu, Globe Trekker, hand sanitizer, Elkay drinking fountains, Pigtail Bridge in the Black Hills, lattes in the morning, taking long bubble baths with candles and soft music, lilacs, gelato, Pig Mania, cute old couples, biscotti, long car trips with good music, ice cream sandwiches, shaggy carpet you can sink your toes into, Gooseberry Falls, flying over the Rocky Mountains, my guy friends who are gentlemen, thinking so deeply you confuse yourself, reading your favorite story books again, tuxedos, coming up with your own philosophies, dial telephones, daisies, garden hoses, scrapbooking, cotton candy, star tripping, Audrey Hepburn, fairytales, going out of your way to step on an exceptionally crunchy leaf, Palmolive dish soap, going swimming at night, reminiscing, goldfish crackers, going to the hospital to see the newborn babies, bluegrass music, Monet, whipped cream, ice sculptures, dominoes, taffeta, old farm houses, getting surprise packages in the mail, a good attitude among bad ones, sunlight streaming in through a window, down comforters, grandma’s potato salad, artistic photography, banana cream pie, sparklers, Italian sodas, baby kittens, Peggy Fleming’s chartreuse dress, the first warm days of spring, Saints of Virtue, Stephen Bly books, hearty laughter, San Juan Capistrano, getting to be first in line, My Fair Lady, baby clothes, old-fashioned clothespins, big sunglasses, the color pink, finding a new flavor of gum, hearing bullfrogs in a pond at night, inside jokes, dying Easter eggs, logic puzzles that leave you satisfied when you are done, finding out something is on sale when you thought it wasn’t, homemade quilts, leaving footprints on the sidewalk when your feet are wet, dreaming up all the places you want to travel, getting a lot of questions right when watching Jeopardy!, crab rangoon, moonlight on water, holding hands, pearl necklaces, getting your favorite magazine in the mail, Sunday dinner at the Hermans', little boys all dressed up, cartwheels and handsprings, Shirley Temples, kayaking, the stillness after rain, marble cake, big cities at night, daydreaming, getting back from a vacation and finding lots of messages on your answering machine, tiffany lamps, the county fair...

A quick thought.

I feel the simmering urge to blog. Just something. Anything.

It's gonna be quick, since I have to actually get up in the morning. (We've had 2 snow days and tomorrow unfortunately returns to normalcy).

You know those times in your life when so much is going on around you? So many people are experiencing things that are difficult and it's really tough not to get your own emotions involved. It's like 10 million things are happening all at once, having direct effects on those around you, which in turn affects you significantly. You can't help but worry, hope, and pray for them. That is what has been happening to me as of late. So many difficult situations have arose, and even though I'm not going through them, they are making my emotions go crazy!

So much emotion...so much to think. I know if I didn't turn to God and give all of these worries to him, I wouldn't be able to handle everything. I know that not just my own worries and problems draw me closer to God, but also the problems of others. I want so desperately to help and to soothe, but I am only human and I cannot fix everything. Only God can, and realizing that is so comforting. I have the reassurance that God is taking care of everything that I am going through, as well as every single detail of every situation that others are experiencing. We have the comfort of knowing that He works out everything for good, and that He has plans to prosper us and not harm us (even though at times it's nearly impossible to see that). God is so good!

I want so desperately to be able to praise God in the storm, and not just during the good times. I used to never be able to talk about this, simply because I thought any mention of God being good during a storm would immediately bring a storm into my life. Well now I know that I will only be happy if I'm doing what God wants me to do, whether it's raining or not. I will be happy with God in a hurricane, but not if I'm alone in sunny weather. Hopefully this makes sense! Just a thought. :)

Christmas candy is so pretty.

To taste and see.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! - Psalm 34:8

Lately, this verse above has been woven in my mind. A lot of things have happened in the last couple weeks that have caused me to change. Things have been ripped away from me, which at first was very painful. I have never hurt worse in all of my life. I had put my trust in these things, counting on them to transpire and blossom into what I had been dreaming.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

You see, when you control something, you often don't leave room for God to take charge of it, too. You shove him out of the way. As much as you plan and scheme and dream, if it's not what God wants for your life, you will not be happy. No matter how much you desperately try.

So back to the verse.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

I want so badly to taste and see the greatness of God...not just little bits and pieces here and there, but everything. I want to see how beautiful my life can be when I fully trust him with every aspect of it. In letting go of things I put so much trust in, the only one left to trust is Jesus. When I trust him and let him love me, I will finally be able to taste and see the goodness of the Lord. I want so badly to be filled with his love, so that I will not be able to stop it from overflowing- I want to learn to love others unconditionally. I've learned that putting my trust in any other thing will only end in disappointment. Nothing can satisfy like Jesus.

It's scary to have faith in something that you don't know...something with no tangible proof. To people who have never tasted this goodness, or who have never seen that everything but God leads to emptiness, it seems crazy. Putting your entire trust in Jesus doesn't mean letting him have control of just one part of your life...like your job...but everything...your job, your relationships with those around you, what you spend your time doing, and every single thing in between. It's risky. It seems crazy. Things might not go the way you originally planned.

But it's totally worth it.

How wonderful it will be to look back and be filled with pure joy at what God has done in your life...simply because you gave it all to him.

So many lies...

Do you know how much God loves you?

Sometimes I forget completely. It is so easy to forget.

This video is amazing. It makes me cry! I so easily forget how much Satan wants us to believe his lies and to lose sight of God and his unending love for us. This video is a little graphic, but no more so than what is on TV (at least that's what I think). Watching it definitely helped me a lot, and you can see how powerful it is!

Here is the link:

The Arrows Band

Be blessed!

Black and White

Black and White

The colors swirl incessantly in my head

A black watercolor, a white oil paint

They churn and turn about, never mixing, always shifting

Two emotions, these are

How can there be two so different, but yet they inhabit the mind concurrently?

Forget the bodywash.

Cleanse your body with shampoo.

Let the water run so hot it feels cold

Against your skin.

A sheep

Its wool

With it I weave a tapestry, completely and solely white

Without a trace of tainted black

But the black still dances in my head

A bare, white wall

It screams excruciatingly as I pass it

With a black marker, I cover it

So the white no longer looks through

And the black leaves my mind

But oh, the mind

There is no black, no white

Only empty thoughts that soar higher than a bird

But that emptiness feels good

And only then am I truly satisfied

Caterpillars!

Have you seen my Sammy the Caterpillar video?
I made it a few weeks ago for my Technology in the Classroom class. ALL of it was done by me...I am pretty proud!

Here's the link:

Sammy the Caterpillar

Oh! By the way, I have pictures with a REAL caterpillar. Her name is Priscilla. :)

Here's Priscilla:

And Priscilla with me.

And Priscilla with her frass. Did you know caterpillar poop is called frass? I did not, until I read about it in a book when I was researching for my Sammy video. Gross!

It's okay, Priscilla. You're still pretty.

Anyway, enough about caterpillars. Go check out my video!

Lots of free time...

The semester is drawing to a close. Quickly.

You would think I would have a lot to do. This is hardly the case...

In reality, I have tons of stuff to do. But none of it can be started on yet...I have yet to take the notes for my final tests, and to show my professor my final paper topic. I can't start researching or writing until then. So this means...free time. And lots of it.

Yesterday I made homemade gift tags! I got the idea out of the Omaha World Herald- it's featuring 25 days of crafts. This one was so simple, and very cheap. I got everything on sale at Hobby Lobby for 5 bucks!

I made snowmen...

Reindeer...

And gingerbread men.

I think they're super cute. And even more personal since they're homemade.

I even have lots of extra scraps...hmmm. I can make some more fun stuff. It's not like I've haven't got time. :)

Crying

These silent tears have never spoken louder.

Encased inside, they stream so freely with constraint.

To be beautifully broken, free from the deficient comprehension

That to one is incurable.

The tears course down it in its distortions

It is possessed by the wretched

Belonging to the wretched

True as a constant, it remains.

The tears come, only as useless jewels to brighten it

The wretched despises this coming, a fleeting escape from the imperfection

Never lasting

Always constructing more beauty for another dawn

To satisfy the desperate.

These tears leave remembrance of this faultlessness

Streaked across the undying unsightliness

To be removed, forgotten, unwanted

Until they come again

To beautify it.

Until another dawn.

How My God Provides

I don't deserve the love that God gives me.

I am such a whore. Yes, a whore, in the sense that I give my love so freely to everything but the One who died for me. I so easily forget this sacrifice, and of that I am ashamed.

But God, the One who rules over all the universe, does not forget me. He loves me so much that He beckons me back to Him, even when I have rejected Him again and again. He does not beg or plead sternly with me, but with a still, small voice, saying "Come back to me. It is only I who can provide what you are looking for. I am the giver of true love, peace, and joy. You will find your rest in Me."

He loves me enough to never give up on me, even when I try so hard to find peace and joy in everything except Him. Only He is the source of purity, and of pure love, peace, and joy. No other thing can calm my fears and ease my distress like Jesus. No person or circumstance can provide authentic joy, with sadness removed and discontent banished. And no other can give the true love that Jesus can- unconditional and everlasting. He provides all this for me, just as He provides the still, small voice beckoning me back to Him when I stray.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Psalm 63:1-8

O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You. My soul thirsts for You.
My flesh faints for You, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary, beholding Your power and glory.
Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You.
So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise You with joyful lips,
when I remember You upon my bed, and meditate on You in the watches of the night.
For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.

It's been far too long.

I am going to post a blog...soon! I promise.

I have really, really wanted to the past few days, but my school schedule has simply not allowed it.

But I will soon!

(Hopefully.)

National Poetry Day et al...

In honor of National Poetry Day (today- October 8th), I am posting a poem that I wrote soon after I graduated from high school. It's not my best poem, but it's the only one I have saved on my computer (the rest are at home). Here's what I wrote:

The Epitome of a Graduate

A ridiculous hat

Lofty high atop a dome of knowledge

From 2000

B.C.

To 2000

A.D.

England’s Magna Carta to Tina Turner’s Proud Mary

The dome contains factual capsules

And opinions to be conceived and birthed into the world

To challenge it

They, these opinions,

Remain in the lower chambers of the dome

Waiting, growing

And must be set free from their cages

Lest the roaring lion inside devours them.

I wrote this with the anticipatory feeling that so many high school graduates have, during the summer between high school and college. I had learned all the basics in high school, and I was ready to move on to a higher level- to apply that knowledge and use it in the world to make a difference. Well...I think I am finally getting to that stage, and I've been in school nearly a year and a half already. The reason why? Generals. General classes are a pain! Sure, you can learn a lot from them, but seriously. Some are very unnecessary, especially if I'm going to teach young kids. They aren't going to need to know exactly why the sky is blue. (There are 4 specific reasons; if you want to know, just ask.) And right now I'm in a Hollywood Literature class. Quite frankly, I don't care enough about Hollywood to study about it for an entire semester. But, I'm getting through it, and in 8 weeks I will officially be done with all General classes!

I think that will call for a celebration. ;)

Goin' on a Picnik

Picnik.com is very fascinating. I'm thinking about asking for a premium subscription for my birthday. Hmmm...

I've made cute photo edits, like this one:

Or this one:

You can also make crazy stuff...like this!


If anyone wants to buy me a subscription for Picnik premium...my birthday is in less than 3 weeks. :)

What to post...what to post...

Since my blog is called "Thoughts & Moments," I am going to post a thought and a moment. That will be simple enough, and should satisfy my desire to let out some of the stuff going on in my mind. You know, a person can talk as much as they want, but once their listener stops listening...it isn't the same. So, in hopes that someone isn't completely exasperated with what I have to say...I will share it with other people, via my blog.

Thought:

Do you ever get frustrated by people who are always wishing the future to hurry up and come? I must say that, yes, I do this from time to time, but I have made a habit of making myself notice when I do it. Whenever I find myself unhappy with the present, I remind myself of all the positive sides of it. Sometimes I get so sick of school...of eating in the cafeteria...of walking to class every single day, rain or shine...of not being taken seriously and not having a real job...of living in a dorm. But then I stop and think, "You know, I will be able to find something to complain about during every stage of life. Is this one really any worse than what the future's going to be like?" In our lives, we will always have difficulties. The types of difficulties we face may differ from year to year, but we will face hardships no matter what stage of life we are in. When I start to complain about eating macaroni and cheese from a box, I think about the future- someday I'm going to have a family, and I will most likely be the one responsible for cooking. Right now I just have me to worry about- and although I can be a little grumbly about my cooking skills (or limitations, rather)...I really am thankful I don't have to worry about other people's complaints, like "Why are we having that for supper? I don't like that." or "I don't want that." Right now, I only have to worry about me. And that's not so hard.


Moment:

On Friday night, I decorated mini pumpkins!
It was really fun. :)

Caitlin and I went shopping and bought the pumpkins, some glitter, glue, and jewel embellishments. We sat and watched movies while painting our pumpkins. They turned out so cute! Mine look like:

A silly one:

A scary one:

A girly one:

Fall is here, October is coming, and so is my birthday, Homecoming, fall break, and Halloween! SO exciting.

Give Me Your Eyes

Brandon Heath Lyrics – Give Me Your Eyes


Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black tile
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared?

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
yeah .. yeah .. yeah .. yeah

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide what's underneath
There’s a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He’s out of work
He’s buying time
All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared?

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
yeah .. yeah .. yeah .. yeah
I’ve been there a million times
A couple of million eyes
Just moving past me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way you see the people all alone

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see
yeah .. yeah .. yeah .. yeah

**********************************************************************************

This is a song I can listen to over and over. In fact, I am listening to it for the 5th time right now as I am writing this. It is so powerful! The message is simple: Why don't I see all the people around me for who they really are, not just how I perceive them to be? Why am I so quick to judge people, when I don't even know the whole story? Oh, if I could just have the eyes of God for even one second, what a difference it could make- what a difference I could make! As human beings, we are so quick to assume, to judge, or put people in categories. Why do we choose only to see the problems, when all around us are people who are hurting? We can get so caught up in judgement that we quickly forget Jesus...what he did, how he loved, and how he would treat the people we so easily dislike. We are truly no different than them. The difference is Jesus- He has rescued us, and we have found him. Without Jesus, who knows where we would be? I shudder to think about what my life would be like if I didn't know God. And if I could see people through his eyes, I know that my prideful view would be gone and I could love freely...this song is a simple prayer, and it is mine: that I would cast away my selfish nature and see the world through the eyes of God...only then can I begin to love like he does.

8 years ago...

8 years ago, on this day, I was 11 years and 11 months old. September 11th is exactly one month before my birthday. As an eleven-almost twelve- year old, I didn't really understand what was going on in our country when I first heard about it. Unlike many schools who turned on the televisions in every classroom, my school did not tell us that anything was happening. I found out after school, when my mom came to pick me up. The first words out of her mouth were "President Bush may be coming to Omaha."

I smiled and said, "Really? That's so cool!"

She quickly corrected me, saying, "No, it isn't."

She tried to explain things as we were driving home, and that whole evening we sat in the living room, never moving from in front of the TV. My sister didn't go to soccer practice. All of us just sat there the whole night, trying to make sense of what we were seeing on the screen before us. It took me a while to realize that this was real- I'd heard all the stories of Pearl Harbor and all the wars that took place decades before, but I never fathomed that something like that would happen in my lifetime. Just like it was to every U.S. citizen, and to people all around the world, the 9/11 attacks were unreal to me.

We will never forget that day.

This is the life...

I love college.

And no, I don't love drinking. Or women. (Like the song...)

But I do love the crazy things that we college students do. Last night, Caitlin and I were watching 18 Kids and Counting, and on the show, the kids were eating cupcakes. We both decided we really wanted some cupcakes, so off to Wal-Mart we went. We bought some awesome blue frosted chocolate Batman cupcakes! They were sooo good (and sooo bad for us...). The only thing is that, like anything with that much artificial coloring, they stained our lips, teeth, tongue, and whole mouths blue. And then we had a floor meeting, so we showed up with traces of blue left on our faces and fingers. :)

After the meeting, we still had extra cupcakes, and so when Kady came by she got one, too. And then we started a game of UNO Stacko- like Jenga and UNO mixed.

It was fun, but I failed. Frustrating...but funny. :)

 

Somehow our conversation turned to this one kid with a rat tail. We see him all the time, and I know all of us have to suppress giggles each time we do. His rat tail looks a lot like this picture, but his is always braided. We've decided we are going to dress up as him for Halloween...hopefully he doesn't see us. 

I don't know what it is with rat tails, but shouldn't they have gone out with the 80s? If not, then at least the 90s? This doesn't seem the case. You will still see people who decide to hold on to the tradition (it's either that, or they're total Star Wars freaks). Don't get me wrong, I am not condemning these people in any way...I simply don't see the allure in this type of hairstyle. I just don't get it. I feel the same way about mullets...but I suppose that will have to wait for a blog post in the future. :)

Just some quotes

It seems a common thing for people to put quotes in their blog posts. I really haven't done that yet. And because I can't think of anything profound to say, I decided I would dedicate an entire post (don't worry, it won't be overly long) to quotes. Here are some interesting ones:

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.

~Unknown

Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff.

~Robert Eliot

Miracles start to happen when you give as much energy to your dreams as you do to your fears.

~Richard Wilkins 

Nobody really cares if you're miserable, so you might as well be happy. ~Cynthia Nelms

A daydream is a meal at which images are eaten. Some of us are gourmets, some gourmands, and a good many take their images precooked out of a can and swallow them down whole, absent-mindedly and with little relish. ~ W.H. Auden

They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds. ~Wilt Chamberlain

We could learn a lot from crayons; some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, while others bright, some have weird names, but they all have learned to live together in the same box. ~Robert Fulghum

There ya go. :)




Oh yeah...not sure why I added a picture of my cat. But she is cute!

The Stairways of My Mind

Sometimes, it is really hard for me to focus in my classes.

And no, I don't have ADD. :)

You see, I like to think. And by thinking, I mean dreaming, planning, organizing, imagining. Like today in Economics. Originally, I thought I was going to have to pay extra attention in that class because Economics went right over my head in high school. But it turns out that I have a really great professor (he goes by "Tommy") who explains things very, very well. And now I understand! Understanding supply and demand is great, but it causes a problem. Since I think I get everything now, I allow my mind to wander. And where does it go? EVERYWHERE.

Today I was thinking about stairs.

I've never had stairs. Never, ever. My house was originally a gas station, built in 1933. We don't have an upstairs or a downstairs. So I've always wanted stairs, ever since I was a little girl. I found a collection of papers from when I was in 4th grade, and one paper was titled "Me in the Future." I described my life- I was married with 4 kids, I had a dog and a cat, and I described my house: a farmhouse out in the country WITH STAIRS. I was laughing so hard; I couldn't believe I actually wrote that. But it's true! My desires haven't changed, even though it's been a decade since I wrote that. I still want to get married and have 4 kids (anywhere from 2-5, actually), and I want some pets (as long as they're outside!) and I would love, love, love to live in the country. In a farmhouse. With stairs!

So today I was thinking about stairs, specifically what I would do with them. What kind of rug would go on the stairs? I would definitely wrap garland around the railing at Christmas time! Maybe even strings of popcorn or something fun like that. I could see my kids (and even maybe me!) sliding down the stairs on our rear ends. :)

When I sat down to write a new blog post, I had no idea that I was going to elaborate so much on something as simple as stairs. I am actually laughing now. Oh man.

But it's true. It's just a little sampling of what goes on in my mind, along with supply and demand curves and the like. Maybe next time I'll talk about all the planning/organizing I do in my brain. Hmm...that would take some time to write out. Watch out! Be prepared for a long post. :)

A journey to the past

So. I thought I was not going to blog nearly as often as I was summer, since school is in session and from it are so many new demands. But this seems not to be the case...yet. We'll see how long it will be until I'm absolutely crazy with schoolwork. Lately, it seems as if I come up with something new to write about almost every day. I've had so many ideas in my head for the past who-knows-when, and so I'm just going to pick one to write about today. Today's topic is.........songs that will forever remind me of my freshman year of college.

Every so often, when I'm riding in the car with my mom, she'll hear a song on the radio that evokes a strong or reminiscent emotion. She will say to me "this song reminds me of the summer of 1977..." or something along those lines. These songs (all on 99.9, the "old people station"), mostly remind her of her college days. "Well," I thought to myself the other day, "do I have any songs that remind me of my college days?" Of course they've just started, but I do have a whole year under my belt. :)

The songs that remind me of my freshman year of college are:

1. One Step at a Time, by Jordin Sparks

We did this song in our lip sync competition during Homecoming...in fact, it is on youtube here: Lip Sync

2. Africa, by Karl Wolf

This song was played at least once at every dance I went to, from the Stout stoplight dance to the Honors dance in Martin Hall. It is just great.

3. Bowl of Oranges, by Bright Eyes

Jesse gave me this song sometime last fall, and I liked it a lot- it is such a happy song. I would listen to it every time I drove to the Northridge Retirement Center, where I spent time doing my service learning. Just hearing that song makes me want fall so bad...

4. Poker Face, by Lady GaGa

Every time I would go into the bathroom on our floor, the radio was playing this song. No joke. And although I don't like a lot of songs in this genre, this one was super catchy. Plus Johnny Weir skated to it. :)

5. The Revelation Song, by Hillsong United

This song was sang pretty frequently whenever I went to church at Kearney E-Free. I had never heard it until I did at that church, and the girl leading the singing had such a pretty voice. I immediately was like "I love it. I need to buy this song." I listen to it all the time now and I always think of that church when I do.

I absolutely love how music has the ability to take you back to a certain time in your past. I could probably say something about any song I have ever heard...like where I've heard it...when I first listened to it...who it reminds me of. Songs are not only special because of their lyrics, but also because of the powerful feelings that are connected with it. Those feelings can awaken wonderful memories, ones full of joy and excitement. Music, though, can also bring back heartache and grief- like maybe a song that was special to you and a loved one who has died, or a song that belonged to you and an old lover. I hope that most of these feelings are good, but I know that the bad ones are certainly going to be there, too- this is life, after all, complete with its imperfections and insanities. Some of these songs go down so deep that I know I will never, ever forget them- or the feelings connected with them. Even if, someday when I'm old, I get dementia, I know that music will always bring back my past and those few memories will not die. Because of music, my emotions will be remembered.

Now, the important question. Are there any songs that remind you of the past? Good...or bad- I want to hear about 'em!

The Reason Why I Blog

So...occasionally, I like to write down some of the thoughts in my head and post them on this-here weblog. Why do I do it???

Obviously it's because of the substantial amount of comments I recieve.

Right?

Hm. Looking back, I see a grand total of...zero! Zero comments for Kimberly...woo hoo, go me.

But really. If accumulating feel-good comments was the reason for this determined blogging, I would be done, completely done. I think I have 16 profile views, at max. As you can tell (if you are reading this, you are one of the few people who are!), I do not blog for the enjoyment of others. I simply use this blog as a journal. I love it- once I hit that little orange "publish post" button, my blog post is created. I don't have to worry about losing it or ruining it, having the ink smear or the pages torn. Yes, I love my little online journal.

I would love to be a part of a "mom circle of bloggers." (I kind of just made that term up right now.) I have seen different blogs where moms post advice about cooking, cleaning, raising kids, dealing with husbands...I absolutely love that idea, and I hope to have a little circle of friends who someday will do that. So, I am starting this blog now, in hopes that someday I will find a circle of friends who will be willing to read my blog (and maybe comment?!), and whose blogs I will more than willingly visit each day. Of course, right now I can't blog about any of the topics I just mentioned, so for now it is just a journal for everyday life. And then someday, once I find my "mom circle", they can read back over the entries from all the years and laugh at how I've changed...how I was upset that I had no comments...how my outlook on life has evolved...etc.

Yes, I know this blog is not a waste of brain and finger strength at all. It provides me with an outlet for creative writing (something other than the countless papers I write for school), and it is a place where I can document my life, my memories, my precious photos. I can capture little tidbits of me without losing them! I have to admit, somedays I do get discouraged and think "This is such a waste of time. No one ever comments on what I post, let alone looks at it." But I know that it doesn't really matter- who cares? It's my own little corner of the big ol' web, and I will write what I will write. If you would like to read what I wrote, go ahead! But if not, don't think I would waste my time crying. :)

Anyhoo...I think I got my point across.

I love my blog.

School Days.

I am scared. I am not afraid of the person, but of the situations that will happen and how I will handle them. I am afraid I will not show equity and not give my best. It's the fear of the unknown that strikes, and it can be paralyzing. I hope this is not true for me.

In all of that, I was referring to teaching. Today I started my TE 204 class- Typical/Atypical Child Growth & Development.

I have heard that this class is often the turning point for those who think they want to become educators; this class weeds out all of the people who aren't up to the everyday challenge of teaching. It separates the capable from the incapable. I sure hope I'm among the capable.

It's not that I will be completely dreading teaching after this class, but I know it will definitely open up my eyes to every type of student out there. We were assigned topics for our PowerPoint presentations today- everyone drew a different topic, each one about a different disability. I drew "osteogenesis imperfecta." What in the world is that?! It made me realize that there are soooo many kinds of disabilities, whether they are physical, cognitive, social, or emotional. And as a teacher, I have to be prepared to handle them all. ALL. Granted I will have a special ed. teacher to help me along the way, but I will still have to find a way to teach every student in their own learning style so that they will all have the equal opportunity of learning. It will be hard to be patient with the slower learners, as well as making sure that the quick learners have enough to keep them challenged. Instead of in the past, where teachers just assigned the same work to each student and they either passed or failed, I am going to have to learn to differentiate. I completely agree with Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences- I know that each child possesses every one of the intelligences, but not each child has a high level of skill in each one. Like the typical stereotype, that football players do poorly in school. This may be true of many people, that they excel greatly in the intelligence of kinesthetics (sports, etc.), but they lack a lot of the intelligence in another area, such as logic or linguistics. As a teacher, I will have to strive to reach over and above the old style of "easy teaching," and discover ways to help each unique child.

A wrap-up of summer '09.

This summer was extremely satisfying. I can say without a doubt that I enjoyed it thoroughly. Although, at times, it was crazy, I did so many things that I really can't think of anything I wish I could have done or had the time for. As I sit here in my dorm room in Kearney, all ready for the school year, thoughts of all my activities and completed projects are flooding my mind. I can't type nearly fast enough! So, I will try to list them as best I can.

In no particular order (only just as I think of them):

1. I completed 2 online classes, received 6 credits, and got an A and an A-. Not too shabby.
2. I went to Colorado twice; once in June, and once in July.
3. My sister and I put together a garage sale and made $250!
4. I made supper for my family quite a few times. This included salmon and couscous and also seafood fettucine alfredo. YUM.
5. I worked 20-22 hours a week at the Love Shack...er...the golf shack. :)
6. I went to both the Lincoln Children's Zoo and the Omaha Henry Doorley Zoo.
7. The Saunders County Fair. I got the chance to eat food, see 4H projects, go to the Figure 8 race, and ride rides with my cousins!
8. I spent time with friends I don't often see.
9. I played piano at Swedeburg Covenant Church several times each month. I love doing that so much!
10. A friend and I put on a BBQ together for our old (oops...I mean "former"...he's not OLD yet!) band teacher. It was successful, but I think I over-stressed. It was definitely a learning experience.
11. I went to a movie with my cousin Kate! It has been a tradition to do that for the last 5 years or so, and with the things that happened this past year in her family, I wasn't sure if we were going to get the chance. But things worked out, and it was good!
12. I studied the entire book of Daniel over 12 weeks (the Beth Moore study...I definitely recommend it) with my grandma Norma and my sister. Daniel has since then become one of my favorite books, and I know that I learned much!
13. Stir-Up Days- I enjoyed an entire day with Jesse and my friends/family walking around downtown Ashland. I started the day with the Kiddie parade, and ended it with the Rootbeer Kegger in the park. In between activities were such things as eating cotton candy and snowcones, participating in the cake walk, eating BBQ pork sandwiches, entering artwork into the Art Show, and much more I can't really think of right now.
14. I started blogging more frequently- at least more than once every 3 months!
15. I read 14 books!

While I'm on a roll with lists, I might as well list all these books I read. I am so thankful for a job that lets me read!!

• The Shack by William Young
• The Great Eight: How to Be Happy (Even When You Have Every Reason to be Miserable) by Scott Hamilton
• Danny Gospel by David Athey
• Demon: A Memoir by Tosca Lee
• My Sergei by Ekaterina Gordeeva
• Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
• Atonement by Ian McEwan
• One Minute After You Die by Erwin Lutzer
• Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
• The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers
• The Pact by Jodi Picoult
• Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
• Web of Darkness by Sean Sellers
• The Dead Whisper On by T.L. Hines

I can tell you that my least favorite was Danny Gospel. Dumbest book I've ever read. My favorites were definitely Redeeming Love and Atonement.

Now all I have to look forward to are textbooks. :/

I thought I would be sad to have to leave, to have to accept that summer is coming to a close. But I've been in Kearney for 6 days, and the time has FLOWN. I guess that means I'm having fun. :)

It is so good to be back in a routine, back with friends, back with normal life. Summer is amazing, but if it were summer all year round, it wouldn't be the same type of summer. It wouldn't be as satisfying, because we wouldn't have anything to contrast it with. And as much as I love summer, I don't even come close to disliking school. It's a challenge; it takes perseverance like no other to take 18 credits and do so many activities, but I wouldn't change it. I love Kearney, I love my friends, and I love learning (even if it does take a lot of work). Trying to slow down time or speed things up is just silly. I love being where I am, right now, wherever it may be. I just want to enjoy my time when I'm young so that I will not look back when I'm 70 and wish I would've enjoyed it more. I've always been one to enjoy life, and I am very thankful I possess that trait. :)

Colorado!

Jesse’s family has some cabins in Colorado near Gunnison National Forest, near the tiny mountain town of Pitkin. Steve (Jesse’s dad) took a bunch of us from the Youth Center up to the cabins for a retreat in 2007. It was incredibly fun. 2 years ago, I hadn’t been to Colorado since I was 3. We usually go to the not-as-grand Black Hills (don’t get me wrong- the Black Hills are my favorite vacation spot ever, but let’s face it. There’s a reason they are called “hills”, not mountains.) So 2 years ago, when we set off for the cabi

ns, I was amazed by the Rocky Mountains. They are so majestic. And vast. And they display God’s handiwork like nothing else I’ve ever seen. So going to Colorado in 2007 was special because I had never experienced true mountains like that before, and I had never been to the cabins. It was all new and exciting for me, not to mention I discovered I still had a crush on Jesse Herman. :)

2 years later, it is 2009. I have graduated, as have all of the people who went on that trip in 2007. When I heard that Steve was thinking of taking us back up there, I was thrilled! “Of course I’m going,” I said. This time, there were only 7 people instead of 12. It had a different feel because of that- it was more personal and we did things as a whole group, instead of breaking off into little ones. Steve pointed out something to us, and it definitely applied to this trip. He remarked that “Nothing is ever the same, and you can’t expect it to be; if you do, you will end up disappointed.” I know from experiencing things more than once that this is true, and I am glad, otherwise I may have been disappointed.

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Melo got to come on this trip! She was the only one of us who had never been there before, and the only one who was still in high school. She had a blast chopping wood (for THREE hours!), and being our trail blazer up the mountain.

Here is a picture of Jesse and me on the first trip, in 2007.

This is us on our last trip, in 2009. Have we changed? :)

Making bracelets is always a fun activity- I made both of these.

Us girls at The Point (from left to right): Katie, Amanda, Me, Melody

A hummingbird kept getting into the cabin. I did not realize they chirp (or squeak, rather).

Of course we had to go down the Rock Slide, and my jeans are STILL dirty from it.

We climbed all the way to the top of Green Mountain. It took about 2 ½ hours, but we made it!

All in all, we had a super fun trip and I can't wait to go back again!