Monday, April 27, 2009

Played out before my eyes

Thanks to my friend Mandy's insightful post, I am reminded of a scene played out in front of me on Saturday. I'm sure this thought will be in my mind all day, mulling it over.

On Saturday, Mandy and I found a spot on the Music City Marathon course that came really close to my house. We were there to cheer on my roommate Wendi and various others from church and work. We ended up surprised, seeing even more people we didn't know were in Nashville running the race.

While waiting for the people we knew to run by, we began cheering for people who were complete strangers to us. Some of the runners had their names written on them, that way we could cheer for them along the way. Imagine hearing your name, just as you think you can't run another 10 yards. You don't recognize the voice, but it doesn't matter. Hearing your name, knowing someone cares enough to cheer you on, gives you that extra boost of energy. The next mile doesn't seem so bad.

Hebrews 12:1 - "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,"

The chapter before tell us of people who were abused, tortured and killed for Christ's sake. That is the crowd of witnesses that compass us on our race toward the goal. They know what the race feels like. They have felt our pains and disappointments. They understand. And they know finishing the race is totally worth it. That is why they are there to cheer us on.

As I look back on Saturday, I didn't know these people running by me. But I was totally pumped to cheer for them. And when I saw someone I knew, my cheer was out of control. Just imagine the cheers going out for you today. The ones from people you don't know personally, but from people who have the same Spirit, same Lord.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Kitchen creations

Like most of my meals, tonight was a culmination of random decisions while pulling ingredients together. I'm eating a fairly yummy casserole-y thing. Let me tell you how we got here.

I had a pound of grounded beef in the freezer. It needed to be used. So...I cooked it up and threw it in a baking dish. I stood around a few minutes, trying to figure out what to do with it next. Finally, I decided to put some peas and corn in with it. Then I noticed a can of cream of mushroom. I saw some sour cream in the frig and the milk. Well, I thought a dollop of sour cream and a little bit of milk would be nice. In went those ingredients. Like all tv cooking shows, you have to add freshly ground pepper to anything you cook. So I did.

I was fairly satisfied with the concoction but it needed something on top. I had crackers in the pantry. There you go. I put it in the oven and just ate a bowl full of it. Pretty good stuff. Next time I would add a couple more things but it was good for a random mixture thought up on the fly :)

By the way, I had another laser treatment on Tuesday. We left the chin alone this time and worked on the cheek and part of the neck. Here is a picture.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Coffee, a wonderful thing

I share a coffee pot and coffee with a coworker. Michelle and I share an office and decided a while back that we wanted better coffee than what the company supplied for free. I know, you ask why pay for coffee when the company gives out free stuff. Well, you haven't tasted that free coffee...

We take turns buying the coffee; right now we are drinking Millstone Fog-lifter. Good name for the coffee. It definitely cleared my head and got me on the path to working. We buy Starbucks coffee, as well. I hate Starbucks coffee when brewed at the store. I think they brew it too long and as the day goes on, the coffee seems to take on a bitter, burnt taste. EEWWW! So, I was hesitate to try their coffee when Michelle brought some into the office. But I have changed my mind about Starbucks coffee. As long as you brew it yourself, it is wonderful!

Dunkin' Donuts has great coffee too! And you can buy all these brands at your grocery store. Happy coffee drinking, America!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

On the road again

Here is a low down on my schedule the next month or so:
This weekend - in Somerset to celebrate my brother Bryan's 40th birthday
Next weekend - in Somerset for a dress fitting for Christina's wedding
The following weekend - in Somerset for Christina's big wedding shower
The following weekend - working
The next weekend - working
The following weekend - probably on a retreat with a group from church
The last weekend of May - in Somerset for Christina's wedding

I will make many trips back and forth to Somerset. I usually get home about every three months, maybe every two. The next month, I will be there almost every weekend. Sure wish the drive there was more exciting than it actually is. The only time I enjoy the drive is in the fall, the trees are gorgeous.

Just a reminder: make sure the intended recipient of a text message is who you actually send it to. I haven't had the misfortune of sending a message to the wrong person, but someone I know recently did. Yeah, that friendship is probably over, seeing as how the message talked about the actual recipient in a not-so-great way.

Since I eat breakfast at work (usually), all my breakfast food is at work. I'm hungry right now. Guess this means I need to get going so my tummy doesn't kill me.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Just have to share

Here are two photos I took tonight. The first is what my cats think I am when home at night...a pillow. The second one is from my cool phone. Guess you could ask; why so blue?


Trial and error

Thomas Edison was once confronted about the multiple attempts to invent the light bulb. His response gives us the exact attitude we should always have about trying things and possibly failing. Thomas Edison didn't say something like I have failed so many times in these experiments, I should stop. No, Thomas Edison said "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

Do you have that attitude when something doesn't go the way you planned? What if Thomas Edison had stopped after 9547 failed attempts? or 9999? How long would it have been before someone else found the right way? How would our lives be different?

Deep right? Well, my trial and error is not some big thing :) It's just me trying to make cream sauce. I have yet to master this seemingly easy task in the kitchen. Too much flour, the sauce is thick. Too much cream or milk, the sauce never thickens. Using mozzarella cheese instead of Parmesan, big failure. I wanted to have left overs to eat for lunch today but that will not be. I ate a couple of bites then decided I wasn't going to make myself eat it.

Is there something in your life you are still mastering?

And, I have a new phone. I love it...it's red :) It takes really nice photos, so here are some of me and my kitties. It does different colorings, so cool.



Monday, April 13, 2009

Start of another week

Yesterday was a great day! As a Christian, Easter Sunday is the big day of celebration. It's the whole reason I subscribe to Jesus as Lord. There are no words to rightly express how much His victory over sin, death and the grave means to me and all who call themselves His children. To quote from a song we sang yesterday, "My sin has been nailed to the cross of my Savior, where Satan has NO power; for God has displayed Him undeserved favor..."

I can just feel a long work week coming. Coffee will help the day get going. I need to get to work and brew some.

I'm not a Catholic but I wanted to exhibit some form of spiritual discipline during the Lent season. I gave up my beloved peanut butter, and for the first week I also gave up carbonated drinks. For those who know me well, you know what it means for me to give up peanut butter! I enjoyed a Reese's Easter egg yesterday and it was lovely :)

My cat is staring at me, wanting to sit in my lap as I type this post. She is giving a sad face but she will not win today. I need my lap for the laptop. She will have to wait for some cuddle time until after work today.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Hi!

I have slacked off with blogging. I'm sorry. I don't mean to ignore you, keeping you in the dark about my life.

I'm seeing results from the laser treatments! I will try to get a picture up soon. I'm watching the news as I write this. They are talking about a new laser treatment for nail fungus...huh? That just sounds weird but they are serious. It is a new procedure but if you have foot nail issues, ask your doctor about it. Anyway, the next laser treatment for me is in a couple of weeks. Hope the recovery goes more smoothly than last time.

Today UPS will deliver my new cell phone, just in time to play with it tomorrow while off work. Yes, I have tomorrow off work. No, I don't work for a Christian company. I think my boss sees it as a way to give us a break in between New Year Day and Memorial Day. I also renewed my cell service and will get more minutes for the same price. How does that work? I'm not asking questions though!

I just heard the Dan Miller from Channel4 news died! wow

I have to get to work. Bye bye.