Recreational Revelations

You may have been wondering about my posting recently, or lack there of.  I have spent the last week on vacation away from phone, e-mail, and my computer.  I did much reading and reflecting. Although I love my friends very much, it was nice to have uninterrupted family time.  Some noteworthy things about the week.

* I finished The Pillars of the Earth. Good job Ken Follett.  So wonderfully written. It's well worth the time commitment.

* Stardust....I'm sorry Neil Gaiman, I read half of it and can't get into it. 

* Buffy the Vampire: Portal through Time Yes, this is glorified fan fiction, but it's just fun and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. 

* Family reunion t-shirts are awesome.

* Backing your car into a pole isn't fun.

* The pain of a miscarriage is largely overlooked by society.  I love you Beth Ann and Matt. 

* Brooke Fraiser is amazing.  Check her out on I-tunes

* Two Goals for the Near Future:

1) Loose Weight

2) Learn all the lyrics to Ice Ice Baby (I am half way there)

I love to serve others. 

In spite of all of our idiosyncrasies, I love my family more than anything. They're awesome.

Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog

Mr. Whedon has done it again.    Only Joss could conceive the idea of a musical blog.  It's worth sitting through the first few minutes of monologue to get to the humorous, melodic stylings of Dr. Horrible and his nemesis Captain Hammer. Enjoy!

Dr.Horrible's Singalong Blog

Lessons Learned

I have recently been pondering the subject of friendship. I have been blessed with many friendships and through the years have been taught several lessons. (Many were learned the hard way.) Here are a few that have been on my heart lately.

1) Sometimes you don't always get the apology you were looking for.

2) Conversations don't actually have to be spoken. The eyes say it all.

3) Making friends is hard, but keeping them is harder.

4) Being friends on facebook doesn't make it so.

5) Your true friends can understand when you speak "yawn," "cry" or "toothbrush."

6) Err on the side of inclusion rather than exclusion.

7) The truth hurts but sometimes is necessary.

8) Don't let things build until they blow up. If there's a problem talk about it.

9) It's better to be kind than right.

10) Time doesn't necessarily heal all wounds, but the Lord can mend a broken heart and lead you to forgiveness. 

Oh, Henry

While I like to say that I devour books, I mean this only in the figurative sense. Tonight, my beloved cat, Henry, decided to take this more literally.  He tore a page out of my Word Nerd book and started gnawing away. He was quite irritated when I, his mom, took it away proclaiming, "We don't eat books!"  So, friends, please remember that the phrase, "devour books," is only a metaphor. 

I Want to Believe

When I was in the 7th grade I had an obsession unlike most kids my age.  Rather than collecting posters of my favorite boy band I scoured magazines for info on The X-Files. I was convinced that I too would be a doctor like Scully and work for the FBI.  During my trip to DC last year I was giddy as we passed the J. Edgar Hoover Building during the trolley tour.  I have fond memories of watching Mulder search for his sister and wondering if the truth really was "out there."  That being said, I was thrilled to hear Chris Carter was making another X-Files movie.  It's a stand alone story that I will be in line to see on July 25th.  Here is a clip from the movie. Enjoy

I Don't Need a Super Power

I have always been fascinated by super heroes and things out of the norm (Although not until recently have I discovered the joys of comics. Thank you Amy!) In college we had many a conversation as to which would be the best super power. At the time wanted to orb but now I think I'd just like a lasso of truth like Wonder Woman.  I  thought about how disgusting it would be if someone had the ability to see people fart. (I'm thankful I don't have that power.)

Super powers would make life so much simpler.  It would be nice to orb to the grocery store rather than have to get in my car and drive there.  And really, spidey senses? How awesome is that? But recently, I realized that I don't need super powers.

This epiphany occurred tonight during Houston Project.  This is a church wide service project that includes over 800 volunteers serving in the areas of Houston that have the most need.  I've been looking forward to this week all year.  To be able to get my hands dirty and serve people.  When I got my assignment I have to admit that I was less than thrilled that I was assigned to the prayer team. It's not that I don't think prayer is important, but that I wanted action. To be with the people. 

So today, I reluctantly went to the prayer room (which funnily enough takes place in the probation office) I was intimidated at the thought for praying for three hours.  I pray a lot throughout the day but I've never sat and prayed for hours on end.  I knew it was so important for the whole success of Houston Project. Despite my hesitation, the hours went by rather quickly.  It was evident that the Holy Spirit was in that room. It was so neat to be there with five other people, joining together in prayer for a purpose. I left feeling blessed by the prayers that were lifted up to the Lord.   

I used to think as prayer as my many requests to God for my benefit. So many times I found myself saying, "Lord this is what I need from you."  I've realized that prayer is more than that. In the things that we ask for, blessings, healing etc, it's ultimately about His glory.  Many times by the act of praying we are brought closer to our Creator and our perspective is changed rather than the situation itself.  This is what I found to be true tonight.  My perspective on prayer changed as I spent the time in communion with Him. We prayed fervently for people to come to know Him, for VBS to run smoothly, for lives to be changed and boy was He faithful.  

I recognize tonight that I do not need a super power because I have the power of prayer. The amazing ability to go to the Lord directly, without having to go through anyone else. I can talk to Him as if He were my best friend.  As I close, whatever "it" is that is troubling you, I encourage you to "pray it up." I'd love to hear how I can be praying for you as well. 

Gig 'em and God Bless. 

One Nation Under God

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal and are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Let me start by saying Happy Independence Day. Please note, I did not say "Happy 4th of July." To me, naming a holiday by the date takes away the importance of the celebration. On Christmas, no one says, "Happy December 25th." We say, "Merry Christmas." Not calling the holiday what it really is adds to the cavalier attitude that surrounds said holiday. Many people don't even know what we celebrate, they just know that there is a day off work to party. (As an American History teacher I shudder at this thought.) Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness equate freedom.  So, today, I would like to talk about meaning of freedom.

When I think of freedom I think of it in two different settings.  First, the obvious, freedom to the life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I am so grateful that the founding fathers did indeed sign this great document.  They risked more than a war, but their very lives for the cause in which they believed so strongly.  Were the Revolution to turn out differently than it did they would be hanged for treason to the Mother Country.

Secondly, I think of freedom in Christ.  In Paul's Epistle to the Galatians he tells us that it is for freedom that Christ set us free.  This is something that I have been learning recently in a whole new way.  From the world's perspective, it doesn't make sense at all. Freedom by following rules? It's so much more than that.  I've been learning to let His grace flow over me in order to give up the sins that hold me in bondage. That is true freedom. To no longer be bound by the emotions and things that hold me back. 

Generally these two aspects of freedom are not spoken of together thanks to the notion of separation of church and state.  Our nation was formed on Christian principles.  Ben Franklin wanted our national symbol to be Moses parting the Red Sea.  Although most believed in an agnostic god, the Christian ideas remain central.  

If then there is true freedom in Christ, at a time when we are arguing over wars in Iraq and the right way to fix the social security problem, it seems that these things might be better solved if church and state were once again reunited. Regardless of whether you fall to the left, right, or down the middle, Christ has a place in government.  (Please note, I am not suggesting to get rid of the notion of freedom of religion or that Christianity should be the only religion, but merely that we should revisit the original themes of government.) 

So on this Independence Day, I celebrate the freedoms I have as an American and as a follower of Christ. Have a wonderful holiday.  Be safe and God bless.  

Walter the Farting Dog

I fell in love with this book the moment I read the title.  Walter is an adorable canine plagued by a rather potent flatulence problem. Being a rather gaseous person, I can relate to Walter's plight.  There are several books in the Walter series including, Walter the Farting Dog: Trouble at the Yard Sale and Walter the Farting Dog: Banned from the Beach. I plan on incorporating this book into my curriculum, although I'm not entirely sure where.  Bottom Line: I heart Walter. 

Stargirl

I have a confession to make: I didn't read any of the books my students were assigned for summer reading last year. I'm sure I probably could've been more effective if I had a clue what they'd read, but knowing half of them didn't read it anyway and trying to prepare for the year as a new teacher, it just didn't happen.  Recently I read one of the books my 8th graders had to pick from last year, Stargirl. 

Stargirl Caraway unabashedly marches to the tune of a different drummer, so much so that the character is somewhat unbelievable. It seems Spenelli goes above and beyond with Stargirl to get his point across. (Which although frustrates me, the adult reader, can be effective with pubescent teens.)

There were several instances that brought me back to my days of watching Full House or Boy Meets world, where I had to turn my head to keep from living the embarrassment with the characters. (Cory and Sean could get themselves into some serious shenanigans.)

Unlike most YA literature, there is no pink boy at the end to wrap things up nicely, which was a refreshing change. Stargirl left me with a sad resonance in my soul and makes the reader think twice about inclusion and individuality. Although not perfect, Stargirl is a must read for any pre-adolescent and probably their parents too. 

Twilight Fever

In the last eight months, I have seen countless girls (and some boys too) get sucked into Stephanie Meyer's world of sparkling vampires and werewolves. Students who I couldn't get to read for the life of me were suddenly consuming 500 page books in a matter of days.

I like to think of myself as an independent woman, and mass trends turn me off. I love fantasy, but who can do vampires better than Joss Whedon? I was skeptical, to say the least. Despite this, I had to find out what was captivating my students and why there is so much darn facebook flair about Edward Cullen.

The beginning of Twilight is full of character background and description as to why Bella, our heroine, moves from sunny Arizona to the sleepy town of Forks, Washington. although the plot moves slowly, the back story is mesmerizing and you immediately fall in love with Isabella Swan.

Enter Edward Cullen. Pale, handsom and brooding. Once we meet Edward, the plot betings to move more rapidly. I enjoyed learning the rules of the vampire world, especially how vampires sparkle in the sunlight. The climax was rather weak and unbelievable, even for fantasy, but on the whole I thoroughly enjoyed Twilight. (So much so I fangoriously devoured New Moon and Eclipse within a week)