Christmas Cars

*In a Pythonish voice (aka Bicycle Repairman)*
Is it a mouse? Is it a roach? Is it a tarantula (for lack of something better)??
NOOOO!!!!! It's our CARS from Mom.

Everyone joined in the fun times. For Christmas this year, mom got us these ink pens that have little cars (as seen above) in the top of the plastic part of the pen. We made our own ramp and us 4 cousins had a blast. Then pretty much everyone else came down and we all took turns. Grandma was so funny, cause she "accidentally" kept ramping my car into other cars and then she'd giggle like crazy. The tune, "Little old lady from pasadena, go granny go granny go granny go!" seems to fit quite nicely here. ;) It was a very blessed Christmas with lots of good memories made and lots of food demolished. Hope you all have a safe and Happy New Year, as for me, I'm sick of this so I'm just gonna go to Mexico. haha. Yep... Going to see Steph. See you all next year.
God bless!

p.s. oops steph... I guess I ruined THAT surprise (about the cars). ;)

Long Enough

Well, I realized... from the prompting of my sister, that it has been long enough since last I posted. The reason, I must inform you all, is clear. My life is placid. Right now there hasn't been a whole lot going on. Except for of course my awesome "hunting" experience the other night. But without pictures, it really is nothing. So enough about nothing. I have been helping dad out over the past week since I got home and it was good times. I finally learned how to drive (and yes tif I realize you "taught" me) a stick shift truck. Never mind that I kept killing it, because although dad made fun of me, which is hard to believe I know, I can almost guarantee if someone of more experience had of been driving in the ditch like I was and had to continuously stop to wait for the old guy aka dad, to throw the posts in the back of the truck, YOU would have killed it too. Especially being new on the job. But enough justification. I will persevere. But now it is time to go since I am to pack the meat and cheese in the bag thing... :) I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and I will try to post more next week. God bless you all!

Parties, studies, and interferons

Christmas parties with the lovely Kansas ladies is always a good time. Last night we had our Christmas gift exchange and party. Good times were had by all. However, my grade for my presentation I'm giving today might suffer a little... never mind that I could have done it all semester but chose last night to do it, yes procrastination is my middle name. Anyway, it got done and I'm giving it in front of my class today. At 2:30, Kristen and I are going to Kansas City to pick up the helpers for Kiowa caroling... all (what Tif 28?) of them. haha...it should be fun. Props to those *unnamed* travelers who missed their early flight and making it easier for all concerned. ;)
Today in my physiology class (last one of the semester), we were discussing the immune system. One of the immune cells that we discussed was an interferon. One of the roles this cell has is that when it becomes infected by a virus or bacterium, it sends signals to the other cells to guard themselves so that the bacteria/or virus won't spread. Taking some pointers from these interferons would do us all some good. We need to show others how we were once contaminated by sin and were dying, and then Christ cured us by giving us new life in Him. Hope you all have a blessed weekend.

Snow

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.... Ok.

As long as I can still travel this weekend.

I only have 1 class tomorrow, so I probably won't go since there is an 80% chance of "heavy snow". I know I should be bummed out, cause I won't get to hear "one more time for t.v." or "hello!!" from my "interesting" professor. Today I realized a couple things. Wearing heeled boots to walk around campus is a BAD idea....but hey, at least my feet didn't get wet in the ice/rain. And the second thing is that I have NO idea where my snow boots are...you know those one boots...that look like Napolean Dynamites, but I had them BEFORE that movie came out *that a friend told me about* right steph?! ;)
Tomorrow, I am going to get up and study and then hopefully, take my test online early and be able to do the rest of my homework before night and if it snows, I might just go play in it...but probably not since playing in snow by yourself isn't all that fun. But I could make like tunnels and stuff. :)
I was talking to anna this morning and we were discussing if the weather got bad what we would be able to do and not do. I got to thinking after that about how some people absolutely freak out about bad weather because of accidents and whatnot. Driving home today on the ice covered roads, would have been a lot scarier if I hadn't known that whatever happened, God was gonna take care of me. Maybe it seems a little odd to think that, but I'm kinda odd.
Maybe I'll change my name...dad.
So yeah, steph needs to get her phone fixed. And mom needs to call me when I'm NOT doing homework. I hope everyone stays safe and warm in this cold weather and has a BLessed Day serving Jesus.
God's blessings to you all.

Symptoms of studying in the Health Field

You know you're a crazy medical person when you pinch your eye while taking out your contact and instead of thinking, "Ow my eye!!" You think, "Ow, I just pinched my sclera!" ;)

It's all coming together

Welp folks, I checked my e-mail several times today and I had 2 e-mails. All day... the sad thing...they were both from Tif. Yes I love her, but wow....I'm a loser. haha

I was told by a little bird that my last blog entry was barely a post. So dad, this is for you!
--yesterday, as predicted, I over-ate. But I couldn't help it when I came in from playing frisbee football with my cousins and there was blueberry cheesecake, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie, not to mention the cranberry sauce that was in plain view (aka in the refrigerator) haha. Exercising and then eating kinda equaled everything out. Or at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Tonight Tif and I got our horns out (my saxophone and her trumpet) and we started playing the music that she got for Christmas last year. Sounded ok with just us, but then we turned on the background music, and it was quite clear that saxes don't belong in an orchestra. :( I shoulda considered that when I was choosing an instrument in 5th grade...

"Man I won't be able to play with the Lord of the Rings orchestra when I get to be a sophomore in college on Thanksgiving break." riiight.

After we played for a while, I attempted to learn how to play the trumpet, actually to get to the basics of just blowing air and making a noise... for a sax player (me) to learn to play a trumpet is almost impossible, actually not almost, it was impossible. :S Tif did quite well at learning the fingering for my saxophone, I think I'm just a better teacher. I guess I really don't have anything else to say right now... hope you all have a good weekend.
Love and GOD bless!

Happy Thanksgiving!

May we all keep our focus on what this holiday is about, giving thanks for everything that God has given us. I hope that all of you do not eat too much this Thanksgiving day, but as for me, I'll probably overdo it...again. ;) God bless ya'll.

home again home again

I really enjoy going home. How could I not when I get to lounge all morning with mom and (researching a paper) and then ride on a combine with my dad on Saturday afternoon while he cuts milo and be ABSOLUTELY ASTOUNDED at the WILDLIFE! ;) deer, pheasants, quail, coyote, rabbits, voles, and of course, birds. wow....it's amazing.
--Quote from Dad, "Nature hates a vaccuum, where there's a void, the wildlife will fill." You're so smart...and cool. haha
After riding with dad, I went into the house at the farm to attempt to study again, but I picked up a book, and there went studying! oops, but then Grandma came in and I laid my book down and we preceded to talk for the next hour and a half. I asked her to tell me her testimony, since I knew the general idea of it, but I wanted to know more since she grew up methodist and ended up repenting 7-9 (?) years before grandpa. It was a very interesting story. Full of having to trust God to get her over her built up mountains and how easily He made them into molehills. There's a lot to learn from our elders.
--Quote from Grandma, "You know, I always think, you never want to be a stumbling block to someone, but life's just to short to hold a grudge!"
This morning right after the kids left to go to Sunday school, I decided that I wanted to go to Sunday school as well. So I followed the kids out and was walking into the kitchen area when Kayli Stewart (2 1/2) turned around and saw me and immediately ran over and held her arms up, so when I picked her up she tells me, "I'M going to be MAWY and hold baby jesus!" She is one of the most expressive children I have ever seen, so her facial expressions were awesome. As I was sitting watching everyone practice their lines and getting into order, I looked over and saw that there were two little girls who were visitors, so I kinda self-appointed myself to be teacher and took them to find some coloring books and to read them a bible story. Let's just say, I'm not good with entertaining small children for a long period of time, so to sum it up, it pretty much was a failed attempt at "teaching" anything, but hey, they sure colored good! ;) Then I went back into watch the other kids after they had gone with their parents and at one point, Blake, Carter, and Josh are supposed to walk back up the aisles exclaiming "The Savior is born!" It sounded like they were telling someone that the laundry was done...I tried to pump them up and got "the look" from the teachers cause I got them too riled up. I have decided that I cannot win. o well. It was a great day and I really enjoy being with all the kids. After church, we had singing at the rest home, and then after that, we were heading to the grocery store and mom dad and I all saw the carload of kids and the parents walking into the store, and our brains are WAY to much alike, so I jumped out of the vehicle and climbed in their suburban while dad drove away to go fill-up with gas and mom went into the store. I told the kids I was kidnapping them and asked them where we should go, very logically, alysson (8) informed me that we should most likely go around the block so that her parents couldn't see them. Then I just said that I would take them all to Topeka with me, Staci (13) replied, "Ok, but we'll have to stop and get clothes at our house!" haha it was great. So I drove them around the block and then parked in a different spot from where they had originally been and told the kids goodbye, when I went in, I told Jenny so she wouldn't flip out and she said she would act surprised. Dad told me later that he was outside and said that Jenny was teasing her kids about driving around without them and the kids absolutely loving it! Man I love those kids... have I mentioned that? haha. anyway...moral of the story: 7 kids in one family make for great fun.
And finally, here is something completely random that I found while looking through my old saved mail files: http://users.chartertn.net/tonytemplin/FBI_eyes/
May God bless everyone's week!

How well do you know your purse???

I recieved this from my aunt, and I am following instructions to "get it out there". Not just because I was advised, but because I think all of us ladies need to be aware... this is disgusting!

Have you ever noticed gals who sit their purses on public restroom floors - that go directly to their dining tables? Happens a lot! It's not always the 'restaurant food' that causes stomach distress. Sometimes "what you don't know 'will' hurt you"! Read on...Mom got so upset when a guest came in the door and plopped their purses down on the counter where she was cooking or setting up the buffet. She always said that purses are really dirty, because of where they have been. Smart Momma!!! It's something just about every woman carries with them. While we may know what's inside our purses, do you have any idea what's on the outside? Shauna Lake put purses to the test - for bacteria - with surprising results. You may think twice about where you put your purse. Women carry purses everywhere; from the office to public restrooms to the floor of the car. Most women won't be caught without their purses, but did you ever stop to think about where your purse goes during the day? "I drive a school bus, so my purse has been on the floor of the bus a lot," says one woman. "On the floor of my car, probably in restrooms."
"I put my purse in grocery shopping carts, on the floor of bathroom stalls while changing a diaper," says another woman and of course in my home which should be clean." We decided to find out if purses harbor a lot of bacteria. We learned how to test them at Nelson Laboratories in Salt Lake , then we set out to test the average woman's purse. Most women told us they didn't stop to think about what was on the bottom of their purse. Most said they usually set their purses on top of kitchen tables and counters where food is prepared. Most of the ladies we talked to told us they wouldn't be surprised if their purses were at least a little bit dirty. It turns out purses are so surprisingly dirty, even the microbiologist who tested them was shocked. Microbiologist Amy Karren of Nelson Labs says nearly all of the purses tested were not only high in bacteria, but high in harmful kinds of bacteria. Pseudomonas can cause eye infections, staphylococcus aurous can cause serious skin infections, and salmonella and e-coli found on the purses could make people very sick. In one sampling, four of five purses tested positive for salmonella, and that's not the worst of it. "There is fecal contamination on the purses," says Amy. Leather or vinyl purses tended to be cleaner than cloth purses, and lifestyle seemed to play a role. People with kids tended to have dirtier purses than those without, with one exception. The purse of one single woman who frequented nightclubs had one of the worst contaminations of all. "Some type of feces, or even possibly vomit or something like that," says Amy. So the moral of this story - your purse won't kill you, but it does has the potential to make you very sick if you keep it on places where you eat. Use hooks to hang your purse at home and in restrooms, and don't put it on your desk, a restaurant table, or on your kitchen countertop. Experts say you should think of your purse the same way you would a pair of shoes. "If you think about putting a pair of shoes onto your countertops, that's the same thing you're doing when you put your purse on the countertops" - your purse has gone where every individual before you has spat, coughed, urinated, emptied bowels, etc! Do you really want to bring that home with you? The microbiologists at Nelson also said cleaning a purse will help. Wash cloth purses and use leather cleaner to clean the bottom of leather purses.

I will never again sit my purse on a bathroom floor OR on my counter...you can count on that!

Ink Odd Wheat Rust

This is on the back of our Christian Challenge t-shirts. Anyone anyone??? Say it fast and mumble it, I want to see how long it takes people. It didn't take me too long, but I think it's kinda fun.
So I was listening to the radio the other day and since it's KLOVE they always have positive and encouraging stories. As this story started I thought, "I think I've heard this same story told a million different times." But I had to eat my own thoughts...?...yeah.
-- A little boy asked his mom what she wanted for her birthday, she replied that she would love a pocket book. The little boy knew that he did not have enough money to buy her a gift, so he took his favorite story book and cut the pocket out of his favorite shirt and gave it to his mom for her birthday. The mother, after recieving the gift, said, "You ruined a perfectly good shirt, and stalked out of the room leaving the gift where it was." The little boy was crushed.
(Just so you all know, I don't think I got the first part of this story right, but I couldn't remember it, but I really wanted to post it....)
This story absolutely broke my heart. I had to think how many times God is basically slapped in the face when someone He offers His amazing gift too ignores it. Steph & Mom, I'm sorry if you guys cried at this story. I didn't mean to bring death and trauma in... ;)
On a lighter note, I think I have to agree with Lindsay, Kenton got the ball rolling.
Congrats Tyler and Alexis!!!! :) May God bless you both for trusting Him so completely! (pretty amazing how marriage by faith works, huh T?)
welp, I really don't have much else to say tonight, but in the words of steph:
"May your life never be likened to a burned peep and may your chocolate never taste like mayo!" (don't quote me on that quote...cause I probably got it wrong...but Steph will correct me if I'm wrong...won't you steph?!) :)

List

Here's some things that I've done lately:

1. Made fires in our fireplace
2. Drank Hot Chocolate
3. Listened to Christmas music
4. Cleaned my entire room (thanks for getting me in the cleaning mood lin...gosh)
5. FINALLY got my picture board together
6. Scared the daylights out of Anna (a couple times)
7. Plotted with lin what all we are going to do to our house for Christmas
8. Got excited when I saw the list for Kiowa Caroling
9. Acted shocked when I saw a random person on campus and laughed my head off as they looked at me like I was retarded (hey I have to amuse myself some way)
10. Laughed my head off in church tonight with tif and anna when I sang the alto line a measure to early on "Jesus, Rose of Sharon" by myself. oops
11. Realized that no matter what issues I face, God talks to me through His word and gives me hope for another day.
12. Argued with Maggi about when we were going to put up our Christmas tree. (1 day before Thanksgiving)
13. And finally....I know this is going to be a shocker... I studied. :)

Hope you all are having a great week. May God bless you!

The Word of God

"Lord let us learn it, that we may live it." Justin Koch - Sunday Oct. 22, 2006

Lately, I have started doing something that seems to be very helpful for me in spending more time in the Word. I received an e-mail that challenges you to use your Bible like you would your cell phone. What if we turned around every time we forgot it because we couldn't go a day without it? What if we checked our Bible as many times as we check our cell phones (for me that's a lot! Cause it makes me feel cool when I have missed calls...weird I know). After getting that e-mail, I got invited to do something about changing that. Stick a Bible in your bag (I just use the one they handed out at the beginning of school that has the New Testament and Psalms and Proverbs in it. Every time you check your cell phone, read a scripture. (I think the intial plan was to just read a verse, but why not read what's surrounding that verse, if you have time.) Anyway, I'm not telling about this to make myself look "spiritual" or anything like that. I just want to let you all know how much it has helped. God can speak to me so much easier when I actually am reading what He has to say. Some scriptures that I have read before will take on a completely different meaning when I apply them to what is going in my day at that time. I didn't intend to post about this, but it just kinda spilled out.

And I just wanted to say Congratulations so Kenton Snyder and Heidi Heimer! (Not that they'll read this...) but I was pretty excited when I heard the news that God has brought them together! :) God bless you both.

Ok...one more thing and I'm done....
Q: What do you get when you cross Noah's ark and a bug?
A: Arctic
Gotta love laffy taffy! :)

"What ho...a foe?!"

Ice Age is an incredible movie. It really makes me laugh. However this post is not about Ice Age. That line just goes through my head at random times. Like now as I was posting. I guess it has been a while since I last posted, to be honest, I didn't really notice. Sorry fans, I know I'm letting you down...
This past weekend was college weekend in Peoria, IL. I do believe that out of the 3 I have been to, this one was the best. Don't get me wrong, both of the others had life-applicable topics, but for some reason, I really connected with these speakers. It was a very nice weekend of blessed fellowship. The next "major" weekend is not until December, so I have a reprieve in my traveling. Can't wait to go home this weekend. Someone special I heard was going to be there, so we'll see if she really is that special! :D Yea Steph!!! I really don't have much to say, just that I hope everyone is keeping their focus where it needs to be... God bless ya'll!

F.R.O.G

Fully - Rely - On - God

I have a Frog in my car that I got in Sunday school a long time ago from one of my teachers who told us how important it was to fully rely on God. Last week, while I was sitting in my Physiology lab, another professor brought in some frogs and some bullfrogs and put them in a tank. I was enthralled because frogs have always been kinda special to me and my sisters. Let's just say we were random kids. As I was watching them intensely, my professor comes up and is like, "Ja, dey are going to be for next veeks class!" (She has a German accent), and I was horrified! Poor little guys, I debated stealing one and letting it go, but alas, honesty prevailed. Last night, as I was preparing for class by reading through the next section, I saw how the most HUMANE way to anesthetize a frog is. You pull their head down and insert a needle into the base of their neck and wiggle it around (basically, make them brain dead). Thankfully, our teacher said she would do this and also dissect the leg for us. As she was giving us the background info on what we would need to do when we started our experiment, she said a very interesting thing. She said, "You all really need to respect how this frog has given it's life to further your knowledge about muscle innervation." I had to think of how much more we need to respect Jesus for giving His life for us so we can be with Him someday. As we experimented with the leg, we saw how the muscle reacted when there was a mechanical stimulus, but the leg was not very strong and quickly fatigued. Just think, unlike the "gift" the frog gave, the gift Jesus gives never runs out of power. O and I had a good weekend in Taylor! ;)

Small Things

Every single day, God does little things for us that sometimes we just take for granted. This weekend I was in a conversation about the "little things". As I was laying in the backseat listening, I happened to glance out the rear window into a sky brilliant with gleaming stars. They were like little diamonds from horizon to horizon. And then this morning as I was walking across campus, the sky was a beautiful blue and it was absolutely perfect weather. All I could pray was "Thank you Lord for this day!" I hope and pray that I will always appreciate God's little gifts to me, and that you can too. What an amazing God we serve who does all this for us! Thank you Jesus for the small things that you fill every day with.

If we are the Body....

The other day, I had the oppurtunity to talk with a girl in one of my classes about Jesus. She is not a Christian, and she told me she had never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we were talking, she told me that once she graduated and got married and settled down she'd do the "whole God thing". Wow. Another thing she told me is what this title is about. She told me that she went to a church with her mom one time, (not sure if it was for a funeral or what), but she said that when they walked in, she felt like such an outsider, and no one came to make them feel welcome. Casting Crowns sings a song that says:

If WE are the BODY, why aren't HIS arms reaching? why aren't HIS hands healing? why aren't HIS words teaching? If WE are the BODY, WHY aren't his feet going? Why is HIS love not showing them there is a way? Jesus paid much to high a price for us to pick and choose who should come, and we are the Body of Christ.

Talking with her definitely made me think about what my actions when it comes to making others feel welcome. And this is where JOY comes in. This weekend, I went to a baptism in West Lafayette, and I heard about JOY for the first time.

J - Jesus

O - Others

Y - You

Serve Jesus first, and then others, and last, yourself. You might not always feel comfortable approaching someone and making them feel welcome, but in the long run, you could change their complete outlook on what a Born-again believer is truly supposed to be like. Have a happy day!

Splendibulous

I made up a new word that I want to describe this weekend. We had a such a great time having no set plans and just winging stuff. Friday night there were only 4 of us , Tif, Anna, Lin, and myself. Saturday morning we switched 2 campers, we gained mamalin and miss pancake. Their identities, although somewhat obvious on mamalin, will remain anonymous. Then Marie and Andrea Luthi joined us and we just basically had a lot of fun all afternoon. Saturday night, thanks to my mom, the ravenous campers were fed at our grain bin and we had a singing with some of the church family in Kiowa. Bless you mom for the food! :) After everyone else had left, us 7 ladies stayed and sang in the bin, just whatever came into our heads. It was very nice, and my throat is still a little scratchy. Then we headed back to the campsite and to bed. Sunday we got up at about 6:45 and cleaned our camp area up, which shocked the padres I believe, and headed to take showers to be at the church by 8:30 for more food. The famous pancake and sausage breakfast. Overall it was a splendibulous weekend and we all decided same time same place next year. :) In the words of my dad...Happy trails!

Camping

we're going camping now, we're on our way

we're gonna run up a mountain,

and run, and jump, and play!

and as we hike along we're gonna sing,

"hallelujah to the king!"

Well maybe not run up a mountain, but we'll definitely jump and play! A group of us KS gals are going camping this weekend in southern Barber county! I've had this song in my head from one of Psalty the Singing Songbooks Adventures. Such a great guy that Psalty. :)

What a weekend

The pic above is of us at the place where we had supper on Sunday evening, and we all decided to brave the "leech infested water" and stick our feet in.
This past weekend. 8 of us from KSU, Topeka, and Bern traveled to Ft. Scott for the Labor Day weekend. It was a great time and we had a lot of bonding Sister Time. Saturday we left Topeka at 7:45 a.m. and we met the other canoers at that one place. yeah that one. We canoed down a river and it took an incredibly shorter amount of time than last year. Maybe cause noone was tipping everyone over all the time. I mean yes there was tippage that occured but nothing huge. Tif started it! When we reached the end of our trip, we had about 2 hours to spare, so we started swinging on the rope swing into the water. All was fun and games until I got hurt, then everyone else had fun and games without me. haha...I'm ok just so you all know. After that, we cleaned up and had a hog roast that was amazing! Then we traveled back to the Fort and went to Kellenbergers to hear Cory Metzger speak on "Reaching the Lost: Sharing Your Faith". It was a great end to a nice day. I love Cory & jodi's kids... we had a bonfire and a singing and those kids joined right in with their requests for "B-I-B-L-E" and "At the Cross" My favorite part of the whole singing was when Harrison looked at Tif and said, "Why do you have your eyes closed???" haha...it was great to hear her explanation. Praise the Lord for children! Sunday after church, we headed to the resthomes to sing and it was really cool how one lady said, "For the last 2 years, you have sang 'When you pray', could you sing it again?" And we didn't have the books, so we just winged it. It turned out pretty good, except for my accidental solo, in the wrong place, wow..... We then went to tootsie's house to change and relax for a bit til supper. Then we played some vb and ate and then Larry Bahr spoke and then us KS gals went home. We stayed up late talking and then Monday we went shopping (o yea... :S) and then went to Barnes & Noble and we played the Ungame, which is basically a conversation starter. Good times, great memories. THen we came back to our Apt and played some more VB in the back yard. I loved this weekend because it was a great time to just hang out with the girls and to do this all while learning more about serving our Lord and Saviour. Thanks ladies for a great weekend!

Disclaimer

No I'm not married...and Pittsburgh is NOT in West Virginia! Just a fun fact. ;)

I have had a song on my heart for the last couple of days so I'm going to share it with you:

Victory in Jesus

I heard an old, old story, How a Savior came from glory,

How He gave His life on Calvary To save a wretch like me;

I heard about His groaning, Of His precious blood's atoning,

Then I repented of my sins And won the victory.
O victory in Jesus, My Savior, forever. He sought me and bought me

With His redeeming blood; He loved me ere I knew Him And all my love is due Him,

He plunged me to victory, Beneath the cleansing flood.
I heard about His healing, Of His cleansing pow'r revealing.

How He made the lame to walk again And caused the blind to see;

And then I cried, "Dear Jesus,Come and heal my broken spirit,"

And somehow Jesus came and bro't To me the victory.
O victory in Jesus, My Savior, forever.He sought me and bought me

With His redeeming blood; He loved me ere I knew Him And all my love is due Him,

He plunged me to victory, Beneath the cleansing flood.
I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory. And I heard about the streets of gold Beyond the crystal sea; About the angels singing, And the old redemption story, And some sweet day I'll sing up there The song of victory.
O victory in Jesus,My Savior, forever.He sought me and bought me

With His redeeming blood; He loved me ere I knew Him

And all my love is due Him,He plunged me to victory, Beneath the cleansing flood.

I hope this song gets stuck in your head like it is in mine! How awesome to know that we will have a VICTORY in Jesus! :) Keep smiling!

Stature and Status: Height, Ability, and Labor Market Outcomes

Thanks AP!

It has long been recognized that taller adults hold jobs of higher status and, on average, earn more than other workers. A large number of hypotheses have been put forward to explain the association between height and earnings. In developed countries, researchers have emphasized factors such as self esteem, social dominance, and discrimination. In this paper, we offer a simpler explanation: On average, taller people earn more because they are smarter. As early as age 3 — before schooling has had a chance to play a role — and throughout childhood, taller children perform significantly better on cognitive tests. The correlation between height in childhood and adulthood is approximately 0.7 for both men and women, so that tall children are much more likely to become tall adults. As adults, taller individuals are more likely to select into higher paying occupations that require more advanced verbal and numerical skills and greater intelligence, for which they earn handsome returns. Using four data sets from the US and the UK, we find that the height premium in adult earnings can be explained by childhood scores on cognitive tests. Furthermore, we show that taller adults select into occupations that have higher cognitive skill requirements and lower physical skill demands.
BOOYAH!!!!!

Rain

Rain Rain on My Face. Hasn't stopped Raining for days!

Yesterday, when Tif and I were on our way home, I told her that I had checked the weather before I left Topeka and that there was an 80% chance of rain in Hazelton. I was *super* excited. (I know you'll love me for that Steph) anyway...so we got home and sure enough, it started raining, but not until after the awesome thunder and lightning show. Mom, Dad, Tif, and I were sitting outside on chairs watching the thunder and lightning and all of a sudden the wind started blowing really hard and mom said she didn't want to get wet so we moved onto the porch. It was really awesome sitting there with my family enjoying God's awesomeness. The electricity had gone out earlier, so we went around by candlelight and flashlights. I love that feeling. Listening to the rain and not having any noise or lights. I fell asleep on Tif's bed upstairs at like 10:15 or so. Good night of rest. Today was slightly humid but mostly cool and it looked like it was going to rain all day. It started raining about an hour ago and the weather is so wonderfully cool. PLUS...I just did some laundry and the scent of fresh laundry with rain just gives me warm fuzzies. :) Hope everyone has a very blessed Sunday.

Memories

The other day, I was looking through all of the Jamaica pictures that Maggi has put together on her computer, and I had a great time reminiscing about that trip. There were 2 pictures that I had no idea that someone had taken and that absolutely stole my heart all over again.

I started my fall classes yesterday, and I am pretty excited about them actually. I know at least 1 person in every class, and one of the classes is online. That's always nice. This past weekend I traveled out to Bluffton, IN for the Gateway Sale and I had a really nice weekend. I'm looking forward to the next traveling expedition.

Steph, if you read this, know that I wanted to call you so bad the other day to tell you all about our trip and I miss you and am praying for you!

At times when I am distressed, I turn to Jesus and my soul is at rest, and how can you be stressed when you are so very blessed.
Hey, that was pretty good, just thought of that! ;) God bless!!!

Malachi 3:3

The following is an e-mail I received from Paul Klotzle:
Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study. That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it." If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you. Pass this on right now. This very moment, someone needs to know that God is watching over them. And, whatever they're going through, they'll be a better person in the end.

Happy 21st Birthday Tif!

Today is Tifani's birthday, and she turns 21. Legally able to drink, but smart enough not to! :D Hope it is a wonderful day and that you continue to seek God and His blessings in the years to come! O and just so you all know....she's already had 4 cakes! That's insane...
THIS IS A PIC OF TIFANI...IF YOU CAN"T SEE IT...WELL I'M SORRY...I CAN'T EITHER.

Stephanie

My sister has issues that we don't normally speak of...but I'll let you all decide for yourselves. The following is an e-mail I received from her. Enjoy!

*As I look at this missive, I realize that Tifani has the bulk of the burden placed upon her... but since she is older that is how it should be. Both of you may have noticed that I sent this missive to your parents and your aunt - relative personnel who will help in your eventual decimation if you should not follow these instructions.*

To my darling sisters who will be taking care of my plants while I am in Mexico and undoubtedly needing my guidance in order not to kill the plants and then face the wrath of Stephanie,

Here are the necessary requirements:

Mr. Plant (Chelsie):

Yes, this is his name... don't change it. He will become very irritated. So will I. Mr. Plant requires that you water him whenever the soil surrounding his roots is dry to the touch - not "dust" dry, but just less moist than normal. This means you will probably water him about once a week - about two and a half cups of agua. Also, NO direct sunlight. He needs to sit in complete shade, although a little light is permissable. Make sure you check to see that there is no mold growing in the fake matting surrounding the base (this is the stuff that looks like grayish-yellow string). Otherwise he will mold, smell, die, and then you will die.

Arne Root (Tifani):

Once again... no changing of the name. It's pronounced Ar-nuh (emphasis on the first syllable)... named for a famous Swedish journalist. He likes to be the topic of conversations whenever you wish to tell your friends and family about his fabulous namesake (plus this makes you appear smart). Arne requires that you water him once a week... about two cups of water should do it unless he is really thirsty... and then two and a half. If his leaves start to yellow, turn brown, and crinkle up, remove them at the base of the leaf's stem by gently pulling upward - otherwise Arne gets mad, spits, shows his teeth and chews on your arms. Don't risk it. He needs partial sunlight... not direct. Fry him, kill him, and then you will die a painful death as well.

Spike (Tifani):

Kinda cute for a cactus, huh? Spike is a cactus... hence he does not need a TON of watering... however, he can use a little. Spike should be watered about once every week and a half, and not given too much water... about a small cupful is all he needs. He does, however, require sunshine... not necessarily direct, but he should have a good two or three hours per day. Keep this in mind when you arrange your apartment - in fact, arrange it to meet Spike's needs. Remember that when you water him... he pees. Always put a dish under him or a cup to catch the run-off. Also... Spike is about to outgrow the pot he is in... CAREFULLY replant him in a slightly larger pot and make sure you purchase GOOD soil for him... or else he will lose his roots, his life, and you will lose your head.

Bambi (Tifani):

Bambi is short for bamboo... and probably the easiest to care for in this group. However, she has kung-fu moves you have never seen if you do indeed let her die - so don't. Around her base in the cool-turquoise-oriental-lookin'-jar, you will see gray foam: this foam must ALWAYS be kept wet. It usually needs replenishing every five days or so... depending upon her location which should NEVER be in direct sunlight. She doesn't mind partial sunlight, but if sun hits her in the leaf she will break out of her pot and go chlorophyll on your... butt. So... treat her right and she'll bring you peace and harmony, and if you don't you'll die... from both her and I.

Thank you for your time and don't kill my plants.

Sincerely,

Stephanie L. Bahr

Told ya!!!!!

Overloaded

I've been so busy lately I haven't found time to post... O wait...

School starts in 12 days, and for some ridiculous reason, I'm excited. Actually it's not ridiculous because I am looking forward to actually having something to do. I spent last week at Table Rock Lake in Missouri with my family. It was a lot of fun, and it was good to be there. I'm going home this weekend for Tif's birthday. The big 2-1. Should we be worried? Probably not. I really don't have any great thoughts or advice right now, except that I would like you all to know that Chicken pot pies are the best meal ever. Have a happy day.

Trust

We don't know what the future holds, but we DO know that God holds the future.

--Mike Leman

Sunglasses

I have come to realize, after going through 3 pairs, I am hard on sunglasses. I have finally found glasses that don't make me look like a bug, or any other various insect, and I can't seem to keep them in one piece, or in the case of one of the pairs, even KEEP them. The first pair, I put in my purse at college weekend in Bluffton, and when I brought my arm down to my side, I heard a CRUNCH....I wasn't too distraught, but slightly annoyed. The 2nd pair, I searched for all over, Target, Wal-Mart, Kohls, Claire's, but no where did they have what I was looking for. Then finally I found a pair, so I bought them before I went to Jamaica, and then I proceeded to lose them in Jamaica. (Cody's prediction came true.) Then I found ANOTHER pair at the Wal-Mart in Alva Oklahoma. Bethany also wanted a pair so I got her some and myself some. Life was just great, and then today....I had them on when I went into Dad's shop, and I decided that they would be in Danger of being smashed by my rather "smashing" dad. ha! sorry...anyway...so I took them back out to his pick-up and put them in my seat, because surely I wouldn't crush them. Wrong. Dad was moving the gator up to Ralph's and so I jumped in the pickup, and tossed his waterjug over in the passenger seat. What did I hear? You guessed it, CRUNCH. I was like "You've GOT to be KIDDING me!" I have decided that Tif's nickname has come true. Idiotchild.

Walk with God

My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land that they may dwell with me. Psalm 101:6

Walk with God as Noah did; when the flood came, Noah was saved amidst the scorn and rejection of his neighbors. Walk with God as Moses did in the solitude of the desert; when the hour of judgment fell upon Egypt, Moses was prepared to lead his people to victory.

Walk with God as David did as a shepherd boy; when he was called to rule his people he was prepared for the task of kingship.

Walk with God as Daniel and his three young friends did in the palace of Babylon's king; when the fiery furnace and the lion's den came, God was beside them and delivered them.

No, God didn't always deliver His saints from adversity or even death, nor does He today. But because they had learned to trust Him in the light, they were prepared to follow Him in the darkness.

God has not promised to deliver us from trouble, but He has promised to go with us through the trouble. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me" (Ps. 23:4).

This is a passage out "Hope for Each Day" by Billy Graham that I read and thought I would share. May you all have a blessed weekend.

Camping, Fishing, Madness, & Mayhem

This past weekend, I taveled to Ft. Wayne & Bluffton, Indiana with some corn-fed Kansas women. (They will get my joke) No but seriously, we went to Gordan's, for the camping thing. Aside from being in the circle of the married folk, which was fine, but a little awkward, we had a really good time, and I enjoyed myself a ton. Thanks ladies for the wonderful trip out and back (mostly back, except for our little "stop") ;)

--This is where the image was supposed to go...but it won't post it. --

Now about fishing. I'll start off by telling of how I got home yesterday afternoon to find that mom and grandma were planning on going fishing. I of course joined in the fun, or what I THOUGHT would be fun. The first river we were at, no one caught anything cause it was too shallow. Although grandma about "caught" herself a snake! We tried a new bridge hoping it would bring us better luck. I was doomed from the moment Grandma told me that since the wind was in the north, we most likely would have bad luck, (for all you unfamiliar with the wives tale, it goes: Wind's in the West, fishings the best; Wind's in the South, hook goes in the fishes mouth; winds in the east, fishing the least; and I never heard the North forecast, because it must be pretty disastrous. or there were no rhymes...anyway...so we sat on a bridge, Mom to my left, and grandma to my right. As mom catches the first fish, we all are quite pleased for her, then grandma catches a fish and I was quite pleased for her, then mom catches another fish and I'm like "ok this is allright, it'll be my turn soon" and then Grandma catches her 2nd fish, and then so on and so forth until FINALLY I get a bite....So I reel him in and I was just ASTONISHED at his size. About as big as my hand, and what did he do? Swallowed my stinkin hook. But it was ok, cause at least he was worth it right! :( After mom and grandma were sick of catching fish at this water hole, we decided to go to another creek. This time, as fast as I could throw in my line, I would have a little mudcat on the end, and pretty much every one of them swallowed the hook. It was a lot of fun to fish last night. Very pleasant, no bugs and nice weather. So tonight Mom and I decide to use the rest of the worms. We went back into one of dad's fields by a creek that has a beaver in it. We started fishing and I got a fish right away. THen I caught another fish right away. Something was wrong with my line however and so I was unwinding it about every other cast. I will tell this story from my mom's point of view first. She was quietly fishing and she said she heard an awful scream and then my thunderous footsteps flying towards her. She was right, what can I say. Now my view:
I was fishing minding my own business, when my line pulled and I thought I had a fish, so I reeled it in and the fish flopped off the hook. I was trying to get the backlash out, so I was concentrating on my pole rather hard and had just got it worked out when I heard rustling in the bush to my left. I look over, rather quickly, because it quite startled me when I see a SKUNK tailend pointing right at me, not 5 ft. away. Of course, I uttered a "small" ladylike yelp, which to mom MUST have seemed a scream. ;) and took off running as fast as I could. I shook for approximately 20 minutes after that. But during that 2o min. I threw logs at it until it went away. I think mom about fell in the water from laughing so hard. But I just wanted to share this unique experience with all of you. This last story is the sort of Madness & Mayhem I have been enduring of late. Have a happy day all!

I lift my eyes up to the hills...

Last night, when I got home from Iowa, I got to catch up with my roommate Lin about a lot of different stuff that is going on with both of us, like Struggles & joys. We had a nice long talk about putting our trust in God because he's the only one who can get us through EVERYTHING that we go through. A lot of this convo was stimulated by Alan's loss of his dad, and some of it came from just the stuff we are going through. Not only did we talk about the complete trust we need in God, but it also came out that if we do not lift our eyes up to Jesus all the time, then Satan can sneak in and take over without us even realizing until we finally focus on Jesus again. I don't know if anyone has heard this before, but Lin shared this with me and I thought it was incredible. When you hear Satan knocking on the door, say "Jesus, will you get that for me?" Because when we let Jesus take care of Satan, we will have a lot less problems.
On Tuesday night, I went to Wichita to meet my mom to switch vehicles and because I had an orthodontist appt. on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. I stayed the night with my great-aunt Ann Greiner. We talked for a long time and right before bed, she pulled out her "laughing box". This box contains little clips and stories that make her laugh, "Even though she's by herself" (as she told me through laughter) There were some very good quotes that I had to write down. The one that stuck out the most said:

Safety is not the absence of Danger,

but the presence of God.

And then on a lighter note there was another that said:

Patience is a virtue,

capture it if you can.

Seldom achieved by women,

Never by a man.

I got quite tickled. Not only at the quote, but at the reaction from Grandma Greiner! :) She has the cutest laugh. It is very infectious. This last quote that I am going to type is also a good one, it wasn't really funny or really serious, but it has a good meaning:

Pray to God for humility, but never thank him that you have attained it.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and remember to lift your eyes up to Jesus!

Psalm 121:1-2

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

Masters Call

My mom has a bunch of old Cowboy ballads and so Tif made a CD of the ones we really like, and on my way back to Topeka, I was listening to them and I had forgotten how good this song is. It is a wonderful reminder that we need to live our lifes fully for God because we never know when our time will come.

Masters Call - by Marty Robbins

When I was but a young man I was wild and full of fire

A youth within my teens, but full of challenge and desire

I ran away from home and left my mother and my dad

I know it grieved them so to think their only boy was bad

I fell in with an outlaw band, their names were known quite well

How many times we robbed and plundered, I could never tell

This kind of sinful living leads only to a fall

I learned that much and more the night I heard my Master call

One night we rustled cattle, a thousand head or so

And started them out on the trail that leads to Mexico

But a norther started blowing and lightning flashed about

I thought someone was calling me, I thought I heard a shout

Then at that moment lightning struck not twenty yards from me

And left there was a giant cross where once there was a tree

And this time I knew I heard a voice, a voice so sweet and strange

A voice that came from everywhere, a voice that called my name

So frightened I was thinking of sinful deeds I'd done

I failed to see the thousand head of cattle start to run

The cattle they stampeded, were running all around

My pony ran but stumbled and it threw me to the ground

I felt the end was near, that death would be the price

When a mighty bolt of lightning showed the face of Jesus Christ

And I cried oh Lord forgive me, don't let it happen now

I want to live for you alone, Oh God these words I vow

My wicked past unfolded, I thought of wasted years

When another bolt of lightning killed a hundred head of steers

And the others rushed on by me and I was left to live

The Master had a reason, life is his to take or give

A miracle performed that night, I wasn't meant to die

The dead ones formed a barricade least six or seven high

And right behind it there was I, afraid but safe and sound

I cried and begged for mercy kneeling there upon the ground

A pardon I was granted, my sinful soul set free

No more to fear the angry waves upon life's stormy sea

Forgiven by the love of God, a love that will remain

I gave my life and soul the night the Saviour called my name.

Grandpa

www.tifani.blogspot.com

Tif wrote a very beautiful post about our Grandpa. We all are going to miss him and though we shed tears, we also rejoice that he is with Jesus.

Tifani's Table

Hello Everyone, I just wanted to let you all know that Tifani got a new kitchen table. She told me when we were on the phone on Tuesday night, then on Wednesday I was talking to her on MSN and she told me again, and then when I arrived in Manhattan last night, she was like "Hey Chelsie guess what? I got a new kitchen table." I just said "yeah." and she said "Did I already tell you that?" If she hadn't of been dead serious it wouldn't have been that funny, but she was so excited she didn't remember telling me 3 times. So I decided to post about this exciting addition to the BatCave.

Returned

Meow, I'm back, I took a lot of pictures, and had a wonderful time. I can't describe in this little paragraph all that happened and all that I enjoyed. I made some wonderful new friends that will always have a place in my heart. It was a great time and I loved every minute of it, but I am still glad to be home and hopefully this weekend Dad will be cutting some wheat and I can go home and help with a little bit of harvest. Hope everyone has a wonderful week. God Bless!

Off to Jamaica

Welp...I'm off to Jamaica. I'll take lots of pictures. :)

Stinkin' Woodpeckers

Last night when I got home from Topeka, Dad & I stayed up late talking and sharing just good "quality" time. I think I went to bed at like 2:00 or something, because I thought, hey I have no reason to get up early in the morning. But I set my alarm on my phone for 9:00 cause I didn't want to be completely worthless. So I wake up to this intermittent buzzing and my first bleary thought was that I had accidentally set my alarm to vibrate. When I flipped it open I realized that it was only 7:45 and it must be something else. So I rolled over and was just getting ready to fall asleep again when the buzzing starts again. Needless to say, I was SLIGHTLY annoyed. I opened the window to see what it was, because at this point I was still not coherent. When I realized that it was a woodpecker pecking at the house and rattling my window, I yelled "Hey!" and then climbed back in bed cause I figured that would have scared it away. Nope, it kept going and so I laid there and kept yelling very violent threats and finally it wouldn't quit so I jumped out of bed, marched down the stairs, ran outside, and grabbed a chunk of wood off the ground with the intention of throwing it at the stupid bird. As I was standing there trying to get my eyes to stay open (because my contacts were causing them to stick shut), it flew over my head and landed on our shed a long ways away (out of reach of my weapon) and started pecking on the tin shed. I then realized what I was doing, gave up and went back inside. After my great adventures, I found that I was no longer sleepy. This evening when Dad got home I was telling him about it and I said "I just wanted to shoot it." He asked me why I didn't and told me that we have a 22. I think I might keep it by the back door, that way tomorrow morning if it decides to return.....*mischevious laughter*

Ahhhhh!!!!

Can't......study......any..........more......... I think I am getting one of the disorders I was studying about for psychology....it's called PTSD. Posttraumatic stress disorder. This disorder is made up of 3 components:
1) The person experiences an event that involves actual or threatened serious injury.
--I am witnessing my brain dying of overload.
2) The person responds to the situation with fear and helplessness
--as seen in the pic above...helplessness
3) Experiences symptoms of unwanted dreams, emotional numbing, difficulty sleeping, and startle easily. These symptoms can last for months or even years.
I appreciate prayers.

Finals

The only week you have the right to go completely insane and everyone is ok with it. Good luck everyone and I'll be praying that everyone stays as sane as possible.

Cleaning

Tonight I got busy and cleaned out my room and sorted the things out that I had accumulated over the year and what all I needed to take home with me this weekend. As I was cleaning out my closet, I got the biggest shock of my life. I look up and see this blob that I have no idea what it is. So I slowly grab it and when I realized what it was...I ran into Lin's room and showed her. We both got a pretty big kick out of it. It was a present from my mom and I will show you a before and after picture of it.
BEFORE:

AFTER:

oops...needless to say I didn't know it was a real pumpkin.

Easter

"Tis' not the manger, but the CROSS, that sets the sinner free."

Last night, a group of us went to "The Passion Play" that was put on by the Fairlawn Church of the Nazarene. It was a very blessed evening. We all know the significance of the Cross, but last night it really was hitting me hard, and as I was praying last night, I was trying to think of something that would even come close to thanking Jesus for what He did for us, and it hit me...I get to live my Life for Him for the rest of my days here on Earth. This is all He asks for in return. I am so thankful that I serve a God that loves me this much!! There is a scene in the play where Joseph of Arimathea and Mary Magdalene are at the tomb. Joseph is weeping because he says that he could have done something to stop this, and he gives Mary a stone and says "Go ahead condemn me." Mary looks at him and says "I forgive you and Jesus forgives you. He's not dead...I know my redeemer lives!" and then she starts singing the Nicole C. Mullen song, "I know my redeemer lives". After she is done singing the main part of the song, everything got dark and Satan came out dancing and shouting about how he had defeated Jesus on Earth and how Jesus had no power on Earth. Then all these people in white robes holding candles came out on stage, singing "I know my redeemer lives" and then the tomb door slams on to the ground and all this white smoke and bright light are in the tomb door and Jesus walks out. It made me want to jump up and yell!!!! Instead, I had happy tears streaming down my face. I hope everyone has a wonderfully blessed Easter and just remember what it is all about!

Rain

Lin and I were in her room tonight talking...I mean studying...and all of a sudden I see what I thought was lightning, so I kept looking and all of a sudden there was this HUGE boom of thunder. So Lin and I went running out the door to stand on the porch and saw that it was raining. I can't even describe the excitement it caused me. :D Then Marie came out from her hole...err I mean...room... ;) and we sang "How great Thou Art" on our porch. It was so awesome. I love spring rains! Now for it to only move south right dad?!

Bottle Calves

It's official...I fell in love yesterday. Marie and I were on our way back to Topeka and she needed to make a stop at her aunt and uncles. (Jim and Diane Kaebs) When we got there Jim invited us to eat some popcorn and drink some 7-up. SO then he was like "Ok well we'll get our boots on and we'll go down and help Derek and Diane." So off to the garage we went. Slipped into some farm boots and went down to the pens. And there I laid eyes on them. 300 ADORABLE little calves. They don't feed them all by hand, but Derek told me I could if I wanted, so of COURSE I did! :D I wish I had taken my camera down with me but all I managed to get was a pic of me and marie in our work boots. Hope you are all having a superb day!

Beautiful Days

I love days like this. The sun is shining and the grass is green. The birds are singing in harmony. Tif is here in Topeka, Marie made me breakfast. Life looks good good good! Tif and I are really wacky right now. And last night as well.

Surprises

Gotta love birthday surprises. Yesterday, when Marie and I were sitting in our Anatomy class, I asked her what we were going to do for my b-day dinner. She told me we would just order pizza, cause no one really felt like cooking. I was ok with that. So we get home, and I asked Lin when we were going to order the pizza. She told me to go ask Marie, and then Marie said "I'm not hungry right now, let's wait a little bit." So about 20 minutes later, I'm about to die of hunger when there is a knock at the door. In walks Tif. Yea! :) So that was my first surprise. Then we all bundle in the car, and head off to the unknown (to me) eating destination. No it was not Pizza Hut. :D We were on Wanamaker and we kept driving, past all the eating places I thought we would go to. And as we pulled into the parking lot of this restaurant, I about died of astonishment. But they were treating me to food, so I grabbed my purse and got out with the other 3 ladies. We quick snapped a pic to capture the moment.

Notice how my cross on my shirt just kinda stands out! :D Well no, we didn't end up eating there, so it was all good. But none the less...my heart stopped. We ended up eating at the Olive Garden. And then at prayer meeting I shared my b-day cake that my mom (thanks mom;)) had sent back for me to eat with everyone. It was a very blessed birthday and we shall see what another year brings.

Today...

Today's THE DAY! :D HOpe you all have a happy day also!

Birthdays

According to my sisters, my birthday is my favorite holiday. Next to Christmas & Easter, I'd have to agree. :) I have no idea why either. But beginning pretty much on January 1st, I start counting down. AND telling Everyone I can think of multiple times about it. The following are e-mails I received from some of the people who have been blessed by these reminders:
Lindsay:
Subj: I am going to beat you
Hey if you don't stop emailing me these annoying emails I am going to beat you when I get back. Have a good one!
Tyler:
What big day are you talking about?
Marie:
Thanks, I needed the reminder!!!! (very sarcastically)
Stephanie: (said, not e-mailed)
STOP SENDING ME DUMB E-MAILS!
Tifani: (said)
I bet you are going to fill our inboxes with stupid reminders!!
And just so all of YOU know...My birthday is in 4 days...actually almost 3 by this time. Everyone can tell me how long til their b-days if they want. Then I won't feel like a complete idiot. Have a great day!

Superchic[k]

"We live we love we forgive and never give up

Cause the days we are given are gifts from above

and today we remember to live and to love."

After reading Tif's blog the other day, I realized that there is so much in my life to be thankful for. Not that I wasn't thankful anyway, but it just really struck me. I really like this song by Superchic[k] because it is very true...and I like the beat. :) I hope you can all find something in your day that will bring a smile to your face and a reminder that Jesus loves you and always will. ALSO...I thought I would let you all know that my birthday is in 11 days. I think I might do a count down. :D Won't that be nice.

Taylor

These are just a few of the pics of this weekend.

It is always a blessing to come back from an awesome weekend like this past one and know that the friends you have made and the memories you have created will always be there. I had a wonderful time chillin' with the Taylor crowd this past weekend. It was a very relaxed occasion. No rushing and just having fun. It is very interesting to me to think about how when you first become a Christian, you're all about learning all you can about Jesus, and then as you mature in Christ, you can learn about God through fellowship with other believers. There was nothing this weekend that one would have considered spiritually uplifting, such as a bible study or a work project. But yet, on Friday night as I sat and talked to various individuals about how God was working in their lives and then on Saturday night as we praised God through song I feel like I was spiritually uplifted. I am going to try to upload some of my pics onto my bebo account, so if any of you who read this has bebo, check out my account in the next couple of days. Fun stuff! Hope everyone else had a great weekend also!

Narnia and Christian Challenge

My aunt sent me this pic with my favorite quote to go along and I found it quite fitting:

"Be the Moon, Reflect the SON."

I can't stop reading the Narnia books! O wow...Tif lent them to me and I figured it would take me at least a while to read them...o no...I can't put them down...I just finished the 2nd one that I started today. No I didn't read them both in one day...I read them both in two days. ha! But yeah they are good. So that's the story of my Narnia infatuation now. ;)
For the past 3 weeks I have been attending our Campus' group of Christian Challenge on Thursdays. I am so excited that I actually see people there that are in my classes and that I can actually talk to someone I know in about every single one of them. The friendships that I have already made are fantastic...but what draws me the most to this meeting is that it is totally Christ-centered and I have already been able to apply everything they have spoken on. The first night was on relationships, and although I don't have a relationship in the physical sense with anyone...it got me focused on what my "relationship" to Christ is and how I can make it better. Last Thursday the topic was "Quiet Time". Totally what I needed. It was really awesome to hear how different each person was with their quiet time but there were some wonderful tips given, such as making sure you have an accountability partner that is going to be checking on your progress in your devotions; Don't just read and go on, read and meditate on God's word so that you will retain the precious words you are given; and finally, Make sure you actually DO your devotions. They are a critical part of life. I already knew this, but it is always nice to be reminded. Then tonight, there was a guest speaker and he gave a very very interesting study on what a "disciple" was in Jesus' time. He made it very personal and it reminded me of the feeling of understanding the prophets as real people that I got after reading the Mark of the Lion series. Attending these nights has been a very good thing for me and I thank God that He opened the doors that allowed me to become aware. He truly is an Awesome God!

Studying on Weekends...

NEVER happens. I tried this weekend. I really did. And then my resolve came crashing down as Tif came over to Topeka to stay with me. So much for studying accountability partners. The only good thing that came from this weekend was...well ok there were lots of good things...but Tif and I had a lot of fun. Late nights, hot tub talks, movie with Anna, 2 giant bags of popcorn, cheap burritos, more late nights, devotions with a sister, Church on Sunday, and helpless giggles all throughout the weekend, and last but not least...ATTEMPTING to study but only talking instead. Yea for family.
Welp Steph is getting baptized this coming weekend and it's going to be great fun. I can't wait to go home. But only of course if I don't die of a really bad grade in like 3 of my classes because I failed to STUDY. O wait...I could be doing that right now...BYE

Popcorn

I just love popcorn. Tonight as I was sitting here looking at everyone's blogs...3 times each, I decided that I needed a snack. So I went to the fridge, then I went to the cupboard...and then I went to the OTHER cupboard...and as I opened it...my eyes fell on an unopened box at the side of the shelf... lost, lonely, almost forgotten. Yes the Kettle Corn popcorn box. So I decided that YES this is what I want! In the 3min. and 23 sec. that is took to pop it, I sat that remembering of all the times when I used to eat popcorn regularly, and then I remembered the aerobics class that I'm taking and how I have set my goal for not eating unhealthy snacks, and as I had this thought, I got an evil smirk on my face, grabbed the sugar container and Poured it on! :D I mean...no...I would never do that! :S Anyway...so now the bowl is half gone and I've enjoyed every fattening bite of it!

End of Break Blues

So now that my Christmas break is coming to a close, I can't decide if I'm ready to go back. I want to go back to Topeka to be with my roomies, but I'm not really sure I want to start school again. Hopefully I will get the job that I applied for, and that will fill up some time. I have been procrastinating a ton of stuff all through break and then yesterday I just finally sat down and did it, it took like not even half an hour. Sometimes, I worry about stuff that is so not even worth worrying over. And worry is not of God. I contracted a cold this past weekend when I traveled to Bern for Jason, Austin, and Scott's baptisms so that is another reason for my state of the blues. AND I'm getting sick of this house. Luckily I have church tonight and then tomorrow I have an appointment at Grandma's to devour chicken. :D I'm so excited. Only today and tomorrow left at home. I'm leaving Friday to head back to Topeka. I guess I'm ready, or if not, I'd better get ready huh?! Time to go find something to fill my time with.