Wednesday, November 30, 2011

the magnificent exchange

I stumbled upon this today. My work? Oh yes and how perspectives can change over time! Enjoy as you dig into Chelsey's teenage years.

It is somewhat of a miracle how one can
live when the heart has been stolen.
But where has it gone?
Into the hands of another.
One so sweet but unaware of his power.
Ignorance is lethal when it comes
to love. It can crush a girl's
dreams into pieces so small they turn
to dust and blow away in the wind as if
they never existed.

But what can a girl
do. Advice to all girls: build a wall around
your heart and make sure to dig a moat.
You can never be too careful. Then choose
a room within the castle. Secrecy is ever
so important. Tell no one which room
it lies within until you have gotten
the attention of the one you love.
Then you can make an arrangement with
this man who has committed his life to you. You
can label this day of grandeur as "the magnificent
exchange." Your heart for his.

Despite its dramatic tone, I must believe that it was real at the time. If I were to give advice today though, I would direct girls in the opposite direction. Take chances. Most likely this means you will get hurt. Yes, there is a downside of taking risks. The upside: you will gain a better understanding of life as you experience relationships that don't turn out according to your expectations. Why? because they force you to think at a deeper level, leading to self discovery. You will begin to learn what really matters to you. The more you know, the better equipped you are to find someone with similar values, desires, and dreams. But what may be most difficult is finding a match and realizing their commitment level is not the same- the timing just doesn't align. For this I have no direct answer, only to stay hopeful and to have faith that all will work out one way or another. Respect yourself. Remember your worth. Aspire to be a better person. And most importantly, turn to your Father in Heaven to find eternal joy which is much fuller and more dependable than the 'happiness' the world has to offer you.

Now, I speak to any that are in need of comfort, healing, love, spiritual enlightenment, or temporal things such as food or transportation, I invite you to pray to your Father in Heaven. The specific words chosen during prayer do not matter but what does matter is:

1)expressing righteous desires with reverence to our Father in Heaven, 
2)being sincere with our gratefulness, 
3)and having a willingness to do our part in receiving blessings. 

The components listed below are taken from the Lord's prayer taught by Christ during the Sermon on the Mount. Personal prayers shouldn't use vain repetitions, but I wanted to share a helpful model.

[Address in Holiness] Dear gracious Heavenly Father:
 
[Express gratitude and love] I am thankful for...

[Pray for Heavenly Father's will to be done] I pray in accordance to Thy will for me and my loved ones...

[Ask for specific blessings] Humbly I ask that Thou would bless me with... my family & friends with... all your children with...

[Sincerely ask for forgiveness & begin the process of repentance] Please forgive me for... help me to change...

[Close in the name of Jesus Christ] In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Saturday, November 12, 2011

a hatful of thoughts

Standing at the kitchen table, I pour myself a tall glass of milk. Then, I proceed by drizzling 2 & 1/2 tablespoons of Hershey's chocolate syrup into it. And you thought I was healthy 24/7! I have found myself doing this more often than not lately. One of two explanations: Either I have a new found addiction or I enjoy creating calligraphy with the chocolate just a little too much.


Nevertheless, the topic of the day is thoughts. I am ashamed to say my neurons have been more active today than my muscles. I blame it on rain.

The fact that Michael and I will be choosing a dental school next month may also have something to do with my rampant stream of thoughts this week.

At present Michael has...
               flown to 4 states  --AZ, NV, CA, & IN
               attended 6 dental school interviews --
                           Midwestern (AZ), 
                           UNLV (NV),
                           Loma Linda (CA),
                           IUPUI (IN), 
                           Roseman (UT), & 
                           Creighton (UT)
               and has made 6 excellent 1st impressions
                
The final interview will be in Kentucky at The University of Louisville. 

And with that being said, December will be a telling month: schools will be extending offers. So many variables to take into account and numbers to crunch, but undeniably, we will go where the Lord needs us most.

To simplify maybe we will draw from a hat or better yet blindfold ourselves and play pin the Hewlett's on the school!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Gimme a Break


Gimme a break, gimme a break, break me 
off a piece of that Kit Kat Bar! Remember those catchy commercials? Well, we may be saying our goodbyes to summer, but the breaks don't have to end. I had an incredible realization two weeks ago. Upon returning home from our mini excursion to Bear Lake, I had the best thought pop into my head...vacations don't have to be long or costly to be fun and refreshing. I would even go as far to say, this short, loosely planned trip was one of the most satisfying get-aways I have had in a long time. I had been feeling slightly down, overworked, and in the mood for a little spontaneity and Bear Lake was the fix I was looking for. Michael and I left on a Tuesday afternoon and were back home by Thursday morning. The time was short, but needless to say our adventurous spirit was by no means thwarted by the fact. Our first pit stop Logan...Rich Hall to be exact. Meg had some delicious tacos waiting for us and then after testing out her sand volleyball court, we were off. Within about an hour we arrived at the lake house. It was fairly late when we arrived and with only one full day of bliss ahead, we retired fairly early.

Our vacation proceeded as follows:


early morning: a lakeside bike ride to ward off the brisk morning air
mid-morning: taking the paddle surf boards out on the lake...fish watching & playing gladiators
late morning: building a sand castle palace
noonish: quick nap on the tramp & eating sub sandwiches while watching yard crashers (farewell to Meg)
afternoon: Stratego... the game of strategy 
late afternoon: hitting up the resort tennis courts, swimming pool, hot-tub, and sauna 
evening: eating some burgers, fries, and yes dessert... a mint Oreo shake, Mike's choice (for once I gave him the privilege of choosing)
night: relaxing and building a camp fire to roast some corn on the cob... yes I said corn...and we had no clue what we were doing so I ended up eating raw corn and Mike ended up hucking his into the lake...for the fish he said
early morning next day: waking up to thunderstorms, eating cereal on the back deck watching lightening strike across the lake...very cool and packing up with flashlights due to lost power

Altogether wonderful...and my vacation spiel comes to an end folks, but I can guarantee you, the mini breaks are just beginning.

A Big Thanks to Lynn and Mary Jane for Making this One Happen!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Scooting Across Town... Ten Reasons to Own a Scooter

  1. Appear super HIP
  2. SKIP getting into a hot sunbathed vehicle where you are gasping for air until you get the windows rolled down or the AC cranked full blast
  3. GASOLINE... no more paying an arm and leg to simply fuel up each week... good cuz you might need to keep those; I mean they do come in handy every so often
  4. Feel the WIND blowing through your hair and the natural SUNLIGHT kissing your skin... we could all use a little more vitamin D right
  5. Use very little STORAGE space to lock it up and keep it safe
  6. A good WASHING can be completed in no time
  7. Gotta love the DINKY license plate
  8. Always makes for good CONVERSATION
  9. Get to park in the COMPACT parking spaces which are always located towards the front of the lot
  10. Much QUICKER than a bicycle



Saturday, July 2, 2011

Potty Training Revolutionalized


Do you find this picture quite disturbing in the least? I came across this on Facebook one day. This is what one individual had to say about it: [Justin] "Oh my, the problems are endless. This child is being forced to stay there until "something happens" I assume...note the leg cuffs, the only thing moving in this picture will be his bowels! Secondly, it appears he will eventually poop his own pants, as he is stuck in this contraption fully clothed." And might I add, thirdly, doesn't this boy look a little too old to be in this stage still.