Pictures of my lovely family

If you're on facebook, then you've probably already seen these, but I felt that my blog was completely devoid of picturehood, and so, here they are.  And because it is my blog, after all, you shouldn't complain.  ;)

....  The end ....

My Loves

Pictured l-r, children #'s: 6, 10, 7, 9, and 5

Have I mentioned that I love these guys?  Well I do.

A Quiet Evening at Home

It's evening
The sun is setting
The temperature is cooling

Zach Boy is in the backyard playing soccer with Ethan
Grace and Luke are sitting quietly on the couches in the family room, each lost in their own little world
Dad is in his study, typing away furiously at his sermon which he must deliver tomorrow morning

The smell of leftover dinner fills all of the downstairs as it has yet to be put away
Mom is summoning some of the little ones upstairs for bedtime rituals
Helen starts in with the first of what will be many excuses as to why she should still be up

The wind is blowing the trees
Jacob is bantering with Zach Boy
The lights are starting to flip on all throughout the house

This. This is what I love.
This.  This is home.

It's Almost 11 O'clock...

...which means it's time for me to write a little something with enough meaning for you, as the reader, to interpret my pithy post properly.  I hope that you are familiar enough with the English norms of language so that you can understand what I'm trying to impart to you.  Please, don't take anything I'm saying out of context,  but determine the subject matter, and go from there.

As you most likely surmised from the above paragraph, yes, I'm studying for my Hermeneutics mid-term.  So many terms, phrases, and topics to memorize!  But it will be good, especially if I have good recall on test day.  ;)  Pray for me, though, because it's a multiple choice exam, and I have the awful tendency to waaaaaay over think such things, making a plausible case for 3 out of the 4 possible answers.  I really can't tell you how badly I want to get an A in this class, so I've got a great amount of studying to do.

On top of that, I've got lots of reading and researching to do for two of my other classes, which are both fantastic, and then a bibliography for one and a book review for another.  Though the last two items aren't due til the last day of class, I'd really like to get a head start on them so I won't be worried about starting/finishing those while studying for finals.

Other than that, I've also got a mid-term in my New Testament Survey class.  I'm thoroughly enjoying this one!  So many great historical background informational bits that help to piece together the gospel to make it that much more beautiful.  God is so good!  :D

So that's life in a nutshell.  Lots of studying, planned breaks of studying (Six Flags on Saturday), and school and church events on the horizon.

On a totally unrelated thread, my roommate reminded me that next Thursday is the last day of class before Spring Break!!!  I had completely lost track of time and was expecting at least another week of school between mid-terms and a week long break, so this was a glorious realization.  It's been 2.5 months since I've seen home and family, so as you can imagine, I'm itching to get back!

May God bless y'all as you go about your week!  :D 

Thankfulness Part 4

31.  My dad!
32.  Deep conversations
33.  Easy and relaxed weekends
34.  A strong church
35.  A hot mug of coffee and a warm blanket
36.  Reminiscing about family and home
37.  Talking with God  =)
38.  The sound of rain pounding against the roof
39.  Sloshing through puddles in the parking lot
40.  Singing along while the radio is turned up LOUD

Fact

Fact:  I spent 9 hours writing and stylizing a book review today

Fact:  Food is tastier when hungry

Fact:  God is good, all the time

Fact:  When I found out Luke hit a tree with the van, I laughed.  Really hard.

Fact:  I have the tendency to adopt people (I just adopted my first daughter last week, but only just informed her today)

Fact:  I have been adopted by one of my roommates and her boyfriend as their daughter

Fact:  Losing your debit card, while quite awful when caught up in the moment, actually forces you to spend less money, so may be an act of Providence

And there you have it!  A short list of the things I have been occupied with for the past couple of days.  Life is good.  :)

Thankfulness Part 3

21.  "Soul Sister"

22.  Getting back into the exercise

23.  Getting internet installed

24.  Hermeneutics

25.  Water

26.  Comfy couches to crash on

27.  "Haven't Met You Yet"

28.  The rodeo

29.  Eating pie

30.  Listening to music with Mica

Thankfulness Part 2

11.  Having the most number of textbooks for one semester than I've ever had, but paying the less for them than I ever have
12.  Naps
13.  Beautiful weather
14.  Running trails 2 minutes away from home
15.  Hot showers
16.  Work/study jobs
17.  Good books
18.  Clean clothes
19.  Email conversations
20.  Phone calls where Dad sets it on speaker phone so the whole family can be all together again

Thankfulness Part 1

1.  A roof over my head
2.  Great roommates
3.  A very cool New Testament professor
4.  Having Big Lots right across the street, easy walking distance
5.  Country music
6.  Tuna sandwiches
7.  A soft mattress
8.  Proverbs
9.  Spending time on the 1,200 acre cattle ranch
10.  Feeding a baby cow  (way cool!)

Settling

Wow!  I can't believe I've already been in my new home for 6 days!  When did this happen?  Whatever happened to the whole "I'm just gonna stay at home, attend UT, and work at HEB" plan?  And here I am.

It didn't really sink in that I was going to stay here until Luke and my parents drove away.  It was rough, but I told myself to get over it, because this will be my home for at least the next 4.5 months, so I'd better learn to like it real quick.  :)

The day after I moved in, I caught a ride to church with one of my roommates, and directly afterwards, we headed over the house of a very kind family from the church.  We spent the entire day over there, cooking and getting the house ready for other members of the church to come over.  Hanging out with a family in a real home was exactly what I needed that day.  Isn't it funny how God knew that?  ;)

I've been keeping semi-busy, what with going to the school for work/study interviews (I'll be working in the library twice a week), making school and rent payments, and tagging along with my roommates to some of their various activities.  Last night was probably my favorite evening so far as we hung out in one of the guys' apartments that is in our same complex.  They made dinner, and then we watched America's Funniest Videos, talked, laughed, and just enjoyed being around other people.  Let's face it, having connections definitely helps it feel more home-like.  :)

Well, to wrap up, here's a list of the books I'll be studying for the next couple of months (I'm very excited!) :

• 40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible
• God's Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible
• Grasping God's Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible
• Jesus: A Very Short Introduction
• The New Testament in Antiquity: A Survey of the New Testament within its Cultural Context
• After You Believe
• Imitation of Christ
• Letters Along the Way
• True Spirituality

And that's all for now!  May God bless you as you go throughout your wonderful day!  :)

It's an Adventure!

"It's an adventure!  It's exciting!  You get to do something new, something you've never done before!  So study on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.  Go to class, do well, then go do something fun on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays!  You'll love it!"

Oh Esther, this is just what I needed.  Thanks for the encouragement and the building up of excitement, because until I talked to you, it was just something I'd have to walk through.  Now, it's a whole new realm of possibilities.  :)

Criswell, here I come!

On your marks!

Wowee!

My set departure for Criswell College is fast approaching!  At first I was taken a bit off guard after I found out I have to be there sooner than originally expected, but I've finally resigned myself to it.  ;)

My last day of work was Saturday.  It was rough saying goodbye to my work family, but I'm not quite finished yet.  I've still got to say goodbye to my peeps in produce, grocery, and dairy!  And there were a few people on the front end who weren't there Saturday.  (Zach just rolls his eyes when he hears that I know everybody in the store.  He likes to keep himself to the front end, and that's it.  :P)  Yesterday I drove around to various parts of the state to say goodbye to some friends who I won't see again til May.  They're all near and dear to my heart, and I can't wait to see them when I get back!

Today I've been spending some time cleaning up my room and making a mental note of what I still need to buy before I'm completely ready.  It seems to be a list a mile long that continues to grow every time I sit down.

I decided today that I'll bring 3 Bibles with me:  two will be my huge attack Bibles (one ESV study Bible, and the other a NASB word study Bible) and my easier-to-handle-no-frills ESV.

I am excited about finally having the chance to try my hand in the kitchen!  For Christmas I got a casserole cookbook, and I'll be spending some serious time copying down some of my favorite recipes from home.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it all.  Yeah, I'll probably end up doing simple things most of the time, like microwave dinners, but I'm vowing to do at least one good, home cooked meal a week.  At least, that's the plan for now....

And there you have it -- a crazy, random-yet-somewhat-connected post about the things that have been keeping me occupied.

Dreams

She wanted to travel to far away places
But couldn't get past the brick wall
She wanted to soar with gentle graces
But her wings were crashed by a fall
She longed to sing a love song
But her heart had forgotten the tune
Poor little thing
Now what was she to do?

He came travelling
With a shining vision
In search of his heart's only love
Driven by passion of her in white linen
She's all that he's ever dreamed of

Though he found her all broken and ragged
It mattered not, cause you see
Her rags could not hide
All that he knew she could be

Now she dances in royal splendor
And her heart has a new song to sing
And I'm here to tell you
Dreams still do come true
When you are the bride of the king
Oh, I'm here to tell you
Dreams still do come true
Cause that wishful dreamer was me
~ Rhonda Gunn

Preparations

Excitement filled me as I held the phone tightly against my ear!  Sarah told me to call her as soon as I had a chance, and I figured it would be something about an alumni event.  I was sure surprised when, instead of plans for RENEW coming over the phone, I had an invitation to join the Worldview Academy staff once again for the Fall Camp!  I didn't see that coming!

I squealed, or did something equally girlish, as my mind hastened back to memories of the few weeks I spent staffing over the summer.  At the moment that the question was posed, I could only remember the godly men and women who I was able to get to know, and all the good times I had with my small groups.  I thought of all the excellent conversations I had with my students, and all the laughter.

As soon as I hit the "end call" button, the butterflies rushed in.  It was then that I remembered how great a responsibility it was to be on staff, and how much weight fell on my shoulders during the week.  I remembered the personal challenges I faced, and all of a sudden, my mood went from hunky dory to downright serious.  I went back to that first day of staff training and recalled the pit in my stomach telling me I wasn't ready for such a responsibility.  I remembered all the times that I could have done better, but felt something holding me back.

I talked it over with my mom.  It seemed to take a load off my mind by just talking over everything with her.  All of a sudden I had newer plans for small group times, better ideas for mealtimes, and wonderful inspirations for t-times.  I am now currently at work making plans for the week of Fall Camp.  I know that it looks perfect on paper, but I also know that what works on paper doesn't always translate into reality very smoothly, but at least I'm beginning to have something to shoot for.

I'm regaining my excitement for Worldview Academy!  It is going to be amazing to see how God works throughout the week.  If you think about it, please just pray that God's perfect plans would come to life, even if it tosses me out of my comfort zone.

Off to go do some more brainstorming!  :)

19 ... Say What?

18 was a good year.  It was filled with all kinds of new experiences that I can now add to my "have done" list.

For instance, during this past year I had my first ever nose-bleed (we're talking about an event not unlike the infamous Mt. Saint Helen's eruption), judged my first ever speech and debate tournament, started my first ever year of college, hit my 1 year mark at my job, had my first ever couple of weeks as a staffer at Worldview Academy, made my first ever apple pie with homemade pie crust (never has a more difficult feat been conquered), spent my first ever month on my own taking care of two of my brothers, etc.

Yes, 18 was full of surprises.  Probably more than I can say for 19.  Why?

19.  The forgotten year.  The year that nobody ever thinks about but everyone assumes you must live through in order to get to the age of 20.  Nothing big ever happens to 19-year-olds.  Catastrophes and adventures that happen in books and movies seem to skip right over those 19-somethings and hit either the 18-year-olds or the 20-year-olds, but never those who fall in the 19 category.

Somebody's got to change this.

I hereby declare that I will set out to make 19 the "golden age" of all teendom.  It will be a time where life is lived to its fullest, mountains are climbed, territories are settled, and grand adventures are had.  It will be a year of growth and development in my relationship towards my family and friends, and an age where important things are accomplished.

Methinks I am a bit of a dreamer ...
... but please...
...don't kill my dreams ... ;)

Ramblings

I collapsed on the floor, shaking with the unbearable convulsions that laughter brought.

I can't tell you how much my family means to me!  My mom, sister and I sat around the kitchen reminiscing old times, times that my sister and I could recall with perfect clarity whilst my mother tried, without success, to bring the same scenes to remembrance.  Eliza and I told one story after another from our little kid years, and Mom just sat there laughing as each image was brought to life with much imitation, acting out, and singing (yes, let's not forget the singing).

It was so much fun bringing back the old times.  For instance, there was the time when we had to construct an ear (yes, a human ear) out of our school table, a pot, plastic wrap, and rubber bands.  Then there was the time that Zach dressed up like Montezuma (hawk cap and everything) and we reenacted the battle between him and Cortez.  There was even a time when we had to make a miniature version of the temple, as well as turn our living room into a larger depiction.

We relived co-ops that we did or didn't like (you should see Eliza imitating her Spanish teacher [this was the scene that had me collapsed on the floor]), and favorite unit studies.  We told the tales of which of us remembered which details from which lesson, and which ones needed a bit more prodding.

My sister and I remembered back to the times when we went crazy after dinner and brought out "the band."  These were the times when the Adams children went wild, bringing out albums by Petra, Carmen (not the opera), and Phantom of the Opera (the opera).  Each one of us had a specific instrument we had to play while one of us always took the part of the lead singer.  Then we would turn the music up loud, play our air instruments, and sing our little hearts out.  =D

Oh yes, those were the days...

Things...

a picture from pinterest that i rather like

My journal and I need to have a coffee date sometime

I'm having lots of fun with Pinterest, which has made me wish for more opportunities to go hiking ... don't ask me why

Did you know that you can actually hear the music when "working" register 19?  This is the only reason that I know that HEB has begun playing today's top 40

I have never been so thankful for my one day off a week as I am today

My Tennessee trip can't get here soon enough

"The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" is an excellent movie

I have been taken with the sudden desire to do a photoshoot with a country setting, but I have no clue as to the subject matter

beautiful country setting: pinterest



I greatly miss having time to just go do stuff ... but then the question would become, "with who," so there goes that idea...

I greatly enjoy the movie "Come What May"

My little sister turned 9 two days ago

My new slogan in life is "When all else fails, eat pie" ... believe it or not, this came from a biology class I took a year ago ... don't ask

A random person from a random phone number that I do not recognize texted me yesterday saying, "I have been waiting all day to buy you a beer ... Where are you?"

And there you have it!  A few miscellaneous thoughts and actions that have overtaken my life over the past several weeks.  I hope you enjoyed it.  ;)

another pinterest photo

Agape

Isn't it interesting how the Greeks had 4 different words meaning love, and how each of them had a slightly different definition?

Today in my quiet time I was reading 1st John.  In chapter 4, there is a whole section devoted to loving one another.   The first section that caught my attention was verses 7-12 where it states:

 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not have love does not know God, because God is love.  In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us,we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us."

If you're like me, then you cringe when you hear the phrase "God is love," having heard it used and abused so many time over.  But there it was, right there in the Bible, so I knew it to be true.  I just had to pick up my word study Bible and figure out which word for "love" was being used here.  Here's what I found.

Agape; love .... translated "charity" meaning benevolent love.  Its benevolence, however, is not shown by doing what the person loved desires but what the one who loves deems as needed by the one loved.  


I have therefore found a way to debate people when they say "God is love, He would never do something like that!"  My response would be that God is love, yes, but it's a different kind of love from the mushy-gushy sort.  God loves us with an Agape love, that is that He deems what is best for His children and loves them accordingly.  Sometimes, that means pain, suffering, and good 'ol sanctification.  Take that, Rob Bell!

                               Perhaps that love could come by way of a much needed car
                         Maybe that love could come in the form of a drought
                    Sometimes it'll come by way of a bonus at work
                Or maybe by way of a destructive flood
           
This world we live in is full of backwards thinking people.  The way we see things is, should I dare to say, completely opposite of the way God sees them!  Because of this, we don't have a clue what love really is.

I really can't tell you how thrilled I am and how excited I get whenever God chooses to reveal new and wonderful gems to me.  I can't wait to see what else happens to be in the lesson plans!

A Grand Adventure

It's never been far from my mind as I've gone about my life during these past couple of weeks.  School took up a lot of time, but I always managed to keep track of how many days I had left until it happened.  I've been utterly filled with excitement as my new volunteer work looms ever nearer.  I fully expect to give it my all, throwing myself into these next couple of weeks with a passion like no other!  Yes, very soon, I will head to the airport and take off for staff training for Worldview Academy.

As the time for departure draws steadily nearer, I am finding very little time to reflect.  I am growing ever closer to God (especially with my marathon Bible reading plan [you should try it sometime ;) ]), and I cannot wait to see the iron sharpen iron next week with my fellow staffers!

This past week, I have been so blessed to get to take part in last-minute coffee dates, movie nights, and surprise drop-ins.  It's so funny how when friends call me up to see if we can hang out, my first response is always: With what time???  Which immediately turns into: I'll make it work!  I'm going to fit you in somehow!!!  The past two weeks have been hectic, to say the least, but also have been great fun!

When I got the call back in April asking me to staff at an extra camp, I thought the day would never come fast enough!  I really can't believe it's almost here!  I've been trying to spend more time with my family during this past week, seeing that I won't get the chance to hug them, play with them, or really talk with them until mid-June.  No, I haven't had as much time with them as I would have liked, but I don't regret a moment of these past couple of weeks!  They're all so very precious to me!

And now I get to my goals for these next couple of weeks.  I simply cannot wait to see how much God grows my faith as I step out of my comfort zone to try my hand at something new.  I can't wait to get to know my small groups and really pour into their lives.  I'm thrilled to get the chance to staff with the one team I have not heard, thus meaning I'll be learning right alongside my girls.  Yes, God is so good!  I pray that I will come back refreshed in the faith and ready for whatever is next on my plate.

So, until I get back, God bless, and soli deo gloria!

Unique Friendships

Yes, sibling friendships suddenly became very important to me.  I have a completely different relationship with each one of my siblings.  With Zach, I share serious conversations, a few inside jokes, and ultimately, I share my heart.  He's like my sounding board, seeing things that I don't.  I have great respect for him because he always roots his decisions and principles in Scripture.  Everything is black-and-white to him, and he will not act outside of what his conscience dictates.

Then there's my friendship with Luke.  Perhaps I should have mentioned in the below post that wherever Zach and I were, Luke was never far behind.  The three of us were thick as thieves, and when Zach went away, Luke and I got even closer!

Luke is the brother with whom I stay up late into the night.  We watch Foyle's War together, share MANY, many, many inside jokes,  and just all around enjoy hanging out together.  Luke is my best bud!  There was one evening a few weeks back when he spent the night at a friend's house.  After all the little people went to bed, it was just me and my parents.  Around 11 O'clock, both Mom and Dad decided they were going to go to bed.  I couldn't believe it!  Luke and I often stay up way past 2 a.m.!  What was I going to do for 3 hours by myself???  Yes, without Luke, I often feel bored and lost.  =)

There's a uniqueness found in sibling friendships.  They've seen you at your absolute best, and they've certainly seen you at your rock-bottom worst.  They offer a unique perspective on your life, knowing everything about you, yet loving you anyway.

My family has been fortunate enough to be closely knit.  We can joke and tease each other, but heaven help the outsider who tries to do the same!  We're each other's most powerful protectors.  We offer the best advice (though often without being asked, *heh heh*).

We. Are. Best. Friends.

Praise God!  I have been so blessed to have been placed in the Adams Family.  I love every single member with all my heart, and I wouldn't trade a single one for anything in the world.  They're my family, and by them I will stand.