Take a look at this video:
In what way is this challenging to you?
Friday, January 30, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Hope, He's coming..
Every Thursday night, Payton and I attend a Christian Group known as The Salt Company. It it a time of worship to our Great Lord and also a time of teaching, searching to know more about Him. it is kind of like a church service, well only a little. It is much more passionate, and more full of life an hope. People don't just sing the lyrics to the songs, they mean them, they live them! If is a time where 1000 college kids pack into a gym to worship our King and Savior. I wish everyone had the opportunity to experience the moments of worship that we experience each week.
Anyways, last week's message was on Romans 8:18-30. This passage of scripture talks about the future glory we have in Christ. To not get stuck in our sufferings of this world because they won't even compare to the glory he will reveal to all those who endure. Most importantly it is about Hope. Hope in Him and in the future He holds for each of us.
"... against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay"
"...We, too wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us."
Before the message, they sang the song called "C.S. Lewis Song" by Brook Fraser.
Here are the lyrics:
If I find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy,
I can only conclude that I was not made for here
If the flesh that I fight is at best only light and momentary,
then of course I'll feel nude when to where I'm destined I'm compared.
Chorus:
Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Mercy comes with the morning
I will sigh and with all creation groan as I wait for hope to come for me
Am I lost or just found? On the straight or on the roundabout of the wrong way?
Is this a soul that stirs in me, is it breaking free, wanting to come alive?
Cos my comport would prefer for me to be numb
an avoid the impending birth of who I was born to become
For we, we are not long here
Our time is but a breath, so we better breathe it
And I, I was made to live, I was made to love, I was made to know you
Hope is coming for me
Hope, He's coming
You can also watch the music video here. I highly recommend it.
So in knowing that eternity is in God's hand and this life is but a moment, will you choose to live for Him, to bring glory to Him?
At the very end of the message, the speaker proposed a question, one we all should think about and know in our heart...
Theses are a few pictures of SALT..
"... against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay"
Romans 8: 20-21
"...We, too wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us."
Romans 8: 23
Before the message, they sang the song called "C.S. Lewis Song" by Brook Fraser.
Here are the lyrics:
If I find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy,
I can only conclude that I was not made for here
If the flesh that I fight is at best only light and momentary,
then of course I'll feel nude when to where I'm destined I'm compared.
Chorus:
Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Mercy comes with the morning
I will sigh and with all creation groan as I wait for hope to come for me
Am I lost or just found? On the straight or on the roundabout of the wrong way?
Is this a soul that stirs in me, is it breaking free, wanting to come alive?
Cos my comport would prefer for me to be numb
an avoid the impending birth of who I was born to become
For we, we are not long here
Our time is but a breath, so we better breathe it
And I, I was made to live, I was made to love, I was made to know you
Hope is coming for me
Hope, He's coming
You can also watch the music video here. I highly recommend it.
So in knowing that eternity is in God's hand and this life is but a moment, will you choose to live for Him, to bring glory to Him?
At the very end of the message, the speaker proposed a question, one we all should think about and know in our heart...
What is your hope?
My hope, it's in Him!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Career Plans Part 2
I wanted to begin by thanking those who left comments on the blog or who approached me about my future career plans, it was greatly appreciated to hear what some of you had to say and I have to say, I like the sound of some of the choices people have in mind for me. So I wanted to fill you all in on what is happening in my indecisive mind as of now.
Over Christmas break, I was able to have a few good heart to heart talks with my mom. My dad was in and out on the conversations as well and Payton was around, but I don't think he understands and frankly he gets frustrated with my constant changing of decisions on this topic, so it was probably best that he missed most of them to football.
Anyways, after talking to my mom and looking into a few more options for my future I feel as though I have a better understanding of where my life should go. But ultimately that is in the Lord's hands so I don't want to make any definite decision as of now (sorry Payton).
So over Christmas break, I was really able to get down to business. I visited the University of Northern Iowa for their masters program of Community Health Education (a.k.a. Public Health). This is a program that I could see myself doing, however it does mean two more years of school, and if you know me, then you know how much I like school (not at all). But I am keeping this option open as a possibility, knowing that it would make my cousin Barry proud.
I also have checked into a program that St. Luke's Hospital offers. It is a Clinical Laboratory Science program where I would basically be working in a lab diagnosing illnesses and diseases through blood and other bodily fluids. This would only be one more year of school.
Another option is doing the Dietetics internship, which would then allow me to take the national exam to become a Registered Dietitian. This has truly been the hardest decision, wavering between whether or not to do this. I mean I have five years after school to complete it, but will I have the time or the motivation to? I guess if I'm going to do it I might as well get it done, right?
And the last decision, well it is a little bit of a secret right now. I don't want to say anything too soon because it would require a lot of resources that I just don't have yet. But hopefully in the future I will be able to have this dream job that I so desire. I will give you a hint, it combines all of my passions as well as my hobbies in life together. Exciting I know. I can't wait to give you more details on it, but hopefully it will be life changing for many!!!
Well, that is the update. I know its not much and you are all probably thinking that I am crazy. But trust me, I will figure it out. I just need to have a little faith and patience and it will all work itself out. So as of now, these are my choices and I am just going to concentrate on graduating, getting married, moving into our new home, and then worry about this. Although I don't think it will all happen that smooth as some of these decisions would have to be made before any of that arrives. So just pray that the Lord's hand will be upon me as I make these decisions with His will in mind. Thank you for being with me in this decision.
Over Christmas break, I was able to have a few good heart to heart talks with my mom. My dad was in and out on the conversations as well and Payton was around, but I don't think he understands and frankly he gets frustrated with my constant changing of decisions on this topic, so it was probably best that he missed most of them to football.
Anyways, after talking to my mom and looking into a few more options for my future I feel as though I have a better understanding of where my life should go. But ultimately that is in the Lord's hands so I don't want to make any definite decision as of now (sorry Payton).
So over Christmas break, I was really able to get down to business. I visited the University of Northern Iowa for their masters program of Community Health Education (a.k.a. Public Health). This is a program that I could see myself doing, however it does mean two more years of school, and if you know me, then you know how much I like school (not at all). But I am keeping this option open as a possibility, knowing that it would make my cousin Barry proud.
I also have checked into a program that St. Luke's Hospital offers. It is a Clinical Laboratory Science program where I would basically be working in a lab diagnosing illnesses and diseases through blood and other bodily fluids. This would only be one more year of school.
Another option is doing the Dietetics internship, which would then allow me to take the national exam to become a Registered Dietitian. This has truly been the hardest decision, wavering between whether or not to do this. I mean I have five years after school to complete it, but will I have the time or the motivation to? I guess if I'm going to do it I might as well get it done, right?
And the last decision, well it is a little bit of a secret right now. I don't want to say anything too soon because it would require a lot of resources that I just don't have yet. But hopefully in the future I will be able to have this dream job that I so desire. I will give you a hint, it combines all of my passions as well as my hobbies in life together. Exciting I know. I can't wait to give you more details on it, but hopefully it will be life changing for many!!!
Well, that is the update. I know its not much and you are all probably thinking that I am crazy. But trust me, I will figure it out. I just need to have a little faith and patience and it will all work itself out. So as of now, these are my choices and I am just going to concentrate on graduating, getting married, moving into our new home, and then worry about this. Although I don't think it will all happen that smooth as some of these decisions would have to be made before any of that arrives. So just pray that the Lord's hand will be upon me as I make these decisions with His will in mind. Thank you for being with me in this decision.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Honeymoon
Because of the sub zero temperatures outside I thought I would fill you all in on our honeymoon plans to make myself fell a little warmer. Now if you were to ask me about our wedding plans, I would probably not be able to tell you much about what we are doing or what we have planned so far. But if you were to ask about our honeymoon plans I could give you every detail. One of the first things we did after getting engaged was to reserve our honeymoon trip. We had been looking into some different options and we decided we wanted to have an active vacation. Instead of sitting around all day we wanted to stay active and get out and do things.
So as we started researching this we came across Backroads, which is rated as the #1 active vacation company. The next problem was trying to figure out where we wanted to go. They have so many locations to choose from all over the world so it became a semi-difficult decision for us. But after discussing our options we decided to plan the trip to go to Hawaii. The one downside to this trip is that we can't go until August 2nd, but that will at least give us some time to get settled in at home before we go and save up some money. We are also registered for this trip, so you can help relieve us of some of the cost by giving it as a wedding gift which is awesome. Check it out here.
The trip is an all-inclusive 6 day 5 night trip that takes us all over the big island of Hawaii. I will try to give you an overview of what we will be doing, but if you are more interested check this out for our complete itinerary. If your wondering what an active vacation is or what types of things we are going to be doing let me fill you in. Before our trip "officially" starts (we are getting there a day early) we plan to arrive on Saturday afternoon and find our hotel so we can enjoy the time by ourselves.
Day 1: A 17 or 31 mile bike (you get to choose the difficulty each day) for jaw-dropping views of some of the island’s most magnificent scenery passing by sheer cliffs blanketed by thick greenery and strung with waterfalls. We stay the night at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel (***) which is set on what Traveler rates as one of the Best Beaches in America.
Day 2: We begin with an incredibly scenic drive to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, home to Kilauea, the most active volcano on earth. We stop along the Hamakua Coast to visit the World Botanical Gardens and hike to Umauma Falls (see below). We then go to our lodging at The Volcano House, a collection of small houses located on the volcano. In the afternoon we tour the rough and rocky lava and meander back through the rain forest to the Thurston Lava Tube, a tunnel of lava formed naturally over 500 years ago. You can walk in this ancient formation, whose outer walls are overgrown with delicate ferns and soft mosses. Total hiking about 9 miles.
Day 3: With a choice between 24 and 48 miles this day takes us back from the Volcano through the Kau Desert to the Punaluu Beach, one of the few black sand beaches (below). The afternoon is open for us to enjoy a massage at the hotel’s open-air spa or check out the Manta Ray Super Slide and Pool—an enormous multilevel swimming pool surrounded by waterfalls and tropical foliage.
Day 4: We get a break from biking today by doing some sea kayaking in the Keauhou Bay. After heading down the bay we stop at a secluded bay for snacks and snorkeling in the crystalline water. Among the colorful fish darting in and out of the coral reef, we might see parrotfish, moorish idol, butterflyfish, Hawaiian lionfish and maybe even a moray eel or manta ray. After being transported back to the hotel we get to enjoy the rest of our night relaxing and enjoying the 4 star quisine at the Fairmont Orchid where we are staying (below).
Day 5: This should be an exciting day as we head out from our hotel with a choice of a 22 or 50 mile ride where we get to ride part of the Ironman triathlon route. We may run into some of the athletes here training as the race will only be about a month away.
Day 6: The final morning we enjoy a morning walk along the Kohala Coast to view a collection of petroglyphs chiseled on smooth black slates of cooled lava before heading to the airport to come back home.
WHEW!!! I can't wait!
So as we started researching this we came across Backroads, which is rated as the #1 active vacation company. The next problem was trying to figure out where we wanted to go. They have so many locations to choose from all over the world so it became a semi-difficult decision for us. But after discussing our options we decided to plan the trip to go to Hawaii. The one downside to this trip is that we can't go until August 2nd, but that will at least give us some time to get settled in at home before we go and save up some money. We are also registered for this trip, so you can help relieve us of some of the cost by giving it as a wedding gift which is awesome. Check it out here.
The trip is an all-inclusive 6 day 5 night trip that takes us all over the big island of Hawaii. I will try to give you an overview of what we will be doing, but if you are more interested check this out for our complete itinerary. If your wondering what an active vacation is or what types of things we are going to be doing let me fill you in. Before our trip "officially" starts (we are getting there a day early) we plan to arrive on Saturday afternoon and find our hotel so we can enjoy the time by ourselves.
Day 1: A 17 or 31 mile bike (you get to choose the difficulty each day) for jaw-dropping views of some of the island’s most magnificent scenery passing by sheer cliffs blanketed by thick greenery and strung with waterfalls. We stay the night at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel (***) which is set on what Traveler rates as one of the Best Beaches in America.
Day 2: We begin with an incredibly scenic drive to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, home to Kilauea, the most active volcano on earth. We stop along the Hamakua Coast to visit the World Botanical Gardens and hike to Umauma Falls (see below). We then go to our lodging at The Volcano House, a collection of small houses located on the volcano. In the afternoon we tour the rough and rocky lava and meander back through the rain forest to the Thurston Lava Tube, a tunnel of lava formed naturally over 500 years ago. You can walk in this ancient formation, whose outer walls are overgrown with delicate ferns and soft mosses. Total hiking about 9 miles.
Day 3: With a choice between 24 and 48 miles this day takes us back from the Volcano through the Kau Desert to the Punaluu Beach, one of the few black sand beaches (below). The afternoon is open for us to enjoy a massage at the hotel’s open-air spa or check out the Manta Ray Super Slide and Pool—an enormous multilevel swimming pool surrounded by waterfalls and tropical foliage.
Day 4: We get a break from biking today by doing some sea kayaking in the Keauhou Bay. After heading down the bay we stop at a secluded bay for snacks and snorkeling in the crystalline water. Among the colorful fish darting in and out of the coral reef, we might see parrotfish, moorish idol, butterflyfish, Hawaiian lionfish and maybe even a moray eel or manta ray. After being transported back to the hotel we get to enjoy the rest of our night relaxing and enjoying the 4 star quisine at the Fairmont Orchid where we are staying (below).
Day 5: This should be an exciting day as we head out from our hotel with a choice of a 22 or 50 mile ride where we get to ride part of the Ironman triathlon route. We may run into some of the athletes here training as the race will only be about a month away.
Day 6: The final morning we enjoy a morning walk along the Kohala Coast to view a collection of petroglyphs chiseled on smooth black slates of cooled lava before heading to the airport to come back home.
WHEW!!! I can't wait!Thursday, January 15, 2009
Crashes
So I felt that it was an obligation today because of the weather to write a blog about it. This morning when I left for class it was -21 with a wind chill of -37 degrees. I just got back from class with the temperature being -15 with a wind chill of -34 degrees as seen below. Now it's not so bad for all of you who are sitting at home or in your office in your nice warm chair. For those of us students who have to walk outside from class to class in this weather it is another story.
Although the weather can be pretty miserable there has been one entertaining thing I have noticed the past few days walking around on campus. When students are walking from class to class or wherever they are going they tend to look at the ground right in front of them to keep their face out of the wind. This is a good idea to keep your face warm, but not so much to see where you are going. Twice now this morning and a couple times over the past few days I have seen people either crash into each other or in the case this morning into a sign. It has been an interesting behavior to witness and a great break from thinking about the weather.
So whether you are sitting at home enjoying the day off because of the "cold weather" I hope you feel bad for the thousands of college students who are bearing the cold weather in the same areas where school districts canceled for the day. It doesn't make sense to me to cancel school where the students are inside all day, but make the students who have to walk around in this weather to have class, but I guess whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. So if you were wondering, yes this cold is making me stronger because as far as I can tell I'm still alive and well.
Although the weather can be pretty miserable there has been one entertaining thing I have noticed the past few days walking around on campus. When students are walking from class to class or wherever they are going they tend to look at the ground right in front of them to keep their face out of the wind. This is a good idea to keep your face warm, but not so much to see where you are going. Twice now this morning and a couple times over the past few days I have seen people either crash into each other or in the case this morning into a sign. It has been an interesting behavior to witness and a great break from thinking about the weather.
So whether you are sitting at home enjoying the day off because of the "cold weather" I hope you feel bad for the thousands of college students who are bearing the cold weather in the same areas where school districts canceled for the day. It doesn't make sense to me to cancel school where the students are inside all day, but make the students who have to walk around in this weather to have class, but I guess whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. So if you were wondering, yes this cold is making me stronger because as far as I can tell I'm still alive and well.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Busy
I am back! I feel like I haven't been on here in weeks, which I guess is the case. Sorry for no posts over Christmas break, I was at home with my lovely family most of break and well we still live in the old school days of no internet. No I'm not complaining, it is actually kind of nice to get away from the internet which consumes my life when I am at school. However, Google and Wikipedia have saved me many dollars that I would have spent in books, so it truly is a blessing that being college students we have access to high speed internet 24/7.
Anyways, I was just going to fill you in a little on what our break consisted of:
The first week of break was consumed with Christmas time. It was a wonderful week of spending time with the family, relaxing, cooking and doing some things that I haven't done in quite some time including sleeping in. I also had the time to spend leisurely reading. This is something that doesn't happen at school. I will have to write another post on the books that I read over break.
The second week was also filled with family time, more cooking and baking, and visiting our soon to be house. It's amazing how much more you see each time you go through. I missed so much the first few times so it was good to go back through. I can't wait to show you all pictures of the inside.
Also during this week, I hit the sales on Christmas stuff and purchased a few decorations for our new home. I'm still amazed at the deals there were. At one store I spent $30 dollars and saved $120. WOW!!
And the last week we (well mostly Payton) hung the ceiling in my parents basement. Its rare that I was able to catch Payton working. Usually this is what he is doing...
But this is what I caught him doing...WORKING!
We also managed to re-due some of our registry at both Target and Bed Bath and Beyond. You can check them out here and here.
And one last thing that I will post about. We have started making our invitations. Well, we have the stuff to make them which I am pretty excited about given that making them ourselves will save us a lot of money and besides I LOVE art so this is a good stress reliever for me.
Well I think that is most of our break. And now we should be back to regular blogging. Stay tuned to more on the Wedding and our plans for the future. We have a lot that lies ahead of us and hope that you will be a part of it.
Anyways, I was just going to fill you in a little on what our break consisted of:
The first week of break was consumed with Christmas time. It was a wonderful week of spending time with the family, relaxing, cooking and doing some things that I haven't done in quite some time including sleeping in. I also had the time to spend leisurely reading. This is something that doesn't happen at school. I will have to write another post on the books that I read over break.
The second week was also filled with family time, more cooking and baking, and visiting our soon to be house. It's amazing how much more you see each time you go through. I missed so much the first few times so it was good to go back through. I can't wait to show you all pictures of the inside.
Also during this week, I hit the sales on Christmas stuff and purchased a few decorations for our new home. I'm still amazed at the deals there were. At one store I spent $30 dollars and saved $120. WOW!!
And the last week we (well mostly Payton) hung the ceiling in my parents basement. Its rare that I was able to catch Payton working. Usually this is what he is doing...
But this is what I caught him doing...WORKING!
(By the way I was just joking about Payton working, he is a very hard worker or so I hear)
We also managed to re-due some of our registry at both Target and Bed Bath and Beyond. You can check them out here and here.
And one last thing that I will post about. We have started making our invitations. Well, we have the stuff to make them which I am pretty excited about given that making them ourselves will save us a lot of money and besides I LOVE art so this is a good stress reliever for me.
Well I think that is most of our break. And now we should be back to regular blogging. Stay tuned to more on the Wedding and our plans for the future. We have a lot that lies ahead of us and hope that you will be a part of it.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Birthdays
Well today, January 9th 2009 I turn 22. Wow time has flown by! Gone are the days of getting a new baseball glove, or a new football. These days it is stuff for our future house. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, but life throws you a curveball (no pun intended) when you get to be my age and you start switching from wanting things and getting them to needing things and hoping you get a few of them.
It is great to have the family that we do, and I thank you all for supporting us through our past 8+ years and for my 22 years. So join me today in enjoying the Friday and celebrating my birthday, cause the party continues on Wednesday when Alexa turns 21.
Oh and I almost forgot merry Christmas and happy New Year. Alexa and I have been really busy over break and we hope to update you on some of the things when we get back to school, and a constant internet connection. Enjoy!
It is great to have the family that we do, and I thank you all for supporting us through our past 8+ years and for my 22 years. So join me today in enjoying the Friday and celebrating my birthday, cause the party continues on Wednesday when Alexa turns 21.
Oh and I almost forgot merry Christmas and happy New Year. Alexa and I have been really busy over break and we hope to update you on some of the things when we get back to school, and a constant internet connection. Enjoy!
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