Just a bit on Christmas

I've written before about Christmas.
About songs that annoy me and some present mishaps.
But past all the tinsel that's actually pretty easy to clean up, there's something else.
Why do we buy gifts for people?
To prove we love them?
Because it's socially demanded?
In hopes that they bought you something at least as cool / useful / expensive as you bought them?
Or because we really want to give them a gift as God gave us a gift on Christmas?

There are people who are having skinny Christmases this year.
There are people giving gifts of meals, partial tuition, car repairs, and new clothes for work or school this year.
There are people who literally have nothing to give to the ones who mean the most to them.
But we can all give something.
This thing isn't material.
It costs you nothing, so it fits any budget.
And it won't be forgotten by New Year's Day.

Give the gift God gave us.

Give the gift of sacrificial love.
(And I'm not just preaching at you, I'm talking about me, too.)

Love the people who love you.
Love the people who annoy you to death.
Love the people who make your life more difficult.
Love the people who are a bit prickly.
Love the people close to you, because you see them every day.
Love the people you'll probably only see once, because it means more than you might know.
Love the people who think they are unlovable.

We certainly were.

"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:8b

Why Newbs Shouldn't Shop with Vets

(Just a note before we begin: I'm talking about newbs here as opposed to n00bs.)

You've just put away the turkey.
The kitchen's cleaned up.
You shuffle to your bedroom and pull your pj's out of the drawer and---
"LET'S GO!"
Someone in your living room is grabbing their purse and running out the door before coming back and getting a binder full of coupons.
You shrug.
Well, okay, you think. How bad can it be?

Oh my giddy aunt.

Let's just say that next year I'm going to sleep Thursday night and I'm not going to wake up until noon on Friday.

My sister is a veteran Black Friday shopper. She's crazy good at getting good deals on like, everything, and that's awesome.

The problem is that I am not. I hit a few stores and then I'm done.

Not so with the Vet.

She spent TWO FULL HOURS in a single store alone! Granted, most of that was probably the line, but still! I wouldn't know what to do with myself in a store for an hour!

I seriously don't know how she does that.

I think she's magic.

We left our house around 7:30 Thursday night and came back Friday morning at about 9.

Never. Again.

Next year, I am going to bed like a normal person on Thursday night and I'm not getting up till noon on Friday.

But, for those of you who do the whole Cyber Monday thing, Pikcal is having an awesome sale: you can get 20% off your order with the promo code "blogcard20". That's off greeting cards, calendars, photo books, you name it!

May your shopping be happier than mine was!

Confessions: I have a terrible sense of fashion.

I know, I know.

A blogger with no fashion sense.

Sad, but true.

I mean, I can do makeup and stuff, but . . . well, no, because I can't really do hair . . .

I can do makeup.

But I'm more than a little lost when it comes to mixing and matching clothes.

Now my sister's really good at that.

And she has this beautiful, long hair that does whatever she wants it to.

Except that she tries to curl it and it's fine so it doesn't hold a curl, and I used to straighten mine, but it's thick, so it doesn't really hold a straight.

Basically, she's a brunette Rapunzel:

and I'm a blonde Merida.

Anhyoo, my sister's really good at clothes.

She looks cute in just about anything, and can pull off things I never could.

And she can pull off black eye liner.

That makes me just a wee bit jealous.

But I'll gladly admit that I've stolen more than a few ideas from my sister's outfits.

. . . Not at the same time she's wearing them, because that would be a little embarrassing for her, I think, but I have.

She brought the scarf fever to our house.

And the boot fever.

And a few other fevers that haven't quite caught on yet, but give it time.

They will.

But yeah, I'm just not very good at the whole fashion thing.

I could sell you on just about any cosmetic product ever made, but let's just say I'm sorta glad my sister's better at that than me.

Because it's better to get killer deals on cute clothes than mediocre deals on mine.

When "Short" isn't Short Enough

This is not a sponsored post.

Old Navy is not one of my favorite stores.

Or at least, it wasn't until I realized they have the best jeans for me.

They've got different jeans for different body shapes, and that's great.

I love those jeans because they fit perfectly.

Except in one way . . .

I'm 5'2".

I guess their "short" jeans are based on somebody who must be the same size, but must be like, 5'6".

There are literally about 3-4 extra inches.

On a SHORT.

*sigh*

I went there the other day with my mom and sister, and I tried on some jeans that were nearly half-price with the Labor Day sale.

She brought in the size I was about 4 months ago and they were too big! which is awesome . . .

but they were also too long.

She went back for a smaller pair, and I told her that if they had "Hobbit" lengths, that would probably work.

They didn't.

But still.

Also, as a sidenote, I'm too tall to be a Hobbit.

I'm too tall to be a Dwarf.

I'm to short to be a Human.

I'm too short to be an Elf.

Yep, you're lookin' at the cutest Orc there is.

I wonder if they carry Orc-sized jeans. . . ?

My, Oh My

It's August 15th. 

Summer is over. 

My, oh my, where'd the months go?

My younger sister started her dual enrollment at the local technical college this morning. My younger brother starts his freshman year at the Citadel this weekend. I start my senior year next week. 

My, oh my, where'd the years go? 

I guess all we can do is honor God with our hours, and trust Him in the moments, because He sees the years behind us and the years before us. 

Those years are made of months, weeks, days, hours, and moments. 

Live them well.

21 Before 21

So today at 4 AM, I turned 21.

You didn't get up for my birthday?

Oh, it's totes cool; I didn't get up for that, either.

Anyhoo, I've heard of these "[things done] Before [Age of the same numerical value]" things before, and I figured I'd do one for my birthday.

These are in no particular order, save for the first one.

1. met Jesus as my Savior

2. graduated high school

3. published a book

4. been to Mile Zero, where I . . .

5. . . . inadvertently swam with tarpons

6. visited the Statue of Liberty

7. voted in a Presidential election

8. drank pigeon milk (my dad's cologne)

9. performed an amateur amputation 

10. made sushi

11. got a job (and still have the job)

12. got a full ride through college

13. went to the midnight showing of a movie

14. zip-lined

15. whitewater rafted

16. member of two honors societies

17. ran a 5K

18. changed a tire (yes, on the side of the road)

19. melted a plastic container on a stove by accident

20. had a pen-pal in another country

21. been to the Kennedy Space Center

So yeah, Happy Birthday to me! :)

21 certainly makes me no less clumsy . . .

. . . but oh well, nobody saw that.

And this is what I'd like to leave you with:

I know 21 isn't that old in the grand scheme of things, but thinking about it makes me feel kind of old.

I mean, I saw Y2K.

I saw 9/11.

I've seen Mad Cow disease, Avian Bird flu, and Swine flu.

I saw the capture and death of Saddam Hussein and the death of Osama bin Laden.

I've seen the funerals of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

I've seen the advent of the iPod, iPhone, and iPad.

I've seen the earthquake in Japan and the tsunami in Indonesia.

I've seen a lot, I think.

But this is really all that matters:

Why Pandora is awesome . . . and slightly awkward.

I gotta say, I love Pandora.

It’s free.

It’s got a TON of stuff there.

And it tries to understand what you do and do not like.

Heck, that’s pretty impressive.

But it can be sort of awkward.

For instance, you don’t know what’s going to be played next.

The wild card factor doesn’t really bother me, but if an objectionable song comes on, that’s always the moment a younger sibling or a parent comes into your room to ask you something.

And that’s probably when you’ve hit your skip limit too, so you have to switch stations entirely.

Ahhh, modern technology.

But really, I do love Pandora.

I have entirely too many stations, but oh well.

I really like that they’ve upped the number of songs played per artist – it used to be two per hour. Now I guess it’s like five. That’s always nice.

If I could suggest just one feature, though, it’d be an automatic list builder of songs you’ve given a thumbs up.

So much better than taking a picture of the song info. . .

UPDATE: A friend hath introduced me to Slacker Radio.
ME GUSTA.
Slacker Radio keeps track of the songs you've liked, which is very, very, very helpful to people like me who are prone to forget things like their names and trivial things like that.
Only downside is that they don't have as many artists as Pandora has, but I'm content to use both -- Pandora for my more obscure tastes, and Slacker Radio for the more popular ones.

Convictions

I've been convicted about something lately.

Okay, well, many somethings, but I'm only going to talk about the one.

We've been going through Romans lately at church, and yesterday in Sunday School, someone taught on accountability. This wasn't the aim of his lesson, but I think it's a good application.

He asked somebody to read part of Romans 12, and as they were, I saw this section:

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

Nope. Not convicting at all. . . 

But here's the big part: "Give preference to one another in honor" (emphasis mine).

Not just "give preference".

"Give preference in honor".

You know what that really means?

It means don't roll your eyes when you let them pick the TV show that night.

Don't mutter under your breath when you clean up behind them.

It generally means don't be spiteful when you let somebody have their way.

Now, I do have to point out that "turning the other cheek" does not mean you have to be a door mat.

Because it doesn't.

But the point still stands.

. . . And the point still pricks. . .

Be Still and Know

Psalm 46:10

"Be still and know that I am God. . ."

Sunday, one of the songs we sang in church had to do with trusting God and being still in His presence. 

Monday, a dear family at our church buried their three month old daughter. One of the songs at the funeral was about being still and worshiping God. 

The funeral shook me up quite a bit, and afterwards I went for a drive, just to think and pray alone. 

I ended up at a beach, just staring at the waves. 

And that's when I realized (again) what being still with God really is.

You know when you're with that friend and you don't need to say anything to fill in the silence because it's a comfortable one? I think that's what being still is. It's sort of like a lull in the conversation, where you've poured out your heart, and you're just waiting on Him to speak to you.

It's really nice. And very comforting. 

And it isn't something you only do when things are hard.

It's something we should be doing all the time. 

It's hard. I know it is. There are so many distractions, from school, work, friends, obligations, technology (hey, I admit this freely, and I love my gadgets).

But God gave us the time we have . . . shouldn't we "spare" some for Him . . . ?

Christmas Shenanigans

You know what's really weird?

Me and my mom have quite different tastes.

Example: many, many moons ago, my uncle gave me the EXTENDED edition of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers for Christmas. I began to watch it as soon as I could, and my mom fell asleep on the couch next to me. She woke up during a scene with the Ents (which she now loves because they "help the short guys") and said, "What is that?"

I told her they were Ents.

Now, my mom has been in the medical field for a while, so she was probably like "ear nose and throat . . . ???"

She looked at the screen, looked at me, and back at the screen.

"I'm going back to sleep."

Now, that isn't to say we don't have anything in common, and this proves it. 

For Christmas I decided to get my mom two movies she liked when we were kids but hadn't seen in a long time, probably coinciding with the VHS to DVD transition. 

I bought her Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Now, just take a wild guess as to what was in my stocking . . . ?

Yep.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Whoever said great minds think alike was right.

And here's my favorite part of Mary Poppins (because everyone loves this part, and if you don't, go get your head checked now before healthcare prices shoot up):

And from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, because I don't think it's nearly as popular as it should be:

T'was the Day before Christmas . . .

. . . and all through the house,

only one person was stirring because she slept all afternoon and woke up at 11:30 PM and didn't go to sleep til 6 AM so now her internal clock's as confused as her.

Sigh.

Oh well, I did get my Christmas shopping done, and I did have the guts (or stupidity?) to venture going to Walmart on Christmas Eve. 

That . . . is not advisable.

Nope.

Wouldn't do that unless you have to. 

I saw the strangest thing there, by the way. 

I know there's this quip about fruit cake - like how there's everything in it but fruit. I wouldn't know because I've never had it.

But I do know that nobody seems to like it, which has always made me wonder why the heck people make it.

But at Walmart, near the checkouts, they have a box of fruit cake. It really didn't look appetizing. At all. 

And here's the scary part: some had been bought . . .

Anyhoo, hope I didn't spoil your appetite!

Merry Christmas!

Cuffing Season

"All I Want for Christmas is You" . . . "Blue Christmas" . . . "Last Christmas" . . . Honestly, what are these gals expecting? A man tied up in ribbons under the tree for them?

Unfortunately, no - they have to catch one themselves. 

Or at least, they feel they do.

I think that's pretty sad.

I know it'd be nice to have someone to dote on you, to take you places, and to just be with, but - as I see it - someone you just flirt with and pick up just because you don't want to be alone probably won't stick around for the long-haul and isn't that what we want in the end?

The way I see it, you'll be saved a lot of heartache if you just wait for the right guy. 

Waiting isn't easy, but then - I know it's cliche - but great things usually aren't easy. 

I know a few girls who insist they're trusting God for everything in their lives, but they chase after guys like there's no tomorrow. 

Every time I feel like I need a guy to make me happy, I just remember that He's far more than enough to make me truly happy.

God knows what He's doing, and that's something, because most days I don't know what I'm going to do.

Sometimes I would think about how it'd be nice just to have a guy to study with and spend free time with . . . but I realized that that's very selfish. Think about it: if you don't have the time or energy to invest in a relationship, it's cheating the other person. And if you only want them around for the perks, you probably wouldn't want to stay when things get tough, either. And what if they realize the only reason you wanted them around was for what they could do for you . . . can you imagine what that would feel like? 

Unfortunately, I do. Not from a guy, but friends. Or rather, 'friends'. And people I'm very close to have felt the same, and I promise you, that will not only affect you and your significant other, but also friends on both sides. It's not something to take lightly. 

Anyway, you don't need a guy or a girl in your life to be happy, especially during the Christmas and New Years seasons. It's a time to be with good friends and your family. That time doesn't last forever - enjoy it while you can . . . with no distractions!

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Cold Front?

Cold front?!

More like a "cold front, back, sides, and middle"!

It's freezing!

But yes, I'm counting my blessings: we're not dealing with what the Yankees are, and I'm grateful for that, and I'm praying for them, especially since we've got family up there.

But shoot . . . for the past five days, my weather app on my phone has been going crazy. 

Thursday it went ballistic in a class (even though it was on silent) and said we were getting a tropical cyclone. 

Well.

That was the driest cyclone I've ever seen in my life.

It said we have coastal flood advisories, rip tide statements, and whole load of utter "not here-ness". 

Oh well. 

At least now that it's almost winter it feels like fall . . .

How my Mother Saved my Life

Yes, this is a true story.

I will say first off that unused appliances scare me. And by "unused", I mean unused by me. And if you're still not sure what I'm talking about, check out this guest post I did not too long ago; it explains everything.

Allow me to set the stage: I've been house sitting for the past two or three weeks - a weekish at one house, two days between and now at another house. 

The first house had a lovely kitchen with a stove very much like the one I use at home.

Easy to cook on?

The second house has a lovely kitchen . . . with a gas stove . . .

Um. . .

Easy to cook on?

Which means I didn't have a clue how to use it.

I'd turn the knob, and it'd click repeatedly, and all I could think of was the house blowing up, so I'd turn it off in a hurry.

I actually ended up cooking a frozen meal in the microwave (which I never do) because I had no clue how to use the oven.

Now, how my lovely mother factors into this.

We were chatting on Facebook, and she asked what I was planning on having for dinner.

I said I didn't know.

Somehow, the stove situation came up, and she's like "Oh, those are easy".

She coached me step-by-step through how to use it.

And it worked.

God bless the mothers who make sure their "independent" children are able to cook for themselves.

Growing Up Too Fast

Something happened the other day that really made me think. I'll get to what happened later on, so bear with me: what does "growing up too fast" really mean?

(And bear with me; it took me over a week to write this, and some parts really still don't feel quite right, but I'm posting it anyways.)

"Growing up too fast" used to mean that a child had to shoulder responsibilities and had to entertain concepts that would force them to leave childish things behind before most would have them do that. For instance, in the past, children were working full time around the age of fifteen, either because their parents had died, they were needed to help support the family, or they were considered old enough to take on that responsibility. Advancements in namely medical science and technology of all flavors enabled children to have more of an actual childhood.

But what did that bring?

For the purpose of this . . . "article", it brought free time.

Children were able to stay children until they were physically, mentally, and emotionally ready to take on the responsibilities of an adult. They could grow into it gradually, they could be trained, they could be taught, they could consider ideas and grasp the weight of the consequences to every action . . . they could be ready for an adult life.

Then there was too much free time.

Ungratefulness.

Envy.

Always wanting what was just beyond their grasp.

What do we have now?

We have children growing up too fast, but not in the way of the generations before them.

They have too much free time and a care-free (and care-less) attitude.

And although I can't quite put my finger on it, that's what's driving kids today to act the way they do.

What do I mean by that?

Whilst shopping with my mom and my sister, I saw this girl in Rue 21. Don't get me wrong - I love that store. It's one of the few places I actually enjoy clothes shopping. This really doesn't have anything to do with the store really. That's just where I was. But this girl . . . she had to have been younger than my sister, so maybe fourteen years old. But she looked like a . . . well . . . like a prostitute. I'm sorry to say it, but it's true. Her clothes, the way she wore them, the way her makeup was done - and for the record, I have a personal thing about girls that young wearing makeup - the way her hair was done . . . that's what she looked like. If she was on the street at night, I would have thought she was one.

But I remember looking at her and thinking, "Wow. She's grown up too fast."

Then it hit me: society tries to keep us busy, entertained . . . it tries to keep us children.

But in spite of that, we grow up. . . And not always in the best way.

So yeah. I just felt like I should post that.

I mean, innocence is an awesome thing.

Not naivete, that's not necessarily the same thing.

But innocence, purity . . . That's a lost treasure in this society.

Chick-Fil-A Day!

This is Chick-Fil-A at noon.

I'm actually not a huge fan of chicken, so I'm not there a whole lot, but dang . . . I've never seen it this busy!!!

There were only four parking spaces available when we got there, and people were already parked up and down the residential street. I think a couple even parked all the way over at McDonald's across the highway! (Talk about awkward -- walking to your car at MickyD's with a bag of Chick-Fil-A . . .)

I was pretty sure it would be busy; I think a few people are eating lunch and dinner there!

I have to admit I'm a bit worried about Friday . . . the . . . um . . . "event" that's supposed to happen that day. I don't think it will be a big deal here, but I pray parents will be wise enough not to take their children there Friday in cities where it will be pretty bad.

Just seeing the support people were showing for Biblical family values . . . It was awesome. God has really blessed Chick-Fil-A for their obedience and willingness to close every store on Sundays because it's the Sabbath. It's just incredible.

Though I do have to say, there are few feelings quite like wanting a CFA milkshake after Sunday dinner and realizing that just ain't gonna happen . . .

 

An AWESOME New Blog!

So, my friend Jennifer has started a new blog . . . and it is awesome.
Be a love and check it out? I'm sure you'll be blessed by it!

Hi! I'm Jennifer and I blog over at Blessings All Mind With Ten Thousand Beside. I just got started this week, so I'm a beginner at this whole blogger thing. I'm excited though. My blog is going to be about me, my family, our life and the things that God is teaching me. I am also planning to answer some of the questions that teenage girls ask me! You can find out more by visiting the blog and reading the About Me page and the About the Blog page. So head on over and check it out! Or if you have a question you can email me at: betterthatway@gmail.com.

Old School Disney Princesses

So, my mom and I are watching Sleeping Beauty.
Well, I'm watching it; she's napping.
But I was just thinking . . . there's got to be more to the story (stories, really) than Mr. Disney and his peeps are tellin' us.
So!
To rectify this situation, I have decided to rewrite my favorite princess stories.
And -- to be perfectly honest -- if you would die if the story was 'ruined' for you . . . ya probably ought not read what I'm going to write . . .

Dad-isms

Okay, I love my dad.
I am my father's daughter in more ways than one.
HOWEVER!
We don't always quite agree on what constitutes a good movie.
Example:
I'm watching Pride and Prejudice with my mom, and my brother had some friends over.
One of his friends - who shall for our purposes be called 'John' - came in from playing outside and just stared at the TV.
The following conversation ensued:
John: What is this?
Me: Pride and Prejudice.
Enter the Dadster. (That's not what we call him, but I'm fairly sure he won't object to that title.)
John: >defuddled face<
Dad: You know those movies they make you watch in Hell? That's one of 'em.
John: . . . Oh.
Yeah.
True story.