Week 11, Day 4

I will admit that this week has been pretty rough as far as actually meeting my goal. I think I just picked the wrong week to sit down and read. I've been babysitting 3 kids/house sitting for the last couple nights, which you mothers out there will know that by the time you actually have the time to read, you basically just fall asleep with the book in your hand.

Also, I haven't none of the libraries around the area have this book "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," which is actually pretty interesting. I am bound and determined to read it though.
This weekend I am off to a youth retreat with the teens from my youth group, so I'm hoping that I might be able to find some time during free time to read by the little lake that's there.

Just to educate you guys a little bit, here are the 10 Most Challenged titles in 2009:

• ttyl; ttfn; l8r; g8r by Lauren Myracle
• And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer
• Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
• My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
• The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
• The Color Purple by Alica Walker
• The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Here's the thing: I've read To Kill a Mockingbird and The Color Purple. I loved both of the books- they're classics! And I can't imagine not allowing kids in school to read these. But I also know that I wouldn't want my young children reading just anything.

What are your guys' thoughts about banning books? I'd love to hear opinions.

Week 11: Reading Week

Identity week was an awesome week. I feel like God is slowly working on me and showing me how He sees me. I had a conversation with my friend the other night, and it was great yet quite convicting. God has done some amazing things in her life, and I want that for my life too. She is becoming comfortable with herself, and she's seeing herself as God sees her. She has taken time to sit there with God in the stillness and listen to what He's saying. I need to do that more often. I will admit that I have a hard time sitting still and listening, resting, abiding in Him. The thing is, I could talk about how I want to grow and be stretched and how I want to develop into the woman God created me to be, but if I don't stop and take the time to be with God then nothing will happen. God has told me to abide in Him; now I need to listen and do just that.

Now onto Week 11 which is reading week. When I was at Trinity going to college, every October they had reading weekend, and we'd get a Friday off to, well, read. I will admit that I very rarely used that Friday to read, but now that I'm "grown up" I want to take that time to read. And it just so happens that this week is "Banned Books Week." Check out this website for more detailed info about this week: http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/info.html

The website explains: "Banned Books Week is the only national celebration of the freedom to read. It was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than a thousand books have been challenged since 1982...Their targets range from books that explore contemporary issues and controversies to classic and beloved works of American literature."

Honestly, there is a part of me that thinks that certain books maybe shouldn't be put in elementary or middle school libraries depending on the type of content, but I see no reason in banning books from bookstores and libraries. I was shocked when I actually saw the top 10 books that were challenged in 2009. As the week goes on, I will update my blog every so often with different books that were banned, reasons for being banned, and I will use this week to get back into my love for reading. After work today, I'm heading to the library to see if they have the book "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," which is listed #3 on the American Library Association's Top 10 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2009. I'm feeling rebellious....this is going to be fun : )

Week 10, Day 5 & 6

I first want to give you guys some verses that I find helpful to read through when I am struggling with identity issues. My goal is to actually memorize some of these verses.

• 1 Corinthians 7:20-24: Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him. Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you-although if you can gain your freedom, do so. For he who was a slave when he called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave. You were bought at a rice; do not become slaves of men. Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.
• 1 Corinthians 12: 27: Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
• (still trying to figure out how this is played out in my life) Colossians 2:9-10: For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.
• Romans 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Those verses always encourage me. I've also been doing some reading this week. I picked up a book called "When Wallflowers Dance" by Angela Thomas. I have actually read this book before. I read it the beginning of the second semester of my senior year in college, and it was during a really rough season in my life. My heart was kind of broken by a guy I really liked, I felt alone, I was hiding big time in my busyness and friends were being neglected because I didn't "have time" for them. I think back to that season and just see it as a dark, low point in my life. Any way, I read this book during that time and God totally spoke through it. I honestly don't remember much about this book other than I was healed during reading it. I'm picking the book back up again, not because I'm at a low point, but because I remember God speaking to me about my identity through it. My friend AJ gave it to me because God really spoke to her through it too. In one of the beginning chapters it poses a question: "What if the woman I have always dreamed of becoming is the woman God envisioned when He dreamed of me?"

With all my heart, I want to grow into the woman God envisioned when He dreamed of me. And the thing is-that woman is already inside of me. I just think she might be buried under fear, insecurity, some bitterness, pain over rejection....but she's going to surface eventually. And when she does...it's going to be awesome : )

Week 10, Day 3 & 4

Let's just say that the "how" circle has been a little difficult for me. I'm not entirely sure why, and maybe some of you guys out there have experienced that too, but it's definitely been a process. In this circle, I put down ways that I go about doing life; the responses, motivations, and patterns in my life. Maybe it was hard because I found some things that just aren't good-things that need to change. I am going to be open and honest here, so here we go:

• putting others before myself...a little too much: Maybe some people would say that this is not possible, but I think it is. I sometimes have this mentality that I can fix everything and can help everyone get back on their feet. This is obviously not true at all. I will do just about anything to help someone, even if it means sacrificing things that mean a lot to me. I think this is good to a degree, but not to the point where I don't ever come first. I'm working on this, rather God is working on this in my life. Again, it's a process.
• I'm a very empathetic person. When some one is going through a hard time, I feel it with that person, and when a person is celebrating in life, I feel it then to. Being empathetic makes it difficult sometimes to watch movies, I must say. Movies like "I Am Sam," "Stepmother," "American Violet," etc. are hard for me to watch because I can't help but put myself in the characters' shoes. This also kind of goes along with the first bullet point. Because I am so empathetic, I will bend over backwards to try and help someone. Most times I see this as a gift. I believe that God has given me a soft heart for a reason.
• sarcasm: My response many times is sarcastic. I really need to think more about this. I'm not sure why I tend to be sarcastic. I know that sometimes when I'm feeling attacked, the sarcasm comes out as a defense mechanism. Most times I just think that's my sense of humor, but I know that it can be taken the wrong way at times.
• I'm my own worst critic. My response when I mess up is to beat myself up. No one can reprimand me more than I will myself. I have no idea how I became this way, but I know this response is not good. I find it hard to forgive myself, and with messing up comes guilt and shame. Last Sunday at Greenhouse where I attended church, the pastor said in his sermon, "Decide not to embrace shame." I need to do that, and I need to remember that when I mess up, those things don't define me. I think that's were I get it messed up.
• I love doing things for other people. Most of you probably know this about me or have experienced it first hand. I love to send notes of encouragement to people, throw parties, send packages, come over with ice cream and a chick flick after a bad break up, etc. The reason I do these things is because I genuinely care about my friends and family. But sometimes I need to keep my motivations in check. The lies that my insecurities will tell me make me think at times that if I don't bend over backwards for people and don't constantly give of myself, that these people won't care about me. I'm not sure how that sounds to you, but I'm being honest. Again, I keep these things in check and I just need to continue to only do things for people through a right motivation.
• Today I had a chat with my friend Mike, and we were discussing my blog. Somehow it was brought up that I struggle with insecurity, and he said that this was surprising to him. Honestly, I was surprised that he was surprised because I thought that they would be clear as day to other people. He then mentioned how I stay busy and I'm always involved so he just didn't think I struggled with it. This points to a huge pattern in my life-busyness. I stay involved and stay busy because otherwise I'd need to let God deal with my issues and that would be painful. I must say that I have gotten a lot better at this. I'm such a people person and I really don't enjoy being alone, but I know that I need to make time to be alone. Also, when change happens and people move on in their lives, I fight the feelings of abandonment-the feelings that this person will move on and leave me behind. Again, those are insecurities and lies. God is currently working on this, and I'm excited to see what He does.

Ok, that's enough. That might be more about me than you ever wanted to know. In that case, be glad that I didn't put everything up that I wrote down! I thought about putting up a few surface level things, but then realized that I'm tired of sugar coating stuff. These are the things about me that are good and bad, things that God has given to me as gifts and things that He needs to work on. We all have these things inside of us. I think that there's power in bringing these things to the light and saying "Hey, God. Here's my stuff. Do with it as you will!" So now that you've read about my stuf, what about yours?

Week 10, Day 2

Day 2 I went through the "Where" portion of the circle. In this circle, I put things that are a "given" in my life-things about my job, family, my past, lessons learned, and memories from my life. It was actually really surprising what came to my mind when going through this circle.I wrote down probably about 50 different things, but I'll share just a couple. Here are some thoughts that came to mind:

• My job: I really love my job, even though I many times feel like I am not equipped to do it. Just today I was sitting there in front of my computer trying to plan programs, figure out how much to charge for these programs, and figure out how to advertise for them. I kept saying to myself, "Am I really cut out for this job? Isn't there someone else who could do this job much better?" I am super passionate about doing youth work and that part of my job comes fairly easily, but everything else definitely stretches me. It's a good thing though. I am very blessed to have this job; so close to my house and I work with people whom I love so much.
• Memories of the house I grew up in: I loved that home. I lived there for about 21 years of my life. My family moved to a different house when I was in college, and honestly, this new house has never really felt like home to me. I just have so many wonderful memories of life at the old house; memories with friends and with family. I remember having my friend's going away party in the basement before he left for the Air Force. I remember family holidays with everyone there. I remember falling up the stairs one Halloween night and laying there for about 10 minutes trying to get over the embarrassment. I remember having my first communion party, my high school graduation party, my surprise party, and a ton of other family parties. I can think back about this house and want to cry because I miss it.
• Punky Brewster and blanket forts: When my sisters and I were younger, one of our favorite shows was Punky Brewster. I remember that it came on right after this kids game show. In order to prepare for Punky Brewster, we would make these big blankets forts using tables and chairs so that we could sit under them and watch. We loved it, and I think back to how much fun we had together. Now we are grown, and sometimes I wish we could just go back to the simplicity and innocence of Punky and forts.
• "Always do your best, and God will do the rest": My mom told me this all the time growing up, and I remember it to this day. I have even found myself saying it to friends. From the moment I started school, I started worrying. Ask my mom and dad. They will tell you! I would freak out about a test or a homework assignment and to calm to down, my mom would say that simple phrase.

There are MANY more that I wrote down, but this is enough for now. Yesterday, was an awesome day. I am seeing how God is faithful and provides. God has put together a youth service that I've been trying to plan, and it's so awesome to see it all coming together. Our prayer ministry team came in to pray for me yesterday and without knowing about my "Identity Week," they prayed that God would show me my identity in Him. I am starting to see glimpses of giftings that I never realized that I had. God is doing something amazing. How's it going for you?

Week 10, Day 1

On Day 1, I started with the outer circle. If you guys haven't read it already, you should read the comment that Dave posted on the Week 10: Identity Week post. He explains the circle in more detail. On the surface of the circle, I wrote ways that I express myself and things that I like-surface level things. As I was writing these down, I felt my myself getting excited about these things that mean a lot to me. Here are some of them:

• I express myself very well verbally and through body language. I have been told many times that I "wear my emotions on my sleeve," and I know that this is true. I don't know if it's a bad or good thing, but that's how I am. It's very hard for me to "fake" feeling ok if I'm not. I tend to get really quiet if I'm mad or upset or feeling self conscious, and I don't like being around people when I get like this.
• Writing and singing are two ways that I use to express myself. I love doing both.
• I really like music, and during my music week a couple weeks ago, my music world was greatly expanded. Right now I am in love with Mumford & Sons. I also like Imogen Heap, Rosie Thomas, Brooke Fraser, Jon McLaughlin, and anything having to do with musicals. Yes, I am a geek.
• I love anything peppermint. Seriously, anything. I currently have peppermint shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. I will only use peppermint toothpaste, and I will only chew peppermint gum. I have Burt's Bees peppermint chap stick, I love peppermint hot chocolate....the list continues on.
• I LOVE the changing of the seasons. My favorite is when the summer changes to fall. The fall is hands down, my favorite season. I love to sit outside on a crisp fall day and watch a football game or go on a hayride. I love the apple orchard and the pumpkin patch which are both associated with the fall. Fall has the ability to change my mood into a good one.
• Dancing. This is a new found love of mine, which is awesome. And it means something deeper because if I were to rewind to about a year ago, I would hesitate big time when being dragged dancing because I was self conscious. Now, I love it, and I believe this is a small testimony of how God is slowly revealing my true identity.
• The Drive-In. If you know me at all, you know that I love the Drive-In. I'm not even sure why exactly. I think it's a number of things: I love movies, being with friends, the out doors, being under the night sky, the memories associated with the drive-in from my past...
• Candles. There's just something about candles that makes me happy. If I had a rough day, you will know it (my roommates can attest to this) because I will be cleaning the house and lighting candles. True story. In my opinion, candles are beautiful things that light up a room and create a warm, inviting atmosphere.
• Going out. I am a very social person- I love to be with people. I am happy going just about anywhere: the zoo, museum, a concert, a bookstore, a coffee shop, a bar, a park...I will go just about anywhere if it's with people that I love.

Now, my list was a lot longer than this, but for the sake of boring you, I will stop. As I was writing these out, I found myself wondering why the heck I don't do some of these things more often. Why don't I go outside and enjoy the beautiful fall days more often? I find God in these things, yet my busyness gets in the way. Many times, my excuse is that I don't have any one to go with which is true but I think I can go and do some of these things by myself. I need to do things more by myself sometimes because I can become to dependent on people.

Well, that's quite a bit of insight into my life. I hope that you guys are doing this with me. I had a conversation with one of my best friends last night about joining in with me for the week, and I told him that he could make up his own "Identity Week." You don't have to follow the circle thing, and you really don't have to do anything that I do this week. Make it your own. Do what works for you. All of our journeys will look different. Maybe for you, taking a ride on your bike for an hour and thinking about what makes you "you" is helpful. Maybe sitting down and playing a game of solitaire, while thinking back over your life and how you've gotten to this point is helpful. I don't know. I don't even fully know what this week will look like for me, but I'm expecting God to speak me and to show me what he wants me to hear and see.

Week 10: Identity Week

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope that you all had a great weekend. I'm really excited and actually a little nervous about this week. Before I get into what this is, I want to strongly encourage all of you to do this week with me. I think it would be awesome for all of us to do this together.

Yesterday morning, I went to church at The Salvation Army Crossgenerations, and it was wonderful. I felt the presence of God so strongly and the Holy Spirit was working in awesome ways. I may have touched on this in previous posted, but God has been revealing things in my life that I need to let him work on. It has been a painful process and I don't think I'm close to being done, but I received prayer yesterday morning. Then in the afternoon, Ryan and I headed to Greenhouse, which continues to be such a blessing in my life. It's crazy to think that I started going as a support for a friend, but I now feel at home with these people. The sermon series is wonderful. It's called "Be Yourself, Follow Jesus," which I think is brilliant. Yesterday's sermon looked at the question: "How do you discover who you are?" This fit right into what I received prayer for that morning.

Identity is what I've been struggling with. I find myself finding my value in other people and things, and not in God. I ask myself questions like, "What the heck am I doing with my life? Am I making a difference? Am I good enough? How do people see me? How does God see me? What is my identity?" I believe that we have all struggled with identity at some point or another, and it's a painful process yet in the end has a beautiful outcome. I'm just waiting for that outcome.

This week I am spending at least an hour of prayer in either the prayer chapel at our church or at home. I am also going to work through a paper that was given to us during the Greenhouse service yesterday. It looks like this:

Now, I recreated this, so mine looks a lot less neat than the one I received at church but it's good enough. I know that I will not explain this as well as Dave did, but I'll try. If you look at the circles, the first one is "where" and in this circle, you'd right different situations in your life. I understood as writing things about where you've come from. Maybe where you went to school, where you grew up, just different happenings in your life that come to mind. Then the next circle is "how," and this is how you react to different things because of the "where." Does this make sense? Dave, if you're reading, feel free to comment on this and put in a better explanation : ) What are your reactions like? Good or bad? Can they be changed or not? All of that would go into the "how." Then the very middle circle is "who," and at the middle of this circle is Jesus. He's in the middle of our identity. Our identity comes from Jesus. This is the spot deep down inside ourselves that shows who we truly were created to be.

That middle circle is what I want to figure out. This week, I'm going to look at what's happened in my life, my reactions and why I react that way in order move closer to my true identity. I am going to expect that God is going to continue to speak into my life truth about who I am and how He sees me. We are bombarded by the world's view on this everyday. Everyday, we hear lies about who we are and who we aren't. I don't want to care about that any more. I long for God to show me who I am.

Now, this probably is not going to happen in a week, but this week I am starting the process. This week is about me. It can be about you too! Join me and let's dialogue about what God is saying. There may be some of you who don't identify yourself as a "Christian." That's ok. But maybe you have questions about your identity. Maybe you've tried to figure it out on your own or by asking other people or trying different things and it hasn't worked. So why not just try asking God? You might be surprised at what you find out. Feel free to add comments about what you feel God is saying. Let's use this week to grow together as God reveals to us who we were created to be.

Week 9, Days 4-7

So it's been a little while since I updated last! Sorry, friends. This week/weekend was full of fun and friends and time just got away from me. And the picture is not one that I took- just thought it looked pretty : )
DAY 4: I made a delicious chicken with homemade mashed potatoes and asparagus. I cooked for about 6 people, but only one person came so needless to say that I had a ton of leftovers. The chicken recipe was given to me by a man named Giuseppe from my church, so I call it "Pollo de Giuseppe." Here's the recipe:

1. Combine Italian spices in a bowl with olive oil, lemon, little bit of any type of vinegar, one shot of vodka, a splash of bouillon cube (chicken), fresh rosemary.
2. Slit chicken and marinate overnight
3. Bake in oven the next day for 1.5 hours at 350 degrees.

Simple enough, right? I must say that it was very interested to marinate with vodka but it turned out very well. For the mashed potatoes, I used a simple recipe:

1. Peel potatoes (any kind) and cut in eight pieces to hasten the boiling process.
2. Boil the potatoes until they start coming apart.
3. Grate cheese and add sour cream in a separate bowl.
4. Drain potatoes when done and mash with a fork. Add the sour cream mixture and stir.

That's pretty much it. You can add salt and pepper if you'd like or other herbs. Mashed potatoes are fun to experiment with. Then I made asparagus, which I had made before this week but this time they came out much better. Here's what I did:

1. Take the raw asparagus and snap the ends off (my friend Ryan said to snap the ends of-not cut them with a knife. It does turn out a lot better)
2. Take asparagus and put on baking sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil
3. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and then Parmesan cheese all over the asparagus.
4. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

DAY 5: Day 5 was a lot of fun. My pastor/boss/friend had a "Life Bash" at our church to celebrate his birthday as well as to raise money for our church. It was so much fun- food, dancing, great company. For Day 5, I observed as our chef made sushi, crab rangoon, and bruscetta. It was a great learning experience and made me feel confident that I could one day try it myself. We added things like strawberries, avocados, and peppers to the sushi. All of the food ended up being so good!
DAY 6 & 7: On Day 6, I headed to Lafayette to see a Purdue football game with my little sister, which was a lot of fun. But it also left no time to cook, which was ok because we went out to eat and I enjoyed food that some one else cooked for me : ) Day 7...let's just say that it was leftover day!

Week 9, Day 3

Orange Chicken Stir Fry:

• 2 cups uncooked rice
• 2 cups water
• 3 tablespoons frozen (thawed) orange juice concentrate
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 lb. chicken breast strips
• 1 bag (1 lb.) frozen broccoli, carrots, and water chestnuts thawed and drained (just use whatever veggies you like in your stir fry)
• Chopped green onions, if desired

1. Cook rice as directed on package
2. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix OJ concentrate, soy sauce, cornstarch and garlic powder until smooth
3. Heat 10 inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken; cook 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until chicken is no longer pink in center
4. Stir in juice concentrate mixture and vegetables. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are crisp-tender. Serve over rice.

Tonight's dinner was good! This recipe was really easy to follow, and turned out well. It was a great night with friends and food! A bunch of people from my church came over as well as two new members of our church community. There was some Apples to Apples (you should find and play this game if you haven't already) and some chocolate chip cookies for dessert!

First of all, now that I've been making dinner every night, I realize how many dishes that means I will need to clean after. Second, I have no clue how some mothers work AND cook every night. Props to you guys! Third, cooking really is like a science, but I'm loving it!

Also, something really cool happened last night. After dinner, we all moved to the living room and went through some prayer requests. A girl from my youth group was there and had injured her foot so we laid hands on her foot and prayed. And guess what....She was healed! Praise God! That was the first time that I've ever witnessed physical healing. God is so good, and He cares about us so deeply! It was truly a night to remember.

Week 9, Day 2

I am proud to say that today's dinner was MUCH better than yesterday's! See the wonderful picture above?? Today I made stuffed manicotti (which I've never made before), and here's the website with the recipe for it:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1635,133176-250199,00.html

Tuesday nights are pretty packed for me. From 4:30-6:00 I do discipleship with a teen from the youth group, and then at 6 until 9 we have youth group. It's usually at my house because I like the atmosphere there. The teens seem to open up more in a cozy setting. The teen that I disciple helped me out with dinner as well as some new members of our church community. The recipe was very good, and I had no problems following it. The only thing that is hard is keeping the manicotti shells from breaking after they've been cooked. Most of our shells broke, but it actually ended up being a lot easier to fill the shells with them open!

I cooked for 10 people tonight, and it only cost me $35 which was awesome! Preparing the food was a lot of fun, and it tasted amazing. I actually added more garlic and herbs to taste, so feel free to tweak the recipe above. Again, the company for dinner was great. The youth group girls and then the new guy leaders were there to share this meal with me. We all ate and then played some Apples to Apples. It has been so awesome to share the meals that I make with people that are important to me. Day 2 was a success!!

Week 9, Day 1

Today I attempted to make spinach souffle because my dear friend Ryan suggested it. First of all, I hardly know how to spell "souffle." Second, I have never even eaten a souffle, and third, I had no idea how to make one. I looked up a recipe from a website that I have used numerous other times, and I thought to myself- "Wow, this looks really easy..."

The plus side is that it cost $14 total to make a dinner for 4 people, which I thought was pretty impressive. I made the souffle along with asparagus and rolls. I took the picture above of the dinner I made. Apparently, the recipe that I used was not very good. The amounts of things was off and basically, the souffle didn't turn out quite as expected. But, I was told it wasn't bad so I guess that's good. I'm not even going to put up the recipe that I used because I wouldn't suggest anyone use it! I definitely am going to try and make this again, now that I have an idea of how to improve it.

It was definitely an interesting way to start off the week! Despite the rough start, the company for dinner was great! My friends very kindly ate my creation, and we played a few games of Bananagrams. It was a nice night with some people I love.

Week 9: Homemade Dinner Week

Hello, Everyone! I know that it's been a while since I updated, but I am blaming it on my birthday : ) I just got caught up, and now it's week 9! Thank you all for the birthday wishes and for celebrating with me. I am excited to see what this new year will bring, and I am confident that it will be a wonderful year full of growth and adventure!

There are many things that contributed to the decision to make this week "Homemade Dinner Week." First, I am currently reading this book called "Bittersweet," and let me tell you, I feel like this book is about my life. It's wonderful! My friend Jen actually knows the author, and so after she read it she lent me the book. The author talks about how there are very few things in the world that she enjoys more than having friends over around her dining room table to share a meal. I feel the same way. I have a gift of hospitality, I love people, and I love food.

Second, I told you all about the girl who is temporarily staying with us, right? Well, naturally my life tends to be a little chaotic, even though I am proud to say that it has calmed down a bit. Most nights though, dinner is whatever we can make in less than 5 minutes because we're exhausted. That's not the way to do things- at least not all the time. In the chaos and confusion of this girl's life who's living with us, I think it would do her soul good to have a home cooked meal on a regular basis that is not rushed, but prepared with love and patience.

Finally, my roommate Rebecca had friends over last night, and upon walking in the house, her friend asked if we had community people over to the house often. Rebecca told him that we have friends over and the youth group girls over on a pretty regular basis, but there was something a little convicting about the question. Her friend went on to say that our home felt welcoming and inviting, and as Rebecca told me this she said something about how that was one of the greatest compliments she could think of regarding our home. I felt this whole thing was a little convicting because I have a huge heart for people, and I know that we could have people over more often and that we could welcome people from the community into our home- not just friends and youth group girls.

This picture above was actually taken on my birthday last year. Some of the guys from the community came over and cooked us dinner, and it was so much fun. I miss that. So this week, I'm cooking and I'm so excited! I want to cook things I've never cooked before and welcome people into my home that I've never invited before. If you have good recipes, vegetarian included, send them my way!

Week 8, Day 4

Last night, I had women's group up in Chicago through a church that I have been attending for about a year now. There are about 7 of us that meet and share life together. God has truly blessed me with this amazing group of young adult women. During group last night, I shared about what I've been going through lately, and I would like to share with you readers as well. This is a weird season in my life right now: Friends are moving away, some only 10 minutes away and then some all the way to places like Hawaii and the Republic of Georgia. While I am so excited that God is leading them into different places around the world to be His hands and feet, it's still hard for me. I have been trying to figure out how to cope with the change of that happening as I find myself losing some huge supports in my life. I just feel lonely, you know? Also, long story short we have a teenage girl living with us temporarily which has been hard, yet I know that God has His hand in this. And finally, I feel like insecurities are coming out in a big way right now, and I find myself in a constant battle between truth and lies. I've been running on my own strength and not on God's which has left me tired and weary.

Now, I know that this is a little serious compared to the last several blogs that I've put up, but this background info is important for you to know so that today's post makes sense.

Last night as the women's group was praying for me, one of the girls made a connection between today being my birthday and on the same day, the start of Rosh Hashanah which is the Jewish New Year. Today I'm proclaiming my own "New Year." Today's a brand new start, and during this year I will grow closer to God and will once and for all say "good bye" to insecurities that have been there for so long. I will get my butt in our prayer chapel and start the day off on the right foot. This year will be about freedom and actually living life to the full. God will uproot and weed out anything that doesn't belong so that I can be firmly rooted on a solid foundation.

I'll end with this: The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is the sounding of the shofar, which is a ram's horn. The sounding of the shofar represents many things, but one was particularly interesting for me. The cry of the shofar is a call to repentance, to turn totally away from our sin and walk the opposite direction. The article I read said that there are about 100 shofar blasts over the course of the Rosh Hashanah service, which means that there are plenty of reminders to repent!

Today, my birthday, I'm making a decision to start anew and to turn away from all the junk that's keeping me away from living the life that God has intended for me to live. That doesn't mean for this whole year I'm going to live a perfect life, but it does mean that I'm going to stay connected to the source and let Him pick me back up when I stumble. No more going backwards or staying in the same place. This year is about freedom and growth! Why don't you join me?

Week 8, Day 3

Today's is simple yet interesting: In Argentina, the birthday boy/girl receives a pull on the earlobe for each year that they have been alive.

I actually did this one-well a friend graciously pulled on my earlobe. Let's just say it was a little awkward. At least I can say that I did it : )

Week 8, Day 2

For Day 2, I found some traditions from different places that were pretty similar to each other:

• Ireland: The birthday child is lifted upside down and "bumped" on the floor for good luck. To determine the number of bumps, you would take the number of the age of the child plus one for good luck.


• Israel: The birthday boy/girl sits in a chair while people raise and lower the chair a number of times corresponding to their age, plus one for good luck.


• New Zealand: After the birthday cake is lit, the happy birthday song is sung, and then the birthday person receives a clap for each year they have been alive, plus one for good luck.

Now, I think it would be pretty hard for me to practice the Ireland and Israel traditions, mainly because I don't trust anybody holding me upside down or raising and lowering a chair but I think the traditions are pretty cool- I especially like the "bumping" part of the Ireland tradition! And on Saturday when I celebrate with all my friends, I will make them clap 25 times (24 plus 1 for good luck) after they sing to me : ) The picture on the top is from a blog of a woman who writes about life in Israel. You should most definitely check it out-it's really cool! The picture is showing Israel's birthday tradition. http://www.israelimom.org/pictures/227/november-in-pictures.html

Week 8, Day 1

Today I didn't actually do anything other than celebrate the birthdays of two of my amazing friends. I did however look up some interesting birthday traditions from China.

Everyone in China celebrates their birthday on New Year even if it isn't actually the day that they were born, which I thought was pretty interesting. I found out that a Chinese child's second birthday is a big deal, and it's when the baby tell their own fortune. Here's how this happens: The baby is placed in the center of a group of various objects like a doll or book or coins. Whatever the child decides to pick up is supposed to reveal what the child will be in the future. For example, if the child picks up a coin, he or she may become rich or if the child picks up a book, then he or she may become a teacher. Interesting! I thought about doing the same thing: putting a bunch of random things around me and while blindfolded, pick up an object....but then I thought that was definitely not the same : )

Also, good to know: It is considered unlucky to give someone a clock in China for their birthday. In Mandarin, the word for clock is similar to the word for death. Yikes! So no clocks for my birthday this year, friends! It is also believed that tigers protect children, so family members bring gifts to the child that are decorated with tigers.

Hope you learned something new! I sure did!

Week 8: Birthday Traditions Around the World

I have been doing this for 8 weeks already! I love September for many reasons. One, I love Fall. It's most definitely my favorite season. There's something about football games, the apple orchard, bonfires, and hayrides that can bring my so much joy! Two, my birthday is September 9 which is this Thursday! I love celebrating birthdays! There are many people out there who hate celebrating their birthday, but I just love getting all my friends and family together to celebrate. It's an excuse to bring everyone together that I love.

This week, I'm going to research how different places around the world celebrate birthdays in their culture, and then I will do the same. Now, I've already started researching, and there's some traditions that I just won't be able to do. Example: circumcision. Let me rephrase- there are some traditions that I will choose not to do. But there's some that are pretty cool, and it will be an educational week for all of us!

I'll be doing research today, and then I'll start tomorrow! If you know of any cool traditions, then let me know!

Week 7, Day 7

1.) Artist: Dear Noel- One of the guys in this band is good friends with Kaitlyn and Ryan. He actually sang at their wedding, and he was awesome! They are a punk/rock group, and I listened to their CD "Love & Fate." There are 5 songs on the CD, and they are all good! Check out their myspace at http://www.myspace.com/dearnoel. They have shows that are somewhat local, so if you like them then go and check them out live!

2.) Artist: Frank Turner- This guy is a combo of folk and punk. I listened to his CD "Poetry of the Deed." He definitely drops the "f-bomb" in a couple of his songs, so be aware! But I did really like his song "Dan's Song."

3.) Artist: Otis Redding- I've heard Otis Redding before, but actually didn't realize it. I love the song "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay," but I didn't know it was this guy who sang it! Martha told me to look him up, so I listened to the song she had up on her Facebook page called "Pain in My Heart." This guy has a lot of soul, that's for sure!!! So good!

Ok, so this is the end of Music Week! Sad! But I still have a lot more CDs to listen to from Ryan, and I have a new found love for looking up music. It's great because I have a plethora of music on my I-Pod that I didn't have before! Thanks to Ryan and Kaitlyn Perisin, Dave Sandell, and Martha Christensen for all your awesome music suggestions! You guys are the best!

Week 7, Day 6

1.) Artist: Neko Case- I'm not sure how to categorize this artist, other than she's awesome. She has a really unique sound. Her voice in very intriguing, and I found myself looking up everything that I could find of hers. You can check out her website at http://www.nekocase.com/. The artists I checked out today were suggested by Dave Sandell, so thanks friend! I mostly listened to songs from her album "Blacklisted." I loved her songs "I Wish I Was the Moon Tonight" and "Runnin' Out of Fools." She's a power house! Amazing. Neko Case is also in a band called The New Pornographers, and they are also awesome. I listened to a little bit of their newest album "Together." It is a very different sound than Neko Case by herself, but still amazing.

2.) Artist: Arcade Fire- This group is classified as Indie, and they're from Canada. It's funny, I typed in Arcade Fire in youtube.com and found this, which I thought was pretty impressive. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjxef8AfVQg . The group performed "Neon Bible" in an elevator. Now, I think that's impressive. I think my favorite song I heard was from their album "Funerals" called "Rebellion (Lies)." Incredible group!

3.) Artist: Mumford & Sons- I looked up their biography on their main website and loved this: "Since they formed in December 2007, the members of Mumford & Sons have shared a commone purpose: to make music that matters, without taking themselves too seriously." You can check out the rest of their bio here at http://www.mumfordandsons.com/biography . I LOVED them. Maybe it's because of their accents (from West London), I don't know, but their music is great! I loved "Awake My Soul," "White Blank Page," "Sigh No More," and I could go on and on. This might be my favorite band all week! For serious.....check them out : )That's it for today! I am so sad that tomorrow is the last day of music week! It's gone by so fast...

Week 7, Day 5

1.) Artist: Tokyo Police Club- This band is an Indie rock band from Ontario. I listened to some of the songs from their CD called "Elephant Shell." I loved the songs "Tessellate" and "Your English is Good." I really liked them a lot. I have actually heard of this band, but never heard their music before.

2.) Artist: Call it Arson- This band is rock/folk rock, and I listened to their whole CD. I really liked this band a lot! I liked the song "Nightmare on Coulter Street" the best.

3.) Artist: The Shins- This indie/rock band was formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I listened to their CD "Oh, Inverted World." It was good, but not my favorite. I did, however, enjoy their first song entitled "Caring is Creepy." Ha!

4.) Artist: Silversun Pickups- These guys are from California and are an alternative rock group. I listened to their CD "Carnavas." I really like all of their songs. I never really thought I was a rock kind of gal but I did like this.

I feel like my descriptions are never really elaborate or anything but at least you get the gist, right? Check them out!

Week 7, Day 4

1.) Artist: She & Him- Guess who's the singer in this band....Zooey Deschanel, and she's the girl in the movie "Elf." Do you remember the scene where she's in the shower singing? That's what this CD sounds like. She's awesome! Her music is like Indie/Folk/Pop. I listened to Volume 1 and Volume 2, and both were really good! My favorite song on Volume 1 is "This is Not a Test," and my favorite on Volume 2 is "Lingering Still." The Volume 2 cover is really creative. You open the CD and on the left hand side there's the paket of info about the CD. It looks like a check out card in a library book. I thought it was cute!

2.) Artist: City and Colour- They are an Acoustic/Rock/Folk band, and I listened to their CD "Bring Me Your Love." You know how some CDs usually have several good songs, but then the rest are just "eh." Well, this CD is ALL good. MY favorite song was "Body in a Box." I love their sound, the lyrics, everything. So good!

3.) Artist: Erin Tobey- She is an artist from Bloomington, IN. According to her Myspace page, her music is Punk/Lounge. Again, all the songs are great! It's really amazing to me that all of the music I've listened to so far has been awesome. Either I'm really easy to please msucially, or Ryan, Martha, and Kaitlyn have in an insanely awesome taste in music! I don't even have a favorite song- couldn't pick!

Check these artists out!

Week 7, Day 3

For the rest of this week, I'm going to start doing lists. It's just easier : )

1.) Artist: Loreena McKennitt- My friend Martha gave me a couple CDs to check out and this was one of them. I really liked it! A lot of her stuff is instrumental, and it's Celtic music. Very relaxing and peaceful. Definitely recommend her, especially for a rainy day like this one!

2.) Artist: Morgot & the Nuclear So and So's- Ryan gave me these CD to check out and I really liked it. Their music is real chill. There is a song called "Holy Cow" on the CD, and it's hilarious. Some of the lyrics are "Settle down. You're starting to freak me out. Comb your hair if I'm to take you anywhere." Love it!

3.) Artist: Less Than Jake- Here's a little bio from Amazon: "Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida. Originally formed in 1992 as a power pop trio, the band evolved into a hybrid of ska punk. Less Than Jake have also been cited as showing influences from a wide variety of genres including post-grunge, alternative rock, third wave ska, punk pop and punk revival." I thought their music was fun and creative. My favorite songs on the album were "Help Save the Youth of America From Exploding" and "History of a Boring Town." I also really liked how the fold out thing in the CD with all the info from the band was formatted like a comic book. I mean, it actually looked like a little comic book! And for those of you who don't know, I really like comic books even though I don't get to read them as often as I used to. Don't worry, there will be a comic book week eventually!

4.) Artist: Wilco- This band is an American alternative rock band from Chicago. I listened to some of their CD called "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot." My fav song from this CD is "I'm the Man Who Loves You."

That's it! Look up some of these artists. You won't be disappointed!

Week 7, Day 2

Hello, everyone! Music week has been going great so far. I want to start by saying that a lot of the joy from doing Seize the Week has been watching my friends participate with me. Let me explain: Last night, well technically Day 2, I spent the evening with my dear friends Kaitlyn and Ryan Perisin. I've known Kaitlyn since pre-school (crazy, right?) and Ryan has been a friend since high school. We spent a great night at the Cubs game, even though the Cubs got slaughtered, and then after we headed back to their place. I had told them that this week was music week, and you should have seen their faces. Now, you must know that Ryan has the largest collection of music that I've ever seen. For real. And it's not all one type of music; it's all kinds of music from all different times. And Kaitlyn loves music as well! Ryan and Kaitlyn decided that they were going to send me home with mixed CDs with a bunch of different music on it.

Music is Ryan and Kaitlyn's passion, and it was such a blessing to see them getting so excited to make me a couple of mixed CDs. It just makes me think about how awesome God is that He has created us so uniquely, and we have different passions and interests that can all work together for the Kingdom. So Seize the Week has not only been about me, but also about the people I love doing the things they love. I truly can't express the joy it brought me to sit in the Perisin's apartment, watching them live out their own passion for music.

Not only did I leave with two burnt CDs from Ryan and Kaitlyn, I left with a collection of about 20 other CDs to check out. At one point, Ryan had about 120 songs that he wanted to burn, but only about 24 would fit on the CD! The picture at the top was taken this morning in my office, and those are all the CDs Ryan let me borrow and then the 2 burnt CDs.

Last night I listened to some of Kait's CD, and I loved what I heard. I listened to some Ben Folds (one of my new favorite songs by him is "The Luckiest"), Joshua Radin & Schuyler Fisk, Matchbook Romance, and Traveling Wilburys. There was not one song that I didn't like! I haven't listened to the whole CD yet, but I'm really exicted to listen to the rest! I definitely recommend looking those artists up on I-Tunes or Youtube!

Week 6, Day 6 & 7

So I know these are late but better late than never! Two of these pictures are the sunset and two are the sunrise. The one with Rebecca and then the one with the water are the sunset. I actually took the two of the sunrise without Rebecca knowing, so surprise, Rebecca! I absolutely loved this week. A BIG thank you to Rebecca, who was an amazing teacher! I couldn't have done it without you!