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...