I Can Make that SO MUCH Better!

I made a delicious breakfast this morning. I may or may not have ripped the idea off of a certain fast food giant... but really, THEY
did not create the concept of the breakfast sandwich... and mine tasted 10,000 times better than what you'd get there... even if I say so myself!

This is a super easy recipe. Seriously, you're going to read it and be like "why was a post needed for this?" but bear with me.
Because it was grub! Just ask my husband. He's a very reliable source on yummy things... if not a little bit biased when it comes to my cooking, which is very wise of him... since he does have to live with me at the end of the day! ;)

Anyway...

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit-wich




Beautiful, right!?

Here is what you're going to need

Thick Cut Bacon (I used 4 slices, cut in half)
Eggs (1 for each sandwich)
Biscuits (1 for each sandwich - I used Pillsbury Grands! Homestyle-Southern Style; the nice big ones)
Cheese (1 slice for each sandwich - I used Cheddar)
Pam - or other non-stick pan spray... depending on how good your non-stick pan is.

First step, Bake your biscuits. I suppose you could make your own biscuits, but I had some of the handy pop-open-the-can kind left over from yesterday, so I just used those. If you are going to use the canned biscuits, follow the directions on the can. Just make sure they're big enough to make a nice sandwich.

Put your bacon slices on a cookie sheet (I cover mine in foil, so the clean-up is easier, and the sticky bacon grease isn't such a problem on my lovely baking sheets) Set oven to 400 Degrees Farenheit, and place cookie sheet with bacon in (I just add a few minutes of cooking time when I start with a cold oven) Set timer for 16-20 minutes... I cook for around 18 usually. It really depends on how chewy/crispy you like your bacon. Just try not to use your smoke alarm as a timer... YEAH... When finished cooking, place on a plate with paper towels to drain off the fat. Set aside.

Fry your eggs, or if you like them over-medium... whatever you like. (I really hope you know how to fry an egg... but just in case here's the basic idea: Non-stick pan, medium heat. Add a little bit of pan spray if you like. Crack one egg into the pan. Let cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until bottom is firm, slide spatula/turner under the egg. Flip over the egg. Cook for another 30 seconds or so... I turn off the heat while the second side "sets" ... You will need to adjust cook times for your preferred egg texture.)

Cut your biscuit in half. Add a bit of butter... place in a hot non-stick pan (can be the one you just cooked your eggs in if you like to re-use and minimize dishes, which I do, considering there's no dishwasher in this place... unless you count Me!) Place butter side down on the pan, allow the biscuit to grill, or fry, or whatever you'd call it... until it's a little crispy, and brown around the edges.

Now, you've got your pieces. Put the bottom half of the biscuit on a plate. Place your fried egg on top of the bottom biscuit. Place 3 half strips of bacon side by side (if you like more bacon, by all means... add more!) Place your slice of cheese on top of the bacon. Place the top half of your delicious grilled biscuit on top of the cheese. Dig in!! SO much yummier than those fast food ones...

Pulled Pork and Corn Fritter Amazingness

So, it's been forever and a day since I posted anything on this blog.

When better to pick it up again than now, when I am in a new(er) city, meeting new people, and learning all sorts of new things about myself, keeping a home, and perhaps my favorite: cooking for the people I love (mainly my husband)!?

Quick catch-up if you don't know (and if you care): August 3, 2012 I married Matt, got a new name and moved down to Santa Barbara, CA. The last 5 1/2 months have been a whirlwind, and a time of learning, growing, and embarking on adventures together. Not going to lie, I am loving the opportunity to try new things, and find new recipes to keep my wonderful husband well fed.

One example:

Pulled Pork in a crock pot. Why anyone would make pulled pork any other way, is beyond me, but then again, I've only made it this once... so maybe the other way is easier, but the whole ability to make it at night, and have it ready for a yummy meal the next day is wonderful to me.


This is my meal:

Isn't it beautiful, and doesn't it look delicious!? Let me tell you, it was fabulous! The other little bits of amazing on the plate were Corn Fritters, deep fried, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside yumminess.

I've pretty much been a fan of corn fritters since I had them when I was a kid (probably 9 or 10) and have pretty much never been able to find them quite as yummy again. Well, for my wedding a little over 5 months ago, one of my besties decided I needed to have deep fryer, and while at first I was a little bit sceptical, I've pretty much been converted. We don't have the space to have it out all the time (we also don't need to be eating deep fried foods all the time... I tend to try and cook healthier than that on a regular basis) but since I had used it in the last week, and hadn't put it away yet, I decided to play around, and the corn fritters happened... YUM!

Not that you care. Not that you should. But IN CASE you want a couple of simple recipes for yummy food, I'm going to include them. If for no other reason, than that I want to write them down, so that I don't forget how I made them!

Pulled Pork

3 - 3 1/2 lb. Pork Shoulder (the label also called it a Boston Roast) Other recipes told me I could use a Pork Butt of the same size, and this was on sale (Hey, I'm working really hard to stay on a food budget!)

3/4 c. Apple Cider Vinegar

2-3 Tbsp. Yellow Mustard

3-4 Tbsp. BBQ Sauce of choice (I used Sweet Baby Ray's - Honey Barbecue... it was also on sale)

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

A splash to 1/4 c. of water.

Salt and Pepper

(I should warn you, the measurements in my recipes are usually estimates, because unless it's something that absolutely MUST be measured, I tend to cook according to my personal tastes, and play around with it until I'm happy, so it's difficult to tell JUST how much of ingredients I use)

I rinsed my roast in warm water, patted it dry, and then placed it into my slow cooker. Not sure whether that's "necessary" but it seemed like a good idea. Next I sprinkled the roast with salt and pepper to add a little extra flavor.

In a measuring cup mix together the Cider Vinegar, Mustard, BBQ Sauce, Worcestershire sauce and water. Pour over the roast. Put the lid on.

I set my cooker to medium-high for about an hour, and then turned it to low overnight (8-10 hours) but other recipes I looked up before I put mine together indicated you could just do the low for 8-10, or medium-high for 5-6. I don't know which you would prefer, but since I was doing mine overnight the 8-10 hours worked better for me, and when I opened the crock pot next morning, the whole thing shredded with two forks CRAZY easily.

After the meat has been shredded in a bowl, I mixed about a cup of the barbecue sauce, and about 1/4 c. of the liquid that it cooked in together and then mixed in the meat. If you like your pulled pork with a little more sauce, you could obviously add more, but I don't like mine too soggy, so I reserved extra barbecue sauce to be put on the buns when we actually ate it. Personal preference. So yummy!

(I feel I should mention, while I left the fat on my roast for flavor during cooking
and then removed the fat before I shredded the roast, some recipes do indicate that you should remove the fat before cooking)

Corn Fritters

Okay, disclaimer: THIS recipe is very um... well, let's just say I took a recipe I could find, and then substituted and added stuff that I had in my kitchen to make them more like what I was looking for... so unfortunately I cannot absolutely guarantee the same results. Basically, the recipe is as follows.

One box Jiffy corn muffin mix.

One Egg

One 14.5 oz Creamed Style Corn

Vegetable oil to fry (if you're using a full size deep fryer you will need 8-10 cups (follow the directions on your fryer, mine is just "fill it to line A, then plug it in, the light will go off when it's at the right temperature". If you are pan frying, you will obviously use less... like 1/2-1 c. Not sure.

Aproximately 6-10 tablespoons of all purpose flour (this part was more to get my batter to the consistency I felt comfortable dropping into HOT deep fryer oil, so that it wouldn't splatter apart and turn into little tiny balls instead of puffy round fritters, if you are pan-frying, a thinner batter won't be such a big deal, they'll just be flat fritters.)

about 1/2 tsp. Baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. white sugar

2 Tbsp. Packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp. Honey

I mixed the corn muffin mix, 4-6 tbsp. of the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugars in a bowl, then I added the egg, creamed corn and honey, and incorporated it all together.

At this point, I did a sample run of the batter in the deep fryer, the first spoonful was so thin though, that it kind of plopped into the boiling oil, and broke apart into little pieces of deep fried yumminess... just not a FRITTER like I was looking for.

This was where I added more flour until it was a thicker batter that I could get a spoonful of, then scrape off with a second spoon just below the surface of the oil, and it would (usually *) fall gently into the oil and turn into a nice puffy, crunchy brown fritter.

Allow the fritter to cook for about a 90 seconds on one side (lid closed if you have one to keep the oil from spattering everywhere), flip the fritter over with a fork (or some tongs, just make sure whatever you use won't melt in the hot oil), and allow to cook another minute or so (basically a uniform brown color is what you're going for.

Pull the basket out of the hot oil, and dump the fritters onto a plate covered with paper towels. Ours were delicious "as is" but I am sure there are dipping sauces out there that should be tried with them. Delicous!

(*) PLEASE be careful when you are placing things into your deep fryer, although I was being super careful, the last fritter I made still managed to plop into the oil, and splashed a drop of HOT oil onto my face about a 1/2 inch from my eyeball. Honestly, I'm pretty sure it was a miracle that I DIDN'T end up that the ER that night (although lucky for us, we do happen to live 2 blocks from the ER...)

Anyway, it was a delicious meal, and all in all I'm super pleased with the result!

This is a new feeling...

Sometimes there is an emptiness inside that doesn't make sense. It isn't so much even an overt sadness as it is a knowledge that something is no longer there... It is a longing for things to feel right again. One that I of course know the underlying cause of, but still sometimes am caught off guard by. It is strange and it is most certainly not fun. However, knowing that it isn't where you want to be doesn't actually change anything, and somehow you find a way to breathe again. To breath Through the hole in your chest. And to smile... Like it doesn't hurt. Most importantly, you find a way to not only live your life... You find a way to enjoy it, and the people around you, because in a lot of ways, other people are what it is all about anyway!

Wow... Emo much?

Peace that Surpasses Understanding

I guess I was naive in my thinking, or perhaps had just never really encountered a situation where I was going to have to rely on his will, and trust that he would bring peace, but when Philippians 4:7 talks about how the peace of God, "which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" I always assumed that God would somehow magically make it so that I would be happy about it. That it would not hurt as much as it would without his peace. And perhaps it does... there was definitely a shift when I finally handed the situation to God and said, "okay... this is what you require, and I know it. And I know that you know best, so I'm going to stick with it, even if right now it feels like it might kill me." It hasn't, by the way. It doesn't mean that I'm happy about the situation. It doesn't make it hurt any less. But I know that my God is enough, and that he is bigger than the situation. He sees the finish line, that I can't even imagine in my small, earthly and human brain.

So rather than fall asleep in anguish, crying out to God to give me my way in the situation, which is where I had started to find myself; rather than opening my eyes in the morning, and asking God why it couldn't all just be a bad dream. Instead, I wake with a peace. A peace I don't understand, other than that I know that I am within God's will, and that he is good. All the time.

I still cry randomly about it. Sometimes the tears cut through the peace. Sometimes I don't even see them coming, until suddenly I can't breathe, and the tears are blurring my vision. But the despair is gone. The anguish is dulled. God's will. I don't understand it, and quite frankly I don't always like it, but I know that he is good, and that he has a plan, so rather than stumble around blindly in the dark looking for a match, I will turn instead to Him, the Bright and Morning Sun... and I will rest in his peace, and find comfort through the tears.

Instead I will turn to him, continuing to lift up the situation, and the people involved to Him in prayer. And yes, I will continue to pray for my own hear, and my own attitude throughout it all.

Oh they say when you marry in June... Oh wait... I'm not getting married in June!

Wow, it's been over a year since I last posted anything on this blog. That's okay, I probably haven't really had anything worthwhile to write anyway. Sometimes I wonder whether anything I have to write on this is worthwhile though... but realistically Blogs are pretty much all about vanity anyway, so whatever. I'm going to grip and moan my way through this blog... sorry, feel free to stop reading.

Is it taboo to complain about Facebook on your blog? At this point I don't really care.

Did you know that as-SOON-as your relationship status changes from "single" to "in a relationship" your sidebar ads change from "Hey! Meet other single people!" to "Hey! Come buy an engagement ring!" As though you should actually be thinking about marriage not two seconds after you decide to date someone...

Granted, you probably shouldn't be dating someone if you don't see some sort of a future with them, but still... it's probably a little bit early to be shopping for your engagement ring.

Now, I've been with Boyfriend for eight months, but they still irritate me. They've irritated me since they morphed from the "come date other 23 year old Christian single people". Don't ask me why, they just do. I guess I should just be grateful that they're pushing conflict free diamonds down my throat, and stop my moaning.

May Flowers?

Is anyone else in this world having trouble believing that we're already into May?

I for one have been blown away by this fact. Not that it seems so terrible that we are fully one third done with the year, which in and of itself is quite difficult to wrap my head around, especially since it seriously seems like it was JUST January, and February, and March for that matter. And I know for a fact that I was JUST in April... but now it is May. It has officially been over a year since I graduated from University. A full year of not knowing what is next. That is also really difficult to accept. I know that God is sovereign, and He has a perfect plan, but golly if I didn't think (or at least hope) that He would have just pointed to a path and said "GO!" He hasn't yet, in case you're wondering. At least not that I've noticed.

That is a thought that scares me sometimes. What if I have been too busy doing my other stuff, or just not paying attention? What if I have missed the offramp (or on-ramp...think of it however you will) or misread the directions that God has given to me. Has He in fact pointed out a path to me and told me to take a step forward, but I missed it? Worse still, what if I was just too scared and decided that he must not have actually meant for me to take that path... "oh you know God, I know that I asked for an opportunity, but I don't think I'm ready for that... try me again!" That is a very sad thought, and I really hope that it is not the case.

So for now I will continue on in the path that I am on. And continue waiting on the Lord. Searching and seeking for whatever His will might be right now. I know that that can be a dangerous thing: to ask the Lord for direction, for purpose... because you really never know exactly where you will end up, but I think I'd rather be in His will than anywhere else.

Either way, it is May. Already. I can't believe it. El Cinco de Mayo already. Crazy.

Holding Pattern

I really really really hate not knowing what I'm doing. Uncertainty really bugs me, and it REALLY irritates me in myself.

The problem is that sometimes when I don't know what I want, or where I'm going; I am totally okay with that. There are times that I KNOW for a fact that God is in control and I am at peace with where He has me right now.

And then there are other times that I "know" that God is in control, but I feel like he has placed me on the shelf and forgotten me. Even better, sometimes I feel like one of those little wind up toys that gets put on display in the little shallow box to waddle around in a circle... and then ends up getting stuck in a corner, or just at the edge, but is still moving it's little mechanical legs and ends up running into the wall over and over and over and over and over. Get the picture?

The last several weeks have felt more like the second scenario to me. I know that God is in control and has a plan, and all of that jazz, but I have NO IDEA where my life is going, and it is not only bugging me, but it's starting to scare me, and I'm really getting irritated at my life.

Needing a change but having no idea where to start, or the self-confidence to follow through is a very disheartening situation to be in. I am very frustrated right now.

Just Around the Corner

So Thanksgiving was yesterday. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of the day... I had my camera out, I just never took any pics... sad, I know. However, I have to say that the turkey was possibly the absolute turkey I have ever tasted... even the white meat was juicy and delicious even without gravy! Well done Dad, I was very proud of the accomplishment.

I love the holidays. Truly I do. The food, the music, the lights, the atmosphere. What's really nice is that it's cool enough here on the Central Coast to be justified in wearing sweaters and scarves now. Nothing is worse than feeling the need to wear a tank top and flip flops three days before Christmas because of the weather... I've done it.
There really is only one thing that I'm not really a fan of about the holidays, the stress. Some people are not fans of the holidays, and being around people with that attitude can make it very difficult to enjoy the time, which can be depressing. I am going to do my best to really enjoy the Christmas season this year. Perhaps a huge part of keeping the joy alive will be trying to never forget the true reason for the season: the birth of Christ... even if he wasn't really born on December 25th . Remember that we are celebrating the fact that the Creator of the Universe came and was born as a child, who would grow up to die on a cross in order to save a world that is lost in darkness. If that isn't a reason to be grateful and joyful I don't know what is!

It is now less than a month until Christmas and I am excited. Even though I am personally of the opinion that the day after Halloween is fair game for Christmas music... (I know that many people don't agree with me on that one... but I don't really care.) I haven't really listened to much Christmas music yet this season. I will work on changing that.

There's only one other thing that is kind of sad about the holidays this year. My sister is overseas for the second year in a row, and that means that She will once again not be here for Christmas (she wasn't here for Thanksgiving either). Not having my sister here for the holidays is the hardest part of having her overseas right now... sad.

There wasn't really much of a reason for this post. Sorry if you feel deceived, that was not my intention.

Thought Processor

I know it has been a really long time since I have written anything on this thing. However, it has not been because I didn't want to write anything... nor was it the result of having nothing to say. Rather, that I feel like I never know how to put my thoughts into words... or if I do manage to somehow put words to my thoughts... I never know if any of it makes sense to those who live outside of my head.

Like now. There are thoughts about the future... family... friendships... all scary thoughts... none of which have been processed enough to be able to put them into words.

It would seem that I am not very organic. Unprocessed thoughts are intimidating. I enjoy when others write in a very free and spontaneous voice... however the idea of putting the raw contents of my head onto the table in front of other people is horrifying.

There are a select few people who I am close enough with to be comfortable sharing the less processed and closer to raw versions of what goes on in my head, the rest of the world gets the planned, prepped and 'perfected' version... to put it another way, the filtered version.

Here is my question: Does the fact that I am not absolutely and completely candid with everyone in my life mean that I am not being real with everyone? Is it okay to let different people see different sides of me... or do I in fact need to be the same with everyone in order to be consistent?

I personally don't think that it is a problem to have certain close friends and family that get to see the more relaxed, playful, free, version of myself, whereas the rest of the world sees a slightly more refined version. I am almost positive that everyone does it on some level. So is it okay?

Summer is fast approaching its end. Yes, I know that it is still only July, and yes, I know that theoretically Summer goes through the end of August... technically there is still a month plus of summer. My sister is leaving to go back to Hungary in just three short weeks for the beginning of their school year, and that just makes it feel as though the summer is coming to a rapid end.

There is also the tiny little fact, that I don't have school anymore. That seems like a big "Hooray!" but it is actually quite terrifying. At least when you are in the process of University and Higher Education, you know what you are doing... what comes next.

For example, at the end of the school year you sign onto the school website, and check little boxes for courses that you need/want to take, then click the little "Add Course" button and it shows up on your little schedule. Three months later you sign into that same little website and pull up the Student Course Schedule and see all laid out for you in pretty little black and blue letters, exactly what the next 16 weeks of your life is going to consist of: Course A from 9:30 to 11:00 On Tuesday and Thursday, B from 10 to 11 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, etc. Everything is laid out pretty and neat for you. Everything is planned. Everything is pretty straightforward and self-explanatorily.

Post-College life is not that cut and dry. Granted, I am seriously excited that I have finished with my Undergraduate degree. Someday I may even go back to school to get some sort of Master's degree. But right now... it is terrifying. I know that I have said that God is in control. Somewhere in my brain, I know that God really does know what my future holds. But right now I feel like there is a vastness of fog in front of my eyes.

Just once, a few months ago I felt completely at rest on this issue. I admitted to myself and God that I feel completely unqualified for my future, whatever it may be. I also acknowledged that I can do nothing on my own. God has often chosen those who don't seem to have the necessary qualities for their job, but God choses them, and then qualifies them... just look at Moses. (Of course God also put Aaron into Moses' path ot help him along the way. God does that, gives us friends along the way who can help us where we fall short... and boy do I fall short.)

Anyway, after I made those concessions (is that how you spell that?) God, and told Him that I was just going to trust him to qualify me for whatever He had for me, I went to bed. The next day was possibly the best day I have ever experienced, there was peace. Even on a day that should not have been peaceful! It was wonderful.

Of course since then I have had a tendency to take the stress and worry back onto myself and then I just end up feeling like I am tied up in knots, not knowing which way I should go, or which path I should pursue.

This brings me back to my initial point. Fall is fast approaching. I told myself that I would start looking for a 'grown up' job at the end of the summer. Now I still don't know which path to take. I feel like I don't even know which path to start looking for. Maybe I should just follow the leads that the Lord has already given me... that is probably the best place to start.

So... I know that it has been a ridiculously long time since I have written anything here, and I will have you know that I really do feel quite terrible about that. However, it has happened before... and considering the fact that for two of those weeks I was on a bus without regular access to a computer, and that now that I am at home, my internet situation is different than it was down at school, it really isn't that big of a deal.

I probably should have warned you before I made that whole explanation, that this is not going to be much of an entry, however, I was online and decided that I wanted to update.

Update: I have graduated from CBU, and have completed my final choir tour for UCO (there will be more about that hopefully in the near future... possibly including an appearance by a particular stow-away. I am once again working in Pismo Beach, and enjoying it so far. This is going to be a crazy-busy summer!

Anyway, I have pretty much been tired for the last week and a half, so I am going to leave this post here, and go get some shut-eye, so I will update about my life in the near future... or I will try to. I'm sure you can't wait :-)

An Ending... and A New Beginning

Today I turned in the last official assignment of my undergraduate college career. It is a little bit wierd to say that. Maybe that is because I have not had this experience at any point in the last 16-17 years (depending on whether or not you count Kindergarten). Every summer that I have had since starting my educational career has had another school year coming after it. Elementary school was followed by Junior High and then High School, which was followed by Community College and Univeristy. In short, there has always been another assignment, or paper that would need to be done. Another class that had to be taken in fulfillment of some requirement. Although some time in the future I may decide to pursue Graduate studies, at this point in time, there are no plans for another class that I have to take, or another paper that I have to write. It is an interesting feeling... and I feel like there is something that I should be doing. I know that I actually don't have anything that I should be doing right now, but I feel like I should.

It is very easy to understand why people jump right into a Master's degree program, the idea of stopping school and pursuing an actual career of some sort, having to actually become a full fledged adult who has big responsibilities and bills is an almost overwhelming concept. It takes a while to wrap your mind around that... I still don't know whether I have.

The future really is kind of an intimidating prospect. So many others that I know are heading off into careers where they know exactly what they want to do, and I am really excited for them. I on the other hand do not have a plan that is laid out in stone. On the one hand it feels like I should have a grown up job all lined up, or at least have some pretty solid ideas about the kind of job that I would like to pursue, but I don't. I have ideas of things that I could do, and opportunities that I would like to search out, but there are also dreams: travel, and life abroad, fluency in foreign languages, and some that can't even be spoken.

I don't know what my future holds. Only God knows that, and I really can't think of anyone that is better equipped for that knowledge. I don't know whether I heard this somewhere before, or if this is an original thought, but, maybe it is a good thing that I don't know everything that God has for my future, because if I knew, maybe I would be too scared to pursue it; perhaps I would become paralyzed by fear. Life comes a little bit at a time. God equips us for what He has for us. If we knew now what we will be doing years from now, it would probably be unfathomable...and horribly intimidating... but that is an exciting thought too. I am excited to see what God has planned for me!

I may not know what my future holds, but one thing I do know, is that for right now, there are no essays or exams on the horizon, and that is pretty much amazing!

Tonight was a really great night. I got to hang out with a really good friend, and had a lot fun. First, we went to CPK and had pizza. I highly recommend the BLT pizza... seems kind of like a weird concept to have lettuce on a pizza, I know... but absolutely delicious never-the-less.

After wandering around the Plaza for awhile, we went into Cherry on Top and got frozen yogurt... actually, she got frozen yogurt... I got a bowl of fruit that I added to Greek Style yogurt from Vons. Yummy!

My Yogurt/Fruit concoction is the one on the left, Sam's is the other one. We decided that it sort of looks like what you'd think the lights at a rave would look like.

This was another source of big fun for the night. I bought a pocket-sized Edward Cullen. We plan to take many pictures in many different places. The plan is to bring him with me on choir tour to the pacific northwest... Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and Montana... sounds like a plan to me!

Re-Reading Amazing Books

One of the wonderful things about this particular Spring Break is that I do not have a ridiculous amount of homework to do during the time off from school. Therefore, it gives me lots of time to read books. Right now I am re-reading one of the best series I have ever read The Mark of the Lion series, by Francine Rivers.

The series really challenged the way that I look at and think about my own faith, as well as the way that I look at service.

I have been looking forward to re-reading this series for the last two and a half months... and am seriously enjoying them now that I am able to read them again. These are books that I would recommend to anyone to read.

Another awesome bit about this Spring is that I get to spend time with my Dad.

It has occurred to me that it has been well over a month since I last blogged.

I would say that this is unacceptable, but realistically I have sat down multiple times to blog, and just not known what to write, so I have not written anything. I really do have to feel at least somewhat inspired in order to actually post anything.

I was looking through some old pictures on my computer, and decided that I miss the times that <-- this picture reminds me of.

Don't get me wrong, I love where life is right now. And I absolutely love my roommate; but these were good times. Life at the Celestial Dock was so incredibly different than life in Cottage 4 is. The Celestial Dock involved friday night cooking parties, and 'family' dinners, included frequent updates to The Wall of Über excellence, included random dance parties, and fabulous escapades. I miss those days. To be more specific... I miss the roommates. I miss my friends who are no longer at school with me. I love the people I live with now. I love my roommate. I still miss them.

Anyway, I know this is random for a blog, but that is ok.

Working Hours

It has occurred to me as I am sitting here at work that I really shouldn't have been at all upset by the fact that I thought I was only working until 6 o'clock tonight, but found out right before my shift that I was in fact working until 8 o'clock, because in fact, God is just taking care of me.

For the last few weeks or so, I have been a little worried about the fact that I have not been getting very many hours at work. Quite honestly I have been fretting about that fact, and had even seriously considered looking for another job to supplement the hours. I wasn't very thrilled by the idea of a second job, and decided that I would just stick it out a while longer before really considering it.

So last Sunday as I was making out my tithe, I was very seriously considering the possibility of only doing part of my tithe right now, and making up for it later (since I wasn't sure that I would really be getting paid much in the near future). However, I decided that I needed to have faith that He would provide all my needs, so I decided to write the check for the full amount.

I had a tutoring appointment the next morning, and while very sad about the time (9am) because I had stayed up late the night before, I recognized that at least I was getting some time, and tried to be happy. When I got to work I discovered that I had two more appointments for that afternoon that I hadn't known about the day before. To me it seemed apparent that He was watching out for me.

A few weeks ago one of my co-workers asked me to cover a Friday night shift (tonight), and a Saturday morning shift (tomorrow) which I ageed to. So all day today I have known that I had a few hours of work tonight and tomorrow. Shortly before the shift tonight I became aware that the shift was actually for two hours longer than I thought.
Here is where I started to lose sight of God's blessing. Rather than recognize that God was providing me two more hours of work (on a night when I had no other plans), I started to be a little upset that I would have to be here until 8. Why? I have no idea.

During the last few hours of my shift I have thought about it. Sometimes I am so dumb. I ask God to deal with the situation of me not having work hours. I tell him that I am going to trust Him to provide. And then when He does, without even realizing His blessing I start to be upset that my "free time" is being taken from me... when normally it would be a bummer that I have so much free time. God provided for me. He even provided me extra work hours during a time when all of my friends, the people that I would be spending time with anyway, are busy. They are all doing other things right now. I would be sitting at home alone, likely doing nothing, but instead I am at work getting more hours... which I asked Him for anyway.

I don't know if this post really makes any sense or not. But for me it is important to realize that God is taking care of me. I would see it better if I would open my eyes.

I was just struck by a thought. How many other blessings might I be missing because I'm not looking?

Friday Night

I love Fridays. They are wonderful because it means that there are two whole days of weekend in front of me before I have to go to my classes again. It is even better when the Friday comes before a three day weekend.

Speaking of classes, they are great so far! Good news on the textbook front! So far, I have actually been keeping up on the reading for my Church History class, and it is really interesting! One text book, "131 Christians Everyone Should Know" is really interesting, because (as the title indicates) it is basically a collection of short essays on the lives and works of really important and influential Christians throughout the history of the church. So far we have read the section on the martyrs, which was a really interesting section. It is sort of intimidating to read about all of these people who boldly faced death for their faith, and makes me even more aware of just how easy I have it as a Christian in America, and on a Christian University campus no less! Sometimes it makes me wonder whether we as Christians in America are missing out on something crucial, because we dont' face anywhere near the same amount of opposition has other Christians have throughout history. Then again, I should not be at all surprised by the opposition that we do face, and will not be surprised if and when it gets worse.

Anyway, this last week of classes was really good. I think that all of my classes are going to be really good, and I am looking forward to them a lot.

Now, it is Friday night, before a three day weekend! My roommate and I are hanging out tonight. Dinner at Panera Bread and an evening of "House"... sounds good to me!!

Textbook Fascination

Starting new classes is always an interesting experience. It is so exciting to have new textbooks, when I first get the text books they seem so interesting, and I have often felt like I wanted to start reading them right away. Sadly, that feeling never seems to last for me. As much as I find the courses and lectures to be fascinating, at some point during the semester, reading the textbooks becomes tedious and boring. At least this has been my experience over the last several semesters.

My goal this to semester is to stay interested in my classes from beginning to end, and (hopefully) to keep up on all of my reading so that I don't fall behind and feel bogged down in it. I am going to give this my best effort. It really shouldn't be that difficult to do, considering that I am only taking three classes that have textbooks and reading assignments.

Here is to a brand new semester!! The countdown begins!!

A New Semester

It is strange that a new semester of school starts in just a few days... 4 days... I think.
Furthermore, it is very surreal that this new semester will, in fact, be the final semester of my college career. Crazy!

On the one hand I really am excited to go back to school, and see all of my cottage mates again, start classes, buy my new books... generally just get back into the swing of things and whatnot.
On the other hand I am rather terrified of going back to school. This is the FINAL semester of my college career (at least the undergraduate that is)! During this next semester I will be taking the last three academic classes necessary for the completion of my degree, working at my job in the Academic Resource Center, singing in choir at my school, and then I don't know what comes next. It is exciting, and frightening all at once.

First Day

So this is my first day of Blogging. We'll see how it goes. Rachel has been telling me that I need to get one of these for a while now, so I decided that it was about time.

It is the last day of the Fall semester for me here at CBU. I am getting ready to head home, and my roommate will be leaving me to study abroad. Sad day! There really isn't much to say today, there is so much other stuff to do before I can go home, and it is rainy, so I really probably shouldn't take the time to write very much right now. We will save the good stuff for a future date.