Golly Gosh! When I was told this, I asked “4 sleeps to what?”  “CHRISTMAS you dopey thing!” was the reply, I nearly fell flat on my bum with a shock!

We’ve done it again, been so busy working & making sure ends meet its crept up on us again – do you know? This morning I couldn’t have told you what day it was, let alone the time or date…

On Christmas day this year, we’ll be out there on the water, get back in the afternoon and then work the radio just for an hour from home, hopefully sit back after that and relax around a BBQ with friends – minus the family as the children are all visiting their other parents and friends again, or over in Australia unable to come over and vice versa.  Can’t we build a bridge?…….

Christmas Day on the Marine Radio this year is a lot better organised.  We have volunteers pledged an hour or two, to cover the 12 hours – wonderful. Last year, I worked the full 12 hours! Very tiring and VERY emotional.

The culmination of all the learning done in a semester is a final. This year I had three finals: Accounting, Business Statistics, and Torrey Don Rags. Tuesday was the first day of my finals. At 8:00 am I had my Accounting final, which was alot tougher than I though it would be, but I probably still did well. At 11:15 I had my first Don Rags for Torrey. Let me explain: Don (the dean) rags (scold, rant, etc) the student. This is what I was thinking when I thought of Don Rags. It ended up not being too bad. They looked at my notebook (which I had full confidence in, and rightly so since I got full credit and the tutor was impressed), asked me discussion questions (which we’re hard, they asked an easy question), I got my paper back (only an 89%, but I can do better) and that was about it. I got marked down from the paper, one low session score (but overall I had a really good average for a freshman), and not having historical background. In the end I got, “an A with high marks”.
The next day I went to Disney Land with Nate, Derek, Justin, and Trevor. We went on a few rides in both parks and then headed back to Biola so Nate and I could prepare for our last final.

Nate and I at Disney Land

Alex and I in the Library

I have not quit blogging, died or had some terrible accident that has resulted in the lack of posting – I have just been very busy.

Mum and Tara

University is as hectic as ever, things still fail to run smoothly it seems like the rest of my formal education at university is going to be an uphill struggle against inaccessibility, primitive attitudes towards inclusion and a complete lack of organisation that runs through the place. In short its not going to well, is very stressful but also interesting/fun.

Whilst on the subject of education I did not escape the funding crisis of the student loans failings. Admittedly I applied late but I am still to reciee my student loan. There have been multiple phone calls to my LEA (Local Education Authority) and I am assured it will al be sorted within 6 weeks. Here’s hoping I get some money soon it has been a seriously living on the breadline.

A lot has happened since my last post here, my eye condtion has stableised which was a nice surpise, I never really know how long that will last but its  a bit of a relief.

I now confess to having a bit of a caffeine addiction. I have discovered the wonder that is an expresso and its good! I love a good coffee more than I ever have before. Redbull and other highly caffeinated drinks have got me through some seriously dull lectures and for this I am thankful.

My mum’s Guide Dog Ian has retired and she has trained with a new guide dog called Tara. So now as I am home for Christmas we are a 3 dog household which is a bit of a shock to the system for all of us dogs included.

I have a job! I work 10 hours a week from home or uni or wherever I am really. I am a community executive for a word of mouth project at uni. I recovered from the train journey to get to the training and the 5 days of basically being stuck at a service station in the middle on nowhere with internet at £5 an hour!

Mark and I

I am in love, for those of you that don’t stalk me on facebook I am now in a relationship with a fantastic guy from the Hampshire VI Cricket team called Mark. He also did the Guide Dogs sponsored event that I roped him into.

Writing of cricket I should also mention that I am now joint player welfare officer for Hampshire VICC. I am sharing the position at the moment because I have to do a few courses in child protection before I can officially take on  the role but it’s still great stuff.

This first term at uni I have also found faith in the man upstairs, I go to the christian Union at uni most weeks and also go to Life Church Southampton. The CU guys are a fantastic bunch and very kindly brought me a large print bible which means the world to me. We also went Ice skating together Just before christmas I can’ ice skate but went along anyway and it was a great evening dispite it being really cold!

Heres a few of us in Winchester, I’m not quite sure who took the photo, if I was I would attribute it but hey ho, it’s originally from facebook in the public doman so please don’t sue me people!

CU and Friends Iceskating 09

haven’t had time much lately for blogging for myself – been a bit busy. Really enjoyed my Saturday, went for a dive with Nadia, Trev, Andrew, Jamie & Mel.  Molly was full to capacity on her SSM, but very sluggish in the water with her 75 hp ob going full revs all the way there and back.

Everyone really enjoyed themselves and that’s the main thing.  I got some fabulous shots of an Octopuss, who didn’t want to move on – so had an agenda of his own, and decided to stay put, flushing from brown, green, grey, red and black to try to fool me~not so little fella, but thanks for being such a good subject to photograph!

It was nice to have Nadia back on board again~ I’ve really missed her.  We’ll try to go out for morning dives as much as possible before we get busy in the season.

Andrew & Jamie were doing their Open Water course, and they were VERY good in the water & excellent with their skills – must have had a good teacher (hee hee)

Ok, so, I distract easily. Give me a good conversation on Facebook, or a good raft of music on blip.fm and I am there for far longer than I should be. But, the TV, that is a different matter. This past year, I have not been watching it much at all, prefering to spend more time online.

But why? does this make me a sad geek, with no real life, as some people think. What is worse, sitting alone, with the idiot box for company, watching any old crap, hoping one lack of talent will beat other equally challenged participants in possibly the worst the to ever hit music world? or spending it in the company of good freinds, with a glass of wine on the go? that is how I prefer to spend my time, and I care not a Jot that people think it strange. My freinds are there, online, or on the end of the phone, and we do meet up in person, but distance make that infrequent, but I know that this past year, without the likes of Bikergirl, I probably wouldn’t have made it during some points.

Right, must get on a pack the house up, and stop procrastinating on here, getting the keys tomorrow to the Tower. Can’t wait. So much to do, so little time.

The end of the semester is drawing closer every minute I sit here and study for my finals. Soon I’ll be going home for Christmas, so lots of things have been going on. This past week was full of things lie our “Deck the Halls broomball” where all of Emerson went out to play broomball together. It was an intense match. I went on a GYRAD with Robynne (Fernando also went, along with some other people I knew) and we played a big game of cops and ribbers, but we mostly played on a dangerous playground. This weekend I went to a WACC iceskating event and then to my small group’s Christmas party at one of the leader’s houses. Those kids are super energetic, but I love them. I finally starting to make connection with some of them. One of them I thought I would never be able to connect with, but it ends up that I’m the only person who can really get him into good conversation (probably because I do it one on one with him). Other kids still hardly acknowledge me as their leader. I only see them once more before I lave them for over a month.
A few nights ago I got to go look at Christmas lights with some of the girls on my sis floor. The neighborhood that we went to was DECKED OUT! There were houses that changed color, others that had tours, and others that I’m sure could be seen from space, or atleast an airplane.
Over the past week Biola was used to film a future Hallmark film that premiers in a few years. There were random things around campus, like this sign (which is in the middle of Biola), a bus stop in front of Emerson, and a giant orange bus. The film is said to come out next year on Hallmark and it’s called “The Student”. Watch out for it.
I know this post wasn’t filler with lots of Theological goodies, or organized thought, but hey, I have finals this week. Give me a break.

For many people the Christmas season starts the day after Thanksgiving on Black Friday. For even more people it starts before this time. Regardless, now we are all celebrating Christmas through all different cultures, celebrating it together both as Christians and non Christians alike. It is an odd thing that although we are all different in such ways, we are all human and can come together to celebrate things such as Christmas, or any holiday.
Not much has happened since I’ve been back at Biola. I put up a Christmas tree in my room and went to the Biola tree lighting ceremony. The tree lighting ceremony was cool. We sang carols, listen to some people talk, and then the Biola Christmas tree was lit up.

Photo by Sara

Well, I am sorry, but this is another quickie~!  I’ve been so busy with work ~Russell Radio, the pool ~ doing a Lifeguard Course (of which I am now fully qualified) ~ Porpoise Dive ~ absolutely fun while you work!~ and being “mum, housewife, trying to get over this GOD DAMNED FLU!! its been 4 weeks now, come ON! when is it going to go away?

Wally insists on scrapping with the black & white cat (no not Postman Pat’s cat!) and he’s coming in quite sorry for himself!  I think he does it for the cuddles and atttention?

Shawn came to surpise me (oh gosh! was it only a week ago?) and he fixed our Freeview, so Trev can now watch his rugby! albeit delayed, but I’m so happy for him, he really has missed out.

Its amazing, Rubgy being a “sport of the blood” in NZ, isn’t played on TV1, 2 or 3 – you have to pay for it?! I tell you, sometimes I am sick of our government, no I’m not “sometimes” I’m ALWAYS sick our government, I reckon they’re all ex school teachers who set rules, sit back and expect everyone to “comply” and then if that doesn’t work, they simply repeat themselves and make the SAME mistakes! year after year, after year.

Had an awesome day today! read all about it on Porpoise Dive.

Catch ya later………………………….

Thanksgiving: A holiday that occurs once a year at the end of November that celebrates the harvest. Although today we don’t really notice the harvest, we still give thanks for what we have. And that’s the point we GIVE THANKS. A little note to focus on is the term “giving”. It is a transitive word, which means there is a subject, the the thanker, and the direct object or thing that receives the action, the thankee. When we give thanks, and in all things that we are thankful for, give the thanks to God. As Psalms 136:1-3 says,

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
His love endures forever.

2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.

3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.

These are not merely suggestions, but commands. It seems wrong to command someone to truly be thankful, but when someone realizes that the Lord is good, that His love endures forever, and that He is the God of gods, it becomes difficult to not give thanks to Him. When we begin to get a glimpse at the majesty of our Lord we can only give praise and thanks to Him for His greatness and power and the gift He has given us. We may not always feel like giving thanks, but we must remember that His love endures forever. That means that even when you don’t feel it or you don’t think you deserve it, His love is still there. Not only is it there, it is active in that it is enduring. It doesn’t just exist, but it is an active love. Although not explicitly seen in this verse, when reading the Bible and listening to the testimonies of believers, it is evident that His love is active. That is something to give thanks for
Happy Thanksgiving.

Since my last post about my life nothing huge has happened, but none the less life has happened and I am thankful for what has transpired. The night that I wrote “ so let it be” was not an easy night. A few hours before I wrote it I had gone to church and had a very disheartening small group. The kids were hyped up because we were taking a survey and we had no real talk with any of them. It was exhausting and made me question why I was there. When I got back I just shut down to the world and didn’t even go to my own small group. After some time, thankfully, the Holy Spirit guided me and brought me to a place where i could reflect on only a portion of what He has taught me. I am truly thankful for Him. The Holy Spirit not only brought me to himself in this time, but brought by one of the RA’s, Matt, in order to brighten up my night. He had no reason to come by because it wasn’t open hours that night. Just seeing that someone was coming around to check up on us and how we were doing (that’s what he told me) brought me joy. I am thankful for that occurrence. The next morning as I though of the kids at WACC I thought of how I missed them, even though I had seen them last night. I am so thankful for them and the Holy Spirit’s gift of them. This past Tuesday we had a really great small group time and the Holy Spirit lifted my spirit even more.
There are so many other things i can be thankful for. Going on a Gyrad with Stacy and Monica, going to Disneyland with Kaeighly and Brian, Torrey Bible sessions, and so much more.
One of the things I am most thankful for right now is being able to sit in my own room at home. Yes, my parents got me tickets to fly home on Wednesday morning so i could spend Thanksgiving with my family. I got to see my mom, dad, both sisters, brother-in-law, niece, grandma, Geoff, Mallory, and Danny already! I enjoyed a great feast and enjoyed sleeping in my own house. I have enjoyed rest and being at home, two ideas that have been focused on alot in Torrey sessions.
I am so thankful to God for giving me loving parents who are sending me to such a blessed place as Biola. It isn’t blessed because it is sacred ground or that God chose Biola like He chose Israel. No, it is because Biola is a place that is showered in prayer and we ask for the presence of the Lord to come and fill us with His Holy Spirit daily. It’s because we strive to place God on the throne. No, we don’t always succeed, but by God’s mercy we have continued to strive after Him for 101 years! Biola is what it is today because of God and His gracious blessings on His children. I thank the Lord for Biola as a place, community, and establishment. May the Lord bless you and show His light upon you. Pray that He may show you His blessings that He has already given you that you may turn around to Him in a spirit of Thanksgiving.

加時練musical…
累…
有中午3時至晚上7時半…
雖然有點累, 但卻很開心

練舞後, 我們一起去吃火鍋
很正:) 很開心
吃火鍋後去了吃甜品
開心開心開心
希望以後也有機會與大家開開心心吃飯

希望明天演出順利吧!!

This post is a work in progress.  to be reread and edited many times is my guess.  I do know I still need to add quite a few answers to the question.  I look forward to your criticism and input to improve this post.

I ask the question “Why Do You Tweet?” on Twitter.  I realize that this question has most definitely been asked before, but I was still curious.  What I found wasn’t to surprising and you may also not be surprised, most people are trying to find a connection.

When I say connection it comes in many ways, you have marketer’s, celebrities, news seekers, humorists and much more.  What I did notice was the fact that most of us just want to be heard we want someone to listen to us, the connection comes down need the need of being wanted.  The ultimate need for humanity to socialize.

We all have an instinct to want to connect we go to parties, we go out to dinner or coffee with friends or to meet new people.  This for the majority of the world is all that we need.  But people who Tweet have a greater need there curiosity for what’s happening in the world a crave and in fact may be even an addiction to get more information and to share that information on a huge scale.

Tweeters want to socialize with the world they want to be heard and in some ways want to be celebrities in there own right.  As for why celebrities tweet well it’s to talk about what they are working on, to let fans know, in there own words what they are really up to.  Yes we heard that before, however I have a belief that many celebrities may have a need to connect because they want to socialize outside their own celebrity status. To see a little of the average person and possibly find what’s real.

Here are some of the answers I got and more are to be added.

Find out more About The Heart Sleeves

1. TheHeartSleeves

   @epwait Twitter is like a wall. You throw your tweets against it & see if they stick or fall into obscurity. 2:39 PM Nov 17th from web in reply to epwait

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2. TheHeartSleeves

   @epwait I started tweeting 2 promote my band, then I found a quilt-ish community of other promoters, we’re all circumventing death in limbo. 2:35 PM Nov 17th from web in reply to epwait

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3. modernsextrash

   hahahaha @epwait because the world is counting on me to. 2:35 PM Nov 17th from TweetDeck

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4. TheHeartSleeves

   @epwait I tweet 2 have audience, however random, for my thoughts & music. It is the easiest way to raise the water level 1 pebble @ a time. 2:33 PM Nov 17th from web in reply to epwait

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5. houstonmacbro

   @epwait I tweet because it connects me to others. I DO have something to say. Not ALWAYS profound, but good enough. #amahighered 2:32 PM Nov 17th from TweetDeck in reply to epwait

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6. theamygrace

   @epwait I tweet to prevent you from taking over the world. 4:07 AM Nov 13th from Brizzly in reply to epwait

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7. uglywebsites

   @epwait i tweet to make up for the ppl too lazy to tweet. 3:27 AM Nov 13th from web in reply to epwait

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8. JustinSxE

   @epwait Because updating my Facebook status annoys my friends. 3:25 AM Nov 13th from web in reply to epwait

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9. Mnmissy

   @epwait I tweet to not only network for a job…but also to meet people from around the globe! Lots of fabulous friendship created here! 1:36 AM Nov 13th from TweetDeck

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10. uglywebsites

    @epwait i have 589 channels-> and nothing good on ANY OF THEM 10:42 PM Nov 12th from web in reply to epwait

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11. uglywebsites

    @epwait (longer)-> keeps me “connected”-> if u’re able to edit out the crap, there’s good “news” on here. ppl tweet about things before the 10:37 PM Nov 12th from web in reply to epwait

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12. uglywebsites

    @epwait I Tweet Because… nothing good on TV (short answer) 10:35 PM Nov 12th from web in reply to epwait

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13. BuzzEdition

    @epwait I tweet because I enjoy sharing unique stories & interesting people with others. Basically, I do it for the social connection ~hugs~ 7:16 PM Nov 12th from TweetDeck

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14. Donrengon

    @epwait I tweet cause I like having an outlet and don’t care who can read my inner thoughts. 9:35 AM Nov 12th from Echofon in reply to epwait

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15. rmilana

    cc @epwait > RT @lammiia: @rmilana I tweet to air my views about topics and engage in interesting discussions. 7:31 AM Nov 12th from dabr

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16. ScottATaylor

    @epwait I tweet to meet people and share information 8:53 PM Nov 11th from UberTwitter in reply to epwait

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17. STYLEMOM

    @epwait to engage, laugh, connect, get news, promote site, consumer reasearch, i’m a chatterbox & a tad nosey, & get the pulse of people 8:33 PM Nov 11th from Snaptu in reply to epwait

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18. rmilana

    @epwait tweet sounds better than bark hehe just for having fun and connect with people 8:23 PM Nov 11th from dabr in reply to epwai

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    2. scarletmandy

       @epwait or else I might just b an attention whore lmao 6:48 PM Nov 11th from mobile web

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    3. scarletmandy

       @epwait because I love socializing and there’s not much of that in a small town lol 6:48 PM Nov 11th from mobile web

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    4. treaclelilly

       @epwait Actually, no. I liked that answer, so I RT’d it. I tweet to talk, kvetch, share, enjoy, sing, wax poetic, muse (no, not the band). 5:48 PM Nov 11th from Echofon in reply to epwait

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    5. CGArticleDir

       @epwait I Tweet to spread Love, Value, and good information to those who might crave it….. 5:46 PM Nov 11th from TweetDeck in reply to epwait

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    6. keeperofdreams

       I tweet to create, intrigue,share, flirt, laugh, tease, and to open my mind… @epwait Why Do You Tweet.? 5:24 PM Nov 11th from TweetDeck

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    7. cheth

       @epwait to connect with liked minded people ( designers) and also to connect with the rest of the world with the power of 140 characters! 5:04 PM Nov 11th from web in reply to epwait

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    8. santasdevil

       Cuz I stopped doing drugs n this is just as gratifying .RT @epwait: @santasdevil Why Do You Tweet? this is for an upcoming blog post 5:00 PM Nov 11th from TweetDeck

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    9. Weaverous

       @epwait i tweet because its a great way to connect, communicate a interact with people across the globe many whom id never have met irl 4:45 PM Nov 11th from Echofon in reply to epwait

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    10. IvySunny

        @epwait Why? Because I want to make new friends. I want to make people smile and laugh. Once in a while, I succeed 4:44 PM Nov 11th from TweetDeck in reply to epwait

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    11. Dan303

        RT @epwait: Why do you tweet? your answe…..[I tweet Because its good promotion for my blog and music. It's also good to chat to followers] 4:21 PM Nov 11th from TweetDeck

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    12. allisonjanney

        @epwait To share, collaborate, and learn from other PR studs, profs and pros. Can’t NOT do it going into PR. Also super fun/addictive. 4:15 PM Nov 11th from TweetDeck in reply to epwait

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    13. OhioSteelerGirl

        @epwait It gives you an opportunity to “meet” people you would most likely never know. 3:58 PM Nov 11th from web in reply to epwait

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    14. verwon

        @epwait Cool! You can take ‘especially men’ onto the end! Have to drive them crazy, it’s my calling. 3:48 PM Nov 11th from dabr in reply to epwait

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    15. purplehayz

        @epwait I also tweet for the conversations and to give and get information 3:47 PM Nov 11th from TweetDeck

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    16. verwon

        @epwait I tweet, because good insanity MUST be shared! 3:40 PM Nov 11th from dabr

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    17. wei_wu_wei

        @epwait to inform, to be informed, and most importantly for fun… 3:36 PM Nov 11th from TweetDeck in reply to epwait

OK fyrsti dagurinn fór ekki eins og ég hafði haldið. Hann byrjaði náttúrulega á því að ég vaknaði 6.20 til að bera út en svo þegar ég kom heim(Megrunin náttúrulega gleymd. Ég þarf að fara að skrifa á veggina með stórum stöfum “MEGRUN”) fékk ég mér heitt kakó. Og bara það. Svo fór ég í skólann klukkan 10 eftir að hafa sofið inná milli. Og allt lék í lindi ætlaði ekki að borða neitt í skólanum víst ég væri búin í skólanum klukkan 13.50 en já nei. Ég þurfti víst að kaupa tyggjó og víst það kostaði bara 100-200 kr þá þurfti ég að kaupa e-ð meira svo ég gæti notað kortið mitt….Og keypti ég mér ekki pepperoni taco langloku….Vond Viktoría! Vond! Og svo seinna keypti vinkona mín handa mér Fanta Lemon í jólagjöf…Gleðileg Jól. Það var reyndar óskin mín víst hún mátti hvort eð er bara kaupa e-ð smá handa mér í jólagjöf þá ákvað ég bara að nýta tækifærið víst ég var þyrst. Hún mátti bara kaupa e-ð lítið handa mér í jólagjöf víst hún hafði keypt alveg HUGE afmæligjöf..Kron skó á 30000 krónur. Þeir eru svo æðisgegnir að ég geng ekki einu sinni í þeim. Ég vil ekki meiða þá. En já svo kom ég heim og mamma. Elskulega mamma hafði keypt sykurpúða og pepsi max í bónus. Svo bjó ég til núðlur handa okkur mæðgnunum þannig vægast sagt var megrunin púfft. Ég byrja á morgun…..Mér líður eins og matarfíkli þegar ég segi þetta. En ef ég byrja ekki á morgun mun ég plokka úr mér öll nefhár….Guð hjálpi mér.
En þannig er það. Annað hef ég ekki að segja í bili..Sjáumst á morgun.

Well the diet went poof. For breakfast there was hot choclate. For lunch there was a big juicy sandwhich and Fanta Lemon and for tea? There were marsmellows and pepsi max then for dinner were noodles…..But I swear I’ll start tomorrow even though I feel like an addicted person who hasn’t admitted he/she has a problem I will start tomorrow….Or I promise I will pluck all of my nosehair out….It actually hurts just thinking about it. Well I have nothing more to say. See you tomorrow

Mmmm… Friends, food, games, fellowship, Thanksgiving episodes from Friends. Could this night have been any better? It hit me tonight how much I am going to miss this place and the people here. I was struggling, fighting back tears quietly while I was eating the lovely food all of us (over 20) had prepared. God has blessed these four years of my life with some of the most wonderful people. Thank you Lord!

Here is a clip from one of the Thanksgiving episodes we watched… I love this show!

Lulu is on her way.  Jenny and Jessie too. We are all meeting up in Greensboro, at Jenny’s for tonight.  I am the first to arrive and as soon as I let the doggo out of the car, she took off.  I hope no one mistakes her for a deer.  She has three legs after all.

The girlies are best best best of friends, and so they will disappear to the back bedrooms and be on face plant most of the night.  Jenny and I will knit, spin and solve all of the problems of the universe, because that is what girl friends do.  She will tell me how to solve my issues, and I hers. Then we will tackle all the world issues that are meant to be talked about.

The sun is setting now at 4:19 pm and the night will be dark tonight.  Willies store closes at 5:30 in the winter, so I think there will be a quick run down to get supplies.  I left some stuff here from last weekend.  I think there is some dead lettuce in a bag in the fridge.  The only thing I have done so far, waiting for the crew was to bring stuff in from the car, then make some tea. Pee

I am looking forward to good times tomorrow with Lulu.  I think sushi and a movie. Maybe a trip to Burlington.  Who knows. I just am happy to have my peeps around. Lulu has just arrived!

For some of us the dinner table with our family and friends has become a coffee table with the T.V. glowing in front of our eyes.  Well I recently read this Italian quote about the dinner table it says this: “A tavola non s’invecchia.”  This amazing statement means this, “At the dinner table no one grows old.”  This means that time stops at the dinner table that you can take as long as you can.  This statement is not just something that comes from Italy it is also in the bible,  take a look and see:

You see Martha was so worried about the meal that she forgot about the company that was there in her presence.  Jesus was there and Mary was enjoying the time that she was able to spend with him.  Why is it that when it comes to spending time with someone we lose the focus of what is important, the time with them.  It is my hope that we as the husbands, fathers, and friends will learn to take the time with the people that God has placed in our lives.  That we will take from the Italian saying the thought that as long as we are spending time with those at the table no one grows old.  Take the time this week to just sit and be in the presence of the people at your table.

At Biola there is an event that each floor does twice a year called GYRAD. GYRADs (Get Your Roommate A Date) are usually, if not always, just fun dates or group type things. I went with Nancy from my Torrey group and Sam went with Robynne. We all hopped in my car, with its fresh new battery, around 3:10 and headed over to Griffith observatory. In total ten couples went. We got there a little before sunsut, so we got to see the sun set over the city of Los Angeles. It was a spectacular view. After the sun set we went inside and explored the observatory. They had tons of stations to visit and everything was really nice. After a bit we had dinner and then played a round of sardines. The entire observatory was open to hide in, so we had alot of ground to look over. Nancy and I looked all around and then she suggested using the elevator and they were inside. We were one of the first couples to find them. After a bit we got to look through a HUGE telescope at Jupiter and see four of its moons. We stayed at the observatory a little bit longer and then everyone headed back to Biola. It was alot of fun.
The next day I headed over to WACC in order to go to Magic Mountain! After a long bus ride we made it over and eight of us staff members hung out the whole time. We only managed to go on two rides, but they were intense ones. We started with a forty minute line for Tatsu and then went on scream. Tatsu, still, is the scariest ride I have ever been on in my life! I went on it when I came down for SERVE a few years ago, and I was still scared this time. One of the things that took the most time was lunch. It took us around an hour to get food because of lines and we kept moving to shorter ones. After lunch everyone was too full to ride real roller coasters so some of us went on the scrambler, which is one of those spinning type rides. We left and it took two hours to get back. I grew alot closer to the staff that day and some of the kids, so it was well worth it.
Although this weekend wasn’t exactly what I expected (car dying, traffic, barely getting a new battery, only going on two rides) God used it to build relationships with people and helped me get alot more comfortable with WACC. On a side note, Jerod is planning on giving me a small small group (like two or three kids) which would be the most amazing thing to be able to focus in on two or three guys and help them in their walk with God!

So today my floor and I were supposed to go to a free Switchfoot concert in Hollywood for Jimmy Kimmel Live. I even went to an earlier stats class so I wouldn’t have to miss it. The real story is quit a bit different. Ben, Sam, and I pulled out of Biola and headed over to a gas station to fill up. When I tried to start my car back up….. nothing. It seemed that my car’s battery was dead, but I didn’t know that at the time. “You want us to push it over there? Just put it in nutral and we’ll push,” Ben asked me and I shifted my dead car into neutral and we pushed it away.
My first assumption was, “Oh, my oil needs to be changed. I hope I’m not out. I don’t want to by a new car.” I checked my oil. called my dad, and found out the oil was fine, it was the battery. A guy came over as I was on the phone and had a little conversation with Ban and Sam that went like this, “Hey, what’s up guys?”
“Yah, our battery died”
“Oh, that’s too bad. Hey I’m doing a video for the local heroes of our church. Would you mind smiling and waving. Thanks, bye”
And he left. Stupid Christian who doesn’t know what it means to be the hands and feet of Christ. Some other nice person gave us a jump start and another person offered to help. We left and were on our way to Switchfoot. Traffic was awful and we ended up getting there late (although only five minutes after the others somehow. We even left at the same time). We weren’t aloud into the crowd, so we went to the top of the parking structure. There Ben, Sam, Nolan, Sunshine, Jerod, Richard, and I listened and watched a song or two and then it was over.
Since we were in Hollywood we decided to take a stroll down Hollywood. At the end we returned to our cars and planned to go home. That was a plan that wasn’t carried out so well. Sam and Ben waited to see Switchfoot pull out in their bus while I turned my key in my car only to get a clicking noise. It was dead once again. Fortunately the guy next to me came in and we tried to jumpstart my car. He was really nice and stayed for awhile, but then I let him go and I called Allstate Motor club and they came an hour later. The guys came up and just plugged his thing in and it took less then ten seconds to start my car. YAH! And with motor club I didn’t pay! However, parking was $18 for two hours.
So thanks go out to God for keeping us safe, my dad for helping me on the phone and being patient with my frustration, my friends for being patient, the guy who jump started my car, the guy who tried, and Caesar (the motor club guy), and Robynne and Brittany for making sure I was ok.
No thanks to the Christian guy who just wanted footage for his “heroes” segment, more like zeros. The parking guy who didn’t care and still charged me $18. And to the person who closed the gate early so we couldn’t go in. Although, being able to see a Switchfoot concert on a roof sounds cool, and it was.
God is still provider and I can not wait to see how the rest of the weekend turns out, even if I need a new battery.

Ecclesiastes 4:10
If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

What a powerful statement Solomon has shown us! We can’t walk though life alone, and we always need someone to helps us through the tough times. We pity the man who has no one to help him up. What a lonely feeling when I read this statement.

I am eternally thankful to my friends, family, mentors, and pastors who have been there for me to catch me when I’ve fallen. Accountability is a VERY important thing for Christian’s especially now in these times. The economy is taking a plunge, and many are becoming unemployed. Tensions are rising, and wisdom seems to be fading.

Blessed is the man who has friends to lift him when he struggles through life. When we are caught in a storm do we have anyone that can pick us up, helps us on our path, and be there for the ride? Christians ALWAYS have Christ through every step or the way on our journey. He promises in Jeremiah 29:11 that he will never “leave us or forsake us!” Christ will always hold our hand without failure and restore us back to his righteousness., but we must also have good Christian men or woman to hold us accountable to the things we do!

Christians should have a support system for it is said “a cord of three is not easily broken.” When we have someone to help us through life we stand firm, and courageous. We were made with this desire to never be alone, this craving for acceptance from those around us, and the desire for purpose, belonging, and love. God all three in one is the only one that can provide that to the fullest. We must reach out and grab hold his hand as we walk through the storms of life. I am blessed to have accountability that when I do fall and reject the hand sent to pick me up, they never leave and will stand stubbornly waiting to bring me out of the pits!!

Te real life experience has a lot of advantages over the virtual life one, no amount of cyber sex is going to make up for the real thing just as no amount of friends in you Facebook page or of followers in your Twitter is going to make up for not going out and enjoying the company of real family and friends, the virtual life filled with little notes and business like communications between your closest friend and family members should be just a complement of your real life an addition a plus that enriches the former. So don’t get all hype boasting about how great your on line life sounds, better be more in touch with your real life and your real life relationships. I love real life hugs and kisses and romance and of course real life sex, and a real life trip is great too, so start living today.

Lack of community and a hectic lifestyle: two partners locked in an increasingly vicious dance.

A hectic lifestyle can rob you of a sense of community. When I worked 60-70 hours a week as a public school teacher, I had no sense of community in my life.  I had no time to participate in local organizations or see my friends.  Even contact with my husband and my family was doled out in precious little doses–an evening at home here, a phone call there.

A lost sense of community leads to an increasingly hectic lifestyle. Being cut off from our local community, our friends and family meant that when my husband and I suddenly found ourselves with a few moments of free time, it often caught us unprepared.  What to do? Without community to turn to, we spent time doing things that isolated us further (electronic entertainment comes to mind) or cost us money (like eating out, going to the movies). We were very busy and very lonely people.

Occasionally, I even experienced  free or ‘empty’ time as painful.  It was those moments of pause where I could really see that my life was void of people. Hence, my need to be constantly ‘doing’ something. 

Building the right community can simplify and slow down the pace of life in amazing ways. When you have strong ties to people around you, you don’t need to be ‘doing’ something to enjoy their company.  Sitting around and chatting with people with whom you share a bond or a past doesn’t feel strange at all–although technically, you are simply doing nothing.

Some communities can actually help you simplify further. We’ve just signed up for a SEL or a Système d’Échange Local. It’s a local organization whose members each offer to donate hours of their time helping in various activities and who can draw on the help of others if they need it.  I’ve offered my services tutoring and translating in English, babysitting and stopping in to check on the home bound elderly in town among other things.  I’m hoping to find someone to teach me to knit and give me pointers on canning.   Teaching myself to do these things would take me a lot longer than being taught by someone who knows!  And the work I put in helping others is well worth it to me.  I’d probably volunteer to do some of these things anyway.

Strong community ties can go a long way to supporting a simpler outlook. Every time I rely on electronic entertainment, I’m barraged with advertisements whether it is on blogs, comercial TV or through product placement in movies.  Yes, I realize what’s happening, but bathing in such messages  makes me feel like a black sheep in our society–and that’s not necessarily true!  So, you see, it warps my perspective anyway.

When I spend time with real people, it tends to re-enforce something entirely different.  The people in our little French community, for example, are not perfect, they don’t work out at gyms, have stellar teeth or a perfect wardrobe.  The people who come out and participate in our community have chosen time spent with others over things and personal ‘improvements.’  I’m sure there are other folks at home who have made other choices–but we don’t see them out much!  When that decision is made on a large scale, a lot of positive reinforcement takes place.  It no longer feels like you’re swimming upstream.

The people in the online community I’ve found through blogging obviously care enough to ‘come out’ and engage in thoughful (if virtual) activity.  The online community provides me with as much intellectual and social support as some of my actual physical contacts.

In the end, I’ve seen a huge imrpovement in our habits and outlook since we’ve slowed down and taken more time for people. And surrounding ourselves with people who feel the way we do has had everything to do with it.   I’m not saying I can’t stand up to the pressures of being ‘different.’  But having a support group certainly makes me stronger.

In Torrey we have very few written assignments. Most of our work is in notes, class discussion, and pull questions. however, there is one little thing called THE TORREY PAPER. It’s a 2,100 to 3,000 word paper for freshmen (it gets longer over the years) where we can use up to two texts (no Bible or Plato allowed). It really isn’t the most difficult thing, but it requires alot of thought and careful planning. When something is worth 1/3ish of your grade, you put alot of time, and emotion, into it. The night before it was due, upper class men in Torrey helped us format our papers. I stayed until 4am, but didn’t finish.
If you were on campus on Friday, you would have noticed a trickle of students walking to Sutherland with a thick stack of papers and big grin on their face (maybe even a tear or two). After going to Chapel and a Frisbee game, I managed to edit my paper, with some help from Sara, and turn it in around four, and the paper was due at five. The rest of that day, and the rest of my 19th year, I slept or did things that required little effort.
My mom wrote on my wall saying

You just finished your Torrey paper. What are you going to do now?

And I responded with the famous line, “I’m going to Disney land!”

Yes, for my birthday Sam and I got up early and headed over to that magical place called Disneyland. I got my annual pass and a birthday pin and we were off. We did alot of fun stuff and were able to hit most of the major rides. One of the jokes that we had was that I am going to marry Belle. Let me explain. Belle, who is the best looking of the Disney princesses, reads alot of books, therefore she would be in Torrey and we would get married. The birthday card from my hall even had Belle on the front. Having said that, we tried to visit Belle and the Princess meet and greet area. Unfortunately when we went she wasn’t there. Instead we were greeted by Cinderella and a jealous princess Aurora. She saw my birthday button and the conversation went a little like this:

Aurora- I see you’re celebrating a very special day. Where are your princesses to help you celebrate it?
Sam- The princesses are right here (meaning the Disney princesses, but Aurora thought he was hitting on her)
Me- Well, we were looking for Belle, but she’s not here
Aurora- *angry* Well she’s in the castle in the library still. She’s not here. NOW hold your arms out nice and strong so I can hold onto them

It seemed like she was very jealous of Belle. We should have told her, “Isn’t it a little early for you to be up?”
We went much later that evening, but the line was too long to see Belle.

We managed to go through all of California Adventure and most of Disneyland that day. Almost everywhere we went one of the cast members would say happy birthday to me. It made me feel special. I got to have one of my favorite foods for dinner (a Monte Cristo) and then we saw Fantasmic. It’s this light, water, fireworks, and more show on the river by Tom Sayer Island (if you know where that is). Overall it was a pretty busy time.
When we got back I dropped some stuff off at my room and then went to get some mail. Meanwhile, Sam got the guys in the hall to hide in my room to surprise me when I got back. Well, when I came back I noticed that all the rooms were empty so I came to the conclusion that they were in mine.I listened to the door and I was right, so when I opened the door I said, “surprise!” and confused them.
I opened up my presents and got some cool stuff.

Sunday was pretty busy too. Going to church and reading Genesis was tight, and on top of that it was University day and midnight madness. University day is when students from around the area come and visit Biola to see if they want to come here. Sam and I hosted a kid, but he was low maintenance. Midnight Madness was crazy. It’s like a giant pep-rally. this year they rented out some expensive sound equipment and it sounded really good. It was a night of contests, pep, and dancing. It was pretty awesome.
That’s about it for that weekend. Since then I’ve had a Bible Torrey session and a meeting for Missions Conference to find out how we’re supposed to order rooms and such. Overall I am so blessed by God to be able to go to Biola and do the things that I am doing.

Yup the dreaded flu has caught up with both of us!  Just when we don’t need it, but its best over and done with before the season kicks in I suppose.

I’ve spent the last few days catching up on book work – but the damned printer blew a foo foo valve in our last major black out, and the energy company will not recognise its their fault even though I pay wiring and maintenance fees per month to cover this sort of thing. sigh…too sick to bother about it anymore.

Finally have time off and you get crook! How “murphy is that then?”…

I roll the window down and then begin to breathe in. The darkest country road and the strong scent of evergreen. Then looking upwards, I strain my eyes and try to tell the difference between shooting stars and satellites. “Do they collide?” I ask and everyone laughs. With my feet on the dash, The world doesn’t matter, from the passenger seat as you are driving me home.

yet ANOTHER quickie to catch up on the “goss”

Well, what else do you call it then? ha ha ha (satyrical chuckle) So much has happened over the past few months that I don’t know where or how to begin!

So, how about randomly then? ….okay…I know!…oh maybe you know already though?….never mind, I’ll just tell it as it comes to mind.

We’ve had the most awesome visitor out from the UK, on a well deserved holiday – GEMMA (now nicknamed GG – for “giggling gertie”) always welcome back anytime.

I think the first day GG was here, I threw the keys of the car to her with only one stipulation – bring it back in one peice please?  I know its hard being in a different country, let alone a different town while your hosts are working their butts off 7 days a week, and you’re left to “fend for yourself” in a lovely tourist town.

What was going to be a “few days” turned into a week long stay – we were truthfully quite sad when GG had to catch that bus for Auckland and her “road trip”, thanks for the farewell Pizza GG.

You take care in your travels – we want to see you again another time – oh, and don’t forget to give “Queenie” a huge hug from us okay?

今天是校慶開放日,
我們要負責musical表演,
本來只要表演3場,
但由於觀眾很多,
共表演了10場 0_o”
很累… 但很開心 :0