Thirty Years of Love

It wasn't until the middle of my devotions this morning when I remembered. I was studying 1 John 4, a chapter that speaks of God's sacrificial love and how we can reflect that same love to others when I recalled that today, thirty years ago, my Dad and Mom were married.

I felt like we should have had some great party for them. Mom and Dad should have gone out for fillet mignon, creme brulee and candlelight. They wasn't. Mom didn't really feel like dining out and Dad was perfectly satisfied to stay home. So the whole family ate noodles with meatballs in a mushroom-green pea sauce. It was simple and sweet, much like my parents love for each other. After Mom finished reading the card Dad had given her Dad reached for her hand and said, "Look for me, I'll be there." That is true love isn't it? A sacrifce and a heart celebration... every single day.

Dad, Mom, God has been so gracious and faithful to you both. Thanks for looking at each other the past 30 years and "being there!"

The Crowds of Christmas Past

Here is a little something I wrote on the 21st of this month, three years ago! This is a narration of a real event. I thought it was appropriate for Christmas Eve (and those crazy enough to brave the crowds)!

I can see why many people don't enjoy the holidays. I normally do not feel any animosity towards this season; however, this particular Christmas seems alot crazier than previous ones. Picture this: All of the baking has to be done which means the cookies will need to be plated and the caramel corn put into tins. As you are packaging up these goodies you find that you are out of cookie platters and you are 3 tins short for the caramel corn. Down at the store the tins are more expensive than what you want to pay and there isn't one decent dessert patter around. You consider buying the plastic trays the are intended to go underneath house plants to catch water. This would be far more economical and easy, yet on second thought a little cheap. After all, the goodies are for Dad's co-workers who he happens to manage. Hmmm, yeah bad idea. While continuing the search for platters, you come across the gift wrapping isle and you remember that you will need ribbons to tie around the celo-wrap the you will wrap the cookie platters in. This means that you will need to get celo-wrap too. Unfortunately, the store is out of celo-wrap so you grab some snowflake bedecked foil along with a four-pack of ribbon. By this time it is 9:30 PM and the caramel corn tins are looking pretty cheap as are the Styrofoam pates that you stuffed in the cart. (You couldn't find decent cookie platters so Styrofoam would just have to do. At least they have Christmas trees on them).

You stand in the 20 foot long procession of last minute shoppers/bakers when unexpectedly you find that your spot in line is in the middle of the main isle way. A young woman tries to slide past you so you graciously move your cart out of her way only to find that she has she suddenly become stationary. She has cut in front of you! You look at the family member who graciously agreed to come with you and who has had mare then their share of crowds and decision making for the evening. They shrug. You smile (or is the a grimace?). Neither one of you says anything other than "Oh well, we'll get there sooner or later." And it is true. You slowly creep your way to the cashier and you leave with.... the basic idea of what you came for.!

More on Editing...

Ok, a little more on editing! Check out the differences in these two pictures. The first is the original, the second after some editing.

Isn't the difference in the quality incredible? Hmm... maybe if Reader's Digest does an issue on rice cakes I could submit this pic!

A Whole New World

Over my college break, I promised myself I would take some time to figure out some of the features on the family camera as well as our editing software. I started "dinking around" the editing program after coming home from church, and in a few short minutes I was sliding the contrast bar to the left and the saturation bar to the right.... (gee I almost make myself sound like I know what I am talking about!)! Watch out world, no picture is safe from my mouse! Check out two of my favs!






Now all I need is to figure out how to compile some of these into a collage! Ahem, photagraphy friend, any tips? :)

The Simple kindness of the Semester

You guys know those weeks. Some seven day intervals seem riddled with strange unkindnesses. Take the "dude" at school who cussed me out because I was trying to be nice and not run over him (go figure)! By contrast, there are other days that simple kindnesses seem to blossom from under the cracks in the side walk right beneath our feet. Take several Tuesdays ago. My art instructor told us students to plunk ourselves somewhere on campus and do a charcoal drawing (our 2nd ever). I chose the same out-of-the-way spot that I worked at a month prior--on the sidewalk on front of a gnarled tree. The minutes passed by as I became in engrossed in the work of my ebony dusted hands.

"Oh honey your bum must hurt!" I looked up. A elderly cafeteria worker, her lunch in hand, looked down on me with concern.

"Oh, I 'm ok. It really isn't so bad."

"Well, you should be careful honey. You really could get sore from sitting on the hard cement like this!"

"You are kind but I am alright" Trust me, I thought, I have enough padding! NO harm has been done!

The minutes silently slipped by as my arm moved in large strokes, first with the kneaded eraser then with the stick of soft charcoal. Trusting my untrained instincts, I cut out the fingers of light and put in dark shadows.


"Here ya go baby!"

Turning, my eyes met the same cafeteria worker holding a pair of folded fleece pants.

"Now it won't be so bad. Just throw them away when you are through with them!"




By the time she had finished talking, she had placed the soft fleece pants beneath my rump! I was just able to ask her name and say "thank you!" before she rushed back to the cafeteria.

Maybe you haven't been given a pair of sweat pants to "cush your tush," yet I would guess that you personally, have received a kindness of some sort lately. It is a good reminder, is it not, in this Christmas hustle and bustle to think of others more than we think of ourselves.

Once again, thanks Camile.

Ok, sorry for the funky blog background. I was experimenting with cute backgrounds at oh, past 10 pm the other night. Hmm, yeah...bad idea.

And yes, I know I have already broken my resolution but hang tight, I think I can make it up. I have some neat things ahead. Finals are right around the corner which means you all get to read and see some of the things I have been doing this semester. From art to Psychology, you'll get it all!