So yesterday, the 20th, was my birthday! Yay! It was a good day for the most part. I started out at home with my wonderful husband. He gave me my birthday card first thing. I always love getting cards! They are such a nice way to say something, and they are easy to keep and read over and over again through the years. I have a note book with all the cards Keith has given me since we have been together. Such wonderful memories!
Then I got to open my first present. I opened the present and it was a beautful H ornament fo our tree. There were also 2 other litle presents wrapped up in the box that the H ornament came in. They were two small picture frame ornaments with 2009 on them. Keith had cut out 2 pictures of us from the book marks we gave out at our wedding and put them in the frames. They are so cute!
Then my wonderful husband took me out to breakfast at IHOP. I love breakfast food, and the food yesterday morning was so good! When we got home, the two of us played Phase 10, a card game we play a lot at home. Normally, I kick his butt, lol, but this time he beat me. :) Next, I opened my second present; Keith got me a 12 month online membership for the XBox 360 live so that I can have my own profile for playing my own games.
We spent time together having fun and talking. Then we got dressed to meet my parents, my grandmothers, my little brother, Keith's parents, and my brother-in-law for my birthday dinner at Mama's pizza. Before we left for dinner, I got to open my third gift from Keith. It was a Harry Potter t-shirt:)
Then we went to dinner. Here I got to open the last present Keith got me and the other presents from my family. My grandma Katie gave me a card and $40. My grandma Newman gave me a card and said she would pay for my dinner at Bennet's resaurant when we go to the beach the week after Christmas. My in-laws gave me a cute travel makeup bag, some makeup, and a cute bracelet. My parents and brother got me the Harry Potter year 1 Ultimate Collection DVD set! I was super excited about this! It is AWESOME! Then Keith gave me the Deluxe Edition of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! This is the one I didn't get the first day the movie came to DVD. YAY!
So, all was going well and normal. Then after dinner, Keith and I went to go see "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" This is when things started getting not so good. I started having kidney stone pain about half way through the movie. For about 5 minutes I tried to just deal with it, hoping it would pass and I could keep enjoying the movie. But it didn't work that way! We had to leave the movie, missing the second half. When we got to the car, I started screaming and crying in pain! It was horrible! So Keith took me staight to the ER. We ended up being there for 3 hours. They did an ex and some lab work. The stone was small and didn't show up on the xray but it was still big enough to cause horrible pain and to cause me to bleed a bit. No fun! Good news: The gave me some good meds and the pain went away. They sent me home with 2 prescriptions for pain and nausea. What a way to end my birthday!
But it was a good birthday overall. My husband was wonderful and took good care of me and did all he could to make the day special for me:) He is such an amazing husband!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas!
I love Christmas time! I love the spirit in the air; I love all the lights; I love the food; I love the giving! I love the music! I just LOVE Christmas!
Christmas is always my favorite time of year for so many reasons. I have always had such wonderful memories at Christmas. My family has always made Christmas day be all about our family. Growing up, I always looked forward to Christmas, not just for the presents, but also for spending a whole day with my family. Especially my mom and dad (and in the last 10 years with my little brother too). My mom and dad have always been busy at different times, so when we had time together as a family, it wasn't very often or for very long. But at Christmas it was all day! This year, things are going to start changing because I have my own family: me and Keith. We are going to celebrate Christmas together on Christmas Eve because he works on Christmas day. Christmas day I will be with my family (and hopefully Keith will get to stop by even though he will be working for 24 hours). The day after Christmas we will be with my other family...aka Keith's family. I am super excited! And I know Christmas may change every year but it was always be about family.
I also love getting to celebrate with my few close friends during the Christmas season. We all celebrate birthday's this time of year as well, so there is definitely plenty to celebrate! To me, it's not so much about the getting, but about the giving and spending time with people we love!
I love decorating for Christmas. I love the colors! I always had so much fun growing up decorating the tree with my family. We always have ornaments with lots of meaning to us. This year, Keith and I have a tree of our own and we have spent some time last year and this year building a nice collection of our own personal ornaments. We bought quite a few on our honeymoon in Williamsburg, VA because they have a nice big Christmas Mouse store that I just love!
I also love the music at Christmas time! It's pretty much all I listen to this time of year! The radio plays so many wonderful Christmas songs, old and new, and I also have a few favorite CDs such as my classic Hanson Christmas CD called Snowed in fron 1997 and Josh Groban's wonderful Christmas CD Noel (Which we listed to while decorating our tree)
I also love to wrap Christmas presents. I always have so much fun choosing the paper and the ribbons and trying to wrap gifts creatively. This year I haven't done quite as much unique wrappings as I have done in the past , but I have still had lots of fun!
I am so excited about this Christmas because it is my first Christmas married to Keith! He is so wonderful and I am super excited about the Christmas memories we will start making this year:)
Then there is the things I love most about Christmas: The real reason we should celebrate - the birth of Christ! In order for Christ to come to earth to die for us, He had to be born first! And He also had to live the life of righteousness that we cannot live so that we can have righteousness through Him! It's so amazing to thing about the miracle which happened over 2000 years ago when God became a man; Emmanuel, God with us; God incarnate; Fully God; Fully Man; Perfect; Divine. He gave up so much for us in coming to earth! Let's celebrate Him this Christmas time far above everything else!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Things Weren't Looking So Good Last Night
So, you know how I said I was so excited to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince last night? Well, I haven't even been able to see the whole movie yet. Here's the story...
So, first, I don't have a job. My husband wants me to stay at home and just do school and stuff while he works. He spoils me...he really does. He is just so good to me! He only wants me to work if we really need me to. He is so wonderful! So, because I don't have a job, I have no money unless I ask my husband for money. Usually, that's no problem, but he wanted to buy the DVD for me as a birthday or Christmas gift and just give it to me last night. Well, I know that every place that sells the DVD on the first day it comes out usually has some neat little extra feature or something that you can get for buying the DVD there which you can only get at the one place. So, after I had lunch with my wonderful husband, I went to look at Target, Walmart, and BestBuy to see what they each had and tell my husband which I really wanted (He had school yesterday so he wouldn't be able to buy it until later in the evening).
So I went to Target first. They had the 2-disc special edition in their deluxe edition and it came in an awesome acrylic collector's box. I loved it! I pretty much knew right then that was the one I wanted, but I knew to keep looking just in case. So I went to Walmart. They had the DVD with just the movie in a box with a neat copy of the Marauder's Map. I thought this was really cool, but it didn't come with the special features disc which I really wanted, especially since that disc has a first look at the last two movies: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (which, by the way, is my favorite book ever!) So, on to Best Buy. They had the 2-disc edition in a really neat collector's case that looked like a Death Eater's mask. Really cool, but I could do without the mask of one of the bad guys that I really don't like. I really wanted that one at Target, but I had to wait for later that night when my husband got home.
Finally, at 6:14 my husband called and said he was on the way home to pick me up for dinner. We went to Taco Bell and enjoyed dinner together. Then off to Target to get the awesome DVD! I was super excited! We got to Target; it was all rainy and cold, so my wonderful husband surprised me by droping me off at the front door (I was so thankful!) We met in the store and walked to the back in anticipation...........
The Deluxe collector's edition was SOLD OUT!!!!!! AHH!!! A guy working back there said the MIGHT get some back in on Friday. I was so let down! :( So we decided to check back on Friday. But we still really wanted to see the movie.
So, we came up with a plan. We WOULD check back on Friday. Until then, we would go to Walmart and get the copy of just the movie that came with the Marauder's Map. Then we would watch the movie and give the DVD to my brother; he would like to have it. I would get to keep the cool Maurader's Map. Things were looking up at this point. We bought the DVD, got in the car, and started to head home.
We had just turned out of the Walmart parking lot when I decided to open the box up. I felt the end and realized that seal was broken...uh oh! I was hoping it was an accident that it was opened. So I checked inside the box, trying to hold my fear at bay...but my fear was realized when I opened the box and there was NO Marauder's Map. Someone had broken into the box and stolen just the Marauder's Map! This made me mad! Not at Walmart (it wasn't their fault for sure) but at the person low enough to steal something like that! It just goes to show the depravity of human nature, which makes me sad.
So, we turned around and went to customer service. I won't even start on the fact that the lady working customer service was more interested in talking to the other girl on break sitting on a bench that she was about her job and the actually customers. We soon solved the issue of the stolen map by getting a new DVD box.
We headed back home. All seemed well. Down side was we just didn't have enough time at this point to watch the whole movie. My husband didn't want me to watch any of it without him, which I totally don't mind watching it for the first time with him. But he had to go to bed less than an hour after we started watching it because he had to get up at 5am for clinicals.
So this morning we watched maybe another 15 minutes of the movie...but we are still waiting to finish it tonight. Hopefully we will be able to.
It has been an adventure, but good side is that I got the Marauder's Map and my husband bought me a Harry Potter t-shirt and is going to wrap it for Christmas or Birthday for me (my birthday is 5 days before Christmas, by the way. And I collect Harry Potter things, also).
So, first, I don't have a job. My husband wants me to stay at home and just do school and stuff while he works. He spoils me...he really does. He is just so good to me! He only wants me to work if we really need me to. He is so wonderful! So, because I don't have a job, I have no money unless I ask my husband for money. Usually, that's no problem, but he wanted to buy the DVD for me as a birthday or Christmas gift and just give it to me last night. Well, I know that every place that sells the DVD on the first day it comes out usually has some neat little extra feature or something that you can get for buying the DVD there which you can only get at the one place. So, after I had lunch with my wonderful husband, I went to look at Target, Walmart, and BestBuy to see what they each had and tell my husband which I really wanted (He had school yesterday so he wouldn't be able to buy it until later in the evening).
So I went to Target first. They had the 2-disc special edition in their deluxe edition and it came in an awesome acrylic collector's box. I loved it! I pretty much knew right then that was the one I wanted, but I knew to keep looking just in case. So I went to Walmart. They had the DVD with just the movie in a box with a neat copy of the Marauder's Map. I thought this was really cool, but it didn't come with the special features disc which I really wanted, especially since that disc has a first look at the last two movies: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (which, by the way, is my favorite book ever!) So, on to Best Buy. They had the 2-disc edition in a really neat collector's case that looked like a Death Eater's mask. Really cool, but I could do without the mask of one of the bad guys that I really don't like. I really wanted that one at Target, but I had to wait for later that night when my husband got home.
Finally, at 6:14 my husband called and said he was on the way home to pick me up for dinner. We went to Taco Bell and enjoyed dinner together. Then off to Target to get the awesome DVD! I was super excited! We got to Target; it was all rainy and cold, so my wonderful husband surprised me by droping me off at the front door (I was so thankful!) We met in the store and walked to the back in anticipation...........
The Deluxe collector's edition was SOLD OUT!!!!!! AHH!!! A guy working back there said the MIGHT get some back in on Friday. I was so let down! :( So we decided to check back on Friday. But we still really wanted to see the movie.
So, we came up with a plan. We WOULD check back on Friday. Until then, we would go to Walmart and get the copy of just the movie that came with the Marauder's Map. Then we would watch the movie and give the DVD to my brother; he would like to have it. I would get to keep the cool Maurader's Map. Things were looking up at this point. We bought the DVD, got in the car, and started to head home.
We had just turned out of the Walmart parking lot when I decided to open the box up. I felt the end and realized that seal was broken...uh oh! I was hoping it was an accident that it was opened. So I checked inside the box, trying to hold my fear at bay...but my fear was realized when I opened the box and there was NO Marauder's Map. Someone had broken into the box and stolen just the Marauder's Map! This made me mad! Not at Walmart (it wasn't their fault for sure) but at the person low enough to steal something like that! It just goes to show the depravity of human nature, which makes me sad.
So, we turned around and went to customer service. I won't even start on the fact that the lady working customer service was more interested in talking to the other girl on break sitting on a bench that she was about her job and the actually customers. We soon solved the issue of the stolen map by getting a new DVD box.
We headed back home. All seemed well. Down side was we just didn't have enough time at this point to watch the whole movie. My husband didn't want me to watch any of it without him, which I totally don't mind watching it for the first time with him. But he had to go to bed less than an hour after we started watching it because he had to get up at 5am for clinicals.
So this morning we watched maybe another 15 minutes of the movie...but we are still waiting to finish it tonight. Hopefully we will be able to.
It has been an adventure, but good side is that I got the Marauder's Map and my husband bought me a Harry Potter t-shirt and is going to wrap it for Christmas or Birthday for me (my birthday is 5 days before Christmas, by the way. And I collect Harry Potter things, also).
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
A Deeper Look into the Life of He Who Must Not Be Name
Today, the sixth Harry Potter film came out on DVD. It is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I have seen the movie twice in theaters already, but it has been awhile, so I am super excited! The movie is probably my favorite of the six that are out so far. I think they did a good job at showing how evil is getting more and more prevalent in the story. And it's just a good movie. I know they have to always leave stuff out because the books have gotten pretty long at this point. Sometimes I think they leave out too much, and I think some of the things they have left out have heart the storyline in the movies. But, it's a good movie, nonetheless. If you have been following Harry in the movies, this is definitely a must see. And if you have only been following Harry in the movies, you should definitely read the books!!! Yes, the get long, but they are AWESOME! They are so much better than the movies!
In the Half-Blood Prince, we get a deeper look into the life of Tom Riddle...aka...He Who Must Not Be Named...aka...You Know Who...aka...Voldemort (Yes, I said it! Remember, fear of the name only increases fear of the think itself, as Dumbledore has so wisely reminded readers and Harry). Learning about You Know Who helps Harry know just how to get rid of the evil rascal for good! I don't want to go into anymore details; you can see, or even better, read, for yourself:)
I love the Harry Potter series. In fact, they are my favorite books ever! And I love books, so that's saying a lot! Series are great because you get more time with the characters and get to know them better. There are characters in the Harry Potter series that have become great friends of mine and some that even feel like family. And then there are those that I loathe!! The books have made me laugh; they have made me cry. I just love them!
And J. K. Rowlings is an incredible author! And I hope that the fact that I am an English major and a lover of many books gives my statement some credit. There are so many great themes and things to learn from the Harry Potter series! There are so many books written on so many different topics from the books. I have a good number them and have slowly been reading through them, though I still have many to go, but there is a lot of good literary criticism out there on the series. I think this says alot about the series, especially because many of these books go into great depths. Recently I have been trying to read through John Granger's Unlocking Harry Potter: Five Keys for the Serious Reader. Really, I could just go on and on about Harry Potter, I love the series that much!
I know that there are plenty of Christians who don't believe that reading Harry Potter is right. I do not believe there is anything wrong with reading Harry Potter. I do think parents should be involved in the reading of the series if they want their kids to read it. There is a lot anyone, even kids can learn from the series. I know that some people have problems with the magic use in the book, but I have studied this, too, and it's not really any different than magic in other books in the British Children's Literature tradition. I could also talk a lot about this, and I would be glad to with anyone who is interested in knowing more. I just love talking about Harry Potter:)
I am about to go and buy the movie and cuddle up on the couch with my husband to watch it! YAY!
If you have ANY questions on Harry Potter, don't be afraid to ask me. I would love to answer them.
In the Half-Blood Prince, we get a deeper look into the life of Tom Riddle...aka...He Who Must Not Be Named...aka...You Know Who...aka...Voldemort (Yes, I said it! Remember, fear of the name only increases fear of the think itself, as Dumbledore has so wisely reminded readers and Harry). Learning about You Know Who helps Harry know just how to get rid of the evil rascal for good! I don't want to go into anymore details; you can see, or even better, read, for yourself:)
I love the Harry Potter series. In fact, they are my favorite books ever! And I love books, so that's saying a lot! Series are great because you get more time with the characters and get to know them better. There are characters in the Harry Potter series that have become great friends of mine and some that even feel like family. And then there are those that I loathe!! The books have made me laugh; they have made me cry. I just love them!
And J. K. Rowlings is an incredible author! And I hope that the fact that I am an English major and a lover of many books gives my statement some credit. There are so many great themes and things to learn from the Harry Potter series! There are so many books written on so many different topics from the books. I have a good number them and have slowly been reading through them, though I still have many to go, but there is a lot of good literary criticism out there on the series. I think this says alot about the series, especially because many of these books go into great depths. Recently I have been trying to read through John Granger's Unlocking Harry Potter: Five Keys for the Serious Reader. Really, I could just go on and on about Harry Potter, I love the series that much!
I know that there are plenty of Christians who don't believe that reading Harry Potter is right. I do not believe there is anything wrong with reading Harry Potter. I do think parents should be involved in the reading of the series if they want their kids to read it. There is a lot anyone, even kids can learn from the series. I know that some people have problems with the magic use in the book, but I have studied this, too, and it's not really any different than magic in other books in the British Children's Literature tradition. I could also talk a lot about this, and I would be glad to with anyone who is interested in knowing more. I just love talking about Harry Potter:)
I am about to go and buy the movie and cuddle up on the couch with my husband to watch it! YAY!
If you have ANY questions on Harry Potter, don't be afraid to ask me. I would love to answer them.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Take a Deeper Look
"Everything is not what is seems."
This line is from the theme song to the Disney show Wizards of Waverly Place. It seems that recently I see this idea in a lot of places. It's a completely true statement; a statement which I believe we can learn quite a bit from.
First, a little bit about when I really started to think about this idea. I'd like to call the idea appearance versus reality because that's how I first heard it. In my American Romanticism literature class, we were Melville a few weeks ago. First, we read "Bartleby, the Scriviner" and then Benito Cereno. When digging into the stories, they both deal with the idea that what appears to be and what really is are very different things. I am even going to do my big final paper on this idea in Benito Cereno. That book was the one that really began me on my thought journey through this idea. Benito Cereno is written, in its first half, in what John Granger calls "narrative misdirection." It's when the author uses third person to write the story, yet we still only see the story through the eyes and mind of one main character. This narrative voice is how the vast majority of the Harry Potter series is written, and it is the reason why we as readers are thrown off from what is really going on. And unlike with first person, it's not quite so obvious that someone's thoughts of people and events are clouding our own judgements. It's very facinating how this all works! Then I began to see the idea in all sorts of places: more books, tv, movies....and real life!
So what can we learn from this idea? Well, appearances really do no always, and probably even hardly ever, reflect what is really true and real! How many times do we judge people we do not even know and then come to find out that we were completely wrong? How many times have we misjudged a situation by what we think we see or by one person's story, when we do not have the full truth of what has really happened? Our life is filled with the idea of appearance versus reality.Even our learning can be affected by this truth. History is written by the winners, right? How much of what we learn is just one person's or people group's story and the whole reality is actually missing? I'm sure we could have a very long conversation about this idea because it is so vastly important and pervades all of life, I believe!
So don't be too quick to judge things and people. What we think we see may not, and possibly is often not, what is reality. Think deeper about things and try to really get to the truth as much as possible. It may sound cheesy but disney's Pochahontas had somethign right: "If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew you never knew."
This line is from the theme song to the Disney show Wizards of Waverly Place. It seems that recently I see this idea in a lot of places. It's a completely true statement; a statement which I believe we can learn quite a bit from.
First, a little bit about when I really started to think about this idea. I'd like to call the idea appearance versus reality because that's how I first heard it. In my American Romanticism literature class, we were Melville a few weeks ago. First, we read "Bartleby, the Scriviner" and then Benito Cereno. When digging into the stories, they both deal with the idea that what appears to be and what really is are very different things. I am even going to do my big final paper on this idea in Benito Cereno. That book was the one that really began me on my thought journey through this idea. Benito Cereno is written, in its first half, in what John Granger calls "narrative misdirection." It's when the author uses third person to write the story, yet we still only see the story through the eyes and mind of one main character. This narrative voice is how the vast majority of the Harry Potter series is written, and it is the reason why we as readers are thrown off from what is really going on. And unlike with first person, it's not quite so obvious that someone's thoughts of people and events are clouding our own judgements. It's very facinating how this all works! Then I began to see the idea in all sorts of places: more books, tv, movies....and real life!
So what can we learn from this idea? Well, appearances really do no always, and probably even hardly ever, reflect what is really true and real! How many times do we judge people we do not even know and then come to find out that we were completely wrong? How many times have we misjudged a situation by what we think we see or by one person's story, when we do not have the full truth of what has really happened? Our life is filled with the idea of appearance versus reality.Even our learning can be affected by this truth. History is written by the winners, right? How much of what we learn is just one person's or people group's story and the whole reality is actually missing? I'm sure we could have a very long conversation about this idea because it is so vastly important and pervades all of life, I believe!
So don't be too quick to judge things and people. What we think we see may not, and possibly is often not, what is reality. Think deeper about things and try to really get to the truth as much as possible. It may sound cheesy but disney's Pochahontas had somethign right: "If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew you never knew."
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
A Look at Love
I have heard it said several times in my life girls say, "I love him; I'm just not in love with him." I can completely understand this saying. I love my husband, and I am completely, totally in love with him! But I also disagree with this statement in how it is used: as a reason to end a marriage. So many people get divorced because they don't feel "in love" with their spouse. It is really sad to me! And society completely condones this ideal of love. It's every where we look! I was watching an E! True Hollywood Story on J. Lo the other day. So many people look up to her. I lost count of how many times she got married. She ended her marraiges whenever she fell out of love for each of them.
So most people are getting divorced because they aren't in love any more. I believe very strongly that this idea of love is completely wrong. This "in love" feeling that everyone talks about is just that: a feeling. Feelings come and go. Feelings are based a lot on emotions. I am constantly reminded of something my best friend Kristen and I have often reminded each other with: Emotions do not reflect reality. The emotions and feelings of being "in love" do not reflect the reality of love.
What is love? The Bible gives us a clear answer: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, iit is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil. But rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves. Love never fails.
The truth and reality of love is that it is an action towards other people. It is a choice we make every moment of every day. This truth is the reason that I believe anyone can work out the problems in their marriage and relationships. Love is being completely unselfish and choising to act rightly towards the person/people we love.
Now for a few quotes:
"'True Love' isn't so much a dreamy feeling that you have as it is an enduring commitment to give sacrificially - even, or perhaps especially, when you don't feel like it." (William R. Mattox, Jr.)
I like this quote because it shows that love is a choice we make even when we don't want to or don't feel like it. It's a choice we make in how to treat our spouse even when we do not think they deserve to be treated with love. That is true love! That is love that will endure and the love the holds a marriage together for years and years to come.
"I believe love is primarily a choice and only sometimes a feeling. If you want to feel love, choose to love and be patient." (Real live Preacher, Dec. 16, 2002, RealLivePreacher.com Weblog)
I really like this quote because it just supports when I have been saying about love. It also shows that it you want to feel "in love," you need to act, to choose to love. This idea plays a very big part in my marriage. I love to feel "in love" and to feel happy in my marriage and feel Keith's love for me. In order to keep this feeling, we know that we have to do things to keep that feeling, the passion and romance, alive. This idea is the reason we make a point to do things such as going on dates together and spending time deepening our friendship with each other. We know a good marriage takes work.
It really saddens me to see so many people hurting and getting divorced because they have a wrong view of love. There is so much more I could talk about with this issue, but for now I will end it here.
So, go out and truly love people today!
So most people are getting divorced because they aren't in love any more. I believe very strongly that this idea of love is completely wrong. This "in love" feeling that everyone talks about is just that: a feeling. Feelings come and go. Feelings are based a lot on emotions. I am constantly reminded of something my best friend Kristen and I have often reminded each other with: Emotions do not reflect reality. The emotions and feelings of being "in love" do not reflect the reality of love.
What is love? The Bible gives us a clear answer: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, iit is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil. But rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves. Love never fails.
The truth and reality of love is that it is an action towards other people. It is a choice we make every moment of every day. This truth is the reason that I believe anyone can work out the problems in their marriage and relationships. Love is being completely unselfish and choising to act rightly towards the person/people we love.
Now for a few quotes:
"'True Love' isn't so much a dreamy feeling that you have as it is an enduring commitment to give sacrificially - even, or perhaps especially, when you don't feel like it." (William R. Mattox, Jr.)
I like this quote because it shows that love is a choice we make even when we don't want to or don't feel like it. It's a choice we make in how to treat our spouse even when we do not think they deserve to be treated with love. That is true love! That is love that will endure and the love the holds a marriage together for years and years to come.
"I believe love is primarily a choice and only sometimes a feeling. If you want to feel love, choose to love and be patient." (Real live Preacher, Dec. 16, 2002, RealLivePreacher.com Weblog)
I really like this quote because it just supports when I have been saying about love. It also shows that it you want to feel "in love," you need to act, to choose to love. This idea plays a very big part in my marriage. I love to feel "in love" and to feel happy in my marriage and feel Keith's love for me. In order to keep this feeling, we know that we have to do things to keep that feeling, the passion and romance, alive. This idea is the reason we make a point to do things such as going on dates together and spending time deepening our friendship with each other. We know a good marriage takes work.
It really saddens me to see so many people hurting and getting divorced because they have a wrong view of love. There is so much more I could talk about with this issue, but for now I will end it here.
So, go out and truly love people today!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
A First Look
It has been suggested to me that I would be a good candidate for writing a blog. So I am going to trust my best friend and jump head first into the blogging world.
You should probably know a few things about me from the start. First, I tend to have very strong opinions about things. This fact about me can sometimes be a good thing and sometime a bad thing. It can be bad because, I admit it, I can sometimes take my opinions too strongly and become opinionate, which I know is not a good thing. I try to be open minded, but probably more often than I realize or may even want to admit, I hold my opinions so strongly that I do not remain open minded or even really listen to another person's opinions. I really try not to do that though. My time as a student at Southeastern College in Wake Forest, NC has helped me to better listen to other people's ideas and opinions while still holding strongly to my own.
This can be a good thing because I have a very strong faith, and I am not easily swayed in my faith and what I believe about God.
Second, I love to learn. I love to read and bounce ideas off of people. I believe that we can learn a lot from books. I believe books hold a great power - a power to make us laugh or cry, make us happy or sad, to take us to places we have never been or to worlds that may not exists in real life, to teach us in a way that nothing else can. Books, to me, are a gateway into the world of knowledge, ideas, and information. I may not have travelled much in my life, yet, or done as much as many other people, but I have been many placed and had many experiences just through books. I wouldn't trade my books for world travel!
Third, I have no idea where writting this blog will take me. Sometimes, I may write about my life. I believe I have a wonderful life. It's certainly not perfect, but perfect doesn't exist here on earth (Jesus alone was perfection on earth!). Sometimes, I may write about something I have been learning. Other times I may come here to vent or express something that has really been bugging me for awhile or even for just a few moments. And be sure you will hear my strong opinions about things, though I hope you don't fault me for that.
So, will you take this journey with me? Let's laugh and cry together. Let's share some thoughts and ideas and learn more. Let's jump!
You should probably know a few things about me from the start. First, I tend to have very strong opinions about things. This fact about me can sometimes be a good thing and sometime a bad thing. It can be bad because, I admit it, I can sometimes take my opinions too strongly and become opinionate, which I know is not a good thing. I try to be open minded, but probably more often than I realize or may even want to admit, I hold my opinions so strongly that I do not remain open minded or even really listen to another person's opinions. I really try not to do that though. My time as a student at Southeastern College in Wake Forest, NC has helped me to better listen to other people's ideas and opinions while still holding strongly to my own.
This can be a good thing because I have a very strong faith, and I am not easily swayed in my faith and what I believe about God.
Second, I love to learn. I love to read and bounce ideas off of people. I believe that we can learn a lot from books. I believe books hold a great power - a power to make us laugh or cry, make us happy or sad, to take us to places we have never been or to worlds that may not exists in real life, to teach us in a way that nothing else can. Books, to me, are a gateway into the world of knowledge, ideas, and information. I may not have travelled much in my life, yet, or done as much as many other people, but I have been many placed and had many experiences just through books. I wouldn't trade my books for world travel!
Third, I have no idea where writting this blog will take me. Sometimes, I may write about my life. I believe I have a wonderful life. It's certainly not perfect, but perfect doesn't exist here on earth (Jesus alone was perfection on earth!). Sometimes, I may write about something I have been learning. Other times I may come here to vent or express something that has really been bugging me for awhile or even for just a few moments. And be sure you will hear my strong opinions about things, though I hope you don't fault me for that.
So, will you take this journey with me? Let's laugh and cry together. Let's share some thoughts and ideas and learn more. Let's jump!
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