leaving a trail

love to LOVE

2008-08-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

love to LOVE method home products. they clean very well, they smell great, they look cool and they are GREEN... we all know how i feel about that. my favorite are the laundry products. i love the way my clothes smell. so fresh. they are available at target stores. yes, they are a little pricey, but give them a try and you may love to LOVE them too!!!

j.e.r.m.t.e.c.h.

2008-08-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

j is for jargon...i don't understand most of what he says

e is for envelope...he likes to push it

r is for reader...he does this a lot

m is for mercy...he has lots

t is for train wreck...which does not describe his mercy

e is for (see above)

c is for conservative...duh

h is for halo...if you look closely above his head, you'll see one...okay...maybe not

my dark cloud friend

2008-08-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

in honor of jermtech week:

jermtech is a dark cloud friend
he'll be the dark cloud til the end
when he sits on the dark cloud couch
he sits up straight, he does not slouch

he makes all of those around him think
and may do so through a link
some people may call him cynical
but he just may be at his pinnacle

jermtech is a talented guy
the only thing he can't do is fly
he loves music and he loves tech
but his mercy gifts are a train wreck

his office may be a bit messy at times
i think he really loves mimes
he loves God and loves his wife
and has two beautiful daughters in his life

this week is to honor our friend
who would be there for us til the end
you may not see him cryin'
because to jermtech it's "dark cloud or die tryin'"

love to LOVE

2008-08-22T13:01:00.001-07:00

i love to LOVE sharpies. all of the colors?!? the array of writing utensils?!? i use them all the time for almost every task. they are my favorite thing to write with. and i love to LOVE that they come in so many colors that i can do different things with different colors. also, i get bored with writing in one color all of the time. i like to switch it up with my mood, and sharpies allow me to do that! love to LOVE them!!!

love to LOVE

2008-08-16T18:29:00.000-07:00

i love to LOVE york mints. buy some... they are so good. they're part candy (ok...mostly candy), and part mint. i would not recommend these as breath fresheners, but as a fun after-dinner mint.

love to LOVE

2008-08-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

i love to LOVE camelbak water bottles. they are spill proof and most importantly bpa free. i find them superior to nalgene because there is a spout instead of a screw cap, which is kind of a pain. my sister introduced me to these fantastic bottles. they run around $13, but are MUCH better for the environment and will save mucho $$$ on bottled water!

craziness...cont'd

2008-08-14T21:15:00.000-07:00

i am a wimp. i have not read "crazy love" yet. i am scared of it. i KNOW i will have to change things, and i am not sure if i am ready for that. i WILL read it. not sure when.

love to LOVE

2008-08-14T21:06:00.000-07:00

okay...once again, i have allowed much time to pass without a post. i have thoughts about many possibilities, but in the meantime, i am going to steal an idea from my friend, Gretchen Lee. her blog has become my favorite blogs to read! i love to LOVE Gretchen Lee's blog! i am a bloglines girl. and i read new blog posts in a specific order...favorite one last. Gretchen Lee's blog owns the spot. what i love is that we all have those things, sometimes small, sometimes very significant, that we LOVE. when i read it, sometimes i think "i love to LOVE that too", or "i need to check that out". SO, i am stealing the idea...more love to LOVE's coming, but for today...i love to LOVE Gretchen Lee's blog!

craziness

2008-06-12T07:19:00.000-07:00

i'm about to embark on reading "crazy love" by francis chan. check it out here. i'm really nervous about reading this book. i know others who have read it, and it jacked with them. i'm excited, but i know change will have to follow. do i have it in me? we'll find out!

summertime

2008-06-10T17:48:00.000-07:00

i haven't blogged in a while! OOPS! here's the deal...it's no secret that ol' k-town is lacking in culture and valuable experiences, so instead of sitting around bitching about it, i decided to make a list of things to do this summer. i need some help! if you know of anything in the indy area i should add, or how to direct my list, please let me know!

farmers market (looking for a good one)
art museum
childrens museum
new library
really good italian restaurant (no chains)

recommend away...

barack

2008-04-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

this is not about politics (well, it is, but i'm not going into who to support, who not to, or my personal feelings on the topic), but i am going to see barack tonight right here in k-town. this is monumental for politics to visit indiana, much less kokomo. so i am going. should be really interesting.

i am also adding a blog segment called "koko-moments". this will consist of things i experience around town that are "interesting" for lack of a better term. stay tuned...

(chances are i'll have a koko-moment after tonight!)

earth day

2008-04-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

april 22 is earth day. each year i try to do something tangible to make the earth a little more green. last year, i considerably lowered the amount of trash i throw away. i use very little paper towel, few napkins, and try to reuse things when i can. i pay close attention to ingredients in food and cosmetics, and use earth friendly cleaners. this year, i am going to start recycling. (i know some people would be shocked to know that i do not currently do this...well, i don't...yet.) and i want to accumulate enough reusable bags that i don't have the waste of grocery bags. (that one may take a while) i think it's important to protect the earth that God has blessed us with. hey, i never claimed to be conventional =-)

my kid

2008-04-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

my kid makes me laugh. hard. he is a joy to me...however, this picture is a bit disturbing. how old do you have to be for counseling?

(no, this is not the post that is "coming soon")

new post...

2008-04-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

...coming soon. just got back from passion in atl. trying to wrap my head around some stuff. when i do, i'll post. WOW...that's all i have to say!

dave...

2008-02-13T18:15:00.000-08:00

no, not matthews. dave ramsey. i am officially on the dave ramsey plan. (if you're not familiar, do yourself a favor!) so, here goes. i am not good at sticking to a budget. i tend to "rob peter to pay paul". i'm gonna give it a valiant effort. the goal: get my car paid off and my 2nd mortgage!

american idol

2008-02-12T18:56:00.000-08:00

every freakin year, they suck me in. i'm not proud.

politics

2008-02-11T20:42:00.000-08:00

yeah, i'm going there*.

i had a strange realization the other day that seriously jacked with my mind. bush sr. was elected in 1989. if hillary wins (God forbid), this means that the presidential office would have been held between two families in the last 20+ years. this is jacked up. it is insane to think that anything in this country is going to change when we basically continue to reelect the same people. i am ready for change...most people in my generation are ready for change. we want to be inspired. i am not inspired by the state of our country. i am not ready to see more of the same.

*see disclaimer...need i remind you, oakbrook does not necessarily endorse my thoughts.

real

2008-01-23T20:02:00.000-08:00

so, i haven't written in a while. life has been very challenging lately. i have lost the ability to b.s. and this process of going through life lately has taken me to a new place of raw vulnerability. i'm quite uncomfortable with it. it's good and foreign. i don't write, because i have to face this vulnerability. yeah, i know it's healthy to face inner crap. one of the things i have realized is that anytime we allow ourselves to be refined by God, it's never safe, or comfortable. it's quite the opposite...scary and uncomfortable. i don't like scary or uncomfortable. at the same time i don't want to live safe. so here i am, caught. a good friend, no, a great friend, told me to "keep on keepin' on". at first i heard it and thought, "that's nice". no, there is something deeper here. when life sends you into an almost literal whirlwind, you either remain:

changeless. stagnant. lifeless.

or you "keep on keepin' on":

grow. change. transform.

i know what result i want my life to look like. in the meantime, i'm very uncomfortable. and i don't like it.

blank

2008-01-01T21:25:00.000-08:00

i have a canvas that has been sitting in my house for months now. it has a faint pencil image, but other than that it is blank. it has yet to see the stroke of a paintbrush; the strokes it was meant for, designed for. right now, this painting exists in my mind's eye, and it is beautiful and meaningful. it is inspired and creative. it is a part of me. right now, it is perfect. why, then, am i so apprehensive about finishing the piece? maybe, because once it's "out there" it won't live up to the art in my imagination. maybe, because someone will attach critical words to something, that in my mind is a beautiful piece of who i am, and in that moment i will be the one who is criticized. the bigger question is how many areas of my life remain blank and unpainted because i am afraid they will not live up to some ideal expectation, or i am afraid i may be criticized?

i want to paint life with many strokes and many colors, but what is it that stops me from doing so? i am on a journey to start living life with an easel in front of me and paintbrush in hand.

'08

2007-12-29T14:30:00.001-08:00

i am not a fan of "new year's resolutions". maybe because i've rarely kept one. no, i've never kept one. but this year it feels really important to have some idea of the changes and places i'd like to go in my life. it seems like a good time to do some evaluating and goal-making so to speak. i feel the need to make some new commitments to grow the way i want to this year of 2008. so here they are (in no particular order):

*grow more closely to God, become physically more healthy, pursue a deeper level of emotional health
*days off will truly be days OFF (no work, no email)
*i will arrange for a minimum 4 hours a week that is purely time for myself (reading, with friends)
*i will read a minimum of 1 book per month
*pursue a passion outside of ministry

'tis the season...

2007-12-14T14:18:00.001-08:00

...for a little puking. it's been fun around here the past couple of days. mason got sick tuesday night and i started in thursday morning. my mom had to come over to help me. i could never understand how my mom could be so loving when we were sick, knowing she'd inevitably get whatever plague was looming over our house...now i know. you just do it. because your touch and kisses are needed, and because you are the only one who posses the power to make the "yuckies" feel a little better. God bless all the moms who hold back the hair of their puking child and stay up all night and hold their kids til they feel all better. (thanks, mom, i love you)

what the...?

2007-12-12T17:03:00.001-08:00

here is the article:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/74380?GT1=10645

i am really not even sure what to think or say...comments?

Timbaland - Apologize - Official Music Video

2007-12-06T20:31:00.001-08:00

i used to hate barney

2007-12-05T21:39:00.000-08:00

now i have an 18 month old and barney rocks. (especially the song) funny how kids change your opinions of things. why are adults so ADULT??? my son is teaching me to enjoy the little things in life...

the first snowfall

kisses

jumping

the funny noise when you blow against someone's stomach

the fact that you can turn a light switch on and off and on and off (electricity really is amazing)

jumping

brushing teeth

music

jumping (the kid really loves to jump!!!)

naps

dancing

Christmas ornaments

growling

smiles

i hope i can stay this young forever. being an adult is so ADULT!

leaving a trail

2007-12-04T16:56:00.000-08:00

i think we all go through life hoping to leave a mark or legacy if you will. i have yet to meet someone who says that they don't care if their life matters. everyone wants to think that they are doing something...something to leave the world a little better than they found it. we all want to live up to the potential that lies within us. that's some serious pressure! at what point do we wake up and say "i have reached my potential"? i don't think we ever do, and would we ever really want to? at that point, what's the point?

i love the Emerson quote that this blog was inspired by..."do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." i believe two things about the "path" that are unrelated and completely related...

1.) the path is where true potential is found. it's about finding your own unique contribution. the thing only you can do. the thing that you do to leave your fingerprint on this earth, and more importantly beyond this earth. if you follow the masses on the path, to the places that are obvious, will you discover what God has created you to do? possibly. but, what if you take the road less traveled?

2.) the path is all about following God. the Bible is full of those who left trails...this is why thousands of years later we are still talking about them. many of them took the road less traveled.

i want to leave a trail. i don't want to follow the path. i want to do all the things God created me to do, and that happens on the trail.