over-sung and under-thought

as an adult, i've over-sung every single christmas song out there. from rockin' around the christmas tree to away in a manger, every christmas season brings repetitive christmas songs that have entirely lost their meaning. at least in my head. (please note: i'm not super disappointed that christmas shoes has lost it's meaning because it is entirely overplayed.) of course, each year there are a few new ones here and there. but as far as the awesome songs that tell of Christ's birth and the real reason why we pause to celebrate? not many new ones. however, last year we found our new favorite christmas music to listen to - Savior. the true meaning of christmas was revived in our hearts, and that album continues to teach us and minister to us year-round.

since jed has been out of town this weekend, my sister and i went to our church's christmas concert together last night. i'm rarely disappointed with our worship pastor's music choices, and last night was no exception. it was a traditional christmas celebration service with singing and scripture reading mixed together, but it was so very powerful! just a few phrases from traditional songs that really spoke to me....

• who laid aside His rightful reign to take away our sin and shame
• darkness is ended, sinners befriended
• a thrill of hope
• the King of Kings lay in a lowly manger....born to be our God
• God and sinners reconciled
• veiled in flesh
• mild He lays His glory by
• born to raise the sons of earth...(and)...give them second birth
• King and God and Sacrifice
• He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found

what a wonderful time of year, and what an awesome reason to pause and praise God!

christmas

well folks, it's officially december. (i know i'm a day late, but yesterday was such a funky day coming off of thanksgiving that i'm just not going to count it as a day) december is one of the most nostalgic, memorable, and meaningful months for me because we celebrate a holiday that mandates being with those we love and stopping our craziness to enjoy a moment of life. at no other time of year do we have so many reminders everywhere we go! i love it.

on my way to work this morning they were playing "sleigh bells" on the radio. it took me immediately back to our living room as a kid where we would wake up to christmas music almost every saturday and sunday during december. dad always had (and still has) this sparkle in his eye at christmastime, because as we all know "it's the most wonderful time of the year!" for some reason, "sleigh bells" is the christmas song that reminds me the most about him. he loved to talk about his trombone playing skills in high school because it mesmerized us, and he would tell us about the trombone neigh at the end and we could never believe that it wasn't indeed a horse. that's where i was on the way to work this morning - in my red fleece pj's that smelled like syrup listening to my dad get so pumped for christmas.

even a hot oven reminds me of christmas. well, i should rephrase that. a hot oven when it's cold outside reminds me of christmas. a hot oven when it's hot outside reminds me of being HOT and then i remember that it's summer and i should turn the stupid oven off. but back to the hot oven. only good things come from ovens. my mom was (is) an oven fiend. the christmas cookies she can whip up are continually amazing and she is never so excited about baking as she is at christmas! after she baked, she would leave the door open and we would crowd around and try to warm up. not exactly the perfect "open fire" that the song talks about i'm sure, but we loved an open oven.

aaaaaaaaaaa......christmas. ya gotta love it!

time flies when you're having fun

our lives are going nuts over here right now, which would lead one to think that posts would get updated at an insanely regular rate, but nay. life is happening fast and we're just hangin' on and lovin' it! i guess that's why time has flown.

nonetheless, it's important (to me, at least) to chronicle all that God is doing as we see it happen, so here's an attempt not to forget anything.

the weekend after the phillies won the world series, jed and i made a trip to brooklyn for more evaluation, walking/exploring, and for jed, job hunting. jed left on thursday, november 6th, and i joined him on saturday. it was a whirlwind trip that made us love clinton hill, brooklyn, even more as we walked all over it. i would describe the neighborhood as old, full of people, on the verge of growing drastically, and artistic and whimsical in its taste. we look so forward to living up there and becoming part of the community that God desires to draw to Himself!

between the time that jed's internship ended on october 31st right up until he left for new york, he blitzed the internet with his resume in hopes to get a few interviews while in the city. though he never got an interview while we were there, we are excited about one possibility in particular that dailey crafton got for jed. it is with new york university's recruiting/admissions office in the medical science training program. we've been waiting to hear back from them for an interview, but they have assured us that their hr department will slow things down. pray that God will work in this specific opportunity so that jed will get a job.

our move, at this point, is hinging on jed's job. we feel it slightly risky to move without a job at this point, though we may have to resort to that come january. we're ready to go! it's starting to sink in that we're leaving soon, and the feelings are bittersweet (though heavier on the sweet side). we're going to miss our friends and family that have become such integral parts of our lives, yet we know that the new life ahead of us is what God has burdened and excited us for.

more updates (and pictures - maybe) to come in the next few weeks. on the slightly less important side, let me comment on the mundane happenings in a nutshell. the art show went well on the 7th and 8th; i have another one coming up on the 4th of december; leave it to the eagle's to make history (a tie?!); jed jogged on the treadmill this weekend with strong stability in his knee for the first time in 13 years!; and, we will be spending thanksgiving with my family and christmas with jed's family.

peace and love.

event of a lifetime

*let me preface this posting by stating that i will hereby not be giving any specific stats relating to the phillie's record, current status, or projected effects on other philadelphia teams. not because i don't know them, but because i don't know them exactly. i know when to boo, when to cheer, when to bunt, when to walk, etc. but statistics are different. in person, i can get by with mumbling some statistics under my breath in the name of "carrying on a conversation" or "impressing my man," but the risk i run of solid mockery should a printed statistic be false is high (see post on marrying into a dynasty of philadelphia diehards). end of preface.*

in the five years i've been married, i have learned that when history is made, you watch it. world series. march madness. the olympics. wimbledon. the masters. and of course, the superbowl. at first i didn't quite enjoy that, but it has become a significantly enjoyable passion for both me and jed. sometimes things happen in big events that could make the record books of history, and missing such an event would be missing out on your small part in the timeline of man. it's serious folks. just think, i will be able to tell my kids that i got to see that arrogant dude federer get beat by the little 'ole long-haired spaniard nadal. and when tiger woods won with a messed up knee/shin. and when michael phelps' amphibious qualities awed the world. and when coach k lead the redeem team to the gold. and when adam morrison cried like a baby. i watched it.

but this whole phillies thing is quite amazing. the fans have lived and died by their philadelphia teams, and the phillies world series win is no exception. last night, hours after the game had ended and i had passed out asleep, jed lay awake in the dark with his eyes wide open just soaking up the five games that had changed history for the entire city. you always hear about these middle-of-the-night phones calls you get because of a death or accident, but now add to that list a sports-inflicted insomniac. a bit after midnight, jed's brother john called and they were able to find comfort in each other's inability to settle down. rather, i think they just ended up pumping each other up all over again while replaying utley's amazing fake, the crowd going wild at the end singing "we are the champions" in unison, and even projecting the future prowess of the eagle's.

i've been hearing the legends of mitch "wild thing" williams blowing it for the phillies in '93, and thus continuing the philadelphia curse. and i actually have believed in the curse. maybe it's because they threw snowballs at santa or maybe it's because they're the truest fans (good and bad) in the history of sports, or maybe it's just because the whole state is snafooed. i don't know. the important thing is that now i have witnessed a philadelphia win in my lifetime, and not everyone can say that. history has been made, the curse is lifted, and now it's time for the sixers and eagles to show out, too! better yet, maybe the philadelphia curse will make its' way to boston now.

illyria pottery, just between you and me books, & green shadow accessories

i'm getting really excited about our upcoming art show! once again, christin pratt and katie coston and i are getting together for a christmas show with a few themed gifts and great stocking stuffers. katie is hosting the event again and from what i hear there will be many new ceramic designs from the kiln. i've seen some of christin's newest books and they're incredibly creative and beautiful (she did the super hot design for our invites)! i'll also be bringing some of my newest accessory designs, so be sure to stop by and take a look! it'll for sure get you in the christmas mood. hot wassail, art, cool studio - what more could you ask for?

friday, november 7th from 6-9pm & saturday, november 8th from 10am-3pm @ katie coston's studio/home (416 perry ave, greenville, sc 29601)

see you there!

randomimnity

i've been waiting until i can get some awesome sweet pics to go with the post about this past weekend, but it's now officially overdue so i'll wait 'til next week to blog about that. but for this week, you're stuck with randomness. my mind wanders, so maybe by sharing them i can have some type of cathartic experience.

random thought #1 - southern drivers are about to drive me to an early grave. while being in the north this past weekend, i felt safe knowing that the skilled drivers around me knew what they were doing and did it confidently. down here, i feel raw and terrified each time i venture out into an intersection. i'm not talking about the people who run a red light, because let's face it - we all tell ourselves that the yellow will last longer. i'm more so referring to the people who have the right of way, and stop in the middle of the road and wave you through even though it's their turn and they have the right of way. it's their "good deed for the day" yet it only causes fear and confusion. when it comes to driving, we need to be somewhat robotic and non-negotiable with the laws of driving, people. it's just safe.

**side note: i realize the above random thought is based in drastic regional-profiling, but i'm unrepentant.

random thought #2 - i cannot wait for colder weather to come. i'm sporting short sleeves today and it's october! i remember having to wear nine layers of clothing under my halloween outfit just to prevent frostbite! sigh.

random thought #3 - i am so glad that God has given me eyes that see! almost every morning on my way to work, i am greeted with a beautiful sky from God as a gift to help start the day. what a privilege to have a God that is loving and caring enough to work the sky's art on an enjoyable canvas every day! if i could paint, my primary subject would be the amazing creation of God's sky.

early christmas shopping

i am always amazed at other people's minds and essentially the handmade items that flow from those minds. one of my pledges this christmas season is to buy/trade handmade for as many gifts as i can, and in return put on my own wish list all handmade items (or cash-haha). in order to support the industry, let me encourage you to visit etsy - it's the best place to find any type of handmade item ever known to man!

one of my most favored artists on etsy is elephannie. she is an apartment-dweller's fairy godmother! with the resignation that my walls will probably be white for most of the rest of my life due to the wonderful and exciting fact that we'll be moving to nyc in january and living in an apartment 'til we claw the walls and beg for mercy, i have found much hope in elephannie and the ability to make a white wall snag some pizzazz. the pics below are my faves!

calling

cities are full of people, a well known fact that is often taken for granted. people can’t help but come to the city. the tall gray buildings and the quaint, more aged brownstones paint such pretty invitations to the masses that their allure can’t be mistaken. like type a bosses, its streets follow the people around every corner and through every alley, watching each step, even shedding clarity to muffled minds.

in turn, some people are full of the city. they love the city! it fires their days to brush shoulders with the masses and pound the pavement everywhere they go. their blood has smog in it and their souls long for the solace and comfort provided by hoards of fellow city-lovers.

it’s an odd relationship - a city is made of people, and the people make a city. they each need the other like co-dependents, leaning hard on the other’s exhaustive presence. were there no people, a city would be harsh and drab. were there no cities, people would grow hardened, despondent, and aloof by country life. make no mistake, there are some who prefer to leave the cities to the city-lovers, but that’s a different co-dependent relationship for another pondering moment.

i’m sure that some day in my 80’s when i have had enough of life and people and the joys of living, i’ll recant and hole up in a barn somewhere in the country. but until then, i’m convinced that i need the city. we need the city. with all its tough, unsympathetic grandeur and its magnificent, frosty air, i believe we're in that group of earthlings drugged by the city. regardless of the illogically small living space and confoundedly high cost of living, it calls us and begs us to occupy a small plot of cement. the only thing it asks in return is love; love for its people and love for their inner-city souls.

e-a-g-l-e-s eagles!

yesterday commenced the 7-month hiatus from life known as the nfl. (well, it started on thursday but the important team didn't play 'til yesterday.) i have married into what i call a dynasty of true football fanatics, and these 7 months can be the most emotional 7 months of the year for eagles fans. philadelphia eagles, that is.

i've been climbing the class ladder for the past five years in hopes that someday when i wake up out of the non-season coma, i will have been reborn into the elite "true fan" class. (please note: when I first met jed i was painfully yet naturally stuck in the "ignorant" class, tho' i'm not sure which class i'm in currently)

the game yesterday was an invigorating and pump-you-up season starter, and the fans definitely felt it. usually the eagles' luck is so low that you can't even scrape it up with steel wool, but yesterday it almost didn't seem that way. but we'll see. there's always the "but" in a season. there are bound to be a few cannonballs and suicide hills in the emotional roller coaster this season, but i love being along for the ride!

bits and pieces

it feels like i haven't blogged in quite a long time, and since there's so much going on i've decided to give a "bits and pieces" report. it will be sterile, sans depth, emotion, sarcasm, technique, or skill. it's a plain yogurt report without flavor or color, but hopefully it won't leave such a nasty after-taste.

*beach weekends and time with family*

this summer has been sprinkled with time at wrightsville beach, nc, with jed's visiting family. the weekend after we got back from NYC, jed's sister and family came south to visit jed's brother and wife in nc, and so jed's parents plus jed's youngest brother plus me and jed went up to wilmington, nc, to struggle in the waves as a family. quite a fun weekend, full of sand, late nights, and lots of laundry to bring back. good memories...

*green shadow's show*

on august 15th and 16th, the green shadow participated in an end-of-summer show with katie coston from illyria pottery (the hostess) and christin pratt from just between you and me. what an awesome experience! i'll be posting all the discounted stuff that didn't sell on my etsy site so check back soon (www.greenshadow.etsy.com). not only was it my first show, but the other artists taught me a lot about marketing, demand, and the entire art business. super good fun! and, we're looking at doing a christmas show on november 7th and 8th - mark your calendars!

*jed's acl reconstruction*

the 19th of august marked surgery day for jed. no eating or drinking after midnight the day before so we made sure to stay up and eat and drink right up until midnight. poor guy. it was a hamstring transplant acl reconstruction so there are 4 incisions and lots of bruising. he's such a trooper, though! after gnawing through the pain the first two days, we've got it under control now and he's doing a bit better. he's the best patient a wife could ask for. my mom always told me (along with every other woman i've known) - "guys don't deal too well with pain so beware!" however, i think i'm more of a wimp than jed. he's just great. his 7-day appointment is tomorrow so we're hoping for lots and lots of good news. the best news he could hear at this point would be that he didn't have to sleep in that hot, bulky, tight immobilizer any more.

*back to school*

for the first time since i've known him, jed's not starting school this fall. no new correspondence course, no new classes to attend, no nothin'. wow. however, my li'l sis and bro are coming down to sc to ring in a new year at college. it'll be preston's junior year, and he's glad to be back because he'll get to see his girlfriend. abi is starting her freshman year at *sniff* COLLEGE! i'm so old. i remember when she was born. i remember when she used to terrorize me and i would boss her around. now we're both old enough to be ashamed at such acts, but we each think it still. it'll be so great to have them both here. good chance to spend time with them before heading up to the city! they get here on thursday and it's party time 'til labor day. wish me luck - i can never keep up with my wild family.


the end.

brooklyn, nyc

well, we've been back in greenville for approximately 65ish hours and my goodness do i miss the city. we miss the city. there were many prayer requests before going up there, but a specific one of my own was that God would give me a deeper burden for the people of the city, not just the city itself. one of the goals of williamsburg church was to have us conduct surveys of the people of williamsburg and greenpoint that would give them a better idea of the constituency of those neighborhoods. we asked questions like "if you could tell christians one thing, what would it be?" and "what is your spiritual condition?" and "how would you define religion?". the answers were very revealing since new yorkers typically share their opinions without too much nudging, and God used those surveys in my own life to show me how much people need him.

jed and i left the team a couple of times to go walk through a few potential neighborhoods of interest. one common theme was people. and they were everywhere! i think i can say that we wouldn't ever run out of people to minister to. now that we're back in south carolina, the one thing that we miss the most about new york is the people. did you know that i can leave my house in the morning, go to work, take a lunch break, and go back home at night after work and only come into direct contact with about 30 people? in new york, i could run into that many people by about 10am. it's amazing. the unique thing about urban settings is that the people come to you. no hunting out in the bushes for people to minister to, God brings them right to you!

our hearts grow more impatient by the day, it seems. we long to be up there more than ever. there are many things that still need to be tied down, but we often wonder if january will come soon enough!

it's official

i believe i have definitely joined the ranks of "the old". if you are old and reading this, please understand, there is no animosity here. possibly a spirit of disillusioned resign, but no animosity.

the reason i think i'm officially in the old category now is based on one thing alone: my recent and new-found love for mornings. growing up, i would hear my grandmother talk about waking up the birds in the mornings and watching the sun rise. as a young teen with full ability to sleep 'til high noon, it baffled me. how on earth can you actually enjoy getting up early?! isn't your day wrecked? don't the bags under your eyes sag and darken? is it possible to act humane after getting up that early? i've never understood.

that is, until now. recent events and schedules have awakened in me the necessity to get my exercise in the mornings instead of in the evenings like i previously did. (i talk about it like it's a regular thing, but please don't be fooled. we're workin' on it.) the winter months were grueling. getting out of bed to step onto a cold floor, shuffling into exercise clothes, and then getting slammed with the rudely cold morning air was not always something that bred sanctification in me. but the summer months are amazing!

i get up with the sun. yep, i said it. up with the sun. the morning air isn't rude, but alive and somehow wispy. the birds are chirping like it's going out of style and the whole world is a shade of green that you don't see in the daytime. and the sky. wow! the thirty minutes that i spend outside under the morning sunrise are the most beautiful and special thirty minutes of the day.

i do have hope though. my parents and my in-laws talk of waking up before dark and not being able to go to back to sleep for some unknown reason. "kids, it's part of getting older" is the reason i hear most. i, however, can sleep 'til 11am very easily on saturdays and not feel any older. and, to give further hope, i spend the first five minutes of the day in a completely schizophrenic experience.

"you feel like trash. go back to sleep!"

"what, only to wake up to the alarm twice today? yeah right."

"thirty more minutes will make you feel better."

"have you ever fallen completely back into rem after waking up to the alarm? seriously."

"so this is worth it? c'mon."

"but remember how i felt yesterday after i got back? amazing!!"

"but look how you feel now."

and on and on and on for a good few minutes, and then i snap out of it (not because i take meds, mind you). walking outside in the mornings is like a secret garden experience, opening the door to the undisturbed world waiting for me. waking up with the rest of the earth is such an exhilarating gift. everyone i pass is peeling junk out of their eyes too. it's a great world at 6am in the summer.

in no particular order...

things i wish for:

• a green thumb
• three-day weekends
• never-ending supply of desserts (pudding would do)
• a yearly trip to europe
• long saturdays

things i need to get rid of:

• excess hair concoctions that i never use (pomades, cremes, waxes, etc.)
• cynical/sarcastic outlook
• box of sewing ambitions (who am i kidding)
• ugly wedding gifts that i'm holding onto because they were *sniff* wedding gifts

things i'm thankful for:

• an uber-wonderful husband
• all that i need
• good health
• God's creation
• family (even the odd ones)
• hope in life everlasting, a hope that will not disappoint
• friends that still hang out with me
• ice cream

things i shouldn't like so much:

• ice cream
• the word "crap"
• doing nothing at all
• excuses
• doing nothing at all

newest fave

i often have lull moments at the office where i jump around from blog to blog snooping in on what's happening in the world. last night, fellow blog-addict and dear friend, susan, showed me her newest find - city girl meets cowboy and turns into the pioneer woman. and yes, it's amazing.

city girl, a.k.a. ree, blogs about her new photography business, unbelievable food experiments, thoughts, and just hilarity in general. last night while at susan and dan's home for dinner, we had ree's crash potatoes and pots de creme and (can i get a witness) they were incredible.

thanks susan for the introduction. i look forward to many more entertaining experiments and laughs!

not so hot

recently, it has definitely not felt like june in south carolina. maybe the end of july, but not the beginning of june. as i drove home from work yesterday at 5:30, it was actually 103 degrees out. there was no "ease your way into summer" - it was just BAM! hello summer.

but we like summer. i told jed yesterday that i'm addicted to the season changes. i, of course, have my favorite depending on where i'm at (summer in FL, fall in the city, winter in the north, and spring everywhere), but all in all every season shatters the fatigue from the previous season. so exciting!

not so excitedly though, have i been about waking up in the night and feeling really hot or having to take two showers a day to feel good. you would think that a girl from africa wouldn't really flinch until the 120's hit, but that's all going to change.

today i read a priceless blog posting of a friend who is enduring her first summer in nyc. after reading her dehydrated story full of sweltering expression (and after laughing just a bit), i have, with her help, come to the conclusion that it's all perspective. if you expect not to be hot but to be cool and comfortable, then it's going to feel horrible when you're not cool and comfortable!

like exercising. when i used to work out, i expected to somehow enjoy it or not feel like throwing bricks. that is, until a wise woman told me that it's all about learning how to be uncomfortable. you have to learn to be okay with sucking air until your sinuses hurt and coaxing each muscle into going one more lap. if you're not okay with that, then don't exercise.

likewise, if i'm not going to be okay with sweating like a pig, then i might just not enjoy the life until it's sweater weather again. personally, i'm not willing to give that up, so the only other option was to like - no, embrace - sweating. as it gets hotter, i will thank God that i'm not an orphan in siberia. when the first sweat of the day breaks, i will thank God that i had a few moments of clean irish spring smell up until that point. and when the first good hair day turns into a complete grave yard, i will thank God that i even have hair to look bad.



so for now, i say "cheers to summer!"

lyrics

music happens to be one of the biggest ways for me to meditate and remind myself of God's goodness and perfection as the one who is in complete control of his creation. jed came home several weeks ago after work and insisted that i hear this song. it has been awesome to think on for the past few weeks! i'm guessing that for most people, it's a conclusion that is hard to come to, but yet it's the most freeing conclusion as well. see here for ordering info on come weary saints.

as long as you are glorified
by mark altrogge

shall i take from your hand your blessings
yet not welcome any pain
shall i thank you for days of sunshine
yet grumble in days of rain
shall i love you in times of plenty
then leave you in days of drought
shall i trust when i reap a harvest
but when winter winds blow, then doubt

oh let your will be done in me
in your love i will abide
oh i long for nothing else as long
as you are glorified

are you good only when i prosper
and true only when i’m filled
are you king only when i’m carefree
and God only when i’m well
you are good when i’m poor and needy
you are true when i’m parched and dry
you still reign in the deepest valley
you’re still God in the darkest night

© 2008 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI)

people are people

i've come to realize this week that i am not truly a people- oriented person.

one of the dear men in our church died last saturday, and i was just getting to know his daughter better. consequently, even though i didn't know him well, jed and i attended the funeral yesterday. i have only been to a handful of funerals in my lifetime, but never have i walked out with such a lump in my throat and so many lessons to learn. there were several testimonies/eulogies yesterday that continued to reinforce the common thread throughout them all - this man loved people.



he didn't just love being around people as though he feared being alone, and he didn't use people to fill his needs for friendship. he intricately cared about the people around him and everyone around him knew that! his deep love for others and selfless care for himself is an example of the Christ-like love i only hope to imitate in my lifetime.



i'll admit that i need people, and i even love a lot of people, but not selflessly. my thoughts this week have been brought to remembering how the ultimate example in this world loved people perfectly, even though the people he loved weren't nearly as perfect as he.



it's something to chew on. loving people as people and loving them without any thought to yourself is an awesome responsibility, but the way to the most joy.

jury duty

the oddest thing happened to me and jed - we both got jury duty on back-to-back weeks! my jury duty was last week, and thank goodness i didn't get chosen. turns out, i knew one of the parties being defended, and the other party's attorney does printing with the business i work for. i guess that meant i would have an opinion about the matter, so fortune smiled on me and i left.

however, before leaving, i couldn't help but look around me and notice how entertaining people are. there are several categories i would divide my fellow jurors into: those blissfully unaware of the world around them, the quiet obervers of the world around them, and those bored in every aspect of life.

category one is always defined by particularly entertaining people. a few gems from this category were in the waiting room with me that day, and the strength it took to keep my jaw shut was great. one in particular loudly proclaimed the stories of her past jail stents, an arrest for assault and battery, and current accusations from a "friend" of hers. i was glad to hear that she quit wearing a knife in her boots just a few months ago. she gets a 5 star rating on the "blissfully unaware of the world around them" chart. most people would change their identity before offering such information.

category two is what i would place myself into. i brought a book with me, but the people from category one made it too tough to read. it was even tempting to take notes of all these people, but i figured that might be too obvious. (thankfully, the mental inscription these people gave me remains for at least a few more months.) on occasion, a category one will venture into a conversation with a category two and the category two typically glances at another category two with a pleading look in their eyes that says "HELP!" conversations between category ones and category twos just don't happen too much.

what does happen more often is that the category one people chase after the category three people and stun them with fact and fiction, without end. most of the category threes are dying to be entertained in some shape or form, but simply possess no ability for entertainment in themselves. of course, this is category one's delight!

the conclusion to my assessment of the situation is this: when people are anonymously thrown into a room, they automatically assume a category and then immediately bond with those in their category. the ensuing entertainment is truly beyond words. i guess we'll see what happens to jed today...

graduation day

i guess there are always going to be significant milestones in life as long as you keep on living, but this past saturday seemed to mark a huge one for us. our wedding was a huge milestone and our first child will be a huge milestone someday, but for the past 5 years together, looking forward to jed's graduation has been the prominent goal. he's worked so hard and studied so late and lost much sleep, but God has been good and he walked the aisle on saturday to receive his diploma! it took him six and a half years to complete his master of divinity, and i could not be more proud of him. for the first time in all of his life, he bears no school guilt! he will never have to choose between systematic theology and a party; or between studying for a test and watching a movie; or between staying up to work on a project and sleeping. neither of us know what it's like to be married without school, so we're quite pumped. congrats to jed!!!

i guess we're bloggers

i'm not sure where to start or if even i know what to do, but i guess i'm going to blog. i don't think it's necessarily that i want to be heard or have this deep need to express my voice, but sometimes i feel like talking to a void so here is where my journal to him (or her) will be.

sometimes i wake up in the morning with words and scenes playing out in my mind. perhaps it's because of my dreams or perhaps it's because of a hidden psychological disorder, but nonetheless, i have no painting or drawing skills to use as an outlet for these wild ideas (aside from incredibly instructed paint-by-numbers). so, i imagine my thoughts on emails and words to others to be the painting of that picture that i wake up with each morning.

when i expressed my thoughts to jed about maybe starting a blog, he informed me that i would probably end up being the sole blogger for the two of us (unless the eagles win the superbowl - i'm sure he'd blog about that). i don't mind that one bit, but please be informed that this is just the one side of life with jed and amy. maybe someday, dear void, you will hear from my jed and he will entertain you endlessly more than i will.

until then, i type away and i type for us both. my goal is to keep a record of what is going on in our lives, entertain you as i have been entertained by other bloggers, and (last but not least) keep a record of how great God is to us.