Omnibus

Definition: pertaining to, including, or dealing with numerous objects or items at once

1. My neice, Avery (2) calls her snow pants- "Snowman panties"

2. A quote from Kiterunner: "Children are not coloring books. You cannot fill them with all your favorite colors."

3. I leave for Chile in 28 days!

4. My Aunt Judy at Thanksgiving dinner: "So, Jim, it'll be colder this winter."
My Uncle Jim: "Yeah, and it sucks! I want global warming back."

5. When Joseph was in the stable with Mary and the newborn Jesus did he wrestle with himself on whether he had missed God's direction somehow and that why they had just given birth in an animal cave. "Oh Crud! I just made God's Son be born in a donkey stall"- as he watches for lightening bolts divinely directed to his head.
(Even when it doesn't seem like it... it just might be God's plan after all- try asking just to make sure.)

6. My mom: "Well, I tried to put blueberry yogurt in my tea because we ran out of milk. Yeah, it was pretty yucky."

7. If you are looking for an interesting book to read (and are old enough to handle its contents) I suggest the Freedom Writer's Diary. It is hard to believe (and sad to know) that the things revealed in that book happen everyday in America.

8. Reflex tears (those shed while cutting onions or cleaning foreign objects from eyes) and emotional tears (sad or happy tears) are chemically different.

9. The World's smallest country is the Vatican city with .2 square miles. Montenegro is the world's newest country- officially on June 28th 2006.

10. Just one cow gives off enough harmful methane gas in a single day to fill around 400 liter bottles.

Love to all!
Lizzi

Feet

I hate feet. To annoy me all you have to do is put your feet near my body. (just ask Sarah, the little sister) Feet are eternally dirty, they usually have at least a hint of foul odor, and they are home to several different types kinds of fungus.

No, you may not borrow my shoes.
No, I do not like your socks either.

Keeping my hatred for feet in mind- a verse in Mark chapter one (in the Bible) intrigued me. The verse in John the Baptist saying that when Jesus comes he (John) would not be worthy enough to help Him remove His shoes. When I got to this verse I pictured John dressed in camel's hair potato sacks afraid to touch another man's shoe.

Not out of disgust
But out of self- unworthiness

What kind of man is this that we dare not even touch his dirty shoes when they are attached to his feet?

Confession: Probably if Jesus was walking on earth today and He came to my house and I needed, as a good host, to wash His feet (though it is no longer a custom) I would most likely debate- on whether I wanted to touch feet today (or ever). I would contemplate using rubber gloves... and finally, mentally scold myself with the reminder that-
"This is the Man that was beaten and crucified so you have never-ending life and fellowship with God... and you think you're too good to just wash his feet"

"Jesus... um... could I- uh, help you take off your shoes?"

Love to all!
Lizzi

Nieces and how they make me laugh

My niece, Bailey, is 3 and very smart. I don't just say that because I am a doting aunt. She knows and recognizes all of her letters and the basic numbers. She knows all the shapes, colors. She uses compound sentences. (never mind the fact that the 3yr old logic is evident throughout them.) Here are some of the quotables from my time entertaining a crazy, high-energy, ornery, fuzzy headed little girl.

*While I was buckling her in her car seat,
"Aunt Wizzy, you're such a nice, sweet dirl (girl)."
"Why, Thank you, Bailey, you are a nice sweet girl too."
"NO, I'm not! I'm itchy!"

*She often mixes her words up,
"Mommy, you gotfor my tup!" (mommy you forgot my cup)
"Aunt Wizzy, tan I sidebe you lay?" (Aunt Lizzi, can I lay beside you?)

*Everything did or did not happen to Bailey when she "was little"
She wore that dress (on a tv actress) when she was little
When she was little and she was a boy she didn't have a motorcycle.

Now, Avery, is 2 and SO Adorable!! She has one little dimple on her chubby cheek. She insists on calling me mom-mom.

*One day at dinner she reached over and grabbed my sleeve making my my neckline move over and slip down over my shoulder. Avery patted my bare shoulder and started saying, "Cow! Cow!"

*She started whining her ABC's. She was fussing one day over something and in a whiney voice she says... "A- B- C! D, E, F!" Half in tears and that wasn't the only time. Later in the day she started with "O, P, Q!!"

* She calls Bailey's princess castle, "Bailey's Boody House"

Darn! I love those girls!!

Becoming Jane

There is a movie with Anne Hathaway starring as Jane Austen called Becoming Jane. I saw it and liked it if only because I love Jane Austen and it is a sappy love story.

But, I have watched three of Jane’s books made into movies today and now am on a fictional rendition of her life. I am thinking in Victorian English and I won’t be surprised if this blog ends up sounding a bit “Jane-ish”

Anyway, my reason for explaining all of this is… I can see myself becoming somewhat like Jane Austen. She was single her whole life, took care of her sister (who was also unmarried) and her widowed mother until Jane died at 41. She wrote a series of vastly popular novels about love and marriage. Some of them were not published until after her death. She was a woman and in her day women did not get published and those who did were at times considered a bit shameful.

I know, I am only 23. I am not even close to being an old maid, and much further away from being a vastly popular author. (I don’t see this blog bringing me any closer to the latter and much nearer to the former) But, like Jane I prefer my imaginary heroes, the men in my books, much more than men in real life. “The only way to get a Mr. Darcy is to make him up yourself” I am dreaming of Mr. Darcy but only finding “Mr E’s” (read Pride and Prejudice and Emma to figure out the analogy)

As it seems from this movie, “Jane Austen Regrets” many men are in love with her wit and charm but she turns them all away or they get tired of chasing her and find someone else to love. One day she wakes up and find herself old, still loving men in reality but preferring those in her books. But, she is 40 and she doesn’t know that she is going to die soon.

I may end up like this. Never satisfied with the ones I find and therefore making up my own and being more pleased with them. Happiness in marriage only happening in my books and never for me personally.

Newest fear, Becoming Jane
Love to all!
Lizzi

The Biggest Loser

I do not watch television much. I do enjoy The Antiques Road Show, Globetrekker (which I sadly haven’t seen in about a year or more), What not to wear, and The Biggest Loser. I haven’t found much else to watch beyond these three.

My newest addiction is The Biggest Loser on NBC 10. It is about a bunch of obese people on a workout ranch trying to lose weight and win the grand prize of 25,000 dollars. Every Tuesday night between 8 and 10pm my parents and I are stuck to the couch watching fat people die on treadmills. Well, there is a little more to the show than that.

This show could be the reason for my newest frettings about my weight. I am not fat by any possible definition of the word but, I am afraid I will get there… slowly, each serving of ice cream and every chicken bacon ranch cheese steak I eat at work. (just typing it makes me want one)

I’ve never been fat, in fact at times my family has worried about me being way too thin. In Chile I put on some weight, enough to make me worry about buying a new wardrobe. How did fat people get to that weight? I’m sure they didn’t just wake up one day fat. It came on slowly in miniscule amounts with French fries, ice cream, and chicken bacon ranch cheese steaks.

So, with these ponderings I have determined to watch what I eat and… exercise! I know I always talk about running and exercising but, this time I will actually do it. In fact I have started tonight, I did sit ups. :) How many? I don’t know, I don’t count. I just do it until I get tired of doing them. So, probably no more than 15. It’s a good start.

Now begins my life long attempt to never, ever make it on The Biggest Loser.
Love to all!
Lizzi

“With eyes wide open to the differences of the God we want and the God who is, but will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle.” ~ Caught in the Middle, Casting Crowns.

Recently I have been completely “enthralled” with the latest Casting Crowns cd, “The Altar and the Door.” Partially because every time I listen to it, if I close my eyes I can imagine myself in the place where I first fell in love with that cd (a cabin dorm room in a camp in Chile)

The real and persisting reason is with every song I am struck with the validity and impact of the words. Whether they (the group) is praising God, lamenting past mistakes, or praying for a lost friend, the lyrics are heartfelt and deep. I have found that so many Christian artists have “fluff” lyrics. Every song is about a. themselves, b. how God loves them, or c. that God saved them and they are going to heaven. All of this is may be true but, the songs have no depth or personality or real spiritual meaning.

The other thing I find so often in current Christian music is the vagueness of the lyrics. Half the time I cannot figure out exactly what the song is talking about, let alone if it is Christian or not.

Now, I am not talking about groups like Lifehouse and ( ) who have moral, often uplifting songs. I am talking about singers and song writers who attempt to write a song about God but can’t even mention His name; like they are afraid if it says His name their song will not get on all the radio stations. So, their songs of praise to God often get confused with odes to a girlfriend or a boyfriend.

Casting Crowns sample:

“Who am I that the Lord of all the earth would care to know my name, would care to feel my hurt? Who am I am, that the Bright and morning star would choose to light the way for my ever wandering heart? Not because of who I am but because of what you’ve done, not because of what I’ve done but because of who you are.”
~ Who am I Casting Crowns, self titled cd

“Here I am Lord and I’m drowning in your sea of forgetfulness. Chains of yesterday surround me, I yearn for peace and rest. Don’t want to end up where you found me and it echoes in my mind, keeps me awake tonight. Lord you’ve cast my sin as far as the east is from the west and I stand before you now as though I’ve never sinned but today I feel like I’m just one mistake away from you leavin’ this way. Jesus can you show me just how far the east is from the west… from one scarred hand to the other.”
~ One Mistake Away, The Altar and the Door

Love to all!
Lizzi

Deadlines

I have always known that I do not enjoy deadlines. Which to me means every bit of what the very word implies… dead or death- to cease to live, and lines- a certain geographical or figurative location, boundary. In other words, “the point at which you must cease to live.” I take the word quite seriously and therefore have avoided or casually missed every deadline ever set for me.

I prefer to write on my own time when the inspiration hits me. I do not want someone to tell me when and what to write. Quite the obstinate, bratty little girl I am, I know.

Now, once again, I am faced with deadlines. (The very word gives me chills.) I have decided to take my writing hobby to the next level and sign up for a two year writing course through the Christian Writers Guild. TWO YEARS of DEADLINES!!! Every two weeks I have a list of writing assignments to turn in to my mentor or writing coach. They tell me what to write, how to write it, and when to write it.

I guess, if I want to finish this thing- and do it well, if I want to be the accomplished writer I’ve always dreamed of being; I am going to have to suck it up and do what they tell me to.

Well, with that said, my first deadline is October 1st which is on Wednesday and I still have half of the assignments to do. :) Guess I better get to work and try to be a big girl. (which would mean leaving my bratty, childish self behind for a while)

Love to all!
Lizzi