Currently Listening Furthermore: From the Studio/From the Stage By Jars of Clay see related

In the summertime... :)

Dear Friends,

Smiles and love to you!

I have taken a very long four month break from my regular xanga posts!  That is a first in about four years for me!  Wow!!  :)

What have I been up to?  :)  Lots!  Too much to probably share all in one post.  So, I will let you in on a new adventure that has been taking up a very large amount of my time this Spring. 

Check it out!  www.seminarianblog.com

I tend to post an article every other week there.  I am working with several friends from my school and it has been a huge blessing to me to go through the editing process and to support the other writers in their specific areas of interests and ministry. 

Summer is my favorite season...so naturally, that finds me spending a lot of time in my convertible soaking in the sunshine, and sometimes at little teatimes in gardens... and so on and so forth.  :)  Lots of things have occurred that I would love to write about, but I haven't quite found the words to express it in written form.  A lot of my stories have been told and re-told to my various friends and family.... perhaps to never be written down at all, but simply shared!

With that said, have a blessed summer, dear friends!  Thanks so much for reading my journal!

Jen

Currently Listening The Reel Me (CD & DVD) By Jennifer Lopez Baby, I love you (This song pours jazz/swing into hip-hop and I love it!) see related

And so she danced...

 Tonight, it was icing outside and so I made dinner, and about half way through, I just started dancing.  I couldn't help myself.  It was just me, in the house, and so I danced, and danced, and danced.  I thought about what you might see if you were able to open up my heart and take a peek (just like God can) and what would you see there?  Would you see a beautiful palmtree, or maybe a piece of scrumptious and succulent cheesecake?  Perhaps you would see a pointe shoe.  Perhaps you would see my deep love for you!  Who knows?  :) 

I re-read part of my journal tonight and found quotes from Kierkegaard and a song that I had written about Jeremiah all before I started seminary.  Sigh.  I used to have so much sweet time for reflection and writing and what-not.  I am looking back and cherishing the free time that I had prior to beginning my studies.  My studies have been amazing and I'm so grateful for the time that I spend in them, but I'm also looking back on my time off with great joy as I return to my old writing and think of old times working and running and the friends that I made there.

Sigh...I made kona coffee tonight, mmm, with really frothy vanilla soy.  Parfait. 

I look forward to lake rollerblading this Spring.  :)  In the mean time, there will be lots and lots and lots of dancing.  :)

Out! 

"One is silver and the other is gold." :) -from Make New Friends, my fave girl scout camp song.

     Okay, I do believe that someone is making the way through all of my old posts and it's inspiring me to re-visit some of my old thoughts.  This post is from January 5, 2006.  I can't believe that it has been two years ago.  I suppose at the time, I was working at a Caribbean restaurant and sub-teaching at a small Christian school, and just starting to make new friends in the Lou post-graduation about seven months.  I think I spent the first three months out of school back and forth between K-Ville and Cali, so I had only been home about four months and wrote this girlie-girl post.  One thing that I find striking about it is how I look forward to wearing my future husband's hoodies and hats.  :)  haha.  I do love running around the Lake when it is a bit chilly and wearing a hoodie.  Aww.  Sweetness.  And I love reading other people's books, so I look forward to marrying a hoodie-wearing-theology-studying kind of guy.  I sure hope so.  :)  haha.

Things that make me feel pretty... :)  hehehe...

I love being a girl.

-ballet flats... ;)  Yes!

-wearing my hair down and with a couple spiral curls at the ends...

-cream skirts and pink roses and blue cardigans

-smiling at everyone I meet

-giggling, always giggling

-eating like a bird...fresh fruit, carrot sticks, celery, mocha frappuchinos, etc.

-running in a hoodie at sunset around a lake just because it is beautiful

-singing in my car/dancing in my car

-worshipping and star-gazing at the same time

-writing notes on pink paper in the shape of hearts

-writing poetry, journal entries, songs, etc.

-harmonizing with Bebo  :)  hahah...

-being nuturing to children because it just comes so easily

-kissing baby Clayton's furry head and watching him smile at me

-hanging out with my girls and friends who inspire me, refresh me, and pump life into my very body with kind encouraging words and loving care

-dreaming about that special someone and knowing that someday I will borrow/read all of his books, and wear all of his old hoodies and hats...

-'cause reading theology and wearing hoodies makes me feel especially pretty... :)

Currently Listening Jordin Sparks with Exclusive Bonus Track One Step at a Time see related

The Philosopher's Dream: The Paradox

A paradox is the philosopher's dream.  :)  I like to think of it as snow on the island.  :)  This song is full of delightful paradoxes.  It is by Jordan Sparks, and I love it.  :)

"One Step At A Time"

Hurry up and wait
So close, but so far away
Everything that you've always dreamed of
Close enough for you to taste
But you just can't touch

You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet
Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it
You know you can if you get the chance
In your face as the door keeps slamming
Now you're feeling more and more frustrated
And you're getting all kind of impatient waiting

[Chorus:]
We live and we learn to take
One step at a time
There's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It's gonna happen and it's
Supposed to happen that we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

You believe and you doubt
You're confused, you got it all figured out
Everything that you always wished for
Could be yours, should be yours, would be yours
If they only knew

You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet
Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it
You know you can if you get the chance
In your face as the door keeps slamming
Now you're feeling more and more frustrated
And you're getting all kind of impatient waiting

[Chorus]

When you can't wait any longer
But there's no end in sight
It's the faith that makes you stronger
The only way you get there
Is one step at a time

[Chorus x2]

Currently Reading God Our Teacher: Theological Basics in Christian Education By Robert W. Pazmiño see related

Palms, Praises, and Squirrel-Hunters! :)

Smiles and love!  :)

Hello Friends!  :)

I'm happy to announce another great week and take some time to Praise the Lord!  :)

Sigh....

School is off to a great start!  I'm so excited about my schedule this Spring!  I'm lovin' it!  The weather lately has been pretty exciting as well going back and forth between spring-showers and snowstorms and lovely breezy almost summer-like days!  I have enjoyed it immensely.  Two of my classes were cancelled last week so I still haven't been to my history class yet this semester.  My other classes started off very strongly and I'm super-excited about my Christianity and Imagination class and my education class called Teaching and Learning!  I gave my first mini-lecture yesterday over a book called God Our Teacher and talked about how we should care for our students because God so wonderfully and attentively cares for us.  It was a lot of fun!  I danced around my house all morning practicing my speech for my afternoon class and I was sooo excited about giving the talk as I practiced in my car on the way to school, and then I re-wrote my outline during the class before it so that I could remember my points even further, and all this time being soo excited and ready to speak in front of my class and then when my teacher said my name and I took my place in front of the class-- my whole body started shaking and I prayed to God that I wouldn't pass out before I finished my speech--somehow my teacher recognized my fear and told me to think happy thoughts and so I started thinking about palmtrees and Bora Bora, my favorite place in the French Polynesia with delightful stilted huts going out over the clear-blue waters, and then I began my speech and to my amazement-- it was sooo much fun!  I looked at my classmates and they smiled at me and nodded when I asked questions and it was incredible!  :)  I loved it-- and so now I can't wait till my team-teaching experience that I get to do on a book by Parker Palmer ( I know! ) and work with this woman who was in my class last semester and who has lots of teaching experience and I know that she will be absolutely AWESOME to work with on this project!  I posted a note in the forum for our class stating my interest in the book and it was her interest as well!  The book is called The Courage to Teach (that reminds me, I need to order it online tonight!) and we will be presenting our project on April 14th.  :)  Sigh...I'm so in love with my Education classes!  I'm delighted to be in Seminary and I am so looking forward to the rest of this semester!  :)

I spoke with my mentor today on the phone and she is sooo encouraging!  :)  I can't wait to meet up with her again next week and hear about her adventures this past month!  She works for Mission to the World and served as a missionary in Ukraine just prior to starting her seminary studies and she is hoping to return there soon with her husband (whom she met at Seminary, actually on her first day of seminary, cute story it is!).  They visited the Ukraine recently and I can't wait to hear all about it and see the pictures!

Picked up my books today from the Bookstore and that was a good feeling-- and I tried to start reading my History book tonight and I think it is probably going to be my biggest challenge.  It kind of reminded me of taking History of Christian Thought 2 in my undergrad and how challenging it was to read about the monks and the nuns and how hard it was for me to take in Medieval Love Poetry which sounded so sad and so hopeless sometimes to me.  However, I need a good History tutor, someone who LOVES the subject and can help bring New Testament History alive to me.  I started with the first sentence about the last king of Persia being named King Darius and I just started zoning out.  It was hard for me to care about King Darius because I know nothing about him other than his name.  Hmmm....  I usually try to read textbooks in funny voices to entertain myself if I'm having trouble being captured by the writing style itself, but sometimes it distracts me from the actual content.  Hmmm-- and I need to remember the content-- so basically, I need help with this class-- and it hasn't even started yet.  :)  I need to get creative with it and try to LOVE NT history and theology.  Theology-no problem- the history-- sometimes the way that History is presented is an obstacle and a challenge to me and sometimes intimidates me such that I don't want to take the energy required to jump in and keep it all linear and remember the important things because I don't have enough of a background in History to really know what is truly a main point or something significant to remember.  :)  Hmm....pray for me, friends!  :)

Other than that-- we had a squirrel inside our house today that somehow found its way in to the exhaust fan above our stove (poor little guy!) and our friend (our super-squirrel-fighting-hero, we'll call him Squirrel-Hunter-Joe) came to our rescue ("our" being three very scared women at the sound of the fan-eating squirrel with growly growls and scratchy feet and probably (if we could have seen them) glowing eyes!).  Hunter Joe captured the squirrel with a straw and a hanger (lasso-style) and allowed him to be set free unharmed.  Praise the Lord, the squirrel survived after spending the WHOLE DAY inside our exhaust fan, poor little guy!  This is even after my sister read to the squirrel from Psalm 89:48, "No one can live forever; all will die.  No one can escape the power of the grave."  :)  And we had a moment of silence there for the squirrel, but praise the Lord, we didn't have to shoot it (which, I confess was my idea, and the only way that I thought we would be able to remove the squirrel from our home, where squirrels do not belong, but fortunately, Hunter Joe is much more creative and inventive than I am!)  :)  Fortunately for Squirrel.  My sister even started singing a song, American Idol try-out style (as we were watching the show tonight as well)..."Rabid Squirrel on the loose....it's gonna get ya, and take ya picture!".  I have the funniest sister ever and I'm so thankful for her because I DO love to laugh-- and around here, we laugh a LOT.  :)  Praise God.

It has been a lovely day!  I'm so thankful for my family and for the funny little things that happen in our country home.  :)  I praise God for school...oh yes, I forget to mention two other things that I'm super excited about...well, three...

One being...SMALL GROUP- on Mondays, Miss Molly and I have been meeting up weekly and we decided to start a small group...sigh...praise the Lord...and so it is still taking shape, but we are encouraged and have prayed and smiled and praised the Lord-- and we have invited other women to come join us as well-- and so we are looking forward to growing in the Lord and enjoying the friendship of other ladies at our school this Spring!

Secondly-- I LOVE the Psalms, and my sister and I are in the same Bible study on the Psalms of the Ascent (120-134) for the next four weeks with some ladies from my sister's church near my home (so that I can meet some more ladies out in the country, and have people to meet up with for tea when I am at home!)  Lovely!

Thirdly -- I am so fortunate to have visited the Jewel Box recently with Miss B, and it was AMAZING!  Palmtrees everywhere and I cannot wait to go there AGAIN and sooooon!  I'm starting to really enjoy this city and the friends that I have made here.  I know when I first came back two and a half years ago, I had no idea what this adventure would bring, but I'm thankful to be here and happy to be on this journey that has taught me so much and blessed me beyond words.  :)  Smiles and love and most of all, Praise be to the Lord!  :)