Pictahs!

I think I said I'd post pictures a long time ago, but now I'm actually going to. :) (I probably accidentally convicted myself with the previous blog post; I am acting on my word! ;D)

This is the epically disturbing Danielle attempting to catch snowflakes. It didn't work.


Oui! It is Columbus! Random fact: Did you know that, in Latin, the word "pigeon" is "Columba"? Thus the name Columbus...:)


This is the Sugar Bomb of Death cake. Made especially for my mom's birthday by my artistic siblings and I.


You know, we saw a hobbit scurry out of here, but he came and went so fast that the camera could quite catch it...;)


We have confirmed that there ARE meese in Washington!


Apparently there are also assassins in WA?! (Actually, my brother just conveniently has a black machete with which to be emo...*pats murderous little fellow*)


This is in the treehouse which is on our property! It is a brilliant treehouse. I claim no relation to the kid in the picture, by the way...:)

Thanks, as always, for reading/looking! And with that, I bid you adieu.

Fin.

Talks-a-lot...

Talkative.

Verbose.

Eloquent.

Articulate.

Looooooooooooooooooong-winded.

What do all of these words have in common? Two things: 1) They basically mean "motor-mouthy", and 2) I had to look at the thesaurus to get most of them. :)

Effusive.

Garrulous.

Wordy.

You know, as Americans, I think we talk a lot. Perhaps it has a lot to do with our democratic tendencies, both in and out of government. "All men are created" (or evolved, as the case may be) equal, thus everybody's opinion is worth something, right? Or at least, every man's opinion is equally worthy.

Expansive.

Unreserved.

Gushing.

But I wonder if, as Americans, we take advantage of that. Maybe we just keep talking, and talking, and talking...

Because society has determined that whatever pops into your head is okay to voice.

Perhaps that wouldn't be so bad, if all our actions followed through with our many words. But if we talk a lot...

...That's a LOT of actions to keep track of.

Open.

Forthcoming.

Ear-banging.

And I also wonder if we, as American Christians, have forgotten the art of thinking before saying. That phrase is often said as "think before you act"...

But shouldn't we strive to be, and to act, as good as our word?

This whole incoherent pile of thoughts came to me in church this morning. Our pastor went over the passage in John where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead.

He raises Lazarus from the dead. How? He speaks. Not only does he accomplish the feat which scientists and spiritualists alike have attempted since death was invented...

He does it by talking. Jesus' actions are as good as his words. Jesus' words are as good as his actions.

Jesus' actions are his words, and his words are his actions. He is the Word.

Thoughtful.

Meditative.

Discerning.

In a world of virtual reality, where email and chatspeak abound, and TV is often considered "family time" (though getting 6 people to agree on what to watch simultaneously is a victory in itself)...

In a world of virtual reality, where our standard of beauty often amounts to pretty people being digitally airbrushed into impossible glamour...

In a world of virtual reality, where truth is relative and love is sending the letters "ILU!" over the phone or computer...

I am so glad we have Jesus. I am so glad Jesus has us, actually.

I am so glad that Jesus is so eloquent that no one could ever speak as well as he does, and is yet so simple that everyone can understand him. He is the Word, after all. His standard of excellence is not belied by the depth of his love, nor is his grace forsaken for his truth.

I am so glad that Jesus cares about what he says to me. I am so glad that Jesus cares about what he does to me.

I want to be like Jesus.

(This was a really long post! Thanks for reading it all the way through, everyone! :S)

The Top Best 10 Things in the World

You've heard of the Eight Wonders of the World, correct? Well, here is a list compiled with the utmost accuracy and care; composed only after the author had thought for at the very least 2.5 seconds about each and every number...

With that stirring and awe-inspiring introdcution, I present to you

THE TOP BEST 10 THINGS IN THE WORLD (at least, according to D. E. Peterson)

Let's save the best for last and start with 10!

10. Coffee! Especially when it's really cheap, and even when it's really expensive. :D
9. Goodness!
8. Truth!
7. Beauty! :D (Oh my!)
6. Chinchillas! Especially because they are fluffy!
5. Homeschooling! Especially because it means that we can take Torrey! (And be super-nerds...)
4. Siblings! Especially when they are your fellow sufferers and adventurers in movingness. *pats indignant children on the head*
3. Parents! Especially because they are patient, kind and loving beings who care for you no matter what state/country you're in.
2. Books! Especially such tomes as Lord of the Rings, Anna Karenina, Democracy in America (there, I have officially expressed my nerdiness), and (though I hope it's already obvious) the Bible. I really, really like the Bible. Especially when I read it. :P :)

And the final, the marvelous, the shocking, the glorious, the last but not least...

1.

#1 is...

Friends. Especially when they are nothing else but friends, because that is what they are. (Okay, that was either really cheesy or really badly structured, grammatically. Or both. Thank goodness friends look past my faults!)

So, to all those who are my friends, or who are anyone's friends...

Thanks for being the #1 thing in my world!

(Now copy and paste this into an e-mail and forward it to all your friends or all your coffee will be lukewarm from the moment you decide to disobey. :)

Hah. Just kidding. Maybe I should make a "Top WORST Things in the World" list, with those kinds of forwards as Ultra #1? ;)