God has really been putting this on my heart lately and I can't stop thinking about the world and my role in it but not of it.
Romans 12~ A Living Sacrifice
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Humble Service in the Body of Christ
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Love in Action
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[c] Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d] says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[e]
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Also...
John 3:17- For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 15:19- If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
John 14:19- Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
He's got my ♥
If anyone asks me, I'm happy to tell them all about what makes Dave so amazing and wonderful. Heck, sometimes I tell people even if they don't ask! But usually I'm not one to gush on and on... This time I just have to. I have to share a couple of texts he sent me because they'll help to explain just how I know he's my One.
Last night- "Hawny, I love you. Why are you so good to me all the time? You are a blessing. Claim every promise of God tomorrow and know that you are in my heart and in my prayers. I love you with all my heart and as long as we are on this earth together I want to be with you."
"Sleep well. I love you with all my heart."
Today- "Hawny, do I make you feel like you're still one of my greatest pursuits? I just want you to know I still want you as badly as I did the day I told you I loved you and while we may be familiar with one another now, you are still the greatest adventure I've ever been on. I love you and I want you to know you are precious to me."
"Actually, I need you to know. My life makes sense with you in it. I love you with my whole heart."
He knows the past couple of months have been trying and, while I'm keeping an upbeat and positive outlook overall, he recognizes when I start to slip and slide a little. I don't even have to tell him I'm losing traction; he just senses it and does something to steady me. Sometimes it's flowers for 'no reason' and other times it's a nice date-night in and this time it was these texts.
I love him.
Last night- "Hawny, I love you. Why are you so good to me all the time? You are a blessing. Claim every promise of God tomorrow and know that you are in my heart and in my prayers. I love you with all my heart and as long as we are on this earth together I want to be with you."
"Sleep well. I love you with all my heart."
Today- "Hawny, do I make you feel like you're still one of my greatest pursuits? I just want you to know I still want you as badly as I did the day I told you I loved you and while we may be familiar with one another now, you are still the greatest adventure I've ever been on. I love you and I want you to know you are precious to me."
"Actually, I need you to know. My life makes sense with you in it. I love you with my whole heart."
He knows the past couple of months have been trying and, while I'm keeping an upbeat and positive outlook overall, he recognizes when I start to slip and slide a little. I don't even have to tell him I'm losing traction; he just senses it and does something to steady me. Sometimes it's flowers for 'no reason' and other times it's a nice date-night in and this time it was these texts.
I love him.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Roller Derby
I'm officially a Level 2 skater now :) YAYAYAYAYAY!
To put this in context:
When you first start in roller derby, you are considered a Level 1 skater. If you're just beginning on skates and are trying to get the basic basics down, you're an "Intermediate Level 1". But if you've got the basic basics down but you haven't done derby specific stuff before, you're an "Advanced Level 1". (I was an Advanced Level 1.) After Level 1 is Level 2 which is where you've got the basic moves of derby but you haven't finessed them and you haven't put plays into use. Essentially, it's where you learn how to take the raw skills and turn them into fluid 'moves' and 'plays'. Then it's on up to Level 3 which is the highest and is where you are considered "draftable". This is where, after they've watched you practice for a bit, teams can pick you to join them and then when a bout is coming up you practice with your specific team exclusively and that's who you skate with at the bout. Cherry City Derby Girls (my league) has 4 teams: Thrill Kill Kittens, Dolls of Anarchy, Panty Raiders, and Rydell Belles.
So that's a basic layout of our advancement schedule.
Every 3-6 months or so, they have "Level Up Testing" which is where you can attempt to pass physical and written tests to move up to the next level. This last week was a chance for the Advanced Level 1 girls to test up to Level 2 if they wanted to. Everyone had been working super hard so we all decided to test up. We spent extra time practicing the necessary skills and maneuvers and we held study groups for the rules and regulations. Luckily it paid off big time! We were the first chunkette of girls to ALL PASS together!! We had 7 hours of testing and then a written test (took about 30 minutes or less), spread out over 3 sessions, and today at the league meeting it was announced that our whole group was moving up to Level 2 :D We were SOOOO excited!! There's 12 of us and it was so wonderful to be able to go up in front of the rest of the league and have all of us standing there.
Hopefully, in another 4ish months I'll be posting and saying that I'm a Level 3 skater :)
My goal is to skate in a bout before I have to leave for internship and I think that as long as I keep working at it, I should be able to make that happen.
I'll make sure to tell you all when it is so you can come see me and my team skate if you want :D *hint, hint* LoL!
♥ Love you ♥
To put this in context:
When you first start in roller derby, you are considered a Level 1 skater. If you're just beginning on skates and are trying to get the basic basics down, you're an "Intermediate Level 1". But if you've got the basic basics down but you haven't done derby specific stuff before, you're an "Advanced Level 1". (I was an Advanced Level 1.) After Level 1 is Level 2 which is where you've got the basic moves of derby but you haven't finessed them and you haven't put plays into use. Essentially, it's where you learn how to take the raw skills and turn them into fluid 'moves' and 'plays'. Then it's on up to Level 3 which is the highest and is where you are considered "draftable". This is where, after they've watched you practice for a bit, teams can pick you to join them and then when a bout is coming up you practice with your specific team exclusively and that's who you skate with at the bout. Cherry City Derby Girls (my league) has 4 teams: Thrill Kill Kittens, Dolls of Anarchy, Panty Raiders, and Rydell Belles.
So that's a basic layout of our advancement schedule.
Every 3-6 months or so, they have "Level Up Testing" which is where you can attempt to pass physical and written tests to move up to the next level. This last week was a chance for the Advanced Level 1 girls to test up to Level 2 if they wanted to. Everyone had been working super hard so we all decided to test up. We spent extra time practicing the necessary skills and maneuvers and we held study groups for the rules and regulations. Luckily it paid off big time! We were the first chunkette of girls to ALL PASS together!! We had 7 hours of testing and then a written test (took about 30 minutes or less), spread out over 3 sessions, and today at the league meeting it was announced that our whole group was moving up to Level 2 :D We were SOOOO excited!! There's 12 of us and it was so wonderful to be able to go up in front of the rest of the league and have all of us standing there.
Hopefully, in another 4ish months I'll be posting and saying that I'm a Level 3 skater :)
My goal is to skate in a bout before I have to leave for internship and I think that as long as I keep working at it, I should be able to make that happen.
I'll make sure to tell you all when it is so you can come see me and my team skate if you want :D *hint, hint* LoL!
♥ Love you ♥
Monday, June 28, 2010
It's my first time posting pictures everyone :)
So here's some pictures from a few recent "adventures" Dave and I have gone on :) LoL!
A trip to Ikea
My first trip to "Yocream" and I've been hooked ever since!
Dave's new side-job is to pilot the rocketships at Fred Meyers Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Tuesday's cleaning
So I'm trying out a few new cleaning products and I figured I'd give you all my review of them in case you were thinking of trying some of them. Not that I should be your decision-maker on whether or not to buy them but just so you can have the humble opinion of another greenie-in-training ;)
Biokleen Soy Toilet Scrub-
I like it for general maintainance cleaning but I'm not sure how it would perform on stains as (luckily) the people who lived here before me kept the bathroom clean and my roommates and I have been keeping it that way, too.
Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Bleach- Free and Clear-
Worked fantastically on a couple of spots on my white washclothes! I don't know how colorsafe it is but I LOVE that it doesn't smell like regular bleach.
Method Squeeky Clean Dryer Cloths- Sweet Water-
These are my new favorite laundry assistant! I grew up on soft water and didn't realize how much of an impact this had on my laundry until I moved away and I've been searching for something that would make my clothes feel more like I like them since I moved away for undergrad. I tried all sorts of laundry softeners and dryer sheets and hadn't had any luck until I used these lil' guys. You can use each one in at least two loads and I usually use them for three.
Biokleen Soy Toilet Scrub-
I like it for general maintainance cleaning but I'm not sure how it would perform on stains as (luckily) the people who lived here before me kept the bathroom clean and my roommates and I have been keeping it that way, too.
Seventh Generation Chlorine Free Bleach- Free and Clear-
Worked fantastically on a couple of spots on my white washclothes! I don't know how colorsafe it is but I LOVE that it doesn't smell like regular bleach.
Method Squeeky Clean Dryer Cloths- Sweet Water-
These are my new favorite laundry assistant! I grew up on soft water and didn't realize how much of an impact this had on my laundry until I moved away and I've been searching for something that would make my clothes feel more like I like them since I moved away for undergrad. I tried all sorts of laundry softeners and dryer sheets and hadn't had any luck until I used these lil' guys. You can use each one in at least two loads and I usually use them for three.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Well summer started off with a bang :)
I'm sitting in bed, at nine in the morning, drinking a cuppa coffee, and watching the Today Show. It is finally summer! While the weather outside would argue this point with me, I finally feel like the beginning of a break is upon me. This morning I got up, cleaned the kitchen, made a delicious edemame & Romano cheese omelet, and then I cleaned out my bathroom drawers and wiped down the counter. And pretty soon I think I'm going to take a nap :)
Then it's time to work on my dissertation and work out. This is probably how a lot of my days this summer are going to go and I am SO excited for that! I've been running around here and there and everywhere- Indiana for a wedding, Salem to work at the clinic for my dad, the beach for a women's retreat with my church girls, etc... But now it's mostly just little things here and there with breaks in between and lots of days like today.
My long-term goals for the summer (in no particular order):
1) Finish my dissertation
2) Write my internship application essays
3) Grow a successful patio garden
4) Accomplish all of my random house cleaning/maintenance projects
5) Complete at least 5 of my sewing projects
6) Figure out which sites I plan on applying to for internship
7) Conquer my allergies through an all-natural regimen
8) Meet Dave's family in Delaware
9) Pass my skills requirements for roller derby
10) Start a quality scrapbook
11) Help my mom design and create her ideal bedroom
12) Assist my dad in the garden in Salem so we can grow all the yummies we want to
13) Pick, and can or dry or freeze or jammify, as many fruits as possible
14) Go through my entire wardrobe and sell or donate whatever I don't really use
And I'm sure I'll add some more to this list but for now, this is all I can think of, LoL! Alright, time to work on my dissertation a bit and then take a nap (YAY!). I love you all :)
♥
Then it's time to work on my dissertation and work out. This is probably how a lot of my days this summer are going to go and I am SO excited for that! I've been running around here and there and everywhere- Indiana for a wedding, Salem to work at the clinic for my dad, the beach for a women's retreat with my church girls, etc... But now it's mostly just little things here and there with breaks in between and lots of days like today.
My long-term goals for the summer (in no particular order):
1) Finish my dissertation
2) Write my internship application essays
3) Grow a successful patio garden
4) Accomplish all of my random house cleaning/maintenance projects
5) Complete at least 5 of my sewing projects
6) Figure out which sites I plan on applying to for internship
7) Conquer my allergies through an all-natural regimen
8) Meet Dave's family in Delaware
9) Pass my skills requirements for roller derby
10) Start a quality scrapbook
11) Help my mom design and create her ideal bedroom
12) Assist my dad in the garden in Salem so we can grow all the yummies we want to
13) Pick, and can or dry or freeze or jammify, as many fruits as possible
14) Go through my entire wardrobe and sell or donate whatever I don't really use
And I'm sure I'll add some more to this list but for now, this is all I can think of, LoL! Alright, time to work on my dissertation a bit and then take a nap (YAY!). I love you all :)
♥
Sunday, May 9, 2010
A bit of a new direction :)
Well I haven't been blogging much lately for a number of reasons...
1) The last push from Spring Break into Summer Break is pretty brutal in school.
2) I'm becoming more active in my new church
3) Dave and I are building a beautiful relationship together
4) Between classes, finals, projects, practicum, assessments, work, church, and my dissertation, seriously, is there even time for anything else?
5) I feel like if I'm going to write a blog it should be worth the time and effort and it should be all large and polished and what-not.
So now that some of these things have become less (school stuff) and I'm getting used to other things (church stuff) and I'm letting go of cares about number 5, I've decided to start blogging about my latest kick. Being responsible. And by responsible I mean eco-conscious, environmentally careful, socially aware, ethically and morally convicted, constantly thinking about my own impact on the people and animals and things around me.
The biggest change I've noticed so far is in how I shop. I'm a shopaholic, I mean let's just call a spade a spade. I'm a terrible shopping madwoman. And honestly, that's actually never going to change because I just love it and I don't think it's a problem ('wait, isn't that what addicts say about their addictions?!'). But what I have changed is what I buy, or more aptly said, what I don't buy. I've been reading a lot of books and research websites that analyze all sorts of consumer goods and look at everything that goes into getting an item on a store shelf.
And while it is admittedly a bit more expensive up-front, I've decided that: if I can't afford to buy it correctly than I don't need to buy it at all, the irresponsible decisions cost me more in the long run, and if it's something that I can't find a good option for- would I really be able to enjoy the bad one? what do I really honestly need? is that something that I truly would die without?.
I'm not saying that everyone should do this. I'm not trying to scold or sound self-righteous. This is a choice that I have made based on countless hours of research into just what it is I buy and countless hours of self-analysis regarding why I do what I do and why I buy what I buy. While I would be the first one to encourage people to make steps towards being more green-minded, I'm making absolutely sure that I keep my finger-wagging to a minimum, (because honestly, I'll probably say something if you throw away a soda can when there's a recycling bin ten feet away).
My most recent thing has been to research not just the companies but also the ingredients of my make-up and other skin/hair products. I was absolutely disgusted by what I found out (like I literally almost threw up a little when I thought about what I've been putting on my body for it to soak up). Luckily I was almost out of a couple of things so I just purchased the next ones more responsibly but I did have to part with some fairly full bottles of lotion and some less than half-empty containers of make-up. But I didn't want to waste anything ('cause that would be a little anti-productive too) so I told my friends and family friends that I had this stuff and I told them why I was getting rid of it but then said that if they didn't care they could have it all, and I got rid of almost everything. Kind of a weird feeling- handing this stuff that I deemed too toxic for me over to my loved ones but I gave them the information and most of them said they really didn't care and thought it was silly to worry about 'something so little'. And like I said, I'm not going around telling other people they should do exactly what I'm doing. But anywho, that's the current kick I'm on. And I'm putting the link down here for anyone else who wants to check it out.
I'm going to start posting more often- probably usually on my latest green adventure or eco-discovery or tasty nugget of information.
I love you all!
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/fashion-beauty/care2-toxic-beauty-ingredients.html
1) The last push from Spring Break into Summer Break is pretty brutal in school.
2) I'm becoming more active in my new church
3) Dave and I are building a beautiful relationship together
4) Between classes, finals, projects, practicum, assessments, work, church, and my dissertation, seriously, is there even time for anything else?
5) I feel like if I'm going to write a blog it should be worth the time and effort and it should be all large and polished and what-not.
So now that some of these things have become less (school stuff) and I'm getting used to other things (church stuff) and I'm letting go of cares about number 5, I've decided to start blogging about my latest kick. Being responsible. And by responsible I mean eco-conscious, environmentally careful, socially aware, ethically and morally convicted, constantly thinking about my own impact on the people and animals and things around me.
The biggest change I've noticed so far is in how I shop. I'm a shopaholic, I mean let's just call a spade a spade. I'm a terrible shopping madwoman. And honestly, that's actually never going to change because I just love it and I don't think it's a problem ('wait, isn't that what addicts say about their addictions?!'). But what I have changed is what I buy, or more aptly said, what I don't buy. I've been reading a lot of books and research websites that analyze all sorts of consumer goods and look at everything that goes into getting an item on a store shelf.
And while it is admittedly a bit more expensive up-front, I've decided that: if I can't afford to buy it correctly than I don't need to buy it at all, the irresponsible decisions cost me more in the long run, and if it's something that I can't find a good option for- would I really be able to enjoy the bad one? what do I really honestly need? is that something that I truly would die without?.
I'm not saying that everyone should do this. I'm not trying to scold or sound self-righteous. This is a choice that I have made based on countless hours of research into just what it is I buy and countless hours of self-analysis regarding why I do what I do and why I buy what I buy. While I would be the first one to encourage people to make steps towards being more green-minded, I'm making absolutely sure that I keep my finger-wagging to a minimum, (because honestly, I'll probably say something if you throw away a soda can when there's a recycling bin ten feet away).
My most recent thing has been to research not just the companies but also the ingredients of my make-up and other skin/hair products. I was absolutely disgusted by what I found out (like I literally almost threw up a little when I thought about what I've been putting on my body for it to soak up). Luckily I was almost out of a couple of things so I just purchased the next ones more responsibly but I did have to part with some fairly full bottles of lotion and some less than half-empty containers of make-up. But I didn't want to waste anything ('cause that would be a little anti-productive too) so I told my friends and family friends that I had this stuff and I told them why I was getting rid of it but then said that if they didn't care they could have it all, and I got rid of almost everything. Kind of a weird feeling- handing this stuff that I deemed too toxic for me over to my loved ones but I gave them the information and most of them said they really didn't care and thought it was silly to worry about 'something so little'. And like I said, I'm not going around telling other people they should do exactly what I'm doing. But anywho, that's the current kick I'm on. And I'm putting the link down here for anyone else who wants to check it out.
I'm going to start posting more often- probably usually on my latest green adventure or eco-discovery or tasty nugget of information.
I love you all!
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/fashion-beauty/care2-toxic-beauty-ingredients.html
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