Song of the Moment

Savior King by Hillsong

And now the weak say I have strength
By the spirit of power that raised Christ from the dead
And now the poor stand and confess
That my portion is Him and I'm more than blessed

Let now our hearts burn with a flame
A fire consuming all for your Son's holy name
And with the heavens we declare
You are our king

We love you Lord, we worship you
You are our God, you alone are good
You asked your Son to carry this
The heavy cross, outweighed our sin

Let now your church shine as the bride
That you saw in your heart as you offered up your life
Let now the lost be welcomed home
By the saved and redeemed those adopted as your own

Let now our hearts burn with a flame
A fire consuming all for your Son's holy name
And with the heavens we declare
You are our king

We love you Lord, we worship you
You are our God, you alone are good
You asked your Son to carry this
The heavy cross, outweighed our sin

I love you Lord, I worship you
Hope which was lost, now stands renewed
I give my life to honor this
The love of Christ, the savior king

Let this song remind you that the Lord is Good.

Kid-Free Friday

Today I don't have to watch kids!

"Why?" You may ask. Because today we are being professionally developed.

In other news, my sis-in-law is quite full with baby (32 weeks on Saturday, I believe... sorry if I got that wrong.) and I had my first dream about the baby last night! Score! I've been waiting for that to happen.

It was such a sweet little dream too. Basically what happened was that everyone (and by "everyone" I mean me, d., d's parents, d's not pregnant sister, etc.) was in separate places doing their own thing and somehow we all felt like we had to get to the hospital, and we had to get there now!

So we all (separately) rush to the hospital only to meet each other in the foyer and find that Aubs had already delivered baby G!

Strange dream, I know, but G was healthy and happy and that's all that matters!

Time to get developed professionally.

i'm out.

Soccer Woes

Right now I'm sitting in my apartment, alone, while Dusty is in Nelson County. Reffing. Makin' the big bucks. For me, for us. So that we don't get evicted.

Also watching a pre-season Colts game. Feeling a bit nervous about this season. But confident. Now I want to make a list. Here are some songs that fit my moment:

1. Please Turn Red by Andy Davis: I am waiting for the leaves to change and this song reminds me of fall semester, junior year of college. Nerts, the Duffy House, new friends, and the lake.
2. Death and All Of His Friend by Coldplay: ...because I DON'T WANNA FOLLOW DEATH AND ALL OF HIS FRIENDS!
3. I Knew You Before by Dustin Kensrue: This song reminds me of a friend from the past, and yet somehow, a friend from my present.
4. All The Way Down by Glen Hansard: Deliciously depressing.
5. Savior King by Hillsong: A song to renounce delicious depressing-ness
6. Day That Cuts Till Dawn by Jamie Barnes: Have you heard this guy? Do yourself a favor and search him out.
7. The Space Between Living & Dying by Jeremy Casella: So damn catchy! :) I just cursed on my blog... that was sort of freeing.
8. Wolves by Josh Ritter: Because I've got "wolves in the piano, wolves underneath the stairs!"
9. All These Things That I've Done by The Killers: When I hear this song I see Dusty dancing in the car, singing out loud and thinking that I can't see or hear him. Soooo cute.
10. All I Am Is All You're Not by Sloan: see reason number 7.
11. Annie by Waterdeep: "He who raised you up, has raised you up so high."
12. Everything Has Changed by William Fitzsimmons: Because I used to be young and now I'm not (even though I am) and everything has changed and I'm feeling it in my bones.

Story Time With Red Vol. II

Today I had to make up a story about a hippopotmous in the jungle. Evidently, this hippo had forgetful friends, who turned out not to be forgetful at all! They were really planning a surprise birthday party!

What will I think of next?!

Story Time With Red

I have this little girl in my class at work and she's, in a word, hysterical. While I was with her class in the two year old room last year I caught her wearing her older brother's underpants, and licking the bottom of her flip flops because she had rubbed some Cheetos on them before coming to daycare.

Now she's in my three year old class and she's quite the handful, but I love her. For the purpose of this blog (and any blogs to follow) I will call her "Red."

Red has a hard time taking a nap during naptime, which is unfortunate for everyone in the class (and by everyone I mean everyone!) I've gotten into the semi-bad habit of sitting down next to her mat and making sure that she lies still.

Last week, I hear her whisper, "I want you to read me a story." So I head to the bookshelf and she yells, "NO! Read it to me!" I assume this means tell it to her and proceed to orate an embarassing rendition of the princess, the frog, the kiss, the man. Here's an excerpt of our story time that day:

Me: "And suddenly, the frog turned into a handsome prince."
Red: "...pull."
Me: "...what?"
Red: "Prince-pull."
Me: "Handsome principal?"
Red: *yawn* "Yeah... prince-pull."

She also asked me to tell a story about "an alien in the home" and "the elephant in the pond then could fly."

Thanks Red for challenging my creativity everyday. What will you come up with next?

D & E Through The Decades

Go play here.

How To Bag You A Man

Today at work a little girl admitted to me that she had a crush on one of the boys in my class. I find this humorous as she is four and he is two. She said that it didn't matter.

Throughout the time I've worked at the Center, I've observed some pretty funny love triangles. Listed below are what I'd like to call Pre-School Rules For Dating:

1. Forget homogenous relationships. You may be dating someone totally different at the table toys center as you do in home living. All in the span of twenty minutes.


2. For girls trying to get a boy, always get two of whatever is passed out in gym. For instance, "Oh Jackson! I've got two hula hoops! Want one?"


3. Boys: chase her... hard. Run her down if you have to. Just make sure she doesn't get away.


4. Holding hands is like kissing and kissing is like, well... you know. However, if your teachers see you doing either of them expect a stern talking to.


5. Girls: If, by chance, the question arises as to who actually is your boyfriend organize a footrace to occur on the playground. The first one to the fence and back is the one.
6. Remember that your significant other's parent will always, always think you're cute and nice. At this age, it's all about the innocence.

And just remember if any problems arise, there are plenty of fish in the sea. Try again in about sixteen years.

My Twin Virtues

Today I learned something about myself at work:

While patience may be a virtue, there is a fine line between patience and just plain stubborness.

Luckily, I maintain equal amounts of both! That's how I can make a child that's kicking me in the shins sit in time out without shaking the tar out of him! (or her...)

I'm going to be a great mom!

Oh The Places You Will Go

Today I overheard a conversation between two (seemingly) freshman that had just moved to Campbellsville. While they're walking through the frozen foods with their cereal and popcorn in hand, one says to the other:

"Oh, and I hope you know you're welcome to this at any time. What's mine is yours!"

Girl 2 replies,

"For sure! You too!"

Well isn't that sweet?

Little did I know when I moved to Kentucky as a freshman that I would have 8 roommates (including the ones I have now!) and 5 different addresses. Six, if you count my grandma's house. Let's recap:

Stapp Hall: I lived here for 2 years (freshman and sophomore.) My favorite thing about living in Stapp is how connected I felt to the new atmosphere around me, especially as a freshman. The bunk beds were cool too.

The Duffy House: After my sophomore year I got over the whole dorm thing and wanted out on my own. Enter 495 Duffy Street and three great roommates, a good ole boy landlord, and a mother of a lawn to mow that summer I stayed there alone.

Best thing about this house was getting to know the three gals that I stayed with and of course, this was the place where d. and I fell in like. Below is a picture of us gettin' the heck outta there when our landlord raised the rent. Thanks DeWayne! (Boooo!)

The Arbor House: After Duffy my roommate Jenn and I moved onto Arbor Lane. I have nothing good to say about this house, except it was great to get to know Jenn and the bathroom had two sinks. The land lady was terrible, and I fully believe there was something spiritually wrong in the house. Both Jenn and I never felt like we were alone in there, even when we were. I had terrible dreams at nights, and there was one time I woke up paralized with a dark something hovering over my bed not allowing me to yell for help. We got out of there as soon as the lease was up!

The Bayt: Apartment B8 that is! We were desperate to get out of creepy house, so I found a shabby little apartment not far from campus. We moved in in record time, but the apartment was against me. The carpet smelled of cat pee and there were no screens on the windows. There was a mutant smell coming from the cabinet under the sink and the deck was about to fall apart. I lasted here a whole 4 months.

The Love Nest: After it started getting warm and I couldn't open the windows in the Bayt, I started going insane. However, the Lord allowed us to move to a great little apartment in the same complex, different building that had new windows, central heat and air, and a dishwasher. I was in heaven! And this is where Dusty and I (and Garrett, can't forget our great roommate) kick up our feet!

Olympic Hero

Flashback to August 2004. I am sitting in my dorm room at my new computer (mistake, should've gone for the laptop) and watching something on the Olympics.

It was then that I applied this picture of Mr. Phelps as my desktop background.

(shameless, I know)

Well, it is four years later and I am sitting in my apartment only a few blocks from that same dorm. I have a picture of my hubby and me as my desktop background now but Michael is currently on my TV screen. He is a little teary eyed and is wearing his eighth Olympic gold around his neck while the national anthem plays.

(sidenote: Bob Costas is really ruining this for me right now.)

I'm not one to be all sappy and patriotic, but I think it's safe to say that Michael has made his country proud tonight (er... this afternoon Beijing time.)

Maybe I am a Phelps Phan after all.

What Will They Do Next?

Has anyone played with Google Street View? Find a city in the U.S. and click on a blue outlined road and hey presto! You've got yourself a view of that street. Click here to experience the goodness.

Currently Reading

Never has a book physically affected my mood or attitude. I realized that while I read this book I become more irritable, more moody, and frankly hyper-sensitive to the evil that surrounds each page.

This doesn't stop me from reading. In fact, it causes me to read quicker, just to get through it. I highly recommend this book to anyone, but don't enter into the story blindly. Realize that you're about to read a story of hate, injustice, brutality. (Hmm, really makes you want to run right out and buy it I bet.)

Hamlin/West Wedding Goodness

As promised, here are some pictures from my cousin's wedding: Beautiful bride, beautiful day!

Hamlin Wedding

Just got back from my cousin's wedding today. I think it's safe to say a great time was had by all! More pictures to come including who caught the garter and a back shot of the world's rudest wedding photographer. (Not kidding, it was the general consensus of everyone subjected to being in a shot wih her.)

On that note, I'll save a sappy good luck blog until I can get the pictures uploaded. For now, I'm going to settle in, eat some sweet corn with the in-laws, and watch Michael Phelps bring home another gold medal!

peace.

He Lived!

Dusty made it through the caves and has the scrapes and bruises to prove it! Do I smell a guest blog...? Stay tuned!

My Old Kentucky Home

I love hanging out with my family. Not just my mom and dad and brother, but extended family. It doesn't feel obligatory at all.

Well, this weekend there's yet another wedding in the family: my rad cousin, Hannah and her fiancee Matt are tying the knot. Pre-wedding festivites went down tonight in their backyard in Vine Grove.

And what would a Hamlin family gathering be without an impromptu bluegrass throwdown?

(please excuse the video quality, it was taken with my phone.)




That's my uncle Bill in the chair playing the banjo; to his left, Steve my cousin's uncle on her mom's side; to his left Luke (green shirt) my cousin; and to his left my Uncle Ed (red shirt) home on leave from Baghdad for a while to see his little girl get married.

All in all, it was a great night!

They're Coming...!

This time tomorrow, inshallah, my fabulous mom, dad, and baby brother will be in Campbellsville. The occasion is my cousins wedding, but they're making a few days of it. I mean really, why drive a billion hours just to turn around and drive back.

Some of the activities that we have planned are:

• Thursday my mom is coming to my class to read them a book... I've warned her, but I don't think anyone can be prepped for a new classful of bright eyed, bushy tailed, in-your-face-just-turned-three-year-olds.
• Also on Thursday, my Dad is taking Dusty and Kyle (husband and brother) to one of Mammoth Cave's "Wild Cave Tours." (To be honest, I'm a little leery of this... read the website!)
• On Friday, I'm getting off work early and going shopping with my mom. (Can't get enough of that!)
• On Saturday my cousin Hannah is marrying the love of her life Matt.
• On Sunday, I am still trying to convince my parents to come to the Vineyard. *Fingers crossed.*

All in all, it looks like a pretty fun weekend! This will be the first time I'm around my family as a Snyder. I wonder if during the summer I have suddenly spread all my Hamlin characteristics and they're going to think I'm some freak-o? Then again, who am I calling freak-o anyways? (That one was for you, Ed!)

to bed i go!

Family Resemblance...

... or sheer coincidence?

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