Take Notes Boys!

This is what I found waiting for me when I got home from work today.
Because it was the end of the first week at my new job.
And because my husband is awesome.

It's been a good Friday!

Family Stuff

My parents are cracking me up right now. I just got off the phone with my mom, which turned in to a 3-way conversation, with her in the middle relaying messages between my dad and myself.

It all started when I got a message in my inbox today entitled "Don & Jody's Vacation Itinerary."

You see, they're leaving next week for a whirlwind trip through Colorado, Utah, Las Vegas (where my mother swears she'll play the pennies), Arizona, and New Mexico.

Here's what the attachment was entitled:

Ah yes! Have I mentioned that every time my grandparents go out of town my grandma calls me to let me know where they're going, when they're leaving, and when they'll be back? Must be a mother-son kind of thing.

Either way, I hope they have a good time and that my mom wins big! And luckily, I'll be able to know what they're doing at every hour of every day they'll be gone.

Maybe I should print it off and hang it at my cubicle.

Feeling (a little) Autumnal

I am over this whole summer thing.

I've found myself the past week or so literally craving fall. It's my favorite season for a number of reasons:


::1:: Football! Go Colts, Go Steelers? ::2:: The perfect fall album you ask? Thinks of Her by Andy Davis ::3::Look at that amazing fall boot! I soon shall have a pair of my own. ::4::Ah, candy corn... I love it when mixed with those little pumpkins and peanuts. Blissful! ::5:: Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin from Bath & Body Works smells amazing ::6:: The changing leaves, who doesn't love that? ::7::Pumpkin roll! I've never made one but I have plans to as soon as I deem that it feels "fall" enough outside. ::8::Apple Cider. 'Nuff said. ::9:: The Office cames back in September... not a second too soon.

I hope I've inspired you to look forward to Fall as much as I am!

Tomorrow, Lovely Tomorrow

I have been out of work since December 12, 2008.

That's over half a year.

But as of tomorrow, I will be employed at an imaging clerk at a local cell phone company's HQ in Elizabethtown!

I couldn't be more excited! This has been in the works for a week or two, but I got the official word this morning, so I figured I could leak it onto my blog.

Yessss!

Dreams//Visions//And the Like

On Wednesday I had a job interview that went rather well. As in, pending the signatures of a few more higher up, I got hired.

I'm super excited, but I also know that there is a slight possibility that I won't get the job. I mean, Mr. CEO could decide he's having a bad day and push my paperwork to the bottom of the sea.

Either way, I'm good. Before I woke up the day of the interview, I had this dream. Or maybe a vision. I had a "formula" for how to get this job, and to make it I took one cup of some fluffy mixture of something and mixed it with water. However, and here's where I say it's more of a vision, floating above the mixing bowl was the number 145.

And right before I woke up, someone in the dream said Psalm 145. So I read it.

Enter awesomeness: (vv. 15-19)

The eyes of all look to you in hope; you give them their food as they need it.

When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness.

The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.

He grants the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them.

I'm not afraid to admit that I am that needy.

How about you?

A Jumble of Variables

This is a pretty accurate picture of what I've looked like all day.

My dad gave me a pep talk this morning and said something that has been ringing in my ears all day: "You've got to make a plan Emily, and then work on the backup plans for your backup plans."

But what do you do when you don't really like any of your choices?

I guess that's what being an adult is all about. Biting the bullet, swallowing your pride, and sometimes looking like the bad guy.

Consider it Pure Joy?

Today in Sunday School (that's still weird to say by the way) we looked at the first few verses of James 1. Here's what it says:

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (vv. 2-4)

Brother Dave is in the habit of asking very pointed questions, so he says to me, "Emily, what trials did you face this week?"

I rattled off my answer and we got to talking about this verse and what it means for our "trials" and "tribulations."

Can I pause and say that sometimes, and Lord don't strike me dead, I think this verse is a little cliche? Actually it's not the verse that's cliche, it's people like you and me who make it cliche. Because when a friend of ours if have a rough time of it, we like to remind them, "Consider it pure joy..." But we definitely don't like be reminded of it ourselves.

And sometimes, there's just no stinking joy, okay?!

B. Dave said something that I thought was simple yet profound, "Maybe if we don't consider it joy, we aren't really considering it."

I'm not going to lie, I've got a nerve-wracking week ahead of me. And I don't know what's ahead of you. And I'm also not going to offer you a nice little Christian Cliche with a bow on top.

But I will say that I am going to try to renovate my viewpoint this week. Because if I'm not considering whatever-it-is as joyous, then perhaps I'm simply not considering it the way the Lord considers it.

What About You?

Being on the job hunt can be ulcer inducing, and I don't care what the economic climate looks like. I really got my hopes up about a job last week and have yet to hear anything from them. The more I sit and wait, the more a see the opportunity drying up.

And I believe the Lord has given me a word about that.

This is kind of like Elijah in 1 Kings 17. He goes up to his mortal enemy, prophesies a serious drought, and then the Lord leads him to a brook with water. He sustains Elijah with water and food from ravens (and we can read about ravens again in Luke 12) but then the brook dries up.

And I would think that the brook doesn't all of a sudden dry up. It just suffered the normal effects of a drought. Can you imagine being Elijah, sitting there, watching the Lord's provision dry up? And knowing that there is indeed a drought because he was the one who prophesied it in the first place?!

A confidence crusher, to be sure.

But as with all things the brook dried up for a reason. There was a widow and her son who needed sustaining, just as Elijah needed sustaining. (Aha! Even in the Old Testament we see that true religion is caring for widows and orphans! James 1:27)

So Elijah goes, the widows tells him she's preparing their last meal, but through the Lord's miraculous provision the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry until the day the LORD gave rain on the land. (v. 14)

And what do you know but the Lord remained true to his word? He does that, you know.

Sometimes, I guess things dry up for a reason. If that brook had remained full of water, why would Elijah had needed to go anywhere else? He could have just waited out the drought with all the provision he needed.

Let's face it, we all need provision for something. And it may not be finances or employment, that's just where I'm coming from. You may have family that needs deliverance, health issues, etc. Or all of those. Heck, I've got all of those!

Dusty preached a sermon a few weeks ago and he said something that I absolutely love, "Jesus didn't come to earth just to make me feel better about where I'm going when I die."

The power of the Holy Spirit is for us now. He delights in providing for us now. He is good to us now. Not just for our future in Heaven. Here. And we need to remind our hearts on a daily basis, especially in a season of need, to be confident that we will see his goodness in the land of the living.

So what about you? Does this resonate in your heart somewhere? Comments, please!

Car Tales

Dusty and Brother Dave are standing in my driveway right now. The hood to my car is up and they are just peering inside.


Why, might you ask? What could be so interesting under the hood?

Well, it's only your friendly, neighborhood family of MICE that has decided to take up residence in my engine!

It all started yesterday when Dusty and Matt the Cousin-in-Law were looking at it. Dusty found a black sock wadded up in front of the air filter. In the sock was a little pink writhing thing. Then out popped Momma Mouse! Matt and Dusty, I'm not afraid to say, jumped quite a bit!

They disposed of the sock and we went and bought a new battery today. Dusty was hoping with the nest gone, Momma Mouse would just pack up and move away.

We put the new battery in, and still the car wouldn't start. Dusty was on the phone with my dad, and needed to raise the hood, so I stepped over the help. And then promptly exploded in a scream as I saw that a nest was built on top of the engine and there were other writhing baby mice in it!!!

Currently, we don't know what is wrong with the car. I wouldn't be surprised to see that some very important wires have been chewed through.

I'll keep you updated, but know that this comes from a very disturbed Emily.

It's Hee-eere!

Man, I'm a video posting fiend lately!

Do Yourself A Favor...

...and watch this. My favorite part is the raindrops toward the end.



Stellar.

To See or Not To See?

I saw two movies this week, and I must say I'm a little disappointed with both, but for different reasons.

Number 1: My Sister's Keeper
Completely hopeless and depressing. Does not stay true to the original storyline. Did I mention completely hopeless and depressing? Don't waste your money. Redbox it if you must.

Number 2: Public Enemies
I love Johnny Depp. I don't think he ever makes a truly terrible film, though Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was pretty creepy. But even then, he creeped us out well. This movie was surprisingly enjoyable despite the fact that there are numerous shooting scenes and a few car chases. (And if anyone knows me, they know my feelings on that!)

What disappointed me, and I believe this was a problem with the Elizabethtown movie theater (booo!) was the sound quality. I couldn't understand a word of what they said. Either way, if you like Johnny Depp you should go see this one. You'll probably like it. And if you live around here, don't see it at Movie Palace.

Bathroom Cat

Last winter when we discovered that our lovely free home had a mouse problem, I was ready to pack up and leave in the middle of the night.

Instead, we got a cat. You may remember this post. He's not feral by any means I just like to claim it, in fact, he's quite the opposite (unlike Peeves who literally scowls at me when I go to my in-laws house!)

Rudy is an annoyance, but he can be oh-so endearing at the same time. So I think I shall keep him. That and I've been warned by the in-laws that he comes with a no return policy.

Recently he has discovered our bathroom. It started one morning when he was in a particularly bad mood about being left alone in the living room all night (In fact, I am greeted every morning by him staring at me from the couch and an indignant meow.) That morning he decided to follow me right into the bathroom to voice his complaint and thus began his obsession.

I've also been noting that our sink is getting little black smudges all in the bottom, but I couldn't figure out what from. Now I know:

I've also caught him in the bathtub, and about to get into the toilet (it was early, I forgot to put the lid down, cats are curious, do the math!)

Here's a little video I shot. Please excuse the purple collar. It was cheaper than the white one. :)




I know what you're thinking, "Emily, just keep the bathroom door shut!" Logical. But the door does this weird thing where you may think it's closed but it is not. (Awkward when we have guests over, we have to warn them to make really sure the door shuts!)

And also I think it's kind of funny. We'll see just how much mischief Rudy gets into in his bathroom adventures. I'm thinking about leaving the toilet lid open tonight, just to see...

Anecdote

I want to start your Monday off with a little anecdote to ponder.

I heard this story during adult Bible study at camp a few weeks ago. It's not word for word the account that was told, but a paraphrase. Either way, let it sink in.

Thomas Aquinas was visiting Pope Urban IV in Rome. He walked into the Pope's chamber and it was very grand. There was a huge cross that was inlaid in silver and gold. The Pope showed Thomas around some more and at the end of the tour turned to him and said, "See, the church can no longer say, 'Silver and gold have I none.'"

Thomas looked at him and was downhearted. He sighed and said, "True, but neither can she now say, 'In the name of Jesus get up and walk.'"

And that is such a true word.

Interesting Conversations

I've had two interesting conversations this week. Well, in all fairness, in the first one I was just a listener. In the second, I was an active participant.

Scene #1:

There are 6 people sitting at an outdoor table at Cafe 360 on Bardstown Road. One says to Dusty, "Ok Dusty, I know that if you commit adultery you'll go to hell. But what I want to know is if it's just the person who's married who goes to hell, or if I will too."

And he was serious.

What do you say to that, without preaching or launching into religi-speak that will go over his head. Don't give me a church answer. What would you say?

Scene #2:

I am sitting at Huddle House with Dusty and two great friends, (whose wedding I am thoroughly excited about!) and we get to talking about religion in the U.S. Here's the wall that we feel like we're running into: a lot of "evangelical Christians" out there are so focused on making converts that they forget Jesus words before he left us: make disciples. And desperate people don't need to be converted, they need someone to invest in them and be a living example of a living faith.

That's the long and short of the conversation, and I won't go into it all for fear of someone throwing tomatoes at me as I walk down the street.

But from these conversations I can say it was nice to be around non-like-mindedness and it was nice to be around like-mindedness. I don't feel like I get either of those on a daily basis.

So I Got a Haircut

So, how do you like my new do?

I think it will take some getting used to as I've never, ever, had bangs (early 90's in Kindergarten do not count, Mother) but I'm confident about my ability to rock this hairstyle.

And don't you know, it just feels so good to actually have a style again!