To Blave Means to Bluff, heh?

Apparently, I am a blogger now. Or, rather, at this moment in time I am a blogger because, as we all know, the internet is a fickle thing, and who can say what I will be doing even two months from now, anyway? Having a new way to describe myself, I decided to figure out just what that means.

Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary

Main Entry: blog

Pronunciation: \blôg, 'bläg\

Function: noun

Etymology: short for Weblog

Date: 1999

: a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer; also: the contents of such a site

--blog*ger noun

--blog*ging noun

It is exactly how it sounds.

Doing pretty much whatever you want and in whatever style you want while interacting with others over the "interweb". This led me to ponder, "Why does one blog?" and "To blog, or not to blog?" Which then led me to recall a scene from The Princess Bride:

Miracle Max: Go through his clothes and look for loose change.

[Max puts the bellows to Westley's mouth, and blows air in.]

Hey! Hello in there! Hey! What's so important? What you got here that's worth living for? 

Westley: T-R-U-E L-O-V-E.

Inigo: "True Love", you heard him? You could not ask for a more noble cause than that. 

Miracle Max: Yeah, True Love is the greatest thing in the world, except for a nice MLT---mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, when the mutton is nice and lean, and the tomato is ripe. < makes puckering sound > They're so perky. I love that. But that's not what he said--he distinctly said "To blave" and as we all know, to blave means to bluff, heh? So you were probably playing cards, and he cheated-- 

[A withered lady storms into the room] 

Valerie: Liar! Liar! Liar!

Miracle Max: Get back, witch! 

Valerie: I'm not a witch, I'm your wife, but after what you just said, I'm not even sure I want to be that anymore.

Miracle Max: You never had it so good.

Rabbit trail. Still, what noble cause is there behind creating a blog? It all seems very egocentric. Read my blog! Hear what I have to say! Find me funny and entertaining and make many comments concerning my inherent awesomeness! Yet, I have found many weblogs that have moved me to tears or made me rethink certain aspects of my life for two reasons: 1. The writer was humble and honest. 2. God was clearly working in said writer's life.

A blog can still be pretty and creative and entertaining without mentioning God. And those are wonderful, too! How else would we learn to make Pots de Creme or decide who is better--Brontë or Austen (a difficult decision after seeing how completely epic the Brontë sisters are)? I think that I am leaning toward a mixture of both. I like being lighthearted and fun. But I think that sometimes God places certain circumstances in my life that are simply "wow" moments for me, and I feel as though I would just burst if I did not share them with someone. And when others have shared their "wow" moments with me, I know that it has oftentimes encouraged and deepened my own faith.

Basically, I am just going to be me. I will try my very hardest not to post certain things just to please someone; similarly, I will try not to withhold other things that might cast me in a harsh light. As Paul said, "But by the grace of God I am what I am."

P.S. I have absolutely no idea how to create an umlaut over the "e" in Bronte. I just learned how to create an umlaut over the "e" in Brontë. Cool!

On the Hunt

Lately, I have been spending a lot of time researching apartments near our area. I am a researcher. I rarely make a big purchase without investing in some serious reading or browsing. Well, let me tell you, searching for apartments is frustrating! Especially in a town like ours, where there is half as much rental housing alone as there is people--chalk that one up to some over-excitement in expanding the west side. Anyway, we were really leaning toward moving about 15 minutes north of where we are now in order to get a bigger place with less of a blow to the checkbook. We finally made a decision that this would be the best choice overall.

You know that old saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover"? Well, it's hard not to when there is such a broad spectrum. I mean, I'm not an apartment snob or anything, just discerning, I think. What am I saying? You be the judge.

The winner of "Worst Dressed Apartment" is:

And the winner of "Best Dressed Apartment" is:

To be fair, the first apartment was a one-bedroom with a walk-in closet a couple of people could easily sleep in. And the mildew was in the hall closet adjacent to the washers--which had leaked--and the manager said that was going to be fixed within the week. But, oh, the wallpaper! I could imagine it making me dizzy if I spent too much time in there. Plus, there was a hanging light in the dining nook that looked like it was taken from a 50's Italian restaurant that I could bump my head on if I jumped (and that's saying something).

But this second apartment! I'm sure it had something to do with the fact that the tenants still live there, but I walked in and it felt like home. This one is a 911 sq. ft., two-bedroom apartment with two bathrooms, a washer and dryer, and some great closet space, as well as a tiny patio area. All for a reasonable price--actually, we won't be paying much more than we have been for our little 550 sq. ft. apartment. Excitement! We hope to sign our lease this week, and then we might get to do some painting (for a little reduction in rent), because the current residents have a lavender accent wall in the bedroom (um, no), a pink and purple kids room, and a very pink bathroom. I've never painted a place that I call home before!

So, now I am just praying that everything will go through and that I won't get too distracted by the "stuff" aspect of moving. It is so easy to get into a new place and look at all of your things and say "My stuff looks old. I need new stuff!" Funny, how God reminds me even through something like apartment hunting that my heart is fickle and I need His grace just to remain focused on Him.

What a Crazy Deal

Due to my lack of organization and foresight, I ended up spending a fair amount of time in my little car, Santa Maria, last weekend. Thank God (and Jordan) for my mp3 transmitter! I always find it amazing that I can listen to a song twenty times and never catch the meaning until the twenty-first. That's how it was with this song.

Okay, so these words made me speechless! I keep coming back to "I'll supply your every lack and need". So simple, yet so true. So much of my day can be spent with rushing around or the opposite--procrastination. I always seem to forget to remember to rely on God for the little things. Then, of course, there's this line: "Don’t you know/I crossed the line it's true/When I left my throne behind for you/I gave it all for you". Well, then. So, the God of the Universe left heaven for me and--knowing who I was/am/will be--said, "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death..." (Hosea 13:14). And I'm valuable?! Crazy.

Maybe that's why Paul said, "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." I've always thought that it is difficult to look at God's love for us and not see it as backwards. We're so used to searching for love and trying to connect with others. But here is what David learned about God: "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" and "...I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation."

So, here's how I see it:

• God knew me before I was born.
• He saw all the ungodly (a.k.a. things God would not do or be pleased with) things I would ever think, say, or do.
• He loved me anyway.
• He acted on that love in the only way that could allow Him and I to be together forever.

How does that make me feel? Well, for lack of a better word, psyched!

I hope this tune gets in your head, too. While you're at it, check out some of this Lincoln, Nebraska indie group's other music, as well. Enjoy!

As the Girl Scouts Say...

..."On my honor, I will try:" to neither become obsessed with this blog, nor to ignore it for a six-month period, only to try unsuccessfully to pick it back up again.

I feel the itch to write. I am, by nature, a creature who can more eloquently express herself on paper than by mouth. Usually, when I speak, my tongue gets ahead of my mouth and a good one-third of what I say is just my own chatter. That's why that mean girl in first grade called me a "chatterbox." :[

Writing helps you to focus. It helps you to connect with others in a memorable way. And it serves as a memorial of what has gone on in your life. I want to focus on living for an Audience of One. What an all-encompassing statement that is! I want everything I do to be for God's glory and for the purpose of making me more like Him and helping others to see Him.

But I am a failure. Big time. If you are looking for a lying, slothful, lustful, murderous person, you've found her. Just ask my brother...I was plenty murderous toward him. :) But God, in all His mercy, not only opened up salvation to me through the death of His only Son on the cross, but He has provided everything I need for life and godliness. His grace is more than sufficient for a distracted, absent-minded, self-loving person like me to become a focused, Kingdom-minded, humble, loving person like Jesus.

I want to overflow with joy. I want to rejoice in Truth. I want to grow in the knowledge of grace.

I think that capturing my journey will be fun! While this will not be a blog that is 80% YouTube links, there will be the recipe of the day (add some roasted red pepper!), the inspiring song, and the hilarious video or post. And whether many read this or not, I'll still be here...I think.