Mele Kalikimaka!

Well, I just had to put a little post up here before Christmas.

I never would have thought this year would nearly be over so fast. Some things drag on while others zip by.
It's been a great, and a hard, year...
... But you already know that. So I'll just leave a simple wish for you, my few and special readers: May your days be merry and bright, and may your Christmas this year be peaceful.


O come all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
O sing all ye citizens of heaven above
Glory to God, glory in the Highest
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
O Jesus! to Thee all glory given.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O Come, Let Us Adore HIM,
CHRIST THE LORD!


Mele kalikimaka!

1 year and 7 days ago...

I was just looking at a post I wrote 1 year (and seven days) ago. "What do you want to learn?"
Now, at the turn of yet another semester and enrollment for the spring semester, I think it's time to update that list. Here goes:

My old list entailed -- clay pottery, guitar, photography, some form of self defense, how to play the Bodhrán drum, ballroom dancing with flair, story writing skills, Irish language, Hawaiian (Polynesian) language, the hula, and the care, keeping, and training of homing pidgeons.

I think, for my new list I shall start with -- Guitar! (it is my therapy for any time); Spanish (I'm being challenged and having fun in my language class this semester and I'm enrolled in more for next semester); photography, sure; um, and writing, yup; dancing, dancing, dancing, pretty much always valid; yes, Irish and Hawaiian languages (but I'll stick to tackling Spanish for now); um, okay, I'll just say the same old list and see what I can add to it :-P
. . .
Hmm.. maybe this is why I'm having a hard time finding a class(es) to fill that last 3 credit hours I need for next semester... I can't think of what I want to learn, and what I can think of isn't all offered as college classes...
Persisting in my quest for things I want to learn . . .

Better Comedy? How to come up with my own material and line delivery and timing... Improved Juggling Skills. I never did get as far as juggling pins...
Um, I'll have to continue this later. I'm being really stupid right now being up at this time.. I have a test in the morning! How did the time get away from me?!!! oi

learn better time management???

What do you want to learn?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Update on December 3rd, 2007

I should add rock climbing and repelling (off of cliffs, not people) to my list of things I want to learn.

I think I came up with one or two other things, but I can't remember them right now, so.. until then or my next post!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What Is My Swing of Things? What's Yours?

I don't mean to be distant. I don't mean to seperate myself from others.
Or do I?

Sometimes all I want to do is get away from people asking me questions. But at the same time, I want my friends, acting normally, to talk with me and spend time with me.
But I'm always busy. Get up, get going, school, home, lunch, homework with housework, helping work (odds and ends tidbits that occur all the time and take an amazingly long amount of time when they shouldn't), more homework, and housework, a too-long nap (I need it), dinner and unwinding with the TV, get ready for bed, go to bed, day's over, repeat cycle.

I realize that's actually pretty close to what it is for a lot of people, but it seems I can't handle it as well as others. What's your secret? I find myself drifting away from people and I'm not sure what to do. How to better manage my time? Is that possible at this point in life? Do I just need to keep going to find the "swing of things" and find the pattern of this part of life?

Reading Lists

This summer, I have read (including finishing books I'd previously started):

Another Chance to Love You
Black Beauty
Den of the White Fox
Eragon
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Knights of the Old Republic: Vol 1 (comic book)
Knights of the Old Republic: Vol 2 (comic book)
Origin (graphic novel/comic book)
Robin Hood
The Shepherd's Voice
Sisterchicks do the Hula
Ties that Bind, Ties that Break

I am currently reading: All-American Girl by Meg Cabot


What was your reading list this summer? What books do you still want to read?


~This is just something I'm posting for fun. Earlier I mentioned I was reading 5 novels this summer in my post "I love summer." Now that summer is 'over' (school starts on Monday), it's time to post the list. Please still look at the previous post "How would you like your change?" It is something that is important to me. I would appreciate thoughts and comments on it.~

How would you like your change?

Life is full of change. You can't stop it. Some change is wonderful, some change is bad, some is inbetween.

I've been thinking about some major changes lately. It occurred to me that I could finish an associates degree and be going to a four year university this time next year. With the places I'm looking at, that would most definately mean a big change of living location for me. Weird, huh?

That's not the only change I've been thinking about. This semester I'll have a friend on campus, yes, for the first time really; I'm hoping to have two friends on campus next semester, even better if we had a class together. My small group Bible study is changing. We're dividing the group, in essence. It will really be a small, small group. We'll have a new leader, too. This change will likely be very good, but that doesn't mean it's easy.

Change is all around me right now. Sometimes I'm sad, other times I don't know where to fit in. It's all really strange for me. Change is a part of growing.. but even growing, a very good thing, has growing pains sometimes.

Where have you noticed your life changing? Where do you see it going? Are we in the same picture, or do we travel different paths that distance us?
Are you having as hard of a time with change as I am? (Even though it is extremely exciting at times, I admit.)

An Ache in My Heart

I've been sad lately. A friend of mine that I graduated with is going through a tough time. Her father went home to be with the Lord recently. I hadn't seen or talked to my friend in a little over a year until recently, and I had never met her dad, but it makes me really sad. Though my death will hold no sting for myself, I hate death. It hurts.

Please, if you think of it, pray for my friend and her family.
We sang "Be Still, My Soul" in worship service today. It touched my aching heart. May the Lord, our Caregiver, use it to touch you today as well.


1.Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side;
bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
leave to your God to order and provide;
in ev'ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: your best, your heav'nly Friend
through thorny ways leads to joyful end.

2. Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
to guide the future as he has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

3. Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
and all is darkened in the vale of tears,
then shall you better know his love, his heart,
who comes to soothe your sorrow and your fears.
Be still, my soul: your Jesus can repay
from his own fullness all he takes away.

4. Be still, my soul: the hour is hasn'tning on
when we shall be forever with the Lord,
when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past,
all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

I love summer

Don't you?
Let's get together and do something! :-D

Or I could just go back to reading my 5 novels...

Write-O-Rama!

Why does it bother me so much to have papers with marks on them? Papers I've turned in for class that come back with corrections and a grade.

I keep getting frustrated when I get my papers for English class back. Today, I finally wondered why.

I think it's because writing is kinda dear to me. Yes, I do hope to publish a novel (or two) some day, whether it's the "Great American Novel" or not, just as long as it's published. I enjoy writing; I get comfortable in front of my laptop and write fiction for my own enjoyment. I'm not grading it. It doesn't have to be fantabulous. It makes me happy. It makes me happy just to be writing it. I can let my creative juices flow, in my personal, unjudged by people, myself time.

So, why would that effect getting papers graded for class? Perhaps because the grade, the marks of correction mean my writing is not acceptable. It is imperfect. It is being judged, not mearly enjoyed. It's not supportive marks, just marks. Not marks made by a best friend who is honest with the mistakes but genuinly wants the best I can do and shows me which direction to go. The hardest part may be when I cannot see a reason for some of the marks. They are just there, and I believe the correction marks are wrong. That is extremely frustrating. Especially when it happens every paper. Every paper I think there is at least one mark that is incorrect and, therefore, should not count against me.

Should I let it bother me so much? Most likely no. The theory behind the class is to learn and improve my writing. It doesn't much feel like that's happening, but perhaps it is. Perhaps it is.

Is Time Visual?

Think about it. We measure time. Clocks' seconds hands tick away, moving the minutes hand, slowly moving the hours hand. We can see the effects of time: flowers blooming, grass changing, children growing, buildings deterioriating. All these things happen over time. We use time in games; sometimes holding our breath as we watch the last seconds of a football or basketball (or volleyball :D) game.

Usually we might think of time as similar to wind. We can't see it, but we can see it happens. But have you ever been outside and it seemed like you could almost see the wind? Actually see it (almost). If we can measure it, if we can see it's effects, can we see it?

I'm not saying time really is visual. I don't know. But it's thinking about things in completely new ways that leads to fascinating discoveries previously thought not possible.

So what do you think? Could time actually be visual?

::cue music:: "I'm free to do what I want, any old time."

I am likely to be internet-free or internet-less over spring break (and maybe starting a bit before then). I have lots going on, and I want to spend the time that is unscheduled wisely.

I still have Joel's response in the works as well as a review on the movie "The Devil Wears Prada". I'm hoping to post those before ya'll grow old and your hair turns white. So far, it's not workin'. ;-)


So, everyone, have a great spring break! I'll talk to ya later!

Just a quick side note

What is it with college textbooks? First my music book, now my math book of all books. Why do they feel the need to put a picture of the statue of David in there? I suppose they want to share their "art", but no thanks. I don't want to see that. If I wanted to see a naked man, I think I'd get married. I feel doomed to have at least one picture of David every semester now. This is not a happy feeling. Last semester I gave David a square, white piece of thick paper. This semster I made him a barrel to be covered with. Granted, that's partly for humor, but honestly, I really do not want to see that picture.

Textbook writers, designers, and editors everywhere, Stop it!

An Awfully Big Adventure

*sigh* Another 16 week adventure is coming. One spring semester, comin’ right up!

How will this adventure play out? The last one went OK. It wasn’t always easy or fun, but I think I learned, both school material and other. Now I know the layout of the school, so that might make the first day a bit easier. I remember, my first day, I followed the map looking for my music class. The signs that occasionally hang from the ceiling were a little misleading; I passed the room twice in the next hallway before I realized where exactly I had missed my turn. That was slightly amusing (but at the same time I was concerned to get to my class on time). I soon discovered my music teacher reminded me of Doug. Similar voice, tall, slim. Kinda weird. Kinda made me miss Doug. I was really looking forward to RUF to start.

Heh, Dr. Phil is on the radio, telling people it’s okay to be nervous/concerned/etc. whatever about the unknown. “But it’s also okay to believe in yourself.” (or something like that)

I don’t know about concerned, but... anticipating would fit. I’m anticipating the new semester. I’ll have different classes, teachers, classrooms, books (one of them is a really ugly yellow and another feels like it weighs well over 5 pounds by itself), and different things expected of me. Some things that will stay the same are my class time schedule, RUF on Wednesdays, Church, staying home.

But what will it be like? Will I have good teachers? Will my homework bury me every day?(I really, really hope not) Who will I meet? Will I make any lasting friends? Or any friends at school? What will RUF be like? (refreshing? challenging? uncomfortable? a blast?) How will this semester cause me to grow? (academically? spiritually? in maturity?) Will I perhaps get a step closer to being ready to live in a dorm away from home? (if so, will I want to? would that be a wise choice? even if I can come home every weekend?)

So many questions. I don’t have the answers. I don’t have to. Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (New King James) I’m gonna start carrying that keychain. It’s a helpful verse. Wow, is that refreshing to read. Yep, definitely gonna start using that one again.

Have a blessed day!

Life in the little city.

Life... In the little city of Moore, life goes on. People get up and go to work, whether they like it or not, and do the best they can.
Life... In my house, life goes on.

I like it here. I really do. Life is complicated enough (sometimes too much), and mostly comfortable. School is out until the 22nd, which grants me a little more time to find my books for less cost and order them, as well as grants me time to relax, clean, play my guitar (a lovely gift that I really like), make pretty thank you cards and keep an unsaid resolution to not be terrible in sending those this year (I have that one every year), and take care of my room and other things that I have not done and have not been able to do for awhile. I even like my school. I have nothing against learning (it's usually the tests I don't like), and I'm somewhat excited about my nutrition class. I think (hope) it'll be interesting without making me feel horrible for every candy I eat and every vegitable that I don't eat with my meals.

Yet, even though I like the comfortable country and home of Oklahoma, I appreciate my family and friends and church family, this is the time of year I seem to find myself wishing I could be on a tropical island. Specifically, one of six. I want to go to Hawai`i.

I long for a quiet day, the sun is bright and warm, the breeze is soft and cool, the ocean sings to me, and the hammok I lay in gently rocks me.

You may have noticed the title of my blog. Yes, it's Hawaiian. I want to learn the language, the dance, to be in the culture, to explore, and be amazed at the diversity of God's creation. Some day, I hope it's in God's will, I want to go to Hawai`i.