Changing the Design

Ever since I discovered that Blogger will let you add your own banner to the top of the blog, my mind immediately ran an impossibly large amount of thoughts through it, all having to do with creating the perfect banner to go along with the blog.  And so, I have been trying to create said banner, but with no success.  I need to nail the perfect pixel dimensions first, then I'll really have something to work from.

But it's going to have to sit on the back burner for now.  I leave for a mission trip tomorrow, haven't packed, and I won't be back until the fourth.  So whilst I'm out, my mind can subconsciously mull it over, and then when I get back, hopefully I'll have something a tad more creative than my first two (failed) attempts.

Other than that, I had a semi-horrible dream two nights ago.  I dreamed my dad wouldn't let me go out drinking for my birthday.  Seeing as I will, in reality, be 21 on my next birthday, I thought I'd maybe get a couple drinks, just because I'm legally allowed now.  But that dream really mangled the thought.  I informed my dad of said dream this morning.  He was amused, but in not so many words reassured me that no such thing would actually occur on my birthday. For the record, alcohol does not have great appeal to me, but I thought I'd savor the occasion anyway, just because birthdays for me have become rather bland.  It's a fairly anti-climactic thing to look forward to, I suppose.

It's funny.  When you turn 18, you're legally no longer a minor, but what are you really?  It isn't until you turn 21 that you're totally "in the club", as it were, when it comes to legalities (at least in the states).  So what, really, are the 18, 19, and 20-year-olds?  We've been told we're no longer minors, yet we're not full-fledged adults yet, in the legal sense, until we hit 21.

Weird.  Another question: Since this world defines itself by opposites, what is the opposite of a minor?  A major?  No one has ever told me.  I'm not sure anyone really knows.  To me, it almost seems some arbitrary age someone picked years ago and said, "Alright, I guess they've gained the knowledge by this age to act half responsible.  And for the half that aren't, well, maybe they'll eventually gain the insight the hard way."

Giving Up Pop for the Long Haul, Hopefully

It's not lent, this much is true.  For the past, oh pick seven or eight years, I've occasionally tried to give up pop for lent.  Sometimes with luck, sometimes with failure.

So far, it's not lent, and I'm not failing!  In many ways, it feels different to give up pop this time of year.  Or maybe it's my mindset now.  I'm not giving up pop just to pick it back up again eventually, at some predetermined date.  I'm really going to try and give it up indefinitely. They say you can actually lose a lot of weight (well, some anyway) just by not drinking pop.

I went to Chick-fil-a today with my mom, and now that I'm recollecting it, it was quite a freeing experience in a way to just get water and the entree instead of a whole meal with pop.  Less money spent, less calories taken in - works for me!

Hopefully I can continue with this trend.  Before, it was hard for me to give it up.  It was a daily struggle, and inner turmoil (temptation) boiled up inside my mind whenever a Coke bottle appeared on the kitchen table at dinner.  But now, for some reason, it doesn't appeal nearly as much to me.  The temptation isn't totally gone, but it seems to be greatly reduced.  Maybe it's not just the knowledge of knowing that I'll have failed at giving it up, but that I'll have failed at something even greater. What that something greater is though, I do not know.

Cycling Escapades: Episode 1

So, interesting little things (or maybe even some big things) along my bike routes have piqued my interest enough that I've decided to start a little miniseries of blog posts entitled "Cycling Escapades".  Cycling, because that's the vehicle that got me to that particular location.

Escapades, because I often bike further, faster, and more dangerously than my mother would approve of.   Enjoy!  FYI: I may or may not photoshop the pictures in this series.  If I do tweak them, it'll only be to change lighting and add contrast.  These first three are unaltered, and you can probably tell; it was a rather overcast day.

I haven't seen the movie Sweeney Todd, but apparently my little sister would like to very much. Now if only I can find a street named "Fleet".  That would be flippin' hilarious.

I thought it was a semi cool view, over the lake.  

Random wild flowers.  Quite wispy, tall, and purple.

The Temple Gate Called Beautiful

For the record, I've never read the book of Acts before, so I decided I would.  I read the first, oh, twelve chapters or so in one sitting, but that's beside the point.  The first section of chapter 3 hit me particularly hard, so I will rehash it for you right here:

Acts 3:1-10

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer - at three in the afternoon.  Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.  When he saw Peter and John about the enter, he asked them for money.  Peter looked straight at him, as did John.  Then Peter said, "Look, at us!"  So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.  Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you.  In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, walk."  Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong.  He jumped to his feet and began to walk.  Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.  When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

All Peter said was, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you.  In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, walk."

That's IT!  That's ALL he said - and the man walked for the first time in his life.  This amazes me; shocks me to the very core.  For Peter to have absolutely nothing tangible, but to have such faith in God that the Spirit's presence heals this man in virtually a heartbeat!

What is wrong with me?  As much as I've felt the call, I'm still such a doubter.  We've given our sick and our lame over to the medical profession; and it's always a toss up as to if they really heal to even a half better state than they were previously.  If we truly were faithful, without any doubt, would we really be able to heal like Peter?

A Rush of Sweat to the Face

So weight has always been an issue with me.  And there's part of me that thinks it will always continue to be.  But there's also part of me that thinks I really can change my eating and exercising habits, if I'm really vigilant.  Never before have I prayed about this stuff.  It seems the things I pray about become increasingly trivial.  God tells us we can pray about virtually anything; nothing is too trivial for Him.  Maybe it's the sense of humility I seem to have developed (thanks to the Spirit) that makes the things I pray about feel so trivial. However, because we can come to Him with anything - I'm really going to try and come to Him with this much more often, along with other things, of course.

To cut to the chase - I went for two fairly decent bike rides today (both were several miles in length), and I walked Dori.  I'm just hoping I burned off the Cinnabon I also ate today.  But when I think about it, that was about all I ate today, give or take...  I just wish I knew how many stinking calories were in one.  Probably many more than I wish to think about.

The goal for this summer is to loose weight, and earn money.  I already have enough for Fall semester.  Now I just have Spring semester to go.  I would love for my best friend at school, Michelle, to see me again after summer hiatus and go, "Whoa!  You lost weight!"

Viva la Vida

I wanted to get a little more in-depth with this post, but since I must work in less than an hour, I'll keep it short.

• Viva la Vida and Death and All His Friends is an extremely good album.  Coldplay continues to be an incredibly talented band.  I have yet to encounter a song of theirs which I do not like.
• I would have gone to ALIVE today, but I had to work.
• I'm continuing to save myself until marriage.  I don't care how many people tell me (or at least think) I won't find a fellow virgin to marry.  I will.
• I'm still quite anxious for Breaking Dawn to come out.  I will reread the first three again before it does, as Laura and I have decided she will read it first, since she read the series before I did.
• I'm getting closer to 21 every day.  I have about a week less than three months to go.  I'm getting quite excited for a REAL Strawberry Daiquiri.

Living the Dream

I'm not exactly sure who's dream this is I'm living, but I'm living it.  I worked JR's today, closing.  It is now 11:41pm according to Appleton's clock (which, I might add, is slow).  And I must be up and to Kmart by 8am tomorrow.  At least I'm only working until noon there.  I'm told it's an easy shift.  Then, JR's again tomorrow night, 5 to close.

Oh, it's going to be fun.  Like I said: Living the dream, working my arse off.  No seriously, quite literally.  Most, if not all, of my capris are loose fitting.  I distinctly recall a more "fitted" feel from last year.  Yay for loosing weight and not even trying that hard.  SCORE!  Okay, I'm done.

And, for your guilty pleasure, if you're a Twilight fan, check out this new clip MTV has released, which I guarantee you've probably already seen: Ballet Studio Scene.  Oh, August 2nd, and December 12th, your dates cannot come soon enough, so I shall just sit back with eager anticipation until you do.

And, an awesome parting verse, because my friend Michele rocks my socks (as does the man who spoke it, of course): (John 6:63) The Spirit gives life, the flesh counts for nothing.  The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

You hear that?  The flesh is useless without the spirit inside it!!  Oh so awesome.

Violet Hill

I gotta admit, I'm not a "religious" music listener, meaning that I do not really follow particular bands and buy all their albums.  Save for one: Coldplay.  Granted, I was not hooked on them when they first broke the U.S. music scene, but I know now for a fact that I've liked them for several years.  When in Hawaii, I took it upon myself to purchase all three (at the time) of their albums off iTunes. 

I must now share with you my growing infatuation with the song Violet Hill off their latest album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, which I have already pre-ordered (a first, ever, for me, with any music).  The lyrics fit almost perfectly with what I am now envisioning as the opening prologue for the novel I'm writing, and quite possibly a recurring theme throughout the whole thing.  Of course, it is still in infantile stages.  But it is growing.

If you haven't tried Coldplay, I highly recommend them.  Their aforementioned latest album is going to be released, in full, on June 17th.