Good News!

I believe one or more of you are literally dying to hear this, so I'm here to tell you - I've got good news!  GOD LOVES YOU!  And He sent His Son to die for you, so you wouldn't have to.  He wanted me to let you know.

I feel myself constantly falling down to sin.  But grace will keep picking me back up, living out a life more pleasing to Christ.

First Day of the Third Semester

It went well.  I even got a few small kinks thrown in for good measure.  I get the feeling there will be an extraordinarily large amount of writing (not to mention editing and formatting) for these few classes I'm taking.

But then again... I'm in college to become, well, a writer.  So, I suppose it is to be expected.  So with that said - bring it on!  I'm game for a little writing!

There have been various times where I've sat in a classroom, just trying to wrap my mind around the concept that I'm not like everyone else in the sense that they're not in this to become writers, who could end up writing for virtually any industry/company. I feel like I'm constantly playing a game of "job inside of a job inside of a job", and I have to figure out exactly where I fit, whereas everyone else can just say, "Oh. It's my job."  Confusing?  Yeah.  Me too.

Coveting Prayer

Greg Nettle, pastor at RiverTree, had this posted on his blog: "I covet your prayers." (He is going on a trip to Africa to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, and to visit an AIDS infected area to give help to the residents there.)

But it struck me as funny: Covet prayer?  You covet my prayers?  I thought coveting was bad.

But read it again: "I covet your prayers".  Yes, the ten commandments say not to covet others' possessions (or family members...), but does it say anything about not coveting other such spiritual help?  I thought about it, and, no.  It doesn't.  So what's the lesson here?  You can covet my prayers for you!  You can covet them all you want!  And I in turn can covet your prayers for me.  Reminds me of a Jack Sparrow quote: "I love weddings!  Drinks all around!"  Only, here, the quote seems to go more like: "I love God!  Prayers all around!"

Are you afraid to pray?  I'll have to admit... I am too at times.  But He's there - all the time. Just waiting for you to pick up the phone...

School Can Hurry Up Now

After having worked two ten-hour days this week (one of them being just today), and the rest of the days having been at least five hours (pick one of the two places of employment), I'm ready for a break.  I realize I might sound like something of a wuss to people who work more than five hours every day.  But you must keep in mind that in any given week, six out of the seven - I'm working.  If not at just one place - then both.  

I relish a complete day off.  And it's tomorrow!  Of course, it's eaten up by an eye appointment, and a football game (which, I did in fact volunteer to help in the concession stands - but only because they have the best hot dogs).

I'm ready to slow down the workaholic behavior.  I'll swap it for schoolaholic behavior.  Engaging brain is more fun than mundanely swiping things across a scanner endlessly.

Guess it's a good thing I've only got four days 'til it starts!

And Where Did the Summer Go?

I haven't a clue.  Where'd it go?  Oh yeah - I was working the whole time!  And luckily, even though (to me) I've been spending gobs of money, I'm still well on my way to paying for spring semester's tuition.  What else did I do? Well, I did read, go to church, go on the mission trip, do VBS, spend time with friends, and erm... write the book!  Yeah!  The book, you might ask?  Oh, it's coming.  The storyline is fairly well hashed out in my mind, I just have to write down pieces that will be coherent to an outsider.  I do have several scenes (or at least the beginnings of scenes) written.  Gotta work on that.

I wonder how much more I could get written if I really work at it before school starts.  I might surprise myself.  Hmm... maybe I'll try it.  And hey, it doesn't have to be perfect.  Not yet at least.

Oh, and happy story here - my sister officially got her first full time teaching job, at a Montessori school just a few miles away.  I'm excited for her.

Breaking Dawn: Finished

I finished Breaking Dawn on Tuesday night.  Technically it was Wednesday morning, but it was only about half an hour past midnight when I finished, so I'm considering it Tuesday night.  As though you really care...

It was good.  And now, I should really like to continue my own novel.

That, and school starts again in nineteen days.  Oh, please help.  I have two semesters to go before that associate's degree is mine.  It is either going to be very pretty, these last two semesters, or get really ugly.  I sincerely hope it is not the latter.  I should like a continuation of the grades I earned the past two semesters, and hopefully a good internship.

And I'm considering getting another job.... once again... 

Would corporate America please stop slowing eating away at my soul?

Breaking Dawn: Halfway Done

Friday night, Laura, Elaine, Megan, and myself all went to Borders for the midnight release of Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer.  I'm not sure if I'd do it again.  Mind you, the only other midnight book release I've been to was for the last couple Harry Potter book, and I never even bought my own copy, and we didn't go to Borders for them either.

I told Laura she could read (and finish) the book before I did.  Well, the first part didn't happen. I'm to page 471.  As we speak, she's still only in the 200's somewhere.  But, I did promise her she could finish the book before I did.  So I have stopped reading and relinquished the book to her. She'd just better read fast, because the more I talk and think about it, the more I want to keep reading it.

For those who haven't read the series, again, I highly recommend it.  This fourth book definitely has a different feel than the first three (I'm not the only one who thinks this either), but it is still excellent in its own right.