Happy Halloween! Let's take a journey, shall we? A journey to Halloween's past. I've always enjoyed dressing up. We have a ridiculous amount of pictures of me dressed in some sort of getup, running around the house - or neighborhood - like a madwoman. So naturally, a night where you're allowed to dress up and don't get a lot of unusual & judgemental looks or comments is a night that I am okay with. Let's start with when I was 1 1/2. Mum dressed Abi & I up as little angels. That's the beauty of it all : you dress up as something that you're not. Pretty sure Ab's and I weren't angels. She sat on me, I pulled her hair, and I would wake Mum up every 2 hours to eat. That poor woman . . . nevertheless, the chose to dress us as angels. I like to think we're cute ^.^ This is one of my favorite childhood pictures. 4 years old, my Mum told me what trick-or-treating was. "They just give you free candy?!?" Needless to say, I liked this concept. I also liked dinosaurs. A lot. It started young. And my mommy made me a dinosaur costume for Halloween. You can't tell from the picture, but I even had green spikes all the way down my jacket and my tail. Just look at that face. Who would dare deny it candy? 5 or 6. I wanted to me Esmeralda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Can you see the resemblance? I can't . . . I should've been the goat, Jolly. We're both really white, really feisty, and make really weird noises. . . . This was not a good Halloween for me. While it was a clever idea, and we were cute together - Abi being a nurse (like her daddy) and me being her patient - you would not believe the extent at which I got teased at school because of it. This . . . was also not a good Halloween for me. The one time I willingly went as a princess. Coincidence? I think not. This was one of my favorite costumes - of Abi's and mine. Abi was a hobo, I was a big, shaggy dog. Why did I love this costume so much? Because if I played it right, people legitimately thought I was a dog. I got to use it on a Christmas float a year or so later, and everyone thought I was a sheep. Good times, good times. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the rest of my costumes. Pretty sure the pictures got lost somewhere . . . I think, though, I just dressed like a hobo for 1 - 2 years, then a guy for the rest. Here's probably what one of the earlier guy ones looked like : It got significantly better after that, I promise. Though really, the only thing that was dressing up about it was the wig, and maybe low-riding more. I wear boxers usually anyways, guy jeans happen to be rather comfortable, as are men's T-shirts. Sooo . . . yeah. It's not throwback, but still, thought I'd share this years costume. Happy Halloween everyone :) She was Merida from Brave and I was her mother in bear form :) ![]() Also, we went trick-or-treating in a strange neighborhood! I can't even tell you how long I've wanted to do that again, but no one would go with me. Well this girl did, and we got a big box of Cheerios at the first house! :D Win. ![]() Also, here's my pumpkin from this year. I'm kind of excited about it.
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Well Cali, it's been real. But I've missed the super green valley, crisp air, and rain - though I didn't get any of that upon arrival. Also, no sales tax. Though you had a super awesome book/CD/DVD thrift store, I still like my no sales tax. I miss THAT ^ As fun as hotels are, with their luggage carts, stairwells that smell distinctly of Oriental ramen and lounges that smell uncannily of ice cream, and long hallways that were made for you & your dad to run up & down, pretending to be secret agents; and sleeping on a hide-a-bed this time, which seemed to be a step up from the floor (it turns out it wasn't. I ended up back on the floor again and it was much cozier, and caused MUCH less pain) . . . It's nice to be home. I sat normally the WHOLE way back. Butt flat in my seat, legs out as they should be. No curling up, no sitting on my feet, no crossing my legs, none of it. That does not happen. Sitting normally usually causes low levels of anxiety for me. Partnered with that, it's just not very comfortable, and all the other ways usually provide greater relief from pain. And, it prevents numbness from happening in various places. I found out, however, that if your back is in enough pain, you won't be able to sit in any other position. Again, my Mum is amazing and gave me her back brace to wear for the whole trip back. Thanks again, Mum. It blessed me big time :) I got home and was out the door again within 5 minutes, spent the next hour with my small group girls, and then the next 2 hours after that with a dear friend. And now I'm home. For goodsies. I get to sleep in my own bed (that doesn't hurt my back), cuddle with my puppy, and spend my quiet time in the morning with Jesus alone. Life is sweet. Though the one on the left I made cozy, I like the one on the right the best :) ![]() Today we got to celebrate with our extended family the marriage of one of my cousins. So great to be around the whole family again! Though we were missing some, it was still wonderful. Something you all should know: my dads side of the family is ridiculous. We're awesome. We laugh, we snort, we have push up competitions and worm offs. After every wedding/reception everyone rallies and helps clean up. And that dance floor . . . it be hopping. I'm so blessed to be apart of it. The reception was beautiful, as was the couple. They definitely did it right. I'm really excited to have the new additions to the family. They fit in splendidly :) And, are you ready for this guys? I wore a dress. And heels. And a necklace. For those of you who don't know me that well - that does not happen.
I'm a sweats, T-shirt wearing, sneakers kinda girl. No muss, no fuss. Plus, me in heels is usually a pretty bad idea. And dresses . . . well, you just can't do anything in them. But, it was well worth the occasion. And BONUS, I found heels I can walk in. $7 (apparently) designer shoes at a garage sale, and an $8 dress at Goodwill. Not bad for the few occasions they'll be put to use :) Today was a magical day. Today I got to cross something off of my bucket list. As part of an early Christmas gift to my brother-in-law, our family went to the Tech Museum - where they have a special Star Wars exhibit, with the original props & costumes from the films. I got to stand a within inches of the original Yoda puppet, Darth Vader, C-3PO, R2D2, and much, much more, as well as many miniatures models. Words can't describe the excitement in my heart that went on today. I've always wanted to see these things in person. And let me just say for the record, I could TOTALLY fit inside the R2D2 costume. I so could've played him in the recent movies. Dang it! I might just try and see if I can work my way into the new trilogy that's being made . . . ![]() I asked mum what her favorite part was. Her response: everything. That's cheating. I asked Ada what his favorite part was. His response: watching you and Micah (brother-in-law). Such a wonderful day to spend with the family - Star Wars and lunch in a beautiful park, with dive bombing pigeons!. And bonus! We got to meet up with our extended family and hang out at a park. Though, I ended up falling asleep an hour into it . . . But we all got to hang out after dinner as well. And tomorrow, the festivities begin! The reason we really came down here : the wedding reception of my awesome cousin and his amazing new wife. Seriously, the more my family extends, the greater it becomes. And with that, I am now going to end my day by spending some time alone with Jesus while creative journaling. Have a very merry night (or day, depending upon when you read this)! And here we go, first family vacation in . . . a while. And of course, it wouldn't be one of our family vacations if it wasn't a road trip. I love that. We started out 37 minutes later than planned (1 hour & 37 minutes past when we were originally planning on leaving). Not bad! As per road trip tradition, I pitched my half blanket fort so as to have some privacy/space in the 10+ hours we're to be on the road. Also got to start the trip off with a lovely strawberry, peach, nectarine smoothie. Which, may not seem like the wisest thing to do on a road trip, as smoothies have the tendency to cause one to urinate excessively. But, I would like to point out that not only did I not pee right before leaving, I was also the only one who didn't need to get out at the first rest stop. Say hello to the best travel bladder in the family. It also wouldn't be a family road trip if I didn't fall asleep on the road. Which is exactly what I did within an hour of the trip. Earbuds in, Disney/misc. other animated films playlist started, and I was out. But only for a short time. Though I ended up falling asleep 2-3 other times throughout the span of the day. That's one of my favorite things about road trips. I LOVE taking naps in moving vehicles ^.^ It's very difficult to try and fall asleep to "Space Jam", however, so there was a one person dance party going on in my blanket fort as well. For those of you who don't take road trips often, let me share with you some lessons that I've acquired - at least on this trip. Lesson 1 from the road: being small has disadvantages. *Note, this was at a rest stop, not while driving. As I laid sprawled out halfway in the car, halfway out, stretching as I do, I guess my dad thought I was sitting in my seat and he just couldn't see me (not hard to do). We have a van with electric doors that you can close from the drivers seat. He started to close it on me. Startled, I fell out of the van in an attempt not to get crushed. By golly, it was a good thing I had just peed in the restrooms . . . Other than my knees, I came out of the ordeal unscathed though. Poor Ada, he felt quite bad about it. Lesson 2 from the road: if you're going to stop in and visit your uncle at his doctors office, you'll more than likely catch the receptionist off guard, therefore causing her to give you strange looks as your whole family piles into the waiting room - one wearing a Batman onesie. I don't think she knew quite what to do with us. Lesson 3 from the road: rest stops hold the potential for very strange things. At our last one of the day, right before darkness fell, we saw a lady that appeared to be waiting for someone - or homeless. She had a baby carriage with a suitcase on it, a carrier of some sort, and a large bag that she was sitting on. She also had a small, fluffy, black dog in a little coat, tied up near her. As we passed by her again on our way back from urinating, I realized that the small dog was, indeed, a cat. A fluffy, black cat, on a leash, wearing a puffy little coat. So much of me wanted to cuddle with that cat - let it know that it's identity wasn't in the coat it was wearing. Lesson 4 from the road (well, from the hotel at least): You WILL make someone smile if you walk around wearing a Batman onesie. And you'll probably receive a smile and, "Have a nice night" from a dude if you're running down the hotel hallway in said onesie, flinging your cape behind you. You'll also receive strange looks mixed with smiles if your dad is pushing you down the hallways on a luggage cart. Good times, my friends. Best Dad Ever.As my day draws to a close, I would like to make a shout out to the best daddy out there. I had my heart set on chocolate ice cream, and my brother-in-law agreed on the way down here that he'd like some as well. So we got to the hotel, unpacked, and decided to just go get some tonight. For those who don't know, there's only one kind of ice cream that I can eat, in only one flavor (which is okay, because that flavor is CHOCOLATE!), so my dad and I ventured to Market of Choice. They had the flavor my brother-in-law wanted, but they didn't have chocolate. So we raced to the next closest Market of Choice - they were closed. So we stopped by a little grocery place that was close to it - they didn't have that brand. So we then went to Safeway - they didn't have that flavor either. Who doesn't carry chocolate flavor?! Cali is killing me. So we decided to call it quits and head back to the hotel. Then we passed another store and decided to try there - didn't have that flavor, again. At this point my sister had texted us saying that there was a Target nearby, so we headed in that direction. Keep in mind, my dad did not get much sleep last night, and he had been driving just about all day. He was tired. But, he ventured on with me, trying to find my ice cream. I guess sixth times the charm, because WE FOUND IT!!! I now sit here, eating my ice cream, writing, and spending some glorious time to myself. It's the little things, guys. I love the little things.
And with that, I bid you goodnight ^.^ You know how when you go on family vacations and stay in hotels, one of the best parts is being able to sleep in the cozy, luxurious hotel bed? Well, aside from one very special occasion, I haven't been able to do so for 11 years. Why is that, might you ask? I will tell you.
It was May of 2002. Our family was road tripping to Yellowstone National Park, staying in hotels along the way. Our family is a good size for hotels. There's ada, mum, Abi, and myself. For those who don't know, Abi is my older sister of 2 years, and growing up always had been forced to share a bed with me when we stayed in a hotel. That doesn't sound like it would be that big of a deal, right? Considering I'm quite small and don't take up that much room. Well, here's the thing : I may be a tiny little lass, but by golly, I can kick like a kangaroo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SO-XpbaycM). And on top of that, I talk in my sleep. And snore. And sleepwalk, apparently. My poor future husband . . . But those other things are not what this story is about. After all, the sleep talking, sleep walking, and snoring are things that everyone in the room have to deal with, not just my sister, whom I'm sharing the bed with. No, it's the kicking that takes precedence in this story. During this particular time, I was 9 and Abi was 11. Now, though we were only 2 years apart, Abi went through a major growth spurt quite early in life. I, on the other hand, did not. There was a period of time when Abi was twice my size. This story falls into that time period. Now that you have some background on the matter . . . It was a night just like any other. Abi & I were sleeping soundly in our hotel bed, mum & ada the same in theirs. Around midnight, my parents were awoken by a loud thud, followed by exclamations from a very angry Abi. Apparently I had kicked her with such force that it knocked her clean out of bed. I say apparently because, even in doing so and with the loud thud and angry exclamations, I never woke up. Pretty sure I laughed when they told me in the morning though. My parents snickered quietly to themselves after the ordeal happened. I wasn't laughing, however, when I got booted to the floor for the next 11 years because Abi was done dealing with being abused in her sleep by her little sister. No TBT this week. I've got something burdening my heart big time and it's much more important than a story of me getting my face shoved in a bowl of ramen or whatever. Ready for this? Westboro Baptist Church. This blog is about being real, so I'm gonna be real with you guys. They piss me off. I don't get legitimately mad easily - I can get upset or frustrated, but mad is a whole different story. They infuriate me to the point of tears. Here's basically my reaction when I heard about them and what they do : 1) I was appalled 2) I wanted to wop them one good 3) I wanted to demand how they could do & say such things in God's name. Then I stopped and realized something . . . I was pretty much doing the same thing they are. Now, I've never picketed a funeral, I've never prayed for the death of soldiers, and I've never waved around signs that read "God hates you". Nor will I ever. But here's the thing : I was reacting out of hatred. I HATE what they're doing. Hate it. But when I start hating them for what they're doing & saying, how does my heart differ from theirs? I am in NO way condoning what they're doing. Cause let's be real, it's wrong, and it needs to stop. Like, NOW. But how hypocritical is it to sit here and hate someone because of their hatred? I asked God to calm my heart down so I could be level-headed once more, and as soon as He did I realized something else. My initial reaction was anger & hate (because I hate what they're doing), but when it comes down to it, my heart breaks for them. They're doing what they're doing because they legitimately believe those things. They believe that God is full of hate, and hates gays, and soldiers, and South Dakota, and the United States. They believe that what they're doing is glorifying to God. And from what I can tell, they believe that they are righteous because of their actions. It kills me that so many people believe these lies. It kills me that so many people are spreading those lies, and spinning them off as truth. And it absolutely kills me that they've twisted around God's Word. In a nutshell, here's the theme of the bible : Love. God's love, to be more specific. God's love for us. Everyone. If you can read the bible and only take away hatred from it, you're doing it wrong. "8 But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." - Romans 5:8 Let's get something straight right now, y'all : God said He is against the act of homosexuality because it goes against how He created us. THAT DOES NOT MEAN HE HATES HOMOSEXUALS. Gosh dang it, I'm so freaking tired of that lie! Also, for a brief moment let's talk about how He's also against the acts of stealing, and lying, and idolatry, and murder, etc. God knows we're broken, He knows we're sinners, He knows we mess up constantly, He knows we're not perfect - myself included all the way. God is God. He knows EVERYTHING. And yet, here's the kicker : HE STILL LOVES US. Despite the fact that we fail Him every single day - non-Christians and Christians alike - He still loves us. He may not like the crap loads of stuff that we do, but He still loves us. I wanna set something straight for people. Those who truly follow Christ don't do so because they're "perfect", or even think that they're perfect. Those who truly follow and seek Christ do so because they acknowledge that they're not perfect and they need Him. We don't seek to obey Him because of condemnation or because we feel we have no choice. God gave everyone free will. He's not a ninny about it. We seek to obey Him because of who He is; all that's He's done for us. We seek and follow Him out of love. We worship Him because of His amazing love & grace that He's poured out on us. He doesn't pour out that love & grace because we're "perfect". If we were perfect, we wouldn't need His love & grace. He pours out that love & grace because that's who He is. "8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.9 God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. 10 This is real love — not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." - 1 John 4:8-10 I ask you this : Does a God full of hate sacrifice His Son in our place, KNOWING that we would always fail Him, and so often reject Him?
So, I talk in my sleep, and I often hear about the things that I say at sleepovers the next morning.
This particular story takes place probably about 12 years ago. My friend came over to have an overnighter with me. When the time came to go to bed, I was the first to fall asleep (pretty sure that's the only time that's ever happened). A little background for you. I used to sleep on the bottom of a bunk bed that my sister and I used to share. Having my own room at this point, the top level was used as a glorious breeding ground for stuffed animals. Both levels had curtains as well. I couldn't sleep with the lights off for most of my childhood. It just wasn't an option. So overnights usually didn't happen because, well, most people can't sleep with the light on. But for whatever reason, my friend decided to spend the night this night. She waited until I was asleep and then crept out of her sleeping bag to turn off the lights. But here's the other thing, I also happen to move around quite a bit when I sleep (it can reach violent levels). It just so happened that my timing in doing this was right when she reached to turn off the light. Because of the curtain, she couldn't tell if I was awake or asleep. So she kept the light on, waiting until I stopped stirring. Some time passed and she felt confident again that I was asleep, so she reached for the light once more. But again, I stirred and mumbled in my sleep, causing her to think that I was awake. So she waited again to turn the light off until she thought I was asleep. Finally, after a while of silence from me, she reached for the light again. As she was just about to flip the switch, I sat up and yelled, "Don't take the fart! Don't take the fart!". Needless to say, this kinda startled her. She ended up giving up on trying to turn the light off and crawled back into her sleeping bag to face the long night ahead of her. So I decided to continue on with my Disney Day the next day. Again, many things were noticed as I watched Peter Pan, Aladdin, and Sleeping Beauty on that fine Tuesday. I discovered that my happy little thoughts that are necessary for flight (along with faith, trust, and pixie dust) are Jesus and bacon, and that Aladdin doesn't have nipples. But the main thing that really stood out to me was the correlation between Sleeping Beauty and spiritual warfare. ![]() Most of it is contained within the last part of the movie. Right after the 3 good fairies (Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather) break Prince Phillip out of Maleficent's dungeon, and right before they're about to bust out of the whole joint, Flora says this : "Wait, Prince Phillip. The road to true love may be barred by still many more dangers, which you alone will have to face. So arm thyself with this enchanted Shield of Virtue, and this mighty Sword of Truth, for these weapons of righteousness will triumph over evil." Sound familiar?" 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." - Ephesians 6:13-17 Granted, they changed "shield of faith" into "shield of virtue", and they swapped the "belt of truth" and "sword of the Spirit" for "sword of truth", but still, the context remains. As Christians, we're in a battle against the enemy (Devil, Satan, Lucifer, whatever you'd like to call him . . .). Whether it be in the form of lies, distractions, temptation, demon encounters, depression, etc - we're in a battle. And let's be real, you can't really fight off lies with a legitimate sword. Though that would be awesome. God equips us with other weapons and defenses to utilize in order to stand firm against the enemy : truth against the enemies lies, righteousness against immorality, peace against chaos and hardships, faith against the doubt, salvation against condemnation, and the word of God, which, like a sword, is used for both combat and as a defense. We're not supposed to attack the enemy, but stand firm against him. I love the image that the movie gives for verse 16 "16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. " Something that I LOVE and forget all too often is that God is fighting for us. It's not just us with these tools that He's given us, He's doing the brunt work of it all. Some of those arrows that the enemy shoots at us are like the ones in the movie. They start out as arrows, but God fighting for us turns them into something much less destructive. Like . . . flowers. Or bubbles! Basically, He softens the blow. Speaking of flowers . . . this actually doesn't really have anything to do with flowers, but somehow I made the connection in my mind. Probably the most beautiful thing about spiritual warfare, for me at least, is all that can come from it. Through these attacks from the enemy, God strengthens us; He uses all of the hardships and crappy situations for our benefit. Through them He produces growth, strength, endurance, peace, trust, faith, perseverance, etc. if we allow Him to. Whether the situation be battling a dragon in a forest of thorns, or battling the lies that you're not worth it while surrounded by demons. It also helps prepare us for the next battle - cause you can bet your britches the enemy isn't gonna quit! One of my all-time favorite verses is this : "Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything." - James 1:2-4 More often than not I'm reminded of His promises through the spiritual battles. Which I think is kinda funny. Here Satan is, trying to get the best of us and defeat us, and here God is, taking what Satan uses for harm and uses it for our benefit. He doesn't promise us that it will be easy - in fact, He says just the opposite. But He promises that He will walk with us every step of the way, keeping us safe (When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. - Isaiah 43:2). How does that tie into Sleeping Beauty? The symbol God gave Noah as a reminder that He keeps His promises was a rainbow : BOOM. Shaka-laka. It may not seem like a fairytale kind of life to us, but God has written our stories for us beautifully, in a way that would put Walt Disney to shame. And that my friends, is saying a lot.
Picture this :
Two (adorable) young girls - sisters - enjoying their time at home while their father is at work and their mother is running errands. The phone rings. The eldest, Abi, answers it as her mother had taught her to. Suddenly, Abi's expression changed. She hung up the phone and ran to her little sister, Lew, in a panicked state. "Lew, we have to hide!" she yelled. "The Russians are coming!" "Who was on the phone?" asked Lew. "It was a man with an accent. He said that the Russians are coming and that they'd be over soon!" Abi replied (I'm pretty sure there were tears at this point). Panicked, and terrified out of their wee little minds, the two young sisters hid in the eldest's bed, praying desperately for safety and for their mother to come back soon. There was a noise at the door. Terrified, the two sisters huddled under the covers, waiting to see what would happen next. The door opened. The intensity of the situation grew stronger. And then they heard it - their mothers voice. She was home! The two sisters bolted out of Abi's room in relief that their mother was finally home. Abi proceeded to desperately explain about the phone call, and what the man on the other line had told her. Confused and concerned, their mother decided to call the number back and get to the bottom of the situation. As it turns out, Abi just couldn't understand people with accents very well yet. The man who talked to Abi on the phone earlier repeated to her mother what he had told her : the washing machine was ready. Their washing machine had been broken up to that point and it was in for repairs. You can imagine the amount of relief the two sisters had when their mother explained to them what had happened. Despite the sheer terror and trauma that they experienced, it was all for the best. They now had their washing machine back. And the youngest had an ample excuse to tease her older sister 14 years later. |
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