All J-terms must come to an end...

Well it seems January is almost over somehow which means my month of taking one class is finishing up.  This is a bittersweet thing because on the one hand I'm kind of ready to get the semester started, but on the other hand J-term has been a blast! 

Here's a list of some of the things I have loved about this J-term...

• I got to finish reading a book (The Hunger Games) and I don't usually have much time for that during the semester
• I have had plenty of time to work out (spending some quality time with Jillian Michaels and her 30-Day Shred)
• I have watched all of The Office Season 4 (don't worry Britt, I will watch them again with you).  
• Monster Trail Mix...no it is not the healthiest probably, but I feel better about it with the nuts and raisins...
• Michael and I have gotten to have game nights every Saturday with his brother and sister-in-law--it's been a blast seeing them and their adorable children so much!  
• Time with friends...there have been a few girls' nights, there's been broomball games, time with Tina and Roz, and a few other things and it's been great!
• My class has really opened my eyes to issues in education and made me all the more exciting to be a teacher!
• And...Michael...man I love that guy.  We have gotten to spend a lot of quality time together this month and it has been so great!  From making meals, to movie nights, to dates, etc. it has been so great to see him so much!  

Those are just some of my high-lights from the last month.  This has been my final J-term and I'm very thankful Bethel has it.  It's always been a fun time to transition back into school after Christmas break.

I hope your January has been as wonderful as mine!

A lesson on octopus arms...

A few weeks ago I got my hair permed.  As my hairdresser (weird word, but that's a different story) was putting my hair in the curlers, she asked me if I could hold a chunk of my hair for her.  I of course did this and thought to myself, "Man, how convenient would it be if we had more arms like an octopus."  I have thought this many times throughout my life, but this time it caused me to pause.  If my hairdresser had more arms she would not have needed my help and thus we would not have interacted in that way.  Think of all the other ways we wouldn't have to interact with people if we had more arms.  We would never need help opening a door or carrying something.  Cooking with someone else would maybe just turn into an annoying occasion instead of an endearing one.  And, you would never need someone else to help you scratch that spot on your back that is both too high and too low for you to reach yourself.

It occurred to me (and this may be incorrect) that maybe God created us with two arms so that we had to interact with one another.  And, when you think of it, not only interact but learn a little bit about humility.  It can be humbling to admit that you cannot do something on your own and you need someone's help.  Having two arms can also provide a lesson of selflessness; for example, if you see someone with their arms full walking towards a closed door you have two choices: A) pretend you didn't see the person and that they couldn't possibly need your help anyways, or B) go out of your way to open the door for them and help them inside.  Choose selfishness or selflessness.


Like I said, maybe that isn't exactly why God made us with only two arms, but it kind of made me think.  It also led me to reflect on all the other areas that I need people in my life.  Let's be honest...that's a lot.

John Donne said "No man is an island, entire of itself," and further in Provers 27:17 it says "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

We, as human beings, are not meant to be alone.  Just as God is triune and in a continual love relationship, we too are meant to love him and love others and be in selfless relationships. 

Last week and a little Anne :)

Well another week has passed it seems.  If I could make one change to last week I would have woken up in time to work out every day...turns out skipping a week does not feel good on the day you do it again--oof! 

Aside from that it's been a very good and relatively productive week.  I am enjoying my class (Understanding Diversity), it is opening my eyes to a lot of issues I hadn't recognized before.  I find myself feeling shocked and sad a lot when I discover these things like why there are many predominantly white communities and suburbs.  We spend a lot of time looking at history and present times and then discussing the issues.  If you would like to read some of the articles or watch some of the videos/clips that I've been watching for this class let me know!  It would be worth your time to be more aware of some of the truth of our country's history and issues that remain today. 

I also finished my first book this week, The Hunger Games.  I read it because my mom, sisters, brother and grandma had, and I must admit that while it was hard for me to convince myself that I wanted to read it, I found myself sucked in a really enjoyed it. 

Last night was a girls' night so two of my roommates that are still in the country (Tina and Roz) and my roommate from the past two years went out to Red Lobster for supper and then we came back and enjoyed Anne of Green Gables with two other girls and eventually Michael's two roommates (Michael couldn't come because he had work). 

This movie is easily in my top five and really could be my favorite.  The characters just draw me in.  Here are some quotes I enjoy from the movie:

Anne: Don't you ever imagine things differently from what they are?  

Marilla: No.  

Anne: Oh Marilla, how much you miss.  

Anne: This is the most tragical thing that has ever happened to me.

Anne: I thought nothing could be as bad as red hair.  Green is ten times worse.  

Anne: I know I chatter on far too much...but if you only knew how many things I want to say and don't.  

Josie Pye: Hey, Anne, how do you spell freckles?  

Diana (of the Lake of Shining Waters): Hey, Josie, how do you spell ugly?  

Matthew: I never wanted a boy.  I only wanted you from the first day.  Don't ever change.  I love my little girl.  I'm so proud of my little girl. 

11 Goals of 2011

Well here I sit back at school on January 6 without homework, probably time to hit the blog again I suppose.  My Christmas was wonderful and break just flew by!  It seems unreal that it's over already.  Time at home is so sweet to me it's always hard to leave, but I know that God wants me at Bethel and that makes it easier (and it doesn't hurt that I have some solid people up here to come back to). 

As you can see the title of this blog is '11 Goals of 2011'.  My dad had the idea of making a list of 11 things he wanted to accomplish this year and encouraged us to do the same, as a result my entire immediate family and a large portion of my mom's side have created these lists.  I thought I would share mine with you so here it is: 

1. Read through the Bible chronologically and spend more time in prayer
2. Be more intentional about relationships--encouragement notes, phone calls, etc.
3. Exercise consistently--get to ideal body weight and maintain it
4. Stop bad habits.
5. No more gossip--if you don't have something nice to say, don't say it at all.
6. Work on Spanish speaking skills
7. Forgive faster--don't dwell on the ugly, focus on Christ!
8. Blog more often--shoot for once a week.
9. Don't be so competitive--it's just a game :)
10. Read 12 books (at least)
11. Begin supporting a child through Compassion Ministries

Well there they are, that's my list...I'm off to a pretty solid start on a few of them so far and look forward to the challenges these goals hold!  I encourage you to make a list, we all have room for improvement in some area especially if you claim to be a Christ follower as I do.  God calls us to be holy as He is holy and not that all of my goals will directly lead to holiness I think they all hold tools that can help me in my walk and life as I seek to live for Christ.