Wes and I just took a bunch of Sr. High students to an event called ICTC (Illinois Christian Teen Convention). There were some really amazing, touching, and convicting moments, and there were a few things that I disagreed with, but what I appreciated more than anything was the reason behind gathering for this convention.
Invisible children.
I spent some time in Jamaica about three years ago with orphans. Invisible children? Oh yes. Invisible command? No.
"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." --James 1:27
What is undefiled religion? What is worship? I think American culture, and I would occassionally be linked in this, as well, would categorize it as just music. Music is, of course, a part of it, but it's only small glimpse of what true worship really is. But couldn't one say that worship also entails among other things "...visiting orphans and widows in their distress...?" Absolutely. So let's start here.
Orphans and widows. Nothern and Southern Uganda. There's a war currently taking place amongst these two areas where men and women are left childless, and children are often drafted into an army that forces them to steal, kill, and destroy (sounds a lot like Satan in John 10:10). These endearing and beautiful kids are brainwashed and drugged to accept a life they know they're not meant for, but have no other choice to accept. Live free or die is not a motto they know. Live bound by guns and war or die fighting against it. They are pulled from their families and displaced into camps where they learn to use weapons, both to defend themselves and to kill others.
We just watched "Blood Diamond," a film about the civil war that took place in Sierra Leone during the 90s. A truly riveting and heartrinching movie, and it will make you never want to buy diamonds again. I won't go into the full plot, but South Africa is known for producing beathiful diamonds. However, because "the love of money" truly is the root of all evil, people began to realize what some others would do just to have a piece of that fortune. Rebellion armys would kill villages of people, unless they noted men of stature and stamina. They would take the young boys and train then to become rebels with a cause. Everyone else was either tortured, or left in bloody states to watch the rest of their families be killed right in front of them. Truly heartbreaking because it actually happened.
So orhpans and widows. Uganda, Jamaica and everywhere else. Invisible children are everywhere, displaced for all sorts of different reasons. Widows are everywhere, made so because of all sorts of different situations. My heart aches for them and longs to take care of them.
I'll go into some other points about ICTC and what Wes plans to do with the High School ministry now that we've been made aware of this madness later on, but for now, I just wanted to remind people who frequent this blog of James 1:27.
Hold on, dear ones. We know your lives and we want to rescue you. Your stories have remained silenced for long enough.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
"The Office"--Why We Love It
1. It's freaking hilarious
2. Michael Scott, or Michael Scarn for those who follow the show, is so off-the-wall, so random, so incredibly bad as a boss, yet lovable in weird and unknown ways
3. The pranks that Jim and Pam play on Dwight are classic. These aren't just your run-of-the-mill office gags. They are downright the most creative I've seen--and I've worked in an office. Believe me, I've tried to think of office pranks.
4. The chemistry between the main characters, especially Jim and Dwight, make for amazing TV entertainment.
5. The writing. It's fantastic. Humor, empathy, randomness, and the always good "Did he really just say that?" look Wes and I give to each other.
6. The supporting cast--Oscar, Angela, our most beloved Kevin, Phyllis, Stanley, Andy, Tolby, & Kelly. Too good.
7. And finally, Wes and I get to enjoy it together, laughing, shaking our heads at Michael, wishing we had someone in our own workplace like Dwight who we could torment...all in good fun of course.
2. Michael Scott, or Michael Scarn for those who follow the show, is so off-the-wall, so random, so incredibly bad as a boss, yet lovable in weird and unknown ways
3. The pranks that Jim and Pam play on Dwight are classic. These aren't just your run-of-the-mill office gags. They are downright the most creative I've seen--and I've worked in an office. Believe me, I've tried to think of office pranks.
4. The chemistry between the main characters, especially Jim and Dwight, make for amazing TV entertainment.
5. The writing. It's fantastic. Humor, empathy, randomness, and the always good "Did he really just say that?" look Wes and I give to each other.
6. The supporting cast--Oscar, Angela, our most beloved Kevin, Phyllis, Stanley, Andy, Tolby, & Kelly. Too good.
7. And finally, Wes and I get to enjoy it together, laughing, shaking our heads at Michael, wishing we had someone in our own workplace like Dwight who we could torment...all in good fun of course.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Reduce, Reuse, Take Showers With your Souse
Supposedly, it's "blog action day" which means that bloggers across the world are to unite and speak out on one specific topic. In this year's case, it's the environment.
What do I do to help? Well, my minister is doing a series called "God is Green," but I'm always helping with children's church, so I have yet to hear any of his messages on the matter. Recycle--that's probably a part of them.
In order to conserve water, I often take showers with my husband. That's helping. I don't litter. Prize # 2. And, I enjoy the creativity of this beautiful earth. I don't take it for granted. I breathe in all that I can. I respect it, I care for it, I live it. It's solace for me. The mere presence of its colours illuminates my heart and awakens the adventuresome journeyman in me.
What do I do to help? Well, my minister is doing a series called "God is Green," but I'm always helping with children's church, so I have yet to hear any of his messages on the matter. Recycle--that's probably a part of them.
In order to conserve water, I often take showers with my husband. That's helping. I don't litter. Prize # 2. And, I enjoy the creativity of this beautiful earth. I don't take it for granted. I breathe in all that I can. I respect it, I care for it, I live it. It's solace for me. The mere presence of its colours illuminates my heart and awakens the adventuresome journeyman in me.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
How Many Movies Have You Seen?
On a Season 3 episode of "The Office," Dwight and Andy are sparring back and forth with words. Andy says something about films and knowing "a lot about them," and Dwight says he's seen 284 of them. I thought, "284? That's it! I think I saw more than 284 films by the time I was ten."
So, I thought I would calculate the number of movies I've watched. This will be a very long feat. I have seen many, many, many movies. Lots of them. Film is a pasion of mine. I spent a long time studying them, figuring out what worked in a movie and what didn't, so that when I went to film school, I would have literally gone to "class" before I even entered my freshman year of college. I did go to school for film, but I didn't pursue it. I sometimes regret that, but that's the past.
I'm only on the "As" so far...I'll let you know when I reach 284.
How many movies have you seen?
So, I thought I would calculate the number of movies I've watched. This will be a very long feat. I have seen many, many, many movies. Lots of them. Film is a pasion of mine. I spent a long time studying them, figuring out what worked in a movie and what didn't, so that when I went to film school, I would have literally gone to "class" before I even entered my freshman year of college. I did go to school for film, but I didn't pursue it. I sometimes regret that, but that's the past.
I'm only on the "As" so far...I'll let you know when I reach 284.
How many movies have you seen?
What I've noticed
I (Amanda) don't blog as much as others. I asked myself why this may be and concluded the following:
I spend, on average, 40 hrs spread amongst 5 days in front of the computer. Now, to some, this is child's play, much like a little girl spending hours upon hours every day playing with her Barbies, or a little guy spending much of his days blowing stuff up. But these are not hours searching the web, or just going from one page to the next. This is constant switching to and from multiple software programs, continually researching, non-stop spreadsheets, etc etc. This is the nature of my job. This is why my blogging is more sporatic than others...or so I have concluded.
I'm not saying that there aren't many others who spend just as much time in front of the computer as I do, if not more, nor am I saying that there aren't bloggers out there who spend more time on their computer than I do and manage to post more often. I'm just saying that, for me, my job is why I don't post as often as I'd like. My work requires many windows to be open at once, and I just get tired of typing and looking at the screens, researching, navigating. I want to post more. Wes wants to post more. We just find ourselves in this constant state of technology. It's really nice to get a break from it.
I spend, on average, 40 hrs spread amongst 5 days in front of the computer. Now, to some, this is child's play, much like a little girl spending hours upon hours every day playing with her Barbies, or a little guy spending much of his days blowing stuff up. But these are not hours searching the web, or just going from one page to the next. This is constant switching to and from multiple software programs, continually researching, non-stop spreadsheets, etc etc. This is the nature of my job. This is why my blogging is more sporatic than others...or so I have concluded.
I'm not saying that there aren't many others who spend just as much time in front of the computer as I do, if not more, nor am I saying that there aren't bloggers out there who spend more time on their computer than I do and manage to post more often. I'm just saying that, for me, my job is why I don't post as often as I'd like. My work requires many windows to be open at once, and I just get tired of typing and looking at the screens, researching, navigating. I want to post more. Wes wants to post more. We just find ourselves in this constant state of technology. It's really nice to get a break from it.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Cellphonicopia
As Wes and I were both heading towards Colorado and back to St. Louis earlier this month, we noticed one thing that annoyed us quite a bit--people's obssession with their cell phones.
I like mobiles. I think they're great to have while traveling, and I'm not ignoring the fact that they're replacing the POTS lines that have existed for close to one hundred years now. But it seems that people are addicted to this cellular device. They need it attached to their ears all the time, even when they have been instructed not to use it.
While on the plane traveling to Oklahoma, this one particular man began his cell transaction before we even entered the plane, completely ignoring the fact that it was completely rude to be talking while attempting to board. The man at the counter was trying to ensure all was well with his ticket and carry-on, and this passenger just kept on talking. Then, as we realized he sat right across from us on the plane, he continued to talk to some other dude until he hung up with him and proceeded to call yet another "friend." Wes and I both thought, "What the...do you really need to discuss these things right now? Can you not be without your cell for an hour?"
On the way home to St. Louis at the end of our trip, another man used his cell until the flight attendant had to tell him to shut it off. And her comment during this time was, "Oh, don't worry. I've had to ask several people to turn off their phones."
Really? You really had to ask people to seperate themselves from their cells? Are they really that attached that they can't not talk for even a couple of hours?
So, yeah...we were annoyed and we don't understand this obssession with adults and their mobiles. We understand that pre-teens and teenagers have a ridiculous obsession with cells (much of it supported by their parents we might add), but adults? Come on... Maybe that drug commercial during the 90s where the father comes into the son's bedroom and asks where he learns how to do pot, and the son replies, "You dad. I learned it by watching you," is so right on. Perhaps these young kids learn how to become addicted to their cells by watching their parents and other adults addicted to their phones, as well. Either way, society needs to learn to let go of mobiles a little. Besides, I'm sure techology will birth an even cooler, hipper tool to use in the future. Perhaps ears with chips that can carry voice transmission will be invented...avoid the whole need for any device.
That's frightening. I'll take the cell over that.
I like mobiles. I think they're great to have while traveling, and I'm not ignoring the fact that they're replacing the POTS lines that have existed for close to one hundred years now. But it seems that people are addicted to this cellular device. They need it attached to their ears all the time, even when they have been instructed not to use it.
While on the plane traveling to Oklahoma, this one particular man began his cell transaction before we even entered the plane, completely ignoring the fact that it was completely rude to be talking while attempting to board. The man at the counter was trying to ensure all was well with his ticket and carry-on, and this passenger just kept on talking. Then, as we realized he sat right across from us on the plane, he continued to talk to some other dude until he hung up with him and proceeded to call yet another "friend." Wes and I both thought, "What the...do you really need to discuss these things right now? Can you not be without your cell for an hour?"
On the way home to St. Louis at the end of our trip, another man used his cell until the flight attendant had to tell him to shut it off. And her comment during this time was, "Oh, don't worry. I've had to ask several people to turn off their phones."
Really? You really had to ask people to seperate themselves from their cells? Are they really that attached that they can't not talk for even a couple of hours?
So, yeah...we were annoyed and we don't understand this obssession with adults and their mobiles. We understand that pre-teens and teenagers have a ridiculous obsession with cells (much of it supported by their parents we might add), but adults? Come on... Maybe that drug commercial during the 90s where the father comes into the son's bedroom and asks where he learns how to do pot, and the son replies, "You dad. I learned it by watching you," is so right on. Perhaps these young kids learn how to become addicted to their cells by watching their parents and other adults addicted to their phones, as well. Either way, society needs to learn to let go of mobiles a little. Besides, I'm sure techology will birth an even cooler, hipper tool to use in the future. Perhaps ears with chips that can carry voice transmission will be invented...avoid the whole need for any device.
That's frightening. I'll take the cell over that.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Inspiration
John Mayer's "3 X 5"
I'm writing you to catch you up on places I've been
you held this letter, probably get excited
but there's nothing else inside it
don't have a camera by my side this time
hope that I would see the world through both my eyes
maybe I would tell you all about it
when I'm in the mood
to lose my way
with words
today clouds are painting colors of the cowboy clich
it's strange how clouds all look like mountains
in the sky next to the mountains anyway
don't have a camera by my side this time
hope that I would see the world through both my eyes
maybe I would tell you all about it
when I'm in the mood
to lose my way but let me say
you should have seen that sunrise
with your own eyes
it brought me back to life
you'll be with me next time I go outside
just no more 3 by 5's
I'm writing you to catch you up on places I've been
you held this letter, probably get excited
but there's nothing else inside it
don't have a camera by my side this time
hope that I would see the world through both my eyes
maybe I would tell you all about it
when I'm in the mood
to lose my way
with words
today clouds are painting colors of the cowboy clich
it's strange how clouds all look like mountains
in the sky next to the mountains anyway
don't have a camera by my side this time
hope that I would see the world through both my eyes
maybe I would tell you all about it
when I'm in the mood
to lose my way but let me say
you should have seen that sunrise
with your own eyes
it brought me back to life
you'll be with me next time I go outside
just no more 3 by 5's
Know what I love?
Sitting on the couch on Monday night, with the puppy on Amanda's lap and my around her, wildly anticipating another episode of "The Hills" and what is to come later tonight...Monday Night Football!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
The Beauty of a 3 x 5
Here are some cool pics of our awesome honeymoon:
Me at the bottom of Rocky Mountain National Park
We came upon this elk as he was sitting under a tree--you can barely even see him
Wes looking all suave after rock climbing
Me at the bottom of Rocky Mountain National Park
We came upon this elk as he was sitting under a tree--you can barely even see him
Wes looking all suave after rock climbing
Sunday, September 16, 2007
The Pros and Cons of Colorado
There arne't too many things about Colorado that I didn't like, so this list may look a little lopsided. :)
Wes' Pros:
The Mountains
RMNP
Aspen Trees and their leaves turning gold
Elk
Beaver-like animals
Climbing
Rocks
Waterfalls
Lakes
The Beauty
Estes Park Downtown
Comfort 8 Hotel
Climbing to the top of mountains
Amanda’s Pros:
The Vastness
The Mountains
RMNP
Waterfalls
The sounds of running water
Elk
Climbing rocks and getting stuck (what a rush!)
Lakes
Estes Park Shopping
Grand Lake, CO
The Beauty of everything I experienced
Climbing to the tops of mountains and being 13,000 ft high
The neverending things to do
Wes' Cons:
That we're not living there now
Amanda’s Cons:
That we're not living there now
The limited amount of oxygen
The high altitude and what it does to me
(Warning**Gross) My constant need to poo
Gas is expensive in Estes, but comparable to IL everywhere else
So yes, pros and cons, but we're definitely making a plan to move to Colorado sometime in the near future. Beforehand, we just thought we'd retire there. Now, after being in this beautiful state together, we've decided to scratch waiting for retrirement and move there while we're young. We can't wait!!
Wes' Pros:
The Mountains
RMNP
Aspen Trees and their leaves turning gold
Elk
Beaver-like animals
Climbing
Rocks
Waterfalls
Lakes
The Beauty
Estes Park Downtown
Comfort 8 Hotel
Climbing to the top of mountains
Amanda’s Pros:
The Vastness
The Mountains
RMNP
Waterfalls
The sounds of running water
Elk
Climbing rocks and getting stuck (what a rush!)
Lakes
Estes Park Shopping
Grand Lake, CO
The Beauty of everything I experienced
Climbing to the tops of mountains and being 13,000 ft high
The neverending things to do
Wes' Cons:
That we're not living there now
Amanda’s Cons:
That we're not living there now
The limited amount of oxygen
The high altitude and what it does to me
(Warning**Gross) My constant need to poo
Gas is expensive in Estes, but comparable to IL everywhere else
So yes, pros and cons, but we're definitely making a plan to move to Colorado sometime in the near future. Beforehand, we just thought we'd retire there. Now, after being in this beautiful state together, we've decided to scratch waiting for retrirement and move there while we're young. We can't wait!!
The Rockies, Elk, and So Much More
This past week, Wes and I went on our official honeymoon to Colorado. Yes, we did marry back in June, but to see the Rockies in the Fall is to fall in love. It was just amazing. On Friday the 7th, we headed to St. Louis to catch a flight to Oklahoma where we would, the next day, see the Sooners totally cone Miami and where I would get a pretty bad sunburn. On Sunday, we then headed to Denver by plane for my first Colorado experience. I was impressed with this big city. It was quaint yet commerical, busy yet suburbia. We had some time to kill before we needed to head to our final destination, so Wes introduced me to the U.S. Air Foce Academy in Colorado Springs where I got to see a real B-52 Bomber plane that was once used during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. It was pretty amazing to stand right under a plane that actually flew during actual wars.
From Colorado Springs, we headed into Loveland, Colorado. Such a cool place. I swear, even their Storage Units were fancy. The Lowes looked spectactular, the restaurants, immaculate. I could live there, but one of my favorite places we passed through on our way towards our honeymoon stay was Boulder. I loved Boulder! It was Everwood meets Big City. The denizens of Colorado are extremely health conscious, so there were all of these neat little cafes that were nutritionally driven--lots of Sushi, smoothies, natural grocery stores. I could live in Boulder and be incredibly happy.
But alas, I must spend most of my post actually writing about Estes Park, Colorado. Part resort, part small town, part awesomeness. This town is considered the "Gateway to the Rocky Mountian National Park" and has so much to do, you don't really know where to start. When we arrived, we first headed to our hotel where we came across two of the largest male elk Wes has ever seen. These beautiful creatures traversed the road as if they weren't stopping taffic and headed towards a residential area. I mentioned to Wes how frightening it would be if the owner of one of those homes who was just minding his own business, doing lawn work or just taking a quick walk around his home, came around the corner and ran into this huge male bull. Once we have downloaded our pictures to this IBook, I will post some pics we took of Elk. They quickly became one of our favorite attractions to the Park.
Once capturing the elk on film, we headed to our hotel room where we had a fireplace, two very nice large queeen-sized beds, and, humerously, where Wes and I brought down the average age by atleast thiry years. The next day, Monday, was our first day to spend in the Park itself. It cost only $20 for the whole week, so we could come and go as we pleased. We started our honeymoon off driving Trail Ridge Road up through the Rocky Mountains, ascending to atleast 13,000 ft above sea level. What was so cool about this first day was, as the clouds lifted slowly through the air, we experienced driving up the mountians without actually seeing the mountains. At one point, as we took pictures at one of the many rest/viewing areas, Wes looked as if he was just standing in thin air with nothing behind him. What was actually behind him was huge, cold mountians that extended for miles and miles. Once we finally reached the Bear Lake parking lot, Wes and I headed out for a nice two mile hike. Reaching Bear Lake, which resides in the mountains, was quite easy, and we headed on to Alberta Falls (waterfall) where we climbed rocks, took lots of pictures, and made friends with a very gregarious chipmunk. However, as easy the trek to was, the trek from heading towards our car was excruciating. Please keep in mind that the oxygen level is sparce when you're so high, and if you're not drinking water regularly, you find yourself in much trouble. It's what the doctors like to call "Altitude Sickness." I got it. I hated it. I don't ever want it again. Our trek back to our car was all uphill and I didn't have enough water in my body, so once we got back to the car, I felt ok, but as we descended on the winding roads, I started to fell like ridiculously awful. I couldn't look out the windows for fear that I would get sick on the spot, and I had to put my head between my legs to ensure I didn't pass out. I was just praying the whole way down, "Please, Lord, get us down as quick as possible and just get me to the hotel room." Once we hit ground level, I didn't fell any better and upon reaching the hotel, I felt worse. Wes left to get me some Gatorade (something about needing electrolites) and I then proceeded to upchuck five times. I'm like Sienfeld...I hadn't pucked in like seven years. My streak is broken. Lame!
So yes, this was just the first day of the honeymoon and I was sick. But it soon passed and we then experienced an amazing six days in the Rockies, Estes Park, and in the beautiful state of Colorado.
For the sake of this post being way too long (oops! I think I'm already there), I'll break it up a bit and post later. But I just want all to know how beautiful this place is and how creative God can be with colours, animals, mountains, the Tundra, the Fall and everything else.
Stay tuned...
From Colorado Springs, we headed into Loveland, Colorado. Such a cool place. I swear, even their Storage Units were fancy. The Lowes looked spectactular, the restaurants, immaculate. I could live there, but one of my favorite places we passed through on our way towards our honeymoon stay was Boulder. I loved Boulder! It was Everwood meets Big City. The denizens of Colorado are extremely health conscious, so there were all of these neat little cafes that were nutritionally driven--lots of Sushi, smoothies, natural grocery stores. I could live in Boulder and be incredibly happy.
But alas, I must spend most of my post actually writing about Estes Park, Colorado. Part resort, part small town, part awesomeness. This town is considered the "Gateway to the Rocky Mountian National Park" and has so much to do, you don't really know where to start. When we arrived, we first headed to our hotel where we came across two of the largest male elk Wes has ever seen. These beautiful creatures traversed the road as if they weren't stopping taffic and headed towards a residential area. I mentioned to Wes how frightening it would be if the owner of one of those homes who was just minding his own business, doing lawn work or just taking a quick walk around his home, came around the corner and ran into this huge male bull. Once we have downloaded our pictures to this IBook, I will post some pics we took of Elk. They quickly became one of our favorite attractions to the Park.
Once capturing the elk on film, we headed to our hotel room where we had a fireplace, two very nice large queeen-sized beds, and, humerously, where Wes and I brought down the average age by atleast thiry years. The next day, Monday, was our first day to spend in the Park itself. It cost only $20 for the whole week, so we could come and go as we pleased. We started our honeymoon off driving Trail Ridge Road up through the Rocky Mountains, ascending to atleast 13,000 ft above sea level. What was so cool about this first day was, as the clouds lifted slowly through the air, we experienced driving up the mountians without actually seeing the mountains. At one point, as we took pictures at one of the many rest/viewing areas, Wes looked as if he was just standing in thin air with nothing behind him. What was actually behind him was huge, cold mountians that extended for miles and miles. Once we finally reached the Bear Lake parking lot, Wes and I headed out for a nice two mile hike. Reaching Bear Lake, which resides in the mountains, was quite easy, and we headed on to Alberta Falls (waterfall) where we climbed rocks, took lots of pictures, and made friends with a very gregarious chipmunk. However, as easy the trek to was, the trek from heading towards our car was excruciating. Please keep in mind that the oxygen level is sparce when you're so high, and if you're not drinking water regularly, you find yourself in much trouble. It's what the doctors like to call "Altitude Sickness." I got it. I hated it. I don't ever want it again. Our trek back to our car was all uphill and I didn't have enough water in my body, so once we got back to the car, I felt ok, but as we descended on the winding roads, I started to fell like ridiculously awful. I couldn't look out the windows for fear that I would get sick on the spot, and I had to put my head between my legs to ensure I didn't pass out. I was just praying the whole way down, "Please, Lord, get us down as quick as possible and just get me to the hotel room." Once we hit ground level, I didn't fell any better and upon reaching the hotel, I felt worse. Wes left to get me some Gatorade (something about needing electrolites) and I then proceeded to upchuck five times. I'm like Sienfeld...I hadn't pucked in like seven years. My streak is broken. Lame!
So yes, this was just the first day of the honeymoon and I was sick. But it soon passed and we then experienced an amazing six days in the Rockies, Estes Park, and in the beautiful state of Colorado.
For the sake of this post being way too long (oops! I think I'm already there), I'll break it up a bit and post later. But I just want all to know how beautiful this place is and how creative God can be with colours, animals, mountains, the Tundra, the Fall and everything else.
Stay tuned...
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Wes' Birthday Bash
Today, Wes and I had a bunch of friends over to celebrate, early, his 30th birthday. That's right. My husband, the sexiest man alive, will be turning 30 next week. Thursday to be exact. But next week is crazy busy, so we thought we'd celebrate the fun early. I spent all morning and afternoon making his food requests:
Key Lime Pie
Spinach Dip
Spicey Bites
Giant cooke/birthday cake
And Wes, being the awesome husband he is, spent the afternoon helping me clean the house for our guests. We had thirteen people in our house, half of which were kids under the age of ten. Dinosaurs were rampant, Doritos flying, kids screaming with excitement--not really sure if they thought the celebration was for them. I even got to play Hide-N-Seek with the other Wilson kids and, well, we don't really have too many places to hide outside, so we made forts with boxes. And now, as I sit on our couch with Jacob, a friend's son, watching "High School Musical 2" while Wes and his dudes play poker, I am just so excited to have someone to serve in this way. He has continually told me all day long how much he loves me and how much it means to him that I have thrown together this party. He was so excited to have everyone over to just hang with some great friends. And I am just so excited I married this amazing guy who loves me and makes me feel so very special, even on his most special day.
So happy early birthday, my love! This is just the beginning ;)
Key Lime Pie
Spinach Dip
Spicey Bites
Giant cooke/birthday cake
And Wes, being the awesome husband he is, spent the afternoon helping me clean the house for our guests. We had thirteen people in our house, half of which were kids under the age of ten. Dinosaurs were rampant, Doritos flying, kids screaming with excitement--not really sure if they thought the celebration was for them. I even got to play Hide-N-Seek with the other Wilson kids and, well, we don't really have too many places to hide outside, so we made forts with boxes. And now, as I sit on our couch with Jacob, a friend's son, watching "High School Musical 2" while Wes and his dudes play poker, I am just so excited to have someone to serve in this way. He has continually told me all day long how much he loves me and how much it means to him that I have thrown together this party. He was so excited to have everyone over to just hang with some great friends. And I am just so excited I married this amazing guy who loves me and makes me feel so very special, even on his most special day.
So happy early birthday, my love! This is just the beginning ;)
Thursday, August 16, 2007
What We Do, Not What We Are
Sorry we have not blogged in a while...password problems. Blech!
I (Amanda) thought it might be good to let you bloggers know what my husband and I do. These are our jobs, and they do not define us. Well, atleast mine doesn't. I'll explain.
Wes is a student minister. His heart is for people to learn who God is and how much He loves them, and then to use their gifts within a ministry to then help others see who God is and how much He loves them. And he loves his students. I mean...he really does. He aches for them when they're going through messiness in life, he takes joy with them when they're growing closer to Christ or when something cool happens. He wants them to grow in a deeper relationship with their Creator, and he works so hard. I am so proud of him.
I am a Project Manager. I work for a telecommunications company that handles voice and Internet. In a quick nutshell, I take the paperwork that our sales people fill out, comb them to ensure everything is in order before passing the project out to another Project Manager. In addition to that, I manage the workload of six other people, handle my own workload, handle spreadsheets for my manager, and complete special projects. It's been crazy busy for the past four months or so and we're all looking for a chance to breath.
So, that's what the Wilsons do. Who they are...well, we'll leave that for another post.
I (Amanda) thought it might be good to let you bloggers know what my husband and I do. These are our jobs, and they do not define us. Well, atleast mine doesn't. I'll explain.
Wes is a student minister. His heart is for people to learn who God is and how much He loves them, and then to use their gifts within a ministry to then help others see who God is and how much He loves them. And he loves his students. I mean...he really does. He aches for them when they're going through messiness in life, he takes joy with them when they're growing closer to Christ or when something cool happens. He wants them to grow in a deeper relationship with their Creator, and he works so hard. I am so proud of him.
I am a Project Manager. I work for a telecommunications company that handles voice and Internet. In a quick nutshell, I take the paperwork that our sales people fill out, comb them to ensure everything is in order before passing the project out to another Project Manager. In addition to that, I manage the workload of six other people, handle my own workload, handle spreadsheets for my manager, and complete special projects. It's been crazy busy for the past four months or so and we're all looking for a chance to breath.
So, that's what the Wilsons do. Who they are...well, we'll leave that for another post.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Adaptation of Lives
Marriage is great. It really is. It's fun, romantic, totally adventurous, and exciting. And it's also hard. Both Wes and I admitted to this before we got married. We knew it would be difficult to meshe our two lives and living regimens togther. But how difficult was yet to be seen until it actually happened. I mean, you can only prepare so much for something that you've haven't yet encountered. Marriage is one of those "things." But it's so much bigger than preparing for, say the Olympics. So much bigger...
Let's take the way I, Amanda, enjoy my evening shower. I don't actually dry off immediately, but wait several minutes before doing so. I wash my face, apply lotion, enjoy the cleanliness. Wes, on the other hand, dries off fairly immediately, after he enjoys the first few seconds after the shower. Different yet, but in the end, the same result appears...two dry people.
This is a very small fraction of the difficulty in merging two lives together, but still important nevertheless. It reminds us that the small things can and will cause dissension from time to time. They will cause arguements (the shower doesn't right now, but hey, who knows...there could be a riot in the bathroom sometime in the future :), and frustration. But as Billy Chia once wrote in a recent blog post, a marriage without arguments is a marriage without passion. How true of a statement that is. Passion is what drives us to love. I am deeply passionate about my husband, as he is about me. So we'll take a dose of an arguement from to time. It's good for us!
Let's take the way I, Amanda, enjoy my evening shower. I don't actually dry off immediately, but wait several minutes before doing so. I wash my face, apply lotion, enjoy the cleanliness. Wes, on the other hand, dries off fairly immediately, after he enjoys the first few seconds after the shower. Different yet, but in the end, the same result appears...two dry people.
This is a very small fraction of the difficulty in merging two lives together, but still important nevertheless. It reminds us that the small things can and will cause dissension from time to time. They will cause arguements (the shower doesn't right now, but hey, who knows...there could be a riot in the bathroom sometime in the future :), and frustration. But as Billy Chia once wrote in a recent blog post, a marriage without arguments is a marriage without passion. How true of a statement that is. Passion is what drives us to love. I am deeply passionate about my husband, as he is about me. So we'll take a dose of an arguement from to time. It's good for us!
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
The Place Where We Find Ourselves
June 23rd, 2007
Wes and I are recently married and we are so enjoying the ride so far. We know it won't be this blissful 100% of the time. We even realize that at times, it's going to be the most difficult thing we ever face. But it is what we make of it. We have to work hard, fight for the passion, keep mystery alive, and continue to grow in many levels of intimacy.
And so our countdown is complete. No more planning, organizing, ensuring everyone has what they need to do their "thang." And although it was somewhat stressful, we sort of miss the wedding day itself. I mean, we planned for months for this one day, and it was over in a few hours. I sort of want to "go back" and watch it as a spectator. Enjoy it from every angle. That would be a pretty nice wedding gift.
And since our planning is complete, it gives us some more free time to work on this blog. Wes and I are both bloggers, and I plan on keeping up "Mandolin's Musician." But we wanted something to share together. One place where we can bring our thoughts and words collectively. This is what we came up with...bar stools and other stuff for sale. We're fans of bar stools and stuff on sale. We look forward to being creative, definitely random, and we'll throw in some fun "Seinfeld" references. Isn't that snazy, Mr. Jon Voight?
Check you later...
Wes and I are recently married and we are so enjoying the ride so far. We know it won't be this blissful 100% of the time. We even realize that at times, it's going to be the most difficult thing we ever face. But it is what we make of it. We have to work hard, fight for the passion, keep mystery alive, and continue to grow in many levels of intimacy.
And so our countdown is complete. No more planning, organizing, ensuring everyone has what they need to do their "thang." And although it was somewhat stressful, we sort of miss the wedding day itself. I mean, we planned for months for this one day, and it was over in a few hours. I sort of want to "go back" and watch it as a spectator. Enjoy it from every angle. That would be a pretty nice wedding gift.
And since our planning is complete, it gives us some more free time to work on this blog. Wes and I are both bloggers, and I plan on keeping up "Mandolin's Musician." But we wanted something to share together. One place where we can bring our thoughts and words collectively. This is what we came up with...bar stools and other stuff for sale. We're fans of bar stools and stuff on sale. We look forward to being creative, definitely random, and we'll throw in some fun "Seinfeld" references. Isn't that snazy, Mr. Jon Voight?
Check you later...
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