Follower of Christ; resting in His grace. Experiencing fullness of Joy in the presence of my Savior. Lover of life and all things crafty.
I graduated in May 2010 with my B.A. in Linguistics, intent on teaching ESL. However, God saw fit to redirect my path to a job in Corporate America, and I now see how He uniquely fitted me for where I am today. Though my heart is oriented toward home, I am joyfully pursuing Christ in the path He has established for me. I do not know what my future holds, but I know the One who holds my future.
I received a book of poetry for Christmas; a book which I have enjoyed browsing through. The poet is George Herbert (an Anglican priest). His theology is clearly - and sometimes not so clearly - revealed through his poems. This jumped out at me as I was reading the other day.
The Holdfast
I threatened to observe the strict decree of my dear God with all my power and might. But I was told by one, it could not be; Yet I might trust in God to be my light. Then will I trust, said I, in him alone. Nay, ev'n to trust in him, was also his: We must confess, that nothing is our own. Then I confess that he my succor is: But to have nought is ours, not to confess That we have nought. I stood amaz'd at this, Much troubled, till I heard a friend express, That all things were more ours by being his. What Adam had, and forfeited for all, Christ keepeth now, who cannot fail or fall.
I've so enjoyed listening to non-traditional Christmas music in recent weeks...particularly Keith and Kristyn Getty's New Irish Hymns album. The tunes are lovely and the lyrics are sound. Here are the words to two of my favorites for you to enjoy as you celebrate the grace of God in humbling Himself and coming to earth.
BORN WHERE THE SHADOWS LIE
Born where the shadows lie To answer every cry of man This child who formed all life Now breathes our breath Born where the Father loved Born helpless to a mother's arms She smoothed the tears upon The face of God
Born with a road ahead Alone these blameless feet would tread The path God chose to walk Before all time Born holding life and death Born bearing heaven's wealth of peace That fills where none can fill Our living stream
Born now with man to dwell Our Lord Immanuel Come see the King the Christ Child born to us Born now with man to dwell Our Lord Immanuel My soul can finally know the God of Heaven
Fullness of Grace in man's human frailty This is the wonder of Jesus Laying aside His power and glory Humbly He entered our world Chose the path of meanest worth Scandal of a virgin birth Born in a stable cold and rejected Here lies the hope of the world
Fullness of Grace the love of the Father Shown in the face of Jesus Stooping to bear the weight of humanity Walking the Calvary road Christ the holy Innocent Took our sin and punishment Fullness of God despised and rejected Crushed for the sins of the world
Fullness of hope in Christ we had longed for Promise of God in Jesus Through His obedience we are forgiven Opening the floodgates of heaven All our hopes and dreams we bring Gladly as an offering Fullness of life and joy unspeakable God's gift in love to the world
I don’t have anything against people who use Facebook. I personally choose not to have one, and I have often been asked why. When I answer, the asking individual often seems to feel the need to apologize for their own Facebook account. Why? I was asked—and gave—my own personal reasons for not joining. I was not condemning the other individual for their decision.
However, I do have some concerns about the site in general…so, even though you did not ask, I would like to give you my reasons for NOT joining Facebook.
1. It’s a waste of time—How many hours can someone spend in the virtual realm? I have enough trouble not wasting time as it is…why add another distraction.
2. I don’t have time—Work starts for me at 7:00 a.m. and I’m up by 4:15 to make sure I get there on time. After work, I also have evening classes—which by-the-way don’t end until 10:00 p.m. I’m usually not in bed ‘til between 11:15 and 11:30 p.m.
3. It’s a faux relationship builder. What happened to spending time with the family and friends that are flesh-and-blood living beings? I covet the nights I don’t have class, and I can sit down to dinner with my family. Sometimes I still feel like an international student living in my own home. I just found out someone was pregnant with twins—and I didn’t even know she’d been married for several years already. Talk about being out of the loop!
a. Virtual “friendships” (even with those you already know in real life) are shallow. If you are willing to friend me on Facebook, yet you never even talk to me in person/real life, I don’t consider you a real friend. A true friend who wants to build into the relationship will be willing—and desirous—to spend time: on the phone, to sit and write a letter/email, to go for coffee—even if it only works out once or twice a year.
4. It breaks down the barriers of discretion—How many intimate details of daily living are people willing to share over the internet, that they would be mortified (or even just slightly embarrassed) to speak or elude to in the presence of another person. The internet has made it easy for people to create a persona for themselves that isn’t necessarily accurate. As the country song goes: “I’m so much cooler online Yeah, I'm cooler online.” Do I really need to know what color bra you are wearing (yes, that was a real status update phenomenon on Facebook last year)? Or what celebrity you think you look most like? Or that you got “stoned” on your homemade skittles vodka (with pics of course)???? Really people?! Is there no shame anymore?!
5. It’s ridiculous! Imagine what life would be like if Facebook went live. If we LIVED Facebook!!! How absurd would life be?!!!
I have been searching for work casually since Oct./Nov. of last year, and seriously since March/April of this year. Unfortunately, it felt like I was fishing in a dry pond. Not only has the economy created a tough job market, but my major didn't equip me with many of the skills that employers look for: 1 year minimum office experience; proficiency in excel, access, outlook, adobe, quickbooks....etc. That's all well and good when you plan on getting a Masters Degree and teaching at a college, but not so great when God changes those carefully laid plans just before you graduate.
Now, I'm not accusing God of "getting in my way." On the contrary, I feel like a living example of Proverbs 16:9
The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.
It has been 5 months since I graduated. Five months of looking for work. Full-time, part-time...it didn't matter; I just needed something.
Several times there were "close-calls." I would get a call for an interview--sometimes even go for an interview, only to hear silence afterwards.
I sent out 39 applications/resumes and cover letters to over 26 different companies (I often applied for more than 1 position), networked with people from work, school, church...and continued to pray and seek part-time work in the interim.
Out of all that, I only had 4 interviews...1 over the phone, and 3 in person. Of those, only 2 places called to set up a 2nd interview, and of those 2, only 1 actually followed through with the 2nd interview. And that is where I was eventually hired.
Look at how God--in His timing--provided work for me.
In July, my family visited a church that my coworker attends. A gentleman ("M") at the church approached us after the service to welcome us. He has 2 daughters, and saw that Mom and Dad had 2 daughters too. After chatting for a bit, he learned that I had recently graduated, and was looking for work. He gave me his business card and told me to email him my resume. He said they didn't have any current openings, but that a few might possibly come up towards the end of the year. I thanked him, and sent him my resume--then promptly forgot about the whole thing.
Three weeks ago, I received a call from the HR manager of the company ("C"), saying she had received my resume from "M"--who, as it turns out, is the president of the company! She wanted me to come in and interview for an open customer service position. The interview was scheduled for September 7th.
Humanly speaking, I did almost everything you are not supposed to in/for an interview:
a) Arrive early--My directions were wrong, so I arrived just on the button.
b) Dress conservatively--I still had bright red toe-nail-polish on (BIG No-no!) In my defense, my clothing was a conservative black, and I was wearing nylons.
c) Never wear your hair down, especially if it's curly; curly hair (when down) looks unprofessional--My hair was still wet from the shower, and was not cooperating with my updo, so I wore it down.
d) Don't wear dangly earrings--Oops.
e) Be prepared--I hadn't finished filling out the job application (bad bad BAD), and my allergies were acting up, so my head was stuffed, my nose was a dripping faucet, and I felt lousy.
When I walked into the building, I immediately felt at home. I felt comfortable. The hour long interview went well, and I felt like I connected with the HR manager--which allowed me to be completely open and honest about my lack of experience. The next step was to meet with the company president. We had a 5 minute chat--since, as he said, I had already had my preliminary interview with him. (Who would have guessed that he was evaluating and assessing me while we were talking at church?). He told me that "C" liked me and thought I might be a good fit, and that I should hear from them by Thursday.
That Friday, I called to follow-up, as I had heard nothing by Thursday. I again called the following Tuesday--both times I had to leave a voicemail. Still hearing nothing, I emailed the HR manager on Friday, Sept. 17th.
Monday, September 20th, while in class, I received an email from "C" apologizing for the delay and asking if I was available the next day (Tues. the 21st) for a 2nd interview. Unfortunately, I emailed her back too late to get the Tues. slot, but we were able to reschedule for Thursday (the 23rd) at 10am.
Thursday morning rolled around, and found me nervous. I actually interviewed twice, and with 3 people that day. The first was with the head of the department, and the second was with the 2 supervisors under him. Again, I felt very comfortable, and things seemed to progress naturally. I really sensed that I could be "real" with everyone and not have to word things "just so." At the end of the interview, I was told I should expect to hear from "C" sometime the following week.
That was this Thursday. Friday morning I got a call from "C" extending an official job offer. However, as it turns out, they want to hire me for a position other than the one I initially interviewed for. Rather than work customer service, I will be the administrative assistant of the entire department. That means I'm supporting 3 individuals: the 3 I interviewed with on Thurs. To my knowledge, this position was not open at the time I interviewed, but was rather created for me.
I am so grateful for God's provision in this area. Things were getting tight for me, yet I couldn't even get hired part-time for a temporary job at a coffee shop or bookstore. I was getting quite discouraged, and then, out-of-the-blue, God orchestrated a Monday phone call which led to a Thursday interview, a Friday job offer, and a Monday start date. It has been amazing to see how God so clearly orchestrated everything, and I am constantly praising Him for it.
I have no desire to repeat these past months of famine, but through it all God has revealed that what He had planned was best for my soul. Not finding work...was the best for my soul. Not getting to go visit my sister, BIL and new niece with the rest of my family...was best for my soul. Having interviews without call-backs...was best for my soul.
If any other situation were better for my soul, God would have placed me there. Whether in times of plenty, or times of famine, wherever I am is God's best for my soul.
The other week, Lil' Sis and I were invited on a hike with Z, D, and J. "Don't worry," we were told. "It's a 16 mile hike, but J did it in only 4 hours...so it's not too difficult." Only 16 miles. Only 4 hours. Doesn't sound too bad; besides, what a great opportunity to hike a peak I've never hiked before, and catch up with friends.
Well, what we didn't know is that this peak is the highest in the county--with an elevation of 5,687 feet. The 16 mile round trip begins at 1,687 feet. That's an elevation gain of 4,000 feet in 8 miles!
We met at church (the halfway point) at 6am, and from there drove to the trail head. After an Albertsons stop to tie up some loose ends, we officially began our trek at 7:43am.
The beginning of the hike was lovely. The weather was cool, the trail not too steep, with an abundance of trees. Soon, however, the trail grew steeper, the air grew warmer, and our steps grew slower. Actually, I should say MY steps grew slower. Z and D took off up the trail at an insane--in my opinion--pace. J stayed behind with C and I and kept the pace of the slowest hiker: me. For some reason, I was really struggling up the trail. The trail definitely had an incline, but it was not as steep as others I'd been on.
After a time, we breaked for a snack. I had one of C's homemade "branola" bars--which was a BAD idea because it soon upset my stomach, and made the trek even more difficult.
C and J chatted most of the way up, stopping and waiting for me after every couple of turns. I just huffed and puffed along behind.
Soon my muscles and lungs screamed at me to stop. I willed myself forward. "You idiot! Can't you feel me burning?"
" I don't care! I am getting to the top of this mountain!"
"You've already gone further than you ever have. You still have to go back this same distance. Conserve some energy"
"I know, I know. But I know I can do it. Besides, I don't want to look like a total wimp. I don't understand why I'm struggling so much."
"Hellooooooooooo...Have you been listening to your heart-rate recently? You're going through the roof!"
"Ok, quick check. 20 beats over 6 seconds...that's 200 beats/min. A good rate is 80% of your max. Max is 220 - my age...197. 80% of that is...157.6. Oh my gosh!!! I'm way too high!!! Is that why I'm gasping for air and struggling to put one foot in front of the other? I've got to go slower."
I felt as if I were walking through a swimming pool filled with Elmer's glue. How could I get any slower without coming to a stand still? Even when resting, my heart rate would only drop to 180.
J and C were great. They continued to encourage me on, and not complain when I asked if we could rest. I finally stopped apologizing for the frequent rests.
We stopped for lunch about halfway up the mountain. J led us to a shady and cool valley where we could set down our packs and rest. I love shade.
I don't know how long we sat there, but it wasn't nearly long enough. All too soon we hit the road again.
I couldn't believe we were only halfway up.
Me: "J, how close would you say we are to the top?"
...long pause...
Me: "Or, do I want to know?"
J: " You don't want to know."
We continued hiking. Crawling from shady spot to shady spot to avoid the sun and the heat. About 1/2 mile from the summit, I had to stop--again. We rested for a bit, then prepared to make the final haul. 20 feet along, I suddenly felt really bad. Physically bad. I stopped and watched the other two slog up the hill ahead of me. I just couldn't do it. All the psychological willing in the world wouldn't convince my body to move. C stopped and looked back. I must have had an expression on my face because her's immediately grew concerned.
"Are you ok?"
"No, I don't feel very good....I...I think I'm just going to have to wait in the shade of the tree. I really don't feel good."
J came back and said he'd wait with me while C continued on to meet Z and D at the summit. Only 1/2 mile left! Why oh why did my body have to quit right then? I'd come so far already.
J found a shadier spot just off the road, where we could get a view and a breeze while we waited. It was a good thing too because I soon thought I was going to lose my lunch. I knew then that I had pushed my body too hard. Controlling my breathing, and attempting to psych myself out of throwing up, I sat with my head in my hands.
J: "Do you want to listen to some music?" (He had his ipod touch with him)
Me: "Sure."
J: "Korean or Classical?"
Me: (groan--feeling worse) "Hang on a sec. I can't talk." . . . "I don't care."
...pause...
Me: "Classical."
J turned on some Chopin, and I eventually lay back under the tree. As I gradually began to feel better, I think I may have dozed in and out. I think we spent an hour-and-a-half chatting and listening to Chopin under the scrub-oak. Sitting in the shade of a tree, with a great view, listening to Chopin, and talking to a friend--a very peaceful afternoon!
Going down was MUCH easier than coming up. It only took us 2 1/2 hours to get back to the car. And boy-oh-boy were we glad to see it! Trek start: 7:43am. Trek end: 5:10pm. The round trip hiking time took 9 hours to complete!
We stopped in at Albertsons again on our way back to church--and what a sight we must have been. Stiffness and pain were already setting in, and most of us limped and hobbled back toward the Gatorade.
The next day I could feel every single muscle south of my waist--and they were sure sore.
The hike was on Tuesday, and by Saturday, I never would have known I'd hiked 15 miles. I would like to do this hike again, and now that I know what it's like, I would prepare more ahead of time for the fitness challenge.
About two weeks ago, Lil' Sis found out that our city was hosting the local symphony orchestra for three evening concerts--held downtown. The concerts were free, so all one had to do was show up. The billing was as follows:
July 27th--"Night at the Cinema" July 28th--"Curtain Up: This is Broadway" July 29th--"Star Spangled Spectacular"
We missed the first two nights, but Sis and I decided to go and enjoy the final spectacular. After all, what could be more enjoyable than sis time and live music? I don't remember when it was we realized our mistake--was it when the first song was announced?, or when we passed that billboard?--but as it turns out, we had mis-counted the days. We were a day early! What we thought would be a rousing evening of Cohen and Sousa, turned out to be an evening of Broadway magic. What a delightful surprise!
What we also didn't expect were the vocalists. Yes my friend, this was a full-blown concert in the middle of downtown. Sis and I thoroughly enjoyed our evening--even though we didn't know some of the songs.
The concert included a selection of songs from some classics, as well as some newbies: South Pacific; Annie Get Your Gun; Grease; Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; Chorus Line; The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of the Crowd; Jesus Christ Superstar; Music Man; Les Miserables; and Wicked.
Below, for your viewing pleasure, is the opportunity to experience a taste of our enchanted evening.
I'm in charge of making lunches for my Dad for work. Recently, we've been out of some of our stock items which means that Dad's lunch has been reduced in consistancy to a sandwich, and a hard-boiled egg rather than his usual sandwich, hard-boiled egg, piece of fruit, and cookie. Well, yesterday I thought to make some cookies so I could beef up the lunches in the absence of fruit. I wanted to make peanut-oat-chocolate cookies, but we were out of oatmeal.
So I went to Allrecipes.com and found a...unique...recipe featuring 2 ingredients we happened to have in the pantry...and freezer. Despite how strange they sound, they're actually really good. And light too!
I give you. . .
COOL WHIP COOKIES
Ingredients:
1 (8oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (18.25 oz) package cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease baking sheets.
2. Beat together the whipped topping and eggs. Add the cake mix and continue to mix. Dough will be thick.
3. Drop by teaspoonfuls into a bowl of confectioners' sugar and roll to coat. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Yield: Approx 3 doz.
You can seriously use any flavor of cake or brownie mix for this. I didn't have an entire box of yellow cake mix, so I used Gingerbread Cake mix, and supplemented with the yellow cake mix (I also accidentally used a 12oz container of Cool Whip--thus my need to supplement with the yellow cake mix).
These are some of the easiest cookies to make--EVER! Amazing what you can do with Cool Whip and a cake mix huh?
LK, this is the recipe you keep hounding me about so I'm posting up here for everyone to see and enjoy.
A coworker brought homemade truffles to a work meeting in November. They were a HUGE hit at the staff meeting, and she was kind enough to share the recipe with me. They are a cinch to make, and not too sweet either.
Chocolate Truffles
Ingredients: 1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese 36 Oreo cookies (approx. 1 pkg--double stuffed Oreos are really good) Chocolate for melting and dipping: Candy melts...chocolate chips w/ shortening...
Directions: Crush the oreos. Using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until softened and fluffy'ish' (you don't want it too "warmed" or it will be difficult to work with later). Cream the crushed oreos and cream cheese together until thoroughly blended. (It will look like a blackish goop/dough.) Roll or scoop the "dough" into bite-sized balls, place on a cookie sheet and freeze for about 1/2 hour. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (or according to pkg directions in the case of candy melts). Using a tooth pick, shish-kabob skewer, or small fork, dip the frozen balls into the melted chocolate and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper to cool/harden.
Optional: You can drizzle any leftover chocolate over the cooled/cooling truffles to create designs. Also if you want a less rich alternative, chop up some nuts and add them to the mix. The saltiness of the nuts balances out the sweet of the cookies.
Note: I haven't had the best of luck using chocolate chips and shortening for the dipping chocolate, so I use Wilton's Candy Melts. Plus, if you use the candy melts, you won't have to refrigerate the truffles for them to harden.
These truffles are simple enough for young kids to help out with. I did this as an activity with some kids I babysat in early December. The 9 year old and 5 year old crushed the cookies, and then the 9 year old helped me roll them into balls once I'd mixed it all together. When it came time for the chocolate dipping, we all participated--though my primary roll was to guard against licking and re-dipping (we went through the entire drawer of forks, and then some!).
Next I want to try a variation with white/yellow sandwich cookies (e.g Nutter Butters) and white chocolate.
