9*8*7*

Day 9 -- Try to figure out what you were doing on September 9, 1999. Pull out old school work, diaries, and calendars to help you.

I'm a little limited in my efforts since most evidence I would need is at home, but I have this much figured out: it was a Thursday and I was a freshman in high school. So chances are, I went to World History, Accelerated Geometry, Biology, Wellness, and English in the morning; ate lunch in the cafeteria with new friends; and spent the afternoon in Band and Spanish. After school, my grandparents picked me up in the back parking lot, and I stayed at their house until my parents picked me up after work. It's hard to remember life before a driver's license!

Day 8 -- Eight is a homophone for ate. Ask 8 friends to copy down their favorite recipes for you. Then you'll have some new things to cook and ate...I mean, um...eat.

I need your help! Leave a recipe in the comment section of this entry, and I'll let you know when I make it! 

Day 7 -- The Biblical number for completion is 7. There has been something that you've been putting on the back burner for too long. Finish it!

It's so hard to make a decision on this one...getting my car fixed, getting my ipod fixed, and redecorating my holiday tree are the priorities. And maybe getting a new router. 

number 10--it's time to be a kid again!

Day 10 -- You've got 10 fingers. It's time to use them. Create the dialogue, decorate your fingers, and put on a 2 minute puppet show for some friends.

This post obviously needs pictures, so here are my creations (made on an evening of Easter egg decorating with the Ball family):

this is my dramatic face...preparing to tell a bedtime story to my sister.

A close-up of the puppets I made...all out of pipe cleaners. Here we have a flower, a heart, Harold the rabbit, and his bicycle.

And here we have an angel, Pedro the shark, AJ the rebel bunny, and his guitar. The story is about two childhood friends--Harold and AJ--who ride their bikes to the local pond. They encounter Pedro the shark, who turns out to have some ulterior motives. Harold knows better than to listen to Pedro, but AJ ends up getting in with the wrong crowd. While AJ is off playing his guitar at wild and crazy parties, Harold prays for his salvation. Eventually, an angel appears to AJ in a dream and restores his heart. And they become friends again.

I'm not sure where the flower comes into the story...I guess it provided some nice background scenery.

12 / 11

Day 12 -- Eggs come by the dozen. Find a way to use 12 eggs in your kitchen.

My sister Jenna and her boyfriend Nate came to visit this week! As always, it was great to see them...but with such a short visit, it makes it hard for them to leave. Ever since Jenna lived in Louisville with me this summer, I find it increasingly more difficult when we have to depart ways. Sibling relationships are so interesting to me--when we were younger and under the same roof, Jenna and I couldn't have been more opposite. Now, it seems like the older we get, the more similarities we find. Does anyone else find this to be true? It's almost as if there is a certain sense of distinguishing yourself as a unique individual when you live together; but when you are apart, you find out how many mannerisms and habits and personality traits you actually share.

On Wednesday morning, Jenna and I made breakfast for Nate and Trent and used exactly one carton of eggs (and i made my first non-scrambled egg!). Of course, it was wonderful...how could it not be when I'm in the presence of 3 of my favorite people (I have more than 3 favorite people though...don't worry!). 

Day 11 -- The 11th hour is an expression for "last minute." Find something to jump into that is cutting it close to the deadline...the more last minute, the better.

Spring is slowly becoming my favorite season. I can't explain it, but there's something about the beginning of warm weather that makes me come alive. There's something about not having to wear a coat that makes me smile...as well as driving with the windows down and eating on patio furniture. It's also the beginning of baseball season and the end of college basketball. This year, I waited to fill out my bracket until last minute...and now I'm suffering for it. We'll see what happens in the end. Since I live in Louisville and want to join the "number one seed" excitement, I chose them to win in the final game against Pittsburgh (call me a bandwagon fan...I don't care. It's been 2 years and my fan-ship has yet to permanently settle on UL or UK). How is your bracket doing?

this is how we know that He lives in us

1 John 3:23-24
…this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

It’s been one of my personal goals to memorize a book of the Bible, and this year, I hope to accomplish this. I’ve chose 1 John, but before I start memorizing, I’ve been waking up every morning reading through the entire book and really studying what John has to say about the relationship between loving God and loving others.
 
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel as though I’m doing a good job at living the “Christian” life…and yet I still end my days feeling very unfulfilled with my efforts. There seems to still be something missing even though I feel as though I’m doing everything required of me.
 
But after reading the verse above, I’ve come to the conclusion that what I’m missing is the fullness of life intended for us when we live by the Spirit. Although living as a “Christian” and living by the “Spirit” should be one in the same, I would be lying if I said this was always reflected in my life.
 
If the Spirit were taken away from me, would I even notice? It’s a haunting question, but John says that this is how we know that He lives in us. It’s through obedience and love that we go beyond living the stereotypical (and boring, if we’re honest) “Christian” life.
 
Most Christians would probably claim to love God well. After all, if you believe who he says He is in Scripture, he’s not that difficult to love…right? But we need to be reminded that our love for God and love for people cannot be separated. And let’s face it…people are a lot harder to love.
 
We want our hearts to be in the right place to love God and love others, but the first thing out of our mouths is sarcasm or mocking, gossip or complaining…and it becomes very apparent that our hearts are so far from loving others. It’s about so much more than eliminating a “bad habit”. It’s about living beyond the bare minimum of what it takes to get by, and allowing God to transform our speech, our actions...and our love.

i'm back...14, 13

First of all, I want to take a moment to apologize for failing all of my readers this past month. I have no good excuse, except for the fact that I have been spending my previously claimed free time with a wonderful man. But he wouldn't want to be the reason behind my writing hiatus...in fact, he's the one who inspired my birthday countdown (and keeps reminding me that I need to update it!)...so really, it's just my own priority management! I promise to do a better job at being committed.

Day 14 -- Every two weeks has 14 days. Poll your friends to find out how many people have seen/liked the movie "Two Weeks Notice."

So...I need your help. Please leave a comment with your thoughts/feelings on the movie if you love me:). I'll even offer a prize to a random comment-er worth $5, regardless of what your answer is.

Day 13 -- Lucky number 13. Dig into your personal archives to find a great story about something unfortunate or embarrassing that happened to you. Tell a friend who hasn't heard the story before.

I don't get embarrassed easily (I think it's because I'm able to laugh at myself). But I remember the first time I ever felt the emotion of embarrassment. I was in second grade, and it was during our afternoon recess. Back then, spandex pants with matching sweatshirts were really popular. I remember the exact set I was wearing that day: a blue sweatshirt with a flower-patterned heart on it, and matching print on the pants. I'm still unsure as to how this happened, but I discovered a hole...not only in my spandex pants, but also in my underwear! The holes lined up perfectly, exposing an inappropriate amount of skin. I stood against the shed in the playground for what felt like eternity until we could go back inside. My teacher asked if anything was wrong, but I was too embarrassed to tell her! I'm not sure what happened after that...I only remember the recess part of that day...so...that's the end of my story.