I came across something I wanted to share while I was making my "Decorate the House for Christmas 2011" playlist. I have such a deep appreciation for Shane and Shane. They have talent. But not only do they have talent, they use it to glorify God! I saw are coming to Duluth for a Christmas concert (so excited!!!!! I love their O Holy Night rendition). I went to their website to check out the latest with them. And then I watched the music video on their main page. And then I cried. And then I wiped mascara all over my face. Now I need to wash my face.
Check out this video and their new album!
If you haven't listened to their music before, take a listen to some of
their stuff. My personal favorites: Psalm 13, Psalm 145, Grace is
Sufficient, Without You, Your Love...and many more!
I have to admit I am a Twilight saga
nerd!I mean, I LOVE it!!!!So incredibly excited for Breaking Dawn Part
1 to open I could faint…okay that is exaggerating a little bit.But seriously, it is amazing on so many
levels.Yes, for the longest time
(almost up until the second movie came out) I made fun of adults who read the
books.These are for teenagers, not
intellectual and mature adults.Well
here is the story of how it all unfolded.
I had a good friend of mine, Beth, stay
with me and my family a night or two a week while she was making the commute
each day between Athens to Atlanta.It
made the week a little easier to have a close place to stay the night and my
family loves Beth so it was easy and enjoyable to have her around.Although I am not sure if I have ever told
her this, but I admire her choices in reading material.I feel as though she is always reading
something thought provoking or challenging.I can’t remember which one she read but she was, at one point, tackling
an Ayn Rand book which I don’t think I am smart enough to do…I mean I can
physically read it but to understand it- not so sure about that.So, the woman whose book choices I greatly
admire walks in the door which Breaking Dawn in her hand.What?!?!?Needless to say, I immediately ask her what the hell she is doing!She goes on and on about how amazing they
are.I am in disbelief.Beth, the smart, intelligent, well read woman
I know is reading the Twilight saga?!?She told me to just read the first one and if I didn’t like it I didn’t
have to read any of the others.
Beth brings me a copy the night before
I have jury duty.I bring it with me,
not knowing what to expect from my first jury duty.We sit, we wait, we sit some more.I start reading the first couple of
pages.Not so bad.Vampires, a little weird.But not so bad.We are told we can leave for 3 hours then we
must come back.There is a Starbucks
around the corner so I cozy up to a table with a cup of coffee.I have to admit, I hid the cover.I was so embarrassed to be seen in public
reading such a silly, teenage book.Little did I know I would one day be blogging about how Twilight is
amazing!
I read, read, read up until I have to
be back for jury duty.I can’t put it
down!I go back to jury duty, wait some
more, read some more, wait some more, read some more.We are finally released.Apparently they settled.I was so close to done.I went back to Starbucks and would not leave
until I was finished.And I did it, the
whole book before dinner time!I
couldn’t stop.I felt as though I had
fallen in love while reading the story.Seriously, if a doctor did a brain scan on me, I think you would see my
“love center” all lit up!Now, that is a
sign of a good book!I watched the movie
the next day with Beth.Although I like
the actors in the movie, they did not do my imagination justice.I felt the same way about New Moon and
Eclipse.However, over time the actors
have grown on me.I am sure it helps
that I am a couple years removed from reading the books now.Maybe this movie will be better since I don’t remember all
the details as my brain pictured them.
So, all of that to say, I am so pumped
about Breaking Dawn on Friday.CJ and I
are traveling to the beach so I am not sure when I will see it.I have a super early “work” day on Friday but
I might have to catch a midnight showing…if I can find tickets!
I thought with the start of the movie
it would be fun to look back on my life at the time I was reading the
book.I met CJ on a trip where we had to
paddle for hours in a kayak next to each other.I talked for a little while (he would say hours) about my new love for
this book series.Great way to impress a guy! Yep, talk about the young adult fiction you like. Awesome. I was reading Eclipse
when we met.Although he won’t admit it,
I think my passion and enthusiasm was cute to him!Our relationship quickly became long distance
as I moved away for grad school.He was
in the midst of going through a divorce.It was complicated and difficult and painful and beautiful and hopeful all
at the same time.I felt the
complication between Bella, Edward, and Jacob was something really relatable at
the time.Here are pieces of two emails
between CJ and I as I was reading Breaking Dawn (don't worry, no spoilers, everything I say is obvious from the trailers)…
It is funny how many books I read which are all highlighted
and annotated. I am weird about not getting books from the library
because I like to reference them down the road with all my notes. Even silly books. It is
interesting to look back on what I found important at the time I was reading
the book. Twilight has not been one of those
series. The first two I read, there was nothing I would want to
highlight. It is funny though. As I am reading the third one now
all I want to do is mark passages that stick out to me. Before, during
the first two books, I was just enjoying the romance between Edward and Bella,
now their romance takes on a whole new meaning...one that I feel like I am
living now. Although I am human and you are not a vampire.
However there are so many restrictions to our relationship, so many
boundaries and obstacles to overcome. Two things stuck out to me today:
“For this one night, could we try to forget everything besides you and me?”
he’d pleaded, unleashing the full force of his eyes on me. “It seems like
I can never get enough time like that. I need to be with you. Just
you.”
“Because right now, physically, there’s nothing I want more than you.
More than food or water or oxygen. Intellectually I have my
priorities on a slightly more sensible order. But physically...”
I am loving my last Twilight book. I figured out what
the big twist was this morning which I was not expecting at all, even when I
knew there was a twist! I read about 200 pages already today and might
try to get another 100 in before I fall asleep although that is doubtful right
now considering how heavy my eyelids are starting to feel. I am including
some of my favorite things from today (which of course made me think of you…
How did people do this-swallow all
their fears and trust someone else so implicitly with every imperfection and
fear they had-with less than the absolute commitment Edward had given me?
If it weren't for Edward out there, if I didn't know in every cell of my
body that he loved me as much as I loved him-unconditionally and irrevocably,
and to be honest, irrationally-I'd never be able to get up off the floor. (this
is the moment where she is in the bathroom changing into lingerie on her
wedding night, she is freaking out because she is about to have sex for the
first time...with a vampire!)
It had all been simpler than I had expected;
we'd fit together like corresponding pieces, made to match up. This had
given me a secret satisfaction-we were compatible physically, as well as all
the other ways. Fire and ice, somehow existing together without
destroying each other. More proof that I belonged with him.
From http://www.hdwallpapersdesktop.com/Movies/The-Twilight-Saga-Breaking-Dawn-Film/imagepages/image3.htm
I have such a love/hate relationship with running.
I want to love it.Every time
I do it, I hate it.Then when I get
done, I love that I did it.
Sounds like
a problem.
I use to run a lot (a lot for me).I averaged 4 or 5 miles a day.I
have run several half marathons.Never
had the courage/discipline to tackle a full marathon although every time I
finish a half I am so excited to do a full.Weird.
I finished graduate school in August and had to study for my
boards.In the last two years with the
stress and hours of school and the lack of exercise I have put a “few” pounds
on.Not to mention I heard a report on
the radio that people who are happy in their relationship tend to put on
weight....which strangely I started dating my boyfriend 2 years ago when the weight gain started.Apparently I am happy! And have a boyfriend who like pizza...and me too.
So I am trying to get back to me, the thinner and more active
version of me.Thanks to 2 good friends
I have run a couple of 5Ks in the last month.
And thanks to another good friend, we are running a half marathon in
March.
2
weeks of “pre-training” and 16 weeks of real training.“Pre-training” consists just of me getting
off my a** and logging some miles, however few they may be.Today I did 3.5 which I was happy with.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Glory, glory to ole' Georgia! What an amazing day in Athens with incredible friends and my sissy! We tailgated on top of a parking deck (a little different from the usual tailgate but it worked).
Ryan sabered a bottle of champagne.
We did a prom pose...to make Abbey feel like she got her prom experience with Ryan that she apparently hasn't forgiven him for yet.
Then we made our way downtown to shuffle between the Tap Room and the Capital Room at the Georgian.
Such a great time!! Made me remember (although it is hard to forget) how much I ♥LOVE♥ Athens!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Headed to Athens for the first time this year!! Gooooooooo Dawgs!!!
Thank you, veterans, for all you have done for this
country! It is because of you that I
have so many of the freedoms that are easily taken for granted. Even this blog is a privilege that others around the world do not have thanks to the First Amendment!
I am so blessed to have two incredible men in my family who
served our country…Granddaddy Williams and Granddaddy Brantley. I wish I knew the stories from my Grandaddy
Brantley’s service...note to self to ask my grandmother at Thanksgiving. I do know a great deal about my Granddaddy
William’s service thanks to the autobiography my grandmother wrote and from the
many stories my grandfather has told over the years. Not to mention the letters framed in my
grandparents house written to my great-grandparents from my grandfather’s
supervisors in the Army about how he was doing overseas.
And one of my favorite pictures of my grandfather is of him in his
uniform-such a handsome man!! I need to get a copy of that picture!!
The veterans in my life...
Granddaddy Brantley
Granddaddy Brantley and I at his 94th birthday dinner...he proceeded to say we weren't leaving until I left my phone number for the handsome server...he never called me.
Christmas 2010 with Granddaddy Williams
There is another young man I know, who through serving our
country, made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan.
John was in my 5th period Environmental Science class my last
year teaching. He was one of the most
energetic teens I have ever met! He had
such a passion for our country and so desperately wanted to serve in the
military. It drove me crazy sometimes
because I think he brushed off his education some days thinking he wouldn’t
need to know science stuff while fighting in a war. But he was always so friendly, smiling,
energetic, and full of life! It was
privilege to know him. Thank you, John,
for giving your life in Afghanistan! And
thank you to your mom for raising a young man who had the courage and the
passion to chase his dreams of serving our country. You will be greatly missed, John!
(I have been playing around with making printables. I have a few framed around the house and they can be changed out according to the season. I made this one yesterday to go with this post and to put in Lily's room. If you have a verse or quote you would like made into a printable, email me at ambrantley@gmail.com)
At church on Sunday they started Operation Christmas Child
with the kid’s classes.Along with the
boxes they provided a handout on ways to discuss the month’s memory verse and
big idea as well as ways to incorporate it into packing our boxes.CJ, Lily, and I had a late night at a
post-election celebration party in Decatur on Tuesday so I decided to keep Lily
at home with me on Wednesday so we could have a girls day…plus it was a nice
break from the job search .
Lily was playing in her room after breakfast.I took this time to assemble our shoe box and
grab a laundry basket (you will see why in a minute).I called Lily into the dining room and asked
her “Who made people to help us?”I was
hoping for her to shout the answer since we have been practicing since Sunday but instead she just pointed up to the
ceiling.I asked her the question again,
“Who made people to help us?”Her
response was “Can’t you see I’m pointing to God!”Yes, God made people to help us!We talked about friends and teachers at
school who help Lily.We talked about
ways she helps me cook dinner (or pies like today).I then told her we were going to spend the
morning doing something to help someone else.I explained the shoebox and let her chose if we were shopping for a boy
or girl and what age.Of course she
chose a girl and one that is her age!
Being the bright girl she is, she asked why the laundry
basket was next to the box.I explained
that we were going to have a little race.I would ask her a question then she would go find the item that answers
the question.Here are some the
questions I asked…
-What did you use to brush your hair this morning?(she brought her comb and brush)
-What did you use to clean your teeth?(she brought the toothbrush and then went back
for the toothpaste)
-What do you wear around the house when your feet get
cold?(princess slippers)
-What toy do you want to play with right now?(Snow White doll)
-What is one item you think a little girl across the world
would want for Christmas? (a stroller…that is too big for the shoe box!)
-What is one thing you want to play with today? (she brought me markers and paper to color
with)
It was difficult to explain that we weren’t giving her our
things (which wouldn’t be a bad idea if it wasn’t against the rules) but that
we were going to buy her brand new items!We quickly put our shoes on and headed to Target.While we were in the car their was a little girl who came on the radio from Russia talking about how she didn't have shoes or school supplies until her Operation Christmas Child box. This was just what we needed to get Lily super excited!!
We started off with a treat from Starbucks to
enjoy while we were shopping…gingerbread latte for me (I wait all year for my
favorite drink!!), hot chocolate for tiny, and a slice of pumpkin bread to
split.
Here are some of the items we
purchased for the box…
-3 pairs of socks (purple, pink, and stripes)
-toothbrush pack of 4 toothbrushes (this is the only real
struggle we had, Lily wanted this pack with one toothbrush and some ugly
painted character on it and I wanted to give her a 4 pack)
-Strawberry Shortcake toothpaste
-a purple loofah
-Hello Kitty hairband with cute little bow
-Hello Kitty notepad
-2 pink hairbows
-pack of crayons and colored pencils
-girly little doll
-Disney Princess stickers
-a Christmas card with a sweet note from Lily
Finished product…
These boxes are sent to Haiti, Africa, Latin America, Romania, and East Asia. Along with the boxes the kids are given information, in their language, about Jesus Christ. A great way to teach kids all over the globe about our incredible Savior!
If you want more information on how to make a shoe box please go to http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/ or if you live in Atlanta you can get boxes from any of the 5 North Point churches.
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