September 28, 2008

a brief, golden weekend

Our Young Adult Ministry group had its first retreat this past weekend in Fairplay. And WHOA did we pick the perfect weekend to be there. As hot as it has been lately, this weekend definitely gave me my fall fix.







We couldn't have asked for a funnier, more interesting, or more genuine group of people to eat, hike, play poker, pray, or watch football with. We're in the early stages of a whole lot of goodness and richness to come.

September 18, 2008

against my better judgment

So, even mentioning politics is probably a bad idea since I have yet to make up my mind on who I'm going to vote for and therefore am not going to passionately defend either side. But I do have to say that I have a huge problem with this. Not so much with the actual production and sale of the product, but with the sponsors of the event where it showed up. It was available at the Values Voter Summit, co-sponsored by American Values and Focus on the Family.

I'm not going to argue with political satire or freedom of speech, but as a Christian, this offends me. What is a Christian organization doing backing up racist material? This article states that "summit organizers were told the boxes were a parody of Obama's policy positions but had not examined them closely." Are you kidding me? What do Aunt Jemima and an implied Islamic turban have to do with policy positions? The general "waffle" idea is funny, but I think crassly executed. Organizers did remove the product partway through the summit, so at least it didn't go ignored.

On a related note, it sooms that roughly half the commercials in Colorado these days are for local politicians- or screamingly anti-politicians. It's obnoxious. November can't come fast enough.

p.s. Bryan's tattoo is from Isaiah 6:8- it says 'here I am, send me'.

September 14, 2008

new acquisitions

(as of wednesday)
my mourning dove



bryan's hebrew (can you guess?)




these were belated anniversary gifts to each other... we should do this EVERY year!

September 10, 2008

the Swedish are coming!

IKEA has FINALLY decided to build a store here, which just makes me squirm with excitement. I don't think I've visited a store since I moved away from Chicagoland, so this is very good news! A lot of their furniture and products are too modern for my taste, but just wandering around the store is a huge source of entertainment. Also, my desk is from there and has served me well for the last five years or so.

September 7, 2008

hesitations

Well, here we are.

I hesitate to call my first blog a "blog," because it really was a convenient alternative to mass e-mails to loved ones while I was studying in London for a semester. When I came back, it still served as a way to update those I loved who lived far away. For some mysterious reason, the format has lost a bit of its luster and activity and relevance. I don't know if that is because of trends (xanga isn't trendy and current...?), or because the audience I write/wrote for shifted- probably both.

I find myself really put off by the idea of blogs, because they seem to break down into two categories: 1) ME ME ME WAH WAH BLAH ME MY LIFE DRAMA ME, and 2) a specific area of interest or expertise.

But, of course, many (maybe most) blogs do not fall neatly into one or the other. The ones that I read, and read faithfully, even if the writer is a stranger, are the ones that are written wittily and skillfully, almost regardless of the subject matter. See: dooce.com. That woman can write about motherhood, and nothing but, and still be insightful and hilarious.

I also appreciate blogs that draw my attention to material on the internet I never would have found on my own. Or really, just inform me in general. Otherwise, I like to hear about what my close friends (who live far away) are up to.

So, here is the problem: I have no area of expertise, therefore if I start a blog it will inevitably be a MEMEMEME blog. All I can hope for is an opportunity to work on my writing daily or regularly (MEMEME), share small details and huge events of my life for those long-distance loved ones (MEMEME), and spread some thoughts and discoveries about this huge and crazy world we live in (hopefully not always about me).

This is a venture for me, so we'll see how it goes.