Sad way to start a new year... but just thought I'd let you all know that Fishy passed away last night. Mom says he must have been a 2007 fish only... I didn't see any label on the side of the tank saying, "NOTICE - Beta expires at end of year!"
So now the hunt is on for a new Beta. I'm never going to be able to find another one like him though. He had so much character... and he loved me! (I never had a fish that loved me before...)
So let me know if any of you comes across a Beta that is totally devoted to his owner, jumps out of the water when wanting to be fed, follows your finger across the glass, and freaks out whenever he sees his reflection.
-Shannon
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Friday, December 28, 2007
"I should blog that!"
The past few weeks of my life have been characterized by this nagging thought that keeps randomly popping into my head… It goes something along the lines of “Oh... I need to write a blog about that!” An event will occur, the thought will register… and then *poof* just like that, time will disappear. I’m not sure where it all seems to be going… (please let me know if you happen to come across any extra…)
Anyhow, seeing as the kids are headed to bed, and the house has finally reached a condition that could pass for clean… I decided to take a few minutes and blog about the past week.
With finals finished, I packed up all my belongings and headed off to GYC. On my way to the Atlanta airport, I stopped by home to drop off a few things… including fishy, who had managed to spill all over the floor of the back seat of my car, (he was swimming sideways in about two inches of water…).
I reached the Atlanta airport around 2 pm, and arrived at my hotel room in Minneapolis around 9:30 pm. I was ready to crash. ;)
GYC was incredible. Registration went really well – I don’t think we ever had any really long lines. I was helping with onsite registration, and I was amazed at the amount of people we registered – people who had just heard about GYC like the week before and had decided to come. God was definitely at work.
I can’t help but wonder as I think back on all that occurred in those few short days. I just can’t find words to describe it… It wasn’t what I’d call a “spiritual high”… It was different… I came back home with such a sense of quiet awe. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the great controversy so clearly revealed.
My brother and I arrived home the day before Christmas, to a house full of excited kids. Christmas morning, we were awoken to a bunch of excited kids. :) We ate breakfast, and then when Grammy and Grandpa arrived, we proceeded to open presents… only, we did things a little different this year. Instead of the traditional gift giving, we did a white-elephant gift exchange… and boy was that hysterical! The gifts ranged from a tea box with money hidden inside, to cream soda, Moon Pies, and Santa boxers! Lucky me ended up with a Michael W. Smith Christmas CD and some Boston Baked Beans. lol I was satisfied (it’s music… who wouldn’t be?).
After the wrapping paper, string, boxes, and bags were all picked up and the floor was made somewhat visible once again, out came over a dozen cans of silly string!!! What took place next can only be described as pure chaos! I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard. It was every man for himself… or I should say, every kid for himself. When the last can was used up, there wasn’t a thing in the room that had escaped the colorful festooning… except for Heidi, who stood wide-eyed and open-mouthed in a far corner. She had missed the initial onslaught, and was therefore quite taken aback at our behavior (mom doesn’t generally allow all-out silly string wars inside house). :)
That afternoon, we had a delicious, candle-lit dinner – complete with bark and cranberry salad; and as the day drew to a close, we ended with some homemade spiced cider and ginger bread cookies, and a Christmas movie.
The following day, wasn’t marked by anything extraordinary... except for the fact that the entire house reeked of Vanilla Fantasy body spray. Opps! Did I say reek? Forgive me; I’ve been assured many times, by a certain little miss Heidi, that it’s supposed to smell good! I mean, who in their right mind wouldn’t want to smell like Vanilla Fantasy!.. never mind having a whole HOUSE that smells like Vanilla Fantasy… (I suppose this is where I count my blessings that it isn’t too cold to leave the windows open wide…) Anyhow, I discovered the offensive bottle this afternoon, and it’s nearly empty, so our prospects are brightening.
Seeing as some of us hadn’t arrived home until the day before Christmas, decorating cookies was saved until after Christmas… so yesterday evening we engaged in yet another colorful mess… only this one was edible. We took the precaution of laying newspaper out on the table beforehand, and it’s a good thing too because when those kids were finished, that stuff was nearly as colorful as the cookies, if not more so! :) Surprisingly I managed to remain un-frosted and sprinkled. The cookies that were produced were all works of art. Among many others there was a green reindeer with a yellow head, a red snowman covered with sprinkle stars, a mutilated snowman turned into an alien, a green angel with purple sprinkles, and an orange Santa. There was also a music note so layered with frosting and sprinkles that it nearly broke in two! As the cookies were produced, each person's were put on separate plates, clearly denoting who’s were who’s - this way, any who had an aversion to licked frosting utensils , knew which plates to avoid. ;) When the cookies were finally all decorated, we had about six plates… which has turned out to be about five plates to many. It’s no WONDER everyone gets sick this time of the year! lol
Anyhow, the tree has been put away and most of the decorations taken down, as we are now moving on to the wedding scramble! :) It’s actually Audrey who’s doing most of the scrambling (boy am I glad I’m not the one getting married… ). The rest of us are just cleaning, and practicing music, and cleaning, and fitting dresses, and cleaning, and finding pictures… and cleaning. If we could just loan the kids out for one day, I think we could possibly conquer the cleaning… but alas, I see no reprieve from this endless cycle.
So there you have it…
Next Wednesday the first guests should start arriving, and from there on out it’s all downhill.
And you know what’s weird?.. thinking that in two Sundays I will have a married sister!!!
Yikes…
-Shannon
Anyhow, seeing as the kids are headed to bed, and the house has finally reached a condition that could pass for clean… I decided to take a few minutes and blog about the past week.
With finals finished, I packed up all my belongings and headed off to GYC. On my way to the Atlanta airport, I stopped by home to drop off a few things… including fishy, who had managed to spill all over the floor of the back seat of my car, (he was swimming sideways in about two inches of water…).
I reached the Atlanta airport around 2 pm, and arrived at my hotel room in Minneapolis around 9:30 pm. I was ready to crash. ;)
GYC was incredible. Registration went really well – I don’t think we ever had any really long lines. I was helping with onsite registration, and I was amazed at the amount of people we registered – people who had just heard about GYC like the week before and had decided to come. God was definitely at work.
I can’t help but wonder as I think back on all that occurred in those few short days. I just can’t find words to describe it… It wasn’t what I’d call a “spiritual high”… It was different… I came back home with such a sense of quiet awe. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the great controversy so clearly revealed.
My brother and I arrived home the day before Christmas, to a house full of excited kids. Christmas morning, we were awoken to a bunch of excited kids. :) We ate breakfast, and then when Grammy and Grandpa arrived, we proceeded to open presents… only, we did things a little different this year. Instead of the traditional gift giving, we did a white-elephant gift exchange… and boy was that hysterical! The gifts ranged from a tea box with money hidden inside, to cream soda, Moon Pies, and Santa boxers! Lucky me ended up with a Michael W. Smith Christmas CD and some Boston Baked Beans. lol I was satisfied (it’s music… who wouldn’t be?).
After the wrapping paper, string, boxes, and bags were all picked up and the floor was made somewhat visible once again, out came over a dozen cans of silly string!!! What took place next can only be described as pure chaos! I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard. It was every man for himself… or I should say, every kid for himself. When the last can was used up, there wasn’t a thing in the room that had escaped the colorful festooning… except for Heidi, who stood wide-eyed and open-mouthed in a far corner. She had missed the initial onslaught, and was therefore quite taken aback at our behavior (mom doesn’t generally allow all-out silly string wars inside house). :)
That afternoon, we had a delicious, candle-lit dinner – complete with bark and cranberry salad; and as the day drew to a close, we ended with some homemade spiced cider and ginger bread cookies, and a Christmas movie.
The following day, wasn’t marked by anything extraordinary... except for the fact that the entire house reeked of Vanilla Fantasy body spray. Opps! Did I say reek? Forgive me; I’ve been assured many times, by a certain little miss Heidi, that it’s supposed to smell good! I mean, who in their right mind wouldn’t want to smell like Vanilla Fantasy!.. never mind having a whole HOUSE that smells like Vanilla Fantasy… (I suppose this is where I count my blessings that it isn’t too cold to leave the windows open wide…) Anyhow, I discovered the offensive bottle this afternoon, and it’s nearly empty, so our prospects are brightening.
Seeing as some of us hadn’t arrived home until the day before Christmas, decorating cookies was saved until after Christmas… so yesterday evening we engaged in yet another colorful mess… only this one was edible. We took the precaution of laying newspaper out on the table beforehand, and it’s a good thing too because when those kids were finished, that stuff was nearly as colorful as the cookies, if not more so! :) Surprisingly I managed to remain un-frosted and sprinkled. The cookies that were produced were all works of art. Among many others there was a green reindeer with a yellow head, a red snowman covered with sprinkle stars, a mutilated snowman turned into an alien, a green angel with purple sprinkles, and an orange Santa. There was also a music note so layered with frosting and sprinkles that it nearly broke in two! As the cookies were produced, each person's were put on separate plates, clearly denoting who’s were who’s - this way, any who had an aversion to licked frosting utensils , knew which plates to avoid. ;) When the cookies were finally all decorated, we had about six plates… which has turned out to be about five plates to many. It’s no WONDER everyone gets sick this time of the year! lol
Anyhow, the tree has been put away and most of the decorations taken down, as we are now moving on to the wedding scramble! :) It’s actually Audrey who’s doing most of the scrambling (boy am I glad I’m not the one getting married… ). The rest of us are just cleaning, and practicing music, and cleaning, and fitting dresses, and cleaning, and finding pictures… and cleaning. If we could just loan the kids out for one day, I think we could possibly conquer the cleaning… but alas, I see no reprieve from this endless cycle.
So there you have it…
Next Wednesday the first guests should start arriving, and from there on out it’s all downhill.
And you know what’s weird?.. thinking that in two Sundays I will have a married sister!!!
Yikes…
-Shannon
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
*To the Tune of the "Hallelujah Chorus"
YIPEE!!! I just finished my last final!!!!!
Praise the Lord, I know I couldn't have done it without Him... He just brought so many things back to my memory... things that I hadn't studied in weeks! :D Dear me, I'm so happy right now I could kiss my fishy! (Through the glass of course. ;) Poor guy hasn't been getting a lot of attention these past few weeks... his tank is turning a bit green. :(
Anyhow, all I have left to do here is pack up the rest of my belonging, and then I'm off to GYC!!! Oh boy, I can't wait... I feel like a little kid at Christmas... No more classes, no more school work, no more finals, no more cafe food!!! :D
So yeah, guess I'd better go finish packing...
Hope to see a bunch of you at GYC!!!
-Shannon
Praise the Lord, I know I couldn't have done it without Him... He just brought so many things back to my memory... things that I hadn't studied in weeks! :D Dear me, I'm so happy right now I could kiss my fishy! (Through the glass of course. ;) Poor guy hasn't been getting a lot of attention these past few weeks... his tank is turning a bit green. :(
Anyhow, all I have left to do here is pack up the rest of my belonging, and then I'm off to GYC!!! Oh boy, I can't wait... I feel like a little kid at Christmas... No more classes, no more school work, no more finals, no more cafe food!!! :D
So yeah, guess I'd better go finish packing...
Hope to see a bunch of you at GYC!!!
-Shannon
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
What Makes Christmas… Christmas?
I think it started with Christmas on the Promenade… or was it Thanksgiving Break, when mom brought home the Josh Groban Christmas CD?... Obviously I’m not exactly certain when it started… All I know is that it did. This intangible thing called the Christmas spirit… or, as most put it, the Christmassy mood.
As the temperature grew cooler and decorations started going up around campus, you couldn’t help but get caught up in the spirit. Right after Thanksgiving break, we had Christmas on the Promenade, where all the different department decorated their buildings, and hot chocolate and doughnuts were served, as bands, choirs, and orchestras played music all along the Promenade. To close the evening, Gordon Bietz gave a short speech, and then turned on the lights to the big Christmas tree in the center of campus. It was a fun evening, and it totally put Allie and I in the Christmas mood. For days afterwards, we would keep all the lights off in our room except for the Christmas lights, and we had Christmas music playing almost constantly. In our hall lobby they set up a tree and hung lights, and afterwards there were cookies, candy, and sweet bread. The temperature was down in the 30’s and 40’s; and every day, heading to class, you’d see people bundled up in warm coats with brightly colored scarves and gloves.
Like I said, you just couldn’t escape it… it was everywhere… especially once the Christmas parties started! One Saturday night we put together flannel blankets as Christmas present for the people at Patten Towers (a low-income housing residence). Once again, there was Christmas music, hot chocolate, spiced cider, and way too many Christmas cookies. As Allie and I walked out of the building after the party that night, we were in such merry spirits we nearly ran right into the poor frightened couple making out by the doors! (I should clarify – the couple was only frightened AFTER we nearly ran into them… I’m sure they were just fine before that.)
Anyhow, as I was saying, the Christmas spirit was everywhere. Even our A&P teacher got caught up in it, as one morning in class he sang for us “The Twelve Cranial Nerves of Christmas.” It was pretty amusing.
Well I don’t know what happened… but it’s gone…. like TOTALLY GONE! Just disappeared… VAMOOSE!
Maybe it has something to do with fact that it is now nearly 80 degrees outside, and I’ve been running around in shorts. Or maybe it’s just that all of our focus is on finals right now, and there aren’t too many feelings of cheer and good will. Or perhaps it has something to do with all this wedding stuff going on (we had Audrey’s bachelorette party last Saturday night, and her wedding shower on Sunday!).
Whatever the cause, it’s clear in my mind that the Christmas spirit has officially left me. The Christmas lights haven’t been turned on in our room in quite some time, and I haven’t been listening to nearly as much Christmas music (right now I’m listening to the Gods and Generals soundtrack… I think we pretty much wore poor Josh Groban out…).
So all this has gotten me to thinking… what is it that really makes Christmas for me? Is it just the cold weather and frost on my car windshield? (a poor substitute for snow, I know…) Or maybe it’s the Christmas decorations and festive music? Or is it something more...
In A&P class the other day, our teacher was talking about the term “Xmas” and how we shouldn’t use it because it takes “Christ” our of “Christmas.” Then he compared that to how we need to remember not to take Christ out of the Christmas season. Granted, his analogy was faulty, considering the origin of the term “Xmas”, but the principle remains true. Without Christ, Christmas means nothing.
In today’s culture, we are virtually surrounded by all the artifacts that make up Christmas. The lights, the trees, the presents, the music, the blow-up Santas and snowmen… even the nativity scenes – by themselves, these things don’t do much for my Christmas spirit… and even combined, there is still something missing (although I honestly can’t say that the blow-up Santas and snowmen have ever done much of anything for me…).
I think I experienced it best, though, last Christmas. That year my family decided to skip the typical present-buying nightmare that usually comes with Christmas, and get each other presents from the ADRA Gift Catalog instead. We each drew a name, and that was family member you were to buy a gift for.
Christmas morning came around, and as my family gathered in the living by the tree, we were each handed a card.
I sat down to open my card, and nearly choked up as I read the words scribbled inside…
...Because you’re my favorite sister, I worked extra hard this year so that two children in Madagascar get hot lunches, and two children get flip-flops.
Love Hannah (5 yrs. old)
Now since when do children in Madagascar and flip-flops have anything to do with the Christmas spirit?
I looked up from my card to see Hanna’s beaming face; she was so proud of this gift that she had worked hard saving up for, all year long. And the joy she experienced in giving it, couldn’t be matched.
So maybe the Christmas spirit isn’t just one thing… maybe it’s made up of a whole bunch of things...
I still get excited when I hear the first Christmas song of the season, and when I see the first Christmas decorations, but when I try to think of what makes Christmas Christmas for me, I can’t pinpoint any one thing.
When I think of Christmas, I think of family… home… music… pretty lights… tree hunting… baking… decorating… smiling faces… fuzzy scarves… warm fires… good stories… Silk Nog and cookies… cold weather… and the Christmas story, which showed us the best example of giving ever.
-Shannon
As the temperature grew cooler and decorations started going up around campus, you couldn’t help but get caught up in the spirit. Right after Thanksgiving break, we had Christmas on the Promenade, where all the different department decorated their buildings, and hot chocolate and doughnuts were served, as bands, choirs, and orchestras played music all along the Promenade. To close the evening, Gordon Bietz gave a short speech, and then turned on the lights to the big Christmas tree in the center of campus. It was a fun evening, and it totally put Allie and I in the Christmas mood. For days afterwards, we would keep all the lights off in our room except for the Christmas lights, and we had Christmas music playing almost constantly. In our hall lobby they set up a tree and hung lights, and afterwards there were cookies, candy, and sweet bread. The temperature was down in the 30’s and 40’s; and every day, heading to class, you’d see people bundled up in warm coats with brightly colored scarves and gloves.Like I said, you just couldn’t escape it… it was everywhere… especially once the Christmas parties started! One Saturday night we put together flannel blankets as Christmas present for the people at Patten Towers (a low-income housing residence). Once again, there was Christmas music, hot chocolate, spiced cider, and way too many Christmas cookies. As Allie and I walked out of the building after the party that night, we were in such merry spirits we nearly ran right into the poor frightened couple making out by the doors! (I should clarify – the couple was only frightened AFTER we nearly ran into them… I’m sure they were just fine before that.)
Anyhow, as I was saying, the Christmas spirit was everywhere. Even our A&P teacher got caught up in it, as one morning in class he sang for us “The Twelve Cranial Nerves of Christmas.” It was pretty amusing.
Well I don’t know what happened… but it’s gone…. like TOTALLY GONE! Just disappeared… VAMOOSE!
Maybe it has something to do with fact that it is now nearly 80 degrees outside, and I’ve been running around in shorts. Or maybe it’s just that all of our focus is on finals right now, and there aren’t too many feelings of cheer and good will. Or perhaps it has something to do with all this wedding stuff going on (we had Audrey’s bachelorette party last Saturday night, and her wedding shower on Sunday!).Whatever the cause, it’s clear in my mind that the Christmas spirit has officially left me. The Christmas lights haven’t been turned on in our room in quite some time, and I haven’t been listening to nearly as much Christmas music (right now I’m listening to the Gods and Generals soundtrack… I think we pretty much wore poor Josh Groban out…).
So all this has gotten me to thinking… what is it that really makes Christmas for me? Is it just the cold weather and frost on my car windshield? (a poor substitute for snow, I know…) Or maybe it’s the Christmas decorations and festive music? Or is it something more...
In A&P class the other day, our teacher was talking about the term “Xmas” and how we shouldn’t use it because it takes “Christ” our of “Christmas.” Then he compared that to how we need to remember not to take Christ out of the Christmas season. Granted, his analogy was faulty, considering the origin of the term “Xmas”, but the principle remains true. Without Christ, Christmas means nothing.
In today’s culture, we are virtually surrounded by all the artifacts that make up Christmas. The lights, the trees, the presents, the music, the blow-up Santas and snowmen… even the nativity scenes – by themselves, these things don’t do much for my Christmas spirit… and even combined, there is still something missing (although I honestly can’t say that the blow-up Santas and snowmen have ever done much of anything for me…).
I think I experienced it best, though, last Christmas. That year my family decided to skip the typical present-buying nightmare that usually comes with Christmas, and get each other presents from the ADRA Gift Catalog instead. We each drew a name, and that was family member you were to buy a gift for.
Christmas morning came around, and as my family gathered in the living by the tree, we were each handed a card.
I sat down to open my card, and nearly choked up as I read the words scribbled inside…
...Because you’re my favorite sister, I worked extra hard this year so that two children in Madagascar get hot lunches, and two children get flip-flops. Love Hannah (5 yrs. old)
Now since when do children in Madagascar and flip-flops have anything to do with the Christmas spirit?
I looked up from my card to see Hanna’s beaming face; she was so proud of this gift that she had worked hard saving up for, all year long. And the joy she experienced in giving it, couldn’t be matched.
So maybe the Christmas spirit isn’t just one thing… maybe it’s made up of a whole bunch of things...
I still get excited when I hear the first Christmas song of the season, and when I see the first Christmas decorations, but when I try to think of what makes Christmas Christmas for me, I can’t pinpoint any one thing.
When I think of Christmas, I think of family… home… music… pretty lights… tree hunting… baking… decorating… smiling faces… fuzzy scarves… warm fires… good stories… Silk Nog and cookies… cold weather… and the Christmas story, which showed us the best example of giving ever.
-Shannon
Monday, December 10, 2007
FINALS!!!
.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. refer to blog title .................................................
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-Shannon
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-Shannon
Monday, November 26, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
6:15
In one hour and forty-five minutes I will be jumping in my car and FLYING southward to my home-sweet-home!!! :D (let's hope the cops aren't out and about...) I've been counting down the days since last break. Mostly all my stuff has been packed all day today, and I just got back from loading it into my car. I am now sitting here with nothing to do but blog... watching the minutes tick by...
And why, you may ask, am I still sitting here, twiddling my thumbs when I could have been long-since gone? Well, of all the absurdities, I have one more class tonight at seven! *ugh* And this HAD to be the day that I have NO classes ALL day until SEVEN PM!!!
So... this morning I slept in until 7 am (sad huh?)... met my prayer partner at 9:40... picked up breakfast from the cafe at 10 (my roommate asked if I was eating lunch)... met up with some friends to play tennis at 11 (very amusing since I'd never played tennis before)... went to lunch at 12 (didn't eat too much seeing as breakfast was still digesting)... came back to my room and packed some more... took a nap... went to the Village Market at 4 (it's just not Thanksgiving without the chic-ketts and Silk Nog)... came back to my room and packed some more... watched pixar clips on the internet... threw some last few things into my suitcase and hauled it out to my car... and here I sit... trying to find something to amuse myself with until seven... It's basically pointless going to class tonight, because I promise you my mind will be FAAAR from the lecture... but anyhow, seeing as I only have 15 minutes until class now, I suppose I could start walking over... take my seat with the few other faithfuls who decided not to skip class...
-Shannon
... only one hour and thirteen minutes until I'm gone...
And why, you may ask, am I still sitting here, twiddling my thumbs when I could have been long-since gone? Well, of all the absurdities, I have one more class tonight at seven! *ugh* And this HAD to be the day that I have NO classes ALL day until SEVEN PM!!!
So... this morning I slept in until 7 am (sad huh?)... met my prayer partner at 9:40... picked up breakfast from the cafe at 10 (my roommate asked if I was eating lunch)... met up with some friends to play tennis at 11 (very amusing since I'd never played tennis before)... went to lunch at 12 (didn't eat too much seeing as breakfast was still digesting)... came back to my room and packed some more... took a nap... went to the Village Market at 4 (it's just not Thanksgiving without the chic-ketts and Silk Nog)... came back to my room and packed some more... watched pixar clips on the internet... threw some last few things into my suitcase and hauled it out to my car... and here I sit... trying to find something to amuse myself with until seven... It's basically pointless going to class tonight, because I promise you my mind will be FAAAR from the lecture... but anyhow, seeing as I only have 15 minutes until class now, I suppose I could start walking over... take my seat with the few other faithfuls who decided not to skip class...
-Shannon
... only one hour and thirteen minutes until I'm gone...
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