Wednesday, August 01, 2007
I finally took the plunge . . .
. . . and started a new blog. This one was clearly retired even though I hadn't officially admitted it. I have been hesitant to start a new one for fear I won't keep up with it and meet expectations, but I created the page and put a VERY LONG first post there, so I figured I'd officially retire this space and point you to the new one - http://rosenrecord.blogspot.com. Have fun!
Monday, February 26, 2007
I want you to go to heaven with me
I am blessed to attend a church where it is not at all uncommon for the waters of the baptistry to be stirred, and although I am fully aware that I am seeing a physical representation of a spiritual transformation, sometimes the gravity of that doesn't quite make it from my head to my heart.
However, this past Sunday there was a baptism that I think I'll remember for a long time. I don't remember the child's name, but what I do remember will hopefully help change the sometimes fearful attitude I have towards sharing the gospel. The little boy had been led to the Lord by his older brother. One night as they were lying in bed, his brother said to him, "I want you to go to heaven with me," and then proceeded to tell him how to be saved.
That just sank deep into my heart. I thought, "It really is that simple." I shouldn't be worried about what arguments they may have or how offended they may be. My heart is that I want them to go to heaven with me. Yes, that could still produce some offended reactions (people thinking, "I think my way will get me to heaven - what makes your way better?"), but really if they understood the desire of my heart, they could see that it's a compliment - "I want you to spend eternity in the same place where I'll be!"
I'm going to start praying for an opportunity to share that with someone soon. That prayer is a little scary to me, but I'm going to pray it anyway because I know it's His desire for my life to be all about sharing that simple sentiment!
However, this past Sunday there was a baptism that I think I'll remember for a long time. I don't remember the child's name, but what I do remember will hopefully help change the sometimes fearful attitude I have towards sharing the gospel. The little boy had been led to the Lord by his older brother. One night as they were lying in bed, his brother said to him, "I want you to go to heaven with me," and then proceeded to tell him how to be saved.
That just sank deep into my heart. I thought, "It really is that simple." I shouldn't be worried about what arguments they may have or how offended they may be. My heart is that I want them to go to heaven with me. Yes, that could still produce some offended reactions (people thinking, "I think my way will get me to heaven - what makes your way better?"), but really if they understood the desire of my heart, they could see that it's a compliment - "I want you to spend eternity in the same place where I'll be!"
I'm going to start praying for an opportunity to share that with someone soon. That prayer is a little scary to me, but I'm going to pray it anyway because I know it's His desire for my life to be all about sharing that simple sentiment!
Monday, January 22, 2007
The most-dreaded flowers . . .
There comes a point in almost every girl's life where she will dread one type of bouquet . . . the one that is tossed at a wedding! I reached that point at around age 22. It was no longer fun to be pointed out as a single girl - it was sort of like being herded for an auction! So, when it came to my wedding, I wanted to do things differently. But thinking like one of my guests, I figured I better let the single girls know they had no need to worry or leave the party early, so I sent them a quick e-mail. The responses I got back made me know that I was not alone in my hatred for the bouquet toss! Some were quite humorous, so I thought I'd share (minus names, of course)!
"That’s always the part I dread. Thanks for letting us know! Counting down the days! :}"
"Thanks for the heads up on that. I wouldn't have left, though. Just conveniently had to take a potty break when it all started. :-)"
"Why.. are you replacing the bouquet toss with a single hunk instead??? I'll stay and catch him if you toss him!! ;)"
"ha! At this time at weddings, somehow I always get a call from work..... :) "
"Oh finally! Thank the Lord!"
"oh good! I normally take a bathroom break at that time (with a large group of girls). :)"
"You're my hero!!! :-)"
I did have one disappointed response . . . "but I was hoping to catch it..... ", but I don't think she needs the bouquet to catch a man!
"That’s always the part I dread. Thanks for letting us know! Counting down the days! :}"
"Thanks for the heads up on that. I wouldn't have left, though. Just conveniently had to take a potty break when it all started. :-)"
"Why.. are you replacing the bouquet toss with a single hunk instead??? I'll stay and catch him if you toss him!! ;)"
"ha! At this time at weddings, somehow I always get a call from work..... :) "
"Oh finally! Thank the Lord!"
"oh good! I normally take a bathroom break at that time (with a large group of girls). :)"
"You're my hero!!! :-)"
I did have one disappointed response . . . "but I was hoping to catch it..... ", but I don't think she needs the bouquet to catch a man!
Monday, December 11, 2006
Fun Holiday Questions
My friend sent this to me in an e-mail and I had such a fun time filling it out that I decided to post my answers here! Feel free to post the answer to your favorite question!
Welcome to the 2006 Holiday Edition of Getting to Know Your Friends! You know the drill. Don't be a scrooge!!!
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? YUM!!!! But probably egg nog most of the time since it rarely gets cold here!
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? I think Santa always wrapped our presents, but it’s been a long time since Santa left us stuff – now my mom and dad do it!
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Well, if I had them up, the lights on the house would be white and the ones on the tree would be colored and white.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope. My parents have some plastic mistletoe that I remember them hanging for a lot of years.
5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually whenever I get around to it. One year, I lived with a roommate and she didn’t want lights wrapped around the tree in the front yard, but I did, so I waited ‘till Christmas eve, when she flew up to see her family and I put those lights up then! My neighbors thought I was crazy! I was! I don’t have them up this year, but still have plans of doing so. Hey, give me a break, we just closed on the house Nov. 27, moved all the stuff from storage Dec. 2, and I won't even be living there 'till Jan. 28th! :)
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Probably my Great Aunt Ann’s sweet potato pudding. That probably sounds like dessert, but it’s a sweet potato side dish (although I sometimes eat it for dessert, shhhhh!)
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Probably the year we first moved here. We moved for my dad’s job, and he almost immediately got laid off. My parents already had 4 children, and the 5th was on her way (mom was 8 ½ months pregnant). Needless to say, my parents didn’t have much money that year. But somehow, on Christmas day, some presents arrived for each of us kids – I still remember that I got a Light Bright, which was my #1 request that year. We still believe that our neighbor gathered some people to help us, but all of the presents just said, “From Santa.” It’s one of the few presents that I still remember getting.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Honestly, I don’t remember. Santa was never a huge deal at our house. He left presents, but the best stuff was always from Mom & Dad. I think I got suspicious and Mom told me the truth rather than some bratty kid ruining it for me, but honestly I just don’t remember.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Traditionally our family always went to Tyler for Christmas and we had 3 Christmases while we were there with different parts of our family, so we almost always had at least one on Christmas Eve. But it’s not a tradition to open one gift on Christmas Eve.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? I have white and multi-colored lights that go on it, then my snowflake garland, and then all of my ornaments. Some of the ornaments are from my childhood and some are ones that I bought when I first got a tree of my own. We had never had glass ornaments that matched, so I bought a few. But I believe that a Christmas tree is supposed to hold special treasures on it in the way of memories, so I am not one for a “themed tree” in my house. They’re beautiful, but they’re just not Christmas to me.
11. Snow? Love it or Dread it? It’s so pretty . . . . but it’s so cold and wet and icky. Thankfully I don’t have to dread it because I live in Houston. I can visit it if I want to, but I don’t have to live in it!
12. Can you ice skate? Not last time I tried . . . and I doubt I’ve magically learned how!
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Other than the Light Bright I mentioned above, I remember one year when I really wanted a leather jacket. My parents had said I couldn’t have one because they were too expensive (I think back then they were around $200 – and my parents have 5 kids!). For some reason, I still thought I might get one, but after all the presents had been handed out and I had unwrapped everything, there was no leather jacket. That’s when my dad said, “Crissy, I think there’s one more present behind the tree.” I thought I was going in to pull something out for one of my siblings, but I looked at the tag and it was my dad’s handwriting and it was to me. And it said it was from “A real cow friend.” (that’s another story, but some friends of mine called ourselves “cow friends” in junior high and high school). I opened it up, and sure enough, there was the jacket I wanted so badly! I kept that tag in the pocket of the jacket until the jacket was worn out and now the jacket is gone, but I still have the gift tag.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being with my family and remembering that Jesus is the real reason we’re celebrating. I am so thankful every year for the gift God gave to us when he sent Jesus down as a baby, and also for all the gifts He has bestowed on me in the way of family and friends!
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? It’s called Cherry Cream Cheese Pie. I think there are usually recipes similar to it on graham cracker crusts around this time of the year, but my mom has been making it long before it was ever on those labels! It is soooooooo yummy!
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? That’s a hard question. We’re at a point of transition with our traditions. They’ve always been spending Christmas with our grandparents in Tyler, but now they have all gone to be with Jesus. Now all of my siblings (and soon me) are married, and one already has 5 kids (if you don’t already know, 4 of them are identical quadruplets), so we’re starting some new traditions. One thing that has stuck with us for many years though, and will always be a part of our Christmas is the Night Before Christmas game. Everyone brings a gift (it can be something from the dollar store – you just set the price limit up front) and then my dad reads “The Night Before Christmas.” Every time he says the word “the”, you pass your gift to the next person in the circle. It’s fun when dad speeds up the parts where there are lots of “the”s, and when my brother and youngest sister yell out “THE” in extra spots where no “the” exists in the book! At the end, you open whatever you ended up with.
17. What tops your tree? A Moravian Star that I was so excited to find at Target a few years ago. It was gold, which I didn’t really like, so I spray painted it with a hammered silver paint and it is beautiful!
18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? I like both, but I usually like giving better. I really love it if I can pick something that I know the recipient is going to love! Receiving gifts isn’t my primary love language, but when I get a gift that someone put a lot of thought into, that means a lot to me.
19. a. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I would probably have to say, “O Holy Night”. But the truth is, I could listen to Christmas music almost year-round – I love it!
19. b. What is your LEAST favorite Christmas Song? I was putting this as part of my last answer – “The Christmas Shoes”. It’s the one Christmas song that makes me change the station or turn off the radio.
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Yum, but I don’t eat them too often. There’s usually too much other candy that I like a lot better!
Welcome to the 2006 Holiday Edition of Getting to Know Your Friends! You know the drill. Don't be a scrooge!!!
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? YUM!!!! But probably egg nog most of the time since it rarely gets cold here!
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? I think Santa always wrapped our presents, but it’s been a long time since Santa left us stuff – now my mom and dad do it!
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Well, if I had them up, the lights on the house would be white and the ones on the tree would be colored and white.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope. My parents have some plastic mistletoe that I remember them hanging for a lot of years.
5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually whenever I get around to it. One year, I lived with a roommate and she didn’t want lights wrapped around the tree in the front yard, but I did, so I waited ‘till Christmas eve, when she flew up to see her family and I put those lights up then! My neighbors thought I was crazy! I was! I don’t have them up this year, but still have plans of doing so. Hey, give me a break, we just closed on the house Nov. 27, moved all the stuff from storage Dec. 2, and I won't even be living there 'till Jan. 28th! :)
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Probably my Great Aunt Ann’s sweet potato pudding. That probably sounds like dessert, but it’s a sweet potato side dish (although I sometimes eat it for dessert, shhhhh!)
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Probably the year we first moved here. We moved for my dad’s job, and he almost immediately got laid off. My parents already had 4 children, and the 5th was on her way (mom was 8 ½ months pregnant). Needless to say, my parents didn’t have much money that year. But somehow, on Christmas day, some presents arrived for each of us kids – I still remember that I got a Light Bright, which was my #1 request that year. We still believe that our neighbor gathered some people to help us, but all of the presents just said, “From Santa.” It’s one of the few presents that I still remember getting.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Honestly, I don’t remember. Santa was never a huge deal at our house. He left presents, but the best stuff was always from Mom & Dad. I think I got suspicious and Mom told me the truth rather than some bratty kid ruining it for me, but honestly I just don’t remember.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Traditionally our family always went to Tyler for Christmas and we had 3 Christmases while we were there with different parts of our family, so we almost always had at least one on Christmas Eve. But it’s not a tradition to open one gift on Christmas Eve.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? I have white and multi-colored lights that go on it, then my snowflake garland, and then all of my ornaments. Some of the ornaments are from my childhood and some are ones that I bought when I first got a tree of my own. We had never had glass ornaments that matched, so I bought a few. But I believe that a Christmas tree is supposed to hold special treasures on it in the way of memories, so I am not one for a “themed tree” in my house. They’re beautiful, but they’re just not Christmas to me.
11. Snow? Love it or Dread it? It’s so pretty . . . . but it’s so cold and wet and icky. Thankfully I don’t have to dread it because I live in Houston. I can visit it if I want to, but I don’t have to live in it!
12. Can you ice skate? Not last time I tried . . . and I doubt I’ve magically learned how!
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Other than the Light Bright I mentioned above, I remember one year when I really wanted a leather jacket. My parents had said I couldn’t have one because they were too expensive (I think back then they were around $200 – and my parents have 5 kids!). For some reason, I still thought I might get one, but after all the presents had been handed out and I had unwrapped everything, there was no leather jacket. That’s when my dad said, “Crissy, I think there’s one more present behind the tree.” I thought I was going in to pull something out for one of my siblings, but I looked at the tag and it was my dad’s handwriting and it was to me. And it said it was from “A real cow friend.” (that’s another story, but some friends of mine called ourselves “cow friends” in junior high and high school). I opened it up, and sure enough, there was the jacket I wanted so badly! I kept that tag in the pocket of the jacket until the jacket was worn out and now the jacket is gone, but I still have the gift tag.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being with my family and remembering that Jesus is the real reason we’re celebrating. I am so thankful every year for the gift God gave to us when he sent Jesus down as a baby, and also for all the gifts He has bestowed on me in the way of family and friends!
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? It’s called Cherry Cream Cheese Pie. I think there are usually recipes similar to it on graham cracker crusts around this time of the year, but my mom has been making it long before it was ever on those labels! It is soooooooo yummy!
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? That’s a hard question. We’re at a point of transition with our traditions. They’ve always been spending Christmas with our grandparents in Tyler, but now they have all gone to be with Jesus. Now all of my siblings (and soon me) are married, and one already has 5 kids (if you don’t already know, 4 of them are identical quadruplets), so we’re starting some new traditions. One thing that has stuck with us for many years though, and will always be a part of our Christmas is the Night Before Christmas game. Everyone brings a gift (it can be something from the dollar store – you just set the price limit up front) and then my dad reads “The Night Before Christmas.” Every time he says the word “the”, you pass your gift to the next person in the circle. It’s fun when dad speeds up the parts where there are lots of “the”s, and when my brother and youngest sister yell out “THE” in extra spots where no “the” exists in the book! At the end, you open whatever you ended up with.
17. What tops your tree? A Moravian Star that I was so excited to find at Target a few years ago. It was gold, which I didn’t really like, so I spray painted it with a hammered silver paint and it is beautiful!
18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? I like both, but I usually like giving better. I really love it if I can pick something that I know the recipient is going to love! Receiving gifts isn’t my primary love language, but when I get a gift that someone put a lot of thought into, that means a lot to me.
19. a. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I would probably have to say, “O Holy Night”. But the truth is, I could listen to Christmas music almost year-round – I love it!
19. b. What is your LEAST favorite Christmas Song? I was putting this as part of my last answer – “The Christmas Shoes”. It’s the one Christmas song that makes me change the station or turn off the radio.
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Yum, but I don’t eat them too often. There’s usually too much other candy that I like a lot better!
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
House?
No, not the doctor on TV (although that is maybe my favorite show on TV right now!), but rather a house that Mike and I are in the process of buying . . . we think! My parents bought a new house back in June (although we didn't get moved in until September) in the same neighborhood (in Manvel - one exit south of Pearland) where my sister Shelley lives (she's the one with the little boy and the quadruplet little girls). They don't live on the same street technically, but their two streets curve into one another, so they're really close which is really nice.
Mike and I knew we wanted to live in the Pearland area, but we weren't sure whether we were going to start out in an apartment or if we'd be able to find a house we liked and could afford. We had talked about how great it would be to live close to my parents so that when we have kids we could easily take them to my mom if they were sick or when they were very little if I am still needing to work. But we knew that the neighborhood they live in is above our price range, so we were satisfied with thinking about living across 288, only 10 or so minutes away.
But then we found just one house in the neighborood that was listed well below its appraisal value. We started talking and decided to go look at it. We liked it. My mom, brother, and sister liked it too. We made an offer. They counter-offered. We considered countering their counter, but decided that for less than $1000 difference, it wasn't worth risking losing the house (we knew there had been another offer on it at the same time), so we accepted their counter.
Now it's just a waiting game. We got all of the paperwork signed and sent to them last Wednesday evening, but we're waiting on the final contract to come back to us. It's a corporate relocation deal, so our realtor says that's often slower than a normal house. We are just ready to know that everything is okay and it's going to be ours in just a matter of time!
We are praising the Lord for providing a house that is everything we needed in a house plus a lot of what we wanted! And He took a house that would have normally been above our means and made it so that we could afford it! It's no coincidence and I am so grateful for His answers to our prayers!
Mike and I knew we wanted to live in the Pearland area, but we weren't sure whether we were going to start out in an apartment or if we'd be able to find a house we liked and could afford. We had talked about how great it would be to live close to my parents so that when we have kids we could easily take them to my mom if they were sick or when they were very little if I am still needing to work. But we knew that the neighborhood they live in is above our price range, so we were satisfied with thinking about living across 288, only 10 or so minutes away.
But then we found just one house in the neighborood that was listed well below its appraisal value. We started talking and decided to go look at it. We liked it. My mom, brother, and sister liked it too. We made an offer. They counter-offered. We considered countering their counter, but decided that for less than $1000 difference, it wasn't worth risking losing the house (we knew there had been another offer on it at the same time), so we accepted their counter.
Now it's just a waiting game. We got all of the paperwork signed and sent to them last Wednesday evening, but we're waiting on the final contract to come back to us. It's a corporate relocation deal, so our realtor says that's often slower than a normal house. We are just ready to know that everything is okay and it's going to be ours in just a matter of time!
We are praising the Lord for providing a house that is everything we needed in a house plus a lot of what we wanted! And He took a house that would have normally been above our means and made it so that we could afford it! It's no coincidence and I am so grateful for His answers to our prayers!
Monday, September 25, 2006
A Sharp Silhouette
This is pretty cool! This is from the Astronomy Picture of the Day website. I thought it was really neat, and here's the explanation from the website: Credit & Copyright: Thierry Legault
Explanation: Though it's 93 million miles away, the Sun still hurts your eyes when you look at it. But bright sunlight (along with accurate planning and proper equipment!) resulted in this sharp silhouette of spaceship and space station. The amazing telescopic view, recorded on September 17, captures shuttle orbiter Atlantis and the International Space Station in orbit over planet Earth. At a range of 550 kilometers from the observing site near Mamers, Normandy, France, Atlantis (left) has just undocked and moved about 200 meters away from the space station. Tomorrow, yet another satellite of planet Earth can be seen in silhouette - the Moon will eclipse the Sun. This last eclipse of 2006 will be seen as an annular solar eclipse along a track that crosses northern South America and the south Atlantic.
Friday, September 22, 2006
I promised . . .
That I would "Tell a Friend" after my great transaction with a particular Ebay seller the other day. So, even though this message will probably only be read by 2 people, I thought I'd put their info. here since I just can't imagine it coming up in conversation! Sell Off Deals has a mélange of items - everything from Halloween Costumes to assisted lift seats. So, if you're looking for something on Ebay and see an item you like from Sell Off Deals, know they come highly recommended by me!
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