I think they got me about right, too...

You Belong in Paris

You enjoy all that life has to offer, and you can appreciate the fine tastes and sites of Paris. You're the perfect person to wander the streets of Paris aimlessly, enjoying architecture and a crepe.

What European City Do You Belong In?

New Use of the Alphabet

rebecca is thankful for...

Apple pies.

Books; reading them and the way they smell.

Colors.

Dancing.

Engaging conversations.

Flowers.

Giving things to people when they least expect it.

Hugs; especially with my "perfect hug-height" friends.

Ingenuity.

Jokes and laughter.

Kodak moments.

Love.

Music...listening to it and trying to play it.

New things to see, learn, and do.

Orchestras, even though I was never in one.

Praying with people.

Quidditch, even though we can't really play it.

Red coats that are awesome.

Singing by myself and with other people.

Twirling in fun skirts.

Unexpected and happy surprises.

Vicissitudes.

Wine.

Xerox copies.

YHWH.

Zoology.

[thank you, Janine, for inspiring me to use the alphabet in this way.]

what is a holiday?

Etymology:

Middle English, from Old English hāligdæg, from hālig holy + dægday

Date:

before 12th century

1: holy day2: a day on which one is exempt from work; specifically : a day marked by a general suspension of work in commemoration of an event--
so really, what makes a holiday? what changed? we have moved from celebrating feast days in the Catholic tradition and simply enjoying the days when we don't have to do work (homework excepted, of course)...to something else entirely? why do we now have these fanciful ideals of what the holidays should look like, even though we know that the reality never lives up to it?I don't have a real answer necessarily. What I do know, however, is that the Lord made days like the Sabbath for us to enjoy for His glory ...and not our own. My thought is that the American tradition (dream, fantasy, ideal, what have you) has taken this notion and changed its purpose. Rather than look back on what the Lord has done for us and see how He has worked in our lives, we are encouraged to look back and see what we have done, what we have come through. This cultural vision is difficult to overcome, even by Christian families. It is difficult to not build our castles on the sand and then feel disappointment when they wash away--as they inevitably do. I confess to struggling with this every time a holiday rolls around. Somehow I am unable to keep my head on straight when I come home; oh, I might leave school with every intention of keeping Christ at the centre of all my doings and sayings. But let's face it--I am a sinner. I am inadequate, even for this task. So after every holiday I return to my respective home humbled at my woeful imperfections and in full awareness of my dependence on Jehovah Nissi. Thank Goodness I have Him for my Banner, my rallying point. He is much more worthy of thanks than I or anyone I know of is. He alone has the word that can truly encourage and inspire...and He is the one who righty receives all the credit. 

an update

here is more information, as Jayne's story unfolds...

please continue to pray, friends.

Jayne McGowan

1981-2007





her story

midterms

dear friends, I am praying for you.

cheer up

"cheer up, you are worse off than you figure
but you are loved anyway and I always see who you could be...

"All the stars are waiting for you to shine
and your heart is beating to find its home in mine.

"stand up, you are stronger than you figure
you just need to be surrounded by those who believe in you.

"All the stars are waiting for you to shine
and your heart is beating to find its home in mine.

"you've got to know I won't throw stones your way
All Creation waits...
oh, for you to take your place, take your place.

"wake up, it's time to dream bigger.
wake up, it's time."

I stumbled across this old 10 Shekel Shirt album, "Risk," and this song particularly stood out to me. I think because a bunch of us are in the same boat--not really knowing what the future holds, but knowing that the Lord holds it in the palm of His hand. I also remember visiting WTS last spring for the first time and a certain pair of roommates encouraging me by saying "cheer up, you're worse than you think!" counterintuitive, but very encouraging on second thought. really, if the Lord still accepts us even though He knows the depths of our sin--which we are not aware of--what is there to doubt? what is there to fear?
I am also struck by the finiteness of my imagination. He promises more than we could ask or even imagine--what does this look like? I don't even know! If He has plans for us that are better and bigger than what we imagine for ourselves, we have cause for some real excitement.

why I love fall

when else can you do fun things like this?

the sun came through the clouds

this morning while I was driving home from work... I was waiting at a stoplight in front of Enfield Elementary as the kiddies ran across the crosswalk...and then the sun came out and I had to put on my sunglasses. I was listening to Sufjan's "Chicago (Adult Contemporary Easy Listening Version)." it was a lovely moment.
below, a photo I took during a rock climbing trip in college.

moments like these make me contemplative, and often remind me of things I've heard or studied before. what comes to mind is the hymn "Beams of Heaven," particularly the Indelible Grace version.

"Oftentimes my sky is clear,
joy abounds without a tear;
though a day so bright begun,
clouds may hide tomorrow's sun.

There'll be a day that's always bright,
a day that never yields to night,
and in its light the streets of glory
I shall behold someday.
I shall behold someday."

I confess impatience when the Lord asks me to wait. Those streets of glory sound so good...oftentimes I would much rather be there than here. And then He surprises me with little things like sunlight, or a cool night's walk, or a word of encouragement from a friend. I was just talking with someone about how we get frustrated with the seeming chaos of the world we live in. But the world is not as chaotic as we may think it to be...it is in fact quite ordered, ordered by a God who has the grand plan in mind. Besides, in a world that is completely unpredictable, how are we then surprised by things? No. the fact that the Lord planned things makes surprises possible...and welcome.

Not Abstractions, But Epics

I spent a lot of time last year wondering what it was about Biblical Theology that I resonated with so strongly. It seemed to spend a lot of time on the forefront of my mind, and I remember bringing it up several times during my homegroup from NLNE church. But it was not until the other night during our first Human Personality class that it finally hit me in full force.
We were discussing (or rather, being lectured at by Ed Welch, whom I think I will enjoy) the different ways to approach theology and how to make it relevant in the personal or the counseling realm. I really do enjoy learning theology and discussing it with friends, but many times I feel that this sort of discussion can actually prevent "real" conversation with people and I come away intellectually stimulated, to be sure, but also feeling that I don't know my friends any better because of it.
We hit upon using Biblical theological themes, as does the Westminster Confession, to access what the Bible has to say about people. Many times our theology is left in abstract or schematic forms, and this makes it extremely difficult to relate to and resonate with on a personal spiritual level. Granted, we may be academically enlightened, but how can we make the jump from the head to the heart? My pastor in Virginia used to say that the longest distance in the human body is the 18" from the head to the heart. Too true! Biblical Theology has something that resonates...a methodology that we find ourselves already using in daily life. Why shouldn't we harness that and put it to use? We spend our days listening to the stories of people's lives. In the counseling setting this is emphasized even more. This is why Biblical Theology has an inherent comprehensibility to it...it is taking what we know and using it to know not only the people around us, but the work of God as well. This is not a foreign concept for humans, and I think that it testifies to the brilliance of God and His planning for us; that He would take something that we do every day and make it a means for knowing Him more...! Awesome.
This also helps us feel connected with God. One thing that we struggle with (myself included) is feeling that God is somehow distant or that we aren't attached because we can't actually *see* Him on a day-to-day basis. But if we take what we learn in BT and apply it, seeing the entire Bible as a cohesive and coherent story, it's not too much of a leap to see how our own personal stories are simply an extension of that overarching narrative.
This changes the face of having "purpose" in our lives, of feeling that we are wasting our time on selfish endeavors. What would it look like for us to live on a daily basis knowing that our stories were all part and parcel to the Lord's metanarrative for this world? I have no idea! But it would be pretty spectacular, I can tell you that. So that is my challenge to myself and to all you who will take me up on it: don't lose sight of the Big Picture...instead, keep in sight the reality of God's continuing work in this world, in our lives. He is not finished with us yet. This extraordinary history is only culminated in Jesus Christ, and until He returns, there is much to be done.

We can thank God for Bavarian Sugar Cookies

I spent the evening with Miss Hannah Clark, talking, eating pizza, and watching 'Stranger Than Fiction.' I had seen it before, but she had not, and I had no doubts that she would enjoy it. But it was the last few minutes of the film that proved especially memorable for us. The discussion that ensued was the result of one indelible quotation:

"As Harold took a bite of Bavarian sugar cookie, he finally felt as if everything was going to be ok. Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And, fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys and nose plugs, an uneaten Danish, soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction. And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives. I know the idea seems strange, but I also know that it just so happens to be true. And, so it was, a wristwatch saved Harold Crick."
-Kay Eiffel, Authoress, 'Stranger Than Fiction'

If you have not seen the film, I won't spoil the exact ending. After exclaiming "this movie is classic Mellis. It defines you," Hannah proceeded to open the discussion by relating what Eiffel has to say to Van Tillian apologetics, where we discussed how non-Christians will feel thankful for something in their lives, but they do not realize *to Whom* they are thankful. How sad is that? But it is quite true. And it really is the small things that make up our lives that we need to remember to be thankful for. It is too easy to be thankful for the big things, the miracles, the major provisions and crucial outcomes of events--but what about cookies? wristwatches? hugs? And what about when we find ourselves on the path of long obedience in the same direction, and it appears that nothing will ever wake us from the stupor of the quotidienne--the everyday--what do we do then? Do we muster the energy and the willpower and the emotion to thank God for the simple things that pull us through the day, or do we slump into apathy?
I often find myself in the latter category. On the one hand, I crave the predictable and the comfortable in times of change and trial and insecurity, but when things become too unvarying for my tastes, I yearn for something--almost anything!--to break the cycle.
So what comes from all this? The fact that I...we...are never satisfied. The predictable and the unpredictable will never satisfy, because I (we) are looking for our foundation in them, instead of in the Lord. Because really, He is the only constant in life. I may desire consistency in the midst of shifting sand, but He is the origin of all things miraculous and awesome as well.

And so, Harold Crick may find himself thankful for Bavarian Sugar Cookies, but until that thankfulness leads him to the Lord, there is sadly still much to be desired.

(But this is still an excellent film)

who am i?

i am...
an ENFJ on the myers-briggs test;
Extroverted-iNtuitive-Feeling-Judging...
most like the disney princess Belle;
being strong, deep, and not a slave to petty superficial things; i am (apparently) almost too good of a person...
most like the action hero James Bond;
with my suave style mixed with badass-ness, money and romance is my style...
most like the Saxophone;
being suave and savvy, cooler than the guitar, able to evoke deep emotions in people.

so i am.

what constitutes a "good read"?

let's
find out.

what is a biscuit?

for those of you who are wondering what goes best with tea, the answer is: a biscuit. no, not the round layered dinner biscuits you load with butter...
these are biscuits

i hate uncertainty. hate it, hate it, hate it.

with a fiery burning passion.

i'm too tired to be burning...i'm going to bed.

kid quotes

i've been collecting these, just for fun.

B (age 11): Jesus was a Jew? no. if He was a Jew, they why was He killed by His fellows?

A (age 8): we should look for dinosaur bones! it would be cool if we found some!
B (age 11): or something that belonged to Ben Franklin!

D (age 13): Miss Rebecca? is it 'bosom boob'?

L (age 3): why are your toenails so shiny?
Rebecca (age 23): because i put paint on them to make it like that
L: but Mommy's aren't like that...

any child (all ages): this one time ____________ and then i ______...

photos from the city

that's all!

my life

i don't know how many people actually read this, or how many of that number read it to hear about my life, but as i haven't seen many friends in while i thought i'd post to catch you up.

where to begin? school seems easiest. friday 4 May is our last day of class, though my last class was thursday night. i must say that i feel considerable relief at having them finished. don't get me wrong, i still have exams to face, but we have papers due the last week of class and studying for finals seems very straightforward as compared with writing papers. plus, two of my four exams are online, so my schedule loosens up a bit.
as for work, public schools still have 5 weeks left, so my work schedule will probably stay the same. i may be able to pick up the two afternoons that i had previously been unable to work because of classes. and then one of those weeks will have no babysitting, as my neighbors are taking a much-needed vacation at the shore. when the schools close i will start working at KidView's summer camp. i don't know yet what my schedule will look like, but i know that my summer involves at least one trip to NYC, one road trip to Chattanooga, TN, and hopefully lots of fun times around the Glenside-Philly area.
i think i am looking forward particularly to the summer because it will give me time to think and process these past few months. if you've kept up with my posts at all, you'll get an inkling of how discombobulated i've been feeling. i have had my first doubts about my calling to be a Biblical Counselor as well as doubts that i am even able to love people as Christ desires. this has been incredibly frustrating, and this frustration has been exascerbated by the simple lack of time to stop and attend to these thoughts. i know that i have been learning a lot in class but i am getting the feeling that i am learning so fast i'm not realizing the gravity or the effects of the material. this is rather like wolfing down food and benefiting from the nutrition but not finding time to savor and enjoy it... or to chew it properly, which could mean later indigestion.
i'm also trying to get used to the idea of having to move at the end of the summer and of having half of my friends up here graduating and moving away. good grief! talk about a social upheaval.
this past winter was really long. perhaps it's because i'm from the "south," but it took forever for spring to get here. now that it is, i am trying to enjoy it by keeping my windows open and taking walks around my neighborhood. though i definitely understand the metaphor the Lord has designed for us with the seasons, in that the length, cold, and darkness of the winter made me yearn even more for the coming of the spring. and how glorious for it to finally be here!

"consider the lilies, how they neither toil nor spin, yet i tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. but if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, o you of little faith!"
-Luke 12.27-28

last week of classes

how on earth do you people have time to blog this week? i *must* be doing something wrong.

then again, i rather enjoy the solidarity of having last-week-of-classes meltdowns in the westminster parking lot with friends.

dilemma

i have one. please pray for its resolve, friends.
and that's all i have to say about that.

what makes a church

i go to New Life Northeast, and my church is hurting. our senior pastor has accepted a call to be the assistant pastor at Trinity Pres in Norfolk, Virginia. he said "no" when they first asked him, and then continued to say "no" for two months. he and his wife April asked the Lord to close this door if it wasn't where He wanted them, and when the door didn't close they began to prayerfully consider. after a few more months, Bob accepted the position.
what makes a church? is it the pastor? the worship style? the location? the size of the building? i would say: none of the above. however, this is especially difficult for NLNE because last year was very hard for the congregation; i don't know specifics, but i know there were great injuries suffered to both Bob and April. i find this hard personally because my church and church family is one thing i did *not* expect to change while living in PA for grad school. now what? where do we go from here? to answer my own question, from here we go wherever the Lord leads us. we had a church family meeting this morning instead of sunday school, and we discussed this. basically, we concluded that things are going to be awkward but the Lord truly is faithful, so we can and will and must depend on Him. the Rainsford family is leaving today to continue missions in Kenya, and Mrs. Rainsford confessed that her life has become more complicated since being in the missions field, but that the Lord uses the trials in our life to make our faith in Him stronger. this doesn't the trials easier, but it helps us to understand that they have a purpose. we are simply to immersed in the present situation to see the purpose(s) right now.
pray for Bob and his family.
pray for our congregation to pull itself together to rely on the Lord alone.
pray for the westminster students who need to decide how to remain faithful to Christ in the midst of this.

i am a disciple of...?

which school? am i a Westminster student or CCEF student? i can't decide if i fit in either box. i don't think i am academic/theological/philosophical enough for WTS, and yet i don't know if i am a gung-ho supporter of CCEF as a movement.
i suppose i feel that CCEF has elevated their view of Biblical Counseling to Gospel status, that it alone is the way and the truth [of Counseling]. which is ironic, considering the Biblical Counseling model is all about pointing people back to Christ and Scripture to guide counseling. don't get me wrong, i think that Biblical Counseling *is* the best counseling field out there, i suppose i just get tired of hearing professors talk about how we are the only ones thinking about these things.
at the same time, i seriously cannot keep up in theological discussions. it is very stretching for me to be in them, granted, but i am simply not that well-read and the contributions i make to the conversations always seem [to me] to be trite and cliché...and unhelpful. however, i don't want all of my friends to be in the exact same bubble as me or completely like-minded to me.
given all of this, i think that the MA program probably gives the best balance of these two schools; the problem with this "balance" is that i do not feel fully integrated into either of them. i feel a tension between them and it is acutely uncomfortable. where do i belong? i go from wondering what hole in the ground some of my fellow counseling students have been living in [hearing some of the comments made in class] to feeling like the least educated person on the planet in theology classes and debates.
i am well aware of how my pride is playing into this. i *want* to be intelligent and educated, but i also have a counseling heart. that is why i chose to follow the call and move up to PA for this grad program. despite of, or perhaps because of this, i am frustrated when i find that some things are not up to my expectations or standards.
so can i be both? can i be at least moderately well-educated *and* a counseling student? or does studying counseling mash me into the box of being soft and humanistic?

i find it all boils down to this: whom do i choose to be a disciple of? easy question: i am a disciple of Jesus. how does this translate into my everyday life? i find this to be a general question for me right now. a lot of things that i never suspected would change *are* changing, and it is literally rocking my world. i haven't yet decided if these rockings are good ones, but they are certainly shaking things up and making me rely on the One who can calm the waves with a word--and that is not me. sometimes i wish it were me. sometimes.

birthdays!

this is a post to celebrate two dear friends: Denise Malagari and Mike Van Gilst. Denise's birthday was sunday and Mike's is today.
happy birthday, friends!
we love you!

Haiku for Girl Scout Cookies

Girl Scout Cookies--yum!
thin mints straight from the freezer...
quite delectable.
:)

open windows

this year was my first "northern" winter; i've lived in VA since i was 5 and the weather is milder down there. i don't even think that this winter was necessarily a bad one, but it's certainly been colder and snowier than i'm used to. and i must say, the cold and the shorter days have made me yearn for the coming of spring in a way i haven't before-- perhaps i forget every year how much i enjoy seeing the new life of spring, the renewal, the freshness and color of it. the latter is more likely; in the same way, i forget my desperate need of Grace because i get used to the dark and the coldness of the human heart in its sinful state. i think it is a wonderful design of God's to create the seasons in such a way as to remind us every spring of the blessing of Grace He has bestowed upon us. and so today i am studying and i have my bedroom windows open, enjoying the fresh air after last night's rain.

better together

there's no combination of words
i could put on the back of a postcard
no song that i could sing
but i can try for your heart
our dreams, and they are made out of real things
like a shoebox of photographs
with sepiatone loving
love is the answer,
at least for most of the questions in my heart
like why are we here? And where do we go?
and how come it's so hard?
it's not always easy and
sometimes life can be deceiving
i'll tell you one thing it's always better when we're together


mmm, it's always better when we're together
yeah, we'll look at the stars when we're together
well, it's always better when we're together
yeah, it's always better when we're together
-jack j

[not quite Biblical, but sweet]

constellations

recently, while listening to jack johnson and contemplating, i realized how small my world has become. and being so close to the city, you can't see the stars or moon very easily. how sad this is! perhaps we'll find time over the summer to go stargazing, friends.
so why this sudden interest in astronomy? it is relevent, i promise. one thing that Paul Tripp keeps emphasizing (and when i say "emphasize," i mean repeat until i'm sick of it) in Methods is that when we humans have problems, our world shrinks to the size of the problem(s). sure, this doesn't sound too revolutionary...until you chew on it for a little bit. digest it. what did you feel like the last time you suffered some kind of crisis, be it major or minor? did it consume you, even for a little bit, or did you find yourself able to let the whole thing go and trust the Lord to take care of it? i find that the situations i have less control over i actually have an *easier* time giving over to the Lord, whereas if i feel i have a hand in the situation then i try to keep it to myself. i suppose it's an independence thing, a power thing, and definitely a pride thing.
what's more, i feel like recently my classes have all been stressing community and the continuity in the redemptive-historical story of the Bible and how our lives connect in with it. i think this is sticking with me because recently (in case you haven't noticed) i've kind of dropped off the face of the planet. my work schedule seriously increased--between my job and babysitting, i'm now putting in around 25 hours a week, plus my 12 credit hours at WTS. i have a brief respite next week with no babysitting (huzzah!) but it's one of those things that you don't realize how important it is until it's gone. i feel pretty disconnected from the rest of the world, and from my community here. i miss seeing my friends. i miss seeing Christ work in and through my friends. my world has seriously shrunk to the size of my life and my problems. and when i step back and see myself for the person i am, i see that my life is very small, and certainly not worth the attention i give it. my present existence is very "me"-centred, and to be honest, this makes me rather uncomfortable.
and so i am greatly anticipating the spring, what with it bringing new life and renewal and sunlight and warmer evenings where there is the possibility of stargazing. one never feels so peacefully insignificant as when studying the Heavens.

Oh My God

Oh my God, look around this place,
Your fingers reach around the bone,
you set the break and set the tone
For flights of grace, and future falls
In present pain all fools say, "Oh my God."

Oh my God, why are we so afraid?
We make it worse when we don't bleed,
There is no cure for our disease.
Turn a phrase and rise again,
Or fake your death and only tell your closest friends,
Oh My God.

Oh my God, can I complain?
You take away my firm belief and graft my soul upon your grief.
Weddings, boats, and alibis,
All drift away, and a mother cries...

Liars and fools, sons and failures, theives will always say..
Lost and found, ailing wanderers, healers always say..
Whores and angels, men with problems, leavers always say..
Broken hearted, separated, orphans always say..
War creators, racial haters, preachers always say..
Distant fathers, fallen warriors, givers always say..
Pilgrim saints, lonely widows, users always say..
Fearful mothers, watchful doubters, Saviors always say..

Sometimes I can not forgive
and these days mercy cuts so deep,
If the world was how it should be, maybe I could get some sleep.
While I lay, I'd dream we're better, scales were gone and faces lighter,
When we wake we hate our brother, we still move to hurt each other,
Sometimes I can close my eyes and all the fear the keeps me silent,
Falls below my heavy breathing, what makes me so badly bent?
We all have a chance to murder, we all have the need for wonder.
We still want to be reminded that the pain is worth the plunder.

Sometimes when I lose my grip, I wonder what to make of heaven,
All the times I thought to reach up, all the times I had to give up.
Babies underneath their beds, in hospitals that cannot treat them.
All the wounds that money causes, all the comforts of cathedrals,
All the cries of thirsty children, this is our inheritance,
All the rage of watching mothers, this is our greatest offense
Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God.

-jars of clay

big 2-3

it's my birthday today and i'm working this afternoon.
there's no cake, there's no ice cream....happy birthday.
(it could be worse, i could have a pin in my neck)

my accent

jumping on this bandwagon...

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland   "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
Philadelphia
The South
The Northeast
The Inland North
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

heart preferences

we came upon this during homegroup on sunday: in an argument, would you prefer to be:
a. right or
b. forgiven?

ouch. tough question. i know the "correct" answer is b. forgiven, but that's a big pill to swallow. i have my pride (as we Americans like to say), and i don't like my pride being hurt, as it does when i am wrong. and i am often wrong.

siblings and fammilly

do any of you have siblings? how about younger siblings? well, i have 3 of them: one older sister, one younger sister, and one younger brother. i love them dearly, however, they are not Christians so we don't connect on many levels. for example: i am in seminary, which must mean that i think i'm a better and more holy person than they are. definitely not true, and those who know me well see how full of fault i am. and yet, while i find non-Christians are most unwilling to think better of Christians for having faith in the Lord, i find that they are more than willing to think worse of us when we screw things up. my younger sister thinks i hold everyone to high standards. this is untrue; i hold myself to a high standard but have no right to impose this standard on anyone else. naturally. and then there is the festering mess of my relationship with my depressed and emotionally volatile mother, with whom my younger sister gets along better and therefore presumes to tell me what to do and how to act around her. thank you very much, but i do not ascribe to secular and hopeless philosophies regarding mental illness. i strive to speak the truth in love, and i get hammered for it. hooray! and my mother is coming to visit in a few weeks. so, friends, pray for me. my sister tells me to not get my hopes up about this visit. what can i do? hope that we have a pleasant but shallow interaction for 3 days, or that we make painful progress in mending our relationship? curses! people are so complicated! why can't all relationships be as simple and *good* as the one we have with Christ?

what happened to the 80's?

there was so much hotness




and joy


...and well-wishing all around.


would that those good times returned! oh wait, they did. you should have been at the 80's party.

Coolness Quiz

i work at a before- and after-school program for mostly elementary schoolers, with a few middle schoolers thrown in. it's not a glamorous job, but it pays the bills and gets me some life experience. today would be one of those --priceless--experiences! i was reading a book with a little boy when one of the second-grade girls came up to me with a questionnaire to fill out. she hangs out with the middle-school girls (her sister is in middle school), and i'd recently begun to suspect that they were using her to ask me rather personal questions. i think they want to know if i am cool or just old. i had laughed her questions off until now. so now i have this questionnaire--and a due date of next tuesday, when i will see her next--and my question is, is she the only one who gets to have some fun with this? i submit that she is not! and so, i put it to you, my faithful friends who read my blog but do not comment--help me dream up some farcical answers to these questions!

they stand thus:

name:
age:
job:
favorite color:
birthday:
favorite singer:
boyfriend's name:
favorite singer:
favorite designer:




she stipulated that if i have no answer, to write "none." i feel i could possibly include the truth in every answer, but where's the fun in that? she does know me as "miss rebecca," so i should probably use my name at least. but beyond that...this is too good of a joke to keep to myself! i have half a mind to use friends' names as singer, designers and stores. and i suspect i should not let on that my birthday is perilously close. you never know. haha! enjoy, friends!

i made my bed this morning

one might not find this a significant occurrance, but in my room it is. usually i roll out of bed in the morning and stumble into work around 7.00am and it seems just too unfair to make my bed, as this is a firm declaration that i won't be re-entering its comforting depths for another 12+ hours. but last night i slept for 12 hours and today it is 70 degrees and feels fantastic. i have my window open! i still haven't decided how to spend my first saturday back in PA, but it is a wonderful feeling, knowing that i am beholden to none and i can't even feel guilty for not doing my homework because the bookstore is sold out of my class' books. huzzah!

all of this can only be a result of winter term, about which i have heard so much but thus far experienced so little. class only twice a week...what is that! it sounds delightful. i am working 20 hours a week, but i'm not letting that get me down. not today. my next question is: how am i to spend my time, when not working or doing schoolwork? mark traphagen says he has over-booked himself for the month. not me! anything could happen in january, and i only know one thing that will certainly happen: i will turn 23. what is 23? kind of a wasteland.

but now i shall go downstairs and eat something and then begin my saturday. what! it's 2.30pm! alas.