We're back! And with a vengenance... :o) Ha.

No, so I just signed up for my first RSS feeds (wHoo office 2007) and stumbled across an article about the LHC: A ginormous colider that is intended to recreate the big bang and *possible* black holes that might eat the planet (alleges a few people through a lawsuit).

Here's the link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24556999/

The below paragraph is probably my favorite of the entire article. It's both humorous and frightening. I'm not a scientist, and I haven't taken the time to look up the definition of "supersting theory", but if I read the sentence gramatically, it appears they're labeling God as superstring. And there's a sense of morbid curiosity as to what they might get when they set this thing off:

"Human history has been shaped by the progressive unraveling of gravity, electricity and magnetism, and the nuclear force," Kaku said. "Now we are at the brink of the granddaddy of all such unifications ... the unification of all forces into a super force. We think the super force is superstring theory, a super force that drove the big bang, that created the heavens and the earth, that drives the sun, that makes all the wondrous technologies of the earth possible."

In other news, I'm excited about Sarah Palin and McCain. I will be posting in the next few days a piece on politics. I'm so pumped. Consider yourself invited to our election party on November 4 - only red food and drink is allowed (food color use is acceptable)!

ahhhh...*sigh*....

Blank canvas. So nice.

I had a lot to cover....but suprise...it's all gone. I'm off work until 2008 (with a brief, one day of work on thursday....but really). It's so nice. I can't believe how much I can sleep. Apparently I've been needing that.

I was thinking the other day about my whole "living in someone else's bubble" thing. I think I blogged about it (or xanga'd about it at one point). It's the idea of driving down the road and realizing that for one moment in time, I am headed in the same direction as everyone else around me....but that we're really all headed to different destinations. It's just facinating. There are times I see that in life too. At work, we're all pointed to similar goals/objectives...but our lives spin out from that point of similarity. We have just a brief moment to touch those around us. It's intimidating and exhilirating all at the same time. So much opportunity....but at the same time I feel there's risk. Does any of that make sense? It's a continuing theme of mine....finding purpose in the day-to-day routine.

I heard a stat once that women would choose a job based on the impact they could have....and men choose a job based on the money they would make. There are so many opportunities to make an impact....I can think of two specifics from the past couple of weeks....but it's harder to find them sometimes than I feel it should be. I just want to make the world better....or at least make someone's personal world better. But it's a scary thing to do. It sounds eays...."just be nice and interested"....but there's always the chance that the concern/interest/involvement will be rejected and harshly. Not that it stops me....but there's a pause.

Anyway. At small group tonight, praying before dinner, someone prayed "thank you Jesus for leaving heaven and coming down to earth". And it struck me. Not that it's new news....but Jesus didn't just come to earth as man....he left heaven. To die. You look at His life on earth....and it wasn't easy by any means. It had to be downright depressing at times. His fully man portion must have wondered if he was making any impact at all. Eternally, he knew, he was going to have the impact of all impacts. But in a day to day life....every day didn't have a win.

There was a county song on the radio tonight, and the lyrics were so impactful to me. (i cried, but that seems to be the standard lately...don't know why). It talks about a man crossing a bridge who sees another man leave his cardboard box and approach him. The homeless man begs the other man for a few coins...and then says he wasn't always like this. He was second to none....he had his moments. The other man hesitates and then replies that he wasn't always the man he was....he had his moments when he was down and out too. And the song ends with the first man singing that he saved a man's life as he aimed to jump off the bridge. And in that moment, I realized how blessed I am. It's all in your perspective, isn't it. While I may hit my snags of depression....I need to step back and realize just how good I have it. I have a car. I have a house. I have the means to buy my friends and family gifts. I am dressed warmly and well. I have food for my table and some money in savings. Perspective. Perspective. Looking at life from the underneath of a bridge....with my cardboard box behind me....I don't think i could live it. But God is good. All the time. And even so, it is well with my soul. Perspective, it's everything.

Didn't mean to end on a down note. Instead, Merry Christmas. Remember the amazing gift we've been given....Jesus Christ in the form of man joining us on earth. In a few short months we'll be celebrating his death and resurection....but for now....let's celebrate the sacrifice he made....leaving heaven in order to give us the choice to join Him there someday. that's a pretty big WOW in my book.
Love you all.
-me.

changing times...

Remember when we had to give our first 10 minutes speech in middle school? Mine was in 9th grade and I talked about the genocide in Rwanda. Tomorrow I have 10 minutes to present in a meeting at work and I can't figure out how to wittle all my material down to fit within that time. Sometimes it just hits me how much life changes.

My best friend from middle school gets married this saturday and it seems like just yesterday we were running to the park, playing in that huge field making daisy/dandelion chains, or sledding down that huge hill. How has 15 years flown so quickly?

I sometimes think it's funny how the littlest things can make a place seem like home. For some reason I can still have a bazillion boxes unpacked (yes, more than a year after I moved), but having my kitchen cabinets filled an arranged in a way that makes sense makes me feel like I actually live there.

The year of the yard is going well. I've mowed, fertilized, and with all this dry weather this week, started watering. Next up is killing the weeds and getting rid of those terrible ferns along the back of my house.

What else is new since the last time I posted - it's been awhile, eh? I'm sure I had some very interesting points I wanted to make...but I've forgotten them. Oh, what's up with the current generation's inability to clearly articulate themselves? They can't seem to open their mouths without mumbling! Hello! I can't understand a word you're saying!!

Oh, here was something. Heard a presentation that said that since 9/11 there's been an increased interest in spirituality and that's one of the reasons the environmental push is so big: Because people want to respect the earth and the "higher power" that made it. And yet, we're still not allowed to present intelligent design in the classroom? And then what about how this whole focus on more from the middle/upper class and that it's really not something that's even on the radar for the lower class (or so is theorized). But then, there's all that stuff in the news about how healthy supermarkets aren't accessable for that lower class - so how does that all tie together? This is the stuff i'm working on and thinking about. Any thoughts?

I'm a totaly spaz today...seriously...you'd think i'm all hopped on sugar. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
out.

know what?

First, why won't blogger "remember" me? Every time I'm on my home computer I have to sign in! What is that.

In other news, my mom just joined facebook. WOOO! Cuz she's pretty much the coolest.

And lastly, I've been smiling a lot since Sunday. :o) Who would have thought. God is pretty amazing.

Love.
-R

hello time?!

Like I said before I left last week, when I travel I lose track of time. How is it already April 17th tomorrow?!

(which, ps, is free cone day at Ben and Jerry's....fyi. http://www.benjerry.com/ There's the site...and there's a store locator for your convenience too. WOOO!) :o)

Anyway. I forwarded an email today to pass along the info that someone was out of the office until April 17th and so we wouldn't get a reply at least until then. I thought that was two weeks away. Turns out, it's tomorrow. I keep missing huge chunks of the month!! But the traveling - wow I learned a lot! To tie in, today was i think my favorite day of work since I've moved back to MN. It was all strategy focused...how COOL eh?! Big smile here. :o)

Random thought today in relation to the huge shooting at West Virginia....when someone commented about the shooter, it somehow came up that it seems it's always been guys. I'm not making any comments/assumptions about that - I just find that interesting/frightening/odd. Shouldn't someone be looking into that? Anyway, my prayers are with that school and those families. How tough.

Car headlights seemed brighter tonight.
It smelled like summer as I was walking out of coffee.
With new timing belts, my gas mileage improved dramatically. I went 50 more miles on one less gallon of gas!
God is pretty amazing.

Friday worked!

I love my church and I love my pastor. :o) As he says, Happy Easter.....SO great because it proves that GOOD FRIDAY WORKED! I don't remember if I've been to one of our Good Friday services before, but this year's was really thought provoking. To sit and feel the weight of nailing your sin into the cross...as though directly nailing Christ to the cross...is immense. But then to pause and realize what my world would be like if that's all it was? If there was no Sunday. No resurrection. No washing clean as snow. I almost walked out onto 7th to get hit by a bus. I know that most of the time I suck at remembering the weight of that sacrifice. But to stop and think about how my life would be different if it was all a lie? I don't even wow. I think the most significant thing I took away was how much I take this saving for granted. It's just a part of my life. We're in a continuous cycle where I screw up, feel like crap, ask for forgiveness, feel grateful for his acceptance, smile, move on, and then start all over. And how amazing is it that I can have a cycle like that? (okay, obviously it would be great if it wasn't so frequent, but the opportunity to continually start over? To know you're loved beyond anything you do? Or think? Or whatever? It's unconditional.) And so Friday was Good. Both because it worked, and because it was one of those infrequent moments in life when it all came together to hit me between the eyes.

You've got to read my friend Erinn's blog - I've linked it to the right. She's hysterical.

The monday night coffee girls and I went to Fridays on Saturday to visit Becca while she was working. Her parents happened to be there and chatted with us for awhile. Her mom commented how great it was that we had such a strong support network. We agreed. She said it was great because most people don't realize until they're much older that they need support like that. We said we're fully aware we're in need of a lot of support - which is why coffee will continue for hopefully many more years.

I was driving through the Lowry Tunnel the other day and noticed there were HUGE icicles hanging in the middle of the tunnel from a crack going from one side to the other! I do not this this is good. In fact, I believe it to be downright dangerous! One of those icicles could fall, pierce the top of my car, and KILL me. Luckily today on the way to church I noticed they were gone - now a bumpy pile of ice to the left of the lane. Hm.

At the end of service on Friday, the guy in front of me turned around and told me I had a good voice. I told him it was the girl next to me. He was unconvinced. I was baffled. This is the third time in a month someone (randomly) has said I've had a good voice. Perhaps constantly singing along to the radio CAN teach one to sing??

Yesterday I made a curtain for my kitchen door window. Today I bought a lamp with a shade that matches the curtain. It's very exciting. Welcome to my life.

Tomorow is the first day of power yoga! Hopefully this will be the perfect combination of the wonderful yoga class and the terrible pilates class. Cross your fingers. Una is apparently VERY good. YAY! :o) Downward facing dog, here we go!

Well, a few more things to get done around the house before kicking off this week of work.
Happy Easter to you all. I wish you could have joined my family for our wonderful Easter brunch. That's right, quiche, french toast bake, fruit salad, and lots of laughter. MMM. I hope your afternoon was good as well.
Love.
-me

ps. i owe lots of people calls (nicole, mariah, megan, aaron....i think there are more.) i'm sorry, they're coming...

flying time

What a week. I couldn't even remember when I last posted. Some super early mornings and I finally feel like a contributing member of the company. It's good.

I also don't understand how it's already April. I'm going on another trip for work next week and so when I get back, it'll be mid-april. That seems a bit crazy. I keep waking up and feeling like I've missed a month of my life. Where is the time going? Hopefully through what seems to be a busy travel schedule I'll somehow acheive silver elite status on Northwest....that'd be pretty sweet. Seems like everyone at work's already earned it....so I'm always by my lonesome back in coach. Oh well. Someday! :o)

Happy Good Friday today. Brainstorming about projects for the kids on sunday. It was always the big projects or traditions that stuck with me from my childhood....and that's what I'm trying to go for. I want this to stick. Maybe some posterboard....we haven't done anything with that yet....hmmm. Thoughts.

Volleyball season is over....it's time to start the search for summer fun. :o) I think a golf league may be joined!
Anyway.
Happy Easter. It's the holiday that gives us a reason to live. Eh?
-R