Traveling Time

By Saturday I will have been through five states and two countries. 2008=the year of travel.

I'm all packed. My CD mixes are ready to take my through the country. I'm leaving work at noon and should be in West Virginia around 8:30p (hopefully sooner). I'll then get some tasty Mexican food with Jeremy and get an inside look at Huntington. The next day, we'll be driving to Virginia to see my Jes. Then it's friendship pandemonium until Monday morning.

Ode to the Tide To-Go Pen

I dug a little use shirt out of my closet. It's not one I normally ware to work, but I didn't want to wrinkle release the pile of clean shirt crammed into my laundry hamper, from my dash to get home Sunday night, so this shirt had the day to shine. However, there is a legacy that accompanies this shirt. Sometime, throughout the day, it will get food dumped on it. Case in point, as I'm trying to save some time and money, I've been working through lunch this week and eating meals at my desk. Today's scrumptious meal? Reheated spaghetti. One renegade noodle managed to bounce off my fork, unto my shirt, and then meander its way across the chart being audited on my desk. Thank goodness for co-worker Nancy and this nifty invention. 20 mins later and no stain. The chart faired well to, although I did not use the Tide Stick on it.

Added Bonus: As I Tided myself off, a picture on my desk caught my eye. It's Laura, Becky, and I at Festival of the Arts. Same shirt with Baklava goo staring right back at me...forever immortalized on film. Oh shirt!

Who Knows If the Moon's

who knows if the moon's
a balloon,coming out of a keen city
in the sky--filled with pretty people?
(and if you and i should

get into it,if they
should take me and take you into their balloon,
why then
we'd go up higher with all the pretty people

than houses and steeples and clouds:
go sailing
away and away sailing into a keen
city which nobody's ever visited,where

always
  it's
       Spring)and everyone's
in love and flowers pick themselves

ee cummings

Creativity

Getting Older

So I found another gray hair this morning. They seem to be popping up as of recent. Usually on my crown. Hmmm. Right now they blend nicely with the other highlights my hair has, but will there come a day that I finally give into the fact that my hair knows I'm getting older?

I love this phase in my life. I'm still young enough to accomplish so much, and old enough to not care what people think anymore. It's very liberating to be standing on two firm feet. It's taken a lifetime to get here, but I enjoy who that has shaped me into. I wouldn't say I've arrived, but I can see the door.

Plans:
Plans are in motion for the Great 2008 Labor Day Road Trip (I'm still working on the name). It's hard to put in word how excited I am to be seeing these two people again. You know the kind of people that just make you feel like a better person to be around them, well that's them. Besides the people, this road trip will take me through some beautiful parts of America that I've never seen before. One highway weaves through the Appalachian Mountains.

Speaking of Appalachian Mountains, let's never forget this video:

Auntie Amanda

Here is the first picture of the baby that will be calling my "Auntie" Amanda. My friend was hoping to find the sex of the baby, but for now these pictures will have to tide us over until her next appointment. I'm so excited to be part of this little baby's life. God is amazing!

Roller Coaster Week

Amanda is listening to: The Ballad of Love and Hate by the Avett Brothers

God has really been doing some work on me this week. It reminds me that there is always something to strive for and chase after. We are broken and God is working to put us together. God brings restoration. He is faithful!

So with such a roller coaster week, I was happy to end it on such an exciting note. I could barely concentrate at work today for such exciting news!!! I get to see Jes and Jeremy (Ireland teammates) over Labor Day Weekend!!! The plan is to leave work at noon on Friday and drive the seven(+) hours to West Virginia where I'll be crashing on Jeremy's spare bed. Then Saturday driving to Virginia to spend the weekend with Jes! Whoo hoo. It will be a long haul, but well worth it!

Stuff Christians Like

I need to give a shout out to this site. Because of my love for sarcasm and everything Christian pop culture, this site makes me laugh like no other. Check it out.

Grand Rapids...again

Even though it feels like things may be taking a downward turn in Grand Rapids, apparently it's not. Sorry this is the second GRap post in a few days.

Now You Too Can Put Grand Rapids on the Map

Ha! This shirt cracks me up. I've been seeing in the ad section of Facebook, but today I finally clicked on it and boy was I glad.

Of Mice and Men

Of Mice:

After continually putting out snap traps and finding our enticer (peanut butter) licked clean every morning, I took our fight to the internet. I ran across a natural solution to put a few drops of 100% Peppermint Oil on some cotton balls and place them where the mice frequent. It’s supposed to work as a deterrent. We hadn't seen anything for a few days, but Emma still rigged a snap trap last night. When I checked this morning, the peanut butter was still in tact! It seems to be working. Our landlord is also joining the fight and has laid some traps in the basement. More updates as they come.

Of Men:
From the song Shout to the North:
Men of faith rise up and sing

Of the great and glorious King

You are strong when you feel weak

In your brokeness complete

I've recently been thinking about the topic of masculinity as it applies to Christianity. In school, my friend Tiffani wrote a paper on the role of the man in the church as feminized Christianity rises. That is to say, how does the influence of more women in leadership, at a church, effect the identities and traditional gender roles of the man? She argued that as more and more women transition into a place of higher authority, men often lose a sense of their masculinity and in effect gender roles are reversed. Now, I should state, I'm not against women in leadership. I believe God has gifted some women in teaching, preaching, and leading, however there is still a tension, I feel, between what is written in the Bible as being cultural (only applied to that time period) or universal (applies for all time). So like many other issues, I don't feel I can make a generalized overview for everyone, such as "I don't think women should ever lead men," or "Women should have the ability to exercise these gifts, even over men." It's more a case by case basis. Anyway back on track. Do women take something inerrant away from men as they gain more authority? What is the role of women in the church toward men? If any? What is the role of men in the church toward women?

Growing up in a small church, I always seemed to be between groups. This seemed especially true during jr. high. Too young for the Sr. High youth group and too old for the jr. high youth group. Being the only one my age, left me feeling like I had no place to belong. I longed to be a part of the older group, as my sister was. By the time I made it, a split had occurred in the church and the youth group had been reduced to only a few families. Besides the shrinking size, the youth group seemed to always be between adults willing to lead. There was no consistency. I think it was the lack of strong male spiritual influences in my life, especially during these formative years, that has left me searching for something, even to this day. What does a Godly man look like? Even at my Christian college, examples seemed to be far and few between. I long for examples.

Sometimes I have caught glimpses. The way a friend treats his wife. The way a leader submits to those he is leading. The way a man show respect to women. These men are inspirations and set the bar high (Side note: a car dealer once asked me why I didn't have a boyfriend. I told him, "I have pretty high standards." These are them). When I was younger I always wondered how one could submit? It seemed submitting, for a woman, meant taking a backseat to male leadership. It seemed that your voice and ideas were silenced. Recently though, I realized that submitting to a Godly man does not mean you lose yourself. It's more like you find yourself. To submit to a Godly man, means he recognizes who you are and what you offer and you are able to trust and respect how he leads. It's a relationship of compliments; balance. It's a beautiful image of Christ and the body.

So I wonder if men are lacking the examples they need or if in some way women are degrading men as they struggle for authority. What do you think?

Men of faith, rise up and sing

Of the great and glorious King

You are strong when you feel weak

In your brokenness complete

Rise up, women of the truth

Stand and sing to broken hearts

Who can know the healing pow'r

Or our awesome King of love

Prayers for a Longing Heart

Tears came to my eyes today as I read a post from an Ireland teammate. It touched something in my heart that seemed to be hidden. I long to be doing what makes me come alive. Ireland spoiled me in that I got a taste of this, and now back in the USA, that dream seems so far away. Working as a team, teaching, and listening brought fulfillment to my days and showed me my purpose. I found gifts that I didn't even know God had bestowed on me. To be working with others on a shared mission is amazing. I could see myself doing that for the rest of my life.

In some ways I feel trapped in Grand Rapids. What I want, doesn't seem to be here, but where am I left with that realization? It's this thought that makes my tears overflow. I know God is shaping me through these events and my heart's desire is to be ready to go when he calls, but sometimes the uncertainty and the enormous obstacles seem insurmountable.

Prayer is all I can do right now and it has been my purpose to pray about these concerns every day. I'm hoping soon, God will fill me on his plan and comfort my longing heart.

Sangria and Sidewalk Chalk

** This post is dedicated to Jes, who I got the idea from.

Saturday night, LaKeri and I headed to the park that overlooks the city to let our creativity flow. The following is an account of what happened.






I started with something simple; my name.


LaKeri went in a slightly different direction...




LaKeri, drew these awesome Sonic boots!



The shiv LaKeri found when a stray dog wandered over. We spent a few tense moments up on a park bench.



Jes, this pic is for you and any other Home Star Runner fans!
"Um, Strongbad, were you just first basin' it with that piece of loose leaf?"





Earlier in the day, we went for a walk downtown.





Ummm...so I haven't really cleaned my room since I got back...

It's clean now and hopefully will never get this bad again. Oh and yes, I haven't been sleeping with sheets on my bed. :D
Hope you enjoyed this!

AWESOME!

I have unknowingly been waiting for this book...

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2008/07/screechs_saved_by_the_bell_tel.html

Hersey's Repsonse

For those that are just joining this blog as of recent, you might want to read this before you continue on.

I received this a while ago, but haven't had a chance to get it up:

Thank you for sharing your concerns about cocoa farming practices in West Africa. The Hershey Company has made a long-term commitment to responsible cocoa growing and is a leader in driving meaningful change for the millions of families that depend upon this important export crop.

As you probably are aware, West Africa is the leading source of cocoa, producing 70 percent of the world's supply. This cocoa is grown on approximately two million small family farms, many located in remote areas. An independent survey conducted in 2002 by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, in cooperation with the International Labor Organization of the United Nations (ILO), found that the vast majority of farmers in the region grow cocoa responsibly. No instances of slavery or forced labor were found on the more than 4,500 farms surveyed. The survey did identify areas where change is needed, including improving access to education and safety issues involving machete use and pesticide application.

To help ensure that cocoa is grown responsibly, Hershey has taken a leading role in developing international standards of certification. Along with other industry members, Hershey is a party to the "Protocol" agreement, developed in partnership with Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Representative Eliot Engel (D-NY). The industry has made progress in this effort, building a partnership that includes governments, farming communities, international agencies and non-profit organizations. Tests of a certification system have been conducted and efforts are underway to expand implementation in the region.

Beyond certification, Hershey actively is working to improve the lives of West African cocoa farming families and their communities. Hershey and its industry partners have worked in association with the World Cocoa Foundation to provide training and education to thousands of farmers in the region. This educational effort is focused on improving farm family incomes, promoting safe labor practices and stressing the importance of schooling for farm children. In 2005, The Hershey Company and the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help (IFESH) announced a program to enhance educational opportunity in West Africa through teacher training and skills building. The two-year program is expected to train 2,000 teachers and teachers-in-training and benefit up to 40,000 young people in Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

The teacher training program is just one element of the Initiative for African Cocoa Communities (IACC), a public-private partnership focused on increasing farm family incomes; improving the health, safety and well-being of cocoa farmers and their families; supporting improved access to quality, relevant education; strengthening biodiversity and wildlife conservation; and building stronger, more prosperous cocoa-farming communities.

The IACC is operated by the World Cocoa Foundation, and I encourage you to visit www.worldcocoafoundation.org for more information on the industry's efforts in the world's cocoa-growing regions.

You may also visit http://www.thehersheycompany.com/making/ to find out more about what The Hershey Company is doing to improve the lives of farm families in the world’s cocoa-growing regions.

This is a long-term effort, and Hershey remains committed to improving the lives of the millions of people who depend on cocoa growing for a living and to assuring consumers that the cocoa they enjoy has been grown responsibly.


Your interest in our company is appreciated.

This email address is restricted for outgoing messages only. For that reason, please do not respond to this email as the inbox is not monitored.


Jean Saldutti
Consumer Representative