Yarn Along

So I forgot to post to the Yarn Along last week...

I finished the baby blanket I was working on!

 Consequently I have two projects to show you: the finished baby blanket and...

Know what it is?

...the project I'm in the middle of... know what it is? :) I hope to have it finished by next week and will let reveal then!

As far as books go I finished The Road to Grace, Heart of the Country, and God Gave Us Love since last time. I'm in the middle of Our Favorite Sins by Todd Hunter.  I'm also still plugging away at the Bible in 90 days, but I just didn't take its picture this time.

Laugh! (7 Funny Stories)

Yesterday I was having a hard time posting. I was going to write you something profound and deep... but couldn't find the words so I just did  simple "thanks" post.

my late goats, Henry and Blake

But today, I was telling some funny stories and it hit me today I will focus on humor. Because God created laughter.

Without further ado, some funny stories:

1. When I was in high school I went to school with this button up shirt on one day. I'd gone to my locker between classes and after I swung my back pack up to my shoulder I did it in *just* the wrong way so that it caught on the top button and just pulled them all open and BAM my bra was showing for the whole hall to see.

me, from a dance recital when I was 6

2. When I was in high school, I was in gifted art and to be funny I'd taken my fingers covered in paint and run them over my face. I totally forgot about it and afterwards I went to my sister's volleyball game.

After the game was over, my middle school gym teacher came up with concern on her face saying, "What happened to you?" Then she furrowed her brow and stared at me and I had a lightbulb moment and said, "Oh! I have paint all over my face, don't I?"

And she stormed off muttering, "I sat there the whole time thinking you'd been a horrible accident or something..." Oops.

3. Freshman year of college several friends and I were standing in front of a dorm and decided to hop the railing so we were standing on the edge, facing out. I don't know why we thought this was a good idea. Then they decided to get down... by jumping the four or five feet to the ground. I am very clumsy when it comes to jumping, and would have rather clambored back over the railing and taken the stairs, but they had jumped down so neatly and were impatient and saying "Come on!" and I told myself, if they can do it you can do it. (Hahahaha! I need to stop thinking that) So I jumped.

I landed flat on my butt. They were surprised at my clumsiness (I wasn't) and as they helped me up I felt a breeze....

My pants had split neatly right across my butt so my underwear was hanging out. No wait, my favorite pants had split right across the butt so my underwear was hanging out. I had to put my hands on my rear and walk stiffly to my dorm room (which luckily was one building over!)


4. In college the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, came and spoke to us. I was in the auditorium and my cell phone started going off.. which was awful because I'd actually turned it off! But I'd sat down in just the wrong way as to push the buttons that not only turned it on, but pocket dialed someone on speakphone. Redfaced, I was fumbling trying to turn it off and someone behind me hissed "Take out the battery!" so I tried...

And my battery and the back of my phone flew across the auditorium floor. Jimmy Wales and everyone stopped and looked at me while I tried to pick them up and he paused his speech until I sat back down.

So not kidding.

me, in a wig in high school

5. Just the other day, when Tabby and I were hanging out we went to Salvation Army and there was a wedding dress that was my size. It wasn't my style at all, but just to be funny Tabby urged me to try it on. I told her only if she'd try on a bridesmaid gown.

The fitting rooms were full so we stood there waiting, our dresses over our arms, side by side. Remember, Tabby is pregnant with twins. A lady said to Tabitha "Having a wedding soon?"

"Yep," she said, since she's my matron of honor.

"Well, it's never too late," she said. I was confused, but then a fitting room opened up...

Then we realized she thought Tabby was the bride... and very pregnant. She must not have noticed Tabby's wedding rings! We laughed and I offered to walk up to the woman and say loudly something about my wedding so she'd over hear, but Tabby said it was fine and we left it alone.

6. Tabitha works at a Bowling Alley/Roller Skating place. So one day we decide to roller skate. I had done it a few times, since she's been working there a while, but I am so stiff. I could roller skate as a kid, but I guess I developed curves which totally threw off my center of gravity. So I would rollerskate stiff as a board, shifting my feet like one inch at a time to creep forward. I felt like if I didn't, I'd fall flat on my butt.

But I was watching all the other skaters and they were loosely gliding around like hyper swans and I thought, "If they can be so loose and not fall over, why would you fall if you unstiffened?"

So I relaxed. I didn't like make a big motion or spin or even move at all really.  I just relaxed.

And BAM! I landed on my tailbone.

7. When I was in high school we'd have (mandatory) pep rallies where they'd do some crazy contest or something you'd have to sign up for in advance. They had a dancing competition one and I was too chicken to sign up, and I then sat in the stands watching those who had and I thought, "I'm not going to miss out on something more fun than sitting in the bleachers because I'm scared. Next time they offer something like this, no matter what it is, you're signing up."

So the next time they offered... karaoke!

So I signed up and selected "You Can't Hurry Love"...

The day I was to sing, I got up there and I sang... my nerves were through the roof though. I love, love, love, love to sing... but I can't sing in front of people, solo, without being a basket case.

So afterwards, I hurried to my friends and they told me I was great. I asked, "Could you tell I was shaking?"

And they said, "Shaking?"
(and this is where, when I tell this story, people always smile, thinking this story is a case of 'Conquer your fear, it will be a-okay, no will notice, etc')
They said, "Shaking? We thought you were doing some kind of funky dance!"

Hahahaha!!!!

Hoping at least one of these 100% true antidotes from my own life made you smile! Love you all!

Thanking God

I'm blessed by God daily. I am not always appreciative, but the once weekly link-up helps me, in a tiny way, remember to say thank you to my Creator and Savior.

Thank you, God, for giving my loved ones patience.

Thank you for Grace. I'm sorry I need it so often, but boy am I glad you offer it.

Thank you for Pinterest and that new fun.

Thank you for high speed interent.

Thank you for the encouragement and comfort you have recently provided.

Thank you for Ryan. I love him so...

Thank you for emails. And spellcheck. And trees.

Thank you for Sophie and her cuddliness.

Thank you for allowing me to do book reviews.

Thank you for crocheting.

Thank you for my glasses... please help me find the pair I already lost? (yes... really!)

Thank you for bananas.

Thank you for believing in me and taking me seriously. Help me let your Voice drown out others, you know just the ones.

Thank you for ministering to my heart.

I love you God.

Linking up to I'm Blessed, Thankful Thursdays.

Book Review: The Road to Grace by Genung

The Road to Grace by Mike Genung is a Christian men’s book for those struggling with sexual addiction, especially pornography. Genung is the founder of an international men’s ministry, Blazing Grace, which is aimed at the issues addressed in the book. He tells of his own testimony and struggles very transparently.  He brings a lot of scripture and experience with God to the table. It is a book you have to chew over and process slowly.

Genung wrote a good book for Christian married men who struggle with pornography. There is a small section for wives of husbands struggling with pornography, but there is no helpful content for women who struggle sexual issues, including no recommended resources. While single men may be able to find much of what is in here helpful, the book was definitely written for a married man. Single men were nodded at, but many chapters were written exclusively for married men and the difficulty of purity during celibacy was never mentioned. There is a lot here for Christian married men who struggle with sexual sin other than pornography, but that definitely is the focus. While this is directed at a specific demographic, it unfortunately also covers a far large amount of men in the Church today, and therefore many will find it invaluable.

The book is called The Road to Grace because Genung focuses on God’s grace as the answer for these men. One thing he did was to switch between “love” and “grace” as if they were the exact same word. While God’s grace and God’s love are certainly entwined, I've known many Christians who accept one but struggle with the other. But Genung makes no differential at all. I also thought his chapter order was not well done. I read the first few chapters thinking the book was headed in one direction only to find it was more well-rounded than it appeared. I recommend  if you aren’t finding helpful information in the first few chapters, persist.

Overall I thought it was a good resource and would recommend it.

I received this book for free from the BookCrash program in exchange for my unbiased review.

Preparation Thursdays

This week we've been focusing more on thinking about our wedding(s).  I've been logging hours on a wedding board and joined Pinterest.  There's not too much I can do, since so much is up in the air. He and I have been talking and think we'll aim for July. Yes this July, though that could easily be moved back. If he can come to America, we'll probably do something here then. If not, I'll go to India for a visit, and we'll only have the one wedding in India.

I reapplied for the company I worked at seasonally because tehy told me they might be hiring around now, so hopefully that works out.

Ryan is still applying for jobs, and we have a plan that will significantly shorten that search. Please pray if you would like to....

That's about the extent of it, preparation wise, this week.