So this week I had to read the Death of Ivan Ilyich by the reknowned Leo Tolstoy. It is actually quite sad and depressing but there are some truisms (if you're like my Bible teacher, a truism is something that you can take away as true) or instances people often find themselves in/feelings they experience. This kind of ended up being a challenge for me that I thought I'd share: live your life to the fullest, you only have one to live, John 10:10. It's also just good writing, some great imagery.

"The doctor summed up just as brilliantly, looking over his spectacles triumphantly and even gaily at the accused. From the doctor's summing up Ivan Ilyich concluded that things were bad, but that for the doctor, and perhaps for everybody else, it was a matter of indifference, though for him it was bad. And this conclusion struck him painfully, arousing in him a great feeling of pity for himself and of bitterness towards the doctor's indifference to a matter of such importance."

"He comes in fresh, hearty, plump, and cheerful, whit that look on his face that seems to say: 'There now, you're in a panic about something, but we'll arrange it all for you directly!' The doctor knows this expression is out of place here, but he has put on a frock-coat in the morning to pay a round of calls." careful to genuinely care

"And the longer it lasted the more deadly it became. 'It is as if I had been going downhill while I imagined I was going up. And that is really what it was. I was going up in public opinion, but to the same extent life was ebbing away from me. And now it is all done and there is only death.' " learn from mistakes and regrets, time flies

"In them he saw himself-all that for which he had lived-and saw clearly that it was not real at all, but a terrible and huge deception which had hidden both life and death." Don't lie to yourself.

"What had happened to him was like the sensation one sometimes experiences in a railway carriage when one thinks one is going backwards while one is really going forwards and suddenly becomes aware of the real direction." I like the imagery on that one :)

"...knowing that He whose understanding mattered would understand." will stand before God one day

" 'So that's what it is!' he suddenly exclaimed aloud. 'What joy!' To him all this happened in a single instant, and the meaning of that instand did not change."

Excerpts taken from The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy

What happens when...

What happens when two girls go to Wal-mart with lists? Well if you are me and my friend who can't make decisions and occasionally get distracted you end up making a little trip turn into two hours. Actually we probably only shopped for an hour and we did have to shop for three people. We figured with Rush hour traffic, a few back tracks, a cashier who was nice and friendly, and our combined efforts that took up a majority of the time oh and the stop by the shoes and $5 movies, I mean its worth a shot, we really only shopped for maybe a half hour? What can I say, it was memorable I think that was one of the longest Wal-mart runs I've had but it was worth it. We finished up the night with taco surprise, brownies and Jonah, which I had never seen and let me just say that is an awesome movie! Good night!

The Good Word of the Lord...

This is what the Lord says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not tho harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, " declares the Lord, 'and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the lord, "and I will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."
-Jeremiah 29:10-14

things you forget

So I was thinking about the foods you forget you love like cheetohs and oreos. MMmmm oreos and milk-delicious! After a rough night at work...Kim had story time and we ate mini m & m's and oreos, it was great and i love kid's books. "'You look like a real prince, but you are a bum.' They didn't get married after all."-The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

I also learned today that holding the plank position for a short period of time, repeatedly, really works your arm muscles. Maybe I'll get buff, nah I don't think it'll happen. Hehe enjoy your week it's almost Turkey Day!

So today it's sunny and 75, just gorgeous and kind of cracks me up because it's November but that's the South for ya I suppose. So I was waiting for a class to let out and it's always fun to people watch....i caught part of a conversation in passing and it just made me smile-baseball players were walking by and the one was saying something about how the guy on spider man, it's not Peter Parker. not quite sure how that came up or what they were talking about but he was very into it and i have to say it was awesome. I was taking a test and one of the questions was "Do boys or girls laugh more when they are reacting to fear?" and all I could think about was "I laugh in the face of danger ha haha ha!" needless to say I put boys, i hope that's right, thanks Disney! I also find it kind of funny that there is actually i thing called fatigue of inteligencia and basically your brain is tired from thinking and that love is the only learned emotion. Oh, fyi, we also learned that there is a difference between being brave and stupid just in case you were wondering.

Doing some last minute studying trying to figure out what i need to know about games, sports, and universal games when i came across a section that was called Families in Transition. This makes me sad.

Have you ever felt like you could solve all the problems of the world, but you know you can't and you are just clinging to the fact that God can, will, and has your best interest at heart? Lately I have just been hurting for my friends and the difficult times they are going through.

In other news, fun stories from my child development class....

The SG SG group which no one ever knew what it stood for, it was topic secret ya know. Well what it really stood for was the sixth grade silly group and when Miss Quinn got a letter from her student who became an FBI agent he signed it as a member of the SG SG group :)

"If you have one good friend, you won't need a psychologist."

"I don't know why you would want a snake for a pet, they don't show you love and they don't make any cool noises like a bird."-Miss Quinn

"A little girl's dad had been arrested or something like that and the next day the kids handled it so well that no one said anything or ever gave her a hard time. I was just so proud of them and then she learned from a mom that two of her students had gathered all the other kids up that morning and said if you say anything about her dad, I'll beat you up! And i was glad because they wanted to defend her and there was still some chivalry in the world....those two boys went into law enforcement."

When trying to figure out a sociogram, it may be askew. Like the time when the little boy who was asked who he would go get ice cream with answered Johnny because he doesn't eat much.

To the adopted child-"You grew in my heart, not under it"

A mom took her Chinese daughter to a circus with little Chinese kids performing and when the little girl saw them she said, "Why do these kids have on my face?"

Hope you enjoyed the stories Miss Quinn has been sharing with us in Child Development. Life is an adventure. Enjoy it, live it!

This week has been quite a week. One of my good friends is having her baby soon, praying for her! I was asked if I'm engaged or close to it because if I was, our dance class would have a coffee day and we wouldn't have to dance. I am not engaged or close to it as far as I know. I spoke to quite the characters on the phone this week at work and though it was rough, I'm learning a lot and must remember patience and that God is in control. I took two tests this week and turned one in online. Did you know that your brain, the frontal lobe, is not fully developed until the age of 25? I ran through beautiful rain and drops were falling off my eyelashes. Watched the movies The Brother's Bloom and it was really good, a few minor details that didn't need to be in there but over all it was really funny and made you think right down to the very end. I love my family and God has gotten myself, my family, and loved ones through another week. Sleep is calling my name....

For all those times I've felt like my hands were tied or I should've said more....

Kennedy Center: Millennium Stage Artist Details for Ken Waldman

Kennedy Center: Millennium Stage Artist Details for Ken Waldman


This artist came to Belhaven and we had such a blast! It was so encouraging to hear that he started learning how to play the fiddle at like 24 or 29, it's never to late to follow your dreams :) As a college student, I just feel like it's a time where every little encouraging word like that means so much and in God's sovereignty those little comments seem to pop up at just the right time. Amazingly, Ken doesn't know how to read or write music but has made up a lot of songs. And as he said, "You can do anything in Alaska!" Check out his poem A Week in Eek if he can.

So i smashed my finger between a chair and a desk today at work. I wacked my elbow on this stick out wall thing in my dorm room. And the other day I stubbed my toe on our wooden chairs, in barefeet for the upteenth time. I'm really not trying to beat myself up, I promise.

In other news this crazy adventure life is getting crazier by the minute, as I watch my friends, family, and myself go through difficult circumstances I gotta keep my mind focused on Christ and keep claiming his promises.

Love this!

So I'm trying to think of another thing to post about seeing as I've gotten into a pattern of 3's but alas I am at a loss. School decided to get kind of hard and I know my heart is burdened to pray for friends and loved ones as each day brings new trials. Knowing that you are loved by the King, and God is good, be encouraged today!

There are some things you just always wonder about. Like when God created Eve, He used Adam's rib. So Adam fell asleep and God made Eve. You just wonder how that worked. Granted God is sovereign so man has the right number of ribs but Adam always had one less I guess. And Melchizedek, he's got no family geneology but he just pops up throughout the Bible, seems like a pretty cool guy, wonder what his whole story was....Hebrews 7:3

So Confessions got slightly better. It's kind of like a movie where there's parts that it could just do without. But some of my favorites...
"higgledy-piggledy, the furniture is higgledy-piggledy"-now that's a phrase we should revive ;)

His view on small talk was also quite entertaining and I do recommend reading that portion of the piece, "In private conversation there is another difficulty, which I consider worse, the necessity of always talking./I can think of no greater torture than to be obliged to talk continually and without a moment for reflection." I got a kick out of this section.

Though I did not enjoy reading certain sections, I did appreciate his view that there is nothing like the love between a man and a woman. He defined a difference between a close friend/brother and the relationship between a man and a woman. In light of today's society, perhaps we could look into Rousseau's literary works once again.

Quotes taken from Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Confessions

Performances. I love performances, there's nothing like the butterflies backstage and a smile at the end, live music and a great audience! It was a long weekend with tech and dress rehearsal and a final performance. It went well, though it's always interesting because sometimes you only have one chance, only get to perform it for an audience once. Ironically, dress rehearsals can be better but you just have to trust the Lord that you did your best, and He'll take care of the rest. I am happy to say I now have a normal face, my silver ring to play with when im bored securely on my hand, nail polish on my toes, and the possibility of wearing funky earings once again. To top it off, the Blazer soccer boys won on a free kick in o.t. and I was able to run over and watch the last few minutes! Nice job guys!

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."
-2 Corinthians 5:1-10

What I learned on Friday: if you ask a little one if there are any questions, which you should, be prepared for an answer....

Q-"Do you know how many people have gotten a ticket at that stop sign, Ms. Quinn? 12 since 8 o'clock!"
Q-"Do you know how many buttons are on your dress, Ms. Quinn? 63!"

the point...always ask for questions because it's how you learn. 1. it shows if you learned anything 2. it shows if you didn't get the lesson 3. it teaches how to ask good quetions 4. it's a spring board to find out what they should/want to learn

remember little ones don't understand the concept of a rhetorical question

Oh yes, the joys of being an Elementary Ed. Major :)

According to facebook this is the country song that best describes my life. I like it. This may be more accurate than the one that said I have sad eyes, I hope that one's not so true.

Oh wait Confessions gets better. He just "presented his reader with an apology, or rather a justification, for the petty details he just entered into, and for those he shall enter into later, none of which may appear interesting in the readers eyes." Well i thought things were looking up but now the prospects are a bit bleak. sad.


Excerpt taken from Jean Jacques Rousseau's Confessions