Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg church 491 years ago, October 31, 1517.
Much better reason to celebrate than Halloween...
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
random thoughts
something about a company front with horn flash gives me goosebumps.... so cool.
corn disappearing into the combine header is mesmerizing.
library book sales are amazing.
corn disappearing into the combine header is mesmerizing.
library book sales are amazing.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Hither and Yon
I meant to clean my closet this weekend... it didn't happen... I didn't even get my room dusted. O well.
Shelly and I got up early and went down to U of I to the band day. It wasn't very warm, but it wasn't very windy so it was a great day to sit and watch bands. Eureka did really well- they won their class, and combined parade and field. Woot woot. We got to see most of class B field competition... and during the break we explored the new stadium a little. It's really cool! I'm so glad they didn't ruin it like soldier field. Shelly had never been up in the colonnades (which is a crime, so I dragged her up the ramps to see that.) Definitely my favorite part of the stadium.
Shelly and I got up early and went down to U of I to the band day. It wasn't very warm, but it wasn't very windy so it was a great day to sit and watch bands. Eureka did really well- they won their class, and combined parade and field. Woot woot. We got to see most of class B field competition... and during the break we explored the new stadium a little. It's really cool! I'm so glad they didn't ruin it like soldier field. Shelly had never been up in the colonnades (which is a crime, so I dragged her up the ramps to see that.) Definitely my favorite part of the stadium.
On our way back to the car we passed the Abraham Lincoln mobile exhibit, which was just sitting in the Assembly Hall parking lot. So we walked through it. Just because it was there, it was free, and it was really cool! Plus we got penny tie tack pin things. :D
Then we went to the south quad to see the new bell tower... and walked back to the parade route to watch the parade... then walked back to see if the conservatory was open. It wasn't, which was very sad. We ate lunch at Za's. So good.
Matt and I went to Kevin K's for a weiner roast that night. It was enjoyable, even though I really didn't know very many people at all. I was sitting on the leeward side of the fire so I came home smelling like a chimney. Hooray.
Sunday I decided I didn't want to go to the wedding in W-ton so I went to Gridley instead. It's been a long time since I've been there. K, Amber, Sarah, and Sprout were all there... so yeah, it was good. They lost power in the middle of the last song of first service, so we ate lunch in the dark and then they canceled second service. We chilled at Kaleigh's after church. Good times.
So what's worse than when it rains cats and dogs? When it hails taxicabs! *grin* (I saw uncle bill in church)
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
i must look young... or something
Last week I was at the florist picking out bouquets for our kitchen help at the invite... she asked me if I was going to drop them off right away... yes... are you old enough to drive?? you don't look old enough to drive....
I stopped at the library after work and checked out "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." The librarian asked if I was reading it for class. Um... no... just for fun. Oh, well I'm impressed! (pretty sure Mark Twain is not a hard read, even if I was a high school kid)
But then my mom told the little neighbor boy who was getting a combine ride that I was 24... which I won't be until December... um.... seriously.
I stopped at the library after work and checked out "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." The librarian asked if I was reading it for class. Um... no... just for fun. Oh, well I'm impressed! (pretty sure Mark Twain is not a hard read, even if I was a high school kid)
But then my mom told the little neighbor boy who was getting a combine ride that I was 24... which I won't be until December... um.... seriously.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Fall
I think I like spring better. It's just too cold.... I'm really not looking forward to winter.
This weekend I remembered to plant bulbs! So hopefully we will have crocus and hyacinth this spring! (If the squirrels don't find them... or other animals that I don't want to think about)
Last Thursday night I saw a large spider on my bed- it was huge. I tried to squash it, but it disappeared. And then I couldn't find it. I made mom help me look and she couldn't find it.... it was extremely traumatic. And I realize that my fear of spiders is irrational but the later it gets and the more tired I get, the scarier they are. I managed to sleep in my bed but.... Saturday I cleaned. Pulled everything out from under my bed, took off the mattresses, removed everything that wasn't furniture from my floor.... still no spider. (my room needed cleaning anyway...) It's probably in my closet. I've been shaking my shoes out, and clothes out, and watching my step. I have calmed down a little bit since it's probably not a brown recluse but stray feathers from my pillows make me jump.
Heidi got married Sunday... it was a good wedding.
my boss is gone this week... woot.
Blessings.
This weekend I remembered to plant bulbs! So hopefully we will have crocus and hyacinth this spring! (If the squirrels don't find them... or other animals that I don't want to think about)
Last Thursday night I saw a large spider on my bed- it was huge. I tried to squash it, but it disappeared. And then I couldn't find it. I made mom help me look and she couldn't find it.... it was extremely traumatic. And I realize that my fear of spiders is irrational but the later it gets and the more tired I get, the scarier they are. I managed to sleep in my bed but.... Saturday I cleaned. Pulled everything out from under my bed, took off the mattresses, removed everything that wasn't furniture from my floor.... still no spider. (my room needed cleaning anyway...) It's probably in my closet. I've been shaking my shoes out, and clothes out, and watching my step. I have calmed down a little bit since it's probably not a brown recluse but stray feathers from my pillows make me jump.
Heidi got married Sunday... it was a good wedding.
my boss is gone this week... woot.
Blessings.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Because Heidi tagged me...
Some Random and or weird facts about me:
1. I'm the only person in my family to ever break a bone. It was in fourth grade and I was swinging on the monkey bars, fell off, and landed on my arm. I broke my humerus right above the elbow, and pinched my radial nerve. So it kind of hurt a lot. But I didn't cry at all- I remember screaming and running into the office and waiting for my mom to come get me and then waiting in the ER for the orthopedic surgeon and then waiting some more while some med students looked it over- all without any kind of pain reliever. My left hand is still weaker and my left ring and pinkie fingers get stiff and cold fastest.
2. In grade school I was fascinated (ok, obsessed) with Indians... I think I read every book in the grade school library and made a pretty good start on the ones at the W-ton library about Indians. I had sheets... and books... and dolls.... and my favorite vacation was when we went to Mesa Verde. Maybe that's why I love it that moccasins are in style right now! I might have a pair...
3. I dislike coffee. I haven't had any since I stopped waking up at 5:15. It tastes nasty, it smells nasty, and I can get the same effect from Dr. Pepper which tastes amazing, and is pretty much the nectar of the gods... And cocoa is a much, much better hot drink because it's chocolate and I could continue with the Greek mythological references and say that chocolate is basically ambrosia. :D
4. If I don't have a good book to read I sometimes read encyclopedias. There are just so many cool and interesting things in them. My favorite articles as a child were 'Clothing,' 'Flags,' 'Dogs,' 'Cats,' The American Revolution,' an article with instructions for building a river and dam model out of plywood, and of course, 'Native Americans.' I liked most of those because they had a lot of pictures.... in the back of our F volume, there is a super cool section of transparent pages showing all of the different biological systems in a frog. (circulatory, bone structure, etc.) Our encyclopedia set has an article for each letter, the illustrations show the progression from glyphs to phenician to roman to modern letters, which I love to read. Yes, I know I'm a nerd.
um... I'm running out of things...
5. I am very picky about Apple Pie. (Pie in general really) It all tastes good no matter how many crusts or what kind of crust or filling... but the perfect apple pie is pretty hard to find. :) It has to have two crusts (top and bottom) made with lard. Crisco doesn't taste as good. Butter doesn't get flaky enough. One crust is a cop out and crumb crusts are for cobblers, not pies! The filling has to be apples. Just apples. None of this custard stuff- save that for the peaches and the key limes. Apples and custard just don't mix. One time I had somebody try to feed me "home made" apple pie... they bought Pillsbury crust and apple pie filling. I had a hard time not saying anything, but I ate it with a smile and it tasted good- seriously though people, just because you assemble it in your kitchen does NOT make it a home made apple pie. ok. I'm getting off the soap box now.
6. I hate, hate, hate Six Flags. Amusement parks in general really. Strong statements, I know. But it's true! Besides not liking roller coasters and rides (I'm afraid of heights and rides make me queasy), I can not understand how people can justify spending that much money to be amused and entertained. More than half the acreage is dedicated to selling sweat-shop junk for way more than it's worth and for large portions of over- priced, extremely unhealthy food. Six Flags and amusement parks remind me so much of the soulless society in Aldous Huxley's "A Brave New Word;" people who spend their whole lives in pursuit of pleasure and the next thrill. If I was going to pick a symbol for western hedonism, epicurianism, and commercialism, Six Flags would be it. I know, I know, it's just good clean fun but there are cheaper things to do with your family that are better for your mind, body, and soul- like support an underutilized state park perhaps? :D
7. I don't like raisins. No reason.
8. Showering is not high on my list of priorities... I've gone for more than a week without one while camping in the Boundary Waters. I wouldn't do that normally, but it really doesn't bother me not too. *grin*
There you have it. I'm not going to tag anyone... all of my faithful blog lurkers can feel free to email me some random facts about yourself. Seriously. I would love it.
Blessings.
1. I'm the only person in my family to ever break a bone. It was in fourth grade and I was swinging on the monkey bars, fell off, and landed on my arm. I broke my humerus right above the elbow, and pinched my radial nerve. So it kind of hurt a lot. But I didn't cry at all- I remember screaming and running into the office and waiting for my mom to come get me and then waiting in the ER for the orthopedic surgeon and then waiting some more while some med students looked it over- all without any kind of pain reliever. My left hand is still weaker and my left ring and pinkie fingers get stiff and cold fastest.
2. In grade school I was fascinated (ok, obsessed) with Indians... I think I read every book in the grade school library and made a pretty good start on the ones at the W-ton library about Indians. I had sheets... and books... and dolls.... and my favorite vacation was when we went to Mesa Verde. Maybe that's why I love it that moccasins are in style right now! I might have a pair...
3. I dislike coffee. I haven't had any since I stopped waking up at 5:15. It tastes nasty, it smells nasty, and I can get the same effect from Dr. Pepper which tastes amazing, and is pretty much the nectar of the gods... And cocoa is a much, much better hot drink because it's chocolate and I could continue with the Greek mythological references and say that chocolate is basically ambrosia. :D
4. If I don't have a good book to read I sometimes read encyclopedias. There are just so many cool and interesting things in them. My favorite articles as a child were 'Clothing,' 'Flags,' 'Dogs,' 'Cats,' The American Revolution,' an article with instructions for building a river and dam model out of plywood, and of course, 'Native Americans.' I liked most of those because they had a lot of pictures.... in the back of our F volume, there is a super cool section of transparent pages showing all of the different biological systems in a frog. (circulatory, bone structure, etc.) Our encyclopedia set has an article for each letter, the illustrations show the progression from glyphs to phenician to roman to modern letters, which I love to read. Yes, I know I'm a nerd.
um... I'm running out of things...
5. I am very picky about Apple Pie. (Pie in general really) It all tastes good no matter how many crusts or what kind of crust or filling... but the perfect apple pie is pretty hard to find. :) It has to have two crusts (top and bottom) made with lard. Crisco doesn't taste as good. Butter doesn't get flaky enough. One crust is a cop out and crumb crusts are for cobblers, not pies! The filling has to be apples. Just apples. None of this custard stuff- save that for the peaches and the key limes. Apples and custard just don't mix. One time I had somebody try to feed me "home made" apple pie... they bought Pillsbury crust and apple pie filling. I had a hard time not saying anything, but I ate it with a smile and it tasted good- seriously though people, just because you assemble it in your kitchen does NOT make it a home made apple pie. ok. I'm getting off the soap box now.
6. I hate, hate, hate Six Flags. Amusement parks in general really. Strong statements, I know. But it's true! Besides not liking roller coasters and rides (I'm afraid of heights and rides make me queasy), I can not understand how people can justify spending that much money to be amused and entertained. More than half the acreage is dedicated to selling sweat-shop junk for way more than it's worth and for large portions of over- priced, extremely unhealthy food. Six Flags and amusement parks remind me so much of the soulless society in Aldous Huxley's "A Brave New Word;" people who spend their whole lives in pursuit of pleasure and the next thrill. If I was going to pick a symbol for western hedonism, epicurianism, and commercialism, Six Flags would be it. I know, I know, it's just good clean fun but there are cheaper things to do with your family that are better for your mind, body, and soul- like support an underutilized state park perhaps? :D
7. I don't like raisins. No reason.
8. Showering is not high on my list of priorities... I've gone for more than a week without one while camping in the Boundary Waters. I wouldn't do that normally, but it really doesn't bother me not too. *grin*
There you have it. I'm not going to tag anyone... all of my faithful blog lurkers can feel free to email me some random facts about yourself. Seriously. I would love it.
Blessings.
Monday, October 13, 2008
the weekend part II
The invite went really, really well. Work projects all worked out- the group I was in washed all of the windows on the outside of Restmor. K, Sarah, Rhonda, Syd, and Ginny were in the group too... we visited K's grandma while we were there. It was such a nice day out I was glad we could be outside.
Supper was so good. We had enchilada's and Spanish rice and chips and salsa... yum. And we had lots left over, which I love. We barely got cleaned up in time to listen to Fred's talk which was good. And then we had desert, which was also good.
Matt kept his friends at our house so Shelly and I took some girls to grandma and grandpa's. It was really good to hang out with Kris and Rhonda again... and get to know Destini (she's a fellow shaker sister) and Laura better....we played games... and stayed up pretty late talking.
Church was good. And full. I didn't do much of anything Sunday afternoon. :)
I didn't have to work today because it's Columbus day. woot woot! I slept in and hung out with Gab this afternoon. We went for polar pops... good times.
Blessings.
Supper was so good. We had enchilada's and Spanish rice and chips and salsa... yum. And we had lots left over, which I love. We barely got cleaned up in time to listen to Fred's talk which was good. And then we had desert, which was also good.
Matt kept his friends at our house so Shelly and I took some girls to grandma and grandpa's. It was really good to hang out with Kris and Rhonda again... and get to know Destini (she's a fellow shaker sister) and Laura better....we played games... and stayed up pretty late talking.
Church was good. And full. I didn't do much of anything Sunday afternoon. :)
I didn't have to work today because it's Columbus day. woot woot! I slept in and hung out with Gab this afternoon. We went for polar pops... good times.
Blessings.
the weekend part I
so I tried to blog about the weekend earlier and blogger erased it all. so sad. and heidi tagged me... I'll get to that eventually, I'll need to think about it though because I am perfectly normal and nothing about me is weird. HA!
It was a really good weekend. I am glad it's over though! No more things to plan! (this week anyway- hooray for being on the yg committee)
Friday evening we had the yg at our house for a surprise going away party for Kendra B. She went out to eat with Amy and they were going to join Jodi and I at my house for a 'girls night' because the yg calendar was 'too full' to schedule a formal farewell or anything. *grin* So it was such a nice night we decided to play Settlers on the porch- where everybody was hiding. It was great- she didn't suspect a thing and was totally shocked. So then we sang and ate ice cream cake and played Settlers and Trivial Pursuit until midnight. Amy and I lost two games of TP, the 80's and 90's version and the LOTR version. O well.
Scott and Ned and Kent and Ryan showed up at our house later that night er, morning. :) So they were around when I woke up. Mom went to Church to make food so I was home making breakfast casseroles and most of the world decided to drop by and make cider. It was craziness. And I'm told it got worse after I left for church. We seriously had sooo many people in and out- 4 k-bergers, 5 lemans, 2 of their neighbors, 3 heinolds, 1 stoller, grandma and grandpa, fred and boys, paul our truck driver, and all of their vehicles. Poor Dad and Fred were trying to farm around them all... and I was trying to keep little children from tracking grass and mud into our clean house. I was maybe a little bit rude to some of them.... o well.
So then we all went to the invite....
It was a really good weekend. I am glad it's over though! No more things to plan! (this week anyway- hooray for being on the yg committee)
Friday evening we had the yg at our house for a surprise going away party for Kendra B. She went out to eat with Amy and they were going to join Jodi and I at my house for a 'girls night' because the yg calendar was 'too full' to schedule a formal farewell or anything. *grin* So it was such a nice night we decided to play Settlers on the porch- where everybody was hiding. It was great- she didn't suspect a thing and was totally shocked. So then we sang and ate ice cream cake and played Settlers and Trivial Pursuit until midnight. Amy and I lost two games of TP, the 80's and 90's version and the LOTR version. O well.
Scott and Ned and Kent and Ryan showed up at our house later that night er, morning. :) So they were around when I woke up. Mom went to Church to make food so I was home making breakfast casseroles and most of the world decided to drop by and make cider. It was craziness. And I'm told it got worse after I left for church. We seriously had sooo many people in and out- 4 k-bergers, 5 lemans, 2 of their neighbors, 3 heinolds, 1 stoller, grandma and grandpa, fred and boys, paul our truck driver, and all of their vehicles. Poor Dad and Fred were trying to farm around them all... and I was trying to keep little children from tracking grass and mud into our clean house. I was maybe a little bit rude to some of them.... o well.
So then we all went to the invite....
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
adrenaline rush
Days like today make me wonder why an easily-freaked-out, timid, cautious girl like me ever wound up in such a dangerous field. Not that it's unsafe... just a lot of things that can go wrong and a lot of unknowns. Like today when my reaction was overheating- it was supposed to be at 40 deg C and it was at 100 and climbing... um... um... Dr. K.... what do I do?? We got it cooled down and it doesn't even look like the reaction was ruined. But yeah, my heart was pounding...
Only one more crazy busy weekend to go... woot woot. Last weekend was a lot of fun. The Brothers Appreciation went well- I think they liked the outdoor theme. But then, who doesn't like skeet shooting, hatchet throwing, all the apple pie you can eat, and extremely cheesy songs to the tune of Home on the Range? (O, Washington brothers.... we really appreciate you.... haha I'll stop now, it just gets worse.) The attire was pretty great too. It was very hard to pick best dressed outdoorsman. :)
We had a lot of pie left over. Which I love. Last night our well driller was out to fix our well again so hopefully we won't have as much sand in the water now. They were out there really late so Mom and I took them some pie and ice cream. (go us for being all hospitable *grin*)
I'm starting to freak out about the invite... what if we don't have enough food? or places for people to stay? (which actually might be a problem for guys- yikes) I just keep telling myself that it'll be ok. aaaahhhh. Anyway.
Blessings.
Only one more crazy busy weekend to go... woot woot. Last weekend was a lot of fun. The Brothers Appreciation went well- I think they liked the outdoor theme. But then, who doesn't like skeet shooting, hatchet throwing, all the apple pie you can eat, and extremely cheesy songs to the tune of Home on the Range? (O, Washington brothers.... we really appreciate you.... haha I'll stop now, it just gets worse.) The attire was pretty great too. It was very hard to pick best dressed outdoorsman. :)
We had a lot of pie left over. Which I love. Last night our well driller was out to fix our well again so hopefully we won't have as much sand in the water now. They were out there really late so Mom and I took them some pie and ice cream. (go us for being all hospitable *grin*)
I'm starting to freak out about the invite... what if we don't have enough food? or places for people to stay? (which actually might be a problem for guys- yikes) I just keep telling myself that it'll be ok. aaaahhhh. Anyway.
Blessings.
Friday, October 03, 2008
unbalanced
It's bad.
All this switching between my glasses and contacts with slightly different prescriptions is not doing anything for my balance and coordination. I was having problems standing up in the river last weekend. And I keep running into walls and things in the hallway. (which is a fairly normal occurrence but it's definitely increased) And last night when we were singing at ISU I almost tripped over my own feet into Sprout.
*sigh*
All this switching between my glasses and contacts with slightly different prescriptions is not doing anything for my balance and coordination. I was having problems standing up in the river last weekend. And I keep running into walls and things in the hallway. (which is a fairly normal occurrence but it's definitely increased) And last night when we were singing at ISU I almost tripped over my own feet into Sprout.
*sigh*
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Apple River, a wedding, and some cider
One busy weekend down, two to go. :)
Friday evening I got to hang out with K and Amber- it was great. There was much sugar involved.... we made smores, roasted glazed doughnuts, ate gummy worms, and drank mountain dew. The stars were absolutely gorgeous; it was such a clear night. We lay in the back of Jeremy's pickup and stargazed and we saw a bunch of shooting stars. (and I think maybe one iridium flare) I didn't spend the night though because we left for Apple River super early the next morning.
I forgot to take a camera... so I have no pictures of this years trip. It was probably one of the best that I've been on. Good weather, fun people, good attitudes... yeah. Definitely good times. The River was higher this year so the wading was great. I was kind of afraid after we saw a few crawdads... which we might have sang about. We ate supper at the "Shepherd of the Hills" Lutheran Church (cooked by the older ladies that go there) and sang in their tin ceilinged sanctuary.
Eight of us got up super early Sunday morning to try and make it back in time for the weddings... it was sad to miss church at the chapel.... some things must needs be I guess. We might have been a little confused how to get home. (Still amazed that there was no map in the vehicle- seriously) But we made it. :)
Tam and Jer's reception was pretty cool- except for the bugs. My least favorite reception job is refilling punch.. and so I refilled punch... but it was ok; I only spilled on one person. And I got to talk to the people in the kitchen who were mostly my friends' parents. ;) It was good to see all of the U of I people that came. I was pretty exhausted afterwards.
We've had apples rotting on the trees for a while so Monday night we made cider with Fred and Di and the boys. Homemade cider is the best. Pasteurized cider is for wimps. Haha- the fresh stuff really does taste better.
anyway. hooray for wednesdays.
blessings.
Friday evening I got to hang out with K and Amber- it was great. There was much sugar involved.... we made smores, roasted glazed doughnuts, ate gummy worms, and drank mountain dew. The stars were absolutely gorgeous; it was such a clear night. We lay in the back of Jeremy's pickup and stargazed and we saw a bunch of shooting stars. (and I think maybe one iridium flare) I didn't spend the night though because we left for Apple River super early the next morning.
I forgot to take a camera... so I have no pictures of this years trip. It was probably one of the best that I've been on. Good weather, fun people, good attitudes... yeah. Definitely good times. The River was higher this year so the wading was great. I was kind of afraid after we saw a few crawdads... which we might have sang about. We ate supper at the "Shepherd of the Hills" Lutheran Church (cooked by the older ladies that go there) and sang in their tin ceilinged sanctuary.
Eight of us got up super early Sunday morning to try and make it back in time for the weddings... it was sad to miss church at the chapel.... some things must needs be I guess. We might have been a little confused how to get home. (Still amazed that there was no map in the vehicle- seriously) But we made it. :)
Tam and Jer's reception was pretty cool- except for the bugs. My least favorite reception job is refilling punch.. and so I refilled punch... but it was ok; I only spilled on one person. And I got to talk to the people in the kitchen who were mostly my friends' parents. ;) It was good to see all of the U of I people that came. I was pretty exhausted afterwards.
We've had apples rotting on the trees for a while so Monday night we made cider with Fred and Di and the boys. Homemade cider is the best. Pasteurized cider is for wimps. Haha- the fresh stuff really does taste better.
anyway. hooray for wednesdays.
blessings.
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