Memorable Quotes heard at CBI

"I once caught a fish as large as a car...door...handle." - Al Franklin

"Fan the flame, shun the shame, hold the same" - Al Franklin (emphasizing a theme from the Pastoral Epistles.)

"Write your plans in pencil" - Mrs. Kunnari

"There is no purpose in living, if there is no point in dying" - Said by someone I can't remember. =)

"I thought about doing a message on Naaman. It deals with seven ducks in a muddy river, but then I realized it wasn't all it was quacked up to be." - Mr. Townsend

(Nursery Door Sign) "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." - Mr. Townsend

Students: "What are you looking for?" Mr. Townsend (gazing out the window): " I'm looking for the Lord to return, because the Bible says He will come in an hour ye think not...and you're not thinking!" - Mr. Townsend (after asking questions and getting blank looks from his students.)

"They who carried the last class out, will carry thee out also. Good luck on the test" - written on the white board by Celeste Franklin before a test in "Acts" class

"A guy came to America and noticed all these people out jogging and exercising. He went back to his doctor in England and told him about it. The doctor said in response, 'That just makes you look better in the casket!" - Al Franklin (while talking about 1 Timothy 4:8 during Bible Conference)

"Women don't say what they mean, but they mean what they say!" - Mr. Townsend

Satisfied in Him

"God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing."

- C. S. Lewis

Fantastic Frozen Fun

(Yeah…trying saying that ten times fast! ;)

My brother David told me that it was 70 degrees on Sunday in SC and I laughed over the fact that it's almost a 95 degree difference from what we're having here in SD.

So, you ask what it feels like to experience -24 degree weather?

The answer is simple.

Cold.

You know it's cold when a college student not only has to scrape the outside of his windshield, before driving, but also the inside! Brr! Actually, it's kind of a neat thing to experience your nose freezing within seconds of walking outside, to feel Bethany's hard, frozen hair (that was turned so because it was wet before she braved the cold) and to see everything being held in some kind of thick frosty coating.

The only downside to such extreme cold is the difficulty that can occur in breathing, (maybe the lungs get frozen into one position? =) but even that is an experience in and of itself.

I'm used to snow. There was lots of it in PA last winter, but this is different. You know the frosty, snowy stuff that builds up inside of your freezer sometimes? Have you ever tried eating that before? I have. It's real dry (and not that great tasting ;) and leaves your throat feeling kind of scratchy. That's how the snow here tasted today when I ate some of it.

I don't think I will want to live here for the rest of my life or anything, but it's been kind of fun to go through some new things and to see the beauty of God's creation even when everything is frozen.

Ok, so maybe I have always tended towards being awed by things in creation (I still get made fun of for my amazement at the Nebraskan hills and for the fact that I haven't stopped enjoying them pretty much every weekend) but honestly, God's creativity is incredible! His order and dependability is seen through the seasons and no one but Him holds these things together.

Acts 7:49-50

"Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things?"

Isn't God amazing?

All of these pics were taken in Nebraska over the weekend before a new snowfall, and what you're seeing on the barbed wires and car antennae, etc. isn't even snow….it's frost.

It was breathtaking.

A Glimpse in Time

Over Christmas break I was able to spend some time with some of my favorite people doing some of my favorite things. I told you a little about that in an earlier post, and below are some snapshots of those memories.

FAVORITE PEOPLE-

Family

(No one like them, wouldn't trade them, and wish I could see them more.) ---pic is from caroling at the Curtis'; a sweet, older couple who've invested in our lives.

Cara

(precious niece)

Mike

(Best Boyfriend a girl could ask for ;)

Jen and Katie

(Two very dear friends)

Mr. and Mrs. Acker; known as "Uncle Ray" and "Aunt Jean"

(Another couple who has been a big blessing to me. I was glad it worked for Mike and I to visit with them for a little while.)

FAVORITE THINGS-

(Trying very hard not to break out into song here ;)

Christmas Tree

(Our tree was very beautiful this year which surprised me, since I was not even there to join in on the usual differing opinions when picking out a tree. =)

Ice Skating

(On a Pond)

Foosball

Meals with Family

(Sitting around and chatting)

"The Sound of Music" at the Fulton Opera House

(Mike took me to see it for my birthday)

Stauffer Family Reunion

(Playing "Scum" and remaining in the vice or presidency basically the entire time. Not always a normal experience for me. =)

Hershey

(Candy Lane one day and Ice Skating at Hershey Stadium with friends another day)

Walks down my lane

(With brothers, looking ridiculous, and having the time of our lives.)

Learning...

...that "We can trust God, even when we can't trace Him."

Christmas Break Memories with the Family

- The contagious laugh of a 1 yr. old niece.

- Talking for hours with my sisters --- and having my brothers try to sneak into our room or listen outside our door. (The one time when we went to leave the room, we opened the door and found three boys with their ears up against it. They grinned sheepishly and said "Hey!...We were just...walking by...." lol...

- The sound of Winnie-the Pooh videos in this house again.

- Finding Cara having the time of her life splashing the water in the toilet.

- Turning the lights off in our kitchen in order to let Cara see the star light on the little chia tree and to suddenly hear the family break out with "O Beautiful star of Bethlehem" way off tune and ending it in laughter at the memory of the time we heard it elsewhere. Only my family gets the humor behind the story and it's never quite the same when we try to tell it to others.

- Joking about how next year we'll have Christmas at Davids house (or at Jon and Renee's, which is quite tiny) and hearing Luke pipe up that we could have Christmas in Connecticut with him next year. When questioned about where we'd all stay, he said "The boat. There's plenty of bunk space."

- Sitting around with the family, opening presents and taking the time to look at pretty much each and every individuals gifts as they are unwrapped. Gift opening at our house takes a LONG time!

- Playing a game and hearing comments from a Peanut Gallery of four non-players.

- Enjoying meals together and simply being together/sitting around the table afterwards.

- The Christmas morning brunch that we girls have made into a tradition.

- Singing and playing around the piano with siblings.

- Caroling to the Curtises and being happy that we had enough of us together again to be a "choir".

- ETC. ETC. ETC. ETC. ETC. ETC. =)

You know, when I look over this list I realize that the things that stand out to me are not necessarily big and amazing in a way that we'd normally think of. They are just small, little memories... but to me they ARE big and amazing. These memories are a part of my life and it's those little moments of time that become special to me when I realize that they are irreplaceable. I wouldn't trade them for anything.

A Night in the Airport

I'm sitting in the next airport, waiting for 5:30 a.m. to slowly roll around. Since the last post I've..

1. Had the opportunity to witness to the guy sitting next to me on the plane. (We talked for almost the entire flight) Perhaps this was the reason my original flight was cancelled. Pray for Tanner.

2. Eaten half a sandwich, a few chips and contemplated eating my orange --- the last of the food that the other college girls left with me.

3. Texted Anna from school, heard they were so lost, that they were on some dirt road somewhere in Nebraska and that James was trying to google house numbers. They are trying to get to Kansas and I couldn't help but laugh.

4. Called my roommate Bethany and told her I'm going insane.

5. Listened to the Christmas Cantata our church is doing on Sunday-- that I haven't practiced for but am supposed to be participating in.

6. Tried to sleep with my suitcase under my legs and my duffel bag under my head--- didn't exactly work and thus I resorted to this post.

7. Been very aware every time any person comes close to within 5 feet of me. I never knew I could get so paranoid about someone trying to steal my stuff. ;)

8. Asked the Lord to give me rest.

9. Cried --- and then laughed at myself for crying.

10. Tried to talk myself out of the pity party I'm having for myself.

11. Re-read some of the last post and was reminded again that God is in control.---I might have to read that a bunch of times tonight =) but it's a good truth to be reminded of. Anyways, sooner or later I'll get home and then this whole mess will just become one of those memories where you say "Remember the time..."