Politics, Science, and Theology

I did not know that these three topics would become so important to me. Okay, they aren’t important yet, but I’m striving to have them mean something to me besides the thing my boyfriend is interested in. On Saturday I hung out with Justin all day and we decided to make a late night run to Wal-Mart for some kicks. I did have items in mind when I went there, but I’m more than positive I only remembered two of them. That’s how it goes in that store though. I’m usually helplessly looking at my surroundings and wondering how I ended up there. No joke. It’s such a weird store with weird people and weird smells. ANYWAY, drifting from my point… I would say Justin and I had a semi-fight at this glorious store. Mostly because we DON’T fight… and that I’m TOO agreeable. Who knew these were even things people could be irritated by? Just blows my mind.

Now don’t get the wrong idea, it wasn’t a battle or a screaming match, and no blood was drawn, but we definitely had some passions to share with each other. And again, I cannot stress enough how IMPORTANT it is to communicate properly. While I’ve been sitting here thinking I’m doing a wonderful job at being a girlfriend, my boyfriend comes to tell me that I don’t act like I care about the things he cares about. ::deadstop:: what?! Sure, I zone out when he talks about his job for the 100^th time, or the second politics are mentioned I roll my eyes and grab my phone to either text someone or play a game, but I CARE. Don’t I? Maybe not actually. Faking it is transparent and kinda sucks when your significant other could care less. It’s disrespectful and makes the other one wonder what to do with it. A point for me is that I do really think Theology is interesting, but it’s hard for me to grasp fully, meaning it’s hard for me to have a lengthy conversation on it. Either way, there are things I need to improve on. And he does too. We actually gave each other homework assignments on such topics. Haha… and so far so good. I have learned why the Speaker of the House is next in line if the President and Vice President die for some odd reason, and I have also brought up some very great questions regarding theology and the sermons I’ve been listening to. Which makes me feel really great. It brings some conflict in our seemingly perfect relationship, but it will bring us closer together and hopefully closer to the M word. Apparently this is me growing up in a relationship.

This is also paired with the Daily Sermons Project I picked up for Lent. Which, I might add, is going very well. I skipped Saturday so Justin and I watched one on Sunday AND went to church. He’s doing it with me, at least for now, so we can discuss them later. Love it. We need to be more God-centered and this will hopefully get us out of the gate and heading in the right direction. (How many clichés can I use in this post?? Lol)

Another conversation happened today (only an hour ago) about what it means to idolize your significant other. It’s still in debate on whether I’m a part of this category, or just riding the fence, but it’s something to question. I know I have been there before, I know that Justin has been my idol more than once, and I have tried to stop the trend that I was creating. But since I don’t know where this fence is or how easy it is to cross, I have no idea what side I’m on! This almost turned into a very frustrating conversation though. I’m SO passionate because my parents weren’t. As I’ve grown up, I never thought they put in the effort it takes to make a marriage work. I want to make sure my relationships will work, that I will not be the 50% of marriages that end in divorce (yes, I know I’m not married, but it’s still important to think about it ahead of time) and that my husband will always know how I feel about him. But the thought of that being TOO MUCH is crazy. And now that Justin and I have talked about it, it’s definitely something I’m going to look in to, and that could be again very helpful in the future. Don’t worry though, I did point out some very valid things in his life that I think he needs to improve on or how he has led to me to be like blank by the actions that he does. I’m not crazy all on my own… I have some helpers. Haha.

Sorry folks, heavy conversation. A lot of it is coming from my Mark Driscoll sermons. The series he is in right now is about “Real Marriages” and I can’t help but rant about it. I agree with a LOT of what he says, especially when he starts to back it up with scripture. For those who don’t like him, I’d say it’s still beneficial to listen to him and figure out WHY he is fighting certain ideas. Justin stated that my niche might be relationships and God, which I’m starting to agree with. I am very passionate on marriages and how to make them work, especially when there are so many bad ones present in my life. And I have heard the argument about how I’m not married so how could I possibly know anything? Well I’ve seen BAD marriages, that gives me a heads up on what not to do. Also, Driscoll said a sentence that I resonated with deeply “ Just because you’re single doesn’t mean you don’t have wisdom.” Sure, I don’t know how it will EXACTLY be when I get married, but this is why I’m curious and I want to prepare myself, and talk to married people and get a feel for what I could be getting in to. Knowledge is power, and if that power is what keeps my marriage healthy and happy, then I’ll do what it takes. Plus, going into with your mind on Jesus doesn’t hurt either. I’m not saying, I’m just saying…

Okay, promise I’m done. Maybe as I learn more about the topics (politics, science, theology) I’ll post the things I learn so you too can become smart in three more areas. Everyone likes random trivia right?

Love,

Adding Not Taking Away

So here were are again.

It’s Lent season. And instead of doing something that is typical for most lent-partakers, I’ve decided to do something this year. I think it’s really important to understand the point of lent, at least in my eyes. I remember being in highschool and watching Laura tell our friend Amanda that if she eats chocolate more than three times in the 40 days of lent, that she can shave Laura’s eyebrow off. It was hysterical. [Don’t worry kids, she failed THREE times and that was it.] Then a few years later I remember giving up pop before my friend Anna’s wedding. The day of her wedding we were getting our hair done and the salon we were at offered us coke, and I knew lent was over and I was allowed to have my first sip. It was still just as delightful as I had remembered. Last year I even tried to give up chocolate, but let me tell you, I failed. You can’t give up chocolate when you are in your friend’s wedding and they are having a dessert bar instead of dinner.

Through all these experiences however, I’ve never felt closer to God. It was never like, oh I gave up [blank] and now I can replace that empty space with Jesus. And isn’t that the point anyway? One of my friends told me yesterday that the reason Catholics give up meat for lent is because the fish industry was doing poorly and needed a reason for people to eat fish. And if that is the real reason, that’s ridiculous. Where is God in that?

I’ve also noticed that the things I choose to give up never are really FOR God. I like to use the excuse that “God would want my body to be healthy, so this is a good idea” even though what I’m really thinking is “I’m going to give up [blank] because if I don’t have it for 40 days I might lose weight!” Not really the feeling I was going for.

So now here I am, Lent season starting today, and I had to decide what I was going to do. Most people would say don’t bother with it because it means nothing, but I enjoy being a part of it. And yes, I also make New Year’s Resolution… so what? ANYWAY… I thought about it and decided last Sunday at church that I am going to watch a sermon a day. Yes, I’m not giving up something, unless you say I’m giving up my “time” that I could be doing other things. But if I want to get closer to God, why not actually be proactive about it? It’s still teaching discipline in your faith. And hey, I will learn a lot about the God I choose to follow. What do I hope to get out of this? Knowledge, wisdom, grace, obedience, desire, hope, and longing for Him. Matthew 7:8 says “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knows it shall be opened.” And of course James 4:8 says “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” These are the things I want. If I’m drawing near to him through scripture and sermons, I will desire Him more. Now that’s what I call a win.

Whether I’m doing lent wrong or not, this is the way I want to do it. And hopefully I succeed. Day 1 out of 40: complete!

On a very sad note, someone from my college died in a car accident on Monday. The roads were slick with the fresh snow that was falling, and she lost control and slid into oncoming traffic. That’s when a semi hit her. From what I’ve read, she died in the accident. Her name was Steffanie Dahlseng and while I wasn’t close to her in any way, I still knew her through my journalism classes. It breaks my heart especially because she was married for less than a year and with child (6 months into pregnancy). Ouch. While I have no doubt that she isn’t in Heaven, it still hurts. I can’t stop thinking about how her friends and family feel because I know what it feels like. Maybe I haven’t lost a spouse, but we all know that we lost Travis almost 9 years ago. My memories don’t fade on how that felt. I pray for everyone who knew her well that they feel peace with You and draw near to You in such rough times. Give understanding, hope, and life to the people affected by this tragic scene.

Love, A

[Insert Name Here]

No, that's not an error... that's me signaling to you readers that in a VERY short time, I will have my name in a real live magazine!! I'm super pumped if you couldn't tell. Like, more pumped then when I got a kitten in 3rd grade. Or more pumped that watching Titanic in theaters again this upcoming April (it's a close call anyway....) And as of THIS month, my name will at least be under the list of names for who work at the magazine.... whatever that is called! I didn't publish any articles but I worked on stuff, so that's pretty exciting. We've actually been working on the February article today-it's "en route" which basically means that everyone in the office looks over it and checks for errors! Took me TWO HOURS! But considering there is 60-some pages, I'd say I did it quickly. Haha

Yesterday a friend asked me if I lost weight (Natey-poo) and I was actually shocked he said anything! I mean yes, I have been working out, not eating so crappy, and drinking a lot more water since August, and I know i've lost weight, but now my friends are starting to notice, which makes it even more fulfilling! People need every encouragement they can get when it comes to being healthy. We simply can't do it on our own. And while I have been feeling great about myself for a while now, it's nice to know that it's noticeable. So hip yip hooray! Or something to that affect.

Anyone watch those superbowl ads? Um.. I DID. Can't say they were "amazing" but I can say that the overweight dog and the M&M's were HYSTERICAL! I've linked them for your viewing pleasure. I'm making it THAT much easier for you! Just have to click and watch!

On a side note, I've been working on some breaking news stuff for our website and found out that 55 percent of dogs are overweight/obese! So that commercial is legit! Dogs may not have "self esteem issues" but PEOPLE! C'mon! Don't make your dogs so chubby!!!

I'm out!

Love,

Who the heck is Punxsutawney Phil??

It’s Groundhog Day. And today I feel like I saw MY shadow! I’ve learned that these silly little groundhogs are actually afraid of their shadows, and they then run back into their home or the cage they are kept in until next year. Or at least that’s the joke. But for me, I’m at a big girl job doing time wasting things, and all of a sudden, on such a big day, I’ve been given real live tasks! The other day I was assigned to read this book, come up with some questions for the author, e-mail them, and then turn the answers into a Q & A type thing. And I was super excited about that, but he called it a “long term” project because it won’t be going out into a magazine until May or June. So then I was back to doing my “I don’t know what to do” tasks until he called me and the other assistant editor into his office to talk about future magazines! He wanted me to add a few things to my existing article (The one I wrote starting my 2^nd day and turned in last week… and had Justin edit about 3 times) and then assigned me two OTHER articles for our two magazines for next month! I feel like I got a raise or a promotion or something! This is what I feel school trained me for yah know? They assign you work, and you keep it in the back of your mind and eventually things start to be due. And it’s a high paced environment full of slacking off/panicking/doing your work. It’s what I FEED off of. And I wasn’t sure that was how it was going to be because I rarely had things to do for these first few weeks, and the things I was assigned were accomplished within 20 minutes. But if this is what it is… I went into the right career.

I worked out yesterday and felt AMAZING. I mean it was up there with seeing my boyfriend, or playing with Evelyn. It seriously just boosts my mood and can make me do a complete 180. I love knowing that I’m improving (When I started in August I was running at like 5.9/6.0 an hour, and now I’m at 6.2/6.3 an hour) and that I can run a 5K without feeling like I’m dying, and I love to see the muscles appear and just feel good overall. And the weight training has really toned my arms and my calves. Now it’s all about the stomach, quads, and hammies! I’m still really pumped to see where I will be in August because than it’ll be a full year! I’m hoping to lose another 15 by then. We’ll see though. I’ll keep you posted! I think I took a slight hit when I started working this new job because I sit ALL day now instead of running around. So I have to lower my calorie intake and just make sure to really be getting stuff out of my workouts.

That’s it for now. I have a lot of grown up adult work to do, and no time to be writing, but I thought I’d fill in my followers about the work and all the progress! And remember, whether a mole/squirrel/gopher type thing sees it’s shadow or not, remember that this was the best winter ever (unless you LOVE negative weather, gloom, and blizzardy snow storms) and nobody cares if it lasts another six weeks. Just saying…

Always,