Michael and I went on our first vacation (well, second if you count the honeymoon). We spent 5 days in New York, 3 days in Rome and 6 days in Florence, Italy. We saw the Colosseum in Rome, and ate gellato at Cafe Giolitti. We ate ourselves sick of meat, mozzarella, and pizza. We bought leather and cashmere. We loved it!!!
Florence is so beautiful with its bridges and old churches. The Duamo was amazing and we climbed to the top of the Dome. We estimated that it was about 50 stories. It has winding stair cases all the way to the top and such amazing views.
Our hotel was beautiful and so modern. It was a split level with the bedroom on one floor and the bathroom and balcony on the other. We looked over the Arno River. We slept in until 10:30 every morning and then strode the streets for shops, food and tourist stuff.
We loved Florence and had such a wonderful vacation.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
i heart ny
Michael and I have had so much fun in New York. It has been one of the best vacations I have ever had. We both have fallen in love with the city even though we are excited to go home.
We drove out to China Town and I got to pick up some purses which I love. We also went on a tour of the United Nations building. I loved that. It was intersting to learn about the United Nations and to see the General Assembly room. We also went to see The Lion King on Broadway. It was the best performance. It was very amazing!!
That's it for now. The vacation has been awesome.
We drove out to China Town and I got to pick up some purses which I love. We also went on a tour of the United Nations building. I loved that. It was intersting to learn about the United Nations and to see the General Assembly room. We also went to see The Lion King on Broadway. It was the best performance. It was very amazing!!
That's it for now. The vacation has been awesome.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Thoughts on Dating
I dated on and off until I married at 29 years old. I struggled with it way more than I enjoyed it. My friend Sarah is still in the dating world and I told her that I would blog my thoughts on dating now that I am married. So, Sarah, here is some advice from a girl who often wondered if she would ever get married and wound up with the love of her life.
Have a simple purpose. Honestly, why are you dating? I often dated because it seemed like it was something I was supposed to. Someone was interested in me, he was a nice guy and so we dated. I eventually got tired of dating and gave up dating for about four years. After the four years were over, I started becoming friends with several guys, which led me to becoming friends with Michael whom I ended up marrying. I started to just hang out with guys and developed some friendships, which had nothing to do with trying to discover if they were ‘the one.’ They were just my friends and that’s how I met Michael.
Ride the Wave. Try new things. Go on eHarmony. Read a book on dating (I suggest ‘How to Get a Date Worth Keeping’). Look people (especially hot guys) in the eyes when you talk to them. Don’t be afraid to let someone think that you like him (he might reject you but if he does, move one, there’s someone better). Walk up to guys in public places and start a conversation with them. Get someone’s phone number. Give your phone number out.
Think. Continually use your brain in dating. What looks right maybe wrong. What looks wrong maybe right for only a time period and later will be wrong (what you initially thought). It’s easy to sit back when you are single and make a list of what is right and wrong but when you’re out in the dating world, you need your brain. Think through things and listen to yourself. Here’s an example. I dated this guy in high school for about a year. I didn’t love him. I liked him as a person a lot, but my gut said this is not the right person for you. I stayed with him for a year because my parents loved him, my friends all wanted to date him, he was successful, good looking, from a fantastic family, went to my church, etc. From all accounts, even I thought he was the perfect guy. But I wasn’t into him. It took me almost the whole year to have the courage to do what I knew was right. Nobody agreed with why I broke up with him. It looked so right for us to be together but inside me it was so wrong.
Pray. I don’t know what to specifically suggest in prayer except just to do it. Pray for yourself, those you date and the one you’ll marry.
Read the Bible. The Bible is full of interesting stories about men and women and their relationships. Bathsheba slept with David who then killed her husband and she lost her baby and ended up being his queen. Ruth lost her husband so she laid at the end of the bed of another man, uncovered his feet and he woke up and married her. Mary and Joseph were engaged, then she got pregnant, told her fiancé she was still a virgin, he had a visit by an angel, she gave birth in a barn and then they got married. The Bible is raw, full of life and tells us about God which gives us hope. Rich Mullins said that one doesn’t read the Bible to know how to live, one reads the Bible to know God. I’ve always liked that saying.
Good luck Sarah! I loved having lunch with you. Hopefully I’ll see you again soon.
Have a simple purpose. Honestly, why are you dating? I often dated because it seemed like it was something I was supposed to. Someone was interested in me, he was a nice guy and so we dated. I eventually got tired of dating and gave up dating for about four years. After the four years were over, I started becoming friends with several guys, which led me to becoming friends with Michael whom I ended up marrying. I started to just hang out with guys and developed some friendships, which had nothing to do with trying to discover if they were ‘the one.’ They were just my friends and that’s how I met Michael.
Ride the Wave. Try new things. Go on eHarmony. Read a book on dating (I suggest ‘How to Get a Date Worth Keeping’). Look people (especially hot guys) in the eyes when you talk to them. Don’t be afraid to let someone think that you like him (he might reject you but if he does, move one, there’s someone better). Walk up to guys in public places and start a conversation with them. Get someone’s phone number. Give your phone number out.
Think. Continually use your brain in dating. What looks right maybe wrong. What looks wrong maybe right for only a time period and later will be wrong (what you initially thought). It’s easy to sit back when you are single and make a list of what is right and wrong but when you’re out in the dating world, you need your brain. Think through things and listen to yourself. Here’s an example. I dated this guy in high school for about a year. I didn’t love him. I liked him as a person a lot, but my gut said this is not the right person for you. I stayed with him for a year because my parents loved him, my friends all wanted to date him, he was successful, good looking, from a fantastic family, went to my church, etc. From all accounts, even I thought he was the perfect guy. But I wasn’t into him. It took me almost the whole year to have the courage to do what I knew was right. Nobody agreed with why I broke up with him. It looked so right for us to be together but inside me it was so wrong.
Pray. I don’t know what to specifically suggest in prayer except just to do it. Pray for yourself, those you date and the one you’ll marry.
Read the Bible. The Bible is full of interesting stories about men and women and their relationships. Bathsheba slept with David who then killed her husband and she lost her baby and ended up being his queen. Ruth lost her husband so she laid at the end of the bed of another man, uncovered his feet and he woke up and married her. Mary and Joseph were engaged, then she got pregnant, told her fiancé she was still a virgin, he had a visit by an angel, she gave birth in a barn and then they got married. The Bible is raw, full of life and tells us about God which gives us hope. Rich Mullins said that one doesn’t read the Bible to know how to live, one reads the Bible to know God. I’ve always liked that saying.
Good luck Sarah! I loved having lunch with you. Hopefully I’ll see you again soon.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Religious freedom vs. child welfare
A 15 month old Clackamas County girl died on March 2 from bacterial bronchial pneumonia and a blood infection. Her parents made every attempt through prayer to heal her but no attempts medically. Both the pneumonia and the infection are treatable with antibiotics. A grand jury has brought two charges against the parents for the death of their daughter: second degree manslaughter and second degree criminal mistreatment.
This is a complicated case for me. I understand a families desire to surrender to God, to rely on his power, and to have peace with whatever the answer is to any specific prayer. But this is at the cost of their daughter and that’s where it gets complicated for me. Michael and I discussed this situation over dinner last night and well, there wasn’t much to discuss because we’re giving our kids antibiotics, if they need them and especially if their lives depend on them. It’s a no brainer for us.
I do understand the value and need for prayer. A few years ago while I was in Tanzania, our van broke down on our way back from a tribal visit out in the middle of nowhere. It was almost night and not a good time for us to be outside with no protection. We needed a 14” wrench to fix the van. After three hours of prayer, a man showed up with a 14” wrench (the only tool he had), fixed our bus and we were on our way. I believe that prayer saved us that night.
Although I was not testing God in Tanzania, I have tested Him other times in my life with prayer. Hoping that by some miracle he would produce something that seemed virtually impossible by human standards. I have justified these tests by thinking that the miracle would prove to others his existence and ability; and, in my quiet thoughts, the miracle would show to others how much faith I had to believe when no one else did.
If I were a judge in this case and presented with this information, I would convict the parents guilty with pain and sorrow. It’s complicated but the evidence is right there. They had the ability to save their daughter and they choose not to. I hate to go down the road of religious persecution, but in this case, the child could have been saved from death. I see it similar to a family in a house fire, and the parents rushing outside to pray that they children make it outside. Would not any sane parent stick out their arm to pick up and save their child from the fire before they came out of the house? Even though my answer seems clear in this verdict, it’s still complicated for me.
This is a complicated case for me. I understand a families desire to surrender to God, to rely on his power, and to have peace with whatever the answer is to any specific prayer. But this is at the cost of their daughter and that’s where it gets complicated for me. Michael and I discussed this situation over dinner last night and well, there wasn’t much to discuss because we’re giving our kids antibiotics, if they need them and especially if their lives depend on them. It’s a no brainer for us.
I do understand the value and need for prayer. A few years ago while I was in Tanzania, our van broke down on our way back from a tribal visit out in the middle of nowhere. It was almost night and not a good time for us to be outside with no protection. We needed a 14” wrench to fix the van. After three hours of prayer, a man showed up with a 14” wrench (the only tool he had), fixed our bus and we were on our way. I believe that prayer saved us that night.
Although I was not testing God in Tanzania, I have tested Him other times in my life with prayer. Hoping that by some miracle he would produce something that seemed virtually impossible by human standards. I have justified these tests by thinking that the miracle would prove to others his existence and ability; and, in my quiet thoughts, the miracle would show to others how much faith I had to believe when no one else did.
If I were a judge in this case and presented with this information, I would convict the parents guilty with pain and sorrow. It’s complicated but the evidence is right there. They had the ability to save their daughter and they choose not to. I hate to go down the road of religious persecution, but in this case, the child could have been saved from death. I see it similar to a family in a house fire, and the parents rushing outside to pray that they children make it outside. Would not any sane parent stick out their arm to pick up and save their child from the fire before they came out of the house? Even though my answer seems clear in this verdict, it’s still complicated for me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)