Now introducing... My least favorite hat

This is the hat I wear when:

1. Exams are in full-swing.
2. I have multiple papers due.
3. I count the amount of sleep I got in minutes, not hours. (see #2).
4. I didn't have the energy or time to fix my hair this morning. (see #2 & #3)
5. Husband is at work.
6. Baby is at the grandparents.
7. House is falling apart.
8. Did I mention that I didn't get any sleep?
9. Makeup seems frivolous. (see #3 & #9)
10. I only step outside my study-hole (aka living room) to take a pic for this here bloggy.



Allow me to introduce - Exhausted Over-Worked Procrastinator Hat (did I mention that it's my least favorite one?):





But there are two things that keep me going on days that I have to wear my least favorite hat....




My two favorite people:




For them, it's all worth it, even if I have to wear the EOWP hat every now and then.

Prayer Chain Postcard

I sometimes check out PostSecret for some interesting reading. The idea is that people send in anonymous postcards plastered with their secrets, which are then posted for all of us here on the web of the wide world. "Officially," I don't recommend this page because sometimes its content is can be rather "adult."


However....


I thought some of you Southern Church Girls might appreciate this....





... I know I laughed... and nodded.

Nook of the day

Ah, finals week. The joys of deadlines, the highs and lows of projects, papers, exams, and final assignments.

Let us all take a deep breath, inhaling all of the fresh air (i.e. stank moldy book air of the library) and exhale all of the tension that is already building in our neck and shoulders.

So, as this ever-anticipated week commences, today I am surprised by a beautiful gift from the Lord (and from the UGA library's architects):





That's right, folks, in this giant clumsy building, gluttonously stuffed with knowledge, flooded with torturous florescent lights, and void of any natural light, I have found... a nook.

Who knew that libraries even had nooks?

While walking down the endless aisles of musty hard-backs, I found myself unwilling to sit in the creaky wooden chairs at the scratched up shiny tables amidst the never-ending rows.

And so I wandered.

Until I found myself walking along the back wall of the 6th floor. Philosophy section, I think.

It is along this lonely wall, in a forlorn pocket of this desert library, that I found the perfect oasis in which to study.

So while every other exam-laden student in this massive building looks at this:






Or this:





I get to write my papers while viewing this:



And this:

(Uh huh, that's Stegman Coliseum in the middle.)


In discovering this little blessing of (natural) light, I have decided to share my new-found treasure - via grainy camera phone pictures - with you beautiful folks.

Because isn't that just like life?

So many people on campus, and in the world, are in search of some light, some meaning, some purpose. Most of them are content to set themselves in the artificial light of philosophy, literature, or New Age Mysticism. Most of them have become accustom to the smell of worldly knowledge and the stank of moldy theories.

But lets bring it a step closer: How many of us, as Christians, are willing to accept the artificial light of our own knowledge instead of searching for the "lamp" God's Word? How many of us turn inward and search within ourselves (or our friends) for the answers to our questions and problems?

My prayer today is that I will never stop searching for the Light of Christ, that I will never be content to sit in the creaky wooden chairs of the world and accept that the four walls of man's understanding are all that I will ever receive. I pray that I will always continue to search until I find that "nook" - that small window into Heaven where there are no questions - only light.

But for today, my searching is confined to academic articles analyzing democratic development in the Republic of South Korea. Yippee. (Can you taste the sarcasm? It's as thick as pea soup.)

So, armed with my trusty cup of Joe and my favorite pair of reading glasses, I'm off to conquer the world of academia. (That is, if I don't get mauled by the no-less-than-four people who have bee-lined to my "nook" and then turned in dismay as they discovered that I am already here.)

I'm blessed, folks. Blessed to find this nook.

If there is anything I have realized about bloggy world it's that everybody and their mother has a list of "Random Facts About Me." Some lists are as long as 100 random facts. Some are longer. Others are shorter. Perhaps someday I will strive to achieve that magic 100 number, but for now, as a sort-of commencement ceremony for the beginning of my new blog, and to commemorate the 40-week anniversary of my job as NCWC Kid's Pastor, may I present:

"40 Random Facts About Me":

40. I am really bad at proof reading. Therefore, I write a lot of sentences ending in prepositions and such.

39. I strive to be like Martha Stewart in my "home care."

38. I am actually more like Roseanne.

37. I really love to cook, and I'm actually becoming pretty darn good, ifIdosaysomyself.

36. But I rarely cook my "good" meals because they all require lots of time, lots of ingredients, and lots of dishes.

35. I hate washing dishes.

34. I am secretly an outdoors girl.

33. But I LOVE being at home.

32. My favorite beverage is Jittery Joe's Medium Dark Roast, Shot of Cinnamon, Room for Cream.

31. But any coffee will do.

30. I want four children.

29. I love to sing in the car as loudly and dramatically as I can.

28. I get really nervous about singing in front of people; though I do it fairly often.

27. I use my daughter's bathtub crayons when I take bubble baths.

26. Most of my "Great Moments" with the Lord are in the bathroom.

25. Yes, I realize how absurd that sounds.

24. I am an International Relations major at UGA.

23. I don't think I will ever use this degree.

22. Growing up, my goal was to become President of the United States.

21. Now, my goal is to raise one in my home (Lord willing).

20. My favorite story of all time is "Peter Pan."

19. First, because I want to be Wendy, mothering the "lost boys."

18. Second, because I love the idea of being eternally child-like.

17. Third, because I have secretly always wanted to be one of the Mermaids in the lagoon.

16. I think wearing glasses is cool.

15. So much so, that I tried to fake an eye exam when I was in middle school so that the doctor would prescribe a pair.

14. It didn't work.

13. I love to sit in a public place and "people watch."

12. I am a blogger addict. I have about 10 blogs that I read on a daily basis. (This habit takes people-watching to a whole new level!)

11. Growing up, I SWORE I would NEVER be a children's pastor, like my mom.

10. Today, I am eating my words, striving to be more like her in my job, and appreciating the Lord's since of humor.

9. Sometimes when I am doing mundane work (i.e. dishes) I hear a sports announcer in my head giving the play-by-play.

8. According to that Sports Announcer, I am possibly better at scrubbing a pot than the all-time record holder -- Martha Stewart.

7. I haven't had a "real" haircut (by a professional) in two years.

6. Because I cut my own hair... sometimes to my own detriment.

5. I have used bed sheets to sew a "June Cleaver" dress, which I wear with pearls when I really want to get a lot of house cleaning done.

4. In real life, the dress looks so terrible on me that I've only worn it in public once.

3. And my husband laughed.

2. I wear many hats, literally and metaphorically.

1. But my favorite place is in His presence, where there are no hats, just me and Him.