So I'm not an artist, but I would classify myself as a wanna-be doodler. And today I took my doodling to a new level--adding colors to the Word of God. Now you have to understand, when I am sitting at the table (waiting for the super slow internet to load one e-mail) and there is a pack of colored pencils right beside me, naturally I want to color. But all there is in paper form within reaching distance is my most beloved Bible. (And of course it is just too hot to exert the energy to get up and find some paper). So I found some of my favorite books and passages and colorified the pages! The rest of the world has color, so why shouldn't there be rainbows inside my most precious book?
I feel like my life is full of color right now. (Yes, I did just start thinking about "Double rainbow!" but that wasn't my original inspiration for this comparison). Colors are so varietous, so amazing, so...spazzy! They are what make life exciting! And life is exciting. Sure it isn't perfect (given duh) but I am just so utterly blessed.
After reading back over my last post, I thought that I should share some wonderful news with my millions of avid readers and fans. My news is: my Father is very rich. He holds the wealth of the world in His hands. And this year He has given me so much of that wealth. Literally, I have received financial blessing after financial blessing in less than six months! First was the settle money from the insurance company from my car accident a previous year. That check happened to pay for my entire trip here to Gabon. And then, just a week ago, I got an e-mail.
The e-mail was from my grandma, short and sweet (my grandma and the e-mail!) telling me that she told one of her old, dear friends about me and my desire to work in ministry. Grandma printed off some of my Africa blog posts for this woman to read so she could see a little bit about what I am doing here. And this woman...well, she is giving me a very large financial gift to help pay for college. She doesn't want me to have to worry about paying off student loans when I am done with school so I can go to the field if the door is opened. Needless to say, I sobbed when I got this news. Because of this amazing woman's generosity, the financial burden of paying for school has been eased greatly.
And then yesterday my counselor sent me a Facebook message with even more amazing news--the school (which is Nyack College, btw) is going to give me more than half of a yearly cost in grants and scholarships. This added with the gift from that amazing woman covers my entire first year of college (which is a private Christian college, so not cheap in the least).
Wow, and I was able to write all of that with no exclamation marks! !!!!! Why is God blessing me so much? Why does He love me so much? PORQUOI God???
I don't know. Je ne sais pas. But I do know...He is amazing.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
dans les mains de Dieu
So I am starting to freak out a little bit about this year and everything that it will bring. I'm already living one of the major things--being in Africa for 3 months (it's been great, learning so much, check out the Africa blog!) But I've started to really think about what it's going to be like to leave home and go to college, most likely all the way across the country. I realize how much I miss my family right now, and the thought of leaving home probably for good is heartbreaking. I won't lie, a couple of times I have thought, "I can skip college, right? And a career? I'll just live at home the rest of my life!" But life isn't that easy, and I know that there are lots of fun things waiting for me in my future. Lots of hard experiences, too. I've learned that even in the most ideal of places (like Africa) there is hardship, unrest, worry, frustration...you can't escape life no matter where you go.
Anyways, all that to say...I am confused about college stuff, scared to leave home, worried in general about the future. But I think that God is stripping away my comfort layers and helping me to establish faith in Him. It's hard, so hard, to have peace in my heart and trust Him with the future. But He's proven again and again that His plans are better than ours.
Anyways, all that to say...I am confused about college stuff, scared to leave home, worried in general about the future. But I think that God is stripping away my comfort layers and helping me to establish faith in Him. It's hard, so hard, to have peace in my heart and trust Him with the future. But He's proven again and again that His plans are better than ours.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Chocolate chip cookies
So last night Dan made chocolate-chip cookies and they are temptingly sitting in the other room. I could go get one right now if I wanted to...I might...
And tonight I have been commissioned to make Greek for dinner. This...should be interesting. I am planning to keep it simple and make plenty of Ranch dressing. Because everything is good with Ranch dressing.
I never would have imagined that I would come to Africa and find lots of modern conveniences here that I don't have in America. Like, for example, a large flat-screened television (although we haven't watched anything yet), an ipod dock to make charging and listening to music very easy, and...yeah, at the moment that is all I can think of. But still, those are pretty crazy! I think something I would struggle with if I was going to be here long-term is that there is really nothing different about our lives here compared to America in terms of comforts in the home. We eat American foods, have music playing, games stacked in a cupboard, and loads of peanut butter! Aren't you supposed to go to a third-world country as a missionary and be stretched in terms of how you live?? I will tell you, we are being stretched, though. Yes, we may have a running car and a driver but we also have waited many times for our ride to pick us up or take us where we need to go. Every night the water shuts off so after 6 we can't do dishes, shower...plus, living in the middle of a different culture, you must draw support from the few people around you who understand your lifestyle and needs.
But most of all, here where things are not constant and unpredictable, there is One unchanging element to our lives--God's goodness. He is our Solid Rock and from Him we can find comfort, peace, companionship, protection, and love.
And tonight I have been commissioned to make Greek for dinner. This...should be interesting. I am planning to keep it simple and make plenty of Ranch dressing. Because everything is good with Ranch dressing.
I never would have imagined that I would come to Africa and find lots of modern conveniences here that I don't have in America. Like, for example, a large flat-screened television (although we haven't watched anything yet), an ipod dock to make charging and listening to music very easy, and...yeah, at the moment that is all I can think of. But still, those are pretty crazy! I think something I would struggle with if I was going to be here long-term is that there is really nothing different about our lives here compared to America in terms of comforts in the home. We eat American foods, have music playing, games stacked in a cupboard, and loads of peanut butter! Aren't you supposed to go to a third-world country as a missionary and be stretched in terms of how you live?? I will tell you, we are being stretched, though. Yes, we may have a running car and a driver but we also have waited many times for our ride to pick us up or take us where we need to go. Every night the water shuts off so after 6 we can't do dishes, shower...plus, living in the middle of a different culture, you must draw support from the few people around you who understand your lifestyle and needs.
But most of all, here where things are not constant and unpredictable, there is One unchanging element to our lives--God's goodness. He is our Solid Rock and from Him we can find comfort, peace, companionship, protection, and love.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The Colorado Springs Hillbillies
I always feel so out of place at those fancy restaurants you can go to--you know, the ones where they have little towels in the bathrooms to wipe your hands. Sometimes I wish, as I get all dressed up, that I was more at ease in elegant worlds. But here is a tale to prove that the Blase family (my portion of it, at least) does not belong in a 5-star restaurant.
For my going-away family dinner, my parents took us to a high-end dining room restaurant at The Cliff House, a historic hotel in Manitou Springs.
The little restaurant was probably the size of the inside of a gas station corner store. The four-person tables were covered in pure white linens and dishes, dishes, dishes! Appetizer plates, bread plates, wine glasses, water tumblers, salad forks, entree forks, coffee spoons, dessert spoons, bread knives and cutting knives...probably enough dishes and silverware to stage a production of "Be Our Guest"! Of course my sister managed to promptly knock one of her knives onto the floor within seconds of sitting down.
I knew that the evening had started rolling in Blase-style when my sister (yes, two fellonies in a row!) pulled her retainers out of her mouth and set them in a pool of drool on her appetizer plate. Of course, leave it up to her to pull a stunt like that. What's so great about just two daughters is that you never know which one will pull a ditz-stint first. I would have been more likely to trip while maneuvering around the table to my chair or knock my water over, while Margie would (obviously) blatantly signals to all watching that we don't often visit high-end restaurants. (Oh, and she also managed to spit some ice on the carpet as well.)
After all this had passed, I remarked, "This is why we don't go to fancy restaurants very often." Little did I know that the fireworks hadn't even started yet.
Now, I'm going to tell the following event like how it happened from my perspective. Then I will follow it up with the explanation.
We had just finished our entrees (I had elk ravioli--yum!) and the waiter asked Dad if he wanted more wine. My dad says in a slightly posh, prissy way, "I am so done." This evoked a hearty laugh from our waiter and after he left my sister and I began mimicking Dad with even more prissiness: "I am SOOO done!" Dad, realizing that what he had said was a bit comical, decided to try to back himsef up. So he says, "I'll make up for it" (the prissiness, he was implying) and, as if it was just waiting to jump out of his mouth, emits a short yet very pronounced belch. At any other restaurant we wouldn't have reacted the way we did, but you must understand that in the middle of this tiny, fancy restaurant--with about six other people present to hear it--I couldn't have imagined anything more apalling. Our entire family spend a good minute shaking from silent laughter as we covered our eyes with our hands, not daring to meet the eyes of anyone around us.
Our waiter, poor fella, had to come refill water for a family laughing hysterically over something (thank the Lord he wasn't there when it happened!). We tried so hard to contain ourselves, but it was next to impossible. Turns out, the sound dad let out wasn't really a burp. He had been trying to make a manly little roar thing but ended up choking and it was just a high-pitched...yeah. So poor Dad's face is beet red (matches well with his red beard and hair) while he chokes and laughs himself to recovery.
It can safely be said that if Margie isn't spitting ice or throwing utensils and Dad isn't belching, I am most likely feeling very out of place in a fancy, fancy restaurant. I love the occasional visits to such establishments, but our family just isn't high-end. And I'm so glad.
For my going-away family dinner, my parents took us to a high-end dining room restaurant at The Cliff House, a historic hotel in Manitou Springs.
The little restaurant was probably the size of the inside of a gas station corner store. The four-person tables were covered in pure white linens and dishes, dishes, dishes! Appetizer plates, bread plates, wine glasses, water tumblers, salad forks, entree forks, coffee spoons, dessert spoons, bread knives and cutting knives...probably enough dishes and silverware to stage a production of "Be Our Guest"! Of course my sister managed to promptly knock one of her knives onto the floor within seconds of sitting down.
I knew that the evening had started rolling in Blase-style when my sister (yes, two fellonies in a row!) pulled her retainers out of her mouth and set them in a pool of drool on her appetizer plate. Of course, leave it up to her to pull a stunt like that. What's so great about just two daughters is that you never know which one will pull a ditz-stint first. I would have been more likely to trip while maneuvering around the table to my chair or knock my water over, while Margie would (obviously) blatantly signals to all watching that we don't often visit high-end restaurants. (Oh, and she also managed to spit some ice on the carpet as well.)
After all this had passed, I remarked, "This is why we don't go to fancy restaurants very often." Little did I know that the fireworks hadn't even started yet.
Now, I'm going to tell the following event like how it happened from my perspective. Then I will follow it up with the explanation.
We had just finished our entrees (I had elk ravioli--yum!) and the waiter asked Dad if he wanted more wine. My dad says in a slightly posh, prissy way, "I am so done." This evoked a hearty laugh from our waiter and after he left my sister and I began mimicking Dad with even more prissiness: "I am SOOO done!" Dad, realizing that what he had said was a bit comical, decided to try to back himsef up. So he says, "I'll make up for it" (the prissiness, he was implying) and, as if it was just waiting to jump out of his mouth, emits a short yet very pronounced belch. At any other restaurant we wouldn't have reacted the way we did, but you must understand that in the middle of this tiny, fancy restaurant--with about six other people present to hear it--I couldn't have imagined anything more apalling. Our entire family spend a good minute shaking from silent laughter as we covered our eyes with our hands, not daring to meet the eyes of anyone around us.
Our waiter, poor fella, had to come refill water for a family laughing hysterically over something (thank the Lord he wasn't there when it happened!). We tried so hard to contain ourselves, but it was next to impossible. Turns out, the sound dad let out wasn't really a burp. He had been trying to make a manly little roar thing but ended up choking and it was just a high-pitched...yeah. So poor Dad's face is beet red (matches well with his red beard and hair) while he chokes and laughs himself to recovery.
It can safely be said that if Margie isn't spitting ice or throwing utensils and Dad isn't belching, I am most likely feeling very out of place in a fancy, fancy restaurant. I love the occasional visits to such establishments, but our family just isn't high-end. And I'm so glad.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Ink cartridge and salt grinder
Two items ^ I have to take with me for the workers in Gabon. Maybe I'll pack along a few other little surprises? If I have enough room and my bag doesn't weigh too much! I weighed it today with some of the stuff in it and it weight 40 pounds--uh oh! Ten away from my limit!
A few days ago it was verging on 70 degrees. Today it is in the 20 range and snowing. Tomorrow it is supposed to be even colder...only in Colorado! I hope it stays cold before I go! I want my fix of winter.
I love not having school but it sure does make me even more lazy. I need to start working! Studying French! Finding scholarships! Packing! So much to do...I don't want to ;)
A few days ago it was verging on 70 degrees. Today it is in the 20 range and snowing. Tomorrow it is supposed to be even colder...only in Colorado! I hope it stays cold before I go! I want my fix of winter.
I love not having school but it sure does make me even more lazy. I need to start working! Studying French! Finding scholarships! Packing! So much to do...I don't want to ;)
Friday, January 21, 2011
Tim Tebow
The title is purely experimental. I want to see if I get any search engine hits with tags about Tim Tebow (Denver football quaterback). It seems like everyone in Colorado has been caught up in Tebow fever...tonight my family (minus my sis) and I went with some friends to hear his mom speak at a pro-life conference. She was urged when she was pregnant with Tim to abort him because her life was in great danger as long as she was carrying him. I guess no one expected her or even him to live through the delivery but they both did and now Timmy is playing football and evangelizing America! Yahoooo for life!
May I just say how much I respect and admire and am in total awe of young women who find out they are pregnant, decide to go through with delivery (which personally scares me more than anything!), and give their child a better life than they can offer through adoption. I just...wow. I am in awe.
Helpful hint: getting up early beats laziness in the butt! It encourages productive behavior and puts a sunny smile on one's face! at least for me it does!
Hey Olivia, can you believe you are going to Africa in 3 weeks?? Well Olivia, no I can't! It's crazy insane! Righteous man!
May I just say how much I respect and admire and am in total awe of young women who find out they are pregnant, decide to go through with delivery (which personally scares me more than anything!), and give their child a better life than they can offer through adoption. I just...wow. I am in awe.
Helpful hint: getting up early beats laziness in the butt! It encourages productive behavior and puts a sunny smile on one's face! at least for me it does!
Hey Olivia, can you believe you are going to Africa in 3 weeks?? Well Olivia, no I can't! It's crazy insane! Righteous man!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
My life in photos
Summit Ministries 2010
Fun, successful prank with an awesome friend...
Celtic Thunder and other fun times with Katie
A perfect apple, I swear, it was beautiful and crunchy and juicy and extremely delicious!
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