Mary and Martha

Yay winter! 13" of snow and climbing! =D Yay Christmas Break! Yay EJ coming home tomorrow (today, if we're lucky and the weather doesn't shut down the airports)! *does a happy dance*

EJ just bought us our new car insurance. (o.0) For serious: joint bank accounts, same car insurance, same cell phone plans.... It's like we're married or something...

Coming hard on the heals of my last post, this one will probably seem disjointed, but what I'm about to write actually occurred exactly one week ago. I eloped. That's right, I've covenanted with God and with EJ to be his wife until death takes one or both of us - and I mean it. =)

AAARGH!!! People! Why do so many of you seem to be jumping on the bandwagon and adding the little gadget on your side bars that automatically starts playing your favorite song(s) whenever the hapless reader scrolls by???? PLEASE! FOR THE LOVE OF ALL WHO READ THESE BLOGS, TURN THEM OFF!!!!!! It is annoying and distracting to have the same song play every single time we open your page, especially if it doesn't happen to be the reader's favorite style of music. I ask this only to help you, because I love you: TURN THEM OFF, PLEASE!!

I told my mom today about my decision to (most likely) convert to Orthodoxy. She didn't freak out, thankfully. She said that she understands it's my decision and wasn't going to try to stop me; she just wanted to make sure that I still believed in Christ's sacrifice on the cross and accepted Him as my savior. She did ask, though, why I don't simply convert to Catholicism, since that would send my extended family into paroxysms of joy (all of my extended family, on both sides, are Catholic and my mom was raised as such) and I said there are just too many doctrines in Catholicism with which I can't agree. Granted, there are many things in Catholicism that I now see the truth of - just from an Orthodox perspective. She doesn't know much about Orthodoxy (hence the Catholicism question), but, then again, neither did I until a few months ago. This will be an excellent opportunity to share with her some of the things I've learned. =) I hope I haven't offend...

I want to know that I'm doing this for the right reasons. Am I pursuing Orthodoxy because it is exotic and unfamiliar? Will my interest cease once it has become routine? I find that, after much struggle, I am able to accept and embrace many of the Orthodox teachings that differ from protestant ones, such as the Eucharist and saints (I feel a particular connection with St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine). I don't want to embark on this journey alone. I want EJ to want it, too. I want to discover Christ's church with him. My decision will create yet more waves. There is so much drama in my family right now and it's mostly because of me. I'm tired of trying to explain everything I believe and do to a group of people who won't accept it (there's more to this than just the headcovering issue I've mentioned in the past.) Right now I'm emotionally drained and spiritually whirling. I need Christ's power to settle over everything.

I'm so lazy. I'm so mean to those I find different. Where is Jesus in me? Why can't I look at someone everyone else considers "a bit off" and see a fellow brother or sister in Christ instead of whatever imperfections they carry with them? How can I seek to go further in my walk with Christ when I can't even like "the odd ones", let alone love them? I'm an odd one myself. I'm one everyone else ignores. So why do I feel I'm justified in conspicuously ignoring others? Jesus, help me to see each person through Your eyes and with Your love. Help me mortify my own flesh so, with it, I can reach out to others with humility and mercy. Beat me down, Lord.

So this blog has kind of turned into just a place to dump whatever little things bug or interest me. I hope it doesn't stay that way, but, right now, I really don't have the time to do anything else. So, for the sake of simplicity, why don't y'all stick around get to know me better. =) **FOODOLOGY** What is your salad dressing of choice? French or Italian What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? Apparently, the "eggs" served for breakfast every day here at school. I don't know if it's the fact that they're not real eggs or what, but I've been eating those suckers since the first day back and there have only been one or two times when I simply could not put them on my plate. What are your pizza toppings of choice? Pepperoni, mushrooms, pineapple, and barbecue chicken - not all at the same time. What do you like to put on yo...

Um, I kind of don't.....because of procrastination, this is going to be one whirlwind of a weekend!! Let's see Today (Friday): Classes 'til 1pm, drive home and find out if mom has a slip to go under my bridesmaid dress (oh, I didn't tell you? One of my friends is getting married this weekend. =P). If she doesn't, panic a little, then run up to Meijer to buy one. After that, head to the ceremony location and help decorate. Rehearsal is at 5, rehearsal dinner is a little later. Hopefully, somewhere in there I can squeeze in time to finish my Spanish homework, due by midnight. Tomorrow (Saturday): Friend's wedding - all day long. Sunday : Find books for my research proposal, read books for my research proposal, write my research proposal for Monday. Study for an exam for Monday.

I just stumbled upon a really weird detail in the English language. Consider the sentence, "It has something in its mouth." Now, add the word 'does' to that same sentence, with no other structural changes, and the verb 'to have' suddenly conjugates in the plural, "It does have something in its mouth." Why?? The subject is the same, the direct object is the same, the only difference is a single word! If we replace 'does' with 'really', the conjugation has remains: "It really has something in its mouth." What in the world is that about?!? I can't think of a single grammar rule as to why that occurs, can someone help me out? EDIT: An acquaintance read this and then ushered me into the demented little world of helping verbs. "Does" is a helping verb, for which "have" is the default of 'to have' - so ... there . (0.o)

I love October in the Midwest. It's my favorite month out of the whole year. I love the trees changing colors, I love the chilly bite in the air, I love the stiff winds, and I love Halloween (I've wanted to make a 'haunted path' using the sixteen acres of woods behind our house ever since we moved to the property, but I've never been able to *tear*). This year, October couldn't have made its entrance more perfectly. It was my favoritist favorite kind of day: grey skies, chilly, gusts blowing the newly fallen leaves around, the trees slowly becoming barer and barer - the only thing it really wanted was pumpkins lolling about, but, not to worry, that shall come soon enough. I know, I have weird taste in days. =P

Well, he didn't get pinned hard, but that doesn't make him any less of a Lance Corporal. =D One of the many amusingly painful traditions of the Marine Corps is the "pinning" ceremony: when an enlisted gets promoted, they have to change out their lapel pins to indicate their new, higher rank. The men being promoted are given these new pins by their superiors, who will stick the chevron pins on the lapels, but leave the backs off (they're straight-backed). Said superior then hits the pins as hard as he wants - yes, there's often a bragging right if blood is drawn - and, for the rest of the day, the newly pinned Marine has to leave the backs off his chevrons and anyone of equal or higher rank is allowed to hit them into his soft flesh. ( Here 's a picture to illustrate the pinning - not the hitting...) When I visited EJ awhile back, one of his buddies had just gotten promoted to PFC, so the backs of his pins were off. EJ, totally relishing the opportunity lik...

Wow! Dumpster diving rocks!! Okay, okay, I didn't actually dumpster dive, but the house director put a big ol' box of unwanted (and disgustingly unclean) kitchen items in the lobby today and said, "Have at it." And boy did I ever. Here's what I walked away with: Two heavy-bottomed sauce pans, different sizes One frying pan One bread pan One 8"x8" pan One muffin pan One blender that's so old, it has wood paneling and the electrical prongs are the same size Whoo hoo! Sure, as I mentioned above, they were pretty grody (I think I'll have to soak the blender in bleach water before I actually use it), I got a good work out getting most of the items clean, and they're not the prettiest, matchy-matchiest of things, but they work, so it was totally worth it. Can you believe I heard one of the girls in the dorm say she looked through the box and, since everything was so grimy, she lost interest. Man, when EJ and I get married, we're not exactly goi...

I was talking to EJ last night (as we do every night - w00t for free Verizon to Verizon minutes!!) about what life will be like once we're married and settled in together. He seemed to really want to impress upon me the fact that any further schooling he may have might keep him away from the house for the majority of the day and that he'd be very tired and cranky when he got back in the evenings and he made sure to point out that I'd pretty much be the only one in charge of the house during most of the week and, when he walked though the door, he'd want me to look nice and greet him with a smile and have supper steaming on the table, because, no matter how tired I was, he'd be tireder (yes, I thought that word appropriate) and would want to just collapse and relax and be pampered. He seemed to think I might be averse to this, but all I could do was giggle like a schoolgirl and try to explain that that's what I've been dreaming of doing for so long now. Serio...

I went to the Eastern Orthodox church today. Coming from a non-denominational protestant church and even having attended a number of Catholic masses in my time, let me tell you - it was quite the change! To begin, there were only pews in the back and along the walls to be used by people with children or the elderly (though none of the elderly in attendance actually utilized them). The rest of the open space was covered in carpet, on which most of the congregation stood - yes, actually stood - for everything but the sermon. The alter was behind a solid, icon covered wall, accessible only through three doors (from what I understand, this is pretty standard). The liturgy was mostly sung or chanted (that will take some getting used to). There was quite a bit of crossing ones self and bowing and prostrating (though, by no means, was everyone doing everything at the same time. It helped me be less self conscious) and I wish I would have understood more of the significance of each of the acti...

So I'm taking Spanish 101 just for kicks and giggles this semester - and, surprisingly, it is actually affording me plenty of laughs. I've studied German for the past seven years and it's been rather difficult to break the habit of automatically thinking in German whenever *any* foreign language is brought up. For instance, we're learning numbers up to 30 in Spanish right now and some of the exercises include simple adding and subtracting. So, for a problem like 2+4=6, my initial thought process goes something like this: dos plus vier son sechs* Throw that into a translator and see what it spits out. >. * 'dos' = '2' (Span.) 'plus' = '+' (Germ.) 'vier' = '4' (Germ.) 'son' = '=' (Span.) 'sechs' = '6' (Germ.)

Today marks the second time in as many days that I have been cut directly in front of while waiting in line for food. Seriously, they just walked right in front of me and stayed there - most didn't even seem to notice I existed. Is it because I'm the short, frizzy-haired girl with glasses and they were all tall athletes who, apparently, think they own the world? Just because you can leap tall buildings with a single bound doesn't mean you can ignore such things as common decency and respect. EDIT: I realize this was written with a spirit of hurt and anger. The Bible calls us to love your enemies and do good to those who persecute you (Matt. 5: 43-48). It even says that "if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also" (Matt. 5: 40)! In that case, I should have backed graciously away and asked the LORD to take away my anger and replace it with love. Of course, there wouldn't have been anything wrong with just a quick, polite, "E...

I would just like to take this time to thank and praise my fiance EJ for always being there when I need him even though we're over 1,000 miles apart, for preparing to provide and care for a family and for working his hardest, even when he's tired, drained, and only wants to sleep. Thank you for putting up with my whining and complaining and seeing the humor in every situation. But, most of all, thank you for realizing the sacrifice God made for all of his children and striving daily to live the Biblical model for husband-hood. I'm starting to tear up. ^_^

Good grief! Why is it that, whenever I come across a website or organization who's theology seems the most Biblically sound, there is always, and I mean always, a clause saying they think the Roman Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon, or music with a beat is of Satan, or the King James' Version of the Bible is the only authorized version in the English language (What the heck?? Authorized by whom? Did Jesus Himself come down and say, "Thou shalt only use this 17th century English version until I return to judge the living and the dead"? What about people for whom English is a second language? Come on, that's the silliest thing I've ever heard!!). Why, oh why?? Seriously, EJ and I need to start our own house church, because I'm beginning to believe that there is no one out there who cares about the doctrines of the Bible more than tradition on the one hand or "relevance" on the other.

I am a Violet What Flower Are You? "You have a shy personality. You tend to hesitate before trying new things or meeting new people. But once people get to know you, you open up and show the world what you are really all about."

"With all the money I'm spending on your education, you'd better do something with it other than just popping out babies." That's what my dad said to me this morning by way of 'encouragement.' Unfortunately, that sentiment is shared by the rest of my family who are simply too polite to be quite as ... erm ... articulate . What higher calling could I attain than serving my family in a Godly way and properly educating my children using what I learned in school? If he's so dead set against me following God's plan for the family, why doesn't he just withdraw me and 'consign' me to a life without a degree? I'll happily have a courthouse wedding and join EJ wherever he's stationed. Sure, I wouldn't mind finishing college, but, honestly, I'm only there because my dad wants me to be. One more year and I'll be free. =)

I have to say, I'm glad I'm no longer working. My time at the hospital ended 10 days ago because the company had miscalculated its budget and could no longer afford to pay me. I was going to leave to go back to college anyway, but things just worked out sooner rather than later. That's alright, though, because, to be honest, it was quite aggravating sometimes to work with three women who fiercely believed in feminist ideology and all that entailed. However, my time in the office did provide a very telling glimpse into the harm said feminist ideology has done and is doing to these women and their families. It was quite interesting to realize (with no small amount of glee) that feminism is not the natural order of things and they only acted the way they did because they'd been trained to do so. I'm able to say that, because every so often I would notice a crack in their hardened exterior and catch a glimpse of the real woman hiding inside. Not that they even knew it ...

Yesterday was my 21st birthday! I spent the night at a friend's apartment on July 19th and we went to the big casino in town, where, instead of gambling, we played DDR until we were completely out of breath (Note to Self: just because it's only 4 feet on heavy, doesn't mean it isn't still hard !)! She and I then headed back to her apartment and watched The Neverending Story . All in all, it was a pretty good night - and I didn't wake up the next morning thinking, "Uuuuugh, what did I do ??" The actual day of my birthday, my family took me out to eat and I ordered my first legal beer - which I didn't even end up finishing. This morning, the first thing one of my coworkers said to me was, "Please, Rin, tell me you're hung over." Apparently, she didn't approve of my restraint . =P

Your Vocabulary Score: B+ You have a zealous love for the English language, and many find your vocabulary edifying. Don't fret that you didn't get every word right, your vocabulary can be easily ameliorated! How's Your Vocabulary? Curse you, public schools!!!

I really need to work on re-adjusting my sleep schedule. My job at the hospital requires me to be up and about at 5:00 am every Mon, Wed, and Fri. Unfortunately, I'm definitely a night person and love to stay awake until midnight or later. It's kind of weird actually; I can be super tired all day long, but when the clock strikes 9:00 pm, it's like a mental caffeine bomb goes off in my head and I feel more awake than ever. Because of this, I stay up far later than I should on nights where I have to work in the morning and on the nights where I don't have to worry about the alarm clock, I will stay awake until my eyes begin to tear up. Lately, I've been experiencing insomnia, where I will lie awake in bed for three or more hours trying to fall asleep and wind up getting maybe only four hours of fitful-at-best shut eye before having to get up for work. Despite this, my body still does not like going to bed. So, what's a gal to do? I think I'm going to force mys...

oh my gosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh FINALLY!!!!! I did it! I did it! I did it!! I KNIT!!! I cast on 10 stitches, then knit 3 rows! (Still don't know how to finish it off, though.) At long last! Mwahaahaa. Victory is mine!

I had a Mary vs. Martha moment the other day. Something really sad happened: my friend told me straight up that he's not following God anymore. "I still believe in Him," he said, "I'm just not following Him." One part of me broke with sadness when I heard that and the other part wanted to laugh with derision and ask scornfully what this life had to offer that was so much better than the hope of eternally living with Jesus after the Resurrection. The Mary vs. Martha moment occurred when, halfway through the conversation, I thought to myself, "I really need to finish dinner. The chicken is just sitting out." I realized in a moment that I was dealing with the loss of a human soul and all I could think about was finishing dinner. Wow, words cannot adequately how despicable I am. But, then again, aren't we all? I controlled my domestic urges and talked it out with him. His truly is a sad story: he lost his dad to a heart attack a little over a year ...

Wow, wow wow wow. EJ's back home . It's been three longs months filled only with letters and a single phone call, but last Thursday I found myself in San Diego at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, finally hugging my new Marine. Family Day was great and Graduation was wonderful , but nothing beats having him actually here with us . It's only for 10 days and I've got exams in between, but at least I can call him whenever I want to now. =) He said boot camp was different than anything he could have prepared for. Yes, it was just like the movies with the screaming and mud and the yellow footprints (which he showed to us), but he says it's just incomprehensible to someone who hasn't gone through it. The physical change is the most obvious, of course; he lost 40 lbs in boot camp and is now skinny as a rail. I didn't notice the more subtle changes in his personality right away, though. That only appeared through everyday interaction. He's much more reserved. ...

The Crucible is almost over. EJ is going to become a U.S. Marine today. I'm so happy right now that an ordinary smiley face won't cut it.

Ugh, it seems I have to monitor my consumption of anti-feminist texts just as carefully as I do any other media outlet, though for slightly different reasons. Yes, I wish I could have stayed home instead of going to college, I wish my dad was the strong Christian patriarch of our household and my mother his adoring, submissive Queen of the Home - but, the fact remains, I am here at college and they are neither of those things. I have to make do with, and even flourish under, circumstances as they are - and sowing discontent by constantly stuffing my mind full of the ideal rather than facing reality in a Godly fashion has to be just as much of a sin as someone maintaining a "holier-than-thou" attitude because they have those things described. Truth be told, I wasn't ready to stay home at age 18. I need to be honest with myself. The change God has wrought in my heart has only really come about in the last couple of months. The way my parents raised me and the way they li...

Ok, kids, this is how you should NOT act when you suddenly realize you have a "surplus" of money: DON'T go to the Wal-Mart fabric clearance section if you know you're a fabric addict, because, invariably, they will have all this adorably cute, gingham-imitation stuff in bright, cheery spring colors that you just have to have, even if you don't know what you'll do with it. Thankfully, if you're like me (*wink*wink*), you will have some self control and manage to walk out of the store with only two yards of the prettiest color - and then be eaten away with the desire to go back and purchase every last bolt. Oh heaven and earth, it's just sitting there on my pillow, screaming , "Why didn't you bring home all my brothers and sisters??" and, you know what? I can't answer. )= I think I'll make an apron with it.

Oh my goodness. So, yesterday I got to speak to EJ and today I got to see him! EJ is almost finished with bootcamp (only 14 more days!) and the day before yesterday they beat the other platoons in their Final Drill Test, so their senior drill instructor gave them all a phone call home and bought them pizza, haha. It was so wonderful to hear his voice again after nearly three months; it sounded so much deeper than when he left. =P Today, the platoon videos were posted. All the recruits in India company stood with their platoons and drill instructors while a video panned over all of their faces. I think I recognized him; in fact, I'm about 98% sure it was him, but he is so incredibly changed from the boy I hugged goodbye last January. I dunno how to describe it. As I just said, they only filmed his face, which was a lot thinner from having lost quite a bit of weight, but even just seeing that, there was something different in his demeanor, something stronger and more confident, n...

About a month ago, we received the gift of life into our home. You see, it all began when we thought they were all female. Our blue parakeet has been laying eggs for quite some time now; she will even carve out a hollow in the bedding/seed on the bottom of the cage and sits on them like any good mother (we've provided her with the location and materials to build a nest, but she never seemed interested in them). We would normally wait a few weeks before throwing them away, or they'd break in the interval. Well, this time seemed no different, except we left the eggs there for a longer time than usual because she seemed to be sitting on them more consistently and she was just so cute while doing so. One can imagine my complete and utter surprise when, as I was changing their water, I saw a TINY NAKED CHICK laying among the eggs! Seriously! We had no idea one of them was a male! We also had no clue as to how to care for the little, helpless thing. In a near panic, I called around ...

I can't help it, I have to post. Today was going to be the day. I was going to learn, come hell or high water. I was going to KNIT!!! Fearlessly, I entered Wal-mart and made my way to the fabric section. I was as the intrepid explorers of old, scouting new lands and territories. But my heart quivered within me as I gazed upon the rows of yarn and knitting needles. Where would I ever start? I was lost - afloat in a sea of soft wool. Avast! My eyes suddenly rested upon the glossy cover of a cheap instruction manual. I Can't Believe I'm Knitting! The model on its cover gloated as she effortlessly looped and tied her furry prey. In a frenzy of jealousy, I seized the book and vigorously perused its instructions. "Good enough," I thought, and, bolstered by this most recent victory, chose a 10-size needle and blue double worsted yarn. Mwahaha. Defeat would never touch me! Eyes wide open, I hurried to the checkout line (after quickly checking to see if they had the thir...

Well, hello there. Allow me to introduce myself: Name: Rin Age: 20 Location: USA Faith: Christian, Nondenominational Political leanings (unofficial): Conservative Libertarian Status: Betrothed (hehe, I like that word and its connotations) Occupation: College Student for most of the year (Almost a Senior! Whoo!). I also work in the college costume shop helping make the costumes for the various theatre productions. I love it there. My second job is summers and holidays only as a secretary for an emergency room ; not so thrilled about that one - but it brings in the green. Hopes for the future: To marry my lover, settle down, maybe find a quickie job somewhere 'til we have kids, then settle down even more and become a full time homemaker. I can't think of any other little tags to put, so I'll just have to reveal myself through my future posts! ~~~~~ This is more my first post than my actual "first post." Today is the last day of Spring Break. My bags are packed an...