rainy day

It's been pretty gray and rainy around here.  But the gray goes really well with the vivid green on the trees out front (which I can see when I look over my shoulder, which is not suggested when you are typing). 

So, what has my life been?  Coughing, tissues, public speaking, allergy meds, and hockey, in a nutshell.  Anyone else out that a hockey fan?  I looooooooove the Washington Capitals (dude, I'm wearing a shirt that says in big letters "Washington Capitals" at the moment), and recently we've been in a tight playoff battle with the Boston Bruins.  We just lost. =(  But for anyone who doesn't know how the playoffs work, it can get up to a seven game series.  So game seven is on Wednesday, and it'll be really exciting!...but I won't be able to watch it.  =( 

This Thursday we entertained some children in childcare for our public speaking chapter.  It was a lot of fun.  We gave presentations and played games for two hours.  What was really cool was that we only expected one child to show up.  We were super disappointed, because a lot of work goes into planning each presentation, but we went ahead and did it anyway.  Guess what.  Six children, plus younger siblings of presenters, were present...and six compared to one is a lot. 

Uh...and those two things have been the few positives of my week.  I didn't have problems with seasonal allergies until a couple years ago, and even then they weren't really bad.  But this year has been ay-yay-yay-yay-yay (proper pronunciation of that last work is in a sing-song voice, with the italicized syllables on the musical pitch 'fa' and the regular syllables on the musical pitch 'doh').  If you do not know Izorese, that means 'monstrous'.  I think it's oak pollen, but whatever it is it's been driving me oranges.  Oranges, I tell you!

So, yeah.  That's life.    

Courageous and Soccer

We watched Courageous on Sunday night with my great-grandma, who's visiting this week.  I was so encouraged and helped by that movie.  My hands-down favorite movie genre is usually the animated kids movies (think Up and How to Train Your Dragon and Toy Story), but I think Courageous was the best movie I have ever seen...ever.  It's funny and ends really well, but it's also thought-provoking, and it deals with very real, dark circumstances in a beautiful and comforting way.  If you have not watched it, do so.  I command you.  You will seriously not regret it.   

On an abrupt topic switch, today was our second soccer practice of the season. =)  I played goalie in scrimmage.  =(  I have not played goalie since U-8, and *ahem* there's a reason for that.  But I have two great coaches, a great group of teammates, and it was a great day (meaning it didn't thunder and rain, which is what we thought it would do).  I am an avid sports fan--particularly baseball and hockey--but soccer has always been my #1 favorite to play.

I should probably stop procrastinating and go do my school work.  =)

   

Blog Anniversary!

On March 9, 2009, I posted for the first time on this blog! 

Now, you might notice that I'm about a month late.  After all, it's April, and not March. 

Really?  I hadn't noticed.  All this time, I thought we were still in March.

[the above was sarcasm]

So, Happy 3 Year + 1 Month Anniversary to this blog!  I can't believe it's been this long, and I can't believe it felt so short.  =) 

This is why we don't have to fear death anymore

I wish I could share with you all something inspiring and well-written and beautiful.  However, really, today is not about being inspiring and well-written and beautiful.  It's about shame and agony and death.  It's about justice carried out by cruelty, like a king with a crown of thorns.

Today we received news that both an extended-family member and a friend died.  One was very old and in poor health for a while, the other was a wee tyke who departed suddenly.

How apt that this should happen now, because it's about this time of year that Christians are reminded strongly of how weak the grip of death has become.  It's when, even as we remember Christ being beaten and nailed to a cross, we remember the tearing of a curtain and an empty tomb.  When Jesus said, "It is finished", He really meant it.    

Someone turned 4 today...

...and I assure you, it was not me. 

Happy 4th Birthday to Galdor, my four year old brother (insert statement by Captain Obvious)

Big day today for all of us, as the soccer season started. =)  Lots of fun, and I managed to get a sunburn of course.  It'll be interesting this year.  My age group is 12 to 18, but it seems this year we hit a wave of new kids/12-13 year olds.  Of course, this is the season we had a mass 18-year-old exodus.  What's even more interesting is that one entire field in the park has been closed for the next few week, meaning my age group has to share one field with the u-12 team.  There are...oh...'bout 36 or so kids in my age group, so we're a little tightly packed.  Just a little, though.

Has anyone else switched to the new Blogger layout thingy?  I really don't like it.  I just figured out how to use the old one (after, like, four years?), so the new look really confuses me.

That's just the way I am.  Confused.

Anyhoo, the only reason I brought up soccer (which morphed into the new blogger look) was to mention that this season is Galdor's first!  This is a snippet of my interview with him on the event:

Izori: So, how was soccer?

Galdor: *evil glare*

Izori:  Did you like it?

Galdor: NO!

Izori: *unfazed*  Did you kick the ball around?

Galdor: NO!!

Izori:  Are you Negative?

Galdor: YES!  I mean, NO!  I'm GRUMPY!!

Peter (from the front seat):  But I thought you were Galdor.

Galdor:  No!  I'm Grumpy!

Obviously, he really enjoyed his first day of soccer.  His enthusiasm is an inspiration for us all.