why now?

I don't deny that God plays a bigger part in my life than i like to acknowledge. I somehow like believing that all my big feats are done out of my own power. The truth is much more somber. The truth is that i've done nothing but whine about how hard the journey is. I'm happy enough to take the credit when it comes to it, even though i've done nothing but drag my feet the whole journey!

How did i manage to get to this spot in my life? Simply by God's grace. How will i move forward....probably kicking and screaming.

i'm back

I have finally reached my destination. After a mere three days in transit, i arrived in australia. As is usual my personality, i hit the ground running.

After nearly a week of searching we've found a place we want to get married in. It is a small (key word small) church near Wahroonga. Its beautiful. A perfect place for the wedding. Now we just have to get the church board to agree to let us use the church. (Its a Uniting Church instead of a Seventh-day Adventist Church)

Hopefully in the next couple of days i'll know for sure.

FYI

This is just a quick note to let you know i'll be traveling from Seattle to Sydney during the next several days. So posts from me will be scarce for a while. If you miss me a lot, go to the wedding blog and read the super long story about why God made strawberries. by the time you finish reading it...well, i'll problably still be traveling, but i'm sure you'll feel better about strawberries.

The Simpsons Movie

I've only been a fan for about 3 years and i know the show has been running for many years longer than that. Still, i can't help but feel a bit excited at the prospect of a MOVIE. Will it be just as good as the TV episodes? Will it still use social commentary to poke fun at societies faults? I know the answer to neither of these questions. I suppose i'll just have to wait for 2007 to find out.

Easter warning

easter
Originally uploaded by narnia_k.

its all fun and games til the bunny gets hit by a car...

My trip

Have you ever wondered about the oddness of your family? These last few days I was reminded with full force of the strange lineage from which I come.

My mother's side of the family had a family reunion. The strangeness began when we picked up my aunt.

My mother and her are 15 years apart (my aunt being the senior of the two). My Aunt Diane heckles my mother to get her to do what she wants. "turn here....no you've turned the wrong way. Go back!" It was like watching an I Love Lucy episode. Very funny.

Then we got to my Uncle Allen...I mean, Joseph's house. (he grew up being called Allen, his middle name, until he married his second wife a few years ago and then started going by his first name, Joseph) Trying to remember to call him, "uncle Joseph" was ridiculously difficult. Finally I realised he would need a nickname if I were ever to call him 'Joseph'. I finally settled on "SIR JOSEPH". Once I settle on that, it was easy.

I have not seen any of my cousins for years. The last time I saw them was easily over 10 years ago. Some of us have tried to keep in contact, but its hard. On this trip, I spoke with all of them. It was fabulous.

Jonathan was out of the army and looking for residency overseas (he and I are kindred spirits that way).

Chad had gotten married and had a child. Cari was getting ready to jetset off to India. She travels to a different country almost monthly it seems. Matthew is doing great with school. We celebrated his birthday and his eyes lit up when we told him we had presents!

Jim is happy in his law enforcement job. He is very proud of his 5 foot 11 inch tall 8th grade son who is being recruited to train for basketball at the high school. Brian is doing pretty well. He brought his daughter, Jasmine, for me to get to know. He has spoken about her constantly but I'd never had a chance to meet her. I loved her almost instantly. Her and I are now "best friends".

My trip was fabulous. I had forgotten how much I missed my family. I had forgotten how crazy they all could be. I had forgotten to some extent, where I come from. It was good to get re-connected.

because i'm bored

[A is for age]:
24

[B is for booze of choice]:
not a fan of any of it

[C is for career]:
journalist

[D is for your dog's name]:
I don't have a dog, but my mother's dogs are Indy and Misha

[E is for essential item you use everyday]:
hairbrush

[F is for favorite song at the moment]:
smack my bitch up

[G is for favorite games]:
bejewelled

[H is for Hometown]:
Hometown implies that i have a home...currently i don't.

[I is for instruments you play]:
radio

[J is for favorite flavor of juice]:
kewi strawberry

[K is for kids]:
0...and hopefully it will stay that way.

[L is for last hug]:
mum

[M is for marriage]:
16 July 2006

[N is for name of your crush]:
Christopher Thiele

[O is for overnight hospital stays]:
None

[P is for phobias]:
creepy-crawly sorts of things that don't go away

[Q is for quote]:
"To everything there is a season..."

[R is for biggest regret]:
i don't think i have any regrets

[S is for State]:
New South Wales

[T is for time you wake up]:
7am ish

[U is for underwear]:
Yes, I do wear them

[V is for vegetable you love]:
califlower

[W is for worst habit]:
whinging

[X is for x-rays you've had]:
hand, chest, teeth

[Y is for yummy food you make]:
pick a pasta

[Z is for zodiac sign]:
aquarius

(thanks to lindsey for this little bordem killer)

Robots

If you clicked the previous link, you probably saw the huge church that used human bones as decorations. This link isn't nearly as depressing. In fact i find it much more on the side of amusing.
enjoy

strange...

Check this out

see why i don't want babies?

Taiwan

Today is the day for researching my tourist activities in Taipei Taiwan.

Due to a 16 hour lay-over there, i want to know the sorts of things i can go see!

So far i've already decided that a trip to the National Palace Museum is definately on the books. The shilin night market also looks interesting, although i'm not sure i'll be there late enough to catch it. I would also like to see some temples...but i'm not really sure if i'm allowed...

So help me out. what am i missing? Is there any place i should especially look into going while i'm there?

Prayer

A new study has found that prayer does not heal people who have just gone through heart surgery. There were three control groups. (Group A) One group of patients knew they were being prayed for. (Group B) One group who didn't know they were having prayer, and the last (Group C) did not receive prayer at all. The group that knew they were being prayed for had more complications from the surgery than those who either didn't know they were being prayed for or weren't prayed for at all. 52% of patients in groups B & C had heart complications. In group A, however, 59% of the patients had complications.

What are Christians taking away from this study? Some are saying that we can't use science to measure religion. Others are saying that we can't control God through prayer.

Outside the religious world, this idea of praying for the sick is being ridiculed as now "proven fact" that prayer doesn't work.

In a world based on "facts" I say there are too many coincidences for me to believe that miracles are accidents of nature. If prayer can not be quantified by science, I can still pray. After all, God is not a tame god that I can take out and play with. Neither is he a genie that gives be special favours when I pray, read my Bible, and pay tithe. My prayers, my spiritual walk, my God MUST be bigger than science or my prayers, my spiritual walk, my god are nothing more than trinkets.

check check

My to-do list before leaving to come back to Oz on 16 Apirl 2006

• finish all sewing projects
• Carefully pack wedding dress and computer in handy dufflebag
• Pack clothing and bridesmaid capes together in checked luggage case
• buy sexy swimsuit for honeymoon
• clean room
• return library books
• Send out invitations to USA reletives and friends
• don't panic
  

This season

I have been told many times to trust the Lord with all my heart. It is so much easier to do when life seem fairly predicable.

It has been nearly 4 months sense i have last seen my passport. I know it is somewhere...i just don't know where...or at least i didn't until about three minutes ago. it turns out it was hiding in my computer bag all along.

The funny thing is, i'd emptied that bag at least three times looking for it. I'd dumped everything out of it. never once say it there before. to me, this just shows that God was waiting until the perfect time to give this to me. And i am truely grateful.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;a time to keep, and a time to cast
away;
a time to rend, and a time to sew;a time to keep silence, and a time
to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

Where does the giving stop?

Have u ever wondered what the world would be like if we literally would give our clothes off our backs for someone in need?

Some of you might comment on the amount of naked people walking around, but some of you might find that your values had been turned on its head.

James comments about us "Christians" saying to the needy, "be warm and well fed" but not actually doing anything to make this happen.

When I think about the people I know who give anything for the sake of those who need, I am constantly in awe. From the kind woman who fulfilled the needs of a bunch of college students to the man who fueled a revolution with his ideas of equality. These are the people who change the world. and I want to be like them.

Wedding

Okay, i need help. The wedding is only months away. Its now time to start thinking about tuxes. wanna help me pick out some styles?

click here to help

V for Vendetta

Movies are mostly made to entertain the masses. They usually do a good job, especially big budget ones. However, rarely does a movie come along that appeals to the masses yet moves me to a point of a spiritual awakening. But I will not speak of this yet. Instead I will give you an example of some of the brilliance in the script.

Evey Hammond: Who are you?

V: "Who?" "Who" is but the form following the function of "what", and *what* I am is a man in a mask.

Evey Hammond: Well I can see that!

V: Of course you can. I'm not questioning your powers of observation, I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is.

Evey Hammond: [short pause] Oh... Right.

V: This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished, as the once vital voice of the verisimilitude now venerates what they once vilified. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-Ã -vis an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.

Guy Fawkes

"Remember, remember, the fifth of November,

gunpowder treason and plot.

I see no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, 'twas his intent

to blow up the King and the Parliament.

Three score barrels of powder below,

Poor old England to overthrow:

By God's providence he was catch'd

With a dark lantern and burning match.

Holloa boys, holloa boys, make the bells ring.

Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!

Hip hip hoorah!

A penny loaf to feed the Pope.

A farthing o' cheese to choke him.

A pint of beer to rinse it down.

A faggot of sticks to burn him.

Burn him in a tub of tar.

Burn him like a blazing star.

Burn his body from his head.

Then we'll say ol' Pope is dead.

Hip hip hoorah! Hip hip hoorah!"

The rhyme references 'Guy Fawkes night', November the 5th, when a Catholic plot to overthrow the english parliament was foiled.

bookish

I once had a fear that i would be considered "bookish" if i read too many books. This fear lasted maybe 10 minutes before i realised i didn't really care. I don't think i've ever given any amount of real consideration to other people liking me or not.

This is not to say that i don't care about having friends or socially polite behaviour. No, i'm just more likely to care that my friends are interested in me and not some sort of persona of someone they *might* like.

By now your sure i'm patting myself on the back for managing to be me myself for all these years. You may rest easy. This isn't the point.

As i attempt to fill out applications for visas, police reports, and other official documents i find myself putting that special "spin" on my character. I want to please these people. I want them to like me. I want them to give me a clean bill of character and let me pass through these proverbial doors of life!

In a sense i don't want to appear "bookish" to these authorities. i want to fit into the perfect peg. The i want to be the chearleader type that is popular and stays out of trouble!

But in the end, what is wrong with my "bookish" behaviour?

Dream a little dream

Thanks to Adele I had my first nightmare of the year. What was truly sad about it though was although I woke up in a fit of sweats, I found it more than a little amusing upon wakefulness.

In my dream my house was broken into by a thief carrying a shotgun the same proportion as Buggs Bunny would carry. Upon entering the house I figured she (the thief) would probably kill those who could identify her, so I calmly walk to the back of the house where my bro and mother are and say, "hey, there is a thief in front of the house. Don't come out of the room until she has left"

The thief then insists on us unloading our house into her convertible flash car. Knowing there isn't much room for a lot of stuff I tell my sister, "lets give her all the stuff we don't really need any more. She can't carry it all anyway!"

Strangely this work. and she drives away happy....