Day 12: A song that you want played at your wedding & Day 13: A guilty pleasure

Day 12: “Unforgettable” The version by Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole. (love that song)

Day 13: Um…ok…I’ll admit it…I will, on occasion read the Hollywood/Entertainment Gossip news…I’m not sure why, because usually everyone is just one big train-wreck and I read it, roll my eyes and thank God I'm not famous.

And there you have it. I posted two days because I felt like it. Also, who knows if I'll touch the computer tomorrow.

Have a great weekend!

Day 11: A photo of you taken recently

This was taken last month at Rebekah's graduation. I think I’ve changed for the better from my description yesterday. See? No braces and at least I know how to cover up the aforementioned pimples.

*I said it again. Two posts in a row. Well, as P’dub says, “Just keepin’ it real!”

Day 10: A photo of you taken over ten years ago

That would require me to scan something into the computer – ‘cause you know, that was before we had digital cameras….so you’ll just have to guess what I looked like ten years ago…or think really hard and you’ll remember. I was probably pimply with braces…lovely picture, no?

**I’m sorry I said “pimply” **

Lately...

I've been on a "finishing-my-projects" spree. I suddenly feel highly motivated now that I'm going back to school in the fall.
**I don't think I've mentioned that yet have I? Yes, well, I am. I'll be attending Linn-Benton Community College in Albany, OR and studying for a degree in Animal Technology-Horse Management. I'm very excited. I don't think I've ever been this excited about going to school before.**
Anyway, since I'll be gone in the fall (I'm moving down there - living with some friends) I realized that I have several projects that are either started or materials for projects that I have 'meant' to do for a long time. I have an intense need to GET IT DONE NOW! One of my projects was to organize a major portion of my room. It took me most of Saturday and I was tired but it's such a nice feeling to have things sorted out. I love emptying drawers of stuff and finding things I didn't remember I had. (i.e. a drawer full of candles that I apparently had been saving for ___??? I gave most of them to Mom.) I finished a crocheting project the other day. Last night, I began another. I'll post some pictures after I've gotten it finished - hopefully it'll get wrapped up tonight.
I love the satisfactory feeling of checking things off a list.

Day 9: A photo you took

Olivia ~ August 2008. This was a totally candid moment - she was running across the beach and I called her name. She stopped and I clicked the shutter. I love how her shirt stands out against the sand and rocks behind her. It's a little hard to see, but she has the biggest smile on her face too.

Day 8: A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life.

Letter to my Great-Grandmother, Rena Bufe (1908-2007)

Dear Grandma,

I can hear your voice saying “Hello my Dear, and how are you doing?” I would reply, “I’m doing really well Grandma, how are you?” And your standard answer followed by that infectious giggle “Oh, I’m just fat and sassy!” Even though I knew what you were going to say, I still laughed every time.

I don’t know if I ever told you this, but I want to be like you when I grow up. Dad and Mom like to tease me and call me ‘Rena’. They say “that’s where you go it from” It being this innate strong will, stubbornness, and determination that you personified in your life. Honestly, I think that is the highest compliment anyone can pay me. This year would have been your 102nd birthday. I’m almost one-quarter of that. I think back on your life, your testimony, and am so thankful I can look back and see you as a kind of measuring stick in my own life.

I want to be able to shine wherever I go – not be afraid to talk about Jesus to everyone, be able to find the happiness in any situation, and to laugh my way through life.

There is much more I could say, but not enough time or space to write it, but I guess what I’m trying to say is: Thank you. Thank you for your unwavering faith and testimony of God’s love and goodness. Thank you for being such an exemplary Christian lady. I truly hope I can be like you someday. I’m so blessed I had the opportunity to know you and for the perspective you’ve given my life. I am so happy that I will get to see you again someday and that those days of laughing and rejoicing with Jesus will never end.

Love Always,
Rachel

"Give Me A Day"

Ok, so I'm not much of a writer/poet, but sometimes the words are there. Sometimes it's hard to share them with people, because I know that it's not always good, and it feels scary to share the 'rawness' of my thoughts; like I'm exposing part of my soul to the world. This is a song I've recently written - maybe someday I'll write some music. Let me know what you think - Thanks for reading!

"Give Me A Day"

The ground grows harder under my feet
Walking uphill - I pause to catch my breath
I think of how my life is like this climb
And every morning I just feel tired to death.

I don’t want to get up and do it again:
Busy office, busy people and bad coffee
Each day it’s this same boring routine
And I want so much more than I see.

Give me a day to live for
One that means more than this
Give me a day to live for
The kind I don’t want to end

I compare the lives that others have
To the things I want in mine
I think how life could be so full
Trying my best just to follow the signs

I sometimes struggle and it hurts
The path is not easy to see
I get tired of all this falling down
But it’s not time well spent on my knees

Give me a day to live for
One that means more than this
Give me a day to live for
The kind I don’t want to end

But if I turn my eyes from inside
If I start looking out and look up
I can fall on the Grace that keeps giving
And that Love will overfill my cup

If I stop comparing the things that I don’t have
To the things that I’ve already been given
I’ll find joy in the days set before me
For my treasure’s built up heaven

You have given me a day to live for
This day is the one that You made
One of the many that eventually leads
To the Day that will never end

You have given me a day to live for
Today is my day to live for You.

Rachel G. Unger ©

Day 7: Five things you couldn't possible live without

This shouldn't be too hard:

1) Bible
2) Water
3) Coffee
4) Sisters
5) Music

(I will admit I was strongly tempted to put "Facebook" in there, just to see what kind of reactions I would get.) :^)

Day 6: A Moment You Wish You Could Relive

I went to Poland a year ago for 2 weeks. I went with a group from our church, the pastor and his wife from our sister church in Salem, OR and a group from a fellow church in Langley, BC.
The entire trip was an experience I will always remember and I cherish the time spent with the saints in Poland. There was one memory in particular that is very special.

It was our first Sunday in Poland and we were in the city of Legnica - the focal point of our ministry work. We walked to church (we walked everywhere in that city) Sunday morning to a Lutheran church near the city square. (The Lutherans had already had their service and was allowing our small congregation to hold service later.) This church was the most spectacular thing I had ever seen. The interior columns were so ornate and beautifully painted. The floors and pews were made of wood, aged and polished to a glowing sheen. The stained glass windows depicted various scenes from the Bible - the likes of which I had only seen in art books or photographs. And then we sang. None of us were professional singers though some were in church choirs and local ensembles. That moment, when the sound of our voices echoed back in our ears, ten times louder than we were actually singing: my first thought was that the choirs of heaven were singing Psalms with us. It was one of the most moving and powerful moments in my life. There really aren't words to describe the experience fully. I'm just so thankful for the opportunity to have been part of that missions trip and for the amazing things God showed us while we were there. If I could go back and relive that moment on that Sunday morning, I would. Over and over again.

Day 4: A Favorite Television Program & Day 5: A Favorite Quote

Ok, so I don't watch a lot of TV. I mostly watch shows online after they've shown - often times a couple of episodes at a time. My favorite shows in the past have been Lost, NUMB3RS, and CSI Miami. But Lost and NUMB3RS are no longer airing, and CSI is on too late for me. But I will confess: I have a new favorite television show. "Chuck". Bethany and Alex brought the first season down with them when they were here last. It's hilarious. (Not for children though- for thematic elements...we just fast forward...yeah for DVD's!)

Casey: Don't worry. You're gonna be fine. Nothing's gonna happen to you. Assuming you know how to tango.
Chuck: Seriously?
Casey: Oh, I don't joke about your life


Favorite Quote (at this moment):
"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of man" ~ Winston Churchill

Day 2: A favorite movie & Day 3: A favorite book

I have five favorite movies. So to spare myself the agony of picking one, I'll just list my top five for you here (in no particular order).

Return to Me
Chariots of Fire
The Man from Snowy River
Toy Story
The Court Jester

Do I have a favorite book? I think I have many. How is one supposed to choose just one? I think that the agony of choosing my favorite must somehow be akin to that of a parent choosing which child they love best.
Can I please skip this question? No? Ok. Fine then.

The Bible

so there....

Day 1 - Favorite Song

Polka Dot posted this 30 Day Challenge on her blog. I thought I'd participate - this should be interesting.

I don't know if I can pick ONE favorite song, but this song always hits me at just the right time: "Creed" by Rich Mullins.

The music is great, and the lyrics, well, it's the core of my faith. (I'll try and post the youtube link later...)


Here's the list of the "Challenge"

Day 1: A favorite song.
Day 2: A favorite movie.
Day 3: A favorite book.
Day 4: A favorite television program.
Day 5: A favorite quote.
Day 6: A moment you wish you could relive.
Day 7: Five things you couldn't possible live without.
Day 8: A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life.
Day 9: A photo you took.
Day 10: A photo of you taken over ten years ago.
Day 11: A photo of you taken recently.
Day 12: A song that you want played at your wedding(or was played).
Day 13: A guilty pleasure.
Day 14: A vacation you would like to take.
Day 15: A person you admire.
Day 16: A song that makes you cry.
Day 17: An art piece.
Day 18: A time when you felt passionate and alive.
Day 19: A talent of yours.
Day 20: A hobby of yours.
Day 21: Something you know you do differently than most people.
Day 22: A website.
Day 23: A way in which you want to be remembered.
Day 24: A movie no one would expect you to love.
Day 25: A recipe.
Day 26: A childhood memory.
Day 27: A physical feature you love.
Day 28: A scar you have and it's story.
Day 29: Hopes, dreams and plans you have for the next 365 days.
Day 30: A motto or philosophy.

Thoughts this week..

"To get something you never had, you have to do something you've never done." ~Anonymous

"The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirits. Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established." ~Proverbs 16:1-3

Facebook-a-thon Finale

A friend and her family are in the process of adopting a little girl from Ethiopia. Their family's story and commitment to bring their daughter home is truly inspiring. I copied this from her blog. Please take a moment to read and if God enables you - to donate.

"Do you have $10? Your $10 can be used to change a child's life forever. Help us bring our daughter home! Visit http://itstheroadlesstravelled.com/ or donate directly through paypal to shubinadoptionfund@gmail.com "

Laundry

It's a dirty job - but someone has to do mine.

(And because I know you're all wondering...this is NOT me...) ;-)

"If I Die Young"

This is a new country song that I like, sung by the group The Band Perry. The melody is slow and beautiful, yet sad.

If I die young bury me in satin
lay me down on a bed of roses
sink me in the river at dawn
send me away with the words of a love song
ooh ooh ooh ooh

Lord make me a rainbow
I'll shine down on my mother
she knows I'm safe with you and she stands under my colors
oh and life ain't always what you think it ought to be
no it ain't even grey but she buries her baby
the sharp knife of a short life
well I've had just enough time

if I die young bury me in satin
lay me down on a bed of roses
sink me in the river at dawn
send me away with the words of a love song
the sharp knife of a short life
well, I have just enough time

and I'll be wearing white when I come into your kingdom
I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger
well I've never known the lovin' of man
but it sure felt nice when he was holdin my hand
there's a boy here in town who says he'll love me forever
who would have thought forever could be severed
by a sharp knife of a short life
well I've had just enough time
so put on your best boys, and I'll wear my pearls
what I never did is done

a penny for my thoughts, oh no I'll sell 'em for a dollar
they're worth so much more after I'm a gonner
and maybe then you'll hear the words that I've been singin'
it's funny when your dead how people start listenin'

if I die young bury me in satin
lay me down on a bed of roses
sink me in the river at dawn
send me away with the words of a love song
ooh ooh the ballad of a dove

go with peace and love
gather up your tears and keep them in your pocket
save 'em for a time when your really gonna need 'em.
oh the sharp knife of a short life
well I've had just enough time

so put on your best boys, and I'll wear my pearls

The World According to Student Bloopers

I don't recall where I got this from - probably a chain email- but this is pretty funny.

"One of the fringe benefits of being an English or History teacher is receiving the occasional jewel of a student blooper in an essay. I have pasted together the following "history" of the world from certifiably genuine student bloopers collected by teachers throughout the United States, from eight grade through college level. Read carefully, and you will learn a lot.

The inhabitants of Egypt were called mummies. They lived in the Sarah Dessert and traveled by Camelot. The climate of the Sarah is such that the inhabitants have to live elsewhere, so certain areas of the dessert are cul- tivated by irritation. The Egyptians built the Pyramids in the shape of a huge triangular cube. The Pramids are a range of mountains between France and Spain.

The Bible is full of interesting caricatures. In the first book of the Bible, Guinesses, Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. One of their children, Cain, asked "Am I my brother's son?" God asked Abraham to sacrifice Issac on Mount Montezuma. Jacob, son of Issac, stole his brother's birthmark. Jacob was a partiarch who brought up his twelve sons to be partiarchs, but they did not take to it. One of Jacob's sons, Joseph, gave refuse to the Israelites.

Pharaoh forced the Hebrew slaves to make bread without straw. Moses led them to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened bread, which is bread made without any ingredients. Afterwards, Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten commandments. David was a Hebrew king skilled at playing the liar. He fougth with the Philatelists, a race of people who lived in Biblical times. Solomon, one of David's sons, had 500 wives and 500 porcupines.

Without the Greeks, we wouldn't have history. The Greeks invented three kinds of columns - Corinthian, Doric and Ironic. They also had myths. A myth is a female moth. One myth says that the mother of Achilles dipped him in the River Stynx until he became intolerable. Achilles appears in "The Illiad", by Homer. Homer also wrote the "Oddity", in which Penelope was the last hardship that Ulysses endured on his journey. Actually, Homer was not written by Homer but by another man of that name.

Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who went around giving people advice. They killed him. Socrates died from an overdose of wedlock.

In the Olympic Games, Greeks ran races, jumped, hurled the biscuits, and threw the java. The reward to the victor was a coral wreath. The government of Athen was democratic because the people took the law into their own hands. There were no wars in Greece, as the mountains were so high that they couldn't climb over to see what their neighbors were doing. When they fought the Parisians, the Greeks were outnumbered because the Persians had more men.

Eventually, the Ramons conquered the Geeks. History call people Romans because they never stayed in one place for very long. At Roman banquets, the guests wore garlic in their hair. Julius Caesar extinguished himself on the battlefields of Gaul. The Ides of March killed him because they thought he was going to be made king. Nero was a cruel tyrany who would torture his poor subjects by playing the fiddle to them.

Then came the Middle Ages. King Alfred conquered the Dames, King Arthur lived in the Age of Shivery, King Harlod mustarded his troops before the Battle of Hastings. Finally, the Magna Carta provided that no free man should be hanged twice for the same offense.

In midevil times most of the people were alliterate. The greatest writer of the time was Chaucer, who wrote many poems and verse and also wrote liter- ature. Another tale tells of William Tell, who shot an arrow through an apple while standing on his son's head.

The Renaissance was an age in which more individuals felt the value of their human being. Martin Luther was nailed to the church door at Wittenberg for selling papal indulgences. He died a horrible death, being excommunicated by a bull. It was the painter Donatello's interest in the female nude that made him the father of the Renaissance. It was an age of great inventions and discoveries. Gutenberg invented the Bible. Sir Walter Raleigh is a historical figure because he invented cigarettes. Another important invention was the circulation of blood. Sir Francis Drake circumcised the world with a 100-foot clipper.

The government of England was a limited mockery. Henry VIII found walking difficult because he had an abbess on his knee. Queen Elizabeth was the "Vir- gin Queen." As a queen she was a success. When Elizabeth exposed herself be- fore her troops, they all shouted "hurrah." Then her navy went out and defeated the Spanish Armadillo.

The greatest writer of the Renaissance was William Shakespear. Shakespear never made much money and is famous only because of his plays. He lived in Windsor with his merry wives, writing tragedies, comedies and errors. In one of Shakespear's famous plays, Hamlet rations out his situation by relieving himself in a long soliloquy. In another, Lady Macbeth tries to convince Mac- beth to kill the King by attacking his manhood. Romeo and Juliet are an example of a heroic couplet. Writing at the same time as Shakespear was Miquel Cervantes. He wrote "Donkey Hote". The next great author was John Milton. Milton wrote "Paradise Lost." Then his wife dies and he wrote "Paradise Regained."

During the Renaissance America began. Christopher Columbus was a great navigator who discovered America while cursing about the Atlantic. His ships were called the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Fe. Later the Pilgrims crossed the Ocean, and the was called the Pilgrim's Progress. When they landed at Plymouth Rock, they were greeted by Indians, who came down the hill rolling their was hoops before them. The Indian squabs carried porposies on their back. Many of the Indian heroes were killed, along with their cabooses, which proved very fatal to them. The winter of 1620 was a hard one for the settlers. Many people died and many babies were born. Captain John Smith was responsible for all this.

One of the causes of the Revolutionary Wars was the English put tacks in their tea. Also, the colonists would send their pacels through the post with- out stamps. During the War, Red Coats and Paul Revere was throwing balls over stone walls. The dogs were barking and the peacocks crowing. Finally, the colonists won the War and no longer had to pay for taxis.

Delegates from the original thirteen states formed the Contented Congress. Thomas Jefferson, a Virgin, and Benjamin Franklin were two singers of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin had gone to Boston carrying all his clothes in his pocket and a loaf of bread under each arm. He invented elec- tricity by rubbing cats backwards and declared "a horse divided against itself cannot stand." Franklin died in 1790 and is still dead.

George Washington married Matha Curtis and in due time became the Father of Our Country. Them the Constitution of the United States was adopted to secure domestic hostility. Under the Constitution the people enjoyed the right to keep bare arms.

Abraham Lincoln became America's greatest Precedent. Lincoln's mother died in infancy, and he was born in a log cabin which he built with his own hands. When Lincoln was President, he wore only a tall silk hat. He said, "In onion there is strength." Abraham Lincoln write the Gettysburg address while traveling from Washington to Gettysburg on the back of an envelope. He also signed the Emasculation Proclamation, and the Fourteenth Amendment gave the ex-Negroes citizenship. But the Clue Clux Clan would torcher and lynch the ex-Negroes and other innocent victims. On the night of April 14, 1865, Lincoln went to the theater and got shot in his seat by one of the actors in a moving picture show. The believed assinator was John Wilkes Booth, a sup- posedl insane actor. This ruined Booth's career.

Meanwhile in Europe, the enlightenment was a reasonable time. Voltare invented electricity and also wrote a book called "Candy". Gravity was invented by Issac Walton. It is chiefly noticeable in the Autumn, when the apples are flaling off the trees.

Bach was the most famous composer in the world, and so was Handel. Handel was half German, half Italian and half English. He was very large. Bach died from 1750 to the present. Beethoven wrote music even though he was deaf. He was so deaf he wrote loud music. He took long walks in the forest even when everyone was calling for him. Beethoven expired in 1827 and later died for this.

France was in a very serious state. The French Revolution was accomplished before it happened. The Marseillaise was the theme song of the French Revolu- tion, and it catapulted into Napoleon. During the Napoleonic Wars, the crowned heads of Europe were trembling in their shoes. Then the Spanish gorrilas came down from the hills and nipped at Napoleon's flanks. Napoleon became ill with bladder problems and was very tense and unrestrained. He wanted an heir to inheret his power, but since Josephine was a baroness, she couldn't bear him any children.

The sun never set on the British Empire because the British Empire is in the East and the sun sets in the West. Queen Victoria was the longest queen. She sat on a thorn for 63 years. He reclining years and finally the end of her life were exemplatory of a great personality. Her death was the final event which ended her reign.

The nineteenth century was a time of many great inventions and thoughts. The invention of the steamboat caused a network of rivers to spring up. Cyrus McCormick invented the McCormick Raper, which did the work of a hundred men. Samuel Morse invented a code for telepathy. Louis Pastuer discovered a cure for rabbis. Charles Darwin was a naturailst who wrote the "Organ of the Species". Madman Curie discovered radium. And Karl Marx became one of the Marx Brothers.

The First World War, cause by the assignation of the Arch-Duck by a surf, ushered in a new error in the anals of human history."

Beacon Rock

Yesterday was a nice day, and since Dad and I both had work off, our family (minus Rebekah -who had to work) went to Beacon Rock. We actually didn't get there until about 5pm but it turned out to be better; by that time, the clouds had parted and the sun was shining through. It was a great day to for a view up there.

Clearing the trail...the old fashioned way...

Molalla Buckaroo

Here's some photos from the Buckaroo. I didn't really take any pictures of the action because I was too busy watching it! :-)

Went with one of my besties :-)

and her brothers.

Can't go to the rodeo without the boots!

Someday, I will learn how to do this.

Cowboys...

The real reason I go to rodeos... ;-)

The Story of My Life

I woke up this morning convinced it was Saturday. And then I was late to work.
The End.

In other news, I'm going to the Molalla Buckaroo tonight with my friend Sara Beth. So excited! She asked me if I was going to wear my hat --- I think I will. I will definately be wearing my newish Wranglers.

And these:

Cute Thursday

These are two of the cutest boys in the whole world. And yes, I am a biased Auntie! :-)

Jordan - 2 1/2 years

Jackson - 10 months