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ryderclan
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Name: Paul and Ashley
Interests: iTunes and other Apple products, dogs, the Bible, 24, ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, cherries
Expertise: the comic strip Peanuts, random useless football facts
Message: message me
Member Since:
4/11/2006
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| UnderdogsIt was a fantastic Super Bowl. No one thought he could do it. His legacy has been one of missing the prize, not measuring up. He is no stranger to criticism, being mocked, or being the brunt of a joke. But last night he proved them wrong. He showed that he does indeed have what it takes to claim the prize. Congratulations to one of my favorite guys of all time.
http://www.youtube.com/user/CocaColaSuperbowl
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| LOSTWell, I don't know how many of you are lost fans, but I wanted to post some thoughts about the season premier and some of my favorite moments from the show so far.
1. The review was not as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, it made me even more excited about the show starting up again.
2. I'll be honest, I am disappointed they are still on the island and that they most likely will be there all season with the flashes into the future instead of into the past. I really want the satisfaction of seeing them leave the island- even though its just 6 of them. Any theories about who the other 3 are who get off? My guess is Ben leaves (against his will) (making Locke the official leader of the others). I'm not sure who else, but I desperately hope Sun gets to leave. I wouldn't be surprised if Desmond gets off since he would have an interesting life to get back to.
3. The review of the 3 seasons got me thinking about some of my favorite moments so far in the show. I think the writers have done an excellent job of mixing the main elements of suspense and fear with moments of tremendous joy and triumph (and I'll admit a wet eye or two). Here are some of my favorite of those moments:
Locke makes Claire a crib for Aaron.
Charlie shares a can of imaginary peanut butter with Claire.
Rose and Barnard are reunited.
Live together, die alone!
Season one - I think its Rose - prays at the end of the show.
Sun finds out the baby is Jin's.
Hurley gets the van working.
4. LOST is also full of very freak you out until you can't sleep moments (caution: this can be more intense if you have watched 6 or more episodes at one time). Here are some of the freakiest:
They take Claire while she's pregnant to a scary underground place.
We see Jacob for the first time.
Jack is playing football with the others.
Any scene that Ethan is in.
The black evilness gets Eko
I know there are more, but I'm having a hard time recalling and my hands are starting to shake with fear, so I'll stop there for now. What are your favorite moments?
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| ICEHey, I thought you might like to see some pictures of our trees that got destroyed by the ice. Almost every tree in our neighborhood looked like this, and now almost everyone's yards have big piles of branches in them, ready to be disposed of when they can borrow someone's truck.
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| There is just something about Fall. I know, I wrote about it last time already, but it's just so powerful. It is finally looking dreary outside today and the winds are practically blowing branches off of the trees, and I am looking for good Thanksgiving recipes. It makes me so happy! I think one thing I like about Fall is that it promises a good ending and new beginnings. No matter what your year has been like, you know the holidays will be the best. If you year has been sad, you know the holidays will be happy. If your year has been lonely, you know during the holidays you will see the people who mean the most. If your year has been hard on the budget, maybe you'll get something nice under the tree. And better yet, if you have had an awesome year, this will just top it off and you can be the one to give the nice things under the tree.
I have had a pretty good year, but it has been challenging in some respects. The thing I look forward to the most about the holidays is laughing. Laughing seems to make you forget about things that have gone wrong and remember the things that went right and the people God has given you and be grateful. And there is no group of people that I laugh with more than my family (and at, but that is a different post). I think it is because I am the most comfortable with them and we all share the same strange sense of humor.
And then there is always the promise of a new beginning with a new year. As good as the holidays are, it can be a relief sometimes when they are done because your year is done. If you've had a bad year, that one day that takes you from the memories of 2007 to the promise of 2008 can help you have a totally new outlook. Whether or not you are into making resolutions, there is always the sense of staring over; a clean slate so to speak. And maybe your resolution this year should be to laugh more 
Thinking about all of these things reminds me of the beautiful verses in Jeremiah: "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his
compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your
faithfulness." With Christ there is always the promise of a new day, new mercies for whatever we face, and renewal in our lives. And like the seasons always come, God is always faithful. We know in the end we will have a good ending which will ultimately be the best beginning ever.
Enjoy your holidays!
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| The other highlight of our trip to Chicago was getting to visit my Aunt and Uncle in Valparaiso, IN. They are people who I admire very much. They have four birth children and have adopted 6. Or technically, the last 4 will be adopted in the next few weeks I think, but they have been living with them as foster children for years. There are 9 boys and 1 girl all together and their ages range from 25 to 1. (The adopted children are 9 years and younger while the birth children are all at least 18). Anyway, it was so much fun to be able to meet the adopted children (I had not met any of them) and to see the rest of the family since it has been a long time. Here are some pics of everyone.
Since working at the Pregnancy Resource Center, I have such a great appreciation for parents who choose to adopt and also a respect and admiration for mothers who make an adoption plan for their children. There is a tremendous amount of sacrifice on both ends. It was really neat to hear from Sharon and Peter about how the Lord led them to begin foster care and eventually adoption. They definitely had some difficult times along the way, but you can tell how rewarding it has been for them. It was also fun to see how much my mom and her sister are alike. Mannerisms, figures of speech, facial expressions, you name it. And of course, they are both short. They are also both good hostesses. Uncle Peter is a man of many talents and has recently built an addition onto their house which is like a parents' suite. It is very nice and something I'm sure they really need for time alone and to relax. One of the things that impressed me the most about Aunt Sharon and her parenting was how organized she is. I mean I guess you would have to be with 10 children, but she makes sure to schedule time for herself once a week to eat out with a friend, and she has an entire system for the children helping around the house and for their schooling (did I mention they are homeschooled?)
It was a really nice visit, and I only wish we lived closer to each other so we could get to know the children better as well as Sharon and Peter. What a great example they are of our call to reach out to children, especially those without a good home or parents capable of parenting. God Bless them!
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