One Week Down, Five to Go...

So it's Sunday, and that means I've survived one week sans-gluten and dairy. Quite an accomplishment, if you know me even somewhat. You know, I think I can do this thing! Mom and I played in a golf scramble, and together we fired a 7 under! I'm tellin ya, we were pretty impressed with ourselves! I'm now wishing I would've gone to Dr. Iodice about 5 years ago, my body felt so good on the course, but I guess I'd be on the pro tour or something instead of teaching kids, which has far more significance; so I take it back I guess.

The OSU football game was depressing enough, but the brisket, chicken, rice, chips, and salsa were fantastic; though the free ice cream snacks were tantalizing. I did try the new vitamin water with 10 calories. Blahhhhh. I remember that vitamin water itself didn't have enough flavor for me (why everyone doesn't just drink Propel baffles me). My energy level was pretty low for the most part, though I'm not sure how much of that can be attributed to the 1500 miles I've driven in the last 3 days and how much of that's due to the diet.

At Whole Foods tonight, I picked up so GF cereal!!! We'll see how it works out; I still got some oatmeal, as that's working pretty well for me now.

The hardest facet of this challenge seems to be all the planning that goes into meals where Chris is concerned. Do I make the GF stuff for him to (depleting all my GF resources)? Or do I make 2 seperate meals (who wants to do that?)? I made a big o'pot of rice tonight and baked chicken strips (non-breaded), but we ate almost all the chicken, so that'll have to be a per-nightly thing I guess. I've also got some sweet and regular potatoes, with the inevitable question: what the heck am I supposed to put on a potato if I can't eat dairy?!? I'll ask the doc that tomorrow. Also thinking I can brown hamberger meat and put it on top of the rice for me and make hamberger helper for Chris? Is that lame??

The really frustrating thing for me right now is that I haven't been able to exercise at all since this started. With teaching, golf practices and meets, and 3 dr. appt's per week, I'm not sure how much better my body's going to feel if I'm not working out. hmmm...

In other (more 6ish) news, I listened to 3 REALLY good Mark Dever sermons on Luke 12, 13, & 14, and am thus encouraged to love my wonderful Savior much more ardently and to love my brothers and sisters much more actively. My goal is to encourage and pray more fervently for others, encouraging them to seek Christ with everything.

Day 4: Things are looking up!

God answered my prayer from day 3 and day 4 was a lot better! I slabbed some peanut butter on a rice cake thingie for my planning period snack and added some boiled egg to the salad with crab meat for lunch. Much better. Also, I think the dark chocolate Chris and I picked up at the store last night helped curb my craving (and keep my attitude up) for the afternoon.

Golf practice was rained out, so I munched on some apple slices with PB before going to the chiro. The exercises he's giving me are training my core/scapulas/shoulders/hips to function as they should, utilizing stabilizer muscles instead of straining weaker muscles (which is apparently what my body has been doing to itself).

Upon leaving the chiro office, we ate at Chipotle (I've actually come to enjoy the chicken burrito bol) and drove down to Tulsa. We're attending a memorial service for Chris's uncle who is now in the presence of the Lord due to cancer. It'll be great to spend time with family and celebrate his life and what God did for him.

Being the OCD person I am about food, I brought an entire bag filled with GF snacks in case the catered lunch is sandwiches or something of the sort. After the memorial, we're headed back to KC. Chris has his board exams Friday and Saturday; I'm teaching school Friday, and then driving back down to Oklahoma to spend the weekend with my family: playing in a golf tourney that benefits a college ministry and going to the OSU/Houston football game. The football game is the only thing that concerns me - I hope they don't confiscate all the Cliff Bars I try to smuggle in!

Day 3: Hunger Pangs of Death

Today my tank was on low. I guess that teaching a full day takes a bit more out of me than a Labor Day off, and my body didn’t like the different (or lacking) energy source. Anyway, I’m praying that it doesn’t get worse than this, or else I’m going to have to figure out ways to keep my stomach from eating itself. My oatmeal and eggs carried me until about 10, when my tummy started to squeal out of desperation. I usually eat a few almonds and sip some tea on my plan, but today I scarfed a handful and another fistful of GF (gluten-free) crackers as well, probably simultaneously.

Lunch was probably my biggest mistake of the day. I meant to bring apple and celery slices to dip in peanut butter, but forgot them, so all I had was my wimpy salad with some crab meat. Oh yes, and some more GF crackers. My crustacean friend wasn’t too appetizing, and I didn’t get my usual chocolate bite, so my kids saw me in rare form today. I think I snapped at one unsuspecting (though totally deserving) little twerp for rocking in my seat, then leaning over my podium, then sitting on his desk and rocking it back and forth. Not to mention that he must weigh 180. I don’t even know what I threatened him. But I then apologized, explaining that I hadn’t had chocolate in 3 days.

On the way to the golf course, I began stuffing all I could down my throat, but since all I had were GF crackers and rice cakes, that didn’t amount to much. My golfers figured out the weird taste of the GF crackers: burnt popcorn. Bingo. The munching continued throughout the round – I was fiercely hungry!

When I finally got home to the 2nd-time’s-a-charm rice spaghetti, I felt a little better, though tired. However, I’m becoming quite fond of the Rice Dream ice cream stuff. Wish I could haul that sweet chocolaty goodness with me all the time!

When I told the chiro at tonight’s appointment about my troubles, I think he dismissed me as an addict who’s undergoing necessary cleansing. I think he’s right…

Day 2: The Blues Strike

Today was a bit harder. I don’t know if the lack of serotonin-producing foods I’m used to is playing with my emotions or if other stresses are more to blame, but this afternoon I was in a pretty bad mood for me. I’d describe it as being on edge, on the verge of crying, what most of us women would call PMS symptoms (the emotional ones, anyway). Weird, and needless to say, I’m ready for this feeling to be over.

After talking to my mom, it could be the lack of control I’m feeling over my diet. Chris, his friend Alan, and I didn’t eat lunch till 2:30, because we were shooting a video of exercises and techniques for my chiropractor’s website. We went to Chipotle, where the chicken burrito bol is lacking bread, though Chipotle has some spice that always makes my stomach feel funky. Then we went over to a friend’s house for a cookout, and I felt kind of rude asking to see labels of all the foods they had (I’m still not sure what all is in things). Steak, salad (I had to pick out the feta cheese!), apples, grapes, and almonds were great, but then I started to feel anxious about getting home.

The day before going back to school always riles me up; I guess it’s the feeling of being unprepared. I got a lot of grading done this weekend, and have the next two weeks planned out, so the feeling is a bit absurd, but nonetheless it’s always there. Maybe someday, when I’m a seasoned teacher, it’ll go away? Hope so?

Tomorrow, I have FCA at 7 a.m., and I’m bringing the donuts… I can’t imagine rice-donuts. That’s got to be the grossest thing ever! Then after school my girls have a golf meet at the local par-3. And then I have a dr. appt. Busy day! Lord, help my attitude to be glorifying to you!

Day 1: Rice Cream, Anyone?

So far, so good! The scrambled eggs and organic oatmeal with strawberries, bananas, blueberries, and cinnamon on top kept me full all through church, Sunday school (& teaching those 3rd graders sure does take it out of you!), and grading some papers afterwards. My decently-sized salad with 2 boiled eggs was nothing to write home about and had to be backed up with a midafternoon banana.

For dinner I made regular spaghetti for Chris, and boiled some rice spaghetti for myself… ick. Maybe, if absolutely necessary, I could get used to the weird, soupy texture of it, but I’d be happy to get some alternative solutions.

The highlight of the food day was the Rice Dream Chocolate Caramel Chai (non-dairy ice cream). Definitely worth the $4 pint, since I don’t need much to get my chocolate fix. I think I’ll get some Silk chocolate milk tomorrow for when I finish my tiny little pint of chocolate gold.

I received some encouragement from Chris’s study partner, a collegiate trackster, who said that his coach wouldn’t let them drink dairy. Apparently I’ll run like the wind blows when I get all the cow out of my system. Makes sense, seeing as cows aren’t the fastest mammal. I went for a speed walk tonight, and whew, I was cruising! Now I’m off to some speed reading!

Last Day of Comfort Food…

Tomorrow I begin my quest toward health, so I ate my last bowl of cereal, my last piece of bread, my last slices of pizza, and my last bowl of ice cream for 6 weeks (or maybe more if this does the trick). And I enjoyed every bite of each.

At Sams I stocked up on salad, fruit, asparagus, chicken, and beef, and I even found some gluten-free crackers. Tried them… hmm… different? And this is gross, but they made me burp, and I hope that doesn’t happen again.

Who knew that Whole Foods was a gluten-free paradise??? I got organic oats for breakfast (apparently Quaker Oats has some wheat in it), soy milk (of course), dairy-free ice cream, organic produce, and gluten-free spaghetti and cookie mix!!! Crazy things they come up with these days! It’s like I’m not even going to miss anything! Well, I wouldn’t go that far.

Today, Chris gave me the whole “If you mess up once, don’t just throw in the towel” speech that I’m sure most dieters need. However, I think I’ll be able to manage, especially since there are so many alternatives out there.

Things I’m looking forward to:

• Feeling better – duh
• Better complexion – I’m pretty sure the chocolate = zits thing is an old wives’ tale, but there’s probably some truth to it.
• The (hopefully) upped energy and improved athletic performance – since I’ve been aching to improve my 40 time.
• Losing a few pounds – no ice cream every night should do that by itself!

Gluten- & Dairy-Free Ali Begins Sunday...

My favorite food is ice cream. Extravagantly chocolate ice cream. And to be perfectly specific: chocolate ice cream with brownie, cookie dough, peanut butter, fudge, and caramel. But all that’s about to go. In fact, everything with milk in it is about to go. And if that’s not completely terror-striking, everything containing gluten (wheat) is going out with it.

No, I’m not trying to lose weight, though the thought of that byproduct is helping to ease the pain a bit. I’ve been seeing an amazing chiropractor, Dr. Kirk Iodice, who is solving all my body’s ailments through his House-esque differential diagnoses of anatomical and physiological motion exams. After a few weeks of observing and coming to the bottom of my many, many problems, he wants to run an experiment at the chemical level: my diet.

My chronic stiff neck, tight hips and traps, and other various ailments have many structural issues behind them, but I may also have a minor allergic (of sorts) reaction to gluten and/or dairy. When Dr. Iodice prescribed the regimen sans all the foods I basically love for 6 weeks, with no hesitation I informed him that I hated his guts. I love the cereal I eat every morning (and sometimes for dinner), I am known for my religious sandwich-making ceremony at lunch, and I never make pasta without garlic bread. Not to mention the ice cream… nightly.

So I think (this is after I’ve had time to cool off and change my attitude) that this might be a good thing. In the last month, I’ve figured out that I’m not so much competitive as self-motivated, and this is a chance for me to test that. Because it will be a test that requires all my strength of mind to overpower the addictions that I’ve created to the all-powerful force of chocolate.

Dr. Iodice gave me a few days to prepare myself mentally – mostly because I do all my grocery shopping on the weekend – so this Saturday I’m stocking up on fruits, veggies, lean meats, soy milk, and all the gluten-free products resembling bread that I can find.

Sunday begins my quest. I’ve decided to blog my way through the pain, so you can enjoy the agony of ‘health’ and hold me accountable. What kind of Ali will emerge from this milky, bready grave I’d been digging for my body? Stay posted to find out!

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom

King Soloman, the wisest man who ever lived, stated, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” I usually pass over this statement with affirmation but little thought, but something caused me to ponder over it a while today: that is completely the opposite of how most people today treat God. I remember when the “Jesus is my homeboy” shirts came out and was appauled that this style followed the doctrine that has been harped on from too many a-pulpit for the last umpteen years: the familiarity (sans-holiness) of God. We are encouraged not to fear God, but quite the opposite, really; namely the errantly overused saying that He accepts me “just as/where I am.” We make up a false god who is all about us and doesn’t care what we think about Him, when clearly the God of The Bible requires that we desire Him above everything (even ourselves).

Because I think this heresy has trickled down into our family practices – and thus giving me students who have no concept or fear of authority – I often analogize this by God calling Himself our Father. I have a great dad. Probably the best. I respect him, love him, try my best to obey him, seek his council, and love to spend time with him. I know that everything he does, he has my best interest in mind. Do I fear him? Heck, yes, I do! (More so when I was under his roof, of course, but that’s the vantage point from which I’m drawing this analogy.) Why do I fear my dad if I know he loves me? My dad wants the best for me, demands my very best, and has the power and authority to punish me when I don’t do what is right. When I don’t give my best or make a poor decision, he responds with anger and consequences. Because he loves me.

Why do people buck at authority? Because they think they know better than the authority does, I suppose. But though you may be more intelligent than government officials, administration, or even your own parents, do you have the audacity to say you have more intelligence that the God who invented the idea of intellect? Even more so than my human father, our heavenly Father demands perfection and has justice on His side to eternally punish those who aren’t perfect. That’s pretty fearsome. And it’s not until one understands the righteousness God demands and the justice He pours out on all who fall short, that a person can then understand God Himself becoming one of us and undergoing that punishment on our behalf. That is why the fear of the Lord is the BEGINNING of wisdom; it is the beginning of the Gospel of Good News in Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Camping Trip to Clinton Lake

Clinton State Park is a great park for KS. Many of the sites are pretty much in open fields, but many are tucked into wooded areas. There are many clean bathrooms and showers. The lake is bigger than I expected, and this park would be awesome for a Sea Doo or boat get away. :)

This was Chris's and my first time camping together without anyone else, so as expected, we encountered some problems:
1. Thanks to the faithful GPS and the wrong address selection (who knew there'd be 4 "Clinton State Park"s?), we got lost on the way there and ended up on the opposite side of the lake, so it took about an hour extra to get there Fri night.
2. I didn't bring charcoal, thinking we'd gather firewood for our brats and smores (I'm the more old-fashioned type of camper), but this idea terrified Chris and we had to go to the store to get charcoal and lighter fluid.
3. The worst happening was the air mattress going flat. We were in Chris's Avalanche tent, and didn't bring our sleeping bags (or their air mattresses), and the truck bed is hard and has ridges. Needless to say, we didn't sleep much at all. I recall tossing and turning, my butt finally hitting the floor, thinking 'Surely it's almost morning as I've woken up about 30 times,' and then looking at my watch: "1 A.M! You've GOT to be kidding me!"
4. We had to leave at 7:30 to go pick up a chair that Chris wanted to buy (off Craigs List) from a guy in Topeka. We got a great Zero Gravity chair (worth $1300) for $350. It was pretty much a steal, so worth it, but we didn't get to hike any of the park's many trails like we had originally planned for that morning.

I'm thinking it was good for us to experience the kinks of our first camping experience alone together, so we'll be more prepared next time!

Notes from Estes Park #1

We arrived in Estes Park, CO, yesterday, and we logged 6.5 hiking miles within the first few hours of arriving. I was not in the right mindframe for it (not expecting to do anything that intense the first day), but Wild Basin is a beautiful, water-filled hike. It wasn't too steep, though there were some pretty good parts a bit off the trail. We climbed up above Ouzel Falls, where we caught a nice view of Longs Peak and felled trees (not by man, of course, but we couldn't figure out if by disease, fire, avalanche, or whatever else). I'm feeling pretty good the morning after, and I'm thankful that the soreness of the steriod shot in my foot is wearing off and it feels great today! I'm sure Dad is hurting today, though.

The best part about Griffin Family Vacations is the mass amounts of food we bring but will most likely never eat. Mom, Joy, and I each brought about 10 gallons of food items, from granola to trail mix to cereal to candy bars (in case I can't find a more ice creamy way to satisfy my chocolate fix). In Denver, we ate at Proto's Pizza, a stone's throw from REI outdoor store, and it was AMAZING! After our hike last night, we dined at The Stone Inn in Estes, which has incredible buffalo burgers and sweet potato fries. YUM! Then Joy, Asher, and I got some coffee at Kind. Their Kind Shake (ice cream, expresso, and chocolate - my favorite things) is unbelievable! Needless to say that all the hiking I'm doing on this trip is just so I can eat like a maniac!

Joy and I have decided that for the rest of our lives we are going to make it a priority to spend a week in Estes Park every year. This place is so magnetically magnificent. It doesn't have the curb appeal of the Tetons of Jackson Hole, WY (the most breathtaking site in the US in my opinion), but it has something about it that makes it an adventurer's second home. Someone asked me earlier this summer why I wouldn't want to visit another part of CO since I've been to Estes the last two years, and I responded, why would I want to go anywhere else? The best of CO is here.

Archetypal Wonderings

The other day, I was talking with a friend who showed me a short film he was in, where a girl dreams that he overcomes many obstacles in quest for her. I made the observation that it’s true: all girls want to be rescued. Each woman wants a man to be willing to fight a battle for her, pursue her at any cost to him, slay the dragon, climb the tower, and rescue her from the evil witch’s spell. All those Disney movies didn’t make bank for nothing. The same storyline that we find over and over in fairytales, legends, and folklore across the globe is written on our hearts for a reason. It’s the gospel.

I first heard the word “archetype” when I was assigned as a summer project for my preAP 10th grade English class a paper on the archetypes in The Lord of the Rings’s prequel, The Hobbit, and in the Star Wars trilogy. My research of the assignment’s prompt led me to the Latin roots: arch, meaning ‘first’, and typ, meaning ‘print’, or of course, ‘kind’. So an archetype is the first of its kind, or really, a model for a reoccurring character-type, symbol, situation, etc. For example, in Star Wars, Darth Vader is an archetypal Satan (devil/evil) character, the light saber is an archetypal symbol of magic/knowledge/power, and Luke goes on an archetypal quest of self-discovery while in pursuit of The Force. You get the idea.

It has since intrigued me that most – arguably all – archetypes are not confined to culture, but span across the globe, which has caused many scholars to inquire of the human collective conscious, or subconscious if you’re Freud. Why do we all have these same ideas of truth, beauty, love, fulfillment, etc? I would argue that the best archetypes are written on our hearts because they are a portrait of the gospel.

The ‘plot’, if you will, of the gospel (put in fairytale-ish terms), starts with the King choosing a bride, for His Son (Eph 1:4). As all princess brides should be, she is to be pure, beautiful, and faithful. Of course, it doesn’t take long into the Bible to see that she (we) mess that up, and through evil’s deception, she is placed under a curse and unable to save herself (hence, damsel in distress). Like Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, et al., we are unresponsive, “dead in [our] trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1). Here’s were the climax of the story comes: our Prince, Jesus Christ, despite our imperfections and even outright rejection of Him, tackles unfathomable obstacles to get to us. He leaves His throne and condescends to humanity, he blamelessly overcomes fleshly sin, and he even defeats the real archetype of evil himself, Satan. But this tale doesn’t end there because He still has to release the curse’s grip on His beloved. He buys back her purity by giving her his own through taking her sin and shame on Himself on the cross, dying the death she is sentenced to, and receiving the wrath of a holy God on Himself. Prince Charming can’t go this far, though, because if he dies, then the princess would have no one to marry; so to die for the princess is noble, but it doesn’t make for a good story. However, Christ our Savior did die, and then rose from the dead because sin and the grave had been conquered; our debt has been paid in full, “tetelestai” (John 19:30). The princess (believer) is saved from evil and free to marry her Prince, sin/death is conquered, and the Prince is exalted.

Sadly, I didn’t make this connection during the conversation, as I rarely do, but thought about it late into the night afterwards. What if the Author and Perfector of our faith planted the archetypal storyline into our “collective subconscious” to preach the beauty of His salvation to our aesthetic psyche?

Your 3 Words

My last assignment of the year was extremely short: three words. The students were to either summarize the year, describe themselves, or motivate others with no more or less than three words that captured their personalities. It was fun to put this together, and it was a pleasure to teach such a dynamic and sweet group of kids!

Meekness vs. Passion

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5)

I’ve always had a little trouble reconciling the notion of meekness with my inherent and cultivated passionate personality. Dictionary.com defines meekness as being “patient; docile; overly submissive,” which in my mind never fit with the athletic mentality of confidence and zealous exertion. The adage, “Meekness is not weakness, but power under control,” helped the issue, but still didn’t solidify anything for me. But John MacArthur, in his Grace to You study of the beatitudes, shed light on this seeming controversy, and pointed out how one can be both meek and fervent.

The key is the object of your passion. If you are passionate about yourself – your promotion, your recognition, your success – then of course you are not humble, submissive, or gentle, and therefore not meek. If, on the other hand, you are passionate about God and His glory, then you can be humble about yourself and assertive about Him. Jesus was the perfect embodiment of meekness. He did not care how people affronted, ridiculed, beat, abused, or even killed him personally. He took it. However, when people were blaspheming God (i.e., the temple incident in Mark 11), He retaliated with righteous anger. So we are to be passionate, just not about ourselves, but about God’s Holy Name.

This visual helps me so much because I’ve always found it easier to focus on what TO do, rather than what NOT to do. Before, meekness always seemed like negative (don’t promote yourself, don’t desire your own way above others’, etc.), and it does carry that, but it also carries the positive: focus on God, His holiness, and what He deserves. I deserve nothing, which is why I should not promote myself, and also why I should be patient in affliction. He deserves everything, which is why I should be zealous about proclaiming His truth, and give my all to protect the sacredness of His renown.

Meekness is an abandonment of self for an adherence to God.

The Number Game

The game is to list as many numbers as you can connect to your life. I got to fifty, which took me a while, but it was really fun! Comment about your favorite, and try your own!

1 – is for the “Audience of One” – I live for the Soli Deo Gloria!
2 – is for my incredible two parents, Stan and Candy, who reared me in fear and knowledge of the Lord.
3 – is for the holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
4 – is the average number of meals in a day for me, the fourth being the most important, ice cream.
5 – is for my age when the Lord called me with His irresistible grace to serve Him.
6 – is for the sports I’ve played/coached competitively: Golf, Softball, Basketball, Soccer, Cheerleading, and Track.
7 – is for the pairs of flip-flops I own. Chaco flip-flops are the best things my feet have ever known!!!
8 – is my favorite number. Reason: as a catcher, I loved the 8th Commandment: “Thou shall not steal.”
9 – is for the number of FCA camps I’ve attended: 5 as a camper and 4 as a huddle leader. FCA camps rock!
10 – is for how many minutes it takes me to run a mile. 
11 – is for my anguish if I’m ever up this late on a school night. My bedtime is 10 pm (hey, 5 am comes early!)
12 – is for the months Chris and I knew each other before he proposed You can see the video on youtube (search “Proposals” and we’re #1)!
13 – is for my age when I received my first kiss. How scandalous!
14 – is for how many days Chris and I knew each other before he told me he was going to marry me. Yeah, that’s hard core. Refer to #12: now that seems like a long time to wait, doesn’t it?
15 – is for my age when I decided to pursue golf. I realized that I’m white, short, and slow, so I’d have a better chance on the links than on the court. I’m sure Pat Summit is still mad at me, but she’ll get over it.
16 – is how many hours Chris and I spent climbing and especially descending Longs Peak – elev. 14,259 – in Rocky Mnt. Natl. Park. I’ve never felt so awesome and foolish – awesome when we summated, foolish when I spent the whole way down throwing up.
17 – is my age when I got into my first car accident. I slid on ice with my brother in the car. After it was over, he told me that I swore like a sailor, but I don’t remember a thing. It’s also the year I found out I was a Calvinist in American Literature class. The teacher talked about TULIP, and I thought, “So, isn’t that what the Bible teaches?” ha!
18 – is for the number of holes on a golf course, the age I went away to college, and how those two merged to bring me to Oklahoma State. Playing golf there disciplined me in the art of perseverance, drive, and humility.
19 – is for the birthdays of my mom and brother. I just realized that.
20 – is how many friends I have on facebook. Times 100.
21 – is for my age when I moved into the Pi Phi house and met my roommate and now best girlfriend, Joy.  That’s also the same year I was engaged and married to my best boyfriend, Chris.  What a year!!!
22 – is for Asher's baseball number. After elbow surgery, I'm thankful God had another plan for him.
23 - is for Colossians 3:23 - "Whatever you do, do it with all your heart, as serving the Lord and not men." One of my all time faves.
24 - is for my basketball number, which I chose because 2 x 4 = 8 (ref. #8). I know, but I think I was 12 when I thought that was cool. I also know a lot of other numbers add or multiply up to 8, but 24 was the prettiest.
25 - is for the number of resolutions I made this last New Years.
26 - is for the number of months of blessed and incredibly fun matrimony!
27 - is for the movie, 27 Dresses, of which I am the complete opposite! I'm praying to be a bridesmaid in one wedding in my lifetime!
28 - is for the time I spent every morning in the car on the way to school either: talking to Mom, listening to John MacArthur via bott radio network, or dancing; but I'm always drinking coffee in my Kind Coffee tumbler!
29 - is for the of books in my "to read this summer" list.
30 - is for the minutes of jam session I have in my classroom every morning before my kids enter at 7:20... If they only knew... But let's keep it where they don't.
31 – is for the number of minutes I can spend on a tredmill, stair-stepper, or gauntlet before I lose focus and start thinking about all the other things I could be doing right now. My threshold on the elliptical is about 12.5 minutes. (I don’t like it very much.)
32 – is for how many verses I memorized in Philippians until I gave in. Sorry, Lacey, I’m such a loser! For those of you who might check, that’s to chapter 2, verse 2.
33 - is for the number of times I said "fixin' ta" in front of Zac until he finally broke me of it. Thanks, by the way.
34 - is for Asher's high school football number. A few concussions and a broken foot later, I'm glad he finished that one, and baseball, too.
35 - is for my basketball number in 6th grade (because 3 + 5 = 8, see #8), but then I came to the conclusion that 24 was such a prettier number.
36 - is for the average par in nine holes of golf. Why was the front nine always so much harder for me to break this?
37 – is for the number I throw out there when I mean a lot. For instance, I’ll tell my students, “There were about 37 essays that did not follow instructions. Prepare to be dominated.” Something like that. If I’m giving a made up statistic, it’s 87%, just because it sounds like a randomly overwhelming majority.
38 – is for the number of students in my 5th hour. Okay, there are 28, but I think a few of them have multiple personalities.
39 – is for the year before 40. I cannot imagine being that old. I hope I have my Masters before then.
40 – is for the score I’d usually record on the front nine. I figure that it’s because I don’t like math, and it’d be easy for me to figure out what I’d need to shoot on the back nine to keep it in the 70’s.  That was the biggest load of bologna ever.
41 – is for the number of books on my bookshelf right now. Yep, I just counted.
42 – is 24 backwards. So if you saw me in my basketball jersey through your rearview mirror, this is what you’d see. Well, kind of.
43 – is how many items my husband has bought (or as he says, “Stole”) on ebay this year.
44 – is how many he’s sold. In the black, baby!  haha
45 – is how many minutes I spent running with my parents’ dog, Aggie, the other day. It was the longest run of my life to-date. I’m still amazed!!!
46 – is for the approximate amount of time you’re actually watching an hour-long program. Fourteen minutes of commercials is about thirteen minutes and 59 seconds too long for me.
47 – is the ugliest number in my book. Bleh!!!
48 – is the number of minutes a child in my class gets to behold BRILLIANCE every weekday.
49 – is the age of my grandma. She’s been 49 for what seems like forever, and that’s what I convinced her to put on her license plate: 4EVR49. You rock, Mimi!
50 – is the age of my amazing mother, who will kill me because I just called her “mother,” but probably not since she most likely won’t read this far… Just kidding, Mom. You know you’re the best thing to happen to energy since sugar.

I could think of more, but I doubt you’d want to read it.

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There are many such heroes present in The Outsiders. Many boys in this story go beyond their appearance or themselves for others. For example, Johnny Cade is usually a shy, scared boy who is too timid to take action. However, when a group of Socs is attempting to drown Ponyboy, Johnny finds courage to protect his friend by killing Bob, the Soc. When Ponyboy realizes what had happened, Johnny tells Ponyboy that he stabbed Bob because “I had to. They were drowning you, Pony. They might have killed you” (52). Johnny reveals that he acted on behalf of his friend. He knows the consequences of his actions and that it will mean jail for him, or worse, but he makes the decision to sacrifice his own life in order to save his friend. Johnny’s heroic deed must have rubbed off on Ponyboy, because they both later save children from a burning church. As their friend Dally is driving them back from Dairy Queen, the boys notice the burning church, hear the children screaming, and despite the parents’ warning, rush into the burning building. After they rescue the children, one of the grateful parents exclaims that they are “the bravest kids I’ve seen in a long time… are you just professional heroes or something?” (84). The parent is so overwhelmed because the boys came out of nowhere and risked their lives to save complete strangers. Above all, not only did Johnny risk his life, but he ended up giving his life for these kids since he died as a result of the fire. Thus, two of the main characters in this book do not look like typical heroes, but they become heroes when they selflessly consider others’ lives above their own.

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A person should get to know othes instead of stereotyping because judging others is hurtful to both sides. Stereotyping is judging people based on appearance, friends, background, and financial situation, regardless whether the information is true or false. Prejudging someone can hurt their reputation, keep one from getting to know others, and thus keep one from becoming friends with others. In The Outsiders, two feuding groups stereotype each other. The Socs, or stereotype each other. The Socs, or the rich kids, stereotype the Greasers as juvenile delinquents and good-for-nothing hoodlums. The Greasers, on the other hand, stereotype the Socs as spoiled brats who get everything they want and pick fights for fun. Ponyboy, who does not fit his Greaser stereotype, nevertheless judges all Socs as the same throughout the book. His feelings toward the Socs change when he talks to Randy , the “super-Soc,” at the Tasty Freeze. After Randy reveals the problems he and other Socs go through, Ponyboy “remembered Cherry’s voice: Things are rough all over. I knew then what she meant” (117). Ponyboy is recalling an earlier conversation with Cherry Valence, the beautiful, independent Soc. She and Randy teach Ponyboy that even those who seem to have it easy go through rough times. He begins to see that his stereotype of the Socs was wrong. Ponyboy starts to overcome his tendency to stereotyp when he sees Bob’s picture in the yearbook. Up to this point, Ponyboy “had not given Bob much thought,” because Ponyboy only thought of Bob as the horrible Soc who beat up Johnny and who Johnny killed to save him (140). Now, however, he starts to see Bob as a regular guy and even ponders, “What was he like?” (140). This is a maturing step for Ponyboy because he realizes that Bob is not that different from him, and therefore Ponyboy should have given Bob a chance as a person instead of just a Soc. Ponyboy learns that a person is an individual worthy of being known and should not be lumped together with a group.

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In life, everybody has problems, but adversity can make a person stronger because it teaches valuable lessons. Even if someone’s life seems obstacle-free and easy, nobody is perfect even if they seem so on the outside. Each person has his own set of hardships that will either make him or break him. Adversity, or hard times, can help a person learn about himself, about those who care for him, and about what is really important in life. In The Outsiders, Ponyboy learns these lessons through dealing with his hardships and learning about other people’s problems. He learns that even the Socs have trying times, even though it appears they have everything they want. When Ponyboy meets Cherry, the beautiful, intelligent Soc, at the movies, in their conversation, she reveals to him, “We have troubles you’ve never even heard of… Things are rough all over” (34-35). Cherry means that the Socs have different kinds of problems than the Greasers do, but they are just as tough as the Greasers’ problems. Most of the Socs do not seem to respond well to their hardships, but Randy, Bob’s best friend, changes his life for the better because of Bob’s death. Randy decides that fighting is useless and that he wants better than the meaningless life he had in his clique. Not only does Randy learn from his adversity, but Ponyboy does as well. Ponyboy faces tremendous trials in The Outsiders, such as: his parents’ death, gang rivalry, fights, murder, hiding from the law, concussions, dying friends, and others. Because of all he has been through, Ponyboy decides to write his theme about the life of the Greasers because “someone should tell their side of the story, and maybe people would understand” (179). Ponyboy writes his theme to help not only people like himself, but also to help all others too. This shows that his adversity has made him more open, aware, understanding, and loving of other people. He wants to use his experience to help others, which shows incredible strength. Ponyboy and Randy demonstrate how a person can grow through adversity.

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A person should get to know others instead of stereotyping them because it is better to understand an individual than to lump them into a group. Stereotyping is assuming that someone is the same as their group and judging another person based on their looks, their clothes, their background, or their financial situation. Stereotyping keeps one from getting to know others and creates many problems. Many such problems from stereotyping occur in The Outsiders. The two feuding groups each stereotype the other, which causes fights, jealousy, and hatred. The Socs, who are the rich kids, judge the Greasers as white trash and good for nothing hoodlums. The Greasers, on the other hand, judge the Socs as snooty, heartless jerks who only care about their social status. Ponyboy, as Greaser who does not fit his stereotype, falls into the trap of thinking that all Socs are the same. Because the Socs jumped Johnny and him, Johnny defended Ponyboy by killing the attacker, and Ponyboy now “hated them as bitterly and contemptuously as Dally Winston hated” (114-115). Ponyboy compares his hatred to Dally because he has made clear in the story that Dally despises the whole world. In this hatred, Ponyboy judges each individual Soc by the group, and thus stereotypes them. When Ponyboy gets to know some Socs as individuals, however, he sees that they are people too and should be considered such. For example, when Randy, the “super-Soc,” tells Ponyboy about his friendship with Bob and Bob’s problems, Ponyboy “remembered Cherry’s voice: Things are rough all over. I knew then what she meant” (117). The Soc, Cherry Valence, told Ponyboy this when she befriended him at the movies. She and Randy help Ponyboy understand that everyone has their own problems, and therefore Ponyboy should not stereotype the Socs’ lives as easy. Because each person’s life is different, Ponyboy learns that he should get to know people and try to understand them instead of labeling them by their group.

The Shanks Produce Patience and Therefore Godliness

“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” ~James 5:7-8

Last week, the sermon on James 5:7-11, struck a chord with me as I was thinking about its application in my life. In our Bible study the following Friday, we were sharing life examples of patience – or lack thereof – and my example of endurance came out all wrong (as my stories often do), and so I’d like to take a stab at achieving its point by writing it down…

When I arrived on the OSU campus as a freshman, my golf game was at its all-time high. I made the traveling squad for the first tournament, to my coach’s shock and seeming dismay, and sparing the details, it all went downhill from there. I don’t know if it was pressure or voodoo, but at the NCAA Preview, I caught some strand of shank-itis (if you don't know what a "shank" is, look it up on youtube) that stayed in my system for about a year and a half.

…This is where I lost the group to whom I was telling the story, for they thought that they needed to comfort me in my golf-esteem. It’s okay – I know I was and am a decent golfer who can beat the Joe Shmo who didn’t spend every daylight-filled minute outside of class on the links. So back to my story…

My first year and a half of college was pretty much miserable. Everyday I’d spend hours shanking ball after ball in front of coaches and teammates – which I’ve tried to equivocate to other sports, and it’d be like a runner tripping over his left heel. Every step. And 4-6 hours spent on the course each day adds up to many painful hours. My boyfriend of 2 ½ years and I broke up, and this made me realize that I had virtually no girlfriends. I never felt so alone and miserable.

Here’s where the patience part comes in. Now, one could say that I endured this trial, which I did of course, but I think, upon last week’s sermon, that the defining mark of true godly patience is one’s attitude. During this time, I was a speaker for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), and, as we’re supposed to, I used my story as my message when speaking to junior high and high school student-athletes. I often focused my message on James 1:2; “… count it all joy when you fall into various trials…” and encouraged them to seek the Lord when things of this world weren’t going the way we wanted them to, and that we must trust that the Lord is using this trial to produce something greater in us. It was good stuff for an 18 year old, but my idea of the “good” that would come out of my trial was that my golf game would come around, I'd win the NCAAs, etc. Hindsight of 5 years shows me just how foolish and narrow-minded my scope was. The idea wasn’t completely selfish: I wanted to be one of those success stories that FCA eats up, and I knew my success could be used to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Even so, my endurance through shank-ville was motivated by a Joel Osteen-esque, very worldly ambition: God’s allowing this trial in golf, so surely He’s going to bless my golf game if I’m faithful to Him.

The amazing part is that despite my idiocy in what I thought His plan for me was, God did use this time for my good and His glory, and of course golf trophies were not a part of either. Through becoming an English major, I was blessed with the opportunity to study Jonathan Edwards and many other reformed thinkers, which spilled over into what I read and studied on my own time. In the lowest time of my life in many respects, God revealed Himself to me in ineffable ways of such depth that required absolute dependence on and abandon to Him. He wanted me broken. He wanted me to understand that I bring nothing but my sinful self to the cross, and I guess I needed to feel abject humility in a worldly sense before I could fathom it in a spiritual manner.

In many places of scripture we find that it is God who reveals the major truths to our dead hearts and even the smallest tidbits of doctrine, and I think many times that is because it is He alone Who knows what circumstances will prepare our hearts to really absorb each piece of truth about Himself. He knows what will take a belief from an intellectual accent to a heartfelt conviction, and He can procure that encounter. He alone can break a person to the point that they see the beauty and majesty of the doctrines of grace, and though I had always professed their biblical adherence, it was not until I was in my worldly lowest of lows did I realize that the glory of God is more rightly seen from our lowest vantage point.

Hence, patience is a willingness to submit my will for God’s will, to understand and trust that: a) He is omnipotent and has the power to do anything He pleases, b) He is loving and will do what is best for me, and c) what is best for me is to become more like Christ.

Thank you to any who endured this blurb. I pray that you are blessed in your patience with my rambling, and I hope it made some sense!

If you've never actually read...

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, man, oh man, you should. I had seen the play and countless versions of the movie, but I had never read the actual book until a few months before I was to teach it to my 8th grade class. And WOW! The stage version can not possibly do justice to the ineffable description of Dickens. As I'm reading with my class, I am unable to keep from stopping the iPod (on which I have the audio track) every paragraph - or sometimes every sentence - to help them unpack the incredible imagery, beautiful language, and depth of themes and motifs.

Being 13- and 14-year olds, my main goal is to give my students a great experience with a classic work of literature, so that they not only remember it fondly, but so that they also are a little more welcoming of works they get to read in the future. And, dare I say, it's going well so far! My classes are about 2 staves (chapters) behind the other English classes in the building; but, as far as I can tell, the kids (even the ones whom I can barely keep awake on normal days) are really enjoying it! They're participating in questions and answers, connecting experiences and dialog to themes, and (most importantly) laughing at my jokes and acting! :)

In short, this month-and-a-half experience with this novel in the classroom has been outstanding, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to teach such an outstandingly written book. This has renewed my educational zeal, for I am reminded why I got into this profession in the first place - my undying love for literature!