Hope Road

Colorado Shootings

I’m interrupting my blogging break to urge you to pray for those affected by the Colorado shootings, both of which have taken place earlier today. The first was in Arvada, Colorado, at the Youth with a Mission headquarters. My best friend and roommate Cheyenne used to live in Arvada, and I know a few people who have been involved with YWAM. Two people were killed this morning by a gunman who has yet to be caught.

The second was at New Life Church, which my aunt and uncle attend (famous for being the church Ted Haggard used to pastor). Four people were shot but not killed (no one they know). This gunman has not been caught either.

Please pray for those affected. Pray that the shooters will be caught. Pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray that they will show forgiveness and grace, and that they will be comforted.

(news link here)

This is scary because it hits close to home, doesn’t it? Good thing we don’t have to be afraid.

Wordpress Props

Wordpress is in my opinion the best free blogging service there is. Its spam blocking is amazing. It almost never fails to catch the spam comments I get - it’s caught 390 comments in the 6 months I’ve been using it. The stats are great - detailed without being completely exhaustive. And it has a third option between moderated and unmoderated comments - you can moderate the first comment from a specific person, and the rest of their comments come up automatically after that. It’s great. Plus, any changes you make come up immediately without your having to republish the whole site (something you’ll understand if you use Blogger).

I think I would like to switch to Typepad someday if my blog starts getting a bigger audience, but for now, I’m really happy with this free service. I would also like the ability to customize the theme more without having to purchase upgrades or my own domain (which I’ve tried before), but I’m willing to sacrifice that for the rest of the features! I know, this post is like a commercial, but you should really consider switching if you’re using another free service.

The Power of Laughter!

After hanging out with friends tonight and enjoying hilarious moments with them, I am thinking about the power of laughter. It is

• vibrant - full of life and energy and warmth
• communal - expressive of shared enjoyment
• cross-cultural - it can happen with anyone, anywhere
• joyful
• honest - there isn’t much room for duplicity or selfish motives
• appreciative - if it is laughing with someone, then it is affirming their sense of humor or storytelling or something else that made you laugh, and
• healing - “a cheerful heart brings life to the bones,” and there is no better prescription for cheerfulness than laughter.

I love it when you laugh so hard that your abs hurt and your eyes tear up and your face turns red and you’ve almost forgotten what was so funny, but everyone around you keeps laughing and then you laugh at each other and then you start to think you’re all crazy…

It’s something that has to occur with people. There’s no substitute for it. And I love it.

A birthday favor: De-lurk!

(I got this idea and title from Crystal at Biblical Womanhood.)

Tomorrow is my 21st birthday. No, I am not going to celebrate in the traditional way (my school doesn’t allow it, and I wouldn’t really want to anyway). But I am excited to see what my friends have planned; they’re not telling me anything.

I would love it, though, if in the next few days you would do me a little favor. I get a lot of hits on my blog but not so many comments, which is true of most blogs. To show you this - at the time I am writing, this blog has had 7,582 hits since May, and 195 comments in the same time frame (some of which were my own responses to previous comments). Crazy, huh? As I said, this is completely normal for blogging, but just for one day, I think it would be fun to have all my lurkers out there say hello!

So, if you are reading my blog, whether this is your first time or your 294th time, please spend a minute letting me know you’re there and maybe a little tidbit about yourself! (This includes you even if you’ve commented before.)

Thanks so much. I’m glad you all keep reading because it keeps me writing. I’m looking forward to hearing from you! And I’ll leave this up for a few days, so don’t expect any new entries until early sometime next week.
Happy weekend!

On Shopping

I’m a girly girl in many ways, but not when it comes to shopping. I don’t mind window shopping, and I love book shopping (even though my wallet sure doesn’t). I don’t even mind shopping alone, especially when I’m not desperately searching for one much-needed item. But I am never going to be a girl who tries to think of a fun activity and comes up with shopping.

And I really despise shopping with other girls/women. I think it’s all those long hours I spent in stores with my indecisive female family members when I was growing up. Girls shop so slowly. They wander along, halting every minute or two to look at something, finger it, debate about color and pattern and whether it’s figure-flattering or whether it would look good with the room decor or whether it’s too expensive or unnecessary or completely perfect in every aspect. They don’t seem to have any sense of the passing time, or of how long we’ve spent under the glaring lights of the department store. They can’t leave until they’re perfectly satisfied with their purchases, and they absolutely cannot decide on one single purchase in anything less than half an hour.

And the worst thing about shopping? I always get so dreadfully thirsty. I don’t know what it is. I should learn to bring water with me.

So, with all that being said, I’m off to go shopping with my lovely friends! Oh, the bitter irony.

Random Can’t Even Begin to Describe It

Anna: Say something funny. 

Kayla: You wanna know a funny thing? A sure-fire laugh-getter? Record people without them knowing it. I tried that, but I didn’t get anything that good. No no no no no. After you record people, cut the tape into clips. Then, by asking the right questions, you can make them say whatever you want ‘em to say!

Krista: Don’t just hork it down!

Mamma: I don’t have anything funny to say. I’m BORING!

Sarah: This is the moment where, in a musical, Kayla jumps up and starts singing about how you just have to be funny.

How Now, Brown Cow?

I have no idea what this post is going to be about. Last night I decided to write an entry titled “How Now, Brown Cow.” Just because that phrase was stuck in my head and I wanted to work it into my life somehow, some way. And blogging seemed the most, logical? illogical? easy? extension of that.

Ahh, I know… what was your favorite Dr. Seuss book as a child?

Mine was Fox in Socks. Perfect for a word-lover like me.

“When beetles fight these battles in a bottle with their paddles
and the bottle’s on a poodle and the poodle’s eating noodles…
…they call this a muddle puddle tweetle poodle beetle noodle
bottle paddle battle.”

A Good Laugh

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpW3WXWC0vw]

I found this in the Girl Talk archives. The baby won’t be the only one laughing while you’re watching it! He’s so cute!!

I’m an Official Fan

…of Melinda Doolittle, that is.

Yes, I admit it. I’m an American Idol junkie now. Two years ago, I would have scoffed at the idea. I always looked down on network television. Perhaps I was a bit of a snob? Or perhaps I’m overstating my case for dramatic effect.

Anyway… I haven’t seen every episode this season; I missed most of the middle ones. But I’ve watched the past few weeks, and I’ve been vacillating between Jordin and Melinda. (I like Blake, but I don’t think he should win.) Today’s episode, though, clinched it for me - I want Melinda to win. She is a stunning vocalist - and a total sweetheart, to boot.

Vote for Melinda!

1-866-IDOLS
03, 06, or 09

I can’t believe I’m doing this…

Tags: American Idol, Melinda Doolittle