quick thought: non-creepy evangelism?

I knowwww, I can't just say "by the way, my whole life is turned upside down" and then not follow up on it right away ... but I have allotted myself exactly 11 minutes to blog before I have to go do stats homework, so I can only drop a quick thought today.

I just finished eating dinner at a little study table on the top floor of our student union. I didn't choose it for any particular reason; it was open, so I grabbed it. Shortly after I unwrapped my Jimmy John's Vegetarian sandwich, my Internet conked out and refused to reconnect. So, with a shrug, I closed my computer and settled in to enjoy my dinner in peace.

The next part was the providential part: Three young men sat down at the table behind me, and started holding a Bible study.

Two of the youths were very new believers, still stumbling over concepts like "take up your cross" and "count the cost" (although what believer, young or old, doesn't stumble over those concepts sometimes!!). The older young man guided them gently with questions and allowed them to sit a moment after their "ooohh, I get it" moments. I firmly believe that God knocked out my Internet so I could listen to their study.

The theme was boldly speaking about Christ in daily life. My blood immediately ran cold - this is one of the deepest areas of struggle in my life. I try to model Christlike behavior; I will write and write until I'm blue in the face about my journey following Christ; but speaking about Him with my mouth chokes me up and makes me sick to my stomach. It is certainly good old unadorned fear, but it is also partly a reluctance to speak about something so sacred to me - just as I trip and choke over conversations about men whom I love or very close friends. I don't have words eloquent enough to do them justice - even less so my Christ.

But the youths' study gently reminded me that fear is not an option when it comes to witnessing. We won't get a pass for being shy or afraid to speak about Him. He will be ashamed of me if I am ashamed of Him. And too often ... I am.

BUT, but but but, this leads me to my ultimate question: How do you ladies talk about Jesus in your daily lives? 

After I used 20 seconds of courage to stop and thank them for letting me listen in, I came downstairs and saw a young lady sitting by herself on a bench, and my first thought was OHMYGOODNESSIMUSTEVANGELIZEHER. However, the thought of unsolicitedly approaching someone sitting by themselves reminded me too much of the cult missionaries who always ambush me when I'm sitting or walking alone. The apostles did a bit of that, but only when they sensed an opening, like with the Ethiopian eunuch - typically, they were much more likely to either talk about Jesus as part of their normal interpersonal interactions, or else stand on the rooftops and proclaim Him and take questions from the crowds.

So I wonder - what does evangelism look like for you? Are you so in love with Him that you talk about Him easily, freely, beautifully? Or are you more like me, stumbling a bit over self-consciousness and crowd-pleasing tendencies?

(Drat, 11 minutes is up ... more about my crazy life to follow, after statistics ...)

My First Semester (according to Frozen)

Hi!!! Hi hi hi! It's been such a very long time since I was on here, and my first semester of graduate school is in the books. So many of you prayed for me, thought about me, and left me encouraging comments over the course of those first 16 weeks; and I want to genuinely thank you - without your love and support, and the support of my family and friends, I genuinely do not know if I would have made it through this semester.

Because you were so kind as to care about what I was going through during this fall and early winter, I wanted to catch you up on a few of the things that happened while I was gone ... I started pouring out my tale of woe and wonder via a traditional post earlier today, but it just got wayyy too long. So, I had the brilliant inspiration to copy imitate the lovely Katherine Sophia and tell you the story of my semester in GIFs. Frozen GIFs, to be precise.

Here's the sneak preview:

***

The first week, everything was miraculous. It was so exciting to be cracking open gigantic textbooks about neuroanatomy, psychoacoustics, and clinical practice - to watch crowds of undergraduate students melt in my path and to have professors talk to me like a real adult. I was a little nervous about moving from the comfort of a full-time job back into the weekly changeableness and stress of classes again, but I loved grad school and I loved being a graduate student.

I think this slightly manufactured delight at my ascension to the halls of academia lasted about two weeks. Two weeks into the semester, things were getting harder and the outside world was seeming farther away than before. I started wanting to escape. 

But everyone else around me seemed happy, so I pushed aside those thoughts and settled in to focus and dedicate myself to my studies.

Except for a niggling feeling of impending doom or future imprisonment in the back of my head, everything was great after that, and I felt really good about life and study and clinic. My classmates and I got along well, I became very attached to my major professor, and my first graded assignments appeared promising. I was feeling optimistic.

Then I saw my neuroanatomy midterm and knew I was in a really, really bad pickle. 

Long story short (and as previously recounted), I failed it. I was the only one in my class. My professor didn't even put a number grade on it - he just basically said "sorry, I got nothing". I have never experienced panic and despair like that in my life. 

My classmates and me when we saw our grades (I'm Elsa).

Two weeks of self-loathing followed. Have you ever experienced that sad, concerned look in a parental figure's eyes when they are terribly disappointed in you and they ask "what happened?" That was the face my professor made when I came to his office after the test. Stricken. Horrified. Worried.

I studied a lot and re-took the test. This time I got a C-. I said "Meh, okay" and moved on after that.

For a while, things were better. I had a painful pep talk with my advisor who helped me analyze what had gone wrong, and helped me develop study plans to be better prepared for the next round of exams. I started realizing that I needed to study hard and really narrow down my focus if I wanted to be successful in grad school; so I did. I quit leaving my building. I slept less and ate less, and read more, wrote more, listened harder, and learned how to really study. I got to know my classmates better and started spending time with them, talking about lessons and assignments as well as learning about how they approached life and school. I thought that the low point was past and things were looking up.

But in fact, I hadn't hit the lowest point yet at all.

They say "bad news comes in threes"; and the lowest point of my semester was the day when a good friend of mine texted in desperation because of some devastating medical news she had just received, and less than 20 minutes later, my professor emailed to let me know that I had miserably failed another assignment and I needed to come meet with multiple professors to try to find the critical flaw in my thinking and study processes. Because of spending my evening counseling and looking up resources for my friend, I turned in my next day's assignment several hours late, and got an email back noting that lateness was becoming a habit with me and she was concerned about my time management skills.

If you Google the symptoms of a nervous breakdown, that was me - feeling detached from reality, emotional numbness, anxiety, obsessive thinking, debilitating fatigue. I went through the motions, even celebrated my birthday at my favorite restaurant with my classmates, and no one knew how close I was to completely losing it. But I was very close. After that horrible meeting with the director of the graduate program and the director of the university clinic, I barely made it back into the lab before collapsing and sobbing harder and more painfully than I had in a very long time.

God brought me healing that weekend by reminding me that it wasn't my grades that made me special to Him - my poor study habits, my difficulty asking for help, my ineptitude for neuroanatomy - all of these fell under the "any other creature" item in the list of things that do NOT come between me and His love. Nothing good about me makes Him love me more, and none of my flaws or sin-struggles make me any less dear to His heart. He loves me because I am His, because I have thrown myself into His arms and trusted Him to rescue me from sin. 

The massive weight of failure and inadequacy rolled off my shoulders. Nervous breakdown avoided.

My grades gradually improved over the next couple of weeks and plateaued at a "not great but borderline acceptable" level. Finals week was the first time I spent 6, 7, and 8 hours at a time doing nothing but studying. I shut out the world, sleep, and food as I wrote final papers and aggressively attacked exams. I've never devoted my whole self to my schoolwork for such a long time before, and I have to say, I'm pretty excited to know that I can do it.

And then, suddenly, they were done.

I had survived.

And now I look like this:

And this:

***

So now it's break, and now the self-evaluation, taking stock, planning ahead, and trying to get rid of my lingering eye twitch begins. There's a lot going on in my head right now ... do I even fit in this field? Am I made for something easier / more artistic? Or do I need to practice more discipline and self-denial and focus on bracing myself for the next semester?

Because as well, in between spells of planning my future, I'm also going to relax and refresh my mind, heart, and spirit so that I'm ready for whatever comes next.

Because whatever it is ... is probably going to look a lot like  ^  that.

***

And I will post about my family's Christmas festivities very soon! I hope you had a wonderful, blessed, joyful Christmas, dear friends!

Lots of love,

Vicki

Hot

It is 79 degrees and climbing steadily in my office this morning ... I hope they get the thermostat fixed before all the food I have stashed in my drawers starts melting!!  :-O

How's the weather (inside or out!) in your part of the world this morning?

~ Vicki

Grad Student Life

Things grad students do:

• Read
• Drink coffee
• Enjoy using big words
• Learn fascinating concepts that make their heads explode
• Dress up
• Wish they weren't dressed up
• Meet amazingly brilliant people
• Read
• Drink coffee
• Try not to cry in their faculty advisors' offices
• Run tests on their fellow students
• Give presentations
• Feel like bigshots around undergraduates
• Read
• Drink coffee
• Drink caffeinated soda
• Write papers
• Draw diagrams
• Feel like they are diving into a gigantic ocean of mysteries and discoveries
• Volunteer for events
• Read
• Drink coffee
• Try to stay awake in lecture
• Fall asleep in lecture
• Write papers
• Read
• Realize the massive and incredible awesomeness of God through study of His world
• Eat lots of cookies and pizza
• Get slap-happy over cookies and pizza at 8PM
• Drink coffee
• Write papers
• Read

Things grad students DON'T do:

• Sleep
• Go home before dinnertime
• Go on trips
• Complete their readings
• Leave their major building
• Sleep
• Wear sweatpants as often as they'd like
• See their families
• Sleep
• See their friends
• Sleep
• Or sleep
• Or SLEEP
• DID I MENTION THAT WE DON'T SLEEP

Why grad students do the things they do and don't do:

• Because they love what they're studying and want to devote the rest of their life to it

OR

• Because they realize one month into their studies that it's too late to back out now and they're going to be doing this for the next (insert some number between 2 and 12) years of their life whether they like it or not

BUT

• They know that someday it will all be worth it!!

Protected

I can go to bed safe and sound tonight ... so good to know that Captain America is on watch.

A Summer of Firsts

Hooray for Google Chrome!! My poor Firefox browser picked up a virus somewhere and died a slow and painful bug-infested death that brought me great pain and sadness ... and inconvenience, with all the stuff I needed to do that week. Including blog. Grr. So, I am most delighted to announce that despite my initial misgivings I have downloaded the latest version of Google Chrome, and found it to not only be faster and more reliable than Firefox, but prettier and more fun to customize as well. My new blog design came together in one afternoon as a result of its clean lines and smooth efficiency. So I am back online with style!  :-)

***

Before I tell you a few of the things I've been up to this summer, I'd like to ask for prayer for the Musser family at "The Blessing of Verity." In the last few years, they have been used by God in mighty ways to advocate for children with Down syndrome and fragile orphans from Eastern Europe; and today, their son Tommy went to be with the Lord after a tragic accident. If you could lift them up in your prayers for the next few days, I know they would be very grateful.

***

I was popping in my brand-spanking-new contact lenses the other day - the first I've ever owned, by the way - and I started reflecting on all of the "firsts" I've accomplished this summer. It's really been quite an important summer for my awkward slightly-stunted self.

Firstly, as I said, I got contacts. I love them now, but for a while, they were quite an adjustment - I was not prepared to feel so exposed without glasses shielding my eyes! I've had that boundary in front of my face since I was 7 years old, and it felt very strange to have it suddenly taken away, especially since my eyes are the first place where wrinkles have begun to show up, and I'm rather self-conscious about that. I think I'm mostly used to it now. I still keep the glasses to retreat behind on days when I just can't face the world bare-faced, though.  :-)

This week was my first (and only!!) attempt at the GRE. That certainly was a first! The GRE, or Graduate Resource Exam, is basically a standardized test that measures the verbal and numerical thinking you will supposedly be using in grad school. I was at the testing center for 5 hours, and my brain felt like pickled oatmeal by the time I was done.  :-P  Nevertheless, I actually did very, very well, thanks to much fervent prayer from my friends and family. I'm excited to get my official scores next week!

Another "first" time in a long while ... I have been going to - wait for it - CHURCH. (Massive sound of many jaws dropping.) Yes, I said church! As you might know, I haven't attended church regularly for many years, mostly because of laziness and, shamefully, pride; but when I heard that a new church had begun meeting very close to my house, I decided to start going again. I've only been there for two weeks so far, but I have really, really, really enjoyed it. It sounds strange, but I had forgotten just how special and amazing the fellowship between brothers and sisters in Christ is - going to church and feeling that special connection with otherwise complete strangers has heightened my appreciation for the Christians that I work with and interact with outside church, too. We are family. God has saved us, and we are here to love and encourage and support each other. I'm really sorry now that I've stayed away for so long!

***

I'm sure there are other "firsts" that I've forgotten to tell you about, but this post has been festering in my "Drafts" folder for about two weeks, so I thought it was about time to get it posted so I can relieve my writer's block.  :-)  So please, forgive my hasty and somewhat unpolished method of splatting this up here, but I wanted to get this posted TONIGHT for fear that one more day will cause me to give up altogether.

What about you? What have you done this summer for the very first time?

Hugs,
Vicki

(It's so good to be back blogging again!!!)

Literary Mashup Tag

Hey guys! I saw this tag on a reeeeeally old post on Miss Dashwood's blog, Yet Another Period Drama Blog, and it looked like so much fun that I wanted to try it myself! Technically I'm supposed to tag people to try it, but I'm just throwing it out there for fun, and anyone who thinks it looks fun is welcome to try it too!

***

First, choose 12 literary characters BEFORE reading the rest of the tag. Here are mine:

1. Dr. John Watson
2. Catherine Morland
3. St. John Rivers
4. Emma Woodhouse
5. Sherlock Holmes
6. Sydney Carton
7. Jane Eyre
8. Alan Breck Stewart
9. Edward Rochester
10. Silas Marner
11. Fitzwilliam Darcy
12. Lucy Steele

And now, the tag will commence:

1. Who would make a better college professor, #6 or #11?

My #6 is Sydney Carton and my #11 is Mr. Darcy ... I would definitely say Mr. Darcy. Poor Sydney is too depressed to stay sober most of the time, let alone lecture about something.

"Hand over the linens, and nobody gets hurt"

2. Number 12 sends #8 out on a mission. What is it? Does it succeed?

Lucy Steele sends Alan Breck out on a mission ... wow ... I would say, since she is flippant and he has excellent taste in fabrics and fashion, she is probably sending him on a mission to smuggle some kind of exotic fabric back from the Orient; and knowing Alan, I would say that it will ultimately succeed after a series of dramatic escapades and near-mishaps. But that pairing is absolutely beyond weird.

3. What is, or what would be, #9's favorite book?

Edward Rochester? Hmmm ... something dark and Gothic. Perhaps a supernatural murder story, with ghosts and candlelit rooms and haunted cathedrals. But I don't know any specific books like that.

4. Would it make more sense for #2 to swear fealty to #6 or the other way around?

Eeah, Catherine Morland and Sydney Carton ... both equally self-absorbed and helpless, actually ... I think it would make ever-so-slightly more sense for Catherine to swear fealty to Sydney, because I really can't see Sydney taking any interest whatsoever in Catherine.

5. Number 5 is looking for a roommate. Should he room with #9 or #10?

Sherlock Holmes is looking for a roommate ... yep, we've all heard that before! Edward Rochester and Silas Marner are the choices, and I would have to suggest Silas Marner - Rochester and Holmes would tear each other to pieces, but Silas Marner and his odd miserly ways would be a fascinating (if slightly irritating) study for Holmes in his free time.

6. Number 2, #7, and #12 are going out to dinner. Where are they going, and what do they discuss?

Catherine Morland, Jane Eyre, and Lucy Steele would go to someplace fairly private, like a small inn; Lucy would dominate the conversation, speaking on such frivolous topics as she is wont to do, while Catherine would listen in boredom and submit a few comments here and there. Jane, on the other hand, would sit quietly, possibly with some kind of handiwork or a discreet book, and she would listen and marvel at the frivolity of both of the other ladies.

7. Number 3 challenges #10 to a duel. Who wins?

St. John Rivers and Silas Marner in a duel! How shocking! Silas would fight valiantly for whatever it was he was defending, but of course St. John would win in the end.  :-(

8. If #1 stole #8's most precious possession, how would he get it back?

So, Dr. Watson stole one of Alan Breck's golden buttons, eh? Alan Breck would quite grandly challenge Dr. Watson to a duel, which I doubt he would accept - he would either sternly and condescendingly give the button back, or summon the police - after which summons Alan Breck would beat a hasty retreat.

9. Suggest a story title in which #7 and #12 both attain what they want.

Peace and Power. Jane Eyre achieved peace and love in her life, and Lucy Steele got the position and money that she wanted.

"How about ... no"

10. What kind of plot device would you have to use to get #1 and #4 to work together?

Dr. Watson and Emma Woodhouse? That's easy - they would put their heads together to find a wife for Sherlock Holmes!

11. If #7 visited you for the weekend, how would you get along?

Jane Eyre and I would get along like angels. She is everything I aspire to be in a woman, and I would hope we could spend the weekend in quiet conversation, with me sitting awestruck at her feet and asking her advice on every subject relating to life and love.

12. If you could command #3 to perform any service or task for you, what would it be?

I am terribly in awe of St. John Rivers despite all of his coldness ... the only thing I could muster the courage to ask him for would be a prayer or a blessing!

13. If #2 had to choose sides between #4 and #5, which side would she choose?

If Catherine Morland had to choose between Emma Woodhouse and Sherlock Holmes, she would immediately and unreservedly choose Sherlock Holmes - Catherine is fascinated by all things dark and mysterious, and Holmes certainly fits into those two categories! Besides, she would probably try to wheedle Holmes into letting her help on a case ... which would disgust him to no end, but anyway ...

14. What might #10 shout out while charging into battle?

Silas Marner? In battle? Probably either "oh dear" or "bah".

15. If you had to choose a song to describe #3, what would it be?

A song to describe St. John ... my sister Heather quite wisely suggested "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling". It has a verse praying for the achievement of sinless perfection, which is really what St. John was pursuing after all. My sister is schmart.  ;-)

16. Number 1, 6, and 12 are having a dim sum at a Chinese restaurant. There is only one scallion pancake left, and they all reach for it at the same time. Who gets it?

Lucy Steele beats Dr. Watson and Sydney Carton any day ... for one thing, I don't think Sydney really ever consumes anything besides rotgut whiskey; and for another, Dr. Watson is much too polite to take anything from a lady; and to top all that, Lucy Steele is a terribly grasping individual and she would rather stomp on the gentlemen's faces than give up any shred of something she wanted. (Yup, I hate Lucy Steele.)

17. What would #5 likely be arrested for?

Sherlock Holmes is likely to be arrested on any variety of fascinating charges, from trespassing to destruction of private property to drug possession to government infiltration ... yeah, just about anything.

18. What is #6's secret?

*Gasp of pain*  Sydney Carton really does have a secret, and if you read A Tale of Two Cities you'll know it ... his secret is his heart. His beautiful, noble, idealistic heart, that is broken and chained by his depression, hopelessness and self-hatred. There is no man or woman in all of literature that could have attained and loved more than Sydney, if he had only had the chance.

"Which way did he go?"

19. If #11 and #9 were racing to a destination, who would get there first?

Mr. Darcy and Mr. Rochester! How fascinating! I would love to see a meeting between these two gentlemen ... I believe Mr. Rochester would probably win a race, simply because he would not spare his horses or watch out for their safety and health the way dear Mr. Darcy would.

20. If you had to walk home through a bad neighborhood late at night, who would you be more comfortable walking with, #7 or #8?

Umm, I think I'd have to choose Alan Breck over Jane Eyre here ... Alan is a perfect, maybe even overly exaggerated, gentleman; and I have no doubt that he would instantly and aggressively come to my rescue if we met with any would-be thugs or robbers. And you know, I would like to see that ... !  :-)

21. Number 1 and #9 reluctantly team up to save the world from the threat posed by #4's sinister secret organization. Number 11 volunteers to help them, but it is later discovered that s/he is actually a spy for #4. Meanwhile, #4 has kidnapped #12 in an attempt to force their surrender. Following the wise advice of #5, they seek out #3, who gives them what they need to complete their quest. What title would you give this fiction?

Wow! Okay, let's restate this here:

"The time portal is broken and the universe is in an uproar. Dr. John Watson finds himself separated from Sherlock Holmes and trapped in 1840's England, which is on the brink of destruction: Queen Victoria and her husband are being held hostage by a widespread and deadly secret organization, rumored to be headed by the wealthy, beautiful and cunning Emma Woodhouse. Watson's only ally is the headstrong and unpredictable Edward Rochester. Rochester's ancestral home, Thornfield, has been converted into a battle headquarters for the forces trying to rescue the queen, and some of the brightest minds in England - from all ages of history - have convened there to hatch a plan to destroy Woodhouse's evil organization and reclaim the queen and the throne.

"Rochester finds the lost and confused Watson wandering the streets of the London he no longer recognizes, and he brings him back to Thornfield. Holmes has already arrived - he is working with Fitzwilliam Darcy and other thinkers and strategists, forming a plan to discover the organization's heart and capture Emma Woodhouse. In less than an hour, Holmes has sketched a plan to use disguises and bribes to work their way into the organization from the outside, and the rescue forces agree wholeheartedly.

"But tragedy strikes that night when Woodhouse's forces attack Thornfield, kidnapping the hysterical Lucy Steele and leaving Holmes badly wounded. Darcy has also disappeared. Holmes immediately deduces that Darcy was a spy for Woodhouse. Now that their plan is exposed, they will likely be under attack from the organization again, and soon. They must act quickly to strike the organization and avoid another attack on Thornfield.

"Holmes, who is weakening rapidly, tells Watson that he believes the key to destroying the organization can be found with the mysterious St. John Rivers, a clergyman who has taken up arms and become a lethal loner, making daring and deadly midnight strikes against the organization's strongholds. The rescue forces follow Holmes' advice, and Rivers (after some hesitation) agrees to reveal his plan: to capture Emma Woodhouse's aging father. With the old man held at Thornfield, likely in a state of terror and nervous panic, Woodhouse will be willing to negotiate - at any price. But who will be courageous enough to break into Hartfield and carry off the old man?"

This would be the craziest novel I ever read ... and I would title it Rendezvous at Thornfield.

*****

This was a super fun tag, and especially since the whole family's been snowed in for 3 days! I'd love to read your version, if you're snowed in too and want to give it a try!  :-D

Hugs!!
~ Vicki

My geek match?

I think YouTube is trying to tell me something about my browsing habits ...

... but I certainly wouldn't mind if Captain Kirk were my "geek match"!!  :-D

I hope you're having as good of a Saturday as I am! I love you guys!

Hugs,
Vicki

Distracted

So after attending a talk on godly femininity two nights ago and the most amazing biology lab ever last night, I sat down all ready to get some serious studying done for my two exams today.

But then I thought, "Oh, I need a few minutes to relax ... just a few."

So I decided to write a blog post instead ... a blog post about something that has been on my heart for a long time. You see, I have been praying very diligently for more than a year that Josh Groban would be saved. He currently holds the record for my most intense celebrity crush, for a number of good reasons that will likely make it into a blog post someday ... anyhow, I thought I'd do a "quick" search for a couple of photos of him to use in my post.

Two hours later, the post was very ... long. And glowing. And a bit teenager-ish.

So I ditched it in embarrassment and tried to get back to work.

I studied really hard. I studied even more this morning.

And then I got to class ... and after all that studying, the exams were totally easy. I remembered almost everything about Chomskian linguistic theory and wrote a fairly coherent essay completely in Spanish, with a sprinkling of imperfect subjunctives timidly thrown in for good measure.

And I was singing "You Raise Me Up" the whole time.

This time, I say "all's well that ends well." Next time, I think I'd better do the studying first and the fangirling later.

Hope your weeks were productive, sober, and wisely spent!! That's the goal I'm aiming at for tomorrow!

Hugs,
Vicki

Dying to Live

Do you ever feel like you'll just die or go crazy if you don't FEEL something?

Every so often, that happens to me ... I feel like I can't stand one more day of plastic smiles, hairspray, and predictable calm before I break loose. Millions of people today, in this very moment, are feeling anguish, horror, exhilaration, terror, grief, agony, joy, ridiculous outpourings of laughter ... while I serenely patter through my day, from placid job to quiet class to peaceful meal to utterly predictable night of homework and Internet surfing. No ruffled feathers, no emotions stronger than mild annoyance or a flicker of a smile.

Sometimes I feel like I'm going to run away and grab a plane to Bangladesh ... or grab a random stranger in a hug just to see what happens ... or scale the campus bell tower and see if I get hurt ... or sink all my life's savings in a little sailboat and sail across the Atlantic to Ireland ... or walk through a dark alley at night just to see what happens.

...

Then I usually feel like I'll just go to bed instead.

And dream about doing something crazy.

Goodnight, all.

Hugs,
Vicki

Ridiculous

Now who, in their right mind, would come home from the first day of school, with five classes and a bazillion jobs to coordinate on her calendar and figure out what she needs to do this week ...

... and instead, crash on the couch and spend three hours writing a short story about a girl rescuing a human child being stolen by the fairies?

Um ... would you believe, not me?

Good, don't believe it.  :-P  I'm pretty much convinced that I shall never turn into a responsible adult ...

Lots of love,
Vicki

Why?

Source: shelbiethecomicnerd.tumblr.com via Victoria on Pinterest

Why do I come home from my martial arts class at 9:00PM, get my bath and a snack, and sit down all ready to write my Spanish essay ...

... then goof around on Pinterest and blogs and surveys and movies until finally getting started on it at 12:00AM?

I'm so stupid ...

~ Vicki

(I actually have several posts in the works that are much more substantial than this ... I was hit with an awful bout of writer's block over my spring break, and am only just recovering my ability to string three words together. I will be back with higher and nobler thoughts very soon!!)

Bookish Valentine Contest

Hey everyone! There's only 1 hour left to enter Jessica's "Bookish Valentine Contest" - you have to design clever valentines with catchy lines, using your favorite period drama book or movie characters, and enter to win!

***

Here are my valentines - first, the sentimental ones:

 

I don't know which adaptation of Little Women this is from, but I've always, always loved Professor Bhaer's proposal under the umbrella. So romantic.  :-}

One of the most truly romantic Austen heroes, Colonel Brandon of Sense and Sensibility ...  *slight swoon*

Pa and Ma Ingalls from the Little House on the Prairie TV show (whom, I think, were just a wee bit better suited to each other than the real-life Ingallses in the books ... *ahem*)

***

And then the funnies - the self-made kings of romance themselves, the Cartwright brothers from the TV show Bonanza.

My first impulse was to make a valentine featuring Adam, the oldest, since he's my favorite:

But then I remembered that actually Little Joe was most girls' favorite, so I figured I'd better include him as well, especially since Michael Landon was so good at that weepy face:

:-)  :-)  :-)

There are my entries! Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Love,
Vicki

So, I kind of blew up Pinterest today ...

Ahem ...

I think I owe my Pinterest followers an apology for the unconscionable amount of things I pinned today. I discovered a treasure trove of beautiful artwork in the morning, and for some reason thought I needed to "pin ALL the things"; then this evening I came across so many delightfully geeky things that I didn't want to lose ...

There really are some awesome things on my pinboards today. You should come take a look, if you haven't. But if you already follow and are wondering exactly what happened to your "Followers" page ... I'm very sorry. I hope you find something beautiful, inspiring, or geekily funny that will make amends.

Sincerely,
Vicki

Don't Keep Calm!

Hey everyone! Miss Laurie at Old-Fashioned Charm is having an awesome contest that you definitely need to check out if you love period dramas, good jokes, and "Keep Calm" posters!

Here are my three entries:

This is a classic Sherlock Holmes quote (or possibly misquote?) - I don't know which story it comes from, but it's quintessentially associated with the ever-awesome Sherlock Holmes.

From Sense and Sensibility

And my personal favorite:

Also from Sense and Sensibility

Be sure to pop on over and check out the contest - it's only open until November 23!!

Love,

Vicki

Mid-Week Encouragement!

Does anybody else feel in need of some mid-week encouragement? I certainly do. In this week alone, I have:

• Walked approximately 20 miles
• Consumed more junk food than I had in the past six months ... and still lost weight
• Attended what feels like 547 callouts
• Learned about the action potential of a neuron and the sliding theory of muscle movement

And,

• Accidentally smashed my beautiful brand-new computer.

Yeah. I need some encouragement.

Here you go. Stay strong, keep climbing, go, conquer, and above all, DREAM, because life is so much more than the things we see or touch (or break)!

***

Disney Heroes Tribute
This song/tribute reminds me to dream bigger, run farther, climb higher, stand stronger, and look up to the sky - and it's written from a secular perspective, not even a Christian one. Stop and think for a minute about all that we can do and be when we're filled with the Holy Spirit! If unbelievers can dream this big, why are our dreams often so small?
(This does have a couple of the scenes from The Little Mermaid that I don't like, FYI, but all in all it is tearjerking and powerful.)




"More To This Life" by Steven Curtis Chapman
This song is a reminder that our lives as Christians are to be bigger than just the day-to-day pressures of this world - we're part of the Lord's great plan, and we need to live with HIS great big vision, not the world's narrow little survival methods!




This is a video I found a while back, a brief section of a documentary on Helen Keller; and I was absolutely amazed to hear her speak - I knew that she could, of course, but it was thrilling to watch her and hear her actual voice. Think of all she overcame, and still had such a beautiful spirit and encouraging life! Surely my tiredness and glum moods are nothing compared to being blind and deaf!!




"The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends" Intro
Remember how beautiful the world is, and don't forget to take time to slow down and look at the flowers, the sky, the trees, the animals, and the people around you. God created the world to be so beautiful - we need to take a little time each day and enjoy it!




Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Trailer
But also, don't forget that this world needs men and women who are courageous ... bold ... willing to dream dreams bigger than the world around them; willing to go to the end of the world and try to do the impossible. Remember how much there is to explore and learn and conquer - in the physical world, in the spiritual world; in science, in language, in theology, in medicine, in nutrition - whatever makes your heart beat faster, there is still a wealth of knowledge out there that we need to discover and many obstacles for us to overcome. Let's take courage and do hard things for God!
(the trailer has one bad word, but is still AWESOME)




"Whispers of Paradise" by Michael McGlynn
Don't forget to be peaceful and still ...




"I Don't Drink Beer" by Tim Hawkins
... But laugh a little, too.  :-)




"Sanctus" by Libera
Above all, rejoice in beauty and praise the Lord!!


***

I hope this boosts your mood today and puts a smile on your face! Happy Wednesday, everybody!

Lots of love,
Vicki

My childhood ... remixed

Here is my contribution to weekend happiness! These are videos of famous TV show hosts, but the PBS studio people took recordings of their voices and computer-enhanced them to turn them into autotuned songs. I know - who even comes up with an idea like that?

Let me tell you, I tried so hard to dislike these videos, but I just couldn't. Somehow, I actually like these crazy things ... probably because they include two of my favorite TV shows ever, Mister Rogers Neighborhood and Bob Ross's painting show. And because the Julia Child one is so funny that I literally fell down on the floor from laughing so hard the first time I heard it. Yes, for some reason, I like these.

What do you think? Take a couple of weekend minutes and tell me what you think!

***

Mister Rogers ... I still can't decide if this is brilliant or criminal ...



Bob Ross ... this brought a tear to my eye, it really did, despite its slight surrealness. I can't tell you how many times I watched this show as a little girl - every day with my mom in the afternoons, while my little siblings were asleep. Bob Ross' show and Wind in the Willows will forever be my most precious childhood memories.



Julia Child ... I haven't watched her very much, but I know that she was a master chef and her creations amaze me. And I love how this video turns the phrase "bring on the roasted potatoes" into a kind of odd refrain ...


***

Dying laughing ... I really shouldn't write posts at 12:30 in the morning ...

Lots of love, Vicki

I ♥ Thursday Linkup {No. 5}

Yippee Thursday! Today was my errand-running day, so I am trying to regain my energy from all the miles I walked ... and my allergies are terrible and I'm itching and sneezing like nobody's business ... but that doesn't stop me from loving a lot of awesome things today!

***

I ♥ Thursday Linkup {No. 4}

Get Smart. I have no idea why I love this show - it's stupid and a waste of time. But I love it - I love Max, I love 99, I love the Chief and Agent 13. My current theory is that something about it appeals to my Jewish sense of humor.

Lovin' my favorite shampoo. I use "Body Envy"; Heather uses "Hydralicious." Both of them are fabulous.

Source: aspottedpony.com via Rayanddeb on Pinterest

This hair, this hair, this hair ... the color, the curls ... the T-shirt that goes with it ... amazing!!

Source: la-belle-vie.tumblr.com via Tina on Pinterest

Rain. Because we haven't had any in so long. It's been many months since we've had a good, soaking rain - just little showers every 2-3 weeks or so. And we're supposed to be in a terrible drought for months and months yet. If you catch me complaining about winter rain showers in November, you make sure and let me have it!!  

"The Rocky Road to Dublin Set" by the Chieftains. This is the stuff that dreams are made of.      

Source: flickr.com via Ian Frei on Pinterest

Peaceful places, alone with nature      

"I have imagination, ingenuity, and intelligence ... *CRASH* ... and a headache like you wouldn't believe"      

Source: soulofawomanwascreatedbelow.tumblr.com via Christelle on Pinterest

    Whimsy ... Narnia?    

 Here's a little challenge for you - I'll bet you can't tell me who this young Irish tenor turned out to be. On the other hand, if you watched as much TV as I did when I was a child, maybe you can ... let me know!  
  And here is my Pinterest inspiration for the day:  

Fabulous advice for every single day!!

***   What are you loving on this fine Thursday evening?  :-)