Immanuel

Here is the promised post on Immanuel! Two days after Christmas, but, done nonetheless. :) Also, comment please! Helps me know what ya'll are thinkin'. :)

Matthew 1:23

"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, "God with us." (As prophesied in Isaiah 7:14.)

God wasn't called Immanuel in the Old Testament because He wasn't literally with us in the Old Testament. His Spirit at times rested on people and then departed, and evil spirits also rested on people.

1 Samuel 16:14-23

But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him. And Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you. Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. And it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well.” So Saul said to his servants, “Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.” Then one of the servants answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD is with him.”
Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by his son David to Saul. So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer. Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.” And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.

Now that Christ has come to earth and lived among us, died for us, and has been risen from the dead, He is with us all the time. He sent the Holy Spirit to be our comforter or our helper.

John 16:7

Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

Now, there was a lot of Scripture in this post, but I think that Scripture explains the meaning and the incredible depth of Immanuel way better than I could.

I Apologize

Ok, I apologize for my lack of posts. I was gonna do Immanuel in light of Christmas and all that, but I just haven't been up to it. Hopefully I'll be up to blogging again here pretty soon. Unfortunately, since Wednesday, most all I've been doing is coughing, sneezing, coughing, sleeping, coughing, and hanging out with my family. But yeah, I woke up sick on Wednesday. No fun. I was sure I'd be better by Christmas, but, no such luck. :) I am probably gonna have to go to the doctor, because my mom's pretty sure I have bronchitis and am maybe developing a respiratory infection. And the way I feel, I'm not arguing with her. haha. :)
But, in spite of being sick, I had a wonderful Christmas. I got some amazing slippers and PJ's and a Wii! I was so super excited. It is awesome. The archery. Oh my word. SO FUN. And my dad played too, that was fun! He beat me in archer though... Haha. And I got to spend a lovely two days with my brothers, sister-in-law, and darling niece. It was fun. And, I got to talk to Aaron. So, pretty much, my weekend was good. :)

Rambling...

Ok, so I'm watching the premier of the new Christmas movie on Hallmark. It's called "Battle of the Bulbs." It's really quite ridiculous. It's about two men who had a falling out in high school and 30 years later live in the same neighborhood and their buried bitterness towards each other manifests itself into a giant contest on who will have the best lights and decorations on their house by Christmas. Weird. This morning I watched "All I Want For Christmas." Now that's a good Hallmark movie. That, and "The Christmas Card." Those are my favorite Christmas Hallmark movies. :) You should watch them. What are your favorite Christmas movies?
So, I've had an amazing weekend. Yesterday Sarah came over and spent the night. It was WAY fun! We practiced our duet that we're singing together at church tomorrow night, played a game, made cookies and we watched Hallmark movies. How late did we stay up? 11:30. We are party animals. I'm tellin' ya.
And then today I went and picked up Lenita and we went shopping! It was SO much fun. I had a lovely weekend with my friends. :)
I still have one Christmas present to get. My dad's. I have no idea what to get him, and there are 7 days until Christmas. Do any of you guys have any last minute shopping to do?

Comforter

Ok, so this one seems rather ironic after falling down the stairs today, smashing my ankle and landing really hard on my backside on the cold, hard floor of my garage. So, let's see what we can learn about our Comforter. :)
First off, what does a comforter do? Is someone who comforts you merely feeling sympathy for you and allaying your fears about something? Or is it more than that? Though feeling sympathy and lessening the intensity of someone's grief is a big part of comforting someone, Jesus takes it to the next level.
John 16:7 "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you." Helper is also considered Comforter. This refers to the Holy Spirit. So, the Holy Spirit is our comforter permanently. How cool is that? So, since Jesus is not here on earth with us, He sent us the Holy Spirit to be with us all the time, as our comforter, our helper, our intercessor. This is how Jesus takes comfort to the next level. When we need comfort, or sympathy, anything, our friends and family will fail us. They can't possibly be there for us 100% of the time. But, if you're saved, you are constantly in the presence of the greatest comforter there is. So, let that be a reminder that the first thing you should do when you've had a fight with your parents or a friend, when you got a bad grade, when things are falling apart, go to God. Go to your ever present help in time of need.

Jehovah

Jehovah literally means to be, or to become known. We use it as "The Lord." Jehovah doesn't usually stand on its own, it often has another name after it. It is also sometimes used interchangeably with Yahweh.
Here are some of the Jehovah names:
Jehovah Nissi - The Lord My Banner
Jehovah-Raah - The Lord My Shepherd
Jehovah Rapha - The Lord That Heals
Jehovah Shammah - The Lord Is There
Jehovah Tsidkenu - The Lord Our Righteousness
Jehovah Mekoddishkem - The Lord Who Sanctifies You
Jehovah Jireh - The Lord Will Provide
Jehovah Shalom - The Lord Is Peace
Jehovah Sabaoth - The Lord of Hosts
So, there's not really too much information that I could find on Jehovah by itself. But, as you can see from the names above, it is obviously being used as The Lord and then the words after it are descriptive words to more declare His attributes and what He does and who He is.
Also, when you see LORD in all caps in your Bible, it stands for Jehovah/Yahweh.
Isaiah 40:3 “Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God."

I found this...

So, a Marine mom posted this on a forum that I check every once in a while, and I just wanted to share it. I thought it was cool. :)

'Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,
In a one-bedroom house made of plaster and stone.

I had come down the chimney, with presents to give
and to see just who in this home did live.

As I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,
no tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
No stocking by the fire, just boots filled with sand.
On the wall hung pictures of a far distant land.

With medals and badges, awards of all kind,
a sobering thought soon came to my mind.
For this house was different, unlike any I'd seen.
This was the home of a U.S. Marine.

I'd heard stories about them, I had to see more,
so I walked down the hall and pushed open the door.
And there he lay sleeping, silent, alone,
Curled up on the floor in his one-bedroom home.

He seemed so gentle, his face so serene,
Not how I pictured a U.S. Marine.
Was this the hero, of whom I'd just read?
Curled up in his poncho, a floor for his bed?

His head was clean-shaven, his weathered face tan.
I soon understood, this was more than a man.
For I realized the families that I saw that night,
owed their lives to these men, who were willing to fight.

Soon around the Nation, the children would play,
And grown-ups would celebrate on a bright Christmas day.
They all enjoyed freedom, each month and all year,
because of Marines like this one lying here.

I couldn't't help wonder how many lay alone,
on a cold Christmas Eve, in a land far from home.
Just the very thought brought a tear to my eye.
I dropped to my knees and I started to cry.

He must have awoken, for I heard a rough voice,
"Santa, don't cry, this life is my choice
I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more.
My life is my God, my country, my Corps."

With that he rolled over, drifted off into sleep,
I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.

I watched him for hours, so silent and still.
I noticed he shivered from the cold night's chill.
So I took off my jacket, the one made of red,
and covered this Marine from his toes to his head.
Then I put on his T-shirt of scarlet and gold,
with an eagle, globe and anchor emblazoned so bold.
And although it barely fit me, I began to swell with pride,
and for one shining moment, I was Marine Corps deep inside.

I didn't want to leave him so quiet in the night,
this guardian of honor so willing to fight.
But half asleep he rolled over, and in a voice clean and pure,
said "Carry on, Santa, it's Christmas Day, all secure."
One look at my watch and I knew he was right,
Merry Christmas my friend,
Semper Fi and goodnight.

Abba, Father

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
Galatians 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
Mark 14:36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
Those 3 verses are the only times "Abba" is explicitly stated in the Bible, but it is implied in other instances. But, what is the significance of Abba? Of calling God "Abba, Father"?
In Israel, Abba was a term that a son called his father when he loved him and was loved by his father in return. It is an intimate, affectionate term for you father. Like calling your father "Daddy" or "Papa." It is a term of endearment, used to express a deep love for your daddy.
Abba also implies ownership. Meaning, my father. For example, an adopted child, until all papers are signed, couldn't call their adopted father "My daddy." But, once all papers have been signed and all that jazz, they can call their new father "My daddy!" This is a good example, because we have been adopted into God's family, so at the time of our conversion, we can call God "Abba, Father!" How cool is that? And that's what Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6 point out.
I hope as we go through this series that you'll realize that all of God's name have special implications to us personally. Abba Father is definitely one of my favorites. It's so personal! When God seems unapproachable, remember that we cry out to Him as "Abba, Father."

New Series

Ok peeps, I'm gonna start a new series on here. It's going to be a series on the names of God. As you know, there are a plethera of them! So, here's a list of some of the ones I'll be covering. Let me know if there's one in particular you want me to do! Lenita gave me this idea, as we were brainstorming together about our blogs. Thanks Len! <3
1. Abba Father
2. Jehovah
3. Comforter
4. Counselor
5. Creator
6. Deliverer
7. Good Sheperd
8. I Am
9. Immanuel
10. Prince of Peace
Ok. Ten seems like plenty of names to get started with!
Romans 14:19 "Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another."

Guess What?

So, guys. I have something really exciting to be thankful for! I've been accepted to 3 colleges this week! How cool is that? Plus, I got a letter in the mail yesterday from Mercer, and I recieved a $17,000 academic scholarship!!!! I just about died from excitement. That's just over a half scholarship. So, I was pretty excited! And, it's renewable each year that I'm a full time student there! I'm super excited about that! Just shows how God provides. When I'm despairing of ever having the funds to go to school, I receive a HUGE scholarship. And that's just flat. Without any community service scholarships, competitive scholarships, etc... Which, I need to get applying for. If any of you know of any community scholarships available, let me know!
Also, don't go around saying I'm going to Mercer. I have not decided which school I'm going to as of yet. :)
Philippians 4:19 "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

It's been a while...

Well, it's been awhile, but, I did not forget! I just was busy and when I had the time didn't feel like writing. But, here I am, writing today! I've been at home all day because of being really sick, so, I have a little energy right now, and figured I'd write. :) I'm just gonna write a short list of some of the things I'm thankful for. I hope you enjoy! And I challenge you all to think on your many blessings.
1. My Bible. It gives me comfort, joy, peace, and it convicts me.
2. Hallmark movies. I'm a complete and utter sap. Heehee.
3. Letters
4. Christmas decorations! My dad decorated the house yesterday, and it looks so festive and Christmasy! Next weekend we'll go buy a tree and that will be awesome. We always do a live tree so that the house smells good.
5. Crazy knee socks.
6. Snuggly puppies
7. My adorable niece
8. A mom who takes care of me when I'm sick. And when I'm not sick. :)
9. The movies! We went and saw "The Legend of the Guardians" last night at the dollar theater and it was awesome. I highly recommend it.
10. Candles
James 1:2-4 "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

What are you most thankful for?

Hey guys! I'm curious. What are you MOST thankful for this Thanksgiving? I know there are so many things to be thankful for, but, is there one in particular that you're just uber excited about? I'll probably ask you this in person too, if I see you this week. :) I'll tell you what I'm most thankful for. I'm most thankful for being around my friends and family so much. I'm so thankful that both of my brothers live nearby and that they come over and hang out with us. I'm so thankful that my brother and sister-in-law let us watch our darling Chloe. And I'm so thankful that my parents love me so much and that I have two adorable sisters that like me. I'm so grateful that I get to see all my friends so often, not just once in a while. And I have AMAZING friends. Not shallow, don't really care friends. I have friends that I talk to about my stupid problems, friends that challenge me spiritually, and friends that just make me laugh. God has blessed me so much with an amazing family and amazing friends.
So tell me, what has hit you in the face recently that you're just super thankful for?
Colossians 3:15 "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful."

Pictures!

Here are the promised pictures! And, I again forgot a Bible verse on the last post, so there are a few at the bottom of this one. :)

Me and Aaron after graduation

Aaron and his parents and brothers after graduation

Aaron and all his family after graduation

This statue goes with the other picture beneath it

This is the band at the colors ceremony

These are the Marines that raised the flag at the colors ceremony

Aaron's platoon walking out for graduation (Platoon 1084)

 

Ephesians 5:15-16 "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
Colossians 4:2-4 "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak."

Today I am Thankful for: Aaron being home!

I'll do a post with pictures later probably. When I feel like figuring out where I put my camera and my SD card reader. Haha. :) I'll get to it eventually, I promise.
Ok, so graduation and family day were amazing. I didn't really remember too much from going to Hudson's, so it was really fun to do it again. If any of you ever get the chance to go for someone, just go. It's amazing.
On family day we got up at 4:30, which is 3:30 here, and went to watch the last motivational run. We couldn't spot Aaron but we screamed anyway. After that there was a lull of almost 2 hours where we waited. We thought about getting coffee, but the line was a million people long, so we just went to the All Weather Training Facility to wait. While we were waiting we watched a movie about making Marines and stuff and I counted down the minutes on my phone. Then about 10 minutes before the new Marines walked in some informational slides were going and then they FINALLY brought them in. It was very exciting. Everyone was clapping and shouting and whistling. And me? I was crying. Of course. Then there was a short Liberty Ceremony where they introduced all the DI's and stuff and then they released them for liberty and we got to go see them for the first time in 3 months. It was very exciting. After that we just spent the rest of the day touring the island with Aaron. We went to the MCX, which is like wallmart on base, the museum, we got lunch, all that good stuff. It was fun. Then liberty ended at 3, so we left after that.
For graduation, we didn't have to get up nearly as early. We got up at 6, or 5 our time, and packed our stuff into the vehicles and then got going. We went to see the Colors Ceremony, which is the raising of the American Flag. And the band played and some people talked and the color guard was there, and it was pretty cool! The band was most definitely the coolest part of that. They did some really cool marching stuff. After that we went to the parade deck to wait for graduation, and there were no seats left in Platoon 1084's bleacher section. So, we went to the other end, but we needed some pictures, so Adam and I went to the ropes in from of 1084's section to make sure we could get some pictures, and right after we sat down the rest of the McCoy's showed up. We all wanted to see Aaron's platoon! Not just some random platoon that was at the other end of the parade deck. So, the graduation ceremony itself was super cool. The band was there too, and they played and the Marines marched out and they did all their about faces and left faces and stuff. I don't know all the lingo, but there you are. And they marched around the deck to present the flags again, and that was cool. For graduation, we knew where Aaron was standing, so we had binoculars and we found him in his formation. It was really cool! I don't think I could ever get tired of watching them march in sync like they do, and all that cool stuff. It was awesome. And then they released them and we got to take him home! So, that was the bomb. We're all very excited that he's home. And he gets to stay until the 30th as opposed to the 15th, so that is super awesome! I've spent most of my time at their house since we got back. They'll all get tired of me being there all the time, but that probably won't stop me... haha!
Ok. I'm done for now. This is a really long post. Like I said, I'll put pictures in a separate post. Love you guys!

Pulling Your Leg

I am going to try and post both today and tomorrow since I won't post for a while after that, so, maybe I'll finish my "Why Do We Say It?" theme before I go. I can at least try.

So, we were at the grocery store the other night and guess who we saw? Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman. Really! He was wearing a green turtleneck and Birkenstocks and seemed obsessed with finding the carton of milk with the latest expiration date. Actually, that's not true. We're just pulling your leg.

As we hopefully just illustrated, pulling someone's leg (or lying) is easy. Tracking down the origin of the phrase is a lot tougher. According to World Wide Words, the expression first appeared in print in W.B. Churchward's "Blackbirding" in the 1880s.

"Then I shall be able to pull the leg of that chap Mike. He is always trying to do me."

No doubt Mike was a prankster, but it's possible the phrase dates back even further. Word Detective explains the expression may have something to do with public hangings. Apparently people used to pull on the legs of the condemned in order to speed up their asphyxiation.

A lovely image, though Word Detective goes on to state that "to pull one's leg" more likely referred to a thief's way of disorienting a victim. The criminal would simply trip victims before robbing them. Over time, the expression's meaning evolved. Today, of course, it's just another way of saying, "Hey, I was only kidding about Gene Hackman." 

Ok, I know it was stupid, but that example of pulling someone's leg made me laugh. Heehee! 

1 John 1:5 "This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all."

http://ask.yahoo.com/20060915.html 

Over my dead body!!

Ok, another short post, but, info on this phrase was very minimal. I hope you enjoy reading what I could find on this phrase! 

When you absolutely will not allow a person to do something you might say "over my dead body." The [literal] meaning is that you will stand in the way of that person and only if they kill you and walk over your dead body will they be able to do what they want. Example: "You kids are not going out in the cold without your jackets! Not over my dead body!" Parents say "over my dead body" often because they are in a position of authority and they are much bigger than their children. Example: "All of my friends are going out to the lake tonight and I'm going too!" Answer: "Over my dead body you are!" 

Well, tomorrow is Liberty Sunday and Aaron will get to call! I'm very excited. He sounded really excited about it in his last letter as well. No new info from him though. He finished the crucible this morning! Thank you all so much for your prayers! 

Proverbs 11:4 "Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death."

Go out on a Limb

Meaning:
Put oneself in an isolated or disadvantaged position in one's support of someone or something. 
Origin:
The clear allusion in this phrase is to climbing trees. All of us must remember that feeling of not wanting to go further out to reach that apple/ball or whatever for fear that the branch (limb) would break under us. The first uses of it in a figurative sense, with no reference to actual trees or climbing, come from the USA at the end of the 19th century. For example, the Steubenville Daily Herald, October 1895:

"We can carry the legislature like hanging out a washing. The heft [main part] of the fight will be in Hamilton country. If we get the 14 votes of Hamilton we've got 'em out on a limb. All we've got to do then is shake it or saw it off."

That was really short, but it explained it well, so there you go!
2 Timothy 3:8-9 "But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/158600.html

Fuddy-Duddy

Ok. I spent the last 15 minutes trying to find the origin of "You're driving me up a wall." I could not find it. So, we'll have to skip that one. Sorry! On to fuddy duddy. I've called my dad this before, and he's called himself this before. Though, I'm not really sure of the real meaning of this phrase. So, here goes nothing.
A fuddy-duddy, sometimes without the dash, is a person who is fussy while old-fashioned, traditionalist, conformist, or conservative. It is a slang term with negative but sometimes affectionate connotation that dates to ca. 1907 and can be used to describe someone with a zealous focus on order.
The terms fusspot, fusser, stick-in-the-mud, spoilsport, Goug Doodman, wet blanket, old fogy, stuffed shirt, and fussbudget have also been used to describe who fusses or is "fussy about trifles". Fussbudget dates to ca. 1904. The word bore, or old bore, is also used to refer to this type of person. Fuddy and fuddy-dud are abbreviated forms of the term.
Fuddy-duddy is considered a word based on duplication and may have originated as a fused phrase made to form a rhyming jingle. Duddy is similar to Daddy and may have caught on from children's rhyming.
Fuddy-duddy is often used to refer to a man perceived as stodgy or foolish, and in some cases effeminate. It's been used throughout the 20th Century, but its origins are unknown. The short form fud, may relate to the Bugs Bunny cartoons character Elmer Fudd.
Female figures have been labeled with similar meaning terms including school marm, or marm, as for an older female disciplinarian such as a stereotypical type of strict teacher.
Fuddy-duddy "was often used as a verb by a native of the state of Maine... in the sense of 'to act in a foolish or ineffectual manner".
Lots of fun information on this term. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Although, I thoroughly enjoy all of them...
2 Timothy 3:12 "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuddy-duddies

Playing Devil's Advocate

I think it's fairly obvious what the general meaning of this phrase is. But, it will be fun learning more about it nonetheless. :)
Here are some different meanings that are interesting:

1. opponent for the sake of it, somebody who argues about something merely to provoke discussion.

2. Catholic official opposing canonization: a Roman Catholic official appointed to argue against the canonization or beatification of a candidate.

3. One who argues against a cause or position, not as a committed opponent but simply for the sake of argument or to determine the validity of the cause or position.

Origin: 

Originally, a Devil's Advocate (from the Latin Advocatus Diaboli) was a Roman Catholic church official who had been appointed to argue the case against a proposed canonisation or beatification of a candidate for sainthood. (The supporter was, until 1983, called Advocatus Dei - 'God's Advocate'.) The Devil's Advocate's formal title is Promoter of the Faith (Promotor Fidei), which isn't quite as sinister.

Taken from the Latin advocatus diaboli (devil's advocate). The Roman Catholic Church had a person appointed as the devil's advocate to argue against elevating someone to sainthood. The person arguing for the person was known as God's advocate

2 Corinthians 5:1-8 "For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord."

http://www.answers.com/topic/devil-s-advocate

http://www.bing.com/Dictionary/search?q=define+devils+advocate&FORM=DTPDIA&qpvt=devil%27s+advocate+meaning

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Phrases-and-Sayings/article/where-did-the-term-devils-advocate-come-from/
http://www.webanswers.com/misc/where-why-did-the-term-devil-s-advocate-come-into-use-e48a38

Excitment!!

Ok. I know I already posted today, but I don't care. I'm excited and must share with you all. :)
I got a letter from Aaron today! He will be a Marine this Sunday, after he finishes the crucible. And he'll graduate next Friday. How cool is that? He sounds very excited. :) AND! Sunday is Liberty Sunday, so he should get a phone call, which makes me very very excited! And, at the two week mark we were supposed to stop sending letters, because it can take so long to filter through the mail system on the island. So, I sent my last letter on Friday, which was weird. It's so weird not to spend my free time writing to him, but it's also nice, because I know we're super close to graduation!! So, he'll still receive any mail that hasn't gotten through yet and he can still send mail, but I just am supposed to stop sending it so that if it gets stuck for some reason they don't have to forward it across the country six months later when he has a more permanent address.
Anyway. He seems really excited about being done, and he still seems in really good spirits. Which makes me happy! I can't believe that in a week and a half I will be leaving to go see him! It's very exciting. I bet this will be the longest week and a half in my whole life. Haha. Thankfully, I have TONS to do so that I don't fall behind on my school work while I'm gone. :) Ok. Done.

Close, but no cigar.

My mom has said this multiple times. I've also heard other people say it. I think it basically means, you came really really close, but not close enough. I think... So, yes. I had fun learning about its origin. :)

Meaning

Fall just short of a successful outcome and get nothing for your efforts.

Origin

The expression "Close but no cigar" refers to the tradition of celebrating a milestone with a cigar, for example, the birth of a child or the closure of a deal. It implies that while many conditions to resolve a problem have been met, the problem itself has not actually been resolved. The phrase originates from the early part of the 20th century when cigars would be handed out at carnivals as the first prize. When someone just missed out on winning, the stall holder would say, "close but no cigar". It is first recorded in print in Sayre and Twist's publishing of the script of the 1935 film version of Annie Oakley with the quote, "Close, Colonel, but no cigar!"

http://www.wwwk.co.uk/culture/phrases/close-no-cigar.htm
This one was much shorter than the other ones! So far, I think I've found this one the most interesting. :) I hope you're all enjoying this theme as much as I am!
Luke 6:43-45 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."

Once in a Blue Moon

Any feedback is welcome!! (HINT HINT) 
My understanding is that this phrase means that it only happens once in a blue moon. Or never. Haha. It's like saying, I'll do that when pigs fly or something. It will just never happen. So, though I know the basic meaning of this phrase, I had no idea what the origin was. So, I hope you all enjoy!
According to the popular definition, it is the second Full Moon to occur in a single calendar month.
The average interval between Full Moons is about 29.5 days, whilst the length of an average month is roughly 30.5 days. This makes it very unlikely that any given month will contain two Full Moons, though it does sometimes happen.
On average, there will be 41 months that have two Full Moons in every century, so you could say that once in a Blue Moon actually means once every two-and-a-half years.
http://www.obliquity.com/astro/bluemoon.html
he earliest recorded English usage of the term "blue moon" was in a 1528 pamphlet violently attacking the English clergy, entitled "Rede Me and Be Not Wrothe" ("Read me and be not angry"; or possibly "Counsel Me and Be Not Angry" ): "Yf they say the mone is belewe / We must believe that it is true" [If they say the moon is blue, we must believe that it is true].
Some interpret this "blue moon" as relating to absurdities and impossibilities, and a similar moon-related adage was first recorded in the following year: "They would make men beleue ... that þe Moone is made of grene chese" [They would make men believe ... that the moon is made of green cheese].
An alternative interpretation uses another Middle English meaning of belewe, which (besides "blue") can mean "betray". The church was responsible for the calendar, and used the complex computus to calculate the important date of Easter based on the full moon. The late winter time before Easter is the Lent period of fasting. Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon of Spring, where the beginning of Spring is fixed at 21 March in the calendar. By the 16th century, before the Gregorian calendar reform, the medieval computus was out of sync with the actual seasons and the real Moon. Occasionally, Spring would have begun and a full moon passed, a month before the computus put the first Spring moon. The clergy would have to tell people whether the full moon was the Easter moon or a false one, which they may have called a "betrayer moon"; after which people would have to continue fasting for another month.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_moon
I thought that was very interesting!! Are you guys finding this theme interesting and fun, or do you think I should move on? I don't want to bore you all. Also, if there's a particular phrase you would like me to write about, just let me know! 
So, I'm gonna go thrift store shopping today. I need some props for the play, and hopefully I can also find the rest of my costume. So, there may be a post about my adventures in thrift stores later this weekend. :) I've never ever been thrift store shopping, so I'm looking forward to it!
Hebrews 12:1-2 "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

An Axe to Grind

I have no clue whatsoever as to what this phrase means. I've heard it used probably a total of twice in my life, and I don't really remember the context. So, I will be relying totally on other people's definitions. :)

Meaning: Have a dispute to take up with someone or, to have an ulterior motive/ to have private ends to serve.

Origin: Ax or axe? The spelling more commonly used in America is ax and, in Britain, axe, although in neither nation is there consistency. The phrase, in its having private ends to serve meaning, is commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin. Other opinions point to another author who, like Franklin, lived in Pennsylvania, USA - Charles Miner. It is difficult to trace the origin, as both men wrote and printed cautionary metaphorical tales concerning the sharpening of axes.

Franklin sent a story called 'The Whistle' to a friend in 1779. This concerns a child who paid more than he should have for a whistle and later regretted his lack of caution. Franklin's autobiography, which was written between 1771 and his death in 1790 and first published in 1791, also contains an anecdote concerning a man who asked a smith to sharpen his ax especially well and ended up doing the work of turning the grindstone himself. Neither story mentions the phrase an ax to grind.

Miner appears to have written a text called Who'll turn Grindstones?, which does explicitly mention an axe to grind, but which is similar enough to Franklin's earlier stories for some to suggest that Franklin was the real originator of the phrase. I say appears to have written as the first publication of Miner's story is an anonymous piece in the Pennsylvania newspaper The Centinel, on 28th November 1810, under the title Who'll turn Grindstone? This is listed as being reprinted from the Luzerne Federalist. Miner was co-founder of the Federalist, so it's reasonable to assume that he was author. The story is a cautionary fable concerning the author's recounting of an incident from his youth, where a passing stranger takes advantage of him and, by flattering him, dupes him into turning a grindstone to sharpen the stranger's axe. Miner then uses having an axe to grind as a metaphor for having an ulterior motive:

"When I see a man holding a fat office, sounding 'the horn on the borders' to call the people to support the man on whom he depends for his office. Well, thinks I, no wonder the man is zealous in the cause, he evidently has an axe to grind."

The story is published again in 1812; this time under Charles Miner's name and with a slightly different text:

"When I see a merchant over-polite to his customers ... thinks I, that man has an axe to grind."

So, whether or not we view Miner as cribbing his work from Franklin, it seems that it was he who first put the phrase into print.

The meaning that is usually given to the phrase in Britain is having a dispute to take up or point of view to express. Again, it isn't easy to trace the source of this usage. It may be that it migrated from the USA. The sense of having an agenda is common to both versions of the meaning and it doesn't seem likely that the two versions of the phrase arose independently.

James Joyce used the phrase in Ulysses, apparently with that 'British' meaning although, as ever with that particular work, rather difficult to interpret:

Skin-the-Goat, assuming he was he, evidently with an axe to grind, was airing his grievances in a forcible-feeble philippic anent the natural resources of Ireland or something of that sort...

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/174000.htmlSo, I thought that was pretty interesting! Have any of you guys heard anyone say have an axe to grind?

In other news. Exactly TWO weeks from today I will be leaving for Aaron's graduation!! YAHOO!!!! I get very excited about this. Obviously. :) You would too if your boyfriend/girlfriend had dropped off the face of the earth for three months. I got TWO letters from him today! I was shocked!! He wrote them both on the same day. In the second one he said that he was writing again because he had extra time as it was Sunday when he wrote them. He's excited that they're almost done! And he also said (thank goodness) that he's gaining some weight. He's been on double rations for a while now. And it's admin week. I have no idea what that is, but whatever. He also said something about CFS. I have no idea what that is either. And that's all the info I got from him that pertains to him. He asks about my car all the time. It's kinda funny. And he asks about Chloe a lot too. And that is about it for today. Have a lovely Wednesday!

A Chip on Your Shoulder

I'll be honest and say that I copied and pasted this from the website below. :) But, it was interesting, and made a lot of sense to me, so I didn't see a point in putting in a bunch of my own rambling words. :) So, enjoy reading this, and I hope you enjoy this theme!

Meaning: A perceived grievance or sense of inferiority.

Origin: The word chip has several meanings; the one that we are concerned with here is the earliest known of these, namely 'a small piece of wood, as might be chopped, or chipped, from a larger block'. The phrase 'a chip on one's shoulder' is reported as originating with the nineteenth century U.S. practice of spoiling for a fight by carrying a chip of wood on one's shoulder, daring others to knock it off. This suggested derivation has more than the whiff of folk-etymology about it. Anyone who might be inclined to doubt that origin can take heart from an alternative theory. This relates to working practices in the British Royal Dockyards in the 18th century. In Day and Lunn's The History of Work and Labour Relations in the Royal Dockyards, 1999, the authors report that the standing orders of the [Royal] Navy Board for August 1739 included this ruling:

"Shipwrights to be allowed to bring [chips] on their shoulders near to the dock gates, there to be inspected by officers".

The permission to remove surplus timber for firewood or building material was a substantial perk of the job for the dock workers. A subsequent standing order, in May 1753, ruled that only chips that could be carried under one arm were allowed to be removed. This limited the amount of timber that could be taken and the shipwrights were not best pleased about the revoking of their previous benefit. Three years later, for this and other reasons, they went on strike.

Hattendorf, Knight et al., in British Naval Documents, 1204 - 1960, record a letter which was sent by Chatham Dockyard officers to the Navy Board, relating to the 1756 dockyard workers' strike at Chatham. The letter records a comment made by a shipwright who was stopped at the yard's gates:

"Are not the chips mine? I will not lower them."

It goes on to report that "Immediately the main body pushed on with their chips on their shoulders."

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/chip-on-your-shoulder.html

Ok. Guess what guys? TWO WEEKS FROM TOMORROW I'M LEAVING TO SEE AARON GRADUATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
Can you tell I'm excited? Hahaha. So, yeah. I'm so thankful that it's coming up! And I get to hitch a ride with my favorite McCoy's, and hang with them until we get Aaron back and then I get to hang with ALL of the McCoy's. Makes my day to think about it. I'm telling ya. I haven't heard from him in a while, but, I'm not really expecting to hear much more because he's almost done, and I bet he doesn't have a lot of writing time. The last letter I got was Thursday, and it was very uninformative. Nothing to report. But, the Crucible will be coming up at the end of next week so keep him in your prayers! And, thank goodness, I found out that they did not take his wisdom teeth out there. Yet another thing to praise God for.
Well, that's all for now. I love you all. :)

Philippians 4

Last chapter! This chapter is probably my favorite one. I memorized it with Maddy, Lenita, and Jenna one summer, and it still sticks with me, though I can't say it word for word anymore. Definitely has some of my favorite verses in it. Have you all noticed the undercurrent of joy that Paul puts in this book?
Philippians 4:4-8 "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men, the Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things." There is so much to learn in these 4 verses! Paul is stressing the importance of rejoicing in the Lord. He says it twice. It's obviously important if he repeats it. We need to rejoice in our savior. Why? Because He sent His Son to die for us, and He granted us salvation and eternal life. He gives us the ability to love others in a more unselfish way, He gives us the fruits of the Spirit. And soooo much more. :) And along with our rejoicing in the Lord, we need to let our gentleness be evident to others around us. We need to be gentle. Not forcing our opinions on others, not being mean and cruel, not being judgmental and hypocritical. Being loving, caring, being a good listener, and the list goes on. We don't need to worry about things. Let tomorrow worry about itself. I am so guilty of worrying about tomorrow. I don't rest in God the way I should, and I get stressed out over dumb things and then treat others around me badly because I'm not resting in Christ and letting Him take care of me. Yes, I need to talk to God about my worries and needs and wants, but I need to leave those things in His hands. He'll take care of me! And so many times I behave and live on my own strength, not on God's. If I just rest in God, His peace will guard my heart and mind. How cool is that? I mean, seriously. And then we get a whole long list of all the things we need to be thinking on. If the things you think about are not noble, lovely, praiseworthy, of good report, etc... stop thinking about them! We're supposed to meditate on things that ARE lovely, praiseworthy, etc...
Philippians 4:11b-13 "For I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." First off, I want to encourage you to look at verse thirteen in light of the previous verses. I can be content in any situation because of Christ. I can be rich, healthy, happy, etc. because of Christ. I can be hungry, and needy, and poor because of Christ. Being able to be content in those two extremes and any situation in between is not because of me. It's because of Christ. So, think about it. Are you content in whatever state you're in? Maybe when you go to school you feel like the people who call themselves your friends aren't treating you like one. Are you content to just let Jesus be your friend? Maybe the messages you're getting at church aren't what you'd like them to be. Are you giving that situation to God and then spending time in His word to help supplement the message you've already heard? Maybe you're having trouble loving your family, or vice-versa, are you loving God the way you should be and then letting that poor our into the way you love others? Just something to think about.
Philippians 4:19 "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." This verse seems to state how God supplies our need. He supplies it through giving us His son and salvation! Pretty self-explanatory. Of course, there's more than one way to look at this verse, but that's the way I look at it. But, you could also look at it in the sense that we talked about in the verses above. We don't need to be anxious for anything, God is taking care of us through His Son.
Next post we'll be getting back to the "Why do we say it?" theme. Thanks for listening (or should I say reading?) my ramblings on one of my favorite books!

Philippians 3

I realize I've been posting really long posts every day. But, there are only 4 chapters in Philippians, so bear with me. :) I just love this book, and want to share with you guys what pops in my head as I read! Plus, it really helps me to organize my thoughts to write about them afterwords.
Philippians 3:1a "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord." I think that period should be an exclamation point. Just my opinion. That is not a sedate, boring thing to say. Here's how I read it: "REJOICE IN THE LORD!!!"
Philippians 3:3b "Rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." This verse just expounds on the first on I put up I think. Why should we rejoice in the Lord? Because our flesh is weak and He can help us to continually walk in the Spirit and in a way that the first two chapters teach us.
Philippians 3:7-14 "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the  knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Do you count loss for Christ the things that are important to the world? Your family, how much money you make, what kind of car you have, etc.... Counting as loss means that even if you had the newest, shiniest Corvette in banana yellow with a convertible top, you wouldn't care if you totaled it because you have Christ, and that is the most important thing. Do you count all your stuff, that will eventually burn up, as rubbish? As trash? As something filthy? Or are you attached to your stuff? Does your stuff matter more, or does your relationship with Christ and your ability to be a light in the world matter more? I'll be honest and say that most of the time my life proves that I would rather have the world that Christ. Forgetting those things that are behind and reaching to things ahead.... Are we living in the past or are we living in the present constantly reevaluating where we are NOW and trying to conform ourselves more and more to the image of Christ and His death? Are we living a sacrificial life unto Christ and others? Lay hold of of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me: eternal life! At least that's what I think. Christ Jesus laid hold of eternal life for us by dying on the cross and raising from the dead the third day. We should also be laying hold of this gift! Living life with an eternal, more heavenly perspective. I jumped around a little bit in that last passage, I hope you guys got the gist of it.
There are so many more things to learn from these chapters! I sincerely hope you guys read Philippians on your own and see how many amazing things are in this book.

Philippans 2

Chapter 2 today!  All of you are familiar with verses 5-11. I encourage you to look at those verses in context of the first 4 verses today. I hadn't ever realized that verses 5-11 really tied in with the first few verses, but they do! So, look at that. It's pretty cool!
Philippians 2:3-11 "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interest, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." I love this passage. It shows me that I need to have the right motives when I do things, that I need to be humble, and that I need to put others before me. Why? Because that's the mind of Christ! Christ came to earth, put on man's skin, and was humble and served others. He washed people's feet! How gross is that? Seriously! And He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross! The cross guys! Do you realize the significance of this? The most horrible, wretched, most painful, way to die. Christ did that. For us! But, He didn't do it so that we could go around living selfishly and in sin. He did it so that He might be glorified through us. We glorify Him by looking out for the interests of others and esteeming others better than ourselves. And that doesn't just mean care about people that you like. That means care and love people who are mean to you, who are annoying, who are conceited, who hate Christ and the gospel, and who just bug you in general. That's what it means! Do you do that? I know I don't. I much prefer to be around people who like me and are nice to me and don't bug me. But, that's not how I was called to live. That's not living selflessly.
Philippians 2:13-15 "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world."
Do you realize that God is working in you? How cool is that? Super cool! He's working in us for His good pleasure! God is taking me, a sinful, selfish person, and He's working in me, and He takes pleasure in it! That just makes me smile really big. How does He work in us? He teaches us to do things without complaining and disputing. He makes us blameless and harmless, lights in the world. That seems to imply that when you are disputing and complaining, you're to be blamed, you're harmful, and you're not a light in the world. Instead you have become a part of that perverse and crooked generation that He has called us to be a light to. Scary, huh? Does that motivate you to live the way these verses call you to live?
My mom tells me I have the tendency to lecture. Not trying to lecture you guys! I'm writing my thoughts as they occur to me while I'm reading, and all these things are pointed right at me. I'm to be blamed, I'm harmful, and I'm not a light in the world when I dispute and complain. Which is most of the time. I'm not being like-minded as Jesus when I'm conceited and put myself before others. But, I want to be blameless, harmless, a light in the world, and like Jesus putting others before myself. So, these verses inspire me to do that! :)

Philippians 1

Today I'm doing a post, obviously, on Philippians chapter 1. Dave has been doing a Sunday School class the past few weeks talking about Philippians, and he preached last night on Philippians as well. I am so moved by the book. Every verse has something in it that I need to hear. I've realized recently how many idols I have and how I don't put Christ first. And I need to. Philippians has so much in it that helped me to realize that, and I just want to share some of my thankfulness for this book with you guys! Eventually we'll get through all 4 chapters and then we'll go back to the "Why Do We Say It?" theme.
So, here goes nothing. I really appreciate any feedback you all have on this.
Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." Are you confident of God's progressive sanctification in your life? Do you trust completely in Him to make you who He wants you to be? Or do you push ahead, doing things in your own strength trying to become who you want to be?
Philippians 1:9-11 "And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." Does your love abound in an unselfish, giving way towards others? Is your love sincere and unoffensive? Do you crave being righteous so that you may love others better all to the glory of God?
Philippians 1:20-21 "According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Are you living in such a way that if you were to stand before God tomorrow you would stand before Him unashamed? Are you bold with the gospel, with your love? Do you live in a way that makes Christ so obvious others can't help but notice Christ in you? Would you die in a way that would bring glory to Christ if you had to? Do you live in such a way that you are living only for Christ and others? Is death to you something to be eager for because it means being with Christ?
Philippians 1 27a "Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ." Does your conduct show the gospel to those around you?
Philippians 1:29 "For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake." Do you realize how undeserving we are of Christ and His death and resurrection? Do you realize what a privilege it is to suffer in the name of Christ?
I just want you all to think about these things. I am as well. They are things that are worth thinking on. In order to live like Christ, we must suffer for him and live a life that is selfless. I realize more and more as I continue studying this book how important it is to live selflessly.

Tough Cookies!

If you spend a lot of time around me, you've heard me say this. Someone's griping or complaining, and I just say "Tough cookies!" Basically I mean, too bad, get over it, cry me a river, etc... That is the context I mean it in, not the "He's a tough cookie" context. :) According to Urban Dictionary it is, "A way of displaying your sympathy in a young hip manor." You could also say, tough luck. Most people wouldn't say this if they really were sorry for you, most of the time it's used in a snarky, sarcastic way.
This was a really short post, but that's all the explaining this phrase needs. :) So, I hope you enjoyed! I sure did enjoy writing it! It's fun to surf around and find out all this interesting stuff.
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/tough+cookie
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=tough%20cookies 
Hosea 11:8 “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? My heart churns within me; my sympathy is stirred.

Kick the Bucket

DISCLAIMER ---> To give credit where credit is due, check the bottom of my post for all the websites I got information off of. :)

Ok. Kick the Bucket. I'm assuming you've all heard this phrase used before. "What happened to Fred?" "Well, yesterday he just kicked the bucket." That's generally how that phrase is used. It basically means they died. 

But, how does kicking a bucket signify death? I mean, seriously. What do you think about when you hear, "kick the bucket?" I think of someone who is mad just up and walking up to a bucket and giving it a swift kick. Like you would a tire if you were near a vehicle or something. That doesn't really make sense unless you're talking about the bucket dying. Which, you obviously aren't. So, that eliminates that option. 

Here's some options that I think makes the most sense that I found while surfing on Bing:

"One theory as to why, albeit with little evidence to support it, is that the phrase originates from the notion that people hanged themselves by standing on a bucket with a noose around their neck and then kicking the bucket away. There are no citations that relate the phrase to suicide and, in any case, why a bucket? Whenever I've needed something to stand on I can't recall ever opting for a bucket. This theory doesn't stand up any better than the supposed buckets did.

The mist begins to clear with the fact that in 16th century England bucket had an additional meaning (and in some parts it still has), i.e. a beam or yoke used to hang or carry items. The term may have been introduced into English from the French trébuchet - meaning a balance, or buque - meaning a yoke. That meaning of bucket was referred to in Peter Levins' Manipulus vocabulorum. A dictionarie of English and Latine wordes, 1570:

"A Bucket, beame, tollo."

and was used by Shakespeare in Henry IV Part II, 1597:

"Swifter then he that gibbets on the Brewers Bucket." [to gibbet meant to hang]

The wooden frame that was used to hang animals up by their feet for slaughter was called a bucket. Not unnaturally they were likely to struggle or to spasm after death and hence 'kick the bucket'."

So, I leave you with those opinions to think on. :) 

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/218800.html

Slight Departure

Ok. Well. I'm going to do a slight departure from my regular "Thankful for Today" theme and do something different. I think I'll do it as a little mini series type thing, so expect this for the next few posts. Or maybe it will be like a once a week theme or something, but for right now, just expect it to be a series for a few weeks. :)
I am going to do a "Why Do We Say It?" theme. So, think about all those weird phrases that pop up in conversations and things. Where did they come from? What do they really mean? This is what I'll be writing about. Expect quite a few posts over the next few days. I'm in a writing mood. Hahaha.
My dad has a book on this stuff, but it's mostly English phrases and things, but I may quote from there, and also from other random sources on the internet. Most of what I put is not going to be my original words and stuff. :)
There are a TON of these phrases, but you know, you probably know what most of them mean, so I'll only be doing the ones that suit my fancy. Is there any in particular that you guys want me to write about?
Here's a list of the phrases I'll be covering:

1. Kick the Bucket (Morbid? Maybe. Interesting? For sure!) 
2. Tough Cookies (I say this quite a lot.) 
3. A Chip on Your Shoulder
4. An Axe to Grind
5. Once in a Blue Moon (I've said this. It will be fun to find out why it's called a "blue" moon!)
6. Close, but no Cigar (My mom says this. Could be fun to explore its full meaning.)
7. Devil's Advocate 
8. Driving me up a wall! (I say this to my sisters and brothers a lot.) 
9. Fuddy-duddy 
10. Go out on a Limb 
11. Over my Dead Body (I've never said this, I think it's gross, but I hear people say it a lot.) 
12. Pulling Your Leg
13. Break a Leg
14. Rule of Thumb 
15. Under the Weather

And there are many many more! I may not even cover all of these. But, for now, these ones interest me. So, expect a blog post this evening or tomorrow on one of these. For now, my pain meds are kicking in and I'm about to fall asleep.
Ezekiel 18:32 "For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord God, "Therefore, turn and live!"

Today I am Thankful for: The Madison Street Festival!

First off, this will probably be my last blog post until at least Thursday, I would guess. Why, you may ask? Because, I am getting all four of my wisdom teeth out at 10:00 AM on Monday morning. I don't know how the anesthesia and medications will make me feel, so I'm guessing that I won't write until Thursday unless I am miraculously doing really well afterwords. And, also guys, I'm really nervous about the whole getting put under thing, so, if you would remember me in your prayers on Monday morning, that would be great! Feel free to email me this week or text me, or call me, or whatever. I'm sure I'll get stir crazy. :)
On to my thankful theme! Today was the Madison Street Festival. For those of you who don't know, it's in down town Madison and it starts off with a parade with floats and fun things like that, and people throwing candy at you, and then the booths open and you get to go look at crafts and buy crafts and jewelry and things like that. There are also booths that display other people's art, and lots of businesses do a booth to get their name out there and they'll give away pens and stuff. My dad has a booth, so, I was there all day. It was very fun!! I blew up LOTS of balloons!! We blew up and gave away roughly 500 balloons. I'm not sure how many pens and magnets we gave away. But, I'd say it was a success! And we all went around to the other booths in our IHR T-shirts for advertising. Haha! And the Advanced Art Class from LCA had a booth and Katelyn sold some of her AMAZING clay jewelry and homemade cards. (I got a flower necklace that is beautiful. I can't wait to wear it!)
Ally and Ben came for a while, and we hung out with them, and Eric came for a while and we all hung out together, and Jacksyn came for a while also and me and her just hung out together. That was a lot of fun! We looked at all the fun booths and oohed and aahed over the cute baby things and pretty jewelry and things like that. And Sarah was there, I gave her a bunch of hugs. Haha! And the McCoy's were there, so of course, Adam and Andrew poked me, and I gave Mrs. McCoy a hug and visited for a while. That was fun. :) And Leah and Chloe were there because Hudson had to work at our booth, so I got to snuggle and kiss my little niece for quite a bit today. It was so much fun! Plus, I tried fresh-squeezed lemonade for the first time today, and it was DELICIOUS!! I highly suggest trying it sometime, if you haven't already. For real. It was amazing!
And, that was the extent of the Street Festival without me rambling on for a million pages. :) I don't have any pictures unfortunately. You'll just have to use your imagination!
Quick update on Aaron. I have gotten three letters this week! Most of their contents were not about him, but I did get some information! He said they got their woodland camis with their names on them. (That's one of their uniforms if you don't know.) This is a big deal. Having their names on them. By now they've gone 2 months being a nobody. Being called recruit and loser and other bad names by their DI's and fellow recruits. So, having a bit of an identity is a good thing! He also said he likes going to church there. He said he never learns anything new, but the messages are usually good. Apparently he has quite a few friends! This was quite a shock to me, because I hadn't heard of any until a few days ago. Hahaha! But, I am glad he has friends. And he had pre-qual for rifle range at some point this week, and he's very excited about going to the range. That's about it! You all need to come to the Madison Street Festival next year!
Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."

A List of Bible Verses

Hello all! Today I'm going to put up my own list of things I'm thankful for. I'm actually going to put up a list of my favorite Bible verses. That's my spin on being creative about it. Hahaha. :)
1. Deuteronomy 7:6-11 “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. “Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face. Therefore you shall keep the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which I command you today, to observe them.
2. James 1:2-7 "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
3. Philippians 4:4-9 "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."
4. Proverbs 15:1-3 "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good."
I have many MANY more, but I'll leave it at that for now. :)
What are your favorite verses?

Today I am Thankful for: Other Peoples Lists

I have been at a loss as to what to write about. Not that I'm not thankful for stuff, because I am. But because I just don't want to bore you all by going on and on about my thankfulness for things like York Mint Patties and monkey slippers. Hahaha! So, I stole a list that someone named Craig Jones wrote. I found it by googling (or in my case, binging) lists of things to be thankful for. Some of them are really creative! And you know what would make me really excited? If everyone who reads this comments and puts a couple of things you're thankful for.
Psalm 100:4 "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name."

1. A beautiful song
2. A comfortable chair
3. A cool breeze
4. A drink of cool water
5. A full moon
6. A gentle rain
7. A glass of cold milk
8. A good book to read
9. A good coat
10. A good husband
11. A good pillow
12. A good wife
13. A scenic drive
14. Air conditioning
15. Banana splits
16. Beaches in the morning
17. Beautiful people
18. Birds singing
19. Blue jeans
20. Brothers
21. Butterflies
22. Butterfly kisses
23. Ceiling fans
24. Children laughing
25. Christmas morning
26. Clothes that fit well
27. Comfortable shoes
28. Compliments
29. Computers that work
30. Cooing Babies
31. Cream Brule
32. Dark Chocolate
33. Dishwashers
34. Diversity
35. Dried pineapple slices
36. Fairness
37. Crackling fire in a fireplace
38. Flowers
39. Freedom of religion
40. Freedom of speech
41. Fresh ideas
42. Friendly dogs
43. Good conversation
44. Good eyesight
45. Good friends
46. Good health
47. Good movies
48. Good teachers
49. Good tires
50. Grace
51. Grandchildren
52. Grandma
53. Grandpa
54. Hair spray
55. High-speed Internet access
56. Holding hands
57. Homemade ice cream
58. Honest people
59. Hugs
60. Ice cubes
61. Indoor plumbing
62. Kind people
63. Kittens
64. Laughter
65. Live Christmas trees
66. Morning coffee
67. Parking spaces near the front
68. Peanut butter
69. Plenty of closet space
70. Polyester
71. Polite drivers
72. Porch swings
73. Pregnant women
74. Puppies
75. Quiet mornings
76. Rainbows
77. Remote Controls
78. Roasted peanuts
79. Shade trees
80. Silk pajamas
81. Sisters
82. Smiles
83. Snow covered mountains
84. Snowflakes
85. Soft toilet paper
86. Sunrises
87. Sunsets
88. Thanksgiving dinner
89. That I wasn't in the obituaries today
90. The color of autumn leaves
91. The ocean
92. The smell of a Sunday roast cooking
93. The smell of homemade bread
94. The words "I love you"
95. Tire swings
96. True friends
97. Uninterrupted dinners
98. Warm kisses
99. Warm showers
100. Whipped cream
101. White puffy clouds
102. Wrinkle-free clothes

Today I am Thankful for: Chloe's Homecoming!

This is a really good picture of just Chloe.

Chloe got to come home on Tuesday morning! Yay! We were all very excited. Especially Leah and Hudson.
They invited all of their family members over yesterday from 1 'til whenever as like an open house thing for us all to come see her and hold her. So, we went around 4 after Harley was done with her homework and I was finished with my guitar lesson. All of Leah's family was there at that point as well as us, so that was fun! We all got a chance to hold the sweet pea. I held her for a while, then Harley had a turn, and then I took her back, because I had only gotten to hold her for a few minutes. The person who held her longest I think was my dad. He's a baby hog. And he is very honest about it too! Hahaha. So, it was fun! And we took lots of pictures and she was adorable. She slept most of the time. She cried a teeny bit while I held her, and while dad held her. But, other than that she was very content. She was wearing an adorable strawberry outfit and had her monogrammed blanket wrapped around her. Too cute. We're all in love. It's so fun to watch my brother be a daddy! It's weird though, because he still acts like a kid most of the time himself! But, he loves his little girl, and it's the sweetest thing ever. :) We can't wait to see how Philip and Mandy do with her! I'm taking them back to the apartment tomorrow evening. I guess we'll find out then! Until then, I'm thankful that Chloe is doing better and that she's home! And I'm thankful that Leah's doing so well, and that Hudson is going to be SUCH a GREAT dad.

Maddy and Chloe.

Chloe Anne with her favorite Auntie Sophie

 












Ok, quick update on Aaron. I got a letter on Monday and a letter yesterday. The one I got on Monday had ZERO information on him, he only talked about my car, but the one from yesterday was much more informative. :) He seems to be doing really well! He said that he's doing grass week this week, which I already knew, but you guys who read this probably didn't, so yeah... And he also said he got put on double rations, but he doesn't have enough time to get but one, so he doesnt' know how that will go. He didn't say why he got put on double rations, but I assume it's because he's too scrawny. You know, he was really skinny before he left, and most guys lose weight at bootcamp, so I think he's probably just dropped too much weight. So, if you guys will remember to keep him in your prayers. :) And that was really all he said. He was excited about Chloe! He had gotten my letter that was all about her. Most of the ones I've sent since she's been born have been about her, but whatever. He got the first one about her! And that was really it.
Psalm 127:3-5 "Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. They shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate."

Chloe!!

Ok guys. Yesterday Leah had her baby! Leah is doing fine and Chloe is in the NICU right now because of some breathing problems, but nothing serious. I'm sitting here in the hospital writing this on my laptop. It's just me and Maddy here, Hudson and Leah and mom are in the NICU with Chloe. I'm not allowed. It's grandparent hour or something like that. Hudson said I probably won't get to see Chloe today, but that's ok. I saw her yesterday and she is beautiful!! I don't have any pictures. Don't ask me if I have pictures or when I will get them. I'm liable to bit your head off. When I have some pictures I will write another post including them. This is just a post to let you all know she's here!

Today I am Thankful for: The State Fair

Me and Harley on the carousel. That was fun.

There's the llama that tried to eat his cage.

Maddy and me on the SCARY Ferris Wheel!

Well, on the first Sunday of September, my dad took Maddy, Harley, and me to the state fair. It was not like I expected it to be. When I think of state fair I think of taste contests, eating contests, and animals being judged for size and stuff like that, and rides and cotton candy. This wasn't really like that. It was more like a carnival. It was really fun though! Maddy had decided that we were going to go on the Ferris Wheel. So, in the car, on the way there, dad asks who all is going to go on the Ferris Wheel. Obviously Maddy said she was going to, and Harley said she would only do it if dad did it, so he said he would. He then coerced me into doing it. I was not excited. I was scared to death. So, we wandered about a bit, then went and got in line for the Ferris Wheel.  I was terrified. I was shaking and I thought I was throw up. And that was before the darn thing even started moving! Then it started moving and I was SO scared. I was telling Maddy, "I feel like I'm gonna throw up!" And all she did was laugh at me and then she said,"Well, make sure you do it over there and not on me." No commiseration whatsoever. None at all. And then, we got all the way around, and I was under the impression that the thing only went around once, but NOOOO. That's not how it goes. No sirree. So, the blasted thing picked up speed!! Oh my word. I started to cry. Not even gonna lie. And Maddy was laughing at me and having a good ole time at my expense. And it kept going around and around and around. I mean, after the first five times I started to think, "surely this is the last time around." BUT NO. IT went around like 20 times. It was ridiculous. And I even prayed on it. I said, out loud "DEAR GOD DON'T LET ME DIE!" The girls in the seat in front of us had a very good laugh at me... And please don't think this is me being dramatic. I. Was. Terrified. Absolutely TERRIFIED. I hate heights. I get nervous on an escelator in the mall. Seriously. So, when we got off my dad gave me a big hug and he kept asking me if I was ok. And I was completely fine once we got of the thing. It was while I was ON it that I was a mess. So, I ate my cotton candy afterwords and felt slightly better. In order to feel all the way better though, I had to play a game and ride a fun ride. So, me and Harley played a ring toss kind of game, and then we went on the carousel. SO much better and WAY more fun than the Ferris Wheel. I'm tellin' ya. :) I rode a horse with an American Flag painted on it. I am patriotic. After that that was really all there was to see. We watched a puppet show and then we watched a magic show, and we also went to the petting zoo where none of the animals wanted to be pet and the llama was trying to eat his cage. Weird. But, I had a grand time! And everybody had a good time on the Ferris Wheel. Not because of the wheel itself, but because of my distress on it. Thank goodness my dad was terrified too. I mean, he didn't cry or anything, but, he was scared. He fell of a ladder many years ago and had to go to the hospital and get stitches and stuff, and ever since then he's been terrified of heights. So, at least I wasn't the only one that was scared... Hahaha.

All in all I had a very good time and so did everyone else! And I'm thankful for the experience and I'm thankful that God answered my prayer and didn't kill me while I was on the Ferris Wheel. 

And my next post will probably be about my niece!!! YAY!!!!  

 Romans 5:18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.

And yeah, I don't know why it's doing that funny space thing after the first paragraph... But whatever...