Q’s & A’s
December 15, 2009
I
had coffee this morning with two friends I met in the blogosphere. The rich conversation and red cups of happiness were a great start to my week in Ohio.
I always enjoy getting to know you guys more, whether in person or through our blogs. So since I learn so much about you from your answers (which I love!), let’s do a round of Q’s and A’s.
Here’s 10 Q’s for you. Answer any or all of them. And feel free to leave a question for me, too.
Ready?
- Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither?
- What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently?
- Favorite Christmas tradition?
- What song best describes you today?
- Least favorite sound?
- What author or speaker has impacted your life the most?
- Describe your ideal vacation.
- What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are?
- Biggest hope for 2010?
- What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading?
1. Neither
2. Best? I dunno. But Cry Baby with Johnny Depp in his early days was pretty funny.
3. BAKING! So much good food!
4. Hate to say it, but “Good To Go” by the K. “gotta get away…” sounds pretty great right now.
5. Oh, geeze… um… children singing in any part of an otherwise normal song.
6. Wow. I’d have to say that my professor, Dr. Heth, is up there.
7. In a cabin by a lake somewhere. I’d love to be near mountains, but I love seclusion more than I enjoy exploring cities.
8. The numerous gnomes that live in our living room. There are almost 10 of them.
9. Gathering family and friends all in one place for a couple days… ;-)
10. http://exploringourmatrix.blogspot.com/ – it’s a Bible blog… a bit on the edgy side, for Bible studies, and quite interesting at times.
@gritandglory says:
i hate when kids randomly sing/speak in songs, too. hate. it.
you have gnomes in your living room??? hmmmm…. suspect.
(TobyMac angers me for the sole reason that his kid sings on all his albums… ew.)
I do have gnomes. They’re my roommate Rachel’s. Except for one that was a remnant of my summer at PF. Sigh. Such a good experience…
@gritandglory says:
i hung out with the roberts’ gang two nights ago in pennsylvania. we talked about you. yes we did!
ACK! So awesome. Double sigh.
@danielleH says:
wait? what’s with the kids singing? i am not picturing / hearing to know what you mean. example?
@gritandglory says:
i think michael w. smith and casting crowns have done this … like in the intro to a song or a bridge, they have kids singing or reading scripture. ugh… can’t stand it!
breakfast for dinner is always a nice treat! i make some mean sausage gravy.
one of my favorite christmas traditions is looking through my stocking first and foremost in the morning, knowing a lifesaver’s storybook will always be in there, courtesy of my big brother. our papa used to stick one in everyone’s stocking, young & old alike, & my brother has continued this tradition since papa’s passing. :)
hearing styrofoam rub together makes me cringe. :-/
my senior pastor, craig groeschel, & christine caine from hillsong church have wrecked my life in the best possible ways.
i would give my pinky toe to return to istanbul on vacation one day.
and my goals for the coming year are to watch my mom beat cancer & to run the 5k at race for the cure in her honor. :)
@gritandglory says:
i love listening to craig and christine, too.
so sweet to hear how your brother is carrying on your papa’s tradition. that’s really special!
You had me at “sausage gravy”.
@gritandglory says:
you lost me at “sausage gravy”.
ha! i like it… but only on a biscuit… and only about once a year.
@maryjohess says:
We love sausage gravy (of course I was raised on a farm in KY so it was common place at our breakfast/dinner table). Chocolate gravy on a hot biscuit is the BEST! ;o)
1. Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither?
Both! Bacon waffles for dinner? Yes! Enchiladas for breakfast? Yes!
2. What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently?
Julie & Julia because I love to cook and I knew how to do 90% of what Julie was accomplishing. Because I love French cooking, I love Julia Childs. Another movie I can’t get enough of since it came out on DVD is Star Trek.
3. Favorite Christmas tradition?
Something with food. I think I am going to try my hand and recreate my grandmother’s Italian Creme cake.
4. What song best describes you today?
The Atonement Q&A by Shai Linne. Easily one of the two best praise songs released in 2009 (the other being Led to the Slaughter by Red Letter). The following passage always make me cry:
“The result is by nature we’re God’s enemies
And must pay the penalty unless God provides the remedy
What the remedy?
The remedy is the cross of Christ
Where He suffered all the strikes for the lawless type
I’ve been rescued by the Lamb, I’m convinced that He’s risen
And blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven!”
5. Least favorite sound?
I have none. Sounds don’t freak me out. Usually.
6. What author or speaker has impacted your life the most?
John Piper. Yes, his statement “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” is far reaching and impactful for sure. But, from the same book, Desiring God, this one statement, adapted from Westminster Shorter Catechism, has had a greater impact on my mindset for sure:
“The chief end of man is to worship God by enjoying Him forever.”
7. Describe your ideal vacation.
Either visiting friends wherever they live (Seattle, Oregon, New England, Chicago, London) or the most ideal is to visit the Jonathan Edwards Library at Yale University. Yes, I am a theology geek.
8. What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are?
Upon my bed, I have one sheet, one comforter, one throw and four quilts. I think that is much much odder than the stack of 35 books nicely balanced on my nightstand right next to me.
9. Biggest hope for 2010?
Always, the glory of God.
10. What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading?
I think ‘How to Write Badly Well’ is genius:
http://writebadlywell.blogspot.com/
Also, I use this blog to keep in the forefront of what is the most important while I am here on earth, the gospel of Jesus Christ:
http://firstimportance.org/
@gritandglory says:
waitwaitwait… bacon waffles?!?!
Oh yea.
You know, like blueberry waffles? Take crumbled bacon and sprinkle it in the middle of your waffle batter before closing the iron.
Bacon waffles.
@gritandglory says:
i think i just threw up…
bahaha.who doesn’t like biscuits & gravy? oh, southern cookin’.
@gritandglory says:
i SO can’t do biscuits and gravy… (can we still be friends??)
@danielleH says:
is it a texture thing, Alece?
Your comment on my blog for that salad I posted made me want to make up that salad now.
However, I have sausage and biscuits and can quite easily make sausage gravy. I know what i am about to eat.
Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither? breakfast for dinner for sure! love some maple syrup on my scrambled eggs
What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently? cannot even remember the last move i saw
Favorite Christmas tradition? being with family. playing games late into the night.
What song best describes you today? “all i wanna do” sheryl crow
Least favorite sound? MOUTH NOISES – hate, hate, hate them
What author or speaker has impacted your life the most? my mom. beth moore.
Describe your ideal vacation. sitting on a beach doing absolutely nothing
What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are? a cow flashlight that moos when you press you turn it on
Biggest hope for 2010? that my children’s broken hearts would be healed
What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading? i think we read many of the same!
just to clarify…my mom is NOT beth moore. i meant my mom & beth moore!!
@gritandglory says:
i’m not a big sausage eater, but i do love breakfast sausage dipped in maple syrup…
ooooh! i hate mouth noises too. ::heebie jeebies::
1. Breakfast for dinner, especially scrambled eggs.
2. Food, Inc. Will scare you straight on what you put in your body.
3. Rick making me a delicious breakfast with all my favorites (esp. Grands flaky biscuits!)
4. Feelings (woah, woah, feelings……)
5. Someone cracking their toes
6. John and Lisa Bevere
7. A small, friendly, safe town, lots of great little shops and fun little places to eat great food, all just waiting to be discovered.
8. Bose stereo headphones
9. Walking more in the fullness of how the Lord desires me to live my life in Him.
10. alwyncosgrove.blogspot.com
@gritandglory says:
i did NOT expect that to be a health/fitness blog! what’s your workout routine like??
i’m contemplating training to run/walk a half-marathon in april… key word: contemplating.
Ooh, right now, I’m just doing some Jillian Michaels’ DVDs to work back up to my other preferred workouts, which lately have been by someone named Valerie Waters, who’s Jennifer Garner’s personal trainer. Her workouts kick my butt (in a good way)! Alwyn Cosgrove is a good friend and colleague of hers in the fitness industry. I love the way he’s always pushing himself to be better, and finding new scientific breakthroughs about the smartest ways to work out, proper nutrition, etc. Right now I’m reading his wife Rachel’s book, “The Female Body Breakthrough.”
They say you should surround yourself with people that that are smarter than you, and LEARN. That’s what’s cool about Valerie and the Cosgroves, they seem to want to always improve themselves and their fitness business – for their sake, for their clients’ sakes, and for others. I just find them, and that kind of attitude, energizing and inspiring. :)
Wow, if you do the marathon, that’d be fantastic! What a feeling of accomplishment it’ll be at the end when you know you did it!!!
Oh, and I forgot to explain that the headphones are the noise-cancellation kind, which is why I thought they stood out as different from say, you know, the White Out here on my desk. ;)
Oh, and one MORE thing!!!: You need to check out http://www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com if you haven’t already. All I can say is, “WHY???”
Also, http://www.icanhascheezburger.com.
:)
@gritandglory says:
i love that awkwardfamilyphotos site! cracks me up whenever i randomly check it. (which means i should do that more often…)
and i’ve always been bothered by the name of icanhascheezburger — what is up with that?!?! ;) it’s right up there with http://failblog.org in terms of content – funny stuff!
“I can has cheeseburger” is one of the captions from an old picture, has to do with the way the cats on the website talk, you know, like, “I haz tuff!” if a kitten thinks he’s tough. It’s just the way they word the captions. This is probably making it more confusing……….. lol
That Fail blog is hilarious! I love the funny headlines and ads thing that Jay Leno does, too.
@gritandglory says:
“i haz tuff!” ha ha!
you know, portland has the race for the roses in the spring and you can either do a half-marathon or 5k. just saying…..
@hannahruthie says:
1. Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither?
I can do breakfast for dinner, but not dinner for breakfast. There is a strict list of foods that are acceptable for breakfast, and none of them fall in the dinner category. The thought of biscuits and gravy for breakfast makes me want to throw up.
2. What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently?
Besides Moulin Rouge, I just watched the old Terminator series for the first time today. I was very impressed.
3. Favorite Christmas tradition?
My family has too many. I love when my family goes out for Chinese on Christmas Eve– has to be Chinese, even if we have to get take-out (which we’ve done before.)
4. What song best describes you today?
banana pancakes by jack johnson
5. Least favorite sound?
It’s hard for me to think of my least favorite unless I am experiencing it and then i remember that i dont like it. My favorite though is the sound of crisp grass crunching under your feet in winter… or gravel, or leaves.
6. What author or speaker has impacted your life the most?
Francis Chan
7. Describe your ideal vacation.
I would LOVE to backpack through Europe.
8. What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are?
to anyone else who would come into my room, the mural that I painted on my bedroom wall that may look like it is written in blood because the paint is dripping. It says “His love is forever.” and there is a big cross with a heart at the bottom, signifying my heart surrendering at the foot of the cross. But I think it looks weird to other people.
9. Biggest hope for 2010?
Going to Israel next November, and to be involved in things so I can make an impact somewhere. I feel like I don’t have the chance to do that.
10. What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading?
Recently I’ve been attempting to read Josue’s blog at http://josuemartinezv.wordpress.com/ but it’s hard because he writes mostly in Spanish. He found my blog, and then I just had to see what his was all about. Sometimes he writes in English, and sometimes I translate them.
@gritandglory says:
glad i’m not alone in the pukiness of just the thought of biscuits and gravy! so gross.
i’m the same way in not being able to remember things like my least-favorite (or even favorite) until i’m in the midst of it.. i blame it on my fuzzy brain.
i used to want to do a trip from cape town to cairo… i’d still love to. just not of the backpacking/camping variety. i’m a hotel girl.
i’d love to see a picture of your mural!
@hannahruthie says:
the mural: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fotofreak/1108570590/in/datetaken/
@gritandglory says:
beautiful!
@chrystieecole says:
1.Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither? Totally love me some breakfast for dinner!!!
2.What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently? Haven’t watched a lot of movies lately, but just watched Elf for the first time this weekend. It is so stupid its funny.
3.Favorite Christmas tradition? Baking
4.What song best describes you today? Wow, think I might have to get back to you on this one. Drawing a complete blank.
5.Least favorite sound? Video games. I am very easily audibly overwhelmed.
6.What author or speaker has impacted your life the most? I’m gonna have to say Beth Moore. Her passion for Christ is infectious.
7.Describe your ideal vacation. Typically, on a beach somewhere, doing nothing except for allowing the sun to rejuvenate me. (Although, I really do want to visit Israel and Africa one day)
8.What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are? Frog bookends
9.Biggest hope for 2010? To make an impact on this world for Christ
10.What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading? Falling way behind on my blog reading…yours is one of the few I keep up with regularly it seems.
@gritandglory says:
doing nothing on a beach sounds perfect to me right now!
(and i’m so behind on blog reading too! thanks for keeping up with me over here!!)
@maryjohess says:
How fun!
Ready?
1. Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither?
Breakfast for dinner – TOTALLY!
2. What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently?
I haven’t. :( In school full time and working full time and family and church. . . you get the idea.
3. Favorite Christmas tradition?
Decorating the tree with my family, drinking eggnog and listening to rockin’ Christmas music.
4. What song best describes you today?
Kim Walker with Jesus Culture does a song called “Oh how He Loves Us” (You can see it on YouTube). I think that’s me right now.
5. Least favorite sound?
Anything high pitched (ie my 3 yr olds screams). My ears can’t take it.
6. What author or speaker has impacted your life the most?
Joyce Meyer – hands down.
7. Describe your ideal vacation.
Ummm. . . . probably a trip to Italy with just my husband. We never get to go away much by ourselves anymore. But that would be ideal!
8. What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are?
Let’s see . . . well, I work at an Association for Realtors . . . so the oddest thing right now (not for me but still odd for the average joe) is a lockbox sitting on my desk. (Yeah, I know, pretty blah but that’s all I got)
9. Biggest hope for 2010?
That I fall so crazy in love with Jesus and be so head over heels in love with my husband. Been a rocky year but we’re working on it. (No, I haven’t blogged about it much – only covertly. Nothing remotely close to what you’ve had to face but a struggle for us nonetheless). I really want to be so connected to them both. I really do.
10. What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading? Mine! hehe I think a good one is http://www.sarahbeyer.wordpress.com – just started reading her. She’s good. :)
My question for you:
So how did you know that you were supposed to uproot and live in Africa? I think that’ s so awesome!
Mary
@gritandglory says:
i LOVE kim walker’s “oh how He loves us”. it’s been the theme song of my year.
i prayed for you and your hopes for 2010. i’m sorry to hear about your rocky year… sigh.
how did i know i was supposed to move to africa? i don’t have a clearcut answer but… let’s see… i went on my first mission trip when i was 14, and came back knowing i wanted to keep doing missions. went to africa for the first time 16 and came home knowing i’d end up living there. i just fell in love with it and felt like it was a passion God put in my heart because it was pretty contrary to what comes natural to me… so i kept taking steps toward africa… after i graduated high school i spent a year interning at a missions organization. during that year i explored opportunities for direct missions training, and i didn’t like any of the options i was finding (a 4-year degree, Bible school, etc. — all classroom learning… i wanted to learn and do at the same time). so while this may have been naive and is certainly not the best course of action for everyone (or possibly even for myself back then), i just decided to go. i planned on spending a year in south africa to get my feet wet, better learn the culture, and see what God did from there… well, one year has grown into eleven… and i’m planning to return next year sometime to resume leadership at thrive.
Breakfast, please.
Slumdog Millionaire–I’m always behind the movie curve.
Preparing and eating the seven fishes on Christmas Eve!
Song…I’m going with “Works Hard for The Money”! Is that even the title?
Loud talkers!
Believe it or not, Anthony Bourdain, as vile as he is, gave me the true view of life in the professional kitchen. After reading his books and realizing I still wanted to do it, I knew I was hooked.
Eating and drinking my way through a)yountville b)Florence c)Lyon with Brian.
The LIRR is generally a weird little place all its own.
To continue making steps towards the goals He’s given
me and to always be inspired
by others’ stories.
I only read food blogs!
You should add: what is your biggest personality quirk?
@gritandglory says:
i’m glad you read the Grit even though it’s not a food blog! ;)
what’s my biggest personality quirk? — yikes! not sure which is my biggest — i have so many! ha! imma go with… i hate choosing favorites or answering opinion-esque questions first (like where i’d like to eat)…
@danielleH says:
Okay – one quirk of Alece’s that I enjoy: The avoidance of trendy books. haha!
@gritandglory says:
or trendy blogs/movies/musicians… ;)
yeah – i think this question would be more fun if answered by friends instead of me! would be insightful anyway!
@thebeth says:
1.Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither?
Breakfast for dinner. Dinner for breakfast makes me a little nauseous just thinking about it!
2.What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently?
Sunshine Cleaning
3.Favorite Christmas tradition?
Driving around on Christmas Eve looking at Christmas lights.
4.What song best describes you today?
All The Beauty (Kati’s Story) by JJ Heller
That song has described me for a few weeks now, it’s becoming part of my restoration.
5.Least favorite sound?
I’m going to have to agree with Roo, kids singing/speaking in songs (otherwise sung by adults) really freaks me out
6.What author or speaker has impacted your life the most?
Don Miller. I met some of my best friends through an online forum of his and his books are amazing.
7.Describe your ideal vacation.
Florida Keys waking with the sun and going to sleep with it to. Took that vacation with my parents and sisters family 2 years ago, so amazing
8.What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are?
A Sumo Wrestler stress doll (squeezy ball thing) that one of my companies vendors gave us.
9.Biggest hope for 2010?
To start believing God. I know it, I get it, but I don’t trust it.
10.What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading?
Ministry So Fabulous. Young woman in Tennessee that is hilarious, thought provioking and awesome.
http://ministrysofabulous.com/
@gritandglory says:
i recently discovered jj heller, but i haven’t heard that song yet. i’m gonna have to find it and give a listen.
i just met don miller!
checking out that blog recommendation right….now!
1.Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither? Either, usually dinner for breakfast is my fave.
2.What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently? Julie and Julia-not deep but oh so sweet and the food!
3.Favorite Christmas tradition? Opening one gift on X-mas Eve that doesn’t have to be pajamas!
4.What song best describes you today? As the Deer Panteth for the Water
5.Least favorite sound? When microphones crack or squeal.
6.What author or speaker has impacted your life the most? Probably LM Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series and writing.
7.Describe your ideal vacation. Anywhere with a certain someone.
8.What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are? I cleaned yesterday so it’s better than usual, probably just a leftover curry dish.
9.Biggest hope for 2010? That something will happen with a certain someone.
10.What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading? Ben Arment’s History in the Making.
@gritandglory says:
i so badly wanted to go eat out at a great restaurant after i saw julie & julia…
and i looooooved LM Montgomery’s books when i was a kid, but i haven’t read them since. how did they impact your life??? (i’m intrigued!)
i love LM Montgomery books!
1. Breakfast for dinner…pancakes anytime!!!
2. Watching a lot of Christmas movies so it’s not new to me, but I love The Holiday with Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black and Kate Winslet…and I don’t usually like Jack Black.
3. Going to the local parade in our town the day after Thanksgiving.
4.If I had $1,000,000 – Barenaked Ladies
5. When I am driving my mom and she gasps, like an accident is about to happen
6. Too hard.
7. Somewhere warm, with beaches, preferably an island. Lots of swimming and naps. And our babysitter is with us so we can do some activities on our own like bike riding and a nice dinner alone. Or Toronto with lots of time to explore and find new interesting restaurants and shops.
8. Water Ballon Slingshot stuck in the neighbors tree.
9. My hope is that my husband will not have to work a second job at night anymore so he can be home with us.
10. I only read a few and I think you read all of them already.
@gritandglory says:
#8 made me laugh out loud! you win the doorprize for most random!
1. cereal is good for any meal
2. The Godfather
3. opening one present on Christmas Eve
4. hmm this is a good one that I don’t have an answer for, but I will tell you one of my all time favorite songs and that is “Where the Streets Have No Name”
5. static
6. Isaac Hunter
7. somewhere tropical with a hammock on the beach (I would preferably be staying in a 5-star hotel and flown there in first class)
8. food coloring (I’m in my bedroom)
9. that I will be able to do my job well
10. mine haha :) I would also recommend Isaac Hunter’s blog http://summitconnect.org/blogs/isaac-hunter
@gritandglory says:
i’ve got a similar dream-vacation in mind!
and i wish isaac allowed comments on his blog! (my own personal pet peeve…)
Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither? pancakes. :)
What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently? The Blindside.
Favorite Christmas tradition? reading Luke 2.
What song best describes you today? “The Motions”
Least favorite sound? fingernails being cut.
What author or speaker has impacted your life the most? hmmm…to many.
Describe your ideal vacation. By myself…anywhere!!!
What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are? me!
Biggest hope for 2010? change….surrender..fully.
What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading? http://www.marlataviano.com
@gritandglory says:
i wanna see “the blindside” so badly!
fingernails being cut, eh? makes me smile to know that about you.
and a solo-vakay, huh?! sigh… sounds great.
1.Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither? breakfast for dinner (especially is it’s really, really late)
2.What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently? 1,000th viewing of Christmas Vacation!
3.Favorite Christmas tradition? Watching our grown daughters and now (newest tradition…) our oldest daughter with her new family! Oh, and watching Christmas Vacation with my family!
4.What song best describes you today? Holy Night!
5.Least favorite sound? crying
6.What author or speaker has impacted your life the most? Actually, your blog – hearing your heart!
7.Describe your ideal vacation. South Africa!
8.What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are? Count Chocula cupcake from Sara-Sara Cupcakes! (the biggest things, ever!)
9.Biggest hope for 2010? Financial freedom
10.What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading? No idea – open for suggestions, though!
@gritandglory says:
confession: i’ve never seen “christmas vacation”. ever.
my blog? wow, rhonda. thank you!
1. Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither?
I have done both. Breakfast for dinner is always an option. Scrambled eggs or an omlet and hashbrowns always hits the spot. Done cold pizza and other leftovers for breakfast, but it really isn’t satisfying
2. What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently?
The Blindside.
3. Favorite Christmas tradition?
Tie between hanging out Christmas Eve with the extended fam. We do basically all snack food/appetizers, play games & open girfts. And playing the game with my parents and brother of who is going to stay up the latest/get up the earliest Christmas Eve/Christmas morning, because we’re all a bunch of sneaks and putting gifts out is treacherous.
4. What song best describes you today?
Fight by Ronnie Freeman
5. Least favorite sound?
nails on a chalkboard
6. What author or speaker has impacted your life the most?
John Piper as a speaker. I love his books but his message is more alive when he is preaching. John Eldgredge as an author.
7. Describe your ideal vacation.
A cabin in the mountains somewhere with plenty of places to hike. Or a visit to my “family” in the Philippines.
8. What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are?
A picture of a man about to field goal kick a live posseum. No lie.
9.Biggest hope for 2010?
Redemption for my family
10. What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading?
I go occasionally to Stuff Christians Like. http://www.stuffchristianslike.net. Funny stuff.
@gritandglory says:
tell me about your family in the philippines…
and the possum made me laugh. hard. what’s the story there????
i love the SCL site. jon acuff (the author) is a great guy.
Gosh, ask questions that make me want to write a novel!
Kuya Eseng and Ate Anna and their kids Joan, Joyce, and Jonathan were my host family on a 7 week mission trip to the Philippines. They showed me so much about the Filipino culture and that missions was following God and loving people.
They were quietly supportive as God worked on my heart that summer. I had alot of growing up to do, and brokeness to be healed, and their love showed me the part of God’s character that loves for who I am and not for what I do.
Our Navigators group on campus went to a camp for kids with special needs for Spring break to help them prepare for the summer. One of the projects was to tear down a couple of really old cabins built in the 40′s. We had taken roof and walls down. They tore up the front porch and out stumbles this posseum. Our friend, Luke is a hunter and was over by the dump truck, when someone yells out, “Luke, possum!” He locks in on it, runs up and kicks it 10ft up and 25ft out. It just so happens that there is picture evidence of this. As a physical educator I have the picture on the side of my cubicle as an examply of proper kicking technique.
.
@gritandglory says:
both awesome stories… for completely different reasons!
loved hearing how God used a family in the philippines to wreck your heart for that nation and show you He loves you simply for who you are.
and i’m all chuckles over that possum. that picture. and “proper kicking technique”!
@bahava says:
1. I love love love pancakes and cereal and breakfast for dinner in general. Breakfast is my favorite meal.
2. Some movie about these guys running across the Sahara. I saw it on the plane and it was fascinating.
3. Either making cookies or cutting down a real tree…none of that fake business
4. “What Do I Know of Holy?” By Addison Road. “I think I made you too small….I learned to talk about how you were mighty to save, but those were only empty words on a page then I caught a glimpse of who you might, the slightest hint of you brought me down to my knees.” This song has so spoken to my heart about how God has gone from head knowledge to my heart and how there’s even more that He wants to get into my heart.
5. Hmmm, one of the ones I dislike is loud chewing or crunching…
6. Such a hard one…I don’t know. so many, but one that comes to mind is C.S. Lewis and Screwtape letters.
7. My ideal vacation would involve walking on the beach, exploring through mountains and waterfalls,going somewhere new, being with people I love, and just doing random fun things.
8. A weird seashell night light? Random….
9.That God’s timing will bring me back to SA and that I’ll get to hug Lindo and be living out my passion and love there rather than from afar.
10. Most of them I think you already read…maybe this one though :) http://annieblogs.com
Question for you! If you could be anywhere right now, where would you want to be and what would you want to do there?
@gritandglory says:
oooooh! i hate hearing people chew, too!
If you could be anywhere right now, where would you want to be and what would you want to do there? — i’d be on an exotic beach with white sand and the most gorgeous water… and i’d be chillin in a 5-star resort room, sipping on a cold, frothy adult beverage (umbrella optional).
@bahava says:
sounds amazing! though i would say umbrella required :)
1. breakfast for dinner. Bacon…yum.
2. I can’t remember the last movie I saw. : (
3. making candy w/ mom-in-law and sis-in-law
4. ‘Take this job and shove it’… sorry. just being real.
5. HS students cursing at will in the halls and no one doing anything about it (including me… beacause they don’t listen) … see #4.
6. Beth Moore
7. At the little farmhouse with some wine and movies and a bunch of crafting supplies, and with my 11 month old next door at the big farmhouse being lovingly cared for by grandparents.
8. a piture of a sneeze… with the light showing all the spit and germs flying through the air
9. an organized move and fitness
10. http://pearmama.blogspot.com/ she is fresh, real and unlike anyone else I read. and she loves Jesus.
@gritandglory says:
i don’t do bacon. like ever.
and i love your real-ness. seriously.
can i see that sneeze picture?? sounds awesome!
Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither? Breakfast for dinner is my favorite. I actually hate eggs in the morning but love omelette’s for dinner. I make the best omelette with green and red bell peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, avocado and sweet onion..mmm mmm mmm. Think I might have that for dinner today.
What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently? Hands down The Blindside
Least favorite sound? The 80′s music that pours out of my office mate’s laptop lol
What author or speaker has impacted your life the most? Lisa Bevere, Christine Caine, and Francine Rivers
Describe your ideal vacation. Laying on the beach in Santorini, Greece getting a massage and listening to the waves crash on the shore
Biggest hope for 2010? That my father would know Jesus
Alece, I just started reading your blog about a week ago and I absolutely love love love your transparency. Thank you for being you and helping others like me through the beautiful mess we call our lives. You rock!
@gritandglory says:
after reading your comment, i am SO in the mood for a breakfast burrito. yum!
woah – your dream vacation sounds fandamntastic. sign me up!
trusting with you for your dad’s salvation.
thank you for your sweet encouragement. it really means a lot to me. especially today.
@PrudyChick says:
1. Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither? L-O-V-E breakfast for dinner
2. What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently????
3. Favorite Christmas tradition? Christmas morning with my hubby & monkey bread
4. What song best describes you today? Today I’m not sure, yesterday it was “Your A Mean One Mr. Grinch.”
5. Least favorite sound? Nails on a chalkboard The very thought of it makes me cringe.
6. What author or speaker has impacted your life the most? Francis Chan (Crazy Love), Mark Driscoll, Matt Chandler, Perry Noble.
7. Describe your ideal vacation? Tahiti
8. What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are? A cow clip thing.
9. Biggest hope for 2010? 1. God would open the door(s) to where we are supposed to be. 2. Start a family
10. What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading? http://jackalopekid.com/
@gritandglory says:
what exactly is monkey bread? i’ve heard of it before, but i can’t remember if i’ve ever had it.
loooooove me some matt chandler!
@PrudyChick says:
It’s basically canned biscuits cut in 1/4′s tossed in cinnamon sugar layered in a bundt pan with melted butter. Mmmm
@gritandglory says:
but isn’t that just a cinnamon bun?!
i LOVE monkey bread. it’s bits of dough cooked together so it’s easy to pull apart… but you might not like, as it’s kinda cinnamon-bun-y.
@gritandglory says:
i do like cinnamon buns… and i’m not getting what makes this NOT one! i think i need a taste test for comparison!
chunks! bits of dough… here. read this, and then go make some. :-)
http://michaelprocopio.wordpress.com/2009/01/08/monkey-bread-pinch-a-loaf-today/
@Nomadstacey says:
1. Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither? Breakfast for dinner and never the other way around (unless it’s cold pizza)
2. What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently? Ohh I just saw ‘Fireproof’, it’s interesting. Dunno if it’s the best I’ve seen recently, more like the only one I”ve seen recently….
3. Favorite Christmas tradition? I don’t have lots of traditions when it comes to Christmas, but I just LOVE the season!
4. What song best describes you today? Break Away by Kelly Clarkson (don’t judge) oo or Find Rest by Paul Stephens
5. Least favorite sound? screaming babies on airplanes
6. What author or speaker has impacted your life the most? C.S. Lewis
7. Describe your ideal vacation. Anywhere that I can immerse myself in the culture, the town, the people and explore. I want to see the tourist sights, the hole-in-the-wall places, the unique store, the ma and pop shop. I want to experience the place, not just visit.
8. What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are? There is this metalic paper green christmas tree on my desk. It’s 2-D so it lays flat. Around the edges is gold garland with stars hanging off of it. It’s supposed to hang on our door but a. i can’t let anything that hideous be shown to the entire office as they walk by and b. the tape is a year old and won’t stick (thankfully)
9. Biggest hope for 2010? We’ll talk about it when you’re here :)
10. What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading? No suggestions here
And for you:
1. what song best describes you this week?
2. What book should I read if I haven’t already?
3. What blog(s) should I read if I’m not?
Hope you’re getting some P’s and Q’s between your Q’s and A’s.
@gritandglory says:
no kelly condemnation from me. i was blowin’ my throat out to break away on my drive into c-bus!
looking forward to hearing your hope for next year over our chai!!! (we need to get that scheduled!)
and i didn’t get any Z’s between my Q’s and A’s. i don’t know about P’s…
what song best describes you this week?laugh so you don’t cry (andy davis)
what book should I read if I haven’t already?fiction: poisonwood bible (barbara kingsolver), my sister’s keeper (jodi picoult), this much i know is true (wally lamb), the testament (john grisham). non-fiction: next generation leader (andy stanley), courageous leadership (bill hybels), anything by max lucado… i know there are more, but my “library” is in my guest room at my house across the ocean. sigh…
What blog(s) should I read if I’m not?this list would be crazy long too. just to keep it simple, three off the top of my head: my friend sara – http://gitzengirl.blogspot.com/, my friend heidi – http://allm92.wordpress.com/, and my friend lindsey – http://www.lindseynobles.com/. but if you ever want my comprehensive list, you let me know and i’ll figure out some way of passing it along. or it’ll just motivate me to get my blogroll updated and posted!
@coloraturajoy says:
1. Breakfast for dinner!!!! Love me some breakfast any time of day. Of course, if Pizza for breakfast counts as dinner, then we’ll go with BOTH! ;)
2. Best movie: The Blind Side. My heart was full from watching that.
3. Favorite Christmas tradition: Playing Elf…over and over and over again. Till I dont want to see it again for another 11 months.
4. Song that best describes me TODAY: Music Box –Regina Spektor.
5. Least favorite sound: dishes clanging loudly. i mean, really. is it necessary??
7. Ideal vacation: Oh man…picking one is so hard!!!! right now, i’m longing for summer weather, so i’m thinking backpacking/mountain climbing/hiking/camping stuff. and then finishing it all off with a stay in a five star hotel, of course. i’m not ALL tomboy anymore. ;)
8. Oddest thing in view right now: the handle bar on my hubby’s screw driver looks like it’s smiling….?
9. Biggest hope for 2010: hopefully…this is something i can share on my blog. every single day, i’m thankful that i’m moving into a new realm of hope and restoration.
wish i knew an answer to #10! :)
@coloraturajoy says:
handle on his screwdriver…not handle bar…. heh.
@gritandglory says:
i love NOT camping…
@coloraturajoy says:
you make me smile.
Breakfast for dinner and dinner for breakfast is always good! Food is food. I used to work at bob evans and they serve breakfast all day, including biscuits and sausage gravy! Yum! But bacon waffles sounds gross to me too.
Best movie? I really like the family stone. Its a christmas one, a little sad but funny too. I watch it every year.
Christmas time is for family and food. Lots of both!
No songs today. Me con and dan are all sick.
My ears are really sensitive from being sick so pretty much any sound is annoying right now.
A mix of a lot of people have impacted me. I’m a fan of francine rivers and bodie thayne is great.
Vacation would be somewhere warm and on a beach. Hopefully with a hot bikini body which I am far from now! Way to much yummy food and no exercise.
Um strange thing in view? I’m in my family room and its very messy. Con pointed out that “daddy had two beers” because the were left out.
A happy and peaceful year. Growing in God and closer to dan and con.
I really only read your blog. You should read it, its great!
@gritandglory says:
i’ve never heard of “bodie thayne”. the name kinda makes me chuckle though. i’mma have to google him/her to see what s/he is all about.
feel better, friend!
1. Mm, breakfast for dinner any time, especially if there’s bacon involved!
2. I was actually really impressed with the most recent Harry Potter move on DVD…#6, I think. It was by far the best I’ve seen so far. (I can’t really vouch for the part that happened after I fell asleep.)
3. Going to the movies with my family on Christmas Day. We always get up so early that we need something to do around 2 or 3 p.m.!
5. Ohmygosh, I hate the sound of styrofoam squeaking against anything. That is my “nails on a chalkboard” sound, hands-down.
7. My ideal vacation is a week at the beach with my entire family – parents, sister, aunts, uncles, cousins. We’ve done it before & it’s so much fun. There’s always someone to do something with, but plenty of time to relax & soak in the sun, too!
8. My office is a pretty normal place, but there is a pink stress ball in front of me that says: “Don’t stress it! …MC Counseling Center.”
9. My hope for 2010 would be that I would be more like Jesus on Dec. 31 than I was on Jan. 1. And more & more free.
@gritandglory says:
i’ve never seen a single harry potter movie. and i only saw the first LOTR… and hated it.
@amandalou01 says:
1. Breakfast for dinner!! I always order this when I’m out, throwback to many childhood trips to Lyon’s, I think ;)
2. (500) Days of Summer and Away We Go
3. Candlelight service on Christmas Eve
4. “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing” – Scissor Sisters – ironically, it always makes me want to dance!
5. People who smack their lips when speaking
6. Gary Haugen, from International Justice Mission
7. Sand, Sun, and Sea
8. Hmm…gazing around…a leaf that was spray painted gold.
9. A job!
10. Oh golly, I always have trouble answering this question because what *I* love to read might not be what *you* would love, you know? BUT. I absolutely adore Amy Beth @ ministrysofabulous.com.
And a question for you: what single song do you listen to the most?
@gritandglory says:
i haven’t seen (or even heard of!) the movies you mentioned. i need to get out more.
you’re the second person to recommend ministrysofabulous today. she’s on my to-check-out list!
what single song do you listen to the most? — this is so a life-season thing for me. sometimes a day-to-day thing. historically, the most played song in my iTunes is “laugh so you don’t cry” by andy davis. (379 times.) but recently the songs i’ve been listening to the most are audrey assad’s “winter snow” and p!nk’s “so what”.
@amandalou01 says:
I love Andy Davis :) one of my favorite concerts I’ve ever been to was him, Matt Wertz, and Dave Barnes.
@gritandglory says:
i got to see matt wertz in february downtown columbus. such a good time. seeing him with andy and dave would be a blast!
@gritandglory says:
and i’m so glad you know who andy davis is. most people are like, “who?!?”
@traceepersiko says:
One year later!
1) I don’t eat breakfast. I love dinner. I probably could eat chips and salsa/fajitas for breakfast
2. I loved me some “Blindside”
3. Still would have to go with gag gifts with Brother. I love wrapping my xmas presents under the lit up tree at 1AM, after church. All is quiet.
4. Pink – “So what!”
5. The phlem build up in ppl’s throats while they talk. They don’t don anything about it!! still talk, their voices all contorted…..PUKE FACE!! makes me want to crawl out of my skin!
6. I am a lover of Brennan Manning and Henri Nowen. This year would be An-d-y (you hear it in the voice from tripps video?) mmhhmm
7. Ideal = a place with lots of adventure, sun, and places where I can wear out El’z
.
8. My mom’s Nascar stocking hanging among all the other “nice” stalkings.
9. Dreams with form!
@gritandglory says:
i still kinda can’t believe i’ll get to be there to see the gag-gift in action this year!
i totally heard autotune andy. i’ve been hearing “listen listen” in my head all day thankyouverymuch!
@etsetara says:
1. i enjoy eating breakfast for dinner very much!
2. lance and i just watched harry potter 6!
3. reading luke 2 every night in december – we’ve done this ever since i can remember and i think my sister and i had it memorized by the time we were 6 and 4.
4.
5. teeth on a fork [or spoon, or knife]
6. perhaps c.s. lewis or oswald chambers. my fiancee lance, in a real life kinda way. [http://sretsisneves.blogspot.com]
7. a cabin in the woods, in wintertime, with a fireplace, good books, coffee and a great soundtrack for the week!
8. lance taped three pieces of holly on the top of my desktop.
9. that i would be more like jesus everyday, and learn to be more supportive of those i love.
10. hmmm…i’d say, see #6. =]
much love.
@gritandglory says:
i’mma be checking out your fiancee’s blog!
(mmmm…. and that vacation sounds GREAT! right after my week on an exotic beach!)
1. Both. :) I’m totally not confined to time or tradition when it comes to my culinary experience. I can eat pretty much any food, any time. :)
2. I really, truly HATE to admit this, but ‘Facing the Giants’. I’m a PK, and I watched this w/ my dad, so I’m hesitant (because of pride) to say I liked it, but I CANNOT deny that 1. God was ‘all over it’ and 2. there are amazing spiritual truths that kicked my butt.
3. Sitting around the Christmas tree on Christmas morning, just loving on my family (and vice-versa).
4. Yearn by Shane and Shane
5. Squeaky styrofoam
6. Again, hate to admit this (this questionnaire makes me look like a Christian clique ;))…currently I’d say Francine Rivers. Girlfriend KNOWS how to punch you in the face with the Word. Ted Dekker is up there, too.
7. Backpacking, doing it grungy style, enjoying the sights and sounds of EVERYWHERE. Going to local eateries, savoring real culture. That or a safari! But, I do like myself a relaxing beach vacation, as well.
8. An organic pie pumpkin (that’s not an error.), which WON’T DIE.
9. Spiritual: To know God’s will, to obey that will, and to serve Him with joy. Not spiritual: fulfillment of MY dreams and lots of fabulous clothes.
10. Hmmm. Bianca Juarez: inthenameoflove.blogspot.com —> AWESOME, AUTHENTIC, FUNNY! :)
_____________________________________________________________________
2010: What’s the first thing that come’s to mind?
@gritandglory says:
i love food and can always eat. i’m not even kidding.
having done more safaris than i can count, i can attest to how much you need to go on one at some point. make sure you pack a big SLR digital camera and the biggest lens you can afford.
i’m confused. what’s an organic pie pumpkin and how is that different from an organic pumpkin pie??? and what do you mean it won’t die?!?!
2010: What’s the first thing that come’s to mind? — the jetsons.
It’s a pumpkin, that’s used to make PIE. Apparently there are different types of pumpkins, some can’t (or shouldn’t?!) be used to make pumpkin pie. It’s my mom’s, so I can’t throw it out… but, it’s still very much thriving (shout out to your ministry! ;)) and could be used TODAY to make pie, even though it’s months old. It’s right next to all the Christmas decor.
I <3 The Jetsons!
New question: How can we pray for you in 2010?
@gritandglory says:
interesting… (said with a smirk)
how can we pray for you in 2010? — shalom: nothing missing, nothing broken…
1. Breakfast for dinner
2. I wouldn’t call it the best movie, but a very eye opening movie was “Blood Diamond”.
3. Orange in the stocking!
4. Alive
5. people smacking their food
6. Elizabeth Eliot
7. Hawaii
8. a paper sun hanging from the ceiling
9. my brothers to get born again
10. your blog is the only one I regularly read.:)! but I have lurked on a few of your commenters.
@gritandglory says:
i thought blood diamond was a great movie, too! and leo rocked the zimbabwean accent.
really!? you do the whole orange in the stocking thing?! makes me smile. what’s the meaning/significance… or is there none?
oh my gosh, i love elisabeth elliot. i’d love to meet her before she passes away. on saturday i spoke at this missions event alongside an 87 year old woman who spent 43 years as a missionary in northern africa (which makes it feel very wrong to say “alongside”). she graduated from wheaton college in 1949 with jim elliot!!! how incredible is that?! i told her i’d like to meet elisabeth. she said that she met her once when she sat in on a sunday school class elisabeth was teaching. all she had to say about the whole thing was: “elisabeth is definitely a perfectionist; everything had to be just so.” made me laugh.
mmmmmmm… daydreaming about hawaii over here…
you should de-lurk on the blogs you’ve been stalking. you always have great things to add to the conversation!
not sure where the orange in the stocking came from. my parents just always put one in our stocking, casey and i carried on the tradition. new one this year is cinnabon cinnamon rolls for christmas morning breakfast!
i too would love to meet elisabeth eliot. the closest so far is a friend met her once and i got to meet jim’s brother, bert, and sister-in-law a few years ago. (jim’s from portland, ya know!) it was really cool. an old co-worker grew up on the mission field and her parents worked with the eliot’s. last i knew they were still active on the mission field in their 80′s! they came to visit her parent’s and invited me over. what an amazing couple. sometime i will have to tell you the dental story sometime.
@gritandglory says:
oooooh! i love me some cinnabon! total guilty pleasure right there.
and i definitely want to hear that dental story. i’m intrigued! (see! you should have a blog! look at all this material you have!)
@cassgirl says:
Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither? Both.. I am not picky.
What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently? Blindside… TWO thumbs up
Favorite Christmas tradition? My mom’s christmas bread or Pauls Tamales
What song best describes you today? Bridge over troubled water
Least favorite sound? Someone snapping their gum
What author or speaker has impacted your life the most? WOW> Francis Chan, my pastor
Describe your ideal vacation. Seattle with a friend, seeing my family
What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are? My printer light blinking sporadically with the beat of jingle bells behind me.
Biggest hope for 2010? Seeing YOU… Financially securedness, my mom in remission.
God moving me to the next level.
YOUR Question: What did God whisper in your ear this morning?
@cassgirl says:
That was Francis Chan and or my pastor (he’s not my pastor)
@danielleH says:
Heidi -
I was gonna say, Francis Chan is your pastor?!
And I’m thinking I’m gonna have to see The Blind Side since that’s been just about every answer!
@cassgirl says:
Blindside was incredible
Francis Chan… I only wish
@gritandglory says:
ooooh – what’s in the christmas bread? it’s not like fruitcake is it???
What did God whisper in your ear this morning? — “yes. you have to get out of bed.”
@cassgirl says:
Christmas bread is a twisted cinnamon roll. Not very sweet but very gooey and perfect with coffee and hot chocolate
Aww, yeah! I love lists of questions about me! ;)
1. Breakfast for dinner – YUM! Bring on the scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and pancakes!
2. The Blind Side was AWESOME.
3. Going to see the Christmas lights at the Country Club Plaza (in KC).
5. The sound that sucky hose makes at the dentists’ office. I HATE THAT.
7. Should I ever get to a point where I don’t detest my body in a swimsuit, then definitely somewhere tropical. Until then, Colorado with my husband and best friend.
8. I’m at work, so my view is BORING. Oddest, I guess, would be a nametag hanging on my bulletin board from a seminar I attended several months ago. WHY did I think so highly of it (the seminar, the tag, my name??) that it’s hung on my wall for all these months?
9. I’ve got two. First, lose weight and get healthy. Second, take significant steps toward a career change.
10. Do you read http://www.incourage.me? OH yeah, DUH, you just commented on my last post. Well, I hope you read the other ladies, because they are AMAZING. :)
P.S. I skipped the hard questions.
@gritandglory says:
ugh! i am so with you on that sucky hose noise at the dentist!
did noticing it, and writing it, motivate you to throw out the name tag? or is it still there?? ;)
(i would’ve done the same as you in skipping the hard questions!)
1. Breakfast for dinner or breakfast at like 10:30 a.m.
2. The Blindside was so good. It’s such a “feel good” story.
3. Decorating the Houze Family tree, Christmas Eve service and the actual gift-wrapping
4. John Legend-Take Me Away…I am ready for a vacation.
5. Aaron Neville’s voice
6. Cornell West/Pope, Reynolds and Mueller (higher ed./multicultural theory books)
7. New York City with a limitless budget
8. Nothing too strange other than my “to-do” list that is as long as it was when I got to
the office.
9. That all of my friend’s hopes and dreams come true. 2009 was a rough one for so
many people.
10. http://maggiemagruder.blogspot.com/ (Maggie’s Blog–not sure if you’re reading but
you can follow her as she transitions to China.)
I have a few questions for you:
Where’s one place in the world that you’ve never been that you’d like to go?
What would you be doing if you weren’t a missionary?
@gritandglory says:
your answer to #1 was perfect.
ooooh! so’s your answer to #7!
i’m so glad magpie’s blogging! and i’m intrigued to read more about her journey to china!
Where’s one place in the world that you’ve never been that you’d like to go? – only one!!!?? ;) ooookaaaay…. i’m gonna go with… new zealand.
What would you be doing if you weren’t a missionary? – what i’d wish i were if i weren’t a missionary is a published author, actually getting paid to write. what i’d most likely be is an executive assistant.
1. I love breakfast for dinner, not so much the other way around (unless it’s leftover steak cut up & added to an omelet)
2. Best one? “UP” I haven’t laughed so hard, fought to cry (over a cartoon) so hard or thoroughly enjoyed a story as much as that one.
3. Tie between making the evergreen blanket for my grandmother’s grave with my mother (we have more fun trying to make it better every year…) and Christmas Eve candle light service.
4. My brain always freezes on questions like this one. I wonder why that is… What would be a good song to describe the feeling of “hurry up & get to Friday because I have next week off?”
5. Fingernails on a chalkboard. That and crunching metal as in a car accident.
6. Gary Haugen
7. A house on the beach in Lincoln City, OR – for the month of September with no cell phone or laptop. Just my guys and the dog.
8. One of those coconut monkey souveniers from Hawaii. Each time a boss retires, he must leave me something to remember him by and that was the gift my 1st boss left.
9. That people without jobs are able to go back to work (perhaps we start making stuff at home again & stop importing from other countries… wait… sorry… didn’t mean to aim political) and that I don’t hear about one person I know or love getting cancer. Actually? That a cure for cancer is discovered and anyone battling it now is cured, too…. And the biggest thing? That trafficking in persons is eradicated. Completely. Ended.
10. I don’t really have a “happy” blog. http://www.kimberlysmithblog.blogspot.com intrigues me, especially her reports regarding a woman in Romania.
Question for you:
1. If you could trade places with anyone from history, who would it be and why?
2. What is the best book, besides the Bible, you have ever read?
3. Do you lean more toward minimalist or would you be better described as a pack rat?
Now… I’m going to hit submit. As soon as I do, I’ll think of a dozen more questions & better answers for 1-10. :)
@gritandglory says:
i wish i didn’t have fuzzy brain because i know there’s gotta be a song that sums up that feeling!! :)
and your hawaiian coconut monkey made me laugh!
If you could trade places with anyone from history, who would it be and why? – oooh. hard one! i’ve sat here for (no joke) 17 minutes trying to come up with an answer for this. i’ve still got nothin.
What is the best book, besides the Bible, you have ever read? – i SUCK at bests and favorites. SUCK at them. so my answer is more appropriately “best book i can think of off the top of my head right this second”: next generation leader, by andy stanley
Do you lean more toward minimalist or would you be better described as a pack rat? – i think i’m a pack rat who sees herself as a minimalist.
@danielleH says:
1. Breakfast for dinner is great, but dinner for breakfast wierds me out
2. What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently? Hillsong United’s documentary (does that count?!)
3. Favorite Christmas tradition? Christmas morning with the girls
4. What song best describes you today? Hillsong’s With Everything (I can’t get away from this song this week. Every time I hear it, I have a physical reaction. Isn’t amazing now noise can do that?!)
5. My least favorite sound is pulling styrofoam out of a box.
6. What author or speaker has impacted your life the most? Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty – firsthand from Bible school and second hand – our pastor that was extremely influencial in my life was discipled under Pastor Billy Joe as well
7. Vacation: Family. Warm weather. Optional babysitters I trust. Fun adventures but also relaxing with the girls knowing what it means to chill and relax too. haha
8. What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are? Our stockings. Anna’s has her named embroidered into it. Emma’s only has an “Em” and mine and Daniel’s are blank. They’ve been that way for the last two Christmases!
9. Biggest hope for 2010? That, we, as a family will become Great Commission believers to a greater degree. That our lifestyle, our giving, our choices, our ministry will set people free from darkness, AIDS, slavery, poverty, sin and for believers to see how necessary it is for them to be intentionally, passionately involved in fulfilling the Great Commission.
10. What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading? No clue.
Pastor Billy Joe Daughtery’s book about how they started their church was is one of my all-time favorite books. simple but good. he was my cousin’s pastor…she’s a missionary in Tanzania.
@gritandglory says:
i’ve heard good things about that hillsong documentary…
i like having a mental picture of your stockings…
@mallyflip says:
1. Funny you mention this, because we just had breakfast for dinner! haha. It is an at least once a week meal for my family.
2. Not going to lie… New Moon. I am such a sap for cheesy love films. gag I know.
3. Favorite Christmas Tradition… Christmas Eve Dinner: Roast Beef (beast), yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, homemade rolls, green beans and then apple crisp for dessert and then opening just 1 present. :]
4. Dude looks like a lady… I am feeling/sounding manly today.
5. I feel like we have already talked about this… but mine would have to be people smacking. ugh.
6. Louis Giglio (I’m sure I totally butchered his name)
7. All of my BFFs and I laying on a beach sippin on some delicious bevs.
8. A picture of me (drawn by a 4 year old)… I look like a dinosaur.
9. To be laying on a beach in Australia for Christmas 2010. :]
10. Post Secret or peopleofwalmart.com
I hope that you enjoyed my answers and if you don’t read those sites… you should. They are fab. :]
@gritandglory says:
i really really really don’t like roast beast. (and what exactly is yorkshire pudding?? sounds british…)
but i really really really like louie giglio! i’ve gotten to see/hear him a handful of times since i’ve been living in atlanta – and i enjoy him even more live.
i occasionally visit postsecret (always makes me think) and peopleofwalmart (always makes me chuckley).
@mallyflip says:
yorkshire pudding is like gravy and eggs and you cook it in the oven and it gets all fun and puffy. We always have to take a picture. Then about a min after coming out of the oven it falls.. :[
Jealous.
Chuckley… that is a fun word. I think I might have to steal it.
@gritandglory says:
that really sounds so gross to me. gravy and eggs? puffy?? oh dear.
@atangie says:
Hi ya! ‘Member me? :o)
You are the rockin’est blogger I know, girlfriend!
Ok, I think it was on a totally subcon…(don’t know how to spell it) level, but I posted some ‘Q’s on my blog and asked for some ‘A’s from my readers. I know, I am a total copy cat nerd. But, hey, imitation is the highest form of admiration, right?
So, here are some As for you.
1. Breakfast anytime
2. Brother’s Bloom
5. Biting cotton
8. Broken copier at the foot of my bed
Love ya chica!
@gritandglory says:
a broken copier at the foot of your bed!?!? ha ha! love it!
@mjdagenhart says:
1. Breakfast for dinner. My mom’s waffles with fresh strawberries…mmm. Or a breakfast burrito. Dang, I’m hungry.
2. A Christmas Carol. Still need to see The Blind Side.
3. Helping my mom set up her North Pole Village and Christmas Eve–baking and preparing for the next day. And of course, watching Die Hard.
4. “Maybe” by Kelly Clarkson.
5. The sound of someone salivating while eating. Or when people flick the floss off their teeth. I think I have a problem with mouth sounds, too.
6. Wally Lamb. It seems weird that a fiction writer has had the most impact, but it’s true.
7. At a 5-star resort on the beach somewhere. With a hot tub on the balcony that overlooks the beach. A book and adult beverage in hand. (Sounds much like our vacation in Cabo a few years ago…I wish I could go back)
8. The Hummels we inherited from my grandparents.
9. I hope to gain some stability…or at least learn to embrace instability. To finally figure out all of my health problems. And, of course, I hope that the Red Sox stick to the 3 year plan instead of the 86 year plan ;)
10. I don’t think I read any blogs that you don’t (well…besides Sox ones)
@gritandglory says:
“and of course, watching Die Hard” – ha ha ha!
i love kelly’s “maybe”.
oh my dang, i love wally lamb! i don’t know that i’ve ever heard anyone say that before! “i know this much is true” is one of my favorite books. i just got his newest but haven’t started it yet…
your vacation description swept me away. i wanna go!
@mjdagenhart says:
I read “She’s Come Undone” for the first time my sophomore year in high school. I’ve been hooked ever since. Let me know what you think of his newest! It’s probably the best book I’ve read this year. I just found out that he has a Christmas book…that’s going on the list.
1. Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither?
breakfast for dinner….yummy, esp. b.e.l.t.s (bacon egg lettuce and tomato sandwiches)
2. What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently?
The Proposal and before that PS I Love You
3. Favorite Christmas tradition?
our whole Christmas Eve. When I was younger every Christmas Eve we would go to my grandmother’s for dinner, then to church for the candlelight Lord’s supper service, driving around looking at lights on the way home, singing Christmas carols around the piano until we heard the bells on Santas sleigh flying around our neighborhood letting us know he was near and it was time for bed. We would be so excited to get to bed but before we did we would all sit around my father while he read the Christmas story from the book of Luke.
4. What song best describes you today?
something’s gotta give by leann rimes
5. Least favorite sound?
a dentists drill (I don’t think anything could compare to that….give me chills just thinking about it)
6. What author or speaker has impacted your life the most?
my pastor, if he doesn’t count then probably Brennan Manning
7. Describe your ideal vacation.
somewhere new preferably in another country, with the people I love, that has great places to explore, good food, kind people, and fun places to dance
8. What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are?
idk if it counts but I have a five foot tall wrought iron spiral wall candlelabra
9. Biggest hope for 2010?
honestly a couple of things, one is my biggest hope (but I feel like and want the second one to be the biggest) 1. for a man to love and to belong to and to love me….something I have kind of given up hope for 2. to trust God and love Him more everyday and to understand what He desires for me
10. What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading?
http://www.aholyexperience.com/
@gritandglory says:
your pastor totally counts!
and i’m having bad dentist flashbacks over here now!
Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither?
Breakfast anytime. Cold pizza and any kind of dessert make for a decent breakfast.
What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently? Slumdog Millionaire and Grand Torino, no movie from 2009 has moved me so much
Favorite Christmas tradition? New favorite is deer steak w/ the inlaws.
What song best describes you today? Don’t know the name but it’s Hillsongs and the chorus goes “all of my life in every season you are still God I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship”
Least favorite sound? Snoring- I take it personally
What author or speaker has impacted your life the most? Dallas Willard, Brennan Manning, Elisabeth Elliott
Describe your ideal vacation. I have had so many great ones. The world is too big to pick one location, so I’ll say anywhere with people I love being happy.
What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are? The ceiling fan which is still on in sub-40 weather (I love my husband, I love my husband)
Biggest hope for 2010? A child
What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading? You read way more than I do and have introduced me to alot of the ones I read but here’s one I don’t think you read from a professional organizer. http://jdorganizer.blogspot.com
love you, alece!
@gritandglory says:
“desert song” – i looooove that!
and ugh… i hear you on the snoring. can.not.stand.it.
i just shared this up ^ there ^ in response to jessica, but i love elisabeth elliot. i’d love to meet her before she passes away. on saturday i spoke at this missions event alongside an 87 year old woman who spent 43 years as a missionary in northern africa (which makes it feel very wrong to say “alongside”). she graduated from wheaton college in 1949 with jim elliot!!! how incredible is that?! i told her i’d like to meet elisabeth. she said that she met her once when she sat in on a sunday school class elisabeth was teaching. all she had to say about the whole thing was: “elisabeth is definitely a perfectionist; everything had to be just so.” made me laugh.
i need professional organizing help… thanks for that blog tip!
(love you, friend!)
I heard Elisabeth Elliott speak at a week-long women’s conference in Germany back in ’97. The theme of the conference was “Make Me A Servant,” and her teachings on that subject were some of the richest I’ve ever heard. I also had the chance to meet and speak briefly with her a year later at a small meeting (also in Germany, where I was the only American). Definitely a formidable woman, but with a sense of humor, too. So much wisdom in one vessel. I still have my notes, and still remember so much of what she shared.
We also had this one man in his 80′s who was a guest at our house several times, and one time, he very simply said, “I knew Jim Elliott.” And Nate Saint, also. It was like, woah.
@gritandglory says:
woah is right.
i love that you still remember so much of what she said 12 years ago. that’s incredible actually. and such a testament to what a powerful speaker she is.
1. Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither?
Neither. So not a food in the a.m. kind of girl. Unless it’s an XL Double Double & an apple fritter specially delivered from Tim Hortons. Otherwise, I forget to eat & have to be reminded (my husband thinks it’s to do with a poor sense of smell).
2. What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently?
Star Trek. Blind Side. So don’t like the “kissy kissy kumbaya” movies. Love action stuff.
3. Favorite Christmas tradition?
Christmas Eve with family
4. What song best describes you today?
Rushing Wind….
5. Least favorite sound?
The sound of people eating. Closely followed by the sound of gum-chewing & horky coughing. just digusting.
6. What author or speaker has impacted your life the most?
Ken Gire. Oswald Chambers. Phillip Yancey (What’s So Amazing About Grace, The Jesus I Never Knew)
7. Describe your ideal vacation.
Anywhere with my family. And not camping.
8. What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are?
A picture my son drew of me. He forgot the hair.
9. Biggest hope for 2010?
To glorify God. Closely followed by an adoption referral, and a relatively smooth transition for the newest changstein
10. What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading?
bandssullivan.blogspot.com,
or sometimes I just need food porn….bakerella, cakespy, cooks illustrated
@gritandglory says:
what exactly is “horky coughing”!??!?!
i’m SO glad you love not camping. me too!
Horky = congested/phlegm-y/sounding like a lung will be hacked up @ any time!
@gritandglory says:
perfect word! i’mma steal that one!
1. Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither? Breakfast for dinner, the other way would just be weird
2. What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently? My Sister’s Keeper
3. Favorite Christmas tradition? Hmmm, decorating the christmas tree
4. What song best describes you today? Free to be me by Francesca Battistelli
5. Least favorite sound? my son’s naughty giggle
6. What author or speaker has impacted your life the most? Francine Rivers, her book Redeeming Love is just awesome
7. Describe your ideal vacation. With my hubby alone in Hawaii
8. What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are? a container of peanuts… why is it on my desk?
9. Biggest hope for 2010? To get organized, both materially and mentally
10. What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading? I am not sure, I only read blogs you read… lol
@gritandglory says:
i couldn’t help but smirk at “my son’s naughty giggle”. sorry! ;)
That’s okay…. you asked what my least favorite sound was and while I was embarrassed to say it, that is what it is…. :) At least it is warning for me that he is doing something naughty…. :)
3. Favorite Christmas tradition? our advent calendar, which gives the Tongginator clues as to the day’s events, all holiday related
8. What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are? a milk jug my niece turned into a snowman… what can I say about it except that it was made with lots of LOVE
9. Biggest hope for 2010? after spending four Christmases still waiting to adopt a child from China, I would really, really love to be home with our child before next Christmas. I can’t tell you how much that would mean to me.
@gritandglory says:
so hoping with you for that!
Sorry its spelled thoene. I just read her chronicles of zion series about Jerusalem after ww2 its historical fiction and very good. I passed them on to a friend and she loves them too. It also happens to be my grandmas favorite along with the covenant of lion series, I’m going to check that out next.
@tamhodge says:
1. Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither?
brinner.
2. What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently?
Elf.
3. Favorite Christmas tradition?
eating.
4. What song best describes you today?
brick house. no. not really. i just really like that song.
5. Least favorite sound?
other people chewing.
6. What author or speaker has impacted your life the most?
donald miller.
7. Describe your ideal vacation.
getting one.
8. What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are?
my christmas tree. im not happy with its decorations.
9. Biggest hope for 2010?
sigh….
@gritandglory says:
mmmm…. eating. yes. me too!
and just because i’m sure you’re dying to know stuff like this about me, i can’t just read “brick house”. my internal reading voice automatically reads it the way it’s sung in that song.
and i read your answer to #7 as “getting some” instead of “getting one”. oh. my. dang.
Told you I would think of a better answer after I hit submit.
To #10 – here’s a blog you should be reading.
Patricia @ http://jonesbones5.com/
She’s worth the time.
@gritandglory says:
it’s been added to my looooong list of new blogs to check out! thanks for the tip!
1. Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither?
Breakfast for dinner. Breakfast for lunch. Breakfast for a snack.
2. What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently?
I’m not sure – I don’t want to admit my last movie, lest I sound like a 14 yr old.
3. Favorite Christmas tradition?
Baby Jesus on top of the tree (from my husband’s family), the gift of underwear from Mrs. Claus
4. What song best describes you today?
I’m not sure if it describes me, but the song I can’t get enough of right now is Sufjan Stevens’ version of Come Thou Fount.
5. Least favorite sound?
So many to choose from – the weirdest is the sound of a cotton ball being pulled apart
6. What author or speaker has impacted your life the most?
Donald Miller
7. Describe your ideal vacation.
With kids: Disney World done right (too expensive to really do)
With just the husband: Some sort of all-inclusive resort
In real life: Either the North Shore of Lake Superior or Yellowstone and Cody, WY
8. What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are?
How many boxes of junk are still packed around me although we’ve lived here for 5 months. We’ll probably move again in a couple months, so I’m not unpacking them now.
9. Biggest hope for 2010?
I don’t know.
10. What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading?
Donald Miller: http://donmilleris.com/
@gritandglory says:
i saw new moon, too. :: hanging my head in shame ::
underwear from mrs. claus?!?! ha ha ha! i loooove that idea!
your cotton ball noise has me perplexed. i’m gonna have to try it to see how annoying it can be…
you’re moving again????
Alright, fine. Yes. New Moon. Which is less unfortunate than admitting I’ve read the books 4 or 5 times. Shoot. Just admitted.
Yes, my grandma always made sure Mrs. Claus had sent us some new underwear. By college she left gift cards, but before that there was always a pack of undies.
I can’t tell you how awful cotton balls are. If you haven’t noticed, it won’t bother you. It makes me cringe like crazy.
We’re renting right now, and now that our house sold we’ll start looking for a new house. Eventually.
Loved these questions!
@gritandglory says:
i’m so perplexed about the cotton ball cringe. but i believe you. i really do. i just… don’t get it.
glad that you’ll be able to buy a house soon… although i know the process of repacking/moving/unpacking all over again will NOT be easy!
Ready?
Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither? Yes, yes
What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently? Slumdog Millionaire
Favorite Christmas tradition? Listening and Singing to Handel’s Messiah with my parents
What song best describes you today? All or nothing at all
Least favorite sound? Balloon squeaks
What author or speaker has impacted your life the most? Joel Osteen
Describe your ideal vacation. Anywhere except where I am now!
What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are? I have a “Heathers” Ruler in my pencil cup.
Biggest hope for 2010? Happiness
What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading? http://afarewellkisstogointotheunknown.wordpress.com/
@gritandglory says:
i reeeeeally enjoyed slumdog millionaire. i should watch it again…
@rfbryant says:
1. Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither? Breakfast for dinner, but steak for breakfast isn’t bad.
2. What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently? The Blind Side
3. Favorite Christmas tradition? not having written-in-stone traditions so we can be flexible for our sons’ in-laws’ traditions
4. What song best describes you today? ??What song talks about standing in newfound confidence in who God made me to be?
5. Least favorite sound? smacking when eating/chewing gum, sucking on teeth over and over and over and over and ov…
6. What author or speaker has impacted your life the most? Author – I’d have to say two: Anne Jackson & Matthew Paul Turner – because they’ve both poured encouragement into me as an author. (This is SO hard!)
7. Describe your ideal vacation. I love Charleston, SC when I can stroll leisurely down the streets, lost in the history. Someday I want to do a safari, too. Anywhere that I can take photos.
8. What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are? the doorway gate to keep our grandson safe leaning over a ceramic elephant as if it’s caging it.
9. Biggest hope for 2010? Hearing from people how what I wrote helped them.
10. What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading? I think you already read the ones I like the most!
@gritandglory says:
awesome to hear that about anne jackson and matthew paul turner!!!
Definitely breakfast for dinner
Movie I loved The Proposal Sandra Bullock SO funny yet so moving
Blog everyone should read Jewelz Sightings amazing insight
Author who has impacted me repeatedly Max Lucado
Sound I hate ? the sound of unrest in my soul
@gritandglory says:
i still need to see The Proposal — can’t believe i haven’t watched it yet!!!
i love me some max lucado!
“the sound of unrest in my soul” — ooooooh, that’s good!
Definitely breakfast for dinner
Movie I loved The Proposal Sandra Bullock SO funny yet so moving
Blog everyone should read Jewelz Sightings amazing insight
Author who has impacted me repeatedly Max Lucado
Sound I hate ? the sound of unrest in my soul
Breakfast for dinner, dinner for breakfast, or neither? – Breakfast for dinner
What’s the best movie you’ve seen recently? – The Blind Side
Favorite Christmas tradition? – helping my sister gather up our neighbors clothing donations and take them to the mission near our house.
What song best describes you today? – dont judge, but my friends would tell you its “Empire State of Mind” by Jayz and Alicia Keyes (long story)
Least favorite sound? – high pitched squeling
What author or speaker has impacted your life the most? – Beth Moore
Describe your ideal vacation. – one with no plan just lots of aimless wandering..something in a city
What’s the oddest thing in view right now, wherever you are? – my sisters cat is sleeping with one foot in the air
Biggest hope for 2010?- so many hopes for 2010, but happiness and that my heart be open to what and whoever God places in my path.
What’s one blog I should read that I might not already be reading? http://www.sarahmarkley.com/
@gritandglory says:
i loved the “(long story)” attached to your song choice! ha ha!
and i love me some sarah markley!