2011: A Year to be off Facebook and be Less Like Denmark

Watching one full season of The Bachelor and baking chocolate chip cookies at least once. These were my made-up resolutions when asked on New Year’s Eve what I would aspire to in the year 2011. Being the one with the video phone, I forced everyone at the party to answer this question truthfully but when…

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Give Me a Sign

How many times have I uttered that prayer? Don’t tell me. I’m embarrassed to know the total. I hope I’m not alone in this desperate and repetitive plea. Wouldn’t it be nice for the sign to literally appear? Even just once? I’m talking about walking down the street, asking God for a sign and tripping…

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I Fell Asleep

in the heat of an afternoon south Texas sun, on the balcony of my parents’ house, reclined on a patio chair. I was sitting in the same place I’ve retreated to for years. It’s my place to figure things out. Do you have one of those? When your thoughts won’t quit or you have a…

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It Is a Far, Far Better Thing

Name that novel. I was reminded of this quote from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities when a co-worker of mine asked us for famous literary quotes for a work project. I kept thinking, “It is a far, far better thing…” and then couldn’t remember the rest. Nor could I remember where it came…

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The Gap Year: Why Haven't We Caught On?

“I tapped the cold window with my index finger, ‘squashing’ dilapidated track-side farmhouses as my eyes focused then unfocused on each structure the slow train eased by. I leaned the side of my head against the glass watching my finger tap, tap, tap. There was a book in my bag, but I didn’t reach for…

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The Hardest Question

This one’s been echoing for a while. I haven’t been able to shake it. Wish I could. It makes me uncomfortable. It turns things upside down yet makes things right-side-up. In a way that reveals truth. And truth, when it comes to we as humans, isn’t pretty–this much I know. The question was posed at…

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25,000 for 25 Years

I would like to pose a challenge to you: In the next week, use five minutes you would typically spend on facebook, twitter, gmail, or other completely worthy time-sucks, and visit this site http://www.maxlucado.com/worldvision/ You may brush over it, decide you’re not interested and move on. You may be intrigued enough to do a little clicking…

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Hobbies (and their necessity)

When I began working at my current “big girl” job, I was asked a question I had no answer to: “What are your hobbies?” I was sitting with a group of my new coworkers at a large round table in a noisy restaurant at lunch rush-hour, and as all eyes settled on me for an…

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Present Tense

It’s the most challenging place to live in, The Present. Dwelling in The Past and fretting over The Future have become my most natural states. But The Present? I almost forget it’s here. I have spent the last several blog posts depicting scenes from my past. But this is not the only time I spend…

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Scenes from Alaska

As my last series of posts has come to an end, I no longer have an excuse to drown myself in nostalgia as I write the occassional blog post. I do, however, still get to bombard you with pictures from one of my favorite activities in the world: Family Vacation. So here’s to a wonderful…

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