BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH

New Blog

2011-11-11T09:06:00.002-06:00

I recently started a new blog. You can check it out here.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

A Beautiful Gift

2010-11-03T22:34:00.021-05:00

Growing up, we moved around quite a bit. My dad was climbing the career ladder and that meant frequent relocations, and mostly in pretty small towns. One such small town was Coldspring. There was nothing of note about this town (that I can remember, anyway) - it was just your ordinary East Texas small town. In fact, the only memories I have of our time there involve one family: The Gingles.

Mr. Gingles would mow a big field near the houses into a baseball field for us. We'd round up neighborhood kids and get a game going. He was also the Post Master and I remember on at least one occasion checking the mail and his hand bursting through the mail box as I opened it. Mrs. Gingles was always so kind and caring, making sure that we were all taken care of while at her house. I remember her walking me back to my house after a traumatizing go-carting incident that left me with a broken and bleeding finger. They had two kids at that time - Dallas and Dana. The three of us spent many hours together playing and pretending as children that age do. I remember those years as very happy years, but eventually, my dad got another job and we made another stop on our relo list. After my mom passed away, we lost touch with the Gingles. I'd thought of them often over the last 19 years and wondered how they were and what they were all doing.

Over 4th of July weekend this past summer, I got a beautiful surprise. I received a Facebook message from a familiar name asking if I was the Mandy from Coldspring. It was Mrs. Gingles! What fun it was to reconnect and hear all that has happened in their lives over all of these years! Most of the people in my life now didn't know my mom so there isn't a lot of opportunity to talk about her or reminisce about her, but Mrs. Gingles and Dana both had some fun things they remembered about my mom. Mrs. Gingles remembered them talking through her kitchen window for an hour because she didn't have time to come inside (Mom loved to talk), and Dana remembered my mom's usage of rollers and Aquanet (hey, it was the 80's - don't judge!). So sweet to know that my mom was loved by these two.

While chatting online one night, Dana shared with me that her mom had always kept a journal and that she'd found one recently that mentioned my mom. She offered to share the pages that mentioned my mom with me if I was interested. I was excited to say the least. So many things about my mom are a bit of a mystery to me - memories have faded over the years, and well, at 11 you don't really know a lot about your parents. Not things that will matter later on in life, anyway. So, I was looking forward to reading the pages, but really had no idea what to expect. The email arrived one Friday night and actually answered a few questions I'd had but had never asked.

Since becoming a believer a few years ago, I had begun to wonder about my mom's salvation. When she was alive, we never went to church consistently (just Easter, really), never talked about God, or prayed. My mom was a "good person," but I was afraid that she may not have had a relationship with the Lord. There in the journal pages Dana sent, and Mrs. Gingles wrote, was my answer. In the month leading up to my mom's death, the Gingles had come for a visit. On the last day of their visit, Mrs. Gingles shared the Gospel with my mom and through a conversation she had with another family friend at the funeral, she learned that they, to quote the journal, "weren't worried about Pat's (my mom) salvation."

What a beautiful gift from the Lord - He knew that the words Mrs. Gingles wrote on April 15, 1991, the day after my mom's funeral, would bless me beyond measure in 2010. I'm so grateful for these friends, and now sisters in Christ, who were willing to share with me. Words can't express what it has meant to me.

My Momma

Me about to hit my mom with what appears to be the empty gift wrapping tube

Random Reminders

2010-08-17T22:48:00.009-05:00

When I was kid, my mom was an elementary school teacher. She loved to decorate as festively as possible for the start of the school year (and throughout - no holiday was ever missed) and I, being my mother's little shadow, always tagged along to help her decorate. My favorite? The bulletin board! I don't know why, but I loved helping out with the bulletin board...picking out the colors and the border and all the other fun things to staple up to the board. I mean, you couldn't just staple things to the wall at home, you know?

This past weekend, some friends in my home group and I participated in Transform which is an annual event with our church. We didn't know what our specific assignment would be for the day when we showed up, but ended up assembling back packs for students at this particular elementary school. Once we were finished with that, we got to spend the rest of the morning in Ms. Lewis' room helping her arrange desks, organize the room, and decorate her bulletin boards! It was lots of fun and great reminder of my mom.

A couple of other reminders of my mom popped up over the last week at work. My mom was a "doodler" - she loved talking on the phone and never sat down to chat without a pen and paper in front of her to doodle on. Seriously. Those were the days before cell phones and anything wireless, so for her hour long conversations with friends and family stuck in one spot, she would doodle. I was rummaging through the stock room the other day looking for my typical legal pad and couldn't find one. But I did find a steno pad...my mom's usual go to for doodling. Not really that random, but a fun reminder.

The pen pictured was the most random office find. My mom loved ducks/geese. I have no idea why and no one has really ever been able to explain where that came from or why that was, but she did. They were all over the house as decorations. So, I was standing at the copier the other day and happened to glance over to a cup full of pens nearby and saw this one. A goose wearing a little blue bandanna. My mother would have loved this pen.

The Baptist Hymnal

2010-06-07T19:56:00.010-05:00

I spent a good chunk of my teenage years going to church. More often than not, I was there because I was forced to be or to see friends, really - it had nothing to do with worshipping the Lord at that point in life. Even so, I always looked forward to the part of service where we got to sing - I loved the old hymns. I'd sing along for the three songs we sang each service and would promptly stop listening and start doodling on the program once the pastor started talking.

At some point in my high school career, one of my favorite teachers had assigned a much dreaded poetry project (I liked poetry, I just wasn't fond of the project part). As we were going through books and talking about where we could find some good poems, she pointed out that song lyrics were basically poetry, just put to music. I'm not sure why such a simple and obvious point impacted my love for music so much, but it did. Music can be so powerful - it can motivate our worship, sway our emotions, and make us recall certain events/feelings quicker than almost anything.

Now, when I've only got time for a quick read, or I'm just in the mood for something short, there are usually one of two things I reach for - The Valley of Vision or the Baptist Hymnal. I love reading the lyrics, or poems, if you will.

Here are some of my favorites:

Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy

Come, ye weary, heavy-laden Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you're better, you will never come at all.

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise.
O to grace how great a debtor Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy grace, Lord, like a fetter, bind my wand'ring heart to Thee.

Grace Greater than Our Sin

Grace, grace, God's grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;

Grace, grace, God's grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin.

Jesus Paid It All

I hear the Savior say, "Thy strength indeed is small,
Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all."

It Is Well with My Soul

My sin - oh, the bliss of this glorious tho't: My sin not in part, but the whole
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Feeling Bloggy

2010-05-24T20:54:00.003-05:00

I've felt quite bloggy lately, but haven't had much success in getting thoughts to the blogosphere. Perhaps later this week...

My Favorite Booth

2010-04-25T22:10:00.003-05:00

Over the weekend, some friends and I went to Manny's to celebrate my best friend's birthday. It used to be our favorite restaurant - we were there at least once a week. The waiters knew us and greeted us as soon as we walked through the door in a very Cheers-esque way with our "usuals." And then an unfortunate combination of a take-out order and a nasty stomach flu (that I'm convinced tried to take my life, by the way) happened and Manny's was basically ruined for me. Add to that the fact that I moved to a different part of town, and I haven't been back in almost a year.

But, I took this opportunity back in the restaurant to snap a quick picture of my favorite booth. Not only is it randomly placed in the middle of the restaurant all by itself, but it is the booth I was sitting in the day that grace finally made sense to me (as much as grace can make sense to us, anyway). I like this booth.

Muzak and Mimi

2010-04-03T21:09:00.003-05:00

This last week completed my fourth week at my new job. Things have gone well...there has been a steep learning curve, but I'm starting to figure things out and put all the pieces together, if you will. One of the biggest adjustments has oddly enough been the music, or Muzak, played in the office. It's really not my favorite. It's unbeliveably bad. In my old office, I could listen to whatever and would listen to music, talk radio, or sermons. Now there is no choice - its Muzak all day, every day. What's muzak you might be wondering? It's elevator music...you know, those instrumental versions of popular songs (not to be confused with classical music - that I enjoy).

But, all has not been lost in my Muzak filled days because they often make me think of Mimi. Mimi was my grandmother - my mom's mom. When I think of my childhood, more often than not, memories that pop into my head involve my mom's family and Mimi. I'd go spend the night with her and the mornings were the same every time. I'd sleep late, of course, and when I'd wake up I'd go into the living room (which was open to the kitchen in Mimi's house) and there would be Mimi sitting at her round kitchen table, cigarette in one hand, romance novel in the other, a cup of coffee nearby, and "elevator music" supplying the back ground noise. We often teased Mimi about her elevator music....it did not last long once I entered the room. She'd always let me turn it off and watch TV instead. She'd keep reading her novel, smoking her cigarette, and enjoying her coffee.

Aside from the fun memories of Mimi, I've begun to try to pick my favorite Muzak song of the day (and maybe even sing along if its an appropriate time) to try to make the best of this sad situation. Some of my favorites so far have been "Take a Look at me Now," "Mrs. Robinson," and "Lucille." Yes, Kenny Rogers Muzak exists. Don't be jealous that I heard it and you didn't.

30 on 30

2010-02-08T18:26:00.021-06:00

Thirty random thoughts and reflections on my thirtieth. No rhyme or reason.

1. This idea is 100% unoriginal.

2. I've lived in 13 different town/cities, 2 states and have moved a total of 18 times. At some point I've called the following places home: Jacksonville, Baytown, Wells, Coldspring, Hawkins, Sinton, College Station, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Lewisville, Garland, Sunnyvale, Las Cruces, NM.

3. I attended 7 different schools before finally graduating from UNT.

4. I do not like onions, coconut, or even numbers.

5. I love sports - particularly basketball and football. I think baseball is a bit ridiculous with all of the steroid nonsense. And, I think America must have been pretty bored when it was labeled "America's Pastime." I tend to be more of a fan of players and less a fan of particular teams. I follow Dallas teams because I live in Dallas - if I ever move, I can't say with certainty I'd remain loyal. NASCAR is not a sport. They're driving in circles. The Olympics are great, as well. I wish we didn't have to wait two years between the winter and summer games. My favorite athletes are Brett Favre, Lance Armstrong, Dirk Nowitski, Michael Jordan, and Steffi Graf.

6. I think people in general are pretty fascinating. We tend to do strange things.

7. Mexican food is my favorite. I miss Taqueria Acapulco in Corpus Christi. The one on Weber, not the one on Staples. There's a difference.

8. I love music. Listening to it, playing it, just being around it. I played trombone in band for three years and I quit so I could spend more time playing basketball. I played bass guitar in a band in my youth group. My goal for this year is to learn the acoustic guitar.

9. I'm going to play my nerd card - I love learning. My favorite subject in school was history. I've been known to watch the History Channel. I was always intrigued by the Civil War and the American Revolution.

10. I hate talking on the phone. Hate it. I'd much rather send and email or text and decide when we can meet in person.

11. I'm kind of a loner by nature and I don't like that. It has been pretty fun over the last couple of years to discover that I like being around people and getting to know them.

12. One of my favorite things to do is have dinner with friends.

13. My favorite TV show ever is Friends and I still watch it all the time. At some point during its run, each character was my favorite except for Joey. I named my dog after Phoebe. Other favorites are Alias, Brothers and Sisters, Arrested Development, Law and Order, Cheers and Night Court (that's old school).

14. I was on the first ever girls softball team at my high school. I played third base and feared for my life during almost every game. I just knew I was going to get taken out by a line drive.

15. I lived and breathed basketball when I was growing up. My dad was a coach for a while, so I started very early. I played it and watched it at every opportunity given.

16. I love reading, but rarely make time for it. The first book I ever remember loving was To Kill a Mockingbird. I was truly sad when it was over.

17. My biggest pet peeve is tardiness.

18. I love to go to the movies. I've been known to take a day off of work just to go to the movies.

19. When I was 19, I went backpacking with one of my cousins in England, Ireland and Scotland. Looking back, it was probably not the wisest decision, but we had a great time and came back with some fun stories.

20. I like long drives as long as there is good music to crank up and sing along to. I tend to do my best thinking and processing while I'm driving. I miss Shoreline/Ocean Drive in Corpus. It was my favorite place to just drive after a long day.

21. I really enjoy sleeping and can sleep in fairly strange places. The strangest so far is probably the Staten Island Ferry.

22. I love to decorate for Christmas. My favorites are lights and snowmen decorations. To be clear, snowmen are winter decorations, not specific to Christmas and get to stay out longer than the actual Christmas decorations. I feel pretty strongly about that. I don't like solid red or solid blue light strands. There's nothing joyful about either.

23. I love to have pictures of friends and family around at home and in my office.

24. Saying the words "be creative" to me literally makes my mind go blank.

25. I didn't know until a couple of years ago that Campbell's soup (chicken noodle and chicken and rice) was supposed to be uncondensed. I never make it that way. It's much better still condensed.

26. I love music and movies, but not musical movies (with a few exceptions). I've never seen a live musical, but would like to give it a shot sometime.

27. At 27, I started to attend The Village Church. I heard Matt Chandler preach the gospel like I'd never heard it before and I got involved in a home group for the first time. The Lord graciously put men and women in my life that who modeled well what it was like to live a life for Christ.

28. Twenty-eight was a big year - I truly began to love the Lord and seek after Him for the first time. I'm grateful for friends during this season of my life who were patient and willing to spend time unpacking the gospel with me. I have fond memories of enchiladas and Ephesians at Manny's and late night chats after home group meetings just digging in deeper. I also got baptized.

29. Twenty nine was a fun travel year - I went to New York, Boston and Guatemala - all for the first time. I also went to IHOP in Kansas City for the first time. I learned more about the power of the Holy Spirit in my weekend there than I have at any other period of my life. It was amazing.

30. I'm truly grateful for the friends and family in my life. I'm looking forward to the next year with you guys and seeing what the Lord has in store.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T20:07:00.001-06:00

I love Christmas. I'm the person that has the tree and decorations up without fail the day after Thanksgiving. This year, I was fortunate enough to have housemates that love it as well and we had a tree up November 1. Yes, you read that right...they actually drove to a pumpkin patch/tree farm on the last day of pumpkin season and purchased a beautiful tree that we've now decorated three times. Yes, three.

The third time, my roomies learned a valuable fact about me. Never ask me if anything is straight...I am apparently incapable of making that determination according to roommates past. But, despite the Christmas music, garland hung by duct tape, and the decorated squirrel cage (we really tapped into our inner W.T.), this Christmas season has seemed to be different for some reason. The Christmas s piritthat usually consumes me has been absent. Perhaps its been the long hours at work or the busyness of the season, but it really didn't even hit me until this past weekend that season I typically love and look forward to was passing right by. It actually started to feel a little more like Christmas as we were singing "O Holy Night" at church last weekend...it's my favorite Christmas song. I love it...the great lyrics, the powerful music. I've read through the lyrics several times this week and it seemed fitting to share them today.

O Holy Night

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
'Til he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! O, hear the angels' voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night divine.
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by his cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise me from Orient Land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friend.
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall he break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Video from Matt

2009-12-06T21:25:00.000-06:00

Video from Matt

The Valley of Vision

2009-09-04T18:44:00.002-05:00

The following is a prayer from The Valley of Vision. Great book filled with amazing prayers and devotions - this is one I read today and felt like sharing.

The Spirit of Jesus

LORD JESUS CHRIST,
Fill me with thy Spirit
that I may be occupied with his presence.

I am blind - send him to make me see;
dark - let him say, 'Let there be light'!

May he give me faith to behold
my name engraven in thy hand,
my soul and body redeemed by they blood,
my sinfulness covered by thy life of pure obedience.

Replenish me by his revealing grace,
that I may realise my indissoluble union with thee;
that I may know thou has espoused me to thyself for ever,
in righteousness, love, mercy, faithfulness;
that I am one with thee,
as a branch with its stock, as a building with its foundation.

May his comforts cheer me in my sorrows,
his strength sustain me in my trials,
his blessings revive me in my weariness,
his presence render me fruitful tree of holiness,
his might establish me in peace and joy,
his incitements make me ceaseless in prayer,
his animation kindle in me undying devotion.

Send him as the searcher of my heart,
to show me more of my corruptions and helplessness,
that I may flee to the,
cling to thee,
rest on thee,
as the beginning and end of my salvation.

May I never vex him by my indifference and waywardness,
grieve him by my cold welcome,
resist him by my hard rebellion.

Answer my prayers, O Lord, for thy great name's sake.

Mario Luis

2009-08-05T16:28:00.008-05:00

Over the course of the four days we were in the orphanage, we got to know some of the kids and learn a little bit more about their stories. Mario Luis' story was probably the most heartbreaking to me. This little guy has been there since shortly after he was born - he was even named by the orphanage staff. One would think that he'd be at the top of the list for adoption, right? Not so in Guatemala. There's no paperwork on him, so he's not adoptable. He hasn't been declared abandoned even though he's lived there all of his two years. Ridiculous.

Mario Luis was so fun to play with - he'd climb up the ladder on the big playground with no help at all and go flying down the slide so fast that he didn't stop until he hit the AstroTurf in front of the slide. Then, he'd get up and go again and again. Such a cute little kid.

Guatemala

2009-08-04T10:48:00.001-05:00

I promised some post-Guatemala blogging and for various reasons hadn’t gotten around to it just yet, so I apologize for the delay, blog-reading friends.

A contributing factor to not having written about it yet has been the heaviness I’ve felt since getting back. Overall, the trip was really good. It was definitely challenging and stretching, which I am grateful for, but I came home with some weighty questions that I didn’t see coming. And, I think that’s okay, its just going to take some time to work through those.

Our goal for the week was to go in to the orphanage and do a VBS for the kids during the day and to just use that opportunity to love on them. Each morning and afternoon started off with a big group lesson where Robyn and Melissa shared the story of Joseph. From there, we broke into smaller groups to play games, read stories, or do crafts. My rotations consisted of tissue paper cross making, bingo/hot potato, and then my last day was spent with the babies and toddlers. I enjoyed each one, but I loved playing hot potato with the kids. They would get so excited as the potato passed from person to person. The anticipation would build and then when the buzzer went off a loud “oohhhh” would echo through the whole building. So fun.

In the evenings we enjoyed great food and fellowship with one another. Once we got back to the hotel, we did a devotional as a group and had time to share. I think this was one of my favorite times of the day. We got to pray together, sing a couple of worship songs, and hear how the Lord was working in the hearts of those who shared….a very sweet time.

By far my favorite day was Thursday. We threw a big rodeo themed party for the kids that afternoon because that was our last day there. We all wore cowboy hats, bandanas, and painted our faces. We fed the kids pizza and ice cream, danced (we taught them the Cotton Eyed Joe the day before), took pictures of them sitting on a horse, and gave them each some gifts at the end of the night. After goodbyes were said to the kids, we hung around for a few minutes on the playground. One of the men on the trip, Tim, led us in one last prayer over the kids and staff there before we went back to the hotel. Also a very sweet time.

We spent most of the day Friday traveling to Antigua where we got to sight see and do some shopping. The drive there was interesting – we had to detour around several roadblocks. Miners were striking and had blocked off the roads in a couple of the towns we were passing through. We had dinner that night in an old monastery that was converted into a hotel.

After dinner we headed back to Guatemala City, and that was definitely the best bus ride of the week – we played the iTunes game the whole way back. This was totally new to me, but consisted of picking a song, turning the volume way up on your headphones (so you couldn’t hear yourself) and singing along. Eventually, everyone on the bus joined in with you. It was great. Thank you, Jouleen, for introducing this game into our lives.

We got back early afternoon on Saturday - I had no idea how tired I really was until I got home. I slept a good 14 hours or so that night and had a couple of naps on Sunday!

So…that was a weak attempt at summing up a week long trip in one blog post, but it’s a start! More to come!

I'm off to Guatemala

2009-07-18T23:22:00.002-05:00

It’s been a while since I updated the ole blog, so I thought I’d do that before I leave tomorrow for Guatemala.

I signed up to go on this trip several months ago and at that time we were supposed to go to Honduras. In the weeks leading up to the trip, some political issues developed in Honduras and it was deemed unsafe to travel there. So, we were rerouted to Guatemala to work in the Xela Orphanage. As the departure date has approached, I think I’ve run the full gamut of emotions – from nervous, to scared, to excited. This is a totally new experience for me. I’ve spent a couple of weeks out of the country before, but not anything like this, nowhere like this. I think it will be a challenging week, and I’m looking forward to that.

Our week will be a busy one. We’ll be doing a VBS at the orphanage during the day. We’ll have the boys and girls separately – they’re still in school in Guatemala. Our evenings will be spent doing dinner and devotionals. Apparently there is a good coffee shop close to our hotel we’ll get to check out as well. So, as I prepare to leave tomorrow, here are a few things I’m excited about and some I’m nervous about.

Things I’m excited about/looking forward to:
· A week away from technology. I think a week away from my cell phone, internet, etc. will be good for my soul.
· Not having to wake up at 4:30 every morning for work.
· It’s winter in Guatemala, so it’ll only be 80 instead of 180.
· New experiences in a new country.
· What the Lord can and will do.

Things I’m nervous about:
· Flying. I’ve never really been afraid to fly, but some fear has definitely crept in here as several plane crashes have been in the news over the last few weeks.
· Communicating in a place where I don’t know the language.
· How my job might change while I’m gone. I’ve had co-workers come back from a few days off to find that they’ve been moved to a completely different job. I’m not excited about that prospect.

I won’t be updating the blog while I’m gone, but I plan to share about the trip on here when I get back. Please pray for our team as well as for those we’ll be getting to work with each day.

Funny Video

2009-05-19T20:43:00.001-05:00

What do Matt Chandler, Wilson Phillips and a yorkie have in common?

This video - check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je_f7xBZbP4

Thanks, Dad!

2009-04-27T23:07:00.003-05:00

The summer before my senior year of high school, I went on a little weekend trip to the Frio with some friends. On the way up, we had a blowout and were essentially stranded for a while as none of us knew how to change a tire. So, the van full of girls filed out and stood along the road and waited. Lots of passers-by did just that - passed by with no offers for assistance. One guy even stopped to pick up the hubcap that had rolled across the road, handed it back to us, got back in his car and drove away. Eventually, a very nice man in a well pressed shirt (which was ruined in the process) stopped and changed our tire for us and we were on the road again.

I returned home (with the worst sunburn of my life, by the way) and told my dad about our blow out. After the lecture about the sunburn, he promptly took me out to my car, showed me how to change the tire, and then made me do it myself.

That little lesson has come in handy on several occasions and I was reminded of it again today as I changed my tire in the work parking lot. So, thanks, Dad!

Biggest Loser

2008-11-17T20:42:00.003-06:00

Today kicked off day one of my gym's Biggest Loser competition. I'm stoked about it, really. I have been stuck in this endless cycle of working out and losing weight, then stopping and gaining it back for a long time now. I seem to respond well to a challenge/competition, so I'm hoping this will help keep me motivated. In addition to the competition, I've signed up for some personal training - 6 months, once a week, with Matt. I have not met Matt yet, but I have heard he's one of the best. I can report back on that later this week.

As I did my cardio this evening, I did some people watching - always fun in a gym, by the way. If you've ever spent any time in a gym, I'm sure you've seen all of these things (and more) happen, but here are my top three gym annoyances:

1. People that watch themselves in the mirror. Sure, they are watching their "form." Right.
2. People who talk on their cell phones while working out. Pretty sure it's not that great of a workout if you can carry on a chat while doing your cardio.
3. People who wait on parking spots close to the building so they don't have to walk too far. Seriously?? You are going in to work out!

Tina Fey

2008-09-19T21:15:00.000-05:00

http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2008/09/tina-fey-palin.html

If you didn't see it - check it out!

Seeing Red

2008-09-18T00:58:00.008-05:00

I'm all in. I was on the fence a couple of posts ago, but now I'm all in. The DVR got a little bit of vacation after the Olympics, but now its in overdrive again. It's Presidential election season and I'm hooked. It, like the Olympics, only comes once every four years so I must take advantage now. Last weekend consisted of two specials on Sarah Palin, one on Joe Biden, and then Sunday morning was spent with George Stephanopolous - I always enjoy his round table discussions. There are still several weeks to go, so I'm feeling the need to pace myself a bit on television coverage. Otherwise, it will take over - I'm already turning on CNN upon waking up in the morning and getting home from work. Not to mention the occasional peek online during the work day.

My hours spent engrossed in the world of politics of late have led me to three conclusions. First, Obama will regret picking Biden. The only way to really have united the Democrats after the bitter primaries would have been to pick Hillary. I think further proof of that is the frenzy the Palin pick has caused (apparently we are ready to embrace the idea of a woman in the White House). Joe Biden has been around forever it seems - he's not the 'change' Obama has been promising. Second, I think that McCain really can do some changing. Maybe that's why I can buy in with him - I think he will be able to look beyond party lines and keep the best interest of the people a priority. (Look at me dreaming.) Lastly, Tina Fey needs to return to SNL as Sarah Palin. It was hilarious!

Thoughts to ponder:
A Barack/Hill vs. John/Sarah race would have been even more fun.
2012 Prediction: Hill vs. Sarah for pres

Name Change

2008-09-11T17:39:00.004-05:00

If you're a regular reader, you might have noticed my blog's name change. While "I dunno" was super clever, it didn't really say much. "By Grace Through Faith" has special meaning for me. Several months ago my eyes were opened to a whole new concept - grace. I had spent many years in church, but never heard a message of grace. What I heard was a list of do's and don't's and what happened if you did some of the 'don't's.' So, imagine my reaction when I started to grasp the idea of God's grace. We don't deserve it, but He freely gives it. We can't earn it - He freely gives it. It still blows my mind. In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul wrote, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." What an amazing gift!

I did it

2008-09-03T23:49:00.000-05:00

I drank the Sarah Palin Kool-aid tonight.

11.04.08

2008-09-02T21:50:00.000-05:00

I get passionate about my politics. I do my best to keep an open mind - I like to hear other people's points of view. Its when we sit in our own little worlds and never venture out that we become stale and stagnant and I don't want that.

I have historically been on the liberal side of things, though I find myself more in the middle now and (gasp) even a little on the right on some things - a little. I have issues with labeling myself a conservative/republican, etc - don't wanna do it. Anyway, the presidential race always seems to be fun for me - watching CNN endlessly, even taking in some talk radio (I'm probably not old enough to admit that), the Sunday morning round tables.

This year I was more into the primaries than before. I mean, history was being made either way on the Democratic side. My choice - no shame in my game - was Hillary. I was on board 100% - even chased down Bill at a Hill rally (pic to prove it) with my boss one day. I watched the primaries closely and was excited and hopeful for a Hill comeback after Super Tuesday. The comeback didn't happen and I was stuck with two candidates that didn't excite me at all - McCain v. Obama.

I don't trust Obama. I was on the fence until the deal with his Reverend came out and that pushed me over. I have a very hard time believing that you can sit under someone's preaching and teaching for years and years and then say you don't believe anything he (and your church) believes. Doesn't add up, people, doesn't add up.

Why am I on the fence with McCain? Four more years of the GOP?? And, to be honest, that whole getting labeled thing mentioned above (I know one vote doesn't make me one, but still).

So, I was waiting for the VP picks - would we have an Obama/Clinton ticket? Nope - he goes with Joe Biden (change...what? where?). Who in the heck would McCain pick to steal some of the Hillary supporters not on board with Obama? Much to everyone's surprise - Sarah Palin.

I'd never heard of her before. I was not immediately impressed. I mean, a no-name from Alaska is supposed to draw my vote that was going to go to Hill? I must admit, though, after reading about what she's done and hearing her story...I'm getting impressed. She's tackled corruption, cut some crazy spending, had five kids, won a beauty pageant and a state basketball championship. That's busy for a 44 year old.

I haven't officially decided, but I'm leaning a little to the right. I might even be watching some of the RNC. Maybe.

Checkin in...

2008-08-31T21:52:00.000-05:00

I thought it was about time to check in on the blogosphere since my last post was pre-Olympics. I will admit some Olympic withdrawals this past week because I thoroughly enjoyed the games this time around - swimming did not disappoint! Michael Phelps is the man!

(Just for fun, the link below gives instructions on how to blog like Michael Phelps. :)

http://www.kokasexton.com/word/2008/08/14/how-to-blog-like-michael-phelps/)

Other Olympic highlights: Women's gymnastics - Shawn and Nastia specifically. (China's team gold = Further proof that cheaters do in fact win despite what our parents might have told us.)

Beach volleyball - Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. Amazing how quickly they can get around in that sand.

Dara Torres - She's 41. Enough said.

The Redeem Team - I surprisingly didn't care to watch much. Glad they got the gold and all, but I have a hard time sitting through and enjoying games that involve Kobe.

For some reason I don't seem to get as jazzed about the winter Olympics, but I'm sure summer in London in 2012 will not disappoint!

08.08.08

2008-07-24T20:56:00.000-05:00

Those who know me would be able to tell you that I'm a sports fan - basketball (Go Mavs), football (Mr. Favre), and tennis (no one compares to Steffi Graf) are among my regular favorites. But, I must admit there is an event that I look forward to much like little kids look forward to Christmas - and that would be the Olympics. I love them - particularly the summer Olympics.

I remember the Olympics being a big deal when I was little. My dad, also a sports person, even taped some of the events back in the days of VHS. Why do I love them, you ask? There are a few reasons - I think it is amazing to see the athletes that have been so devoted and dedicated that they train day in and day out year after year just for their shot to be the best in the world. You see athletes that play for the love of their sport, not for the love of money. I think in general, you tend to see more sportsmanship in that setting as well.

I don't think any other sporting event effects me quite like the Olympics do. I will watch events that I have no interest in whatsoever and then get hooked by the story (yes, NBC, you appeal to the sucker in me). But, there are two Olympic moments that will stick with me forever. I remember seeing both and just being blown away by the courage of the athletes. The first was in the 1996 Atlanta games when Kerri Strug nailed her second vault on one leg because of the torn up ankle. Everyone remembers that one, right?

The other moment was in the 1992 Barcelona games when Derek Redmond was running the 400 meters. He pulled a hamstring about half way in and fell to the track for a second and as others ran up to him to check on him, he hops up and starts to hop his way to the finish line. With about
100 meters left, his dad runs down from the stands and brushes past security, puts his arm around him, and finishes the race with him. I challenge you not to tear up when you see that footage - YouTube it!

So what am I looking forward to most in these games? Swimming. I can't wait! DVR will be in overdrive come 08.08.08! :)

Pics from Cali

2008-06-28T13:33:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting in SJC airport playing and passing some time. I accepted the offer for a travel voucher to take a later flight, so I've got some time to kill. My trip was great - fun to see a new place and learn some new things. I went in to San Francisco for a little bit Thursday night and snapped some pictures. The weather was awesome - 60 degrees on a summer evening. It stopped being 60 degrees in Dallas a few months ago!

Creativity Issues

2008-06-22T20:30:00.001-05:00

So I decided to start my own little blog to, well, blog. I have some creativity issues, though, in that I'm not. Not even a little bit, so when it was time to name my blog my brain just sort of seized up. My working title is now, "I dunno." I'm open to suggestions. :)

God of this City

2008-06-22T20:20:00.000-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61LamkXfwk