a birth-day.

I have a cousin. Her name is Michelle. She is beautiful and sweet and has a really cute house. She had a birthday. We had fun. Here are a few snapshots of our day.

This is Mini. Mini is a happy little dog.

Meet Bella. Bella is always looking for affection.

Birthday earrings… a common theme.

coolgreens. so good.

Jamie's greek salad and white chicken chili. yum.

Peek-A-Pooh

Lana was pretty excited about the bookshelf ladder.

And I was pretty excited about these trees.

Lana says down with 44 East.

Mint for each other.

Chocolate to the max.

Sassafras. 

We know your secret now.

Cousins.

Pretty sure I have the best cousins in the world. Yep, it's been confirmed.

Papa, Mama, and Baby Pizzas.

Almond! 

Happy Birthday Michelle!

hey faithful, thank you.

Do you ever feel like…

…there are thousands of thoughts running through your mind so fast at the same time that you can't possibly get a grip on anything?

…that all you ever do is what you don't want to do, and all you want to do is what you never do?

…there is more than what you see there is, even though you don't know what it is?

…you have a perfect picture of how it should be, and even though you know it will never be that way- you still keep that hope in mind?

…you are alone in whatever you are feeling and experiencing and everyone else is in and you are out?

…if only you could do this, or that… then you would be complete and satisfied with yourself; but deep down you know that it wouldn't give you real happiness?

I know I do.

Good thing feelings aren't reliable. Emotions are real, but not worth trusting.
It's reassuring to know that even though I don't understand most everything that happens, I do know the one who does. And I know that he can be trusted and that he has my best interest at heart. That's good, because I would make a mess and be a mess if I was in control.

Go out and do hard things. God can work a lot when we say 'yes' to the impossible.
I can testify to the Lord's faithfulness in my own life and from my own experiences. He is truly trustworthy and wholly dependable. What a mighty God we serve!


"Adventure is out there!"

ignorance ≠ bliss

this and that.

hello, dolly.

magniloquent.

1922.

eh?

learn, create, dare.

high tea.

stay a while.

Farewell Love...

Ok, I'm sick of love. No, I'm only sick of posting about love. 


Let us recap what I've posted over the last month concerning love:


Post #1: I share my view on what real love looks like and lecture about how bad the world is and give a biblical reference for guidance and to make us all feel guilty. (1 Corinthians 13) 


Post #2: I soften a little and admit that I'm really quite a romantic, despite my strong convictions on the subject of love, post some random facts, quotes, stories concerning said topic, and lastly condemn those who don't like Valentines day.


Post #3: I post images that have anything to do with love from my photo library, and insert a nice, deep quote about love by someone I know nothing about. (You can tell I'm losing interest in the subject- photos are always the easy way out of a good post.) 


Post #4: I openly confess to being tired of posting about Love, proceed to go into an organized recap of what has come from my experimental blogging journey, and end the post with a love song.


I say it's been a good month. ha. 





-J

images of love?

Chocolate. What is it about chocolate?

Roses. 

Marriage... or lack thereof. 

Strawberries and chocolate. Pure bliss.

Kisses.

Babies.

Beauty.

Friendship.

Rome.

The ultimate Sacrifice.

"Love means to commit oneself without guarantee, to give oneself completely in the hope that our love will produce love in the loved person. Love is an act of faith, and whoever is of little faith is also of little love."
--Erich Fromm

"Love" post #2

In my last post I shared thoughts on what love really is. True love. Now I have been thinking about different ways we express love or use the word to explain an interest or like in something. I don't think that using the word for such things is bad, really. I think it's just good to know the difference between what love really is and where it comes from, and lust, selfishness, etc. So when I say I LOVE ASPARAGUS... obviously I don't care for asparagus as I do say, my sister. ha! I think the word probably does get thrown around too much, but what bothers me is when people use it when they are really expressing something that they FEEL, as we see demonstrated in most of our entertainment these days. There was more on that in the last post.
Does any of that make sense? I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

And please, don't think I'm not a romancy (I just made it a word) sort of person. Ooooh, I am. I just don't want to get lost in the middle of love and lust. I know that what the world thinks of as love is usually not real and doesn't deserve the word.

Here are some odd facts, trivia, and quotes on "love" and such...


Women can talk longer with less effort than can men. That has been proved repeatedly. Why? Because the vocal cords of women are shorter than those of men and so release less air through them to carry the sound. It's all a matter of breathing. 


A team of medical experts in Virginia contends you're more likely to catch the common cold virus by shaking hands than by kissing.


The average woman uses up approximately her height in lipstick every five years.


Scholars recently returned from New Guinea said they noted a lot of elderly natives there had missing fingers. Research revealed that it was the custom some years ago for a young fighting man to give his lucky girlfriend a finger cut from the hand of an opponent. And said girlfriend wore that finger on a string around her neck.


One hundred years ago, a woman thought herself to be particularly gifted if she were one of those who grew a faint moustache. That light down on the female face was considered most attractive then.


It's commonly believed a man picks out a wife who reminds him of his mother while a woman picks out a husband who reminds her of her father. But that's not right. Recent research indicates both the man and the woman are most influenced in their selection of matrimonial mates by their mothers. If a woman regards her mother as stern, she's likely to go for a stern husband. If she thinks of her mother as gentle, she looks for a gentle husband. The father of the bride or groom just doesn't have all that much to do with it, poor fellow.



It's reported that more than 10,000 marriages a year now are directly traceable to romances which begin during coffee breaks.  

King Ferrand of Portugal was held captive from 1213 to 1226 by the Turks. They demanded ransom, but Portugal's Queen Jeanne refused to pay for her husband's return. She had beaten him in a chess game, and he had therefore hit her on the nose with his fist. It upset her considerably. (Perhaps this is why many women don't play chess, and why we need to deal with pent-up anger before the game begins.)

The longest kiss listed in the Guinness Book of World Records lasted an incredible 417 hours. 

* 2 out of 5 have married their first love.

* Only 4% asked the parents' approval for their bride's hand.

* 1 in 5 men proposed on his knees.

* 6% propose over the phone. (And what percent said yes?) 


Florida law forbids a housewife there to break more than three dishes a day. 


In men the hypothalamus (small organ near the brain stem) is larger than in most women. When provoked, the hypothalamus heightens rage, thirst, hunger and desire; possibly explaining boys' more rambunctious behavior. 


Psychological studies show conclusively that, while emergencies tend to upset a woman more, in a real crisis she is likely to remain calmer than the average male. 


What does "getting a Valentine" mean in criminal jargon? Receiving a one-year jail sentence. 


Well, that was enlightening. Ha!


I just have to say that I love Valentines day. My parents have always made it a special, fun holiday and I have no bitterness towards the day. And it kind of bugs me when people do. Seriously? Stop being selfish and go love someone. 


Happy Valentines Day!


-J


"True love begins when nothing is looked for in return."
--Antoine De Saint-Exupery