Daily DeMo 2012

I'm back! What better way to start a new year than to begin learning new things! :) I plan to start blogging a little bit again, even though maybe my readers have given up on me (it's only been ... too many months!), but it's still fun for me to look back on this and see what I've been learning. Currently, I've misplaced the first week's things learned, so once I find those I'll put them up.

Along with learning something new every day, I've also been: 

• Journaling daily/nightly. I've become a little bit OCD about this. I have a fresh Moleskine notebook (love!) and a new Sharpie pen (love!) and haven't missed a day yet. (I will admit though that sometimes on the weekends, I'll need to write something and it's actually 1:30 am the next day, but I backdate it and write the current time and date, just so that I don't mess up the flow of things.) I really wish I would have started journaling a long time ago. It's so nice to see what my prayers are and what's going on. Thanks to Mel for sort of forcing me into it with, "DeMo, you really should start journaling." Thirty days make a habit, and I'm almost there. Speaking of, can you believe that January is almost over?!? Not. Ready. Yet.


• Hanging out a lot with friends. I had a fantastic time this weekend at a birthday party for my roommate. I also try to do dinner with various friends once a month and it's really great.


• Watching Netflix. Way too much. First I had an addiction, yes, to Facebook, but asked myself, "Self, is it really worth all of the time spent there? Do I really find worth in supporting a multi-billion-dollar-aire?" No. Maybe it was a conviction. So I stopped using Facebook constantly and instead started watching Psych on Netflix. Every moment I was home. And again, I said, "Self, is this show really that important that you waste time watching it when you should be sleeping?" So then, I stopped watching Psych, and instead started watching BBC's Sherlock. Which, you know, is kind of like Psych but in a more sophisticated and brainy way, so it's ok, right? Well, fortunately, the first season on Netflix only lasted 3 episodes, so I began a fast from Netflix. And it lasted about a week, but now I choose to watch in moderation. Until Season 2 of Sherlock is released, then I will be in hiding, while politely stuffing Self under a pillow until it's over.


• Reading on my iPhone, thanks to the Kindle app. I started reading Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington. It is very interesting so far, just to know that he was such a smart kid and had this drive to learn, but was held back by his circumstances. I'm not to far into it, but I do recommend it, and it's one of the classics available for free for the Kindle. 


• Pinning. Way to much. This is yet another computer activity that steals time from me. But I think I can tone it down and use it in moderation.


• Quipping (submitting to Quipsologies). I love this site, and I've submitted a lot lately! It's like a little collection of the coolest design stuff. If you're bored and are interested in chronicles of "the most curious, creative, and notable projects, stories, and events of the graphic design industry on a daily basis" then you should check it out. Even if you're not into design, there are still some gems. Such as this one and this one (I highly recommend this one about the painted goldfish). :)


• Exploring the fruit of the Spirit in a Beth Moore study with my Life Group girls. These are the same girls (plus a few newbies) who I read through the Bible chronologically with this past year. I really recommend doing that. It gives such a better perspective of God's people and our history. Anyway, we just began the Beth Moore study and it's a 10-week course. I'm really looking forward to what we're all going to learn, and how we'll all be changed by participating.

I have the first Daily DeMo post of 2012 in the drafts that will come soon, but I don't have time tonight to finish it. Hopefully this has satisfied any curiosity you have of when I'll start the blog again. :)

Weekend in Arkansas

Relaxing and eating party mix! That's what I've been doing since I got to Siloam last night. Last night we got La Hacienda take-out and watched Great Expectations. I don't know what I was expecting... greatness? It's good! I just don't know how to properly explain it. :)

Mel is working on her website, and I'm the designated idea-giver/sounding board for that. It's nice to not have much to do this weekend! I got a new operating system for my computer, so I've been getting used to all the goodies that come along with that. I found Connect 4 for free. :)

We might be getting ready to go someplace soon, but that would involve getting dressed, and I don't really want to do that right now. :)

About weddings...

Saturday will mark #3 of 5 from the end of October to the middle of December. #4 happens then too but i cant be two places at once. That's a lot of weddings. And a lot of gifts. And 3 bachelorette parties. And lots of wedding showers. I do feel blessed to have friends who want me to celebrate with them but I don't think I'll be volunteering to plan my own anytime soon until I recover from all of these. :) It's starting to feel like my own version of "27 Dresses" except it's the wedding guest version!

Mollie
Marla
Claire
Christina
Janel

Wordless Wednesday : Fallishness

It's Work.

The Life Group that I'm in right now is only women, and we're studying the book of Ruth. This week is an intro to chapter 2, right before she meets Boaz. I like this study (Ruth: Loss, Love & Legacy) because it breaks down the passages deeper than you would if you were just reading through the story, and there is a lot of personal reflection, but sometimes I struggle with that because I feel so ordinary that it's hard for me to pick out specific times of _______ (fill in the blank). This week the verse that really stood out to me was this one:

The overseer replied, "She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. She said, 'Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.' She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter."

(Ruth 2:6-7)

Ruth volunteered to work, did her work diligently, only took a short break, and worked hard enough for someone to notice. I was feeling convicted of my time management so I tried something new today. I wanted to have Ruth's work ethic and motivation. It's so easy to get distracted at work, and when I do, it's hard to get back to concentrating on what I'm doing. I'm not saying that I don't do anything all day, I just know that I could do better. My biggest "between tasks" distractions involve the internet. (It's really easy to turn into this Working Girl if you're not careful.) So I kept the browser closed and didn't check my personal email except for during lunch and after work, and I didn't even get on to Facebook until after work. It was a little bit hard at first to hear my phone buzz with a new email and not instantly check it, but at the end of the day I had a total of 8 emails. And only 2 of them really required me to reply.

I avoided so much distraction and I feel like I actually got did get a lot done today! It's amazing how much you can do when you're actually looking for the work and not waiting for it to come to you. I definitely felt more successful than I have in a while.

Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.

(Proverbs 22:29)

I think it's a great practical thing to do. The email can wait until lunch time, and Facebook is a TIME. SUCKER. I'm going to continue this tomorrow (while I'm praying for temptation to play on the internets stays away) and I have a feeling that it could turn into a modified Facebook fast like what I did for Lent last year. Yes, that's right, Facebook. Your days are numbered. Again.

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

(Gen. 1:15)

Work began with God, when He created the earth. It has been around for all time, and he assigned Adam some work in the Garden. I think it's important to remember that we work out of reverence to God and should do it with that kind of heart attitude. It's sort of a disappointment to just waste the day to Mark Zuckerberg's creation instead of what God has asked of you.

Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

(Colossians 3:22)

(You can not deny that this verse relates to you if you're one of the "quick minimizers" who is really good at switching windows when you hear footsteps...)

My next project is to actually fill my evenings with "fun" work instead of being idle. It's so easy to turn on the TV, open the computer and put a dent in the couch cushions for a night. I know this because I did that exact thing tonight. oops! I have a long list of things to do that will only get done if I'm actually intentional about doing them.

 Sow your seed in the morning,
   and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
   whether this or that,
   or whether both will do equally well.

(Eccl. 11:6)

30 minutes of impossible

I have a theory that we wouldn't have to mess with Daylight Savings Time if everyone just adjusted their clocks by 30 minutes. Getting the whole world to agree to that might be a little bit impossible, but it would do away with the hour of sleep that we "lose". But I really enjoyed that extra hour this weekend. I loved looking at the clock that I hadn't adjusted yet and realizing that I still had an hour longer!

The one thing that I will miss though is being outside to watch the sunsets instead of at work when it gets dark. I guess if I want to see the sun anywhere but high in the sky during lunch, I'll have to get up earlier.

I meant the title of this post to relate to Daylight Savings Time, but it could also relate to taking 30 minutes of your day to just sit and watch. It might seem a little bit impossible, but it's so worth it.

If you haven't watched the sky colors lately, take some time to do that. And then stay a little longer and watch the stars wake up. It's majestic. It blows me away that just like snowflakes, no sky is ever the same, and there are more stars than you could ever count or see.

Where can I go from your Spirit? 

Where can I flee from your presence? 

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea, 

even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast. 

Psalm 139:7-10