February 2010

I always say, "wow, that was a busy month," but when I say "wow, February was a busy month," I mean it in a way that surpasses any way I've ever said it before. Note: life + owning puppy = life on fast-forward! Here's the run-down for what I trouble I was getting into back in February:

Heidi 72-hour vet check - healthy pup minus the minor ear infection that cleared up in a week's time

Volunteer with BC - first time to volunteer as an adult; it was good.

Euchre Night with BC - first time to host a card night; much fun and more Euchre Nights to come!

Phone Dates with Kristin - started having a weekly phone date with Kristin to work through our devotionals

Bonfire at Joel's - even with the Florida Hospital Lady Track Shack 5K the next morning I still went to Joel's, hung out, met some folks and enjoyed the perfect s'more!

BC Movie Night (I Am Legend) - a favorite movie of mine (also partial inspiration for getting a German Shepherd Dog), and lovely company

Super Bowl Party with Matt - my plans fell through but Matt and company provided for a great group of people with whom to celebrate the event. Sad that the Colts lost but at least a Boilermaker took the championship!

Avatar + Pizza with Matt - loved the movie, discovered a cool pizza joint, great friend with whom to enjoy both

Paws in the Park Walk with Matt - Heidi's first socialization opportunity; Matt joined us for the fun (despite the cold weather!)

The Bling Thing with BC - downtown night! First time to the underground bar (can't think of the name of the place). Loved hanging out in the red, Clue room!

Puppy Valentine's Day Party at Joel's - adorable! Cooked out and made several new puppy friends!

2-week vet check - all healthy!!!

Sunshine movie with Matt - I was right on in knowing that Matt would love that movie! Nice evening and discovered my new favorite white wine!

Sam's Senior State Wrestling Tournament - amazing weekend with family and friends to celebrate Sam's big victory!

Chucky's 21st birthday celebration - belated but brilliant! Can't wait to go out with him again!

Puppy Class 1/8 - so much fun! Heidi loves playing with the other pups, and we both love learning!

Waffles with Matt - we decided my Belgian waffle maker needed to be put to good use. Matt brought fresh strawberries! Yum!

Dinner with Darin - Darin was in town! He got to meet Heidi, see my place, and then he treated me to dinner at Amigo's! I love hanging out with Darin; we always have nice conversation!

Pie & Away We Go movie with Matt - another nice evening in with Matt; we both loved the movie, and I made him a pumpkin pie for helping me get to and from the airport the previous weekend.

BC Movie Night (I Am Legend) - even though I watched the movie recently, it was lovely to host another book club movie night!

Church - finally settled into a schedule with Heidi and figured out how to escape the house for a couple hours to get my spiritual fill

Bonfire at Matt's - wrapped up the month with a great evening at Matt's bonfire! I brought Heidi! Everyone loved her and the cucumber salad I brought. S'mores were amazing!

Strawberry Festival

This weekend I had the pleasure of seeing a long-awaited movie and introducing Heidi to and visiting with several friends!

Friday the book club went to see the new Alice in Wonderland in IMAX 3D. The tale is my favorite childhood story, so there was pretty much no way I was going to leave the theatre satisfied. Plus I'm a Disney and Burton fan. Depp wasn't all he was cracked up to be, but it's certain that the Mad Hatter role was tailor fitted for Depp. I thought Mia played a great adolescent Alice (Mia is Australian, you know). I think my favorite character, however, was the Red Queen, played by one of my favorite actresses, Helena Bohnam Carter. She was great! And I ended up liking the Cheshire Cat a lot more than I thought I would based on his looks alone from the previews; though I do wish they had left him pink and purple. The make-up shifting within a single frame was pretty cool (i.e., on the Mad Hatter when his moods went more than "mad"). I wish they'd renamed the movie to something other than one so similar to the title of the first book on Alice's adventures. The story was more mixed with Through the Looking Glass, but, nevertheless, it was a well-done storyline; something new and creative. I enjoyed mapping the characters in Alice's reality to those in Wonderland.

Directly after the movie I went home, grabbed my overnight bag and Heidi, and headed to Melbourne. I arrived at Aunt Joan's, and, after settling Heidi down, finally got to bed around midnight, which is SUPER late for me these days.

The next morning Heidi got to properly meet Aunt Joan, and then Joan and I went to the Strawberry Festival. Starting things off was the pancake breakfast. For $5 we got two pancakes covered in strawberries, whipped cream and syrup, sausage and OJ (that's better than what one could get at any breakfast diner), and it was perfect! Afterwards Joan and I browsed the markets. I ended up buying a few French hair combs that I've been searching for since my days in Australia.

After the festival I accompanied Aunt Joan to Cocoa for her hair cut appointment, during which I caught up with my mom as we hadn't chatted all week. Then Joan and I stopped by a nursery to pick up some tomato seeds and a special fertilizer she needed. We got back to her house, went on a nice but squirrel-free walk with Heidi, then I headed to visit the guys.

Josh was still golfing when I called, but I was able to reach Dan, so Heidi and I went to his place. He was very hospitable and let me stow Heidi at his place while he and I grabbed some amazing Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches. Afterwards we took Heidi on a nice, long walk and enjoyed the day while we waited for Josh to arrive. Josh met Heidi, then the three of us went bowling. I broke 100 the first game and couldn't hit 80 the second game, haha, but both of the guys one a game each. Josh had a few really great streaks!

After bowling Heidi and I headed out and we caught Andy just in time for a quick dinner before I headed back to Orlando. I was so happy to visit with Andy; we had a lot to catch up on together. The only disappointing thing from this weekend was not getting to hang out with Jared and have him meet Heidi.

Today I went to church, and spent lots of time outside with Heidi as it was a lovely day. We played and also grabbed an afternoon nap. Another lovely Sunday.

Cheers,

Amanda

Folden Visit

Over the Fourth of July weekend some very dear friends of mine stopped in for a lovely visit. It was such a treat to have Kristin & Aric as guests for a few days. It was ungodly hot on the Fourth of July, but we strolled around Lake Eola and took in some of the festivities (including fishy caramel popcorn - ugh, haha!), and then I showed them my favorite place in Orlando: The Drunken Monkey, a fantastic coffee house that I frequent often. It was there that I taught Aric how to play Backgammon. We also "had" to bum around our beloved Waterford Lakes Town Center Barnes & Noble!

By the way, I've never seen Ashes take to people so well as he took to Kristin & Aric. They loved him and he sure did enjoy their company. I loved watching the three of them "race" to Ashes' "room," haha! Too funny!

The next day the Foldens (awe, it sounds so pleasant, doesn't it? The Foldens...) joined me at church. Afterwards they helped me tackle the acquisition of a TV. Aric was very manly and brought it up three flights of stairs to my apartment; the stand, too, which was considerably heavier than the TV. While Kristin and I assembled things, Aric made Folden Chili (sans corn, hehe), and it was delicious! He made lots so that I'd have some to eat through my coming work week. That evening we watched Sunshine on my brand new HDTV and I taught Kristin to play Backgammon (she came around to it) while we did Queen Helene Mint Julep facial masks.

Needless to say, it was a wonderful weekend. = )


Kristin & I



Mr. & Mrs. Folden


Amanda

Mom's Spring Break Visit

A few weeks ago my mom visited me! It was wonderful to see a member of the family! I'd missed her so much! We had a great week and a half together. We ate at Urban Flats (tradition), had make-overs at Merle Norman (also tradition), canoed with an alligator down a river in Wekiva, furnished my apartment, started a potted garden, ran a 5K, played at the beach and in the ocean and met up with Aunt Joan. I can't wait until she visits again this summer! Here are some photos of her stay:


the finished looks from the Merle Norman make-overs


about to begin our "adventure" canoe trip


the gator we canoed by while less than a meter away (seriously)


pre-race photo with the OWR at the Windermere Run Among the Lakes 5K


Mom looking hot in the cool ocean (5 more minutes, please!)


Great Aunt Joan Golden, Mom & I

-Amanda

What I Learned from an Herb

Last Sunday I learned a lot about life from an herb.

A man named Berry Johnston's wife was laid off. He took a huge cutback in his salary. In this time of severe economic crisis, this is the up there with the worst possible of news to receive. One afternoon, as he was trying to sort out how he was going to make ends meet, Berry noticed how weak his basil plant looked. As he began to investigate how to revive the herb he realized that his life needed exactly what the herb did: a good pruning season.

Have you ever thought about pruning? Wikipedia says this about pruning: it is the removal of diseased, non-productive, or otherwise unwanted portions from a plant. Pruning involves cutting, and knives, and clippers, and snipping. It's a pretty nasty process. But, through all of this, it is an experience of pain, not death. In ridding the plant of the dead parts, pruning allows the plant to grow back even more fruitful and to flourish.

Remember when your parents said, "I love you, but I'm going to spank you?" Remember lashing back with "well if you love me so much, why are you going to cause me pain?" In retrospect this all makes a lot more sense to us. Pruning causes a plant pain, yes, but it is testing the plant in a way. When our parents punished us, they were testing us to see if we'd learn our lesson. From the pain we'd get angry, sad, numb - we'd grieve.

The release of sap is a plant's equivalent to our grieving process. A plant will release sap for the necessary amount of time that will allow the plant to recover, heal and redirect its energy. Where energy once flowed to a dead limb, it can no longer flow - because that limb has been removed; it was pruned. Now, that same energy is flowing to a living limb, and it is beginning to flourish! What brilliant design plants have!

"I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing." -John 15:1-2, 5

Here is a visual representation of my life as a plant:

early innocence and health as a child


over the years I continue to grow (adolescence),
but parts of my life decay; pruning becomes necessary


with only lively limbs to put energy into,
I am on my way to becoming a flourishing plant


Here's another fascinating thing about plants: in every inner-working of their existence, they put forth every effort possible to reach up and towards the sun, their source of life. Now I know, after hearing Berry's story, that I am not alone when I think about how wondrous nature is. I'm not the only person who thinks nature was designed in a very specific way. There's so much we can learn from our earth!

-Amanda

(Thanks to Pastor David Loveless and Berry Johnston who inspired this blog entry. What an amazing comparison they drew, basil:human.)

Raven Takes a Beating

Yeah. That's my brand new, 2009 Honda Fit Sport (aka Raven). Purchased 2 January 2009. Someone rear-ended me on Sunday, 6 April 2009. Don't worry, no one was injured. My x-ray's showed nothing abnormal; the soreness I experienced was only muscular and didn't last more than a couple days.

I have a rental for the time being. Raven is in the repair shop, and I hope to have it back next week, although I was told to expect it back this week. We'll see about that.

The best part of all this - yes, there is actually a best part to the tragedy - is that I made a wonderful friend. Krista was a complete stranger who happened to witness the wreck. It was no coincidence that she happened to have that rare Sunday evening free. She was my angel that night: she pulled over, called the police, provided a witness statement of the wreck, loaded up my groceries from my car to hers, helped me drop them off at my apartment (my car was being towed away), took me to the emergency room, then took me to pick up my pain medication prescription. A complete stranger. I find it so comforting to know there are Good Samaritans still around.

Since the wreck Krista and I have kept in touch. We met up at the Corporate 5K race downtown last week, we're planning a night to have dinner together, and we're planning to attend church together.

Bless Kirsta! I had no one else to turn to, being down here all alone, but God sent me an angel!

-Amanda

In a Fish

Jim Lyons and company are currently serving in The Holy Land, so Jay Harvey spoke to us today. Jay Harvey is a comedian who founded the GOOF Principle. Click his name to see his website. Here is his book's cover:



Through Jay's sermon I learned about Jonah and the Whale. I remember the Bible story from my childhood; it was a favorite, though I didn't fully understand the point until today.

Here is the 101 on Jonah: for the majority of his life he was a good servant to the Lord, but one time Jonah went against the Lord and disobeyed; in fact, he fled the Lord and boarded a ship headed away from God. The price for his disobedience was death, and a brutal storm blew across the sea Jonah sailed on. The other men on the ship prayed to their respective gods, but soon learned that Jonah was to blame for the angry sea storm. Upon this realization the men hurled Jonah into the sea, and a great fish swallowed him up.

This is the point is where I learned the story for its true meaning. As a child I thought God sent the whale to swallow Jonah as a punishment; this is inaccurate. Jonah's true punishment, as I wrote earlier, was death. But God is merciful. God sent the fish to provide Jonah a time during which he could repent his sins and return to the Lord.

From the belly of the whale Jonah prayed to God, seeking forgiveness of his sins. Here is an oil painting on canvas of Jonah praying from the belly of the whale:



After hearing Jonah's prayer, God commanded the fish to free Jonah. I thought this was a really neat piece of art; I like the fish. Another thing I like about the image is that the horrid storm is in the background, no longer present:



Jay took an interesting look at this story. Jay said, basically, that our hardships are acts of mercy from God. It is during these tough times that God is putting us in a fish to save us. When we totally surrender ourselves to Him, we are set free.

That takes me back to Jay's book about the GOOF Principle. It is this:

Get over yourself
Own your mess
Open up
Forgive yourself (of mistakes, not the original sin)

To note something else Jay said today, he said he wanted to be a weak Christian. It seems backwards at first, but really it's not. A strong Christian is bound for trouble, if they think they have it figured out and all this. Eventually they will need to apply the GOOF Principle to their life. However, a weak Christian implies that they are continually surrendering themselves to God.

The last thing I have to say about today's sermon regards part of the opening prayer. The speaker mentioned having a heart of rock turned into a heart of flesh. At first I thought that was a silly thing to say. Obviously it's not meant in a literal way, these things never are, but still, rock to flesh? It seems obvious now, but at first I was puzzled for an unknown reason. Then it donned on me. Inherently we have hearts of stone. Cold, sinful rock-hard hearts. It isn't until we let go of everything in our lives, until we surrender our everything, until we put our full trust in the Lord - only then will we have hearts of flesh, hearts that are truly alive.

-Amanda

PS - The Newsboys have a funky, "GOOFy" song about Jonah called "In the Belly of the Whale." Click the title to see the songs' lyric.

Reborn

On the first Sunday of this year my family and I went to church. We decided to try out Madison Park Church of God (formerly North Anderson Church of God, moved to a new location). The place is enormous, and so are the hearts of its congregation. The Hannas have nurtured our interest in attending Madison Park, and I'm grateful. I am already a big supporter of Jim Lyons, the pastor.

Sunday's lesson was about "looking up" and "being spoken to in a language you understand." Jim said that if he had to make a headline for the sermon it would be this: "Looking Up Brings Hope, Fixed Star Makes Sense." The three Wise Men were students of the stars. When they saw the star about Jerusalem the night of Jesus' birth, they understood its true meaning because God was speaking to them through stars - something people who study stars would understand.

This year I am going to continue my journey with God and continue to "look up." If I seek, I will find. God provides, and I have already begun to notice the differences in my life with having attended church just that one Sunday morning.

"When they saw the star, they were overjoyed." -Matthew 2:10

-Amanda