Pages

2.01.2012

Bacon?

Yeah, I guess that's what I should call it.
Bacon.
If you're wondering, that IS an inside joke.
It's sort of an inside joke of an inside joke, if you know what I mean.
Anyway, after receiving numerous emails and letters and phone calls from my many readers, (okay. It was 1 person.) about blogging more about my LIFE, and not just my thoughts,
here goes.

So, last week on Thursday, Zach, Cherie, Trevor and I  journeyed to the marvelous land of
 North Carolina.
(the air there is amazing.)
We went to visit our friends, the Dave Miller family.
The Dave Miller Family Children were home alone, as their parents were in Africa.
So, technically, we weren't visiting the whole Dave Miller Family.
  never mind.

It was a week where sarcasm abounded, almost from when we kids walked in the door.
but that really doesn't tell you anything about the weekend, now does it?

I find explaining weekends like these is very difficult,
so, once again, you'll have to look at pictures and maybe the strange and random tidbits under the pictures can guide you along a bit.

Meet our GPS.
Our GPS gets confused sometimes.
Thus, stranding us in the middle of nowhere not knowing where we are.
But it tries.



                                          These are the ridiculous crepes that Deborah made.
                                 If you love fruit, pancakes, yogurt, and pudding,
                                       all you have to do is mix that up 
                                          (okay, maybe a few other additions.)  into a
            Ridiculously Fruity Pancake Yogurt Pudding Wrap.
                                (it probably goes under a different name if you google it.)
                                                  In the background, is the BACON.



We went on a walk.
Have I ever told you how invigorating the North Carolina AIR is?
 ^ These are two of my heros. ^
Wow, that weekend was refreshing.


                           Chahlie (a.k.a. Charlie. a.k.a. Grace.) and I had a wonderful . . .
                                          Random Question game mixed with a
                                             Lucky Charm party all by our lonesome.
                              All by our lonesome until we weren't anymore, that is.

                                        I thought it was a perfectly good definition.
                                                  It was also late at night.



As was this collage.
(no, deborah is not trying decapitate Zach, she's merely arguing with him.)

                                          I'm assuming this was a controversial call in the
                                                     world of Paper Football.
                                             And we'll give the call to our audience,
                                     IS THE FOOTBALL OVER THE RIDGE,
                                                                   OR IS IT NOT?

You can relax now.
We're just on top of a mountain. 

Grace and Euch.
(We don't really know what Euch is doing.)
This probably had something to do with the Random Question game we were playing.
Not that we ever play that game.


        This was "Shun Eugene for Not Wearing Red on the Mountain" day.
                                            It's a good thing he's so secure.

                                                              Yes, that's a rainbow.
                      I think we should go on top of mountains of high altitude
                                          (no snide remarks, Colorado-people)
                               and drive on ridiculously curvy roads,
                                    and throw rocks at trees, and
                                not coordinate for pictures more often.


This is Charlie and Cherie driving through the suburbs in their convertible 
with the top down in January, wind-blown hair and all.


Here we are, visiting their wonderful coffee shop/thrift store 
that has awesome decor.

Here is Chahlie again, explaining to us how, after we pray for snow, 
the Lord will answer our prayer and all the things that will occur after that.
(including us being able to stay longer.)

Don't worry, I won't show you the fail shots.

I also won't explain what she's doing in this photograph.
But I will say that our brothers are inside writing lyrics to a song for that weekend.
Which is why we were kicked out of the house.

Behind this deeply inspiring photo, 
Kyle is laughing at Christy for taking a picture of a pillow.

Here are our brothers.
They are singing the song that they rewrote lyrics to.
It was awesome.
Look for a music video coming to a youtube near you.

Yes, we downed 2 boxes of Lucky Charms.
AND signed one of them.

I haven't really summed up the weekend, have I?
Wait, yes I did.
BACON.

I shall now leave you with a few of the lyrics from the song:

"We're just // making memories//
good times// and for breakfast//
*the music stops dramatically* 
BACON.

We're just // making memories // 
good times // and we're // so blessed //
with friends."


   - this is me, signing off.

1.11.2012

Complacency.

I was reading in my Bible; reading in First Chronicles,
but since it was so late, and all those "this man had this son, and they lived for this long, and then his grandchildren were him and him and him . . .", so I sort of was paging through the Bible.
(i know, I shouldn't really do that.)
 And I saw this:
"And it shall pass at that time that I will search
                                Jerusalem with lamps,
              And punish the men who are settled in complacency
                               Who say in their hearts,  
         
                'The Lord will not do good, Nor will He do evil.' "


                               - Zephaniah 1:12

Complacency: 1: Self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by actual dangers or deficiencies.
That's me.
I am the one 'settled in complacency', saying exactly that.

I can talk big and act big, but am I really on Fire for my Savior?
do I really Try to honor Him, in All that I do? in All that I say? in All that I think?
do I truly Trust Him? with All that I am, have, and enjoy?

(and no, I do not normally read in Zephaniah. I barely knew it was a book in the Bible.)

- C.Celise.B.

1.05.2012

Feeling the Love.


I'm feeling quite loved, with all these birthday gifts and letters and notes and songs.
A day filled with shopping and laughing and singing and . . .
all sorts of happy things.

After turning 16, 
I am a new person.
that was a joke.

16 is . . .
weird. 
and exciting.
and scary.

Here is my theme song for my Sixteenth year,
I hope You See Jesus / / by Bebo Norman.
(bebo norman. it looks cooler without uppercase letters.)
(yes, i did sing this at my bat mitzvah.)

      
Lyrics:

Instead of fear, instead of blinded eyes
Instead of shame, instead of all my lies
Instead of an orphan without a name
I hope you see Jesus


Instead of anger, instead of unbelief
Instead of weakness in the heart of me
Instead of a wounded soul that sometimes loses faith

I hope you see Jesus

Instead of voices in a faceless crowd
Instead of prophets crying out from behind a shroud
Instead of fingers pointing out the blame
I hope you see Jesus


Oh my God, when you look on us
A broken people who have turned from love
Instead of the words we throw and the wars we wage
I hope you forgive us
I hope you see Jesus


I hope you see Jesus
I hope you see Jesus
Standing in our place
Bearing all our shame
I hope you see Jesus


     I hope you see Love.
   
    (pray for me?)

      - Me.

12.23.2011

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas . . .

HI FOLKS.

Merry, Merry, Merry, VERY Merry Christmas to all of you, whether you have snow, or soggy grass, or are in florida enjoying the snow (or lack of it) from a distance.

A FEW CHRISTMASY THINGS:





I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

 . . .Christmas isn't the same without snow.
I need snow. . . 

It is good to be children sometimes,
 and never better than at Christmas
 when its mighty Founder was a child Himself.
  ~Charles Dickens


When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. 
 Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?  
~G.K. Chesterton


I want to look on this Christmas with the eyes of a 5 year old.
all of the wonder, the awe and the imagination that they feel when hearing the Manger Story,
     i want to bring that back into my own Christmas.
this year we aren't doing Christmas presents, which, I admit is going to feel very strange.
but then, if the presents were the only things i was looking forward to, how ridiculously ungrateful I am.
(don't get me wrong, I love presents as much as the next person, and perhaps more.)


I want the wonder of my Christmas to be in the birth of my Jesus, the way he humbled Himself to almost the lowest degree.
I know that we've all heard that a billion times already, and you'll probably hear it a billion more times.
but it's true.
unbelievably true.
I can only pray that God will show me the incredible, incredible story, in a way that I never thought of before.
or just open my eyes to how incredible it really is.
because if I could grasp that, truly, my life should never be the same.

thank you for reading, and now, you really really need to visit this link:
http://vimeo.com/17742404

The Christmas Story, 
from a slightly different perspective.

God Bless Us, Everyone.


- C. Celise B.

12.14.2011

Just A Hint.

ITEM #1:
For all of you who may be charmed by our family's photogenic-ness (cough),
let me just tell you that this was how it really was. ^
 (when we weren't frozen stiff, mind you.)
(cherie and i were are behind the camera, goading them on..)

ITEM #2:
For all of you who have been wondering, NO.
I have not fallen prey to a deadly cold and have been in bed for a month.

               I AM IN THE PERFECT STATE OF . . . WARMNESS.
                         (any of you recognize that quote?)

I have simply been very busy, and also am now and currently and right now and this very day,
working on a blog post.
but, it shall take a while to complete, so don't hold your breath.

- C.C.B.
Posted by Picasa