amber’s blog

I’ve been itching to get on the blog again. (what do we do when we fall of the blog??….) Many of you know I have a love/hate relationship with the blog. I like the concept, like reading a few other blogs out there, but don’t know what to write on my own blog. It seems like it should be consistant in some way or another. But things I want to write tend to be all over the map, and the lack of general blog direction often keeps me from writing at all. (Yes, I know that is both dumb and weird. It’s also honest.) Anyway, I think I might finally be done thinking about it. I figure if you’re reading my blog you know me and/or are interested - at least slightly - in things I’m interested in, so even if I have the most random content ever to coalesce in one blog, it’s just fine. And if you know me at all, “all over the map” is likely what you expect anyway. Further, I’m a huge fan of short blog posts, so while the stray novel might show up, mostly my random-ness won’t cost you much. You can scan and mark the feed “read” quickly enough. Or you might find something new and interesting, who knows.

Look for all kinds of stuff related to me or things I’m interested in (see the about me for insights on that) soon. I hope you dig it. I hope you comment from time to time. And if you have any ideas of what inquiring readers want to know - please, by all means, send them my way!

So far, this week has been full of spontaneous tears.  For the last several days it seems like salty warmth is building up behind my eyes constantly (without my approval, of course), and then, all of the sudden, the dam breaks loose and I’ve got salty warmth all over my face.  Today it happened in the dentist chair.  Poor ladies, they had no idea what they were dealing with.  She took off my temporary crown and my sorry excuse for a tooth underneath started screaming in pain.  The screams loosed the dam, and since I couldn’t wipe them away with someone working in my mouth, they just streamed passed my ears and down behind my neck.  I’m sure my lady was a little more than slightly confused.  “I’ve had a rough couple of days,” I said.  “It will be alright,” I assured her apologetically.

The truth is, it all comes with the territory.  Most people leave their lives behind when they die. We’re leaving our lives behind, but feel the violent pain of the separations - so many separations - that Life would aleve if the separation were final.  In the meantime, I’m glad God is master of the territory. I’m glad He has given me troubles in life that have shown me that He is a trustworthy King.  And I’m so glad to have so many people walking the road with me.

Thank you for walking the road with me.

My friend John posted an idea a Starbucks, which gave me the nudge I needed to do the same. Vote for them (his and mine) if you agree! Also, if you do visit Starbucks (and no haterade here if you don’t), Check out this page where they talk about the ideas they are in the process of implementing.

Bookmooch is a great little place for book trading. Have a few books you’re not going to read again? List them. When someone wants one, you ship it to them and get a point. Then you can use that point to get a book that someone else has that you want to read. If no one currently has a copy, you can save desired titles to your wishlist and be notified when someone lists a copy.

Why am I telling you all this? Because Brady and I are doing a serious clearing of the bookshelves, and the first place the books are going is on bookmooch. So look us up! I’m user ablack.  You can even subscribe to an RSS feed that will let you notify you when I add new books.  Oh, and some folks ship internationally. Some of you would want to know that…

So this is a bit of an odd blog post for me, but when I got this in my email inbox (yes, a forward) I totally called shenanigans. And then I checked snopes and it was for real! I love finding out about old stuff like this.

Here’s the snopes site with several more imagined and directed by the same guys!

Okay, so I’m one of those people who doesn’t think much about germs. If I do think about them, I generally think I should be exposed to more of them so my body doesn’t freak and die when it’s exposed to them in greater quantity. I just don’t worry about germs. So if this tripped me out, you know you want to see it. (it’s so nuts I even checked it on snopes. It scores a true.)

If you don’t know about Denton’s Mail N More, and you live in Denton, you probably want to know.

Mail N More is actually a USPS post office location, but in a store in the strip center on the corner of Malone and University.  If you ever need to mail a package or do anything else at a post office counter, and don’t want to wait in the obscene lines at the post office, this is the place.  I’ve never had to wait behind more than one person, and the service is great!

The only catch? You must pay by cash or check.

Get the whole shpeal here.

I’ve been absent for quite a while, and still figuring how to remedy that. Or if, for the moment, I won’t.  But this, from Valley of Vision, was too good not to share this morning…

I thank thee for showing me the vast difference
between knowing things by reason,
and knowing them by the spirit of faith.
By reason I see a thing is so; by faith I know it as it is.
I have seen thee by reason and have not been amazed,
I have seen thee as thou art in thy Son
and have been ravished to behold thee.

—from “Belonging to Jesus”, Valley of Vision

Advent begins tomorrow.

For the first five years of our marriage, every December 24th, Brady and I had the same conversation. We would be leaving the Christmas Eve service with sorrowful hearts, and discussing how wrong it was that the service had been the first time we had truly thought about Christmas. Of course, I had decorated, shopped like crazy, had at least a dozen conversations about dates and plans. But in the midst of all that, the real Christmas had been lost. And so, every year, the sad conversation repeated itself. Until last year.

Last year we decided to do something during the month that would give us the opportunity to remember the significance of God coming to earth. Of God supremely humbling Himself.

So each day for the last twelve or so days before Christmas, in the morning, we would listen to a selected hymn or carol that heralds Christ’s arrival (or is in some way significant to the season). We really loved contemplating God’s love and beauty throughout the two weeks. And on Christmas eve, we left the still-smoking candles with happy hearts.

This year we’re continuing the tradition, but expanding it to include all of Advent. We came across a listing of Bible passages to read each day that are related to God’s sending of the Messiah (or His plan to do so), and we’ll be reading them, accompanying them with songs or other readings. Tonight we read 1 Samuel 16.1-13, and we listened to Do You Hear What I Hear?.

Advent is upon us. And Christmas is coming!

I love that in the new Dodge Caravan commercial, the smoothly spoken statement “bringing your family together” comes right before seeing everyone in the car with headphones on paying attention to their own TV screen. As Leslie would say… sheesh.