Yes, that's right, $29.20. That is how much pop can money we had when we finally brought our mountains of pop cans home. In case anybody is math challenged, that's 292 cans/bottles, not to mention the 10 or so that the machine refused to take. Pretty awesome.
For future reference, unless a post specifically says Dan is posting, assume that I, Hilary, am posting. I do it more often anyway, not that either of us does it often enough.
All in all, it was a productive weekend. Dan's interview with the DBMD seemed to go very well, and hopefully there will be no problems with that. It's so exciting to think that in a few more months he will be graduated and a licensed minister.
Everything with SAU seemed to go well, as well. I was able to take care of everything, and they assured me once again that everything will be okay with my scholarship. I'm getting so excited to go back to school.
Well, that's all for now.
Love,
Hilary
Monday, January 25, 2010
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Just a Head's Up
If you are planning on sending anything by mail to Dan or I for Christmas, make sure it gets in the mail early enough to get here by THIS FRIDAY the 18th! This is important and I'm sorry for not giving the warning earlier but I only just found out myself. Our school post office will be closing for Christmas break, and anything that doesn't arrive by Friday the 18th we will not get until the end of the first full week of January. We promise not to open anything until Christmas Day if you tell us to do so.
Also, for some reason our comment system seems to be quite out of whack. We are trying to figure out why. Until then, if your comments aren't getting through, we apologize.
Dan is working hard on final projects, exams, etc. It snowed here all day yesterday and we probably have a foot or more but the weather is absolutely GORGEOUS today. Sunny and sparkly: it's like a magical world out there. (or a vampire... hehe)
Today we are going to this awesome place in Rochester that has a huge display of really elaborate gingerbread houses. I will try to post pictures if I can.
Love,
Hilary
Also, for some reason our comment system seems to be quite out of whack. We are trying to figure out why. Until then, if your comments aren't getting through, we apologize.
Dan is working hard on final projects, exams, etc. It snowed here all day yesterday and we probably have a foot or more but the weather is absolutely GORGEOUS today. Sunny and sparkly: it's like a magical world out there. (or a vampire... hehe)
Today we are going to this awesome place in Rochester that has a huge display of really elaborate gingerbread houses. I will try to post pictures if I can.
Love,
Hilary
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
What do a Deer, a Cow, a Pig, and a Turkey have in common?
Answer: They were all served and eaten at Thanksgiving dinner. Yum.
Hilary posting, FYI.
Our trip home was eventful, but tons of fun. We got to spend a lot of time with a lot of different family members, and really enjoyed ourselves. It's a bit sad that we won't make it home for Christmas, but at the same time it will be nice to make our own tradition for once.
Tonight Dan and I went to the youth group we volunteer at. Well, I went, and Dan was going to go, but on the way there (of course it happened on the night we were already running late) we got pulled over because our taillight was out. So Dan dropped us off, went to Olean to get a new light bulb, and Tom is fixing it right now. This is important because we were given 24 hours to fix it and confirm that it got fixed or else we get a ticket. Stupid New York. Oh well.
Anyway, at youth group tonight they had the kids play this stupid game where they had a glass of water, and they had to take a sip, and then they added steak sauce to the water, and they had to take another sip, and then ketchup... etc etc etc. Anyway, the point of the game was to see who could drink the most gross ingredients. It seems like every other game they play at this group is a game which the goal is to make people puke. It kinda weirds me out. I don't actually like working with this youth group very much... but God must have a reason for wanting us there. Either that or we committed too early and are stuck now. One or the other. Either way, I am committed to learning as much as I can from the experience, even if it is just a whole pile of here's what NOT to do.
Anyway, not much else is new for now. Talk to you all later.
Love,
Hilary
Hilary posting, FYI.
Our trip home was eventful, but tons of fun. We got to spend a lot of time with a lot of different family members, and really enjoyed ourselves. It's a bit sad that we won't make it home for Christmas, but at the same time it will be nice to make our own tradition for once.
Tonight Dan and I went to the youth group we volunteer at. Well, I went, and Dan was going to go, but on the way there (of course it happened on the night we were already running late) we got pulled over because our taillight was out. So Dan dropped us off, went to Olean to get a new light bulb, and Tom is fixing it right now. This is important because we were given 24 hours to fix it and confirm that it got fixed or else we get a ticket. Stupid New York. Oh well.
Anyway, at youth group tonight they had the kids play this stupid game where they had a glass of water, and they had to take a sip, and then they added steak sauce to the water, and they had to take another sip, and then ketchup... etc etc etc. Anyway, the point of the game was to see who could drink the most gross ingredients. It seems like every other game they play at this group is a game which the goal is to make people puke. It kinda weirds me out. I don't actually like working with this youth group very much... but God must have a reason for wanting us there. Either that or we committed too early and are stuck now. One or the other. Either way, I am committed to learning as much as I can from the experience, even if it is just a whole pile of here's what NOT to do.
Anyway, not much else is new for now. Talk to you all later.
Love,
Hilary
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Dan posting....I know it's been awhile
Hey everyone,
I wanted to give you all a little update on what is going on. First off I just wanted to tell everyone that a couple of weeks ago Hilary and I attended a marriage seminar and it was amazing. It was on conflict management and it was hosted by Greg and Erin Smalley. We got so much out of it and it is really helping our marriage. Also this past weekend Hilary and I went to Erie, PA with Tom, Mary, Megan, and Peter. It was a lot of fun and we had dinner at the Quaker Steak and Lube. That was neat because I'd never been to one before and their wings are almost as good as Anchor bar. Also the atmosphere in there is really interesting. If you don't know what it is, the original restaurant took an old gas station and converted it into a restaurant, really neat.
As for my health, the leg is getting better. The MRI showed absolutely nothing, which is in a way good because it means I don't have cancer or a tumor or anything like that, but it also means I'm still not sure what is wrong. The doctor told me just to keep up with the physical therapy and see how it goes. The therapy is helping so I'm encouraged by that.
I have a presentation in Christian Apologetics tomorrow on women in ministry and marriage. I think it will be really interesting. The last two weeks, and for the remainder of the semester, we have had student led topics. We are trying to develop a Christian apologetic for each of these issues. So far we've done things like homosexuality, abortion, the morality of God/problem of evil, and euthanasia. The discussion in class have been extremely eye opening and my hope is that people will respond with the same fervor to my presentation.
One last thing before I go. I know people were probably not that interested in Hilary's rant, which is why I don't want to rant a bit myself but there is something that has been bothering me that I feel I need to get off my chest. So I'm giving you a fair warning. I'm not going to rant about the same thing as her but I am going to rant a bit.
So I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose my mind if one more Christian tells me that their personal hero is Glenn Beck. The reason has nothing to do with his political beliefs. I admittedly am not a republican. I am certainly not conservative. However, I do have a problem with Christians who are all gaga over this guy. Every time I see him my skin crawls. He says all kinds of nasty, outrageous, and just plain derogatory things about his opponents. Again, I have no qualms that he is conservative and disagrees with liberals, but why does he have to do it in such a flamboyant and distasteful manner. In my past I have done some things like that which I am not proud of, but God has really been working on me and trying to help me love my enemies, and I am tempted to put that in quotation because members of an opposing political party are not my enemy they are trying to solve the same problems I am, only in a different manner.
It really upsets me that Christians are looking up to this guy. I don't know whether or not he is Christian so I don't actually care about the manner in which he says things, but those who are Christian should be very disapproving of that kind of an attitude. I am a liberal but I refuse to watch MSNBC because all they do is bash and hate on conservatives. That kind of behavior is unacceptable. I am really getting sick of politics because all they do is demonize each other.
Back to Glenn Beck specifically, I can't help hearing a casting crowns song in my head when I think about him. You all know "What if His people prayed" I'm sure. Well there is a line in the song that says "What if the life that we pursue, Came from a hunger for the truth, What if the family turned to Jesus, Stop asking Oprah what to do" I can't help but replace Oprah with Glenn Beck. The reason is that I don't think his attitude is very becoming of a follower of the Christ who sat down with his enemies and ate with them. He sat down with them and tried to help them become better. He died so that they might...just might...be reconciled to Him. Glenn Beck would rather see his enemies die than die for them. I mean the man wrote a book in which the sub title is "How to argue with Idiots" So much is wrong just with that. I mean would Jesus Christ ever call a sinner and idiot? Secondly Jesus isn't interested in teaching us how to argue, He wants to teach us how to love and disciple those who reject Him. The difference in how Jesus and Glenn Beck treat their opponents is staggering. I am pretty sure that Christ calls us to emulate those who emulate Him, and I'm not convinced Glenn Beck is worthy of that.
I'm sorry to go on such a rant but I really can't stand hero worship of someone who isn't worthy of it. If you want to look at someone who stands up for what they believe in by all means do so, but pick someone who doesn't demonize and badger their opposition.
I wanted to give you all a little update on what is going on. First off I just wanted to tell everyone that a couple of weeks ago Hilary and I attended a marriage seminar and it was amazing. It was on conflict management and it was hosted by Greg and Erin Smalley. We got so much out of it and it is really helping our marriage. Also this past weekend Hilary and I went to Erie, PA with Tom, Mary, Megan, and Peter. It was a lot of fun and we had dinner at the Quaker Steak and Lube. That was neat because I'd never been to one before and their wings are almost as good as Anchor bar. Also the atmosphere in there is really interesting. If you don't know what it is, the original restaurant took an old gas station and converted it into a restaurant, really neat.
As for my health, the leg is getting better. The MRI showed absolutely nothing, which is in a way good because it means I don't have cancer or a tumor or anything like that, but it also means I'm still not sure what is wrong. The doctor told me just to keep up with the physical therapy and see how it goes. The therapy is helping so I'm encouraged by that.
I have a presentation in Christian Apologetics tomorrow on women in ministry and marriage. I think it will be really interesting. The last two weeks, and for the remainder of the semester, we have had student led topics. We are trying to develop a Christian apologetic for each of these issues. So far we've done things like homosexuality, abortion, the morality of God/problem of evil, and euthanasia. The discussion in class have been extremely eye opening and my hope is that people will respond with the same fervor to my presentation.
One last thing before I go. I know people were probably not that interested in Hilary's rant, which is why I don't want to rant a bit myself but there is something that has been bothering me that I feel I need to get off my chest. So I'm giving you a fair warning. I'm not going to rant about the same thing as her but I am going to rant a bit.
So I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose my mind if one more Christian tells me that their personal hero is Glenn Beck. The reason has nothing to do with his political beliefs. I admittedly am not a republican. I am certainly not conservative. However, I do have a problem with Christians who are all gaga over this guy. Every time I see him my skin crawls. He says all kinds of nasty, outrageous, and just plain derogatory things about his opponents. Again, I have no qualms that he is conservative and disagrees with liberals, but why does he have to do it in such a flamboyant and distasteful manner. In my past I have done some things like that which I am not proud of, but God has really been working on me and trying to help me love my enemies, and I am tempted to put that in quotation because members of an opposing political party are not my enemy they are trying to solve the same problems I am, only in a different manner.
It really upsets me that Christians are looking up to this guy. I don't know whether or not he is Christian so I don't actually care about the manner in which he says things, but those who are Christian should be very disapproving of that kind of an attitude. I am a liberal but I refuse to watch MSNBC because all they do is bash and hate on conservatives. That kind of behavior is unacceptable. I am really getting sick of politics because all they do is demonize each other.
Back to Glenn Beck specifically, I can't help hearing a casting crowns song in my head when I think about him. You all know "What if His people prayed" I'm sure. Well there is a line in the song that says "What if the life that we pursue, Came from a hunger for the truth, What if the family turned to Jesus, Stop asking Oprah what to do" I can't help but replace Oprah with Glenn Beck. The reason is that I don't think his attitude is very becoming of a follower of the Christ who sat down with his enemies and ate with them. He sat down with them and tried to help them become better. He died so that they might...just might...be reconciled to Him. Glenn Beck would rather see his enemies die than die for them. I mean the man wrote a book in which the sub title is "How to argue with Idiots" So much is wrong just with that. I mean would Jesus Christ ever call a sinner and idiot? Secondly Jesus isn't interested in teaching us how to argue, He wants to teach us how to love and disciple those who reject Him. The difference in how Jesus and Glenn Beck treat their opponents is staggering. I am pretty sure that Christ calls us to emulate those who emulate Him, and I'm not convinced Glenn Beck is worthy of that.
I'm sorry to go on such a rant but I really can't stand hero worship of someone who isn't worthy of it. If you want to look at someone who stands up for what they believe in by all means do so, but pick someone who doesn't demonize and badger their opposition.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Warning: This is a Rant.
I mean it. If you are easily offended, stay away. ~Hilary
Okay, so seriously people... Congress needs to just pass the health care bill already. Health care in this country is RIDICULOUS and I do not know WHAT the hold up is. I mean, I do know what the hold up is, it's people who think that health care is a privilege and not a basic human right, but I don't know how ANYBODY can hold that opinion in the 21st century, so I don't know what the hold up is. This isn't the dark ages people! Everyone should have access to affordable health care. I mean, trust me, I know I'm one of the lucky ones. I have health insurance. It's provided by my job. I don't even have to pay the premiums. I am lucky, lucky, lucky and I CANT AFFORD THE DOCTOR BILLS. And if that is the case, then how the hell can anybody who isn't as lucky as me go to the doctor? Answer: THEY CAN'T!
I mean, my insurance covers a lot. It cuts my prescription prices by 60% or more. If I didn't have it, I would be even more screwed. But for all of that, it still is costing close to $50 a week for Dan to have the physical therapy he needs (which is actually making him feel better PTL, they think he tore a ligament but we will know for sure when we get the MRI results) which is $200 a month which is like 20% of my monthly income. And the insurance won't cover a penny because I haven't paid my deductible yet for the year because the deductible is... oh yeah... FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS. That is very, very close to HALF what I make in a year. NOBODY, NOBODY can afford to pay HALF of their income in doctor's bills. AND MAY I REMIND YOU THAT THIS IS SOMEONE WHO HAS INSURANCE!!!!
Honestly, all the people who vote based on one issue, and one issue only (read: abortion) need to get their heads out of the sand. Making abortion illegal isn't going to do a damn lick of good (even if it was possible to accomplish it) if nobody is going to take care of making sure the babies stay healthy once they are born. Nor would abortion be as attractive of an option if it wasn't like 20 times cheaper than giving birth. Oh sure sure, I don't want this baby, I can pay a few hundred dollars to have it torn out of my womb or a few thousand dollars to give birth to it and give it to someone else. Well, I might be WILLING to give birth to it and give it to someone else if I had the MONEY to do so. Of COURSE I am not in favor of abortion. I think it is a tragedy and a travesty and one of the worst evils in this country. BUT it is not the ONLY thing to worry about and there are more practical ways to reduce and eliminate abortion than wasting all our time and effort and money on making it illegal. STOP calling yourselves pro-life, you are only pro-birth, you don't give a DAMN about what happens to that baby once it's born or you would make sure it had access to the DOCTOR when it needed it.
And all the people who say that Christians should be the ones taking care of the sick and the poor and the hungry not the government... well I have news for you. YES you are right but we are doing a piss poor job of it right now so what makes you think it would work if we were the ONLY option. At least the government can make laws and take TAXES rather than tithes which are a little more reliable. Plus Christians are so self-righteously "debt-free" and "good stewards" and what ever other holy sounding synonyms we can come up with for STINGY that they won't even tip a waitress more than a couple dollars, even though they know damn well that waitresses don't even get minimum wage. But if that waitress got pregnant I bet they'd tell her not to have an abortion. What makes you think Christians are willing to part with their money to the needy? They are too busy making sure that the needy DESERVE their help... there is no such thing as mercy anymore.
Okay, so seriously people... Congress needs to just pass the health care bill already. Health care in this country is RIDICULOUS and I do not know WHAT the hold up is. I mean, I do know what the hold up is, it's people who think that health care is a privilege and not a basic human right, but I don't know how ANYBODY can hold that opinion in the 21st century, so I don't know what the hold up is. This isn't the dark ages people! Everyone should have access to affordable health care. I mean, trust me, I know I'm one of the lucky ones. I have health insurance. It's provided by my job. I don't even have to pay the premiums. I am lucky, lucky, lucky and I CANT AFFORD THE DOCTOR BILLS. And if that is the case, then how the hell can anybody who isn't as lucky as me go to the doctor? Answer: THEY CAN'T!
I mean, my insurance covers a lot. It cuts my prescription prices by 60% or more. If I didn't have it, I would be even more screwed. But for all of that, it still is costing close to $50 a week for Dan to have the physical therapy he needs (which is actually making him feel better PTL, they think he tore a ligament but we will know for sure when we get the MRI results) which is $200 a month which is like 20% of my monthly income. And the insurance won't cover a penny because I haven't paid my deductible yet for the year because the deductible is... oh yeah... FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS. That is very, very close to HALF what I make in a year. NOBODY, NOBODY can afford to pay HALF of their income in doctor's bills. AND MAY I REMIND YOU THAT THIS IS SOMEONE WHO HAS INSURANCE!!!!
Honestly, all the people who vote based on one issue, and one issue only (read: abortion) need to get their heads out of the sand. Making abortion illegal isn't going to do a damn lick of good (even if it was possible to accomplish it) if nobody is going to take care of making sure the babies stay healthy once they are born. Nor would abortion be as attractive of an option if it wasn't like 20 times cheaper than giving birth. Oh sure sure, I don't want this baby, I can pay a few hundred dollars to have it torn out of my womb or a few thousand dollars to give birth to it and give it to someone else. Well, I might be WILLING to give birth to it and give it to someone else if I had the MONEY to do so. Of COURSE I am not in favor of abortion. I think it is a tragedy and a travesty and one of the worst evils in this country. BUT it is not the ONLY thing to worry about and there are more practical ways to reduce and eliminate abortion than wasting all our time and effort and money on making it illegal. STOP calling yourselves pro-life, you are only pro-birth, you don't give a DAMN about what happens to that baby once it's born or you would make sure it had access to the DOCTOR when it needed it.
And all the people who say that Christians should be the ones taking care of the sick and the poor and the hungry not the government... well I have news for you. YES you are right but we are doing a piss poor job of it right now so what makes you think it would work if we were the ONLY option. At least the government can make laws and take TAXES rather than tithes which are a little more reliable. Plus Christians are so self-righteously "debt-free" and "good stewards" and what ever other holy sounding synonyms we can come up with for STINGY that they won't even tip a waitress more than a couple dollars, even though they know damn well that waitresses don't even get minimum wage. But if that waitress got pregnant I bet they'd tell her not to have an abortion. What makes you think Christians are willing to part with their money to the needy? They are too busy making sure that the needy DESERVE their help... there is no such thing as mercy anymore.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
What a weekend!
Sorry guys... I know everyone is really upset that it's been so long since we updated. We're trying but life just gets in the way sometimes, ya know? Anyway, Hilary here to tell you what's going on.
First of all, last weekend was my birthday, of course, and I turned the big two-one. Mom and Aunt Barb and Sandy all came to visit me. They didn't get here until quite late Thursday night so I barely got to see them until Friday at lunch. They came to eat lunch with me at work and meet the people I work with and of course embarrass the crap out of me with balloons. LOL.
Anyway, then after I got home from work I walk into the apartment and it is CRAZY decorated... looking totally awesome... and the best part was... a TABLE!!! A table and chairs was one of Aunt Barb and Uncle Kyle's birthday presents to me and I have to say it was the best because I've been wanting one so badly. Then Dan and I realized that with the exception of our bed, all of the non-college provided furniture in our house comes from Aunt Barb. We've got two chairs which were hand-me-downs from her house and then the table of course. It's kind of funny.
Anyway, we had a magnificent dinner Friday night, with cherry cheesecake cooked by mom, and I got to open presents and I got a lot of wonderful ones. Lots of cute clothes, a blender and a rice cooker, a perfect brownie pan, and lots of books. Oh, and LOTS of really adorable socks, which is great, because I've worn holes in almost every pair I previously owned. I'm thinking of making a quilt out of all the socks I've worn out and or lost the matches to. Because I have so many cute ones and I can't bear to throw them out but they aren't usable anymore. Only I don't know how to make a quilt, so that might be a problem.
Also, a very big thank you to anyone who sent me birthday cards / presents in the mail. I got enough birthday money to buy that sweater dress I'd been wanting so when it comes in the mail I'll have to post pictures.
Saturday was pretty great too. We went to this little town called Angelica and poked around in some antique shops and then had a great lunch at this little tiny family owned restaurant where the family actually lives upstairs... it was way cool... it was in a house that was built in the 1840's. Then we went home and I had my birthday / Halloween costume party with my friends so that was fun. After the party was "officially" over a couple friends stayed and we watched 80's movies: The Goonies and Back to the Future.
Sunday was sad, because everybody had to leave, but not before we had brunch at Friendly's and then were able to go to the Blockbuster going out of business every DVD in our store is $10 or less sale. Dan and I got like... 10 new movies for our shelves including the three mom bought for me. We are WAY overflowing our DVD shelves, lol.
Anyway, that was the weekend and it was very awesome. Some not so awesome news, however, is that Dan has some sort of injury to his leg and we have no idea what it is. It started hurting, seemingly randomly, several weeks ago. He has been to the doctor 3 times now but it is steadily getting worse and the doctor can't seem to figure out WHAT is wrong. He may have to go in for an MRI and he starts physical therapy next week. So please pray.
Thanks,
Hilary
First of all, last weekend was my birthday, of course, and I turned the big two-one. Mom and Aunt Barb and Sandy all came to visit me. They didn't get here until quite late Thursday night so I barely got to see them until Friday at lunch. They came to eat lunch with me at work and meet the people I work with and of course embarrass the crap out of me with balloons. LOL.
Anyway, then after I got home from work I walk into the apartment and it is CRAZY decorated... looking totally awesome... and the best part was... a TABLE!!! A table and chairs was one of Aunt Barb and Uncle Kyle's birthday presents to me and I have to say it was the best because I've been wanting one so badly. Then Dan and I realized that with the exception of our bed, all of the non-college provided furniture in our house comes from Aunt Barb. We've got two chairs which were hand-me-downs from her house and then the table of course. It's kind of funny.
Anyway, we had a magnificent dinner Friday night, with cherry cheesecake cooked by mom, and I got to open presents and I got a lot of wonderful ones. Lots of cute clothes, a blender and a rice cooker, a perfect brownie pan, and lots of books. Oh, and LOTS of really adorable socks, which is great, because I've worn holes in almost every pair I previously owned. I'm thinking of making a quilt out of all the socks I've worn out and or lost the matches to. Because I have so many cute ones and I can't bear to throw them out but they aren't usable anymore. Only I don't know how to make a quilt, so that might be a problem.
Also, a very big thank you to anyone who sent me birthday cards / presents in the mail. I got enough birthday money to buy that sweater dress I'd been wanting so when it comes in the mail I'll have to post pictures.
Saturday was pretty great too. We went to this little town called Angelica and poked around in some antique shops and then had a great lunch at this little tiny family owned restaurant where the family actually lives upstairs... it was way cool... it was in a house that was built in the 1840's. Then we went home and I had my birthday / Halloween costume party with my friends so that was fun. After the party was "officially" over a couple friends stayed and we watched 80's movies: The Goonies and Back to the Future.
Sunday was sad, because everybody had to leave, but not before we had brunch at Friendly's and then were able to go to the Blockbuster going out of business every DVD in our store is $10 or less sale. Dan and I got like... 10 new movies for our shelves including the three mom bought for me. We are WAY overflowing our DVD shelves, lol.
Anyway, that was the weekend and it was very awesome. Some not so awesome news, however, is that Dan has some sort of injury to his leg and we have no idea what it is. It started hurting, seemingly randomly, several weeks ago. He has been to the doctor 3 times now but it is steadily getting worse and the doctor can't seem to figure out WHAT is wrong. He may have to go in for an MRI and he starts physical therapy next week. So please pray.
Thanks,
Hilary
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Well, it's been awhile...
Hilary here to give you a much belated update on how things are going in our lives...
Things have been going just awesomely. After Dan preached his sermon at the church in Cuba, we decided to get involved with their church. We are going to a young adult small group and starting this Wednesday we will be helping with their youth group. It's a bit of a drive, being half an hour away, but totally, totally worth it. Last night's small group was about confronting your fears and not allowing fear to choke out your faith. It was wonderful and uplifting and just... the fellowship was so good. Dan and I have been missing that in our lives.
I have a story, too, about how amazing God is. Even though we knew that going to this church was the right thing to do, we were wondering how we would afford the gas to travel there twice a week. Well, Friday at lunch Dan comes up and shows me the deposit slip from him depositing his paycheck. I looked at it and I was like, this can't possibly be right! Dan says, oh no, that's accurate, my paycheck was $114 this week. And I say... but Dan, this deposit slip says FOUR hundred and fourteen dollars. And he said, yes, the other three hundred came from this. And he handed me a card we had received in the mail. The gist of it is that some people we have never met or even heard of, know who we are and God laid it on their hearts to send us some money to help support our "pursuit and dedication to ministry." What an awesome, awesome God we serve. When I found out about that I just spent the rest of the day in total awe and worshipful reflection. God is so GOOD and we are so blessed!
Sunday Dan and I went to this place called Pumpkinville, which is a huge pumpkin patch / cider press / corn maze / a bunch of other really cool things. We got hot, fresh, literally they made them five seconds before they handed them to us, pumpkin donuts and a gallon of apple cider. We also went through the corn maze and ate delicious barbecue chicken and poked our heads in all the shops and generally had a fantastic time. It's so good to go out on dates and connect and strengthen our marriage. When we were in line for the pumpkin donuts (we had to wait an hour for them but they are sooooo good it was totally worth it) we were behind a couple who were bickering and generally just being annoyed and irritated with each other. It made me very sad for them, and even a little uncomfortable having to stand behind them and listen to them. I hope Dan and I never end up like that. I don't think we could though, because we constantly are working on our marriage... we're never content to let it be but always trying to make it better... the same way as all Christians should be with their faith. In November we are going to a relationship seminar because the school is making it available to student couples for only $10. I hope lots of people take advantage of it. In the past few years God has really given me a heart for hurting people with hurting marriages.
One last note, does anybody have, hiding in a basement or some such place, a card table and a few folding chairs they wouldn't miss for a little while? Our apartment is small and we have no table. We have room for one but it would be better if it was one we could put out of the way when it wasn't in use. If anybody has one they could let us borrow for the year, we'd be very grateful. We'd also need two or four folding chairs. Four would be better but we have desk chairs that could be used for two of the chairs if we only had two folding chairs. If you have one you could share with us, let me know, and perhaps my mom can arrange to bring it to us when she comes to visit in a two and a half weeks.
Love,
Hilary
Things have been going just awesomely. After Dan preached his sermon at the church in Cuba, we decided to get involved with their church. We are going to a young adult small group and starting this Wednesday we will be helping with their youth group. It's a bit of a drive, being half an hour away, but totally, totally worth it. Last night's small group was about confronting your fears and not allowing fear to choke out your faith. It was wonderful and uplifting and just... the fellowship was so good. Dan and I have been missing that in our lives.
I have a story, too, about how amazing God is. Even though we knew that going to this church was the right thing to do, we were wondering how we would afford the gas to travel there twice a week. Well, Friday at lunch Dan comes up and shows me the deposit slip from him depositing his paycheck. I looked at it and I was like, this can't possibly be right! Dan says, oh no, that's accurate, my paycheck was $114 this week. And I say... but Dan, this deposit slip says FOUR hundred and fourteen dollars. And he said, yes, the other three hundred came from this. And he handed me a card we had received in the mail. The gist of it is that some people we have never met or even heard of, know who we are and God laid it on their hearts to send us some money to help support our "pursuit and dedication to ministry." What an awesome, awesome God we serve. When I found out about that I just spent the rest of the day in total awe and worshipful reflection. God is so GOOD and we are so blessed!
Sunday Dan and I went to this place called Pumpkinville, which is a huge pumpkin patch / cider press / corn maze / a bunch of other really cool things. We got hot, fresh, literally they made them five seconds before they handed them to us, pumpkin donuts and a gallon of apple cider. We also went through the corn maze and ate delicious barbecue chicken and poked our heads in all the shops and generally had a fantastic time. It's so good to go out on dates and connect and strengthen our marriage. When we were in line for the pumpkin donuts (we had to wait an hour for them but they are sooooo good it was totally worth it) we were behind a couple who were bickering and generally just being annoyed and irritated with each other. It made me very sad for them, and even a little uncomfortable having to stand behind them and listen to them. I hope Dan and I never end up like that. I don't think we could though, because we constantly are working on our marriage... we're never content to let it be but always trying to make it better... the same way as all Christians should be with their faith. In November we are going to a relationship seminar because the school is making it available to student couples for only $10. I hope lots of people take advantage of it. In the past few years God has really given me a heart for hurting people with hurting marriages.
One last note, does anybody have, hiding in a basement or some such place, a card table and a few folding chairs they wouldn't miss for a little while? Our apartment is small and we have no table. We have room for one but it would be better if it was one we could put out of the way when it wasn't in use. If anybody has one they could let us borrow for the year, we'd be very grateful. We'd also need two or four folding chairs. Four would be better but we have desk chairs that could be used for two of the chairs if we only had two folding chairs. If you have one you could share with us, let me know, and perhaps my mom can arrange to bring it to us when she comes to visit in a two and a half weeks.
Love,
Hilary
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Preacher Dan
I want to give you all an amazing story about how God is God.
A few weeks ago I was sitting in my apartment playing video games to pass the time until my class. I was getting up to leave when I got a phone call from Ren. He said that he was with a pastor from a Wesleyan church in Cuba. This seemed odd to me because Ren is not a Wesleyan and makes that pretty clear, but I listened to him. He wanted me to come meet this pastor and talk to him about possibly preaching a sermon. I couldn't go right then but I told Ren to have the pastor email me. Eventually I set up a lunch meeting with this pastor and he told me that he was going on vacation and wanted to give a student minister an opportunity to preach. He also mentioned that the church would pay me 100 dollars to do it. I wasn't going to pass that up.
The really amazing God thing that happened this weekend. On Saturday while I was preparing the sermon, Hilary was having a really bad day but I needed to work on my sermon. I then felt God compelling me to take Hilary out and cheer her up, and I felt overwhelmingly that this sermon was His and He would see it through. So I did. When we came home I finished my preparations and trusted God to take care of the rest.
On Sunday when we got to the church, we loved it. We both immediately felt a connection and may try to get further involved there. Anyway this is where God really showed up. I had decided to put in my introduction some statistics about stress related illness. I was speaking about the fruit of the Spirit, peace specifically, so I thought it reasonable. After I preached the whole sermon, several people came up to me and commented about how I was mature beyond my years and how they all thought it was a great sermon. This made me feel good, but the real amazing God thing happened next. The last person to come up to me and speak with me was a woman who said that she had been having some trouble lately because her father was in the hospital and she had been getting stressed out. She mentioned that she had developed a skin condition because of her stress. This was something I had mentioned in my stats about stress and she said that God really spoke to her through this. She then went on to mention how she hadn't been in church for a couple weeks and God must have put in on her heart to be there today, she also mentioned how she took notes which she never does.
God really touched this woman. She was crying as she told me all these things, and how she knew God would do awesome things in my life. She even begged me to come be the youth pastor at this church because they had just lost theirs.
Isn't it wonderful and mind-boggling how our God works? I keep having to remind myself that God is God, and God is who He says He is. I can't even tell you how nervous and unsure of this sermon I would be. I felt like I'd prepared it inadequately, but I followed God as He directed me and His will was done. Praise God!
A few weeks ago I was sitting in my apartment playing video games to pass the time until my class. I was getting up to leave when I got a phone call from Ren. He said that he was with a pastor from a Wesleyan church in Cuba. This seemed odd to me because Ren is not a Wesleyan and makes that pretty clear, but I listened to him. He wanted me to come meet this pastor and talk to him about possibly preaching a sermon. I couldn't go right then but I told Ren to have the pastor email me. Eventually I set up a lunch meeting with this pastor and he told me that he was going on vacation and wanted to give a student minister an opportunity to preach. He also mentioned that the church would pay me 100 dollars to do it. I wasn't going to pass that up.
The really amazing God thing that happened this weekend. On Saturday while I was preparing the sermon, Hilary was having a really bad day but I needed to work on my sermon. I then felt God compelling me to take Hilary out and cheer her up, and I felt overwhelmingly that this sermon was His and He would see it through. So I did. When we came home I finished my preparations and trusted God to take care of the rest.
On Sunday when we got to the church, we loved it. We both immediately felt a connection and may try to get further involved there. Anyway this is where God really showed up. I had decided to put in my introduction some statistics about stress related illness. I was speaking about the fruit of the Spirit, peace specifically, so I thought it reasonable. After I preached the whole sermon, several people came up to me and commented about how I was mature beyond my years and how they all thought it was a great sermon. This made me feel good, but the real amazing God thing happened next. The last person to come up to me and speak with me was a woman who said that she had been having some trouble lately because her father was in the hospital and she had been getting stressed out. She mentioned that she had developed a skin condition because of her stress. This was something I had mentioned in my stats about stress and she said that God really spoke to her through this. She then went on to mention how she hadn't been in church for a couple weeks and God must have put in on her heart to be there today, she also mentioned how she took notes which she never does.
God really touched this woman. She was crying as she told me all these things, and how she knew God would do awesome things in my life. She even begged me to come be the youth pastor at this church because they had just lost theirs.
Isn't it wonderful and mind-boggling how our God works? I keep having to remind myself that God is God, and God is who He says He is. I can't even tell you how nervous and unsure of this sermon I would be. I felt like I'd prepared it inadequately, but I followed God as He directed me and His will was done. Praise God!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Christina Ricci Looks Better With A Pig Nose
That's right, I said it. Dan and I finally got around to watching Penelope, that movie that came out a few years ago with her having a pig nose, and it was supposed to be a modern day fairy tale. It was pretty good, and I enjoyed it, and it had some great messages about loving yourself the way you are... but when the "curse" was broken and Christina Ricci got her real nose back... well, both Dan and I were like... she was cuter before! Lol.
Today was an AWESOME day. Dan and I went out for a day on the town. Grocery shopping, dinner at Applebee's (our favorite restaurant) and just an all around good time. An amazing thing happened, too. Dan broke his glasses a month ago, during the moving in process. Something got sat on them and the arms snapped. So whilst we were at Wal-mat we decided to go to the vision center and have them checked out. We asked if they were fixable, and they were like, no. Bummer. But the lady said she could put his lenses in a new frame, and found one that looked almost identical to his current, busted frames. We were like... can we afford it? Then she was like, well these frames are only $18. $18! We were like, heck yeah! So now Dan has his glasses back, and all for under $20. I was so afraid when they were busted that it would be so expensive to replace/fix them and then $18! What a blessing!
I haven't gotten new shoes yet, but I bought new insoles and they seem to be doing the trick. So maybe I can get away with forcing my shoes to last one more year. Come on shoes, you can do it!
I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow. I'm also considering dying it blonde. I get bored with my hair way too often, lol! I'll update later with pictures after I get it done.
Love,
Hilary
Today was an AWESOME day. Dan and I went out for a day on the town. Grocery shopping, dinner at Applebee's (our favorite restaurant) and just an all around good time. An amazing thing happened, too. Dan broke his glasses a month ago, during the moving in process. Something got sat on them and the arms snapped. So whilst we were at Wal-mat we decided to go to the vision center and have them checked out. We asked if they were fixable, and they were like, no. Bummer. But the lady said she could put his lenses in a new frame, and found one that looked almost identical to his current, busted frames. We were like... can we afford it? Then she was like, well these frames are only $18. $18! We were like, heck yeah! So now Dan has his glasses back, and all for under $20. I was so afraid when they were busted that it would be so expensive to replace/fix them and then $18! What a blessing!
I haven't gotten new shoes yet, but I bought new insoles and they seem to be doing the trick. So maybe I can get away with forcing my shoes to last one more year. Come on shoes, you can do it!
I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow. I'm also considering dying it blonde. I get bored with my hair way too often, lol! I'll update later with pictures after I get it done.
Love,
Hilary
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
It's the Ides of September!
Hmm... somehow that isn't nearly as powerful as the Ides of March. Nevertheless...
Hilary again:
Guess what everybody. I need new shoes. Now, I say that on a regular basis, because I LOVE shoes. Usually, I need the pair of shoes I'm coveting like I need a hole in my head... or like I currently need THIS really, really pretty sweater dress at Victoria's Secret that costs $80. Of course I don't NEED it, I just WANT it really, really, really badly. But this time, guess what. I really do NEED the shoes... and I don't WANT to purchase them. Is that a switch or what? The problem is, my work shoes are worn out. They've very much outlived their usefulness. They are holey and they are no longer supportive and I've been dealing with massive, massive back pain. I really just DON'T want to pay for practical shoes. How boring. Oh well, I suppose I'll try replacing the insoles first, but if that doesn't work, shell out the cash for boring, practical shoes I must. After all, breathing is kind of a necessity.
Other practical things that I don't like paying money for include:
$160 textbooks. Seriously. $160 for one book. Ridiculous!
Gasoline that is creeping ever closer to hitting the $3 per gallon mark again.
Paper checks. Why do they have to cost money? You use them AS money.
Etc, etc, etc.
Anyway, there's not really much going on here this week. It's pretty slow and boring. Just thought I'd give you all a little update before you thought we didn't love you anymore.
Love,
Hilary
Hilary again:
Guess what everybody. I need new shoes. Now, I say that on a regular basis, because I LOVE shoes. Usually, I need the pair of shoes I'm coveting like I need a hole in my head... or like I currently need THIS really, really pretty sweater dress at Victoria's Secret that costs $80. Of course I don't NEED it, I just WANT it really, really, really badly. But this time, guess what. I really do NEED the shoes... and I don't WANT to purchase them. Is that a switch or what? The problem is, my work shoes are worn out. They've very much outlived their usefulness. They are holey and they are no longer supportive and I've been dealing with massive, massive back pain. I really just DON'T want to pay for practical shoes. How boring. Oh well, I suppose I'll try replacing the insoles first, but if that doesn't work, shell out the cash for boring, practical shoes I must. After all, breathing is kind of a necessity.
Other practical things that I don't like paying money for include:
$160 textbooks. Seriously. $160 for one book. Ridiculous!
Gasoline that is creeping ever closer to hitting the $3 per gallon mark again.
Paper checks. Why do they have to cost money? You use them AS money.
Etc, etc, etc.
Anyway, there's not really much going on here this week. It's pretty slow and boring. Just thought I'd give you all a little update before you thought we didn't love you anymore.
Love,
Hilary
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