And it's over.

At first I meant Spring Break, but I also realized that Lent is over as well! I'm planning on getting my favorite coffee drink tomorrow (when my place is open) and reading for a while. I just started reading Jesus for President. It is a beautifully designed book, but better than that it is challenging and provoking, and I probably won't stop talking about it until you read it.

I would also like to mention that Persepolis was a beautiful film, and if foreign films are your thing, I would highly recommend it!

Now, I've shown supporter videos for both Clinton and Obama...so I thought I would share a McCain video I saw on this blog today:



The best part is when McCain's disembodied head is dancing in the background. That's just my opinion....I think maybe I should make a supporter video because these things have all turned out to be pretty entertaining (for better or worse).

*Upon watching this again, I had to comment some more...First of all, am I the only one disturbed by women dancing in front of pictures of the Vietnam War? Second, I think my new favorite part is when the lead singer (if you can call her that) washes her face with miniature John McCains.

Spring Break!!

Aaah. Spring Break.  I am in Ft. Lauderdale enjoying some nice weather and good times with the family.  This is the view looking up from my spot by the pool:

And what Sarah and I have been doing a lot of:

The house we have here is right off a trendy road with lots of restaurants and shops, so tonight Mom, Michael, Sarah and I went to a few different places for a tapas night. 

And that's all I have for now.  Michael and Sarah leave tomorrow to visit my g-parents, so it'll be mom and me for a couple days!  Tomorrow we're going to see Wicked (it's on tour and I'm soo excited!!!) and then tomorrow night one of my college roommates who's in town is going to see Persepolis with me.  I'm also very excited about that.  It's an art film about a girl growing up during the Iranian Revolution.  



Oh, cultural enrichment, how I've missed you.

Vocation.

This week I am finally reading again, I had to take a sabbatical for my sanity.  The book I am reading is Let Your Life Speak, and the best thing about it?  It is mercifully short.  This book is one of those I'm going to have to purchase (I got it from the library) to read over and over.  I'm not terribly far into it yet, but I already find myself identifying very much with Parker Palmer and echoing the many thoughts he had while searching for his vocation. 

One passage that struck me was this:

"Our deepest calling is to grow in our own authentic selfhood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be.  As we do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks - we will also find our path of authentic service in the world.  True vocation joins self and service, as Frederick Beuchner asserts when he defines vocation as "the place where your deep gladness meets the worlds deep need."

That's all.  I'm taking a study break. Oh, and I had some funny pictures to share of Tara and Amy trying to get a stubborn cork out of a wine bottle this weekend, but blogger won't take my pictures, so maybe later...

A lent update...

I have adjusted to water all the time now.  The worst adjustment times were the mornings before class...what do you do without coffee?  And to have to drink water instead, made me pretty cranky, I'll be honest.  I cannot wait to go sit in a coffee shop and enjoy every last drop of a vanilla latte...BUT that's not the point.

I have come to appreciate water much more than I ever had before.  And I have been trying to educate myself some more on the water crisis.  In my hunting around yesterday I came across this video:

Beautiful, no?  I'll admit I cried.  Blood:water mission is my favorite aid organization, hence why I support them financially.  

Anyway, I didn't really have a lot else to say, I just wanted to share that.

An eco-post, kind of.

So lately I have been more motivated than normal to make sustainable choices when it comes to all kinds of things, so I thought I'd let you know a few things I've learned.  And a disclaimer: I don't want to guilt trip anyone...just some ideas.  And please share any you would like!

First of all, my friend Blair did a post about plastic bags recently, and it reminded me of an article I read about a year ago that made me think about how horrible plastic bags are.  I try to minimize my use of plastic bags, but Blair motivated me to get a few more shopping bags so I can go completely reusable.  Yay!  Honestly, I feel so guilty getting plastic bags at the grocery store that some of that decision was merely self-preservation.  Oh, and I found these biodegradable trash bags that I'm thinking about using.

Two of the biggest recent contributors to my effort to live a (more) sustainable life - which I'm not so great at, btw..were a book called Serve God, Save the Planet (which I highly recommend) and a series of messages at Mars Hill called "God is Green"   It wasn't until I experienced these two things that I really started to understand the divine eternal implications of how I treat the earth. Anyway, you might consider checking them out!  Oh, and those messages aren't on the website anymore, but they should be on the podcast (or I have them, if you want them..)

I was catching up on Stuff White People Like, and this post made me laugh because I lost my Nalgene and recently bought a metal bottle with a twist cap.  Apparently I'm super white (as if there was doubt) because that website describes me in detail in 95% of their posts.

Oh, this is completely unrelated, but I had to share something I found online...

I know, I know...too much Africa paraphernalia.  Oh well.  It's from Africa Hope Apparel, and they have a bunch of cute shirts.  The thing I like about them is that 50% of the shirt goes to either Invisible Children, Blood:Water Mission, or the Genocide Intervention Network, and you get to choose which one you want!  So that's fun.  If you're in the market for a new shirt, here ya go!

Oh, and midterms went really well!  I'm sure you were worried. And apparently I'm pretty link-happy tonight.  Sorry!