This post is not about scissors

I like big . . . (click here to find out what).

hint: click play

Whether I Go to the Right or to the Left

I didn't know what to expect this week in Canada. Oh yeah... so I'm in Canada.

For those of you who have just recently tuned in, I will be moving to Germany at the beginning of August to serve as piano instructor for the children of missionaries at Black Forest Academy. I have hesitated to say "I have been called to..." But man, it is becoming more and more apparent that God is pushing, pulling, hemming me in from behind and going before me. He has been preparing me for this my entire life:

*Listening to German language tapes during the commute to elementary school with my dad.
*Studying in Salzburg and gaining a deeper passion for the Germanic language and people.
*Choosing music as a study and career when it was one of my deepest insecurities.
*Growing up in a private Christian school myself and knowing the joy of relationships and the pain of working so closely with Christians.
*Having 5 years of teaching experience now in a similar private school setting.
*Helping me to release strongholds of bitterness and unforgiveness in the past two weeks.

When I got off my flight Monday from Denver to Winnipeg, Kim and I realized we were both there for the same training with Janz Team Ministries. We found out we were both going to BFA as well. Customs checked our passports and when we had exited the customs area, we were confronted with a choice between two waiting rooms. Our chatter stopped, and we paused for a moment to think about which way to go.

"GO LEFT!" a voice behind us boomed. We jumped, then giggled and well... we went left. The man with his cart and luggage went right. And Isaiah's words came pouring out of me: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'" God is definitely telling me this week that this is His way, and I am to walk in it. He has been confirming that with those who are supporting me financially. He has been showing me His way through those who have prayed over me and are praying for me and who have promised to continue praying for me. He is showing me His way through the stories and journeys of the others here who are being sent.

He is doing what He said He would do. I have had to pull an Indiana Jones and step where I have seen no bridge. How does one go about raising $2500 a month? How do I get past my pride of asking for help? How do I lay aside my fear of rejection and my anxiety of what others will think? God, how will you move? How will you bring this about? I cannot see it or imagine it, so I tend to disbelieve it. Help me to continue to listen and step whether I can see the sand on the bridge or not.

You are faithful. You are faithful. You are faithful. You are faithful.

So this is goodbye ...

Well, it's all over. Check it out.

Hair Don't's & Kitty Do's

So I'm not sure about the new haircut. It's a bit shorter than it's been lately. Janz Team training is next week in Canada, and I've got a thing about meeting people for the first time when I don't think I look like myself. I walked out of the salon after this picture had been taken and put it right up in pigtails . . . kind of. What do you think?

Amy's gone for a week, so I made dinner for one this evening--Moroccan chicken with ginger, honey, tomatoes, zucchini, and slivered garlic. Yum. I glanced out the kitchen window as I was rinsing off the cutting board between veggies. Fuzzy, Amy's cat, was staring at me from the top of my car. I waved at her, and she gave me a wide-eyed meow. I guess she was just saying hi. What a great cat. The other day I gave Amy my corduroy coat that she has loved since the day we met. "Really?" she asked incredulously. "Is there anything that you want of mine?" I thought for a second as I sorted the mail. "Can I have Fuzzy?" She told me to keep thinking.


kitchen with a view

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the iPod

shuffle me, baby, yeah!

I have recently discovered the wonders of the iPod. For one, I really like typing "iPod." I feel so dirty typing a lower case letter before the capital. It makes me feel like a rebel. There's an entire instant-messaging world out there with a blatant lack of respect for the capital letter--a world in which e. e. cummings would s.t.a. (stand tall and proud). The words for which my pinky finger will still dutifully stretch out for the shift key? God, Bible, and iPod.

I purchased the iPod 20 GB in order to pack my 200+ cds into the lining pocket of my purse for the move. iTunes stopped counting my library music in hours 75 cds ago. It now announces "1886 songs, 5.2 days, 6.96 GB." 5.2 days! It's a life goal of mine now to last on shuffle mode for 5.2 days and listen to every track. I'll keep you updated. We'll stick in a sidebar counter. "One down and only 3.6 to go."

And speaking of shuffle mode, I believe that might be my favorite feature. I don't like it enough to buy just the iPod Shuffle. There's a control factor involved in the original iPod. If I'm listening to Queen's "You're My Best Friend" and it reminds me of James Taylor's "You've Got a Friend," I don't have to wade through three nocturnes, a Batman theme song, and Ben Harper's "Mama's Got a Girlfriend Now" to get to it.

Shuffle mode is like squeezing the last ounce of toothpaste out of the tube. It's responsible and efficient and minty fresh.

Shuffle mode is an equal opportunity employer. Larry Norman, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Lucinda Williams each get paid diddly-squat to serve onion rings and mop the floors until it's their turn to take the stage.

Shuffle mode is the international language of love. In German, it is Zufaellige Titel--literally, shuffled titles. "Now playing..." translates "You're hearing..."

Other areas of my life that I wish I could put on shuffle:
5) my closet -- I would love to wake up wearing that blue shirt that always gets hidden at the back or those jeans that I have totally forgotten I own.
4) language -- today we're going to speak croatian.
3) old friends -- Aubrey came to see me last week. Who knows who would be next... Cade? Jamie? Bobbie? Kim? I would get to see everyone in a shuffle period of at least three months.
2) the bed that Amy's cat pees on -- it's usually mine.
1) books -- maybe then I'd finally make it all the way through Moby Dick and have the guts to sell Max Lucado in the garage sale.

Bye Bye Batgirl!

It's a sad/exciting day. Due to the sheer amount of stuff I have to pack and put in storage/give away/ship to Germany, I have decided to sell my prized collection of DC Comic glasses on Ebay. :( So that's why it's a sad day.


holy lack of a caption, batman!

However, this same event is also an exciting one due to the expenses that moving to Europe tends to incur, and the timing of Batman Begins that comes out next Wednesday. So technically, a move and a movie have increased the number of potential buyers for my collection and have thus increased the potential income that such a collection might bring. So that's why it's a semi-exciting day as well. Hopefully six days from now will be an even more exciting day.


riddle me this...

If you are interested in giving these beloved children a home (or just want to see what holiness looks like on Ebay), check out my auctions.