Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Quote of the week
Jessie's husband, Joe, was telling me that all he needed to restore his really annoying vintage alarm clock to life were 9-volt batteries.
Jessie responded: "It takes 9-volt batteries? I'm pretty sure those are bad for the baby."
Jessie responded: "It takes 9-volt batteries? I'm pretty sure those are bad for the baby."
Monday, April 7, 2008
Three birthday cakes can't be wrong!
If this birthday was any indication, 24 will be an amazing year!
With three cakes, who could doubt it?
I had an amazing birthday weekend. Here's the breakdown:
Jessie made me a spongy vanilla cake on Friday night and even had my favorite ice cream to go with it:
On Saturday morning Michael, Adam, Mom, Amy Jo, Jillian and I went to the aquarium in Sandy. Then we went to the Harvest restaurant at Thanksgiving point to have lunch. For dessert we had chocolate cake.
Then Lauren made me an amazing dinner of spring rolls and oriental beef, and crowned it all off with an amazing cake with strawberries and whipped chocolate frosting! Then we played her Wii until it was time to go home.
Sunday was also full of fun, Jessie and Joe came over for morning session of conference and we made a huge breakfast full of protein and cholesterol! Then we went to Michael's parent's house for afternoon session and some salmon. Then we went to Jose's house to watch I Am Legend with the alternate ending, and had hot dogs "completos," compliments of his amazing chef parents.
We are tired but happy! Thanks everyone for my best birthday yet!
With three cakes, who could doubt it?
I had an amazing birthday weekend. Here's the breakdown:
Jessie made me a spongy vanilla cake on Friday night and even had my favorite ice cream to go with it:
On Saturday morning Michael, Adam, Mom, Amy Jo, Jillian and I went to the aquarium in Sandy. Then we went to the Harvest restaurant at Thanksgiving point to have lunch. For dessert we had chocolate cake.
Then Lauren made me an amazing dinner of spring rolls and oriental beef, and crowned it all off with an amazing cake with strawberries and whipped chocolate frosting! Then we played her Wii until it was time to go home.
Sunday was also full of fun, Jessie and Joe came over for morning session of conference and we made a huge breakfast full of protein and cholesterol! Then we went to Michael's parent's house for afternoon session and some salmon. Then we went to Jose's house to watch I Am Legend with the alternate ending, and had hot dogs "completos," compliments of his amazing chef parents.
We are tired but happy! Thanks everyone for my best birthday yet!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
My favorite passage in all literature
This comes from C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters. This book is based on "letters" which a demon sends to his demon-in-training acquaintance. When referring to "the enemy" he is referring to God.
You must have often wondered why the Enemy does not make more use of His power to be sensibly present to human souls in any degree He chooses and at any moment. But you now see that the Irresistible and the Indisputable are the two weapons which the very nature of His scheme forbids Him to use. Merely to over-ride a human will (as His felt presence in any but the faintest and most mitigated degree would certainly do) would be for Him useless. He cannot ravish. He can only woo. For His ignoble idea is to eat the cake and have it; the creatures are to be one with Him, but yet themselves; merely to cancel them, or assimilate them, will not serve. He is prepared to do a little overriding at the beginning. He will set them off with communications of His presence which, though faint, seem great to them, with emotional sweetness, and easy conquest over temptation. But He never allows this state of affairs to last long. Sooner or later He withdraws, if not in fact, at least from their conscious experience, all those supports and incentives. He leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs—to carry out from the will alone duties which have lost all relish. It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be. Hence the prayers offered in the state of dryness are those which please Him best. We can drag our patients along by continual tempting, because we design them only for the table, and the more their will is interfered with the better. He cannot "tempt" to virtue as we do to vice. He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand; and if only the will to walk is really there He is pleased even with their stumbles. Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger, than when a human, no longer desiring, but intending, to do our Enemy's will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.
You must have often wondered why the Enemy does not make more use of His power to be sensibly present to human souls in any degree He chooses and at any moment. But you now see that the Irresistible and the Indisputable are the two weapons which the very nature of His scheme forbids Him to use. Merely to over-ride a human will (as His felt presence in any but the faintest and most mitigated degree would certainly do) would be for Him useless. He cannot ravish. He can only woo. For His ignoble idea is to eat the cake and have it; the creatures are to be one with Him, but yet themselves; merely to cancel them, or assimilate them, will not serve. He is prepared to do a little overriding at the beginning. He will set them off with communications of His presence which, though faint, seem great to them, with emotional sweetness, and easy conquest over temptation. But He never allows this state of affairs to last long. Sooner or later He withdraws, if not in fact, at least from their conscious experience, all those supports and incentives. He leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs—to carry out from the will alone duties which have lost all relish. It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be. Hence the prayers offered in the state of dryness are those which please Him best. We can drag our patients along by continual tempting, because we design them only for the table, and the more their will is interfered with the better. He cannot "tempt" to virtue as we do to vice. He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand; and if only the will to walk is really there He is pleased even with their stumbles. Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger, than when a human, no longer desiring, but intending, to do our Enemy's will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.
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