Goals Update: June

It's the end of the month; you know what that means- goals update time!  Please...don't laugh. 
 
Become a faithful member of the 5 am club. Um...

Memorize 52 verses.  Let's all say it together now: "Jenny is a slacker."  The end.

Memorize (the first half) of the book of James.  I've got the first four- verses, that is, not chapters- down.  Isaac is helping me some, so that's nice. 

Continue in the SWI program. No classes in the summer.  I know I am such a dork, but I like going to class (for the most part- I will skip math, my friends.  Statistics I love, but math I do not), so I'm kinda sad I don't have any formalized learning going on in my life right now. 

Read through the Bible. This is ridiculous.  I don't know what my problem is!  Maybe if I would get up at five, this would not be an issue.  Who wants to be my wake-up call?  Seriously. 

Continue to think through our family traditions. You should read what I wrote about this goal last month.  Because my opinion did not change one single iota.

Communicate with our family (and friends) more. June was an interesting month.  I talked with some family I haven't talked with in a long time (as in years), so that is an improvement.  I am trying to keep the lines of communication open with them, so we'll see what happens.  I also called some random other family members as well.  And we had a fun reunion with our CoMo friends too!  But I have been really bad about our email updates.  I need to work on that.

Build up our emergency fund. Skip.

Make a huge dent in our car loan. Isaac has been working a lot lately, so we've gotten to shovel more money into paying off the car.  And oh my goodness, we are so much closer than I thought we would be at this point.  I am seriously excited about getting rid of this debt...because then we get to move onto our student loans (bleh).

Cut our grocery bill. I have no idea what I spent this month.  It seemed like we were gone for so much of it, I don't even remember cooking. 

Develop a consistent and workable cleaning schedule. The house has gotten pretty messy lately, although over the weekend I finally gave it a thorough scrubbing.  I really need to make myself a schedule.  I do much better with schedules.

Read 30 books. I think I only finished one this month!  I am working my way through Bleak House, but I really didn't read too much in June.  You see, my husband started watching Lost on Netflix.  And then he kept talking about it, so of course I started watching the stupid show too.  Curses upon thee, Netflix!

Scrapbook. Nada.  But I'm back to organizing some online albums.  So give me partial credit at least.

Continue blogging.  I hardly blogged at all this month; I just posted videos!  My creative juices haven't been flowing lately.  I'll need to do something to remedy that shortly.  

I did, however, get ten more dollars to amazon.com with Swagbucks!  I have now earned over $100 to Amazon all from Swagbucks...that, dear ones, is a nice feeling.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

I realize my blog has lately consisted of far too many video clips...but I simply could not resist posting this one:



The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is perhaps my all time favorite book in the Chronicles of Narnia...and the release date for the movie (in most countries) is MY BIRTHDAY!  Can you guess where I will be on December 10th?  That's right: plopped in a cushy movie theater seat with some good 'ole artery clogging movie theater popcorn as I am whisked away into the wondrous world of Narnia.

World Refugee Day

In addition to being Father's Day, Sunday was also World Refugee Day.  I introduced you to this special commemoration last year; if you haven't read the post detailing the background of World Refugee Day, click here.  This year, the theme of 'Home' searches to recognize the plight of the more than 10 million refugees around the world.  Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie has remained consistently involved with UNHCR concerning refugees over the past several years.  Here she speaks briefly about refugees for World Refugee Day:

 

In light of her plea to not forget the refugees of the world, I reflect on my career as a social worker in a resettlement agency.  I've worked with two different resettlement agencies in two different states over the past few years, and while each agency may have its own set of particulars, the end goal is still the same.  The problems, issues, and challenges are still the same.  The attitudes of the staffs are still the same.  We love our clients, but...

We would rather not have a job.

Because that would mean there are no more refugees in the world.  That would mean that genocide and ethnic cleansing and torture and persecution would not be as commonplace as they are now.  That would mean that the world would be much different than it is now.  So while I am grateful and honored to work with such wonderful coworkers and such amazing clients (who truly do offer so much to our communities), I pray that one day, I will have to find a new job because there are no more refugees needing resettlement.

If your're in Kentuckiana, check out this week's Leo.  The cover story focuses on Kentucky Refugee Ministries, the resettlement agency in Louisville for which I now work.  You can read the article online here as well. 

My Future Son-In-Law

Isn't my godson the most adorable child ever?!?!

Z and I at E. Scott's wedding.  He was the ring bearer...and please ignore my shifty eyes in the pic.

Hands off, ladies!  This boy is taken; his mother and I planned his union with my (currently non-existent) daughter before he even reached his cradle.  Don't even think about stealing Z away from his future mother-in-law!

More pics from the Missouri wedding weekend to follow...

GasLand

Besides listening to the GenX station in Louisville, my favorite thing on the radio is by far NPR.  Not only does NPR have excellent local, national, and worldwide news coverage, they are also really great about conducting in-depth interviews on a variety of issues.  About two weeks ago, I happened to hear the latter half of an interview with a filmmaker who had just completed a documentary about 'fracking', which is the method by which oil and gas companies drill for natural gas.  Apparently, this process is not regulated and has some definitive negative side effects.

In the interview on NPR, they discussed the scene in the documentary (which won the Special Jury Prize for Documentary at this year's Sundance Film Festival) in which a Colorado resident lights his tap water on fire.  Did you just read that?  He lit his tap water on fire!  I am obviously not an expert in this particular area, but I am fairly certain that is not normal.  I was intrigued by the interview and was able to find the following trailer for Gasland, which premieres this evening on HBO.  And yes, the scene where the tap water is lit on fire is in the trailer; I think you will not believe your eyes.

History of Art

I came across this and think it is simply spectacular:

Are You Excited Yet?

Because if not, this video should remedy that:



If you're not quite sure which team should have your affections, check out this week's Sports Illustrated.  It includes a flow chart to help you decide.  The first question: "Can you bring yourself to cheer for the NY Yankees?"  If your answer is 'No', then you continue on to the next yes or no question.  If your answer is 'Yes', then you should cheer for Brasil.  Really, the chart is hilarious. 

So, which teams will I be cheering for?  Germany and Denmark for sure.  Gotta go with my heritage, folks (trust me, if Sweden and Norway were a part of the World Cup, I would be cheering for them like crazy).  I'll probably cheer for England too (have to maintain that 'special' relationship of course).  And I always have to root for the Netherlands simply because the Dutch really like me and therefore, I really like the Dutch.  It's that whole Heineken thing, you see.

A New SpendYourself Shirt!

Of course I have to advertise when there is a new SpendYourself shirt available...which there is!  The new shirt benefits the Jefferson Street Baptist Center in Louisville, which is a fantastic ministry in downtown Louisville.  Here is what the SpendYourself team posted about Jefferson Street and the shirt:

"When someone is seriously injured, the first step is to stop the bleeding. But after this has been done, we must move onto surgery and then ongoing care. Simply stopping the bleeding does not bring healing and set the injured on the road to health. Instead, the wound will become infected and usually result in a long and painful death.

For someone whose life is in crisis because of homelessness or addiction, we cannot simply stop at relief. Their life has become unmanageable. Chaos has become the norm. They need more than a few bucks or a place to crash for a night. They need deep friendships and community. They need a life and heart transformation. Like all of us, they need Jesus Christ.

Jefferson Street Baptist Center’s Fresh Start program exists for these very things.

100% of the profits from the sale of this Spendyourself shirt are used to bring hope, healing and restoration to the homeless of Louisville by funding the Fresh Start program.

This t-shirt is about Christ transforming the homeless and hurting. It is about God setting us free from our cages and making us into new creatures.

Jefferson Street Baptist Center exists to extend gospel-centered mercy to the homeless and hurting of the greater Louisville area. JSBC’s Fresh Start is a 6-month Christ-Centered, grace-based, disciplined and structured program which offers men a practical experience in a safe and comfortable environment and is designed to assist men who are struggling with life dominating issues.

Jesus Christ alone brings true transformation. Like the phoenix, we are meant to die in order to be reborn. For the men who are a part of JSBC’s Fresh Start program, most have spent many years trying to do life in their own way and on their own terms. But like the phoenix, they must die in order to be reborn.

The Fresh Start program is about more than just making good citizens of the United States. It’s about Christ bringing new citizens into the Kingdom of God. The community that surrounds men during their time in Fresh Start includes Christian mentors, urban missionaries, biblical counselors, biblical teachers, life skill teachers, the local church and other men in recovery. It is about Christ working through community to bring transformation to the homeless and hurting."

The shirts are now available on the SpendYourself website; I encourage you to check out the site and support this great organization.  Don't forget to browse the other shirts available; they support some great causes!

Cheese-Chasing Chucked?

You've probably heard the news by now...the annual cheese-chasing event held in Gloucestershire was cancelled this year due to safety concerns.  Cancelled?  How utterly depressing!  But fear not, friends...the event was chucked not because chasing a round of Double Gloucester cheese down a near-vertical grass "slope" (as so advertised by the event's official website; apparently, forty-five degrees is not considered a freakin' steep hill in the town of Brockworth) is dangerous; no, it was cancelled because organizers were concerned too large of a crowd would show up for the activities.  The setting of this wacky and amusing tradition apparently cannot contain the estimated 15,000 individuals who want to witness the blessed chasing of the cheese, and organizers have long encouraged spectators to view the chase from their local pub on the telly.  Still, several hundred people turned up this year for an unofficial race, and there are plans for Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake to make a come-back in late May of 2011.  Curious about competing?  Read about it here.  Actually, even if you're not curious about competing, you should still click on the link.  I recommend watching the video below from a previous year's chase, and then going to the link.  It just might brighten your day.  Cheerio!