Random Thoughts...

Missions:
I've been having the urge lately to just get on a plane and go somewhere. This is the first year in a very long time that I might not get to go on a missions trip during the summer, and I don't think I like it. I have honestly been praying that the Lord would plop an opportunity in my lap - along with the funds, of course! Feel free to join me in this prayer -

Reading:
I just finished reading "So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore?" by Jacobsen and Coleman. Highly recommend it. Not sure why it's titled so, doesn't really fit what the book is about - I would retitle it "Conversations on the struggles of church and Christianity today". When you read it, we can have a contest who can come up with a better title for the book!
Just started "Getting Fired for the Glory of God" by Mike Yaconelli. That guy. He was just amazing. I'm kinda sad I didn't have this book a year ago - it's so aptly titled for me...
Next book on the list - "Why We're Not Emergent" by DeYoung and Cluck.

Ministry:
The Servant Leadership at the Jr. High is going well - we are there everyday for their 2 lunch hours, so it's a bummer that I can't really do lunch dates with people anymore, but I'm loving being around the kids. They are really starting to warm up to our presence on the campus and relationships are forming. It's weird though, we're not really there to build one-on-one relationships, we're there to run a program, so we're not really learning names. I do miss mentoring students one on one the most, but I am very thankful the Lord has still got me in this youth ministry thing.

Cooking:
I don't know why, but the Food Network is now the most interesting channel on TV to me right now! I've been trying new recipies like crazy - I'm so thankful for a husband who will eat anything I put in front of him. Some of my new favorites:
- Creamy Artichoke Soup
- Any sort of Cake!
- Shepherd's Pie
- Pulled BBQ Beef Sandwiches

Movies:
Curious Case -
Saw it last weekend for Valentine's Day. I loved this movie. More than I thought I would. I heard it was good, but I thought it was excellent. Acting - superb. Effects - too good to be true. Story - beautifully heartbreaking. In trying to explain why it was so well done, I think I found that the idea of a man aging young is really out there and odd. But the movie didn't treat it as "out there", it just treated it as "unusual". So the main focus of the story remained on the characters, not the wierdness of the idea. Highly recommend, wish Kate Blanchette had been nominated as well.

Burn After Reading -
Watched this one with a friend - thought it looked funny. Not so much. Dark comedy with a bunch of really messed up people. I'm not a fan of movies where the entire cast of characters has major quirks, flaws and annoyances. Either it's just too twisted to be realistic, or I'm too much of a romantic to believe people are really that messed up. Either way, this movie was one of them (much like "Little Miss Sunshine" was...I know, I know, most of you people liked that one, but I did not), being too disturbing to actually enjoy.

LOST:
Oh, come on, what would a blog from me be without mentioning it?? :)
This week's episode, 316, was completely different than all the others this season. Not in a bad way, it just had a very different vibe and flow to it than past episodes. The opening scene was done well - I knew immediately that it wasn't the first time around but the second, but somehow it made the scene even better.
Questions to ponder...and my pondering.
1. Where did Kate take Aaron?
The logical answer is she gave him to his grandmother, Mrs. Littleton, because this would lead to Claire eventually reuniting with and raising Aaron. The wildcard answer is that Kate hooked up with Sawyer's babymama, and gave him to her, but I think she's in the South somewhere and Kate wouldn't have had time to do that.
Either way, I think it was a huge turning point for Kate, and a piece of her died by doing so. I hate Kate's reaction to being sad...that's the second time we've seen that happen.
2. Did Ben really make good on his promise to kill Penny?
Maybe, but I don't think so simply by the way they showed us the aftermath to keep us guessing. My guess is that Desmond was pretty ticked off to see Ben on his boat, and bashed his head in. OR...Penny defended her son by using blunt objects from her little houseboat. Anywhoo - like I said last week, I think Penny knows a lot more than she's letting on, and I think that whole "You killed my daughter so I'm killing yours" plot has more to play still.
3. Is Frank Lipidus on the island? Did the whole plane crash?
I hope Frank is alive and on the island, I love that guy. I don't think the whole plane crashed, simply because of the way they "introduced" them in the arrival scene. It seemed like the passengers simply got swept up with a "flash" of the island.

Other thoughts:
-Sun and Jin reunion, here we come! Yay...
-Did anyone else notice how the returners had all "switched roles" on the return flight? Sayid is now Kate, Hurley is now Charlie...
-Someone else online had a theory that Kate is now Claire, and she's pregnant, we just don't know it yet...Interesting. That would sure complicate the love triangle a bit. I hope she's not, I think that's unnecessary drama.
-I love how Jack is slowly but surely turning into a man of faith. Him being strictly a man of science up 'till now has seemed to be his major character flaw, and I can't wait for that flaw to be resolved so he can fulfill his potential. But hey, what can I say, I'm a Jack fan.
-I really hope they take the rest of the episodes this season to "flash back" to when the returners were on the mainland to fill in the gaps for us. (We could find out what Kate did with Aaron, if she ever kept Sawyer's promise, how Hurley gets out of jail, how Sayid ended up in handcuffs...)

Enough blogging for one night...someday I'll put up the pictures of my recent cakes. Have a blessed week, all...for we are loved by the King!!

Long time, no blog....

LOST:

This season rocks. Action, action, and more action! The writers are totally rewarding me for being so obsessive for the last 4 seasons! I get really sad when I think how soon it's gonna be over.

A few Key Questions to think about...
-Will all 6 of the Oceanic 6 come back to the island in the next 2 episodes?
-Is Christian Shepherd a "good guy"?
-Is anyone else nervous that Penny and Ben are in the same vicinity right now?
-Is Mrs. Hawking a "good guy" because she's hanging out in a church?
-Could the shotgun-toting "Ellie" in last week's episode be the one and only Eloise Hawking?
-What will be the ultimate task Jack has to go back to the island to complete?

A few thoughts...
-Just as the first few seasons were all about bad daddies, this season sure seems to be focusing on the moms.
-I wonder if Widmore hasn't gone back to the island because he knows that if he does, he'll die (nosebleeds and all), and Ben hasn't shared his secret passageways with him yet. How can Widmore take back what Ben stole if he can't go back to the island himself?
-I think Penny knows a crazy-lot more than she's letting show.
-Doesn't Desmond know that in TV-land, when you make your wife such as strong promise, that's code for "I'll end up doing the exact opposite"???

My Favorite moments/lines from this season so far -
-Ben's temper tantrum in the van this last episode. (Is Ben finally caught without a plan??)
-Sawyer - "Son of a..." (Flash) "Bitch!" (Again, with the mother theme...)
-Sayid killing that dude in the safe house with the knife-loaded dishwasher.
-Desmond and Penny named their son Charlie!! Awww...
-Sawyer:"Are you sure you don't want us to lower you down?" Locke: "Now where would be the fun in that?" (grin)
-Miles: "Don't look at me, man, I'm from Encino"

And just for fun...

My ABC's

A - ADVOCATE FOR: Jesus, youth, agape love, good books

B - BEST FEATURE: My eyes I suppose

C - COULD DO WITHOUT: Cold weather!

D - DREAMS & DESIRES: Too many to list here - to swim with dolphins in Hawaii!

E - ESSENTIAL ITEMS: Dan, good pair of jeans, Bible, Mexican food (not necessarily in that order)

F - FAVORITE PAST TIME: Reading, Creating art, traveling

G - GOOD AT: Creative stuff, performing arts.

H - HAVE NEVER TRIED: Snow skiing or oysters

I - IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS: I'd divide it up and use some, save some, give most away.

J - JUNKIE FOR: Date night, Lord of the Rings, LOST, Disneyland

K - KINDRED SPIRIT: Melaine

L - LITTLE KNOWN FACT: I'm related to Bing Crosby.

M - MEMORABLE MOMENT: Getting our stuff stolen in New Zealand and depending on God.

N - NEVER AGAIN WILL I: Well...life's too short to have regrets, right?

O - OCCASIONAL INDULGENCE: New shoes when I don't need them.

P - PROFESSION: I hate this question. Let's just say I'm doing exactly what God wants me to do right now!

Q - QUOTE: People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

R - REASON TO SMILE: I am blessed.

S - SORRY ABOUT: Being bad at long distance friendships.

T - TAG SOME FRIENDS: I haven't played tag in years...

U - UNINTERESTED IN: WWF, Seafood, church politics.

V - VERY SCARED OF: Poisonous spiders?

W - WORST HABIT: Leaving the clean wash in the dryer for days.

X - X MARKS MY IDEAL VACATION SPOT: Hawaii or New Zealand

Y - YUMMIEST DESSERT: Brownies with mint ice cream!

Z - ZODIAC SIGN: Don't know, don't care.