The Dentist

Every six months I receive a postcard in the mail from my dentist and I become full of dread. In fact, I ignored my last postcard on purpose -- it’s a fabulous stalling technique I’ve learned since I started maintaining my own schedule. However, my mom, being the productive and helpful person she is, scheduled an appointment for me.

It’s not that I hate the actual dentist. He’s quite nice. So are his dental hygienists, I guess the feeling of dislike stems from the feeling of failure I have after I leave the dentist chair. It’s always the same: “You have beautiful teeth Natalie!” They then ask about my dental routine, and I reply {quite proudly} that I typically brush my teeth at least three times a day. To which, they retaliate with: “Good! But,. . . ." and that’s where the guilt trip begins. “Let’s take a look at your X-rays. See this part here? {Pointing to the bone holding my teeth in place.} This bone will begin to deteriorate with inflammation of the gums, and inflammation of the gums is caused by . . . {you guessed it} . . . not flossing.”

In a dentist’s mind, not flossing equals inflammation of the gums, which causes bone loss, which causes tooth loss, which causes loss of self-esteem, which causes depression, which leads to suicide.

So I leave the dentist feeling like an epic failure at preventing this downward spiral ultimately resulting in my death . . . and that is why I dread going to the dentist.

Idol Worship

I have recently been convicted about how often I create idols out of ridiculous things.

Understand that I don’t bow down to statues, or set up shrines with hors d'oeuvres, but I do give up a good deal of my most precious commodity { time } in order to pursue the idols that I have made.
Here are a few of the ways in which I worship idols: I have mercilessly stalked every single actor from the comedy Friends, I have watched countless episodes of Say Yes to the Dress, I have spent hours reading historical romance novels, and worse: Facebook is one of my most wretched vices. I don’t tell you these things to make you laugh, or judge me, although I’m sure you did one of those things {probably the latter} but instead I write this because I am realizing more and more how much time I spend {and American culture in general spends} worshiping idols. We even have a television show that practically glorifies this truth.

Deuteronomy 4:15b-19, 35 says:

“Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air, or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below. And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven. . .You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other”

So I am challenging myself, and anybody else who can see this reflected in their own lives, to give God more time. Cutting facebook time, TV time, even some school work time, will more than double the time I set aside for God each day.

So. . . step #1 is: turning off this computer.

Untitled: due to lack of wittiness

Best Friends don't need to be entertained. . . . they create entertainment just by being themselves:

Car Wash

Shoes designed by Fergie. . .

modeled by Felisha.

Just as I am

{Part of} A hymn written by Charlotte Elliott in 1835:

Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidst me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, thy love unknown
hath broken every barrier down;
now, to be thine, yea thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

{Despite its age, it's still perfectly relevant!}

A Million Little Things

A million little things distract me from God. . . At times I can't even discern His presence. It's not because He's not there, it's because I block Him out.

A million little things distract me from God. . . I spend more time online than I do praying or reading the Bible.

A million little things distract me from God. . . And, their eternal value is nothing.

(P.S. Click on the title of this blog post to read an awesome daily devotional by Chris Roberts.)

Precious

Sierra

Age 6

Holding Out-

Recently I’ve had quite a few discussions about dating/marriage/ family and the like. Of course, I think about these types of things often. I just don’t typically blog about them. But I’m breaking out of my meek-little-blog mode and telling it like it is:

I have never dated.

I guess I hadn’t really realized how out of the ordinary that is until recently. (I don’t know if that’s a good type of naivety or bad.) Anyway, before you go painting a holier-than-thou picture in your head about me, I must confess, it’s not that I haven’t wanted to date. No, my perpetual state of singleness has been primarily because I haven’t had the opportunity to date.

While this truth was certainly a source of vexation for me in the past, I have learned to truly appreciate the fact I don’t have a scarred heart. I’m 20, I’m single, and I like it. Is that wrong!? Of course I go through little bouts of discontentedness (who doesn’t?), but in general I enjoy the knowledge that God knows the desires of my heart and I don’t have to bend over backwards to find myself a man!

If there is a man involved in God’s plan for my future, great! I’ll completely embrace it when it comes, but in the meantime I doubt you’ll find me pining-away. Nope! I’ll be out living my life!

Research. . .

I have a HUGE term project for my political science class due all too soon. But the research process has allowed me to stumble on some really thought provoking material. Not only from the realm of politics and litigation, but also in things that are more tangible to everyday living. Here is one video that I thought would be a complete waste of my time. I found it to be intriguing, however, and would recommend it to anyone with a spare hour on their hands.

*HA! As if anyone would admit to having a spare hour to watch a video such as this. But I can pretend I'm not the only one on the planet who watches stuff like this right!?*

Anyway, I hope that someone out there can appreciate it. :)

A post without a point

I often feel like the times when I'm in the bloggiest* of moods. . . I can think of nothing world changing to say. I know this sounds freakishly geeky but I read blogs a lot! I enjoy them. It's fun to see what the rest of the world has to say in a creative and artistic way.

I've found that there are so many amazing women out there who work and/or go to school, have a husband and kids, and STILL manage to decorate their houses, create a photography website, bake delicacies, change people's lives, and BLOG about it all! It almost makes me want to throw in the towel as I doubt I will ever accomplish such feats. . . but then where would I be? Blogless.

And that would be sad to me. There's a certain sense of accomplishment that comes from writing a blog. Just the knowledge that it CAN be read by other people is exciting. So here I write, without a purpose. . . simply for the sake of posting a blog and sending out into the blogosphere with a little piece of my current state of mind.

*Bloggiest: The emotional state of wanting to blog.

Pain

I’ve been thinking quite a lot about pain this week during my many hours of pain induced rest. Pain, whether it’s physical, emotional, or psychological is invisible. No one can look at another in pain and say, “I see your pain has reached the __ degree!” No, pain is singular to the one experiencing it. It can be described but never experienced by another through communication.

In a recent conversation with my mom, she mentioned that pain is obviously an evil: there is no better way to cause a person to only think of them self than to inflict pain. When in a state of pain, one’s heart isn’t willing to take on the burden of another, or even sympathize with another person as a Christian is called to do. The heart and mind are focused inward on the self.

Yet, through Jesus’ pain, suffering, and death I have been set free. Because his pain was selfless I have the ability to escape it. What an awesome Lord.


To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps. – 1 Peter 2:21

This weekend can top them all

I am so happy to say that two very great things happened this weekend.

The first was the {secret} engagement of my cousin Autumn and boyfriend {turned fiance} Ryan. I have actually known about the upcoming plans for the engagement for a month and have had to perpetually lie to Autumn about it! {To my own dismay (and relief in this case), it turns out that I am truly a convincing fib-teller.}

The second was the {unexpected} engagement of our family friend Kalyn to her {fiance} Jake.

Congratulations!!!

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Based on how excited I was when I opened my Easter basket, [I think] I'm growing up. :)

Spatulas

Spoons

Paring knife

kitchen timer

measuring spoons

basting brush

grocery list tablet

Also:
Meet my new [used] car Maxine

:-)