Tuesday, November 30, 2010

NIPTO, Day 296

Hey all. I'm just going to do NIPTO. Because I'm tired. And I want to take a shower and sleep.
So.

Ruth 4:13-17
13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.


Boaz and Ruth got married. Ruth gets pregnant. She has a son. YAY!




14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”


Naomi had something to be proud of. Naomi was protected. God didn't forget about her. God would be made famous because of her. He would renew her life and take care of her. Ruth, her daughter-in-law, gave birth to the son that would continue the line that would eventually produce Jesus. 
These women say that Ruth, a daughter-in-law who loved Naomi, was better than seven sons. That's saying something to the people of that time! Girls weren't valued very much, but boys were. 


 16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. 

Naomi took care of Obed. The baby. Obed was the eventual father of Jesse, who was the father of David. Boo to the YAH for God using normal people. I love him for that. And a ton of other reasons! :)




And now. I'm off to get some SLEEP. Spanish class tomorrow morning! Yeah..... not. Hah. The only reason I don't like it is because I have to be ready at 8:30... Yup. fun fun.
So. G'night readers!

Monday, November 29, 2010

NIPTO, Day 295

Hola!

I'm tired. Getting out of bed today was rough. Not gonna lie.

But today has been goood. :)
Went to school. Took some pictures of Carrie during lunch. Went to classes. Came home. Played guitar for a while. Listened to Dave Ramsey for a while. And then Kaytee and I went to see Tangled.
Tangled might just be my new favorite Disney Princess movie. Rapunzel is.... awesome. And Zachary Levi plays Flynn Ryder/Eugene Fitzherbert. And I love Zachary Levi. Yup yup. I just downloaded the soundtrack. Because it's awesome. =]


Then I came home and ate dinner and watched The Office and now I'm watching Chuck. Annd I still love Zachary Levi! :)


NIPTO.
Ruth 4:1-12
1 Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.
 2 Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so. 3 Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. 4 I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.”
   “I will redeem it,” he said.

So. Boaz. Guardian-redeemer. 
Boaz went to the "real" guardian-redeemer of Naomi's family in a public place, the town gate, and asked/told him to sit down. Boaz brought 10 of the elders there and told them to sit down. They did. Then he told them the situation: Naomi's selling land. And he thought he should let them know. Because Boaz would redeem the land if the other guardian-redeemer wouldn't. But the guardian-redeemer said he would redeem the land.


 5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.”
 6 At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.”

Then Boaz threw a wrench in the deal: when he buys the land, he also gets Ruth. The man said he couldn't do it. He couldn't do it because it would put his land in danger. So he told him to redeem it. (yaaaaay! haha)


 7 (Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.)
 8 So the guardian-redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it yourself.” And he removed his sandal.

I think that's an interesting... cultural... ritual thing. Remove a shoe to finalize a transaction. 


 9 Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown. Today you are witnesses!”

Boaz announced to the elders and people that they were witnesses that he bought all the property that belonged to Elimelek, Kilion, and Mahlon. And that he got Ruth along with that. That's what they witnessed. 


 11 Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 Through the offspring the LORD gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.”

They acknowledged that they were witnesses. Then they kind of "dedicated" Ruth. They asked God to make her like Rachel and Leah, who were wonderful women. That she would have "prestigious" offspring. 


And. That. Is. All. For. Tonight. I'm going to go listen to the Tangled soundtrack and go to bed. 
G'night all!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

NIPTO, Day 294

Hey peopleeeeeee.

Not a whole lot's been goin' on since I posted last night... just church mostly. After church we came home, ate lunch, went on a walk, then I hung out at Kaytee's house for a bit. And now we're watching an episode of Chuck before dinner and youth group!

Ruth 3:16-18

16 When Ruth came to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “How did it go, my daughter?”

Ruth came back from the threshing floor and Naomi asked her how it went.  


 Then she told her everything Boaz had done for her 17 and added, “He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”

Ruth told Naomi everything that Boaz did for her. She told Naomi that he had given her barley to take back to her mother-in-law. That's a guy who cares about a girl. :)


 18 Then Naomi said, “Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.”

Naomi told her to wait. Hang on. Naomi knew that he wouldn't rest until he knew what was going to happen. He was a man on a mission. 


I really love this story of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz. It's all dedication.
Mmmmmmmmhm. :)
Hope y'all have a nice evening! I'm off to eat dinner and then go to youth group @ The620
Adios, readers!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

NIPTO, Day 293

Hi people.

Today I slept in, went shopping, played Set, finished Uncle Tom's Cabin, went to Taco Bell with Hannah, Erin, and Brandon, came home and did I don't know what, went to Staples with Dad and Kate, came home and played Set and listened to Dad read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, then watched an episode of Chuck and ate pie.
And now it's 10:30. Woah. 12 hours. Hah.

NIPTO!
Ruth 3:7-15

 7 When Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he went over to lie down at the far end of the grain pile. Ruth approached quietly, uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 In the middle of the night something startled the man; he turned—and there was a woman lying at his feet!

So Ruth was going to go to the threshing floor and do whatever Boaz said... soooo she went there. And he went to lie down and Ruth went and uncovered his feet (what Naomi told her to do) and waited. Then in the middle of the night he woke up and turned over and there was a woman there. Uhhhhhh... freaky? Kinda. Weird? Yeah.


 9 “Who are you?” he asked.
   “I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a guardian-redeemer of our family.”

He asks her who she is (a smart thing to do since he doesn't... know... who... she... is...).
She tells him who she is and asks him to put his cloak over her since he's the person who they go to if something bad happens to them.


 10 “The LORD bless you, my daughter,” he replied. “This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor. 11 And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character. 12 Although it is true that I am a guardian-redeemer of our family, there is another who is more closely related than I. 13 Stay here for the night, and in the morning if he wants to do his duty as your guardian-redeemer, good; let him redeem you. But if he is not willing, as surely as the LORD lives I will do it. Lie here until morning.”

Alrighty. Boaz told her that what she had done was a great kindness. That she hadn't gone after young men, rich or poor. Boaz said he would do all that she asked and that she needn't be afraid. The people that lived there knew what kind of girl she was. Boaz was the "guardian-redeemer" of her family, but there was another guy who was more closely related to them. So he told her to stay there for the night and to go to  him in the morning and see if he wanted to fulfill his duty as "guardian-redeemer." If he did, so be it. If not, Boaz would do it.


 14 So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before anyone could be recognized; and he said, “No one must know that a woman came to the threshing floor.”
 15 He also said, “Bring me the shawl you are wearing and hold it out.” When she did so, he poured into it six measures of barley and placed the bundle on her. Then he went back to town.

She stayed at his feet until the morning, but got up early, before anyone would recognize her. No one could know that she had been there. He told her to bring him her shawl and to hold it out. When she did, he poured grain into it and gave it back to her. Then he went back to town. 


Toooooooooooooo be continued. Tomorrow.
Whew. I'm going to go to bed now. After 13 hours of being awake. HA.
G'night.

Friday, November 26, 2010

NIPTO, Day 292

Hai.

That is in honor of mah friend Anna. She's funny. And says "hai" a lot. :)

Today was fun :)
I got up and ate breakfast and all that.
The Karen girls came over and we hung out and talked for a while... played Phase 10 for a long time. Ate lunch, played Wii some, played more Phase 10, then Mom&Dad took them home and Katie and I played Wii Tennis and Bowling.
Then Mom&Dad got home and we went for a walk... played Set... ate dinner... played more Set and listened to Dad read Voyage of The Dawn Treader.
Then we watched Chuck :)
And now here we are.

I love this video. I've probably shared it before, but it's awesome.

Mommy Rhapsody from Church on the Move on Vimeo.


Annnnnd NIPTO.
Ruth 3:1-5
 1 One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, I must find a home for you, where you will be well provided for.


Naomi basically told Ruth that she had to get married. But she wanted her to be provided for.




2 Now Boaz, with whose women you have worked, is a relative of ours. Tonight he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. 3 Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking.


Naomi was planning to set up Ruth with Boaz. They were relatives. It was normal for them. Naomi told her to get cleaned up and dressed up and go to the threshing floor, where Boaz would be, and just be there. And to stay there until he was done eating.




 4 When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.”
 5 “I will do whatever you say,” Ruth answered. 6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do.

Naomi told her what to do. And Ruth said she would do whatever she said. So she went and did what she said. 
Ta-da!

To be continued...

Yup. So now I go to bed. Because that's how I roll. (singing nigh nigh songs and then it's off to bed...)
G'night. :)

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Today I'm thankful for...

a whole lot of stuff.

God. The one who gets me through it all. I am, and will be, forever grateful to him. And Jesus. They're my homeboys. (Yeah. I know. I'm white. I really shouldn't use words like "homeboys" in my blog. But I do. What can you do about it? Nada. Hah!)

My family. My parents. My sisters. They're all awesome and fantastically funny. I laughed a lot today.

My best friend. She's insane. She's gorgeous 24/7 (no matter what she thinks). She gives me great advice. Annnnd yeah. I like her a whole lot and am SUPER thankful that we became friends... 8 years ago? Yeah, I think so.

My youth group families. They're a whole 'nother level of crazy. Andrew, Brandon, and Erin are awesomesauce leaders. I love them. They give great insights into life and God stuff.

Food. AHHHHHHHHHHH. Food. I love food. It's SO good. Yeah. I'm thankful for goooood food.

People who stretch me. People who are willing to push me out of my comfort zone, into a place that I wouldn't push myself. Thanks, people.

Christmas music and decorations. They're gorgeous. And SO much fun. Music? Manheim Steamroller. Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Yeah. Thems are the best. The best to listen to while putting up the Christmas tree! :)

My camera! I can take pictures galore. And they actually turn out semi-decently. :)

Amurica. (America*) I'm thankful for a country where I can worship and speak freely.

And with that, I think I'm going to go to bed. The tryptophan is kicking in... =P

NIPTO, Day 291

Happy Thanksgiving, readers! I'll have a whole post about what I'm thankful for coming up :)
Today. Has been great. Got up around nine... watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and ate breakfast of home made cinnamon rolls and mint hot chocolate!

The making of the cinnamon rolls last night
yum yum yum

All rolled up!

Yummmmmmmmmmmmm

It looks delectable. I know you want one. 

It was soooo good.
We sat at the table and talked for a long time. Cleaned up from breakfast, got ready for the day. Then Dad and I went out to find a news paper so we could look at the Black Friday Ads. Annnd so we came home and did that and watched part of The Dog Show. 

Here's a random silly picture of Katie and me. She's goofy.
All threee of us. Uhm. Are we sure we're sisters? Because we really don't look alike.
 We brought up all of the Christmas stuff from the basement and then Katie, Hannah, Dad, and I went on a walk while Mom cooked and cooked and cooked (or waited for stuff to cook...).

Birds nest in a tree that I thought was cool lookin'
When we got home it was almost time to eat, but not quite. So we put up the Christmas tree! In 11 minutes. Oh yeah, we're beast.

Katie and Hannah spreading "branches"

You can see where the holes that need to be filled in are...
THEN WE ATE!

Mashed potatoes&gravy, turkey, Sweet potato fries, and stuffing. And peas. But I didn't have peas on my plate at this point.
Along with crescent rolls and jam. And homemade applesauce. It was all delicious!

Such good food! So we cleaned up. Some of us. Others took a nap. ;)
Mom, Katie, and Hannah went on a walk. And now Katie and Hannah are watching a video...
And I'm blogging.
So life is good. :)

Ruth 2:19-23

19 Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!”
   Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.

When Ruth got home, her mother-in-law, Naomi, asked where she had worked and gleaned that day because she had a lot of grain! Ruth told her where she had been working. With Boaz. Boo yahhhhh.


 20 “The LORD bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers.”
 21 Then Ruth the Moabite said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.’”

Naomi asked the Lord to bless him. She was so grateful that Boaz would show kindness to Ruth. Ruth had no idea that Boaz was a close relative, a guardian, of theirs. Ruth told her that Boaz had told her to stay with his workers until they finished harvesting all of the grain.


 22 Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed.”
 23 So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

Naomi told Ruth that it would be good to work for him because she would be safe. If she worked somewhere else, she might get hurt/be harmed.
So Ruth just stayed close to the women who gleaned in Boaz's field until the barley and whete were all harvested. All during this time she lived with her mother-in-law. 




And now I'm off to decorate a Christmas tree!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

NIPTO, Day 290

Ahhhhhhhh today has been wonderful!
I slept in until 9:30. Ate breakfast. Got ready. Drove to Wal-Mart. Drove home because the Hondadiddy wouldn't start. Colored in my coloring book with crayons while watching Rodgers&Hammerstine's Cinderella. Hannah got home while Katie and I were watching Cinderella and we finished watching Cinderella. And then we ate lunch and headed out of the house to go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. It was better than the first time! Better because I had Katie squeezing my hand for about half the movie. She's funny. I like talking during movies. I hope the people around us weren't annoyed. hah.

We headed home and started getting stuff ready for dinner. I chopped carrots, onion, and potatoes for the stuffing tomorrow. And then Katie, Dad, and I went to Wal-Mart. Dad, to get a battery for the car, Katie and I to get craft paint so we can paint!
We came home and ate dinner, cleaned up, and then Dad read the first 4 chapters of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader out loud to us. :)

Now Katie's painting, Mom&Hannah are chilling, Dad's lookin' at stuff on his Droid, and I'm blogging. :)

Ruth 2:14-17

14 At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.”
   When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over.

When it was time to eat, Boaz invited Ruth tom come eat with them. He offered her the food that he had. She was able to eat as much as she wanted. There was even some left over. 
This might not seem huge, but having a meal with someone was big back then. If someone invited you to eat with them, you were a good friend.


15 As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don’t reprimand her. 16 Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.”

When Ruth got up from the table, Boaz told his men to let her gather among the sheaves that they were harvesting and to not reprimand her. He told them to pull stalks out for her and leave them for her to pick up. He wanted to help her as much as possible.


 17 So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. 18 She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.

Ruth gathered and gleaned until it was time to go home. Then she threshed her barley and it was about an ephah? Which I think is a good amount of barley! She carried it back into town and Naomi (Mara) saw how much she had gathered. Ruth was able to bring what she didn't eat at the meal home. So she got that out and gave what she had left over after she had eaten her fill. She was able to eat all she wanted and was able to share. Boaz enabled her to be full and to share her food with her mother-in-law. That's some love right there :)


A'ight. Now we're going to watch some Monk and maybe some Pushing Daisies!
Later gators!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

NIPTO, Day 289

Strictly NIPTO today! :)

Ruth 2:8-13

8 So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. 9 Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.”


Boaz talked to Ruth and told her that she could stay and gather grain in his field. He told her to stay with the women who worked for him. He told her that she should just follow the women that were already working, and he assured her that his men wouldn't touch her. He told her to help herself to the water that was there. He was kind to her. He comforted her.
God tells us the same thing. He tells us that we can stay where we are. We can follow the amazing Christian people who have come before us. God tells us that Satan won't touch us. God invites us to drink freely from his living water. 


Wow. That was a great analogy. Hah.




 10 At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?”

Ruth bowed down to him and asked him why he was so kind to a lowly foreigner. 
Why is God so kind to us? Strangers in a foreign land. 
Good question, Ruth!


 11 Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. 12 May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

Boaz told her that he had heard what she had done for Naomi since her husband had died. He heard how she left her family to come to the people she didn't know. He said "My the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." (emphasis added my moi. Obviously.)
How hard must it have been for Ruth to leave her family? How appealing must it have seemed to go back to her family? She was given the chance. But because she was following God, she chose to keep following him in the form of following Naomi. Ruth was taking refuge under the wing of THE God of Israel. We can take refuge under his wing too. And that's super awesome and comforting. 


 13 “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.”

Ruth was put at ease by what Boaz said. Just by the way he was talking to her, speaking kindly to her even though she wasn't even one of his servants. 
I'm thinking that I want to be kinda like Boaz and kinda like Ruth. I want to be humble and faithful like Ruth, but I want to be a kind leader who speaks encouragement and comfort into others lives. 
Now... how to do that. Well, prayer and keep on reading! :)


G'night everyone!

Monday, November 22, 2010

NIPTO, Day 288

Hey all! Today's been busy.
But I'm just chillin' and watching Jeopardy now. With a numb mouth. Half a mouth really. More on that in a second. 

Went to school today. Sat in study hall by myself. Listened to Christmas music. Did school stuff. Moved into Mom's room. Talked to Kate for a bit. Did a bunch of Spanish. Ate lunch with people. Went to Lit. Went to ACT Prep. Came home. Went and talked to Kayt for a while. Came home for about 2 seconds. Babysat. RAN home and brushed my teeth and RAN out the door to get to the dentist. Got there a little late (heh. Oops.). Got a shot of Novocain. Sat for a while. Got another shot of Novocain because my lip wasn't numb yet. Sat for a while longer. Got a tooth filled. Came home. Ate dinner (soup&rolls). And then sat and watched "old people TV." hah. Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! and then I'll watch CHUCK! :D
My lip is numb. Still. About and hour and a half later. But I think it's starting to wear off. But I still feel like I got punched in the face and it's really swollen. But I can't feel it. Weird. And I can only taste on one side of my tongue. WEIRD. 

Alright. I'm done ranting about my mouth. Hah.

NIPTO!
Ruth 2:1-7
1 Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz.
 2 And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.”
   Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.”

Naomi had a relative named Boaz who lived near them. Ruth asked Naomi to let her go out to the fields and pick up the grain that was left behind when they harvested the grain. Naomi told her to go. 


 3 So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.
 4 Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The LORD be with you!”
   “The LORD bless you!” they answered.

Ruth went out in the fields and began to pick up the grain after the harvesters. Coincidentally, she was working in the field that Boaz owned. Annnnd just then Boaz came home! And he said "HEY! May God be with you!" to his harvesters. And they say "Hey, may God bless you!" back to him. 


 5 Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?”
 6 The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. 7 She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”

Boaz asked the overseer who Ruth was. The overseer told him that she was a Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. He told Boaz that she asked to glean and gather among his harvesters. He also told Boaz that she was a hard worker: she worked from morning until then and had only taken a short break. 

(That's geeky HTML language for "begin attraction" haha)


And now. I go to bed. Because I need to get up early tomorrow morning so I can get going! And I should blog tomorrow morning/afternoon because tomorrow is going to be CRAZY. Think "do school until 12, go to lunch with BK for about an hour, do more school until 2:30, go to Urban Vision from 3-6, ballet from 6-7, jazz and modern from 7:30-9:30, pick up Katie and maybe Hannah at Kent! SO. Yeah. It'll be craaaazy. But SUPER awesome! :D

So after Chuck, I turned on Dancing With the Stars because that's the only thing that's on, and after DWTS cam Skating With The Stars... annnd Johnny Weir (Weird*) is one of the judges and he's super overdone. Like eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, blush, lipcolor, red mohawk overdone. And now he's skating. And he's dancing to Poker Face by Lady Gaga... and it's frightening. My eyes are burning with all the glitter that he's wearing. But I have to say, he's a fantastic skater. But I'm surprised he doesn't melt the ice.
Okay. I'm done. And I'm going to go to bed now. (Annnnd I can feel my mouth again. YAY! (after 3 hours...))

G'night all!

Sunday, November 21, 2010

NIPTO, Day 287

Today... has.... been... great.

Got up this morning and got ready for church. Went to Sunday school, which is also known as Small Group. We started a book today called Lies Young Women Believe. I think it's going to be great :)
Then Church. Mom and Dad spoke today. They were great! :) Here's a link! :) If nothing else, click on it to see how cute they are! hahaha

We stopped at a friend's house to drop something off and then went home, ate lunch, went on a walk, and chillaxed a bit. I typed up my homework for tomorrow and then went to The620 for about 30 minutes and then went to IMPACT. We had our Thanksgiving feast at IMPACT and it was delish! :)

And now we're home. Watching Undercover Boss. (They're doing Subway and it's great! This one girl was really mean to the head honcho. But she doesn't know that. Boy is she going to be surprised! haha)

Are y'all ready for more Ruth?
Ruth 1:19-22

19 So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”

Ruth insisted that she accompany Naomi to Bethlehem, so she did. 
When they got there the entire town was "stirred" because of them, and the people were like, "is this really Naomi?!?"


 20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”

Naomi asked them to not call her Naomi. She asked them to call her Mara. Mara means "bitter." Naomi means "my delight." She felt like she wasn't worth being delighted in, she felt that her life was bitter. She went away full and came back empty.


 22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.

So they came back from Moab right before the barley harvest was starting. 
And that is important.

A'ight. I'm going to get my homework printed out. And then I'm going to go to bed.
So g'night all! Y'all are still awesome.
Nighty-night!

Saturday, November 20, 2010

NIPTO, Day 286

WHEW!

Today has been a long day. But a really great day. 
It started out with the Open House! Setting up, getting other people set up, grazing on all of the food that's out, talking to people, laughing with Aunt Lisa, and talking to more people, eating more food, packing people up.
That's how the day seemed to go. With a little baby holding in the middle! :)

After the Open House, Lisa and I got our tickets for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and then went to her dad's house to drop some stuff off. We talked to Aunt Lynne for a while and then we headed back out and went and watched HP7:Prt1 IT. Was. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Good. And I can't wait for the next part to come out. Even if it's coming out while we're at LT. Boooo. (Maybe a whole bunch of people will go see it? Maybe? :)
After the movie we went to Panera for dinner and then came home, chatted for a while, and then she left and here I am! 

NIPTO and then bed. Yaaaaay.
Ruth 1:6-18
6 When Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.


So Naomi's husband died. Ruth and Orpah's husbands had died. Naomi heard that Moab was no longer in a famine state, so she and Ruth and Orpah got ready to go back there. Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah left where they'd been living and started traveling on the road that would take them back to Judah.


 8 Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the LORD show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. 9 May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.”
   Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud 10 and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.”

Naomi told her daughters to go home. Go back to their mother's homes. They said no. That they were going to stay with her and go back to her people with her. 


 11 But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? 12 Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— 13 would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD’s hand has turned against me!”

After they said "No, we're going with you," she told them again to go home. She asks them why they would come with her. She's not going to have any more sons for them to marry and she's not going to get married again. She says something to the effect of "even if I got married and had kids, would you wait until they grew up? No." So she told them to GO HOME. In the nicest way possible.


 14 At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.
 15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.”

They had a cry-fest. And then Orpah left. But Ruth still wanted to stay. Naomi told her to follow her sister-in-law's example to go back home. 


 16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

Ruth didn't want to go. She didn't know where she would go if she went back. She told Naomi that Naomi's people were Ruth's people. Naomi's God was her God. She was faithful to Naomi even after everything they had been through.
She said she would be buried where she was buried. She said that God would deal with her. And Naomi realized (finally!) that Ruth was serious and that she wanted to stay. So she stopped bugging her to go home.


And that's where our story leaves off for tonight!
G'night everyone :)

Friday, November 19, 2010

NIPTO, Day 285

Hey.

The Wizard of Oz was fantastic. Just like I thought it would be! :)
From 6:41pm to 9:55pm, I took 774 pictures. Erm... yeah. I don't have a problem or anything. (That's 4.3 pictures per minute. Yup. I took the time to figure that out. Really. NO problem here... keep moving along! Nothing to see...)

After TWOO wasn't so great. But I'm not going into details. It just wasn't great.

Today's been school, a run to Target, babysitting (with Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks in hand), and getting ready for the Open House that's happening at my house tomorrow. (You should stop by! 10am-3pm :)

Chuck has been watched. (AWESOME. But it's to be continued, kinda. =/)
Now I'm watching Monsters Inc. I haven't seen this movie in foreverrrrrrr. It's soo good though! :)

NOW. I figure out what I'm reading/blogging about. Ruth.

Ruth 1:1-5
1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.


Alrighty. Background information! So there's a famine. And this guy from Bethlehem (where Jesus was born hundreds of years later!) moved with his wife and two sons to Moab. The man's name was Elimelek. His wife was Naomi. His sons were Mahlon and Kilion. Pretty simple.





 3 Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons.

Alas, Naomi's husband died, and she was left to live with her two sons. 


4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

Both of them married women from Moab. One of them was Orpah and the other one was Ruth. After about ten years, both of their husbands died. All of Naomi's immediate family had died. This meant that she had pretty much nothing. Women didn't really have "rights" back in the day. But there were certain laws that protected them. As we'll see later. So. We've got Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth left living together.... we'll see what happens next tomorrow!




And now I go to bed. I have to actually get UP in the morning (on a Saturday morning! *gasp*) to help set more stuff up for the Open House! So. I shall blog again tomorrow. And should put pictures from The Wizard of Oz on facebook sometime... hmmm....
A'ight.
G'night.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

NIPTO, Day 284

Hey y'all!


Today's been a good day. Annnnnnd it's not over yet. And tonight is going to be fantastic! So. Yes. Today... Got up. Did school stuff. Zakk&Derek came over while Ang took the girls for their 6 mo. checkup. Did some school stuff while watching The Fox and the Hound. Zakk is adorable and kept telling me what the characters said because I think he thought that I didn't hear him.
Angie picked them up and I did more school. 
Flat-ironed my hair and put makeup on and now I'm listening to an archived Dave Ramsey Show while Mom makes jewelry and I blog. :)
And then tonight I'm going to see The Wizard of Oz. AHHHHH SO PUMPED!  =D Yeah. I love musical theater. Yeah. I'm kind of strange. But not really. Yup yup yup. :)


Woah. This is the last day of Ecclesiastes! I guess I'm going to start Ruth next? 
Here it is... :)


Ecclesiastes 12:9-14
9 Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. 10 The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.


The teacher. The person who wrote this? I think so... but I could be wrong. But they were wise and they gave other people knowledge. They sought out knowledge and found what was true. And they wrote it down and shared it.


 11 The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd. 12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.
   Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.

The words of the wise are strong, their sayings like nails that have been pounded firmly into the wood. But don't add anything to them. There's no end to making books and studying a bunch makes you tired. (I think that might be a college student's favorite verse! hahaha)


 13 Now all has been heard;
   here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
   for this is the duty of all mankind. 
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
   including every hidden thing,
   whether it is good or evil.


Now that everything has been said, the conclusion comes. We need to fear God and keep his commandments. That is our duty. God will bring every deed that we do inot his judgement. Every hidden thing, everything that's out in the open. Good or evil. So follow God. Keep his commandments. Remember that he will judge you.


And now I read a book or something :)
Hope y'all have a good day!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

NIPTO, Day 283

Heyyyy all.
Lots has happened since I last blogged! Well... not lots. But enough to make a lengthy "I did this and then that" section. Hah.

So. Yesterday. Went to Urban Vision. Was in the Gym. Ate dinner. Helped Ehne Thau with her homework. Went to ballet. Got my butt (or biceps... No. My butt) kicked by Lauren. Went to Jazz&Modern. Got nice bruises on my knees from modern. Annnnd then came home and went to bed.

Got up this morning, got ready, went to school. Spanish class, study hall, lunch, Mom's class, cleaned up. Went to the bank and the grocery store. Came home. Did school. Watched last week's Survivor. E-mailed  pictures to Kayt's soccer coach for a slideshow. Ate dinner. Finished e-mailing pictures. Watched the end of last week's Survivor that I hadn't gotten to, watched Glee (You should check out this and this from this past week's episode!). And here I am.

Soooooo...... NIPTO? Yeah.
Ecclesiastes 12:1-8

1 Remember your Creator
   in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
   and the years approach when you will say,
   “I find no pleasure in them”— 

Remember who created you. Remember him when you're young, before you have trouble, before you find no pleasure in your life.


2 before the sun and the light
   and the moon and the stars grow dark,
   and the clouds return after the rain; 

Remember God before the sun comes up and before it goes down. Remember him before the clouds return after a rain.


3 when the keepers of the house tremble,
   and the strong men stoop,
when the grinders cease because they are few,
   and those looking through the windows grow dim;
4 when the doors to the street are closed
   and the sound of grinding fades;
when people rise up at the sound of birds,
   but all their songs grow faint; 

Remember God when people tremble, strong men grow weak, and the windows grow dim. When the doors on the street are closed, remember who created you. 


5 when people are afraid of heights
   and of dangers in the streets;
when the almond tree blossoms
   and the grasshopper drags itself along
   and desire no longer is stirred.
Then people go to their eternal home
   and mourners go about the streets.

Remember God when people are afraid and are in danger. Remember who created you when there are beautiful blossoms on the trees. Remember him when animals drag along.
People will eventually go to their eternal homes and those who mourn them will be in the streets. 


 6 Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
   and the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
   and the wheel broken at the well,
7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
   and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Remember God before the pretty things break and the dust returns to where it came from and the spirit returns to the one who gave it. 
Remember.


 8 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.
   “Everything is meaningless!"

Joyful, isn't it? Yeah. No. Meaningless. Everything is meaningless. But we need to remember our creator nonetheless.


And now. I'm going to go to bed. And I hope to blog tomorrow afternoon... because I'm going to see THE WIZARD OF OZ tomorrow night!!!!!!!!!!! I'm super pumped. If you couldn't tell by the massive amount of exclamation points that are ^^ up there.
So. I'm going to go to bed so I can get sleep. And get up and get work done!

Hope y'all had a gooooood day :)