I haven’t written a contemplative post in a long time. Partly because I’ve been too busy to allow for much deep thought, and partly because when I do get thinky, there’s too much and it’s too complicated. I’m not aware of it most of the time, but I still have a lot of semi-repressed anger about my divorce and related events. Not violent anger, just low-key, long-term, understandable anger that needs to be sorted out. And with it come questions and struggles. To paraphrase a friend, I’m “living in the tension” between the fact of God’s sovereignty and goodness, and the fact that we live in a fallen world. How much of the bad that happens to us is purely consequences of living in a sinful world? How do we interpret God’s choice not to swoop in and save (or, sometimes, not to provide) something that’s good and right? I can’t find the balance, but then again, maybe we’re not meant to figure it out.

This year I’ve become a big fan of Tim Keller, of Redeemer Presbyterian in NYC. I did part of his study on Mark with some women from church, and I went to see him when he spoke at a local church a few months ago (it was packed – they had to use an overflow room!). I’m also randomly working my way through the sermons available on Redeemer’s website. This morning, with these questions on my mind, I chose one called “Truth, Tears, Anger, and Grace.” It happens to be the sermon he preached on the Sunday after 9/11, and it’s the best sermon about suffering, grief, and asking why I’ve ever heard. I’ll probably listen to it again. I highly recommend it if you’re going through some stuff in your own life. Or even if you’re not!

In the recording they also read Psalm 27, which is becoming one of my favorite passages.

2 Comments + Posted in: faith

This movie was on TV the other day, and between that and the Casey Anthony trial*, I think it’s an appropriate time to give it the spotlight!

From the first time I saw Legally Blonde in 2001, I knew it would be one of my personal classics. :) The sequel was painfully awful, and the less I know about that straight-to-video thing with the blonde twins, the better. But the original is comedic gold. I find myself quoting it pretty often. I think most people are familiar with the plot, so let’s revisit some of my favorite parts:

Of course, I love the fashion in this movie. My favorite Elle outfit is the “serious” one she wears to her first day at her internship – it’s pretty much my ideal business ensemble. This was the best screencap I could find:

However, I know no one but Reese Witherspoon could make menswear, hipster glasses, and a metallic bathrobe look adorable:

I have not seen the musical, but I’d like to! I heard the relationship between Elle and Emmett is developed better in the musical, which is one of the few gripes I have about the movie – their connection isn’t especially believable. If you have seen both, how do they compare?

* = I wasn’t paying attention to the trial until I was flipping channels on Sunday and came across the closing arguments. I’ve been totally sucked in ever since. I don’t agree that she’s not guilty, but I do think there’s more to the story than anyone will ever know. Either way, it’s terrible that a child is dead and no one is being held responsible.

** = Has anyone ever successfully employed the Bend and Snap in real life? Should I give it a try? :)

5 Comments + Posted in: movies

Memphis airfares are notoriously high, but they’ve gotten even worse in the past year or so. In many cases, a round-trip ticket from your destination to Memphis is about half the price – I’ve checked (out of morbid curiosity). I frequently drive to Nashville or Little Rock (both pleasant, easy airports) and fly Southwest from there, although with gas prices, the cost ends up about the same nowadays. Last time I booked a flight, I saw one from Memphis for over $500, and the exact same flight from Little Rock with a stop in Memphis (i.e. where you would board for the $500 ticket) cost $250. I’m sorry, but there’s no excuse for that.

According to this very informative article, Memphis is the second most unfairly priced airport in America. So it’s not in our heads. When Southwest bought AirTran, I had high hopes that they’d move in and create some real competition, but so far nothing has changed.

(By the way, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida was ranked most competitive, and I can attest to that! I can almost always fly there for a price that doesn’t make me cry. Plus they have beautiful sea life murals in their airport. :))

What are airfares like in your cities?

Completely unrelated: This gave me some much needed laughs today!

3 Comments + Posted in: memphis, travel

I finally finished the 30 Day Journal Challenge last night, having been several days behind almost the entire time. I’m very glad I participated in this. I’d never art journaled before, and sometimes it was a struggle, or I just felt silly. But after only a few days, I could feel an old door of creativity opening.

I was a wildly creative child. I doodled on everything and wrote stories constantly and didn’t think about how “good” any of it was, or whether it lived up to certain standards. In fact, I was proud of it all and freely showed it to people. Creating was as natural to me as breathing. But when I grew up, I told myself I didn’t have time to waste on producing mediocrity, especially when the world was already full of it. I eventually realized that my perfectionism was killing me (across the board, not just in this area). So I’ve been re-programming myself, and releasing my creative self a little at a time. Because I believe that God has plans for her; that I have to crawl before I can walk, and walk before I can run; and that it IS okay to write and draw and make things just for the enjoyment of it, without thought of usefulness or productiveness. I believe that since we’re made in the image of the Creator, creating is an inescapable part of our nature. (Madeleine L’Engle has a lot of great things to say about this.) Everyone has their own art, and there are a million non-artsy ways to express our creativity, so I’m not saying those are any less valid than the traditional arts. I’m just saying I’m trying to get back in touch with those traditional things!

Anyway, this challenge was a good experience and I’d definitely do it again. In fact, I might look for another challenge or set of prompts to do in a few months! It was fun to see my friends’ different takes on the same subject. I also made some new blog friends over the course of the month. :)

Thanks to the awesome Janel for putting this challenge together!

6 Comments + Posted in: creative

As I’ve mentioned here before, Independence Day is my favorite holiday. I have many reasons for this, but the main one is that it’s the most carefree of all the holidays. On the Fourth, you don’t have to stress over buying gifts. You don’t have to cook anything elaborate (unless you want to). There’s an atmosphere of celebration, but pressure and expectations are at a minimum. You can go to parades and fireworks, or to the beach, or you can lay around watching movies. You can throw some hot dogs on the grill and spend a relaxing day with friends and family, and everyone is happy. It’s pretty much perfect.

My brother Kevin came home for the long weekend, and we went with my parents to the Bartlett fireworks. The display was excellent this year! However, at the very end of the big finale, they set off a row of HUGE fireballs – you know, the kind that actually looks like a bomb exploded. So, in Kevin’s words, “We all went from pure joy to OMG IS EVERYONE OKAY OVER THERE?!?” I’m still laughing about it. Here are our Concerned Faces:

For a post-fireworks gathering at my parents’, I made Smitten Kitchen’s Strawberry Summer Cake, using the barley flour she recommended (available at Whole Foods). It was so easy to make, and deliciously jammy. If you have to bring a dessert to a cookout anytime soon, you can’t go wrong with this.

On Sunday night I threw my annual Fourth party! Although it wasn’t the big bash I had imagined, it was wonderful. Almost none of the people who came knew one another, but it wasn’t awkward. I was touched to see people I care about from diverse social groups and eras of my life enjoying each other’s company. :) I have happy memories from all my parties, but this one was special.

My favorite menu item was these “sparkler” pretzel sticks (inspired by some chocolate-covered pretzel sticks at a baby shower several months ago). I bought several bags of braided pretzel twists at Kroger, then dipped them in melted white chocolate and rolled them in red and blue decors that I already had. (The cute container is from the Target dollar spot.) I felt very accomplished. :)

Kevin kindly stopped on his way from Indiana and picked up some real sparklers. They were a huge hit with the kids.

I started making flag cakes for the Fourth in 1996. The tradition continues! My recipe has evolved over the years, and now I’m back to a simple preparation. Just white cake, berries, a Cool Whip and cream cheese frosting, and blueberry pie filling between the cake layers.

People liked it. :)

Finally: the best thing about this weekend was seeing my middle- and high-school BFF, Amy. We lost track of each other in college, and I’ve always been sad about losing that friendship and wondered what happened to her. A few months ago, she found me on Facebook! She was in town this past week, and we were able to get together several times (including the party). I also got to meet her daughter. Say what you will about Facebook, it’s reunited a lot of people, and for that reason I’m thankful it exists!

2 Comments + Posted in: celebrate, family, food, friends, summer