He is waiting

I will glory in my Redeemer
Who carries me on eagles' wings.
He crowns my life with loving kindness,
His triumph song I'll ever sing.
I will glory in my Redeemer
Who waits for me at gates of gold;
And when He calls me, it will be paradise.
His face forever to behold,
His face forever to behold.

-From "I Will Glory in My Redeemer," Cook

This is a verse from a song we sang in church this morning. I thought the lyrics were just so encouraging and uplifting and reminds me that God is calling us heavenward. It's easy to forget in the daily grind.

"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Phil. 3:14

Embracing the holiday alone

Well it's the 4th of July- a time that should be full of family, friends, food, and celebration. Unfortunately, I'm spending it alone, and even worse, at school. The Husband is off at the cabin in Colorado with the extended family for the weekend. I wish I could have joined them, but the demands of PhD work are currently relentless.

This morning, I went on a very nice 3-mile run and on my way home, I stopped at the grocery store. I bought myself the following items, for comfort:

1. A bouquet of flowers. Yes. Something pretty to smell/look at while the house is empty and quiet. Plus, flowers make me smile.

2. A Texas seedless watermelon. I have challenged myself to eat the entire thing before The Husband returns from his 4.5 day hiatus.

3. A large container of plain yogurt. Oh, the things I could make. Smoothies, yogurt/granola breakfasts...

4. Some Pillsbury orange danish rolls. I can bake them for breakfast and I don't even have to share :p

Food Venues of Choice

The Husband and I are not very picky eaters, and most any day, aside from homecooked meals, we'd pick fast food or a casual restaurant over fine dining. Perhaps our tastes are not very cultivated. But, our philosophy is this: Why pay $$$ for a meal the size of this period (.)? It may taste fabulous, but it lasts only one bite. And besides, our taste buds are much more inclined towards "regular" food. Here are our favorite places to dine around town:

1. Freebirds. The best burritos on earth.
2. Niko Niko's (Greek). They have the best seasoned potatoes and stuffed grape leaves.
3. Lupe Tortilla. Fabulous fajitas and impeccable service.

Good food. Lots of it. And we can wear jeans and t-shirts! Mmmmm.

What I would study if I went back to college

After a weekend at our alma mater, the nostalgia hit me. I would love to be an undergraduate again. Here are a few areas (in no particular order) I would consider majoring in if I could go back:

1. Psychology/Neuroscience (I am mesmerized by psychological disorders and how it connects with the brain)
2. Spanish, or another foreign language (probably Italian or Latin)
3. Biomedical Engineering
4. Art (my childhood dream, which still remains)

Caffeine

I have definitely reached the point where caffeine has become almost like an enemy to me. There are times, like today, when I feel tired enough to justify a can of Dr. Pepper at lunch. But I fear not being able to sleep tonight. I seem to have quite a reaction to even the tiniest bit of caffeine since I gave up regular consumption of coffee/caffeinated drinks. Even when I order decaf drinks, the small amount of caffeine still affects me. The good thing about all of this is that when I need a boost, caffeine works- whereas in the past, I could go and take a nap after a cup of coffee. The downfall is that it now sometimes works too well... I should really just eliminate consumption, instead of limiting consumption.

Certain things that people could improve on

(including myself). I hope this doesn't sound like a ranting post, but there are just certain things in life that give me the heebie-jeebies. And these certain things really should not be an issue.

• Responding to emails. Come on people- we're all busy, but you must have 10 seconds to hit reply and say "Hey I got this and will respond soon" if you can't respond to the email right away. Nothing drives me more nuts than an email that is never acknowledged or responded to. Of course, certain emails (such as emails sent for informative purposes) do not require a response, but if the email poses a question, one should respond. I don't ask "How are you?" as a rhetorical question and it offends me when people assume it is.
• Responsibility. Irresponsibility has got to be one of my top pet-peeves. Laziness and carelessness really rub me the wrong way. The worst part about irresponsibility is when it affects others and people have to start taking care of your actions (or lack of). I have no sympathy for people who are in a rut due to irresponsibility.
• Flushing the toilet. This is a silly one, but I really cannot understand why people sometimes don't flush the toilet. If it's a small child who is still learning, fine. But the number of times I walk into the bathroom (including here at a university) and the toilet is not flushed is outrageous. It makes no sense to me.
• Using car turn signals. It's not that difficult. One flip of the finger and it's on. And people around you know where you are going!!! Wow! This includes bikers and pedestrians, who you may think are not paying attention to you, but they are, and need to know.
• Eating. A bit funny, but please, eat and enjoy. Don't limit yourself because you think you're fat. Just order something healthy, and eat it all.
  
  I realize some of these are odd, but so am I.

I decided that since hardly anyone reads my bloog, there really isn't any reason to have it publicly available, so I changed the weblink and the permissions on it. Plus, I'm busy, so anything I may have to say is probably going to be short and trivial. I may be taking a break from public blooging, but that won't stop me from writing, and possibly making this public again at a later date.

Signing off (publicly). For now.