Romans 5:1-5

Well I guess it is about time that I provided an update regarding my life in Muncie thus far. And it’s… going.

The class content hasn’t been challenging… but that means I don’t want to do my work. Getting paid for real work and experience is good… but all consuming. Some new friends have been made… but I miss my girls.

Blah. If anything good has come out of this experience so far it is that I know what bars to go to for penny pitchers and craft beers.

Sorry for being such a downer.

It has always been easy to find the “buts” in my life. Guess I’ll just chalk it up as a combination of my genetic disposition and fallen nature.

But (yes, another but) I do not want to write off this experience yet.

Currently I am in that wonderful state of limbo where you just say fuck all and go with the flow. Another word for this state is hope.

If you are reading this (if anyone is reading this) you’ll look at the last couple of sentences and will go “huh?” But it’s true. My current let it be attitude is actually a profession of my hope. Kind of like that awful saying “let go and let god” without the tone of indifference.

I am here for a reason. Whatever that reason is maybe I will never know. Perhaps life at Ball State will teach me to be a good steward of my finances in a time when the economy sucks. Or possibly it will push me to realize how much I miss the city and community of Pittsburgh, and that the Midwest is not a viable option for my future life.

So all I can do is hope. And listen to Beyoncé.

i got a new man in my life...

and his name is keaton!!! yes, the love shack baby has finally emerged from the loins of his ever-so-lovely mother sara and he is beautiful. i have already started working on nicknames and my fave so far is sweet keats. as he gets older i will just call him keats for i have high expectations for this boy - he will be brilliant as well as easy on the eyes. congrats sara and kyle!!

in other news grad school is... well it just is. classes do not appear to be anything i can't handle. so far i have already known or been familar with all of the content (thanks dochoc and layton!) and haven't had much work outside of class... i am a ga for two very different, but engaging professors. the first is highly interested in family literacy (yay!) and i am currently helping her develop curriclum for a course on universal design instruction. the second prof's area of expertise is alternative communcation devices. basically i am overseeing his undergrad diagnostics class. although i am gaining great experience by working with these professor's they will most definitly be the death of me... also one cannot forget the city of muncie. already amanda and i have discovered some of its hidden jewels, but only time will tell whether or not i will strike up a love affair with this midwestern town.

on a side note i had the brilliant idea for a new tattoo (sorry mom). i have been studying through hebrews and in chapter 6 hope and faith in christ are compared to an anchor. this imagery just hit home with me and needless to say it would make an awesome tattoo. lots more planning needs to go into this idea and i already have some more fully developed concepts for other tattoos, but i still love this idea. when funds allow it, it will be done.

refrigerators - a window to the soul

You can tell a lot about a person by the contents of their fridge. Both the outer shell and its fillings provide insight to the madness of its owner.

Take for instance my parents fridge. The insides are a hot mess of condiments, home cooked leftovers, and half empty milk jugs. Its outer walls are concealed by an ungodly amount of photos, vague phone numbers, tacky magnets, and faded newspaper articles.

But through all of this disorder a picture of a family is revealed. A deeper look provides insight into the world of the Aratas. Bottles of cholula, and the remnants of artichokes, avocadoes, and homemade enchiladas expose a family who has embraced its southwestern identity. Photos of vacations past, tacky poses, and graduation caps reveal a diverse yet loving family. Magnets featuring bible verses, superheroes, and an alcoholic mayor expose the heart and humor of the household.

My parent’s fridge took ten years to look as it does. Ten years of life has produced a fridge that illustrates a family that is chaotic but full of affection for not only food and its hometown, but for one another as well.

And that brings me to Muncie, Indiana. A place where I have lived and had a fridge for exactly three days. Yet already it has begun to take on a life that mimics its owners. Already the insides are bursting with locally grown produce and a six pack of yuengling (the last for many months). The outside are already covered with coupon clippings and homemade beer cap magnets. Pictures have emerged on its walls that capture cherished friendships and individuals with an odd sense of humor.

So in closing I encourage you to look and reflect on your own refrigerator. What does it convey about you and your life? What revelations are found regarding what you treasure and find pleasure in?

la ti da

ramblings...

seattle. beautiful seattle. wonderful program. hell of expensive program.

muncie. random muncie. decent program. free to me program.

it is funny how god functions. he can give us an opportunity we thought we wanted. really, really wanted in fact. then he can present us with something we had forgotten and long ago dismissed. but it is a call (and a hard one to ignore at that) nevertheless.

so what does one do?
or rather what do i do?

west or midwest? debt or no debt? dream or calling?

ugh. i know. i know. freakishly lame complaints from someone way too blessed. the decision has been made. i am just not willing to admit it quite yet. i still want to hold onto the dream. but what i really need to do is hold onto christ.

oh, well. ball state here i come.