Boundaries

I consistently see a correlation between boundaries and blessings. I have been struggling to figure out these past couple of years what it means to live the life that God intended. I am not even close to the answer but I have definitely come a long way in my journey, at least mentally. I have yet to put a lot of the things I believe into practice. Why is that? Here are some examples...
1. If we know that good nutrition and exercise help us to live longer and have a greater quality of life why do we choose unhealthy foods and fight exercise. Being overweight and unhealthy feels gross and it is a choice for most people.
2. If we spend more money than we make, we will owe someone money. Living in debt feels gross and it is a choice for all people.
3. If we continue to treat the earth poorly we might have a hard time finding a parcel of land to live on (watch An Inconvenient Truth to see about the choices we can make and decide this one for yourself)
4. If we treat people poorly no one will be at our funeral. I actually don't know that to be truth but it is always in the movies. It is true that we will be alienated from the relationships that exist to let us know God better and to be encouraged.

When we live this way we are unable to see the gifts that God intended us to have.

Why do we continue to ignore the boundaries and insist on living a life that is mediocre when we could could be living one that is extraordinary?

Summer theme songs

So, I mentioned that 'Achy Breaky Heart' was my first summer theme song. It's true. My memory was pulling the truck up in front of my High School where I was meeting my friend Rooster (nickname) and rolling down my window to talk to him. He handed me a mixed tape that included a little Billy Ray and asked if I wanted to go with him and his friend to Eugene to watch them get a tatoo. Since I had a huge crush at the time on his friend this was pretty much one of the best days of my High School career. I will never forget that song. There is nothing better than those songs that make you want to roll your windows down on a sunny day and drive until the song is over. These are not necessarily good songs, just the kind that sound different when the sun is shining. Here are some of my summer theme songs. Remember that summer theme songs are almost always defined as Guilty Pleasures.

1993- Whoomp! There it is, Rump Shaker, Nuthin but a "G" Thang, I'm Gonna Be (500 miles)
1994- Anything by Salt n Pepa and the Reality Bites soundtrack
1995- Gangsta's Paradise, everything by TLC and Mary Chapin Carpenter
1996- C'mon N Ride It (That Train), No Diggity
1997- Da Dip, Mmmbop and all Puff Daddy
1998- Gettin Jiggy Wit it, I'll Be, Sock it 2 Me
1999- Save Tonight, Where my Girls At?, No Scrubs, Genie in a Bottle, Kiss Me
2000- Bye, Bye, Bye, everything by the Dixie Chicks, Steal my Kisses, Fast Car (played for 3 hours while Kevin and I talked)
2001- Rollin', Ms. Jackson, Country Grammar
2002- Hey Baby, whatever Britney Spears album came out (I'm not proud of this)
2003- Hey Ya!, Bring me to life, Crazy in Love
2004- Drop it like it's hot, The Reason, This Love
2005- Hollaback Girl, Gold Digger, everything by the Killers
2006- Temperature, Crazy (Gnarls Barkley), Too Little Too Late, S.O.S.
2007- Party Like a Rock Star and I am bringing back Ice, Ice Baby

I'm thinking a future mixed cd is on this list.
Go to www.musicoutfitters.com to find the top 100 songs of each year.

UPDATE: Just to clarify.....The songs above are good for the car and cleaning house. I don't usually listen to rap on a regular basis. Even though I would prefer folk and easy listening I like to mix it up. A little Air Supply, a little Outkast. Everything in moderation right?

Independence Day

Picture it. 1992. Tri City, Oregon. It was July and I had just turned 16. I was a licensed driver and my best friend's parents were out of town. They left us the keys to the '77 brown Buick. They had one of the coolest houses in town. A full basketball court, a pool, a hot tub and it was all ours for a week. We referred to this for many years later as "The Best Week Ever" way before VH1 ever got a hold of the phrase. We found a rubber hand in the trunk that was making the "hang loose" sign and a stuffed leg. So we put the hand in the rear window and hung the leg out of the trunk and rocked 8-tracks for 7 glorious days. We went to the county fair, laid out by the pool, shopped for different 8-tracks....it was so much fun and we didn't even have the predictable parents-are-gone party. The next week I inherited my dad's white Ford pickup for 8 hours a day while he was at work. It was in this truck that I remember my first summer theme song(see next post)......Achy Breaky Heart. That's right, Billy Ray Cyrus. Here are my favorite of the Top 100 songs from 1992. (I took off a lot of Amy Grant, Mariah and Celine) BTY, this is the summer that I went to a Color Me Badd concert. Tick Tock You don't stop.

1. End Of The Road, Boyz II Men
2. Baby Got Back, Sir Mix A-lot
3. Jump, Kris Kross
4. Save The Best For Last, Vanessa Williams
5. Baby-Baby-Baby, TLC
6. Tears In Heaven, Eric Clapton
7. My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It), En Vogue
9. All 4 Love, Color Me Badd
12. To Be With You, Mr. Big
13. I'm Too Sexy, Right Said Fred
14. Black Or White, Michael Jackson
15. Achy Breaky Heart, Billy Ray Cyrus
17. November Rain, Guns N' Roses
18. Life Is A Highway, Tom Cochrane
22. Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough, Patty Smyth
24. Jump Around, House Of Pain
25. Diamonds and Pearls, Prince and The N.P.G.
27. Masterpiece, Atlantic Starr
32. Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
37. It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday, Boyz II Men
38. Move This, Technotronic
39. Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen
40. Tennessee, Arrested Development
44. Set Adrift On Memory Bliss, P.M. Dawn
45. Stay, Shakespear's Sister
46. 2 Legit 2 Quit, Hammer
60. One, U2
65. Warm It Up, Kris Kross
66. In The Closet, Michael Jackson
72. Everything About You, Ugly Kid Joe
73. Blowing Kisses In The Wind, Paula Abdul
75. Rhythm Is A Dancer, Snap
87. Slow Motion, Color Me Badd
100. I Can't Make You Love Me, Bonnie Raitt

Go to musicoutfitters.com to find the top 100 songs of each year.

Places without "Cricket Season"

Okay, so I have been a pretty good Abilene citizen these past 2 years. I have had an above average attitude concerning west Texas considering my Oregon roots. I have tried to appreciate and at times admire Abilene with its dirt and flatness. But, seriously, cricket season?! I don't care what Miss Spider tells her Sunny Patch Friends but crickets are gross. They are really concentrated around campus and various strip malls throughout town. Now, I know that 2 years ago it was much worse but I will never get used to large bugs jumping around on the floor while I am shopping or trying not to step on a smooshed one. What purpose do these annoying bugs serve?

Felicity

Well, it was bound to happen I suppose. We don't have cable and so I watch a lot of tv on dvd. A friend brought over the first two seasons of Felicity and I was moderately excited. Even though I could not stand this show when it was actually on tv, I have contemplated watching it this past year. The only reason I even considered it is because it is the summer and I needed a fluff show to watch during a nap time here and there or when Kevin worked late. If Felicity and I could have only kept that relationship going it would have been fine. I was Ben and she was, well, Felicity. I wanted something fun and no pressure. She wanted every hour of my day. I am addicted. It took a while to know if I liked it because it made me feel older and like I was too mature to watch it. Then, out of nowhere, Bam! I felt like I was back in college again with all the drama and more. I use every excuse to be able to get to the next episode. I'll bring all the toys in the living room or I'll find some "chores" that have to be done while sitting on the couch. It's like when I have cookies in the house. Instead of just rationing myself to one a day I go with the theory that I need to just get them out of here as soon as possible. I think this is just a general problem with watching shows on dvd. You can get instant gratification of knowing what will happen next by just pushing the button. Maybe I should just get cable.

To Know.....

Is it buck naked or butt naked?

Exercise

Yeah, so I started exercising more regularly by joining a group (Forever Fit) that some friends from church started. Nearly every muscle on my body has been sore for the past 3 weeks. It is starting to get better (Thank you, Jesus!). This video from Saturday Night Live is more what I was looking for, but oh well.