BIG NEWS!!!

I have the honor and privilege to announce to the blogworld that Jamie and Kris had their baby today! Asher Owen Rives was brought forth into the world on around 2pm. He weighs 4lbs and 13 oz--which is a good size for being six weeks early! He was not due until March 19, so this is a big surprise to everyone, but very exciting! I'm sure when Jamie feels up to it, so will share her whole day--from her water breaking to incision--but for now you have me to share the news. :)

Jamie will be home this weekend and Asher will follow in 2 weeks, hopefully Feb 21. Please keep the Rives family in your prayers as they celebrate the joy of their new arrival!

--Kathy

Six Weird Things About Me

I have been holding off on posting my 'six weird things' because what I could come up with were either not weird, or too weird to share. Here's the list I could come up with:

1. I do not like watching movies I have never seen before.

I know that doesn't even make sense if you think about it, but its true. For some reason, it makes me anxious to sit down for a movie for 2 or 3 hours without any guarantee that I will enjoy it. I'm much happier with movies playing in the background while I clean or do laundry (I know that makes me sound way too industrious or driven--please dont get the wrong idea.)

2. I write sideways.

I never noticed that other people don't write the same way I do until I went to college and started taking notes next to people in classes. Apparently other lefty's curve their whole arm around the paper. This is much easier.

3. I absolutely LOVE onions.

I love them all. 1015's, Vidalias, Reds, Sweet Yellows, Peruvians, Green Onions.....it doesnt matter. Any and all meals are made better with some onions.

4. I carry a copy of the U.S. Constitution in my purse.

It was a gift from the Rives who might have actually meant it as a joke. Ever since I received it though, it has been invaluable. I pull it out when I get bored somewhere without a book and refresh myself on the ammendments.

5. I have a real problem with tardiness.

I am consistenly exactly 10 minutes late anywhere I go. I dont know how I do it, but it seems like my internal clock needs to be turned back a few ticks. Dirk has really helped me with this but its a constant problem.

6. Whatever book I am reading, I have to explain to someone else.

Dirk can vouch for this because he has vicariously read dozens of books because I pretty much recap every chapter of every book I read for him. He must love me very much because he is always able to seem interested. (This is also true for Claire, Jenny and Nancy!)

I'm sure those of you who know me at all could come up with many other weird things about me, but this is all I have right now. Everything else is normal for me. :)

--Kathy

A great quote

I was looking around the web trying to find some fun stuff for Black History Month and I came across this quote. I thought it was very true:

"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous that sincere ignorance and conscienctious stupidity."
--Martin Luther King Jr.

Just wanted to share.

--Kathy

My New Books

I ordered these books with my Amazon Gift Certificates (Thanks Mimi!) I'm posting them up here for some sort of acountability so that maybe it will urge me on to read all these before my due date. (That is a lofty goal!) Anyway, here they are in no particular order:

I'm working on my photo placement. These are taken from Amazon. I'll establish hyperlinks to the pictures as soon as I figure out how to do so. I'got recommendations for these (at least the Gladwell books) from the Discerning Reader.

I'm really excited about them all and as always it will take me a few days to settle on just one to get started with. --Kathy

Fun Book Meme--Dirk

Kathy tagged me with this meme thing. But first the Houston Half Marathon update:

I SURVIVED! That was a big concern of mine, especially about mile 11. I was feeling good all the way until I got there. Then for some reason, going down the hill on Montrose right before Allen Pwky my quad started to cramp. Then my calves started to cramp. So I had to slow down my pace and stretch ever 1/2 mile or so. I have been around running long enough to see crazy runners that pushed harder and ended up with full leg cramps....I have vivid memories of lots of screaming from them. Besides the lack of preparation, the warm weather (70 and humid), and the dropping out of my running partner I survived. I also need to say that I think that picture was of me between miles 4 and 5. I was hurting more by mile 6. Maybe next year I'll train better and win the race...ok maybe just train better.

Back to this meme thing. Here are the directions:
1)Grab the book closest to you
2)Open to page 123, go down to the fourth sentence.
3)Post the text of the following 3 sentences on your blog
4)Name the author and book title
5)Tag three people to do the same

#1--The first book I picked up was a Greek Morphology book. Did you know there weren't four sentences on pg 123? So next was God's Indwelling Presence: the Holy Spirit in the Old & New Testaments by Dr. James Hamilton.

#2--In line with Romans 12:1-2, Skaraune points out, "the new people of God are not in a temple, attending a service led by priests, they are the temple and they are its priests, themselves conduction the service." Whereas formerly it was right to worship in Jerusalem at the temple (deut 12:5), God's people are now His temple through the indwelling of the Spirit. This salvation-historical order of events is precisely what we saw in John.
(There are a couple of footnotes in this passage of the book, but this blogger won't let me put them in.)

#4--God's Indwelling Presence: the Holy Spirit in the Old & New Testaments by Dr. James Hamilton

#5--Now I have to find three people that actually look here at this blog. hmmm.....I think these are the last 3:

1. Joe
2. Ryan
3. Jonathan

Pictures from the Houston Marathon

This is Dirk running the half-marathon at mile 6. Looking good!

Here is my precious niece cheering on her daddy running the full marathon. (She made the poster herself)

Dirk and I after the race.

Fun Book Meme --Kathy

Robin tagged me for a "Fun Book Meme." (I've never heard of this, but I'm a sucker for anything 'survey-esque')

Here are the directions:

1)Grab the book closest to you
2)Open to page 123, go down to the fourth sentence.
3)Post the text of the following 3 sentences on your blog
4)Name the author and book title
5)Tag three people to do the same

The book is How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster

"Okay, so the heavy-metal sound isn't in the hymnal. And this character would be very hard pressed to take over Savior duty. No literary Christ figure can everbe as pure, as perfect, as divine as Jesus Christ."

(From the chapter, "Yes, She's a Christ Figure, Too" I'm not even going to try to explain, but its a good read if you want some insight in literature) I'm tagging Dirk :), Jenny, and my dad (I know I'm being a little too optomistic) although I'm only pretty confident about Dirk responding. If you're reading this, you're included too. Join in the fun. :)

Does anyone read Flannery O'Connor?

I was inspired to read some of Flannery O'Connor's short stories after reading a post by Justin Taylor extolling her skill as a storyteller. So over Christmas I purchased a book of all her short stories at Barnes & Noble and dove right in. So far I've read 6 of the 31 stories included in the anthology ("The Geranium", "The Barber"-my favorite, "Wildcat", The Crop", The Turkey", and "The Train"). I like her writing style and she is an excellent writer, but I'm afraid I dont get it. Most of her stories are a little dark and I get the feeling there is more going on than I'm aware of. I would like to appreciate her work more--if only I understood what she wanted me to see in her stories. I feel like I'm too dense to understand what she's saying and I really want to love her stories, but I dont grasp her point.

In college I read her short stories "A Good Man Is Hard To Find", and "Everything that Rises Must Converge" but those were a little easier to understand. I liked those. I'm not really saying I dont enjoy reading her work, but I'm afraid its a little out of my reach at times.

Does anyone else read or enjoy Flannery O'Connor? Can anyone explain or offer insight to some of her stories preferably ones I've already read?

I'm back, maybe

I finally finished the fall semester and took a week off without much other work. I did spend some time in Hebrew and Kathy and I are trying to memorize some of 1 John in Greek, but that is the fun application that comes from the hard work of this past semsters. Besides that I have not done much that relates to school, which includes writing (this blog is included in the writing). I hope to post a couple of my book reviews in the next couple of days that I had to write this past semester. I doubt that anyone cares to read them, but what the heck I'll post them anyway.

Here is a rundown of what has been going on this past semester, not that you care. I am now teaching 8th grade science,. I took Hebrew 3, Greek 1, and Philosophy of Religion at SWBTS-Havard. We have been going to Dr. appts every month, and we moved during finals week. Yeah you heard me, 2 finals and book review in the middle of moving....I don't recommend that. I have also been "training" for the Houston half marathon. I wouldn't say it was much of a training schedule, it turned into long runs on Saturday morning and not much else. I did about 10.5 miles this morning and feel confident that I can make the 13.1 without passing out. The last few months I don't think I have done anything very well and most times felt like I was just trying to survive. I hate that feeling, my sinfulness doesn't want to rely on a Holy God to provide.

I'll have some post coming up in the next few days that deal with more than just me. Also Kathy wants to blog about some heresy isms of church history. She is reading Heroes and Heretic which I think is a very helpful overview of church history. I recommend it to anyone who wants a beginning place to start studying the history of the Christian church.

Pretty much the worst song ever

I hate to cut off the lively (5 comments is a lot around here) discussion about Jesus' birthday, but I coulndt keep this to myself. We've found a lot of old cd's that were recovered as we moved our stuff to our new place. One was (Amy's) top 25 greatest old country hits. Its a great cd, but there is one song on its list that we dont understand how it got there. Its GOT to be the worst written song ever--on so many levels. All I can say: If Dirk listed off coffee, grass, birds of the world and squirrels--oh, and me too--as things he loved, I'd be pretty ticked. Here's the link if you'd like to enjoy it too: "I love"

--Kathy