Jesus and NUMB3RS

Holly: About four and a half years ago (ish) I came across a Facebook note I wrote after I watched one of my favorite episodes of ER.  I tied in the plight of the episode to that of Christ's sacrifice on the cross.  You can read the whole thing here...and if you can't for some reason...well, sorry about your luck :P

Fast forward to last night.  I still binge on ER every now and then, but last night I was watching another one of my favorites, NUMB3RS.  Kelly and I have mentioned it on here a few times.  I was watching one of my favorites, "Friendly Fire", and again, I couldn't help but notice a parallel between my faith and this show that I really enjoy.  I jotted this down not long after.  Every day I'm learning that God really is in all things :) Enjoy, and happy Easter!


Good Friday, 2015.  Sometimes it’s hard for me to see the “good” in it.  This is the day that Christ gave up His life.  To sit and watch Christ die a most terrible death is something I don’t think I’ll ever be able to wrap my head around.  So much heartbreak.  Thank goodness that this particular story has a happy ending!  I am so thankful that because of Jesus, death doesn’t have the last word! 

I think so many of us, myself included, forget that Jesus walked this earth as a human.  He was human! I think there’s such a strong sense of fragility and vulnerability in this.  I was reminded of just that- the fragility of being human- this evening, while watching one of my favorite episodes of Numb3rs.  I think I’ve seen it half a dozen times by now.  A longtime mentor of Don’s, Fox, is under suspicion after a bank robbery that ends up with two federal agent fatalities.  Don backs him and defends him 100%...until the end, when the data Charlie has drawn up becomes too overwhelming to ignore- things are stacking up against Fox, and definitely not for the better.  In a stand-off between Don and Fox, Fox’s true colors come forth and the complete truth behind the robbery is revealed.  For the first time in years, we see Don’s guard drop and his coming to grips with reality- is someone he’s looked up to for so long really capable of such things?  As Fox reloads his firearm, he says that he can’t and won’t go down for this, this that would most assuredly end his career as he knew it, and he would rather take matters into his own hands than allow Don to turn him in.  I won’t reveal what happens next, but let me just say that it destroys Don (And me too!).  The armor finally cracks.  For five seasons we’ve seen Don shouldering the weight of his team stoically and effectively, burying any and all emotion for the sake of justice and doing his job.  But the end of this particular episode, maybe the last 5-10 minutes, it really does something to me.  It’s so powerful, yet there’s a moment subtle enough to miss if you’re not paying attention.  It’s a heart-wrenching reminder that we are human.  We fall.  We break.  We are rattled and moved by events in our lives and sometimes there isn’t anything else to do but let our guard down.  That moment just stops my heart.

The truth is that we are broken people, much like Don at the end of “Friendly Fire”.  We are not immune to tragedies that may occur in our lives, and we are not immune to how we may deal with said tragedies.  However, I’m thankful that I can run to God when life becomes too much.   I’m thankful that He understands the humanity within us.  He knows!  There are plenty of circumstances in this world that warrant apologies, but you should never have to apologize for being human.  Like I said, God understands, and He can handle it.  Newsflash: No one expects you to hold it together all the time.  I need that reminder often.  And that includes you too, Don!  (Anyone else felt like giving him a hug at the end there, or was it just me?) 

 

First post of 2013: Operations!

Kelly: No, we are all fine. Not THOSE kinds of operations! Anyway, today has been a day full of operations, as I just posted on my facebook. This morning started out with Operation Temporary Cat Refugee.  Good friends of ours who live in the apartment building next to us found themselves infestered with roaches!!! We got a call last night asking if we could house their 3 cats and bunny for a few hours while the exterminators sprayed. They chilled out in our bedroom, played in the closet and watched ER with me. It was a good morning. The reason we kept them separated is because Wiley is SUPER alpha male and gets very angry and upset in the presence of other cats. So he was completely oblivious to their appearances while Yoda caught a glimpse of little Aurora (not pictured). She was a bit curious for the day.

2/4 refugees for the morning :] 

Then Holly wanted to rearrange our bedroom. So after the kitties left we turned into Operation Rearrange ALL THE THINGS!!! Tomorrow I will be Operation Ow I Hurt Like Crap because I didn't wear my wrist brace. Tendonitis really sucks sometimes. But the wrist pain actually goes away if I wear my brace for a few days. All will be well in due time :] So after we watched Jeopardy, Holly decided to go check on the kitties again to make sure they were ok. About 10 mins. later, she pokes her head in the door. Mischief (orange kitty pictured) got out! We still don't know how he did!!!! But he did. So we spent 20 minutes trying to chase him down. I eventually grabbed our kitty carrier (he loved it earlier today) and he took the bait. I wouldn't have minded chasing him down, except he thought it was funny and it was FREEZING COLD outside! I could almost here him taunting us. But he is safe and sound back at home. So that was today. A grand day. And now Yoda is asleep on my lap. All is well.

Holly: In addition to the newly-developed Operation Big Screen Bilbo Baggins/Martin Freeman/OMGeezers For The Third Time On Sunday, my current operation is Operation Holly Hopefully Has A New Job So She Can Work And Not Die of Boredom And Stir-Craziness Because Old Navy Is.........aksdjhfkajsldhfa...anyway.

Basically what's going down is I am scheduled for 2 days this upcoming week (Thursday and Friday).  Those two days will be my last.  Yes, I'm quitting.  I'm not going into details, but the basic jist of it is it's not worth the gas money and time for so few hours (I work for 10 hours those 2 days, and I've only worked one other shift).  By the way, I have not made that public yet so I would appreciate it if this was kept on the down low...other than you fine people the only other person I have told about this is my mom.  I know you all won't say anything, but just wanted to be up front.  Plus, I have been offered another job (hopefully...we're still working the kinks out).  It will cut my commute time from 35 minutes to about 5, which is a HUGE blessing.  I can't really say much else (really...I can't), but please pray/send good vibes/do whatever you do.

About all to report here.  Go be nice to some people.  And chase some kitties.  And if you haven't seen The Hobbit yet, I pity you.

Who would YOU like to meet?

Kelly: While browsing the web, I came across this website that posts really thought-provoking questions. One of the questions was "out of fictional characters from a book, TV show or movie, who would you like to meet?" And I thought this would be a good blog topic.  Wow this is hard. Really really hard. Ok, well here goes. (FYI: We apologize for the wonky fonts. We don't know how to fix it. Please bear with us as we try to figure it out.)

TV: Ooh that's an easy one!!! That's soooooo easy. My answer: Dr. Carter from ER. We have so much in common!!! Like me, he started out as a bumbling student wanting to save lives and practice medicine. Except he's a medical student and I'm a nursing student. He was anxious to get started and was hesitant at first but then just jumped right in and saved a man's life! Though he faced many hard times and even a severe setback involving illegal substances, Dr. Carter got back on his feet and continued to do what he loved. If I could meet him, I would shake his hand and say "thank you." He also provided with me some words of inspiration that I am carrying with me. "You set the tone." It was said to him as a medical student and he said the same words to an aspiring medical student.

Book: This is a tough one for me. I've REALLY had to think about this. I was going to say Jesus, but I believe that when I die I will see Him anyway. I think the purpose of this was to stick to fictional...oops. Anyway...well, to be honest. I really can't think of anyone at the present time. I'd really love to meet everyone from Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings and The Bible, but shoot that would be a long list. Well, there you have it then. There's my list :P

Movie:  Again, another easy one. First I would like to acknowledge a bunch of my friends and church goers for continuing to feed my addiction to the Lord of the Rings series. Second is now the answer to whom I would love to meet from the movie. That would be Frodo, or as Sam calls him, Mr. Frodo. Frodo, like all of us who are Christians or others pursuing life's journey, are on a quest. It is up to us to respond to it and venture into a journey, sometimes not knowing the outcome. Frodo did such that. Sacrificing his home, belongings and nearly his life on several occasions, Frodo took the call as the Ring bearer and carried it to its final resting place. He had no idea where he was going or what he was doing but gained some trustworthy followers on the way to his quest. Though others tried to help him carry the burden of the ring, he refused, stating it was his to carry but they were happy to join him if they pleased. Like me, I too am on a journey as a Christ follower. I have had to carry my fair share of Rings and others have offered to carry them for me. But I too have stood firm and said they were mine to carry, and I gained followers and supporters along the way. I've got some great Sams in my life, and Sam was an honest and loyal companion to Frodo, especially when Frodo's hope was dead and buried. If I were to meet Mr. Frodo, number one he would live at my place, probably in some small confines that I have in my apartment. And then I would say "we both have faced great journeys, but we are not alone. We never were."

Plus, Elijah Wood is re-gosh-darn-stinking adorable!! ;]

Holly: Well, Kelly, we must be related.  Because some of yours are also some of mine!


TV: Ok, well...I could just be really snarky and say the entire cast of E.R. because at one point all of them have just been like woah to me!  But like Kelly, I also have to go with Dr. Carter.  He starts out as this shy, unsure, timid little med student, but then becomes a warm, well-respected, model physician.  Along the way he deals with all sorts of junk: losing his grandmother ("Gamma"), getting stabbed by a crazy dude and in turn, losing a friend (yes, even though he and Lucy started out hating each other, they DID become friends...so...yeah), a crippling narcotic addiction, a bajillion (in my opinion...crappy, lol) girlfriends, becoming disowned by his family, and finally, falling in love with a woman but losing their child (and, for the record, I'M SORRY KEM, I know y'all lost your little Joshua, but FOR GOODNESS SAKES, HE LOVED YOU!!!!!!!!!! //end rant).  Plus, the passing of the "You set the tone" torch from, WAY back in the beginning, Morganstern to Dr. Greene, from Dr. Greene to Carter, then Carter to Gallant, and finally Carter to Morris= aahh! Brilliant! :D


Book: Ok...again, a bajillion could go here.  Of course Harry Potter: unabashed bravery, loyalty to his friends, his love for his parents...and he defeats Voldemort.  Hello?!?!?!?  Freaking.  Awesome.  But from Lord of the Rings, I LOVE THE TREEBEARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!  Or Ents.  Whatever you prefer to call them.  They keep Merry and Pippin company and just make me happy!  I want to just hang out with an Ent for a day.  Or forever.  :)

Movie: Dangit, Kelly, you took mine again.  The Frodo/Sam storyline is perhaps one of my favorite relational stories in fiction.  So here's sweet, brave Frodo, who gives up his Hobbit comforts, friends, and security in order to take on a very dangerous and weakening mission: destroying the One Ring.  He plans to go at it alone, but Sam shows unwavering loyalty to his master and decides to go along on the arduous journey with him.  Though Gollum tries to break them up (P.S. Gollum is an evil little booger...sorry!  And that "precioussssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss" thing...super. legit. creepy).  But anyway, towards the end of the journey, Frodo is so weak, he doesn't think he can go another minute, and Sam is asking what he can do...and Frodo just says carry the Ring.  I'm done.  And Sam tells him "I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you."  Daaww....still gets to me, even though I've only seen the movie once.  But to have a Sam in your life, to have someone stay by your side through EVERYTHING, the good, pretty, and ugly...it's rare, and it's love.  Plain and simple.  I hope to have someone like that someday.

Well dear us, how in the WORLD could we forget these dashing, charming Brits? None other than Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson! :)

Potpurri post #3

Kelly: Cut myself shaving seven times tonight. UGH!!! This is going to be a very...very long summer. I'm already 2 weeks into my summer class and it's been somewhat interesting so far. I'll just be happier when that class is over and all I have to do is work. I plan on doing lots of reading, so if there are any book suggestions please let me know. I have a few that I would like to read; My Utmost for His Highest, Heaven is for Real, The Reason for God and the Case for Christ just to name a few. In the meantime, I will FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS!

Yoda has been with us for a week yesterday. It's amazing to me how far she has come since last Friday. When we brought her home, she didn't leave her cat carrier for a few hours. We were getting pretty worried, until she came out and started exploring. Wiley wasn't too pleased; he hissed and tried to attack her on a few separate occasions. Poor Yoda was banished in the downstairs bathroom when we had to leave. Within two days she was wandering around like she owned the place, and she and Wiley are buddies now! They run around and play, lick each other, but still haven't slept together. As I write this she is sleeping beside me on the arm rest of the chair. She's become quite the cuddle bunny. Still trying to work on leaving us alone while we sleep. The both of them try to come in the room; we have blankets in front of our bedroom door. That reminds me...I'll have to post some apartment pictures later for those of you who haven't seen them yet. That's about all for now. Really not much has gone on...Holly and I have been struggling to find something to blog about. Thanks for sticking with us though!

Holly: Kelly and I have been on a bit of an ER kick for about a month now.  Great show if you've never seen it before.  I'm a big Dr. Carter fan...have been for ages.  I just love his storylines and his character (next blog topic, sis???).  Right now I'm on Stumbleupon.  I still haven't "started" my job yet...silly HR still needs to get me into the system and make me a UK email address/web account so I can finish online orientation classes and thus start my job.

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I'm currently reading from a new author: Patricia Briggs.  Recommended by my adviser last semester, it's a fantasy type series, but some are set in modern times.  Sort of like Harry Potter.  Sort of.  I've only read one book but I'm almost finished with it and I like it.  We shall see how the rest go.  Our neighbor's dogs are barking.  Our other neighbor across the street has a bajillion-year-old Mustang that he insists upon starting up at about 5 in the morning every morning, only it takes about six or seven times to actually get the car started before it leaves.  And it's not the quietest of cars either.

We're also working our way through the Harry Potter movies; just finished Prisoner of Azkaban tonight.  My favorite, personally: I love Professor Lupin and I think it follows the book the best.  I've also picked up knitting again for the first time in almost a year.  Yay.  :)

Back to stumbling.  Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend all!!!! <3