Holly: So Kelly and I were inspired by this:
http://twopaddocks.com/team-tunes.shtml#BenedictCumberbatch
Yes, it's Mr. C. Sue us. But we were browsing through the rest of the lists and we just kept thinking, what would be OUR top ten songs?? So here they are (these are in no particular order):
1. Who You Are- Unspoken
I first heard this song on a radio station I don't normally listen to, and the words just really spoke to me. It just resonated with me that no matter how far gone you go, God is still there.
2. Holland Road- Mumford and Sons
Ok, essentially ANYTHING by them is good, just very recently got into them and love their music, their instrumentation, etc. But the rhythms and driving melody is just...aah! My ears are happy. And the words are really powerful.
3. Can't Stop Loving You- Phil Collins
Like Mumford, I'm a huge Phil Collins fan. HUGE. It's very hard to find a song by him that I don't like. But this is just one of the most beautiful love songs in existence, in my opinion. If I ever get married I will play this song.
4. Solsbury Hill- Peter Gabriel
Just makes me think about life, memories, good times.
5. River- Enya
I listen to this if I can't think of anything to listen to. Beautiful music.
6. No Not One- Brandon Heath
Probably one of my favorite songs ever. Great reminder of God and His love and power.
7. Tonight is the Night- Outasight
Don't judge. Makes me want to dance.
8. Ticket to Ride- The Beatles
Catchy.
9. Hide- Scott Grimes
Yes, Dr. Morris on ER can sing. And he does it well.
10. Into the West- Annie Lennox
Still gives me chills to this day. Hauntingly beautiful.
Kelly: (my list changes daily. I love all kinds of music)
1. Caledonia-Celtic Woman.
I first heard this song when I was in the Highlands last summer in Scotland. It's a beautiful song about making a return journey home. There are many versions of this song; I just like Celtic Woman's the best :]
2. Broken Crown-Mumford & Sons
There are a few explicit words in this song, but a friend of mine pointed out how much passion there is in it. There really is. Just listen to the words. And the music is terrific too
3. The Memory of Trees-Enya
This song...is so beautiful. I love a lot of Enya's work, but after a long day this song is so relaxing.
4. One Thing Remains-Kristian Stanfill
Just a reminder that God's love is always with us. It never fails, never gives up, and it never runs out. Power! What power! Currently playing on repeat
5. All This Time-Britt Nicole
I call this my theme song. For real. Sometimes I forget that God has been there walking beside me through the hard times. And He still is!
6. Voice in the Wilderness-David Nevue
Found this song through Pandora. It's gorgeous! I love calm piano music, mostly hymns.
7. I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)-The Proclaimers
I just always want to get up and start dancing when I hear this song. I play it after I get something done and want to celebrate. Plus, they're twins...from Scotland! :D
8. Joy to the World-Hillsong
Yes, yes. I know it's a Christmas song. But it's my favorite arrangement of said song. Take a listen.
9. Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da: The Beatles
Because it's awesome. That's why!
10. Free-Dara Maclean.
Another whoop whoop song! Just got introduced to this not too long ago. Such true words! Great for walking early in the morning. :]
Let us know what you like or what you like on this list! Cheers!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
What's your appleseed?
Kelly: There is a reason for the crazy title that will be explained in a little bit. Anyway, the topic for this blog today is regarding fear. What in the world are we so afraid of? I could rattle off a few things, such as snakes, falling off really high places, and stinging bugs. Yeah. But if there was something that REALLY got me bone-chilling afraid...it'd be this.
Pain. Never knowing again what not having pain feels like. Yes, I am talking about my ankle...again. Now before you automatically disregard this, please don't. I've been thinking about how to describe what I'm so afraid of for a while, but after today at church I finally understand. I am afraid that I will never be pain-free again. It's not a phobia, but yeah. It does scare me. I have felt on numerous occasions that I will be the way I am for the rest of my life. And I haven't accepted that yet...because I'm afraid to. See where all the fear is coming from? But today, I've thought of something different. Something in a way that I haven't heard before.
Hope.
There is. There always is. And God...my God...is so much bigger than your fears. Than my fears. Than all my pain and worry about never knowing no pain. And that gives me hope. That is what has fueled me in all the areas in my life; that hope that God is so much bigger than all my junk that He has erased and freed me from! It is not His will for us to live in fear; to live in bondage of this and that and then some. But...it's a choice. I am trusting Him, or at least learning to trust Him more. It hasn't been easy. Some days it's easy to trust God; some days, most days, it's really hard. But I make a choice. Daily. So now I ask this; what are you afraid of? What are you doing about it? Are you ok with living in fear or is today the day you're going to decide that you don't have to? That it's not your will to do so? Yes. I'm still in pain. But God is bigger than pain.
Holly: The title comes from the sermon today: our pastor mistaking a bed bug in his 2-year-old daughter's bedroom for a mere appleseed (the story is much more humorous than I'm letting on). But what I'm getting at is this: why do we WORRY???????????? All. The. Time? qwvgbsegbf (attack of the Yoda...sorry)
We get so bent out of shape with worry and fear that it distorts reality...we see things that simply are not there. We get crazy ideas planted in our head, we have visions of crazy things that could, should, might happen. And then what happens, 9 times out of 10, is that we worry over absolutely NOTHING. Kelly used to get herself physically sick over worrying; kid you not.
The challenge from today was what if Christians, PEOPLE, lived in simple faith and not fear? That doesn't mean that us as Christians are going to have hard times and struggle. But the difference is that we can choose to trust in the One who knows all, sees all, created all, and dealt with it all whenever we have a hard time. Whenever we feel that age-old fear creeping up again. It's a choice, like Kelly said. We can either choose to continue to let fear cripple us to the point of distorting reality, or we can do something about it. If you know that something in your life is causing you worry, pray about it. TRUST that God will see you through it, and REFLECT on all the things that God has already carried you through, and then IMAGINE all the things that God is going to carry you through in the future!!!!
How's that for making an appleseed into an apple tree?
Pain. Never knowing again what not having pain feels like. Yes, I am talking about my ankle...again. Now before you automatically disregard this, please don't. I've been thinking about how to describe what I'm so afraid of for a while, but after today at church I finally understand. I am afraid that I will never be pain-free again. It's not a phobia, but yeah. It does scare me. I have felt on numerous occasions that I will be the way I am for the rest of my life. And I haven't accepted that yet...because I'm afraid to. See where all the fear is coming from? But today, I've thought of something different. Something in a way that I haven't heard before.
Hope.
There is. There always is. And God...my God...is so much bigger than your fears. Than my fears. Than all my pain and worry about never knowing no pain. And that gives me hope. That is what has fueled me in all the areas in my life; that hope that God is so much bigger than all my junk that He has erased and freed me from! It is not His will for us to live in fear; to live in bondage of this and that and then some. But...it's a choice. I am trusting Him, or at least learning to trust Him more. It hasn't been easy. Some days it's easy to trust God; some days, most days, it's really hard. But I make a choice. Daily. So now I ask this; what are you afraid of? What are you doing about it? Are you ok with living in fear or is today the day you're going to decide that you don't have to? That it's not your will to do so? Yes. I'm still in pain. But God is bigger than pain.
Holly: The title comes from the sermon today: our pastor mistaking a bed bug in his 2-year-old daughter's bedroom for a mere appleseed (the story is much more humorous than I'm letting on). But what I'm getting at is this: why do we WORRY???????????? All. The. Time? qwvgbsegbf (attack of the Yoda...sorry)
We get so bent out of shape with worry and fear that it distorts reality...we see things that simply are not there. We get crazy ideas planted in our head, we have visions of crazy things that could, should, might happen. And then what happens, 9 times out of 10, is that we worry over absolutely NOTHING. Kelly used to get herself physically sick over worrying; kid you not.
The challenge from today was what if Christians, PEOPLE, lived in simple faith and not fear? That doesn't mean that us as Christians are going to have hard times and struggle. But the difference is that we can choose to trust in the One who knows all, sees all, created all, and dealt with it all whenever we have a hard time. Whenever we feel that age-old fear creeping up again. It's a choice, like Kelly said. We can either choose to continue to let fear cripple us to the point of distorting reality, or we can do something about it. If you know that something in your life is causing you worry, pray about it. TRUST that God will see you through it, and REFLECT on all the things that God has already carried you through, and then IMAGINE all the things that God is going to carry you through in the future!!!!
How's that for making an appleseed into an apple tree?
Friday, October 26, 2012
Honesty without the hurt
Holly: Earlier today Kelly and I got into an argument. A pretty heated one. It eventually culminated into a battle of "well now I'M going to be honest about this and that", and we both said some things. I was really hurt by what she said. Really hurt. We've since made up and all that, but it just got me to thinking about honesty and being honest. Now, I'm all for it, personally. HOWEVER, I think that sometimes there is a line between being honest and being hurtful. We have good intentions, but sometimes what we say just comes out really really wrong, and people interpret things differently. I also think there's some degree of a need-to-know basis when it comes to being honest.
Let me give you an example: I love the tv show Sherlock. I also love the two starring actors in said show (Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch, for those back home and/or living under a rock). If I were ever blessed enough to get the opportunity to meet them (hey, a girl can dream, right?), of course I would tell them things like "Hi, I love your work on Sherlock, and I love your passion and humility for your job, it's really inspiring, you have an extraordinary amount of talent, etc" (Which is all very true, by the way). Would I go on to say that I find them both incredibly attractive and secretly hope that they would retire to the States and live in my kitchen and play with my cats? Um...no, probably not. Like I said: need. to. know. basis.
I apologize for my silly and fangirl struck example, but what I'm getting at is this: I appreciate people and their insatiable need to be honest, but a rule of thumb for me is to ask this: is what I am about to tell this person going to build them up, help them become better, or is it going to bring them down? Because if you know you're going to hurt someone with your words, it's probably better to just not say anything at all. Another thing: if you absolutely MUST get the truth out, try to find a way to word it in a way that won't come across as hurtful. And sometimes, if people WANT a brush with honesty......they'll ask for it. Bottom line: think before we speak.
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. ~James 1:19
Kelly: The beauty of being a twin is that we have differing opinions on soooo many aspects of life and we respect each other's opinion. This is one of those aspects in which our opinions differ. (and 3 DAYS LATER I pick back up on this....wow.) For me, I feel that when someone asks you to be honest with them, you are always taking a risk. Taking that risk because what you say may make them mad. Or hurt their feelings. Or awaken them.
But what happens if they DON'T ask and the truth just comes out? How do you deal with the blow that may come after it? Well...speaking from experience the truth comes out when the timing just wasn't good. In fact it was quite crappy. You have to realize that when you're speaking the truth you shouldn't be intending to hurt someone on purpose. I've been asked "well why don't you just not say it?" How am I supposed to know what I say will hurt someone? Again, goes back to taking a risk. I feel that if the timing is right the truth should come out, regardless. Once again, speaking from experience, I know that sometimes I need somebody to be brutally honest with me but I don't necessarily ask for it. I feel that sometimes honesty shouldn't be prompted, harsh truth I apologize. But I also feel that it is ok to ask for that brutal honesty. I'm so indecisive on this issue...truth is it's all arbitrary.
Here's another take on the issue that we did not discuss; being honest with yourself. Having a conscious. Making a promise to complete something then not going forth with it. That can hurt sometimes too. I know when I do that I feel disappointed. Like I let myself down. I think that's almost worse than letting someone else down. The saying is true...you are your own worst critique. It's easy to look in the mirror and feel good about yourself when you look good, but man....I think it's even easier to tear yourself down. Folks, that is just not healthy. At all. And what's also sad is that I do not know how we can stop that. I have no shred of advice of how we can stop tearing ourselves down. That's a sad truth for me to admit. But for now, I think that something we can all do is think. Think about others in our lives. Take that risk if they ask for honesty; be wary if they don't. But for goodness sake let's be honest with ourselves too! Hold onto what we say we're going to do or want to do and do it! If we don't or if we screw up, think, pray, reflect and try again. :]
Let me give you an example: I love the tv show Sherlock. I also love the two starring actors in said show (Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch, for those back home and/or living under a rock). If I were ever blessed enough to get the opportunity to meet them (hey, a girl can dream, right?), of course I would tell them things like "Hi, I love your work on Sherlock, and I love your passion and humility for your job, it's really inspiring, you have an extraordinary amount of talent, etc" (Which is all very true, by the way). Would I go on to say that I find them both incredibly attractive and secretly hope that they would retire to the States and live in my kitchen and play with my cats? Um...no, probably not. Like I said: need. to. know. basis.
I apologize for my silly and fangirl struck example, but what I'm getting at is this: I appreciate people and their insatiable need to be honest, but a rule of thumb for me is to ask this: is what I am about to tell this person going to build them up, help them become better, or is it going to bring them down? Because if you know you're going to hurt someone with your words, it's probably better to just not say anything at all. Another thing: if you absolutely MUST get the truth out, try to find a way to word it in a way that won't come across as hurtful. And sometimes, if people WANT a brush with honesty......they'll ask for it. Bottom line: think before we speak.
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. ~James 1:19
Kelly: The beauty of being a twin is that we have differing opinions on soooo many aspects of life and we respect each other's opinion. This is one of those aspects in which our opinions differ. (and 3 DAYS LATER I pick back up on this....wow.) For me, I feel that when someone asks you to be honest with them, you are always taking a risk. Taking that risk because what you say may make them mad. Or hurt their feelings. Or awaken them.
But what happens if they DON'T ask and the truth just comes out? How do you deal with the blow that may come after it? Well...speaking from experience the truth comes out when the timing just wasn't good. In fact it was quite crappy. You have to realize that when you're speaking the truth you shouldn't be intending to hurt someone on purpose. I've been asked "well why don't you just not say it?" How am I supposed to know what I say will hurt someone? Again, goes back to taking a risk. I feel that if the timing is right the truth should come out, regardless. Once again, speaking from experience, I know that sometimes I need somebody to be brutally honest with me but I don't necessarily ask for it. I feel that sometimes honesty shouldn't be prompted, harsh truth I apologize. But I also feel that it is ok to ask for that brutal honesty. I'm so indecisive on this issue...truth is it's all arbitrary.
Here's another take on the issue that we did not discuss; being honest with yourself. Having a conscious. Making a promise to complete something then not going forth with it. That can hurt sometimes too. I know when I do that I feel disappointed. Like I let myself down. I think that's almost worse than letting someone else down. The saying is true...you are your own worst critique. It's easy to look in the mirror and feel good about yourself when you look good, but man....I think it's even easier to tear yourself down. Folks, that is just not healthy. At all. And what's also sad is that I do not know how we can stop that. I have no shred of advice of how we can stop tearing ourselves down. That's a sad truth for me to admit. But for now, I think that something we can all do is think. Think about others in our lives. Take that risk if they ask for honesty; be wary if they don't. But for goodness sake let's be honest with ourselves too! Hold onto what we say we're going to do or want to do and do it! If we don't or if we screw up, think, pray, reflect and try again. :]
Friday, October 19, 2012
Tips for being happy, healthy and wholesome!
Holly and Kelly: It never fails that over and over again we get asked how we maintain a positive attitude. If you know us, you notice that we are usually have very bubbly personalities. Sure we get angry, sad and stressed and we don't automatically dismiss them when those emotions come along. Our personalities have often been described as "contagious." The secret to how? We have compiled a list of "how Holly and Kelly carry their contagious positive attitudes" on a seemingly daily basis. Now we are not robots. Some of these things are harder/easier than some, and we fall constantly in one or more of these things. But we're really trying to make an effort.
Take intiative. Take a chance. Sometimes that means you have to pick up the slack. I struggle with this a lot, especially at my job. There's a pile, no...a MOUNTAIN of dirty dishes in the sink. Nobody is assigned to clean the kitchen at my job; we have an honor system...that usually works. Sometimes it crashes and burns. But what do you do? Leave someone else to do it? Assume someone else will take care of it? Yeah I do that sometimes. But other times I just do it myself. Then you always feel better when it's done.
ASK for help when you need it. Face to face! This simple truth took me 9 semesters of college to reach. It's a pride thing, for sure. Since I've taken this 100 level Biology class, I've learned more by going outside of class and talking things over that I don't understand. It makes me more confident. And confidence=happiness.
Make a plan and stick with it. Seriously. What I've been doing in regards of school work is writing weekly to-do lists and crossing things off as I finish. I wish I would have done this last year during my hardest year of school. But better late than never. Also, Holly and I are planning on returning to Europe in 2015 (our 25th birthday European hullabaloo). We've ALREADY started planning....like little stupid things. But hey. Little stupid things turn into great big things if you keep building on them!
Pray. Constantly. Not just for the bad things but praise for the good. And be honest with God. You ain't going to hurt His feelings! If you're happy, tell Him. If you're pissed off, tell Him. If you're unsure about what He's doing in your life, tell Him. I feel like God was real with us when He sent His son Jesus to die for us; I feel it's the least we can do.
Pace yourself. This is the one who tries to do 666634513049852341452345819574 things on a daily basis. It's so easy to get caught up in this, that the other and XYZ and heeeey macarena that you're on the floor at the end of the day collapsed with exhaustion. This holds true for me with my ankle problems; i INSIST that I can do all the things! I have to remind myself that sometimes I have to take a step back, slow down and just take a break. I relate this also to academia; I'm slow. Not a slow reader, but slow as in the MASTER PROCRASTINATOR. So like my weekly to-do lists, I also write to start something earlier than its due. Saves me a lot of cramming and disappointment when I get that paper back that I worked on the night before and see how crappy it really is. Been there, done that. Not doing it anymore.
Say "no" sometimes. And this is hard. This is really hard because I am such a people person and I love hanging out with others and having fun. My friends mean the world to me and I love spending time with them. But if you know you have something due or if you're just too busy, you may not get to do those fun things. Or if you don't have the MONEY to do those fun things because you've got those bills due that aren't going to go away. Ever. This has been especially hard for us this year since we're on our own now, but it gets easier. It does.
Don't settle for anything less than your best in ALL areas of your life. Yes, this means I've had to be ok with "D's" sometimes because I walked out of there knowing I did my best. I always tell people "yeah I'm not a straight A student and I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. But you bet your bottom dollar I will work SO HARD and will never give you anything less than 110%." Easier said than done, but the outcomes definitely outweigh all the tears and blood spilled to get to those outcomes.
Be open minded. I really don't think I need to go into any more detail.
TRY!!!!! When we were younger, our mom would always make us trying food before we decided we didn't like it. And we have kept that same mentality now that we are in our 20's. You never know unless you try. Sure your photograph didn't win the contest. Doesn't mean you should stop photographing. Giving up and quitting has never done any good for me. If I had given up my dream of going to Berea, I'd be probably still living at home going to a local college. And I'd be miserable. If I hadn't listened to my friend when she gave me the GlobaLinks catalog, I NEVER would have discovered Scotland. What's the worst that can happen? Or be like me (Holly) and take that crazy risk and be a Mary Kay consultant!!! I've only been going at it a week and I have SO MANY ideas and so much support and I can't wait to see what God is going to do with this thing that I have now.
See people. I like faces. I have fostered some of the best relationships here at Berea simply by putting myself out there. Going to a new church with a new denomination. Going abroad. Being AT Berea exposes you to so many different people, and I hid most of my freshmen year because I wasn't used to well...everyone being all up in your business. Then I realized that not all people want to be all up in your business; they just want to love you and they want you to do the same.
Act and don't just speak. We have based this largely on our new healthy habits plan. For years we would tell ourselves "we should eat healthier" or "let's try this exercising thing" or whatever. We would try those new habits and new exercises for a while, then slowly slip back into our old routines. Finally, this May, we made it simpler and made goals more attainable. The results have spoken VOLUME. We feel better, we're not as tired during the day, we have more energy, our clothes are fitting looser, and we hold each other accountable and keep each other on track. And we don't get bent out of shape if we slip; we get back up and start trying.
Fake it. This is similar to just trying. Some of the times when you see me and I'm happy and bubbly that does not mean I woke up that way. I used to be miss crabby face when I would get up in the morning, but I faked being happy and cheerful. And eventually me faking be happy and cheerful turned me into a happy cheerful person. This happened in BME a lot when our fearless leader would say if we didn't feel like singing or worshipping, fake it. Eventually you just would get lost in the music and let God open up your mind and heart that you would really feel it and let Him in. If I wake up in the morning and I'm tired or grumpy for some reason, I just tell myself: "I do not have to feel this way. It is not going to do me any good to be a Debby downer for the rest of the day. I am going to at least TRY to smile and be happy." Then I pray. It is amazing that when I try this how I change from the beginning of the day to the end of the day. Friends, this isn't always easy. In fact, it's never easy. But it is worth it.
Get up and MOVE every once in a while. Kelly and I do something that EVERY SINGLE PERSON should know how to do (unless you're a baby): walk. We walk. Every day. Not for long, but still, it's something, it's exercise, it's our time to talk and catch up and just connect with the outside world and nature and God. If you're on a track to lose weight it is absolutely imperative that you exercise!!! Changing your diet alone does not work! (Trust me, we've tried). And Kelly and I don't even need to lose weight, we're just simply trying to be healthier. If you're physically healthy, then all the other "healths" will be strengthened too.
Take a break. I made a New Year's Resolution back when I was still in school that when times got stressful, break out into bad dancing. Obnoxious pop music optional. Sometimes while I'm cooking, or at work standing in the hallway with a dog, or just sitting in the living room I blast loud music and just start dancing and acting stupid. It's a great release! (Kind of goes hand in hand with getting up and moving.....). Sometimes you just have to break down your barriers and walls and just act stupid with no regards. We shouldn't take ourselves too seriously!
Well there you have it. Secret's out! It ain't rocket science.
Take intiative. Take a chance. Sometimes that means you have to pick up the slack. I struggle with this a lot, especially at my job. There's a pile, no...a MOUNTAIN of dirty dishes in the sink. Nobody is assigned to clean the kitchen at my job; we have an honor system...that usually works. Sometimes it crashes and burns. But what do you do? Leave someone else to do it? Assume someone else will take care of it? Yeah I do that sometimes. But other times I just do it myself. Then you always feel better when it's done.
ASK for help when you need it. Face to face! This simple truth took me 9 semesters of college to reach. It's a pride thing, for sure. Since I've taken this 100 level Biology class, I've learned more by going outside of class and talking things over that I don't understand. It makes me more confident. And confidence=happiness.
Make a plan and stick with it. Seriously. What I've been doing in regards of school work is writing weekly to-do lists and crossing things off as I finish. I wish I would have done this last year during my hardest year of school. But better late than never. Also, Holly and I are planning on returning to Europe in 2015 (our 25th birthday European hullabaloo). We've ALREADY started planning....like little stupid things. But hey. Little stupid things turn into great big things if you keep building on them!
Pray. Constantly. Not just for the bad things but praise for the good. And be honest with God. You ain't going to hurt His feelings! If you're happy, tell Him. If you're pissed off, tell Him. If you're unsure about what He's doing in your life, tell Him. I feel like God was real with us when He sent His son Jesus to die for us; I feel it's the least we can do.
Pace yourself. This is the one who tries to do 666634513049852341452345819574 things on a daily basis. It's so easy to get caught up in this, that the other and XYZ and heeeey macarena that you're on the floor at the end of the day collapsed with exhaustion. This holds true for me with my ankle problems; i INSIST that I can do all the things! I have to remind myself that sometimes I have to take a step back, slow down and just take a break. I relate this also to academia; I'm slow. Not a slow reader, but slow as in the MASTER PROCRASTINATOR. So like my weekly to-do lists, I also write to start something earlier than its due. Saves me a lot of cramming and disappointment when I get that paper back that I worked on the night before and see how crappy it really is. Been there, done that. Not doing it anymore.
Say "no" sometimes. And this is hard. This is really hard because I am such a people person and I love hanging out with others and having fun. My friends mean the world to me and I love spending time with them. But if you know you have something due or if you're just too busy, you may not get to do those fun things. Or if you don't have the MONEY to do those fun things because you've got those bills due that aren't going to go away. Ever. This has been especially hard for us this year since we're on our own now, but it gets easier. It does.
Don't settle for anything less than your best in ALL areas of your life. Yes, this means I've had to be ok with "D's" sometimes because I walked out of there knowing I did my best. I always tell people "yeah I'm not a straight A student and I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. But you bet your bottom dollar I will work SO HARD and will never give you anything less than 110%." Easier said than done, but the outcomes definitely outweigh all the tears and blood spilled to get to those outcomes.
Be open minded. I really don't think I need to go into any more detail.
TRY!!!!! When we were younger, our mom would always make us trying food before we decided we didn't like it. And we have kept that same mentality now that we are in our 20's. You never know unless you try. Sure your photograph didn't win the contest. Doesn't mean you should stop photographing. Giving up and quitting has never done any good for me. If I had given up my dream of going to Berea, I'd be probably still living at home going to a local college. And I'd be miserable. If I hadn't listened to my friend when she gave me the GlobaLinks catalog, I NEVER would have discovered Scotland. What's the worst that can happen? Or be like me (Holly) and take that crazy risk and be a Mary Kay consultant!!! I've only been going at it a week and I have SO MANY ideas and so much support and I can't wait to see what God is going to do with this thing that I have now.
See people. I like faces. I have fostered some of the best relationships here at Berea simply by putting myself out there. Going to a new church with a new denomination. Going abroad. Being AT Berea exposes you to so many different people, and I hid most of my freshmen year because I wasn't used to well...everyone being all up in your business. Then I realized that not all people want to be all up in your business; they just want to love you and they want you to do the same.
Act and don't just speak. We have based this largely on our new healthy habits plan. For years we would tell ourselves "we should eat healthier" or "let's try this exercising thing" or whatever. We would try those new habits and new exercises for a while, then slowly slip back into our old routines. Finally, this May, we made it simpler and made goals more attainable. The results have spoken VOLUME. We feel better, we're not as tired during the day, we have more energy, our clothes are fitting looser, and we hold each other accountable and keep each other on track. And we don't get bent out of shape if we slip; we get back up and start trying.
Fake it. This is similar to just trying. Some of the times when you see me and I'm happy and bubbly that does not mean I woke up that way. I used to be miss crabby face when I would get up in the morning, but I faked being happy and cheerful. And eventually me faking be happy and cheerful turned me into a happy cheerful person. This happened in BME a lot when our fearless leader would say if we didn't feel like singing or worshipping, fake it. Eventually you just would get lost in the music and let God open up your mind and heart that you would really feel it and let Him in. If I wake up in the morning and I'm tired or grumpy for some reason, I just tell myself: "I do not have to feel this way. It is not going to do me any good to be a Debby downer for the rest of the day. I am going to at least TRY to smile and be happy." Then I pray. It is amazing that when I try this how I change from the beginning of the day to the end of the day. Friends, this isn't always easy. In fact, it's never easy. But it is worth it.
Get up and MOVE every once in a while. Kelly and I do something that EVERY SINGLE PERSON should know how to do (unless you're a baby): walk. We walk. Every day. Not for long, but still, it's something, it's exercise, it's our time to talk and catch up and just connect with the outside world and nature and God. If you're on a track to lose weight it is absolutely imperative that you exercise!!! Changing your diet alone does not work! (Trust me, we've tried). And Kelly and I don't even need to lose weight, we're just simply trying to be healthier. If you're physically healthy, then all the other "healths" will be strengthened too.
Take a break. I made a New Year's Resolution back when I was still in school that when times got stressful, break out into bad dancing. Obnoxious pop music optional. Sometimes while I'm cooking, or at work standing in the hallway with a dog, or just sitting in the living room I blast loud music and just start dancing and acting stupid. It's a great release! (Kind of goes hand in hand with getting up and moving.....). Sometimes you just have to break down your barriers and walls and just act stupid with no regards. We shouldn't take ourselves too seriously!
Well there you have it. Secret's out! It ain't rocket science.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Home
Holly: Throughout my life my perceptions of things have changed. Chalk it up to growing up, I suppose. One of these things that have changed is my concept of home. What is "home"? What does it mean to be "home"? Is it a place, people, or something even more than that?
As many of you know, Kelly and I moved to Berea in May of this year. We spent a lot of our time here, college-related time, and we felt like Berea was the place we were supposed to be. Considering the large amount of our time here Berea felt more like our home than our grassroots of southeastern Ohio. Now, PLEASE do not misunderstand me. I love my hometown. I love that I was able to grow up there, and I love my family and best friend more than anything. But when I would go home for holidays or breaks or whatnot, things just felt so....foreign. Different. I felt out of place, like I had missed so much from Athens and from my folks and best friend. It just wasn't the same place anymore. I wasn't the same person. Because I had grown so used to cozy Berea, my school, and my church, it was strange to be away from that, even though I had spent the first 18 years of my life in this place. Now, when I say I'm going home, it means I'm going to my 2-bedroom apartment in Berea.
But home for me is a lot more than just a place. When my parents come to visit, that's home. When I talk to my best friend on the phone, that's home. When my cats come downstairs when I come in the door from work, that's home. Home is watching an episode of Sherlock in the living room with Kelly and exclaiming in excitement how I picked something up that I had never noticed before. Home is a cup of the flavor of the day at BC&T. Home is opening your window and sensing that fall "smell" and feeling the breeze blow into your space. Home is singing as loud as you can to that song on the radio when you're stuck at a red light. Home is hugging that one friend you haven't seen in ages.
Take time to notice the "home" in your life, whether it's a place or not.
Kelly: On our daily walk tonight, I was talking to Holly that a lot of college students move back to where they came from after they graduate. Our brother did this. I have lots of friends who did this/are doing this. I was talking to Holly that this didn't even cross my mind after I graduated. Then she said to me: "I already moved back home. I moved here." Didn't really think about it that way. I remember being a first year student wondering how I would get used to this place called Berea, Kentucky. Now I can't imagine being apart from it. To be honest though, my perspective on home is a bit different than Holly's. Sometimes I sit and ask God how He picked here for me to be. How did He get me to fall in love with a place like Berea? Then it hit me.
To me, home in many cases is more the people than a place or a thing. I think people largely make a home a home. And for me, my Berea home and my attraction to it is largely where I go to church every Sunday. I see it as a home despite the division and sometimes negativity that has been seen/heard/read in a survey. Despite the fact that I read a comment that basically said college students can either just deal with the changes or shove off, it's still a home to me. Because in a home, you notice there are flaws, yet you don't define it by the few flaws. Positive memories and faces trump any negative comment in my book. When I think of a home, I think of family. A family. People who love one another, encourage one another, support one another and pray for one another. They don't hold grudges, or judge, belittle, or put down...not that anybody in my immediately family or my close friends do that. But families don't do that, or at least they shouldn't. That's why I love my church; it treats me like a family. Every Sunday (and Tuesday night) I am welcomed with open arms and loved by so many.
I'll close with this: on the way out of church today I got a comment from my pastor today saying how much he appreciated how Holly and I have openly loved his family. I was stricken mute by my overwhelming joy that I totally forgot to say I only give such love because I myself have been given the exact same love by not only his family but so many others at BBC. I am blessed to have that church as my family. And my home.
As many of you know, Kelly and I moved to Berea in May of this year. We spent a lot of our time here, college-related time, and we felt like Berea was the place we were supposed to be. Considering the large amount of our time here Berea felt more like our home than our grassroots of southeastern Ohio. Now, PLEASE do not misunderstand me. I love my hometown. I love that I was able to grow up there, and I love my family and best friend more than anything. But when I would go home for holidays or breaks or whatnot, things just felt so....foreign. Different. I felt out of place, like I had missed so much from Athens and from my folks and best friend. It just wasn't the same place anymore. I wasn't the same person. Because I had grown so used to cozy Berea, my school, and my church, it was strange to be away from that, even though I had spent the first 18 years of my life in this place. Now, when I say I'm going home, it means I'm going to my 2-bedroom apartment in Berea.
But home for me is a lot more than just a place. When my parents come to visit, that's home. When I talk to my best friend on the phone, that's home. When my cats come downstairs when I come in the door from work, that's home. Home is watching an episode of Sherlock in the living room with Kelly and exclaiming in excitement how I picked something up that I had never noticed before. Home is a cup of the flavor of the day at BC&T. Home is opening your window and sensing that fall "smell" and feeling the breeze blow into your space. Home is singing as loud as you can to that song on the radio when you're stuck at a red light. Home is hugging that one friend you haven't seen in ages.
Take time to notice the "home" in your life, whether it's a place or not.
Kelly: On our daily walk tonight, I was talking to Holly that a lot of college students move back to where they came from after they graduate. Our brother did this. I have lots of friends who did this/are doing this. I was talking to Holly that this didn't even cross my mind after I graduated. Then she said to me: "I already moved back home. I moved here." Didn't really think about it that way. I remember being a first year student wondering how I would get used to this place called Berea, Kentucky. Now I can't imagine being apart from it. To be honest though, my perspective on home is a bit different than Holly's. Sometimes I sit and ask God how He picked here for me to be. How did He get me to fall in love with a place like Berea? Then it hit me.
To me, home in many cases is more the people than a place or a thing. I think people largely make a home a home. And for me, my Berea home and my attraction to it is largely where I go to church every Sunday. I see it as a home despite the division and sometimes negativity that has been seen/heard/read in a survey. Despite the fact that I read a comment that basically said college students can either just deal with the changes or shove off, it's still a home to me. Because in a home, you notice there are flaws, yet you don't define it by the few flaws. Positive memories and faces trump any negative comment in my book. When I think of a home, I think of family. A family. People who love one another, encourage one another, support one another and pray for one another. They don't hold grudges, or judge, belittle, or put down...not that anybody in my immediately family or my close friends do that. But families don't do that, or at least they shouldn't. That's why I love my church; it treats me like a family. Every Sunday (and Tuesday night) I am welcomed with open arms and loved by so many.
I'll close with this: on the way out of church today I got a comment from my pastor today saying how much he appreciated how Holly and I have openly loved his family. I was stricken mute by my overwhelming joy that I totally forgot to say I only give such love because I myself have been given the exact same love by not only his family but so many others at BBC. I am blessed to have that church as my family. And my home.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
One Hundred
Kelly: Readers, avid readers, and strangers; I present to you with good news. This blog has reached its 100th POST!!!!! *cue wild cheering, confetti, party horns* We are so excited and honestly never thought that it would get this far. Hey, it's hard to keep up with something like this when our lives are taking such busy and definitely interesting turns. Oh...public service announcement: THE LOUD MUSTANG IS GONE!!!!! Turns out it wasn't a mustang that was across the street from us, it was a Pontiac something. Goes to show you how much I know about cars. Whatever. What I'm thinking about is how much new stuff we have gotten into in 100 posts. WOOT. Go us and our crazy fandoms! But what I'm most happy about is how I have felt my relationship with God grow and flourish! I am different. SO much different than what I used to be; even more different than the start of the summer. Gosh. What has happened in 100 posts?
We: met Colin and Brad, Holly graduated, moved into a new place, became mommies to two fuzzy children, got hooked on Lord of the Rings, Sherlock and the Hobbit, made new friends, lived, laughed and grew in our joy of the Lord. WOW! It blows me away how much as people we have grown! It's awesome and we couldn't have done it without God and your all's warm and wonderful comments! Thank you all! 100 down...100 more to go!
Holly: I have a purring Yoda on my lap. We just ate an amazing dinner (Seriously). We're wearing our new hobbit feet slippers (you can't make this stuff up). We're about to go spend time with our amazing church choir family. :) I am so different of a person now than I am from a year ago, life isn't AT ALL what I imagined it would be, and yet I couldn't be happier. We're Skyping with one of our best friends this evening. All is just unbelievably well! :D
If you have been riding on this roller coaster with us from the start, then I must thank you. Knowing that there are those out there that take interest in what is going on in our random, hectic lives makes it the very reason that we've reached 100 posts. Here's to 100 more, hopefully!
And now, some random awesome pictures:
We: met Colin and Brad, Holly graduated, moved into a new place, became mommies to two fuzzy children, got hooked on Lord of the Rings, Sherlock and the Hobbit, made new friends, lived, laughed and grew in our joy of the Lord. WOW! It blows me away how much as people we have grown! It's awesome and we couldn't have done it without God and your all's warm and wonderful comments! Thank you all! 100 down...100 more to go!
Holly: I have a purring Yoda on my lap. We just ate an amazing dinner (Seriously). We're wearing our new hobbit feet slippers (you can't make this stuff up). We're about to go spend time with our amazing church choir family. :) I am so different of a person now than I am from a year ago, life isn't AT ALL what I imagined it would be, and yet I couldn't be happier. We're Skyping with one of our best friends this evening. All is just unbelievably well! :D
If you have been riding on this roller coaster with us from the start, then I must thank you. Knowing that there are those out there that take interest in what is going on in our random, hectic lives makes it the very reason that we've reached 100 posts. Here's to 100 more, hopefully!
And now, some random awesome pictures:
Saturday, October 6, 2012
If we had a dollar....
Holly and Kelly: So, just in case any of you live under a rock, we are twins. Duh. Blatantly obvious. But over the years, during our numerous encounters with various people and situations, we have been asked a plethora of ridiculous, humorous, silly, stupid, and just flat out "what the heck" questions. Here are some of them (by the way, the parentheses after the questions are our mental responses, i.e. we would never say them aloud):
"Are y'all TWINS???" *short pause while we process, then say yes* "Are y'all related?"
(um...if we just said we're twins, then...we're....probably........related.....MMM, we'll give you a minute to think about it...)
"Are y'all sisters?"
"Do y'all ever fight?" (No, it's just puppies and rainbows all OF COURSE WE DO. We're so freakishly alike it's scary; of course our opinions will clash.)
"Do you have the same birthday?" (Not even joking. Although there are twins that don't..i.e. one born at 11:59 and one at like 12:01, etc...but no. We do not)
"Do you all like the same stuff?" (For the most part, yes...but we do have different tastes. For some reason that question just irritates us. Sorry)
"So if I poke your sister in the arm, will you feel it?" (No. Next question)
"Does that whole sister ESP thing work? Like, do you know what she's thinking, or feeling?" (Again...no.)
"Have ya'll ever switched places before?" (What are we, cruel? People have a hard enough time telling us apart sometimes. I'd rather not add to the torture)
"Are ya'll the same?" (Same DNA. COMPLETELY different people. Though we are both extroverts, Kelly tends to be more extroverted and expressive with emotions. Holly is more reserved. Not a bad thing. NEXT).
"Do you all ever run out of things to talk about?" (This is actually a good question. And no we don't.)
"Do ya'll share clothes?" (Hmm....again, let me give you all a minute. You have an instant double wardrobe. OF COURSE we share clothes!)
"Do you like being a twin?" (Gee....)
"I think I would hate being a twin." (You would be quite surprised. It's like any relationship; both parties have to work at it and be willing to make the commitments necessary to keep it steady and strong)
And the best one for last...
"How can I tell you apart from your sister?" No parentheses for this. This is what I say. Holly ALWAYS wears her hair up and I don't. That's the easiest way for someone who is at first getting to know us to tell us apart. When you get to know us a little bit more, our family and friends have different ways of telling us apart. To close, we both LOVE being a twin and wouldn't have it any other way! :]
"Are y'all TWINS???" *short pause while we process, then say yes* "Are y'all related?"
(um...if we just said we're twins, then...we're....probably........related.....MMM, we'll give you a minute to think about it...)
"Are y'all sisters?"
"Do y'all ever fight?" (No, it's just puppies and rainbows all OF COURSE WE DO. We're so freakishly alike it's scary; of course our opinions will clash.)
"Do you have the same birthday?" (Not even joking. Although there are twins that don't..i.e. one born at 11:59 and one at like 12:01, etc...but no. We do not)
"Do you all like the same stuff?" (For the most part, yes...but we do have different tastes. For some reason that question just irritates us. Sorry)
"So if I poke your sister in the arm, will you feel it?" (No. Next question)
"Does that whole sister ESP thing work? Like, do you know what she's thinking, or feeling?" (Again...no.)
"Have ya'll ever switched places before?" (What are we, cruel? People have a hard enough time telling us apart sometimes. I'd rather not add to the torture)
"Are ya'll the same?" (Same DNA. COMPLETELY different people. Though we are both extroverts, Kelly tends to be more extroverted and expressive with emotions. Holly is more reserved. Not a bad thing. NEXT).
"Do you all ever run out of things to talk about?" (This is actually a good question. And no we don't.)
"Do ya'll share clothes?" (Hmm....again, let me give you all a minute. You have an instant double wardrobe. OF COURSE we share clothes!)
"Do you like being a twin?" (Gee....)
"I think I would hate being a twin." (You would be quite surprised. It's like any relationship; both parties have to work at it and be willing to make the commitments necessary to keep it steady and strong)
And the best one for last...
"How can I tell you apart from your sister?" No parentheses for this. This is what I say. Holly ALWAYS wears her hair up and I don't. That's the easiest way for someone who is at first getting to know us to tell us apart. When you get to know us a little bit more, our family and friends have different ways of telling us apart. To close, we both LOVE being a twin and wouldn't have it any other way! :]
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