Archive for January, 2008
January 31, 2008 at 11:08 pm
· Filed under technology ·Tagged cell phone, texting
Yep, I’m still partly in the technology cave. I have not embraced text messaging.
Now before you think about convincing me that texting is fabulous and worth the extra money each month, just know that I am fully aware of the benefits. I am also pretty sure that I would learn to love it (and use the function WAY too much) if I caved in and joined the crowd.
But I am not caving… yet.
I have two main reasons for not texting. The first is that I am at a computer for 8 hours a day and am a religious email checker. Reason number 2 is that I have my cell phone close by 24 hours a day. It has a voice mail. I will check it. I also like to chat with you and hear your voice (usually 
). So just call or email me … or stop by so we can chat face to face! If you put those reasons together (with a little TV, radio, music, and iPod touch), I feel like I already have enough technology in my life for now.
I often think about the statement the pastor of some friends of mine said: “Wherever you are, be all there.” All too often we can get so distracted by our technology devices buzzing and beeping at us that we forget to live in the reality looking us in the face.
Do you ever take time out to unplug, fasting from texting or anything like that when you feel like it’s consuming you?
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January 30, 2008 at 1:41 pm
· Filed under faith, life, the office ·Tagged Christian, dc Talk, tobyMac, youth
Today for our weekly company devotional time, we were blessed to have tobyMac come share with us.
Instead of doing his hip-hop thing for us, he just sat and talked to us like friends. He shared his story of how he came to know Christ, the start of dc Talk, and what he’s been learning over the past couple of years. I really enjoyed this short time in our day to pause and hear his story.
A couple of things he said really stood out to me. He shared how he came to know Christ as a middle schooler at a camp and how his small group cabin leader had a profound impact on his life. He even woke his leader up in the middle of the night to tell him he wanted to be a Christian. Crazy cool. Volunteer youth leaders really do matter to the kids. Sometimes we just need that encouragement (teachers and parents too, I’m sure).
He also recognized the blessing and importantance of having people live life with you for the long-haul. Whether it’s family, friends, or coworkers, the blessing of these people sticking with you is a gift only from God. Living life with people is the hardest thing to do… but also the most beautiful. Pray that God will surround you with the people who can help you accomplish His plan – the best plan – for your life. You can’t do it on your own.
For those of you that were there, what did you take away from our time together this AM?
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January 27, 2008 at 11:47 pm
· Filed under life ·Tagged fellowship student ministries, fsm, winter chill
This weekend I attended my second Winter Chill, a weekend retreat for the middle school youth group I volunteer with at my church. It was organized chaos the whole time and good to get away for a little bit, even if I was surrounded by silly goofballs and didn’t get a lot of sleep. J
We were so fortunate to have the “1982 Olympic bronze medalist in snowboarding,” Burton, with us for the weekend. The kids went ballistic as we had a scavenger hunt for Burton up the mountain in the dark and then as we serenaded him with lip sync dance routines and an Olympic celebration party. He was truly the hit of the weekend.
Saturday afternoon my girls participated in the 3rd annual Chilly Bowl, the infamous flag football tourney, and MAN, was it chilly! Actually, it was beyond chilly; it was freezing. Last year our group had to settle for the runners-up position… and we did this year, too. Both years my girls have surprised themselves by how well they played football; for some, it was their first time. This year our team name was “Power of 10” because there were 10 of us, our uniforms were easy to make, and our cheers were pretty much the best ever. (If you ever need someone to make up cheers for something you’re doing, I have about 6 girls that will be glad to help you.)
The last night we hung out at the bonfire for quite a while, and I got to talk with some of the other adult leaders, swapping stories of funny (and profound) things our students do and say. That’s one of my favorite things about camp! It was also great to see a couple of my friends from college, Holly and David, who volunteer with another youth group that joined us for the weekend.
Big thanks to the FSM staff for organizing a FABULOUS retreat complete with loads of fun, hilarious jokes, meaningful worship, and solid Bible teaching for the impressionable middle school kiddos!
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January 23, 2008 at 3:51 pm
· Filed under random
Why do hot guys insist on being druggies?
Though his death may not have been the result of a drug OD, Heath Ledger’s death brought this question to surface.- Why do people put a * in the place of certain letters in a cuss word?
We know exactly what you’re writing, so just write it out.
- Are there interpreters for the humor-impaired?
Just imagine applying for a job and writing: Current occupation – interpreter for the humor-impaired.
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January 21, 2008 at 11:52 pm
· Filed under rants ·Tagged exclamation mark, punctuation, writing
“Five exclamation marks, the sure sign of an insane mind.” – Terry Pratchett
Have you ever realized that just because someone passes multiple English classes doesn’t mean they know how to spell correctly or use common punctuation properly? I have. I admit that I don’t know everything about the English language (and I’m completely okay with that), but good grief, I know how to use an exclamation mark.
I think it’s pretty ridiculous when an exclamation mark ends every sentence in a paragraph or on a page. More ! does NOT equal more excitement in this case. Also, why do people insist on putting 10 marks at the end of a sentence in a normal email, bulletin, or story? Because we love it, that’s why!!!!!!! <insert rolling of the eyes> The people at SparkNotes.com say that exclamation points should be used sparingly and if you use a ton, you will sound hysterical or ditzy. I agree.
If you are are guilty of the two crimes mentioned above, stop and think about this for a moment, please: Do people really take you seriously when they see exclamation marks everywhere in sight? And what are you going to do when you actually really do have something exciting to say – how are you going to get people’s attention? By adding just one more “!”? DON’T DO IT. Resist. Resist the devil (in this case, shift+1), and he will flee from you.
I will leave you with one more statement that I stumbled upon (I wish I could take credit for it):
An exclamation point is like profanity: the more you use it, the less subtle its effect. Go now and exclaim no more.
Related blog posts:
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January 21, 2008 at 11:50 am
· Filed under life, web ·Tagged google, marianna rucker
When was the last time you went to Google and searched your name?
I did it this morning, and here are the top searches for my first and last name:
- I think I was born in 1838 and died on June 8, 1888 in Virginia.
- Lizzie White Council and George H. Rucker are my parents. I married Norris Loring Bowen and had 3 kids in the early 1900s.
- I was on the Spring ‘05 MTSU Dean’s List.
- I commented on an article my friend MA wrote for MTSU’s newspaper, Sidelines
- An article I wrote for Sidelines about the Bell Buckle Cafe
- The Fall 1999 high school soccer roster. It was our very first year to have a team. That was almost 10 years ago – WOW!
- I am the cousin of Irene and used to live in the Fort Worth’s Lockheart Bed and Breakfast with a huge family.
- I was born 10.18.1838 in Bedford County. When I was 17 years old, I married Daniel and we lived on a farm with a big family, and he was drafted into the military. This is an interesting line: “It is uncertain if Marianna is buried in Amherst, or if her remains were removed to Buena Vista.” Hmmm… shady.
Wow, I’ve had a long and interesting life, don’t you think?
Now be honest… how many times have you googled someone else’s name to get the scoop on who they really are? I admit that I’ve done it, and I know you have to. What comes up when you search your name?
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January 16, 2008 at 5:47 pm
· Filed under the office
WANTED: mouse
WHERE: the office
WHEN: ASAP
WHY: Becuase we hate mice
HOW: By any means possible
There is a stupid mouse or mice on the loose on my floor at the office. It has eaten some of the food I’ve had wrapped up and “safely” stored in my desk with no problem up until recently. This sneaky thing has also eaten some food in other people’s desks, too, so I know it isn’t just my food that it is fond of. It even got into Bill’s desk and chewed through a Ziploc bag, a power bar wrapper, and ate half the power bar. That big rodent must have been hungry.
Last night it escaped one of the many peanut-butter-and-sticky traps left throughout the floor. We are now thinking this thing is huge. I am now scared to open any of my desk drawers or take off my shoes. Signs have been placed around the area in search of this mysterious, unwelcome guest.
Maybe we should just break down and buy the Mouse Trap Game.
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January 14, 2008 at 10:49 pm
· Filed under food ·Tagged cooking, dilbert, food, recipes
Don’t cook the Dilbert way!
I’m always in trying out and in search of new recipes to try out. I like to cook things that don’t take 2 hours or require a lot of baking. I am working on building up the “cook” page on this site, and right now I only have a few recipes that I got online. I will add more as I have time, and if you have a great one, please leave a comment on that page!
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January 14, 2008 at 11:27 am
· Filed under food ·Tagged fido, mat kearney, nashville, restaurant
I’ve finally been to Fido. I am officially cool.
On Saturday morning I met 4 of my girl friends at the Hillsboro Village hot spot for some yummy breakfast and good conversation. We packed into a cozy booth right beside the register, so we had a prime spot for people watching (and for people to overhear our conversations and chuckle 
) and chatting with other friends who were passing through. As we were leaving, we exchanged a few words with Mat Kearney, though we didn’t recognize him until one of my friends told us later.
I’m a big fan of the Veggie Scramble. It’s pretty much exactly what you’re thinking it is – veggies mixed together with scrambled eggs. Oh, and can’t forget the hashbrowns and toast. I could very easily cook all that at home, but I’m really paying for the atmosphere and experience of the place, right? Hmmm… maybe I should open up my own breakfast place.
CitySearch Review
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January 10, 2008 at 5:32 pm
· Filed under the office ·Tagged cool springs, flood, franklin
As much as I hate tornados and the frenzy surrounding them, what my coworkers and I saw out our window overlooking Mallory Lane today was pretty cool. It was pretty much the highlight of our day.
The road was flooded right in front of our office.
We crowded around the windows to see how many cars would chicken out and turn around in the middle of the road when they came upon the lake. There was even a car that turned left out of our parking lot and almost got stuck in the median. Over $50 was on the table for someone to drop their work load and go swimming in the Mallory Lane Lake (no one was brave enough). For the sake of a memory and great story to tell, would you do it? I say I would, but when it came down to it, I’m all talk.
If our building’s windows weren’t tinted, I would have taken a picture of people in our office huddled around the front window on all 4 floors of the building, laughing, pointing, and cheering for the vehicles on the street below as they conquered the Mallory Lane Lake.
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