Reverie

Sunday is here. With the football game on and my dogs by my side, I am enjoying this afternoon.

1. This is my first blog post in a week, and I have to admit I'm very sad I haven't blogged sooner. Beginning today, I am going to start posting 6 days a week. I really enjoy blogging, and it doesn't make sense to not spend more time doing something that makes me happy.

2. After doing cardio this morning at the gym, I decided to step on the scale. I have been eating out A LOT the last few weeks, so I wanted to see where I was in terms of my weight. I OFFICIALLY HIT MY GOAL #1 WEIGHT!!  I was completely surprised! In fact, I stood on the scale for several minutes, checking to make sure that it was actually accurate. The last few days, I was reminded of how many people were watching me to see how I am doing on this weight-loss journey, and seeing my first goal weight being reached was very motivating! It's so exciting to finally reach the first goal! Now I can finally purchase new gym clothes and shoes! (I wouldn't allow myself to do it until I reached this milestone. Trust me...I need new clothes! The last several times I have been on the treadmill, I actually had to get off the treadmill and go to the locker room to tighten the drawstring on the pants I was wearing so they wouldn't fall. Pretty awesome!) Look out, trainer! I'm baaaack!

3. I am starting two bible studies this week. The first study is "Experiencing God" by Blackaby. The headline for the study is "Knowing and Doing the Will of God." I have been told this study is fantastic, and I can't wait to dive into it! The second study is the book of Romans. I have been wanting to study the book of Romans for YEARS now, and the opportunity has finally presented itself. It's such a foundational book of the bible, and I'm ready to be amazed at what God will teach me!

4. My Bible in a Year plan is right on track. It has been very interesting so far. I finished reading the entire book of Job, and now I'm back in Genesis, learning about Abraham. Genesis 22 was a very interesting chapter. This chapter discusses Abraham being tested by God to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as a burnt offering. I can't imagine what was going through Abraham's mind as he set out that morning! And Isaac... what was he thinking as his own dad, a strong believer in God, bound him, laid him on the altar, and grabbed the knife to kill him? The book of Genesis never mentions what Isaac was thinking during that time, nor does it mention what Isaac's conversation was with his dad as they were walking back to the servants. What do you think of that chapter?

5. I really like my iPad. I downloaded two books so far, "LoveHampton" and John MacArthur's "Romans" bible book study. I thought of purchasing the bible study at the bookstore, but with highlighting capabilities and note options on my iPad, I figured I would give it a shot. And I must say, Angry Birds in HD is pretty awesome! I am wanting to download the Mac version of MS Word to use (Pages). That way I can have access to all my documents on it without always having to have my laptop. I love technology!

6. I am in serious need of a playlist remodeling. I have around 200 songs on my wishlist, but the majority aren't what I would generally listen to while trying to do cardio. What are your recommendations?

7. Football season is almost over, and it makes me sad! I'm curious to see if the NFL will actually extend the season to 18 regular games and two less preseason games. That would make me happy! I'm really hoping my Cowboys will step it up next year and play well. This year was not a very good one (to say the least), but I have big hopes for next season. Cowboys fan forever!

8. With football season coming to an end, I will now have to start watching College Basketball. March Madness is fast approaching! Because I don't watch the games until football season is finished, I don't really know enough to fill out brackets. I would end up being like that girl from SNL (during the Peyton Manning taping) who chose the teams based on obscure info. That whole show really made me laugh. You should definitely watch it. Peyton Manning is super funny!

9. I will have plenty of posts coming soon on my trainer and some of our sessions. Stay tuned!

10. Why is it so hard to find a decent organizational planner? Seriously!?!? There are 10,000 planners available and they are all basically the same, just with a different design. That makes no sense to me. I am definitely needing to get started with creating my own.

11. Speaking of creating my own....why is it not possible to have your bible custom-designed? The bible is the most amazing and interactive book I will ever own, yet I can't customize its design to fit me. I would like a bible with a specific type of leather, wide margins that are lined (for writing notes), a blank outline at the front of each book so I can write in my own words what each chapter is about as a quick reference, thicker pages so highlights and pen writing won't bleed through, cross-referencing, and the greek and hebrew meanings of certain words for further studying (this is where an iPad app would really come in handy. I do have the YouVersion Holy Bible app already, but it's a really basic app. Plus I can't access live sermon notes like the same YouVersion app on my iPhone. I'm ready for that update so I can use my iPad during church for taking notes instead of my iPhone. But I digress.) There are several bibles which own individual characteristics, but not one bible encompasses all these. I actually called Zondervan (the bible publishing company), and they told me there is no option to customize my own. I also called FedEx Office, and explained to the girl what I was wanting to do. I'm not kidding. She told me the only way I could do that is if I typed out the entire bible, since there were copyright laws which would prohibit them from making copies of any bible. (I don't have the time nor the energy to type out the entire bible. That would take forever! Plus I would have to have an editor to make sure there were no typos. I guess I am going to give up on that idea.) I am looking at getting the NIV Study Bible with wide margins and renaissance leather. I guess I can put in my own sheet of paper at the front of each book to create my own outline guide. I am thinking of using this bible as my main bible and maybe purchasing the New Inductive Study Bible (NASB) as my other bible. NASB is more word-for-word translation, so it's a great bible for word studies. (This bible is the one I mentioned earlier which provides the blank outline at the front of each book and it also leaves the title of each chapter blank for you to fill in what it is.) At the end of the day, I want my "forever" bible. I want that bible that 50 years from now (Lord willing I live that long), it will be so full of notes and highlights and be almost falling apart. What an amazing gift to pass on to future generations! Which bible do you own? What's important to you in terms of your bible design?

After all this bible talk, I need to pull out my bible and get started on my bible studies. Be on the lookout for upcoming posts regarding the studies. I'm excited to share what I learn from them!

Happy Sunday!

 

Mindless Musings

Because it is still the weekend (and my brain doesn't feel like working today), I have decided to post some random musings. Enjoy!

1.  I purchased an iPad today.

I am a techno junkie. I love technology! I think it would be awesome to be the person who tests out new devices (like iPads and iPhones) and gives advice on how to make it better. Because of my love for technology, it is shocking to me that I didn't purchase an iPad when it first came onto the scene. Why in the world was I waiting? I guess I didn't really understand why I would need an iPad when I already had a laptop, iPhone, and iPod.

The last few months, I have become intrigued with eReaders. I never purchased an eReader previously because I wasn't impressed by the Kindle (it doesn't have a backlight. Why would an electronic device specially designed for book reading not have a backlight? Craziness, I tell ya!) and I love the feel of a paper book in my hands. When I went on vacation, I began reading a book that was at the house where we stayed. Because I wanted to read it on the flight home, I went to both Borders in town to purchase the book, and neither one had it. This began my desire for an eReader; I could purchase the book, download it immediately, and begin reading it. On the flight home, I was the only (ONLY!) person who had the light on to read a book (we were on a night flight). All the cool people had eReaders. I was crushed! The more I started researching eReaders, the greater their appeal. Finally, a few days ago, I walked into Barnes and Noble and discovered the NOOKcolor. That was it. That was the final straw. I HAD to own an eReader. Because I really wanted an iPad, I didn't see the point in purchasing a NOOKcolor, only to spend lots more on an iPad.

Today, I walked into Best Buy (BB) to return something; I walked out with an iPad. I am so excited about it! The only drawback to it is that the iPad 2 is coming soon. I am TOTALLY getting the new iPad as soon as it hits the market. (I purchased the buy-back plan from BB, where I get a decent percentage of my money back from the iPad I purchased today to upgrade to the new one (50% back if the iPad 2 enters the market in the next 6 months.) I can't wait to start using it! (I would be using it now, except the screen protector from BB is terrible and it's driving me crazy! Sounds like an Apple Store trip is coming soon. Plus, the Apple Store will apply the screen protector for me.) I already know the first book I am downloading--that book from vacation! I need a beach read!

2.  I am doing the Bible in a Year plan.

Lately, I have been bothered by the fact that I have been a Christian for a very long time (20 years, at least. I actually don't remember a time in my life when I didn't believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins. 20 years ago is when I walked down the aisle at church and was baptized.) and I haven't read through the entire bible. What a shame! I find it very disappointing, so this year I am reading it! I decided on reading the bible in chronological order (in the order the events occurred, according to recent historical research). I have finished reading the first 11 chapters of Genesis; now I am in the book of Job (just finished chapter 16). Really?? Job? The most depressing book in the bible and this is next up on the list? I just finished reading how the entire world was wiped out (Noah's Ark), and now I have to read about Job's troubles? This is too much for me to handle! Fortunately, one of my favorite bloggers is doing the same Bible in a Year plan I am. (His name is Jon Acuff. His blog can be found at www.stuffchristianslike.net and his Twitter name is @jonacuff. You should definitely take a look at his blog and follow him on Twitter. He cracks. me. up!) He did a blog post on "Comparing Our Situations to Job." It was pretty funny but it brought up a great point that nothing in my life I find troubling can even come close to what Job endured. He also tweeted on the fact that we don't really associate the name Nimrod (in Gen. 10) with a "mighty hunter before the Lord" as in biblical times. This Bible in a Year plan just got interesting!

3.  My trainer FORCED me to do the StairClimber at the gym on Friday.

At the end of my workout with him, he decided I should attempt the StairClimber. What?!?! Are you serious? Me?? On the StairClimber??? I don't plan on climbing Mount Everest! I don't plan on going to the Great Wall of China any time soon. Why do I need to do the StairClimber? Apparently he wasn't kidding with me because next thing I knew I was climbing some stairs. I actually lasted longer on the machine than I thought, but it still wasn't very long. My knees were definitely achy later that evening. I have decided that this is my new challenge.

4.  I love romance-comedy.

Whether it's books or movies, I am obsessed with rom-com. It makes me so happy! In fact, because there are no football games on tv this evening, I have a rom-com on right now. There is enough drama going on in this world, why would I want to spend time watching it on my tv or reading about it in a book? Rom-com is light, funny, and always has happy, romantic endings. What is there to not love about that!?!!

5.  I love music.

I love music! Love! Love! Love! Music makes my world go round. I get so excited when it's time to listen to my music library. There is so much FANTASTIC music to listen to that I don't even know where to begin! Thanks to iTunes, I can find all kinds of music (without having to purchase an entire album each time). What's even better about iTunes is every time I purchase new songs, "genius recommendations" introduces me to more new music (and new bands). (Genius recommendations is a section in iTunes which recommends music based off the music in your library. If you haven't tried it yet, you should! It's pretty awesome!)  Because I love music so much, I plan on creating quite a few posts about music. Maybe you will share with me your playlists and music loves!

With all this talk of music, I need to mess around on iTunes now. I have some new music (and iPad apps) to download.

Happy Sunday!