Monday, Monday, Monday

I realize that today is Tuesday, but this is about something that happened yesterday. (I might talk about things that happened today, but mostly it will be about yesterday)

Yesterday was a rough day. On my way to drop Marvin off at the vet to get neutered and de-clawed, I noticed that is was pretty slick out in spots. The strong winds were causing the snow to blow onto the roads, and it was melting, creating slush and slick spots. Well, on my way home, I didn't notice just how long the slick spot was, and wasn't able to slow down enough to keep control of the car, which led to me ending up in the ditch facing the opposite direction I was going. Thankfully, the ditch wasn't much of a ditch, just mainly a field. I was thankful that I didn't flip and that I didn't hit the sign that was about 50 ft away from me. The car and I were okay, and I was glad that Aurelia stayed home with Daddy. I called a friend to help get me unstuck, and I was on my way.

That was the most exciting even of the day, other than the ants that were continuing to take over our kitchen and us going to the junior high basketball games. That was the first time I had ever been driving when I got into an accident, and even though everything was okay and it wasn't really that scary, it still shook me up a bit. It made me realize (or at least rethink) just how much God loves us and just how much I really could lose by getting hurt or killed. I mean, God uses everything for good, but things would definitely changed if something happened to Josh or myself.

Yesterday was a day of rest for me, but Josh was excited to get the drumset up in the office room, which was a bigger job than I thought it would be... it involved removing the couch from the office and bringing it out to the living room, which meant we had to rearrange the living room. Then the office had to be rearranged to get the drums to fit. At the end of the day, the house ended up cleaner and rearranged, the drum set is up, and Josh was happy. [For the record, I am okay with it too :P]

Today, I finally got around to caulking the big gaps in our wall, which is where we think that ants were coming from. I guess we will find out if we were right in the next couple of days. Also, I am excited to be headed over to some friends' house tonight for dinner and fellowship :) We are also going to make sure we get our promo kit sent to the Big Ticket Festival today.

Oh, and something else exciting that happened yesterday: Aurelia got brave enough to walk behind her walker toy thing all on her own! She is getting closer and closer to walking every day, and I wouldn't be surprised if it is going to happen in the next couple weeks :)




Just a picture of our band... which has been the main thing we have been working on lately. (Not this picture, but our band and our music.)

A Non-Book Review Blog :)

I have decided that I really like blogging. Maybe its just because lately I feel like there is stuff happening to blog about. Life seems to be going really well right now, and I think its just because Josh and I finally have TRULY given God complete control. We have no idea what is ahead of us, where we will be going or when, but we are trusting in Him to let us know. Until then, we are just living life, and that has proven to be quite fun!

As you know, we have put together a band to try called The Following, and our goal is to be accepted to play on the Indie stage at Big Ticket Festival this year. I actually think we have a shot too, because we have some really talented musicians and a super talented (and might I add very attractive ;P) lead singer (That's Josh, if you didn't catch on!). I think I am the least experienced out of the group, but am reassured by Josh that I am learning the drums quickly, and doing well. Of course, I have a pretty decent teacher... Josh is teaching me what he knows, and between that and listening to different beats, I think that with practice, I might be halfway decent someday.

Anyway, we also think that we might be able to play at the Deford Rock Festival this year as well. It is just a SUPER tiny thing, but it would be fun to perform no matter what :) This Saturday, we are headed to Harbor Beach to try and record a few of our songs to send to Big Ticket Festival. I am excited to see what they have to say.

The band thing had a few different motives behind it: the main one was we both enjoy music, and we both thought it would be cool to be in a band. the second reason is that we wanted a [cheaper or free] way to get into the Big Ticket Festival since we can't afford / dont want to pay the full price for all three days. So, with that being said, there is always a chance we won't get chosen to play on the Indie stage, which is why we have a back up plan :P

I dont know if you have ever heard of NRT Radio (New Release Tuesday), but it is an online radio station that plays the newest Christian music. It is a really great station, and it is usually what is playing if there is music on in our home. Anyway, we emailed them asking if they were interested or able to have a table set up at the Festival, and we told them we would be willing to run the table, or advertise for them or something. They emailed Josh back and said that while they couldn't really afford to have a table or anything extreme, they might be able to have us 'report' for them. Basically what we would be doing is creating a write up on each day: Who we saw play, what we did, what we liked, things like that. Although it is our number one goal to play at BTF, it would be a pretty cool way to go if we were there representing NRT Radio :) It would be a really neat experience either way.

I am very excited about where God is taking us and what we will get to do along the way.

Also, on a different note, Aurelia is looking pretty ready to walk soon. She is getting more brave every day, and letting go of things to stand on her own. Also, she loves giving kisses (mostly to Marvin, our cat, and her stuffed animals. Or to her reflection) and hugs. She is also talking a lot (baby talk, that is), and she knows the signs for milk and all done. While she knows what the signs are for eat and please, she doesn't really seem to like to do them. Instead, when she is hungry, she usually goes 'MMmmmmmm'. Its pretty cute :) I love being a Mommy!!!!!

For Women Only: In the Workplace

For Women Only in the Workplace is a book that looks at the differences between men and women in a work environment. Feldhahn is know for her 'Only' book series, and this is a great addition to those books! She highlights many ways men and women differ in styles of work and thinking. For instance, Feldhahn explains that women tend to think from many different 'boxes' in their minds, while men have the ability think from one box at a time, closing all the others while they work from a specific box. She explains how to use these differences to our advantage in the workplace, instead of letting it hinder us.

I found this book to be full of helpful tips not only for women in the workplace, but also women who work from home or are stay at home mothers/wives. Knowing how men in the workplace think and respond is always helpful, whether you are their coworker, or you are their customer.

I would suggest this book to women in the workplace looking to understand their male coworkers more.

I received this book free from the Blogging for Books program.

Surprised By Laughter: the Comic World of C.S.Lewis

C.S. Lewis was a man who sought Christ and wanted to share Him with others all over the world. He did this by writing about Christ, and has been known for some great works such as Mere Christianity, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Screwtape Letters. I am myself a Lewis fan, so when I saw that I had an opportunity to read Surprised by Laughter: The Comic World of C.S. Lewis, by Terry Lindvall, I was quite excited. I will be honest in saying my hopes were dashed upon the books arrival: it was a whopping 454 pages long! The introduction explains how the author wouldn't want to read a book explaining what makes humor humorous, but that is what the book is about. It is repetitive and not an easy read.

While the author of the book seems to know a lot about Lewis and his life, the book read more like a textbook than a biography. It was very repetitive, and I feel like it could have been written in 200 or even 150 pages. The whole book consists of many (too many, in my opinion) long quotes from Lewis' books as well as other people who have studied his life. It was almost as if the author wrote this book using others' words.

I enjoyed some of this book, but this book is more of a textbook read, and I wouldn't suggest it if you are looking to learn more about the life of Lewis. It seems to focus more on different styles of humor.

I received this book free from the Booksneeze book blog program.

The Following...

Well, its official: Josh and I are in a band called The Following (at least, we think thats what we are going to be called). Here's the back story.

So, Josh and I (but especially Josh) has always wanted to be in a band. In Painesville, he got that opportunity when he joined Broken Buildings, as their bass player and got to do some acoustic gigs with them as well as their debut concert. When we moved back to Michigan, we realized that that was one of the main things we missed (I loved to go to the concerts and hang out with the band and their groupies!). Now, we both have the opportunity to be in a band with some talented teens, and we are also going to try to make the cut to play at the Big Ticket Festival this year!

We usually play on Wednesday nights for youth group, and I have been learning drumset. At first, I just played for Josh because the teen who usually played is in basketball, and cant make it right now. But I have been actually starting to enjoy it, and am getting better every time I play! One of the teens said it would be awesome to play on the Indie stage at Big Ticket Festival, so Josh looked up what we needed to do to make it happen. This is all we have to do: Get together a promo kit and send it in. By MARCH 1st!!! (Promo kit includes: song samples, band photo and info, and possibly some reviews). At first we thought that this would never happen because we would have to not only come up with songs, but also record them and send them in somehow! But, God is good, and Josh wrote a sweet song that we put to music today. With that, and another original plus one sweet cover, I think we will actually have it all ready to send in by March 1.

So, you should pray for us, and if we do get chosen to play, come see us!!!! It will be so crazy and awesome if we get in, and really, all God.

PS: We were thinking that if we sent the music to one Matt Moore, he could give it a listen, and if he liked it, he could give us some sweet praise :) (But only if you like it!)

We realize that this was a crazy idea that came on really fast, especially since none of us have ever really performed for an audience ( I think all of us have been on stage, for worship, but thats a lot different then performing!). We just figured that we only live once, and the worst thing that will happen is they reject us. We will never know if we dont try!!

I will let you know if we make it when we find out, so stay tuned!!

Joy Revisited

While times have been pretty rough in the Hill household lately (sickness, stress, long days, big decisions...), this is a blog to show us that God is always there, helping us find the joy in the little things.

I'm pretty sure our house should be quarantined... there has been at least one person sick, if not all of us, since about Thanksgiving! It makes it easier, though, when I get to wake up to a smiling baby despite the fact that her face is covered in dried snot with her hair matted in it :P She has her moments, but she is one of the happiest sick people I know! We have had some pretty fun times, despite the sicknesses we have all been facing... for instance:

Aurelia and her Daddy have had fun making music. Here's a fun video of her 'beat boxing' with Josh!


They also had some fun playing guitar today :)




I also found a blanket I had been crocheting for Aurelia before she was born... Not anything fancy, just something to do to keep me busy. It was almost done, but I think that because she came 3 weeks early, I didn't get it finished. Well, I decided to finish it, and found that I was really making it for Marvin...



Aurelia had a really nice party last weekend, and we had a good time mingling with friends and family. It was a pretty long day for her, but I think she had fun getting so much attention :P She is definitely not shy, and loves to be with people! She also loves to dance... Any time she hears any type of beat, she starts moving. It's really cute, especially when she is standing up and starts shaking her tush!

I am enjoying being a mother, and new things about Aurelia everyday, as well as new things about myself. We are also enjoying having Marv as a part of our family, even thought he is a pretty rambunctious! Soon, he will have an appointment to get neutered (Bob Barker would be happy :P), and I think we are going to have his front claws taken out... he's gotten Aurelia too many times while they have been playing together. (Don't worry -- Marvin is a fully indoor pet... I wouldn't take his claws from him and then send him out into the wild!! He will still fully be able to defend his territory from Aurelia with his back claws and his teeth :P)

Also, another exciting this is that I am on my way to receiving an elliptical machine. Here's the story: Josh has given me a challenge. I must work out every day for two weeks, and he said if I do, he will know that I am serious about doing it and that he will buy me an elliptical. Pretty sweet, huh?! I have worked out for 4 days in a row now, and I am glad that he has given me the motivation to do it. I am hoping this two weeks will be a jump start into a lifestyle change. It has been difficult for me to get motivated and keep up with my working out, especially this winter. I am not big on running outside when it is cold, which is mainly why I can talk myself out of working out. But, with this new motivation, I have done Jillian Michael's 3o day shred for 4 days, and my goal (besides an elliptical :P) is to finish that video. I am excited for the warm weather too, when I won't have an excuse to get out and run again!

Today, Josh decided to do a little of the video with me, and found out that it is a lot harder than it looks!! Also, he didn't have any hand weights, so he decided to use Aurelia. I am thinking that that made the workout harder as well :P It was nice having him doing it with me, even though it was only in the beginning (he didn't quit... he had to take care of the baby), because it really helped to motivate me and to keep going even though I wanted to stop and rest.

On Being Intentional

Being a mom has definitely taught me a lot. One of these things is how easy it is for material things to distract me from spending time with Aurelia. An example would be using the computer while trying to make myself believe that I am giving her my full attention.

God has really been trying to get through to me the necessity of being intentional. I've thought about it in the past, but never really realized what it meant. I think a lot of us go through life wondering what is next, or where we will be next year. I guess, to an extent, that is good... God doesn't reveal His plan to us, and He shouldn't have to. He did, after all, create the entire earth and everything on it. He is omnipresent, all knowing, and all powerful. But, while we are waiting for what's next, how do we go about our everyday tasks?

Its easy to get sucked in to society's way... doing everything all at one time. (Just take a look at today's 'smart phones') Most people today believe that texting while talking to someone isn't rude (pardon me for being upfront... that is one of my BIGGEST pet peeves :P) But what if we chose to be different -- to be weIrd -- and do things more intentionally? What if, when talking to someone, we give them our full attention? Or for me, what if I closed the computer and got down and played with Aurelia? (I actually do this, I promise :P I am just using it as an example, and I have a goal of doing it all the time, and not just some of the time!) See, being intentional about everything we do could lead to many things: great conversations, a chance to share the Gospel, a chance to grow, or learn something, or fix something, or help someone. Being intentional is one step toward being a better person, at least for me.

The next time you are walking to class, or are shopping, or maybe you are perusing the movies at the video store, be intentional about smiling at someone, or maybe be intentional about praying for that complete stranger. Being intentional could really make an impact -- in your life and the world.

**End inspirational speech. Or at least my attempt at one :)