Thank you: Marty Keith

I wish I had a picture of Marty and I but I don't. :(

This one is dedicated to my guitar teacher, Marty Keith, who has been a huge inspiration, amazing teacher and a fun part of my life for the past two years. 

I started messing around with guitar on my own after I quit piano but it wasn't until I started actually taking lessons that I realized how much I love playing! Two years, fifty songs and a new guitar later I have gotten over my strumming problems, have learned so, so much (despite the fact I can't remember the Bm chord) and, best of all, have discovered a new passion and have been inspired to continue playing just for the fun of it. It's been an awesome few years taking lessons from Marty and it's something I am certainly going to miss. He's an incredible teacher and I have a huge respect for how he can just listen to a song and pick out the chords or picking or whatever is going on from just sitting there with his guitar. Maybe someday I'll figure out how to do that. ;) 

Thanks for being such an inspiration and fun teacher, Marty!

(also, if you're looking for a guitar teacher - he lost a student last Friday (big sad face!) so take a look at his website http://www.martykeith.blogspot.com/ and give him a call!)

my dog can photobomb...can yours?

Thank You: Joey and the Lab

Beautiful day, isn't it?

I have decided to start this series by thanking a family member and very influential person for his generosity and continued encouragement towards me and my pursuit of science. 

Joey is my mom's first cousin, making him my second cousin and really more like an uncle. Around the dinner table, he's easily distinguished because he's usually the loudest of the bunch and is probably the one telling embarrassing stories about my mom. (They're usually pretty hilarious.) 

Oh, and did I mention he's this genius scientist person who has his own lab at Vanderbilt studying heart valve development problems in babies? (*Initiate bragging rights*)

When I was little I visited his lab while in Nashville and I can vividly picture the chick embryo glowing under a microscope that had a camera attached to it. I can see the little heart beating on the tv screen and being in awe at the whole thing. We have pictures of me putting on a lab coat and gloves and looking at human hearts. And then going to his house and looking at fossils in his backyard. One time, I pretty much destroyed part of his rock wall because I took out the rocks that had fossils in them to show him what I found. (I still feel sorta bad about the wall.) He's told me tons of random science facts and given me numerous science related books to read. And then when I turned sixteen I spent a summer volunteering at his lab.

That lab experience, though admittedly long and sometimes frustrating, was one of the best experiences I have had during high school. The people I met and worked with were absolutely incredible and so inspiring. Not to mention - I learned so, so, much. It was just the coolest experience and one I wish I could have repeated. At the end of it, I was proud of what we had done and even more sure that I could be happy doing what Cindy, Dan, Joseph L., Nora and all my other lab friends do all the time. Each one has been an inspiration and I appreciate all they have done for me. Thanks guys! :)

And of course, thank you to Joey who has continually inspired and shown generosity towards me. I have so appreciated all the time you have spent encouraging and helping me form a path for my future. 

Thank you so much!! 

<3

(My apologies for not having a picture of Joey up. I couldn't find one on my computer. :P Here are a few from my lab experience and if I find one of Joey and I, I'll add it.)

Cindy working on the embryos

Mouse embryo

May not mean much to people who've never worked with this before but we ran a bunch of PCRs. It was always a fun time :)

Update and What's to Come

I think that writing for your blog is easier when you do it often. I'm feeling a bit rusty after my month long break.

Anyway.

I'm hoping you all are enjoying this new season. To me, one of the joys of life has always been the changing of seasons. The months of cold, dead of winter suddenly redeemed with the warmth and life of spring. It's so beautiful, even in the raininess of April. In fact, I had a customer at Yarrow mention that she finds that the flowers and new greenery seem even brighter and more beautiful when it's a gloomy day. Driving around today, (on a day when it has been dumping rain on and off and threatening with tornadoes) I'd have to agree with her.

I've had a busy month. Spring break. Babysitting. College decisions. Two new tutoring jobs. School. Prom. Senior pictures. Nothing terribly unusual but it all keeps me running. They are good things and I enjoy them, and that makes them worthwhile. Spring break was lovely for the short time it lasted. I didn't get a full break, but when Ryan was home we worked around it and had a great ten days. My new tutoring jobs have been a joy. I am continually thankful for the discovery of this passion and the opportunity to pursue it. I love that my job is equally as helpful to others as it is to me. It's hard to even think of it as a job really. School has been slow going, but I realized I only have two more tests in chemistry and my very last 40-hour project ever in the next month or so. All that to say - it's about to get busy fast. But prom was amazing. For me, it started out with a sweet surprise from Ryan's mom delivering the most beautiful corsage ever. It was the sweetest, most perfect thing. Then we went to dinner and West Haven where we all danced till we couldn't dance anymore. It was so much fun, but when our dear friend Wes dislocated his knee on the dance floor, we stopped all and prayed for him. It's this kinda stuff that makes me so proud to call these people my friends and influence for the past five years.

 So that's been my life and now I'm looking ahead. The instant I do I tend to get overwhelmed. So much change and so many new adventures all are happening in such a short time and it's quickly, almost too quickly, approaching. The truth of it is...I don't handle change very well. So, while I am looking forward to everything that is about to happen, I am getting reminiscent and nervous as well. It's hard not to be, and I know I'm not the only one experiencing this.

So I've decided. I am graduating exactly one month from today and during that one month I am going to be extremely busy. Nevertheless, I'm want to set aside time to write posts, even if just short ones, dedicated to the people (and memories) that have been the greatest blessings in my life up to this point. I'm working on a name for this series. It might simply be the "Thank You" series. I'd like to think of a more creative name but it's late and I'm not feeling creative. Just blessed and thankful. Ideas can be posted in the comments if you feel inclined to help me out with names.

Well. That's it for now. Be on the lookout for new posts and keep enjoying spring. It's going to be a lovely rest of the year.

:)
Paula


P.S. Did you notice the new template colors? What do you think?

My Butterfly Buddy

I have been inspired by today's gorgeous weather and have put together this little documentation of a particularly nice day from last summer. The story goes something like this:
I was outside on our back porch when I happened to notice a huge butterfly near the tree by our deck. Having nothing better to do,* I grabbed a net and caught him. In the kitchen, I found a mason jar and some netting from a bag of oranges. This butterfly really was a rather lovely creature, with large colorful fans for wings and three pairs of gentle little stick legs. He did a great job posing and I really enjoyed the opportunity to play around with our new camera. Enjoy the photos! (P.S. You can click on a photo and it will enlarge it and you can scroll through them that way. I like them better when they're bigger.) 

*(oh, to have nothing better to do than catch butterflies..! no papers, no calculus...Anyone else ready for summer?!)

In the mason jar

one of my favorite pictures

posing

brilliantly colored

See the chip in his left wing? He left that as a present for me. It's especially beautiful to look at under the microscope.

I have a whole new definition of butterfly kisses.

  I'm a pirate.

Until another day, my little friend! :)

Sloth.

Hey everyone!
I wanted to share this sermon given at St. John's Anglican yesterday by my pastor Kenny Benge. This topic really struck me because first of all, I really struggle with this, and secondly because (as Kenny explains) it is so engrained in our culture that we don't even see it as a sin anymore. It is definitely worth a listen to if you have a few minutes. 

Side story: My sister Julianne accused me of using church to escape my paper last night before church started. Little did we know that the sermon was basically on laziness/procrastination/my life. God always gives us exactly what we need, doesn't he? (Even if it stings a bit...)

Bad sloth! But he's so cute!!

The Deadly Sin of Sloth

"Kenny Benge preached a sermon entitled “The Deadly Sin of Sloth” for The Fourth Sunday of Lent  on March 10, 2013. During Lent, we are exploring an ancient taxonomy of sin to help us examine our lives, develop a lifestyle of repentance, and experience a fresh and joyous grace in Christ. The deadly sin of Sloth is a complex and contradictory phenomenon, an “obscure evil.” It is a sin of omission, a sin of “things left undone.” It is a sin of neglect--it abhors what is thereand fantasizes about what is not.” It despises our actual life while dreaming of ”what could be.” Sloth tempts us to escape from reality. Sloth demands that life must not ask too much of us, and tells us that we have a right to get by with a minimum of effort, tells us that deserve achievement and reward despite our sluggishness."

So what do you think? 

Is this something you struggle with?

Do you see it happening in our culture? 

How?

How do you combat it?

OH hey! Also watch this awesome vid made by my sister Kronk! (akaJulianne) It's from our trip to Chattanooga which was AMAZING. Kronk Aquarium Trippp

You might be a hopeful romantic if...

The perfect hopeless romantic

In the spirit of Valentine's/Single Awareness day (whichever you might be celebrating this year) I compiled this little list of hopeless romantic traits. Many of them come straight from a close self professed HR (myself) and others came to me with the help of a quick google search. Clearly, this is not a legitimate test and doesn't define you as a person...It was just fun for me to write. Hope you enjoy!

FYI This is aimed at girls, but lets just say if you're a guy and you identify with some of these you won't be getting any judgement from me! Plus - it's safe to say that girls love a guy with a romantic streak. ;)

You might be a hopeless romantic if...

• Your first Pinterest board to reach 100 pins was wedding related
• You've imagined scenarios about the following or anything related to the following: being asked out, first kiss, proposals, buying a puppy (or iphone??) with SO, anything you find to be perfectly romantic
• You believe in love at first sight.
• You believe in true love.
• You're in love with love.
• Old couples who are still totally into each other are adorable and in no way gross or scary.
• Tangled makes you cry.
• Taylor Swift songs like: Love Story, Fearless, Ours and Our Song make you feel all mushy inside.
• Taylor Swift songs like: Last Kiss, White Horse, and Come Back..Be Here are super depressing.
• Kissing in the rain sounds fun.
• You become a ball of mush while watching chick flicks. (Examples: The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, The Titanic etc.)
• You have watched Pride & Prejudice 4 times in the last 24 hours.
• It puts you in a good mood to see happy couples being adorable.
• You've already decided on your wedding song.
• And dress. And every other detail including when and where you'd like to be proposed to. (If he isn't on his knees, it's a no deal.)
• The perfect relationship is Lily and Marshall's from How I Met Your Mother (cheesy nicknames and all)
• It's the little things that make all the difference.
• You're waiting for your knight in shining armor to rescue you. (Bonus points if you didn't think the use knight was even slightly cheesy.)
• And finally - You either really like or really dislike Valentine's day (but it definitely depends on the year.) ;)

If you identify with the majority of these, you're probably a hopeless romantic. That does not mean that you finding romance is in fact - hopeless. This label is very misleading. Giselle started out with a prince that had caterpillar lips and ended up with this guy:

Not hopeless AT. ALL.

So in the spirit of hopeFUL romantics eat some chocolate kisses and have an awesome Valentine's/Single Awareness Day!

(Also, shout out to the epitome of awesomeness, Rhyno, who turns 19 today! ^.^ )

Homebound

4th of July 2012

Hey everyone,

This post was inspired by one of the most beautiful people I have ever (probably will ever) know. Her name was Flo Worden.

Flo was one of our families' first friends upon our arrival to Tennessee, so she's connected to us in a really special way. She was one of the few who adopted us out-of-place northerners from the get go, and continued to be an important part of our now 7 years here. 

I think I'll remember her for things like her Thursday tradition of making homemade cinnamon raisin bread, which she almost always gave away and which we were often recipients of. I'll remember her chatting with my mom as the four of us girls sat around her house eating ice cream sandwiches. I remember planting begonias and petunias outside her house and sitting in her living room under the childhood portraits of her three deceased sons, listening to stories about them. I always liked that jar on the counter that said "Joe's Stuff." Joe was her husband, whose funeral she would also attend in her lifetime. I'll remember the magnet on her refrigerator that she loved because on it were little Texas blue bonnets that reminded her of home. 

All of these are cherished memories but for me, what makes Flo set apart from anyone else is that she was a woman of life in the midst of death and tragedy. As mentioned, all her immediate family passed away before I even knew her. I can't imagine being Flo and attending those funerals. The grief alone should have been enough to destroy her. She shouldn't have been so beautifully kind and tenderhearted and loving. She should have been hard and cold and calloused. But she never, ever was. In fact, she gave life to everyone she encountered and everyone I have ever heard talk about her can't do so without a smile. She was ever interested in you. How you were, how school was going, how the prom dress was coming along. I rarely heard her talk about herself. She loved without limit and lived with hope. A true gem in the midst of so much despair. 

The reason I named this post "homebound" is because last week, just before she passed away, my Aunt Julie mentioned something that really struck me. We were talking about Flo and how we didn't think she'd be here much longer. We were both sad, but she said that in a way, she wanted Flo to go and be with her boys. It got me thinking.

Isn't it sort of crazy that we can be reunited with our families after we die?

Let that sink in. 

I don't know about you, but this sort of amazes me. I guess my impression of heaven has subconsciously felt lonely. Kind of like starting at a new school or any other change where, you know it's for the best but at the same time you'll have to start all over with making friends, which is never easy. I mean sure, we'd have eternity to do so, but still. I never really thought about the fact that when I get to heaven, I'll get to be there with my grandpa who I knew and loved during my short time on earth. And Flo. I'll meet her husband and her sons. And... I think loneliness will be the farthest thing from my mind... And that's without even going into the fact I'll be with Jesus. Face to face. Finally home.

God is so good. 

There are only a few people who I can name who just radiate a love bigger than themselves. Flo was one of those people and I will miss her presence in my life. I just hope that someday I might emulate her and have her faithful, loving heart.
~Paula

1 Corinthians 13:1-13
"If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be buried, but have not love, I gain nothing. 
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. 
As for prophesies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 
So now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."


 P.S. How do you feel about the outcome of the superbowl? How about that Budweiser commercial with the wittle baby clydesdale?! ADORABLE. Those are always my favorites. ^.^