Experiment #1

I'm going to try to tell you a story. A story that is much funnier than I will ever begin to communicate, but of which I must try to tell. Before our recent move, Jordan and I decided to discontinue our cable service. We came to such a decision after long deliberation (in front of the TV) and lots of curiosity. What will I do in the evenings? Is it even possible to own a TV if it isn't directly attached to ESPN HQ? Either way, we concluded that upon entry into our new apartment, we would NOT continue our Comcast service, even at a discounted price. Lets give it a month and see where we stand, can we survive? I mean, it's not like we watch more than maybe 4-5 hours of TV a week, and I know I'm the only one that really watches it.

According to the local Comcast tele-operator, we won't live to tell the story. I swear, I talked to Bernie Mac on the other end and taught me a life lesson, of which only time can tell the truth. When I first talked to him, he copped an attitude when the social security numbers didn't match- although they were wrong previously, and naturally, they never fixed it when we told them it was wrong last time. Either way, he seemed in a much better mood when he asked how he could help. When I told him that I wanted to cancel my cable service, he asked the mandatory, "Was anything wrong?" I proceeded to explain my situation and told him, per request, we'd been married for just over a year. He laughed.

He laughed, and laughed, and laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

For an entire minute on the phone, he laughed in my face- one of those laughs that starts out high and in the back of your throat and proceeds to reach down into your gut where it forces out full-body convulsions. Yes, he laughed just like that, I was beginning to feel a bit insulted. He then willingly offered that 20+ years of experience taught him the "give 'em an inch and they'll take a mile philosophy," and once she realizes it is a good thing- say goodbye forever. I tried to explain to him that we are trying an experiment, and when football begins next month, we'd pick it back up. Nope, this applies to all realms of life, and he painted a picture for me: soon enough I'll be driving a mini-van, changing all the diapers, and letting her dress me. Mini-van, check- what next? His best advice in such dire situations was to respond with mono-syllablic answers and when possible, grunt or groan.

As we began to discuss the specifics of cancelling the policy, I wanted to quickly establish whether we pay for the cable before or after the service, and whether or not returning the cable box would affect being charged another month. He responded, "OH, you'll pay for it alright, don't worry about that, you'll pay for it- MUAHAHAHAHA."

I couldn't help but begin to nervously laugh with him and wonder, what am I getting myself into?


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Now playing: Kristian Stanfill - You Will Always Be
via FoxyTunes

The small things in life

It is often the big things in life that draw our attention. More often than not, it's the life-changing events that define who we are not only to ourselves, but to each other. Others often notice our impressive accomplishments and numerous accolades before anything else. I think you'd agree, however, that the little things in life subtly establish the larger things. Our habits, propensities, decisions, and customs slowly shape our persona and affect the person we are becoming.

All that being said, our move was yesterday. Jordan and I down-sized from a two bedroom, two level apartment to a one bedroom apartment. And all I have to say is, "WOW, when did we accumulate so much crap?!" And man, I didn't realize I'm such a girl... I have A LOT of clothes- more than Jordan! :( To my credit, every single article of clothing I own is bigger than hers though, so although it looks like I have more clothes, I do wonder how much the size biases the apparent volume. And hey, at least she still has more shoes than I do, nor do I get regular 'pedis' (which, apparently, some dudes are into *cough cough*). None-the-less, the move wasn't all that bad considering we only moved across the hall. With the help of two courageous Jubos, it was a fairly smooth transition that lasted less than 24 hours, and there weren't any major issues (like last year, when our boxspring couldn't fit up the stairwell even after hammering the wall in).

The worst part was getting the kitchen table into the kitchen. We had it on its side and down three quarters of the hallway when we reached the molding around the bathroom door. It isn't some big ostentatious piece of art, it's fairly simple. But apparently that half-a-centimeter was just too much.... After rotating the table and turning the table on both sides, we decided that a hammer wouldn't fix this job either, and so we shimmied back down the hall where I could remove the table top from the legs and easily re-assemble it in the kitchen. All-in-all, I'm happy with the new place. It has promise and I think will make quite a home- once the internet and A/C start working :) I guess I shouldn't worry about those little things all that much...?


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Now playing: David Crowder Band - Remedy
via FoxyTunes

The day is upon us....

We're MOVING!

Is there a line?

Before I met Jordan my budgeting skills simply consisted of checking my online bank account to make sure the correct amount was deducted. Since we've been married (and even while we dated- yeah she wasn't a cheap date, but that was because I wanted to take her to all the nice places :), WOW. We have a record of everything we've purchased in an excel sheet. I went from apathetic to compulsive and now I can clearly see Jordan's effect on me as I get upset if I can't make all the numbers balance at the end of the month. I once heard that to know where someone's priorities lie, just look at their checkbook. It has been really fun to watch where our money goes, see who spends more on what, and consider where we should be spending more.

Of course, tithing is important. Virtually since the beginning of time, Christians have been tithing 10% to God through the local church. So, Jordan and I have always had that as a top priority. We both feel like generosity is an important part of the Christian life and that it truly is a blessing for us to be able to share what God has gifted us.

**Insert Brian Regan clip** Long story short, or one thing led to another... we've heard it is smart to start saving for retirement early. I read through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace a couple years back where he outlined two investments, one followed someone who saved from 25-45 and another who saved from 35-retirement(65) and the second investment never caught-up with the first (I might be off with the time scale, but you get the idea). So now that we are debt-free and saving money, we've decided to start a small retirement fund. I don't know if it was just the grind of life and unexpected expenses, or the retirement talk, but about two weeks ago, I got selfish. Or at least I think that's what it was. I began asking myself, where is the line? Have you ever asked that question? I feel like it isn't that uncommon. There are definitely situations where that is a valid question, but more often than not- I use it to get out of something. It's a lukewarm excuse that gives you just enough support to make a decision that you couldn't (or shouldn't) come to otherwise. Looking at our budget, there seemed to be an awful lot of money going to support churches and various other missions, but what is absolutely necessary? How much money do I have to give (outside of tithing) to be 'generous'?

Then this week, God decided enough of these shenanigans. Out of nowhere and entirely unexpected, He supplied extra. Not just a little extra, but a surplus. I know the definition of a lot of money differs, but if the Fed doesn't make a single bill in that amount (that I know of), it is a lot of money to me. It may be silly, but right in the midst of me worrying about how much to give, I felt like God sent me a reminder not to begin storing up treasure. Perhaps His way of saying, "Ya know, Joseph, why are you so caught up about how much money is in the one category that directly glorifies me and not yourself? Ya see, I can give you as much (or as little) as I want!" It might've even been a challenge to give more. I haven't quite discerned what it all means, but I thank God for getting to me before I developed a habit of half-hearted giving/sacrifice. I do think generosity is a heart matter more than material means and that God loves a joyful giver.

And on a completely separate note, since youtube didn't have the Brian Regan clip I wanted, this is another one of his bits that Jordan and I LOVE quoting to each other. His delivery is spot-on and we love it! Perhaps this is what Jordan was thinking when I started questioning our budget after sticking to it for a year!!






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Now playing: Shane Barnard & Shane Everett - There Is Nothing Like You
via FoxyTunes

Me. Competitive? NAH!

For as long as I can remember I've been described as a 'competitive' person. Sometimes, I enjoy being described with that adjective, but over the last couple of years it's grown to really bother me when someone uses that word in reference to me- especially when they don't even know me or I'm not behaving in such a manner.

Last weekend I took time to explain to my sister (-in-law, shout out to the one and only, Jac Attack) that there is a difference between being competitive and enjoying competition. Some people are just plain competitive. This type of person loves to assert authority over others while not necessarily enjoying the activity involved. It probably stems from some type of insecurity or chip-on-the-shoulder. I have to admit, every once in a while, like once in a blue moon, I will let this guy in me outside to play. However, it is usually when someone is talking trash out the side of their head and their BS is starting to fowl up my breathing air. I love bringing people back down to Earth (or at least trying to). OK, so shoot me.

Others simply participate in an event and while the outcome doesn't matter to them, they can relish in the sweaty play-by-play action. Not knowing who is going to triumph over the other ignites the spirit and encourages hard play and determination. No one really cares about winning the match- it isn't the final resting point that they care about, it is the journey. I love a hard fought battle on the soccer field that puts me to sleep at night.

I don't think Jaclyn, her mom, or her great uncle really bought it necessarily. I mean, maybe there would've been a better time to have a discussion (perhaps outside of an intense ping-pong match....) but still!!



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Now playing: Eliso Bolkvadze - Piano Sonata in C-Sharp Minor "Moonlight", Op. 27/2: III. Presto
via FoxyTunes

What are you listening to?

Last week I plugged my iPod into my computer to let it charge and upload several song and sermons but instead of just going to the song I was craving at that moment.... I took a detour and decided to explore a little bit. I was a bit surprised by my top 10 songs. I was definitely shocked to see that I hadn't even heard the #1 listened to song in the last six months. I would highly recommend any of these songs if you haven't heard them!

	Title	Artist	Played
1	How Great is Our God	Chris Tomlin	97
2	In Your Freedom	Hillsong	93
3	Divine Romance	Phil Wickham	87
4	Don't Wait	Dashboard Confessional	78
5	Samson	Regina Spektor	78
6	Blessed Be Your Name	Tree63	74
7	The Call	Regina Spektor	68
8	All Creatures of Our God and King	David Crowder Band	65
9	Romeo And Juliet	Brown Derbies	63
10	Beulah Land	Hope's Call	62

Just for clarification, Romeo and Juliet made the top ten list because Jordan has listened to that song non-stop for the past month. She single-handedly listened to that song for probably 75% of the plays. Anyways, you should check out some of these songs! Also, this version is the Dire Straits version, not the Brown Derbies' a capella version... What is the numero uno song on your iPod?


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Now playing: Matthew West - Next Thing You Know
via FoxyTunes