Made to Love

Everywhere you look, everyone is looking for someone. This time of year it seems it is exaggerated. Some try the various hook-up websites. Others hit up the clubs or bars. Loser guys, who have already messed up and lost the girls of their dreams pathetically call, text, and message their exes, hoping against hope they can reconnect (all in vain, of course). Why do we do this? I think we all know deep down that more than anything we just want to love and be loved.

This year I have a slightly different perspective on love and relationships. For the first time ever I am starting off the year happily in love. I have dated guys who made me miserable and renewed my hatred for their entire half of the human race, but this time I will be ringing in the new year with the man I adore and who adores me back. I've known the pain of loneliness and have spent more than enough time trying to fill the silence of an empty house. It can be hard to attend the umpteenth wedding without a "plus one" - to answer all the questions about your relationship status (or lack thereof), or even worse - deal with all the cliche "the right one will come along..." Now I am not complaining. I truly wanted to be single and enjoy all the perks of the single life. It is just that as that chapter is quickly coming to a close, I am rejoicing in the romance, companionship, and camaraderie that can be found in this kind of relationship, and comparing it to what I have had thus far.

It is not shocking that people need relationships. We were made in the image of God, and as such, we are relational creatures. Think about it - we are the only creatures on God's green earth with an actual language (I do not want to hear about how monkeys can sign or how dolphins speak - it is NOT the same). We were made to commune with the God who made us, as well as to enjoy the rest of His creation. Relationships, both friendships and romantic relationships are a gift from Him. But all of that is supposed to point us back to Him.

If you feeling a little alone this year, renew your relationship with the God who made you to love. His love has the power to heal, to comfort, and to fill the void people may have left in your heart.

Never Forget

9-11 will go down in infamy for at least our generation, if not those to come - a date marked by tragedy and grief; of destruction and chaos; of hatred and cowardice; but also of heroism, strength, unity, love, and patriotism. We remember those who lost their lives and honor those who gave their lives, but towards those who attacked us 10 years ago, we still give the rally cry "we will NEVER FORGET!"

For most of us, September 11th marked a turning point in our lives for one reason or another. Some of us lost loved ones, others changed the course of their lives by joining the military or changing their occupation or college degree (I fall into that last category). We were all affected in some way... What is your story? People have a tendency to ask "where were you?" I'd rather know, how did it change you? your world? life as you know it? Will you never forget? Why?

Hurricane Irene

Here are a few pics of what we experienced on Long Island when Hurricane Irene rolled through...

a flooded van


one block from my family's house


a downed tree...


standing in front of my house


my street

Snapshots of Summer

Robert Moses Beach on the 4th of July

Fireworks and a concert at Hecsher State Park

Before and After

I have taken a few pictures along the way of how the apartment is coming along, so I thought I would post the before and after shots of one room just to give you an idea of what a difference all our work has made.



This is the bathroom (as you can probably tell). Mom removed all the gross paint stuff and wall paper and replaced the sink with a vanity. And voila!


white paint above... sponge painting below... so much better!

On Paint and the Past

For those of you, who have been wondering where in the world I have been for the past several weeks... well, I have been kinda busy sanding, painting, and generally fixing up my parents' rental apartment. I have had a lot of time to think (it's impossible to talk with sanders going, so I was pretty much stuck with just my own thoughts). While I was sanding one of the doorways, the layers of paint chipped away, and beneath the beige, white, off-white, green, and white (in that order) paint, there was a beautiful, polyurathaned wood. I couldn't help but wonder what IDIOT would cover that gorgeous wood with PAINT?!?!?!? It got me thinking about how often that happens in real life. Generations never appreciate the one before it. In an effort to write their own history, they tend to try erasing the one prior. Once several generations have passed, eventually someone digs up the history and can appreciate what once was. Sometimes they take the time to remove the falsehood and mystery that recent history used to shroud the past, but more often than not, they are unwilling to put in the time and effort it would take to return to the way things were - to a time of honor and honesty, when men worked for a living and a person's word was his bond. Instead they just slop on their own shade of paint - pretend they never saw that glimpse from the past - that it doesn't exist.
Now, I am not saying that all history is good history or that all paint should never be painted over, but it is important to know what has been, before moving forward into what will be.