dandelions

my pastor's kids just picked some dandelions and brought them to me in my office. how charming. they're so cute.
in other dandelion-related news (betcha didn't think there would be *more*, didya?), yesterday i was looking out the back window at church at our lawn that i'm fairly certain hasn't been mowed yet this spring. some unidentifiable animal (gopher? groundhog? prairie dog?) was skipping about the yard, eating the tops off hundreds of dandelions like they were about to disappear. i didn't realize they were such a hot commodity. also, i don't think they taste very good. pretty acidic, if the smell and residue are any hint. gross.
i'm in a pretty good mood today... i had two very successful presentations yesterday, and so i feel fairly satisfied in my work world for the time being. aviance and i spoke to the board of directors at the office yesterday, and we both did well. they seemed pleased with us, which is good since i'd like to stick around here. and my session (that's council, for you crc-ers) was *very* supportive of our new after-school program idea, and so it's going to take off! yay! so thanks to all of you were praying about those yesterday. it was a good day.

cien!

*** tHiS iS mY oNe hUnDrEdTh pOsT! *** yAy!
i can't think of an appropriate celebration. perhaps some congratulations are in order. at the very least, on this momentous occasion, i'd like to thank my faithful readers. i appreciate (most of) your comments.

now, for some things.
1. donald miller (author of the acclaimed blue like jazz) has a new book out. it is called to own a dragon, and it is about growing up without a father. i started it last night. so far, so good. i'll keep you posted.
2. you may recall the birds that have been infesting my apartment. in a self-destructive moment this weekend, i decided to rent alfred hitchcock's the birds. andrew and i watched it on friday night. aside from the lack of closure at the end of the film, it was good. quite obviously fake (or so i tell myself), but good.
3. steve garber, author of the fabric of faithfulness which a bunch of us read with the heffners senior year, was speaking at staff seminar this week. he was excellent. plus he's cco alum. yay.

i'd like to go home now for a bit. good day.

a quickie

two things. this:

the pier in st. joseph, near anya's house last week.

and, there was ANOTHER bird in my apartment yesterday. funniness factor is dwindling. please help.

happy easter

hello all. i've just returned from g-rap, where i've been celebrating the easter holidays with my family. event update to follow. for now: we sang this at church on sunday morning, and it is one of my absolute favorite easter songs. enjoy.

IN CHRIST ALONE

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone!—who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied—
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious Day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

—By Stuart Townend and Keith Getty

"hurry hurry hurry!"

said the children in my office, as they took turns grabbing the sheets of paper as they shot out of the copier machine and brought them, one by one, to the desk. they are my pastor's children, and they are "helping daddy" today in the office while their mother is at work. they are four years old, and they are twins. for the last ten minutes, they have been playing this game. ally has now tired of it, and andrew is doing double turns and running twice as fast, so as not to miss a single sheet when it spits out. it's amazing what will entertain children. a few minutes ago, they were in my office, inspecting everything and looking for candy in the drawers. a few months ago, there may have been some, but after the harold the church mouse incident, there is absolutely no food in this office. so they entertained themselves with my cell phone and talking to toni, the secretary, on my intercom, and pulling my "jesus books" off my shelves. they really are adorable. plus they distract me from the task at hand, which is to imagine every possible question that the session may ask me about the plans for our new after school program, and come up with satisfactory answers. so the periodic fish faces that the twins blow on my window are welcome.
they are leaving now to go to playland at mcdonald's as a reward for being so good for daddy today. i'm going to try to get back to work now. this will require me to stop listening to imogean heap on myspace, and also to hide my sudoku puzzle book (i'm almost done with a "super tough" one!) and hide the book that is calling to me from my desk. it is called the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, and it is fascinating. i recommend it highly. but not if you're at work. so get back twerk! what are you doing reading this anyway?!?!

visitors!

this weekend, i had a full house... my mom, my aunt, my sister, her best friend, and my best friend were all visiting! it was fabulous to have them all around. we did all manner of touristy things, like visiting a bunch of historic landmarks in the city and taking pictures at scenic overlooks. i took them to all my favorite places, like the coffee tree in shadyside and station square, and we explored new areas of the city too! i'd (amazingly) never been to the fountain at point state park (where all three rivers meet) or ridden up the duquesne incline to mt. washington. it was great to show them the city and why i love it. plus i took a lot of great pictures, as it was a beautiful day. i tried to put up a link to my shutterfly album, but it doesn't work. it has all the pictures from this weekend, and also last weekend when jonathan was here. too bad. they were pretty.

a plea for mercy

this is an open letter to the birds who KEEP GETTING INTO MY APARTMENT.
dear Birds,
i beg of you, please stop coming into my apartment. it is not outside. i know there are multiple windows and skylights, but my apartment is inside. it is for human inhabitants only. i do not appreciate your visits. we had a deal. i will stay in my apartment, and you were supposed to stay outside.
this morning, as i was blow-drying my hair, your presence nearly gave me a heart attack. why do you insist on invading my territory? please stop crawling through the crawlspace in my attic to gain entrance. if by some navigational mistake you do find yourself in my apartment, please take the out i provide for you by flying out the open window, rather than continuing to dive-bomb the skylights. how many times do you have to throw your body against the glass to know that it is solid? windows are the invention of humans to keep animals like you out while letting the sunshine in. you may not be familiar with my indoor architechture.
i'll admit, i am afraid of you. perhaps it is alfred hitchcock's fault. it may also be related to the recent avian flu epidemic. i may also be afraid that you will peck out my eyes. even so, i realize that you are probably even more afraid of me. please know that the broom i wield is merely a directive device. as long as you do not fly into my face, i will not hit you with it. please follow the swooping motion toward the *open* window. do not perch on my lamp. please do not sit on my bed. do not climb around on my table, knocking over my chess set with your incessant flapping. and for the love of all that is good and holy, STOP POOPING ON MY COUCH!
just get out of my bloody apartment. go outside where you belong. go away, and never come back.
when the landlord comes over later today to investigate, please leave him alone. it is for the good of us all.

sincerely,
katherine, queen of the apartment

p.s. please don't tell anyone about the nervous screaming. it would bruise my pride.

a failed attempt

be nice to me. i tried to give blood today. however, after three hours of waiting, filling out questionnaires, answering questions, and lying on a porch-type chair, i donated less than the required amount of blood. i'm not exactly sure why... my blood does not flow quickly. this was the first time i've ever tried to donate, so i don't know if it was situational or not. we were having a blood drive for stephanie, a little girl from my church who has leukemia. i wasn't going to give, because i faint easily, and i didn't want to chance it. but then stephanie and her family were here, and she told me that she'd sit with me while i gave. she said, "whenever you're ready to get poked, i'm ready!" so i thought the least i could do was try. they tested me, and my blood pressure was perfect, my iron levels were good, and my temperature was 98.6. so we went for it, but it didn't work out. my arm still hurts, and i feel a little woozy, but i'll recover. meanwhile, 150 people came to donate blood for her today. please pray for her.

something more interesting than "weekend update"

things i did not do this weekend:
1. attend a wedding in ohio
2. bring khadija the silver earrings i said she could borrow to be in said wedding
3. homework
4. sleep an adequate amount
5. my taxes

things i did do this weekend:
1. play with jon
2. see ben folds play for free at the bigelow bash
3. take my middle schoolers to a "funfest," which was aptly named
4. watch the basketball semi-finals
5. learn how to play settlers of catan
6. cut off all jon's hair
7. eat squash soup and sushi at whole foods

appendix of pictures:
a. jonathan with a pile of his own hair
b. ben folds standing on top of his piano, directing the audience in song
c. me and three of my middle schoolers at the funfest
d. a billboard for giant eagle in the parking lot of whole foods