A Quick Fix

My quick-fix for exam week woes = the village market, a very large chocolate waffle ice cream cone, and a cup of afternoon coffee.

Amazing.

What's your favorite "quick-fix?"

The big 2-6

Thanks everyone for the sweet birthday calls, cards, facebook messages, and comments! I am very blessed to have you all.

Sweet LB asked for a birthday update, and though at first thought, 26 seems very boring - somewhere in the nowhere-land between "still cool and young" and "grown-up and 30", this birthday has actually been a very good one.

It's been good because of events and things - a friend surprised me with a delicious cake at community group on Thursday night, Brad took me to our favorite restaurant this weekend, my parents are coming for breakfast on Wednesday, and I am using birthday moolas to buy some new photo editing software that I've been researching and wanting for some time.

But, besides the events and things, this birthday has mostly been good because looking back and looking ahead, there is much to be thankful for.

For me, this past year has been one of acclimating to a new place and of finally feeling at home, and this coming year will be one filled with good things - with weddings, with friends, with travel, with family, with sun, with dogs, with anniversaries, with new goals and ideas, with deepening community, and certainly with trials and lessons that will help me grow up in personality and in faith.

And so, this year, instead of thinking of the big 2-6 as a little boring and somewhere in between "young" and "grown-up", I'm thinking of it as a good place where much has happened but where there's still much room to grow. And, I'm very excited about all that's to come before the big 2-7.

Joy and Peace

Happy Sunday everyone... I hope your day has been filled with worship and relaxation. This day has been full of little blessings for me - communion at church, a cranberry scone and afternoon coffee at the Village Market, and a workout with Brad.

Now as Monday approaches, I pray for joy and peace in the everyday.

What's coming up this week for all of you?

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in HOPE." Romans 15:13

My 100

(Hit refresh if the page is messy, and it should clear up. I'm working on this...)

I'm excited! I have been tagged by Amanda and LB to make a 100-things-about-me list. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading LB's, Scott's, and Amanda's, and I have loved learning little things about good friends that I never knew before!

So, here it goes...

1. I was born in Eustis, Florida - in Lake County
2. I am one of two girls
3. My sister Krisan is younger than me
4. Mom and dad decided to give her the smarts and the eyebrows
5. and they decided to give me the love of all things furry and the bad ankles
6. We both love our parents very much though.
7. My dad wanted me to be a boy, and he wanted to name me Scott. I think his wish paid off, as I was a bit of a tomboy growing up.
8. I got in trouble in middle school for chasing the new preacher's daughter around with a snake. The principle called my mom about it.
9. I am still a bit of a tomboy, but I don't chase people with snakes.
10. but when I started dating my husband, he had a snake, and I fed it big white rats with red eyes.
11. Enough about snakes. Let's talk about dogs. I love dogs.
12. My family dogs growing up were Happy and Reba
13. Happy was the grumpiest dog ever. Amanda can attest to this.
14. My dad didn't have any boys, but he loved camping, so he forced his girls to go
15. and we loved it. Those are some of my best memories growing up
16. I went to Eustis High School, where I spent most of my time goofing off, making mediocre grades, and playing sports
17. My highschool was very diverse
18. In fact, I was one of three whiteys (so we were called) on my highschool basketball team,
19. Thus the beginning of my interest in different cultures
20. during my quest to find myself (aka growing up), I went through some awkward stages
21. I went through a "surfer-girl" stage, where I wore board-shorts (remember those?) and carried a roxy backpack
22. then I went through a "country" stage, where I listened to Garth Brooks and wore wranglers
23. then I went through a rapper stage where I listened to Master P on big speakers in my car
24. Now, those are two genres of music that I just can't appreciate. at all.
25. I can't play musical instruments or sing, but I love good music. Some of my favorite movies are also musicals or use music in creative ways. Some that immediately come to mind are Mystic River, Rent, Moulin Rouge, Once, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
26. Lake County has approximately 1400 lakes, and we grew up on Lake Joanna
27. My most embarrassing moment was when I skiied into a dock showing off for a boy
28. My mom cried. she thought I was dead or at least badly maimed.
29. My mom probably also cried when I got four (yes, four) speeding tickets on the same road in Eustis.
30. My parents took away my car.
31. My friend Jimmy picked me up every day for school
32. and I made him an egg sandwich every morning to pay him back
33. In college, my sister stole the road sign from that road
34. it's now in her closet, and that makes me smile.
35. My favorite foods are Thai and Korean
36. as are some of my favorite people.
37. Just this weekend, though, I had to pick some purple octopus tentacles out of my Korean dinner.
38. So sometimes I just stick with a good ole' steak
39. I used to have an unusual fear of spiders
40. but Brad likes to catch them and plant them on our front porch, where they build huge webs and we feed them baby lizards and moths for entertainment
41. and we name them and bury them when they die
42. so now I'm getting over my fear of spiders.
43. Brad has an unusual sense of humor
44. he likes to play food jokes
45. one time he put corned beef in my vanilla yogurt
46. I haven't been able to eat corned beef or vanilla yogurt ever since
47. I met Brad at Auburn
48. this summer is our five-year anniversary!
49. We have no children
50. but we have two dogs and one cat - Tuco, Turk, and Sport
51. Tuco is named after "the ugly" character from the movie the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
52. Turk is named after Chris Turk from Scrubs. My friend Caroline calls him Brown Bear.
53. Brad wanted to name sport "roach" because she is black but I put my foot down and we went with gender-neutral "sport"
54. I've had many faux-pas with hair dyings, piercings, etc. Many of you remember my purple hair and our night at the tattoo parlor.
55. I've always wanted a Soli Deo Gloria tattoo or a small star tattoo and still plan to get one one day.
56. Don't worry parents, it will be inconspicuous
57. I love Auburn University
58. My favorite year was my freshman year, when I lived in the dorm and took part in many shenanigans
59. We enjoyed Sani Freeze, we sang ghetto-cowboy, we took pictures in front of the Sanford Christmas Tree
60. and Amanda almost punched me out
61. Brad and I left Auburn 2 years ago, and now we live in Gainesville, FL
62. People wear very short shorts here.
63. I'm studying linguistics and working in UF's Brain and Language Lab.
64. I work with really great people (who wear normal-length shorts) and we study how the brain processes language.
65. I had my brain scanned as part of a study last semester.
66. I learned that I get very very sleepy in MRI machines. I was worried that I might have fallen asleep and actually ruined the study.
67. I grow a mustache when I go in the sun (not a real one, people, a sunspot one).
68. So now I always have to wear hats at the beach.
69. I found out it also happens to pregnant people. But I'm not pregnant.
70. In fact, I don't ever want to be pregnant or to have a baby,
71. but I want a big family,
72. so that's a problem.
73. I have a big extended family, including 7 little cousins or nephews - Jonah, Baylen, Macy, Madie, Collin, Brooklyn, and Noah
74. I really love creative kid names, and I think of new ones all the time. In fact, I have a list on my computer right now that I've been keeping for a long time.
75. Brad thinks that's weird, considering I have no kids
76. Brad and I disagree about things like that, though
77. We also disagree about silly things like whether modern country music singers actually have any talent at all, but that's another story entirely
78. we agree on the fact that Florida is an excellent place to live from October-June but it's the worst place on earth during the month of August. The other months are still up for debate.
79. Brad truly is my best friend. We have many hobbies we enjoy doing together - we cook, we work out, we run, we puddle chase, we search for good films, we have breakfast together...
80. and we realized early in our marriage the power of praying together. That's one "hobby" we try to keep up on a nightly basis.
81. I just finished taking tennis lessons with a friend.
82. I asked her to play with me because I hate playing tennis with Brad. He likes to hit and spin the ball in obnoxious ways that keep the volley from continuing.
83. I always tell him that I want to play tennis together but only after he grows up.
84. The women in Brad's family are all under the height of 5.4. Our first meeting was very scary, because Brad told me that his grandmother would be watching my manners, and then, while standing in the kitchen with the beautiful, small, petite Chappell women, I was asked if I played basketball in highschool. My worst nightmare came to pass - I was the giant in the room.
85. After that scary meeting, I learned that I absolutely adore the Chappell women, and that they adore tall people.
86. Because I often feel tall in groups of people, I will hunch down in pictures to fit in. When the picture comes out, though, I'm often sticking out my rear. It's awful.
87. I love taking pictures, and I'm trying to get better so I can take pictures of my kids and animals, and I'd like to take pictures of other peoples' kids and animals eventually
88. I'd like to one day have a place with a big yard so I could have, like, 6 dogs.
89. This summer I cat-sat and dog-sat for people in Haile Plantation, the area where we live.
90. We live in this great little community in West Gainesville with 10 miles of running trails, adorable shops, and great restaurants. It's very dog-friendly, and so we take our dogs with us everywhere - to walk, to eat, to shop.
91. I worked in a bakery and restaurant in downtown Haile this summer, and I loved it. I rode my bike to work.
92. I think that's when I got into cooking and baking more seriously.
93. I make killer cinnamon-raisin bread and vegan banana bread. It's a favorite at department get-togethers!
94. My mom makes a killer german chocolate cake. I'd like to learn that one next.
95. My personality is lion-otter. This means I get energy from people but I also like to boss them around.
96. This drives my husband crazy. (He's a beaver-lion.)
97. But it works out well for teaching. And, I'm very excited because this summer I'm teaching my first "non-core" class for linguistics majors at UF.
98. My favorite clothing store is Urban Outfitters. My favorite everything store is Target.
99. I struggle with managing my time wisely, and I have a massive planner with everything I need to do written down and highlighted 14 times. My mom used to say I'd lose my head if it wasn't tied down.
100. I used to be a night owl, but now I'm a morning person. So, folks, it's time for bed!


Okay, now I get to do the tagging!! I tag Shannon, a friend from Creekside who has a blog about adopting her sweet son Asher. I also tag both of my Melissas- my sweet ADPi friend and my sister-in-law! Finally, I just made a new blog friend, Ashley Gentry, so I'll tag her so I can learn more about her.

Today's Quiddity

One of my favorite sections from one of my favorite books is called "The Man Who Taught Me to See." I just read it again recently and wanted to share the goodness here:

"Someone introduced me to [C.S.] Lewis my freshman year...for the next five or six years I was almost never without a Lewis book at hand. I think that without his influence I would not have lived my life with as much joy or usefulness as I have. There are reasons for this...

Lewis gave me an intense sense of the "realness" of things. The preciousness of this is hard to communicate. To wake up in the morning and be aware of the firmness of the mattress, the warmth of the sun's rays, the sound of the clock ticking, the sheer being of things ("quiddity" as he calls it). He helped me become alive to life ... he made me more alive to beauty (19). "
-Dr. John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life

Isn't that great?

Today I thought about the quiddity of things as I was at school, outside, and at home... and I was thankful for Lewis, and for Piper, and for the awareness of "things that, if we didn't have, we would pay a million dollars to have, but having them, ignore (20).

So, here's the "quiddity" that made me close my eyes and give thanks today...


- community

- unexpected conversations

- a sunny afternoon, worn-in running shoes, and panting dogs on leashes.

- thoughtful, inspiring Art - in particular, Once (thanks, LB!)

- The smell of dinner on the grill


What's yours been today?

Our little monsters...

I think we've created three little monsters.

Last week, Brad let the dogs sleep with him while I stayed up late working, and when I came to bed, I was too tired to care, so I just pushed them over and let them stay. That was 4 nights ago.

Last night, I tried to get Turk out of the "big" bed and into his crate, and he literally put on his little doggy brakes and would not be coaxed (or pulled) out of the room. He just looked at me like, "daddy lets me stay!" and even gave a little *play* growl. (that update is for you, mama :)

Oh boy.

This situation would not be a problem if our dogs were smaller or if our bed was bigger. When you add together the weight of the two dogs (100 lbs), the weight of me and Brad (300 lbs), the size of our bed (queen) and the combined space and body heat, you'll find a crowded mess.

Also, I'm pretty sure Sport is feeling left out of all this fun, so she is also driving me crazy. She used to sleep on top of me (yes, on top of me - and she's no small cat, folks) most nights, but since 2 large drooly dogs are filling up the bed, she has resorted to sleeping under the Christmas tree. Since she doesn't get her full dose of kitty-lovin' during the night, she follows me around the house all day looking pitiful.

In order to give Sport ample playing time, I'm giving you her newest glamour-shot (note the very lady-like pose), along with one of me and my study-buddy. We just love that little dog...

The Beach

Brad and I are at the beach with KK, Larry, Memama and Papa! It's been wonderful to see family, eat seafood, and play Uno! And, I love the beach in December, sans tourists with their smelly sunscreen and boogie boards.

I have been writing (with a little internet surfing and blog/email writing mixed in) at Panera bread, and in the evenings I play with the fam. How do I have time to go to the beach and play online in the middle of finals week? Let me put it this way: I do well under pressure. When I have 2 days until the deadline, I tend to be stressed but yet unmotivated. However, when I have 6 hours left and 10 pages to write, I can birth the child in record time.

In other news, Brad and I did our long run this morning on the beach road. The air was salty and muggy, but the view was beautiful! I learned a few things about my husband, though. First of all, he prefers a 8-minute mile pace; I prefer a 20-minute mile pace. I kept saying "um, sweetie, can we go back to snail pace, please?" He very sweetly slowed to what for him was a near-walk. Secondly, he is a very anticlimactic running buddy. When the girls and I finish a long run, we have a little celebration right in the middle of the road (or sidewalk - wherever we may be). We high-five and dance around a little (just a little). I tried to get excited when we finished, but Brad muttered, "yeah, good job. Let's go back." I don't understand it, but I love him still the same.

Anyway, what is everyone else doing this weekend? What are your Christmas plans? Please post in your blogs so I'll have another way to waste a few precious minutes.

Opposites Attract

After reading LB's entry on how different she and Scott are, I started thinking about ways that Brad and I are opposites. Some of them are pretty random, so I made a list for your viewing enjoyment.

It's true: opposites really do attract!


1. Cold vs. Heat

Brad loves to sleep in the coooold while I prefer to have the room regular-person-temperature so that when I wake up and get out of bed, I'm not shivering and miserable. This difference is most pronounced in the winter, as Brad will continue to leave windows open even when its (literally) 40 degrees outside.

So, on cold nights, our routine is as follows: Brad cracks a few windows and then closes the blinds, hoping I won't notice. Then, I go around the whole house, closing every window. Sometimes he gets one past me, but then in the morning when all 3 animals are in the bed with us, trying to sleep by (or on top of) the only warmth in the house, he inevitably regrets his decision.


2. Brad is a details man; I am not.

Brad can remember every detail about every historical event and every place and every phone number, along with remembering directions and dates. I, however, cannot. I don't remember directions; I don't remember telephone numbers; I don't remember historical dates; I don't know where countries are located on a map; and I don't know the history of any of those countries.

This is pretty sad, considering I teach people from all over the world. I WANT to know; I just haven't had a reason until now. I am embarrassed to say that when I first started teaching international students, I used to get Taiwan and Thailand mixed up. Of course, my sweet husband had to tell me how these are two of the most different countries in all of Asia, and the people are incredibly distinct, even in physical features. Good thing I have Brad. He keeps me from embarrassing myself by asking my Taiwanese students if they can teach me to say "hello" in Thai! :0


3. Our dog disciplining

I think Tuco and Turk belong on the floor. Brad thinks they belong on the couch. He won that disagreement... 'nuf said.


4. Our book reading

Brad likes to keep books clean and nice, while I like to mark important lines and leave notes in the margins.

Let's just put it this way: I annoy Brad when I put messy notes in his books.


5. Our walking speeds.

This is an unusual one, I know. Brad and I walk at very different speeds, which causes complications when we're walking the dogs (which we do every day), walking into church together, walking around the grocery store, etc.

As far as I'm concerned, if I'm walking somewhere, I want to get there as quickly as possible! So, I walk everywhere at super-fast-noone-can-keep-up speed. Brad, on the other hand, likes to get places comfortably and enjoy the scenery. So, he walks normal-person speed, oftentimes getting left in the dust.


6. Brad likes to save money; I think it grows on trees.

This was one of the biggest shockers for me when we got married. Brad wanted to save a fair percent of every paycheck. What, I said?! I thought we could spend all that on books and clothes!

I've gotten better about this one, I must say.


7. Brad tends to be a little germy-phobic! I eat things straight off the floor.

Is that gross? probably. The funniest thing is when Brad insists on my changing clothes after going to the movie theatre. He says there are more bad germs there than in the toilet. I humor him and put on clean jeans.



As I was making this list, I realized that we had more differences when we first got married. After 4 years, we have definitely become more alike! I guess that's the value of being opposites...

Maybe I'll make a list of our "alikes" one day.

My Brain.

Have you ever wondered what your brain looks like?

My friend Nicole asked me to participate in her fMRI study on language processing, and I quickly agreed. It seemed simple enough: all I had to do was read sentences on a monitor while having my brain scanned in an MRI tube.

Later, however, I started worrying about what she might find. For example, what if my brain was only half the size of a normal person's? Or, what if it closely resembled something odd, like a piece of pizza or a small brown boxer-dog (since I am obsessed with both of these things)? Worst of all, what if they found a tumor or something? Anyway, I did the study, and as it turns out, my brain looks normal (whew!). In fact, it's quite interesting! I particularly like my tongue in the first picture and my eye-sockets in the third.

Happy Birthday Brad!

Brad hit the big 30 this week... and we celebrated. A lot. Love you babe!