I'm one happy girl!

Today has been one of those days where I have been given reason to smile over and over again. Let me explain...It started off with an extra hour of sleep because of the time change. Can't go wrong there. And then after church today, one of the greatest things happened. One of the guys from church asked me if I had a minute and then we walked out to his car and he gave me a computer! Yes, you read that correctly...someone gave me a computer! A Mac PowerBook G4, to be exact. For those of you that don't know that from any other computer, suffice it to say it's a wonderful little computer. It is actually what I am typing this entry on right now. I was like on a huge high all the way home, amazed at his generousity and at the provision of God. This guy, James, just recently moved in with someone and they had a new computer so he didn't need his personal one anymore and felt like God told him to give it away. And he obeyed, for which I am forever grateful!

The afternoon wasn't quite as exhilerating as getting a huge gift like that, but I did get to spend the day with my amazing Norwegian friend, Elin, and my roommate, Ila. We did a little shopping and just having fun hanging out. And while in one of the stores, this random person gave me a totally unexpected compliment! One of those that takes a few minutes to sink in because it seems easier to believe that it's a joke. But it wasn't and it helped make this day so incredible! And a good way to start off the week!

Finally!

A little more than 6 years ago, Maurine came to live with my family. My parents couldn't believe that they were starting over again with a new baby when they already had 2 kids in college, but indeed, that is what God asked of them. And today, she is officially a Ronhovde! The adoption proceedings finished this morning after my parents and Maurine met with the judge. She called me and said, "I just got adopted!" It has been a long awaited day and a very exciting and joyous day.

Above is a picture of her modeling hats in a store. She is one of the best kids I know. Sure, she can be a bit onery and spoiled sometimes if you ask me :-) , but I love her so much!




This is her and I at a museum in April. Every time I go home to Florida to visit, we have a "Sister Fun Day" where we just spend time together and do something different and fun.






Here we are lounging on the grass outside at Christmastime (ah, the great weather we have in Florida in December!)




I could fill this blog with pictures of her, but I shall stop for now...

Life's lessons

I can't say that I have enough exciting stuff going on in my life to write on this blog THAT often, but I figure an update every once in a while would be good (huh karisse?).

This is a picture of my Grandma Anderson and I in Indiana this past week. I have had the chance to spend a lot of unplanned time with her in the last few weeks. I think I have racked up somewhere between 8000 to 10,000 frequent flyer miles in the last 3 weeks. I flew to indiana to take care of my Aunt Karen (my mom's sister) who had cancer, helping her in whatever way necessary. I will admit it was probably the most difficult thing I have done in my life...to watch someone that you love wither away. But God never ceases to amaze me. It was during that week that God showed me new things about Himself, about my aunt and about myself as well. He revealed a couple things to me thatI will continually pass on as lessons learned.

One of the lessons that stands out is this: during the days that I was sitting with my aunt, I offered to read her passages from the Psalms. As I was reading, I would hesitate because so many times, David would cry out to God to save him from death, to show mercy. And God did. God delivered David...He saved his life and allowed him to life many more years. I cringed everytime I read a passage like that because I knew, barring a miracle, things were not looking good for her. I decided that I would read ahead and avoid reading those chapters, but God stopped me and told me that all He had done for David, he has done for Aunt Karen as well. He did show her grace and mercy and gave her life...ETERNAL life. Our minds focus a lot on this world, on these bodies. But it says in the Bible that God put eternity in the hearts of men, that we long for home in heaven, looking forward to being face to face with Jesus. That is our goal, our prize, that is our life's longing. My aunt lived her life as an offering to God, as a light to those around, seeking to bring God glory through good times and bad. And it was because of this relationship she had with God that she was such an example of unconditional love.

And I got the chance to see people come by and tell her how much she meant to them throughout that week. It seemed like the house always had at least one extra person in it, having a heart to heart with her, thanking her for the influence she had in their lives, and the love she showed to them.

Karen Ann Anderson Schoff passed away on October 1, 2005. I count myself blessed to have known her, to have been impacted by her love, to have called her my aunt.

Meet Hamilton

I have to admit, I am definitely not the best blogger in the world! I am going to try my best to get better at updating this thing a lot more often (thanks to the groanings from my friends who want to read more but never anything new to read).

I thought I would introduce everyone to my fish, Hamilton. And yes, he is in a blender. I can't really remember how and why this idea came about, but i thought it owuld be really funny to put a fish in a blender rather than the typical bowl or tank. I rigged the bottom with caulk so it wouldn't leak. Don't worry, the blender is broken so there is no threat of it ever getting used again! And I named him Hamilton after the appliance brand. Bordering on cheeseball, I know...sometimes I just can't seem to help it...it just happens...what can I say?

The first 2 years living in LA, I learned a great lesson in being humble enough to bum rides off of people but not being pushy in asking. Now, I am happy to say that I have my own transportation. 2500 miles after leaving my parents house in Florida, I finally made it! I can't say I enjoy standing at the gas pump, watching the counter go up very rapidly (gas is $2.79 a gallon out here right now), but I have to say life feels different having a car. I just have to be wise about how much I actually drive.

At the same time that I am tyring to watch gas usage, I am getting involved with a local church in Hollywood. It's amazing to see the things that God is doing in this small, brand new church and that i get to be a part of it right from the beginning. Each week there is a group that meets at a coffee house to discuss random, but very relevant, topics. This last week was the first time that I went and it was a great experience. The discussion was on success and how we view it in our culture, and even as Christians. What defines our success and how do we go about acheiving it? It morphed into so much more than just about that and when everyone was ready to leave, I could hardly believe that it had been 2 1/2 hours! I know it may sound cheesey and a bit "cliche-ish" to say this, but afterwards, I felt alive. I felt energized to be sitting with new friends, discussing big ideas and how we view the world and how we view God. I must say that I wish there were more than one meeting a week, but I know that isn't really possible.

It goes to show me that I seem to thrive when I can be engaged in meaningful conversation. The kind of talks that challenge me and probe me to think more and contemplate what it is that I believe and why I view it that way. And then to be able to bounce those off of other people, to hear their perspective. To build solid relationships. Definitely one of my favorite pasttimes.

Trying to keep up...

My friend, Karisse, has been telling me about her blog site for months now and so in the last few minutes, she convinced me it was time to start one of my own. This will hopefully serves as a place that I can keep all of you updated on the comings and goings of life as I know it.