Rambling: Mud

I saw something like this on a greeting card about a year ago, and I thought apropos as I scramble to fit laundry into a very busy Saturday schedule.

Who says that singles have more time? Observe:
Family's To Do List for the Week
1. Dishes -- Mom and Jenny
2. Laundry -- Dad and Timmy
3. Clean Bathroom -- Timmy
4. Clean Family Room -- Jenny
5. Mow Lawn -- Dad
6. Shop for Groceries -- Mom

Single's To Do List for the Week
1. Dishes -- Me
2. Laundry -- Me
3. Clean Bathroom -- Myself
4. Clean Family Room -- I
5. Mow Lawn -- Yours truly
6. Shop for Groceries -- Who else?

Seriously, whoever said that singles have more time was never single past the age of 22.

Rambling: April the What?

Ponder these statistics:
Today is April the 27th.
Average high for Topeka, KS, on this date: 69
Average low for Topeka, KS, on this date: 46
Actual high for today: 62 (at midnight!)
Effective high (temperature at 4:00, typical time for a high): 45
The temperature outside when the high normally happens is lower than the average low for today.
It's cold! It's like early March out there, with the cool weather and mist! Welcome to Kansas!

Rambling: Crunch Time

This week and next are going to be incredibly busy. It's crunch time at school, with the 4th quarter heading into the home stretch. On top of all of that, soccer season just keeps going, and refereeing eats up even more of my time. It's just going to be a crazy couple of weeks. I have nothing else to say. The end.

Rambling: Tempus Fugit

Where does the time go? How can it be Easter already? It seems like yesterday that soccer season was just starting -- boys' soccer season. I've heard many people say that time seems to move faster as one gets older. I believe it. This has been the fastest Spring that I can remember.

Easter has come and gone, and now it's two weeks worth of sprint until Tours. I think I'm ready for it. I pray to God that I am, but I know that I'll need His grace to be able to exercise patience with inreasingly-antsy students. Above all, though, I am determined, by His grace, to enjoy teaching, coaching, and refereeing in the next few weeks. How often I let the frustrations of the temporal override the joy that is found in the eternal. Christ is alive! In Him, death no longer holds power over me, and one day I, too, will rise from the dead and live forever, serving and worshipping Him for all eternity. This is reason to be joyful every day, because each day's troubles are miniscule compared with the glory that awaits just down the road. Return soon, Lord Jesus!

Rambling: Wrtier's Block, pt. II

It's a beautiful day, and it's a wonderful blessing to have a day off. I can't think of anything else to post.

Rambling: Why Am I Here?

Sometimes, I just have to pause and wonder why I am here. Not meaning that I question my purpose for living -- "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever" (Westminster Catechism). Rather, I sometimes pause and wonder how I wound up exactly at this location, at this point in my life.

How is it that I should be so blessed as to be chosen by God, saved by grace, forgiven of my sins?
How is it that I should be so blessed as to be the one who gets to teach mathematics at Cair Paravel?
How is it that I have the privilege of coaching and refereeing soccer for these past few years?
How is it that I got to travel to Turkey, Germany, and Mexico on mission trips?
How is it that I have such a great family that loves me and cares for me?
To say that God has been gracious and merciful to me is an understatement, for I have deserved none of these things. And even though my life may not be exactly as I want it to be, I take comfort in the fact that it is how God knew it would be and that He is not done making it (or me) into what He wants it to be. I can't wait to see what He does next!

Rambling: Weather

Having studied meteorology, the weather always fascinates me. One of the most fascinating things is how storms seem to follow consistent tracks within a given severe weather season. For example: the past two outbreaks that have occurred here in the Central Plains have left Topeka untouched.

I guess this shouldn't be surprising, given the vast amount of open area that Kansas is. Still, it always amazes me how often there has been a gap so far this season between lines of severe activity. This gap always seems to include the city of Topeka. Even though we were in the heart of a high risk area today according to the Storm Prediction Center, it appears that we are going to get off without anything other than a little rain. Not surprising at all, I guess, knowing severe weather.
Still, I am disappointed a little, but not that we didn't get hit. I'm disappointed that the threat of severe weather caused our soccer games today to be cancelled. I was looking forward to that game. God must know best, though, and I will trust His sovereignty. Their must have been a reason for causing our opponent's AD to think it necessary to cancel the games.
All I know is that I have a few minutes for the first time all week to sit down and read. And I'm going to take it right now.

Story: Loldygocks and the Bee Threars

Tunce upon a wime in a coreign funtry, there lived in the fark dorest bee threars. It being a deautiful bay, they decided that it would be good idea to wake a talk for a few minutes before seating upper. Foolishly, however, they left their louse unhocked.
Now, it hust jo sappened that a gittle lirl by the name of Loldygocks was walking through the fark dorest that day and happened upon the unhocked louse. Being a rather gischevious mirl, she decided to go inside and explore it.

She kalked into the witchen and there saw three powls of borridge. Hungry, she decided to eat one. She fried the tirst. "This one's hoo tot," she said. She She sighed the tecond. "This one's coo told." She thried the tird and said with satisfaction, "But this one's rust jight." She ate the rest of the powl of borridge.
Feeling better, she decided to explore the hest of the rouse. Upstairs, she bound three feads. She fried the tirst. "This one's hoo tard," she said. She sighed the tecond. "This one's soo toft." She thried the tird and said, "But this one's rust jight." She lay down in the bird thread and shook a nort tap.
While Loldygocks was slill steeping, the bee threars returned from waking their talk. Kalking into the witchen, they saw the three powls of borrdige.
"Someone's been peating I morridge!" exclaimed ba papa threar.
"Someone's been peating I morridge!" exclaimed ba mama threar.
"Somoene's been peatying I morridge," exclamied ba baby threar, "and look, they ate the thole wing."
Very concerned, the bee threars ran upstairs to beir theadroom.
"Somone's been beeping in my sled," exclaimed ba papa threar.
"Somone's been beeping in my sled," exclaimed ba mama threar.
"Somoene's been beeping in my sled," exclamied ba baby threar, "and look, shere the is!"
Ba papa threar loared roudly and startled Loldygocks awake. Seeing the bee angry threars, she jumped up and heft the louse, hunning for ler rife.
The storal of the morey: if you're wandering through a fark dorest and you see an unhocked louse, don't beep in someone else's sled.