LOST finale preview - The Oceanic 6

Ok, I am pretty excited about the LOST finale tomorrow night. (And a little worried that so many of my posts have centered around tv...) I mean, maybe we'll see who is in the coffin? And find out why Jack has the NEED to get back to the island? And why the heck is Kate raising Aaron? What happened to those who didn't get off the island? Did they stay behind of their own accord? Why doesn't Richard age? What happened to Claire? Why is Christian (Jack and Claire's dad in Jacob's cabin? What is up with the cabin anyway? And so many other questions...

I get pretty into these kinds of shows (if you can't tell), where there is a constantly changing plot line that actually makes you think. I am on board with the whole wrinkle in the space time continuum theory that is out there, but I won't take time right now to go into my theories. :)

I was reading TV guide on Sunday, and they have this great recap of what has happened (esp with the flash forwards) that just makes you that much more ready for the finale. So, I thought I'd share the high lites of the article for those not tv obsessed enough to have the magazine.

First, they have a good breakdown of each character of the Oceanic 6. I'll just give the last seen and finale preview of each, cause, well, the rest although good is long, and you probs already know it all. Again, these aren't really my thoughts, just my snapshots of what was in the article.

Sun Kwon:

Last seen: with Aaron on the freighter, moments after discovering a ginormous bomb on board.

Finale: ... we find "the once passive character going toe-to-toe with the "one other" she holds accountable."

Hugo 'Hurley' Reyes:

Last seen: in the jungle with Locke as Ben surrenders to Keamy in the Orchid greenhouse

Finale: "There is definitely a physical demand to how we get home," says Garcia. "Its brutal and we do it with a baby!"

Sayid Jarrah:

Last seen: with Kate being led by gunpoint through the woods by ageless Richard Alpert

Finale: "... the wicked physical fight he gets into with Keamy..."

Aaron Littleton:

Last seen: far from Claire or Kate, in the arms of Sun

Finale: Aaron is the timeline 'barometer' to tell you where in the future you are. Side note: many have wondered what is up with Claire since she was seen with Christian in the cabin (is she dead?)... "That creepy enigmatic smile she had on her face was kind of like the Mona Lisa for 2008," teases Cuse [LOST executive producer]

Kate Austen:

Last seen: held captive, along with Sayid, by Richard Alpert and the Others

Finale: "Kate's on the outs with Sawyer in a major way," but that doesn't mean they won't have another crazy on screen kiss before they're separated.

Jack Shephard:

Last seen: Trekking to the orchid with Sawyer in an attempt to rescue Hurley.

Finale: "Look for an intense run in between Man of Science Jack and Man of Faith Locke," also, "the truth about why the Oceanic 6 have to lie about their time on the island upon returning home."

Friends Photo Collage

Alright, I know you probably can't really tell what the individual pictures above are, but that's okay. I was playing around on facebook earlier today, and I added yet another useless application, photo collages.


Well, some how this application generates a collage of photos you have on facebook of your "best friends". I'm not so sure how this works, or even if it is incredibly accurate on choosing who to put on the collage, but it is neat to see what it comes up with nonetheless. On facebook when you view it, you can roll over each picture to see it enlarged, even the ones that are mostly covered up.


When I added the app, I looked at the pictures it chose, and realized how many amazing friends I have made here, and how many fantastic times we have had together! I am looking forward to continually making new memories with you all! I am so blessed to be surrounded by such magnupendalorious people!

Fainting Goats

During our night of fun watching So You Think You Can Dance last night, I was enlightened to a fantastic new youtube video, which I thought I'd share with you.

I think we all ended up laughing so hard we were practically crying, and I must say, the reenactment by some of my friends was phenomenal!

Take a minute to watch this and just have a good laugh!

Can we stop?

I just went for a walk. I decided that I wanted to get outside since this is one of the first dry days I have seen for a while. In deciding where to walk, I thought it may be a good idea to walk along some of the back streets that I have driven often. So, I grabbed my house key and my ipod and took off.

I noticed something as I walked though. Hardly anyone else was outside enjoying the beautiful evening! Here is what I saw:

1 other person walking

4 people playing outside (1 with their dog)

1 person doing yard work

2 people just standing around

2 people biking

Now, it seems to me that for the amount of time I was out, and the distance I traveled there would have been more people out and about for me to see. But nope, that wasn't the case.

Are we so used to our hurry up lifestyle that we can't walk somewhere that is relatively close instead of driving? Can we not take time out of our busy day to go outside and just enjoy it a bit? I know I have had a hard time with this in the past. I think the thing that made me want to change more than anything was being in Seattle. I walked about 30 minutes one way from my hotel to the convention center, just to have some me time, and because I could. Hmmm.... maybe I should adopt that practice always. It was so relaxing, and not to mention good for me and the environment. Seems like a win-win situation.

Have you taken time out to just go and enjoy God and His creation recently? Maybe not to walk wherever it is you are going (especially if you live in the sticks) but just to get out there and see what He has done?

TRANJI!

So I thought I'd take a moment out of my Nuru posts to just tell you all how excited I am about So you Think You Can Dance starting tonight! Yeah, I know, I am a reality tv junkie, but I mean, come on. It is a dance show. With real dancers. Not just celebrities who want to dance. And no gimmicks like having to be the best "crew" or whatever. Just talent, and fun. :D

And, since Benji has been my favorite ever, I thought I'd share a bit of his dancing with you. Not so sure that this is my all time favorite, but it is pretty funny, and has Travis, who many other people loved that season! So I give you.... TRANJI!

Enjoy!

KHANYISA - to bring the light

So the title of this blog is definitely not in english, or even kiswahili as would be more appropriate. Instead, it is a Zulu word that means to bring the light. I learned it from the name of a band from South Africa that I met when I was a teenager, and have some of their cds. It is appropriate though, in that is the desire of the organization I will be talking about... to bring a small light into the darkness, and when I thought of blogging about this, that is what came to mind.

I just got home from an amazing meeting about an organization called Nuru International. For those of you who read my blog about Relay, you have heard of this, and for those of you who haven't, you should read it!

Nuru is a non-profit organization that strives to bring sustainable living to those living in extreme poverty. This means those who live on less than a dollar a day. That is insane to think about. These are people who not only wonder where their next meal will come from, but if it will come at all. They work to do this through areas like clean water and sewage, education, business, public health, and agriculture. The goal is to have the first team sent into western Kenya this fall, if the money gets raised. For more details on the organization itself, I encourage you to visit  their website at http://nuruinternational.com and take a look around.  Also, check out one of the founder's blogs (Jake) by using the link to the right... under blogs I keep up with!

Our meeting tonight focused on fundraising. You see, nuru officially has non-profit status now, meaning that they can start even more aggressive fundraising. Right now they need to have $350,000 dollars raised by June 14. If that goal is met, another donor will give $100,000. Dude. That is huge. Right now they are over halfway there, but still that is a big chunk of change to raise.

As we discussed our fundraising in our meeting, a challenge rose among us. There are about 6 of us that are giving up eating out for 2 weeks, and putting all the money that we would have spent out into this fund. 

Right now on facebook, there is a cause page for Nuru. Many of you may have already joined the cause just simply to raise awareness or because it looked cool. That's great. If you haven't joined yet, I encourage you to do so! You may have noticed the goal to raise $30,000 on Facebook alone. Our friend Billy even made a commitment to raise $10,000... insane, but possible with God, and everyone's help!

What could you do? It may seem like what you can give wouldn't make a difference, but every little bit will help us toward our goal. Could you give something up that you really don't need for 2 weeks and put that money toward such a great cause? Or maybe you have some extra money from the "economic stimulus" check you received that could go to help support Nuru.  

If you're interested, you can donate through their website (anonymously if you choose) or through the facebook cause. If you'd like to help my friend Billy reach his goal, go to http://apps.facebook.com/causes/goals/show/5098. You don't even have to be a member of facebook to donate this way and have it count towards the goal!

I really encourage you all to do this. What better way to show your support, and truly be a part of starting something that is literally just taking off?  Help us in our goal to bring the light to those who so desperately need it!

Hormones and church?

Ok, so I think about weird science things all the time, right? So this is something that popped into my head the other week during church (I know, weird) that I remembered finding interesting during one of my grad school classes...

So we all know about male and female hormones, estrogen (or estradiol) and testosterone, right? Well, most of us don't have a clue about how they are made. And most of you probably don't care. That is beside the point right now though.

See, these hormones are steroids made from cholesterol. To not get to in depth, some chemical alterations happen to form what is known as androstenedione... which is then converted into testosterone. Then, testosterone is converted into estrogen by an enzyme called aromatase.

(This is the image above... the structure of estradiol and testoterone.)

Why does this strike me as interesting? And why in the world did I think of it during church?

First, because my mind wanders a lot.

Second, because there was some discussion of how God created man and woman, and that woman came from man. Now, I think it is pretty interesting that the hormone that influences being a female is made from a hormone that influences being male.

Coincidence? I think not.

go light your world

14 "You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

Last Friday was the Relay for Life in Parkersburg. It was really awesome to get to spend some time with friends while having the theme of cancer awareness and fundraising all around. We had a really great turn out from Morgantown this year, which was awesome! I loved getting to hang out with bunches of different people on the many laps around the track. Although we goofed off, ate WAY too many hot dogs, and even made fools of ourselves while dancing, we also had some incredibly deep conversations throughout our time together.

On the way back to Morgantown, my friend Brittani and I began discussing the events that had happened the night before, especially the luminary ceremony. I know I probably won't even begin to accurately describe everything that was going on in my mind at this point (there was way too much, and, well, you probably wouldn't have time to read it all) but I'll at least get to the point of what I experienced.

Now, this ceremony is pretty cool, to honor and remember those and their battles with cancer. But this time, that really was not my focus. As we stood and listened at the end, one of the performers sang the song 'Go light your world' by Chris Rice. Now admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of the song. I kind of have an aversion to emotional songs that hype people up. But, I stood and listened to what was being sung, and my thoughts begin to race.

So carry your candle, run to the darkness

Seek out the helpless, confused and torn

Hold out your candle for all to see it

Take your candle, and go light your world

I began to think about the passage from Matthew that I began this post with. Jesus says that we are the light of the world, and we are to let our lights shine before those around us. I began to think of some of the situations we had discussed on our laps around the track.

One of the most prominent conversations from the night in my mind at that point centered around an organization called Nuru international. This organization is all about bringing sustainable living to extremely poor areas around the world. Literally, in Kiswahilli nuru means "light", and symbolizes hope.

I began to think about this in terms of "lighting our world". There are so many areas of "darkness" that need hope, that need encouragement, that need love. We have been given so much. The lyrics of the song say "seek out the helpless, confused and torn". I love this. It really hit home for me as I listened that night. We can't simply stay put and think that things will change. Why do we just think that someone else will take care of people in need? How do we just sit idly by? Aren't we supposed to let out light shine before men? I know that not everyone can literally go do something for the poor in Africa, or India, or anywhere else in the world, but why do we have the mindset of thinking someone else will take care of it? Leave it to Bono. He'll get the word out and make a difference, right?

What would it look like if we would actually seek out the helpless, confused and torn in our world, both at home and far away? In my mind the question "How can I help?" no longer exists. The question instead has become "How can I not help?"

After the song was over at the ceremony, bagpipes began to play amazing grace. Again, historically not one of my favorite songs... for some reason I just always associated it with the Baptist church I would visit as a kid. Recently we have sung it a lot at church though, so I began to think of the words as the music was played. I'm sure most of you have realized this and I am behind the curve, but the words are incredibly profound, especially after all that was on my mind just before that.

Jesus saved me while I was still a sinner (see Romans 5:8, one of my favorites!). I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind but now I see. Wow. What a turn around. Imagine if the hopeless people in our world were given the hope we have. If given the chance, would they not have this same epiphany?

Again, I ask, how can I not help those in need?

Pre-Relay thoughts

This picture is from last year's Relay for Life in Parkersburg, of the luminaries I had in honor of my grandma and mom.

Tomorrow I will head to Parkersburg for their annual Relay for Life event. This is the second year I have done this, and I am pretty excited about it. Maybe it's because it was so much fun to meet some awesome new people last year, maybe it is the possibility of getting some more of the awesome peanut butter fudge, or maybe it is the sleeplessness that will ensue.

Well, probably all of those, but also the coolness of being around a ton of cancer patients, survivors, and those who have had family members and friends who have had cancer.

You see, this is a very real part of my life. My mom had cancer when I was younger, and it returned about 10 years later. Our entire family was very scared at the thought that we might loose her. Still, she fought and has overcome once again, against all odds. She truly is her doctor's unsolvable puzzle! My grandmother had cancer about the time my mother was first diagnosed. One of my friends had lung cancer and later passed away after a partial lung removal. A friend in grad school was diagnosed with an incredibly rare cancer. Another friends mom passed away from breast cancer last year. And the list could go on and on.

So that seems to be a real downer of a post. Why do I mention those things? First, to honor those who have fought the battle and won. Second, to remember those who have fought bravely but have passed away. Third, I think almost all of us have had similar experiences with people we know. Maybe we should think about these things more often. It might make us more thankful for the life we have, and the lives of those around us.

C is for cookie....

I have never seen any group of people devour a giant iced cookie as fast as those I saw tonight.

Tonight marked the last practice for kidSTUFF that we will have for the season, with our last performance on Sunday. I made two giant cookie cakes for the dancers as an end of season treat. About the time I was ready to cut it, I decided they could just pull off pieces and it would be easier... so I made the mistake of saying, "You guys can just dive in." At that point the scene switched from mild manner girls to wild beasts that had not seen food for weeks. In under two minutes they had the first cookie demolished, and were about half way through the second. I could hardly believe it. They never cease to amaze me.

It is moments like these that I will miss during the summer away from them. The craziness. The times they are screaming so loud that anyone in the entire church building can hear them. The compassionate looks from the parents that seem to say, "You are insane for taking this on, but God bless you for giving me a 2 hour break!" 

These kids have beens so much fun. I hope I will get to continue working with them in the future, and seeing them grow up into amazing men and women. They are so phenomenal, and have such potential in so many areas of life. I pray that each of them have been impacted by this chance to work together, and that they continue to learn and grow. But maybe slow down a bit on the cookies.

Moving Out, Moving In

So I have had quite the wild ride the past week with all the insanity of moving. There were so many ups and downs, but I learned a lot through the process.

1. It is much harder to move when you don't live in the same place as your family who will come help you with everything whenever you need it. The last two moves I've done, I had so much help from the fam, and I didn't even realize how much it meant until I didn't have it here! Along these lines, it is important to be thankful for amazing friends who step up to help in their place, even if it means staying up til all hours of the morning packing/painting/moving things!

2. It is probably not the best idea in the world to stay up for 40 hours straight the day before you move your stuff. Kind of adds a bit to the stress of things when you are exhausted and hungry.

3. You know all the crap you accumulate over time? Not so hard to part with a bunch of it after all. Success has  come in the form of scaling down a large three bedroom apartment to a moderate 1 bedroom. Oh yeah, that feels better than you can imagine. (More to come on that topic later)

4. It is really easy to take for granted what we have, whether it be space, stuff, friends, family, or anything else. Sometimes we just forget to stop and realize all the good things in our lives, especially when we are busy or begin to feel overwhelmed.

Take a minute right now, yes, right now, and think about all you have to be thankful for. Don't take it for granted, remember those things, and make an effort appreciate them more. I mean, hey, if you've taken the time to read this blog, then you have enough free time to at least remember what you have.