A brand neu (man) day...

The day started very early. I jumped from the top bunk in Adrienne's room in Slight, the summer dorm at TMC, at 6:02 am. The early morning called for drastic measures. I set up my laptop in the bathroom and danced with Lou Bega to "Mambo Number 5" as I got ready for Luke and Danielle's big day. Bride Danielle and maid of honor Sherrie stopped to say hi as I was on the side of the road putting up the signs that declared NEUMAN WEDDING ----->.

It was very fun to be involved in the wedding. Though it wasn't official, I was the second photographer for the wedding. [Insert really big smile here] It was really fun! Once I buy a really nice digital SLR camera and learn how to use it, if anyone wants me to secondshoot for a wedding, I am totally cool with that. You don't even have to pay me. (Just don't get your hopes too high; I'm not that good).

Funny moments:
Watching the family, groomsmen, and bridesmaids enter the hall to the tune of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"...oh dear.

The pastor, Josh Sheridan, messing up the ceremony with the first words out of his mouth: "Who gives this man to this woman in marriage?"

Not knowing how to sing "Be Thou My Vision." Who knew that the CD would jump directly to the next verse with no pause for breath? Luke's dad tried to fill in the verse with a few comments...

The non-traditional addition to the traditional, for-better-for-worse-in-sickness-in-health..."sink or swim"...

Danielle, very excited: "Should I kiss him again?!" during the cake-cutting.

I had a great time at the wedding. I loved taking pictures for my good friends Luke & Danielle Neuman. It was great to see a ceremony that honored God in a very real way, not fake or forced like some weddings can be. And the great thing is, that is just the way Luke and Danielle are. They don't claim to have it all figured out, but they strive to honor God as they go through life together.

Here's to the Lord, Luke and Danielle, Who saw fit to bring both of you to Him, to Master's, and to each other for life. I love you muchly.

SoCal

I'm down here in SoCal...doin' stuff...

It has been nice so far. The weather is kinda hot, but it's hot in NorCal, too.

Today I had an interview, and I can be a substitute teacher! Crazy! I also applied for a full-time English position. We shall see how that one turns out.

I've had a good time hanging with friends and enjoying the hospitality of Jenni, Mandy, Michelle, and Michelle (though Jenni, Michelle, and Michelle aren't really here right now...).

This post is kinda boring because I'm not thinking about blog posts. I'm really thinking about washing the chlorine out of my very frizzy hair.

So you all have a great week, readers! Time to restore the hair to normal...

Blank

For once, I don't know what to blog about. So maybe I'll just make a list of things that have been happening.

Job. Waiting to hear back from a district in SoCal begging me to come for an interview because the hiring personnel is so impressed with my application and résumé that they want to hire me right away, but that is not fair to other applicants, so they must interview me

first. (How's that for a run-on?!) Or at least that's what I'm hoping they would say...I'm really just waiting for an offer for an interview to substitute teach. I hope it comes soon.

Car. I now have a manual (his name is Manuel). I am rather proud of myself when I go the whole day without stalling it. I'm getting better, though!!!

Car. I am trying to sell the automatic. Please sell! I need to pay Mom and Dad back, and I want to go to SoCal for Luke and Danielle's wedding!

Kids. The little kids Lucas Lee, Alexis Nikole, and Giovanni Vann were adopted on July 9, 2009 at the courthouse in Nevada City!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are Byers forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No worries about leaving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are all very excited about it! We are going to have an adoption party on Sunday. :)

2 grandparents, 2 parents, 7 siblings, and 3 sisters-in-law. I am truly blessed. (I do have more family and grandparents, fyi.)

Books. My goal is to read ten books this summer. Not a very high goal, but I got kinda burnt out after about the third or fourth week. I want to finish 1984 by George Orwell, Living the Cross-Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney, and Is God Really in Control? by Jerry Bridges. I know, that is only three. I might read Animal Farm by George Orwell or The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne or The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck...or some other book I have. I suppose I should get through the first three first, though...Or maybe I'll read one of my new travel books...hmmmmmmm....

Fruit. This is random, I know, but I decided to list my favorite fruit: Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, mangos, cantaloupe, and peaches. Mmmmm-mmm-mmmm...

Picture. I like pictures. Here is one:

"The Originals" on the day before Garret's wedding:

Garret, me, Scott, Ross...in reverse age order. ;)

Two

Wow, I haven't written in a week! Sorry folks. Every time I would consider posting I would think, "No, you just posted!" Well, maybe that was true last Monday, but it wasn't true by the end of the week! Oh well. ;)

Here is a quote from D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. I found it on Pastor Todd's site a while ago.

“The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself. You have to take yourself in hand, you have to address yourself, preach to yourself, question yourself. You must say to your soul: ‘Why art thou cast down’ - what business have you to be disquieted? You must turn on yourself, upbraid yourself, condemn yourself, exhort yourself, and say to yourself: ‘Hope thou in God’ - instead of muttering in this depressed, unhappy way. And then you must go on to remind yourself of God, Who God is, and what God is and what God has done, and what God has pledged Himself to do. Then having done that, end on this great note: defy yourself, and defy other people, and defy the devil and the whole world, and say with this man: ‘I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance, who is also the health of my countenance and my God.’"

Here is another quote from the guest speaker in church today, Amir Tsarfati (an Israeli national!).

"Jesus told the disciples that in the end there will be wars and rumors of wars [Mt. 24:6; Mk. 13:7]. This is not good. But it is called the Good News."

What goes around...

comes around.

Haha, here is a post on Jenica's blog about Jennica.

I say, there's no way I'm cooler than you, Jenica. You've actually gone out there and taught overseas. It's going to take me a while. ;)

And I love this quote from a past post of Jenica's:

"Yet something is missing. There's an ongoing search, and no amount of comparison of here and there will really answer the questions. Perhaps some of us were not meant to be part of a place. Perhaps I am one of those." (on having a sense of place)

Lynx...errrr, Links!

On a more serious note than late-night adventures involving centipedes, here are two links that I think are really important to read.

They were brought to my attention by reading Todd Bolen's blog (former IBEX professor, who is coming to visit SoCal with his family soon!).

The link on Todd's blog is about the devastating effects of adultery. (by Randy Alcorn)

The link in the link on Todd's blog is about the considerations of viewing promiscuity in film. (by John Piper)

Read 'em. Consider 'em. Vow that with God's help, you will never become part of the sad statistics.

Creepy Crawlies

Yes, readers, that is a centipede...and yes, that is my Nalgene for perspective. It seems like, since I came home about 5 weeks ago, every spider and bug has come out to greet me.

Now I know that my bumper sticker says that I am a spider killer. This is true. I guess this is just case-in-point that spiders 1) can't read or 2) don't understand warnings.

I can't count how many spiders, bugs, and flies I have killed since I came home. This is not to say that my house is dirty or anything. But it is summertime. These bugs decide that they want the A/C, too, or that they want to go on vacation, or something, so they come on in!

And I am ready for them.

I just wish they would go away.

Any way, about the centipede. I was on facebook, talking to a friend, when I heard a scratching sound. I looked down to see the end of a 3-inch long centipede disappear under the keyboard!

--HOLD ON!!!!!!! 3 INCH LONG CENTIPEDE JUST CRAWLED ACROSS THE DESK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!--

Thus began the assault on the unsuspecting creature. Pretty soon the thing crawled out from under the keyboard and and proceeded to hide under the computer modem. I considered calling the customer assistance number on the computer but wasn't sure that it would be helpful.

I tried to kind of slide the annoyance out from under the modem with a piece of paper, but he wouldn't cooperate. So I ran down the hallway to get my camera and my Nalgene for perspective. I managed to get the insect to come out from under the computer. I snapped a picture then retrieved the trash can from the bathroom and attempted to push the offending party off the desk with some TP.

He wouldn't have it.

He held on to the desk and the TP with his little legs as he bent over backwards from the edge of the desk, struggling not to get canned.

Gravity took its toll, and the villain fell. I made sure he was actually in the trash and hadn't escaped onto the floor again, and then promptly flushed him.

I have no idea how the miniature monster got into the house and up onto the desk without me seeing him. After all, he was huge!
Oh well, the adventure is over.

I just hope he didn't bring his siblings along when he entered the house......