Hacked

I have my own blog. I am writing on this one. Stating the obvious? Yes. All I can manage right now? Again, yes. My brain and intellect are on absolute overload. Thus, this post is inevitably going to resemble a stream of conciousness post. Perhaps one day, I will give you a more thorough stream of consciousness post rather than merely a collection of a few random sentences. Okay. Ready? Go.

I do not remember receiving the Dictionary word of the day in my email this morning. Hmmm....


I love words.


Eating cereal from a giant mug is the best...and thanks mom for buying the chocolate Puffins when you were here last week. They are scrumptious!

Mahler - you have captivated me. I think I am in love.

I wish someone were here to play Scrabble with me.


I just wish someone were here. Period.


Is it bad that I started crying today when I saw a dead cat on the side of the road?

I wonder if I have the ingredients to make scones for tomorrow.

Grading and attendance records take up an inordinate amount of time. 


Crayola window crayons = one of the best inventions ever. 


I love photography. I need to do it more often. 

Taken at a monastary in Austria

Monteverdi. Boo.

Why did I decide to work while having 20/20 on in the background? As a single gal who lives alone, watching a documentary about mass murderers and rapists was not a wise life choice.

Moot court! Boo-yah! Get it Ridenour! You are awesomesauce! :)

The suit jacket. :)

I love trail running.


I am lonely.

This hurts.

My footsteps are erasers and as the miles pass by, so too do my anxieties.

When my heart is overwhelmed, O Lord, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I....and Lord, my heart is really overwhelmed. :(

"Depression hurts. Cymbalta can help" - (help you feel better, or help hurt you?) gotta love commercials for medications...the side effects sound awful!

"You are my hiding place. You fill my broken heart with songs"

"Let me learn that the cross precedes the crown, to be low is to be high, that the valley's where You make me more like Christ. Let me find Your grace in the valley. Let me find Your life in my death. Let me find Your joy in my sorrow - Your wealth in my need - that you're near with every breath... in the valley."

That's all for now. 

There is so much in my fluff-filled head, that it is probably best if I stop the stream of consciousness now. 

All my loving,

AnnaGrace

No matter how many times I intend to sit down and blog this year, it seems that life just escapes me. Part of the problem is that, on a day-to-day basis, there are not a whole lot of "blog-worthy" things happening in my life. Honestly, this year has been quite different than last year. The "newness" of law school has worn off, and I find myself aching for this part of my life to just hurry up and be over. It's not even the coursework that's killing me. The only way I know how to describe is that I feel as though I am slowly being suffocated. Law school is sucking the life right out of my veins, and I'm slowly turning into someone whose constant refrain is, "When is my next break?" "When can I go home?" "How can I get out of the law building as often as possible?" It's not been pretty...

Well, that's more than I intended to say on that subject. I don't want my blog to turn into a series of depressing posts...so, here are some of the highlights from the past couple of weeks:

Two weeks ago, Jocelyn had her junior recital (so hard to believe that she's already a junior!). Not only was she amazing, but it also meant that my parents, both sets of grandparents, and AnnaGrace came into town. I made sure to work ahead, and took lots of time off that weekend. It was glorious.

On Saturday evening, we went to the Baylor/Iowa State game. Baylor got off to a rough start in the first quarter (two turnovers!!), but came back strong in the second quarter and won the game. Sic 'em Bears!!

Two weeks ago, I discovered one of the best CDs of ALL time (thanks AnnaGrace!). It's entitled "Music Inspired By the Story," and it has songs representing 18 different Bible stories, including Creation, Naomi & Ruth, Esther, and the thief on the cross. I have been listening to this CD almost exclusively for the past two weeks. It's hard to pick a favorite song on the album because they are all THAT good. Steven Curtis Chapman's song (This Is How Love Wins) is particularly excellent, though he is a favorite of mine in general, so I suppose I'm a little partial. I highly recommend this album - go buy it now!! :)

Last weekend, I carved a pumpkin for the very first time. I carved Pluto into mine. :) I'll have to get my hands on the picture of the finished product...

After carving, we used the insides to make sweet and salty carmelized pumpkin seeds (which were okay, but not great) and a second batch of pumpkin butter. I am addicted to this stuff!! So, here's the recipe:

Pumpkin Butter
Yield: 3.5 cups

1 (29 ounce) Can Pumpkin Puree,approx. 3 ½ cups or fresh
¾ cup Apple Juice (I Made Fresh But You Can Used Pre-Made)
1.5 tsp Ground Ginger
½ tsp Ground Cloves
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
½ tsp Ground Nutmeg
Juice Of Half A Lemon


Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan and stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened. Cover with lid and stir frequently. Remove from heat. Adjust spices to taste. Stir in lemon juice, or more to taste. Once cool, pumpkin butter can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge. Makes enough to fill one large mason jar or about 3.5 cups.

Running Outside

Oh, how I have missed you, dear runs that occur outside. Trust me, my absence is not due to any lack of affection on my part. It is due to the heat to which I have been subject for the past four (five? six?) months. However, you will pleased to know that I am making a return, thanks to the beautiful weather we are now experiencing. You may join me in hoping that it is here to stay.

On Monday morning, I experienced the joy of an early morning run. After 6 weeks of trying to figure out when to fit running into my schedule (before my 9:15am class? at 3:30pm when I finish? some other time that remained undetermined?), and a couple weeks of rolling back my bedtime/waking time, I finally managed to get up early enough to go for a run at 7am. (Sorry for that extremely long sentence.)

It was glorious.

I only ran 2 miles, but I came back in a wonderful mood - ready to tackle a new week. Hurray for endorphins! Maybe I should start off every week like this...