random
so according to the poll, the ratio of you guys who believe in "the one" to those who don't is 2:1. i would put another poll up, but my creativity is totally drained.

i stole one of johanna's books called wait for me, by rebecca st. james. have you heard the song? you should. it's good.

you know what i just realized? i watch more oprah and HGTV than espn now. is that sad or what?

i am down to $750 dine-in dollars. am i ahead of schedule?

watching the astros makes me sad. and it makes me want to kill oompa loompas. well, actually just jenny. micelli really likes to give the other team home runs. what a nice guy. good thing pujols is there to cheer me up. haha pujols (poo-holes)! =P

i need to learn to say "no" sometimes whenever people ask me to play basketball. but then again, maybe i should just make use of this opportunity, before my body totally breaks down =
one of my goals for this year is to get semi-decent at crossword puzzles. i don't know if there's a better feeling than completing an entire puzzle by yourself. yeah, i really don't know because it's never happened.

i used to love joking about using bengay with titus. until now, when i actually use it -- it's not so funny anymore =(

do you realize that we're gonna start to get married in about 4-5 years? AHH.

i miss home. if only i had a free weekend..

time passes by way too quickly in college. it's ridiculous. i need to learn to take one day at a time and not look forward to upcoming events too much. that should help prolong my stay here at UT. well, in my mind, at least.

if the whole business thing doesn't work out, and i lose interest in journalism, i think i may have a future in t-shirt design =)

sock'em bopper fights are super fun. actually it's always fun hitting xiao. you should try it sometime.

sometimes i love just looking through pictures, over and over again. there's just something about them that really makes me happy. i love just..reminiscing. man, i sound so old.

my jeans have now been fixed! no longer are there 10-inch slits on either side. thanks again, lina :)

one of these days i'm going to spend an entire day on the field of dreams, just chillin'. today was such a nice day!

it's really difficult to think straight when your mind and your heart aren't totally in agreement.

don't be hatin'
so today i wore one of my favorite pair of pants -- my camouflage windbreakers.


what's wrong with my camo pants? i seriously like them. so many people commented about them today, and i got so confused. i decided to take things into my own hands to find out what was going on -- here's an example:

me: do you like my pants?
ann: um..
me: what?
ann: ..they're..okay..

ok i dont know whats up, but i'm gonna do my best to advertise these amazingly stylish pants. i mean, EVERYBODY'S WEARING THEM!!


man, this guy looks so cool.


and don't you want to look like this guy?

so now that you're convinced, i got my pants at walmart. supplies may be limited.

Dear brothers & sisters,

Thank you so much for all your prayers, support, loving care, time, driving, food, cards, e-mails, & visits. They are so warm and encouraging. We really appreciate them.

Tony will be starting his chemotherapy at 3:00 p.m. today, instead of 7:00 p.m. There will be six cycles in nine weeks. The first cycle will be given on 10/12, 10/19, 10/26. 2nd round will be on 11/9, 11/16, 11/23. The biopsy on the lump below his neck turned out to be positive. That means the cancer cells already have spread to some lymph nodes, but thanks to the Lord, not other organs. The chemotherapeutic option hopefully will help to palliate his symptoms. We turned down the clinical research option because it doesn't sound that effective and promising, and our doctor doesn't seem to be in favor of this option either.

Thank God for providing us so many connections that Tony could be admitted to the hospital in such a short time and he can start the treatment today, that he is in the hands of a good physician team, that he can purchase any medications without any long wait, and he can even change his chemo schedule to a more preferable time.

Please continue to pray for miracle to heal him, that the chemo will be effective enough to shrink the tumors, and side effects will be eliminated to a minimum. Side effects include diarrhea, nausea, mouth sores, infections, and hearing loss, which may be permanent. Also please pray for Jonathan and my health especially when Tony's immune system will be weakened due to the chemo treatments.

Admittedly, the Lord doesn't always solve our problems instantaneously, and He sometimes permits us to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. But we are certain he is there with us even in the darkest hours, and we can never escape His
encompassing love.

Please forward this to your fellowship so that everyone can pray for us.

Thanks again.

In Christ,

Rossana

hypocrisy

"The most important question for me is not, "How do I touch people?" but, "How do I live the word I am speaking?" In Jesus, no division existed between what he said and what he did. Saintliness means living without division between word and action."
- Henri Nouwen

i'm sure you've all heard that the number one reason people are turned away from Christianity is hypocrisy in the church. well, if not, then now you know.

but i mean, it makes sense doesn't it? we, as Christians, are supposed to set an example for other people by being godly men and women. we go around wearing Christian shirts and bracelets that say WWJD (what would Jesus do?), but sometimes i'm not sure whether it's more of a fashion trend or a statement of faith.

many of us, me included, have literally been brought up in the church since birth. we've gone through years of sunday school, church fellowship, Christian camps, and small groups, but to what purpose? sure, we've perfected the talk, but what about the walk?

They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.
- Titus 1:16a

Romans 3:23 says "for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God," so of course, no one expects anyone to be perfect, but what IS expected? in the world's eyes, Christians are, more often than not, seen as goodygoodytwoshoes on paper, but when various situations arise, many times it seems like people are just waiting to pounce on each mistake.

is this bad? not necessarily. we're supposed to live a life "worthy of the calling we have received," so by all means, we should pride ourselves in the fact that we are representatives of Jesus Christ. however, with larger responsibility comes larger consequences, and one mistake could have the effect of turning one person away from Christ -- i'm sure no one wants to have to live with that.

so what's the bottom line? this time i'm really not sure. i suppose it all starts with keeping each other accountable. and, you know, just think before you say or do anything. it all sounds simple, doesn't it? i guess it's just another one of those things that's easier said than done.

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
- James 2:17