30 by 30 update: a semi-productive month, surprisingly

8 months to go. pow.

here's what i got done this month:

#2: i have paid off $1900 of my debt to my dad. booyah.

#5: i took a weekend trip by myself. it happened october 21-23. you can read about it HERE.

#11: i have been cooking tons and tons since i moved into the wigger house, and that has included several dinners for my super cool freshmen. THIS was one of them. my tally is 12/20.

#16: i have gotten a TON of reading done in the past month! i am now at 45/100 books. here's what i read/finished reading this past month:

the fire that ignites

dirk gently's holistic detective agency

crazy love

scholarship and Christian faith

the furious longing of God

the abbreviated psalter of the venerable bede

read, think, pray, live

is everyone hanging out without me? (and other concerns)

compassion

counseling research

assessment procedures

a parent's guide to the Christian college

#28: liz and i ran the flannels and flapjacks 5k at our church. you can see our ridiculous outfits HERE.

there's the update. november has been much kinder to my soul than october. i can't believe it is almost thanksgiving...and almost christmas...and almost my last semester of grad school. insane.

new chapter

oh, hey, i wrote a little somethin somethin last night. it's chapter eleven of my book. you can either click HERE or go over to the cool sidebar on my blog and scroll down till you see it and then click there. whatever makes you happy.

disclaimer: if you are one of my housemates, it is about you. duh. and i love you. double duh.

my last will and testament...just in case?

in one week, i will be eating chicken. BOOYAH. 5 years of suffering, finally at an end. i am focusing on the positive (eating wings again) rather than the potential negatives (not being able to eat for a week...dying...living and still not being able to eat chicken...).

but a certain hockey player in the great state of wisconsin thinks i should prepare a will just in case. and...she also claimed all my books and movies.

so...who wants my stuff if i kick it?

guest post: holly louise is also a rando...

[note from holly: the wigger girls have decided they would like to guest post on my blog. so this one is brought to you from the special hearts of kelsie, megan, and liz...]

Holly Louise is also a rando joker. We adopted her into the Wigger house about two months ago, and she has made oodles of candy-topped brownies since then. She did her undergrad at the University of Indianapolis. She is getting her masters in Student Development Counseling and Administration and graduating in May 2012… long before any of the rest of us will be walking the stage.

Holly has a super-cute niece and nephew, cooks to de-stress, is an introvert, daily hits her “people wall” at 10 pm, LOVES CHEESE, and is a HUGE Colts fan. She brings lots of fun to our house as our live-in Blockbuster with her insane amount of movies. We love that she introduced the whole house to Monopoly Deal.

Kelsie’s favorite thing about Holly is that she manages to work towards an inspirational number of personal goals while still taking the time to give little gifts of love to those she lives with. Also, that she teaches me about Brian Fahvrah.

Liz’s favorite thing about Holly is the unending amount of love and grace she gives to others--it’s a crazy amount.

Megan’s favorite thing about Holly is how much she encourages her and how enthusiastic she is about Jesus and serving Him (it’s really infectious).

Our overall favorite thing about Holly is how much she cares for others. She always knows when you need a hug or an encouraging word (she really good with those).

taking risks

i have started and stopped this post several times now.

i began with a list of risks i took today. it included trying a new drink at starbucks and talking about phd programs.

then i felt those were low-level risks and that i should aim higher.

and then i contemplated if risk was a worthy aspiration.

and then i got frustrated by getting caught in my head.

it happens to me quite a bit.

what have you started and stopped because you got caught in your head?

be present

Simply being with someone is difficult because it asks of us that we share in the other's vulnerability, enter with him or her into the experience of weakness and powerlessness, become part of uncertainty, and give up control and self-determination. And still, whenever this happens, new strength and new hope is being born. Those who offer us comfort and consolation by being and staying with us in moments of illness, mental anguish, or spiritual darkness often grow as close to us as those with whom we have biological ties. They show their solidarity with us by willingly entering the dark, uncharted spaces of our lives. For this reason, they are the ones who bring new hope and help us discover new directions. Henry Nouwen, Compassion

I am in the middle of some really excellent books. This is one of them. My transfer students are reading it and processing about loss, suffering, and compassion.

I really enjoyed this quote...it has some of my favorite words and phrases in it:

simply being

vulnerability

give up control

new hope

being and staying

dark, uncharted spaces

discover new directions

For someone who really likes order and control, it's interesting that these are the things that leap off the page for me.

What speaks to you?

my siblings have produced really good-looking children...

in case you didn't see these on facebook, here are lily (rainbow brite) and daniel (yoda) in their halloween costumes. yes, they are adorable. i am aware.

the monthly cooking segment: feeding the freshmen

my internship this semester is with the honors college freshmen. they are cool, and i like them. so aside from stuff that they have to do with me (i know, coffee dates can be such a drag, right?), i gave them some stuff they could choose to do if they wanted.

so i invited them to dinner. and sixteen of them came. plus emily and olivia, the two peer facilitators.

needless to say, i had to fix a crapton of food. two lasagnas (one with meat; one without), six loaves of garlic bread, salad, easy cheesy lemon bars, and toll house cake. i think they left satisfied.