This year, I'm grateful for the mistakes I haven't made. Life has been pretty hunky-dory for me. I don't say that to brag or solicit commendation. I say that because there's really no reason for it to have gone so well for me as it has. There've been times when I might have made a misstep. The way was open to me, and I really didn't know any better. There was no reason for me not to have taken an unwise turn, not even a hunch that that way would lead to no good. And yet I didn't. Only later do you realize how close you got to making a mistake. It's later that you learn the likely consequences of the action you didn't take (or maybe the passive state you didn't embrace). I could say something ordinary about believing in guardian angels and in God's hand upon my life. Because I do believe that (at least the last bit). But those are cliched phrases that fail, these days, to convey just how astonishing it is ... not to have made the mis...

My mom always said better late than never. So, here's hoping you all had a very merry Christmas and are looking forward to a happy New Year! Sarah's Christmas Update Imagine a year full of a number of crazy things. Multiply by 4.5 and you'll get an idea of what my life has been like in 2014. ;) Highlight of my year? Travel to China to visit a good friend from college and see some of the sights with her: the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, the Terra Cotta Army... it felt like a dream, it was so surreal. I haven't been disciplined enough to write much about it but I hope to do so this winter as I work on putting together a photo album from my trip. ( The few posts I've written are here. ) If you'd like to see the digital photo album, email me (readersis at gmail dot com) for the link and prepare yourself for the onslaught of more than 900 photos... :) But seriously, it was the trip of a lifetime and I'm thankful to God and to my friend for giv...

My mom used to write a page-long Christmas letter to old friends of hers, a lot of them people I never met. She'd design it in the word processing program on computer and add photos like they were clipart. Once I got into writing, I wrote my own segment of the letter, then eventually wrote the entire letter a couple of years. But I've never snail-mailed my own Christmas letter, apparently. In a digital age, there's little reason to, as most of my friends like to keep in touch via text message or Facebook. In lieu of a snail-mail letter (I'll send cards instead, late as usual), here's a digital summary of my life this past year! Sarah's Christmas Update  God has been incredibly good to me this year. I promise this isn't a humblebrag . Here are the things I get asked about the most. The most exciting: I bought a house in June! An adorable two-bedroom place with a garage and beautiful hardwood floors. Email me if you'd like to see pictures! I...

Thanksgiving has been my favorite holiday for as long as I can remember. It meant snow, usually. It meant cousins, but without the stress that Christmas brought. It meant people remembering to thank God for what he'd given them. peanut butter my family cable Internet maps stringed instruments of all kinds wise editors philodendrons tire repair centers repair instruction videos grace cabbage (even when it's mistaken for lettuce) friends nearby far-away friends Skype Aldi cousins commuter trains vlogs (like Emma Approved and The Autobiography of Jane Eyre ) Doctor Who fountain pens the times my back doesn't hurt from sitting in office chairs my job extra patience when I don't think I have any more streetlights stars my house my car people who inspire me to change for the better the Bible second-hand shops blankets hats the books of C. S. Lewis movies about superheroes texting windows organized bike rides If I went on, I'd never...

Not only are they eminently fitting for me, my old college roomie MADE them herself. They’re the only set in existence. I keep telling her she should start a little craft business selling jewelry.

¡Feliz Navidad! Joyeux Noel! Mele Kalikimaka! The things you learn from obscure Christmas songs. I attended a family swing dance and taught about a dozen people the basics of east coast single-step swing. Unfortunately, I don’t have my own photograhpic evidence of this splendid occasion – the pictures are all on my relatives’ Facebook pages instead. What did you do this Christmas weekend?

This is my favorite holiday. It’s all the family togetherness and gratefulness to God without all the stress of Christmas. This year, I’m mainly thankful for my family and my best friends from college. I could have the best job and the most awesome possessions, but none of it would mean anything without them; but with them, I could be working at a school supply warehouse all my life and living out of a basement and still be happy! But I’m also thankful for: Peanut butter fudge Sweet potatoes Texting Christmas lights Guitar music Gloves Car wax Socks Back pillows Laptops The internet Sewing machines Glasses Card games Facebook (never thought you’d see that on my thankful list, did ya?) …and lots of other trivial things. But I digress. Since the Thanksgiving holiday has officially come, I allowed myself the inaugural Christmas gesture: I put up my Christmas tree this morning before going to work! It’s a Goodwill find, and it’s all intact and it even came with that ti...

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East and have come to worship him.”… And when they had come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother and fell down and worshiped him. (Matt. 2:1-2) Remember how, a few months ago, I was enthralled by the whole idea that missions and worship are connected? Here, worship shows up in an entirely different context, and I believe it’s the first time I’ve realized this aspect. The wise men’s entire purpose in traveling hundreds of miles, following an elusive astronomical event, was to worship someone. A someone they probably didn’t even know was a child, hardly two years old. When was the last time you felt a sense of awe and reverence toward a toddler? These sages, the philosopher-scientists of their day—maybe like Aristotle—were supernaturally led, t...

What would it have been like to write about the birth of Jesus in AP style? BETHLEHEM, Judea—Rumors about a baby’s birth in a stable have been confirmed. Jesus, son of Joseph son of Jacob and his betrothed Mary, was born early yesterday morning in a stable-turned-lodging in the city, according to the stable’s owner and census officials who stopped there mid-morning today. The couple journeyed here from Nazareth in Galilee to comply with Caesar Augustus’ census. Still unconfirmed are rumors that heavenly beings appeared to shepherds in a field outside Bethlehem. No other witnesses to the event have been found, but several sheep were discovered unattended late last night and their shepherds eventually located in the vicinity of the stable. They claim to have been sent there by the angels. The baby is destined to become the Jewish savior, according to his father Joseph. The royal priests and prophets were unavailable for comment. It is also unknown whether the bright star first notice...

10. If you’re born on Thanksgiving, you don’t have to suffer sharing your birthday with a major holiday every single year , world without end, Amen. 9. You can celebrate in October and nobody looks at you funny. Or if people do, you can tell them you’re Canadian. Visiting family overseas gets so much simpler. 8. It’s more fun to whoop like an Indian for the class play than to pretend you’re scared of a short angel in the Christmas pageant. 7. Sometimes it’s actually warmer than 45 degrees on Thanksgiving. On Christmas, the best you can hope for is snow to go along with the freezing temperature. 6. It’s always a Thursday, so you’re practically guaranteed a five-day weekend. This year, Christmas is on a Sunday. Try figuring out your holiday then! 5. The point of the holiday isn’t lost in the commercials. 4. TURKEY STUFFING. Even better than hot cider. 3. Nobody’s afraid to tell me to have a happy one. 2. No gifts = no gift drama. 1. People all over the country stop to thank thei...

I’ve devoted very little space on this blog to my favorite holiday, I noticed. But it’s coming up in just two days now, Thanksgiving that is, and with it all the pure holiday joy associated with it. I will not name the first reason I had to consider the holiday a special one for me. The main reason, however, is the positively Christian reflection it inspires in each of us. For what are we thankful? What blessings have we overlooked this year, until now? Where do we find contentment in the midst of difficulties, or for what should we worship God in times of peace? On  my part, I’m thankful for my family. The best part about Thanksgiving is the chance I have to spend several hours on car rides with my immediate family to spend a rambunctious weekend with most of my extended family. I get along well with everyone in those groups, so the time we’re forced to spend together feels nothing like an enforced gathering. On the contrary, when we have to part I’m invariably loth to do so. T...

Happy almost-Easter, everyone! I’ll be off to my grandpa’s house tomorrow for a wonderful day of extended family getting-together. I’m looking forward to eating up a good many of my aunt’s fantastic homemade rolls, too. So, without further ado, a number of links for your Easter perusal… What I’ve learnt about Twitter after 1000 tweets – Since just one more tweet will bring my own tweet-count to 1000, I Googled “1000th tweet” and this was the first result. A rather interesting one, too, though written more from a business angle. 55 Ways to Have Fun with Google (PDF) – Gosh, somebody had waaaaay too much time on his hands. But the result, though now outdated, still contains some interesting ways to waste time, such as egogoogling (to which I’m no stranger—it’s the “Google your name and ‘is’ and see what comes up” game), making a pictorial alphabet from Google Images results, and googling random proverbs and seeing what they’ve been applied to. ( This link if the first doesn’t work pr...

Guess what?? It’s 2011, full of Binary Days, graduations (mine and my cousin’s, maybe my brother’s too), and the unknown. For those who care, this is the last year until 2100 that we will have any full Binary Days where the year is included in the celebration. Therefore, the last Binary Day for 89 years will also be the greatest, 11/11/11. (Several friends think, with me, that people will try to get married on that day, like they did for 10/10/10.) And to celebrate the New Year, I am posting the 550th post right now. *blows a noisemaker* I’ve also received 813 comments on this blog—which number I arrived at courtesy of Blogger’s new comment managing tool, which has alllll the comments listed (like KB used to!) and a total number of them. Since I wrote the 800th comment in reply to someone else, I will instead extend congratulations to Carol (who wrote the 799th comment) and da Baum (who is responsible for the 802nd comment, as well as about a third of the other comments on this blog)...

Well, thank goodness I haven’t received any six geese a-laying, though I don’t think I’d have minded the five golden rings. Being the holiday season, not much has been going on in my life. I’ve been able to curl up in a corner of the couch all day and read, write, or blog… and really, “all day” is not much of an exaggeration. But it’s highly relaxing. The only thing I’ve had to do besides lounge around is go Christmas shopping with my mom. It’s a tradition we have—the two of us are the only ones in the family that like shopping, so every year I help her pick out the Christmas gifts for all our extended family in addition to our immediate family. (Sometimes I even pick out my own, as I did this year.) So on Monday and yesterday we went shopping for my mom’s side of the family, whose family Christmas will be celebrated this weekend. Of course, while shopping for Christmas, we happened to find some things we wanted ourselves. Especially at this one store called Ollie’s . This store has...

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me / A partridge in a pear tree. On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me / Two turtledoves, and a partridge in a pear tree. So, I know that the Twelve Days of Christmas come after Christmas and before Epiphany (January 6th, I believe), but I never know whether the “First day of Christmas” is Christmas Day proper or if it’s Boxing Day… Anyways, I’ve had two family Christmas celebrations so far—one with my dad’s side of my extended family, and my immediate family Christmas. My most exciting gift was a passive guitar pickup for my acoustic guitar. (Google Images is handy for this sort of picture.) I got to use this pickup yesterday at church, where I play guitar for our praise team, and boy did it sound MUCH better than trying to mic my guitar with a normal mic! And this way I didn’t have to worry about hitting the mic with my hand while strumming. The last family Christmas—with my mom’s side of our family—is this S...

Y que uds. tengan un buenísimo día de celebrar el nacimiento de nuestro Señor y Salvador, Jesucristo. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,   for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us   in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies   and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers   and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us   that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,   in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;   for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people   in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God,   whereby the sunrise shal...

In honor of tonight, the Christmas Eve Pre-party: After leading the people out of Egypt, one of Moses' first tasks was  to build the tabernacle, a place where God would descend to dwell among the people. This was a temporary, movable meeting place. Many years later, Solomon would build the temple, a more permanent, glorious place for God to meet His people. It was while the temple was still serving its purpose that the prophet Isaiah gave an astounding prophecy: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Immanuel — God with us. What made this prophecy so incredible was that one day, God's presence would not just inhabit a building; it would manifest itself in human form, the person of Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:23). In the coming of Jesus, God dwelt among us in the most tangible and personal way possible. He became us. …But if God is with me — and in me — it stands to reason I c...

This was for campus dress-up day (for Halloween of course). I wanted to do something different. I had friends say they’d never have imagined me in a goth look.

Here’s the promised video!

Tonight at church my brother asked me if I knew what day it was. March 14th, I told him, a Sunday. He asked me again, did I know what day it was? I thought at first he was being silly, but when I began to reiterate the date, I realized.... 3-14. As in 3.1415926........... And I was happy. I also looked up Google today, to see their logo: It was also amusing. Especially since I understand pretty much everything on there, including the wavy thing there in the middle. (Yes, I know it's been a week and a day since my last post. But I'm on spring break and trying to get some homework done...) P.S. Wonderful news! I've been admitted to this program in New York that's all about journalism. :)