Jennifer Knapp

A month or so ago my husband sent me a link to an interview where Jennifer Knapp comes out of the closet.
I'm not one of those bible thumping, homosexuals are evil, let's burn them at the stake kind of christians. I do believe that homosexuality is a sin, but I feel that it is no more than any other sin be it lying, stealing, or getting drunk on Friday and rolling into church on Sunday like nothing's up. I feel like this sin has become fashionable to hate on like drinking in the 20's and Satanism in the 70's. Anyone remember how EVIL Ouiga boards used to be? I think they are still evil, but they aren't in vogue anymore as a sin so we as a christian culture have moved on to the next big thing, Homosexuality. Who knows what the next big sin will be?

But I digress.
Jennifer's music touched me very deeply throughout my adult life. I was introduced to her in college by my roommate (who ironically enough turned out to be a lesbian as well). It was possibly the one good thing that roommate did for me.
Jennifer's music was so raw and pure and from a place very personal. I struggled for years with looking and being the "perfect christian". I didn't read my bible everyday, get excited about God or raise my hands in church like everyone else. I lusted after my boyfriend. I didn't think the occasional drink or cigarette was wrong. I flopped back and forth between thinking I was "saved" and thinking I needed to be "saved" for many years. In this way I felt very connected to Jennifer through her music, because I felt she felt the same way. She wasn't perfect, she didn't pretend to be. She had moments where she messed up royally and had to ask for forgiveness and felt dirty (Refine me, Undo me) and other moments where she felt secure in her faith and in God's mercy (His Grace is Sufficient, In the Name). I went on this journey with her and she with me.
So, to hear she is gay doesn't shock me for some reason. Maybe it's because I found out about my roommate years ago and I associated the two together. Or maybe it's because it doesn't matter. Sin is sin. And all her songs were about struggling with sin nature. But it does sadden me. Not because she is gay, but because she's unapologetic about it. She's disheartened with the church (which I completely understand) but she doesn't see her lifestyle as contradictory to what God's Word says. I struggle with things all the time that I know are wrong, but I'm not sure I've ever engaged in sin and wholeheartedly believe that the sin is not sin. That being said, I have knowingly ignored God's word and engaged in things I shouldn't knowing full well they are not what God wants me to be doing.
So I cannot in any way judge her. I have an enormously huge plank in my eye that I struggle to remove and cannot say anything about anyone as long as that is there. And that won't be until this life is over so by then it won't matter will it?
But I do feel for her. I think she is just mislead and the church's reaction sadly will be to stone her instead of love her back into the fold.
Why are we so quick to forgive a pastor who commits adultery but yet cannot love someone who struggles with homosexuality? What is wrong with us as a body of Christ?
So Jennifer, know that I still love you, will still listen to Kansas and The Way I Am and continue to feel your music as deeply as I ever did.
I don't know if I will purchase your new album. I just don't know at this point. I grapple with the fors and againsts it and at the moment neither side has won.
But I look forward to the day you come full circle.

To all my fellow Potheads!

You true fans stood in line with me at 10:30 Tuesday night. You wore your house colors (blue for us Ravenclaws) and your wands held high, you entered the movie theater.

You knew, that like me, Wednesday was going to be a b****. But it was worth it.

I personally felt that this movie was very good and I think it just might be my fav. It's up there in the top 3 for sure.

A few things to note about the movie:

1. Alan Rickman is a god. Snape only grows more cool with each scene and movie release.
2. Professor McGonagall, also one of my favs, aged about 20 yrs between the two movies. Not sure if that was on purpose or if Maggie Smith is just starting to show her age. Please oh please don't let her be too old to be in the last one. We simply must have the scene where she screams while Harry is in Hagrid's arms!!!!
3. The ending... they left out the funeral. I knew they probably wouldn't have the whole ordeal, but a sweep over shot or something would have been nice. The whole death scene and non-existent after fight scene (which was really more of Harry getting pwn'd by Snape than anything else) left much to be desired. Ok, they didn't want to have a big battle when there's a very similar scene in Deathly Hallows. I get that. But this part in the book really kicked me in the stomach, and while watching the movie, I really didn't get emotional at all until Fawkes showed up. And he was only on screen for a few seconds.
4. I loved the 'high school' scenes. It was like the Goblet of Fire parts where they have to learn to dance and are all awkward, only now they are a little less awkward. But it was still very high school and I loved it, because even though all this stuff is going on - they are still just 16 and care about all the things that 16 yr old's care about.

So bottom line - good movie. Great up until the death scene.

Ken gets a bath

Kenshin is so furry. He gets hair everywhere.

So I decided to bathe him and hopefully wash away a good amount of the fur that seems to cling to my sofa like it is glued on.


Immediately, Ken does not like the water.


He tries swimming away.


Then climbing the walls.


Finally, he grabs my arm in desperation. Thankfully, he has no claws.


He does like the part where I scratch his booty. But he would never admit it.


Is it so bad? Poor Kenshin, so mistreated.


Time to drip dry.


Ken, you weigh a ton when dripping wet!!


Time to dry off!


Annie wants to help.


My little refugee, kitteh!


Oh so fluffy!!!



"Now I can escape and spend the next 6 hours licking myself!!!"

Party like it's 1985

I turned 30 this week and so in celebration, we threw a big to-do. I wasn't technically born in the 80's (missed it by 6 months) but I grew up then, so I chose an 80's theme.



I made this cake myself. I'm quite proud because it was my first endeavor in fondant and multi-tiered cakes. The squares could be larger and the sides more straight, but not too shabby for my first try.
It's a rubix cube BTW....





Everyone having a really good time. I was glad so many people dressed up.
Jesse made an 80's movie/music video montage and had it playing on the wall. It was pretty sweet.


I danced until I was so sore the next day I could barely walk.


Jesse had my dad sing Happy Birthday to me in front of everyone. He sings it in this lounge lizard, croony voice. It's quite cheesy.

more pics coming as soon as I get them loaded!

Closing Time

That's also a song I love by Semisonic. I think I loved the video and that's why the song sticks in my head as a favorite.

Anyway...

We are closing on the house tomorrow.
Tomorrow I will be a home owner. That's just crazy.

Praise the Lord we have stairs!

I don't know what happened, nor do I want to know.

All I know is, my dad called me this morning and my stair rail is completed and being painted this afternoon. It will be ready for installation tomorrow.

I could jump for joy!!!!! One more hurdle over and done with. They think we will close next week sometime.

Which means we should be moving next weekend! I am so excited. I can't wait to be in our new house.

Frustrations

I am peeved. I am beyond peeved.
The house is done. Everything has been installed and it is move-in ready. Except one small detail.

There are no rails on the stairs. Honestly, this wouldn't bother me if they'd let us move in. I'm not planning on using the stairs for awhile so I don't see the big fuss.
The stairs will be done, we just don't know when.

Here's the story of the stair that couldn't:

My father is a civil engineer who has worked for a iron fabrication company for 30 years. Jes and I thought iron railing would be pretty and Dad could get us a deal. So we had him draw up a plan for the rail and after some tweaking we approved it. This was about a month ago. We had to wait until the wood flooring was installed on the steps to get the measurements right. Jesse and I were very excited because the rail we picked out is the same rail we saw and fell in love with at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Ireland. It's very cool that we could get the same railing as that place.

I don't know what or who caused the next big slow down in production, but the rail wasn't even ordered until 2 weeks ago. Then it was found out that it wasn't in stock and had to be shipped from Texas. Originally, the rail was going to be installed by the 17th. Then it got pushed back to the 20th. And then again to the 23rd or 24th. Then on Friday my dad calls me and tells me that they got the rail on the 20th, but hadn't started it yet. (They've had it in stock for nearly 5 days at that point).
Today I find out that my dad's company is owned by a bunch of a-holes. Now I've known that for some time now, but never thought they'd be like this to me. BTW, we are paying for this rail out of pocket and have already given them a check.
They have decided to put all other jobs ahead of mine. They told my father today that they weren't sure when they'd be able to get to my job.
Daddy threatened to quit, I had to talk him down.
We were hoping/wanting/needing to close this week. My lease is running out and I need to start moving into the new house before it does.

My real estate agent is trying to see if there is anyway we can close without the rail being installed.
These people are holding my house hostage all because of some petty differences with my father.
So I'm hereby announcing to the world and anyone who will listen...

If you ever need to build iron railing for your house/apartment/hotel whatever... Do not use Allen's Steel Products in Arlington, TN.
If they treat a family member of one of their long time employees like this, there's no telling how they treat their bread and butter customers.

I'm sure everything will work out in the end, but they have some seriously bad kharma coming there way. I wouldn't want to be them for all the money in the world.