An Ordeal at the DMV (Department of Much Vexation)

So my second learner's permit expired. (No, that's not a typo. Second.) I am about to get my license once and for all, but before I do so I want to polish up my skills so I can impress the driving instructor when I take the test. :D (Any tips?) But I want to make sure I'm legal while practicing, so I decided I'd better renew my permit, just in case.

We finally got around to getting over to the DMV's office today while we were out running errands. I walked in and was assigned a number and assured that they'd call me in a minute and was given a form to fill out. So I walked over to the table and began to methodically fill out the form. It was quiet and peaceful, with only a few other people in the office besides the workers. The table gave me a little trouble - it was one of those bumpy-surfaced 'faux granite' plastic ones and when I wrote on the piece of paper the pen wobbled and made my letters crooked. *arrgh*

I was going down the list of blanks and checkboxes when suddenly my stomach did a flip-flop. "Social Security Number." The blank demanded. Uh-oh. I looked up at Mom and mouthed "Social Security Number?" 
See, I'd never gotten around to memorizing it. Ooops.
Neither had Mom. Ooops. 
No one was at home to call, and look it up in the file. Ooops.

Just then my number was called. "Now serving A015 at counter number 02." I walked timidly up to the lady and told her my predicament and asked if they had my Social Security number in my file.
No, they didn't. Ooops.
"Are you employed?" The helpful lady asked.
"No." (That was the short answer. I have my own jewelry business and do graphic design work for my dad and brothers... but none of us were at the office - our house - to find my number!)
"Oh." She answered, dismayed.
"Yeah..." I said, gazing down at the unfinished form.
"Well look hon," She replied, "Let's finish the rest of these questions so it'll all be done when you come back. We're open till 6:00."

She proceeded to ask me the rest of the questions in rapid-fire order (filling in the answers for me) and kept a remarkably straight face when inquiring if I'd ever had any type of mental disorder or disease. (Do I really look like that's possible? Good grief.) ;)

So we went home and got the Social Security number from our file and then drove back into town and parked outside the DMV.
When we got back inside we had to wait about five minutes for the lady to come assign me a new number to wait in line - and then it took about fifteen minutes for her to find my pre-filled form. She looked and looked through a file, couldn't find it anywhere, and then went and looked over on her desk - and voila! There it was. So I was given a piece of paper with my new number on it... and then we went into the waiting area.
There were about 20 people there. All ahead of me.
My mom and I waited about 45 minutes. I had ample time to examine the charts on the wall and discovered that the fee to renew a learner's permit was still $10.  
And then at last my number was called!

I walked up to the desk and handed the finally complete form to a different lady than the woman who had helped me before.
"Sign here please." The lady said, pointing me to an electronic pad with a 'pen' attached to it with a cord.
I quickly discovered they don't give you much room below the line on that screen, and my cursive capital "J" was missing part of its lower loop. Sigh.
And then I had to sign the paper form, and to my great inward disgust I forgot one of the letters in my last name and had to insert it between two of them, making an ugly scrawl in the middle of the name.

Then I got to have my picture taken. ;) Yeah. This is the best part!
I won't torture you with the blow-by-blow account - but I had to get my picture taken twice because I moved my head as she took the first one because the flash went off twice when I was expecting only once.
Meanwhile, a young, bored, male onlooker watched with amusement.

After I got the temporary license on a piece of paper, I discovered that my cheeks looked slightly pink (no doubt from blushing in embarrassment that I had botched the first photo) but at least my expression was pleasant and I had a happy look in my eyes.
This was the result of my secret plan. I decided before I went in there that I would think about something I really liked while I was getting my picture taken. So I thought about playing Ultimate Frisbee - and it worked! :D

So here are my two important tips for all who go to have their learner's permit or driver's license renewed...

• BE PREPARED (i.e. bring your Social Security Number, because they'll need it even though they don't keep it in their records)
• THINK PLEASANT THOUGHTS (you will end up with a tolerable photo instead of your worst nightmare and something you would drop dead before showing to a police officer or bank teller)

I hope you enjoyed this post - I have been soundly chastised from several friends for making myself so scarce the past few months, and so, I decided that I would write a blog post and get back into the swing of things with a funny account of a tiring day. More will follow with pictures of stuff I've been up to lately.

Oh, and I'm in the market for a new blog background. I'm out of the loop these days. Where did you get your blog background? Do you have any favorite places to get cute free backgrounds? Do let me know via the comments section!

An Article I Wrote Concerning the Tongue & Brothers

A Discussion of my New Philosophy Concerning my Brothers.


Let me say first of all that I love my brothers. I love them ever so much. However, I have not been the sister they need me to be, and I’ve been letting other things cloud my vision and distort my view of my actions. I’ve justified correcting them over and over again on the grounds that they needed to improve in a given area – when I need improvement just as much as they, but nobody follows me around and makes comments every time I do something the least bit imperfect.

Luke 6:42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.

I had (have) ‘beams’ in my eyes, and I’ve been so concerned with carefully picking out every infinitesimal speck in Mark and Steven’s vision… nearly bashing them over the head with the ‘logs’ sticking out from my eyes in the process – not to mention frustrating everyone concerned with my gross hypocrisy.
This came to a climax the other evening, when I again criticized my oldest brother Mark’s table manners. He was hurt and embarrassed. Daddy and Mama had had enough of my behavior and Daddy and I went to my room to have a talk after dinner was finished.
Daddy spoke lovingly yet convicting-ly to me, and told me that I need to treat Mark and Steven like the nearly-all-grown young men that they are… with respect, and admiration for all their good points and the potential in them to be something wonderful, instead of focusing so much on their small faults and criticizing them mercilessly for every tiny mistake.

Why had I been so blind? Mark and Steven are wonderful young men! They are so intelligent and kind and loving. They each have so many gifts and wonderful character traits. They’re amazing. What was I thinking??
Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another.

Had I done this? NO! I hadn’t preferred Mark and Steven above myself. I was only concerned about my wants, my needs, and my “right” to boss them around! I have no right to correct Mark and Steven – they are my equals, not just ‘little brothers’. That phrase “little brothers” doesn’t even make sense any more because they literally tower over me. Such big, strong men! And I’ve been trying to order them around like a cocky little bantam rooster. How silly and wrong of me to have done so!

As the daughter and sister in my family, I should be looking for ways to help and serve my family members. I should be making peace, instead of causing strife. My words should be gentle, my thoughts kind, and my actions sweet and blessing to my dear family. My hands need to be eager to work for the benefit of my home, and my feet should be swift in running to help out wherever I am needed.

Proverbs 31:26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
Proverbs 31:27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

I can talk all day until I’m blue in the face about heart changes and proper behavior, but what really matters is acting all this out and practicing what I ‘preach’. I am sincere. I mean what I am saying here and I truly am trying to change. Habits are difficult to break, but I will be endeavoring to train my tongue to speak kindly and gently, saying what God wants me to say instead of that other influence that’s been working through me these past years.

James 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. (22) But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
“Superfluity of Naughtiness”. You know that sarcastic teasing attitude? The one that flourishes in any gathering of teenagers? It’s fun… for you, at least… not the person or persons you may be teasing. But it’s sin. Sin is usually fun, have you noticed? At least for a while. However, there are major consequences.

I know what proper, godly behavior is. Or at least I have a pretty good idea. But if I don’t put it into practice and be a doer of the word…
James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
I’m sinning! If I am not doing what I KNOW is right, I am in sin!!

James 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity; so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
James 3:7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
James 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Truer words never were spoken – “Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!” How many times I wish I could have rewound time and erased that one little fiery comment that sparked a whole big huge fight or disagreement. Bridling my tongue and not saying everything that pops into my head is something I will definitely be working hard on!

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
^This is one reason I have decided to make this a public blog post. It’s my confession, of sorts. I hope you will pray for me as I work on this area of my life.

I want to be a shining light, and my desire is to be a priceless, valuable part of my family… not something that needs to be cast off so that the rest doesn’t decay.

With God as my constant helper and aid, I will be a good sister and daughter, and I will bring glory to my Lord and Savior in it.

What to do when the guy in the music store is staring at you

A Quiz. ;)

You walk into an unassuming little music store with your mother. Three guys are inside running the store and one of them spots you coming in and quickly moves to the counter before the other two can get there. As you walk up, he says "Hi! What can I do for you?" Your mom has some questions to ask about a microphone that will record voice and piano and transmit the sound into a laptop, so she talks to the very helpful young man for several minutes. The young man is very polite, answering everything she asks and getting several different microphones for you to inspect, but meanwhile he keeps shooting little glances your way when your mother looks down at the microphones on the counter.

Do you:

A. Smile prettily at him
B. Frown at his forwardness
C. Assume a very bored expression 
D. Hide behind your mom
E. Smile politely and look away
F. Say that you forgot something and retreat to the car outside

When your mother is finally done talking about microphones, she asks the guy where to find voice training books, and he says "Right this way", walking out from behind the counter and leading you over to the book room. (He could have just pointed it out to you...) He then begins to look through the drawers to help you find your books, even though all the drawers are clearly labeled and you could have easily found the 'Voice' section all by yourself. He jokes that the bookkeeper would know more about the books than he does, but shows you where to find the voice books, and then finally leaves you to peruse the selection.

While waiting for your mother to find any books she might want, do you:

A. Tiptoe over to the door to the book room and peek out at the guy
B. Hide in the corner farthest from the entrance and cover your head with a piano theory book
C. Engross yourself in a contemporary christian songbook, shutting out the world for a while
D. Walk around in circles
E. Note that there is now "Twilight" music and feel disgusted at the obsession people have with it
F. Do jumping jacks in an attempt to get the guy's attention

After a mere four or five minutes, the overly attentive young man returns and says "Are you all finding everything okay?" Your mom says yes, and that you are about done (There wasn't anything there you needed) And she begins to walk out. The young man leans an elbow against the wide doorway, and as you walk out a few feet behind your mom he looks directly into your eyes and smiles.

Do you:

A. Swoon
B. Slap him
C. Burst out laughing
D. Smile and keep going
E. Stop and ask him if he needs a map, because he seems to be lost in your eyes
F. Bolt for your car
G. Look at him like he's weird

When you reach your vehicle (finally!) and tell your mom that you think the guy kind of liked you, she is surprised, because apparantly the guy wasn't obvious enough to attract her attention...(or he was subtle enough when trying to flirt with you that she didn't see him) also she was distracted with the microphones, and then searching for a voice training book. You laugh about it together and she remarks that they probably don't see pretty girls in there very often, and so when you came in they all went "ooh, look at her, and wow, look at that hair!" ... (as your hair falls so long that you can sit on it)... So you laugh, and forget about the whole thing....... right?

:D

And yes, this happened to yours truly, and no, I didn't flirt back or hide. (Surely you didn't think I would??)
I actually think I handled it rather well.
I just couldn't resist doing a blog post on it! :D

This is a request for your prayers for our car...

Firstly though, I have a story to tell behind the request for your prayers. :)

On Tuesday afternoon, my dad and I drove up to an HSA (http://homeschoolalumni.org/) gathering hosted by my good friends Anna and Mary Catherine, and there I got to meet around 20 other young people between the ages of 18-29. We had a such a blast hiking, doing some archery, playing bag-toss, board games, and Never-Have-I-Ever, and enjoyed a hearty chili supper! :) That was wonderful and the girls and guys I was able to meet are so friendly and nice and real. Wow. :) For me, that was incredibly encouraging. 

On the way home at 8:30 pm, (about halfway home on our 1-hour drive) the car started acting in a very disturbing manner. Daddy and I were chatting away when suddenly we felt a huge LURCH! Then it felt like the vehicle stopped running for a moment, then kept going. We looked at each other in dismay. The car felt fine for another few moments, then it did it again. And again. And again! All with an interval of a few minutes or so in between lurches. It kept getting worse each time and the dashboard lights started to flicker when the lurches came. It seriously felt like the car had, well... hiccups! But this wasn't a laughing matter.

We prayed that it would stop so we could get home and that we would be able to make it back to Mama and my brothers safely.

The car actually died twice on the way home, but each time Dad was able to pull off safely and we didn't have any chance of being hit by passing traffic, but it was still very unnerving. Once Daddy had pulled off, we'd wait a minute or two, then start the van again and it would run, and keep going.

We made it home safely and drew huge sighs of relief upon reaching the carport and parking the van!

The car is in the shop today and the mechanic called and told us that he can't figure out what is wrong with our vehicle because it sat there and ran for two hours with no problem, and even when he drove it around the lot it didn't do anything strange. When he first got it off the tow truck it died, so he knows we're not faking, but he only has a few vague ideas what could be wrong with our contrary car.

Please pray that we can find out what the problem is and that it won't be too expensive to fix! Your prayers would be very much appreciated. :)
Love & Hugs!

What Would You Choose?

Lately I read this book, "The Parting" by Beverly Lewis. It's about a young Amish girl named Nellie Mae. She finally gets the chance of a lifetime when Caleb, the very handsome guy she secretly has had a crush on for three years, asks her to 'go steady' with him. They fall in love. Meanwhile, Nellie's father talks to a relative who's recently been 'shunned' by the Amish community for daring to declare that he was "saved", a big no-no for Old Order Amish, who believe that it is prideful to 'boast' of salvation, and that you just have to live a good life and hope for the best. Well, Nellie's father talks to this shunned relative and ends up being convinced that there's more to God than he originally thought. He goes home and starts to read passages in his Bible that he's never read before, because his religion only believes in select parts of the Bible. He reads John Chapter 3, and is convinced that God does promise salvation. He shares this with his family.


Nellie is shocked. But then she becomes intrigued by this "New Faith" and desires it for herself. She's long had an empty place deep inside.

Only problem is... if she accepts this 'new faith', she'll lose Caleb. He's strictly "Old Order", and he will not be swayed from his position for anything.

Ouch. I got to thinking about this sticky situation. Can you imagine what a hard choice it would be to have to choose between a new faith and the very handsome young man whose attention you've always dreamed of capturing?

Of course you will probably say "Oh, well, I'd choose the faith" to reassure yourself.

Stop and think about it. You know nothing about this faith. You think you know everything about this handsome, blond, young man.

Which do you think is the right choice?

What would you choose?

I'd love it if you let me know by leaving a comment.

Blessings!

How To Make A Blog Button

I am SO sorry about the confusion with the blog buttons! On my original post it malfunctioned when I tried to copy in the html code that you have to copy from that box down there in my post. Some of my dear readers are having trouble with your code underneath your button turning into the actual picture. This will fix that. I've copied the instructions for making the actual button from my other post as well, just in case. :)

• First you have to take a picture and re-size it... I think 200 x 200 pixels is the biggest you can get it and still have it fit on your sidebar. My image is now that size. I used Olympus Master to get mine the exact size that I wanted. If you can't do that you can click 're-size' once the picture is on photobucket. "Small" works. *TIP* A square image works best.


• Next you have to upload your re-sized picture to Photobucket.com, or another picture-hosting site. you have to create a username and password. But it's free.
  


• Copy and paste the HTML of the image to an HTML/javascript gadget in your sidebar. On Photobucket, all you do is wave your mouse over the image and four different codes will pop up beneath... you'll want the third one down.
  


• Now you have to get tricky and change the code. Don't worry, I will tell you exactly what to type where. -if you used photobucket- Your code will say .. something like "a h r e f = http / / : 'your photobucket username' " Right there you erase it and put in your blog address. (right after the address it will have a line / and a question mark ? .
  


• Please click on THIS LINK and copy and paste the code from the box on that post. I fought long and hard with my computer to put that code on this post, but I'm sorry to say that the computer won. (Arrrrgh.) So I'm going to have to direct you to my friend Laney's blog. How she got the code on her post I have no idea. :D

put that code in a "Text" gadget in your sidebar. I put mine just underneath the button. Erase the 'your text here' and copy and paste the code from your button image into that exact spot where the 'your text here' was. And you have a button!

In my mad post scrambling my pretty signature got deleted, (argh) so for today It's just plain...

Julia