9-10-11 & Waiting

What a beautiful weekend...again!  I hope you all have been able to enjoy it, to some extent.

I was able to spend Saturday afternoon with my roomie's family watching the Lincoln Air Show, chatting, eating, and playing Cornhole (a.k.a. Bean Bag Toss).  The highlight of the afternoon was the Blue Angels: 

Then, we decided it was too nice out to pass up the Husker game, so we spontaneously went downtown, bought tickets from a guy on a street corner, and enjoyed a pretty exciting game with 85,099 of our closest friends.  : )  Highlights of the experience included being 50 ft. from the tunnel when Bo and the players came out, listening to and watching the alumni marching band, and seeing a man pick his nose the whole time he was unknowingly on the big screen. 

To top off the weekend, our single women's Bible study officially started this morning.  We're going to be doing a study on God's timing, but the books haven't come in, yet, so we did a mini-study on "waiting" to preface our semester together.  I don't remember exactly how the analogy was made, but we painted the picture of sitting in God's waiting room.  This really struck a chord with me.  It's interesting to think about the fact that our whole life on Earth could be considered time spent "sitting in God's waiting room."  Of course, there are also individual seasons of our life we might consider waiting periods, too.  What we need to think about, however, is how we spend our time in the hypothetical waiting room.  Are we trying to find the most comfortable chair, talking to others there, reading a magazine, staring at the clock wondering when it will be our turn, greeting people as they come in the door, reading the information pamphlet related to our reason for being there...the list of analogies goes on and on.  Are we waiting patiently, expectantly, hopefully...or the opposites?

Additionally, part of the scripture we read was from Psalm 37.  Here's an excerpt:

 ³ Trust in the LORD, and do good;
         Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
 ⁴ Delight yourself also in the LORD,
         And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
 ⁵ Commit your way to the LORD,
         Trust also in Him,
         And He shall bring it to pass.
 ⁶ He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
         And your justice as the noonday. 

Verse 4 is quoted quite a bit to give hope to those waiting and wishing for something.  I think this verse is too often taken out of context, though, and is often used to justify going to God with unrealistic/unnecessary "desires."  We shouldn't forget the commands in the verses surrounding this one, though.  "Delight" should accompany "trust" and "commitment."  We also talked about the fact that delighting ourselves in the Lord will also allow Him to change our hearts and make the things we need most the things we desire most.    

Food for thought, huh?

I'll leave you with that.  Hope you have a great week!

Patiently,

Kensy

P.S.  Today is Grandparent's Day.  I'm so thankful for my grandparents and the role they've played in my life, thus far!

Favorites of the day:

"Fools Rush In"

the "Pumpkin Patch" candle we had burning earlier

leaving the windows open

caramelized butternut squash

: )

Hello!  I hope this finds you all well!


I woke up to this song, and was singing it all morning:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqh9sHTXcAI&feature=related  What a great start to the day!


Today is a "Kensy day," as defined by one of my aunts who takes a day off for herself every once in awhile.  I got back a little while ago from a walk/jog and yoga class, have the windows open and an "Autumn Apple" candle burning, laundry is being washed, and I'm sipping a smoothie...and Charlie is in my lap.  Doesn't get much better than this.  : )  Plans for the rest of the day include checking many items off my to-do list, having a phone date with my brother, making a Creamy Pesto Chicken pasta dish, and teaching some lessons this evening!


I have a few things to share from each of my jobs:

• When I was nannying the other day, the 2-yr.-old little girl's hair was crazy when she woke up from her nap.  I told her we should fix it, and she asked specifically for a ponytail that was low so it wasn't too tight, in so many words.
• A student at the studio was telling me she'll probably have to get braces and "one of those container things that stretches your teeth."  I said, "You mean a retainer?"  "Oh...yeah."
• Duties to add to my "music librarian" job description:
• candy dish monitor
• fish tank light bulb changer
• keyboard fixer (this only goes as far as blowing large amounts of dust/cat hair/etc. out from in between the keys)
• At our Arts Inc. staff meeting this week, the birds were roaming the table (not unusual), and one was walking on a piece of paper that was hanging over the edge of the table.  He didn't realize the table ended under the paper, and fell off in a flurry of feathers and growling/barking/squawking.  Don't worry - he went unharmed and was back to trying to sip others' pop and coffee in no time.
• The student who asked why I wear my wedding ring on my toe gave me this last time I saw him: 

In other news, since it's my birthday month, I've been signing up for and receiving a multitude of free stuff...mostly from restaurants.  I'm not going to have to cook for myself all month!  : )


Time for lunch!  Enjoy the rest of your week and weekend!


Satisfactorily,
Kensy

Favorites of the day:

I think these go without saying : )

Happy September!

Goodness - where do the days go?!  September is here, already!  I'm not complaining, though - I LOVE fall!


I have a couple kiddo stories to share:


One of my little girl students was playing "Away in a Manger" by ear, because she wanted to show me that she could.  She got through "Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head." and couldn't figure out where to go from there.  In her frustration, she said, "I just want to get to the cattle are lowing!"  In other words, she wanted to be able to finish the song and get to the second verse.  haha!


The same little girl mentioned that they have an "open and shut" piano bench at home - a.k.a. a bench with a lid.  : )


The now-2-yr.-old girl I nanny for is starting to speak in complete sentences, and it's so fun to watch her grow and develop in this department!  Granted, only her family and I are able to understand what she's trying to say, sometimes, but she's speaking more clearly every day!  When she woke up from her nap the other day, she asked me for "two braids" in her hair.  I was more than happy to grant her request!


In other news, as you may know, I've had basil coming out of my ears lately.  Here's evidence of my out-of-control plants:

So, I've been making lots of pesto, but wanted to try something new!  On a coworker's recommendation, I made this for a staff party (which was such a fun night of chatting and games!):


Italian (Basil) Lemonade:

• 2 cups lemon juice, about 12 to 15 lemons
• 2 cups Basil Simple Syrup, recipe follows
• 2 cups cold or sparkling water
• Ice
• Lemon twists, for garnish

Mix lemon juice, Basil Simple Syrup, and water together in a pitcher.  Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  Pour over ice filled glasses and garnish with a lemon twist.

Basil Simple Syrup:

1 bunch fresh basil, washed and stemmed

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

In a saucepan, combine basil, sugar, ans water and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, 5 minutes.  Cool, strain the simple syrup, and store in the refrigerator.

Then, I made this with some of my pesto for a staff meeting/welcome party (I kind-of combined two different recipes...and trial/error-ed to taste):

Pesto Dip:
2 c. sour cream
1/3-1/2 c. prepared pesto
1/2 c. mayo
2-3 tsp. lime juice


I served it with pita chips, but it would be good on veggies, too!


I think that's all for now.  Hope you all have a great rest of the week and a happy Labor Day weekend!


TTFN,
Kensy


P.S. Anyone have any fundraiser ideas for an international trip I'm probably taking...?  More on that later, but ideas are welcome!

Favorites of the day:

the fact that today's high is 100-degrees...NOT!

getting to know new people

brownies

Results

Welp - the results are in, and my suspicions were confirmed: A post's title has a whole lot to do with its number of readers.


The average number of page views per post has been about 30-40 after a week of being posted (for my blog, at least).  That being said, last night's post titled "Not single anymore!!" had a whopping 57 views in the last 24 hours!  It also has more comments than any other post, so far.  So, I guess I'll just have to come up with some really surprising/shocking/enticing titles to ensure maximum readers from now on.  haha - just kidding.  I'll keep doing what I was and hope that the post content draws more fans.


Thanks again, everyone, for participating in this little experiment.  : )


Also - forgot to share this story:
I brought back seashells from our trip to Florida for my students this summer before we were done with lessons at the end of June.  The other day, one of  the little guys I taught last year walks into his lesson with a grin on his face and something behind his back.  It was a seashell for me!  He picked it up for me on the beach when they went to Florida, too!  : )


That's all, for now!  Happy Sunday!


♥,
Kensy

Favorites of the day:

pedicures

dinner at the Parthenon and everything that went with it

clean sheets

Not single anymore!!

Wouldn't it be crazy if the title were true?  It's actually not...for me, at least.  I'm sure there are people out there who are in a relationship today who weren't a couple days ago, but I'm not one of them.


I actually titled this what I did as a type of social experiment.  I'm wondering if there's a correlation between post titles and number of page views, and if so, how strong it is.  I promise this is the only time I'll do something like this, so please don't feel taken advantage of or stop reading.


For those of you who don't usually read my blog and clicked on this post because of the title, thanks for being interested in my relationship status!  : )  Feel free to check out some other posts!  Also, please don't let this "trick" deter you from reading other posts with less, equally, or more enticing titles.


If you're reading this because of the title, please comment or send me a Facebook message, and let me know.  If you could/would not comment on the link I shared on Facebook, though, that would be great - don't want to ruin the surprise for others!  : )


Meanwhile, I really do have something to share:
I had a piano lesson with a precious 6-yr.-old boy today (it was his first), and one of the first things he said to me was, "Why do you have your wedding ring on your toe?"  hahaha!!  I wear a toe ring all through flip-flop season, and have for quite a few years, so I forget I have it on.  I told him, "That's just there for decoration - I'm actually not married."  He understood and accepted my answer.  Glad we got that cleared up.


Thanks for reading and being good sports!  


Hope you have a lovely weekend,
Kensy


P.S. As of the other day, I have over 3,000 page views - thank you!  : )

Favorites of the day:

Olive Garden's never-ending pasta bowl...and salad!

coffee and convos with friends  : )

helpful coworkers 

single

Hey there!  


So, I've had some conversations recently about the single life, and I've come to realize there are many preconceived notions about single people, especially single women.  I'd like to make some clarifications about what I feel "single" is and is not:


Disclaimer: I do not at all mean to offend or upset anyone - single or otherwise.


Single is not:
-being desperate.
-sitting at home alone.
-hanging out just with other single people.
-hopelessness.
-agreeing to be set up or go out with just anybody.
-resenting anyone who is in a relationship.
-worrying about someone being jealous when getting special attention from waiters, mechanics, etc. - haha


Single is:
-keeping my own schedule without being accountable to another.
-appreciating friendships with guy friends.
-being available to meet and get to know new people as well as spend quality time with not-new☺people.
-appreciating and learning from friends/people in relationships.
-appreciating and learning from single friends/people.
-becoming comfortable with and remaining steadfast in who I am as a person, woman, future wife, and future mother.
-developing/solidifying my "wants/needs" list where a husband is concerned.
-being patient and faithful in knowing God's got it all under control.


This is not to say I don't have my emotional "ups and downs."  There are days when I'd like nothing more than to find my Prince Charming and get married already, but there are also days when I am really glad I don't have a man in my life.  There are days when I'm so happy for those in beautiful marriages and days when I'm green with envy of them.  Overall, though, this goes back to me being truly happy with where I am in life.  I will admit, however, that it's taken me awhile to come to and stay in this content frame of mind.  There was a point in my life when I took matters into my own hands and basically made finding a mate the focus of my life (hence the on-line (surprise!) and speed dating experiments).  That probably sounds more extreme than it was, but it wasn't what I needed to be doing or thinking about as much as I was.


I'm really looking forward to the single women's group at church, because it will potentially provide encouragement, affirmation, and accountability in many areas in which we may all struggle.  There is a lot of wisdom to be gleaned from others (especially those older than myself), and I feel like I have a little bit to pass on, too.


I'd also like to clarify that none of this means I'm not excited about my (God-willing) future relationship/husband/marriage or the journey that will take me/us there. ☺


Perhaps you agree with these "definitions" and thoughts...perhaps you don't.  Either way, I'd love to hear what you think on the subject.


Enjoy the rest of the week,
Kensy

Favorites of the day:

After I changed into my "teacher clothes" after nannying today, the 4-yr.-old I nanny for hugged me good-bye, did a double-take, and said, "You look pretty!"

the fact that Charlie is sooooo entertained by a bendy straw - he's been playing with the same one for a couple days, and it keeps him occupied for at least 15 mins. at a time
swimming workouts

What a wonderful...weekend

Did anyone else have an above-average weekend?  We sure did here!!  The weather played a large role in making it so wonderful, but so did some great people and end-of-summer activities.  : )


After teaching lessons, Friday night was spent with my Bible study group for desserts and s'mores around the fire pit.  Such a beautiful evening weather-wise, and opportunity for some great conversation...and treats!


On Saturday, I subbed for a teacher at the studio, worked out for a bit at the Y, used coupons for an almost free lunch at Arby's, sat on bus stop benches while enjoying our Jamocha shakes, and went to see "Crazy, Stupid, Love" with my roomie.  If you haven't seen the trailer for the movie, watch it here.  It was sooooo good!  Of course, there may or may not have been an actor that enhanced the goodness of it, but the movie itself really was well done and enjoyable.  : )  Afterward, we came home, made a special housewarming gift for a few friends, and went to deliver it and hang out. 


Today, we went to church, then downtown to RibFest where the church's band was performing.  Got in some good sun time and enjoyed the music and food!  We also found out that there's a single women's Sunday school class starting next week.  Guess who'll be in attendance...these girls!


Now, it's time for some reading and nap, then the last Lincoln Municipal Band concert of the season.  Hope to see you all there!  : )


Thanks for reading,
Kensy

Favorites of the day:

playing fetch with Charlie (yep - it's happening right now)

not using the A/C

fresh tomatoes from the