How do I decide?

Those BIG life questions seem to loom overhead. I confess (probably much too often) to being a commitment-phobe.

Wouldn't it be GREAT if I was writing about some pending man-dilemna? Haha, no such luck. Still man-free here. :)

My current commitment struggle is in buying a house.
It's been a "buyers' market" so they say.
Interest rates have been low.
But there's been no appearance of the RIGHT house.

So now the buyers' market is waning.
Interest rates are rising.
And now I find myself struggling to muster the DESIRE to house-hunt.

I know it's not unusual for first-time home buying to be a scary process, but I heard a rumor that it shouldn't be debilitating.

So how do I decide? which neighborhood? which house? which mortgage broker? what interest rate should I be able to vie for? how much house can I handle? should I even BE house hunting, right now, based on my life NOT the market trends? ? ? ? ?

(Oh, and to make all this even EASIER to process, in an attempt to give me a pep talk, my Realtor likened buying a house to getting married. Um... Hello! NOT MARRIED! Why would THAT help?)

Swaptree - trade books, CDs, DVDs, and video games for free

11 days in and I'm already an addict!

Swaptree - trade books, CDs, DVDs, and video games for free

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All for Naught?

Is it all for nothing?
OR
Does EVERYTHING matter?

Can it simply be one or the other? In the midst of life's MANY everyday choices, how do you know which ones TRULY matter in the GRAND scheme of things?

Do we typically only figure out what matters after-the-fact?

What if THIS is THE moment?

Every once in a while I hear people ponder "Is THIS what life is all about? Really?"

Do you ever feel like we're living for the what's to come in lieu of the what is?

As children, we can't wait to grow up.
As young adolescents, we can't wait to be in High School.
In high school, we can't wait to get to college.
In college, we can't wait for the real world.
In the "real world," we can't wait to get married.
We can't wait for the Right job.
We can't wait for that great promotion.
When we're married, we can't wait to have kids.
When we have kids, we can't wait for them...
...well maybe THEY grow up too fast.
When the kids grow up,
we can't wait for THEM to get married
(I hear ya, Mom)
or for them to have kids
(that one's on you, Scott & Sacha!).

Anyway, you see what I'm saying.

When do we get to just LIVE our lives?
When, in that LONG stream of things to wait for, do we get to BE who God created us to be?

What if NOW is that moment? The ONE we've been waiting for? As it is?

Married/Unmarried
in-school/out-of-school
kids/no kids
right job/wrong job
good pay/not enough pay/no pay

Life "not-quite-done-but-no-longer-waiting-for-the-finish-to-get-started-REALLY-living."

Boba Fett is GROOVIN'!

First, I thought it was a random clashing of two sides of the late 70s/early 80s. Then, I was a bit awed by the length that some people go to for the detail in costuming. Suddenly, I got it. It's so very clever.

Mandalorian Dance @ Yahoo! Video

More questions about "The One"

Relationships are a common topic among... well... people.

A friend recently blogged about "The One" posing questions that one should ask while in relationship:

• Does this person make me a better person?
• Am I a better person when they are in my life or worse?
• Does this person make me want to be a better person?
• What would my friends say?
  
• When I am with this person, do I draw nearer to God, or move further away?

As part of a conversation, another friend recently posed some more questions to help weigh finding the right "One" for each of us, which led to questions of my own as well:

• Do I believe in a sovereign God to guide my life and the life of my future mate?
  
• What are my standards for someone in a relationship with me?
• What does it look like for me to be cherished? And how do I truly cherish someone else?
  
• What is "good enough?"
• Is "good enough" enough for better or for worse?
  
• What if what I think is good turns out to be not-so-good later?

What questions do you ask yourself, whether you're married or not yet (even once were)?

Are there questions we need to answer about OURSELVES before we can begin to expect to be in a healthy relationship?

• Am I looking for someone to "complete me" or am I whole on my own?
• What do I "bring to the table" in terms of the good, the bad, and the ugly?
  
• With MY FAULTS, can I measure up to be worth someone else's love?
• Will I spend the rest of my life apologizing for who I am (or who I'm not)?
• Am I lovable?

Just a few thoughts to ponder (and COMMENT upon)!

One more:

• Even once I've found whom I believe to be "that person," what if I'm not the BEST fit for them?

Reconnecting

Do you ever question God's timing?

Sometimes I think this is the topic of conversation God and I have most often, and I use the term "conversation" loosely. Mostly, it's just me asking question after question.

"Why now?"
"Why not now?"

Most examples I could offer about these conversations are on the negative side, but recently I've had SEVERAL opportunities to reconnect with friends that I haven't talked to in 5, 10, and even 15 years. (Yay Facebook!)

As much as I'm enjoying these "Pick Up Where We Left Off" meetings, believing that timing isn't coincidental, I find myself asking God "Why all of the sudden?"

Five years ago I wasn't in a place where I had reconciled who I was in high school or even after with who I am today. In more recent years, I've come to accept that misunderstandings, mistakes, rebellious choices, or even doozies are as responsible for me being who I am as good, healthy, positive influences. It's taken me quite a few wrong paths in life (and I'm sure not the last ones) to begin to understand who God created me to be and why.

Of course, the now the question is "Who's Next?"

Ahh... Harry Potter

I started reading the Harry Potter books because I had to know what it was that drew 3rd graders to read a book that's 750 pages long. And so began another book addiction...

Enter the movies, which some will squabble about the "true to the book" issue, I just like them. I like the original stories, and I like seeing them come alive on screen.

And now book six is coming to theaters November 21.
Get a glimpse at coolness...



(To give credit where credit is due, my friend T-Rev posted this video first, and I thought it was such a great idea that I'm doing it, too!)

Can we say TELECOMMUTE?

So, as if being on vacation isn't enough to make someone question the necessity of working (at least until you have to pay bills while on vacation), we here at the beach are all figuring out ways that we could telecommute for our jobs, of course with the concession that we OCCASIONALLY reappear in real life in person.

Blending of artistic talent

This is such an amazing and unique combination of music and visual art...
Song by Andrew Peterson. Drawing by Trevor Little.

"Family Man" from Trevor Little on Vimeo.