Christmas is here!

I can tell Christmas is here because...

There is glitter all over my living room.

Vee-vee wore a little Santa hat.

I'm getting ADORABLE Christmas card pictures of my favorite friends kids.

My students are bouncing off the walls.

The mall is open till 10. (Oh joy!)

The gingerbread man is hanging in his spot.

There is a countdown to Christmas on my classroom's whiteboard.

One of my students built a manger scene out of legos to decorate my classroom.

The bottom half of my fridge is stocked full of Christmas cookies.

I feel the need to decorate myself with lots of jewelry and sparkley things.

Monka and Josh are coming to visit TOMORROW!

I have made plans with my friends for the annual CHRISTMAS PARTY!

I bought Christmas cards just like every year but haven't, and will probably never, send them.

Yay! to all the signs that Christmas is here!

Leading up to Christmas!

It's been an exciting couple of weeks. I wasn't free a single weekend in October and November is pretty much shaping up to be the same way.

Last weekend was the ACSI Convention in Dayton. All the Kingsway teachers went. Pretty much your run of the mill convention. I did enjoy hearing Josh McDowell, the writer of Evidence that Demands a Verdict, speak, which was certainly the highlight. I also liked hanging out with the other teachers. We found possibly the world's best coffee house in Dayton, called Cafe Terra Cotta. The BEST chai tea I've ever had, no question. After the convention ended on Friday, my fellow teacher, Lindsey and I drove to Cincinnati, where Sara lives to do some shopping. I spent more than I've EVER spent at the Gap Clearance Center, but got some really great buys. Tres Fab as usual. On the way home from the Nati, we stopped at the Prime Outlets on 71, and then at Polaris Mall in Columbus where we shopped and ate at the Cheesecake Factory. Yum-o!

This weekend has been a fun weekend of getting some more early Christmas shopping done. I can't wait to put up all my Christmas decor and am thrilled of the idea of putting back up my 12 ft tree! Yay! (See picture from last Christmas.) I've held back in spite of the fact that my some of my neighbors have put up Christmas lights! Next time I post it will probably be with pictures of my house decorated for Christmas!

Well, I'm off. My fingers are too frozen to type anymore. I keep catching Tony with the heat set at 58 instead of the usual 63. I think I better go check, this feels like 58.

My turn for Kingsway 7:45 a.m. devotions

Devotion for October 29, 2008

John 3: 30

I have been asked to do things that I’m not prepared to do. I have been asked to lead classes that I know, deep down, I have no business leading. I have been asked to speak about overcoming things that I fail to overcome daily.

I once gave a class on overcoming fear to a group of women my mom’s age. Little did they know that I am afraid of everything. I am possibly one of the most fearful people you will meet. I’m afraid something will happen to my family members, or my house, or my car. I’m afraid I will fall down stairs. I constantly pray when I’m home alone. I’m afraid of every noise. I’m afraid to drive too fast or do anything that might cause me physical harm like skydiving, or skiing, or jumping off a diving board, or using power tools or seeing another person get hurt doing any of these things. Who am I to teach a lesson on overcoming fear?

A few years back I was asked to speak to a Sr. High group of girls about modesty. I had to wonder if the friend in the ministry who had asked to me to speak was hoping that I might learn a thing or two about modesty along the way for myself. I wondered if he knew that I struggled somewhere between being a woman of God and a woman who loves fashion and wearing the latest trends. Who was I to tell others what to wear?

Every year I attend a week of summer church camp as faculty and nearly every year I almost back out at the last minute because I’m not sure how I can possibly be of any help to anyone in a spiritual sense because of my own miserable spiritual state. Who am I to help them be closer to God when I feel so far away?

And now every few weeks I am asked to speak in front of a group of people who I very well know are leaps and bounds above me spiritually. People whose wisdom I often stand in awe of and feel incompetent to even have a spiritual discussion with, much less guide and try to impart my wisdom (or lack of) upon them. It’s possible that I have found no time more humbling than the days leading up to giving the devotion here.

The only way I have found to approach these situations is with meekness and humility. Leading up to last night I just kept praying, “Lord, find a way to use me. Let something useful come out of my mouth.” This is usually the way I felt in all of the instances I have already mentioned. I think “God, you know that I am not in any position to guide anyone right now, so please transcend my unworthiness and somehow use me for your purpose.”

It’s the times that I feel really prepared and truly confidant that I fall flat on my face. Many times I have prepared a really well-meaning and well-thought out letter, or e-mail, or speech that I feel I need to share with someone. I use carefully chosen scripture and pour my heart into just the right wording. I feel so sure that he or she that will receive this missive will understand my point and their lives will be forever changed by my remarkable rhetoric and enlightened thoughts and this person will be forever grateful to me for turning his or her life around. After all, it must be God’s will that inspired me to confront them with this issue in the first place. He must have expressly chosen me to bear this message to this person. These are usually the times that I undeniably offend someone. These are the times that I’m justly accused of self-righteousness. These are the times that my friend doesn’t wish to speak with me for a few months. And I’m always shocked and dismayed because I thought my intentions were so pure.

I’ve realized that it pays to be inadequate. Only when we realize that we are insufficient to do God’s work without his help, can he use us. When I’m all puffed up with my own importance and the wonderfulness of the things I have to say, hoping that people like it, and then in turn, will like me, God’s purpose gets smothered.

In most of the opportunities to speak that I mentioned above, I realized that I was totally incapable of taking on the task before me by myself. These situations forced me to humbly dive into prayer and scripture in a way that I had probably neglected since the last time I was in such a circumstance. They change my thoughts from, “What can I do or say that everyone will really like?” to thoughts of, “God, just help me get through this, and, if possible, use me.” In the end I’m surprised by the encouragement I receive. I’m surprised when the class or event turns out to be a success. Sure I’m inexperienced, sure I will never be as intellectually elevated as other people, and sure my faith will sometimes be all but lost in a valley. It’s because of these things that I can realize it was by no merit of my own that God reached that anybody, but because He spoke through me when I let him. There is no room for our own glory in the message of Christ. The glory has to be all His.

John the Baptist realized this in his ministry when he states in John 3:30, “He must become greater; I must become less. The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. “

John had been receiving a good amount fame through his ministry and probably could have become more famous if he’d been willing to toot his own horn. “Look at me, I’ve been chosen by God to reveal his message.” But instead he realized that the time had come to turn it over to the one he was sent to announce. He stood to the side and let Jesus have center-stage.

I think that we too can turn over all of our abilities, or lack of abilities as it may be, to God so that he can stretch beyond our inadequacies and do something greater than we could ever do if left to our own devices.

Milligan College Homecoming Weekend 2008 - Class of 2003 Five Year Reunion

I had no idea how much I would enjoy Homecoming Weekend at Milligan. Since we decided to go I've just been thinking, "Well, I hope it will be fun" but haven't really felt super excited about it. As the days drew closer and I started seeing more and more of my favorite Milliganites respond that they were coming I did get more and more excited. By Friday night I was almost in a frenzy to see people from Milligan. Tony and I arrived way too early at the young alumni social and had to wait around to see people we knew, but I was just too ready to kick off the weekend!

Being emotional and nostalgic as I am, I wasn't really sure how I would feel about being on campus. It always makes me sad to go back somewhere and realize that it is no longer the way that I remembered it. This was not the case last weekend. As Tony said in the previous blog, and all of us mentioned to one another quite a few times to one another during the weekend, Milligan felt almost exactly the same. Because we were surrounded by so many well-known and well-loved faces, it felt like we had never really left. The only difference is that now some of us come with spouses and/or kids which somehow just added to the fun. Milligan was exactly the same beautiful, relaxing place I remember it being. The picture to the right is of Derthick Hall, which was renovated during our years at Millgan. It is probably my favorite academic building because all my English classes were held there. Although there have been changes, they have been so well done that nothing really felt out of place. I spent time walking around campus with the people I love, while we all tried to capture as much of these fabulous moments on film as we could. Check out the beautiful view from Sutton Hill, where I lived for three years. The other picture is of me in front of my dorm room door in Sutton.

One thing I always am astounded by when I see my friends from college is that so little has changed between us. Sure, our lives have changed a lot and sure, we have missed sharing a lot of things over the past five years in the way of happiness or hardship, but somehow that initial spark that brought us all together is still there. If possible I think we all love and appreciate one another MORE now that we don't get to see one another that often (or live together and daily become annoyed by one another's idiosyncrasies.)

I was especially thrilled to get to spend time with my roommates from senior year. We even took the time to head up (via vehicle, not walking up Sutton Hill) to our old apartment to annoy its new tenants and take pictures outside the door. We talked about how we half expected to open the door and see the apartment exactly as it was when we lived there. Our old hand-me down couches we attempted to slipcover, our "entertainment" center set-up, our "borrowed" kitchen tables and chairs from Kegley Hall. For a moment I even wished that I could take a nap in my old bed, which has been my all-time favorite place I've ever slept.

The entire weekend was non-stop fun while we made connections with most of our favorite people from our days attending Milligan. We visited professors, walked about campus, cheered at the parade, watched a soccer game, and ate at some of our favorite places. Saturday night we made the most of the last few hours we would get to spend with our Milligan friends. Tony got to watch the Ohio State Game in Webb Hall with his old roomies, while a bunch of us girls (with the addition of some good-natured spouses) went to dinner at a very nice and unique German restaurant in the not-so-nice or unique downtown Johnson City. Over hearty servings of brats, schnitzel, and goulash, we reminisced about the times we spent together traveling Europe. In the end it was well worth the chilly wait for a table to seat 12 because of good food and great times.I can't imagine my life without the four years I spent at Milligan. So much of who I've become depended upon the things I learned there, the people I met, and their influences upon me. Here's to seeing you all in 2013!

Milligan Homecoming....

Five years...

It's been five years since we've been out of college and it feels like it's been... nothing really. It doesn't feel like it's been five, two, or even ten years. Going back this past weekend and seeing everyone really felt as if we were coming back from a long summer break. A lot of familiar faces were around, walking campus felt the same, it was really almost like we never left. The only difference was the huge new building right in the middle of campus. Even the new building, oddly enough, didn't seem out of place.

All of this brings me to another thought. One I'll try to explain with clarity but will no doubt be lost in the fog of my craziness (if you got to know me you would understand that my thoughts are a little crazy at sometimes).

It could just be me, and it probably is considering I constantly remind my wife I have a black heart void of feeling, but as I reflect on the past nine years of my life I don't really feel anything about anything. I told you it was crazy. I've done kind of a lot since I started college. For one I went to college, but from there I've been a youth minister, been a driver instructor, been an executive with the Boy Scouts, and lived in three places. Realizing of course this is nothing compared to what some people do and go through, to me it's still a lot of things. But I don't feel connected or disconnected from any of these events. It's almost as if the only reality is me sitting here typing this blog. The rest is more or less a dream or something surreal.

Not to say I didn't enjoy all of it, or that I don't think about people from each period in my life, it just isn't real to me. Getting crazier isn't it.

For instance, if I were to pick up and go back to Milligan tomorrow I probably would feel as if I had always been there and never left, and everything I did in the time between would be just a dream. But this holds true to any event or time. I could pick up and go back to High School and feel completely normal, neither caring or not caring about what I picked up and left (besides my wife of course). It's as if I could place myself in any point in the time/space continuum and be content and comfortable wherever it may be, and wherever I might be at a certain point would be my reality while everything else is a surreal dream.

Alright, enough of Dr. Phil, I really started this post to reflect on this past weekend. Of which I have some sweet pics yo!


Here is a pic of me the bathroom of the place we stayed. I only put this up because it's one of the few pics of me on the trip. I was designated camera man for most of the pics.







This is a picture of a sweet looking gnome thing that was in front of Carly's old college apartment. Whoever lives there now is obviously hip, because putting a Santa Clause hat on a gnome is hot. I just think he looks cool. Carly on the other hand still isn't sure why I took it. After looking at it, now you all know why.






And finally, here is a pic of Aaron Speak and I chillin' in Sutton Hall while our wifes are up looking at their old dorm rooms being nostalgic. Funny thing is, this isn't the first time I've had to wait for Carly, sitting in these same chairs. At least now I can afford electronics to keep me occupied.




Alright, if you made it through that post I owe you a cookie. And it will have to be an oreo because I don't bake cookies.

There are more pics from the trip that we'll probably post soon.

Peace

Poor Monka

There are some profs at the University of Cincinnati that I would love to give a piece of my mind to. Leave my sister alone you big BULLIES! Why take a sweet, smart, hard working girl, who hopes to make the world a better place and leave her a weeping mess? Your students are people. THEY ARE PEOPLE. They have lives, they have families, and they have FEELINGS! Or at least they used to before we turned them over to you people. Crushing their spirits will not make them better doctors. All it will do is crush their confidence and cripple their abilities to perform, leaving them unable to show you what they really can do. They are capable if they have made it this far. Trust that one year of your abuse would be enough to weed out the incapables. Now, lighten up, help them learn, and mold them into good doctors!

This week in my life...

What a crazy week it has been! I drove in to school today just as the sun began to rise. I drove home with it blinding me as it retired for the day. Sun up to sun down. Perhaps I am spending too much time at work?

Thursday was 70s day at Kingsway. Only 3 other teachers dressed up, and I was by far the MOST over-the-top, which I am fine with. The kids love it when we get into their stuff. Anyway, I have these fabulous 70s dresses from my Aunt Robin (she made and wore them in high school) and I just couldn't let them go to waste. A few of my students and I wore them and had a blast that day. I believe we were the grooviest by far.

This weekend was a crazy, busy blast while I spent time with one of my favorite people to ever cross my path at Milligan or anywhere else. Sarah came to stay with me this weekend to attend a wedding on Saturday. As usual she helped me reevaluate things in my life like some of my friendships, perspectives, and relationships with food. Sarah has been all over, met all kinds of people, and had some amazing revelations about relationships with people and with God. I always learn so much when I'm around her. She has such an honest open spirit which is so refreshing and helps me to take inventory of my own weaknesses in those areas. We had some fun times with coffee, veggies, and the AAA guy. The lovely picture to the right is of us at Wooster Panera. Other lovely places we ate over the weekend include: Melvin's, The Hungarian Pastry Shop, Starbucks, and Wendy's. Wooster has so many fabulous places to take a visitor!

Sunday night, after we had each spent time with our families, we returned home where we found Tony and Jim (my brother-in-law) playing Rock Band II. Jim had just gone out the night it was released so he could have it at midnight. I'm a little afraid to try the instruments, so instead I became the vocalist! The boys were a little annoyed about how long it took me to design my character, but she HAD to be cute! We just need to become a better band so I can buy some fabulous clothes. Check me out down below. I love singing along to the songs I know, and to laugh while muddling through the ones I've never heard. I sang one about having 200 hundred couches for you to sleep on. (A-wha?) It was such a blast and I feel inspired to host a Rock Band Party. Dust off your favorite 80s rocker outfit and wait for an invite. I'm so doing that! The picture is of Tony and I rocking out on Sunday night. (Our living room doesn't really scream "Rock Band," does it?) I can't wait to play again.

Camping...

Well I'm off for a wonderful weekend away...

Well, I'm going camping anyhow. At the illustrious 7Ranges camp in Kensington Ohio. It'll be fab.

So wish me well. I'll build a few fires, maybe sleep in the woods, and like Ross (from Friends) watch out for bears.

Lunges

So I love my Wii Fit, even though it gives me bad news daily, insults my friends, and reminds me that it (nor I) has seen my sister in two months. Tony and I both set goals and hope to be near reaching it before we go to Milligan for homecoming. Although I'm making decent progress, I will be nowhere near my goal then. I don't like that my little "Mii" has turned pudgy to match what the Wii thinks of my BMI.

It has fun exercises, one of which is NOT doing lunges. I have always hated them ever since high school when Cindy Crawford used to make me do them in her annoyingly peppy voice. Now I at least get a slight kick out of picturing my favorite "Lunges" reference.

I can see you...

For the Horde! - Best blog around

Bubba sitting

This week we are Bubba-sitting. Bubba is always sad when "his" people leave and he is stuck with Tony, me, and the cats. It also does not help that our cats are bullies. The pictures are of VeeVee claiming Bubba's bed for his own as soon as we brought it in.

For the first two days Bubba ate nothing but Cheez-its. I finally got him to eat his food last night by dumping the beef broth from dinner over it.

Bubba has also been stubborn about taking his medicine. He is getting up there in years and has a lot of trouble with his back legs and hips. Stairs are difficult for him, and at our house, there are a lot. He must use stairs to go outside, and a few times a day, with a lot of effort, he conquers the long flight of stair to come up to the second floor.

These efforts are difficult enough for him, but he has also been refusing to take his joint support medicine.

I think he's a little happier than if he had been left home alone, but it pretty hard to tell.

Weekend with friends- October 10-12

This weekend was totally fab. Since September we've been excitedly waiting to spend a weekend with Gina. Gina is just one of many friends who has found greener pastures in another state. I really don't think she's ever coming back to live in Ohio, and although I would love for that to happen, I know that it will probably never be the best thing for her. I'm fine with her being happy in Louisville because it means having another fabulous place to visit!

Friday night we dressed up nice to eat out in Wooster. Wooster has a good selection of interesting (non-chain) restaurants. I love taking people out in Wooster to try out the interesting local cuisines. We don't have a ton of them, but the ones we do have are pretty great. We went to what is probably my favorite downtown restaurant, Melvin's. Melvin's is a great little brick-oven restaurant with a little niches and yummy food. I always like to take guests there. There are two weird things about Melvin's. One: it is in a building that houses two other restaurants, all owned (I think) by the same people. Two: it is never open when I want it to be. Sometimes I will show up there and it will be closed to the public for a bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, or something. Anyhow, it WAS open Friday night, and we all loved our meals. I had the oven-roasted salmon (my standby), Kelli had a mushroom pizza (made in the brick-oven), and Gina tried the Blue-Cheese Strip Steak (yum!)

After eating out, we were ready to go home, get into "stretchy pants," and take a walk. Since I live so close to the College of Wooster, I have learned that it is a awesome and safe place to walk, night or day. Somehow Gina convinced Tony to go with us carrying a camera, and the following pictures ensued.

We stayed up late, watched a movie, and were in bed around one so that we could get up and have breakfast at Tulipan, the Hungarian Pastry Shop. I feel the need to take everyone who visits there as a way of sharing my Hungarian heritage. We had a fabulous light breakfast. As usual my favorite Greek Omlette Roll did not disappoint.

We went our separate ways for the afternoon. I spent time with Rachel and her family, who were also in town for the weekend. We went to the Hartville Flea Market, where I haven't been in forever and where I managed to buy an armload of stuff. Later we went to the closing sale of a shoe store where I managed to buy two pairs of shoes. Rachel and I then met up with Kelsey to have dinner at Friday's.

We closed down the night old school style with a bonfire at my mom and dad's. It was a busy but fabulous weekend filled with some of the people I love best!

The electronic era....

Carly thinks I'm crazy the way I enjoy games, but it's no more an obsession than a hobby. Everyone has something they enjoy. Some it's model trains, writing, shopping, quilting, or fixing cars. My hobby has to do with computers, electronics, and games.

I can't help it really. I grew up working with my dad in his company building computers, networking business', and watching him write programs. I'm comfortable around electronics, and new things in this realm excite me. This is why I love Best Buy so much, because it has everything you could want (excluding spiritual things of course).

What can I say, if I had a choice of something to do while killing time and relaxing, it would be fiddling around on the computer or playing a game.

So if you have a tech question feel free to ask my advice, it's my hobby after all. And if I don't know an answer to something, I guarantee I'll love finding it for you.

Go Rays...

I wasn't sure who I was going to begin rooting for in the MLB postseason since the Brewers got knocked out (I'm an Indians fan, but the Brew Crew had CC), but now I know. Tampa Bay Rays.

Why?

Andy Sonnanstine. Born in Barberton Ohio, my hometown. He graduated from Wadsworth High School, but he was born in the same hospital as me.

Therefore... Go Rays!

Stupid cats...

Well, I had to order another sensor bar for the Wii tonight. Looks like the cats chewed through the cord, and now we have no sensing. Luckily you can get one from the Nintendo site for $8. Not to bad.

Looks like we won't be Wii Fitting or playing golf until we get the new one. Does this mean we should actually go out and play?

Nah.

My Heart Swells

I love love love the girls I went to college with. I am so excited to see some of them in a few weeks when we travel to Milligan for Alumni Weekend. It has already been 5 years. In these five years, I've had opportunities to visit with all of them at some point, but that is just not enough. I feel like it was just yesterday that I wasted time I should have been studying sitting on your bed or traveled Europe in your company. How has it been so long?

Thank goodness for the simple joys in life like MySpace and FaceBook that have made keeping in touch so much easier. I love that I can see what my friends are up to on a daily basis. I love the status updates that say simple things like, "Making cookies" or "Giving the kids a bath" or "Off to take a nap". It just shortens the distance between us. It's like we're back in the dorms and they just left my room saying, I'm off to take a nap. I know right where they are which for me, is great.

I am happiest after I have visited my friends in the places where they currently reside. I need to be able to picture that kitchen where they are standing making cookies. I need to know that grocery store they run out to when they forgot something. When you are sitting at Panera, Starbucks, or whatever, what does it look like? These things I need to know! I love love love that too.

Keep it up ladies. I don't love you one bit less than I did five years ago when we all pulled away from Milligan. If possible I love you more.

I spent the day hanging out with my younger cousins. Dylan is a surly 13 year old so it's hard to tell if he's having any fun. He might be secretly. Devin, at ten years old, is just along for the ride and loves to do whatever Tony and "the other guys" are doing. Sierra (almost 9) wants to do whatever I do and constantly says how much fun she is having.

Last night began with the usual traumatizing of the kitties, watching Spy Kids in 3-D, and jumping on the air mattress. I got clawed by my own angry cat, and I fell asleep during Spy Kids. I put three kids to bed in the guestroom at about 11 and had to go in a half hour later to make threats of sending Tony in (I warned them that he was in his underwear, wihich would be scary enough for all.) Eventful night for me.

We were awoken at 7:30 am this morning by young people who do not appreciate the glorious laziness that is Saturday morning.
Sierra chose the movie we would see today, so we all headed off to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua. I had a surprisingly lovely time. It was a bit of a kick-back to my favorite animal movies from back in the day like Milo and Otis and The Incredible Journey. You can never go wrong with smart dialog written for talking animals. Plus, Sierra loved it.

Devin, Sierra, and I spent a little time walking around at the college this afternoon. They wanted to do "The Circle Maze" which is a labyrinth there made out of bricks. We saw some college students dressed up playing croquette on the main lawn, which I found to be amusing. I would love to do something like that.

Then we took the kiddos to Chipotle for their first experience there. Although they are super picky (Devin has only eaten chocolate chip granola bars toady until this point) they all loved it. Which just goes to prove how FABULOUS Chipotle is. Yay Chipotle, how we love you. Now Sierra and I are off to watch College Road Trip, assuredly another Disney great.

These peeps are over at the house this weekend. Chillin', like the rest of us.

Should be good times. Although I'm about to fall asleep at the keyboard right now.

I'm out!

Lots of popcorn....

I just got home from work, stacking hundreds of pallets of popcorn. Imagine walking into a warehouse and seeing 120 pallets of 10 types of popcorn. Now imagine one box at a time filling up 50 empty pallets with the those 10 different types of popcorn. Except it was 13 of this type, 8 of this, etc. That's what I just did for 4 hours straight.

But... it was fun :)

Why did I just tell you this? Read the below post.

Keeping up with the times...

Why would you not want to know about the fabulous lives of Carly and Tony Scarpino? It's very possible we'll keep up with the blogs, the problem most of the time would be what to write about. So I'm going to be random at most times, and Carly will probably want to delete some posts. We'll see how it goes.

Welcome to the minds of the Scarpino's... scary.

The beginning of blog.

As just another means of disclosing our private lives on the internet, we have started this blog. Come here to read all things Carly and Tony and to see whether we can even follow through with keeping up a blog.