Proud to be a Hegg

I am still working on getting the few pictures I took with my camera and phone on my birthday weekend onto the computer. However, in the meantime I just wanted to take a moment or five to brag about my dad.
He recently was interviewed by the Press Enterprise for an article which was printed in today's newspaper about his upcoming trip to the U.S. Army War College in Pennsylvania. He will be one of only 150 selected to attend the week-long seminars at the War College. He will be among professors, corporate officers, publishers and police officials who will weigh in on issues such as the war in Iraq, terrorism, faith, and morality with prominent military leaders.
I couldn't be prouder of my dad. I know that he will be a voice of reason and truth, while still speaking winsomely. He is grateful for the opportunity and I am sure the Lord will use him and this experience to bring a voice of morality to such important issues.
To check out the article printed in the newspaper, go to: http://www.pe.com/localnews/corona/stories/PE_News_Local_C_chegg06.434b42e.html

Way to go dad!

24 wonderful years....

Hurray for wonderful birthdays!! I have to admit that I was not looking forward to turning another year older. There's really nothing special about turning 24. Nothing changes, you don't get any new priveledges like you do at 18 or 21 or even 25 when you can rent a car. (something to look forward to next year I suppose)
However, I ended up having a fabulous time! On Friday (my birthday) Luke got the day off and surprised me by taking me to Catalina Island! We went kayaking in the ocean for about an hour where we saw a jelly fish, a few seals, and a TON of jumping fish! We were soaked and pretty tired out after that, but it was great fun. With the rest of the time we got some food at a local joint and walked around Avalon for a few hours before heading home. And thankfully, neither of us got sea-sick. :) As memrobilia of our wonderful day, Luke bought me a shell necklace with a white cross which I wear often. :)
That one day alone would have been enough to keep me perfectly content, but Luke had more up his sleeves. He picked me up the next morning and gave me another birthday card. When I opened it, there were two tickets to see Wicked!!!!!!! We were in really good seats. The show was AMAZING, I would definately see it again. After the show was over, we walked to one of the many merchandise stands so I could look at shirts to commemorate the occasion. I was completely prepared to buy the shirt myself, but was once again surprised (and spoiled). On the way home we stopped at a little Italian place called Isabella's, which my parents recommended. It's sort of a small hole-in-the-wall type of place but had really good food.
I don't think I could have asked for a better birthday weekend.

"..In as much as you have done to the least of these, you have done to Me"

On Sunday night I attended a missions service at my church to talk about the various missions trips people from our church have been a part of. I was asked to speak about my trip to India, and also got to hear about trips to Caranza Mexico, Africa, Alaska, and Ukraine. It was very encouraging to hear stories of how people have gone and stewarded the story of the Gospel in different states and countries all around the world.

We were then blessed to hear the "Children of the World Choir" perform. They represent children from Africa, India, the Islands, and the Philippines. They are sponsored by World Help, which also allows people to sponsor children in need so that orphans in other countries can receive food, clothes, education, medicine, and a chance to hear the Gospel message. I have heard this choir a few times in my college, but am always so moved when hearing them. Just to hear young children who have gone through so much hardship praising their Savior is such a blessing!

Many of the children that are sponsored through World Help have lost their parents due to the AIDS pandemic, mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa. It's amazing to see how many have been affected by this disease. After the service was over, World Help handed out a free book called "Children of Hope" which talks about the devastation of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Every 14 seconds a child in Africa is orphaned from AIDS. So in the time it's taken you to read this post, at least 13 children have become orphans. To date, 15 million children have been orphaned by AIDS, that number is expected to increase to 40 million by 2010. It all seems so hopeless... What could I do?? Well, there is something I can do and it's not that hard... I learned that if just 80 people in each church that World Help visited sponsored a child for just $30 a month, millions of kids could be saved from living a life of poverty and despair. Part of their education would be dedication to AIDS prevention through teaching abstinence. How can Christians sit back in apathy? If I were in their place, and it's only by the grace of God that I'm not, I would hope and pray that someone would come to my aid.... I have been incredibly moved and I hope anyone reading this is too.

If you want more information about World Help and sponsoring a child, go to: www.worldhelp.net

modified from last post....

ok so taking a look back at the last blog posted ("me in a nutshell") I realized that I was forgetting something VERY important to me.... Without this I would be a sad, sad little toy (sorry had to throw a movie reference in somewhere!!)

My life would not be complete without the love of my life! (enter sappy music)

No I don't mean this guy:

I mean someone that I have gotten to know for the past year and who treats me like a princess. He is my one and only and I don't care who knows it :)

Me in a nutshell....

This is me in a nutshell...

                         ok it's a figure of speech but here are some pictures to describe who I am:           

First and foremost, I am a Christian. I believe Christ is the only way to be 

right before God. We are seen as righteous not because of anything we have done, but only through the grace and mercy of Christ who died for our sins. (see John 14:6)    

I am so thankful for my wonderful family who are always there for me when I need them :)

This picture represents my wonderful friends that make me laugh and are there when I cry. They are crazy and cooky but I gotta love em. This also represents my not so secret addiction to the show :)

 My list wouldn't be complete without my addiction to Starbucks coffee. I have come to love upside down carmel macchiatos or vanilla soy lattes for cold weather, and shaken black tea lemonade or blended strawberry lemonade when it's hot. 

Of course, you can never have too many books! I love reading. Favorite authors are Mary Higgins Clark, John Grisham, C.S. Lewis, CJ Mahaney, to name a few. There are many more but to name them all would be pointless since I doubt anyone would want to read a blog that is 20 pages long. 

I am of course so blessed to live in a country where I am free to worship as I choose and live as I choose. I have the freedom to go out on the town by myself or with a group of girls. I can go to church and worship God without wondering if at any moment someone might burst through the doors with a gun. It is the land of opportunity, of making a better life for yourself and your family. 

Music is also a huge part of my life. I love singing to it, listening to it, maybe every once in a while even trying to dance to it :) music makes life interesting. Just think how boring movies would be without the suspenseful music. Or

 how often you would fall asleep while studying if it weren't for that music in your ears. 

I am sure I could go on and on, but I did say a nutshell right? so there you go. And THAT

  is "it" in a nutshell :)

A long over-due ode to a tasmanian devil

In loving memory of Taz--

You had a good two years of life with attentive and caring owners. You fought to the end, even though you were tired and lived in a some-what cloudy environment. Here's to you Taz...

T- tough enough to withstand the dirty water, traveling, and being left behind while your owner was on a trip over-seas

A- Adventurous

Z- Zipped around his bowl


T- Tragic loss

H- Happy companion

E- Energetic


S- Strong

P- Peppy but met the Porcelain god

A- Absent owner at times, but held on through it all

Z- Zany

You'll be missed

Patience grasshoppa'

I guess it ought to be no surprise that patience is a difficult concept in today's world. If you are hungry, you can get food in three minutes or less by driving down a mini-driveway where your food is served through tiny windows. Or if there's no time for that, you can zap your food with radioactive waves for 30-40 seconds. Who needs good old home cooking anyway? Want something to watch on t.v without sitting through commercials? why not just record everything so you can fast forward through the "wait time". Or how about getting that perfect car without having to pay... Our world is constantly filled with the "get it now" mentality. Even if we don't realize that we are being constantly assaulted with the idea that we should get everything we want right away, it's everywhere.
So it's no wonder that a Christian girl such as I am struggles with patience. We get into the mentality that we deserve instant gratification because we are American, or good people, or worth it, or.... fill in the blank. We get so caught up in what the world is selling that we forget what the Lord has already given us.
Sure, the cliche answer is "All in God's timing". It's easy to say but not easy to do. So often I find myself thinking if I only had this I'd be content. If this only happened THEN I'd finally be ok with where I am in life. Sure life will be good once I get a job... I'll be happy once I find that "Someone special".... Everything will be perfect once I am married.... Life will be great once I have kids.
But this thinking is dangerous. What it is really saying is "God doesn't know what is best for me and until I get __________ I won't be happy with where He has put me in life". That, my friend, is not trusting the Lord. It's not an easy thing, but it's an essential thing. It takes constant work to refocus and realize that God really does know best. His plan for us is better than we could even imagine. And yes it is difficult to wait. But as they say "Have patience, grasshoppa'"

Graduation

I have successfully graduated from first grade. I can't believe that the month has gone by so quickly. What started out as nothing less than terrifying turned into a somewhat pleasurable experience. I was able to get to know the kids in my class and could even tell the identical twins apart. The last week was nothing short of stressful. Not only did I have to finish giving and grading the district assessments, I have to complete grades and pack up the entire class into three seperate rooms. I spent WAY too many hours in that room but thankfully not as many as I would have if not for my good friend and a couple of very helpful room moms. Before I knew it, it was the last day. I only had the kids for half a day whihc was good but I must say I will miss them. Even the one that gave me the most difficulty (for there is always at least one...) will be missed. I learned that there was a reason he acted the way he did. On the surface I thought he was just a bratty kid that wanted attention whether good or bad. However, every kid has a story. He too will be missed. Saying goodbye is always hard. I have learned a lot from being in first grade and although I have moved on, I will never forget the 1st grade class of Benjamin Franklin Elementary School room 12.

Surviving kids...

I have successfully survived my first week teaching. Who knew being in charge could be so tiring?!?! I am in a first grade class of 20. Going back to first grade can be difficult after having been through college and credentialing. First graders are almost completely dependent on you. I often find myself trying to do more things at once than my feet can keep up with!
This is not to say, however, that I am not enjoying it. The kids are good and eager to learn. I do not miss the lack of attitude (usually) and the almost curse-word free zone. (I have only had to discipline a kid once for saying the "d" word. Usually the worst thing they say is "stupid")
I am gearing up for District assessments the next two weeks, which scares the crap out of me. So much rides on these assessments and I have to be so sure I don't give too much help or time or not clear directions. If these kids do poorly, the whole school looks bad! (no pressure right? WRONG!) IF I survive the next three weeks unscathed (and that's a BIG "if") I will have had a first-hand experience in touching lives. I just hope it's a positive outcome.

The history behind the most misunderstood Christmas song

The twelve days of Christmas is a a popular song sung around Christmas time. However, most people sing it as a silly song with hand motions without knowing the real history behind it. Between 1558 to 1829, Catholics were prohibited from ANY practice of their faith by law - private OR public. It was a crime to BE a Catholic. Because fo this, Christians came with a way to spread to Gospel and teach the basic truths of their faith in code.

A partridge in a pear tree= Christ, the Messiah
2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues
4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the history of man's fall from grace.
6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation
7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments
11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed


So the next time you sing about that partridge in a pair tree, think about the history. Sure it's a fun song to sing but it's so much more!