FAIL

Why am I still amazed that I get so distracted from my blog? Even with the greatest ambitions and a bit of free time, I have still not managed to post more often than a few times in the past few months. It's not that I intend to become a daily blogger-- that seems a bit unrealistic for me. But I have a way of talking myself out of posting even when I have something to say. Lame excuses like: "I can't post on the blog today because the pictures are still on my camera." or "I'd rather watch a movie."

When I start to feel like I've failed at something, my new favorite thing to do is to visit this website and have a few laughs first. It sure encourages me to make a few improvements!

-JLR

Hotel Roth... Again!

We have really enjoyed hosting three rounds of house guests this month. We are on our third round now (Tim's parents). Hosting guests has it's fair share of ups and downs, especially when it's family/in-laws! Even with that in mind, I have become more and more convinced that this is something I would love to do more regularly in the future. I've thought about running a B&B or a guesthouse or something... who knows. I guess I'll just have to wait to see what sorts of opportunities arise.

-JLR

M's Bday Cake #1

Birthday cakes have become one of my favorite things! I love making cakes and even more than that, I love the excitement and appreciation from Micaiah, my special birthday girl! This year we plan to have lots of guests in March to help us celebrate her 5th birthday... Nana and Aunt Jaime came this past week, Grandma and Grandpa Roth are coming next week, and the week after we'll do a friends party. I got this great idea for a multi-layer rainbow cake from a seminar at church on party planning. The facilitator forwarded lots of info, and I also found another blog online with some additional info.

Anyway, here are some pics from my first cake adventure of the birthday season!

(minus the purple batter, which was already in the oven!)
I told Micaiah that I lost the colors... she was bummed. :) This cake was so massive that the cake cover wouldn't fit!
The happy birthday girl with the first slice.
The insides of the cake.
Oh, and with only one cake pan (which I would never again attempt!), I could not have accomplished this task without Jaime to keep me company. Thanks!

-JLR

Hockey

Canadians LOVE the Olympics and they LOVE hockey. I wish I had kept track of how many hockey references I've heard in church even... and now that fans from across the country have united to root for one team, I think it's worse. There have been quite a few uncomfortable moments for me as an American who doesn't much care for hockey!

I know it's borderline sacrilegious to say this-- especially considering our proximity to Vancouver-- but I'm tired of the Olympics. It's all anyone can talk about! In some circles there seems to be a thin line between the Olympics and idol worship. I should be clear here, because I am in NO WAY saying that everyone who enjoys the Olympics or watches the Olympics is in sin. I've watched several events myself and enjoyed them. I am only saying that like anything else, the Olympics can be a stumbling block between us and our God. And I do wish the church used the opportunity to speak more to the parallel between the physical games and the spiritual training we undergo to attain eternal rewards. This verse has been on my mind continually this past week or so:

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9:25

So let's just all keep a little perspective.

-JLR
ps.. the thought crossed my mind that maybe I should root for Canada in hockey this year... when in Rome... :)

Lent

I'm a bit nervous about Lent this year. "Giving something up for Lent" in my experience has always been an optional activity. I don't come from a background where it is expected or required, though I have always known others to do it. Some people give up soda, some give up alcohol, some tv... to be honest, I haven't participated in giving anything up for a number of years. But this year I was thinking a lot about some of the luxuries I could fast from and Facebook continued to rise to the top of the list. I view it primarily as a "water cooler" venue among many friends around the globe. I love it. But I spend way too much time on it. And I don't need it to survive. I have even had to ask myself if I love it more than God. I'm ashamed at my answer some days. But... could I really give it up for 46 days (Lent doesn't actually include the Sundays between Easter, but let's get real... how tempting would it be to check FB just once a week?!?!?)?? Could I really give up Bejeweled and some of my other addicting Facebook games?? The more I realized that my answer was "no" to some of these questions, the more I realized that I probably should fast from FB, and what better opportunity than Lent.

So that's what I'm doing. I'll probably have to blog on here much more often as I detox, and who knows I might actually catch up on my emails! (gasp!) But I'm looking forward to using at least a big chunk of that time for some extra Bible study and staying up-to-date on the Beth Moore study I'm doing now (which is kicking my butt, I might add!).

So there you have it. See ya in a couple months, Facebook!

-JLR