Nov 19
Because the process of updating the Blogging the Bible site also broke our main blog page, I decided to bite the bullet and migrate our regular site over to a Wordpress blog as well. As with the other site, we’ll be going through old posts and fixing any broken links or images over time, and we will be slowly adding back photo and video galleries as well. We’ve also added an feature that will help you share our posts on Twitter or Facebook (and more), and my favorite new feature–an iPhone-formatted site! Just visit www.ryanandsamantha.info on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or Android phone to check it out!
NOTE: It’s possible that our RSS feed address has changed, so be sure to update that link in your favorite RSS reader.
Leave us a comment and let us know what you think of the new site!
Posted in: Web.
Nov 17
I’m growing a little weary of Blogger’s sloggish interface and customizability, so I have migrated the Blogging the Bible site over to a Wordpress blog. The look has been much improved, post categories and a tag cloud improve usability, and my new favorite feature–the Bookshelf! The Bookshelf is a page where we list all the books, bibles, study guides, movies, music, etc. that we mention in the posts.
Over the next several days, I will be going through old posts and fixing some broken links and images, but anything new should be no problem. Head over there and leave us a comment and tell us what you think!
We will probably eventually port this blog over to a Wordpress as well, but we’ll leave that for another weekend project.
Posted in: Web.
Sep 22
Ever wonder where ABC got the crazy idea for the TV show The Bachelor? Check it out on our Blogging the Bible site!
Posted in: Church.
Sep 19
I happened to look out the window this afternoon and saw what I thought was a grasshopper on one of the flowers. Grasshoppers have been turning my plant leaves into Swiss cheese, so I went outside to go squish it. Instead what I found was a
praying mantis! I’m no National Geographic photographer, but I was able to get close enough to snap a few shots before it disappeared into the foliage. Although, after reading up on mantises I’m glad I didn’t get too close; they are predators, they will bite (no venom, thankfully), and while they eat mostly insects some of the larger mantises have been said to eat prey such as lizards, snakes, or rodents!
Click on the photo to enlarge–pretty cool!
Posted in: Flowers, Photos.
Sep 19
Instead of taking one big vacation this summer (like we did last year), Ryan and I are trying out the “staycation” and taking short visits to local sites. Last weekend we drove 40 minutes up to Hutchinson to the Kansas State Fair grounds for the annual fair.
Earlier in the week our region had
heavy rainstorms (we had around 5 inches at our own “Lake
Rushwood“). That didn’t help the parking situation; we slipped and slid through several areas that look like the sloppy mess below.
We started out in the sheep shed watching a
shearing demonstration. The sheep was so docile and adorable as it sat there quietly leaning back against the shearer.
We made a quick stop by the bunny cages…
…and a flying pig cake made by a friend at church.
We didn’t ride any rides because we were headed to the feature event of the evening (and our real purpose for going to the fair):
Huey Lewis and the News!! Ryan has waited to see them in concert since he was 9 years old! Huey didn’t disappoint; they played a great mix of old and new songs and the audience sang along faithfully. What a fun concert!
Posted in: Photos, Vacation.
Aug 26
I came home for lunch today and noticed a flurry of activity among the flowers. There were butterflies and bees surrounding the salvia, getting every last drop of nectar and pollen! As I was walking back into the house I noticed something white on top of a coneflower. Upon closer inspection it was a spider who had just caught a fly!
Posted in: Flowers.
Aug 23
I recently filled out a questionnaire for a rheumatoid arthritis research study in which they asked questions about my current physical mobility. I didn’t think much of the questions until one of them sparked my memories of what my mobility used to be like. It almost took my breath away remembering how much pain I was in and how awful it must have been for Ryan and my family during that time.
But praise our Lord that now I can answer “I have no problem” being able to:
- dress yourself, including shoelaces and buttons
- shampoo your hair
- stand up from a straight chair
- get in and out of bed
- cut your meat
- lift a full cup or glass to your mouth
- open a new carton of milk
- walk outdoors on flat ground
- climb up five steps
Many of you remember when I couldn’t do any of those things without help. I remember not being able to squeeze a clothespin open (or even budge it), dropping the milk container because I couldn’t grip, not being able to bend my elbow to use a spoon, and I remember having to be carried up and down stairs. Those were some of the worst days of my entire life, and yet I am proud to have made it through them and come out on the other side. God provided countless people to help me, fantastic doctors, and a good job that was flexible and had great insurance that paid for the aggressive drug treatments. Because of that I am completely mobile again.
I really hope my answers to the questionnaire help the researchers provide good information to the doctors. My prayer is that those newly diagnosed with RA (like my dad) can be treated quickly and aggressively so that they don’t have to get to the point that I did.
Posted in: Health.
