gimme some lovin’
That used to be one of my favorite Motown jams! “Gimme’ some lovin’.” 
Back when I was a wanna-be marching-band member and followed my sister around for all she could stand… I loved to sit in the roped-off marching band area with her at the football games and pretend like I was playing the cowbell. When the drum major called “Gimme’ some lovin’,” I would get so excited. The electricity swept over all the marching band and they jumped and jived about while playing their instruments. You can’t find a fun rush like that too many other places in my book. It’s all about the setting, you know.
This omelet, on the other hand, you could whip up in a jif for yourself and create a pseudo-equally-fun experience! Just whisk the eggs and throw in some veggies and voila!
I may have tossed some greek yogurt and balsamic together for sauce but the omelete was tasty enough sans sauce 
This morning I walked to work and I keep seeing sites that I’d miss if I just drove. For instance, I saw a Montana license plate on a car that was driving through Duke’s campus. Who knew? And I also got a shout-out from one very fit group of four runners: “I LOVE the hot pink! Rock it girl!” Yes, the love continues to flow for all of my crippled wrist and arm bones. What will I do without this cast? One other interesting site: a slug that had a studded pattern on it’s back. It was not your run-of-the-mill plain-backed slug. No. I saw a fat, shiny, slug trail with studded-slug at the end this morning.
Lately, I had a sort-of writer’s block, more like, I have gotten criticism for just “being me,” or at least that what it seems like, on the blog and wonder why my emails to individuals {or groups, for that matter} seem to flow much more easily and happily while my blogging post feel guarded or strained as they anticipate nasty feedback. My vow is to continue to march forward and write as it suits whatever style I am able to produce. It seems I am DIFFERENT but not the “right” kind of different. And people don’t know what to do with “different.” Soon, I’ll post an about page that offers a more accurate portrayal of my life today. we’ll see how that goes.
For now, though, have a great day and go get you some of that song ; “gimme some lovin’!” …or just make yourself an omelet for lunch Happy Monday ~ Jasper Naomi
should I, still, run that Charlottesville marathon?
Yes, Jasper met the asphalt Monday evening. {sorry about the cleavage, awkward}
It could have been worse, right?! 
I didn’t die…or fracture my collarbone…or require surgery {things are actually, quite, awesome around here!}…if you’re interested: On Monday evening, I was biking to Chapel Hill and flew, yes flew {can you believe that?!} from my bike on old Erwin Road. Mostly my should, back and head took the brunt of my crash but I think onlookers believed me to be dead because I HOPPED up to get my bike and me off of the road and six cars all stopped to ask: “Seriously, are you ok?!” “Well, duh, I’m ok…” I thought. So I just kept heading for CH. After 20 minutes of initial shock, I wondered why I could not use my left arm, left hand or left leg, so I turned for home. My poor aunt, have mercy…she met a rather pathetic version of myself wimpering and sputtering, with bloodied limbs. It’s only my wrist and arm broken in a couple of places {sill, handle bars} — and I think I might have to choose a hot pink cast that will go lovely with the majority of my wardrobe. You could be the first to sign it!
There’s the old Jasper, when she had the use of both of her arms…
And she could pin her hair up, no problem! Now, I can barely scratch my nose with much less than a pitiful wimper, oh well! Such is life…
What’s YOUR crash, fall or accident “story?”
happy thursday ~ Jasper
married on a Tuesday
Yes, my cousin Helena was marri
ed on a Tuesday…it was lovely
I wanted to write up a little post because a dream I had last night reminded me of her big day!
Silly, I know, but I had this dream where my Grandpa was still alive and wheeling around in his motorized chair…I got to give him a big huge hug! And I could not stop bawling…he was so cute. Since Helena, my cousin, got married in the USA and Grandpa was in Africa, they all watched the ceremony via video Skype.
I was able to snap a few photos of the big day and spent most of my time in the ladies’ getting-ready room. It was so much fun.
The boys had fun, too!
Here is my cousin Rob serenading the bride and groom after the ceremony, so cute…
The bride and her mother.
Later this week I will try and upload more photos to this post from her big day! Happy Monday!
jasper’s journey preface, part ii
**Warning: The following post includes content not suitable for younger audiences. Viewer discretion advised:
For those of you interested in how my marathon training is going: It’s going “ok.” My Garmin 405 is not running and I would really like to figure out how to work it! It beeped once when I plugged it in and, since that time, no lights have come on at all 
Nor is there any indication that the battery is actually charging. If you’ve got any suggestions, please let me know!
Right now I am sort-of overwhelmed with the availability of training schedule PDFs…when I think of it too much, I get freaked out over social medias impact on the world…yikesabee! Here is the actual training schedule that I have been following for the past five days since I began training on Tuesday 
!
If you’ve got suggestions for how to mix it up (this training schedule is actually pretty mix-it-up-like )
For the “Unhealthy Half-Marathon” Story…well here you have it:
There I am, fourth from the left, and “beaming” with enthusiasm. Despite the big smile, I was very unhappy. I was at one of my highest weights, mostly looking forward to my night binges as the only “relief,” “enjoyment” and “pleasure” in life, and utterly lost. My days consisted of facebook, phone calls to new “friends” in Reno, trying to hold a job at Starbucks and feeling completely disgusted with myself and others. Feeling caught in a disgusting a viscous cycle is no fun if you’ve been there.
During January-April 2010, especially, I mainly focused my attention on trying to find a boyfriend (#fail) and trying to look attractive (##fail) … Around early January, I came up with the brilliant notion that I should “{eat as little as possible and, on occasion, eat as much as I please then rid myself of the calories through self-induced vomiting}”
By May 2010, I had lost nearly 50-60 pounds by starving myself throughout most of the days, painting them, sporadically, with large binges using pastries and Frappacinos from work.
I “thought” I was so happy but behind closed doors, I was vomiting my feelings and completely “ok” with my behavior. The bulimia was “working” for me because physical appearance were all that “mattered” to me. Sadly, my feelings of rejection and hopeless self-centered-ness, couple with loneliness and confusion kept me trapped.
This was the day before I ran my first (and only) half marathon. Looking at this pictures, now, I remember thinking “HOW FAT” I [was] when I saw the photo later that week. All along, I let “friends” and acquaintances ask why I “[had] lost so much weight” in a four month time frame…only to quickly change the subject or allow them to believe such a weight loss attributed to my half-marathon training. Really, I was starving my body of the nutrients it required and doing NO physical activity.
It does make me sad to think that I actually “thought” I was happy or that weight was the only part of me that “mattered.”
On the morning of the San Francisco Half Marathon, I’d not run more than 7 miles in my entire life (and that 7-miler had taken place in 1999!!) but I had to “pretend” like I had been training. After 2:05:00, I finished the race and felt “perfectly fine.” Looking back, I realize that it was all part of my delusional thinking in 2010. It did not matter how much or how little I ran, I was being unfair and cruel to my body and soul.
It’s not a very pretty story! But there you have it I really do hope that one day I can enjoy exercise (like I do, very much, today) as a healthy way of getting in touch with the blessing of moving my body!
And that’s what April 7th 2012 can and will be a celebration of!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have a happy Saturday!
you may call it “gross!”…I call it “lunch!”
And for fear that I might make you all a bit nauseated with any more photos…I’ll just tell you that my poor little iPhone cannot keep up with me and the silly photos of lunches, breakfasts and snacks!
a lesson on growing up
This morning I thought to myself “well I am just ready to quit!” … “Quit what?” I asked myself. “Well I don’t know! just QUIT something!” my self answered back in protest. “But you’ve only just begun.”
In my office cubicle, I’ve got this little line who’s growth progress I am trying to track.
Once, already now, I thought the little vine was going to give out and die on me…apparently two tablespoons instead of the 1/2 tsp. suggestion or Miracle Gro can be a threat to little plants’ life expectancy. The leaves turned yellow and fell out after one day of fertilizer shock!
Still though, the little vine did not die, it grew back little leaves to replace the others! At first, I was so discouraged and frustrated with my stupidity in try to force the vine to GROW. I push and push and push the vine to grow, some days nearly drowning it by overwatering it and dehydrating it on others while I attempt to figure out if too-much-watering is the vines’ problem.
As one might be able to understand from this smaller-than-life illustration, nature will take it’s course no matter how much or little I race about trying to figure out a way to change or manipulate the situation.
The same is true for my body and soul.
There she is, a sort of happy little tot with a big personality. And she was happy. It wasn’t that “life was not fair” to her or that she “lived a charmed one.” Life simply happened the way the creator intended. Silly as it may seem, I’d like to paraphrase from Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield. “My meaning simply is, that whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do well; that whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself to completely; that in great aims and in small, I have always been thoroughly in earnest.” (Dickens, Ch. 42) It’s not that my life reaches near or even to the slightest extent close to these words from Dickens, but I would very much like my life, one day, to near such a summary. One might argue that David Copperfield lived the most undesirably unfortunate existence and that, in doing so, his life was ill spent. Through Copperfield’s misfortune’s, he gained insight on the inherent futility of superficial beauty, simple, fluffy “love,” and worldly accomplishment. Although I want those things and each are not-at-all-bad in and of themselves, like Copperfield, I can know that life’s trials and fires are where STRENGTH is gained.
It may appear that I am even more broken than ever, today, but I can tell you that I have heard this: “Things have to get worse before they get better!” One more lesson I can gain from monitoring my little plant’s progress is this: life should not be filled with my fussing over whether “I am ok … [or whether] … I am fixed or not fixed,” rather life should be whether or not I am treating myself and others with gentleness, love, generosity and grace.
Here’s to a kind of growth in all of our lives that lead us into all truth and understanding! and i’ll post a less serious post soon
isn’t she lovely?
Isn’t she lovely
Isn’t she wonderful
Isn’t she precious
Less than one minute old
I never thought through love we’d be
Making one as lovely as she
But isn’t she lovely made from love
Isn’t she pretty
Truly the angel’s best
Boy, I’m so happy
We have been heaven blessed
I can’t believe what God has done
Through us he’s given life to one
But isn’t she lovely made from love
and in all this, Jasper learned that Stevie Wonder wrote that song (from which you’ve just read the lyrics) for his daughter Aisha at her birth…sorry Lauren!
Lauren is still adorable!
and it’s true: “But isn’t she lovely made from love”
no, Lauren is not Stevie Wonders’ love child…
but who could argue with being mistaken for being Stevie Wonders’ love child?
oh dear oh dear oh dear Jasper!
thank you, Lauren, for a very fun time at the Eno River!
you’re beautiful…
and I kinda wish you were my love child…
love, Jasper Naomi
dancin’ and prancin’
It was so hard to watch them bury Grandpa. Why?
This is NOT meant to depress me, further, or meant to depress anyone, for that matter. I just miss good ties with ‘ole Grandpa Foster. So it’s time to wake up to some truths! Grandpa and dancing in heaven – I never saw Grandpa skip around and dance, really!
and check out the little Operation Beautiful note that I posted in the bathroom…Grandpa would have thought it was funny!
also…I made some grain purchases at Whole Foods this morning and am SO EXCITED about that for some reason I was like a giddy little school girl buying candy like Angela mentioned sort-of today, in her post!
have a lovely happy Friday…can’t wait to see you all tomorrow!~
grandpa foster
This morning I woke up, SO, not ready to let Grandpa Foster go. On this earth, I am not sure I’ll ever want to let the ones I love “go.” But he is gone now.
Perhaps it is time to share with you what has, really, been on my heart for the past four days A LOT. Grandpa. My Grandpa.
“For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, P Lord, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from before my birth. You are he who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you. I have been as a portent to many but you are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with your praise and with your glory all the day.”…this is the word of the Lord (psalm 71)
“Psalm 71 is one of my Grandpa Foster’s very favorite psalms” I said to a friend.
“Well that’s because it’s an old person’s psalm…” they teased…
She did not know my Grandpa Foster.
Grandpa Foster was floating in Baden Lake, NC with water noodle a few years ago! And water-tube-skiing behind a motor boat — teaching me to plant pansies in his front yard, too!
“Why is Grandpa trudging around, wearing his rubber wading-boots, knee high in the landscaping mud, Grandma?” I asked.
“Oh, he’s been out there for hours rescuing our backyard from run-off erosion by prying up and moving all of those giant boulders with a shovel.” Grandma answered.
“That’s nice.” I said, in reply.
And then Grandpa joined us for tea and raspberry thumbprints.Grandpa, always, did love a good raspberry thumbprint and a butter tart, too!
When something tickled Grandpa, his broad chest would bounce about with this soulful laughter. Strong bursts of joy whisped, happily, through his bright and shining smile. He smiled at most everything, however simple. Even when he thought no one was watching, when he manged to extract an entire Brazil nut from its tricky shell and casing, a delightful grin of victory would form on Grandpa’s lips. Perhaps Grandpa’s utter delight over this world’s simple gifts reflects one truth about this fine man’s
secretscharacter: this bottomless faith of a humble servant to the Lord, God Almighty.Near the end of his earthly life, one anonymous believe said this: “My stock of material goods isn’t great. But I have a fortune in friendship, courage, self-assurance and honest appraisal of my own abilities. Above all, I have gained the greatest thing according to an, the Love and understanding of a gracious God.” (Wilson, 258) Grandpa said that “the greatest call [was] the call to serve the Lord…” (Lutz) And if there is testimony to one earthly man’s humbly, happily and thoroughly lived service to the Lord Jesus Christ, it’s Grandpa Robert Livingston Foster’s.
I will post this on Grandpa Foster’s … Dr. Robert Livingston Foster’s memorial blog as well … if you would love to join me and my cousin Sara (we are the only two here in NC, I think, that will be watching the funeral together at 3:30 AM EST Thursday morning (tomorrow) 1/12/12) to watch the funeral being broadcasted (simulcasted) from Lubango, Angola, you can find the link on that blog too!
Also, this is a video that projects a small picture of how neat-o of a guy, was, Grandpa Foster!
Dr. Robert Livingston Foster 1924-2012
here is a link to watch the funeral as well. Much love to you from here in NC – Jasper Naomi
yum yum
so Katie over at Katiedid made something really cool…and I prepared, more or LESS, the same thing for my aunt on Sunday…and then I tried to photograph it. Needless to say, we all know that LESSER are my photos in light of Katie’s … ah well, I’ll keep studying over at Emily’s, Katiedid and Ashley’s place, Angela’s too … as well as every other awesome food blogger in cybertown
YAH. DEFINITELY NOT cut out for the food photography! a girl can dreammmmmmmmmm … insert carton dream bubble here here and here
much love to you all! have a happy Tuesday!
family ii
this week has been rough for our family. my grandfather and grandmother who live in Africa have not been doing well in their health…constant updates from my family pain me because I am powerless over being able to help my grandpa and grandma “feel” better. being SO FAR away makes my inability to offer any comfort even worse.
small goal for today (in keeping up with yesterday’s post): a. memorize manageable (for me, jasper ) scripture for this week: Psalm 33:22 and Micah 6:8…b. find something at WORK for which to be grateful (and there’s LOTS of things from which to choose!) 1. band aids and antibiotic ointment from the first aid kit FREE and available to me at the workplace, thank you Duke! 2. pink nail polish that makes me smile when I glance at my fingers dancing over the keyboard (provided, courtesy of Duke! thank you )
what are your goals for today? this week?
what are you grateful for about your workplace, wherever you find yourself working (home, remotely, with the kiddos etc.)?
how do you cope with feeling “so far away” from loved ones?
choices – Donald Altman
Since October I have been reading in this daily meditation book that involves meal time and how I view food, in general (and specifically). It’s great, and today I want to share, straight from the text cited, with you!
Fight your shame. Throw your pride and learn all you can from others. This is the basis of a successful life. – Sen Rikyu, Sixteenth-Century Tea Master
Your meals represent a series of choices. Each choice is like a step that takes you in a particular direction. Over the years, similar choices, or habits, can lead you very far in one direction.
Ultimately, though, you are always free to choose another direction. You are always free to take a new step that is beyond habitual choice. Remember that healthy eating is also a habit and that change is always possible.
What one small acheivable step can you take today? Even if you choose to eat one bite of a food that you think would be beneficial for you, it is enough for now. What would that food be? What foods not on your current ‘choice’ list could contribute to your well being? What new small choice would you like to try today? – Donald Altman, Meal by Meal
You know, I was JUST going to begin a little post series on small goals for the new year. How many of you have BIG new year’s resolutions? How many of you do not believe in them?
One thing I though of yesterday was this: “Why not try to set a small goal each day, or perhaps one goal per week or per month, as a way of testing whether I can, even, achieve one?!”
How many of us, or perhaps it’s just me, set unrealistic goals that I can never achieve and, sometimes before I even begin to try and reach that goal, fail always? Lately I have tried setting one goal per week, like: “Deliver signed HR papers to Broad Street, Durham.” Hey, it seems silly, yes, but if I can set that goal and reach it, I’ve proved that I can do something. Perhaps if it is only to begin by setting small goals for ourselves, we realize that increasing those, or any, goals in siZE, gradually, may see us through to achieving those ones too!
begin small this year….and perhaps, gradually, you will see more and moRE of your goals set, ACHIEVED! – have a lovely day! – jasper naomi
bird seed
I am, often, told that the foods I create are weird. Well this one’s no different folks! After purchasing boxes and boxes and boxes of packaged snack bars, my budget see’s this strange bulge in it’s grocery field. So in an effort to try and reduce unnecessary spending, I am trying to develop my own secret recipe for the perfect snack bar, of sorts. For now, I’ll just tell you that their might be pulverized dried apricot involved plus almonds, walnuts, cashews, food-processor-processed raisins and prunes. There may be a few other ingredients included on the list, as well.
Nonetheless, there may also be banana slices in the oven currently, cooking down to sticky banana for the next three hours. And that’s because I’m going to develop a banana nana bar recipe tonight or tomorrow. For these bird bars, I food processed the cashew, almond and walnuts separately from all of the other ingredients. And then I food processed the raisins, prunes and apricots.
Afterward, I combined all of the ingredients with salt, unsulphured blackstrap molasses and some uncooked quinoa for kicks.
Emptying the mixture onto cling wrap and using a rolling pin to even out the mixture was easy, too!
Yum o!
Wendy and her family tried some but they did not seem to be so keep on the “date’-like” flavor.
After rolling out the mixture, I sliced the creation into snack-bar-sized pieces.
My aunt seemed to like them! She carried one to work with her this past Friday for a snack!
Have a wonderful windy Tuesday! (is windy here in NC anyhow!) much love – jasper
this is the green nom nom monsta…
guest appearance!!!!!!!! my ode to Love Grown!
this is the green monster…yes. Wendy has seen one up close and personal…well, Wendy has yet to get personal (ingestion) with a green monster but one day it’ll happen. One day.
It’s a very small photo, yes, but I was trying to make it SO small so that I could submit it to the GMM website….one day I shall firgure it out.
This morning I was creating a parfait to take with me and serve to my friend, Laura, at work. She, unlike Wendy, said she’d like to try one of my concoctions…and I am permitting her to toss it after one bite if she doesn’t like it! I’ll let you know how it goes…
isn’t Laura a cutie? … Wendy is a cutie too!
Would you eat the parfait above that I made? What is one of the weirdest culinary creations YOU’VE come up with? Have a wonderful day!
only nineteen
broken lens motor? bad lighting? no problem!
So the title for this post was supposed to be a spin-off of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen…only seventeen…” except Ciara is nineteen … And there ya have it!
sibling
Early this morning I received a call from my mother tell me that my sister got married yesterday.
I play this little game with blogging, sometimes, where I pretend that I am writing about things “IN THE DISTANT PAST” (or future). Perhaps it makes me feel more important, like “I’ve lived” or “I’ve arrived.” The truth is, you all can see that, even in that little act, I’m playing child’s games and trying to manipulate how I feel.
Some of you may know, but many of you do not, that my sister has not spoken with me since August 2010 … “well that’s only a year a a few months…” right? It feels like much much longer. And I wish that I COULD be writing this post today with the knowledge that what happened is a part of THE DISTANT PAST (or my distant past) but it’s not. It’s right here. Today.
After finishing up a run while listening to a podcast, my phone rang and I answered to hear the sleepy voice of my mother. Supposedly she woke very very early her time to make sure she caught me on the phone in the early AM (my time) to tell me news that my sister got married last night. My ego INSTANTLY ignited in flames – ’cause this life is ALL about me, right? Wrestling with such self-obsession is an ugly ordeal but the Spirit of love and life within me struck fiercely with passion and mercy for my family. That voice in me of something wonderful rang out, telling me that my mother WAS trying to do what is right. That familiar, sting, however of my mother’s “well, I KNOW THAT I WOULD HAVE WANTED TO KNOW” drowned out what felt like any good intentions that had, earlier, blossomed in my heart. “She’s not ME, I thought” – so there ya have my ego in queue! Praise Him that I held my tongue long enough without letting all that was in me ask this one question “Did you call knowing that it would hurt me to know this?…” Who cares if any of my peers would have wanted to ask the same question, the very knowledge of my depravity can answer my question: My problem is ME!
So one day, I would love for that voice and Spirit inside of me that reminds me of how much my sister matters – that she is so significant OUTSIDE of any amount of time she does or does not talk to me, outside of the kind or hateful choices she makes, OUTSIDE of her behaviors – . The God that loves me the God that created us loves her for the very reason that he loves her. AND LEAST OF ALL HE LOVES HER OUTSIDE OF HOW I JUDGE HER! Furthermore, I want for that Spirit to be AWAKENED even more so that understand of where MY RESPONSIBILITY, in this situation, precedes. In August 2010, I planned to visit my sister in Portland and then felt SO TIED after flying home to Reno from a visit in NC that I slept through the day that I was to arrive in Portland. Having left my phone in NC on that vacation, I stood my sister up for that visit and my best friend Bria who waiting in a hotel lobby for me to pick her up. This story should outrage my readers for the sake that you’d be upset and hurt by my irresponsibility and disregard for your time if I’d done so to you. In fact, many of you might be reading this thinking that any hurtful thing my sister does to me serves me right for my nasty behavior – to either YOU or to my sister. I can tell you you’re right. I deserve nasty things to come my way IF Jesus didn’t die on the cross for my lousy behavior (UNDERSTATEMENT).
It even seems like a perversion, of the mighty victory Jesus’ act at the cross was, to mention that he forgives my offensive behavior at Calvary (and forevermore). Does this reflect how unworthy I feel? – that my crimes and my filth are not even worthy of being forgiven because they’re THAT shameful? The harm that I have caused my sister is tremendous. So I am COMPELLED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS HURT IS DEFINITELY JUST ABOUT ME (And I KNOW my ego doesn’t just linger, still, RATHER IT RADIATES WITH JEALOUSLY for my spirit – because I WANT TO BE THE ONLY ONE THATS’s HURTING HERE! – not just me and my sister BUT MEEEEEEEEEE)
Preparing lunch to take along as I rush out the door, I thank God that I do not act out in my compulsive behaviors to change the way I feel. Praise God that I can experience REAL LIFE like the rest of you without going to a drug of choice to numb or change my true emotions! “FELL THE PAIN, Feel the pain, feel the pain…” … “maybe saying those words will make the hurt go away more quickly” I think in my little thought cloud. It doesn’t help.
I sobbed on the way to the bus. I sobbed waiting for the bus. I sobbed, trying to hide whimpers, on the bus! (okay, even THIS surprised me). When I was growing up, my mother, very seldom, told me that my emotions were genuine or believable…and now, even, I wonder myself. “So in ALL GENUINENESS JASPER, CUT THE CRYING!” “JUST SHUT-UP emotions! TURN OFF!” They don’t. (And those of us who know the lies we believed growing up, we can now thank God for revealing them to us – knowledge of them can no longer excuse or choice to, further, continue believing the lies. I understand that the past simply explains my tenancies to believe lies, perhaps, rather than to believe the truth) Feeling like a blubbering idiot, I wondered “Why can I not stop crying?!” Now I know that my sincerest effort to turn off the sobbing loses-out against deep pain from within my soul.
One thing I REJOICE in is my joy over taking a nice picture and even choosing one nice one for this post seemed impossible. Even a gorgeous woman like Ciara, in a gorgeous shot above, was twisted and cloudy as I attempted to claw out of the chasm of hell in my heart this morning. “Yikes, Jasper’s freaking me out,” you say? Or perhaps you’ve been here…you know that emptiness when others turn on you, when the REAL issues (my egocentricity) blindingly glare.
Finally, I am grateful. Grateful for a job in Durham, NC and a little coffee mug in my cubicle…Grateful for a bed to sleep in where my aunt lives and plants (for) to water in her breakfast nook…Grateful for a friend to call “sister” in my head when she calls…for the love of a Savior with a love of a fierce and majestic kind…
tomorrow’s post will be lighter 
I’ll try to keep that promise!
and I’ll add a few nice photos I, once, shot that might help wash away some icky feelings…
let me know what you think and share any comments below!
a merrier family Christmas
Today I saw this funny quote
Today is yesterday’s tomorrow
- anonymous … Have any of you heard this before? Does this mean that if today is Christmas day, Jesus’ birthday, then, today this is true:
Christmas is yesterday’s tomorrow
And what a WONDERFUL Christmas day this has been! The sun shone brightly through our breakfast nook’s window and I just HAD to go out for a run before church! Auntie Sharon and I exchanged stockings this morning and sitting behind my very favorite D’Auria family at church was one more treat in this day!
Tim, Kate and James arrived this afternoon and we walked to the pond for a family photo. James is two … so the photo session was more like a few shots in between leaf-hunting along the trail.
well well well
Three cheers for Christmas Eve Day this year! Last night Wendy and I stayed awake until, nearly, 3 am finishing her birthday (august 9th) puzzle! It was so thrilling to finally finish the 2,000-piece masterpiece!
Lydia and I also made popcorn balls! Stay tuned for recipe in a later post!
And what’s more is this morning we began the day with Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving cartoon PLUS Charlie Brown’s Christmas! Yipee!! Somehow hearing Linus recite the gospel, chapter 2, of Luke, verses 8 through 14 is so peaceful. Thank you, Linus and Peanuts…”And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.’”
“…And that’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.” 
Wendy and I followed the directions for planting a holiday ammyrrillus, who progress I shall graciolsu track for you in the next 8 to 10 weeks, as well!
thank you for your help Wendy! Also today, I managed to get to JCPenney! Macy’s! Kroger and even cook a Christmas Eve Evening feast with my Auntie Sharon, attend the Christmas Eve service and watch the nutcracker in front of the fire – - oh! – and I stuffed Auntie Sharon’s stocking…stay tuned for that – it shall have a post all its own! … Merry Christmas Eve y’all!
dance off
here’s a little sneak peak of a photo shoot during my weekend of hanging with Ciara Perez! … and Erin, Monica and Winnie!
I call this set the “boing!”
okay okay! here are some more!
Wendy said, after seeing these photos: “I that in my sleep…easy peasy.”
jasper’s in phila!
there will be more photos to come, however, I thought I’d create a cute little tribute to my traveling buddies! here ya go!
then go look at the cute little Wordle that I made for the two of them!
a new look
well whatdya think of the nice little backdrop…courtesy of joefranklin…
Once upon a dream ii
Still, I’m on my “Ps. Keller Kick.” For those of you who are not, already, familiar with my relative spontaneity, I just, now, came up with the idea’s title. That’s right, here on the fly,
Ps. Keller Kick aka Jasper’s Tim Keller Kick
There were, nearly, too many commas in the former sentence, too, I wanted to mention. And there were far too many commas in the latter sentence, as well. I digress. I want to continue my mini exposé on “remembering the loving arms we remember but never had.” A couple of days ago I was quoting a sermon about a “The Wounded Spirit” on “Once upon a dream i” and it’s referring to this sense of dissatisfaction with this life that many of us humans experience. Many of us humans may be experiencing dissatisfaction today, maybe not. This dissatisfaction, this yearning, this being convinced that there is “something more” than what we’re experiencing or this “how we’re living today” can be indication that something’s inherently wrong with our lives. Please do not misunderstand, everyone’s case is different and I do not want to me contradictory in my reasoning by simplifying humanity’s problem, NO! But if you’ve willingness to look at the situation with the possibility that Jesus’ point is, at all, accurate, you might take a look at these scriptures (in context, take a look, too ) “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” Matthew 7:13 niv Perhaps we HUMANS are simply TRYING TO HARD to “fix ourselves” so that we CAN enter the gate when we were NEVER intended to enter the gate of truth permitted by any of our own works, rather our humanity limits us, in an everlasting and eternal failure, to be able to achieve greatness. And he makes the way narrow and, through faith, we enter. Simply and of no conceivable work or effort of our own can we enter through the gate that was, his alone, won for us. On the bus today, I was writing to my Uncle. You can see, below, that I might have dated the letter to have been “written” early than I actually wrote it, as I wanted him to think I’d written it in with more punctuality than in actuality. Guilty – see! Even with the little things, if I’m honest than I struggle with sincerity and integrity on many levels!
My Uncle is getting older and I love him so much and I SO WANT TO share with him my joy over the scriptures - what I’m learning but he doesn’t like “all the dogma” of religion. Really, though, you may be reading this and judging, resenting, disliking or embracing, loving, yearning, yourself, to share your ideas with other! – Whatever your reaction to my words, I wonder if we could begin by facing these questions ourselves, looking inward with where we truly are with Him or ourselves or with life. Personally, I’d LOVE to hear your response and all you have to do is press reply below! You could also let me know if you would/wouldn’t like me to make your response public or if you’d like me to keep your reply private…either way, I’d love to hear your input on the comments, scriptures, idea, sermon etc! Much love! – Jasper
another time and place
I wanted to clean out my “draft box” and discovered just this title: “Another time and place?” I wonder what was on my mind when I submitted this little title with no content. Most likely, I was running when I composed such a thought. One million little thoughts come to mind while running. Sometimes I pretend I am Oscar Wilde and will, one day, turn each thought into their own free-standing masterpiece. Wikipedia says that “…known for his biting wit, he became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day.” They also mention, unfortunately, that “…as the result of a widely covered series of trials, Wilde suffered a dramatic downfall and was imprisoned for two years’ hard labour after being convicted of [accusations I will not, further, mention.]“
Bummer.
Like with many of my photos, I try to take little snip-its of life and thought and present them as masterpieces. Any one item that I capture is a masterpiece of creation, in my mind. I didn’t create the masterpiece. I am just privileged to capture it. Here is a photo of flowers in Nebraska.
Who would have thought such amazingness could be found near exit 145 in Nebraska? I take back any comments I ever made about America being a big hole in-between both coasts. Travel from one end of this country to the other and observe wonders and experiences never imaginable.
