Just Curious...

at 02/05/08 10:27PM

If you read this
If your eyes are passing over this right now
Even if we don't speak too often
Please post a comment with a memory of you and me
It can be anything you want
Good or Bad
When finished, post this little paragraph on your blog
And be surprised by what people remember about you.

5-24 of 24 comments « prev 1 2 next »

I remember when we went to banquet together at camp. You were my date and in our picture we were both SO sunburned. :) That was fun. Oh and I have pictures of when you came down to see me and we made cookies and had tons of fun.

by stylinmama at 02/08/08 1:24AM
I remember standing in the student center talking to you and thinking that you had the most beautiful hair!

by mjintexas at 02/08/08 10:55AM
You were a camper. I was a counselor. There were a lot of us there and there were millions of memories made, only I can't remember any. Sorry. I do know you were a fun loving, outgoing, friendly young lady and a positive role model to the younger girls who looked up to you!!!

by mom247365 at 02/09/08 6:16PM
Nights in dorm laughing with Candee, you always made me laugh and you're such a fun and pleasant person to be around:)

by kristiegore at 02/09/08 11:54PM
A Bible study one night with you, Blair, Julia and I in mine and Julia's dorm room. Your beautiful smile and voice. Your happy spirit. Those are my most vivid memories of you.

by jeking at 02/11/08 6:50PM
Ha, I know! Can you tell that all of my furniture was bought when I was first married and I got SO stuck on green! Furniture isn't so easily replaced so green it is for a while longer. :)

by stylinmama at 02/11/08 11:09PM
Oh - a while back I asked everyone who still wanted to be on my friends list to say so. Then if they didn't I erased their name from my list - just doing some housekeeping. I must not have heard from you :( I added you back.

Hmmm....a memory. The one that keeps popping into my head is you at FC Camp, always with your sleeves rolled up and always on a field playing a sport. :) And I also remember when you took the train to Portland and spent time with us! That was fun!

by DessertDiva at 02/11/08 11:29PM
Hi Mary! Thought that was you!...What up?...Lets see...I remember living down the hall from you at FC and just how sweet and welcoming you were and how easy going and real you seemed to be...And the fact you loved great music...Nothing super specific come to mind though...

by heatherfeather at 02/27/08 2:20PM
Yep It's me- Heather V. :)...Now Heather G. :)

by heatherfeather at 02/28/08 9:02AM
Hey, I got your message. Let's talk soon, I miss you.

by ewalker at 02/28/08 1:44PM
All those late nights in the ol' Dorm!!!

by jenfc00 at 04/08/08 1:32PM
haha, well i would have to say going to visit LN in your room wondering just WHAT you were doing!? :o)

by tickets at 06/29/08 3:28AM
You're back! Thanks for the compliment on my sweet baby ... if you've been gone for a while, you probably missed our tragedy. Our sweet angel didn't make it - she was stillborn on Sept. 19th.

by wifelet at 10/29/08 10:18AM
I'm glad you're back! I didn't even remember that I removed you! :)

by stylinmama at 10/29/08 5:46PM
Thanks, it was a good anniversary. We got bikes for each other, we just picked them up yesterday so I can't wait to go try them out!:)

by kristiegore at 10/30/08 7:08AM
Thanks Mary! Yes we are expecting again...fun! I miss you!

by mellymc at 10/30/08 6:19PM
I remember meeting you and Ellen when you first moved in next to me and my first roommate. Very short-lived. I was on the first floor by September and she was gone by Thanksgiving.

by kendrad at 11/04/08 4:05PM
Thanks Mary! I miss you!

by mellymc at 07/04/09 5:52PM
Oh Mary, mary...my rare form friend ;-) Happy 5 years to you also. How are you? Hope ya'll are great!! Love to you!

by mellymc at 11/24/10 9:23AM

Merry Christmas?

at 12/02/07 8:50PM

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Celebrate Kwanzaa! Seasons Greetings! Happy Holidays!

Isn't it amazing the variety of "pc" greetings we Americans have developed? (Did I miss any?)

As to "Christmas" - did anyone else grow up with parents who believed and taught you that Christmas should not be a celebration of Christ's birth? To this day, I avoid any direct reference to Christ such as stars, wise men, and nativity scenes.

Why? Probably because I tend to see Christmas as the commercialization of Christ. Once commercialized, it's easy to miss the true meaning of Christ. In fact I don't give many gifts either. Do I sound like a scrooge or what? (Sidenote, but for similar reasons I don't like to give gifts for "Mothers' Day" or "Fathers' Day" or even birthdays because I don't like the emphasis of one day - over all the other 364 - for appreciating that person.)

Ironically, in the last five years or so, the lack of the use of the word "Christmas" by many commercial companies bothers me because it seems like just one more place Christ is intentionally removed.

Am I being hypocritical?

We see it as a time to spend with family, to decorate and give gifts. Crystal and I never get anything for each other and I don't expect anything from my siblings or parents. For the most part if I want something I usually just buy it myself. We do more for our nieces and nephews who love getting gifts. Kids on Christmas morning just makes it better because how excited they get and how much fun they have.

I dislike Christ being removed in general more because its just another example of the minority forcing its beliefs on the majority. I just don't understand how someone hoping you have a happy day(Merry Christmas) is so offensive. Its like the whole making the English language the official language and those that can't speak English in America getting all upset.

Kwanzaa is just a holiday to make certain people feel better about themselves. Go over to Africa and they will look at you like you're crazy. Just ask my granddad, lived from 3-75 years old, and my mom, born and raised in Africa.

by baizal at 12/02/07 10:30PM
Great post, love it! I wouldn't say you are hypocritical, but just making a point on principle because it is sad to see another success in Christ being removed from society even if we don't celebrate this day as Christ's birth. Sidenote- did you know I will be home for the holidays?

by seattle22 at 12/03/07 12:47AM
Hey! A new post! :) I agree with all of the above comments. Very good post, insightful.

by stylinmama at 12/03/07 1:37AM
Wow - I never really thought of it that way before. We celebrate "the holidays", but I also avoid reference to Christ around this time as if we're celebrating his birth this ONE season. I tell people that I celebrate His birth every day and that I don't believe He was even born around this time.

I don't sing "religious" holiday songs and you won't see a Nativity scene in my front yard. I do have an excess of snowflake decorations, though. :)

by DessertDiva at 12/03/07 10:27AM
I will be in town (specifically Seattle area) from the 27th - the 1st! If I have a rental car and the time I will try to make it out there!! I would love to see your place!!

by seattle22 at 12/03/07 12:23PM
It's an interesting thought, Mary. I grew up with the same thing about it being completely secular. As I've gotten older, I mind *less* about people celebrating it as Christ's birth, because it seems that if people are thinking more about Jesus and religion, that perhaps that's a good time to take advantage of the mindset and teach that Christ is the reason for ALL seasons.

by mjintexas at 12/03/07 3:47PM
Very good thoughts my Mary and I hope you are doing good! I miss you!!!! I looked through my wedding pictures and made me think of you. Happy Holidays!

by mellymc at 12/03/07 8:11PM
My husband and I have discussed the same thing recently! Neither of us have ever celebrated the holiday as Christ's birth- we are never given a command to do that, instead we are commanded to remember Christ's death and resurrection every 1st day of the week. But it is disconcerting to see what little "religion" other people do have suddenly become labeled "politically incorrect." (I hope that sentence made sense).

by holly_ann at 12/03/07 8:22PM
Great thoughts. I grew up Catholic so Christ was totally in Christmas. When we became Christians (Ron and I were in our early 20's) I went extreme the other way (although we never did give up the gift exchange). Now, 15+ years later....I am not so offended by "Christ"mas- because I feel like Jesus is still alive and acceptable to people in general and maybe just maybe people will take a look at the Bible.

BTW- HI!!! How are you!!! Mikey is still at U of I. He is still doing track has been training really hard since September!!! [

by mom247365 at 12/03/07 9:53PM
Good point

by vande at 12/06/07 4:51PM
Of course as Christains we are mindful of Christ's death every week when we partake of the Lord's supper. As important of an event as that was it was certainly a beautiful day the day that our Savior was "born" too. Just think of the glory that He was willing to put aside in order to walk amoung us. I'm glad that we have these thoughts to bring up to people during this season as well.

P.S. I often times catch myself singing christmas songs along with the radio. There are some good ones. :) Happy Days to you and Tim. Hey Tim, sorry we had to cut our last conversation short. We'll catch up again soon. Later.

by vande at 12/06/07 4:58PM
I can promise you I won't rent a car just for you... I have to rent a car at some point anyways.

by seattle22 at 12/06/07 9:34PM
Great post, Mary! Growing up in the church like you, my parents really downplayed the reference to Christ at this time of year. We were taught that Jesus's death is what we are commanded to remember every first day of the week. We don't do anything for "Easter" and we don't celebrate “Christmas” the same way the world does. We think He was probably born in the summertime, but God didn't give us a date and didn’t tell us to celebrate His birth. We are happy He was born and lived and died and was raised again, but we were not told to celebrate His birthday. As a kid, I remember my father was hesitant to let the tree show in the window and didn’t dare put lights on the outside of the house incase it was misinterpreted that we were celebrating the world’s idea of Christmas.

by gumdrop at 12/08/07 1:00PM
My dad didn’t like us to say “Christmas” and he would rather have us write “Xmas” or nothing at all. I don’t think I have ever heard him say “Merry Christmas.” He lets Mom do the cards and I think she just wishes us “Happy Holidays.” As a child, we exchanged gifts and got stockings with goodies from “Santa,” and on top of the tree was always a Victorian doll or an old fashioned ceramic Santa doll. I know this was offensive to our Catholic neighbors who did not understand why we didn’t celebrate it as Christ’s birthday. We always avoided any star ornaments or other symbols like that for the tree and we didn’t sing or purchase holiday music that was religious. The cards we would send or display from friends were ones with non-religious holiday scenes. My parents made it more about the reindeer, the tree, Santa, snowmen, and stockings. As a kid, I even joked that it was Santa’s birthday this time of year, but I imagine that is horribly offensive to some – and I didn’t mean it to be. Over the years, a lot of non-Christians friends have been offended that I don’t talk about Jesus’ birth and that I don’t celebrate this as a religious holiday. To this day, you won’t find a star on my tree (I hang a US flag ornament near the top or leave it empty), and I won’t join in carols that have to do with Christ. Wow, sorry for that huge post. I guess I sort of got on a soapbox!! :) Mary, this is Steph if you couldn’t tell by my posts.

by gumdrop at 12/08/07 1:01PM
Hey Mary! Good to hear from you. Unfortunately, my Greek is a little rusty these days. Should have kept those flashcards...

by apokteno at 12/15/07 10:08AM
I was taught that it is wrong to celebrate Christmas as the birth of Christ because we are not commanded to in the Bible, we don't have an example of it, etc. I don't feel the same way about it now though. I'm concerned about the connection with Catholicism and the orgins of the holiday, but who really thinks about that when they think of Christmas today? Romans 14:5-6 really made me question my attitude toward Christmas "One person esteems one day above another; another person esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who doess not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it." I believe that passage is referring primarily to the Jewish Holy Days, but in light of that I don't see how I could say that it is wrong to take a day and celebrate the birth of Christ.

by apokteno at 12/15/07 10:19AM
yeah, I made it back fine. Today I made an official decision to Major in Kinesiology (nope, not english) and minor in History. It won't all be fun, but it will be well worth it if I could ever get a PE teaching job!!!

by seattle22 at 01/08/08 10:33PM
I appreciate it Mary! Lately it just seems that the effort I am putting into keeping up with others is not being returned. I guess that post is a little "debbie downer." Well anyways, whatever happens it will be worth it if I can get into A&M!!

by seattle22 at 02/02/08 1:01AM

Rick Warren Interview

at 09/06/07 2:14PM

Below is an excerpt from an email I was forwarded. I'd love to hear thoughts about it. (I found it humbling and inspiring.)

(Sorry about the formatting, I was in a rush.) mps
__________________________________________________________

This is an absolutely incredible interview with Rick Warren, author of
"Purpose Driven Life" His wife now has cancer, and he now has "wealth"
from the book sales. In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren,
Rick said:"People ask me, "What is the purpose of life?" And I respond: In
a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last
forever, and God wants us to be with Him in HeavenOne day my heart is going
to stop, and that will be the end of my body--but not the end of me.I may
live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to
spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress
rehearsal.God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in
eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out,
life isn't going to make sense.Life is a series of problems: Either you
are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to
go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than
your comfortGod is more interested in making your life holy than He is in
making your life happy.We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's
not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ
likeness.This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the
toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.I used to think that life was
hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the
mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.Rather than life
being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a
railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad
in your life.No matter how good things are in your life, there is always
something bad that needs to be worked on.And no matter how
bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank
God for.You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.
If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which
is my problem, my issues, my pain."But one of the easiest ways to get rid
of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.We
discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of
people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her.It has been
very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given
her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her
closer to Him and to people.You u have to
learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.

Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For
instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million
copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.It also brought a lot of
notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives
you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of
ease.So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money,
notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me
decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.First, in spite of all the
money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no
major purchases.Second, about midway through last year, I stopped
taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an
initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist
the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.Fourth, I
added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started
the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve
God for free.We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions?
Popularity?Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness?
Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my
life)?When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say,
God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and
love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do
list.He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're
called human beings, not human doings.Happy moments, PRAISE GOD. Difficult
moments, SEEK GOD. Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every
moment, THANK GOD. "A friend sent it to me, I shared it with you, now pick
friends that you want to bless

I love what he said, it's a wonderful interview with great thought all through out it. Hope you're doing good Mary!:)

by kristiegore at 09/06/07 7:10PM
What wonderful thoughts. Thanks for sharing that!

by the_girl_next_door at 09/07/07 6:23AM
Wow, how inspiring. Glad you finally posted Mary!

by mellymc at 09/07/07 10:24PM
What an awesome attitude!

by lastoflakewood at 09/08/07 12:08PM
Haha, thanks! How are you doing my rare form friend?!

by mellymc at 09/27/07 10:59PM
They are my oldest brother's three. You're right, Julia and Chris have two boys.

by jeking at 10/10/07 9:19PM
Thanks for sharing the fw - I hope I would be as humble about wealth and influence (it's hard to imagine not buying any major material possessions) but what a wonderful way to deal with the Lord's blessing (that could easily become an entrapment). I still think life is like hills and valleys, though. But he is right about there always being some good and bad.

by ginrummy at 10/17/07 4:08PM
hey mary! how are u? i had dinner the other night with..uh..i forget how u are related to them..but its the basingers that go to market street.kathy

by blondeatheart at 11/06/07 1:25AM
i think thats her name..and mike i think..idk. im horrible at remembering names.lol

by blondeatheart at 11/06/07 1:25AM

Tried and True

at 02/15/07 7:25PM

We moved into our house last weekend. There hasn't been much time to think about it all, but I can tell you there's something wonderful about sleeping in your OWN HOUSE. Perhaps that's just because I've been a "transient" for the last 7 years and haven't known where I planned to live from year to year.

My first trial was this week. It's come and gone and ended the best possible way - the judge dismissed the charges against my client. (And, yes, my client was innocent! : )

My change to the "dark side" of the law as a public defender is nearly complete...

6-25 of 25 comments « prev 1 2 next »

HOORAY! Glad to hear about the new house AND the first trial.

by mjintexas at 02/15/07 11:30PM
Mary...you are such a grown-up! A house and a trial...too much! :)

by mellymc at 02/16/07 7:25AM
How wonderful! I'm so happy for you that you have your own house and that your first trial went well! I'm still a "transient"... I wonder when that will end...

by holly_ann at 02/16/07 11:29AM
hey, could you email me your new address?

by ewalker at 03/04/07 8:53PM
Yeah...I'd like your mailing address too! jamiebaldwin@hotmail.com

by DessertDiva at 03/05/07 1:28PM
So tell us what you've been up to lately! Curious about these trials. I'm sure you've got stories!

by mjintexas at 03/08/07 12:08PM
Yeah - I've considered both sides of criminal law. Right now, I'm leaning towards prosecution, but I really got a lot out of my experience at the PD's office. I think criminal law is a great place for Christians to practice. I imagine your job gives you some really neat opportunities.

by ben at 03/18/07 8:07AM
Tag...you're it. 6 Weird Things about You then tag others. Go.

by DessertDiva at 03/25/07 5:46PM
^^^^Its fun!!!

by mellymc at 03/25/07 6:41PM
We bought a house. Well, we close May 9, but we are pretty much all set. How is everything in your new place and work? We need to chat soon.

by ewalker at 04/16/07 3:50PM
Hey Mary....did you go to school with Brandi Carlile?

by clynch at 05/24/07 10:12AM
MARY!! -its Alisha. Don't know when you will get this but "HI!"

by seattle22 at 06/09/07 12:55AM
I dont know here, but she is from Maple Valley and is around your age...she's a big time singer now. Check her out.

by clynch at 06/12/07 2:30PM
So what's been going on in the whole 6 months since this last update? ;)

by stylinmama at 08/02/07 11:43PM
I am a retired police officer and was picked to sit on a jury. The story is on my blog but if you don't have time to read it, it is NOT true that all police officers believe "if the defendant was not guilty he would have never been arrested".

by arsenal at 08/09/07 2:10PM
Thank you!

by the_girl_next_door at 08/10/07 5:58AM
I once got into a discussion with a public defender. I stated that one of the things most lacking in our courtrooms is the TRUTH. I am not anti-attorney just anti- attorneys who place winning cases above everything else.

by arsenal at 08/10/07 6:46AM
My best wishes to you in your profession. I have a niece who just became a JAG lawyer in the Air Force. I also see you are FC. I am Class of 67. Yes, I am old.

by arsenal at 08/11/07 5:07AM
Hey - I'd love to see an update! :)

by DessertDiva at 08/14/07 12:25PM

Our House...

at 01/10/07 11:02PM

is a very, very, very fine house...

Well, two pieces of personally exciting news.

1. About three weeks ago I started a job as a juvenile criminal defense attorney. No, I never thought about working in criminal law, especially not criminal defense. Yes, I'm enjoying it. There is never a dull day. Just yesterday I had a kid make a run for it after he found out his probation officer (~parole officer) was going to ask the judge to send the kid to detention (~jail).

2. Last week Tim and I made an offer on a house that was accepted! We close in less than a month. It's 15 minutes from the court house and 30ish minutes from the firm's office. Should work out well. And the lot has a little over an acre. (My love of land runs deep. : )

Hope all is well with y'all!

9-28 of 28 comments « prev 1 2 next »

Congrats, Mary! I couldn't see the pics on the email either :( Would you resend them? I can't wait to see it- ok, I would rather visit in person but who knows when that will be!

by ewalker at 01/11/07 12:54PM
how cool is that! be careful around them criminals though...and congratulations on the house. home's are better in houses!

by justjoey at 01/11/07 7:37PM
The pics came through! Thanks for resending them--it looks like a great house! I am so excited for you guys!

by jeking at 01/11/07 9:49PM
Great house:) I love the woodsy paths outside, guess you are in the great northwest... :)

by ewalker at 01/11/07 10:06PM
really? that would be awesome. if you posted pics of your new house I don't see them anywhere. Congratulations though, I hope you were able to take advantage of so many homes that he gone into foreclosure, I'm pretty sure that means there are some awesome deals out there. Maybe someday I'll own a home too. I think I'll add that to my list.

by vande at 01/12/07 10:31PM
hey, are you gonna add that hot tub? That deck is perfect :)

by ewalker at 01/13/07 7:17PM
Great news all around!!!! Congratulations!

by holly_ann at 01/14/07 2:38PM
I wrote my appellate brief on the same problem last year. It must be a "stock" law school writing problem.

by ben at 01/14/07 4:26PM
I enjoyed looking at the pictures in your rooms. Wish I could have been at your wedding- you were beautiful!

by ewalker at 01/14/07 8:26PM
Aww! You were very beautiful...but then you always are!

by jeking at 01/14/07 9:09PM
BEAUTIFUL pictures!! :) I love your bridesmaid bouquets - those are GORGEOUS! :)

by lalalalalolo at 01/15/07 8:23AM
I loved your house pictures!! That's so exciting! Let me know if you need any help with anything! CONGRATS!

by DessertDiva at 01/15/07 4:23PM
How exciting! Keep me updated on the whole criminal law thing, that's gotta be interesting. I'm soooo jealous you got a house with over an acre!!! I can't wait till we buy one, we're thinking that after our lease is up (end of September) is when we'll get one. I love having land too, I always grew up having a yard, I hate it when you can see through your neighbors windows, it's just not right. Congrats with everything!

by kristiegore at 01/16/07 11:00AM
Looks like there will be no buying a house in the near future. Something to do with me being high-risk because only being an independent contractor for 6 months. We can't afford the high interest rates that come with that. Anyway, we're looking at renting a house for now and that's just fine with me. One day we'll OWN one. :)

by stylinmama at 01/19/07 7:21PM
Hey, if you're willing to drive 3 hours to come to a hair appointment, I'd love to have you as a client! ! :) But if I'm ever up that way visiting Jamie, I'll let you know and we can have a hair day. :)

by stylinmama at 01/24/07 6:33PM
I've always thought I was a leo but due to my latest discovery in astronomy, I'm actually a cancer.

by justjenn at 01/24/07 7:11PM
My favorite rare form friend! I miss you so much!!! I'm so very excited for you. I wish you could meet little Landon. He is growing so fast and crawling everywhere! How are you?

by mellymc at 01/28/07 11:30PM
You need to post pictures of your new house!

by kristiegore at 01/31/07 9:43AM
and of course, your beautiful yard:)

by kristiegore at 01/31/07 9:43AM
I vote for a new blog! :)

by DessertDiva at 02/05/07 12:50PM

13-17 of 17 entries « prev 1 2 3 4 next »

Just Curious...

Merry Christmas?

Rick Warren Interview

Tried and True

Our House...

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