Happy Halloween and War Eagle!

The awesome pumpkin we carved.  Happy Halloween and War Eagle!

Kiddos

Photo from brightnewsmile.com

    
    As most of you reading probably know, I am in dental school and I am loving the dentistry part of dental school.  I am also pretty firmly set on finishing after next year and to forgo doing a residency of any kind because I am ready to work and not be in school, plus so far I really like all the aspects of general dentistry.  This last week I rotated through the pediatric clinic and really enjoyed it, but I am still not swayed into pursuing a pedo residency.  I am maybe just more convinced that I would possibly like to treat kids one day, maybe through a public health job, or maybe a family practice setting in a smaller community where there are not tons of pediatric dentists.

So... here is a list of pros and cons of treating kids that sums up my experiences from last week.

Pros
1. Kids are really cute, and they say funny things.
2. You get to have stickers and prizes in your office.
3. You get to act goofy. (and dress up for things like Halloween)
4. Kids are still forming habits, so you could potentially set them up to have great oral health their whole life.

Pros or Cons
1.  You pretty much just drill and fill, kids don't usually need a whole lot of crowns/bridges or dentures! (This is good or bad depending on what kind of dentistry you like, I have not done enough of everything yet to know for sure.)

Cons
1. You have to deal with some really intense parents.
2. Kids can scream really loud!

It's great to be an Auburn Tiger!

BCS Standings
RK	TEAM	RECORD
1	Auburn	8-0
2	Oregon	7-0
3	Boise State	6-0
4	TCU	8-0
5	Michigan State	8-0

After our win over #6 LSU, Auburn is 8-0 and now #1 in the BCS standings.  War Eagle!  


http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=5724137

Prayers of an Excellent Wife

Andrew Case authored a wonderful book, "Prayers of an Excellent Wife"  to practically lead wives in prayer for their husbands.  I have really enjoyed praying with it.

Here is one of the prayers from the book.

Father of Wisdom,
Let me never cease to pray for my husband, asking
that he may be filled with the knowledge of Your
will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk
in a manner worthy of You, bearing fruit in every good work
and increasing in the knowledge of You. May he be strengthened
with all power, according to Your glorious might, for all
endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to You, who
have qualified him to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
Do you remember, my beloved, that He has delivered you
from the domain of darkness and transferred you to the
kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom you have redemption,
the forgiveness of sin? Yes, praise Him with me for His
marvelous grace!
O LORD God, make him continue in the faith, stable and
steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that he
heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under
heaven. Keep him! Keep him! Keep him in the love of Christ.
Amen (Colossians 1).

Rescued from a Chilean Mine

Photo from boston.com/bigpicture

  
     The 33 trapped Chilean miners were pulled out from under 1/2 mile of rock last week and an estimated 1 billion people watched on.  With all the media coverage these are my condensed choices for recapping the event.

First, the event in pictures. http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/10/rescued_from_a_chilean_mine.html

Second, an article on why the miners had T-shirts that said "Gracias Padre". http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/14/the-story-behind-the-chilean-miners-jesus-t-shirts/

Lastly, an article talking about the miners that accepted Christ while trapped under ground. http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/BPnews.asp?ID=33842

The God We Praise

The Brook Hills praise team has just released a CD of original music.  We have been singing a lot of these songs in worship for weeks now, and I think you will enjoy them as much as we have!  Check out the website and click on each track to see the lyrics, hear a sample, and read the bio about how the song was inspired from scripture.

Tim Conway as a Dentist

I laugh out loud at this every time.

So Long Moses

Photo from Amazon.com

Ryan and I have been following the Church at Brook Hills chronological bible reading plan since January.  It is now October and today is the last day before the New Testament. I have read a different reading plan in the past, one where you read old and new testament at the same time, and I think I actually like that better.  However, in the last month or so, I have come to realize the one thing that is unique to a chronological plan, you truly anticipate the coming of Christ!  I have seen the rise and fall of the people of God,  I have read stories about imperfect kings, I see the need for restoration and salvation for Israel and the world, and I have heard the prophecies that a savior is coming.  After nine months in the Old Testament (in all its wonder... and confusion and sometimes unclarity) I am so ready for the prophesied King!  Below are the lyrics to a song by Andrew Peterson that I think is a beautiful telling of the story of the Old Testament and the Savior to come.

So Long Moses by Andrew Peterson
Album: Behold the Lamb of God

So long, Moses                                                   Hello, Joshua
Hello, Promised Land                                          Goodbye, Canaanites
It was a long, long road                                        We're coming to town
But your people are home                                    Twelve tribes and no crown
So long, Moses                                                   No crown, Oh Lord

We want a king on a throne
Full of power, with a sword in his fist
Will there ever be, ever be a king like this?

Hello, Saul                                                          Hail, King David
First king of Israel                                                Shepherd from Bethlehem
You were foolish and strong                                 Set the temple of God
So you didn't last long                                          In mighty Jerusalem
Goodbye, Saul

You were a king on a throne
Full of power, with a sword in his fist
Has there ever been, ever been a king like this?
Full of wisdom, full of strength, the hearts of the people are his
Hear, O Israel, was ever there a king like this?

Hello, prophets                                                 So speak, Isaiah
The kingdom is broken now                               Prophet of Judah
The people of God                                            Can you tell of the One
Have been scattered abroad                              This king who's going to come
How long, O Lord?

Will he be a king on a throne
Full of power with a sword in his fist?
Prophet, tell us will there be another king like this?
Full of wisdom, full of strength,
The hearts of the people are his
Prophet, tell us will there be
another king like this?

"He'll bear no beauty or glory
Rejected, despised
A man of such sorrow
We'll cover our eyes

He'll take up our sickness
Carry our tears
For his people
He will be pierced

He'll be crushed for our evils
Our punishment feel
By his wounds
We will be healed."

"From you, O Bethlehem
Small among Judah
A ruler will come
Ancient and strong."

Way to Go Auburn

Photo from Al.com

Here is an article from The Daily Gamecock, the student newspaper from USC.  It is an opinion piece about how hospitable Auburn fans are and how you can show team spirit without being rude.  Here is the link (Auburn hospitality sets standards: Gamecock fans can show team pride without being rude, disrespectful) and below is a quote from the piece.

"Welcome to Auburn.

Seriously. Welcome to Auburn.

Everyone said it - while giving directions, offering food, serving free drinks and speaking to all.

They shook hands. They thanked you for visiting.

And some even apologized just in case someone else was mean to you. It almost felt like there was a planned hospitality committee in this gorgeous, quaint town on the Plains."

The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody

Ryan and I both find the Muppets to be hilarious and wildly entertaining. They came up in conversation tonight (I have no recollection of how we reached the topic of the Muppets while watching college football), so I thought I would post my favorite clip, the Muppet rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody".

Turning Over a New Leaf

    September was a little busy for Ryan and me.  Hence we only posted on our blog twice!  So in honor of October 1st, I am officially turning over a new leaf and starting to blog again.  

Image from www.boston.com/bigpicture

Fall is officially in the air in Birmingham, so here are a couple of my favorite things fall brings...

1. The cool weather: I love the brisk fall mornings and the sunny cool afternoons.  Perfect weather for hiking, picnics, and bike rides.  The fall weather always makes me think of my grandparents and the fun times we would have at the family farm during the cool months of hunting season.

Top: Me, Leigh, and Dad.  Bottom: Leigh, me, Mamaw, and Papaw.  Both taken at the farm.

2. The beautiful leaves: I love all the beautiful colors of fall.  Birmingham is always beautiful in the fall because of the rolling hills of the city that all the sudden turn to a beautiful palate of fall color.  The picture below is of the lake at Oak Mountain State Park, which is possible one of my favorite places in the world because of all the wonderful memories I made there with my family.  My parents live about 5 minutes from the park so we spent a lot of fall weekends hiking there.

Image from Uptake.com

Psalm 95 1-7 says, "Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rick of our salvation!  let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with song of praise!  For the Lord is a great God,and a great King above all gods.  In his hands are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.  Oh come let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!  For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand."

3. Football and Fall TV:  Cool Friday nights always make me think of high school football, which brings back wonderful memories of Ryan playing football and me cheering on the sideline.  Ryan and I now still love watching college football with friends on Saturdays.  

Ryan and I after a Friday Night game

It also must be mentioned as well that fall brings back "The Office", "Bones", "Modern Family", and "Glee" which is nice after the barren wasteland that is summer television.

4. Soup, Chili, and Cornbread:  The cool weather always means it is time to make a bowl of Santa Fe soup or Chili and some cornbread.  I love chili and hate that the summer is just too hot to make it!  

Image from McCormick.com

5. Jackets, Sweaters, and Boots:  Jackets are one of my favorite clothing items so I always love the first couple of days it is cool enough to pull out those jackets that you love but have not seen since early March.  After a long hot summer, it feels as those you have a whole new wardrobe once you pull out all those jackets, sweaters, and boots.


So that is what I love about fall.  What do you love about it?