this girls got talent

Found this on YouTube just now, and had to share it with you. What an amazing voice. I guess she posts every sunday and her songs are amazing. Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjMRf4egAyA

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Just finished "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy. very good book. Written during a very interesting time in Europe's history, when the Evangelicals were gaining strength and titles and religion were beginning to lose strength especially among the educated. Tess's story is a tragedy. At times I felt like I could bare it anymore, but Hardy had made her such a lovable heroine that I couldn't but it down. The books subtitle is "A Pure Woman". Which is many ways she was night. But this was mostly by means out of her control. In all other ways she was a "pure" woman. Faithful, honest, hardworking, valiant, etc... I wonder if Hardy was pointing his figure at the church for writing off those of unfortunate circumstance. Or, what he perceived as their inability to be flexible. Showing what he felt where the wrongs with the Letter of the Law. It is fairly sinicle towards the evangelical movement. He writes alot of it up to emotional conversions with little weight and as I said perviously, rigid, unforgiving, law.
Tess's story ends in the only way approperiate for her time. She is caught between two "sins" with no way out but her demise.
Overall I really enjoyed the story. He rambled a bit at times, but I just skimmed over the landscape descriptions. I really enjoyed the detail he payed to the life and ways of life. Like the back sleeve adequately says, "Hardy poured all of his profound empathy for both humanity and the rhythms of natural life..."
Mom tells me there was a mini series made on the book, so I'm looking forward to looking that up.
I would recommend this book.

New, New, New

So we've moved into our new digs. Loving the trailer. The only two rooms that feel squishy are the kitchen and the bathroom. Other than that we are sailing with lots of room. We've had a good week to get settled in. We were so tired after the move that its taken this long to recover. Next week starting Monday, though, Jon starts volleyball and all the students come and life immediately gets busy. Its going to take some determination on my part to figure out how to do this family and the volleyball together with grace. I'm really praying God puts some creative ideas, abundance of patience and grace to give110% to my husband and kids. I know this is what God has asked us to do, School and Volleyball, so I want to trust He has a plan to make it work. All I can do it rely on Him in all things. Like Jim Elliot said, "He is no fool who gives up what he can not keep to gain what he can not lose." I'm giving up my husband, my supposed stability, all the other stuff in life I want control of, so that I can lean completely on Christ and gain eternity, and true joy in Him.
All things for Christ.