Sarah Jo Austin

If I Had a Million Dollars…

I’d buy everyone a kitten in a box:

5 comments October 28th, 2008

My Obsession with the Fleur-de-Lis

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m a bit obsessed with the fleur-de-lis right now. About a year ago, I heard this incredible piece on NPR about the Maori culture from New Zealand and how every detail about their tattoos has meaning: the placement, the image, the color, etc. More than likely, I won’t follow through with my tattoo plan, but if I ever do, I have settled on the fleur-de-lis.

I had been searching for a symbol that would represent what Christ has done in my life, and when I learned that fleur-de-lis are a symbol for the Trinity, I knew I had found the symbol I was looking for. The more I read about it, the more I love it. For one, it’s a stylized lily, my favorite flower, and another symbol in Christology for Christ and the resurrection. For two, it’s heavily associated with militaries and monarchies–a reminder that I am God’s child and am therefore royalty and that the battle always belongs to the Lord.

But I had also been looking for something that also represented my marriage to Chris and our devotion to the Lord. What’s beautiful about marriage is that it’s an earthly example of the Trinity, so the fleur-de-lis also represents my marriage: Chris and I on either side with Christ in the center. Lilies were also the principle flowers in all our wedding flower arrangements, so you know…awesome.

So I know a tattoo is unlikely (Chris frowns on them, for they are “unattractive on a woman.”), but I’ve thought about the other details of a fleur-de-lis tattoo. Color red outlined in dark red, which represents the blood that Christ shed on the cross for my sins. Our principle wedding color was also red, so you know. And I would naturally get the tattoo on the inside of my left wrist as a representation of where Christ was nailed to the cross.

So no, I haven’t thought about getting a tattoo at all (hey, my mom reads this blog, so officially, I will never get a tattoo), but I am thinking the fleur-de-lis is pretty cool this week.

4 comments October 20th, 2008

I Am Not A Bore, I Promise!

So I guess I haven’t written in a while. Yeah, my mom mentioned it on the phone tonight. You know I haven’t written in a while when my mom mentions it. I could blame my lack of writing on busy-ness because work has been a little a crazy and home has been a little crazy, but I hate letting busy-ness be an excuse for not getting things done. Truth is, I’m of the opinion that I’m pretty boring; therefore, I’m of the opinion that I have nothing to write about. But when I think about it, I know I’m not boring. Here is the evidence:

1. I bought a Mac this summer, and now I have become a Mac snob. I’m certain that had I not become a Mac, I never would’ve finished that triathlon, gotten bangs, or seen So You Think You Can Dance on tour. (OK, the Mac association is probably a little extreme, but I think it has some merit…)
2. I am reading Hemingway. I got four of his books for Christmas and have spent the last few weeks reading two of them. Gotta say that The Sun Also Rises was sorta weird, but I liked A Farewell to Arms. Working through For Whom the Bell Tolls right now, and then all I have left is The Old Man and the Sea.
3. I am a little obsessed with fleur-de-lis right now; hence, the new background on my blog. I have another blog in the works to explain this. I’ll get it up soon.

I don’t know what I’ll be writing about in the coming days and weeks. I’m not training for anything right now–just doing some periodic running and weight training. But stay tuned…things are bound to get interesting!

2 comments October 18th, 2008

Busy, Busy Beaver

Is it bad when I start to get used to insanity? Seriously. I’ve been so busy, I’m almost used to it. I don’t know what to do with myself. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

• Curtains: sewing and hanging at LifePoint. The worship room looks incredible.
• Engagement: my college roommate and Chris’s best friend got engaged on Thursday night, and we hung out with them and some others on Saturday night to watch the Mizzou game. We’re going wedding dress shopping tonight!
• LifePoint’s fourth anniversary: all day Sunday. Ugh. I was so tired, but I think I got some great photos. Sometimes I think I’m crazy for devoting so much time to LifePoint, but there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing even if I wasn’t getting paid!
• Mold: no, it’s not gone yet, but things are moving in the right direction.

Husband? Gee, Chris and I have been meeting each other coming and going. He’s even busier than I am b/c he’s actually responsible for so more than I am at LPC. We could use a night out, but money is tight, so who knows when that might happen. Heck, I’d even take a night in with Scrabble, a movie, and home-made espressos at some point this week!

Running? Eh. No, it’s not been happening, but I want it to. Thinking that if I want to do a marathon this fall/winter, I might need to get a coach–someone to keep me on track for my mid-week runs and long runs (even if they can’t run with me). If you’re one of my readers and you might be interested in fulfilling this role, leave a comment.

1 comment October 6th, 2008