The Raven and The Dove

One of my goals for this year is to read the Old Testament from start to finish.  Being the last remaining book of scripture that I haven't ever read ALL the way through, and also being the curriculum for Sunday School this year, I decided that now was as good a time as any to get cracking on that tome.  A few weeks ago, as I was reading the story of Noah and the Ark, I noticed something interesting that I hadn't ever really paid attention to before.  After the flood, once the rain had stopped and the waters began to recede, Noah sent forth not only a dove to see if dry land were to be found, but also a raven.  I made note of it and thought about it for a while then -- trying to figure out what exactly it was supposed to mean and why it was even included and whether or not there even WAS significance in the brief mention made of this solitary raven -- but eventually moved on with my life and kind of forgot about it until we were talking about the Flood in Sunday School a week or two later.  At some point toward the end of the lesson, I was reading through those verses again and was struck all of a sudden by the black and white symbolism of the raven and the dove being sent back out into the world.  Equal and opposite.  Black and white.  Good and evil.  Happiness and misery. Opposition in all things.  Perhaps it's because the concept of opposition has been on my mind a lot lately that THIS is the particular interpretation I took from these scriptures, but I really like the way the imagery of the two birds conveys this idea.  As a result, for the last week or so -- whenever we have experienced any of those side by side, black and white experiences of life in the form of  trials and triumphs  -- I have jokingly pointed out to Scott that it's the raven and the dove all over again.  For me, personally, having the perspective that opposition is a necessary and important part of our earthly life is a very steadying thing.  Having the proper perspective makes all the difference in the world between simply enduring a trial and enduring it well.  At least it does for me.  {End of deep thoughts from Jessica.  And also, please understand that I am not claiming to have the only or even the right interpretation of these verses!   Hahaha.  Believe it or not, a quick google search will bring up all KINDS of commentary on the raven and the dove.} 

So -- keeping that idea of equals and opposites in mind -- let's have a recap of my birthday weekend!  Hahaha.  Up first?  The Good.

 Me and my twin.  Our birthday and half-birthday bit is still going strong.  Too strong perhaps.  Jane was in tears at the end of the day because I never got her any presents for her half-birthday party. 

As I stated before, Scott took the whole day off on Friday to celebrate with me in style!  After a morning of gymnastics for Jane, we dropped the two little ones off at a friend's house and then headed to the mall for a day of shopping and lunching at the Cheesecake Factory.  Since shopping with Scott is one of my favorite things in the world, it was a practically perfect day!   Made even more perfect in the evening with another babysitter to watch the kids while we shopped for some shoes and then went to the Barnes and Noble.  

 Go Shorty.  It's Your Birthday!

Thai Lettuce Wraps at the Cheesecake Factory.  Mmmmmmm.  SOOO good.  And so messy to eat.  Especially for one who is already a very messy eater.

Seriously, it was the best birthday ever.  So obviously I was setting myself up for the pendulum to swing in the other direction, right?  Well, the first swing was bright and early Saturday morning when Grace woke me up at 5 to say she had just thrown up.  And then it swung even more when I came down with her stomach bug by mid-afternoon yesterday.  And then it just got stuck in that swing mode when we woke up this morning to discover there was yet ANOTHER SNOW DAY in the works for the day.  Luckily, this stomach bug was the shortest lived bug of all time {Grace was sick for really just the morning, and I felt better by bedtime last night}and even though pure chaos reigned throughout the day today, I still managed to squeeze in a few of the projects that I really wanted to work on even if they were completely unnecessary and clearly not a top priority.

Busting out the sewing machine once again.

It's all good though, because it's the bad times that make the good times THAT much sweeter.  And after experiencing another snow day home with all 5 kids today, my trip out to Salt Lake this week for Laura's wedding is going to be the BEST.  VACATION.  EVER.  Hahahaha.  

Before I close, I'll leave you with one final thrift store purchase from my birthday spree last week.  I just LOVE finding interesting and odd pieces of art at the Goodwill.  {And St. Vincent DePaul's, of course.}  When I found this crocheted lace doily in the picture aisle, I couldn't let it get away from me.  After swapping out the hideous fabric background it came with, the doily went from dated to antique.  Isn't it an heirloom piece????  Hahaha.  I know, I know.  I have very eclectic interests and taste.  Until next time -- happy thrifting!

Blue polka-dotted background fabric that just screams 1980's kitchen decor.

Solid dark grey background courtesy of Kona Charcoal.  My second favorite Kona shade of grey.  Ash is my first favorite in case you were wondering.  :)