Smith House and the Adventures of the Birthday Date

 

You know you had a good birthday when you need Starbucks to get yourself to work the next day. (Okay - you're right, I think I need Starbucks every day.)

 

But I wasn't planning on telling you all about my birthday, I just wanted to take an opportunity to blog about how incredible the show we saw last night at the Alley Theatre was.

 

Before we went, all Ryan told me was that we were going to see Sherlock Holmes. So of course, I was thinking it was going to be traditional Sherlock Holmes (which I was very excited for). But turns out, the play is actually a combination of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Louis Stevenson. And it was fantastic.

 

I won't be a spoiler - especially since I am writing this to encourage every single person I know to go see it, but the actors did an incredible job or portraying the characters, and the plot never hit a dull point. I had never read The Suicide Club, (I plan to now) so maybe you will go into it with more background knowledge than I did, but I still don't see how it could disappoint! I am so glad my fiance picked this as my birthday outing.

 

One final note, if you are ever putting on a play about Abraham Lincoln, Todd Waite is the guy to play the role. I couldn't get over how much he looked like our former president.

"Bible Study Pitfalls"

The following passage is a complete "Copy/Paste" from a Christian bible study website (www.navpress.com). I obviously learned plagarism from my soon-to-be hubby. We were talking a little bit about this last night with Ryan's parents at dinner, and I think it is something every Christian should think about while they are reading scripture. I could re-write it to make it my own words, but they did such a good job, why should I?

How to Avoid Bible Study Pitfalls

The small-group setting for Bible study allows freedom to ask questions and explore topics in detail—an option not usually available in a lecture format. But there are potential pitfalls in such a personalized approach to Scripture. The wise leader learns to watch for common mishandlings of Scripture, such as:

1. Ignored Context. I have seen tithing envelopes with part of 1 Cor. 16:2 printed on them: "On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income." A reading of 1 Corinthians 16 and 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 shows that Paul is not referring to tithing but to a special collection to help needy believers in Jerusalem. In order to understand a verse properly, we must take into account the context of the surrounding verses and chapters, the book in which the verse appears, the original audience to whom the verse is addressed, and the overall teaching of the Bible.

2. Missing Pieces. The teachings of the Bible are not organized under topical headings. In order to understand what Scripture teaches on a certain subject, we must gather all the relevant passages and consider them together, just as all pieces of a puzzle must be assembled to view the complete picture. Often people will seize upon one verse—for example, that we can ask anything in Jesus' name and God will grant it (Jn. 16:24)—while ignoring the passage that states God will not grant a request made with wrong motives (Jas. 4:3). Misuse of Scripture can occur when we hang our convictions on a single verse without looking for additional pieces of the puzzle.

3. Perilous Parables. Confusion may result when we try to assign meanings to every detail of a parable. Jesus' parables most often conveyed one central truth. Look for that truth, and don't miss the forest for the trees.

4. Clash of Symbols. Don't assume that a certain symbol means the same thing everywhere it appears in the Bible. The same symbol can mean different things in different contexts. Both Satan and Jesus are called lions, for example. Go back to the context for a clear understanding of how a symbol is used in the passage you are studying.

5. Stolen Promises. Christians often indiscriminately snatch verses from the Bible and lay claim to them. While we can learn from all of Scripture and make application to our lives, not every promise was given to us. When reading promises in Scripture, ask yourself questions such as: In what circumstances was the promise given? To whom was it given? What meaning did this promise hold for the original audience? Is it a general promise or a specific one for a unique situation? What conditions are attached to the promise?

6. Insider Info. You may have someone in your Bible study who claims special insight. God chose human language to convey His truth. That means we need to follow the normal usage of language to understand it. There are no secret shortcuts. The words of life are available to everyone.

Adapted from "How to Avoid Bible Study Pitfalls" by John Green (Discipleship Journal, March/April 1999)

Engagement Funtography

As a(n aspiring) photographer myself, I knew I was going to be incredibly picky about who was going to photograph Ryan and I's wedding. After our engagement shoot last week, I know I made the right decision picking Amy and Ben Watson.

The first affirmation was that Miley didn't try to eat Ben. She actually started following him around. I will give a little credit to the treat he had in his hand, but anyone that knows Miley, knows that she isn't fooled that easily. She genuinely liked him.

The second affirmation was when I was able to hear snippets about their time in Honduras. They were in the same city, Tegucigalpa, that I spent a month last March. We didn't get to chat about it for long, but I could see their heart for the people they went to help, and their heart for the Lord. It was great to be able to see that in them, and know that we were supporting the love and livelihood of fellow Christians.

And last but not least, the third affirmation: Our Incredible Photos! They could not have turned out more "us". Here is a sneak peak - and you can see more on their blog (Click Here).

The Return or: How I Learned to to Stop Plagiarizing and Love...ahem

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything I have written online.  In fact, it’s been over a year since my roommate Tyler and I came up with an increasingly ambitious ten-part project we eventually titled The Fictional Character Hunger Games, which is an admittedly clunky and unoriginal title. (I personally loved writing it, even if it may have sent my beloved college blog into a fifty-page grave filled with Nic Cage’s jeers.)  Since then, I have mostly stuck to my own writing; intermittent ideas scribed in spirals, notepads, and even on iPhones.  

            One of my lifelong dreams has been to write a book.  (Other lifelong dreams include playing professional basketball, owning a Volkswagen Bus, and marrying the girl of my dreams.  At least one thing is happening.)  From an early age I wrote stories on family road trips (mainly plagiarizing Goosebumps or Animorphs....).  Since graduating from school and entering the real world, I've kinda lost sight of that dream.  Luckily, Becki has been really helpful in getting me back on the writing train.  (Something original this time, I promise!)

 (Reader beware....8-year-old Ryan was in for a lawsuit)

            I’m not exactly sure where this blog is headed, but with my ridiculously creative fiancé by my side (seriously, wait until you see the wedding logo she made), I don't think anything is off the table.  So whether it be a post about our engagement photos or a quick snippet lamenting the inevitable overpaid Houston Rockets free agent this summer, we hope that you will stick around and enjoy us at the "original" Smith House.

-RS

Corgi-Pyre-Berne-Adopt-a-Doodle

 

 

 
I think all of our friends and family would agree that Ryan and I are "dog people". Some may say that we (at least I) am borderline obsessed. A lot of friendships have started off with the line "Can I pet your dog?!" Starbucks, the park, the bayou; pretty much anywhere we go there is a dog that I want to pet. My World Race friends can vouch that this even happened in third world countries. It is a pretty normal day if Ryan and I have sent numerous dog photos like these back and forth to each other. Let's be honest - who wouldn't have a better day after seeing a picture of a Corgi in a fedora?

 

The trouble with loving dogs is that you can't save them all. According to Statistics Brain, more than 3.5 million animals are euthanized or die in shelters every year. Miley was almost a +1 to that number. She was the only puppy in her litter that survived at the shelter before I adopted her. She is so loved, and definitely living the good life, but she is just a drop in the bucket when you see a number like 3.5 million. It seems hopeless, and makes me feel a little guilty for wanting to buy a Pyredoodle when there are so many cute little faces that need to be adopted.

 

With no intentions of starting a Buy vs. Adopt war, I would love to hear why any of you other dog lovers out there decided to buy a dog from a breeder rather than adopt, and vice versa.

 

P.S. If you are looking to adopt a dog, there is a beautiful spotted Great Dane needing a home at the Montgomery County Animal Shelter.

 

*All photos courtesy of Pinterest.

Meet the (Soon to be) Smith House.

While I am sure that most of our readers will be our dearly loved family and friends, let me take a moment to introduce ourselves to anyone who may have stumbled upon us without realizing what they were getting themselves into.

Meet the (Soon to be) Smith House

 

Ryan + Becki

 

While we would consider ourselves a writer and a photographer, we are both far from being able to use that as our job title. Ryan currently works in Human Resources for EOG Resources, and Becki is a Marketing Director at Matrix Structural Engineers. We pursue our passions on the side (hence our above engagement selfie taken and editted by Becki) hoping to someday be published, well known, work-from-home artists. Oh, we also hope to be supremely rich (from pursuing our passions of course) so that we can have a lot of puppies and travel around the world in a Volkswagen Bus.

 

Miley

Puposourus Rex

Miley isn't this tiny anymore, but she still is a fantastic help with the dishes.She turned four years old in January, and of course Ryan won her heart by buying her a peanut butter cupcake to celebrate.

We got engaged mid-April, and we hope to share our entire engagement with you - and then maybe even continue on into our marriage. We don't have a real "plan" for where this blog is going to go, but you can probably expect entries ranging from DIY Wedding ideas (We plan for our wedding to be 100% personal, and 100% affordable) to Funny stories about us and our pup (she often makes for good writing). We can't promise our blog will always be the greatest thing you have ever read, but we can promise to be honest about our real-life engagement; celebrations, challenges, mishaps, nonsense and excitement.