The Engagement Story!

Hey everyone!

New article about my engagement story! Check it out:

Girl Meets Geek

My next step is to stive with my whole heart to honor God with my whole life

If you didn’t know me, would my Facebook page give you the impression that I’m a Christian?
If you met me on the street, would you think I was a Christian?
If someone from church joined a conversation I was having with my non-church friends, would I be embarrassed by my own language or content?

The last two weeks in church, the messages have really hit home for me. In particular, there were two challenges set forth that I feel God is calling me to accept. I feel that as Christians, we love to be content. We’ll find a place that makes us comfortable and we’ll stay there. So instead of allowing myself that opportunity, I am choosing to put my goals out there so that my family and friends can help me to stay committed to completing them.

The first challenge that I am taking on is to be a full-time Christian. The message on July 4 at Journey of Faith talked about how we can leave two lives: our church life and our life in the real world. It’s easy for me to start swearing or have inappropriate conversations that I would never have in church. But that’s the nature of the environment I’m in and I slip into it too easily! I need to live my life for God all the time, not just when it’s convenient or easy. When I go to school, am I being a witness for God with my life? Or do my friends that that I’m the perfect example of why they don’t want to be a Christian… a hypocrite… the very reason they think Christians are idiots… I want to be an example. Someone who’s life speaks God’s message without me needing to explicitly minister to those around me. So that someone can be lead to a relationship with Christ.

On July 12, we talked about how non-Christians view our relationship with God. Does the world think that God’s a fool for loving a bunch of hypocrites who keep abusing his love? I know that I’ve had the thought that God will forgive me instead of just stopping whatever it is that I know is wrong. The example used in the message was Hosea. Hosea married and adulterous woman and loved her, giving her everything she needed and having a family with her. But she left him… not only that, she sold herself into prostitution. That had to hurt Hosea! But you know what? He bought her back! The people in Hosea’s neighborhood muse have thought he was some kind of love struck moron! I mean, what a fool! That’s just asking for trouble! But think about it…. Isn’t that exactly what God has done for me? I sell myself into the traps and lures of the world around me, but God still seeks me out and takes me back. Man, if I didn’t know better, I’d probably think God was as foolish as Hosea. I completely abuse His love. I just expect that He’ll take me back no matter what I do instead of trying to lead a life that would honor God.

And that’s exactly what we talked about on July 18. I have to be humble enough to realize that I’m not nearly as good as I think I am. More often than not, I look at my downfalls and try to justify them by finding someone I can use to say, “Well, at least I’m not as bad as ______.” But what does that do? NOTHING! I need to be able to admit that I am not who I need to be and be willing to make it a priority to move toward that ideal self. I know I can’t be perfect, but I can strive to honor God with my life.

SO here are my goals:
*Be a full-time Christian
*Instead of being content where I am, strive to move forward
*Be humble
*Live a life that would honor God

I ask that you help keep my goals and challenge you to take your next step in your relationship with Christ. If you need to talk, I am always here. Just shoot me a message.

To hear the sermons I’ve been talking about, go to:
http://www.journeywired.org/index.php?page=message-player

Dear Nintendo: You Made My Year

With E3 in full swing and the Big 3's conferences over, it's now and I can make my official impressions of the next year for each of the major game companies. First, let's make a list of everything that excited me at E3 this year:

Official List of E3 Things That Make Me Want to Cry (in a good way): 

• NINTENDO
• Miyamoto's Entrance 
• Wii
• Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (EEEEEE!)
• Metroid Other M (Team Ninja's take on the series)
• Pikmin 3
• Donkey Kong Country Returns (Retro Studios' project since Team Ninja took over Metroid)
• Goldeneye (remake of the game that redefined gaming when it came out for N64) 
• Kirby: Epic Yarn (it sounds childish, but it is epic once you see the game play!)
• Mario Sports Mix (one word: DODGEBALL!)
• Nintendo DS
• Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
• Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
• Super Scribblenauts
• Okamiden (Okami will feel more natural on DS, in my opinion)
•  NINTENDO 3DS!!! (We knew it was coming, but it was still AMAZING!)
•  3D without those pesky (and fashionable) glasses
• Adjustable 3D-ness
• Slide Pad!
• You can take 3D PICTURES!
• Kid Icarus 3D
• 3D Ocarina of Time 
• 3D Professor Layton
• 3D Paper Mario
• 3D Starfox 64
• 3D Metal Gear Solid
• 3D Resident Evil
• 3D Mario Kart
• 3D Kingdom Hearts
• 3D Street Fighter
• 3D Ninja Gaiden
• 3D Assassins Creed
• 3D Movies from Disney, Dreamworks, and Warner Bros.
• MICROSOFT
• Metal Gear Solid: Rising
• Portal 2 (XBox360)

Alright, so it is clear that Nintendo's nostalgic presentation really hit home with me. What can I say? I'm a Nintendo fan girl! But why wasn't I excited about the others?

First of all, Microsoft was to much about Kinect (ind of a stupid name). Where are the big kid games? The only games I saw were sequels, three-quels, and continuations of franchises that have had success in the past. Most of the Kinect games I saw seemed kitschy and hands-free versions of games we've seen on Wii and from Sony's pre-Eye Toy hype. I will admit that I was excited for Metal Gear Solid: Rising. The sword mechanics look awesome, unlike anything I've seen before. I'm really excited to get to play with it and see how it works. I'm also excited about Portal 2, since, well it's Portal, but also because it's 4 times as long as the original.  I will also say that if I had unlimited money, I would buy Kinect. I think that movies without remotes are awesome, and I would get it just for that. But as a gamer, I NEED buttons. I just need them. 

Alright, now let's look at Sony. They were WAY too defensive! They all but attacked the other company's ideas. Also, it must have been hard to follow Nintendo's anti-glasses 3D campaign when that was exactly what Sony had to offer. I can't take it seriously when they provide their own competition. Why in the world do they still have the PS2 on the market? Their motion controller, Move, also has a stupid name, although it is admittedly better than Eye Toy. And seriously, the glowing ball on top.... no way. I just can't do it. I didn't see too many games that I was excited about either, excepted the ones that are on PC and XBox360 as well. 

So, I'm going to have to say Nintendo takes the cake. I will say however, that their line up runs purely on nostalgia. If you didn't love the past Nintendo games, this won't seem that exciting for you. But for those hardcore fans who stuck with them through their Casual Gamer Wii Madness dry spell, this is what we've been waiting for. I was a bit scared when they started with the new Zelda, I was kind of scared. But then it was just big announcement after big announcement. It didn't really hit me until the end when Reggie listed off all the stuff they announced. Oh man, it was amazing! I could go on and on about any one of the titles listed above, but I'll spare you the gushing.

Comment below and tell me what excited you most about E3!

Pledging GEEK

New article about DigiPen (the college my boyfriend attends):

Pledging GEEK

Geeks in Space!

New podcast with the guys! Check it out:

Geeks in Space!

Is Science Fiction Science FACT?

So it turns out that Elder-Geek.com was interested in my calculations, so I wrote a feature article on it:

Is Science Fiction Science FACT? - Death Star Physics

You should definitely check that out! It's got all you need in there! The story behind my quest for knowledge, the math, cool pictures, THE WORKS!

It's technically not a video game... but I think it was in one once...

Hello World:
I have calculated the minimum energy necessary to destroy Alderaan!

Isn't it beautiful? Yes, yes, it's on a napkin. I can't help it. I'm a nerd. The specifics to come later.