my teeth: update number 4

so it's monday and that means i was at some type of dentist. today i visited the orthodontist who think that it would be best to do a root canal as soon as possible. so next tuesday i'll have a root canal. the belief of the orthodontist is that all the luck has been on our side so far and if i get out of this with only one root canal i should start playing the lottery. ha-ha! i'm not to upset besides the fact that i still can't eat anything super solid. oh and at least two more weeks before i resume softball and band. i'm getting there. and as dory, from finding nemo, would say 'just keep swimming'. much love and peace, dmaloney

a different type of anniversary.

today marks my 40th blog post. in a way i feel accomplished i made 40 posts before easter and i'd have to say that i wanted to do something special for this "anniversary". when i think of anniversaries i think of love and relationships. today i'm not going to get mushy on you, but i'd like to honor a family that i have a great relationship with.

that family is the hertl's. i have know the hertl's since before i can even remember and for those of you who don't know they're moving in august. the talk of moving had been imminent for years, but the reality is finally here. it's taken me sometime to be okay will it and so today i'd like to honor each of you and thank you.

michael, there are so many youth group memories that involve you. there are too many to name. when i look back on those years i think that you're one of the main reasons why i enjoyed youth group so much. you are an awesome person and i am continually amazed by your creativity and patience. you've always been there to change the light bulbs (among other things.) you change the church. you helped the church develop and i don't think the church even knows how much you did and still do. michael, today, i'd like to thank you for helping to shape my faith journey and for all of your help throughout the years.

steph, you're one of my best friends and i wouldn't trade you for the world. we've had some great times, and even greater ones are to come. you're complex and multifaceted, yet live simply. you're extremely creative and gifted. as you know i'm not a fan of people saying that you can give over a 100%, but i think you do. you've never left me hanging. you'll always go until the lifts stop. and you are just amazing. you have always kept me on my toes. and i never know what's coming next. i'm excited to see where life takes you because i know that wherever you go you'll be successful. thanks for all the times you've helped me create something, make something better, or just quote the brady bunch movie. thank you for being such a great person. always dedicated.

becca, we've had some interesting experiences together. from our late-night-drowsy camp talks i've concluded that you're someone that i could go to with a question about life and you would listen and talk through it with me. when i think about you all i can think about is your positive attitude and how always makes me want to smile. it's rare for me to see you in a bad mood and you're positive attitude is always refreshing. it makes me love life. it makes me appreciate every breath that i take. every day. every drop of rain. just life in general. you're more complex than meets the eye. i believe that you're are someone who appreciates a time that works your brain. a time that makes you think. yet sometimes you can be frustrated by the fact that the thinking doesn't stop. becca, you're interesting in a good way. and that's what i love about you.

bryanna, i think that this picture describes who you are. you are unique in so many ways, and have so many awesome quirks. i'm so glad that you share them with me. from your pregnant belly to your accents to our man voices to our hand motions. everything you do makes me laugh. but you aren't just a joke-ster. you are very talented. you play piano which is something i wish i could do. i admire people who can play as well as you. i think that you are one of the quirkiest and coolest people i know. don't be afraid to show people who you really are because i believe that no matter where you go people will find you just as awesome as i find you.

sam, when we've actually talked i've enjoyed those experiences. i think that you're a strong person. you've been pushed around a lot throughout your life and i think that when you're older you won't take any crap from anyone. so sam i want to thank you for being a good sport and the butt of way too many jokes.

thank you hertl family for being such a large part of my life. you've each had an individual impact on me. best wishes to all of you as you prepare to embark on a new journey. i love all of you!

much love and peace, dmaloney

the blessing within misfortune.

over the past four days a bunch of people have come up to me and said things like " wow, that sucks." or "oh, that must be horrible." (i thank all of you who have comforted me or said anything at all.) but truth be told. i'm not upset. don't get me wrong i'm not happy this happened but i think it's given me the opportunity to evaluate a lot of things. a much anticipated time. a time to really evaluate what my future is. sunday night i was sitting at youth group semi-enjoying the activity because i couldn't participate. and i thought what about the people who hate sports is this any fun for them. they are bored out of their minds like me, but they're bored all the time. this time has allowed me to see things from a different perspective. a new angle. if i become a youth pastor i vow to attempt to find a balance between physical and mental activities. so i believe that this time will allow me to evaluate a lot of things about myself. so bear with me as i try to barrel through some thoughts.

for those of you who are interested i'd like to share my progress through pictures. this is just up to monday afternoon (pre-braces)

before saturday:

monday afternoon:

disclaimer: i don't actually look like this!

that was your joke of the day!

happy st. patty's day, much love and peace, dmaloney

back to the daily grind

i think for once.. i'm speechless. well, wordless. i'm not sure what to say today. just because there is so much on my mind. today my schedule was as follows:

5:40- wake up

6:40- walk to school

6:45-6:50ish- 1:40 school

1:40-1:50 run home change for softball

1:50-2:25 lessons

2:30-2:45 gather everything for softball head out to the field

2:50-5:00 softball practice

5:15 shower

5:35 eat dinner

6:00 get ready for viewing

6:15 head to pick-up SAT practice scores

7:15-8:30 attend a viewing

8:30-10 homework

10-10:45 blog

11 lights out

it's a vicious cycle that ends in death. there are times when i wish i could just stop everything. no deadlines. no times that i need to be anywhere. just time to myself.

maybe my thoughts are incorrect but it seems like some adults have the capability to do that. just stop all of the work and say 'right now that doesn't matter.' and maybe it's true that the work never really ends. maybe this is part of my control issue. a little perfectionism. a little over done.

just breathe. and enjoy the spring air. much love and peace, dmaloney

wed-nes-day and evaluations

i've kind of been stumped for what to post about recently. there's a bunch of phrases and ghobally-gook in my head, yet none of that can be turned in to a full post. so i would really appreciate feedback on any of the posts. and some inspiration for topics you'd like to know about. i'm pretty open to things. as long as it isn't something like butter, which i have not yet figured how to fit in to a post. sorry. drew.

recently in my history class we've been studying the internment of the japanese people during w.w.two. and today we read a selection from book called 'farewell to manzanar'. in the selection we read the author says something like ' the months turned to years and we began to forget about the war, we began to forget why we were in the camps in the first place.' it was interesting. i couldn't stop rereading that quote and thinking the only way to 'stay fresh' or current to to continually reevaluate our motives. our purposes for what we're doing. in a book i have been sporadically reading entitled 'my first to years in ministry' doug fields (the author) mentions that we need to always reevaluate our ministry. check up together. what works. what doesn't. and that's what keeps groups alive. he sites multiple examples that would relate to this. but the biggest one for me was the story that he told where a youth leader played a particular song. that made everyone super emotional. but did she have a purpose in it? not. really. she had used it before on a different group and it had obviously had a positive effect. yet in this instance it just left the camp with over one-hundred crying kids. we need to constantly evaluate and assess what works best for that group. maybe that sounds strange to those of us who aren't in charge of a ministry or a large group of kids. but think about school. we each have our own ways to learn and to study. i like making flash cards but if i did that in every class would i be successful. no. what about math? does memorizing the definition of an algebraic function as an expression that consists of numbers, variables, operations, and grouping symbols. also called a variable expression really help me on the test, when the problem is 2/3p*8/7-r^2-5= 19? probably not the best thing is to practice problem after problem. but for all of us it is different. i study through repetition and very often spoken word. for some of us it is through writing things out over and over again and maybe the point of all is that is that we needed to assess what we can do to succeed. what needs to be done to always know your purpose for particular tasks. so for the rest of the week avoid spending extra time on facebook. try reading a book. anything. just evaluate that situation and do something to better yourself. because you can you just to need evaluate.

and just because it's lent i'll give my opinion of christ in this situation. it's believe that jesus knew for before he was born that his purpose was to come to earth. preach the word. die. and rise again. simple, right? ha, christ always had the future insight and yet knew what his purpose was the whole time. pretty amazing? yeah well, that's christ for ya!

quote of the day:

'always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much' -oscar wilde

joke of the day:

'why aren't blondes allowed in nascar?'

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because they'd stop to ask for directions!

photo of the day:

live. love. forgive. and never give up. much love and peace, dmaloney

find your own way...

this post took me a little bit of thought to come up with, but i think it something that is often just over looked in today's church. to be an active follower of anything you must participate corporately and individually. so in terms of church i'm talking about attending services on your day of worship and then, on your own time, find your own connection. a way that works for you. for some it's through praying out loud. yelling at the top of their lungs. others it's just through observations. others through song. for me it's in silence and in meditation. and when i say meditation i don't me i sit somewhere say "ohmmmmm". like this...

my meditation is a time to still in silence and just listen. what do you want God. if every christian could find their own way things would be different. so maybe today i'm asking you to find your own way to individualize your worship. break the mold. lite a candle. worship in silence. worship without lights. but just do it.

quote of the day:

"prayer at its best is the expression of the total life, for all things else being equal, our prayers are only as powerful as our lives." - a.w. tozer

joke of the day:

A little boy opened the big and old family Bible with fascination, and looked at the old pages as he turned them. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible, and he picked it up and looked at it closely. It was an old leaf from a tree that had been pressed in between the pages.

"Momma, look what I found," the boy called out.

"What have you got there, dear?" his mother asked.

With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered: "I think it's Adam's suit!"

photo of the day:

this is a photo from eastern university. which i visited monday. cool, small, christian college. future home? quite possibly!