Sick of Soft Soap?

Hard Soap has moved! It has now gone to a new location, and the URL is much easier to remember this time:

www.hardsoap.net

Hard Soap is starting up brand-new with a new look, redefined mission, and all the fluff stripped away. Go take a look!

Hard Soap?

Sick of soft soap? Then here's some good news! Underneath the Dogwood:Hard Soap is back up on Certys.26Letters. The posts from here have already been transferred, with some new posts already, so go read!

slippers

I've done a post like this before, but it was a long time ago and on a personal blog that I think is now completely gone. But here it goes:

When I was little, near the beginning of the school year, my mom would tell me a story-- a parable, really-- about how I should approach my new grade. She'd tell me that it was like a new pair of slippers... at first they wouldn't be comfortable, but once I'd worn them for a while I would be impatient to put them on again.
Even though she hasn't told me this story in YEARS, I think about it this time of year. Last time I posted this, I think I was about to be a freshman in high school, and I thought that it was a huge, immense step. It was, but in hindsight it seems so easy. Of course, I've grown so much over the last four years. I've been across the country by myself for weeks at a time, flown alone to California (something I used to think was so grown-up to do) so many times now that I'd have to think for a minute to figure out just how many.

For the first time, though, I'm preparing to really establish a life away from my family. It's especially different for me right now because my family is in a sort of transit period for the first time in years-- we may be moving, in a year, sooner, in three years... maybe to the Birkshires (about two hours away) or to Florida (one of the few state's I've never even been to!). Everything is very much up in the air. I'm having to think in temporary terms because, not only will I be spending the majority of the next few months away at school, the home I'd usually expect to come home to might not be here in a few months.

So I have to wonder, will these slippers ever become really worn in? Life at school will, I'm sure. But other than that (and this is a really superficial analogy, but it works for me!) life right now might be more like my favorite pair of heels. They're never going to be comfortable like slippers, but when I wear them, I feel so good about myself! Maybe wearing this life will be a sign of my inner character, of my resiliance and my willingness to be led where Christ may lead me and my family. And when things are settled again, I can buy a totally new pair of shoes.

All that said, though, I'd love it if you could keep my family in your prayers, especially my dad, who is facing a big career change. Let the Lord show him a clear path in all this confusion :)

Babylonian Exile

Well, Underneath the Dogwood at Certys.26Letters has been down for nearly the past month. We are currently trying to remedy that problem, but until then, we have set up base here at Blogger. Our layout hearkens back to our earlier days when we used the dogwood flower in our layouts.

This is not the first time UD has been down for an extended period of time, though it is the first time we've set up a temporary base in its absence. This month UD is three years old. It began at www.giggles.ws, powered by GreyMatter. When Giggles went down unexpectedly and permamently, UD was moved to 26Letters. It went through three layouts there, and minor downtimes, before it was moved to Certys.26Letters this past spring. Soon we hope to move UD completely over to Certys as a part of Certys Ministries (more info on that as it progresses).

So, moving servers and downtimes are nothing new to us at UD. We hope for your patience, as well as for ours.