Welcome to Tuesday!

What have you learned from a woman this week (or ever)?

It has taken me awhile to decide who to write about today. I've changed my mind so many times. This week I'm writing about my friend Crystal. Crystal and I met when I worked at a college in Lincoln, and she was a student. I immediately loved her. She has such a sweet heart, was funny, and the most independent woman I knew.

A little bit of Crystal's story: Crystal was a normal teenager with goals and dreams. She ran track and was a cheerleader. Shortly after graduating from high school, she was involved in a car accident that left her completely paralyzed from the waist down. She relies on her wheelchair for full daily mobility, but she doesn't let that stop her. She has an amazing faith, a wonderful personality, and the willingness to never give up.

We got closer when Crystal introduced me to Ms. Wheelchair Nebraska. I planned the graduation for our school and Crystal thought they might benefit from me helping with their pageant. They instantly welcomed me into the group as one of their board members. By 'they' I mean Crystal and her brother, which was the entire group at that time.

I was a member of this group for 5 years before I moved to Kansas. At one point I had lost my job and almost had to move back in with my parents. Crystal was determined not to let that happen and offered me a place to stay with her. I lived with her for a year before I moved on. We've always been close - sharing faith, ups, and downs. One of my absolute favorite moments with Crystal. If you've seen the Friends episode when Phoebe is trying to turn off the smoke detector....

Well, one night, the smoke detector was beeping CONSTANTLY!!! Crystal's house had very high ceilings, which made things even more interesting. Here I am, standing at 5' even... standing on the arm of the couch, trying to grab the stupid thing. Crystal is sitting in her chair staring at me and then has this brilliant idea and says "OH! Try my gripper!" I am literally BEATING the smoke detector with this thing. The top pops off and then we see.... it's hooked into the ceiling. OH MY GOSH!!!!! During this whole ordeal I had to state that it was our Friends moment of the day. We finally left it and her brother-in-law came to fix it. :)

Since I moved to Kansas, we've remained in touch, always picking up where we left off. I haven't seen her since last Memorial Day Weekend. We rarely talk on the phone, but sometimes email. Crystal will be in Topeka on Saturday judging the Ms. Wheelchair Kansas pageant... so we're hanging out! Am so excited! :) Here are some pics:

me and Crystal at Ms. Wheelchair Nebraska, 2007 pageant

Crystal and I last Memorial Day Weekend

March currents

I took this idea from Meg, as I do everything. :)


current book:
The next book I want to read is "When God Writes Your Love Story"

current music:
Chris Tomlin - Hello, Love

current shame-inducing guilty pleasure:
Watching 4 hours of the Bachelor finale

current fetish:
Reality tv

current drink:
sweet tea

current songs:
Sing, Sing, Sing - Chris Tomlin

current movie:
Fireproof!

current wish-list:
People to buy tickets for our fundraiser dinner

current needs:
a part time job

current triumph(s):
Finding old friends (and teachers) on facebook!

current annoyance:
lack of funds

current indulgence:
cookie dough

current happiness:
Seeing Melissa dance on Dancing with the stars :)

current outfit:
jammies :)

current excitement:
Seeing friends this week!

current quote or song lyric:
Give me a revelation
Show me what to do
Cause I've been trying to find my way
I haven't got a clue
Tell me should I stay here
or do I need to move
Give me a revelation
I've got nothing without you

current mood:
fantastic!

Picture of the Week

Normally I do pictures of the week on Fridays, but last night a friend was in town and we went to dinner at McCormick & Schmick's on the Plaza. So, for my picture of the week... our dessert. It was soooooooo yum! :)

Not a very good pic... but to give you an idea: It's a "lunch bag" made out of Belgian dark chocolate, filled with white chocolate mousse and berries. Yum yum!

Six Word Saturday

I found this blog topic at Show My Face. Go there to join the fun. :)

Being lazy rocks my socks off!

I Wish

At the end of the day, truly I wish...

• The DVR wouldn't stop recording 3 minutes before the show ends.
• Laundry would do itself...
• ...same for the dishes
• I didn't worry so much.
• I would pray more...
• ...and spend more time in God's Word.
• That I could move all my friends to one place.
  
• That I had more local friends.
• That the man of my dreams wasn't faceless.
• I wasn't so competitive.
• I was more giving.
• I was more motivated
• I wouldn't have eaten so much at dinner.
  

... To be continued...

Reality

Dear TV Writers,

I hate you in all your reality t.v. glory. You suck me in night after night, when I should be doing something productive. You make me like people I couldn't pick out in a line up. You make me peeved at men who pick women, then change their minds....

You force me to listen to people who can't sing, but I watch them anyway. Don't even get me started on the adults forced to live in a house all summer long while we watch them create "allies" and make out with every other person in the house.

Darn you, reality tv... darn you.

Titus 2 Tuesday - Friend Therapy

For today's Titus 2 Tuesday, I've chosen a woman who has become one of my best friends. I met Meg in college. She worked in career services and I was a student working in the library. We started hanging out when work was quiet and we were working late... I don't even really know how. We both worked at the school for several years before life took us in different directions.

That was over 8 years ago.

Wow. It doesn't even seem real!

In the last couple years, Meg and I have grown a lot closer. I left Nebraska and now live in Kansas. Despite the people who never keep in touch, Meg and I chat online at least once a day, whether we're both ready for bed or not! :)

The things I love about her is that she's real. She will always tell you what she feels, not sugar coating anything. She has a great faith that's come to the surface and she's always willing to share her experiences. Meg is a wonderful listener and will bend over backwards for those that she loves.We've been through some good times, some lazy days, and we've been there for each other during the losses in our lives.

Meg got me started in the whole blogging world. I'm really excited about it! She's also been a bad influence and got me watching way more shows than I can handle! :) Jump over to her blog and give her some love... one of my best friends ever!

Love ya, Meg!

Tag.. you're it!

The rules: open the 6th picture folder on your computer, open the 6th photo and blog it. Write something about it. Then tag 6 more people to do the same.

Here goes:


This is the Lyon County Courthouse in Emporia, Kansas. I thought the building was kind of cool looking.

I'm tagging:
Lora @ Take Me The Way I Am
Maime @ Equilibrium
Nicole @ What A Trip!
KC Mom
Linda @ 2nd Cup of Coffee
Tabitha @ Just Tabitha

The Fake Out

I've been going through my other blogs.. This one's posted from May 6, 2008.


Last weekend me and the girls are at the coffee house listening to CJ's brother-in-law sing. At one point, he says, "This is Kevin... he's single for all you ladies that are looking." After the show, we're all standing around talking, when we notice that Kevin has a ring on his ring finger. He said it was his fake out ring.

Wow. I so need one of those! Have you ever noticed that when there's even a chance that you might be taken, the guys flock to you and appear out of no where? Hmmm...

How often do we use the "fake out"? Whether it's the marrieds not wearing a ring or the singles wearing them... When you think of it, really, what's the purpose of the fake out? You bet your bottom, when I get married I'm gonna have a big ole fat rock that blings and shouts "HEY, I'M MARRIED!!!" I understand some people don't because of their jobs or whatever... my parents haven't worn wedding rings for 15 years. I know it's just a symbol, but to me it's an outward symbol of your love and the promise that you've made to this other person. I posted the following blog a long time ago, but felt it made sense here too...

I can't believe how something as sacred as marriage, has turned into this "thing" that people just "do"... like they woke up one morning and just decided they were going to get married.

Having been single, literally forever, I've often pondered how wonderful it will be to stand next to the man God has for me, celebrating the many milestones of life. Four years ago my family celebrated the 50th wedding anniversary of my grandparents. This day was so amazing! My family together, leaving behind all disagreements, all arguments... for these two people, who in a span of 50 years, had 14 children, countless grandchildren, and of course, many trials and tribulations that come with it. I look at them sometimes and wonder what they talk about, but then realize that God has put them here for a reason, together, in this moment.

Then you see the couple who has been married for 20 years, three kids, and the wife has recently been informed that her husband has been having an affair for the last year. Being single, it's hard to trust that God will bring us someone that we're compatible with. It's even harder trusting God that we can actually trust this person; for the rest of our lives.

After all the thinking about marriage and weddings, I got to thinking about my relationship with God. Marriage vows hardly seem worth anything to some people anymore, but sometimes that's how I feel about my relationship with Him. I've made these vows... these wonderful vows, to serve, to praise, to worship Him... but am I doing that? How am I holding to my end of the vows? God is always faithful. He will never break His vows - always there to protect us, to guide us. He never said it would be easy, He said we would never be alone. Which is true, but we need to keep our end of the vows too. Before I can truly long for the one person that God has planned for me, I need to concentrate on keeping my vows to Him and truly have that relationship with Him... not just a "thing" that I decided to "do" one day just because...

You can't fake out God's love or what He has in store.

Moments

There's a quote that says, "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but the moments that take our breath away." I love this quote. I live my laugh by moments and measure time by events. Right now time is whipping by until I leave for Haiti on April 3. Between now and then I have three K-Love events, a missionettes sleepover (at our house), a fundraiser dinner, and "the random group" is going to the Jazz Museum & the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

April brings our trip, Easter, the David Cook concert (which of course I'm SO looking forward to), and.. the start of baseball season!! :) I'll also be spending the last weekend of April in Nebraska for one of my cousins confirmation.

February has been good in retrospect. I've had a couple of K-Love events, a concert (that we actually paid to attend - lol), and some other events. I'm definitely looking forward to spring, because today I'm mildly annoyed that we were to go to Wichita and it felt the need to snow 4 inches. Bah! :)

Oh well - time to make snow angels! Have a good Saturday.

Picture of the week

I love taking pictures of old buildings, especially churches. This is one in Emporia, Kansas. One of these I'm going to get a cute picture of the church I see every day on my way to work. It's a cute little country church, that's just very quaint.

Save the date

I hate anniversaries. Especially anniversaries of losing someone. Whether it be a boy who broke your heart or your favorite grandma. This week marks the one year of my grandma's passing. I hadn't thought of it much in awhile. I was supposed to work a K-Love event this weekend and it dawned on me... I was supposed to work the same event last year, but ended up not. As soon as I made this realization, I became ho hum. Not in a depressed sort of way, but in a... "I miss her" sort of way.

How long does it take for grieving to end? In the last couple of years I've wondered how to go through the motions to get to the end. Not sure that ever happens, but I'll manage. I always do.

Who's glad it's Friday?! :)

My Birthday Calculator

Meg did this one today, so I thought I'd try it out. You can do yours here.

Your date of conception was on or about 23 February 1980 which was a Saturday.

You were born on a Saturday
under the astrological sign Scorpio.
Your Life path number is 8.

Your fortune cookie reads:
If you continually give, you will continually have.

The golden number for 1980 is 5.
The epact number for 1980 is 13.
The year 1980 was a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/16/1980 and ending 2/4/1981.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Monkey.

Your Native American Zodiac sign is Snake; your plant is Thistle.

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 6 April 1980.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 6 April 1980.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 20 February 1980.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 25 May 1980.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 1 June 1980.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Thursday, 11 September 1980.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Tuesday, 1 April 1980.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 19 February 1980.

You are 28 years old.
You are 339 months old.
You are 1,476 weeks old.
You are 10,329 days old.
You are 247,916 hours old.
You are 14,874,981 minutes old.
You are 892,498,869 seconds old.

Your lucky day is Tuesday.
Your lucky number is 9 & 11.
Your ruling planet(s) is Mars & Pluto.
Your lucky dates are 1st, 10th, 19th, 28th.
Your opposition sign is Taurus.
Your opposition number(s) is 6.

Today is one of your lucky days!

There are 263 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 29 candles.

Your birth tree is

Chestnut Tree, the Honesty

Of unusual beauty, does not want to impress, well-developed sense of justice, vivacious, interested, a born diplomat, but irritable and sensitive in company, often due to a lack of self-confidence, acts sometimes superior, feels not understood, loves only once, has difficulties in finding a partner.

Titus 2 Tuesday!

I've seen a couple of people do this post, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. See the original post HERE!

What have learned from another woman this week? (or ever)

For my first Titus 2 Tuesday post, it was hard for me to think of someone. There are so many women in my life that have influenced me one way or another. I'm going to share a bit about my friend, CJ.

I moved in with CJ when I moved to Kansas. We met online and instantly became friends. One of the things that people don't understand is that she's the same age as my mom! She has been a great influence on my life because she's always there when I need her. Whether it's having a crisis at work or needing a shoulder to cry on - gosh knows she's seen me cry a time or two!

I assist her with a lot of stuff in children's ministries -- she's the Children's Ministries Director at our church. She was there when I was baptized for the second time... she was there to drive me to Nebraska when my great grandma passed away... and she's been there through the stupid boys...

She is "miss fix it." If we have a friend in need, she always wants to run and fix things. A year or so ago, one of our friends had surgery. We went to Iowa (three hour drive) two weekends in a row to visit her in the hospital and to clean her house, etc. It's one of the things I love about her, but I'm also trying to teach her that she can't fix it all.

CJ and I met on a singles dating site (which adds more humor to our friendship). We met in the chat room; she had been there for a few months before I joined. I don't even remember how the conversations got started. Before I knew it, I was going to San Antonio with her to meet more internet people. How crazy!! :) Here we are four years later and getting ready to embarq on so many new adventures. Here are some pics. :-)

On vacation in Colorado

The Oz Museum in Wamego, KS

Fresh Brewed Monday

I watched this video of Nicole Johnson's called "Just a Touch of Faith." She talks about her move from Nashville to California. She had a piece of stained glass in the moving truck. At the end of the trip, it was on the bottom of the truck, in pieces. A year later one of her friends gave her a Christmas present that was stained glass... reassembled from the broken piece.

One of my favorite verses is Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." The last couple weeks, we've been trying to teach our church kids about faith, and how things that you can't see help make things work (i.e. electronics, etc).

On K-Love they have these little radio spots with different artists. The one with Michael W. Smith got my attention the other day. It was something to the affect of "No matter who you are or where you've been, everyone can come to the cross." I love that! It doesn't matter your circumstance, God can take it.

10 reasons

With what I do in ministry and if you see me in public, I make it pretty well known that I definitely want to have kids. So here are my top 10 reasons - in no particular order.

1. Their smiles and laughter
2. Baby powder smells
3. Their stories as they get older - they're always so matter of fact!
4. Hugs & kisses
5. Cute little clothes
6. When they hold your finger with all their might
7. Playing with them on the playground
8. An excuse to watch cartoons! :)
9. Having them fall asleep on you.
10. Cuddling when they're sick.

Me & Tyler at VBS

Friends & Haiti update

I love lazy Saturdays. This week I've been fighting a cold, so today I stayed in bed and watched the entire first season of Friends. I love it!! I laugh every single time, no matter how many times I see an episode. As I sit here at 12:30 am, I'm attempting to finish up some church announcements for tomorrow. I've been reading some stories about the awesomeness of God today. He never ceases to amaze me in his faithfulness.

I was reading the blog of the Hands and Feet Project, the orphanage that we'll be working at in Haiti. They just got a new little girl, 3 years old, whose mother gave her up because all 9 of her siblings have died from malnutrition or disease. I can't wait to meet these precious little kids in a little over a month. I can't believe how fast it's coming up... 39 days. Wow. We haven't gotten our passports yet. Probably some time this week I'm thinking. I have an appointment on Friday to get my last shot, then I have my prescription filled for pills. It's all coming together... including raising support. One of the hardest things I've had to do is ask for this money. I remember at the very beginning praying to God that people would be generous, that He would open their hearts, and help people understand.

I'm glad and proud to say that all of my support has been raised, including my "extra spending" money. On March 27th, we're having a fundraiser dinner. The week before we leave. A tad late, BUT I'm hoping that maybe we can at least replenish what we had to spend out of our own pockets. Which isn't the way to really think about it, but God is faithful. If we're meant to, we will. If not, then so be it; we've helped a good cause.

Not sure what these updates will bring in the next month; we'll have to see. I ask that you continue to pray for me and the other 8 people in our group. I've gotten a lot of people saying they were sorry they couldn't contribute monetarily. I'm not sorry because God has taken care of the money. God will continue to take care of our travels and our safety, but please continue to pray as we enter this unstable country.

God bless - may you have a wonderful time of worship tomorrow!

Picture of the week

Being an ambassador for K-Love, I've had some opportunities to meet some bands. The ones I've met are wonderful and so down to earth! I couldn't decide which pic to choose this week.. so I picked two! Hey, it's my blog, I can do what I want! :)

Me and Michael from Above the Golden State

Me and CJ with Building 429

Award

Meg at The Buzz gave me the "Love ya" award today, my first award here in blog-world. Meg is one the greatest friends I've come to know. I love reading her randomness, yet she sneaks in her thoughtfulness and tender heart.


Here are the rules: “These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”

1. Lora at Take Me The Way I Am

2. Megan at INfertile Myrtle

3. Angie at Bring the Rain

4. Cathy at Playing with Photography

5. Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee

6. Adrienne at Our Journey of Love

7. Mama Kat at Mama's Losin It

8. Yo at The Adventures of an East Coast Chick Turned Midwest Mom

100!

Wow, this is my 100th post. I thought for my 100th that I wanted to post something like my favorite things - not necessarily materialistic. It had to be something big!! I worked on it and worked on it, seemed to get no where. However, tonight at Youth, Dr. Sondra (our Pastor's wife) preached. Needless to say, I got a little something from it, and it kind of tugged at my heart strings.

Bear with me here as you do this along with me. Get a piece of paper, and on one side trace your hand. Write your name in the 'palm,' and along the fingers write 5 things that you are good at and/or that you like about yourself.

Now, what she had us do was on the other side of the paper, trace both hands. Then we went around the room and OTHER people had to write good things about us. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." God has planned our purpose - in ADVANCE! Just like Moses, God has called us by name and given us a mission, a purpose. Moses' response was "Who am I?"

Who are we? We are God's ART. His creation to fulfill His plan. God says, "What is that in your hand?" Meaning God has given us the tools and equipment we need. We just need to trust Him and His perfect will. What's in our hand? The talents and gifts that God has given us. It's not always easy to recognize these gifts because maybe they come so easily that we don't look at them as gifts. Or maybe we don't like admitting to ourselves that we can be good at something.

It's hard to compliment yourself. It might be even harder to receive compliments given by others. All day we are spit on verbally, possibly verbally abused by those who put us down. Even if we are given a compliment, we won't remember it, because all the bad outweighs the good. Have you been told that you're loved today? That you're powerful? Never doubt your worth, because the Almighty God, who has a plan and a purpose, LOVES you.

And if you haven't been given any other compliments today...

You look beautiful. :)

Fresh Brewed Monday

This one gets me every time. Whether you've known someone or it's you... be prepared to cry. It's "Stepping Into the Ring" by Nicole Johnson.

Visit her website HERE! I love it!

Love Songs

I'm not going to lie. I'm a pretty big sap. I love the way things (i.e. photography and music) tells a love story. Whether it's the love between a person and God, between a father and a daughter, or a man and a woman. Feelings get to me. On this evening of Valentine's Day... when all the couples are out having dinner, etc., I'm in watching movies... and creating a playlist of my favorite love songs of all time. A bit of why I picked a couple of the songs:

Feels Like Home - On the "How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days"... the more I listen to it, the more I "get" it. It describes how I hope to feel one day. :)

Cinderella - A beautiful story between a father and a daughter. Having to have worked at a relationship with my father for the last 28 years, this song gets me every time. I don't regret how God planned things because it has helped me to grow. I am glad things happened the way they did, and the reason my dad and I grew closer. It's a journey that I'm glad to be given the opportunity to take...

Enjoy! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Today has been less than productive, since I woke up at 10:30. :) I blogged the other day about showing the love. Our plans fell through when something came up. The day turned out to be just another Saturday with errands and cleaning.

How did you all show some love today? I did call my mom and siblings, talked to some friends... wishing them all a happy valentine's. Weird thing about this valentine's day -- I received a delivery of flowers yesterday at work. With a card, not signed. No name, no nothing. Still trying to solve the mystery of the flowers. lol I love them, they're beautiful, but I'm just annoyed that no one has fessed up!!! :)

I wish you all a great evening and a wonderful time of worship tomorrow!

Picture of the week

Last Sunday I became an "official" member of my church. I was baptized there a year ago, I'm very active in serving, so I thought.. why not? :)

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend (3 days for some of us)!!

Soundtrack of my life

I stole this idea from Meg. Its the "Soundtrack to you Life"!
How to Play:

1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question below, type the song that’s playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool …

Here are mine:

Opening Credits:
Feels Like Home

First Day At School:
Lullaby - Josh Groban

Falling In Love:
You Are Beautiful My Sweet Sweet Song - Third Day

Breaking Up:
Somebody - Reba

Prom:
I Cross My Heart - George Strait

Mental Breakdown:
Who Says You Can't Go Home - Sugarland & Bon Jovi

Flashbacks:
The Best Day - George Strait

Getting Back Together:
Would You Go With Me - Josh Turner

Wedding Scene:
You Found Me - The Fray

Final Battle:
Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) - Chris Tomlin

Death Scene:
Adore You - Andy Chrisman

Funeral Song:
Good People - Audio Adrenaline

End Credits:
More - Matthew West

Finale:
Unforgettable - Nat & Natalie Cole

Showing the LOVE

Yesterday on K-Love, I heard one of their radio spots talking about Valentine's Day -- in a more traditional sense of the word. It's more about showing love for others, not just goo-goo, mushy gushy stuff to your significant other. The commercialized version of the holiday forces people to others that they love them. Why do we have to have a specific day for that? Can we not do it all the time?

This weekend CJ and I are going to be showing some love in a traditional sense. We've decided to trek down to Oklahoma to visit one of our Pastor friends. He's been having a rough go of it, so we're surprising him with neccessary items that he might be having trouble buying. Along with this we'll get great fellowship and visit another church... maybe actually hear a sermon! :)

What beter way to spread the love than by doing a good deed for those you care about? How will you spread the love this weekend?

Fresh Brewed Monday

"The Invisible Woman" is one of the greatest skits of Nicole's. She says what every woman is thinking... and puts it in God's perspective.

Fundraising Continued...

CJ made these cute candy arrangements that we sold this morning in church. I'm posting pics and prices... if you'd like to order one (or two!) we'd be happy to ship it in time for Valentine's Day! Can't hurt to try right? These pictures don't do them justice, they're so cute!

All proceeds go to our missions trip to Haiti in April.

Boxes - $5.00

Small dish - $3.00

Coffee Mugs - $5.00

Heart shaped candy dish - $6.00

Valentine Glasses - $5.00

Thin vases - $4.00



Goblet glasses - $5.00

Not pictured: We also have plastic cups (great for kids!) that are $3.00 and decorative flower pots that are $8.00. Like I said if you want to place an order - email me what you'd like and your address so I can ship ASAP. Thanks!

Dialog in the Dark

Today I went with some friends to experience "Dialog in the Dark." It was rather interesting and I have a few thoughts on the exhibit. Your group is taken around by a guide, who is visually impaired. You go through simulation scenes with a walking stick, experiencing "daily life" as if you're blind. My favorite scene was the market. You walk around the counter and smell fruit, soap, coffee beans, etc. We also went around a 'park', on a 'boat', and on a 'city street.' The city street scared me the most because I didn't have the wall to hang on to! I was basically in the middle of this room scared that our guide was going to leave me!

It was very scary to be walking around in the dark. First of all.. I hate the dark... and I've seen one too many scary movies that I constantly think something's going to jump out and grab me. Nothing did of course, but I hate that feeling!

I cannot imagine how it would be to have perfectly good use of all of your senses and then to suddenly lose one and have to adapt accordingly. Take my friend Crystal for instance: in high school Crystal ran track, was a cheerleader, etc. After her senior year she was in a car accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down. She uses a wheelchair for every mobility, but she gets around. She is seriously the most amazing person I have ever met in my life.

Another thing I use to compare a lot to lately is that kleenex commercial with the mom, where she's going around "touch" "touch" "touch" ... then she touches the kleenex and says "feel." It made me appreciate the feelings of seeing the world around me. There's so much I take for granted that I definitely need to thank God for!!

Have a wonderful Sunday, everyone!

Cheese!

Meg did this thing tonight and I kind of dig it. So.. here it goes. One thing that can always get me to smile, are my church kids. This is a picture of Tyler, my 6 year old boyfriend. I absolutely love him to pieces. He's so smart and always manages to capture my heart.

Is there something that always makes you smile no matter what? Write it in your blog and post a picture. :)

Randoms

I've done a couple of these on facebook... so I thought I'd post some randoms here for the world to see. :)


1. I named my youngest brother -- Dylan Travis
2. My nails are never long.
3. I hate feet
4. but love pedicures
5. I was baptized for the second time when I was 27
6. I have 3 piercings in each ear
7. I did have my cartilage pierced, but it closed
8. Would love to re-pierce it.
9. I love reese's peanut butter cups
10. I volunteer for K-Love Radio as an ambassador -- I love it!
11. I guard my siblings with my life.
12. I hate camping
13. I have visited Texas every year for the last three years and am again this year.
14. I love to blog
15. I love reading random blogs -- usually I get them from Meg
16. I can't wait to use my new purple luggage that I got for Christmas. :)
17. Last Christmas I received the best present ever from my brother & his girlfriend
18.I love sitcoms
19. I hate horror movies
20. I dislike Oprah
21. I love taking pictures
22. even when they don't turn out good
23. I have a gift of sarcasm
24. I love eating at mom & pop shop places that I can't eat at anywhere else.
25. I was born in Lincoln, Nebraska.
26. I used to want to be an English teacher.
27. I hate shopping
28. I love going to the dentist.
29. When I was in high school I worked at a Fitness Center.
30. In kindergarten I had 7 stitches in my chin.
31. I say I hated Times Square, but I would like to go back to New York and do more
32. I love chocolate almond ice cream from Braum's
33. I would love to visit Europe.
34. I can't wait to get married and have kids.
35. My favorite Christian songs are Blessed Assurance and How Great Thou Art
36. I LOVE mexican food!
37. I plan to visit all of the major league baseball fields
38. I'm a big worrier!
39. I would love to learn to play the piano
40. I often miss the kitty I had when I lived in Lincoln. :(

Confessions of a chunky monkey

I often talk about the support and encouragement that I enjoy getting from my friends and family. This journey of making life changes is hard, it's tough to kick habits. I take the constructive criticism with a grain of salt. Here is a list of things that I don't like hearing (in no particular order):

1. How much weight have you lost? -- If you can't tell, don't ask. It's like asking a woman when she's due and she's not pregnant!
2. Why aren't you losing any weight? -- Coming more often then not, from my mother.
3. I hate going to dinner and movies alone.
4. I feel like everyone's staring at me at said #3. I know they aren't, but it feels like it.
5. Have you tried.... ? I'm not looking for a quick fix, pill, or surgery for me to lose weight.


Things I don't mind hearing because I know it's a push to help me:

1. How are you doing on your water? Sometimes I'm a rockstar at the water... sometimes not so much.
2. Did you work out today? This week the answer has been no, but I think I'm going to join another gym that will allow me 24 hr access. This means that I can work out at 8 or 8:30 pm if I have to.
3. Dear Diary...... "Well... that's probably not the best decision you made..."
4. I know you can do it. -- It's glad to hear that some people have faith in me when I don't have faith in myself.

Haiti

I'm going to try and start a pattern with updates, so here it goes for this week:

Last week I got two shots. I hate shots, but all is well. :) Two down, one more to go. I lucked out
because one of the Hepatitis series' I already had... so whew! I also have my prescription for milaria (doesn't that sound exciting?), so I'll be taking those a week before we leave.

The first payments were due this past weekend, so we got those paid. We'll have one more payment of $300 or so due by the first week of March. Our plane tickets will be purchased by the end of this week. For those of you catching up -- we'll fly from KC to Miami, stay the night in Miami and very early the next morning leave for Port-Au-Prince. From there we'll fly to Jacmel and then drive up the mountain to the orphanage.

CJ and I are going to turn in all of our passport stuff this weekend, so hopefully we'll have those in 3 weeks. It's approaching fast, but there's still so much more to do. We still have to shop for all the items on our "to take" list... other than clothes and the 'normal' stuff, we have a supply list so we can make it through the beach. Of course a load of batteries is on my list. lol

Please continue praying. We still have more support to raise and April is approaching fast. Thank you so much for your continued encouragement and support.

~God Bless!~

Gorgeous weather day trip!

Today CJ and I went to the Wizard of Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas. Let me tell you... this little town had some of the cutest historical sites!! Including a Dutch Mill & a Rifle and Bible Church. The story of the church was quite interesting - Readers Digest version: A Company from New Haven, CT came to Kansas in the 1800's and brought with them... you guessed it... Bibles and Rifles. They then established the church.

The Wizard of Oz Museum was cute and full of fun little facts. For instance: I did not know that there were MANY pairs of slippers... and in the original book, they weren't "ruby"... the producer did that during the creating of the movie so that they would stand out against the yellow brick road. Cool, huh?

I also learned that there are plush Wizard of Oz dolls, that came from a store (oh, the name is escaping me right now) that was located in the World Trade Center. The owner of the museum was asked if he wanted them on one of his visits to his father, who worked on the 31st floor of the North Tower. When 9/11 happened he wasn't sure if the dolls had been shipped. He found out 3 days later when the dolls arrived...

Was a good day trip, got to see some cool buildings and also drove around Topeka... I'd never actually BEEN to Topeka. LOL

Toddlers & Tiaras

Lately on the news and tv it seems the topic is young girls (and their mothers) and beauty pageants. Really? I don't get this.

I think of JonBenet Ramsey... this little girl was precious! Yet forced into this world of pageants so her mother could live vicariously through her. Seeing previews of this "toddlers and tiaras" show on TLC quite frankly angers me. The things they do to their children -- spray on tans, fake teeth, all for what? A trophy? Popularity?

What happens to these kids when they get older? They're scarred for life and have issues and drama beyond belief! Ugh!!! So annoying and I want to know how these mothers live with themselves.

Haiti Update

I thought I'd also post another Haiti update. Support letters went out a couple weeks ago, and support is slowly but surely coming in. God is so faithful and He keeps showing me over and over.

Our first payment deadline is the end of this week. It's kind of nerve-racking, but once again God is trying to teach me to not be anxious, but pray about everything, always giving thanks. I am so thankful and grateful to those who have contributed to the endeavor of our group. Not just the people I know, but the people I don't - who have contributed to the others in our group, donated supplies that we'll be taking with us.

I'm also thankful for the prayers of support and words of encouragement. Sometimes all it takes is one bad apple and I get scared and feeling like, "Why on earth am I doing this?" I know why I'm doing it. I know why we're all doing it. I feel led... I know we all do. Keep praying all, they're much needed as deadlines approach.

CJ and I are going to turn in our passport applications on Saturday. So hopefully we'll have those in a couple weeks. In the next couple weeks I'll also be beginning the process of getting shots... ugh, shots. Lots of shots. Ewww! *Pray for that too! lol*

Love you all. God Bless!

Weekly Reflection and goals

I'm slacking just a little bit. :)

This week is off to a good start. I worked out with Bob (from Biggest Loser) and drank TONS of water. Last week was good too... I didn't get to Curves as much as I wanted, but I did work out 4 times, 5 if you count twirling kids around in church (right, Christi? :)).

It's been a good journey and I'm looking forward to the changes. I'm getting better at the whole water thing, which is definitely a big one for me. Another big challenge is not eating past 7, or 8, whatever the rule is....

Anyone have any encouragement or challenges they'd like to share? Have an awesome week!

I Can Only Imagine....

So last night I'm watching Idol.... yes, one of my guilty pleasures and this season they've had a touching story from each city. Last night's was a guy who took care of his mother because she was ill. This guy sacrificed a lot of stuff to care for her and she really wanted him to make it to Hollywood.

SO! He tries out and the judges end up liking him... and send him on to Hollywood. (You know the part where Randy says "WELCOME TO HOLLYWOOD, BABY!")... anyway, I digress.

During their filming of this guy showing his mother that he got a golden ticket, they were playing none other than Mercy Me's song "I Can Only Imagine." Now, as a Christian who loves her tv, I get really excited when they start playing Christian music, especially when they call their show "American Idol" and that's not biblical -- if you want to get technical. So go FOX for putting some Christian tunes out there!

On the same note, the other day I was watching a movie and on THAT show they were playing Building429 as this girl was driving down the highway. Whew! Let's get some Christian music in Hollywood why don't we! I think it's great and really says a lot... you don't HAVE to have gross movies (gore, f-bombs all over the place, etc) to have a good movie.

Speaking of movies... who's ready for dinner and a movie on Saturday? ME! :)

Fresh Brewed Tuesday

When I would go to Women of Faith every year, my favorite quickly became Nicole Johnson. She's a dramatist who gets you so far into her stories that you will laugh, cry, and gosh knows what else within seconds!

I'm going to try out Fresh Brewed Tuesdays and post little videos of Nicole's. Check out her website. I love it!

Reflections & Goals

Last week was ok. Today I actually drank my one thing of water (yay). The whole eating out thing didn't go well, but I think I was ok on cutting down on carbs. Did I mention that my doctor says I eat too many? Hmm. :)

I only worked out once - bah! Trying for curves 3 times this week, since we're off on Monday. Try and try again. I'm getting better and not using the elevator... it's just like a habit that you're trying to break... shutting tha automatic pilot off.

Anyway - goals for the week: More water, more workouts, Less carbs.... Ahh... welcome back to dear diary moments. ;)


Tomorrow is also my baby brother's 16th birthday. Ahhh! So sad. So... happy birthday to him! Love ya, dyl.



This is back when Dylan was sweet... looooong ago. :)

I Accepted This Challenge

There is a challenge floating around the blog world. I got this from Meg . She picked the letter R for me, so I will name 10 of my favorite things that begin with this letter.

If you want to play along just leave me a comment and I’ll assign a letter for you. Just post a blog that lists 10 things that you love, like or lust for that start with that letter…and why.

So here are my R’s in no particular order:


Rain - I love waking up to a good rain storm, peacefully hitting the side of the house.

Rainbows - I love seeing them and being reminded of God's promise. It's also the name of my kid's group on Thursday nights.

Rob Thomas - Because I've loved Matchbox Twenty forever.. seen them in concert three times.. and he's HOT!

Reese's Peanut Butter cups - As the commercial says... so you don't have to choose between chocolate and peanut butter. :)

Rockettes - They are fabulous to watch! They're so precise and amazing!

Red Sox - Of course! I love my baseball!

Radio - Without it I would die! I love listening to K-Love on the way to work, at work on the internet, and on the way home. Positive and encouraging! :)

Reading - Even though I don't do it as much as I used to, I love learning about historic events or reading a guilty pleasure novel.

Red Robin - I love this place! Whether it's a cheeseburger, salad, or their yummy onion rings!

Reese Witherspoon - She's so cute and I love her movies!

Praying with Grateful Heart

I've always wondered and thought about my prayer life. I pray most often in the car -- that happens when you drive 80 miles a day to work. Are prayers still effective when you have the intent to pray before you fall asleep, but instead you being praying and fall asleep in the middle? I know God knows our hearts, but does He ever look down on us and say "Really? You can't even stay awake to talk to me?"

Now, in all fairness I have had company staying over when I fell asleep talking to them.... so when I do it to God, it's like doing it to a friend... right? The other night, it was 10:00 and I was ready for bed, done my routine, etc. My head had just hit the pillow and I began talking to God about various things. Today God gave me great hope about His answers to those prayers. I don't know what He has in store, but it's going to be great whatever it is!

Weekly Goals

I've decided every Sunday to post little goals so that all my readers can be sure to encourage me or kick me in the rear as they see fit! :)

1. Drink more water on the weekends... I do ok during the week; now I need to hop on the train during Saturdays and Sundays.

2. To work out at Curves 4 times this week.

3. No eating out... and if it's a must, then eat salad. :)


Starting slow so that's all for now! I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Haiti Trip Update

Some of you may know, some of you don't. In April I have the amazing opportunity to go to Haiti for a week on a missions trip with the Hands and Feet Project.

Some information on the Hands & Feet Project:

MISSION:
Hands and Feet Project exists to care for orphans and to use pop culture to introduce the 1st world to the orphans of the world.

VISION:
To raise a generation of orphans raised by their own culture who will change their country so orphanages are empty and we are out of a job.

Hands and Feet Project, a 501c3 non-profit organization, is a children's village in Jacmel, Haiti that was started by the band Audio Adrenaline in 2004. The land was purchased in late 2004, and construction began in early 2005. Their first little girl arrived in the spring of 2005, and they now care for 36 children ranging in age from 2 months to 9 years old.

Hands and Feet Project is currently building more houses in order to be able to help more children who have been abandoned and will probably have 40 children by the end of 2008. They are hoping to replicate the model that brings artists/bands and orphanages together, with the next project starting soon in Nicaragua with artist T-Bone.

I encourage you to visit their website (http://www.handsandfeetproject.org) to see what this organization is about. While in Haiti, we will be working at the orphanage in Jacmel. They were hit by 2 hurricanes last season and here is much clean up and work to be done. We will be offering our energy and time to that endeavor, as well as spending time with the resident children.

The applications are in, deposit is paid. There's no turning back now! :) Hopefully next week I'll be able to get turn in my passport stuff and get that going.

We're having a meeting next Sunday as well to get to know the people on our team. There are 10 of us going. I'm getting excited; a little nervous about funds and the raising of them, but I know God is faithful and He'll provide like He always does. Our support letters are done and will be mailed out tomorrow.

I'll be posting updates every couple weeks or so. Thanks again for your continued prayers during the process and the journey.

God Bless.

Diet Tribe & Weekly Reflection

There's this new show on Lifetime called "Diet Tribe" and I love it! It's about a group of friends who decide to lose weight together. Their personal trainer is Jessie (and he is HOT!) and each week he gives them challenges. The goal is to lose 30 lbs in 90 days. As I'm catching up on my weekly shows tonight, hop into my fat pants and grab a snack (an apple and peanut butter, by the way)... it's 9:30... hmm. Then Jessie starts giving tips: No eating at 10 pm. Well. I just blew that out of the water.

I've been doing not too shabby -- I've only used the elevator once (or twice)... but I'm getting better! AND I've drank all my water for week -- hey, it's the little things right? :)

Have a blessed weekend everyone!

Is it me?

I've done this one before, but I like it!

My Testimony of Faith

I may have blogged about my testimony before... but I speak a lot about my faith and my love of God, that I thought I'd share it again.

I've always gone to church. I don't remember ever putting up a fight on Sunday mornings. Things weren't always easy in our house, but it's the one thing that was for me. Growing up the Lutheran church, I always assumed that being baptized and confirmed, I was "good to go." I've learned so much about having a relationship with Christ, it's amazing! When I was in high school I was helping out with Vacation Bible School. When I was in college I was active in Campus Crusade for Christ, teaching confirmation, and preschool Sunday School (even back then, God knew what he was doing... :)). In 2006, I began to get a tug on my heart. That's generally how God speaks to me... he says, "hey...(nudge)... this is what I have for you." CJ had just became the Director of Children's Ministries at her church. (God again says, "Hey... you should go.")

Looking back now it's quite amazing how things fell into place. I told my parents I was moving, the next day gave my two weeks notice at my job. Two weeks later I was packed and ready to go. Don't think the enemy didn't have his hand in it too. The week I was supposed to move the battery in my car went out. On my last day at work, my stepdad picked me up, took me to my house, jumped my car so I could drive it to my uncle's shop and get a new battery. Two days later I was singing "Kansas City here I come!"

The significance of events is nice too and I'm glad that God had it planned that way. I had planned on packing and leaving Lincoln early morning. I didn't get out of town until almost 2 pm. An hour later, as I was driving into Nebraska City to hit I-29, my mom passes me going the opposite direction, toward Syracuse. I wave and she calls me to say "good-bye."

Once I arrive in Kansas City, I managed to find temp jobs from October - December. I interviewed for a job in December, but it wouldn't start until January... the afternoon I was hired for that position, the same staffing agency called with a temp job that would last until December 30th. God is AMAZING, I tell you!!

I'm continually in awe of His grace and mercy. I thank Him everyday for allowing me the opportunities to serve Him. My favorite Bible verses are: Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." and Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." So true, so true...

Thanks for reading and I pray you've found some encouragement.

Even I knew that!

Tonight as I'm driving home from work, CJ's giving me a list of things to do when I get home. She wanted me to get dinner started before I went to Youth Service. She told me to start the noodles so she could make goulash, but to make sure the water was boiling first. At first I was like "ok, who didn't know that?" Apparently, there are people who don't know that! :)

How many times are we given instruction and we turn a deaf ear? Pretending we heard and were only half paying attention. How often does it happen with God's word? Proverbs 28:9 says, "If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable." If we turn away from God's law, God detests our prayers -- He's flat out not listening. If we continually ask God for things that we want, but aren't living the life of His law, He's not going to give us what we want. Some people think that God doesn't answer prayers. I'm a firm believer that He answers all prayers, but sometimes His answer is no.

May we all clean out the deaf ear and live a life of Christ.

Day 1... again

I know what you're thinking. Yes, I'm starting over. I was talking with Christi today about how much weight I could lose before I go to Haiti. Her being the sweet girl that she is, knows me and my lack of will power, and how many times I've dieted since we've started working together; gives me a good number, that we both think is doable. I love her because she's so encouraging yet knows me well enough to keep it real.

After work I go to the gym, doing my thing... thinking I'm going to kill myself. I'm parched and I feel my face getting hot. Then, there she is. The woman on the phone. Not kidding... on the phone going around the circuit. Oh my gosh!!! Annoyance! I finish my work out (burning 336 calories I might add) and get out of dodge! Good golly! When I'm working out I'm in my mode... I just want to go through my circuit, stretch, and go.

Looking forward to the hurting abs in the morning! :)

Get ready!

I kind of did a 2008 Review, but I thought instead of doing a reflection of the last year, I thought I'd write the things I'm looking forward to in 2009.

*Missions Trip to Haiti, taking place April 3-12.
*Getting deeper in my relationship with Christ.
*Many more travel adventures, so I can use my new luggage! :)
*Seeing Kyle graduate from high school.

On my birthday I wrote 15 things I'd like to do before I'm 30. I'm excited for 2009 as a chance to get started on this list; since I turn 30 in 2010. ;) New Years Eve was great! We didn't do much but visit, eat, and watch New Years Even Live in Vegas. I love spending time visiting with friends I can't see every day - and going to bed at 4 am! New Years Day we vegged most of the day and then got ready that evening and went to Abuelos for dinner. All in all, a weekend - I could get used to having 4 days off every week! :)

I hope you all had a great New Years no matter what you did. Wish you all the joy and happiness in 2009!

Who are you?

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Marilyn!

You are a Marilyn -- "I am affectionate and skeptical."

Marilyns are responsible, trustworthy, and value loyalty to family, friends, groups, and causes. Their personalities range broadly from reserved and timid to outspoken and confrontative.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Be direct and clear


• * Listen to me carefully


• * Don't judge me for my anxiety


• * Work things through with me


• * Reassure me that everything is OK between us


• * Laugh and make jokes with me


• * Gently push me toward new experiences


• * Try not to overreact to my overreacting.

What I Like About Being a Marilyn

• * being committed and faithful to family and friends


• * being responsible and hardworking


• * being compassionate toward others


• * having intellect and wit


• * being a nonconformist


• * confronting danger bravely


• * being direct and assertive

What's Hard About Being a Marilyn

• * the constant push and pull involved in trying to make up my mind


• * procrastinating because of fear of failure; having little confidence in myself


• * fearing being abandoned or taken advantage of


• * exhausting myself by worrying and scanning for danger


• * wishing I had a rule book at work so I could do everything right


• * being too critical of myself when I haven't lived up to my expectations

Marilyns as Children Often

• * are friendly, likable, and dependable, and/or sarcastic, bossy, and stubborn


• * are anxious and hypervigilant; anticipate danger


• * form a team of "us against them" with a best friend or parent


• * look to groups or authorities to protect them and/or question authority and rebel


• * are neglected or abused, come from unpredictable or alcoholic families, and/or take on the fearfulness of an overly anxious parent

Marilyns as Parents

• * are often loving, nurturing, and have a strong sense of duty


• * are sometimes reluctant to give their children independence


• * worry more than most that their children will get hurt


• * sometimes have trouble saying no and setting boundaries

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

2008 Review

~ What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before? Experienced Times Square and New York City.
~ Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Umm... I started out ok... and will probably make the same resolution that I've done for the last 5 years. ;)
~ Did anyone close to you give birth? Meghan and Val -- both had little girlies!
~ Did anyone close to you die? My grandma
~ What countries did you spend time in this year? Just the US
~ What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? The faceless man of my dreams
~ What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? My grandma dying; the many events I've done thanks to volunteering for K-Love.
~ What was your biggest achievement of the year? I'm still alive and kickin... that's always a good achievement.
~ What was your biggest failure? Not losing the weight I need to.
~ Did you suffer any serious injury or illness? Nope
~ What was the best thing you bought? Plane tickets to all of my adventures! :)
~ Whose behavior merited celebration? My 28th birthday
~ Whose behavior made you appalled and/or depressed? Ugh.
~ Where did most of your money go? Bills
~ What did you get really, really, really excited about? My birthday was super!
~ Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? little sadder
b) thinner or fatter? fatter
c) richer or poorer? hmm... richer
~ What do you wish you'd done more of? Give
~ What do you wish you'd done less of? Worry
~How did you spend Christmas? in Nebraska visiting both sides of the fam.
~ Did you fall in love in 2008? Don't I wish :)
~ What are the main websites you used? gmail, facebook, myspace
~ What was your favorite TV program? One Tree Hill, Jon & Kate Plus 8, Little People Big World.
~ Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Nope
~ What was the best book you read? Ugh. Who has time!?
~ What did you want and not get? hmmm
~ What was your favorite film of this year? PS I love you
~ What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 28... we went to Cheeseburger in Paradise for dinner and then bowling.
~ What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? well...
~ How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? my fashion what?
~ What kept you sane? My friends
~ What political issue stirred you the most? Ugh. Obama.
~ Who did you miss? My grandma.
~ Who was the best new person you met? I've met a lot of people this year!
~ Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008: To never be anxious, taking my requests to God, always giving thanks.
~ What sums up this year? (a word, a quote...?) God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

On the road again...

This month I've gone to Nebraska three times. This goes out to my "road buddies"; the people I can call when I'm driving, and count on them to keep me awake. I don't think I've talked to my friend Ronda so much as I talked to her this weekend. Loved the convos though! :) As I'm driving south on I-29, barely to St. Joe, I start scrolling through the contact list.... realizing there's not many people that I would call when I'm on the road at 9 pm (or 9 am for that matter). I called a couple people and had to live voicemails. I texted a couple people, but texting at night scares me, so I quickly turned to the contact list again. LOL

Family time was good; unsolicited advice and constant nagging were not. I think I'm good until Christmas. ;) I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Who's ready to go to Silver Dollar City?! :)

Holidays of firsts..

A few of my cousins and I have been mentioning this week how these holidays that are fast approaching, are quite frankly, going to suck.

My birthday has came went... and it's been hard for me to comprehend that there won't be a card in my mailbox telling me where Thanksgiving is this year and that she hopes to see me "on the 23rd at the Town Hall." After living 'away' for quite awhile, I'm going to miss these cards. In another month I won't get a Christmas card telling me where that family celebration will be held either.

There are always those who move on through life as if nothing has changed. Then there's who ponder (like me) and sometimes make more of a mess in your brain. For those of you who will also be having holidays of 'firsts'... I'll be praying for you.

This week's Memory Monday

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Memory Monday

Meg found this on a blog site, so we're each going to do this.

Each Monday our goal is to pick a verse or passage to memorize for the upcoming week. And the next Monday, we will type it out BY MEMORY and choose another one. We are both picking different ones to memorize. Who wants to join us?

Birthday Reflection

Yesterday Meg did a birthday reflection for herself. It got me thinking about my own birthday and things that I would like to reflect on.

The "late 20s" are upon me. It's kind of sad, but pushing 30 is mildly depressing. I've realized that after all these years of complaining of a curfew of midnight -- I'm still the good girl who's home by midnight. LOL

Things I'm thankful for:

Family: I complain about you, but I can't imagine my family being anyone else. I love each and every one of you in your own unique way. I like to think my family has instilled in me the morals that make me who I am, even if they don't know it.

Friends: You're so much like my family - each different, yet connect to me in a different way. I'm so grateful that God has placed each one of you in my life; whether it be for a season or a lifetime, I love you. I'm thankful to those who teach me lessons and attempt to encourage me daily. :)

Faith: My faith has brought me so far and continues to test me. I've overcome a lot, but there's a lot yet to come. To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did. When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. I'm a firm believer in everything happens for a reason. God is teaching me that it's not ok to be content... if you're content, you don't grow.

Rainbows: My kids at church have taught me so much in the last 2 years. When they come to my classroom, I don't know their home life, I don't know their stories, but hanging out with them for an hour and a half every week has been amazing.

Soldiers: Past, present, and future... Including my Aunt Peggy, you're the bravest people I know. Thank you so much for serving our Country and putting your life on the line for MY freedom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In all fairness, my life is pretty great. I have food, shelter, clothing... a lot of things that a lot of people don't have. I know God will continue to test me and shake me... and I pray the next year is the best yet! I love you guys!

Crazy Eights

8 Favorite TV Shows (in no specific order)
1. 90210
2. One Tree Hill
3. Jon & Katie Plus 8
4. Friends
5. Little People Big World
6. Two and a half men
7. Ugly Betty
8. 17 Kids and Counting


8 Favorite Restaurants
1. Cheesecake Factory
2. La Paz - Lincoln
3. Yia Yia's - Lincoln
4. Chipotle
5. Dairy Chef - Syracuse
6. Red Robin
7. El Toro - Lincoln
8. Olive Garden


8 Things that happened yesterday
1. I went to church
2. I went bowling!
3. I ate way too much!
4. I listened to a Christmas program
5. I texted
7. I worked
8. I downloaded pictures


8 Things I'm looking forward to
1. The Holidays
2. My birthday
3. My aunt Peggy coming home
4. Winter Wonderslam next weekend
5. Going to Nebraska in two weeks
6. Work Christmas party
7. Upcoming Christmas concerts
8. a day off! :)


8 Things I love about Fall
1. Tree colors
2. hoodie weather!
3. hot chocolate
4. sitting in front of the fire
5. Being with family
6. Holiday parties
7. Christmas plays
8. Christmas music!

8 Things on my wish list
1. Bring the troops home
2. People to treat others how they want to be treated
3. Not be so judgmental
4. My car to be fixed
5. Everyone in the world to have food and shelter
6. For everyone to be healthy
7. more sleep ;)
8. no more debt

Sunrise to Sunset: weekend recap

So, this weekend I took a little trip to Nebraska. It was nice. Very few people knew I was there; which made it all the better. No stresses about who to hang out with!!

Saturday I took off at 4:45 (yes, a.m.), muddled through the fog, and arrived in S-town at 8:30. I went with my brother and mom to the funeral of two kids that were killed last week in a car accident. I was so glad that I got to spend time with Dylan and be there for him.

Saturday night I went to dinner with Shawn and Sadie... love those two! We had a blast hanging out - and wearing the Speed Racer helmet! haha! Sunday morning I skipped church and went to grandpa's for waffles with Shawn. Nothing beats waffles and talking about hunting... or maybe just the waffles. :) Then I went to hang out with mom and we (ok, she) ended up making monkey bread and homemade runzas. YUM!!

All-in-all was good and relaxing; however, I hate daylight savings time! Who's ready for a nap?!

The difference

Tonight as I was attempting to console two teenagers, I quickly realized how different girls and boys react to different things. Not like I never knew, but I've never had to console my brother and sister about the same thing.

The reader's digest version of the story: tonight I got home and Dylan had sent me a message with a link to a news story (which for him is odd in itself). The story was about 3 teenagers who died in a car accident. I immediately called him to see if he was ok - no answer. After a few minutes he came online and we talked about it (as much as I could muster out of him). My goal was to basically reassure him that I'm there if he ever needs to talk about stuff.

My sister on the other hand, was a different story. She was very angry, voiced a few angers at God for taking them so young. This question is always hard to answer, no matter how old you are.

I can't imagine dealing with these feelings at 15/16 years old. At the same time, talking to these two made my heart ache. I hate seeing them sad; I can't think how I would feel if they were my kids. You can't change what's already done, but I hope this is a chance for God to grasp the future.

On a shelf

I've recently done something that I now regret. I always say there are no regrets - just lessons learned; which is a true statement. However, in this case - I'm pretty sure I regret it. I've initiated a conversation with someone and now wish I hadn't. He's a great guy, but he has an issue of being friends with the opposite sex. He's in it all or nothing basically. So now, I think that since I started the conversation, he thinks I mean more than I really do.

I was asking people for thoughts on the subject. CJ who has been trough this with me the first time with this guy - said "sometimes you just have to leave them on the shelf." And ya know, I think she's right. Why is it that we constantly have to bring up stuff from the past, no matter how painful it was? I mostly do this with relationships I've had. Is it because I miss them... or the idea? I think it's the idea... and I hate that. I want to be content in my singleness for the season that God has placed me here. Why can't I just leave them on the shelf? So... my messenger is getting a little fall cleaning... people who send me back 10 paces are out. Those who encourage and support are in.

Pondering a season of change... again.

Before I'm 30

Things I'd like to accomplish or do before I'm 30; in no particular order.

1. Lose weight - more specifically; ALL the weight I need to reach my ideal weight.
2. Go on a missions trip
3. Go on a cruise
4. Take care of my debt
5. Swim with dolphins
6. Go to Boston
7. See the Red Sox play at Fenway.
8. Meet the currently faceless man of my dreams.
9. Learn to play the piano.
10. Grow in my relationship with God.
11. Improve the relationship with my parents.
12. Become a better communicator.
13. Stop sweating the petty stuff.
14. Broaden my culture horizons
15. Read the entire Bible.


Yes, Meg... I'd better get crackin! :)

I'm getting old... lol

Today my baby brother turns 18. How did this happen??? LOL... I'm so excited for him to begin a new journey. He's such a great kid (not so much anymore...) and deserves the best. Someone buy me stock in tissues when May comes. :-)

In one month I'll turn 28. How did THAT happen? I've cherished the journey that God has brought me through and can't wait for the next curve in the road. Next year's birthday trip: BOSTON BABY!!!!!!!!!!!! Who's up for a trip to Fenway? :)

Random things

10 things I wish I could say to 10 different people
1. You truly are 'the best man'...
2. I've always looked up to you
3. I'm forever grateful for your wisdom.
4. For once I wish you'd say you're proud...
5. I wish you weren't so hypocritical
6. Thank you for always being there.
7. I love you like a sister!
8. I miss you.
9. I am happy for you... truly.
10. I can't wait to see you walk down the aisle. :)


9 things about myself
1. I worry too much
2. I love "hoodie weather"
3. My family & friends are my life
4. I rarely believe in myself
5. I love Mexican food!
6. I love weddings
7. I hate that I use sarcasm as a defense mechanism.
8. I hate Times Square
9. I love kids


8 ways to win my heart
1. Love my friends and family
2. tell me I look beautiful
3. Love kids
4. Have a relationship with God
5. Don't lie
6. random acts of love
7. sing to me (even if you can't sing well!)
8. Love me for me.


7 awesome movies
1. Field of Dreams
2. Definitely, Maybe
3. The Bucket List
4. Fever Pitch
5. Hitch
6. Freaky Friday
7. Ray


6 things you do before you sleep
1. watch the news
2. set my alarm
3. talk to God
4. think - sometimes too much!
5. brush my teeth
6. lotion up! :)

5 people who mean a lot
1. God
2. Parents & siblings
3. My girls
4. my church kids
5. Those who encourage and support me


4 things you're wearing right now
1. fat pants
2. tank
3. glasses
4. lotion

3 songs that you listen to often (currently)
1. The Journey - Caleb Rowden Band
2. Time of My Life - David Cook
3. I will not be moved - Natalie Grant

2 things you want to do before you die
1. Have a family
2. travel the world - included all major league baseball parks :)

1 confession
1. Sometimes I like being a girly girl.