Ridiculous Things That Never Should Have Been Invented

This is the abridged version of a list I've been making all morning. It has no deeper meaning other than the fact that I honestly don't understand why ANY of these things exist. I mean, seriously. Every single one of these items just begs the question, "WHY?!?!?!!?!?"


1. Pantyhose




2. Sauerkraut




3. Skinny jeans



4. Twizzlers




5. Hummers




6. Inflatable furniture



7. Tissue Box Covers



8. Paperweights




9. The entire teaberry flavor


10. These lawn ornament things



Feel free to add!

Thought for the day

One of my professors posed this question to our class earlier this week; it's a quote from David Copperfield. Days later, I'm still thinking about it.

"Will you be the hero of your own story?"


Out of curiosity, what kind of thoughts does this question generate for you?

My own take on the question? I think it's equally as important to consider, "Should I be the hero of my own story?"

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference has never tried to fall asleep with a mosquito in the room."

(I positively love that quote and it's the only thing that comes to mind when I think "mosquitoes").

I hearby award major bonus points to Edge for knowing who Jump5 is in my last post :)

I read this article today and felt the need to post it just so I could say, "HA!" The world keeps telling me to de-stress, but I'm not very good at it. Maybe stress has its perks........????

I've got words in my head, so I sing them....

(major bonus points if you know the song/artist that I stole the title from WITHOUT Googling it....)

Yesterday I attended Revelation Generation 2009, which was, in a word superawesomeamazing :) I spent the day there with some friends and we had right-up-against-the-stage views of concerts by BarlowGirl, Relient K, Switchfoot, Needtobreathe, Flyleaf, and lots of others!

As such, here are some of the songs that are still resonating:

The Lining is Silver :: Relient K

Oh, Gravity :: Switchfoot

And my new favorite (just listen to it. The piano/vocal combination is amazing):
Beautiful Ending :: BarlowGirl

If you're not here, raise your hand....

Just a little techinical note. The whole "import blogs from Google Reader" thing didn't work the way I wanted it to, and as a result, quite a few of you are missing from my excellent blogs list on the left. If you're not there, please let me know!!!!!

This Little Light of Mine....

So, as I was driving home tonight, I had a most interesting encounter with the guy driving the SUV next to me. Picture it: I'm in my little raspberry colored car (Ok, so it's not technically mine. Thank you, Nana, for letting me borrow it!!), all the windows rolled down (because we had the most perfect September weather today!), singing along at the top of my lungs with the song on the radio, which is tuned to the WordFM. I'm stopped at a notoriously long stoplight. Seriously. The kind of stoplight that would be created by an evil genius bent on revenge, because it stays red forevvvvvvvver and is only green for about a tenth of a millisecond.

Anyway, Guy in the SUV in the lane next to me must also have his windows rolled down. Now, let me just point out that, had I known this, I most definitely would have stopped singing. OR at least rolled up my windows. I do feel kind of bad for the innocent strangers who are forced to listen to me squawk, after all. However, I didn't realize it.

He, naturally, did. And he must have had exceptionally good hearing, because even with the sound of my squawks, he was able to discern the song I was listening to.



Guy in the SUV: Hey! Sounds like a good song! What station you listening to?



Me (after turning the music down and trying to pretend I have no idea where that awful squawking was coming from): WordFM....88.9!



Guy in the SUV: "Word"...sounds like one of those Godly Christian stations...



Me: It is. And it's pretty awesome. You should check it out!



Guy in the SUV: You know, I don't know that I believe in God....



Me: Check it out anyway. Maybe you'll hear something....maybe it will help answer your questions.



At this point, the stoplight must have sensed that we were actually enjoying ourselves and getting into a conversation. Naturally, being designed to bring everlasting frustration upon the world, it quickly changed to green, forcing us both to move. However, and I swear God was smiling, we hit another red stoplight a few blocks up. Once again, I'm stopped next to Guy in the SUV, and we both still have our windows rolled down.
And I hear the same songs I'm listening to in my car playing from his radio. And he's tapping his fingers along on the steering wheel. He looks over and notices me and says, "I might keep listening to this. Thanks." And I replied, "You're welcome!" and then we were off, going our seperate ways.

Even now, hours later, I can't even explain how blown away I am by this encounter. It was so completely unexpected and wonderful....but furthermore, it makes me aware of the fact that every part of my life is a testimony to God and His faithfulness. Every single tiny moment.

In Philippians, Paul writes: "Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel..." [Phil. 1:2-28] We are called, then, to live a life worthy of the Gospel of Christ. Of God Himself. That is a hugely daunting order, isn't it?! But Paul doesn't just say that we should live this way "while you're in church" or "when people are watching you" or "during work hours"; we are to act this way all the time. Our whole lives. Every moment of my life, every little thing I do, from the way I dress, the language I use, the words I write, the choices I make, the conversations I have, the music I listen to, and the way I treat others around me all reflect the values that are central to my life. And those values need to be Godly ones!!

Sometimes I forget that my faith can influence people outside of Sunday mornings or my circles of Christian friends. Sure, it's easy to see how having deep discussions in Sunday school or praying together with friends is meaningful....but I really had no idea that the things I do or the way I act outside of those situations meant anything to anyone. But God's been making me aware of it lately, and I wonder if it's His way of encouraging me to be more aware of what my actions are saying about me (for better and worse).

One of the reasons I've had this renewed interest in blogging is due to a recent conversation. A few days ago, a friend told me that "Yours is one of the only Christian blogs I read." I am so surprised and honored by this! (I am FLATTERED, dear!!) She may not agree with what I believe, and yet, she reads it anyway. In some way, I might be influencing her life...God is using me for a purpose! It's a pretty amazing feeling to think that God Himself is using me for some part of His plan!

So, morals of the story?
1. Even the tiniest, seemingly insignificant parts of our lives might be changing the world and affecting people.
2. Stoplights might serve a higher purpose after all.
3. Always leave the windows down. Who knows what opportunities you might miss otherwise? :)

Abracadabra...make MMSG reappear!

My dearest bloggers,

Many apologies for the bizarre and unexplained disappearance. I think two and only two of you will understand when I say "monkeys". I'm afraid to even look at the date of my last post, but I know for sure it was eons ago! But, at the suggestion/command issued by our own dear Madison, I agreed it was time to start blogging again. And September first seemed like an excellent day to do that, so here we go again...!
History, for anyone who's curious:
Life got a little crazed this summer....I spent the last few months working like crazy! My summer job entailed spending my mornings entertaining children and trying to avoid the inter-camp wars that kept popping up at a day camp, and the afternoons were filled with working at a community center and taking the kiddos to the pool. Fascinating moments of this job included when one child asked if I was married, another informed me I look like his 74 year old grandmother, a third tried to break into my car, the discovery of what we're fairly certain was an alien caterpillar, a plot which involved running in to a dumpster with a car to simulate thunder, and way too many wheat crackers for snack. I don't know if I can eat any more wheat crackers.
I also spent a healthy amount of time playing in the rain, making music videos with my cousins, playing my guitar (if any of my neighbors are reading this, I really am sorry. I really DIDN'T know the windows were open....), babysitting, working my way through an online summer class, and eating way too much chocolate.
The other two big highlights were, without a doubt, my trip to New Orleans for the National Youth Gathering as well as my week at Worldview Academy. More on these subjects soon, too.

What about y'all? Any exciting summer developments?

The big news? I, the homeschooler, am here at college and loooving it! We're only on Day 2 of classes and already I'm up to my eyeballs in homework, but hey, it's part of the experience ;) Most of my classes are awesome, most of my professors are awesome, I mostly know my way around campus and I definitely have the great on-campus job EVER, so life is quite good :)

More posts coming your way soon. Pinky promise. Right now, my history book is threatening to run away if I don't read it soon. I think it's feeling jealous because of all the time I've devoted to Spanish lately. Poor thing.

P.S. In case there is anyone out there reading this without an RSS feeder (I know, slim chance), like the new look? And for everyone else, come check it out. I'm still tweaking, but do comment.

HAILSTORM
[written for a friend in need]

Hail-storms of hurt-words
Come barreling down;
Warm rays of sunlight
No longer found.
Unexpected and whirling;
Hardened and cold;
Invaded by dark clouds
Angry and bold.
A bruise here, a scar there
Salty rain-tears descend
Lord, strengthen me;
Lead me to the storm’s end.

Anyone have a piece of fleece?

I'm afraid to even look at the date of my last post. I'm sure it was years ago. Accept my full apologies!

A lot of what has been consuming me lately has been this big crazy college decision part of life. The scholarships. The interviews. The research. The thinking. The letters. The credits. The majors. The programs. The distance from home. The campuses. The admissions counselors. The professors. The students. The food (hey, it's an important factor). The costs. Etc.
It has been a MAJOR source of stress and pure terror for me over the last few months (years?) and yet, I can feel God teaching me things through this process.

One thing that's been sticking out at me lately has been, as a dear friend put it, "The Classic Christian Mistake".

I keep looking for factors that will make this decision easier for me, and one of those was financial aid. I prayed and prayed and prayed and found that my top two schools were basically the same in every respect -- I loved them both and they had so much to offer and both are great choices. And so I thought the only factor left was financial aid; I prayed that God would use scholarships and grants and such to point me in the right direction. And I waited. And I waited. And for a few weeks, it looked like even the monetary awards would be almost exactly the same, leaving me very undecided and unsure of what God was doing.

Then I got a letter in the mail from one school, and the scholarship money was significantly higher than I expected. Woo hoo, happy dance, life is good. This was a sign, I knew it; this was God pointing.
I was thrilled for all of about two hours.

Then the doubt set in.
"I should wait until I get the official statement from the other school. This really isn't a sign. This is just unexpected. What if this isn't really God? What if God hasn't really spoken yet, but I'm just trying to force everything to fit into MY own will instead of His? How do I know this is a sign? This can't be what answered prayers look like..." etc, etc.

The next day, knowing most of this, my friend talked to me about my big mistake. "You made the classic Christian mistake," she said of my doubt. "You prayed and prayed that God would speak to you about this decision through finances. And He did exactly as you asked. And then after you got that, you looked at God and wondered if it was enough." She's so very right; that's EXACTLY what I did!

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this conversation since. How often do we want God to just drop down a sign straight from Heaven to point us in the right direction? But even more interesting, how often does God DO this, but instead of following his sign, we second-guess it and doubt Him and ask for a billboard. THEN we'll be sure. And sometimes God has enough patience to drop us a fairly obvious billboard...and we have the gall to look at him and go, "Could ya just add some flashing lights to it? I'm not sure if this is the sign I need yet...I'm waiting for something more obvious...."

It reminds me of the story of Gideon, which you can also find in Judges 6-7. You gotta love Gideon. He's out in his field threshing wheat, and an ANGEL of the LORD appears.(First sign: There's an angel standing in front of me.) And Gideon says, "Whoa, baby. Are you really an angel? If you are, hang on just one second." Gideon goes inside to prepare an offering and the angel waits, just as he asks. (Second sign: Angel does as he asks and waits with heavenly patience). Then, Gideon comes back out and asks for ANOTHER sign. So the angel touches Gideon's altar offering with his staff and BOOM! instant flames. (Third sign) Ok. So, now, Gideon has an ethereal being standing in front of him who has just made fire appear out of nowhere....pretty obvious, eh? Gideon's still skeptical. He comes up with this elaborate test for God, involving fleece and dew and very specific instructions (Seriously? If this is not an illustration of how patient our God is, then I don't know WHAT is! Because if it was me...I'd be a little peeved at Gideon and I'd been ready to smite the guy.) And God, who has created the heavens and the earth and can do ANYTHING, has the patience and goodwill to accommodate Gideon's silly requests about putting dew on the fleece. (Fourth sign, anyone??) Gideon wakes up the next morning and goes, "Alright! You did exactly what I wanted, God! But...well, just one more thing...." and he goes and asks God for YET ANOTHER sign. And God STILL doesn't smite the guy, but gives him his sign, (Yep, we're up to five signs, now, in a few day's time, if I remember correctly) and thank goodness Gideon finally sees the light and realizes, DUH, this IS God.

And it's so easy for me (us) to roll our eyes at Gideon and wonder how he could possibly still doubt, even when God did exactly what he asked, over and over again.

And yet, here I am doing exactly the same thing.

Thank you, God, for your indescribable patience!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Paddy's day, the Veggie way

Spring Forward!

Don't forget -- it's Daylight Savings Time! Make sure you turn clocks ahead an hour when you go to bed tonight!!!

Somebody's got some 'splaining to do....

After being at work all morning, I came home this afternoon and headed upstairs to tackle some schoolwork. Like any normal person, I also had to go to the bathroom. I walked in to the little upstairs bathroom that the Lil Bro and I share only to discover this....




So you're thinking, "Duh, MMSG. It's winter. That stuff is called snow. You got 13 inches of it yesterday. Why are you surprised by this??!" And, well, yeah. If I was outside, a hunk of dirty snow would have been no big deal.


But it was in my bathtub!!!



So, seeing as the Lil Bro is the only other person who uses this bathroom, I marched off to his room.

Me: "Come."

Lil Bro: "Huh?"

Me (leads Lil Bro to bathroom and points to snow)

Lil Bro: "It's snow."

Me: "It's IN MY BATHTUB!!!"

Lil Bro: "Yeah....?"

Me: "Explain, if you please?!"

Lil Bro (shrugs): "I dunno. Is the roof leaking?"

Me and Lil Bro pause and look up at ceiling. It is dry and leak-free.

Me: "Any other ideas?"

Lil Bro: "Check with Dad."

Me (marching downstairs, hands on hips)

Dad: "Yes?"

Me: "Let's play a game. It's called, 'Guess What's In My Bathtub That Doesn't Belong There.' You go first."

Dad: "Snow?"

Me: "Ding ding ding! We have a winner! And now for the bonus round: WHY?!?!"

Dad: "It was in the attic."

Me: "Great. That's fantastic. But, it's no longer IN the attic. It's IN MY BATHTUB! And it's DIRTY!"

Dad: "Indeed. I moved it from the attic. It's melting."

Me: "And you didn't feel the need to put it in YOUR bathtub?"

Dad (feigning shock): "Why, goodness, no! It's DIRTY!"

"The Ghost"

THE GHOST

by: Charles Baudelaire

OFTLY as brown-eyed Angels rove

I will return to thy alcove,

And glide upon the night to thee,

Treading the shadows silently.




And I will give to thee, my own,

Kisses as icy as the moon,

And the caresses of a snake

Cold gliding in the thorny brake.




And when returns the livid morn

Thou shalt find all my place forlorn

And chilly, till the falling night.




Others would rule by tenderness

Over thy life and youthfulness,

But I would conquer thee by fright!

[I've just stumbled across the works of Charles Baudelaire. Naturally, like any Lemony Snicket fan, I was instantly intrigued by this poet's name and had to investigate. This is one of my favorites so far. Wow...I really love how this poem tiptoes back and forth across the line between "beautiful" and "haunting". It gives me goosebumps! The first line is probably my most favorite line of poetry EVER.]

I just couldn't resist

Excerpt from an IM conversation tonight....sorry, dear, but it was funny!


Friend: hi

Me: hi!!!!!!!!

Friend: r u home

Me: No. Are you ready for this?!?!? I decided to take up residence on the moon today. Earth is just too darn polluted!

Friend: oh

Me: :)

Friend: ur kidding right?

Me: Uh, NO!!!!!!!!!!! That's what's so crazy awesome about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There was this new program at NASA for high school seniors to go experience life in space for three days! It's an environmental-awareness thing; about teaching us to appreciate all the things we do have on earth, etc....I'M SO PSYCHED THAT I GOT PICKED!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn't want to tell anyone I applied in case I didn't get it...it was really competitive and all....but we flew down to the NASA headquarters here in Houston late last night...and "take-off" was this morning at 7am...and now here I am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Me: Is this awesome or WHAT?!?!?

Friend: ok...sure....





Love ya, dear :) Thanks for putting up with me!

Ignorance, continued

Heh. I received this email a few days ago, forwarded from the friend of a friend, and I have to say, it cracked me up :) I know I sent it some of you, but just in case...it seems to fit my current rant quite nicely...

"Yesterday I was buying 2 large bags of Purina dog chow at Walmart, for my dogs Winston, Chief, Gus, and Maximus.

I was about to check out when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog. What did she think, that I had an elephant?

Since I had little else to do, on impulse, I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, and that I was starting the Purina Diet again, although I probably shouldn't because I ended up in the hospital last time. On the bright side though, I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of every hole in my body and IVs in both arms. I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that it works is to load your pockets with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry and that the food is nutritionally
complete so I was going to try it again. (I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was enthralled with my story by now.)

Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food had poisoned me. I told her no; I had stopped in the middle of the parking lot to lick my butt and a car hit me.

I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack, he was laughing so hard!

WAL-MART won't let me shop there anymore."

Here's your sign...

(Any of you who got the above reference to a very pathetic yet very funny country song...Kudos to you)

Ok, in continuing the current rant of Somnite (see below), I have my own two cents to add. Seriously, it's articles like this that make me shake my head an echo my great-grandmother: "What on EARTH is this crazy world coming to?!"

Fish pedicures banned by Florida Board of Cosmetology

"Fish pedicures — the use of tiny, live carp to clean feet — have been made available in several Florida cosmetology salons in recent months.

Now, Florida is banning the practice.

The Florida Board of Cosmetology, housed within the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, determined that fish pedicures are not permitted in salons because they violate two previously standing rules: one that prohibits animals or pets (excluding animals trained to assist the hearing impaired, visually impaired or the physically disabled) in salons and another that sets the standards for pedicure sanitation requirements."
[From the Tampa Bay Business Journal]

SERIOUSLY, people!? What on EARTH possessed you to think that using tiny, live FISH to CLEAN your FEET would be a GOOD idea? (Sorry, went a little overboard on the capital letters there....)

Maybe it's just me. But seeing as feet (mine or anyone else's) and contact with fish (alive or otherwise) are two of the things that SERIOUSLY GROSS ME OUT, the combination of the two is enough to cause extreme gagging. At the very least.

Can anyone truly tell me that this looks like a desirable thing?!?!

And how do you know that the fish are actually making your feet CLEANER?

They swim around in their own poop, for Pete's sake.

These are also the people who decide that the place to have lengthy conversations is in the only doorway into a room.

I totally stole that line ^ from Somnite. He is currently discussing stupid/ignorant people. Like those mentioned above.

And let me just say, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE!

Come ON, people!!! Is it that hard to move a few feet IN or a few feet OUT of the room in question?!?!!? ARGH!

Or maybe it's just part of the Conspiracy to Make MMSG Late for Everything.

*menacing glare directed towards all ignorant and non-ignorant door-blockers alike*

Bad day

Ugh. It's been one of those days. You know the kind I mean, right? First of all, it's Monday. I was awakened much too early this morning by the phone. Naturally, it was a wrong number. I'm out of toothpaste. Even though I got up on time, I was VERY LATE in getting out of the house; the lateness carried over and permeated my entire day. I was stressed out at preschool, trying to do too many things at once and handle too much responsibility. I almost got hit three times driving to the community college for an observation. I had to leave the observation, which I was truly interested in, early in order to get to class on time. I DIDN'T EVEN MAKE IT TO CLASS ON TIME, due to construction, two busses (sp?!?!) and two wrong turns. For the first time ever, I had the displeasure of walking in to classs and slinking into my front-row seat while the prof was talking. Nice job, MMSG. Urgh. Doors were locked when they shouldn't have been; I forgot my gloves; I didn't have time to eat anything until just NOW; I almost ran out of gas and spent way too much filling up the tank; computer repair guy was supposed to come fix my keyboard this afternoon and so far, he hasn't even bothered to show up; I have a test on Wednesday which I haven't studied for and I also have a paper due which I haven't even started....

You get the picture. It's just been one of those days. The days that make me hiss at people (yes. I'm totally serious here. Ask the Lil' Bro. He's been on the receiving end of an awful lot of hissing lately. Sorry, Lil Bro!). The days that make me want to throw things. The days that make want to crawl in bed with a long book and say "Heck with you, you big stinky world! I DON'T want to deal with you anymore!"

Sidebar: Heh. As I'm sitting here griping, I'm reminded of a line from Notting Hill (*confession* This is currently one of my FAVORITE MOVIES EVER. Something about it...maybe it's Hugh Grant's [who plays William] adorable accent....just makes me go weak at the knees. I cry every time I watch it. Pathetic, I know...*sigh*)...

Spike: You couldn't help me with an incredibly important decision, now, could you?
William: This isn't important in comparison to, say, the decision over whether or not we should cancel Third World countries' debt, now, is it?
.....
William (to Anna): Can't we just laugh about all this? I mean, seriously, in the hugh sweep of things, this is nothing! This stuff doesn't actually matter!
Spike (to Anna): What he's going to say next is that there are starving children in the Sudan.
William (to Anna): Well, there are! And this is nothing compared to that!

So yeah. I know. I know I know I KNOW!!! So maybe my problems are inconsequential, in the grand scheme of things. And I know that, gosh darn it! I really do!! I really DON'T want to be reminded of it again, thank you very much; I'd much rather wallow in my own self-pity and moan some more. Leave me alone, Hugh. *glares*

And yet. Somehow, after He rolls his eyes and shakes His head, God always reaches down and touches my heart and helps me get myself back on track, and refocus my thoughts and attitude. Today He did so through a song, as He often seems to do with me when I'm in moods like this. And it wasn't a new song. It was a song I've heard a bazillion times in my life; a song that, admittedly, I sometimes grow tired of and change the station when it comes on, looking for something newer or more interesting. But today, it spoke to me in a way I didn't expect.

It was "How Great is Our God" (<-- sung here by Hillsong. This video gave me goosebumps!)

It really just jolted me out of my I'd-really-like-to-pick-up-my-Statistics-textbook-and-chuck-it-at-this-nincompoop-who's-STILL-tailgating-me-cuz-maybe-THAT-would-get-him-off-my-butt thoughts and made me think.

How great IS our God? How incredible is it that we have a God who loves us even when we're not loving Him, when we're not loving life, when we're not loving all the blessings He's given us? How amazing is it that our God will forgive us for our grumpy, selfish, textbook-throwing thoughts and welcome us back with open arms? How wonderful is it to know that even when I'm having a bad day, God is in control? How blessed are we to have a God this great?!

(Funny how on bad days, everyday knowledge often feels like stunning epiphanies [sp?]).

Saturday morning, courtesy of Hoops and Yoyo

How can you not love this video?!?

Happy Valentines Day!

Quick Valentines-y thoughts, courtesy of Heartlight.com:

The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are
loved - loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of
ourselves.

-- Victor Hugo



I thank my God every time I remember you.

-- Philippians 1:3


Hope you all have a truly LOVEly Valentine's Day, spent with people you love, and remembering the greatest love of all:


"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. "
-- John 3:16


[And, before you all get too excited...No. Unfortunately, the fact that I typed "Happy" above does not actually mean that my p key has been fixed. Quite the contrary, in fact; the keyboard was fixed incorrectly and now NONE of the keys on my laptop's keyboard work. *Sigh*. But, I currently have access to the family computer (which is typically hoarded by my dear Lil Bro), since Lil Bro is still asleep. Bwahahaha.]

My very good excuse

I actually have a fairly good reason for not _osting. My letter-that-comes-between-o-and-q key on my keyboard is broken. Actually, it WAS broken, now it's just GONE. For a few weeks, it was just loose, and therefore working s_oradically, if I whacked it hard enough. But my _sycho cat went and ri_ _ed the darn thing off com_letely, and now, no _'s. And I have to admit, it is driving me CRAAAAZY. More than it should, I'm sure. But I've kind of been avoiding any long emails/_osts/etc because, well, do you know how many words have the letter _ in them?!

A lot. A whole lot.

On the very bright side, though, my com_uter is still under warranty, so the lovely _eo_le at Dell covered the cost of a new keyboard. Thank you, lovely _eo_le at Dell. You've made me very ha_ _ y. Anyway, that should be here in a few days. Sweetness.

A Quote for Today

"The opposite of bravery is not cowardice, but conformity."

     -- Robert Anthony

The month so far...

Heh. Now that you've all gotten used to the crazy-frequent posting of January...make way for February the crazy-busy! Sorry I've been so quiet lately. We're only a week into Feb and already I'm exhausted!

Wednesday flew by in a whirl of classes, homework, and interviews. Thursday was the Big Birthday. It was, by far, the greatest birthday I've EVER had -- THANK YOU to all the awesome people who made it so marvelous! Details soon. Friday - Saturday I was gone at a sleepover and attending another bday party; today the cuz had a wrestling match which lasted for a mere 6 1/2 hours. Now, I've got a crazy load of homework that needs to be done by tomorrow night, and I'd better do it now, because I'll be gone all day tomorrow at a college visit/interview (*GULP* prayers needed. It could lead to a full-tuition scholarship. But no pressure or anything, right?!?!?) and then a meeting in the evening.

Someday soon, I really WILL have time to think out a post. Pinky promise.

Letting my eyes

So...just when I was starting to think I had this whole where-should-I-go-to-college-in-the-fall thing figured out, WHAMO! God threw all this new information in to the mix and confused the daylights out of me.

An acceptance letter I wasn't expecting came, which, to any normal student, would be awesome. And it is! But I had just been getting ready to cross that school off my list and narrow down the options. I thought maybe this was God's way of letting me know that particular school wasn't where he wanted me. Now I'm not so sure anymore.

Similarly, a second school that I was getting ready to cross off of the list recently notified me that I *might* qualify for a full-tuition scholarship. Obviously, I would take a full-tuition scholarship as a pretty clear-cut sign from God that THAT is the school I should be at. Not what I expected at all -- suddenly this school is an option again. My list isn't getting narrowed down at all!

Shall we add another loop? My first choice school; the place I really, truly want to go? I was so close to getting a full-tuition scholarship THERE, and I just found out I didn't quite make it. Which disappointed me more than I thought I would.

So, in typical omniscient-Creator fashion, God has taken every plan I thought I had made and every factor I thought I count on, and turned them all upside down. He's giving me this huge chance to just throw up my hands and let him take control of this crazy journey....oh, but I'm having trouble relinquishing that control!

I'm feeling very confused right now, and wondering just what kind of path is God leading me on, anyhow?

And I found this email in my inbox:

"Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before
you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are
firm."

Proverbs 4:25-26, New International Version

Where are my eyes focused right now? Behind me. I've spent so much time lately worrying about what I did and didn't do in high school; was it enough, was it right, was it this or that. I've spent so much of this week worrying about scholarships and acceptances letters and all this other stuff. My eyes SHOULD be looking straight ahead; focused on God and watching where He's going.

Only I keep getting distracted. The things behind me and around me are all vying for my attention, and it's so hard for me to fix my gaze straight ahead!

I need to remember to "take only ways that are firm." In other words, to look for and follow the path that GOD is drawing me to; not the path that I want. Sure; I really want this first-choice school. I want it so badly that I can't even explain it. And until this week, I thought God wanted me there, too. But maybe all this topsy-turvyness in the land of college is God's way of showing me that my path isn't the strong one, the firm one, the one that will hold up against all the pitfalls and temptations around this world. My path isn't that path.

His is.

All I need to do is fix my gaze on Him and follow where he leads.

But oh, these distractions!!!!

The Thought Process: Math Homework

• I want to play Guitar Hero.
• But I really need to do this math homework.
• I will NOT play Guitar Hero until this math homework is done!
• I really need a pencil.
• *digs through backpack*
• What IS this? Why is it sticky....? How long has that been there....?
• Maybe I don't want to know.
• Focus. Pencil.
• *dig dig dig*
• AHA! Found one!
• Aw, man, it needs sharpening.
• *look at desk, where there SHOULD be a pencil sharpener, but it is too piled with stuff to see the sharpener*
• Hmm. It'll be easier to go sharpen it downstairs.
• *go downstairs to den to sharpen pencil*
• *have pointless convo with Lil Bro*
• *go back upstairs to bedroom*
• Hey, it's the cat! Hi, Grumpy girl!
• *pause to pet cat*
• *back to bedroom*
• Oh, yeah. Calculator. I need my calculator!
• Where IS my calculator, anyway?
• *begin to search room for calculator*
• Hmmm...it doesn't appear to be anywhere up here...I did just use it recently...
• *snaps fingers*
• It must be downstairs!
• *back downstairs*
• Oh, there it is! On the kitchen counter!
• Hmmm, while I'm here, I might as well get a drink.
• Chocolate milk would be good.
• *makes chocolate milk*
• *carries calculator & milk back up the stairs*
• *sit down on bed*
• *open math book*
• Now, let's see...uh oh, I didn't write down which assignments I'm supposed to do.
• I have to go online and check the assignment website.
• *opens computer*
• Oh, look! I have new emails!
• Email from (college) about an interview? Better respond to that.
• Oh...an email from Very Best Friend about directions for tomorrow...
• That reminds me: I need to Google directions for tomorrow anyway. Better do it now so I won't forget.
• *clicks "print" for directions*
• I'd better go check and see if they printed
• *goes downstairs in den to check for directions.*
• Yay, they printed!
• *back upstairs*
• Ok. Math. Focus. I was checking the assignment.
• *goes back to site*
• *writes down assignment*
• *IM pops up*
• It's L! I haven't talked to her in ages!
• *15 minute convo with L*
• Ok. No more distractions. Math needs to get done.
• Wow...it's amazing how many times I've been distracted.
• That would make a good blog post, I think.
• *writes blog post*
• Wow, is that the time? I really better get moving on this homework...
• *does three problems*
• I'm really tired....
• I have to get up early tomorrow....
• Maybe I should go to sleep now....
• I do have all weekend to do these problems...
• They're not due til Monday....
• That's plenty of time!
• Yeah, I'll do 'em later.
• *gets ready for bed*
• Hmmm. But I'm not really tired.
• Maybe I could play just one song on Guitar Hero.THEN I'll go to bed.
• *plays Guitar Hero until much too late*
• Ooops.
• *yawn*
• I really should have done that homework if I was going to stay up so late.
• Oh, well.
• There's always tomorrow.
• Or the day after.

*confession*

I was the girl who swore she didn't need video games in her life.

I was the girl who swore she didn't have time for such trivial pursuits.

I was the girl who swore she didn't want a Nintendo DS, especially when all her friends told her how much fun it was and how much she'd love it.

I was the girl who was determined.

I am also the girl who caved.

I was the girl who may have gotten a DS, but decided she didn't need Guitar Hero: On Tour because it was just way too expensive.

I was the girl who thought paying $40 plus shipping for one game was ridiculous.

I was also the girl who saw aforementioned Guitar Hero game on sale for $30.

I was also the girl who happened to have $30 from grandmothers and explicit instructions to spend it on something UNpractical and UNeducational (yup. I'm that lame. I have to be forced to be spontaneous and impractical).

I am now the girl who owns the game she doesn't need and the Nintendo DS she doesn't need.

And I am now the girl who kicks major guitar butt.

I'm pretending it will help me play my real guitar better :-D


P.S. Have y'all taken note of how many times I've posted already this month?!?! This is a new record here in Mismatchedville! It's unheard of!!!

Happy Birthday, Jackson Pollock!

"When I am in my painting, I'm not aware of what I'm doing. It is only after a sort of 'get acquainted' period that I see what I have been about. I have no fear of making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through. It is only when I lose contact with the painting that the result is a mess. Otherwise there is pure harmony, an easy give and take, and the painting comes out well." (From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Pollock)

What a neat quote! I am not an artist by nature; mostly because art doesn't fit very well with my perfectionist-self :) However, I really like this view on art. "The painting has a life of its own"...it makes art sound like such an incredible, magical thing that just happens. Sometimes I feel like that with writing; like these words just come and the stories and poems have lives and minds of their own, too.

Pollock was famous for his very unique style of painting. Rather than use easels and paintbrushes and careful strokes, he often used sheets or giant pieces of paper -- or even walls! -- and other tools, like trowels, sticks or knives to make his abstract paintings. Often he'd mix foreign substances, like crushed glass or sand to his paint to give it a different texture.

Many people have criticized both Pollock's methods and paintings as being something "a five year old could do", because his style included flinging, dripping and splattering paint onto his work surface, to make things like this:




According to Wiki, "Pollock denied "the accident"; he usually had an idea of how he wanted a particular piece to appear. It was about the movement of his body, over which he had control, mixed with the viscous flow of paint, the force of gravity, and the way paint was absorbed into the canvas. The mix of the uncontrollable and the controllable. Flinging, dripping, pouring, spattering, he would energetically move around the canvas, almost as if in a dance, and would not stop until he saw what he wanted to see."

Pollock had a very original take on painting. His work was truly his; it was his individual form of expression, and I love that about him. Maybe art doesn't have to be a perfect, realistic, carefully calculated work; but rather an intense, unique, even mysterious creation?

If Jackson Pollock were still alive, he would be celebrating his 97th birthday today! Happy Birthday, Jackson Pollock!

See More of Jackson Pollock's Work

Echo

While I was writing a paper for English I was searching for quotes about eyes, which led me to some poems by George Herbert, which led me to discover this one, which I think is quite beautiful.

Heaven, by George Herbert

O who will show me those delights on high?
Echo. I.
Thou Echo, thou art mortall, all men know.
Echo. No.
Wert thou not born among the trees and leaves?
Echo. Leaves.
And are there any leaves, that still abide?
Echo. Bide.
What leaves are they? impart the matter wholly.
Echo. Holy.
Are holy leaves the Echo then of blisse?
Echo. Yes.
Then tell me, what is that supreme delight?
Echo. Light.
Light to the minde : what shall the will enjoy?
Echo. Joy.
But are there cares and businesse with the pleasure?
Echo. Leisure.
Light, joy, and leisure ; but shall they persever?
Echo. Ever.

Savior, please

So, as you may have gathered from the last post, it's been an incredibly overwhelming weekend. Wonderful, certainly; there's been some amazing moments. But overwhelming for sure. Today I had a chance to spend some time with Very Best Friend in the Whole Entire Galaxy, and oh, how I needed that! Without fail, every moment I spend with her, whether it's curled up on the sofa watching a movie or in the middle of a noisy, smelly gym, she just refreshes my soul.

It's funny. All weekend as I was doing everything for everyone I kept telling myself, "You're fine! You're going to love this! It'll be great!". And I thought I was doing a pretty good job keeping up the act, you know? The I'm-not-tired, I-really-do-want-to-be-here, life-is-good act. I'm sure you're all familiar with it.

And this is why she is my Very Best Friend in the Whole Entire Galaxy. Because my "act" didn't fool her for a nanosecond. She knew something was wrong and she even guessed most of the stuff that was upsetting me before I even said one word. So after somewhat of a meltdown, I was feeling marginally better about life, but she helped me realize that a big part of my problem is a lack of faith. I'm in a scary transitional time of my life right now, and faith is more vital than ever before if I have any hope of navigating this. And yet, why is it that in the moments when you most need your faith, it's easiest to forget about the concept of "trust"? Why is it so easy to lose sight of God in the moments when you should be most focused on him?

As I drove home, I was praying that God would take my angry, scared, doubtful heart and replace with the peace and faith and trust I was so desperately in need of. And this song came on the radio, and I know it was the answer to my prayer:

Savior, Please by Josh Wilson


Savior, please take my hand
I work so hard, I live so fast
This life begins, and then it ends
And I do the best that I can, but I don't know how long I'll last

I try to be so tough
But I'm just not strong enough
I can't do this alone, God I need You to hold on to me
I try to be good enough
But I'm nothing without Your love
Savior, please keep saving me

Savior, please help me stand
I fall so hard, I fade so fast
Will You begin right where I end
And be the God of all I am because You're all I have

Hallelujah
Everything You are to me
Is everything I'll ever need
And I am learning to believe
That I don't have to prove a thing
'Cause You're the one who's saving me

And though it might sound completely corny, these words just spoke to my heart, echoing all the words Very Best Friend had said earlier, and it was an amazing experience.
Oh, the goosebumps and the tears!

Anyway, I just pray that if you're in this place right now -- this overwhelming, trying so hard to measure up and be all things to all people and prove things to the world, that this song will encourage you and bring peace to you.

It's 12:24am.

I have not had more than 5 hours of sleep per night all week.

I have not finished any of the homework that's due Monday.

I have not planned the Sunday School lesson I'm teaching tomorrow morning.

I have not written a decent lengthed email in days.

I have not written anything in days.

I have over 900 unread items in Google Reader and over 100 unread, non-spam emails to attend to.

I have eaten a ridiculous amount of Tastykakes today.

I have had a very packed, yet very wonderful weekend so far, and I expect tomorrow to be the most packed and most wonderful yet.

I have no cell phone for the third week running.

I have to be awake in a mere 5 hours.

Again.

The Greatest Play Doh Recipe Ever

Ok, now seriously. How many of you still love to play with playdoh? Don't be shy, I know there's plenty of you out there....

I made a HUGE batch of playdoh for preschool yesterday, and it occurred to me that the recipe is fairly simple and playdoh is undoubtedly amazing, so it might be nice to share this amazing recipe with y'all. And don't think it's just us crazy preschool teachers that use it. I've made this playdoh on rainy days while babysitting and I've even incorporated it into Sunday School lessons! I'm telling you, this is one of those life-long bits of knowledge that everyone should just know.


The Greatest PlayDoh Recipe Ever

-- 2 cups flour
-- 1 cup salt
-- 2 cups water
-- 2 tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
-- 4 tsp. cream of tartar

Mix ingredients together in large pot. Cook on medium, stirring occasionally, until think dough forms. Knead until smooth and add food coloring as desired!
I typically make a double batch, FYI.

Enjoy!

Interview with the lovely Edge

The Rules of the Interview:
1. Leave me a comment saying you want to be interviewed.
2. I'll email you five questions, of my determination not yours!
3. You update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.


1. What are the most outrageously mismatched socks you've ever worn?
OOOH, excellent question! There have been some doozies, but I'd have to say that the most outrageous (and also my favorite) are the knee-high socks I wear with knee-length skirts. The two craziest combos are probably my CRAZY BRIGHT YELLOW argyle socks which have HOT pink, ELECTRIC blue and LIME green accents paired with a brown sock that has BIG blue and green polkadots. Another favorite combo, though, was a blue, white and purple polka dot knee-high with my new Christmas socks -- bold red and green stripes and oh, yes, they light up on the side when I walk :)


2. If you had to choose between meeting C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein for lunch, who would you pick?
Ugh. First of all, I have to say I would be incredibly thrilled if either of them agreed to meet me for lunch, but also incredibly nervous!! I can't imagine actually EATING in front of either one, especially considering I can't seem to get through a meal without spilling something and getting some unsightly food stuck in my teeth. Oh, trauma.
I think C.S. Lewis. I've read more of his books, and I have WAY more questions to ask him.

3. What movie are you most looking forward to seeing this year?
*confession*...um...movie? (What's a movie?) I have to admit that it's been a really, really long time since I've gone to a movie theater. I think the last movie I saw in theaters was Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban (yes. #3. So this was truly years ago.) That being said, we also don't have cable TV which means I have no idea whatsoever of what kind of movies are even out there to begin with!
So, new movies aside...well,ages ago, Very Best Friend promised me we would watch Dead Poet's Society, (which I have never seen but have heard enough teasers about it to think I would enjoy it) together, and I intend to hold her to that promise. I am really REALLY looking forward to that!

4. What book have you read lately that should be turned into a movie?
Gossamer, by Lois Lowry, is one of my all-time favorite books. Though it's not a new book, I re-read it lately and I would LOVE to see that as a movie! Actually, her Giver trilogy would be three incredible films, too.
I also recently read John Grisham's The Last Juror, which was unbelievably better than I thought it would be. I picked it up due to a recommendation and fully intended to dislike the book, and though it centered around a dark theme, there were parts that were brilliant and positively hilarious, and I found myself completely hooked!

5. Mac or PC?
PC! Only because I've never had or used a Mac and I don't do well with change.

If there's anyone out there who hasn't done this meme yet, feel free to comment!

Just Keep Swimming...

Life is overwhelming. Plain and simple. Often we find ourselves consumed by situations and, more than anything else, we just want OUT! It's so easy, when we feel like we're completely surrounded by "yuck", for our prayers to focus on ending suffering or showing us a way out of a stressful situation. And yet, I think sometimes God gives us these tough times in our lives so we can learn just how determined we are; so we can see how much strength and endurance He gives us.

TWO FROGS IN CREAM

A poem by T. C. Hamlet

Two frogs fell into a can of cream,
Or so I’ve heard it told;
The sides of the can were shiny and steep,
The cream was deep and cold.
“O, what’s the use?” croaked number 1,
“Tis fate; no help’s around.
Goodbye , my friends! Goodbye, sad world!”
And weeping still, he drowned.
But number 2, of sterner stuff,
Dogpaddled in surprise,
The while he wiped his creamy face
And dried his creamy eyes.
“I’ll swim awhile, at least,” he said.
Or so I’ve heard he said;
“It really wouldn’t help the world
If one more frog were dead.”
An hour or so he kicked and swam,
Not once he stopped to mutter,
But kicked and kicked and swam and kicked,
Then hopped out, via butter!

Right where you are

11 Jan 2009
8:25pm
In Search of Truth


“The love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.”
~1 John 4:9


O truth-seeker
Why do you wander?
Searching for something
You’ll never find?
Inventing a goal
You think might be somewhere
Creating a path
And walking on blind?
Yesterday’s trends
Yield not the answer;
Tomorrow’s hypotheses
Won’t take you far.
You see, truth-seeker
That which you search for
Has long been discovered;
It’s right where you are.





God meets us where we are. It's so important to remember that God isn't some faraway, unreachable being, but rather a close, personal, intimate Savior who is right here, waiting for us. We don't need to look far to find Him, because He's already revealed Himself to us -- through Jesus, through the Bible, through every moment we live and breathe. So often we convince ourselves that we need to find God, that we need to find truth, that we need to find the purpose of our lives. The problem is that sometimes we get so caught up in our searches that we forget about God altogether! We don't need to go searching for the truth or the meaning of life because we've already found it -- it's here, in Christ! How comforting it is to know that God's already given me everything I need to know Him, to trust Him, and to grow closer to Him.
The world will tell us we don't have enough; that we need to go and find more, more, more. And yet, God has given us all that we need; what more could there possibly be to find?

For the love of random, unedited poems that just flow...

15 Jan 2009
10:15pm

This Is Me

Snowflakes in my hair
Stars in my eyes
Dreams in my heart
Worries on my mind.
Voices in my head
Polish on my toes
Pencil in my ponytail
Freckles on my nose.
Music in my ears
Bracelet on my wrist
Chocolate in my mouth
Tension in my fingertips.
Wandering imagination
Devoted soul to Christ
Tears of joy and sorrow
This is me, this is my life.

Thought for the day:

"all which isn't singing is mere talking
and all talking's talking to oneself."

--e. e. cummings

Sing praises to God today! This might very well be the furthest thing from your mind as you struggle to make it through another gray Monday, but believe it or not, we are called to sing praises to God! Don't let your day be consumed by grumbling and "talking to oneself"; instead, make a conscious effort to sing and praise God for all your blessings.


"Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully and shout for joy!" Psalm 33:3

I know what I want for my birthday!

So, according to GoogleTrends, the current most-searched term in the U.S. is Portuguese Water Dog. (Side note: I'm assuming it's because rumor has it that the Obamas are considering adopting one. But seriously, people? Why on EARTH do we all care so much what kind of dog is going to live in the White House?! Sad that America has nothing better to do than Google potential First Dogs.....) And yet, I suppose I'm just as guilty, because, not knowing what this thing is, I naturally jumped on the bandwagon and decided to find out.

OH. MY. GOODNESS. GRACIOUSNESS.

Is there anything more adorable than THIS?!?! It's like a chocolate lab (I've always had a major weakness for chocolate labs...) and a yorkie poo (another favorite) and my own dear Bichon Frise all rolled up into one fuzzy wuzzy bundle of puppy joy!



So maybe I can understand all the fuss after all.

I can practically feel my brain cells oozing out of my ears

Snowyness and icyness transformed my busy weekend into a form of house arrest. Even church was cancelled this morning! I'm sorry to say that I spent the morning sleeping in, being lazy, and playing an absolutely ridiculous amount of Whack-A-Penguin (high score: 322.9. Unfortunately, Lil Bro's was 331, and that drives me MAD!) and The Game Called Bob (high score: 1980. YEAH!).

Goal for the afternoon is to do something slightly more mentally stimulating.

Ideas?

Just being my usual, informative self....

[from The New York Times]

The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating
by Tara Parker-Pope

Maybe you should be eating more beets, left, or chopped cabbage. (Credit: Evan Sung for The New York Times)(This post was originally published on June 30, 2008, and recently appeared on The New York Times’s list of most-viewed stories for 2008.)

Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don’t always find their way into our shopping carts. Here’s his advice.

1. Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
2. Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.
3. Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.
4. Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.
5. Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
How to eat: Just drink it.
6. Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.
7. Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.
8. Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.” They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.
9. Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,” it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.
10. Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
11. Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.



Um....yeah. I like pumpkin seeds...and...well...that's about it...
Does anyone know what Swiss chard is? Or what turmeric is? (I'm assuming the former has nothing to do with Swiss cheese and the latter, quite frankly, sounds almost dangerous. Ick.)

Centennial!

Happy 100th Post, Mismatchedsockgirl!!!! YAAAY!

Wow...can you guys believe that I've posted 100 times?! Does that just totally boggle your mind?! Considering my first post started out over a year ago with, "So here begins a renewed attempt at blogging. The posts will be sporadic and random; about whatever thoughts are consuming my head at the moment. Who knows what will end up here...maybe some poems, maybe some stories, maybe some musing, maybe some quotes, maybe some arguments; most likely, a good mix of all of the above."

Even more interesting is the fact that I think I've had all of the aforementioned stuff in posts at one time or another.

So, in the spirit of 100-ness, here are 100 Facts About Mismatchedsockgirl, which I did indeed steal from Polka Dot Pickles, only I had to edit it a little bit because a lot of the numbers were missing.


1 - EVER BEEN GIVEN AN ENGAGEMENT RING?
Yes. By a four year old. It was an old twisty-tie from his lunch. He gave me one every day for two months. *sigh*

2 - EVER WON A CONTEST?
I’m the reigning champion of the annual church picnic’s hula-hoop contest. I’ve won or tied for first every year for the last 8 years. I’ve also won a few assorted call-now-to-win radio contests (one of which resulted in my receiving a VeggieTales movie, YEAH!) and a few poetry contests.

3 - LAST GIFT YOU RECEIVED?
A beautiful and wonderful necklace from my best friend!

4 - EVER DROPPED A CELL PHONE?
Daily. Hourly, probably. Most notable incidents were probably in a parking lot (in a puddle, no less!) and from my two-stories-in-the-air deck to the very hard ground. Heh. And here I wonder why the thing only works sporadically….

5 - WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YOU WORKED OUT?
Oh, goodness, this is embarrassing. Let’s just say… awhile.

6 - THING(S) YOU SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON?
Buying presents for friends. Overdue fines at the library. Gas. Mocha lattes from Wawa.

7 - LAST FOOD YOU ATE?
Hot chocolate and three rectangles of a Hershey bar that I may or may not have commandeered from my brother….

8 - FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Eyes….eyes are so magical!

9 - ONE FAVORITE SONG?
ONE favorite song?! You’re asking me to pick ONE favorite?! Don’t you know by now that I can’t DO that?!?! *sigh* Note to self: make a list of favorite songs for future post.

10 - WHERE DO YOU LIVE?
In a blue house

11 - HIGH SCHOOL YOU ATTENDED:
homeschooled, baby! Oh yeah!

12 - CELL PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER:
ATT

13 - FAVORITE MALL STORE
Learning Express, Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, Haagen-Daz, sometimes Kohl’s

14 - LONGEST JOB YOU HAD:
I’ve worked/volunteered at preschool for five years…

15 - DO YOU OWN A PAIR OF DICE?
Um…yes…fuzzy dice, actually. I won them at a church picnic in an awesome game of bingo. Only my mother won’t let me hang them in the Batmobile (family minivan) so they’re in my room.

16 - DO YOU PRANK CALL PEOPLE?:
A few times, but I’m truly terrible at it. And for some strange reason, everyone I’d normally prank call has caller ID! What’s up with THAT?! Coincidence? I think not…

17 - LAST WEDDING YOU ATTENDED:
I have been to a total of ONE wedding in my entire life, and that was when I was about…8?

18 - FIRST FRIEND YOU'D CALL IF YOU WON THE LOTTERY:
Very Best Friend in the Whole Entire Galaxy, of course

19 - LAST TIME YOU SAW YOUR BEST FRIEND:
Monday! Which was EONS ago!

20 - FAVORITE FAST FOOD RESTAURANT
Sheetz! Mmmm….roast beef & cheddar pretzel melt and frozen mochas….

21 - BIGGEST LIE YOU HAVE EVER HEARD:
I’ve heard some whoppers while babysitting. “Yes, I’m allowed to play with matches. Sometimes we light the Christmas tree branches, just to see how much of it will burn!” or “I’m allergic to fruit and vegetables and milk and crackers. All I can really eat is soda and M&Ms.”

22. CAN YOU JUGGLE?
Sort of. I try. I can complete about two rotations and then I loose everything. And I have to walk forward while I do it; I can’t stand still.

23 - WHERE'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO EAT WITH FRIENDS?
Very Best Friend’s kitchen table

24 - CAN YOU COOK?
Heck yeah! Can I do it well? Heck no!

25 - WHAT CAR DO YOU DRIVE?:
The Batmobile, the world’s greatest black minivan, which always smells like popcorn or wet dog, depending on the season. Occasionally I drive Bob the Tomato, which is the Big Red Work Van, but it shakes, rattles and rolls, so it’s not quite as happy-making as the Batmobile is.

26. MOST BIZARRE THING YOU’VE EVER EATEN?
Onion grass, chocolate covered prunes, cow tongue. All voluntarily, believe it or not; and I hated all of them, believe it or not.

27 - LAST TIME YOU CRIED?:
Sad tears? Yesterday. Happy tears? Tuesday.

28 - MOST DISLIKED FOODS:
Nearly every green food, peaches, cantaloupe, cranberries, grapes, prunes, apricot kiffels (thank you, youth leader; that one’s entirely your fault)

29 - THING YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF:
Mismatched socks/accessories. Sheer brilliance. Night owl habits. Ability to relate to others’ situations. Tendency to talk fast and A LOT. Insane enthusiasm. My best friend.

30 - THING YOU DISLIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF:
Tendency to talk fast and A LOT. Inclination towards drama. Speaking before thinking. Total terror of talking on the phone. Feet. Lack of any directional sense (North? South? Huh?). Tendency to FREAK OUT over every little thing. Worrywartish nature.

31. PLAY ANY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS?
A very very very tiny bit of piano. Even less clarinet. Almost-decent amount of the guitar (this is the only instrument I really enjoy playing). Oh, and I kick butt on a kazoo.

32 - LONGEST SHIFT YOU HAVE WORKED AT A JOB?:
I’ve had babysitting jobs that lasted five days -- night and day. Loved them!

33 - FAVORITE MOVIE?
VeggieTales, Just Like Heaven, The Village, Sixth Sense, The Others, The Lake House, Notting Hill, Pirates of the Caribbean 1 & 2

34 - CAN YOU SING?
*Please see answer for #24*

35 - LAST CONCERT ATTENDED?
………I would hafta say it was SWiM back at Regionals? Wowza, it’s been a long time since I was at a concert….

36 LAST KISS?
A goodbye kiss from a five year old family friend

37 LAST MOVIE RENTED:
“Friends -- the complete 6th season” and “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and “You’ve Got Mail”

38 - ONE THING YOU NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT:
Cell phone, chapstick, bobby pins, notebook, bracelet from Very Best Friend (I’m not so good at these “ONE thing” questions…)

39 - FAVORITE VACATION SPOT?
Very Best Friend’s house

40. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BEDROOM?
The walls are mint green; there’s a fuzzy purple carpet on the floor. Christmas lights are strewn around the top of the room and my ceiling light has a blue light bulb, which makes the whole room look like it’s bathed in moonlight. My bed has a purple, green and blue comforter on, which brings everything else together nicely.

41. FAVORITE PAIR OF SHOES?
Oh, this is tough, especially considering that I don’t wear matching shoes, if I can avoid it…I would have to say my pink striped flipflop and my white polka dot flipflop.

42. CAKE OR ICE CREAM?
Ice cream, definitely.

43 - LAPTOP OR DESKTOP COMPUTER?:
Laptop; it’s name is MooMoo

44 - FAVORITE COMEDIAN?:
My friend D

45 - DO YOU SMOKE?
NO!

46 - SLEEP WITH OR WITHOUT CLOTHES?
Definitely WITH. Let’s move on…

47 - WHO SLEEPS WITH YOU EVERY NIGHT?:
My big brown stuffed horse Chocolate still sleeps at the foot of my bed. Occasionally Grumpy the Cat will sleep with me, too…

48 - DO LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS WORK?:
Depends on the folks. For me? Kind of….

49 - HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BEEN PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE?
Never *phew*

50 - PANCAKES OR FRENCH TOAST?
Depends on who’s cooking. If it’s Very Best Friend, I would totally choose French toast, because she makes the most awesome French toast EVER. Anyone else, pancakes. Chocolate chip, if possible.

51 - DO YOU LIKE COFFEE?:
Yum!

52 - HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR EGGS?
Deviled, hard boiled, in potato salad; NOT SCRAMBLED *gag*

53 - DO YOU BELIEVE IN ASTROLOGY?:
No way


54 - LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?:
Youth leader or Daddy….

55 - LAST PERSON ON YOUR MISSED CALL LIST?:
Daddy

56 - WHAT WAS THE LAST TEXT MESSAGE YOU RECIEVED?:
“R U coming over today?”

57. EVER WISHED ON A STAR?
Plenty of times. A few of those wishes even came true.

58 - NUMBER OF PILLOWS?:
3.. One’s hugemongous and blue and fuzzy, yay.

59 - WHAT ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW?:
2nd favorite pair of jeans (with two lovely holes in the knees), black long sleeved shirt with gray stripes, pink tee, one white sock with stars on and one black sock with hotdogs on.

60 - PICK A LYRIC, ANY LYRIC:
“It’s hard to be cool in a minivan” (Thank you, Go Fish!)

61 - WHAT KIND OF JELLY DO YOU LIKE ON YOUR PB & J?
EW EW EW. I HATE jelly in every way shape and form. Blegh.

62 - CAN YOU PLAY POOL?:
Erm….theoretically, yes…

63 - CAN YOU SWIM?
Well, I haven’t drowned yet

64 - FAVORITE ICE CREAM?:
Chocolate peanut butter, Rocky Road, Mint Choc. Chip, chocolate marshmallow

65 - DO YOU LIKE MAPS?
YES. I thank God for maps on a regular basis. Especially last night when I missed my exit and accidentally left the state. Ooops.

66 - TELL ME A RANDOM FACT ABOUT YOURSELF:
I could totally be a paparazzi person if I wanted to be. I’m an excellent stalker-picture taker. *Bwahahaha*

67. HOW OFTEN DO YOU BRUSH YOUR TEETH?
Heh. Brushing my teeth makes me unnaturally happy, so I do it quite often. At least twice a day, usually three and occasionally four. Yup, I’m a freak. I always forget to floss, though, if it’s any consolation….

68 - EVER ATTEND A THEME PARTY?:
Yes!

69 - WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON?
Fall, definitely. I love jeans and t/sweatshirt weather. I love knowing winter’s around the corner and I love how fall is the start of things; school, extra-curriculars, holiday season, etc.

70 - LAST TIME YOU LAUGHED AT SOMETHING STUPID?
This afternoon, when sending a Hoops & Yoyo ecard

71 - WHAT TIME DID YOU WAKE UP THIS MORNING ?
6:56am

72 - BEST THING ABOUT WINTER?:
The smell of snow, the tingly toes, the hats, the mismatched gloves and the fact that it’s not hot.

73 - LAST TIME A COP GAVE YOU A TICKET?:
Never ever ever, YEAH!

74. SOMETHING THAT DRIVES YOU CRAZY:
Drivers who don’t turn their high beams off when opposing traffic approaches, forgetting something that I KNEW I wouldn’t forget (yeah, right) and people who don’t listen to me

75 - NAME OF YOUR FIRST PET?:
Peter Aristotle Finland

76 - DO YOU THINK PIRATES ARE COOL OR OVERRATED?:
Totally, totally awesome.

77 - WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS WEEKEND??
Taking down Christmas decorations (boo!), babysitting, watching snow fall down, teaching Sunday School, practicing my guitar, wrapping birthday presents, possibly even baking cookies if I have time…

78 - BIRTHDAY
Feb 5th.

79 - WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE:
Dictator of the World would be nice. I'd be a kind Dictator, of course, not a ruthless one; but it would be nice to be in control of everything :)

80. LAST CONVERSATION YOU HAD WAS ABOUT:
Whether or not I should drive 30 minutes through the blizzard to babysit. The end decision was a disappointing but logical “No”. Boo.

81. MOST OVERUSED WORD IN YOUR VOCABULARY?
“Yay”, “commandeer”, “random” or “YAHOO!”

82. LAST BOARD GAME YOU PLAYED?
Chess. Lil Bro creamed me. Ugh. When did he get so darn GOOD at that game?!

83. - WHAT JEWELRY ARE YOU WEARING?
My new beautiful necklace. My guardian angel bracelet (most treasured possession in the world)

84. - DO YOU WISH YOU COULD SEE ANYONE PARTICULAR RIGHT NOW?
Very Best Friend in the Whole Entire Galaxy & family. Youth leader & family. D & family. *sigh*

85 - ARE YOU ON A LAPTOP?:
Yes, I’m on my beloved MooMoo

86. - HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN THE HOSPITAL?
Plenty of times. Being born, visiting people, rollerblade incident/head injury, x-rays… I even fainted in a hospital once. THAT was exciting.

87 - ARE YOU SMILING?:
Oh yeah. I’m planning my rise to power and eternal reign as Dictator. What’s not to smile about?

88. ARE YOU IN LOVE?:
Absolutely!

89 - DO YOU MISS SOMEONE RIGHT NOW?
Very Best Friend & family. D & family. EL & family.

90 - IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD WHERE WOULD YOU GO?
Very Best Friend’s house

91. - ARE YOU UPSTAIRS?:
Yes! Upstairs in the back bedroom. My room. Yay.

92 - ARE YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL?:
Yes and no. I’m in college, too; nyeh, nyeh, nyeh nyeh nyeh!

93 - DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH?:
Not anymore.

94 - WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NAME?
Addison Rose, Leah Marie, Miah Grace

95 - WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BATHING SUIT?:
Brown with red flowers or periwinkle and purple

96 - DOES YOUR SCHOOL START IN AUGUST?:
Well, technically, yeah, But I’ll probably take classes all summer. So really, school NEVER ENDS.

97 - DID YOU GO ON VACATION LAST MONTH?:
Last month? In December? Uh, no…not really…but I did have an awesome 3-day sleepover….!

98 - HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON A CRUISE?:
Nope. Have you ever heard of the Titanic?

99 - DO YOU HAVE A SISTER?
No. I wanted one for the longest time, though...

100 - WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO AFTER THIS SURVEY?
Vacuum and feed the cat. (Edit: I meant vacuum the floors, THEN feed the cat. Not vacuum the cat and feed the cat. Just wanted to be sure we're clear.)

One Little Word

Megan from the amazing Bloom Blog published a really neat post earlier this week. She talked about a project, of sorts, that she's taking part in this year called One Little Word, and I love it! I'm going to participate, too.

I don't make New Year's Resolutions, because I think it's a totally meaningless tradition that most people just do because everyone else is doing it and they feel like they should, too (much like matching socks. These aforementioned reasons are precisely why I DON'T wear matching socks. Or shoes. Or gloves. You get the idea.). I mean, seriously? So many New Year's resolutions are very vague promises that people make and then forget about or give up on by the end of January. If you ask me, a resolution means nothing if it's just made as part of a tradition. There needs to be a true committment; an underlying passion for it to be successful. But that's an entirely different rant. :)

And yet, don't get me wrong; I certainly believe that there's always room for improvement in life! (Especially my life!) And I really like the idea of One Little Word: choosing one word to define you and the year 2009. I toyed around with a whole bunch of ideas before finally settling on one. (Did you all take notice of that? I, the Indecisive One, made a decision. YEAH! There should be thunderous applause coming from the audience right now!)

*drumroll*

My One Little Word of 2009 is genuine. My goal for this year is going to be to live my life as genuinely as possible. I think this word has particular relevance to my life lately because I've really be struggling with being genuine on so many different levels.

According to my dictionary, genuine has three definitions, and all three apply to my life and my goals right now.

1. authentic; real
I have a major tendency to try to please people, and a direct result of that is that I often try to act in a certain way to measure up to their expectations. My best friend recently confronted me about this and we talked about how, not only is the "acting" not necessary, but it's not true. It's not real. It's not genuine. Our discussion really made me aware of the many ways that I'm not being "real" in so many aspects of my life and I am determined to change that!

2. free from pretense, affectation, or hypocrisy; sincere
Sincerity has been a big focus of mine over the last few months, and I want to continue to make it an important part of life in 2009, too. I really believe that it's important to be honest with people and tell them how you feel. The two people in the world that I most enjoy talking to and being around are the two who I know will be brutally honest with me, no matter what. Whether this means confronting a friend about a touchy issue, asking how someone's day is going or saying "I love you", it all means nothing unless the intention is truly sincere. It drives me crazy when people ask me "How are you?" but clearly don't care about my answer!

3. descended from the original; pure in breed
When I read this, the first thing I thought of was one of my favorite passages from I John.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
--1 John 3:1-2

I love this passage because it reminds me that I AM a child of God; that I was created by Him for a specific purpose. My life has meaning and value and even when I can't see what He's got planned for me, I can trust that He is leading my life and knows what's in store. Especially in this crazy year, when I'll be facing so many changes and new situations, these are thoughts I need to keep in the front of my mind. Part of being genuine, of being pure is remembering WHOSE I am. When I do that, all my doubts about self-worth and worries about the future disappear.


I've taken Megan's suggestion and posted pink post-it notes all over the place (my mirror, in the bathroom, on my computer, on the fridge, on the radio in the car, on the cat) to remind myself of this new goal. It's going to take a lot of work and a lot of God's help for me to truly implement this in my life this year, but hey, I'm determined!

I strongly encourage you guys to take on this challenge too; I'm quite curious to hear what your One Little Words are!

10 Most Recent Music Downloads

Just in case anyone's curious. It's quite an amusing mix of genres, really....

Cemetaries of London -- Coldplay
Rainy Day -- Coldplay
Cinderella -- Steven Curtis Chapman [this song makes me cry every single time I hear it]
Fingerprints of God -- Steven Curtis Chapman
One Step at a Time -- Jordin Sparks
Walking in Memphis -- Lonestar
Come Unto Me -- Nicole C. Mullen
I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) -- The Proclaimers
Angel -- Aerosmith
It's Hard to be Cool in a Minvan -- Go Fish

It's Always the Monkeys

Hee hee...for those of you to whom that title means anything, I love ya! Oh, the memories..... :)

Alright, so maybe it wasn't entirely the monkeys. My long, unexplained absense was partially my fault...Whew! Sorry, guys, I've really been intending to post a lot over the last few weeks, I really have! Pinky promise! But, as I'm sure you all can relate to, Christmas "break" was anything but. I was gone more than I was home (not that I'm complaining; GOOD TIMES, man!) and the time to write out posts just didn't exist! Anyway, I do promise that posts are on the way.

Sit tight.







(Alright, I'll probably regret asking this, but does anyone know where the term "sit tight" came from? What the heck is that supposed to mean, anyway?!)