Day Two: Mission Relaxation

I recently went to a lovely Christmas lunch with my coworkers from my assistantship.  While at lunch, they encouraged me to take the five weeks off school to relax and enjoy myself.  I mentioned to them that relaxation was not something I do well.  Anyone who knows me knows that this is the case. I promised them I would "work on relaxing" over break, and they marveled at the idea of someone needing to work harder on relaxing.  Kind of oxy-moronish.  Anywho, that's what I am doing.  Yesterday, I finished Christmas cards, wrapped gifts, and did laundry.  Today will include more cleaning and reading.  My goal is to have everything so together by next week that I have no choice other than to relax. We'll see if that happens.

Any suggestions for good books or ways to lazily occupy time are requested.

Here's to relaxation.

Half Crazy #2

A couple of weekends ago, my family got in our big Suburban and drove to Memphis to run 13.1 miles. For fun. No, I am not kidding. We actually enjoy it. Here are a couple of shots of us running like crazy people.

Here we are running down Beale street. Mom and Pete would yell M-I-Z and we'd respond with Z-O-U.

This is actually before the race. You can tell because we look refreshed and not exhausted.

The race itself was amazing. All the profits go to St. Jude Children's Hospital. If you don't know about St. Jude, or if you are looking for a great charity this holiday, I would encourage you to check it out at http://stjude.org. Amazing things are being done there.

I promised after my first half that I would post my ipod playlist. So...three months later, here it is. It is way longer than the time it actually takes to run a half marathon, so I sometimes skip songs or start it a little earlier than the race itself.

Womanizer, Britney Spears

Kill the Lights, Britney Spears

Shut Up and Let me Go, The Ting Tings

Let's Get it Started, Black Eyed Peas

Hey Mama, Black Eyed Peas

Hands Up, BEP

Pump It, BEP (By now you know that not much inspires me to run hard as much as the Black Eyed Peas)

I Gotta Feeling, BEP

Radar, Britney Spears

Boom Boom Pow, BEP

Circus, Britney

If U Seek Amy, Britney

Mmmm Papi, Britney

Feel Good Inc, Gorillaz

Around the World Mix, Daft Punk

Smack My B*** Up, Prodigy

Shake, Ying Yang Twins

Gotta Get Thru This, Daniel Bettingfield

Breathe, Prodigy

American Boy

Live Out Loud, Group 1 Crew

Firestarter, Prodigy

Disturbia, Rhiana

Cupid Shuffle, Cupid

Barracuda, Heart

Just Dance, Lady Gaga

Spotlight (Moto Blanco Radio Remix), Jennifer Hudson

Boogie Shoes, KC & the Sunshine Band

See You Again, Miley Cirus

She Wolf, Shakira

Stronger, Kanye West

Killer Queen, Queen

Spiderwebs, No Doubt

Bye Bye Bye, *NSYNC

It's Gonna Be Me, *NSYNC

Girlfriend, *NSYNC

When I grow Up, Pussycat Dolls

Wait A Minute, Pussycat Dolls

Don't Stop Me Now, Queen

Give It To Me, Nelly Furtado

Harder, Faster, Stronger, Daft Punk

Somebody to Love, Queen

Take My Hand, Shawn McDonald

Don't Stop til You Get Enough, Michael Jackson

Holiday, Madonna

I hope some of these suggestions help. Yes, I have too much Britney. But it works.

Here's to a great run! Can't wait for the next one

FREE and Loving It!

Today is the first day of the first week of my five week break. I can't even tell you what this feels like. I woke up about an hour and a half later than usual today. I casually made in into my internship, spent five hours there, and casually left. The rest of today's to-do list includes:
Christmas cookies
Christmas party
and giving blood.

That's it! I might wrap a few presents. Heck, I might rap out of Christmas joy (though no one I know wants to hear that).

I am going to make it my goal to write much more often now that I am totally and completely free. I will try to update on our second half marathon, pictures included. But for now I am busy. Strike that, I'm not. And I wouldn't have it any other way!

Here's to relaxation!

Home (or maybe not) for Thanksgiving

I am comfortably sitting at my parents' place, on their couch, enjoying the barking of puppies and the laughter of the "men." I had to run some errands before I got to my parents' house tonight. In one store, I had a clerk ask me if I was "going home" for Thanksgiving. It struck me. Home? Well, my response was, "Well, my home is here. But I am going to be with my parents." I do not consider my parents' house my home. It is where my family is, but I am a big kid. I have made a home with my husband. Part of this may be because my parents moved when I was 23, and I have never lived at their current address or in their current town. But I've been opening the question to those around me...where is your home?

My mother says home is where she is now...

My dad says home is where he grew up...

My grandmother (in her 70s) says that home is the town where she spent most of her years but hasn't lived in a decade...

I find this concept interesting. So, where is your home?

Wherever it is, may you be at peace and remember God's blessings and wonder on Thanksgiving.

Here's to home.

The Ghost Returns

Well, graduate school is a little more than I thought it would be. A little more hours to put in. A little more work. A little tougher. A little more overwhelming. Yes, more. And thus, my ghost has been occupying the space of my blog in my stead. I hope to return back to more posting at T-Giving (yes I am cool and say things like T-Giving because I am a college student again). Until then, please know that I wish I were posting more. But all you would get is "school is hard, I am tired, and I am a big baby." So maybe you're glad I am not posting.

Last week Hubs and I became parents. Well, temporary parents. We watched two lovely little girls while the true parents were in Mexico. We felt so bad for them, being in Mexico and all, that we agreed to watch the rugrats while they HAD to sit on a beach and sip margaritas. So, parents we became. From Sunday til Friday, we had a 2 year old and a 6 year old daughter.

Tuesday, as I leave for class, Hubs goes into a detailed, passionate monologue about how children are much easier than he thought and how we could do this now without a problem. I blinked at him and went to class, requiring him to put the children through bedtime ritual on his own.

On Wednesday he changed his first "real" diaper and left it out for 2 hours in the room, allowing me the fullest of enjoyment. We had a chat.

On Wednesday night he experienced his first true 2-year-old tantrum. Flailing arms and legs, big crocodile tears, and of course, we were in public! Awesome. We managed to get her buckled into the car and get her home. She was a bear for the rest of the night but slept like an angel.

On Thursday I got to particpate in Mommy and Me Gymnastics. Too bad Hubs missed out. He missed a lot more flailing, crying, and refusing to follow directions. He also missed the diaper blowout at the park. Yes, we got the full picture of parenting.

On Friday, when I came home, I asked what he wanted to do to celebrate the joyous occasion of nolonger being parents. He said he was too exhausted to celebrate. And my plan worked after all:-).

Suffice to say we will enjoy being a party of 2 plus a doggie for now. And Godbless every one of you, parents in the world. Your job is thankless.

I am off to read more journal articles, write more papers, and drink more coffee.

Here's to T-Giving.

On Th

Greetings from Graduate Schoollandia

Yes, it's been months. I've missed you, blog. I will keep myself from going back into the past two months. Instead, this week is more than enough to share.

Students all over campus started on Monday, and as I watched them scurry from class to class, a small knot formed in my stomach. This not was a little odd to me, as I had already spent four years on the campus as an undergraduate. Knowing the tests and papers were my responsibility this year was a little more than I was used to.

So, moving to Tuesday. At 7PM (after grabbing a coffee because I am not used to being up so late) I sashayed into my first class. Luckily, I knew about 5 people in the class and my advisor taught it. I have to say, I can't wait for the material! I feel like it will apply to my current life in a major way. On the other side of that coin, I am a tad bit nervous about the work component. Don't get me wrong--I am pumped for the projects. I just unwrapped my APA 6th edition, however, and the realization that I have not written a paper in 3 years definitely hit me hard. I am going to need a little brush-up.

I have one more class to go this evening and then only 2 more years.

As I re-introduce myself to life as a student, Hubby has been more than busy with his new endeavors. We see each other just long enough to train for our half marathon each night. Hopefully this will settle down soon.

Boring, I know. I will try to be more entertaining in the near future. Momma and I are thrilled to be joining the drove of ladies at the Beth Moore Simulcast this weekend. Can't wait!

Here's to classes, papers, and journal articles galore!

Things That Go Bump in the Mid-Morning

We were fortunate to be part of the hottest wedding I have ever seen this weekend. I don't mean hot like P-Ditty was there (though, that might have been fun). I mean hot, like--it's 100 degrees in the STL Botanical Gardens and so let's postpone the wedding for 40 minutes while the groomsmen meander in from getting ready--hot. Yes, it was so hot, the groomsmen actually sweat through all three layers of their tuxes. In fact, it was so hot, the other wedding at the garden that day moved their ceremony inside because of the heat advisory. Now if you know my charming male companion, you know that he's a bit of forehead sweater. On this day, who could blame him. Poor thing was soaked. The heat didn't stop it from being a charming wedding. Check it out:

Hot Groomsmen

Hot Husband

Hot Bridal Party

Not-So-Hot Hair on a Hot Couple

Yes, it was lovely. And most importantly, Evan and Dorina ended the occasion as husband and wife.

To celebrate the next day, Hubby and I got coffee and took some time driving through K-Wood. And then, bam! We got hit on our driver's side. No one was injured but our darling truck (to the tune of hundreds of dollars). Luckily, I have amazing parents. On their 29th wedding anniversary, they picked us up and left us a vehicle. We will be picking up Trixie the Tacoma later in the week after she gets some work done.

Thank goodness for great parents. I promised them that for their 39th anniversary, they could spend it not helping their children. No guranatees:-).

Here's to marriage!

The Probability of Updating My Blog Equals the Sum of My Homework Divided By the Time I Have

My statistics course is in full bloom and I am enthralled. Enthralled is the wrong word. Ensnared. There it is. Yes, I am one and a half weeks into educational statistics. Only two and a half weeks to go. It feels weird to be a student again, and I am reminded of all the habits I had three years ago in the classroom. Texting, kicking my feet up on the seat in front of me. Yeah, I was one of those girls. I am trying hard, as a grad student, to set a good example. It doesn't mean I am always naturally inclined to do so. I will say that I spend a lot more time on assignments and out-of-class readings than I used to.

Now that I have started classes, Hubby has taken to doing more around the house. It's miraculous! He voluntarily does hundreds of loads of laundry and folds it. He mops floors. He cleans the kitchen. When I try to help, I get the, "oh no, honey. You should study. Let me do this." Let me just say that I am staying in school forever. I jest, I jest. But really, he is going above and beyond the call of duty.

Last week was not only my first week of class, but it was also our church's Kids Club. We create our own summer kids' curriculum, so we don't call it VBS. We try to make it more of a camp for kids. This year was medieval themed, and we did all we could to make the kids laugh, play, and learn about Jesus as the true king. Exhibit #1




Yes, that is my dashing knight-of-a-husband dressed as a knight. Our group called him "Sir Baked Potato." He could barely move. It was all fun and games until he allowed the kids to remove the aluminum foil, revealing that he was a sweaty mess underneath. Here was the kids response:

"Oh cool, we get to tear the aluminum foil off!"

"Wait, why is it wet... (several seconds) Ew! Gross! It's sweat!"

Yeah, it was highly entertaining. Hubby also came in second in the Medieval Food Fear Factor. And I did not kiss him until he had thoroughly brushed the taste of head cheese out of his mouth.

Looking forward to a good weekend at my parents' house. I will try to update again soon, but that all depends on the probability that I understand probabilities without complications. You get the idea.

Here's to education.

This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Life is moving full speed ahead at our house. Mom and Dad (mine) have decided to purchase a house to live in for retirement, or as I call it, the Grandparent Suite. Until they are ready to take up residence there, they are going to allow Hubby and myself to live there. Bonus!! So, we've spent the better part of this week researching properties. Can't wait!

In other news, I found out the hard way I have developed an allergic reaction to amoxycillin. Yes, I broke out in tiny bumps all over my body after recovering from whatever had my down and out in my last post. If you want to know what makes me look even more attractive than running a fever and having severe seasonal allergies, it's developing a massive amount of tiny bumps all over my chest, back, and neck. I will spare you the pictures. Suffice to say, I looked kind of like a child with tiny chicken pox. Or you can google "amoxycillin reaction" as my coworkers and I did. I do not recommend this. You probably won't be able to eat dinner. I looked like that. Yeah.

Hubby finished his last days at Kaldi's this week. I would say it ended bittersweetly, but really it was much further on the bitter side than it was sweet. You see, if being understaffed and overworked on the last day wasn't enough to make him glad to go, God decided to make sure he knew it was best to leave. About an hour before he was scheduled to finish his last shift, when the coffee house was packed to the brim, the water heater broke. The health inspector got tipped off, and the place was closed. And like that, Hubby's experience at his first job out of college was over. No happy goodbyes. No hugs from customers. The health inspector apologized for the timing of the issue, and we went to grab a beer. Adios!

I met with my new bosses this week. I am incredibly pumped to be working in their office come fall. We chatted, I got to see the office and then we headed to lunch. I was warned that we were going to do lunch in one of the most swankified places in our town, The University Club. This is where wealthy alums and townspeople go for great food and service. I, being a small-town, country bumpkin at heart was flooded with two contradictory feelings when I was invited to this lunch. One one hand, I had never been invited to eat at the lovely establishment. I was excited for the chance to try the food I had heard so much about and share in great conversations with my new bosses. On the other hand, I am the kind of person that says "friggin" and never orders the right thing and doesn't always claim to know a salad fork from a dinner fork. Thus, I was a teensy bit nervous at the formality of such a venue. I arrived without tripping up the stairs and breathed a sigh of relief.
Ordering was tricky; I was trying to find something simple to eat so as not to make a mess. I am traditionally messy no matter what I eat. I settled on a salmon club since salmon is my favorite and I figured a sandwich couldn't be too difficult. Boy, was I wrong!! The sandwich was a double decker held together with shiny-topped toothpicks. I could take only one bite of each section before it exploded into smitherines, leaving me, my fork, my knife, and sometimes my fingers, to try to put it all back together. I was sure by the second of four sections that everyone in the restaurant knew I was not supposed to be there. As if they didn't already know when they realized I was under 30.
Resigning to the fact that I needed to finish picking at my explosion, I agreed to dessert. I immediately dropped the brownie tongs onto the ground and tried to pick them up to give to a waiter. With no waiter in my line of vision, I just looked like an idiot holding dirty tongs that I had caused to fall to the ground. The older gentleman behind me was obviously perturbed and begged me to leave them on the ground. Awkward. I also managed to stab my lemon tart with the other set of tongs, leaving part of my tart on the tongs themselves. I was in such disarray, I forgot to pick up a spoon for my sherbet. I arrived at the table, picked up the wrong spoon, and proceeded to dig into my sherbet without putting my napkin in my lap. Sweet.
During this time, we were also talking shopping. One of the ladies asked me my favorite place to shop, and although we had been talking of Ann Taylor and White House, Black Market, I blurt out "Oh, I mostly shop at Target." Yeah, you can tell I was a little nervous. Turns out, she was asking my favorite mall. I went back to work and crawled under my desk and held my ear for a while. Just kidding. But I wanted to. I am sure in my head this is all a little more dramatic than it was. And actually, I had a lovely time. I am so excited to start working in the office with the lovely ladies.

Well, Pete's birthday is today. Happy Birthday to one of my favorite brothers. Between you and Mark, I couldn't ask for better siblings. I love you dearly and will miss living with you come winter.

Here's to Memorial Day!

101.4

No, that is not my rating on the beauty scale.  That is my current temperature.  After having gone through this just a few months ago, I am back in bed fighting of sickness.  Luckily, I have a doctor's appointment for tomorrow.  Hopefully I can knock this out as quickly as it came.  The downside?  No work and no running while I am in this condition.

I didn't mention in my last post, but my darling baby brother is finally home.  He's currently residing at our place and we just LOVE having him around.  I think he is having that normal, difficult transition between living independently in a foreign country and coming home.  Still, having him around to hug, listening to him play video games with Hubby, it's just nice to have him around.  He'll be off to Pennsylvania for ballet before I know it. I just don't want him to grow up!

I have to say, even if I am still sick in bed tomorrow, I can't wait for Grey's Anatomy.  I took about six months off, but I am caught up and prepared for the waterworks tomorrow.  Of course, everything brings waterworks for me.  Scrubs finale? Tears.  Susan Boyle on YouTube?  Tears.  That's just me.  Sentimental and easily inspired.

Welp, my hubby just brought home 7-up, warm tea, and nail polish.  I think I will use the latter.

Here's to health!

Children of the Corn

Greetings from Omaha. I have to say, I kind of like Omaha. If you took out the Nebraska fas, this place might actually be an OK place to live. But, you could never take out the nU fans, so I think I'll pass. I am spending my second day here, and so far it's been lovely. I've eaten at Spaghetti Works, met a marathoner who gave me some tips, and spoken to 4 students who might come to Mizzou. I can't complain a lick.

When I am a resident of a hotel, I like to spend a good portion of my day streaming shows from my computer. I got to watch In the Motherhood and Samantha Who. Nothing like free comedy on demand to make me comfortable in a new city.

When I ran out of TV last night, I hit my Bible up. I have to say, I have read Ruth a dozen or so times but never has it touched my heart like it did last night. Ruth was truly a woman of God. She listened to God, sacrificed for the good of her family, and remained faithful during an incredible tragedy. It almost brought me to tears last night. I hope when I am faced with such challenges, I will have the foundation of faith to stand firm. What a mighty God we serve, that he would give his servants portraits of strong women for us to follow.

I have one more visit today and then I am headed to the hotel to get a run in. I will try to be more inspired in the future. Sorry for the recent delay in blogging.

Here's to God's faithfulness.

It's All Good!

Well, after taking a little hiatus, a lot has happened in the life of me. First, despite my fears and freak outs, interview day went just fine.  After six interviews, I was offered two positions.  I mulled quite a bit but ended up going with, what I am sure is the perfect choice for me.  I will be working for the Office of Parent Relations and Student Affairs Development.  I am completely thrilled to be working with two great ladies.  I know I will learn a lot from them and gain great experience.  I meet with them next week to make plans.  I also get to meet with my adviser this week.  I will start planning my classes and my goals for education.  Pretty excited about the whole thing, really.

I am headed off on the road tomorrow, so I will try to post again.  I am feeling a little uninspired right now.

Here's to answers to prayer, no matter how big or how small.

Aw... Freak Out!

Well, if you know me, you know I am a bit of a Type-A, first-born, perfectionistic, control freak. Just a little bit. So, it was a little more than a small hit to my Super Power (the ability to control all) when I got an email from my grad studies interview day organizer. You see, for the past month, I have been organizing data for my interviews. I had a list of position I wanted. I organized the list in the order of how badly I wanted the position. I then made lists of skills I had that would benefit the position and skills I wanted to acquire that I could learn in the position. I had scoured websites, read every bit of info I could, and hired a professional investigator to background check my potential boss at every position. Well, no investigator, but you get my point. The email came at about 4:30 yesterday and Dr. H told me that three of the five positions I had settled on were not, in fact, available.

And then I heard God chuckle.

I however, was not chuckling. No, I was looking more like a character from one of those old Disney cartoons right before Mickey makes Donald so mad that his head turns red and the top flies off. Yes, I was Donald. I texted and emailed with fury. I debated and wrung my hands. And then, I got in the car with my husband and we went to dinner with Momma and my best friend. Because, after all, nothing solves problems like time with your Momma. Even at 25.

Dinner proved to be productive. Meg and I then headed to the mall, where all the dresses were too big, which also proved productive. I settled into bed for my last night with my Esther study, and I talked to God a little. Sometimes, you don't have to talk too much. Sometimes, God does all the talking. And what he said to me was, "Um, Lady, I love how you think your plans are better than mine and all but really? Really?" And that's all he needed to say. I fell asleep and woke to a much better attitude.

As Bro and I came in to work this morning, he asked if I was doing better with the whole situation, and I told him my revelation. Being mad was basically me saying that my plans were better than Gods plans. This is not a position I am comfortable taking. I would rather not be mad than try to be God. And thus, a lesson was learned.

A reminder to myself and my friends in blogworld: I am still a Type-A crazy. That probably won't go away from one lesson. But thank God that he crushed my little head yesterday. I have no idea what position I will receive on Friday. Heck, I may not be going back to grad school after all. But I know it's not my decision. And for that, I am thankful.

Here's to the big decisions being taken care of by the Big Guy.

Beautiful, Scandalous Night

Easter is miraculous. Such a joy. I was over at Beth Moore's blog the other day and her daughter, Melissa, was sharing her favorite Easter memories (that happened to be Palm Sunday). I got to thinking about what exactly my favorite part of Holy week is. Hands down, no question, I LOVE good Friday.

My brother drives me to work on days when Hubby goes to work early. We were on our way Friday and he said, "What is so good about good Friday!? I mean, it's filled with torture and death." True story. There's no way to deny the death and torture part of Christ's death. But to me, remembering the horrendousness of the act only reminds me of its importance. I could have nothing could, could be nothing good, and couldn't share the joy of my God without this awful day. How do you thank someone who was beat with a steel-tipped whip and killed next to criminals, all for you? Only through reverence and love.

As we worshipped with the congregation on Good Friday services, the tears just flowed. My Christ, my Savior was killed. He did it all for me. It's easy for me to think about it in the corporate sense--he did it for the whole world. But for me? That's more difficult. He so loved me that even as I was still a sinner--which is today, tomorrow, and the rest of my earthly life--he died for me. What an amazing God. What an amazing love. I'll never get it right. And I'll never do enough to right my wrongs. But because of the good act on Good Friday, I don't have to get it right. He who knew no sin became sin for me. Wow.

I am thrilled to be able to share Easter with my family. I can't wait to say, "He is risen! Christ the Lord is risen today!" It doesn't get better than the joy of resurrection. Without the death and mourning of our Christ, though, we'd never get to the celebration. And so I sit in the middle, between death and life today, thankful for both.

I love the image of the Smalltown Poet's Song "Beautiful, Scandalous Night." I will be savoring these words until sunrise tomorrow.

At the wonderful, tragic, mysterious tree
On that beautiful, scandalous night you and me
Were atoned by His blood and forever washed white
On that beautiful, scandalous night

May the Lord bless you on this Holy Weekend, no matter where you are in your life.

Here's to forgiveness.

G.P. Are You With Me?

So life has just been moving too fast to blog right now. And really, when life is moving too fast to blog, sometimes things aren't blog-ready to post yet. Nonetheless, I will do better. Promise.

I have felt pretty overwhelmed lately with all of these potential changes in my life, and it's been hard for me to comprehend. I get a little difficult to be around. As much as I want to embrace change, it really freaks the heck out of me. So, you can imagine that I was more than ready to hit up Bible study on Tuesday when the time came. I needed a little refreshment. I got to my table, hugged all my lady friends, and sat down, ready to be engrossed in Beth Moore's latest morsels of God's words. And what do you know? The study this week (through Esther: It's Tough Being A Woman) was about feeling like you are in charge of your world. In fact, it was specfically about how you are NOT in charge of your world. God gets that great responsibility. Ha! It literally brought tears to my eyes. Jeremiah 29:11 sounds so trite when I am in the middle of trying to figure out job/school/living arrangements/ etc. But hearing Beth speak of God's providence and how we just can't weigh ourselves down refreshed me in a way I truly needed. God does have the plans for me. Not to harm me. To give me hope. A future. A-mazing.

Sweet, precious Stellan is fighting hard and doing better Head over to pray if you haven't. He's even been on the news lately!

This weekend should be a little less stressful than usual, so hopefully I will have time to post.

Here's to refreshment.

Cheer Up, Charlie

I have been SO sick for the past week. Luckily for me, I have recovered nicely and am back at work. Unluckily for Eric, I gave every bit of it to him and he is recouperating on our couch today. Poor thing!

Being as sick as I was, I was unable to get a bracket together for March Madness, but that hasn't stopped me from watching games. How about that Kim English! Wowee! It's fun to be in the Sweet 16 as a tiger. In fact, the last time my tiger team made it to the Sweet 16 I was a high school student. Seriously. So, I am overjoyed to be able to watch my Tigers on Thursday. I am a tad nervous about the whole thing, but it should be fun. I just don't wanna see some random Memphis player chew on a towel on all fours like a dog. I would also prefer not to see their coach cover his mouth to yell obsenities. Then again, if that means they are losing, I will take it.

I am still diggin my Esther study, but I will be honest enough with my Bloggers and Bloggettes to say that I haven't been doing my daily reading plan. Since I don't have Bible study this week, maybe I will try catching up. It's something I really have enjoyed when I actually get to it.

This is getting long already, but I have to wish my momma a belated birthday! I spent the weekend with her, shopping, eating, and watching Twilight. She's a great momma!!

Speaking of Twilight, I finished the books while on bedrest. Wow! I really want to read them again. Yes, I am a nerd.

Finally, I forgot the good news. I got my acceptance letter for graduate school while I was sick on the couch. I am thrilled! I will interview April 24 for an assistantship. If I get one, my life is about to seriously change. Pray for God's guidance on that one.

Here's to Spring (if not spring break)!

We Are the Champions!

After being a Mizzou basketball fan for a long time, it's hard to actually believe what happened today. As a student, I saw Quinn take the team to a Big XII championship, lose, and then fall off into oblivion. We have had some rough and tumble years. Today, though, Coach Anderson proved that we hired the right man for the rebuild, and we won the Big XII Championship. As my pastor said, "the curse of Ricky Clemmons is officially over." Woo! This is the first year in a long time that I will actually be excited about the NCAA Tournament.

Eric and I went to a marriage conference at our church this weekend. Paul Tripp is an author and speaker on a variety of topics, but he spoke on marriage while he was here. While he had some great points, it wasn't my favorite conference ever. I do think we took some of his information and will use it on strengthening our marriage. It was also a great time to evaluate and realize that we are focusing on the important parts of our relationship.

I haven't written in a while. Eric had a birthday and turned 27. He seems thrilled about the possibilities of year 27.

I am still a little worn out from a long week at work, so I will try to post more often but I am signing off for today.

Here's to the tigers!

Take A Chance on Me

For those of you who don't live in my Charming City, you may have never heard of a little event called the True/False film festival. If this is the case, I am so sorry. You are missing out. True/False is a documentary film festival in its 6th year. The fest brings in people from all over the world (literally--I've talked to people from Poland, England, and just got off an ichat with some filmmakers from Denmark) to showcase their films. In between films, you get to meet artists, enjoy great music, and even partake in a party or two. It has been an eye-opener to me, a farm girl, to see the enticing entities of documentaries.

Last year was my first time to delve into the fest and I waded into the baby pool, seeing three films. This year, I decided to volunteer. I spent the last two days crawling under risers, building street art, taping down lights, creating a venue for an awesome party, and getting to know people I will never forget. I now wonder how I could have gone the first 5 years without volunteering. While I thought the films last year were life changing, the event is much more so. I just finished my first two films. What is even more incredible than viewing the films is hearing the creative genius behind them and allowing those filmmakers to share their craft. So cool! The main film I saw was called "Love on Delivery" about a pipeline of Thai women coming to Denmark to find their husbands. Thus the title of my entry. They truly were taking a chance on making their lives new and economically bearable. The film looked at marriage through a lens I myself could never see. I cried remorsefully and felt proud for the women all at the same time.

My church says that film is a great way to see other people's worldviews and how they see the problem central to life. I couldn't agree more. If you want to hear more on the subject, check out everysquareinch.net. I would also recommend going to www.truefalse.org to see more about the festival and all of the films involved.

I am taking a quick lunch break but I hope to be able to update on more films soon.

Here's to taking a chance on documentary film at its finest.

Sing a Song

I am watching the Oscars from the comfort of my hotel room in Overland Park. I started it at the bar at Carraba's and have continued here. I am a little disappointed in Penelope Cruz for best supporting acress but the show has completely redeemed itself in this moment. "The Musical is Back" number was incredible! I am a sucker for musicals, but wow. It was a good time. I mean, Baz Luhrman must be feeling the recession to have agreed to complete the number. But it was great.

A not-so-surpising Heath Ledger win makes me thrilled. I loved Heath. To see him win post-humously is appropriate and deserved. His families' speeches were absolutely beautiful. I am a little teary.

I watched "Man on Wire" at last year's True/False and it's so cool to see the director speaking of the film. I SO want it to win just so I can say, in a snooty voice, "I saw the best documentary of 2008." Seriously.

And thereit is! I won!! Well, okay, Man on Wire won. But I saw it. Yes, I did. And so, in a way, a little piece of me won. I would be lying if I said that I did not scream all by myself in my hotel room when I heard that it won. So fun! I can't wait for next week to see some more amazing documentaries.

My computer is going to die, so I best get going. Plus I am about to crash.

Here's to the Oscars.

School Days, School Days

I finally did it. Done. Completed. At least my part of the bargain. I have been MIA for the last few weeks because I have been applying to graduate school. I wanted to finish the application and tell my boss before I started talking about it out in the open. But I am pretty excited about it. I won't find out for a few months whether I am in the program, but it's been an exciting and anxious time. I am thrilled about the possibilities God has in store for me, whether or not I go to graduate school. I will definitely keep you all posted.

On top of this, I have been doing some Bible study and working like crazy. I am currenty in the dining hall during a work event. This time of year is so hard. I get attached to so many of these kids. Ultimately, some of them will make the choice to go somewhere other than MU. While I respect the decision, it's hard for me to see them go when I've worked so hard for so long.

Don't worry; I have been catching up with the Bachelor. It's pretty great. I am a big fan of both of the girls who are left, so I will be excited either way. One funny thing... I am studying Esther as part of the Beth Moore bible study. So much of it kind of reminds me of an ancient bachelor. They do a search for all attractive ladies and then they come "perform" for the king. Seirously... could it BE any more like the Bachelor? It's so interesting to compare. If you haven't read the story of Esther, I highly encourage it. It's fun. It's scandalous (sort of). And it's the only book in which God's name is never mentioned. It's two books before Psalms. Read it. Message me. We'll chat. I hope it blesses you.

I am off to work a little more and then hopefully grab a nap. Enjoy your weekend.

Here's to Esther!

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

I am on a little hiatus from posting because I am taking some time to work on a big change in my life. Or I should say a potentially big change. More news on that when it is finished. Until then, I am not trying to ignore my bloggy friends. I am just spending most of my free seconds on this "thing." Pray for me!

Here's to change!

It's My Party

This has been a long week. Eric passed me some sniffles early in the week, and there's been lots to do with work. Despite all of this, though, I think it's been a good week.

If you're wondering, the GRE went fine. Nothing to report. I did wake up a little late and had a freak attack. Being the Type A that I am, however, I thought the test was an hour earlier than it was. So, even after waking up an hour later than I wanted to, I still got there at 7:45 for a nine o'clock test. Yes I am a dork. I am crossing my fingers that my score is good enough to not ever have to take that stupid test ever again. Here's hoping.

I had a presentation last night for work. We travel throughout the state and give workshops for students and parents about navigating the college planning process. I love giving these workshops. People tend to truly appreciate my effort. Parents who are going through the process for the first time, in particular, look at me like I am the goddess of all things college. It's kind of fun. We always get surveys back, and all my surveys from last night said, "much more interesting than I thought it would be." Moral of the story: it's easy to exceed expectations if the expectations begin quite low. Love it!

Tonight, we get to play parents to toddlers. My lovely friend Lila has her preschool sockhop tonight and we get to be her stand-in parents. It is destined to be the highlight of my week. I will consider posting pictures. I am sure I will have stories.

Here's to preschool dances!

The Chicken Dance

Chickens and blogs seem to go together. If you haven't read Angie's chicken post, it is a must-read. Here's a little chicken lovin of my own.

My wonderful friend Meg lives near me. I get to spend great time with her and her family since we live so close. Last night, I went to spend my evening with her and her parents. We had brownies, coffee, and great conversation. As the conversation came to a lull, we decided to find something to watch on TV. We turned to DVR, since there seemed to be nothing on the main channels. Looking back, there was PBS doumentary entitled "The Natural History of the Chicken." I was skeptical, but we decided to check it out.

Oh my word! If you have not seen this jewel of a film, I encourage you to check it out here. While I am not sure how much chicken history I learned, I did get a wealth of information in that one hour. I learned about a on obese farmer who can give an identical impression of a rooster. There is a dame in Florida who is in love with her chicken and does such activies as swim with him in her pool and blow dry his fluffy fur. A pastor told a story of a higher power looking out for chickens, and how chickens have a real sense of sacrifice of self. There was also a headless chicken who was a sideshow act a while back. No head. Seriously. Probably the best, however, was the woman from Maine who gave her chicken mouth-to-mouth after he was found semi-frozen under the deck. The lucky chicken lived and apparently spent a while inside living in a baby-crib watching medical shows before heading back out to tell all of her chicken friends about her adventures. Her name was Valerie since she had such valor. I wish I were lying.

I have seen Oscar winning documentaries, and they don't hold anything on this baby. It is awesome. It did win an Emmy. Wow. Eric asked for it for Christmas next year. We'll see.


I have the day off to study for the GRE. Yes, I am taking that fun test on Monday. Keep me in your prayers.

Nothing too insightful today but I hope you laugh about the chickens. Godbless!

Here's to chickens!

Baby It's Cold Outside

Well we've had plenty of snow in Missouri lately. We haven't gotten too much out my front door, but many schools around the area have been closed. I've heard the cheers from students coming into my office. Let's back up to the weekend.

Saturday we got to help two great people celbrate their 40th anniversary. Two years running now, Eric and I have been a part of the Newman Center trivia night. We answer questions, enjoy snacks, and have a great time with good friends. This particular trivia night, my best friend's parents also celebrated 40 years of their beautiful marriage. We cut cake, enjoyed champagne, and even looked at their wedding album. I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday evening.

In case you are wondering, that is the original cake topper from the wedding. How cool!

On to Monday night's Bachelor. Can we all breathe a sigh of relief that Jason made good choices? Lauren, babe, bossiness only works on your pushover daddy. Nobody wants to be permanently contracted to the bossy girl. And Shannon, I know you are from Missouri, but babe, get some confidence!

I am still rooting for Stephanie but Jillian is pretty great, too. This is definitely one of my favorite seasons.

I am getting pretty excited to join a Bible study in a few weeks. Our church is starting the Beth Moore study on Esther. I have never done Beth's studies before but I have heard they are nothing short of life-changing. I am looking forward to it. I am also jumping out of my comfort zone on this one. For several studies, I have been in the same time slot with the same women. This will be my first study not with this particular group. Pray for wisdom for all of the studies. It should be a great time of growth.

Well, I am on the run to church.

PS So glad Mark is safely in Greece!

Here's to weddings, and more importantly, anniversaries!

Who Let the Dogs Out!

Well, Mark leaves for Greece today. He will be on a plane in less than two hours. To celebrate, we all had a great dinnerat my house. My parents brought their new dog, Mo. He is a 10 week old Yorkie pup. He and Rigo became friends pretty easily. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Aren't they precious!? More about the rest of the weekend later. Mark, enjoy Greece. We'll miss you!

Here's to Greece!

Daughters

There is a wonderful blogger out there who is holding a raffle to bring home her sweet baby daugther from China. If you win the raffle, you get a pretty sweet camera with camera supplies. Go to read about sweet Baby Claire. Pray for her, pray for the family, and donate if you have a couple bucks to spare.

Eric and I have had some lengthy discussions about adoption, and if it is in God's plan, we would be willing to give a baby a home. I know that if this were us, we would appreciate the support, prayers, etc. more than you can even imagine. Though I have never met or spoken with Shelley, I am sure she covets your prayers more than you know. What an exciting time for their family!

Here's to babies!

Keeps Gettin Better

What a wondeful weekend! How was yours? I got to spend time doing the things I want to do. No commitments--it was fantastic. My little brother, Mark, came back into town and we enjoyed some lovely time together. Mark always challenges my menu planning skills, as he has become a vegetarian. We had sweet potato bisque, Chickpea soup, and Spring veggie pasta stir-fry. They were all pretty great. I like the challenge of coming up with meals that Mark will eat but Pete (my carnivore brother) will tolerate. It is a challenge.

Mark and I also got to spend some time just reading and chatting. It is a favorite passtime of mine. Eric and I did a little bit of it this weekend, too. Here is Mark, at the coffee shop, pondering the meaning of life.

Well, actually, he was on the phone. But I am sure he DID ponder the meaning of life while we were there. Mark leaves for Greece in a week, so we are trying to get all the time we can with him.

If you were wondering, I did practice my knitting skills this weekend. When my knitting begins to look more like a "something" and less like a blob, I will post again with pictures.

After a great Sunday of teaching Sunday school (a first for Eric) and enjoying time with our small group, I had a great day off on Monday. Most importantly, I got a hair cut! Before I reveal the results, here is what my hair looked like just a few months ago...

And here I am now... (drumroll please)...

Eric says this is the first time he's seen a haircut make hair actually look longer. I'm diggin it!

So really, 2009 DOES keep getting better. And, my parents added a new addition to their home on Satruday. I will post pictures of Baby Mo the yorkie when I get some.

On a serious not, today is an exciting and anticipatory day for our country. Although I am sick of watching the historical, unprecidented updates, I do think it is very important for each of us to pray for the state of our nation. Obama, like all presidents, has a big task at hand. He needs all the support he can get. Please pray for God's hand to be upon him and his family, and for our country. I am looking forward to Miss Michelle's dress. Yes, I am girly.

My update is getting long, but I will say that the Bachelor is getting pretty good! I will have to update on it after next week's episode.

Here's to great haircuts, new presidents, and Tuesdays that feel like Mondays!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

And by fun, I mean knitting! That's right, we had a "Girls Just Wanna Knit" party last night. This contituted one talented lady teaching six amateurs (myself included) how to cast on and how to do the knit stitch. I will mention these two things took us a total of two hours. This may or may not be due to the fact that we had some pretty rockin fondue to hold our attention. I didn't start the event so well. While some people's projects were going well and looking like this...

My knitting project sat alone, lonely, and untouched due to fear and frustration. It looked more like this...

And this...

When I had all but given up, I got a little personal attention and my knitting project soon turned into this...

Hooray! Four whole lines! Suffice to say I am not a pro yet. I actually took out all of the knitting above. I did, however, teach myself how to do the purl stitch. I took all of those out, too. I am excited to practice this weekend. It should be a great distractor from my GRE study sessions. I joked with my mother today that she would have a full knit body suit by Easter. If you are wondering, that is Vanna White on my yarn. Yes, she has her own brand of yarn.

I have a three day weekend ahead of me, so I am thrilled. Even more exciting, however, is the fact that MarkoPolo87, my little bro, got accepted to the Orlando Ballet Summer Program. Awesome, because 1) He totally deserves and works really hard and 2) If he accepts this offer, I will, no doubt, head to Orlando! Bonus!

Enjoy your weekend. I hope you are warmer than we are. On the positive side, this weather makes for some beautiful pictures. I'll leave you with a picture looking out from my office window.

Here's to knitting!

Don't Speak

I have officially decided, after spending many sleepless nights pondering, that my titles will be song names from now on. Or at least until I run out of appropriate song titles.

Today, I am officially finished with parents.

If your child wants to come to my school but doesn't have the time to call and talk to me personally...

If your child is inadmissible and I have told you several times...

If you want your child to go to school here but they have no interest whatsoever...

Anyway, it's been one of those days. And currently, it's 25 degrees. Don't worry, though, because tomorrow it will be a balmy -2 when I come to work. But then I check out McMama's blog, where it is -22 in the midday, and I am content!

On a super-cool, positive note, Eric and I have had a conversion experience. It's true. We are officially "SIGG" people. I know, I know. Trendy? Yes. Super fashionable and just the right amount of water for my desk? Absolutely. So cute you'll want your own? You be the judge.

See? I knew you would like it!

Now, on to what I am learning from my New Year's resolution. As I plug along through Genesis, it's amazing how God's provision is so evident. I mean, we talk about God being vengeful and wrathful, but what I am seeing most is despite people's flaws, God's sovereignty shows through for those who are devoted to him. The OT does not paint a picture of a perfect world or perfect people. And it's true, God destroys everone in a flood. He also destroys the entire city of Sodom. But, more importantly, throughout those devastations, he held fast to those who love him. He took care of Noah, Lot, Abraham, and so many others. When Abraham asked for a wife for Isaac out of his homeland, BAM, Rebekah offers his camels water. It's just so neat. I live in a world that it all about me. I worry about what to cook for dinner, when I'll get a house, when I'll have children, what job I'll have. All these things. And yet, God has taken care of his people for thousands of years. He gave them arks, wives, and babies when they were 90 years old. If I commit wholeheartedly to him, won't he protect me? I want to want to believe. I pray that God would give me the strength to follow him.

My bro has come to visit, so I must say adios. Here is a cute picture of my pup for you to enjoy until the next post!

Here's to puppies and God's providence!

January is (Not) Jumpin

So the problem with January is that I have tons of time to post but absolutely nothing to post about. It's true. The most exciting thing that happened last week is that I took the day off to study for the GRE on Friday. Welp, that took all of one sentence and now I am back to having nothing to post about. In other news, the national football championship was super disappointing but I made the best-tasting burgers I have ever had. This weekend I got to spend two full days with my husband. In a row. This never happens. Finally, I made a color-coded budget. Seriously.

In all of this, there is just not much to post about. If you are wondering, yes, I am sticking to my Bible-reading plan although I have missed a couple of days.

So here is my not-so-deep thought for the day. As I am reading, I am reminded that the reason we really read is for fellowship and to stay connected to God. I have spent my days at work recently writing personal cards to all my out-of-state admitted students. They're small, they don't take long. But since writing these cards, the responses have been numerous. Kids, parents, they all are excited to have received some personal correspondence. The difference that reaching out personally to these students has made is incredible. This is what reading, praying, communing is for us. We commit a little and God personally touches us in a big way. My pastor yesterday said something interesting. He said that although the Bible is not very big, few of us get through it. Not because we can't read. Not because we don't have the time. Because, in fact, there is a force keeping us out. The power for us to connect and feel God's presence through his sovereignty in his book is huge. The more Satan can keep us out of it, the less vested we become in the kingdom of God. What a powerful thing to think about. I am stubborn and I like to fight. Now that I have realized the battle, you better believe I will work twice as hard to stay steadfast to my Jesus.

I pray for each of you that you will commit in a deeper way in 2009 as well. Pray for me. We'll trade. It'll rock.

I will try to post pictures next post. Of anything.

Here's to January.

A Time To Mourn...

So I come from a family where pets are treated like people. If you can't tell from my photos, I have a beautiful yorkie who is spoiled rotten with treats, toys, and clothes. He is one of three, however, as my brother and parents each have a yorkie of their own. Last night, Truman the yorkie left this world. He was just over a year old and ran into the street. We are all just traumatically sad over it. With my parents being empty nester these days, Truman was like their new addition. He had his own room, toys, food, and he even got to lick my parents' plates when they finished with dinner. All the kids at church choir knew him, and people at church even bought clothes just for Truman. When we got the call last night, the sadness that entered the room was almost physical. Little Truman will never be replaced. He was an energy and a joy, even if he was "just a dog." We will miss him. Pray for healing for my parents specifically. He was definitely their little man.

Happy New Year!

I don't normally believe in New Year's Resolutions. This year, however, I have made a commitment as close to a New Year's Resolution as I have ever done. A friend and mentor of mine challenged me to read the entire Bible this year. Not in a cover-to-cover format (the Bible isn't really set up to do that way), but instead in a format set out by a guide she sent out. This is a fairly daunting task for me, but I am also pretty excited. I will keep you all posted as to how it is going, and hopefully, just like my lenten commitment, this will keep me somewhat accountable. So... wish me luck. Today I have Matt 1:1-17, Acts 1:1-11, Psalm 1, and Genesis 1-2. Pray for me if you wish. I am hopeful that this will be a life-changing challenge for me.

So moving backwards, New Years last night was great. I would post pictures but we didn't take any. Pete, Eric, and I had a great dinner of crab legs and twice baked potatoes at home. We then watched TV and played video games all night. I barely noticed it was midnight until Eric checked his watch and freaked out. It was just perfect.

Moving backward even further, our Christmas was lovely. We made it to services right after they had started. Luckily, my mother had a welcoming committee waiting for me--no joke. No fewer than three people said they heard I was coming late and that my mother had given them directions on where I was to sit. Hysterical! The situation is so funny because I don't really know any of these people, but since it is my parents' church, everyone knows me. It's entertaining. After services we all headed home and opened presents. Eric and I got some great housewears and some other fun stuff. Part of our Christmas from our parents also included our trip to the Alamo Bowl.

We left for the Alamo Bowl Sunday directly after church. Eric, Mark, and I met Mom, Dad, and Pete in Springfield. We made the 14 hour trip in one day. Dad drove the whole way, and we were asleep in our hotel by 2:30 AM. We were up and out on the River Walk fairly early, and spent the whole day enjoying the sights. We met up with my aunt and uncle and headed to the game. Our hotel was close enough that we were able to walk, which worked out well.

The main event, the game, couldn't have been more stressful! Winning in overtime definitely made for a poetic ending, but I was so nervous I was about to throw up. Luckily, we did win. Walking back from the stadium, we were right next to Marching Mizzou. They played "Hey Baby" and all the fans sang as we walked. That will be a favorite football memory for years to come. We celebrated with margaritas and then were asleep and back in Missouri by 10PM the next day. It was a fast trip, but I wouldn't have missed it for anything!

Here's to New Years, Bowl Games, and great times with family!