Life is short...

but sweet for certain.

I heard this little phrase when I was in college and it has stuck with me since then. You see, I am pretty good at making whatever situation I am in as good as it can be.

But there are moments and days when I can't.

These past few months have felt like that. While there have been good days and good memories - at the end of it all, there is always something looming over. I begin to feel dishonest when people ask how things are. But what else is there to say?

It's hard knowing if things will ever turn around.

Sometimes, I wonder.

weekend-schmeekend...

This past week all seems like a blur right now.

I spent Sunday-Tuesday sleeping, sneezing, headache-ing, and way too much time on the computer. Luckily during my stay at home from work, basketball season officially started (YES!), so I was able to watch a few games, that is when my head didn't feel like it was going to explode or when my teeth didn't feel like thet were going to fall out all due to a little thing I like to call sinus pressure. G-ROSS.

The rest of the week at work was spent playing catch up, completing a mail out and working on moves I had coming in. Needless to say, it was good to be back in the office and a busy three days! And then I remembered I get two more days off this coming week for Thanksgiving, SCORE! (side note: how is Thanksgiving already here?!)

My old high school alma-mater was having their annual Tip-Off tournament this weekend so I went to a few of the games over the weekend. It's crazy and bizarre to think that the last time I leading cheers on the sidelines was almost 6 years ago! I kept thinking about all the tournaments we went to and all the close friendships shared with people I had basically grown up with. Luckily I was able to see and will be seeing some of those people over the holidays.

Like my monogrammed jacket? =)

Yesterday, I attended the wedding of a sweet friend from college, Katie B! I met Katie B my senior year of college and although we didn't spend much time together, we connected. We worked together on a team at the campus ministry I was involved in and I always appreciated her level-headed-ness, wisdom, encouragement and friendship. She is truly a unique person and I cherish the friendship we share! Her wedding was so beautiful and reminded me alot of my sister's weddings. You see, as a daughter of a pastor (Katie B is one too), they all were walked down the aisle by Dad, and then after giving them away, he turned around and performed their ceremonies. Their is something so candid, intimate, honest and emotional about these services. I couldn't help but cry thinking about the one day that I will have the privilege to be walked down the aisle, be given away and then married by my father. The rest of the ceremony was so classic and Christ honoring, just like the bride that got married. Congrats, dear friend!

very blurry... but that's my friend, Katie B!

If the wedding wasn't enough on my emotions, I got a text from Dad saying that some of the family was going to see The Blindside shortly after I was to get home. Great, I just got done crying and I'm going to see a movie that's previews alone make me cry! The movie was (as I was expecting) won.der.ful. So inspiring, convicting, heart warming, sad but ultimately good. Parts of it reminded me of the mission trips that I took in college. We would go to under-priviliged neighborhoods or spend time with children whose parents weren't around. All these thoughts and memories made me wonder why I limit myself to doing those things only on mission trips. There are SO many places where I live that I'm sure need volunteers to do things. I am glad to have that burden on my heart again. Hopefully, I will do something about it and not just be a sentence on my blog.

playing capture the flag on one of the mission trips. good memories.

Today, I, like every other girl under the age of 17, went to see New Moon. I have decided that I am going to start reading the books. If you don't hear from me for a while, it's because I've decided to become a vampire. Team Edward... all the way! (I can't believe I am saying these things, but trust me... they are so good!)

so THAT, in a-round-about-sort-of-way, was my weekend. minus church... more on church later.

vampires and church should not be in the same post=)

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy,

the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."

- C.S. Lewis

trick or treat.

first for the treats...

Halloween.

A holiday that I do not really remember participating in until high school, maybe even college. I remember dressing up as a black eyed pea when I was a little. No, not one of these Black Eyed Peas...

No, my mom, for those of you who know her, likes to be funny, "pun-ny" if you will. So we would get a black eye drawn on with a P tacked to our shirt. Hilarious. Orrrrrr embarrassing. I now appreciate her humor more, I just don't appreciate her making me look like this fruitcake.

So since I have started celebrating Halloween (and by celebrating I mean dressing up) I have tried to make up for lost time.

Halloween is a very big at the retirement community I work at. We have a big breakfast for the residents which is followed up by skits from different departments at work. Our group decided to act out the song Monster Mash and dress up as classic halloween characters. Ghoul here. Witch there. I decided I would be a mummy. And this is how it turned out.

I think I did a good job considering one of my friends was scared to look at

my facebook page for the two days I had it posted.

Since Halloween fell on a Saturday that meant I got to dress up two times! Well, I got really lazy on Saturday and didn't feel like pulling my idea of a costume together so I thought I wouldn't dress up. Luckily, I still have about 6 cheerleading uniforms in my closet so I revisited them for the first time since I graduated high school 5 and a half years ago! And it was actually kind of fun, except for the fact that my uniform didn't fit like it used to. But let's not focus on the negative, CHEERLEADERS ARE POSITIVE!

So we took Eth and Ave throughout the neighborhood knocking on doors and ringing door bells in exchange for candies. I honestly think everyone loved them the most... I mean honestly, how often do you see a 3 year old with a wig that is the size of her body? Or a little 3 and a half foot Darth Vader running around? One woman even asked if she could take a picture to remember these sweet little humans. And I do not blame her. I love them.

Darth and Ariel.

now for tricks...

Yesterday we had lunch with a group from our church. We went to a Thai restaurant and I ordered sushi. When my sushi came out, Jessie was telling how she one time thought the wasabi was actually avocado and had spread it all over her food. We were laughing about that and Teddy, my dear brother-in-law, said that I wouldn't eat the wasabi that was presented on my plate. For some reason, when I am dared to do certain things, I feel like I have to do them. Does anyone remember summer 2006 and my sabbatical from showering? Well based off of the result of that dare -MRSA/Staph Infection, not to mention, probably less friends- I should have known better than to take Teddy up on his dare. Butttt I didn't know better. So I did.

And.

I.

Almost.

Died.

tiny little wasabi. not so bad...

ok. yes it was. i am cryingggg.

So for future references, be wise in dares that you choose. Or you will have heartburn for the next 36 hours!

xoxo, friends!