life is short but sweet for certain

remember me?

2011-06-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

since I last blogged I've...

played in and sat by the Pacific Ocean...

read through this post and was convinced that Jon Acuff was inside my brain...

went to my first SoapBox Derby in Macon...

finished my taxes... on time...

witnessed Cicada Swarm '11...

been busy, busy, busy with everything at work...

completed my first live tv interview...

and then talked to the same station about seniors and technology...

watched Michael Scott say goodbye forever...

helped host a shower for Baby Muffin...

found my first WHITE hair...

watched (drooled and gasped) during the Royal Wedding...

visited Turner Field for my first game of the season...

had a flutter in my heart...

met Nick Arrojo...

been challenged by this article...

cheered Ruthie on for her first triathlon...

had a mini-reunion with sweet high school friends...

(note: the two boys in the middle were my junior and senior prom dates=)

ran/crawled/swam/walked/jogged/climbed the Warrior Dash...

welcomed niece #3, Isla Grace into the world...

helped/laughed while my friend made beautiful flowers for another sweet friend's wedding...

got back into running...

started planning lots of moves at work...

got out of running... (but just went today!)

was reminded that even on a bad day, it's a good day because I have Him on my side...

watched these two wayyyy too many times...

started using Pinterest (looooooove this site)...

witnessed God's sovereignty...

and learned more about myself.

All of the above were good {well, ok, I was a little upset about the white hair} with the exception of the that last one. You see, I am what some would call a perfectionist and when the perfectionist in me starts measuring up to the only One who is a good rule of thumb, I come up far short.

But the good thing is, I am realizing where I need to grow and how much more I need to rely on Him during that "growing" process. I don't want to be comfortable with the complacency I often find myself floating in. I don't want to be consumed with the things that I think are important but really have no point after tomorrow.

So here goes... to being real.

eeeps, I'm scared.

pauses and procrast... (I'll finish the title later)

2011-03-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

In approximately 24 hours I will be landing in California.

A little pause from my Macon, Georgia life.

But currently, I have four loads of laundry in baskets that have to be done before I leave (or it will drive me crazy while I'm gone). And did I mention I've yet to start packing? I wasn't too stressed out this little minor detail... until my sweet little brother (who I'm going to visit) kindly sent this week's forecast.

It's going to be in the 50's & 60's, people. Not exactly flip flop, tank top weather like I was dreaming of. And now I'm back to square one. And now that I'm thinking about it, I don't even know if I have a suitcase to pack my stuff in. oh goodness...

But all this to say, who cares. I'm going to Cali-FOR-n-i-aaaaah (said just like Ah-nuld would say it) with Dad, Mom and Ruthie to see my little brother Caleeeeeb.

Maybe we will get sun, maybe we won't. But we will have fun.

And I will be sure to dance to this song while we explore a new place.

recent projects...

2011-03-05T14:33:00.000-08:00

Remember when I was absent for all of January? Well I explained a little bit about my absence here but another reason I was away from the bloggy-blog was because I was working busily behind a camera and photoshop for a few special people.

I don't claim to be a photographer (and actually would LOVE to take some classes), but I will say with a good camera and iPhoto or other software that allows you to edit pictures, I think anyone can be an amateur and get a few good shots, you know, out of a hundred or so. =)

So with my camera in tow one Saturday morning, I first visited my sweet little nephew that was born in December. I had done a newborn announcement for his big sister Lois shortly after she was born so Jessie asked me to take some of this little sweet little boy.

Taking pictures of babies is not easy. If they are asleep that is one thing, but when they are awake, squirming around I start getting a littttle bit nervous. All this to say, his photos were much more candid like this:

And of course, a few funny pictures. What is it with babies being cross eyed and photos?

A few weeks later I was able to finish his sweet little announcement. We chose to do a flat 4x6 postcard, with a light blue stripe (did I mention I L-O-V-E, love stripes?) on the back side. Since the stripes were light enough, Jessie was also able to use a few of these as Thank You notes. Below is the final proof (which I'm pretty sure is obvious since it reads PROOF.) I loved the way they turned out.

My next project (which was actually done in between taking Shep's pictures and printing his announcement) was for my friends Tiffany & Todd who are getting married in July. I told her whenever she got engaged to let me know what things she needed help with. (note: When my sisters got married, Tiff and her family went above and beyond to throw them showers and help on their wedding days so I was excited to return that favor to her.) When she asked me to do her save the dates, I began to work on a few ideas to see what she would like. After I sent her a few, I could tell she wasn't really crazy about any of them and I wanted her to loooove them.

But one Sunday, she visited a bridal show and she saw a SavetheDate that was in front of an old theatre with the words changed to announce their date. I could tell this was an idea that she REALLY liked, so I said let's go for it! Luckily for us, we have several theatres here in Macon so finding a location wasn't too hard. I like Cox Capitol's sign the best so that was the one I suggested. We were able to get a few quick shots one afternoon and I knew they would be perfect for their announcement.

But next came the hard part, especially for an ocd person like me. I knew what the text should say, but making it look like it was really on the sign... well let's just say that I spent quite a few hours on this. I took a couple of photoshop classes in college, but for some reason I could not for the life of me figure out this little bit. First I tried clone stamping the original sign so that it looked as close to the real sign as possible. Well that didn't work. So after many searches on google, I decided to try something different and overlay a new box, basically start from scratch. One of the main things I had trouble with was the angle of the sign. Since it wasn't a straight on shot, you couldn't just simply lay a box over, but rather it had to be rotated and stretched at a different angled. Once I got the angle of the box, the rest was easy - and I was even able to find a font that looked close to the lettering you would see on a sign! Oh happy day!

Next up was ordering these from the printer. The printer that we used only gave the option to order 100, 250, 500, etc., and because the cost for 500 wasn't too much different from ordering 250, Tiff decided to go with 500. I have to say, I held my breath (ok, I took a couple of quick breaths) until these came in the mail, but when they did, I was happy to see that they were just as pretty on the computer as they were on paper.

So those are a couple of fun projects that I was able to do recently. What about you? Have you had any fun projects lately?

how sweet it is to be loved by you...

2011-03-02T15:48:00.000-08:00

My favorite part just might be when he calls her "Wrinklestiltskin".

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

speed bump(s)

2011-02-24T16:19:00.000-08:00

woweee.

It's been a day. Normally when I go into work, I don't plan on crying off my makeup before 10am, but hey who doesn't like a little surprise every now and then?

Friends, you remember when I wrote just a few days ago about feeling God move? Well today, He was having fun surfing on the waves of my life! (wait, does that even make sense? I do not know. I blame it on the fact that my brain is dried out from crying so much today.* [*note-that doesn't make sense either. brains and tears? what? that's it; no more metaphors today.] )

Through all that I went through today, stress at work, heartache for friends, answers to other questions I've been waiting on, my God was aligning everything in place. And the part that is incredible, is God used the person who was experiencing the most heartache, my dear friend C, to send me a text that would be exactly what I needed to hear then - and in the few hours to come. While I was trying to think of words to comfort her, to encourage her, to be an example of Christ love but still be sensitive to what she was going through, she sent these powerful words:

My faith and the love of God is holding me together.

I do not question why and will not let this shake my faith.

I know all things are done through Christ.

I don't think I realized until today what His love does for me.

His will be done.

Written like someone who knows what is going on. And like I said, I read that, paused, and just thought to myself, that is someone who understands that the Lord has it in control. The things I had faced are somewhat trivial in comparison to what she is experiencing but she is confident in our Lord and the plan He has paved before her. Speed bumps and all.

So for now, my eyes - although a little puffy- are dry, and my heart is mending. But through it all, I remember these words of truth that I learned recently from here: I already know who's going to save you. I already wrote the end of your story. You were made for me and I'll never leave you; in the end, it's all for my glory!

Thank you, Jesus.

And thank you family and friends that have guided and encouraged me during my moments of uncertainty and weakness. Oh and speaking of friends, please go read this post by one of my sweet Oklahoma friends, Jena Carper. I read this while typing and uh, I think she is inside my head!

p.s. - I like listening to this song on days like this... beautiful.

pardon me...

2011-02-22T17:56:00.000-08:00

... while I update my look on my little blog.

check in soon to see a (hopefully) fresh look!

why I've been quiet(er)...

2011-02-17T17:42:00.000-08:00

I thought about writing many times. But I didn't.

So here I am, making myself write (or should I say, right?). Either way, it's kind of like making yourself exercise after you've been away for a while; you know you don't want to start moving, but once you do you feel better.

One of the reasons I haven't written as much is because what the Lord has been showing me. Now most of the times, I would share it. But in these moments I've been experiencing, I've felt the need to sit quietly and intimately with my God, understanding that His hand is at work... moving all around me, lining things up so that I can sit in His presence and remember just how great my God is and how small my view of Him is in comparison.

When our team was in Haiti, I heard a song, called "You Won't Relent" by Misty Edwards. I remember hearing some of the students sing this song first at our house and then a few more times throughout our trip. By the last day as they were singing I had picked up the words but couldn't bring myself to singing them.

You won't relent

Until You have it all

My heart is Yours

I'll set You as a seal upon my heart
As a seal upon my arm
For there is love that is as strong as death
Jealousy demanding as the grave
And many waters cannot quench this love

Come be the fire inside of me
Come be the flame upon my heart
Come be the fire inside of me
Until You and I are one

Have it ALL. Whew. That's alot. Have I been giving Him my all? No. Not even close. Am I really ready to give Him... ALL? As I found myself struggling, I was reminded of the words just prior to that: He won't relent. My God loves me so much, that He will not let me go through life truly feeling complete, when I am lacking so much without Him.

You haven't relented until You had it all from me; thank you, dear Jesus, my heart is Yours.

2011-01-12T20:35:00.000-08:00

It's been a full year since the earthquake.

I remember being at my desk on January 12, 2010 around 5pm and reading about an earthquake that had just happened in Haiti. Honestly I don't really remember thinking it was that big of a deal. I didn't understand, nor could I really comprehend, how 200,000+ lost their lives in about 20-30 seconds.

As our team was driving down the busy, tight streets just a few short days ago, all I could think about was the chaos that probably wrang out that day. I could imagine the screaming that must have been heard, the tears that were probably cried, the people that were trapped with no way to escape. It was all a bit overwhelming - and that was just me trying to imagine.

Returning for the second time was definitely interesting and definitely a privilege that I am so grateful for. SharingJesus with the children of this country that is hurting - what a task set before us. But honestly, upon looking at them, you would never know that they are in pain. Oh no. The smiles on their faces, the strength in their voices as they sing, the way they move their shoulders when dancing, it would all lead you to believe that they are the richest children in the world. God is teaching me so much through the Haitians right now.

Until then, pray with me for these people. They need healing - emotionally, physically and spiritually. Thankfully, we serve a Mighty God.

two-oh-one-oh

2010-12-31T12:23:00.000-08:00

Thankful for these past 365 days. During this year, I've had the chance to laugh, love, serve, grow, cry, apply, doubt, wonder, feel, sing, explore, fly, learn, teach, sit, listen, wait, watch and travel. The Lord has given me so much joy this year and more specifically these past couple of months; He has given me a cup that runneth over!

Right now I'm preparing to start off a new year with some more travelling. I will be spending January 1 in the Atlanta, Miami and finally Port-au-Prince airport, and spending the following next days outside of P-a-P. This trip is planned to be much like when I visited back in August – working with local school children and sharing Christ love with them.

So thankful this is how I get to start out a great, great 2-0-1-1!

p.s. - I have a new nephew! Shepherd "Shep" Eugene Tanner... sweet boy. So thankful for this little blessing!

Christmas is coming!

2010-12-11T18:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas is less than two weeks away. Thirteen daysss, people!

But this month has a couple of other exciting things happening too...

1.) Caleb is coming hommmme! We found out last week that Caleb gets to have leave from December 23 until December 27. Only 96 hours but I am already so thankful for those hours since he wasn't allowed to take leave at Thanksgiving. Yeaaahhhh! Can't wait to see him!

2.) Baby Tanner #2 is scheduled to arrive soon! Jessie is due on December 27th but I honestly think (and hope!) it will be before then. I am so excited to meet this little one... hip, hip, hooray!

3.) I am in the midst of preparing for my trip to Haiti. While my trip isn't in December, it is not far behind and definitely on my mind alot right now. There are many things going on in Haiti right now and I'm praying that the Lord's will be done in all. I'm so thankful I have the privilege to serve the sweet children of this country!

So that is what's going on in my world... what about you?

sing over me

2010-12-07T09:45:00.000-08:00

I heard this song at church Sunday morning and have found so much peace and encouragement through its words. May we all find peace and rest in Him!

I live in the wonder of Your love
You rise like the sun in my heart
Even when the night draws near to me
There You are

I will wade in the water of mercy
I will walk in the light of Your will
Whatever should come against me
Teach me to be still
As you

Sing over me
Draw me close to rest in Your peace
Sing over me
Oh, sing

Sing of Your unending faithfulness
That knows no doubt or fear
In the face of all that I don't know yet
Remind me of who You are

You are mighty
You will save
Rejoice over me with singing
You will quiet
By Your love
Glory over me with singing

2010-11-30T20:45:00.000-08:00

I like pictures. Give me a book and chances are I'm going to flip to the middle to see if it has photos from a persons life. Well on Sunday night as I was leaving Bible study (which happens to be in the same room as my Dad's church library), a picture of an old woman caught my eye .

While it wasn't this is exact picture, the face was the same and I wondered who this woman was. I decided to borrow the book. (By the way, Dad, if you are reading this, I borrowed your book=) As I turned over to the front cover, I recognized the name Corrie Ten Boom but honestly, had never taken the time to find out who this woman was or what she was known for. Tonight as I began reading the book, I cannot tell how many times I had to stop and really digest the depth of the words she wrote. I can tell it's going to challenge me and help me to remember to rest solely in Him.

So glad this woman's picture caught my eye and I picked this one up off the shelf...

truly thankful

2010-11-21T12:13:00.000-08:00

As we were singing songs of thanksgiving and praise today at church, I thought to myself, I really do have so much to be thankful for. I have an incredible family, I have a job that I love, I have friends that make me laugh and encourage me, and really, everything that has happened to me in life has been for good.

And as I stood there thinking about this, I felt like I was missing the point. While I certainly think it is good to be thankful and praise God for what He provided, I was missing the whole point of the thankfulness we were singing about. Yes, Jesus has blessed me. But, what about people whose lives have not gone according to plan? What about people that have lost and gone through difficult times? Are they not supposed to be thankful?

And then I realized, regardless of what I have, it is only in addition to what God did for me 2,000 years ago and that was sending His Son to be a sacrifice for me. A sacrifice that would make a way to my Heavenly Father. My thankfulness cannot and should not be based on the overflow of his generosity. He is enough.

"Jesus is all satisfying. God is enough. He is Good. He will take care of us. He will satisfy us. He will get us through this. He is our treasure. Whom have I in heaven, but you and on earth there is nothing that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart fail, but you are the strength of my heart and my portion forever. God is most glorfied in you, when we are most satisfied in Him." -John Piper

Enough... that is all I need.

the wonder of the weekend

2010-11-19T19:32:00.000-08:00

there are very few weeks that I beg for the weekend. usually, Friday sneaks its way into my schedule before I even have time to think about complaining about how the weekend can't get here soon enough.

that was until this week... a very productive week – but also a loooong week.

so here's to the weekend and me JUMPING for joy at the thought of a lazy Saturday! hoooray!

cheers!

too good to be true

2010-11-17T18:13:00.001-08:00

I am a very picky about shoes. VERY. Especially boots.

And not only am I very picky, but I also hate spending lots of money on things.

Well after google-ing all the keywords for what I wanted in a boot, I finally found a pair of boots that I L-O-V-E.

Love, love, love.

And wouldn't you know. They are $348.

Blast.

time keeps on slipping, into the future...

2010-11-11T16:31:00.001-08:00

How does a month go by so fast?

I've experienced alot of life these past 30 days. And through life, like always, God has been faithful. So, so faithful.

He has been teaching and stretching me in so many different areas and not just through His word, but through experiences, other people, tests and life. Hopefully, I will come through it all stronger, wiser and more able to serve Him.

it's a great dayyyy to be alive!

2010-10-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

Out of all the years I've lived, so far numero 2-4 is turning out to be the best. And yes, I know it's only been two days.

But here are some examples of why this day was so good.

1.) For the second day in a row, I woke up on time! This is no small feat for me, just ask my mom who has to call and wake me up almost every day. Sorry, Momsie.

2.) Today, when I see what kind of soups our kitchen had, I found out that they had one of my favorites, Butternut Squash... Win!

3.) After work (I left half day), I went and had a manicure and pedicure. If you know me, this is not something I ever do. But since I had a gift certificate and the wedding this weekend, I went for it. It was increddddible.

But you know what, out of all those little things that make life a little sweeter, one thing topped them all: finding out this little boy is going to be a big brother!

Congrats AB & Joel! I can't wait!

one down...

2010-10-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

... three hundred and sixty-four more to go; and I know it will flyyyyy by. I'm so thankful for all the people that helped me start off my 24th year-o-fun!

My day involved the following: morning coffee, a new move in at work, sweet co-workers and cake, Chick-fil-A with the fam for dinner (on pajama night nonetheless), and finishing wedding programs for a sweet friend who is getting married in two days! Simple. And I loved it.

And now, I'm getting ready to fall into a busy weekend. One of my best friends from childhood is getting M-A-R-R-I-E-D. So many memories with this girl: dancing around to Backstreet Boys, Jock Jams & Mariah Carey, her awesome JTT (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) poster on the

back of her bedroom door, riding my bike to her house, double dates - when technically we weren't allowed to date, cheering her on in her state basketball games, and so on. So, let's take a gander down memory lane so you can see my beautiful friend who is getting married. Shall we? (note: these pictures are all incredible... incredibly awful. consider yourself warned.)

Senior homecoming. She won because she is way more everything than I will ever be=) And obviously because I look like a man. Yipes. Why I ever thought that a hair do I saw in Seventeen magazine actually work on my hair, I still do not know. And apparently it was humid that night too.

These last two were from about two years ago when our sweet friend Claire got married, one taken at a shower and one from Claire's wedding day. (Yay for Claire being in the wedding too!)

So anyways, while you are checking items off your to-do list this weekend, take a minute to pray for my friend as she starts her new life. And in the meantime, I will be having a ball celebrating her new start with her and taking pictures to share with you in the days to come!

See you soon!

celebrate we will 'cause life is short but sweet for certain

2010-10-13T18:10:00.000-07:00

The miners are all out... to celebrate my birthday tomorrow!

And if those two things (miners and my birthday, if you're confused) weren't reason enough to celebrate, Brooke Fraser has released a new cd! And it works out perfectly because I'm claiming this song as my anthem for year number 24.

Do do do do do do do do do do...

... celebrate we will 'cause life is short but sweet for certain!

MINER details...

2010-10-12T22:28:00.000-07:00

Yes, I spelled it miner. That's because I am talking the miners that have been trapped for the past two months and one week. And because I like puns. But back to the miners.

yikes, that is a loooong time. this timeline gives a brief idea of what's been going on. I became interested in the story when I read this post about what they were receiving down under... and I'm not talking about Australia people.

Can you imagine, being underground for that long? I went spelunking my freshman year of college and only stayed over night. I cannot even begin to imagine almost 70 nights knowing that you can't get out. yipes. I think I'm getting a rash thinking about it!

So why am I talking about all of this, you ask? Well I just spent the last 30 minutes watching one of the miners being rescued.

underground...

what was pulling them out of the ground.

his "esposa". bless.

almostttt there!

she is excited. And rightfully so!

EARTH. look at that s-m-i-l-e =)

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Praying that they all are rescued just as joyfully as this man was.

two months in one post. wowza.

2010-10-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

well you didn't think I would let two months go by without blogging, did you?

oh you did? sorry about that one. one day turned into two, two days turned into three weeks –and here we are, one month and 30 days later... distant friends who barely even know each other any more. so let's correct that: my name is Rachel and I've missed you!

Now, rather than me ramble on about why I haven't blogged or what I've been preoccupied with, I'll keep it short and sweet.

what I've been listening to

what I've been inspired by

where I've been: here. here. and here.

what I've eaten TOO much of

whose wedding I've been getting excited about

what I've baked and iced

what has made me laugh every time I've turned it on

what I think is one of the most incredible experiences of my life to date

what I've been laughing about being deemed real news

(and I can't leave out their hilarious remixes)

what I am slightly embarrassed to admit I L-O-V-E reading

So that ought to keep you busy/entertained/dumbfounded for the next few minutes. Until next time, how have you been?

p.s. - I have been keeping up with you all... mostly because I really do love what is going on in your life=)

merci, Saviour!

2010-08-12T17:48:00.000-07:00

wow-weee. deeeeeeeep breaths. try to take it ALL in.

A week ago right now, I was laying down to sleep after spending the day clearing away rubble during the day... rubble from an apartment that crumbled as an earthquake literally shook the country of Haiti exactly seven months ago today.

Clearing away rubble was only a part of my trip to Haiti; one day of the six that are a quite honestly a bit of a haze but yet so vivid at that same time.

I laughed. I sang. I danced. I listened. I got my "hair did". I felt His presence. I experienced sadness all while feeling joy - deep down in my soul.

And here I am: back to my current reality. A reality that includes water that is clean enough to brush my teeth, Chick-fil-A sandwiches and streets that are clear of trash and rocks - all of which I am very thankful for.

While I learned alot, I find that God is still teaching, revealing and making new impressions on my heart everyday. I look forward to sharing it all with you.

For now, I will leave you with a picture of this future heartbreaker.

Bless . . .

al. most. here.

2010-08-01T18:47:00.000-07:00

I knew it.

I just knew it would flyyyyyy by. And it's almost here!

Only (pauses for a minute to count the hours) 54 hours until I get ready to head to Atlanta. I've been busy this weekend running errands, trying to figure out what to pack, washing clothes and stocking up on necessities (see photo below).

a little protein and some "just in case" that I pray I don't even have to open=)

Amidst all the chaos, I've also tried to take time just to be still... to be still and prepare my heart for what's to come. I've asked the Lord to show me His purpose for me on this trip, how He wants to use me and how to be open to what He has in store. I'm so excited to see what He reveals.

For now these words will sum things up, better than I can:

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone

And live so all might see

The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me
Oh Father, use my ransomed life
In any way You choose
And let my song forever be
My only boast is You
Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

- lyrics from one of my very favorite songs, "All I Have Is Christ"

10 days and counting . . .

2010-07-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you.

Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

It's almost here! I'm jump, jump, jumping for joy!

Okay, okay... I'm actually sitting on a couch. But my heart is jumping!

Only 10 days (and lots of work) between me and the plane ride that will take me to a country that is looking for the Light.

It's been a little over two months since I wrote about a new opportunity... Those two months have flown by and I know these next ten days will go by even faster. During these past two months, I've had the chance to tell many people about my upcoming trip to Haiti. Some have asked what I'll be doing, some have asked what can they do to help. Honestly, when I said I would go, I literally had no idea what I would be doing or what people could do to help.

But, dun dun dahhhhhhhh - now I do!

Hmmm, let me rephrase that: I have a good idea... but let's be honest, who knows what could happen.

So here goes. Our team [seven college students, my friend Mark and me] will be in Haiti for 7 days. The teams that have already gone this summer have worked with different churches, which usually have schools associated with them. They've been doing different ministry with children and young adults, playing games with children and showing everyone the joy that Christ has given us. I can't wait to be apart of this and start this adventure the Lord has paved the way for!

People from my church and work have asked what they can collect for me to take and so we've come up with a few supplies and things that we can give to the kids while we are there. So here goes: Bandaids, Alcohol Wipes, Candy (not anything that will melt - I'm going to hot, hot, hot Haiti people!=), Crayons, SillyBands, Balloons, JumpRopes.

Of course not everyone lives close enough to send me off with silly bands and alcohol wipes. So, what else can you do? You can p-r-a-y, PRAY. You can pray for specific things like getting to the airport safely or for our interactions with the people we will meet with during our trip or that I won't die in the swelllterrring HEAT. Kidding about the last one. I've got that one COVERED=)

I am so thankful for this trip; thankful for the things God has already shown me and for the things I know He will show me.

My heart is open. Come and fill me up.

love that smirk

2010-07-17T14:35:00.000-07:00

I saw Remember Me & Eclipse this week.

In other [similarly related] news: I have a new crush.

analyze this

2010-07-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

I read into things. I look for signs.

[But usually only when the things are relevant to what I want God to be showing me. Pretty sorry, huh?]

For example, when my phone recently deleted only the following 7 photos (out of 1600+ photos I have in my library!) only to re-upload them at the end of the camera roll, this is how I interpreted this sign on my iPhone from God...

Maybe I should move to South America...

or somewhere that I can go skiing whenever I want...

I mean, come on. could it be any CLEARER?!

In South America or wherever this cold snowy place is,

I shall design invitations and plan baby showers all day looongg...

And then I will meet my husband. He will buy me flowers.

and because I loved the flowers so much - BAM! - I'm pregnant.

and not with just one, but with five children. Yipes!

So there you have it. A little peak-see-do inside my brain.

[Scary place, isn't it?]

Does your mind work like that too?

No?

Oh. I was just kidding then...

dance with me now!

2010-06-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

open WIDDDE

2010-06-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to the dentist.

Today I went back to the dentist.

The dentist told me he thinks I should have my jaw broken and reset.

I will never go back to the dentist.

no... freedom is not free.

2010-06-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I have to be put into direct contact with something to understand and appreciate it more deeply. (I hope that makes sense...)

For me, appreciating our military came truly only after my brother Caleb joined the Marines. I had always been thankful for the service and sacrifice but honestly, I never realized (and probably will never fully realize) the great sacrifice that it entails.

When our family visited Parris Island back in April, I was so glad that Caleb had made it through the dreaded boot camp experience that he had written in letters to us about. But that gladness was also shadowed with fear because although he was finished, that meant that he was one step closer to the possibility of being deployed somewhere that puts him into danger. Suddenly, everything became a little more real.

the few. the proud.

I just finished watching Pearl Harbor for probably the fifth time... but the first since Caleb became one of those men that could soon be fighting for our country. I couldn't help but cry realizing that this movie wasn't just an idea someone had created in their head and put onto screen, but rather an actual event that cost many their lives. Today I was reminded how much I need to pray for our country, our leadership, and my brother.

Recently, I attended a Memorial Day service and one of the speakers there read a poem called "Freedom Isn't Free". I'm once again reminded of these words.

Thanks to all who serve our country so courageously.

getting old and trying new things.

2010-06-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

Has it really been a whole year??? Happy Birthday, Lo!

It really is crazy how time goes by so quickly. Tomorrow I have my yearly evaluation at work. I started at my job as an intern on June 3, 2008, just 24 days after receiving my college diploma. And now I have my second yearly evaluation. WILD.

Anyways... enough of being mushy about how I am growing o-l-dddddd.

Yes. That's me. It's been a while, hasn't it?

Did I tell you about Michael & Anna's wedding? No? Well, I should have. Because it was one of the most beautiful weddings and most fun reception I've ever been to. Seriously. Don't believe me? Watch this INCREDIBLE video that I've been drooling over for the past week (I recommend in full screen)!

Anna + Michael from Matthew Wilson on Vimeo.

Seriously. The people. The angles. The focus. The muuuuussssic. Will someone please teach me how to make a movie like that? And did I mention I'm friends with those two? Movie Stars.

Speaking of making movies... wait... before you even think about, no, your's truly was not cast in a movie. I'm talking about literally making movies. Like in iMovie. I just signed up for a class at or local Mac store today! Maybe I will learn something and maybe I will share a video with you when I am through. Maybe. And then one day, after lots and lots of practice, other wannabe girls will be posting my videos on their little-o-blogs wishing they could be just like ME. ok... so maybe not.

In other news: I want to take music lessons. Preferably violin or piano. Have you ever played either of these? Any tips for a non-musical person like me?

oh and by the way, it's so good to see you here. -rcq

this is a test.

2010-06-03T18:37:00.000-07:00

testing.

testing one - two,

testingg.

a new opportunity...

2010-05-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

Earlier in the week I wrote about a trip that I embarked on exactly three years ago today... but little did I know I would soon have the opportunity to experience international mission trip again so soon.

About two months ago one of my co-workers went to Haiti and Dominican Republic on a missions trip. When he returned I was able to help him with a powerpoint. I quickly fixed the pictures like he asked me to and got ready to watch his presentation. About five minutes and 20 pictures into his talk about what they had done on his trip, I was crying. Not weeping uncontrollably, but I felt a connection while looking through those pictures - one that took me back to my 10 days back in the summer of 2007. I missed it.

And then... I got a call yesterday from a friend that works with the BCM at Mercer University. I actually didn't hear the call as I was working on a move of some of our new residents. I got back to the car and saw that I had a voicemail so I listened to on the way back into the office. In short the message said, "there is a spot for you on a trip to Haiti if you want to go".

Um, YES PLEASE!

So I have this chance to go to Haiti and work with children and possibly doing some relief work, but... But-But-Buttttttt. I have job. So what am I supposed to do? Just take a week off of work and leave the country?

Well, YES! That is exactly what I am going to do! I was able to talk to my boss this morning and she was so supportive. I don't think I quit smiling all day long (well, except for when I realized at 4 pm that I had still NOT eaten lunch. no smiling then). I am so looking forward to serving alongside a team of 7 others and seeing what the Lord will do and show me.

I know that there are great and wonderful things in store!

(photo found here)

can I keep him???

2010-05-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

I'm feelin' a little blue-ue-ue . . .

2010-05-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

Well I am not feeling blue in the "I'm so sad" sense but rather can't stop thinking about turquoise. cyan. teal. etc.

I really don't know what to call this spread of current colors that I l-o-v-e, LOVE but can I tell you about where it all started?

Three years ago, May 14th to be exact, I travelled to a little country called Meh-hee-coh, or as some like to say, Mexico. The trip was with a team of about ten other people that I had yet to meet and we were going to be doing free medical clinics for the people who lived in the city and also some Mayan villages. I was so excited. Our schedule lasted about ten days and looking back, I have so many incredible and life changing memories from that 10 day trip.

My team that I went with - loved them.

Sharing Jesus and practical help with people in need - one of the most eye opening things I've ever experienced.

And the little girl that I held in the Mayan village while her mother saw our nurses - her laugh filled my heart with joy.

Oh and did I mention our nightly Nertz tournaments? AWESOME.

These memories all made the trip one to remember for a lifetime.

So now you're wondering... what does turquoise, cyan, teal, etc. have to do with Meh-hee-coh? Well I'm about to tell you. We were privileged to stay on the beautiful beach (pictured below) and woke up every morning to this little image God painted for us. We snorkeled around in the late afternoons and apparently even got a little to close to a "BIGGGG FEEEESH!", that's Big Fish (as in SHARK) for all of you who don't speak Spanish.

Do you see those colors? So calming. So peaceful.

Take me backkkkkk...

But unfortunately, I can't spend my weekends at the beach, so why not bring these colors into my (DREAM) home?

First, I will buy this door...

and behind that door is my fresh and airy entryway...

and inside the closet I don't use, I will create a secret but oh-so functional office...

and then here in my breakfast room which will be full of fresh flowers, white china and serving ware will be perfectly accented by this shade of blue...

and then I will sip on coffee in my loungey-living room...

before making my way to my bed that is subtly painted a pale turquoise.

And every time I enter each room, I will remember my adventure in the summer of 2007 and the image God painted for me.

(Images of my dream home found here, here, here, here, here and here.)

won•der, verb

2010-05-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

–verb (used without object)

to think or speculate curiously: to wonder about the origin of the solar system.

to be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe; marvel (often fol. by at): He wondered at her composure in such a crisis.

to doubt: I wonder if she'll really get here.

–verb (used with object)

to speculate curiously or be curious about; be curious to know: to wonder what happened.

to feel wonder at: I wonder that you went.

Sometimes I wonder in my head. I know I've said this many times before, but I guess that's because I wonder alot.

I am trying not to wonder because wonder leads to distractions, worry, unrealistic expectations and things of the like. Little good comes from my wondering. So when I start to wonder I am trying to remember this song below and remember who holds my plans together. Let me then wonder on this passage from Psalms:

Psalm 89:4-6 (New King James Version)

⁴ ‘Your seed I will establish forever,
And build up your throne to all generations.’” Selah
⁵ And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints.
⁶ For who in the heavens can be compared to the LORD?
Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD?

When my world is shaking, heaven stands. When my heart is breaking, I never leave Your hands.

put a smile on your face, make the world a better place

2010-04-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

now that you have Vitamin C stuck in your head ... here is something to make you quit thinking about the graduation song.

videos like this make me laugh. alot.

D.I.Y. or should I say, H.Y.B.I.L.D.I. - Part Two

2010-04-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

So when I left off yesterday, I had finished removing everything from the closet and was eager to start the installation on Saturday morning.

But after Tim finished tearing down the shelves, he began looking at the closet box. Little did I know, Day One was far from being over. He then asked if he could open it and I told him that would be fine.

And then he pulled out the level and this was about 10 minutes later.

And this was 40 minutes later - drill and level in hand with 2 of the 3 shelves installed.

And this was a little over an hour later. Done.

That's right. A finished closet. Seriously. What I had planned on doing all day Saturday, he did in a little more than an hour. And I didn't have to use a drill or level once.

Seriously?! Can I just tell you how grateful I was to have this done?

Oh and I didn't mention one small little detail that made his project a little more difficult. Our upstairs air is out. So it was probably a good 85 degrees while Madie and I watched my new closet go up in no time. Now that I think of it, that's probably why he put it up so fast... so he could get out of the sauna that is my room! Well after I brought him a glass of kool-aid that I'm surprised didn't send him into a diabetic shock, he wanted to make sure it was secure so he ran home and got some - well I don't know what there called but basically it secures a screw into the wall, so I'll call it a - screw-securers and finished up the project.

After running him out of the house with countless "thank you's" and "you didn't really have to but I am so glad you did's", I was excited to start the next step and probably the most fun for me - putting stuff into the closet! After putting a few things in, switching them around, trying to see how I wanted my shirts organized, I finally got most everything in.

Basically, on the left long hanging side I have all dresses and skirts that I don't wear to work which are on yellow hangers and all the pants and skirts that I do wear to work on white hangers. On the right double hanging side, shirts that I wear to work are on the top right and shirts that I don't wear to work are on the bottom right. And they are all organized by color - lightest to darkest. (seriously, if you don't do this in your closet, you should, because it makes finding things much easier. and it also helps me keep my ocd-ness at bay.) This closet set-up (I hope) will make picking out clothes a little bit easier in the morning now that I can actually see without straining to pull the shirts apart. And now you know entirely too much about my closet. But that's what this is all about, right?

Something else I saw on this great blog I read, was customizing those hanging organizers to fit your space. I love the fact that I can have some things folded but displayed and the fact that the organizer fit perfectly in the space - well that was just a bonus! But when I first put it there it didn't fit so perfectly. If you look at the before pictures from yesterday, you'll see that it was actually a full length size organizer. When I ready this post a few weeks ago (yes, I found inspiration from a post about a baby closet=), I knew I had to remember that if I ever needed to, that I could cut the organizer I had down to the size I needed. So I did. I cut off two or three extra spots that were making the organizer too long and now it looks like it was made for the space!

And how about these baskets? Well the top one - I have absolutely no clue where it came from. I just know it was in my room, I did not purchase it and it was not being used. So into the closet it went! The one below is actually from Lowe's and only cost about $6 which I thought was a great deal and added a little room to for belts and things like that that I didn't want sitting out. Even though the baskets don't match, I feel like they look like they go together in their un-matchy ways. What do you think?

And did I mention that the side of my $6 basket is perfect for headbands? Because it is.

And there you have it. My closet transformation. But I couldn't leave you without a before and after picture could I??? So here we go...

Before (womp, womp...)

and....

After!!!

So that is my D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) or should I say, H.Y.B.I.L.D.I (Have Your Brother In Law Do It) story.

And the thing that I love (other than not cringing when looking at my closet) is that whole thing only took about 4 hours. Pretty good considering I was planning for 12+.

Now I just have to figure out how to do things just as quickly as my brother in law.

D.I.Y. or should I say, H.Y.B.I.L.D.I. - Part One

2010-04-24T19:47:00.000-07:00

(note: please don't judge me by this post. the extreme disorganization was something that I hated and trust me, I am glad to have finally seen the light=)

A full weekend project. Or so I thought.

I recently realized how inexpensive it was to do a closet organizer (and not $100+ like I thought), so I went to the local Home Depot on the way home from work one day this week and bought one organizer with my sights set on a weekend project.

When I began the project yesterday afternoon, I had a two day plan in place.

Day One

1.) Get the required tools needed (level, stud finder and drill) from my brother-in-law.

2.) Put all clothes that needed to be in my closet in there spot and when everything is in, begin removing everything - in order - so that instead of having clothes just all over my room, putting my closet back together later would not take as long.

3.) Remove the shelf and rod that were currently in there.

Day Two

1.) Wake up early and begin to put together my new closet! (Every review I had read said it took about 4 hours to install so I expected 5-6 hours for me since I had no clue what I was doing.)

2.) Put all my clothes back and enjoy all of the EXTRA space.

So with my two day plan in place, I began working on it yesterday around 7 . After I put all of my stuff in, this is what my closet looked like:

dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnn!

pretty tight fit. and notice the bar starting to bend.

all my shirts... from lightest to darkest.

see the space in between them? yeah, I don't either.

the unorganized shoe collection.

after I removed everything (shoes, bags, shirts, pants, skirts, dresses, etc.) from the closet.

finally empty.

Well, almost empty. You see that piece of wood along the back wall? Well that was what was holding up the shelves that used to be in the closet. And that wood was securely nailed into the wall with about 32 nails, proving for the removal to be a little difficult for me. I tried prying it off for about 10 minutes with a hammer but quickly gave up and went to ask my brother-in-law Tim (who happened to be at our house) to come remove it for me.

So Tim came to the room and it took him all of about 2 minutes (maybe less) to get it off the wall. And then I realized I had finished all of the "Day One" tasks. What a good feeling.

I'm alive

2010-04-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

Although this particular Friday wasn't exactly good for me, oh what a Good Friday it is.

8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! 9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. - Phil. 2:8-11

He is stronger

2010-03-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

There is Love

That came for us

Humbled to a sinner’s cross

You broke my shame and sinfulness

You rose again victorious

Faithfulness none can deny

Through the storm

And through the fire

There is truth that sets me free

Jesus Christ who lives in me

You are stronger

Sin is broken

You have saved me

It is written

Christ is risen

Jesus You are Lord of all

No beginning and no end

You’re my hope and my defence

You came to seek and save the lost

You paid it all upon the cross

Bridge:

So let Your Name be lifted higher

Be lifted higher

2010-03-02T19:02:00.000-08:00

hi there, ole' bloggy friends-o-mine.

I am feeling rather chippa' this evening. Probably because I had one of the LONGGGESST days at work today and I am glad to be out of the office. I don't know why today felt particularly long. But enough complaining.

Can I just talk about my bedroom for a minute. My safe place... my dwelling... it is a MESS. I think I am actually sleeping worse because of how messy it is. (Maybe this is why I had a bad day at work? Oh right... no complaining!) Anyways, any time I go to clean my room, I get distracted. Usually I can clean/organize my room quickly and efficiently. And then 2010 began. Eh, not so much. What is wrong with me? I think I'm becoming distracted by little things going on in my life... my future, frustrations, things that are uncertain. And then there's also things like the Olympics (curling, anyone?) and DUKE basketball. Those haven't helped either.

Oh but these past few weeks haven't been a COMPLETE failure... below is a list of some things I have done.

- made my first Craigslist sale (and no one was killed, +2 points!)

- watched (too much) of The Bachelor

- found two window panels from Pier 1 for $10 (steal!)

- found the best homemade salad combo

- figured out what the LOUD alarm noise in my car was (it's the small victories, people)

- saw this dear one

- worked at least 160 hours

- remade an old Goodwill frame into a fun, new chalkboard (random, yes)

- gotten information about volunteering for a local charity

- ran a 5k in 32 degree weather (my arches still hurt)

- began leading a Bible study on the Power of a Praying Woman

- celebrated Valentine's Day by playing Just Dance for Wii (everyone, BUY THIS GAME!)

- watched this good movie

- almost completed my 2009 taxes

That list makes me feel a little bit better about these last few weeks. Sometimes, you just have to remind yourself of the small things in life.

And then there are stories like this, which really put into perspective how much curtains, movies, and projects don't really matter at all.

"Whatever happens, he says, is God's will, and God has his reasons."

banana bread & burns

2010-02-01T19:33:00.000-08:00

Tonight I made my first homemade banana bread loaf and muffins.

I mushed up old bananas. I sifted flour. I chopped up pecans. And I added about 5 or 6 other ingredients that the recipe called for. It was simple really.

And then I burned my arm on the pan.

As much as it hurt for about 3 hours, I kind of like the idea that I might have a scar to remember my first banana bread making experience.

Is that weird?

(note: I should never make banana bread again. - can't. put. it. dowwwwwwn.)

p.s. - does anyone have any tips on how to make banana bread less crumb-y? (no pun intended.)

2010-01-28T18:56:00.000-08:00

A few random thoughts... in alphabetical order.

No, really... it's in alphabetical order.

Calebbbb

We have now received 3 letters from Caleb. While I look forward to getting letters (this let's me know he is still alive and that the awful Drill Instructors haven't in fact killed him) it is very hard to read the letters from him. Basically, what he is going through is very difficult. In his letters he expresses frustration over "not being able to do anything right". Yikes. What an awful feeling... everything you do is wrong. I am praying he has endurance through this all and that the Lord protects his heart.

Since we got his address this weekend, I put my first letter in the mail on Monday. It was 16 pages. Ok, so it wasn't just one letter, but rather about 10 that I had typed the first 2 weeks he was gone. Tomorrow, my second envelope goes out to him. This time, I will just be sending him pictures of the family.

Hair

I have decided that I do not prefer my hair to be the length it currently is. Project grow hair out commences now.

Math

Ruthie is currently taking an online math class. It is very simple math (think algebra type problems). I really like looking at her problems and seeing how fast I can solve them. It reminds me of 3rd grade and when we would play around the world and Mark M. and Ryan S. would always win. (side note: Ryan S. picked his nose in the third grade. alot.) So, I think I am going to by a math problems book.

New CD

Do you remember how I told you I was changing my view on country music? I bought Lady Antebellum's new cd... on the day it came out, nonetheless. I really like it and have listened to it for two days straight now.

Sunshine

I need more sunshine in my life. I wake up and it is dark outside. I drive to work right after the sun has risen, spend my day at work, and as I am pulling off of the interstate to go home, the sun is going down. I think work days should be shortened to 10 to 4. Or maybe 11 to 3. This is not because I don't like working, but because I need VITAMIN D!

Wedding Music

I heard a song yesterday. The first thing I thought when I heard this song? I want this to be my first dance song at my wedding. There is a problem with this thought. I am currently as single as they come. How can I possibly picking out wedding music when I do not even know who God has for me to marry? What if *God forbid* he doesn't dance? Ah... the thoughts of a single girl. helllllppppp meeeee.

Work/World

As I was walking through the halls at work this week I was reminded of something that I certainly needed to be reminded of. This life is temporary. Most people live 70 or 80 years and although that seems like a long time, the reality is, once we do all the things "we have to do", like work, activities, commitments, etc., time passes quickly. I want to make good use of the time I am given.

changin'

2010-01-17T19:44:00.000-08:00

I realized something the other day.

As I am becoming older (you should know that I'm only 1 year, 8 months and 27 days from being 25) and having more life experiences to look back on, my view on something is changing. Or should I say, changin', emphasis on the long A sound... that's right, say it with me, chaaaaaangin'.

Ok so here it is:

I am beginning to LOVE country music.

I know, I know.

What started out as just Faith Hill has grown to Tim McGraw, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, Allison Krause, Nickelcreek, Zach Brown Band, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, and some Sugarland (when they are not singing about cheating on your spouse). Ahh... I can't believe the list is even that long!

And another confession, I created a Pandora station for my country music obsession and listened to it every morning while getting ready last week.

But don't worry, "Yeah" by Usher will always still be one of my favorite songs.

Take that and rewind it back!

tonight, I'm eating...

2010-01-15T19:10:00.000-08:00

Ramen.

Not the cup-o-noodles kind; RAMEN noodles. The kind that you have to break up while it's still in the bag before you put in the microwave and then boil it in the microwave so that it burns your mouth at first bite.

Yes. Ramen.

So, why I am I telling you what I am eating at 10:13 at night?

Well, I'm eating them in honor of someone. It's funny, I actually don't remember the last time I had Ramen noodles. I never once bought them in college though many people talk about it likes it's a staple. So back to who I'm eating in honor of.

I can picture it in my mind right now: he gets his boiling bowl of Ramen noodles out of the microwave, walks slllllooowllly from the kitchen to the living room, puts them on the carpet and proceeds to lay down on his stomach while eating Ramen and watching ESPN. This was something that happened many times.

But tonight I can't watch him do his "Ramen Ritual". You see, a few months back, Caleb told us that he was joining the Marines. It is something I wasn't too surprised about, but the reality of it was not something I like/liked to think about.

So the departure date drew closer and I pushed the reality away even more. And then his recruiter decided to change his leave date for boot camp, oh, about 20 times. Every time they changed it, it gave us more time. Then they changed it to January 11 and this time he really had to leave.

I've been thinking about him since I said goodbye to him on Sunday. He'll come to mind or I'll get ready to send him a text to tell him something and then I'll remember that he is at boot camp. And then I pray. It's hard not knowing how he's handling it all and it makes me mad to think about someone yelling at him (that's the big sister in me). But, then I think about how this is something that the Lord led him to do, so really, all is right.

So Caleb, while you are running your butt off, taking freezing cold showers, getting yelled at and doing more push-ups than you can count, I am thinking and praying for you. And so are many more people.

I am proud of you and I love you.

Now, "get da' peanuut butta oudda ya eahhs. Heauuuuuuuuh!"

sweet dreams...

2010-01-06T19:27:00.001-08:00

happy 2010!

2010-01-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

A new year has already arrived! Time seems to be going by so quickly, especially this last year and a half. It seems so easy, almost unavoidable, the way that time gets away from me. As I was thinking about this today it reminded me of some verses in James that I've been thinking on:

James 4 says:

⁷Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

¹³Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." ¹⁴Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Like James said, I don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. I do know that if my focus is where it needs to be, on the Lord, then He will be there. What better place is there to be in 2010? I look forward to seeing what He has planned for 201o.

As for New Year's Resolutions: I am resolving to be more determined and dedicated. This is a blanket resolution that applies to many areas of my life.

Determination. Dedication. This is going to be a great year!

who would have thought it would be today...

2009-12-30T17:35:00.000-08:00

It all started back in May.

May 23 to be exact.

I was heading out the door for a wedding in Stone Mountain while the rest of the family was staying home and grilling out for Ruthie's graduation. We had a baby shower for Jessie that morning, so babies were on our mind. So as I walked out the door, AB offered to help me carry my overnight bag.

We got to the car and she said something to the affect of, "I wanted you to know that we are going to tell the family today that we are having a baby!"

Oh. Ama. Gahh.

AB & J were going to be parents! And I had to miss the family announcement! After debating on whether or not to go to the wedding (yes, being there for the announcement was THAT important), I decided to head to Atlanta. I thought about this little baby all night.

7 LONNNNG months (and 6 days) go by and here we are.

Last night after having coffee with the girls, I couldn't sleep and normally, coffee doesn't keep me awake. Strange. I finally went to bed around 1 a.m. only to wake up several times in the middle of the night. I was so frustrated thinking about having to get up by 6:30 and here I was wide awake. Well, 6:48 rolled around and my snooze alarm was going off. I debated sleeping for ten more minutes, but decided to go ahead and get up so I could pick up a coffee at Starbucks on the way in to work. Give me a little pep in my step, you know?

For some reason, I finished getting ready really fast this morning and headed out the door. I pulled into Starbucks about 20 minutes later, decided it was a Triple Venti kind of morning, drove around to the window to pay and got ready to pick up my morning BOOST.

And then my phone rang. I saw that it was my Mom.

Now this is a pretty normal occurrence for her to call me in the mornings. Sometimes she checks to make sure I am up and haven't slept an hour past my alarm (which I frequently do) or to remind me of something going on at the house later that day. I answered the car speaker phone as I gave my money to the barista and I heard Mom say, "AB is at the hospital and she is already dilated 4 and a half centimeters!"

Hold. The. Phones.

"AB is not scheduled to deliver little Cotton until January 13th, two weeks from today," I thought to myself. But Mom reassured me that we were going to get to meet Cotton two weeks early!

So I rushed to work, sat in the parking lot for 2.5 seconds, then decided I would go on to the hospital. Luckily, my boss was very understanding!

I sped all the way down Vineville and then onto 75 and finally to 16. Thoughts were flooding my head about this little babe that was soon to enter our world. I was the first one to get to the hospital and walked in to find Joel near the waiting room. He told me that she was progressing pretty quickly and that they were doing the epidural as we spoke.

He eventually went back to be with AB and I sat in the waiting room texting, calling and emailing any one who would listen.

Later family and friends began to arrive. After spending about 3 hours in the waiting room with all of them, we got the word that she had reached 9 centimeters but were going to go ahead with a c-section. As we stood in a circle as family, we joined hands and lifted up in prayer our sweet AB and the little one that they were about to deliver. A sweet memory that I'll always remember.

A few minutes went by and Ruthie, Madie and I decided to take some pictures on our computer to document Cotton's birthday. As we were taking the first, someone else in the waiting room told us that they had just brought a baby to the delivery room and that the Dad was with the baby. I jumped out of my seat and RAN to that nursery in my skirt and 3.5 inch heels. (praise the Lord I didn't bust it!)

And there HE was. Little Cotton. The baby that I had felt move around in AB's tummy for all those months. Little Cotton was a BOY. Joel came out shortly after and made the announcement that our little babe that we had called Cotton for the past 6 months was named Kale Bryant Sizemore.

BLESS. I love this little boy, Kale.

So today was yet another special day for our family even though some couldn't make it or are on another continent right now.

Our family went from 16 to 17.

December 30, 2009. Two weeks earlier than we expected.

We as a family are so blessed.

a picture of His love

2009-12-29T20:13:00.000-08:00

Tonight I had coffee with two sweet friends that I grew up with.

I feel right now that the three of us are all in very different parts of life due to different zip codes, the relationships we are (or aren't) in, careers, plans for the future, etc.

But the thing I love about these two girls is that we can still have sweet, meaningful fellowship regardless of where each other are. We can rejoice with one another when one talks about wedding plans that are being made, we can relate to each other when we find out we are taking the same medicine and we can encourage each other in faith and in love. I know, I know... it's the small things.

For these friendships, I am grateful; they give me a glimpse (a very small glimpse) of what Christ love is like for us.

Incredible.

Virginia Highlands 5K

2009-12-24T13:12:00.000-08:00

I ran. I walked. I finished (slowly).

Giving Thanksgiving at Christmas

2009-12-17T20:43:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I will be grateful for: a half day at work & being reunited with friends from camp life.

Saturday morning I will [try to] be grateful for: legs and a friend that help me complete another 5k.

Saturday afternoon I will be grateful for: all of my family gathering and celebrating Christmas.

the evidence of things not seen.

2009-12-14T19:04:00.000-08:00

I am racking my brains trying to remember where it was that I read this... I might have even posted this before - but it is so convicting and applicable [to me] that I think it's worth a re-post.

"It would be awesome if you went to your mailbox or checked your e-mail or found a message in a bottle the day after you were saved and found a detailed, 39-page timeline that described the rest of your life. You would be so excited to find out the answer to every question you had about your life — where you’d go to school, where you’d live, what your job would be, whom you’d marry and how many kids you'd have. Everything you needed to know would be nicely and neatly presented in one document. It would be a great message to get.

This is what we often want. We crave a nice package in which God explains everything to us. But the truth is that God doesn’t work that way. If He did, we wouldn’t need faith.

God calls us to step into the unknown so that we can find Him standing right there. He wants us to come to Him in faith. He wants our belief in Him to move us into the unknown. He wants us to act so that we can learn to trust Him more and more."

Humbled.

Reindeer Fail

2009-12-05T18:08:00.000-08:00

I keep reminding myself it was for a good cause... for the Children's Hospital of Macon.

But that does NOT erase my time that will forever be on the back of the tile I created today.

Some people like to call it the 2009 Reindeer Run & Santa Stroll. After today, I like to call it my "Reindeer Fail". When Jill, Mark and I drove through Mercer's campus last night and caught a brief glimpse of part of the course I knew I was in trouble. T-R-O-U-B-L-E. I saw hills. And I dislike hills (unless I am in a car or another MOTORIZED vehicle). Oh and last night as we were walking around, it was a cool 50 degrees and we were freezing our butts off with layers on! The forecast for this morning was predicting 43 degrees with a chance of rain.

Awe-ome.

But we did sign up for the race so we would complete it, although I have to admit there was some talk of backing out of the race... I mean we had still made a donation, who cares if we didn't run? But we did. So last night during dinner in downtown Macon, we realized we had some work to do to uphold the idea that we created back in September... the Triple T Tradition. (you like that, Jill?).

So tie-dye... we didn't have ANYTHING tie-dye that would keep us remotely warm and after a trip to Academy that ended probably 20 minutes later... we forgot about the tie-dye tradition... maybe next time.

After heading to Kroger to pick up some things for this a.m., we came back to my house with plans to watch Run Fat Boy Run again. FAIL. I crawled into bed feeling like I had taken a dose of Nyquil (maybe from the "carb-loading" we had done at Luigi's?) and Jill, well she will have to tell you how she felt. But it wasn't good! Luckily, RFBR was not one of the traditions so we were just 0-1 and not 0-2 for. Whew.

Then came our song... or "Tong" as we like to say. Well, at about 8:10 when we arrived for the race, this of course after crawling out of bed 25 minutes after our alarm clock did NOT go off, hurrying to get to the race on time, stepping out into the FREEZING wind, we decided our song, or excuse me, t-onggg, would be CRAZY by Gnarls Barkley. While Mark said it was a terrible running song, we did not care. The title perfectly summed up the emotions Jill and I felt about running at the moment.

So after waiting around for the race to start, seeing some awesome and awesome costumes (see below) and contemplating pouring the vat of hot coffee all over my freezing legs, the man called our attention and began the race... and we're off.

Uphill.

The 1/4 mile was UPHILL. What the heck.

And the hills did not end. While they were not major hills, they were consistent on the course. And I hate to admit - I walked some of the race. I am embarrassed. Normally my goal is just to at least jog REALLLLLLY SLOWWWLLLY, but I couldn't even do that. So I power walked like a soccer mom. And at that point, I think my walk was faster than my "run" could have been anyways. hahaa... that's pitiful.

Towards the end, I realized where I was and about how much further I had to go and luckily it was DOWNhill. Praise the Lord. I got close enough to the clock and it said 33:40. And I was going to force myself to get to the mat before that minute rolled over. I ended up with 33:57 (GAG).

So with my loser red-faced head hanging high, we grabbed some drinks, ran to the one stall bathroom and then headed to Panera for a bagel and Starbucks for a coffee. After walking into Starbucks, two women saw my and Jill's 5k shirts, and one said, "We just did it too - our first 5k!" She was so excited, which made me start to think about how excited I would be if I challenged myself with say a 10k and completed it? Crazy talk right now, but I'll do it.

We finished up breakfast and called the pottery place where we complete the tiles. Little did we know today was going to be ALOT different then our last calming visit.

We walked in to see about 6 or 7 people in the store. Not bad for a Saturday morning.

But then we found out that there was going to be a birthday party. Of five year olds. 18 to be exact. And with each 18 - 5 year old, there accompanied 2 parents. That makes for alot of people, paint and pandemonium (I was going to say noise but I like the 3 P's better.)

So here we are, two girls who like their tiles to be just right, so we get a gameplan and then go snag every color we are going to need for the next two hours because we know if we don't get it now, it will be gone FOR-EEEE-VVVVERRRR.

And we got to work. About an hour into it, another family came in and sat at the table next to us. Apparently this was their first time because the dad that talked like he was from Souuuuuth Jorrrrrrjjjahhh (complete with his camoflouge collared shirt) was giving instructions (LOUDLY) to the little angels (sarcasm) on how to paint.

Although there were some bumps and distractions on the road of our tile painting, we finished and after many failed attempts at taking pictures of our self with the tiles, we asked the lady at the counter to help us out.

So there you have it. My Reindeer Run 2009 experience. Have you ever run a 5k? How did you do? Any tips for novices like me?

*edit: I just looked at race results and I was wrong! I actually completed in 33:41. Every second counts.

2009-11-30T16:53:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-11-22T19:05:00.001-08:00

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=)

2009-11-08T12:08:00.000-08:00

"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.

2009-11-02T18:11:00.000-08:00

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.

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!

in the kitchen.

2009-10-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

I've never been a big fan of carrots. So when one of my sisters made them recently, I told her I was not interested in trying her portion of the potluck. She told me just to try them because she hadn't liked the little orange veggies until she started baking them in the oven. So I tried them.

And fell in love.

And now I blame her for my craving that I had today.

I forgot to bring a lunch this morning. This is pretty normal habit but usually something I can snack on. Well not today. So by the end of the day, I was STARVING. Out of all the things the food companies of America creates, do you know what I was craving???

Cream of Carrot Soup.

Do they even have recipes for cream of carrot soup!? I did not know. So I googled it. And they do.

CREAM OF CARROT-CHEDDAR SOUP

2 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
1 lb. carrots (8-10), shredded
1 lb. potatoes (3-5), shredded
6 c. broth, vegetables or chicken
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt & pepper to taste
1 1/2 c. milk (may use part cream)
1-2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

Saute onion in butter in large soup pot. Add all but milk and cheese and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add milk and cheese, stirring until cheese is melted. Discard bay leaf. Serve hot with parsley sprinkled over.

That sounded easy enough. So I gathered the ingredients that we had (I don't follow directions always) and then I realized something, it says shredded potatoes. In all my 23 years, I have never shredded a potato. In fact, I did not know how to shred a potato. Do you cook it and then shred it? So again, I googled it. And so I peeled raw potatoes and shredded them on a shredder (there is probably a name for this utensil I used, but I do not its name.) After shredding the carrots and getting the other ingredients ready to simmer in the pot, I went for it. I cooked as the directions directed and wahhh-laa.

It was the one of the most unappealing soups I've ever seen.

So decided that I should blend it, thinking that this would at least make it look a little more tasteful. ehhhh. It worked all right. Not anything that you would see on Martha Stewart.

I ate it and it wasn't too bad. Maybe it just takes practice. I do not know. Maybe I will never have another craving for cream of carrot soup, because really who craves CREAM OF CARROT SOUP?

learning to not worry about plan a... or plan b... etc.

2009-10-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

So a few months ago when I saw a movie called (500) Days of Summer I realized something. I won't talk about how much I loved the movie (one of my favorites!) or how fun it was (so fun!) or how I think you should rent it when it comes out. I want to show and tell you about one of the most interesting scenes from a movie that I've ever scene. I think it made an impression on me because, well, it's exactly what I do all the time.

background on this scene: the boy and girl you will see at the beginning of the scene is who the movie is all about. they date. they break up. they don't see each other for awhile. she invites him to a party she's hosting. this happens. one side of the screen is what his expectations are of the night, the other - reality.

'500 Days of Summer' Expectations vs. Reality @ Yahoo! Video

You see, I am a planner. A little obsessive compulsive some people may say...

I like to know what is going to happen tomorrow or at least be somewhat prepared. Unfortunately as a human with no special powers (why God, WHY?), I do not ever know what's going to happen tomorrow - no matter how hard I try to plan something out.

So seeing this scene played out in a movie made me realize, maybe, I am not the only one who struggles with this sick disease; so rejoice, maybe I am normal! However, just because I have someone, or perhaps someones, to relate to in this gross, life-distracting disease does not mean I should keep doing it! So from now on, I will try to plan less. Maybe I will have to watch this scene every time I start to p.l.a.n. and remember that

1. things rarely turn out like I expect

2. it wastes time

3. I often don't enjoy things as much when I have expectations on them

4. it's dumb

5. no really, it's d-u-m-b.

So in order to go through with this new way of living, I will no longer plan on what time I will wake in the morning, so - no more alarm clock! I hope my boss can understand this new habit!

where to begin?

2009-10-14T20:44:00.000-07:00

So the other day I thought I'd get "back to blogging". Well the following is what I wrote...

Exactly one month ago I wrote my last post. Truthfully, I've thought many times
about writing since then but it's hard to write when your head isn't clear.

and mine DEFINITELY has not been clear.

In the last month I have fallen down stairs at work (stop laughing), had a dear resident pass, bought a car, given up the employee of the month parking spot, had breakdowns/crying at work, had breakdowns/crying at home, dropped a&p, welcomed back Survivor, the Office, and Amazing Race into my weekly schedule, been called "anal retentive" by my dermatologist (?), thrown up, sent the wrong people emails... about them (awkward!), witnessed a Snuggie being worn in my house, and survived it all.

And then I fell asleep. No seriously, like woke up 3 hours later at 1 or 2 a.m. with a computer in my lap, fell asleep. So, I hope that didn't little blurb didn't make your eyes fall go hazy.

And for today...

Today I turn(ed) twenty-three. Twenty-three. Such a weird number. I like pretty, even numbers. Twenty-three is not one. It kind of hurts my ears... "eeeeeeee". I don't know.

But regardless of if I like this prime number or not, God has given me another year. I look forward to what will happen in this twenty-third year of my life. What lies ahead, I do not know. Who knows what lies ahead - My Jesus.

And that is ALL I need to know for now.

triple T... tie-dye, tongs and tiles.

2009-09-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day, friends and readers! I hope you all have had a nice little holiday.

A few months ago me and a friend (link to her blog is provided but don't worry about clicking because she never updates... xoxo JMT=) began talking about how we wanted to start doing races. You know, 5k here... 10k there... maybe a marathon one day-in the FUTURE. Well, she has been committed to training all summer while I have been... not committed to training. After much encouragement from her, we both signed up for Macon's Labor Day Road Race. This would be our first 5k together. She arrived in town last night from Atlanta to be here for our race that started at 7:30 this morning (GASP!). So in preparation for our first event of many to come in the future, I told her that when she came down to Macon she had to have some ideas on traditions we could create for every race we ran. Well she failed miserable and had nothing ready. Not one single thing. But lucky for her, neither did I! But we both liked the idea of coming up with ideas so we thought of some together... = )

A few weekends ago, we created tie-dyed tees. While maybe not the most flattering color on me, we decided that we would wear our matching tie-dye tees for our race day. Tradition Numero Uno: TIE DYE.

Since I have not been training, I knew I at least needed to have a good play list that would hopefully inspire me for 3.1 miles. This brought about the idea to have a race day song for each race. Tradition Numero Dos: TONGS. *Well actually its song but since I like to have things all start with the same letter, we decided to change it to tongs. Stupid and ridiculous you may say, but I say memories, my friends, MEM-O-RIES... (oh and by the way, here was our tong choice... so gewwwd.)

The third and final thing took the most time but is one of my favorites. I told JMT that I wanted to have something to show for each of our races. This is something that also has to be done in various cities since we never know where we could end up running our next race. We decided that we would paint a tile at a local pottery shop, with memories from our race. Tradition Numero Tres: TILES.

So in preparation for our big race, I suggested we rent the movie Run Fat Boy Run, because who doesn't like watching a movie that will basically play out the upcoming hours and events for me? That's what I thought. Well it was as good as I had heard it was. Hilarious. So good. So much fun to watch before our big race.

So here we were the night before our race and we had mentioned to Ruch that she should come cheer us on to the finish line and more importantly be there to shuttle us home. This seemed like a great idea to us and Ruthie and even her friends that she had to spend the night. We EVEN offered to buy them all Starbucks since they would be getting up several hours earlier than they should on a holiday. (*note: if you ever want teenagers to do anything for you, offer them Starbucks. they fold like a deck of cards.) So we told them we had to leave at 6:35 in order to get there a few minutes early. Well, 6 a.m. rolls around and we get up and begin getting ready but what did I hear coming from the other room? What did I see coming through the door???

NOTHING.

The four girls that were so excited about Starbucks and cheering us on the night before were sound asleep. Oh no no no. You made a promise, RCQ. So I tried to wake her up by sending texts, calling her, even playing her alarm clock. She didn't budge. None of them did. So me and race friend were off to our race all by ourselves, without a fan section and without a shuttle.

sorry girls, when you lie, I play DIRTY.

p.s. - can't wait to see you at the finish line of our next race! xoxo!

So friend and I arrived at the race and saw lots of interesting things... a.k.a. people. And I also realized that I am not as serious of a runner (if at all) as ANY of these people were. For instance, we are about to run a race and what are people doing before? RUNNING. Won't they get tired? Apparently not if there shorts are short enough! I have alot to learn.

pre-race.

I won't explain alot of how the race felt (like I was going to faint the last kilometer) or anything else because I am sure you are extremely bored by this point. I will say however it was good to have a faithful friend that could have outrun and finished way earlier time to run by encouraging me on and letting me know each kilometer we finished. She is a good friend. And a good race friend.

post race.

(don't let the clock deceive you; our time was much better thanks to JMT)

After we finished, we headed to ride on an unplanned tour of Macon, courtesty of a very confused bus driver. My legs thank you, Mr. Bus Driver, for the 1.5 miles we had to walk back after you took us in the wrong area. We celebrated our finish of a few seconds over 30 minutes by visiting Panera for coffee and bagels and of course to complete our first Tile for our first race. Below are the rest of the pictures from our adventure!

not excited about our "tour de Macon" on the C&H bus.

so we decided to walk back to the start instead.

and we FINALLY made it back to the car to get a picture with our AWE-OME race shirts.

and this is at Amphora, where we finished our third T for the day...

before painting.

during painting.

finished painting. (front)

finished painting. (back)

Thanks JMT for a memorable Labor Day... Here's to many more! NEDA!

Stratified Squamous Epithelium

2009-08-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

Stratified Squamous Epithelium

structure - multiple layers of cells that are cubodial in the basal layer and progressively flattened toward the surface; the epithelium can be nonkeritanized (moist) or keratinized; in nonkeritanized stratified squamous epithelium, the surface cells retain a nucleus and cytoplasm, in keratinized stratified epithelium; the cytoplasm of cells at the surface is replaced by a protein called keratin, and the cells are dead

function - protection against abrasion, barrier against infection, reduction of water loss from the body

location - keratanized-skin; nonkeratinized(moist)-mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, anus, vagina, inferior urethra, cornea

________________________________________________

And there you have one (ONE!) of my notecards. Caleb said that I should have bought the english version of Anatomy & Physiology. I agree.

oooooooooo-kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

2009-08-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

I really don't feel qualified. Have you ever been in a situation where everyone seems to know what they're doing except you? Well, that is how I have felt for the last 4 hours of my life.

Actually, the first hour and forty-five minutes weren't too bad. It was the part where we were sitting in lab trying to go over our "activities" is what got me. Where I come from activity means one of the following: banana boating, rock wall, giant swing, corn-hole or archery. Not describe all the different ways you can talk about the location of your hand in relation to your elbow or select a cheek sample and look at it underneath a microscope. All of this to say, I have alot to learn.

I read an interesting quote this morning that I've thought alot about today. It says, "Sometimes the only way we can find out what we are meant to be doing in life is to step out and try some things." So here I go, trying.

a new adventure

2009-08-16T19:50:00.001-07:00

hello friends. it's the start of a new week! and with this new week comes a new adventure.

i've been absent the past couple of weeks due to a few reasons, the main being time to think. while I've wanted to write out my thoughts, i felt the need to be on "hiatus" for a little bit and figure out a few things for myself.

some of you may know how i feel about school. it was not my friend. i enjoyed being involved with things associated with school, but the thought of sitting through lectures, reading countless pages of texts, studying for hours and not really knowing what i am studying for - well, it didn't really appeal to me. my last year of school i took 37 hours over two semesters and when May came I was more than ready to graduate. i was so very glad not to have to think about school and the thought of another semester being just two months away. i was done.

D-O-N-E. done with college forever.

when i was in school and told people i would rather work than sit through classes, most of them laughed and made the face as to say, "just wait... you won't be saying that once you start working." well, i have proved them wrong. i can honestly say that i would much rather go to my job for 40 hours a week than sit through classes. call me crazy.

but here is where i am a little bit confused. the summer before my senior year of college, with 83 hours of core and mass communication classes under my belt, God put me in Mexico. God put me in Mexico with a group or aspiring medical/current medical students and we did clinics there.

whenever I was growing up and anyone asked me what i wanted to be, i always had an answer. a neonatal nurse. the fact that i was young and really had no clue what neonatal nurses did, was not a problem. that was what i wanted to do. my junior year of high school came and i changed my way of thought and decided i did not want to wear scrubs everyday... yes, sadly the scrubs factor was a part of my decision in not wanting to become a nurse. foolish. but i digress.

so there i was, in Mexico, with other students who actually knew how to take blood pressures and actually knew somewhat about clinics (or appeared to anyways). luckily, they were kind and did not hold my lack of knowledge against me and God used my skills in other ways. on that trip, I began to freak out. did i make the wrong decision? should i have gone to nursing school? looking back, i see that my path so far has been where God has wanted me. through the people I met in college and the people i now work with, i know God had me go a different route from nursing for a reason.

see I told you, they're smart.

this is what they did in their free time. who knew blood pressures could be so fun?

this was one of the little girls that came to our clinic with her sick mother.

she had the best laugh i've ever heard.

however, since that trip, i've had the desire to at least try it out. and tomorrow i begin to try it out. this past week, i registered at macon state for a nursing pre-req: anatomy & physiology I. the thought of the class freaks me out, but i don't want to live my whole life wondering if i should have done it. this re-entrance to school could last two days, a semester or if i like it, with another diploma. it all depends really. the most incredible part of it all is the peace that i have. yes i realize what a&p is and how ridiculously difficult it will be. but like i said, i'm not pressuring myself.

so as i begin this new trial period, i will keep you posted. it should be interesting. i've already looked at ratemyprofessor.com and unfortunately, the man i will spend time listening to for the next 5 hours a week has gotten less than exciting reviews. but maybe i will have good stories. who knows. God wants me in this class for a reason... like i said, whether it be two days or the whole semester. pray for me as i begin this new adventure. pray for wisdom, clarity and an open mind to what the Lord has for me.

so, time to get my pencils and notebook ready... i'm going back to school!

why yes, I'll be out of town... on business.

2009-08-02T19:22:00.000-07:00

The last time I wrote, I was tired and weary of looking at the computer. To be honest, that's one reason I haven't really written in awhile. I have been spending more time looking and working on a computer at work so sitting and writing on a computer sounded a little less than exciting.

But I have good news to report! The big project is finished! WOO-HOO! It took about a week total and that was with lots of interruptions and of course doing all the other things that my job requires. I am proud of myself for taking ownership of a big project at work and doing it from start to finish. To continue learning more and to really maximize our new database, I am flying out to tomorrow for a Tuesday/Wednesday training! Luckily for me, it's in a place that I've never visited which means new adventures and a dear friend (who happens to be getting married 20 days from today!) currently lives there! So here I am, finding myself at another "grown up" moment... going on my first business trip and spending time with a friend who is about to start a new life in a new place. It's fun growing up, seeing and experiencing new things!

here are some pictures of me and that dear friend I will see soon...

I can't believe these pictures were taken 3 years ago!

at the staff party

at a Sunday orientation...

I'm suggesting she wear a red hat like this instead of a veil on her wedding day...

what do you think?

me + desk job = bad

2009-07-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

This morning when I woke up at 6:30 little did I know what was in store for me today.

One of the things I love about my job is that it is constantly changing from day to day. There are responsibilities I have but its not a set schedule like from 8:30-8:45 do this and 9:00-12:00 do that. I like having a different schedule everyday.

Last week, we upgraded our database we use for just about everything in our Marketing Department. Now I'm not talking about a simple upgrade... actually we went from version 4 to version 12 (stick with me here, I will not dwell on the tech side of things too much because its just as over my head too). So with this upgrade comes lots of new features that will be helpful with doing all sorts of reports, scheduling, etc.

Going from version 4 (ancient) to version 12 (shiny and bright) requires alot of "computer time". I thought I didn't mind spending time on the computer but I guess that was just because I was reading realsimple.com, looking at photos on facebook or reading blogs.

So when I put myself in front of my computer this morning determined to get all 167 apartments entered with the correct resident, I was being a little too ambitious. Oh, and did I mention that I get a little bit o.c.d. about projects like this? I am. Well about 6 hours later I was ready to claw my eyeballs out and couldn't mentally or physically focus on anything. And the worst part about it? I'm not finished. So going into work tomorrow I know that this little machine will be waiting to laugh in my face and overtake my day.

you don't look too bad, but deep-down, on that cold hard-drive of yours, i know, you are not my friend.

Actually, I was wrong. That is not the worst part. The worst part is that I am tempted to begin working on it right now at 10:48 p.m. on a Tuesday night instead of going to sleep.

Macon just got a little bit cooler!

2009-07-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

... and it wasn't as hot today either.

All last summer I really wanted to go kayaking. But this proved to be difficult because, well, I do not own a kayak. So before summer came around this year, I was considering purchasing my first water toy. Well, time passed me and summer came and here I was, no kayak and no playing on the water.

Well that was until someone kindly directed me to a little place called Ocmulgee Expeditions. You see, the Ocmulgee River (pronounced ok-MUHL-gee) just happens to go through Macon and two (genius) guys created a place where you can rent kayaks or canoes and have a day on the river. Luckily, I have a friend that wanted to try it also, so we visited this place today. Even though the river was bare-reeee-lyyyyy moving, it was a fun couple of hours to relax on the water and spend some time with my friend, Jill.

two color pics:

and two b&w:

So thank you, Ocmulgee Expeditions for reintroducing me to the water. And thank you Jill Marie, for being a fun friend who is willing to spend a whole day with me talking your ear off.

i'm baccckkk.

2009-07-11T07:39:00.001-07:00

Well, actually I've been back since late Tuesday night. But because of this sickness that has seemed to attach to my throat and now head, I've done ALOT of sleeping.

So, I want to tell you about my trip. I was so thankful to be able to take some time off of work and spend some time doing whatever I wanted. It was interesting to be around children and people my age, seeing as how that is really rare these days, you know, since I work at a retirement community. Being at camp as a "visitor" was different too. For the two summers I worked there, pretty much every minute from Sunday afternoon at 5 until Saturday morning at 11 was planned for me. Not so this past week.

What did I do on my trip? Well in my last post I made a list of things I wanted or planned to do. I am glad to say that all but two got done. I didn't wake up early enough for a sunrise and for some reason I was never outside while the sun was setting (or if I was, I wasn't paying attention). So here goes... my trip summary with pictures!

After my crazy Wednesday at work, I flew to MD that night and didn't actually crawl into bed until 1:15. This was the first time I stayed in the lodge but because I was so tired, I really didn't think about how creepy it was... that is until a few nights later.

The next morning, I made my way down to breakfast where I got to sit and talk with people I hadn't seen a while. It was good to be back. That morning dad and I went on a bike ride on Kent Island. It was a beautiful trail and that's when I started to realize the weather was going to be PERFECT on my trip.

After dinner, we headed out to the wall for a photo shoot and this is where I realized that working inside year round doesn't help my lack of skin color. I look pasty white next to my lifeguard sister.

The next day, things were still in full swing at camp and a sweet friend let me know via facebook that she was coming to camp and bringing her "tornado". We had fun playing in the pool watching the kids jump off the sides and going down for goggles that had sunk to the bottom. S & T remind me alot of E & A so it was fun to see how they have changed over the last two years. That afternoon, I went out to the front wall and watched boats go by, read, and slept. Again, the weather was beautiful.

The Friday night event for the week was the Christmas Pageant. It was nice to sit back and watch and not have to worry about looking like a fool dancing around our "Barney"

or like a ballerina. For those of you who remember "Barney", well, I am sorry. =)

Saturday, after little planning and luck with getting tickets for the play Wicked, we decided to head to NYC anyways and spend 4th of July there. When we got into the city we went by the theatre to see how much tickets were and they actually had three together! We decided to buy them and see the 8:00 performance, which meant we would miss fireworks but it was a good... actually GREAT decision. So, so fun. We did some shopping and ate at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company in Times Square (which if you ever go, get the cajun shrimp on the appetizer menu - its enough for dinner and DELICIOUS!). We did some shopping and got some Starbucks and headed to the theatre. I've listened to the soundtrack so many times for the play Wicked, but to actually see the story in front of you and have all the songs make sense - it was incredible. I've been listening to the music even more since I got back.

We got home around 3 that morning and slept for a few hours and woke up and got ready to visit Capitol Hill Baptist Church in D.C. I've visited a few times in the summers past and always enjoyed going. Even though the church is more traditional than I am used to, you can feel the Lord moving through the people, the music that is sung and the words that are spoken. After church, we met up with Kata for lunch and ate at Potbelly's (why do we not have these in GEORGIA???)

This is quite the attractive pic of me & Ruthie, don't you think? We saw a little boy "smiling" like this in a picture for his mom the day before in NYC so we had to take one too!

Sunday night, some friends came into town and we went out to dinner. We had fun laughing at the mullet we saw, talking about a trip to Georgia and reconnecting after being away. I like reunions with friends.

Monday morning, Ruthie, Dad & I made our way down to the beach to take the kayaks out on the water. It was a good day on the water and it was actually dad's first time kayaking. We went across the bay to an island and then turned around and went back. While on the way back, I decided to try kayaking - standing up! It was actually fun other than the few times I thought I was going to fall in the water.

Next we headed down to Annapolis so that I could meet up with a friend that I meant at camp my first summer, EVM. We ate lunch and caught up about everything going on and then headed down to the harbor. I think the harbor might be one of my favorite places. It's so simple and beautiful and has so much going on, yet you're in your own world when you are there. l-o-v-e it.

Timmy & Brian came out that night with the jet ski in tow... I hadn't been on jet ski/tube since last fall! It was so much fun to be out on the water again and the sun was so bright. Perfect time to be on the water.

Monday nights are a special night: the dumb, addicting, ever-so-dramatic show, "The Bachelorette" comes on. I know a few girls at camp that watch it so I planned on watching it with them that night. Silly me lost track of time and went out to with some friends and lost track of time. But don't worry. I made it in time to see the last 20 minutes of the show (the only part that really matters anyways) and coincidentally, in time to watch the dumbest person ever make himself look even more like an idiot.

Tuesday marked the last day of my vacation. Dad & I headed into Annapolis to ride our bikes around and ate lunch at the Middleton Tavern. It was a peaceful way to wind down the end of my trip.

I had lots of time to think about where I am and how grateful I am for everyone and everything I've had a chance to experience in life and also look forward to what's in store in the days to come. It's fun to be where He has me.

what my plans are for my "stay-cation"

2009-07-03T06:15:00.000-07:00

Even though my stay-cation started yesterday I thought I'd share this list I typed on the plane ride the other night.

Here are things I plan on doing:

• see Ruch

• see old friends

• sit by the water

• see a sunrise

• see a sunset

• bike ride

• kayak

• visit Starbucks

• sleep

• watch a Christmas pageant

• spend time with the Lord

• laugh

• sweat

• sit by the pool

• maybe riding on a boat?

• celebrate our nation

• visit CHBC

• NYC

• meet new people

• rest

• think

So far, so good.

I like "stay-cations"

2009-07-02T18:56:00.000-07:00

I am at camp.

I have had lots of reunions.

I realized that I am (and always will be) extremely pale.

I am thankful for the time spent today with my dad and Ruthie .

Happy Father's Day, Popsicle!

2009-06-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

little lambs.

2009-06-21T19:42:00.001-07:00

2009-06-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

Thirteen days and I'll be in the merriest-land-of-all. And I am so so excited. I've actually (unofficially) been planning this trip since about January when I realized that the 4th of July fell on a Saturday this year, and now its coming together! And another wonderful detail about this trip is i got my tickets today for $49 (+ tax) a piece! s-c-o-r-eeeee!

It's been almost 2 years since I've been to Maryland & Wabanna; it will be wonderful to go back and see some familiar faces from past summers.

Did I mention I am SOOO excited?

p.s. - for those of you who I will get to see, I arrive late Wednesday and leave after dinner on the following Tuesday. see you all soon!