weekend-schmeekend...

This past week all seems like a blur right now.

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

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

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

Like my monogrammed jacket? =)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- C.S. Lewis

trick or treat.

first for the treats...

Halloween.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Darth and Ariel.

now for tricks...

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

And.

I.

Almost.

Died.

tiny little wasabi. not so bad...

ok. yes it was. i am cryingggg.

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

xoxo, friends!

in the kitchen.

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.

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?

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.

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!