May I have the root word, please?

We're only two days away, person(yep, just the one that will read this)! You know me, and you know that I am a freak about Christmas. I mean, literally, my family and friends are AFRAID to accidentally let slip what they got me because of the wrath that will quickly ensue. I love surprises big and small. To be honest, I love everything about the whole month of December. It smells better, the air gets (hopefully) more crisp, and people are generally just happier and nicer, wouldn't you agree?
Why do you think that is? Why are people nicer at Christmastime? It may have something to do with anticipation of gifts, or itchy sweaters, or perhaps it's the outflow of hundreds of dollars of additional cash in a three week period. OR it could be the merry humming of Christmas tunes that keeps people slightly more chipper.
I have a theory: I believe that Christmas is but a preview of what is to come. Allow me to explain. Eleven months a year, people slander God, use his name in vein, and deny his existence. Believers are deemed "ignorant" and "intolerant"(ugh, don't get me started on how Christianity in its true form is NOT either of those things). However, suddenly there is a shift when December rolls into town. People who claim there is no God hum along to "Hark the Harold Angels Sing"(...glory to the newborn king) and those who believe Jesus was a nice guy and a good teacher sing "Oh Come Let Us Adore Him"(Christ the Lord). Every person is going around singing that Christ has come, that our savior is here and we are saved. Does anyone find this ironic or amusing?? The Bible says that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Christmas seems to be a preview of that. When believers and non-believers alike sing "joy to the world the Lord has come" it's just a taste of the forthcoming acknowlegment of Christ. Plus, everyone is filled with joy at Christmas whilst singing these professions! It's the keeping the root word of CHRIST as the meaning of Christmas.
I get that Christians and non-Christians alike celebrate Christmas in the U.S., but personally I LOVE that my celebrating is based on something so incredible I cannot even fully wrap my brain around it. I love that in all the excitement, I can take a breath and remember the unbelievable sacrifice that was made out of the ultimate act of humility of my God.
Woo! Merry Christmas!

Psych

When I really want something, I have this tendency to psych myself out. When I'm on an interview I sit up straight, fold my hands in my lap, and smile... but not so big as to expose my Uvula or give myself a double chin. I am composed and professional and downright boring. If I was interviewing people, I would go ahead and choose the person I would want to hang out with, since we will be working together and I wouldn't want to work with a boring prude. I know there is a level of professionalism required for things like that, but I also think there is a balance of showing myself--you know, that girl who laughs louder than anyone else (and shows the uvula), the one who stands up in the middle of the day and stretches like a cat, sings two bars of whatever is stuck in her head, and sits back down like nothing happened. Since there is a writing job I am after, I have to write the samples. It's not something that's hard for me; in fact, they even suggest that my writing sounds a bit "snarky" (um, yes please). However, since I have been sitting here searching my brain for the creativity it is hiding, I figured I might as well blog to get the creative juices flowing. If I get the freelance job, awesome. If not, I have a job that I love and will continue to work at one way or the other.

My Day So Far

Until about five minutes ago, things were pretty swell. I woke up, worked out, and showered. This may seem like every day to you, however to me, getting all three of these done before work is a major feat. I usually only accomplish 1-2 per morning.
Upon arrival at work, I realize I am double-booked for jobs today. Problem. Call job that I will no longer work at after Dec. 17th(woot woot!), they agree that I don’t need to come in today. Problem solved.
Then, 20 minutes ago, a pipe burst at the office I am at.
Then, 15 minutes ago, I was feeling parched and needed to use the bathroom. NO WATER. So I drove to the other office to go to the bathroom (inconvenient much?!?!) and to get a drink, since water flows abundantly over there.
Whilst walking out of the main office that actually has water flowing freely, I look down for the first time today. What do I see? This:

That’s right person (oh please, no more than one of you is reading this) two different shoes! Equal in comfort, not equal in color. One is silver and the other gold. Aye, Carumba.

There are only 22 days until Christmas!!!

Yay!

Thankful

It may be a day or two late, but there is ne'er a problem with gratefulness. I had a particularly relaxing Thanksgiving day, with more food than I would ever need. I was surrounded by family as we preparred, ate, cleaned, and watched a movie. Unfortunately I don't really have extended family in the nearby vicinity, so holidays are normally a low-key experience. Sometimes I wish I spent my holidays with rooms full of people, but sometimes it's nice to spend the day in sweatpants and be a loud enough voice to choose the movie. However you spend your Christmas kick-off party (AKA Thanksgiving), it is important to actually stop and be grateful for all the amazing things we have been blessed with. Here are just a snippet of the many things I am thankful for:


1. My relationships. I feel like I have really great people who surround me, that genuinely care about me, support me, and challenge me. Thanks guys.


2. Work. Although I love one job and dislike the other, I am very grateful to be employed in this economy. On a near-daily basis I see hurting people who are out of work, need food, and are in desperate situations. I am glad that, although I would be more comfortable with more money, I am stable and doing fine for now. Grateful.

3. Fun things and laughter. I feel like I have fun with my life. I laugh a lot. Whether that is because I see humor in the most random things, or because my life is circumstantially more humorous, I am not sure. I am not one who does a lot of crazy, unique, or different things but I have fun and I laugh plenty. Life is pretty fun.

4. Literacy and entertainment. Man, do I love books! I can't imagine a world without the wonder of stories and entertainment. Therefore, I am happy to be literate because I think this is something many people take for granted. I know I do.

5. The most important, and this year's "I am thankful for"...God and his blessings. I know this encompasses a lot, but when I stop to think about it I am more than just slightly overwhelmed. God put me in today's world (as opposed to say, Europe in the 14th century), in one of the most thriving nations in the world. I am free to worship him, I have the a world of resources at my fingertips with the click of a mouse, and I have freedoms that I take for granted. Not only do I have multiple copies of the bible, but I have one on my phone. As a woman I enjoy equality and I can choose whoever I want to marry. I can wear a tank top in the summer. I complain because I ate too much on Thanksgiving (talk about first world pains). It just seems to be that since "for those who are given much, much will be required in return" (Luke 12:48) I have a lot expected of me. I better get on it.

Somebody call an EMT

Actually, unless you need CPR or a ride to the hospital, you would be better off calling a paramedic. We throw those terms around interchangeably, albiet flippantly, don't we? Well stop right now and learn the difference, because you may be offending a well-educated person and not even know it!
Here is the difference: EMT stands for emergency medical technician. This means in case of emergency they can do CPR, drive you to the hospital, and assess the situation to the best of their knowledge. What is their knowledge? You might wonder. Well, to become an EMT you have to take an EMT training program, and pass the test. A paramedic, on the other hand has to be an EMT for X amount of years, go to paramedic school, and pass the state and national tests. Both of these require extensive amounts of training and work, but obviously becoming a paramedic takes more work. Paramedics administer drugs and can pronounce people dead. Paramedics essentially take the first few years of medical school in a matter of months.
An easy way to remember which is which is think of a technician- you wouldn't want your ultrasound technician to deliver your baby now, would you?* Paramedics are hard-working folk, who do not take kindly to being clumped in with the technicians. It's a touchy subject. Now that you know the difference, you won't offend a paramedic by calling him an EMT. I know that you didn't mean to, none of us do. For the interest of saved feelings, let's get it right folks.


*This may be a totally inaccurate analogy, but I'm not sure...just go with it.

Two things that I love

The more I post the more I realize just how uninteresting I am. This is why I rid of my Facebook account; so I wasn't looking at the fabulously presented lives of others. It could be because I don't take pictures of my whole life and make it seem cooler. When I am simply baking bread pudding for a co-worker's birthday, I don't post 14 pictures of me with an Anthropologie apron on and flour on my nose so you think I'm so cute and fun. I just bake it and be on my way. Tangent over. However boring my life may seem, in the course of this last week I have come across two things that I absolutely LOVE and encourage you to check out immediately.
1. Pintrest.com Wow and double wow. Pretty much all I have been doing at work lately is scrolling down on this website (multi-tasking of course while I answer questions and transfer calls). It is like the whole world's tumblr on one website. There are crafty ideas that I admire so much but will never attempt. Except maybe at Christmas. I am slightly more crafty at Christmastime. There are funny pictures, bumper stickers, make-up tips and tricks, recipes...just ideas of all kinds galore! This website is seriously probably the best one you will ever come across--aside from this one, of course.
2. The movie 50/50. I haven't seen a movie and enjoyed it this much in a VERY long time. Even though when I saw "The Town" I adopted in to my top 5 immediately, I wasn't this passionate and emotionally vested in it. 50/50 was such an incredible balance of comedy, drama, great script, excellent acting, and all around fabulosity.(Yes, I made that word up. It is now a word according to me, and I'm sure Webster will be next to adopt it.) We all know I have a strange fascination with Anna Kendrick, and Joseph Gordon-Levitz sure does have great taste in movie roles(10 Things I Hate About You will forever be one of my favorite chick-flicks). I highly encourage you to see this movie, and I hope it gets a few Oscar nods when the time comes around.

Long Post Part 2

Welcome back to the second installment of my ramblings about New York! It probably took you the whole week that I haven't blogged just to finish that last post, so without further adeu (or any pictures) here is a continued list of my adventures:

-I visited Time's Square. We actually went there several times, and it is essentially a giant tourist trap but, hey! We were tourists. There are two Starbucks there. I went to both of them. Also, ya know the ball that drops for New Years? The giant one that is illuminated with glitter and lights? Well, spoiler alert! It's like the size of my thumb, it is so flippin' small. I was looking everywhere for it, and our friend had to point to the wee lil' ball so I could see it. If I got close I'm sure it's way bigger, but compared to all of the massive screens, advertisements, and other musings in the square, the ball is quite miniscule.
- I ate a hot dog from a hot dog vendor. Check double check and yum.
-I found out what "Little Italy" was all about, and walked through "Chinatown". We walked through Chinatown pretty late so, although we saw it, we didn't get to experience it like I would have preferred. Evidently, Little Italy is all about the food! We ate at a delicious restaurant, where they served the biggest shrimp! Seriously, I need to post a picture; these things were almost the size of my fist. I think we might have been the server's first table ever--this guy didn't know his head from a hole in the ground, but it was fun nonetheless.
-See the Brooklyn Bridge: I cannot say for certain. I know this sounds dumb, but I don't know whether or not I saw this. I am fairly certain I did because I spent time equally between Manhattan and Brooklyn and I know that there were several bridges, one seemed more prominent than the others, but I still don't know if that was it. If you look up pictures online they all look the same.
-I took time out to remember the tenth anniversary of 9/11. We actually went to ground zero twice; once when we first got to New York and again on 9/11. It was insane to walk the grounds where thousands died--to know that my feet were touching the same area that bodies lied after they jumped from 80 stories up. I imagined all the dust and debris and cleaning... it was very emotional and overwhelming. On 9/11 we woke up and tuned in to the ceremony that took place for the families, including the unveiling of the fountain. At night we went down to ground zero and walked around the area. They had two beams lighting up the sky where the towers were, that could be seen for miles I'm sure (even when we went back to Brooklyn that night they were bright as ever). The lights were thick and looked like the towers, but they were slightly see-through, reminiscent of ghosts. I feel like I am the youngest age that truly knew what was going on that day, and I can remember it in full vivid detail. Even my friends who are a year or two younger than me recall not being able to watch the events unfold on tv in class. I remember not doing any schoolwork-- we just watched the television in every class. I am very grateful that I am old enough to really remember.
-I absorbed the awesomeness that is the New York Public Library. But I only got to absorb it from the outside! Go figure, this was the only place in all of New York that closes at five, and I got there at 5:15. I wish so badly that I was able to go inside-- it looked so cool! The outside is positively the most beautiful thing in New York.
- I visited with friends that have been missed. I cannot thank our friends enough for letting us stay with them! We spent part of our time in Brooklyn and part of our time in Manhattan. Both sets of friends were so hospitable, such great tourists, and so fun to hang out with! We really had the best time, and we wouldn't have been able to afford to make this trip if it weren't for our awesome friends.
Other cool things we did:
- We saw Grand central station. So many movies have been filmed there, it was rad to see it in person. It really is gorgeous.
-We ate a TON of the most delicious pizza. Evidence of this can still be found on my forehead. Breakouts ensued.
-We walked down 5th Avenue. This is supposed to be really famous and cool, but honestly I didn't give rip. The only reason we walked down it was because we were passing it, and it was the route we were taking. It's just a bunch of high end retail stores. Like an outdoor South Coast Plaza.
-We went to an AWESOME exhibit that the New York Times headquarters had for 9/11 of photos, videos and memorabilia. That was so cool to see all the pulitzer prize winning photos that were so moving.
-We ate at a Sri Lankan restaurant. There aren't any in Orange County (or anywhere that I know of), so I was excited to find one in Manhattan! Unfortunately, it was over priced and not nearly as tasty as I expected. It was authentic, but it was just like being served by a Sri Lankan who is a bad cook as opposed to a Sri Lankan who is a good cook.
-We got lost. A lot. When we first arrived, we went so far the wrong way that the subway system ended, and not in a good area. Pretty sure there was blood on the side of the train. Fortunately we encountered two super nice guys who were around our age, and they showed us how to properly navigate back. The stereotype of New Yorkers being rude is completely false as far as I experienced. I encountered some of the most friendly, kind people while I was there.
-We went to hipsterville USA aka Williamsberg. The whole state was hipster, don't get me wrong, but this place was out of control. I don't even remember much about the city (although it was quite pretty) except the buns, giant glasses, off the shoulder baggy shirts, boots with undone laces, and leggings galore.

Fun fact: I had the song "Marching Bands of Manhattan" by Death Cab for Cutie stuck in my head the whole time.


I really cannot wait to go back!

A Long Post Part 1

A fun blog has photos, right? Posts on a regular basis? Well, Evidently I lack the qualities of a good blogger. This post had every intention of having photos with it, but because my computer’s memory is full (it still runs at decent speed too, bravo Mac) and I haven’t backed up my stuff and therefore have failed to upload pictures to the said computer I cannot then share those photos with you…Okay? Excellent. Moving on.

New York was rad. It was the first place I have ever been to that I couldn’t say “Oh this is like ____” or “This reminds me of being in____.” It is the most unique city I have ever seen, and I am so glad that I was able to experience it. And boy, did I experience it. Remember that list of a million things I hoped to see and do? I checked off a whole bunch. For example I:

-Saw a Broadway show. The Book of Mormon to be exact. You might be asking ‘But isn’t it sold out for the next two months?’ ‘Aren’t tickets super expensive?’ ‘Why yes they are!’ I would reply. However, there is something I did not previously know about called “Standing room” for these types of high-profile, in-demand kinds of shows. Basically, you stand in line for a good portion of the day, and then (if you were in line early enough) you buy tickets for $27. Times Square is right nearby, so our group of four rotated waiting in pairs. The catch is that they are standing seats, but there is a railing to lean against, and you have your own seat number and everything. It’s like having a seat without a chair being there. Surprisingly, I did not even notice the fact that I was standing for 2 ½ hours; the time flew by and I wasn’t at all uncomfortable. The play itself was very funny, although I definitely had my problems with it. There were parts that I was very uncomfortable with, and just flat out didn’t like. It was (in my lay opinion) a well done play, with creative music and the works, but a few of the songs were very offensive to any religion. I didn’t think I would take offense to the play since it is geared at making fun of the Mormon faith, but they side-stepped on to my Jesus-loving, God-revering territory and I don’t do well with that. I still enjoyed myself, and I am glad that I got to see the most talked about Broadway play.

- Visited Central Park and got to ride on a row boat. Central Park is mental. It took me awhile to acknowledge that a park could be so big and have museums, carriage rides, row boats, theaters… it is crazy. Crazy cool! The boat ride was really fun, although there were protesters outside of the Boathouse that we had to side-step. The water is more than just algae-green—it looks like Shrek peed. Now would be a good time for a picture. Sorry folks.

-Went to the “Top of the Rock” at Rockefellar Center. I am glad I went with this way of seeing Manhattan, although there are other options available, i.e. Empire State Building. On your way to the elevators there is an assortment of interesting information about John D. Rockefellar and what went in to building the building. Top of the Rock is at a great location to see everything you want to see, you can go on both sides of the building, and it is less expensive than the alternatives ($23 per person). Yes, you might get to go up higher on the Empire State, but really, 68 floors, 85… you are up HIGH no matter what. Since we went there on 9/11, I couldn’t help but think of the people who jumped from the towers. Those people were ten and twenty floors higher than I was, and it was so sobering to look down and know that jumping was the better alternative. (Side note: the people who jumped were counted as homicides, not suicides) All around Rockefellar Center are flag posts, and usually there is one flag for every nation in the world. When I went (9/11) there was one flag—the American flag and it was half-mast. It was awesome to see the flag flying at half all around the city, but particularly there.

-Saw the Empire State Building. This would be hard to miss. It is huge and you can see it from 85% (rough, poor mathematical calculation) of Manhattan.

- Took public Transportation. Umm… I would have to be crazy-rich or just plain crazy to not take public transportation. This is one thing I really wish we had in California. I loved having to walk everywhere, and have that be normal. If I had a commute on a Subway, it’s not nearly as bad as having one via car, because you just sit there! You can read on your way to work! Awesome! Downside to having to walk everywhere—blisters. I ended up buying a pair of Nike Free Airs to ease the pain of days of trying to look decent in regular shoes. I swore I would never be one to wear sneakers with jeans or (worse) a dress, but I had to. It put a lil’ pep in my step and I was ready to roll! I suppose when you live there your feet get used to it, although I can’t understand the girls who were wearing heels.

*I did not win double my money on a video bonus in the Cash Cab. Sadly, I did not win any money, let alone double, because I did not ride the Cash Cab. Obviously, it was a let down. I didn’t have very good odds though, since I didn’t take a cab the entire time I was there. Public Transportation was the name of the game.

- Saw the Statue of Liberty from afar. I’m glad I didn’t take all day to go inside of it because I feel like it’s one of those things that you can see it from afar, or see it up close and either way it’s just kind of like… “oh, there it is.” I do have some ridiculously cheesy pics of me “holding” the Statue of Liberty. Maybe I’ll upload some later.

*I did not visit Klienfeld’s. I would have at least liked to see it from the outside, but it got skipped since, quite honestly, I forgot about it in the midst of doing so many other things.

-Visited the American Museum of Natural History. This was pretty sweet, as I quite enjoy museums, however I couldn’t stop thinking of the TV show F.R.I.E.N.D.S. If you’ve never met me, (in which case, Hello! And, how are you reading this?) then maybe you don’t know that I am a huge F.R.I.E.N.D.S. fan. Otherwise, if you’ve spent more than five minutes with me you have heard me refer to the show, and you probably didn’t understand my joke. Anyway, I kept quoting the show and pointing out things to the point where you would have thought I was on a movie set instead of a museum. It retrospect, it is moderately embarrassing, but I already know I am weird in that way (among others).

Alright, this post is to be continued… (maybe with Pics next time?)

Leavin' on a jet plane...

Although I DO know when I will be back again. That would be next week.... but until then, I will be spending my fabulous time in the big apple, visiting some friends who are recent residents of the city that never sleeps.
By this time next week I hope to have accomplished some of the following:
-See a broadway show
-Visit Central Park, possibly take a little boat ride
-Go to the "top of the rock" at Rockafellar Center
-See the Empire State Building
-Take public transportation
-Win double my money on a video bonus (in the Cash Cab, of course)
-See the Statue of Liberty (from afar, I don't need to go to it... there's too much else to do!)
-Go to Kleinfeld's
-Visit the Museum of Natural History
-Visit Time's Square
-Eat a hot dog from a vendor
-Find out what "Chinatown" and "Little Italy" is all about
-See the Brooklyn Bridge
-Take time out to remember the tenth anniversary at Ground Zero
-Absorb the awesomeness that is the New York Public Library
-Visit with friends that have been missed

I am bubbling over with excitement to finally go to a place that has been on my list of "to-gos" for as long as I can remember. I know I will not be able to see all of it, but I hope to get in as much as I can!

A notion to eliminate the contraction 'They're'

I hereby would like to set forth a second notion of elimination of the excess within the English language, regarding contractions. Contractions are the epitome of laziness both in speech and writing. Nothing--and I mean nothing-- is worse than a formal paper or article with a contraction thrown in the mix. I would rather see a spelling error. Do not even get me started on writing out contractions and not including the necessary apostrophe, i.e. dont. That level of sloppiness does not even belong in text messages.
Though contractions can, at times, be convenient in daily speech, I believe a notion could be set in to place to eliminate them. This is quite a bold statement, and though I do not fear making a bold statement, I have decided to hone in on the first of many problems: They're.
Now, there are plenty of other contractions that I am not particularly fond of, i.e. She'd, you'll, you've, however those will have to be tackled at another point in time. The real conundrum with 'they're' that other contractions do not have in common is what I like to call it's (heads up: that is pocessive of 'it', not a contraction for 'it is') sister words, there and their.
'They're' not only creates a more confused society, but then brings it's members down because of it. I firmly believe that we should not be a society that conforms to the stupidity of it's weaker members, and therefore I am not suggesting that we eliminate 'They're' because people are not smart enough for it, although this is a suggestion that could be argued for. It is more that I am what I like to refer to as a 'simpilist'. I believe that we should keep our language as simple as possible. 'They're' is excessive, much like the letter 'C'. It does not need to be used, as 'they are' suffices just fine and is just as easily said in everyday speech. This can be argued of all contractions, but 'they're' is almost more difficult to say than 'they are', because of the awkward jamming of consonant sounds with the letters 'Y' and 'R'. 'They're' is the most confusing word of the 'there, thier, they're' sisterhood, and therefore should be the first of the terminated contractions.

Dear Sri Lanka,

I miss everything about you.
I miss how you smell--so distinct and unlike anywhere I've ever been. As if curry and sweat are just as much ingredients to the atmosphere as oxygen.
I miss how every tree bears a coconut. The palm trees here seem to be missing the orange pizazz that yours posess.
I miss the roads and the crazy agressive driving. All business. Everyone drives with a purpose.
I miss the dogs that have the right of way, and know what a honking horn means.
I miss "Sri Lanka time" and how you never know what time people really mean.
I miss your delicious tea that makes me feel at home 9500 miles away.
I miss the dark skin, small frames, and quiet voices of the people.
I miss the "hot grams" and papaya.
I miss the Chilaw city hotel, and the staff who work there every day, all day.
I miss the girls.
I miss Grace and Bridgette's awesome cooking.
I miss Seneka.
I miss spending every waking moment with an awesome team.
Sri Lanka I just wish I was with you right now. I will return to you, but until then we have our memories together.

A Bountiful Surplus of Emotion

I am a wealth of nerves, tears, joy, and excitement. This bountiful surplus of emotion comes with my gearing up to do whatever God has for me in Sri Lanka. I am equal parts nerves and excitement, but right now I am just ready to land. I am ready to meet the women I will connect with, visit and work alongside the church in Chilaw, and soak in the culture. Overall I know that this experience will be overwhelming and life-changing, and I am ready to get it started.

Your prayers are appreciated!

One week

I cannot believe I am really going to Sri Lanka. It came so fast and I am just praying for safety and God's hand on the whole team and trip. It's not going to be what I expected, no matter what I expect. I am so excited, but also getting nervous as we get closer to take-off. Yikes.

Blog Post

Here’s where I write an obscure story that makes no sense until I write the next paragraph. You’ll think to yourself, where is she going with this? What does this story have to do with me?

And then… A punchline. And suddenly, you know where I’m going with it.

That’s right, I’m blogging. You get my story and you can’t wait to see my pictures. You know every move I make and every breath I take because well, I took pictures of it, and made sure I blogged about it. I use words like prolific and rudimentary, because they make me seem just as scholarly as I am creative. You scroll down to see what I emphasize. And you look because my life. Is. So. Awesome.

My life is better than yours. Want proof? Look at my pictures.

See? I have a really awesome, wholesome, flawless family.

And we do really cool, obscure things... like go on buggy rides. In South Carolina. In the rain.

And if the scenery from the buggy ride doesn't look good enough, I have the instagram app to make it hip and cool.

I also have a perfect, flawless boyfriend. Our relationship is better than yours because we play croquet at midnight (because we are so in love).

And we paint shirts together. See?

I also have the best of friends. Not only do I have more friends than you, but we are also closer. We share everything from secrets to shoes and have the best of times every moment we are together. (This picture wasn't hip enough before so I had to make it look old. Don't forget, antiques are really cool)

And I bake pies from scratch.

So look at my blog and feel worse about your life. You can tell from the things that I, as well as my fellow bloggers, post that we have perfect lives. We do really fun things all the time and have perfect relationships. We have no insecurities and no flaws. We write in framented sentences and we are extremely creative, hip, and innovative.

46 days....I think

I hope I counted right, but soon enough I will be shipping myself off to Sri Lanka for a P.E.A.C.E. trip. I am so excited and I really feel blessed that this is possible and within reach.

I felt this trip being pressed on my heart almost a year ago, and I really don't know why but I can't wait to see what God has in store for the team and for this trip.

When I heard how much it was going to cost my jaw droppped. I will never be able to raise those kinds of funds! and I don't even know very many people were the thoughts that often crossed my brain. Regardless, when I felt defeated I prayed God, if this is where you want me then make it happen. Bring that money in. The little blue envelopes started appearing and now I am almost there. I really cannot believe how much love and support I have for this trip and as it gets closer, I am more and more excited.

Keep praying.

Steven Tyler: Female Trendsetter Extraordinaire

I haven't been watching this season of American Idol, but I also don't live under a rock, so I've seen a few episodes and clips. Apparently Steven Tyler (who, let's not forget, is a ROCK STAR--literally) wears feathered hair extensions. Now this is all the rage. People are walking around like a walking example of spring; like a sparrow confused your head for a good place to built its nest. This trend is slightly confusing BUT for some reason, I dig it and secretly wish I could rock one or two little feathered strips in my hair, like this girl (who I do not know by the way, just just had that google image look I was going for):

But since I'm not really hardcore enough to rock this look, I think I'll settle for this less permanent look instead:

And when I typed in 'feathered headband' this is what popped up--not quite I was going for:

A notion to eradicate the letter 'C'

C is a useless letter, and I would like to set forth a notion to eradicate it in an effort to become a more efficient society.

This week, the Oxford English dictionary added the words OMG (Oh my god) and LOL (laugh out loud). These abbreviations are now words, meaning they are permissible to be used in scrabble and doctoral dissertations, if need be. In a society were time is everything, and efficiency is golden, why do we have entire letters that are useless? Condensing is rampant in our society--we can't even spell or say a simple phrase, it has to be abbreviated. We have concentrated everything from juice to words, and now it is ripe time to condense the english alphabet.

The first order of condensing is the letter C. It is not needed because we already have the letters K and S. We have the short C sound that can be substituted with the obviously superior K. Examples: Kut, Kry, Kanned. Any combination of C in the CK is excessive. K is a stronger letter and can stand alone. Examples: Luk, Duk, Kluk. (see what I did there?!) Problem solved.

The long C sound can be exchanged with the letter S. Examples: Syber, Sylinder, Sity. This is too easy.

"But wait!" you might say, "what about the CH sound? It has value when talking about lunch or brunch!" Well, there is a solution for that. When talking about lunch or brunch, simply add a T to SH and you get the same result. Examples: Luntsh, bruntsh, muntsh. (they might look funny now, but it's because you aren't used to them.)

"Hey! Isn't that adding letters? Doesn't that negate the process of condensing the alphabet?" This is what I have to say about that: Yes, we do have to add letters, but we are looking for long term effects. There are far more useless Cs running around that can be eliminated and although adding a T is technically adding a letter, we are ultimately eliminating so many more.

Please stayed tuned for upkoming eliminated letters.

P.S. They will never let me teatsh Kindergarten, not that I want to.

Tutus

...are a really cute trend for little girls

...and not so much for adults.

Adults should not be trying to rock children's fashion trends. Here's lookin' at you, crocs.

Better than a Hallelujah

Think about the music your parents listened to while you were in the back of the car, probably sleeping in a car seat. Think about the tape they put in the car while you sat, fighting with your siblings on the way to soccer practice. That CD you begged your mom to change when you sat shotgun, on the way to high school. I have a theory, that this music is the music we revel in as adults. It brings us back to fond memories and we dwell in it when it comes on the radio.

For me, those tunes are the sounds of Amy Grant. When my ipod lands on “Heart in Motion” or “Good For Me”, the dial gets cranked up a few notches and I rock out. Make fun of me for loving my 90’s tunes, but I know the same goes for you when The Eagles, Dolly Parton, or insert your parents’ choice music here. Last night I saw Amy Grant in concert. Though she had the same dance moves onstage that my mom (and probably yours too) has offstage, something about hearing “Baby, Baby” for the first time in ages caused my heart to burst with exhilaration. It also caused dance moves that mimic your mother.

She sang one song in particular that struck a cord, so to speak. It’s one of her most recent songs, called "Better than a Hallelujah". (her first album was put out in 1979... this most recent in 2010. She's got some seriously underestimated longevity) I listened to the lyrics and could not help but be reminded of God’s desire for our honesty. I thought of the example King David set when he cried out to God amidst his frustration and anger. David expressed his emotions to God whenever he felt abandoned, angry, or upset. (see Psalm 22, 38, 13,42…the list goes on) So then why do we so often feel like we have to put on a “happy face” for God? We mask our prayers in thanks and praise, even when we are angry, confused or upset. We have a God who tells us to “come to [him], all who are weary, and [he] will give us rest” (matt. 11:38) yet we try to put on a brave face when we come to him. It's important to go to God and he will fix you; you don't need to fix yourself to go to God. He made us human, with human emotions to be expressed. This song reminds us of God’s unfailing love, and his desire to have a real relationship with us, even though we are so imperfect. (I posted the awesome lyrics, but I couldn't get the video for the song... so just Youtube it.)

God loves a lullaby 


In a mothers tears in the dead of night 


Better than a Hallelujah sometimes. 


God loves the drunkards cry, 


The soldiers plea not to let him die


Better than a Hallelujah sometimes. 



We pour out our miseries, 
God just hears a melody 


Beautiful the mess we are 


The honest cries of breaking hearts 


Are better than a Hallelujah. 



The woman holding on for life, 


The dying man giving up the fight 


Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes 


The tears of shame for what's been done, 


The silence when the words won't come 


Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes. 


Better than a church bell ringing, 


Better than a choir singing out, singing out.

Obsessed

I recently discovered this show, and I am in love. I know I am a little late on the Entourage train, but I'm just glad I got on board.

Especially with these two:

Book Survey

1) What author do you own the most books by?

Jodi Picoult. And the runner-up goes to J.K. Rowling, thanks to the box set I just received for Christmas!

2) What book do you own the most copies of?

The Giver, by Louis Lowry. I think I own three copies, and I’m always trying to peddle them off to people to get them to read it.

3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?

I didn’t notice until it was brought up, but now it kind of bothers me.

4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?

I am going to have to admit my downfall, but yes, Edward Cullen.

5) What book have you read the most times in your life (excluding picture books read to children?)

The Giver. I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve read it. That is also the reason I own multiple copies; because I have lost them, bought them in a desperate urge to read it again, and then found them.

6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?

I used to read a lot of the Boxcar Children books. I particularly enjoyed “The Case of the Purple Pool”.

7) What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year?

Lolita by Vladmir Nabokov. It was assigned reading and I can’t help but imagine the sounds of my teacher reading parts of it aloud, which made a creepy book sound even creepier.

8 ) What is the best book you’ve read in the past year?

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Housseini. So good.

9) If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?

It would depend on whom I am recommending a book to, plus I don’t believe in tagging people.

10) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature?

Well if people like Vladmir Nabokov are the types being nominated, then clearly none of the authors I prefer to read will be in the runnings.

11) What book would you most like to see made into a film?

I think eventually they all will be. I’m currently excited to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

12) What book would you least like to see made into a film?

Any one that was written purely to be a mass-produced, overly cliché money-maker.

13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.

My dreams were so bizarre when I was reading the Harry Potter series, but I can’t remember any one in particular. Severus Snape was always there though.

14) What is the most lowbrow book you’ve read as an adult?

I started reading one of the Gossip Girls books. I just couldn’t do it.

15) What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read?

Probably something I was assigned in school, that I have since blocked from my memory.

16) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you’ve seen?

I’m not edgy enough to have seen an obscure Shakespearean play. Just Hamlet for me.

17) Do you prefer the French or the Russians?

French, since Nabokov ruined the Russian name.

18) Roth or Updike?

Haven’t read ‘em.

19) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?

Again, haven’t read ‘em. I told you I’m not edgy.

20) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?

Milton. Paradise Lost changed my literary views.

21) Austen or Eliot

Eliot. Because, get this- I’ve never read anything by Austen.

22) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?

The fact that I haven’t read (or even been assigned) anything by Austen. Or Bronte or Dickens or any “classic”. How has the public education system failed me so badly? My goal is to make up for that gap, and have a minimum of Pride and Prejudice read this year.

23) What is your favorite novel?

Please, I can’t choose! The Giver, I love Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix, Eclipse, Screwtape Letters, The Pact… Anytime I read something new I think it’s my favorite.

24) Play?

The Crucible

25) Poem?

Still I Rise, Maya Angelou. Fire and Ice, Robert Frost (before it was made famous by Eclipse). Annabel Lee, Edgar Allan Poe.

26) Essay?

Hahahaha.

27) Short story?

Hills Like White Elephants! By Ernest Hemingway. Also, Perfect Day for Bananafish by J.D. Salinger. Fall of the House of Usher by Poe.

28) Work of non-fiction?

Not to be cliché myself, but Purpose Driven Life. I think it’s the only nonfiction book that I’ve ever finished.

29) Who is your favorite writer?

I love Hemingway’s writing even if I don’t always love his novels. But J.K. Rowling is amazing. People forget what a great writer she is because her story is so captivating.

30) Who is the most overrated writer alive today?

Dan Brown.

31) What is your desert island book?

The complete works of Edgar Allan Poe- that way I get the most bang for my buck.

32) And … what are you reading right now?

House Rules by Jodi Picoult.

Post your own survey if you're into books...