Looking forward

It's been a rough autumn. I'm looking forward to a new start in a new year. Hoping for good things ahead!

By the way, I did get to do one cool thing this fall-I got to visit the *Real* Tiffany & Co in New York City. It was kind of incredible.

Happy Christmastime to you, and God bless you in the new year.

Summertime...

I'm finally finished with my HHMI paper-hallelujah! Thank heavens I'll NEVER have to think about that again-this was my third and last year.

Now on to my website for my OTHER summer school project.

Sadness....

I'm sitting in Panera working on my paper (due last Friday :( ) because the STUPID phone company is providing exceptionally POOR customer service to my parents and they currently have no Internet access. Frustration level: high.

The sad part?

The realization that I am technologically dependent.


*Addendum*

I wasn't very nice to my mum this morning. I am unhappy about this, too. My day has gone something like this: Alarm at 6am (I went to bed on the couch at 1am-my aunt is visiting), turned OFF alarm, slept till 9. Couldn't get in the shower because dad was there (he takes forever), and my mom wanted me to move all the paraphernalia I unloaded from my car in the dining room yesterday to her room(because my aunt is in the guest room where I stay, and mom has a friend coming over for tea this afternoon). I was frustrated, and I snapped at my mum. I'm SO sad that I did this.

I'm still frustrated. Mostly because of this idiotic paper. I just need to be FINISHED with it. Also, I am officially behind in my online class. I need to put my website together today, too. I hate feeling overwhelmed. Ugh. I have to remind myself of where my strength comes...cuz it ain't coming from me today.

*Addendum # 2:

I thought I could get away with going to Wooster and sitting rather anonymously in Panera to work. Not true. A guy I used to babysit for just came in for lunch and sat down next to me for a chat. Woohoo for never being able to leave your youth behind while you're at home. :P

Going Home

I'm going home to Ohio today, haloo-hallay!

So I'm part of a Yahoo group for middle school teachers, and someone got the bright idea for everyone to share when their summer break is over. So far, my kids go back to school LAST of all. Woohoo!! I guess there's ONE benefit of having gone till the end of June.

Happy Trails...

Tiffany Bling and Tiffany Blue

First, my favorite Tiffany jewelry:

Silver cuff bracelet-comes in either a left- or right-handed version










Silver ring-sleek and clean












Of course, the Tiffany diamond stud earrings











Then the Tiffany Blue accessories:

Leather Passport Cover









Leather iPod cover









Table Manners for Teens













Sketchers in my favorite color combo-Tiffany & Chocolate












Tiffany Nail Polish










Relaxing in Tiffany Blue












Tiffany Blue KitchenAid, for being domestic












Tiffany Blue guitar, for being musical













Tiffany Blue bike, for being sporty












You don't HAVE to match them, if in case you want to: shoes and bag, in Tiffany Blue:













And finally, for planning your Big Day, the Authentic Tiffany Blue Wedding Planner:

Justice and Worship

When I was about eleven years old, for a church girls program, I was required to find the story of a missionary and do a book report on him/her. I chose to read about Mark and Huldah Buntain, and their Mission of Mercy in Calcutta. Not to sound trite, but my life was changed forever by this story. The biographer presented such a vivid picture of the absolute despair of the lost in the Third World, I think I spent the entire book in tears. In my little Midwestern farm community, there was nothing that even came close to this. I don't recall how or to whom I expressed my feelings, but I think (though I don't quite remember) that I was essentially patted on the head and we went on with our lessons and Bible memory verses.

Several years later, when I was about 16, I found myself at a missions conference at my church with a broken heart for the nations of the world...not unusual, I suppose, for a church kid-but unlike the missionaries who were planting churches and preaching the Gospel, I knew that somehow I had a different calling to be involved in missions. I knew I wasn't a preacher, and Heaven forbid I would be a teacher...(ha.) With no strong direction, my understanding of how to be involved in missions faltered, and I put it on the shelf. With a heart for worship and a love of music, I went to college as a music major. When faced with the reality of my choices there (concert pianist-not enough talent, sacred music-not interested in church music leadership, music education-forget it), I checked out after two years, and took some "time off" to figure things out.

When I was about 26, I first was introduced to YWAM and their Mercy Ships ministry, and I thought, "Aha! Here's a practical way that I can become involved in missions, at last!" I went back to college as a premed, and was determined to serve as a medical missionary and give people tangible love and a true introduction to Who Jesus is, and His love. I was quite motivated and excited about the possibility of finally doing real missions work, and I loved medicine and the prospect of a medical career.

Do you know how easy it is to get distracted from your goals by impossibilities? Well, I do. And the long and short of it is that I got distracted by how impossible it would be for me to go to medical school-at my age, with my grades, thinking of all the time away from my family, thinking of all the loans, etc, etc...Bit by bit, the dream was snatched away, and with it, the opportunity was lost. Oh, I suppose not lost entirely, but lost enough that the trade-off for the dream now comes at too great a price, mainly to my family and finances. I've consciously decided to lay down the medical dreams, and to find other ways to work out my passions-and though it has been extremely painful to do so, I believe it is truly for the best.

So here I find myself-three states away from home (since there's essentially no life for me there, to speak of), teaching a subject I care little about to rather spoiled children at a school in a wealthy community where I can (even on a strong salary) barely afford to live, in a metropolitan area known for its ambitious and materialistic population, and wondering what to DO with myself. I know I am called to a great purpose-a global purpose- and I know that my heart is for the nations of the world to experience Jesus and to understand the joy that comes with true worship, but what on earth does that look like? I've always felt torn between my love of worship and my desire for the nations, and haven't understood how to reconcile those two areas of my life. Until now.

(Allow me to interject here: as I'm writing this, I am overwhelmed by how much more there is that I'm NOT writing down that contributes to my life and worldview. My only hope is that without too much more detail, this will still attain some level of coherent thought. If not, oh well-at least I'm getting it out of my system.)

I have been thinking about attending the annual HillSong Conference in Sydney, Australia for about eight years, I think, off and on-maybe even longer. I'm so intimidated by the cost of travel TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLANET, that it hasn't ever actually happened-yet. My desire has always been rooted in the love of worship, and inspired by the dynamic praise that flows out of this massive church (of 20,000 +), and the incredible leadership they exhibit. This year is different.

It all started on MySpace, actually. I happened to be googling the conference, and I found a link to the HillSong United Youth Band's MySpace page. Here they present the impetus for their latest project, The I Heart Revolution. What begins as a worship album recorded around the world, continues as a feature film chronicling the global situation experienced by the band as they toured recording the album. A snippet from Joel Houston's blog:

"It (the movie) takes off exactly where part one left off.. We have literally hundreds + hundreds of hours of footage.. We've documented the entire journey, and we're putting it together in a way that captures what we've been so blessed to experience; The passion, the hunger and the urgency of a generation across the earth desperate to live the life God designed for them... We've talked to the people.. We've documented some of the best and worst the world has to offer and have told the story in a way that inspires, but also challenges us all to live the worship life that goes beyond just the confession of our lips, but would direct us toward action - Reaching out to the lost and the broken.. Helping the poor and oppressed.. Pursuing justice and fairness for all people.."

And finally, the third part of this project, the movement. This is where the project takes a wild leap away from the usual artistic social awareness campaign, and gets personal, which I LOVE. Set to launch later this year, iheart//the movement is meant to be a global online collaboration to help alleviate injustice in the world, and to truly be what Christ has called the church to; that is, to be LOVE.

If you'd like to read more about the leadership's heart for this revolution, you can find more from Joel Houston here. There's my plug, now here's where it gets personal again.

My head has been spinning for about two, maybe three months as I have attempted to assimilate the iHeart with my own heart. This resonates so deeply within me, I don't think I can effectively describe what has been going on in my head and in my heart. I can only present what I am beginning to understand as an outworking of my calling in Christ.

You see, in addition to the iHeart project, HillSong has centered this year's conference (which has been playing this week on Godtv) about the theme of justice. Last evening, they broadcast Mike Pilavachi speaking of the inseparable connection between worship, evangelism and justice. Today, I was listening to Joel speak what is clearly HIS passion for the church to get involved in social justice as worship. I love this man's heart and passion-here's the relatively young, incredibly gifted and creative leader of what is arguably the most recognized youth worship band in the entire world, and he is using his position, not as a platform to promote himself or any agenda or pet project of his own, but solely to further the cause of Christ-that is, love of the Father and love for our brothers. It's commendable on a level I don't even think I can express.

What I love about this movement the most I think, is that the church (at least in some parts of the world) has picked up on the understanding they are presenting; that in order for the church to be Christ in the world, we have to care about what's happening in the lives of the people in the world. HillSong has put its entire support network behind this revelation and the teaching is fantastic. While I do realize that my excitement about this may be largely due to the fact that this is my passion as well, I truly believe that it is the calling of Christ to the Church right now, for such a time as this.

I loved Mike's teaching this week, and I actually received a book he's written on the subject of worship, evangelism and justice in the mail a few days ago. Th gist of the message is this: worship comes out of an expression of love-when you love someone, you tell him. Evangelism is the language of worship-no one makes you talk about your beloved to everyone in sight, it naturally flows out of your love. Worship without evangelism is self-indulgence (ouch), and evangelism without worship is legalism. However, Amos chapter 5 says essentially that, if you worship God without considering the poor, the oppressed and the broken, He will essentially plug his ears and not hear you. In other words, it's not enough to say you love Him, and tell the world how amazing He is...you must put actions to your love, and show His love to the world by caring for them, just as He does. This, then, is true worship.

So after meandering all over this post, what exactly is my point? Well, it's this: the Lord has called me to worship. He has given me a heart for the nations. He has called me to service. He has put eternity in my heart. To whatever end, He has given me skill to teach and a love of languages and the ability to communicate joy in song. He has given me a heart for the oppressed and the broken, and he has given me the intelligence and creativity to find ways to share His love in tangible ways with those who are hurting. He has given me the ability to encourage the hearts of His people, and to encourage the hearts of those He calls to Himself.

I have finally found a voice for the calling God birthed in my heart 25 years ago. Now is the time move out of the impossibilities and do something about it. It doesn't matter if I'm a doctor or a musician or a teacher-or all three of these. What matters is that it is time to take action, and show Jesus to the world in a language they understand. It's time to speak in the language of LOVE.

I heart.

The Ultimate List

If you've never heard of John Goddard, allow me to initiate you. This guy is the ultimate list maker; starting when he was a teenager in 1940, he made a list of 127 life goals to achieve...and he's almost completed the whole list. So what, you may ask? Well, you need to see his list to fully appreciate the incredible accomplishment it already has been: view John Goddard's Life List.

So, of course this has inspired me to start my own life list. I already have something like it in the works, but I listened to a very good teaching about this tonight, and got some good advice for making my list from a local DC pastor: Mark Batterson's blog. (Scroll down to the entry from January 8th) I like how he categorizes his goals.

Borrowing some formatting (but not the details) of both these men, I'm in the process of formulating my own list. The categories might be as follows (and of course, are subject to change):

From John Goddard:
Explore
Study
Photograph
Visit
Accomplish

From Mark Batterson:
Experience
Influence
Maximize my potential
Enjoy
Family
Travel
Physical

I like what Mark says about his goals: notice there is no "spiritual" goals title...he emphasizes that, as you prayerfully consider your life goals, they will all be spiritual. It's ridiculous to try to separate spiritual from life, especially from a Christian perspective.

Another point Mark made me recall was the SMART way of making goals. He says, "Get in shape is not a goal, it's a wish!", and that you must be specific in your goal setting. This reminded me of the SMART plan. When setting goals, make sure they are:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely

I think that a few of these might require some adjustments from a spiritual perspective-mainly the last three. While one should be realistic, one also must allow room for Divine intervention that allows for dynamic results.

More to come...

Summer Reading List

We'll see if I get through HALF of it...

• Luncheon of the Boating Party
• Franklin and Winston
• The Remains of the Day
• Out of Africa
• Howard's End
• The African Queen
• A Passage to India
• The Red Pony
• Hunting With Hemingway
• The Jasmine Farm
• The Art of Travel
• Summer at Tiffany
• The Writing Diet
• Here's England
• Joie de Vivre
• The Piano Shop on the Left Bank
• Sweetness in the Belly
• The Book of Story Beginnings
• Spindle's End
• Love Stories of World War II
• Portrait in Sepia
• The Constant Gardener
• The Cook and the Gardener
• The Primeval Forest
• 20:21 Vision
• Ready For Anything
• Developing a Christian Worldview of Science and Evolution
• Intellectual Schizophrenia
• What Jackie Taught Us
• The Classic Ten
• How to Walk In High Heels
• French Women Don't Get Fat
• Your PLan For a Balanced Life
• Just Try It On
• Take a Closer Look for Women
• Better Than Beauty
• Falling in Love With Jesus
• The Kiss of Heaven
• When Necessary, Use Words
• The Supernatural Ways of Royalty
• The Life of Christ
• The Justice God is Seeking
• Strengthen Yourself in the Lord
• Nurturing the Nations
• Why Not Women?
• Visioneering

A Norman Rockwell Independence Day

I have only been away from home, to my best recollection, twice on the Fourth of July. I'm sure there have been other times, but I can only remember two. The first time was in 2003 when I spent Independence Day in the bush, in East Africa. I wouldn't trade that for anything. The second time is this year, as I spend my holiday with my dear friend Lizard at her parents' home in Philadelphia, PA. This might not be significant if it weren't for the fact that July 4 is the only time my sleepy little Ohio hometown wakes up and actually develops some personality. There is a week-long carnival, class reunions galore, the parade (in which my sister, my brother and I all marched), and the best fireworks for three counties around. (For a list of the festivities, so you can see what you are missing, click here.) It's the only time, in my humble opinion, that Orrville is ANY fun at all, and I hate to miss it. However, my experience this weekend is truly a Red, White and Blue one, and I'm not missing home at all. (At least not because of the holiday.)

We began our day by doing the most American thing to do on a holiday-sleeping in. We then lingered over coffee and Krispy Kreme doughnuts (I ate grapefruit), and then meandered one block down the street to enjoy the Aldan Parade. Though it was a much shorter parade than ours back home (I later found out that Aldan has just half the population of Orrville, with around 4300 residents), it was highly entertaining, and people here obviously work hard to contribute to the festivities. I'll try to post some photos later (Liz's dad had the camera), but some of the highlights were a troupe of very tiny cheerleaders, a string band of flamboyantly decked-out "mummers", and a range of the most patriotically costumed folks I've ever personally experienced. The whole thing was very fun and quaint, as people found "their corner" and adults and children all ran into the street to retrieve the candies thrown from the "floats".

After the parade, the whole town walked across the baseball field to the American Legion Hall where there was a festival set up in the parking lot, complete with sodas and grilled hot dogs (just $1 each), homemade pretzels, real Philly water ice (in a variety of fruity flavors), the local Dem and Republican parties, a soaked sponge toss, a local church booth, an Avon exhibit, and of course the ubiquitous Moon Bounce. Less typical than usual was a booth for a local Parrot Rescue endeavor, complete with several large birds. At 2:oo the ice cream truck came and gave away free ice cream sandwiches to all the residents (and their guests). We then walked back to the house, admiring gardens and (with me) listening to stories of local color. Lizard's parents grew up in this neighborhood, and they either know or are related to half of everyone.

We made potato salad for dinner (it was a group effort, with me, Lizard and Little Katie chopping away), then Lizard and Little Katie Skyped their Little Sarey, who is in London for school this summer. Their dad made us his famous iced mochas, and we played with the kitten. Later, we sat out on the porch enjoying the day with crayons and coloring books (as an aside, I also spent Thanksgiving with this family, and we colored then, too. ), then Lizard decided to find her Jem Doll. She pulled out her Barbie clothes trunk, and we spent a good hour laughing over the Barbies and their accessories. By the time we finished being little girls, Lizard's dad was grilling burgers, and we had the best burgers, potato salad and beans I've had in a long time. Lizard's nana entertained us all during dinner with stories about things like how she passed out cookies at the senior center at Christmas wrapped in Victoria's Secret bags, and told the recipients that she got the bags when she bought her thongs. (She entirely cracked herself up, and the thought of MY grandma-either of them, actually-even saying "thong" cracked me up. I don't think mom would even say it. Which is kind of funny, in itself, actually. )

After a hilarious dinner on the front porch with firecrackers starting to pop all around the neighborhood, we came in and watched the parade downtown on tv, with more "mummers", which apparently is a Philadelphia phenomenon. Then we saw National Treasure, which I hadn't ever seen (due to the abiding trauma of the weirdness of Nicholas Cage in Peggy Sue Got Married). It was fun, and very patriotic. The evening ended with views and sounds of the fireworks over the treetops. A perfect day.

Such a fun holiday! Today I think we get to go be tourists in Philadelphia, which should be a really super day. I think if you have to be away from home on the Fourth, the town where the Declaration of Independence was signed is the place to be. Off I go to eat a Philly Cheesesteak and admire the Liberty Bell!

Orlando

No, not the city-the Really Hot Actor. I just watched Elizabethtown again for the millionth time, and realized (again) how much of a crush I have on Orlando Bloom. Whoa. Allow me to collapse into adolescence for a moment to say how incredibly sexy I think he is. I don't even use that word, sexy-but he is.

In other news, I just saw Get Smart this weekend, and was woefully disappointed in Annie. What a rotten job they did on a movie that had INCREDIBLE funny potential. It was terrible. The Rock had the best role in the whole thing. Not even Alan Arkin could give it any class. Wait for the dvd...better yet-wait for it to come out on TBS or FX. Not at all worth the money.



While we are on the topic of films, I also recently saw Prince Caspian. I can't wait to see what they do with Edmund's character in the next one. Skandar Keynes is growing up to be quite the cute teenager-in a sulky, indie sort of way. I would SO have had a crush when I was 15.



Now I just crush on the 30 year old actors. *sigh* Oh well, it's actually much safer than crushing on the real thing. By the way, where ARE the real things, anyhow? It's not even like I know of any to potentially crush on. Not that I like to complain, but it (the lack of grownup males in my world) just happens to be a great big pink elephant that I continuously am trying to ignore. Mostly, the pink elephant keeps to itself and it isn't an issue, but there are times when it plops itself down on my head and squishes me.



In still other news, I got rid of a LOT of peripheral paper today. I am SO ready to get my office organized!

School's Out!!

I know, you're saying, "What?!? They've STILL been going to school? The rest of the world has been out for weeks....."

Me, too. *Sigh* But now it's officially over.

I have the first three day weekend I can EVER remember where I don't have ANYTHING that I'm supposed to be working on.


As my kids would say, "Woot, woot!"

I almost forgot

It's been awhile since I've done a list, so here's one from Tres Poshe Preppy:

Pick 5 (In No Particular Order)

5 Things I Can't Live Without Under $10:
1. Grande Hazelnut Skim Latte

2. San Pellegrino

*I'm having a hard time coming up with nonperishable items for this one-I think I have more expensive taste than $10!

3. Gel Pens...I know-it's SO seventh grade. I can't help it; I love 'em.

4. Lindt truffles

5. Skim milk. I'm an addict.

(That was MUCH harder than I expected. Wow.)

5 Favorite Movies: (romantic comedies)
1. Sweet Home Alabama

2. 13 Going on 30

3. Cold Comfort Farm

4. The Princess Diaries (both #1 and #2)

5. The Prince and Me

5 Favorite Girl Baby Names That I Love:
1. Lauryn

2. Ellen

3. Julia

4. Nicole

5. Elizabeth

5 Favorite Boy Baby Names That I Love:
1. Joel

2. Nicholas

3. Jason

4. Nathan

5. Peter

5 Songs You Could Listen to Over and Over: (This morphed into 10 Songs. Sorry about that)

1. Found, by Hillsong (Anything b y Hillsong, actually. Lately I've been on a Hillsong United kick)

2. I Will Love You, by Fisher

3. Fragile, by Sting

4. One, by U2

5. Lullaby, by Josh Groban and Ladysmith Black Mambazo

6. The Luckiest, by Ben Folds

7. I hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You, by Tom Waits

8. Iris, by GooGoo Dolls

9. Yellow, by Coldplay

10. Love Me Tender, by Norah Jones

5 Things That Stay In My Handbag At All Times:
1. My wallet

2. Cover Girl LipSlicks

3. Tums Smoothies (I know, that's just weird. )

4. A mini Journal where I can make lists

5. My compact

5 Obsessions I Have Right Now:
1. Hillsong Conference

2. Getting my licensure renewed

3. Facebook

4. The connection between worship and justice

5. Songwriting


5 Places I'd Love to Go:
1. Sydney!

2. London

3. Kruger Game Park

4. Copenhagen

5. Memphis

Ok, so I have to explain that one: my friend Liz and I are discussing a road trip to Memphis for the dual purpose of eating barbeque and enjoying the blues kitsch. I don't REALLY care about Memphis-just the fun of the experience.

Rainy Saturday

I just got home from my morning tutoring, and the rain is drumming on my kitchen window, reminding me that it's my favorite season: Spring! Springtime in Virginia is (in my humble opinion) not as much fun as back home in Ohio. For one thing, we don't get nearly the rain here that we do back home, and when we do, it almost never comes in thunderstorms, which I adore. For another, spring in Ohio is full of wonderful sights, sounds and smells from the newly plowed and planted fields, to the baby animals, to the lilac bush in my parents' yard. And finally, in Ohio I can venture into the great outdoors without fear of all the nasty critters present in Virginia, like cottonmouths and copperheads, brown recluse spiders, and the ubiquitous deer tick, which can just MESS UP your nervous system with Lyme's Disease. All we have back home to be concerned about are mosquitoes and tornadoes. No biggie. :)

I love Saturdays. I think today I will get my home really, REALLY clean, then maybe have coffee with a friend, and catch up on some reading and lesson planning. I might even write a few letters. I'll be glad when school's out! Only three weeks to go!

Posting, shmosting...

Yep, I completely dropped the posting ball-again. This month has been a whirlwind, and well-you get the picture...we all have busy lives. The fact is, when my life gets crazy and I have lots of stuff to think and work through, instead of writing through it, I tend to retreat into my head, which is where I've been lately. However, today I decided to come out and play, so here I am!

It has been a really fun weekend-starting with dinner with a couple from my church on Friday evening. We ate amazing steak and steamed asparagus and broccoli, and has biscotti for dessert. Yummy! Saturday, I went wine-tasting with friends at Tarara Winery. We came back to my house and made more amazing food like blackened chicken fettucini alfredo and roasted asparagus and colored peppers. We then went to a friends' house for a rousing game of Taboo...and let me say, you have never enjoyed Taboo until you've played it with South Africans!! We quickly were reminded that we were two countries separated by a common language. Sunday morning, a girlfriend came by for breakfast (we had to use up the leftover veggies from the night before in omelettes), then church. We barbequed after church with friends, ate ice cream in the afternoon, and watched a movie in the evening. Finally, today we met for brunch at IHOP, then another girlfriend came by for a few hours afterwards for conversation. Lastly, I took a nap and am now dreading tomorrow's return to a "normal" social routine!

Belated credits, and other news

So I forgot to mention that the Five Things Meme came from here-sorry, Libby!


Now that I'm done with spring semester classes, I'm having an interesting time coming home to whole evenings worth of time to relax! I'm taking this week as a sort of vacation-but only sort of, since I've got a million portfolios due over the next two days. Now that I think of it, it's a really good thing that I'm done with classes-I'd never make it through teaching AND being a student this week!

Five Things Meme

Five things found in your bag:
1. My amazing 3-headed highlighter
2. Starbucks card
3. teacher ID on lanyard, which I always forget to wear.
4. agenda, which I write things in and forget to look back at.
5. The new I Heart Revolution cd

Five favorite things in your room:
1. my chocolate and aqua leather jewelry box.
2. Sunset 1929 magazine cover poster:




















3. Vermont dressers from Overstock

4.White quilt with blue toile country scenes.

5. 3 Euro pillows with navy velvet cases.

Five things you have always wanted to do:
1. Travel the world.
2. Play the piano proficiently.
3. Speak several languages fluently
4. Wear long, lean jeans.
5. Be a purveyor of justice and hope to the nations.

Five things you are currently into:
1. The I Heart Revolution
2. Spring Fever
3. Lakeland, Florida
4. Hillsong College
5. The BIG diet.

Playing Hooky

But not really, since the whole reason I stayed home today was to get caught up on final exams and papers for my grad classes! I'll tell you what, I'm a little tired of bring in school. But nowhere as tired as Libby who has been working her teensy tail off in law school-go Libby!

Well, the wedding was gorgeous and I've decided that I can either spend a year planning my own wedding or, like my friends, let my church spend a month planning it. If this wedding was any indication of what my church can throw together, I just might consider going for option number 2! I was exhausted, and I'm SO glad it's over. However, the important point was that we really were able to bless Kyle and Madelein, which was amazing. Here are some photos:




















































































Forgive my lack of technological prowess, but I still haven't figured out how to format these posts!

In other news, lots of good things have been happening in Donnaville. Part of the reason you haven't heard from me is that I've been journaling life's going-ons elsewhere (more private). For now, just know it's GOOD.

MIA Again

For anybody who hasn't given up on me yet-I'm still here! The wedding I'm catering is tomorrow-yikes-and things are a little crazy around here! Once Madelein is married off and on her way to San Diego, I'll be back, I promise!

Thanks for hanging in there!

D

Crazy week, and still waiting...

This week is nuts-tons of school work, grad school work, family visits, and now I'm coordinating a wedding reception-in two weeks! Yikes. Oh yeah-and standardized tests this past weekend, too...I thought I'd finished those when I got my GRE scores and MCAT scores! Oh well-I'm sure it all went well, and I'm glad it's over.

In other news, no response from Joel, but I'm still hoping! Meanwhile, there's this cutish Verizon guy (like from the commercial) who's been hanging around a lot lately. I've decided he's my Twin of The Opposite Sex. Which means, according to the last boy I went around with, that he's ideally suited to me. The only real issue is his age-quite a bit of a difference (think Demi and Ashton). Still, if the rest is good and he doesn't care, should I? What do you girls think of that?

I'm also hoping for some more of those (so far fabulous) responses to my Ten on Tuesday from last week. Libby, you experienced married woman: what about you? Would Dear D. like to contribute? Anyone else? Go ahead, Dr. J.-I want to hear from you, too! I'll post my list later this week.

Happy spring, and I sure hope the rest of your weather starts acting like it!

Ten on Tuesday

OK, so today from Ten on Tuesday, the topic is:

The 10 Things to Do Before You Get Married

However, since so many of you lovely ladies are married to such fabulous men, I was hoping you could give me some suggestions. What would YOU recommend I do before getting married??

Leave your suggestions in the comments and I'll post my resulting list later this week!

My Easter Day, and so on...

I must say that when I awoke yesterday, I wasn't as thrilled with life as I'd ought to have been. I remembered an Easter several years ago that could qualify as one of the worst days ever. It sort of marked the beginning of the end of a serious relationship (which end, in retrospect, I thank God for!). Anyhow, I was feeling a bit sorry for myself, but I put it out of my head and went on to church, and enjoyed a lovely time of worship and fellowship with my church family. I then had an errand to run after church, and unexpectedly enjoyed the company of a newfound friend who ended up turning the day into one of the most delightful ones I can recall. Hooray for hidden blessings!

And so, I have done something which I *hope* does not bring my blogworld crashing down around me...although, if it does, I will be surprised to have reached a higher level of popularity than I'd have thought possible. I have linked my blog to my MySpace account. Attention: if you are a MySpace spammer, GO AWAY NOW. If you are a regular reader, this may seem a bit cryptic, so just ignore this part of the post. However, if you are the reason I linked, then I extend my heartiest welcome to a new reader: Hi Joel! I look forward to getting to know you, but be forewarned-this blog is merely a partial expression of my most girly side. Still, it offers more than my MySpace does. (I really only set that up with minimal information so I could log in and view my friends' accounts. I never use it otherwise-it kind of freaks me out.)

Question: Will Joel Houston actually respond to my friend request on My Space, and will he find this link and will he actually take the time to read my blog? Who on earth knows? Today is a beautiful spring day, however, and weirder things have happened. And Good Heavens-Joel, if you read this, would you PLEASE at least let me know you stopped by?

Happy Monday, everyone!

(Do you really think he'd stop and read it? He's SUCH a busy, popular fellow-but oh my word, I have so much respect for him, I'd love to become his friend! )

Happy Easter!

He is not here;
He is risen,
just as He said.

Matthew 28:6











Today is my FAVORITE holiday.
Happy day, everyone!

Princess Lists

For your reading pleasure, more fun from my www.listography.com:

about me (reasons I would make a terrible princess)

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• I hate to wear pantyhose.
  
• I always say what I'm thinking.
  
• I abhor fake and pretentious people. See #2.
  
• I couldn't deal with the paparazzi.
  
• I can't dance.
  
• I'm very clumsy.
  
• My religious views are too conservative and too liberating for the general public's approval.
• I would hate to live far away from my family, and there are no royal families in Ohio to be part of ...
• I might take too many things personally from the voice of the media.
  
• I don't know any princes to marry.

about me (reasons I would make an excellent princess...)

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• I speak French. Everyone knows that princesses must be able to speak French fluently.
  
• I have a strong sense of style and great, though somewhat conservative, taste in fashion.
  
• I am extremely diplomatic.
  
• I love to travel.
  
• I love to meet new people and to bring out the best in them.
  
• I would be nice to the servants, and never leave them messes to clean up.
  
• I would never scandalize the monarchy.
  
• I am very well-read.
  
• I learned several years ago how to dissuade unwelcome advances from ungentlemanly gentlemen.
  
• I adore humanitarian causes.
  
• I would look great in a tiara.
  
• I would be an incredible patron of the arts.
  
• I'm already a princess in God's eyes!

Listography

So, if you've been reading my blog AT ALL, you'll recognize my fondness for lists. I thought I'd share a few of my (59) lists from www.listography.com. I love this site because it allows you to freeload list ideas from other list maniacs without guilt or penalty. Just a few of mine, for your reading enjoyment:

about me (Random things I love)

• precise articulation
• extremely fine fabrics
• vintage jewelry
• mid-century modern aesthetic
• the Arts & Crafts movement
• aqua and chocolate color combinations
• a new journal and a smooth, fine tip pen
• Chicago architecture
• tea at the Ritz
• halter top bikinis (Not that I can wear one)
• high heels
• leather accessories
• dark, interesting woods
• traveling alone
• The Stage
• ballet dancing
• thinking in French
• autumn tights
• Lilly Pulitzer
• expensive perfume
• tulips
• velvet
• grande hazelnut skim latte
• organic chemistry
• Volvos
• organization
• Christmas
• skiing
• going to the symphony
• my Empire Red Artisan KitchenAid mixer
• Reisling, Gewurztraminer, and Sauvignon Blanc
• hats
• Hermès' Kelly bag
• smart romantic comedies
• fake fur
• leather-bound books

work (10 jobs i would never want to do)

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• Retail ANYTHING
• Banker
• Accountant
• Car/insurance/real estate sales
• Police officer
• Military personnel
• Secretary
• Financial Analyst
• Factory worker
• Construction worker

relationships (favorite fictional loves)

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(you get extra points if you know who more than three of these people are!)

• Gilbert Blythe
• Mr. Knightly
• Fitzwilliam Darcy
• Adam Eddington
• Jim Frayne
• Lex Upham
• Joe Willard

(Disclaimer: I don't judge others who do the following things, they're just not for me)

autobio (i will never...)

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• Eat headcheese.
• Get a tattoo.
• Own a Porsche.
• Date a redneck.
• Say the f word.
• Take God's name in vain.
• cheat on my husband.
• wear a miniskirt.
• wear real fur (I don't have ethical issues with it, necessarily-I just think it's gross.)
• bungee-jump.
• skateboard.
• choose to live in Detroit.
• eat kimchee.
• be ashamed of my height.
• quit trying.
• be mean to my nieces and nephews.
• forget that I've been redeemed by Christ.
• walk away from my God.

And on a remotely related note:

I thank God for the sacrifice that we remember today, Good Friday. I'm humbled and amazed to think that Christ would have endured the undeserved suffering He did even if it had been only for me. What an incredible weight humanity would have to carry if it weren't for His divine power of resurrection! I love this time of year-not just for the newness of Spring, but also for the reminder that my soul is renewed!

Happy Easter, everyone!

New Girl Stuff

So I never, EVER splurge on girlie stuff-usually my splurges go on bookshelves. However, I found two gorgeous new shades of nail polish and I went crazy. (For a girl who doesn't wear nail polish, this is huge.) If you'd like to check out my new shades, google Sally Hansen and look up the new Salon line of nail colors. My two new colors are for my fingers (Can't Bare To Know) and for my toes (Raisin The Bar). However, I just tried out the toe color on my fingernails with lovely results. SOooo pretty!

Ok, so I also went to the bookstore...where am I going to put three more books? :)

Feeling meme-y

This from Magnolias, Marriage and Manhattan (who went private for awhile, but I'm so glad she's back with us!)

50 Odd Things About Me Meme

1. Do you like blue cheese? It's a recently acquired obsession. Yummy on a salad with dried cherries, pecans and pears.
2. Have you ever smoked heroin? No-but I thought it was sniffed, not smoked? (Never did that either.)
3. Do you own a gun? No, and it's HIGHLY likely that I never will. I hate 'em.
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? We have no Sonic here-although we have the commercials as a teaser. I like the cherry and lime flavors, but it's been years (early college days) since I've indulged.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Only the dentist. I HATE going to the dentist.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? Umm, ok-confession time: hot dogs (really GREAT ones) are a guilty pleasure of mine. I like Nathan's all-beef kosher dogs, with brown mustard, onions and ketchup.
7. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Christmas Story. Ralphie grew up cute!
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? I make espresso in a little Italian-style pot on my stove and and make a sort of latte. Today it's Christmas Blend from the 'buck's.
9. Can you do push ups? Ummm, no.
11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? It's a toss-up: my garnet earrings from Shari for graduation from college and my gold heart necklace with the opal that Dad had made for Mom years ago.
12. Favorite hobby? writing, reading, designing, cooking...
14. Do you have A.D.D? I have "an atypical form of A.D.D." that solely interferes with my ability to sort and prioritize. No problems with focus or processing speed. I also have the O part of OCD, and a mild form of dyslexia/dysgraphia. Believe it or not, I'm relatively functional as a human being-just not so much as a student.
15. What's one trait you hate about yourself? Lack of self-discipline
16. Middle name? Michelle
17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment.. 1.I really need to get my shower. 2. I should probably exercise today, too. 3. I wonder when I'm going to have time to go to Georgetown and pick up that nightstand I found on Craigslist.
18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday. An Easter dress, bubble bath, a Susan Branch cardmaking kit.
19 . Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Coffee, Water, Pellegrino with orange juice.
20. Current worry? How am I going to get all those papers graded this week and still have a fun break?
21. Current hate right now? That I'm not spending Spring Break at home with my family.
22. Favorite place to be? At home with my family.
23. How did you bring in the New Year? I actually don't remember, but I know I was with my parents. Oh wait-My sister brought all the kids over and we played games, and then turned on the TV to watch the ball drop at the last second. Mom and I always watch the parade on January 1 together.
24. Where would you like to go? Paris. Sydney. Napa Valley. Chicago. Santiago. Denver. New York. A lake house. Around the world.
25. Name three people who will complete this? Not sure-but you're all tagged!
26. Do you own slippers? Yes, they are pink and look like ballet slippers.
27. What shirt are you wearing? my white flannel PJs with the navy blue flowers.
28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Not so much. I'm really a high thread count cotton girl...
29. Can you whistle? Yes
30. Favorite color? Indigo. Scarlet. Periwinkle. It depends on the day.
31. Would you be a pirate? No. I think life on a boat would be claustrophobic and besides, I think pillaging is overrated.
32. What songs do you sing in the shower? Since I'm not usually too awake, I kind of don't think I sing then. Ironic, because I sing all the rest of the day...
33. Favorite girl's name? Julia, Lauren, Hallie, Kiki (just kidding)
34. favorite boy's name? Jason, Brian, Jacob, Matthew, Nicholas, Patrick (I plan to have more boys)
35. What's in your pocket right now? No pockets in my PJs.
36. What's something that made you laugh today? See my previous post.
37. Best bed sheets as a child? Raggedy Ann. I still have one of them tucked into a chest in my closet.
38. Worst injury you've ever had? I broke my pelvis in a car accident in '97. This was accompanied by a concussion and kidney and spleen bruises. I NEVER want to go through anything like that again.
39. Do you love where you live? Not especially, but I'm trying harder these days.
40. How many TVs do you have in your house? one
41. Who is your loudest friend? Alyse. I adore her, but she has no volume control. (She knows it, too.)
42. How many dogs do you have? Does the dog I bought for my parents eight years ago count? If so, one.
43. Does someone have a crush on you? I don't think so.
45. What is your favorite book(s)? Franny and Zooey, Pride & Prejudice, The Enchanted April, A Room With A View. Does the Bible count? I think of it more as a manual/guide than an actual book...
46. What is your favorite candy? Not such a big candy fan...chocolate and peanut butter is a whole 'nuther story though.
47. Favorite Sports Team? Do I have to have one? I stopped caring about sports (Not that I ever did much anyhow) when Michael Jordan left the Bulls.
48. What song do you want played at your funeral? I have no idea. Actually, I don't really care what they do-I won't be aware of it, so they can play whatever they want.
49. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Talking to my mom on the phone.
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? There's something I need to remember to do....(And then I went back to sleep!)

Random Wednesdayness

First off, I'd like to thank all the contributors to my dilemma post. Thanks to some very good advice, I've decided to put the situation behind me for the rest of the week and deal with it next week when I get back to school (so I can enjoy the rest of my break). I am definitely going to talk to the girls, and I think a partial penalty is the best route to go, since I didn't actually see cheating as I had in the previous situation. We'll discuss a redo at a lower point value, or something along those lines. Whatever.

So I just rediscovered the funniest website ever. It's called Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures, and you may find it at http://icanhascheezburger.com. Now here's my disclaimer: as a general rule, I am not fond of cats, and I strive for impeccable grammar. However, when you get such gems as this, who cares?































Then there are the cute ones...


































And finally, an Easter pic:










How much fun is that??

Actually, you know what's really fun? I'm sitting at my computer writing silly things in my PJs at10:30 in the morning on a Wednesday, and I didn't even have to pretend to be sick to do it! Also, I just found the cutest dress to wear on Sunday at Ross yesterday for a mere $25. AND a new Nine West handbag for $12.99.

I think my requisite morning latte is in order now...followed by a bubble bath, perhaps?

Happy Wednesday!