Fungi, a Man, and Reclusive Women

This past weekend I spent an above average amount of time (for myself, probably a below average amount of time for most college students,) working on homework.

While working on online anthropolgy homework, I learned about astounding fungi.
*Disclaimer: this is super sick, so avoid reading the following while eating.

A fungus in the Amazonian forest lays on plants and the forest floor, in waiting.
Once an insect or spider crawls by, the fungus attatches itself to the unfortunate creature.
The fungus sticks to the bug's exoskeleton & dissolves a part of it.
Through this opening, the fungus reaches the insect's insides and eats the non-vital organs.
The spider or whatever remains alive and functioning.
After the non-vital organs have been devoured, the fungus eats a part of the bug's BRAIN.
At this point, the fungus has basically created a SPIDER ZOMBIE (!!!); with the brain piece gone, the bug climbs to a high leaf in the forest canopy.
The fungus eats the rest of the insect and then causes it to explode(!!!), sending the fungus spore things to be dispersed throughout the rainforest to lay in waiting again!

...this same fungus has some sort of chemical in it that supresses the human immune system & therefore makes it a great med for transplant patients (of which my daddy was one,) so that their body does not reject the foriegn organ placed in them.
neat, huh???

During my laborious weekend, I also researched other things on the internet:
-C.S. Lewis. I concluded I do indeed want to read all he ever wrote, or most of his works anyways. [Chronicles of Narn, check-dunzo!]
- the Edies Bealeses, of whom Grey Gardens Documentary was of, as well as the 2009 'Grey Gardens' was based on.

Christmas Without Claymation??!

A few days ago, my friend Steph B ( http://stephbarber.com )

posted about her home's recently added christmas decor. Now here's my apt's Christmas-itizing...

Yeppers, a tree! Last year my parents finally listened to reason and got this atrificial beauty.

To accompany our dorm tree, my mommy bought a pack of super cute ornaments. But no topper was included in the box!

So...I colored and cut this star and added some ribbon.

Our tree may look massive from this perspective, but it's really a disputable 6 footer

And more handmade decorations! These oragami cranes were created and strung by the lovely Adriane (http://arianecarol.blogspot.com)

TADA! Our cozy tree and crane garland!

P.S.- I'm so glad Adriane and I both have a thing about Christmas trees being in corners

Oh, and sorry about the lame formatting of this blog postie. Hope you are having a very merry Christmas season!

Post-Post Script: For ten pretty good (there are really like 14, but only 10 are worth keeping) free Christmas songs to download, go to target.com /christmas

Sabbath

sorry about my hiatus from blogging the last few months.

that was super lame of me.

so, sorry 'bout that.

i've been regularly reading your bolgs still, so that's cool, right?

great- we've reconciled :)

moving on...

this is a post i started writing...uhhhh...a month or so ago :(

i wrote it after my second sabbath this school year, about my amazing time i had as God reminded me that He loves me for me, not for what i do.

on my sabbath, i painted with my roommate, sbpj.

sbpj and i kinda just became friends this year while living together so it was cool to get some one-on-one time with her. the following is a terrible photo off my phone of my not so terrible, not so great painting:

the text reads: "the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the shadow death a light has dawned"

"Matthew 4:16"

Unfortunately I did a not so fun thing on my Sabbath; I spent over half an hour researching how to disinfect wild bird feathers. My fake grandma had a peacock stay in her back yard for a few months and she gave me some feathers for craft things. I do not want to catch bird flu from my hair accessories! So I tried steam cleaning the feathers with a pan of boiling water. Being as paranoid as I am, I ended up submerging the feathers in the boiling water too (a big NoNo according to my online sources,) but whatever.

Also on my Sabbath, I crafted these hair thingies:

Sorry for the sideways photo- I am too lazy. At least I wrote a new post, huh?

what to do...

My heart is breaking and I've been on the verge of tears all day today.
Sorry to be a downer, but I have to let you all know.
...at least this isn't over a boy.

It's a broken heart over freshmen, and over my small group.
Last week Jono and I reached out to McConnell with free cupcakes, cookies, frisbees and info about InterVarsity and our Bible study. We met some cool kids, and one girl was seriously excited to hear about our small group!
Last week was also the first large group for IV this year, and eight upperclassmen signed up for the Bible study I'm getting to co-lead this semester. I personally know seven, and they are each incredible; three are girls from my small group last year.
Tonight was the second large group, and one upperclassman signed up.

...no freshmen have actually signed up for our small group.

God rekindled my love for freshmen last semester.
And in the last week I realized how mixed class small groups can provide an incredible and unique communtiy for each member.

I'm still excited for my small group, I just feel with all my heart that God is going to do wonderful things in and through it this year that will change lives.
And I can't believe the amazing group of upperclassmen God is filling the small group up with.

BUT
I'm longing for freshmen to come into the group who may come to know and fall in love with Jesus this year.
...who may grow as missional/active Christians.
...who may become leaders in the global church.
...who may find a community to be a part of for the rest of their college careers.

The more I reflect on it, I somehow get the feeling this is intercessing...?hmmm.
or maybe this is a time of "sticking in the mud" for me?

God loves Las Vegas

During my first trip to Las Vegas, Nevada I learned a few things:
- how to walk with my chin up (literally, since glancing at the ground meant views of naked women on fliers)
- Michael Buble is a fantastic performer
- Naturally Seven is a cool band
- (most importantly) People are people loved by God no matter what the world labels them.
a list actually formed in my head in the style of 'Horton Hears a Who'
A person's a person...
no matter how poor,
no matter how wealthy,
no matter how dumb,
no matter how smart,
no matter how crazy,
no matter how sane,
no matter how rude,
no matter how polite.
And no matter how broken; ALL people are broken.

Summertime Bloggie

[I've been meaning to jot this list down here for the last month and a half]

here's a few quick comparrisons between my split summer in China & America

1. China: involuntarily waking up w/ Christy at 4:30am the first few days of orientation

America: getting a total of 12 hours of sleep the 1st 4days of returning; a 2week recovery for jet lag

2. China: evening walks, lunches, and a park trip with my Chinese bff, Vivian

America: weekly emails between Vivian and I. Ooo, and doing random things with my bff in Phoenix

3. China: watching 'Valentine's Day' with my first Chinese roomie, cozied up in 1 bed to see the laptop screen

America: watching 'Eclipse' a month after its release, 3 of us snuggled in the back of a pathfinder to see the drive-in movie screen

4. China: filled with joy while crafting to complete gifts for my Chinese friends

America: happy to spend hours crafting to make birthday gifts& a scrapbook of Chiner

5. China: Sabaths with the American students

America: visits with NAU friends

6. China: avoiding nasty internet cafes filled with cigarette smoke, gamers, and slow computers that hated my gmail account

America: avoiding using my family's slow desktop compy to spend less time in my parents' messy room

7. China: trying to ride a child's 2 wheel swivel board and completely failing at it

America: longboarding to my Phoenician bff's and loving it

8. China: being nervous about giving a presentaion in front of culture class

America: being nervous about giving a Sunday talk/sermon for the youth group

9. China: frying under the sun at the Yellow River

America: trying to tan in the backyard

10. China: splashing around in the Yellow river

America: swimming in our backyard pool

11. China: resisting the urge to eat ice cream every day

America: resisting the urge to eat an avacado or gaucamole every day

12. China: organizing my suitcase

America: organizing my parents' kitchen cabinets and closets

13. China: juggling spending time with two sets of classmates, past &present roomates, and the bff

America: juggling spending time with my family, 3 sets of high school friends, college friends, and the bff

14. China: re-reading Esther and Luke

America: for some reason or another, struggling to re-read Mark a chapter a day

...there are of course a billion others but if you haven't stopped reading this list of mine already I'm sure you're ready to!

Nee How

...because that's how to pronounce 'hello' in Chinese.

I have returned from Chiner; as most of you know my 6 week trip ended last week.

"How was you trip? What was China for you in one word?" <---that's what I've been asked a lotta times these past several days. I don't find the question annoying like staff said we all probably would in debrief. It's just a little difficult to answer succinctly, especially the 'one word' question. In fact, maybe I do find that question a little frustrating.

And, in case you were wondering, the trip was incredible and hopefully life changing. Yes, I added "hopefully" because it could easily not be. I learned and experienced things that I could use to change the way I think and live, but it would be pretty simple to not apply those things to the rest of my life. Now I understand that I have to CHOOSE to make my China trip a life changing one.

To be 'respectful', I will be sensitive with what I type and post for all of internetland to see. So for the really good stuff, ask me personally and you shall recieve. I just had to acknowledge at least a little of how great God made my trip in this bloggy of mine :)

...ps_ Totally unrelated, but guess what.
Guess.



My laptop died.
Did you guess right?
It won't turn on any more, and instead just flashes it's lights a little and makes the start up noise before shutting itself off. Also, my family just got wi-fi for the house. :/ not so cool.
For now though, I have the luxury of sharing my little bro's spiffy new laptop :)

You're gonna be Pop-U-lar

Since I've started my blog I sometimes wonder what makes a blog famous.

need an example?

Julie & Julia, duh. I won't explain the concept of the movie/ book. Another example can be found in the semi-recent episode of House guest starring the girl who played 'Donna' on That 70's Show, when she blogs while almost dying and people around the world she doesn't even know read about her life. Open another browser if you wanna do some research.

Anyways, I've composed a list of what I imagine it takes to become a person with a world-renown blog. Here you go:

1. Having a theme/ explicit purpose for the blog; preferably one that the readers can read to apply in their lives. I.e., crafty how-to's, photography displays, humorous observations about life (kids these days can't get enough of those sites like MLIA or whatever it is,) and political discussion blogs people will want to read to form an opinion and sound smart about some issue.

_I just learned about that last kind on Thursday, when my professor read a Phoenician blogger's post on the new legislation passed in our little old state of Arizona. In this instance of a politics-oriented blog one must be extremely careful to not end up sounding like some crazy person blabbering on in a way that no one wants to read. That wouldn't make you popular, but immensely unpopular.

2. Already being famous. People love reading whatever Lady Gaga or Dennis Quaid feel about other celebrities and paparazzi.

_Disclaimer: I have absolutely no idea if those two peeps have blogs, I just wrote the names of whoever popped into my head first.

3. Having a wonderfully unique layout and/or graphics. You know, making one's own instead of using the templates given by the blog site. (I am much too technologically challenged to figure out how to do this.)

4. Having crazy cool writing skillz.

If you are reading this blog now, you are well aware my bloggy meets absolutely none of these requirements. So my blog will remain uncool and not famous. But, it's because of this I urge you to read my blog anyway; isn't it usually when people do the uncoolest things that they become the coolest people? I think that's the widely accepted hipster theory.

so, reading my blog= being a hipster

...have a certain disdain for hipsters? that means you're holding onto self hatred, on account of the above scientific findings

basically, you're generally delightful

My Aunt Inspires Me

{This is my beautiful Auntie and my cousin Jakey- don't let the facial hair fool you, i am older than him. I love them }

her hardwork helps provide for her family and spills into every aspect of her life.
...she is a midwestern mom working a factory job. her and my uncle get up at 4:30am each weekday to drive to their jobs and manage to live life after working all day rather than collapsing in exhaustion like i think i would in that circumstance.




my aunt is incredibly kind and loving to everyone.
...she uses her resources well, often gently encouraging others to act in service for one another.
example: her neighbors, a retired pastor & his wife had their 50th anniversay this summer. auntie found out they wouldn't be celebrating and asked if she could organize a party for them. she made it a potluck and invited everyone to a backyard bbq at her home in honor of the elderly couple. i cried after my mommy told me the story; for some reason this story oozes with love and compassion when i think of it.
...to me, she exemplifies the overlooked phenomenon of midwestern hospitality. she can be a bit rural rough, not afraid to invade someone's "personal space" in order to connect with them, be friendly, and show genuine love.



i'm not sure if my auntie truly loves Jesus and trusts in the righteous God; at times this makes me sob. whenever we talk about Christianity, she seems to go very broad with responses. i don't see how someone so loving, compassionate, kind, and understanding doesn't believe in the Jesus that gave us examples of this behavior.
...she has been hurt by the Church. my uncle and her have told me they would become members of a church if all the ones they've gone to didn't require/ enforce a specific tithe, with the idea that the decision should be made by the individual. still, she is supportive and proud of my walk with Jesus.





ps_ i will be on a plane to China in 48 days!

it's the little things...

here are some "little things" that have been big to me in the last coupla weeks:

-dance party with my mom to lady gaga's 'bad romance' during our california roadtrip

-my little brother taking me to his favorite place in phoenix to look at the stars and sparkling north valley from a neighborhood mountain top

-driving through phoenix with the sun roof open with my bro

-warm, loving smiles and grilled sandwhiches in a friend's backyard

-my fake grandma telling me stories of her childhood

-a conversation about marriage and love with two friends i care deeply for

-singing 'i'll fly away' at this week's large group

-being told my teeth are distractingly white

-going to a fake senior portrait shoot around flag

-a 20minute jillian michaels shred workout this morning (thought i would die at the time, but now soo glad i did it!)

-a boy reading the Bible and wanting to put God as the focus of his life; witnessing this is in my small group

-wearing my roomate's cool leather jacket

-studying the roles of mary& martha in the Bible during the sermon at my phoenix home church

...the list could go on and on, but i'll stop there :}

TODAY IS MARCH 23RD!!!

"uh-oh."
that's probably what all of you are thinking, because -after logging this date in your calendars a month ago- you know that March 23rd was set to be the 'deadline' of Adriane and I each dating the boys we hahah...fancy. And, (with me as a giant blabber-mouth who writes a blog) you figure I woulda posted if this came to fruition. You know me too well; indeed, neither of us are now coupled with the certain someones we had in mind. Disappointing? A little.

BUT! Yes, a big but, because there was a stipulation in our arrangement with funny little Morgan: for every weekend we were each gone as well as most of spring break, we got a coupla extra days added since Adriane and I would not be seeing these particular gentlemen. (This clause doesn't actually make sense since it's not like we see them everyday we're in Flag but I think Morgan just wanted the extra padding for the deadline.)I think March 30th is the date we are bumping the deadline to. So, no flowers yet but these two fellas only have about one more week...updates to come next week then :]

rewarded with 5 minutes of uninterrupted blogging.

i just finished my journal entry for Spanish class; it's not a course about the language but about the country's history. anyways, the weekly journal entries are hard for me to write so i've decided to reward myself by writing a new bloggie before 'worshing' the piles of dirty dishes in the sink...

while reading on, listen to the Eric Burton and the Animals' song San Fransiscan Nights for the full effect

it's 3ish days before spring break. obviously, i'm supah excited :) i'll be in no. cal. sunday through thursday with my mama and fake grandmother.

...just my mom and I; I haven't seen my fake g-ma in like 5 years so none of our pics together are digital :(
we'll be in San Jose at fake Grandma Enis's house enjoying her city and garden for a coupla days and in San Fransisco for a coupla days.

in San Fransisco I plan on:

-walking along fisherman's wharf, Pier 39

-visiting the wax museum (looked for pictures of when I went in high school and posed next to almost every wax figure, but realized they were taken on a disposeable and now sit in a family album in Phoenix)

-stopping in at Ghirardhelli Chocolate Factory

-touring WWII ships like the USS Jeremiah O'Brian

-maybe getting to visit Alcatraz, oo-lala

-admiring the ocean

-visiting my dad's early childhood home north of the city

-walking through China town, looking at things like ducks hanging in windows and pharmacies in which shark fins sit in proudly displayed jars (again, too bad I don't have access to the pics of my trip in high school!)

my packing list for this California trip contains things like:
-nautical themed clothing& accessories
-good walking shoes

-camera with lotsa batt'ries

-ipod to repeatedly listen to the aforementioned Animals song and my other classic Cali music like Jack's Mannequin and the Beach Boys

button, button, who's got the button?!

ever heard the worship song that goes,
"You give and take away, You give and take away.
my heart will chose to say, Lord blessed is Your name" ?
...well i've been singing it for years and years but have a new appreciation of the words.

lately, God's been been teaching me to be grateful things I already had.
examples:




*having a button on my winter coat. i have other coats, but this one i got last year is my absolute favorite.

while playing in the snow, the button fell off and it took me over a month of forgetting to sew it back on. now i appreciate being able to close my coat to better keep me warm :)




*my wallet. yep, remember when i mentioned i had lost my wallet? four days later i found it on the dashboard of my car! already having cancelled my bank cards, it was nice not to have to go get a new driver's license and to still have an old navy gift card. these were posessions i already had and yet was newly thankful for. i realized that they're still a luxury to be thankful for; i don't really need them but life is easier with bank cards, AAA, a driver's license and a coupla bucks in cash.



*my bike. i know, you're thinking "really jennifer, you're gonna talk about your bike againnn?" yes, yes i am. it's just supah exciting to have the mode of fun transportation back!
it's something i took for granted; it was free and i was like 'well everyone on campus has a bike, it's nothing to be very thankful for now that i've had it for a few months.' totally wrong.



*other things like hot water from the kitchen sink and NOT having my car blow smoke at me through the ac vents.

it really doesn't matter how these things ended up outta my life for a while. God restored them to me in a way that makes me discover how blessed i am with even the little things and that i really don't have to depend on having posessions, there not mine anyway.

*****i feel this could be preparing my heart a little for when i return home from 6weeks in China this July, shocked with gratitude for what God has already provided me with and seeing all that i can live without!

a happy note :)

* this evening, my bike was returned to me! i just happened to see it leaning against the wall i left it at before it was---uh, borrowed without asking. i wonder about the person who took it and returned it; was that their intention the whole time? where did they go once they had my bike? were they too racked by guilt to keep it? what has murray (my bicycle,) been up to these last few days?
not that i really care too much, i'm just happy to be a girl with a bike again!

* in one month from yesterday i'll probably being recieving flowers from my dear friend morgan. morgan is convinced that my roommate and i will be dating two specific boys we know and ,uhhumm, like. i would not mind dating this certain someone sometime soon, but won't be shocked to find that come march 23rd i'll be handed a lovely bouquet by morgan because he hasn't asked me out.
though, if morgan was right i'll owe her some flowers, and that's money i wouldn't mind spending!

now for less girly (?) blogging, here's what i'm obsessed with right now:
_songs:
- You and I, Ingrid Michaelson
- Folding Chair, Regina Spector
{i've been listening to those 1st two back to back over &over &over again!}
- Walking the Dog, Fun
- Tune Out and On Your Porch, both by The Format
- Haven't Met You Yet, Michael Buble
_blogging maybe
_serving others by cooking and baking for them
_$5 mustard yellow cardigan from target, which my roomie adriane also owns and loves
_the R.L Stien book my friend christie told me to read
_Helen Keller's autobiography
_telling everyone my bicycle is back & riding it around

ps....

JUST A GIRL WITHOUT A BIKE...

_I just lost my wallet last night, with all important cards in it except for the replacement school id i got last week. There is also the small possibility it was stolen since our 'livingroom' door was unlocked and open when I woke up this morning. BUT one thing I earned from this is how loving and generous the women from my NorthPoint Bible study are! :)

_My bike was stolen. Yep, the one I got for free that I tied a metal shower basket to with zip ties... here's a picture of a happier time:

I should have not forgotten to lock it up over the weekend, but some mean person should also not have taken it. It was a ghetto bike, but it was MY ghetto bike!

_I got my roommate hooked on one of my fav shows, Dead Like Me. guess that's what you get when you make fun of the tv i watch ;)

_Release 2010 is going on and it's so exciting! my prayer: let God's love be known throughout this campus and reach over with abundance to Africa... In Jesus' name, Amen!

_two of the funniest pranks have been pulled on me by Andrew James, Ashley Nicole, Jessie Mae, and Sam Brown in the last month. including but not limited to: pecans in my pillow cases, drawers,& clothes. my giant stuffed animal duck drawn over the shower curtain rod. sick rob pattinson poster stuck above my bed. knick-knacks from my desk stuck upside down beneath its shelf.

_I hate knowing that I used to be so much better at writing than I am now; sorry if this bloggie is a bit lame/painful to read...

_

knock, knock, knocking on heaven's doorrr

just about one week ago God revealed something pretty cool to me; this is about the 3rd draft of this post about that Sunday....

Four of my friends and I [looked for a picture of all of us together but one doesn't exist] drove down to Phoenix last(?) Saturday for a short vacay in the sun, complete with an overnight visit to Andy Liem's Gammy and attening service at a charasmatic ("Of, relating to, or being a type of Christianity that emphasizes personal religious experience and divinely inspired powers, as of healing, prophecy, and the gift of tongues", according to thefreedictionary.com,) church that we had heard about.

I definitely believe the Holy Spirirt manifests itself in those ways- actually, I know that. BUT, I still had never been to such a churchI am from a conservative, Lutheran-ish church and clapping my hands during worship is a big step for me....so for our visit to Heaven's Place (the name of the church,) I was excited, anxious, and nervous!

We entered the one room, pale yellow church a few minutes after service had begun. Two women were at the front, leading worship with their singing and a keyboard. A man with a spider and its web tatooed on his face welcomed us in with "God bless you's" , a handshake, and a warm smile as a woman did the same with a pat on the back. So we were a little more at ease by the welcoming hearts saturating the small space (or, at least I was.)

Most everything was new to me- massive hand clapping, unstoppable laughter from the incredible woman pastor from South Africa, lotsa hand raising, worship through the repetition of the words "bubble, double, bubble, bubble, double..." (you get the point,) prophesying (when the pastor prophesied over me i cried...), casting out demons and spirits, and pastoral prayer for individuals after the sermon!

Half way through the service God made me see beauty in this place; these people have a love for Jesus just like me. Their ways of worship, prayer, and teaching are beautiful because they are reaching out to God and completely open to the Holy Spirit. It was like attending church in a language you recognize but don't speak fluently; not knowing enough to really keep up, just enough to understand the jist of what's going on...

Super Bowl weekend

[i actually started writing this out last night so it falls under the scheduling category of "Sunday: Nice Things", as in something random i just had to post]

no more than 15min after i arrive home, my mama finds me sobbing on the floor of our kitchen.
i have to spill my guts to her.


*rewind: friday night i walk into the house after my 2hr drive from school. my puppy dog jumps on me, tail wagging, tongue out. my mom is sitting on the living room couch and is quieter than usual but happy to see me. my dad warned me that this had been a rough week for her.



i begin noticing the old newspapers littering the room. on my way to the restroom i see the kitchen dirty with old plates and a coupla pizza boxes on the counter.



returning to the living room i find that my dad is home, now sitting with my mom. just as i begin looking forward to one of my mom's yummy home cooked meals, the 'rents ask me what i want from arby's. great, fast food- something no one in my family needs any more of.


tearing up, i slip away to the kitchen. this house seems to be reflecting what i feared my family's trapped by: personal apathy. a real mess. depression. shame.


my heart breaks, praying and longing for my parents and brother to be healed by Jesus.


i also feel guilt for being able to escape this, living a few hours away in my nice clean dorm surrounded by friends, having Jesus to help me through everything.



so i tell my mom why i'm crying. she reminds me that the house is a mess and she isn't feeling well because she had major knee surgery last week.
so she hasn't just given up on...everything. relief streams through me- the situation isn't so bleak.


**fast forward to saturday afternoon: my dad and i are driving through Maryvale- the ghetto neighborhood where we both grew up- on the way to visit more family. he always gets nostalgic around here.


so i had to ask:
*did my 'Catholic' grandma actually go to church?
dad: she did- she did all those sacrements. but no, not after she got married. [my heart sinks]
me: oh.
dad: but she did pray every night. and your grandpa didn't like churches, but i know he believed in God. and he was always kind to others, he would do anything for a complete stranger. and us kids went to Sunday school sometimes, with our friends and we chose whether we wanted to go. but i just wanted to play....i wonder what church i'll be going to, you know, when you become a minister.
me: speechless...........



"As in water face reflects face,
So a man's heart reveals the man" Proverbs 27:19


God knows people's hearts; this comforts me. He provides hope, and after the dark weekend my hope for my family has been renewed.

"I wish I was at an Arby's 'cause there's better food and cooler people there! "

this week's movie review...

Baby Mama [if you couldn't guess from the quote]
verdict: i love it.
one of my favorite movies ever- i could watch it like twice a week for the rest of my life and never get bored with it! (uh-oh, i also said that about School of Rock in the 10th grade and i now can't bare to watch it more than twice a year.) but really, this movie is sooo funny! nearly every line could serve as a great 'one liner'...i think. and i love the fashion. and i even love the storyline... :}

suggestion: watch the movie with friends on a lazy Sunday afternoon after church and lunch! aside from the initial viewing in theatres, it's perhaps my new favorite way to watch a film ;)

warning: for thursday movie reviews i'll probably rarely do an actual review of a new release. either personal favorites or movies that i hated. why would i bother to write a lukewarm review? pointless, so i won't.

*side note? : maybe it's because it's late and i'm exhausted or maybe it's cause i'm obsessed, but i think a movie based on the hit show Glee sounds fantastic. no, after typing that i think not. not at all. i just miss Glee and was desperate for a way to express that in tonight's post...sorry for being a foo'.

the 2 shows i want on dvd: Glee. Roseanne.

12:30am, Saturday. just barely, I am following my new schedule!
I'm amused by what's on my bookshelf & maybe you will be too---so here's an itemized list:

_1 bobble head Jesus

_2 miniature popes (Papa Juan Pablos)

_1 miniature Santo Francisco

_1 plastic dinosaur (think 'Sarah' from Land Before Time) from my church's middle school lock-in I helped chaperone

_1 tube Burt's Bees chapstick, pomegranate flavored

_1 small Niagra Falls snow globe

_1 rock painted by one of my sg girls from last year

_1 box of unicorn bandages, "made with real unicorn tears for extra healing power"[it says so right on the box]

_1 school photo of my cousin Allie in a pretty frame

_1 "I <3 Jim" from The Office sticky note pad

_1 Pirates of the Carribean sticky note pad

_1 Reese's tin (filled w/ things for another list)

_1 'sort-n-save bank'

_1 bottle of Eucerin lotion

_1 desk organizer drawers with things like boring papers, batteries and other things that don't deserve a list

_a miniature cupid that was the 'toy prize' out of the afore-mentioned tin of unicorn bandages

_oh yeah, and various books& magazines, none of which are actually for any of my classes...

shhheduuule

i've been torn up about what to write about for my bloggie lately; i know a theme isn't a requirement, but they seem very nice and i've decided i want one.

...but to pin down just one topic, really? i'd rather not.
while making a trip to one of the finest bakeries in flag i mentioned my conundrum to my bff, roomie, and fellow blogger & blog reader adriane. like always, she had the best solution: a day-of-the-week topic like her older sister implements for her blog! of course, i love it :)
so here's the schedule for you, my avid readers:

Mondays: Pranks
Tuesdays: What's on the desk of a reforming hoarder?
Wednesdays: Women I admire most
Thursdays: Movie Review
Fridays: Photos with Minimal Captions
Saturdays: Lists
Sundays: Nice Things

Frasier's transitional labels are like fb photo album names

-well executed pranks
~texting 2 friends last night to tell them classes were cancelled due to snow. one began planning a movie marathon & the other supposedly just skipped classes. but is it really my fault if peeps don't check their email to confirm such things?? (...but if you know me, you could guess that i still do feel a bit bad)
~making 5 of my friends, and then all those present at the small group leaders' mtng who notice my presence, think i got a nose ring.
~convincing a friend i got "HUSTLA" tattooed across my bicept (or the area in which my bicept would be if i had real muscles)
~taking an in-shell-walnut out of my friend's cupboard, cracking it open & then placing all pieces back onto his shelf. then, i drew small animal-like footprints next to the nut reminants and smudging them slightly to look more real. later he told me he didn't fall for it for a second, but i suspect otherwise.
~changing my roomie's fb status...though that prank was actually terribly executed, but whatevs
~writing a fake grocery list at a friend's house...lame, but i got a laugh out of it

"I used to like to play with my Ken and Barbie dolls. Ken was my favorite. Then one Christmas I got them a camper and all they wanted to do was hang out in it by themselves. So I wasn't too upset when they took that wrong turn and went over the cliff."
_Vada Sultenfus, My Girl

I got to watch possibly my all-time favorite movie, My Girl on my lazy afternoon this week and rekindled my love for it. Ever since I can remember I've loved pretty much everything about the movie, and at the age of 10 I planned naming my possible future daughter 'Vada' after the main character....it's pretty sick I know, but isn't it the slightest bit cool?

So, I want to hear from YOU: Am I setting my possible future child up for failure if I name her Vada Jane -----?
seriously, leave a comment & let me know :}

I don't make New Year's resolutions but...

I have just never understood the hype about New Year's resolutions. I'm all for them since they are usually made because people become inspired to change their life for the better.
a fresh start.
okay, I get it, I do. BUT why limit one's self to January 1st each year?? if you wanna change, do it NOW; whenever that might be!
and this January 1st as I laid on my grandparent's orange and brown 70s couch I realized something. I don't understand why people are obsessed with the fresh start a New Year gives them when there's a better one out there. Jesus. Yes, I said it. So I sound like a crazy, judgemental-of-others, know-it-all Christian but I don't mean to be like that. Maybe I'll elaborate more on this idea of mine in a future bloggie...

All that being said I've done some reflecting, watched some movies, and read some books in the last month and so- for the first time in my life- I'm making some New Year resolutions. Hypocrite? perhaps, but at least I'll admit it, right?

~eat healthier, and eat much less meat: i don't think i can handle becoming a vegetarian, but after watching Food, Inc I just need to do something about my awful dietary habbits!

~be a better friend: there are people in my life I absolutely love but- for some reason or another, mostly pure laziness- either don't keep in contact with or don't make the effort to hang out with nearly enough. this is going to change; I already have a list of names of such peeps.

~be more involved in mentoring my Bible study girls& try to help them extract their missional side a bit more: I absolutely love the girls in my small group and need to work much harder at working out schedules to see them on a regular basis outsida the Bible study. Also, to encourage and work with them more to be more missional- like working to add new ppl to our small group's 'core group'.

~don't slack off in classes like I have for the last year and a half: freshman year I was on the dean's list, now I'm just scraping through. I need to remember going to college is an opportunity and gift. I want Colossians 3:23-24 ("Whatever you do, do with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men...It is the Lord Christ you are serving.") to inspire me with this task.

~update my bloggie more often: I love reading others blogs... I've had plenty of complaints from friends frustrated with my lack of blogging.

feel free to help keep me accountable : )