it's a celebration

And with the ending of 2005, I'll be ringing in the New Year in good ol' Times Square.

I'll refrain from making a sappy post about the best of times and the worst of times in 2005. Why? Because we don't necessarily need closure on one year when each of its parts contribute to the whole of our lives. 2006 will be a new year that will come with more of the best of times and more of the worst of times. But we can hope and pray that it is filled with the best.

I'm so excited to spend a few days in the Big Apple with these girls:
...the other two single BCG's, Becka and Faith.










-Christmas was great this year, but of course it isn't the day that makes me happy. It's the season. It makes me slightly mad that the radio stations stop playing Christmas music IMMEDIATELY on the 26th. Jeez, they're quick. I will not stop. Nor will I take down my trees until I return from NY in the New Year. It saddens me to see trees already near the road ready to go out to the trash.

-I'm getting my hair cut today. It's about freaking time. It's my fault I haven't had my hair cut since the end of July. I'm an idiot. I should never let it go that long. I'm just not good at making appointments!

-Well, I wish you all a very Happy New Year! And be safe! Watch for me on TV!

Relevant Podcast / Bono

If you're interested, check out www.relevantmagazine.com and scroll down to the recent Podcast about Tara Leigh Cobble's article on "How to Dismantle an Idolized Bono." I read the article in 850 Words of Relevant a couple days ago and responded by sending my feedback (along w/ hundreds of others) to Relevant, and I guess they read part of my response on the podcast. My friend Laura Ashely and her husband Randall heard it on there and called me.

I just thought I'd let you know. It was quite the article.

3 more days?

It makes me sad that there's only 3 more days of this season, b/c you know that as soon as the 25th is over, the sales on the 26th hit, and everyone is mentally finished w/ Christmas. This season flies by way too fast, and it's not even the day that I care about...more the season! At least this year I get to look forward to NYC on the 29th!!! (hopefully the strike will be over by then, might I add!)

I miss that little advent calendar that my parents used to hang in December to replace the regular calendar. It was a hideous green thing with mice on it and the little pockets counting from 1-25. Each morning before school I'd move that little mouse one more day. But I could never decide if it was better to count forward or backward to let me know how many days till Christmas.

And just so you know, I'm sure I'll continue to listen to Christmas music as I please after the 25th.

I watched White Christmas last night and have officially decided it's an all-time favorite of mine. It's really not that Christmas-y, but it's the dancing and singing that I love. I secretly wish I was Vera Ellen or Rosemary Clooney. And I also secretly wish to have a surprise White Christmas like on the movie. OK, so it's not secret anymore. oh well.

just fillin' you in.

For some reason, random posts is all I can muster up these days. I have no time to sit and write a short story.

-So I really want to hang out w/ the Raymer's. One of these days I will make it up to Plano to see you guys! Also, Rach, I can't wait to see you too! Let's road trip to Plano when you're home!

-I have had the worst case of hiccups today. I only get the hiccups like once every month, and usually when I do, I'll get them multiple times that day or over a span of a couple days. It's very strange.

-I got my tickets to NYC for New Years! I leave the 29th and get back on Jan. 3. And randomly, my friend Becka (who now lives in CA), decided to go too. We're compiling lists of things to do while there...here's mine so far:

• ice skate in Central Park
• see the tree in Rockefeller while it's still up
• see the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir maybe?
• maybe wait in line for standby tickets (that's all you can get by now) for Conan or Letterman
• go to the bakery w/ those famous cupcakes (can't remember the name of it...)
• go to Serendipity and get a Frozen Hot Chocolate (thanks to Rachel Ray for the tip)

-We haven't yet decided on NYE plans...any ideas? Times Square will be CRAZY but maybe we'll go for it...if i'm in the mood to freeze around a bunch of drunk tourists. I'd also like input from Dustin or anyone else w/ lots of NYC experience on what to do while there...especially on little $$.

-LCC has a b-ball game tonight. My poms girls are dancing.

-I can't even explain how much I love Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. No show has ever, to my knowledge, made more positive, meaningful impact than this.

-So if I splurge after Christmas and buy myself an iPod...what should I engrave on the back or side of it? any ideas?

-Go see Walk the Line. It's incredible. I might just buy the soundtrack w/ Reese & Joaquin's voices instead of the real June & Johnny! The story of how June stuck by his side is amazing. It's a true portrayal of grace and love. No offense, but I'd rather see that than Narnia. I'm just not into fantasy stuff. Maybe someday I'll see that.

what to do on a friday night

why am i at the office at 5:43 p.m. on a friday night? because I just booked my flight to NYC from Dec. 29-Jan. 3. Yay!

And I'm trying to make some plans for tonight...wanted to see Rent, but b/c I don't want to drive 3 separate times this weekend a half-hour away (i know, it's so far) I don't think I'm going to. I now HAVE to go to Bloomington tomorrow to pick up my tickets from the airport that are on hold and I'll be driving Sunday for church as well. I'm lazy. And I have no money to keep spending on gas. And the roads are scary.

So Heidi and I will be staying in the big L-town for the night...maybe we'll walk down to the Lincoln Cinema and see Walk the Line. Tomorrow night is my big Poms sleepover...should be fun to have the girls over to watch Christmas movies! I just don't want to veg 2 nights in a row. Then I feel like a big loser.

Alright I'm off to have a wild and crazy friday night! yeah right.
maybe i'll play in the snow. i'm dying to do that!

after a night of watching tv, here are my questions:

-Why, oh why, can't the OC just have happy times for awhile. It ended happy, but then on the preview for next week there's a kid about to kill himself b/c he's in love w/ Marissa. Come on!

-I love Everwood. That's not a question, I realize that. And I love that Ephram and Amy kissed and that Bright is really sweet w/ hannah and forced her to see her own beauty. We need more boys like that in this world.

-How does one get a job dancing for one of the Target commercials with a giant Wheat Thin on one's head? Or, perhaps, an old Gap commercial. What happened to those anyway? And I'd really love to dance in a fun commercial.

-How do I always get sucked into Friends at 9:00 when it's on? I think I secretly wish I were there with them.

-During the news coverage of the tragic airplane incident, I couldn't help but notice that they just kept on showing the tip of the plane that said "Southwest" and that's all that would show. Why is this? Is it not obviously a media bias? And is this Southwest's fault or is it Midway's fault? Either way, it makes me fearful of flying to NY for New Year's...especially following this text from my friend Becka recently: "dude. just had a dream that you were killed in a plane crash. freaky." awesome.

-and the question that is also the cause for me staying inside all night to watch tv is this-- did the people in lincoln forget how to clean the streets off? i'm just curious. they're still not good. and does anyone want to give me their garage?

It sure is comin' down out there isn't it?

these days

Let's just come right out and say it. I'm in love w/ Michael Buble. Or maybe just his voice. "so why don't you marry it?" you ask. "OK." I'm ticked b/c I missed most of his PBS concert last night.

It takes a lot less to make me cry than it used to. Not necessarily sad-crying, that is, but I feel like I got choked up multiple times in the past week over TV shows (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition mostly), the Invisible Children movie, Christmas in the Chapel, etc. I've just noticed.

In a different way, it takes a lot more to make me laugh, too. I've realized I'm not as easily amused at some things like I used to be. That's neither good nor bad.

I keep going to bed in Illinois and waking up in Alaska. Or maybe Antarctica. Same thing. It was freaking 4 degrees this morning! What's the deal w/ that?

I'm all about telling everyone about this: Invisible Children. If you've never heard of it, go check it out. This is about a crisis that's been ignored for wayyyy too long in Uganda. Children are being abducted every day to become sex victims or are being forced to join the army that's killing good people and trying to overthrow their government. PLEASE check out Invisible Children, order the DVD and pass it along. If you want to watch mine that I just bought, I'll gladly lend it to you!

In the past two weeks I've gone from having zero engaged friends to having TWO engaged friends: Kate (King) and Kristy (Kerestes). SOOO happy for both of them! They couldn't be more deserving!

I'm still wondering when it's my turn to at least be on the road in that direction. Not unhappy or even discontent. Just wondering. And waiting.

I'm drawn into the Chanel No. 5 perfume commercial that, at first, appears to be a Nicole Kidman movie...but nope! Just an extravagantly long commercial for an expensive fragrance! that's all!

I'm thinking about buying a black faux fur hat to match my pull-through scarf...or maybe a red hat to match my red gloves. we'll see. it's not important.

This season is busy! But I love it.

I think I'm burning alive in my office right now. It's a freakin sauna in here!

Christmas in the Chapel last night was a-mazing. Not necessarily my favorite one ever, but still great, as always. It never fails that I will cry while watching for three reasons:
1) I am moved.
2) I miss being up there.
3) I love Christmas.
And this time? The dancing looked like such fun that it made me cry that I didn't get to do it with them! There are a TON of new people in Chorale this year, and I think we're getting a new wave of talent. For the past two years or so it seemed a little different without the Ben Brownings and the Lauren Liggetts and the Benji Maurers and Sarah Formeas. It's the new generation of them, I'm telling you. (And I'm sure that every generation at LCC has their "group" of people who were that generation's talent...those were just some of ours.)

And I would like to call out Christmas in the Chapel as probably the best Christmas performance around. Not just because I'm biased and used to be a part of it. It just is. And to all of you "Living Christmas Tree" programs? Yes, that's you, sister Bible colleges and churches... color me unimpressed. This is different. But I'm not biased or anything... ;-)

If you don't have anything going on this weekend, TRY to get some tickets for this sucker. It's good stuff.