things i should probably buy soon...

-Anderson Cooper's book Dispatches from the Edge. Just spent 3 hours in BN reading it today and I'm almost halfway through it. Amazing stuff. And can I just say that he's pretty hot for a 40 year old guy? I'm just sayin'....he is!

-an iPod. someday, apple. someday.

-a new cell phone. nah, i'll just see what free ones i can upgrade to.

-The Fray's CD. Thanks Steph--you got me hooked on that song and now I hear it everywhere! But I love it!

-wedding gifts...ugh.

-a ticket to fly to Cali to see Becka. ;-) i promise, girl, i gotta get out there before you and faith get famous from the Amazing Race.


yeah, that's all. i couldn't think of anything else to say. note: i will not be purchasing any of these soon, however, unless you want to send donations. :-)

it's a beautiful day...

It's pretty much like the most gorgeous day ever. I guess I could request just slightly less wind while driving with the windows down so that my hair wouldn't fly everywhere, but I'm not going to complain. It's beautiful. 93 degrees + sunshine + Saturday + nothing really to do = a good day.

I love that when I have nothing really to do I can find a million little things to do such as sleep in, go for a walk/run (mostly walk), vacuum out my car, wash my car, change my shower curtain liner, wash my bathroom rug, file my nails, paint my toenails, write on my blog, make a yummy dinner, bake an angel food cake, read & lay out at the park, Sudoku, and on and on. I think I'll also rent a movie I love...possibly Lucky 7...and eat popcorn. And maybe get some ice cream.

I love summer. These are the days.

lots to say...

<----(heidi, sorry i posted the "oops it looks like we posed with heidi's cardboard cutout" picture on...i HAD to!)








OK...first of all, I've gotta share some fun from last night's little Girls' Night Out w/ Alli, Steph, and Heidi. It was soooo good to catch up and just go out to eat and we all knew we'd pretty much revert back to age 18 but who cares? It was just like old times, minus a few people. As we sat at our table at O'Charley's I said, "I feel like we're on Sex & The City...minus the sex. Well, and the city."


We had some good times chatting about life and singlehood and jobs and nieces and nephews and diversity issues in schools and food (i have to include steph's quote of the night that her caramel pie ice cream tasted "like heaven in her mouth") and apartments and houses and friends with babies and all else under the sun. And then we had silly time in Meijer as well as our photo shoot... here are pictures from the night:



heidi & steph...i think discussing the goodness of the caramel pie ice cream but i can't remember...








one of our many attempts to take photos of ourselves in the parking lot...

















...and that's all the good ones I got b/c my camera sucks and kept dying. oops. I need steph to email me hers. (hint, hint Steph)

...and onto tonight's conversation piece that really doesn't even need to happen...American Idol. seriously, do we need to even have a 2-hour event tomorrow night? i think we all know who's going to win. And if it's Katharine, you better believe I'm never watching it again. Doesn't matter anyways...Elliott was my vote.

-And what's with every other channel now having some sort of rock star show? Come up with something new, people!

-the ACM Awards ended with Kelly Clarkson performing with Rascal Flatts...I wasn't too impressed. I'm pretty sure their voices don't blend very well. Please try again.

-the movie The Interpretor is pretty darn good. I just finished it.

And, that's all. 5 minutes of your time spent reading this? I know, I have nothing better to do.

P.S. Yay, I'm taking 2 personal days that I need to use up--tomorrow (wednesday) and Friday so 4 day weekend for me and a nice day off tomorrow! Hopefully I'll be able to find something fun to do!

yuck.

i feel yucky today.

yuck.

that's all.

i think i'll go rent a movie and sit around and do nothing in my comfy clothes all day and night.

and i'm sad my roommate has now moved out. :-(

this is my work break...

So this is going to be my 15 minute afternoon break that we're supposed to get every day... I need a break from working on new displays for camp teams to take and from calling references.

I'm currently listening to someone's old school Audio Adrenaline on iTunes. It's Don't Censor Me from way back in the day. I really wish I had the older stuff, however, like with PDA and Who Do You Love and those oldies but goodies. They remind me of when Cory would come home from CIY with her tapes and I'd listen to them at night on my Walkman. I was cool.

Last week, Cory and I had a fun time torturing each other by emailing old cheesy Christian lyrics back and forth to each other. (It all started with her having a Point of Grace song in her head--the one that had a video where they were singing in an empty cafe.) It was fun. So in honor of that, here are the old school songs, CDs, and such that will always remain cheesy but continue to hold some kind of memory or tradition:

-anything Point of Grace, such as...The Great Divide, Circle of Friends, Life, Love, & Other Mysteries, Gather at the River, or Keep the Candle Burning

-speaking of candles, you've gotta have Kathy Troccoli and Go Light Your World on this list. That will forever be the graduation service song that was either played or sung when Rondel planned our graduation services from high school.

-dcTalk's Free At Last CD or Nu Thang. Seriously. I love those. I think I might have to break out some of those soon. I'm pretty sure the song I Luv Rap Music from their first record will be remembered for awhile by most guys who lived on F1 or F2 in Titus at LCC. I suppose now is an okay time to come clean with us leaving that on their answering machines...they'll never know.

-don't even know who sings it, but from an old, OLD CIY cassette tape, the song Housin'. (not to be confused with the Audio Adrenaline song Big Big House). "Come and go with me, to my father's house...we can live together. Come and go with me to my Father's house; we can live forever! ... to the rap part (which of course I still know the words to): You like what you like and I like what I like, forget about what we like it's all about what He likes, see He likes to be the one in full control of your heart of your mind, of your body and your soul. And I'm down with that, cuz he's the one that made me. The power over evil is the power that he gave me but not only that, He gave me the mind to catch the beat that moves your feet and moves your body to the rhyme..." Need I say more?

-Another one that reminds me of Cory, Shelly, and Linnea is "...in the Eye of the Hurricane...in the center of the storm...in the chaos there's a comfort, a harbor safe and warm..."

-I have to bring up the group Church of Rhythm, who I believe encountered a bit of identity crisis after my obsession with them in Jr. High during which I had them sign the inside cover of my Bible. When I saw them at the Clinton Jr. High Overnighter I was all about the Free At Last poppy song of theirs and any other song of theirs. Amanda, I'm sure you'll remember those days... Then a year later at CIY they were suddenly hardcore alternative. Weird.

-Must I even bring up old Amy Grant music? Baby, baby, that was alllll classic. Don't even get my heart in motion...
-Hm...I believe Jars of Clay was an obsession of mine during a phase of my high school years after seeing them at ICTC and meeting them afterwards. I was such a dork.

Well I'm sure there are more, but it's so fun to think of those old school songs I used to jam to on my Walkman and on church youth group trips. Remind me if I'm forgetting some faves...

tv drama and affairs

So I can't handle the drama anymore. No more season finales for me...I think my heart needs a break from beating so fast by being worked up from these shows. I just finished watching Grey's Anatomy and last week's Gilmore Girls season finale that I had taped and still hadn't watched. My heart has been just about leaping out of my chest, and I think that's a sure sign that I should stay away from these shows for a little while. (good thing they were the season finales...but i'll be back next season!) Anyway, I know most of you reading couldn't care less, but I have to vent and let out my frustration! And I promise, I'm going to tie these 2 shows together with a major frustration about TV drama...I know you're so excited to stay tuned for that!

First, Grey's Anatomy. Seriously, Meredith and Derek need to get themselves figured out. And Izzy can't quit! She has to come back! And I'm glad that sometimes, just sometimes, Alex knows the right thing to do and say at the right time. I think he redeems his faults in those moments. I know deep down that Burke & Christina will be just fine...and even if he can't operate for some time due to his gunshot wound, I think it'll be good for their relationship and make them stronger. I just can't get over Denny...just can't get over it. I can't imagine being suddenly engaged, either, and then an hour later having to see my fiancee's body headed to the morgue. I just can't imagine it...

Now, Gilmore Girls. What in the world is going on? I can NOT believe Lorelai slept with Chris. Before I go off on that, I have to note that Rory did an amazing acting job when Logan left for England...that was really good. Overall, I'm pretty disappointed with the season finale being overtaken by the stupid people singing on the sidewalks. At least it wasn't about Layne's cheesy band. Those scenes are the most pointless scenes ever. Just give me Luke, Lorelai, Rory, Logan, and Lorelai's parents. And we can leave out Chris, because he's throwing in too much crazy drama.

My major frustration (which ties both of these shows together) is that all of the sudden it is completely fine for people to have affairs. I know this is nothing brand new, but it just makes me so mad! With Derek and Meredith--I understand Derek's marriage isn't picture-perfect, and he claims he just can't help but look at her without wanting to be with her. Can you practice some self-control Derek? And with Lorelai and Chris, she was completely acting on an impulse of anger and I'm not quite sure what it is she wants...but it should be Luke. No matter what, I can't stand how these shows and so many others just make affairs OK. Last night my roommate and I talked about the same thing after watching Rumor Has It. Same thing. People, it is NOT okay to have affairs! Whether it's physical, mental, emotional, or whatever, it's unfaithful. I am tired of how the media downplays it just to produce drama even in real life.

I can't seem to figure out, though, if the media is simply representing what's happening already in culture, or if society is reproducing what they're seeing in the media. Which way is it? Is it both? I've always wondered that (almost like "which came first? the chicken or the egg?").

I need to think about this more instead of just blurting out some random words for all the world to see on here. I guess I should start piecing my thoughts together a little more! I think I just need to dialogue about this to get my brain rolling on that subject.

hm...

currently...

• I am about peeing my pants in suspense after watching Greys Anatomy tonight. It was the first part of the season finale and I'm not sure if I can handle waiting till tomorrow night for the rest of it. I definitely screamed pretty loud and am still shaking. too involved in a tv show? no...

• I am watching Rumor Has It with my roommate. And I'm sad that she's moving out in the next week. :-( Let's not talk about it.
  

• loving Ray Lamontagne. I just bought Trouble tonight at Borders and it was the perfect night to drive in the rain and listen to it...I had been wanting that CD for awhile and last weekend saw the Austin City Limits with him and Ben Folds on it, and that pushed me over the edge. I had to get it tonight when I thought of it in Borders.

• I'm wayyy excited to read Margaret Feinberg's What the Heck Am I Going to Do With My Life? I read her book Twentysomething and loved it, and I already feel like I'm going to have a lot more direction after reading this book. Also, looking fwd to reading it together with Faith and talking about it every Thursday night on the phone.

• looking fwd to moving to my new office tomorrow...not any bigger than my cubicle, but it will be a nice change at least to make me feel like there is a bit of change in my life and workplace.

• I'm so happy I got to see my girl Amanda graduate yesterday and hang out w/ her and the Cole family last night in Streator. AND...met her boy... :-) And I just love her friendship...that deserves a whole new post in itself. We can't wait to be in each other's weddings someday (that's just a sidenote).

• I am in a great mood...had a great Mother's Day w/ the parents and all the fam. Played Yahtzee with Grandma Shirlye at the nursing home and got beat TERRIBLY. The funniest part is, when I started to say "play Yahtzee" I said "play Nazi" instead. That made it much more entertaining...I told Grandma she could be Hitler. Instead, I think this lady named Betty walking around the nursing home might be the actual Hitler...she provided some nice entertainment as well by yelling at us to get out and by poking grandma. oh, Alzheimer's...you do crazy things but at least it can be funny!
  

graduation

So today was LCC's graduation and it made me ponder several things.

1) my own graduation from LCC 2 years ago. I'm pretty sure I still feel like there's an assignment I forgot to do or some reason I shouldn't have graduated, yet I did. And they still hired me...so I'm assuming I got it all done? Guess so!

2) I also remember my only concerns at graduation being these 3 things: 1-worrying about my cap falling off my head, 2-tripping on the stairs or on stage and then falling on my face (as every girl worries about in heels), and 3-having to go last and turn the tassle for everyone. Why does it automatically have to be the only person who served on Student Cabinet that year? Can't it just be the last person to walk across the stage who has to do it?

3) Graduation is both memorable and unmemorable. I have no recollection of what Gary Johnson's sermon contained on my graduation date of May 14, 2004. Yet, graduation is still a memorable thing in general. It's an accomplishment. a HUGE one that, at the time, you just don't realize. And after it's finished, you still forget how big of a deal it kind of is!

4) Graduation is also pretty much the reason I do my job...yeah I'm here to recruit students to come to LCC, but I don't want to recruit to keep students there. I do it to bring people in and eventually get rid of them again so they go back out into the world to serve and lead! There are two seasons that are the culmination of all my work--Move-in/Orientation weekend, and Graduation. It's what is beyond both of those that is most important. I hope the people I recruit are world-changers.

traffic school

So I had to go to traffic safety school last night because of my one and only ticket that I received months ago. 6-10 p.m.--the most boring night of my life. It couldn't have come on a day when I was more tired, but I survived! The little old teacher was just adorable, and I'm pretty sure I almost teared up a couple of times due to his stories from being a past cop and all the accidents he witnessed, losing his son to an accident b/c he didn't wear his seatbelt, and all the disgusting things he had to see b/c of people who are drunk and then drive. Idiots. I really HATE when people drive after drinking. Do I really need to prove why? I think it's obvious.

Speaking of driving safely, I was on my WAY to Bloomington to take the class, and I almost got hit by this lady with an Arkansas license plate. She totally just merged right into my lane, ignoring my little red Focus in the way. Ugh.

I definitely have a little bit of an aggressive driving behavior. I even took the little quiz in my book last night and it made me realize I need to cool it down when I get mad at all the Lincoln drivers who don't know how to use their blinkers. Hopefully now I'll stop losing my patience in the first 5 minutes of my day on the way to work.

AND...I felt like a jr. higher trying to keep myself awake by tracing the letters in my book, doodling my name, and drawing geometric shapes. I almost kept giggling though, when the teacher would say "happen" or "push" or "can't" with his Southern IL accent. It sounded like "heappen" or "poosh" or "ceeant". It was funny to me. Anything to stay awake.

However, for the friend I talked to all hours of the night that caused my tiredness, it was well worth it.

Anyways...I promise someday I'll have more substance on here...I just need to sit and write someday.

P.S. it's freaking cold outside today! what happened?! seriously, summer, come back!

nothing at all of importance

i don't know how, but somehow that stupid "oh where is my hairbrush?" song just popped into my head. i realized it after i got annoyed with some voice in my head singing it.

krista taught me how to play Sudoku (is that the right verb there? do you play it? do you just "do" it? do you "solve" it? whatever.) last week and i came to the office to print off some online if i could find them. and then i ended up on here. i don't know how. i'm bored.

today was holerfest. reminds me of the holerfest several years ago in which i could not enjoy the festivities due to completing my Legal Environment independent study for Rick Hobler. I spent a greater part of the evening in the library computer lab (which used to be right NEXT to the hole) working on writing several chapter reviews from these legal journals in which i was VERY uninterested. I don't believe I really even had time to eat dinner that night. Keep in mind, this was all in the day our IDS 302 project had JUST been completed and everyone else was right outside the window having fun without me. it was a sad, sad day. you shouldn't feel bad for me, though, b/c it's over. like 4 years ago. i'm over it.

i'm already realizing how bored i'm going to be when my roomie shannon moves out later this month. i will miss her dearly. :-(

i can't even begin to tell you how much i really like the cream puffs and eclairs that are available at your local ALDI store. they're wonderful. just a thought.

Rob Blackledge is coming here on Tuesday. Should be fun to hear him sing us some of his tunes again!

My skin has been pretty itchy lately...for a few days it stopped and i think it's coming back again. Maybe i need to put more lotion on. or maybe i am going to become yet another statistic in the midwestern mumps outbreak.

did you hear that they want to raise stamps 3 more cents to 42 cents? Jeez, by the time i get married it's going to cost like $3000 just to invite people! ugh.

and on that note, i will end this meaningless post. Sorry to get all Ecclesiastes on you.