see below

Here are some photos from Katrina damage in St. Bernard Parish, LA. Some of these photos I borrowed from the facebook pages of some of the students in our group b/c my pictures sucked. Nevertheless, take a look at some of what we saw last week...

















(above) This house was moved off its foundation and almost into the street by the water.

(below) A typical street median filled with trash, various items, cars, boats, etc. strewn about.





























(above) a Mustang pushed onto the house from the water...a common occurrence.

(below) another house moved by the water down the street.

(above) More cars on top of each other from the water.

(below) The Wal-Mart parking lot in which we worked all week in the yellow and white tent. Also, note where the 'W' is on the Wal-Mart building...that's how high the water was during the flood.

(above) The X that is seen on every residential building noting different things...the top is the date it was searched, on the left I believe is the initials of who searched it, and the bottom # is the number of people or animals found dead. I'm not sure what's supposed to be on the right.

(below) This is the lower 9th ward, which was section 8 housing, located right next to the levee that broke (you can somewhat see it). The water powerfully pushed right through this area and demolished practically the entire neighborhood. The whole area is supposed to be torn down I think.

















Stay tuned for more pictures...I'll post a few more tomorrow.

For now, ponder these.

still in devastation

hey friends, i'm blogging from the big Easy...that is, New Orleans.

We're currently staying in a bed & breakfast just a few blocks from the French Quarter where there happens to be some internet access, and I thought I'd fill you in a little.

I've seen some major devastation these past few days that I'm currently still processing both mentally and emotionally. It isn't something that can be comprehended, that's for sure.

We're working in St. Bernard parish (a parish is a county here, fyi) where there was 100% destruction. For those of you who don't know, St.Bernard Parish is the first county in the United States to ever be 100% destroyed. 280,000 homes were lost, and there is an unbelievable amount of flood damage. It's surreal to drive through neighborhoods where the water line is visible at various levels. The tent where we're working every day and where we had church on Sunday morning happens to be in a Super Wal-Mart parking lot. We were told that the water was as high as the 'W' on the Wal-Mart building...that's 16-17 feet high, folks. Many houses flooded from 2 feet to 8 feet within a matter of 5 minutes.

I could fill your heads with statistic after statistic that I've learned, but it's nothing until you see this place and meet the real people who have been through it. I've already come in contact with hundreds of real survivors, and I promise you they are truly wonderful and grateful people, much unlike what the media portrays. They are thankful to see that other people care for them, and we're thankful for the experience of meeting them and hearing their stories. Thankfully, they're very open and willing to talk about it.

I can't wait to tell you more stories and post pictures when I get back, but for now I wanted to fill you in a little on our experiences. Most importantly, I just want to say that if you can come down here for a long weekend or a few days or a week or month or summer, please do. As the world just 'remembers' Katrina, these people are still living it. It's not over yet. In fact, it's just now beginning. While we're still stuck in the devastation, they've moved past that and have begun to find hope. This is home to them, no matter what has happened, and they're ready to rebuild.

Please be in prayer for the people of New Orleans and particularly from St. Bernard Parish. Keep praying for good health for our group while we're here as well as for the thousands of other college students serving during their spring breaks this week here. Pray that good work is done and that as this city begins to rebuild, they'll know that the world still cares, and most importantly they have a God that hasn't moved. He's here now more than ever, and He's moving in HUGE ways in this place. Keep praying people.

It's getting exciting.

let all the earth rejoice

why? because Travis picked Sarah on The Bachelor!!!!! Hooray! It's the first time in history that the person I wanted to be chosen and had faith in was actually chosen. I knew the show was trying to trick us into thinking otherwise, and while everyone else was starting to lose hope, I still had a string of it that I held onto knowing that Travis was smart enough to pick Sarah. I knew he HAD to know that she was perfect for him. He said it himself! They're so darn cute!!! And I hope they're living happily ever after now that the show's over!

In other news, if I wake up to "Check Up On It" by the despised Beyonce once more, I might send my alarm clock out the window. I just might.

waiting for summer...and lots of travels

FYI--it smells like spring outside today, but it's a tease. It's still too cold for my liking. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for the sunshine and all, but it's just not warm enough for me yet. I can't wait till summer. Or till I'm somewhere warmer.

I went to Oprah yesterday! Unfortunately, it was no giveaway day and it wasn't any of my favorite celebrities like Rachael Ray, Michael Buble, Patrick Dempsey, or Matthew McConaughey. Instead, we had the joyous topic of "America's Debt Diet: Part 3." Despite our disappointment, it was still cool to be there and it was pretty interesting. Tomorrow the part 2 episode is on, and I think ours will be on next week sometime. They said to watch on oprah.com for the air date. You might see us in the audience for a split second! And I'm trying for tickets again sometime...it's fun to go and I'm banking on getting a cool topic sometime.

I'll be in Indy all this weekend for the CIY Missions On Purpose conference. I enjoy a nice little work travel. I love it actually...I just hate driving the Scion.

I leave a week from Saturday to go down to New Orleans with one of the Week of E groups as the female leader w/ Brian Mills. I'm really excited. We're going to be living in tent cities in a Wal-Mart parking lot and gutting out moldy houses and building relationships with people in the French Quarters and the parish we're in. I can't wait to see how God moves and works in me.

Working on planning a trip out to L.A. this summer to visit Becka. I'm excited about that one too...if I can find a cheap flight!

Well, that's just where I am right now folks...things are good, life is great, and I'm anxious for some warm sunshine and some good travels! And sometime, I promise to sit down and write more of my thoughts than one of these random blogs, but I just never seem to have time to!

So I'm taking care of a 2 year old child for the rest of this week...that should be interesting. At least it's Maddy and she's cute enough to make up for her sassiness. Although, I'm a little scared of her puking while I'm there. All I know is this week I will be learning 2 things: 1) lots and lots of patience. 2) I'm so not ready to be a mom yet. and, well, 3 things. 3) that Cory and David are great parents...especially compared to me.

As for other updates on life...

-It's official that Bethany Dillon will be opening for Shane & Shane on April 24th here at LCC. Yay!!! Can't wait.

-Sarah from Tennessee is so going to win the Bachelor. And thank God Susan is out of there w/ her horrible acting.

-I really want to move to NYC. Or to Texas where it's warm. But I'm not really joking. I really am jealous that my friend Faith is having so much fun in NYC. I enjoy my independence a whole lot, and I'm realizing that more and more lately...and it makes me really want to move there.

-I got proposed to today...by a Holer. LCC'ers know what that means--it's not real, folks. But I got a real ring. They bought fake rings off of eBay for today. Hilarious. However, I'm keeping it on because it's fun.

-I'm craving a good road trip. Not just any ol' road trip. I'm talkin' good music, warm sunshine, a good friend or two, windows down, feet out the window, all laughing and fun memories, headed somewhere on this great big planet, loud singing, did i mention warm weather?, Wertz in my CD player, lots of pictures... that kind of road trip. I'm craving it. I need it. soon.

-I'm now addicted to Metro-Mint water. I found it at World Market this weekend. It's naturally mint-infused water and it's totally refreshing but not gross or weird. It's soooo good. It's probably my favorite new thing.

today

I just got the new Dave Barnes CD Chasing Mississippi in the mail yesterday and thus far it is soooooo good. I can't even describe how much I love getting new music...especially good stuff like his.

My life is pretty much consumed w/ planning this H.S. Girls Retreat called Awaken that we have here at LCC this weekend. We expected like 100-125 girls to come, and we now have over 200 total. Need I say more? It's crazy but exciting. Although Chantell is sick and has to get better by, say, tomorrow?

The Bachelor is not all that exciting this season, yet I still watch it at Kate's every week. I'm not a big fan of any of the girls. I am a big fan of him. Not in the way that I think he's amazingly hot, but in the way that he's sooo nice, unlike the past bachelors. He compliments every one of them even though he has a chance to rip them apart. That's nice for a change.

My dad is hilarious. He had some big satellite poker tournament online last night that if he placed in the top 3 they'd have flown him out to L.A. this weekend. I don't think he did this time, but I'm sure he will someday! He cracks me up.

This morning I woke up to Arrested Development's song Mr. Wendell. What a great old song! On the other hand, I usually hear that stupid new Beyonce song in the mornings...don't get me started on her OR the words to that song.

As I've said before, smells remind me of stuff. I'm wearing the perfume Pleasures today and it always reminds me of my freshman year in H.S. So weird.

fact or crap:

The game Fact or Crap sucks: FACT

The company you play it with can actually still make it funny: FACT

The questions in the game are good: CRAP

I got reservations to go to Oprah on February 22nd: FACT

It's easy to call in and get reservations on the day it says to online: CRAP

I slept till 12:30 today and I am still wide awake at 1:30 a.m.: FACT

I may be visiting my friends Matt Wertz and Rob Blackledge at Augustana next Sat.: FACT

I just preordered the new Dave Barnes CD Chasing Mississippi and so should you: FACT

I think I'm going to New Orleans with a Week of E group in March: FACT

You love this blog entry of mine: CRAP

I am going to go to bed now: FACT

dang female cops

Well, my seven-and-a-half-year streak of being ticket-free is over.

I got pulled over last night in Bloomington after stopping at my sister's and then trying to hurry back to Lincoln for something. As soon as I went by the cop her lights immediately went on and there she was behind me!

I just can't get over the fact that I've never been pulled over in almost 8 years of driving, and the first time I can't even get a warning? At least she was nice about it, I suppose. She wasn't a jerky female cop.

Oh well, life goes on. I was just hoping for a life-long record of being a really good cop-spotter and never getting pulled over...er, um....I mean, a life-long record of being a really good driver.

On that note, I'd like to pretend I'm on the radio right now and send a shoutout to Alli and wish her a Happy Birthday! And I'd like to give a shoutout to Amanda and Aubs and say Happy Birthday tomorrow!!! Gosh, lots of birthdays! Have fun and I wish I could see the 3 of you soon!!!

sweet nothings

this just in: i'm not good at blogging anymore. i pretty much suck at it.

i just typed up two entire paragraphs about stuff...twice...and then deleted them. they were stupid. i promise.

one of these days, i tell myself, i will write myself a good little blog entry.

And really, I'm not sure why I have become so lazy as to not even capitalize the first letter of every sentence. If I'm going to use punctuation, I may as well have some continuity with my capitalization just the same. (As if it takes more time and an extreme amount of effort to hit the SHIFT key while typing.)

And I know it's already January 18th and all, but I'm just wondering what this year holds. If I only had my crystal ball...

And, finally, to end on a completely random note...I am officially, unregretfully, and openly addicted to The Bachelor already. It is a weekly event, friends. And yes, I participate in abc.com's The Rose Ceremony game to predict who Travis will pick each week. I am not ashamed. But never, no never, could you pay me money to be one of those girls on the show.

the best year of our lives

In case you didn't know, "the best year of our lives" was the title of our journey to NYC for New Year's as a preface to the actual "best year of our lives" that will be 2006. Let's hope, anyways.

Some pics and words from our adventures...

Faith's humble abode where we slept on 2 air mattresses in the living room. Might not sound like fun, but with the 3 of us it was a blast. We watched Friends every night. It's so fun to watch Friends with friends.

Friday a.m. @ the Met.

some of my faves...Degas and Monet.

scenes from the city

for some reason, i love this pic from the ferry ride to staten island. might i add that we chose the perfect time to take the ferry. On the way there, the sun was shining, then setting behind Lady Lib, or Libby, as I called her, and on the way back it was dark and the city was all lit up. I was all lit up inside. And frozen. See more ferry pics below. (much to my disappointment, the night pics were blurry mcblurrstersons.)

shine on, Lady Lib, shine on.



@ the South Street Seaport
the city in motion
becka's first Times Square experience
St. Patrick's Church
ye ol' Rockefeller tannenbaum
us at SEA, the coolest Thai restaurant ever in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. such a cool place!
Watch closely, I am about to perform magic before your eyes...
And, voila! empty dessert plates. now how did that happen?
and, prepare for the most "perfectly miserable" 8.5 hours of your life. oh wait, that was us. it was quite the rollercoaster of a night, but SO MUCH FUN!!! we had the best spot ever. Look closely at the below picture of Carson Daly's stage, which we were extremely close to and you'll see him. We were right behind that and the Chevy stage where Mary J. Blige performed. I have pics of her kids watching her perform from the steps.


We may or may not have survived the night had they not thrown out these free mittens to all of us. Our gloves were wet and freezing from the previous rain. That's Faith, me, and Becka w/ our new friend Sarah from San Diego. She and her 2 friends were leaving for Israel the next day for a couple weeks. (you get to know a lot about people when you stand practically on top of them for 8 hours without moving.)


anxiously awaiting midnight...

i loved all the confetti falling. However, I still wish it would've come out of the giant Cup O' Noodles below the ball. oh well. Maybe next year they'll take my suggestions.
Happy New Year!!!! We survived!!!! it was so fun!
We tried to go to the Redeemer Church service on New Years Day at this Baptist Church near the Upper West Side, but it was so crowded that people were waiting on the steps to get in and were all turned down. They couldn't fit another soul (haha, no pun intended) into the church building. Actually, a great problem that I wish we'd see more often in the Midwest.

the BEST Billy Joel Tribute band EVER, called Big Shot, at B.B. King's Blues Club & Grill on New Years Day night. as I drank my prickly pear martini and sang along to "New York State of Mind," I said to my friends "this moment couldn't be more New York." I loved it.
me & Becka outside of Felicity's workplace, Dean & Deluca. Breanne Prunty would appreciate this one.
inside St. Patrick's
carry your candle and go light your world, folks.

OK, so this candy store made my night. The candies, shown, are called Satellite Wafers. Pretty much everyone makes fun of me for loving these things b/c they are basically edible styrofoam filled with tiny nonpareil sprinkles. I had been searching for literally years for these and found them there. It made my day. (and much to my surprise, i found them AGAIN today in a gas station in Sandwich, IL!!!! i couldn't believe it! twice in one week, and i've been looking since i was like 7 years old!)

the famous Serendipity 3 Frozen Hot Chocolate. yum. Sorry, Dustin, but I disagree on the overratedness of Serendipity. loved it. i could totally go for one of those right now. However, I would definitely agree on Lombardi's having the best pizza. that was AMAZING!!!

On that note, I must say my top 3 restaurant choices for NYC are these:

1)Lombardi's Pizza

2)Cafeteria (where they go on Sex & the City...I also felt "very New York" there as I drank my Mimosa and ate a yummy 3:00 lunch.)

3)SEA--best Thai restaurant, best atmosphere, best prices.

What a wonderful way to ring in the New Year. It was definitely the best New Years I've ever had and probably ever will for quite some time. We're already planning New Years '07 in Vegas--2nd best place to celebrate New Years Eve.

And by the way, people are SO NICE in NYC! What's with people in the midwest? We pale in comparison. I'm so impressed with the acceptance of people there, or at least from what I experienced. And I so want to move there. I might.

I hear the city calling my name sometimes.

coming soon...

pictures and my favorite moments of "The Best Year of Our Lives" (this is the title of my TRIP to NYC for New Years, just so you know.)

i promise, i'll get some pics and stuff soon. maybe tonight.

fyi: my suitcase is still missing, thanks to United.

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.

no schnitzel with noodles here

i can't even tell you how much i love this time of year.
These are a few of my favorite things:

• Radio stations entirely dedicated to my favorite seasonal tunes.
• Smells of pine and cinnamon everywhere you go.
• Sparkling lights and trees (amongst the ugly yard ornaments people have so unfortunately put on display)
• Busy shoppers making their lists, checking them much more than twice, and finding the best deals they can to make everyone happy.
• My cozy living room in just candlelight.
• The hopefulness the season brings and the hope that baby Jesus brought that started it all.
• The feeling that the world gets that brings them to worship the King once again and reminds them of why they're here...even if only for the season.
• Christmas in the Chapel at LCC. It's not Christmas without it anymore.
• Memories of making Christmas cookies (of which there are only one good kind--my mom's) and green marshmallow-y Corn Flakes wreaths with my mom and sister while listening to Kenny Rogers Christmas albums among some other Christmas compilation records we used to have. I especially miss the scratchy sound of the records playing...
• decorating the tree
• Christmas parties and events and gift exchanges
• the coming of a New Year (and the very likelihood of me spending its Eve in NYC this year w/ my good friend Faith. YAY!!!)
• warm greetings and hearts
• the excitement of something that's coming...something to look forward to and hope for
• Christmas classics like Miracle on 34th Street, White Christmas, Home Alone, etc.
• Classic songs like good ol' Kenny Rogers Christmas stuff, all Amy Grant Christmas music (although the best songs are Sleigh Ride--Gloria and I have a long history w/ that one--and Tennessee Christmas), and lots more...

There's something so unique about this time of year that I just love.

I wish I could experience what the people of Israel went through 2000 years ago waiting on the birth of baby Jesus. I'm sure it didn't involve credit cards and special songs and pine tree smells. But, I know the excitement must be similar...

There's a stirring.

the first snow

have you seen it?
no, really, have you seen it?

little flakes of white...
fluttering
floating
flying
freezing

oh, the snow
and fireplaces aglow
makes you not want to go
anywhere

it's like magic dust
for a little while
until it piles up
and we sled
and we slide
and we ski
and we slip
and we build snowmen
but until then

it's just the first snow
have you seen it?
have you felt it?
the freezing
frozen
flying
falling
fleeing
flakes
are like little pieces of grace


i love the first snow.

Hotlanta!!!

Along with Toadie, I too am off to the National Missionary Convention. Hotlanta, here we come! It's actually not that hot there this time of year, which pretty much sucks. I won't lie. I was looking forward to getting out of this cold.

And like Toadie's most recent blog, I too have some great National Missionary Convention memories...like these:

--the time when Aubs and I about freaked out on Marc Gorsch riding in the van 10 hours to Tulsa. there had just been some previoius drama w/ Marc, so his extensive talking was a lot to handle. And I think for some reason by the end of the trip we all weren't getting along...i guess that's a 10-hour ride in a van for ya. (especially when you add a flat tire and being stuck in Joplin for an extra hour or two on the way back)

--Cincinnati 2 years ago--when Faith vulnerably gave $20 to this guy on the street who needed to get to work at Bar Cincinnati, had no money to get back to his apt where his roommate and girlfriend were fighting, proceeded to tell us how he would be downtown the next morning (to pay her back) b/c he went to Catholic mass w/ his mom since his brother, a doctor, was beheaded in an elevator accident previously that year. After some mind-boggling skepticism and internet research we found this story to be true, tried to call the cell # he gave us, it wasn't his voice, we drove around trying to find his work and surprisingly found him walking in that area, he assured us it was his dad's cell # and that he'd show up the next morning, and we never saw or heard from him again. To this day I am still confused. I assume you are too.

--lots of connections from old camp team friends and of course, the beloved BCG's.

--wishing I could receive a Restoration Award at the LCC Reception...JUST KIDDING! Haha.


Ahhh...and this year I will be driving down a minivan of 6 awesome students and staying at a camp w/ them, hopefully will get to hang out w my buddy Drew from Ozark, and hopefully see some more friends from the olden days. (when were those? i don't know. i'm just sayin'.)

Hotlanta, here I come. I'm going home to pack.

the world is so complex

That's what I decided today. The world is complex. I know, nothing new. But it's too complex. What happened to the old days?

This conversation came up b/c we were talking about those special saddle shoes some of us used to have to wear. I remember having them when I was really little because my feet both wanted to curve inward when I walked. My mom would take me to some special shoes store in downtown Streator to get them. I didn't like them, I know that much. And I think I remember them being expensive, so neither did my parents I'm sure. I remembered that said "special shoes store" was just where you went to get those. Today I wondered where people go to get those, because most likely those stores don't exist anymore. Now you probably have to search online to find the nearest shoestore that carries saddle shoes. I miss the small-town-feeling of just "knowing where to go."

And then last night, while watching the very disappointing episode of Gilmore Girls that my great roommate taped for me, I saw a commercial for some made-for-TV American Girl movie called Felicity. My initial reaction was "Is that like a reunion show for the old TV show Felicity?" Nope. It's about the American Girl character Felicity. And then I remembered how when I was little I loved those books, because they had just come out when I was in grade school. They were special. The pages had this scent of new paper that no other brand new books carried. I was so excited when they came in from my weekly Scholastic order or from a Christmas present. And now? complexity. There are like 100 American Girl characters. (Actually, 8 to be exact...I looked it up online out of curiosity.) But there were only a few when I used to get those books. Man, I miss the smell of those pages.

And I've always wondered when we went into all different lengths of clothing...a decade ago no one ever wore capris (in style, anyways...) and 3/4 length sleeved shirts. Or maybe I'm crazy. But I feel like even clothing is so complex now. What length of pants or sleeves do I want to wear today? How many layers will I wear? (because, you know, layers are the way to go...) or maybe I'm just making this all too complex.

We could carry on about options with kinds of toothpaste, shampoo & conditioner, candy bars (even look at all the different types of M&M's now!!!), etc. It just seems like decisions we have to make are more complex today, even those of the simplest kind. Don't get me wrong, I like my options. I like choosing my flavor of coffee and from several lengths of shirt sleeves and kinds of toothpaste. But, still...

I miss the old days.
I miss simple.

what career suits me?

Your Career Type: Artistic

You are expressive, original, and independent.Your talents lie in your artistic abilities: creative writing, drama, crafts, music, or art. You would make an excellent: Actor - Art Teacher - Book Editor Clothes Designer - Comedian - Composer Dancer - DJ - Graphic DesignerIllustrator - Musician - Sculptor The worst career options for your are conventional careers, like bank teller or secretary.

What's" Your Ideal Career?

I'd totally love to hear what other people think I should do w/ my life. I have many ideas, but it feels like very few. I'm considering starting a journal of them...

Here's what I'd include so far...:
-wedding planner
-assistant to a photographer
-open a coffeeshop
-open a fun kitchen store (mostly b/c i just went to a cool one in downtown napes...loved it.)
-take Rachael Ray's job at $40 a Day on the Food Network and eat at cool places in different cities
-be the girl on the Travel Channel who visits all the best hotels
-marry a guy who can sing and play guitar and just sing harmony w/ him
-open a fun little gift shop like Pour La Maison in downtown Naperville (can you tell I enjoyed some time to chill in napes on thursday and friday?)

that's what i've got off the top of my head.
don't think i'm seeking affirmation here, i'm just wanting ideas.

feedback?

step into Christmas

I know that Halloween has just passed, but I've already christened the next season by beginning to listen to my holiday collection of music.

It's Christmas time, my friends. It may still be warm outside, but the feeling is in the air.
I'm making my holiday CD's and I'm considering making a compilation of what I consider to be the Christmas Classics. If anyone's interested, let me know.

I'm in between high schools right now...went to my alma mater of Streator High School this morning. It's a whole new place! They've torn down half of it, rebuilt some new stuff, and it makes me sad that people there don't remember me at first. Or at all. I'm on my way to Woodland High School in about 5 minutes.

And by the way, since no one showed up at SHS this morning to talk to me I had like tons of extra time this morning, so I made my way to this little cafe we have in Streator called The Downtowner. Talk about a freaking cool place! I felt like I was in the city and not in Streator. But the poor owners--Streator isn't ready for such a place, so hopefully they can make it! If you're ever in Streator check it out. It's a pretty cute little place! I got to read quite a bit this morning out of my current read: Flashbang by Mark Steele. If you haven't read it, check it out. It's quite hilarious. Since the Downtowner was empty I was literally holding my hand over my mouth to stop myself from laughing out loud.

Well, good day. I'm off to the school of the children of the corn. Sorry Amanda. Sorry mom. Sorry other friends who may have gone there.