A year in the Life...

Since it's, like, a requirement to do one of these, I guess I'll go ahead and cave. =)

**JANUARY**
Pretty uneventful. I booked the last bit of wedding vendors and had my bridal shower, which was a lot of fun.
Started a nanny job that didn't work out. I took a week off for my wedding and they called and let me go after that. No idea why...

**FEBRUARY**
Had my last birthday as a single gal. It was my 23rd and it was a Sunday -- Super Bowl Sunday, in fact.
Went to a job fair hosted by LU and interviewed with a few schools. Nothing came of it.

**MARCH**
We adopted Paulie. He's our first baby and so laid back. Just wish he would cuddle more...



This month was only the culmination of the biggest countdown EVER. My wedding day was amazing. The weather was gorgeous and we had a great time with the wedding party and with our photographer. Love my wedding photos, too!!






We honeymooned in Branson at the Anchor Inn on the Lake and it was wonderful!!
The 17th marked the anniversary of David's death and while we were still on our honeymoon, we still took some time to remember him.

**APRIL**
Not too much going on this month. I still hadn't heard back from the gazillion schools I applied to. Got a lot of hours at the store because it was Easter.

**MAY**
I walked in my college's graduation ceremony. With my best friend of 8 years. It was nice, like a full circle, since we graduated HS together, too.
We had our annual youth service and I'm so proud of our kids!
I was at home for the first time in 7 years on the day precamp started. So weird!

**JUNE**
I received my official teaching certificate in the mail.
My favorite little girl turned three:

And my one of my oldest friends welcomed her own little girl into the world.
My car broke down and needed a new starter -- THREE times.

**JULY**
Worked on the 4th (time and a half!!) and then went to my BIL's to shoot off fireworks. In the rain. Good times.
We went to my friend's house to shoot off stuff from their firework stand.

Saw Harry Potter 6 with J and 2 friends at midnight. LOVED it.
Went to a job fair at UMSL and kind of felt like it was a waste of time. But an interview came out of it, so I guess it wasn't a complete bust.

**AUGUST**
Had my niece and nephew over a lot.
Had an interview at P-Ville. That position was put on hold, but I will start subbing for them in January.
J's car died. We've been down to one car ever since. (Thankfully, a nice lady at church who works out of the state every week let us use her Honda while she was gone each week which meant we only had to worry about rides on the weekend.)

**SEPTEMBER**
J turned 25!
I started to resign myself to the fact that I wasn't going to get a teaching job this year.
I signed up to take the PRAXIS again in Early Childhood Education in November. Got very nervous.
Totally and completely fell in love with Glee.

**OCTOBER**
I started getting more and more hours at the store, with the holiday season insanity ALREADY starting...
Our first Halloween in our house -- and NO ONE showed up. =(

**NOVEMBER**
Took the PRAXIS again. Felt like I bombed it, but then upon rehashing it with J I realized I probably didn't do so bad.
Began to wait anxiously for my test scores.
Saw New Moon at midnight with some girlfriends... Just 'cause we could.
Celebrated Thanksgiving very low key.
Worked Black Friday. Craziness!

**DECEMBER**
Still worked a LOT because of Christmas.
Found out I passed the PRAXIS. Not only that, but I blew that sucker outta the water. =)
Rehearsed EVERY STINKIN' NIGHT for our church's Christmas show, which meant I didn't see much of J. =(
Enjoyed our first Christmas together.
Adopted Sebastian from Laura. We're working on integrating the two, but for now, Paulie seems to think he's just a big toy that he can pounce on and chase...

What's in store for '10??
I have an interview on the 8th of January for a Youth in Need Home Visitor in W-Ville. Hopefully that works because I'm sooooo sick of working minimum wage.
Have to figure out what we're doing about housing by Jan. 24...
Hopefully I'll get a damn job, otherwise I'll be subbing and (possibly) going back to camp in the summer.
Our first anniversary.

Should be fun!!

Merry Christmas to all!

I posted this last year, but it's such a classic that I HAVE to post it again:



This particular clip is one of the best know clips of all Christmas specials. I love the simplicity of Linus saying the Christmas story. and then, simply, "That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

I hope as you celebrate with friends and family today that you find joy in the gifts you have given and received, but that you also take a moment to remember the Ultimate gift: that found more than 2000 years ago in a manger: a tiny baby, whose blood would one day save the world.

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Chrismas Music #2

I realize that I'm terrible at following through with things, LOL. I said I'd do this everyday and then... well... I didn't. Sorry.

At any rate, I think this song is appropriate for tonight, Christmas Eve. This is an original Christmas song by the prolific Chris Tomlin. I love this Christmas album for two reasons: it's a worship album above all else, and it was recorded live with some other amazing worship artists like Matt Redman and Christy Nockels. Definitely one of my favorite Christmas CDs.

This song is called Emmanuel (Hallowed Manger Ground). He sings of the star and the journey to the baby, and then of the sacrifice that Jesus ultimately was born to make. Chris really has been given a gift from God to know what to say and how to say it in a way that reaches people. LOVE this song.



I hope you have a very blessed Christmas!

Quick Update

Other than our Christmas show, here's what's been going on in our life:

1. I'ms till struggling with underemployment. God is good, though. See # 3 to find out why.

2. I retook the PRAXIS (this time in Early Childhood Education) in November and got my score report this week. not only did I pass, but I blew that sucker out of the water. Highest score is 200 and I scored 188. Not too shabby, considering I didn't take any ECE classes at Lindenwood. This means I just have to send in paperwork to DESE to tack on certification for birth-grade 3. Woo hoo!

3. My church family is amazing. After we ran through the program yesterday morning, I returned to my purse to find a red envelope. A very thick red envelope. I opened it and inside I found four gift cards: one for Target, one for Wal Mart, one for QT, and one for Dierbergs -- each for $100. ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS. I have NO idea who it's from -- they signed the card "Santa." We have our suspicions but I don't want to ask around. Jesus teaches us not to give if you're giving so others will see you and I want to do the same as a recipient. I had jsut gotten make up put on for the show and I had to try soooo hard not to cry and ruin it. Our church family is AMAZING and I really don't think we could have made it through the last year without the blessing they have been to us. God has used them immensely this year as a source of support and prayer.

4. I'm sooo excited about Christmas. That gift from the people at church made it possible for us to be able to purchase gifts for everyone whose name we pille as well as our niece and nephew. I got Kailey and DJ bible storybooks -- The Jesus Bible Storybook and My First Study Bible -- and something for my brother that I'm not revealing here since my blogs move to Facebook and he might be reading. I got Jerome a CD he's been wanting (see this entry) and a devotional he had pointed out a couple of times that he was interested in having.

5. Our friend Laura is moving out of her apartment and in with her almost-fiance who is incredibly allergic to cats. She needs a place for Sebastian, we want a playmate for Paulie, so we're adopting Sebs. She brought him over today and he wasn't very happy, LOL. Paulie was real curious and looking and everything but when Sebastian started hissing, so did Paulie. We're giving them a few days to duke it out through the door of the guest bedroom before we let them roam the house together. Our hope is that they are both so mellow that they'll get along great once they get used to each other.

Almost Christmas

Our church's Christmas program -- which has consumed a WHOLE lot of my time recently -- was this morning and alllllll of that practicing totally and completely paid off.

It was a show by Willow Creek in Chicago and when we (some of the worship team) watched it we knew it would be GREAT for this year. As we watched the DVD from WC, we could even pinpoint some of the characters. Of course, we had some obstacles to overcome. One of these of course is the fact that our church is tiiiiiiiny compared to Willow Creek. And we don't have quite as many singers. But we totally made it work.

I had a solo on Joy to the World, which I didn't realize until last week was actually the WHITNEY HOUSTON version. I was doing great before then, but when I found that out, I totally freaked out. Like, seriously?! I have to live up to WHITNEY????!!! LOL. I did awesome, though.

The whole cast did awesome. We hit all of our marks, had laughs where we were supposed to have laughs. And all around, we had a great time.

Merry Christmas Music #1

In honor of the Christmas season, and the fact that I LOVE Christmas music (not the hokey stuff, the good stuff, LOL), I'm going to present to you a song every day or two that I love love love.

The first one is called "Magnificat." It's sung by Christy Nockels on Todd Agnew's Do You See What I See? CD. What I love about this CD is that every song is sung from the perspective of someone in the Christmas Story. This particular song is sung fromt he perspective of Mary:



I didn't realize it till after I listened a couple times, but this is Scripture in song. It's taken from Luke 1:46-55, when Mary is singing about her son -- THE Son.

My soul magnifies the Lord,
My spirit rejoices in my saviour,
He has seen the humble state of my heart, and now all will call me blessed.

Praise the almighty God; he's done great things for us,
Holy is his name,
His mercy is free for those who fear his justice,
May generation to generation loudly proclaim his fame.

Oh, his fame.

He has shown the strength of his hands and brought down the mighty from their pretense,
He scattered the pride in their hearts and lifted the lowly to meet him.

Praise the almighty God; he's done great things for us,
Holy is his name,
His mercy is free for those who fear his justice,
May generation to generation loudly proclaim his fame.

Proclaim his fame.

He has filled the hungry with good things...and the rich he sent, empty, away,
He hath remembered his servant Israel, and we will remember him always, always.

Praise the almighty God; he's done great things for us,
Holy is his name,
His mercy is free for those who fear his justice,
May generation to generation proclaim,
Praise the almighty God; he's done great things for us,
Holy is his name,
His mercy is free for those who fear his justice,
May generation to generation loudly proclaim his fame,
May generation to generation loudly proclaim his name.

When Love Was Born

I am loving this song. It's by Mark Schultz and it's on the Christmas compilation by the same total (An FCS exclusive... get yours today! LOL). It's called When Love Was Born and it is WONDERFUL.

Have a listen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjtxpHlnNdo

In the Christmas Spirit

This is the first year I've had my own place to decorate. J and I moved into our townhouse last December 18, so when Christmas rolled around we were still basically living out of boxes, and there was no way I was going to stress myself out decorating for Christmas (not to mention we didn't even have a tree!!).

This year is a different story. I put up our tree on Sunday evening and let it stand for a while without decorations so Paulie could get used to it. Then I decorated it today -- My first day off since Thanksgiving. I want to get another set of lights and a set of those ball ornaments, but here is our first tree:




Last year my mom bought us a nativity scene set of ornaments. Check 'em out:


And did you catch who likes to sleep under the tree?

[[Leave me alone, Mom... I'm trying to sleep!]]
I'd rather he sleep under there than pull all the ornaments down.

Now, did you notice that we have no tree topper? One reason is because we just don't have one. The other is because we can't agree on what to put up there. J is a star man, and I'm partial to angels. What should we do?

Christmastime is Upon Us!

I have Christmas music in all 6 slots in my CD changer in the car and I'm lovin' it.

Any time this commercial comes on for the first time, I know it's Christmas:


I love how Hershey's has shown the same commercial since at least the early 90's. It's most definitely a consumer favorite and it always gets my int he mood.

Of course, by the end of the season, it annoys the heck outta me, LOL

Yesterday I didn't do any Black Friday shopping, really, although I did hit up Wal Mart before I had to be at work; they had $2 DVDs and I scored 2 early gifts for J (double disc special editions, no less!) and got a gift for our Adopt-a-Family little girl we picked. It just said "Age Appropriate Gift" for a 3 year old, so I got her this:

It's a Furreal Friends Newborn Puppy. When you pet its back it'll bark and whimper and even move a little and Paulie was flipping out when I was demonstrating it to J. So funny!

I had to work at 7 so after Wal Mart, I went to Walgreens to buy some nacho chips for the buffalo chicken dip I made for our potluck in the back room, then headed to work and got there way early. There were 2 cars waiting at around 6:40. Everyone started lining up around 6:50 and then we let them in at 7. I'm not even kidding you, I started ringing people out around 7:07 and I didn't have time to even pause for a drink until 8:30. We had our $5 and 50% off doorbusters (some AMAZING deals, too!) as well as a 25% off your purchase coupon. Other than my lunch break I don't think I had a total of 15 minutes where I wasn't ringing someone out. But other than a few people being P.O.ed about their coupon not applying to the doorbusters or about the doorbusters the wanted being gone, people were very patient and in good moods.

All in all, my 8.5 hour shift went by incredibly fast (which is one reason I love working Black Friday, thought I'll be glad when I have a teaching job and won't have to do it ever again!). It was fun hearing the people talk about where they had already gone that morning. One group of ladies came in in matching pink shirts; the front said BFB and the back said Black Friday Babes. Cracks me up how into Black Friday some people get.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Turkey Day and if you went out yesterday that you were safe and scored some great deals.

Ten Commandments of Holiday Shopping

This is my second Christmas season working retail and after the evening I had tonight, I thought I'd come up with this.

1. Don't blame your sales associate if the price came up wrong on the register.

2. Don't get mad at the sales associate if your coupon isn't valid on the stuff you want to buy. Exclusions apply, people. Oh, and on that note, no you can't use two coupons. That's called a double discount.

3. If you change your mind on an item(s), don't just put it anywhere. Put it back where you found it. Or, even better, give it to an associate who knows where it goes and would be glad to put it away.

4. If your credit card is not signed, I'm going to ask to see an ID, especially if you're making a big purchase. This is for your safety. Don't get mad at me for doing this because you don't have it on you and you have to go out to the car to get it.

5. Lines happen. Deal with it.

6. Remember that the sales associate checking you out is just as pressed for time as you are, if not more. The kinder you are to them, the nicer they'll be.

7. No, we don't have the listening stations anymore. If you like, I can pull an accompaniment track for you of a song off of that CD. It was not my decision to get rid of the listening stations, so please don't get mad at me.

8. No, I don't have a box for everything. Trust me, if you saw the box most of the items came in, you wouldn't want one, either. However, I would love to wrap it carefully in paper and/or bubble wrap. Please be understanding that we don't keep every box to everything.

9. If we close at 9:00, please please please don't come in at 8:53 and spend the next half hour shopping. We have things we need to do that can't be done with people wtill in the store, and we have families to get home to as well.

10. Remember the Reason for the season. All this commercialism is really insane, but I respect the desire to find the right gift for your friends and family. I'm here to help make your Christmas season easier, and I hope you'll do the same for me. =)

I took the PRAXIS Again...

Why? 2 reasons: 1. I'm insane! and 2. If I pass, it tacks on a second certification, which makes me more marketable.

I took it in Early Childhood education. I didn't take a single class in ECE, but it seemed the easiest out of the two I was considering (ECE or Middle School Math). It was a lot of learning theory questions and stuff that is similar to the elementary education test. I walked out, though, feeling like I really, truly, could have, SHOULD have done better. But then I started rehashing it with my husband and I realized that I really don't think I did that bad. Like, I think I did well enough to pass. I hope hope hope hope I did!

If I pass, I'll be certified to teach early childhood ed., which includes Head Start and Parents as Teachers (either of which I would LOVE to teach for!), which will hopefully make me more marketable. Pray hard that I did!!!

Happy Fall!

Come on out of Google Reader and check out the new background/color scheme. I'll be working on a new header tonight. =) Have a great day! (Even though it's sooooo rainy and nasty today in the STL.)

I want this album...

In May 2008, Steven Curtis Chapman's youngest daughter Maria was run over and killed as her older brother backed the family SUV out of the driveway. Many in the Christian entertainment industry -- and some in the mainstream entertainment industry, too, were heartbroken for the family. Maria had been adopted from China and would turn five soon. Chapman did what any songwriter would do in grief -- he wrote songs.

It started with just an added verse to his song "Yours" off of his CD This Moment. Then he wrote more and more songs and recorded them, which turned into recording a whole slew of songs for his new CD Beauty Will Rise. In an article in CCM Magazine, they wrote that he recorded a lot of the songs in one take, so the song is very raw and very honest. And it's getting rave reviews.

Here are a few that StereoTruth.Com has gathered:

The New York Times had this to say…
…the aching candor that suffuses the album, paired with Mr. Chapman’s unmistakable gift for melodic uplift, exerts a deep emotional pull. The production, leaner than usual, backs up the raw feeling behind the songs.

USA Today went on to say…
He quietly, thoughtfully works through his grief but never surrenders to despair. If you can’t imagine how to find hope out of such devastation, Chapman can show you.

ChristianityToday.com added…
After his daughter’s death, the veteran artist battles despair but finds hope in his most candid record to date.

Billboard Magazine has even stated…
Both intensely personal, yet universal as well, this is a brilliant, deeply moving album sure to resonate with listeners on many levels.


It's important to note that Chapman has been recording for almost 20 years. He knows how to write hit songs. He knows what sells. But what I'm looking forward to the most about this one is that, yeah, it was an album and I'm sure they wanted to sell it, but in all reality it's also an album full of a father working through his grief. And if these reviews are true, it's also true testament to the hope and healing power found in faith in Jesus Christ. This album will be amazing.

And now, i leave you with Chapman's first single "Heaven is the Face."



Heaven is the face of a little girl
With dark brown eyes
That disappear when she smiles.
Heaven is the place
Where she calls my name
Says, “Daddy please come play with me for awhile.”

Chorus:

God, I know, it’s all of this and so much more,
But God, You know, that this is what I’m aching for.
God, you know, I just can’t see beyond the door.
So right now...

Heaven is the sound of her breathing deep,
Lying on my chest, falling fast asleep while I sing.
And Heaven is the weight of her in my arms,
Being there to keep her safe from harm while she dreams

And God, I know, it’s all of this and so much more,
But God, You know, that this is what I’m longing for
God, you know, I just can’t see beyond the door.

Bridge:

But in my mind’s eye I can see a place
Where Your glory fills every empty space.
All the cancer is gone,
Every mouth is fed,
And there’s no one left in the orphans’ bed.
Every lonely heart finds their one true love,
And there’s no more goodbye,
And no more not enough,
And there’s no more enemy (no more).

Heaven is a sweet, maple syrup kiss
And a thousand other little things I miss with her gone.
Heaven is the place where she takes my hand
And leads me to You,
And we both run into Your arms.

Oh God, I know, it’s so much more than I can dream.
It’s far beyond anything I can conceive.
So God, You know, I’m trusting You until I see
Heaven in the face of my little girl,
Heaven in the face of my little girl.

Feel like I'm neglecting you?

The truth is, I've started a few different posts and then had to save them as drafts because I didn't have time to finish them and then I forgot about them. One was about my summer. We'll see if that goes up.

Anyway, as we approach Christmas (cal you believe it's NOVEMEBR already??), I'll be getting even MORE busy at work. This week I have 32 hours, next week I have 30.5 and the following week I have 23. Then the week after THAT is Thanksgiving. It's all crazy from here, folks!

I've been working in the back doing inventory as our regular ICS person is on vacation with some friends. It's been a nice break from customers, and my super organizational side is loving it, but I'll be glad when I'm back up front with people, and not back in the "dungeon," LOL.

I did receive word today that I'm going to the Goshen Valley Boys' Ranch April 5-9. It's north of Atlanta and serves 24 boys in a residential method. Their core beliefs in helping these boys are Family, Faith, Education, and Work. I'm really excited about this trip. I'm going with a bunch of other FCS employees from all over the country (including my own manager!). It's in conjunction with the James Fund, our store's non-profit organization. It does a lot with widows and orphans (see James 1:27). We do a lot of special partnerships at work too. For example, PureNRG's CD that released in July helped put shoes on orphans in Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The Casting Crowns CD prebuy is partnering to feed children in Haiti. We also have our Barnabas Bears every year that puts money into the fund.

Anyway, the Ranch is in need of some items, so if you know me personally and would be interested in donating items for me to take, let me know. The website has a list of needs that they have, but I'll be letting you know about some other things I'd like to bring, like games and books and treats and things. It's going to be amazing and I can't wait to see how God will use me to reach the boys, and how He'll use the boys to reach me.

It's been waaaaay too long

OK, against my better judgement (I really should be getting to bed), I need to post because I've been SUCH a bad blogger.

1. The job in Pattonville I interviewed for ended up being put on hold. I was bummed, but I just keep telling myself that that's just not where I was meant to be. I asked to be put on the sub list and I will go to training next Friday. They also have a permanent sub position open, which I've applied for. It's not a long term sub job -- it's actually having my own classroom -- albeit temporarily -- for the whole year. I wouldn't be guaranteed a position the following year because my contract would only be through the end of the year, but it would get me in the door and if I did well enough, it could secure me a position the following year. Of course, these are all hypotheticals and hopefullys...

2. I've also decided to take the Praxis again in ECE to add on another certification on top of my Elementary 1-6 IPC. This will make me more marketable and hopefully help me find a job until I can start working on my Master's degree in Reading (or Gifted... I haven't decided).

3. Fall TV is awesome. I'm loving new shows like Glee and FlashForward and old ones like Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, and SVU. I've given up on One Tree Hill. It's been going downhill for a while, but with Peyton and Lucas, it STINKS. Anyway,I'm LOVING Glee. I was a little disappointed with the first episode of the fall, but it's gotten a lot better. I mean, seriously... Who wouldn't love a show that makes the Backstreet Boys cool again??



Yes, I'm a Gleek and I'm proud of it!!


I promise to be more diligent in posting from now on. Just in case you wonder about what's going on in my life. =)

I'm still here!

I plan on posting tomorrow with an update. But here is a quick snippet of what's going on:
1. J's car is officially dead. We're downt o one car which SUCKS.
2. J's birthday is this weekend.
3. We've been married almost 6 (!!!!) months
4. I can't wait for youth group to get started.
5. I've been insanely busy.

What' on My Mind

3 Things that are ticking me off:
1. Not having money
2. In laws who shove their ideals down my throat unprovoked
3. not having a job

3 things that I'm excited about
1. Taking care of the family I used to nanny for next week
2. A 2-week (possibly longer) sitting job with an infant
3. Youth group starting back up

3 Things I am thinking about right now
1. The Flair I just made on Facebook is fun
2. I'm hungry
3. I really need to get up and clean the dang house

3 Things I'm Thankful for:
1. A husband who loves me
2, A cat who always knows when I'm about to wake up 'cause he's always sitting there staring at me
3. An AMAZING church family

3 Songs I Love
1. HE IS by Mark Schultz
2. THE WORDS I WOULD SAY by The Sidewalk Prophets
3. UNTIL THE WHOLE WORLD HEARS by Casting Crowns

3 Books on my Reading List
1. DO HARD THINGS by Alex and Brett Harris
2. THE NOTICER by Andy Andrews
3. LIES WOMEN BELIEVE by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

3 CDs I can't Wait to Buy
1. Mark Schultz's COME ALIVE (out now!)
2. BarlowGirl's LOVE AND WAR (out Sept. 8!)
3. Casting Crowns' UNTIL THE WHOLE WORLD HEARS (out Nov. 17!)

Hope you enjoyed that brief glimpse into my life right now. =)

The Time Traveler's Wife

I have been looking forward to this movie since I found out they were turning the book into a movie about a year and a half ago. (Release was supposed to be last summer, but they had to reshoot some things and his head had been shaved or something for another movie, so they had to push it back.) From the previews, it looked wonderful, but I wad worried that I would be disappointed, which happens a LOT when you love a book so much, like I did. This book is EASILY one of my top five.

I am pleased to report that I was not disappointed.

Firstly, the chemistry between Bana and Rachel McAdams was amazing. They were perfect together. Overall, casting was perfect and exactly how I had pictured just about everything.

The writers did a good job of picking things to keep and things to throw out, and how to change some things to make it more appealing for the screen. The latter was my biggest concern; so much of the novel is told through narration of Henry and Clare, so I was worried about how everything would be conveyed without that insight into the characters' POV. This is something else I owe to the amazing casting. McAdams, once again, is able to convince us that she is head-over-heels in love and delivers a heart-breaking portrayal of a woman who is always waiting for her husband as he disappears for hours, days, even weeks on end.

The aspect of the time traveling was well-done as well. I had hoped it wouldn't be too confusing for the average person who hadn't read the book to follow, but it was very well done. In fact, I even think it was easier to follow than the book.

I especially liked the ending. I think I might even like it better than the book. But I won't tell you why or what happens because I'm not that cruel. All I know is that you should go see it. Now.

They Wore me out!

I babysat my niece and nephew last night for my brother. I took 'em to the pool and we hung out at my place for a while before I brought them back to their house. Here are some pictures:





LOVE THEM! DJ starts Kindergarten this week. I can't believe he's that old!! Kailey just turned 4. They were our flower girl and ring bearer in our wedding in March:

Sidewalk Prophets

OK, I know that my last post was about a song, but I have to post about this one, too. I promise I'll put in a real post tomorrow or Thursday.

This song is by the Sidewalk Prophets and it's called "The Words I Would Say." I can't currently find a video or MP3 to embed here, so you'll have to listen to it on their website.

The lyrics of the chorus have been resonating in my mind for the last few days:

"Be strong in the Lord and never give up hope
You're gonna do great things, I already know
God's got His hand on you, so don't live life in fear
Forgive and forget, but don't forget why you're here..."

The first two lines in particular have been my mantra, especially since I found out that the Pattonville job is on hold (they aren't hiring anybody for it). I know that God has big things planned for me. I just need to trust in Him and know that He'll lead me to the right job. Until then, I'll be subbing any day that I'm not working at the bookstore which is pretty good money, as well as babysitting.

Enjoy the song!

This is Not Forever

One of my favorite bands is BarlowGirl, and I'm so excited that they have a new CD coming out in September called Love and War. Septemberr 22 is the release date so you should mark your calendars.

They've posted two acoustic sessions with 2 of the new songs. One is called "Beautiful Ending" which is really pretty, but the one which struck a chord with me is "This is Not Forever." In the video, which I have posted below, Alyssa talks about how she is always praying that God will pull her OUT of hard times, and she had the realization the day she wrote the song that God doesn't want to pull her out. He wants to pull her THROUGH the hard times, so that she'll learn and grow and trust in Him more.

This one hit home for me because, as you all know, I have been looking for fall employment. I haven't had any calls for interviews except one, which I'm actually waiting as I type this to hear back about. J and I have been pinching pennies and getting frustrated because every time we seem to be getting somewhere, something sets us back. (Such is life, no?) I've been praying so hard about finding a job and this message is exactly what I needed to hear right now -- that God will stay with me through everything, no matter how hard life gets, no matter "how high the steps are." He's with me always and He will always pull me through.

Gutsy

Tonight at work a young woman and her mom came in to shop. She mentioned her mom mailing some thing to her, so I naturally assumed that she was leaving for college.

I was dead wrong.

She's 15. And she's headed to Kenya.

For five months!!

She told me a little bit about what she would be doing. She'll be going to high school there as well as working different missions jobs with Compassion, World Vision, and UNICEF. She is goign to add me to her e-mail list of updates, so I'll keep you all posted if I feel like passing it on. Please pray for this young woman, though. Shes going so far from her family for so long and she can't even drive! That takes a lot of passion and a lot of guts.

It impresses me that in this day and age when so many teens are so self-involved and full of a sense of entitlement that she can be so selfless, traveling halfway around the world to help children less fortunate than her. What a blessing from God.

GOOD NEWS!

The job fair on Wednesday wasn't a TOTAL bust... I got a phone call from Pattonville the other day wanting to set up a preliminary interview. !!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, I'm not wanting to put all my eggs in one basket and not get too excited about this. After all, it's only a SCREENING interview. But I have been praying so hard for God to bring me a job at the right time and I've felt like He was ignoring me/not listening (don't wee all feel like that at times?) and I feel like He's waited this long for a reason. What if this IS the job??? I'm actually really excited and already visualizing my classroom and lessons to do to start the year and form a positive learning community. But then I'm like -- HOLD UP. This is NOT a sure thing and I don't want to be disappointed.

But it's something, you know? Maybe this is the beginning of a slew of interviews. It's almost August and I'm freaked that I won't find anything and I'll be stuck working 8 jobs for another year. But you never know what will happen once the school year starts and they, like, realize "Oh crap, we have too many X graders. We need another classroom. Hey, let's call that Jessica girl." LOL. We'll see.

Kind of a depressing day...

I had a job fair at UMSL today and I felt like it was a bust. Only one district there was even interested in hiring elementary teachers. I did get a screening interview in for SSD for TAs/paras, so hopefully something pops up there. I just kind of felt like it was a waste of time.

Also, it would be David's 22nd birthday today. J asked for PTO today so that he'd be off, even though he usually has Wednesdays off (but he didn't realize this would fall on a Wed.). He's doing okay, but he's a tad bit down. (For those of you unfamiliar with the last year and a half or so, David is J's cousin who killed himself the March before our wedding.)

I'm making it all better with a How I Met Your Mother marathon. :-) but please remember him and his family in your thoughts and prayers today.

It's my friend's birthday

Happy 23rd Katie!

I really want to apologize for the lack of updates recently. My life has been BUSY. While it's nice for the money to be coming in, I've constantly been going from job to job to job. It's hectic. I can't wait to have a full time job, which will hopefully be M-F, and 9-5(ish). It will be so nice to have my and J's schedules more in sync.

My dad gave us his old BBQ grill and I can't wait to use it. I have most of next week's evenings off so we may fire it up for some chicken or something. Anyone know of a good grilled chicken recipe?? All we need now is a nice (or, well... any) set of patio furniture.

J and I and some friends went to see the midnight showing of Harry Potter on Tuesday (Wed...?) I loved it. I'm actually surprised at how many people I know who didn't really like it... And I'm interested to hear the differing opinions about the 5th and the 6th movies. I was disappointed w/ the 5th movie (although upon rewatching it on Tuesday afternoon, it wasn't AS bad as I remembered) but loved the 6th... I wonder if people who loved the 5th were disappointed w/ the 6th??

Hey, will you all please keep a young woman I know in your prayers? I've been blessed to get to know so many wonderful teenagers in my different capacities as youth leader and camp counselor, and they are all amazing girls. One of those girls is facing a personal detour in life that is going to change everything, and I just hope that those in her life can be pillars of support for her now.

I'm Here

I swear, these past few weeks have been incredibly jam packed. I've often gone from one job to another to another and I would be lying if I said it wasn't getting old. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for having money coming in. It would just be nice to have one steady job instead of a whole bunch of little jobs.

J and I are going to see Half Blood Prince tonight at 12:01 and I'm excited! I just finished rereading books 6 and 7 and I'm watching movie 4 now. =)

I should have time for a full update on Thrusday. I'll get back to you then!

Oh, Life...

...I have 2 good friends who are having upheavals of sorts in their lives. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Our high school youth is in ECUADOR right now. I'm jealous, and I know that they're having an awesome time. I can't wait for them to come back so I can hear all about it and see pictures!

This year was my first FULL Fourth of July at home since 2001. Yes, you read that right: 2001. I've been at camp every summer since then. and the 4th had fallen in the middle of a session every year till last year when they started a week earlier. Last year, you may remember, the 4th was on a Friday, which meant that it fell on the last day of a session. So I was home that night, but not all day. That was weird, too, though. Every year prior, I would shoot off fireworks the weekend before the Fourth with the hubs (who wasn't the hubs yet) and an assortment of international staff members from camp.

A family in my church owns a firework stand in St. Pete and we always bought from them. on the 4th, the hubby and I went to his step-sister's and shot off a whole bunch of stuff, even in the rain and the lightning (I know, we're bright...). then last night, we went to the family that owns the stand and watched them shoot off a bunch of leftover inventory. (They have to buy all of their product, so what they don't sell they save for next year as well as shoot it off at this annual show.) It was pretty cool. They were exploding all these cool fireworks and we were having a pretty good time. No fatalities, though a shell did fly over and hit my friend's boyfriend's chest and burned him a little bit. Here are some photos I got on my little Canon digital point and shoot. (Not too bad, if I say so myself!)

**You'll have to click on the photos to see all of it... even when I make them "small," Blogspot doesn't seem to want to make them blog-friendly!**

I'm pretty sure we shot off just about all of these:


B and J setting up the Grand Finale:





Oh, by the way, the shop put in new grounding wires on my car's starter and it's working now. hopefully it stays that way! LOL. (knock wood!!

Tears and Stress

That's what the last few weeks have been full of. It's like J and I finally ssee a light at the end of the tunnel, where we'll be able actually make all of our bills and everything and -- gasp -- still have money leftover for US, something happens.

On June 17 (a Wed.), I got home from church just fine. Then J and I realized we needed to make a Wal Mart run and got back in the car about an hour later. And it didn't start. Had it towed Thurs. morning, had a new starter put in, took it home. Got back in the car and it wouldn't start again. Luckily my stepdad got it started and i drove it to the shop where they put in aNOTHER new starter the next day. It's been fine. Till today. When it didn't start. AGAIN.

So the shop is paying for a tow, and they better be paying for the repair, as well, because it's obviously more than a starter, which means it's something they should have caught. I love our mechanic -- I never feel like I"m getting ripped off, and he knows me by name. However, this is TICKING me off.

Needless to say I've been crying lots of tears of frustration, especially sicne I still haven't found a teaching job. Not for lack of trying, of course. THankfully, I've been busy with babysitting and working at the bookstore, so while money is tight, it's not penny pinching tight anymore. My student loans set in this month, though, which I'm not looking forward to paying... Grr.

Anyway, on to better things. Because money stresses everyone out, right?

I've spent what little free time I have had recently reading. As a result, I've gone through about 20 books this summer already. If I get the time, I'll list 'em all, but I want to mention one book right now: The Chosen One. It's a YA novel, and as a result I read it in about a day, but it was soooo good. Kyra is 13 and lives in a polygamist compound in the middle of the desert. She is told by the Prophet that she will marry her uncle in one month, and Kyra flips. The whole book is told from her POV and you really ache for her.

I've managed to make it to camp a few times this summer. Once for campfire, and one time (each) for picking up t-shirt designs/money. I was down just this past weekend for First Aid Training with my girls. I can't believe they'll be FORMER CITs in just three days!! It feels like I was jsut meeting them last summer! They've had a good time, though, despite having brand new staff to adjsut to -- I (obviously) didn't return because I got married, and Bunny, their counselor last summer who was supposed to be their CIT Director had to take a class this summer in order to finish her degree. I missed hanging outwith them, though. That was, like, the best thing about my job: developing friendships with my girls.

SO EXCITED

The trailer for The Time Traveler's Wife is out:



IT LOOKS SOOOOO GOOD!!!!

Ever wonder what my church band sounds like?

Well, now you get the chance! Our pianist this morning has coworkers who don't believe that she plays piano, so she recorded our music at our 10:30 service. (Or, rather, Blake recorded it on her camera!)

Here they are, in case you want to kill about 20 minutes. We're not too bad, if I do say so myself, and you'll get to hear me sing a small solo. ;-)

Prelude:

(It Is You by the newsboys and God With Us by MercyMe)
[Diana on keys, Charles on guitar, Brad on drums, and me on bass guitar]

Opening/Call to Worship:

(Song of Love by Rebecca St. James)
[same instrumentals as above, plus Kathy, Rich, Kelsie, and me on vocals]

First Set:

(Arise by Paul Baloche, Jesus Messiah by Chris Tomlin, and Isn't He by I don't remember)
[I've got the first verse of Jesus Messiah, around 3:12]

Second Set:

(You are My All in All by I don't remember)

Closing:

(Jesus Messiah, then instruments on God With Us (1:37), then we fool around a little and play Heart and Soul(3:12))

I've Been a Busy Bee

And I will be for the next week. I'm working a regular sitting job in the morning, my bookstore job at night, this past week I had VBS at church, AND my car broke down. Sheesh. Things will slow down around the 4th, so I"m hoping to give you a substantial post then. I want to post about my trip with the middle schoolers to Penuel and another post about my camp history (as staff, sicne yu've seen my camper post). plus I want to resume Worship Wednesdays. We'll see...

But this post is to say happy birthday to Makenzie and Lily!

My bestest friend had her daughter makenzie 3 years ago yesterday. I went up to see them on my first night off from camp that year and I remember her being sooo tiny! Now she's like, 3 going on 25. Too cute! I went over to see her yesterday before work and when I had to leave, she said clamped onto me and whined, "I want to go with you." Broke my heart! I love her so much.

AND my bestest friend from childhood had her baby yesterday! Baby Lily was 19 3/4 inches long and about 6.5 lb. I cannot be more happy for her and her husband because they had trouble getting a pregnancy to stick. Right now, Lily is in the NICU fighting an infection, so please pray for her!

A woman at my church is due to give birth to her son any day now (scheduled a C-section for Fri. June 26), and if she had her baby yesterday I'm going to laugh so hard. What are the odds??

I'm a Teacher!

No job yet, but I want to report that I am officially certified to teach grades 1-6 in missouri! Woo hoo! Hopefully the job train starts chuggin' a little faster now...

Movies from Books I'm Excited About

A lot of people don't like movie adaptations of books, because either the book is ruined or it ruins their perspective of the whole book... But I actually like movie adaptations of books. Yes, some of them are TERRIBLE, but I like seeing how other people interpreted stuff. So here are the movies I'm excited about:

The first trailer for the newest Twilight book was released last night:


It comes out November 9.

Then there's the new Harry Potter flick, which I hope and pray will be better than the 5th. I'm interested to see how the 7th (and 8th??) films will turn out, considering some of the details they've left out in these movies that come into play now. Almost makes me wish they had waited until all 7 books were out before making them. Oh, well. The 6th one looks AMAZING. This first one must be old because at the end it says "November," but WB pushed the release date back to July and released Twilight in November instead.





By the way, I just realized that the movie is rated PG... interesting, considering how dark and scary the book is... I hope that means stuff wasn't sacrificed.


My Sister's Keeper: (Notice a theme here at all??)


There is no trailer, but I can't wait for the movie adaptation of The Time Traveler's Wife on August 14.

AND I JUST SAW that The Lovely Bones is being made into a movie, set for release in December.

Apparently, Emily Giffin sold her movie rights to her books Something Borrowed to Drew Barrymore's and Reese Witherspoon's production companies and wants Patrick Dempsey to play Dex. I don't think I like this idea.

Weird...

...Pre Camp started yesterday at camp. This is the first summer in 6 years that I haven't been there and the first summer in 15 that I haven't gone to camp for even a week! SO STRANGE. But so funny: every pre camp for the last 6 years, it has rained on the first night. And, sure enough, it rained last night! Ha ha. Isn't that weird??

Anyway, since I'm feeling nostalgic, I thought I'd give people a peek into my past: as "Baby Speckles!" It's always fun looking at old pictures, right?? Here we go:

This is literally the only picture I have from my first year at camp. 1994. I was eight and it was probably the only year I ever got homesick. I rememberr idolizing our live-in Esther and searching for my counselor Finn's real name in her shirt -- while she was wearing it. I'm wearing the dark blue Atlanta shirt in the middle. I think the other two girls were the girls in my cabin w/ me.


These are the cabins that we stayed in in '94 and '95. It's where the littlest girls stay every time because they're small and more enclosed than a tent, so the girls don't get so scared. I wrote many letters and played many card games during Siesta on that balcony.


This was taken by my dad in '96 when he dropped me off at camp. It was the first summer after my parents split up, and camp really gave me a chance to let go and be myself for the first time in a few months. I loved camp before, but this is probably the first year that I realized it's true value in my life. My devotion to it basically exploded this year. (And yes, I'm wearing a sundress... probably w/ shorts underneath. And yes, I realize NOW how goofy that was, but trust me, I was not the first, nor was I the last to wear a dress/skirt on the first day.)


1997 was the first year I was called Speckles and it stuck for the next 11 summers. My tentmates and I became great friends, and one of them was even a CIT with me the first year. I made my first deaf friend that summer and I wish we hadn't fallen out of touch 'cause she was so sweet. (And the Troll bedding on the right? My bed. Yeah, you're jealous.)


1998 was my first time going for 2 weeks and it was the only year that I ever wasn't truly myself. My tentmates were 3 years older than me and thought my taste in music was immature, so, among other things, I totally lied about it all. (The music I liked? Spice Girls and Britney Spears. I have since seen the light, trust me.)

In 1999, I reunited with my best friend. She had gone with me in 1995 (she's on the balcony) but we hadn't been able to coordinate summer schedules the following summer so we went separately (and she met Starla, her buddy the following 2 years... I was so jealous!). Anyway, in '99 we were some of the oldest in the unit and it was the year that I realized I wanted to work there. It's also the first year I have any recollection of the CITs. And they were cool. Real cool.


In 2001, I was a Counselor-in-Training for the first year. There were 12 of us and we had so much fun! I went for 2 two week sessions because the CIT program is for 4 weeks one summer and 4 weeks the following summer. (Oh, and fun note, my CIT Director is now a meteorologist for Channel 2.) That summer I made amazing friends, many of whom I'm still close with today. And my best friend was a CIT, along with the girl I was way jealous of. The first picture is of the whole group. Of that 12, only 6 of us returned the following summer for CIT 2. The second shot is of my and my best friend's new friend. (This past summer we had a talk about that whole situation adn how I was so jealous of her. Turned out she was jealous of me, too, since H always talked about me!) We're total opposites, but we got along real well.



2002 was CIT 2 year. This year is always hard for the CIT 2's because it's essentially our (their) last year as campers. They learn so much about how camp runs that there isn't really any going back. You also have to say goodbye to the girls you've lived with for the last 8 weeks -- laughing, crying, goofing off, singing, planning pranks and campfires. It was bittersweet but so much fun. The first shot is one of us in the brand new shower house. We also had 2 Lifeguards in Training with us for two weeks. The second session, only one returned. The second photo was on the last morning. We had moved ALL of the tables and chairs out of the dining hall for breakfast and it was a breakfast to remember. (The following year, meals were changed to cafeteria style, and the sessions ended on Fridays, so this truly was a unique breakfast.)




Have I bored you yet? If you hung int here with me, thanks for letting me reminicse! I'll put in another post of my 6 years as staff soon.

So Here's What's Been Up...

Life hasn't been busy so much recently as I just haven't wanted to sit and blog recently. Sorry. I have had SOME fun things happenind recently, though:

1. GRADUATION!! On May 16, I ceremoniously graduated from college with a BA in Elementary Education. (I "officially" graduated in Dec, but LU doesn't have a winter ceremony.) As much as I griped about it and didn't really want to do it, I'm glad I did. None of my family came (I told them not to worry about it) and I was okay with that because my best friend and her family were there (she also graduated) and I know that they (or, at least, SHE) cheered for me. It was nice to kind of come full circle. For those of you who don't know, my best friend Jen and I went to high school together, then went to the same college and roomed together our first two years. She moved into single parent housing when her beautiful daughter M was born, but we got to room together again our last semester. So, of course, it only made sense to graduate together again. (I kept saying I was only doing it because of that reason, and because it was her birthday, but in the end that wasn't the ONLY reason). Anyway, here are some pics from the day. I don't have any with Jen yet (they're on her and her sister's cameras), but here are some with my mom and brother:



(That last one has become a tradition because I did that at my college graduation and at my wedding. We'll probably even do it at HIS college graduation and wedding, LOL):



2. YOUTH SUNDAY
I'm so proud of my youth kids. Every year, we pick out scripture and some different materials to use to deliver the message and then guide them to the result: leading worship one Sunday in May! This year we did Isaiah 65 because of how our pastors had chosen our Dwelling passages (we've been in Isaiah since JANUARY), and I'm so proud of how all of them did! I of course helped orchestrate (no pun intended) the music worship. Overall, this was one of the best youth services we've had. Two of our kids did a skit called "The Guy with a Cardboard Christ" that was pretty freaking hilarious. It was all about a guy with a cardboard Christ and the basic lessont o be learned was that soooo many people have an image of God that isn't their image. And we did our own version of this video of this poem, "Broken Open"


3. Books.
I've been doing a lot of reading, so at least my lack of posts has been due to something constructive. I recently picked up Emily Giffin's Something Borrowed off of PaperBack Swap and enjoyed it. It was one of those easy chick lit books, very predictable, but good nonetheless. I have the sequel, Something Blue on my way to me and I just finished Baby Proof (which is not a sequel like I had thought). Here are some books on my to-read list (you can follow me on Goodreads.com, too, if you like!):
Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald
Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster
The Courage Tree by Diane Chamberlain
Ask Again Later by Jill A. Davis
Vision of White by Nora Roberts
Testimony by Anita Shreve
I also finished The Shack about a week and a half ago and I have one word: AMAZING.

It's Been a Long Time

Since I last posted, but I will tomorrow hen I have more time to sit and contemplate what you all might be interested in knowing.

For now, enjoy this clip of Kris Allen, the new American Idol, singing one of my FAVORITE songs "God of This City" written by Bluetree and made immensely popular by Chris Tomlin.

Happy Mother's Day!

We showed this video this morning at church to commemorate MOther's Day.



Hope you enjoyed! And I hope everyone who is a mother/grandmother/mother-at heart had a WONDERFUL day!!

My mom didnt let me watch Roger Rabbit when I was younger...

Because she was worried I'd get the wrong impression from Jessica Rabbit. Ha ha. (It's on TV right now, so I thought I'd share that little tid bit.)

J is cashing in a mutual fund that has been losing money for a few years now because he hasn't put anything in there. We're using it to pay off our smaller department store credit cards. This helps a LOT because we'll have about $100 more a month for expenses and my student loans kick in in June (blech) so as long as I find steady employment soon, there really IS a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. Hee hee.

He also needs a new car. We're trying to push the one he has as long as possible, but I'm just not sure it's going to last very long. He's bee looking at cars online and has found a few he likes, but I worry that he's going to find something he loves and get his heart set on it but we won't be able to afford it. And with my employment being up in the air right now, I really don't need the stress of $150+ a month in car payments.

In other news, my graduation ceremony is on Saturday. I'm not too keen on going, but my best friend and I graduated high school together, so she wants us to walk in our college ceremony together. Plus it's her birthday, so what are you gonna do? J has to work and can't find anybody to come in, which I don't really mind. I wouldn't want to sit through a graduation of a couple thousand people. (Oh, and for those who were wondering, I WAS able to order my cap and gown. Yay!)

Our youth kids are planning the service for May 17. It's an annual thing and it's always a hit with the congregation. This year, like every year, I'm working with the kids ont he music. The other night went so well and I'm so proud of how hard they are all working! In the past, I've had trouble getting them to listen to each other and to not be afraid of the mics. This year I don't have that problem. They are all for the most part confident and listening to themselves and to each other. And the band is more youth than it has in years past. Our drummers are in 6th and 7th grade, our guitarist is in 10th grade, and our bass player is in 9th grade. Our piano player is our regular piano player, but you're only as young as you feel, right?! It's going to be a lot of fun and I'll be sure to post pictures.

I'm also going to the Cedarledge open house on Sunday the 17th. It'll be nice to go back to visit and give tours to families. And I'm pretty sure I"m to a point where I can handle being there without getting too emotional. It's werid, though. K asked me to lead worship on the 31st because she ad the woman she usually asks to fill in will be out of town. I told her I could do it, then realized that if I were going to camp this summer, I would have been gone! So weird!! I'm making plans for the summer and looking for a summerr job.... I'ver never had this kind of liberty with my summer. (Not that I'm complaining, because camp was a huge part of my childhood and made me who I am.) Should be interesting...

Worship Wednesdays #6

This week's song was chosen because of something that happened to me yesterday.



Casting Crown's "I Know You're There" is a beautiful song, but more than that, I think that the chorus, especially, is something to always remember: "I know You're there. I know You see (hear) me." God is surely awesome, and when you start to lose a little bit of faith, He seems to always shout in your face and say, "HEY! I'M RIGHT HERE!!!"

Here's my story: I've been nannying for a few years now, and my most recent family was of four kids about 10 minutes from my house. They were a handful the first few days (I mean, what kids don't try and push a new sitter?) but eventually the kids and I bonded and I thought everything was going well. At 2:00 PM today I get a phone call from the agency I got the position through saying that the mom called and said "It's just not working out." Nothing more. No reason. Just that.

So I'm freaking out because our rent is due this week and I'm like, "Crap. WTF am I going to do? That's almost $200 we don't have for rent or other bills." I start crying (because that's how I handle panic attacks) and let the lady know that if anything comes through (even just one-time gigs) to give me a call. Then I called my pastor and my worship arts director at church asking for prayers and they both calmed me down. I was like, "God will do something. I know he will."

3:00 PM comes and I'm getting off the highway for work when the lady from the agency calls me back. "How amazing is God?" she says. Then she tells me that there is a temporary job for Thurs. and Fri. this week, plus everyday next week, with a posisbility for it to turn into a permanent position. WHAT?! Apparently, their nanny up and quit on them this morning. So, not only do I not have to worry about rent this month, but if I manage to hang onto this job, it pay almost 3x MORE than the original.

So my point in my story is that GOD LISTENS. And HE PROVIDES. If I've never been sure of that before, I'm sure of it now. The way that he just provided in such a short period of time was... awesome to say the least. I know that things will rarely be fixed thata quickly because, after all, God takes things in HIS time, not ours. But isn't it amazing, how He chooses to show Himself to us??

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

So, What's New?

I promised you a substantial entry, so here it is!

First, I want to talk about American Idol. Tuesday night was probably the best perfomance show I have EVER seen. (I mean, I still FFWDed over Adam, but...) All of them were so awesome that I didn't even try to pick a bottom two, only that Matt would be the one to go. And you know what? This was when he SHOULD have gone home and I'm glad the judges used their save on him. Although I wonder how everything would have fallen had Alexis not gone home in 11th place? I love how surprised Allison and Danny were to find out they were the top 2. Like, what?! I hope that Adam goes home next week or the next, but he probably won't. My ideal order would be Adam, Danny, then a Kris and Allison finale. But that's me. What do you think?

Second, my cat is so weird. I wanna share a story with ya real quick: Last night there was a beetle that kept flying at our living room window (which is low enough for him to jump onto from the floor) and he kept trying to catch it. Through the glass. And then his butt fell off of the ledge and he's like hanging there for dear life with his front paws. Too cute!! I was ROLLING.

Third, I finally convinced J to switch to U-Verse. We're paying a tiny bit more, but we're getting a LOT more channels than we have now, plus better DVR options. They're coming on May 13 and I can't wait!! I can watch my DVRed shows upstairs or he can watch TV upstairs while I watch my DVRed shows downstairs. That's his biggest gripe; I always want to watch my shows the NIGHT they're on because I catch up on all the blogging and gossip the next day.

J and I might be going to see Casting Crowns in Poplar Bluff in June and I'm excited. It's all dependent on if he can get off of work the next day (Sat.) 'cause if we go, we'll get a hotel since it's 3 hours away. I didn't get to see them the last time they were in town because J's friend only had one extra ticket. I was bummed because I LOVE CC. They always put on a great show.

Oh, and an update on something that I posted a few days ago, I was able to order my cap and gown. Turns out ordering doesn't end when they say it does for slackers like me who miss the deadline. ;-)