Archive for the 'life as i know it' Category

wrangling the messies

Published 24 May, 2008 life as i know it Leave a Comment

as a kid, messy was never an option for me. everything had to be in its place–at least on the surface. drawers, cabinets and closets could be messy, but anything visible had to be immaculate. there was never a speck of dust and every bit of tchotchke had its exact spot. a very exact spot. when i was a teen and was acting out at my mom, i’d go around the house & just barely nudge all her little figurines and tchotchke. there was never a dust circle to disturb so i never knew how mom knew, but she knew they weren’t in their proper spots and she’d spend how ever long it took to nudge everything into just the spot they were in previously. (i’d later learn that mom has obsessive-compulsive disorder and that was one of the manifestations).

anyhow, as an adult, with my own place. i enjoy a certain amount of messy. i don’t mind my most frequently worn shoes being in a pile by the front door along with a stack of my currently rotating purses. i don’t mind a few dirty dishes left overnite in the sink. or a pile of clothes that needs to be put away for several days. but there’s a limit. and actually, messy cabinets, drawers, etc. can drive me a little nuts after a certain point.

i have reached that limit and hit that point. this long weekend, i’m on a declutter mission: clean out the closets & drawers. put the winter shoes back in their boxes, purge the old clothes, toss out or donate stuff that isn’t being worn depending on its condition… a clean sweep. i’m looking forward to it… all the fun begins saturday morning ;) . i should get some rest.

random sunday morning musings

Published 16 March, 2008 life as i know it , travel Leave a Comment
  • so i took a 48 hour computer sabbatical–i haven’t been online from Friday @ 9am PST until Sunday 10am PST.
  • that makes my random saturday musings random sunday musings
  • being unplugged was nice. returning to being plugged in i feel very behind
  • chocolate chip cookies from paradise bakery are a good thing in the denver airport
  • talking theology with a southern baptist who became an atheist who became a transcendentalist who’s currently exploring channeling makes my head hurt
  • on the other hand, i’m glad the person i had the aforementioned theology conversation with sees enough of something he finds real in my faith to have the conversation with me
  • why women should rule the world should be on everyone’s reading list–i’ll do a separate post on this
  • i’m on vacation through the 25th-number one vacation goal: no alarm clock except easter sunday
  • i’m visiting fam and friends in OK which will be fun
  • i hate being exhausted and having insomnia
  • two desserts in one night is fun especially when you’re sharing them with a friend
  • a cool thing about good friends–you’re never too old to stay up half the night talking and giggling
  • i’m going to hobby lobby this week…my favorite craft/art/project store ever that sadly we don’t have in san diego
  • tulsa and grand rapids might actually be the same city only one is snowier

random saturday musings 2

Published 9 March, 2008 life as i know it Leave a Comment

since i have a habit of reviewing my week and noting things that stuck with me, i’ve decided to also try and make a habit out of sharing a few of those here every saturday night.

  • i just might be a quirkyalone meaning i’d rather be on my own than in a lame relationship or settle just to be in a couple (note to self: order book)
  • i’m looking forward to my trip to ok for easter
  • i’m not looking forward to packing (i wish there was a service that would do my laundry and pack for me)
  • it’s always a good idea to keep popcorn & cake mix on hand when you host small group at your house
  • i still wonder if i’m being selfish when i’m happy for a friend who’s beginning a new adventure but sad for how it will change our relationship
  • i’ve finished 3 of the 4 books i set out to read this weekend–not sure if i can finish the 4th by monday
  • i’m excited that we’ll have an extra hour of daylight in the evening but i really hate losing an hour of sleep

random saturday musings

Published 2 March, 2008 life as i know it 1 Comment
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  • cars are good; car maintenance is a pain
  • i like orange vegetables–butternut squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, yams
  • haricot verts are just french style green beans
  • i like cooking for friends and having them over
  • i don’t like cleaning before and after i have friends over, but it’s a necessary evil
  • dublin dr. pepper is available just 2.7 miles from my house and i just found out this afternoon
  • our country needs accessible, affordable health care for everyone
  • easter candy is better than valentine’s candy
  • prices are really going up at the grocery store
  • what does it say that my 3 fave celebs at the moment are all food network hosts: guy fieri, robert irvine, and duff goldman
  • i love being a volunteer in youth ministry more than being a youth pastor
  • meeting our parent company’s new ceo was good–i’m really excited we have a woman ceo
  • i’m looking forward to going to oklahoma for easter
  • if barack obama really is going to be the democratic nominee and the next president, i sure hope he figures out a way to come even 1/2 close to the hype he’s created for himself
  • if barack obama is the president and can’t live up to the hype, i think bush’s current approval ratings will look really high
  • i still think if the democratic party genuinely wanted to fix things and not play politics as usual, they’d figure out a way to run a clinton/obama ticket; clinton focusing on foreign issues; obama on domestic and after a 4-8 year run, then obama could run and the dems could potentially have 16 uninterrupted presidential years

and i’m home from grand rapids

Published 26 February, 2008 life as i know it , travel , youth ministry Leave a Comment
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what do you get when you add snow + pizza + the skit guys? you get an event for youth groups in grand rapids that is a whole lot of fun.

we (ys) along with the skit guys and compassion hosted a free event for youth groups. free pizza and lots of laughs with the skit guys. it was sort of a “launch party” for their new dvd series called you teach. volumes 1 & 2 have just released and volume 3 will be out in august.

there were a few hundred people there, lots of pizza and mostly a lot of laughs. seriously, the skit guys are a hoot. “have you ever heard how dodgeball started? it started as dodge rock. you knew when you were out.” and then there’s the need harmony video (i’d link to it, but it’s not available yet). i’m still laughing when i think about it. as someone who’s dabbled in online dating, it is just painfully funny.

oh, and the snow. it snowed–a lot–while we were there. it was snowing when we got off the plane monday afternoon and didn’t stop until mid-day wednesday. much to the chagrin of the michigan residents who are completely sick of the stuff, i really love the snow. it’s so pretty and i love how everything is so clean and sparkly and still in the midst of a snowstorm. of course, it’s much easier to love snow when you’re only visiting and you don’t have to shovel any of it.

and finally, in case you’re unfamiliar with the skit guys, here’s a video of them i found on youtube.

excitement!

Published 17 February, 2008 life as i know it 2 Comments
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so there’s been a little excitement going on in my work life lately. recently i was promoted to marketing manager, resources. i’ll still get to work with our denominational and network partners and the youth specialties academic support network. the rest of my time and energy will be focused on connecting people with our resources: books, curriculums, dvds, etc. i’m really loving the new role.

tomorrow morning, i head to grand rapids to sit in on sales conference. we’ll be presenting about 20 new resources to our sales team so they can start working with retailers to bring the resources to local bookstores. i’m so excited about this new batch of resources–there’s great stuff for youth workers: new bible study curriculum, some encouraging words from one of my favorite people, some cool new stuff for teens… i should stop for now. anyway, i’m looking forward to this week in michigan. except for the cold. that i could do without.

oh happy shopping days

Published 17 February, 2008 books , life as i know it 3 Comments
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yesterday i stopped by borders just to browse for a bit and they had a huge clearance section, and there tucked away on a top shelf in a corner was a copy of Rhett Butler’s People. it was a hardback copy marked 75% off! and all of the ones at the front of the store were regular price. i took it to the register and asked if the book had something wrong with it or if it was just mismarked. there wasn’t anything wrong with it, and it was mismarked, but the border’s associate honored the discounted price anyway! i brought it home for only $7! i’ve had to hide it from myself because i was reading it instead of getting my chores done! gone with the wind was the first “grown-up” novel i read and i fell in love with it immediately. i read the entire thing in just two days as a freshman in high school. and i’ve seen the movie a ridiculous number of times. i’m so liking reading more about rhett. the funny thing for me is that when i read what he’s saying, i totally have clark gable’s voice in my head.

these shoes were my other happy shopping moment of the weekend. i found them marked 1/3 off in the clearance section at my local dsw shoe warehouse. they were just so fun i couldn’t resist trying them on just for kicks. and then they fit perfectly so i decided to splurge. as i walked away from the clearance section, i saw a whole stack of the same shoe for the regular price. a sales associate was there so i showed her the shoes that were marked sale and pointed out the display of regular priced ones. apparently my pair was from a previous shipment so it didn’t matter they’d received more at the regular price, mine were still on clearance. so yes, i now own these adorable and fun shoes. they’re therapeutic in my recovery from the recent loss of my favorite knee-high, high-heeled, black boots that died due to irrepairable heel breakage while in chicago o’hare.
it’s been happy shopping days. and now i’m stopping while i’m ahead.

good line

Published 9 January, 2008 life as i know it Leave a Comment
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i’m a fan of sex in the city now that it’s on tbs. not that i agree with everything, but if you’re single and over 30, there’s some pretty funny stuff in it.

tonite charlotte says “i’ve been dating since i was 15. i’m exhausted. where is he?” i saw that on a t-shirt in the turner store at cnn center last fall and seriously considered buying it. all i can say is “ditto”.

fire update & thoughts

Published 26 October, 2007 life as i know it 1 Comment
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To answer the questions I’ve been getting about the fires here…

I’m fine. My house was on standby for evacuation on Monday so I packed up the irreplacable items and put them in storage at my office. I’ve left them there because we’ve been on the border of an evacuation area for the Harris fire since then. Monday & Tuesday night, I could see flames in the distance. This afternoon, we received conflicting instructions on whether or not to evacuate. We’ve stayed put because we can’t even see the glow of flames and the sheriff hasn’t shown up to tell us it’s time to go.

There is a ton of devastation here. I’ve come to the conclusion that tornadoes are preferable to fires. When you survive a tornado, you’re more likely to find a few belongings. With a fire, it’s just so rare to find anything that’s survived intact. Tornado warnings and watches last hours; the tornado itself is over in minutes. Fires last for hours that actually stretch into days. Fires rain smoke and ash for days; they have to be fought. Tornadoes are gone as quickly as they arrive. The commonality lies in the ability of both to bring out the best in people during the worst of times; to cause one to evaluate their priorities; and to remind people that memories and life are to be cherished and treasured; the rest is just stuff.

the victory & defeat of shopping

Published 15 October, 2007 life as i know it Leave a Comment
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today, i bit the bullet and went shopping. it’s the time of year when i typically find i need to add a few items to my closet. i was dreading this trip. i knew i’d gained some weight. i was not looking forward to seeing the tags in the back of the clothes.

i was fairly sure i’d need a 16… a size i haven’t needed for 3 & 1/2 years; a size i’d promised myself i’d never need again. i took the 16′s to the dressing room and they were clearly TOO BIG! i was thrilled and went in search of the 14′s. whew. i was relieved. my comfortable, i feel healthy, look healthy weight has me wearing 12′s and the occasional 10′s. Knowing I only need to drop a single pant size feels really doable! i was very excited and relieved.

but then came my shopping defeat. there’s an adorable pair of nine west shoes i’ve been ogling since i first saw them. they went on sale so i decided i could afford to splurge. i couldn’t wait to wear them. and then, they didn’t fit well. i tried several different sizes, all without success. i looked for another pair i also really liked, not as much but i liked. and they didn’t have anything close to my size. defeated by the shoe department, i took my smaller-than-i-thought-i’d-need jeans and went home, mostly smiling.

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