Monday, March 31, 2008

There's a Bathroom on the Right...

I was listening to Bob Marley while cleaning my house and laughing to myself because I was singing my own words, (which I typically hate people for doing) but I thought I was kinda funny because I could not figure out what these words were...

My made-up words:
"We'll share the same room, yeah/
We'll shop both aisles of bread."

The actual words:
"We'll share the same room, yeah/
for jah provide the bread"

I never would have guessed these lyrics. Of course, I looked up the meaning...
Jah is, in Rastafarianism, God or Jehovah.

I'm still not 100% sure what the line means...If they shack-up, God will provide the food?
Hmm....

Proverbs 24:10

Jason wrote a quick post about some verses on which he's been meditating...
Here is one of them:

"If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn't much to you in the first place"
Proverbs 24:10 (Message)

Sometimes I am made to feel guilty for not feeling deeply enough because I don't respond "appropriately" in difficult times (like during my parent's divorce)...this verse is so reassuring.

Thank you Jason for this post.
Thank you Jesus for this truth.

Obstruction

My heart gets in the way.
I can't just be.
I can't not think all the time.
over. over. over. over.
again. again. again.
I wish I could be cool.
be calm. be nonchalant.
I can't.
My heart gets in the way.

December

I'm here. I'm in. I'm waiting on you to make your move.
To remember that I'm the one you really want.
To laugh with.
To live with.
Forever.
I'm not sure how much more of a sign you need.
One if by land and two if by sea seems a little out-of-date.
I'm here.
I'm in.
I'm waiting on you.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Maybe This Doesn't Make Sense...

I was talking to my friend Amanda about old boyfriends.
It seems like there are two ways for a crush to end:
1) In Heart-break:
Someone gets hurt...there's un-met expectations, sadness, tears...a whole list of reasons things might end...but regardless, they end, badly.
2) Unrequitedly:
The love is given by one, but not returned by the other. (The girl loves the boy, but the boy likes someone else...or something along those lines...) Either way, someone will get hurt.

Here's what we were talking about:
In situation #1, I think, over-time, parties involved will heal and move on.

In situation #2, we get in trouble...I think the guy that gave the love that was not returned is "forever" stuck in this affection. Not that they will never move on, or always be hurt, but they will secretly hope that this girl will live to regret their decision not to love him; that someday they will run in to each other and the girl will walk away thinking "Wow, I kinda wish I had given him a chance". In this case, the guy will always think lovingly about the girl. He will never regret his decision to love her because she never lost her spot on the pedestal by becoming a real girlfriend...a real person...She will always be "perfect" in his head. There are few occasions when he will say something like, "She was so stupid" or "Wow, I really lucked out with her not loving me".

I have had my share of each situation. I care for latter more.
I love the idea of continuing to love the people who didn't love you...

Friday, March 28, 2008

Go On. Take It.

What better keepsake
--souvenir--
than my heart?
Here ya go.

-Untitled 1-

I could have stayed away.
I could have listened to what they said.
But I would have missed out on a best friend.
I also would have missed out on a broken heart.
Which would have been worse?

Since Poetry Is So In This Season

I'm working on my super glue skills
since I have the feeling
I'm in for a lot more heart break.



More to come...

My friends all write too...

Bethany...Here Is A Glimpse Of Your Future...


Seriously.

Come Play With Us...

Today, I had to pick up a few things at Target...you know: photos, October Road on DVD and a crossbow...no big deal...

I made the mistake of walking down the baby doll aisle on my way to the crossbows...I walked in front of about 60 motion-sensor dolls that all started talking and moving. I jumped and almost screamed, but caught myself...

Instead I said (to the stranger who was at the end of the aisle), "That was the scariest moment of my life so far." He didn't seem to care.

I'd rather watch The Sixth Sense than walk down that aisle again.

Guess What I'm Doing Tonight?

I saw (stole) this on Josh's blog. (Ryanne stole it first)
I was interested to see how many I had done. Not enough out of 100.
Looks like I'm renting some American classics tonight...

The American Film Institute's 2007 list of the top-100 American movies:
1. Citizen Kane, 1941
2. The Godfather, 1972
3. Casablanca, 1942
4. Raging Bull, 1980
5. Singin' in the Rain, 1952
6. Gone With the Wind, 1939
7. Lawrence of Arabia, 1962
8. Schindler's List, 1993
9. Vertigo, 1958
10. The Wizard of Oz, 1939
11. City Lights, 1931
12. The Searchers, 1956
13. Star Wars, 1977
14. Psycho, 1960
15. 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968
16. Sunset Blvd., 1950
17. The Graduate, 1967
18. The General, 1927
19. On the Waterfront, 1954
20. It's a Wonderful Life, 1946
21. Chinatown, 1974
22. Some Like It Hot, 1959
23. The Grapes of Wrath, 1940
24. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 1982
25. To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962
26. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 1939
27. High Noon, 1952
28. All About Eve, 1950
29. Double Indemnity, 1944
30. Apocalypse Now, 1979
31. The Maltese Falcon, 1941
32. The Godfather Part II, 1974
33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, 1975
34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937
35. Annie Hall, 1977
36. The Bridge on the River Kwai, 1957
37. The Best Years of Our Lives, 1946
38. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, 1948
39. Dr. Strangelove, 1964
40. The Sound of Music, 1965
41. King Kong, 1933
42. Bonnie and Clyde, 1967
43. Midnight Cowboy, 1969
44. The Philadelphia Story, 1940
45. Shane, 1953
46. It Happened One Night, 1934
47. A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951
48. Rear Window, 1954
49. Intolerance, 1916
50. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 2001
51. West Side Story, 1961
52. Taxi Driver, 1976
53. The Deer Hunter, 1978
54. M-A-S-H, 1970
55. North by Northwest, 1959
56. Jaws, 1975
57. Rocky, 1976
58. The Gold Rush, 1925'
59. Nashville, 1975
60. Duck Soup, 1933
61. Sullivan's Travels, 1941
62. American Graffiti, 1973
63. Cabaret, 1972
64. Network, 1976
65. The African Queen, 1951
66. Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981
67. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, 1966
68. Unforgiven, 1992
69. Tootsie, 1982
70. A Clockwork Orange, 1971
71. Saving Private Ryan, 1998
72. The Shawshank Redemption, 1994
73. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 1969
74. The Silence of the Lambs, 1991
75. In the Heat of the Night, 1967
76. Forrest Gump, 1994
77. All the President's Men, 1976
78. Modern Times, 1936
79. The Wild Bunch, 1969
80. The Apartment, 1960
81. Spartacus, 1960
82. Sunrise, 1927
83. Titanic, 1997
84. Easy Rider, 1969
85. A Night at the Opera, 1935
86. Platoon, 1986
87. 12 Angry Men, 1957
88. Bringing Up Baby, 1938
89. The Sixth Sense, 1999
90. Swing Time, 1936
91. Sophie's Choice, 1982
92. Goodfellas, 1990
93. The French Connection, 1971
94. Pulp Fiction, 1994
95. The Last Picture Show, 1971
96. Do the Right Thing, 1989
97. Blade Runner, 1982
98. Yankee Doodle Dandy, 1942
99. Toy Story, 1995
100. Ben-Hur, 1959

Thursday, March 27, 2008

More From My Favorite Poet

love wants nothing to do with you and i:
we’d have to forge the rivers and split the skies.
right now i’m so tired, i can’t afford the miles.
love wants nothing to do with you and i.
--landon

With Great Mustache Comes Great Responsibility

Tonight at the baseball game, I saw the best mustache I've ever seen:
Bethany initiated conversation because I was nervous...I was so intimidated by the sweet 'stache...He was super cool about it and even laughed telling me it was okay to put up on my blog, but not my myspace (which is a shame because it would make such an amazing default photo).
The woman sitting in front of us, upon hearing the story, asked for my blog site so she could see the photo and show her friends (hello, you Bon-Jovi-loving woman!)

Here are some other non-mustache filled photos from the night...

for Santi...


If I Were a Rich Girl...

I'm the 225,217,392 richest person on earth!


Discover how rich you are! >>


Where do you rank? Click on the box above to find out!

That's How You Know That He Loves You


Bethany and I went to Target on Tuesday and bought Enchanted on DVD...
Today, we watched it over lunch (and a little bit of work).
I smiled through the whole thing (Bethany kept laughing at me)...and I kept saying, "What?! This is my favorite part!" (the singing in the house, in the park, the dance at the ball...I love it.)
I was raised on Disney movies, so I was bound to love this one too...
If you haven't seen it, rent it.
If you have seen it...and you want to marry me...then let's dance together sometime...and you can whisper the words to the song in my ear...that's how I'll know you love me.
p.s. a caption just came up saying "stay tuned after the credits for a selection of bonus features to play automatically"...and I'm super excited...sorry you left early, Bethany...you're missing out!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

I Could Be Your Hero, Baby

Today was Droopy Day...since it's Spring Break, we spent an afternoon eating and competing in a video scavenger hunt. (I'll link to the videos once they are posted.)

Since a few of the boys had read my post about mind-reading, we chatted a bit about what our preferred super-powers would be...

I said, I would love to be invisible...
and I would wear a cape (only because they are so in style these days)
My weakness: liquid (I can't be invisible in water)

Devon decided he would be telepathic.

Tyler would be telekinetic.

Kyle would fly. (And rescue me from my nemesis by flying me over water)

Wow...what a nerdy conversation...but full of laughter...thanks for the fun, guys!

I Judge You

I was searching for some "Be(st) Fri(ends)" necklaces today...and found this:

Please don't buy this for you or anyone you know.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

In Your Head, In Your Head...

Sometimes, when there is silence in a conversation (a one-on-one conversation), I say in my head (to the other person) some variation of the following:

"Can you read my mind? If you can read my mind, look at me. If you can read my mind, scratch your nose. If you can read my mind, tell me. I promise I won't freak out...and I won't tell anyone. And I think it would be really cool."

As far as I know, I don't have any mind-reading friends...yet...but I'm going to keep trying because I have high hopes that, someday, my dream will come true...

I'm aware that this makes me seem crazy...but I'm hoping it's an endearing kind of crazy...

Eye Can't Believe This...



Who decides this stuff? Eye-Dono(r)!

Monday, March 24, 2008

And I Would Walk (4000 Miles)

My friends Sam and Luke are moving to London (with up-to-now-blog-less friends Jesse and Santi)...they leave in a few weeks...

I'm moving to Kenya...I leave in a few months...

Here is a map to show that we could still be friends from the other side of the world...


Yuck, Yuck, Yuck

This morning I made breakfast and got nauseous eating it when a Proactive commercial came on.

Then, just now, I was eating a late lunch and got nauseous again when a dead body was on TV.

Maybe I should stop watching TV while I eat...or stop eating foods that are squishy like zits and dead bodies...

Oh, I just gagged writing that sentence...yuck.

Daytime TV

It's 2:30pm. I'm sitting on my couch, having just returned from getting my nails done. (The nail salon was playing The Godfather soundtrack...but that's a different story.)

I have the TV on in the background, but I'm not really watching...It's on channel 11 because I was watching I Love Lucy before I went out.

Temptation is on right now...and wow is it awful.

The theme song is "You can't fight the temptation"...with terrible, terrible singers.

The question right now is "Suzanne Somers Products"...which of these products on the screen has Suzanne Somers as a spokeswoman...for each correct guess they win an amount of money ($2, $5, $15). At the end of the show they can spend the money they've won on the assortment of prizes in "Shopper's Paradise" (purses, glasses, a car, an iPhone). You, too, can "win" these prizes: shop seenontemptation.com

The contestants are ridiculous. They are over-the-top excited. Carmen just smelled the designer handbag and exclaimed "It's real leather! It's real leather!" Barika is "harnessing her energy" to choose the correct wallet for a chance to win $1000. (Her husband told her to choose the brown wallet...thanks, honey...she won.)

Let's be honest though...the worst part is most likely that I'm still watching.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Time, Time, Time...See What's Become of Me

I'm singing at church today...I love singing in church...I love dressing up. I love learning a new song. I love seeing the band members that I hardly ever see. I love the nervous feeling right before going out on stage. I love the relief when it's over. What I don't love is the in-between time: the time between singing at one service and singing at the next.

Right now, that time is almost two hours. It's 94 degrees out and I'm in a cardigan, so sitting outside is not really an option...and we all know how I am with "stranger small-talk" after two hours... So...I was all set to get a Starbucks and go have a pedicure.

Coffee--delicious, though I think it was missing the vanilla...oh well.
Nail Salons (two)--closed. (That's fine, I don't even like those salons, I was just going there out of convenience...I'll go to the good place tomorrow.)

Okay, so I'll go to Target...I wanted to buy Enchanted on DVD anyway...and I need to start putting together a few going-away gifts, so why not wander around...such a great time-killer.
CLOSED. Now I am in my car talking aloud in an angry British accent "Really? Excellent. What do I do now? This is crap. Fine, I'll just go to the office...Way to ruin Easter, Target."

Walk in to the air conditioned office with a list of things I can do for the next hour or so...
LOCKED. I knock a few times, but it's Easter, no one's here but me...DANG IT! Free time sucks on Easter...there is nothing to do!

So, now I'm sitting at the reception desk in the office, waiting for 3:45 when I will sing with my friend Zack and then, hopefully, find a better way to wait for 6:30.

Maybe I should drive home and get my pocket Yahtzee...

Post Number One Thousand

Did you know:

The letter A does not appear in the English spelling of any positive integer lower than "one thousand".

I love learning.

What My Upstairs Neighbor Might Have Been Doing at 8 O'Clock This Morning:

1. Playing one-on-one basketball
2. Working on her bowling aim
3. Rehearsing for the marching band
4. Nailing down new floor tiles
5. Running sprints


Whatever it was, I'm awake now.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

It's a Little Bit Funny...

Have you ever had that person in your life that you can't help but love?

And then later you can't imagine why you ever liked him?

Funny that you think you know exactly what you want...and then you are so glad that you didn't get it...

Friday, March 21, 2008

Wow...Too Many Posts Today...

Here's what I've done so far...These will be done soon...

1. Make a mosaic table
2. Have my very first Christmas tree, stockings, and Christmas morning at my own house
3. Get some students to think about their community and the world around them
4. Learn to speak a foreign language
5. Visit London
6. Watch a movie in an LA Cemetery (Cinespia)
7. Relax
8. Make a trifle
9. Take dance lessons
10. Be a good small group leader
11. Go indoor sky-diving
12. Learn to use a sewing machine
13. Ride in a helicopter
14. Spend the night at Montage
15. Go to baseball games at Fenway Park and Wrigley Field
16. Watch 3 full series of TV on DVD
17. Learn to play the guitar
18. Work with Habitat for Humanity
19. Buy a pair of Christian Louboutins
20. Apply for graduate school
21. Learn to cook (well, I can cook some things...I'm still learning)
22. Visit Kenya
23. Be a good friend
24. Get a full-body massage
25. Visit the Grand Canyon

Not too shabby...any one want to help accomplish the others? I only have 7 months left!

"Let's Look It Up"

Up until two weeks ago, I never realized how often I say this phrase. But, evidently, I say it all the time...in most conversations, I stop and google the answer to something.

I love to search for answers here:
Google
Wikipedia
Dictionary.com
imdb

Here are recent searches I have performed on my non-iphone:
who sings _______?
what's that actor from?
why is that bee's butt shaking?
what does this word mean?
can you actually have toxic blood?
is Knott's open today?
what time is that movie playing?
can a woman lose her PhD when she changes her name?
what kind of jungle gym is that?
what song did The Kry sing?

Some people hate when I choose to search for answers...personally, I love to know about things...

I Just Can't Get You Out of My Head

Yesterday, we attended the So. Cal Connection: a group of JH workers from Southern California who get together to brainstorm and idea-share. At the start, Erika shared her heart for a few minutes...and it was as if God was speaking right to me.

My whole life I've been a planner: internship, college, job, London...always a few steps ahead, with clear, detailed plans made...Now, with Kenya, there are a lot of question marks in my life. After Kenya...job? housing? schooling? No plans...just blanks waiting to be filled in. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I've always been a planner...so what do I do when I have nothing to plan? Go crazy? Probably.

Then yesterday, Erika read this verse:
"Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

I know, right? Couldn't have been more perfect...
Until she read this...

"There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

I know that God is faithful. I know that He is calling me to go to Kenya. I know I felt that call time and time again. And, yesterday, it became clear that He will continue to confirm His presence and faithfulness through this journey...so I will continue to trust and follow Him.

A few other things people said in passing yesterday that I thought were slightly profound...they also got me thinking about who I am...
  • "We can't expect Jr. Highers to get everything while they're in Jr. High. Sometimes it takes me more than two years to get something."
  • "I was doing something God cared about."
  • "Sometimes the students who are the most Christian are the least vocal."

What's Going On, Everybody...

I haven't been blogging much lately. With the Wii, Kenya support letter preparation, Felicity on DVD, and a few new friends, I've been up late each night and too tired to think clearly...for that, I am a little bit sorry. (Not totally sorry, since I have been really enjoying my life in the last few weeks).

Amidst all of this fun, there has been a little bit of sadness. Each day I am becoming a little more aware of all that I am leaving behind when I go to Kenya. Please, hear me, I'm not sad about Kenya, I'm simply realizing more and more what won't be in Kenya with me...and since I absolutely love my life right now, that makes me a little sad.

All that to say, Kenya letters are going out early next week...and the reality is setting in and freaking me out...so my posts may be a little more reflective in the weeks to come...or sappy, which is pretty consistent for me...(I just watched that stupid commercial again and I'm totally crying...idiots at JC Penny!)

Please, bear with me.

Guess What Wii Got?!

Bethany bought herself a Wii, but since she spends so much time at my house, she's decided to leave it here!

So far we've played tons of Wii bowling...and made a Mii Oprah and "Mr. Mii-yagi" (who had the high score in bowling last night)

Just so you know, I may blog less and bowl more...

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

I Was Just Thinking...

I really don't mind crying...I cry a lot, so I'm actually fine with it.
What I do mind is when I start to cry as I'm chewing gum and it deteriorates in my mouth...
Yuck!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

I Want...

to be a good friend.
to be a good employee.
to be a great woman.

to be smart.
to be brilliant.
to be funny.

to be independent.
to be dependent.
to be dependable.

to be encouraging.
to be encouraged.
to be courageous.

to be moving.
to be moved.
to be grounded.

to be afraid to...
to be afraid not to...
to be fearful.

to be honest.
to be humble.
to be honoring.

to be a reader.
to be a writer.
to be a listener.

to be the center of attention.
to be the giver of attention.
to be lost in the crowd.

to be loved by someone.
to be a lover of someone.
to be content in His love.

to find where I fit.
to break out of that mould.
to be British.

to be me.
to love me.
to love God.

I Love Chemistry

Seriously...Mrs. Garfinkel's class...I loved it.

So much that I'm hoping you want to buy me this ring since I can't afford to buy it for myself, but I love it.
Here's the link, just in case.

Added Bonus: THIS might be the coolest periodic table I've ever seen...scroll over the 'metals'/'non-metals' at the top...awesome!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Day 300 (Update #3)

As my 500th post, I made a list of goals that I would like to reach by 500 days from that day. Here's the link...Day 500 happens to be October 2, 2008.
Day 100, Day 200, Today is Day 300.

So...here goes:
* Read at least 23 books.
I have read 12 so far and am currently reading two others. I will attain this goal.

* Write something (a short story, some poetry, a song, a YM resource)...CHECK

* Weigh 135.
Not now...but with all the bike-riding in Kenya, I'm thinking I'll get there!

* Speak near-fluent Swahili.
Nope...but living in Kenya might help this one too!

* Travel to at least 10 countries I have not been to before.
Only 3 new countries so far...planning at least two more in 2008...we'll see!

* Be financially independent...CHECK

* Have serious Kenya-living plans...CHECK
Letters are being sent out soon...I leave July 22! So scary...and so cool!

* Be en route to a Master's degree.
Nope...this may be the only unattained goal...

* Record...CHECK

* Laugh a lot. Loudly and a lot...CHECK
Of course...

Day 400 (Update #4) will be Thursday, June 26, 2008...

And We'll Both Be Safe 'Til St. Patrick's Day

I had such a productive day today...and it was so great to run around with my mom all day!

I went on a huge grocery shopping spree...so, if you want to come over, I have plenty of food...

I now have clean clothes, clean dishes and 110 stamped envelopes waiting to be filled with Kenya information and sent out!

I also have my favorite John Mayer song stuck in my head:
"Here...comes the cold...break out the winter clothes and find a love to call your own..."

Sunday, March 16, 2008

(Not So) Super (With the) Glue

A few magnets fell off my refrigerator and cracked.

My friend brought me some super glue (because I don't own any)...so I tried my best to get them back together...

Well, I'm not so good with the super glue...Not only did I glue the magnet to my finger, but then my fingers stuck together...oh, and then I touched my eye and was pretty sure I had a super glue spot in my right eye...

Yep, I'm pretty crafty...

Friday, March 14, 2008

Giraffe Manor

My aunt sent me a link to this Kenyan Hotel.



I'm not sure I could stay there...I think the idea of a giant giraffe head in my window while I eat my breakfast would be enough to keep me in the Hilton...

3.14.08

Happy Pi Day!
I love Pi...
To help accomplish my New Year's Resolution (to be smarter), here are a few facts about Pi.

In 1706 William Jones first gave the Greek letter "Ï€" its current mathematical definition.

Here are the first 100 decimal places of pi:
3.14159265358979323846264338327950288419716939937510582
09749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679

For a circle to equal pi the diameter must be 1.

Pi does not have to be written in decimal (base 10) notation (3.14159265....). Here it is in binary (base 2) notation:
11.0010010000111111011010101000100
010000101101000110000100011010011

For those of you that thought I had too much nerd in me for writing this...here are a few people who have spent more time loving Pi than I ever could:

A pi limerick:
Three point one four one five nine two
Its been around forever - its not new
It appears everywhere In here and in there
Its irrational I know but its true !

Simon Plouffe was listed in the 1975 Guinness Book of World Records for reciting 4096 digits of Pi from memory

In 1949 it took ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Intergrator and Computer) 70 hours to calculate 2,037 decimal places of Pi.

In 1991, the Chudnovsky brothers in New York, using their computer, m zero, calculated pi to two billion two hundred sixty million three hundred twenty one thousand three hundred sixty three digits (2, 260, 321, 363). They halted the program that summer. Oh, and they're idiots.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

My First Kenya Support!

I had dinner last night with the Edwards and the Maguires...my favorites!

I walked in to the house and was talking to Katie when Abby (her 8-year-old daughter) comes in and hands me this:



She has three jars: SAVE IT, SPEND IT, and GIVE IT BACK TO GOD.

Once the third jar was full, Katie and Ron sat with Abby to discuss the options of giving it back to God: tithing at church, giving it to an organization, supporting a missionary...

Abby decided to support a missionary: me!

So, now I am $19.71 closer to my Kenya trip!
Thanks for supporting me, Abbs! I love your guts!

Here's me, Katie and Abby in Kenya (2005)

Looks like I'm going to spend some time with my Google Reader today...

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Dave and John...

Josh emailed me this story which is really exciting, but possibly only to me.

I love Dave Eggers.
I love John Krasinski.
I'm fairly certain I will be in love with this movie.

You Guys Are Hilarious

Yesterday I went with my new friends to Magic Mountain.
Well, to be honest, we tried to go to Magic Mountain, but when we got there it was closed.
So, we went to Knott's Berry Farm instead.

On the very, very, very long car ride, we played Celebrity.
(You name a famous person and the next person names a different celebrity whose first name begins with the same letter of the last name of the person you named--make sense?--for instance: David Arquette--Avril Lavigne--Lucy Liu--double letters reverses the order of the circle)

So, we're playing for at least an hour...and then it turned very funny.

One of the guys named these celebrities:
Sandy Kojak
Lucy O'Ball

And, when I said Paul Newman, he yelled, "You can't name fictional characters...he's from Seinfeld!"

Needless to say, I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe...
Such a fun day with new friends...more about them later.

I.L.O.V.E.H.P.

Griff just emailed me this...I'm really excited...
And, I'm also a little sad that I will live in Kenya when number 6 is released...
Maybe I'll Swede it...

Sunday, March 09, 2008

My In-Person Blog Friend

Yesterday, my until-recently-only-via-blog friend came down to Orange County to hang out with me. We had coffee...she sat through two services in Wildside...and then had dinner with me and a few of the JH staff guys. (She also recognized both Dom and David as my friend crushes...so funny!)

It was a great day!

Thanks Jessica for being such a fun online and face-to-face friend!

Things That I Do Around My House That Make Me Feel Like a Grown-Up

  • Cleaning the toilet
  • Emptying the vacuum cleaner
  • Changing the batteries in my garage door opener
  • Changing the light bulb on my back patio

Friday, March 07, 2008

My Friend Dylan


I have this friend named Dylan. He's four. Oh, and he's also hilarious...and brilliant...and can play "Clocks" on the drums (perfectly)

Tonight, Dylan, his mom, his sister and I went to dinner and to Target.
Dylan was hilarious...

(Amanda is having a baby boy...so I mentioned naming the kid Felix, as a joke)
Dylan: Oh, that is a nice name, but, um, we actually really like the name Tim.

(We ran to the bathroom in Target)
Dylan: Um, Allison. Since I'm a boy and I have a wiener, I stand up when I pee.

(In the car on the way home)
Dylan: My friend Egypt is afraid of people he doesn't know.
(Amanda explains that Egypt is Dylan's imaginary friend)
Dylan: Yeah, he's afraid of me...I don't know how old he is because he won't talk to me, since I'm a stranger.
(I asked Dylan where Egypt lives--and how does he know about the country to Egypt)
Dylan: Um, he lives in Cairo. It's a lot different looking from here.

I was totally laughing...hilarious...and really, really smart.

My Sawyer Nickname

I found this on 100ormore.org, along with some other gems.
Did you know that you too can have a Sawyer-given nickname?

Check it out here.

I tried at the Maguire's and was nicknamed: Half-Pint

Then, at home I tried twice more...

I'm sticking with "Rinse N Repeat"...way better than Brainpan...

What's your Sawyer nickname?

Thursday, March 06, 2008

I Can Tell That We Are Gonna Be Friends...

I've been thinking and talking a lot about friendship recently.
My Junior High small group spent this week making a list of qualities of a friend.
I've been recalling stories of old friends (good and bad).
I've been working to grow some friendships (old and new).

I find that I'm looking for very little in a friend, but that these few specifics matter so much that, without them, the friendship means very little. Because I expect them to exist in my friend, I am working to make sure they exist in me.

* Authenticity
* Honesty
* Loyalty/Constancy
* Laughter
* Comfort


What do you look for in a friend?

One More Lyric I Love

"go tell your friends just what johnny did
If they don't tell you that you're crazy, baby
they're as messed up as you is"

More Lyrics I Love

I was reading an old post and thought I might do a part two...

"We'll bring a child in to this world. We'll say the one thing everyone should hear: you were meant for amazing things"

"I know your image of me is what I hope to be"

"Don't stop this train. Don't for a minute change the place you're in. And don't think I couldn't ever understand, I've tried my hand. John, honestly, you'll never stop this train."

"With every mistake we must surely be learning"

"Show me how to love like You have loved me"

"Glints in the night, commas and ampersands"

"The warmth of your love's like the warmth of the sun"

"Only thing I ever could need, only one good thing worth trying to be and it's love"

"Like the songbird sings her sonnet, so our souls can not stay quiet"

"Don't talk politics and don't throw stones"

Can you name all of these songs?
Can you think of any others?

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Isn't It Strange...

that you can go years without knowing someone and not feel any sense of lacking...and then, one day, you make a new friend and suddenly you miss them when they're not around?

Monday, March 03, 2008

This Perfume Reminds Me Of You

It used to remind me of London in the summer.
Of dressing to go out and then choosing to stay in because it was too hot to enjoy being outdoors...even with how much I love London.
I enjoyed staying in because he would be there...and I really liked him: how he smiled, how he spoke, how he joked.
This perfume used to remind me of him.

Now, for some reason, when I put it on, it makes me think of you.
Which is a shame because I think you are strange.

Now I'm in a bit of a pickle:
Do I continue to wear it, in hopes that it will, again, absorb a new scented memory?
Or do I put it on my shelf as a constant reminder of all it once encased?

Jobs That Would Be Cool to Have Although I Could Not Actually Acheive Them

Surgeon
Pastry Chef
Fashion Designer
Magazine Editor
Fashion Photographer
Window Dresser
Large Themed-Event Planner
Back-Up Singer
Film Festival Planner
Author
Singer/Songwriter
Inventor
Shakespeare Professor
Vacation Planner
Vacation Attender

Wow...so many choices...

Sarti Design Blog

My friend Leigh is back after a long vacation from blogging...
He's always sure to have a funny pun or two in his post...
Check him out!

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Three Things I'm Looking For in a Dude

1. A Beard

2. The desire to wear a collared shirt and tie (for no real reason)
Note: The collar/tie combo could be in a rotation with some grandpa sweaters.

3. A vast knowledge of something unnecessary (fonts, Star Trek, comic books, science, history, math...)

Here are a few dudes that meet these criteria:
Javier Bardem:
Justin Timberlake:
Andy Samberg:
Seth Rogen:
Adam Brody:

I Love Oscar

I Tivoed the Academy Awards (three hours of red carpet, the awards and another hour--just in case they ran long).

I watched the three hours of red carpet...and I was a little disappointed. I don't care about what the guy from ABC thinks of Jennifer Garner's dress...I want to see the other dresses and form my own opinion.

But, I have, so far, loved the award show. I teared up at the "Tribute the the first 80 years". I have laughed with Jon Stewart...and smiled at the short "memories" of winning (Catherine Zeta-Jones, Barbra Streisand)...

I can't wait to watch the rest!