Friday, July 31, 2009

99 Thoughts For Youth Workers

My friend, Josh {we call him Griff},
from morethandodgeball.com, wrote a book!It's called 99 Thoughts for Youth Workers.
Oh yes, this is a link to the book on Amazon.com...
where it will be available beginning August 8th.
{For some reason, my finding it on amazon.com makes it so much cooler
than if I were to see it in a bookstore...}I was standing with him in the office yesterday when
a box of his books was delivered...He gave me a copy {so nice of him} and I,
of course, made him sign it...because what's fun about writing a book if you don't get to sign it for people?!
I think the pressure of writing an inscription made him more nervous than anything else...notice he didn't leave enough room for the signature?
Griff, I'm super proud of you and excited for your future {side}career as an author! I'd even buy a book about Star Wars, if you wrote it.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Light Fever, Light Fever...

I love twinkle lights.
I would love to live in a building like this: brick, sconces, twinkle lights.
I would also love to have dinner on an outdoor patio in the center square of buildings like this.

Any ideas where this place might be?

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

In Search Of God Knows What

I feel as though I'm on a quest.
I suppose I am, in reality.

I'm searching for direction. For God's direction. For God's best.

So far, I've found a lot of wisdom through a book and many, many conversations with a great deal of wise people in my life...but very few clear-cut signs and zero giant, illuminated arrows.

If you've never read In The Name of Jesus, I highly recommend it.

Upon the recommendation of others, I just purchased Fathered By God by John Eldredge and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Paper Heart

I'm really excited to see this movie.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Ich Liebe Dich

Dom is one of my favorites...clearly.

I've posted about this many, many times.
Then there was that Valentine's Day.
And Zed. RIP Zed.

But, he's added a reason to my list.

Dom does not actually have an account with Twitter...instead, he texts me his potential tweets.

For example: Twitter: I love Tim Timmons. He's fun like a racehorse.

They are so infrequent that they always catch me off-guard and always give me a really good laugh.

Dang, I Love Beards.

I also love Gregory Peck.
What a great combination.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Oh, Gatsby

As if I didn't love you enough already simply from reading your story...
But beautiful young Robert Redford...in suits and ties and fancy cars...
Seriously, Jay. I'd love to be your Daisy.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

There's A Stripper Joke In Here Somewhere

Here are the great images taken in THE PORTABLE PHOTOBOOTH...
Seriously, consider renting it.


here's to happiness {by blythe}

This is Blythe and her boyfriend, Jordan. Two of the nicest people you will ever meet, they have killer style and don't-take-yourself-too-seriously attitudes. {Which is why there are three pictures of them in this post...I just love their love for laughter.}

blythe's list of 10 things that make her terribly happy:
1. avocados, on anything. (except dessert)
2. those prius commercials where swaying people dressed in green make up the grass
3. buttons
4. feathers
5. handmade quilts
6. a great latte, in a mug
7. paper snowflakes
8. deciding not to care about getting water on my clothes (i.e. rain or jumping in a fountain)
9. colorful toenails
10. books that make me cry (like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn)




{you can also check out Jordan's band: The Union Line}

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Fair Thee Well

My mom has a long-standing tradition of taking my cousin, Sunny to the Orange County Fair...
I love going to the fair, so I jumped at the chance to join them.

We ate my three fair favorites: corn on the cob, Australian Battered Potatoes, and a chocolate covered banana. (When I told my friend, LV, about the food at the fair, he said, "That sounds like everyday in the South!")

My cute mom, who has already posted about today.




And Wednesdays are special admission days...so today was "bring a children's book, get in free" day.
I really hope I get to return to the fair before it closes this year...

Monday, July 20, 2009

Think, Think, Think

Three days in a row I've opened a new post and written nothing.

I've been in a thinking/listening/logicizing period. Post-conference (granted, it's been three days) I've had a little more mental freedom to embrace what that means and to really begin to sit and listen to God without a task-list or countdown in the background...and have had some interesting conversations and experiences this weekend that have only raised more questions without bringing any resolution.

I'm not frustrated or fearful in this process. I'm actually excited to be forced to listen to and wrestle with God's directions. However, with all that's happening in my head, I can't bring myself to write a review of Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince (unbelievable) or post about the new dresses I bought (4 of them...each with pockets...really cute).

And yet, I can't seem to formulate a full sentence, let alone a full description of what I'm thinking about.

And so I've been post-less for a few days.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Keep Swinging...

What if this place existed?
I would love to ride my bike to this small park, read a book or Vanity Fair and swing...
Lay on a blanket, maybe sleep a bit...

Mmm...if you build it, I will come.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Shall We Call This A Lesson Learned...

As much as I hate getting older, I love growing up.
I really do enjoy being smarter, being wiser.
I love knowing more about the world, about God, about myself.

I love when I am able to learn something new about who I am. Especially when it is something that I've probably done or thought or felt for years and have never acknowledged or paid attention to in the past...and now it feels so healthy to recognize it and move on.

Here's what I've learned this week...and have been processing a lot

1) My exhaustion and over-exertion manifest themselves as insecurity.
I'm finding that, as I become increasingly more overwhelmed or tired, I begin to spiral down a long path of silly, nonsense self-criticism. Which is mostly intriguing to me because: a) I'm a fairly confident person normally--not overly--but I'm not typically self-deprecating, and, b) As I become aware of this phenom, I've been able to stop it from progressing {not from happening, but from hurting}...

I've begun to wonder how much heartache I could have spared myself had I discovered this earlier...

I was not going to link to phenom, but then I looked it up and kind of giggled about the ORIGIN...

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Student Leadership Conference...Day One...Check.

Think.
Run.
Plan.
List.
Ask.
Email.
Order.
Call.
Copy.
Stuff.
Text.
Remember.
Remind.
Wonder.
Reply.
Write.
Create.
Organize.
Count.
Attach.
-----------------------------------------
Listen.
Watch.
Worship.
Laugh.
Learn.
Enjoy.
Experience.
Relish.
Dance.
Embrace.
Accomplish.
Breathe.
Sit.
Thank.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Sheer Brilliance

I love this: The Uniform Project.

This girl, Sheena, has committed to wearing the same dress everyday for 365 days. {To be fair, she has 7 of the same dress--which was custom-designed by friend}...but still, to wear the same thing twice in a month is an issue for some...

I was intrigued by the concept, but even more so when I saw the pictures...{I'm not super smart, evidently...it took me a while to figure out how to look at the "dailies"...there is a calendar to the right, click on each date to see her look of the day.}

She has some great style and creativity to make such great, individual outfits out of this same dress.


My favorite part?
She's doing it to raise money for and awareness about the education of street kids in Mumbai, India...through an organization called Akanksha.

Now, I can not attest to the credibility of this organization, but there is something compelling about this project: imagine the interest she will have from this dress...in the fashion community, even from web-traffic alone. For sake of argument, let's say hundreds of people read this...and are looking at the dress, looking at the Foundation's site...even if they never give one cent, at least they are aware that some children in India are facing educational and financial hardships.

I love that this girl is joining something she believes in {education in India} with something that she loves {fashion}...there is so much education happening here in America as a result.

Granted, I have a soft-spot for street kids...but I am so proud of Sheena.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Six Degrees.

I'm a slightly-picky eater.
As much as I hate to admit it, I really am. I don't want to be...but I am.

I do my best to make sure that my food preferences do not interfere with the dining choices of others. But, often, the most frustrating part is that my food patterns are riddled with inconsistencies.

This is the biggest point of contention for me and Jonathan Witt. He really has a tough time accepting the inconsistencies.

Here's the best example of what I mean by this:

I don't eat four-legged animals. (I used to say I don't eat red meat, but I don't eat pork either, so I stole this more-self-explanatory phrase from Becca. Some are still confused by this: I do eat chicken, fish and turkey.)
However, I love bacon. Love bacon.
So much so that I could have made this sign:
I also will eat a hamburger, when the mood is right.
But I will not eat steak. Or ham. Or baloney.
Oh, but I would not miss a chance to eat a hot dog at a baseball game.

See what I mean...inconsistent...

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Stop Looking At Me, Swan.

While at Target this week, I remembered I was out of shampoo. I've been using the same brand for a while and I thought I'd branch out and try something new...

So, I bought this:


I'm telling you...I can't stop touching my hair...it's SO soft now.
Oh, and it's all I can do to keep from tasting the shampoo...it smells like it should taste like candy.

For about $13 per bottle, it was totally worth it.

Friday, July 10, 2009

I Like The People In This Video

I'm not very fast, so I probably couldn't compete in this game...
But I'd like to be present for the rematch!

Catalyst vs. Saddleback - Office Competition from Catalyst on Vimeo.

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Sexy Trebek?

This morning I Googled 'Alex Trebek' to show Shea his mustache...

I couldn't help but giggle at this picture. Shirtless Alex Trebek?
{I'm totally giggling again at the idea of someone thinking this picture is sexy...}

I'm also giggling because every time I look at that little tuft of chest hair I think of a corpse in a morgue on CSI...and I'm not sure why...but that's what shirtless Trebek makes me think of.

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Two of a Kind, Workin on a Full House

Do you own an electronic Yahtzee?
If you don't, you should.

I have carried my hand-held Yahtzee on many trips: planes, cars, buses...

It is the best way to pass the time while traveling, or when you can't sleep in a hotel room...or when you are on a long, long car ride and that guy next to you won't stop with his stories...

They are $13 at Target right now...
I've purchased two in the last month for friends that are traveling internationally...

Saturday, July 04, 2009

Fourth of July.

I'm fairly easy when it comes to holiday traditions: I don't mind where I spend the day, I don't mind who I am with. I am not a big holiday party planner.

Although, for most holidays I have a mental "can we please do this?" list.

For a great Fourth of July {in my heart}, you need very few things:
Hot Dogs
Firework Popsicles
Fireworks {bonus points if it is accompanied by hand-holding}
The 4th of July scene from The Sandlot {oh, Ray Charles singing "America the Beautiful"}

I've blogged about these objectives before.

And, this year, all four of these hopes were fulfilled...

I spent the day with the Maguires.
They'd built a float {with the alley friends} for the city parade.
Oh, and we all had matching Alley Jerseys.
Post-parade we had a tasty breakfast: chocolate chip pancakes, chocolate milk, bacon and eggs...so, so delicious.
I worked on some Student Leadership Conference program stuff while watching The Sandlot in its entirety.
In the evening, we ate hot dogs in the alley before heading to see fireworks {where I did not hold hands, but I did hold Molly--easily the same amount of fun...if not more, since she did yell "Oooh!" more than a tourist during Disneyland snow.}
On the way back to the house, Amanda said, "just one more thing!" and reminded me that she had Firework Popsicles in the freezer!

So, I'm sitting in bed, exhausted, with an even-after-a-good-brushing purple mouth...preparing to watch the finale of Gilmore Girls season 4...

More Motocross

I have a tough time participating in activities that I might not be good at.

It's tough to make me feel embarrassed, but challenging me to perform in an area which I am untrained {especially when it involves sports} is a great place to start trying.

I'd rather not try than try and fail...especially in front of people who are really good at that specific activity. It's a silly fact about me...one that I just recognized {or became conscious of} about a month ago.

Having said that, I hope you have some insight on how I was feeling while riding this motorcycle. I was trying to look cool, while really just hoping I didn't knock-over the small children riding the track with me.Jeff was laughing at my ridiculous perfect posture:

I went around like three times, since I knew all of the adults were watching me...and even the kids were weighing my skills against their own...

But, as I said before: I'm willing to give it another go.

Friday, July 03, 2009

Two Thousand Nine Oh Nine

This morning I joined the Maguires, Zimmermans, and {by really fun surprise} Phil for a little Riverside sporting...motorcycle riding. {To be completely honest, I didn't catch if I'm supposed to call this motorcross or dirtbiking...sorry if my lack of knowledge is frustrating to you, Matt.}

What I did catch was that my hair is not blonde enough nor are my T-shirts tight enough to be a regular female spectator at this place...

Phil and Kyle warmed-up the bikes for the boys {and eventually, me}.Tate knows what he's doing...
It was Dylan's first time. He claimed to be more excited than afraid...and was trying hard to remember all of the instructions Kyle was giving.
The "I'm going to kick your butt" face:
Evidently, it's a rule that post-ride, you take off your shirt...
Cute Tate lounging in-between rides.
Everyone was done, Kyle almost passing out from hunger, and it was my turn--quickly. I rode a super tiny bike around the kid's track and had trouble passing this kid {training wheels and all}.
Jeff took some pictures of the day, too. Hopefully there is one that makes me look cooler than these stories make me sound.

As much as I hate to admit my love for things that exist almost exclusively in the 909, I think I could try that a few more times...

Open Up My Head And Let Me Out...

There's so much to say...and no photographs to support any of it.

I spent Tuesday canoeing* down the Colorado river:
17 miles. 9 hours in a canoe. 117-degree weather. 1 guy taken to the hospital for kidney failure caused by dehydration.

And lots of laughter. {though very little in response to my witty remarks like "canoe hand me a water bottle?"...get it?}

We camped out on the beach, under the stars, in 97-degree evening weather.

I'm amazed at how similar a college ministry camp is to a Jr. High camp. Equal amounts of "drink water", "put on sunscreen", "don't swim across the busy lake, you'll be killed by a boat".

For as many times as I said, "Camping? What did I get myself in to?" I totally loved it and look forward to the next trip.

*this is a link to dictionary.com to prove that canoeing is a word...eat it, blogger.