Building With A Beard

I mean...it's destiny...I should live here, right?
Found on http://greenwichvillagenydailyphoto.blogspot.com/. Check it out.

Email Blessings

After a long (but fun) week at PDYM, I got this email from Lane...who I know from years ago in HSM and is now a married youth worker in Texas.

Her brother, Ben, was in my very first small group, when he was in 6th grade and I was a Junior in High School...

What a great surprise of an email...

hey!! just wanted to say how lovely it was to see you again. you are
wonderful and the conference was a huge blessing. thank you for your hard
work!!

AND. i told ben you said hello.
and he told me that he had prayed with you to become a Christ follower; because of you and your small group. i didn't know that. THANK YOU! ben is, today, an amazing godly man who loves and leads a group of middle school guys at our church in Texas. he is one of my favorite people and he loves God a lot. thank you for your part in that!

hope you get to rest and enjoy that awesome CA weather, that i miss so
dearly. and hope to see you next year @ PDYM!!
be blessed.

The First Annual Amuse-Bouche-Off

Inspired by their love for the Food Network's "Top Chef", Katie, Jaime and Ben competed in the First Annual Amuse-Bouche-Off on the evening of Sunday, March 15th.

It was a very official evening. Each of the three contestants were instructed to make four single-serving amuse-bouche (single, bite-sized hors d’œuvre). One for each of the four judges.


The score card:The table was set with a place for each judge. (I opted to forgo my spot as a judge because of my dislike for steak, and stick to reporting on the event...though, since I am two-weeks late on the report, I should be fired from that job as well.)

Judge 1: Ryanne
Judge 2: Jonathan (who intentionally closed his eyes for this picture)
Judge 3: Ron
Judge 4: Stacey
The contestants busy at work in the kitchen. The judges (even those married to a chef) was not to know the creator behind each amuse-bouche.
Contestant 1: Ben
The judges smelling and tasting dish 1. (The judges ruled this a 2-bite amuse-bouche, and the chef was marked-down for this)
Contestant 2: Jaime (his dish was "The House That Ruth Built"...meaning Ruth Chris)
Contestant 3 (not pictured): Katie (she made one-bite tostadas...so tasty)

Ron, the judge captain, tallying the votes.
Jaime said the event was sponsored by Diet Coke
Evidently the night was to be marked by awkward facial expressions in photos, Ron posed with the Winner's Certificate.
The Contestants explained which dish they had prepared
Listened as Abby read the final scores and announced the winner.
Jaime, a gracious loser, celebrates Katie's victory
Katie, well done...your tostadas-pequeno were very, very delicious.
I hope to be invited to The Second Annual Amuse-Bouche-Off for both the food and the attendees. It was a truly delicious evening.

Good News, Mom!

Chad Cheverier has a blog.
I know...it's excellent.

Even if you're not my mom, you would probably be interested in the blog...so check it out.

Post PDYM, So Far

Okay...PDYM ended about 34 hours ago...
Since then, I have (not in any particular order):

* Cleaned out my car (including the trunk)
* Watched 4 episodes of Gossip Girl
* Watched 2 episodes of Flight of the Conchords
* Run (and emptied) the dishwasher
* Made 2 trips to Target
* Made 1 trip to Vons
* Done around 12 loads of laundry (all towels, sheets, first-wash-must-be-alone-so-colors-don't-bleed cardigans)
* Cleaned up my room
* Matched DVDs-taken-to-Kenya with their cases
* Made a list of missing TV on DVD and did some hunting for them
* Wiped-down all of the doors/doorknobs/cabinet fronts/cabinet handles in the kitchen, garage and backyard
* Eaten at Chipotle
* Seen "Monsters vs. Aliens"
* Purchased (and set-up) a Bluetooth (with the help of J. Witt)
* Watched Ironman
* Had 258 Kenya photos printed (tomorrow's project will be framing them!)
* Slept about 12 hours
* Cleaned out my 52-pages worth of Myspace messages (I'm awesome, I know...but emails from pre-boyfriend Matt Jensen...worth keeping)
* Sat outside by the pool to read a book
* Thought about how strange it feels to think about non-PDYM things about 50 times
* Remarkably, had only one Starbucks

Here's what we learn from this list:
1) My life was really messy before PDYM (car and bedroom)
2) I am much more productive if I maintain PDYM pace
3) Even when I'm trying to get things done, I can still manage to watch TV
4) I have quite a bit left to do
5) I need to leave my house tomorrow so I have something worth posting about

PDYM Day 3

Tonight's session was split in to three pieces:
1) Identity
2) Confession
3) Celebration

Here's what I wrote for the identity piece...

Most days, I wake up and try to “dress the part”. I’m not totally sure what exactly my “part” is…it feels like it changes all the time. I have all of these personas in my routine and I can’t figure out how to merge them in to one…

I want to be fun. I want to be relevant. I want to be captivating. I want to be someone who inspires change, inspires passion. I want to be entertaining. I want to ask insightful questions. I want to be articulate. I want to be clever.

I want to be smart. I want to be wise.
I want to be classy.
I want to be stylish…and a little bit nerdy.

I want to be a good daughter.
A good friend.
A great youth worker.

I want to be someone who can put people before my task list…

I want to be gentle. I want to be meek.
I want to be someone who challenges others to do great things.
I want to be creative and artistic.

I want people to think I’m worth keeping around, that I’m a valuable part of the group.

I want to be known as the girl who always comes in under budget.
I want to produce events and programs that are fresh and exciting.

I want to have it all together…or at least appear that way to the people that keep me employed.

I want students to like me.
I want my boss to like me.
I want my dad to like me.
I want to like me.
I want to be myself, but am not sure I know who I am yet.

How can I be all of these things all of the time?
They’re all pretty good things, so which do I stop trying for?
Which get lost in the shaping of me?
Which are worth hanging on to…worth striving for?

Any chance it’s possible to be all of it…if I try hard enough?

If I spend all of my time trying to become this other person, do I miss out on who I already am? Do I miss out how becoming who God made me to be?

I put unrealistic expectations on myself everyday.
It is impossible to try to be all of these things and not come up short every time.

How can I be so aware that I am a people-pleaser and so unable to fight the urge to please?

How do I find some consistency in who I am?
How can I be the same person with my friends, with my family, with my students?

People ask “who are you when nobody’s watching?” like that’s supposed to convict me…
but, honestly, I like that person more than the girl who is constantly trying to perform,
trying to prove her value,
trying to get a laugh…

deep down, I really do like me…I just want to make sure everyone else does, too…

So…what do I do?

PDYM Day 2

Today, I had some incredible conversations with youth pastors...

I talked with Brian about his newly adopted Ugandan son and daughter, a recent message he taught on injustice, and a lot about his melting ice cream.

I talked to a group from a church in Los Angeles (who are driving to and from LA each day) and have never before been to a conference, and were unaware that PDYM was a book before it was a conference. The woman shared a bit of her story and could not stop saying how much God has changed her life, and His unending love and grace. As we ended, Doug Fields brought over a copy of PDYM for each of them...they were excellent.

Then I met a man from Albania, who taught me to say hello. We talked about International Twitter.

We also had some sessions, showed some funny videos, learned a lot...but these were the highlights of my day.

PDYM Day 1

Tonight was the first night of our PDYM (Purpose Driven Youth Ministry) Conference. Needless to say, we've been details-minded for the last few days...

I have been trying, since I came back from Kenya, to be intentional about not letting people fall behind to-do lists in my head, so I made sure to be in the general session for the kick-off of the conference.

We started with a video from a student, Jimmy...please watch it HERE. So I was already beaming from the idea of these students being oh, so creative.

And then, a full student band begins to play "Viva La Vida" (which I called "La Vida Loca" about six times tonight and had to pause to sing in my head just now so I could title it correctly) lead by a 7th grade boy, Parker. (In the middle, the choir walked down the aisle--in the dark--and was on stage in time to sing the "oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, ohh...")

It was so fun to be in an auditorium full of youth workers getting such joy from our students.
Taffy and his team did an incredible, incredible job prepping these students to play, sing, and dance to this song.

I was so glad to be on the other side of all of the task lists (though, you know I love them). To be reminded of the heart behind the work and truly relish in God's power to grab the hearts of students.

I love students. And I love youth workers for loving students!
As we sang "In our world, be lifted high", I was thinking about God's love, mercy, and grace saturating our day-to-day world of students.

What an incredible world to be a part of.

Grammar Lesson #1

Hello friends.
It has come to my attention that the Californian Public School System has failed you in the department of punctuation.
It's okay. I'm here to help.

Lesson 1: Apostrophes
1) An apostrophe can be used to replace the missing letter in a contraction.
Ex: 'Should not' to Shouldn't

2) An apostrophe can also be used to show possession (or ownership).
Ex: "These glasses belong to Sarah" to "These are Sarah's glasses"

3) However, when changing a word from singular to plural, an apostrophe is not necessary.
Ex: The Hibbard Family NOT: The Hibbard's

4) The most common confusion is the usage of its and it's.
It is important to note that, for these words, Rule #1 applies, while Rule #2 does not.
Ex (contraction): "It is a beautiful day" to "It's a beautiful day"
Ex (possession): Just close its lid NOT: Just close it's lid

I hope this clears-up any confusion you may have had.
I'm open to suggestions for Lesson #2.

I Could Be Back In Kakuma

There is a giant fly in my room right now. He's been here for a few days (I saw him on Monday morning, but since we keep the doors closed so the dog can't get in, this fly can't get out). I don't really mind that he's here, I just feel bad for him.

But, I think he's dying...because all he can do is sit on my laptop. I keep shaking the computer, or blowing big gusts of air...nothing.

Poor little guy, maybe he thinks this computer is a window to outside?

Probably The Last Girl In America To See This Movie

The night that everyone in America went to see Twilight, I was in Kenya...I almost called home around 2:30 (CA Time) to hear reviews...but I didn't.

Tonight, I sat with Ryanne, Katie and Zack, (Jonathan laughed and walked upstairs) and watched the movie on Apple TV (in HD).

It was exactly what I had thought it would be. Edward had a little too much white make-up and lipstick on for his clearly handsome-as-it-is face...Bottom line: I liked it.
Side Note: The reason the book is so good is because of how Edward makes you feel (you, of course, putting yourself in Bella's shoes)...You choose what Edward looks like, how you think he smells, what his voice sounds like...all of these things make up the Edward in your head and you imagine him (or someone) saying these things to you, knowing you like Edward knows Bells...so no movie can live up to that...(don't get me wrong, I have my own Edward, too...I love him, but believe me, it's not Rob Pattinson--as attractive as he is).

A Post-PDYM Post

* Clean my room
* Clean out my car
* Reorganize my storage unit (oh, did I mention I got a storage unit? I know, I'm such a grown-up)
* During said reorganization, find any unread magazines
* Spend some time looking through magazines
* Go to the dentist
* Have my hair done
* Make the "somethings" for these people
* Send some letters and presents to Kitale
* Read one of the three books I've started in the last two weeks
* Catch-up on these TV shows
* Watch the TV on DVD I bought from Kenya (Gilmore Girls, Felicity)
* Buy a Disneyland pass...and go to Disneyland
* Serve jury duty
* Have my car washed
* Spend time with some friends I haven't seen in a while

I Need Africa More Than Africa Needs Me.

Found this on Neely's blog...
Oh, and I'm crying after watching it.
I miss Kitale.

"Africa has taught me that possessions in my hands
will never be as valuable as peace in my heart..."

Skateboarding In Heels

Bethany had my skateboard when I was in Kenya...when she brought it back to me this morning, I decided that this afternoon I would try to skate in my heels...why not, right?

So, Ryanne and I waited until no moms were looking and then went outside to be completely unsafe.It was actually easier than I thought it would be...not totally awesome and easy, but pretty fun.
Here's a little video to show that I'm not a great skater, but at least I can hang in heels.



And one to show how much I miss Kenya.

Banksy

I spent a long time looking at the Banksy website last night...he's brilliant.
This piece, in no way, shows the real Banksy, but I love that it is so soft...
Be sure to read the staircase.

St. Pa-treat's Day

Yesterday, I got a text from my friend Lisa. "Look on Jana's desk."
(I don't have a desk, so most of the time I sit at Jana's desk.)
I came back to find a red velvet cupcake (from Sprinkles, dyed green for St. Patrick's Day) and the book she blogged about and told me I would enjoy.

My response was simple: Books and food? Clearly, you know me well.

Did You Na-Know?

I came home late Monday night to a package from my friends at Group Magazine...from NYMC.

They had heard I lost my iPod, so, as a thank you for the conference, sent me a new one!
Which is two-fold of awesome:

1) I have a new iPod

2) The money I was going to spend on a new iPod can now go toward
purchasing a Disneyland pass...

Mine is purple, but it's just like this one!
What should I play as the very first song on my new iPod?

Videos Worth Watching

Jason Pogue sent me The Rapping Flight Attendant:

The Rapping Flight Attendant - Watch more Funny Videos

Ryanne Witt sent This Crazy Horse-Fly-Looking Robot:

Sucker.

Here is the deal: The first five people to comment on this post will get something made by me.
My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be.
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely creative.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your own blog and offer the same deal to 5 of your own lucky blog readers. So, the first 5 people to leave a comment telling me they are in, win a homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it.

Note: I commented on T Shan's post, which I why I posted this...I'm not just in the mood to make presents...though that would be really nice of me, to just make presents...I guess I'm willing to make 5 gifts in order to get one gift.

Things I Wish I Would Have Known Coming Back In To American Culture:

1. Katelin Cooper is on Gossip Girl. A little heads-up would have been nice.

2. Don't buy "White Horse" by Taylor Swift. It's a good song, but after three listens, you'll be sorry you paid $0.99 for it.

3. Following a bunch of people via twitter-to-phone is a HUGE distraction from real life.

I'm sure there will be more to come...

Oops! All Crunch Berries

After washing my hands, I dried them on the towel (as I always do)...

Only this time, as I did so, a crunch berry fell to the ground.

Where did it come from?

Does that mean it began in the dryer? But it was still whole, I would think it would disintegrate in that process.

My next theory was that it fell from the air vent above the towel.

But what does that mean? There is someone living...eating cereal...in my ceiling?

I'm not sure which idea makes me more uneasy:
Cereal in the dryer
Human in the bathroom ceiling

Rot On.

Gossip Girl (12 episodes)
Grey's Anatomy (12 episodes)
The Office (1 episode)
Big Bang Theory (8 episodes)
Saturday Night Live (an entire season)
How I Met Your Mother (1 episode)
Smallville (15 episodes)
Project Runway (an entire season)
The Amazing Race (also, an entire season)
90210 (9 episodes)
Heroes (13 episodes)
One Tree Hill (14 episodes)
LOST (3 episodes)
Pushing Daisies (10 episodes)

I have some catching-up to do post PDYM...

A Girl Could Get Used To This

I miss you.
I miss how much you get me.
How you see my emotions on
my face.
How do you do that?
push me right the to the edge and bring
me right back to reality.
When we're apart, I don't really
feel the hole.
But together, I feel whole.
It's unnerving: how well you
get me
feel me
fill me
And yet, it's comforting
completing
addicting

A girl could get used to this.

I Adore Andy

For so many reasons...but so much more because of this picture.

Cry...As Much As I Want To...*

This morning while listening to Pandora, Joshua Radin's "Only You" jumped in to the mix.
And it reminded me of a ridiculous moment from the Ohio trip.

I sat down to talk to the Fields family (minus Doug) and through a series of topics began to talk about how often I cry.

They joked about that dumb JC Penny commercial. You know the one I'm talking about...my visual kryptonite.

Two of the kids say they've never seen it...so I begin to describe it to them...and totally start crying. They, of course, begin to laugh.

Then I say, "Only one other commercial has ever made me cry like that: the Olympics commercial where the man is racing and gets injured and his dad comes out and carries him across the finish line..." And, as if on cue, begin crying over that one, too. (I'm teary-eyed even typing this).

About 10 minutes later, someone enters the conversation and asks why I look like I was crying...and, explaining it, I cry again.

So...just to prove I'm not alone in this...please watch these two commercials and let me know if you really, truly are not moved by either one.





Just so you know, since I'm at work, I didn't watch these videos just now...I need to get some work done and can't do so if I'm weeping.
*One dollar to the first person that can name what song this title comes from.

03.06.09

I love Math...really, I do.

I can't even explain how excited I was today every time I wrote 03.06.09...

I tried to think of all of the other years when I have missed the beauty of dates like this:
01.02.03
02.04.06

And then, remembered that I will live through so many more!
04.08.12
05.10.15 (oh man...I might have a party for that one!)

Really David Hughes?

How did we go this long without knowing something like this existed?I really want to find this record and listen to the beauty it has to offer.

Welcome To 2009

I just found Genius on my iTunes...(I know, I know, I'm about 6 months behind)
I can't wait to make some CDs from these mixes...(I know, I know, I'm about 6 years behind)

Just Like Audrey

I really like accessories. I've worn a bracelet everyday since I've been home from Kenya...
And I just bought my very first headband (which I wore on the airplane to Ohio and felt kinda felt classy for that)...

But, my next purchase will be from Just Like Audrey...
You can purchase HERE or read the blog HERE...

Seriously, cute stuff...Audrey would be proud.

Jake's Newest Rap Videos

Not Fair:


I've Seen It All:

Not Sure Weather Or Not You've Seen This

This website is incredible!

Sue: they even have Zurich!

Sack Chairs, Segways and Shots (Gun Shots)

Columbus is fun...but exhausting...today I said, "I've laughed a lot, I've learned a lot, but I haven't slept a lot"...this is no joke: I'm super sleepy, but would not have chosen to miss any piece of this conference.

Here's Griff demonstrating "how to have some fun with the Sack Chairs" Cody and David (to only name two of the dozens) rode the Segways from the convention center to our hotel...and then David posted a GREAT "McGill on a Segway" video. View it HERE.

After Saturday night session, Tim Timmons (and band), Griff, Jake and I all had a really late dinner at Buca Di Beppo. We were playing the letter game and singing songs and I almost peed my pants from laughing so hard...

Oh, I almost forgot:

For the evening announcements, Griff shot Jake with a paintball gun...from about 4 feet away. The Fields family, McGill and I were cringing as we watched Griff shoot Jake 5 times...
I felt bad for Jake, but can't help laughing at this picture and that dumb face.

I tried to post this from Columbus, but fell asleep each night as I was typing...
I have one more set of photos to share...and then, hopefully, the rap videos will be up on Youtube and I can post those too.

I Love Daily Photo Blogs

These are just a few of my favorite pictures from daily photo blogs in the last few weeks...




The following is from Friday, Saturday, Sunday of Daily Dose of Imagery

My Two Favorite Songs Right Now:

"Meg White" by Ray LaMontagne


"How Deep Is Your Love" by The Bird and the Bee


Check them out...you'll thank me...

Or not...either way, I will still love them.

Geographically Ignorant

I'm in Ohio right now...

This morning I was going to say something about being in the Midwest and then I realized, I wasn't totally sure I was in the Midwest.

Let me clarify: It wasn't that I was unsure whether or not Ohio qualifies as the Midwest...it was more that I had NO idea where Ohio was located in America.


So, I looked it up. And here's the map I found...
Hmmm...That's not even close to where I would have put Ohio. I think I would have switched it with Iowa or Missouri. (Sorry, Mr. Mimal!)The question still remains as to whether or not I am in the Midwest...but I'm definitely not in the West...or on the East coast...maybe I should check to see which TV time-zone we're in...that might help...