Presently DeMo

Daily DeMo 2012:2

2012-01-29T22:50:00.001-06:00

January 8 

Yeti crabs currently found in the South Pacific have hairy limbs and claws, Rogers said. But the crabs his team found had hairy chests, too. It was their appearance that led one of the Ph.D. students on the trip to nickname them "Hoff crabs" — after Baywatch star David Hasselhoff, known for baring his hairy chest.

January 9 

There's a free app called Readability that will "clean" your screen from ads and really simplify what you're reading, it's almost like reading on a Kindle. I've installed it both at work and on my Mac and really love it both places. If you create a login it will let you store your articles and stories to read later.

There are saltwater glaciers in Prince William Sound. It's really gorgeous. If you want to see more gorgeous pictures of Alaska, check out my friend Mary-Beth's blog.

There are many islands and funny-named bays:
Whale Bay
Icy Bay
Drier Bay
Knight Island

P.S. Side note: on this day, one of my coworkers who came here from Turkey told me, "Your height is beautiful." I was wearing my boots that day, which I guess do make me look about 6 feet tall, and I think she's almost 5 feet tall. She said that she'd love to be that tall, and doesn't like being so short. I definitely got my Words of Affirmation that day!

January 10 

Today I learned that it's possible to make videos from a powerpoint presentation. I didn't actually finish making the video because it was taking wayyyyy too long to convert (it was a big presentation with about 100 sound clips), and I realized that a video wasn't in the scope of work for the client, but it's nice to know that it's a possibility. :)

January 11

The missing font that I'd been searching for in InDesign was within a tiny rectangle. It was soooo frustrating because I knew what was wrong and could not figure out how to fix it! I finally broke down the pieces of where I thought it might be, found it, changed the Content to "Graphic" and it was all better. I realize that if you don't use the program, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, but it's like the moment when you are talking to someone and feel a tickle on your arm. You realize that it's a stray hair that's fallen and decided to torture you, but as hard as you try, you can't find it and the tickling continues. In the moment when you do find it and drop it to the floor, that's the moment of satisfaction that I felt today. :)

Also, did you know that 78% of air at sea level consists of nitrogen?

January 12

Word count informed me that I typed 4,833+ words today. Remember the presentation that I was trying to make into a video? It's around 200 slides, and I had to transcribe all of those slides. It involved pressing play, pausing, typing, listening again to that and a little bit more, pause, type, play, repeat.

Manhattanhenge [video] is a phenomenon that only happens four times a year, in cities with grids that face directly east/west. The sun shines directly between the buildings, twice at sunrise and twice at sunset.

January 13
If you highlight text before pinning a photo, it will put the text in the box as the caption for your photo.

Daily DeMo 2012

2012-01-23T00:27:00.000-06:00

I'm back! What better way to start a new year than to begin learning new things! :) I plan to start blogging a little bit again, even though maybe my readers have given up on me (it's only been ... too many months!), but it's still fun for me to look back on this and see what I've been learning. Currently, I've misplaced the first week's things learned, so once I find those I'll put them up.

Along with learning something new every day, I've also been:

Journaling daily/nightly. I've become a little bit OCD about this. I have a fresh Moleskine notebook (love!) and a new Sharpie pen (love!) and haven't missed a day yet. (I will admit though that sometimes on the weekends, I'll need to write something and it's actually 1:30 am the next day, but I backdate it and write the current time and date, just so that I don't mess up the flow of things.) I really wish I would have started journaling a long time ago. It's so nice to see what my prayers are and what's going on. Thanks to Mel for sort of forcing me into it with, "DeMo, you really should start journaling." Thirty days make a habit, and I'm almost there. Speaking of, can you believe that January is almost over?!? Not. Ready. Yet.

Hanging out a lot with friends. I had a fantastic time this weekend at a birthday party for my roommate. I also try to do dinner with various friends once a month and it's really great.

Watching Netflix. Way too much. First I had an addiction, yes, to Facebook, but asked myself, "Self, is it really worth all of the time spent there? Do I really find worth in supporting a multi-billion-dollar-aire?" No. Maybe it was a conviction. So I stopped using Facebook constantly and instead started watching Psych on Netflix. Every moment I was home. And again, I said, "Self, is this show really that important that you waste time watching it when you should be sleeping?" So then, I stopped watching Psych, and instead started watching BBC's Sherlock. Which, you know, is kind of like Psych but in a more sophisticated and brainy way, so it's ok, right? Well, fortunately, the first season on Netflix only lasted 3 episodes, so I began a fast from Netflix. And it lasted about a week, but now I choose to watch in moderation. Until Season 2 of Sherlock is released, then I will be in hiding, while politely stuffing Self under a pillow until it's over.

Reading on my iPhone, thanks to the Kindle app. I started reading Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington. It is very interesting so far, just to know that he was such a smart kid and had this drive to learn, but was held back by his circumstances. I'm not to far into it, but I do recommend it, and it's one of the classics available for free for the Kindle.

Pinning. Way to much. This is yet another computer activity that steals time from me. But I think I can tone it down and use it in moderation.

Quipping (submitting to Quipsologies). I love this site, and I've submitted a lot lately! It's like a little collection of the coolest design stuff. If you're bored and are interested in chronicles of "the most curious, creative, and notable projects, stories, and events of the graphic design industry on a daily basis" then you should check it out. Even if you're not into design, there are still some gems. Such as this one and this one (I highly recommend this one about the painted goldfish). :)

Exploring the fruit of the Spirit in a Beth Moore study with my Life Group girls. These are the same girls (plus a few newbies) who I read through the Bible chronologically with this past year. I really recommend doing that. It gives such a better perspective of God's people and our history. Anyway, we just began the Beth Moore study and it's a 10-week course. I'm really looking forward to what we're all going to learn, and how we'll all be changed by participating.

I have the first Daily DeMo post of 2012 in the drafts that will come soon, but I don't have time tonight to finish it. Hopefully this has satisfied any curiosity you have of when I'll start the blog again. :)

Weekend in Arkansas

2011-02-25T14:16:00.000-06:00

Relaxing and eating party mix! That's what I've been doing since I got to Siloam last night. Last night we got La Hacienda take-out and watched Great Expectations. I don't know what I was expecting... greatness? It's good! I just don't know how to properly explain it. :)

Mel is working on her website, and I'm the designated idea-giver/sounding board for that. It's nice to not have much to do this weekend! I got a new operating system for my computer, so I've been getting used to all the goodies that come along with that. I found Connect 4 for free. :)

We might be getting ready to go someplace soon, but that would involve getting dressed, and I don't really want to do that right now. :)

About weddings...

2010-11-11T22:37:00.003-06:00

Saturday will mark #3 of 5 from the end of October to the middle of December. #4 happens then too but i cant be two places at once. That's a lot of weddings. And a lot of gifts. And 3 bachelorette parties. And lots of wedding showers. I do feel blessed to have friends who want me to celebrate with them but I don't think I'll be volunteering to plan my own anytime soon until I recover from all of these. :) It's starting to feel like my own version of "27 Dresses" except it's the wedding guest version!

Mollie
Marla
Claire
Christina
Janel

Wordless Wednesday : Fallishness

2010-11-10T10:43:00.002-06:00

It's Work.

2010-11-09T22:31:00.002-06:00

The Life Group that I'm in right now is only women, and we're studying the book of Ruth. This week is an intro to chapter 2, right before she meets Boaz. I like this study (Ruth: Loss, Love & Legacy) because it breaks down the passages deeper than you would if you were just reading through the story, and there is a lot of personal reflection, but sometimes I struggle with that because I feel so ordinary that it's hard for me to pick out specific times of _______ (fill in the blank). This week the verse that really stood out to me was this one:

The overseer replied, "She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. She said, 'Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.' She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter."

(Ruth 2:6-7)

Ruth volunteered to work, did her work diligently, only took a short break, and worked hard enough for someone to notice. I was feeling convicted of my time management so I tried something new today. I wanted to have Ruth's work ethic and motivation. It's so easy to get distracted at work, and when I do, it's hard to get back to concentrating on what I'm doing. I'm not saying that I don't do anything all day, I just know that I could do better. My biggest "between tasks" distractions involve the internet. (It's really easy to turn into this Working Girl if you're not careful.) So I kept the browser closed and didn't check my personal email except for during lunch and after work, and I didn't even get on to Facebook until after work. It was a little bit hard at first to hear my phone buzz with a new email and not instantly check it, but at the end of the day I had a total of 8 emails. And only 2 of them really required me to reply.

I avoided so much distraction and I ~~feel like I actually got~~ did get a lot done today! It's amazing how much you can do when you're actually looking for the work and not waiting for it to come to you. I definitely felt more successful than I have in a while.

Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.

(Proverbs 22:29)

I think it's a great practical thing to do. The email can wait until lunch time, and Facebook is a TIME. SUCKER. I'm going to continue this tomorrow (while I'm praying for temptation to play on the internets stays away) and I have a feeling that it could turn into a modified Facebook fast like what I did for Lent last year. Yes, that's right, Facebook. Your days are numbered. Again.

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

(Gen. 1:15)

Work began with God, when He created the earth. It has been around for all time, and he assigned Adam some work in the Garden. I think it's important to remember that we work out of reverence to God and should do it with that kind of heart attitude. It's sort of a disappointment to just waste the day to Mark Zuckerberg's creation instead of what God has asked of you.

Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

(Colossians 3:22)

(You can not deny that this verse relates to you if you're one of the "quick minimizers" who is really good at switching windows when you hear footsteps...)

My next project is to actually fill my evenings with "fun" work instead of being idle. It's so easy to turn on the TV, open the computer and put a dent in the couch cushions for a night. I know this because I did that exact thing tonight. oops! I have a long list of things to do that will only get done if I'm actually intentional about doing them.

Sow your seed in the morning,
   and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
   whether this or that,
   or whether both will do equally well.

(Eccl. 11:6)

30 minutes of impossible

2010-11-08T22:54:00.001-06:00

I have a theory that we wouldn't have to mess with Daylight Savings Time if everyone just adjusted their clocks by 30 minutes. Getting the whole world to agree to that might be a little bit impossible, but it would do away with the hour of sleep that we "lose". But I really enjoyed that extra hour this weekend. I loved looking at the clock that I hadn't adjusted yet and realizing that I still had an hour longer!

The one thing that I will miss though is being outside to watch the sunsets instead of at work when it gets dark. I guess if I want to see the sun anywhere but high in the sky during lunch, I'll have to get up earlier.

I meant the title of this post to relate to Daylight Savings Time, but it could also relate to taking 30 minutes of your day to just sit and watch. It might seem a little bit impossible, but it's so worth it.

If you haven't watched the sky colors lately, take some time to do that. And then stay a little longer and watch the stars wake up. It's majestic. It blows me away that just like snowflakes, no sky is ever the same, and there are more stars than you could ever count or see.

Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast.

Psalm 139:7-10

Guess what's going on my Christmas list?

2010-11-05T21:51:00.000-05:00

Every time I drive to Arkansas or KC (or anywhere else, but these are the two places I frequent the most), I borrow the KTAG from my mom's car. For non-Kansans, a KTAG is the toll booth short-cut, like a Pike Pass or ZipCash (which Karen and I drove through without paying many, many times on the George Bush Turnpike when I was in Texas). Inevitably, every time I borrow it, mom & dad end up going on a trip sans KTAG, unless they remember to remind me to put it back. Guess who didn't remember to put it in the car before their trip to KC?

I got a text from my dad this afternoon:

This might be a good story to write on MistakeReports. I would probably label it as "I intend to repeat it" (until Santa delivers or I buy my own, of course).

Doesn't everyone have a day like this occasionally?

Dear internet: plz fix yourself

2010-11-04T21:25:00.000-05:00

Well this is an unintentional post from my iPhone (is there an app for this?) My wireless is having problems connecting to my computer. Or the other way around. And i'd rather do something else besides lay on the floor trying to fix it. I'd rather be cleaning, to be honest. :) I think it's because I got a swiffer and I really like using it.

Tomorrow I'll show you what my car looks like thanks to a load of wedding stuff. Like I told a friend today, the winter wedding weekend extravaganza has begun. Anybody know how many pounds of cranberries will fill 30 bowls??

P.S. Blogger disclosure. Swiffer didn't pay me to say good things about it.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-03T21:10:00.000-05:00

When You Got a Good Thing

2010-11-02T23:27:00.001-05:00

My current playlist:

All We'd Ever Need - Lady Antebellum
Long Gone - Lady Antebellum
I Run to You - Lady Antebellum
Love's Lookin' Good on You - Lady Antebellum
Home Is Where the Heart Is - Lady Antebellum
Things People Say - Lady Antebellum
Slow Down Sister - Lady Antebellum
Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You - Lady Antebellum
One Day You Will - Lady Antebellum
Love Don't Live Here - Lady Antebellum
Need You Now - Lady Antebellum
Our Kind of Love - Lady Antebellum
American Honey - Lady Antebellum
Hello World - Lady Antebellum
Perfect Day - Lady Antebellum
Love This Pain - Lady Antebellum
When You Got a Good Thing - Lady Antebellum
Stars Tonight - Lady Antebellum
If I Knew Then - Lady Antebellum
Something 'Bout a Woman - Lady Antebellum
Ready to Love Again - Lady Antebellum

Ok, so maybe Lady Antebellum is my current obsession. I've loved them for a long time, but I think this video got me back into the Lady A groove. I always laugh when I watch it! It's fun to see a band breaking out of stage mode and improvise on stage. And then I get flutters when Charles sings with passion starting at the 3:10 mark (even if he is in that ridiculous wig).

And after watching this video 5 billion times, I may have watched this classic a few more.

You can't see it very well in the video, but Hillary always wears stilettos. They are TALL shoes. And I love every pair that I've seen her wear. This won't turn into a fashion blog, I just had to mention the shoes. My friend Matt and I went to see them when they opened for Timmy McG this summer. GREAT SHOW, when I wasn't staring at her shoes. :)

Concert goodness.

I just wish that I'd known more of the words to the songs then. Ask me to go now and heck yes, totally there, singing every word. I even considered going to see them in KC at the end of this month but decided that Janel's bachelorette weekend only happens once, and Lady A can wait.

So are you countried out yet? Congratulations, if you made it this far past the twang and country. I really need to turn off the music and get to bed. :) But not before I vote for Lady A to win some ACA Awards and the AMA Awards. (And Easton Corbin too!)

What's been your favorite concert?

Something that Ctrl Z can't fix

2010-11-01T21:32:00.003-05:00

Whew! I'm back! It's November and that means that it's nablopomo! I will try my best to post every day this month, but my track record hasn't been great lately. We'll see how it goes. :)

I just left the following message for my landlord. I got a note that they're coming tomorrow to turn on the furnace, which is already on (uhm.... it's cold in here. there's no way that I was going to wait until NOVEMBER for them to turn on the heat in this place!) Anyway, I wanted them to fix a busted lightbulb while they're in here, so here's my message:

"...and I just wanted to let you know that there is a lightbulb out in my bathroom, and it's ... really ... round -- really a big lightbulb. I'll just leave it by the sink and they can take it with them when they leave."

A really round and really big lightbulb??? And "I'll leave it by the sink for them to take" instead of "I've thrown it away"??? AHHHH! I so desperately wanted to Ctrl Z that message and start over! Do you ever leave messages like that? I was wanting to describe it as the kind of lightbulbs that you see around the mirrors backstage at Dancing with the Stars. Ha. I'm sure that would have made them laugh as well!

What's the most embarrassing message that you've left for someone?

Waffles in the shape of Texas

2010-09-25T22:20:00.004-05:00

This morning I ate a waffle in the shape of Texas. Very weird.

The things I love about this trip
|::| Being close enough for my friend Becky to come visit.
|::| The bed. The bed is massive and high and so comfortable. I'll definitely have to adjust to my twin bed when I get back home.
|::| Temperature control. No noisy a/c. Just set the remote and let the central a/c do the rest.
|::| Blackout curtains. They keep me from getting up with the sun, which some mornings turns into a little hitting-the-snooze-too-much issue.
|::| The per diem. The more frugal I am, the more I get to save save save!
|::| The city of Irving is beautiful in its own way. When Becky was here we drove around looking for a Braum's. It's really hilly here, more than we expected, and really pretty.
|::| Seeing the sunset from my room.
|::| Not having to travel 30 minutes to do my laundry.

The things I miss
|::| My familla. Going home last weekend was a nice break from the trip and it was good to get a taste of home before coming back for 4 more weeks.
|::| Open windows.
|::| My friends. Dancing, having places to go. The familiar.
|::| Kansas sunsets.
|::| My movies. I can't believe I left When Harry Met Sally at home.
|::| My oven. I have a microwave, stove, fridge, dishwasher (yet I still washed my first batch of dishes by hand), but no oven.

Becky is one of my Wichita friends and when she got married, her husband's job took them to Houston. She was sweet enough to drive 5 hours from Houston to see me and was here less than 24 hours, but the time that we spent together was much fun, and included a shopping trip to Kohl's and Payless in the rain. She informed me that I like to flail my arms around when I sleep. Learn something new!

Since she left I haven't had much motivation to do anything, but I do have plans to go to The Village church in the morning, shopping with Karen (one of my co-workers), and then meeting up with a JBU friend to go see Dave Barnes at The Grenada. (uhm, and I just read that Stephen Speaks is coming too. Yay!) And maybe next weekend we'll go see Sara Bareilles.

I did organize some of my photos on my computer today and found these of some summer storms and sunsets. (Do you get tired of me talking about sunsets?)

A Harvey County storm

A storm at Cassoday

Riverside beauty

The view from my hotel room

I'm kicking myself for not looking at the Super Harvest Moon on Thursday night. My friend texted me about it but I was too occupied by something to go outside and look. It won't happen again until I'm ... 45. It sounds better to say, "it won't happen again until 2029".

Work has been wearing me out. I'm not really complaining about the work, just saying that it's much different than what I'm used to. Most of the day I spend looking between "field forms" that the guys fill out, and a computer screen, inputting data. If I told you anything more, it would confuse you to pieces. And sometimes even I'm confused. I can definitely tell you that this is going to be one memorable project. One afternoon I was almost physically sick from looking at the computer that I didn't do anything that night except read On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness until it was finished -- almost until midnight. I didn't feel like looking at anything made of pixels. I paid for it the next day though when we had to be at work early and I woke up with bloodshot eyes and 6 hours of sleep. Oops!

When I was home last weekend, I saw Andrew Peterson in concert. He's so great. Such a talented song writer, and book writer, and adds so much natural humor to his shows. Storytelling is one of his gifts, and he puts on such a great show. If you hear of him coming near to where you are, definitely check him out -- especially if you are a Rich Mullins fan. On his blog today he wrote about drawing a scavenger hunt map for his daughter and her friends. I think that is so cool. Looking at the map makes me feel like I'm exploring a little part of the land of Skree and the Glipwood Township.

Andrew Peterson, from the fourth row

Judgement House is beginning registrations on Monday. And writing about this reminds me that I need to make the code for new blog buttons for the GCC bloggers to put up. I'm in charge of publicity again, with the added responsibility of coordinating video and photography for the 2-week event. Yikes! Thankfully, email works even from out of town, so I am able to get a lot done even though I'm away. I should be back in town by the time JH starts.

When I was looking through my pictures, I found one of a paragraph in a book that I wanted to remember. I think it's from somewhere in the beginning of Chasing Daylight:

The most important moments rarely come at a convenient time. Sometimes you wish that God would check your calendar first. The ironic part is that our schedules get packed with the mundane and ordinary, and we become irritated with God when He interrupts us with the miraculous and extraordinary. The Scriptures are full of stories about people who were rudely interrupted by God. We read them and long to have the kind of adventure experienced by those men and women. Yet when God interrupts us, are we willing to respond on a moment's notice?

My Life Group is reading Crazy Love next. I'm sure that it will have just as much stuff to think about as Chasing Daylight.

Alright. Laundry is done. Time to fold clothes and go to bed. Thanks for reading, if you made it all the way through. I didn't expect to write this much, but writing to you was therapeutic for my lonely self tonight. :)

Leavin' for Dallas

2010-09-08T23:20:00.001-05:00

I have to go to Dallas for work, (something totally unrelated to my current job duties, but will be a new experience, and something that I'll probably enjoy) and I'm going to be gone for 5 weeks. It's been a little bit intense getting things ready at work so that other people can do my job while I'm gone. I leave on Sunday with 4 other people. Fortunately I already had plans to help with the Run for Hope on the 18th, so I'll fly back and be home long enough to tell my mom goodbye before she leaves the next morning for Florida, spend some time with my dad in between Run for Hope stuff, and then I'll catch a plane back to Dallas on the 19th. It's going to be a whirlwind weekend, and I'm sort of thankful for the break, although maybe the first week of work will go so quickly that I won't even realize that I'm gone. I've been excited/nervous/curious/etc. about what's going to happen. Looking at pics of the hotel, I'm getting a little bit more used to the idea of being gone, and sort of looking forward to it, if only to sleep under the polka dotted bedspread. :)

Hopefully some of my friends will be taking a road trip to visit me while I'm down there. I'm definitely taking my boots, b/c I can't imagine being in Texas and not 2-stepping.

I'll still be around the bloggy and emails. I am in charge of publicity again this year for Judgement House, so that will be an extra challenge with getting things done from 5 hours away.

I need some incentive to pack though, it's the worst. When I'm supposed to be packing is when the most intense apt cleaning gets done (and apparently tonight, blogging), because I get distracted cleaning out my closet or eradicating the dust bunnies. I'm having a dilemma right now of whether or not to bring shirt hangers. I know that hotels always have some, but do they have 20 for all of my clothing options? Or will I have to store my extras in the dresser drawers?

What is something that you always forget to pack? I need to know, because it's probably something that I'll forget.

Sweet baby Logan (I'm pretty sure)

2010-08-18T22:24:00.000-05:00

This could be Levi, but I think it's Logan. These boys are the most adorable babies, and I miss them to pieces. I think I will contribute to the buy-that-family-a-webcam-fund so that I can see them lots.

And here they are, chillin' on their 10-week birthday:

And since not everyone enjoys pictures of babies that aren't their own, I will share with you one of my favorite sky paintings from this summer:

Making a comeback in the best way....

2010-08-17T13:09:00.001-05:00

...with a meme. :)

Wow. It feels kinda good to be back here!

Here's a 10 on Tuesday. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have a wordless Wednesday for you! (I think I know exactly what cuties are going to be in the picture.)

1. Where did you go to college?

John Brown University, Siloam Springs, Arkansas

2. What did you study?

Graphic Design. Thought about Psychology for a semester.

3. Was college really all that it was cracked up to be?

It was! I had a great time. I always brought way too much stuff with me, and dad always packed it up and moved it. Did I ever use that 20 pound box of magazines for collaging? Nope.

4. How far were you from home?

250ish miles. Used to drive it in 4.5 hours. Now I drive it in 4. :) (Maybe I'm a little speedy?)

5. Did you have the same roommate all four years?

I roomed with Mollie my first 3 years, and then Mel and Amanda my senior year in the best apartment ever. Mollie and I met at the early registration bbq, and found out we were from the same area. We got along really well and didn't see the point of switching roommates each year; our biggest decision was picking a new room. She put up with me, including a particular email with an attachment titled Legolas, but was really a picture of a tarantula. And then there was the time when she was reading All Quiet on the Western Front in bed above me, and I threw my hand over the side of her bed, right as she was reading the part about a character being trapped in one of the trenches. She's pretty forgiving. :)

By my senior year, Mel and I were pretty tight, and Amanda was her current rommate. I suppose that I had it pretty easy with the roommates. :)

6. Where did you order food from at 2am?

McDonald's. Definitely. It was pretty much the only thing still open. A McChicken with cheese is the best thing ever at 2am (still).

7. Did you date in college or were you tied down?

I spent a whole semester my junior year consumed with spending time with my boyfriend at the time, and in the process alienated some of my friends to the point where they didn't even bother asking me to go places with them. Fortunately they all accepted me back after summer break when I was gloriously single again.

8. Funniest drunk college moment?

I never got drunk but I did break the JBU Community Covenant a few times...

9. Did you make it to class on time?

Close to it. Fortunately it was a small enough campus, and most of my classes were less than a 5-minute walk. Photography class was an exception. Usually Mel and I had forgotten to do our assignment, so we'd get up at 7, take our pictures, run them to the one-hour at Wal-Mart, and try to make it to class at 10.

10. What was your favorite class in college?

I have a few. I think mostly because I loved the professor so much. Mr. Balla's Economics class, and also Business Communication. In BC, I learned not to use more than 7 words on a PowerPoint presentation (because you should know enough of what you're talking about to not use it as a crutch) and a bunch of other things that are very practical in life outside of school. In Economics we learned all of the verses (and heard some songs) about the borrower being slave to the lender and basic Biblical principles about saving, spending & borrowing.

Awww that was fun! I'll be back tomorrow with sweet baby goodness. :)

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T09:30:00.001-05:00

Happy Father's Day to my daddy, the one whose drinks always taste better out of his cup than my own.

26 balloons

2010-06-18T09:17:00.000-05:00

from weheartit

Post-It Tuesday: Summertime

2010-06-15T22:59:00.000-05:00

Wichita Farmer's Market Accidental Steal

2010-06-12T14:13:00.002-05:00

This morning I was up early enough to get all of my errands done before noon, and that included a trip to the farmer's market at 21st and Ridge Road. I also stopped by the Old Town farmer's market for some fresh flowers and picked up a green pepper that smells delicious (so does the fresh garlic!). I can't wait to make something with it. I would have bought some chard and radishes, but have no idea what to make with those.

Garlic, green pepper, red potatoes

It wasn't until after I took this picture that I realized that I accidentally stole that basket that the potatoes are in. I don't think that was included in the $2 cost of the potatoes. I had my own bag with me, so I told the lady as she went to grab the potatoes, that I had my own bag. So I grabbed a basket of potatoes. You know how you can feel people looking at you, but they don't say anything? I felt their looks but they were quiet as I walked away, and I didn't think much of it. I think the way it works is that you leave the baskets and bowls there, and take the veggies. Oops! I'll go back next Saturday and hopefully find them to return the basket. Lesson learned. :) Are things like this just common sense, or did everyone else take a lesson in farmer's market shopping? Have you ever made a shopping mistake?

The potatoes are boiled and ready to be made into a potato salad for a cookout tonight. It seems like there is at least one cookout a weekend throughout the summer. I need some ideas of stuff that is cheap, fast, and tasty that I can take. Lately I've been making corn dip, and one night I made peanut butter pie (oh my my that was delish! but takes time!). What do you like to take to cookouts?

What I love about the Old Town Farmer's Market is the cut stem flowers. It's so nice to have fresh flowers in my table throughout the week. Last week I bought peonies, but they have already wilted. I'm trying to save the one last baby bloom. This week I bought six stems of Bells of Ireland. I don't think that I've ever seen those flowers before. They remind me of a tiny Snap Dragon flower within a green bell. Very pretty! A friend of a friend from Texas is staying the night with me as she passes through town on Tuesday night. Places with flowers are always so much more friendly. I hope she thinks so too. :)

Bells of Ireland

P.S. If you are interested in helping local food producers (Wichita emphasis), a friend showed me Love Local Food with useful info.

I'm still here!

2010-06-08T21:58:00.002-05:00

...with two more }identical{ nephews to love on!


Levi Graham (6lb 6) and Logan Wyatt (5lb 14) June 7, 2010

aren't they the cutest??? i am flying down later this month with my other sister to florida to love on them.

poor little kate is the only girl on this side of the family. she'll have a lot to put up with from her brother and three boy cousins! here's a picture of her, just b/c it makes me laugh every time i see it. :)

Owen, Oliver, Meredith, Kate

owen and oliver are cousins (i'm not related to oliver and meredith, unless there's some relation for "sister's husband's brother and wife's kids"?) and have celebrated their birthdays with each other their whole lives! ;) this was taken at their 4th birthday party on Saturday.

on his last day

2010-05-16T22:37:00.001-05:00

you think that the people who you look up to are invincible, that they'll never die. that the weekly conversations that you have will continue forever. you're thankful that you started that sunday tradition and made time for family before friends. you never think that a day will come when you'll quit telling him what you did last week and what you are doing this week, to keep his mind off of the monotony of the sleep-eat-sleep lifestyle. and it's hard to imagine a day when he won't show his amazement at your schedule and marvel at how you keep up with it all and still manage to sleep. you savor the moments when he tells you that he enjoys your visits so much and you can see it in his eyes, his face lights up and lets you know that he loves you. and you laugh at the times when you call him and tell him that you won't make it to see him and he says that he's keeping a tally of your visits and you're getting behind.

when his eyesight starts failing you read "17 John" to him in the hospital because it's what he wants to hear while he's trying to bounce back from pneumonia. he's determined not to let it get the best of him in that sterile room.

and months later, as he's in bed on his last day, you are sure that you just saw him wink at you, at a moment before the comfort meds take over to help his labored breathing. you open the blinds a little bit trying to trick him into thinking that the gates of heaven just opened up for him. it doesn't work and you're somewhat relieved to get a few more minutes with him. maybe he knew that you were being a trickster and wanted you to know that.

when the end of a life comes, you're forced to see the person in a different light. a frail body but with a soul as ready as ever. you see the dad that you've always looked up to break down watching his own father put his toes on the edge of heaven -- still holding on to life, but so so so eager to meet jesus.

thank you, jesus. for giving me a grandpa who never missed an opportunity to show love. who was patient enough to keep living life and loving us, even though he was ready to see you.

Wordless Wednesday :: Forever Friends

2010-04-14T11:41:00.003-05:00

I could put together a collage of pictures very similar to this one. We always end up taking pics with me in the middle. Janel (on the right) and I put together a "Don't Go!" party this weekend for Angela and her husband, Doug. They are leaving in less than a month for England for three years, thanks to the USAF. It's starting to hit me that Doug and Angela are leaving and I can't do anything about it (but I can go visit them!). I'm thankful to have Janel and Angela (and the men in their lives) in my life and to be able to call them friends. I'm getting a little teary-eyed writing this post. Sigh...

You can keep up with Angela's adventures on her blog Where Shall We Go Next?

i'm seven and you're thirteen

2010-04-06T22:33:00.001-05:00

{calendar from here. amaryllis from my friend, alan.}

A belated happy April to you. Go find yourself a prime number.

How far would you ride for your dinner?

2010-04-05T19:05:00.003-05:00

{via weheartit}

Tonight I rode my bike its first 3 miles of the season to Dollar General and back because I so desperately needed/wanted bread to make a sandwich for dinner. And kettle cooked bbq chips. Those things are goooooood.

Time to make some grilled sandwich goodness on the George Foreman while I watch the trainwreck that is Kate on DWTS.

This is a subliminal message: vote for Erin & Maks!!!
7:15 edit: ok! evan & anna too!

Veer.com Wallpapers

2010-04-05T15:09:00.000-05:00

I'm loving the newest wallpapers from veer.com.

This is mine today:

Perhaps I'm feeling the need to bust a move.

He is risen. He is risen, indeed.

2010-04-04T11:27:00.000-05:00

{via}

Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday!

I plan to break my Facebook, Oreo, cookie, and Twitter fast this afternoon. YAY! Those GS cookies are looking very yummy...

Daily DeMo overload

2010-04-04T11:25:00.000-05:00

If you read Presently DeMo in Google Reader or something similar, you've probably noticed that a new Daily DeMo keeps showing up, and it seems like things are really out of order. It's because I got very behind in my posting and last night I nearly had a heart attack when I thought that I'd lost nearly 3 months worth of DDs from Google Notebook, where I take notes until I decide to post. (Blame it on using IE7 on the PC side of my Mac.) All of my discoveries are safe, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't post them still! I guess this was my wake-up call to get back to posting.

Here's what's new if you don't feel like going through the archives to find the new posts, and I'll keep adding because there's more to read! I've also made some changes to some previous posts and added the actual dates when each Daily DeMo happened.

Edition 30
the one about guns and failed pie crusts (from November 2009)

Edition 31
the one where I learn something personal about General MacArthur (from November 2009)

Edition 45
the one where I learn what a noogler is (from February 2010)

Edition 47
the one where I find out that Bon Jovi uses a cheat sheet (from March 2010)

Edition 48
the one where I learn the usefulness of www.efarewell.com (from March 2010)

Edition 49
the one where I decide that I am a better bad guy than the one in the movie (from March 2010)

the rain

2010-04-02T08:17:00.001-05:00

From we<3it.

it's here. and the bradford pears are blooming.

unfortunately, my sinuses have started their mad dash to make my head feel fuzzy. but i'm not going to let that get me down. please pass the OJ.

Easter Baskets for the Niblings

2010-03-29T21:44:00.003-05:00

I got really excited today with the idea of making Easter baskets for my nephews and niece (the niblings -- like "siblings" but not).

I know it's a little early but I just have to show off for a minute. I'm not famous for doing things on time, so I'm doing pretty well considering that I will get a package in the mail and it will arrive to its destination before the holiday is over.

This is Caden and Owen:
I hadn't seen this picture before tonight and it cracks me up.

And this is little Kate Kate:

So, thanks to Target, I turned this:

into this:

Caden lives in FL so I'm mailing his, but I will see Owen and Kate on Friday. I should do these things more often! :) It was super fun putting these together.

What do you want in your Easter basket? (I bought some Reese's eggs for my own.)

mmmm, KAKE!

2010-03-28T22:37:00.004-05:00

Here's a video of some LOST cast members doing a promo for KAKE Channel 10. Some people may think that they're saying "mmm, cake!" and might think it's some sort of clue to the show, but it's not. They're just having some Wichita fun. The first promo will air this Tuesday. I think Michael Emerson's is my fave. :)

And here's another good one! Michael Emerson reads Little Boy Blue.

Thanks to Carrie Rengers and The Daily Beast.

Daily DeMo : Shannen Doherty's dentures

2010-03-27T22:56:00.000-05:00

Daily DeMo : Edition 49

March 20-26, 2010

DD358 :: Saturday - KU... oh, KU. Today I learned that KU can lose when they shouldn't.

DD359 :: Sunday - Miley Cyrus officially changed her name. Maybe that's old news, but I just learned it.

DD360 :: Monday - Shannen Doherty wears dentures.

DD360.1 - I found this blog after reading about my friend Jennifer driving by a Victorian house in town. I think this is so cool that he made a secret room for his daughter to find on her own. I would have loved to live in a house like this and find something like that.

DD361 :: Tuedsay - A couple of weeks ago I got new tires put on my car. Long story short, When I tried to open my trunk this weekend, it made a noise, but it wouldn't open. I called the car people and they ended up fixing my trunk switch for no charge (yay!).

DD362 :: Wednesday - While playing a game of "two truths and a dare", I learned that Randy has never worked a construction job, which sort of makes sense because he is involved in very techy computer IT stuff. If only we'd caught that.

DD363 :: Thursday - Topeka, Kansas actually changed its name to Google, Kansas for a month in order to win a contest hosted by Google.

DD364 :: Friday - Tonight I learned that I can make a better bad guy than the one in Did You Hear About the Morgans? This is how he does business: get the phone number of the people hiding. call the number. make up some excuse for calling in order to find out the town's name. go to Google to get directions.

This is how I would have done it: get the number, go to whitepages.com reverse look-up. get the address. go to Google for directions. begin hunt.

See? I'd totally make a more efficient bad guy.

colors make the day

2010-03-26T09:40:00.004-05:00

Daily DeMo : eFarewell.com

2010-03-20T15:18:00.004-05:00

Daily DeMo : Edition 48

March 13-19, 2010

DD351 :: Saturday - Bon Jovi is the best road trip music when you're driving to KC at 8 in the morning.

DD352 :: Sunday - My sister and brother-in-law go to church in a movie theater (with very comfortable sleep-inducing seats).

DD353 :: Monday - All of the museums in KC are closed on a Monday. Which means that the one place for every kid in the city to be during spring break is at Chuck E. Cheese's. Mass chaos.

DD354 :: Tuesday - A Table Aphabeticall is the name of the first dictionary.

DD354.1 - I never knew that the job of a baseball beerman was so interesting. Wally the beerman can make about $150 during a game.

DD355 :: Wednesday - One of my many blog friends named Erin started dating her husband in Ireland. How fun!

DD355.1 - Learn how to make a farewell video message. At www.efarewell.com you can record a video that will stay locked up until you die. Once they confirm that you're actually gone, it will be unlocked and available for viewing. That sounds a little bit morbid...

DD356 :: Thursday - The Pioneer Woman's book (Black Heels to Tractor Wheels) is going to be a movie!!!

DD357 :: Friday - The maximum size of a US postcard is 4.25 x 6 inches.

An Easter Request

2010-03-19T12:55:00.007-05:00

Dear Easter Bunny:

I love these. Please leave some in my Easter basket for me. They are yummy and for some reason taste much much better than the plain ol' Cups, if that is even possible.

Oh, and the Oreos that I've not eaten for Lent? Some of those please, too.

And dig out those Girl Scout cookies that are hiding in the backseat of my car.

Sincerely (with peanut butter on top),
Me

minorly excited (understatement)

2010-03-16T15:20:00.009-05:00

I'm just minorly excited (understatement #1) to find out that the author of ApproachingLOST now writes on his own blog LOSTexplained. I was a little bit depressed when ApproachingLOST didn't have any more updates since February 15 (!), but someone awesome left a new link in the comments for those of us who were lost (pun!).

Last night I watched last week's episode since I was busy (gasp! busy during LOST?!?!!) and was minorly excited (understatement #2) to realize that the recap that I was just reading a few minutes ago was written 5 days ago and a fresh episode will be on tonight!!! That's like two nights in a row of LOST. Greatness.

This weekend I was in KC hanging out with my sister and my niblings and I killed some time at Kohl's, who was having a sale (surprise!) and am minorly excited (understatement #3) to put on my new running clothes and look good running tonight. :)

I got lots of legitimate mail this weekend. I should go away more often! Item of most importance is the title to my car since my car loan is marked PAID, 2 months early. Yay! Now I'm saving up for my next car. I'm wondering if I should be adventurous and go for a manual transmission. Wouldn't that be fun? I'd need lots of practice, but would totally be up for it. :)

What makes you super excited today?

P.S. Go say hi to my BFF Mel and tell her happy birthday!

Daily DeMo : Bon Jovi uses a cheat sheet!

2010-03-13T22:32:00.002-06:00

Daily DeMo : Edition 47

March 6-12, 2010

DD344 :: Saturday - Tonight was a "roast" of matthew t and so many fun stories were shared. My favorite was the story of Matt walking into the completely wrong house. He was supposed to go to Jennifer's, but instead walked into her neighbor's house, realized his mistake, and turned around and left. :)

DD345 :: Sunday - Full breach is when a whale or shark jumps fully out of the water, exposing its belly.

DD346 :: Monday - "niblings" is the term used to describe one's neices/nephews.

DD346.1 - AIDA is an acronymn for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action

DD346.2 - Honorificabilitudinitatibus is the longest word in the English language featuring alternating consonants and vowels.

DD347 :: Tuesday - Fewer than half of the young adults surveyed believe that they are better off than their parents when they reach their parents' age.

DD348 :: Wednesday - There are many many different covers for your Moleskine notebook! yaya!

DD349 :: Thursday - Bon Jovi uses video monitors at the front of the stage with the words to the songs scrolling continuously. I only know this because our seats were behind the stage, so we got to see things that the audience doesn't (including a great heart-stopping moment after JBJ sang "Make a Memory". He walked backstage to change his shirt and I saw him! So did many other screaming women who were also in seats behind the stage.)

DD350 :: Friday - Jeff Dunham is hilarious live, but he's not kid-friendly and is R-rated (just a friendly warning).

Daily DeMo : vinyl records, up close and personal

2010-03-09T12:57:00.006-06:00

Daily DeMo :: Edition 46

DD337 :: Saturday - IHOP is always more fun when there's a birthday to celebrate.

DD338 :: Sunday - Grandpa thinks that the best invention in his lifetime has been the computer. He told me a story of when he worked in Emporia (I think), and computers had just started being used, so one was just this giant box. He asked his secretary to enter the personal data of his employees (like SSN# and birthdays), and not long after she started, Topeka called and told him that she needs to stop entering data because it was bogging down their system.

DD339 :: Monday - The space between your forefinger and thumb is the same as a branch that can hold your weight. {http://lost.net.au/vic/?p=1219}

DD340 :: Tuesday - Buy what you want from etsy before posting about it on your blog so that somebody else doesn't snatch it first (or just ask the guy who runs the shop if he has any more of what you want). {ok, I really don't know if that's what happened, but I'd like to think so. Instead of the typewriter notebook, I got a different one that I will show you soon because it came this week!}

DD341 :: Wednesday - AirTran is actually Valujet

DD342 :: Thursday - This is what a vinyl record looks like up close. Like, really really up close.

DD343 :: Friday - This is the first meteorological winter where a Wichita winter has not reached 60 degrees.

2010-03-08T21:21:00.003-06:00

Remember when I reminded myself (and you) to pray hard?

Please do.

My friend Tami puts it best:

begging all of my friends to pray.

not for me.

or my family.

but for a sweet young lady that is most literally fighting for her life right now.

she can't ask god for mercy.

so i am asking you to ask on her behalf.

our father knows all the details.

the next several hours are critical.

Please lift up a prayer for our friend and for God's mercy on her.

Remind Me

2010-03-05T13:35:00.001-06:00

Do what you want.
Think before speaking.
Kill them with kindness.
Pray hard.
Drive with the windows down and the radio up.

Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God. {Micah 6:8

Daily DeMo : DIY Wedding Centerpiece Edition

2010-03-03T15:48:00.003-06:00

Daily DeMo : Edition 42
January 30 - Feburary 5, 2010

DD309 :: Saturday - I learned how to make a really pretty centerpiece using some ribbon and tulle. Behold:
DD310 :: Sunday - Moguls are made by the skiiers as they go down the mountain. I guess I hadn't thought about that, I just assumed that they were made by machines like everything else.

DD311 :: Monday - I thought that the girl scouts had gotten rid of the names of the cookies that I grew up with, but they just got renamed by one of the bakers that makes the cookies. I prefer the names given by Little Brownie Baker: Tagalongs, Samoas, Do-Si-Dos, and Trefoils.

DD312 :: Tuesday - While setting up an inventory spreadsheet, I learned that a person who does that job is called an "inventory controller". I'll be adding that one to my resume!

DD313 :: Wednesday - I spent much of my afternoon working on an Access database for an inventory of supplies. I learned that the table process should take about 50% of your time and is the most important for a successful database.

DD314 :: Thursday - I learned lots more Access stuff, but it's not worth explaining because it will probably bore you. I just had a few moments of "aha! So that's why it works that way..."

DD315 :: Friday - I had a conversation with a friend about astrology and how it relates to personality traits. I looked it up just so that I'd know more of what I was talking about and learned that the word "disaster" comes from the Italian disastro, derived from the negative prefix dis- and from Latin aster "star", thus meaning "ill-starred". {source Wikipedia}

Daily DeMo : I'll even let you hold the remote control

2010-03-03T14:29:00.002-06:00

Daily DeMo : Edition 43
February 6 - 12, 2010

DD316 :: Saturday - The people inside the costumes at Disney World love what they do and seeing the kids.

DD317 :: Sunday - The scene in the movie The Road where the Man and Boy go into the basement and find the starving people is not a scene that you should watch late at night by yourself after reading the book.

DD318 :: Monday - Skin freezes at 40F below zero. I learned this in a video, but I can't find the site and it was sort of disturbing anyway. Just trust me.

DD319 :: Tuesday - The Wedding Singer is a great musical. I was happy the entire time, and how can you not be happy hearing "I'll miss you, kiss you / Give you my coat when you are cold / Need you, feed you / Even let you hold the remote control..."

DD320 :: Wednesday - Imedla Marcos had 3000 pairs of shoes. Wow.

DD321 :: Thursday - Google Reader has many features that are either new, or I've just been missing out on them for a while. I really need to work on a good profile summary to use, and get my page all decorated cute-like.

DD322 :: Friday - Sawyer has a valentine!

Daily DeMo : Office Yoga Edition

2010-03-03T12:09:00.005-06:00

Daily DeMo : Edition 44
February 13 - 19, 2010

DD323 :: Saturday - Danica Patrick hasn't raced NASCAR before today, and her only goal is to just finish the race.

DD324 :: Sunday - I learned how to play team Dutch Blitz. It's just like regular Blitz, except you're on a team of two people. One person plays the blitz and post piles, and the other person plays the cards from the discard pile. I am much better as the dealer, and let Alan V handle the post piles.

DD325 :: Monday - The Pioneer Woman is from Pawhuska, Oklahoma.

DD326 :: Tuesday - Evan Lysacek is only 24. His mom doesn't watch his performances live because she has a superstition. The last time she watched a performance he had a bad concussion. She told him to quit skating or she'd stop watching. He refused to quit, so she doesn't watch him skate.

DD327 :: Wednesday - I learned some yoga stretches that can be done at my desk. Hopefully they will help to make the knot smaller in my shoulder -- the same knot that's been around since I started college. You can find the stretches here, here and here. This last site lets you put a lunch together and compare it with Bob the trainer's lunch (you know, Bob from Biggest Loser). Some of these exercises might not be so great for a cubicle, but require an office with a door.

DD328 :: Thursday - If your shoelace breaks during your Free Skate in the Olympics, you have 3 minutes to get it fixed. You can either tie it up and hope it stays, or take your skate completely off and replace the whole thing.

DD329 :: Friday - I learned today that my blueberry scone-making skills need some practice. I think they were edible, but I didn't want to risk it. I made my snickerdoodles instead for the Patrick Dempsey Drool Fest at Jenn's. They turned out great. I'm not sure what happened, maybe it was Jenn's convection oven, but they were wonderful. They were really flat and really soft. The best batch ever.

Back to running!

2010-03-03T08:36:00.001-06:00

I'm baaaaaack! Last night I aimed to run for 30 minutes straight, and only cut it short by 3 minutes because I was back home before I expected.

11.83 minute mile. It feels good to be back, and there's more room for improvement! {I wonder how much faster I'd be on a treadmill where I don't have to mess with traffic or turning corners?}

Rooty Tooty -- Maybe a little too fruity

2010-03-02T20:19:00.010-06:00

Saturday night I met up with some friends to watch my friend Phil do a show with his band, Stars Go Cold (great job, guys!). I met old man Bar Creeper #1 when I walked in ("Hey, Lady." (Don't worry, mom. I had my pepper spray.)) and thankfully I found Phil waiting inside. When my other friends showed up, we had to deal with Bar Creeper #2 who wondered what so many beautiful ladies were doing at the bar that night. After watching Stars Go Cold and making sure that Bar Creeper #2 didn't buy us any drinks (a round of waters, please?) we hung out for a while watching the next band, which was not so great of a band, and wondered how they could get so many followers. Most of their groupies looked like middle-aged people who hang out in shady bars all night. We would have stayed longer just to people watch, but only two of us were wearing ear plugs, and everyone else was experiencing the beginnings of tinnitus.

As we were leaving, Bar Creeper #2 walked out and asked why we were leaving so soon. "Just have other things to do!" we said. He started leaving also (so soon, creeper?), headed down the length of the building, when we hear the alarm on a truck. Creeper turns around and heads over to his truck. Maybe he should have called a cab?

We headed over to IHOP where things got 100% less creepy (unless your name is Phil) and 100% more fun than listening to bad music. Our waiter, Jeff, is always working third shift whenever I go to IHOP, and he always seems to do his own comedy show for all of his tables. He was informed that it was Phil's birthday and proceeded to entertain us all at Phil's expense. It was great, and oh so awkward. It didn't help that Phil ordered a Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity.

Jason captured some video of most of the conversation. If you can't understand what's going on, just read the stuff under the video.

Jeff: "Why don't fat people get into heaven. [Pause.] Clouds have weight limits. C'mon. That was funny."
Then Phil passes on the offer to sumo wrestle.
Annnd you wouldn't want to see Jeff popping out of a cake ... because there would be no cake.
Then Jeff asks what Phil's favorite snack cake is, and tells us that he's dated Little Debbie, Swiss Miss, all of them. Phil mentions zebra cakes, and that's where things just went downhill for him and Jeff begins the "rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" and he made that sound every time he walked by our table for the rest of the night.
Phil made the mistake of ordering the Rooty Tooty, and Jeff informs us that he's the fresh 'n fruity part. This is pretty much an awkward unfortunate moose moment.
The rest of it ... well, we're all left pretty speechless.

Moleskine Love (and old, worn out notebook love)

2010-03-02T14:08:00.002-06:00

This is my tired, worn out notebook.

I think it's time for something new. It really looks even worse if you see it up close. This notebook has been with me for the past year. It has many pages torn out, keeps track of directions to friends' houses, random grocery lists, and notes from Bible studies and presentations.

There are also some fun memories, like dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings after Pathways when some of us couldn't decide which spelling of "gray" is correct:

Notes to remind me of Daily DeMo posts:

The heirarchy of Texas Hold'em:

A picture that my friend Ginger drew when my notebook was loose at Mead's:

And includes more set lists from Pathways worship than I can count:

But it's time for a new one, since I'm quickly running out of pages.

The notebook before this one was a Moleskine that my friend Anna brought me from China and I loved it. I'd love to get another one, so since blogger friend Erin always checks out etsy for new stuff for her studio, I decided to see what etsy has for me.

Oh lovely. How cute are these covers?

I think I'll get the blue one. Or maybe the brown one. I can't decide. But I do know that I can't wait to start fresh with some new paper under my pen.

Which one should I get?

P.S. If I had a honey, I would definitely put this "honey do" notebook to good use.

A Tuesday Thankful

2010-03-02T08:56:00.003-06:00

Today I am thankful for some unexpected quality time with some sweet friends last night. Sometimes the best memories happen in the unplanned moments. I'm looking forward to growing closer to these girlies, and that movie date once my weekends free up. :)

What are you thankful for?

Daily DeMo : nooglers and googlers

2010-02-27T19:20:00.004-06:00

Daily DeMo : Edition 45

February 20-26, 2010

DD330 :: Saturday - One of the men who comes to eat when I serve the homeless prefers long hair on girls, but says that we (Angela and I) make short hair look good.

DD331 :: Sunday - The most commonly seen color of cancer awareness is pink, but there are many other colors:

{via}

DD332 :: Monday - The large intestine is 5 feet long and is made of 6 different sections, three of those sections are various types of colon.

DD333 :: Tuesday - In Google Reader, press "?" to see all of the keyboard shortcuts. Press esc to close the window.

DD334 :: Wednesday - The colon does amazing work. {there is a reason for the colon and cancer learning this week. one of my friends had surgery on her colon to remove some cancer. thankfully, she is doing great.}

DD335 :: Thursday - A "noogler" is a new googler. http://www.swiss-miss.com/2010/02/google-facts-and-figures-massive-infographic.html

DD336 :: Friday - The difference between the World Championships and the Olympics is that the Worlds happen on every non-Olympic year.

Hoodie iPhone case

2010-02-25T19:19:00.001-06:00

When I get my wonderful iPhone, I think I'll get one of these for the case. It only seems fitting, no? Considering that I talk about hoodies and jeans all the time. So super cute. In a little bitty things sort of way.

Find more creative iPhone cases over at Webdesigner Depot.

p.s. I know I talked about disliking winter so much, but hoodies are the exception. Ultimate comfort.

Just a little bit longer

2010-02-25T13:18:00.005-06:00

There's more snow in the forecast. Have winters ever seemed this long?? I guess we should appreciate the spring even more after winter goes away. Live it up.

My friend Lindsey said it best when she wrote that someone should fire that stupid groundhog. I'm wearing my favorite sweaters on repeat, and they're gradually becoming my non-favorite sweaters because they'll remind me how long the winter of ohnine-ohten seemed. I guess it's only mid-February, but ... but ... can't spring just come already? I really like my black pashmina, but it's become the center of nearly every outfit and I'd like to put it away. I know that things got extreme because I've not worn scarves so much as I have this winter.

farmer's market

fresh flowers

new plants in the garden

perhaps some croquet on bikes in Riverside Park?

sleeping with the windows open

thunderstorms
{and the occasional non-threatening tornadoes}

window boxes

{I don't have windows that will work well for boxes,
so I'm going to make some
that will sit on my porch ledge. maybe? dad? help?
surely it's not that hard.
two trapezoids, 4 straight boards, 16 nails and done.
hopefully?
this may become an interesting DIY...}

{kala gets credit for the photo.}

I'm ready to get dirty and take over my neighbor's section of the flower beds and I'll also take over the other neighbor's flower bed. I spent a couple of hours pulling weeds last summer and they didn't do anything about taking care of the plants that gasped for breath once I freed them from the weedy insanity, so I'm going to make it my own.

What's the first thing you're going to do when winter is over?

Wordless Wednesday :: BYOB

2010-02-24T23:00:00.001-06:00

Save the planet. Bring your own bags.

Congratulations, Canada

2010-02-23T09:38:00.008-06:00

I can't embed the link but I think this is so lovely. I loved watching the Canadians on the ice last night. They were so relaxed before their dance started, and at :26 and :39 when he looks at her and then brushes her arm... sigh.

It takes talent (and lots of trust) for a guy to spin a girl around his head while moving on ice (start watching at 2:04, 3:36 and again at 4:28).

I read a cute and amusing interview with Scott and Tessa on a Vancouver website. They've been skating together for 13 years, since Scott was 9 and Tessa was 7. Scott was playing ice hockey until his aunt decided that he'd make a good skating partner.

“Something really changed in my life when I started to hold on to the hand of a very beautiful little girl,’’ Moir recalled tenderly. “It just seemed to make more sense to hang out with cute girl than to hang out with 19 other guys.’’

How sweet is that?

{Excuse the mess that I made of the GR tonight. I was experimenting on this blog instead of my experimental blog. oops! If you know how to create a post in blogger with the same url as a post that you've deleted, let me know!}

Hmmph

2010-02-22T15:40:00.001-06:00

I will be so glad when winter is over.

Wordless Wednesday :: kuler luv

2010-02-17T13:09:00.001-06:00

Wastebook

2010-02-16T22:37:00.005-06:00

I'm staying away from Facebook until Easter. I've noticed that it's getting more of my time than it deserves, and especially late at night, it just sucks time away and I sit there waiting for people to update statuses. It's not like I'm really that interested in what they have to say. There are so many better things to do, like watch the Winter Olympics! :) Maybe I'll study the ice skating in slow-mo and figure out how to tell apart a triple toe loop from a triple lutz from a double salchow.

Evan Lysacek had an awesome short program, but I feel so bad for Jeremy Abbot. :(

This is the first time that I'm really giving up something for these 40 days. I feel like I need to refocus my time and this is where I start.

I want to do that too.

2010-02-13T23:24:00.004-06:00

This postsecret reminded me of two encouraging blogs that I read this week. They'll make you want to do something good for someone else.

"Hold you?" from 6yearmed
The Unlovables from sarathe

Valentine's Day, courtesy of LOST

2010-02-12T13:50:00.005-06:00

I couldn't resist sharing this card with you.

You can find more cards here, free to download and use. I'm still waiting for Sawyer to show up, with something like "Baby, I am tied to a tree in a jungle of mystery and I just got tortured by a damn spinal surgeon and a genuine Iraqi. Of course I'm serious." In the context of love, of course. Or he could have one that says "Fine, scram." Fitting for him, don't you think?

Oh look! There is one from Sawyer!

This card reminds me of a note that I left in the locker of my crush in middle school. It was a note based off of the lyrics to George Strait's Check Yes or No. I wrote it "annonymously" but put a line on there that said "Drop in locker #356." Genius. My own locker. He never gave me an answer, but that's fine. It probably wouldn't have worked out anyway. If I was thinking, I would have made a deal with the prettiest girl in school to use her locker so that he'd think it came from her. Surprise!!!

I didn't eat the dough ... I promise.

2010-02-11T22:57:00.005-06:00

Wow. It's been a busy week. I've had something going on every night this week, and won't get a break until Monday.

Tonight's adventure involved chocolate, frosting, sugar cookies, and strawberries. I went over to Heather's with some other girls and we made V-Day treats. I may have eaten more dough than cookies. They shouldn't have left me alone with the dough.

We also dipped some strawberries:

Unrelated: Yesterday RealitySteve had a sort of podcast thing about The Bachelor, and anyone could call in and ask him any question about the show. I listened to about 30 minutes of the 90-minute program while I was doing other stuff. Not that it was great at all, I was just sort of amused that the demographic reminded me of the women who watch HSN and call in just gushing over those cubic zirconium earrings with silver-plated studs.

oh noes!

2010-02-10T10:19:00.003-06:00

I'm not off to a good start on posting every day. I totally forgot to post something yesterday. Did you notice? Oh well, today's a new day and a new start, right?

This morning I had to be at work at 7, which is much much earlier than usual, but I got to enjoy a little bit of the sunrise. I can't wait until there's warmer weather and I can go running again in the mornings without freezing.

From Flickr

I have to confess. I committed the awfullest design sin of all yesterday. Ranks right up there with using Papyrus on a billboard.

I present to you: Exhibit A.

I'm sorry! I know, it's bad. Really, really bad.

Monday waddles

2010-02-08T17:40:00.001-06:00

Have you ever watched a duck waddling through snow? This makes a Monday better:

"each the other's world entire" :: Guest Post

2010-02-06T22:59:00.012-06:00

I finally finished reading The Road last night. It's been on my Currently Reading list over there on the right side of the blog for a while. I actually had read about 30 pages and put it away for a couple of weeks, but once I got going yesterday, I could not put it down. I was going to write a post about it after I finished reading, but the only words I could type were "Wow. Depressing book." And that doesn't make for a very exciting blog post, does it? So here's a guest post from my friend Matt who offers his opinion of the book.

Hey there my name is Matt, a.k.a. “Bandit”. I have posted comments on the blog as "Matthew T". Amanda asked me if I wanted to write for her blog sometime. I said sure, but I was not sure what I was going to talk about. I decided I would write about TMDBE. You are probably thinking "what?" Well if you know Amanda, you know she has a thing about acronyms. This particular acronym stands for The Most Depressing Book Ever. I originally came up with it when I was reading another book, called 19 Minutes. Half-way through that book I dubbed it The Most Depressing Book Ever. Well I have to say that there is a book out there that makes 19 Minutes seem like a fairy tale in comparison! The book is called The Road. Amanda has just finished it too, and I think she will agree that it is TMDBE.

The Road is about the post-apocalyptic journey of a man and his son (we never find out the names) in search for safety. You never find out what the event is that caused the apocalypse, but we do know that most of the people are dead, and with a few exceptions there are no other creatures left except for humans, which I find a bit strange. But it is fiction, so I try not to think about it. Anyway, the Man and Boy are trying to make their way South and find the coast in hopes of finding a warmer climate and hopefully settlement of "good people." One thing you learn in the book is that there are not many good people left in the world. A lot of the people that are left are cannibals, so the Man and Boy avoid people whenever possible and view everyone with suspicion. There is almost no food left, and nothing really grows. That means that this man and his son are starving throughout the whole book. It really is a heart-wrenching story. I get the feeling that the man would have given up if it wasn’t for his dedication to his son. The situation is so hopeless I am not sure I could keep going on myself. The only way I would be able to sustain myself would be with Christ’s help. Even then I think I would keep asking him to take this situation away from me.

I never really thought about it when I read the book, but Amanda thought that this might be the world after the Second Coming. I wasn’t so sure at first, but the more I think about it I think Amanda is right. This very could be what the world looks like after the Second Coming. All I know is that I do not want to be around when that happens. After I was done with the book I was bummed out for a couple of days.

Now that I have really bummed everyone out, and you are in desperate need of a hug, I will let you know there are a couple of good things that happen in the book. The man’s dedication to his son is amazing. He will do just about anything to keep his son safe. I am not a father, but if and when I am, this is the type of dedication I want to have. Even more impressive though is the son. This little boy (eight years old, I think) has an unbelievable heart. In the mist of all this tragedy and sorrow, seeing the absolute worst in humans, he still sees the good in people. He wants to think the best of people even when there are few good people left. If I had to take anything away from the book, it would be that I would like to have the heart of that little boy.

Thank you to Amanda for letting me write for the blog. I enjoyed it, and I hope she lets me do it again sometime.

Thanks, Matt. So, maybe a day later I do have more words than "Wow. Depressing book."

One of the things that I noticed most about this book was the lack of hope and joy. There was no hope for a future, the Man and Boy kept going even though they didn't know how much longer they would survive or what they would find when they got to the coast. What was encouraging was what Matt said about the boy thinking that there were still "good people" in the world like them, that there were other people like them who were "carrying the light." I also found it moving the love that the Man had for his son and putting his son's survival before his own.

This book will affect you in some way. This story put me in a totally different state of mind -- last night I cleaned out my freezer after I read the book and kept thinking "just do what needs to be done to survive." That meant only keeping what was necessary to put into my cart that I push along the road, and throw the rest out. But when you think about it, as Christians, we are called to throw away the junk and run toward the prize to which we've been called. It gives me hope to know that I won't be traveling an ashy barren road at the end of time, I will be in a much greater place. Which road will you be traveling?

Me: Analyzed

2010-02-06T20:10:00.009-06:00

Let's do a multiple choice test. Which one do you think I am most like?

a. Dominant
b. Influencing
c. Steady
d. Calculating

If you answered "c" you are absolutely correct. Specifically I am the S in the DISC profile. Tomorrow I finish a 2-week class in church about personality traits and what ministries compliment each personality trait. I just finished the analysis part and am now trying to decide what ministries I fit into.

This profile also analyzed what spiritual gifts best fit my personality and my three highest-ranked spiritual gifts are Serving/Ministry, Encouraging, and a tie between Showing Mercy and Giving. I suppose those fit since the other spiritual gifts were Prophecy/Proclaiming/Perceiving (I do not perceive things very well), Teaching (getting up in front of people? No, thank you) and Administration/Ruling (delegation is not my strongest trait).

The problem that I see with this type of analysis is that I sometimes answer differently because I know that I'm taking a test and that my answers will be graded. For instance, I had a feeling that encouraging might be high on the list, so naturally I answered those questions with a higher ranking. I think if you just randomly asked me these questions in conversation and recorded my answers, they might differ a little bit. I'm curious how my friends might answer the analysis about me. I'm horrible at doing this sort of thing for someone else, but love to be analyzed by others.

In high school I took they Myers-Briggs personality test and I'm pretty sure that I came out an INFP. What clues me in that it may be correct is this statement here:

INFPs do not like conflict, and go to great lengths to avoid it. If they must face it, they will always approach it from the perspective of their feelings. In conflict situations, INFPs place little importance on who is right and who is wrong. They focus on the way that the conflict makes them feel, and indeed don't really care whether or not they're right. They don't want to feel badly.

DING DING DING! We have a winner! I wouldn't necessarily say that I go to great lengths to avoid conflict, but I definitely don't go searching it out like some people! Crazy. Five of the most scary words that you can say to me are, "Amanda, we need to talk." Yikes! What did I do and how do I fix it and get out of this awkward situation?!?!? And then when it's over I think and think and think about what just happened.

Here are some highlights of the S personality:

I am the loyal golden retriever in the animal kingdom of personalities. The others are otter, lion, and beaver.
Submissive, steady, stable, security-oriented, passive, people-oriented, calm, patient.
The equivalent to a Phlegmatic: self-content, consistent, relaxed, rational, curious, observant, more dependable than a Sanguine.
The S desires identification with a group.
Stable, but needs to learn that change provides opportunity.
Enjoys large and small crowds.
Good listener.
Not aggressive or pushy.
Does things well, but poor at quick decision-making.
Likes to work behind-the-scenes.
Sensitive to what others think about me and my work.
Stimulated by sincere, enthusiastic approval and logical explanations.

Here's another test, just for fun. :)

My Detailed Results:
Words of Affirmation:	10
Physical Touch:	7
Quality Time:	7
Acts of Service:	4
Receiving Gifts:	2

What type of personality are you?

Sources:
Uniquely You Membership and Ministry Profile
http://edified.org/myspace/lovelanguage
http://www.caringcounseling.ws/page5.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Temperaments
http://www.personalitypage.com/INFP.html

Daily DeMo : Junk Mail Edition

2010-02-05T23:28:00.003-06:00

Daily DeMo : Edition 41
January 23 - 29, 2010

DD302 :: Saturday - The Intrust Bank Arena takes 6 hours to clean to get it back to pre-show condition, and 18 people do the work.

DD303 :: Sunday - Little Shop of Horrors was the lowest budgeted film. The sets were leftover from a previous movie.

DD304 :: Monday - The average American gets 40 pounds of junk mail each year. (number 35)

DD305 :: Tuesday - I learned the process of fracturing, also called "fracing" (sounds like: fracking). Fracturing is the process of which water, sand, and other chemicals are pumped downhole at high pressures to break open fractures in shale formations. This allows natural gas trapped in the shale rock to flow to the surface. Fracing is usually done in wells drilled horizontally. Things like sand and other chemicals and gels, even ceramics, that are carried downhole with the water are called proppants. The propants are what stay inside the fractures, holding them open. They are permiable and allow the gas to travel through and around them.

DD306 :: Wednesday - I read this very long, but really informative story about what life is like as a sniper for the military. The military changed from using bull's-eye targets to silhouettes for shooting practice to help a rifleman's aversion to killing.

DD306.1 - I watched the trailer for the movie The Art of the Steal and also read more about the Barnes Foundation. Mr. Barnes hung out with Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse.

DD307 :: Thursday - J.D. Salinger died. I haven't read Catcher in the Rye, but it is on my list of books to read. Somehow in all my years of school I got in the classes that didn't require that book to be read. Salinger refused to publish much of his works, and refused to let anything be adapted.

DD308 :: Friday - According to coupons.com, Wichita is in the top 20 of most frugal US cities.

Matchy Matchy Greeny Squares!

2010-02-04T22:42:00.008-06:00

My friend Christann came to visit from Topeka. Her husband is always so nice to let us hang out for hours at a time whenever they come to ICT. I met Christann at their hotel, and when I took my coat off, she said, "oh no..." and I realized that we were twins!

We stopped by Mead's Corner for some hot chocolate. A long time ago I convinced myself that I don't like warm milk, and therefore don't like "real" hot chocolate. Well I gave the stuff at Mead's a try, and I am now switching sides away from the instant stuff to the real deal. It was so so good, and it's pretty much the only warm drink that I will get there since I don't like coffee. {Funny story: In college my friend Davin invited me and my roommates over often for Mate for my roommates, or hot chocolate for me. Well, one night I tried his hot chocolate and the warm milk just seemed gross to me and I told him that I did not like it and that I only drink instant hot cocoa. Yes, it was rude. And now I know better, so I'm willing to give it another chance if we're ever in the same state again.}

We surprised my friend Becky since she didn't know that Christann was in town, and stayed way later than we should have. We insisted on getting a pic of the three of us together, and this is how that turned out. Thanks, Tyler!

Visit Becky!

Unrelated: I watched Leap Year tonight and it was a really sweet movie. What girl doesn't want an Irish lad after watching a movie like Leap Year or P.S. I Love You?

Also unrelated: My refrigerator is making a very high-pitched noise and it's giving me a headache. I think I'll cure my headache with some Oreos.

Greenified

2010-02-03T22:58:00.004-06:00

This is the amaryllis plant that Alan gave to Janel for her birthday, but since Janel does not do well with living things, I adopted it because she thought it was dead. It is not dead. It is very much alive and I am loving it. The main stalk is probably about 14 inches tall right now. The stuff on the left had turned brown before the main stalk grew, but is now starting to open up with the new somethings inside. I will have to give Janel's back to her this weekend, but Alan gave me one of my very own and I am happy happy happy.

The stuff that 2010 is made of

2010-02-02T21:37:00.008-06:00

Since 2010 started I've been working on a list of stuff that I need to do or change. These aren't really new year's resolutions, because as we all know, most of us are really bad at keeping them (except for the Type A personalities, which I am not), but they're more like things that I want to do or get better at doing this year.

}musical stuff{

learn the State Song :: I don't know the tune of the states between Michigan to Ohiiiiii-o-klahoma and then to the end of the song.
start playing clarinet again :: This means that I also need to re-learn how to read music, and get past a middle-school level of playing. I have the instrument, it just needs new pads. Kleenex, believe it or not, do not make a very good substitute for clarinet pads.
convert all of the records to digital format :: I think I've mentioned this before, that I have some old records from my grandparents that I want to put into digital format. They were supposed to be a Christmas present to my grandparents, but that definitely did not happen

}crafty stuff{

make more pottery :: It's so relaxing to throw some clay around. I'm planning to go back to The Secret Gallery with Heather next month for another class.
hit up more Final Fridays :: Final Fridays are really enjoyable, and even more fun on a date or with friends.

}dancing stuff{

get better at two-step turns and holds :: I have a couple of friends who really know what they're doing when it comes to sweetheart holds, skater position, promenade, and the cuddle -- and they know how to gracefully get out of the holds. I am still at a point of counting my steps on the turns and wanting to make sure that I come out on the right foot and beat. It would be nice if all that just happens naturally.
learn the cowboy cha-cha comfortably :: Every time I hear Brooks and Dunn's Neon Moon, I feel like I should be doing the cowboy cha-cha, but it's a little bit of a challenge not knowing all of the steps.

}grown-up stuff{

add more professional clothes to my wardrobe :: I don't really need to get rid of anything, but I do need to gain more classy clothes that can mix-and-match in the work world. And that includes clothes that may be pricey, but can be used in various ways and will last a long time.
be on time :: I'm rarely early to anything, including going to bed.
keep the apartment clean :: This way I don't have to refuse any spontaneous visits when people are in the neighborhood.

}sporty stuff{

go to at least 2 WSU baseball games :: Who is excited for baseball season???
watch a Wichita Barbarians game :: Should I wear my JBU Rugby t-shirt? hehe.
go watch an ICT Roller Girls bout :: see? I'm serious. I already use the lingo.
run the 2-mile at the River Run :: I had a goal of running in the Frosty 5k on January 1st, but that didn't happen, so my next goal (and it's been a goal since I started running last summer) is to run the River Run. It's either a 2-mile or a 10k. I'm not up to 10k condition, but I know that I can easily run the 2-mile. No walking for me!
get a tan :: I put this into the sporty stuff category since it's probably being at sporting events (or gardening) that will get me outside, and I am determined to make the most of the nice weather that comes.

}thrifty stuff{

take advantage of the great garage sales in wichita :: This requires getting up early and scouting out the good sales. My best deal last year was a camping chair for $1. I'm wanting to find more good stuff like that.
hit up the farmer's market for fresh flowers every weekend :: Fresh flowers make a happy home.
have lots and lots of plants, and actually consider where things are being planted in the flower beds this spring. I already feel like a crazy plant lady since I have two amaryllis plants, a bunch of stinky narcissus flowers, and a cactus inside right now. I'm looking forward to the nicer weather when I can get my hands dirty.
use coupons more often :: They are helpful, it just takes discipline to find and remember to use them.
make a budget each month and stick with it :: The goal of being debt free in just a few years or less is really exciting.
collect gifts throughout the year for a gift box :: The gift box will keep me from having to do any last-minute shopping. (ha!)

}God stuff{

make it a point to not give God the "lasts" of me each day, but the "firsts" instead.

}friend stuff{

find a mentor :: I've never had a mentor and I'm thinking that it would be nice to have someone on the "outside" to talk to about life.
become a mentor :: I was encouraged by a friend to join Youth Horizons, so I may look into mentoring with them.
invest more into the friendships that I do have and reach out to others :: I've met so many people this year, and deepened friendships that I already had, and I'd like to keep doing that.
take more pictures :: I've been relying on other people for pictures of me and friends, but I won't always get the pictures that I want unless I am my own photographer.
send more encouragement to people :: I enjoy writing little notes, and enjoy hand-writing and snail mailing little notes better than emailing something.

}family stuff{

spend more time with mom and dad on Sundays and visit more during the week.
be a better auntie to the little ones

}travel stuff{

go to Florida :: I owe my sister a trip to Florida. So should I go before the twinsies are born, or after?

So there's the list, and I am sure that I'll be adding to it as I think of more things that I want to do. What's on your list for the year?

I can get it in just under the wire.

2010-02-01T23:10:00.005-06:00

I decided this afternoon that I'd try for nablopomo again. Fortunately it's a short month :) So maybe I'll actually finish out the month instead of fading like I did in December. And I'll get my two followers back!

I'm watching One Night with the King right now. It lines up with a series that we're going through in church on Sunday mornings about Esther. This is a sweet love story -- of God's people, and also of Xerxes and Hadassah.

Since this is such a short and scattered post, I'll get you involved. I have $50 to spend at Bed Bath & Beyond. So far the only thing I can think that I need is a basket to hold some blankets, and I found these pillows that I like. Not much else will fit in here. What would you buy from BB&B?

Daily DeMo : chutney, a TAF, and olives

2010-01-26T09:15:00.008-06:00

Daily DeMo :: Edition 40
January 16 - 22, 2010

DD295 :: Saturday - Some chairty organization presidents get $300K. You can see how your favorite charity distributes money by going to charitynavigator.org.

DD296 :: Sunday - I learned how chutney is made. I'd never had it before, and I had no idea what it was. Jenn and Heather did a great job hosting friends for lunch!

DD297 :: Monday - I learned how to read the weather forecast in airplane language. (Technically, it's called a TAF.) For instance,

FM182200 09005KT 5SM BR SCT015 means that the best the weather will get on this day, the 18th day of the month {18}, is at 2200 zulu (4 PM) {2200}, Wind at 90 degrees at 5 knots {09005KT}, 5 miles visibility {5SM} and scattered clouds at 1500 feet with a "baby rain" (mist) {BR} If you want to figure all that out on your own, you can go here.

Who thinks of this stuff???

DD297.1 - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is one of the best books that I've read in a really long time.

DD298 :: Tuesday - It's way more fun to slap on some stamps and snail mail a book to a friend than it is to personally deliver it.

DD299 :: Wednesday - Spain produces 36% of the world's olives. Why do I know that? Because I was looking for an environmental brochure and found an online magazine about olives. Oh the places you'll go thanks to Google.

DD300 :: Thursday - Human bed warmers! I'm not so sure that this will take off in the U.S. Most of the opinions that I've heard are that electric blankets will do the job, and having someone else in the bed first is kind of gross.

DD301 :: Friday - Andi explains how France only has major sales twice a year because they are regulated by the government. As a result, they shop more for quality over quantity.

DD301.1 - G.I. Jesus? What do you think about this?

Daily DeMo : Overdue for an Update

2010-01-19T19:49:00.005-06:00

I'm watching Biggest Loser, and totally wouldn't mind that Aussie cutie Curtis Stone being in my kitchen cooking (and don't you love his scripted "homemade" tshirt?). It's a good thing that I don't have anyone counting on me to make a good meal (yet) because I am capable of cooking, but tonight's dinner was one of those that I made for the first time, didn't have all ingredients, had to improvise and made something "edible but doesn't look like it". And that's why I'm not sharing a picture of it with you. :)

On to the fun!

Daily DeMo :: Edition: Overdue
January 9 - 15, 2010

DD287 :: Saturday - I learned how to boil lobster from watching Julie & Julia.

DD289 :: Sunday - I met someone who works for a magazine in Wichita and we got to talk about printing presses, page signatures, Pantone colors... I was nearly in heaven. Oh, I even learned some stuff about the printing presses.

DD290 :: Monday - I learned something new about HTML templates in Dreamweaver, that they do exist, and that they are something that will save me lots of time if I use them.

DD291 - The Bachelor is just a big load of drama for ABC's ratings. But I still watch...

DD291 :: Tuesday - Gmail will let you have up to 100 emails in a conversation. Then it changes the subject to "Re: (subject)"

DD292 :: Wednesday - Google's not censoring Islam

DD292.1 - Haiti is devastated by the earthquake. I read up on how the earthquake happened and which plates were moving around. I already knew some of how the plates move, but wanted to see for myself just how close PAP was to the epicenter.

DD292.2 - My sister is having identical twin boys!

DD293 :: Thursday - Tonight I hung out with my friend Janel and learned a couple of stories that she probably doesn't want me to share with you. ;) I also learned how to care for an amaryllis plant that, unfortunately, I think might be dead. :(

DD294 :: Friday - I learned that my legs will be in pain when I run almost 3 miles, then go bowling, then go dancing at Margarita's in a span of about 6 hours. Ouch.

Currently in (mid)January

2010-01-12T23:09:00.016-06:00

January is here, and I'm a little bit behind. I can't believe we're already into the second week of a new year.

Current Book(s): I have four that I'm working on currently. Who knows when I'll finally finish them all: A Million Miles in a Thousand Years; The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society; The Road; and The Screwtape Letters.

Current Playlist: I've been listening to grooveshark lately where I can make my own playlists, which include Lady Antebellum, Owl City, Rob Thomas, Wicked, Newsies...

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: The Bachelor. It's on. It's reality TV. It's staged. But it's entertaining.

Current Drink: Water. Not so exciting, but oh-so-healthy.

Current Food: Chicken tortilla soup. I made some for my parents the other night and I'm still feasting on the leftovers.

Current Favorite Show: Glee!

Current Wishlist: Nicer weather or warmer running clothes.

Current Needs: Groceries. I haven't been home long enough to get organized and go to the store.

Current Triumphs: Updating my blog. ;) I've been absent lately doing everything but updating, and I'm on my way back.

Current Bane(s) of my Existence: Stuff in my apartment that needs to find a permanent home. This includes a set of rollerblades, size 8, and a very lovingly used golf bag with extra shoulder strap.

Current Celebrity Crush: Gerard Butler. Lovable guitar-playing Irish hotness in P.S. I Love You. 12-pack hotness in 300. Mysteriousness in Phantom.

Hello, Handsome

Current Indulgence: Oreos & milk. I eat too many, too often. I'm sure that soon I will tire of them for a while, but they're here now.

Current Blessing(s): Being able to see God's hand in creation. The narcissus bulbs that I planted last week greet me with new growth every time I come home. It's fascinating to me that a bulb without soil will just stay a bulb. But when you add water + soil, a miracle happens.

Current Outfit: Jeans and comfy tshirts. And a hoodie when I'm not worried about the need to impress anyone (or ending up on WNTW).

Current Excitement: A new year with new things to learn.

Current Mood: Tired and trying to relax, but the knots in my shoulders think differently.

Current Link: www.ihategreenbeans.com Hilarious commentary on every episode of The Bachelor.

Daily DeMo : InDesign Edition

2010-01-11T09:42:00.002-06:00

The Daily DeMo : Edition 38
January 2 - 8, 2010

DD280 :: Saturday - Denim & Diamonds turns from a country bar into a club at approximately 1:20, unfortunately. Even though there is a rock bar right next door that plays that same music. Other than that, I like it.

DD281 :: Sunday - The smell of cigarette smoke does not seem to wash out after the first shower. Or maybe the smell is just stuck in my nose.

DD282 :: Monday - In InDesign, if text is grouped together or grouped with another object when you create outlines, it will shift the text around.

DD283 :: Tuesday - InDesign has been doubling the file size of my stuff. It's been saving a preview of every page as a jpeg so that it's easier to view in programs like Adobe Bridge. That means the file size can be HUGE. So all you have to do is uncheck the box about previews when you're in the Save options.

DD284 :: Wednesday - Spray-on truck bedliner takes 2 minutes to cure and then it's ready to go.

DD285 :: Thursday - I learned that going to Caffe Moderne (my fave) on a night when it's 0* windchill will get you great service because you are one of only 6 crazies who decided to eat out that night.

DD286 :: Friday - Working on one project for 3 days in a row is EXHAUSTING.

Daily DeMo : A Wits & Wagers hint

2010-01-02T09:04:00.002-06:00

Daily DeMo : Edition 37

December 26, 2009 - January 1, 2010

DD274 :: Saturday - Even though the year is 2010, it really isn't a new decade yet. The new decade won't start until January 1, 2011.

DD275 :: Sunday - Grandpa's worst Christmas memory was when my uncle got a bicycle and grandpa was teaching him how to ride it. Grandma was crying because the bicycle was too big for him. We later learned that she was actually crying because grandpa ran my uncle into the fence.

DD276 :: Monday - 236 episodes of FRIENDS aired through all seasons. (This is a help to you if you ever play Wits and Wagers!)

DD278 :: Tuesday - In the Philippines, on one of the islands, it's split muslim/communist. If you go there, you want to go on the communist side.

DD279 :: Wednesday - Oprah's equivalent in China is a lady named Chen Luyu.

DD278 :: Thursday - Dancing in 3 inch heels for 3 hours is a bit painful but so.much.fun.

DD278.1 - A blue moon happens once every 2.7 years. There was a blue moon this month, and also a lunar eclipse. I missed the eclipse because it was too cold for moon gazing. Btw, the next one will happen in December 2010.

DD279 :: Friday - The narcissus bulbs that I bought half price from target come with a disc if peat moss stuff that expands in water to be 6 times its size. Very cool!

DD279.1 - I had a drive mounted on my Wallace (my Macbook) that I couldn't get to work. All it requires when that happens is to relaunch the Finder.

Twenty-ten

2010-01-01T13:08:00.003-06:00

Calendar from Cats Let Nothing Darken Their Roar

Things I Googled Today : APGAR Score

2009-12-16T22:48:00.005-06:00

CallaJayne121609_024
Originally uploaded by ian van johnson

This baby was born tonight at 1lb 15 oz. She has an APGAR score of 6/9. According to Wikipedia, she's "fairly low" on the preemie scale. She and her family could use your prayers.

Christmas Traditions Explained

2009-12-16T08:26:00.007-06:00

My friend Elizabeth (also referred to around here as "Splitter") has a humble little blog. I love reading her stuff, and she updates nearly every day. She's been writing a very cool series of posts about Christmas and where our traditions come from, because, as she says, "If I'm going to participate in holiday traditions and at the same time try to post Jesus' Name all over them, I should probably understand what it is I'm doing." You can read the first post here. And also check out these other goodies that she's posted so far:

Why Christians Claim December 25th as Jesus' Birth
Where Did Our American Christmas Traditions Come From?
What Does the Christmas Tree Have to do with Christ?
Why Do I Have to Buy You a Gift?
Santa Who?

Take a look around. (You will definitely learn something.)

Post-It Tuesday - Party Mix Edition

2009-12-15T13:29:00.001-06:00

Hello, Suga'. I've been waitin' for ya'.

2009-12-12T16:34:00.006-06:00

From Presently DeMo

Oh sweetness. After 2 months of anticipation, I brought home all of this and then some from the 3rd annual cookie day at Heather's. This was the menu:
meltaways (delicious cookies that just melt in your mouth! they're full of butter.)
snickerdoodles (i made these, of course!)
peppermint bark (it's so cool-looking)
ritz with peanut butter and covered in chocolate (i probably should have grabbed some more of those)
oreo balls
chocolate-covered pretzels
pretzel sticks dipped in caramel and drizzled with chocolate
chocolate spoons
sugar cookies
turtles (didn't have a turtle mold, but i put chocolate, with caramel, some pecans, some more caramel, and another layer of chocolate into a mini muffin tin, then you just pop them out. i used to make these with my grandpa but he hasn't been able to make them for a few years so i'm excited to deliver some tomorrow)
thin mints (ritz covered in chocolate bark with some sort of minty extract)

What is your favorite holiday treat?

Let it snow! ... cards!

2009-12-08T18:27:00.011-06:00

Today is a great day for mail! It didn't snow much, but the mailman was especially nice to me today. Wanna see?

Mail!!!

A holiday postcard from BakerGirl @ An Extended Vacation. I just found her blog so it's really sweet that she sent me a postcard!

Fiddy dollas from Kansas for doing a cell phone survey at WSU.

Rob & Heather's Christmas letter (and a sweet picture card too).

A card from my sweet friend, Cindy.

A card from The Unruhs! Aren't my niece & nephew cuties??

A wedding invitation that is most definitely going in my collection of inspiration. Love it.

Sigh. Those eyes.
He showed up on Saturday but I couldn't leave him out of the fun.

Merry Christmas!

Things I Googled Today

2009-12-07T18:47:00.003-06:00

Erin, this one is for you since you google in sets of 10 and I can't wait that long. :)

TM vs R - I was curious why my boss wanted me to replace the ® symbol on a logo with a TM.
quad rail ar 15 - Yes, Matt, I did look it up. :)
december photo project - I did DPP last year, but wanted to quickly find the blog since I couldn't remember the Tredways name.
silent monks hallelujah - I needed the link to post in a comment. The first time I watched this with the sound off accidentally, and couldn't figure out what was so funny. It's much better with the sound on. :)
black pashmina - looking for a pic of a Pashmina that I bought this weekend.
shinedown it's 4:03 - I look up lyrics a lot.
circle-r symbol unicode - I looked this up just so that I could type it up there. :)

What did you google today?

That voice

2009-12-06T22:16:00.007-06:00

I read this comment on Reverb's blog tonight (#46). It's so real and raw, and I can relate to parts of what she's saying.

I have no idea what God is doing in my life right now. I’m grateful for the things he’s loaned me - a healthy little girl, a house, a good head of hair (hey, if its important to me its important to Him, right?), but I still have no idea what he’s doing. I also have no idea what He’s teaching me. I can’t even recognize His sweet voice anymore. I used to be able to. I used to hear him so loudly that when I went to the bathroom in the middle of the night I would hear “Bec, you’re going to want to turn on the light tonight - there’s a bug on the wall.”. Keep in mind I have a faithful pest guy so bugs in my house are rare and I’m deathly afraid of them. But somewhere between middle-of-the-night bug warnings and nightly chats about our day together I’ve forgotten what His sweet voice sounds like, and consequently have no idea what He’s doing in my life. If I was God I would be trying to remind me of that voice - the only voice that can calm a storm, create worlds, and soothe a crying baby … or woman in the span of seconds, the voice that every commercial company would hire as their spokesman if they could, the voice that will stop wars and disease and death once and for all, and the voice that would gently whisper “Bec, look out for that bug.”. That voice oozes love. I really miss that voice.

A pan of brownies to myself

2009-12-02T22:06:00.008-06:00

Sorta. They were intended for my Bible study, but I didn't make it because TJ decided to boycott the cold and not start. It might just be a battery issue. Tomorrow I'll be taking my car to the place where cars go to get better, to make sure that he behaves on my trip this weekend to...

ARKANSAS!

I'm super excited, because it seems like every day that I've been planning this trip someone new joins in on the fun. It will be me, Mel, Anna, Mollie, Rebecca, Anna's friend JingJing, Jill, and probably some others who still live in Siloam. How fun is that?! Not sure if we're all going to fit in Mel's apartment, but it will be fun. Except I'm sure that Beatrice will be a little jealous of us stealing all of Mel's attention. Last time I went to Arkansas it was just me and Mel (and we met up with Mols at the Cafe) and we watched WHMS, so this will be much different and still as much fun. Oh, and we're determined to take lots of pictures because I think the most recent picture that I have of me and Mel is the one from my first post on Presently DeMo. Time for an update!

I'm trying to catch up on blog comments, so I will get you written back! Work has been crazy lately which is why I haven't been blogging much and NaBloPoMo wore me out a little.

I've been trying to figure out how Google Wave works. I think I just need to sit down and watch the video on how to use it. That might help. ;) I keep seeing a (1) after my name, and it's starting to bother me because I don't know how to make it go away!

If you're a blogger looking for something to write about, 20sb is doing a "Best of 2009" series in December. Just pick a prompt for the day and write away (and yes, you can still participate even if you're not in your 20s anymore). Last December I tried the December Photo Project, but this year December snuck up on me and I'm thinking that DPP isn't going to happen this year.

I lost follower #41, but gained two followers. Congratulations if you are the new #41 and 42! Let me know who you are and I'll send you... I'll send you one of these brownies that I shouldn't be eating.

Do you remember my friend Jimmy? He won tickets on the party bus to go see the lights around Wichita, so that's what I'll be doing tomorrow night with some friends. I haven't ridden on the party bus yet, so I'm pretty excited.

Time to start packing for Arkansas! It's not so hard to do since there are new clothes to wear! That makes the "what do I take to wear?" decisions a little bit easier.

Photo credit.

Almost Finished!

2009-11-29T13:02:00.003-06:00

I almost completed NaBloPoMo. So close! I just missed a day or two this weekend. This holiday weekend really sucked me of any desire to do any blogging. I was having more fun loving on a niece and nephew and hanging out with my family. I also got in some quality time with my cross-stitch project, and I'll post pics of that sometime this week, for those who understand the tedium. :)

The long weekend also apparently took away any common-sense and I'm missing 5 out of the last 6 days of the Daily DeMo. Hmmm. Somebody didn't keep track this week! This could be fun trying to remember stuff after my brain has been on vacation. Sometimes I have to resort to internet history, and if that fails, I have to think back to all of the conversations that I had to see if I can pick out any morsel of knowlege. It's a workout! If I can get organized the next DD will be a double dose so that I can get caught up. Ha.

I hope that you had a great holiday! I am headed back to home-sweet-home this afternoon, but before I get there I am going to see The Blind Side with some friends and then to a housewarming party.

Does anyone else feel like December -- no, 2010 -- is sneaking up on you?

Tu es très mignon

2009-11-26T23:12:00.003-06:00

I'm feeling a bit romantic tonight.

One of my recent fave blogs is of illustrations from Craigslist missed connections. Just pick a city, and then the Missed Connections link. Sophie sorts through to find the good missed connections in New York and illustrates what she finds.

I also found this video of Google love.

Happy romancing! :) (and I hope that you had a great holiday!)

Wordless Wednesday: Double Trouble

2009-11-25T21:32:00.006-06:00

Yesterday I asked my sister if she wanted to guest post for me today. She said no, but that I could post her sonogram pictures from her first sonogram this morning. We didn't know it at the time, but I get to share pictures of twins! So exciting! The creation of a child (two!) out of nothing just blows my mind. God is awesome.

Post-It Tuesday - Turkey Turkey

2009-11-24T13:30:00.013-06:00

Oops! I goofed on somethin'. Will get it fixed soon!

Daily DeMo: Telephone poles and cochlear implants

2009-11-23T22:28:00.004-06:00

Are you new here? Welcome! If you came from ICLW and don't know what Presently DeMo is about, I post the Daily DeMo, which is a week's explanation of what I learned each day. Hope you enjoy your time, and feel free to Follow or subscribe to the feed!

Daily DeMo : Edition 29

DD218 :: Saturday - Saturday - Tami and I sat with Christina S. and talked about how the deaf community considers cochlear implants to be the equivalent of a genocide. The implants are beneficial because of the ability to hear, but there are some debates of what to do. The surgery is best to do when the child is young, but at that point it's up to the parent and how they want their child to live: hearing or deaf? If they wait until the child is old enough to decide on their own, it might make the surgery more difficult, but the child has the choice to be deaf and be a part of the deaf community, or they can choose to get the implant and gain their hearing. This is the point when the deaf consider it genocide. For every person who gets the implant, one less person is part of their deaf culture. Christina has a minor in deaf communication and I loved watching her interact with the deaf people who came to Judgement House. There is something about sign language that I love. And all of those people who came had the sweetest smiles, and were so happy to get to experience JH.

DD219 :: Sunday - a good talk with Rachel and Chris about how they got where they are today, with job & life stuff. Chris wants to be a missionary pilot, and Rachel got her job from a connection her mom has.

DD220 :: Monday - CNN changed its website. Did you notice? WDD gives a good overview of what's different.

DD221 :: Tuesday - Kellogg & Rock opens this week. yaya!

DD222 :: Wednesday - Inspired by Leslye's post about archaic telephone poles, I did a little research on where they come from. I didn't get any questions answered about where all of the tall, skinny trees are, but I did learn that Samuel Morse started the telephone pole thing back in the days of morse code.

DD223 :: Thursday - Digital diaries. It sounds like we'll soon turn into something from the future. Like Bicentennial Man. Or was he from the past-future?

DD224 :: Friday - A fresh egg will sink, bad eggs will float.

What did you learn this week?

I heart huggies

2009-11-22T23:01:00.004-06:00

My grandparents moved apartments and I collected my photo albums that my grandma made for me. She made two each for my sisters and cousins. It was fun to look through them and remember vacations to Arizona and Topeka (and some Christmas mornings involving very bad hair days). This picture is one of my faves. I used to sit in this chair with my dad, when I was little enough to fit between him and the armrest. I'd lay my head on his chest and try to match my breathing with his.

Daily DeMo : General MacArthur's pink pajamas

2009-11-21T19:33:00.002-06:00

Daily DeMo : Edition 31

November 14-20, 2009

DD232 :: Saturday - Today I read a small memoir that my grandpa had written about his time in the service during WWII. General MacArthur wore pink pajamas.

DD233 :: Sunday - In Korea, it's polite to leave at least 1/3rd of your food on your plate. If you have an empty plate, they will refill it, because you are the guest.

DD234 :: Monday - PBR is coming to Wichita in MAY!

DD235 :: Tuesday - I finally figured out how to get Picasa to open when I plug my camera in instead of iPhoto opening. iPhoto and I haven't always gotten along.

DD236 :: Wednesday - Learn how to optimize your scratch disk in Photoshop.

DD237 :: Thursday - Jeff Dunham tickets are not $125 as the ticket website says. They are $45.

DD238 :: Friday - The longest paper doll chain is 2,591 ft long, in Italy.

Salsa (without the chips)

2009-11-21T15:59:00.004-06:00

I can't help but feel like Baby in Dirty Dancing whenever I go Salsa dancing. I'm not sure if they do Salsa or Mambo in the final dance, but I think that the steps are much the same. Maybe someone who is more of a dance pro can explain. I enjoy dancing, starting from when I put my palm on my partner's shoulder, do a basic back, and my hips start moving! It's even more fun when you know that you look cute dancing! ;) It's really great how dancing can be such a great workout but is fun at the same time. I like that I learn more steps and turns, getting better each time I go dancing, and now I can pick stuff out from movies and can say that I know how to do that step.

This scene makes me miss Patrick Swayze. He was so great.

Dirty Dancing - The best free videos are right here

Do you have a favorite style of dance?

Shopping cures a sad closet

2009-11-20T23:08:00.014-06:00

It's amazing what having new clothes can do for a girl's confidence. I spent way too much on some necessary things at the mall tonight: [you can click the pics for store links]

The shoes came from Von Maur's clearance closet. I know Dave Ramsey wouldn't approve but I neeeeeeeded these things. So it's ok, right?

Sedimentary incisors

2009-11-19T20:40:00.004-06:00

Daily DeMo : Edition 28

DD211 :: Saturday - "1 in 3 borrowers wind up in default on their student loans". Yikes.

DD212 :: Sunday - On the Canon D50 you can't take photos using the LCD screen. You have to use the viewfinder.

DD213 :: Monday - You can change Gmail to send from the same address where it's received. This is handy when I want to keep my blogging email separate from my personal email.

DD214 :: Tuesday - Have you heard of email apnea? It's "a temporary absence or suspension of breathing, or shallow breathing, while doing email".

DD215 :: Wednesday - Not flossing is like letting sediment sit in your teeth. That is so gross.

DD216 :: Thursday - The more that you rely on GPS, your cognitive map in your brain decreases as does your hippocampus. This article is pretty interesting. It talks about taxi drivers in London having to pass a test that takes 2 years to study for, and it involves nearly memorizing every street in London.

DD217: Friday - My co-worker has a ton of costume jewelry. If you ever need something for a Halloween costume or just to accessorize, I can hook you up.

I wish...

2009-11-18T23:31:00.003-06:00

that I had more time tonight to look at the stars and the city lights didn't get in the way

that I didn't have to be at work when the sun starts to set

that I had my camera and could have taken a picture of the Arkansas River today, without any ripples so that it looked like it was a mirror of water

that I could spend all night in meaningful conversations instead of going to bed

that I would make more time for God, and less time for Facebook

Leaving memories

2009-11-17T20:54:00.011-06:00

After seeing pictures on Meg's blog of jumping in leaves, and also Sweet Juniper's, I realized that I haven't jumped in the leaves in a very long time. There was a perfect spot on my college campus (which is beautiful in the fall) where the leaves collected by this small sidewalk bridge between buildings. It was the best place for pictures, and was near where this picture was taken.

That building behind us is torn down now, and was replaced with a great building for the business department, but it's always sad when something old makes way for something new.

While I was looking for that first picture, I found some others that made me miss those days.

The name DeMo was officially "stuck" since it made it onto my door my sophomore year. They didn't even use my real name to let people know who lived in that room. :) I drew the phonetic symbol over the E because people would always walk by and say "demo. who is demo?" And I would think to myself, It's D(long e)Mo!

This is my first roommate ever, Mollie. We got along well enough to live together our first three years of college. I think part of the three-year success was because we knew how the other lived, and we didn't really want to start over and get to know anyone else.

The last year, I lived with these girls:

And we lived next door to three of these guys:

They did such things as this:

and wrote stuff like this:

And we lived in 4c, the best apartment ever:

I spent pretty much every evening from 5 to 6 sitting in that blue chair eating Ramen or a tortilla filled with chicken, cheese and ranch dressing, and watching Everybody Loves Raymond. I'm thankful that my roommates had patience. :)

And then we graduated and started fresh in a world without semesters or summer breaks.

By the way, Ted Danzen and Mary Steenburgen wanted to tell you hello, and thanks for jumping in the leaves for me.

From Feeling Nostalgic

If you need me...

2009-11-16T20:23:00.005-06:00

...you know where to find me.

From Presently DeMo

I ransacked (with permission) Heather & Rob's movie collection and won't be visiting a RedBox anytime soon! The list is going to be really helpful so that I know what not to put on SwapaDVD. :)

Which should I watch first? I've already seen The Proposal, No Reservations, P.S. I Love You, and Phantom.

Drama and Comedy

2009-11-15T21:50:00.005-06:00

Taking Chance. I watched it with Heather. Saddest movie ever. Just warning you. It's a great movie, but it is so sad.

Then we watched 2 hours of Jeff Dunham. Definitely not sad. More like laughing so hard it hurts.

EMBED-Jeff Dunham And Peanut Part One - Watch more free videos

Awkward Animals

2009-11-14T17:09:00.013-06:00

Me, Ginger, Alan, Jane, Emilie, Janel, Karen, Brad

My friends are so much fun. I went to salsa dancing lessons last night and after that we headed over to Mead's Corner for some music and lots of laughing. And gelato. It was yum-o.

Janel showed us that the awkward turtle has babies. Who is the awkward turtle, you ask? Well the awkward animals live with you and make appearances whenever there is an awkward moment in the conversation. There are different animals for various levels of awkward:

Awkward Turtle - (Ginger's animal) the most tame, for just casual awkward moments
Awkward Turkey - (Janel's) the next level up on the awkward scale
Awkward Moose - (Karen's) put your thumbs on your head with your fingers up like moose antlers
Awkward and Unfortunate Moose - put your thumbs on your head like the Awkward Moose, but one hand flops over for the "unfortunate" part. And if things get really akward, you can put your thumbs on your head and cover your eyes with your fingers. That one was my fave.

Until last night. When I met the turtle's babies!

Daily DeMo : Failed pie crusts

2009-11-14T08:46:00.001-06:00

Daily DeMo : Edition 30

November 7-13, 2009

DD225 :: Saturday - Shooting guns! About how to do it safely, and that I can shoot a clay pigeon out of the sky on the first try!

DD226 :: Sunday - 46% of kids born in Sedgwick County in 2008 were born out of wedlock. That is just crazy.

DD227 :: Monday - Pie crust is a pain to make. Does not work. And Jonathan apples bruise easily.

DD228 :: Tuesday - You should be in a job that you love. you can plan your work around your life, rather than always planning your life around your work.

DD229 :: Wednesday - The process to become a missionary for MAF involves a very long application package, at least 12 hours of Theology/Bible classes if you didn't go to a Christian college, a year of raising support of $6,000 per month, and a four-year commitment.

DD230 :: Thursday - My friend Katie sells soaps and got started when she wanted to make an affordable gift for her bridesmaids. Go visit Barnett's Soaps!

DD231 :: Friday - I learned how to make the awkward turtle's babies! Thanks, Janel!

The Score

2009-11-13T18:31:00.009-06:00

And again, when the microwave is working for 2 minutes, the score increases:

Microwave = 2, Breaker box/Me = 0

Or is it more like the microwave and breaker box are teaming against me and this is the score:

Microwave/breaker box = 2, Me = 0

On another note, the kids on Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? are much too energetic. I'm sure they'll be on that show Where Are They Now? and wonder why in the world they were on the show in the first place.

Also, that show makes me feel like I don't know anything. But I do know how to write in cursive! (How many 5th graders can say that? They're such little techies.)

Tonight is a sort of mini-reunion of some girls who I went salsa dancing with many months ago. I'm looking forward to it! Time to get my groove on.

IComLeavWe

2009-11-12T22:01:00.004-06:00

Are you a part of NaBloPoMo and have given up on the posting every day thing? Even if you're not doing NaBloPoMo, you can sign up for IComLeavWe. International Comment Leaving Week is November 21-28. Even if you don't post every day on your own blog, you can leave comments on other blogs. You just have to leave 6 comments a day: 5 on other blogs and return a comment that's been left on your blog lately. Not so hard, huh? You have to get registered because once the 21st comes around, the list is closed and you can't get on until next month. (This happens every month! Who knew?)

There's more detail here: http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2009/11/icomleavwe-november-2/

I'm a Words of Affirmation girl so I'm really looking forward to the boost in comments. :)

Presently DeMo

Daily DeMo 2012:2

Daily DeMo 2012

Weekend in Arkansas

About weddings...

Wordless Wednesday : Fallishness

It's Work.

30 minutes of impossible

Guess what's going on my Christmas list?

Dear internet: plz fix yourself

Wordless Wednesday

When You Got a Good Thing

Something that Ctrl Z can't fix

Waffles in the shape of Texas

Leavin' for Dallas

Sweet baby Logan (I'm pretty sure)

Making a comeback in the best way....

Happy Father's Day!

26 balloons

Post-It Tuesday: Summertime

Wichita Farmer's Market Accidental Steal

I'm still here!

on his last day

Wordless Wednesday :: Forever Friends

i'm seven and you're thirteen

How far would you ride for your dinner?

Veer.com Wallpapers

He is risen. He is risen, indeed.

Daily DeMo overload

the rain

More LOST Links and Vids: Duuuude!

Easter Baskets for the Niblings

mmmm, KAKE!

Daily DeMo : Shannen Doherty's dentures

colors make the day

Daily DeMo : eFarewell.com

An Easter Request

minorly excited (understatement)

Daily DeMo : Bon Jovi uses a cheat sheet!

Daily DeMo : vinyl records, up close and personal

Remind Me

Daily DeMo : DIY Wedding Centerpiece Edition

Daily DeMo : I'll even let you hold the remote control

Daily DeMo : Office Yoga Edition

Back to running!

Rooty Tooty -- Maybe a little too fruity

Moleskine Love (and old, worn out notebook love)

A Tuesday Thankful

Daily DeMo : nooglers and googlers

Hoodie iPhone case

Just a little bit longer

Wordless Wednesday :: BYOB

Congratulations, Canada

Hmmph

Wordless Wednesday :: kuler luv

Wastebook

I want to do that too.

Valentine's Day, courtesy of LOST

I didn't eat the dough ... I promise.

oh noes!

Monday waddles

"each the other's world entire" :: Guest Post

Me: Analyzed

Daily DeMo : Junk Mail Edition

Matchy Matchy Greeny Squares!

Greenified

The stuff that 2010 is made of

I can get it in just under the wire.

Daily DeMo : chutney, a TAF, and olives

Daily DeMo : Overdue for an Update

Currently in (mid)January

Daily DeMo : InDesign Edition

Daily DeMo : A Wits & Wagers hint

Twenty-ten

Things I Googled Today : APGAR Score

Christmas Traditions Explained

Post-It Tuesday - Party Mix Edition

Hello, Suga'. I've been waitin' for ya'.

Let it snow! ... cards!

Things I Googled Today