Dear crazy kamikaze deer,
I don't know what you were thinking when you decided to use my car as the means for your death. I mean, I know my car is great, and I think so, too. However, there are many other options that I feel would be better as a means to end your life. I'll list a few, so you'll know next time...
1) Hunters. They actually think it's good if you die. Plus, they're completely prepared to pick up the mess. And they probably don't scream when you run into their cars and cry a lot after you die.
2) Religious Mass Suicide by drinking cyanide-laced flavor-aid. It worked for Jim Jones. That way all of your friends could go with you at the same time. It's a community effort, not one deer dying alone at a time. Plus, all your friends WOULD be doing it...
3) Some other options could be drowning, suffocation, lethal injection, electric chair... all of these are great options...
If I were a crazy kamikaze suicide deer, I would definitely choose option 1. I have one friend in particular whose life would be much happier if you did. I would say thank you for choosing me, of all of the cars that drive down Murray Lane in a day, but I'm really not all that grateful for your choice. Regardless, I hope you have a wonderful life in the hereafter.
Sincerely,
Robyn
Here are the answers to the questions I've been asked:
1) I don't really know what kind of deer it was... I saw its face and eyeball (which will forever be in my brain), and as I drove by it this morning on my way to work, it definitely had 2 little antlers (is that what they're called?), so i'm guessing it was a teenage boy deer... you can let me know if i'm wrong... but that's what i'm going with right now...
2) Yes, the deer ran into my car while I was driving. It hit the front drivers side, causing me to be without a signal light and temporarily causing my drivers side door not to open. (Thanks to Shane for fixing it so it opens now.)
3) Yes, there is damage to my car. It could have been much worse. Had I spent 15 seconds more on my hair yesterday morning, I could have had much more damage, and from what i hear about deer accidents, I could have died. So, i guess it's a matter of perspective when it comes to the damage...
4) Yes, I left it on the side of the road. I did not attempt to get out of the car and look at it. I did not, for even the slightest moment, consider strapping it to the top of my car and taking it home. Do you know me? Why would you even ask if i would do that?
5) Yes, I believe it was dead when I left the scene. However, it had turned around on the side of the road by this morning. But it's still in the same place, so yes. I think its neck probably snapped when it hit my car. It spun all the way around and landed on the side of the road on the opposite side of the road...
6) Yes, I screamed when it happened. And I cried after it happened. And I think I said, "what the crap?" a lot...
7) Yes, I am okay. Thanks for caring about the deer more than me. :)
If you have additional questions, please feel free to ask.
What a great way to start a Sunday morning.
Dec 4, 2006
Nov 29, 2006
peace of mind is all i want. i want to make some time for wasting...
The fact of the matter is… I used to be okay at writing… I went back the other day and read some entries that I had written… and it made me remember and feel what I was going through at the time…
Somewhere along the way, especially within the last few months, I quit turning to writing as a way to vent and explain what was going on in my life. Part of the reason for that could be that when I was writing was when I was living out west and I had more time on my hands and a computer that worked… now, I seem to have little or no time and a dead computer…
Maybe it's that I'm lazy… maybe I just don't want to let people in… maybe it's just that I don't have anything worthwhile to say…
Today I'm at least going to make an attempt… I read this once and it kind of stuck with me… it's a better description of what I'm feeling than what I could put into words…
"Writer's block is just a symptom of feeling like you have nothing to say, combined with the rather weird idea that you SHOULD feel the need to say something.
Why? If you have something to say, then say it. If not, enjoy the silence while it lasts. The noise will return soon enough. In the meantime, you're better off going out into the big, wide world, having some adventures and refilling your well. Trying to create when you don't feel like it is like making conversation for the sake of making conversation." – Hugh McLeod, www.gapingvoid.com
But for those of you who like small talk – here it is…
I started working at ClearView on June 1. It quickly turned from a job to ministry (even though it is still a normal Monday through Friday 9-6 job…) to the biggest part of my life… my normal work time, a good chunk of my "free time" and all my volunteer time was quickly wrapped up in a group of students who I have grown to adore like no other kids ever… reality is, I don't take the time to write because my plate is full without trying to find words to explain where I am… for the first time, in a really long time, I'm consumed with where I am and trying to be all here rather than looking for the next step… and I'm trying to learn the art of preparing for tomorrow's journey while completely living today's… I am sure that this is not the last place I'll be, but for right now, it's where I am… and I couldn't ask for a better resting place in the journey…
And that's going to be all for now… there may be shorter "funner" posts to come, but for now… I just needed to get that out…
Somewhere along the way, especially within the last few months, I quit turning to writing as a way to vent and explain what was going on in my life. Part of the reason for that could be that when I was writing was when I was living out west and I had more time on my hands and a computer that worked… now, I seem to have little or no time and a dead computer…
Maybe it's that I'm lazy… maybe I just don't want to let people in… maybe it's just that I don't have anything worthwhile to say…
Today I'm at least going to make an attempt… I read this once and it kind of stuck with me… it's a better description of what I'm feeling than what I could put into words…
"Writer's block is just a symptom of feeling like you have nothing to say, combined with the rather weird idea that you SHOULD feel the need to say something.
Why? If you have something to say, then say it. If not, enjoy the silence while it lasts. The noise will return soon enough. In the meantime, you're better off going out into the big, wide world, having some adventures and refilling your well. Trying to create when you don't feel like it is like making conversation for the sake of making conversation." – Hugh McLeod, www.gapingvoid.com
But for those of you who like small talk – here it is…
I started working at ClearView on June 1. It quickly turned from a job to ministry (even though it is still a normal Monday through Friday 9-6 job…) to the biggest part of my life… my normal work time, a good chunk of my "free time" and all my volunteer time was quickly wrapped up in a group of students who I have grown to adore like no other kids ever… reality is, I don't take the time to write because my plate is full without trying to find words to explain where I am… for the first time, in a really long time, I'm consumed with where I am and trying to be all here rather than looking for the next step… and I'm trying to learn the art of preparing for tomorrow's journey while completely living today's… I am sure that this is not the last place I'll be, but for right now, it's where I am… and I couldn't ask for a better resting place in the journey…
And that's going to be all for now… there may be shorter "funner" posts to come, but for now… I just needed to get that out…
Oct 24, 2006
the most wonderful time of the year...
i don't have much time to write... it's nearing the end of the day and the last thing i want to do is sit in my office for longer than i need to...
plus, the colors are so fragrant outside that it is hard for me to sit inside... yes, i said fragrant... i know it isn't the best descriptive word, but in my mind it's perfect... brilliant, fragrant, enticing... spectacular...
fall makes me think... makes me sad... makes me feel hope... makes me want... and makes me happy... all at the same time and with equal force...
these words are not adequate... as i contemplate and write, i'll add more - but for now... that'll do, pig...
plus, the colors are so fragrant outside that it is hard for me to sit inside... yes, i said fragrant... i know it isn't the best descriptive word, but in my mind it's perfect... brilliant, fragrant, enticing... spectacular...
fall makes me think... makes me sad... makes me feel hope... makes me want... and makes me happy... all at the same time and with equal force...
these words are not adequate... as i contemplate and write, i'll add more - but for now... that'll do, pig...
Aug 25, 2006
A single moment of true joy is more powerful than a lifetime of sorrow.
i've definitely been procrastinating about writing...
maybe it is out of fear... fear that once i start writing i won't be able to stop... or the fear of having nothing to say...
maybe it's out of laziness... writing takes time... and sometimes, it sort of feels like cleaning my room (which i mostly hate to do)... sorting through what needs to be kept and what needs to be thrown away... clearing out the junk and spending time on things that mean something...
maybe because it hasn't been a priority... hanging out with people has taken priority over hanging out with a computer...
i'm not sure the reasoning... but today i sit, good music playing (one of the best mix tape cd's ever - thanks, amy)... and feel that now is the time, whether i have anything to say or not, whether it takes all day or 10 minutes... i'll take the time... to clean out the junk in my mind, censoring only what is necessary, which may be more than i would like to be...
**************************************
to try and sum up the last few weeks and months would pretty much be impossible to do... so i'll attempt, knowing i'll probably fail... but i'm still going to try... but i'm only going to deal with august...
i spent the first week of august in new orleans on a high school mission trip... the trip could probably have its own entry (or 5)... but i'm going to sum it up in one word...
humbling
as we pulled into the city, i was immediately broken. i was thankful for oversized sunglasses that hid my teary eyes... i know people who were directly affected by katrina and rita... but i wasn't directly affected... so before driving into the city, it had just been something tragic that happened in our country and in lives of people who were close to me... but it wasn't necessarily real to me...
my kids aren't always the most sensitive in the world... and after a couple of not-okay comments, i snapped... not necessarily out loud, but mentally, i lost it a bit... i was sad for my friend alyssa's family who lost everything... and my mind starting working overtime... and i began to think about storms in general... and how sometimes our lives can be compared to weather patterns - whether we are in times of quiet or times of storm...
sometimes i think i've become so used to the storm that i'm terrified of the quiet... like the storm becomes the thing that is familiar in my life and i don't want it to stop... maybe it's because the storm has become the thing in my life that i can blame... and when it stops, i don't have anything else to blame if there is junk in my life that shouldn't be there...
my words today won't do justice to what i was feeling in the short amount of time after we entered new orleans until we got to our hotel... there was a lot... now, it just seems as fragments of ideas...
after that experience, the rest of the week continued to knock me back into my place with surprising force...
i worked harder than i had worked in a long time, doing work that is not pretty or glorious... i smelled bad... i was dirty and gross and it seemed the perfect analogy to sin in my life... we cleaned up houses and yards... and i know that the storm caught many off guard... they didn't have time to clean their houses and even if they had, it didn't matter... the storm left them, their lives, and their junk exposed... for all the world to see... i don't want my inadequacies, my sin, my junk to be laid bare for the world to see... i want to clean it up, package it with pretty paper and a bow so it doesn't so much look like sin... but that's not being truthful about what sin is... it needs to be exposed so that healing can take place... maybe not in a huge public arena... but to one another so there can be accountability and repentance... i don't like that part sometimes...
toward the end of the week, i grew very tired... exhausted, actually... and i saw my kids notice and it bothered me... i felt like i wasn't putting on my game face enough... like they shouldn't know that i was tired... they kept coming up to me and asking, "what can i do? you look so tired..." and it made me sad... matt said that it's because they cared about us (i guess they were saying the same thing to him) and it was because they cared about us and wanted to please us... and that was even more humbling... i feel so inadequate to be working with these kids... i know that i'm not where i'm supposed to be, spiritually (and probably in other areas, too, but especially that one)... and i'm thankful that God is using me, but it's scary and humbling... i'm thankful that He chooses me, though i don't know why He does...
***************************************
i'm not sure what happened the week after new orleans... i'm sure something did... but i can't remember, because it's a week that was sandwiched between two that stick out... so whatever happened that week will forever be lost in the recesses of my mind, i think...
the third week of this month started out fine and by tuesday, started unraveling... there were 3 deaths that happened surrounding my life... it was no one in my immediate family, but they were 3 deaths that were too close... a parent, a grandparent and a student... it was one of those weeks where i was forced to stop and re-evaluate a lot of stuff about my life... does my life make a difference? would people come to know Christ as a result of my death? would there be any lost people at my funeral? am i doing everything i can to share Christ with those that don't know? where's the sense of urgency?
the sad part is, i don't think anything has changed as a result of it... i would like to think everything would have, but i don't think anything has...
immediately following the funeral on friday, i came home to deal with a big mess... it's one of my censored stories... but it caused an important discussion, starting with the statement (said to me)...
"you wear your emotions on your sleeve. you need to toughen up..."
which is true... but how does one go about "toughening up?"... just curious... so i'm working on it... even though i don't know how... i cried a lot in august...
************************************
last week was such an up and down week... but i had one of the best mornings ever... tuesday i walked out the front door and it was the first day that wasn't HOT... so i definitely sang and danced my way to work, windows down, sunroof open, flying down the back roads that bring me to work... huge grin on my face, hair all crazy from the wind, nearly skipping across the parking lot, i walked into work... and if anything tried to get me down that day i would say "i AM walking on sunshine..." (yes, out loud...)
this morning was a lot the same as tuesday...
i'm happy i've had nuggets of good and even great in what could have been an incredibly crappy month...
if you've read this far, i commend you for your diligence... thank you and good night...
maybe it is out of fear... fear that once i start writing i won't be able to stop... or the fear of having nothing to say...
maybe it's out of laziness... writing takes time... and sometimes, it sort of feels like cleaning my room (which i mostly hate to do)... sorting through what needs to be kept and what needs to be thrown away... clearing out the junk and spending time on things that mean something...
maybe because it hasn't been a priority... hanging out with people has taken priority over hanging out with a computer...
i'm not sure the reasoning... but today i sit, good music playing (one of the best mix tape cd's ever - thanks, amy)... and feel that now is the time, whether i have anything to say or not, whether it takes all day or 10 minutes... i'll take the time... to clean out the junk in my mind, censoring only what is necessary, which may be more than i would like to be...
**************************************
to try and sum up the last few weeks and months would pretty much be impossible to do... so i'll attempt, knowing i'll probably fail... but i'm still going to try... but i'm only going to deal with august...
i spent the first week of august in new orleans on a high school mission trip... the trip could probably have its own entry (or 5)... but i'm going to sum it up in one word...
humbling
as we pulled into the city, i was immediately broken. i was thankful for oversized sunglasses that hid my teary eyes... i know people who were directly affected by katrina and rita... but i wasn't directly affected... so before driving into the city, it had just been something tragic that happened in our country and in lives of people who were close to me... but it wasn't necessarily real to me...
my kids aren't always the most sensitive in the world... and after a couple of not-okay comments, i snapped... not necessarily out loud, but mentally, i lost it a bit... i was sad for my friend alyssa's family who lost everything... and my mind starting working overtime... and i began to think about storms in general... and how sometimes our lives can be compared to weather patterns - whether we are in times of quiet or times of storm...
sometimes i think i've become so used to the storm that i'm terrified of the quiet... like the storm becomes the thing that is familiar in my life and i don't want it to stop... maybe it's because the storm has become the thing in my life that i can blame... and when it stops, i don't have anything else to blame if there is junk in my life that shouldn't be there...
my words today won't do justice to what i was feeling in the short amount of time after we entered new orleans until we got to our hotel... there was a lot... now, it just seems as fragments of ideas...
after that experience, the rest of the week continued to knock me back into my place with surprising force...
i worked harder than i had worked in a long time, doing work that is not pretty or glorious... i smelled bad... i was dirty and gross and it seemed the perfect analogy to sin in my life... we cleaned up houses and yards... and i know that the storm caught many off guard... they didn't have time to clean their houses and even if they had, it didn't matter... the storm left them, their lives, and their junk exposed... for all the world to see... i don't want my inadequacies, my sin, my junk to be laid bare for the world to see... i want to clean it up, package it with pretty paper and a bow so it doesn't so much look like sin... but that's not being truthful about what sin is... it needs to be exposed so that healing can take place... maybe not in a huge public arena... but to one another so there can be accountability and repentance... i don't like that part sometimes...
toward the end of the week, i grew very tired... exhausted, actually... and i saw my kids notice and it bothered me... i felt like i wasn't putting on my game face enough... like they shouldn't know that i was tired... they kept coming up to me and asking, "what can i do? you look so tired..." and it made me sad... matt said that it's because they cared about us (i guess they were saying the same thing to him) and it was because they cared about us and wanted to please us... and that was even more humbling... i feel so inadequate to be working with these kids... i know that i'm not where i'm supposed to be, spiritually (and probably in other areas, too, but especially that one)... and i'm thankful that God is using me, but it's scary and humbling... i'm thankful that He chooses me, though i don't know why He does...
***************************************
i'm not sure what happened the week after new orleans... i'm sure something did... but i can't remember, because it's a week that was sandwiched between two that stick out... so whatever happened that week will forever be lost in the recesses of my mind, i think...
the third week of this month started out fine and by tuesday, started unraveling... there were 3 deaths that happened surrounding my life... it was no one in my immediate family, but they were 3 deaths that were too close... a parent, a grandparent and a student... it was one of those weeks where i was forced to stop and re-evaluate a lot of stuff about my life... does my life make a difference? would people come to know Christ as a result of my death? would there be any lost people at my funeral? am i doing everything i can to share Christ with those that don't know? where's the sense of urgency?
the sad part is, i don't think anything has changed as a result of it... i would like to think everything would have, but i don't think anything has...
immediately following the funeral on friday, i came home to deal with a big mess... it's one of my censored stories... but it caused an important discussion, starting with the statement (said to me)...
"you wear your emotions on your sleeve. you need to toughen up..."
which is true... but how does one go about "toughening up?"... just curious... so i'm working on it... even though i don't know how... i cried a lot in august...
************************************
last week was such an up and down week... but i had one of the best mornings ever... tuesday i walked out the front door and it was the first day that wasn't HOT... so i definitely sang and danced my way to work, windows down, sunroof open, flying down the back roads that bring me to work... huge grin on my face, hair all crazy from the wind, nearly skipping across the parking lot, i walked into work... and if anything tried to get me down that day i would say "i AM walking on sunshine..." (yes, out loud...)
this morning was a lot the same as tuesday...
i'm happy i've had nuggets of good and even great in what could have been an incredibly crappy month...
if you've read this far, i commend you for your diligence... thank you and good night...
Jul 17, 2006
but sometimes things are so transparency, they don't need evidential proof
sigh...
the last two weeks have been insane/amazing/weird/exhausting/frustrating/encouraging.
high school camp was incredible... at times it was frustrating, but for the most part, it was a great week... i have never gotten on my face more for students than i did that week... i was encouraged and challenged to pray every day and did so with the other leaders during quiet time and at other times throughout the day. it was one of those weeks where we didn't see anybody come to know Christ (as a salvation experience) but we watched a lot of walls come down, a lot of baby steps (and sometimes giant leaps) toward God, and some knowledge gained... (and more than i could imagine, i'm sure - but this is the short list)
i got to spend time one-on-one with each student in our group... i saw all of them everyday as we shared meals together and talked about our days... the best word i can describe it as is intimate... the week had its fair share of problems and issues, but i walked away knowing the students a lot better and having a foundation to be able to be a part of the ministry as needed (and as i fit)...
we got on the bus to go to middle school camp... and i was driving the van... it's hard for me to drive and get to know students because i don't like to yell and i don't want to turn around... i like driving, but it can be isolating... so i didn't really feel like i got to know the students at all on the way there (and the way back was the same way as i was driving the mini-bus)...
we took a ton of kids to middle school camp and it was really hard to learn names (and faces, for that matter) - one kid came up to me at the end of the week and asked for a tylenol and i didn't remember seeing him at all before that. it was bizarre...
i had a good time, but i felt really disconnected... i got to be a part of m-fuge, so i was out on ministry site during the day and got to know the 3 students from our church who were in my group, but other than that, i don't think i did a really good job of connecting... and i was running around like crazy, not devoting the time to prayer that i should of...
on top of already feeling disconnected, i knew a few people on staff and spent some time with them, taking away time for students... the time that i spent with my friends was wonderful and definitely high lights of the week, but it made my connection with the students weak...
i had a great week, but mostly because of the conversations shared with a new-old friend who i hadn't seen in a few years... i was glad to have found that friendship... plus it was great to see my roommate (in real life) in camp mode and be able to share it with her...
right before i left camp i found out one of my favorite people in the world is staying at our house for a few days... and i get home and she arrives a couple of hours later... we hung out and talked and made a late night food run... and it was the best follow-up to a camp week i could imagine... intimate conversation about where we are in life and what we want... it was comforting to talk with someone who is in the same boat as me in many ways...
i went to church yesterday, hung out with my kids and had a great lunch with a couple of my favorite people... and my boss told me that i should take today and friday off... and i didn't argue with him, so i enjoyed sleeping in today and getting some much needed rest... then i went with cynthia to mfuge worship at belmont, which sparked further conversation... then i finally saw my roommate for the first time in july...
all of that to say, i feel like i'm right where i supposed to be in life... i'm in the right job (even though i still have bad days), in the right place in ministry, having new and old friendships that are incredible to me... i'm incredibly thankful for the journey i've been on and i'm looking forward to the next thing... but for now, it is easy to be good here...
the last two weeks have been insane/amazing/weird/exhausting/frustrating/encouraging.
high school camp was incredible... at times it was frustrating, but for the most part, it was a great week... i have never gotten on my face more for students than i did that week... i was encouraged and challenged to pray every day and did so with the other leaders during quiet time and at other times throughout the day. it was one of those weeks where we didn't see anybody come to know Christ (as a salvation experience) but we watched a lot of walls come down, a lot of baby steps (and sometimes giant leaps) toward God, and some knowledge gained... (and more than i could imagine, i'm sure - but this is the short list)
i got to spend time one-on-one with each student in our group... i saw all of them everyday as we shared meals together and talked about our days... the best word i can describe it as is intimate... the week had its fair share of problems and issues, but i walked away knowing the students a lot better and having a foundation to be able to be a part of the ministry as needed (and as i fit)...
we got on the bus to go to middle school camp... and i was driving the van... it's hard for me to drive and get to know students because i don't like to yell and i don't want to turn around... i like driving, but it can be isolating... so i didn't really feel like i got to know the students at all on the way there (and the way back was the same way as i was driving the mini-bus)...
we took a ton of kids to middle school camp and it was really hard to learn names (and faces, for that matter) - one kid came up to me at the end of the week and asked for a tylenol and i didn't remember seeing him at all before that. it was bizarre...
i had a good time, but i felt really disconnected... i got to be a part of m-fuge, so i was out on ministry site during the day and got to know the 3 students from our church who were in my group, but other than that, i don't think i did a really good job of connecting... and i was running around like crazy, not devoting the time to prayer that i should of...
on top of already feeling disconnected, i knew a few people on staff and spent some time with them, taking away time for students... the time that i spent with my friends was wonderful and definitely high lights of the week, but it made my connection with the students weak...
i had a great week, but mostly because of the conversations shared with a new-old friend who i hadn't seen in a few years... i was glad to have found that friendship... plus it was great to see my roommate (in real life) in camp mode and be able to share it with her...
right before i left camp i found out one of my favorite people in the world is staying at our house for a few days... and i get home and she arrives a couple of hours later... we hung out and talked and made a late night food run... and it was the best follow-up to a camp week i could imagine... intimate conversation about where we are in life and what we want... it was comforting to talk with someone who is in the same boat as me in many ways...
i went to church yesterday, hung out with my kids and had a great lunch with a couple of my favorite people... and my boss told me that i should take today and friday off... and i didn't argue with him, so i enjoyed sleeping in today and getting some much needed rest... then i went with cynthia to mfuge worship at belmont, which sparked further conversation... then i finally saw my roommate for the first time in july...
all of that to say, i feel like i'm right where i supposed to be in life... i'm in the right job (even though i still have bad days), in the right place in ministry, having new and old friendships that are incredible to me... i'm incredibly thankful for the journey i've been on and i'm looking forward to the next thing... but for now, it is easy to be good here...
Jul 8, 2006
weary...
much to say, too little energy...
i spent the last week in north carolina (ridgecrest) at camp with our high school students... it was incredible, not only because i was terrified of how the week might go and it turning out way better than i could have anticipated. i don't think i've ever loved students the way i love the students at clearview. they bring joy to my heart every time i see them. it's not just a handful of students. i seriously came home and was sad that i had to leave them. i hadn't planned on going to church tomorrow because i know exhaustion is about to get the best of me... and yet, when matt reminded the students about church in the morning and worship tomorrow night, i found myself wanting to go so that i could hang out with them again.
we had some issues at camp. it wasn't the easiest of weeks. there are many kids who were on the trip that were very hardened. i refuse to go into details, but i was really nervous about it... as we (the adults) got on our faces interceding for the students, it became apparent to me that they had won a special place in my heart and something big was about to happen. i am looking forward to seeing the ways that God is going to work in the lives of students in the next several months.
on the flip side of that, i caught a glimpse of my own spiritual immaturity and how easy it is for my flesh to take over. while at camp, something happened and i lost my temper. it wasn't an issue with the students and i didn't directly approach the situation, but knew i didn't handle it in the correct manner. immediately after realizing what i had done (or hadn't done), i felt very inadequate to be leading students at all. i'm so thankful for grace and God working through my inadequacies.
we got home this evening and i've been trying to play catch up with emails and phone calls. a lot has happened in the last week and i'm really just ready to curl up in my bed and sleep my life away... but that's not really a complete possibility...
pray for continued strength and energy for me. i have to leave my house at about 5:00 a.m. on monday morning for middle school camp... there's a lot going on and i know i need to be all there for the students. i know it will be great and i know i will be completely exhausted this time next week. how did i work fuge staff for entire summers?
i am so tired... i must go... i will try to have stories sometime soon... hopefully i'll be able to remember them.
i spent the last week in north carolina (ridgecrest) at camp with our high school students... it was incredible, not only because i was terrified of how the week might go and it turning out way better than i could have anticipated. i don't think i've ever loved students the way i love the students at clearview. they bring joy to my heart every time i see them. it's not just a handful of students. i seriously came home and was sad that i had to leave them. i hadn't planned on going to church tomorrow because i know exhaustion is about to get the best of me... and yet, when matt reminded the students about church in the morning and worship tomorrow night, i found myself wanting to go so that i could hang out with them again.
we had some issues at camp. it wasn't the easiest of weeks. there are many kids who were on the trip that were very hardened. i refuse to go into details, but i was really nervous about it... as we (the adults) got on our faces interceding for the students, it became apparent to me that they had won a special place in my heart and something big was about to happen. i am looking forward to seeing the ways that God is going to work in the lives of students in the next several months.
on the flip side of that, i caught a glimpse of my own spiritual immaturity and how easy it is for my flesh to take over. while at camp, something happened and i lost my temper. it wasn't an issue with the students and i didn't directly approach the situation, but knew i didn't handle it in the correct manner. immediately after realizing what i had done (or hadn't done), i felt very inadequate to be leading students at all. i'm so thankful for grace and God working through my inadequacies.
we got home this evening and i've been trying to play catch up with emails and phone calls. a lot has happened in the last week and i'm really just ready to curl up in my bed and sleep my life away... but that's not really a complete possibility...
pray for continued strength and energy for me. i have to leave my house at about 5:00 a.m. on monday morning for middle school camp... there's a lot going on and i know i need to be all there for the students. i know it will be great and i know i will be completely exhausted this time next week. how did i work fuge staff for entire summers?
i am so tired... i must go... i will try to have stories sometime soon... hopefully i'll be able to remember them.
Jun 30, 2006
who's up for a little adventure??
hey friends... it's been a while... i don't make excuses for not writing sooner... it's not like any of you write more than i do... (trust me... i check) - j/k... which reminds me of a story...
one time when i was hanging out with friends in the northwest, (i'm really thinking it was emily and alyssa... erin may have been there too, or maybe she just heard the story afterwards...) i said something stupid and then i said, "j-k" - just to try it out... sometimes i say things that are funny... sometimes i say things that cause ridicule to come upon me... this particular expression fell spectacularly in the second category...
but i didn't give up on it... i thought, sometime, not too long from now, i will say it and everyone will say it with me... much like barney and the lemon law (for all you how i met your mother fans)... anyway, back to the point...
on the 8th grade retreat, i thought i may have my new opportunity... j-k will become the new catchphrase... so, i tried it out... and as soon as i said it, one of the 8th grade boys said, "l-o-l" - "YES," i thought, "victory is mine, not ridicule" and since then, it has become a new middle school phrase... but it doesn't stop with j-k... we usually say, "j-k, l-o-l, b-r-b" and then laugh and walk off... it's great... maybe it's just that i have a middle school mentality or that they're too scared to make fun of me... but it's definitely picked up... and i love it... they even started saying "j-k,j-k" - which means they're really not just kidding... or j-k-squared... which is definitely something i would say...
all that to say - if you love middle school kids as much as i do (which is a lot most of the time and not so much some of the time) and you want to hang out with some of the coolest middle schoolers i know for a week in july... let's just say july 10-15, hypothetically speaking, of course... in the northern part of south carolina... and you're older than 17, you should let me know... because there may be a camp opportunity in your future... j/k-j/k
one time when i was hanging out with friends in the northwest, (i'm really thinking it was emily and alyssa... erin may have been there too, or maybe she just heard the story afterwards...) i said something stupid and then i said, "j-k" - just to try it out... sometimes i say things that are funny... sometimes i say things that cause ridicule to come upon me... this particular expression fell spectacularly in the second category...
but i didn't give up on it... i thought, sometime, not too long from now, i will say it and everyone will say it with me... much like barney and the lemon law (for all you how i met your mother fans)... anyway, back to the point...
on the 8th grade retreat, i thought i may have my new opportunity... j-k will become the new catchphrase... so, i tried it out... and as soon as i said it, one of the 8th grade boys said, "l-o-l" - "YES," i thought, "victory is mine, not ridicule" and since then, it has become a new middle school phrase... but it doesn't stop with j-k... we usually say, "j-k, l-o-l, b-r-b" and then laugh and walk off... it's great... maybe it's just that i have a middle school mentality or that they're too scared to make fun of me... but it's definitely picked up... and i love it... they even started saying "j-k,j-k" - which means they're really not just kidding... or j-k-squared... which is definitely something i would say...
all that to say - if you love middle school kids as much as i do (which is a lot most of the time and not so much some of the time) and you want to hang out with some of the coolest middle schoolers i know for a week in july... let's just say july 10-15, hypothetically speaking, of course... in the northern part of south carolina... and you're older than 17, you should let me know... because there may be a camp opportunity in your future... j/k-j/k
Jun 14, 2006
you can pick your friends and you can pick your nose...
one time in high school, eric told us that the friends we had in high school that we thought we'd be b.f.f. with forever wouldn't necessarily be our friends past high school... and of course, being 17 or 18, we disagreed with him whole-heartedly... of course he was wrong because, if nothing else, he was an adult and they didn't know anything...
i hate to say that, at times, i agree with him... i do still keep in touch with friends from high school on a semi-regular basis... over time, however, the friendships have faded because of time or distance or change or a blend of the three...
then, in college, tim encouraged us to think about our 5... the 5 people that we could count on (not family) to drop everything and run if we asked them to... the 5 friends in our lives who, when crisis or joy happened in our lives, would run to our sides if we mentioned it... no questions asked...
sometimes i forget about who those five would be... and my list 6 years ago (the first time i made it) is not the list i would make today... things change, people change...
i was helping matt out by leading his h.s. bible study yesterday... and i don't really like teaching, so i wasn't too thrilled about it... but i do love the kids... and we were talking about mark 2 where jesus heals the paralytic whose friends have lowered him through the roof... and once again, i was reminded to stop and re-evaluate the friendships i had in my life...
in thinking through friendship, the first thought that comes into my head is not a scripture verse (don't judge me - if you know me, you know what i'm about to say)... it's a movie quote...
it happens sometimes. friends come in and out of our lives like busboys in a restaurant...
i've found friendship to be somewhat of a fleeting thing in many instances... however, there are those friends who have stuck by me - good times or bad... and it makes my heart smile knowing that they love me the same... i hope i've been that friends more times than i think i have... because i know it's not as many as i wish it was...
as the theme song from a great tv show says, "thank you for being a friend... your heart is true, you're a pal and a confidant..."
i hate to say that, at times, i agree with him... i do still keep in touch with friends from high school on a semi-regular basis... over time, however, the friendships have faded because of time or distance or change or a blend of the three...
then, in college, tim encouraged us to think about our 5... the 5 people that we could count on (not family) to drop everything and run if we asked them to... the 5 friends in our lives who, when crisis or joy happened in our lives, would run to our sides if we mentioned it... no questions asked...
sometimes i forget about who those five would be... and my list 6 years ago (the first time i made it) is not the list i would make today... things change, people change...
i was helping matt out by leading his h.s. bible study yesterday... and i don't really like teaching, so i wasn't too thrilled about it... but i do love the kids... and we were talking about mark 2 where jesus heals the paralytic whose friends have lowered him through the roof... and once again, i was reminded to stop and re-evaluate the friendships i had in my life...
in thinking through friendship, the first thought that comes into my head is not a scripture verse (don't judge me - if you know me, you know what i'm about to say)... it's a movie quote...
it happens sometimes. friends come in and out of our lives like busboys in a restaurant...
i've found friendship to be somewhat of a fleeting thing in many instances... however, there are those friends who have stuck by me - good times or bad... and it makes my heart smile knowing that they love me the same... i hope i've been that friends more times than i think i have... because i know it's not as many as i wish it was...
as the theme song from a great tv show says, "thank you for being a friend... your heart is true, you're a pal and a confidant..."
Jun 3, 2006
first day with a kick...
thursday was my first day of work at the church... i decided to take it (really) easy on tuesday and wednesday... sleeping in, watching movies, reading... doing nothing, really...
on wednesday afternoon, i get a call from matt (high school/college minister) asking what i'm doing friday, thursday night and saturday morning... somewhere in my life i learned to ask questions fast and not to commit to anything before knowing the full story... yes, i'm still adventurous, but i'd like to know what the adventure is (or the rough outline of the adventure)...
he had a trip planned starting thursday night at 10:00 called "24 hours of madness" - and that's exactly what it was... so i told him if it was okay with john (my supervisor) that i'd go... and it was okay... so i got up thursday morning at 6:45 in order to get ready to go to work and be there by 8:00... worked until 4:00 (i was supposed to leave at 1:00 to go take a nap, but i rarely ever leave work when i'm supposed to if it's early)... went home and ran errands with amy, got back to the church at 8:45...
we got back about 9:30 friday night... i probably got about an hour worth of sleep total on the bus on the way home... and then i got home and went to sleep about 11:30 last night and definitely slept until 4:30 this afternoon...
here's what we did...
10:30 - left the church and made our way (only getting lost a couple of times) to climb nashville - over 20,000 square feet of rock-wall climbing...
1:00 (or so) - left climb nashville and went to laserquest in downtown nashville
4:00 - left laserquest and headed to cracker barrel somewhere near owensboro, kentucky...
8:30 (i think) - left cracker barrel and went to holiday world/splashin' safari... (theme and water park in santa claus, indiana)
4:30 - left holiday world and went to eat at ryan's in owensboro
9:30 - arrived back at the church (a little early)
so that's the rough outline of what we did... but it doesn't really do it justice... it was a ton of fun... here are the highlights:
*got to meet and hang out with a bunch of the high school kids... they are incredible... there were 47 members and visitors on the trip... and 5 "adults" - no one over 30 - 2 were college students...
*at laserquest, my name was laserqueen... someone said it sounded like a chat room name...
*holiday world is the best theme park ever... it really is amazing... it's not super expensive like every other theme park... they give out free sunscreen and soft drinks are unlimited and free all over the park... and the food is cheap... we gave each student $5 and it was enough for them to eat lunch on with money left over, usually... and it's clean and all the people that work there are nice...
*the raven, the legend and the voyage are the three roller coasters... the raven was awesome and then we went on the legend... and it was better... then... i had the experience that changed my life... the voyage is the second best roller coaster i've ever been on... and the 1st was 5 years ago... the magnum at cedar point and it barely beat out the voyage... and the voyage could be considered better because their dimensions are so close and it's wooden (the other was steel)... and wooden is awesome... i went three times in a row... and i was such a spaz about it... but it was awesome!!!
*we went into the glass blowing shop where there was definitely a sign that said, "we encourage intelligent touching" which could end up having it's own entry on my site because it made me laugh so much...
*all the way around it was just one of those experiences much like an mastercard commercial... it was priceless... a great experience...
on a completely random side note... at about hour 27 of me being awake, 16 of the trip - i found out that two of the students (twin brothers) are cousins of lindsey and beth little and jacob smythe... it was pretty cool...
i guess they know how to really "break people in" at clearview... :)
on wednesday afternoon, i get a call from matt (high school/college minister) asking what i'm doing friday, thursday night and saturday morning... somewhere in my life i learned to ask questions fast and not to commit to anything before knowing the full story... yes, i'm still adventurous, but i'd like to know what the adventure is (or the rough outline of the adventure)...
he had a trip planned starting thursday night at 10:00 called "24 hours of madness" - and that's exactly what it was... so i told him if it was okay with john (my supervisor) that i'd go... and it was okay... so i got up thursday morning at 6:45 in order to get ready to go to work and be there by 8:00... worked until 4:00 (i was supposed to leave at 1:00 to go take a nap, but i rarely ever leave work when i'm supposed to if it's early)... went home and ran errands with amy, got back to the church at 8:45...
we got back about 9:30 friday night... i probably got about an hour worth of sleep total on the bus on the way home... and then i got home and went to sleep about 11:30 last night and definitely slept until 4:30 this afternoon...
here's what we did...
10:30 - left the church and made our way (only getting lost a couple of times) to climb nashville - over 20,000 square feet of rock-wall climbing...
1:00 (or so) - left climb nashville and went to laserquest in downtown nashville
4:00 - left laserquest and headed to cracker barrel somewhere near owensboro, kentucky...
8:30 (i think) - left cracker barrel and went to holiday world/splashin' safari... (theme and water park in santa claus, indiana)
4:30 - left holiday world and went to eat at ryan's in owensboro
9:30 - arrived back at the church (a little early)
so that's the rough outline of what we did... but it doesn't really do it justice... it was a ton of fun... here are the highlights:
*got to meet and hang out with a bunch of the high school kids... they are incredible... there were 47 members and visitors on the trip... and 5 "adults" - no one over 30 - 2 were college students...
*at laserquest, my name was laserqueen... someone said it sounded like a chat room name...
*holiday world is the best theme park ever... it really is amazing... it's not super expensive like every other theme park... they give out free sunscreen and soft drinks are unlimited and free all over the park... and the food is cheap... we gave each student $5 and it was enough for them to eat lunch on with money left over, usually... and it's clean and all the people that work there are nice...
*the raven, the legend and the voyage are the three roller coasters... the raven was awesome and then we went on the legend... and it was better... then... i had the experience that changed my life... the voyage is the second best roller coaster i've ever been on... and the 1st was 5 years ago... the magnum at cedar point and it barely beat out the voyage... and the voyage could be considered better because their dimensions are so close and it's wooden (the other was steel)... and wooden is awesome... i went three times in a row... and i was such a spaz about it... but it was awesome!!!
*we went into the glass blowing shop where there was definitely a sign that said, "we encourage intelligent touching" which could end up having it's own entry on my site because it made me laugh so much...
*all the way around it was just one of those experiences much like an mastercard commercial... it was priceless... a great experience...
on a completely random side note... at about hour 27 of me being awake, 16 of the trip - i found out that two of the students (twin brothers) are cousins of lindsey and beth little and jacob smythe... it was pretty cool...
i guess they know how to really "break people in" at clearview... :)
May 25, 2006
word of the day...
my word of the day for today is...
RIDICULOUS... it's such a fun word to say... if you think about it... say it... it sounds funny... it's way better than weird or out of control... here's the definition from dictionary.com - Deserving or inspiring ridicule; absurd, preposterous, or silly.
sometimes i feel absolutely ridiculous... i don't even think i realize it until it's too late... tonight i hung out with a fun friend i get to see on a not-so-regular basis... but i always leave feeling refreshed and encouraged... maybe it's the freedom to say whatever we want without fear of judgment or ridicule (i threw a form of it in again...)... since we don't see each other that much and aren't really in the same circle, there is a freedom that comes with our friendship... i love it...
but tonight there were a couple of people with us who don't really know me at all... and looking back on it, i think they must think that i'm ridiculous... i kept thinking things were funny and then i'd snort... and i don't know if it comes across as annoying or endearing... and i kept asking questions for the group - because it's kind of what i do... and i shouldn't really care what other people think... but a lot of times, i do... because it's also kind of what i do...
on a side note... kind of related... tonight i found myself missing things about the northwest... i miss my friends who are there... i miss being a part of things and only being able to hear about them on the phone... i miss the people i worked with and went to school with... i want to go visit soon and hope that my work schedule and my budget allow me to... if you want to contribute to the "send robyn to portland for a visit" fund, let me know... although it's not tax-deductable, anything helps... :)...
i have some other deep stuff to write, but i don't want to ruin a fun entry...
so i'll go back to where i started... here are some questions for all to answer... a)what's the most ridiculous thing you've done, b) what's the most ridiculous thing you've done today (and if you can't think of anything, then maybe you should try ridiculosity (yes, i just made that word up...)...), c)what is the most ridiculous movie or song that you can think of?
here are my answers:
a) this is just one example off the top of my head... singing "you've lost that lovin' feeling" at the top of my lungs with 2 of my favorite northwest friends and another fun northwest friend while waiting for the seattle-bainbridge island ferry.b) acting kind of crazy at dinner and at starbucks - asking everyone if they knew what a lingonberry is (it's on the menu at ihop) and acting like the starbucks employees are my friends...c) my boss' daughter - it's just too over the top... followed closely by the notebook...
and, in writing this post, i was reminded of one of my favorite quotes from a movie...
"if you can't laugh at yourself, life's gonna seem a whole lot longer than you like..." be the first one to name the movie, get some points...
RIDICULOUS... it's such a fun word to say... if you think about it... say it... it sounds funny... it's way better than weird or out of control... here's the definition from dictionary.com - Deserving or inspiring ridicule; absurd, preposterous, or silly.
sometimes i feel absolutely ridiculous... i don't even think i realize it until it's too late... tonight i hung out with a fun friend i get to see on a not-so-regular basis... but i always leave feeling refreshed and encouraged... maybe it's the freedom to say whatever we want without fear of judgment or ridicule (i threw a form of it in again...)... since we don't see each other that much and aren't really in the same circle, there is a freedom that comes with our friendship... i love it...
but tonight there were a couple of people with us who don't really know me at all... and looking back on it, i think they must think that i'm ridiculous... i kept thinking things were funny and then i'd snort... and i don't know if it comes across as annoying or endearing... and i kept asking questions for the group - because it's kind of what i do... and i shouldn't really care what other people think... but a lot of times, i do... because it's also kind of what i do...
on a side note... kind of related... tonight i found myself missing things about the northwest... i miss my friends who are there... i miss being a part of things and only being able to hear about them on the phone... i miss the people i worked with and went to school with... i want to go visit soon and hope that my work schedule and my budget allow me to... if you want to contribute to the "send robyn to portland for a visit" fund, let me know... although it's not tax-deductable, anything helps... :)...
i have some other deep stuff to write, but i don't want to ruin a fun entry...
so i'll go back to where i started... here are some questions for all to answer... a)what's the most ridiculous thing you've done, b) what's the most ridiculous thing you've done today (and if you can't think of anything, then maybe you should try ridiculosity (yes, i just made that word up...)...), c)what is the most ridiculous movie or song that you can think of?
here are my answers:
a) this is just one example off the top of my head... singing "you've lost that lovin' feeling" at the top of my lungs with 2 of my favorite northwest friends and another fun northwest friend while waiting for the seattle-bainbridge island ferry.b) acting kind of crazy at dinner and at starbucks - asking everyone if they knew what a lingonberry is (it's on the menu at ihop) and acting like the starbucks employees are my friends...c) my boss' daughter - it's just too over the top... followed closely by the notebook...
and, in writing this post, i was reminded of one of my favorite quotes from a movie...
"if you can't laugh at yourself, life's gonna seem a whole lot longer than you like..." be the first one to name the movie, get some points...
May 22, 2006
Rest In Peace, dear friend...
I had to say goodbye to a good friend this weekend... This friend has been with me for a while, proving her friendship by supporting me when i was overseas... at times, i felt like she was the only friend i had...
but she was sick... some rare disease and they i knew that it could be anytime when she would finally pass, leaving me heartbroken and alone...
and saturday night it happened...
my laptop died... it's been threatening a hard drive failure... and the cd drive didn't work anymore... and it was getting slow... but saturday, something went crazy... and it took me 20 minutes to try and restart it... then a few error messages... then a crazy screen... then the error message that i need to install a windows cd because a file is corrupt or missing...
i don't have windows cds, because someone put it on my computer for me... and before the offers roll in, remember, my cd drive doesn't work... so i don't really have a way of getting the file onto my computer... i tried attaching the external hard drive i have to it, hoping it would be like life support... but it didn't work...
so, even though the hard drive didn't completely crash, my computer is completely non-usable... hopefully i'll be able to get a new computer soon... until then, i will mourn the loss of my dear friend...
but she was sick... some rare disease and they i knew that it could be anytime when she would finally pass, leaving me heartbroken and alone...
and saturday night it happened...
my laptop died... it's been threatening a hard drive failure... and the cd drive didn't work anymore... and it was getting slow... but saturday, something went crazy... and it took me 20 minutes to try and restart it... then a few error messages... then a crazy screen... then the error message that i need to install a windows cd because a file is corrupt or missing...
i don't have windows cds, because someone put it on my computer for me... and before the offers roll in, remember, my cd drive doesn't work... so i don't really have a way of getting the file onto my computer... i tried attaching the external hard drive i have to it, hoping it would be like life support... but it didn't work...
so, even though the hard drive didn't completely crash, my computer is completely non-usable... hopefully i'll be able to get a new computer soon... until then, i will mourn the loss of my dear friend...
May 16, 2006
i heart my friends...
today i had an incredibly boring day at this place where i'm temp-ing to make some extra money until i can start working at the church... it really might be the most bored i have ever been in my entire life... sincerely... i never got that bored in school and i was bored in school a lot...
but, it's one block away from an amazing restaurant that i LOVE... it's called otter's and it's a chicken tenders restaurant... and it makes my heart smile... the only thing that i could imagine that would make it better to me was if they had coke products instead of pepsi...
while i was there, i called my brother (because i was all by myself)... and it was so great to talk to him... and it made me get a little homesick for my friends... so i started trying to figure out a weekend to go to the big j-town for a visit... thanks to the technology of the internet (thanks, al), i am able to communicate with my dear friends who live hours away - those who don't return phone calls... (i'm not bitter... i'm just saying...)
so memorial day weekend will find me in the big j-town... and possibly some days before that... but i will need a place to stay... any offers? let me know...
and i'm not sure why - but tonight's movie is napoleon dynamite... oh that's right... because it's hilarious... and the opening song makes me think of my friends... who i love... here's a nugget of friend-love lyrics...
and we don't notice any time pass
we don't notice anything
we sit side by side in every class
teacher thinks that i sound funny
but she likes the way you sing
tonight i'll dream while i'm in bed
when silly thoughts go through my head
about the bugs and alphabet
and when i wake tomorrow i'll bet
that you and i will walk together again
cause i can tell that we
are going to be friends
but, it's one block away from an amazing restaurant that i LOVE... it's called otter's and it's a chicken tenders restaurant... and it makes my heart smile... the only thing that i could imagine that would make it better to me was if they had coke products instead of pepsi...
while i was there, i called my brother (because i was all by myself)... and it was so great to talk to him... and it made me get a little homesick for my friends... so i started trying to figure out a weekend to go to the big j-town for a visit... thanks to the technology of the internet (thanks, al), i am able to communicate with my dear friends who live hours away - those who don't return phone calls... (i'm not bitter... i'm just saying...)
so memorial day weekend will find me in the big j-town... and possibly some days before that... but i will need a place to stay... any offers? let me know...
and i'm not sure why - but tonight's movie is napoleon dynamite... oh that's right... because it's hilarious... and the opening song makes me think of my friends... who i love... here's a nugget of friend-love lyrics...
and we don't notice any time pass
we don't notice anything
we sit side by side in every class
teacher thinks that i sound funny
but she likes the way you sing
tonight i'll dream while i'm in bed
when silly thoughts go through my head
about the bugs and alphabet
and when i wake tomorrow i'll bet
that you and i will walk together again
cause i can tell that we
are going to be friends
May 9, 2006
big changes in my life...
it seems my life will never settle down... but if it did, it would probably take the fun out of it... so... here's the newest update...
i quit my job... i was still "temp status" and the longer i was there, the more i realized that it wasn't the place where i needed to be... since they weren't "married" to me yet, and i wasn't "married" to them, either, i knew it could be a clean break... so, i gve notice and finished out the day... that was thursday...
i made some phone calls and had a meeting with the church that i had interviewed with before... and they have offered me a job which i will start june 1. i wasn't ready for it then, but it's perfect timing (and the perfect job) now... it would take a long time for me to describe in words... if you saw my face or heard me talk about it, it would be obvious to you...
so things are good... and i'm hoping the temp agency will be able to find me some work between now and june 1...
so they're good changes... but that's what is going on... i'll give more updates about the job later on...
i quit my job... i was still "temp status" and the longer i was there, the more i realized that it wasn't the place where i needed to be... since they weren't "married" to me yet, and i wasn't "married" to them, either, i knew it could be a clean break... so, i gve notice and finished out the day... that was thursday...
i made some phone calls and had a meeting with the church that i had interviewed with before... and they have offered me a job which i will start june 1. i wasn't ready for it then, but it's perfect timing (and the perfect job) now... it would take a long time for me to describe in words... if you saw my face or heard me talk about it, it would be obvious to you...
so things are good... and i'm hoping the temp agency will be able to find me some work between now and june 1...
so they're good changes... but that's what is going on... i'll give more updates about the job later on...
Apr 25, 2006
this just makes me happy...
granted, it's not the exact quote... but it makes me smile a lot...
and i added a couple of extra pictures i found, just for the heck of it...
and i added a couple of extra pictures i found, just for the heck of it...
Apr 16, 2006
"but it's in the middle of the night..."
nothing major to report... i was just checking my email on my fabulous roommate's computer... and thought i'd post a little tiny something... or a couple of things...
1) i got a new cell phone number... if i haven't sent you an email or text message about it and you want it, let me know... i'll plan to have it written in the sky for you to see... or i'll email or call you... which is actually way more economical...
2) i lost my digital camera... it could potentially be at the grand ole opry house... but that has caused the delay with posting pictures... my heart has already wept silently for the loss... and i'll be calling to see if it's there next week...
3) i've been watching the last season of dawson's creek this weekend... and i hate that i love it... and i don't completely understand the appeal of joey potter... i mean, she is great, but she can't make up her mind and she breaks a lot of hearts... then again, it is a tv show, intended to be dramatic... so i can't really complain... i mean, i am still watching...
4) if you can name the quote that the title is from first, you'll get an undetermined amount of points...
happy easter...
1) i got a new cell phone number... if i haven't sent you an email or text message about it and you want it, let me know... i'll plan to have it written in the sky for you to see... or i'll email or call you... which is actually way more economical...
2) i lost my digital camera... it could potentially be at the grand ole opry house... but that has caused the delay with posting pictures... my heart has already wept silently for the loss... and i'll be calling to see if it's there next week...
3) i've been watching the last season of dawson's creek this weekend... and i hate that i love it... and i don't completely understand the appeal of joey potter... i mean, she is great, but she can't make up her mind and she breaks a lot of hearts... then again, it is a tv show, intended to be dramatic... so i can't really complain... i mean, i am still watching...
4) if you can name the quote that the title is from first, you'll get an undetermined amount of points...
happy easter...
Apr 8, 2006
I promise that my personal tragedy will not interfere with my ability to do good hair.
there are a few stories to tell...
i got to go to the gma/dove awards on wednesday... it was kind of a crazy, unexpected thing... i found out the day of the awards and got to go for free... we sat in the very back... i mean, all the people were there, but i didn't really "hang" with them... we kind of walked around before it started and we were all really tired and ready to go when it was over... but it was a great experience... there was a tribute to steven curtis chapman... mac powell (third day), jeremy camp, mark hall (casting crowns) and david crowder all sang acoustic versions of steven curtis chapman songs... when mac powell sang "i will be here," i don't think it's sounded better... i mean, i like scc, but mac powell brought an edgier version... i enjoyed it... other than that, it was just good times... my roommates don't know a lot about christian music, so i was way more excited than they were...
it was definitely chris tomlin night, as he walked away with 5 dove awards (3 that were presented during the evening)... and it ended in a great way... chris tomlin and his posse sang how "how great is our god" (which won song of the year, by the way), and then "how great thou art" acapella... it was wonderful... i mean, i knew i was singing in the same room as many of christian music's finest... and it was a really cool thing... definitely an "i live in nashville" moment...
*****
last weekend, i also had an "i live in nashville" day... i went shopping in the afternoon with a friend and randomly ran into lindsey, a friend from college... afterwards, i went with sarah to the indie showcase for gma music week - which was incredibly fun... i will post pictures later (i just have one word... koffey)...
then, i went and hung out with lindsey at wanna b's - a karaoke bar on broadway... and i saw maybe the best thing ever... this little asian guy got up there - with a davy crockett (raccoon) hat... and sang "man, i feel like a woman" - he knew every "woo" and word - i mean, he didn't even look at the screen... and it was amazing... when he got to the part that said, "man, i feel like a woman" - that was the best part... he couldn't really say woman the right way... he was saying woo-man, but it sounded more like hoo-man... so funny...
*****
i went to church with sarah on sunday the people's church in franklin... and donald miller (blue like jazz, searching for god knows what) was speaking... i've read blue like jazz... and i have always thought he's kind of a regular guy... i mean, i like what he writes, but i don't think he's a genius or anything... i've always felt like what he writes is cool, but not too meaty... if that makes sense...
i did really enjoy hearing him speak... it reminded me of portland... and a lot of it made me laugh and think at the same time... although i can't remember much of it... barely anything... but that's the way with most things i hear these days...
*****
i get to take a class on monday and tuesday... a 2nd level photoshop class at a computer learning center... my company is paying for it... i don't have to be there until 9:00, which means i get to sleep in a little bit on monday and tuesday - and i don't have to work for 2 days... and i probably get to dress down a little bit for both days... i'm really excited about it...
*****
monday night my roommates and i went to this random show... i really have no words to describe it adequately... it was the most random display of talent/entertainment i have seen in a very long time... it stretched from the gospel raggae group singing "salute da king" to what seemed to be phillips, craig, and dean impersonators... it was a crazy night... we thought it wouldn't be a late night, but it ended up being almost 2:00 a.m. by the time we got home and to bed... crazy... but the end of the show was amy's friend and some other people that i had heard of through camp circles... and they were really good... i sat there and got to take in peacefulness... the thought that was resonating with me was "peace. be still." and it was comforting...
*****
there may be some more stories, but that will do for tonight...
i got to go to the gma/dove awards on wednesday... it was kind of a crazy, unexpected thing... i found out the day of the awards and got to go for free... we sat in the very back... i mean, all the people were there, but i didn't really "hang" with them... we kind of walked around before it started and we were all really tired and ready to go when it was over... but it was a great experience... there was a tribute to steven curtis chapman... mac powell (third day), jeremy camp, mark hall (casting crowns) and david crowder all sang acoustic versions of steven curtis chapman songs... when mac powell sang "i will be here," i don't think it's sounded better... i mean, i like scc, but mac powell brought an edgier version... i enjoyed it... other than that, it was just good times... my roommates don't know a lot about christian music, so i was way more excited than they were...
it was definitely chris tomlin night, as he walked away with 5 dove awards (3 that were presented during the evening)... and it ended in a great way... chris tomlin and his posse sang how "how great is our god" (which won song of the year, by the way), and then "how great thou art" acapella... it was wonderful... i mean, i knew i was singing in the same room as many of christian music's finest... and it was a really cool thing... definitely an "i live in nashville" moment...
*****
last weekend, i also had an "i live in nashville" day... i went shopping in the afternoon with a friend and randomly ran into lindsey, a friend from college... afterwards, i went with sarah to the indie showcase for gma music week - which was incredibly fun... i will post pictures later (i just have one word... koffey)...
then, i went and hung out with lindsey at wanna b's - a karaoke bar on broadway... and i saw maybe the best thing ever... this little asian guy got up there - with a davy crockett (raccoon) hat... and sang "man, i feel like a woman" - he knew every "woo" and word - i mean, he didn't even look at the screen... and it was amazing... when he got to the part that said, "man, i feel like a woman" - that was the best part... he couldn't really say woman the right way... he was saying woo-man, but it sounded more like hoo-man... so funny...
*****
i went to church with sarah on sunday the people's church in franklin... and donald miller (blue like jazz, searching for god knows what) was speaking... i've read blue like jazz... and i have always thought he's kind of a regular guy... i mean, i like what he writes, but i don't think he's a genius or anything... i've always felt like what he writes is cool, but not too meaty... if that makes sense...
i did really enjoy hearing him speak... it reminded me of portland... and a lot of it made me laugh and think at the same time... although i can't remember much of it... barely anything... but that's the way with most things i hear these days...
*****
i get to take a class on monday and tuesday... a 2nd level photoshop class at a computer learning center... my company is paying for it... i don't have to be there until 9:00, which means i get to sleep in a little bit on monday and tuesday - and i don't have to work for 2 days... and i probably get to dress down a little bit for both days... i'm really excited about it...
*****
monday night my roommates and i went to this random show... i really have no words to describe it adequately... it was the most random display of talent/entertainment i have seen in a very long time... it stretched from the gospel raggae group singing "salute da king" to what seemed to be phillips, craig, and dean impersonators... it was a crazy night... we thought it wouldn't be a late night, but it ended up being almost 2:00 a.m. by the time we got home and to bed... crazy... but the end of the show was amy's friend and some other people that i had heard of through camp circles... and they were really good... i sat there and got to take in peacefulness... the thought that was resonating with me was "peace. be still." and it was comforting...
*****
there may be some more stories, but that will do for tonight...
Mar 30, 2006
just a man on the plane...
i have a story that is worth sharing...
when my coworker and i were coming back from san antonio, we got on the plane... we flew southwest, so we were looking for a place to sit... i saw this guy sitting by himself in an aisle seat... so i thought, "he looks nice" so we sit down next to him and wait for the take-off...
it wasn't too long before we started talking to him... and he was just a normal guy... but there was something about him... in this weird normal way... he was actually a pilot for southwest... so that's kind of what started it off... and it was off from there...
i've never had a better conversation on a plane... between the three of us, we talked about everything from religion to politics to sports to airlines... and a lot of stuff in between... he's a christian... but he wasn't a preacher... he was a pilot with season tickets to the spurs... with 3 kids - twin girls and a son...
but the conversation kept going... we all talked for almost the entire flight... and it was just cool... i got off the plane and i just wanted to tell people about meeting this man who was refreshingly normal... he's probably my favorite chrisitan stranger i've ever met... most of the time i'm either annoyed by their overbearance or unaware that they are christians at all... instead... i liked him...
i thought it was just me... i thought i was the only one who would be affected by this man whose name i don't know... but we got in the car and my coworker called someone to tell them she was back safe. as soon as she said "we got back okay," the next words out of her mouth were about this man... she said, "we sat by this great man on the plane." and she kept talking about him...
and my heart smiled a little bit... because i knew it wasn't just me... and it made me realize the importance of being normal and myself... and also the effect that we can have on each other... if we'll take the time to have a conversation... not to force it... this man wasn't forcing his agenda... he was being nice... and his friendliness had more effect on a couple of unsuspecting business travelers than many evangelists i have heard or seen...
when my coworker and i were coming back from san antonio, we got on the plane... we flew southwest, so we were looking for a place to sit... i saw this guy sitting by himself in an aisle seat... so i thought, "he looks nice" so we sit down next to him and wait for the take-off...
it wasn't too long before we started talking to him... and he was just a normal guy... but there was something about him... in this weird normal way... he was actually a pilot for southwest... so that's kind of what started it off... and it was off from there...
i've never had a better conversation on a plane... between the three of us, we talked about everything from religion to politics to sports to airlines... and a lot of stuff in between... he's a christian... but he wasn't a preacher... he was a pilot with season tickets to the spurs... with 3 kids - twin girls and a son...
but the conversation kept going... we all talked for almost the entire flight... and it was just cool... i got off the plane and i just wanted to tell people about meeting this man who was refreshingly normal... he's probably my favorite chrisitan stranger i've ever met... most of the time i'm either annoyed by their overbearance or unaware that they are christians at all... instead... i liked him...
i thought it was just me... i thought i was the only one who would be affected by this man whose name i don't know... but we got in the car and my coworker called someone to tell them she was back safe. as soon as she said "we got back okay," the next words out of her mouth were about this man... she said, "we sat by this great man on the plane." and she kept talking about him...
and my heart smiled a little bit... because i knew it wasn't just me... and it made me realize the importance of being normal and myself... and also the effect that we can have on each other... if we'll take the time to have a conversation... not to force it... this man wasn't forcing his agenda... he was being nice... and his friendliness had more effect on a couple of unsuspecting business travelers than many evangelists i have heard or seen...
Mar 27, 2006
secrets...
lately i've been intrigued by the idea of secrets... i read a book called "can you keep a secret?" on my plane ride to san antonio... it was a fiction book - easy read... for entertainment... the main character was on a plane and ended up spilling all her secrets to a man who turns out to be her boss...
then... today, i read a quick article about postsecret... a website dedicated to publishing postcards of people's secrets... and there are testimonies about how free the people felt after they shared their secrets anonymously...
anyway... it all made me start thinking about the idea of secrets... what secrets do i have? what if the secrets i had were broadcasted for the world? would it become a point of stress - having all of my inside information available for the world? or would it be a huge relief?
and who earns the right to hear the secrets? does anyone deserve to be entrusted with someone's secrets? with whom should we share our secrets?
i know this doesn't make a lot of sense... it's all just kind of random thoughts... mostly, i'm trying to think of what secrets i have... i think i'm generally a pretty open-book type of person... but i'm sure there are some... but what do i do when i figure out what they are?
maybe i shouldn't think about it anymore...
on a much lighter note... i'm watching she's out of control with tony danza... matthew perry is in it... and he's also in friends... in friends, phoebe says that she always thought the song tiny dancer said "hold me closer, tony danza..." and all roads lead to tiny dancers or flavor flav once again...
then... today, i read a quick article about postsecret... a website dedicated to publishing postcards of people's secrets... and there are testimonies about how free the people felt after they shared their secrets anonymously...
anyway... it all made me start thinking about the idea of secrets... what secrets do i have? what if the secrets i had were broadcasted for the world? would it become a point of stress - having all of my inside information available for the world? or would it be a huge relief?
and who earns the right to hear the secrets? does anyone deserve to be entrusted with someone's secrets? with whom should we share our secrets?
i know this doesn't make a lot of sense... it's all just kind of random thoughts... mostly, i'm trying to think of what secrets i have... i think i'm generally a pretty open-book type of person... but i'm sure there are some... but what do i do when i figure out what they are?
maybe i shouldn't think about it anymore...
on a much lighter note... i'm watching she's out of control with tony danza... matthew perry is in it... and he's also in friends... in friends, phoebe says that she always thought the song tiny dancer said "hold me closer, tony danza..." and all roads lead to tiny dancers or flavor flav once again...
Mar 20, 2006
no... my computer did not crash yet...
but by my lack of posting, it wouldn't be hard to believe... i can claim busy-ness and a lack of interest... but the fact is... i just haven't thought about it...
but here i am... now... writing... not really anything thought provoking... but some good news... starting with some informational stuff and bad news...
two of my coworkers were scheduled to go to a groundbreaking in texas - leaving tomorrow and coming back on thursday... but one of their uncles died this weekend and so she has to stay and deal with family stuff and cannot go... (bad news)
but, because it's spring break, the hotels and airlines won't refund the money for her very expensive flight and room... so she needs someone to go in her place...
and that person is me!!!
so - tomorrow afternoon/evening i leave for san antonio... i'll be gone until thursday mid-morning...
then, thursday night, i'll be repacking for a quick trip to lr and to shreveport... which means i'll be in 4 states in 3 days...
and, according to weather.com - it's warm in san antonio, which makes my heart happy a little bit... because it's been cold and rainy here!!!
but here i am... now... writing... not really anything thought provoking... but some good news... starting with some informational stuff and bad news...
two of my coworkers were scheduled to go to a groundbreaking in texas - leaving tomorrow and coming back on thursday... but one of their uncles died this weekend and so she has to stay and deal with family stuff and cannot go... (bad news)
but, because it's spring break, the hotels and airlines won't refund the money for her very expensive flight and room... so she needs someone to go in her place...
and that person is me!!!
so - tomorrow afternoon/evening i leave for san antonio... i'll be gone until thursday mid-morning...
then, thursday night, i'll be repacking for a quick trip to lr and to shreveport... which means i'll be in 4 states in 3 days...
and, according to weather.com - it's warm in san antonio, which makes my heart happy a little bit... because it's been cold and rainy here!!!
Feb 28, 2006
march fools' day...
tomorrow is march fools' day... don't take anyone seriously or fall for any tricks... sincerely...
just kidding... but seriously...
okay... moving on... i feel like i had something of importance to write about, but the faint memory i had telling me what it was has faded into the back of my mind... right now all i can think about is the wonderful sleep that awaits me...
but i want to write some other stuff... the sleep can wait for another 10 minutes...
i've never watched the amazing race until last season with the families... but i thought i might be interested in this year's... and i am... i cracked up more times than i care to admit at tonight's episode... if you missed it, you missed the crack up couple... because they got kicked off tonight... but i think it's going to be a good season...
but i've been up late every night this week... and i'm exhausted... so it's time... i'm going to take a ride on the sleep train!!!
just kidding... but seriously...
okay... moving on... i feel like i had something of importance to write about, but the faint memory i had telling me what it was has faded into the back of my mind... right now all i can think about is the wonderful sleep that awaits me...
but i want to write some other stuff... the sleep can wait for another 10 minutes...
i've never watched the amazing race until last season with the families... but i thought i might be interested in this year's... and i am... i cracked up more times than i care to admit at tonight's episode... if you missed it, you missed the crack up couple... because they got kicked off tonight... but i think it's going to be a good season...
but i've been up late every night this week... and i'm exhausted... so it's time... i'm going to take a ride on the sleep train!!!
Feb 26, 2006
my mom... the beauty queen...
amy sent me this picture of mom... i'm pretty sure it's from when she was in high school... she's the one in the center... she was the queen!!! i wish i had gotten her good looks or good figure!!! check out that crown!!!
Feb 22, 2006
here's the update/news...
i'm really tired... because my JOB wears me out!!! :)...
my job is good... i'm learning more about construction than i thought possible... i like the people i work with... right now, i just don't know everything and i don't always have stuff to do... and i don't like that, but it will change once i start learning more stuff...
today there was a reception for golden gate baptist theological seminary that was here in nashville... i was thrilled to get to go to it... not only because it was at an incredible restaurant here in town where i ate some tremendous food... but also because i got to meet some new people and reconnect with some... i got to hear about some of the vision of what's going to happen the next five years with golden gate and i'm excited to be a part of it...
after it was over, i was talking with jeff... i mean dr. iorg (the president)... and i mentioned how much golden gate meant to me... how i really considered it the sb seminary most focused on ministry and missions... and that's the reason i went there... and was so thankful for my education and, more importantly, my experience... he said it was the best thing he had heard all day... and then he said to tom jones (director of institutional advancement), "we need to get robyn to give a student testimony at the banquet in september!" there's going to be a ggbts banquet (similar to the luncheon but on a larger scale, in order to partner with people and raise money and support for the school)... it's in september and evidently, i'm giving a testimony... isn't that exciting? it is... you should be excited... if anyone wants to go, let me know and i'll turn in your names... i mean, it is a really great free dinner...
so, that was my day... i'm really tired and i think i'm going to go to bed... but i wanted to give a little update...
my job is good... i'm learning more about construction than i thought possible... i like the people i work with... right now, i just don't know everything and i don't always have stuff to do... and i don't like that, but it will change once i start learning more stuff...
today there was a reception for golden gate baptist theological seminary that was here in nashville... i was thrilled to get to go to it... not only because it was at an incredible restaurant here in town where i ate some tremendous food... but also because i got to meet some new people and reconnect with some... i got to hear about some of the vision of what's going to happen the next five years with golden gate and i'm excited to be a part of it...
after it was over, i was talking with jeff... i mean dr. iorg (the president)... and i mentioned how much golden gate meant to me... how i really considered it the sb seminary most focused on ministry and missions... and that's the reason i went there... and was so thankful for my education and, more importantly, my experience... he said it was the best thing he had heard all day... and then he said to tom jones (director of institutional advancement), "we need to get robyn to give a student testimony at the banquet in september!" there's going to be a ggbts banquet (similar to the luncheon but on a larger scale, in order to partner with people and raise money and support for the school)... it's in september and evidently, i'm giving a testimony... isn't that exciting? it is... you should be excited... if anyone wants to go, let me know and i'll turn in your names... i mean, it is a really great free dinner...
so, that was my day... i'm really tired and i think i'm going to go to bed... but i wanted to give a little update...
Feb 20, 2006
the job search is over...
i have just accepted a job (through a temp agency) as an administrative assistant for the marketing department of an engineering firm... i start tomorrow at 8:00 a.m.... that's gross... but it will be a-okay...
i'm really excited about it... i mean, it is work... but work is good...
i just got a call back and i don't have to be there until 9:00!!! yea!!!
i'm really excited about it... i mean, it is work... but work is good...
i just got a call back and i don't have to be there until 9:00!!! yea!!!
Feb 14, 2006
a pretty good valentine's day experience...
i'm not the biggest fan of valentine's day... i never really have been... and today just seemed like a normal day aside from all of the talk shows emphasizing on love and valentine's day... but no big deal...
then, when i went to check the mail this afternoon, i walked outside and saw the neighborhood kids playing in the grass beside our apartment... as soon as they saw me, all of them yelled, "happy valentine's day!!!" almost like they were told to... it was so cute... and so i said "happy valentine's day" back to them... and i asked them if they ate a lot of candy at school today... one said "no" and one said "yes..."
then... (this is the best part) one of the youngest boys ran up and threw his arms around me and looked up at me and said, "happy valentine's day!" it was the best valentine's present i could have gotten...
then my roommates and i made heart-shaped brownie cakes... yum!!!
so all in all, it was a pretty good valentine's day!!!
then, when i went to check the mail this afternoon, i walked outside and saw the neighborhood kids playing in the grass beside our apartment... as soon as they saw me, all of them yelled, "happy valentine's day!!!" almost like they were told to... it was so cute... and so i said "happy valentine's day" back to them... and i asked them if they ate a lot of candy at school today... one said "no" and one said "yes..."
then... (this is the best part) one of the youngest boys ran up and threw his arms around me and looked up at me and said, "happy valentine's day!" it was the best valentine's present i could have gotten...
then my roommates and i made heart-shaped brownie cakes... yum!!!
so all in all, it was a pretty good valentine's day!!!
Feb 11, 2006
is amnesia real?
jaclyn and i are watching the muppets take manhattan and kermit gets amnesia... i mean, have you ever known anyone who got amnesia... it seems like a made-up tv and movie condition...
here's what tv and movies have taught me about amnesia...
if someone has it, all you have to do is hit them hard on the head again and they'll go back to normal...
all of this brought to you by the letter m (for muppet)...
here's what tv and movies have taught me about amnesia...
if someone has it, all you have to do is hit them hard on the head again and they'll go back to normal...
all of this brought to you by the letter m (for muppet)...
Feb 10, 2006
finally friday...
first and foremost, i have to talk about what i'm watching on tv... millionaire... and it's "engaged couples" week... it's extremely entertaining to watch the couples as they try to make decisions and take risks... i keep waiting for one of the couples to fight... but so far... not so much...
here's the heart of what i really wanted to write about today...
i had my 2nd interview at the church... and it went well... it was with the two youth ministers... at first, it was the normal type stuff... and then, at some point, it took more an informal tone... my sarcastic side came out a little bit... but it felt pretty appropriate... if something can be "pretty appropriate" - i guess it's either appropriate or not... but whatever...
then, the sr. high youth minister said he had "rapid fire" questions for me... which is kind of fun and kind of terrifying... because who knows what i might say in the spur of a moment...
so... these are the questions (and i'll insert my answers in green)...
1. do you like coffee? (emphatically) "yes!"
2. what's your favorite dc talk song? "what's that one... the other night i met this girl and she looked at me so nice... i asked her for her digits and she didn't think twice..." (yes, that's right... i totally rapped the song)... "i can't remember the name of it..."
3. do you know what "more cowbell" means? and at this point, i think i snorted... i definitely laughed... "i love it!!! yes, i've got a fever and the only cure is more cowbell!!!"
4. do you know who flava-flav is? yes and he's creepy!!!
5. what your favorite line from a movie? "no way... i can't do it... i love movies... but i guess i'll say, "i gave her my heart and she gave me a pen." because it's the first thing that came into my head. "
i definitely walked away saying, "did i really get asked if i knew who flava-flav is in an interview? and will i get the job because i know or not get it because i know?"
but overall, i think they liked me... but i left thinking, "did i really say all of that?" because when i start with the sarcastic and goofy side i forget that i'm in it until i snort... which happened at least 3 times... so i hope it was endearing and not weird...
so, it was good... and i just called to check with one of them about the process... and i think i'm in... so now, comes the weekend of processing... trying to figure it all out... i feel like i could have written this entry better... i'm sure i could have... but such is life...
so the most up-to-date word on the job hunt is:
i'm waiting for the engineering firm to call and let me know if i would be getting that job or not...
i'm waiting for the minister of education to call and ask me to come meet with him to discuss the offer he should be extending to me...
this weekend i'll be processing everything to figure out what i'll do if i get a call from the engineering firm... about which one i'll take...
i should be starting work within the next week or so... maybe a week from monday... hopefully soon... because i'm ready to start getting a paycheck!!!
here's the heart of what i really wanted to write about today...
i had my 2nd interview at the church... and it went well... it was with the two youth ministers... at first, it was the normal type stuff... and then, at some point, it took more an informal tone... my sarcastic side came out a little bit... but it felt pretty appropriate... if something can be "pretty appropriate" - i guess it's either appropriate or not... but whatever...
then, the sr. high youth minister said he had "rapid fire" questions for me... which is kind of fun and kind of terrifying... because who knows what i might say in the spur of a moment...
so... these are the questions (and i'll insert my answers in green)...
1. do you like coffee? (emphatically) "yes!"
2. what's your favorite dc talk song? "what's that one... the other night i met this girl and she looked at me so nice... i asked her for her digits and she didn't think twice..." (yes, that's right... i totally rapped the song)... "i can't remember the name of it..."
3. do you know what "more cowbell" means? and at this point, i think i snorted... i definitely laughed... "i love it!!! yes, i've got a fever and the only cure is more cowbell!!!"
4. do you know who flava-flav is? yes and he's creepy!!!
5. what your favorite line from a movie? "no way... i can't do it... i love movies... but i guess i'll say, "i gave her my heart and she gave me a pen." because it's the first thing that came into my head. "
i definitely walked away saying, "did i really get asked if i knew who flava-flav is in an interview? and will i get the job because i know or not get it because i know?"
but overall, i think they liked me... but i left thinking, "did i really say all of that?" because when i start with the sarcastic and goofy side i forget that i'm in it until i snort... which happened at least 3 times... so i hope it was endearing and not weird...
so, it was good... and i just called to check with one of them about the process... and i think i'm in... so now, comes the weekend of processing... trying to figure it all out... i feel like i could have written this entry better... i'm sure i could have... but such is life...
so the most up-to-date word on the job hunt is:
i'm waiting for the engineering firm to call and let me know if i would be getting that job or not...
i'm waiting for the minister of education to call and ask me to come meet with him to discuss the offer he should be extending to me...
this weekend i'll be processing everything to figure out what i'll do if i get a call from the engineering firm... about which one i'll take...
i should be starting work within the next week or so... maybe a week from monday... hopefully soon... because i'm ready to start getting a paycheck!!!
Feb 9, 2006
quiet time...
i've gotten in a really bad habit of staying up late...
but here's the thing...
after my roommates go to bed, the apartment is quiet... really quiet... not that they're loud when they're up - but it's just this peaceful kind of calm when it feels like all of the world is asleep... everyone except me... and my friends on the west coast... i sometimes use the time to catch up with my friends in the portland area...
but sometimes, on nights like tonight... i sit and enjoy the quiet... i sometimes miss living by myself... most of the time i don't... but sometimes, every now and then, i miss not having to worry about whether it will bother anyone if i leave my dishes in the sink or if i leave the ironing board and iron out... or whether my stereo playing butch walker over and over will make my roommates crazy...
but in the quiet moments, i don't worry about any of that stuff... and tonight, i hear a little bit of rain... and it's therapeutic...
and the moment feels peaceful... and my heart smiles a little...
but here's the thing...
after my roommates go to bed, the apartment is quiet... really quiet... not that they're loud when they're up - but it's just this peaceful kind of calm when it feels like all of the world is asleep... everyone except me... and my friends on the west coast... i sometimes use the time to catch up with my friends in the portland area...
but sometimes, on nights like tonight... i sit and enjoy the quiet... i sometimes miss living by myself... most of the time i don't... but sometimes, every now and then, i miss not having to worry about whether it will bother anyone if i leave my dishes in the sink or if i leave the ironing board and iron out... or whether my stereo playing butch walker over and over will make my roommates crazy...
but in the quiet moments, i don't worry about any of that stuff... and tonight, i hear a little bit of rain... and it's therapeutic...
and the moment feels peaceful... and my heart smiles a little...
Feb 7, 2006
random monday night update...
wanted to give a little bit of an update...
i had an interview today... it went spectacularly well... i guess... i mean, it was good...
it was with the minister of education for a church in franklin... he's going to tell the youth ministers i'd be assisting about me in the morning, then, supposedly, they'll call me to set up an interview...
so i'll just have to dazzle them with my incredible personality and quick wit... shouldn't be a problem... after all, my mom says if they don't like me - it's them, not me...
so should know something more in a day or two... the only minor setback is that i'll need to give them my portfolio when i meet with them and i can't find the cd that has the pdf's i was going to use for my portfolio... so i'll do a mad search tomorrow and if i still can't find it, i'll have to figure something out...
tonight i watched how i met your mother (and loved it) and the bachelor... i don't know why... and now i'm watching a great movie... but i'm not telling what it is - because i may want to use it as trivia...
overall, it's been a really good day...
i had an interview today... it went spectacularly well... i guess... i mean, it was good...
it was with the minister of education for a church in franklin... he's going to tell the youth ministers i'd be assisting about me in the morning, then, supposedly, they'll call me to set up an interview...
so i'll just have to dazzle them with my incredible personality and quick wit... shouldn't be a problem... after all, my mom says if they don't like me - it's them, not me...
so should know something more in a day or two... the only minor setback is that i'll need to give them my portfolio when i meet with them and i can't find the cd that has the pdf's i was going to use for my portfolio... so i'll do a mad search tomorrow and if i still can't find it, i'll have to figure something out...
tonight i watched how i met your mother (and loved it) and the bachelor... i don't know why... and now i'm watching a great movie... but i'm not telling what it is - because i may want to use it as trivia...
overall, it's been a really good day...
Feb 5, 2006
a bit of reflection...
i have gotten out of the habit of doing this... but i wanted to post some lyrics... i haven't really taken the time to reflect on the fact that i have uprooted once again... moved to an unfamiliar place... am attempting to make new friends, looking for a new job, trying to start over... it's not been an easy month... i mean, there are good points, for sure... but there have been a fair share of hard times and tears shed... i spent some time in the car today, and i put in a cd alyssa made for me for my road trip... a song by late tuesday is the first song... and had i been by myself on my roadtrip when i put this cd in, i probably would have had to pull over... it hits home in a way that no other song seems to really express what i'm feeling...
I Must Go
Time flies when you're having fun
And it's flown too quickly for me
For my time has arrived
The day has come, the day I must leave
Where I'll go I cannot barely know
All I see is the road at my feet
I must go, I must leave this place
I have somewhere to go
I have a new road to follow
I must go, and though I wish I could stay
There is something beyond what I can see
I must go
And though I feel like I'm losing myself as I
fear leaving all this behind me
I will not, I will not lose my faith as I go
For my fears will be vanished in time
And I know that I will be fine
I must go, I must leave this place
I have somewhere to go
I have a new road to follow
I must go, and though I wish I could stay
There is something beyond what I can see
I must go
And I will not forget you, I could not forget you
Even though I cannot be by your side
But life's course has brought us to this place, tomorrow we must embrace
And seek joy in this bittersweet goodbye
I Must Go
Time flies when you're having fun
And it's flown too quickly for me
For my time has arrived
The day has come, the day I must leave
Where I'll go I cannot barely know
All I see is the road at my feet
I must go, I must leave this place
I have somewhere to go
I have a new road to follow
I must go, and though I wish I could stay
There is something beyond what I can see
I must go
And though I feel like I'm losing myself as I
fear leaving all this behind me
I will not, I will not lose my faith as I go
For my fears will be vanished in time
And I know that I will be fine
I must go, I must leave this place
I have somewhere to go
I have a new road to follow
I must go, and though I wish I could stay
There is something beyond what I can see
I must go
And I will not forget you, I could not forget you
Even though I cannot be by your side
But life's course has brought us to this place, tomorrow we must embrace
And seek joy in this bittersweet goodbye
Feb 2, 2006
gloria gaynor sings it best...
here's what's going on...
i had a birthday... happy birthday to me! it was exciting, only because i got to hang out with some of the coolest people in the world... i'm definitely feeling old these days and hanging out on beale with some good friends, good food and good fun was good times!!! i am working on getting pictures up... oh - and happy birthday to blake and danae... we all got to celebrate together, which was incredible... it's pretty amazing when 3 out of 10 people are celebrating a birthday at the table...
next item on the agenda... the job hunt...
it's actually going spectacularly... this week has definitely been a turn-around from last week... with the way things are going, i'm feeling a lot more confident about my decision to move to nashville, which means i probably won't be moving to the big l-r... (sad times in some ways... but i'll still close enough to visit!!!)
here's what has happened job-wise... i met with a lady from a staffing agency today and got hired there, which means i'll be doing temp/temp-to-hire work starting very soon... and because of my mad computer skills (who would be able to guess that i know a ton about excel?), the lady wants me to have a better job than a brainless one... so tomorrow i have an interview with an engineering firm in the marketing department as an administrative assistant... the pay is really good... so i'm hoping (and praying) that it's a good fit for everyone... i would still be temporary, but could become permanent maybe... but there are a bunch of other people interviewing, so i'm hoping it goes well...
if it doesn't work out, i'll do some other temp job... but there are some other things on the horizon...
i'm working on my substitute application... it's kind of on the back burner... but all that i have left to worry about are reference forms, which i've been unable to pull off the website... so i'll have to call to see about getting them... and then i've got everything ready to go for that...
and i have also applied for a student ministry-ministry assistant position at a church close by... it's about half administrative/half graphic design type stuff... so it would be great, as well... i haven't heard anything back, and i don't know what that process will look like, so i'm just applying and interviewing where i can...
i also received notification from the state of tn for a job that i applied for... i have to go take a written test, but i have 6 months to do so, so that's also on the back burner...
ok, i guess that's enough rambling about the job front... it's just easier to type in one place rather than trying to tell everyone... even though most people know (and at least one has heard it twice!!! :)...)
i had a birthday... happy birthday to me! it was exciting, only because i got to hang out with some of the coolest people in the world... i'm definitely feeling old these days and hanging out on beale with some good friends, good food and good fun was good times!!! i am working on getting pictures up... oh - and happy birthday to blake and danae... we all got to celebrate together, which was incredible... it's pretty amazing when 3 out of 10 people are celebrating a birthday at the table...
next item on the agenda... the job hunt...
it's actually going spectacularly... this week has definitely been a turn-around from last week... with the way things are going, i'm feeling a lot more confident about my decision to move to nashville, which means i probably won't be moving to the big l-r... (sad times in some ways... but i'll still close enough to visit!!!)
here's what has happened job-wise... i met with a lady from a staffing agency today and got hired there, which means i'll be doing temp/temp-to-hire work starting very soon... and because of my mad computer skills (who would be able to guess that i know a ton about excel?), the lady wants me to have a better job than a brainless one... so tomorrow i have an interview with an engineering firm in the marketing department as an administrative assistant... the pay is really good... so i'm hoping (and praying) that it's a good fit for everyone... i would still be temporary, but could become permanent maybe... but there are a bunch of other people interviewing, so i'm hoping it goes well...
if it doesn't work out, i'll do some other temp job... but there are some other things on the horizon...
i'm working on my substitute application... it's kind of on the back burner... but all that i have left to worry about are reference forms, which i've been unable to pull off the website... so i'll have to call to see about getting them... and then i've got everything ready to go for that...
and i have also applied for a student ministry-ministry assistant position at a church close by... it's about half administrative/half graphic design type stuff... so it would be great, as well... i haven't heard anything back, and i don't know what that process will look like, so i'm just applying and interviewing where i can...
i also received notification from the state of tn for a job that i applied for... i have to go take a written test, but i have 6 months to do so, so that's also on the back burner...
ok, i guess that's enough rambling about the job front... it's just easier to type in one place rather than trying to tell everyone... even though most people know (and at least one has heard it twice!!! :)...)
Jan 31, 2006
high school memories...
i finally brought in my yearbooks from the car... i haven't looked at them in several years... and last night, i decided to look back at some memories... it was actually pretty cool... here are some things i am taking away from the experience...
*i have forgotten a lot of people... i never thought i could forget everyone from high school, but as i read through the notes written on the front and back pages, i thought, "who is ralph?" when i finally got around to looking at the pictures, especially my graduating class, i thought, "oh, that's ralph!" (i mean, he was even basketball homecoming king my senior year...)
*because i was really involved in drama and choir, everyone thought i was going to be an actress... which is funny... especially since after high school, i only took one choir class and no acting and majored in journalism in college...
*there are a lot of bad pictures of me...
*based on 2 notes written in consecutive years in my yearbook by the same person, i should have dated him... we may have... it's all kind of cloudy...
i'm sure there are other things... but right now, that will be all...
*i have forgotten a lot of people... i never thought i could forget everyone from high school, but as i read through the notes written on the front and back pages, i thought, "who is ralph?" when i finally got around to looking at the pictures, especially my graduating class, i thought, "oh, that's ralph!" (i mean, he was even basketball homecoming king my senior year...)
*because i was really involved in drama and choir, everyone thought i was going to be an actress... which is funny... especially since after high school, i only took one choir class and no acting and majored in journalism in college...
*there are a lot of bad pictures of me...
*based on 2 notes written in consecutive years in my yearbook by the same person, i should have dated him... we may have... it's all kind of cloudy...
i'm sure there are other things... but right now, that will be all...
Jan 29, 2006
updated points and the winner of january movie trivia...
the points have been tallied and amy is the winner of january movie trivia... congratulations!!!
amy will receive a $10 gift card to the store of her choice...
oh, and the rest of the answers are as follows:
18. child's play
19. a jawbreaker
20. oprah winfrey
this all comes with my promise that i will never again do daily trivia for 4 weeks at a time!!!
amy will receive a $10 gift card to the store of her choice...
oh, and the rest of the answers are as follows:
18. child's play
19. a jawbreaker
20. oprah winfrey
this all comes with my promise that i will never again do daily trivia for 4 weeks at a time!!!
Jan 27, 2006
post #400...
this is my 400th entry... how exciting... i don't really have anything else to say except that i'm excited to be able to share my life in this way... i heart my blog!!! (and i hope you do, too!!!)
question #20...
last one... are you ready?
i'm going to give some facts about someone famous who shares a birthday with me... name them for 1 point...
as always, no cheating and email answers to rmschristian@yahoo.com
here are the facts:
Graduated from East Nashville High School in Nashville, Tennessee; voted most popular
Ranked #1 in Entertainment Weekly's 1998 list of the most powerful people in industry, but dropped to #6 in 1999 list.
Graduate of Tennessee State University, with degrees in speech communications and performing arts
Chosen by "People" magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.
middle name is Gail
give me the weekend to double check everything and name the winner... if there is a tie, i'll let you know and i'll come up with something to determine who the winner is...
oh - and i'm putting an entry below that is a pretty good read, especially in relation to the last for real entry i posted...
i'm going to give some facts about someone famous who shares a birthday with me... name them for 1 point...
as always, no cheating and email answers to rmschristian@yahoo.com
here are the facts:
Graduated from East Nashville High School in Nashville, Tennessee; voted most popular
Ranked #1 in Entertainment Weekly's 1998 list of the most powerful people in industry, but dropped to #6 in 1999 list.
Graduate of Tennessee State University, with degrees in speech communications and performing arts
Chosen by "People" magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.
middle name is Gail
give me the weekend to double check everything and name the winner... if there is a tie, i'll let you know and i'll come up with something to determine who the winner is...
oh - and i'm putting an entry below that is a pretty good read, especially in relation to the last for real entry i posted...
Jan 26, 2006
it's amazing the difference a day can make... or chicken soup for the soul...
i've never been a fan of those books... but i liked the idea of it tonight as i was talking with a friend about the night... and i said, "it was like chicken noodle soup for my soul!!!"
so here's what happened...
yesterday i was definitely hitting depression... i mean, it was not good at all... so i got a few phone calls, all of which made me cry... and i decided i needed to come home... what's strange is that my mom's house has never really been my refuge before... i usually would go to visit friends or go somewhere else to get away... but for the first time, i found comfort in knowing i could just come home... and i was also looking forward to hanging out with the perry's for a little while... and just being around people... that's always good for me...
so tonight, i decided to go to student matrix at fbc... i was so excited to see chris and bekah and andrea... and a bunch of other people that i don't really know or know all that well... but it was good... the service was great... therapeutic, but not the best part of my night...
we went to eat and i started talking to the girls at my end of the table... and i was interviewing them... and it was fun... we were laughing and having a good time, and then i ended up going to the other end of the table where i resumed the interview game and got into a really long discussion with a guy i'd never met before...
all good... so then, afterwards, i wanted to go get coffee - so i suggested it to kathryn and lauren - and off we went... and it was so much fun... i forgot how good it feels to sit and talk over a cup of coffee about nothing and everything all at the same time... missions and boys and coffee and school and family and just stuff... my cup runneth over...
and i know that's what ministry is... and i miss that aspect of it... so i'm sure it won't be long before i'm looking for a place where i can plug in and do ministry like that... to invest in the lives of students by being real and authentic and available and honest... to share life and walk alongside them... i just hope i can find it... seriously - in talking with people from last night to tonight, they could tell something had changed...
i have actually been seeking God more than i had been... the hard part for me is not the location but not having friends besides my roommates... because i'm a people person... and i know that God is up to something, i was just having a moo moo day, as my friend sarah says... and i'm allowed to have them... God is bigger than my bad days... and He always meets me where i am... like today, for example... the other hard part is not having a job... i know it's only been a couple of weeks, but i wasn't expecting it to take this long to find a job... and i wasn't anticipating the long amounts of alone time...
enough rambling... my only fear is monday - going back to the lack of a job and the alone time all over again... but i guess i don't have to worry about that for a while...
so here's what happened...
yesterday i was definitely hitting depression... i mean, it was not good at all... so i got a few phone calls, all of which made me cry... and i decided i needed to come home... what's strange is that my mom's house has never really been my refuge before... i usually would go to visit friends or go somewhere else to get away... but for the first time, i found comfort in knowing i could just come home... and i was also looking forward to hanging out with the perry's for a little while... and just being around people... that's always good for me...
so tonight, i decided to go to student matrix at fbc... i was so excited to see chris and bekah and andrea... and a bunch of other people that i don't really know or know all that well... but it was good... the service was great... therapeutic, but not the best part of my night...
we went to eat and i started talking to the girls at my end of the table... and i was interviewing them... and it was fun... we were laughing and having a good time, and then i ended up going to the other end of the table where i resumed the interview game and got into a really long discussion with a guy i'd never met before...
all good... so then, afterwards, i wanted to go get coffee - so i suggested it to kathryn and lauren - and off we went... and it was so much fun... i forgot how good it feels to sit and talk over a cup of coffee about nothing and everything all at the same time... missions and boys and coffee and school and family and just stuff... my cup runneth over...
and i know that's what ministry is... and i miss that aspect of it... so i'm sure it won't be long before i'm looking for a place where i can plug in and do ministry like that... to invest in the lives of students by being real and authentic and available and honest... to share life and walk alongside them... i just hope i can find it... seriously - in talking with people from last night to tonight, they could tell something had changed...
i have actually been seeking God more than i had been... the hard part for me is not the location but not having friends besides my roommates... because i'm a people person... and i know that God is up to something, i was just having a moo moo day, as my friend sarah says... and i'm allowed to have them... God is bigger than my bad days... and He always meets me where i am... like today, for example... the other hard part is not having a job... i know it's only been a couple of weeks, but i wasn't expecting it to take this long to find a job... and i wasn't anticipating the long amounts of alone time...
enough rambling... my only fear is monday - going back to the lack of a job and the alone time all over again... but i guess i don't have to worry about that for a while...
question #19...
The following is a plot line for a movie. fill in the blank to earn one point. as always, no cheating and email answers to rmschristian@yahoo.com... one more day left!!!
In what was meant as a harmless birthday prank, three of Reagan High School's most popular girls, Julie, Foxy, and Courtney pretend to kidnap their friend, the latter shoving ___________ into the victim's mouth to keep her from screaming. Their plan goes awry when the girl accidently swallows it, choking to death. The cool and calculating Courtney tries to cover the crime but is found out by school geek Fern Mayo. In return for her silence, Courtney transforms the gawky Fern into the stylishly beautiful Vylette, leaving the conscience-stricken Julie out in the cold, threatening to set her up for the girl's murder if she breaks her silence.
In what was meant as a harmless birthday prank, three of Reagan High School's most popular girls, Julie, Foxy, and Courtney pretend to kidnap their friend, the latter shoving ___________ into the victim's mouth to keep her from screaming. Their plan goes awry when the girl accidently swallows it, choking to death. The cool and calculating Courtney tries to cover the crime but is found out by school geek Fern Mayo. In return for her silence, Courtney transforms the gawky Fern into the stylishly beautiful Vylette, leaving the conscience-stricken Julie out in the cold, threatening to set her up for the girl's murder if she breaks her silence.
Jan 25, 2006
pointstuff...
i'm going home in a little bit, so i wanted to update points and get some tally stuff out of the way, so everyone knows for sure where they stand... i'm working on the next 2 days' trivia and will update from home tonight and tomorrow night and then, if needed, the tie breaker will be next week...
i've updated the points for today's question so far...
as far as this week goes,
amy, erin, andrea, and chris all got monday's question right... meet joe black
amy and erin got yesterday's question right - bridget jones
so far, amy and chris have gotten today's question right...
i don't know if i talked about answers from last week...
but here they are:
11. mlk, jr.
12. true (the birthday song being owned by warner)
13. c. august
14. marilyn monroe, jfk
15. b. england
i've updated the points for today's question so far...
as far as this week goes,
amy, erin, andrea, and chris all got monday's question right... meet joe black
amy and erin got yesterday's question right - bridget jones
so far, amy and chris have gotten today's question right...
i don't know if i talked about answers from last week...
but here they are:
11. mlk, jr.
12. true (the birthday song being owned by warner)
13. c. august
14. marilyn monroe, jfk
15. b. england
question #18...
as always no cheating and email answers to rmschristian@yahoo.com...
in what movie does andy receive a toy for his birthday that is not quite what he expects and isn't so much of a "good guy?"
in what movie does andy receive a toy for his birthday that is not quite what he expects and isn't so much of a "good guy?"
Jan 24, 2006
::beauty in the breakdown::
it finally hit... i'm not sure what exactly caused it... a number of things, i'm sure... i won't name them all... but the breakdown finally happened...
i was talking on the phone to my brother last night... one of the many people who have called just to check up on me... when i'm about to start crying, i can usually catch it before and stop it before it starts... this time, i didn't have a chance... and it was out of nowhere, really... i tried to change the subject to something more happy, but it didn't really help...
i sort of feel like i don't want to talk to anyone... i don't have anything going on... i applied for 5 jobs yesterday, as a matter of fact, and other than that, i sat around and watched tv... i stay up too late because i'm not tired and sleep in late because i don't have a job to go to... the tally is up to 35 jobs applied for, 2 call-backs and 2 rejections... i don't have anything new to talk about and it makes me sad when people ask... and i know they mean well... they just want to know if i've found anything, how the job hunt is going... so a lot of times, i just don't want to talk at all, especially if i know those questions will be asked... and since i have nothing new to talk about, i don't want to talk... (so if i've brushed you off lately, i'm sorry... it's not you, it's me... :)...)
today was the worst... i called mom to check about something with the license/tags... and a fax i sent... she said that chris - the youth pastor i interned with for 2 years, who coincidently, i was talking about last night with high praise because he's incredible - called my house wanting my phone number... so my grandma called my mom to tell her and my mom and i talked - and she gave me chris' number to call him back... which i just did...
he asked me how things were going... and i felt it welling, but couldn't stop it (again)... "fine," i mumbled through a shaky voice... i knew that he knew i wasn't fine... and i know that i don't have the intimiate fellowship with God that chris does, but he said that i had been on his heart and asked what he could pray for... and he gave me some scripture and we hung up... and the tears continued to fall... i tried reading the scripture he gave me... one is random, so i'll have to sit and try and figure it out... and the other is one i couldn't get through because i was crying... so i'll tackle it later, too...
i hate the way this feels... i hate not having an outlet... i hate not having purpose (with respect to a job)... i hate asking my parents for money... i hate crying about it because i feel like a baby... and because it makes other people uncomfortable... i hate the phrase, "something will come along"... i hate not having the answers... i hate the way this all sounds... i mean, i guess i should be thankful... but any attempt to say the things i'm grateful right now concerning the lack of a job would just be fake...
right now, i'm thankful for oreos and i'm hoping the milk hasn't gone bad, because all i want to do today is sit around and eat oreos and drink milk...
i was talking on the phone to my brother last night... one of the many people who have called just to check up on me... when i'm about to start crying, i can usually catch it before and stop it before it starts... this time, i didn't have a chance... and it was out of nowhere, really... i tried to change the subject to something more happy, but it didn't really help...
i sort of feel like i don't want to talk to anyone... i don't have anything going on... i applied for 5 jobs yesterday, as a matter of fact, and other than that, i sat around and watched tv... i stay up too late because i'm not tired and sleep in late because i don't have a job to go to... the tally is up to 35 jobs applied for, 2 call-backs and 2 rejections... i don't have anything new to talk about and it makes me sad when people ask... and i know they mean well... they just want to know if i've found anything, how the job hunt is going... so a lot of times, i just don't want to talk at all, especially if i know those questions will be asked... and since i have nothing new to talk about, i don't want to talk... (so if i've brushed you off lately, i'm sorry... it's not you, it's me... :)...)
today was the worst... i called mom to check about something with the license/tags... and a fax i sent... she said that chris - the youth pastor i interned with for 2 years, who coincidently, i was talking about last night with high praise because he's incredible - called my house wanting my phone number... so my grandma called my mom to tell her and my mom and i talked - and she gave me chris' number to call him back... which i just did...
he asked me how things were going... and i felt it welling, but couldn't stop it (again)... "fine," i mumbled through a shaky voice... i knew that he knew i wasn't fine... and i know that i don't have the intimiate fellowship with God that chris does, but he said that i had been on his heart and asked what he could pray for... and he gave me some scripture and we hung up... and the tears continued to fall... i tried reading the scripture he gave me... one is random, so i'll have to sit and try and figure it out... and the other is one i couldn't get through because i was crying... so i'll tackle it later, too...
i hate the way this feels... i hate not having an outlet... i hate not having purpose (with respect to a job)... i hate asking my parents for money... i hate crying about it because i feel like a baby... and because it makes other people uncomfortable... i hate the phrase, "something will come along"... i hate not having the answers... i hate the way this all sounds... i mean, i guess i should be thankful... but any attempt to say the things i'm grateful right now concerning the lack of a job would just be fake...
right now, i'm thankful for oreos and i'm hoping the milk hasn't gone bad, because all i want to do today is sit around and eat oreos and drink milk...
question #17...
Tuesday... woo hoo... after today, you have 3 more chances for points... i'm going to try to make the next few days tougher... the rules are the same... no cheating and email responses to rmschristian@yahoo.com -
Whose birthday dinner included:
blue soup
omelettes with caper berry gravy (congealed green gunge)
and orange parfait/pudding (that tasted like marmalade)?
Whose birthday dinner included:
blue soup
omelettes with caper berry gravy (congealed green gunge)
and orange parfait/pudding (that tasted like marmalade)?
Jan 23, 2006
question #16...
easy monday morning movie trivia... i'm too tired to think of anything else, so today's should be pretty easy... this is the last week so make each day count... if there's a tie at the end of the week, maybe i'll do a tie-breaker... we'll see how it turns out...
same rules as always... email answers to rmschristian@yahoo.com and no cheating!!!
the following is the plot synopsis from what movie?
Bill Parrish, media tycoon, loving father and still a human being, is about to celebrate his 65th birthday. One morning, he is contacted by the Inevitable - by hallucination, as he thinks. Later, Death itself enters his home and his life, personified in a man's body. His intention was to take Bill with him, but accidentally, Joe's former host and Bills beautiful daughter Susan have already met. Joe begins to develop certain interest in life on earth as well as in Susan, who has no clue who she's flirting with.
same rules as always... email answers to rmschristian@yahoo.com and no cheating!!!
the following is the plot synopsis from what movie?
Bill Parrish, media tycoon, loving father and still a human being, is about to celebrate his 65th birthday. One morning, he is contacted by the Inevitable - by hallucination, as he thinks. Later, Death itself enters his home and his life, personified in a man's body. His intention was to take Bill with him, but accidentally, Joe's former host and Bills beautiful daughter Susan have already met. Joe begins to develop certain interest in life on earth as well as in Susan, who has no clue who she's flirting with.
Jan 20, 2006
question #15...
this is going up a little earlier tonight than usual... i just want to get it up so i can get ready and go to bed... i have a second interview/observation tomorrow... (yea!) and i need to get some sleep...
this is the last question from the random birthday trivia - it will be back to movie/pop culture/ maybe tv on monday...
it's another multiple choice question...
The following describes typical birthday celebrations in what country?
Fortune Telling Cakes and Bumps. Certain symbolic objects are mixed into the birthday cake as it being prepared. If your piece of cake has a coin in it, then you will be rich. Also, when it's your birthday your friends give you the "bumps" they lift you in the air by your hands and feet and raise you up and down to the floor, one for each year then one for luck, two for luck and three for the old man's coconut!
a. USA
b. England
c. Ghana
d. Vietnam
as always... no cheating and email answers to rmschristian@yahoo.com
this is the last question from the random birthday trivia - it will be back to movie/pop culture/ maybe tv on monday...
it's another multiple choice question...
The following describes typical birthday celebrations in what country?
Fortune Telling Cakes and Bumps. Certain symbolic objects are mixed into the birthday cake as it being prepared. If your piece of cake has a coin in it, then you will be rich. Also, when it's your birthday your friends give you the "bumps" they lift you in the air by your hands and feet and raise you up and down to the floor, one for each year then one for luck, two for luck and three for the old man's coconut!
a. USA
b. England
c. Ghana
d. Vietnam
as always... no cheating and email answers to rmschristian@yahoo.com
Jan 19, 2006
question #14...
6 questions to go after today... i'm still sticking with the random birthday trivia... there are two parts to today's question... you have to get both to get the point... as always, no cheating and email answers to rmschristian@yahoo.com
the most famous rendition of "happy birthday" (the birthday song) is when ______________ sang "happy birthday, mr president" to _______________ at madison square garden on 19 may 1962.
yes, it has 2 parts, but it's not that difficult... if you know one, you definitely know the other... and the date gives away a lot...
the most famous rendition of "happy birthday" (the birthday song) is when ______________ sang "happy birthday, mr president" to _______________ at madison square garden on 19 may 1962.
yes, it has 2 parts, but it's not that difficult... if you know one, you definitely know the other... and the date gives away a lot...
Jan 18, 2006
question #13...
i'm continuing on with the random birthday trivia... this one is multiple choice... as always, no cheating, email answers to rmschristian@yahoo.com
according to a website (that i won't name for obvious reasons), more people celebrate their birthdays in what month than in any other month (about 9% of all people).
a. january
b. april
c. august
d. december
there's another random side note, but i'll wait to tell it until tomorrow because it will confuse this question, i think... don't miss the post below... it's a pretty decent one this time...
according to a website (that i won't name for obvious reasons), more people celebrate their birthdays in what month than in any other month (about 9% of all people).
a. january
b. april
c. august
d. december
there's another random side note, but i'll wait to tell it until tomorrow because it will confuse this question, i think... don't miss the post below... it's a pretty decent one this time...
Jan 17, 2006
maybe that's all family really is...
over the last month, i've started to reflect on family more than i have in a really long time... i left the south to move to the northwest... i took on many of the characteristics that describe many northwesterners... i definitely had a feeling of independence... like i wanted to do it all on my own...
as i started facing the possibility of moving back to the south, i started to realize i couldn't do it alone... i have several friends whose parents don't really help them with anything, especially when it comes to money... i have always been fortunate enough to know that if i needed anything, i could call either of my parents and know that i wouldn't go without - if i really needed it...
my parents have been great during the move back... the transition... the lack of a job for the last few weeks... (which will hopefully be changing at the end of the week...)
but more than that... there's someone who has been terrific to me for the last several years... i'm pretty sure that i never even realized it most of the time... and it took me moving back (closer to) home and realizing how often my sister bends over backwards to make sure i have what i need... it's crazy... money hidden in my bags or my car when i went home for weekends... or as i moved here... she let me borrow her truck with no estimated date of return...
i really have no words to express my gratitude... i'm blown away by the unconditional love of family that i never recognized before the last few months... by the constant support with no strings attached... no stipulations... nothing... just because we're family... because we love each other... because we don't want to see the other one without...
thanks... i know you're reading!!!
oh... i just realized... my brother owes me $50... just kidding... but not really...
i'm was going to upload some picutres, but my computer and printer are being insubordinant... stupid computer and printer... evidently my computer forgot that it knows my printer/scanner... so no pictures will be uploaded tonight...
as i started facing the possibility of moving back to the south, i started to realize i couldn't do it alone... i have several friends whose parents don't really help them with anything, especially when it comes to money... i have always been fortunate enough to know that if i needed anything, i could call either of my parents and know that i wouldn't go without - if i really needed it...
my parents have been great during the move back... the transition... the lack of a job for the last few weeks... (which will hopefully be changing at the end of the week...)
but more than that... there's someone who has been terrific to me for the last several years... i'm pretty sure that i never even realized it most of the time... and it took me moving back (closer to) home and realizing how often my sister bends over backwards to make sure i have what i need... it's crazy... money hidden in my bags or my car when i went home for weekends... or as i moved here... she let me borrow her truck with no estimated date of return...
i really have no words to express my gratitude... i'm blown away by the unconditional love of family that i never recognized before the last few months... by the constant support with no strings attached... no stipulations... nothing... just because we're family... because we love each other... because we don't want to see the other one without...
thanks... i know you're reading!!!
oh... i just realized... my brother owes me $50... just kidding... but not really...
i'm was going to upload some picutres, but my computer and printer are being insubordinant... stupid computer and printer... evidently my computer forgot that it knows my printer/scanner... so no pictures will be uploaded tonight...
question #12...
i'm watching david letterman, and i'll just say... it's the saddest thing i've ever seen... because of the golden globes, it seems like he had to scrape the bottom of the barrel for guests... martin lawrence and one of the hosts of the show mythbusters... and some random guy who is wearing rabbi-ish clothing with tennis shoes and he's rapping... it's weird... truly weird...
onto the trivia... i think that this week will all be random non-movie related trivia... after all, it is more about the birthday part than it is about the movie part... i'll be back to movies and tv next week... but for now... the question of the day...
it's a true/false question... so even if you don't know the answer, you have a 50/50 chance...
the rights to the birthday song (happy birthday to you) are owned by warner communications, and it brings in over $2 million in licensing rights annually...
true or false?
onto the trivia... i think that this week will all be random non-movie related trivia... after all, it is more about the birthday part than it is about the movie part... i'll be back to movies and tv next week... but for now... the question of the day...
it's a true/false question... so even if you don't know the answer, you have a 50/50 chance...
the rights to the birthday song (happy birthday to you) are owned by warner communications, and it brings in over $2 million in licensing rights annually...
true or false?
Jan 16, 2006
question #11...
as long as my hard drive will hold out, i will continue to post... i've had extreme computer problems this weekend... ugh... i have some stuff to post - but i haven't had the time to deal with them while trying to back up my hard drive... so i promise - some real stuff coming as soon as i can get the computer stuff worked out...
but for now, today's january trivia question... and it's incredibly easy, guys!!!
as always, no cheating and email the answers to rmschristian@yahoo.com
Whose birthday is being celebrated today (January 16th), causing many businesses to close in honor of him?
(i can't figure out how to word it - but you know what i mean...)
but for now, today's january trivia question... and it's incredibly easy, guys!!!
as always, no cheating and email the answers to rmschristian@yahoo.com
Whose birthday is being celebrated today (January 16th), causing many businesses to close in honor of him?
(i can't figure out how to word it - but you know what i mean...)
Jan 14, 2006
points are as follows...
ok... here's what i have as far as answers go... correct me if i'm wrong on your points...
i'm going to list the person and the questions they got correct...
amy: all but #8 - 9 points total
erin: all but #4 - 9 points total
andrea: all but #'s 3,8 - 8 points total
chris: #3,8,9,10 - 4 points total
emily: #'s 1,5 (?) - 2 points total
louis: #1 - 1 point total
i gave erin the shaft the other day because of the time zone difference - my bad... i'm actually very impressed!!!
the correct answers, in case anyone is wondering are:
1. 30
2. tell a lie
3. high fidelity
4. 16 candles
5. the bachelor
6. hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry (just hogwarts is acceptable)
7. napoleon dynamite
8. stop! or my mom will shoot!
9. sleeping beauty
10. clueless
if there are any discrepancies with the points, let me know...
i'm going to list the person and the questions they got correct...
amy: all but #8 - 9 points total
erin: all but #4 - 9 points total
andrea: all but #'s 3,8 - 8 points total
chris: #3,8,9,10 - 4 points total
emily: #'s 1,5 (?) - 2 points total
louis: #1 - 1 point total
i gave erin the shaft the other day because of the time zone difference - my bad... i'm actually very impressed!!!
the correct answers, in case anyone is wondering are:
1. 30
2. tell a lie
3. high fidelity
4. 16 candles
5. the bachelor
6. hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry (just hogwarts is acceptable)
7. napoleon dynamite
8. stop! or my mom will shoot!
9. sleeping beauty
10. clueless
if there are any discrepancies with the points, let me know...
Jan 13, 2006
question #10...
last one for the week...
name the movie the quote comes from for 1 point...
So like, right now for example. The Haitians need to come to America. But some people are all, "What about the strain on our resources?" Well it's like when I had this garden party for my father's birthday, right? I put R.S.V.P. 'cause it was a sit-down dinner. But some people came that like did not R.S.V.P. I was like totally buggin'. I had to haul ass to the kitchen, redistribute the food, and squish in extra place settings. But by the end of the day it was, like, the more the merrier. And so if the government could just get to the kitchen, rearrange some things, we could certainly party with the Haitians. And in conclusion may I please remind you it does not say R.S.V.P. on the Statue of Liberty. Thank you very much.
name the movie the quote comes from for 1 point...
So like, right now for example. The Haitians need to come to America. But some people are all, "What about the strain on our resources?" Well it's like when I had this garden party for my father's birthday, right? I put R.S.V.P. 'cause it was a sit-down dinner. But some people came that like did not R.S.V.P. I was like totally buggin'. I had to haul ass to the kitchen, redistribute the food, and squish in extra place settings. But by the end of the day it was, like, the more the merrier. And so if the government could just get to the kitchen, rearrange some things, we could certainly party with the Haitians. And in conclusion may I please remind you it does not say R.S.V.P. on the Statue of Liberty. Thank you very much.
Jan 12, 2006
question #9...
evidently yesterday's question was tough... i don't usually post the answers, but for inquiring minds - it was stop! or my mom will shoot! random, i know...
today's question is different...
the following is a list of characters' names from a movie... name the movie for 1 point...
philip
aurora
briar rose
flora
merryweather
fauna
maleficent
stefan
hubert
same as always - no cheating and email the answer rmschristian@yahoo.com
today's question is different...
the following is a list of characters' names from a movie... name the movie for 1 point...
philip
aurora
briar rose
flora
merryweather
fauna
maleficent
stefan
hubert
same as always - no cheating and email the answer rmschristian@yahoo.com
Jan 11, 2006
question #8...
the following is a plot line for a movie... name the movie for 1 point... as always, no cheating... email the responses to rmschristian@yahoo.com...
A tough detective's mother comes to visit him, and promptly starts trying to fix up his life, much to his embarrassment. For his birthday she buys him a machine gun out of the back of a van, and begins to further interfere with his job and love life, eventually helping him with a case he's on.
A tough detective's mother comes to visit him, and promptly starts trying to fix up his life, much to his embarrassment. For his birthday she buys him a machine gun out of the back of a van, and begins to further interfere with his job and love life, eventually helping him with a case he's on.
Jan 9, 2006
question #7...
today's question is a quote... same rules apply... no cheating, email answers to rmschristian@yahoo.com... name the movie the quote is from for 1 point.
"Yeah, I took her to the mall to get some glamor shots for her birthday one year."
on a random side note, i just heard thunder - one of the things i missed about the south... enter me, with a big smile on my face... funny how something small makes me feel at home...
"Yeah, I took her to the mall to get some glamor shots for her birthday one year."
on a random side note, i just heard thunder - one of the things i missed about the south... enter me, with a big smile on my face... funny how something small makes me feel at home...
question #6...
same as last week - no cheating, email answers to rmschristian@yahoo.com...
on his 11th birthday, harry potter gets a letter inviting him to attend what school?
on his 11th birthday, harry potter gets a letter inviting him to attend what school?
Jan 8, 2006
update...
life seems to be flying by... i have a ton of phone calls to return... and while my days seem busy, there is little to write about... i bought my first furniture in tennessee today... a shelf to hold my tv, dvd player, vcr, and stereo (and something else on the bottom shelf) and a bookshelf... oh, and a shoe cubby (which is awesome) and 2 plastic drawer things (that go in my closet - along with the shoe cubby)...
i'm going to put books on the shelf tomorrow and see how much stuff i'll still have after i do that... i still have to get a bed... but i'd love to have a job before i do that... considering i still need to send the convention a check for my shipping stuff... and i have to pay a couple of bills as soon as they get here... and i need to pay to have a tb test done and some background check stuff done if i want to substitute teach - which, by the way, pays $78 a day, which i could totally handle...
things i know i still need to get:
desk
something to hold my cds
something to hold my pictures besides the cardboard box they're in
bed with risers so that i can put stuff underneath it
antenna for my tv
for now, i need to get some sleep... i'm tired...
i'm going to put books on the shelf tomorrow and see how much stuff i'll still have after i do that... i still have to get a bed... but i'd love to have a job before i do that... considering i still need to send the convention a check for my shipping stuff... and i have to pay a couple of bills as soon as they get here... and i need to pay to have a tb test done and some background check stuff done if i want to substitute teach - which, by the way, pays $78 a day, which i could totally handle...
things i know i still need to get:
desk
something to hold my cds
something to hold my pictures besides the cardboard box they're in
bed with risers so that i can put stuff underneath it
antenna for my tv
for now, i need to get some sleep... i'm tired...
Jan 6, 2006
question #5
this is the last one of the week... same rules - and email to rmschristian@yahoo.com or call or let me know before midnight friday...
the plot line for a movie is below. name the movie for 1 point...
James Shannon III is a man who is somewhat gullible at keeping relationships with his girlfriends. But one day, he meets Anne Arden and suddenly his life is changed. It is then that the night he was supposed to propose to her that he returns back to his old self again. This upsets Anne completely. Soon enough his grandfather dies and leaves Jimmie an inheritance of $100 Million with one huge condition: Jimmie *must* get on his 30th birthday by no later than five after 6:00pm or else his San Francisco-based pool table company goes under and/or will be sold, his bank accounts will be frozen, and employees will be laid off completely. Jimmie must now use every attempt to learn from his foolish mistakes, find his true love, get married, and save the company in one day.
the plot line for a movie is below. name the movie for 1 point...
James Shannon III is a man who is somewhat gullible at keeping relationships with his girlfriends. But one day, he meets Anne Arden and suddenly his life is changed. It is then that the night he was supposed to propose to her that he returns back to his old self again. This upsets Anne completely. Soon enough his grandfather dies and leaves Jimmie an inheritance of $100 Million with one huge condition: Jimmie *must* get on his 30th birthday by no later than five after 6:00pm or else his San Francisco-based pool table company goes under and/or will be sold, his bank accounts will be frozen, and employees will be laid off completely. Jimmie must now use every attempt to learn from his foolish mistakes, find his true love, get married, and save the company in one day.
Jan 5, 2006
question #4...
ok, so if it isn't obvious enough, the theme is birthdays... each trivia question has something to do with birthdays - the movies have birthdays in them or the quotes contain the word... that will be a little clue for you...
also, i will only do trivia monday-friday each week and it will end on january 27, which is 2 days before my birthday...
today's question is:
one tagline for this film read: "It's the time of your life that may last a lifetime."
good luck, kids!
also, i will only do trivia monday-friday each week and it will end on january 27, which is 2 days before my birthday...
today's question is:
one tagline for this film read: "It's the time of your life that may last a lifetime."
good luck, kids!
Jan 4, 2006
jobs...
i applied for a job at starbucks... one of the stores down the street (6 miles - after i've already passed 3 others) is hiring baristas... we went in to get coffee, i saw that they were hiring, picked up an application and filled it out immediately... we'll see if i get a call on it or not... it would be great... i may also check into substitute teaching pretty soon - because that could be on an on-call basis... which would be terrific if the starbucks thing works out and in case it's not enough hours - i could fill in with the substitute teaching...
we'll see...
we'll see...
question #3...
name the movie this quote is from for 1 point... no cheating... email the answer to me (rmschristian@yahoo.com) or leave a note in my room... :) or call me on the phone... :)
a: Hi, do you have the song "I Just Called To Say I Love You?" It's for my daughter's birthday.
b: Yea we have it.
a: Well, can I have it?
b: No, actually, you can't.
a: Why not?
b: God. Do you even know your daughter? There's no way she likes that song. Oops, is she in a coma?
a: Hi, do you have the song "I Just Called To Say I Love You?" It's for my daughter's birthday.
b: Yea we have it.
a: Well, can I have it?
b: No, actually, you can't.
a: Why not?
b: God. Do you even know your daughter? There's no way she likes that song. Oops, is she in a coma?
Jan 3, 2006
starting to think about writing about the transition
i really am at a loss for words... i feel like i should be overflowing with them, but i am empty... tons of emotions, but few descriptors for them... i left the northwest a little over a week ago... i've cried a little, but not near the tears i thought i would have cried... just one or two, here and there... i guess it's surreal... i still have a ton of questions... i don't know why i'm here a lot of the time... i still have everything in boxes stacked in my room... but i don't have furniture, so nothing is going anywhere... i just haven't gotten anything done... we've done something every night, and night time would be the best time to get stuff done...
i hate when i ramble...
the road trip was different than i expected - and different than erin expected, too... for me, it was a means to an end... i didn't feel the need to dilly-dally in places for longer than we needed to... i was ready to get on the road and get it over with... so we made it in 3 days, which was awesome... alyssa made us a journal to write stuff down in - and erin did most of the writing (because i did most of the driving)... so i don't have a lot of my thoughts written down, but at the same time, i've let my mind kind of block some of the things i should be thinking...
i'm still kind of in vacation-mode... it hasn't really sunk in that i live here now... i am loving not having anything to do, but i know i need to find a job very soon... i love sleeping in and not really having any responsibility besides checking the mail and maybe making dinner...
i picked up an application for starbucks today...
i'm going to stop now and try to journal the thoughts i wish i could describe on a different day...
i hate when i ramble...
the road trip was different than i expected - and different than erin expected, too... for me, it was a means to an end... i didn't feel the need to dilly-dally in places for longer than we needed to... i was ready to get on the road and get it over with... so we made it in 3 days, which was awesome... alyssa made us a journal to write stuff down in - and erin did most of the writing (because i did most of the driving)... so i don't have a lot of my thoughts written down, but at the same time, i've let my mind kind of block some of the things i should be thinking...
i'm still kind of in vacation-mode... it hasn't really sunk in that i live here now... i am loving not having anything to do, but i know i need to find a job very soon... i love sleeping in and not really having any responsibility besides checking the mail and maybe making dinner...
i picked up an application for starbucks today...
i'm going to stop now and try to journal the thoughts i wish i could describe on a different day...
question #2...
good job to everyone who participated yesterday...
just a reminder (not that i think anyone did, because it was an easy one...), no cheating... i just forgot to say it yesterday... but i hope there were no problems... there didn't seem to be any on my end... emails go to rmschristian@yahoo.com...
today's question: (a little harder today)
in a 1997 movie, max reede wishes as he blows out the candles on his fifth birthday that his dad would be unable to do what for a whole day?
just a reminder (not that i think anyone did, because it was an easy one...), no cheating... i just forgot to say it yesterday... but i hope there were no problems... there didn't seem to be any on my end... emails go to rmschristian@yahoo.com...
today's question: (a little harder today)
in a 1997 movie, max reede wishes as he blows out the candles on his fifth birthday that his dad would be unable to do what for a whole day?
Jan 2, 2006
january movie trivia... this is how we roll...
i'm going to post one movie trivia/pop culture trivia/whatever i feel like trivia question a day... each person can answer each question one time only (daily). if he/she gets the question correct, he/she will receive one point. the answers cannot be posted as comments, but must be emailed to rmschristian@yahoo.com... the answers must be submitted during the day on which the question is posted...
whoever receives the most points by january 31 will receive a $10 gift card to the store of his/her choice... any questions? let me know...
i'm starting off easy so everyone can get the hang of it and to boost morale... it will get harder!!!
today's question is...
in the semi-girl-version of the movie big, jenna rink wishes she was what age on her 13th birthday? (hint: she gets her wish...)
whoever receives the most points by january 31 will receive a $10 gift card to the store of his/her choice... any questions? let me know...
i'm starting off easy so everyone can get the hang of it and to boost morale... it will get harder!!!
today's question is...
in the semi-girl-version of the movie big, jenna rink wishes she was what age on her 13th birthday? (hint: she gets her wish...)
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