the perfect day... almost...

today was terrific... stinkin' awesome... here's the rundown...

i woke up semi-early for a saturday morning... about 9:00 or so... got out of bed, stumbled into the living room (half-asleep), and played game boy and watched saturday morning cartoons... i love it when i actually get to do this... it's one of my favorite things... there's this great sense of community when all the boys are up and we're watching pokemon and kirby and whatever else is on - that's what we watched this morning... and that's so raven, i think, too... anyway... i sat in the living room until about 11:30 - i had heard rumors that there would be an outing to the pumpkin patch - which i like to call the punkin' patch... i've never been to a punkin' patch in my entire life... i know, being from arkansas, that's hard for people to believe... but i haven't... last year when everyone went, i had to work everytime... so this year, i got to go...

so i took a shower and got ready (when i say this - i mean, i threw on an old pair of jeans, an old t-shirt and a sweatshirt, threw on a hat over wet hair and threw on the oldest pair of tennis shoes i have - i've never gone to a punkin' patch, but i know better than to wear new tennis shoes and my favorite jeans - some of the people out there weren't as smart...

so the ground rules were - everything is paid for - the punkin' patch and lunch - not by me... i had to abide by these rules or i wasn't allowed to go... so we headed out - almost the whole family... micah had to work... so there were 8 of us... and we went to the first patch and they had a very poor showing... so we left there and went to the mega punkin' patch - it's the family friendly one with pumpkin launching and corn mazes and a petting zoo... we got there and we could each get a pumpkin - so we take off on this tractor into a field to go pick out the pumpkin we wanted... mine was definitely going to have to be a "calling" - i was looking for the punkin' that was calling my name... "robyn... here i am... pick me... pick me..." - and it was funny to watch the two youngest boys kick a pumpkin every now and then and say "robyn..." half through their lips - and then proclaim... "robyn, i think this one's calling your name..." so bethany and matthan and i took off together - it's rained a lot here lately, so it was pretty muddy... which made it fun to walk through the field... on the search for the perfect punkin', i slipped and almost fell in some tractor tracks... which was quite humorous... finally, i found it... my punkin'... round, not too big... but big enough to get at least 2 homemade punkin' pies out of... cindy makes the BEST punkin' pie i've ever eaten... living with them during the holidays this year will be a huge advantage!!! so, bethany, matthan and i loaded up our punkin's and headed back towards the place to catch the tractor back... so we get back to the place where i almost fell on the way out... and i stopped and even said out loud... "this is the place where i almost fell... i need to be careful..." - you probably know what's coming... i take a step over the first set of tracks and slip and fall... so i have a new name... muddy butt... but it's slurred together - so muddybutt is more accurate... which proved to be fun... and the younger boys figured... you're already muddy, a little more won't hurt... good times... we took a ton of pictures and laughed a whole lot... then we went to lunch and the good times continued...

bethany and i went to portland for me to develop film and shop while we were waiting... so we walked over to starbuck's - and i realized it's the most beautiful day - i love weather like today... the sun was shining, but it was cool, crisp... with leaves changing colors... the smells of fall - the colors of fall... with a pumpkin spice latte in hand - i couldn't have asked for a better day... but i have a ton of stuff to do tonight for school... that's the only drawback... but i'm thankful - an extra hour of sleep tonight since it's daylight savings time... so i guess that helps out with the trying to get a ton of stuff done...

and the pictures turned out great... maybe when amy's here, i'll add pictures to my blog - and then my laptop is getting fixed - i had to order a new hard drive... and once i get it up and running again, i can start putting pictures up all the time... :)...

i love the fall!!!

countdown...

todady it's official... there are...

3 months until my birthday...
63 days left in the year...
26 days left until thanksgiving...
56 days left until christmas...
46 days left until mom and louis get here...
4 days until amy gets here...
5 days until i start my new job...

so exciting... on that note... i'm going to go eat some lunch and then i have to go to work at michael's - for one of the last times... sunday might be my last day... i'm not sure how it's all going to go down...

mama this surely is a dream...

okay - so i haven't posted in a while... but here i am now... sitting down to write one of my happiest posts ever...

on monday/tuesday, i was offered and accepted the job as the graphic designer/production assistant for the northwest baptist convention... here's what it all means -

• i have a "career" - this is not a part-time job to get me through seminary - this will be full-time, benefits, the works - monday-friday 8:30-5:00 - type job - no nights, no weekends...
• about school - they are working around my school schedule this semester... next semester, i am taking several steps back - only taking 6 hours max - just on tuesdays... depending on if i can handle it... my boss is not advocating me taking time off... but i don't want to be unrealistic in what i can take on... oh - and i start next week!!!
• the northwest is home... officially - my life will have major consistency - and i'm thrilled at that...
• as far as the job goes - here are my responsibilities... i will be responsible for graphic design for the convention - basically anything that anyone needs - i'm their go-to... so if someone needs programs designed for a meeting, logos, business cards, letterheads, envelopes - all that stuff... along with helping out with production/layout of the monthly newspaper... i think center spread will be my baby each month... other than that, it's just stories with a couple of ads at the bottom... along with helping out with the web site - this is the part that really intimidates me... i don't know anything - the only experience i have is this blog, which is very basic... but it'll work out, i'm sure...
• i have put in notice at my other two jobs... this one job is more than adequate for me to quit both of my other jobs and still come out way ahead at the end of the month... which is a great feeling...
• this job is perfect... i love the people i am going to be working with already - it's in the same building where i go to school, so i'm already on a first-name basis with many of the people i will get to work with each day... it's a very laid-back type of atmosphere - although i'm sure it will get stressful close to deadline time...
• the northwest baptist convention (check out www.nwbaptist.org) is basically the network of all the southern baptist churches in washington, oregon and part of idaho... it's the equivalent (in the south) of a state convention (like the arkansas baptist state convention - absc)...
• what this means for me/ministry - i still have huge and high expectations for high 5 ministries... honestly, a regular-full-time job is what i've been praying for... so my goals are to 1) get involved with a team-led youth ministry with a church in the area... 2) build a network of youth workers, school officials, and youth... as well as anyone else who would be interested in high 5... 3) start preliminary (baby steps) work to build up a ministry without a building... whether it be at the school or a church... or somewhere else... 4) pray that others catch the vision for it - and hopefully, in 10 years, have a full-running youth center - with tutoring, video games, a gym, music rooms, drama rooms, computer labs, foosball, ping pong and pool tables, and hopefully living areas upstairs for the interns... :)... and in the mean time, i will still be working my regular 40-hour a week job and working with the youth at the church that God will show me in the next few months... so that's what i see... and hope expectantly for...

i'm sure there's something i haven't covered... questions? post them as comments... i've basically been floating for the last few days... and the quote of the week has definitely been "i know..." - if you've heard me say it in the monica-voice from friends... because everyone has said how excited they are for me - and how great the job sounds... and how good it will be for me to have a "grown-up" job - i know... all of this i know... and i'm thrilled about... and i know that it's totally a God-thing... i found out about the job last tuesday, interviewed a week ago (on thursday) and monday - and found out monday that i got it/tuesday - what the pay would be and specifics and accepted it then... so in a week's time, i found out about it, interviewed twice and accepted it... and i totally credit that to my Daddy - He knows that i have no patience... and He's so faithful to deal with me in immediates... and i'm so thankful... as excited as i was, i definitely had a "have you thanked Him yet" day - which is something this cool lady i knew in college used to say - because her mom had said it to her... half-way through a very excited, shaking squeal, i thought... "have you thanked Him yet?" - and i had to stop... thank you Daddy, for knowing what i need and proving to be faithful and consistant and constant and loving... and to top it off, i never submitted a resume or portfolio - they're trusting me and my self-assessment... i know i can do this job... and i told them and they're trusting me... so now, i have to live up to that - which i totally know i can do... it's just kind of crazy...

okay - so that's it for now... i'm kind of taking my last few days "off" to be a bum... wear jeans and sweatshirts and do nothing all day - these days are limited... but it'll be great on the other side of it, too...

points...

600 points to amy - for getting the right answer to the quote... and 100 points for tv show... by the way, i totally knew that's what you were going to put... i knew it...

marie - 100 points for tv show - and i also knew you were going to put that - i was trying to think of options - like multiple choice and i thought, "freaks and geeks - so amy... my so-called life - so marie..." - crazy huh??? i haven't seen amelie but i've heard it's awesome... i'll see it eventually...

chad - honorary 500 points for the quote - and 100 points for the tv show... only because i knew you would have known it - and because i'm feeling generous...

my answer - i'm thinking unsolved mysteries (i read that in your email, amy - i hated that show, too...) or the brady bunch or the partridge family - that's the way i feel at home... maybe seinfeld - a show about nothing... maybe that's what i'll stick with...

so current point values are as follows...

5200 points for amy
1600 points for chad
500 points for stacey
100 points for marie

it's now official...

so at one point in college, i had these three best friends... we all loved canadian bacon and pineapple pizza... two of the girls were roommates in an apartment - and the other one of them lived with them during the summers... one was my accountability partner, one worked with me and we had tons of fun together, and the other lived down the hall from me in the dorm and we spent many a late night hanging out... so i loved these girls... we "decorated" my brother's car one night - which remains to be one of my fondest memories from college... the entire car FULL of crumpled up newspaper - one of the girls' parents saved newspapers for us for weeks, maybe months... and shoe polished the windows... it was lovely... then, there were several occasions where any number of us would sit around and laugh and laugh and laugh... good times, right???

so, there was this one time - we all went out to eat at mcalister's (yum - one of my favorite places - but it's only in the south)... all of us were single at the time (two had boyfriends, i think) - and we were talking about what we thought the time length would be for us to date, marry and have kids... for example, lee ann would date for 5 years (she had already been dating for 3 or 4 at the time), get engaged and then get married 9 months later... anyway - so we made these "predictions" about how and when all of this would take place... (i guess you probably already know where this is going...) - so lee ann dated joseph for 5 years (i think... about), got engaged and got married last december (where i got to be a cranberry-red dress wearing bridesmaid)... and patti dated corky for about a year, got engaged a couple of weeks ago and is getting married in june (where i get to be a banana-yellow dress wearing bridesmaid)... and i just found out that kali, who has been dating nathan for a couple of years (or more, maybe) got engaged a couple of days ago and will be getting married sometime... we haven't really kept in touch all that well - i don't know if i'll even be invited to the wedding - but at least i don't have to wear some food-color bridesmaid dress again - the whole "always a bridesmaid, never a bride thing sucks...")

so, as i sat there in mcalister's that day - i never dreamed i would be the last one... never... i guess someone had to be the last one - but the reality hit home today in a squid in your face kind of way... and honestly, i wouldn't make different choices had i the choices to make over again... not a chance... i'd screw it up even more than i already have, i'm sure!!!

rqotd...

i don't have anything worthwhile to post - and i don't have a top 5 yet today... so... i'm going to post a random question of the day - and maybe, if you're lucky, a random quote of the day - fun how those both have the same initials...

Random Question of the Day: Anyone who answers gets 100 points... just for playing along...

if your life were a tv show, which tv show would it be?

Random Quote of the Day: 500 points...

This is not over. I'm not putting a period at the end of anything. I'm putting like... an ellipses on it.

(ellipses are (is it plural?) my favorite punctuation... )

my top five...

i don't have anything overly meaningful to blog about today... so i'm going to list my top 5 things to be happy about/thankful for today...

1) the red sox won - they're in... and the cardinals won... (and i actually got to see the cardinals win... now... if the cardinals can win game 7 - i'll be down with whoever wins the series...

2) i got a phone call from a friend from school and i have a quasi-meeting with him tomorrow about a job...

3) i got a lot of work done today at the library - so tomorrow should be easy-breezy...

4) only 13 days until amy comes to visit - and i got an email/comment from marie - and she wants to come visit (and we're thinking january) - which means a visitor in november, 2 in december (mom and louis) and one in january... who's coming in february?? :)

5) it's almost the end of the day... i'm about to not study for the midterms i have to take tomorrow... and go home and go to bed... which i think will be great for me!!!