Saturday, February 28, 2009
nap...
Yes...I need a nap...really badly.
On the plus side, I was able to leave di (i did prep instead of time keeping...such a blessing) a little earlier than planned. Service then the engagement party are left on today's agenda...somehow I don't think I'll be able to squeeze in a nap or coffee...which is a shame.
On the plus side, I was able to leave di (i did prep instead of time keeping...such a blessing) a little earlier than planned. Service then the engagement party are left on today's agenda...somehow I don't think I'll be able to squeeze in a nap or coffee...which is a shame.
nap?
Today is going to be one of those 'i need a nap' days...I feel it already. Today is also one of those 'i don't have time for a nap' days: di until 4, church, and then Kenneth's engagement party. So maybe today will turn into 'how much coffee can i drink in one day' type of days.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Celly Phone
I've had a love hate relationship with my celly phone since I first purchased it in July 2007. To be fair, I had it out for this phone before I even bought it...backstory: I'm playing ultimate frisbee. I leave my keys, nalgene, and phone on a picnic table. As we're playing, it starts to rain. I don't think about rescuing my phone as I thought it was covered by an extra frisbee plus i was really enjoying the soft summer rain. As you can imagine my phone died right then and there. Now it's important to know this is the most wonderful cell phone I've ever had. It was an adorable lg slider that was tiny. TINY. and i loved it. *sigh* I went to the sprint store to get a new phone that afternoon and was appalled at the lack of quality cool phones. I opted for a krzr (the even smaller version of a rzr).
I hated the krzr. Why didn't I buy a new phone you ask? The hatred didn't set in until a few months after purchasing...by then I was teaching and working at the church so I didn't have a lot of time to look for a new phone. As time passed my battery life was virtually nonexistent. My phone wouldn't receive texts or calls at times. It was FRUSTRATING. I thought about getting a new phone but then I started to date Chris. He's on AT&T so my plan switched: wait until my contract is up and then get on AT&T. So what's another year? I could power through...I would power through.
Today I noticed my screen wouldn't load. It was totally white. I couldn't even call out. CRAZY. I tried turning it off and on, taking out the battery, you know the usual stuff. Nothing worked. So today I went to the Sprint store with the thought of purchasing the cheapest phone possible without having to renew my contract (i'm five months away from being able to switch without being fined). After viewing the selection, it was CHEAPER (considerably) to renew my contract and get a higher quality phone.
I'm officially a Sprint customer until February 2011. I can choose to break the contract if I want but have to pay a fine. Positive thoughts about this: all of my old numbers switched over, my new phone is purple, it works, has a battery life (yay!), and all of the preloaded ring tones were slightly ghetto (just like me!). I'm thankful I was able to have a good saleslady and that I was able to get such a good deal on my purple phone.
So no iphone for another couple of years...not a big deal: Chris is really good about sharing his. :-) Plus I'm not getting married in the next couple of months so by the time I'm actually married, the fine won't be so high to leave my contract (if i choose to do so) before it's up. All in all, it was nice to let go of the old phone and I have a full keypad for texting (i'm the worst predictive texter ever so this is really good). I'm going to call this a win...not a knock out (that would have been getting a totally free phone and not having to renew my contract), but still a victory.
I hated the krzr. Why didn't I buy a new phone you ask? The hatred didn't set in until a few months after purchasing...by then I was teaching and working at the church so I didn't have a lot of time to look for a new phone. As time passed my battery life was virtually nonexistent. My phone wouldn't receive texts or calls at times. It was FRUSTRATING. I thought about getting a new phone but then I started to date Chris. He's on AT&T so my plan switched: wait until my contract is up and then get on AT&T. So what's another year? I could power through...I would power through.
Today I noticed my screen wouldn't load. It was totally white. I couldn't even call out. CRAZY. I tried turning it off and on, taking out the battery, you know the usual stuff. Nothing worked. So today I went to the Sprint store with the thought of purchasing the cheapest phone possible without having to renew my contract (i'm five months away from being able to switch without being fined). After viewing the selection, it was CHEAPER (considerably) to renew my contract and get a higher quality phone.
I'm officially a Sprint customer until February 2011. I can choose to break the contract if I want but have to pay a fine. Positive thoughts about this: all of my old numbers switched over, my new phone is purple, it works, has a battery life (yay!), and all of the preloaded ring tones were slightly ghetto (just like me!). I'm thankful I was able to have a good saleslady and that I was able to get such a good deal on my purple phone.
So no iphone for another couple of years...not a big deal: Chris is really good about sharing his. :-) Plus I'm not getting married in the next couple of months so by the time I'm actually married, the fine won't be so high to leave my contract (if i choose to do so) before it's up. All in all, it was nice to let go of the old phone and I have a full keypad for texting (i'm the worst predictive texter ever so this is really good). I'm going to call this a win...not a knock out (that would have been getting a totally free phone and not having to renew my contract), but still a victory.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
w-o-w
WOW! Pretty sure the last several days of consisted of me awestruck. c3 was more amazing than I could have imagined. I was challenged, encouraged, and hit with the sense of God's awesomeness. I am now excitedly waiting for my dvd copy of the conference to arrive...I want to watch it and rewatch it...and just soak it all up again.
God cleared some things up for me...and I'm so excited to see what He has in store. To think about how He has orchestrated so much already and still has so much more in store. It's incredible. Just incredible!
I wish I could adequately describe it...but words fail....so I'll leave you with The Message's take on Psalm 117.
Praise God, everybody! Applaud God, all people!
His love has taken over our lives;
God's faithful ways are eternal.
Hallelujah!
God cleared some things up for me...and I'm so excited to see what He has in store. To think about how He has orchestrated so much already and still has so much more in store. It's incredible. Just incredible!
I wish I could adequately describe it...but words fail....so I'll leave you with The Message's take on Psalm 117.
Praise God, everybody! Applaud God, all people!
His love has taken over our lives;
God's faithful ways are eternal.
Hallelujah!
Friday, February 20, 2009
c3 day one recap
I have to say that I am completely in awe of what happened yesterday. When I tried to recap the day's happenings to Chris on the phone last night, I wasn't able to adequately do so--this morning I tried again. Let me warn you that this post may be poorly structured and I may jump from point to point more than usual.
I woke up yesterday at 5. Thankfully my morning routine from teaching was still semi-fresh in my mind and I left the house by 6:45. I headed into church and was amazed at all of the cars that were already in the designated lot for staff and volunteers. I waltzed into the office feeling excited at the day ahead. You see yesterday was our first full day of c3.
I finished my breakfast at my desk before heading down to the main entrance. I had the best morning job I could think of: I got to greet people as they entered the conference. You have to understand we have over 2300 conference attendees from all over the world here. I loved it! I got to talk to several groups of people, explain what Toms shoes are, and welcome hundreds of people. Soooo great!
After the first session I got to talk to people at our Elevate booth and answer questions about our children's ministry. After the second session I got to meet three lovely volunteers and host in the chapel a lunch for the attendees. Now we had three other rooms open for lunch so I wanted our room to really stand out. I met people in the halls and invited them to have lunch in the chapel. During the lunch time I walked around from table to table. I asked if I could get anything for anyone. I answered questions. I LOVED it. It totally pumped me up! I even gave three mini-tours of our children's area...I couldn't stop talking about what we got to do!
During the afternoon I got to watch the sessions. I had never heard Bil Cornelius or Ben Young speak before and now I've got to tell you, I want to hear more from them. I was so challenged and humbled by their messages.
That evening I got to sit at our ministry table for dinner. God placed me near this couple from NW Arkansas and I was able to visit with them for about an hour. It was WONDERFUL! Their church is very similar to the church I grew up in. We were able to discuss children's ministry, I gave them a tour, and really just got to share my heart for what God is doing. Incredible!
Then I ran into a guy who I've known my entire life. He was in my sister's class every year from first grade until graduation. When I was in the youth group, his college group would run lock-ins or come and do a service at our church. When I was in high school and college he was a youth minister and we'd run into each other at church camp. He now is a youth pastor in NE Oklahoma with a wonderful wife and precious little girl. I got to show him my office...and it was just really neat to me how this man who has played a role in my spiritual development (even though he doesn't realize it) got to see a glimpse of what God is doing in my life. Amazing!
Last night I got to hear Craig's sermon (and bits and pieces of Pastor Ed's). It was about people pleasing and I've got to tell you I was humbled and challenged yet again! I am so thankful I pre-ordered a copy of the conference so I can rewatch all of this. I heard so many challenging, insightful thoughts that this morning I'm STILL processing them.
God is stirring my heart and I'm so thankful. I can't wait to see what God has in store for today...I have a feeling it's going to be absolutely indescribable.
I woke up yesterday at 5. Thankfully my morning routine from teaching was still semi-fresh in my mind and I left the house by 6:45. I headed into church and was amazed at all of the cars that were already in the designated lot for staff and volunteers. I waltzed into the office feeling excited at the day ahead. You see yesterday was our first full day of c3.
I finished my breakfast at my desk before heading down to the main entrance. I had the best morning job I could think of: I got to greet people as they entered the conference. You have to understand we have over 2300 conference attendees from all over the world here. I loved it! I got to talk to several groups of people, explain what Toms shoes are, and welcome hundreds of people. Soooo great!
After the first session I got to talk to people at our Elevate booth and answer questions about our children's ministry. After the second session I got to meet three lovely volunteers and host in the chapel a lunch for the attendees. Now we had three other rooms open for lunch so I wanted our room to really stand out. I met people in the halls and invited them to have lunch in the chapel. During the lunch time I walked around from table to table. I asked if I could get anything for anyone. I answered questions. I LOVED it. It totally pumped me up! I even gave three mini-tours of our children's area...I couldn't stop talking about what we got to do!
During the afternoon I got to watch the sessions. I had never heard Bil Cornelius or Ben Young speak before and now I've got to tell you, I want to hear more from them. I was so challenged and humbled by their messages.
That evening I got to sit at our ministry table for dinner. God placed me near this couple from NW Arkansas and I was able to visit with them for about an hour. It was WONDERFUL! Their church is very similar to the church I grew up in. We were able to discuss children's ministry, I gave them a tour, and really just got to share my heart for what God is doing. Incredible!
Then I ran into a guy who I've known my entire life. He was in my sister's class every year from first grade until graduation. When I was in the youth group, his college group would run lock-ins or come and do a service at our church. When I was in high school and college he was a youth minister and we'd run into each other at church camp. He now is a youth pastor in NE Oklahoma with a wonderful wife and precious little girl. I got to show him my office...and it was just really neat to me how this man who has played a role in my spiritual development (even though he doesn't realize it) got to see a glimpse of what God is doing in my life. Amazing!
Last night I got to hear Craig's sermon (and bits and pieces of Pastor Ed's). It was about people pleasing and I've got to tell you I was humbled and challenged yet again! I am so thankful I pre-ordered a copy of the conference so I can rewatch all of this. I heard so many challenging, insightful thoughts that this morning I'm STILL processing them.
God is stirring my heart and I'm so thankful. I can't wait to see what God has in store for today...I have a feeling it's going to be absolutely indescribable.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Isaiah 52
Isaiah 52
Deliverance for Jerusalem
1 Wake up, wake up, O Zion! Clothe yourself with strength. Put on your beautiful clothes, O holy city of Jerusalem, for unclean and godless people will enter your gates no longer. 2 Rise from the dust, O Jerusalem. Sit in a place of honor. Remove the chains of slavery from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. 3 For this is what the Lord says: “When I sold you into exile, I received no payment. Now I can redeem you without having to pay for you.”
4 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Long ago my people chose to live in Egypt. Now they are oppressed by Assyria. 5 What is this?” asks the Lord. “Why are my people enslaved again? Those who rule them shout in exultation. My name is blasphemed all day long.[a] 6 But I will reveal my name to my people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognize that I am the one who speaks to them.”
7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel[b] reigns! 8 The watchmen shout and sing with joy, for before their very eyes they see the Lord returning to Jerusalem.[c] 9 Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song, for the Lord has comforted his people. He has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The Lord has demonstrated his holy power before the eyes of all the nations. All the ends of the earth will see the victory of our God.
11 Get out! Get out and leave your captivity, where everything you touch is unclean. Get out of there and purify yourselves, you who carry home the sacred objects of the Lord. 12 You will not leave in a hurry, running for your lives. For the Lord will go ahead of you; yes, the God of Israel will protect you from behind.
13 See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. 14 But many were amazed when they saw him.[d] His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man. 15 And he will startle[e] many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not been told; they will understand what they had not heard about.
Deliverance for Jerusalem
1 Wake up, wake up, O Zion! Clothe yourself with strength. Put on your beautiful clothes, O holy city of Jerusalem, for unclean and godless people will enter your gates no longer. 2 Rise from the dust, O Jerusalem. Sit in a place of honor. Remove the chains of slavery from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. 3 For this is what the Lord says: “When I sold you into exile, I received no payment. Now I can redeem you without having to pay for you.”
4 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Long ago my people chose to live in Egypt. Now they are oppressed by Assyria. 5 What is this?” asks the Lord. “Why are my people enslaved again? Those who rule them shout in exultation. My name is blasphemed all day long.[a] 6 But I will reveal my name to my people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognize that I am the one who speaks to them.”
7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel[b] reigns! 8 The watchmen shout and sing with joy, for before their very eyes they see the Lord returning to Jerusalem.[c] 9 Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song, for the Lord has comforted his people. He has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The Lord has demonstrated his holy power before the eyes of all the nations. All the ends of the earth will see the victory of our God.
11 Get out! Get out and leave your captivity, where everything you touch is unclean. Get out of there and purify yourselves, you who carry home the sacred objects of the Lord. 12 You will not leave in a hurry, running for your lives. For the Lord will go ahead of you; yes, the God of Israel will protect you from behind.
13 See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. 14 But many were amazed when they saw him.[d] His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man. 15 And he will startle[e] many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not been told; they will understand what they had not heard about.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
c3 TODAY!!!
It's here! It's finally here! I'm sooo excited! The Creative Church Conference begins this afternoon. Over 2300 pastors from all over the world have registered to attend and we're still accepting registrations at the kiosk today. The air is electric.
God is moving and I get to be here for it. I get to experience this incredible event. Over the last few weeks, we've watched some promo videos for it. I teared up each time it played. (you can see it on the linked site in the first paragraph)
If you're in DFW and can't come to the day sessions, we offer c3 nights (free and open to the public!). We provide children's worship services for birth through 5th grade. Please come check this out. It's going to be life changing and to quote Sheryl Crow, 'I think a change would do you good.'
"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!" --Isaiah 52:7
c3 2009: Beautiful Feet.
God is moving and I get to be here for it. I get to experience this incredible event. Over the last few weeks, we've watched some promo videos for it. I teared up each time it played. (you can see it on the linked site in the first paragraph)
If you're in DFW and can't come to the day sessions, we offer c3 nights (free and open to the public!). We provide children's worship services for birth through 5th grade. Please come check this out. It's going to be life changing and to quote Sheryl Crow, 'I think a change would do you good.'
"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!" --Isaiah 52:7
c3 2009: Beautiful Feet.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
C3
If you're in DFW, come and check out the Creative Church Conference! It starts tomorrow and it's going to be absolutely AMAZING!!! I hope to see you there!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Valentine's Day
Today was my first official Valentine's Day with a boyfriend. Last night we had our wonderful Valentine's Date. We had a great time--quirky fun.
We did some not traditional Valentine's activities today. We went to his little brother and cousin's upwards basketball game then to lunch with the fam at chick-fil-a before I headed up to the church for services.
After service (which was wonderful!!!) we headed to the movies and he very graciously let me select the movie. What did we watch? Friday the 13th. Yep, I selected Friday the 13th for our Valentine's movie. Chris isn't a slasher movie fan but he agreed to see it b/c he knows of my deep love for the franchise. I must say the remake is the best slasher film I have seen in quite some time--thank you Michael Bay for being part of this and making it even better than I had imagined.
For dinner we hit up Taco Bell (my favorite fast food in the world). So pretty sure today Chris did every little thing I wanted to do. And how did I repay him for treating me like a princess (yes even princesses can love slasher films and tacos)? I almost broke his nose. He walked me to my car when I suddenly stopped while he was still walking resulting in him with a very sore nose. Yikes! Poor Chris.
We did some not traditional Valentine's activities today. We went to his little brother and cousin's upwards basketball game then to lunch with the fam at chick-fil-a before I headed up to the church for services.
After service (which was wonderful!!!) we headed to the movies and he very graciously let me select the movie. What did we watch? Friday the 13th. Yep, I selected Friday the 13th for our Valentine's movie. Chris isn't a slasher movie fan but he agreed to see it b/c he knows of my deep love for the franchise. I must say the remake is the best slasher film I have seen in quite some time--thank you Michael Bay for being part of this and making it even better than I had imagined.
For dinner we hit up Taco Bell (my favorite fast food in the world). So pretty sure today Chris did every little thing I wanted to do. And how did I repay him for treating me like a princess (yes even princesses can love slasher films and tacos)? I almost broke his nose. He walked me to my car when I suddenly stopped while he was still walking resulting in him with a very sore nose. Yikes! Poor Chris.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Valentine's Date
This is the most amazing dress ever and I got to wear it. I must say that paying only $7.78 for this dress is the steal of the century--thanks Banana!
These are my most favorite shoes in the world-they make me tall and fierce at the same time!
We're ready for our very first Valentine's date. Isn't my funny valentine handsome? 
Did I mention he bought me roses? No one has ever bought me roses before and I have to admit that I loved them so much I had to bring one with us. It was such a fun night! I am very blessed to have such a wonderful man in my life.
Friday, February 13, 2009
home!
He's home!!! My sweet, wonderful, handsome Chris is home! I am having trouble expressing just how excited and pleased I am to have him here again.
I was able to pick him up from the airport and welcome him home to the beautiful metroplex.
I knew he had shaved and got a haircut but I couldn't get over seeing him...it was so fantastic!
I bought my Valentine's Day dress and can't wait to wear it tomorrow. I'll be sure to post pictures...it's going to be fantastic!
I was able to pick him up from the airport and welcome him home to the beautiful metroplex.
I knew he had shaved and got a haircut but I couldn't get over seeing him...it was so fantastic!
I bought my Valentine's Day dress and can't wait to wear it tomorrow. I'll be sure to post pictures...it's going to be fantastic!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
VDAY GIVEAWAY
Valentine's Day Giveaway! I went to college with this girl and I can attest that all of her giveaways are good, so please go check it out! She's got a great sense of style and you'll love the plates she's giving away this go round.
I am so excited for my favorite holiday! I bought cupcake liners with little hearts, valentine cookies for the office, and am still pondering what to get the boyfriend for our first valentine's day together. Tomorrow I'm hoping to have a brilliant break through and pick out the best, most thoughtful while most random gift for him of all time. Wish me luck!
*More Valentine's Day posts to come...watch out!
I am so excited for my favorite holiday! I bought cupcake liners with little hearts, valentine cookies for the office, and am still pondering what to get the boyfriend for our first valentine's day together. Tomorrow I'm hoping to have a brilliant break through and pick out the best, most thoughtful while most random gift for him of all time. Wish me luck!
*More Valentine's Day posts to come...watch out!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Second Lunch
I woke up STARVING this morning...this never happens. I, however, could not pull myself away from my freshly washed sheets to make breakfast. I played that horrible game I play of just how long do I really need to get ready? I started getting ready, Chris called, and before I knew it, I had to go. I grabbed my lunch and dashed to the car. Off to work I called Chris back to share a few more mushy gushy "i love you"s before walking into the office. Less than an hour later, Jonathan comes into the office and starts eating his brunch. So I jump on the brunch bandwagon and gleefully eat my entire lunch. David keeps looking at us eating and mentions how hungry he is.
About an hour or so later, I go to lunch with David and Kenneth. I was planning on just buying a soda...but no. I ate another lunch because I was (believe it or not) hungry again! What's my deal? I don't have a normal eating pattern. There will be weeks when I have to remind myself to eat something and I only eat one meal a day. Then a random day like today comes and I'm hungry every hour. This is madness to me!
I think I should start making six tiny meals to eat throughout the day...have a rigid schedule. I hear that helps out. I just don't know. Should I start a food journal that monitors what all I eat? Whenever Chris is down, he helps me remember to eat. I don't think he's gotten to experience starving sb in person quite yet. Poor guy won't know what to think about his girlfriend who can now out eat him (but only on random days).
Am I the only one out there who has trouble with this? You would think that I would feel miserable right now after two lunches, but no. I'm actually quite satisfied. *sigh*
About an hour or so later, I go to lunch with David and Kenneth. I was planning on just buying a soda...but no. I ate another lunch because I was (believe it or not) hungry again! What's my deal? I don't have a normal eating pattern. There will be weeks when I have to remind myself to eat something and I only eat one meal a day. Then a random day like today comes and I'm hungry every hour. This is madness to me!
I think I should start making six tiny meals to eat throughout the day...have a rigid schedule. I hear that helps out. I just don't know. Should I start a food journal that monitors what all I eat? Whenever Chris is down, he helps me remember to eat. I don't think he's gotten to experience starving sb in person quite yet. Poor guy won't know what to think about his girlfriend who can now out eat him (but only on random days).
Am I the only one out there who has trouble with this? You would think that I would feel miserable right now after two lunches, but no. I'm actually quite satisfied. *sigh*
Sunday, February 8, 2009
4 days
Being in a long distance relationship is something I always *secretly* wanted. I am one of those all in kind of girls...very rarely do I not either: a) go big or b) go home. I knew being in a long distance relationship would cause me to not leap right off the bat; it would cause me to enjoy, learn, and grow.
It's been a month since we've seen each other. Each night we've had our phone dates. Some weekends we've even had morning, afternoon, and evening phone dates (like today!). These have helped the month fly by.
I am only four short days away from seeing him. Four days should be a piece of cake, right? Ha! These are always the longest days. I get so close to seeing him and suddenly time slows down. It's true, I have no actual concept of time to begin with but whenever it's within a week of seeing my favorite person in the world, time slows down.
If any of you know how to speed up time, could you please let me in on the secret? I just need it to be 9:30 pm on Thursday really badly...
It's been a month since we've seen each other. Each night we've had our phone dates. Some weekends we've even had morning, afternoon, and evening phone dates (like today!). These have helped the month fly by.
I am only four short days away from seeing him. Four days should be a piece of cake, right? Ha! These are always the longest days. I get so close to seeing him and suddenly time slows down. It's true, I have no actual concept of time to begin with but whenever it's within a week of seeing my favorite person in the world, time slows down.
If any of you know how to speed up time, could you please let me in on the secret? I just need it to be 9:30 pm on Thursday really badly...
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