Today is my mom's birthday! The entire world is celebrating with us today! Happy birthday, mom!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Sunday, December 30, 2012
2012 Review
Some favorites from 2012! I tried to limit it to one a month, but there were too many that just stuck out to me!
January - Out of these ashes, rise.
February - Groundhog Day
March - Perfection: my simple request
April - Malaria, Hope
May - And then comfort comes, Miss Vi the fashionista, The Jelly Donut Incident
June - Painted Goldfish
July - "Shut up and hug me!", Confession Session
August - Proof that I'm a city girl.
September - the quesadilla incident
October - Awwww..., Her Love Language: chocolate milk
November - Flirty Homeless Dude
December - "oh, tragedy has taken so many..."
I tried to find a photo that summed up this past year. And this was it. "Princess" written on my coffee cup. I was working in the sound booth at church getting things ready for that Sunday morning. I'm learning that being a leader means being a servant. Doing the tedious behind the scenes work is just as important as being up front leading.
January - Out of these ashes, rise.
February - Groundhog Day
March - Perfection: my simple request
April - Malaria, Hope
May - And then comfort comes, Miss Vi the fashionista, The Jelly Donut Incident
June - Painted Goldfish
July - "Shut up and hug me!", Confession Session
August - Proof that I'm a city girl.
September - the quesadilla incident
October - Awwww..., Her Love Language: chocolate milk
November - Flirty Homeless Dude
December - "oh, tragedy has taken so many..."
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Christmas Blur
Christmas kind of flew by in a hurried frenzy. Larissa was home, Nick was here, I was working 5 million hours, there were services at church, it was raining a lot.
And I did get my hippo! Sort of. I actually got two hippo ornaments. One is bright pink and the other one is a hippo-y gray and sings the "I wanna hippopotamus for Christmas" song. Sam and Stephanie along with Danny, Kendra, Trina, and Vi should win some sort of award for getting me exactly what I asked for!
And I did get my hippo! Sort of. I actually got two hippo ornaments. One is bright pink and the other one is a hippo-y gray and sings the "I wanna hippopotamus for Christmas" song. Sam and Stephanie along with Danny, Kendra, Trina, and Vi should win some sort of award for getting me exactly what I asked for!
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Celebratory Survival Earrings
I got a new pair of earrings at work! I'm calling these my "celebratory survival earrings". I worked about 40 hours this past week at my "part-time" job so I thought a new pretty little thing would be ok. Especially since I have to wear the jewelry at work. So it's really just a work expense. :)
Friday, December 14, 2012
"Oh, tragedy has taken so many..."
The older I get, the more my eyes are opened to the darkness in this world. I worked all day today, but checked my phone for any updates on the tragedy in Connecticut whenever I could. All the moms who came into my work today seemed to be holding their kids extra close. I would do the same thing if I had kids.
I was in 4th grade when the Columbine High School massacre happened. I remember seeing little glimpses on the news, but my mom would quickly turn it off or change the channel. It wasn't something for a second grader or a forth grader to see. I was told that some bad men had guns and killed people in a school and then they killed themselves. My mom didn't keep me from the truth, but spared me from the details and magnitude of it. My mom focused on how much the world needed Jesus. So that's what I needed to do. I needed to tell the world about Jesus so things like that wouldn't happen. I became quite the little evangelist during that time in my life. I tried to tell everyone everywhere I went that they needed to love Jesus.
Junior High and most of High School passed before the Virginia Tech shooting happened in 2007. I was getting ready to graduate high school and understood a little more about the fallen state of the world. I knew people who had been killed in drunk driving accidents, committed suicide, or lost the fight to cancer. Death and tragedy wasn't a foreign concept to me, but still a vague one.
I'd been in a few lock-downs that weren't drills when suspicious characters with guns were reported to be on my high school's campus. The first time this happened I was nervous, but it was a false alarm. The announcement was made over the loud speaker and then a few minutes later was recalled. The gun seen was a theater prop. Even so, all the classroom doors were to remain locked until the police checked everything. We finished the quiz we were taking in my class and were given extra credit for the disruption.
The second time this happened was more serious. The announcement was made over the loud speaker and the office lady's voice was shaky as she gave clear instructions. Shut the door and lock it, turn out the lights, close and lock the windows, close the blinds, and follow all lock-down procedures. My teacher ran to the door and locked it while shutting off the lights. I was closest to the windows so I made sure the windows were locked and shut the blinds. The room was dark and shadowy. My teacher moved her class of 30 students into the darkest corner of the room and helped us build a barricade of desks. The girl curled up on the ground next to me was crying so I held her hand and whispered to her that we would be alright.
As policemen swarmed the high school campus for 45 minutes, I constantly prayed, "God, don't let anything happen to my sister. God, please don't let anything happen to her." My sister was a sophomore and was in the classroom a few doors down from where I was. I wished I could get to her, but knew I couldn't. I didn't think I could survive if anything happened to her. I still don't think I could survive if anything happened to her.
The office lady came back on the loud speaker and said it was safe for us to leave. My teacher, still following the official procedures, told us that our class would be waiting until a policeman knocked on the door and gave us the "all clear". So 20 more minutes passed before we left the dark classroom. The campus was still eerily quiet as we all went our separate ways. And, as if we'd talked about it before, my sister stayed in her classroom and waited for me to get her. I met her there and we walked to my car together. Neither of us said much on the drive home, but we were happy to be together and off campus.
No one was hurt, but the fear of the tragedy that could have happened was still heavy. I actually slept on the floor of my sister's room that night. Just in case.
I'm not a parent, but there are plenty of precious little kids in my life. My heart hurts for the moms and dads and brothers and sisters and grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles and nieces and nephews and nannies and friends of the children who lost their lives today. It just hurts.
Hurry back, Jesus. Hurry back.
I was in 4th grade when the Columbine High School massacre happened. I remember seeing little glimpses on the news, but my mom would quickly turn it off or change the channel. It wasn't something for a second grader or a forth grader to see. I was told that some bad men had guns and killed people in a school and then they killed themselves. My mom didn't keep me from the truth, but spared me from the details and magnitude of it. My mom focused on how much the world needed Jesus. So that's what I needed to do. I needed to tell the world about Jesus so things like that wouldn't happen. I became quite the little evangelist during that time in my life. I tried to tell everyone everywhere I went that they needed to love Jesus.
Junior High and most of High School passed before the Virginia Tech shooting happened in 2007. I was getting ready to graduate high school and understood a little more about the fallen state of the world. I knew people who had been killed in drunk driving accidents, committed suicide, or lost the fight to cancer. Death and tragedy wasn't a foreign concept to me, but still a vague one.
I'd been in a few lock-downs that weren't drills when suspicious characters with guns were reported to be on my high school's campus. The first time this happened I was nervous, but it was a false alarm. The announcement was made over the loud speaker and then a few minutes later was recalled. The gun seen was a theater prop. Even so, all the classroom doors were to remain locked until the police checked everything. We finished the quiz we were taking in my class and were given extra credit for the disruption.
The second time this happened was more serious. The announcement was made over the loud speaker and the office lady's voice was shaky as she gave clear instructions. Shut the door and lock it, turn out the lights, close and lock the windows, close the blinds, and follow all lock-down procedures. My teacher ran to the door and locked it while shutting off the lights. I was closest to the windows so I made sure the windows were locked and shut the blinds. The room was dark and shadowy. My teacher moved her class of 30 students into the darkest corner of the room and helped us build a barricade of desks. The girl curled up on the ground next to me was crying so I held her hand and whispered to her that we would be alright.
As policemen swarmed the high school campus for 45 minutes, I constantly prayed, "God, don't let anything happen to my sister. God, please don't let anything happen to her." My sister was a sophomore and was in the classroom a few doors down from where I was. I wished I could get to her, but knew I couldn't. I didn't think I could survive if anything happened to her. I still don't think I could survive if anything happened to her.
The office lady came back on the loud speaker and said it was safe for us to leave. My teacher, still following the official procedures, told us that our class would be waiting until a policeman knocked on the door and gave us the "all clear". So 20 more minutes passed before we left the dark classroom. The campus was still eerily quiet as we all went our separate ways. And, as if we'd talked about it before, my sister stayed in her classroom and waited for me to get her. I met her there and we walked to my car together. Neither of us said much on the drive home, but we were happy to be together and off campus.
No one was hurt, but the fear of the tragedy that could have happened was still heavy. I actually slept on the floor of my sister's room that night. Just in case.
I'm not a parent, but there are plenty of precious little kids in my life. My heart hurts for the moms and dads and brothers and sisters and grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles and nieces and nephews and nannies and friends of the children who lost their lives today. It just hurts.
Hurry back, Jesus. Hurry back.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree. The Ornament Addition.
I tried to mirror my last post with similar photos. I think I like the previous ones better. The tree is beautiful with all the ornaments on it though!
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree...
We're putting up Christmas decorations in stages! I can't wait for all the ornaments to be put on tomorrow!
Monday, December 3, 2012
(i am) 24!
one | I can’t stand pepsi. I’m a diet coke girl ALL the way.
two | I love my job most days, but other days I just like it.
three | I miss Chicago.
four | I love living in California.
five | I’m rarely content, but I’m happy. I’m always reaching for something.
six | I love writing and receiving snail mail.
seven | I’m allergic to sea food.
eight | I don’t remember the last time I completely tuned my own guitar.
eight and a half | I'm still a princess.
nine | I love flowers.
ten | I’ve never seen all of Disney’s Pinocchio.
eleven | I want to do investigative journalism.
twelve | I spent my last 2 birthdays in Chicago with Baylee and Jaxon.
thirteen | I love doing crafts.
fourteen | I love summer.
fifteen | I would rather wear high heels than flat shoes.
sixteen | I love to learn, but I disliked school. I thrive in a one-on-one setting.
seventeen | I’m surrounded by rockstars and heros in my everyday life.
eighteen | I named both of my guitars - Herman and Jesse.
nineteen | I have a bright red pair of skinny jeans.
twenty | I wish Moody had offered a degree in criminal justice
twenty-one | I have a pair of 4.5 inch black high heels with studs on them.
twenty-two | I have two honorary nieces that I absolutely adore.
twenty-three | I’ve had the same best friend my entire life.
twenty-four | I wish fireworks were included in every celebration. Mainly my birthday. :)
two | I love my job most days, but other days I just like it.
three | I miss Chicago.
four | I love living in California.
five | I’m rarely content, but I’m happy. I’m always reaching for something.
six | I love writing and receiving snail mail.
seven | I’m allergic to sea food.
eight | I don’t remember the last time I completely tuned my own guitar.
eight and a half | I'm still a princess.
nine | I love flowers.
ten | I’ve never seen all of Disney’s Pinocchio.
eleven | I want to do investigative journalism.
twelve | I spent my last 2 birthdays in Chicago with Baylee and Jaxon.
thirteen | I love doing crafts.
fourteen | I love summer.
fifteen | I would rather wear high heels than flat shoes.
sixteen | I love to learn, but I disliked school. I thrive in a one-on-one setting.
seventeen | I’m surrounded by rockstars and heros in my everyday life.
eighteen | I named both of my guitars - Herman and Jesse.
nineteen | I have a bright red pair of skinny jeans.
twenty | I wish Moody had offered a degree in criminal justice
twenty-one | I have a pair of 4.5 inch black high heels with studs on them.
twenty-two | I have two honorary nieces that I absolutely adore.
twenty-three | I’ve had the same best friend my entire life.
twenty-four | I wish fireworks were included in every celebration. Mainly my birthday. :)
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Saturday, December 1, 2012
it's the most wonderful time of the year!
But is it really?
I'm frustrated with my job today so bear with me.
I work in an unusual retail job. It's retail because it's sales, but it's one-on-one sales. It's more like direct sales done out of a store. I know those two things contradict themselves, but that's just what it is.
Anyways, this past month I've spent a lot of time doing annoying tasks. Like untangling jewelry, making phone calls to people who's jewelry is broken or tarnished and can't be fixed, organizing the back stock, and other tedious tasks that shouldn't be my sole responsibility. And I went from working 25 hours a week on 5 hour shifts to working 40+ hours a week on 8 hour shifts with the new and annoying holiday hires*.
I've seen Santa Claus and Christmas trees and decorations ever day since Halloween and I've been listening to the same cheesy Christmas playlist since the arrival of Santa.
I have nothing against Christmas or my job, but I don't think working retail during this season makes this "the most wonderful time of the year". It's commercialized and so far from what it should be. The awe and wonder has been replaced with greed and impatience.
*They're not all annoying. Just two in particular.
I'm frustrated with my job today so bear with me.
I work in an unusual retail job. It's retail because it's sales, but it's one-on-one sales. It's more like direct sales done out of a store. I know those two things contradict themselves, but that's just what it is.
Anyways, this past month I've spent a lot of time doing annoying tasks. Like untangling jewelry, making phone calls to people who's jewelry is broken or tarnished and can't be fixed, organizing the back stock, and other tedious tasks that shouldn't be my sole responsibility. And I went from working 25 hours a week on 5 hour shifts to working 40+ hours a week on 8 hour shifts with the new and annoying holiday hires*.
I've seen Santa Claus and Christmas trees and decorations ever day since Halloween and I've been listening to the same cheesy Christmas playlist since the arrival of Santa.
I have nothing against Christmas or my job, but I don't think working retail during this season makes this "the most wonderful time of the year". It's commercialized and so far from what it should be. The awe and wonder has been replaced with greed and impatience.
*They're not all annoying. Just two in particular.
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