Blog Trivia

So my friend Erin, who's blog I love, "tagged" me in her blog to answer some blog trivia that she came up with. Technically I'm supposed to tag other blogs I follow and then come up with some questions for them to answer. But I can't really figure out how to tag other people's blogs in mine (and I'm still building my blog following library:). Anyway, here it goes...

1) If there was an extra hour in your day, what would you spend it doing?

Sleeping :) I absolutely LOVE to sleep, probably because I feel tired all the time! Yes, I've been tested for this and it's just something I think I'll always "suffer" from :) I'm on a very bad sleep schedule right now because I go to bed very late and wake up late. Corey tells me just to wake up earlier, but if I wake up early I'll have to take a nap in the afternoon (which I certainly don't mind doing :) and just go to bed late again. This, as you can see, just starts the cycle all over again.

2) What movie have you watched the most?

Ooh, this is a hard one! I go through phases where I watch movies I love over and over again :) Here's a list of the most I've watched the most: The Wedding Planner, Remember the Titans, Shag, Newsies, 27 Dresses, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and High School Musical (1,2 and 3:).

3) Which is worse? Being in a place that is too loud or too quiet?

Too loud! Can't stand it! Unless it's at an awesome concert which I am fully prepared for :)

4) Are you generally an optimist, a pessimist or a realist?

I would say realist...Corey says I'm a serious mixture of all three ;)

5) Who is your favorite celebrity crush?

Easy, Zach Efron!!! Also, Chris Pine (Captain Kirk from the newer Star Trek and Unstoppable;)!

ps...I was just asking Corey these questions to see if he knew them about me and he reminded me of a third :) Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights (Don't know his real name :).

6) What is the top thing to do on your bucket list?

Learn how to play the guitar! And go to the Grand Canyon! Corey and I actually need to make a list of all the things we want to do and places we need to visit while we're living in California...any suggestions?

7) Would you rather be a great photographer, dancer or singer?

Singer AND Dancer! Mostly singer but I would love to be a talented dancer too! If you've read earlier posts you know how severe my love for musicals is (although Glee is getting more and more sleezy...sad day).

So, since I didn't tag anyone in this post, please feel free to answer these questions on your blog or leave me a comment with your answers :)

1. Do you like the toilet paper to roll out over the roll or under the roll?

2. What is your favorite Air Head flavor?

3. What song did you and your husband dance to at your wedding (if you're single, what song instantly brings back a good memory for you)?

4. What do you want most for Christmas this year?

5. What was/is your favorite Little Debbie snack?

6. What's the best Halloween Costume you ever had/been?

Hear our prayer, Oh Lord

On the eve of a very pivotal election, I feel like I need to post something. Politics is a growing interest and passion for me, especially as I feel this country is headed for a very dark place. I am feeling the pull to get involved and help make change happen instead of simply complaining that it never does (or it changes for the worse). I'm still struggling with how to apply these forming interests but I'm definitely starting with being an educated voter. It's such a privilege and freedom to be able to elect our public officials, and as a citizen of the United States and a child of God, it is my responsibility. Our church began a week of prayer for our local communities, state and nation on Sunday, and Pastor David kicked it off with this incredible prayer. He prefaced it with saying that not all would be guilty of all these sins but that we need to humble our hearts and repent for what we are guilty of and realize that change starts with us. The people of God are the ones who need to stand up, cry out to Him and initiate change in such times as these. I wanted to share it with you here. I know it is long, but it is very convicting and an incredible way to enter into this new season of political change. Please read it carefully and pray it if you will. We, and this nation, are in desperate need of it.

"Oh Lord, you are Creator of heaven and earth and all exist to reflect your glory. We are your people, called out of darkness into your marvelous light, saved by the blood of Jesus, and sealed by your Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption. You have given us a new heart and our desire is to worship you, but our obedience is faulty and the temptations of the world and flesh and devil are strong. We live among a people that are in open rebellion against you, yet in honesty we need look no further than our own reflection to see the manifestations of that same rebellion. So rather that sit judgment upon their sins, Oh Lord, we instead take this time to confess the sins of our own house.

Father, we have sinned against you financially in that:
~Both publicly and privately we have relentlessly pursued for decades a life-style of conspicuous consumption, fueled by an insatiable appetite for debt.
~As individuals we have borrowed the inflated equity from our homes to finance our lavish and materialistic lifestyles.
~We reject one set of elected officials for another - self righteously condemning their greed and self-promoting ways while we ourselves regularly fail to humble our own hearts, resist our greed and serve our fellow man.

We have also sinned against you morally by:
~Decrying the sewage that pours forth from Hollywood while at the same time filling their coffers with the money you have entrusted to our care.
~Too many of our pastors condemn the vile and soul damaging perversion of pornography all the while gripped by their own dark and shameful lusts. Oh Lord, what hope do your people have when even their leaders seem powerless to resist?
~We justly condemn the perversion of homosexual marriage yet make a mockery out of heterosexual marriage by a divorce rate indistinguishable from society at large.
~We speak and write about 'family values' yet are mostly silent while our own young redefine the boundaries of morality in terms of modesty, sexual promiscuity, alcohol and drugs.

Furthermore, we have sinned against you evangelically in that:
~We lament the erosion of authority yet have contributed to it by our unwillingness to some under submission to the Word of God. By rejecting the spiritual oversight of our leaders we reserve to ourselves unprecedented latitude of private interpretation.
~We have misunderstood and misapplied the meaning of Christian love by tolerating virtually any and all deviant behavior and belief within the boundaries of professing Evangelicalism.
~In society we have privatized our faith and chosen to keep silent rather than rock the boat and speak out boldly for our King, thus contributing to the damning notion that truth is relative.
~We demonstrate a hardness of heart and judgmental spirit concerning those caught in the sin of homosexual attraction by mocking their condition and withholding compassion from them as individuals made in the image of God.
~We care little, and pray even less for the conversion of the lost and instead withdraw to Christian ghettos in a foolish attempt to avoid the contamination of sin - rejecting in the process your purpose for our lives.
~We have failed to pray consistently for our leaders and instead through omission and commission we have allowed ourselves to become a political special interest group to whom cynical and self-serving politicians toss a few scraps in exchange for our vote.
~We portray the local church as the spiritual equivalent of a fast food restaurant, designed to meet our needs rather than the sovereign creation of Almighty God, through which you display the Glory of Christ to an unbelieving world. Our inability to love and serve one another in humility leads to a willingness to abandon the church rather than stay and work out our differences, and communicates to the world that Christian unity is no deeper than the local Rotary Club.

Oh God, any one of these corporate or individual sins would be more than enough to justify you casting us eternally from your presence, and yet we remain secure in Christ bound to you by grace. It is based upon the merits of Christ we turn from our confession and make these requests:
~That you would continue to extend your mercy and grace in saving people from the ravages of sin.
~That we, the church, would regain our sense of urgency for preaching the Gospel and making disciples.
~That you would restrain the forces that desire to squelch the Gospel message and bar it from the public square. If in your providence we are entering into a long night of darkness that you would grant us boldness to speak out for Christ and suffer joyfully for the sake of the Name.
~That you would help us not to place our faith in elected officials but to understand that true and lasting change only comes as a result of conversion and that we would thus utilize our opportunities to impact society one person at a time.
~That your common grace would continue to be poured out and that our republic would prosper spiritually, relationally, and materially (Jer. 29:7).
~That you would enable us not to 'pine for the past,' in which lay the seeds of our present distress, but that you would help us live as lights among a wicked and perverse generation.
~That you would give our elected leaders wisdom and integrity to govern an increasingly factious and uncooperative citizenry.
~That you would grant Solomonic Wisdom to our elected leaders as they face the complex and emotionally charged issues of economic stagnation, immigration, balkanization, and global conflict.
~That Christian men and women would continue to be willing to sacrifice career and fortune in order to humbly serve their fellow citizens as elected representatives.
~That you would utilize the pressures of public office to cause unbelieving politicians to be open to hear and believe the Gospel of grace.

Finally, we thank you our Father for...
~Salvation by grace through faith and not as a result of human effort - for none can be saved.
~Enabling us to understand and believe that you are sovereign over leaders and nations, and that you providentially rule your world.
~The privilege to live in a country where the transition of power from one group to another occurs by ballot rather than bayonet.
Amen."
~Written by Pastor David Forsyth

Home Sweet Home

So I'm not really sure who all reads this but I thought those of you who haven't been out here might like to see our actual living space. Mainly, this is for Noel and Shay who have specifically requested it :) The above picture is the view looking to the right from our patio/porch (I like to call it a porch, it makes me feel a little more southern and I like to think that we actually do have a porch:) These are the San Gabriel mountains featuring Mt. Baldy which, on a clear day, you can see from LA! There's a fun waterfall and ski resort (we have yet to test out the snow up there, but I've heard it's not the greatest for skiing/snowboarding).

Not sure what Peyton is up to, I just wanted to capture a little of the "porch". The grill we gave Corey for his birthday is to the left but I didn't take a picture of it because it was covered with an ugly sheet (a grill cover wasn't part of the gift:)

This is an old radio my mom gave me that I absolutely love! Those two drawers are actually a door that pops open and all my picture albums are in it. That's a picture of us on our wedding day that is in a frame made out of old barn wood I got at the flea market at the Neshoba County Fair :)

Our tv cabinet we got for $100! Corey wanted a low to the ground tv stand table thing but I wanted something we could close up to hide all the stuff inside. He compromised when we found out the price :)

2 antique plates my mom gave me...Georgia and California.

This is our super organized closet! Notice that I don't put up a picture of our guest closet...not quite as organized and where most of our junk lives.

Our little kitchen...I know the fridge is a little cluttered but I would rather have pictures and invitations and baby announcements on it than have it completely white and boring. That's the door to the laundry room/pantry in the back ground (I also didn't think that really needed to be pictured :)

Our "eating area". Although I mostly eat on the couch (no, I won't do this when we have kids, nor will the tv be on:)

The master bathroom.

The master bedroom...I hate that that outlet/cord are showing but there's really no way around it. Shay gave us that monogrammed B pillow on the bed that I LOVE :) The back wall was painted brown when we moved and we just left it, some days I like, some days I could do without.

The guest bathroom off the hallway.

The hallway...the 4 pictures framed on the wall are of different barn animals. I took them when I was in AP art in high school (probably the only pieces I was actually proud of :)

The guest bedroom...my mom and I (well, mostly my mom :) painted and antiqued the armoire, bed and bedside table :)

The living area...my mom bought the print/frame on the wall for us at a thrift store for $7! It was perfect! This is where we spend most of our time :)

I threw this one in because she's just so cute. We had just given her a bath so she's really fluffy and waiting for a treat :)

I apologize that these weren't in any real order. I get confused when I'm uploading them and can't figure out how to arrange them without deleting any :) I hope this gives you a better idea of what our lives are like here :)

Is that my voice? Is that MY voice?

So it's kind of always been a dream of mine to be the voice of a cartoon character. Actually, it probably hasn't been "always", I just say that because I don't remember when the dream really came about. There is something very appealing and fun about the thought of putting life into an animated character. This guy came up to me last week at the front counter at Chick-fil-A and asked me if I had ever thought about doing voice overs. My heart froze. Is this an agent of some sort, a casting director, someone who can make my dreams come true? Not quite, just a random person who thought I had a funny voice, I guess. He told me to go to a website called LA411. I did just that when I got home ;) It's basically a hub of agencies and contacts in the entertainment industry. Kind of overwhelming and intimidating, so I wasn't there for long but I did find out you can take classes on voice overs. I guess it's just like taking acting classes but it never really dawned on me that I could learn the process and train to do it! It's sort of been one of those ideas in the back of my mind that sounded great but in reality would never happen. A guy that works for us is seriously into modeling and acting and just signed with an agent. He told me today that his agent has clients he casts for voice overs. Could it be? Another avenue of opportunity? It's funny how the mind can play tricks on you. I immediately saw myself in a major motion animated film, walking the red carpet at it's premiere and getting a big kick out of my little character. Needless to say, I doubt it will be that easy. I am seriously contemplating taking some classes though. It might be a good idea for me to actually know a little something about this whole voice over thing before I set out in pursuit of it ;) One day though, it would be fun to say that I am the voice behind the cartoon. One day...

Can You See the E?

So I always figured I'd have to get glasses since every person in my immediate family has eye issues which requires the use of glasses or contacts. I haven't had any trouble with my eyes, though, so I figured I hadn't inherited the faulty gene. Until now. On my way back from Birmingham I was reading Glenn Beck's new book (very good by the way, but that's an entirely other topic for another blog update;) for like five hours. I looked up at one point and noticed the bathroom occupancy sign had gone blurry. I looked back down at the pages to see all the words in double. Soon after that I felt sick to my stomach with a killer headache. I knew then I was going to have to pay the optometrist a visit. Apparently I'm a champ at seeing things from afar, but when it comes to up close I need a little help focusing so my eyes don't have to work so hard. So, I don't have to wear them all the time, just when I'm reading or working on the computer for an extended period of time. Corey still likes to poke fun at me though. Especially when I'm lying in bed reading with my glasses on my nose and little green retainers in my mouth (yes, I still wear them at night so my teeth won't go all willy nilly). My eyes and face are adjusting to the little addition and somehow these little glasses make me feel a tiny bit smarter. I even find myself reading more often so I can wear them. It's something new I guess, and they came with a cute, pink case. I have now fully accepted joining the rest of my family in the glasses wearing world. Turns out, it's not so bad.

The House That Built Me

Just as a warning, this song makes me cry every time I hear it. One night I was in the shower and it came into my head for whatever reason. Naturally, I began to sing it at the top of my lungs, but unfortunately (well, maybe fortunately) I just couldn't get through it without unexplainably bursting into tears. I understand this is probably not normal and you might be thinking "I wonder if she's pregnant", but I simply couldn't help it (and, no I'm not pregnant ;). Anyway, this song always takes me back to the house I grew up in and the home I'm not really a part of anymore. My sisters both live in Birmingham, Alabama and my parents are headed that way very soon. I will be thrilled the day they are able to move closer to their girls and to their precious grandchildren, but in a way I dread it too. It makes me very sad to think I won't be able to return to the house I grew up in in Fayetteville, Georgia, with the little playhouse in the backyard my dad and grandfather built for me; the weathered, red trampolene with rusty springs; wiggly greetings from our four-legged, furry side of the family; my dad relaxing in the open doorway of the garage listening to talk radio with Charlie at his side after a long day of yard work; my mom cooking southern meals passed down from her mom in the cozy kitchen; the halls and rooms that hold so many memories. I guess this song fosters some sort of emotion for everyone as everyone has their own memories of the house they grew up in. For me, it makes me proud of where I come from and also it makes me desperately miss my family, the south, my home. So if you're ever in the mood for a good cry, indulge in this song. If you're anything like me it'll work every time.

http://www.cmt.com/videos/miranda-lambert/500805/the-house-that-built-me.jhtml

Visitors

About three weeks ago my sister Molly, her husband Jacob and their little girl Maggie came for a surprise visit! I was at a local college event passing out sandwiches with our marketing director and when I returned Corey informed me that there were some people in the dining room who wanted to see me. I truly could not put my finger on potential visitors and as I rounded the corner it still didn't register. Until I saw Maggie. See, living in California while your sisters and their families live in Alabama isn't ideal for seeing your nieces/nephews grow up. So this was a particularly wonderful surprise (even though it turns out that she likes Corey more than me:). She has grown since the last time I saw her of course, and she will be even bigger when I see her again. They were able to stay for almost a week which allowed time for us to do and see so much. Dodger's game, Sea World, Tom's Farm's the Falls at Mt. Baldy and lots of eating out...(these pics are on Facebook, so if you've seen them just keep scrolling down:)

It was such a refreshing time for me. A little bit of home brought to the West Coast. I love my life here so I'm not complaining, but it would be a lie if I said that I did not get lonely or that I don't miss my family and the South. Needless to say, I was very sad to see them go. But I know that there will be more visits and I am looking forward to sharing some of our life with family and friends to come. The thing about living so far away is that it makes that time you do have sweeter somehow. I just want to thank them for traveling to see us (and helping us put up new menu boards at Chick-fil-A:). It was a blessing and a joy.

Musicals Anyone?

So I sort of have this new obsession. I seriously love Glee. If you've never seen an episode, I would say you're missing out, but you may not agree and that is certainly okay. I know that it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's mine. I suppose this stems from my childhood. I think I can trace this love for musicals back to Newsies. My sisters and I watched it over and over again. To this day I know every line to every single song. I made Corey sit down and watch it with me (we had to break it up into two different viewings because he fell asleep the first time...he actually fell asleep both times so I just gave up). Needless to say he did not enjoy it. This was probably due, in part, to the fact that I was singing at the top of my lungs the entire movie. The Disney movies we all grew up watching are also a good excuse for my love of musicals. Sure there's a scary villian in every one, but that's overshadowed by the incredible soundtrack they all have. Let's face it, Corey and I both have multiple Disney songs on our Ipods. Whenever we have a little one (by that I mean child) in the car with us we shamelessly crank up the Disney music hoping to please them, while secretly loving the fact that we can listen to them again. I also think Sister Act II is partly to blame for this. I distinctly remember having a spend-the-night-party and watching all the performances from that movie over and over again (fast-forwarding from scene to scene on the VHS, of course). Modern day musicals I just can't get enough of; Enchanted (sure the whole animated to real life thing was kind of hinky, but the songs in this movie are brilliant), Mama Mia (one of my all time favs) and all the High School Musicals (I know, I know). Maybe it's the fact that you can break into song at any moment when you're in a musical (not that I've ever experienced that) or that their voices are perfectly flawless or that musicals are in a large majority, severely cheesy. Regardless, there's something simply delightful about watching a good musical. I would give up one of my extremities to be able to sing and dance, but I guess the Lord thought I needed them all. I think that's why I have grown to love Glee so much. It's a week to week silly, little musical with amazing music that you can immediately download from I-tunes. I don't agree with some of the content so I wouldn't recommend it for young and impressionable children, but it's very clever and witty. Corey actually watches it with me now too and even though he constantly protests that it's ridiculous I know he enjoys it too. Anyway, the season finale was excellent. This is an excerpt from that episode. Seeing as how it's almost seven minutes long I would understand if you don't care to watch it, but I will, over and over again ;)

FOX on Demand - Glee

Give musicals a try if you never have. You might just find you love them too.

The good, the bad and the super ugly...

I really enjoy cleaning. Maybe it's not the literal act of cleaning rather than actual cleanliness. There is a sense of accomplishment at the final result of it all. I guess that's why my new vacuum is my hero at the moment. I won't tell you how much it picks up every single time I vacuum, that would be sort of embarrassing (Peyton sheds her weight in hair daily, I seriously don't how she isn't bald). Anyway, I usually end up cleaning at the store for the reasons mentioned above. There are definitely things I don't mind cleaning, like the chairs that have milkshake dripping down the legs, trays with sauce puddled in the corners, trash cans that have collected juice from a leaking trash bag, spilled and sticky Hi-C fruit punch and much more. But there are some areas where I draw the line. Last week I covered a shift for one of our team members and incidentally (as Regis would say) was the dining room cleaning attendant. Not having checked the bathroom in a while (and having only one stall open due to plumbing issues) I figured it could use a check up. Cleaning the bathroom is not usually something that would scar me, but on this night that changed. As I entered the restroom I noticed the smell. There were crumpled paper towels on the counter with a hint of brown substance. Unusual, I thought. Then I entered the stall. Without going into detail, I will tell you I gaged. There, on the surface of the toilet, the toilet paper, the toilet paper holder and the waste basket 'it' was smeared, with the source still obviously in the toilet (unflushed). Everywhere. Lovely. Some unaccompanied he/she child had left me a present, that I did not want. Let me just say I do not handle 'poop' situations well. I have a hard time changing diapers (as my sisters would tell you I don't do very often, with just a hint of resentment in their voices) so you can imagine how thrilled I was in this instance. Who was going to do deal with this, though, if I didn't? So, I donned my gloves, cleaner and sanitizer and attacked the contaminated bathroom stall with all my might. A major sense of accomplishment at it's sparkling finish, and the fact that I saved the rest of those in the restaurant from the evil lurking in the bathroom, made me feel a little better. It's clean now, but let this be a lesson to those who have small children. You never know what has been left behind by someone else's child or what yours might leave behind (not on purpose, of course) . So please, for the sake of us all, chaperone your little munchkin to a public restroom or teach them how to wipe effectively.

welcome to my blog, I think

Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?

I don't remember growing older
When did they?

When did she get to be a beauty?
When did he grow to be so tall?

Wasn't it yesterday
When they were small?

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears

What words of wisdom can I give them?
How can I help to ease their way?

Now they must learn from one another
Day by day

They look so natural together

Just like two newlyweds should be

Is there a canopy in store for me?

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears

So this is all new to me and I felt like I should maybe explain the title of this little window into my world. It's pretty simple really. I love this song. I wish I had chosen to have it played in my wedding. I grew up listening to my aunt Julie (with such a familiar, beautiful voice) singing it to the sound of her guitar, rippling waves and the clinking of my grandfather's sailboat mast on the screened in front porch of my grandparents house overlooking Palmetto Creek. Takes me back there every time. This is where I have spent a majority of all my summers and holidays since before I can remember. This is my favorite place on earth; my little piece of heaven. Perdido Beach, Alabama is where my dad spent endless hours tubing us behind the boat, and teaching me how to slolum and cast a net for catching mullet (not what you're thinking...they're bottom feeding fish that are simply delightful when my dad slices them up and fries them ;). We spent entire days in the murky water until the tips of our fingers and toes were wrinkly. This is where I feel I can most remember my beloved grandmother because she quite literally helped to build the house we all consider to be home. This is where I grew up, along with my sisters and cousins. With this song a flood of memories from throughout my life thus far overwhelm me. I ache for those days that are long passed but they have come and gone, just as other seasons of my life. I think this song reflects this sentiment brilliantly. Time goes by so fast. Although I long for days gone by, I look forward to what the Lord has in store for me and cherish the memories I'm making now. In so many words, this life, in so many of it's aspects, is bittersweet...laden with happiness and tears. I suppose that's what I'll share with you here, my moments of happiness and tears. Hopefully I'll make you laugh more than I make you cry (although, I seriously doubt I am capable of either). So here's to new memories, a new season, sunrise...