Green Eyed View

Moving Day

2006-12-22T08:08:00.000-06:00

I have moved my blog!!! You can find future Green Eyed View posts at:

www.greeneyedview.wordpress.com

So, change all your links and bookmarks and head on over to my new space on the World Wide Web. Hope to see you there!! :)

Stained Glass

2006-12-18T22:10:00.000-06:00

This year, I got the bright idea to make a few of my gifts to a) satisfy my creative, crafty side that has been neglected for some time, and b) make my small Christmas gift budget go a bit farther. I decided to create a few mosaic items for a few select friends and family. I have not had much experience with mosaics. I think I have made one in my life, and that was a mosaic tile I made at Different Strokes last year. All the materials were placed in front of me, and all I had to do was glue the tiles to a square ceramic tile. A first grader could do it [and probably better than mine turned out..]. But doing a mosaic from start to finish...well, I was heading into a new frontier, where no green eyed gal....uh...named Sarah Jean Hodges....who has a dog named Jasper.....has gone before.

Anyway, I had collected my plethora of supplies way back in November. I think I spent over an hour at Hobby Lobby deliberating and stressing over what supplies I was going to need. I had planned on spending the next month between Thanksgiving and Christmas creating beautiful masterpieces my loved ones would 'ooo' and 'ahh' in amazement over once completed in plenty of time for Christmas. Well, it is the 18th of December, and to be vulnerable and honest, ......I really only began tonight. Let's just say that a couple of my original recipients of Beautiful Mosaic Items By Sarah will now be receiving gifts bought, with great thought and care, from some store and will only be Gift Wrapped By Sarah. However, if I start in January, perhaps those few wonderful people will get their Sarah creations next year for Christmas....

Even starting tonight, I believed I would be able to do a couple of the mosaics. So I got everything I would need moved to the garage and set up on the small folding table I bought at Lowe's specifically for this crafting experience. I had 3 panes of colored glass, a mosaic kit that has all the basic tools and supplies to begin mosaic-ing [including beautiful Italian glass tiles], safety goggles, craft glue, my various items that I want to mosaic [glass candle holders and wooden trays], and a small space heater, which is absolutely essential for crafting in my chilly garage. And that is where things began to turn quite Unfortunate for this Green-Eyed Gal.

There is one bricked step that leads from my house into the garage. I was heading back into the house from the garage for one last item, when I found myself tripping on my house slippers and falling on the step. My right house slipper slipped off my foot, and my right foot, where my big toe meets the ball of my foot, made contact with the corner of above-mentioned brick step. Oh, the pain. Oh, oh the pain. I managed to limp to the bathroom, where I grabbed a Kleenex, then over to the couch to survey the damage, the whole time trying not to cry. I whined for a while holding the tissue to my throbbing injury.

WARNING: ICKY DETAILS TO FOLLOW IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH!!!!

Upon examining my wound, it looked as though it wasn't too bad in the "bleeding profusely" area, so I got up to hobble upstairs to the bathroom for a band-aid. Well, it turns out it was bleeding more profusely than I first assessed. I left a trail of blood drops from the kitchen the first few steps of the stairs. Great. That is just perfect. Now I have to get blood out of the carpet. I try to wrap my now bloody tissue around my foot the best I can and go BACK to the downstairs bathroom for more tissue so I can wrap it some more and try again to go upstairs. At this point I think I am crying a little. Once upstairs I grab the bottle of peroxide, a washcloth, and a hand held mirror, and sit down on the floor to clean the wound. The hand held mirror allowed me to actually get a good look at the wound, just in case you were wondering....

Did you know that not only does peroxide bubble amazingly when it comes into contact with blood, but it also gets really, really warm?? Well, it does. As I was pouring peroxide on my foot and catching the excess with the rag, the rag started getting very warm and foamy. It was kind of cool. Anyway.....I clean my foot, it keeps bleeding a lot, but I ointment it up and slap a band-aid on it. Enough already with the foot! I've got a masterpiece to create!

The art of mosaic takes way too much time when a) one has no experience whatsoever with said art, b) the artist is a perfectionist, and c) the item said artist is attempting to mosaic is curved. The item mentioned is a votive candle holder. The curvature of a votive candle holder is not conducive to keeping broken pieces of glass from slipping once glue is applied and they are stuck to the solid glass of curved candle holder. I kept having to nudge pieces back in place and hold the glass at an angle while blowing on the pieces to hurry the drying process along. I finally stuck to one section and held the glass still until that section dried. I tell you, watching glue dry is even less exciting than watching paint dry. Finally, it was 8:45 and I needed to call it quits for the night.

All in all, I have the rim and 1/2 of one section of a 3 inch high votive candle holder covered in glass. Whoopee. I have that one to finish, 7 more candle holders to apply bits of broken glass to, and all of them to grout. I also have a hurt foot, and I think there are tiny shards of glass in my hands. I am off to a good start. Only 7 days until Christmas. At this rate, I should be done by Groundhog's day, and need to buy stock in bandaids and triple antibiotic ointment.

Until next time......

Glowing Warmth

2006-10-22T14:07:00.000-05:00

Today I experienced my first fire in the fireplace at The Palace [aka Jamie's and my apartment]. We've never had a fire, and we've lived there almost a year. In fact, there was a half burned log in the fireplace when we moved in. That logged got burned today. We probably would still have not had a fire if my wonderful boyfriend hadn't decided that he was going to build us a nice toasty fire for us when he came over for breakfast this morning. Thanks David! He worked a good while and managed to build a really nice homey fire. It was nice sitting by the fire, drinking hot tea. I hope this is the first of many cozy fires this fall/winter! It sure was a good day for it. It is chilly out!

Easy as Apple ____

2006-10-01T23:09:00.000-05:00

I am in a place of complete and total happiness.....

I made my first apple pie of 2006.

I love, LOVE, L.O.V.E. making apple pies. I think it is the highest form of cooking therapy for me. I don't know what it is....if its the smells, the fun of rolling out my own pie crust from scratch, or the challenge of creating the perfect lattice top, but I find so much happiness in making apple pie. It relaxes me and makes me feel just all peachy and peaceful. And very "Susy Homemaker", haha!

Tonight's pie, which has 30 minutes baking time left, was extra fun for me. I have not made an apple pie in I think over a year. :( It completely slipped my mind last year. Also, I got to bring out my all-time favorite kitchen gadget: my apple peeler/corer/slicer.

OH! The awesomeness of this particular gadget is indescribable! This little gadget peels, cores, and slices at the turn of a handle. I had completely forgotten that my apple peeler/corer/slicer was a peeler/corer/slicer. I thought it only peeled and cored. So, you can imagine my excited surprise when I discovered that it was slicing my apples into beautifully thin slices, perfect for apple pie. It made my pie making experience so much the more joyful. :)

This particular pie is for my co-workers. We had BAGS of leftover apples from an event last week, so I told them I would take some home and make one for work tomorrow. One of my co-workers is going to bring CINNAMON ICE CREAM as a delicious addition to the pie. YUM!!! :)

I have plans on making one more apple pie in the next few days, and hopefully will get the chance to make a few more this Fall.

Apple Pie! Apple Pie!

heehee!

Summertime....and the Living's Easy.... SUMMER 2006: An Index

2006-09-22T08:37:00.000-05:00

As Fall has "officially" arrived on the calendar, I thought it appropriate to give a little summary of my exciting, blog post-less summer.

OK....so this whole "index" thing is taken from ole Rosco, but imitation is the highest form of flattery, right? And besides, how else am I supposed to get a whole summer's worth of happenings into one post? Exactly..... So...let us begin:

number of birthdays celebrated: 1

number of car accidents I was in: 1

the result of above mentioned car accident: one completely totaled car, 2 very unhurt drivers

the two finest words in the English Language after car accident: Total Coverage

amount of time I was "without" a car until a replacement was found: 5 days

first thought of replacement car: incomparibly better in so many ways than the old one. It is a complete and total blessing from God

person responsible for finding this gem of a car: Dave

what the insurance check covered: the entire cost of the new car, plus the cost of the ticket received in accident [yeah, my fault]. almost to the penny!

color of new amazing, wonderful, blessing of a car: purple...no...grey... no blue....uh......depends on who you talk to ;)

number of trips taken to Silver Dollar City: 1

number of fanny packs seen while sitting in front of SDC for 45 minutes waiting for the rest of our group to arrive: we lost count at 78

# of times my hair was colored this summer: 6

time span in which hair was colored above mentioned number of times: 2 weeks

amount of time I let go by before going to my stylist after the 'unfortunate hair coloring experience' so she wouldn't find out my faux pas: 2 1/2 months

number of seconds it took her to notice what I had done: .000003

number of weddings attended: 2

number of wedding anniversary celebrations attended: 1

number of baby showers: 2

number of funerals: 1

number of summer movies watched on the big screen: 3

best movie I saw on the big screen this summer: Superman Returns

number of ticks that attached themselves to my body in the Unfortunate Seed Tick Incident: 147

what number I lost count at when trying to count the red dots left behind by above mentioned seed ticks: 65

number of walks or hikes taken in the woods this summer: 2, one at the beginning, one at the end

how many weekends my roommate was out of town, causing me to spend my weekends home alone: all but 3

number of times I got "anxious" over being home alone: 4

cause of two of those 4 anxious times: watching a scary movie before bed

what I did to "protect myself" while I slept when all alone: wedged a giant framed Monet print underneath the doorknob of my bedroom door.

number of awesome conversations had and wonderful memories made: countless!

Ok....so I am sure a lot more went on, but I am running out of creative things....

And now.....ON TO FALL!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Blood Sucking Monsters

2006-09-20T08:03:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went on a very lovely walk in the woods with Dave. It was awesome. The woods are on a nice piece of land owned by his sister and brother-in-law. It was a perfect evening for a walk. The temperature was just right, and the air had just the right amount of crispness in it. I took several deep breaths along the way to savor the woodsy, fall scents. We saw a few deer and found ourselves whispering for quite a bit a time after that. The sounds and silence of the woods were too natural and sacred to ruin with our human chatter. Afterwards we sat on his tailgate in the adjacent meadow and talked as the afternoon faded to dusk and dusk faded to that wonderful "gloaming" and it became too dark and chilly to enjoy [as much].

While we were sitting, I had noticed I started to itch quite a bit. I figured it was because I had gotten chilled, which caused the prickly hair on my not-so-fresh-shaven legs to stand at attention and irritate my skin as they rubbed against my jeans. When we returned to his house, I was still itching, so I decided a trip to the powder room was necessary in order to investigate. I looked at my legs, and they did not look normal. I looked either very freckled, or like I had a bad case of razor burn. On closer inspection, I discovered the tiny brown dots all over my legs [and I mean ALL OVER] were TICKS. And not only were they ticks, they were SEED TICKS, itty bitty blood sucking creatures the size of one of these: [.]. That's right. The size of a period at the end of a sentence. And that is true to scale. These vile blood sucking parasites had already bedded down for the night and were feasting on Sang de Sarah. What was most interesting was how my whole body began to itch once I learned I had seed ticks on my legs. Of course, I did begin to find a few on my arms that gave me evidence that I might in fact have them all over.

So my evening ended with a shower in an attempt to scrub off the offending blood suckers. Scrubbing did not work, so I ended up having to scratch them off a few at a time in the shower, and take a second look over everything after to pick off what I missed. My roommate Jamie was a trooper and thoroughly checked my back and removed a few from there. The only place left unchecked is my head. There is NO WAY I would be able to find them in my hair. I can only hope I scrub them off as I wash my hair.

Seed ticks and all, it was a great evening, and one I won't soon forget [or ever forget for that matter]. When I woke up this morning, I found myself chuckling at how funny the Unfortunate Seed Tick Incident, as it will now be called, truly was. Memories were made, and I really like that! :) Of course, the next time Dave and I go for a jaunt in the woods, the DEET will be accompanying us!

Just Breathe

2006-09-11T22:22:00.000-05:00

Still breathing! Just thought I'd check in..... :)

To The Faithful

2006-08-22T12:20:00.000-05:00

Its been a long time.... I really didn't intend for this much time to go by. But a week faded into a month, and then a month or two went by. I bet there are some out there who don't even bother to come here anymore to see if I've updated, because they have given up on me ever returning, believing I have let this Green Eyed View fall into the shadows of blogging past.

So this post is dedicated to the faithful few who still come to view my View in hopes that maybe one of these days I will come out of blogging retirement. Thank you for your faithfulness. My hat goes off to you [if I actually wore a hat, that is...].

Its a late night for me. I can't sleep. So you will have to excuse my random thoughts. I thought I'd share a few:

Sometimes I wish life was scripted. I think I would find conversations much easier if I knew what my next line was was going to be, and could have advance notice of the direction the other person[s]'s lines were going to take. I don't deny that I feel very inadequate in regards to verbal communication. I don't feel like I am a good communicator. I feel awkward. I don't know how to respond sometimes. I don't have time to think my thoughts through before I am expected to respond. My thoughts come out of my mouth jumbled. I feel like I am stumbling and stuttering over every sentence. My sentences don't come out of my mouth the way that I thought them in my head. And so on. However, I must say, with recent practice and help, I think I am getting a tad bit better. Much thanks to my helper/ teacher. Thanks for enjoying talking, and for being so good at it.

Does life ever slow down?? I mean, seriously! For the past, oh I don't know, 2 or so years now, I keep thinking, "Oh when this happens, things will slow down", or "When I get past this [season, event, holiday, project, set period of time, etc.], life will get simplier and ease up a bit", or "Maybe when I hit this age, it will all get much slower and I will have time to do this, this, and this". But, none of these things ever happen. When I thought that when the fall was over things would slow down, then winter came and things were busy again. The same thing happened with spring, then this summer, and now fall is almost back around and I think it will be just as busy, just in a different way. Its always busy in a different way. There is always another "season", always another "event", always another..."another". There are things that I so want to focus on, that I feel I can't focus on, until "life slows down". But I am realizing its probably not going to, so when can I focus? Ok, so I am getting a little dramatic here [big surprise]. Prehaps I am not as busy as I think; maybe its just time management that I need to work on. That wouldn't be a surprise.

Why is it that insomnia hits me at the most inopportune times? Its always when I feel like I need sleep the most, haha. I know I will be very tired tomorrow. I will not want to get out of bed. My morning schedule will be cut short as I try to pare it down to "what absolutely needs to be done in order to get ready, and not a thing more". My morning routine will suffer, and I will suffer from cutting down my morning routine. There is a chance I will have a case of the grumpies in the morning. Even now, I know I am tired. My eyes are feeling heavy, and my body is aching for rest. But as soon as the light officially goes out, my mind starts running a marathon of thoughts. It. Won't. Shut. Down. It has to rehash much of the day, every detail of my evening with mi novio [which was quite delightful, I might add... :)], play through a few "daydream" stories which will probably involve a combination of car chases, secret agents, missionaries, secret Portuguese Royalty and/or abductions [I have an extremely overactive imagination...], and go through a few to-do list and calendaring items that I have on my docket for the next week or so. I will toss and turn and pray for sleep [beg God for it]. This has all happened before. It used to be a "once in a blue moon" event. Not so much anymore. I feel like my insomnia is getting more frequent. This will be the second or third time in a 2 week period, I believe. I think I need to change my daytime schedule and routine in order to make sleep more possible at night. Maybe....eat better? Drink more water? Exercise regularly? I don't know..... Those are things I want to do. I have no clue if they will help my sleep pattern. Just thoughts. Random, muddled thoughts coming from a mind that is up past 12 am......

Summer Solstice

2006-06-21T15:04:00.000-05:00

Happy Summer Solstice! Today is the longest day of the year (meaning the most sunshine we will have all year long). Also, today just happens to be this Green Eyed Gal's Birthday.

Yes, Thursday, June 21, 1979, at 6:18pm I made my grand entrance into this world, after my mom's horribly long labor of......18 minutes. I kid you not. The woman was in labor for 18 whole minutes. She can't really complain there. Daddy said it was a good thing we were already at the hospital [they induced], or I would have been born at home or in the car. I weighed....a lot, and was short, fat, beat-up looking, with jaundice. Yep, a pretty baby I was NOT. I'd post a picture if I had one, but unfortunately they are still in physical form and have never been scanned for digital use. I was named Sarah Jean after.....well....the Bible Sarah....I guess....and Jean after my Granny, who's middle name is Jean as well [but she goes by her middle name]. Sarah is Hebrew for "Princess" [yes, yes I am, thank you very much ;) ], and Jean is Celtic/Gaelic and means "God is Gracious".

So, there's a little information into my birth. And... that's all I really have to say! Its been a fun journey. I can't believe I've been alive this long. Time seems to go faster and faster the older I get. God has been and is still so amazing and good to me. I am blessed beyond anything I could ask for or imagine.

Daddy

2006-06-18T11:05:00.000-05:00

Its Father's Day, and I wanted to dedicated this post to my daddy. I have been asked to speak at church tonight about my dad, which has my nerves all worked up b/c I just do NOT like being up in front of people. For any reason. Anyway, I have been working this morning typing up what I want to say about daddy, and I wanted to post it here in its entirety:

In honor of Father’s Day, I want to tell you all about my dad, the most incredible man I know. I don’t think I will be able to fully do him justice and fully describe to you how neat he is, but I hope to do my best.

My dad, whom I still call and probably will always call “daddy” more than I do dad, is in my opinion the best dad a girl could have.

I am the youngest in my family, and am the only girl, having one older brother, so I am probably your stereotypical Daddy’s Girl. I admit it. I am a daddy’s girl. I have successfully mastered the pout in my years on this earth as my daddy’s daughter, and am pretty sure that from the time I was born my dad has been securely wrapped around my little finger. One of my favorite father daughter activities growing up was sitting in my dad’s lap. I used to do all the time. And, as embarrassing as it is to admit, I still to this day, still occasionally sit in his lap. There are just certain times I need my daddy to hold me. And, he told me once I have permission to do it until I am 40, so I need to do it while I can.

My dad was always the better discipline giver in our house. I was an extremely strong willed child. I know some of you who know me might find that hard to believe, but trust me. I was strong willed. And I needed that strong will to be in a way, broken. My dad successfully did that, I think. He was always so calm about punishment. He told me about his one time when I was really small where I had done something that was deserving of a spanking. I don’t remember this at all, but he said when he had finished, I immediately screamed, “I hate you daddy!” So, he had to punish me again. And, I said it again. I am not sure how long this went back and forth. My dad told me that he remember thinking, “She is going to win. I cannot keep beating this child.” I am not sure what he did exactly in the end. I am so thankful for his loving discipline. I know that I needed it. And it made me develop a healthy fear of my dad.

A lot of my friends were a little scared of my dad. They saw him as this quiet, serious, guy who was super spiritual and incredibly intimidating. But I see him differently. I think my dad is hilarious. He is weird in his humor sometimes, but humorous all the same. He has a weird, dry sense of humor and thinks the strangest things are funny sometimes.

On a more serious side, my daddy is the most Godly, God fearing, wise spiritual man I have ever known. He has led our family and brought us up to fear and know God.
One thing that will always stick in my mind when I think about my dad’s relationship with God is his prayer chair. In my parents house, the house I pretty much grew up in, my dad has a chair in the living room that is referred to as his prayer chair. That is where he sits when he reads, studies, prays, or listens to worship music. I can remember countless times coming home and finding my dad sitting in his chair, headphones on, arms raised, worshipping God with tears streaming down his face, or stretched out on his face in the floor. I remember times when I was sat in the prayer chair so my parents could pray over me. It’s a part of my dad.

He is passionate about worship and what it means to truly worship God. He is passionate about personal holiness and living a life that is holy and pleasing to God. He will talk your ear off about Missions and especially missions to India, which is where his heart is. He has gone on and led several short term mission trips to India for about 6 or 7 years now, and is involved in a ministry over there. He is a missionary, and his calling is for short term missions and motivating other to get involved in missions. He gets so emotional sometimes when he speaks of God, and what God is doing. It’s amazing.

I think that God has used my dad, my earthly father, to give me a picture of Himself, my heavenly father. My dad is not perfect, and is human and sins, and makes mistakes, so the picture isn’t perfect, but it is a glimpse, and a picture nonetheless. I know my dad loves me. I have never doubted that. I know he will always love me. He is proud of me and excited about what God has done and is doing in my life. He couldn’t love me more or less. I love my dad. I respect him, I fear him. I want to be like him in so many ways.

My heavenly father loves me. He loves me unconditionally. He can’t love me any more or less. I fear God. I want to be like Christ, and God works in my life and disciplines me and refines me to make me more like Him. He is delighted with me and rejoices over me with singing. I know that is b/c of Christ in me. And it is Christ in my dad that has made him the father and man of God that he is today. I hope that by honoring my earthly father today, that I honor and glorify my heavenly father.

I know there a lot of people out there who don’t have the kind of earthly dad that I have been undeservingly blessed with. I wish with all my heart that it could be so, but its not, not on this earth. But regardless of how your earthly father may be, my prayer is that you can truly know and understand that God is your father. Your heavenly father is good. He never changes. He is not passive. He is never absent. He will not walk out on you or ever leave you. He will never harm you, or manipulate you. He is just. He disciplines when we need it, but with love. He loves us unconditionally.

Happy Father’s Day, Daddy. I love you.

I'm Here

2006-06-13T22:14:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am here. Sorry I've not posted anything in a while. I am planning on posting about Oaxaca.

More to come.....

Oh....Mexico!

2006-05-18T23:24:00.000-05:00

Well, I am Mexico bound. I leave tomorrow night for Tulsa, and then fly out EARLY Saturday morning for Oaxaca, Mexico. I will be part of a mission team of 20 people from my church, The Grove. I am very, very excited. Our team will be doing a medical clinic, construction work, and other ministy opportunities. I will be part of the team going into the mountains, which is where the medical clinic will be. I am not sure how exactly I will be serving, but I am so ready to serve the Mixteco and minister however God wants me to. I want to be His hands and feet, and be used by Him. It is going to be a GREAT trip, and the team is made up of GREAT people. Be praying for us. I will be gone all next week, so don't expect to hear from me until later. I hope to have many an exciting tale to share. I am preparing for an AWESOME ADVENTURE, and want to be ready for anything and everything God has in store!

Mom

2006-05-14T21:56:00.000-05:00

Its mother's day, so I want to dedicate this post to honor my mom. I know this won't do her justice, but I am going to try....

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful mom. She is my best friend, my confidant, my teacher, my prayer warrior, my devil's advocate [;) heehee], my sounding board, my level head, my momma. She is also an INCREDIBLE cook. Yum, yum.

I am so proud of her. She has made some awesome and healthy lifestyle changes in recent months and has been working hard at keeping it up.

She has been a good example to me of what a godly, Christian wife and mother should be. Like all of us, she isn't perfect, but that is ok. I still hope that one day I can be half as good a mother as she is. She is beautiful both inside and out.

Mom, if you still read my blog ;), I love you. Thank you for being my mom, for putting up with me during my strong willed childhood and especially those horrible teenage years [sorry for that, by the way...:P]. Thanks for loving me and disciplining me and loving me while you disciplined me, haha. Oh, and thanks for listening and then setting me straight when I start to overanalyze everything to death.

Thanks for being the example you have been, and for always pointing me towards Christ.

Oh, and please don't be mad at me for posting the picture... you look beautiful....

The Little Cinder Boy

2006-05-14T09:11:00.000-05:00

I came home yesterday evening to this:

Jasper stuck his nose where it DEFINITELY did not belong. The Palace has a fireplace. Jamie and I have never used this fireplace, but it has old ash and soot from a previous tenant. Not a lot, mind you, just enough to show that the fireplace has indeed been used in the past. Anyway, Jasper decided to investigate said fireplace, getting soot and ash all over the "hearth" area, his face [as pictured above], the carpet, and THE COUCH. Mad does not describe how I felt. I was beyond grumpy. I wanted to cry. I couldn't punish him. The deed had been done, and he probably wouldn't know why he was in trouble. He didn't know he had a mask of black on his face. I can tell you, he didn't get any attention. I don't remember even talking to him for a while after I got home. I may have, but I don't remember....

Anyway, a little while later, I changed my clothes and tackled the mess in the living room. Part one complete. Part two was cleaning Jasper. Jasper does not enjoy bath time. He especially does not enjoy having his face washed. Well, too bad for Jasper. I think he thought he was going to suffocate or drown or both. I had to put his face under the faucet to wet him down, then really went to town scrubbing his eyes, nose, mouth, and chin. I thought I was pretty nice to him--I used his tearless puppy formula shampoo. I do not think Jasper would have agreed....

After the whole ordeal, I was mentally and physically fatigued. I went to bed shortly after eight, not even worrying about doing my normal bedtime routine. I did not even wash my face. I was beyond caring. Those of you who really know me know how big a deal that is. For those of you who don't know: I N.E.V.E.R. go to bed without first washing my face. And yes, I used the "N" word. I do NOT go to bed without first washing off my make-up. I am pretty rigid about my skin care routine. Even if I am not wearing make-up, I must wash my face. But I did last night. WOW. First time ever. I'll probably pay for it...

I slept a good 10 hours. It. Felt. Great.

Addicted to All Things Google

2006-05-05T18:57:00.000-05:00

I have decided that Google rocks my face off. I have quite a fondness for many of the products and services that Google provides. The list grows daily as I discover a new little "thing" that they do.

My top favorites:

Google Local [Maps]- When I need a map I always head over to Google Maps. I mean, Google maps is the best [true dat, double true].

Google itself-[yeah, the search thing]- When I search, my search engine is Google. When I tell people to look something up on the Internet, I am one of those who says, "Google it".

Gmail- My email is Gmail. I have 3 gmail accounts....uh yeah. I have my main one, my "junk" one I use when I order things online or have to enter an email address on a website, and one I have with my roommate called "Posts from the Palace", that we plan on using to do encouraging/funny emails to our friends. I am quite addicted to my email. I think part of this is due to the fact that I no longer have access to my email while I am at work. All web-based email providers recieve the big BLOCK from my job. So, the only time I have access to it is early morning, noon, and evenings. I know, that is a lot. But I often have something to read or send, and find myself on my email a lot.

Blogger- OK, this is sort of new to me. I had no clue that Blogger was a Google thing until I saw it on the Products list a while back. I don't need to say much here, b/c its obvious I AM a blogger, b/c you are reading this blog, which is hosted on Blogger. I enjoy blogging and take part in this actvities quite frequently. Kudos, Google.

Gmail Talk- Hand in Hand with my Gmail is Gmail Talk. Unfortunately, my chat is only available to me in web form while on my email, b/c at this time the Chat download program is not Mac compatible. Come on Google, get with the program....grumble....

Google Calendar-My most recent obsession is Google Calendar. I. LOVE. IT. I have already set up 4 color-coded calendars to organize the various components of my life.....personal, work, church, and Jasper. Oh, and the US holidays calendar. Ah yes.... I spend quite a bit of time on this. Fortunately, I am able to access this calendar from work. It is amazing, and wonderful, and good. I can set up all sorts of activities and events, send myself reminders, send people invitations to invite them to events.....and so much more! Way to go Google. Way. To. Go.

I know there are many other wonderful Google Goodies out there, but these are the ones I currently use and love. Sigh..... ode to Google....how wonderful you are. You better never go away.

Jasper

2006-05-02T12:48:00.000-05:00

Jasper celebrated his 1st birthday on Saturday. I didn’t have the time I thought I was going to have to bake him his own “doggie” cake from a recipe I found on the internet, but I don’t think he minded or even noticed, haha. I did sing him “Happy Birthday” and gave him some extra attention and snuggle time. That dog sure likes snuggling…

He’s been frustrating me lately. He has been SO naughty. This past weekend, he pulled at the carpet by the tile in front of the fireplace twice, making a frayed spot [this is in addition to the small hole he ate in the carpet a week or two ago…]. Yesterday, he found a small wear in the couch and began pulling stuffing out, then piddled in my bedroom floor shortly after dinner while Jamie and I were getting ready to go out biking—after he had been taken out and had gone potty just an hour and a half before that. Later that night, he found, chewed, and partially ate a roach trap that was underneath the fridge. Yeah, one of those traps that says, “Hazardous to humans and domestic animals” in bold letters on the box. I watched him throughout the evening, and I think he is ok, [hopefully], but—ARGH!!—That frustrates me! I told him he was going to poison himself if he doesn’t stop, and it will make me very sad.

I am baffled at his behavior. He knows that what he is doing is NOT acceptable. He runs and hides after being caught in every one of the above mentioned acts and gives me his “sorry” face….its actually quite cute…..he looks at me and hangs his head a little and then lifts his little paw up in the air…..sigh….I’m a sucker…. He still gets punished, though.

I think I need to save up some money and enroll him in a training class.

Or else pull all my hair out. But that won’t really accomplish anything…

:P

Tenga un buen dia

2006-04-28T21:09:00.000-05:00

Today I finally had the 'confidence' to wish our Spanish-speaking members a good day at work.

Boy, was it EVER a good day!

First off, and the highest on my good day list, was receiving a huge surprise when someone brought me flowers at work today. ;) They are tulips, they are pink, and they are BEAUTIFUL. [I would post a pic, but my dad has my camera..] I was assisting a member when he came in with them, and I think I was so suprised that I ended up stuttering out a shocked greeting and acted like a goober in front of the member. I couldn't stop smiling the rest of day. In fact, my face hurt from smiling so much.... :) And as I type, I smile some more.....

Then, that evening, my dad took me on a date to Noodles for some father-daughter time. I had a really great time getting to eat and talk with my dad. He told me some interesting stuff he had learned about animal and milk fat that may totally revolutionize my current diet. [Diet as in the foods I eat, not diet as in the loosing weight kind....]. Really, I know it sounds silly, but it was highly interesting... Anyway, I always enjoy my dad and spending time with him.

After dinner, we went over to Lewis and Clark's bike sale, and I ended up getting a bike for my upcoming birthday [ehem....in....a month and a half.....haha. I know, its still a long ways away, but they were ON SALE], compliments of my wonderful parents. After I talked to bike rep, took a turn in the parking lot, got my dad's opinion on the matter, and agreed to my mom's terms for them paying for the bike full out, we were on our way home with said bike, helmet, and a few other....accessories. The "terms" laid out by my mom are that I have to clean her house top to bottom 4 times to 'earn' the difference between mom's birthday budget and the cost of the bike. Heck, I think I got off easy. Well, maybe.... My parents' house is a pretty good size, and mom can tend to be a.....packrat/cluttercritter. Oh, well, it is completely worth it. I have a mountain bike!

All in all it was a very, very good day. I even enjoyed the constant rain.....

Jibblies

2006-04-25T12:32:00.000-05:00

I was up a little late last night, sitting at my laptop typing and writing and working on some stuff. I was at the kitchen table, in the dark, with only my screen to provide light. I know, bad for my eyes....

Anyway, I was typing away, when I felt something tickling my foot. I stop, and get really still. I thought at first it might be one of those little tickles I just get sometimes, like an itch or something. But I decide to investigate. So, I slowly reach behind me to flick on the dining room light, making sure I do not move my foot more than necessary. I look down.....and then wished that I hadn't.

There, on my foot, was a huge.....COCKROACH. A cockroach. In my kitchen. On my foot. Well, that gave me a huge case of the Jibblies (number 11 on Strongbad's Bottom 10). I quietly screamed in the back of my throat [it was late, after all], knocked the offending roach off my foot, and used one of Jasper's chew toys that was nearby to squish the smitherings out of the disgusting insect. YUCK. YUCK. Our house is old, and we have bugs.

Thinking about it makes me want to silently scream again.....

Frolicking

2006-04-24T19:29:00.000-05:00

Lambeau: I'm gonna getcha! You whippersnapper...

Jasper: Ppbbbbttttthhhh!

[click photo to enlarge for detail...]

Sage Advice

2006-04-24T12:43:00.000-05:00

"Sometimes the most godly thing you can do is go to sleep and get some rest."

A wise word from my dad last night....

:)

Cry Me a River

2006-04-19T22:41:00.000-05:00

Tonight, Jamie and I were having one of our awesome girl/roommate chats, and got onto subject of crying. We were talking about various things that stir the emotions and have moved us to tears. Jamie mentioned how she feels she has become more emotional in recent years. She said that in high school and college, she wasn’t much of a cryer. In fact, she can remember exactly every single time she cried back then, b/c it was so infrequently.

Wow. That is certainly not the case with me. I am emotional. Openly at times. I have pretty much always been a cryer. I like to cry. I think its good for the body and soul, haha. Now, there are times when crying isn’t fun. I can remember times in my life where I specifically did NOT like my crying [or the reasons], and thought I would never be able to go a whole day without crying [i also tend to....uh...overreact...uh...sometimes..]. But all in all, crying is a good thing in my book. Better out than in when it comes to emotions.

Anyway, Jamie then starts telling me about the first time she ever cried during a movie while in a theater. It was her freshman year in college. Now, I can think of several fine films that I saw my own freshman year that I bawled like a baby in [Stupid Titanic—it took me until the 4th time watching it to make it through dry eyed….haven’t seen it since]. But Jamie’s reaction to a certain film was….interesting.... to say the least. I was a little…. Surprised…. that she was moved to such emotion while watching this particular movie. I myself have not seen it, but from the previews I did see I would not think that it was a crying movie. But, maybe it is.... The movie---Joe Dirt. Yes, you have read it correctly. My roommate balled during Joe Dirt. Bawled. Yes, BAWLED. She said that she felt sorry for him. Then she said, and I quote: “I didn’t even cry during The Passion [of The Christ] when I first saw it. I just sat there in shock b/c it was so intense. But Joe Dirt made me cry…”

I, of course, immediately asked for permission to post this on my blog, which she granted. ☺ I love my roommate.

Do Too

2006-04-17T18:05:00.000-05:00

My mind has been almost completely taken up today by my current to do list. Thankfully, I can multitask when I think, and have room for other thoughts…..

I am a list person. I admit it. “Hello, my name is sarah j., and I absolutely adore lists.” To do lists, shopping lists, idea lists, list lists………. :) I have spent many a happy moment writing out my lists and perfecting them and checking items off of them. At any given moment, I can have many, many lists. You might say I have a plethora of lists. [Jefe, what is a plethora?] And yes, they must be written down (or typed) on paper. I have had one or two people ask me why I don’t keep my lists electronically on the computer or phone or PDA device, etc. [thanks to those people for recognizing my….techy…suaveness…haha]. Well, the answer is that it wouldn’t be fun for me. Some of the enjoyment in making and having lists is the satisfaction of physically checking items off or scribbling through them when completed. That is just how I am. Call it a quirk, if you will, but I see it as completely normal. Of course, do truly quirky people know they are quirky? Do they see any abnormality in their behavior? Not that I am saying I am a quirky person, b/c I don’t believe I am. I have quirks, but I would not say I am a quirky person. I don’t think…..Um…..anyway….where was I??....ah yes…

Ode to my to lists….

Current To Do List [NOTE: you are getting a rare glimpse into my mind, feel special that I am willing to be so bare, haha…]:

* Finish switching out summer and winter clothes
Hang up summer clothes
Fold and box up winter clothes—make sure everything is clean
* Clean out car!
* Wash Car
* Finish Raking Leaves, bag [wear a dust mask this time so you don’t end up hacking for over a week and losing your voice from allergies]
* Figure out why the fridge is leaking and fix if possible??
* Get house sprayed for bugs!
* Organize Pantry
* Change sheets on bed
* Clean bedroom
* Pay visa
* Update contacts on mac
* Type up recipes
* I think that is enough for now…don’t want to overwhelm myself….

Oh, and if anyone out there would like to help me complete my list, or at least keep me accountable for completing my lists, I welcome your interference. Haha

Forrest Gump

2006-04-14T18:01:00.000-05:00

I actually went running today..... :)

In Christ Alone

2006-04-13T12:32:00.000-05:00

Only in Christ, only in His presence, do I have true joy and overwhelming peace.

I have always REALLY liked Travis Cottrell's arrangement of "In Christ Alone with Solid Rock". In fact, its playing now on my iTunes. Today, the words just really resonate with me. I have been meditating on certain scripture and have been singing this song in my head most the day.

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

On Christ the Solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand

No guilt of life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

God, You are so good to me.... 'in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.'

Sigh....

2006-04-11T16:57:00.000-05:00

I seriously need help…. My discipline STINKS.

Jamie and I made plans to run this morning at 6 am. I woke up about 6:08, wondering why my alarm didn’t go off at 6 like it should have. I didn’t hear Jamie up and about, so I got out of bed and opened my door to check out the situation. I hear a sleepy, “hey…”, to which I sleepily responded. What then ensues was a rather stimulating and intelligent conversation to ascertain whether or not a run was in fact in our future:

“So… do you still want to go running this morning?”

Pause

“I dunno. We can, I guess. What do you think?”

Pause

“Well, sure, I’ll go, if you want to.”

Long pause

“Um…… I don’t care either way.”

Long Pause

“I didn’t sleep very good last night.”
“You didn’t? I didn’t either. I didn’t get to bed as early as I meant to.”

Pause

“Maybe we should go back to bed and wait and go when we are able to get more sleep.”
“Ok, I’m going back to bed.”

Yeah. So we both went back to bed. When I finally woke up all the way, I wanted to kick myself. We SO could have gone running! It would have made my day so much better. Sleepy Sarah won again. I don’t like Sleepy Sarah. :(

Then, I have a pretty decent breakfast, and am proud of myself because I don’t try to snack any in the morning when I get to work. I come home at noon and have a rather healthy lunch. It was good, it was high in protein, and didn’t have too many carbs. I was feeling pretty good about it. Then all of a sudden I had a craving. I looked at the clock and realized I had just enough time to make a quick detour on my way back to work. I could give in to the craving.

I have a weakness for ice cream. Add mint and some sort of chocolate to that ice cream, and I am a goner. I will tell you all my government secrets for the right combination of ice cream, mint and chocolate [ok, so that is a gross exaggeration, but you get the idea. I have a weakness. Oh, and I don’t know any government secrets anyway. Really. I don’t. I am just your average citizen. I don’t even really watch the news.] Anyway, Shake’s has been selling this fabulous little Mint Oreo Concrete concoction. This, of course, falls into the category of the right combination of ice cream [custard…ice cream….same difference to me], mint and chocolate. So…..I HAD to have one. And my “healthy lunch” went down the drain…. all because of Sweet Tooth Sarah. I don’t like Sweet Tooth Sarah. :(

So instead of exercise and healthy eating, I had lazy sleep and very fattening ice cream indulgence. Pooey on me.

Again I say, I SERIOUSLY need help….. :P