Makes You Think...

I found this to be interesting. Some of them are up for debate, but no doubt there have been many who have gone before us and shaped the world we live in.

Who's that good looking guy?

Oh wait, that's my brother! We had fun up at Dinkey Creek. And his goatee is only about 15 minutes old. He had a full beard and I said, "Hey Tim, why don't you shave and have a goatee?" He said, "Hmmmm....okay." And he did it. It was great. I love my brother more than words can say and more then he'll ever know.

I love this picture and I LOVE these girls...

She was AMAZING in concert...

Faith Restored

Today I went to Best Buy and had to return something I bought a few weeks ago. I had been putting off going back to Best Buy because it seems that I always have to wait super long to accomplish anything there. But today, my visit put me on the path to restoring my faith in the store.

I went in to return something (receipt and product in hand) and I was in and out within three minutes...I kid you not. It was amazing and I could not believe it happened.

It was like when a kid comes down the stairs on Christmas morning and sees that the cookies and milk they left out for Santa were gone and had been eaten. They are super excited at that moment and their belief in Santa becomes stronger.

My faith in Best Buy was put back on track today, however, I somehow think that when the holiday season rolls around again, that faith will be violently thrown off course after having to wait in line for 45 minutes...

Only time will tell.

Would You Rather...

Be 7 feet 7 inches tall or 3 feet 6 inches tall?

I was watching a special on 20/20 tonight and they were interviewing two women, one who was 7 feet 7 inches tall and one who was 3 feet 6 inches tall.

Both of these women have a positive outlook on life and continue to live their lives to the fullest despite their abnormal height. 20/20 was doing a special in conjunction with the Discovery Channel on the science behind dwarfism and gigantism . I have to say, it was very interesting.

So after watching the show it got me thinking...if I had to choose to either be abnormally short or abnormally tall, which would I choose?

I'm still not sure. But what would you choose?

Meet my new friend, Owen.

This my friends is one of the newest additions to my friend club. He goes with me everywhere and for the next couple of months I won't be leaving home without him.

I went to the doctor today and found out I officially have my first broken bone. I was told I fractured my tail bone when I slipped on a puddle and it would take between 2-3 months to fully heal (Actually, the doctor said 3 months, but I like to be optimistic and say 2-3 months...it makes me feel a little bit better.)

So everywhere I go I take my donut pillow (Owen) with me so that I can sit more comfortably. I am fully aware I look silly carrying around a bright yellow donut pillow, but trust me my friends, if you ever fracture your tail bone, you'll be making friends with a donut pillow too!

It hurt and still hurts...pretty bad.

I hurt my tail bone today really bad. Before I go on, I need to clarify one thing though...I slipped on a puddle, I did not fall. Falling is what I normally do, slipping is what I did tonight. I was leaving work and there was a small puddle by the back door of my office from the sprinklers that were running earlier (however today is Monday and no one should be watering on Monday...but that's a different story...) I was wearing flip flops and hit that puddle just right and down I went...hard. I laid there for about 2 minutes and didn't really move because it hurt so bad. I eventually got up and was able to get in my car...very carefully.

Later on in the evening it started hurting really bad, and I won't lie, I cried and cried hard. I called the top four: my mom and dad, Jen and my brother. I have had ice on my butt throughout the night and have been positioned very carefully on the couch. I can't really bend over and me walking is quite the site to see.

So I may be out of commission for a few days depending on how it goes. Prayer would be great. I don't know if it's appropriate to ask for prayer for my butt...but it really hurts and I could use it.

But just to clarify, I slipped, I didn't fall. There is a difference j.lo. :)

10 Things I Love About Camping....

1. The fresh mountain air.

2. No cell phone reception, which means no ringing phone.

3. Snacking all day long.

4. Smoked tri-tip and grilled corn on the grill for dinner.

5. Washing my hands in the creek.

6. Getting dirty and not caring.

7. Spending time with my dad and brother and my dad's best friend and his son, who is also like a brother to me.

8. Listening to the farting and burping contests put on by the guys. I guess that's what happens when you're the only girl up there. Maybe the Lord is preparing me for the day when/if I have a son of my own...

9. Playing horse shoes and loosing...but loving it.

10. Playing cards for hours, laughing, talking, and simply enjoying time together surrounded by big trees that remind us how big and powerful God is.

17 and counting....

I've killed about 17 spiders in my apartment within the past week. Okay, 17 may be a slight exaggeration, however it seems like that many. I don't like spiders (really, who does?) and I especially don't like them if their crawling next to me on my couch. Gross. I see another one right now...grrrrrr.

A + B = C

As a friend and I were talking today, this came up in our conversation:

"If A + B = C and you don't like C, you better stay away from A and B".

It sounds so simple but the reality is that it's so difficult for so many.

What's your "C"? Isn't it hard to stay away from A and B?

Busy Weekend

It was a super busy weekend but a super fun one too. In total I was able to see 13 good friends in the matter of 4 days. Now this gets even better because 7 of them live out of town, so to be able to see all of them at different points throughout the course of 4 days was wonderfully refreshing and fun.

Thank you Jesus once again for blessing me with such great friends.

And I get to hang out with j.lo tonight...what could be better? Exactly.

Oh and I got to eat at Panera twice this weekend (in two different cities)...it was pretty stinking amazing.

Wow...

I was in college when I got my first cell phone...

"A Disney Mobile “Cell and Tell” survey released last week found that cellphone usage among 10-17-year-olds jumps by more than an hour a day in the summer, to more than 3 hours and 45 minutes, compared with usage on a school day.

The poll of more than 1,500 teens and preteens found that 44 percent use text messages as their primary form of communication. More than half — 52 percent — say they send text messages from a movie theater while 28 percent have sent messages from the dinner table.

For many — 26 percent — texting is one of the first things they do in the morning, within 10 minutes of waking up.

Almost all respondents — 96 percent — said they communicate with a parent daily via cellphone, while 20 percent said they use a cellphone to connect with Mom or Dad at least five times a day".

7/11 = FREE SLURPEE DAY

Don't forget...today is 7/11 which means it is free Slurpee day at all 7-11 locations! But please drink responsibly.

Currently Reading...

I just started reading it, but so far it's really good. It was one of those that had been recommended to me time and time again, and I'm finally getting around to reading it. I'll keep you posted as I read more, but I'm a fan of Henri Nouwen, so I'm not too worried.

Check it out and "search inside it" on Amazon here.

Ring....Ring....

On my way home tonight from Santa Cruz I talked to eight different friends on the phone (9 including my parents). It made the drive time go by very fast. All eight of these people I had been meaning to chat with for some time and it just so happened I was able to talk to all of them in one night. I love catching up with friends--especially while driving home from a long trip.

Cell phones...you can't live with them and you certainly can't live without them...or could you?

Panera Is Comin'!!!

I found out yesterday, that the Fresno/Clovis area will be getting our very own Panera Bread Company!

The other day I was talking with a friend of mine who was convinced that we already had a Panera Bread Company in Clovis, and I was certain we didn't (there are some things you just know, and this was one thing I was certain of). After we talked about it for over 10 minutes, all the while she was convinced there was one in Clovis, we decided to call the Visalia Panera to ask them. I called and they told me there was one scheduled to open in the Fresno/Clovis area (I'm not sure exactly where yet) at the end of this summer! I am SO excited!

The food at Panera is great but what I really love is the ambiance and they offer free Wi-Fi. I have driven to Visalia just to eat at Panera and would often take a good book with me and sit there for hours.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you will soon :) And if you are a Panera lover like I am, when the one around here opens, we'll have to go!

Once again, this is proof that God hears and answers our prayers!

This is for Jen...

I think she'll know why.

All I could think as I watched this was "If only I could be as cool as Jim and do funny stuff like this in my office..." And let's be honest....Jim is really cute. It's okay guys, you can admit it too.

And Derek, how could you not think this show is funny?? Seriously...watch it and tell me if you don't laugh...

Who hasn't said this before?

The best $9.99 I ever spent

I bought the audiobook of "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell and I have it on my ipod. I listen to it all the time when I go walking and I love it. Every time I listen to it I think about different things in new ways. It constantly challenges me in my faith and that's good--really good. Here is a snippet I've been wrestling with lately. Just thought I'd share in the process I'm engaging in...

"Jesus wants to heal our souls, wants to give us the shalom of God. And so we have to stop. We have to slow down. We have to sit still and stare out the window and let the engine come to an idle. We have to listen to what our inner voice is saying.

Perhaps you have been around Christian communities enough to want nothing to do with them, and one of the reasons is the talk all seems so shallow. Like no one is talking about what really matters. I think this is a direct effect of the state of souls of many pastors and leaders. So many leaders in Christian communities are going so fast and producing so much and accomplishing so much that they become a shell of a person. There is no space to deal honestly with what's going on deep inside of them.

I cannot lead people somewhere I am not trying to go myself. I don't have to have arrived. I don't have to be perfect but i do need to be on the path. And that's why for so many the church experience has been so shallow--so many leaders have never descended into the depths of their own souls. They haven't done the hard, difficult, gut-wrenching work of shining the bright lights on all of the years of baggage and destructive messages.

It is so hard to look deep inside yourself. My experience has been that very few people do the long, hard work of the soul. Maybe that's why Jesus said the way is narrow. I'm learning that a lot of people give up. They settle. And they miss out. Anybody can quit. That's easy.

I'm learning that very few people actually live from their heart. Very few live connected with their soul. And those few who do the difficult work, who stare their junk in the face, who get counsel, who let Jesus into all of the rooms of their soul that no one ever goes in, they make a difference. They are so different; they're coming from such a different place that their voices inevitably get heard above the others. They are pursuing wholeness and shalom, ad it's contagious. They inspire me to keep going."

Is Jesus healing your soul?

"Days Go By..."

Jen and I went to the Keith Urban concert two weeks ago and to put it simply, it was amazing! He is such a good performer and though I know not everyone has an appreciation for country music (though they should *cough cough* Jamie) he puts on a great show!

We were singing along all night--dancing, laughing, saying "Awwwwww, I love this song!" every time a really good song came one (which happened a lot).



But then...we drive back to Jen's work where she left her car because I picked her up and this is what we found...



Needless to say, the singing in the car stopped as we looked at the car in shock. Who would do such a thing? We would never do something like that to someone's car, so why would they do it to one of us? Lots of questions and no answers. Though the back windshield was busted, nothing was stolen out of the car. The CD face plate still in tact and everything. Nothing looked to have been touched--just a random act of violence.

We finally got back to Jen's house after figuring out what to do, who to call, etc, AND after a food run to a 24 hour taco shop for a carne asada taco and quesadilla, we were still a bit disgruntled about the whole thing and looked like this...


Everything worked out (as it always does) and Jen was able to get her window fixed for a good price. But still...in the words of my mom, "Shame, Shame, SHAME on whoever did that!"

THIS was in my bathroom...

and worst yet, it was on my leg! I was drying off, felt something on my leg, looked down and freaked out!

I don't think I ever screamed that loud in my life. And I was breathing really hard (standing on top of the toilet of course) and trying to figure out the best angle to hit that sucker with my shoe. Those things are fast...you have one chance and can't miss your shot.

Needless to say this little guy is no longer alive. Sorry buddy.

Look how big those antennas are! Yuck!

Ummm...

It's July 1st. Where in the heck did the month of June go...???

Nothing Better Than...

Lazy Saturday afternoons

*Laying out by the pool with your BFF

*J.lo

*Sushi from Catalano's Market

*Dreyer's Ice Cream "Dibs"

*Chocolate Brownie Frozen Yogurt

*Tanning Lotion

*Domino's Pizza (only cheese)

*Random conversations filled with laughter

*Conversations where you feel truly understood

*Diet Pepsi

*Country Music

*Sparkly teal flip flops

*Frozen cookie dough

*The History Channel: Kennedy Family Special

*Genuine Laughter

All of these things were included today. I love lazy Saturdays and I LOVE spending them with my BFF, laying by a pool, eating ice cream.

Nothing Better. Nothing.