Relentless Faith

These days...

2010-09-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

Sunday

2010-06-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.andrewduhon.com

Stumbled upon this artist this morning (I've come to realize that "stumbling" is really the best way to come upon anything in life. Though such things aren't nearly as coincidental as they seem, making it that much sweeter. But I digress....) and am getting pulled in further and further with each song and each journal entry. I sigh in deep contentment as I lie here in bed and drink in this lazy, gray, and peaceful Sunday.

"There is an art form and humility to being a person of faith..."

2010-05-27T18:28:00.000-07:00

Chris Keller, co-author of the book God Is Dead and I Don't Feel So Good Myself (and MHGS alum!) said something rad:

"The obvious reason for putting together a book is that there has just been so much new atheism literature over the past few years. But then—and this ties into our particularity—everyone who is a Christian in this city is living as a Christian in the midst of a general population that has Bill Maher sensibilities, and thinks Christian faith is simply ‘Religulous’. Does being a person of faith essentially mean living a life that is running blind on the wheels of faith? That’s what pisses Maher off so much. But here’s the catch: that’s what pisses our readership off as well—the anti-intellectualism that grows like a fungus in some Christian cultures. As for Christian responses, we see folks all the time “respond” to atheism with all sorts of tactics like anger, sarcasm, vitriol; the people who do it best in my opinion realize there is an art form and humility to being a person of faith and that we must be in dialogue with people different than ourselves. As Brian McLaren says in his endorsement, ‘atheism isn’t just something to oppose or refute—it also can be a mirror, with much to teach us about ourselves and our distorted and unworthy ideas about God and religion.’ So when we were soliciting content a few years ago for this issue I really felt the pressing need to think about what an authentic response to the new atheism might look like, one that might be able to have some traction in a city like Seattle. I don’t really see the new atheism as a threat to the Christian faith, as such, but it certainly does pose a serious (and much needed) threat to certain iterations of the Christian faith. I don’t feel, most days, offended or threatened by the new atheism, but this is a much more interesting and culturally significant conversation to have than, say, tithing or porn."

Kudos Mr. Keller. You've just boosted book sales by one more. Can't wait to read this one! :)

Blubbering Fool

2010-05-23T09:46:00.001-07:00

This is how I felt at one point during my weekend. I was talking to a new friend about my grad school plans and trying to explain the school and it's mission and why I'm drawn to it; what my faith looks like. And I completely fell apart. I'm so not used to talking about these things to anyone (so guarded from potential judgment) that I made a complete fool of myself. I probably came off as the judgmental one! I had no idea what or how to say what I was thinking and feeling that I probably sounded like some clueless fluff. It was embarrassing and I definitely feel ashamed for not having my act together and being soooo afraid to talk about it. I can only pray that this gets better after going to school!

Levity

2010-05-12T11:39:00.000-07:00

Things are getting too serious in here. Let me fix that:

Dirty Kitchen Confessions

2010-05-12T07:31:00.000-07:00

It's breakfast time, however my (small) kitchen is a frightening place right now and I'm going to avoid it as long as possible. Thus, a blog post.

Well I never thought I'd say it, but I think grad school is in my near future! It's both exciting and scary; a big commitment and more debt, but it'll be a great life changing experience I'm sure. Here's a little blurb from the school (Mars Hill Graduate School, in Seattle WA) that assured me this is the place to be:

A Mars Hill education encourages the holistic development of students, with their unique abilities and giftedness, to love and serve God and others with all their heart, soul, and mind. MHGS students should be able to demonstrate their commitment to Christ, to think theologically, and relationally about contemporary issues, respond practically and effectively to their sense of God's calling, live lives of holy love, and become transforming influences for God's kingdom in their diverse cultural settings.

That's a lot. haha But the awesome, unique thing about the school is how in touch and sensitive they are to today's world and culture. They seem simple in their mission, which I interpret as using the gift(s) God has given you to awaken the world to his beauty and love. It's being sensitive to others beliefs and sharing yours with them as well. There is no pretense, no ulterior motive for pushing my faith onto others. I'm still sorting through my "stuff" with God, so I'm in no position to judge anyone or presume they need saving. (Writing that just made me cringe. I am completely turned off by that kind of presumptuous attitude and thinking.)

So my plan is to attend Mars Hill Graduate School in Seattle, WA with a degree in Christian Studies. My emphasis would be Creative Arts and Theology. There's a lot that falls under the Creative Arts category and I feel that writing is where it's at for me. But I also feel that other interests (music, photography, etc.) will come into my path as well, which would be amazing!

All this to say I'm incredibly open to this opportunity, but also incredibly cautious because it's a deep commitment that will take me out of my comfort zone and away from relationships I've established here in Madison. I've been here for two years and there's still so much of the city I have yet to experience. The friendships I've made mean a great deal to me and I'm afraid of losing them by leaving on this pursuit. But I also know that I can't hold back on this reason alone. To not go would be a huge mistake so I just pray that I can return to these good people after finishing school. I see that I'm holding on to what I have here in Madison and not being more open to possibilities in Seattle. It's just a big change and hard not to resist. I don't know what's best for me, but somebody does and He's speaking loud and clear, which happens so rarely. So I better listen.

Right now I'm being told to go clean the kitchen. ugh.

Story of my life...

2010-04-25T10:34:00.000-07:00

"There's the reluctance to soil white clean paper with imperfections. This is the curse of vanity, I know." Jack Kerouac, November 17 1947 journal excerpt

The Rocky Road to Waking Up Hopeful

2010-04-16T08:11:00.000-07:00

I sometimes find myself plagued with the If-I-Only-Knew-Then bug when I think of college. For example, if I only knew then that settling for a major that's broad, boring, and easy wasn't the answer I certainly wouldn't have chosen it (duh). I chose it though, because it was broad and I felt it would allow me a wider range of jobs when the hunt began. It was easy enough (and held my attention enough) and I knew I could graduate within four years and save myself the misery of more significant loan payments had I stayed an extra year or two. Practical? I suppose. But this kind of thinking isn't what I was raised on. I was brought up to believe you screw the money and chase your dreams. Instead, I caved and studied things like Organizational Communication i.e. how communication flows in the workplace most effectively; downward, upward, and grapevine were key vocab. I did reports on how companies can best avoid disgruntled employees and keep the peace in the office. I learned the art of interviewing.

Looking back, out of all the classes I took, there were only two that I truly enjoyed (and neither of them had anything to do with organizational training). The first was a freshman course, The History of Rhetoric: Greeks and Romans. Most students hated the class but I loved it! The forward thinkers and fathers of speech and philosophy, who were passionate and outspoken (sometimes to a fault) and who, long past their lifetimes, still managed to stir something inside me (a timid first-generation college freshman). This was the communication that I wanted to study! Turns out, much to my dismay, it was the only course of its kind in the communication field. Yet I still persisted...

The only other course I enjoyed was Dialogical Communication and Relationships, my senior year. We studied the theories of the "Love Doctor" Buscaglia and often sat around in a circle and just talked about who we were. I know, it sounds cheesy, but it was more relaxing and fun than anything. I wouldn't call it a blow off class, but it sure felt like one, considering the assignments weren't very challenging and the material was fun. I don't even know that the course was helpful in any way for the major, but it helped me to have a class to look forward to.

I put a lot of stock into my college experience. I expected to be completely transformed from a shy, timid, confused girl to a full-out independent, outspoken, ambitious, take-the-world-by-storm woman. All this in four years? It was a lot to anticipate, but I think the place was all wrong for it and I settled. It would be ridiculous to blame the university or students for my discontent, but essentially that's what I was doing. I am, now, grateful that I went to school at a place that was as welcoming and familiar as Stevens Point. I wasn't taken on a rocky journey to get my bearings of the place (it was the furthest from a big city). So rather than an uproarious transformation, I had a quiet awakening and understanding of the person in me that I wanted to let shine. I just couldn't find a place for her where I was.

I regret not taking more chances in college. There, I said it. I so badly want to say that I took my four years and stuffed as much into them as I could, that I beat the life out of them with adventure and fun. The reality, however, is that I spent the majority of my time bored with my classes and resentful of the small, conservative place I felt stuck in. Lots of disgruntled calls to home were made and the possibility of leaving loomed. But I knew I would have felt like a failure if I left and so I did the worst thing possible: I endured. I became the kind of person I can't stand to be around. And that, more than leaving, was the biggest failure.

New beginnings awaited me in Madison. I was so excited to be a part of a bigger, independent, bustling city (the complete opposite of Stevens Point). This is the place where I could let the ideas and ambitions I had run around. It's no Milwaukee or NYC, but Madison has the activity that I craved with the close, hometown feel that I love.

I think what college afforded me was the opportunity to see the kind of person I didn't want to be. I was at rock bottom and after graduation I had a new chance to climb back up again. These days I'm feeling more hopeful than I have in a long time. I finally feel like the independent, ambitious person I wanted to be. I know what moves me (writing, music, art, being surrounded by good people and friends) and where I thrive. I still struggle with the courage to see my ambitions through, but that's no easy or quick thing. I realize now that anything worth doing (anything needing to be done) requires a little less thought and lot more blind faith and action.

Random Picture Day

2010-04-07T09:20:00.000-07:00

Completely taken with this picture. Click here to see more amazingness.

R.I.F.

2010-04-02T07:59:00.001-07:00

Remember this reading program from back in the day?? Reading Is Fundamental! Fill up your pin and get a free pizza from Pizza Hut! haha I love sharing what books I've been reading, and I see from my last post that I neglected to do that! So here is one completely dedicated to it:

I just finished reading this juicy, entertaining book and want to go back and read it all over again! I tell people it's similar to Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert sans the spirituality. It's a memoir of a woman who goes through a divorce and decides to travel to Italy where she meets a charming Parisian professor. They end up having a whirlwind affair (he's married with kids) over the next couple of years, traveling to exotic places to be with each other. Like I said, quite entertaining!

When I Was Cool by Sam Kashner
I couldn't find a decent sized picture, sorry. Another memoir (I'm a sucker for 'em!) about a guy who attends the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics. I've just started this one and it's proving to be very interesting. As odd as some of his stories are, they are equally engrossing. He's living amongst the infamous Beats (sans Kerouac) at the beginning of the end of their fame. An apprentice to Allen Gingsberg, the author attends many of his dinner parties with other Beat giants, given assignments to finish some of Gingsberg's erotic, gay poems, and type for Burroughs who cut off his left pinky finger in rage over a past cheating lover and, therefore, can't type well (turns out, neither can the author!). It's bizarre but I'm loving it so far!

A novel about an extraordinary man, Max, who, after a near-death experience at 15, encounters 12 strangers who change his life and inspire readers. It's set up in the year 2012 when the world, as many believe, will end. I'm, again, just at the start of this one. I love the authors style, it's like an intelligent fairy tale and makes it a fun read. I'm anxious to find out what happens!

This book was a birthday gift from my family and I love it! The letters are incredibly romantic and sad. I'm just starting Keats' poems and hope to be equally touched. There's nothing more satisfying than a beautifully constructed poem! (wow, I am such a nerd!)

Just for fun! :)

(My buttons looked way cooler than this one, but it was the only picture I could find, haha)

Spring on the UPDATES!

2010-03-01T09:32:00.000-08:00

It's March 1st! I'm so excited that's it's March, for a couple reasons. For one, we are out of what my family and I refer to as the "humdrum after Christmas winter months" of January and February. It's cold, it's gray, the holiday cheer has faded, and the harsh reality of winter has set in. Yuck! The light at the end of the tunnel comes this day, March 1st, when spring begins to peek it's fresh face in. For two, it's my birthday month, 'nuff said! :) March 12th is the big 2-4 for moi and it's pretty awesome, I'm excited! Also, not that I'm heavily into astrology (I do find it interesting, but don't seek out my daily fortune to route my days), it's the Chinese Year of the Tiger and guess who's year that is? Uh-huh, 1986 baby, right here! I made the extra effort to research what this means and here's what I found:

Tigers do not find worth in power or money. They will be completely honest about how they feel and expect the same of you. On the other hand, they seek approval from peers and family. Generally, because of their charming personalities Tigers are well liked. Often, failing at a given task or being unproductive in his personal or professional life can cause a Tiger to experience a depression. Criticism from loved ones can also generate this type of Tiger reaction. Still, like all felines, Tigers always land on their feet, ready for their next act in life, pursuing it with unyielding energy and hunting it infallibly. Tigers are unpredictable and it would be unwise to underestimate their reactions. They may appear cool, but they have the Big Cat's instincts to pounce at a moment's warning. The Chinese say having a Tiger in the house is the very best protection against the evils of fire, burglary.

Doesn't that last bit make you wanna be my roommate? lol I love it! Okay, on to another rousing edition of Jen's Current Interests...

Music: Lately I've been hunting good music like my life depended on it! The top players, as of late, are:

I will forever be grateful that I randomly found this guy. I know he's been around for a while but fate would have it that I discovered him now and the music god's have an eternal devotee since blessing my with Adams work. Yes, a bit dramatic, but my love runs deep! Photo cred to another genius, Annie Leibovitz.

Patty Griffin
Killer voice and I just love her bluesy, classic sound. If my life were a soundtrack, she would have the whole middle portion of the album. Also, I'd kill to have her hair.

I find it hard to put into words my absolute devotion to this guy. It pains me that he's no longer with us, because his voice is like a tall glass of deep, rich, red wine. You can just feel it coursing through your veins until it punctures your heart and you are eternally affected and feel everything that he did when he sang his songs. Should you have a glass of wine while listening to Buckley, make sure you aren't alone or feeling particularly sensitive/vulnerable. And can we just talk about this picture?? Actually, it really speaks for itself. It's everything.

I forget how I found these guys, but suffice it to say, I'm glad I did. They are just a fun listen and look like a great live band! I'm so excited to see them in concert here in Madison later this month. It's going to be so fun!

Always and forever, but I am making a desperate plea to the music god's right now to find me a friend or two to go with to see the band in concert at Alpine this summer! I missed them last year and I'll be damned if the concerts are sold out before I get the chance to redeem myself...)

Writing: I've been writing and reading a lot of poetry lately. I think the ball started rolling for me in fifth grade as part of a homework assignment. I found it wasn't that difficult and pretty fun, but never got serious about it. I may have written a handful of poems while in college, but never bothered keeping them. On a whim I recently saw the movie Bright Star (which I highly recommend!), about John Keats, and have a renewed interest. So it's been Keats, Henry Rollins (really heavy, dark stuff, but I'm strangely into it), and others. Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac is a great, fun website filled with fun facts and a poetry library to get schooled in some fantastic poets! Also....

This lovely lady graced Madison with her presence this past February (Eat, Pray, Love author) and it was such a treat to see her live, in the flesh! My mom and I were dead center, five rows back from the stage and she was on fire. I'd kill for her wit, it just oozes so effortlessly from the woman! She's got this warm, friendly personality that makes you want to take her home with you and be BFF's. She speaks like she writes and is very generous in sharing her life with complete strangers (I can relate!). I wanna be just like her when I grow up! haha

Misc: I love good shopping deals (I'm a frequent Target shopper!) and recently stumbled upon this awesome, eclectic consignment shop...

For the longest time I thought it was a store for women my grandmas age, but when I walked in there I was surprised at how much variety they have! Every single wall and floor space is covered with everything from bedding to accessories to clothing to, well, you name it and they've probably got it! Vintage wonderland full of goodies that make my mouth water. I LOVE IT!! And speaking of things that make my mouth water...

THE BREAKFAST BURRITO!

So wonderful and delicious and the perfect way to start a full day of drinking (which is what we do in Wisconsin in the winter, haven't you heard?). Middleton's annual Bockfest was this weekend and my crew and I started it off the right way, with bellies full of breakfast burrito awesomeness!! Oh but we did it up right and made them ourselves. No fast food nonsense! It was perfect, just like the day. Lots of beer, good music, and DANCING! I don't have a camera but will likely snag pics from everyone else and post a few up here.

Well, I hope this post makes up for lost time (to all 3 or 4 of you that read this, haha). Have a good one and HAPPY SPRING!!

Another 2010 Goal

2010-01-06T06:49:00.000-08:00

Creating Memorable Scenes

http://donmilleris.com/2010/01/05/living-a-meaningful-story-pt-2-creating-memorable-scenes/

2010?! Holy Crap!

2010-01-03T19:15:00.000-08:00

2010: The Year of Discovery & Celebration!

The following is what I hope to look back on as I approach 2011:

- Richer, deeper friendships (both old and, especially, new)
- An active, energetic, healthy lifestyle taking shape
- Money saved and a trip (vacation) taken! Oregon anyone? Oh yes!
- Becoming "Aunt" Jen to two beautiful, healthy babies from two wonderful friends (March and August)
- Lots of pictures from a camera I finally managed to buy and not destroy!
- Finding a "church" that fits and helps me understand and see God more
- Accepting myself just a little bit more and letting go!

Alright then, here's to another mistakes-filled, lessons-learned, merciful year! Lord be my strength and help me see your beauty and grace. You know I need it! :)

Almost a Month

2009-12-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

I'm a bad blogger. But let me make it up by posting a link to one of the best articles I have ever read, to date! It is written by Shane Claiborne, whom you may be familiar with from his books Irresistible Revolution and Jesus for President. He pretty much speaks verbatim my attitude in regards to my Christian faith, but much more eloquently. Damn he's good! Hope you enjoy! :)

What If Jesus Meant All That Stuff? Letter to Non-Believers

Divine Greeting

2009-11-02T06:49:00.000-08:00

I was at church last night and while waiting for the praise team to lead off the service looked through the church's bulletin. After reading through I randomly sleeved it in the Bible I had (one that they provide). Still waiting I then opened that Bible and turned to the next page after the one I sleeved. It was Psalm 63 that my eyes rested and soul rejoiced in.
I finished reading the passage as the band began to play. Two or three songs down, they prefaced the last with a verse from the Bible. That verse just happened to be the whole Psalm 63 passage. I smiled and inwardly shook my head in wonder. I feel this was God's way of saying Hi. :)

Current Interests

2009-10-26T18:41:00.000-07:00

Writing: Anything that comes to mind. Whether it flows or not. Observing and recording. And by "writing" I literally mean just that, pen and paper. It feels good and I like the results; they turn out despite not having any intention to produce them.

Music: Muse and Hanson (getting back to my middle school roots! haha) Just downloaded the new Muse album and will probably be absorbed in it for weeks. They're such a hypnotic band. I'd like to apologize to my sister who discovered them while we were in high school and I shot both her and the band down. I'm ashamed. :\ And Hanson? Yes, I decided to pop them into my cd player while cruising up to Stevens Point for the weekend and am now rehashing old, embarrassing, braces-filled, pre-teen years. The absence has made this heart grow fonder. I think the clean break I gave Hanson in highschool & college was fate, because it allowed me to not only discover and appreciate less squeaky-clean pop music (which they were in the beginning) and appreciate the more artistic musicians under the radar (which is what Hanson has become). Kudos to three brothers who were no "boy band" in the traditional sense ("They play their own instruments! The only measures they count are to their own beats, not some fabricated piece written by someone else that they prance around on stage to!" <--A taste of my stellar lines of defense against the mean kids at school who made fun of me) and who the Jonas Brothers so wish they were but can never be! :P Oh, and let me not forget the band Tenth Avenue North. Their music is the soundtrack of my heart. Literally I think they jumped inside my beating heart, surveyed, and wrote what they saw. Don't ask me how they did it, but the healing is beginning.

Reading: Still engrossed in Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz (second time around) and also some fantastic poetry believe it or not (I know I can't!) Rumi and Elizabeth Barrett Browning are tugging at my heart and mind and I just want to copy down everything they wrote and plaster my walls. I'd probably end up covering all of my walls with a book or two of each. Which could be cool but then be really awful come move out time! Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace is also a big learning experience and a sigh of relief. My blood pressure has significantly decreased upon reading his book!

Blogs and Websites: http://burnsidewriters.com Okay I guess that's really the only one I feel is significant enough to share for now.

Lifeline: Coffee. I took a senseless break. Silly Jen. No more of that nonsense!

Speaking of coffee...

I recently visited this lovely girl to my left (aka old college Roomie/one of the best and funniest friends a gal like me could have/fellow coffee addict) to have fun and see her perform in the show Oklahoma! The cutest Ado Annie was she! :)

And oh yeah.....

Still living with the one to my right. Haven't killed each other yet (a few close calls, but the cats broke it up before things got ugly) despite the fact that we even now work together! This astounds many who are told, even fellow co-workers, but feels pretty natural to me, honestly. We were taught from an early age to get along and somehow listened. See?

And for kicks and melting hearts (mine anyway)....

Mom and Me. There is nothing I don't like about this picture. The way I'm holding her face. How I'm looking at the camera while she's looking at me. The sunny fall day that you can see through the classic black and white color. It's just precious.

To Get Me Through...

2009-09-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

"Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Grab life by the mane. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Chase the lion." -Mark Batterson

Happy Place

2009-08-12T10:16:00.001-07:00

Love

Dapper

Rock

Summer

Tragic

Strange :)

Cool

This Happy Place post brought to you by The Sheila Variation blog. The one who gave me the idea for such a rad post. More of these are surely comin'!

Yes I want you to know...

2009-07-25T10:18:00.000-07:00

"I Dig Love" George Harrison

Can YOU dig it?

Had a looong day at work yesterday, but ended on a high note with friends and dance. Sweet memories!

Happy Saturday!

theme of life these days...

2009-07-16T19:26:00.000-07:00

Learning to Breathe by Switchfoot

Hello, good morning, how ya do?
What makes your rising sun so new?
I could use a fresh beginning too
All of my regrets are nothing new

So this is the way
that I say that I need You
This is the way
This is the way

That I'm learning to breathe
I'm learning to crawl
I'm finding that You and
You alone can break my fall
I'm living again, awake and alive
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies

Hello, good morning, how ya been?
Yesterday left my head kicked in
I never thought I could fall like that
Never knew that I could hurt this bad

I'm learning to breathe
I'm learning to crawl
I'm finding that You and
You alone can break my fall
I'm living again, awake and alive
I'm dying to breathe in these abundant skies

So this is the way
that I say that I need You
This is the way
That I say I love You
This is the way
That I say I'm Yours
This is the way
This is the way

Jen=Contest Winner?

2009-07-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

Ooh! Ooh! I just entered a contest at The Pioneer Woman's blog to win a Nikon D90 camera! I never, ever enter anything because I hate getting my hopes up but I had to give this one a shot (ha! No pun intended, really!) How cool would that be to win?? I could start number 2 and 34 on my Life List!

Come on, come on, Nikon D90, no wammies!!

Life List

2009-07-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

The one's bolded have been accomplished!

1) Read the Bible everyday
2) Learn photography
3) Budget (read books by Dave Ramsey)
4) Walk/Run at LEAST 30 min. everyday
5) Make weekly menus
6) Meditate every morning (or evening, or both)
7) Do at least one nice thing for a stranger everyday
8) Grow a vegetable garden
9) Learn to play the piano
10) Learn to play the guitar
11) Watch a a sunrise/sunset
12) Attend a music festival
13) Learn how to knit and sew
14) Go on a mission trip overseas
15) Start yoga
16) Dance away stress
17) Find my voice and use it
18) Learn how to repair my car
19) Take a kickboxing class
20) See a waterfall
21) Send random cards to loved ones (leave nice, random notes in people's mailboxes)
22) Mudslide in the rain
23) Swim with dolphins
24) Send flowers
25) Start a game collection (1 every year)
26) Learn how to waterski/snowboard
27) Go horseback riding
28) Go canoeing/kayaking
29) Write a snail mail letter
30) Walk Abbey road
31) Being each morning w/ a good stretch, meditation (Bible reading), & cup of tea (And/or: Dance/walk)
32) Throw a party
33) More bowling nights
34) Start recording life (blog, pictures, video)
35) Learn feng shui
36) Have a piece of writing published
37) Give a speech
38) Invent a holiday
39) Give my lover 1,000 Hershey Kisses
40) Join my neighbors in an impromptu Christmas caroling procession
41) Stop craving material things
42) Finish paying off my college loans
43) Stand on the shore and roar back at the ocean as loud as I can
44) Look in the mirror and like what I see
45) Play the lead in a community theater production
46) Vacation in Italy and Greece
47) Skydive
48) Choose how to live the last year of my life
49) Tell those I love how much I appreciate them
50) Start every year with a clean house
51) Clean my place at least once a week
52) Look good without makeup
53) Sing with a band in a nightclub
54)Spend a rainy day listening to opera on the radio
55) Add a screened porch to my house and sleep there all summer
56) Marry in a candlelight ceremony
57) Possess the newspaper from the day of my child's birth
58) Put a message in a bottle and float it out to sea
59) Plan an annual girl's vacation
60) Keep/grow fresh flowers
61) Take an acting class
62) Find a church and get involved
63) Devote myself to a cause
64) Walk for a cure
65) Treat my parents to an anniversary get-away
66) Teach a class
67) Road trip the Pacific coast
68) Get married to a faithful, God-loving man
69) Have children
70) Meet a nice, down-to-earth famous person (like Sandra Bullock, not Paris Hilton)
71) Find that creative, satisfying, meaningful career
72) Live more resourcefully ("green" if you will)
73) Learn how to make jewelry
74) Take a ceramics class
75) Visit America's famous landmarks (Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Yosemite National Park, Mt. Rushmore)
76) Visit stonehenge
77) Ride a motorcycle
78) Go to a Muse concert
79) Go to a Jason Mraz concert
80) Learn how to really give it all to God
81) Stop worrying
82) Travel out of the country (Jamaica! Will post about at a later date)
82)Stand up for myself more
83) Eat my fruits and veggies everyday
84) Visit Macchu Picchu
85) Ride in a hot air balloon
86) Meet the band
87) Take salsa lessons
88) Find my style and be comfortable in my clothing
89) Be more free-spirited
90) Fill my kids lives with more books, love, God, family dinners, family vacations, and LESS TV
91) Start and project and see it through
92) Take a multi-vitamin and fish oil everyday
93) Stay in shape and eat healthy when I'm pregnant
94) Cut out the negative in my life
95) Send birthday cards to loved ones (no more Facebook Happy Birthdays)
96) Live by the ocean
97) Be more patient
98) Spend more time outdoors
99) Pay ALL my bills online (yep, still doing it the "old-fashioned" way by check)
100) Have a home that is warm, comfortable, inviting and always has visitors.
101) Read this list at least once a month

Yeehaw! :)

Back in the Saddle

2009-07-01T07:34:00.000-07:00

I made this blog and then neglected it for months. So now I'm hopefully back to a regular posting basis! I totally believe in the power of making goals and seeing them through. As of late I have neglected to do this and it has resulted in some serious laziness. No more! Here are some of the goals I have set recently:

1) Find a cheaper apartment
2) Cut cable
3) Shop Aldi's/Woodman's ($40-$45 max)
4) Walk 30 min., take a multi-vitamin, and drink a ton of water everyday
5) Save for a camera

Well number one is getting under way here and we (sister and I) are pretty excited! We'll be saving about $200 a month just by moving, that's pretty crazy (crazy-dumb that we lived so expensively this past year!). I'm actually really anxious to get rid of cable too, it definitely breeds a ridiculous amount of laziness. Plus everything is on line these days, so I can still be caught up on shows (not that I really have any at the moment. Maybe Deadliest Catch, but this season isn't as good as past ones). Number four is a constant work in progress and number five, well, we'll see how long that takes! I just got through paying this month's portion of school loans and am a little sore to say the least. It takes a lot out of me, I need to focus on something else here. I made one of those life lists last night, 100 Things To Accomplish, so maybe I'll post that now.

Ahh the good ol' college days...before the loans kicked in!