for your listening pleasure

i’ve been on a christian music kick for the past few months. i’m one of those that starts listening to christmas music the beginning of november. so when christmas was all said and done, i didn’t quite know what to do. i was listening to country before christmas and even 2 months later, they were still playing the same songs over and over again. the other station i really liked seemed to be playing weird stuff…..even though i think it was only weird because i hadn’t listened in so long. at that point, there was no other choice but to mix it up a little with some contemporary christian.

as you know, some of it is cheesy. but i’ve found (with the help of others) some really good music. check it out if you get a chance. (some of these videos are a little cheesy, but just listen!)

tenth avenue north - by your side

tenth avenue north - hold my heart

jimmy needham - forgiven and loved

needtobreathe - something beautiful

mikeschair - let the waters rise

i was on a boat

i'm going to be honest. the cruise wasn't what i thought it was going to be. not at all. there were a lot of contributing factors though. first of all, i was sick. i started feeling bad and went to the doctor. he gave me a flu test and strep test and said if either came back positive, i couldn't go on my trip. i cried. he took it back. i think he got scared. luckily for both of us the tests came back negative. he gave me 2 shots and a 10-day antibiotic and i was on my way. i was laid up on my sofa thursday and friday to get ready to hit the road saturday.

7am came bright and early, but we were all so excited that it didn't really matter. we jumped in the car and headed south. the plan was to get to mobile around 11:30, eat lunch, and get on the boat and set sail by 4pm. ha. not so much how it happened. we got to mobile on time. ate lunch. and then sat. and waited. forever. the weather was a little rough and the boat wasn't able to make it back to port. we were told it shouldn't be too much longer though. we were herded into the mobile civic center to wait. the auditorium was packed. luggage was everywhere. it was miserable. long story short - we sat in the civic center for about 12 hours. then we finally were able to get on the boat. it was quite the process. i felt horribly and was in an ill mood. everyone was frustrated with the situation. and to top it off, they took away one of our ports. instead of making 2 stops in mexico, we were only going to make one. and they were going to make it up to us by giving us a $20 credit. wow. awesome.

so we got on the boat around midnight. we walked around and checked things out and i went to sleep. i was hoping to wake up feeling better. i did wake up feeling better, however, the boat was a-rockin'. it woke me up because i felt like i was falling off my bed!!! my fabulous roomie told me to go ahead and take some sea-sick medicine just in case. boy am i glad i did!!! several people out of our group got sick. luckily by that afternoon, everybody was feeling better and we all got to hang out.

we all had a blast. it was just a different kind of fun than i expected. with our group, it's usually a huge party. this was more of a laid back relaxed trip. i guess we're getting old!!!! cozumel was by far the most fun. i wish we had another day there because it was awesome!! we did a zip line adventure which scared me to death at first, but after the first one, it was so much fun. we ate lunch at la choza, an authentic mexican restaurant, and it was oh so delicious!! the margaritas were AMAZING. oh to have just one more of those....

overall, the trip was so much fun. nothing beats being around (almost) all of your favorite friends for 5 days straight. when i got home, it was a big adjustment to be by myself and not have at least SOMEONE nearby to hang out with!! and to not have ice cream at my finger tips at anytime i want! can't wait until our next trip for our thirty-oneth birthday!!

wordless wednesday - cruise style!

hello?

i work in a mall. well, my office is in the towers of a mall. it's very very convenient (most of the time, too convenient) to run downstairs and grab breakfast, lunch, and snacks. on this particular morning, starbucks was the ultimate prize. i got on the glass elevator with 3 of my friends going down to the mall. as the doors are closing, i hear this man's voice. "hello? hello??" we all looked around at each other with confused looks as you might imagine. i had a flash of one of the first private practice episodes where addison got on the elevator and the lady started having a conversation with her. anyway. we all talked back to this man, but all he seemed to say was "hello." we laughed and laughed and finally figured out that it was coming from the emergency speaker phone. we figured someone somehow accidentally leaned up against the phone and called the fire department or something. so i lean down and start talking to this guy. i think he was just as confused as we all were!! "i'm looking for {insert name here} but i can't seem to get in touch with him. all i need is the name of his regional vice president. can you give that to me? and his number too." by this time, we were down to the main level of the mall. the doors had opened and there were about 5 people waiting to get on the elevator. i was crouched down talked to the speaker, all the girls were laughing (as was i), and everyone waiting to get in probably thought we were crazy. it was most likely one of those "had to be there" moments, but it really was hilarious!!

in other news.....i went on a cruise!!! (as if you didn't know!) pictures and details coming soon!

ugh

you’ve got to be kidding me. 2 days before the big 30th birthday bash on a big boat in the middle of the ocean and i feel like poo. complete poo. i even cancelled a happy hour date with a friend last night so i could rest. someone please shoot me the face. now, please!

hopeful

i've been pondering my first post of 2010 for several days. 9 days to be exact! i could tell you all about my new years eve/new years day at the farm. and the best game ever that we played there. or the threat of snow that shut everything down for a day and a half and it never even really snowed. or i could rub it in that i'm going on a cruise with 13 of my closest friends in less than a week. but lately, one thing has been on my mind.

hope. what's the purpose of life if you don't have hope? i had a conversation with a friend of mine the other day. she's going through a lot right now and mentioned that she's completely jaded. she hates life. she has no hope. and that made me really sad for her. what are we living for if we don't have hope?? hope that those friends that are sick will get better. hope that when i go to the gym this afternoon, i'll actually be able to run even though my legs are so sore i can barely walk! hope that even though i screw up day in and day out, there's a Man that died on the cross for me so that tomorrow i have another chance to glorify Him better than the day before.

i'm thankful i have that i have Hope. because when life sucks (and let's be real, sometimes it does), that's what gets me through.

resolution time!

time for the new year's resolution. a couple of years ago, i vowed to start accessorizing more. and it worked!! i am now the proud owner of countless earrings, necklaces, and even bracelets! last year, i failed miserably at my goals. i guess i did exercise fairly regularly, so maybe i wasn't a complete failure. but this year is gonna be tough. i'm going to try (i have to be real and put the TRY in there) to keep groceries in my fridge and cook at least once or twice a week. so, to some that may not be a big deal...especially the grocery part. but check it out:

here is my fridge. it's what it typically looks like every. single. day. unless i've had people over and there are leftovers. and occasionally there will be diet coke and sprite zero.

i always have ketchup and pickles. not sure why. i guess because when i have cookouts, people bring it and just leave it.

lima beans and broccoli. and obviously ice trays. every once in a while, there will be some frozen dinners (smart ones), but i haven't had any of those in months.

frozen peas and 2 chicken breasts wrapped in foil. i actually do always keep chicken. it's the only thing i really know how to cook. just put it in a dish, pour some cream of mushroom soup or bbq sauce on it, and throw it in the oven.

i'm super serious that this is what my fridge ALWAYS looks like. i'm getting close to 30 so it's time to start keeping a full fridge. i need help. what do i buy at the store?? and better yet, how do i cook what i bought at the store? if you have any fun recipes, send them my way! i'll keep you posted on my progress. the cooking starts next week!!