Two Things...

...that made work pleasant today:

1. Listening to 101.9 "Flashback Weekends" all day. (Consequently, I heard "Miss American Pie" and spent some of the morning Googling and reading about the lyrics. Pop culture fascinates me.)

2. The bittersweet aroma of two freshly brewed pots of coffee filling the office. :)

Money Issues, or Mental Issues? :p

Last night (or this morning) I dreamt that I overdrew on my checking account. I was so freaked out and worried about the fees!

And now that I am awake, I am so happy that it is payday! (In the real world, not my dream one!)

A Bud of Wisdom

The more often I am hurt by the actions of others (and my own actions), the more I am convinced this is true: People need people.

It may seem like shutting them out is the answer. But it's not. Fortresses keep out hurt and healing.

"Perfection Wasted"

And another regrettable thing about death
is the ceasing of your own brand of magic,
which took a whole life to develop and market-
the quips, the witticisms, the slant
adjusted to a few, those loved ones nearest
the lip of the stage, their soft faces blanched
in the footlight glow, their laughter close to tears,
their warm pooled breath in and out with your heartbeat,
their response and your performance twinned.
The jokes over the phone. The memories packed
in the rapid-access file. The whole act.
Who will do it again? That's it: no one;
imitators and descendants aren't the same.

This is by John Updike, a writer who died yesterday. The poem was published in Willow Manor today, and it touched me so much I wanted to pass it on! :)

Editing My World!

I have a new hobby! Haha, as if I needed anything else to keep me in front of the computer. (;

Look at my Picnik creations in my facebook album!

End of Break

Sorry guys, I don't usually go this long without a post.

One week from today I'll be back in school, and I really couldn't be happier about it. I'm taking an acting class, a remedial math, holistic health, and english comp (my second honors class). I also hope to be accepted into the Honors program very soon! This week I'm going to review a little bit of last semester's math work. I don't have good memory retention when it comes to that subject, and I had to fight for a C last semester.

Last week week's major events:
CITY staff meeting (it was so good to see [almost] everyone!)
Trip to the CCBC Essex campus with Anderson and John. Our initial purpose for going was not fulfilled, but fun was still had by all concerned!
Babysat Aaron and Belle. Cleaning up baby powder, cuddling a sobbing four-year-old, and watching "The Incredibles," and earning money. Not a bad evening.
Snuck in some extra time with Ryan before his classes started. We watched the innaguration, and I went with him to his guitar lesson.
Haircut! I miss my long hair, but this current style is mature and easy to care for, and has garnered some nice compliments.

A little update about the play I'm working on: We finally have a stage secured and have picked the dates for the show! Despite the drama and the many setbacks we have suffered, this gives me a feeling of hope that the show really will go on!

This week I'm trying to get to bed earlier than I have been as of late to get my body prepared for next week. An 8AM class means I'm going to have to cease being such a night owl! :(

Things I intend to do in the next 24 hours

(Blog lists are such a good idea, Sara!)

1. Get a long and restful night's sleep (the house sitting/dog babysitting kept me up all weekend)
2. Eat something that is not take-out (also the result of house sitting all weekend).
3. Cuddle with Ryan
4. Watch the inauguration.
5. Read something enjoyable.
6. Laugh.
7. Show someone I love that I appreciate them.
8. Check out the blogs of the new people who commented my last post. :)

That's all I can think of. :) Night night!

Winter Break Ramblings

I have about two weeks left of winter break (everyone is astonished when I tell them I have been out of school since the 11th of December!). I haven't gotten as far on my "To Do" list for this month as I should have. Most of it involved a lot of cleaning in my room (which my mom finally stopped bugging me to do) and going through my books and clothes. I don't enjoy getting rid of books. Not only is it time consuming, it's just hard for me to be decisive. "Well, I haven't read it years, but I may want too one day..." Hehe. Speaking of books, I have been reading during my break, which was one of my goals. I'm currently reading a couple books about theatre and play production, and also a book I found last year called "The Great Philosophers, The Lives and Ideas of History's Greatest Thinkers." It devotes a couple pages each to different philosophers from ancient times to now, and summarizes their bios and most famous ideas.

I also have time for journaling and daily quiet time again, which is definitely nice and something I badly need in order to keep a healthy perspective on life. I've given up journaling about daily events; instead I write down major thoughts, emotions, and events that come up. I've been studying the Gospel of John (Ryan is reading it also, and we exchange thoughts on it). I'm trying to read through it slowly and truly ponder what Jesus said about Himself and man.

Sometimes I like to order clothes from Alloy. Their spring catalog came a few days ago, and I'm thinking about getting this top. I also found a great shirt at American Eagle last week- a nice white button down that fits perfectly! :) I got it for $20 when it was supposed to be $40!

Had a check-up at the doctor's yesterday, and that went pretty well. I've lost a couple pounds, and that I think might be due to the stress of last month. But everything else tested well and the worst that happened was I needed to have my neck adjusted- ouch! (My doctor is a kinesiolist/chiropractor.)

Enjoy your weekend! I will, 'cause I'll be with my favorite girl on Saturday and Sunday nights (we're house sitting :).

Working at this thing called life.

*Summons attention span long enough to blog*

The play I'm working on is barely a week into its production stage and we already have major logistic issues! This evening my mom asked me if I was still glad I gave up the other show to do this, and I said yes, I was. Anderson is a pleasure to work with despite the stress, and I know I'm going to learn a lot. Tomorrow I'm borrowing a copy of the script (because copies for everyone in the crew are not available yet, just one of our many problems) and getting my first read-through of that.

On Thursday I went to the mall and that's always fun. :) I had a gift card to spend at Macy's, so I finally got some of these popular things called "skinny jeans." I was happily surprised at my appearance in them! Though of course, I had to get them hemmed, yay shortness! :p Saturday I was at the mall again, this time because Ryan and I wanted to go to the movies. We saw "Yes Man" with Jim Carrey, and shouldn't have spent the money, in my opinion. I also went to Best Buy, also with a gift card, where I got albums by Michael Buble and Coldplay. The Coldplay album was their latest, in addition to a second disc with 8 unreleased songs on it. The Michael Buble CD came with a concert DVD in it, and it's sooooo good! *ah* I love him! :-D

Yesterday myself, Dad, and Ryan went down to Annapolis for the Prayer Day that AMF was sponsoring. Our group had been granted permission to meet in one of the Senate lounge rooms in the State House to hold the event. I find it so awe-inspiring being down in the Capital, surrounded by all those wonderful buildings and rich history. It seemed to be good time for Ryan, to meet some of the people I work with and get a better idea of what my non-profit work is all about. This is a picture of some of my City on the Hill friends and staff who were there. (*Oooh, it is great how the text wraps around the picture! haha. I'm so easily pleased sometimes. :p)

I don't want to get too personal on this blog, but I do want to say I am really happy the past few days, specifically concerning my relationship with Ryan. I haven't been quite this happy and at peace in awhile, but I was too afraid to deal with it. Despite being together for four years, we're finding we have some really major things to work on and grow out of, both individually and as a couple. It takes guts and dedication to be willing to work on those things. I won't settle for anything less than being truly happy (in terms of a relationship), because that is what I deserve. But sticking up for yourself and being truly honest means taking risks, and possibly hurting someone else. I found that after praying about what course of action to take and what words to say, it was truly rewarding. I don't know where our future together is heading, but I will know that no matter what happens I gave it a honest shot. I guess I'm saying all of this for a couple reasons. One, to be vulnerable about the fact that my life is not perfect, and two, to inspire anyone who needs to hear it to have the faith and courage to do or say something that maybe you've been avoiding. You owe it to yourself, because as my dearest girlfriend says, Life is too short!

Parties and Plans

Since the beginning of the year I've been completely overwhelmed by uncertainty and questions and worry and growth. First I had to work on getting things right in my heart and with myself and God, and now I can see clearly enough to get things right with certain relationships in my life. It's a painful challenge, but not being true to my own happiness is even more painful. With finally getting some things off my chest to the appropriate parties I feel ready to come out of my hole and say Hi to you all... (:

New Years Eve was spent celebrating with friends, playing games, and drinking the obligatory glass of champagne (not hard since I love it! :). Frank and Michele hosted a party at their place and invited all the 20-somethings in our church plus a few extra friends. We played "Dictionary" (our form of "Balderdash) and Apples to Apples, watched "Elf" and the NY ball drop, and just enjoyed company of some people we don't often see. Josh Walker was visiting from Georgia, and Eric and Shane of old stopped by, and it was a definitely a good time had by all!

On Monday I was back at school for a few hours for a play production meeting. The crew of "I Hate Hamlet" met to dole out responsibility and talk about ideas. I am so excited to be stage manager! I am going to learn a lot and get frustrated and have fun and love every minute of it! While walking around campus I felt like I'd hardly been gone a day, and got excited at the thought of my classes and experiences to come next semester. After the meeting I hung out with Anderson (the play director) and John, and they even walked me to my house cleaning job and moved couches for me so I could clean the floor. Oh, the advantages of being little and cute! ;)

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to a shopping trip with Ryan (and I'm treating him to lunch) and then going with my favorite girl to Katie's Arbonne party. I'm glad winter break isn't over yet!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope 2009 is blessed and joy-filled for you and yours. :-*

Update blog coming soon...