update

I now have brown hair. :) I'll post some pictures someday soon.

I'm exhausted. After several days of being very "on-the-go" I'm ready to just chillax on my couch and watch TV that doesn't involve thinking.

Did you know that Chapstick was made of animal carcasses? Yeah...I just found that out. Pretty sure I'll be altering what I put on my lips from now on...

In a quick trip to Louisville for a college fair last night, I got to enjoy some good sushi w/ my bestie Amanda! Only my 2nd sushi experience, but I made another good choice w/ the lobster rolls.

If you notice to the right of my page, you'll see a link for The Great Ornament Exchange! Check it out... Kate McDonald is hosting this via her blog and will be organizing a way for 60+ people around the country to trade ornaments and begin a new tradition. Wanna join? You have to respond by emailing her before midnight THIS THURSDAY the 14th!

Please continue to pray for Ben Towne, the little boy I posted about last week after reading his CaringBridge site. He is still hanging onto life and fighting with a strong will to live, according to the journal his parents have been keeping up online. Pray for their strength as they walk into the unknown.

Please pray...

I apologize for the mental whiplash, but this is not at all humorous like the previous post.

After finding this on Kate's blog tonight and reading journal entries from complete strangers on the other side of the country, I'm sitting here crying my eyes out. Please take just a moment to plead with God on behalf of a little 3 year old boy named Ben and his mom and dad in Seattle, WA.

I realize I just posted a list of things to laugh at below this, but I hope you'll find this much more meaningful and take a minute to pray. If blogging can be used to make people laugh and think, then surely it can be used to share things like this.

Please pray.

"the list"

Well, well, well...

Friends, we have certainly witnessed history with this election, but my favorite part has been the ridiculous response that many have made public via facebook. If you're not familiar, facebook allows everyone to have a "status." Your status might be what you're doing, what you're eating, some random song lyric, where you are, something really emo to make people feel bad for you, etc. But apparently it is now the place for publicly making your political statement known--whether for or against Obama. As if your facebook status could change the world...

So last night I took the liberty of compiling a list of the hilarity I found in many facebook statuses. The list grew today and just might continue to grow if people continue to make ridiculous remarks. Just don't let it be you. :)

So because I've been asked for the list several times today, I thought I'd share it here.
Here goes:

____ oh well, america had a good run

____ is enjoying her last days as a free american

____ thinks that it's a shame that an election can bring out the worst in people...some of you aren't even acting human tonight. Freaking grow up!

____ is weeping and gnashing her teeth.

____ knows that god has a plan and everything WILL work out

____ How can people be pulled into Obama's lies and not even understand how ignorant he is? This is stupid.

____ Sweet, now i can live out my dream of living in a van down by the river because the government will take all my money and give it to those who do nothing!!!

____ is really scared & nervous about what is going to happen to this country...dear God please help us! what the hell was America thinking! what did we do?!

____ thanks uninformed and ignorant American voters...get ready for the biggest depression in United States history

____ is angry and will probably hide his guns from himself because he is suicidal

____ like the israelites there are evil and godly rulers...hopefully we won't wander for 40 years

____ will pray for the new president but cannot and will not support him.

____ is going to enjoy their plethora of tequilla and great tans in mexico

____ moves into a state of loyal opposition. Equal emphasis on both loyal and opposition. Yep, learned that concept from Mr. Brown.

____ is yup its offical we're screwed!!

____ is wondering what ever happed to the phrase "ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL" it doesn't state anything about African Americans or Americans WTF? We're all the same

____ WE'RE ALL SCREWED! HOLY CRAP! THE END TIMES ARE UPON US! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!

____ is worried about the future and happy that at least mcconnel won. (welcome to the USSA).

____...only in America can being charismatic and having a celebrity following but no actual experience get you elected President...GOD be their solution!

____ is a citizen of a socialist country? Seriously? ....dangit. Oh well, God rules. God Help US ALL!

____ wants to move... somewhere. too bad Kenya is out of the question...

____ is thinking the only real bummer is that Heidi Klum and Seal won't be leaving the country now.

____ cannot in good conscience support Obama... she cannot and will not...

____ was told that when a democrat is in office Christians give more to the church....get these churches out of the budget crunch.

____ now realizes how many idiots live in the USA.

____ is people are saying welcome to 8 years of hell but they forget we have been living it for the past 8 years. Go OBAMA!!!!

____ is PRESIDENT OBAMA IN YOUR FACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

____ is moving to Italy instead, it's warmer and has better food.

____ How can people be pulled into Obama's lies and not even understand how ignorant he is? This is stupid.

____ knows God will bless this is some way...

____ is pretty sure God is still God no matter who the president is...may wisdom and grace be his life's action.

____ is welp I am alive to see history made.

____ cannot believe this....oh my gosh.

____ would like for people to pick up a Bible and read Matthew 6:25-34.9:59pm

____ Obama we trust.

____ Jesus still resurrected.

____ maybe i shouldn't be...but i am actually surprised at how people are catastrophizing in texas today. Xanax for everyone!

____ agrees with libby steinberg, we are a United people in America!! Stop acting so negative towards such a historic day in America.

____ is The sky is falling, The sky is falling!

____ says put on your big girl panties and suck it up!

____ is “Well, there you have it.”

____ is wondering if Bob the Builder is going to sue Obama for using ‘Yes We Can’

____ might as well quit my job and go get in line for welfare.

____ it’s silly to say this is the end…we’ve been saying that for a couple thousand years.

____ is considering building a fallout shelter.

____ 2012 baby... ‘you betchya!’

____ “wait for it...wait for it...CHILL!”

____ is not shocked Obama won. He is shocked that 9/10 people I talked to said they only voted for Obama because he speaks better.

____ wonders what change means.

____ thinks that we should have elected an Amish president.

____ is more interested now that the race is over. Funny how that works.

____ made it through the Clinton years alive...

____ just removed 1 friend for racial slurs about our next president. Don’t be next.

trying to avoid all the election talk but i can't...& other random stuff...

I'm trying my best to avoid so much talk about the election, because I'm just ready for it to be over. But I can't completely leave it alone. I am not 100% apathetic. I do care. But in reality, it all comes down to this: No matter who wins, we ought to respect our nation's leader. I'm not sure what happened to good old fashioned respect and submission to leadership. I guess democracy. And rights. That's what happened.

It seems that we think we have the "right" to so much in life. And I hear people saying that as long as they vote then they have the right to complain later if their choice doesn't win. I disagree. (We can differ on this, and that's ok.) I suppose some complaining is fine, but honestly can't we just learn to respect whomever is given such a high state of authority in this country? And can we trust that God is bigger than one person? And can we trust that our entire country does not rest in one man alone, but on Congress and many advisory boards as well? And whomever is picked will most likely not follow through with most of what his intended plans are, so if we're fearing a plan that has been mentioned, it may not even happen.

And on a different note, I think it's funny how secretive people are about who they vote for. I'm not sure why that is, but it doesn't bother me to tell you who I voted for. But because I don't want any arguments here, I'll change the subject.

This is where random comes in.

I really want to play in the leaves outside. And at the same time, I really want to go lay on a beach somewhere really warm and get my summer tan back.

I'm hooked on listening to the music from the movie The Holiday. It just makes me happy. And also the song "January Rain" by David Gray that's on the movie Serendipity. That song gives me the chills...just picturing the snowflakes falling in the Manhattan sky over that wonderful little dessert shop, Serendipity III, and over the skating rink in Central Park, and the magical way those two people meet and meet again years later. I could listen to it over and over and over. And I will.

I think for the first time in my life, I just made the perfect fried egg. I never used to be able to. My dad was the only person who ever seemed to make them just right. They always end up burnt, or my yoke would break all over before I even got it off the stove...except tonight! I just enjoyed a great fried egg on toast with feta cheese. Because feta makes everything better.

Back to Serendipity...if you've never been there in New York City, you really need to. Their famous Frozen Hot Chocolate is worth whatever 3 hour wait they say you'll have to endure (I promise you it will only end up to be about an hour and a half...or half the time they tell you to begin with. Just don't go out to eat first and be full when you get there--not a good idea. And know that they don't take reservations, so get your name in and then wander around Urban Outfitters or Dylan's Candy Bar down the block.) Anyway, I rediscovered the recipe for this glorious goodness just yesterday, and I'm going to attempt to make one sometime this week.

So as you watch the election results come in, don't freak out. In fact, see Kate's blog for more on comfort amidst the election and a comfort food recipe to try as well. And here's the "secret" frozen hot chocolate recipe that I'm going to try out (let me know if you do too!):

FRRROZEN HOT CHOCOLATE INGREDIENTS
6 half-ounce pieces of a variety of your favorite chocolates (dark chocolate for me please)
2 teaspoons of store-bought hot chocolate mix
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
3 cups of ice
Whipped cream
Chocolate shavings

Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Place it in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted. Add the hot chocolate mix and sugar. Stir until completely melted. Remove from heat and slowly add ½ cup of milk until smooth. Cool to room temperature. In a blender, place the remaining cup of milk, the room-temperature chocolate mixture and the ice. Blend on high speed until smooth and the consistency of a frozen daiquiri. Pour into a giant goblet and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. And...share with your friends if necessary or desired. ;)

Sitting in a coffee shop...

I love being an anonymous observer.

I'm used to doing a lot of things by myself, which can become boring after awhile, so I've grown accustomed to a great deal of people-watching. And it takes no genius to figure out that in general, people are weird. But then again, so am I. There is no normal. And if there was, it would certainly be boring...wouldn't it?

I remember every winter when I was little we would drive around town and look at Christmas lights, and I loved being able to see inside the windows of people's homes. It wasn't like I was a peeping Tom or a stalker, but I loved seeing just a glimpse into the lives of people I didn't know. Sitting in the backseat, usually next to my sister, we'd ride around "ooh-ing" and "ahh-ing" at all of the great lights and decorations (sometimes singing Christmas carols, if I had my way...), and I'd daydream and wonder about the stories of the people inside those homes. I guess I've always been a little bit curious.

Now as I sit in a coffee shop, I wonder what the people around me are here for. These days it seems that no one is without a laptop in front of them, and it makes me wonder what kind of work they all do. I assume there are businessmen here trying to enter sales calls or complete spreadsheets and pie charts and strategic plans. I can see high school or college students working on assignments together, studying for tests, and writing research papers. I see other people like me who may be simply writing, for work or for no reason at all, about something meaningful or ridiculously pointless like many things I write. I see others engaged in friendly conversation, catching up on their days, talking about relationships, life, and work.

I wonder sometimes if I am the only one so observant of the world around me. Are people watching me like I'm watching them? Is there some innate quality in me that makes me so curious? Of course, I'm not staring them down or listening to their conversations or reading over their shoulders. (However, I can't help but overhear the man next to me as he repeats three times to the person on the other end of his cell phone that he's at "the cof-fee-house...the coffee-house...the c-off-ee-house.") But do people wonder about me as I sit and type on this silly blog about the very things I see around me?

While I like to imagine the stories behind these people's lives, I never go beyond the imagining. There's something about the anonymity of it all that I enjoy. I like to be curious and to pretend I know what these people are about, even though I really have no idea. I'd like to make up stories about who they are and what they do and what they dream about for the world. I'd like to think that the group of people in the corner is strategizing for a business plan they're putting together to do something grandeur to help the community, and the girl by the window talking to her friend about making a college decision will maybe end up on the mission field someday, and the guy next to me reading is just taking some much-needed time away from his family to read his magazine and enjoy a good cup of coffee.

My favorite place to people-watch is the airport. There's something about a person traveling that brings out the curiosity in me. Where are they going? Where are they coming from? Why are they going there? Maybe it's for business (usually the business suit is a dead giveaway...) or maybe it's a vacation (usually the touristy souvenirs, Mickey Mouse ears, or sweatsuits and fanny packs give this away), or maybe it's for a honeymoon (the constant PDA is the giveaway here...). Maybe they have to fly somewhere for a funeral or a wedding or the birth of a baby. Maybe they're going to visit a friend they haven't seen in years or they're going on a mission trip (usually a group in matching t-shirts gives that one away...sidenote: I will NEVER make my groups going on mission trips wear matching t-shirts for this reason...).

No matter where I am, I always wonder about people. There is so much more to a person than what they look like, how they're dressed, or what they're currently doing. Everyone has a story. And it makes me recognize the reality of humanity.

We all have a story. But do we really have the capacity to find out all of the life stories around us? While I enjoy finding out people's backgrounds, sometimes I like leaving it up to my imagination as I sit back and conjure up some unlikely account of their lives.

So here I sit, in the coffee shop.

Just observing
wondering
imagining...

my humble abode...

Above is one of the 4 entrances to my building. I love my apartment in Lincoln. I live above what used to be a coffee shop, but it has since closed and been turned into a thrift store. And since I've been meaning to post pictures of my wonderful new couch, I thought I'd share a few others from the place I call "home."

My apartment building is obviously an older building that has been renovated by my very talented landlord who has turned the upstairs of our building into 6 amazing and very coveted apartments in this town. Three of them are loft apartments and three are not. Mine is not, and it may be the smallest or second to smallest apartment in the building and it's still quite large. They have incredible character--original hardwood floors, exposed brick walls, beautiful crown molding, and very cool Tiffany-esque lighting fixtures. The apartment I have here would cost about 3 times more than what I pay in any other city I'm sure. It will be hard to move someday!

But what I love about this place I call home is the way I've made it my own. I love being able to decorate and get creative on a limited budget. My absolute favorite thing in this apartment (now second to my couches, however...) are these:

Before I moved in, my mom and I were going to garage sales and searching for bargains...something I love to do. I found these amazing cabinet doors--5 of them--for 25 cents! ALL 5 for 25 cents!!! I had no idea what I was going to do with them, but I cleaned them off and ended up blowing up 8x10 photos from my trip to England and lightly nailing them onto the doors.

One of my other favorites bargain finds is this wine rack I found at a garage sale for $5:

The wine rack was originally from Crate & Barrel and had a scratch on the brown wood on top, so my brother-in-law sanded it down and spray painted it black for me. I love it.

If you're a fan of living inexpensively (or if you're not a fan but you just have to...), I am telling you...GO TO GARAGE SALES!!! You have no idea what you could find. I love finding something old and turning it into something new. I love telling people about my great deals, because too often people spend way too much on things that could be found for much, much less. And I'm more than willing to hunt for a bargain when I have the opportunity.

However, my new couches are not so much one of these bargain finds. But they're worth every penny spent. I love these things. I haven't slept in my bed since they arrived this past Monday. There are basically 3 massive chaises and an ottoman, all shaped like jigsaw puzzle pieces, that fit together in various ways as a sectional. I'm still deciding on accent colors...I'm thinking yellow and green or turquoise...but that could change. I just like bright colors. Anyway, here are pictures...but you won't get the true feel until you see them for yourself. I now have plenty of places for people to sleep over! I can put all 4 pieces together and it's basically like sleeping on a king size bed. So come on over!!!

Living & Leaving Boldly

I enjoy listening to the podcasted sermons from Southland Christian Church in Lexington, KY. For some reason, the preaching of Jon Weece seems to communicate to me in a way that few other preachers can, and since I can't make a 6 hour commute to Lexington weekly for church, I subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. This morning I listened to the last sermon in a series called "One Month to Live" and the sermon was about "Leaving Boldly" from one of the other teaching pastors, Dan Hamel.

He shared this quote from Greg Lavoy, who calls this "The Common Cold of the Soul":

"We get so consumed and confused with all that is going on in life that we live in such a way where sinful patterns never get confronted and changed, abilities and gifts never get cultivated and deployed, until weeks become months, months turn into years, and one day you're looking back on a life of heartfelt conversations you never had, great prayers you never prayed, exhilarating risks you never took, sacrificial gifts you never offered, and lives you never touched. And you're sitting there in your recliner, with a shriveled soul and forgotten dreams, and you realize there is a world of desperate need and a great God calling you to be a part of something bigger than yourself."

He shared that we often lose sight of just how desperately Jesus desires to be a part of our daily life. That is so unfortunately evident in my life. I don't realize that Jesus wants to be a part of my day until it's too late. When I've done things my own way, and I've had to learn that my way is probably not the best, I then decide to come to Jesus with whatever situation I find myself in.

Life could be lived so much more fully. When we live life in mediocrity, not taking any risks, not dreaming big dreams, and not living with any purpose, or on purpose, for that matter, we're lessening how great God's glory could be in our lives. Irenaeus, an early church father from about 202 A.D. said this: "The glory of God is man fully alive." Dan reworded it in this way: "God's glory in your life shines the brightest when you live life to its fullest. When we settle for less, and we play it safe, and we're satisfied with a mediocre life and we always dream bland, colorless dreams, we're not only chipping away at the vibrancy and vitality of our own lives and future, but we're diminishing God's glory. When we settle for less, we make God out to be less."

I was convicted, confronted, and challenged hearing this today. I don't want to live a life that makes God out to be less than who He is. If I lived in such a way that gave Him the greatest glory possible, it still wouldn't be enough to truly capture His greatness. But I should strive for that.

Dan went on to say this in his sermon: "When we chase after the full life that God has created us for...the more we chase after truly great things, the greater we make our God out to be."

I want my life to make God great.
I want to dream great, vibrant, colorful dreams.
I want to live with compassion that cares for people who could never repay me.
I want to take risks and take steps out of my selfish comfort zone.
I want to give sacrificially, not out of obligation, but out of real desire to give.
I want to be used in ways I might never accomplish on my own.
I want to have conversations about Jesus and love and relationships more than I have conversations about the latest person John Mayer is dating or the next fruit some celebrities decide to name their child.
I want to use my time, talents, and energy for others rather than letting them go to waste.
I want to offer grace to those who might not find it elsewhere and might not deserve it. (After all, none of us do...)
I want to ask God before I make decisions about my life.
I want to love genuinely and sincerely until everything around me falls away and people see only love.

How would you live? How will you live?

chili/chilly

I'm trying to embrace fall this year. I'm getting better.

I'm learning to appreciate the colors of the leaves more and more every day. I just wish it would last longer before this season leads to freezing cold.

The cold weather makes my soul feel cold.

I'm making my dad's chili today, which of course makes me think of him and miss him. And as it grows chillier and chillier outside, it leads to winter, which just reminds me of losing him. It's just such a long season.

I'm hoping this winter, as my family and I pass the 2 year anniversary of my dad being gone, our hearts will grow just a little warmer. And with each passing winter, I hope we'll feel the cold a little less.

For now, maybe I'll just share with you his simple chili recipe...which hopefully will warm me up tonight and in turn might warm you up someday. There's nothing difficult to it, and it's certainly easy enough for anyone to make. You can add/change things as desired. However, it makes me think of the one time he made it at the fire station and forgot to add the chili powder. So don't forget the chili powder. :)

Dad's Chili

1-1/2 lb. hamburger meat

diced green pepper & onion (optional...I leave these out)

1 large can Brooke Chili Beans (can add more if you want)

1 reg. size can diced tomatoes

1 full size can tomato juice

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional...I leave this out.)

3 Tbsp. sugar

Brown the meat with peppers and onion. Drain the grease out, and add the meat to the chili beans and diced tomatoes. Pour in the can of tomato juice. Add chili powder, salt, pepper, red pepper. Let simmer until it starts to boil, and add about 3 Tbsp. of sugar towards the end.

Enjoy!