Soli Deo Gloria

2011-10-26T11:32:00.001-07:00

anyone interested in an online TESOL course?

2011-08-13T15:42:00.001-07:00

2011-01-13T08:34:00.001-08:00

Heard "Pandora's Box" by the O.C. Supertones on the radio this morning. Total throwback, loves ittt <3 http://ping.fm/mQIMt

2010-12-29T18:32:00.001-08:00

making ginger tea

2010-12-27T19:45:00.001-08:00

Here comes the rain again... http://ping.fm/klf6Y & Storm to Pass http://ping.fm/QLP3P

2010-12-26T01:31:00.001-08:00

Now ye hear of endless bliss. Joy! Joy! Jesus Christ was born for this. He hath opened the heavenly door. And man is blessed evermore. Christ was born for this!!
{{ nitey }}

2010-12-25T03:30:00.001-08:00

The hope of God & the Light of the world has come! Happy Christmas!!! John 8:12 http://tinyurl.com/2az5pwr

2010-12-24T14:52:00.001-08:00

"[Jesus] will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end." Luke 1:32-33

2010-12-14T13:09:00.001-08:00

We're here only for a second and then we're gone when we least expect it so do more than survive. Let's live like we're alive! http://ping.fm/WDQsa

2010-07-27T13:27:00.001-07:00

Since their new album is out today, the song of the week is Day's End by Ivoryline: http://ping.fm/FpcOx

2010-05-20T16:08:00.001-07:00

Revelation 21:1-8 -- Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away." And he who sat upon the throne said, "Behold I make all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment. He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death."

Music Tuesday #5

2010-05-04T22:49:00.000-07:00

Song of the week: The Jig Is Up by Edison Glass
Listen to it and see lyrics on Yahoo! Which has it on Rhapsody....
Correct lyrics here.

I've asked with the right intent and bright eyes
But what I can't seem to figure out is how and why
And I can't seem to handle it

Sometimes I feel like I've been praying diligently with the right motives and with hope yet I still don't understand what God is up to, or understand how God will come through on this thing that just seems so huge. But you just have to stay faithful and not doubt. God will answer in His time...not ours

I'll wait for Your words, I'll trust You'll say

...because God is so much bigger than I can even fathom:

Your eyes see further than mine
I can see as far as the sun and the moon in the sky

I can see the sun and the moon, God can see the whole universe. God can see the future.

I was reading 1 Samuel chapter 1 in verse 10 it says, "[Hannah], greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly." She was being ridiculed by her husband's other wife for being not being able to have children and this burdened her heart so much that she prayed with passion to the Lord & made Him a vow. Later, God remembered her when she prayed and answered.

I think I need to be more diligent in bringing the burdens of my heart to God. Nothing is too big for Him!!

Music "Tuesday" #4

2010-04-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

This week's song:

Burn Out Brighter (Northern Lights) by Anberlin

Listen here. Or youtube it.
Lyrics here.

Focus for me is here:
All I know spins out of control.
Wonder what's next for heart and soul.
Nothing I have can save me now.
Here in what maybe my final hour.

It's my time, cannot survive.
I made mistakes in the past.
Need a chance; can't say goodbye.
Wish I could set things right tonight.

Live; I wanna live inspired.
Die; I wanna die for something higher than myself.
Live and die for anyone else.
The more I live I see, this life's not about me.

I don't feel like I need to do that much explaining on what those lyrics mean. The reason it's song of the week is that one of my friends basically asked me what I want to do with my life. Well, it was more like, I know you want to do museum curating, but have you thought about ... As I started to think about the complicated answer to that, I thought of this song. "Live; I wanna live inspired" and later it says, "Live; I wanna live on fire" which I assume means on fire for God. That pretty much sums up what I desire for my life and I don't know exactly what it is, career-wise, that will demonstrate that. I know I was made for more than just working for a paycheck. I really want to love whatever I do and have it be glorifying to God. ...and travel :)

Music Tuesday (or so...) hahaha

2010-04-21T22:47:00.000-07:00

I half wrote my music tuesday entry when another song totally hit me hard in a different way than it had before...so I changed it up to uh, music Thursday...

Song: Of Men and Angels by The Rocket Summer

Lyrics: I submitted corrections to LyricsMania so at least one site has them...

Listen on Myspace.

First, I would just listen to this and let it sink in. It took hearing it for over a month before it spoke to me in the way it did. I don't wholly relate to the theme I find in this song about someone who works really hard to get ahead in their life because the world dictates what success is: money, status, stuff. And God wants you to live for him, not yourself and all the stuff and power you gain is really not that important when you're starved for God's love. You may hear God telling you this isn't how He wants your life to be, but you ignore him....but then eventually surrender happens because you realize working for "the man" isn't as fulfilling as you thought it would be. Where this song spoke to me was near the end where it says:

Hard earned pay or

Hard earned pain

right now they're just the same

What's the use?

Why work so hard when it's not what you crave?

when what you need is Love

I keep working jobs that basically suck and have nothing to do with the goals I have for my life but I feel like I need to just keep on keeping on because I need to pay bills and I don't see any other way to survive. In no way am I tasting hints of fame/worldly success in my workplace but I feel so completely unhappy in what I'm doing that I think either this is one horrible test of patience or I am doubting that God has something better for me. Do you sense my lack of faith in just saying that? It took me a bit of time to realize I truly am doubting that God has bigger plans for me and will take care of me. God promises, in Philippians 4:19, "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

And there's this line in verse 2 that goes, "How can I go with mine instead of Yours when Yours is always right? I'm sorry, just pour into me..."

In the grand scheme of things I've been going with mine. My only plan so far, really, has been San Diego. I will do what I can just to be here. In this economy where you take what you can get, it sounds crazy to leave a job based on discontent. You're one of the lucky ones that's actually getting paid these days. I'm really tired of working just for a paycheck when I know where I want to go with my life, the ever elusive job that you'd do for free (if money were no object). My vision get clouded with what I want and I don't just forget to listen to God, but maybe I just don't want to listen. I'm afraid of what He might say. I just need to trust that He has plans for my life that are bigger than I can see, and beyond what I feel I need to do to survive in this world.

It's over quoted, but let's not forget the truth in Jeremiah 29:11-13, " For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Next step: pray.

must love my 19 year olds

2010-04-20T00:11:00.000-07:00

Chadwick

and its better to go younger than older

old men are boring

12:10amMeself

whattttt

12:10amChadwick

young men are fun

Just died laughing...loved itttt.

Agree to disagree ;) but I agree?

oh bother.

R E S T

2010-04-12T07:48:00.000-07:00

This past week I was convicted about how I haven't been taking a Sabbath day...like, at all. I was going non-stop everyday (and totally not sleeping to boot) since Good Friday: Work, service, movie night. Girls breakfast, hella necessary nap, serivice, birthday party. Breakfast, outreach, Easter service. Drive, lunch [not] date, drive, !deation, hang out. More !deation, hang out, drive back at midnight. Work, fitting for Friday's show, small group. Work, cafe set up, cafe and more hanging out...On Thursday I was like, man, I am exhausted...and I still have more stuff coming up!! I was creeping on my friend's facebook page and saw a status update that said, "Great Saturday: A Day of Rest (So, I'm gonna watch the NCAA Final Four :)" Oh, hey, a day of rest?? Fancy that. When's the last time I actually did that?? After the Jedidiah fashion show event on Friday I was hanging out with my homies and decided to nix my weekend plans (at least the ones that required waking up early) for some much needed rest. I got home after 2am & took 2 hours to get ready for bed since I decided almost falling asleep in a hot tub of water was a good idea.... Actually, it was though, I was relaxed. I slept in til two!! I totally skipped the half day of volunteering that started at 8am. You can't just give and give and pour out without taking the time to reflect back on God. "Be still and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10. Relax, let go, and know that God is in control. I mean, even He rested...

Ideation Conference, Long Beach, CA

2010-04-07T01:37:00.000-07:00

I know I totally skipped Music Tuesday BUT I had the most amazing past 5 days. Not only was it Easter weekend where I got to celebrate the fact that my Savior is risen and ALIVE!! but I basically gave myself a 4 day weekend chock full with awesomeness.

I had the privilege of attending the first !deation Conference that gathered a people that worked for all types of non-profits in all different stages of their business life cycles & gave a platform to share ideas, gain insights and network to be better equipped to move forward with their causes. I didn't attend any sessions the first day since I wasn't really there and I was busy with fashion show prep, but the second day I saw in on workshops and whiteboard sessions that were incredibly insightful, even for someone like me that wasn't representing any organization in particular. It was so amazing being around people that cared so much for humanity and wanted to make positive changes in the world. So inspiring! I wasn't [well] informed about many of the groups that were there, but there were a couple that sparked my interest. I noticed that the guys from Love146 were there and I had heard of them through my friend's Connected Cultures Clothing company who had shirts that donate a portion to their cause, and also one of my top 10 favorite bands, Edison Glass, who had the logo in their CD jacket...so I decided I must meet them. I actually didn't know much about the company except for that they worked against human trafficking. I waltzed on up to them not really knowing what to say, but just that I had heard of them and wanted to know more. They gave me a pamphlet with all the info that's basically on their website and we just chatted. I also mentioned how much I loved Edison Glass and found out that a parent of one of the guys is part of their organization. I happened to be wearing my Toms that I wrote Edison Glass lyrics on and they were quite entertained by it--what a small world! After I read through the pamphlet though, my heart totally broke. They had a powerful story (go read it!) and an amazing cause. I realize that many or those organization have stories as heart breaking as this. There are so so so many ways that this world is broken. I know that your heart can break for a lot of causes but you just can't help everyone yourself. It took me a while to realize that there is only so much one person can do since you just can't care about everything, but find the things that you really do have a heart for and do what you can to make a contribution. I feel that there are so many ways my heart is stretched and I can't focus on all of them! It's kind of crazy. But, right now, I'm so encouraged that people really want to make a difference the right way, I'm so excited to see what will happen with the organizations whose stories I heard, and I'm inspired to be used to make lives better.

Music Tuesday #2

2010-03-30T23:15:00.000-07:00

Song of the Week: Common Code by Staggerford.
You can listen to it on myspace. (Everywhere else=only song clip!)
Lyrics not on the interwebs so I did my best to listen. First verse + chorus:

"Love Love Love is all we ever talk of.
Talk and talk is all we ever get done.
The more I tried to feel the more I felt pain.
I'm wondering if it's a worthy exchange.
Who knew that there is never anything to gain,
Lest you might end up feeling it might not have been a fair trade.

Common Code says 'Love will never let you down'..."

At first I just wanted to touch on the first 2 lines of this song because that's what got me when I first heard it. It reminded me of how a lot of people "do" church. You go there on Sunday and talk about loving people. OK. And we talk about God and we talk about meeting people's needs and we talk about having vision....which is great, but putting all of that into action is even greater. But half the time it's really just left as a nice idea and the talking is all that is ever accomplished. Sad story, right? I was just going to exhort you/myself with 1 John 3:18 "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with deeds and in truth." because an outpouring of our love for Him = an outpouring of our love to others...and there you have it! BUT I think God just called me out to stretch my thinking cuz this song was playing in my head ALL DAY and it was just the first 2 lines. And now, when I listened through the song in it's entirety, in order to write about it, I felt I also must explore the next part which is probably why we talk about love but don't really do it as often or as well as we'd like.

We know it'll hurt when we really see the needs of others and let it burden our hearts. We realize it'll require the pain of personal sacrifice to try and meet the needs to others. We start to wonder if it will be worth it to carry out the things we talk of because, really, we'd rather just be in ignorant bliss... (lines 3&4) And then, you may decide that you're willing to do love and not just talk love and maybe you don't see any good come of it. You give and give and give and don't see a result. What if God's purpose is just that? To love and not get anything in return. He never promised we'd have riches and treasures on Earth from being obedient to Him, we may really just be gaining Christ's future glory, y'know, eternal treasure that you only get when you're dead. We just need to understand that that should be all the glory we need. (lines 4&5) But we tend to get selfish and want something in return for our efforts. Even if it's just our friend telling us we're awesome. We kinda feel gypped when we get nothing...get used to it.

Common code, like common thinking...everyone thinks love is constant, good and neverending... The Common Code I think of is the Bible and 1 Corinthians says, "Love never fails." And God is Love. God never fails. God's purose and plan always prevails and God always comes through. So we need to act on those things He's telling us to do.

It seems so simple.......

Disclaimer: As it is for all songs I write about, I haven't asked the band, or read anything pertaining to the meaning of this song. This is all me, so don't quote me on this interpretation, I'm just spilling out what's in my head.

Music Tuesday #1

2010-03-23T22:27:00.000-07:00

Twitter does Music Monday, so I guess I'll do Music Tuesday

Song of the Week: The Difference by Philmont
You can listen to it on myspace, rhapsody or lala.
I was going to put a link to the lyrics, but no site had the correct ones so they're at the end on the entry :P (I'm picky).

You give the devil an inch and he'll take a mile...and then some. When I looked back over 2009, which in my mind was sooo awesome (mainly cuz I was 24, which is a great number) I realized it actually wasn't so great. Last year was difficult, and full of bad decisions that led me astray from a strong relationship with God. The separation just happened so subtley and gradually that I didn't really notice the change until I came to a point at the end of the year (when people do the usual life evaluation) and I just had to wonder, "How did I get here!?" Sure, I had some high points, like getting laid off from a job I hated & getting to go to Turkey, BUT concerning my walk with God, I wasn't in a very good place. My heart definitely needed to change! I couldn't remedy the bad decisions I made, but I could at least not make them again. The devil is tricky. He gets in your head. I rationalized dumb things I did & watered down my values and convictions as if I had never learned from any past mistakes at all. This song suddenly became epic--totally me! It says, "And I've tried so hard to mix the old life with the new. But there's not in between if I'm gonna follow You."
2 Corinthians 5:17 says "If we are in Christ we are a new creation..." and it's about time I started acting like one. Not just kind of like one sometimes, depending on the situatioin. "If You're really inside changing my life You would shine, You would be evident if there's a difference."
Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses around us, let us put aside the things that hinder us and the sin that entangles us and let us run with perseverance the race set before us."

Lyrics:
I check the map to make sure that I get it right
But still I don't know where You're taking me tonight
And I've tried so hard to mix the old life with the new
But there's not in between if I'm gonna follow You

There's gotta be a difference
It's gotta be significant
If You're really inside changing my life
You would shine, You would be evident
If there's a difference
There's a difference

Here I am, I've got this baggage by my side
But I am ready now to leave it all behind
So I'm taking this moment to tell You I'm open
I'm taking this moment to give You everything

We're not meant to be another face in the crowd

There's gotta be a difference
It's gotta be significant
'Cause You're really inside changing my life
And it's so evident that there's a difference
There's a difference

Songwriters: Glover, Ben; Prince, Josiah; Sams, Justin; Tuabe, Scott
The Difference lyrics © Up In The Mix Music

The MAN

2010-03-12T01:13:00.000-08:00

God sometimes just picks the funniest times to talk to me. I was in the middle of my very exciting workday when God was like, "So, Liko..." & I'm all, "NOW? really?" cuz, y'know, I'm typing up a storm over there... & He's like, "Yes, now, I've got you listening. Write this down." So I'm writing down all this stuff about when I first got saved my senior year of high school. The reason I'm bringing this up is because we were sharing testimonies at our worship and prayer night. When I tell mine, I usually discount the part where I first got saved and focus on a later incident where God really performed a miracle in my life. God wanted me to revisit why I ached in my heart for salvation in the first place.

Flashback to October of 2002, a rundown of the state of my life: At that point I had been through my father's death 3 years prior which I had never really dealt with. I had a rocky relationship with my mother filled with guilt, fighting, and misunderstanding. In retrospect she was doing what she knew how to do dealing with everything she was going through, but her love for me didn't come out in the best ways. I was a social butterfly but emotionally reclusive, hiding my deep pain and personal problems from everyone, even my best friends. I was proud to figure out to dissect a razor cartridge so I could cut myself and I had a couple of years of an eating disorder under my belt. Things could have been worse, but needless to say, I was a giant mess. What I knew of love seemed to be temporal, conditional, or performance based, especially because no one really knew all the things inside of me, they couldn't ever really love me for me, the REAL me. I felt that all those things made me pretty unlovable but perhaps my facade made me tolerable. Oh, and to ice the cake, my first love and I had just broken up September 1st. Fast forward to September 14th, I'm not sure what I did that night, but usually the drama with me and my mama went down like: I have a fun night, come home, do something rude or say something sassy and we end up in a drawn out verbal battle where I always lost. And every single time I've had it "up to here" with how my life was going, but really couldn't see any way out. So I'm in the bathroom dismantling my razor cartridge and I remember something I was looking at on the internet the other day. I'm pretty sure it was a link to NeedHim.org I had clicked on explaining why we need Jesus and forgiveness and how to gain salvation. I left the page up but I wasn't ready to really get into this thing with Jesus. I felt a tug to go back and read it again and I was so far down at my bottom I figured there was no way I could do life by myself anymore. It's too difficult.

I didn't know in advance God would stop the cutting or later miraculously heal my bulimia with one prayer or any of the other things He would change, but at that moment I just wanted to know what real Love was. Most people make another person the god in their life, expecting them to fill what's missing in their lives and cure that longing to be loved even though that's a lot of expectation on imperfect human beings. So far, no person in my life could provide that for me and I so wanted to believe that someone could love me forever, unconditionally, no matter what I had done or said or would ever do in the future...just love me. Jesus, with His perfect Love and Grace, promises that AND delivers.

terrorism

2010-01-08T01:33:00.000-08:00

Jonathan: have you ever been skydiving

11:20pm Liko: neg

11:20pm Jonathan: ever wanted to go

11:20pm Liko: i used to...and then i realized i valued my life too much

11:21pm Jonathan: hahaha i see

11:22pm Liko: yeah, it's kinda lame. i know ppl that go

11:23pm Jonathan: its alright, what you said makes sense too

11:28pm Liko: ha but i would fully support you if you went

11:29pm Jonathan: haha well thats comforting

11:30pm Liko: is it on your to-do list?

11:30pm Jonathan: yeah it was under the extremely dangerous/ possibly could kill you but totally worth it category

11:32pm Liko: i might start putting 'flying on an airplane' in that category these days...

geez

Chargers vs. Broncos: I'm gonna be honest

2009-10-19T15:54:00.000-07:00

I, being a fair-weather Charger fan, am pulling for the Broncos to whom I am more loyal. No offense home team. But if the Chargers win I’ll be kinda happy too. It’s just one of those things.

Deep down, I like football — More than basketball, for sure. I’m just not emotional about it…

Safety Friday

2009-10-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

It’s the perfect day at work to take my mind off all that is going on. I couldn’t have planned my mother to have major surgery on a better day myself. Though I was all teary this morning, when afternoon hit it was fun time! We had a bunch of people in the office giving us tips on how to “be safe”. There was a cop doing demonstrations of what happens when you’re drunk…as in he had the beer goggles, literally. And we had to play this shape game that I used to have when I was a kid. The one where there’s a timer and you have to stick all these little shapes into their matching openings before the timer goes off and everything pops up. I forget what it’s called and I’m too lazy to Google it right now. Anyway, I was wearing the binge drinking (frat boy) goggles…like when you blow a 2.5+ !! It was crazy. I went to get my co-worker at the front desk & I totally thought I was heading right between the open DOUBLE doors. Nope…definitely got some hip and shoulder in the wall action… but I rocked the game! I got like 20 pieces in that thing. I feel like I accomplished something today.

I curse my womanhood

2009-10-13T18:31:00.001-07:00

I feel like if I cut myself right now I wouldn’t bleed; I don’t know how there’s any blood left to run through my veins!

wearing thin

2009-09-12T20:27:00.000-07:00

little by little

He knows I needed it

2009-09-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

I woke up feeling pretty blah this morning. My roommate was up unusually early while I was getting ready & made pancakes. And she made some for me! It was good to just have some breakfast and talk. I needed to talk. Then I checked my email and my mom told me she was thinking about me at like, midnight my time. I think I needed someone to be thinking of me then. I feel like I got a little extra lovin’ from God today.

Work email gripe

2009-09-01T22:48:00.000-07:00

cc-ing your boss…kinda dirty because you want them to keep track of what's being asked of them (something I don't really mind, I feel like my boss and I are in the mess together)... BUT cc-ing your boss, your boss' boss AND the general manager when you don't get the answer you want. Just plain DIRT-YYY. It creates more hell for my boss than me, but still, do you need to get everyone and their brother involved!? I'm not sure what you're trying to help... I feel like you do that more to get people in trouble. =P

I truly believe...

2009-08-31T17:35:00.000-07:00

that when God gave Snyder’s of Hanover the idea to make the Honey Mustard & Onion flavored pretzel pieces He was thinking of me… Another thing that lets me know God loves me an wants me to be happy ;)

EVIL words

2009-06-15T15:13:00.000-07:00

Evil word #1: Career. The dreaded C-word. "What do you want to do with your life?" I DON'T KNOW. There's not a one thing I can imagine doing for the rest of my life and being happy. There are things I think it would be fun to do for a while....but not as a career. I don't think I could make a career out of the things I like to do. I'm not motivated enough to start my own business or go searching for a place that will let me follow my dreams (like news anchors that move to the middle of nowhere to get their start). I like to talk about stuff like museum curators or docents or tour guides. Hmmm. Maybe I have to the gift of teaching...but not the gift of liking kids. (FML) Maybe I just want to make money so I can go places. That's all I really want to do...go places.

Evil word #2: Date. Uh-oh, it's the D-word!! So we're friends..."friends"...and perhaps we may be interested in each other. We hang out. We can eat together and watch movies and y'know, whatever you do on dates... Oh, the splendor of mystery & what-if. But once you say the word 'date' you add pressure: It has to go well; You're testing the waters; It's a means to an end... I don't like pressure. How about we legitimately try being friends first before you just try to maul me, hm? Fricken hormones....

Evil word #3: Love. Ok, so this word isn't evil in & of itself. I don't actually think love is evil but that word is so misused and tossed around like it's nothing that it makes me ill. To keep this brief, I won't go into everything I think about this subject, but love isn't just a warm fuzzy feeling. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." If you can say that about your love after a couple of months, bravo. YOU are pretty darn special...(Gag me)

I'm cleaning and unpacking

2009-06-04T14:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was out cuz I had an appointment, I had a thing at church, my friend was having a get together...
but today I'm staying in because there is nothing in the outside of my apartment world where my presence is required.

Mom: "You're just staying in today?"
Me: "Yeah, I have nothing to do."

-- does that not seem like a legitimate answer to the question? --

Mom: "You have plenty to do! You have to do your unemployment and find a job. There are plenty of jobs to be looked for! ...." etc etc...
Me: "ok! I KNOW. I just said I was going out today."

She wonders why I sound upset.

I am very aware that I have no source of income. & I so adore getting that shoved in my face in every conversation we have. Thanks for the reminder...

Negative reinforcement is not a motivator for me.

lemon yellow snot

2009-04-09T14:32:00.001-07:00

I know I have a sinus infection, but seriously, the stuff coming out of my nose is just not of nature. It looks like the paintings Laura has on the living room floor right now: layers of dandelion...and fricken NEON yellow! (I'd post a picture, but that's just too much effort for me right now so you get font color changes...er, not of the snot, of the paintings, geez.)

I know I'm not the only one that has had this issue since I googled it, but still, the world may be a better place if my mucus glands would calm the frick down! Someone was wondering if the color change was due to their chemo...omg what is wrong with me!? I have nooooo idea how the body produces such an unnatural color!

I can't go to the doctor cuz I have no insurance (and who wants to pay for that...?) so how many oranges do I have to eat!?

You know you're lazy...

2009-02-20T06:30:00.000-08:00

when you'd rather just buy new underwear than do a few loads of laundry.

our machines are expensive! so i drive 20 minutes to do laundry and you have to wait for it and fold it and bring it home to hang up and oh my gosh--too much effort...i'm a bum.

fml

2009-02-16T16:41:00.000-08:00

remember the part where i said i'd be better at this? lies.

but anyway, little update:
my company is restructuring...and they have been since last October...and our company makes things that are totally luxury/expensive/unnecessary which means that in this economy, business is down (duh)...but my department is always busy no matter how slow orders are, there are always problems! buuuuut apparently that isn't enough for job security because they moved my whole department up to our windows plant.

It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't feel like I was just being the bitch in this situation by not being part of my department, technically, but still having to do all the old work. I have to clean up everything pending and then they'll figure out what to do with us.

Let's see, i hate my job...but I think I'd hate everyone elses' job more...mainly because I hate my company, or mainly the people they hire as managers. I thought these people got degrees in this crap... I'm sure they want to make us miserable so we'll quit, or offer us jobs we don't want so that we can't be laid off. I want my unemployment, can't they just lay me off alreadyyyy!???

oh my gosh, who asks to get laid off.......

A Little Taste of Heaven

2009-01-23T00:11:00.000-08:00

I had the best Red Velvet cake I've ever had in my whole life at Heaven Sent Desserts (3001 University Avenue in SD). It's light vanilla bean cream cheese frosting enveloping/sandwiched between moist layers of red velvet cake (which is not overpowering like every other frosting I've had on this cake) and a little toasted coconut pressed onto the exterior side. I don't usually love coconut but THIS was bomb. Heavenly delicious. Amen.

What I Learned From 2008

2009-01-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

Generic brands are A-OK. (saving money=good.)

Getting along with your roommates makes for a more enjoyable life.

Time goes by really quickly. What the heck was Madonna singing about in Hung Up!?!?!??? Oh yeah, waiting for a guy to call. Pfft.

Staying is my new adventure.

God always comes through. Always. Even when you feel like you're so far away from where or who He wants you to be... & if you think He's not, you're just not seeing the bigger picture.

I'm all talk. Something I'm trying to work on...again...in 2009.

confession

2008-12-18T23:03:00.001-08:00

When that little end of the evening, "That was fun, we should do this again sometime?" question/statement rolls around and I've said "yeah..." (smile, nod...) not ONCE have I meant it.

kids, go to college...

2008-12-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

but don't ever graduate, the real world blows.

Unless, of course, you're doing something you're [a] passionate about, [b] something that excites you when you wake up in the morning, [c] something that brings joy to your life, or at the very least, [d] something that is getting you where you want to be going (which is most likely a means to get to [a, b or c]).

Look at my life like Gossip Girl, what NOT to do*...haha.

*Disclaimer: I love Gossip Girl, but it's definitely a guide on how to NOT live your life...

PROject LOVE

2008-11-25T23:29:00.000-08:00

I did a little modeling for my friend's awesome company, Peace.Love.Life you should check out. If you buy one of these shirts (other styles available) you can send another free shirt to a friend. Share the love!

Jamba Makes the World a Better Place

2008-11-21T16:23:00.000-08:00

...or at least my world.

The little Gingerbread man is my favorite Jamba card cuz he's totally adorable. I thought I still had my one from last year to reload so I could do the whole buy a $25 gift card and get the free 16oz thing...and then I'd be set for buying more Jamba (cuz I go there all the time anyway...). I kept saying that I'd buy a card later but I wanted to find my old one to reload cuz I didn't like this year's design....but I couldn't find him. I went through 3 purses before I decided he was lost and the next time they asked I would just get one of the new designs just to help them out. (but only if it was someone I liked in case they were on teams competing for who could sell the most like we were last year)

Today I went in and got my usual substitute for my usual (Matcha Green Tea Blast, no fro yo, sub blueberries and energy boost cuz I'm freekin' tired at work) and Ben, who is usually there in the mornings, took my order. I had all intensions of buying the card if they asked and it didn't seem like he was going to ask (maybe cuz I whined about my gingerbread man card enough) so I was getting out my debit card to pay and he's like, do you wanna get a card this time? "Sure, why not?!" I kinda threw my arms up and grabbed one of the dumb looking apple ornament ones...but before I could hand that one to him he pulled another one out and said, "this is the one you liked, right? I found one for you." THE GINGERBREAD MANNNNN! TOO AWESOME! I'm pretty stoked, if you can't tell. He's so cute, isn't he?? I'll make it a point to not loose this one.

If you're insecure, don't take it out on me...

2008-11-15T15:22:00.000-08:00

This is from eHarmony's advice article entitled "8 Bad Reasons To Break Up" and I couldn't have said it better myself.

"3) Your Partner Finds Other People Attractive

Just because you’ve captured another’s heart, it doesn’t mean that you’ve removed the eyes from that person’s head, too. Even when fully loved up, it’s crazy to think that your partner has gone blind to the attractiveness of others. Physically attractive people are all around us, on TV, in film and even in the local supermarket, so it’s naïve to think that they’ll go unnoticed. There’s even a chance that your loved one will feel that pull of chemistry with someone else, too, so you’d better learn how to manage it. In a good committed relationship, the partners are not cut off to external influences, but they’re mature enough to know that acting on them is a recipe for disaster."

Well said, bravo...

Jealousy is retarded. It in no way means you love or care about someone...it just means you're insecure. If you think your significant other is going to go cheating on you with some random hottie, or worse, one of their friends, you must be horribly insecure in your relationship. And if they do cheat or run off with someone else, they're the asshole, and I'm sure your jealousy didn't have anything to do with it.

2 seconds of "wow, aren't they attractive" never hurt anyone.

My first boyfriend was grossly jealous poseesive. I couldn't even say hi to one of my guy friends when I was with him. That SUCKED. The 2nd guy that was kinda almost my boyfriend was an even bigger flirt than me. Amazing. The last boyfriend...totally jealous. We had a bunch of fights about it. It was irritating...but I put up with it. Why did I do that??! (rhetorical question; I just realized what a tard I was!) I really mustn't do that again. If someone can't be confident in the fact that I chose to be with them, then they're not worth it. I'll probably just end up in a really frustrating situation for all parties involved...

I heart Vanilla Sky

2008-10-04T16:57:00.000-07:00

This song was covered so many times....but the mockery of the video put out by these guys is just breathtaking. I'm not biased because they're Italian or anything...promise ;)

Prop-8: Pray for California

2008-10-03T16:32:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you've heard (or maybe your haven't) about Prop. 8 being put on the California ballot this election. Prop. 8 is a ballot measure that will place into the California Constitution language that says "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California." I am in full support of voting YES on Prop 8.

I believe marriage is not a civil right created by the government but a covenant instituted by God for His purpose. Marriage was created not only to be a life giving union (Genesis 1:28) where a man and a woman become one flesh (Gen. 2:24) but also a reflection of our salvation, a metaphor for Christ and his church (Ephesians 5:22-33).

I am not saying this because I hate gay people or I think God hates gay people when in fact He truly does love them but redefining marriage will open up a can of worms that I don't think many people realize the repercussions of. If you think letting people marry whom they want has nothing to do with you, think again! This will affect our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, the things our children are taught in public schools and our society as a whole. This can already be seen in places like Canada or Massachusetts (or already in other ways in CA) where it is mandatory to accept the homosexual lifestyle and illegal to speak against it even in places like the church. Where is our right to freedom of speech there? Churches have had their licenses revoked because they believe the Bible and would not marry a homosexual couple. What will happen to freedom of religion? Practicing their faith - that's all they were trying to do.

To redefine marriage to be between "party A" and "party B" could very well mean I could marry my brother, my cousin, my dad, my dog, my car...60 year old men could marry 8 year old boys, polygamy might even be totally OK after all...because hey, it's all love, right? We shouldn't discriminate, right? Where then would we draw the line?! People are so self-centered these days they don't even consider the big picture.

Prop 8 will aid in preventing the further degradation of our already faltering society. The world already seems to be going to hell and I don't want to help it get there.

For more information visit:
http://www.protectmarriage.com/about
http://iprotectmarriage.com/prop-8/

My thoughts just never make it to my blog...

2008-10-01T23:18:00.000-07:00

I'm a total blogging slacker but I vowed to be better about it in October.

I actually have a few things to say, but right now it's 11:30 and I need to wake up for work in approximately 6 hours so I'ma brush my teeth instead of write something long.

I will say this though: homemade raisins are the bestest things everrr (say it like a valley girl, ev-errr). Seriously, I just a bunch of grapes in my back seat for a week and my darling car parked out in the hot sun all day turns them into delicious raisins. No sugar added...cuz you know I don't need that stuff!

Sleep sweet ;)

I've Got To Admit It's Getting Better...

2008-07-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

I woke up to a very gloomy morning and feel sluggish and lazy. The marine layer has been sitting over La Jolla pretty much all day blocking out my summer sunshine...but who cares!? It's my last day at the antique store!!! I have been unwillingly working my Saturdays away for the last 2 months (after trying to quit)... but not anymore. This is a very, very joyous day =]

On a side note, I never want to work in retail again.

repeating, repeating

2008-06-10T19:14:00.000-07:00

everything's gonna be fine,
this is all part of God's plan

everything's gonna be fine,
this is all part of God's plan

everything's gonna be fine,
this is all part of God's plan....

fully employed?

2008-05-24T16:07:00.000-07:00

YESSSS, finally, I scored a full time Monday through Friday job. It doesn't sounds like a horribly exciting position (I process warranty claims) but it's with a reallllly good company owned by Jeld-Wen. They're kind of a big deal in the lil sector of the universe. Oh, and people wear jeans to work. I can get used to that...
I got it really suddenly too. I had the lovely ladies at AppleOne looking for a new position for me because I was thinking about how unstable my jobs were, and how I have a sucky schedule that isn't even worth it because I don't even make a decent living. So...on Wednesday this opportunity came up and they said it would be a really good match for me. Paperwork and phone calls, fair enough, I already do that... so they tell me I have an interview on Friday morning before I have to go to work at the antique store. I thought the interview went really well and it was actually pretty fun considering they're judging everything I say.... A couple of hours later I got some good news! I was all ecstatic, but they want me to start on Tuesday. um, yeah, I have two current jobs that aren't exactly aware I'm looking to leave. But all signs pointed to yes when I questioned if I should do it. I was gonna quit my jobs on Friday regardless of how the interview went because God kept pointing me to Matthew 6:25ish, talking about not worrying and trusting Him, and even my fortune cookies were telling me to take chances. haha!
The biotech doesn't even know yet, apparently. I called my staffing agency and I'm letting them deal with it. I don't particularly care that I'm leaving so abruptly because I feel like that job is a total rip off. I don't know why I kept trucking along for so long because it sucked. I'm on a never ending contract with absolutely no hope of being hired permanently. I was just kinda there indefinitely. There was some chance in the beginning of becoming permanent until they weren't making enough profits. (See my April 22 blog) If they're flaming pissed at me, what can they really do? Screw 'em!
At the antique store, my boss flipped out. Very very unhappy. I mean, you can't blame her. I was feeling pretty horrible all day about having to tell her. But you can't blame me either. I'm not sticking around at a dead end job that doesn't pay me enough to make a living because it would be bad timing for my boss. Hell no. This is one of those times I needed to think of myself first. I don't understand how anyone in my place in life could stay at a position like this for long anyway. It's not like I have a rich husband that pays my bills and I'm working for kicks... BUT I got roped into working Saturdays for another 2 months so it's not so hard on the store. I know, I know, she can't exactly make me, but I gave her 3 days notice and I felt bad. BAH. I can't wait for a full weekend. I think I've had about 5 of those since October.
But yeay, I start training at my new job on Tuesday. YEAYYYYY!

Boyfriend is romping around Europe

2008-05-08T11:33:00.000-07:00

I'm jealous. Right now I’m on the verge of just quitting my jobs and buying a plane ticket out of here. And by ‘out of here’ I mean to Europe, where I would always rather be. Not permanently or anything, just for a little while. Like, a month...but now would be a bad time to go since Europe’s more expensive in the summer. What is it about summer that makes me feel the need for freedom?! I always did summer school as a kid, so I’m not sure how much of this desire you can blame on that. I just like to travel. It’s been a year since I last skipped the country. I’m itching. And the torture comes today from my friend who tells me that after he graduates he’s taking off for Greece and Turkey, then taking the train up to St. Petersburg via Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, etc… I’m so jealous!! I was like, “why didn’t you tell me this sooner, I wanna go!” as if I would really crash their trip, but the very idea of being able to go would be amazing. Greece and Turkey are next on my list, I love eastern Europe and I’ve always wanted to go to Russia. Even though I don’t quite know all the details, it sounds like they’re taking my ideal trip. If I just had more money I’d be gone. But perhaps I’ll wait until the low season in Europe since the Euro exchange rate is rape enough. Real life sucks. My jobs suck. Paying off loans sucks... ugh, give me one good reason to stay. Oh yeah, I need money...

barely scathed by that one!

2008-04-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

On Friday I was working at the antique store when I received a call from one of my Artes co-workers, JP. I was hiding in the bathroom to talk to him and he said, "Hey, they're doing layoffs today. You might lose your job." He's always bugging me (in a nice way) at work so I thought he was crank calling me...he would do something like that. Um, loosing my job? hahaha... I got a voicemail 2 hours later that said, "Hey, just thought I'd let you know you're safe." Well, good, thanks for the call...I wasn't worried in the first place.
I went in early on Monday and overheard Customer Support and IT talking quietly about all the people that got let go. JP was totally serious, I definitely could have lost my job! What a shocker that would have been after the absolutely fabulous weekend I had hanging out with my mom and Brady. I came to find out, when I saw JP a little later, that I was actually on the list of people they were going to let go...but I got off it somehow. I got a, "Wow, you're still here!?" from Tony, to which I just did the raised eyebrow nod. Psh. I guess that wasn't expected. The, "You made it too!" from Andrew was a bit more encouraging. I know my boss' boss doesn't think I make a big contribution to the company, but others do, so something worked out for me. I seriously don't know who talked to who, or what came up but my position still exists. God must really love me.
The company is cutting corners any way they can since they didn't make as much money as they expected last year. Even people high above me lost their jobs because I guess they weren't important enough. It's pretty scary. There was a pretty awkward tone throughout the office because most people were sad about one of their friends being let go, or just grateful to still have their job. I am too. Even though I think they would be stupid to get rid of me-cheap slave labor with no benefits, you never know what might happen the next time they decide to downsize. This is the 2nd time they're done layoffs since I've been there (6 months). I don't know how lucky I'm gonna be if they do another round of "restructuring"... Sooo, I'll just count my blessings right now and seriously start to think about getting another job.

Pix of the baby piggies

2008-04-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

You know what I love? Leftovers that taste just as good when you heat them up the second time as they did the first time.

Anyway, the pigs, the PIGS!

This is Cow.

Cow is so cute. Does't he resemble a baby cow? He might be the tamest because he's our favorite and we pick him up the most. He just got given away to our ex 3-door down neighbor down at the Palisades. She was talking about getting one of those things we had for her daughter since she loves animals and we just offered him up...I'm gload he has a good home and all but he was so cute. Bittersweet.

I also like it hot and dirty rather than cold and clean. o_0. Just kidding....

Snake Food.

Lovingly named because I don't think I'd care if he got eaten by a snake. He squeals loud and incessantly...and unnecessarily, it seems. It's irritating. And he's so sqeemish that it's hard to pet him or calm him down. He's definitely not as well adjusted as Cow but he's getting better. Especially now that he has to put up with Jazz, the least well adjusted of them all. Cow was so cute, ho hum... I wish he wasn't or else I might have less attachment issues with letting him go. But they need to go. Having 3 guinea pigs is expensive and not what i bargained for when I bought one...anyone in the market for Snake Food???

Also, I quit Jamba Juice (I don't know if everyone know's already...) boy was that a party. No more smoothie making, yayyyy! I'll stick to margaritas with my blender...

God Whispers

2008-03-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

I love hearing God speak. Most times when I hear Him I find that He can be pretty loud. Like when I'm reading the Bible and a verse I've read a hundred times suddenly has new meaning, or when it feels like a pastor is speaking directly to me or about something that's going on in my life in their sermon. It think of that as God yelling because He needs my attention...Perhaps I should have seen it coming or I didn't want to listen. When I feel like what I've read or heard literally hits me in the face I really realize how much God loves me and wants good things for me...and of course that I can't hide anything from Him. It's refreshing and that painful conviction is what I need sometimes. But I live for those moments when I feel something in my heart and know that was God speaking. Or a small thought enters my mind and I wonder where it came from but it gives me so much peace I know it had to be God.

Two Sundays ago I had such a moment. Miles was talking about getting involved in what's going on in the church and ministries, not just coming every Sunday like you're paying your dues. It doesn't seem very related to the sermon, but God told me to be content where I am and just put this peace in my heart.

I've been wanting to get involved with things but I haven't found something I really felt suited me or that I would get into just to get into something so I could feel better about doing something for God. I also like to think that being here might be temporary and I can up and go somewhere else whenever I want...Maybe I'll take off for Rome, or go back home or whatever, who knows? I like to think the options are there and I can take them at a moment's notice. I didn't want to commit to serving somewhere and then in a couple of months not want to do it anymore or go somewhere else...I don't just have commitment issues with boys, it's with everything--I just have a hard time settling on ONE thing, especially for an extended period of time.

I don't think God wants me to be continuously searching for the next escape. I need to keep my mind in the here and now and be grounded, not just dreaming about what could be. I need to think about where God wants me and how God can use me where I am. I'm in San Diego and I want to be here...I just need to start living like it.

It happened just like last time...

2008-02-25T23:49:00.000-08:00

We went out to a Rock related event, (this time it was The Venue, last time it was Remnant), then we hung out and got food afterwards. We were only gone a few hours both times. When we get home I go to the bathroom and laura goes to the bedroom...and then I hear "Liko!!!" Yeah, more little guinea pigs in the cage, little bit of a bloody mess. This time there were 3. This is hilarious because I was just thinking today, (when I was giving Chessy a good pet and telling her how obese she is) "Man, it would be funny if you popped out more babies." Lo and behold...... They're really cute and soooo tiny. Apparently we can't read genitalia very well because we have a little bit of a mystery: Who's the daddy? Just in case, we took "Jasmine" out of the cage and renamed "her" Captain Freak-Out. He/She is freaking out in the box right now.

Possible names:
Pat/Patricia
Francisco/Francesca
George/Georgette
um, and Bryan...

We're going for names that can easily be changed to the other gender...since, as we said, we can't read genetalia very well....or else this wouldn't have happened.

So...anyone want a guinea pig??

[S.A.D!?] ...but I'm not sad!

2008-02-15T08:20:00.000-08:00

In light of it being valentine's day and all, I thought it would be an appropriate time to comment on dating.

It bothers me how a lot of people seem to think that finding a significant other or special someone is the point of their lives, like having a boyfriend or girlfriend (or whatever) is what you need to be happy. I think it's a hideous lie from popular culture. It's like if you aren't dating, you're a loser! Someone must always be interested in you and if you aren't in a relationship you should have just gotten out of one, and looking for another one to try again. Laaame! Why can't you just be happy by yourself?

I've gotten a lot of comments, especially recently, about how I'm still single, how I never have a boyfriend or date a lot or things don't work out... I've had more than one friend ask me, "don't they have Christian dating sites or something?" Why yes, yes they do. I'm 23 years old, I'm not desperate! That goes right back to the part where people seem to think I'm not normal for staying single and I'd be happier or have a better life with a boyfriend. In 1 Corinthians 7:34 Paul says, "...An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband." I'm more preoccupied at the moment with figuring out what to do with my life and how to fulfill God's purpose for me.

What's even funnier to me is that even my church has to touch on this. There was a class advertised in the bulletin called "Single: Blessing or Curse?" It seems that so many people struggle with this idea that being single means they have a problem (and maybe they do...) but I saw that and said, "Blessing!" (easy answer) and was done with it...I could teach that class! I've come to realize that this is how God wants it for me right now and I'm actually happy about it.

I want to grow, I want to see the world, I want to see where God leads me & I don't want preoccupation with boys to hold me back. I want to discover where my heart and passion for serving God is and then, maybe, God will give me someone who has a heart and passion like mine too. Until then, I think I'm better off going it alone...

I prolly shouldn't have registered Green...

2008-02-07T17:38:00.000-08:00

I came across this cartoon and as cute and funny as it is, it makes a good point. Those 2 seem to be the only ones the media cares about (wait, who's running?? a woman AND a black!?! wow...) Excuse me, but have we forgotten where our focus should be??

I never really cared to know much about politics until this election, but with so much is happening and so many opinions flying around I've actually done my own research. No really, this is a big step for me. I'm over the whole Barack and I went to the same highschool thing--definitely not a good enough reason to vote for the man. I don't agree with a lot of things he supports. I'm not gonna go off telling you who I'm voting for, or who you should vote for, but I just encourage you to look at where a candidate stands on the important issues.

this weekend.

2008-02-03T23:03:00.000-08:00

social.

friday...
After my first day of true Antique Store action I wanted to pass out but I have my responsibilities to the kids so I didn't. Laura and I cleaned the cage (same old, same old) and went to the Living Room in Old Town with Caleb to see Shem and Tobias play. I'd have put in a website or something here, but i don't think they have one. They should though because they sounded rather good. At least, laura and I enjoyed them. They're playing at the Living Room in Point Loma 2/6 and back at the one in Old Town 2/8. I love live music.

saturday...
I always say that they're my least favorite day because I work 2 jobs one after the other, but they've turned out really fun in recent history. I mean, we got to see No Duh play at Rock Bottom brewery downtown. They're RAD and it was wayyy better than a club with just a dance floor and a DJ, cheaper than seeing Gwen Stefani and easier than trying to get No Doubt back together....and then having to pay to see that. The guys even did a little Sublime when Spen (Gwen) was changing costumes. They were so much fun! I love live music...

sunday...
I keep thinking that Superbowl Sunday is like a holiday...like stores should be closed or something. But no, the game's just on and it's a day like any other day.
I think in general, NY played pretty sloppy, but that last touchdown during the last 2 minutes was pretty miraculous so I forgive them. I was rooting for them and they won, all that matters.

past. present. future.

2008-01-31T17:57:00.000-08:00

past.

characters...
Laura: The same roomate I've had since freshman year. A best friend. Travel buddy.
Cristy: The new roomate. In her last year at Point Loma studying lit/journalism.
Mike: Loma friend. Cristy's boyfriend. Our 4th roommate, essentially.
Drew: Friend/co-worker at Jamba.
Chessy: My adorable bear faced fattie of a guinea pig. Otherwise known as my child. Grandma is proud...

life...
Well, Laura and I couch surfed all summer and continued to do so when we got back from europe while we job/apartment. It was eventful. We spent a month down in Eastlake with our Pseudo-parents (Jamie and Marrissa's parents) sleeping in Mar's room while she was working at a youth camp. Then we spent a weekend at Laura's friend Angela's condo in Mission Gorge. Then we spent a week and a half in Jonathan's empty room in Clairemont before he moved down to attend UCSD. And lastly, we slept in Amanda and Monica's living room in Serra Mesa until we could move into our new place. We've been all over! The place we ended up signing a lease for is in the Loma Portal area as we refuse to call it Ocean Beach. we are not OB people...we just like to visit. I got a random call from my friend Mike who said his ex needed someone to move in soon as her old roomate was leaving and she liked living there. At the time we were still job hunting (which prevented us from getting any other places to consider us...) so it was providential that her older brother was set to be our co-signor.

social...
Since my home church, The Rock, moved into it's massive new building, things have been interesting. I decided I wanted to be more involved because now there's no Point Loma bubble to keep us occupied. We started going to a young adult group called Remnant which was cool because it was full of people our own age. new people. I love new people! We also started attending the 7pm service because, again, there's more young people. Now we have a group of people that also attend that service that we hang out with afterwards and sometimes other times during the week. It's been fabulous hanging out with non-Loma people. I also took a class on basics of the faith and learned a lot of things I previously had misconceptions about.

work...
When the job search seemed endless and the interviews all seemed fruitless we decided to apply to Jamba Juice Point Loma where our friend Drew worked. We figured he could put in a good word for us. Needless to say, we were hired and started working part time at jamba juice. It's been fun.

bible...
Since things were hectic and unstable, yet full of endless possibilities, I was really just trying not to worry and learning to trust.
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" ~John 14:27

present.

characters...
Amanda & Monica: We go to their house every week to watch Gossip Girl and America's Next top Model. Piña coladas? Yes, please.
Mark: From Maui, but as white on the inside as me. Because of this he has been appointed "new best friend." A freshman that hangs out with grads, how cool is he?
Cita: My boss at Artes Medical. She loves me. Tells me I "eat details for breakfast," and explains everything like you're 7.
Daniel: The crazy kid I met at Rock Youth. Hated on Angels &Airwaves with. Bonded with over french fries at In-N-Out. Affiliated with Invisible Children.
Marcus: The Philly-born crazy kid that excites everyone's lives. Also affiliated with Invisible Children.
Jasmine & Triscuit: Chessy's illegitimate offspring. Jasmine is crazy and still lives and home while Triscuit has moved on to bigger and better things (Jack's house).

life...
I watch lot of DVDs. I spend my friday nights in with fun activities like cleaning the cage.

social...
Drew got me going over to his house weekly to attend "community group" that is affiliated with his church, The Flood. I still have to work on finding a bible study but right now it's cool to hang out with a group of like minded people (some of which I've known since freshman year) and meet cool new people.

work...
In November (or late October, I forget already) I got a temp job working at a bio-technology company called Artes Medical, Inc. that makes wrinkle filler. (It's the first FDA approved non-resorbable dermal filler for use on the nasal-labial folds.) I was first hired to take care of their rebate program (data entry and mailings) but now I do a bunch of other stuff too. I got named Marketing Assistant since I do so much stuff for the whole department, not just the rebates. It's been interesting. I hated it at first but now I'm getting to know my co-workers (or getting used to them...) and it's more fun to be around them. I even got to go to the company Christmas party. (ooo!) I made Caleb come as my date. We took pretty Prom-esque pictures.

bible...
"We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how an the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." ~1 John 3:14-20
I'm reading this book called the Great Lovers Manifesto which talks about Godly love and it's characteristics because loving people with our selfish nature is actually really hard to do. I mean, love EVERYONE. Even stupid people. And people who suck. And people who can't drive and cut you off on the freeway. Not just your friends. Everyone.

future.

characters...
Jack: Essentially gave me her old job. We graduated with the same degree...and are both doing loads with it!
Candace: Owner of the antique store. out recovering from heart surgery.

work...
I start a new job at an antique store called King & Company up in La Jolla tomorrow. The owner does interior design and her son makes custom lighting. I get to be the computer girl (quickbooks, entering design time, deposits...) because Jack is going full time at her other job and they needed someone ASAP. I was available. I shifted my days at Artes to Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and will work at King & Co Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. Ew. Now I know it doesn't sound like interior design, but it's the grunt work. I'm considering this a learner job. Candace says that this kind of job teaches you a lot about the field and makes you consider if it's really what you want to do or not. It could turn into Or No, who knows? I'm a jack of all trades and a master of none. I like it that way.