Time flies

Time does fly when you're having fun, but also when you're not. It just passes, is that not okay to say? Anyways, for me, YES, time has indeed flown. Months and months have been consumed doing many things. Recently a group of friends and I were talking about blogging, and I realized that mine has sort of become a catch-all for lists and randomness. And I was also thinking about how it urks me when people have to try really really hard to think up what to write in their blog. However, different blogs have different purposes, but mine is to share my experiences, thoughts, and see if anyone else has experienced something similar. It's not to teach lessons or force my opinion upon your life; just a sharing opportunity. I'll let you in on what's been going on...this is the short version because my mind and self have been wandering to MANY different places lately.

January
I spent most of this month dreaming, looking, and calculating out how God had allowed me the opportunity to invest in a home. 4 weeks to the day that I looked at a house, I owned it. That leads to February.

February
Mid-month I was a homeowner and had the help of dear friends to move in. Then started the unpacking...which took forever because of what occurred over the next month. You'll see. The cleaning, organizing, getting used to it all...whew! how tiring! Well worth it.

March
Early in the month, a group from our church (plus a few folks scattered around the outskirts of Houston) went to Honduras to spread the Good News of our Savior, Jesus Christ to a community there. It was on this trip that the Lord confirmed that one day I will be a full-time missionary overseas. When I was little one of my many answers to "What do you want to be when you grow up?" was "Missionary" and even though I will probably never be any of those other things (teacher, WNBA basketball player) at least one of them has been confirmed, right? ;) I was back for a few days before I headed to Vancouver, Canada to work for a week. We got a lot done, and I definitely would like to visit Vancouver again someday.

April
The month of the blur. I spent most of this month unpacking everything in my house (aka in the first 7 days haha) and then welcomed friends and family over for housewarming parties and visits so they could share in this experience with me. I was also finally free of paying for 2 living situations at the same time - WOOHOO! Many little home improvements here and there began to occur. Then, at my first housewarming party a lovely ceiling leak was discovered. It took an entire month with many different appointments here and there to tear out 2/3 of a bedroom ceiling, repair the leak, replace insulation, and get the drywall/ceiling put back up. Also, both of my toilets were broken at the same time, but I fixed them using the help of internet how-to pages. Thank you, internet!

May
Mid-month I left for my first real vacation in....I'm not sure how long. I don't think I ever went on vacation in college, besides weekend trips, so it's been a while. My vacation days are usually spent on mission trips, or camp, or something with church and I love it! Sooo after a Mediterranean cruise filled with 7 days, 6 ports of call (5 countries), I was beat. As soon as I came back from there I have been going like an energizer bunny ever since. I cannot believe that was only a month ago.

June
We've been really busy at work, and I'm trying to get used to the "summer is here so everyone wants to do fun things but I'm really exhausted" phase again. My first niece ever was born a week ago, and I'm really excited to share in her growing up with my Brother and Sister-in-law. Our family is really blessed to live so close to each other :-) Vacation Bible School has already come and gone. In 4 days we are leaving for Student Camp. So excited!

While I have been extremely busy, I have not been keeping up with my "bible through the year" reading exactly in order, but I've definitely still been doing my reading. Along with reading a book a friend gave me called "The Power of  Praying Woman." That is definitely an area of my Spiritual Walk that I have always struggled with, so it's been neat to put into practice directly what I have been learning - especially in these insanely busy times! And this communication with the Lord is definitely the only thing that has kept me grounded in these months of uncertainty and priority-setting.

Until next time,
LeeAnn

Lo Siento!

I haven't been writing much here, but that's because I have been VERY busy and have also been trying not to spend a lot of time on the computer. I will probably only write here when I actually do-a devotional blog I share with a couple friends, but I'll be back from time to time!

Listamania 8.0: Life of a Scrooge?

I am beginning to realize that I am such an old Scrooge, and sometimes dare I say the Grinch, about many holidays that others find fun. Not really Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, the New Year, or the 4th of July though. Do not worry. I have a heart.

While I'm on the subject of the 4th of July, I'll share a great quote that I cannot forget about such a fun holiday!
"You look like the Fourth of July! Makes me want a hot dog REAL BAD!" 
 -Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde

Inevitably...here's my top 10 list of Grinchtastic items... 

1. I HATE Halloween. We never celebrated as a kid, and I'm not that big of a fan of candy anyway.

2. I despise St. Patrick's Day. Most likely due to the fact that it's the day before my birthday. But also largely in part due to the fact that pinching people for not wearing green is just silly.

3. I dread April Fool's Day. Definitely big on playing practical jokes, but not so big on the receiving. :-/

4. I never liked Homecoming. And probably never will. Mums are overrated and a waste of money. What ever happened to homecoming really being about people coming back home?!

5. Valentine's Day is annoying. Maybe that's because even when I actually had a Valentine -maybe that was once?- it wasn't special. Let's show love to others all the time! Not just on one certain day.

6. Getting dressed up to go places is not always fun. Why try to impress so much? Not for me.

7. Crowds are scary. I love people, but crowds...not so much. I have been afraid of potential pickpockets ever since I visited Prague a few years ago. I like to be by myself also, so if there are too many people around I get awkward- even if I know everyone and am BFF with them all!


8. I do not party well at costume parties. Kind of related to Halloween, but I don't like it when people dress up and fake being things/people that they aren't.

9. Renting movies to watch at home with others is not ideal fun. I cannot sit still! I must DO THINGS! Nothing feels like a bigger waste of time than sitting still at home. I love movies, but I have to watch them by myself while doing other things (crafts, cleaning, organizing, etc.) or else I will fall asleep.

10. I am a grinch about being a grinch. I never realized until recently how many things I have to shrug and pretend I like when I really don't. Sorry friends, but this is me!

Please believe I still have a heart!! And a big one at that!

Listamania 7.0: Wowee!

I am not usually the type to post a "hey this is how awesome (or lame!) this year was, and next year is going to be even better, so here's my list of things I'm going to adhere to for next year (or at least tell you I will and not follow through)" type of person. So today I will, INSTEAD, make a listamania 5 of my favorite things I got to do this year and 5 things I'll get to do next year. Neither of these lists is complete or exhausted!

This year I ...

1. Started going to a new church on my own and found great community there. God was definitely working in me the first day I started going to HNW, and has been working through me ever since. I am so glad to be able to serve and be involved in so many ways!

2. Started my (hopefully lifelong) career with the best company ever. Because this is the internet, that's all I'll say about that.

3. Made new friends but kept the old. One is silver, and the other is gold. Nobody has ever told me how that phrase makes sense, but I love that song. Repeat repeat repeat. All of my friends (new and old!) are GOLLLLD! I am quite blessed to say the least!

4. Visited Australia for work, and got to spend the most time away from home by myself that I ever have. While I had fun and had lots of work to do, I definitely did not want to regret my time away. I finally fulfilled a lifelong dream of holding a koala. I went to the most beautiful place ever. And I got to eat the best Australian cuisine. Which, if you've heard my stories, was a big deal because I was never hungry there. Tasty food was few and far between.

5. Lived an entire year on my own. I have always been a very independent person, so I am very glad to be able to do this right out of college, and pretty smartly too. At least that's what I like to think. Since this is not something that everyone gets to do, I think it's quite an accomplishment.

Next year I ...

1. Will visit at least 7 countries: Nigeria, Canada, Honduras, Italy, France, Spain, and Tunisia. Whether for work, missions, or rest and relaxation....I hope to spend my time wisely and stay safe!

2. Will continue my quest of reading through the Bible in 1 year. I have already skipped a few days, regrettably, so I hope to be done by Nov. 1, 2011.

3. Live more unselfishly. I hope to be able to step out of my comfort zone to reach more people for Christ. Prayers and strength are requested and much needed! I need to learn to graciously love those around me and love being able to do that.

4. Become a mentor for others at work. Again, this is work, so that's all I'll say.

5. Stay on the path towards becoming  a real grown up :) It's fun so far!!

Sum.Dum.Girl

Mannn. Something is totally making me crazy! I don't know what it is. People closest to me know I am a very orderly, clean, and situated person who likes to have things just so. And when it doesn't stay just so, then say it isn't so! Because that is no bueno.

Some disorderly things have been happening to me lately!

First, I slept on the couch last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night. Why? Was someone else sleeping in my bed? No. Did I forget to turn on the dryer to finish producing freshly clean sheets again? No. Was my bed broken? No. Did my room smell like something horrible died in there? No. (And it never has, by the way...) It was because I had been gathering piles of junk (mail...purse emptyings...random left-behinds) on the outskirts of my apartment. I decided that I would pile everything onto my bed, and even furthermore, I decided to 'punish' myself by not allowing myself to sleep in my bed until it was all cleaned off. And by cleaned off, it had to be thrown away or put up in its organized and designated place. The fact that I slept on the couch for 3 nights tells you how long it took me to go through everything. I do still have one Albertson's basket full of stuff (some dating back to my Australia trip 5 months ago...) that I need to go through. I've already forgiven myself for that mess.

THIS IS SO UNLIKE ME.

Secondly, my living room wall is splashed with candle wax. Red candle wax to make it better. I had this huge yummy-smelling candle for about a month with nowhere to go. I thought it would fit in something I already have, but I was wrong. It smelled too good to take back for a refund, so I kept looking for the perfect thing to put it on display. Well, on Friday I found the thing. I put the candle on this cool plate that looks like Japanese cherry blossoms then lit it. Duh, who wouldn't?! It was smelling great for a few hours and, as I was leaving to go to a friend's house, I went around my apartment and blew out all the candles. Well, a few weeks ago I was putting out candles and -for whatever reason- forgot that you normally would blow out candles. I decided that waving my hand over the flame really fast back and forth for a long time was the best way to put them out. Yes, sometimes I'm an idiot. AnyWHO, this time I remembered that blowing them out works- so I blew one arctic gust of breath onto the candle and SPLASH! the wax was all over my end table, the candle itself, the wall, and some on the floor. Needless to say, I have spent quite a bit of time melting wax off of anything I have with a hairdryer this week. Candles really do smell better when they are lit, not when they are melted with a small appliance and wiped up with a rag that is also covered in fragrant sticky wax. There are still a few pink spots on the wall. Oh well?

THIS IS SO UNLIKE ME.

Third, tonight I was doing something I do best: multi-tasking. I concluded that eating chinese food on the couch was a good idea to do while watching a movie and talking on the phone. Why? Please ask my former self that. Because she was wondering that too. After a few minutes I had managed to spill food with soy sauce all over the place. My legs were stinging from bathing in the sauce. My couch was covered in dark brown sauce, and there was a trail of drip dots all the way to the kitchen sink. I was able to fix the mess because I had a stain protecting sealant put on my couch before I bought it. All I needed was a damp rag to wipe up everything, then I scrubbed frantically at the dots in the carpet with a little oxy clean mixed in. I still smell like Chinese food, but that's fixable with a shower. I'm sure I'll still be discovering little soy sauce dots for a while. But hopefully not. And I still need to finish my conversation with that friend I was talking to when this mess occurred. Sorry!


THIS IS SO UNLIKE ME. 

I am crying over spilled milk, I know. Figuratively. But just let me do it this once!

Maybe it's the crazy weather, but these messes need to quit happening! I need to take back control!

Listamania 6.0: TS3 Besties

Today I watched Toy Story 3. Again. I don't know how many times I've seen it now. I just love this movie! Here's a countdown of my 10 favorite parts in the movie.

10. Ken and Barbie's fascination with each other like....
Barbie: I
Ken: Love
Barbie: You
...and then they both start giggling like 2 year olds

9. When Hamm suggests they see how much they're going for on eBay.

8. When the chat pops up on the computer and reveals that Trixie has been chatting with a 'dinosaur down the street': Velocistar237...

7. When Lotso says "FAO my Schwartz!"

6. When Mr. Potato Head tells the Peas in a Pod "I told you guys to stay out of my butt!"

5. Bonnie uses the play microwave and says "bee-boo-bee-boo!" to push the fake buttons.

4. When Buzz's Spanish mode gets turned on and he tries to woo Jessie.

3. Ken: I love your legwarmers.
Barbie: Oh, nice Ascot!

2. When Lotso says, "Well thank ya big baby!" as he gives the toys a tour of Sunnyside and takes them to the Caterpillar room.

And now for what I hope everyone's favorite part is as well...

1. When Andy teaches Bonnie how to play with his toys at the end of the movie, as Woody watches from the car. But then Andy ends up giving him to Bonnie anyway. Makes me cry EVERY time.

What are your favorite parts to this amazing movie? Or better yet, the whole trilogy?

Also, random fact: I do love that Toy Story 1 came out on VHS, Toy Story 2 came out on DVD, and Toy Story 3 came out on Blu Ray...yay for technology!

Letting Go

Found in an old document from about 8 years ago. I think most-if not all- of it was copied from something else. Can't remember. I remember tweaking it a bit to fit me for some reason. This was right after my friend Kourtni passed away after collapsing during off-season basketball practice freshman year of high school.

"Letting Go"

If I knew it would be the last time hat I'd see you fall asleep,

I would tuck you in more tightly and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time that I see you walk out the door,

I would give you a hug and kiss and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,

I would video tape each action and word, so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time, I could spare an extra minute to stop and say "I love you,"

Instead of assuming you know I do.

If I knew it would be the last time I would be there to share your day,

Well I'm sure you'll have so many more, so I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there's always tomorrow to make up for an oversight,

And we always get a second chance to make everything just right.

There will always be another day to say "I love you,"

But it seems others just don’t understand it like I do.

If I had just one more day, I would hold you forever

Instead of sitting here, lonely, enduring this disaster.

If I knew I wouldn’t again get to see your smile

I’d run in sadness, sadness that lasts a mile

If I knew I wouldn’t get to see you tomorrow

I wouldn’t avoid it, for you cannot hide from sorrow

Even though this setting made me feel extremely odd
I had to let go and just LET GOD.