This Too Shall Pass

This is one of my favorite proverbs (not Proverbs but proverbs) EVER! I love it because it's so stinken true!!

In the movie my best friend's wedding, Julia Roberts' character sent an email that she later regretted. She was was in hysterics over it. It created a big riff between her best friend and his fiancee. They called off the wedding because of this email (or was it when she kissed her best friend?). To console herself, she stepped out of the hotel room where her best friend was staying and had a smoke. The bellman comes by and tells her that it's a no smoking area. She explains to him how she screwed everything up. He responds with my favorite line in the movie: "You know, my grandmother once told me...This too shall pass." He said it with so much conviction, it makes me laugh!

Well - it's true. I was FREAKING out about this week. I was coming to school fairly early and going to sleep at ridiculous times in the morning to wake up a couple hours later to go back to school and do it all over again. One day this week, I forced myself to be social just so I don't feel like a madwoman. I made it. It's Friday!

(Then it starts over again next week! I'll make it then too.)

Psalm 37:3

Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

A Free Saturday

Today I had nothing planned, except to get my inspection sticker that was four months overdue. I know...embarrassing! But I've gotta say that my car, Pearl, although I love her...I can't stand her. She is expensive!! And I can't stand the dealership either. I didn't go there today, but finding out that I have no other choice but to go very soon makes me want to punch them (the VW dealership) in the face!! I think I've mentioned all this before.

So I say this with all sincerity - Say HECK NO to Volkswagen!
But I do encourage you to say yes to other things like:

• Super cute Poodles that get so hyped when they get to go for a ride!! (notice they aren't in the ridiculous booster seat I bought last year for safety! ;o) )

• Say YES when your friend, who is practically your sister, invites you to Crave & Starbucks!

• Then move the party to the Apple store where you get "Macs"! ;o)

• And finally, say yes looking for the lost opportunities left at the Apple store!

I love days like today! They are RE-energizing!

Unfortunately....

Seems like lately, I'm attracting middle schoolers, married men or guys with girlfriends. I don't usually post this kind of stuff on the blog for the whole world to read, but here's what I think...

1. If you're a middle schooler, sorry dude, but there's no chance. I'll take a picture with you though. (hahaha!)
2. If you're married, I will politely decline but internally I'm giving you a solid kick in the nads. Have some respect for me and the commitment that you made to your WIFE!
3. If you have a girlfriend - be about your girlfriend!!
4. If your single, have courage. I'm right there with you!

Advice

If you don't have anything nice to say, just say it in Spanish!

HILARIOUS. It came from one of my aunts.
The only downside to this advice is that most people, esp. in Houston at the very least understand the language. So, maybe it's best that you not say it at all (or learn to speak Finnish).

Humility

“…humility is not how you dress, it is not the money you make, it is not where you live, it’s not what you drive, it is not even how you look. We’re never once commanded by God to ‘look’ humble. Humility is an attitude of the mind. It is knowing your proper place. Never talking down or looking down because someone may be of a financial level less than yours. It is knowing your role & fulfilling it for God’s glory and praise. I repeat, it is an attitude. ‘Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus’ (Phil 2:5)."

- Charles R. Swindoll, Esther: A Woman of Strength and Dignity

Don't Round Up!

I'm officially 27 today. And NO, that doesn't mean I'm THIRTY. I'm sure I will be just fine when I'm there - thirty, I'll be thirty, flirty and thriving. But seriously I'm not ready to round it up!

Happy Birthday to Jessica Summers and Brian McBride!! We could've been triplets or something. :o)

Yesterday, my mom hosted a small party for me. Here's a picture of the dining area. I think it's so pretty!! I have pictures with people in them...only I haven't uploaded them. I'll share a few when I do.

I was a little bummed that my dad wasn't here. He called this morning to sing me the birthday song....He doesn't miss a birthday EVER! I can't wait for him to get back on Tuesday. SPEAKING OF BIRTHDAY SONGS: I received several calls today with AMAZING versions of birthday songs. One was from Jennifer W. Beyer whose rendition has become a tradition in my life - may Mary and Joseph smile down upon you too, Jenn! And the other was from Jennifer M. Tufts who had a professional sing the Incredible Pizza birthday Song! :o)

So.....I splurged and bought myself something that I've wanted and not necessarily needed for quite some time. I'm convinced it's already changed my life for the better. :o) It's called an iPhone.

And I also got a great children's poetry book. I recommend it to EVERYONE, because it really is that much fun!! I read it cover to cover already. And I'll read it some more this week, I'm sure.

I have to go to bed now...since it's past my bedtime. So I leave you with a poem with LIFE application. It's IMPORTANT!

JELLYBEANS UP YOUR NOSE

from The Butterfly Jar by Jeff Moss

Johnny stuck jellybeans up his nose,
That's a pretty dumb thing to do.
But the other kids said, "Hey, John's real cool.
Let's put beans up our noses, too!"
Well, a kid can't breathe with beans up his nose
'Cause they get all stuck inside.
So John and the kids, well, I hate to say it,
But they coughed and they choked and they died.

That's a pretty grim tale, I must admit,
And it may not all be true,
Still when somebody cool does something dumb
You don't have to do it, too.

So don't be one of those
With jellybeans up your nose.

Being Yourself...

One of the blogs I keep up with is from a former Senior Art Director for Martha Stewart Kids and Martha Stewart Living. Her blog is simple and clean...and I LIKE IT!

Earlier this week, I found this post on manners in her archives. I think the pictures she shared, this one in particular, are good lessons for all of us...Yes, even myself.

That's what I'm saying, only he says it better...

A college professor of mine has a blog
and I like what he wrote.
I think you should read his most recent post.
So here you go...
Dr. Reeves' Blog.

Shampoo Less?

Americans love to shampoo. We lather up an average of 4.59 times a week, twice as much as Italians and Spaniards, according to shampoo-maker Procter & Gamble.
But that's way too often, say hair stylists and dermatologists. Daily washing, they say, strips the hair of beneficial oil (called sebum) and can damage our locks.

-Allison Aubrey, NPR

Interested in reading more? Click here.
Regardless of what they say, I'm washing my hair! Okay? Okay. Glad we got that settled.

Advice to First Daughters

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

This is such a touching letter from the Bush girls to Sasha and Malia.

Famous All Over!!

So...my super smart bio-statician friend, who is also hot and recently engaged, Jenn Beyer, has a wonderful mother who is a homestager. Well, Mrs. Becky Beyer is famous! Yes. If you haven't heard of her, YOU MUST!

Go and get the February issue of:

And flip to page 14. (or click on the logo. It'll take you to cyber page 14)

Isn't that cool? So cool.

ROCK-tober

October has been like the elevator business. It’s had its ups and its downs.

Oct. 3-4, Mosaic Fall Retreat. My Sunday School Class had a "retreat." It was a NICE dinner and AMAZING dessert prepared by our Martha Stewart - Jeannie. We carved pumpkins. Played some Sharades. Stayed up until I couldn't handle it anymore (11:30pm for me). And the next morning, we had breakfast, bible study, etc. It was really nice. See Pictures Here.

Oct. 5-9, I was in DC. I got to do fun things like:

1. Spend more than enough time at Union Station.
2. Stopped By St. Matthews Cathedral where JFK’s funeral services were held.
3. Took the over-rated Double Decker Tour. It was good for my grandmother otherwise money not wisely spent. I say – get a map, comfortable shoes an start walkin!
4. Went to the Holocaust Museum (Not sure this qualifies as “fun” per se).
5. Evening walk around the National Mall – I am still and forever will be amazed by my grandmothers endurance! We chilled at the Washington Monument for a bit. Sang silly songs and laughed at each other…or was it with each other…I can’t remember.
6. A visit to Mount Vernon! THIS WAS MY FAVORITE…I felt like I could be Elizabeth Bennet walking through the hilly landscape to visit Mr. Darcy – or something.
7. A walk through the Arlington National Cemetery. Saw the changing of the guards and a really HOT guy in uniform. Thought it would show extreme disrespect if I slipped him my number.
8. After Arlington Cemetery, we walked to Iwo Jima. Kind of funny that the President of Slovakia was there. Secret service told to me stay on the grass. I barely even touched the pavement…

I went back to work on the Friday the 10th.

Oct. 16, Without asking for my permission my brother Tim turned 17 years old. I gave him a cool wallet for his birthday. I still owe him Korean food. MMmmmm, can’t wait.

Oct. 18, Annual Pumpkin Carving Party. While I was in college I carved my first pumpkin and LOVED IT! Every year my friends would get together to carve pumpkins. When I came home I thought – UH HELLO! This would be fun with the FAMILY! This tradition started in 2007 and will continue till kingdom come! It’s my favorite party to host for the family. Talk about TONS OF FUN! The pumpkins are amazing…and some of us still face pumpkin carving challenges, but I won’t single anyone out (one of my cousins ended up cutting their pumpkin in Half!!). Oh - and I totally have to share with you a Pumpkin Ice Cream Recipe! It's SOOOOO delicious!

Oct. 20-25, Crazy week at work. Parties, Seminars, Board Meetings, lots of food. I did sneak in some fun with friends! (snort, snort) And Saturday the 25, was my Sunday Schools second Flag Football game. I and another friend decided to be team “moms” since we weren’t playing. Fun stuff – and AMAZING PLAYS!

Oct. 31, Dressed up as an 80’s girl. And went to Long Point’s Fall Festival.

Nov. 1, HoeDown. My church has an annual hoedown for the singles ministry. It was A TON of F-U-N!

I'll post pictures...It's amazing I even got this post out.

A Wednesday Word: making wednesday worthwhile

en·cour·age·ment [en-kur-ij-muhnt, -kuhr-] –noun
1. the act of encouraging.
2. the state of being encouraged.
3. something that encourages: Praise is the greatest encouragement.

My bestie did a cheer for me over GChat. I am addicted to COKE (as in Coca-Cola) and I'm having great withdrawals. And it makes me really sad that I can't and shouldn't have something that tastes so GOOD because it's SOOOO BAD for me. I wanted to share it with you because it makes me laugh and honestly provides encouragement without being preachy.

So - here it is.

GIVE ME A "W"
GIVE ME A "A"
GIVE ME A "T"
GIVE ME A "E"
GIVE ME A "R"
WHAT DOES THAT SPELL?
WATER!
WATER! He's our man. If he can't do it, NO ONE CAN!
WATER!
YEAH GET SOME TODAY
GET SOME it's FREE!
Great for your wallet
Great for your skin
Great for your butt
Great for your C-H-O-L-E-S-T-E-R-O-L

Oh man, was that the "C" word? Yes, that's right. That's the OTHER problem that I'm addressing. It sucks.

oh and my 9.5 stress level. I'm working on that too!

:o(

The Art of Communication

Speak Properly, and in as few words as you can, but always plainly; for the end of speech is not ostentation, but to be understood.

William Penn

Many of us can learn from this, no?

Mom's Advice

My mother knows me well. And every time I came (come) home with some sort or of complaint she'd let (lets) me talk. BUT she always comes back with this - It's a matter of changing your attitude. When I saw this it brought a smile to my face. I've gotta say that this is probably the best advice I've ever had.

What about you? What advice do you hold dear to your heart?

A Wednesday Word: making wednesday worthwhile

pas·sive [pas-iv]
–adjective
1. not reacting visibly to something that might be expected to produce manifestations of an emotion or feeling.
2. not participating readily or actively; inactive: a passive member of a committee.
3. not involving visible reaction or active participation: to play a passive role.

*****************

I've noticed that there is a lot of advice on how to be a good parent, how to have a good relationship, how to be a good friend, etc. More than that though, I've noticed that specific advice often transcends what it addresses - it is universal. I read this last fall and it has stuck with me. Sometimes it may seem like common sense. But when this sort of advice resonates in your being, it is more than common sense - it is TRUTH!

No enemy is more subtle than passivity. When parents are passive,
they may eventually discipline, but by then the delayed reaction is often
carried out in anger. Passivity waits and waits until finally, when it can wait
no longer, it comes down with both feet! When that happens, children are not
disciplined, they are brutalized. Passivity not only blinds us to
the here and now, it makes us inconsistent.
by Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives,
italics added by Mimi Marquez

I think at one time or another we have all encountered passivity and the dreaded "explosion." Wow, how passivity doesn't do us any good!! It causes more damage than we are willing to admit.