Retreating

One thing I love about being single is that I still get to go on weekend retreats. You would think that when I reached the age of 30, I would have passed the age where I would enjoy getting little sleep and spending time with a lot of other people for a whole weekend. But I haven't. Well, the no sleep thing has become more of an issue, but I can push through it for a weekend.

I'm heading to Lake Geneva this weekend with about 40 other people for fun, fellowship, worship, some good sessions, and games. I am praying it is a weekend of focused worship for me and those who are attending. One of our missionary families is home on furlough and are speaking for the weekend. I am very excited to hear what God will say through Josh. I am also praying for some focused fellowship time with those going on the retreat. I have felt slightly disconnected from the class and am hoping this will bring me back to a place where I feel like we are growing as a class and I am an active part of that.

So, basically, I am also saying, Adios blogworld for the weekend! :)

Taking Pleasure in Random Things

Today I was able to pass a police officer. It brings me great pleasure. I was going one mile over the speed limit and I just zoomed right past him. I think this pleasure comes partly from getting stuck behind people who feel the need to go 10 miles under the speed limit when they see a cop anywhere in their vicinity.

Speaking of pet peeves...what's with people who stroll across the street at busy intersections. I mean, I know the pedestrian has the right of way, but shouldn't they at least walk at a nice brisk pace in order to not hold up traffic? Just sayin'!

Things from my day

I met a client at school during her lunch. I've been doing this all school year. Nine times out of ten she gets pizza. She has probably only eaten the whole pizza once this year, but I can normally talk her into eating some of it. But the past three weeks, I have not had a lot of luck. So I asked her why she doesn't want to eat her pizza. And she informed me that she only likes triangle pizza, not rectangle pizza. I've contemplated cutting the rectangle in half and making it more like a triangle. But instead, I normally end up eating half her pizza. I mean, who wants to let a perfectly good school pizza go to waste?! In high school, there was one year that I ate pizza every day for lunch (it was one of five lines you could choose from). Part of the reason was because you also could get a chocolate eclair ice cream bar for dessert. Yummy! But the other part is that I like school pizza.

I went and got my hair cut after work. Brooke took her time styling it afterward. We were so busy talking, I didn't think anything of it. But toward the end I realized that I had this really cute hair cut that was professionally straightened and I was going to leave and go home! At least I have a roommate so I got to show my fun hair to someone!

Feeling a TAD bit old

Friday Emily had her small group girls over for a slumber party. 7 teenage girls in one small apartment. I'll repeat. 7 teenage girls in one small apartment. :) Everyone was surprised that I didn't make other plans for the evening. Truthfully, I enjoy her small group of chickadees. They adopt me into their group and make me feel a part. Do they squeal? Yes. Are they giddy? Yes. Do they have endless amounts of energy? Most definitely (I "made" Emily ban caffeine from the house for the evening!). Do they have amazing smiles? Oh yeah. Do they give great hugs? Yep. Do they remind me of life at that time? Of course.

But why do I feel old, you may be wondering. Well, let me tell you. It was approaching midnight and the girls were "settling down" (per Emily's request) to watch a movie. They chose to watch The Little Mermaid, which caused an instant dilemma for me. I LOVE The Little Mermaid. It is my favorite Disney movie. But I was going to exit stage left to my bedroom when the movie started. They begged and pleaded and basically guilted me into watching with them. Arm twist, arm twist. As we began to watch the movie, I pulled out the case. The Little Mermaid was made in 1989. Oh my goodness! Guess how many people in the room were alive when The Little Mermaid was released? Your guess was 0, wasn't it. Because you're trying to flatter me. Nope, the correct answer would be 2. I was 10 when it came out. Some of the girls in the room were born in 1994 or even later. Now, here is what flabbergasts me. Logic would say that anything that is 31 years old or younger would have been made in my lifetime (duh, even I can do that math). But, when you don't feel 31, this logic dies a little. I think part of it is because I am in the life stage of someone in their young 20s, so it doesn't occur to me that a movie that I saw when it first came out in the theater, that I distinctly remember seeing when it came out in the theater, could be 21 years old. Yikes! Not to mention that when it was re-released into the theaters for its 10 year anniversary, I went with my college roommate and we were probably some of the oldest people in the theater :). So, the moral of the story...I feel a tad bit old! :)

There's a first time for everything

There are certain things I never see happen that I'm always surprised I don't see. Like the changing over of a billboard. Or the emptying of an ATM. Or the emptying of the big blue mailboxes. Or the emptying/changing of a Redbox (okay, these haven't been around very long, but I still don't know how they get changed). I used to think that there must be underground tunnels that change them out.

Well, today I saw an ATM being emptied out or changed and a mailbox being emptied. So now I can check those things off my imaginary list!

You know you watch too much NCIS when...

This story may only be funny to me. I think Emily laughed, but I'm not sure.

We had just finished watching an episode of NCIS last night and were chatting because neither of us had the energy to get up and actually go to bed. We were discussing my previous post about my work anniversary. She asked me if anyone has worked in my program longer. I told her that besides Faye, who is my supervisor, I had been there the longest. Than I said, "I guess that makes me the lead agent." :) Because I had just watched NCIS. And I work in a program called FBI. Okay, not so funny when translated on paper. It was funny at the time. Than we discussed how that must make Faye like Gibbs, except not at all (Faye's personality is the exact opposite of Gibbs, but in the analogy her position would be the same). We have a new person starting in the program in April, so she got assigned the title of "Probie."

And than I found ten dollars.

Five Years

With all the other nonsensical things I was blogging about over the weekend, I forgot a very important thing. Sunday was my five year work anniversary! I can't believe I have been at the Children's Home that long! Which also made me think about the fact that the end of January marked five years since I moved to Illinois. Those five years have gone by really fast!

The power of suggestion

Daylight Savings Time. It is such a dramatic day to people. But I have found, in my life, that the power of suggestion makes it a little less traumatic for me (and not having children!). I was at a friend's house last night, but as soon as I got home, I set my clocks ahead and began to get ready for bed. Once the clocks change, I believe the time they say. So, I instantly felt like it was 11:30 instead of 10:30 and quickly made my way to bed. The same is true if I forget to change a clock, though. When I got home from church today and was making my lunch I looked at a clock I had not changed and I thought, "Oh, wow, it's only 12:10!" Why I would have this thought, I'm not sure, because I never get home from church that early, but the fact that the clock said so, in that moment, made it true. Maybe I'm weird, I don't know. Well, I do know I'm weird, but I'm not sure if this particular issue makes me weird :).

I couldn't resist

I know I've blogged two other times today, but I couldn't resist posting this once I checked the mail. I am the proud owner of a Honda Civic. It's officially official! :)

Tax Returns and other things

I realized the other day that I am getting older. :) Just kidding, but I felt older when I had to click a drop down menu for my year of birth. Why did I feel older? Because I had to scroll down to get to my year of birth. Sigh.

I completed my taxes today. I love that I don't have to think about it for another year now. I'm trying to decide what to do with this return. I don't have any pressing needs. And it usually goes into savings. I think usually I use some of it to buy some new clothes for the spring. When I paid off my car I was thinking that I didn't have any big purchases that I wanted to make (well, definitely not as big as a car). But today I was contemplating big purchases. I think my last big purchase was my computer over a year ago. Since I moved into the apartment, it has been in the back of my head to recover the chairs I got from my grandma. But the whole finding a place and picking out a fabric really intimidates me, so I have procrastinated that for over two years. I also would like to purchase a new mattress within the next year. I inherited the mattress and bed that I have from Amy's parents when I moved back to Illinois. I have no idea how old the mattress is. There is nothing wrong with it, exactly, but I've thought about replacing it. So, those are my ideas. Save.
New clothes for spring.
Recover chairs.
Buy a mattress.
These are the profound things I think about on a Saturday. :)

Rubbing off on the roommate

I told Emily the other day (after the conversation I will post in a second and after catching my breath from laughing so hard) that I should maybe have her sign a waiver. I informed her that she must realize that witty things she says will often end up on my blog. And that things she says that relate to something I already posted about will most definitely end up on my blog!

Caution: I'm giving a spoiler alert for those of you who have never watched NCIS and may want to start from the beginning. If you don't want to know what happens at the end of season two, don't read any further :). So, Emily and I finished season 2 last week. I had told her a long time ago that I liked Kate better than Ziva and Emily asked what happened to Kate. So, going into the first two seasons she was always aware that Kate was going to die at the end of season 2. However, watching it had a greater impact than telling her about it. We decided we couldn't leave Kate hanging dead at the last minute, so I borrowed season 3 from a friend. We sat down to watch it the other night and Emily said, "Are they going to at least mention Kate sometimes during this season. I am not emotionally ready for them to just move on with life as if she never existed!" I literally laughed out loud! I informed her that she is at least mentioned in the first couple of episodes but that I am not sure how far into the season she is mentioned. The moral of the story is that apparently being roommates with me causes my emotional attachment to characters to rub off on you. Also, past roommates have complained that my propensity to have to visit the bathroom a lot during the day has rubbed off on them, but that's a story for another time. Actually, I think I'll leave it at that!

80,000

With the paying off of my car (still super exciting) came the milestone event yesterday of passing the 80,000 mile mark. I enjoy watching the round numbers pass on the speedometer and I even took a picture with my cell phone. I mean, at this point, they only come around every 10,000 miles. That's only 1.8 times a year for me. So I got really excited as I watched it and than a little depressed after it passed. I just paid off the car and it has 80,000 miles. What if it starts having problems? What if it doesn't last as long as most Honda's do? What if I have to start paying off another car sooner than I want to? These were the worrisome thoughts that ran through my head. But than I just pushed the little button that makes the speedometer change to oil level or something and started singing to the radio. I guess at that moment I decided, out of sight, out of mind :). Sometimes it works!

A little randomness goes a long way

To continue the discussion of "wet" food, I discovered tonight that I don't mind the smell of syrup as it is getting rinsed from the cup (I heat it up for my waffles).

Client story of the day: Yesterday I finally made contact with a new family I have been trying to set up an initial appointment with for two weeks. The mom was less than cordial. I like to use the word antagonistic. When I told her I would be meeting with her two kids individually, she told me that "that is not we agreed to." Apparently she had agreed to family therapy revolving around a third son who is placed residentially. I told her that, per our program, I could not work with the son who is placed residentially. In my most diplomatic voice, I explained that the other two siblings were effected by the behavior of the son and that it would be beneficial for me to meet with them individually so that they can talk about that effect. Somewhat awkward pause. Then in a perfectly calm voice the mom says "Ohhh, I agree. They do need that." Ummm...what happened to antagonistic? My first thought was, "wow, she's going to be fun to work with!" We scheduled for today at 2:45 so I could meet both kids and complete opening paperwork.

Fast forward to today. I got back early afternoon from an appointment and had a message. I checked the message. It was from the mom. The gist was that the daughter was sick. They had been passing the bug around and mom did not want me to get sick (awww...how nice!). My favorite statement, that made me laugh out loud, and is the point of the last two paragraphs, was (and remember mom hasn't met me yet), "Because you're going to be our therapist. And your a nice lady. So I don't want you to get sick." Again, I laughed out loud, called her back and rescheduled for next week!

Last bit of randomness...I was doing one of my exercise tapes tonight and again I laughed out loud. The instructor kept telling me to "Control your smile." I mean, really. Does he not realize that I never smile while I'm exercising? :)

Celebrate Good Times, C'Mon, Let's Celebrate!

"What is this?" you might be wondering...

And "what should I do with this?" you might be asking...

Well, let me tell you. It is the payment book for my car.

And it is the due date of my LAST CAR PAYMENT!!!!!

I called the bank today and payed off my car! I am super excited! Because guess what else?!?!?!..................................

That makes me DEBT FREE!!!!

Are we going green, or not

I love me a good oxymoron. It makes me laugh how all the credit card companies are encouraging me to go paperless (which I have not done because I like the physical reminder that I owe them money). Many credit card companies are beginning to charge you a fee for continuing to receive the paper copy of your bill. And yet I get at least five credit card applications in the mail per week. Two just today. And I think I get at least two from the same company each week. Ummm...how about saving those trees, considering I just tear them up and throw them away without opening them. And I get frustrated every time I see them in the mailbox. Just sayin'!

Plays, Plays, and more Plays

I was able to see two plays in two weeks. Don't I feel cultured! :) Last week, of course, was Les Miserables. Last night I went to a high school production of Phantom of the Opera. It was apparently the state debut. No other high school in Illinois has attempted it. I was very impressed with the vocal abilities of the high schoolers. It was definitely worth the time to go. Kari and I went and ended up sitting with some of the high schoolers from church. Madison talked up her play, Gondoliers, which isn't until May. The theater group she is a part of did Pirates of Penzance last year, so I am excited to see what they do this year. It made me think of the high school productions I went to when I was in high school. I remember our school doing Fiddler on the Roof (which I loved) and Nunsense (which was hysterical). Those are the two I remember the most.

I would love to see a Broadway production of Phantom. I've only seen the movie, which I own, but I can just imagine what it would be like to see it on stage.

Lazy Saturdays/ Scripture Saturday

I love not having to be anywhere on a Saturday morning. I love it for several reasons.

1. I can sleep until I wake up. Granted, more often than not these days, I would like to sleep longer than I do, but I am grateful when I wake up feeling rested.

2. I can make my own schedule. I can do things in whatever order I want to do them in.

3. I can spend more leisurely time in the Word. During the week, I schedule in time in the morning to spend with the Lord, but it is a pretty set amount of time and often feels rushed. Or I'm tired. Today was one of those days where I didn't have to look at the clock. I was able to spend some extra time in prayer. I was able to spend some extra time in the Word. Than, when I got done exercising and taking a shower, I was able to spend some time reading the nonfiction book on my list right now.

Today's question of the ten in the book was very fitting to this relaxed, yet focused time with the Lord: Are the spiritual disciplines increasingly important to you? One quote really struck me from the book. It was under a section titled "resist the temptation to believe in microwave spirituality or shortcut Christlikeness." Here's what the author had to say:

Faster Internet connections do not make us like Jesus more quickly. Theologian R.C. Sproul emphasized, "there are no quick and easy paths to spiritual maturity. The soul that seeks a deeper level of maturity must be prepared for a long, arduous task. If we are to seek the kingdom of God, we must abandon any formulae that promise instant spiritual gratification."

Definitely something for me to think about as I move to the next thing I need to accomplish today.

PS. Other Random Tidbits

It's late. I should be in bed. Emily and I are about to watch an episode of NCIS instead. You are getting the fluff that is left in my brain. Which means I should probably not blog, but I'm not that smart.

Did you know I don't like "wet" food? I love peanut butter, but I don't like the smell of wet peanut butter when I have to wash the knife after eating peanut butter. I also, apparently, don't like the smell of wet ranch dressing. Now, you might be saying that dressing is already wet, but there's something different when it gets rinsed from something. Yuck.

I think that's all I have for now because there is a dead body that I really need to pay attention to and Tony's car was stolen. These are the important things in my life at 10:30 at night!

Goodnight all!

Random Tidbits and A Couple Funny Conversations

I'm eating peanut butter and crackers for dinner tonight. Yummy. :) I finished up a jar of peanut butter and got a new jar out to open and I realized how much I love being the first to use something. You would think, being single and buying my own groceries, that this would not bring me joy, because I am the only one who uses my food so logic would say that I should always be the one to use something first. But being the first to plunge the knife into the new peanut butter is...hmmm, I'm not really sure what word I want to put there. But it's the same for a tub of butter, or a thing of jelly, or a tub of cool whip, or ice cream. Anyway, call me crazy, but I do enjoy it.

Yesterday I had a couple funny conversations. The first I'll tell you about was with Danell. Now, Danell and I have been friends for a long time and we have very similar personalities. If we are around each other long enough we start talking like each other. We're both very witty people (I think I'm allowed to say this. If you don't agree, you can let me know!) But Danell is just a little quicker with her comebacks than I am. Okay, I think that sets the stage nicely for this conversation. We were talking on the phone last night and discussing that we are always on each other's side in a discussion. She told me that her husband was kind of shocked by this. And he questioned the "always."
Ken: You're ALWAYS on her side?
Danell: Yes.
Ken: What if she went on a serial killing spree?
Danell: I'm sure she had her reasons.

Oh my, it still makes me laugh just typing it. She than went on to tell me that she was sad that I was not there for the original conversation. She said that she felt like she was having a kindred moment with me but I wasn't there to enjoy it! I love her SO much! :)

The second conversation happened at work yesterday. The bug man came to work yesterday and Jenna (my coworker) and I were sitting at our computers plugging away at paperwork. Jenna asked the bug man if she should move the things from under her desk (our computers are not at our desks) and he said that would be great. As she started to move to do this he said, "Of course, I don't spray under your desk, but feel free to move everything." Jenna looked at him and he started laughing and said, "I'm just kidding. That would be helpful." He than asked if we had seen any specific bugs. Jenna looked me and said, "Have you seen any crickets?" I wasn't sure how to answer this at first and than I started laughing, stating "He said specific, not crickets!" We like our bug man. He is always pretty amusing!

I hope those made you laugh. If not, you should ask me to tell them to you in person. Sometimes I think I'm a better story teller in person than I am on paper.

Feeling naked without my seat belt

On the way into my apartment complex this evening, I stopped to pay rent. So I had to get out of the car. From the office, I have to drive down a hill, around a turn and then park in front of my building. I decided that I did not need to wear my seat belt for this. But I felt naked the whole time. It just doesn't feel right when I don't buckle it right away. When I lived in Georgia, the driveway was really long and the mailbox was at the road. So, I would pull up to the mailbox to get the mail before driving down the driveway. But, being short, I also would have to unbuckle my seat belt to get the mail. 99.4% of the time, I would buckle my seat belt to drive down the driveway. It just felt better that way. Am I crazy, or do others feel that way too?