A Birthday Conundrum

This is how the conversation went down on Saturday:
Me: So, I see a dilemma with watching the last few episodes of season five of NCIS tonight.
Emily: Okay...
Me: I am 99% sure that I will be getting season 6 for my birthday. My mom will probably send the package early...
Emily (finishing my sentence for me and with much exclamation!): But you have rules about your birthday!
Me: I know. That's the dilemma!
Emily: But we can't break the rule. Even for NCIS!
Me: I know (in a very defeated voice).

Now, I shared this conversation with my mother. And she gave me permission to break the rule. Oh, for those of you who don't know the rule is that wrapped presents sit in plain sight until my actual birthday, even if they are sent a week ahead of time. But I might be with Emily on this one. So, I think tonight I might suggest watching a few episodes of JAG to get us through this week in one piece!

Qtips

I dumped a good portion of my Qtips on the bathroom floor this week. I am disturbed by two things now.
1. The hair that I couldn't quite dislodge from the handfuls of Qtips that I picked up off the floor.
2. How disorganized they are whenever I reach into the bathroom cabinet to get them. I like the neat rows they are in when you buy them. It is almost impossible to recreate that once they have fallen out.

And I am also procrastinating starting my paperwork. So far, I am only 6 minutes past the self-imposed "check-in" time I gave myself. I have to keep telling myself that if I just do it, I will be done in about 1 1/2 hours. Although, I think I'm already planning a mid-typing break. Maybe an episode of 21 Jump Street. Or something responsible such as doing the gazillion dishes taking over our counter (I decided this morning that there may be more dishes outside the cabinets than inside) or putting away my laundry from Wednesday.

21 Jump Street, in all it's glory

I got through seasons one and two (which I purchased) and really wanted to keep watching, but really didn't want to pay to buy another season. I discovered that I can watch all of them on imdb. So, now I'm about halfway through season three. But it is amazing to me how many famous people have been on the show. And how many not so famous people, but ones that I recognize. I am constantly having to google characters to see if I know them. Here is a list, just from what I remember:

Johnny Depp (obviously)
Brad Pitt
Jason Priestley
Christina Applegate
Dom DeLuise
Michael DeLuise (who played TJ on Gilmore Girls, that I also found out is a son of
Dom DeLuise)
Renee Jones (who played Lexie on Days of Our Lives when I watched in high school)
Sherilyn Fenn (who played Anna Nardini on Gilmore Girls)
RJ Williams (who played CB on The Night They Saved Christmas--my very favorite made for TV Christmas movie!)
Pauly Shore

Not to mention, I have been very impressed with the topics that they have covered on the show. I mean, I will give it to you straight. There is no doubt in my mind that this show was made in the late 80s, but if you set that aside, I'm thinking it covered some pretty touchy subjects.

drugs
AIDS
rape/date rape
teenage pregnancy
sexual harrassment
drinking and driving
abortion
bullying
gang violence
prostitution
pornography
racial violence
steroid use

Interesting to me because some of these topics are still controversial today!

Wacky Weather

I know that I have sort of fallen off the blog world bandwagon, but that happens every once in a while. Blame it on 21 Jump Street. Or lack of wanting to do anything when I get home. Or just plain ole procrastination. So, it's kind of sad that I haven't blogged in about a week and I'm choosing to blog about the weather, but here I am anyway. Blogging about the weather.

But it is kind of blog worthy. I mean, the weather has been, well, wacky! I finally caved and turned the air on two nights ago. Today I turned it off because it is super cool outside. Now, I'm laying on the couch and listening to 21 Jump Street (I can't watch it on the computer and type this at the same time) and I'm thinking I need a blanket or at least a pair of long pants on instead of shorts. But I cannot wait to go to bed tonight with my window open and my covers on!

Not to mention that last night after the storm went through, I loved driving to Bible study and looking at the awesome clouds everywhere. I wish I could have taken a panoramic video of the clouds. Any which way you turned you saw something different. One way looked like the cloud of doom was on its way (I actually think it had just passed). Another way it looked like it hadn't rained for days--beautiful blue sky with white fluffy clouds. Another way, there was this really cool stack of clouds, some gray and low, some white and fluffy, and everything in between. The last way, was the clouds with the sun setting, so it was pink. Any way you looked it was a great display of God's glory! And that is why I wanted to talk about the weather! :)

Baby Lila

June 3rd was an eventful day among my four coworkers and I. Jenna got married and Jill had a baby. Today is Lila's 2 week birthday. And to celebrate I went to see her :). I meant to get a picture taken with Lila and I, but I was busy holding her and talking, so I forgot to get my camera out until it was time to leave. And by then she was sleeping so peacefully. I'm guessing that Jill would have let me pick her back up, but I decided to just take this picture instead. Isn't she so cute! Not to mention that Lila's big sister was adorable too. And one of our old coworkers came too and brought lunch with her. It was a good afternoon cushioned on both sides by doing paperwork. And then followed by a few episodes of 21 Jump Street.

Boy does this bring back great childhood memories!

I walked outside to take the trash to the dumpster (not the positive childhood memory), I noticed some lightning bugs. On the way back to the apartment door, I decided to try to catch a lightning bug. Then I went to get the camera :)
One summer when I was a kid, I spent a few weeks at my grandma's house when my cousin (who lived in California at the time) was also staying. One day, Michele and I spent the whole day writing a play. I think it was called The Lightning Bug News. I don't think we ever performed it, but we sure did have fun creating it.

PS, I forgot the smell lightning bugs leave on your hand if you keep them there long enough. As an adult, I question this smell much more than I did as a child...

At times like this, I think I'll claim him :)

Sometimes I feel the need to carry pictures around like this in my wallet. I can hand them out when I'm feeling:
1. picked on
2. insecure
3. accused of stealing things
4. short
5. afraid for my life
6. like I need someone to back me up

With the picture I would simply say: This is my brother. He loves me. You mess with me, you mess with him!

I probably wouldn't mention he lives in Georgia. I don't think that would carry as much weight.

Scripture Saturday

I love spending time in the Word on Saturday mornings. It has a different feel than on weekdays. First of all, I am normally more awake. Second, I often have no time frame for which I have to be done, so I don't have to watch the clock constantly. It allows me to focus more on what I'm reading/studying and less on what I have to do next. This, in turn, allows me to be able to feel like I am communing with God in a different way. I can also take more focused time to pray.

My pastor just started a new sermon series on 1 Peter. He has started putting out study questions for the congregation to study the passage he will preach on the next week. Today, I was working my way through verses 1-5 of the first chapter. Some of his questions, honestly, I almost skipped over. But I am so glad I didn't, because those are the ones that really got me thinking and looking through other passages to find a good answer.

"What does it mean to be born again?"
"How would you describe a "living hope" to a ten year old?"

I am so glad that my faith is living and active! It is not a dead faith. It is an eternal faith. Verses 3-4 have such descriptive words for this living faith--new birth into a living hope, resurrection of Jesus Christ, an inheritance that will never spoil, perish, or fade. It makes me so excited, knowing that I have an eternity to worship God!

Status updates (AKA...the random things that go through me head)

*I love summer dresses. I should stop going into stores because I don't really know how I'm going wear all the ones that I have at the moment. It's the one thing about my job that I love and hate (another weird pro/con thing)--I don't have to dress up at all, but than it feels weird when I do want to dress up a little.

*I am roommate-less for the next week. Emily is at summer camp with the youth until Friday. Normally, I am ready for a week by myself, but I am already bored knowing I won't have anyone to recap my day with or watch NCIS with or protect me from the boogey men.

*I should exercise, but I am enjoying the air conditioning WAY too much. Is is almost winter yet? :) I think it would be really funny (but only to me) to make my status update on Facebook something about how horrible summer is and how many more days until winter, just like everyone else does when it is winter and they are wishing for summer! But, I guess if it was winter, I wouldn't be able to wear my summer dresses and flip flops.

*Today I am 31 and 11 months! Or 383 months in toddler speak! :)

The pros and cons of flip flops

Okay, so I'm having some trouble even mentioning that there might be a con to flip flops. But after seeing the picture below you might understand. There are two rules you need to understand when viewing this picture. 1. You cannot judge the state of my bedroom floor. 2. You cannot comment on anything but the shoes :)

So, there are many pros to wearing flip flops. Keeping your feet cool. They are easy to slip on and off. They come in a multitude of colors, designs to match just about any imaginable outfit. They make a fun flip-floppy noise when you walk. I mean, my list could go on. But the con is really the purpose of this post, so I'll let you form your own pro list in your head, or feel free to comment about some pros of flip flops.

Here is a picture of my floor at the end of the week: I love flip flops and live in them during the summer. But I don't really like that this is the normal state of my floor during the summer. I mean, two of my pros become strong support for my one con. They slip off easily and they come in a wide variety of colors and designs. And therefore, they litter my floor. Sometimes I wear two pair in one day if I wear one pair to work and come home, change, and go out to do somehting else. Now, if you're a good detective, you can count 6 1/2 pairs of flip flops and one pair of slip on shoes (that are only there because I need to get one of the straps fixed and am afraid if I put them in the closet, I will forget about doing that, so they constantly get kicked around the room). The funny thing about this is that they are all SO close to the closet! If you locate the giraffe print flip flops (my newest purchase) and take two diagonal steps to the left and up, you will be able to touch the shoe rack that holds all of my flip flops. But they get kicked off before they make it to the closet. I'm not really sure why. I've tried to cure myself of this, but it hasn't worked yet. So, at the end of the week, normally on Saturday, I do one big clean up and than start the kicking off of the flip flops all over again for the next week.

I Heart Pink DSi

I heart them so much I like to steal them from sweet little 5 year olds. Or so the story goes. Seriously.

Last Tuesday I was with a client when my boss' boss came into the office to ask me if I had a client named "Jane" (name changed for obvious confidentiality reasons, but not necessarily to protect the innocent). I told her I did and she asked if I had talked to her grandmother. I told her no. She told me not to worry about it. Something came up and she would take care of it. Okaaaay. I immediately recalled the phone message I got that morning from the dad of "Jane" asking me if I had seen her with her DSi when I saw her that day. I got the message at 8:15 and didn't think he would be up yet, so I didn't call him back to tell him that I had not seen the DSi. Well, come to find out his mother, whom they live with, had been in contact with both my supervisor and her boss. She was just shooting the breeze, right? Not quite. She was accusing me of stealing her granddaughter's pink DSi! That's me. Stickee fingers all the way. Luckily, my supervisor and her boss did not think I could do something like that and were backing me all the way.

It became the joke around the office. Oh, wait. I forgot to mention that the grandmother was threatening to call the police. Do you think if I mentioned to said officer that my brother is a police officer as well, I would be able to keep myself from going to jail for 10-20?

Anyway, where was I. Oh, the laughingstock of the office. One of my coworkers came in and said, "Teresa, I have a DSi at my house. You could have just asked to borrow it." To which, I, of course, replied, "Is it pink?" "Well, no, it's white." "I HAD to have the pink one!" :)

I decided I shouldn't blog about this story until it was resolved, because, frankly I didn't take it very seriously at all (can you tell?) and I didn't think it was a good idea for me to state my opinion in a public forum on the off chance that the police did get involved.

So, the end of the story is that the dad apologized to me through a phone message last week and told me this week that they found the DSi in "Jane's" sock drawer. Yeah. Her sock drawer.

I wanted to tell them that maybe next time they should put the 5 year old and the professional therapist on a scale and see who is more likely to have misplaced the DSi somewhere. But I didn't. I just went on my merry little way. And stole the ten dollars off the counter...Just kidding! :)